Beginning today, the city has opened a hotline for citizens to report
stormwater pollution. The hotline is another way the city is raising
awareness of the city’s new stormwater regulations, which went
into effect in November, 2009.

The new regulations outline what should not be discharged into the storm
drainage system, including chemicals, yard debris and pet waste.
Citizens can make reports to the new Stormwater Pollution Prevention
Hotline number at 341‐1020 or on the web at
wilmingtonnc.gov/reportstormwaterpollution.

Read the whole PDF here

The place does booming business and yet all the employees are fast, helpful, and offer service with a smile.

There are a handful of eateries in Wilmington that I’m proud to take visiting family and friends to, and this is one of them.

A minor case in point: The UNCW men’s soccer team just suspended its star player for the season. Here’s how the S-N put it:

“Head coach Aidan Heaney announced Monday the program has suspended forward Devan Carroll for the duration of the 2009 season.The press release noted Carroll, a senior, had violated team rules. He was the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year in 2008, and wrapped up the season with nine goals and 20 points. So going forward, the question becomes, who will take over the scoring load?”

No, going forward most readers would like to know what Carroll did to warrant such a draconian punishment (an earlier report had him booted from school as well). Let’s not rely on a press release but instead ask the right people the right questions. The reporter spoke to the coach, who tip-toed around the issue. OK, so pry further. Talk to an assistant, a player or two, a school official. This is what journalism is all about, and it’s why the S-N is so exasperating.

When I asked the paper’s semi-new myreporter.com if there was any truth to the rumor that a new YMCA was coming to Monkey Junction, a very nice woman got back to me a few weeks later saying she emailed and called the Y but never got a response. Sheesh.

The Star-News does many things well, but getting answers to tough (and not so tough) questions isn’t one of them.

I do know one person who was hired by a local company from an ad on CL, but he quit after three months when the company wanted him perform some illegal bookkeeping duties.

My favorite thing lately about the local listings on CL are the battles between would-be employers and would-be employees. A typical listing might include what seem like duties more suited for a Fortune 500 company (with advanced degrees and appropriate experience required), but the compensation is grossly inadequate.

People are fed up with these and strike back with nasty comments directed at the employers for taking the general public for granted.

Here’s one recent post:

Looking for part time personnal assistant for in home office in Brunswick County. Approximately 16 hours per week, flexible daytime hours needed. May grow to more hours. Must be competent at Microsoft Publisher, other Microsoft applications, and internet use. Good communication and telephone skills are essential. Must have own transportation, and be willing to run errands, do event set up, housekeeping, laundry, and childcare. Background check, drug testing, and references needed. Please send resume and 3 references. Do not apply if unable to perform above tasks.

Compensation: $8.00 per hour

And the snarky response:

I doubt I could come up with 3 references that know how well I can clean house, do laundry and run errands nor does my resume reflect these skills either. As far as drug testing – I would definitely test positive for what I’d have to take to accept a position that requires me to do all that is requested in 16 hrs. at only $8/hr.

This looks like the ads that are tacked on the boards at the grocery store – a lot for nothing.

As an office/administrative professional I’m insulted by this ad.

Compensation: Worthless

It’s all pretty entertaining — as long as you’re not looking for work.

In downtown Wilmington there will be a new way to give to the homeless beginning July 22. Yellow “Make A Change” meters will dot 11 key locations such as the main post office and the public library, where the public can deposit change to support programs that provide housing to homeless people. About 1,200 homeless people live in the Greater Wilmington area according to estimates by Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The yellow meters which are recycled parking meters are part of “The 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness.” The campaign is led by a consortium of service providers, city and county administrators, business leaders, educators, representatives from civic and professional organizations, and homeless individuals. To fulfill the plan’s mission of ending the cycle of homelessness, the consortium has laid out a comprehensive set of actions that include training outreach workers and creating a homeless information center. The 10 year plan is in its first year of implementation, said Brandi Tanger, the plan’s project assistant.

“Generally when you give money to a panhandler you’re just perpetuating the cycle of homelessness,” Tanger said. Alternatively, the plan will donate 100 percent of the coin donations to homeless service providers, Tanger said.

Organizers looked at cities such as Asheville, Denver, and Athens, Georgia which implemented similar street donation programs. The installation of these meters resulted in the reduction of panhandling by greater than an 80% while boosting funds for programs that help the homeless, said John Hinnant, Wilmington Downtown Inc.

“In the grand scheme of things for the shoppers and business owners, if this does what we think it will do, it will significantly reduce panhandling and create a better atmosphere for visitors downtown,” Hinnant said.

