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Barriere Bits, Issue #004 -- The lighter side . . .
September 18, 2007
Welcome to Barriere Bits, the child abuse information e-zine that will provide you with current child abuse information and articles.

In this issue:

Expect your next issue of Barriere Bits on October 16, 2007.



Exclusive To My Subscribers!

LIMITED-TIME OFFER: SUBSCRIBERS, YOU ARE HEREBY INVITED TO SUBMIT ADDITONAL STORY INSTALMENTS!

  • Have you previously submitted a child abuse story to www.child-abuse-effects.com under the old system?
  • Do you want to allow people to comment on your story?
  • Do you want the ability to reply back when someone leaves a comment about what you have suffered through?
  • Does the prospect of a support forum appeal to you?

If you've answered "yes" to the above questions, then act now! As a subscriber, I want you to have first dibs. I won't open this up to all my visitors until next week, starting September 26, 2007.

Existing stories posted using the previous format cannot be converted to the new system--Ask Darlene explains why. I therefore invite you to write another instalment, which I will post using the new format. Go to my stories page to post your additional story instalment. Please DO NOT send me the same story, as I cannot post duplicate content.



What I've Been Doing

September is by far my favourite month at the lake. The trees are starting to take on their autumn hues of brilliant orange, red and yellow. The days have been hot—unseasonably so this year, with temperatures reaching 30 degrees Celsius for the past week or so—but the nights cool to a bone-chilling 3 degrees. No frost on the pumpkin yet, but early morning workouts are now out the window in favour of the balmy warmth of mid-morning.

And speaking of windows, this morning at 6 a.m., I happened to peer out through the small window over the kitchen sink of our fifth-wheel trailer. What greeted me was a splendid trio of deer, unseen by me for quite some time. The two large chestnut-coloured does and the spotted fawn were grazing on the grass just below our site. What a glorious start to my day!

As for other less awe-inspiring four-legged creatures, our Ponderosa Pines are now under new squirrel management since the untimely demise of the original occupant. Nope. Nothing to do with us; we lean toward cayenne pepper to keep the pesky little devils away from the shelter of our deck. Rather, I suspect one of the resident homicidal cats was the culprit. Just don't ask me how I know this . . . .

Regarding the trees, I'm sad to say that two of the three pines that have so graciously provided us with much-needed shade for the past 15 years have recently been overrun with the voracious mountain pine beetle. We'll know for sure next summer whether or not the infestation was too much for the 60-year-old, 100-foot-tall sentinels to overcome.

There has been an interesting side effect to the invasion, however: The long-antennae beetle, which is considerably larger than its ravenous cousins, but virtually harmless to trees and humans, seem to find the horded trees a bit of an aphrodisiac. The males—at least I believe they are males—butt antennae the way bucks lock antlers during rutting season. Don't know if it's because the smell of pine is so pungent due to the burrowing habits of the other more destructive beetle, but whatever the reason, our pines are host to a veritable orgy of activity!

Now we wait for the overhead gobbles of the migrating sandhill cranes and the arrival of the brazen, but always amusing whiskey jacks . . . .

But besides keeping my eyes and ears open for the sounds and sights of nature here at the lake, I've been putting in what most would consider ludicrous hours, updating my website with the new system of story, article and commentary submissions. Averaging 10-hours a day at my computer has left my back, shoulders and sciatica screaming at me day and night! My daily workouts have been my saving grace.

That's it on the personal front, except to say that we are less than two weeks away from wrapping up our boat and trailer for the winter. My, but time really does fly when you're having a great time!



Feature Article

The Lighter Side . . .

Even though summers are a great time for me, there are days when I am so inundated with articles, headlines and images of child abuse that I find myself in a funk, in a dark place, a place that I really don't want to be. On these days, even my workouts aren't enough to give me the release I need in order to gain perspective and balance. On these darker days, I find it necessary to find another outlet; which got me thinking: Are my visitors finding themselves in that same dark place? And if they are, what can I do to lighten things up for them?

That's when I had the brainstorm . . . why not use the new system that has been made available to me to share with my visitors what I do to gain perspective. And even better, why not ask my visitors to offer their own suggestions!

ANNOUNCEMENT: FOR THE NEXT 5 DAYS ONLY, MY NEWEST PAGE The Lighter Side IS ACCESSIBLE ONLY TO YOU, MY SUBSCRIBERS!

When you get there, check out the link at the bottom of that page. The photograph in the submission is definitely worth a look-see. Then I invite each of you to contribute your own method of getting to the lighter side. Oh, and for goodness sake, don't forget to include photos!

I am very excited about this new page and feature. I hope you are too, and I really hope to see you on the lighter side. In the meantime, let me know what you think under take the poll just below.



What do you think? Take the poll.

September's question: Do you share my enthusiasm for including a page that is "on the lighter side?" For this month's poll question, I've included a box for you to include some brief comments. Poll now closed



Poll results from August's question: Does confrontation with a person's abuser generally result in disappointment?

  • 100% Yes

Thank you to all who registered votes in the August poll.



Newest Website Pages



Child Abuse Headlines & Articles

If you have a headline or article to share that is about child abuse, I'd love to hear from you! Details are on my child abuse page. Once there, you will find links to the following newest articles:

  • Spanking: A Case for Sexual Assault
  • Child Abuse: A Parent's Responsibility
  • Legal System Fails, Cycle of Abuse Continues
  • Prevent Abuse: Tips to Help Keep Your Child Safe in Daycare

And don't forget to offer you own comments to the mix!



Newest Stories

I have posted 23 new stories since last month. Check them all out at Child Abuse Stories .



Ask Darlene

From Anonymous in Ontario, Canada: Why don't you put all the stories on your site on the new system so that people like me can comment on them?

I did look into this as a possibility, because I too wanted to offer this option to previous story submitters. I discovered that the system does not allow for a conversion. It is not as simple as deleting a page and re-creating it in another format. The problem lies with the way search engines treat certain types of pages. Unless and until search engines change the way they regard pages created in the format I originally used, those stories will have to stay as posted.

However, if you have previously submitted a story to my site for posting under the old system, you can submit another instalment in order to take advantage of the new format. Check Exclusive To My Subscribers! at the top of this newsletter. Please DO NOT send me the same story, as I cannot post duplicate content.

Thanks for asking this question, Anonymous from Ontario, Canada.

Want to ask me something? Ask a question will take you where you have to go. I will select one question and answer it in next month’s issue of Barriere Bits.



Darlene's Healing & Recovery Tip of the Month

This month's tip is on its own page on my site.




If you are reading this newsletter as a non-subscriber, why not sign up for a free subscription.




Author Bio

Darlene Barriere is a child abuse survivor, a violence and abuse prevention educator and author of On My Own Terms, A Memoir.


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