North Carolina Newspapers

Opinion Page THE BRUNSW t Kdward >1. Swcall and Carolyn Kthvnril M. Sweat I Susan I slier Kahti Adams & Doug Hotter.. johnny Craig Christine Halloa (larolyn II. Sweatt Sue Barefoot & Tiniherley Ail Tannine Calloway <X Dorothy William Manning Hrenda Clemmons Lonnie Sprinkle Clyde ami Mattie Stout. IMioeh Page 4-A Alternative Harder To Brunswick County got goo investigators essentially rulei significant source of pollution i ing a survey of the area. The bad news is that it woi if septic tanks had been the ( and regulations are already ii ing or improperly installed sej Redress won't come as < sources of pollution. Several state shellfish sanitation divisi culprit, or at least a major o stormwater runoff?rainwatei from rooftops, parking lots an Regulating this type of ru the shoreline, but regulating it area, or catchment basin, wil currently don't exist, either o much of the affected area. On the other hand develop vincingly, that areas much fc are the culprit. Chances are if nnlled we r They're certainly right in under cultivation?be it a < tion?dumps sedimentation, chemicals into waters that wi while the CAMA permit is a b{ ment in the 20 coastal count Raleigh both the timbering an ed to gain exemption from its That leaves few existing t pollution sources noted above Conservation measures in bill encourages farmers to p erodible land. However, the fe program also forgives the cultivates such land. Early next month Brunsi getting some answers?theor pollution in Lockwood Folly I local, state and federal goveri it. Then it will be up to tl TukofottAV If Tin'fUir* 4-Uf ?*/*???/?? miaicvci witiuii tllCll puwcl resources. And it will be up to use to get up the nerve to remind us, us to do?" we'd best not compl, or 30 miles inland. Lessons If I've decided that Brunswick County hasn't even begun to tap its number one resource yet?a form of wealth that will always be available but will always be overlooked to a certain degree. In my opinion, our most valuable resource isn't the natural beauty of our unspoiled beaches. It isn't the score of championship golf courses that dot the tourism maps. It isn't airan f Ko lrinrl ntiM twii me ivuiu, ouuii w{Jiuai uumaic with mild winters and invigorating summers. What this county has most to offer its people isn't something that attracts vacationers by the thousands and tourism dollars by the millions. In fact, Brunswick County doesn't even have a corner on this particular type of wealth, which can be found anywhere in the state, nation and world. The resource I'm referring to is the unique insight that older citizens car share about their community, if only we younger folks slow down enough to listen?keeping in mind thai "older" and "younger" are relative terms, of course. There's much to be said for pro gress?moving forward with our sights set on building a solid future. But what about the lessons of the past? What about the advice on living and working together that we can glean from individuals whose wealths of experience are richer than our own? Over the past few years, I've particularly enjoyed hearing my grandI 1CK#BEAC0N i II. Sweall I'ltblislt ers Editor Ncirs Editor Sufi II f iters .Sports Editor (I/fire Manager Advertising Hirerlor cutis. Advertising IIepresentntivex llrt-iinnn Typesetters I'ressmnn I'hoto Terhnieiim Issistnnt I'ressmnn ? C Mem moils ('.irrid.it ion Thursday, February 2,1989 ?s Are Address d news of sorts this week: State 1 out septic tank effluent as a in Lockwood Folly River followuld have been a lot easier for us :ause. Why? Because the rules 1 place to address malfunctionptic tanks; they can be fixed, jasily for some other possible environmental groups and the ion are convinced that the main me, is general nonpoint source r and the pollutants it washes d other developed areas, noff is tough enough just along throughout the river's drainage I take land-use regulations that n the county or state level, for >ers and others argue, also conirthcr upstream, even upstate, :ould check "all of the above." saying that drainage from land cornfield or a timber plantafertilizer nitrogen and other ork their way to the coast. But isic regulatory tool for developies, with effective lobbying in H farmincr Pnmmnnitioo munorr ? ~ ?-O authority. ools for addressing some of the eluded in the latest federal farm irotect wetlands and not farm deral agency administering the farmer who "accidentally" wick County leaders should be ies at least?as to where the liver is coming from and what lments can do to reduce or stop lem to chomp the bit and do to protect our important water make sure they do. When they "Hey, isn't this what you asked ain, whether we live on the river Can Be Learr We Cho^^ T r\ n -// mother's tales about the horse-andbuggy days and my grandfather-inlaw's stories about the Depression years?times when people were considered "successes" if they simply i earned honest livings and kept their families fed. Nowadays, though, it seems that success is something one can never attain. We've become such an ambitious society that I wouldn't be sur, prised if "good, better, best" has been shortened to "better, best" in , our English books. Just being good , doesn't seem to be good enough anymore. , But maybe times haven't changed that much after all. Maybe our blind ambition isn't so much a reflection of mnrlnrn CAr>iotv qc it ic u chaHniu r?f a uuuviii uuvlWJ uu *v iu u ?nuuv/n ui every generation's failure to recognize?until too late?that , wisdom really does come from ex| perience. i Last Wednesday