April 26 Issue by Inweekly

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winners SCOTT & EMILY MITCHELL The DeLuna Fest organizers hit a home run last week when they announced their line-up for their September 2012 “beach party.” Ticket sales were brisk once the headliners—Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam—were announced. The April allotment of VIP packages were gobbled up in less than 12 hours. Other artists scheduled to play include Florence and the Machine, Dwight Yoakam and Ben Folds Five. KENNETH B. BELL The former Florida

Supreme Court Justice and shareholder with Clark Partington Hart Larry Bond & Stackhouse, was appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to a 17-member task force formed to look at the state's “justifiable use of force” law in the wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting death. Bell leads the Clark Partington Hart Appellate/Trial support team and is Supreme Court Certified in Appellate and Circuit Civil Mediation.

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losers MARITIME PARK DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS U.S. District Judge Casey

Rodgers has ruled that Maritime Park Development Partners, led by Scott Davison, was not qualified to receive the contract to build the Vince Whibbs, Sr. Community Maritime Park. The judge left it to a jury trial to decide how much of the $1.1 million the CMPA had paid the former developer that the CMPA board can recoup and whether MPDP’s actions amounted to fraud. The IN broke the story of the MPDP’s financial and legal issues in late 2010 (Independent News, “Hoodwinked?,” Dec. 9, 2010)

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FLORIDA POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY Gov. Rick Scott established the state’s 12th university on April 20 by signing Senate Bill 1994. The law created Florida Polytechnic in Lakeland out of the University of South Florida Polytechnic. Republican lawmakers continue to fund their pet projects, even in tight budget years. Budget Chairman Sen. J.D. Alexander of Lake Wales pushed through this bill. How can one walk into the state capitol without vomiting?

AMERICAN ENERGY ALLIANCE The pro-Big Oil organization has been paying for ads that try to tie President Obama to gas prices. Oddly enough, they didn’t seem to be nearly as upset when prices were near $4 a gallon when Bush was president. {in}

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Escambia County politics is a blood sport. Too often the races aren’t about platforms or one’s good deeds. Instead the campaigns wage war over who can best distort the facts. Sometimes the distortions are half-truths that have some glimmer of fact as their basis. Oftentimes they are boldface lies. For a political columnist, local politics make good copy because so few of the yokels running for office understand that they will be held accountable for the outlandish statements that they make. I expect 2012 to be one of the dirtiest campaign seasons since W.D. Childers ran for the Escambia County commission in 2000. Lies and accusations will be flowing like puss from an infected sore. Fake newspapers will be published and distributed at convenience stores, filled with attack articles. Websites and phony Facebook pages will pop up, intent on destroying the reputations of the opposition. The Independent News plans to take on all the distortions, half-truths and lies and ferret out the truth in a feature that we will run in the newspaper and on our websites. The feature, “INside Politics,” will investigate the statements made by local elected officials, candidates for office and their political handlers. We will fully document the facts with whatever official documents and expert

statements that are available. We will rate the statements as “True,” “Mostly True,” “Mostly False” and “False.” Whether we have written favorably or unfavorably about the official or candidate in the past will have no bearing on the rating. Af ter all, facts are facts. With our “ Winners & Losers” column, we’ve shown ever yone has an opportunity to be a “winner ” one week and a “loser ” the next. In the heat of a debate or public meeting, people sometimes “cross the line” to win an argument. Getting caught in a misstatement shouldn’t be political suicide—unless the false statements happen repeatedly. We will pay particular attention to campaign literature, the faux newspapers, attack websites and phony Facebook pages. We will give the authors an opportunity to defend their work, if the authors put their names on their work. Unfortunately, some of the most vicious attacks are done anonymously by cowards. You can help us in our quest to find the truth. Send me e-mails on what you are reading and hearing on the local political races. We will publish, in the paper and online, our findings on a regular basis up until the November general election. This will be fun. {in} rick@inweekly.net

You can help us in our quest to find the truth.

— Play’s Community Salute of the Month Series — Sure festivals are a celebration full of revelry, feasting and entertainment. But, they’re so much more. They bring a community together in celebration of each other, pride in our community and appreciation of our neighbors. Fiesta of Five Flags has founded, created and organized these events for our community for quite some time. Play salutes Fiesta of Five Flags and encourages everyone to enjoy The Crawfish Festival May 4-6 on Pensacola Bay!

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UP IN SMOKE “A lot of customers would tell me, ‘oh, we love Paddy O’Leary’s, but we hate the smoke.’” Seamas Hunt While bars are exempt from the smoking ban, many of the local establishments have voluntarily imposed such bans. Owners have cited employee health concerns, personal preference and customer feedback as factors in their decisions. Wisteria Tavern is the oldest bar in Pensacola. Nestled on East Hill’s 12th Avenue, the cozy neighborhood haunt opened up in the mid-1930s. Up until a couple of years ago, patrons were allowed to smoke inside. “I just couldn’t stand the smoke anymore,” said Terry Abbott, owner of Wisteria. Abbott is not a smoker himself. He said he wished he had made the change earlier. “Business is better now than it’s ever been before,” Abbott adds. Out at Pensacola Beach, Paddy O’Leary’s Irish Pub may also be going smoke-free. Seamas Hunt, the bar’s coowner, floated the idea on Paddy’s Facebook page. He asked for feedback and promised a more comfortable smoking area outside. “Gary [Humphrey] and I hate the smoke and we hear ongoing complaints,” Hunt posted. “Would you be more likely to come in if it was smoke free? Are you a smoker? Would you still come in if you are a smoker?”

The response has been mostly positive. But Hunt already suspected that would be the case. “A lot of customers would tell me, ‘oh, we love Paddy O’Leary’s, but we hate the smoke,’” he said. “I heard that umpteen times.” Hunt knows that Mike Ashby turned downtown’s Intermission into a smoke-free establishment last year. He’s heard good things. “From what I hear, it was a very big success for him,” Hunt said. Intermission is located on Palafox in downtown Pensacola. Smokers were ushered outside its doors in 2011. “It was a year ago March, it’s been great, it’s been fantastic,” said Ashby. “I can’t believe I didn’t do it sooner.” For a little more than a year, smokers at Intermission have had to step out back, or enjoy their cigarettes at one of the tables framed by the iconic tile work outside the entrance. “You don’t have far to walk,” said Ashby. Like the folks at Wisteria and Paddy’s, Ashby didn’t enjoy working in a smoky environment. He didn’t like breathing it in, or smelling like smoke. “Of course, your clothes and hair,” Ashby said. “You walk out—you know how it is—you walk out and you smell like smoke.”

“You will come out of here with burning eyes and a desire to deep clean your hair and every piece of clothing you have on, not excluding underwear.”

One More Local Bar Debates Going Smoke-Free By Jeremy Morrison

Over the past two decades, public smoking has been relegated to sidewalks and doorways. Many states have banned it from all public buildings. Florida enacted a smoking ban in 2003, but bars are excluded. Smoke is still allowed to waft lazily past the neon beer signs and exhausted filtration systems of the state’s drinking establishments.

Online Review of Azalea Lounge

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Smelling of stale cigarette smoke pales, however, in comparison to the health risks associated with smoking tobacco or breathing in second-hand smoke. Studies have shown that restaurant and bar employees are exposed to significantly higher amounts of secondhand smoke than the general populace or their office-working counterparts. Hunt said the market is the main force driving his decision. More customers than not prefer their pints without the smoke. “We’ve always had a lot of complaints from the customers about the smoke,” he said. But Paddy O’Leary’s won’t be going completely smoke-free—at least, not right away. “I think we’re going to phase it in to start off with,” Hunt said. The bar’s day crowd tends to be comprised of more smokers than the evening crowd. In an effort to please as many people as possible, smoking will be allowed during the daytime, but not at night. “There’s 22 people in there and 21 of them are smoking during the day,” explained Hunt, adding that his day-shift staff have their own concerns—“our daytime employees definitely don’t want to lose our daytime customers.” Some patrons at Wisteria grumbled a bit when Abbott decided to ban smoking. After all, change is tough after more than 70 years. “Anytime you make a change that drastic it takes a little while,” said Abbott. At Intermission the switch was also met with a few scowls. The “older, happyhour guy” wasn’t ready for change. “I have had a few come in and they don’t like it, but it’s a short conversation,” Ashby said. “The old-timers that went to happy hours, they’re used to having a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other.” At Azalea Lounge, off of Davis Highway, smokers still enjoy holding that cigarette in the other hand. The idea of sending them outside to smoke seemed to strike bartender Melba Murphy as odd. “It’d lose a lot of the customers,” she said. Murphy has been at Azalea’s—or The Z—for many years, through two owners. She believes the cliental appreciates the atmosphere the bar provides. “I think the biggest reason is that most of our customers smoke,” Murphy said. And while smoking used to be commonplace in public—certainly in bars—its tolerance now earns establishments reputations. Places become known—for good or bad, depending on perspective— as somewhere that’s bound to be wall-towall fog. “Did I mention this place is smoky? ” wrote one online reviewer of Azalea’s. “ You will come out of here with burning

from the blog April 26, 2012

buzz

}

arrested and charged, UWF can ask for an enhanced penalty. The university’s Inclusion Services and Programs’ Common Ground Diversity and Inclusion Training group had organized the forum to discuss the shooting of Trayvon Martin. Bense used it as an opportunity to address concerns on racism on her campus. In the crowd was the “old guard” of civil rights leaders: Rev. H. K. Matthews, Dr. Calvin Avant (Pensacola-Escambia Human Relations Commission), Elvin McCorvey (NAACP), Ellison Bennett (SCLC) and Jerry McIntosh (Movement for Change). The only elected official in attendance was Escambia County School Board member Linda Moultrie. Two candidates, Lumon May (Escambia County Commission, District 3) and Rev. LuTimothy May (School Superintendent), were also in the audience, talking with the students. Rev. Lonnie Wesley, pastor of Greater Little Rock Baptist Church, and Rev. Joseph Marshall, pastor of St. John Divine Baptist Church, joined them. All four men have been working with students. Lumon May was president of the Black Student Union when he was a student at UWF. Bense said at the forum that UWF should be a neutral territory that is inclusive and free of harassment. “These are our bedrock values,” said Bense. “We must protect them and pay attention to them. I work on it every day to make sure we have an environment free of harassment of any kind.” She said that the nooses were deplorable acts. “I hate it,” she said, assuring the students that the university is actively investigating the crimes. She pledged her full

