June 30, 2007

The Brooklyn Paper: ‘Injured’ Koby claims jaw pain before date with Joey Chestnut

Every great American holiday has it signature sporting event. Memorial Day has the Indy 500, Thanksgiving means football in Dallas and Detroit. As we work our way through the heat towards the ultimate American celebration, the Fourth of July, our eyes (and stomachs) turn to the great sporting event most closely tied to this date: The Nathans Hot Dog Eating Contest. This year's struggle has a new and exciting twist. The remarkable record of the man known as the "Great Bun" Takeru Kobayashi was shattered last month by American eater Joey Chestnut who downed 59-1/2 Hot Dogs and Buns (HDB) [Youtube video]besting Kobayashi's mark of 53-3/4 set last year at Nathan's Coney Island National Championship. To help you conceive of how much food that is I have to turn to Gersh Kuntzman who is the foremost competitive eating writer in the nation (no, you could look it up … on Wikipedia!)
Jaw-dropping feat

When Joey Chestnut downed 59-1/2 hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes last week, he not only set a new world record, but also took care of his eating for at least a week. Here’s how Chestnut’s stunning performance shapes up (or doesn’t shape up):

Total calories: 18,385 (9.2 days’ worth)

Total sodium: 40,698 mg (17.2 days’ worth)

Total fat: 1,195.95 g (18.4 days’ worth)


The recent news about this year's epicurean epic has been most unsettling. First Kuntzman raised the unsavory specter of air conditioning aiding in Chestnut's record feat. It seems the venue in Tempe Az. where Chestnut set the record as as cool as Nome on New Years, giving the challenger a distinct advantage, akin to Barry Bonds so called skin softener that led to his massive 73 home run season. The Brooklyn based scribe suggests that until Chestnut repeats his record run under the summertime sun, with worthy competitors munching beside him that the record should have an asterisk beside it ala Maris's record breaking season in 1961 (61 homers but in 8 games more than it took the mighty Babe Ruth [who could have won this contest] to hit 60, for the sports trivia impaired)
If that weren't enough it seems that the reigning champ may be trying to dodge the challenger. Kuntzman reports "that The Great Bun, as he is known to his fans, is seeing medical specialists in Tokyo this week in hopes of curing a mysterious case of stiff jaw that some scribes (OK, this scribe) is calling “jawthritis.”"
So its no so Joe! Koby, a coward. I don't believe it. Sounds like a pysch move to me. You know when you try to get your opponent to relax his training by faking injury while you work your buns off (sorry) to get ready for the battle.


The usual suspects: At the July 4th contest, 7-foot-6 giant, P. Theyagarjan, the world tika-masala-eating champion, will make his debut. Here, Theyagarjan is compared to other widely recognized celebrities: the Frankster and fourth-ranked eater Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas.




I'm betting that Chestnut will be up to the task and that Koby will show but go down to defeat when Chestnut breaks the magic 60 HDB barrier. You can witness all the gut wrenching (or it that retching) drama on EPSN (Channel 25 on Charter Cable north of Oregon Inlet for the sports TV impaired, your mileage may vary) at noon on Wed. The Nathan's event is sponsored by the world's major competitive eating sanctioning body the International Federation of Competitive Eating (hereinafter refferred to as Some of the Strangest People in the World or IFCE for short). The IFCE sanctions competitive eating contests in all variety of foods and in all types of settings (ie. air conditioned and au natural). The list of records is staggering. I guess my fave is 6 pounds of baked beans in One Minute, 48 Seconds. Think about that. Think about being around the winner for the next week. Think about loser who only ate 5 pounds (or took 2 minutes for the requried 6 lbs. not sure which). How much Pepto Bismal does that require.
Will Koby show, can Chestnut stand the heat or will some new champ eat their way into our stomachs hearts. We'll let you know when it's over.

June 28, 2007

Percussion Please!!



Here's the short version - Go to Festival Park and take in some of the programs put on by the NC School of the Arts you won't regret it.

Some scenes from the Thursday night performance at Festival Park. The very talented percussion ensemble from the NC School of the Arts put on a great show. They opened with an African welcome song played on traditional instruments. The show included Classical, jazz, Caribbean and Latin tunes.
My favorite was a piece entitles "Reflections on a Japanese Wood Cut" It was a Jazz/Classical piece that was wonderful. The instrumentation included xylophone, vibraphone, all nature of gongs, conga, kettle and traditional African drums,
If you bang on it with a stick, hit it with a mallet or smack it with your hand these guys probably had one.

