This Comfort Zone

By Marimar McNaughton

Staff Writer

At the YWCA’s women of achievement awards last week, 42 women and young ladies were recognized for their leadership in the fields of business, communications, education, environment, public service, health and wellness, and volunteerism.

One of them, Wrightsville Beach School principal Pansy Rumley, received one of the top 12 honors for her role as an educator. Her vision for a marine science and environmental studies curriculum forced her into the mainstream of fundraising to support programs she initiated that utilize outdoor resources to teach experiential sciences.

The construction of the pier at WBS, the county’s only waterside school, encourages participation by faculty and students, and other regional school groups, some from as far away as Durham County, to use the facilities to learn about nature, examine our fragile ecosystem up close, and enroll young children at an early age in the process of becoming good stewards of the earth.

Rarely does outstanding achievement like this occur in the comfort zone. More often than not, true leadership like Rumley’s emerges out of the discomfort zone.

To the naked eye, the comfort zone was blanketed this Memorial Day weekend by a sea of bikinis and buffed bodies. Marching to the beat of a different drummer was one lone shirtless soldier, Steve Grimsley, who carried the American flag — a visually potent reminder of what this weekend actually was intended to represent: not the start of the summer season, but a day of tribute for those who risked and gave up their lives in military service for their country’s freedom.

Our town fathers and mothers sometimes find themselves in the position to steward those freedoms. Collectively, they have faced many uncomfortable situations during their tenure of public service. It is during these times of circumspection, often fueled by public debate, that they find themselves in the discomfort zone where real learning takes place, real leadership steps up to the plate and real achievement occurs, benefiting the entire community.

As we sit on the sidelines and watch, report to our readers and await the outcomes, I wonder: When was the last time you left your comfort zone?

How many Chinese products do you buy?

My thoughts
by Pat Bradford

I am done.
Seriously, I’ve had it up to here, as the old saying goes.
For those of you who don’t want to hear anyone local speak on international issues, turn the page.
Here’s the deal: I am done with everything that supports China (excepting food cooked locally).
What is fueling this terminal frustration is my horror over the lengthening list of recalled Chinese products, China’s environmental standards, not to mention China’s human rights abuses, compounded by the continuing loss of American manufacturing jobs.
Nineteen deaths in America and Germany are now linked to the widely used blood thinner, Heparin. Heparin, like a large portion of the drug processing in the world, is made from raw materials from China (in this case, pig guts).
Yes, none other than the land that has poisoned our kids through its lead-painted toys and children’s jewelry and our infants through its baby food. They’ve poisoned us with antifreeze-laced toothpaste, toxic farm-raised fish and vitamins. Then there are the faulty tires. Even our pets have not been immune.
Last year, 93 deaths in Central America were attributed to tainted cough syrup, processed where? Yep, China.
An ever-increasing share of the 40 percent of pharmaceuticals and a whopping 80 percent of the chemical ingredients in drugs come from countries that lack our consumer protection regulations, not to mention hygiene. The big three are China, India and Mexico.
What has happened to this country that big business and politics come before the welfare of the people?
It’s time, past time actually, to return to the war cry, “Buy American!”
And war is what we’re in.
In this county, town, country, our small businesses are struggling under declining sales, high fuel prices and too little relief from the taxing authorities.
There’s a mayor in Florida, John Mazziotti from Palm Bay, who in October became the first American mayor to propose an ordinance prohibiting his municipal government from buying Chinese products. The measure would bar the city from buying products in which half or more of the parts are manufactured in China, unless the total cost is under $50 or an alternative product would cost 50 percent more.
Criticize him if you will, but at least the guy gets it. Mazziotti is so adamant about buying local that he apparently won’t dine outside of his constituency.
Likewise, until we also adopt an earn-it-here, spend-it-here mentality, we’re apt to see more business closings in this next 18 months, and more of our friends and neighbors headed toward financial insecurity.
Included in this boycott of China movement — the boycott of products manufactured there — what about the upcoming Olympics?
Ask yourself, if we continue to buy their products, what message do we send? It’s OK to continue to poison us, just keep the cheap goods coming?
Then too, do we really, as enlightened people, want to support a country whose brutal oppression of a segment of its populace is ongoing? Think about it as you hear more about the growing international protest as the summer Olympic Games near.
Do we just turn away from “the unpleasantness” and do our own thing?
I can imagine that many in Germany in the late 1930s and early ’40s felt that same way as Jews and Gypsies were being carried away to concentration camps.
What if the other 12 New World colonies had not come to the aid of Massachusetts following the Boston Massacre in 1770? Where would our “States United” be?
So, what’s your personal level of tolerance?
For me, I thought I was all about free trade, everyone’s right to make a buck, but when it takes food out of our own mouths, weakens our own country, poisons our kids, our pets, and just about everything we touch becomes suspect, it’s time to quit.
I am going to make a real effort to not buy Chinese, and couple that with spending my dollars where I earn them, right here in New Hanover County.
How about you? Up to a challenge?
Even if we did it for one week, imagine the impact we would have.

