danger seaside
cockle: an edible burrowing bivalve mollusc with a strong ribbed shell. from old french, coquille (shell), from greek konkhe (conch). expression: «warm the cockles of one’s heart» (give one a comforting feeling of contentment). unfortunately this is not the use we give it today.
at least nineteen people perished overnight in the treacherous sands of morecambe bay, lancashire, while picking cockles as a result of the rising tide. the beeb's richard bilton reported that «they worked on in the night as the water rose around them...» this tragedy highlights the plight of immigrant workers elsewhere in the industrialised world... amazing that even in the US the average citizen seems to perceive immigrant workers (whom some think only come from south of the border) as anything other than exploited and abused.
photo afp/paul barker
