May 24 Issue

“I don’t care who runs a flag up a pole as long as it is welcoming.”

"Honey, you can be hung over, just get to the polls and push for Obama."

“I look damn good in sweats.”

6

20

24

Independent News | May 24, 2012 | Volume 13 | Number 21 | inweekly.net

FREE ▶

publisher & editor Rick Outzen production manager Joani Delezen art director Samantha Crooke administration/ staff writer Jennie McKeon staff writer Jeremy Morrison contributing writers Bradley “B.J.” Davis, Jr., Joani Delezen, Hana Frenette, James Hagen, Ashley Hardaway, Brett Hutchins, Chelsa Jillard, Sarah McCartan, Kate Peterson, Chuck Shepherd intern Stephanie Sharp

Reminiscing on the Listening—A Hangout Fest Recap | page 19

Big Freedia / photo

by Hana Frenette

Ihatejoezarzaur.com .....or so one of his last trial opponents may think.

11 East Romana St. Pensacola, Florida 32502 22

inweekly.net

winners & losers Gerard Robinson

P.C. Wu

winners

losers

P.C. WU The Florida League of Cities

GERARD ROBINSON The state’s educa-

BAPTIST LIFEFLIGHT May 14 marked the 35th anniversary of Baptist LifeFlight.

In 1977, Baptist Hospital established the third hospital-based aeromedical helicopter program in the United States. This past year, LifeFlight transported over 2,100 patients from four helicopter bases across Northwest Florida, South Alabama and South Mississippi. Countless lives across our region have been saved due to this program and the men and women that have served as LifeFlight crewmembers.

CAMELOT ACADEMY In 2010, the Escambia County School District consolidated ESEAL and A.V. Clubbs and paid Camelot Schools of Pennsylvania, LLC to take over the programs. Camelot promised discipline, parental engagement, increased attendance, and increased student achievement.

Only one of its ninth graders is reading on grade level according to the latest FCAT results. Oops.

recently honored Pensacola City Council Vice President P.C. Wu with the Defender of Home Rule Award during the Northwest Florida League of Cities’ Annual Summer Dinner. Wu received the award for his tireless efforts during the 2012 legislative session to protect the home rule powers of Florida’s cities and for going above and beyond to assist the League in its lobbying efforts.

LEAP CLASS OF 2012 The brand new USO

Flight Deck at the Pensacola International Airport has been officially unveiled. Thanks to the efforts of the Leadership Pensacola Class of 2012, the USO center was completely transformed. Operation HOPE raised more than $130,000 in cash contributions and $70,000 for in-kind, far exceeding the original goal of $125,000.

tion commissioner has a problem—Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test scores are coming back dismal. First, the state board of education had to lower the standard for passing on the writing exam because twothirds of the students failed to score a Level 4 or higher. Then the reading scores came out and only half of the students are reading on their grade level or better. No matter how hard Robinson polishes this turd, it’s still a turd.

STEVE MACNAMARA Gov. Rick Scott’s chief of staff, Steve MacNamara, was profiled earlier in the month by The Miami Herald, which spurred a series of news articles that raised questions about his job performance and handling of contracts. MacNamara wrote in his resignation that “the recent media attention I have been receiving has begun to interfere with the day-to-day operations of this office.”

Powered by Anytime Fitness.

24 Hour | Co-ed | Secure Access to over 1500 clubs worldwide

LET US SAVE YOU MONEY ON YOUR HOME AND AUTO INSURANCE

Join today and receive a

$99 Summer Student Special!

Voted Best Insurance Agency

by IN Readers 2 Years In A Row

( Valid Student ID required )

Call today!

100 South Alcaniz Street Pensacola, FL 32502 (850) 469-1144 anytimefitness.com

May 24, 2012

850.484.7011

My positive attitude…

375 North 9th Ave. Pensacola, FL 32502 www.quotepensacola.com 3

921 N PALAFOX ST N, PENSACOLA, FL

outtakes

by Rick Outzen

FOR WHOM THE FCAT BELL TOLLS REDUCED

Downtown Pensacola with onsite parking approx 9 spaces -North Hill just North of Cervantes and Palafox - Corner location has approx. 3000 sqft w/7 private offices, kitchen, work area, break room and 3 baths. Full service lease includes water, electric, sewer, gas, janitorial including lawn service.Parking included. Completely renovated in 2008 to include paverstone parking. Beautiful hardwood floors, high ceilings, park view. Nice floor plan with lots of original woodwork and fireplaces.

Historical features have been preserved.

MLS#: 411739 • Rate: $625,000

Cheryl Young Cell (850) 712-4742 www.cherylyoung.com cayoungrealtor@aol.com

Licensed in Florida & Alabama

Practicing Since 1974 INJURED? (ALL TYPES OF ACCIDENTS)

ARRESTED?

Escambia County School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas has a problem. The Florida Department of Education released last week his district’s FCAT writing scores for fourth, eighth and tenth-graders as well as reading scores for ninth and tenth-grade students.

They weren’t good. In fact, they were so bad on the writing exam statewide that the Florida Board of Education dropped the passing standard from a Level 4 to Level 3.

Thomas’ district scored below the state percentages at all grade levels. Only 22 percent of his third-graders scored 4 or higher on the writing exam, compared to 27 percent statewide. Of eighth-graders, 23 percent scored 4 and higher, while the statewide percentage was 33. Thirty-six percent of tenthgrade students scored 4 or higher, compared to 38 percent.

The ninth and tenth grade reading scores were just as dismal. Only half of his ninthgraders scored a 3 or higher, two percentage points below the state percentage and 18 points below Santa Rosa County. Forty-nine percent of the tenth-graders passed the reading exam, while 50 percent scored a 3 or higher statewide and 64 percent of the Santa Rosa County tenth-graders scored that well.

For a man whose academic career has centered on tutoring and the administration and interpretation of FCAT results, these scores

were severe blows. When interviewed by the daily newspaper, Thomas said that he was having difficulty interpreting them and that FDOE had acknowledged there was a serious problem with the test.

Across the district, principals, teachers, parents and students are wondering what these low scores mean for them. Principals and teachers are set to have their compensation tied to these FCAT scores. The students are labeled successes or failures based on them.

How will Thomas use these scores?

Since it’s an election year for him, my guess is Thomas will want to use them as a new baseline for future assessments and not penalize principals, teachers and students.

However, there is a thornier problem looming.

What will he do about A.A. Dixon Charter School for Excellence? The school is handling children who are several grade levels behind in reading and math.

Thomas and his school board told that inner-city charter school that they must pull their school grade up to at least a “D” to have its charter renewed. Will Thomas use the results from a test that he admits has serious problems to close A.A. Dixon?

I hope Thomas grants the charter school the same leniency that he will be asking from the voters this fall. His decision will define his legacy. {in}rick@inweekly.net

Will Thomas use the results from a test that he admits has serious problems to close A.A. Dixon?

(ALL FEDERAL & STATE COURTS)

WHITE COLLAR CRIMES (HEALTH-CARE FRAUD • DRUG OFFENSES & D.U.I.s)

FREE CONSULTATION ON INJURY / DEATH CASES & CRIMINAL CASES NO RECOVERY - NO FEE / COST ON PERSONAL INJURY & WRONGFUL DEATH CASES

24 HOUR SERVICE

433-9922

304 E. GOVERNMENT STREET 44

inweekly.net

VAL MATO FESTI CREOLE TO JUNE 9-10 L ECO FESTIVA CAJUN-ZYD JUNE 9-10 VAL USIC FESTI ESSENCE M JULY 6-8 E COCKTAIL TALES OF TH 9 -2 JULY 25 NS NEW ORLEA COOLINARY31 AUGUST 1-

the best n Mayfield, vi Ir to g n uis Armstro ore than Oliver to Lo born here m s a w zz Ja From King ew Orleans. ation for live ar jazz is N e #1 destin th l il place to he st re ns and we’ r New Orlea years ago, to book you d n a a hundred ts n ve e ar of isur e, 2011 * Tr avel + Le a full calend r o F * c. si . u m m nsOnline.co t NewOrlea vacation, visi

May 24, 2012

NOTM12-08F_PI_Jazz_v1.indd 1

GO NOL A: Tourism The Of ficial Orleans. ew N App of w for free. no d Downloa

ple Inc., demark of Ap es. iPhone is a tra e U.S. and other countri th c. in d re te k of Apple In regis ar m ice rv a se App Store is

5

5/15/12 4:20 PM

THE MYSTERY OF MEMORIAL DAY “Gay, straight, black or white, anybody is welcome.”

Buck Lee

photo by James Amerson

How Pensacola Beach Became The Hot Spot

by Jennie McKeon There’s no mistaking what time of year it is on Pensacola Beach during Memorial Day weekend. Every year, the beach is sprinkled with rainbow flags welcoming local and out-of-town members of the gay community who generously return the favor by staying in beachfront hotels, eating seafood and drinking a lot.

Those whose memories are still intact remember the weekend starting in the 1980s.

The party started on the secluded strip between Navarre and Pensacola Beach on the Gulf Islands National Seashore, and as the years passed it moved its way to the condos and hotels on Pensacola beach.

“Let me sit down,” said Ebony Sinclair inside the office at Emerald City. “By 1988-1989 it was already big. There were huge sand dunes. People started putting up cabanas. There was a G.I. Joe tent, a Barbie tent—they had a four-foot crystal chandelier with Barbie dolls. They were clever people.”

“It’s something that just happened,” said Paul Dye, owner of The Cabaret. “One year they painted the town pink—marked their dollars pink. It made a huge impact and has grown from that point.”

He recalls even more DIY entertainment.

“One group used beer cases to make a runway and held a drag show,” Dye said.

As Ted McCrary, manager of Emerald City, pointed out, this isn’t the first time a group of people took over one spot.

“Look at gay Disney,” he said referring to what is called Gay Days. “The first week of June they showed up wearing red shirts and now 150,000 people pour into Orlando every year for that week.”

The commonality of Memorial Day stories is the mention of the White Heat Foundation, which raised money for AIDS charities.

“They would put on a dance party Saturday night to benefit local AIDS charities,” McCrary said.

There’s no official word if the Gulf Islands National Seashore was the chosen spot because of its proximity to the nude beach in Navarre, which is now an urban legend to the younger generation. John Thomas, owner of The Roundup and Pensacola resident since 1993, believes the beach had the best view

and the least amount of people as opposed to Destin or Panama City.

“There was a patch of beach that allowed those that are different to be themselves,” he said. “You can go to Destin and be hoity-toity, but in Pensacola it’s more relaxed.”

McCrary remembers traveling from New Orleans to spend a weekend on the beach.

“A lot of people from New Orleans would travel there for the weekend festivities,” he said. “It got to be a yearly thing for us.”

One local bartender, who preferred not to be named, moved from Mobile, Ala. to Pensacola because of the Memorial Day festivities.

“Compared to Mobile, Pensacola is 100 percent more gay-friendly,” he said. “I was in a Mardi Gras organization in Mobile and we would rent two buses to go and party on the beach. It was really amazing.”

“EVERYBODY REAPS BENEFITS”

For many years, Memorial Day was predominately middle aged men. Sinclair and McCray estimate it was around 2008-2009 that women became the majority. Much of the beach pays attention to that change. For instance, this year Flounders will host a whole weekend of entertainers such as DJ Beverly Skillz and Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls.

Roy Williams, a Memorial Day regular who also works on Pensacola Beach, has noticed a decrease in numbers since the recession.

“Before Ivan, it was one of the biggest non-structured events,” he said. “It’s not as big as it used to be because of the economy.”

