THE RISE OF ST. VINCENT Independent News | September 25, 2014 | Volume 15 | Number 38 | inweekly.net
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winners & losers 4
outtakes
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cover story 9
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If ‘The Big Lebowski’ is a cult movie, this is the church sermon.
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publisher Rick Outzen
art director Samantha Crooke
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contributing writers Jessica Forbes, Hana Frenette, Jason Leger, Jennifer Leigh, Sarah
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100 community supporters joined United Way of Escambia County for their 2014-2015 Annual Workplace Breakfast of Champions Kick-Off. Kia AutoSport announced it was donating a 2015 Kia Soul that would be awarded to a lucky donor at the community investment celebration. Oliver Sumlin, campaign chair, announced $2.3 million as the 2014-2015 Annual Workplace Campaign Goal. More than $374,000 has been raised by the following Pacesetter companies: Gulf Power Company, Hancock Bank, Regions Bank, Target, Summit Bank, United Way of Escambia County, Warren Averett O’Sullivan Creel and the Epilepsy Society Foundation of Florida.
DEBBIE TRACY Sixteen years ago, the owner
of Angel’s Garden launched the New Beginnings Art Show in the side yard of her shop on Government Street. This year it featured 75 local artists, musicians and food vendors with the profits going to Favor House to help its mission of supporting victims of domestic violence.
PENSACOLA HABITAT WOMEN BUILD
With a few weeks left to raise funds, 100 local women representing organizations like Pensacola Young Professionals, Studer Group, Wells Fargo, the Pensacola Roller Gurlz, the Women’s Council of Realtors and Wind Creek Casino, as well as several dedicated individuals have raised close to $50,000 toward the construction of the home.
losers PENSACOLA ENERGY The city-owned
natural gas utility has provided $8 million a year to help the city balance its budget instead of using those funds to replace its decaying infrastructure, according to USA Today and its daily local newspaper. Inspectors have reported substantial stretches of pipeline in "poor" condition and "metal loss" because of corrosion during recent years. At Mayor Ashton Hayward’s current pace for replacement, the unsafe pipes won’t be replaced until 2067.
MALCOLM THOMAS For nearly four
hours, citizens vouched for the Escambia High School football coach and the football players the school district turned into the Florida High School Athletic Association. The superintendent refused to budge and offer any leniency. Maybe Thomas can get elected to a third term without the African-American and West Side vote. We will know in 2016.
COMMUNITY MARITIME PARK ASSOCIATES For nearly a year, its board
of trustees has demanded the Pensacola Blue Wahoos renegotiate its use agreement. Demand letters were sent. Board members called out Quint Studer, co-owner of the team, to meet with their chairman. Threats were made. In the end, nothing changed. The board had no grounds to force a renegotiation.
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outtakes
by Rick Outzen
OUCH! In my three decades of living in the Pensacola area rarely have I seen this community in such turmoil. In the past at least one of our four cornerstones—Escambia County, city of Pensacola, Greater Pensacola Chamber and Escambia Public School District—had its act together even while the other three may have floundered. The Escambia Board of County Commissioners faces a state grand jury over the April 30 explosion at its Central Booking and Detention Center that killed two prisoners, paralyzed a guard and injured 200 others. The board’s elections have become some of the dirtiest in recent memory with unknown people flagrantly violating election laws. And County Administrator Jack Brown is still trying to figure whom to trust and how to fix the mess handed to him. Mayor Ashton Hayward faces a federal grand jury. He needs to hire a new city administrator, fire chief and airport director. Business owners and residents have been awaiting his action plan to deal with area flooding. The daily newspaper has exposed a possible problem with the age of the city’s gas pipe system. The Greater Pensacola Chamber has become the Lesser Pensacola Chamber with the tourism, economic development and military legs of its mission being placed in standalone operations. Both its former
president and his administrative assistant are suing the organization. The chamber is reinventing itself, and the process has become painful to watch. The Escambia Public School District is battling a lack of confidence in the community on whether it can produce the workers needed to fill the jobs being created at the Pensacola International Airport and the Port of Pensacola. Parents, particularly in the AfricanAmerican community, are questioning what appears to be selective enforcement of district policies, especially in regards to the Escambia High head football coach, Willie Spears. “Malcolm Thomas fatigue” has set in as people count the days until 2016 election. History has taught us that these issues will pass. The state and federal grand juries will render their decisions, and we will have to deal with any fallout. The lawsuits will be either settled, dismissed or tried in court. And few more elections could send the city, county and school district into new directions. What’s sad is two years ago we were excited about all four cornerstones. We believed that we were headed in a new direction that would reestablish us as regional and state leaders. Instead we’ve shot ourselves in the foot, and we’re left dealing once again with self-inflicted wounds. {in} rick@inweekly.net
What’s sad is two years ago we were excited about all four cornerstones.
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RESTORING MEMORIES
By Jessica Forbes Of all the material possessions damaged when a natural disaster occurs, photographs are among the items that in many cases are completely irreplaceable. However, not all damaged photos are unsalvageable. Since 2006, the not-forprofit charity Operation Photo Rescue (OPR) has worked to digitally copy and restore photographs damaged during natural disasters and provide copies to families at no cost. “Each disaster is different,” said OPR’s president, Margie Hayes. “You kind of work with what you have.” Hayes will be one in a core group of OPR volunteers who will travel to Pensacola (Hayes is traveling from Kansas, the others from California, Michigan and elsewhere in Florida) to assess photos damaged in April’s flooding. Led by Pensacola State College
professor Kristen Regan, volunteers from the college’s visual arts department will join the OPR team for the event. Families are invited to bring up to 25 photos for OPR volunteers to look over and determine those that can be restored. A permission sheet is then signed and OPR can begin its work. “We’ll take that group of photos plus the permission sheet over to a copy stand, which is a high-end digital camera with lights, and the photographer there will start taking individual shots of the photos,” Hayes explained. The original photos are then given back to the families, while the digital images are uploaded to a secure website. Volunteers edit and upload them back to OPR, whose coordinators run quality control to assure the best restoration has been completed. Then they are printed and shipped back to the families, free of charge. “Within a couple of months to six months, depending on how great the crowd that shows up, they will get a free print of their restored photos,” Hayes said. To date, OPR volunteers have restored and returned over 10,000 photos to survivors of hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and wildfires. “In the early days, there was no idea that this would just blossom into an organization of over 2,000,” Hayes said of the initial efforts by co-founders Becky Sell
