Ruralite Cafe: Published 08/09/01

By Lisa Majors-Duff News Editor

It's time to sort through the mail, again

Not wanting to disturb my co-workers every time a decision is required on whether to include submitted information in this week's edition, even newspaper insiders are only vaguely aware of my mood shifts as I sort through the paper mail, faxes and email two and three times a day.

Mostly my mood remains constant since a majority of submissions in one form or another are not suitable for publication for one reason or another. That's not to say they are not interesting, detailed or informative. In fact, I find it quite interesting that a Chinese Wushu master will demonstrate martial arts at the N.C. Museum of Art later this month and that recent research indicates that 27 North Carolina counties sided with the statewide victor in at least 10 of the last 11 presidential election dating back to 1960, making them, in the researchers' mind, the state's "presidential bellwether" counties.

Shifts in my mood usually occur when I discover information I wish I could include in the newspaper. But I usually must eventually decide that just because an issue is near and dear to my heart does not mean anyone else will care. For example, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation was able recently to establish an endowment for the Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, thanks to an anonymous gift of $10,000. The money will be used in years to come to "preserve the estate while providing for the fullest public use and enjoyment" of the property near Blowing Rock, said parkway Superintendent Dan Brown.

This newspaper receives information in the form of "press releases" from all over the region, state and nation. While most of it is interesting, it remains useless except for occasionally adding to my mental file of possible Jeopardy questions. Like did you know that Flowers.com considers the gladiolus to be the August birthday flower? Or that mid-August through mid-September is an excellent time for homeowners to have their soil tested by the N.C. Department of Agriculture if they are planning a garden project.

I often experience another, slightly violent shift in my mood when I take time to read a so-called "press release" only to discover the writer was a well-paid advertising executive experienced in pulling the wool over an editor's eyes.

These usually read like this: "For Immediate Release: A recent survey found that 73 percent of today's teens use the Net to chat, message, listen to music and get the news. The same survey also found that many of these teens may put themselves in danger with some of their online behavior. Want to keep your kids safe? Just send $17.95 for our new book..."

Some types of information in the old mailbag have been known to cause a "no kidding" reaction on my part. For instance, a couple of days ago we received a press release from Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina. The headline read: "Leaving child in hot car may prove deadly." I immediately thought: "No kidding. Everybody knows that."

But after watching the news Monday night, I found out I may need to change my attitude about what I think everybody knows. The report showed in living color that there remain people in this world who don't know or don't care that cars can become as hot as ovens in the summer heat, and that children, whether they are strapped in car seats or not, are defenseless against temperatures that can kill them within minutes.

For those of you who don't know, here it is:

"...children left alone in a parked car on a hot day can quickly meet their death. During the summer months, the temperatures inside a parked car can reach over 120 degrees in as little as 10 minutes. Direct sunlight and a dark color car can speed the process...

"When in a hot car, a child loses body fluids and salts through perspiration, causing heat exhaustion. If not treated immediately, heat exhaustion can lead to heat stroke, which prohibits the body from perspiring. Body temperatures then rise, causing severe damage to the brain, liver and kidneys, and even death...

"Several North Carolina parents current face child abuse charges for leaving children in hot cars. A Hoke County couple was charged involuntary manslaughter and child neglect when their 2-year-old son died last July after being left in a hot, parked car in his own driveway..."

Some information, though seemingly obvious, should not be left unpublished or unread.

Back to Archive: 08/09/01.