But plenty of people still flock to the beach. It’s a wonder if restaurants, clubs, bars and hotels pander slightly to the customers by waving rainbow flags.

Barnes Insurance & Financial Services 1582 Airport Boulevard

850-473-1500 Keith Smith & Nolan Sylvester ksmith@biafs.com nsylvester@biafs.com 66

inweekly.net

“It doesn’t bother me if any business puts up a gay flag,” said the unnamed local bartender. “I don’t care who runs a flag up a pole as long as it is welcoming.”

Sitting at the bar inside The Cabaret, Dye grabs his calculator.

“Let’s say 50,000 people stay on the beach Memorial Day weekend. And they spend $200 a day for food, gas, tickets to events and hotel room. That’s $10 million a day spent on the beach,” he said. “That’s an alarming figure.”

But Dye is hesitant to use the word ‘pandering’ and thinks to welcome the GLBT community is no different than welcoming tourists.

“Everybody reaps benefits. It’s the nature of the beast,” he said. “I would say there’s acknowledgement of the benefit. For a hotel to have to say ‘Sorry, I’m full,’ that’s a good day for anybody.”

Executive Director of the Santa Rosa Island Authority, Buck Lee said Memorial Day weekend is really no bigger than any other weekend in the summer. He lumps the whole summer—starting with Memorial Day and ending with Labor Day—as the beach’s busiest time.

from the blog

No matter what weekend it is, Lee believes all customers should be treated fairly.

“We don’t discriminate,” he said. “Gay, straight, black or white, anybody is welcome.”

In the past there have been instances of prejudice. McCrary said he had heard of the original Memorial Day weekend beach being scattered with roofing nails and tacks.

“That’s just kids,” he said.

Every year there will be a protest whether it is big or small. One of the theories behind the popularity of Pensacola Beach is that when religious groups created a stir, it put a spotlight on the vacation destination. Memorial Day weekend on Pensacola Beach even gained national attention (“Gays Flock to Fla. Panhandle for Holiday” Associated Press May 2007).

“Controversy can be good,” Dye said.

MORE PHILANTHROPY THAN PROFIT

Even as business owners further off shore reap Memorial Day benefits, some hope to see a shift in the meaning behind the weekend.

“I was the architect of the GCAACC’s strategic partnership with the Greater Pensacola Chamber.”—George Hawthorne

“I feel like it used to be philanthropic,” Thomas said. “There used to be a reason for Memorial Day weekend, they were doing it for the right reasons. I feel like it’s for profit now.”

Thomas would love to see Memorial Day go back it its original roots, where it was more about community and the biggest party of the weekend benefitted charities.

“To rebrand for the next generation, the gay community as a whole is going to have to do some work,” he said.

But, he said, it might mean more if the entire community, not just the gay community, were involved.

Shift or no shift, Memorial Day weekend brings much needed tourism to the area.

Perhaps White Heat is in the past, but the weekend has changed Pensacola. There is more tolerance: groups stand outside clubs to protest the anti-gay protestors.

“They’re standing up for the community,” said the local bartender. “They’re for a better Pensacola.”

And the parties on the beach are no longer exclusive, everyone has fun. Mass appeal acts such as Leslie Jordan and

“Why can’t we find a U.S. based transit company to manage ECAT?”—Cal

“It was more than a trespassing case.”—Eric Stevenson

K.D. Lang provide entertainment for the entire community.

“I have five different couples and families that come in and have a great time every year,” Williams said.

Profits and philanthropy aside, Memorial Day is all about having a good time no matter who is on the beach.

“They’re just regular people. Sometimes better looking,” Williams said with a laugh.

“You can’t go anywhere in the U.S., mention Pensacola and they don’t know about Memorial Day weekend,” Dye said.

“It’s definitely a bucket list event.” {in}

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

DETAILS: memorialweekendpensacola.com

VISIT INWEEKLY.NET FOR THIS WEEK'S BUZZ ITEMS.

“Tax breaks for special interests must go.”—David

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

E r i c D. St e v e n s on Personal Injur y | Criminal Justice 919 N. 12th Avenue Pensacola, Florida 32501

O: (850) 434-3111 F: (850) 434-1188

mypensacolaattorney.com • email: eric@mypensacolaattorney.com

— Play’s Community Salute of the Month Series — Technology is great, but no video game, television show or website can replicate the excitement of enjoying the outdoors.

Pensacola’s Neighborhood Services Department has done a fine job improving the quality of life for all the citizens in our fine city of Pensacola.

This month, we thank them for the 98 parks, recreation facilities and outdoor spaces that we enjoy and specifically for Bayview Park. We enjoy the beautiful dog beach, picnic facilities and tennis courts.

We’re excited to try out the new kayak and paddleboard rentals. Thank you to the staff of the Neighborhood Services Department. We salute you. iplaypensacola.com May 24, 2012

unique & affordable

Join us for Wine Tastings Thursdays 5-7 p.m.

27 S. 9th Ave.

433-WINE or 433-9463

www.aragonwinemarket.com 7

WALKING OUT THE CHAMBER DOOR Hawthorne Releases Plan, Resigns

by Jeremy Morrison About an hour into the meeting, Tony McCray called for a timeout. Play on the field was getting rough.

“If we could just smoke the peace pipe for a second,” McCray urged.

But Pensacola City Councilman John Jerralds was in no mood for the peace pipe.

Months into his campaign to revamp the Gulf Coast African-American Chamber of Commerce, the councilman seemed to be going in for the kill.

“But the world is not ending tomorrow, John,” McCray said, pushing for a continuation of the conversation.

Jerralds refused to flinch. The councilman seemed convinced that the GCAACC had languished under the direction of its current chairman, George Hawthorne.

“Tony, tell him what we’ve been doing,” Hawthorne called to McCray from the gallery.

Jerralds asked if anyone else had anything to add to the conversation. He was apparently finished listening to Hawthorne’s position.

“What is this foolishness?” the councilman scolded.

“You don’t understand what Mr. Hawthorne is trying to do,” McCray replied. “He is essentially trying to hand you a peaceful solution to the situation.”

For months, Jerralds has been challenging the validity of the GCAACC. The city councilman has held a series of meetings in an effort to foster a discussion on the matter among the area’s black business community. During his first meeting, Jerralds had Hawthorne removed from the gathering after the chairman attempted to assert his authority.

For his part, Hawthorne has said the GCAACC is currently evolving. He’s consistently pushed aside requests for organizational information—board members, officers, budgets—saying his group would soon announce a “game plan” for the future.

Prior to Jerralds‘ May 17 meeting—the third such meeting at Pensacola City Hall— Hawthorne said that the GCAACC had decided to hold off on announcing its plans.

Instead, the chairman said, he wanted to try to work with Jerralds and members of the business community that had gravitated toward the councilman’s message.

88

“We’re gonna try to work out something with them,” Hawthorne said a day before the meeting. “We want to work together. We want to bring this community together.”

The chairman said he would most likely make a presentation during Jerralds’ meeting. That presentation was never made.

Jerralds opened the meeting by asking Hawthorne for the names of the GCAACC’s officers. Hawthorne replied that he was the chairman, but did not provide other officers.

“Well, what we’re looking at, unfortunately, is a dysfunctional organization,” Jerralds said.

The chairman told Jerralds that he desired to work together. He said continuing at odds would further divide the minority business community.

“We are willing to work with this group,” Hawthorne told Jerralds. “Clearly, my position is: we need to work together.”

Jerralds said that the chairman had been given ample time to demonstrate the organization’s viability. Before making his

“I have no use for him. He has no use for this community.”

John Jerralds discontent public, the councilman said, he had encouraged Hawthorne privately in regards to the chamber.

“I said, as a council member, to me, it looks bad,” Jerralds recalled the private conversation. “It’s embarrassing.”

Jackie Miles, editor of the Pensacola Voice, has recently joined Jerralds in hosting his chamber conversations. She said that she was on the GCAACC board, but that the organization had not met since last fall.

“Jackie, let’s be honest,” Hawthorne told her. “There were three other meetings called and no one showed up.”

“After we had that meeting in November, everybody walked out of there thinking we weren’t coming anymore,” Miles said, explaining that members hadn’t wanted to confront the chairman about the state of the organization. “Instead, they chose not to show up.”

Miles also said that the GCAACC needed to be reorganized quickly so that the newly-organized body can take advantage of various funding opportunities. Hawthorne has said in the past that the organization’s name—the Gulf Coast AfricanAmerican Chamber of Commerce—is not up for grabs; he has threatened a lawsuit.

“Move forward,” Jerralds snapped at the chairman. “Move forward with your ‘swift legal action.’”

The councilman then called for people interested in joining a reorganized chamber to sign up. Hawthorne challenged such a move.

“You have no authority,” the GCAACC chairman said. “You’re not a member of this organization.”

“Neither are you,” Jerralds said. “You’re a one-man show.”

Several individuals in attendance offered up their own take on the recent drama surrounding the black chamber. Robin Reshard, a local filmmaker, said that “egos” had clouded the conversation—“I feel kind of like the Lorax in doing this”— and made a plea for a civil back-and-forth.

“The conversation has to be, not a question-and-answer, but a dialogue, a conversation,” she said, also cautioning against focusing too heavily on available funding. “We look like ‘grant-hos’—like we’re moving toward the money, not moving toward the mission.”

After the meeting, the councilman said he had over a dozen people sign up for the new chamber. He called Hawthorne’s input at the meeting “pure foolishness.”

“I gave them two months didn’t I?” Jerralds said. “Did they use it wisely and get themselves organized? No.” Jerralds also discounted any chances of working with Hawthorne when comprising a new chamber.

“For what? What the hell for, if he’s going to sit on his butt and do what he’s been doing?” the councilman said. “I have no use for him. He has no use for this community.”

The next day, Hawthorne released the Gulf Coast African-American Chamber of Commerce Strategic Plan 2012-2015, as well as a personal statement. In the statement, the chairman said that the community’s focus on him personally was distracting from the mission of the GCAACC. He also apologized to his wife for the amount of time and personal expenses he had devoted to the group, and offered his resignation as chairman.

“It is my sincere desire that the GCAACC’s new leadership will serve as courageous advocates and be a ‘voice’ for the African-American business community and other small businesses,” Hawthorne wrote in his statement, “and they will strive to ensure economic parity and they not become political ‘pawns’ for the visionless individuals attempting to subvert the ‘mission’ of the Chamber for political gain or personal agendas.”

Hawthorne said in his statement that his resignation would be effective as soon as the GCAACC’s new leadership desired.

He agreed to stay on to facilitate an orderly transition, and encouraged community participation in the chamber going forward.

“My departure should open the door for new leaders to lead the GCAACC,” Hawthorne wrote, “without my personality and leadership being perceived as standing in the way of the GCAACC’s Mission and thereby giving my detractors an opportunity to discredit the GCAACC.” {in} inweekly.net

DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH TO RETIRE ON? ENOUGH INFORMATION THAT IS? With our retirement income expertise, we can help bring your future into focus.

These days, you need more than just Social Security, investments and a pension.

You need the tools, resources and expertise to plan for retirement. And you’ll find them all right here. For instance, we use an established discovery process to help determine how much you’ll realistically need each month for your retirement – and how to best meet that challenge. So let’s have a conversation. What develops from there can be a professional relationship that lasts a lifetime.