University of West Florida President Judy Bense

BENSE RESPONDS TO NOOSES University of West Florida President Judy Bense used an April 18 student forum to address the hate crimes on the campus, specifically the two nooses found on her main campus. “I’m not a happy camper,” Bense told the crowd of about 100 students, faculty and community leaders. “I care about this university and each and everyone of you.” Around noon on Wednesday, April 11, a female student discovered a noose outside Martin Hall on UWF’s main campus. The campus police were called and an investigation was opened. A second noose was found around 10:20 a.m. on Monday, April 16. It was draped over a campus map sign at the tennis courts in parking lot J. In a fact sheet given to the IN, the university stated that the persons responsible for the noose would be “prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” UWF is treating the incidents as hate crimes. When a suspect is

eyes and a desire to deep clean your hair and every piece of clothing you have on, not excluding underwear.” Murphy said the smoke doesn’t bother her—“I been at it so long”— when she’s tending bar. She guesses most of the other employees don’t care either. “I think all of ’em but myself smoke, anyways,” Murphy said. A number of states have taken the step of banning smoking in bars. Hunt’s native Ireland went that direction some years ago.

“I care about this university and each and everyone of you.” —Dr. Judy Bense, UWF president

}

all the political news and gossip fit to print

He wishes Florida would extend its ban to cover bars.

support to the investigators. “Anything they need, they’ve got.” Bense announced that she was forming the Presidential Policy Council on Diversity. The council will meet regularly with her to discuss policies and keep her informed of diversity issues on campus. “We are not trying to push this under rug,” said Bense. “We will talk about this more than ever. And if we find out who is behind [the nooses], someone better hold me back.”

RESTORE RESTORED The House of

Representatives recently passed H.R. 4348, the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2012, which included provisions of the RESTORE Act. Congressman Jeff Miller (R-FL), along with representatives from the Gulf states, introduced the RESTORE Act to require a portion of the fines paid by BP and other responsible parties for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill be set aside for use along the affected shores of the Gulf Coast. The House voted on the transportation bill which included language requiring that 80 percent of civil fines from the 2010 oil spill be reserved to help Gulf states rebound from the disaster. “Nearly two years after the accident, the Gulf Coast continues to feel the economic impacts of the Gulf oil spill, and BP must be held accountable,” Miller said. “This language will ensure the fines paid by BP for their mistake would be returned to our area and promote the economies of the local communities still reeling from last year’s disaster.” The passage of this bill is the next step in the process to restore the Gulf Coast from the damages suffered as a result of the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Under the Clean Water Act, BP is expected to pay between $5 billion and $21 billion in fines, based on estimates of the flow of oil from the Macondo well. {in}

If other local transition tales ser ve as any model, Paddy ’s shouldn’t expect to suf fer much backlash from stubbing out the smoking. The move appears to have played well for other bars in the area. “It’s been a good year,” said Ashby, looking back on Intermission’s first smoke-free year. “I think I’ve seen a small increase in business, it smells better and I feel healthier.” {in}

“I think I’ve seen a small increase in business, it smells better and I feel healthier.” Mike Ashby “That’s what I wish would happen here,” Hunt said. “That’d make it easier. Much easier.”

‘Transit is our future and it is time to think forward not backward.” —Mickey

“Linda is a good person and always has been.”—Kay

“The youth of Escambia County would be better served by adults who understood both sides.”—Ken

Rick’s Blog has been quoted in the New York Times, Newsweek and on dozens of websites, including The Daily Beast. Read it to find out the real story behind the news. Visit ricksblog.biz. 7

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illustration by Samantha Crooke

Are Student Loans the Next Big Bubble? By Jeremy Morrison

It’s the kind of mathematical nightmare that keeps economic wizards awake at night. The merciless equation soaks their pillows in a cold sweat and fills their dreams with shrieks and yelps. The numbers refuse to blink or bend. They do not feel empathy or pity. An ever-present shadow looming on the horizon, they simply wait. Financial forecasters have preached of the nation’s mounting student loan debt for years. But now the prophets are in a panic. The great, growing monster has devoured their calculators, leav-

April 26, 2012

ing broken abacuses in its wake as they wait helplessly for the inevitable crushing eventuality. Last month, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York released a report on the nation’s student-loan landscape. It painted a chilling portrait. As of the third quarter of 2011, the nationwide total student loan debt was around $870 billion. A report coming out

of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys ratchets up the fear, pegging that debt total beyond a trillion dollars. Brice Harris tries not to think about this stuff too often. What’s the point, anyway? This kind of math—studentloan debt math—is disorienting and depressing on his microcosmic personal level, much less on a collective, national level.

“At least they can’t come take this piece of paper off my wall—or the experience, or the education.” Brice Harris

Instead, the Ph.D. graduate stares at the diploma on his wall. It was worth it— whatever that means, these days. “When you actually look at the numbers it can be pretty daunting,” said Harris. “But you kind of push that aside and say, ‘at least they can’t come take this piece of paper off my wall—or the experience, or the education.”

QUEST FOR KNOWLEDGE

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Vocational Student Loan Insurance Act. He wanted to make it possible for more of the nation’s population to attain higher education. “Economists tell us that improvement of education has been responsible for onefourth to one-half of the growth in our nation’s economy over the past half century,” President Johnson said upon signing the act. The act provided just over $1.8 million to the states that would take the money and turn it into nearly $19 million in loans. The goal was to get people into the classrooms, educated, and then into the job pool. There was available work for people with the right know-how. “We must be sure that there will be no gap between the number of jobs available and the ability of our people to perform those jobs,” Johnson continued. “This act will help young people enter business, trade, and technical schools—institutions which play a vital role in providing the skills our citizens must have to compete and contribute in our society.” America bought the dream. A college education became a middle-class goalpost and opened the doors toward upward mobility for anyone who managed their way onto a campus. The equation was simple: borrow money now, get an education, use education to get a good-paying job, pay back loan. This was good clean math—almost wholesome—and it worked for a while. But tuitions and costs of living rose while students’ and their families’ incomes did not. When enough government financial aid wasn’t available, students covered the shortfalls with much riskier, harsher private loans. When jobs dried up, the college graduates began to default on those loans. According to a study released in November by the Institute for College Access and Success, an organization based in Oakland, Calif. and Washington D.C., the

Secretary of State Dean Rusk and President Lyndon B. Johnson in a Cabinet Room meeting February 1968 / wikipedia.org

“This act will help young people enter business, trade, and technical schools—institutions which play a vital role in providing the skills our citizens must have to compete and contribute in our society.” President Lyndon B. Johnson average amount of student debt among graduating seniors in 2010 was $25,250. “In recent years the average rate has gone up five or six percent,” said Matthew Reed, the report’s author. The report’s release followed dismal news from the Department of Education a month earlier that 8.8 percent of borrowers were defaulting on their student loans, up from 7 percent in 2009. A DOE official blamed the bad economy. “Borrowers are struggling in this economy,” Deputy Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal commented at

the time. “ We see a strong relationship between student default rates and unemployment rates.” The math, it’s becoming obvious, is falling apart.

PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

People don’t tend to want to discuss their finances. They especially shy away from discussing their debt. Unlike their diploma, students usually aren’t as proud of the debt they incurred pursing that certificate. There aren’t a lot of loan statements hanging proudly in frames.