and Dave Ellis, both photojournalists, in Mississippi post-Hurricane Katrina. The numbers of families showing up with salvageable photos were so large that Sell and Ellis enlisted their co-workers from the Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg, Virginia to help digitally edit, and the effort snowballed from there. An influx of volunteer photo editors came after Apple and Adobe took notice of the project and advertised it. The steady stream of volunteers and no shortage of natural disasters—Hurricane Ike, Hurricane Sandy, tornadoes in Joplin, Missouri, mudslides in Oso, Washington—have kept the organization growing ever since. “It depends on our backlog and also our funding,” Hayes said of how the organization decides where and when to respond. OPR operates on donations and is completely volunteer run. Gifts including free web storage provided by PhotoShelter and printing and shipping costs covered by the owners of DigMyPics allow 100 percent of donated funds to be applied to the charity. Hayes first became involved in OPR as a volunteer in 2007. While taking classes in graphic design, she picked up a copy of Katrin Eismann’s “Photoshop Restoration and Retouching.” The book’s companion website gave information about OPR and their work helping those affected by Hurricane Katrina. “At that time it was 2007. The hurricane happened in 2005 so I thought, ‘Well it’s too late and not much chance of helping.’ But I did go ahead and sign up,” she remembered. “As it turned out there were still plenty of photos to take care of and in fact, in 2007, they went back to Biloxi, Mississippi and came back with 2,000 photos,
“The thank yous mean a lot. It’s sort of an adrenaline rush because you feel good that you’re helping, but then you also feel a connection because you know how the family felt when they got the photos.” Margie Hayes
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so there was definitely plenty of photos to work with. “It’s interesting when you see the photos,” Hayes said of the range of life experiences volunteers see represented. “For some, the part that gets you the most are ones that is the only photo they have left of their relative,” Hayes said, adding that there is often a happy converse. “Some of them we’ve had, it looks like they’ve taken pictures of the kids since they were little and then you see them when they get married or they graduated or joined the military—it’s really neat.” After the 2007 floods in Coffeyville, Kansas, Hayes led an OPR team in the city. One year later, she took over as president. Now retired from her professional career, she said she plans to continue volunteering with OPR for the foreseeable future, stating there are definite intrinsic perks to the work. “The thank yous mean a lot. It’s sort of an adrenaline rush because you feel good that you’re helping, but then you also feel a connection because you know how the family felt when they got the photos,” Hayes said. “It’s nice to know that you have a skill that not everybody has, and that you can use that skill to help others.” {in}
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KID ROCK
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THE RISE OF S T. VINCENT —by Jessica Forbes— When the mention of coffee was made at the beginning of a morning phone interview with Annie Clark, the focus of the conversation quickly became caffeine. “I’m midway through a coffee that I wish I had seven more gallons of,” joked the guitarist, singer, songwriter and overall musical force who practices under the name St. Vincent. Having just returned to the U.S. from a string of dates in the U.K., France and Belgium, Clark was attempting to shake off jet lag before heading to North Carolina where her Digital Witness Tour continued that night. September 25, 2014
Looking back at Clark’s year, it’s easy to see why she may regularly crave a cup of coffee. In February, she released the self-titled “St. Vincent,” her fourth album—or fifth, when including “Love This Giant,” her 2012 collaboration with the Talking Heads’ David Byrne—and hasn’t let off the throttle since. Fittingly, releasing her own coffee blend through Chicago’s Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea, a roast called “Bring Me Your Mugs,” (a play “Bring Me Your Loves,” a song on “St. Vincent”) is one of the many varied endeavors she’s undertaken in 2014,
interspersed among a steady schedule of tour dates in the U.S., Europe and Asia. In April, Clark was one of the female artists (along with Kim Gordon, Joan Jett and Lorde) who performed with members of Nirvana at the band’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Clark’s third guest appearance on IFC’s “Portlandia” aired in April and she performed on the season finale of “Saturday Night Live” the following month. In August, she played the part of bandleader on late night television, subbing for Fred Armisen on “Late Night with Seth Meyers.”
In a week or so, her first shows in Florida outside of Miami, including one in Pensacola at Vinyl Music Hall on Oct. 8, will precede another run in Europe through early December, when she will return to the States to tour with The Black Keys. “I get tweets a lot saying, ‘Come to Florida’ and ‘Why don’t you come to Florida?’ which I feel guilty about. It just worked out this year to be able to play multiple cities, multiple times—I’m coming back with The Black Keys so hopefully Florida will get its fill,” she said. 9
DISCOGR APHY
2014
2012
ST. VINCENT
LOVE THIS GIANT (with David Byrne)
2011
2009
STRANGE MERCY
ACTOR
2007
MARRY ME
010 1
T H E PAT H TO N OW
Since the release of her 2007 debut album, “Marry Me,” introduced the world to St. Vincent, Clark, who will turn 32 on Sept. 28, has built more of a following with each album release, each of which seems coalesce her distinct approach to lyrics and guitar licks into something more decidedly St. Vincent. Her own music, which music critics most handily describe as art-rock defies succinct classification. On top of vocals, guitar work, and vacillations in tempo and tone that once heard are emblazoned on the mind as distinctly Clark’s, is an overlay of intelligence and humor that indicate a mind that hangs on to and cleverly wields references from music, literature and everything in between while telling good stories to boot. For instance, Clark took the name “St. Vincent” from the Nick Cave song, “There She Goes My Beautiful World,” specifically a line about poet Dylan Thomas dying drunk at St. Vincent’s hospital in Manhattan. Her debut album “Marry Me” took its title from the character Maeby Fünke’s signature diversionary joke on “Arrested Development.” “Rattlesnake,” the first song on “St. Vincent,” tells a tale of encountering a snake while on a spontaneously nude walkabout in Texas, and Clark describes the landscape as looking like “Seurat painted the Rio Grande.” The references aren’t cumbersome or distracting—they’re just a few of the of threads Clark pulls together when crafting songs. “At this point I’ve maybe been more influenced by a John Coltrane record than anything, but you’d never listen to my music and say, ‘Oh yeah, this part kind of reminds me of Coltrane,’” she said. “The ultimate question becomes no matter your influence, are you an artist? Can you synthesize eight points of view through the tools you have at your disposal and create a singular thing that has meaning— can you do that?” As far as her artistry, it’s a pursuit that’s been part of Clark’s life longer than it hasn’t been. “I think I always sort of knew. I remember being in elementary school before I started playing and I would be clicking my teeth to rhythms. I guess it’s sort of a nervous habit, but I just realized that I’ve been doing this for 20-something years, like clicking my teeth to the same beat [breaks into a beat]…something like that. So that’s insane, but it’s like a fountain of music is always in my head and it’s just the best thing.”
