> I find this story not in the least bit tragic; rather, it is merely proof positive that the best and only course of action when a spider makes itself known is to KILL IT!

You're like my girlfriend. She lives in the countryside near Turin, so it's usual to see spiders of any size running and crawling in her garden or in her living room (sometimes also in the bedroom upstairs).
She usually uses the vacuum cleaner to get rid of them...

AP.