Gwinnett Forum.com -- Gwinnett County's community forum and idea exchange

TODAY'S ISSUE
It's cockroach season, so be most careful about home
By Mike Turki
Region Manager, Orkin Pest Control, Dacula
Special to GwinnettForum.com

MAY 9, 2003 - - Whether cockroaches carry Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is unclear, but the most common household pest is a confirmed carrier of up to 50 different known pathogens. There are approximately 3,500 species of cockroaches worldwide, with about 70 species in the United States. As the weather warms, homeowners can take basic steps to help keep these pests out of their homes.

Cockroaches are known to carry 50 pathogens including pneumonia, food poisoning, salmonella and typhoid. Cockroaches pick up germs on the spines of their legs and bodies as they crawl through decaying matter or sewage, and then carry these onto food or food surfaces. Germs that cockroaches eat from decaying matter or sewage are protected while in their bodies and may remain infective for several weeks longer than if they had been exposed to cleaning agents, rinse water, or just sunlight and air. They contaminate food, transmit gastroenteritis and, according to The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAI), cockroaches can also cause asthma, especially in children.

Asthma is a major public health problem in the United States, and is fast becoming a childhood epidemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, asthma is now the most common chronic disease among children, afflicting nearly 5 million people under the age of 18.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) originally forged the link between cockroaches and childhood asthma in 1997. A large-scale study revealed that children who were allergic to cockroaches and exposed to high levels of the allergens found in roach droppings, eggs and carcasses were more than three times as likely to be hospitalized for asthma than children who either were not exposed or were not allergic. Since that time, further NIAID research has shown that exposure to certain cockroach antigens not only can trigger asthma attacks in chronic sufferers, but also can cause the disease.

Roaches enter our homes because they are looking for three things: food, water and a suitable place to live. Once they get in, they can be hard to force out because they move quickly, reproduce frequently, and are hardy.

The good news is that it's not hard to make your home very roach-unfriendly. To help keep roaches out of your home and away from your children, we at Orkin recommend the following tips:

… Eliminate food sources by cleaning up spills and storing food in sealed containers;
… Inspect possible entry points and eliminate any openings; roaches can fit into cracks as thin as a quarter;
… Remove items that tend to harbor cockroaches, such as piles of newspapers or magazines, cardboard boxes and grocery bags;
… Store garbage cans in dry places - not under the kitchen sink;
… Trim tree limbs so they don't touch or hang over the house;
… Correct moisture problems such as leaking roofs or blocked gutters; and
… Consider regular treatment by a licensed professional in and around the home.

For more information on cockroach prevention and elimination, a free pamphlet is available at www.orkin.com. The web site includes a link to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site (www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars) for updates and more information on SARS.

ELLIOTT BRACK
Wonder if you can identify this American city?
By Elliott Brack
editor and publisher
GwinnettForum.com

MAY 9, 2003 -- Bet you will have problems identifying this American city. Here are some clues:

… First capitol of the Louisiana Territory.
… Founded by the French in 1703.
… First city in the nation to celebrate Mardi Gras.
… Major water transportation center.
… Area population more than half million.
… Famous for seafood.
… State is associated with letters "LA."

You think you have the answer? We bet you are wrong. It's Mobile, not New Orleans. The "LA" connection? Lower Alabama.

Mobile is indeed an amazing city, we learned when visiting recently. We never realized that the Louisiana Territory stretched this far east. Stay there any length of time, and the Mobilians will tell you that they taught the Louisianans all there is to know about Mardi Gras. They also like to point out that their Mardi Gras celebration is more civilized than the boisterous New Orleans bash.

There's a new spirit of pride exerting itself in Mobile. Indeed, though Mobile hasn't gained the status of some revived port cities such as Charleston, or even Savannah, there's little doubt that revitalization is on the horizon. We predict: soon it will be an "in" destination.

After all, Mobile has so much going for it. The focus of their thinking these days is the always-busy waterfront. Mobile is at the end or beginning of the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway system, discharging barges and pleasure craft into its harbor. It's also a major center of ship-building, and refurbishing. And don't be surprised to learn soon that major cruise lines will be sailing the Caribbean out of Mobile.