The crowd of around 200 was very attentive and appreciative. The only distraction was some young children who might have been better served by being in bed. The ones who ran around in front of the stage didn't bother me but the few who demanded attention loudly raised a some hackles (OK one member of the audience did suggest that a couple of the parents be neutered but that was a little extreme).

All in all a great experience. The same show goes on Friday night at 8 pm. There was lots of parking. Bring your beach chair or a blanket, a cooler with your favorite beverage, maybe some cheese and crackers or slice fruit whatever suits your picnic fancy. You won't regret it.
A different program kicks off next week so you can go at least once a week throughout the summer and see a different show. The schedule is available at the Festival Park web site. Oh yeah I forgot one important note - Its FREE. Thats right no charge. The students are here on a summer program and they perform as part of their state sponsored arts education. You can make a donation to support the program (I dropped a couple of bucks per person in the jar) but their is no admission.
Boy what a day. I went to Roanoke Island twice in one day and had a great time both times. Who knew!!

Tag and Release

Along with several other local bloggers, I have been tagged by Paula the Queen of the Surf Pirates (Who shall hereinafter be reffered to as The B**** who Tagged Me or TBwTM). I don't know how such a nice dog has such a mean mom. Sorry Sammy!
I plan to fulfill at least part of the obligation. I will reveal 8 things about me that people probably don't know (and won't really care about much either). I will also tag a few people though I may not make it all the way to the required number.
Here we go:
1. Before I moved to the Outer Banks I ran a record and stereo store in Steubenville Oh.
2. If you played all the music in my Itunes library back to back it would take 35.3 days. That does not include the 3000 vinyl LPs in my collection but it does include many of the over 500 CD's that I own. (I like music... a lot)
3. Sonny Terry once road in the front seat of my car and I bought him a hot dog.
4. I enjoy Afro-Cuban music, Bruce Springsteen, Woody Guthrie, many singer-songwriters (current faves include Gretchen Peters and Guy Clark), alternative country, Broadway show tunes and most styles of blues.
5. I spent a summer working as an intern at the public radio station in Philadelphia. I also worked for several years as an announcer and program director for WOBR 95.3 (now known as the ROCK)
6. I won my first election in Nags Head by 3 votes. I won in part because one of the losing candidates (one of the favorites) chose not to stand at the polls all day and meet voters.
7. There is one person who worked for my election on all 5 of my Nags Head campaigns. Hu (the non-gender specific pronoun) encouraged me from the start and is one of the smartest people I know (not only because they thought I might be a good elected official but because they are really smart!)
8. I once proposed the Town pass an ordinance outlawing rudeness in Nags Head. It is one of very few things that I regret not getting done while I was an elected official.

People that I tag:
The guy at the Bhuddist thought for the Day
The people at Quote for the Day
All my old college roommates.
The person at the current moon phase web site.
The Rev. Sun Myung Moon
Mayor Renee Cahoon
and finally the late Golda Meir


These are all interesting people I will be curious to see what we find out about them.
Ciao for now and as for TBwTM lets just say 'til we meet again [grin].

N&O: Don't let beaches wash away

Offered without comment or rant (yet).

newsobserver.com | Don't let beaches wash away: "Don't let beaches wash away"

June 25, 2007

Brain Teaser

Here's a brain teaser for you. How can 1883 people pay $2,840 each and have it cover a $16,000,000 dollar tab? Think I'm all wet well your probably right! Lets see how you think it could work then in a day or two I'll share what's really happening.

June 23, 2007

Land for Tomorrow Today

Many years ago (maybe 10) Gov. Jim Hunt challenged the state to conserve a million acres of open space. His initiative was groundbreaking then and remains an important challenge for the state. The plan has been revived by a several conservation groups working as "Land for Tomorrow, Today"
The group is pushing for a state-wide land conservation bond referendum. The legislature is balking, trying to prioritize future spending needs. This one seems to make sense to me. The recent newsletter of the group described the situation very well:
“With land prices rising faster than interest rates, bond funding makes good fiscal sense,” said Sue Cole, principal of Granville Capital Inc. and Land for Tomorrow ambassador. “The state could save millions by using bonds to buy land now before the prices increase or the usefulness of the land for conservation disappears forever.”

Nowhere has this point been better illustrated than on the coast where rising land prices have limited communities ability to acquire land, especially for conservation. Nags Head has tried to acquire land for additional green space with limited success recently. Past purchases, especially in Nags Head Woods, seem pretty wise given the potential development value of that land now. One group that deserves some credit in this field is the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau. Under the leadership of Executive Director Carolyn McCormick they have developed a program to help local governments fund open space acquisitions. There biggest problem has been a lack of interest, rather than a lack of money.
Lets hope the legislature gives the voters of the state a chance to decide how they want to spend their tax dollars. I'm betting that a bond for land conservation would pass easily, if it was given the chance.