“I think I was just really young and didn’t fully understand what I was signing,” said a college graduate, age 34 , who reluctantly provided her first name and last initial. Let’s just call her Mary A., as in average, because she’s looking at the average amount of $25,000 in student loans. She started taking out loans as a sophomore, and is still diligently paying them off. After graduating from school, Mary had trouble finding a job. It was September 2001 and much like now, the job market was tough as everyone reassessed following the 9/11 attacks. “Obviously, 9/11 had just happened,” Mary said. “It was a horrible time to be looking for a job.” After moving west to San Francisco, Mary found work in her field—“the original plan, which was good”—but the pay didn’t suffice. She moved in with a college friend and toughed out the high-cost Bay Area. “So, yeah, that was a struggle,” she said. Like many people, Mary decided to continue her education—this time with a for-profit institution. This doubled the amount of student loans she had. “I was pretty naive,” Mary said. The for-profit institution was able to steer her toward more loans, but these were not the federal Stafford loans. They were from private lenders. “The trick is they kind of lure you back into taking student loans, but really they’re not student loans,” she said. “Really it’s just a private bank, masquerading as a student loan.” According the Institute for College Access and Success study, for-profit colleges had a higher percentage of students taking out loans—96 percent of graduates—and the students were borrowing 45 percent more than graduates from other types of four-year colleges. Reed did not officially include forprofit institutions in the study because the available data is so scant. The institutions are not required to report the relevant debt data. Following her return to school, Mary landed a job with an advertising agency. It was an internship, but it allowed her to pay the bills, including her student loan debt. “Had a good three-year run where I was able to make my payment and everything was honky-dory,” she said.

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But the debt is ever present. Unlike other financial commitments, such as credit card debt, a person cannot shed student loans via bankruptcy. And the creditors are persistent, ever present and always hounding. “I always joke, if I drop dead people would show up for my kidney,” said Mary. “It’s horrible. It’s like this black cloud that’s hanging over you.” If $25,000 is a black cloud, then Harris must be muscling his way through a thunderstorm. The Ph.D. graduate was fortunate enough to have his first few years of school—his Bachelor’s degree— paid for by his family, but needed loans to go any further. “To keep going on for the master and the Ph.D., I had to do that,” Harris said. “I had to do private loans to bankroll the Ph.D. I’m probably north of 100-K to pay for the second and third degrees.” The degrees from the University of Florida, University of Missouri and the University of Reading in the United Kingdom are impressive. They’ve gotten him a list of sweet jobs, but he’ll be paying them off for the foreseeable future. “I recognize it’s there,” Harris said of his debt. “It kind of almost becomes routine.” In paying off his debt, Harris finds himself juggling between his federal and private loans. He volleys between the loans, paying off one while deferring the other, or consolidates for better terms. “It really is a balancing act,” he said. “I guess the bottom line is, like a lot of folks, the balancing act, so far, has been successful.” It’s been that way with Mary, too. “It’s been sort of a game of Russian roulette with my checking account,” she laughed.

Student Loan Borrowers by Age in 2011 Total Number of Borrowers: 37 Million

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A FRUSTRATING EQUATION

While some students have been able to find employment and paychecks that allow

on their loans. Others lag forever behind on their payments and watch helplessly as the interest piles on. The report from the Institute for College Access and Success fingers poor job prospects as the major reason so many graduates are struggling—and plan to struggle as a matter of routine—with their student loan payments. It points to a 9.1 percent unemployment rate for college grads, but does mention that it’s still better than the 20 percent rate endured by those with only a high school diploma. The Institute’s report takes a state-bystate look at the country’s student debt scene. It identifies the states in the Northeast and Midwest as “high debt” states and those in the West as “low debt.” Multiple factors influence debt levels at various colleges. Endowment resources available for financial aid, student demographics, state policies and the cost of living in a given area all play into it. The more recent Federal Reserve Bank of New York report has caught a lot of people’s attention. Debt totals hovering around the trillion-dollar mark make folks nervous. To put it in perspective, Americans have less than $700 billion in credit card debt. The country carries about $730 billion in auto loan debt.

“I always joke, if I drop dead people would show up for my kidney. It’s horrible. It’s like this black cloud that’s hanging over you.” Mary A.

them to chip away at their student loan debt, many have not. Some go into default

Student Loan Balance by Age in 2011 Total Loan Balance: $870 Billion

1.4% 4.2%

Under 30

11.3% 33.9%

30 to 39 40 to 49 50 to 59

16.4%

60 and over Age not known

32.8%

Source: FRBNY Consumer Credit Panel/Equifax April 26, 2012

POLITICS OF LEARNING

Like everything else in the U.S., the county’s student loan issues are strained through political filters, especially in an election year. Earlier this month, U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) urged his fellow congressmen to vote to keep Federal Direct Stafford loans at 3.4 percent, rather than let them double to 6.8 percent in July. He made the public request in Burlington, Vt., joined by a college student and their parents.

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lack of tolerance for students graduating with loans. “We live in an opportunity society and people are forgetting that,” she said. “I remind folks all the time that the Declaration of Independence says ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’ You don’t sit on your butt and have it dumped in your lap.”

Schubiner said, adding, “so far we don’t have any Republicans co-sponsoring it.” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is also making a push on the student loan front. The senator is trying to sell the Fairness and Struggling Students Act, which is an attempt to have private loans re-categorized so that the debt could be shed like other obligations during standard bankruptcy scenarios. Up until 2005, private education loans were treated the same as credit card debt or auto loans. Then Congress changed the bankruptcy code to correct the situation—in the eyes of the lender, at least. It is now extremely difficult to walk away from student loans. President Barack Obama has made it clear he plans to lobby hard throughout the spring for legislators to reaffirm the current 3.4 percent and avoid a rate hike in July. He’s spending the last part of this month touring college campuses and making his case. The Republican presidential field has taken a stance at the other end of the political spectrum. Former GOP candidate Rick Santorum called the President a “snob” for thinking everyone should shoot for higher education and Newt Gingrich refers to Obama’s student loan plan as a “Ponzi scheme.”

“Are children of middle class families going to have a shot at an education they can afford or are they going to graduate with a financial albatross around their neck?” U.S. Rep. Peter Welch

U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) is fighting to block a doubling of student loan interest rates scheduled for July 1st. / courtesy photo “This question of student loans and access to higher education is fundamentally important. It’s ground zero for the middle class,” Welch said. “Are children of middle class families going to have a shot at an education they can afford or are they going to graduate with a financial albatross around their neck?”

While Democratic lawmakers seem sympathetic to people struggling under the weight of student loans, Republicans have taken a tougher stance. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) took to the G. Gordon Liddy Radio Show recently to relay how she worked her way through school and expressed her

Rep. Hansen Clarke (D-Mich.) is sponsoring the Student Loan Forgiveness Act. The act seeks to enact a 10-10 plan, in which a student pays a loan back in installments equal to 10 percent of their income over 10 years. At the end of the 10 years, any unpaid portion of the loan is forgiven. Hansen’s legislative assistant, Lindsay Schubiner, calls the plan “a really exciting vision that offers people hope.” She said by reducing students’ debt burden, society is freeing them up to participate more fully in a recovering economy. “What this bill tries to do is make student loan repayment simple and fair,”

Pieced, Glued and Painted April 16 - May 31, 2012 at Gallery 88 Reception: Thursday, May 10, 5-7 p.m. at the WUWF Studios

Local Gulf Coast artists and longtime friends Darlene Homrighausen and Donna Freckmann open a new collaborative exhibit that showcases their skills in the art of collage, while demonstrating the explorative nature of this particular medium. Pieced, Glued and Painted brings together the distinct styles and kindred spirits of these featured artists in one unique display. Both Homrighausen and Freckmann compose their work using small amounts of paint on canvas or paper as a background to enhance the larger portion of the collage. The exhibit may be viewed Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., at Gallery 88. Please join us for a special reception to meet the artists on Thursday, May 10, 5 - 7 p.m. at the WUWF Studios.

More information about Gallery 88 is available at wuwf.org or 474.2787. 212 1

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“I remind folks all the time that the Declaration of Independence says ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’ You don’t sit on your butt and have it dumped in your lap.” U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx

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U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) / courtesy photo Republican presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney laid out his position at a town hall meeting in Ohio in February. The candidate said there should be increased private involvement in the student loan system, derided a “government takeover” and said he simply couldn’t find “free money” to “pay for everyone’s education.” “I know there will be some who get up in a setting like this and give you a bunch of government money, free stuff,” Romney told the crowd in Ohio. “That’s not who I am.”

DEBT BOMB

The report from the National Association of Bankruptcy Attorneys has labeled the growing national student loan debt as a “debt bomb.” The organization’s president reports seeing “the cracks in the foundation” as the group did with the mortgage crises a few years ago. Missing one student loan payment, the report notes, puts a borrower in delinquent status. Another nine months and they are in default. It’s all downhill from there—in a bad way. That kind of drag on a generation’s finances—the Fed report shows those under 39 shoulder a bulk of the debt—can affect life patterns. If it can impact when people choose to marry, have kids or retire, it obviously has an impact on how and when they contribute to the economy.

Mary A. is slowly slogging away at her average amount of $25,000. She’s able to do so because her husband draws a decent paycheck. “If I didn’t have that I wouldn’t see how you could ever get out from under that,” Mary said. Harris is confident he’ll get his whopping debt settled up as well. But for now, he’s got that diploma—three degrees—and a job he likes.

WAS IT WORTH IT?

