Jan. 6, 2011 IN News Issue

JANUARY 06, 2011 | VOLUME 12 | NUMBER 01 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

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Contents COLUMNS

3 WINNERS & LOSERS 4 OUTTAKES

25 NEWS OF THE WEIRD 27LAST WORD

NEWS/FEATURES/ARTS

9 COVER STORY: DOES IT GET BETTER? 13 A&E: THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME 18 CULTURE: IN INTERVIEW—KYLE GROOMS 19 MUSIC: RUSTIC, AUTHENTIC AND LIVE 21 MUSIC: WHAT OF IT? 23 THE PUBLIC RECORD

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Bradley “B.J.” Davis, Jr., Joani Delezen, Hana Frenette, Ashley Hardaway, Scott Huhn, Rob “Bubbs” Harris, Erica House, Brett Hutchins, Jennie McKeon, Kate Peterson, Chuck Shepard, Will Strickland, Trevor Webb PRODUCTION MANAGER Joani Delezen ART DIRECTOR Samantha Crooke SALES DIRECTOR Jennifer Passeretti

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Standard postage paid at Pensacola, Fla. All stories are compiled from press releases, submissions, news wires or assignments. Comments and opinions expressed in this newspaper represent the personal views of the individuals to whom they are attributed and are not necessarily those of INDEPENDENT NEWS or the publisher. Neither the advertiser nor the publisher is responsible or liable for misinformation, misprints, typographical errors, etc., contained in INDEPENDENT NEWS. The publisher reserves the right to edit all manuscripts. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of the publisher.

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winners & losers

Seven questions are on everyone’s mind for 2011, and our Magic 8 Ball has yet to come through with definite answers.

WHEN DOES DAY ONE START FOR THE ASHTON HAYWARD ADMINISTRATION? During the

able with Hall, and Jerralds and Townsend don’t ever vote against them.

TO WHOM WILL MALCOLM THOMAS SELL BROWNSVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL? The Super-

public forums, candidate Ashton Hayward made bold statements about the issues he would deal with “from Day One”–issues such as the pension, west side plan, minority inclusion and job creation. Will Day One start on Jan. 10?

intendent has said he has a buyer. He has demanded $1 million for the closed school building. The pressure is on for him to do something with this albatross. Let’s see what kind of concessions, if any, he gives to his new buyer. Surely the negotiations will be smoother.

WILL MARITIME PARK DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS STILL BE A PART OF THE MARITIME PARK AT THE END OF 2011? Community Maritime Park As-

WHEN WILL ESCAMBIA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE MAKE AN ARREST ON RECENT HOMICIDES? The talk in the African-American

sociates attorney Ed Fleming is expected to make his final report on MPDP, Land Capital Group and its pitchman Scott Davison.

City staff will try to discourage any thorny legal decisions by the CMPA board. To date, MPDP has been long on talk, quick to spend the CMPA funds budgeted for “soft costs” and short on delivering any tenants for the private section of the development.

community is when will the ECSO make arrests in the recent string of murders in their neighborhoods. Sheriff David Morgan still has a strong base, but the lack of visible movement on these cases has some wondering if the investigators are giving the murders the same attention as cases in the white neighborhoods.

WHO WILL BE THE FIRST PENSACOLA CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT? It doesn’t appear John Jerralds

some officials say the tar balls are gone from our beaches, locals are finding tar balls everywhere, especially after storms. Not every business is getting their BP claim, either.

has enough votes to win the presidency, which means he and fellow African-American councilman Ronald Townsend control who will be elected–Sam Hall or Maren DeWeese. Jerralds and Townsend opposed DeWeese’s Pensacola Promise, which would have paid college tuition for the high school graduates in their districts. They supported Wiggins for mayor. DeWeese supported Hayward. Heck, they flat out just don’t like this newbie who hasn’t followed their rules.

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political campaigns. With all the media currently available, candidates can reach out to the voters in various combinations of television, radio and print ads, mailouts and social media like Facebook and Twitter.

Platforms are reduced to sound bites, glossy postcards and tweets. If the right combinations of words are used, like taxes cut, jobs, guns and big government, then candidates win. Veteran politicos will tell you that the campaign message is only a vehicle to get elected. The means necessary to win are justifiable if your candidate wins the election.

These candidates themselves may actually believe their messages. Republicans are generally more conservative. Democrats are more liberal. Their campaign messages and political beliefs are molded by their party’s platform. It’s how they win the primaries and make it to the general election.

Regardless of the campaign message, the winner has to shift from campaign mode to governing. That transition can be more difficult than many politicians realize, especially if it’s their first time in political office. This year three elected officials have significant challenges with the transition to governance: Gov. Rick Scott, Congressman Jeff Miller and Mayor Ashton Hayward.

Rick Scott, our new governor, promised to remake state government, reduce spending to 2004 levels, which is about a $13 million cut, and create 700,000 new private-sector jobs. Nine months and over $70 million later, Scott, who has never held political office or even been active in community service, has assumed control of our state government.

His biggest challenge could be getting the state legislature to go along with his changes.

Even though both the state house and senate are controlled by Republicans, Scott will get some pushback from the lawmakers. He will have to tactfully handle their power games,

something not always easy for a millionaire CEO. Our Congressman Jeff Miller has been rewarded for his years of faithful service to the Republican Party with chairmanship of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

He is faced with revamping a system that has a big backlog of claims and he must eliminate the adversarial feeling that many veterans have toward the VA. There are more than 100,000 veterans in Miller’s district. They will expect him to deliver.

Mayor Ashton Hayward ran on his “20 Solutions for 2011.” He set a high bar for his administration to come out of the gate making changes. His solutions include functional consolidation, cutting the budget and economic development. He promised to jumpstart the West Side Development plan and build the Woodland Heights Community Center and the West Side Library.

Hayward did misfire with his transition team, which he had promised would “reflect Pensacola’s diversity.” The 10-member team that has been meeting since Thanksgiving has one female and one minority. It looks more like a Wonder Bread commercial from the Eisenhower years than today’s Pensacola. They are all good white men and probably have worked hard, but they are hardly a reflection of the city’s diversity.

Hayward has promised to fix the problem, but it does show the difficulty his team has in paying attention to the commitments made by their candidate. In no way am I advocating a quota system, but Hayward made the promise, not me.

My expectation is that all three elected officials will have wins and losses during their tenures. If the wins outweigh the losses, then they will be returned to office.

Otherwise, we will have a whole new set of promises to critique in 2012 and 2014. rick@inweekly.net

viewpoint

KOREA: A FRESH APPROACH

BY MICHAEL N. NAGLER AND STEPHANIE N. VAN HOOK

ON THE BUS FROM INCHEON AIRPORT to Seoul National

conspicuously absent here— that the people of North University, where we were Korea—yes, including their going to participate in a sixleadership—are rational. They culture nonkilling explorhave a problem: they want reatory seminar, we found ourspect, fulfillment of their baselves across the aisle from a sic needs, security and (as far young fellow eager to show us as the people themselves are pictures of his recent trip to concerned) freedom. If they NAGLER the North. Groups of South use extreme and sometimes Koreans have until recently counterproductive methods to been regularly going across the border to achieve these results it is because they do help sew the fabric of the divided country not know any better. Do we? back together. In fact, we were soon to exIf we do, our approach should be not perience the poignant yearning for reunito force them to give up on these goals fication among people in South Korea and but to help them find other, less extreme, infer that it must be at least as strong in ways of achieving them. So far the apthe North. The war games going on right proach I’m describing is well known and now–at least as far as the Korean people has a well developed methodology that are concerned–is a lovers’ quarrel.

Those can be nasty, but that is not the main trouble—there is not much room for the Korean people to work this out on their own. Superpowers rarely show much concern for the nations in whose fates they intervene—or for that matter, much wisdom. That is why the Korean conf lict seems intractable—and also why it has to be resolved. If it is not, global hostilities goes by the name of Nonviolent Commucould be reignited. nication, or NVC. So it was with interest that I scanned But what if it doesn’t work? What if a recent editorial in a newspaper of record the North Korean leadership clings to listing possible scenarios and four things their destructive pattern of behavior, as we (the U.S. and available allies) could do is not uncommon in extreme conf licts? about the rising tensions. The first was Then it will be time for what Gandhi violent. So was the second. So were the called Satyagraha, which has the power, third and the fourth (that the U.S. and as he showed, to “compel reason to be South Korea could simply outmaneuver free.” Koreans are no strangers to this the North with our superior technology science. They used it successfully in and weapons). their dangerous uprising against the Anyone who studies conf lict knows that there are two ways to go about resolving one. There is of course a violent path, which leads ultimately to war, but there is also a nonviolent one that leads to reconciliation and the resumption of normal ties. Scholars and Syngman Rhee regime in the “April 19th activists alike know that the latter are far Movement” of 1960. Last year Buddhist less costly, in life and property, and they monks, who for centuries had kept to are really the only choice if we want a themselves, joined with popular demonpermanent solution without the residue of strations against the insane governmenthatred that follows conquest. But public sponsored scheme to dig a canal across discourse and state policy are perfectly the Korean peninsula (the results of that innocent of this knowledge, almost as if campaign are pending). the participants inhabit the world of video Popular resistance, based on the nongames and “action movies” rather than violent methodologies that have sprung historical experience and scientific logic. up steadily since Gandhi and King, could So conf lict science, if we could inject it be used to compel the government to into the discourse, might just work wonadopt reconciliatory, mutually respectders. What would it tell us? ful approaches to the North, despite U.S. As in any conf lict, large or small, one pressure. In fact—and literally volumes has to start with the assumption—so far could be written on this—nonviolence

could effectively be brought to bear both within the two Koreas and between them.

Furthermore, nonviolence is not limited to resistance. The other string to the nonviolent bow is what Gandhi called “constructive programme.” There is much Koreans could do—with the judicious help of international non-profits—to build bridges toward northerners, who after all have some dire physical needs that could be addressed in a respectful way (as was done in Sri Lanka by the longstanding Sarvodaya movement).

While we’ve been stressing what Koreans could do without, indeed despite, U.S. or other foreign intervention, it is not to say that we should take a handsoff attitude. Rather, we should say to the policymakers we can reach, ‘if you want to interfere, interfere usefully.’

U.S. intervention came down on the side of the student-led uprising (for once) against President Slobodan Milośevič in Serbia ten years ago, with the result that he was deposed bloodlessly and inexpensively (after a hugely expensive NATO campaign had failed to do this in much more time).

Nonviolence can be learned, up to a point, as can any other method of peace and reconciliation. At present there are as far as I can tell no peace studies programs per se in the educational system of the South (not to mention the North!); the South Korean system could be rapidly brought up to speed, ensuring that the next generation would not have to wait until tensions rose as high as they are now to resolve their conf licts. Koreans themselves are quite ready for this.

Behind the saber-rattling we’re hearing about there has been a tentative diplomatic opening between the two sides recently, which we should take advantage of, not to mention that the General Secretary of the UN is a Korean. But let us not be content with just another standoff, which is about the best normal diplomacy, left to itself, would bring. The Korean people and the world want and deserve more.

They want and deserve real peace, leading in due course to reunification—and with the right means all of this is possible.

THE KOREAN PEOPLE AND THE WORLD WANT AND DESERVE MORE. THEY WANT AND DESERVE REAL PEACE, LEADING IN DUE COURSE TO REUNIFICATION—AND WITH THE RIGHT MEANS ALL OF THIS IS POSSIBLE.

SUPERPOWERS RARELY SHOW MUCH CONCERN FOR THE NATIONS IN WHOSE FATES THEY INTERVENE—OR FOR THAT MATTER, MUCH WISDOM.

info@inweekly.net

–Michael Nagler and Stephanie Van Hook are president and director of the Metta Center for Nonviolence Education.

INDEPENDENT NEWS | JANUARY 06, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

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news

RESTORATIVE JUSTICE PILOT PROGRAM HALTED

SCHOOL DISTRICT REJECTS ALTERNATIVE TO ZERO TOLERANCE GRANT

BY DUSTIN TONEY

R

estorative Justice offered his daughter salvation from the harsh punishments handed out under the Escambia County School District’s zero tolerance program. John S., who asked to remain anonymous to protect his middle schooler’s identity, believed the short-lived program gave his daughter the second chance she needed.

“My daughter had never been in trouble before. She played sports and was on the A honor roll,” said the father. She got into an altercation at school with another student. The father was worried about his daughter carrying the incident on her transcripts into high school.

“The school told me about this new program. I had a chance to sit in and see what it was about. They were open enough to allow me to ask whatever questions I had. They did an excellent job explaining everything in detail,” John S. told the IN. After he and his daughter met school officials, they were able to work out a plan to restore his daughter’s record and get her back into the classroom.