Vote for Lumina News’ Person of the Year

The news staff is brainstorming, trying to select Lumina News’ Person of the Year at Wrightsville Beach, and we need your input. So who's your pick?

Skateboarding and fear of the unknown

My Ocean View
By Jennifer Roush

Being a newcomer to this area can be a good thing because, in a way, I bring a new perspective. I have seen some of the same situations arise and how they are responded to a few states away and I can apply it here.
One topic I’ve covered quite a bit for Lumina News is the idea of building a Wrightsville Beach skate park. Skate parks and skateboarding are something I’ve long been familiar with. When I was a child, my friends loved Tony Hawk, Powell Peralta, and there was even a half pipe in my neighborhood. One of my closest friends rode his skateboard often until it was in shreds.
As I grew up, I still loved to watch people skate, even though I could never manage to do it very well myself. So from 6 years old through college, I had many friends who were skateboarders. And one problem remains the same.
The problem being there are always those who want to skate — because it’s fun, challenging, interesting — and there are so few places to do it. There was not a skate park in Morgantown, W.Va., when I was in college nor in the small town I grew up in. In Morgantown, I saw people skate at night in places where they weren’t supposed to because there was nowhere to go. Like in Wrightsville Beach, when youth skate in parking lots and could tear up property.
Is skateboarding a sport for deviants? No. There are those who ruin it for everyone everywhere. Young people with wrong intentions can make a basketball court a bad place to go or a playground. Should we not build basketball courts or playgrounds?
Some ask: Can children get hurt? They can. But I know a young man who had his knee completely taken out playing football. I can’t tell you all the ripped ACLs I’ve seen people endure playing basketball. People get hurt at playgrounds. Let’s just look at the issue that is at the heart of all this. Difference.
When people look or act differently, it can scare people. We need to accept that young people are constantly trying to find themselves and some may find their creativity and energy best expressed through skateboarding. Is it right to discriminate? What if someone told me I couldn’t pick up a pen and write? Good thing I only need a pen and paper. These kids need a skate park.

The Untold Story

My Ocean View
By Jennifer Roush

In this week’s Lumina News editorial, we talked about the freedom of the press. I’d like to spin off that article to discuss why many of us become journalists.
Starting out, I knew I cared about people’s stories. I observed the things around me, and I didn’t want to feel impotent to do anything about them, so I went into journalism. Granted, the news page is not a forum for my thoughts, but it is a place where I can reflect things that are observed and to be the observer for others.
Being a journalist is a title some do not respect. However, it is a role you need the most honorable people to fill.
We are the proponents of truth, the community advocates, and the ones who will put themselves on the line to tell the story that needs to be told. The ones who learn a subject enough to become a mini-expert in order to inform a community.
I can say, personally, I want to be like an unbiased mirror of the things I report. I believe in justice and that means not compromising your integrity, being fair, doing the research and caring enough to tell the truth even when it’s hard – even when you may receive backlash for it. Many of us who are in the profession don’t want to run over people to get a story, we want to find and tell the truth, so it reaches the light of day. We want to tell the untold story.

