A Plague Of Biblical Proportions

seems that we've been swarmed by millions of these tiny critters and we've spent the better part of the day vacuuming them up and discarding them. In the heat of the moment we were certain that we were the objects of divine displeasure and the beetles were sent as some sort of punishment.

Initially we tried to keep the bugs out but they foiled us repeatedly, flooding into the cracks and crevices offered to them by our 100 year old farm cottage. One of the little suckers even found it’s way into our projection tv, causing us great distress.



These pesky asian lady beetles made their first appearance in our fair state in 1992 and their numbers have been increasing ever since. In Asia they hibernated in the crevices of tall cliffs, but here they seem to prefer to find repose in our walls and attics. They're pretty smart too, because they use "chemical cues" to find their favorite stomping grounds from year to year. I'm fairly certain that my house has become a favorite with them because each year they've come back, with this year’s visit resulting in record numbers.

We couldn't even walk outside when the swarm began because we quickly became covered by these invaders. In our panic-crazed efforts to dislodge them from our bodies we must have smashed quite a few, and that was a huge mistake because they really stink when they are smashed and the fluid that is emitted then permanently stains anything it touches.

By the way, you can thank the US government for the introduction of this wonderful little bug. They were imported as early as 1916 in order to control troublesome insect populations. You can certainly be sure that I spent my day yesterday thanking our government profusely.

Speak English, Por Favor

I've been overhearing alot of conversations lately about how we should make English our national language and how immigrants should speak english. Many have even suggested that they do not support Spanish being taught in our elementary schools because our children should be learning english. In my opinion this is just an issue being used as a tool for people fed up with immigration issues to make their ideas known without sounding as if they are prejudiced. (It really doesn't work.)

I guess I would be fine with the idea of making english our national language if the majority of our population could actually speak proper english and if our english was totally and completely pure. For instance, many words that we Americans use daily are in fact borrowed from the Spanish language.English, like most languages, has expanded over the years through assimilation of words from other tongues. This is a normal development and nothing to be worried over.

Did you know that the word alligator has recent spanish roots? It comes from the word el lagarto which means "the lizard". The word alcove also has spanish roots from the Spanish word alcoba. The spanish word was in turn borrowed from the Arabic word al-qubba.

For those of us who are worried that our language and lifestyle will be affected by the influx of Hispanic immigrants, there's really no point in worrying since the changes that you're trying to prevent have in fact already happened. I'm guessing that the people who keep insisting that the Hispanics cease speaking Spanish haven't quite caught on to the fact that sometimes they actually are even when they're not.

How Many More Children Have To Die?

It's really no secret that age and experience play a big factor in the risks that an infant faces of being abused in the first year of his/her life. A young parent, with no experience, poor coping skills, and a non existent support system is a recipe for disaster.

I myself was a young parent at one time, giving bith to my first child just shortly before I was 16. I was very blessed. I had a strong support system and many people to turn to if I was in trouble, but even I will acknowledge that I could have benefited from parenting classes of some sort to help prepare for what was to come.

I couldn't put my daughter down for the first four months without her screaming. It was much easier to just hold her constantly than to hear her cry but it was very stressful. When my second child came, I was a little more relaxed and knew that if he cried for 10 minutes while I took shower, it was okay. I shudder to think how I would have coped had I been completely on my own or if friends and family weren't around to help out.

There is no excuse for child abuse, but there's no excuse for not preparing parents who are young and inexperienced for the challenges that are ahead and I'm sorry but I'm seeing too many young couples left to fend for themselves in this town. Many are horribly impoverished and are adding the stress of a crying child to the burden of just trying to get by.

We need to implement better screening to identify babies who will be at serious risk and try to intervene with appropriate services. I'm not proposing that DSS should be breathing down the necks of all young parents but we really need a better safety net for these babies and young parents than we have now.