TrustYourPlan.com YOUR DEDICATED TEAM

Bob Alft

Monica Kallies

850-479-7190

850-479-7191

Wealth Advisor

Bob Beargie

Sr. Relationship Manager

850-479-7180

Relationship Associate

220 E. Nine Mile Rd. Pensacola, FL 32534

Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC, and are: Not deposits; Not insured by NCUA or any other governmental agency; Not guaranteed by Gulf Winds Federal Credit Union; Subject to risk, may lose value. Gulf Winds Federal Credit Union is Independent of RJFS.

May 24, 2012

®

FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

9

Protesters gathered in front of the Alabama State House in Montgomery on May 16 as lawmakers took up changes to H.B. 56 during the final day of the legislative session. / photo by Jeremy Morrison

America's Immigration Status

By Jeremy Morrison The elevator doesn’t go all the way to the eighth floor of the Alabama State House. Tony Blanco took it to the seventh, and then hustled up a flight of stairs and down a hallway into the gallery overlooking the Alabama Senate.

Slipping into a seat on the back row, the Mexican teenager from outside Auburn, Ala. has arrived just in time to hear Alabama Sen. Scott Beason (R-Gardendale) slap some lipstick on his piece of legislation, H.B. 56, that has come to be considered the nation’s harshest immigration law.

“This is what I call the crayon version,” Beason told his fellow legislators. “I thought about buying boxes of crayons and bringing them for everybody.”

The senator is offering up some amendments to his legislation.

While H.B. 56 was passed last fall, several provisions are being challenged in court.

“There are people out there that are clearly opposed to this legislation,” Beason said.

It’s true. Some of them are praying outside on the state house steps.

Others are chanting loudly on the seventh floor.

010 1

It’s the last day of the Alabama legislative session, another chance for everyone on either side of the country’s immigration debate to make some noise.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court will offer its opinion on Arizona’s efforts, S.B. 1070, to enact its own immigration legislation. It’s a ruling other states are watching closely, many with immigration legislation of their own currently on the books, waiting in the wings or held up in the courts.

Outside the Alabama State House, Marlene Bornego holds her baby and talks about why she has traveled to Montgomery, Ala. The Mexican mother describes wanting a better life for her family and says she hopes H.B. 56 is eventually repealed.

“I hope,” Bornego said. “I hope to God.” On the senate floor, Sen. Beason wraps up his comments. Easily approved, the amended bill travels on to the governor’s desk.

Seated near Blanco in the spectator gallery, Felix Martinez is having a difficult time understanding what has just happened. The undocumented Mexican doesn’t speak very much English, so Blanco leans over and explains that the senators have approved the amended bill.

“Mal,” said Martinez, shaking his head.

“A lot of these illegal immigrants don’t like Americans.”

William Gheen The country’s immigrant population, those with documentation and those without, is also watching closely. Civil rights and immigrant-focused organizations have argued that state laws currently being passed can only lead to the targeting and persecution of a certain ethnic group, specifically persons of Latino decent.

BUSTING THE PINATA

William Gheen has crossed the border. It’s unusual for him to migrate this far up in the story, but here he is, going bat-shit crazy right here in Quadrant One. inweekly.net

Arizona’s law sparked nationwide protests.

While proponents contend that state-level legislation is needed to compensate for poor federal enforcement of existing immigration laws, critics have charged that such laws are bad for the economy and society, and will inevitably lead into some dark waters.

“We have a lot of problems with these laws,” said Linton JoaA binder marked 'Illegal Immigration' rests on state Sen. Scott Beason's quin, general counsel for desk in the Alabama Senate's chamber. Beason authored H.B. 56, the National Immigrawhich has come to be known as the country's toughest stance on imtion Law Center. “They migration. / photo by Jeremy Morrison really open the gates for “We don’t usually get too fair of a shake racial profiling.” in the indy media,” Gheen said, later explainSupporters of state-legislation argue ing that he’s usually exiled to a sort of literary that it’s not about race, but rather impurgatory called Quadrant Three. “—I’m like migration status. Sen. Beason, sponsor of the obligatory mention of the other side of Alabama’s bill, assures that his law will not the argument.” lead to racial profiling.

Gheen is the head of Americans for Legal “We’re very, very careful in our law to Immigration. He speaks with the press often, make sure that’s not tolerated,” the senator but never seems too thrilled about it. said, a day before bringing his amended bill “The Indy?” he growled. “A good before the senate.

George SorosTo illustrate funded paper?” his point, Beason Quadrant recalled how a Three is apparMercedes-Benz ently an article’s executive was pulled wasteland and over and held by carries journalistic police shortly after sub-textual implithe law was enacted. cations. It appears Detlev Hagar—posto be some place sessing only his Gerthe liberal media man identification stuffs things it card—was detained wants to lose. in Tuscaloosa, Ala. “Your fourth “I don’t think point, your least important point is in Quadanybody can say he was profiled,” Beason rant Three,” Gheen explained. “So, that’s said. where you’ll find me in a lot of articles.”

Beason’s H.B. 56—even the amended verThis sort of inferiority complex-based sion—is considered, depending on who you thought process also seems to apply to ask, the best or the worst piece of immigration Gheen’s views on immigration: they’re stealing legislation in the country. jobs; they’re stealing elections; they’re not “We do a few other things than Arizona inviting him to their fiesta. does,” the senator said.

“A lot of these illegal immigrants don’t like In addition to performing on-the-spot Americans,” Gheen said. status verification, Alabama’s law also requires For the past few years, Gheen has schools to gather citizenship status informapositioned Americans for Legal Immigration tion from students; makes it illegal to rent (ALI-PAC) at the forefront of the immigraproperty to, hire, harbor or transport undocution debate. The political action network is mented immigrants; requires employers to use currently laying the groundwork necessary to the US E-Verify program; and prohibits unspread Arizona-styled legislation nationwide. documented people from applying for work.

“Our ambition is to pass versions of S.B. Two years after the passage of S.B. 1070, 1070 in about half the states,” Gheen said.

Alabama is the new Arizona. When ALI-PAC “Especially in the South and the Midwest.” meets with state legislators in an effort to get Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed S.B. more immigration laws on the books, they’ll 1070—or, The Support Our Law Enforcebring blueprints drawn up in the "Heart of Dixie." ment and Safe Neighborhoods Act—into “You’ve got to understand, S.B. 1070 has law in April of 2010. The more controversial changed since it was enacted,” said Gheen. measures of the law make it a crime for immi“The copies we’re circulating right now are grants to be without their documentation and much more similar to Alabama’s law.” also obligates police officers to determine a Gheen’s goal of getting immigration legperson’s immigration status if there is reasonislation passed in half the country within the able suspicion that the person may be in the year may not seem so far-fetched, considering country illegally. The law also allows citizens many states already have such legislation in to sue law enforcement agencies in order to place or pending. Half a dozen states, includcompel them to enforce the state’s new iming Georgia and South Carolina, have adopted migration legislation.

Arizona-esque legislation.

“We have a lot of problems with these laws. They really open the gates for racial profiling.”

Linton Joaquin

May 24, 2012

Rescued, Recycled, Refinished & Previously Loved Furniture and Goods of All Kinds

Why Buy New? Blue Moon Is The Place To Shop With The Best Prices In Town!

Open Tues-Sat 10-5 | Sun 12-5

3721 W. Navy Blvd.

455-7377

St. Paul Catholic School and Jerry Pate Golf are proud to present the Seventeenth Annual

SPARTAN SCRAMBLE GOLF TOURNAMENT Friday, May 25, 2012, 12:30 p.m. Tee Off Tiger Point East Golf Course *All proceeds donated to St. Paul Catholic School* Prizes awarded to all tournament participants - low scores or not. Prizes include the award of a new 2012 Cadillac for a hole-in-one on a designated par three hole, with three additional, separate $10,000 cash awards for a hole-in-one accomplished on any of the other course’s par three holes. A special prize for two tickets to the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club, Ardmore, Pennsylvania shall be awarded along with round-trip air fare, ground transportation and hotel reservations in exciting Ardmore, Pennsylvania.

Entry Fee: $95 per player Gold, Silver and Bronze Sponsorship Packages Available

For more information, please call 850.432.1300 11

Pro-legislation groups are already on the ground in states around the country. Activists and legislators work together to craft each state’s legislation, with one eye on the drawing board and the other on Arizona’s case before the Supreme Court.

“We’re priming the pump,” Gheen said, describing how each state’s law will need to be tweaked to suit its specific needs and adapt to the evolving legal landscape. “—To make sure it becomes more immune to lawsuits from immigration-supporting groups, and individuals like Obama and the Mexican government.”

That’s also what Sen. Beason is attempting with his amended H.B. 56., to make it more palatable to society and less likely to be defeated in court. Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, however, still felt a little squeamish, ordering lawmakers into a special session to make changes to the bill a day after the senate amended it. A day after that—when lawmakers balked at the governor’s request—Bentley went ahead a signed the bill.

“If we have to write it in crayon we will,” Beason said a day before proposing the amendments. “People are just so sensitive about this.”

AMERICAN PATCHWORK

Shouting up to the top-floor senate chamber, Victor Spezzini’s voice drifts into the blue Montgomery, Ala. sky. He leads the group assembled outside the state house in a series of chants.

“What is the reason? Scott Beason!”

Spenzzini shouted.

Today’s theater is pure formality. Everyone knows what’s going down upstairs. Still, it’s a chance to wear matching t-shirts and pound your chest.

“If you’re wondering what the message is, it’s a very simple message we learned in Sunday School!” Spenzzini roared over the PA system. “If God loves us, why don’t you?”

No matter how many slogans bounce around the state house steps, at day’s end Alabama will still reign supreme as the state with the nation’s toughest stance on immigration.

And that’s gonna make for a sketchy ride home.

Standing on the state house lawn under the shade of a tree, Jose Tomas has been looking over his shoulder since Alabama’s law was enacted last year. He flinches, pausing in conversation every time a Capitol police officer walks too close.

The undocumented Mexican lost his job immediately following the law’s passage. Now

212 1

Tomas spends a considerable amount of time worrying about traveling from Point A to Point B without getting deported.

“We check the lights, the turn signals, the brake light,” Tomas explained. “That’s normal.

We do that everyday.”

Tomas’ relatives worry about him and his family. They wish he would get out of Alabama.

“They say, ‘why won’t you go to another state?’” he relayed. “I say, ‘in other states they’ll probably pass laws, too.’”

This is exactly the intent of state-level immigration laws. It’s called “attrition through enforcement.” With the passage of such legislation, proponents are hoping to make day-to-day life so difficult and dangerous that illegal immigrants voluntarily leave.

“It pushes these groups of people into a subclass,” said Benjamin Stevenson, an attorney with American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.

And while only a handful of states are pushing the immigration envelope, the prevailing mood has swept the country. Immigrants across America are feeling the impact.

“It affects the psyche,” said Jeannie Economos, of the Farmworker Association of Florida. “There’s a kind of fear and intimidation in Florida that keeps people in their homes, that keeps them from going to the doctor or the grocery store ... I tell you, it’s really bad right now.”

Protesters attempted to block the entrances of the Alabama House and Senate chambers during the final day of the legislative session. Seven people were arrested at the Alabama State House. / photo by Jeremy Morrison back to Florida for the state’s long growing season. “They’re afraid to come here. Afraid of being targeted driving through Alabama and Georgia.”

As immigrants across the U.S. eye the legal challenges playing out in key battleground states, the community has become increasingly more on edge. The patchwork woven over decades of immigration could be unraveling.

“A lot of families are mixed families, one parent may be documented, the other may not; the parents may be undocumented, while the children are citizens,” Economos said. “We have children that come home from school every day afraid their parents might have been deported.”