It all started in earnest for Clark in the Dallas suburbs with a Stratocaster, a friend’s dad and a Jimi Hendrix song when she was 12 years old. “This sounds like it could have a really dark turn, but it doesn’t—it’s a wholesome story,” said Clark, who remembered having just heard Hendrix on the “Forrest Gump” soundtrack. “None of his kids were interested in music at all or in playing it and you could tell it was his prized possession,” Clark remembered of the guitar. “He saw that I was interested in it and he showed me how to play, I think it was ‘Manic Depression.’” Clark then went to her parents, told them about her newly discovered passion and soon found herself with her first instrument, “a cheap nylon string guitar,” as she remembers it. “I went back and begged and said, ‘I really want an electric guitar.’ No music I love is acoustic,” she recalled. “I just knew.” Shortly thereafter, Clark began trying her hand at not only shredding, but songwriting and singing, too. “I was maybe 13 or 14 when I started. I would always learn other people’s songs, but I would get sidetracked in the middle of learning somebody else’s song and write my own,” she said. “When I was really starting to try and write and figure out what being a songwriter was all about, I remember I would open my mouth to sing, and I would just well up with tears—there was something so emotionally charged about it for me.” When it came to singing, Clark began testing and pushing her voice alongside recordings of distinct voices from a number of eras, eventually finding her own. “I had a little boom box that was a karaoke machine kind of thing. I would put on Billie Holiday records and try to match her lick for lick and put on Ella Fitzgerald records and try to imitate her, but it was a little bit of a hodgepodge-mishmash because also I was really into Pearl Jam and Nirvana. I would try to sing like them. And somehow I learned how to use my voice.” Clark went on to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston and kept pursuing her own brand of music anyway she could. “I was in college just trying to play in different bands with friends, like a hardcore band called the ‘Skull Fuckers’ and a protoEDM band and a number of silly things. I wanted to go on tour when I was in college,
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but I didn’t know how people did that. I didn’t have any luck reaching out to clubs and being like, ‘Here’s my demo, hook me up at the club some night,’ because people want to book you if people will pay for a ticket to see you and I had nothing going.” Clark set up an email account and pretended to be an agent and wound up booking a tour with friends up and down the east coast. “It was insane, but it worked,” she said. After two years at Berklee, Clark dropped out and moved to New York, but quickly ran out of money and landed back in Dallas. Living with her parents, she continued working on songs that would eventually form “Marry Me.” “I was trying to figure out what I was doing because I knew that I wanted to make music, but I didn’t know how you do that professionally. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait very long for an answer because my friend Toby played theremin in The Polyphonic Spree and said, ‘You should come try out because they’re always looking for new people.’” After a few strategic purchases at Guitar Center and a bit of studying of the Dallasbased mass-band’s body of work, Clark made the move that effectively put her career on course. “I thought maybe I would look like a professional if I showed up with guitar pedals and a rig and all that. So I tried to figure out how to make it look right and learned all their songs and walked into the audition and got the gig,” she remembered. “Next thing I know, I was on tour in Europe with 30 people, getting drunk, being rowdy and having fun opening for and being on the same festival bill with Sonic Youth and bands that I had idolized.” Following her stint in The Polyphonic Spree, Clark played in Sufjan Stevens’ band in 2006 before the release of “Marry Me.” And ever since, as before, Clark has been in process of constantly creating, recalibrating and creating more. “I was reading the Miles Davis autobiography where he talks about the hardest thing for a musician to do is to sound like yourself and I completely agree; it’s a process of refining and throwing things, throwing the spaghetti against the wall and watching a lot of it slip down and then examining the few noodles and meatballs that stick. You go, ‘Huh, that’s interesting,’ and you keep throwing more shit at the wall until you become who you are,” she reflected.
THE SHOW F ROM H ERE
After essentially giving the finger to the concept of the sophomore slump with 2009’s “Actor” and adding more and more layers of electronic elements much to fans’ and critics’ delight with “Strange Mercy” in 2011, Clark recorded “Love This Giant” with David Byrne and spent a year on the road in support of the album. “The ‘Love This Giant’ tour was so fun and it was very lighthearted and different. The audience was dancing to all the songs, not just from ‘Love This Giant,’ but obviously from David’s back catalog. That was inspiring and made me feel quite connected. It’s always kind of a continuum,” Clark stated. While her previous albums were by no means groove-less, “St. Vincent,” which she began working on almost immediately after September 25, 2014
the “Love This Giant” tour wrapped, Clark has given crowds—and herself—more to bounce to, even introducing some choreography to her stage show, which plays on the album’s examination of technology in modern life. “I obviously take my job seriously, but part of my job is to be an entertainer and I embrace that fact and I like it. It’s fun and it’s exciting and dramatic and all of that,” she said. “I try to create a show that, while it’s heartfelt and wild and weird, is ultimately very entertaining and hopefully it might inspire people to put down the phones for an hour and a half and take a weird trip together.”
“I try to create a show that, while it’s heartfelt and wild and weird, is ultimately very entertaining and hopefully it might inspire people to put down the phones for an hour and a half and take a weird trip together.”
ANNIE CLARK
But purists and fans of Clark’s trajectory as a songwriter have nothing to fear. The stage show is part of the bigger picture, a complement to music designed to survive without it. “With the Digital Witness tour there’s a little bit of a meta-complex about the way that I address the crowd or the choreography—the stilted nature of it—all tie back to the themes of the record,” Clark explained. “All this stuff has to be rooted first in the music. The music has to be tough enough to withstand any wild concepts and visuals that you heap on top of it.”
W ITH T H E B A N D
sophisticated from a tech standpoint, but he also has the musicality to play something that sounds like Bartok one minute and something that sounds like Crist the next,” she added of the piano, harpsichord and synthesizer guru who also played on both the “Strange Mercy” and “St. Vincent” recordings. As for Toko Yasuda, “the moog playing, axe wielding vixen,” (and also Clark’s choreography co-star onstage) Clark discovered her via her husband, John Schmersal (of Brainiac and Caribou), who was referred to Clark by the Dessner brothers of The National. “I talked to John and he was so great. He said, ‘I think this gig would be better suited for my wife, and you should meet her.’ So Toko and I Skyped and she was just amazing. I said, ‘You’re hired! This is great!’” Clark remembered. “She’s one of my best friends. It’s nice to tour with girls—my lighting director is Susanne Sasic from the Sonic Youth and Nirvana days and she’s amazing, as is my production assistant. It’s a lot of white wine and chatting with my home girls.” Soon, Clark and her home girls (and boys) will bring their show to Pensacola. When it comes to playing small towns, Clark says in her experience it’s best to expect the unexpected. “Some of the best shows ever are in places where you’ve either never been, don’t know what to expect and are actually so blown away and pleasantly surprised, or on the face of it they don’t seem like a great club or this, that or the other,” she said. “Then the crowd comes in and they’re awesome and everything rules. It all depends on the alchemy in the room.” For Clark, the alchemy is part of the artistry and the force that keeps her working to manifest the quintessential St. Vincent—a quest that doesn’t sound like she’s giving up anytime soon. “There are so many roads to get there. I have listened to Madonna records that Niles Rogers produced and [have] been like, ‘Wow, these are so incredible,’ and gone, ‘Why are these so incredible?’ I wanted to see the depths of the machine, so I took apart the record. I transposed every part of the record into a computer and went, ‘Huh, that’s interesting how that fits together and that fits together,’” she said. “Sometimes you just have to look under the hood of it, but then there are other instances where something is just totally instinctual and it’s more like a burst of energy instead of a carefully constructed thing. You have to balance those two things, but ultimately it’s not about what you reference, it’s about the depth of your artistry, the depth of your references and your voice—do you have a point of view or do you not? So that’s the ultimate end.” {in}
The musicians performing with Clark on the Digital Witness Tour have become her steady tour family, and their family tree reads like a who’s who of bands indie kids love. “Everyone is amazing, first of all,” Clark said when asked about her band. “We’ve been together and all over the world now for three years.” First was drummer Matt Johnson, who Clark met through a mutual friend. “Matt Johnson is sort of a titan of the New York music scene and played on Jeff Buckley’s ‘Grace,’ which is probably a really seminal record for a lot of people, myself included,” she said. “He showed up and is so nice—he’s a Texas boy, I’m a Texas girl and we just really hit it off. I couldn’t believe that the Matt Johnson wanted to play with me.” The same friend led Clark to Daniel Mintseris, whom she calls WHAT: St. Vincent with Matthew E. White “the keyboard mastermind of WHEN: 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8 programming of the live show” and WHERE: Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox “such a gentleman and a dear and COST: $30 a genius.” DETAILS: vinylmusichall.com “It’s really nice because he has all of the technology chops to do what it is we do, which is pretty highly
ST. VINCENT
11
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WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 25-OCTOBER 2
Arts & Entertainment art, film, music, stage, books and other signs of civilization...