June 16, 2007

Hurricanes, the National Guard and good government

Several weeks ago I wrote about the relationship between National Guard deployments, the War in Iraq and the state's hurricane response readiness. As part of my preparation for that piece I e-mailed Gov. Mike Easley and asked him how Guard deployments would impact readiness. I pleased share the response that I received from Gen. William E. Ingram, Adjutant General of the North Carolina National Guard.
Before I relate the contents of the letter I want to thank Gen. Ingram for taking time to respond and for his service to our country and our state. I also want to take a moment to thank the men and women of the North Carolina National Guard for all they do and all they sacrifice on our behalf. They and their families deserve our support and our humble thanks.
Gen. Ingram's letter outlines 4 initiative's the Guard has taken to prepare for its role in the state's emergency response program. First the Guard in storm prone states are working with the Department of Defense (DOD) to ensure that the equipment necessary for response is in place. The Gen. says that North Carolina should begin to receive their allocations of needed equipment shortly. The second component in the plan is pretty simple and basic. A DOD representative will be present at the State's Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The Defense Coordination Officer (DCO) helps the State assess its emergency needs and coordinates the DOD response. This can be in the form of National Guard troops and equipment or forces from the active duty services. It is this last element that provides the third leg of the Guard's response plan. Gen. Ingram explained that resources from the states many military bases, including Camp Lejeune and Fort Bragg, are available for assistance. The General also points out that this concept, response from federal bases, is validated "almost every hurricane season as they help the State of North Carolina respond to disasters." The Generals point is all too true and the exactly why we all should be concerned about the impact of Guard deployments on emergency readiness. Finally Gen. Ingram wrote that:
The last and most important initiative is the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). EMAC is an agreement between all 50 State and three Territorial Governors that promises assistance to fellow States in case of emergencies. We have used this in the past and have also supported other States. Most recently North Carolina sent 900 Guardsmen to help in the Hurricane Katrina Relief efforts.

It is this last element that Gov. Easley referred to when he reassured the state about emergency response readiness just before the start of hurricane season.
The title of this piece listed 3 top topics. The last may not be evident but the General's letter demonstrates it in 2 ways. First, its clear that the General and his troops take their response role seriously. The plans he describes are well conceived, closely integrated and when properly executed they should provide any level of emergency response. I was impressed by the thoroughness of the plan. Government that is this forward thinking and prepared is textbook good government. Government that is responsive is also good government. To that end the Gen. ;letter demonstrates just how good government is in North Carolina. A simple e-mail from a concerned citizen got a thorough follow up. It would like to tell you that this is how it always happens in government but its not. All credit to the Governor, General Ingram and their staffs for understanding just how important it is to respond to the public with thorough honest information. Gen. Ingram acknowledges that current deployments have "taken a toll" on Guard readiness. His planning takes those circumstances into account. His response doesn't ignore the issue either.
No one wants to see National Guard trucks rolling into their community yet when they do roll in, few people will be more welcome or appreciated. I'll close as I opened, thanking Gen. Ingram and the entire North Carolina National Guard family for their service and sacrifice, lets hope any trips to Nags Head are recreation rather than response.

June 15, 2007

Mice will Play

Surfin Nags Head originally uploaded by BOBXNC
For anyone interested the surf has been really lousy lately but should start to clean up tomorrow. If the current swell holds up the SW winds should clean it up and provide excellent conditions, clean with waist to shoulder high sets on Sat. afternoon. Water's still a little cold so plan to were your short suit (Spades usually in my hands)
Got a house for sale, good luck. The real estate market still sucks, its almost as bad as the surf was yesterday and will be today. You would be better served to refinance and use the money to take a vacation to someplace where you can surf all the time like Hawaii. Besides, I hear the beaches there are really wide and the don't have any erosion problems.

June 13, 2007

Join Us Me for the Town’s 46th Birthday Party and Lightkeeper Celebration

Nags Head turns 46 on Thursday. The Town is throwing a shingdig at Town Hall. It starts around 11 am. and will feature the presentation of the annual Lightkeeper award and awards for residential architecture. The highlight of the ceremony promises to be a major speech by your favorite blogger (no not Monty over at OBR or Paula -- ME!!). I was asked to say a few words about Nags Head's history on this auspicious occasion and I accepted. Actually the conversation went something like this:
Town: Bob, do you believe in free speech?
Bob: Of course I do, I value all our civil liberties very highly (except phony property rights claims under the takings clause which are bogus on their face.)
Town: Good we want you to give one (a free speech that is)
Bob: Oh

Anyway, I have been doing some research and hope to reveal some basic truths about the town and the challenges it has faced over the years. I will also unveil my proposed budget for Nags Head. I hope you will come on out and have some hot dogs on me (and the other Nags Head taxpayers). See you there

June 11, 2007

Why I hate Dr. Beach!!