With a number states waiting on the legal cues from Arizona and Alabama, immigrants in Florida may soon have to worry about more than a wounded psyche. They could soon see state legislators enact their very own immigration legislation to fear.

“I think if Alabama and Arizona are successful, a number of states will,” Sen. Beason said.

Florida lawmakers already made two failed attempts, during the 2010 and 2011 legislative sessions, at immigration legislation.

“We were worried about that,” said Natalia Jaramillo, of the Florida Immigrant

“We have children that come home from school every day afraid their parents might have been deported.”

Jeannie Economos In Florida, which has not yet enacted its own immigration legislation, migrant workers are feeling the sting of the national climate. In addition to the souring national mood, Florida immigrants must also account for legislation in neighboring states Alabama and Georgia.

“Because of the bad laws in Alabama and Georgia, a lot of farm workers in Florida are afraid to travel, to migrate north,” Economos said, explaining that workers are also becoming stranded in northern states and are scared to travel traditional migration routes

Coalition.

Immigrant organizations, joined by the business and agricultural communities, flooded into Tallahassee, Fla. Ultimately, lawmakers flinched and the bills died in committee each time.

“It was one of the few Southeast states that was able to push back these laws,” Jaramillo recalled.

But there’s always next year. Florida officials are certainly watching the current Supreme Court case as they map out their next move.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has joined 15 other states in signing onto a friendof-the-court, or amicus, brief. She is throwing her state’s weight behind Arizona.

“Governor Jan Brewer shouldn’t have to be dealing with that in Arizona,” Bondi told reporters in April.

In South Florida, We Count! works to improve overall conditions for immigrants in the state. Executive Director Jonathan Fried constantly keeps one weary eye focused on Tallahassee, waiting for the state’s next attempt at immigration legislation.

“It would create a human-rights crisis greater than the one that already exists,” Fried said. “We don’t want to drive people more underground.”

inweekly.net

BOGEYMAN IN THE BARRIO

Last year, political-comedian Stephen Colbert testified before the U.S. Congress about the nation’s current immigration landscape. As usual, his comedy rode the razor’s edge toward tragedy.

“This is America, I don’t want a tomato picked by a Mexican. I want it picked by an American, then sliced by a Guatemalan and served by a Venezuelan in a spa where a Chilean gives me a Brazilian,” Colbert told the legislators. “Because my great-grandfather did not travel across 4,000 miles of the Atlantic Ocean to see this country overrun by immigrants. He did it because he killed a man back in Ireland. That’s the rumor; I don’t know if that’s true.”

From the country’s beginning, America has been built on a foundation of immigrants.

With the exception of Native Americans, everyone is a stranger in this strange land.

People have traditionally arrived in this country with eager eyes and a hopeful heart. Today is no different.

“We come here for a better life,” says Lily Ambrasio, standing out front of the Alabama State House. “The same as everybody else.”

But the national climate has become increasingly tense for immigrants, specifically Latinos, in recent years. In 2012, immigration legislation proponents like Gheen have little trouble loading up their bandwagon.

In his paranoia-soaked worldview, Gheen envisions an America swamped with massive numbers of illegal immigrants. After stealing all the jobs and sucking up all the social services, the immigrants will surely change the official language to Spanish, hang piñatas from lampposts and force everyone to subsist on varying arrangements of tortillas, rice and beans. The ALI-PAC head is hard at work to ensure that this “immune system destroying voter block” never takes over the country.

“Let’s say you have a staph infection—this is not to dehumanize illegal immigrants, they are people,” Gheen explained. “What would happen if you decided to let the staph infection stay? You’d die.”

Ironically, new data indicates that immigration rates are actually slowing. This is attributed to the country’s worsening economy and shrinking number of jobs.

But the country’s problems are deep and intricate. It’s much easier to find a bogeyman in the barrio.

“Even though a lot of people know it’s because of banks and the mortgage crisis and the housing bubble, a lot of people are using immigrants as scapegoats,” said Economos. “I think a couple of things come into play: just the fear of the unknown, the fear of the stranger.”

Legislation supporters maintain that states are simply filling a void. Picking up slack the federal government has neglected.

“The problem is, our presidents—specifically Bush, and now Obama—have not met their constitutional duties of the oath of office,” says Gheen.

But voices on the other side of the debate feel the argument’s very premise is misguided. They focus less on legalities and more on people.

“The legal system needs to catch up to where society already is,” said Fried, arguing for a more open immigration policy. “I don’t think it’s something we should fear. It’s a beautiful thing.”

DEJA VU VOTEX

Montgomery, Ala. is a natural vortex for civil rights drama. It was here, in 1965, that Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. ended the legendary Selma-to-Montgomery march on the capitol’s steps. That was back when state lawmakers met in the capitol building.

These days, legislators meet in the Alabama State House. It’s the old Highway Department Building, with segregationist Gov. George Wallace’s name engraved on the cornerstone.

Up in the eighth-floor senate gallery, Felix Martinez talks about life since the enactment of H.B. 56.

His Spanish slows to a reflective pace. It’s getting tough for a Mexican in Alabama.

“He says, ‘It’s been bad here,’” Blanco translated. “‘And the police have been very strict and detaining people.’”

Martinez has a daughter and a grandson.

He worries about them constantly. Back home, his family worries about him. “‘My family in Mexico,’” Blanco said, pausing for Martinez to continue. “‘Is always asking me when I’m coming back because they see things on television and they hear bad things, but I have to stay here and repeal this law.’”

On the staircase back down to the seventh-floor, an elderly Latino woman walks slowly with her family. Her face wrinkled, her eyes focused on the next step.

Near the entrance to the senate floor, a group of protestors has begun to sing songs—“Amazing Grace,” “We Shall Overcome”— from the civil rights-era songbook.

A few people lay arms linked on the floor in a symbolic blockage of the senate chambers. A few more have already been hauled away in handcuffs.

“Report me! Report me!” a young Latino yelled at scrambling staffers. “I’m undocumented and I’m not afraid of you!”

One of the people on the floor is wearing a clergy collar. Later in the elevator, Pastor Tommy Morgan will laugh nervously and explain how scared he was. But, he would say, he had to.

“Because injustice is injustice,” Morgan explained, lying near the senate floor entrance. “We have to fight it. This is what Jesus taught us.”

A black state house staffer stands over Morgan. He and his cohorts seem to be trying to manage the situation without any more arrests. It’s getting awkward in the vortex.

“You understand,” a young Latino man said to the staffer, almost quietly.

“Have a nice day,” the black man replied. {in}

ARE YOU READY FOR A COOL BODY?

BY ZELTIQ® —Non–invasive ­—No cutting, no needles, no downtime —Advanced cooling technology —FDA approved & that targets fat bulges —See changes in as quickly as 3 weeks clinically proven —On average patients see a 20% reduction of fat in the treated area

“Because injustice is injustice. We have to fight it. This is what Jesus taught us.”

8333 N. Davis Hwy Pensacola, FL | 850.474.8386

Pastor Tommy Morgan

May 24, 2012

2874 Gulf Breeze Pkwy Gulf Breeze, FL | 850.916.9969 KevinWelchMD.com

Kevin Welch, M.D.

Board Certified Dermatologist Voted Best of the Coast Skin Care 2008– 2011

Veteran NPR science correspondent, Joe Palca delves deep into current, complex, science issues and presents them clearly to the listener, making them easy to understand.

WUWF public radio is my source for discovering the world around me.

13

414 1

inweekly.net

health & wellness Special Advertising Section May 2012

A Very Special Olympics

Local Sports Need More Support

by Stephanie Sharp

Participating in sports gives Special Olympic athletes the chance to be With only an estimated 20 percent celebrated for their achievements and to of eligible athletes participating in both be a part of a team. They get the same Escambia and Santa Rosa county, all the benefits as any other athletes would after good that comes out of this organization competition: pride, joy, and satisfaction. could be greatly increased. This requires “That’s just electrifying to me,” said Berry. not only resources, but also support from Special Olympic athletes can also the communities served. Barrale aims to lose, just like any other athletes. There educate the public on the Special Olympic are officials, rules, and scoreboards. program and all of its benefits.

Athletes train for a minimum of eight “It’s been a bit neglected,” she said. to 12 weeks for each sport, competing The volunteers and athletes host locally and on a statewide level. Special sporting events like their Mardi Gras 5k Olympics in Escambia and Santa Rosa run and sponsorship drives like their Earth counties also offer free health screenings Day Tennis Team drawing to fund travel to participants. The Athlete Leadership expenses, which account for the biggest Program is another way for participants financial burden of the program. to benefit, with the opportunity for posiAccording to Barrale, if more local tions as coaches, officials, team captains, business leaders could step up and supand spokespeople available. port the program they could greatly imThe champions of Special Olympics prove Special Olympics in Escambia and are all ages, from eight to 98. Many of the Santa Rosa counties. More funds would athletes involved with Special Olympics mean more athletes able to travel to outlive at or below poverty level, so Special of-town events, the possibility of providOlympics provides transportation for all ing more transportation and adding sports training and events for the Santa Rosa county athletes. and fundraises But beyond fundraising, Berry hopes to to help cover the see bigger crowds for the athlete’s events. cost of competiIn a town that is so enthusiastic about tion travel. sports, she would urge people to come and This program support the Special Olympics just like they is more than would any other local sports team. just a way to get “I mean the community comes out exercise. It’s a for the Blue Wahoos,” she said. “It would community of debe nice for them to come out for special voted athletes and needs [athletes].” volunteers who The Escambia and Santa Rosa county give their all for the athletes just got back from the ESPN Wide love of the game.

World of Sports complex to participate in But these aren’t the State Summer Games. About 6,300 the only people athletes, coaches and family members who are positively were a part of this event. The athletes won impacted by Special Olympics, the comfour gold, 12 silver and 13 bronze medals. munity wins right along with the teams.

“We had an awesome time,” Barrale When the community as a whole said.

“We played our best, represented embraces Special Olympics, it embraces Escambia County and brought home lots inclusion. These athletes learn, through of medals.” {in} their athletic achievements, how to become more active citizens in the community. They gain confidence, and the volunteers involved with Special Olympics gain along with them.

“They’re able to see things differently,” says Barrale. “We’re DETAILS: specialolympicsescambia.org all the same, essentially.”

CHEER ON THE CHAMPIONS

Escambia County Special Olympics soccer team stands with their silver medals won at the Summer State Games / courtesy photo The world has been eagerly awaiting the 2012 Summer Olympics, but there’s a way to get your Olympic fix right in your own community—without waiting another four years for the excitement to begin again. Special Olympic competitions, training and fundraising events happen year round in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

When Special Olympics are mentioned, most people would picture a yearly event in a high school stadium packed full of student volunteers cheering on the athletes.

Special Olympics is not just an annual event, it’s a year-round organization that trains athletes and leaders to succeed.

“We do a lot more than the community is aware of,” says Jessica Barrale, county coordinator for Escambia and Santa Rosa County’s Special Olympic programs.

Barrale become involved with Special Olympics in July of 2011, while looking for a purposeful job in marketing and communication. She is the non-profit’s only employee, but not because there isn’t plenty to do.

“It’s like five jobs in one,” Barrale said.

The Escambia and Santa Rosa Special Olympics program has experienced a lack of stability in leadership, so the program is in need of what Barrale calls “re-building.” She has high hopes for the future of the program and wants to see it grow, but the program May 24, 2012

struggles to gain more community support because people don’t understand that Special Olympics is much more than an annual track and field event.

There are 12 different sports offered by Special Olympics, ranging from basketball and soccer to sailing and bocce ball. All of the sports are coached by volunteers or athletes in the Athlete Leadership Program.

