Newspapers / The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, … / Dec. 30, 1993, edition 1 / Page 5
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PHOTO BY BILL FAVEt FACING THE NEW YEAR gives us an opportunity to think about the quality of our natural envi ronment Time To Renew Our Concern BY BILL FAVER It seems the older you get the faster the years seem to fly by. It only seems a few weeks ago we welcomed in 1993 and now we are bidding it adieu. Now the summarizes are recall ing the events of 1993 and the prognosticators are speculating on what the new year might bring. The environmental magazines are doing their assessments of air and water quality and the conditions of habitats and endangered species. Some of these events make facing the new year an exciting adventure, for in many areas there is reason to be hopeful. It does seem to many people that there is an awak ening of environmental awareness similar to that of the early seventies. Except this time there is more corpo rate awareness. It is true some of that is only a public relations effort, but many companies are much more sensitive to how their operations affect the air, water, and soil quality around them. Many companies are putting money into environ FAVER mental programs and supporting habitat acquisition to preserve space for wildlife and for humans. Of course, there is much still to he done. But maybe some of our concerns have been heard and people are beginning to realize "ecology" and "economics" come from the same root word, and the two have got to work together with mutual respect. After all, the quality of the environment is the state of the human environment as well as that of plants and animals. Pollution and over-development which affect plants and animals also will have some effect on hu man beings in the long run, if only in the quality of life. It may not kill us off, but it may make our life less than it should lie. We have an opportunity in 1994 to renew our con cern for a healthy environment and a healthy economy, by making sensible, well-thought-out decisions which will help to enrich the quality of life we have and make room for the plants and animals sharing this planet with us. Where better to have that opportunity than right here in Brunswick County, where we still have a healthy environment and a great place to live and work? When better to make that decision than when we are, facing a new year? Sliding And S w eating Into 7 994 "I'm quitting everything," de clared my friend Sandy when she called from Hooterville at 9:30 Christmas night. "Even bologna?" I asked, in re sponse to which she fired off a string of expletives suggesting, among oth er things, that I am of canine extrac tion. It was all in fun. Everyone who knows Sandy understands that her exceptionally creative curses are re ally terms of endearment. And everyone who knows both Sandy and me would be ashamed if I let a little thing like Christmas keep me from taking advantage of an oppor tunity to jump on her case. "I'm getting a Nordic Trac," she continued. I laughed so hard I nearly choked to death. "Hey, Patrick," I called to my son. "Sandy's getting a Nordic Trac." He cracked up. "Hey, Eric," I yelled into the other room. "Sandy's getting a Nordic Trac." Identical reaction. Hold it, you may say to yourself. What kind of people offer their great friends sarcasm rather than sensitivi ty and support as they embark on a quest for middle-age fitness? Well, us, in this particular instance. The idea of Sandy living without cigarettes, adult beverages, bologna, Duke's mayonnaise and Butterfin gers is as absurd as Seinfeld giving up cereal. As John Madden whisper ing, or Regis and Kathie Lee having an intelligent conversation. The mental image of Sandy sweating and sliding on a cross country ski machine gives me pause to giggle, despite my grouchiness at having to write this column on a Sunday afternoon. ' "Well, now you'll have a place other than the bed and the floor to leave your dirty clothes," I told her. She countered by suggesting a few innovative, albeit uncomfortable, places where I might deposit my own laundry. Perhaps it would be easy to be sympathetic if she were fat instead of normal-sized, well-dressed, naturally This newspaper is printed on recycled f~JTy paper! tV S\ When you finish reading it, try to recycle it! THE BRUNSWIOCftltACON Lynn Carlson blonde, brown-eyed, resembling Lindsay Wagner and younger-look ing than the 40-something she is. And maybe there would be some chance I'd fall for this declaration if I didn't know how fine a cook her husband is (even though there's al ways the likelihood Sandy will pass on a gourmet meal and opt instead for the afore-mentioned bologna sandwich on white bread with extra mayo). How can I pretend that I don't know the high point of her every va cation is ordering French toast in a different restaurant every day? Should I act as if she never made fun of Laura, her friend who always wears a leotard and sometimes can't resist the urge to do a few leg lifts, even at a dinner party? Dare I remind her that her tradi tionally preferred exercises, in order of aerobic value, have been turning pages, changing channels, throwing darts, rearranging furniture and wrestling the cats into the carrier for their trips to the vet? A part of me is curious about how long it will take this resolution to wear off. If it doesn't, the other part of me is afraid the world isn't ready for Sandy with muscles. S NEW YEAR'S EVE ri DINNER M Start the year right with a delicious w prime rib dinner on New Year's Eve... ^ Prime Rib For 2 Baked Potato ? Tossed Salad Dessert ? Tea or Coffee ? $19.94 SANDFIDDLER SEAFOOD RESTAURANT Hwy. 130 East, Shallotte ? 