Crabs eye view originally uploaded by BOBXNC
I haven't ranted in a while so maybe I should go off on Dr. Beach who recently chose Ocracoke as the nation's best beach over my beloved Nags Head beach (video from Hamptonroads.tv). Actually I can't really argue about the quality of the beach experience in Ocracoke. 14 miles of undeveloped beach is pretty attractive. So attractive that my wife and I go down for a week every year. The NYT describes the fall experience pretty well. All this guy Dr. Beach has done is let the whole rest of the world know what we already knew. Ocracoke is still the best place to get away and relax in the known universe, though Nags Head, particularly south Nags Head ain't bad.
We rent a cottage through Ocacoke Island Realty, the top realty company on the island. We generally go down in Sept. when the crowds are gone. The risk of storms reduces the number of people around somewhat. One thing you should know about Ocracoke is that it is getting a lot more crowded than it used to be. We snuck away in mid-May and found the island crawling with bus tours and empty nesters. We had a wait at the Back Porch Restaurant, which now serves mixed drinks by the way, and generally were sharing beach and road with more people than we had expected.
No doubt that the added publicity from Dr. Beach will push even more people to the island. That's the way it works. Anyway, great news for Ocracoke now lets work on getting Pea Island recognized or maybe the the area north of Jennette's pier.

Congrats Ocracoke. A few more Ocracoke older Ocracoke Photos over on the photo side. You can read what folks on the Island think at the Ocracoke Island Journal.

June 4, 2007

N&O | Rising sea level redefines N.C. coast

No challenges on this one. The News and Observer kicks off a summer long series on global warming and it's impact on the state with a focus on rising sea level. I'm no expert on global warming but the article features some people who do make such claims. Most of the predictions are in geologic time frames so the people who bought Kevin's house can at least pay off the mortgage before they abandon Vista Colony.
Make sure you look at the photos. If these had been in my arsenal during the referendum campaign we would be putting sand on the beach next spring. There is a great shot of a women fishing from the deck of a house on Seagull Dr. The captions says "Its just like fishing on the pier". Where's Uncle Jack to tell us how great the beaches are in Sonag, these photos tell a little different story.
Anyway, enjoy the article just don't plan to leave the house to your grandkids. Live in econcomic time plan in geologic time - that's what I always say.


By the way, at the very end of the article Dr. Riggs talks about the megastorm that will destroy the OBX but the rest of the piece was so solid it didn't even piss me off. Thank to the N&O and to Wade Rawlins, Staff Writer, who obviously is a journalist.

June 3, 2007

A challenge to Mr. Baker, who is a journalist.

The Code of Conduct has been suspended for this post.*
Stop the presses. I just found out that a major hurricane might hit the Outer Banks and if it did it might do a lot of damage. Mike Baker has penned the kind of piece that gives the press a bad name. If this is journalism, I'm glad that I'm a politician. It is inflammatory and it is inaccurate.
The basic premise seems to be that Prof. Stan Riggs thinks that a Katrina size and intensity storm striking the OBX at just the right angle would open up several new inlets and wipe out a all of the development that has occurred in the area over the last century. Riggs theory may be a geologic possibility but it seems far fetched to me. Yes, a major storm coming up the sound would push a lot of water north then back south and east as the storm passed. This is what opens up inlets (really outlets). At the point of landfall the storm surge would be devastating. If Katrina is a gauge this area could cover 20-30 miles of oceanfront and extend inland for many miles. Here we hit a small problem. A storm following that track doesn't push storm surge across the entire OBX and a storm coming in due east (rare but possible) would push up lots of surge but again how wide is the swath. Soundside flooding doesn't destroy building on a widespread basis. Somebody needs to show me the model of this storm that pushes up a 20+ foot storm surge across all of Hatteras Island, across Oregon Inlet and up to Corolla. This is what I get from terms like 75 percent of these islands could be gone,"It just isn't how storms happen. Come on Stan you can do better than this.
Mr. Baker says that "Dozens of hurricanes" have hit the OBX in the last 400 years. Really?? Dozens, how many dozens pray tell, maybe a gross or more. Yet the islands are still here? Yes, Isabel reopened an inlet and we are overdue for another one to open up due to conditions at Oregon Inlet but multiple inlets from Corolla to Portsmouth Island, is that really what Dr. Riggs is predicting? I sincerely doubt it.
Next quote:North Carolina's Division of Emergency Management estimates that, even if a Category 5 hurricane turns toward the Outer Banks, several hundred defiant homeowners will try to ride the storm
Yes, there are idiots who would stay behind, even in the face of a Katrina like storm approaching the coast. This number gets smaller every year and with a storm like the one Riggs needs to fulfill his geologic predictions the death and destruction is just as likely to take place inland as on the coast. Isabel did major damage across eastern NC. H. Floyd tore up southern and central NC. Its not just coastal residents that are at risk. I guarantee there wouldn't be many of the 300,000 people who are in the area on any given summer weekend around. They would have been sent home in an orderly manner a long time before the storm hit. Sorry, I guess this point doesn't seem to advance Mr. Baker's alarmist agenda. I'm not even sure you would find 100 people in Dare County in the face of a Katrina type Cat 5 storm. You wouldn't find many people from local governments. Most of them would have followed the tourists inland. Even the rescuers get out of the way of storms like that.
So what happens when this monster storm hits. and what does it destroy, what are its impacts? Who better to ask than Dr. Orin Pilkey? Almost anyone actually! Lets see what Brother Pilkey has to say from his perch in Durham and remember as one friend reminds me emeritus means he's unemployed.
And the islands won't simply disappear. While much of the Outer Banks are untouched by man, protected as part of two national seashores and a national wildlife refuge, there is rampant development elsewhere. A storm that wipes out the islands could dump an untold amount of gas, chemicals and remnants of destroyed homes and buildings into the ocean.

