Newspapers / The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, … / Aug. 23, 1984, edition 1 / Page 4
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PERSPECTIVE baling with child abuse By J ANX WILLIAMS Last week's editorial concerning the protection of your family through a will brought many favorable comments. As a result of these comments we have decided to feature a series of articles for the next few weeks discussing problems that relate to many familiesd in our area. Child abuse and neglect is a major problem in America today. It happens in poor, middle class, and well-to-do homes; rural areas, suburbs, all big cities, and it can involve one or both parents. CbUd abuse, stated simply, is repeated mistreatment or neglect of a child by parent(s) or Other guardian resulting in injury or harm. It can be physical-shaking, beating, burning, failure to provide the necessities of life (e.g. adequate food); or emotional-failure to provide warmth, attention, supervision; or verbal excessive yelling, belittling, teasing; or sexual-incest, rape, or other sexual activity. The effects of child abuse are horrifying. An abused child may become emotionally or physically handicapped, and hundreds of children die annually from habitual abuse. Estimates of the number of child abuse or neglect cases reach as many as a million per year, with parents as the most frequent child abusers; but other guardians (parents' friends, relatives, etc.) may also be involved. Child abuse is often reaction to* past or present problems or stresses that the parent(s) can't cope with. Most abusive parents are normal people. Very few are criminally inclined or mentally unbalanced. Research indicates that every parent has the potential to abuse a child at some time. It is important to know that child abuse is a symptom that can be treated successfully, but first more people have to understand the problem and care enough to help. We must realize that child abuse is a tragedy that affects us all. Abused children often become social or legal burdens. Abused children often become social or legal burdens. Abused children need the help of neigobors and friends before their torture will stop. You can help recognise child abuse and see that it's treated. Common signs of child abuse include: repeated injuries, neglected appearance, disruptive behavior, passive withdrawal behavior, highly critical parents, and extremely isolated families. Every parent makes errors in judgement and action at some time, but when it starts to become a pattern it's time for help. If you see yourself falling into the pattern of a child abuser, or if you know of a family in this situation, there is help available. Locally you can contact the county Social Services Deptartment for direction and guidance and there is also a 24 hour crisis telephone line, Albemarle Hope line, that offers information and help for abuse cases. The number for the crisis line is 338-3011. Child abuse is a problem that affects us all. It is a problem that can be resolved. We have a moral responsibility to see that child abuse is reported to people who can help. We have a moral responsibility to the children. Raleigh s expedition neared goal in early July Having obtained a royal patent authorizing him to claim and tame new lands, Walter Raleigh's swiftly began organizing an exploratory expedition. Raleigh outfitted a bark (possibly the 200-ton "Bark Raleigh") and a pinnace (possibly the "Dorothy"). The larger vessel was placed under the command of Capt. Philip Amadas, a member of Raleigh's household, and the smaller under Capt. Arthur Barlowe, a soldier who had been with Raleigh in Ireland. The expedition's pi.ot, responsible for guiding it to its destination, was Simon Fernadez. Born in the Azores, Fernandez had taken to English wfcys, and he was acquainted with the North American coast. The chosen destination was an unclaimed area midway between already occupied Newfoundland and Florida. A pronounced eastward bend in the coastline facilitated a sailor's locating the area. It was believed the climate there was good, and it was hoped that rumor was correct in describing the area as a small strip of land washed by the Atlantic and Pacific ocefens. 1 Raleigh's preparations were soon ready. BArlowe chronicled the start of the voyage: "The 27 day of April, in the year of our redemption, 1584, we departed the west of England," probably from the ancient port of Plymouth, "well furnished with men and victuals,..." Much as he desired to, Raleigh could not sail with Amadas and Barlowe. While his men engaged in adventure and discovery, Raleigh would spend several months waiting and wondering. Raleigh's vessels sailed the typical English route to the New World: southwest through the Atlantic to the Tropic of Cancer, west of the islands of the western Indies, then north and northeast along the mainland coast. The route took advantage of the prevailing winds and currents, allowing nature to carry vessels forward. It stayed near land for as long as possible, enabling vessels in danger or short of supplies to make for a heaven. Then, too, it carried the English into waters favored by Spanish treasure fleets, promising the fortunate mariner sudden wealth. Barlowe reported: "The tenth of May, we arrived at the Canaries, and the tenth of June...we were fallen with the islands of the West Indies,..." Probably at Puerto Rico, the men refreshed themselves with "sweet water, and fresl victual." This was a welcom change after a sailor's daily diei of a pound of biscuit (increasingly weevilly), a poun< of salt beef or pork (increasingly wormy), a gallon of bee' (increasingly flat)., and a bit c cheese (increasingly-moldy). Sailing onward, the expedition neared its goal. Barlowe- wrote: "The second of July, we found shoal water, which smelt so sweetly,...as if we had been in the midst of some delicate garden,..." Two days later they sighted the coast, which they then followed for 120 miles before spotting a suitable landing place. (Part three next week. ) Put humor back into comics r~Point of View li by; I BILL NIXON f I took a few minutes to respond the survey and included an sheet of criticism on r of the individual strips, "funnies" are not funny re. Rather than offering i entertainment, aa comics presented far too strips that focus too much > on changing the i habits of little effort It made to not one tf everything was so much In the "good old days." It But the fwmy pai wh d ?Iwayr M> Our favorite "downeast" paper (not the "Old Reliable") recently asked for reader opinion of comics, or as most of us refer to them, the funny papers. reading list. On the serious side, one