ALTERNATIVE TO ZERO TOLERANCE

The Restorative Justice program was initiated in the School District with the help of a three-year $945,000 grant from The Florida Bar Foundation. In 2009, the Florida Legislature passed SB 1540 that required children no longer be referred to law enforcement for minor violations such as bringing plastic butter knives to school, drawing pictures of guns or throwing an eraser. The law was intended to reduce the number of school referrals that result in students entering the criminal justice system, feeding what has become known as the “school-to-jail pipeline.” The School District needed an

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alternative to suspensions and expulsions issued under the old zero tolerance policy for such violations.

The Florida Bar Foundation in conjunction with the Collins Center for Public Policy established a proactive grant program to help implement alternative programs. The Collins Center selected Escambia County as a pilot project for its Restorative Justice initiative.

Warrington Middle, Woodham Middle, Workman Middle, and Bellview Middle schools were selected. The Collins Center’s research had found that roughly a quarter of the 10,500 students in Escambia County middle schools had received outof-school suspensions in recent years.

After a few months of working out details and coming to an agreement, the Florida Bar Foundation provided a portion of the first year’s funding in April 2010. The school was to given the $945,000 over a course of three years. The program was called “Escambia County Alternatives to Zero-tolerance Program.” It was to give students who break the rules and disrupt the educational process a chance to avoid suspension or expulsion by entering the program.

Escambia County Schools Superintendent Malcolm Thomas said when the grant was announced the he was committed to keeping students in school when they get into trouble, rather than removing them from the academic environment through suspensions or expulsions. He hoped the pilot program would become a model for other districts.

By October 2010, the School District had notified The Florida Bar Foundation that it was dropping the pilot program and wouldn’t accept the remaining two years of the grant.

TOO MANY CONTROLS?

Jane Curran, executive director at the Florida Bar Foundation, states that she was not notified on why the school district chose to cancel. She said, “They just said that they did not want to go forward with it.”

Superintendent Thomas was not available for comment. In a letter addressed

| INDEPENDENT NEWS | JANUARY 06, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

to Curran, he said, “We deeply regret that grant activities... will terminate on October 29. While the Escambia County School Board remains committed to the principles of Restorative Justice, programmatic concerns preclude the continuation of the Florida Bar Foundation program.”

Steve Marcanio, Director of Middle Schools for the county, told the IN the School Board canceled the grant because the contingencies and conditions kept changing. “The training we invested in has paid off and my schools have been encouraged to continue to use the process as a strategy when it is appropriate,” said Marcanio, but he wouldn’t identify what contingencies or conditions were changing.

The School Board approved Superintendent Thomas’s recommendation to terminate the The Florida Bat Foundation grant at a special meeting on Sept. 30, 2010. The minutes from the meeting give no specific reasons why. They state: “The Superintendent noted that the School District remained committed to the principles of Restorative Justice; however, programmatic concerns precluded the continuation of the Florida Bar Foundation program.”

The School Board did not ask for any information from parents, students or others involved in the program. The vote to terminate was unanimous.

The grant did carry many conditions in which the school district was obliged to follow if it wanted to keep receiving funds. Exact guidelines for the spending of the money were set, and the money, by contract, could not be spent outside of those guidelines without permission from the Florida Bar Foundation. The School District had to provide specific budget projections to the Collins Center, who would oversee the entire program, and issue detailed reports on the progress of the pilot program.

The majority of the grant money was to be used to hire people. Ninety-five percent of the first $300,000 was allocated to the school district for contracts with outside agencies and employees. Twenty University of West Florida social work interns were to be paid $2,000 each for their services in implementing the program in the middle schools.

Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church had a contract for $20,000 for “community support for the model, additional capacity building activities and parent support groups.” Village Architects,

a Tallahassee-based consulting firm, was paid $10,000 to train program coordinators and faculty members in the ways of Restorative Justice.

All of these groups, including various parents and students from the student government associations at the various schools, would comprise School Accountability Boards, which would individually overlook all appropriate disciplinary actions.

“We were proud of the training.

Numerous teachers and folk had a very big interest in trying to set this program up. They were impressed and happy to do it,” said CEO of Village Architects Dale Landry. “I know it works very well. I’ve been working with Restorative Justice in other places since 1998. I’ve seen it work.”

CHANGE IS HARD

Robin Reshard, program director for the non-profit Bethel Youth Development and who served on a School Accountability Board, is disappointed the Superintendent canceled the pilot program. She said that it was impossible to gauge how well the program worked overall because it was still very new and abruptly changed.

“I think change is hard,” said Reshard.

“I think the School District pulled out because we are looking at change and when you look at change you are going to go through some very uncomfortable things.

We ended up suffocating because we didn’t want to stretch.”

Reshard believes the changes away from zero tolerance were “inconvenient” for the School District. “In my mind it really isn’t about the money. It goes back to the institutional mindset that we need to overcome. You can do that without the money. The money certainly gives you the interest to bring in the resources and new ideas, but changing your mind about how students are educated doesn’t cost a dime.”

Despite cancellation of the Restorative Justice pilot program, parents like John S. remain hopeful in alternative forms of punishment. “Personally, it was something that I was willing to work with because of what I believe it can do for children in Escambia County,” said John S. “The program was set up in general to put parents down with their children.

I believe kids should still have a future without a label attached to their name.” info@inweekly.net

buzz community partnerships that implement progressive practices in violence prevention, intervention, suppression and reentry.

The community stakeholders invited to the meeting include Escambia/Pensacola law enforcement, UWF, Escambia County School District, Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of ComEscambia County has 138,000 housing units per survey. merce, juvenile justice HOUSING BY THE NUMBERS The U.S. Census officials, church leaders, Bureau recently released the 2005-2009 social service agencies, civic organizaAmerican Community Survey, which tions, Escambia/Pensacola elected officials, showed that 15 percent of the Escambia community/neighborhood leaders, and County’s 138,000 housing units were vacant. corporate leaders.

Of those occupied housing units, 79,000 (67 Also, Hawthorne plans to announce at percent) were owner occupied and 39,000 (33 the meeting the acquisition and developpercent) were renter occupied. ment of a “one-stop” facility that will beSeven percent of the households did not come the headquarters for P.A.T.H. Rumors have telephone service and eight percent of are that the facility may be part of the old the households did not have access to a car, Brownsville Middle School campus, with truck or van for private use. Multi-vehicle Habitat for Humanity buying some of the households were not rare. Thirty-nine school acreage for a housing project. percent had two vehicles and another 16 percent had three or more. The report didn’t SELECTIVE MEMORY Escambia County Susay whether the vehicles ran or not. perintendent of Schools Malcolm Thomas The median monthly housing costs for has been telling community leaders that mortgaged owners was $1,207, for nonfour Escambia County high schools scored mortgaged owners $362, and for renters well enough in 2010 to be “A” schools. They $802. Thirty-eight percent of the homeownaren’t, but that doesn’t stop him from trying ers had mortgages, 14 percent of the owners to call them that. He blames the new gradwere without mortgages, and 55 percent of ing system that “penalized” his schools bethe renters in Escambia County spent 30 cause all the students didn’t make adequate percent or more of their household income yearly progress. on housing.

It’s sort of like when your teenager comes home and tells you that he would RESPONDING TO STREET VIOLENCE The Gulf have made an A if they didn’t have to take Coast African American Chamber of all of the test….just the parts they wanted Commerce (GCAACC) is taking the lead to take. in developing a community strategy to help address issues within our community that may have led to the major increase in violent crime and gang activity.

The initiative is called the P.A.T.H. (Providing Avenues To Hope) Program Initiative. The GCAACC is currently organizing a community stakeholders meeting to unveil in late January a strategic implementation plan that employs the best practices of successful crime/gang reduction programs from across the nation.

According to George Hawthorne, GCAACC executive director, the initiative is designed to reduce gang crime in targeted neighborhoods by incorporating researchbased interventions to address individual, family and community factors that contribute to violent crime, juvenile delinquency and gang activity. The program will leverage local, state and federal resources in support of Will $5 gas help build ECAT ridership?

Well, the rest of the state likes the new scoring system. The Orlando Sentinel reported high school grades had jumped dramatically last year, producing a record number of A and B schools. Of the hundreds of high schools statewide that improved their grade under the state’s new formula, about half would have seen no change at all under the old system. Only 22 schools statewide fared worse with the new method than they would have with the old one.

Of those 22 high schools that fared worse, two–Pine Forest and Escambia–are in Escambia County. They dropped from C’s to D’s.

For the record, Escambia County has seven public high schools. Two are D’s and four are B’s. West Florida High is the only A school, if you count all sections of the grading system.

GOOD YEAR AHEAD FOR ECAT? The Florida Public Transportation AsSuperintendent Thomas creates his own grading system. sociation, the nonprofit said, “People know they can save a lot of association that promotes public transit, money when they choose to take public reports that some experts are predicting transportation to work instead of driving Americans could be paying $5 per gallon alone. In 2008, we as an industry found of gasoline by 2012. The last time gasoline out that $4 per gallon tends to be a tipping in Florida reached $4 per gallon, nearly point, where large numbers of Floridians every transit system in the state reported start taking the bus or train to work.” record ridership.

The American Public Transportation Wes Watson, Executive Director of the Association (APTA) reported in December Florida Public Transportation Association that riding public transportation saves individuals an average $9,581 annually.

Mr. Watson expressed concern whether transit agencies that have had their budgets cut in recent years will be able to keep up with expected demand. He said, “Public transportation infrastructure is essential to getting people to work, yet about 80 percent of transit agencies nationally have raised fares or cut service during the recession.

Now that gas is rising again and the population of Florida is growing again, it’s time to make sound investment in public transportation…the last thing the workforce needs is more transit budget and service cuts.”

The Escambia County Commission and the City of Pensacola have debated permanent funding sources for Escambia County Transit Authority (ECAT) for the past four years without working one out. Expect the topic to come back up for discussion if gasoline prices continue to climb.

INDEPENDENT NEWS | JANUARY 06, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

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family sports complex

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C Y B E R B U L L I E S TA R G E T G AY H I G H S C H O O L A N D C O L L E G E S T U D E N T S

O

n Sept. 22, 2010, an accomplished young violinist and freshman at Rutgers University killed himself. Tyler Clementi, 18, was by all accounts an incredibly talented musician who had a promising future awaiting him. Tyler Clementi was also gay and was the subject of harassment because of his sexuality, leading directly to his suicide.

From what is known of the incident, Clementi’s roommate set up a secret web camera in their shared dorm room at Rutgers and streamed video images live on the Internet of Clementi having sex with another man. When Clementi found out that his sexual encounter was streamed live to the world, he reported the incident, attended orchestra rehearsal, and used the very technology that may be responsible for his death to say his final goodbye.

By Scott Satterwhite In a moment of despair, Tyler Clementi changed his Facebook status to “jumping off gw bridge sorry.” Clementi then went to the top of the George Washing-

"WHEN I WAS 18, WHICH WAS CLEMENTI'S AGE, I WAS PROFOUNDLY AFRAID OF HOW MY LIFE WOULD BE DESTROYED SHOULD PEOPLE DISCOVER I WAS GAY.” —BRENT COX, A GAY RIGHTS ACTIVIST FROM PENSACOLA ton Bridge in nearby New York City and jumped to his death.

Clementi’s suicide garnered national attention in part because of the distinct technological dimensions to the harassment

he faced. While his death was unique, as a young gay man considering suicide—and succeeding—Tyler Clementi was not alone.

Unlike previous suicides within the gay community, this tragedy seemed to find a certain resonance throughout the country. In a statement released by Clementi’s parents, Joe and Jane Clementi wrote that the “outpouring of emotion and support from our friends, community and family—and from people across the country—has been humbling and deeply moving.”

The family’s greatest hope was that their son’s death would not be in vain.

Their statement read, that “regardless of legal outcomes, our hope is that our family's personal tragedy will serve as a call for compassion, empathy and human dignity.”

The response has been overwhelming.

Across college campuses throughout the

nation, the tragic death of Tyler Clementi became an opportunity to ref lect on the effects of anti-gay harassment, both in society and on the Web. UWF professor Gregory Tomso said that he spent “most of the day in a state of disbelief ” after learning about the circumstances surrounding Clementi’s death. Professor Tomso, who teaches courses on gender and sexuality, said that his shock soon “gave way to a deep sadness, followed by anger.”

In his outrage over the incident, Tomso was not alone.

Brent Cox, a gay rights activist from Pensacola, said that he was “shocked and saddened” by the news of Clementi’s death. Cox said, “When I was 18, which was Clementi's age, I was profoundly afraid of how my life would be destroyed should people discover I was gay.”

INDEPENDENT NEWS | JANUARY 06, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

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Cox, a 43-year-old former student at the University of West Florida, said he previously viewed his own sexuality through this fear of being discovered.

“I don't recall ever thinking that I could come out and it would be empowering,” Cox continued.

“I only thought of how people would discover that I was secretly this thing people hated.

I mention this because I can only imagine with horror how humiliating Clementi's outing must have been.”

For many, the circumstances surrounding Clementi’s death added a new element to this tragedy that only helped to heighten the attention it received.