"The environment is the sort of the unnoticed victim that barrier islands face in hurricanes," Pilkey said.

OK, I admit that the term "rampant development" caught my eye. This coming from a TV station in Wake County where they build more houses in a week than we build in Dare County in a year. Where storms, hurricanes and winter storm have done more damage to more homes and dislocated more people in the last 20 years than has occurred in Dare in 40! Go look it up Mr. Baker. You want to slow storm damage stop building homes in Raleigh. Look at photos from the storms of the 90's. See damage in Dare NO! see damage in Durham Oh!! You are a lying sack of ... but I digress.
Ok so we have a lot of homes on the OBX that weren't here 40 years ago, Dr. Pilkey what happens when they get destroyed? They pollute the ocean! are you serious?. I will stipulate that there will be household cleaners and bleach released in damage of a major storm Some septic tanks will uncovered and their contents exposed, if you stipulate that a much larger (much is not the right order of magnitude make that a Super Enormous More) pollution problem is posed by inland flooding both the surge in storm water caused by the destruction of natural water sheds in Wake and Johnston Counties and pollution from the flooding of agriculture and industrial development that simply doesn't exist on our rampantly developed Outer Banks. Discharges from overloaded centralized sewer plants casuse more pollution in everyday operation than would be released in a storm on the OBX. Environmental damage from a hurricane OK maybe if I think New Orleans style flooding, flooding that wouldn't have occurred if the Federal government had done the job of flood damage prevention right in the first place. Just like the damage that would be prevented by a flood damage project in Dare County. Orin Pilkey is worried about some Clorox in the ocean? I don't think so. He is worried about his agenda to get publicity and promote his books. If he is so concerned about pollution then why doesn't he support flood damage prevention projects that would prevent the environmental damage? This stuff is laughable if it weren't so dangersous. Next quote:
"Riggs estimates that some 1,250 acres of shoreline and wetlands erodes into the ocean each year."
Wetlands erode into the ocean? Where? There are no wetlands that have eroded directly into the ocean. Maybe via the sound? OK but that number is really big. That represents an area the size of Nags Head Woods every year. What is the scope of Dr. Riggs projection? Is it the world or the OBX? I don't believe it is the OBX. You wouldn't need the megastorm, this rate of erosion would destroy the area inside of a century. Next quote:
Officials have spent millions trying to salvage homes with stilts and sandbags, and even by moving sand on their own. The costs can be staggering: a 50-year beach nourishment project to protect just 14 miles of beach in Nags Head and Kitty Hawk would cost $1.6 billion, according to an U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimate.

