A Look At The Zoo
BY BILL FAVER
Like many people, when ! think of zoos I usually think of steel
barred cages and bored-looking animals enduring the stares of not-very
compassionate onlookers. Certainly this was the sit
uation in many of the older zoos and many of the
better ones still kept animals in small spaces of con
crete and steel. There is a different story at the new
er zoos and the North Carolina Zoo at Ashcboro is
among the leaders.
Here animals have space. In the 300-acrcs
Africa region there arc eight large outdoor exhibits
and two indoor exhibit areas, the R. J. Reynolds
Forest Aviary and the African Pavilion. The walk
around the Africa region is two miles long and there
is a tram for those who want to ride between ex
hibits. The Africa region has been open for several years and is only one
of the regions planned for the zoo. The North America region is sched
uled for opening in 1994 and others to follow later will be South
America, Australia, Europe and Asia, and the Seas.
On a cold February day there were few people around and we spent
a lot of time in the Forest Aviary and the African Pavilion. In the Aviary
exotic birds we could find in a tropical rain forest dart among the 2400
plants from around the world. The brilliant reds of the scarlet ibis stood
out among the green leaves of the trees and spoonbills fed in the shal
low waters of the stream winding through the exhibit. The birds arc free
to fly around within the large enclosure, but feeding stations are situated
so their food can be supplemented.
The African Pavilion is enclosed also. Colobus monkeys, mcerkats,
and leopards arc here and there are several bird groups as well. One of
these was the weaver birds, those clever yellowish birds who split reeds
and weave the material into elaborate nests. We watched one bird slit
the reed and run the piece through his bill to gel it ready for weaving,
but he flew out of our view so we did not see the weaving.
By far the most popular animal in the African Pavilion was viewed
through glass to an outside enclosure, llus was the male gorilla, who
had spent 10 years of his life in a nightclub act in a northern city. He
would endure the photographs, stare back at the starcrs, and once in a
while let out a roar and beat his chest. Unlike many of the other animals
lying in the sun, this gorilla seemed to enjoy his audience!
A cup of coffee and a hot dog at "Serengeti Station" in the African
Pavilion gives the opportunity to look out over the African Plains exhib
it and watch the antelope play. You can look out over the beautiful
North Carolina lariciscapc and foci yuu aic on an African safari without
the heat, the dust, and expense, and the jet lag! The zoo is worth a visit.
' y
??v? M
FAVER
MORE LETTERS
Political Reform Needed Now
To ihc editor:
For the second time. The Wall
Street Journal (WSJ), in its editorial
department called Review & Out
look, has called attention to the "po
litical pornography" which prevails
in North Carolina as a result of ger
rymandering. The following is from
the WSJ of Feb. 4:
"Creating a second minority seat
in the state to satisfy Justice is easily
done, but only by endangering Dem
ocratic Rep. Charles Rose, a favorite
of tho House leadership. So to save
Rep. Rose, Democratic bosses in the
Legislature allowed one of Mr.
Rose's own staffers to draw bizarre
districts that make no geographic
sense.
District 12 is a long snake that
winds its way through central North
Carolina for 190 miles, from Dur
ham to Charlotte, scooping up iso
lated precincts with nothing in com
mon save a large number of minori
ty voters. For much of its length, the
district is no wider than the
Interstate 85 corridor that links the
two cities...
The plan exposes what is wrong
with the way districts arc drawn in
many states. The new lines were a,:
proved by the Legislature last month
only days after their unveiling.
There was little public input, and
some Democrats refused to vote for
the plan...
Gerrymandering has created a sit
uation akin to the "rotten boroughs
that plagued Britain 175 years ago...
Something as dramatic may be
needed here if American democracy
is to remain effective. Tne lengths to
which incumbcnts will go to protect
their power and turf know no
bounds. North Carolina is proof of
that."
After reading the WSJ article I felt
a deep sense of frustration with our
governing legislative bodies. We
need political reform now, not
decades later. Hopefully it will come
from the constituency of the North
Carolina political leaders, rather
than the U.S. Supreme Court.
Fen Loomer
Sunset Beach
Newspaper Comes Too Late
To the editor:
I am writing again in reference to
our subscription to The Brunswick
Beacon. In January, 1991, 1 wrote to
you regarding the late delivery of
our paper. I received your reply in
late February, and as of now we are
experiencing the same problem and
worse.