There's also the holiday destinations in the area: from Gulf Shores, Point Clear, Dauphin Island and other water-associated vacation spots. The area has lots to offer tourists, including one of the two big battleships on display: the USS Alabama, which draws 300,000 people annually. It's fun to wander around this big old storied vessel, and alongside it, the USS Drum, a submarine. Kids will love it!

Don't forget the food, and in Mobile, seafood is the draw. Locals tell you that Mobile Bay spawns 27 per cent of all the seafood of the entire Gulf of Mexico. Its coastal waters are awash in seafood, and the anglers out for fun. The culinary delights of Mobile will please your palette.

Best food? It is hard to decide, for the area is a diner's paradise. Let me suggest The Mariner on Dog River, a typical restaurant by a marina. What makes it stand out is that the cooks are longstanding and storied, having handed down recipes from one generation to another. The food is delicious. Remember, too, Wentzel's for seafood, and gawking at the many placards around the restaurant.

Another major factor in Mobile these days: years of steady governmental input, including a mayor in his 14th year. Government runs smoothly here. Where else would you find the city and county governments sharing a state-of-the-art and stunning skyscraper? Molbilians also care and fund their history and arts communities. The Museum of Mobile, for instance, is mostly funded by city government. It's a throwback, they tell you, to the French, themselves highly supportive of the arts.

One area where Mobile realizes it can improve is downtown. Much has already been done, more is underway, with a new understanding for preservation. Though the years of neglect shows, monies are now being dedicated to preservation. Being remodeled is the classic Gulf, Mobile and Ohio railroad station. It will soon be a landmark Mobilians will point to with pride.

All this, and less than a day's drive from Gwinnett? You will find Mobile as I did, rich in history and tradition, full of grace and attractions, plentiful in seafood, and energizing.

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FEEDBACK
5/9: Rule of law applies to all entities

Editor, the Forum:

You state that Gwinnett's underreporting of serious incidents to the tune of 24,500+ "causes questions to be raised." Yet you find DA Porter's raising of questions "close to incomprehension."

If no one did anything illegal, rejoice in the forthcoming exoneration. If, on the other hand, the reporting was done deliberately in "trying to make Gwinnett look good," that action was a crime, and Porter is legally obliged to investigate and prosecute it. The rule of law applies even to GCPS.

-- Lee Brewer Jones, Lawrenceville

5/9: You mean that Georgia is still arguing about a flag?

Editor, the Forum:

I can't believe adults in Georgia are still arguing over colors and symbols on a flag. The "white (surrender) flag" that quickly became the prominent one being waved in Iraq should be the one of more interest.

The "freedom" to raise conflicting opinions is something both sides take for granted --almost to the abusive level. Could not this "freedom" be better placed on something that will be for the "greater good" of all the people? Maybe a new all white flag with no symbols but with a little red and blue frilly stuff on the edges is of better service.

-- Jerry Queen, Lafayette, La.

5/9: Says "Bravo" to recent Forum on viruses, flag

Editor, the Forum:

Just wanted to send you a "BRAVO" on your newsletter. The two articles about the West Nile Virus and the Georgia Flag in Tuesday's GwinnettForum is by far the best you have produced. Keep up the good work.

-- James E. Bushnell, CLU, CEBS, Norcross

UPCOMING EVENT
Time for alumni of Duluth football to get sore again

For the third annual time, former Duluth High football players will don equipment again to help the current team.

Yes, it's the Third Annual Duluth Alumni Football game, set for Saturday, May 17 at 7 p.m. at Duluth High Stadium. Some 20-25 players on each team (Odd years and Even years) will be out to avenge previous games in this the rubber game of the series. The Odders won the first year out, and the Eveners won last year. Admission is $5 with proceeds benefiting the football program.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Another gem of wisdon from President Cal

"No man ever listened himself out of a job."

-- Calvin Coolidge