PensacoLebowski 2014 by Hana Frenette
Conventions and festivals devoted to honoring Joel and Ethan Coen’s 1998 comedy “The Big Lebowski” occur all over the country every each year. There are fan clubs, forums, online communities and even a sort of religion called ‘Dudeism’ that all help bring people together and allow them to worship at the altar of a movie that revolves mostly around ransom money and a pissed on rug. A rug that really tied the room together, but a rug, nonetheless. The film has Jeff Bridges playing the lead role of the Dude, a man usually donning a robe and Ray Bans, who likes to live easy and abide by his own rules. John Goodman plays the supporting role as Walter Sobchak— September 25, 2014
a man just slightly more high strung and inclined to commit crime. The movie hosts a handful of other characters played by Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Tara Reid’s toe also really has the chance to shine. This year, on Sept. 26-27, Pensacola will get its own piece of the Lebowski party action with PensacoLebowski, thanks to two local dudes, Shauncey Fury and Ryan Eaton, who relentlessly poured their own time and money into the project. “I was working at Pensacon, thinking a lot about ‘The Big Lebowski’ and how it’d be cool to have something like that here, and we decided to just put our necks out and try it ourselves,” Eaton said. “We really want to see Pensacola grow and continue to get bigger and better. Plus we both really love the movie.” The success of the first Pensacon this past February was eye-opening and inspiring for both Eaton and Fury and helped to set the process in motion of putting the event together. “If Pensacon taught us one thing, it was that we could do this locally. We don’t need to outsource and bring in some big company to do it,” Fury said.
Events devoted to “The Big Lebowski” are so popular that there is a company for can hire who will come into your town— pending you pay them enough— and set up a little Lebowski Fest right in your area. It doesn’t require as much leg work, but it lacks the flair that an individual community can add to an event to make it their own. The mentality of doing everything on their own paid off. “Saturday we will have events backEaton and Fury were able to lay out the to-back all day,” Fury said. “We’ll have a dozens of activities, contests, prizes, costume contest, a White Russian mix-off parties and even a guest MC from the with some favorite local bartenders, a trivia original film all while keeping the sponsors, contest and a bowling pin art contest.” locations and food vendors local. James G. Hoosier will be onsite SaturBut why Lebowski? Of all the movday to serve as a host for the trivia contest. ies out there, why does this one endlessly Hoosier played Liam O’Brien, Quintana’s incite festivals, religions and parties? (Jesus’s) partner in the movie, known for “I saw the movie for the first time and the infamous line yelled out by Jesus at didn’t really think much of it,” Fury said. The Dude, “Liam and me, we’re going to Years later, Fury was working as a camp fuck you up!” counselor and one of the campers continuAn after party at Arety’s Angels will ously quoted the film. “I was working with the older kids at the follow the events of Saturday. PensacoLebowski weekend has all the time—the 17-year olds who were too old pop culture references and dudeliness anyone for camp—but too young to be counselwho loves the movie could hope to encounter. ors,” Fury recalled. And it’s not put on by a company or an orgaThanks to the camper, Fury watched nization, just two local guys who really love a the movie again and garnered a new found movie and the message it exudes. appreciation for it. “We just really want to have a decent Eaton had a similar experience with the crowd for the screening and help out the initial screening of the film. local businesses involved,” Eaton said. “I watched it in a college dorm and didn’t “We’re just happy to see Pensacola supthink twice about it,” Eaton said. “Then I saw porting a couple of local guys trying to it again, and again and again and I kept noticmake a bold move.” ing all of these amazing little details each You can pick and choose whatever way time that just made it awesome.” you’d like to pay homage to the cult classic Thus, another two, like many others, of Lebowski, making a weekend of it, buying grew to find a deep admiration for the film. a day pass on Saturday, or just checking out PensacoLebowski will take place over the screening—in case brevity is your thing. the course of two days, kicking off with a “If ‘The Big Lebowski’ is a cult movie, Friday night screening of “The Big Lebowsthis is the church sermon,” Fury said. ki” on all four screens at Treehouse Cinema This is your chance to praise and worin Gulf Breeze, followed by an after party at ship. {in} Captain Fun’s on Pensacola Beach. On Saturday, the party heads over to Liberty Lanes where all attendees can abide by the Dude’s favorite things to do on a day of rest. Free bowling all day, relaxing WHEN: Friday, Sept. 26- Saturday, Sept. 27 and drinking milk-based beverages DETAILS: pensacolebowski.com while enjoying camaraderie with your fellow dudes.
“If Pensacon taught us one thing, it was that we could do this locally. We don’t need to outsource and bring in some big company to do it.”
Shauncey Fury
PENSACOLEBOWSKI
13
calendar
The Sights, Sounds and Flavors of Seafood Fest by Jessica Forbes
poster by Dan Danforth The 37th Annual Pensacola Seafood Festival promises a weekend filled of live entertainment, arts and crafts, and plenty of food to stimulate the eyes, ears and taste buds of those who venture downtown to check it out.
THURSDAY 9.25
“CREOLE, SOGO STYLE” LUNCH CLASS
Noon-1 p.m. So Gourmet serves up Creoleinspired dishes including fried green tomatoes with shrimp remoulade, blackened catfish, cornbread with pepper jelly and homemade moonpies. $35 per person. 407 S. Palafox. sogourmetpensacola.com GIN TASTING 5-7 p.m. Seville Quarter hosts this free happy hour gin tasting, featuring 20 boutique gins, such as Bristow, Monkey 47 Plymouth and St. George along with a tonic station with Fever-Tree Tonics and Botanicals. Chef Brandon Melton is creating some ginned up small plate appetizers for those who might get peckish. End o’ the Alley Courtyard at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com
The free festival will take over Seville Square and Fountain and Bartram parks for three days with a host of activities spread throughout the grounds and the weekend. Aside from the weekend-long arts and crafts fair—one of the largest in northwest Florida—the Don McCloskey 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, and the Children’s Area with crafts, face painting and SeaMobile (which is bringing free touch pools for children and families to experience live sea creatures), there is the seafood itself. In addition to the many vendors serving up seafood for sale, Taste of Pensacola will feature a Gulf to Table area where local