"The community comes out for the Blue Wahoos.

It would be nice for them to come out for special needs [athletes].”

Susan Berry

MORE THAN A MEDAL

Special Olympic athletes benefit from what is truly healthy competition. Susan Berry, principal of Escambia Westgate School, explained that her students can better perform in the classroom by participating in the physical activity that Special Olympics provides them. Working large muscle groups improves cognitive function and concentration in the classroom environment, as well as helping all of the athletes work out negative feelings that are one of the obstacles of living with their disability.

SPECIAL OLYMPICS ESCAMBIA COUNTY

15

| SPECIA L ADV ERTISING SEC TION | Section M A RCH 2010 | Special Advertising |May 2012 health & wellness

profile

Health Talk: Friedrich and Jeffrey Woods

by Jennie McKeon

Jeffrey Woods / courtesy photo The word “can’t” is not in Jeffrey Woods’ vocabulary. Born with Down syndrome, life may not have always been easy for Woods, but he has learned to make the most of it.

Jeffrey began his athletic career with the Special Olympics Escambia County fifteen years ago while he was attending Escambia Westgate, now he counts soccer, basketball and softball as his favorite activities.

“I like to try different sports,” he said.

Since then, not only has he participated in multiple sports, but has started a sailing team with his father, Friedrich. He is also a part of the Athlete Leadership Program,

where he acts a spokesperson for Special Olympics, raising awareness for the need of volunteers, coaches and athletes.

Woods, 24, only gets “a little bit nervous” speaking in front of groups of people. As his dad said, he doesn’t know a stranger. Jeffrey is very sociable and talks with a wide smile.

The leadership program has helped him develop as an adult.

“It’s the fear of most parents—what’s going to happen to them when I’m gone,” said Friedrich.

Friedrich’s work with Special Olympics started out small. Just like Jeffrey, as the years continued his involvement increased.

“I started as a parent and observer, just as an ember starts a big flame,” he said. “I would help set up and then became an official volunteer, then I was trained to be an official coach and I ended up coaching basketball, softball, bowling and bocce. Then we started the sailing program five years ago.”

No matter how much time they have to give, volunteers (especially drivers) are always welcome.

“That’s possibly the biggest challenge,” Friedrich said of transportation. “Less than

20 percent of eligible athletes are involved with Special Olympics.”

As important as it is for kids of all ages and abilities to be active, it is equally important to exercise their mind.

“It’s as much of a social event as an athletic event, there’s as much joy as seeing their friends,” Friedrich said.

The year-round sports and activities instill a can-do attitude.

“They test their limits,” Friedrich said. “A lot of athletes say ‘I can’t run,’ end up sprinting 50 yards. They can do it. It just takes a little work.”

The Special Olympic games are scored much like any game; there is no special treatment.

“It’s very professional, very similar to real Olympics,” said Friedrich. “They don’t change the rules. In softball, if you have three strikes, you’re out.”

This gives athletes another reason to feel like they’re any other kid. Losing may happen, but that’s part of the sport.

“I don’t mind,” Jeffrey said of the possibility of losing. “It’s good to be challenged.”

Athletes must be eight years old or older to participate in Special Olympics, after that it’s pretty limitless. The oldest athlete now is

82. Jeffrey said he sees himself participating just as long.

Already, his fifteen-year involvement has earned him plenty of awards.

“I got a couple,” Jeffrey said.

“A couple? For a while you looked like Mr. T,” Friedrich said to Jeffrey. “You must have 20 different medals.”

As athletes learn to socialize and lead healthy, active lives they grow up—just like any kid—to learn purpose and responsibility.

“Jeffrey goes through all the same learning and growing as any other kid,” Friedrich said.

“He went out and got his own job at AutoZone, filled out the application. It springs from the encouragement from Special Olympics.” {in}

SPECIAL OLYMPICS ESCAMBIA COUNTY

DETAILS: specialolympicsescambia.org

CURRENT CLASSES

FOR CURRENT CLASSES VISIT INWEEKLY.NET

Teachers & Nurses Appreciation Month Now till end of June

850-432-6772 • 20 N. Tarragona St.

stillwaters m ed s p a. com Massage lic # 17509 616 1

inweekly.net

health & wellness

calendar

for more h&w calendar and news items visit inweekly.net

5.24

FREE MEMORY SCREENINGS Forgetful? Repeating questions?

Having trouble finding words? These behaviors may suggest a serious memory problem. In those instances, the MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination) Memory Screen—the tool utilized by the Memory Disorder Clinic—can help detect them.

Attend at free memory screening at West Florida Hospital Memory Disorder Clinic, 8391 N. Davis Hwy. To schedule a confidential appointment, call 494-3212.

5.24

A LIFETIME OF GOOD HEALTH – HAPPY HEALTHY WOMEN The Baptist Healthcare Wellness Event will be presented by Vicky Griffin, D.O. OB/GYN. Reservations are required. The class will be held from 12 to 1 p.m. in the Azalea Room at Baptist Medical Park, located at 9400 University Pkwy. Too attend, please call 469-7897.

5.24

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

BP Oil Spill

Settlement Announced a light supper and presentation by rheumatologist Brian Kirby, M.D. The event is 5:30 to 7 p.m. on the seventh floor of West Florida Hospital, located at 8383 N. Davis Hwy. Registration is required, call 494-3212 to attend.

5.30

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

5.30

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

5.30

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

THE PLAINTIFFS’ STEERING COMMITTEE (PSC) SPEARHEADING THE LITIGATION SURROUNDING THE 2010 BP GULF OIL SPILL ANNOUNCED THAT A SETTLEMENT IN PRINCIPLE HAS BEEN REACHED WITH BP THAT WILL FULLY COMPENSATE HUNDREDS OFTHOUSANDS OF VICTIMS OF THE TRAGEDY. THE SETTLEMENT IS TO BE FULLY FUNDED BY BP, WITH NO CAP ON THE AMOUNT BP WILL PAY. BP IS OBLIGATED TO FULLY SATISFY ALL ELIGIBLE CLAIMS UNDER THE TERMS OF THE COURT SUPERVISED SETTLEMENT, IRRESPECTIVE OF THE FUNDS PREVIOUSLY SET ASIDE. PLEASE CONSULT WITH OUR FIRM ABOUT POSSIBLE CLAIMS FOR COMPENSATION.

5.31

FREE TABLE TENNIS Pensacola Table Tennis Club offers free play twice a week on Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m. and Mondays from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Balls and paddles are provided, but you are welcome to bring your own. Thursday is for intermediate and advanced and Monday is for family and beginners, but there all enough tables available for all skill levels. Located at the Fricker Community Center, 901 N. E St., call 791-3979 for more information or visit pensacolatabletennis.tripod.com.

HOW TO PLAN FOR PREGNANCY AND PREPARE FOR CHILDBIRTH Two family planning experts, board certified OB/GYN Erika Schneider, M.D., and certified nurse midwife Robin Crum of Baptist Medical Group Ladies First – OB/GYN, will walk you through important pre-conception considerations, what to expect during pregnancy and your choices in childbirth. Light meal served at 5:30 p.m. and the presentation begins at 6 p.m. in conference room B at the Andrews Institute Education & Research Building, located at 1040 Gulf Breeze Pkwy.

Reservations required, call 434-4080 to reserve your spot.

Contact our law firm if you own a business South of I-10 and had decreased revenue in 2010.

5.28

5.31

WE CHARGE NO FEES OR COSTS UNLESS YOU COLLECT!

5.24

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

5.29

YOGA WITH BECKIE SATHRE The class includes readings, meditation and chanting at Everman, 315 W. Garden St. from 6 to 7 p.m. Beginner’s yoga is on the first and third Tuesdays with intermediate yoga on the second and fourth Tuesdays. Free for Everman members, $2 for non-members.

Bring your own towel or mat. For more information, call 438-0402 or visit everman.org.

5.29

RED HOT MAMAS – “THE FACTS ABOUT OSTEOPOROSIS” The free West Florida Hospital class provides May 24, 2012

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

6.02

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

WWW.LEVINLAW.COM 24 Hour Access | 7 Days A Week

435.7000 316 SOUTH BAYLEN STREET SUITE 400 | 850.435.7000 The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely on advertisements. Before you decide ask us to send you free written information about our qualifications and experience.

17

818 1

inweekly.net

Experience Our Difference.

health & wellness

featured h&w services

Sacred Heart Health System

Day Spas

The Area’s Only Accredited

Chest Pain Center West Florida Hospital is the only hospital in the region to earn Chest Pain Center accreditation by the prestigious Society of Chest Pain Centers, an international professional organization focused on improving care for patients with acute coronary symptoms and other related conditions. The accreditation followed a stringent and comprehensive review of the expertise of our operating systems and the compassionate care we provide our chest pain patients.

As an Accredited Chest Pain Center, West Florida Hospital ensures that patients who come to our Emergency Room complaining of chest pain or discomfort are given the immediate treatment necessary to avoid as much heart damage as possible.

Protocol-based procedures developed by leading experts in cardiac care to reduce time to treatment in the critical early stages of a heart attack are part of our overall cardiac care service.

And, should you need to be admitted, West Florida Hospital is the only hospital in the area that can guarantee your own private room during your stay.

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

|

Health Care Organizations

BAPTIST HEALTH CARE 434-4071, ebaptisthealthcare.org Baptist Health Care is a community-owned, not-for-profit health care organization serving Northwest Florida and South Alabama.

Baptist Health Care includes four hospitals, two medical parks, Baptist Manor, Baptist Home Health Care and Durable Medical Equipment, Baptist Leadership Institute, Andrews Institute for Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine and Lakeview Center.

SACRED HEART HEALTH SYSTEM 416-7000, sacred-heart.org More than 600 primary and specialty physicians practice at Sacred Heart, a not-for-profit healthcare organization.

Its main services include Sacred Heart Medical Group, a network of primary care physicians, a 24-hour Emergency Trauma Center, a Pediatric Trauma ReFerràl Center and centers of excellence specializing in women's health, cardiac care, orthopedics, cancer care and the care of children.

Quality Care for All Major & Minor Emergencies Accredited Chest Pain Center • Certified Stroke Center

A free informational service of West Florida Hospital:

Our ER Wait Time at Your Fingertips... n Text ER to 23000 on your mobile phone to

8383 North Davis Highway 850-494-3212 www.WestFloridaHospital.com

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

receive a message displaying the average wait time to see a medical provider. n Go to www.WestFloridaHospital.com to find our average wait time, updated every thirty minutes.

WEST FLORIDA HEALTHCARE 494-3212, westfloridahospital.com West Florida Healthcare is proud to offer the only local hospital featuring all private rooms. The West Florida campus also offers the area’s only comprehensive rehabilitation hospital and a mental health facility. West Florida also provides services in cardiovascular surgery, oncology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, emergency care, behavioral health, obstetrics and many other medical specialties.

Health Clubs and Fitness

ANYTIME FITNESS 100 S. Alcaniz St., 469-1190 6301 N. 9th Ave. #4, 969-1348 anytimefitness.com Anytime Fitness is open 24-hours all year long. The gym membership can be used at any Anytime Fitness location. Each new member receives a free personal fitness orientation, including an explanation and demonstration of basic exercise principles and a quick, safe and effective exercise program.

Training continues throughout membership with online tools such as a diet tracker, workout planner and virtual coaching.

FIXED ON FITNESS, INC. 554-1648, fixedonfitness.com Fixed on Fitness boot camp provides an ideal combination of personal training, accountability, camaraderie and hard work, which results in a dynamic approach to total fitness. Throughout the six weeks of boot camp, you are introduced to a variety of workout techniques, exercises and challenges. Each workout is different, so campers experience 24 new workouts.