Dr. Kevin Bailey, the Vice President of Student Affairs at UWF said that when he first heard of Clementi’s death, “the word I would use to describe my feelings was ‘appalled.’”

In a message to the student body concerning the suicide of Clementi—as well as another student, Raymond Chase of Johnson and Wales University—and the issue of anti-gay harassment, Bailey issued a statement.

“This abhorrent behavior exhibited by one college student against another college student is unacceptable and should not be tolerated by anyone who believes in human dignity and the inherent worth of others,” read Bailey’s letter to the student body.

Although the sexual act broadcast live on the Web was not believed to have been recorded or seen by many people, the public nature of Clementi’s “outing” has added a new dimension to the phenomenon of what has become known as “cyberbullying.”

“When we think of cyberbullying, we think of playground stuff,” said Bailey, “but when we add (social media and technology) it takes bullying to a whole new level.”

Although bullying has nearly always been an unfortunate component of the movement from childhood to adulthood, the advent of social media websites has only made the problem worse, especially for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth.

“Just think about the typical high school environment and all the kids that don’t fit into this narrow box of what is (perceived to be) ‘normal’ or ‘ok,’” said Bailey. “Then, add the LGBT component—

“WHEN WE THINK OF CYBERBULLYING, WE THINK OF PLAYGROUND STUFF,” SAID BAILEY, “BUT WHEN WE ADD (SOCIAL MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY) IT TAKES BULLYING TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL.” — DR. KEVIN BAILEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF STUDENT AFFAIRS AT UWF whether you meet stereotypes, whether you are out of the closet, or whether people simply think you are gay—then that comes with a whole new set of issues.”

There are several reasons why cyberbullying is different, and in many ways more psychologically damaging than traditional schoolyard bullying. Unlike bullying that takes place at school, a cyberbully can follow a target virtually anywhere in the world. Since the harassment is often posted on a social media website, the offending remark is potentially available for the entire world to see.

This viral effect becomes increasingly damaging to the victim as there is a perception that everyone has seen the remark.

While young women are generally at a slightly higher risk of cyberbullying than young men, those perceived to be gay are frequent targets of bullies.

According to the Cyberbullying Research Center, approximately one in five young adults has been the victim of bullying over the Internet.

While technology has been blamed for the perception of an increase in anti-gay harassment, some argue that new technologies have only changed the medium by making it “very easy to violate people's privacy,” said Professor Tomso.

“But I don't know if (the Internet has) really changed anything. LGBT people have long been the targets of violence, and they remain so today,” said Tomso.

10 | INDEPENDENT NEWS | JANUARY 06, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) reported that nearly nine out of 10 LGBT high school students experienced some type of harassment related to their sexual orientation in 2009. According to GLSEN, of all LGBT youth, transgender teens appear to suffer the worst harassment in school with nine out of 10 transgender students reporting harassment. A quarter of transgender students reported being physically attacked because of their gender identity status; some have even been killed.

Though social media sites such as Facebook and MySpace have been blamed for giving a new medium to bullies, others see potentially positive aspects to this same technology.

“In one sense, (harassment has) increased because technology provides an open forum for anonymous criticism,” says Brent Cox. “This same technology, however, has also greatly empowered more LGBT youth than anything else I can imagine—even more than Stonewall.”

“Today, almost any kid in rural Mississippi ‘knows’ someone gay if (she or he is) also on Facebook. The gay person is a friend of a friend, or (the young person) stumbles across some gay-positive Facebook page,” said Cox, who currently resides in Mississippi.

“Just (a few) years ago, that same kid may never have even heard the word 'gay' except as a slur…(this) medium has provided unprecedented information and support that counters and weakens the bullying.”

“IT GETS BETTER”

One of the major online forces in the fight to counter anti-gay harassment is the Web-based project “It Gets Better.”

The It Gets Better Project was started by syndicated columnist Dan Savage in response to a string of high-profile suicides

by LGBT youths just prior to Tyler Clementi’s suicide. Before Clementi’s death, the project started with Savage and his partner making a YouTube video that related the couple’s individual experiences growing

up, coming out, and the harassment they both received in school.

The overriding message, however, is not the harassment and despair awaiting some gay youth, but what they say is a message of hope: “Life gets better.”

After Clementi’s dramatic suicide and the media attention his death garnered, support for the It Gets Better Project (itgetsbetter.org) increased much more than Savage could have predicted.

Within a month of Clementi’s death, video postings for the It Gets Better Project received over 10 million views on YouTube. Hundreds of people, ranging from internationally-known celebrities to several students at the University of West Florida, posted personal videos of encouragement to LGBT youth facing anti-gay harassment.

“That website is great,” said Steven Walker, a student at the University of West Florida and member of the GayStraight Alliance.

Several politicians, mostly Democrats, also posted videos. The most famous politician to post a video to the website was President Barack Obama. “(I am) saddened by the deaths of several young people who were bullied and taunted for being gay, and who ultimately took their own lives,” says President Obama in his video for the It Gets Better Project.

“As a parent of two daughters, it breaks my heart. It’s something that just shouldn’t happen in this country.”

President Obama adds that it is important to “dispel the myth that bullying is just a normal rite of passage,” going on to state the importance of ensuring the nation’s schools are safe places for LGBT youth. The president then strikes a personal tone with his message.

“I don’t know what it’s like to be picked on for being gay,” explains President Obama, “but I do know what it’s like to grow up feeling that sometimes you don’t belong. It’s tough. And for a lot of kids, the sense of being alone or apart—I know can just wear on you…but what I want to say is this: you are not alone.”

Similar messages were posted by Vice President Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, and numerous members of the president’s cabinet and party. As a response to the suicides, the White House even launched its own website (whitehouse.gov/itgetsbetter) where the president’s video is posted, along with various other videos and links to suicide prevention hotlines and resources for LGBT youth, family, and friends.

“Dan Savage's ‘It Gets Better’ campaign is one example of how the perception of anti-gay bullying and gay suicide has improved,” said Brent Cox. “I'm not overstating when I say my life would have radically changed if, as a teenager, I could have watched the videos in that series. Countless kids today are watching those videos and their lives are changing.”

In one of the most popular videos on the website, comedian Sarah Silverman offers her thoughts on the string of suicides.

The popular comedian and television star sees the issue as very political and uses her video to address the nation.

“Dear America,” Silverman begins, “when you tell gay Americans that they can’t serve their country openly or marry the person that they love, you’re telling that to kids, too.”

Silverman continues, “So don’t be (expletive) shocked and wonder where these bullies are coming from that are torturing young kids and driving them to kill themselves because they’re different. They learned it from watching you.”

It Gets Better Project founder Dan Savage agrees. As the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the military’s law barring openly gay service members, appeared to be stalling, Savage urged supporters to take action. In a post dated Dec. 8, 2010, Savage asked readers, “Does the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military impact LGBT youth?”

His answer was emphatic. “Yes, it does.”

The 17-year-old policy “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” prohibits those in the LGBT community from serving their country.

According to Savage, this “government-sanctioned discrimination (policy) against LGBT people—adults and youth—legitimizes antigay attitudes and empowers the bullies.”

After a contentious debate in the U.S. Senate, the repeal of this long-standing policy came to a vote. On Dec. 18, 2010, the ban on gays serving openly in the military was lifted.

The vote was 63-33, with eight Republicans siding with the Democratic majority.

Upon hearing news of the Senate’s repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” President Obama issued a statement. “Gay and lesbian service members—brave Americans who enable our freedoms—will no longer have to hide who they are. The fight for civil rights, a struggle that continues, will no longer include this one.”

PROTESTS AND COUNTER-PROTESTS

As the Department of Defense now prepares to allow for the admission of openly gay service members, the potential for a more robust conversation on the issue of equal rights for LGBT people emerges.

“Just because we are making great strides nationwide in the area of LGBT civil rights, that doesn't mean that homophobia, bigotry and prejudice have been eliminated,” said UWF professor Greg Tomso.

“Sometimes people fail to understand how difficult it is to be lesbian or gay in a society that still views those sexualities as evil or perverse.”

For LGBT students in the Pensacola region, it would not be hard to find those opposed to civil rights for the LGBT community. Congressman Jeff Miller (R-FL), who represents Northwest Florida in the U.S. Congress, has consistently stood in opposition to both gay marriage and the repeal

This demonstration, however, was met with a larger counter-demonstration. Interestingly, many of the counter-demonstrators present at this protest also professed to be Christians. In what could be seen as part of Pensacola’s regional flair, gay-friendly Christian counter-protests are also a fairly common scene at the larger anti-gay protests, even the ones in front of Emerald City.

Though the opposition to LGBT civil rights is vocal, it is not universal. Neither is anti-gay harassment, especially on campus.

In an Oct. 29, 2009 article from the UWF campus newspaper The Voyager, Stephen Loveless, former president of the UWF Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), said that he had never felt discrimination for the organization by any faculty or staff at the university. “As a whole, UWF is a gay-friendly campus," said Loveless. While Loveless mentioned minor instances of harassment on campus and acknowledged the conservative power structure in the Pensacola region, he still maintained that UWF was a positive place for gay students.

Steven Walker agrees. A graduate student studying psychology at UWF, Walker said, “I think most people in the GSA would agree that, overall, UWF is pretty gay-friendly.”

Walker points to the successful addition of gender identity as a category covered under the university’s discrimination category as proof of the politically progressive leanings on campus, as well as the very existence of the GSA. “When we started out, (the GSA) used to meet in a small room in the back of the school. Now, we’re very large and have a pretty strong presence on campus,” explained Walker.

The Gay-Straight Alliance has been one of the most active student groups on campus for a number of years, most recently spearheading a campaign to have gender identity listed under UWF’s discrimination code.

After thousands of signatures were collected by the GSA for a petition to include transgender students in the university’s discrimination policy, the petition was presented to the Student Government Association. The university’s SGA approved the measure and sent it to the administration for approval.

Though initially opposed by the administration claiming that a change in the university’s policy was unnecessary, the initiative was eventually approved after successful protest actions by the GSA and the SGA. However, full equality for UWF’s LGBT community has not yet arrived.

To date, the University of West Florida has continued to deny domestic partner benefits to its students and faculty. This move runs counter to the policies of several major universities throughout Florida, including the University of Florida, the University of North Florida, and the University of South Florida.

"DON’T BE (EXPLETIVE) SHOCKED AND WONDER WHERE THESE BULLIES ARE COMING FROM THAT ARE TORTURING YOUNG KIDS AND DRIVING THEM TO KILL THEMSELVES BECAUSE THEY’RE DIFFERENT. THEY LEARNED IT FROM WATCHING YOU.” —SARAH SILVERMAN of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Miller has also been a vocal opponent of the inclusion of sexuality as a category to be covered under current hate crime laws, stating that inclusion of sexuality or gender identity is simply unnecessary. Congressman Miller remained consistent in his opposition to all of these measures throughout his terms in the U.S. Congress and has voted accordingly.

Outside the halls of Congress, another common sight of anti-gay sentiment that can be seen throughout the city, especially downtown across from local gay bars, is that of Christians protesting the very presence of homosexuals. This is especially common during the Memorial Day weekend, a traditionally gay-friendly holiday in the Pensacola area where thousands of LGBT tourists f lock to the region’s beaches. Christian-led protests against the patrons of Emerald City, Pensacola’s largest gay bar, often escalate to screaming matches outside the bar among protesters, patrons, and counter-protesters.

Even on UWF’s main campus, street preachers occasionally take to the Free Speech Zone to preach what they perceive as the ills of homosexuality. On Oct. 20, a national day of remembrance for the recent LGBT victims of suicide, the campus Free Speech Zone was the scene of a small, but vocal Christian demonstration condemning homosexuality.

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Don’t Miss!

From Russia with Love: Selections from The Rabourn Collection through January 23rd Youth Art Focus Enjoy the artwork of over 500 K-12 Escambia County School students as well as their teachers showcased in this annual exhibit beginning January 7th.

Coming January 28th Paul Strand: The Mexico Portfolio

pensacola museum of art 407 s. jefferson street . pensacola, fl 32502 850.432.6247 www.pensacolamuseumofart.org

INDEPENDENT NEWS | JANUARY 06, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

11

“We're definitely behind the times on this issue (and) I know it hurts us when it comes to recruiting talented students and faculty,” Tomso remarked. “My own partner isn't even allowed to share my gym membership, whereas legally married couples can have joint memberships. It's never easy being a second class citizen on campus.”

Though Professor Tomso said he has been dealing with this type of discrimination for over two decades and has learned to adapt, he added that it has not been without difficulty. Considering the message these policies send to LGBT youth, Tomso said, “Imagine how a student who is just coming out must feel.”

How young people internalize official discrimination against LGBT citizens is often cited as a point of interest for those concerned about the rash of anti-gay bullying and the suicide problem amongst gay youth.