On each meter will be a list of local organizations that provide resources within the downtown Wilmington area for homeless people. “The main purpose of the meters is to educate the public about the resources in the immediate area,” Tanger said.

It also gives the generous an alternate way to give. “It provides the public the ability to say ‘no’ (to panhandlers) without a guilty conscience,” Hinnant said.

The Yard Sale is a uniquely American invention in which people sell redundant items to the parsimonious (that’s a $10 word for a person who would sooner spend $1 for a used cheese grater than let a perceived deal pass).

Like watching video of the 9/11 attacks, I’m simultaneously fascinated and repelled by yard sales. I’m intrigued by the early risers oblivious of time or common courtesy. These are accomplished yard sale types looking for serious deals – “hidden treasures,” in the parlance of the pastime — and they are merciless in their quest. After all, that beat up piece of luggage won’t last long, especially at that price. Nor will that rack of old clothes or that big square TV with those funny 3-dimensional knobs. I don’t begrudge these folks their strategy; I just can’t help but think they already have a garage filled with other people’s stuff. It’s a certain personality that makes yard sales a weekly event, and that personality likes “stuff”.

Yard sales make sense for people like recent college graduates, who may need to furnish a recently rented apartment or home. But I never see young people at Pine Valley yard sales.

I don’t resent people who have yard sales. It’s just something that doesn’t interest me. My neighbor had one recently, and made less than $50. Unless I was destitute, I’m not sure I’d go through the trouble to stage one. Call me sanctimonious, but giving old items away to friends, family or maybe Habitat for Humanity, makes me feel better than selling it to strangers. Freecycle, already mentioned several times in these pages, is another post-modern option of purging household unneeded items.

My wife avoids yard sales for wholly different reasons: she was scarred emotionally as a child (her mother was a zealous seller and buyer), and she feels guilty if she doesn’t buy anything.

So what’s up? Any readers of the Grove Project avid yard sales enthusiasts? What’s the attraction? The thrill of the hunt? Haggling? Social networking?

I’m as curious as that man over there scrutinizing that rusty lawn mower.

Celebrate Earth Day at Hugh MacRae Park

Join us as Wilmington celebrates Earth Day at Hugh MacRae Park on April 18, 2009 from 12pm-6pm. Bring your family and friends to this free event and enjoy food, beverage, live entertainment, a learning center, children’s zone, and even shopping — all to celebrate our planet.

Wilmington Earth Day | April 18th, 2009

Popular but esoteric, brand new but historically long in tooth — your grandfather’s music. Academic but rule-breaking, individualistic but collaborative. Creative. These are the diverse, almost contrary aspects of jazz music itself, and Siegel seems to do a particularly good job at reconciling them. In this interview, the Grove Project asks Marc to describe what jazz is, how he came to it, how it goes in this area.

I’ve heard you use the term “art music” as a way to describe or define jazz. Is jazz hard to define? Is the phrase a way to distinguish jazz from “jazz” genres like “smooth jazz”? Or hybrids like fusion, “acid jazz”, etc.?

Art Music is a way of talking about music that has an aesthetic goal. Music for music’s sake — music to be listened to and to encourage the higher faculties of our nature. Art music might be contrasted with functional music or music that serves a purpose (like dance music, for example). Jazz did not start out as an erudite pursuit and doesn’t have to categorized as such either. Jazz was in its beginnings functional music as well; music that was the soundtrack for all the pleasures and excitement one would encounter in the New Orleans red light district of the early 1900’s — that era’s version of Sodom and Gomorrah. Like all great art, jazz has shown that it has the power to remain relevant and can successfully speak to the wide array of thoughts and emotions essential to the human profession. Louis Armstrong put it simply (and I’ll paraphrase): “If it’s good [music] don’t mess with it”.

What is the relationship of modern jazz as a kind of art music to historical art music and periods, such as baroque?

Jazz is the American 20th century version of art music. The two have a very close relationship. Without the preceding 100’s of years of Western European art music and its advances in the understanding of theory, musicianship, instrumentation etc… there would not be the opportunity for Jazz to emerge. Jazz like the people who inhabited New Orleans at the turn of the century was a confluence of disparate styles and influences some from the European heritage and some from the West African heritage. The Creole musician trained in the conservatory tradition of Europe and raised in the African American traditions of the new world embodies this often times troubled cross cultural symbiosis. It is telling then that it was the Creole who created jazz.

I believe you’re classically trained as a guitarist – What was that transition like for you to mainly jazz?

What do you mean? You couldn’t tell from my impeccable chops that I was educated in the exacting and pristine art of true guitarmanship?