"These are just stopgap attempts," said Jan Deblieu, the Cape Hatteras Coastkeeper for the North Carolina Coastal Federation, a conservation group. "We won't ever get the equation exactly right."
What planet are you on? Officials haven't spent millions on stilts or sandbags. They have barely spent thousands and that was on sandbags to protect roads. Virtually all sandbags are paid for privately exactly because the Federal government won't honor its commitment to flood damage prevention. Stilts, did you say stilts. Mr. Baker you are either an idiot or intentionally misleading your readers. There is no other explanation. Homes on the coast are elevated to prevent flooding. I thought flooding was bad. I thought damage was bad where did I get that? The homes are elevated because local zoning rules require it. The local rules are required to keep the communities in the Federal Flood Insurance program. A program that limits the amount of public money needed to clean up after a storm. A storm that hit an unprotected coast because officials didn't spend millions to protect it. You disingenuous bastard. Make up your mind. Do you want destruction or prevention. Do you want the government to pay or private property owners. Stilts.... yeah now there's a really bad thing.
OK, its time we meet the third member of the holy trinity of the High Church of the Anti-Coast, Jan Deblieu. Riggs, Pilkey and Deblieu, now there is balanced set of views for you. Read OBR on the coastal federation. (I had planned some additional comments on his topic but there is not time.) 1.5 billion over 50 years is a stop gap plan? Try again. Try calling Spencer Rogers of NC Sea Grant and talking about coastal development and building standards, hell just ask Dr. Riggs his views on beach nourishment (he understands its costs and benefits, just Google it you'll see). Jan, if you have your way we won't ever get to try to get it right, whatever it is. If it is preventing the kind of devastation the article leads off with or more realistically limiting damage from the more probable smaller storms that will hit the OBX, then Jan Deblieu and the CF would rather have damage than protection. We won't get it right because they don't think we should even live here.
Next quote:
Even a minor hurricane would be devastating to some parts of the Outer Banks. In Nags Head, for example, the homes that once sat comfortably on the beach now sit in the foaming seas several times each year.

Neil Carignan, an independent contractor, said a Thanksgiving nor'easter destroyed the septic drain field, water line, electricity and driveway of a client whose property is now condemned. Though the home has sandbags piled underneath its stilts, Carnigan pointed 100 feet behind the home to a plowed mound of sand.

"The waves were coming all the way up here across the street," Carnigan said. "The people across the street are about to have beachfront property because this home will probably fall in the ocean in the next Category 3 hurricane."

Damn, a storm caused damage in south Nags Head, now that is news. The ocean was up around the house, really? Wow impressive. Mr. Carigan is a builder and developer i assume. I guess Mr. Baker wants us to think that most builders abhor ocean front development or that some how coastal building isn't the most heavily regulated type of residential construction in the state or that somehow one house, probably built over 30 years ago, that has now been impacted by erosion is a unique or symbolic icon. It ain't. Erosion happens, and long term, slow erosion, often driven by nor'easters, is a much larger cause for concern than your projected monster storm. It is also addressed by lots of state and local rules. It doesn't represent the impact of "rampant development" but the visible sign of the lessons we are learning about living on the OBX.
OK I'm getting tired of this and you are too, so lets end it here. Simple challenge, Mr. Baker if you want to write a piece about the impact of storms on the OBX email me. I will be happy to help you learn about the issue and present both the very real threat and the very real responses that responsible people are taking everyday here on the coast. Then we can go work on your piece about the threats that storms pose to the rest of the state and what they are doing to prevent environmental and property damage, except that article will be much shorter because that's where people don't see the risks and aren't acting responsibly to protect against high probability events like a H. Floyd or Fran or Bertha or Isabel. That's were the our state's real storm scandal is about to occur. But what do I know. I'm not a journalist. Thank Heavens for small favors.



*Mr. Mayor
Yes, Mr. Muller
I move to suspend the rules for the duration of this post
Is there a second.
Second
Moved and seconded by Mr. Muller to suspend the Code of Conduct for the duration of this post all in favor indicate by saying Aye.
Aye.
Motion carries 1-0

A motion to suspend the rules is a procedural motion used set aside the agreed upon rules of procedure for legislative bodies. This is what Senate Republicans threatened to do to get Bush's conservative judges rammed through, but that is a different post.
In this case I am using it to set aside the Code of Conduct I have adopted for this blog because I need to be free to tell Mr. Baker what an idiot he is in plain language.

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June 2, 2007

I saw it first

OK here's the deal. I think I saw this first. Don't read it. It will piss you off.
I get to do a post on it .... tomorrow. Its been too nice a day there is soccer on USvChina then DCvLA so I don't really have time right now. I will take just the paragraphs I quoted here. Its more than I need. Feel free to take the rest. Please DO NOT read the comments. You might get upset. If you do read the comments just remember that there are 5 counties in NC that sent more money to Raleigh than they receive. Charlotte/Meck. is one, the other 4 are all coastal counties. Dare is definitely one.
Remember I saw this first.

Experts Fear Major Hurricane Could Wipe out N.C's Outer Banks :: WRAL.com

While much of the Outer Banks are untouched by man, protected as part of two national seashores and a national wildlife refuge, there is rampant development elsewhere. A storm that wipes out the islands could dump an untold amount of gas, chemicals and remnants of destroyed homes and buildings into the ocean.