“Wow, I actually had to go in debt a $100,000 just for the privilege to work in the public sector,” Harris said. “It’s hard for me to square that circle sometimes.” But he’s also not sure he’d feel right about being forgiven of his debt. There have been “philosophical debates with myself on that.” “That may work for me personally, from a personal financial standpoint,” the self described “policy wonk” said. “But I don’t know if it jives with me morally.” Harris describes himself as a “conservative Republican.” He doesn’t think Obama and the Democrats will be able to win him over with their student-debt talk. “I will not be voting for him in November despite the fact that he’s kind of hanging this carrot in front of me,” Harris said. “Now, if Mitt Romney—if he starts talking about student loans, or forgiveness, great, yeah.” {in}

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health & wellness Special Advertising Section April 2012

Too Close for Comfort

Domestic violence in Escambia County

by Jennie McKeon

As you put on your running shoes for races and walks that honor April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, you think about the national numbers – according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, one in six women has fallen victim to attempted or completed rape. But, maybe it’s time to put a local face to those numbers and think about the domestic violence, which is the umbrella over physical, mental and sexual abuse that occurs in Escambia County. According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, there were 3,014 offenses in which the victim/offender relationship qualified the incident as domestic violence in 2011. Of those offenses, 34.5 percent involved cohabitant relationships. In 2002, Escambia County had 1,683 domestic violence incidents and the number has been rising since. There was a small decrease between 2010 and 2011 years, but over 3,000 incidents were reported both years. The sheriff’s office does not take these numbers lightly. “Domestic violence, sadly, remains one of our worst societal ills,” said Escambia County Sheriff, David Morgan. “After years of study and educational programs, it remains one of the crimes most likely to lead to the death of its victims. One of the primary focuses of this administration has been to do all that we can to lessen the incidence of these crimes.” When domestic violence occurs, there’s a likely chance that the victim has also endured sexual abuse or rape. “Domestic violence includes sexual assault,” said Sue Hand, executive director at FavorHouse. “Fifty-five percent of the time partners are sexually assaulted.”

MORE THAN A HOUSE

FavorHouse of Northwest Florida, Inc. has been assisting women and men in gaining back their lives after abuse since 1979. The house was built after a task force study in 1976 found that there was no housing for victims of spousal abuse and their children. The Spouse Abuse Task Force then became Favor (Family Anti-Violence in Organized Response). “I applaud the community-effort to build the FavorHouse,” Hand said. “To have had the forethought – that says a lot.” Ninety-eight percent of victims seeking shelter at FavorHouse are women, but slowly men have become more visible. Hand also notes that almost 50 percent of the time, April 26, 2012

children are being abused as well, and often accompany their parents to FavorHouse. “We are seeing more and more men come forward,” Hand said. “Not too long ago we had a young father come in with his six-week-old baby.” FavorHouse provides shelter, food, clothing and counseling for victims for a minimum six-week stay. “They can come in at any time of the night,” Hand said. “Most come with little to nothing.” All too often, victims go back to their abusers. “It a personal choice,” Hand said. “We work to develop safety plans and how to get free of a violent relationship, but offenders are charismatic and manipulative. They play on a woman’s emotions. We always encourage women to remember who they are, but sometimes it takes four or five times of leaving and coming back before leaving for good. If he hit you once, he’ll hit you a second time.” Hand points out that some men can change, which is why FavorHouse offers counseling and education for offenders on how to be a better partner. Kimberly Tatum is a local advocate for domestic violence. She currently serves as the vice president of the FavorHouse Board of Directors and is a chairperson of the Escambia County Domestic Violence Coalition. Tatum was a prosecutor who focused on domestic violence cases and now works as associate professor of legal studies and assistant dean of the college of professional studies at University of West Florida. “When I encounter victims of domestic violence, I always give them a flyer from FavorHouse,” Tatum said. “FavorHouse is the only certified domestic violence shelter in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. It serves a vital need because it offers safe shelter to victims and children who have no place to go.” FavorHouse is open 24-hours a day, year round and also has a 24-hour crisis line (434-6600). However, if someone should find themself in harm’s way, they should call 911, first.

SEEKING JUSTICE

have the chance to be heard by the judge and a decision on a permanent injunction will be given. “This injunction orders the offender not to have any contact with the victim, and not to go to her residence, place of employment, school, or any other place she frequents,” Tatum said. “This process can be quicker than the criminal process.”

Because most victims’ offenders are friends and family, it can be hard to want to involve law enforcement. No one wants to call the cops on someone they love. FavorHouse as well as Lakeview Center work as the middle man to put you in touch with law enforcement and help you seek an injunction for protection. “It is of upmost Escambia County Domestic Violence importance that Coalition and the Department of Justice the victim reports Studies at UWF just recently held a training the abuse to law session titled “The Professional’s Challenge enforcement,” said in Addressing Domestic Violence.” Police Escambia County officers, prosecutors, probation officers, Deputy Matt Baxter. social workers and child welfare advocates “Without the report, all met to work on improving the commuthe process of getnity’s response to abuse. ting the victim help is It’s important that the community be much harder. Victims aware of what’s happening so that at the should understand upcoming awareness events, they will know that in the cases of what they’re fighting for. domestic violence they are not pursuing “Domestic violence is not just a charges, instead, the State of Florida is.” criminal justice problem, nor is it just a Trying to recover from abuse takes family problem,” Tatum said. “It is a serienough of a toll on victims that worrying ous crime that deserves our attention in about the legal processes takes a backtaking it seriously and providing services seat. FavorHouse and Lakeview’s crisis to help those affected by it, and to hold hotline provide victims with all necessary offenders accountable.” {in} knowledge. Tatum explains there are two types of legal processes involving domestic violence cases. FavorHouse and Lakeview offer advocates to go to hearings with victims when needed. “The first is the criminal system,” she said. “If a victim calls the police and the police respond and arrest the offender, Florida WHEN: 11:30 a.m. Thursday, May 17 law requires that the offender will WHERE: Sanders Beach Community Censtay in jail until he/she appears ter, 913 S. I St. before a judge at first appearance DETAILS: favorhouse.org or 434-1177 – usually the following day.” A criminal case may require the victim to testify in court and WHEN: 5:30 p.m. Friday, June 15 can be a lengthy process. The WHERE: Rosemary Beach Town Center, other legal process is the civil Rosemary Beach, Fla. process. Victims can petition COST: Advance registration is $30 for the court for an injunction of adults and $15 for children 12 and under. protection at the Clerk of Court’s Proceeds benefit Shelter House of NorthOffice. After submission, a judge west Florida. will review and decide on a temDETAILS: Malayne DeMars at 231-7382 or porary injunction and set a hearwalkherway.com ing to occur within 14 days. The victim and the offender will both

“Domestic violence, sadly, remains one of our worst societal ills.”

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

David Morgan, Escambia County Sheriff

FAVORHOUSE WHITE ROSE LUNCHEON WITH GUEST SPEAKER LESLIE MORGAN STEINER

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profile

Health Talk: Erika Smith, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Trauma Specialist at Lakeview Center by Jennie McKeon

Lakeview Center walks abuse victims along the road to recovery. The center provides therapy, education and preventative training, advocacy, as well as, a 24-hour crisis hotline. Smith Erika Smith / courtesy photo said that in the United States, 1.3 women are raped each year. In 2011, Lakeview Center helped over 400 victims in Santa Rosa and Escambia counties. You can find more information about Lakeview Center at elakeviewcenter.org or 432-1222. IN: What are some of the common issues that rape victims face after abuse? SMITH: There are a variety of issues following

abuse such as: establishing feelings of safety, difficulty concentrating, which makes returning to work difficult or focusing at school, difficulty sleeping, intrusive memories or thoughts, flashbacks, nightmares, depression and anxiety. IN: How can friends and family of abuse survivors be supportive and help recovery? SMITH: There are several ways. Friends and family should listen to survivors without judgment. It doesn’t matter how old the survivor is or if alcohol was involved, they are never at fault. Encourage survivors to seek medical attention and talk to someone they trust. Remind them that they don’t have to face this alone. IN: What are some of the common misconceptions about rape cases? SMITH: One misconception is that men cannot be raped. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently did research and found that 1 in 6 men report being sexually abused before the age of 18. Another misconception is that if you had consensual sex before that you cannot be raped. If we did not want to

presents

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have sex on that occasion, it’s rape. Even if the victim is married, we have the right to give verbal consent. Most believe that we are most at risk of abuse from strangers, but we know the vast majority of cases involve someone the victim knew by face and name. This makes it even more difficult for a survivor to report the crime. Survivors may feel that if alcohol or substances were involved, then they are at fault. We really need to see it as tactics by offenders. IN: How does counseling at the Lakeview Center benefit abuse survivors? SMITH: We use the Judith Herman’s Model of Trauma Recovery. In the first stage, we will assist in establishing safety. If they want to obtain an order of protection, we help them receive that. We focus on safety first. The second stage is remembrance and mourning where we assist survivors with processing their thoughts and feelings related to the assault. The third stage is reconnecting with people. We have individual therapy as well as family therapy. We also have a 24-hour rape crisis line (433-7273). Lakeview has a continuity of services including prevention and educa-

For information, call 850.469.2305 or visit eBaptistHealthCare.org/womensservices.

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IN: If someone has been abused, but hasn’t come forward, what are some signs that friends and family should look out for? SMITH: If you start to see changes in their behavior. For example, if they are normally outgoing, but now seem depressed or fearful. We don’t want to force someone into therapy, but never give up hope on that person, ask “What can I do to help?” Remind them of their options and encourage them. That can make a real difference. {in}

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tion services and someone who is certified and trained always available via our 24-hour rape crisis line. There is also victim advocacy. Victims have the legal right to an advocate – someone who will be with them at legal proceedings, in court and the hospital.

