Newspapers / The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, … / March 28, 1991, edition 1 / Page 64
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And Now A Word From Pollyanna As I write, Amcrica and its al lies have been at war for a week with Iraq. By the time you read these words, that war may be over, tremendously escalated, or somewhere in between. Whatever the outcome, I suggest there arc positive repercussions that can result from what is otherwise a massive tragedy for all involved. Yes, I know, that sounds like ridiculous optimism, but remember the definition of an optimist: some one who, surrounded by piles of manure, is convinced there's a pony in there somewhere. Well, if we were ever up to our armpits in manure, we arc now in that position. Could we find a pony or two? One unexpectedly positive result of this desert warfare comes from the collision of our young Ameri cans with the Muslim prohibition on alcohol. While well-wishers back home protest our soldiers being de nied this familiar comfort and recre ation, doctors on the scene report interesting findings. There has been to date an ab sence of detoxification cases and of suicides among troops deployed in Saudi Arabia, in stark contrast to previous wars, when men often came home with a new lifetime drug habit. In addition, their booze-free con dition has enabled our men and women to perform their jobs with far greater proficiency. Get this, ? I, r iT-r Marjorie Megivern Hussein: our guys fight better under your religious rules! An even bigger pony emerges from the manure in the form of a national raised consciousness, due directly to the war. Before the 60s, few Americans could have identi fied Vietnam. Since then, churches across the country have adopted refugee families from the Asian na tion that hosted that memorable conflict. Vietnamese culture is be coming absorbed by our communi ties. In the same way, Kuwait and Hussein were just funny words to most of us a year ago. We sclf-ab sorbed Americans, who extend our geographic awareness only as far as Europe, have little knowledge of the Arab world, its history, its culture and its religion. This is why our president derided the notion that he should allow Hussein some face saving device. "Appeasement!" cry the westerners, insensitive to the Arabic passion for dignity. Well, on that day last August, Saddam began another phase of our "When the name is NAPA the standard is quality" NEW LOCATION! 109 Shallotte Ave. (Behind our former Main Street location) Coastal Parts 109 Shallotte Ave., Shallotte ? 754-4902 CI 901 THE BRUNSWICK BEACON to everyone who made our business a success for our first year in Shallotte. To celebrate our anniversary, we're offering you a I 20% Discount thru April on our beautiful custom framing Art Supplies ? Prints Cross-stitch Supplies BOONE'S COVE CUSTOM FRAMING & MATTING Resort Plaza. Shallotte. Phone 754-6199 Mon-Frl 10-6, Sat 9-1 education when he marched into Kuwait. Now we're buying maps and books on Saudi Arabia as if they're going out of style. We stay glued to the tube, drinking in les sons in history, culture and geogra phy that wc somehow missed in public school. Arabs in general arc not strangers to our society; they sit in our university classrooms and fre quently teach there; they are our healers, lawyers, merchants and neighbors. Nevertheless, the aver age American probably has no close personal Arabian friends and has not troubled to explore their native culture or the faith of Islam. Christians, by the way, often fear and denounce this faith without re alizing its tics to their own. When I recently arranged for an Islamic speaker to address a Methodist wo men's group on the subject of Islam, a distressed member of the congre gation begged me not to allow such an "insult to Jesus." Wc should not even hear about this alien religion, he implied. This, despite the fact that Jesus grew up among the ancestors of the folks wc now know as Muslims. They were inextricably linked to the Jewish tradition and I think Jesus would today tell us that Allah is one of God's revered names. An under standing of Islam, therefore, is something else wc can achieve from this experience of a Persian Gulf conflict. When the sand has settled, wc will know a lot more about the world and its peoples; our fighting forces will have had an "alcohol break," and who knows? Wc may find tics that bind us closcr to still another branch of the human family. Now, that's more than just a pony hidden in the manure: it's a regular Arabian steed! TRY OUR PRIME RIB SPECIAL FRIDAY & SATURDAY Sunday Lunch Buffet Relax, we'll do the cooking! Served 1 1 :30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Now open Sunday nights, too! SANDFIDDLER SEAFOOD RESTAURANT HWY. 130 EAST ? SHALLOTTE ? 754-8168 "Kindred Spirits" 2) ea/i/ 3(lnd/Lecl ? pA/uiAi.. The South Brunswick Islands are filled with popular attrac tions, both natural and manmade. But the area s most alluring attraction isn't a specific place so much as it is the intangible feeling of harmony between man and nature exemplified by the Kindred Spirits mailbox on uninhabited Bird Island. The mailbox, last located on the tiny island west of Sunset Beach, first appeared in 1981. According to local lore, a drift wood bench for weary visitors and the mailbox are guarded by the Great Blue Heron and move from place to place de pending upon the forces of man and nature. Still, the mailbox and the journals it houses have weathered even the most dev astating occurrences, including 1989's Hurricane Hugo. Completed in Spring 1990, "Kindred Spirits" by Ocean Isle Beach artist Timberley Adams captures the serenity of the South Brunswick Islands in gener al and Bird Island in particular. Signed and num bered limited edition prints of the 14 -inch by 20-inch watercolor painting are available at select shops or from the artist's studio home on Ocean Isle. To order send $32 (per print) and $4 postage & handling to: Timberley Adams P.O. Box 2652 Shallotte, NC 28459 5"x6 1/2" cards St envelopes Ol 990 Timberley Adams Island Greetings Notecards Set of 6 assorted scenes from the Brunswick County coast, from original pen & ink artwork by Timberley Adams. To order send $6.95 (per set) plus $1 postage.
The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.)
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March 28, 1991, edition 1
64
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