“The longer we continue to deny equal rights on campus to LGBT people, we contribute to the cultural bias against them,” said Tomso. “I'm not saying that this is the same as committing violence, but our failure to address issues like health insurance and other benefits does suggest that LGBT people are not as valuable as others. Who's to say that this doesn't contribute in some way to the

overall devaluation of LGBT people that led to the Rutgers incident?”

Cox, who helped launch the first Gay-Straight Alliance at UWF in the early 1990s, said that he first came out while he was in college at UWF and has been an activist ever since. After volunteering and working for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Pensacola, Cox relocated to Mississippi to work for that state’s main office of the ACLU in Jackson.

Though Cox has been out of the closet for over two decades, he admits that life is not easy for gay men and women living in the South.

“The truth is, I'm a strapping 6-feet1-inch, 200-pound, 43-year-old man who's completely out and eager to remind people that I'm gay,” said Cox. “Coming out in Mississippi is still a little radical, and I make a point of being vocal because I know it defies prejudice.

And I speak up for people who can't (or think they can't).” Cox added, “Gays and lesbians don't want to be tolerated, we want our equality respected. Love us or hate us, but don't let it infringe on my right to equal treatment under the law and equal opportunity for happiness."

"WE'RE DEFINITELY BEHIND THE TIMES ON THIS ISSUE (AND) I KNOW IT HURTS US WHEN IT COMES TO RECRUITING TALENTED STUDENTS AND FACULTY.” —GREGORY TOMSO, UWF PROFESSOR SUPPORT

While the harassment of LGBT youth appears to be on the rise, there are options available now that have never been available before. Ironically, the very technology that is often blamed for the problems related to anti-gay harassment may also hold some of the solutions.

Thinking back to a feeling of isolation from his youth, Brent Cox explained, “I do envy the younger LGBT community…[if I] were a teen today, I'd know that, yes, I'm gay, and when a bully called me a ‘faggot’ in school, I'd know that I have a legal right to be free from such harassment in a school setting, and how to contact the ACLU or Lambda Legal should my school fail to intervene.”

“More importantly,” Cox added, “I'd know the importance of coming out and standing up for my right to equality.”

12 | INDEPENDENT NEWS | JANUARY 06, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

Though many rights have been won for LGBT people throughout the nation, some in the local community have resisted these social changes. Though the University of West Florida may be seen as a somewhat liberal outpost in a sea of conservatives, the two communities are not that far apart and both have the potential to inf luence each other, and often do.

Conscious of the conservative sociopolitical dynamic within the area and its inf luence on campus, Dr. Kevin Bailey still says that the university needs to be proactive in its attention to potential anti-gay harassment, both online and on campus. One of the university’s strongest voices after the string of tragic suicides by gay youth, Dr. Bailey said that no matter what the political situation is off campus, the university still has a responsibility to support its students no matter how they identify themselves.

“If LGBT students are not getting the support they need (in the larger community), we need to be the ones to offer them that support.” info@inweekly.net

-Scott Satterwhite is a graduate student at the University of West Florida and teaches writing at Pensacola State College.

arts + entertainment ART, FILM, MUSIC, STAGE, BOOKS AND OTHER SIGNS OF CIVILIZATION...

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME BRETT HALEY CELEBRATE S DEBUT FILM, “ THE NEW YEAR”

BY JENNIE MCKEON

Trieste Kelly Dunn as Sunny in "The New Year" hen Brett Haley decided to make a film about going back home, he thought of only one place: Pensacola.

“Going back home, I got a lot of support from the community,” Haley said as he was packing for his trip to Pensacola.

“It was personal and practical.”

It was when Haley was working as an assistant to director John Hillcoat for the film “The Road” that he came up with the idea for his own film. After collaborating with his sister-in-law, Elizabeth Kennedy, a script was born.

“I was taking the train to work when I saw a bowling alley in the middle of nowhere,” Haley said as he zipped up his luggage. “I talked about the idea with Elizabeth and we wrote the script together. Elizabeth brought a lot of voice to the characters, especially Sunny.”

“The New Year” is about a woman named Sunny, played by Trieste Kelly Dunn, who left her junior year of college to return home and care for her sick father. Sunny works at the local bowling center, which was filmed at Cordova

W

Lanes. And yes, Haley was told to refer to Cordova Lanes as a bowling center— not alley.

Since Haley financed most of the film himself, he kept costs low by recruiting friends, local actors and using borrowed equipment. When the cameras weren’t on, the actors were behind the scenes helping the crew.

“The film cost about $8,000,” Haley said. “It was pretty much my own money, mostly credit cards. We were all in it together. People pitched in one way or another. We were a small, tight unit.”

Filming in Pensacola also helped keep the costs low. In January of 2009, Haley and his crew filmed “The New Year.” In two weeks, they shot at Cordova Lanes, a local park, Seville Quarter and even the house Haley grew up in.

“I wrote the movie to take place in Pensacola,” Haley said. “I specifically chose those places because they mean a lot to me.”

However, a penny saved isn’t always a penny earned.

“I don’t think the film will see a profit,” Haley said. “It’s not a genre film. It’s an honest character study. I made the film knowing I wouldn’t see a dime.

It’s not about making money.

I wanted to make something I was proud of.”

Whether or not “The New Year” makes any profit, the film has paid off. The film won Best Narrative Feature at the 2010 Sarasota Film Festival and was selected to play at the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival. Reviews for “The New Year” are generally positive.

“Ms. Dunn, Mr. Haley and the supporting players appear to have a fine future before them,” said Andy Webster in his review for The New York Times.

The good reviews have not only been great for Haley and his “supporting players,” but for Pensacola. When

“WHEN THE OIL SPILL HAPPENED, PEOPLE CONSTANTLY ASKED, ‘HOW’S PENSACOLA?’. IN A WAY, THE FILM IS A LOVE LETTER TO HOW BEAUTIFUL PENSACOLA IS. I’M HAPPY TO GIVE ANY EXPOSURE TO THE CITY.” —BRETT HALEY Haley began promoting “The New Year” in April, Pensacola and the rest of the panhandle area were making headlines for less exciting reasons. Haley not only answered questions about his film, but about the conditions of Pensacola.

“When the oil spill happened, people constantly asked, ‘How’s Pensacola?’”

Haley said. “In a way, the film is a love letter to how beautiful Pensacola is. I’m happy to give any exposure to the city.”

The success of “The New Year” was a surprise to Haley.

“The film was a small venture,” Haley said. “We had no expectations. To eventually

premiere and get a review in The New York Times feels pretty great. I’m over-the-moon.”

Even though this is considered his debut, Haley has made seven films before “The New Year.” Even with years of experience, Haley learned even more about filmmaking.

“I really learned a lot about actors,” Haley said. “To get the best out of actors you give up what you see in your head. Let the actors figure it out on their own, let them have the stage.”

Cinema 4 in Gulf Breeze will be the last stop for “The New Year” promotion.

The film will run from Friday, Jan. 7 through Thursday, Jan. 13. Showing times will be 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

“I’m excited to bring the movie home,” Haley said. “I’m ending it where it started.”

Haley’s short-term goal is to be at all 7 p.m. showings for question and answer sessions. He’s already working on his next film titled “Project X,” which will be an adaptation of the book by the same name

by Jim Shepard.

“You always have to be thinking of the next project and the project after that,” Haley added.

Make your New Year’s resolution to see this movie—not only because Pensacola has a starring role, but because it is an honest film.

“People take away their own meaning and message,” Haley said. “I don’t make films that have a message. I just want the audience to connect. It’s an honest, true depiction. It’s not trying to be more than what it is. It’s an endearing piece of work.” info@inweekly.net

“THE NEW YEAR”

WHEN: 1 p.m., 4 p.m., and 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 7 through Thursday, Jan. 13 WHERE: Gulf Breeze Cinema 4, Highway 98 in the Village Oak Shopping Center; 1175 Gulf Breeze Parkway COST: $6 matinee (1 p.m. and 4 p.m.), $8 evening; seniors and children $6 any time; 2-for-1 admission for Navarre residents DETAILS: gulfbreezecinema4.com, 916-9402, or thenewyearfilm.com

INDEPENDENT NEWS | JANUARY 06, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

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hot times THURSDAY 1.06 PENSACOLA MARDI GRAS KICK-OFF CELEBRATION The official beginning of the Mardi Gras season and the blessing of all Krewes and participants. Tentative schedule of events: 5 p.m. Palafox is closed to thru traffic between Garden and Government streets; 5:30 p.m. Floats and all media will be lined up and parked on Palafox Street; 7 p.m. Krewes and revelers show up; 8 p.m. Kick off and blessing ceremony starts at Palafox and Government streets; 8:20 p.m. Second line procession begins; 9:30 p.m. Incoming mayor performs official toast. Palafox from Garden to Government streets. 4347777 or pensacolamardigras.com.

▶staff pick HOLLOWMAN/BADWATER SET TO JAM WITH THE ORIGINAL OUTLAW

PERDIDO KEY SNOWBIRD ROOST 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. An event to welcome back returning winter residents. $2.

Perdido Bay Community Center, 13660 Innerarity Point Road. 492-4660 or perdidochamber.com.

‘RADIOLIVE’ Doors open at 5 p.m. Show starts at 6 p.m.

Admission is a donation of non-perishable food for Manna Food Pantries. Musical guests are New Orleansbased singer, songwriter, guitarist and composer Luke Winslow-King; custom songwriter and singer Erik Balkey; and pianist Scott Cossu with singer and violinist Mark Russell. Museum of Commerce, 405 S. Adams St. 474-2787 or wuwf.org.

CULTURE CLUB AT PMA 5:30-7:30 p.m. First Thursday of each month. Mix and mingle amid the visual and performing arts. The event includes wine, beer and hors d’oeuvres along with live music and artwork by featured artists.

Attendance is free but RVSP is requested. Must be 21 to attend. Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. 4326247 or cultureclub@pensacolamuseumofart.org.

ART CLASS AT PAINTING WITH A TWIST 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Bring your favorite bottle of wine or beverage, and paint a picture step by step that you will take home. 16 years and older. Theme: Beach Chairs at Sunset. Painting with a Twist, 4771 Bayou Blvd., Suite C-11. $35. 471-1450 or paintingwithatwist.com/pensacola.

MUSIC: DAVID ALL AN COE, HOLLOWMAN BADWATER 7:30 p.m. $20-$25. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 Palafox. vinylmusichall.com.

FRIDAY 1.07 PENSACOLA ICE FLYERS V. FAYETTEVILLE FIREANTZ 7 p.m.

The Hanger, Pensacola Civic Center, 201 E. Gregory St. 4320800 or pensacolaiceflyers.com.

ART CLASS AT PAINTING WITH A TWIST 6-9 p.m. Bring your favorite bottle of wine or beverage, and paint a picture step by step that you will take home. 16 years and older. Theme: Colors of the Caribbean. Painting with a Twist, 4771 Bayou Blvd., Suite C-11. $45. 471-1450 or paintingwithatwist.com/pensacola.

EVER’MAN MOVIE NIGHT 6 p.m. “Slumdog Millionaire”.

Join Ever’man for popcorn, hot chocolate and a movie. $2 per person. Ever’man Natural Foods, 315 W. Garden St. 438-0402 or everman.org.

MUSIC: TRUNK MONKEY 9 p.m. The Deck Bar at The Fish House, 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or fishhouse. goodgrits.com.

MUSIC: VINYL MUSIC HALL FREE EVENT SERIES 8 p.m.

Doors open; 9 p.m. show. DJ Albert Lao. 18 and over. Free.

Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox Place. vinylmusichall.com.

David Allan Coe

A

n outlaw will ride into town this Thursday, and a new sheriff will welcome him with a hearty handshake of old fashioned foot stompin‘ justice. The baddest of the bad, David Allan Coe, will be stopping into Vinyl Music Hall to sing a few songs and have a few kicks, and joining him in this night of revelry will be Pensacola’s own pint sized preacher’s daughter with a man sized attitude, Betsy Badwater, alongside her brother from another motherstring wizard, Lang Hollowman, and long time collaborator and good old friend Jeff Glickman.

Coe, who was one of the first, as well as one of the last remaining “Outlaws” of Country & Western music, is probably best known for his rough and tumble past and surly demeanor, when he should be remembered as one of the most prolific songwriters in the history of the genre. Having written tunes not only for himself, but also for many of country music’s biggest stars, as well as touring and jamming with anybody from Willie Nelson to members of Pantera, David Allan Coe has solidified his place as a true legend. Still touring and spreading the love, or hate, or whatever you want to call it, this working class hero is in it ‘til the wheels fall off. Finally, his travels bring him back to good ‘ol Pensacola.

Hollowman/Badwater are well known and in high demand in our sleepy little town. Having met each and every challenge that comes with going against the grain, the dynamic duo have worked tirelessly to stay true to their roots and play the kind of music that they grew up on and love so much.

Turns out, they aren’t the only ones eating it up.