Your Jan. 23, 1992 paper just ar
rived in our mailbox today (Feb. 5);
the paper for Jan. 30 has not arrived
yet. We do not appreciate reading
news coming this late. I realize you
have no control over the mail, but
this is ridiculous.
I would appreciate it if you would
cancel our subscription.
Mrs. Neil D. Phipps
Arnold, Maryland
Many Want To Sign Petitions
To the cdilor
How is it that our Fine county at
tracts the Ben Brooks, Ken Ncals
and the Harry Heiligs and we lose
the Lany Bells, B'lbba Greers, Steve
Smiths and Misty Larmichaels? 'Tis
true the good die young?
Please advise as to the locations
of the petitions for the overpass at
the intersection of N.C. 130 and
U.S. 17. Many, many of the citizens
from south of Shallouc to the S.C.
line want to sign it.
We cannot afford to continue to
pave this intersection with blood
while the highway officials figure
the price of the overpass in dollars.
The very sight of that welcome cen
ter at the intersection disturbs me
greatly. I feel, although it has its pur
pose, until the overpass is complet
ed, it's image symbolizes welcome
to the road of hell.
Pamela Bcllamy-Kccscc
Shallouc
Carolina Contract
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Wilmington
It Was A '90s Kind
Of Panic Attack
People who know me well arc ac
cusiofiicd to seeing occasional "pan
ic" attacks, usually because glasses
or wallet arc not to be found.
Some of those same people can
?ell you I Have a lousy memory for
names and numbers.
A long time ago I figured out
there wasn't enough brain capacity
to handle all the information that
flows between my ears. That led to
investment in one of those personal
planners, not 'he most elaborate, but
a beginner type.
The newest lesson is that maybe
one can quickly develop too heavy a
reliance on notepad and pen. My
life ? personal, professional and
anything in between ? was encapsu
lated in that personal planner.
Without checking it first, I
couldn't tell you what day it is, much
less what anyone on my staff, includ
Susan
Usher ' "=*" ^9
SL
ing mc, is supposed to do tomorrow.
Childhood was a lot simpler than
this. Clearly we live in a new and
harsher age, when we rely more on
the clock and calendar than on the
sun and stars to mark the passage of
a day.
Given those limitations, you can
imagine the panic attack that hap
pened last week when my calendar
disappeared.
Miraculously I survived two days
without it and missed only two ap
pcir news the ones schcdulc<1
outside the office. The rest were
here; I knew people were coming
but not at what time. When a few
more callcd for appointments, a!! !
couid say was come on and guess at
a time.
I zipped into the officc from an
early morning meeting with no stops
in between (missing Appointment
No. 1 in the process). Other than a
2()-minutc lunch ihc balance of the
day was spent wondering who
would come through the door next,
scared to leave for fear of missing
someone. (And too proud to call and
ask, "When did you say you were
stopping by?") Luckily, one person
called to say she was on her way; I
had a few minutes to prepare.
All this lime the calendar was in
my Geo hatch hack, tucked under
two big easel pads in the trunk. My
husband and I had chcckcd there al
ready ? oncc cach. since we knew
some things hiid been moved from
the car scat. Ever Iccl really brain
dead? Ever feel you need to get your
eyes chcckcd twice?
There is now a back-up calendar
of sorts. Everything that was written
in the "real" calendar is now also on
the tear away calendar pad on my
desk ? all the way through Decem
ber.
There's been some joking about
getting old, getting forgetful, etc.,
but I'm not the one in our house
who celebrated a birthday last week.
It must be something else, but what I
can't recall.
SHOTS!
TWENICTH CtNTUW FCK TOMS N HMO/TOn m> PFTES V MJOEfi NVtTMiV cos: HOI SKI'S1
CHARUE SH?ES CASv ELWES MKIAGOUNC JONOIYBI KEVN DUNN 3m ?W N ?M U.OYD 5! DGES
" SYIVESTE8 IEVAY jANE KUR50M ?:? *s: ER?C SEARS ?*? WILLIAM A tl.C"
Injaii. -?.iiMlBUTlEJ ?SC WT ^O" ' JIM AiSArtAMS i FAT WG*'
* *w? ttl BADAIATO ' V iW ABAHAMS
, .. an?
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754-8400
Brunswick Square
Hwy. 17 S., Shallotte
Larry Heustess
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Hi n
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* <L. fc*. ^
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M/here Listening Generates Fbwertul Ideas