"The environment is the sort of the unnoticed victim that barrier islands face in hurricanes," Pilkey said.

Officials have spent millions trying to salvage homes with stilts and sandbags, and even by moving sand on their own. The costs can be staggering: a 50-year beach nourishment project to protect just 14 miles of beach in Nags Head and Kitty Hawk would cost $1.6 billion, according to an U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimate.

"These are just stopgap attempts," said Jan Deblieu, the Cape Hatteras Coastkeeper for the North Carolina Coastal Federation, a conservation group. "We won't ever get the equation exactly right."




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N&O: Easley says N.C. ready for storms

Today marks Yesterday marked the beginning of hurricane season. so I decided to write about the war in Iraq. One striking element of our Presidents failed policy in Iraq is that he has never called for real national sacrifice on our part. There is no Rosie the Riveter, no gas rationing and no relinquishing of personal freedoms (oh yeah there is that). Really the war doesn't have much impact on most Americans. We see the death and devastation on TV but we don't see impact in our daily lives. That may be about to change in a big way for those of us in coastal Carolina.
When that terrible tornado hit Greenburg Kansas I was struck by the reaction of that state's governor. She blasted President Bush on the impact of the war on that state's emergency preparedness. It seems shipping National Guard troops off to Iraq had depleted both the manpower and equipment needed to fill a major NG role, response in local emergencies. I was curious if this was true for NC as well. A couple of weeks ago I emailed Gov. Mike Easley and asked him if NC was in the same situation as Kansas. Had National Guard deployments impacted the state emergency preparedness. Apparently I wasn't the only person asking the governor about the issue. Last Thursday he took time out to make a public statement about the readiness of the National Guard to meet the state's emergency needs this summer:
Gov. Mike Easley sought to reassure North Carolinians the state's storm-seasoned disaster team can handle all but the most devastating tropical cyclone.

But the governor also said a key member of that team, the N.C. National Guard, is short of equipment and stretched thin by troop deployments to Iraq and elsewhere. That means North Carolina will need help from other states if struck by anything stronger than a Category 3 storm, such as Hurricane Fran in 1996.

"We feel comfortable with what we have at this point," said Easley, who has been sharply critical of the repeated war deployments of National Guard units. "We'd like more equipment, but we think we're prepared."


Gov. Easley happens to know a lot more about this issue than this article lets on. He has been talking about this impact for sometime. While digging into the Greenburg tragedy I found an interesting comment on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's website. It seems that Gov. Easley is co-lead on National Guard issues for the National Governors Association. He was talking about the reduction on emergency response capabilities as early as Feb. He is one of many government and military leaders that Speaker Pelosi cites in her discussion of this issue.
Two bloggers that I respect, one independent and one thoughtfully conservative, have weighed in recently on the war. The growing consensus about the war is fueled by the increasing level of impact on the war on our everyday lives. The sacrifice the Pres. refuses to call for is increasingly apparent. President Bush refuses to acknowledge just how much the war is costing this country, to the point of denying even the impact on our national readiness for storm season.
Lets hope we don't have to find out if Gov. Easley is right in saying we are ready. NC has an excellent record in emergency response. The state gets it. They train and prepare and make sure the locals do the same. I doubt there are many states that do it better. We are fortunate in Dare County to have a good response program in place. The people who make the hard decisions about storm response and the people who advise them are well trained and experienced at what they do. They use the right tools to make well informed decisions based on the only thing that matters, public safety.
This year the equation will be a little different. The local planners will need to be a little more prepared to respond, ready to hold the fort a little longer until the cavalry arrives. The cavalry is in Iraq. Local planners expect the state to move in quickly after a major storm. Day one is a local operation evaluating needs but on Day 2 the state start sending men and material into the affected areas. This year it may take the state longer to respond or be less capable in its' response or both. The war is taking its toll.
I am not suggesting that we base our countries foreign policy on the possibility of troops being needed for emergency response. I am saying that the war's cost is coming home, to Greenburg Ks. and possibly to Dare County in very important ways. Lets hope the sacrifices we make remain in the planning stages and that we don't have to learn the lesson that Greenburg did. Happy hurricane season.

Read these posts.

Two posts on local blogs caught my attention as I sipped my coffee this morning. Ronnie Roach in Outer Banks Real Estate: Bonner Bridge Update explained the current status of the bridge project. He even called the project manager John Page of PB Americas:
John explained that the panel did not delay the decision - but that they did not reach a consensus. All 13 representatives from State and Federal must agree on a plan before they can move forward.

