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Show 4 The Magna TimesAVest Valley News, Thursday, October 18, 2001 Editorial For Sanitys Sake byfcpxina Milt .tt Backseat Conversations I hear the kids tn the backseat carryfor hundreds of ing on conversations miles. They're best friends and they dont even know it, my husband said. it were out of town away from their friends, toys and TV theyre content to be each others playmates. I Something inside of me wells up as hear the sliaied laughter and remember what our pediatrician told me years ago: The best gift you can give your child is a sibling. We're all cramped in a car on this long family vacation out west to spot vs ild animals, and the kids laughs and questions to each other are bouncing around. They exchange giggles over each other's jokes. Did I soy how much I love to hear them laugh? The youngest says something about stitchpoop or pee and has his sister in es. He keeps repeating the words just to see how long she can giggle without taking a breath. Talk goes from the gutter to God v. ithin miles Sissy, I think God is coming in our hotel room after we leave each day and giving us new soap," he said. I open the soap in the mornings and More from Ground Zero then we come back at night theres a new, unopened soap." Do you think hes making our beds, too? I asked, milking my sons innocence. We have to pull the car over because were laughing so hard, and explain to him the concept of housekeeping. The kids whine and complain as teammates too. Because we dont have a TV in our car or hotel room, they experience withdrawals together. They quiz each other about their favorite cartoons and agree that and Sponge Bob, Square Pants Cat, Dog are the best television shows ever created. stumpe-olope- s After seeing numerous and grizzly rocks, we finally spot real wildlife, a black bear near a bridge. We pull over to get a better look. This is better than Cat, Dog, the oldest says to the youngest. Another day we hike to a waterfall and find a river to soak our feet in. The youngest says to the oldest: This is definitely better than Sponge Bob. So, to my pediatrician, you were right. Weve given our kids the greatest each other. Built-i- n best friends gift (who dont even know it and wouldnt admit it) to talk and squabble with, as well as a captive audience of one person who is amused enough by the other to spend hours in a cramped car rolling down the highway laughing at the words poop and pee. Write to Taprina Milburn in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-647S) 2001 King Features Synd , Inc get to New Jersey or Long Island. I myself could not get out of town to go home to New Hampshire. I had a plane reservation, but that was worthless. All airports were closed on Wednesday, the day following the attack. Amtrak wasnt running. Neither were the buses. A rental car? No, the highways were tied up and strangling with traffic. I received a phone call from a recent ' Dartmouth graduate who told me that he was all right, and so was his wife. They worked in an office building directly across the street from the World Trade Center. He felt the first explosion as a tremor in his building, then looked out of the window and saw the second plane hit the second . tower. Hq will never forget it. He said some executive in his company said :khaf theres nothing to worry about, no need to evacuate the building. Was this guy nuts? My student and his wife started walking up the West Side Highway. Three days later I finally got to New Hampshire. It looks as if we are going to whack the terrorist networks. It can be done. t My favorite anecdote dates from maybe 20 years ago. The Israeli Mossad learned that a terrorist was at a hotel in Paris, thus much more vulnerable than in Teheran or some such place. The Mossad technicians entered his hotel room when he was out and rigged his phone to explode when a remote-contrbutton was pushed. This fellow was in bed with a woman when his phone rang. Is this Abdulla Mohammed? I have reported in this space on that second day that will live in infamy, Sept. 11, 2001, when a clever plot, imiidtVfjcPsrimt 6,rt)0peopJe in New 'Vttfktnltl'TWrtMlhgUihllvery aspect of this thing is an outrage. For example, some 300 English people died in the World Trade Center, and no doubt many people of other nationalities. New York is not Boston, Chicago or Philadelphia. It is a great imperial capital, like Athens, Rome, Alexandria. People of all colors and sizes come to New York seeking opportunity and money. And the opportunity sometimes seems infinite. At about 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 1 1, I was riding in a taxicab down Fifth Avenue on my way to work. Then, down at the bottom of Fifth Avenue, I saw the black clouds of smoke pouring out of the World Trade Center. Im not sure I can communicate how disoriented and wounded New York seemed to me that day and on subseYes. quent days. All the ordinary things seemed cripBang. The explosion decapitated pled, disrupted, kaput. Restaurants' .hint. Le Monde reported that the woman was hysterical when the and offices closed. The buses and sub' ways were not working. The tunnels, police arrived. were closed, I suppose in fear of Happy hunting. Go for it. another bomb. People were walking across the rivers on bridges, trying td 2001 by King Feature! Synd., Inc, g Letters to the Editor Editor How to find a quality child care center A few simple suggestions to help parents select the right fit for their child One of the most important decisions parents make on behalf of their young children is finding a quality child car provider. Studies have shown that children who attend quality child care centers develop better social and problem solving skills, increased confidence and are more ready to learn upon entering school. However, choosing the right child care center presents may difficult decisions for parents. The National Child Care Association suggests the parents carefully weigh their options when choosing a center for their child. "Child care centers can offer children an excellent introduction to learning and the opportunity to interact socially with their peers," said Lynn White, NCCA executive director. "When searching for a child care center , I recommend that parents be prepared to ask a lot of questions." White recommends that parents ask about staffchild ratios; staff qualifications, training and certification; safety provisions, including immunization policies and components of the center curriculum or programs. Here are some tips parents can use to find the right child care center for their child. Consult other parents in child care. What do they like and dislike about the center their child attends? Phone several centers convenient to your home or office and set up a time for you and your child to visit. Visit a few centers and i National Child Care encourage your child to become involved in his or her prospective classroom as you observe. Have a list of questions prepared to discuss with the center director. Dont forget to ask about school policies regarding holidays and late fees; staff stability, training and education and tuition. Make sure that the center has adequate safety procedures and that it is clean, well maintained and offers adequate space for children to play. Check to see if the center is licensed by a respected accreditation authority such as the NCCA. this will ensure that the center is meeting high standards in al important areas, including disease prevention. Make sure to check for visible safety provisions such as smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and emergency exit signs. In addition, remember to ask about less visible safety precaution, such as immunization policies. Children easily pass infection to one another, especially in a close environment such as a child care center. State Health Departments in several states now require children to be immunized with the newest recommended vaccine, Prevnar, prior to entering child care. Prevnar protects infants and young children from invasive pneumococcal disease, such as Association Editor, Please can you help me in my search for my American Father? I . have very little information my only hope is that someone can remember Dale and my mother together. Your help will be very much appreciated. Does anyone know? DALE. .. first name, U.S. Blond, Blue eyes, Army Air Force, with rank, served in 1945, Plymouth UK, June-Jul- y Friend of Iris Brazendale - ( Nee -Harris) He visited her in i Plympton. FG Brazendale 6 Gilbert Close Newport Shrophire TF10 7UU il: brazendale cable inet.co.uk Tel: 01952810133 Editor, The irony of our gun control laws. How foolish we all have been, to allow our government to begin to disarm us, as we face a growing violent world, that is bent on the killing of Americans. Had their been just one person on those airplanes that were hijacked, that was carrying a weapon for the purpose of self defense , thousands of lives would have been saved. It is time that we demand our second amendment rights. Our right to defend our lives and our Liberty has been taken away from us by Tyrants in our own government. Lets deputize our fellow Americans that are law abiding. Mark Faux West Jordan meningitis. Many child care centers have enacted similar immunization polices on their own. Child care can be a rewarding experience for both parent and child. Taking the time to find the right center can help a child grow socially and take the important first steps toward a lifetime of . learning. Jl 'jJuiqr ' i mXOUEQ OIDKT SON0WN6?! ol A nation rallying together in the face of conflict Perhaps in the rubble there is promise, the promise of a better j nation and a better people. Because in the weeks since, ! ve have been different. In our j hearts, in our words, in our Ideeds. We have fled to God and j country, clutching each to our breast, seeking comfort there, and purpose. We have wrapped ourselves in the flag and defined ourselves by otir faith. We have been humbled and scared. Or emboldened and heartened. But either way it has been , around the same themes. God. and In the shock and uncertain-- 1 ty, the best in us came out.'the nobility, of citizenship became iv'dent, the goodness of America was on display. j : Unsuspected qualities came o define us. So we bought up all the flags tnd we filled up'all the lurches and old divisions faded away. The issues and partisanships of our former lives evaporated in the face of the new national brotherhood. Hillary Clinton walked with Rudy Giuliani and Dick Gephardt made as much sense as John McCain, and the nation rallied behind an honest man named George W. Bush. We are America in a new and unimagined way. We are a free people and children of God and those things seem suddenly to trump, to be all that matters and all that we cherish. And we have to see where it goes from here. ; Whether it fades and retreats In the growing comfort of a new normalcy, or if it expands and hardens into the new national definition. And the choice is ours. As individuals and as a society. Do we embrace the new or return to the old. So let us hold sacred our arm-in-ar- m . patriotism. Let us remember the zeal and the love. The brotherhood and bond. May the symbols of the last weeks, the flags and the signs and the songs, stay with us and stay fresh. May we rally behind them and continue to cherish them. May we be forever changed for the better. And may we be forever closer to God. . Faced with die impossible, we have turned to the eternal When nothing could protect us, we asked God to. When there was no earthly comfort, we sought the divine. And we were blessed. And we have learned what our forefathers knew, that to be truly American is to hold close with deity, to be agents and servants and children of God. We have discovered what the founders wrote, that we are endowed by our Creator with the liberties we love. And we have learned that true freedom comes only with fidelity to God and oneness with his will. We have learned that this is God's, country and we arc Gods people. Conrad Hilton said, an even 50 years ago, that, "In this strug-- . gle for freedom, at home and abroad, our greatest weapon,. . , both a sword and a shield, will be our love of and faith in God." That was never truer than now, when the battle in which we find ourselves is so starkly and truly defined in terms of . good versus evil. This is not a conflict of policies and perspectives, a matter of national interest or pride, it is about die senseless slaughter of innocents and the natural pursuit of murderers. This is right versus wrong, good versus evil, God versus Satan. And it is our great privilege to be on the side of right, given by God and fate the to-b- responsibility of removing a scourgef rom the earth. Our enemies have, in the name of their god, taken up the work of evil and hatred. Driven by racial and religious prejudice, and the sinister whis perings of evil, they have attacked us. And we will fight back and win. Total victory is potentially , ours., And that victory is assured if we stay true to the God who has called us. If our turn to him in recent days is made permanent and sure. If our lives and our motives are righteous and pure. See, patriotism and faith, in this matter, are not different things. They are an equal commitment to what is right We love America not because we are jingoistic or arrogant but because it is God's gift to us, a ' gift of liberty and plenty and love: We have changed in all this. And it has been for the bet- -' ter. We have rallied around our flag, and we have rallied around our God. Bob Lonsberry b the morning radb talk show host at KNRS 570 AM from 5:50-1- 0 a.m. He writes dsBy internet column on current issues that can lie found at wwwJonsber- - , - by Bob Lonsbeny C 200 1 ry.com r ! POOI |