Skin Care

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

19

May 24, 2012

music

by Hana Frenette

Reminiscing on the Listening—A Hangout Fest Recap

M. Ward / photo by Hana Frenette

Jack White and Ruby Amanfu / photo by Hana Frenette

Amidst the masses of barefoot and suntanned at Hangout was something not always present at a music festival in the summer. A breeze. Not that it wasn’t hot, it was. Just not as unbearably, grotesquely hot as it could have been. The breeze lingered on into the nights too, making the packed out performances of the headliners a little more comfortable for the 35,000 or so that attended.

Alabama Shakes performed at 2:15 p.m., which might have been the hottest part of the day, on Friday, to an enormously full crowd.

Although they released their first full-length album only a month ago, Shakes was on everyone’s must see list. Their perfect mix of twang and soul did not disappoint, and before they even played a note the crowd was screaming out “Come on Brittany!” a line from the song “Hold On” they performed live on Conan earlier this year.

M. Ward played the same stage following Alabama Shakes. Ward came out and began singing and strumming his guitar alone, and then slowly each of the band members walked out and picked up their instruments, joining in one by one to play the duration of the set.

Next on the schedule was Wilco. The band played for almost an hour before Jeff Tweedy gave an awkward first address to the crowd. “It’s a nice, um, nice night,” Tweedy said. He warmed up after the first encounter with the audience and said, “This is the closest we’ve ever played to a large body of water.

Let’s go get in. Let’s do something together.

Let’s sing.” And that’s what the band and the crowd did for the remaining set, through the old and the new songs from Wilco’s catalog ranging back to 1994.

Jack White closed out the festival Friday, making for a rather epic day of music.

Tiffany Lamson and Taylor Guarisco of GIVERS / photo by Hana Frenette

White first appeared on stage with his all male band, the Buzzards, and launched into “Dead Leaves on the Dirty Ground,” as the opening song. The stage with meagerly lit by ghostly blue lights that shined on a blue band playing blue instruments, while three columns of blue fabric were draped elegantly as a backdrop. Mid-set White switched bands and finished the show with the female band, the Peacocks, including country soul singer Ruby Amanfu, who sings with White on his solo album “Blunderbuss.”

Songs from many facets of White’s musical career were played, including a Dead Weather song or two, and a plethora of White Stripes favorites. White was grinning and goofing around with the bands. He was bumping into them a little, taunting them with his guitar, and tossing the occasional towel at them—clearly, having a ball.

Jeff Tweedy of Wilco / photo by Hana Frenette

On Saturday Mac Miller and Skrillex heated up the Xbox tent stage, and pumped the beats out to a raging crowd equipped with face paint, glow sticks and the burning desire to dance, regardless of the intense heat or lack of space.

Randy Newman took the stage at around 2:15 and over the course of his hour or so performance, one could see people making the trek across the sand in a mass pilgrimage to hear him sing comedic songs like “Short People” or “Birmingham.” When Newman broke into the theme from the Disney Pixar film “Toy Story” an eruption of screams ensued followed immediately by a mass sing along. Newman’s voice was so soulful and eerily unchanged by time that his songs gave goose bumps to many in the crowd, despite the sun beating down. continued on page 20>

020 2

inweekly.net

Reminiscing on the Listening—A Hangout Fest Recap continued from page 19

Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips / photo by Hana Frenette Gogol Bordello riled the crowd with their strain of gypsy hillbilly rock, and so did Flogging Molly with their Irish punk jams.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers ended Saturday night with a super energetic set that saw lead singer Anthony Kiedis jumping around

from start to finish—dancing, singing, hopping, high kicking. Flea was clad in his usual bright blue hair with no shirt and early in the set, chanted, “Forgive your families, forgive your parents,” to the crowd a few times.

Sunday offered a diverse collection of music for festival goers. Early in the day, Big Freedia and the Divas took the stage.

The first thing Big Freedia did was have her dancers hype the crowd by shaking their booties in Big Freedia’s very own boy short underwear. After several songs of intense chanting and dancing, Freedia picked several girls from the crowd to come on stage for her song, “Azz Everywhere!” Freedia danced with the girls and offered the crowd a view that definitely won’t be fit to post on the Internet—or, at least not without blocking your immediate family from your Facebook news feed.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros sang to a packed crowd—and in the packed crowd—with the lead singer Alex Ebert jumping from speakers to barricades to the sand, grabbing people’s hands and singing to them The Flaming Lips put on an amazing, extravagant, other worldly show, complete with confetti raining on the crowd, girls dressed in Alice in Wonderland costumes, giant hamster balls, blow up dolphins and catfish, and giant balloons filled with money (which were released when the band played a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Money.”) Allegedly

OUR RESERVE AYBANA C E T PRIVA AY! TO D

Dave Matthews / photo by Hana Frenette the money was real, totaled $10,000 and was gift from fellow festival performer Dave Matthews. All the while, Wayne Coyne was dressed in a ski jacket, a bright silver cape, and gigantic fake furry hand gloves.

Whether or not Matthews did donate money for the cause of The Flaming Lips set, he absolutely performed for several hours as the final act of Hangout Fest this year, providing the perfect soundtrack to relax and reminisce to about the soon ending weekend. {in}

OVER 40

RIDES AND ATTRACTIONS!

UP TO 4 ADMISSIONS PER COUPON

Coupon valid for up to 4 people. Not valid with any other offer, discount or promotion. Expires 9/3/12.

Barcode: GSINDNWS12

1007 US HWY 9 8 EA S T • DES TI N, F L 3 2 5 4 1 850-837-8 3 1 9 • B I G K A H U NA S . C OM

21

May 24, 2012

a&e

by Beej Davis

Leslie Jordan is a Mama’s Boy and hysterical as many of his rolls are, so was the conversation when he took some time to talk to Independent News.

He’s well-known for his many guest appearances on shows such as “Boston Legal,” “Desperate Housewives,” and “Will & Grace,” for which he won an Emmy in 2006, but accomplished actor/writer Leslie Jordan has played a leading role in bringing awareness and acceptance of the LGBT community through stage and film.

Hailing from Chattanooga, Tenn., Jordan, 57, never thought there were enough gay role models for youth to emulate until homosexuality began making a more blatant presence in film in the 1980s—about the same time Jordan did after getting his foot in the door with commercial work. Some argue that shows like “Will & Grace” changed the playing field in how mainstream Americans began viewing homosexuality. Jordan was just glad to be a part of it.

A self-admitted alcoholic who has been sober for 15 years; a party boy of the 1970s and being close friends with the likes of Lily Tomlin and Olivia Newton-John has given Jordan plenty of fodder to entertain the masses, gay and straight alike. In his latest one-man show “Fruit Fly,” he directs his focus to his mother and growing up in the hills of Tennessee with a collection of pictures and stories in the largest venue to date at the Pensacola Saenger Theatre on May 27. As delightful, poignant

IN: I think it’s inevitable that most people become their mothers, and that’s the premise of your one-man show “Fruit Fly.” Without giving away any of the show, can you tell me a little about it?

JORDAN: When I told my mother I thought I was gay, I was about 12 or 13, so immediately I was sent to Christian therapists and they prayed over me. They prayed and prayed and prayed. It’s a wonder I’m sane! When you have those thoughts ringing through your head of the Devil, you think, “Wooooo, he’s got a loud voice!” Over the years my mother and I developed this wonderful “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. I knew, she knew, but it came to a big head about three years ago when I invited her, out of the blue, on a gay cruise. I was performing for about 2,000 gay men. This was about three or four years ago. Then something really amazing happened that gave me the idea for the play. My mother and I are on the phone daily. This was a wonderful thing that mended our relationship. That was the idea for “Fruit Fly.” I began thinking, “Lord, honey!

I’m running out of things to write about.” So I just wrote this lovely tribute to my mother, and it’s the best thing I’ve ever written. I took a whole bunch of stories and I sat down and clearly knew I wanted to go from A to B. Pensacola will be the first time it’s played in a large arena. I’m real interested to see how it goes. It involves a lot of pictures and slides. So far, it’s played wonderfully.

IN: You are probably best known for your guest-starring role on “Will & Grace” and, to many of us, “Brother Boy” in “Sordid Lives.” Can you tell me what it was like to work with the actors of those shows?

JORDAN: I always judge famous people by how they treat my family. People think that when you work with famous people, you end up as best friends. That’s just not true. Now,

Megan (Mullally) I talk to quite a bit. She’s kind of kicking back. Her husband (Nick Offerman) is on “Parks and Recreation.” He’s the burly guy on there. She’s letting him work right now.

Olivia (Newton-John) and I got to be very friendly. I am an acting coach, and I coach her daughter Chloe. She’s one of the few that I have worked with that I absolutely adore.

IN: The hot topic right now in the LGBT community is President Obama’s support of gay marriage. What impact do you think this will have on the future of gay marriage?

JORDAN: He’s the first sitting president who has supported gay marriage. It’s just inevitable now. It’s going to happen. But sometimes, I get madder at the gays than I do at the straights. “He didn’t to this, and he didn’t to that.” We have wars—gay marriage is very important, but he will get to us when he can. I swear that there are some gays that won’t be satisfied. I am of a generation that when I see boys holding hands in L.A., they have no idea of what the older generation had to go through just to hold hands, much less get married. I have a new platform. I was not sober until I was 42—and I can’t even believe I am admitting this—but I had never registered to vote. I was in the bars seven-toeight nights a week. Who had time to vote?

These young gay people have to register to vote! Encourage the readers to go and vote.

Honey, you can be hung over, just get to the polls and push for Obama. For a sitting American president to endorse gay marriage is beyond our wildest dreams, so get over it you queens that it’s not happening immediately.

IN: Do you think shows like “Will and Grace” and others that brought homosexuality into mainstream culture contributed to this paradigm shift?

JORDAN: When I won that Emmy, I was happy to have been a part of a

show that did so much for my tribe. America welcomed those characters into their homes.

Progress, honey, progress. There are two ways to combat homophobia: put a face on it and … humor. You can get your message across that way.

IN: I love the story about when you were growing up Baptist that you were baptized 14 times. Can you please share that again with our readers?

JORDAN: When I was a kid, I had a secret.

People don’t realize, and when I talk to people from other generations that don’t realize how deep and dark and scary it was if you have sin in your heart. I was scared to death.

My mother would say, “Son you’re already saved! Remain seated!” I’ve been baptized in creeks, swimming pools, everywhere. It just never did take. You just could not wash me clean. When I went to Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, I walked in and burst into tears. My friend asked me, “Why are you crying?” I have never thought in my life that I could walk into a place of worship with my tribe. The strides that we have made are phenomenal. I’m so honored to have been a small part of it. When I started “Will & Grace,” guys were coming to me saying: “My wife watches that show,” and “My girlfriend watched that show.” It was never them who said they watched the show.

By the end, I had construction workers yelling at me saying, “Hey, you’re on that show!”— That was progress. {in}

LESLIE JORDAN STARRING IN “FRUIT FLY”

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 27 WHERE: Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox COST: Tickets start at $42 (plus applicable service charges) DETAILS: pensacolasaenger.com/events/ leslie-jordan-starring-in-fruit-fly

222 2

inweekly.net

happenings

Mamet’s Oval Office Farce ‘November’ May 25 and 27 7:30 p.m. $7-$11. Ashmore Fine Arts Building, 1000 College Blvd. 484-1847 or pensacolastate.edu/lyceum. / courtesy photo

THURSDAY 5.24

FEATURING ARTIST DONNA O’NEAL 7 a.m. through Jun 19. Anna Lamar Switzer Center for Visual Arts, Bldg 15, Pensacola State College, 1000 College Blvd., Bldg 15. 484-2550 or pensacolastate.edu.