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STILL WATERS DAY & MEDICAL SPA 20 N. Tarragona St., 432-6772, stillwatersmedspa.com Still Waters Day & Medical Spa offers world class spa treatments and medical aesthetic treatments to enhance the appearance of your skin and body. The spa menu includes a blend of medical aesthetic and laser, skin and body services designed to help you escape. Still Waters also offers spa gifts and home spa accessories.

Eye Specialists

DR. GENE TERREZZA – TERREZZA OPTICAL 113 Palafox Place, 434-2060, terrezzaoptical. com The practice, which includes Dr. Gene Terrezza and Dr. Ruben E. Carlson, offers services in complete family eye care, including routine vision exams, glasses and contact lenses, therapeutic interventions, dry eyes and pre-operative and post-operative management of cataract and refractive surgery patients.

Health Care Organizations

BAPTIST HEALTH CARE 434-4071, ebaptisthealthcare.org Baptist Health Care is a community-owned, not-for-profit health care organization serving Northwest Florida and South Alabama. Baptist Health Care includes four hospitals, two medical parks, Baptist Manor, Baptist Home Health Care and Durable Medical Equipment, Baptist Leadership Institute, Andrews Institute for Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine and Lakeview Center. SACRED HEART HEALTH SYSTEM 416-7000, sacred-heart.org More than 600 primary and specialty physicians practice at Sacred Heart, a not-for-profit healthcare organization. Its main services include Sacred Heart Medical Group, a network of primary care physicians, a 24-hour Emergency Trauma Center, a Pediatric Trauma ReFerràl Center and centers of excellence specializing in women's health, cardiac care, orthopedics, cancer care and the care of children. WEST FLORIDA HEALTHCARE 494-3212, westfloridahospital.com West Florida Healthcare is proud to offer the only local hospital featuring all private rooms. The West Florida campus also offers the area’s only comprehensive rehabilitation hospital and a mental health facility. West Florida also provides services in cardiovascular surgery, oncology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, emergency care, behavioral health, obstetrics and many other medical specialties. April 26, 2012

Health Clubs and Fitness

ANYTIME FITNESS 100 S. Alcaniz St., 469-1190 6301 N. 9th Ave. #4, 969-1348 anytimefitness.com Anytime Fitness is open 24-hours all year long. The gym membership can be used at any Anytime Fitness location. Each new member receives a free personal fitness orientation, including an explanation and demonstration of basic exercise principles and a quick, safe and effective exercise program. Training continues throughout membership with online tools such as a diet tracker, workout planner and virtual coaching. FIXED ON FITNESS, INC. 554-1648, fixedonfitness.com Fixed on Fitness boot camp provides an ideal combination of personal training, accountability, camaraderie and hard work, which results in a dynamic approach to total fitness. Throughout the six weeks of boot camp, you are introduced to a variety of workout techniques, exercises and challenges. Each workout is different, so campers experience 24 new workouts.

Hypnotherapy

LUMINOUS LIFE HYPNOTHERAPY 346-7865, luminouslifehypnotherapy.com Susan Dunlop, M.A., C.H.T., offers hypnosis as therapy for a variety of issues such as bereavement, relationship problems, divorce recovery, stress management, depression, phobias, negative habits, motivation, sleep problems, trauma, sports excellence, pain management and more. Dunlop is an internationally certified hypnotherapist trained in the United States by the American Academy of Hypnotherapy, the nation's foremost hypnotherapy institute.

Skin Care

DR. KEVIN WELCH Pensacola Office: Medical Center Clinic, Dermatology and Laser Center, 8333 N. Davis Highway, 474-8386 Gulf Breeze Office: 2874 Gulf Breeze Parkway, 916-9969, kevinwelchmd.com Dr. Kevin Welch offers Botox, Dysport, fillers such as Restylane, Perlane, Juvederm, Radiesse and Sculptra, laser services, including Fractional CO2 laser resurfacing and IPL. Also, Dr. Welch has the only local Zeltiq Coolsculpting to “freeze your fat away”, and the only local non-surgical skin tightening procedures including both Ulthera and Thermage. The Skin Care Center offers physician-dispensed products, including Skin Medica, Obagi, Jane Iredale cosmetics, Tilley Hats and the only area outlet of “My Body” skin care products. Dr. Welch won Best Skin Care again in 2011. {in}

The Area’s Only Accredited

Chest Pain Center West Florida Hospital is the only hospital in the region to earn Chest Pain Center accreditation by the prestigious Society of Chest Pain Centers, an international professional organization focused on improving care for patients with acute coronary symptoms and other related conditions. The accreditation followed a stringent and comprehensive review of the expertise of our operating systems and the compassionate care we provide our chest pain patients. As an Accredited Chest Pain Center, West Florida Hospital ensures that patients who come to our Emergency Room complaining of chest pain or discomfort are given the immediate treatment necessary to avoid as much heart damage as possible. Protocol-based procedures developed by leading experts in cardiac care to reduce time to treatment in the critical early stages of a heart attack are part of our overall cardiac care service. And, should you need to be admitted, West Florida Hospital is the only hospital in the area that can guarantee your own private room during your stay.

As the area’s only Accredited Chest Pain Center, the ER at West Florida can provide: • Reduced time to treatment during the critical stages of a heart attack • A systematic approach to cardiac care that improves outcomes • Timely accurate diagnoses of all patients presenting with signs and symptoms of heart disease that help reduce unnecessary admissions • Recognizable symbol of trust that helps patients and EMS make decisions at highly stressful times

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calendar 4.26

HEAL THYSELF WOMAN CIRCLES WITH NIELAH Learn the nine steps to healing and total wellness with Nielah Black Spears at Gathering Awareness and Books Center located at 2737 N. E. St. Classes are from 6 to 7 p.m. and are $10 per session or $35 a month. For more information call 366-2567 or e-mail gor4life.gmail.com.

4.26

OSTEOPOROSIS SCREENING Sacred Heart will be providing osteoporosis screenings from 9 to 11 a.m. at Loaves and Fishes, 257 E. Lee St. For more information, call 416-7826 or visit sacred-heart.org.

4.26

FREE TABLE TENNIS Pensacola Table Tennis Club offers free play twice a week on Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. and Monday, April 30 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Balls and paddles are provided, but you are welcome to bring your own. Thursday is for intermediate and advanced and Monday is for family and beginners, but there all enough tables available for all skill levels. Located at the Fricker Community Center, 901 N. E St., call 791-3979 for more information or visit pensacolatabletennis.tripod.com.

4.26

CONNECTING THE PIECES Baptist Healthcare sponsored even, Connecting the Pieces, is the annual Autism Pensacola fundraiser to support the 2,500 children living with autism in the area. The event will be held at Sanders Beach Community Center, 913 S. I St. and starts at 5:30 p.m. For more information, contact Susan Sheets at 469-2305 or visit autismpensacola.org.

4.30

YOGA & MEDITATION WITH MICHEAL DEMARIA Relax with Michael DeMaria every Monday at the Sanders Beach Community Center, 931 S. I St. from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Classes are $10, a portion of which goes to the community center. For more information, call 436-5198 or visit ontos.org.

5.1

YOGA WITH BECKIE SATHRE The class includes readings, meditation and chanting at Everman, 315 W. Garden St. from 6 to 7 p.m. Beginnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s yoga is on the first and third Tuesdays with intermediate yoga on the second and fourth Tuesdays. Free for Everman members, $2 for non-members. Bring your own towel or mat.

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For more information, call 438-0402 or visit everman.org.

5.2

ZUMBA IN EASTHILL Join the Zumba fitness class held at Bayview Park Center, 2001 E. Lloyd St. from 6 to 7 p.m. Classes are $5. For more information, call 436-5190 or visit zumbapensacola.com.

5.2

SPIRITUAL LIVING DISCUSSION GROUP Join the discussion in the ongoing science of mind or positive thought living and love from 6:60 to 8:30 p.m. Donations accepted. Classes are located at 1007 S. Old Corry Field Rd. R.S.V.P to Jim and Carolyn Vary at 937-6730.

5.2

WEEKLY MEDITATION AT PSC Enjoy an evening of meditation at 7 p.m. and stay for tea and conversation afterward. Located in the Pensacola State College Student Center, Room 509, 1000 College Blvd. For more information, visit meditationinpensacola.org.

5.3

FREE YOGA Blue Angel Yoga offers free classes for families and persons with health challenges

on the first and third Thursday of the month at 4 p.m. No experience necessary. Located at Sanders Beach Community Center, 913 S. I St. For more information, call Marianne Franklin at 418-2763.

5.5

COMMUNITY ACUPUNCTURE CLINIC The first Saturday of the month, Dr. Bonnie McLean offers ear acupuncture to relieve stress for $20. Call 932-1778 to make an appointment. You can also sign up for emotional code work with Margie for $15. Call 291-0848 to make an appointment. Appointments are available from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Baybridge Chiropractic Center, 107 Baybridge Dr., in Gulf Breeze. For more information, visit spiritgatemedicine.com.