Rain, we miss you.

My Ocean View
By Jennifer Roush

One thing I immediately noticed after I moved down here from Morgantown, W.Va., is the difference in the amount of rainfall. In Morgantown, I almost expected it to rain more often than not. It was gray and rainy much of the time. The city itself received 41.2 inches of rain a year.

Since moving down here, I often think, where is the rain? And I don’t think I’m the only one asking that question.

In the statistics I have come across, I found the average annual rainfall for Wrightsville Beach to be around 50.85 inches. To put this into perspective, the annual rainfall in Seattle is 36 inches.
Therefore, as we enjoy the sunny days, we cannot help but notice the lack of rain. And as day after day goes by with little to no rainfall, we see our need for water conservancy go up.

The town issued a water conservation proclamation on Sept. 13 requesting voluntary action. Who took that to heart? Are people turning their sprinklers off and taking shorter showers?

This is a problem all over the state. I believe it’s time to stop waiting, thinking the rain situation is going to turn around, and that it’s imperative to take water conservation seriously.

Below are measures listed in the town’s proclamation:
* Limit lawn watering to that which is necessary for plants to survive.
* Water shrubbery the minimum amount required, reusing household water when possible.
* Limit vehicle washing to the minimum.
* Refrain from washing down outside areas such as sidewalks, patios and the like.
* Use showers for bathing rather than bathtubs, and limit showers to no more than four minutes.
* Refrain from leaving faucets running while shaving or rinsing dishes.
* Limit use of clothes washers and dishwashers and when used, operate fully loaded.
* Install water-flow restrictive devices in showerheads.
* Use disposable and biodegradable dishes.
* Install water-saving devices such as bricks, plastics, bottles or commercial units in toilet tanks.

My Ocean View by Jennifer Roush

This is my first "Ocean View." A new one will be posted weekly.


As many of you know, I recently took over the position of managing editor of the town’s Lumina News, but for most of you that likely is the extent of it. My story of change began a month ago, which ended up with me making the long journey from the mountains to the shore.
I grew up in the small suburb of Cross Lanes, W. Va. This community is a few miles from Charleston, and, to the rest of the state, that is “the city.” Staying in the area, I kept some of the same friends from grade school to my college years.
After one year attending Clemson University right out of high school, I transferred to West Virginia University, where I received my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism. In school, I did such things as write for the school newspaper, was managing editor of a quarterly newspaper, co-authored a book, had internships and took about every opportunity I could.
After school, I stayed at WVU teaching journalism as an adjunct instructor. I also worked as a community reporter and city reporter, eventually working my way up to features editor of a local daily newspaper.
I had found myself at the home of the Mountaineers, Morgantown, for several years, but something in me knew I wouldn’t be there forever.
I had visited the Wilmington area every year on vacation and absolutely loved it. It became my favorite place to go. It was also quality time with my mother, who lives in Raleigh. One summer she asked if I perchance wanted to go to Outer Banks instead, but I still just wanted to come back here.
Something about this area’s beauty makes me want to smile, cry and try to wake up at the same time. Even though I can also bask in the beauty of the mountains, this place, in addition to beauty, has an air of endless possibilities. The saying is “the grass is always greener on the other side.” Well, the grass may be greenest here.
When I saw the job posting for this position, I felt it was the perfect job for me. And it is. I love writing, editing, people and stories. I am ever curious and intrigued by people’s stories and issues, which is one of the main reasons I am drawn to this profession.
My goal as managing editor is to not only continue the legacy of success established by Lumina News, but to also forge ahead. I have a lot of hopes for what I can do for this publication and for the community. I plan to do all I can to make sure Lumina News meets and exceeds your expectations weekly.
We are a people who strive for excellence and that comes with a lot of work, but, in the end, it’s worth it for the service we provide to Wrightsville Beach.

Ask the candidates

The Wrightsville Beach Merchants Association will hold a question-and-answer session with board of aldermen candidates on Oct. 8. What question would you like to ask the candidates?