WINE TASTING AT AWM 5 p.m. Try some-
thing new every week at Aragon Wine Market’s regular wine tasting, only a few blocks from downtown. 27 S. 9th Ave. aragonwinemarket.com
BOOK SIGNING: “SAVED AT THE ALABAMAFLORIDA LINE” 5:30 p.m. Local author Chris
Warner will discuss and sign his new novel, “Saved at the Alabama-Florida Line,” a fictional story of the Flora-Bama Lounge centered on musicians, Alabama politics and life on the Gulf Coast. West Florida Public Library, Southwest Branch, 12248 Gulf Beach Highway. PSC CULINARY DINNER 5:30 and 6 p.m. Pensacola State College’s Culinary Management Program is accepting lunch and dinner reservation requests for the fall semester. Classical French dinners are served
restaurants and caterers will prepare and offer tapas size portions of their signature recipes. Pensacola Energy is sponsoring the Fiesta Seafood Grille, featuring live cooking demonstrations by local chefs, which will take place daily. As for the sounds of Seafood Fest, Bartram Park will host the lineup of live music throughout the weekend. Headliners including Florida’s own JJ Grey & Mofro, New Orleans’ The Revivialists, and Cole Vosbury, who appeared on Season Five of NBC’s “The Voice,” each put their own spin on blues-rock. The headliners anchor a schedule featuring genres ranging from brass-rock
to county, a perfect accompaniment to the food and fun of the weekend. {in}
PENSACOLA SEAFOOD FESTIVAL
WHEN: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26; 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28 WHERE: Seville Square and Fountain and Bartram parks COST: Free DETAILS: fiestaoffiveflags.org
PENSACOLA SEAFOOD FESTIVAL LIVE MUSIC LINEUP Friday, Sept. 26
5 p.m. Hotel Oscar 7 p.m. Bo Henry Band 9 p.m. JJ Grey & Mofro
Saturday, Sept. 27
1 p.m. The Wildlife Specials 3 p.m. Bonerama 4:30 p.m. Amanda Shires 6:30 p.m. Chris Stapleton 8:30 p.m. The Revivalists
on Thursdays through Nov. 20. These sixcourse meals cost $20 per person. Limit 6 people to a party. All reservations are made through a random selection system. Submit an email with your name to: culinarytickets@pensacolastate.edu END POLICE VIOLENCE: A HIP HOP VS. PUNK BENEFIT SHOW 9 p.m. Big Lo with Cookies
and Cake, Operation Hennessey, Cyborganics and Johnny Panic. The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. $5. Ages 18 and over without parent or guardian. pensacolahandlebar.com FALL ANIME SERIES AT TREE HOUSE CINEMA
9 p.m. Tree House Cinema is hosting a weekly anime series this fall presented by FUNimation. This week’s feature: “Evangelion 2.0 You Can (Not Advance)” 1175 Gulf Breeze Parkway. Admission is free, but concessions are available if you’d like to
Sunday, Sept. 28
12:45 p.m. Nick & the Ovorols 3 p.m. Cole Vosbury
support the series monetarily. treehousecinemagulfbreeze.com
FRIDAY 9.26
LIVING HISTORY IN HISTORIC PENSACOLA VILLAGE 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Learn cooking
techniques and trade-skills of the past, including sewing, basket weaving and wood working, from costumed Living History interpreters every Friday and Saturday in Historic Pensacola Village. Demonstrations are included with admission. Tickets for the Village are available at 205 E. Zaragoza St. $6 adults, $5 AAA, Senior Citizen 65+ and Active Military, $3 children ages 4-16. historicpensacola.org PENSACOLA SEAFOOD FESTIVAL 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Seafood, arts and crafts, live music,
Tuesday’s “Burger and Bordeaux” $15 Inside Duh! 501 N. 9th Ave. Tue-Sat 5:30-10pm
Reservations @ 850-466-5181/ opentable.com + walk-ins welcome
All Cured Meats, Sausages, and Pate Made In House 414 1
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calendar and kids’ activities are all part of the 37th annual Pensacola Seafood Festival in Seville Square, produced by Fiesta of Five Flags. The festival runs through Sunday, Sept. 28. For more information, including full music lineup and cooking demonstration calendars, visit: fiestaoffiveflags.org. FRIENDS OF THE WEST FLORIDA PUBLIC LIBRARY BOOK SALE: PREVIEW DAY 4-8
p.m. Friends of the West Florida Public Library (WFPL) are holding their Big Fall Book Sale and Silent Auction from Friday, Sept. 2 through Sunday, Sept. 28. From 3 to 5 p.m. on Friday, Friends of WFPL members get exclusive early access to the Book Sale. From 4 to 8 p.m., non-members can pay $5 admission to take part in Preview Day. The Book Sale will be open on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with free admission for all shoppers. WFPL Main Library, 239 N. Spring St. friendsofwfpl.org. WINE TASTING AT CITY GROCERY 5-7 p.m. Out and about in East Hill on Friday night? Stop by City Grocery for their free weekly wine tasting before settling in or heading out for the night. 2050 N. 12th Ave. “COUPLES COOK ” 7 p.m. Pensacola Cooks offers this interactive class led by Chef Scott Smith. Guests "learn by doing" in the interactive class and are able to eat the food—a three course meal—prepared while drinking a beverage and will receive class recipe cards. Couples are also invited to bring their own wine if they’d like—Pen-
sacola Cooks will provide everything else. $50 per couple. Pensacola Cooks, 3670 Barrancas Ave. pensacolacooks.com “24 HOUR THEATRE” AUDITIONS AT PLT 7:30 p.m. Five short one-act plays will be cast, written, rehearsed and performed in one day at the Pensacola Little Theatre. The experience begins with actor auditions at 7:30 pm on Friday. Five writer-director teams will select cast members for plays to be written overnight, and rehearsals begin at 7:30 am Saturday. The performance will take place only 12 hours later in the M.C. Blanchard Courtroom in the Pensacola Cultural Center, 400 S. Jefferson St. pensacolalittletheatre.com IVAN NEVILLE’S DUMPSTAPHUNK 8 p.m. With Post Pluto and Soul’d Out. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. $10-$15. vinylmusichall.com HIP HOP NIGHT 9 p.m. Sluggo’s Vegetarian Restaurant, 101 S. Jefferson St. PENSACOLEBOWSKI 9 p.m. Local fans of “The Big Lebowski” are invited to band together in celebration of the film for two days of events. A private screening of the film at Treehouse Cinemas and a party on the beach at Capt’n Fun on Friday night kick off the weekend and will be followed on Saturday by a day of bowling at Liberty Lanes, costume contests, trivia, White Russians, a Phat Boys bowling pin art show and an after-party at Arety’s Angels. Tickets for the 2-day event are $40. pensacolebowski.com GIGAN 9:15 p.m. With Phyrron, Artificial Brain, Etheorist, Blight and Cave Moth. The
Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. $9. Ages 18 and over. pensacolahandlebar.com
SATURDAY 9.27
NATIVE PLANT WALK TO TARKILN BAYOU PRESERVE 7:30 a.m. Discover unique na-
tive plants and wildflowers with the Francis A. Weston Audubon Society. The group will travel the boardwalk and nature trails of Tarkiln Bayou Preserve in search of autumn plants and wildflowers. The group will meet at Big Lots, 400 N. Navy Blvd. The event is free and open to the public. fmwaudubon.org.