5.5

MARCH FOR BABIES Baptist Healthcare is sponsoring the event as part of March of Dimes. The fundraiser will support research and programs to give babies a fighting chance. The event will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. at Bayview Park on E. Lloyd St. For more information, contact Susan Sheets at 469-2305. {in}

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WEEK OF APRIL 26-MAY 3

April 26, 2012

Arts & Entertainment a r t , f i l m , m u s i c , s ta g e , b o o k s a n d o t h e r s i g n s o f c i v i l i z a t i o n . . .

APRIL 28

Poets for Civil Rights Civil rights organization Movement for Change is hosting an open-mic poetry reading featuring a number of very talented regional poets. The Event will be emceed by local poetry organizer Quincy Hull. Contact Movement for Change for more information— 432-4411.

Get 'Em While You Can

General admission weekend passes for DeLuna Fest are still available at the "advance" rate of $159.95, but you better act fast. With a line-up like this year's— Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Florence and the Machine, in case you somehow didn't know—they won't last long. delunafest.com

APRIL 27

A Very Long Engagement

What happens when a storybook romance hits a speed bump or two? Probably some pretty funny stuff actually—given that the "speed bumps" in this case are co-written by Jason Segel and produced by the same team that brought us “Bridesmaids.” “The Five-Year Engagement” opens this weekend and stars Segel and Emily Blunt. tomandviolet.com Florence and the Machine / courtesy photo

Barnes Insurance & Financial Services 1582 Airport Boulevard

850-473-1500 Keith Smith & Nolan Sylvester ksmith@biafs.com nsylvester@biafs.com

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music

inweekly.net

by Sarah McCartan

Raw Panda Brings a New Animal to Life musicians Brandon Warren and Aubrey Nichols. While the album seems to provide a little something for everyone, crossing the lines of numerous genres, above all

Though the ties that bind the group down your throat. We like the fact that the together are deeply rooted, some dating music gets quiet then gets loud. We want back for a number of years, the collective you to have to listen,” explains Peterson. energy behind Raw Panda is fresh, new and “The obsession with perfection goes far in forward motion. beyond music. The idea of marketability “It’s just going to grow to be bigger and goes far beyond music. Everything that is bigger but Pensacola will always be the tie polluting music goes far beyond music and that binds us all together. The thing that these are the things we makes it all so cool is that all of these difhope to get away from.” ferent people were able to find each other Raw Panda is cerat this particular time at this place,” said tainly an advocate of the Peterson. “I’ve been waiting a long time increasingly common for this.” do-it-yourself mentally. As far as live performances go, the “We are in an exciting members of the Raw Panda collective can age for music when so be spotted around town during weeknights much can be done with performing solo or with their respective so little. Most people bands most weekends. Additionally, Raw like to listen to music in their room,” said Panda has conducted three inclusive showPeterson. “Why not cases to date, with two more on the calendar make music in a living set for May 11 and May 25. Both events will room that sounds like it take place at the Handlebar. The Raw Panda was recorded in a living lineup on Friday, May 11 will consist of Imagiroom. There is a certain nary Airshow, Ashmen (Damien Louviere) charm to it that is a reand a solo piano set by Joey Allred. ally cool.” For more information on each of Peterson also believes in the importhe Raw Panda artists and to listen and tance of building a strong foundation download the album, visit Raw Panda’s from the ground up—setting the stage virtual home at rawpandarecords.bandfor this growing network of artists to becamp.com. The album is also available at come an even further collaborative efRevolver Records. {in} fort, extending far past “ Volume 1.” In fact, there is already talk of a “ Volume 2” in the works. Rumor has it this will be even more of an overlap between the collective’s artists, resulting in a true collaboration album and a total team endeavor. Brandon Warren Paloma “We all play together already. Chainsaw Kelly Imaginary Airshow Even though it might be really bad Two People Playing Joey Allred marketing to blur all these lines Music Aubrey Nichols and confuse people even more, to Precubed Pioneers! O Pioneers! me, that is the thing that makes it Damien Louviere so beautiful and has drawn us all together,” Peterson stated.

“Why not make music in a living room that sounds like it was recorded in a living room. There is a certain charm to it that is a really cool.” Raw Panda is at heart a story of a growing network of friends freely making music in the form of a simplistic, yet bountiful and boundless, collective. Raw Panda Records introduces Pensacola to the various members of this unique artist collective through its tangible product, “Raw Panda: Volume 1.” The collection of tracks showcases the wide range of Raw Panda talent in an assortment of configurations. Featured talent ranges from less familiar, and even undiscovered acts, to bands and members of said bands that have played around town for months and even years, from dive bars to festivals. The album begins with a recognizable track from Paloma and closes out with Precubed, the ambient solo project of Aaron Finley, member of both Paloma and Imaginary Airshow. Also in the mix are tracks from the bluesy Chainsaw Kelly as well as solo creations from well-established local

Sean Peterson “Raw Panda: Volume 1” offers the listener something, well, raw. “If it’s a band that involves humans playing instruments you are going to hear a little ‘fly by the seat of your pants’ rawness,” shares Sean Peterson, audio engineer at Raw Pando Studios and member of Imaginary Airshow. Although Raw Panda Studios exists as its own separate entity, Peterson recorded several of the tracks on the album and is the key driver and foundational element in bringing the Raw Panda vision to life. What is this vision? Raw Panda seeks to replace the desire for artificial perfection with something real and thoughtful, keeping the music in its truest form. “If you listen to a Raw Panda CD next to another CD it’s probably not going to be as loud. We’re not trying to force the music

“RAW PANDA: VOLUME 1” ARTIST LIST

April 26, 2012

happenings 165 Fort Pickens Rd., Pensacola Beach. 916-9755 or margaritavillehotel.com. PLAY HAPPY HOUR 4 p.m. Play, 16 S. Palafox, Suite 100. 466-3080 or iplaypensacola.com. WINE TASTING AT AWM 5 p.m. Aragon Wine Market, 27 S. Ninth Ave. 433-9463 or aragonwinemarket.com. HERB CLASS AT EVER’MAN 6 p.m. $2 for non-members. Ever’man Natural Foods, 315 W. Garden St. 438-0402 or everman.org. VEGAN DINNER AT EOTL 6 p.m. End of the Line Café, 610 E. Wright St. 429-0336 or eotlcafe.com.

live music

'Breaking the Contract, Mending the Whole'

THURSDAY 4.26

‘A ROADTRIP THROUGH FLORIDA ARCHAEOLOGY’ 10 a.m. DARC, 207 E. Main St. 595-0050, ext. 107 or flpublicarchaeology.org/ darc.php. ‘GARDEN OF EDEN’ 10 a.m. through Jun 2. Pensacola Museum of Art. 407 S. Jefferson St. 432-6247 or pensacolamuseumofart.org. ‘EDEN REVISITED’ 10 a.m. through May 19. Pensacola Museum of Art. 407 S. Jefferson St. 432-6247 or pensacolamuseumofart.org. ‘REFLECTIONS, WITHIN AND WITHOUT’ 10

a.m. through Apr 29. Blue Morning Gallery, 112 S. Palafox. 429-9100 or bluemorninggallery.com. ‘BREAKING THE CONTRACT, MENDING THE WHOLE’ 10 a.m. through May 19. Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. 432-3080 or artelgallery.org. ‘DAZE OF WINE AND ROSES’ 10 a.m. through Jun 1. Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. 432-3080 or artelgallery.org. ‘YOUR SECRET WAR’ 10 a.m. through Jun 1. Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. 432-3080 or artelgallery.org. ‘WELCOME TO MARGARITAVILLE’ MARGARITA TASTING 2 p.m. Margaritaville Beach Hotel,

JAZZ AT GREGORY STREET ASSEMBLY HALL 5 p.m. Gregory Street Assembly Hall, 501 E. Gregory St. 607-8633 or gregorystreet.com. HOME GROWN NIGHT 5 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com. THE DAVENPORTS 6 p.m. The Leisure Club, 126 S. Palafox. 912-4229 or tlcdowntown.com. LUCAS CRUTCHFIELD 6 p.m. The Deck at The Fish House, 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or fishhouse.goodgrits.com. RICHARD MADDEN 6 p.m. Peg Leg Pete’s, 1010 Fort Pickens Rd., Pensacola Beach. 932-4139 or peglegpetes.com. CHARLIE ROBERTS 7 p.m. Hub Stacey’s Downtown, 312 E. Government St. 469-1001 or hubstaceys.com. HOLLY SHELTON 7 p.m. Five Sisters Blues Café, 421 W. Belmont St. 912-4856 or fivesistersbluescafe.com. DAVID MCCOY 7 p.m. Paradise Bar & Grill, 21 Via de Luna, Pensacola Beach. 916-5087 or paradisebar-grill.com. CHARLIE ROBERTS 7 p.m. Hub Stacey’s Downtown, 312 E. Government St. 469-1001 or hubstaceys.com.