‘A ROADTRIP THROUGH FLORIDA ARCHAEOLOGY’ 10 a.m. DARC, 207 E. Main St. 595-0050, ext.

107 or flpublicarchaeology.org/darc.php.

‘GARDEN OF EDEN’ 10 a.m. through Jun 2. Pensacola Museum of Art. 407 S. Jefferson St. 432-6247 or pensacolamuseumofart.org.

‘SURFING FLORIDA: A PHOTOGRAPHIC HIS-

TORY’ 10 a.m. through Sep 2. Pensacola Museum of Art. 407 S. Jefferson St. 432-6247 or pensacolamuseumofart.org.

‘DAZE OF WINE AND ROSES’ 10 a.m. through Jun 1. Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. 432-3080 or artelgallery.org.

‘YOUR SECRET WAR’ 10 a.m. through Jun 1. Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. 432-3080 or artelgallery.org.

‘TOUCH THE PAST’ ARCHAEOLOGY LAB VOLUNTEER PROGRAM 10 a.m. FPAN Coordinating Center, 207 E. Main St. 595-0050 ext. 103 or flpublicarchaeology.org.

‘IT’S 5 O’ CLOCK SOMEWHERE’ MARGARITA

TASTING 2 p.m. Margaritaville Beach Hotel, 165 Fort Pickens Rd., Pensacola Beach. 916-9755 or margaritavillehotel.com.

PLAY HAPPY HOUR 4 p.m. Play, 16 S. Palafox, Suite 100. 466-3080 or iplaypensacola.com.

WINE TASTING AT AWM 5 p.m. Aragon Wine Market, 27 S. Ninth Ave. 433-9463 or aragonwinemarket.com.

‘MAMAS MEMOIRS: FALLING IN LOVE WITH PENSACOLA’ 6 p.m. Bayview Senior Citizens Resource Center, 2001 E. Lloyd St. 436-5190 or playpensacola.com.

GET S.A.S.I COOKING CLASS 6 p.m. $60, registration required. Distinctive Kitchens, 29 S. Palafox.

438-4688 or dk4u.com.

HERB CLASS AT EVER’MAN 6 p.m. $2 for nonmembers. Ever’man Natural Foods, 315 W. Garden St. 438-0402 or everman.org.

VEGAN DINNER AT EOTL 6 p.m. End of the Line Café, 610 E. Wright St. 429-0336 or eotlcafe.com.

BLUE WAHOOS VS. MISSISSIPPI BRAVES 7 p.m. Maritime Park, 449 W. Main St. 934-8444 or bluewahoos.com.

EVENINGS IN OLDE SEVILLE SQUARE 7-9 p.m.

Seville Square, between Alcaniz and Adams streets.

438-6505 or pensacolaheritage.org.

live music

SAM GLASS 2 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.

JAZZ AT GREGORY STREET ASSEMBLY HALL 5 p.m. Gregory Street Assembly Hall, 501 E. Gregory St. 607-8633 or gregorystreet.com.

HOME GROWN NIGHT 5 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.

J. HAWKINS & JAMES DANIEL BAND 5 p.m.

Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.

THE DAVENPORTS 6 p.m. The Leisure Club, 126 Palafox. 912-4229 or tlcdowntown.com.

LUCAS CRUTCHFIELD 6 p.m. The Deck at The Fish House, 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or fishhouse.goodgrits.com.

CALYPSONUTS 6 p.m. Peg Leg Pete’s, 1010 Fort Pickens Rd., Pensacola Beach. 932-4139 or peglegpetes.com.

BILL BARROW DUO 7 p.m. Five Sisters Blues Café, 421 W. Belmont St. 912-4856 or fivesistersbluescafe.com.

CHARLIE ROBERTS 7 p.m. Hub Stacey’s Downtown, 312 E. Government St. 469-1001 or hubstaceys.com.

BILL BARROW DUO 7 p.m. Five Sisters Blues Café, 421 W. Belmont St. 912-4856 or fivesistersbluescafe.com.

JOSH GARRETT & THE BOTTOMLINE 7 p.m.

Paradise Bar & Grill, 21 Via de Luna Dr., Pensacola Beach. 916-5087 or paradisebar-grill.com.

KARAOKE WITH BECKY 7:30 p.m. Sabine Sandbar, 715 Pensacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beach. 934-3141 or dalesbigdeck.com.

SCHOFIELD 8 p.m. Bamboo Willie’s, 400 Quietwater Beach Rd., Pensacola Beach. 916-9888 or bamboowillies.com.

TIM SPENCER 8 p.m. Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beach. 9322211 or sandshaker.com.

DUELING PIANOS 8 p.m. Rosie O’Grady’s at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

for more listings visit inweekly.net

THE BEST SUNSETS ON THE BAYFRONT!

850-432-5226 • 997 PALAFOX ST.

JACOSBAYFRONTBARANDGRILLE.COM

7 DAYS A WEEK, INCLUDING SUNDAY BRUNCH

May 24, 2012

23

424 2

sports

inweekly.net

by Jennie McKeon

Roll With It

Pensacola Roller Gurlz / photo by Samantha Crooke There’s a group of women, most of them moms, in Pensacola that you don’t want to mess with. They can hit and take a hit all while skating.

Roller Derby, a pseudo-sport of the 1970s on par with today’s WWE has become a real, muscle-working sport. Women are dressed in fishnets and sparkly helmets, but that’s just to throw the audience off.

“It’s not just about the cute little outfits, the novelties wear off,” said Cheleen Figueroa, or Warrant Beauty as it says on her jersey.

“I’ve seen a lot of girls join because they think it looks fun, but it’s work. If you don’t love it, you’re not going to stick with it. We pay monthly dues for girls to hit us.”

The Pensacola Roller Gurlz is a bit of a local sports underdog. The organization began in September 2010 with a rocky start.

In November 2011, they got a new coach, Jody Nelson, and are facing their current season with a positive attitude.

“We’ve won one game – I won’t say how many we lost,” Nelson said with a laugh.

Nelson, or Lord O°K-Oz – yes even men get a derby name, was a regular referee at

games before he was asked by the Gurlz to coach the team. Now he has the task of coaching almost 30 women including his wife.

“Sometimes I ref more than I coach,” he confessed. “My wife tells me ‘You don’t need to make that call.’”

Nelson is obviously outnumbered. Often times, he does get picked on.

“On my birthday, they threw me a surprise party. They beat me up,” Nelson said. “Oddly enough I really enjoyed it.”

Nelson’s coaching skills help the Roller Gurlz not just play well, but play well together.

“He strives to make us the best team we can be,” Figueroa said. “He’s very good with constructive criticism. He tries to build us up instead of tearing us down.”

The team practices three times a week at Dreamland Skate Center, where their games are held as well. Practices are late in the evening until 11 p.m. After the skaters have spent the day caring for their children, at work or both, they meet to workout in skates. Nelson even makes them do push-ups.

“My friends ask me, ‘How do you have the energy to do that?’” said Susan Carter who

“For a lot of girls, your roller derby goes by Smacker Jack Suzie. “But when I’m persona is like an alter ego – like Wonder here I don’t think about home, work, the Woman,” Medina said. “A lot of the girly-girls laundry – it’s a stress reliever.” are the best ones.”

Anyone can try-out for the PenGirly-girl or not, roller derby is more of a sacola Roller Gurlz, no experience or skill way of life than extracurricular sport. Herlehy, required. In fact, on Nelson’s practice for instance, can spout off the entire history sheet, where he has team mottos typed of roller derby without a pause. She quotes out alongside practice drills, reads the popular derby quote, “Roller derby saved encouraging quotes such as “Winning is my soul.” uncertain. Playing good derby is not,” and “Growing up, I had a big issue with confi“Skills are teachable.” dence,” she said. “I found confidence I never When Carter saw the Roller Gurlz float had before in roller derby. After your first 90 in the Mardi Gras parade, she was certain days of training, when you get your name, that was a group of women she’d like to hang you’re reborn.” out with. She shuffle-skated through the The sport, Figueroa described as “foot1980s, but wasn’t prepared for her “fresh ball on wheels” has left some players on meat” training. the sidelines. Nelson’s wife, Alicia or K-Oz “The first time I hit, I thought ‘What did Kitten, hasn’t been able to play this season I get myself into?” she said. “Who would’ve because of knee surgery. Mary Thompson thought hitting would be so much fun? It’s a.k.a. Spark L. Vixen also suffered a knee real strategic stuff and it takes every muscle injury. Instead of playing alongside the to do it.” girls, she referees in her glitter helmet. She Working those muscles has its benefits. couldn’t just quit cold turkey.

Players enjoy their derby bodies.

“Once you start playing, it’s addictive,” “My thighs and butt got bigger,” said Thompson said. “I cried for a week after Warrant Beauty with a smile. “I look damn my injury.” good in sweats.”

No matter what the next bouts – that’s “We call her Warrant Ego,” joked one of her teammates. derby talk for games – have in store for the As one of the older teammates, Carter Pensacola Roller Gurlz, they will continue to refers to herself as the “momma” of the skate for the love of the game and each other. group, but that doesn’t make her less “We fought so hard to bring the team intimidating. to what it is,” Herlehy said. “We’re not just a “We have moms of teenagers on the team, we’re sisters.” {in} team. They kick my ass all the time,” said Laura Herlehy, or Hurl-A-She. “They skate circles around me.”

Kim Medina, or Kimikal Imbalance, is one of the captains and WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Sunday, May 27 “mommas” of the team. As a tomboy WHERE: Dreamland Skate Center, 2607 E. growing up, Medina was involved in Olive Road many sports, skating was just one of COST: $10 in advance, $12 at the door them. Now she plays a game that by DETAILS: pensacolarollergurlz.com or mysfirst glance looks girly, with its fishnet katecenter.com/pensacola and tutu clad teammates, but can be

PENSACOLA ROLLER GURLZ VS. MOBILE DERBY DARLINGS

very rough.

Owned by Jen & Jay Bradshaw 2 LOCATIONS:

11 East Romana Street w w w. a t t o r n e y g e n e m i t c h e l l . c o m

735 N. Fairfield Drive Pensacola • (850)456-4629 4321 N. “W” Street Pensacola • (850)433-8308

25

May 24, 2012

it happened here

by Jessica Forbes

Fiesta of Five Flags: Six Decades and Counting beauty pageants, and market days were Present-day Fiesta largely centers on also held. Soapbox car races occurred in the Pensacola Crawfish Festival and the early 1950s, and original plays penned Pensacola Seafood Festival, both of by locals were staged. which the Fiesta of Five Flags AssociThe Treasure Hunt was first held in ation organizes. Those events bookend 1951 and originally required participants to a series of smaller festivities that take dig on the beach for that year’s prize. Local place mainly in May and June, and many businesses donated money toward the loot, of which date back to 1949 when Fiesta which in 1959, the city’s Quadricentennial was established.

Celebration, In the was a free late 1940s, beach house. the PensacProtests from ola Chamber beach resiof Commerce dents in the was seeking 1970s resulted a way to draw in a retooling visitors to of the hunt, Pensacola’s which in 1980 then seldombecame more visited white of a scavenger beaches. The hunt, and left first Fiesta 2011 Court of DeLuna at Plaza de Luna the beach’s of Five Flags dunes in was held in peace.