FEE FREE DAYS AT GULF ISLANDS NATIONAL SEASHORE 8 a.m. In celebration of Na-
tional Public Lands Day, the National Park Service is offering free admission to all National Parks on Saturday, Sept. 27. The waived fees apply only to entrance fees only. For a full description of the facilities and programs currently available at Gulf Islands National Seashore, visit nps.gov/ guis or contact the Naval Live Oaks Visitor Center at 934-2600. PALAFOX MARKET 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Fresh produce, live plants, baked goods, fine art and antiques are just a few of the items offered at the weekly Palafox Market in Downtown Pensacola. Items originate directly from participating vendors, including dozens of local farmers, home gardeners and area artists. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza, N. Palafox. palafoxmarket.com FRIENDS OF THE WEST FLORIDA PUBLIC LI-
BRARY BOOK SALE 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friends of
the West Florida Public Library (WFPL) are holding their Big Spring Book Sale and Silent Auction from Friday, Sept. 26 through Sunday, Sept. 28. The Book Sale will be open on Saturday with free admission for all shoppers. Books DVDs, CDs, puzzles, and other items are for sale, with all profits used to fund programs and enhancements at WFPL branches. WFPL Main Library, 239 N. Spring St. friendsofwfpl.org. UKULELE CLASS 9:30 a.m. The Pensacola Ukulele Players Society (PUPS) meets every Saturday morning at Blues Angel Music, offering free ukulele lessons for both beginners and seasoned musicians. Loaner ukuleles are available for the sessions, which usually last an hour. Blues Angel Music, 657 N. Pace Blvd. bluesangelmusic.com PENSACOLA SEAFOOD FESTIVAL 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Seafood, arts and crafts, live music, and kids’ activities are all part of the 37th annual Pensacola Seafood Festival in Seville Square, produced by Fiesta of Five Flags. The festival runs through Sunday, Sept. 28. For more information, including full music lineup and cooking demonstration calendars, visit: fiestaoffiveflags.org. THE WINE SHOP AT SO GOURMET WINE TASTING 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Experience new
wines handpicked by So Gourmet’s Wine Director, Hilary Shaffer. Free and open to the public. So Gourmet, 407 S. Palafox. sogourmetpensacola.com
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DIFFERENCE MAKERS
Local family leaves $770k legacy gift to impact future of UWF Football and academic student success The University of West Florida announced a legacy gift totaling more than $770,000 from the estate of John Thayer and Joan Ames Burr. Of the total gift, $250,000 will go toward UWF athletics as the lead gift for UWF Football, and more than $500,000 will support high impact and undergraduate research initiatives in the College of Science, Engineering and Health. Tim Burr, who attended the press conference with his wife, Marguerite, and son, David, shared about his family’s passion for supporting higher education. Additionally, he said, it was a fitting legacy left by his parents, who were known throughout their lives for being incredibly generous in their support of those in need as well as philanthropic causes. “My parents believed that higher education creates opportunities for people to improve themselves and the community,” T. Burr said. “They also really loved Pensacola, Gulf Breeze and the entire Northwest Florida region, so there was no better way to give back to the community than by supporting the University. It is our family’s hope that this gift furthers the University’s stature in the education community and attracts high quality students, so that together we can achieve something for the greater good.” UWF President Judy Bense said the Burrs’ legacy will enable the University to enhance academic and athletic opportunities for current and future students. “This gift represents one couple’s belief in the value of higher education,” UWF President Judy Bense said. “The Burrs chose to leave a lasting legacy by investing in UWF, and this is a leading example to show that every gift can have a significant impact on students, the University and the region.” The portion of the gift designated for the College of Science, Engineering and Health will be used to establish the John Thayer and Joan Ames Burr Undergraduate Research Endowment, which will help students participating in high impact and undergraduate research initiatives to better prepare them for careers in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, fields. “With the support of this endowment, we will be able to continue building undergraduate research programs to give our students valuable, hands-on experience they wouldn’t get otherwise,” said Dr. Michael Huggins, dean of the College of Science, Engineering and Health. “This gift will be an invaluable resource in providing students with undergraduate research stipends to lessen their financial burden, as well as funding a variety of competition teams, conferences and more. These are the types of opportunities that are crucial for transforming our students’ educational experiences and make them more competitive as they enter the professional workforce.” The $250,000 designated for UWF Football constitutes the largest gift to date. In recognition of the Burr’s legacy gift and its impact on UWF, the UWF Field House Lobby will be named in their memory. “As the lead gift for UWF Football, this will be instrumental in helping UWF Athletics build a solid foundation for our football program,” said Dave Scott, athletic director. “UWF Football will not only enhance our athletic department and the University, but will also provide new opportunities for our student-athletes to excel on the field and in the classroom.” For additional information about legacy giving, visit uwf.edu/give.
Sponsored by Quint and Rishy Studer September 25, 2014
17
calendar THE 12th AVENUE FLEA Noon-5 p.m. The
12th Avenue Flea is a local community "flea" style market in the heart of East Hill featuring local artists, vendors, crafters, upcyclers, pickers, farmers and cooks. The market is held weekly outside the historic former Sacred Heart Hospital, now Tower East Office Complex. 1010 N. 12th Ave. facebook.com/12thAveFlea PENSACOLA BAY BREWERY TOUR 3:30 p.m. Go behind the scenes at Pensacola’s own brewery with Brewmaster Mark Robertson. Tours begin in the Taproom and include samples for those ages 21 and over. No reservations required. $5. 225 E. Zaragoza St. pbbrew.com “BLAZING SADDLES” 7 p.m. The Saenger’s Classic Movie Series continues with a showing of Mel Brook’s “Blazing Saddles” (1974). All seats are $5. Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox. pensacolasaenger.com “24 HOUR THEATRE” PERFORMANCE AT PLT 7:30 p.m. Five short one-act plays that were cast, written, rehearsed in one day will be performed in the Pensacola Little Theatre’s M.C. Blanchard Courtroom in the Pensacola Cultural Center, 400 S. Jefferson St. Tickets are $10. pensacolalittletheatre.com OTIS LOTUS 8 p.m. The Music of the Grateful Dead performed by Otis Lotus. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. $8-$10. vinylmusichall.com RENEE IS A ZOMBIE 9 p.m. With Flossie and the Fox and Leland Clay. Sluggo’s Vegetarian Restaurant, 101 S. Jefferson St.
SUNDAY 9.28
WAKE UP HIKE WITH FTA 7 a.m. The
Western Gate Chapter of the Florida Trail Association will lead a walk along trails at Naval Live Oaks Area during its weekly Sunday morning hike. The group will meet at the Naval Live Oaks Area Visitor Center. For more information on this and other local FTA events, contact Peggy at 982-9490 or visit meetup.com/ftawesterngate. PENSACOLA SEAFOOD FESTIVAL 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Seafood, arts and crafts, live music, and kids’ activities are all part of the 37th annual Pensacola Seafood Festival in Seville Square, produced by Fiesta of Five Flags. For more information, including full music lineup and cooking demonstration calendars, visit: fiestaoffiveflags.org. FRIENDS OF THE WEST FLORIDA PUBLIC LIBRARY BOOK SALE Noon-3 p.m. Sunday,