754-8168 Special D, Courtesy Of The Gremlin What's a mind to do on the long trips to and from visiting kinfolk over the holidays. Up to her earlobes in fudge, turkey, eggnog. peace and goodwill toward all. one of us spent the hours rolling along 1-40 in intense, philo sophical contemplation. That's evi dent from the following New Year's Wish List offered, without apology, to all those public figures who cried in disappointment over their Santa Claus loot Christmas morning, or should have. The general public may not have heard of the The New Year's Day Gremlin, but those of us who watch lots of football know this impish fel low makes very special deliveries during the key plays of major bowl games. Take heart. There's a second chance Saturday of getting what you deserve, oops, need: Superintendent of Schools Ralph Johnston: A crystal ball and a Universal Qualified Minority Educator Recruiting Kit, with a three-year, money-back guarantee. Brunswick County Commis sioners: A good topographical map of the county, a compass and a wind sock. CP&L: A Roy Anderson clone. Second choice: A Roy Anderson clone. Brunswick County Attorney Mike Ramos: a model suit-proof mining ordinance. Jim Brett: More students, more Trojan football players and what else, a state 4-A championship. Atlantic Telephone Membership Corp. CATV Division: an additional telephone line and a doll with pins. Brunswick County Planning Board: a reversible zoning ordi nance with zip-out liner and match ing hood. Brunswick County Board of Education: claim to Blackbeard's lost hoard of gold, no groveling re quired. Shallotte Board of Aldermen: a herd of mulch goats and a town ad ministrator. Brunswick Electric Membership Corp. Directors: a ground wire. Sunset Beach Taxpayers Asso ciation: an invisible fence with ra dio control devices. Certain other Sunset Beach property owners: a 60-foot-high re chargeable, inflatable puddle jum per. Board of Education Chairman Donna Baxter: a third ear and a rear-view mirror. Brunswick County Democratic Party: a few less "good" Democrats. Brunswick County Republican Party: a few less "good" Repub licans. Rep. David Redwine, Rep. Dew ey Hill and Sen. R.C. Soles Jr.: a computer screen-saver that makes Brunswick County incorporation proposals vanish overnight or a magic wand, whichever works best. ... Mas6jfnES5 Issue Affects Whole County To the editor: I am a concerned citizen that has a concern for the present and future of Brunswick County, just not Southport. I am not against progress, but our county planning and eco nomics boards have put our county in a bad position for considering and allowing a mining organization to come and destroy our fresh water supply. When Martin Marietta starts pumping 10 million gallons of fresh water from our aquifer, it will hasten and add to our present water prob lem. The county already has salt in trusion at Carolina Shores, Long Beach and Southport. It will be just a matter of time before the entire county will be affected. Just imagine that you cannot drink, water your garden or live stock from your own well. As of now, our salt water intrusion has been caused by our population ex plosion, so why allow a multi-mil lion-dollar organization to come in and dump what is rightfully ours and our children's? Charles Roof Southport Personal Interests To the editor: Anyone who attended the (Dec. 20) county commissioners' meeting saw a classic example of an attempt by a self-serving group to influence the county for their own personal in terests, discarding the communities' well-being. Chairman Don Warren's proposal to protect our "health and safe ty". ..was attacked by an orchestrated group of self-interested people. These folks only saw financial gain from the Martin Marietta quarry. Never mind, they say, the loss of our commercial fisheries, wetlands, roads and ground water for drinking from the aquifer due to salt water in trusion. Forget the threat to the county from the nuclear accident that could occur. CP&L has stated that the power lines needed to shut down the plant could he toppled into a Martin Marietta-created sinkhole. Kerrie Watson Long Beach Endangers CP&L To the editor: CP&L's detailed analysis of pos sible damage to their transmission lines, railroad and to the nuclear plant itself by Martin Marietta's ab surd proposal to put a quarry next door should get the attention of everyone in Brunswick County. The CP&L plant is Brunswick County's largest taxpayer, account ing for more than 25 percent of the county's property taxes. Without the plant, everyone's tax rate goes up. Without the plant, property values and real estate sales plummet. Without the plant, an army of highly paid employees and taxpayers are gone. Without the plant, the effects ripple through the county's econo my. The county commissioners are absolutely correct to protect the CP&L plant, because they cannot risk even a remote chance that Martin Marietta could endanger its continued operation. M.L. Wehrle Southport Resources Defined To the editor: ...Brunswick County cannot allow Martin Marietta to threaten the safe ty and welfare of its citizens and to squander our natural resources by destroying our groundwaters, estuar ies and wetlands. These are the very things that define Brunswick Coun ty, and their protection and wise use are in everyone's best interest. Kathy Yax Long Beach A Bigger Lawsuit To the editor: ...Martin Marietta claims to have a vested interest in their property. I feel that the vested interest of the citizens of our community out weighs that of Martin Marietta. Furthermore, information regard ing the possible detrimental effects on the county has been presented to our commissioners by many experts, including those working for CP&L. If, given this information, the com missioners fail to pass the ordinance banning this type of operation, they in turn could be subject to lawsuits from citizens for not protecting their interests, which in the event of a dis aster will be considerably larger than the lawsuit threatened by Martin Marietta. Ryan Boera Southport Write Us We welcome your letters to the editor. Letters must include your address and telephone number. (This information is for verifica tion purposes only; we will not publish your street/mailing ad dress or phone number.) Letters must be typed or written legibly. Address letters to: The Brunswick Beacon P.O. Box 2558 ShaUotte NC 28459 Anonymous letters will not be published. A FRED MINT Z PHARMACY SINCE 1936 January 1994 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 754-6563 4802 Main Street Shallotte, N.C.
The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.)
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Dec. 30, 1993, edition 1
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