June 1950 to kick off what organizers In 1958, the landing ceremony was hoped would become the tourist season. moved to Pensacola Beach. To add a bit of The festival featured numerous events historical flair, the “Mayoki Indians” were aimed at involving locals and visitors formed in 1960 to greet the Fiesta Dealike. Fiesta’s theme celebrates PensacLuna on the beach each year. A replica of ola’s history, beginning with the arrival of the 1743 Spanish village in Pensacola was Don Tristan de Luna, whose fleet landed constructed on the beach for the Quadriin Pensacola in August of 1559. centennial, and operated for several years While St. Augustine, Fla. can boast beas a tourist attraction and the main venue ing America’s first continuously occupied for Fiesta events on the beach. city, settled by Europeans in 1565, DeAs Pensacola’s population increased Luna’s short-lived colony gives Pensacola and the festival’s traditions passed the 20(Santa Rosa Island, really) the distinction year mark, small adjustments were made to of being the first European settlement in refresh Fiesta in the 1970s. The practice of the U.S. The flags of Spain, France, Engchanging the theme annually to focus on land, the Confederate States of America, one of the city’s five flags continued, but and the United States of America have all aimed to be more authentic and educationflown over Pensacola since 1559. al. In the late 1970s the Seafood Festival Modeled in part after Mardi Gras, the was introduced, and in 1989 the Crawfish festival features a masked king, or DeLuna, Festival began. a queen, and royal court. The reigning Created at a time when the 18-year old DeLuna is chosen from a group of men winner of the “bathing beauty contest” rewho are active in the city’s business and/ ceived an all-expenses paid trip to Havana, or civic life. Queens are typically daughters Cuba, Fiesta has continually evolved over of like families. The practice of selecting the past sixty-two years to remain relevant a younger queen is based in Debutante and engaging. Though the number of patraditions, in which young women were rades and import of the Court and Ball has formally introduced to “polite” society. diminished for many, the organization has For the first several years of the festistayed true to its original goal of drawing val, DeLuna, Queen, and Company would locals and tourists to events, which are still ceremoniously land at the foot of Palafox among the most widely attended and most Pier. Multiple parades, a coronation at the anticipated in Pensacola and the surroundMunicipal Auditorium, and ball were the ing area. {in} festival’s primary events. Sporting events,

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

626 2

news of the weird LAZINESS MADE US FAT, AND LAZINESS WILL MAKE US SLIM Dr. Oliver Di Pietro of Bay Harbor Islands, Fla., is a leading prescriber of the “K-E diet” that offers desperate people drastic short-term weight loss by threading a feeding tube through the nose to the stomach and dripping in a protein-fat solution, as clients’ only “meals,” for 10 straight days. “Within a few hours,” Dr. Di Pietro told ABC’s “Good Morning America” in April, “your hunger and appetite go away completely.” Fat is burned through “ketosis,” he said, and a loss of 10 to 20 pounds in 10 days is possible. Such short-term loss might be important, for example, for a woman prepping for her wedding day. One client said she doesn’t have “all of the time on the planet” just to exercise, “so I came to the doctor.”

GOVERNMENT IN ACTION! The late Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha was a Capitol Hill powerhouse, and among his legacies is the federally funded airport in his district that largely served him and the local companies heading to Washington, D.C., to lobby for government contracts. (By contrast, the Pittsburgh airport is nearly 60 miles away.) Murtha died in 2010, but the airport (which cost $150 million in earmarked funds to build, upgrade and maintain) still, according to an April Yahoo News dispatch, handles only three flights a day, all from Washington, D.C., and about $100 of every passenger’s ticket is subsidized by the federal government.

GREAT ARCHITECTURE! There are big plans in the city of Chiang Rai, Thailand, for a massive Buddhist temple that priests aim to make one of the most beautiful structures in the world, and have entrusted artist Chalermchai Kositpipat to design it in all-white with glittering glass and arrangements of “rich symbolism derived from Buddhist and Hindu traditions.” If Kositpipat has his way, according to an April Huffington Post dispatch, the temple will also have images of Superman, Batman and (from the movie “The Matrix”) Neo—all of which, Kositpipat said, further Lord Buddha’s “message.”

THE ARISTOCRAT! Kelly Ervin, 48, was arrested in Salisbury, Md., in April and charged with littering “under 100 pounds.” According to police, Ervin routinely goes for a run every morning at 4 o’clock, and just as routinely, has a bowel movement after about two miles. Most days, that puts him in a certain neighborhood, whose residents have been complaining. When questioned, according to a Salisbury Daily Times reporter, Ervin basically shrugged and said he thought many distance runners do the same thing.

POLICE REPORT In March, Jose RomeroValenzuela, 34, in a hurry to get to the courthouse in Oregon City, Ore., for a hearing on drug charges, managed to pick up three

inweekly.net

by Chuck Shepherd

speeding tickets on Interstate 84, one right after the other within the space of an hour.

A sheriff’s deputy and two different state troopers charged him with speeds in excess of 92 mph. (Another trooper, specifically monitoring Romero-Valenzuela after the third stop, reported that, finally, he obeyed the speed limit.)

• William Todd arrived in Nashville, Tenn., on April 9 via Greyhound bus and faced a nine-hour layover. According to police, Todd committed at least 11 felonies during that time, one after another, with more charges still possible. Among Todd’s alleged diversions: shooting up a restaurant, setting it on fire, robbing four people at a bar, carjacking, breaking into a law office and defecating on a desk, trolling hotel rooms seeking theft opportunities, and stealing a taxicab and robbing the driver. Said a police sergeant, “I’ve never seen anything like this before.” He was finally captured at Opryland, where he had hidden by submerging himself in water up to his nose.

LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINALS Didn’t Think It Through: (1) Eric King, 21, was leaving a store in Eagan, Minn., in February when a police officer in the parking lot noticed his pronounced waddle. King was arrested when the officer found a shoplifted 19-inch television set down his pants. (2) In March, a 34-year-old Lithuanian-born man led police in Wiltshire, England, in a nighttime foot chase after he had aroused their suspicion.

Thermal imaging equipment was used from a helicopter to spot the man in the darkness. He was arrested “hiding” face-down in a manure pit. (Though he originally fled, there was little evidence against him, and he was released.)

CREME DE LA WEIRD “Weekend at Bernie’s”—and More: Thomas Parkin inherited real estate from his elderly mother before she died, but quickly lost it in a risky business venture. To get the deed back, according to New York City prosecutors, he concocted a scheme to pretend that Mom was still alive (it would actually be Thomas in a dress) and still owned the land (and thus that the current deedholder was a fraud). Lawyers arranged a meeting with “Mother” (conducted in a darkened room because of Mom’s “recent cataract surgery”), at which she mostly remained silent. Parkin improbably stayed in character, according to a trial dispatch on the Daily Beast, and jurors apparently kept straight faces as Parkin testified that recent “communications” between him and his mother were “mostly one-sided.” In May, Parkin was convicted on 11 counts, and at press time, he was awaiting sentencing. {in}

From Universal Press Syndicate Chuck Shepherd’s News Of The Weird © 2012 Chuck Shepherd

Send your weird news to Chuck Shepherd, P.O. Box 18737, Tampa, Fla., 33679 or weirdnews@earthlink.net, or go to newsoftheweird.com.

27

May 24, 2012

my pensacola Naomi Norton

Day Job: Dentist Pensacola Resident Since: 1996

Jaco’s Bayfront Bar and Grille / photo by Samantha Crooke

Good Eats:

Food is my favorite subject! In my opinion, Lillian’s Pizza in Perdido Key is some of the best pizza around. I loved the old location right on the gulf the best, but when the restaurant moved across the street after Hurricane Ivan, the pizza and ranch dressing stayed the same.

Georgio’s Pizza is a close second for great pizza and a more convenient location in town. For the freshest menu in town, I recommend Cactus Flower Cafe. They have the best guacamole made with a whole avocado and the chicken tacos and shredded beef chimichanga are to die for! A few of my other favorites are Dharma Blue, The Fish House, and Jerry’s Cajun Café.

Retail Therapy:

Jewelers Trade Shop, in historic downtown Pensacola, is my favorite fine jewelry store in town. You can always see the jewelers hard at work in the loft area making custom pieces of jewelry. When my husband and I purchased our wedding and engagement rings, Corbett Davis, III and Sarah Biggs made sure that we were happy and even made a few secret phone calls to keep everything a surprise!

Another favorite store of mine is Trinity Collection off Garden Street. Their selection of sterling silver jewelry and gemstones makes this one of my first stops whenever I am looking for a reasonably priced gift for any occasion. A few of my other favorite shops in town are Celebrations The Florist for all seasons, Aqua Pool and Patio, and The Linen Corner.

Watering Holes:

Hopjacks Pizza Kitchen and Taproom is a great place for beer connoisseurs. The downtown location boasts having over 200

different beers. Personally, I am content with the Belgian fries – fried in duck fat and served with roasted garlic herb dip. With the addition of the new location on Nine Mile Road, Hopjacks is sure to gain even more popularity as a local watering hole. If drinking wine with a water view is more your style, I recommend Jaco’s Bayfront Bar and Grille at the end of South Palafox. They have a light food menu and a good selection of wine that can be enjoyed as you look out at all the yachts docked at the marina. The Maritime Park stadium can be seen from the back deck making Jaco’s a good location to enjoy some drinks before a Blue Wahoos game this summer.

Outdoors:

With warmer weather coming soon, I can’t wait to get back on my Innerlight StandUp Paddleboard. The gulf side of Pensacola Beach is my favorite place to paddle because the water is so clear you can see all of the stingrays, fish, and dolphins underneath your board. I also love the beach at Perdido Key for a more relaxed and quiet atmosphere during the busy summer weekends at Pensacola Beach. The nature trails at Big Lagoon State Park and UWF are two of my favorite locations to enjoy the outdoors when not in the water.

Arts & Culture:

Pensacola is full of culture, events and festivals, and downtown Pensacola is alive with new businesses and attractions. Gallery Night is a good excuse to browse the shops along Palafox, and Seville Square is the place to be for local festivals. Two of my favorite festivals are the Pensacola Seafood Festival and the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival. Seville Square is covered in beautiful oak trees and is surrounded by historic buildings like Old Christ Church. A newer addition to the area surrounding Seville Square is the Lee House Bed and Breakfast owned by Norma Murray from Norma’s On The Run, along with her husband Patrick Murray. The long porches, rocking chairs, and views of the bay make this a great place to relax and enjoy some Southern hospitality! Lastly, one of my favorite local businesses is Rae Leytham Photography. Owners Rae and Wesley Leytham are a husband and wife duo that are excellent wedding, family, and infant photographers. Their photography speaks for itself, but their sense of humor and ease to work with are for sure what has made them so successful with clients. {in}

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

Bayside Brunch at Our House E V E RY S U N D AY • 1 1 A . M . U N T I L 2 P. M .

Bloody Marys 2 Bottomless Champagne or Mimosas 5

FROM EGGS BENEDICT TO BOTTOMLESS CHAMPAGNE, OUR BAYSIDE BRUNCH IS THE PERFECT SUNDAY STARTER!

FI SH HO USE: (850) 470-0003, O PE N DA ILY AT 11 A.M. · AT LA S OY S TE R H O U S E: (850) 437-1961, O P E N M O N.– S AT. 5 P.M., S U N. 11 A.M. · 600 S. BARRAC K S S T. · C REDIT CARDS OK · WWW.GOODGRITS.COM

Independent News | May 24, 2012 | inweekly.net