Sept. 28 is the final day of the Friends of the West Florida Public Library (WFPL) Big Spring Book Sale and Silent Auction. The Book Sale will be open on Sunday with free admission and the popular $5 Bag Sale. Books DVDs, CDs, puzzles, and other items are for sale, with all profits used to fund programs and enhancements at WFPL branches. WFPL Main Library, 239 N. Spring St. friendsofwfpl.org. OCTOBERFEST AT THE MAGNOLIA 1 p.m. Join The Magnolia crew for their 3rd annual Texas Octoberfest with Texan and German
fare including pretzels, bratwurst, German potato salad, kolache, Danish, more sweets and, most importantly, beer. 2907 E. Cervantes St. magnoliapensacola.com
MONDAY 9.29
“A FLAVORFUL FALL MEAL” 4 p.m. Pensac-
ola Cooks offers this “early bird” class (and dinner) with instructor Cat McCreary. On the menu: Cajun stuffed eggplant, roasted okra, braised seasonal heirloom greens (collards, kale and mustard), and mapleapple upside down cake. Guests "learn by doing" in the interactive class and are able to eat the food prepared while drinking a beverage and will receive class recipe cards. $20 per person. Pensacola Cooks, 3670 Barrancas Ave. pensacolacooks.com IT LIES WITHIN 9 p.m. With The Illumination, Safe Harbor and Rainey’s Revenge. The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. $8. Ages 18 and over without parent or guardian. pensacolahandlebar.com
TUESDAY 9.30
“OUT OF AFRICA” LUNCH CLASS Noon-1
p.m. So Gourmet celebrates Africa's to American cuisine in this lunch and cooking class with a menu of Piri-piri chicken, Jollof rice and milk tart. $35 per person. 407 S. Palafox. sogourmetpensacola.com PSC CULINARY DINNER 5:30 and 6 p.m. Pensacola State College’s Culinary Man-
agement Program is accepting lunch and dinner reservation requests for the fall semester. A la carte dinners are served on Tuesdays through Dec. 2 (except Nov. 11). These three-course meals cost $10 per person. Limit 6 people to a party. All reservations are made through a random selection system. Submit an email with your name to: culinarytickets@pensacolastate.edu STRUT YOUR MUTT 6:45 p.m. Join fellow dog owners for a 45-minute leisurely stroll in East Hill. Dogs must be leashed and wellbehaved. Owners should be prepared to pick up after the pets. Meet at the entrance of Bayview Park, 20th Ave. and E. Mallory St. BANDS ON THE BEACH 7 p.m. Hot Sauce Band performs at this week’s Bands on the Beach concert, part of a free summer series featuring regional artists held every Tuesday night through October. Gulfside Pavilion at Casino Beach, 735 Pensacola Beach Blvd. visitpensacolabeach.com TUESDAY NIGHT POETRY NIGHT AT SLUGGO’S 7 p.m. Free open mic poetry event every
Tuesday. Sluggo’s Vegetarian Restaurant, 101 S. Jefferson St. facebook.com/TNPNS CALABRESE 9:30 p.m. With Guns to Fire and Guts For Glory. The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. $6. Ages 18 and over without a parent or guardian. pensacolahandlebar.com for more listings visit inweekly.net
FOREVER DIETING? TIME TO CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT FOOD. A LUMINOUS LIFE HYPNOTHERAPY
SUSAN DUNLOP, MA, CHT
INTERNATIONALLY CERTIFIED HYPNOTHERAPIST
850-346-7865 EAST HILL
www.luminouslifehypnotherapy.com
unique & affordable
Join us for Wine Tastings Thursdays 5-7 p.m. 27 S. 9th Ave.
433-WINE or 433-9463
www.aragonwinemarket.com 818 1
facebook.com/rfpensacola inweekly.net
THIRD ANNUAL
Toasts of the Coasts A Food and Wine Series
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16 3 wines, 4-course dinner featuring wines from Michael David Winery, Lodi, California
Seating is limited. With Ramy Ibrahim, Fish House Wine Director Reservations required. $65 per person. Event begins RESERVE YOUR TABLE TODAY AT 433-9450. promptly at 5:30 p.m. View the full menu online! (Plus tax and gratuity.)
OPEN DAILY AT 11 A.M. · (850) 470-0003 · 600 S. BARRACKS ST. · FISHHOUSEPENSACOLA.COM
The University of West Florida Congratulates the Top Winners of the
2014
President’s Scholarship Competition
UWF hosted its inaugural competition in January 2014, where high school seniors vied for the University’s most prestigious scholarships. To learn more, visit uwf.edu/scholarscomp.
Pace Presidential Scholarship Recipients
John C. Pace Honors Scholarship
Ryan Colburn, J.M. Tate High School, Cantonment, Fla. Devon Nichols,West Florida High School Advanced Tech, Pensacola, Fla. Hana Wadsworth, Baker High School, Baker, Fla. Sarah Birdsong, J.M. Tate High School, Cantonment, Fla. Cady Bizzell, Booker T Washington High School, Pensacola, Fla. Robert Prosser, New Smyrna Beach High School, New Smyrna Beach, Fla. Chloe Brummer, Gulf Breeze High School, Gulf Breeze, Fla.
Rachel Jamison, Homeschool, Tequesta, Fla. Melissa Coombs, J. R. Arnold High School, Panama City Beach, Fla. Abbie Kellett, Lois Cowles Harrison Center for Visual and Performing Arts, Auburndale, Fla. Anthony Noll, Gulf Coast High School, Naples, Fla. Brianna Vandale, Deland High School, Deltona, Fla. Melissa Pisarski, Ridgeview High School, Orange Park, Fla.
uwf.edu September 25, 2014
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E-Cigs by Jennifer Leigh
It’s no surprise that cigarettes are bad for you. There’s an endless amount of evidence to back up the surgeon general’s warning on each pack, and yet 40 million Americans are smokers. But in recent years, smokers have been trading their cigarettes for a fancy new electronic version, typically called e-cigs. However, these electronic devices are not always what they seem. “There are a lot of myths out there,” said Jo Vollmer, registered nurse at West Florida Hospital.
MYTHBUSTING
Vollmer runs the Quit Smoking Now program, which is a free, six-week, smoking cessation program at West Florida Hospital. Working at the hospital since 1979, she’s seen the culture change its attitude toward cigarettes. “When I started working at West Florida Hospital, there were ashtrays by the elevators, designated areas for physicians and nurses to smoke, patients could even smoke in their rooms,” she recalled. “Starting Nov. 30, we’re going completely tobacco free.” Regulations on cigarettes have come a long way since doctors used to endorse them in the mid-20th century. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to regulate electronic cigarettes. “There’s a lot about these products that we don’t know,” Vollmer said. E-cigs were first developed in China and started to make their way to the U.S. around
September 25, 2014
2007. Instead of burning tobacco, e-cigs are actually vaporizers, which is where the term “vaping” comes from. The electronic cigarettes contain a vaporization chamber and a cartridge filled with liquid, sometimes flavored, sometimes containing nicotine, sometimes both—it’s all a matter of preference. Because they’re not burning tobacco, there’s no smoke, no carbon monoxide and no cigarette odor. It’s a rapidly growing industry with around 500 different brands, not to mention the increasing number of vape shops you pass on the way to work. Because of their “tobacco-free” label, they at first glance to be the perfect alternative to smoking, but Vollmer warns users to pay attention to nicotine levels. “The majority of cigarettes have oneand-a-half to two milligrams of nicotine, but some e-cig cartridges average 18 milligrams,” she explained. “E-cigs may be able to help decrease the amount of nicotine they smoked, but they also may be smoking more.” Since they’re smoke-free, some may believe e-cigs can be used indoors and practically eliminate the risk of second-hand smoke, but that’s not entirely true either. Studies have shown that electronic cigarettes have a significant decrease in harmful particles and almost no organic carcinogens, according to a study published in the “Journal of Environmental Science, Processes and Impacts.” However, the same study found that the smoke, or rather vapor, from e-cigs contains chromium and toxic metals.
“The vapor also contains formaldehyde. Do you want the person sitting next to you releasing that?” Vollmer said.
