Inconvenient factual content contained within...at least for some!

In today's Lumina News (http://luminanews.com/section.asp?sid=23&iid=348) there are 4 Letters to the Editor, all of them focused on the Wrightsville Beach Referendum Vote to Ban Smoking on the Beach.

The facts in the case for a Smoking Ban are clear:

• Cigarette Butts are the number one item of litter on beaches worldwide, unless it is a beach that has a Smoking Ban
• Cigarette Butts are toxic to terrestrial and  marine life (birds, turtles, fish and lots of others in the food chain)
• Cigarette smoke a.k.a. "second hand smoke" is toxic to                   mammals, it can cause your death 

Through multiple beach sweeps at Wrightsville Beach, NC and Santa Monica Beach, CA some compelling results have been uncovered. Take a look.

Yikes! In 166 sweeps at Wrightsville Beach 52,382 have been collected

by Danielle Richardet http://www.itstartswithme-danielle.blogspot.com/

"Because of the past 2 years of research that I've done regarding smoke-free beaches and their impact on cigarette litter....  I can state for a FACT that the town's littering ordinance is NOT enough to deter beach goers from throwing their butts in the sand. The answer to the question is clear: Do Smoke-free beaches help reduce cigarette litter?   Yes, smoke-free beach ordinances help reduce cigarette litter."  Danielle Richardet

A Smoking Ban  will bring a very positive impact for people and the environment on Wrightsville Beach

Vote early and Vote YES for the Wrightsville Beach Referendum to Ban Smoking on the beach.

Thank you Danielle and Sara for your tremendous dedication to this issue.

Thanks all for reading and voting with the quality of our environment and community in your mind!

Please comment.     Noah

Hurricane Lessons Learned

What can our Alderman learn from Hurricane Sandy?

• Wrightsville Beach could just as well have been the Jersey Shore, Staten Island or Hatteras... but for the grace of God
• A Cat 1 Hurricane is strong enough to wreck devastation across a wide area
• Surge, Wind and Rain mean Power Outages, Flooding, Fire, Injury  and Death
• Rescue, Recovery, Relocation and Rebuilding ... a slow step wise process
• Life gradually getting back to normal ... someday ... so much the wiser
• Acts of God do happen...

How about a re-Vote, Board of Alderman? Why not make it   unanimous (5-0) to join the New Hanover County Emergency Operation Center?

Thanks for Reading  Liz

Update: House Insurance Rate Increase.

State Department of Insurance sets hearing on home rates for June 3, 2013
 Based on the feedback from the public and the input to the preliminary hearing on the proposed Home Insurance rate increase, held  last week in Raleigh, the State Insurance Commissioner has called for a public hearing on June 3, 2013.

The purpose of the public hearing will be to address specific issues raised by the Department of Insurance in behalf of the citizens. Experts from the Department as well as the Industry will provide testimony.

Not Justified
The State DOI takes issue with  the Rate Increase Proposal made by the Insurance Industry as "not justified". Among other issues DOI questions the basic methodology used to:

• calculate profits of insurance industry 
• assess risk factors that determine rate changes

Ouch!

The industry is seeking rate increases that range from 30% in coastal communities to 1.2% in other inland communities. The average rate increase request is 17.7%.

In our previous post we published the average rate of 17.7%, but to be perfectly clear and correct... 

 The Coastal Rate Increase Proposed is 30%!

Please Note!

We can each continue to make a difference here...more than 1500 home owners wrote to the DOI, mostly by e-mail and more than 30 citizens, mostly from coastal communities spoke at the recent public hearing. 

The last time a rate request was made (2008), it proposed an average increase of 19.5%... in the end a 4.05% increase was negotiated and implemented in May 2009.

Lessons Learned

You must push back,  this game takes months/years! 

We citizens are up against a very big, powerful and rich Insurance Industry. It is about your money in your pocket... or not.

Stay tuned for the next chapters in this non fiction story and to take an active roll in advocating for a reasonable result.

Please pass this info on to family and friends 

just got to ... http://wrightsvilleview.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading ... Liz

Your comments are appreciated.

Urgent...house insurance rate increase

Do you want to pay 17% more for your home insurance?

Well the Insurance industry wants you to!

They have proposed this to the NC DOI.

Specifically that have targeted the coastal communities as we are easy "pickens" for their focus, because most people will believe that we are the real drain on the insurance claims due to storms.. 

Guess what we are not!

In fact,statistically the data shows the claims stem from inland, where trees are big and tall and houses don't need to meet the code we have to here at the edge of  the continent in the coastal communities.. are they kidding 17% in this economy it forces families to regroup their expenses to make ends meet.  

You simply must send an email to voice your opposition to the rate increase. Its simple and easy here is the email address. 2012homeowners@ncdoi.gov  (copy paste please)

You must do it now, as the deadline is NOW.

And here are 2 examples of what others have sent and here is a link to the Lumina News Article Today that gives some background!