…Did the highfalutin’ mock indignation come through there?

You are correct, my dear friend, and thank you for the question. The transition as far as technique goes was easier because I had the tools that classical training gave me to modify to this new idiom. I accomplished technical goals much faster than I would have without them. The theory, ear training and the feel was a bit more of a challenge though. Luckily I have a lot of good friends who were already professional jazz musicians at the time and they let me play with them as I “learned on the bandstand”. I am still working out all of these concepts. Ultimately I feel as though I am continuing to transition and learn as a musician.

What got you started on jazz and who were you listening to?

I started to really listen to jazz when I was in school and I was playing in the jazz combos. My first revelation was when I purchased a compilation CD of Miles Davis’ music. It immediately became the most listened to CD in my rotation. Although I was learning to play classical guitar I knew I always wanted to play jazz as well. Later when I had the time to invest to follow my muse it was the great Joe Pass and his Hot Licks videos that helped me the most as a guitarist. Unfortunately Joe had already passed when I started to focus on jazz guitar so I never got a chance to meet him or have a lesson with him. Not only have there been guitarists who have helped me; there have been quite a few other musicians as well. A list could get too long and would probably come off as pretentious (just look at any myspace page!). Will it be sufficient to say that I am the head of Jazz Music at CFCC and I have been teaching Jazz History for over a decade? If not ask me in lesson or out socially and I’ll wax poetic about many great musicians in the jazz tradition.

Dogs have given us their absolute all. We are the center of their universe. We are the focus of their love and faith and trust. They serve us in return for scraps. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made.

Roger Caras

Ah, dogs. Any humans who’ve had the pleasure of having one own them will happily tell you the fascinating con game their four-legged friend embodies. What? It’s 4 o’clock and I usally eat at 5? Time to walk meaningfully around my friend until he succumbs to my charms, and more importantly, feeds me. Huh? Watching TV without scratching my ears? May as well walk back and forth, making faint whiny noises until I get pleasured. What’s that noise? A car passing the house? Time to bark like a burglary is imminent.

The truth is more and more people can’t live without their dogs, and Wilmington is fortunate to have some great outdoor spaces that are dog-friendly. As a public service the Grove Project lists some official (and unofficial) ones here, with their specific restrictions:

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH map
Dogs are allowed on the beach December through March, so long as they are leashed. Don’t tempt this law — a friend walking her dog off-leash in January was issued a $500 ticket without warning.

CAROLINA BEACH map
Dogs are allowed on the beach November through February. During these times, your dog MUST be on a leash, and you must have in your possession a container to pick up dog waste. This rule is often flaunted, especially in the summer, with varying degrees of success.

KURE BEACH map
Dogs are allowed on the beach October through March. During these times, your dog MUST be on a leash, and you must have in your possession a container to pick up dog waste.

UNCW map
The intramural field adjacent to the soccer field and abutting the baseball stadium is a great green oasis for canine calisthenics. Technically, no dogs are allowed (according to signs), but I’ve been going there for years without hassle. Just be sure to have a doggie bag handy, and keep your pooch on a leash if students are playing sports. Parking by the tennis courts is also hassle-free, and free!

HUGH MACRAE PARK map
Situated between the municipal golf course and College Road. Countless long leaf pines shade this extremely dog-friendly park that features a small area dedicated to off-leash fun. Bags are provided.

EMPIE PARK map
Located at Park Avenue and Independence, this is THE place to socialize a dog — a 2-acre amusement park for dogs. Often packed with bi-peds and quadri-peds alike, it’s got everything in one enclosed area.

FORT FISHER STATE PARK map
A state-owned park at the southern tip of Kure Beach. A $10 day pass and a 4-wheel drive vehicle gives you access to beach fun. Dogs are allowed at all times but must be on a six-foot leash.

CAROLINA BEACH STATE PARK link
A scenic 700-acre park with miles of trails through various natural habitats, it’s a dog’s dream. There’s no cost to hike in the park, and doggie waste bags are provided. Dogs MUST be on a leash at all times, and if you don’t heed this, your dog might bolt into the woods after that rather large deer.

MASONBORO ISLAND map
If you have a boat, or a friend with a boat (wink, wink), and your dog is into anarchy, this is the place. Excepting holiday weekends, this beach is always nearly empty and affords dogs a type of freedom they won’t soon forget. I’ve seen dogs run for hours after each other, while others chase toys into the sea, and still others bury themselves escaping the heat. Put simply: This is dog heaven. Not much is monitored on the island, so please be responsible, and clean up after your dog — and yourself!