FROM SMOKER TO VAPER
get a 10 milliliter bottle of customized liquid for $7, which will last me four to five days. Over a year, that’s $1,500 I’ve saved.” For years, every doctor visit Jauss went to was met with the inevitable lecture about smoking. Even after switching to e-cigs, her primary physician was still not satisfied. “I went and saw my doctor last month for a regular check-up and shared the news about making the switch. He congratulated me, but then asked me when I was quitting e-cigs too,” she said. Jauss said she plans to wean herself down to zero milligrams of nicotine and continue using e-cigs because she loves the flavors. Those flavors, of which there are about 7,700, cause a concern to Vollmer. Making nicotine smell and taste good could lead to long-term addictions, she said. The FDA has claimed that lab tests have proven some liquids claiming to be nicotine-free still contain a small dose. “The companies are just trying to attract young people,” she said. “They’ve got nicotine-laced breath strips, lozenges and toothpicks. Think about 10-year-old Johnny, grabbing a lozenge from his mom’s purse without thinking of what’s in it.” {in}
Carrie Jauss started smoking about six years ago. “I lit up a cigarette in a bar on my 21st birthday while I was drinking, and that started the habit,” she said. Watching family members suffer with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) as a result of smoking, as well as becoming a mother, made Jauss look at her addictive habit differently. “I don’t like my daughters to be around me while I smoke,” she said. “They are almost three and learn by example. I don’t want them to have the idea that smoking is acceptable.” In July, Jauss walked into a local vape shop after doing some research and walked out with her first e-cig. After a few days, she found she could no longer stand the taste of a traditional cigarette. And two months later, she reduced her nicotine intake from 18 mg to 3 mg. “I consider e-cigs another smoking cessation product,” she said. “Unlike patches or gum, this product still allows you to keep the hand movements like I’m smoking a real cigarette. I tried Local hospitals including Sacred Heart patches before, but was still smoking.” Hospital, Baptist Healthcare and West The switch has also saved Jauss Florida Hospital offer free smoking some money. cessation classes for everyone and anyone. “I used to smoke about a pack a For additional information on how to quit, day, my regular cigarettes would cost visit tobaccofreeflorida.com. me about $6 a day,” she said. “I can
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news of the weird FRONTIERS OF FLIGHT Dutch inventors Bart Jansen and Arjen Beltman struck again recently when Pepeijn Bruins, 13, called on them to help him grieve over his pet rat, Ratjetoe, who had to be put down because of cancer. Having heard of the inventors' work, Pepeijn asked if they could please have Ratjetoe stuffed and turned into a radiocontrolled drone. Jansen and Beltman, who had previously created an "ostrichcopter" and are now working on a "turbo shark," created Pepeijn's rat-copter, but remain best noted for their epic taxidermied cat, "Orvillecopter," created in 2012 (which readers can view at nydn.us/1r0WmmA). UPDATES How to Confuse an Arizonan: In August, a state appeals court overruled a lower court and decided that Thomas and Nancy Beatie could divorce, after all. The first judge had determined that their outof-state marriage was not valid in Arizona because they were both women, but Thomas has had extensive surgery and hormone therapy and become a man—although he is also the spouse who bore the couple's three children, since he made it a point to retain his reproductive organs. • In August, for the 12th straight year, a group of Japanese adult-film actresses has volunteered their breasts to raise money for an AIDS-prevention charity event shown on an X-rated cable TV channel from Tokyo. The 12-hour-long "squeeze-a-thon" ("Boob Aid") sold individual fondles to men for donations of at least (the equivalent of) $9, with donors required first to spray on disinfectant. In all, 4,100 pairs of hands roamed the nine actresses. • Regulatory filings revealed in August that AOL still has 2.3 million dial-up subscribers (down from 21 million 15 years ago) paying, on average, about $20 monthly. Industry analysts, far from rolling on the floor laughing at the company's continued success with 20th-century technology, estimate that AOL's dial-up business constitutes a hefty portion of its quarterly "operating profit" of about $122 million. • Commentators have had fun with the new system of medical diagnostic codes (denominated in from four to 10 digits each) scheduled to take effect in October 2015, and the "Healthcare Dive" blog had its laughs in a July post. The codes for "problems in relationship with in-laws" and "bizarre personal appearance" are quixotic enough, but the most "absurd" codes are "subsequent encounters" (that is, at least the second time the same thing happened to a patient) for events like walking into a lamppost, or getting sucked into a jet engine, or receiving burns from onfire water skis, or having contact with a cow beyond being bitten or kicked (since those contacts have separate codes). Also notable was S10.87XA, "Other superficial bite of other specified part of neck, initial encounter," which seems to describe a "hickey."
by Chuck Shepherd
RECURRING THEMES More Drivers Who Ran Over Themselves: In June, Robert Pullar, 30, Minot, North Dakota, subsequently charged with DUI, fell out of his car and was run over by it. In July, Joseph Karl, 48, jumped out of his truck to confront another driver in a road rage incident in Gainesville, Florida, but as he pounded on that driver's window, his own truck (negligently left in gear) crept up and ran him over. Pullar and Karl were not seriously injured, but in July, a 54-year-old St. Petersburg, Florida, man was hurt badly when, attempting to climb onto the street sweeper that he operates for the city, he fell off, and the machine ran over his upper body. • For patients who are musicians, deep brain stimulation (open-brain) surgery can provide entertainment for operating-room doctors as they correct neurological conditions such as hand tremors. In September, the concert violinist Naomi Elishuv, who has performed with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, played for surgeons at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center so they could locate the exact spot in the brain for inserting the pacemaker to control the hand-trembling that had wrecked her career. (In fact, last week's winner of the annual Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, Eddie Adcock, 76, had fingerpicked some tunes in the operating room in 2007 for his own deep brain surgery.) • Buddhists continue to believe in the wholesale "mercy release" of living creatures, with smaller and less consequential animals making even stronger statements of reverence, according to a July New York Times dispatch from Yushu, China, describing the freeing of river shrimp the size of a fingernail clipping. These specks of life, an advocate told the Times, "could very well be the reincarnated souls of relatives" who perished in the 2010 earthquake that demolished the local area. "We" workers, said another, "have the same feelings as the fish," alluding to his own occupation of "digging in the mud." • Surgeons at the University of Arizona Medical Center removed a 47-pound tumor from a woman's stomach in April—not even close to being the largest ever mentioned in News of the Weird, but likely the only such large tumor appearing in a post-operative photograph being cradled in the arms of a member of the surgical team. (The patient, without insurance, had been putting off the surgery for months, which allowed the tumor to grow and to complicate the surgery—but credits "Obamacare" with finally allowing her to afford the procedure.) {in}
From Universal Press Syndicate Chuck Shepherd’s News Of The Weird © 2014 Chuck Shepherd
Welcome to our neighborhood of 2 & 3 bedroom, single family homes that are ready to rent–right now! Our beautiful neighborhood is tree-lined, pet-friendly and designed with families in mind. We offer all amenities you would expect from an apartment complex in the comfort of your own home and with prices starting at only $795. n Furnished & Unfurnished n Tennis & Basketball Courts n Walking & Biking Paths n Playgrounds & Sidewalks n On-Site Maintenance n 1,242-1,846 sq.ft. n Attached Garages
Lay Family: “Why would anyone rent an apartment when they could have a home.”
Avans: “It’s a great home for us and our four-legged kids.”
Location Three Waters Green is located off Blue Angel Pkwy just 3 miles north of the NAS back gate.
Pensacola Seafood Festival 2014
September 26-28 • Downtown Pensacola Fresh Gulf Seafood Cooking Demonstrations Arts & Crafts Vendors FREE Entertainment 5K Run/Walk & More!
Send your weird news to Chuck Shepherd, P.O. Box 18737, Tampa, Fla., 33679 or weirdnews@earthlink.net, or go to newsoftheweird.com September 25, 2014
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Independent News | September 25, 2014 | inweekly.net