SAME TIME, SAME PLACE

Pensacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beach. 932-2211 or sandshakerlounge.com.

▼KARAOKE

THURSDAY: Seville Quarter-Lili Marlene’s 8 p.m. Karaoke with Krazy George. 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter. com.

TUESDAY: Paddy O’Leary’s 9:30 p.m. 49 Via De Luna, Pensacola Beach. 916-9808 or paddyolearysirishpub.com.

WEDNESDAY: Sandshaker Lounge 9 p.m. Karaoke with Becky. 731

SATURDAY: Hub Stacey’s at The Point 9 p.m. Karaoke with Mark

14 | INDEPENDENT NEWS | JANUARY 06, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

There’s not a venue in town that isn’t licking their chops to have them back once they’ve played there, nor a soul left in the joint that isn’t a fan by the end of the show. Betsy, a self confessed preacher’s daughter with a wild streak, has been an old blues man trapped inside her dainty little frame.

Don’t get it twisted though, this lil’ lady is no damsel in distress. Very few women her size carry around a voice the size of ‘ol rocky top.

Betsy throws everything at you, including the kitchen sink from time to time, and leaves it all out there on the stage. Take it how you want to, but you best believe that you will feel something when she’s done. However, Betsy isn’t the only reason to have your eyes and ears front and center. Her companion in crime, Lang Hollowman is one of the most phenomenal guitarists along the Gulf Coast. His remarkable playing is just the thing to compliment the howling vocals of the red haired dame. Not only that, but Jeff Glickman, a true blues legend around these parts has put down his guitar and picked up the sticks to lay down the back beat. That’s three of the regions best of the best in one place at one time, all for the price of one! And you still get to see David Allan Coe after that! Now if that ain’t country, …..well,….. you know the rest.

You had better believe that this one is going to be a throw down. Come one and all to witness the old guard and the new guard making sweet music together. Whether you’re an old fan, or a pair of fresh ears looking to please your musical pallet, we invite you to come along for “The Ride”.

DAVID ALLAN COE WITH SPECIAL GUESTS HOLLOWMAN/BADWATER FEATURING JEFF GLICKMAN

WHEN: 9pm (Doors @7:30) Thursday, Jan. 6 WHERE: Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox Place COST: $20-$25 DETAILS: BetsyBadwater.net

SAME TIME, SAME PLACE

▼DRINK SPECIALS MONDAY: The Fish House 4-6 p.m. The Big Mix. All day, every day. All drinks buy one get one free. 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or goodgrits.com.

The Oar House 11 a.m.-close. Manic Monday. 1000 S. Pace Blvd. 549-4444 or the-oar-house.com.

TUESDAY: The Fish House 4-6 p.m. The Big Mix. All day, every day. All drinks buy one get one free. 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or goodgrits.com.

Hopjacks Pizza Kitchen & Taproom 7 p.m.-close.

Three-dollar holler. $3 anything. 10 S. Palafox Place.

497-6073 or hopjacks.com.

The Oar House 11 a.m.-close. Tequila Tuesday. The Oar House, 1000 S. Pace Blvd. 549-4444 or the-oarhouse.com.

WEDNESDAY: Angus Steakhouse 5 p.m. to close. Wind Down Wednesday. Enjoy $4 select martinis, $4 premium craft beers and half-off appetizers. 1101 Scenic Highway. 432-0539 or anguspensacola.com.

The Fish House 4-6 p.m. The Big Mix. All day, every day. All drinks buy one get one free. 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or goodgrits.com.

Jackson’s Steakhouse 5 p.m. Wine Down Wednesday. Every bottle of wine half off. 400 S. Palafox St. 469-9898 or jacksons.goodgrits.com.

The Oar House 11 a.m.-close. Wino Wednesday. 1000 S. Pace Blvd. 549-4444 or the-oar-house.com.

THURSDAY: The Fish House 4-6 p.m. The Big Mix. All day, every day. All drinks buy one get one free. 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or goodgrits.com.

FRIDAY: The Fish House 4-6 p.m. The Big Mix. All day, every day. All drinks buy one get one free. 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or goodgrits.com.

SATURDAY: The Fish House 4-6 p.m. The Big Mix. All day, every day. All drinks buy one get one free. 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or goodgrits.com.

Eskew. 5851 Galvez Road. 497-0071 or hubstaceys.com.

Hub Stacey’s Downtown 9 p.m. Karaoke with Krazy George.

312 E. Government St. 469-1001 or hubstaceys.com.

SUNDAY: Paddy O’ Leary’s 9:30 p.m. 49 Via De Luna, Pensacola Beach. 916-9808 or paddyolearysirishpub.com.

Seville Quarter 8 p.m.-2:30 a.m. Karaoke With Krazy George. Lili Marlene’s, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

SUNDAY: The Fish House 4-6 p.m. The Big Mix. All day, every day. All drinks buy one get one free. 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or goodgrits.com.

Hopjacks Pizza Kitchen & Taproom 11 a.m-2:30 a.m. Sucker-Free Sundays. All draft beers half price.

Hopjacks Pizza Kitchen and Taproom, 10 Palafox Place. 497-6073 or hopjacks.com.

S P O N S O R E D B Y

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PREMIERES JAN. 4

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When a criminal mastermind uses a trio of orphan girls as pawns for a grand scheme, he finds himself profoundly changed by the growing love between them.

A CIA agent goes on the run after a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy.

▲MOTHER AND CHILD Available On Demand January 13 STARRING: Naomi Watts, Annette Bening, Kerry Washington DIRECTOR: Rodrigo García GENRE: Drama MPAA RATING: Rated R for sexuality, brief nudity, and language.

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▶DESPICABLE ME Available On Demand January 6 STARRING: Voices of Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand DIRECTORS: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud GENRE: Animation, Comedy, Family MPAA RATING: Rated PG for rude humor and mild action.

Home for the Holidays with Movies On DEMAND! two On DEMAND movies, fill in the Buy 1, Get 1 FREE! Order coupon and mail with your Cox bill.

TUNE TO CHANNEL1

Name: _______________________________ Cox Account #: ___________________________ Movie Title: ___________________________ Date Viewed: ____________________________ Movie Title: ___________________________ Date Viewed: ____________________________ Promo Code 282IN01

Order using your Digital remote! Go to Channel 1

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Mail completed coupon to Cox/On DEMAND, 2205 La Vista Avenue, Pensacola, FL 32504. Coupon good for one On DEMAND movie priced at $4.99 or less; not valid for adult programming or special events; cannot be used with other offers. Limit one coupon per household per month. Void if altered or transferred; no photocopies or reproductions accepted. Account holder is responsible for all charges on his/ her account. Available to residential customers in Cox service areas. Cox Advanced TV, remote, receiver required. Digital cable ready TV’s and other devices equipped with a CableCard require a Cox digital receiver to receive On DEMAND programming. Some On DEMAND programming costs extra. On DEMAND cannot be recorded. All programming and rates are subject to change and may not be available in all areas. Names of programming services, features and/or programmers are the property of their respective owners. Other restrictions may apply. ©2011 Cox Florida/Georgia. All rights reserved.

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INDEPENDENT NEWS | JANUARY 06, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET | 15 1/3/11 9:09 AM

hot times SAME TIME, SAME PLACE

TUESDAY: McGuire’s Runners 6 p.m. McGuire’s Irish Pub, 600 E. Gregory St. mcguiresrunners.com.

Running Wild 6 a.m. Women-Only Morning Runs. 3012 E. Cervantes St. 435-9222 or werunwild.com.

Running Wild 6 a.m. Six at Six. Six mile-route for various abilities from a 10 minute per mile pace and faster. 3012 E. Cervantes St. 435-9222 or werunwild.com.

WEDNESDAY: Capt’N Fun Runners 6 p.m. Distance from 3 to 10 miles.

Pace varies. Quietwater Boardwalk, Pensacola Beach. captnfun.net.

THURSDAY: Running Wild 6 a.m. Women-Only Morning Runs. 3012 E. Cervantes St. 435-9222 or werunwild.com.

Running Wild 5:30 p.m. Steady-pace run for all levels of runners. 3012 E. Cervantes St. 435-9222 or werunwild.com.

▼RUNNING CLUBS MONDAY: Marlin Milers 6 p.m. The Grand Marlin, 400 Pensacola Beach Blvd. 677-9153.

Seville Quarter Milers 5:30 p.m.130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

SATURDAY 1.08 BEETHOVEN, BLUE JEANS & THE 1812 8 p.m. Featuring Pensacola Symphony Orchestra with first generation American piano phenom Adam Golka and performances by Ballet Pensacola. Pensacola Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox.

595-3882 or pensacolasaenger.com.

t

in

FRIDAY: Running Wild 9:30 a.m. Phat Girlz. Women only, all abilities running group. 3012 E. Cervantes St. 435-9222 or werunwild.com.

SATURDAY: Running Wild 6 a.m. Long run. 8-20 miles, supported hydration stops, marked courses, and pace leaders. 3012 E. Cervantes St. 435-9222 or werunwild.com.

FOOD SAMPLING EXTRAVAGANZA AT EVER’MAN 12 p.m. Experience new foods and flavors only available at Ever’man.

Sample foods like Quinoa, Teff and sautéed Dandelion greens. Also sample wheatgrass shots and nut butters. Free for everyone. Ever’man Natural Foods, 315 W. Garden St. 438-0402 or everman.org.

NEREIDS KING KAKE PARTY 7 p.m. Paradise Bar & Grill, 21 Via De Luna Drive. 916-5087 or paradisebar-grill.com.

FREE CANDLELIGHT TOUR OF FORT BARRANCAS 5 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War, Gulf Islands National Seashore will present a free candlelight tour of Fort Barrancas which will highlight Pensacola during that time period. Reservations required. Naval Air Station, Pensacola. 455-5167 or nps.gov/guis.

SAME TIME, SAME PLACE

ART CLASS AT PAINTING WITH A TWIST 7-9 p.m. Bring your favorite bottle of wine or beverage, and paint a picture step by step that you will take home. 16 years and older.

Theme: Graceland’s Wall. Painting with a Twist, 4771 Bayou Blvd., Suite C-11. $35. 471-1450 or paintingwithatwist.com/pensacola.

MUSIC: LIVE MUSIC 9 p.m. The Deck Bar at The Fish House, 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or fishhouse.goodgrits.com.

MUSIC: JOSH GARRETT & THE BOTTOMLINE 7 p.m.

Paradise Bar & Grill, 21 Via De Luna Drive. 916-5087 or paradisebar-grill.com.

MONDAY 1.10 THE COLOR PURPLE 7:30 p.m. A musical based on Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and moving film.

Nominated for eleven Tony Awards®, The Color Purple includes a Grammy®-nominated score of jazz, gospel and blues. Pensacola Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox. 595-3882 or pensacolasaenger.com.

COOKING CLASS AT DK 6-8 p.m. “Learn How to Roll Your Own Sushi”. Sushi Chef Dot Champ will help you learn the basics of how to make the perfect rice, how to roll it and how to incorporate different ingredients sushi recipes. Specially selected wines will be chosen to complement the sushi. $44.95. Distinctive Kitchens, 29 S. Palafox Place, 438-4688 or dk4u.com.

▼LADIES NIGHT TUESDAY: Angus Steakhouse 5 p.m. to close. First “one sipper” on the house. Half off beer, house wine, well and drink menu. Buy one item on the Lounge Menu and receive the second for half off. 1101 Scenic Highway. 432-0539 or anguspensacola.com.

WEDNESDAY: The Fish House Deck 5 p.m.-close. All drinks $2. 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or goodgrits.com.

Hub Stacey’s at The Point 5851 Galvez Road. 497-0071 or hubstaceys.com.

Paddy O’Leary’s 7 p.m. 49 Via De Luna, Pensacola Beach. 916-9808 or paddyolearysirishpub.com.

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Independent News is 100% advertiser supported. When you support our advertisers, you support the Independent News.

16 | INDEPENDENT NEWS | JANUARY 06, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

hot times MUSIC: BLUE MONDAY WITH JAZZ PENSACOLA 6 p.m. $8$15. Five Sisters Blues Café, 421 W. Belmont St. 912-4856 or fivesistersbluescafe.com.

TUESDAY 1.11 ‘SWEET TEA COOKING SERIES’ 6 p.m. The Fish House and its sister restaurant, Atlas Oyster House, are offering another series of cooking symposiums to preserve the art and tradition of fine Southern cooking, passing on our Southern traditions one recipe at a time. This month’s class is “Date Night: How to Host Your Own Sushi Rolling Party”. The Deck at the Fish House, 600 S. Barracks St. 748-9001 or fishhouse. goodgrits.com.

STUDENT MASK SHOW OPENING RECEPTION AT ARTEL 5-7 p.m. The reception includes hors d’oeuvres from Varona’s.

Winners from the exhibit will be announced during the award ceremony at the reception. Exhibit coordinator is Patti Wheeler, art teacher at N. B. Cook Elementary School of the Arts. Artel Gallery, 223 Palafox Place. 432-3080 or artelgallery.org.