Example No.1

"Dear Sirs, I have owned and lived in my current residence at Wrightsville Beach for 41 years. I have paid Homeowners, Flood and Wind and Hailstorm Insurance during that entire time. I estimate that I have paid $125,000 to $150,000 in premiums duing that time. I have filed two claims. One for $17,000 in flood damages from Hurricane Fran in 1996 and one for $1500 in roof replacement from Hurricane Bertha in 1998. My brother in law in Gastonia and several friends in the Raleigh area have had more and higher claims from hurricanes, tornados and other weather related damages in less time than my 41 years. I feel that coastal residents are being burdened with excessive insurance charges as compared to the inland parts of North Carolina. I recommend that the Dept. of Insurance compare the actual costs associated with weather related events and publish the results for the various areas on NC. I believe that coastal residents are being forced to pay for the insurance costs of Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh etc. "

Example No.2

"Dear Mr. Mack, I am a resident of Wrightsville beach for the past 10 years. The currently proposed rate hike for Home insurance is inappropriate on several counts:.

• It is excessive 
• it comes at a time when the economy is weak at best, 
• it comes at a time of high unemployment, 
• it is a rate increase that will necessitate not just a belt tightening but a major shift in expenses for home owners. 
• The data base for this rate request does not support the conclusion for the coastal communities.

I strongly oppose this rate increase request.

This really covers it! Link to Lumina News:  http://luminanews.com/article.asp?aid=10979&iid=346&sud=30


Go for it! It's real $$$ in your pocket... or not!





Thanks for reading and taking action, Noah

No Smoking on Wrightsville Beach Strand

The Henderson Street League
for the Environment & Responsible Government 

Wouldn't it be nice, think about it!

• to not see thousands of cigarette butts on the beach and in the gutters 
• to not smell puffs of other's smoke  while relaxing in the sand

          ...........here in Wrightsville.

If you are registered to vote in Wrightsville Beach you have the power to make a difference this coming election.

Thank You Tim Taylor & local advocates

So, please vote YES on the Referendum to Ban Smoking on our beach.
... and spread the word to your friends and family!

The life you save may be your own... or a fish's or a bird's



Thanks for Reading & Voting, Liz Daschel

In behalf of Wrightsville View Team and
The Henderson Street League for the Environment and Responsible Government and the many TOWB Citizens who signed the petition and advocate support for the ban.

Boating (1st Series- Lonely Boats)

Waiting for Fun
      A trip to the marina to see the array of vessels should be an exciting time.

"Dockmaster in Training"
Copyright Ned Belmont

     The expectations are of  an abundance of marine activities, as magnificent maritime beauties glide effortlessly through the dockage. The creaking of dock lines and the clanging of mast halyards are the symphony of the yard,

     The gentle rolling motion of the dock reminds us we are afloat.

"Halyards - a String Quartet"
Copyright Ned Belmont

         But, such a trip often proves to be a sad stroll through a floating museum of dead storage for boats. If boats had eyes they would cry a river of loneliness.

     Most marinas are sedate places, calm of movement and sadly quiet, except for the singing halyards and pennants aloft.. The forgotten vessels, neglected. Their decks left to the challenges of nature. Dried and cracking teak, tarnished brass and stainless steel to the left and to the right. A flapping assortment of nautical pennants with faded colors, are fixed overhead by once carefully executed nautical knots. They now struggle, tattered and frayed from an exhausting life constantly dancing with the wind. The hulls have become marine sanctuaries, as the many forms of marine life  latch on. The cordage all about; the dock lines, sheet lines,  anchor lines and halyards, once so shipshape and precise and oh so critical to active boating, show their deep signs of aging through the smallest spaces in their braiding.

Sad so Sad
   
      It is such a shame, to see these magnificent ladies of the sea. bridled to the dock slowly dying at the hands of natures wrath, Nature has been a brutal companion for ladies once dressed for the sailing prom.

"Large and Lonely"
Copyright Ned Belmont

"Boat Show Newborns"
Copyright Noah Bridges

How does this happen?

      How do they go from sparkling gems of the boat show to haggard maids abandon at the dock? Where is their owner and all those of the past who have enjoyed hours of boating pleasure? Have these people no souls? Do they really have such deep pockets?

Changing the Picture

      Changing this picture starts with changing the paradigm. Many boats are in their twilight because their families have moved on, their captain has aged and is less active or needs a bit of help. Keeping up with natures challenge does take elbow grease and money.

"Old Sea Captains never quit, they simply look for their next crew"
Anonymous

      There are so many people out there, even in an area like ours so close to the sea, who have never had the chance to go boating. For that matter, never stepped aboard, never had that feeling of floating, never been skimming across the water.They probably have not scrubbed a deck, coiled a line, set an anchor or winterized a vessel for that matter. For these landlubbers, there  are many new smiles to be made and experiences and memories to be gifted by Captains opening their souls and their vessels.

"The glare of elbow grease and TLC"
Copyright Ned Belmont

Offering the opportunity... would be a fantastic gift

• Giving a vessel such a new lease on life will give her a new purpose, a new reason to plow the waves, a new reason to enable new boaters learn her ways and her spirit.
• Giving a captain such a new lease on life will give a renewed purpose, a new reason to teach the ways of the sea and a new romance with his vessel.
• Giving a landlubber such a new experience can create a love of the sea and and an understanding, appreciation and taking of responsibilities for the sea.  

This is serious stuff and a gift in 360 degrees for the captain, the vessel  and the landlubber. .

New life:  for Captain +  for Vessel + for Landlubber = Much Happiness

"Inside the breakwater at Masonboro Inlet"
Copyright Ned Belmont

In return captains can expect help with their vessels, new friends and experiences.

Reach out

So Captains...Reach-out to schools, post notices in the local paper or at the marina or TOWB Rec Dept., or TOWB Welcome Center etc. etc.

Or let me know and I'll try to pass the word.

Thanks for reading,  Noah