of my all-time favorites was Brenda Star. She never did marry Basil St-John. The many characters introduced by Dick Tracy made fighting crime a very exciting job. Scamp was fun mostly because of Walt Disney. Mutt and Jeff were quite a pair, and Orphan Annie, before she became a stage star, was a very close friend of many children. And there were others, too many to mention, that brought us entertainment and laughter every Sunsday. Today we are insulted by the antics of a cat named Garfield. If spoiled children interest you, then you'll want to keep up with For Better or Worse. Then there's Bloom Country, which seems to be hung up on some character called "Bill the Cat." The Cat is supposed to be dead, but keeps coming back, ft seems author Berke Breathed, an unbettsvaUe can't find an idea to use from week to week. very funny. Shoe, a series featuring bird-like characters is an idication of an artist that can't draw people. I'm also opposed to seeing the comics used as a medium for advertising. With a high readership by children, it's only natural that certain advertisers would jump at the opportunity ot exploit this market, but that doesn't make it right. Nor should ads appear promoting sex oriented movies. A recent Sunday edition had such an ad, advertising "Sheena," dressed in much-of-nothing, nothing she alone has the power 'to "save Paradise." There are some features that are still entertaining. Probably everyone loves Charlie Brown and the Gang. Other than some slight changes in clothing, Blondie and Dagwood remain much as they have been decade*. The Phantom allows us to enjoy loU of actios, with the good guy still a winner. Andy Capp continues to be the idol of many men, as does Snuffy Smith. The main section of the paper gives us the news. The editorial Cucumbers and school '? Last week's column on the abundance of cucumbers brought a response from several of you vhofound yourself in the same fix that I was in. Several of the calls did prove to be quite helpful in solving the problem of what to do with the excess though. You can freeze cucumbers. / N> | A Chat With Jane One reader was generous enough to drop by an anonymously leave a bag of cucumbers for our enjoyment. Shirley Perry was among the callers last week, and she offered the following recipe to delight all of the cucumber lovers in the county. The recipe, given to Shirley by her sister-in-law follows: In a large bowl mix together 6 cups of un peeled cucumbers, sliced paper-thin 1 medium onion, sliced thin Add 1V4 tablespoons of salt, ,and mix well. Place the bowl* in the regrigerator for two hours. After two hours -emove the bowl from the refrigerator, and drain and squeese the the mixture thoroughly. DO NOT RINSE. In a seperate bowl mix Vt cup of vinegar and 1 to 1V4 cups of sugar (as desired). Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Add this mixture to the Letters The PERQUIMANS WEEKLY welcomes the opinion of lit readers. We print letter* to the editor on subjects of heal, state, national and International In terest. Be Letters sSmkl be limited to 300 330 words and should include the The subject matter should be of Interest to the community, not o personal gripe Letters may he edited by our news staff for clarity and space limitations. Mall letters to: The Perquimans Weekly PO Box irr. Hertford, M.C. 3TM. or drop them otf nt our otflres ? cucumbers, mix well and place in freezer bags. Shirley says that the cukes are delightful when prepared this way. With all the cucumbers I've got at home I'm counting on it. The final days of summer vacation have arrived. Many of the college students have already departed for school, and locally students will go back on Monday. Many of you will be taking your little ones to school for the first time Monday. It will be an experience that neither you or your child will forget for a long time, if ever. I still haven't forgotten my own very first day of school, and I'm not likely to forget the first days that I accompanied my own two children for this event. Back in the "good old days" when I first enrolled in grammar school things were a little different from the way they are now. You didn't get a phone call from the teacher letting you know about your classroom assignment, nor did you read the assignment in the newspaper. You sat in the school's auditorium while the principal read each students' classroom assignment. At six years old, sitting in an auditorium full of people, waiting for your name to be called out can be a terrifying experience. You're already self-conscious enough, and here's this strange man reading out your name over a microphone for the whole world to hear. Then you had to leave the auditorium and go to your newly r found classroom and meet the person that you would be L, spending the majority of the next : nine months with. ,< The first day of school is often a very traumatic experience. , Rememberances of being there ? yourself is bad enough, but 1 having little ones of your own is a totally different story. You spend the first five or six , years of their lives saying that . you can't wait until it's time for , them to go to school, and then ? . when it's almost time for them to * start you begin to get cold feet. The nervousness you're ^ experiencing is to be expected. t. Pre-wedding jitters are nothing in comparison to sending your little one to school for the first time. < Sweating palms, cold feet, i nervous stomach. ..all are j symptoms that will be j experienced by every parent in the classroom that you enter. And just as a word of warning.. .there's always one child in every classroom that will be hanging on to his (or her) parents leg, screaming to the top' of their lungs. It is Important to let your child' know that this will happen, and that it's not because the teacher is going to eat them for breakfast as soon as mommy and daddy leave. Every pre-schooler looks forward to school until they have' to go. Reassure them, love them, and realise that after the first week or so you will be more than' ready, after a long week-end, for Monday to roll around so that you can send them back into the loving arms of their teacher. 1 THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY 119 West Grubb Str??t __ 1 P.O. Box 277 I Hertford, North Carolina 27944 Published Every Thursday 11 By Advance Publications, Elizabeth City, N.C. | Jan* B. Williams Managing Editor Kan Cattal loa Advertising Manager Cindy Laicattar Circulation Manager If"*
The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, N.C.)
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Aug. 23, 1984, edition 1
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