I was fortunate enough to interview 80-year-old Samuel A. Sue, who retired this week as the county magistrate in Iceland. \ Mothe Mother Nature's playing tricks on us again, but I'm not complaining?yet. When Don and I got married friends in Southport gave us a beautiful hibiscus. It bloomed and bloomed that first summer, then we bedded it down for the fall as recommended by a local plant-tender. But a hard freeze got it. We bought another, knowing it wouldn't be the same, but also knowing we would still enjoy its bright red blooms the size of saucers. This year, after an early nip 1-1 1 1 " ? ? .... uiacKenea uie lips ot me niDiscus, we broke down and bought a large planter. We rearranged the furniture in our cottage and made room for the hibiscus in front of the sliding glass doors in the kitchen. It's been bloomTULIP T BY BILL FAVER Some of the most colorful Brunswick County beaches are the t occasionally fin< * tide line. The lar| \ Tulip Shell or Fasciolaria tuli] which is more ^ Banded Tuli | < shells. They ar faver like the Florid which is a member of the same fan True Tulip is smooth except for sev< grooves below the opening where the ed. The Banded Tulip is entirely sn True Tulip is larger, growing to 10 in ches wide. The Banded Tulip is muc inches long and no more than 1 % in< The True Tulip can vary in color to orange-red with brown spots a bands of a brownish color. The Bar cream to bluish-greenish-gray to 01 widely separated thin brown unbro The animal inside the Banded Tulip i speckles and the operculum used to s 1 led o Listen For over an hour, we talked about his life in Brunswick County since 1927 and the changes he has seen here. "I kind of live in the past, while a young fellow like you lives more in the present," was one off-hand remark he made early on. I didn't really understand what he meant until the close of our talk when he reached across his desk and picked up his Bible. "I want to read you something?Ecclesiastes, Chapter 12," he said. "I try to read this to every young person I have a long conversation with. I've read it a lot the past couple of years." Not knowing what kind of advice I was about to get, I just smiled nervously, then listened as Mr. Sue read the first eight verses, punctuating the passage by pointing to the thick glasses and hearing aid he wore, and to the walking cane that leaned against a nearby chair. "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them ...." Apparently he was telling me to enjoy life while I'm able to, but to remember that the price I eventually pay will be as high or as low as the bill I run up now?a flesh-and-blood kind of deficit spending, I guess. "If a young person would remember that, he wouldn't bring some things on himself," was how the old magistrate put it. And he shculd know. ?r Nature's PI ^BbHjS39M&w V. ^ ing like crazy ever since, first a I bloom a day and now even two or three each day. We love it; it's the 1 reverse of Christmas in August! But this winter, so far at least, that | hibiscus might have made it even if i we'd left it outside. A "jet stream" is keeping some of that Arctic weather >, away from here, which is fine with I me. i R*^ v^*? '^ SHELLS are among the most colorful we he Tulip Shel side the shell is hor shells found on Both species li wo tulip shells we from the low tide lin 1 along the high bays. Range of botl ger of the two, the to Texas and in the True Tulip," car- found also in the Be ientific name Egg capsules a pa. The smaller, end of the female's abundant, is the in each capsule as 3, Fasciolaria are attached to a r unfertilized and bee lave strong, thick they hatch after abc e spindle-shaped Tulip are smooth, e a Horse Conch, clusters, sometime aily of shells. The Carson, in The Edj. ;ral narrow spiral the Banded Tulip s surface is wrinkl- pods of a flower, a < looth. In size, the tainers borne on a < ches long and 4 in- Both species ai n smaller, aDout s communuy. ?>iow a :hes wide. the tulips feed on from pinkish-gray They, in turn, are e nd broken spiral The tulips can I ided Tulip can be a storm. Look for tl range-brown with at the water's edgi ken spiral bands. should be returned s black with white will not live. You m ieal the animal in- water and sand and Super Bow The time has come for the true football fans of America to put their big feet down and stop all of this pregame hype for the Super Bowl. Quite frankly, it's getting out of hand. Not only do the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl border on unbearable, but the two-hour pregame show is just a repeat of everything that has come before it. Each year, it seems there is more and more pregame hoopla to digest. However, Super Bowl XXIII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Cincinnati Bengals takes the cake. Personally, I can stomach only so much analysis of the players, coaches, season records, field conditions and weather. And the endless features on Bengals running back Elbert "Ickey" Woods were not worth the effort. I'll agree that his shuffle is neat, but there's only so much you can say about a man named Ickey. In all of its glory, hype took on a new meaning this year with the ad vent of the Diet Pepsi Talent Challenge. This "talent show" featuring NFL stars was hosted by Ahmad Rashad and John Candy, a comedy team that will undoubtedly keep us laughing for many years to come. I ask you, though. Are things so bad that we need a handful of overgrown athletes entertaining us before the biggest single sporting event of the year? I think not. Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Reggie White is a great football player who earns a healthy salary. dying Tricks , In our yard, flowers that last year disappeared in late November are still hanging on, a little scraggly perhaps, but there: the verbena, the alyssum, even a few gazanias. The Italian parsley is multiplying rapidly, enough I've had plenty to share. The nicotania was still blooming at Christmas, and by golly the azaleas had as many blooms in December as they had last April. A few coreopsis have popped up here and there, as well as a few flowers I can't identify. Don and I even moved some volunteer impatiens and tomato plants inside, where they're prospering nicely. Being a summer and sunshine person, I can't think of anything nicer than glimpses of spring in midwinter. PHOTO BY Bill PAVER ; find. Is ny and brown. ve in grassy and sandy bottoms e to well offshore and in sounds and i is from North Carolina to Florida West Indies. The Banded Tulip is iliamas and Yucatan, re formed from a pore in the front foot. Several dozen eggs are placed they are formed and the capsules ock or shell. Most of the eggs are ome food for the young snails when nit a month. Capsules of the Banded ibout one inch long, and are laid in s six inches in diameter. Rachel ;e of the Sea, writes "egg cases of .hell remind one of the dried seed cluster of thin, parchment-like con;entral stalk .. re aggressive predators in the sea nd deliberate in their movements, other snails and some bi-valves. laten by the Florida Horse Conch, se found following rough seas after hem along the high tide line or just ; when the tide is out. Live shells to the sea, although they probably ay want to place one in a pan of sea see if it will emerge from the shell. i Hype Is Ol There is no reason for Reggie to lower himself by doing his impressions of Rodney Dangerfield and Muhammed Ali. Unfortunately, I read last week in USA Today that the ratings for the Talent Challenge were so good that more have been planned for other major sporting events. I can just picture it now?Larry Bird doing a song and dance for millions of television viewers before the seventh game of the NBA Championship. Almost makes you want to put your foot through the ol* boob tube, doesn't it? I Aluminum cans ar It pays to keep A Again H Last week came the nicest surprise | of all: daffodils started popping up in a bed near the back door, where it's plenty warm. I took a blossom or two into work and the neighbor's puppy chomped some of the others, but what blooms are left are beautiful, full of the promise of spring. All around our yard, buds are swelling on trees and shrubs, and ||g that gives us pause. Don's mom tells us that you always pay for the weather you get. And I've no doubt pay day will come for the beauty of this "false spring." When true spring comes, our yard may look a little sparse. And we won't be surprised if there's a local shortage of blueberries, peaches and other such crops that will have been literally nipped in the bud. But that's later. Right now we're going to keep enjoying this beautiful weather and hope you are also. LETTER I Name, Town Were Wrong 1 To the editor: : Winning the N. C. Oyster Festival logo contest was an honor and thrill for me. I anxiously awaited your newspaper so I could share the announcement with my family, friends and colleagues in my home town of Fayetteville. While we all have a great sense of humor, nevertheless, it was rather disheartening to have my honor reflect on Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. My husband, children and I were educated in Cumberland County Schools. For the last ten years I have lived and worked as a teacher's assistant in Hope Mills, N. C. (Cumberland County). My husband and I were actively involved in PTA for three of those years. Our children represented Cumberland County in various school-related activities. Although we wouldn't mind sharing with Mecklenburg County, it is the teacher assistants in Cumberland County wearing shirts with a logo I designed. My family and I enjoy Long Beach and its surroundings, and we look forward to making it a permanent part of our lives. The N. C. Oyster Festival logo contest provided an opportunity to help achieve this goal. Donna M.Young (not I xing) Long Beach Write Us The Beacon welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must be signed and include the writer's address. Under no circumstances will unsigned letters be printed. Letters should be legible. The Beacon reserves the right to edit libelous comments. Address letters to The Brunswick Beacon, P.O. Box 2558, Shallotte, N.C. 28459. it Of Hand And how about that halftime show with Elvis Presto in 3-D? That was 4vk/> ? a ?? i. a. - t_ tiic eiiccijjest siuill tO DOOSt VICWCr ratings I've ever witnessed. I honestly felt embarrassed for NBC Sports. I do wonder, though, how much they paid Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula to wear those crazy shades. The worst thing about all of these nonsensical frills is that they almost made the game itself anticlimactic. In fact, if it weren't for the great football game last Sunday, I think I would have vowed right then and there never to watch another Super Bowl. Don't get me wrong, though. Not everything associated with this year's big game was a downer. For instance, I rather enjoyed all ot the new commercials. And I think "Bud Bowl I" lived up to its billing, even though Bud Light owner Spuds McKenzie may have been disappointed with the outcome. s- L I J I e worth money, merica clean.