KARAOKE WITH BECKY 7:30 p.m. Sabine Sandbar, 715 Pensacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beach. 934-3141 or dalesbigdeck.com. THE REZ 8 p.m. Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beach. 932-2211 or sandshaker.com. TIM SPENCER 8 p.m. Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd, Pensacola Beach. 9322211 or sandshaker.com. DUELING PIANOS 8 p.m. Rosie O’Grady’s at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com. DJ MR LAO 8 p.m. Phineas Phogg’s at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com. BIG JIM BROWN 9 p.m. End O’ the Alley at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com. COLLEGE DANCE NIGHT 9 p.m. Phineas Phogg’s at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

FRIDAY 4.27

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happenings Kitchens, 29 S. Palafox. 438-4688 or dk4u.com. WINE TASTING AT SEVILLE QUARTER 5 p.m. Palace Café at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com. WINE TASTING AT CITY GROCERY 5:15 p.m. City Grocery, 2050 N. 12th Ave. 469-8100. WINE TASTING AT EAST HILL MARKET 5:30 p.m. 1216 N. Ninth Ave. FAMU ALUMNI CHAPTER MEETING 6 p.m. Pic'Daze of Wine and Roses' Best of Show Winner "White Linen" by Thomas Groth cadilly Cafeteria, 3300 N. Pace Blvd. ‘BREAKING THE CONTRACT, MENDING THE 417-7189 facebook.com/FAMUPensacola. WHOLE’ 10 a.m. through May 19. Artel Gallery, ‘EVENING OF HOPE’ FUNDRAISING GALA 6 223 S. Palafox. 432-3080 or artelgallery.org. p.m. $100, tickets required. University of West ‘DAZE OF WINE AND ROSES’ 10 a.m. through Florida Common Center Conference Room, 11000 Jun 1. Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. 432-3080 or University Pkwy. 291-3003 or powerlinkme.com. artelgallery.org. ‘DAZE OF WINE AND ROSES’ RECEPTION ‘YOUR SECRET WAR’ 10 a.m. through Jun 1. 7 p.m. Artel Gallery, 223 Palafox. 432-3080 or Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. 432-3080 or artelartelgallery.org. gallery.org. ‘LIGHTS, CAMERA, HEROES’ 7:30 p.m. PLAY HAPPY HOUR 4 p.m. Play, 16 S. Palafox, University of West Florida Center for Fine and Suite 100. 466-3080 or iplaypensacola.com. Performing Arts, 11000 University Blvd, Bldg. 82. WINE TASTING AT DK 4:30 p.m. Distinctive 474-3247 or uwf.edu.

SWING DANCING 8:30 p.m. American Legion, 1401 Intendencia St. $5. 437-5465 or pensacolaswing.com.

live music

CADILLAC ATTACK 6 p.m. Peg Leg Pete’s, 1010 Fort Pickens Rd., Pensacola Beach 932-4139 or peglegpetes.com. GUNWALE STREET BAND 7 p.m. Hub Stacey’s at the Point, 5851 Galvez Rd. 497-0071 or hubstaceys.com. POSI TONES 7 p.m. Paradise Bar & Grill, 21 Via de Luna, Pensacola Beach. 916-5087 or paradisebar-grill.com. SAWMILL BAND & GUESTS 7 p.m. Chumuckla’s Farmers’ Opry, 8897 Byrom Campbell Rd., Pace. 994-9219 or farmersopry.com. DESTIN ATKINSON 8 p.m. The Leisure Club, 126 S. Palafox. 912-4229 or tlcdowntown.com. DUELING PIANOS 8 p.m. Rosie O’Grady’s at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com. DJ MR LAO 8 p.m. Phineas Phogg’s at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com. J.B. LAWSON BAND 8 p.m. Five Sisters Blues Café, 421 W. Belmont St. 912-4856 or fivesistersbluescafe.com. HOLLY SHELTON AND DAVID SHELANDER 8 p.m. Ragtyme Grille, 201 S. Jefferson St. 4299655 or ragtyme.net. THE BLENDERS 8:30 p.m. Hub Stacey’s Downtown, 312 E. Government St. 469-1001 or hubstaceys.com. CLASS X 9 p.m. Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beach. 932-2211 or sandshaker.com. HERITAGE 9 p.m. The Grand Marlin, 400 Pensacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beach. 677-9153 or thegrandmarlin.com.

BIG JIM BROWN 9 p.m. End O’ the Alley at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com. MO JILES 9 p.m. The Deck at The Fish House, 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or fishhouse. goodgrits.com. FISH OUT OF WATER 9 p.m. The Grand Marlin, 400 Pensacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beach. 677-9153 or thegrandmarlin.com. LOCAL MULLET 9:30 p.m. Hopjacks Pizza Kitchen & Taproom, 10 S. Palafox. 497-6073 or hopjacks.com.

SATURDAY 4.28

PALAFOX MARKET 8 a.m. through Apr 30. Martin Luther King Plaza on North Palafox Street between Chase and Garden streets. palafoxmarket.com. ‘A ROADTRIP THROUGH FLORIDA ARCHAEOLOGY’ 10 a.m. DARC, 207 E. Main St. 595-0050, ext. 107 or flpublicarchaeology.org/darc.php. ‘GARDEN OF EDEN’ 12 p.m. through Jun 2. Pensacola Museum of Art. 407 S. Jefferson St. 432-6247 or pensacolamuseumofart.org. ‘EDEN REVISITED’ 12 p.m. through May 19. Pensacola Museum of Art. 407 S. Jefferson St. 432-6247 or pensacolamuseumofart.org. ‘REFLECTIONS, WITHIN AND WITHOUT’ 10 a.m. through Apr 29. Blue Morning Gallery, 112 S. Palafox. 429-9100 or bluemorninggallery.com. ‘BREAKING THE CONTRACT, MENDING THE WHOLE’ 10 a.m. through May 19. Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. 432-3080 or artelgallery.org.

for more listings visit inweekly.net

April 26, 2012

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inweekly.net

by Kate Peterson

Oh, Mickey, You’re So Fine “Some of it is true, some is not. I am not bisexual, and I did not go to any of the colleges they say I attended.” Mickey Avalon The glam rap genre has very few artists. Avalon has cornered the market

Glam rapper Mickey Avalon, born Yeshe Perl, has been creating some of the most followed and admired music in his genre since 2006. He and his band members, Andre Legacy (also performing in Pensacola) being one of them, came up with their stage names by thinking up corny porn star names. Hailing from Hollywood, Calif., and on tour to promote his new album, he’s making a stop in Pensacola to let us sample his unique musical stylings.

on a very specific, yet loose, style of music marked by overriding sexual themes and sweaty high-energy performances. Af ter leaving home as a teen, Avalon experienced some tough, troubled times before pulling himself together. He is now married and has a daughter. “She is in Oregon, such a better place for a child to grow up. Los Angeles can be a hard place to raise a child. Af ter I play Coachella, I cannot wait to get back to her soon,” said Avalon.

and didn’t want to shop the record, it was wasting time, and we decided to produce it in house. Same money—and you can do more,” Avalon said. Aside from album releases, he has appeared with tours such as, the Blazed and Confused Tour with Stephen Marley, featuring Snoop Dogg, Slightly Stoopid, and Beardo, and the Stroke Me Tour with Beardo and Ke$ha. Avalon’s music has also been featured in movies. His single “What Do You Say” was picked for the “The Hangover.” The tour for his recently released album started on Friday, April 13. When asked about the tour Avalon said, “Music towns are always fun. There are good crowds and they are there for the performance 100 percent. South by Southwest is a good example of a fun show. The fan base is the whole thing, when they disappear it is over. They are necessary to survive.” Avalon is a man of many colors. We asked him who he is listening to and he said, “Lucinda Williams and Waylon Jennings.” He has an affinity for country music; he likes the speed of the music. Get ready for a wild show where anything could happen. {in}

say I attended.” To date, Avalon has released two albums, and a number of singles. In 2006, his first album, released on MySpace Records, along with Interscope/Shoot to Kill records was self-titled. Since then he has been writing and storing up a great number of songs from which he carefully selected for his long awaited second album. Released Tuesday, April 24 , the album is titled “Loaded.” According to Avalon, “I really like my new album. I am still listening to it in my CD player in my car. It still has WHAT: Mickey Avalon with Andre Legacy a low-fi feel, and I have been WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 30 testing the new material on the WHERE: Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox audiences.” COST: $15-$18 Being in the music business is DETAILS: vinylmusichall.com difficult at best. Avalon has had his disagreements with labels and the time it takes to release an album. “I signed with management

“I really like my new album. I am still listening to it in my CD player in my car.” Mickey Avalon

When asked if all of the information published online about his life was true, Avalon said, “Some of it is true, some is not. I am not bisexual, and I did not go to any of the colleges they