The DOT has endorsed the short bridge with a phased approach of dealing with troubled areas in the future. Environmentalists are pushing for the long bridge to bypass the refuge altogether.

The piece even has the most recent cost estimates. To understand why I think this issue is important enough to have a link about in a prominent place on my blog read my thoughts on this subject.
Once you are done with the bridge skip over to the Outer Banks Republic. MONTICELLO has a marvelous piece on how locals live in the summer time. Some I recognize, some I don't (I don't shop at Food Lion, come on down to Seamark sometime). Living here has it's great benefits but it also has it's costs. You can get an idea of the sticker price int this excellent piece.

June 1, 2007

Va. Pilot: No Turning Back on Norfolk Beaches - Science - RedOrbit

I guess I'm feeling a little nostalgic this morning. I plan to go over to the Board of Elections this afternoon and submit the paperwork to close protectnagshead.org, the referendum committee Bob Oakes and I formed to work towards passage of the Nags Head beach nourishment bond. I was in that kind of reflective mood when this editorial from the Va. Pilot popped up in my Google News alerts. The Pilot was pointing out that Norfolk's East Beach was recently recognized by the American Shore and Beach Association as one of this year's outstanding nourished beaches in the country. The piece relates the brief history of beach maintenance in Norfolk following wide spread flooding and erosion caused by Hurricane Isabel the goes on to talk about the impact of the projects.
"The replenishment served as the backdrop for East Beach, the village that lit the fuse for the Ocean View gold rush. The millions of dollars spent from East Ocean View to Willoughby Spit to save the beaches has been multiplied a hundred fold.

The winds and tides from the 2003 storm devoured half of the seven miles of Chesapeake Bay shoreline, breached homes in Willoughby and destroyed practically every plank walkway from the street to the water. Fixing them cost about $9 million, more than Norfolk had expended on beach maintenance in the previous 20 years of benign indifference.

Intent on applying that lesson, the city has followed up by creating a robust erosion-fighting plan backed by an annual $2 million appropriation through 2012. That's a prudent acknowledgment that too much wealth is now at risk to engage in wishful thinking about Congress putting up money for Ocean View sand piles.

That's the good news. The downside is that there's no turning back; once public beach nourishment begins, it's impossible to stop. That should spur debate over who should pay for the beach and whether the public gets enough access to it."

The Pilot goes on to suggest that Norfolk voters might not be fond of continuing this spending plan for the remaining miles of Norfolk's Chesapeake Bay coastline, suggesting that voters in Va. might follow our local lead and reject plans to spend tax money on beaches no matter how successful the projects are. Interestingly, the issue doesn't seem to be dollars per se but access. Norfolk has reduced the already limited access to the nourished beaches and this has drawn outcries from the beach access advocates. The article closes by suggesting the the Norfolk Council is on the right track, searching for more ways to open up the beaches to residents and visitors and I can only agree. The public should have access to beaches they are helping to restore, it is very important element in any beach restoration project.
Interestingly this issue never surfaced in our Nags Head debates. In large part that is due to the excellent access program the Town has implemented over the last 30 years. You no longer need to park in the sand to go to the beach in Nags Head.
Perhaps its time to follow Norfolk's lead and bring access back up as an issue. Our local beaches generate an enormous amount of money for local governments, yet like Norfolk, some parts of "our" beaches aren't equally accessible to everyone. In particular, the beaches in Southern Shores have no public access. The very same town that protested so much when it share of the the beach generated revenue was threatened. Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills and Kitty Hawk offer an enormous amount of public access to the oceanfront. This has been done with public money and without any restrictions. Duck has limited public access but not much.
Its time we start tying access to tourist generated money to providing at least some public beach access. If you don't provide access you don't get the money. I'll bet there are some great undiscovered surf breaks in "The Town That Won't let Me go to the Beach" (TTTWlMGttB). Sammy the surf dog probably doesn't even know about them because he can't get to the beach even if he was allowed on the beach (TTTWlMGttB doesn't allow dogs on the beach from May through Sept. but that's a different issue). Sorry Sammy, maybe that nice lady at Brew-Thru will give an extra treat instead. Bill might find some new spots to windsurf and Monticello might be able to suggest a new brew to go with the uptown beach scenery of TTTWlMGttB. We all would benefit from access to all our beaches. Lets hope we get some soon. If we start tying money from beaches together with access to beaches we'll see a lot more.
Well, its time to close this piece, I want to go over and sit in the sand before I trek to Manteo. The ocean was gorgeous yesterday over at Loggerhead access. It should be just as nice today. Maybe I'll try a new spot, someplace different, just so long as its not in Southern Shores, the town where YOU can't go to the beach either.

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