WEDNESDAY 1.12 ‘THE INFORMANT’ AT UWF 6 p.m. Mark Whitacre, the subject of the movie “The Informant,” starring Matt Damon, shares the story of his life as a corporate whistleblower.

UWF Conference Center, 11000 University Parkway, Bldg 22.

474-2636 or uwf.edu.

SAME TIME, SAME PLACE ▼WINE TASTINGS THURSDAY: Aragon Wine Market 5-7 p.m. 27 S. Ninth Ave., aragonwinemarket.com FRIDAY: City Grocery 5:15-7:30 p.m. weekly. 2050 N. 12th Ave. 469-8100.

Distinctive Kitchens 4:30-7 p.m. Includes beer tastings. 29 S. Palafox Place. 438-4688 or dk4u.com.

Seville Quarter 5-7 p.m. Gift Shoppe at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

ART CLASS AT PAINTING WITH A TWIST 6-8 p.m. Bring your favorite bottle of wine or beverage, and paint a picture step by step that you will take home. 16 years and older. Theme: Zebra Print Shoe. Painting with a Twist, 4771 Bayou Blvd., Suite C-11. $35. 471-1450 or paintingwithatwist.com/pensacola.

MUSIC: HIP KITTY 9 p.m. The Deck Bar at The Fish House, 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or fishhouse.goodgrits.com.

SAME TIME, SAME PLACE WEBY_Your_Turn_3x6_FEB-5-2009.qxd

1/29/2009

1:40 PM

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WEEKDAY PROGRAMMING ▼REGULAR MUSIC GIGS MONDAY: Seville Quarter-Apple Annie’s 9 p.m. Musicians Alliance.

Live music and meet and greet. 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

Seville Quarter-End O’ The Alley 9 p.m. Gabe Steeves.

130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

TUESDAY: Belmont Arts & Cultural Center 7-9:30 p.m. Tuesday Night Jam Session. Live music and meet and greet. 401 N. Reus St. 429-1222 or belmontartscenter.com.

The Fish House Deck 6-10 p.m. Lucas Crutchfield. 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or goodgrits.com.

Seville Quarter-End O’ The Alley 9 p.m. Mike Quinn. 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

WEDNESDAY: End of the Line Café 7 p.m. Open Mic Night. 610 E. Wright St. 429-0336 or eotlcafe.com.

The Fish House Deck 5-9 p.m. Lucas Crutchfield. 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or goodgrits.com.

The Fish House Deck 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Live Music/DJ. The DJ will play between sets. 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or goodgrits.com.

Paddy O’Leary’s 7 p.m. Open Mic Night. 49 Via De

Luna, Pensacola Beach. 916-9808 or paddyolearysirishpub.com.

Seville Quarter-End O’ The Alley 9 p.m. Mike Quinn. 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

THURSDAY: The Fish House Deck 6-10 p.m. Lucas Crutchfield. 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or goodgrits.com.

Intermission 9:30 p.m. Live music. 214 S. Palafox.

433-6208.

FRIDAY: Intermission 9:30 p.m. Live music. 214 S. Palafox.

433-6208.

The Fish House Deck 5-9 p.m. Lucas Crutchfield. 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or goodgrits.com.

Ragtyme Grille 8 p.m. Holly Shelton and David Shelander. 201 S. Jefferson St. 429-9655 or ragtyme.net.

SATURDAY: Intermission 9:30 p.m. Live music. 214 S. Palafox.

433-6208.

Ragtyme Grille 7 p.m. Al Martin. 201 S. Jefferson St. 429-9655 or ragtyme.net.

SUNDAY: Seville Quarter-End O’ The Alley 9 p.m. Ian Taylor. 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

DAVE DAUGHTRY’S MORNING FOLKS 6 am - 9 am OPEN MIC 8 am - 9 am NEAL BOORTZ 9 am - 11:30 am THE EXPERT ADVISER SHOW 11:30 am - 12 noon

DENNIS PRAGER 12 noon - 1 pm CLARK HOWARD 1 pm - 3 pm STEVE GILL

3 pm - 4 pm Mon. - Thur.

RING OF FIRE 3 pm - 4 pm Fri. YOUR TURN 4 pm - 6 pm BRUCE WILLIAMS 6 pm - 9 pm RUSTY HUMPHRIES 9 pm - midnight

4-6 PM WEEKDAYS We turn over the microphone to our listeners. This live, call-in show features frequent guest appearances by those in the news. Spirited discussion and debate about issues that matter to the community. Tune in to hear what Northwest Florida thinks.

Better yet, call in and tell us what you think.

It’s your turn.

(850) 623-1330

www.1330weby.com

INDEPENDENT NEWS | JANUARY 06, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

17

culture

IN INTERVIEW: KYLE GROOMS

THE JERSEY DEVIL VISITS THE GULF COAST

BY ROB “BUBBS” HARRIS

medium. It’s kind of like if you started out painting with oils and now you’re using gloss or something like that.

You still get to be as creative as you want; it’s just a little bit different working with the material that you get. I really like to write and direct when I can, but stand-up will always be number one for me.

K

yle Grooms is an old-school comedian in a new age of entertainment. Many view comedy as a dying art form, with stand-up sinking deeper into the underground and mainstream shows such as “Saturday Night Live” becoming increasingly unfunny with every season—but Kyle sees it the other way around. He believes that comedy is still as viable as it ever was—you just have to dig a little bit deeper to find good stuff.

The comic from the Garden State, whose craft has been featured on “ComicView,” “Showtime at the Apollo,” “Chappelle’s Show,” various VH1 “best-of ” shows, NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” and more, is making his rounds on a run of dates that crisscross the U.S., with a stop here in Pensacola at the University of West Florida.

Mr. Grooms was good enough to sit down with the IN and chat about the state of comedy and his new album, “The Legend of the Jersey Devil.”

IN: It almost seems that comedy has slowly been going the way of the buffalo.

Stand-up isn’t as much on the forefront as it was in the late-80s and early-90s,

and some feel it is a dying art. Where do you stand on Mac and how did you get to where you are in a much more fiscal comedy scene?

Grooms: I don’t see comedy as a dying art form. Comedy is still a solid means of entertainment and some are making a pretty good living doing it. It’s been working out great for me so far. I’ve accomplished a lot of the goals that I set out to accomplish when I started doing this, but I still think there’s another level to work up to. Things have definitely gotten a little bit saturated, but the people still support it.

Folks still fill out the clubs in some of the bigger cities, so it is definitely not dying.

IN: How did you get chosen to do commentary on things like VH1’s “I Love the… (whatever)” or “Awesomely Bad…(whathave-you)” shows?

Grooms: When VH1 started doing those things, it was around 2005 or 2006, and the producers there in New York came out to some comedy clubs and afterwards asked comedians if they wanted to come and comment on these things. I had just gone to New York so I jumped right on it and was like, “Hell yeah, I’ll go up there and talk smack on TV.”

“TOURING, AS A COMEDIAN, IS NEVER AN EASY THING. IT’S NOT LIKE WE’RE ROCK STARS WITH MAJOR FINANCIAL BACKING TO JUST JUMP ON A PLANE OR JUMP IN A BUS AND CROSS THE COUNTRY AT ANY TIME WE WANT.” — KYLE GROOMS

IN: Aside from stand-up, you do a lot of writing. Of the two gigs, which one is your bread and butter, and how important is it to stay multifaceted?

Grooms: I’m a performer. I love to perform, but writing is cool because you get to do what you do, just in a different

18 | INDEPENDENT NEWS | JANUARY 06, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

right, there are a lot fewer clubs than there were several years ago. Usually, comics just work their scene, whether it be New York or L.A., and save up to set up small tours in surrounding states. Being that there are a lot fewer comedy clubs than there used to be, a lot of comics, including myself, are doing a lot more university shows. The colleges have their own built-in crowd and the students usually support the arts pretty well. This new tour I’m going on will be like half-and-half. I’ll do some stops in a few clubs and a couple of university shows.

The only bad thing about university shows is that they usually just promote within the school, and sometimes it’s only the students who are allowed to attend.

IN: You have a stand-up album out now.

Tell us a little bit about “The Legend of the Jersey Devil,” and what made you want to release a comedy album in the age of downloads and pirating?

Grooms: I thought that’s what you had to do. When you’re a comedian, you eventually release a record. I already had a deal with Rooftop Comedy, and we decided it would be a good idea to put some of the older material on a CD. It’s cool because it’s some of my older material that I don’t really do anymore. Due to the fact that this is indeed the age of downloading and pirating, I sell most of my physical copies at shows. What I like about that is that the fans can come and see my new material and buy a CD with my older stuff. That way they get the best of both worlds.

IN: Thank you for your time, Kyle. Good luck on your current tour.

Grooms: No problem—thank you guys for the support. Come see me at the University of West Florida when I roll through there. info@inweekly.net

IN: Although we’ve come to the conclusion that stand-up is not a dying art, the fact of the matter remains that there are more and more comedy clubs shutting their doors each day in the U.S. Does this make it harder to set up tours, having to travel farther between cities than you used to?

Grooms: Touring, as a comedian, is never an easy thing. It’s not like we’re rock stars with major financial backing to just jump on a plane or jump in a bus and cross the country at any time we want. We really have to plan these things out, and you’re

KYLE GROOMS

WHEN: 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 13 WHERE: The University of West Florida, 11000 University Parkway COST: $5.50 for the public; $3.50 for military and non-UWF students; free for UWF students DETAILS: uwf.edu/cab, or kylegrooms.net

music

RUSTIC, AUTHENTIC AND LIVE

RAGTIME BLUES MUSICIAN TO PERFORM AT RADIOLIVE

BY KATE PETERSON

S

inger, guitarist, composer and songwriter Luke Winslow-King will be featured at RadioLive, the venerable WUWF radio production showcasing diverse musical talent from across the country. The only price of admission is one or more non-perishable food items for the benefit of Manna Food Pantries of Northwest Florida.

Millions of viewers caught Luke’s performance on the Discovery Channel’s “After the Catch IV,” where he played live before commercial breaks on the show.

Luke was living down the street from where the show was filmed: the Blue Nile Bar in New Orleans’ Faubourg Marigny district. When the producers asked him to perform, he did not know what to expect.

Luke knew host Mike Rowe from his other shows and commercials, but was unaware of just how many people actually watch “Deadliest Catch.”

Luke describes his musical style as a blend of traditional jazz and classical blues: pre-war music, he calls it. It is new music in an old style, haunting in its sound and delivery. Growing up in northern Michigan, he listened to rock and roll, but when he discovered the music of Lead Belly and Woody Guthrie, he knew what he wanted to do. Luke became a student of jazz, bebop, post-1950s, Dixieland, and ragtime

music, working to create his own fusion of those genres. He found master teachers, studying gospel and jazz standards with John Boutte, playing traditional jazz tunes with The Loose Marbles Jazz Band and learning bottleneck slide guitar from Roberto Luti.

Luke has been a full-time resident of New Orleans for a while now. He originally arrived in New Orleans from Cadillac, Mich. while on a tour with a group of musicians playing Woody Guthrie’s music.

Parking their car on Ursulines Avenue in

the French Quarter, the band returned the next day to find that the car and all of their musical equipment had vanished.

Despite his harsh introduction to New Orleans, it took only two weeks before Luke realized he was drawn to the city.

Besides, there was the excitement of being out on his own for the first time, shaping his own life, his own future.

He has since spent time in New York, as well as Europe. Ultimately, he always comes back to New Orleans, because it is home to him now. The city has warmly

embraced him, and he has great friends and mentors there. He was just nominated by Off beat Magazine for a 2010 Best Emerging Artist award.

For about a year and a half, Luke was employed as a music therapist by the Institutes of Applied Human Dynamics and taught music at the Lavelle School for the Blind, both in the Bronx. That experience was multifaceted and dynamic: he worked with adults who had developmental issues—all ages, all backgrounds and ethnicities—in classroom settings, one-on-one and small groups. Taking his students to concerts and on field trips gave them the experience of enjoying and exploring every facet of music together.

Luke feels he learned about humanity, which inspired him to delve deeper with his songwriting. While it was good to take a break from performing, Luke quickly realized what he should be doing is making his own music.

Luke claims he has a rollercoaster of a relationship with songwriting—a demanding and inspiring lifelong partner. American Songwriter magazine described his upcoming album, “You Hear Me Talkin’ To Ya,’ as an under-the-radar, don’t-miss album. Luke’s album “Old/New Baby,” was a 2009 American Songwriter staff pick as well: more instrument-filled and more lighthearted than his first full-length release, “Debut Album.” When asked about the advantage of recording on vinyl, he says he requests it for its unique sound texture.

