Herald & Lantern 2 February '83

27

Good Reading

by Owen Murphy

(All of the books reviewed In this column are available at the Cape May County library.) THE DISAPPEARANCE OF CHILDHOOD By Nell Postman Neil Postman’s newest book establishes him as perhaps the best commentator on the state of public education in America. The Disappearance of Childhood is filled with stimulating thoughts about the effects of technology upon our entire culture, and particularly upon children. Postman believes that childhood as a protected preserve is rapidly disappearing because of the onslaught%of information that our children are exposed to. He cites television, which he calls The First Curriculum, as the most significant destroyer of the borders between childhood and adulthood. There are no secrets anymore, says the author, no exclusive information which only adults know. Television, with its endless hours to fill, has exposed to our children’s eyes and ears every subject from homosexuality to galloping senility. LIKE THE prematurely old children of the Dickon’s illustrations, our young ones at eight or nine have seen or heard it all...or soon will. They know all of the hows and none of the whys, and the situation is rapidly worsening. Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see As children less and less have to earn adulthood, as less and less is there anything for* them to become, the compulsory pottire of schooling begins /to appear arbitrary f TELEVISION erodes the dividing line between childhood and adulthood in three ways: (1) It requires no instruction to grasp its form. (2) It does not make complex demands on either mind or behaviour (3) It does not segregate its audience. With a few exceptions,

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adults on television do not take their work seriously (if they work at all), they do not nurture children, they have no politics, practice no religion, represent no tradition, have no f foresight or serious plans, have no extended conversations, and in no circumstances allude to anything that is not familiar to an 8-year old person. In the Middle Ages, there wdre no children because there existed no means for adults to know exclusive information. In the age of Gutenberg, such a means developed. In the age of television, it is dissolved. IF THERE ARE no dark and fugitive mysteries for adults to conceal from children, and then reveal to them as they think necessary, safe, and proper, then surely the dividing line between adults becomes dangerously thin. It is only half an explanation to say that children are beaten up because they are small. The other half is that they are beaten up because they are not perceived as children. As the concept of childhood developed, socie ty began to collect a rich content of secrets to be kept from the young: secrets about sexual relations. but also about money, about violence, about illness, about death, about socitn relations. There even developed language secrets — a store of words not to be spoken in the presence of children. American adults want to be parents of children less than they want to be children themselves

Bring a friend. Donate Blood together.

Atlantic Electric Reaches Out To Cape May County

Atlantic Electric will provide Cape May v County customers with a local extension of its customer service center two days a month for the next two months. The extension, located In Rio Grande, will enable you to make local payments, sign up for programs such as third party notification or budget service, and submit bill inquiries without leaving Cape May County. A customer service representative and computer terminal Will be located in the Social Services Building, Route 9, Rio Grande on the following dates: February 10, 24 March 10, 24 This program is a joint project of Atlantic Electric and the Cape May County Welfare Board.

Allantic Electric

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Health Watch by Dr. Robert G Beitman

Deposit Bill Gets Backing TRENTON - Resolutions from 190 municipal governing bodies, including those in Cape May, Stone Harbor and Avalon, all calling for enactment of a beverage container deposit law, were presented recently to Gov. Thomas Kean. The presentation was made by the New Jersey Can and Bottle Bill Coalition, which includes the League of Women Voters, the Sierra Club, and the New Jersey Environmen-

tal Lobby.

THE COALITION is working for passage of Assembly Bill 1753, which was unanimously voted out of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee in mid-October. The bill would require a five cent refund value on all soft drink and beer containers as an irwtentive to get them returned to stores or redemption centers instead of thrown on the ground or in the garbage.

Many serious illnesses begin with symptoms which seem minor and may be regarded as insignificant by the patient. Today’s column takes the form of a special chart, which you may want to clip and save for your reference. Each of the symptoms listed below can signal the presence or development of cancer. Each of these symptoms can also signal some other disease For example, rectal bleeding can be a sign‘of hemorrhoids, overuse of laxatives polyps, colitis, or diverticulosis. However, it is also an important signal for colon cancer and should never be ignored without a full medical evaluation. REVIEW THIS chart and

COURT HOUSE - What exactly dfd people in the Middle Ages do? The answer can be found at the County Library 1-4 p:m. Saturday, Feb. 19, by wat ching and talking to the folks from the Eastern Kingdom of-the Society for Creative Anachronism. Some of the medieval

remember it. If ever any of these symptoms arise, report them immediately to your family physician for a full evaluation. So true is the saying, "Better safe tAan sorry!” warning Signs of CANCER 1. Rapid loss of weight in the amount of at, least 10 pounds in 10 weeks without apparent cause. 2. A sore, scab, or ulcer in the mouth or on your body that fails to heal within 3 weeks. 3. A MOLE ot^pskin blemish that changes size, shape or color, or that suddenly begins to bleed or itch. 4. Severe headaches that develop for no known reason. 5. Unusual difficulty in swallowing. I

arts an(l crafts to be demonstrated at the library's Medieval Fair inelude: calligraphy, costumes, embroidery, brewing, the making of chain mail, and medieval dancing. Several knights in armor will demonstrate fighting techniques.

t. HOARSENESS that lasts for a week or more with no apparent cause. 7. A "smoker's cough” or any other nagging cough which has been worsening. 8 Blood in coughed up phlegm. 9. Persistent indigestion, abdominal pain, or vomiting. 10. MARKED change in normal bowel habits; particularly constipation and narrowed stool. tl. Bowel movements that look black and tarry. 12. Blood coming from the rectum. 13. Recurrent upper or lower, abdominal pain, especially if you are over age 40 14. UNUSUALLY smokybrown, pink or red looking urine. 15. In men. discomfort or difficulty in urinating or a painless swelling in one testicle. 16. A lump or thickening of the breast, or any altera tion in shape, such as bulg ing or puckering of the skin. Bleeding or unusual discharge from the nipple. 17. VAGINAL bleeding or spotting that occurs other than during menstrual periods 18. Family history of cancer Printed materials with expanded information on the warning signs of cancer are available free of charge from the American Cancer Society, 15 Delsca Dr, Rio Grande

Medieval Fair Feb. 19

This year, put more in your own pocket, less in Uncle Sam’s,

Vou still have time to give yourself a 5>2,000 tax deduction for 190S. Just open an Individual Retirement Account before you file your income tax return. Even if you're already covered by a retirement-plan, you can invest up to $2,000 of your 1902 wages. Up to $4,000 if you and your spouse both work. And a total of $2,250 in separate j accounts if your spouse isn't ' employed. Your investment is tax-free until you retire

So is the interest. And it's sizeable! You have a choice of a fixed rate. 10 month certificate or a floating rate certificate based on the weekly Money Market rate. 0est of all. your IRA investment is insured up to $100,000 by the FSLIC So before you pay your taxes this year, pay yourself. Visit an IRA Specialist at Cape May County Savings and Loan today, and open an IRA Account. It's deductible!

Wm’rm In tha bualnaaa of making your monay maka monay. Cape May County Savings & Loan Association

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IRA Bpeolellat Clifford 6. Patrick 3301 Atlantic Avenue Wildwood. 522-SAA7

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