MICKEY AVALON

April 26, 2012

by Jessica Forbes

Pensacola’s Oil Bust: 1901-1902 In late 1901, Pensacola became the site of the first oil well dug in the state of Florida. A rollercoaster ride of high expectations and deflated hopes ensued throughout the following year, as Pensacola investors waited with anticipation to learn if they were sitting on the next cache of oil along the Gulf Coast. The so-called “Gusher Age” of American oil began in January 1901, when, during exploratory drilling near Beaumont, Texas, the Spindletop gusher blew up through its drilling rig in a fountain of “black gold.” A flurry of drilling and lucrative oil discoveries followed in Southeast Texas. Such a discovery amounted to winning the lottery of natural resources, and a small number of prospectors turned their attention to other Gulf Coast states to find the next Spindletop. Pensacola’s oil excitement began when a substance resembling crude oil floated to the surface of the bay in a stream of bubbles behind the Bar Pilot’s Association building on South Palafox Street. Samples were sent to a New Orleans-based chemist, who verified in September 1901 that the substance was petroleum. The oil was also analyzed locally at the D’Alemberte Drug Store, where it was reportedly “declared to be good petroleum.” Immediately, local businessmen formed and began selling shares of the Escambia Oil Company, “a million dollar stock company,” incorporated in Delaware. The Pensacola Development and Investment Company also formed in late 1901 for the purpose of oil exploration in Pensacola. A delegation from the Escambia Oil Company traveled to New Orleans to secure oilrig machinery, and work was underway at the Bar Pilots’ property by December. Further west, the Pensacola Development and Investment Company was preparing to sink their first well approximately one mile east of Palmetto Beach. The beginning of 1902 saw great excitement at both wells. The Bar Pilots’ Association opened the back porch of their building to spectators, providing the closest vantage point for the public to

view the drilling operation. In January and February, a familiar sequence developed: the drill would hit a small amount of oil, then a thick sheet of rock or sand that slowed efforts. Weeks later, the bay well hit a pocket of warm water that some believed was a medicinal spring. Crowds gathered to taste and even bathe in the water in showers the oil company installed. The Daily News reported that, “the fountain of youth has been found at last,” and lauded Pensacola’s future as a health resort. Within a month, chemists discovered the water had no medicinal properties and in May, the water stopped flowing altogether. The company then resumed drilling for oil. The Pensacola Development and Investment Company abandoned their first well in the spring of 1902 after drilling to a depth of 1,880 feet with no success. The company chose a site in East Hill and sank their second well. In May, the drill penetrated what was at first thought to be a deposit of sulfur, but unfortunately turned out to be pyrite, or fool’s gold. From there, it was a downhill slide for both companies. In June 1902, the Escambia Oil Company announced it was abandoning the well behind the Bar Pilots’ building. The Development and Investment Company had only $500 left to carry on their work, and asked the public to contribute funds. Some thought if the company drilled another 1,000 feet, oil would surely be found. Evidently, the citizens of Pensacola had grown tired of oil mania, and maintaining hope in the face of few results. The well was abandoned as a dry hole. Oil exploration took place in Pensacola sporadically throughout the following decades, but never resulted in a productive well. Attention was directed to successful discoveries in Santa Rosa County in the 1950s and, increasingly, offshore after 1947 when the first oil well was dug off the coast of Louisiana, and the Gulf of Mexico became the next American oil frontier. {in}

The Daily News reported that, “the fountain of youth has been found at last,” and lauded Pensacola’s future as a health resort.

Jessica is a Pensacola resident with a Master’s degree in Public History. When she’s not digging up history facts, you can find her at Music Box Pensacola.

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April 26, 2012

IN APRIL, A RESEARCH SHIP WILL BEGIN SURVEYING THE ATLANTIC OCEAN FLOOR off of Nova Scotia as the first step to building, by 2013, a $300 million private fiber-optic line connecting New York and London financial markets so as to speed up current transmission times—by about five milliseconds. Those five milliseconds, though (according to an April report in Bloomberg Business Week), will enable the small group of firms that are underwriting the project (and who will have exclusive use of it) to earn millions of dollars per transaction by having their trade sales arrive five milliseconds before their competitors’ sales would have arrived. CULTURAL DIVERSITY Brazil’s Safety Net for the Poor: Dr. Ivo Pitanguy, the most celebrated plastic surgeon in the country, apparently earned enough money from well-off clients that he can now “give back,” by funding and inspiring more than 200 clinics to provide low-income women with enhancement procedures (face lifts, tummy tucks, butt lifts) at a reduced, and sometimes no, charge. A local anthropology professor told ABC News, for a March dispatch, that “(i)n Brazil, plastic surgery is now seen as something of the norm” (or, as the reporter put it, “(B)eauty is (considered) a right, and the poor deserve to be ravishing, too”). LATEST RELIGIOUS MESSAGES Two lawsuits filed in Los Angeles recently against the founding family of the religious Trinity Broadcasting Network allege that televangelists Paul and Jan Crouch have spent well over $50 million of worshippers’ donations on “personal” expenses, including 13 “mansions,” his-and-hers private jets, and a $100,000 mobile home for Mrs. Crouch’s dogs. The jets are necessary, the Crouches’ lawyer told the Los Angeles Times, because the Crouches receive more death threats than even the president of the United States. Allegedly, the Crouches keep millions of dollars in cash on hand, but according to their lawyer, that is merely out of obedience to the biblical principle of “ow(ing) no man anything.”

by Chuck Shepherd

FINE POINTS OF FLORIDA LAW (1) In April, the Tampa Police Department issued preliminary security guidelines to control areas around August’s Republican National Convention in the city. Although the Secret Service will control the actual convention arena, Tampa Police are establishing a zone around the arena in which weapons will be confiscated (including sticks, rocks, bottles and slingshots). Police would like to have banned firearms, too, but state law prevents cities from restricting the rights of licensed gun-carriers. (2) South Florida station WPLG-TV reported in March that vendors were openly selling, for about $30, verbatim driver’s license test questions and answers, on the street in front of DMV offices. However, when told about it, a DMV official shrugged, pointing out that test-takers still had to memorize them to pass the closedbook exam. LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINALS Relentless: (1) In the early hours of Jan. 31, police in Gaston, N.C., were alerted to five burglaries in a two-block area that left shattered glass, broken doors and other damage, but no missing property. There was also a blood trail leading from one store, likely from a break-in boo-boo. (2) In March, England’s Canterbury Crown Court heard the evidence against a gang of five who in August and September 2010 attempted to break into seven ATMs, using fancy power tools, but came away empty-handed each time. Brick walls were smashed around three machines, and twice explosives were used, resulting in fires. In each case, alarms were triggered, sending the men away prematurely, including once from an ATM that contained the equivalent of $223,000. {in}

news of the weird

Cobia P hobia Fishing Tourny * Saturday 4/28 & Sunday 4/29

Live Music

Thursday 4/26 Davin McCoy Friday 4/27 Posi Tones Saturday 4/28 FOR TRU Sunday 4/29 Cool Vibe Tuesday 5/1 Josh Garrett & Victor Wainwright Wednesday 5/2 Shane Dewight

om c . r a B h c r ida B e a us

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April 26, 2012

my pensacola Jonathan & Holley Moore

Jonathan’s Day Job: Engineering Coop, Gulf Power Holley’s Day Job: Biology Student Pensacola Residents Since: 1985

Good Eats:

We enjoy eating at several places downtown. We especially like Apple Annie’s at Seville Quarter for lunch on a weekday. The atmosphere provides a nice break from the workday. We also like to walk to Hub Stacey’s for sandwiches every once in a while. They taste delicious and they’re all affectionately named after Pensacola streets. When we’re in the mood to have coffee and a special treat, we like to go to Adonna’s Bakery and sit by the window. When we want to try a new wine, we go to City Grocery for a wine tasting. We usually don’t make it out of there without a sandwich from the deli and salt and vinegar chips! On Sunday afternoons, we like having brunch at RagTyme Grill. We enjoy our meal outside while sipping our (bottomless) mimosas.

Retail Therapy: We’re not real big on

shopping for clothing, but as newlyweds, we’re always looking for things for our home. We like shopping at thrifts stores like Waterfront Rescue Mission and Loaves & Fishes to find gently used furniture—we make it look like new by painting and updating hardware. We get a special satisfaction in recreating these pieces and it’s something we enjoy doing together. For new home décor items, we like finding unique pieces at Tuesday Morning or TJ Maxx. For herbs and flowers for the garden, we shop at Bailey’s Produce and Nursery.

Nightlife:

What nightlife? We’re married! We do occasionally meet some friends at the Piano Bar at Seville Quarter to have a drink and enjoy

the music. If there is a good band playing, we’ll go see their performance at Flounder’s on Pensacola Beach. Every once in a while we’ll go see a movie at the Silver Screen Theatre.

Outdoors:

We go to Pensacola Beach A LOT! It’s where we had our first date and where we got engaged. We especially like to drive to the Gulf Islands National Seashore and spend the entire day there. Pensacola has the most beautiful beaches in the world. Other weekends, we like to take our puppy, Mellow, to the dog park at the Roger Scott Tennis Center. He recently grasped the concept of Frisbee the last time we took him to the park and we couldn’t be more proud!

Arts & Culture:

We almost always go to downtown Gallery Nights to check out the local art and listen to live music at Hopjacks Pizza Kitchen & Taproom. Whenever we can, we love to catch a performance at the Pensacola Little Theatre or the Saenger Theatre.

Never Miss Events/Festivals:

Some of our favorites are the Festival on the Green at the University of West Florida and the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival. Our favorite local artist, Pamela Busbee, usually has a booth featuring her one-of-a-kind “Cross Your Heart Designs.” We also go to the Greek Festival every year at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church on West Garden Street. The food is amazing and the festival also has entertainment and art. {in}

Do you want to tell us how you see our city? Email Joani at joani@inweekly.net for all of the details.

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Independent News | April 26, 2012 | inweekly.net

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