Luke is excited about the future and is busy keeping the fun alive. In addition to his appearance on RadioLive in Pensacola, his schedule includes weekly performances in New Orleans, recording with the Cadillac Symphony Orchestra in his Michigan hometown and a summer tour of Europe and Canada. He’ll be doing more regional touring as well. info@inweekly.net

RADIOLIVE PRESENTS LUKE WINSLOW-KING

WHEN: Doors open at 5 p.m., performance begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 6 WHERE: Museum of Commerce, 330 S. Jefferson St. COST: Admission is free with one or more nonperishable food items to benefit Manna Food Pantries of Northwest Florida.

DETAILS: wuwf.org/radiolive/radiolive.shtml INDEPENDENT NEWS | JANUARY 06, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

19

A SALUTE TO DIFFERENCE MAKERS .

Last month, Englewood Missionary Baptist Church hosted “WRNE Rhythm 980: Celebrating 20 Years,” a tribute to WRNE and Robert Hill.

Mr. Hill has donated his life to being the voice of and for the community since he bought the station in 1990. Hill’s morning show,“Hill in the Morning,” which airs from 6 to 9 a.m. weekdays, has had local, state and national leaders as guests.

Through his passion, dedication and commitment, Robert Hill is a true difference maker.

FOREVER DIETING? TIME TO CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT FOOD. A LUMINOUS LIFE HYPNOTHERAPY SUSAN DUNLOP, MA, CHT

INTERNATIONALLY CERTIFIED HYPNOTHERAPIST

850-346-7865 EAST HILL

www.luminouslifehypnotherapy.com 20 | INDEPENDENT NEWS | JANUARY 06, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

850-477-1420 • info@nwf-ja.org www.nwf-ja.org

music

WHAT OF IT?

OF MONTREAL PLAYS MOBILE’S SOUL KITCHEN

BY HANA FRENETTE

O

f Montreal’s founder and front man Kevin Barnes isn’t the kind of performer who plays coy with the audience, smiling and nodding. He’s either riding a white horse on stage while wearing nothing but a pair of glittery, blue leotards, or he’s hanging from the rafters, faking his own death.

And every now and then he might bring out Susan Sarandon, dressed as a dominatrix.

“We had this harness rigged up for the last tour,” Barnes said. “I was definitely a little nervous, but if I fell from it I wouldn’t die— probably just break my leg or something.”

The theatrics of the tour that accompany Of Montreal’s latest album, “False Priest,” are slightly different from those of the previous tours. For starters, Janelle Monáe and Solange Knowles, Beyoncé’s sister, are guest stars on both the album and within the tour.

“I knew them both before, and I’m a fan of theirs,” Barnes said. “I knew they’d do a good job on the album, and they did.”

Janelle Monáe will accompany Of Montreal on select dates, with Solange also making a few surprise appearances along the way.

The “False Priest” tour will also include performance art before each show starts, and select shows will see Janelle Monáe and Of Montreal playing together as the opening act. The whole night should feel like an event with multiple performances, instead of just waiting for the main act at the end of the night.

“I WAS DEFINITELY A LITTLE NERVOUS, BUT IF I FELL FROM IT I WOULDN’T DIE—PROBABLY JUST BREAK MY LEG OR SOMETHING.” —KEVIN BARNES The album itself is still much of the indie pop sound that Barnes has been toying with for years, but it also incorporates a 1970s disco feel, as well as some R&B notes.

“I feel like I wasn’t paying attention to my contemporaries for the past 10 years,” Barnes said. “I’ve just been all about the 70s soul.”

Unwilling to continue being left out of the musical loop, Barnes started doing some research.

“I just started looking up the best 50 albums of the year,” Barnes said. “I’ve been listening to Twin Shadow, and Caribou’s new album, which is really good.”

Now that Barnes is up to date, what will he do next—release an instrumental album?

Maybe a holiday album for next year?

“I hope not,” Barnes said. “I remember when Bob Dylan’s Christmas album came out and a lot of people were weirded out by it.”

That might be because Bob Dylan’s voice has started to sound like a stomach growling.

“It must have just been one of those things he had never done so he wanted to cross it off his list,” Barnes said. “It’s kind of

hard to screw up traditional Christmas songs though. Unless maybe it was a metal Christmas—actually, not even that could do it.”

Of Montreal will be playing in Mobile on Jan. 11, and even though it’s not Pensacola, it’s just a quick car ride away.

“We’ve actually played in Pensacola before, about 10 years ago,” Barnes said.

“We were having a hard time getting places to let us play and Sluggo’s booked a show with us.”

Although the show wasn’t exactly packed, it did provide a small amount of much-needed support.

“I think there were about five people there,” Barnes said. “But it was really nice of Sluggo’s to let us play and to offer us that support.”

Maybe Of Montreal’s next tour will include a Pensacola reunion. Tickets for the Mobile show are available now online. info@inweekly.net

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21

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the public record

Dear Max,

I’ve been to the Billy Bowlegs Festival in Fort Walton before, and I was wondering if Billy Bowlegs was a real person?

-Tracy B.

........................

Yes, Billy Bowlegs is an actual historical figure named William Augustus Bowles. It is believed that the nickname was not because he had bowed legs, but just an evolution of his last name of Bowles. He is best known as a pirate and adventurer who lobbied for the rights of Native Americans in the late 1700s.

Born in Maryland in 1763, Bowles was a loyalist. He joined the British Army at the age of 13 and fought on behalf of the King in the American Revolution. He soon found his way into the British Navy, which brought him to the port of Pensacola. While in Pensacola, Bowles was dismissed from the Navy for dereliction of duty. Stranded and jobless, he went about making a life for himself on the Gulf Coast.

Bowles joined the Creek Indians who frequented the area, and for two years he assimilated to the Indian way of life. He lived nomadically while hunting and fishing along Pensacola Bay. For a short time, he worked for a baker in Pensacola.

In 1781, as the Spanish prepared to attack British-ruled Pensacola, Bowles organized the Chattahoochee Creeks to fight on behalf of the British. Dressed in a Creek hunting jacket, Bowles led an Indian war party against the Spanish in the Siege of Pensacola. He was only 17 at the time. When the battle was lost, Bowles and the Creeks escaped back into the woods.

After the Revolutionary War, Bowles pursued support for his idea of an American Indian state. Representing the Creek and Cherokee nations, he

BY MAXWELL CHASE

was received by George III of England. With British support, he sailed back to Florida.

In 1795, along with the Seminoles, he formed a short-lived state in northwest Florida known as Muskogee. Bowles named himself president, and in 1800 he declared war on Spain. The Muskogee forces consisted of two schooners and 400 frontiersmen, freed slaves and Indian warriors.

A furious Spain offered a bounty of $6,000 and 1,500 bottles of rum for Bowles. He was eventually captured and taken to Madrid. The King of Spain encouraged him to switch sides and sway Indian favor to the Spanish. Instead, Bowles escaped imprisonment and commandeered a ship. He sailed to Africa and then made his way back to the Gulf of Mexico.

In 1803, not long after he declared himself Chief of all Indians Present, Bowles was betrayed and recaptured by the Spanish. He died in prison in Havana two years later after having refused to eat.

Although William Bowles is affectionately called Billy Bowlegs, his legend also lives on in his Indian name, Estajoca.

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news of the weird CATCH-22 CATCHES DISABLED VETERAN: David Henderson, a Korean War veteran long suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, applied 15 days past the deadline for enhanced care under a 2001 veterans-benefits law and thus was, as required by the statute, disqualified from the additional benefits.

Henderson’s doctor pointed out that major disorders such as Henderson’s often leave victims unable to understand concepts like “deadlines.” As U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer asked, during argument on the case in December, did Congress (which wrote the statute) really intend to deprive Henderson of care because of the very disability for which he sought help? (A decision is expected in the spring.)

THE CONTINUING CRISIS Swinging bachelors often try to impress potential mates with their fancy cars, houses and jewelry, and it appears that male bowerbirds of Papua New Guinea employ a similar mating strategy by building elaborate tree homes.

National Geographic magazine noted in July that the birds can “build a hut that looks like a doll’s house” or “arrange f lowers, leaves and mushrooms in such an artistic manner” that researchers liken them to the craftsmanship of humans. Biologists observed females gravitating to males who had such structures as a three-foot tower of twigs, nuts and beetles, decorated with “garlands of caterpillar feces glistening with dew.”

DO THEY KNOW? (1) An October Houston Chronicle review of “authorities” on animal “consciousness” suggested that perhaps dogs are embarrassed when their owners dress them in tacky Halloween costumes. “Pet Psychic” maven Sonya Fitzpatrick said she was certain that some feel shame at their owners’ poor fashion sense, but another practitioner said dogs’ reactions were probably only to their physical discomfort with the clothing itself. (2) A conservation organization in China’s Sichuan province routinely dresses caregivers in panda suits to socialize baby pandas that have lost their mothers so that the babies do not become accustomed to humans. However, as London’s Daily Telegraph reported in a December dispatch, experts acknowledge that they have no idea whether the babies are fooled.

YIKES! The American Veterinary Chiropractic Association announced recently that it is seeking 400 dachshunds for experiments in which a chiropractic vet will “crack the backs” of dogs for an unspecified research project. Test subjects are preferred that have “uneven leg length that is inf luenced with neck f lexion” but which have not been under the care of a chiropractor within the previous 60 days.

NEWS THAT SOUNDS LIKE A JOKE Life Imitates a Monty Python Sketch: An unnamed

24 | INDEPENDENT NEWS | JANUARY 06, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

BY CHUCK SHEPPARD Danish man traveled to Vienna, Austria, in July for a trial on his lawsuit against the man who had sold him a defective cockatoo for the equivalent of about $15,000. In a demonstration for the judge in the courtroom’s hallway, the bird f lew “lopsided,” with the probable cause (according to the purchaser) chronic gout. The judge’s decision was not reported.

SUSPICIONS CONFIRMED (1) An official release of San Francisco’s Department of the Environment in July apparently cleared up a matter of controversy (according to a report in SF Weekly): Human semen is one organic waste product not required to be disposed of in special “compost” bags under the city’s mandatory composting law. (However, “snot” must be properly bagged.) (2) The Green Party is occasionally criticized for its overrepresentation of whites and upper-income people, who are less likely to f linch at the added costs of environmental protections. In October, the Green Party candidate for governor of Illinois, Rich Whitney, was shocked to see that the sample ballot for the November election mistakenly displayed his name as “Rich Whitey.” (Corrections were made in time for election day.)

FIRST THINGS FIRST Darren Suchon, 42 and unemployed (and usually home all day), was charged in October with reckless driving and assault, among other things, for allegedly running his girlfriend off the road in his zeal to catch her after she drove away with his Sony PlayStation console.

She had just left for work, and Suchon weaved through traffic in Palmerton, Pa., then bumped her car when he caught up with her at a traffic light, forcing her off the road. According to witnesses, Suchon rushed the car, “clawing” at it, screaming that he would “break the (expletive) window” if he didn’t get his game back.

CLICHÉS COME TO LIFE (1) In December, Mr. Alkis Gerd’son moved out of student housing at Canada’s University of Victoria, which had been his home since 1991 (even though he long ago obtained his degree and had not taken a class in 13 years). Gerd’son claims various stress disorders (over, perhaps, finding a job?) and had until now stymied efforts to evict him by filing claims before human rights tribunals. (2) Ricardo West, a professional Michael Jackson impersonator (who staged “Michael Lives! The Michael Jackson Tribute Concert”) was charged in August in Allen Park, Mich., with 12 counts of child molestation.

Send your Weird News to Chuck Shepherd, P.O. Box 18737, Tampa, Fla., 33679 or weirdnews@earthlink.net, or go to www.NewsoftheWeird.com.

FROM UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE CHUCK SHEPHERD’S NEWS OF THE WEIRD

by Chuck Shepherd COPYRIGHT 2010 CHUCK SHEPHERD

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community outreach GULF ISLANDS NATIONAL SEASHORE ANNOUNCES 150TH CIVIL WAR ANNIVERSARY EVENTS CANDLELIGHT TOURS OF FORT BARRANCAS To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War, Gulf Islands National Seashore will present “A Candlelight Tour of Fort Barrancas” on Saturdays, January 8 and February 12, 5:00 - 7:15 p.m.

The free tour highlights Pensacola during the Civil War. In addition, the Fort Barrancas Visitor Center with new museum exhibits, audiovisual programs, and bookstore will be open.

Visitors must call (850) 455-5167 for tour reservations and arrive 15 minutes before their assigned tour time.

Costumed interpreters will present the history of Pensacola during the Civil War at different stations inside Fort Barrancas. Groups of 30 visitors will depart the Fort Barrancas Visitor Center every 15 minutes for the hour-long tour.

Although the fort will be lighted with candles, flashlights are allowed. The entrance to the fort includes a steep 90-yard walkway and visitors must use narrow staircases to access different fort levels. Dress appropriately for the evening weather and wear comfortable walking shoes.

Parking is limited so car-pooling is recommended.

Visitors arriving after 6:00 p.m. should enter the Naval Air Station through the main gate on Navy Boulevard. Dress appropriately for the weather. Superintendent Brown encourages everyone to enjoy the National Seashore and join us for our ranger-led programs. For a complete program schedule and more information, call 934-2600 or visit our website at nps.gov/guis.

ARTEL HOSTS STUDENT MASK SHOW Artel is excited to host its fourth annual mask exhibit by Escambia County Schools students, January 11 - 21, 2011. An opening reception, catered by Varona’s, will take place on Tuesday, January 11, 5-7 p.m at Artel Gallery, 223 Palafox Place, first floor of the Old Escambia County Courthouse. Winners from the exhibit will be announced during the award ceremony at the reception.

Coordinator for this exhibit is Patti Wheeler, art teacher at N. B. Cook Elementary School of the Arts.

Artel is a not-for-profit educational gallery and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information call the gallery at 850 432-3080. Visit Artel’s website at artelgallery.org for more information.

CHRISTMAS TREE DISPOSAL SITES Santa Rosa County residents can dispose of their live Christmas trees until Monday, February 28 at five recycling areas throughout the county.

Please place trees in the designated area identified by signage. Do not place trees in front of the recycling containers.

The trees will be chipped and offered as free mulch at Clean Community System in Milton at a later date to be announced.

Trees can be disposed at: Quintette recycle area at the Five Points Intersection Gulf Power recycle area on East Spencer Field Road Clean Community System on Park Avenue

Tiger Point recreation area in Gulf Breeze, east of Walmart Jay Transfer Station, on Transfer Station Road Street maps for each location can be found at santarosa.fl.gov/recycle Citizens are urged not to cut up and burn their tree in a home fireplace. Burning evergreens gives off tar and creosol, which can ignite and cause a chimney fire. Residents are also reminded that recycle areas are not disposal areas for furniture or household garbage that is not sorted recyclable material. Santa Rosa County recycle sites accept glass, metal, plastic containers, paper and cardboard. A list of all of Santa Rosa County’s recycling points and accepted materials can also be found on the county’s website at santarosa.fl.gov/recycle. $50,000 IN FOUNDATION GRANTS TO BE AWARDED TO COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS International Paper Pensacola Mill (IP) will award $50,000 in Foundation Grants in 2011. The deadline for all 2011 grant applications is Friday, Jan. 14, 2011.

Grants are awarded by the IP Foundation in Memphis, Tenn., which focuses on environmental education, literacy, employee involvement, and critical community needs. Applicants must be a registered 501c3 non-profit organization, school, or qualifying government entity to apply.

For more information about the Foundation and/or to apply online, interested applicants should visit ipgiving.com.

For more information on the grant process, contact Janice Holmes, communications manager, at 850-968-4203 or e-mail janice.holmes@ipaper.com.

FILL A BOWL FOR MANNA! Come to the table and FILL A BOWL for Manna. Manna invites the community to the 4th annual fundraiser on Saturday, January 15, 1-3PM at Manna’s main pantry, 116 E. Gonzalez St. Select a bowl to fill with soups prepared by a dozen of the area’s finest local chefs and take the bowl home as a keepsake. Choose from more than 500 unique bowls donated by faculty and students from PSC’s Arts Department and some of the area’s most skilled ceramics artisans.

Bid on larger ceramic bowls designed by local artists, as well as other works of art during the silent auction with emcee Mike Wiggins. Enjoy music by the St. Joseph Catholic Church Gospel choir. Savor a variety of soups prepared by Bagelheads, Classic City Catering, The Grand Marlin, The Fish House, Angus Steakhouse, Global Grill, Caponi’s Grill, Jerry’s Cajun Café, Portabello Market, Seville Quarter, Apple Market and Nancy’s Haute Affairs.

While filling a bowl with sumptuous soups, you will be helping Manna fill the empty bowls of more than 30,000 people served annually in Northwest Florida.

Cost for the event is $25 per person. Reservations are encouraged and pre-purchase tickets are available on-line (mannafoodpantries.org/event-bowl.html) or by mail

(make checks payable to Manna - FAB, 116 E. Gonzalez St. , Pensacola, FL. 32501). Walk-ins on the day of the event are welcome, space permitting.

Manna is a non-profit organization that has been fighting hunger in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties since 1983.

For more information, call 432-2053.

GULF ISLANDS VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY Superintendent Daniel R. Brown announced that the Gulf Islands National Seashore is looking for volunteers to assist with operating the Fort Pickens Visitor Centers. Volunteers are asked to work one day per week to staff the information desk at the visitor center, answer visitor questions and provide sales help in the Eastern National bookstores.

Volunteers are required by Homeland Security Presidential Directive -12 and the National Park Service, Office of the Chief Information Officer policy to have a favorably adjudicated background check. The Seashore will pay all costs associated with obtaining the background check.

Interested persons should contact Volunteer Coordinator Dick Zani at 934-2654 or District Interpreter Stanley Lawhead at 934-2629 for details.

FISH, RED MEAT, CHICKEN The new year is here….time to clean out your freezers! The cold winter weather has made life difficult for our wildlife. The Wildlife Sanctuary’s hospital is full of injured seabirds, birds of prey and various mammals.

The Sanctuary is asking for your help in bringing in donations of fish, red meat, chicken, pine straw and laundry soap that is needed for our extra patients.

The Sanctuary accepts fresh, frozen, whole or filleted fish, as well as any red meats and other supplies seven days a week from 8am to 5pm, located at 105 North “S” Street near the old Gulf Power building. Make your New Years resolution to help area wildlife and drop a donation of supplies by today.

The Wildlife Sanctuary is a non-profit 501c3 organization taking in over 3000 injured and orphaned animals a year.

All are given a thorough exam, fed foods most resembling their natural wild diet and are monitored to insure adjustment to temporary captivity. Release back into the wild is always our primary goal.

All donations are appreciated. A wish list is available on our website pensacolawildlife.com. For more information call 850-433-9453 Ext 5.

CALL FOR ENTRIES FOR THE MAGIC OF SHIFTING LIGHT Guidance: There is a magical time between the realms of full darkness and daytime that provides fleeting, dramatic changes in the quality of light. These changes play with our senses, stir our emotions and fire our imaginations. Don’t just bring us sunset or sunrise pictures; study these changes and in new and innovative ways, bring us the emotions and feelings that shifting light instills.

Juror: Wendy Cresswell is an artist who has shown her prize winning work nationaly in several juried exhibitions.

She received her Bachelor degree in Fine Arts in 1993 and a second Bachelor in Art Education in 1999, both from the University of West Florida. Wendy has taught art on many levels and is currently an art instructor at Collegiate High at Pensacola State College.

Artists may drop off work at Artel Saturday, January 22, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Sunday, January 23, from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Each member may submit up to three works in any media. This show will exhibit from January 25 - March 4, 2011.

An opening reception, catered by Varona’s, will be held on Friday, February 4, from 6-8 p.m. at Artel Gallery, 223 Palafox Place.

For more information, a detailed call for entries or check-in forms, call 850 432-3080 or visit artelgallery.org or the gallery at 505 South Adams Street, Pensacola.

CULINARY PRODUCTIONS TO SPONSER COMMUNITY EVENTS CPI starts the New Year off with more community involvement. Please support these CPI sponsored events in January and come enjoy our tasty food!

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida’s “Corks ‘N Canvases” Friday, Jan. 28, 2011 at the Museum of Art, 6-9pm *Art auction & wine tasting, live art demo by Ashton Howard, live music, silent auction, heavy hors D’oeuvres, drinks, and more. Call BBBS at 433 - KIDS. • Art Party VIII to benefit the National Transplant Assisted Fund in honor of Jef Bond Saturday, Jan. 29, 2011 at Vinyl Music Hall, VIP 5-8pm, doors open at 9pm *Artwork by local and national artists, live music, heavy hors D’oeuvres, live auction, raffle drawings, mobile art, visual art, and more. jefbond.com UNDERPRIVILEGED AFRICAN-AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO BE TREATED TO A PERFORMANCE OF THE COLOR PURPLE Twenty five local African-American high school students will be treated to a performance of The Color Purple, at the Saenger Theater on January 10th courtesy of the Sherri Hemminghaus Children’s Fund (SHCF) and Arts Quest.

Many of these students are from from low-income homes and would not usually have the means to see a broadway play. The SHCF is supported by Friends of the Saenger and will cover the costs of tickets to the show.

Arts Quest, led by retired Escambia County School District teacher Ora Wills, has selected the participating students, arranged for their transportation to the theatre, and provided chaperones for the evening’s event. Together, the SHCF and Arts Quest are giving these 25 deserving students an extraordinary opportunity to enjoy a world-class Broadway show at one of our community’s most elegant and historical venues—for free!

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THE UNIVERSAL CROSSWORD EDITED BY TIMOTHY E. PARKER HEADING WEST by Alice Walker

last word

ACROSS 1 Work on a stubborn squeaker 6 Correspondent’s request 11 Add a soundtrack 14 Qaboos bin Said, e.g.

15 European blackbird (Var.) 16 “God bless us, every ___!”

17 William Cody’s nickname 19 U.S. spy group 2 0 Waits patiently 21 Blood of the gods, in myth 2 3 Kowalski, for one 26 Soup scoopers 27 Pertaining to the weeks before Easter 28 Animal in a pop song?

3 0 Bed-and-breakfasts 31 Vowel sound of “bite” 32 Disappoint (with “down”) 35 Yours truly, facetiously 3 6 Hi-fis 3 8 United Nations agency (Abbr.)

39 Compass point 4 0 “___ Entertainment!”

41 1944 turning point 42 Strong ­f orward flow 4 4 Sleep-­i nducing drug 4 6 Reduced in intensity 4 8 Used an aerosol can 49 Many Punjab inhabitants 5 0 Virgil’s 12-book epic 52 Spain’s Costa del ___ 53 1969 Robert Redford role 5 8 Tried tripe

Who is your favorite hero in fiction?

Hulk Hogan—he always would say, “Say your prayers, and eat your vitamins,” but he was a bad guy for awhile. Then he became good again, and he’s been doing it for a very long time. I think I could relate.

Who is your favorite heroine in fiction?

Mary Poppins—a spoonful of sugar and that bag—the bag was awesome. It’s all in the accessories.

What is the best thing you have ever won?

Two things, all this past year—I won “Best Nightclub DJ” of the year voted by the IN Weekly readers (thank you!) and I won a 32-inch flat screen TV at a golf tournament thrown by police officers. I’m glad I’m a law abiding citizen.

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

59 Sweet-smelling compound 6 0 “Nana” author Zola 61 Kentucky Derby month 62 Fishing net with floats 63 Relatively cool red giant of astronomy DOWN 1 Pick pockets 2 Grounded Australian denizen 3 Nincompoop 4 Babies 5 Obligated 6 “Toy Story” cowboy 7 Unsophisticated sort 8 DC Comics superheroine 9 ___ Aviv 10 Three points in a row 11 Dentist-turnedoutlaw 12 It’s divided into chapters 13 Market pessimists 18 Claim against property 2 2 Runner Sebastian 2 3 Primordial mud

What did your mother always tell you?

To remember to always go to church What is the worst idea you’ve ever had?

Let’s just say that everybody goes through rough times and makes mistakes.

24 It fits into a mortise 2 5 Famed sharpshooter What is your favorite food?

26 Starchy food obtained from The steak my mom makes and anything I can microwave in palms under two minutes or less.

28 Part of “FWIW” What movie do you love to watch repeatedly?

2 9 Endings for “ethyl” and “butyl” It’s a toss-up between Seagal’s “Under Siege 2: Dark Terri 31 Grassy pastures tory” or Van Damme’s “Hard Target” and/or “Bloodsport”— 33 Give great pleasure I’ll take either one. to 3 4 Played cat and What was your most embarrassing moment? mouse (with) Sometimes when I DJ and the party is going, someone will 3 6 Underscores trip over the power cord, knock the needle off the turn 37 Hard-landing table, or trip a circuit and the music will stop; whether or sound 41 Royal crowns not it’s your fault, everyone’s suddenly looking at you like 43 To the ___ degree you just killed their grandmother.

4 4 Tournament type 45 Did ­c omparison What historical figure do you despise the most? shopping Judas Iscariot 4 6 State in India What TV show is your guilty pleasure?

47 Plant and animal life “Forensic Files,” “Full Throttle Saloon,” “Party Heat,” or any 4 8 Drum kit item thing on truTV because it’s “Not Reality. Actuality.” Ha, ha.

5 0 Capitol Hill con 51 Utopia of Genesis What is the last book you read?

5 4 Wear and tear “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell 55 Caboodle’s What is your theme song? companion 5 6 Dockworker’s org.

“California Love” by 2Pac and Dr. Dre—California knows 57 ___ Bingle (Crosby how to party. nickname) INDEPENDENT NEWS | JANUARY 06, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET | 27

INDEPENDENT NEWS | JANUARY 06, 2011 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |