Sept 23, 2010 issue

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 | VOLUME 11 | NUMBER 37 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

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Contents COLUMNS

3 WINNERS & LOSERS 4 OUTTAKES

29 NEWS OF THE WEIRD 31 LAST WORD

NEWS/FEATURES/ARTS

6 NEWS: IN INTERVIEW: ELLEN FREIDIN 9 COVER STORY: THE CANDY MAN STUMBLES 13 HEALTH & WELLNESS 21 A&E: PENSACOLA FESTIVAL SEASON KICKS OFF 27 MUSIC: ROCK FOR THE COAST 2010 28 CULTURE: SINGIN’ WRITIN’ ROCKIN’

2 | INDEPENDENT NEWS | SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

NEWS/INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING Sean Boone

P.O. Box 12082 • Pensacola, Fla. 32591 850-438-8115 • 1-866-724-9396 Fax: 850-438-0228 • info@inweekly.net

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Bradley “B.J.” Davis, Jr., Joani Delezen, Hana Frenette, Ashley Hardaway, Rob “Bubbs” Harris, Chuck Shepard, Trevor Webb PRODUCTION MANAGER Joani Delezen ART DIRECTOR Samantha Crooke SALES DIRECTOR Jennifer Passeretti

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

winners & losers

The fall TV season has begun and the media, paparazzi and bored division of the IN media and entertainment empire was mailed, in a brown envelope, this list of shows that didn’t make the schedule, but still have a chance to be picked up.

TARVILLE When tar balls coated with toxic chemicals strike the beaches of Escambia County, a young boy is left behind (along with his Vessel of Opportunity) and is adopted by Jonathan and Martha Suttles. Raised as a good, wholesome Southern boy, Bob soon realizes his otherworldly powers, such as finding tar buried several feet below the sand, are only just starting to emerge. Caught between using his powers to defeat dispersant-infected bad guys and dealing with his deep, dark secret (he’s allergic to fish), life at the Suttles beach house is never dull.

Weather forecasters say this year will be an extremely active hurricane season!

We hope you don’t have damages, but if you do, we are ready to work for you.

STEPFORD BARBIES A young college graduate begins to suspect that the frighteningly submissive community liaisons for her new idyllic, oil-producing employer may be robots created by their British bosses. As time goes on, she becomes increasingly disturbed by the zombielike BP spokespersons, especially when she sees her once independent-minded friends turn into mindless, docile representatives who deliver memorized talking points on cue.

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GREEN BLOODS This drama centers upon a multi-generational family of City of Pensacola workers. When the city’s first strong mayor is elected, what the new administration uncovers could put the family’s legacy in jeopardy and threaten to tear their pensions apart forever.

LOST Pensacola City Council members P. C. Wu, Ronald Townsend, John Jerralds and Jewel Cannada-Wynn, are left stranded at Pensacola City Hall without City Manager Al Coby to explain how to vote on issues.

The four strangers must work together to stay alive and survive the Tab monster.

THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD GENE A county commissioner has a hard time finding a “home run, knock-your-socks-off” initiative to launch his second term in office while juggling his other responsibilities. Gene Valentino increased his margin of victory by 147 votes over his 2006 primary win. His first term was like watching NASCAR. We can’t wait to see what the next four years will bring.

ESCAMBIA FIVE-O: “Book ‘em, Rando.” A new county administrator, Charles “Randy” Oliver is hired to keep the hallways of Escambia County government safe from the “Good Ol’ Boys.” At the request of the Board of County Commissioners, Oliver handpicks his team and heads up the unit under “his rules, no red tape and full blanket immunity to hunt down the biggest ‘game’ in town.”

OAKCREST Jaye Tyler works at a job far below her level of education—as a librarian in a Brownsville-area school. The book bags and knapsacks at the bus pickup area talk to Jaye, warning her of impending doom in the schools around her, which she must work to prevent. In the first episode, she must convince the school superintendent to give a dilapidated, closed school back to the community.

The possibility of toxic oil coming ashore increases the danger and risk of damages.

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INDEPENDENT NEWS | SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

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passed away on Sept.

15, not with a roar, but quietly in a hospital bed days after suffering a stroke. And when Leroy Boyd breathed his last breath that hot, humid morning, Pensacola lost another important figure from its storied past. Just as Vice Admiral Jack Fetterman, Mayor Emeritus Vince Whibbs, Sr. and attorney M. J. Menge who passed in the last decade, Leroy left an indelible mark on this city.

Pensacola has a history of punishing its outspoken African-American leaders. Ask Rev. H. K. Matthew who protested the 1974 shooting of Wendel Sylvester Blackwell and was later convicted and imprisoned because an all-white jury believed the protest was somehow extortion. Matthew was later granted clemency, but was forced to move out of the area.

Other than a few half-hearted protests about the lack of minority faces in a YouTube video on area tourism, few AfricanAmerican elected officials have forcefully taken on the status quo.

Leroy Boyd was the loud voice that made up for the soft approach of those appointed and later elected to office. He refused to be silent. He refused to be compliant. He refused to sit down and look away from injustice. From the little white house, known as the Center for Social Justice, Leroy listened to the cries of the disenfranchised and forgotten and tried to make a difference against insurmountable odds.

We met in October 2005 in the office of attorney Gene Mitchell. Leroy shared the story of Robert Boggon, a 65-year-old trucker who died Aug. 29, 2005 in the Escambia County Jail, allegedly after being dragged from his cell, stripped naked and forced into a shower cell where corrections officers hit him and shot him with a Taser gun three times. We reviewed the file, interviewed the family and published an article on the death, which had been ignored by the other media.

My editor, Duwayne Escobedo, and I marched with Leroy and his Movement for Change supporters to protest what turned out to be the first of three deaths of jail inmates over the year. Elected officials, black or white, were scarce that day.

Sheriff Ron McNesby later attempted to use photographs of us at the march to discredit the paper with advertisers. His detention officers survived a coroner’s inquest without being charged, but McNesby’s insurance company eventually settled with the Boggon family out of court.

In 2009, after McNesby failed to win a third term and a Democratic president was sworn into office, the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice launched an investigation of the Escambia County Sheriff ’s Office to determine “whether there were systemic violations of the Constitution or laws of the United States in the use of force and police practices by members of the ECSO and in the conditions of confinement at ECJ (Escambia County Jail).”

The original complaints had been filed in 2003 and 2006 by Boyd’s Movement for Change and the American Civil Liberties Union. The articles we published were part of the documentation for the complaints.

When newly elected Sheriff David Morgan announced the federal investigation, Leroy was at the press conference with a big smile. The announcement was vindication of his pursuit for justice. The scales had finally tipped in his favor.

Lately, Leroy had focused on the public school system. We never got a chance to talk about the recent No Child Left Behind letters, but I would have loved to have his take on the letters that singled out the African-American, economically disadvantaged and disabled students.

I can hear his soft, forceful voice telling me how he planned to deal with it. I miss it and Pensacola will, too.

rick@inweekly.net

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INDEPENDENT NEWS | SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

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news

IN INTERVIEW: ELLEN FREIDIN FAIR DISTRICTS FLORIDA CHAIR OUT TO END GERRYMANDERING

BY RICK OUTZEN

O

f all the powers invested in the Florida Legislature, the power to draw the boundaries for the congressional and state legislative districts may be the most crucial in dictating which political party maintains control of the state.

“It’s the most political thing that happens,” said Ellen Freidin, campaign chair for Fair Districts Florida, a nonpartisan group that has placed two constitutional amendments (5 and 6) on the November ballot that could take partisan politics out of the redistricting process.

Freidin told the IN that lawmakers manipulate the districts for three reasons: •Help those in office stay in office, •Leave a House position then the Senate district drawn to help them, and •Help their political power maintain control.

To illustrate her point, she used a map of House District 78, a Democratic stronghold held by Kevin J. Rader (D-Delray Beach). The district is 55 percent registered Democrats, takes pieces of four counties and is divided

7

by Lake Okeechobee.

In the last three elections, with 420 state legislative seats up for grabs, only three incumbents were defeated.

Amendments 5 and 6 will end this type of gerrymandering. They state that districts may not be drawn to favor or disfavor an incumbent or political party. Districts cannot be drawn to deny racial or language minorities the equal opportunity to participate in the political process and elect representatives of their choice.

Districts must be contiguous, compact, as equal in population as feasible, and where feasible must make use of existing city, county and geographical boundaries.

“The purpose has been to establish rules where there haven’t been any rules,” said Freidin, “and keep communities together with districts that make sense.”

NOT THE FIRST EFFORT

Over the years, both parties have tried to change the redistricting process.

In 1992, Republicans sued to have the Democratic-drawn maps thrown out, and Democrats returned the favor in 2002.

In 2005, Betty Castor, former Florida Secretary of Education, worked with Common Cause, a national government watchdog group, on an amendment that would have given the redistricting power to a nonpartisan, 15-member commission. However, the Florida Supreme Court

DAYS

Get your daily news first at INweekly.net. Find out before anyone else what’s happening in news, arts and entertainment, film, television and music at INDaily on our website. Here's the week in review, in case you missed it.

6 | INDEPENDENT NEWS | SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

pulled the amendment off the ballot, ruling that it dealt with too many subjects and could mislead voters because the appointed commission members would have partisan biases of their own.

Common Cause and out-of-state lawyers drafted that amendment, according to Freidin. To avoid the same issues again, Castor asked Freidin, a Miami attorney, and others to draft two new amendments.

“Here I am five years later, driving the train,” said Freidin, who cut her political teeth working on the Edmund Muskie campaign in 1972.

“We have an incredible coalition that has amassed nearly 1.75 million signatures to put this on the ballot,” said Freidin.

To avoid a last minute challenge on the wording, Fair Districts Florida stopped its petition effort in 2007 and had the Florida Supreme Court approve the wording.

POISON PILL FAILED

State lawmakers have consistently opposed the Fair District amendments.

Rep. Dorothy Hukill (R-Port Orange) and Senators Mike Haridopolos (R-Melbourne), Gary Siplin (D-Orlando) and Alfred Lawson (D-Tallahassee) sponsored their own redistricting amendment. They argued that they needed to clarify Amendments 5 and 6.

The lawmakers said their proposal called for barring them from favoring a political party or incumbent when redrawing legislative or congressional district lines.

However, the proposal did allow lawmakers to continue basing districts on “communities of common interest.” In other words, the lawmakers could continue to find excuses to draw district lines as they pleased.

To further confuse the matter, the lawmakers manipulated the votes approving the amendment as that it would be Amend-

ment 7 and be placed on the ballot after the Fair Districts Florida amendments.

“Amendment 7 was a poison pill amendment intended to confuse the voters,” said Freidin. “It was titled almost identically to ours and I think they believed that the people would vote ‘yes’ for ours and theirs, too, because the voters would believe it had the same intent.”

On Friday, May 21, Florida State Conference of the NAACP and the League of Women Voters filed a lawsuit to remove Amendment 7 from the statewide ballot.

Deirdre Macnab, president of the League of Women Voters of Florida described the lawmakers’ proposal as “a trick amendment” and a “blatant effort to fool voters.”

On July 8, Circuit Judge James Shelfer ruled that Amendment 7 would not appear on Florida’s general election ballot.

According to media reports, Judge Shelfer said, “I’m not the brightest light on the Christmas tree, but it took me three days… to get a handle on what this amendment does.” He added that the measure’s summary was a “failure to inform the public (and was) clearly and convincingly an attempt to hide the ball.”

Earlier this month, the Florida Supreme Court upheld Shelfer’s decision that the title of Amendment 7 was misleading. The court wrote, “This is a matter that should have been clearly and unambiguously stated in the ballot language. Failing this clear explanation, the voters will be unaware of the valuable right—the right to have districts composed of contiguous territory—which may be lost if the amendment (7) is adopted.”

Having gotten past the lawmakers’ “poison pill” and other court challenges to their amendments, does Freidin believe that the voters will pass Amendments 5 and 6?

M O N DAY S E P T 13

T U E S DAY S E P T 14

WEDNESDAY SEPT 15

DeLuna Fest organizers announce locations for the distribution of free tickets for the last day of the festival next month. The group is giving out 20,000 tickets for the Oct. 17 date.

Seven people are charged in the burglary of a home on Pensacola Beach. The ages of the suspects range from 18-20 and they are arrested on burglary and drug-related charges.

A man receives an 18-month prison sentence for starving a puppy to death. Charles Lee Johnson, 43, is charged with a third-degree felony for animal cruelty.

news briefs “Yes, I think the people are fed up,” Freidin said as she headed to another rally for the amendments. “This is a unique opportunity to say ‘No, no, we’re not doing this anymore.’” rick@inweekly.net

AMENDMENT 5 STANDARDS FOR LEGISLATURE TO FOLLOW IN LEGISLATIVE REDISTRICTING BALLOT SUMMARY: Legislative districts or districting plans may not be drawn to favor or disfavor an incumbent or political party. Districts shall not be drawn to deny racial or language minorities the equal opportunity to participate in the political process and elect representatives of their choice. Districts must be contiguous. Unless otherwise required, districts must be compact, as equal in population as feasible, and where feasible must make use of existing city, county and geographical boundaries.

AMENDMENT 6 STANDARDS FOR LEGISLATURE TO FOLLOW IN CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING BALLOT SUMMARY: Congressional districts or districting plans may not be drawn to favor or disfavor an incumbent or political party. Districts shall not be drawn to deny racial or language minorities the equal opportunity to participate in the political process and elect representatives of their choice. Districts must be contiguous. Unless otherwise required, districts must be compact, as equal in population as feasible, and where feasible must make use of existing city, county and geographical boundaries.

BOARD APPROVES NEW ADMINISTRATOR The Escambia County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved Randy Oliver as the new County Administrator on Sept. 17.

Oliver, who has more than 20 years of experience in public administration roles, will receive a maximum salary of $145,000 and will be reviewed annually through a three-year contract and will likely start sometime next month.

He was selected from a list of seven finalists.

But before his approval, Commissioners Gene Valentino and Wilson Robertson tried to pass a motion to extend the contract of interim Administrator Larry Newsom for another year.

“I don’t want to be rushed into coming to a decision, like what happened last time (referring to the approval of former Administrator Bob McLaughlin),” Valentino told board members.

Robertson said he didn’t see a candidate on the list that was better for the county than Newsom.

Newsom, who has held the position since February, did not put himself into the running for the position.

Commissioner Grover Robinson said that not following through with the process and keeping Newsom could damage the reputation of the county and make it more difficult to hire in the future for such positions.

“I’m committed to process…not because I’m against Larry…I think he’s done a great job,” he said. “It’s not a fair process for the individuals behind us.”

OBAMA HEALTH WAR Last week, Federal Judge Roger Vinson heard arguments from the U.S. Department of Justice and the attorneys for the State of Florida and the other 19 states suing the federal government over the Affordable Care Act (ACA) (State of Florida v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 10-cv-00091).

The DOJ attorney argued that while the states had a right to disagree over the policy, they don’t have the constitutional right to challenge how the federal government spends its money. He argued that the ACA is an expansion of the existing Medicaid program and that Congress has the right to modify that program as it sees fit. He had case law (South Dakota v.

Dole and New York v. United States) to back up his statement that no court has ever ruled against that point, which he said undermined the states’ point (count 4) that they were being coerced into the expansion. The ACA falls within the spending power of Congress and is not coercive, according to the DOJ. The DOJ also pointed out that the federal government will substantially increase its funding for the new Medicaid services, reimbursing 100 percent through 2016 and gradually declining to 90 percent in 2020 and beyond.

Judge Vinson asked about coverage of illegal immigrants. The DOJ attorney said that they aren’t covered under the ACA. The DOJ also argued that the court lacks jurisdiction over states’ challenges to the minimum coverage provision. Because the ACA doesn’t go into effect until four years from now, the two individuals named in the suit, Mary Brown and Kaj Ahlburg, have suffered no injury.

Vinson brought up the states’ point that people are, in essence, being taxed for not doing something, and while the Constitution gives Congress power under its Commerce Clause, how can it tax non-activity? Commerce is a business activity—not non-activity.

The DOJ argued that the health care is unique. Everyone participates, they have no control over when they need it, and they may or may not pay for it. “No one is a bystander.”

The ACA regulates how someone pays for his health care and thus qualifies as commerce.

The states argued that Mary Brown and Kaj Ahlburg don’t have insurance and don’t intend to buy it in 2014. Therefore, their probability of harm is certain at a fixed point in the future. Furthermore, Brown is a member of the NFIB (National Federation of Independent Business), which has incurred costs educating its members on ACA. Judge Vinson challenged whether this was a cost the NFIB would have incurred otherwise.

The attorneys also argued that it’s unrealistic to think the states would pull out of Medicaid and that the states will have to spend millions to prepare for the expansion—although they had no estimates to give the court.

They argued the states could “piggyback” on

the rights of Brown, Ahlburg and NFIB to have standing.

They also argued that Congress has only limited and enumerated powers. The states have general police powers. The ACA represents a “fundamental transformation of our constitutional system.” They stated that it would mean there is no limit to federal powers.

“There is no type of commerce that doesn’t involve activity,” said attorney David Rivkin.

“Congress has never tried to use the Commerce Clause to compel inactive Americans to purchase a good or service.”

He argued that lack of insurance is not an economic activity.

“There is nothing unique to insurance.

People need bread and milk, but we can’t require them to buy them.”

Rivkin also argued that the regulating of inactivity is giving the federal government police powers and “eviscerates” states’ sovereignty. The federal government cannot mandate one private individual purchasing something from another private individual. It was also argued that by requiring parents to cover their children through age 26, it was an “unprecedented intrusion into family life.

CORRECTION FOR SUMMER BP QUIZ This quiz, published Sept. 9, 2010, posted the incorrect answer to the following question: 2. Who was the George Touart supporter who was arrested for trespassing on the property of one of Touart’s political opponents? a) Derek Cosson b) Charlie Fairchild c) Mark Clabaugh d) Rex Blackburn The answer incorrectly given in the key was b), and it should have been c). We inadvertently transposed the answer. Mark Clabaugh pleaded in June nolo contendere to trespassing-occupied structure or conveyance and was given six months probation. The correct answer is in the online version of the quiz.

The IN strives to make news reports accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call 438-8115 or e-mail rick@ inweekly.net.

N E WS OF T H E W E E K

T H U R S DAY S E P T 16

F R I DAY S E P T 17

S AT U R DAY S E P T 18

S U N DAY S E P T 19

Escambia County Commissioners vote to adopt an ordinance that would allow Pensacola Beach and Navarre leaseholders the opportunity to eventually own their property.

Thousands line the streets of downtown Pensacola for Gallery Night, which features a theme entitled “Canstruction.”

More than 1,000 runners and walkers participate in the American Heart Association’s Start! 5K Heart Walk at the University of West Florida.

The Taste of the Beach weekend event concludes on Pensacola Beach with more than a dozen signature dishes from local restaurants and live entertainment.

Escambia County Commissioners select a new county administrator after a five-hour meeting on Friday. Randy Oliver, a former city manager in several cities over the past 20 years, will have a three-year contract with the county that will be reviewed annually.

INDEPENDENT NEWS | SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

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8 | INDEPENDENT NEWS | SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

by Rick Outzen “Who can take a sunrise, sprinkle it with dew Cover it with choc’late and a miracle or two The Candy Man, oh the Candy Man can The Candy Man can ‘cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good.”

–Sammy Davis, Jr.

In August, when the man in charge of the Gulf Coast Claims Facility barnstormed across the region, he promised to streamline the BP claims process and get generous checks into locals’ hands before they lost their homes and businesses. With $20 billion in the fund established by BP, Ken Feinberg, who had handled claims for the 9/11 disaster, Agent Orange and the Virginia Tech massacre, is “The Candy Man”

for the Gulf Coast.

Ken Feinberg came to Orange Beach, Ala. on Wednesday, Sept. 15 to hear directly how his Gulf Coast Claims Facility had not delivered the “candy” as he had promised the victims of the BP oil disaster.

“I love this community,” Feinberg assured the crowd that packed the recreation center. “I appreciate this community. I am your advocate.”

INDEPENDENT NEWS | SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

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The group of small business owners, realtors, charter boat captains and government officials wanted to believe him, just like they believed BP vice president Darryl Willis in June and him in August.

Feinberg was in the gym on Canal Boulevard at the invitation of Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon, who called the “Claims Czar” to complain about the ineffectiveness of the process. “I got a call last week from your mayor, who told me I’d better listen. I said don’t you convey what they said—I ought to come and hear for myself.”

In his first 20 seconds at the podium, Feinberg used the words “I,” “me” and “myself ” six times— and there may be where the problem lies.

The Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF) is Ken Feinberg. There is no other face for the GCCF, and no one else to turn to for help.

When he came to Pensacola on Aug. 11, Feinberg told locals that he would be more generous and pay sooner than BP. He was direct and asked the Gulf Coast to trust him. On Sept. 15, he was in Orange Beach to take the blame, listen to suggestions and win back that trust.

The Orange Beach Recreation Center was packed with nearly 1,000 Alabama and Florida small business owners. Mayor Kennon asked those in the crowd to stand if they

“I APPRECIATE THIS COMMUNITY. I AM YOUR ADVOCATE.” —KEN FEINBERG With BP running ads daily proclaiming that they will make things “right,” people are beginning to wonder who gets to define “right”—because if the victims of the largest manmade environmental disaster in our history get to do so, then BP and Feinberg have a very long way to go.

WINNING BACK TRUST

“Who can take a rainbow, wrap it in a sigh Soak it in the sun and make a groovy lemon pie The Candy Man, the Candy Man can…”

had filed a claim with the GCCF since Aug. 23. Nearly the entire audience stood; he then asked those who had received any payments from Feinberg’s program to remain standing—only about 25 people were on their feet.

Of that number, less than six had been paid more than half of what they asked for.

Mayor Kennon called Orange Beach the “epicenter of the losses,” and the statistics back him up. His small coastal town has lost $4 million in sales and bed tax revenues since the April 20 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil platform. Its neighbor, the City of Gulf Shores, lost $4.2 million. These tax losses represent over $100 million in lost sales for their hotels, restaurants and other businesses. To date,

“I’M IN LIMBO; I’M UNABLE TO SPEAK WITH ANYONE ABOUT MY CLAIM” —KEITH BROOKS those businesses have only received about $9 million in payments from BP and GCCF. The people sitting on the gym floor in metal chairs and on the bleachers were angry, frustrated and desperate. The GCCF process has been more automated than the BP claims process, but also less personal.

There are still claims offices along the Gulf Coast, but there are no adjusters on site to discuss claims as there were under BP.

BP PROCESS BETTER?

Attorney Matthew Villmer, whose firm, Emmanuel Sheppard & Condon, is handling claims for 30 clients, visited the Pensacola, Fla. claims office to check on the status of those claims filed by his clients.

“All they could do was look up the basic claims information on the computer,” Villmer told the IN. “I could have done the same thing from my office. No one knows who their adjuster is. They’re all put in a queue for the adjusters to pull down. They don’t have to put their name on the claim.

“We had a client receive half of what they filed. Why? There is no one to talk to about how they adjusted the claim.”

CLAIMANT BILL OF RIGHTS

1.

You have the right to equal treatment. You have the right to be treated with respect, dignity, and fairness, without regard to your race, color, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, gender, or disability.

You have the right to equal access to the claims process. If you have a disability, the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (“GCCF”) will make reasonable accommodations in order for you to access the services of the GCCF. If you have difficulty communicating in English, the GCCF will provide translation services for you to communicate about the claims process with the GCCF. If you have difficulty reading or writing, the GCCF will endeavor to explain all documents and forms in a plain and simple manner, and assist you in filing a claim form.

You have the right to privacy. Your submitted personal information will be kept secure by the GCCF and will only be used and disclosed for legitimate purposes in connection with administering the GCCF. You have the right to information about your claim. You can meet with a member of the GCCF staff to ask any questions you have about the claims process. Once you have filed a claim with the GCCF, you have the right to check the status of that claim by calling the toll-free number 1-800-9164893 or TTY 1-866-682-1758, visiting the GCCF’s Internet site, gulfcoastclaimsfacility.com, or visiting a GCCF office in person.

You have the right to a fair review and determination of your claim. The GCCF Claims Evaluator will consider all properly submitted evidence that you provide to prove your loss.

You have the right to a timely claim decision.

The GCCF will issue a timely determination of your claim. If the GCCF needs additional information in order to decide your claim, the GCCF will notify you in a timely manner of the request for additional information.

You have the right to timely payment. If you qualify for a payment, you will be paid promptly.

You have the right to ethical treatment. All representatives of the GCCF will act ethically and in good faith.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Source: GCCF website, GulfCoastClaimsFacility.com

The lack of communication has Villmer and others missing the old BP system.

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“I’m in limbo; I’m unable to speak with anyone about my claim,” Brooks told the IN in a telephone interview. “At least BP’s adjusters would talk with you.”

Mayor Kennon doesn’t want to see the claims process back in BP’s hands. “BP was a disaster,” Kennon said. “Our season is over and our reserves are gone. Mr. Feinberg needs to make sure we have timely, adequate payments. Otherwise, mass failures of businesses are certain.”

He did recommend to Feinberg, “Write checks for whatever we say the claim is… it may be generous—so what? BP can never make us whole.”

“OUR SEASON IS OVER AND OUR RESERVES ARE GONE. MR. FEINBERG NEEDS TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE TIMELY, ADEQUATE PAYMENTS. OTHERWISE, MASS FAILURES OF BUSINESSES ARE CERTAIN.” —ORANGE BEACH MAYOR TONY KENNON “The BP process was better,” Villmer said.

“There are some who have gotten more than they asked for, but when the payments aren’t as generous, you can’t talk to anyone about the adjustment or how to increase the payment.”

Keith and Kim Brooks agreed with Villmer. They left their jobs to start a website to help promote the Gulf Coast: YourFloridaEmeraldCoast.com. Keith quit his job nine days before the Deepwater Horizon explosion. He and his wife had dozens of commitments from advertisers and had a strong base to launch the site… before the explosion.

In July, Brooks first submitted his claim. Because it was a new business without a history, he had some challenges, but was eventually able to document his claim for his BP adjuster. Unfortunately, when he got all of his documentation in and the adjuster was satisfied, it was Aug. 18, and Brooks was told that his claim was being passed on to Feinberg’s team.

On Aug. 23, Brooks went online and got a new claim number. He called the next day and verified that they had his documentation. The person on the phone told him that the turnaround would be about seven days.

When he called back later, the person answering the phone wasn’t quite as friendly, but told him that they were reviewing his claim. He called again after Labor Day and asked to speak to the person handling his claim, and was told that he couldn’t because it would slow down the process.

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Keith Lee, owner of Worldwide Interiors in Orange Beach, said, “Expediency is the key. It’s an emergency and we’re going to be DOA. Just take whatever BP paid me for one month, add a little, and multiply it by six.

“We have no advocate. We have no forum. We have got to have cash now.”

And that was the theme of the town hall meeting. People were tired of the red tape, tired of waiting for checks and have now run out of alternatives. A dozen people in the room had lost their homes or closed their businesses because of the oil disaster.

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GCCF PROGRAM STATISTICS - FLORIDA SUMMARY

(as of September 18, 2010)

▼CLAIMANTS No. of Claimants

Claims Submitted

Claims Paid

Amount Paid

Individual

11,380

12,119

4,662

$ 33,040,616.46

Business

8,874

9,719

2,152

$ 22,266,300.00

Total to Date

20,254

21,838

6,814

$ 55,306,916.46

(Claimants may have one or more claims)

▼CLAIMS BY EMERGENCY OR FINAL PAYMENT Claims Submitted

Claims Paid

Amount Paid

Emergency Advance Payment

20,047

6,814

$ 55,306,916.46

Final Claim*

1,791

0

$-

Total to Date

21,838

6,814

$ 55,306,916.46

*Review underway to determine whether claimant intended to file Final Claim

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“I AM DETERMINED TO MAKE THIS PROGRAM WORK FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PEOPLE OF THIS COMMUNITY.” —FEINBERG Margo Vincent has a vacation rental business in Destin, Fla. While speaking before the Orange Beach crowd, she talked about how she sold family jewelry to make ends meet while she waited for her checks from BP and GCCF. “My claim has 128 documents,” Vincent said. “My BP adjuster said they were immaculate.”

The day the claims process was turned over to Feinberg, she had delivered her claim to the local GCCF office. Somehow, she was given two claims numbers and has currently been waiting for two weeks for them to merge the files.

Trisha Adams, a deli shop owner at The Wharf, has only been in business for 13 months. Her claim was put into a “dead file” until she finds a comparable Orange Beach business that will share its sales figures to substantiate her loss.

The owner of another restaurant was told all of her documents that she submitted to BP had been lost and had to be resubmitted. When she told the local GCCF office that Mr. Feinberg said that she would be paid in seven days, she was told that she

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misunderstood him and that it would take four to seven weeks.

TAKING THE BLAME

To his credit, Feinberg didn’t back down or point blame elsewhere. After all, he is the Gulf Coast Claims Facility.

“I am determined to make this program work for the benefit of the people of this community,” he said.

He said that much of the system is working effectively. “In the first three weeks of the Gulf Coast Claims Facility,

are waiting for checks. I’ve got to find a way to accelerate the payments.”

He also said that too many people have been sent too little. “The generosity of the fund has been called into question.” Feinberg has already authorized supplemental checks and is currently looking at how to process claims without the present degree of micromanagement of documentation.

Feinberg also plans to have someone who can be his “eyes and ears” in Alabama and who can answer to the locals on the claims. “We need to be more transparent.”

To win back the trust of the crowd, Feinberg brought 20 adjusters that set up shop next door to the recreation center for the afternoon.

As soon as he announced that, about a third of the room immediately ran to get a face-to-face consultation with a GCCF adjuster.

Feinberg stayed at the podium and listened to claims horror stories and recommendations for improvements for the next two hours. Several times, at the microphone, he asked the business owners to give him their claims; he told them that he would check into them.

The GCCF is Ken Feinberg. The verdict is out as to whether that is a good or bad thing.

“I DON’T WANT YOU TO THINK I’M SIMPLY AN AGENT OF BP. WHATEVER FLAWS THERE ARE IN THE SYSTEM, THEY ARE MINE, NOT BP’S.” —FEINBERG I approved 16,000 claims and authorized payments in excess of $185 million. I have distributed more money in three weeks than BP distributed in three months.

“I don’t want you to think I’m simply an agent of BP. Whatever flaws there are in the system, they are mine, not BP’s.”

Feinberg admitted that it has taken too long to process claims. “I overpromised and under-delivered on timing. We are processing 1,000 claims a day, but too many people

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health & wellness

SPECI A L A DV ER T ISING SEC T ION SEP T EMBER 2 010

THE AGE OF ORGANICS

COMPARISON: ORGANIC VS. CONVENTIONAL (From USDA)

BY SE AN BOONE

photo by Samantha Crooke

You round the produce aisle at your local grocer and are confronted with two choices: a conventional section of fruits and vegetables and an organic one.

You pick up two competing apples.

Both look identical, but in many ways they are different.

Although organic agriculture is not a new practice by any means, its popularity has skyrocketed in the past decade despite a limited, pricier selection in comparison to the counter practice.

Since 2001, more than $9 billion worth of organic products have been sold, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“It’s definitely a growing sector,” says Michael P. Hoffmann, director of Cornell University’s Agricultural Experiment Station.

Hoffmann says Cornell has been working for decades to react to the stakeholder needs in the agriculture workforce. Now that organics have become a more important part of the industry, more focus has been put on the practice.

“We have 20 acres in one of our farms for research related to vegetable productions and a dozen acres of outlying farms that focus on grain as well as another 5-10 acres up in the northern part of New York,” Hoffmann explains.

In 2002, the USDA began putting labels on all approved organic foods, providing consumers with more assurance that what they are getting is truly “all-natural.”

Those who are found to be selling fake

organics can be fined up to $10,000.

When you are out shopping, look for the three USDA organic labels: —100 percent organic: products that are completely organic or made of all organic ingredients.

—Organic: products that are at least 95 percent organic.

—Made with organic ingredients: these are products that contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients. The organic seal can’t be used on these packages.

Anything less than 70 percent is considered non-organic.

ORGANIC BREAKDOWN

There have been conflicting studies over the years on whether or not organics taste better than conventional foods or if they truly are more beneficial to the environment or a person’s health.

But one thing can be agreed upon— organics aren’t bad for you. In fact, a substantial amount of research shows that organic farming is better for both the grower and the consumer.

Organic farmers don’t use pesticides or chemical fertilizers on their crops; they use such practices as laying manure, composting and using beneficial insects instead. Animals are not injected with hormones or antibiotics and are given more room to roam, which cuts down on disease.

The practice has also allowed many smaller farmers to compete in the mar-

ket. According to a report from Scientific American, conventional and integrated systems generally break even in 15-16 years whereas organic fields will do the same in nine. Another report from the Journal of Sustainable Agriculture states that organic farms can out-produce conventional farms by 70-90 percent during drought times.

Organic farms have also opened the door to many urban growers—particularly young adults trying to get into the “field.”

“Because organic productions are more profitable for farmers, a lot of young people have been able to get into growing,” says Charles Mueller, a senior research associate at Cornell.

Mueller has been studying organic methods of farming since the early 1980s, including projects on such things as alternative weed management and soil quality.

He says it wasn’t until this decade that federal money was allocated for research into organic practices.

“For a long time, you couldn’t write a grant with the word organic in it. That changed in the last 10 years, and now you have money specifically for organic agriculture.

“Overall, organic production has seen a two-digit increase for decades. Eventually, we had an expediential growth that is large enough to where people are paying attention. The standardization from USDA has also contributed to some demand and interest.”

WHERE TO FIND Nearly every grocer in America now carries organic products on their shelves.

In Pensacola, Ever’man Natural Foods sells an exclusive organic produce line, but large grocers such as Publix and even Wal-Mart have made great strides in recent years to provide such products.

One thing to remember is that just because the label says it’s natural, doesn’t mean it’s organic. Check for the USDA label, or if shopping at a local farmer’s market, ask the manager where the product originated. sean@inweekly.net

—Nutrition. No conclusive evidence shows that organic food is more nutritious than conventionally-grown food.

And the USDA, even though it certifies organic food, doesn’t claim that these products are safer or more nutritious.

—Quality and appearance. Organic foods meet the same quality and safety standards as conventional foods. The difference lies in how the food is produced, processed and handled. You may find that organic fruits and vegetables spoil faster because they aren’t treated with waxes or preservatives. Also, expect less-than-perfect appearances in some organic produce including odd shapes, varying colors and perhaps smaller sizes. In most cases, however, organic foods look identical to their conventional counterparts.

—Pesticides. Conventional growers use pesticides to protect their crops from molds, insects and diseases. When farmers spray pesticides, it can leave residue on produce. Some people buy organic food to limit their exposure to these residues. Most experts agree, however, that the amount of pesticides found on fruits and vegetables poses a very small health risk.

—Environment. Some people buy organic food for environmental reasons.

Organic farming practices are designed to benefit the environment by reducing pollution and conserving water and soil.

—Cost. Most organic food costs more than conventional food products. Higher prices are due to more expensive farming practices, tighter government regulations and lower crop yields. Because organic farmers don’t use herbicides or pesticides, many management tools that control weeds and pests are labor intensive. For example, organic growers may weed vegetables by hand to control the weeds, thus you may end up paying more for these vegetables.

—Taste. Some people say that they can taste the difference between organic and non-organic food. Others say they find no difference. Taste is a subjective and personal consideration, so decide for yourself. But whether you buy organic or not, finding the freshest foods available may have the biggest impact on taste.

For more information on organic agriculture, visit ams.usda.gov.

INDEPENDENT NEWS | SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

13

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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.

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health & wellness h&w HEALTH TALK: SANTA ROSA COUNSELING CENTER profile | SPECIA L ADV ERTISING SEC TION | SEP TEMBER 2010

BY SEAN BOONE

Santa Rosa Counseling Center This month, IN sits down with Alesia and Melissa Willis of the Santa Rosa Counseling Center in Milton. Alesia opened the center in 2007 with a “focus on helping individuals, couples, and families who are in crisis or who find themselves needing guidance or clarification in decision making.”

IN: What is your background in therapy?

Alesia: I was at Lakeview and did a lot of clinical work in marriage therapy as well as groups. I’ve been a clinician for about eight years.

IN: Why did you both get into this field?

Alesia: I was a minister and prior to that was a stay at home wife…military wife.

I’ve always had involvement in support groups and self-help groups everywhere we traveled—from Europe to Alaska. It had always been a focus of mine to help people in crisis, so it was a natural transition to go back for another degree in clinical practice.

Melissa: My brother and I are in the process of doing our internship (with the practice). Then we will be going through the process of getting licenses and joining the practice. Helping people, I think, is part of my personality. My mom was really my inspiration behind it. I did get my undergrad in criminal justice and I really liked that work, but I was missing the area of helping people.

IN: What types of problems do you generally treat?

Alesia: For the most part, because I’m licensed in marital therapy and I have a mental health license, couples that are having a lot of issues. I also treat children who have issues—whether it’s ADHD, children who have family separation issues or children who are involved in domestic violence.

Families First Network makes referrals to us for the abuse issues.

IN: I understand you treat PTSD? Alesia: We do trauma work…eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and we’re one of the top two centers in the area the VA recognizes for trauma-related disorders.

IN: What methods do you use to get through to children?

Melissa: As far as the kids go, we have board games that focus on emotional control. We might do role playing…that’s something unique (for our clinic).

IN: You mention Internet addiction on your site as a problem. Are you seeing more and more technology-related problems such as this?

Alesia: Yes. Pornography has become a big problem—that or chat rooms, online dating and gaming.

IN: How often are problems treatable by regular counseling sessions?

Alesia: Typically, I think for depression, it’s fairly treatable in eight to 10 sessions. With trauma work, it’s generally two to three

sessions and I send them back over for individual treatment. Schizophrenia patients I recommend to a psychiatrist. Typically, we do solution-focused therapy so we get right to the problems and find options and solutions. There are some that I do psychotherapy with. Melissa does the same. It’s always done to find out about the past and to see where we would go from there.

IN: As far as couples’ counseling goes, what is generally the major problem that sticks out?

Alesia: Communication. Also, we probably see 40 percent of all couples involved with an affair.

Melissa: You also have parenting issues, particularly with mixed families coming in with issues of co-parenting.

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15

h&w calendar

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SEC TION

health & wellness | SPECIA L ADV ERTISING SEC TION | SEP TEMBER 2010

9.25

PENSACOLA SEAFOOD FESTIVAL 5K The annual Pensacola Seafood Festival 5k run will be held Saturday, Sept. 25 at Seville Square.

The race starts at 7:30 a.m. and has a course that loops through downtown. Race packets can be picked up Friday, Sept. 24 at Running Wild.

9.27

WEST FLORIDA HOSPITAL’S MOBILE MAMMOGRAPHY UNIT West Florida Hospital’s Mobile Mammography Unit will be at the following locations during the week of Sept. 27 to offer convenient, high quality mammography services for women age 35 and over. West Florida Hospital files most insurances, including Medicare (Medicare will cover screening mammograms every year with no deductible for those women over 40 who have that coverage).

Monday, Sept. 27 – 7– 11 a.m., West Florida Immediate Care, 2360 U.S. Highway 29, South, Cantonment Tuesday, Sept. 28 – 8 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. & 1:00 – 3:30 p.m., West Florida Primary Care, 3521 Limbaugh Lane, Pace Wednesday, Sept. 29 – 8 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. & 1– 3:30 p.m., West Florida Primary Care, 321 S. Fairfield Drive Thursday, Sept. 30 – 8 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. & 1– 3 p.m., Wal-Mart Supercenter – Hwy. 29, 8970 Pensacola Boulevard

9.30

PROSTATE SEMINAR In support of Prostate Health Month, Dr. Davinder Sekhon and Dr. Brett Parra, both board-certified urologists, will host a free seminar on prostate health Sept. 30, 6 p.m., at the Woodlands Center for Specialized Medicine, 4724 North Davis Highway. Registration required; call 696-4000.

Next Monthly Red Hot Mamas® Session to Focus on Back Care & Exercise

9.28

RED HOT MAMAS West Florida Hospital will conduct its next free monthly Red Hot Mamas® menopause management workshop on Tuesday, Sept. 28. Entitled “Back Care & Exercise”, the session will be held in West Florida Hospital’s 7th Floor Auditorium beginning with a light dinner at 5:30 p.m. followed by the presentation. The featured speaker will be Darin Schubeck, MESS, CSCS, Physical Performance & Wellness Coordinator, HealthWorks/The Wellness Center at West Florida Hospital.

Though low back pain is common among mature adults, most low back pain can get better if you incorporate some simple exercises into your daily routine.

Attend this fun, informative session and learn how to move properly to avoid injury as well as how certain exercises can improve back health. A light dinner will be served.

9.28

H2U MONTHLY MEETING West Florida Hospital’s H2U (Health To You) Chapter hosts a monthly meeting on the 4th Tuesday of every month (except July and December) beginning at 10 a.m. in the Private Dining Rooms located inside the hospital cafeteria. H2U is West Florida Healthcare’s healthfocused membership program for adults age 50+.

This month’s meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 28 and the featured speaker will be Michael Coyle, D.O. Dr. Coyle’s topic for the meeting will be “Women’s Health & the da Vinci Si HD Robotic Surgical System”.

A board certified Urogynecologist, Dr. Coyle is the Medical Director of Progressive Women’s Health and Progressive Weight Loss located at 6072 Doctors’ Park Road in Milton, Florida.

9.28

EVER’MAN STORYSPROUTS Join fellow StorySprouts at Ever’man for stories, songs and activities on Tuesday, Sept. 28 at 10 a.m.

StorySprouts will have fun while learning about natural and sustainable living, food, gardening, recycling and more. This class is for children between the ages of 3 to 5 years old.

The cost is free for members; $2 for non-members.

10.03

MOTHER-DAUGHTER TALK ON VALUES AND SEXUALITY Sacred Heart Women’s Hospital will host a mother-daughter program, titled, “Teaching the Values,” on Sunday, Oct. 3 in the Greenhut Auditorium on Sacred Heart’s main campus. Registration begins at 1:30 p.m., followed by the program from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.

The program, co-sponsored by the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, is for girls ages 9-12 and their mothers (or other female caregiver) and will explore God’s gift of fertility and the wonder of becoming a woman.

The program will feature a panel of speakers discussing topics that include physical and emotional

changes, menstrual periods, the functions of the female reproductive system, the consequences of sexual activity, the sacredness of human life, and the virtue of chastity. In addition, there will be a presentation on effective communication between mothers and daughters. After the presentations, attendees will be able to ask questions of each presenter.

Featured speakers include: Vicky Bell, natural family planner; It’s Great to Be a Girl Dr. William Lile, Jr., OB/GYN, Sacred Heart Medical Group; Understanding the Fertility Cycle Lisa Kurnik, youth ministry director, Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee; Communication Between Mothers and Daughters.

After the presentations, attendees will be able to ask questions of each presenter. Cost is $10 per family, and light refreshments will be served. Registration is limited and reservations are required.

To make a reservation or for more information, call Sacred Heart at 416-1600 or toll-free at 1-877-4161600.

10.04-10.28

FREE MEMORY SCREENS Forgetful? Repeating questions? Having trouble finding words? If these behaviors describe you or a loved one, West Florida Hospital’s Memory Disorder Clinic may be able to help.

The Memory Disorder Clinic will offer FREE memory screens by appointment only during the month of October from 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. as follows: Monday, October 4 Tuesday, October 12 Monday, October 25 Thursday, October 28

10.03

BREATHE MONTHLY FREE COMMUNITY YOGA The next Free Community Yoga is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 3 from 4:30 –5:45pm at Breathe, 503 Adams St. “Find Your Inner Bliss” a gentle, soothing practice w/ Sandra Sanford, RYT-500. As always, donations will be accepted for Favor House, a residential facility for woman and children living through domestic violence issues. Call 291-5506 for more information.

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| INDEPENDENT NEWS | SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

850-232-9063

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TENNIS TOURNAMENT BENEFITS ABUSED CHILDREN An Oct. 9 tennis tournament will highlight a drive to collect new, unworn pajamas for abused and neglected children living in northwest Florida.

The “Tucking Kids In Safe and Sound” women’s doubles tournament will be held at the Roger Scott Tennis Center, 2130 Summit Blvd. Proceeds from the tournament’s $15 entry fee will benefit children served by FamiliesFirst Network of Lakeview.

Sponsored by Roger Scott Tennis Center, the tournament begins at 8 a.m. To learn more about it, contact the center by calling 912-4103.

10.29

CHAIR YOGA Reap the wondrous benefits of yoga in a fun and friendly atmosphere without having to get up and down from the floor. Sandra leads this special 6-week session beginning Friday, Oct. 29 and meets once a week from 9:30-10:30am at Breathe, 503 Adams St. $30 all 6 sessions (or give it a try for only $5). Note: this abbreviated session will only be 6 weeks due to upcoming festivals and holidays. The session is designed to end the week before Christmas and will not meet the weekend of the Greater Gulf Coast Arts Festival or week of Thanksgiving. Call 291-5506 for more information.

11.06

PROGRAM FOR COUPLES COPING WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF BREAST CANCER Registration is underway for a Sacred Heart Cancer Center program designed for couples who are coping with a diagnosis of breast cancer. Titled “Finding Strength Together: A New Tool for Couples,” the program will be held on Saturday, Nov. 6, at Sacred Heart’s Miracle Camp and is made possible by a grant from the Breast Cancer Fund of National Philanthropic Trust.

This workshop will focus on issues that may arise during the cancer journey. Together, couples will learn and practice problem-solving techniques that have proven effective for tackling the challenges that cancer can present to a relationship.

Couples interested in attending this program should contact Marianna Taylor or Blair Edgar at 416-2679.

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health & wellness | SPECIA L ADV ERTISING SEC TION | SEP TEMBER 2010

PEDIATRIC RADIOLOGIST JOINS STAFF OF SACRED HEART CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL Dr. Frederick Steinberg, a board-certified pediatric radiologist with Pensacola Radiology Consultants, recently joined the medical staff of Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital. He is the only pediatric radiologist in Northwest Florida.

Dr. Steinberg follows in the footsteps of long-time pediatric radiologist Dr. Albert Post, who recently retired from private practice after more than 30 years in pediatric radiology at Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Steinberg received both his doctor of pharmacy and medical degree from the Mercer University in Macon, Ga. where graduated as valedictorian in both programs.

He completed his internship and residency in diagnostic radiology at the Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education on Rochester, Minn. Dr. Steinberg also has received advanced fellowship training in pediatric radiology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Science in Little Rock, Ark. Dr. Steinberg is a member of the American Medical Association, the Society of Pediatric Radiology, and the Radiological Society of North America.

For more information, please contact Pensacola Radiology Consultants at 416-6800.

GULF COAST PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS JOIN MEDICAL STAFF OF WEST FLORIDA HEALTHCARE The physicians of Gulf Coast Primary Care have joined West Florida Medical Group and the Medical Staff of West Florida Healthcare. Located at 1921 E. 9 Mile Road, the group consists of Karen Snow, M.D., Alicia L. Chen, M.D., Jennifer Miley, M.D., Hillary Hultstrand, M.D., and R. Blake Sayre, M.D. The office number for Gulf Coast Primary Care is 479-4791.

HYUNDAI HOPE ON WHEELS PROGRAM PRESENTED A $100,000 GRANT TO SACRED HEART Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital will use the grant to establish a designated chemotherapy pharmacy room within the hospital’s pediatric cancer unit. There, trained pediatric pharmacists will store and prepare chemotherapy infusion treatments and other medications.

The grant from Hyundai will provide equipment for mixing and storing chemotherapy medications in a new pharmacy area inside the hospital’s pediatric oncology unit. Another benefit of the satellite pharmacy will be that trained pediatric pharmacists will be readily available in the unit to consult with physicians and staff regarding patient care.

Childhood cancer remains the leading cause of death by disease among U.S. children ages one to 14.

During September, which is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Hyundai Hope on Wheels is working to raise awareness of childhood cancer with a national television commercial and donations totaling $6.8 million to help fight childhood cancer. The donations will be given as ‘’Hope Grants’’ to hospitals and nonprofit organizations across the country.

Hyundai Motor America and its dealers joined the fight against childhood cancer in 1998 and created Hyundai Hope on Wheels. For more information about the program please visit hyundaihopeonwheels.org.

CAMP BLUEBIRD CANCER RETREAT Newly diagnosed adult cancer patients are encouraged to register

now for an upcoming Sacred Heart Health System program that offers support, encouragement and renewal for both patients and their family members. All adult cancer patients are encouraged to participate, even if they are not seeing a Sacred Heart physician.

Camp Bluebird, a retreat experience for people coping with cancer, is scheduled for Oct. 20 – 22 at Sacred Heart’s Dr. Carla Rosa Tillery Miracle Camp. Activities will focus on the theme ‘’When I Grow Up.’’ One of the highlights of this camp will be the opportunity for campers to hear a presentation by Maryann Makekau, author of the ‘’Little Pink Book’’ series. The Ft. Walton Beach resident has written ‘’When Your Mom Has Cancer,’’ ‘’When Your Teacher Has Cancer’’ and ‘’When Mom’s Cancer Doesn’t Go Away.’’

Makekau began writing in 2008 when she couldn’t find a publication that could help a friend with breast cancer guide her second-grade students in coping with the diagnosis. Nothing was available that could help from a child’s perspective, so Makekau researched and wrote a book which has evolved into a series. Her books also have been translated into Spanish, and her book tour has taken her throughout the continental U.S. and Hawaii.

Located on Beulah Road in Escambia County, the Miracle Camp complex is nestled in a 40-acre nature preserve. The camp includes a dormitory, dining hall, activities building, paved nature trails, a pond and an outdoor chapel. Evening campfires conclude the day’s activities.

The October camp will be the 25th session of Sacred Heart’s Camp Bluebird, and it is the 25th anniversary of the camp franchise which was first introduced in 1985 by St. Vincent’s Hospital Foundation in Birmingham, Ala. To obtain more information or a registration form for Camp Bluebird, call Pat Brown at 416-7176. For information about Miracle Camp, visit the Camp’s Web site at campbluebirdfl.com.

SACRED HEART VASCULAR SURGEON NAMED CHAMPION Dr. Christopher Lecroy, a board-certified vascular surgeon with Coastal Vascular and Interventional at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, was recently named a Fistula First Champion Surgeon by Florida’s Medicare Quality Improvement Organization (FMQIO) and the End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Network of Florida.

Fistula First Champion Surgeons are surgeons who have been identified by Florida dialysis providers as instrumental in helping them achieve an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) placement rate of 60 percent or greater during the first quarter of 2010. These surgeons have exemplified a devotion to dialysis patients and have superior results.

An AVF is a surgical connection between an artery and a vein that is created for hemodialysis treatments in patients with kidney failure. During hemodialysis, blood is withdrawn from the AVF, purified and returned

There is no childhood obesity epidemic.

There is no childhood obesity epidemic. to the body three times a week. Kidney There is no childhood (We(We just need better rolemodels.) models.) just need better role failure patients with a functional AVF obesity epidemic. live longer and healthier lives.

For more visit the (We justinformation, need better role models.)

Coalition of Angry Kids at www.coak.org As a healthcare quality improveFor more information, visit the ment organization, FMQIO works with Coalition of Angry Kids at www.coak.org For more information, visit the providers in hospitals, physician offices, nursing homes, and many other provider Coalition of Angry Kids at www.coak.org settings to implement projects focused on improving the care provided to over three million Medicare beneficiaries in Florida. As an organization they help identify individual physicians like Dr. Lecroy with outstanding surgical results.

FMQIO’s mission is to ensure the quality, September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. effectiveness, efficiency, and economy For four weeks, you’re going to hear that 1 in 3 kids are overof health care services provided to weight or obese—and that video games, vending machines, Medicare beneficiaries.

TV and junk food are to blame. But the real problem is that September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness For four weeks, adults aren’t setting a goodMonth. example. Parents, we know you’re you’re go For more information or an appointoverweight or obese—and that video games, vending machines, TV and junk food are to busy, so we’re here to help.

Visit one of our 1,300 Anytime ment with Dr. Lecroy, call 479-1805. that adults aren’t setting a good example.Fitness clubs in the month of September and receive a FREE September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. For four weeks, you’re going to hear that 1 in 3 kids are overweight or obese—and that video games, vending machines, TV and junk food are to blame. But the real problem is that adults aren’t setting a good example.

Parents, we know you’re busy, so we’re here to help. Visit one of our 1,300 Anytime Fitness clubs in the month of September and receive a FREE 30-day trial membership, a FREE 30-minute personal training session, and a FREE 30-day pass to AnytimeHealth.com.

All of our clubs are open 24/7. Join one, use them all.

To find a club near you, visit www.anytimefitness.com.

At participating clubs only. Offer subject to change. Must be 18 years or older. Current members may be ineligible.

Sponsor of the Coalition of Angry Kids

30-day trial membership, a FREE 30-minute personal training

INTERNAL MEDICINE SPECIALIST JOINS WEST and aVisit FREE 30-day to AnytimeHealth.com.

Parents, we know you’re busy, so we’re heresession, to help. one pass of our 1,300 Anytime Fitness cl FLORIDA MEDICAL GROUP Carla Rose Tillery, M.D., All of our clubs are open 24/7. Join one, use them all.

and receive a FREE 30-day trial membership, a FREE 30-minute personal training ses specialist in Internal Medicine, has joined West Florida To find a club near you, visit www.anytimefitness.com. to AnytimeHealth.com.

Medical Group and the Medical Staff of West Florida HosAt participating clubs only. Offer subject to change.

Must be 18 years or older. Current members may be ineligible. pital. Dr. Tillery will practice at the West Florida Medical All of our clubs are open 24/7. Join one, use them all.

Group office located at 1190 E. Nine Mile Road.

To find a club near you, visit www.anytimefitness.com.

100 S. Alcaniz St. Dr. Tillery earned her medical degree from the Pensacola, FL • 469.1144 University of Alabama School of Medicine in Birmingham.

At participating clubs only. Offer subject to change. Must be 18 years or older. Current members may be ineligible.

Following medical school, she completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Tennessee at Memphis where she was the recipient of the “Outstanding Resident Teaching Award”. Dr. Tillery is board certified in Internal Medicine.

She has been practicing in the Pensacola area for the past 11 years in the outpatient clinic setting as well as in private practice. Dr. Tillery also serves as Clinical Assistant Professor for the Department of Geriatrics at Florida State University College of Medicine. She is a member of the Escambia County Medical Society.

SPECIALIST IN OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY JOINS WEST FLORIDA MEDICAL GROUP J. Matthew Reynolds, M.D., has joined West Florida Medical Group and the Medical Staff of West Florida Hospital. Dr. Reynolds specializes in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Dr. Reynolds earned his medical degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine in Little Rock where he was the recipient of the “PatientPhysician Interaction Award”. Following medical school, he completed his OB/GYN residency training at the Florida State University OB/GYN Residency Program in Pensacola.

A member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Medical Association, Dr. Reynolds has been involved in research related to the field of obstetrics.

A native of Arkansas, he was a full-time firefighter and EMT prior to earning his medical degree. He also served as the Hazardous Materials Coordinator for his county. Dr. Reynolds is an active community volunteer for several organizations, including a shelter for battered women, Optimist Club, and Special Olympics Dr. Reynolds is currently practicing at the West Florida Medical Group office located at 2360 U.S. Highway 29, South in Cantonment, and is accepting new patients. For an appointment, call 968-5616. Immediate appointments are available.

INDEPENDENT NEWS | SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

17

h&w

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SEC TION

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featured health & wellness services Day Spas

Health Care Organizations

STILL WATERS DAY & MEDICAL SPA

BAPTIST HEALTH CARE

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 from a busy world or greet it with fresh confidence. Still Waters also offers hard-to-find spa gifts and home spa accessories.

434-4071, ebaptisthealthcare.org Baptist Health Care is a community-owned, notfor-profit health care organization serving Northwest Florida and South Alabama and is nationally recognized for performance excellence and quality achievement.

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.

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

SACRED HEART HEALTH SYSTEM 416-7000, sacred-heart.org Sacred Heart is a regional leader for high-quality, compassionate health care to children and adults in Northwest Florida. 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 Referral Center and centers of excellence specializing in women’s health, cardiac care, orthopedics, cancer care and the care of children.

18 | INDEPENDENT NEWS | SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

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.

Affiliated with HCA, the nation’s leading healthcare provider, West Florida provides services in cardiovascular surgery, oncology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, emergency care, behavioral health, obstetrics and many other medical specialties.

Health Clubs And Weight Management

The Club Family Sports Complex

THE CLUB FAMILY SPORTS COMPLEX 1230 Crane Cove Blvd., Gulf Breeze, 916-7946,

theclubfamilysports.com The Club offers something for everyone, including an Olympic-sized outdoor swimming pool, a 25 yard indoor pool, beautiful rubico tennis courts, a 10,000 sq. ft. fitness center, and much more. Club staff and members develop life-long relationships that support your progress toward health, wellness and a balanced lifestyle.

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. In addition, Fixed on Fitness prides itself on the personal touch that each client receives during boot camp.

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

Women’s Health Services THE WOMEN’S GROUP 4900 Grand Drive, 476-3696, thewomensgroup.org The Women’s Group physicians and nurse midwife have a combined over 130 years of experience in gynecology and obstetrics. The Women’s Group offers adolescent gynecology, laparoscopy, hysteroscopy, menopausal medicine, urinary incontinence, minimally invasive surgery, hormone replacement therapy and basic infertility. On-site ultrasounds, urodynamics and bone density studies are also available.

Plastic Surgery GULF COAST PLASTIC SURGERY 543 Fontaine Street, 476-3223, gulfcoastplasticsurgery.com Nationally renowned and board certified plastic surgeons Peter Butler, M.D. and Jocelyn Leveque, M.D. specialize in all areas of cosmetic surgery for the face and body. Non-surgical treatments such as Fractional Skin Resurfacing, Botox, Juvederm and more are available.

Complete wellness and skin care services are offered at The Skin Care Center at Gulf Coast Plastic Surgery.

Skin Care DR. SCOTT MCMARTIN Medical Center Clinic, Dermatology and Laser Center, 8333 N. Davis Highway, 474-8386 The Dermatology and Laser Center provides treatment of both benign and malignant skin conditions, including broken blood vessels, spider veins of the legs and tattoos. Services for wrinkle reduction and hair removal are also offered. Other cosmetic procedures offered include glycolic and salicylic acid peels, sclerotherapy of spider veins and cosmetic consultations. The Skin Care Center offers high-end dermatology products, including MD Forte, Obagi, SkinCeuticals, Kinerase, and Jane Iredale cosmetics.

THE SKIN CARE CENTER, GULF COAST PLASTIC SURGERY 543-A Fontaine St., 476-3223, gulfcoastplasticsurgery.com Complete wellness and skin care services are offered at The Skin Care Center. Non-surgical treatments such as Fractional Skin Resurfacing, Botox, Juvederm and more are available. The center also offers facials and peels, body treatments, make up and other physician supervised treatments.

DR. KEVIN WELCH

Dr. Eckert of The Women’s Group

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 everything from skin creams to advanced laser and rejuvenation procedures.

Popular treatments and services at the Dermatology and Laser Center include Thermage, Intense Pulsed Light (IPL), Photofacials, laser hair removal, Microdermabrasion and Silk Peels. The Skin Care Center offers high-end dermatology products, including Obagi products, Kinerase, Jane Iredale cosmetics, Tilley Hats and more. Services are also available at the Skin Care Center in Gulf Breeze.

INDEPENDENT NEWS | SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

19

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arts + entertainment

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

PENSACOLA FESTIVAL SEASON KICKS OFF THIS WEEKEND’S SEAFOOD FE STIVAL WON ’ T BE HAMPERED BY GULF OIL SPILL

BY BRADLEY “BEEJ” DAVIS, JR.

photo c/o fiestaoffiveflags.org ocals joke that there are only two seasons in Pensacola: summer and not summer. Aside from falling temperatures and fading tans, the telltale signs that “not summer” is upon us are the downtown festivals which bring thousands of locals and visitors to experience one of Pensacola’s most endearing qualities.

This weekend’s Pensacola Seafood Festival, presented by Fiesta of Five Flags, is expected to attract the usual droves of seafood, entertainment and craft lovers.

Festival organizers wholeheartedly point out that the Gulf oil spill should have no negative impact on the festival.

“I think we will have plenty of visitors this year even after the oil (spill),” said Brad Huggins, First Lieutenant for Fiesta Forces Commandos and lead Commando for the Pensacola Seafood Festival. “The weather is starting to cool down, and more people want to be outside and enjoy the beauty of Pensacola.”

The three-day festival will be held in Seville Square beginning Friday, Sept. 24 at 11 a.m. Touted as one of the largest arts and crafts fairs in northwest Florida, the Pensacola Seafood Festival is expected to draw over 100,000 festival goers to sample the 160 arts and crafts vendors as well as 18

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“carefully selected” food vendors that will border the park, according to the Fiesta website. The number of arts and crafts vendors has actually dropped from previous years, but not because of lack of interest.

“Due to the increased entertainment venue, we have had to limit the number of arts and crafts vendors to about 160 spots, and our arts and crafts spots are all full,” said festival chairman Paul Remke. Several well-known musical acts will take the stage at this year’s festival, adding to the substantial entertainment and activities schedule.

“We have some great entertainment lined up from funding given to Fiesta through the Escambia County Tourism Development Council: The Molly Ringwalds, Fastball and Sister Hazel,” said Huggins.

He added that beverage sales are a principal moneymaker for the festival, which he claimed is influenced by the entertainment.

“A lot of the money that we make is dependent on beverage sales,” he said. “The better the entertainment and the more beverage sales we have, the bigger and better our events can be every year.”

In addition to the food, arts, crafts and entertainment, the festival offers children’s activities and Splash Dogs, a canine dock-jumping competition. Artisans and craftsmen from around the nation will be

featuring an array of art including pottery, jewelry, mixed media, metalwork and more.

“All of our arts and crafts vendors at the festival are required to have homemade articles—no buy and resale,” said Huggins. And who could forget about the seafood? Conch, seafood gumbo, coconut shrimp, soft shell crab and Caribbean crab cakes are just a small sample of the aquatic fare at the festival.

“All of the food vendors are playing it by ear on where and what they can get for seafood, but we know it will all be safe,” said Remke. “Even though it is the Pensacola Seafood Festival, it’s about much more than just seafood. While the oil leak has broken the hearts of many, we hope that this year’s festival shows Pensacola and the world how great our area is and how great our waterways are and always will be.”

Organizing the 33rd annual festival is no small undertaking. There is a reason the group within the Fiesta of Five Flags includes the name “forces.”

“The Pensacola Seafood Festival is organized by one big committee. There are about 40 people on the Pensacola Seafood Committee,” said Remke. “Under the main committee, we have about 20 subcommittees. The subcommittees range from security, entertainment, arts and crafts coordinating, merchandise sales, and everything in between. We also have a great staff at the Fiesta of Five Flags office, which does a lot of the festival preparation work.” Membership of Fiesta of Five Flags hovers around 450, and a substantial number of people are needed to put on an event like this one.

“Fiesta Forces volunteers actually provide the manpower to put on the festival from cleanup, setup, tear down, entertainment, vendor relations, security, sales of souvenirs and pavers, community relations, signs and supplies and beverage sales,” said Huggins. Some other events put on

by Fiesta include the Fiesta Boat Parade, Cox and Fiesta Children’s Treasure Hunt, DeLuna Landing Ceremony, Beach Community Bank Fiesta Sand Sculpture Contest and Pensacola Crawfish Festival. Remke said the group is always looking for a few good men and women.

ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 3 – 4:30 p.m. – Kyle Parker & East Hill 5 – 6:30 p.m. – The Springs 7 – 8:30 p.m. – Reunion Band 9 – 10:30 p.m. – The Molly Ringwalds SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 10:30 a.m. – Noon – Beulah Land South Band 12:30 – 2 p.m. – Trunk Monkey 2:30 – 4 p.m. – Starz 5 – 6:30 p.m. – Modern Eldorados 7 – 8:30 – Fastball 9 – 11 p.m. – Sister Hazel SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Johnny Barbato and the Lucky Doggs 1:30 – 3 p.m. – Chuck Lawson 3:30 – 5 p.m. – Heritage

“The Fiesta Forces are the pulse of the organization,” said Remke. “Without their volunteer work, we wouldn’t be able to run the event. We have over 450 members at last count and are always looking for more. It’s also a great way to meet new people if you are new to the area.” He added that those interested in joining Fiesta should fill out an application online at fiestaoffiveflags.org or call the office at 433-6512. info@inweekly.net

THE 33RD ANNUAL PENSACOLA SEAFOOD FESTIVAL

WHEN: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m.

Saturday, and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24-26 WHERE: Seville Square, at Alcaniz and Government streets, downtown Pensacola COST: Free DETAILS: fiestaoffiveflags.org/seafoodfestival

INDEPENDENT NEWS | SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

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22 | INDEPENDENT NEWS | SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

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hot times THURSDAY 09.23 GENIUS LOCI LECTURE WITH SKYLAR FEIN 5 p.m. UWF Department of Art and The Art Gallery presents New Orleans-based artist Skylar Fein as part of the 2010 Genius Loci Visiting Artist Lecture Series. Mr. Fein’s presentation will focus on his first solo museum exhibition, “Youth Manifesto” at the New Orleans Museum of Art. UWF main campus Studio Theater in the Center for Fine and Performing Arts, Bldg 82, 11000 University Parkway. 857-6057.

LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL 7:30 p.m. Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox. 595-3880 or pensacolasaenger.com.

PENSACOLA HERITAGE FOUNDATION’S REDISCOVERY LECTURE SERIES 12 p.m. Guest lecturer John Appleyard will deliver his presentation, “Homebuilders and Developers: How Homebuilders and Developers Changed Local Life and Living From 1950 to 2010.”

The Bowden Building, 120 E. Church St. For more information and to make a reservation contact Debbie Adkins at 438-6505.

T-SHIRT NIGHT 7 p.m. Half-price drinks when wearing a Shaker shirt. Sandshaker Lounge, Pensacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beach. 932-2211 or sandshakerlounge.com.

WOMEN-ONLY MORNING RUNS AT RUNNING WILD 6 a.m.

Tuesdays and Thursdays, weekly. Meet at Running Wild for a steady-pace run for all levels of runners. 3012 E. Cervantes St. 435-9222 or werunwild.com.

RUNNING WILD SIX AT SIX 6 a.m. Various abilities from a 10 minute per mile pace and faster. Course is six miles, through East Hill, Downtown and North Hill. Stick around for coffee after the run. 435-9222 or werunwild.com.

WINE TASTING AT ARAGON WINE MARKET 5-7 p.m. Weekly.

Enjoy a sampling of fine wines. 27 S. Ninth Ave. 433-9463 or aragonwinemarket.com.

ville Square area in downtown Pensacola. For more information, please visit fiestaoffiveflags.com/seafoodfestival.

ART CLASS AT PAINTING WITH A TWIST 7-9 p.m. Bring your favorite bottle of wine or beverage, and paint a picture step by step that you will take home. 16 years and older. Theme: Sail Away. Painting with a Twist, 4771 Bayou Blvd., Suite C-11. $35.

471-1450 or paintingwithatwist.com/pensacola.

HOT GLASS COLD BREW 5-9 p.m. Enjoy live glass blowing, pottery and glass bead making demonstrations. Participants receive a hand-blown souvenir glass and complimentary beverages throughout the evening. $25 for non-members, $20 for members.

Belmont Arts & Cultural Center, 401 N. Reus St. 429-1222 or belmontartscenter.com.

CARIBBEAN NIGHT AT WILL CALL 10 p.m.-close weekly. $5 entrance fee includes one free drink and all the dancing you can stand. 22 S. Palafox St. 912-8644 or willcallsports.com.

6TH ANNUAL SHOWCASE OF THE ARTS 6:30 p.m. UWF Center for Fine and Performing Arts, Bldg 82, 11000 University Parkway.

857-6057.

COLLEGE NIGHT COOK-OUT 7-10 p.m. weekly. No cover with college ID. Cookout, drink specials and live music. End O’ the Alley Bar inside Seville Quarter.130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

WHITE SAND MAYHEM SCOOTER RALLY 4 p.m. Rally participants and any members of the general public who wish to come mingle can meet at the Elbow Room, 2213 W. Cervantes St., for registration followed by a ride that will end at The Oar House, 1000 S. Pace Blvd. For more information, visit pensacolascooter.org.

MUSIC: FIRST CITY BLUES BAND 7 p.m. No cover. Five Sisters Blues Café, 421 W. Belmont St. 912-4856 or fivesistersbluescafe.com.

MUSIC: LIVE MUSIC AT INTERMISSION 9:30 p.m. Intermission, 214 S. Palafox. No cover. 433-6208.

MUSIC: RONNIE LEVINE 6 p.m. Peg Leg Pete’s, 1010 Fort Pickens Road, Pensacola Beach. No cover. 932-4139 or peglegpetes.com.

MUSIC: LIVE MUSIC AT THE DECK 6 p.m. Enjoy live music on the Deck. The Fish House, 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or fishhouse. goodgrits.com.

MUSIC: ONE DROP 9 p.m. End O’ the Alley in Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

EVENING RUNS AT RUNNING WILD 5:30 p.m. weekly. Meet at Running Wild for a steady-pace run for all levels of runners. 3012 E. Cervantes St. 435-9222 or werunwild.com.

MUSIC: LIVE MUSIC AT SANDSHAKER 8 p.m. Sandshaker Lounge, Pensacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beach. 932-2211 or sandshakerlounge.com.

HERB CLASS AT EVER’MAN 5:30 p.m. weekly. Come study different herbs. Enjoy different guest lectures every Thursday night, and learn techniques recommended by the Cambridge Institute. Free for members, $2 for non-members. Ever’man Natural Foods, 315 W. Garden St. 438-0402 or everman.org.

MUSIC: KATALYTIK 10 p.m. Paddy O’Leary’s, 49 Via De Luna, Pensacola Beach. 916-9808 or paddyolearysirishpub.com.

SUNSETS AT PLAZA DE LUNA PARK 5:30 p.m. weekly. Each Thursday during the season there will be music and entertainment.

Arts and crafts activities and works from local artists will also be offered. Food will also be available. 435-1695 or cityofpensacola. com/cra.

FRIDAY 09.24

MUSIC: NEEDLESS 7 p.m. The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. 434-9060 or handlebarpensacola.com.

PENSACOLA SEAFOOD FESTIVAL 11 a.m. Friday, 10 a.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday. The 33rd annual Pensacola Seafood Festival, presented by the Fiesta of Five Flags, will be held in historic Se-

FRIENDS OF THE PENSACOLA PUBLIC LIBRARY BOOK SALE PREVIEW 4-8 p.m. The book sale will offer thousands of gently used hardcover and paperback books, CDs and DVDs. Most range in price from 25 cents to $3. It also will feature a “Collectors’ Corner” and silent auction to showcase more valuable books.

Proceeds from the used book sales go to support the West Florida Library System. Members can preview the books for sale for free.

Non-members can preview the sales for a $5 admission. First United Methodist Church Wright Place, 80 E. Wright St. For more information, please contact Meredith McCarthy at 341-1434.

Jayne Holsinger : Women Drivers

August 27th - October 24th, 2010

Quilt Art: International Expressions September 10th November 7th, 2010

‘ALL SHOOK UP’ AT PLT 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 2:30 p.m.

Sunday. Pensacola Little Theatre presents “All Shook Up,” directed

by Roy Bracken. Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. 4322042 or pensacolalittletheatre.com.

ART CLASS AT PAINTING WITH A TWIST 3-6 p.m. Bring your favorite bottle of wine or beverage, and paint a picture step by step that you will take home. 16 years and older. Theme: Two Cats. Painting with a Twist, 4771 Bayou Blvd., Suite C-11. $45.

471-1450 or paintingwithatwist.com/pensacola.

ART CLASS AT PAINTING WITH A TWIST 7-10 p.m. Bring your favorite bottle of wine or beverage, and paint a picture step by step that you will take home. 16 years and older. Theme: Pick Your Own Color: Fleur de Lis. Painting with a Twist, 4771 Bayou Blvd., Suite C-11. $45. 471-1450 or paintingwithatwist.com/pensacola.

407 s. jefferson street 850.432.6247 www.pensacolamuseumofart.org

SALE Frames

▶staff pick

20-75% off

AFRICAN-AMERICAN SHAKESPEARE

S

helton Alexander, professionally known as African-American Shakespeare, is a poet and an activist. Alexander has been part of the spoken word scene since 2001. He won the title of Grand Slam Champion of New Orleans in 2005 and appeared on the HBO series “Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry Jam.” Shelton collaborated with Spike Lee in 2007 for the HBO documentary, “When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts,” about the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina and the conditions at the Superdome. Alexander, along with 18 others, was able

to escape the Superdome in Alexander’s Ford truck before the conditions worsened. Much of Alexander’s film footage from Hurricane Katrina and the Superdome appears in “When the Levees Broke” and was recently bought by National Geographic. Alexander will be reading original works at Open Books on Saturday night, as well as discussing his experiences during Hurricane Katrina.

AFRICAN-AMERICAN SHAKESPEARE

WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25 WHERE: Open Books, 4115 Barrancas Ave. COST: Free DETAILS: 453-6774

New Value Lens Package Pricing See store for details and certain restrictions do apply.

113 Palafox Place, Pensacola 434-2060 800 N Fairfield Dr, Pensacola 456-5059 5593 Stewart St, Milton 623-0319

www.Terrezzaoptical.com INDEPENDENT NEWS | SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

23

hot times PHAT GIRLZ 9:30 a.m. Meet at Running Wild. This is a women’s only, all abilities running group. All abilities 3 to 6 miles through East Pensacola Heights. 3012 E. Cervantes St. 435-9222 or werunwild. com.

WINE TASTING AT CITY GROCERY 5:15-7:30 p.m. weekly. Sample wines and enjoy live entertainment. Free. 2050 N. 12th Ave. WINE TASTING AT SEVILLE QUARTER 5-7 p.m. weekly. All wines available at special pricing. Free. Gift Shoppe at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com BEER AND WINE TASTING AT DISTINCTIVE KITCHENS 4:30-7 p.m. weekly. Free. Distinctive Kitchens, 29 S. Palafox Place. 438-4688 or dk4u.com.

PENSACOLA SWING 8:30 p.m.-12 a.m. weekly. Lessons from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Open dancing until midnight. American Legion Post 33, 1401 W. Intendencia St. $5. 437-5465 or pensacolaswing. com.

MUSIC: ERNEST STANBERRY 9:30 p.m. No cover. Five Sisters Blues Café, 421 W. Belmont St. 912-4856 or fivesistersbluescafe.com.

or farmersopry.com.

MUSIC: LIVE MUSIC AT INTERMISSION 9:30 p.m. Intermission, 214 S. Palafox. No cover. 433-6208.

MUSIC: MYSTIC SPRINGS 7-11 p.m. Hub Stacey’s at the Point, 5851 Galvez Road. No cover. 497-0071 or hubstaceys.com.

MUSIC: MOST WANTED 8:30 p.m.-1 a.m. Hub Stacey’s Downtown, 312 E. Government St. No cover. 469-1001 or hubstaceys.com.

MUSIC: JAM SANDWICH 6 p.m. Peg Leg Pete’s, 1010 Fort Pickens Road, Pensacola Beach. No cover. 932-4139 or peglegpetes.com.

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

MUSIC: ONE DROP 9 p.m. End O’ the Alley at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

MUSIC: THE JASON JUSTICE BAND 7 p.m. The Oar House, 1000 S. Pace Blvd. 549-4444 or the-oar-house.com.

MUSIC: DEVON ALLMAN’S HONEYTRIBE AND IMAGINARY

MUSIC: ULTRAVIOLET 10 p.m. Paddy O’Leary’s, 49 Via De Luna, Pensacola Beach. 916-9808 or paddyolearysirishpub.com.

AIRSHOW 7 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox.

607-6758 or vinylmusichall.com.

MUSIC: CAUGHT ON CAMERA 9 p.m. Apple Annie’s in Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

MUSIC: REGGAE FESTIVAL 6 p.m. Friday. 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. End ‘O the Alley at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

MUSIC: BUZZ CUTT 9 p.m. LiliMarlene’s in Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

MUSIC: 80’S RETRO NIGHT 8 p.m. No cover. Bamboo Willie’s, 400 Quietwater Beach Road. 916-9888 or bamboowillies.com.

MUSIC: THE BLENDERS 7 p.m. weekly. Ragtyme Grille, 201 S. Jefferson St. 429-9655 or ragtyme.net.

MUSIC: DAVID SHELANDER AND HOLLY SHELTON 8 p.m. weekly.

Ragtyme Grille, 201 S. Jefferson St. 429-9655 or ragtyme.net.

MUSIC: SAWMILL AND GUESTS 7 p.m. Call 994-6000 to make reservations. Farmers’ Opry, 8897 Byrom Campbell Road. 994-9219

SATURDAY 09.25 PENSACOLA SEAFOOD FESTIVAL 10 a.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.

Sunday. The 33rd annual Pensacola Seafood Festival, presented by the Fiesta of Five Flags, will be held in historic Seville Square area in downtown Pensacola. For more information, please visit fiestaoffiveflags.com/seafoodfestival.

ROCK FOR THE COAST 2010 12:30 p.m. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 South Palafox. 607-6758 or vinylmusichall.com.

WHITE SAND MAYHEM SCOOTER RALLY 7:30 a.m. Rally partici-

pants will meet at Landmark Skate & Fun Center, 1002 N. Navy Blvd., for breakfast followed by riders’ choice of several scenic rides.

For more information, please visit pensacolascooter.org.

MUSIC: SHAWN CURLE BLUES BAND 9:30 p.m. No cover. Five Sisters Blues Café, 421 W. Belmont St. 912-4856 or fivesistersbluescafe.com.

FRIENDS OF THE PENSACOLA PUBLIC LIBRARY BOOK SALE 9-5 p.m. The book sale will offer thousands of gently used hardcover and paperback books, CDs and DVDs. Most range in price from 25 cents to $3. It also will feature a “Collectors’ Corner” and silent auction to showcase the more valuable books. Proceeds from the used book sales go to support the West Florida Library System. First United Methodist Church Wright Place, 80 East Wright St. For more information, please contact Meredith McCarthy at 341-1434.

MUSIC: SAWMILL AND GUESTS 7 p.m. Call 994-6000 to make reservations. Farmers’ Opry, 8897 Byrom Campbell Road. 994-9219 or farmersopry.com.

“TEA FOR TWO-NA” AT LOBLOLLY THEATRE Through Oct. 31. To reserve tickets or for further information please call the theatre at 439-3010.

MUSIC: AL MARTIN 7 p.m. weekly. Ragtyme Grille, 201 S. Jefferson St. 429-9655 or ragtyme.net.

MUSIC: PAUL JOHNSON & THE ABOUT LAST NIGHTS WITH SKUNK SALAD 7 p.m. The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. 434-9060 or handlebarpensacola.com.

MUSIC: LIVE MUSIC AT INTERMISSION 9:30 p.m. Intermission, 214 S. Palafox. No cover. 433-6208.

ART CLASS AT PAINTING WITH A TWIST 4-6 p.m. Bring your favorite bottle of wine or beverage, and paint a picture step by step that you will take home. 16 years and older. Theme: Wisteria Gate.

Painting with a Twist, 4771 Bayou Blvd., Suite C-11. $35. 471-1450 or paintingwithatwist.com/pensacola.

MUSIC: EVERYDAY SOUL 7-11 p.m. Hub Stacey’s at the Point, 5851 Galvez Road. No cover. 497-0071 or hubstaceys.com.

ART CLASS AT PAINTING WITH A TWIST 7-10 p.m. Bring your favorite bottle of wine or beverage, and paint a picture step by step that you will take home. 16 years and older. Theme: Red Wine and Cheese. Painting with a Twist, 4771 Bayou Blvd., Suite C-11. $45.

471-1450 or paintingwithatwist.com/pensacola.

MUSIC: 3 AMIGOS DUO 6 p.m. Peg Leg Pete’s, 1010 Fort Pickens Road, Pensacola Beach. No cover. 932-4139 or peglegpetes.com.

PALAFOX MARKET 8 a.m.-2 p.m. weekly. Open every Saturday, rain or shine, through Oct. 30 in Martin Luther King Plaza on Palafox Street between Wright and Chase streets. Fresh produce, live plants, baked goods, fine art and antiques are available. palafoxmarket. com.

RUNNING WILD SATURDAY LONG RUN 6 a.m. 8-20 miles, supported hydration stops, marked courses, pace leaders and more.

435-9222 or werunwild.com.

TEXAS HOLD’EM 3 p.m. weekly. Paddy O’Leary’s, 49 Via De Luna, Pensacola Beach. 916-9808 or paddyolearysirishpub.com.

MUSIC: KRAZY GEORGE KARAOKE 8:30 p.m.-1 a.m. Hub Stacey’s Downtown, 312 E. Government St. No cover. 469-1001 or hubstaceys.com.

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

MUSIC: CAUGHT ON CAMERA 9 p.m. Apple Annie’s in Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

MUSIC: ONE DROP 9 p.m. End O’ the Alley in Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

MUSIC: THE ROLE MODELS 7 p.m. Paradise Bar and Grill, 21 Via de Luna, Pensacola Beach. 916-5087 or paradisebar-grill.com.

MUSIC: CIVILIZED NATIVES 10 p.m. Paddy O’Leary’s, 49 Via De Luna, Pensacola Beach. 916-9808 or paddyolearysirishpub.com.

33rd Annual Pensacola Seafood Festival presented by Fiesta of Five Flags Association

Friday, September 24 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Saturday, September 25 10 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Sunday, September 24 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Seville Square Downtown Pensacola

• Mouthwatering seafood • Live entertainment featuring Sister Hazel • Over 180 arts and crafts vendors • Fiesta Seafood Grille cooking demonstrations • Splash Dogs competition • Children’s activities

Admission is Free!

444-4444 PENSACOLA

Fiesta of Five Flags Association - www.fiestaoffiveflags.org - 850.433.6512

24

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INJURY ATTORNEYS

| INDEPENDENT NEWS | SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET KE0195 IN 1/8 horiz.indd 1

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INDEPENDENT NEWS | SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

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Purchase souvenir Angel Cup and pleasure yourself with topless girls and free bottomless drinks*.

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music

TO RAISE A LITTLE MONEY, YOU GOTTA RAISE A LITTLE HELL LOCAL BANDS COME TOGETHER TO BENEFIT EMERALD COASTKEEPER AT ROCK FOR THE COAST 2010

BY JIM MCGRUDER

that has always been there for them the only way they know how: through music.

“Don’t be fooled into thinking that the effects of the disaster have ended. We need to bind together as a community to protect one another and our environment, and Rock for the Coast 2010 is a great way to connect,” says Bryan Kelly, front man of For Shame, one of the opening bands.

And Bryan isn’t the only one who feels this way. All of the bands involved are just as serious about breaking down a few walls and showing this community that they want to do what they can to help.

THE INITIATIVE

artwork by Ashton Howard

T

he oil spill in our Gulf of Mexico has devastated our region and radically changed our way of life forever. We, as a people, are beaten down and worn out from the bad news and the stress of picking up the pieces. Sometimes, it might be enough to make one feel helpless and in doubt as to whether there is anything they can do.

This feeling is shared by so many residents along this beautiful stretch of American coastline, but don’t lose hope just yet.

There is always something you can do to lend a hand. It’s kind of like what Edward Norton’s character said in his film “Death To Smoochy”: “You can’t change the world, but you can make a dent.”

With that in mind, several local rock, heavy metal and punk bands have decided to do something to give back to the beach

“This isn’t about any certain scene. It doesn’t matter whose band is cooler, or who is heavier, or whatever it might be. All of these bands answered the call without hesitation when this idea came about, because they all believe in this cause,” explains event organizer, Rob “Bubbs” Harris.

“There are a few big festivals going on to benefit our shores, and we’re certainly not trying to take away from any of those great events. Some of these bands might not have had a chance to play a big show like that, but they all wanted to do their part all the same, so we decided to do our own thing and raise some dough for our local water keeper.

“Every one of these bands are friends of mine who feel just as strongly as I do about helping Emerald Coastkeeper receive the necessary funding to ensure that we can continue enjoying our water and our beaches.”

Rock for the Coast, which was originally scheduled for late June, was pushed back for a while—and for a while, it was uncertain as to whether or not Harris would be able to turn his idea into a reality.

“We had another venue ready to do it and a ton of bands lined up, but the place closed down and cancelled the show. It was through a mutual friend that I met Joe Abston from Hopjack’s Pizza Kitchen and Taproom. He loved the idea and told me he would love to do it at Vinyl Music Hall,

even though it was still in the middle of development. Once the venue was finished, as promised, Joe and booking agent Chris Wilkes contacted me and we got rolling on this project.”

The first mission was to secure a good organization to work with; both Harris and Abston already had Emerald Coastkeeper in mind.

“The choice was pretty obvious really,” Harris claims. “Joe said he had done some good things with them before, and I spoke with Coastkeeper Chasidy Fisher Hobbs about it and she was thrilled. The next step was finding the bands.”

Finding acts to play wasn’t as big of a problem as one might think. In fact, Harris had bands constantly asking about the benefit and when it was going to happen.

“By the time I looked to book the show, I reached out to 11 specific acts, and every one of them said ‘yes’ within the day. You wouldn’t believe how many bands I had to turn down who wanted to play, but I only had so many slots open and I wanted to keep with the rock vibe. I would love to do more, but I have to see how this one turns out—but in my mind, it is a huge success already.

“We have a chance to make a difference here and prove to the community that the punk rock kids and the head bangers care just as much about protecting and conserving our beautiful beaches and this wonderful Gulf Coast that we call home. There will also be some raffles and other fundraisers in order to make as much as we can for our non-profit.”

THE BANDS

All of the acts that have signed on to play Rock for the Coast 2010 are from right here along the Gulf Coast and are playing entirely for free in order to ensure that as much of the overhead cost is eliminated as possible and the money raised can go directly to the cause.

Each band has its own particular sound and style, which will make for an interesting and exciting bill. Some of the participants include Scream Out Loud, ska heroes Diversity is an Old Wooden Ship, indie punk phenoms The Spanx, and the ultra-hilarious hip-hop/ comedy trio Unnatural Soundz.

Co-headlining the event will be This Day Will Tell, who recently signed to Indianola Records for the October release of their debut full-length “Too Good To Be True,” and Below the Stitch, a beloved local act featuring AJ Fratto, who recently went on an extensive tour with Queensryche as

the face of the “American Soldier” album.

“I think that this benefit show for Emerald Coastkeeper is an extraordinary idea,” adds Fratto. “I hope that people understand why it’s important to do whatever we can to help, no matter how big or small. The rest of Below the Stitch and I are proud to be a part of this, as I’m sure all of the acts are. This is going to be cool, and it couldn’t be for a better cause.”

THE BEST PART

Rock for the Coast is already a great thing for the exhilaration of our community, but the best part has been saved for the end of this article. As it turns out, renowned singer/songwriter Jack Johnson has awarded matching grants to all seven water keepers along the Gulf of Mexico, which promises to match funds raised by the water keepers until Oct. 15. This is good news for everyone involved with this project.

Rock for the Coast 2010 may be a showcase of local bands, but to Harris, it’s as big as it gets. “I’m floored by all of the support from the bands and the community. I’m not doing this to make any money. I’m not doing this for any kind of recognition. I’m just a guy who loves his home.

“The Gulf of Mexico has always been there for me. She needs me now, and I plan on answering her call. I couldn’t be more thankful for how everything has come together.” info@inweekly.net

ROCK FOR THE COAST 2010

WHEN: Doors open at 12:30 p.m., shows begin at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25 WHERE: Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox Place COST: $10, all ages (although some bands will showcase explicit content) DETAILS: sinistralentertainment.com, or vinylmusichall.com ENTERTAINMENT LINEUP • 2-2:30 p.m.—Sinistral • 2:45-3:15 p.m.—For Shame • 3:30-4 p.m.—The Spanx • 4:15-4:45 p.m.—The Helvetica Effect • 5-5:30 p.m.—Forever’s Calling • 5:45-6:15 p.m.—Scream Out Loud • 6:30-7 p.m.—Unnatural Soundz • 7:15-7:45 p.m.—Diversity is an Old Wooden Ship • 8-8:30 p.m.—Drayton Sawyer • 8:45-9:30 p.m.—This Day Will Tell • 9:45-11 p.m.—Below the Stitch

INDEPENDENT NEWS | SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

27

culture

SINGIN’ WRITIN’ ROCKIN’ SONGWRITERS UNITE AT THE SECOND ANNUAL PENSACOLA BEACH SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL

BY JENNIE MCKEON

I

t’s a little bit country, a little bit rock ‘n’ roll and definitely full of heart.

Songwriters will gather on Pensacola Beach for the second annual Songwriters Festival Monday, Sept. 27 through Sunday, Oct. 3.

Normally, songwriters don’t get the chance to bask in the limelight. However, the Songwriters Festival gives artists the opportunity to do just that.

“If there were no songwriters, there would be no songs,” said co-founder and coordinator, Reneda Cross. “Songwriters are the unsung heroes, for lack of better words.”

Cross and Jim Pasquale, a singer and songwriter in the area, came up with the idea for the festival last year while having dinner at Paradise Inn on Pensacola Beach.

Five weeks later, the Songwriters Festival was born, and this year’s celebration promises to be bigger than the last.

Not only will talented singers and songwriters be playing at various venues

on Pensacola Beach, but they will also be visiting schools and holding guitar workshops. The first Celebrity Songwriters’ Mini Putt Putt Golf Tournament at Tiki Island Fantasy Golf & Games will take place on Thursday, Sept. 30. Local schools will team up with songwriters for a morning round, and in the afternoon, the adults will go head-to-head. Proceeds will go to music programs at local schools.

“The proceeds are strictly for the music,” Cross said. “Children are the future of music.”

It wasn’t easy to set up this year’s festival. Like everything else on the beach, the oil spill almost ruined the Songwriters Festival. All but a few sponsors dropped out of the festival leaving it all up to Cross and Pasquale. Luckily, there were plenty of people donating their time, which has no monetary value. This year, it’s even more important to come out to the beach and stay at the hotels, which is just what attendees are doing.

“The hotels are filling up,” Cross said.

“We have people coming from all over— even as far as France.”

As for the music, you will have to hustle to catch up with all the talent. Over 50 acts will be playing in a week. Artists vary from local celebrity John Edd Thompson to Alex Call, the songwriter behind “867-5309/ Jenny.” Many songwriters will be coming from Nashville and some from as far as New York.

Marc Black, from Katra, N.Y., has been playing guitar all of his life. Black plays everything from experimental to soul-rock.

His newest CD, “Pictures of the Highway,” is number six on the Top 10 Folk DJ charts.

“You don’t just write a song to communicate,” Black explained. “When I write, I

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28 | INDEPENDENT NEWS | SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

don’t always know what I’m going to say.”

Such haphazard writing has led to fun, silly songs like “Ooh, I Love My Coffee,” or “I Love You Rachel Maddow.” Yet, not all of Black’s writings are love poems to inanimate things and CNN stars. Black’s inspiration also comes from themes such as love, kids and life in general. After one of Black’s friends awoke from a stroke-induced coma, the two created an album called “Stroke of Genius.” Some of the 13 songs on the album will be played at the Songwriters Festival.

“It was therapeutic for my friend and enlightening for the rest of us,” Black added. “Life is a continuum.”

As for local talent, Johnny Barbato is looking to bring something to the festival that the audience hasn’t heard before.

“I’m a performer first and a writer second,” Barbato said. “I pay attention to what the audience wants to hear. If someone plays a slow song before me, I’ll pick it up a bit. I don’t have a plan. I play as I see fit.”

When you listen to Barbato’s music, it isn’t just entertaining, but a lesson learned.

“My music is always about me and my life,” Barbato explained. “I learn things the hard way and write about it. As long as I keep making mistakes, I have something to write about.”

With 50 years of music, the Purple Heart and a Grammy nomination under his belt, Gary Talley is one songwriter who definitely has a story to tell. Talley was the lead guitarist for the 1960s group, The Box Tops. Hits such as “Cry Like a Baby” and “The Letter” feature Talley’s guitar playing.

Talley will be playing and working at the festival. On Saturday, Oct. 2 you will be able to attend a free guitar workshop with Talley at Blues Angel Music. Talley teaches guitar

in his hometown of Nashville, passing his talents down to children and creating a new generation of singers and songwriters.

“I think there are some enormously talented people out there,” Talley said. “Children are learning faster at a younger age. It’s pretty cool. I have some students who will be big music stars. They’re super talented.”

Maybe this new breed of talent will grace the stages at the Songwriters Festival one day. Until then, sit back, enjoy our beautiful beach and listen to what these songwriters have to tell us. info@inweekly.net

THE PENSACOLA BEACH SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL

WHEN: Monday-Sunday, Sept. 27-Oct. 3 WHERE: Pensacola Beach COST: Free DETAILS: pensacolabeachsongfest.com

WHAT: Celebrity Songwriters’ Mini Putt Putt Golf Tournament WHEN: 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 30 WHERE: Tiki Island Fantasy Golf & Games, 2 Via De Luna Dr., Pensacola Beach COST: Prices vary depending upon type of sponsorship DETAILS: pensacolabeachsongfest.com WHAT: Guitar Workshop with Gary Talley WHEN: 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2 WHERE: Blues Angel Music, 3733 W. Navy Blvd.

COST: Free DETAILS: 457-7557

news of the weird CIVILIZATION IN DECLINE: “Tom Tom,” a 2-year-old Yorkshire terrier, was laid to rest at the Oakland Cemetery in Monticello, Ark., in March, even though he was in good health. His owner, Donald Ellis, had just passed away but had left explicit instructions that he wanted Tom Tom buried along with him, and not later on, because he felt that no one could love Tom Tom as much as he did. Ellis’ reluctant family finally took Tom Tom to a veterinarian, who tried to change their minds but ultimately acquiesced and euthanized the dog out of fear that they would put him down anyway, less humanely.

UNLIKELY SUCCESSES: (1) In July, the world’s largest four-day rodeo, the Pendleton Round-Up, released a signature-brand men’s cologne, Let’er Buck, to mark the company’s 100th anniversary. A spokesman claimed that the $69-a-bottle product has the fragrance of “sensuous musk and warm sandalwood.” (2) Thai Airways announced in June that it would begin selling seven curry sauces directly from its airline food menu in take-out shops in Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai. SHAKING UP THE CONDOM MARKET: (1) The Swiss government announced in March that it would help bring to market “extra”small condoms for boys as young as 12.

(The decrease in circumference from a “standard” condom would be about 5/16th of an inch.) (2) The Washington Post reported in May that high school and collegeage adults had complained that condoms given away by the District of Columbia’s HIV-prevention program were of too-low quality and that the city should spring for deluxe Trojan Magnums (in gold-colored packaging, giving them, said a city official, “a little bit of the bling quality”).

BREAKTHROUGHS: (1) When Ron Sveden’s left lung collapsed in May, doctors initially diagnosed a tumor, but on closer inspection learned that Sveden, of Brewster, Mass., had ingested a plant seed that had somehow migrated to his lung and sprouted open. He is recovering. (2) A Pomeranian puppy recently found wandering in San Bernardino, Calif., was diagnosed with reproductiveorgan complications that destined him to be put down, but a woman volunteered $1,165 for “transgender” surgery. “Red” is now happy and ready for adoption (and of course neutered).

LEADING ECONOMIC INDICATORS To most, the toilet is a functional appliance, but to thoughtful people, it can be an instrument upon which creativity blossoms. Thus, the price tags were high this summer when commodes belonging to two literary giants of the 20th century went on sale. In August, a gaudily designed toilet from John Lennon’s 1969-71 residence in Berkshire, England, fetched 9,500 pounds (about $14,740) at a Liverpool auction, and a North

BY CHUCK SHEPPARD Carolina collectibles dealer opened bids on the toilet that long served reclusive author J.D. Salinger at his home in Cornish, N.H. The dealer’s initial price was $1 million because, “Who knows how many of Salinger’s stories were thought up and written while (he) sat on this throne!”

-- Blairsville, Ga., advertising agency owner Mike Patterson introduced the “first ever patriotic home-based business opportunity” recently, and, though it resembles a traditional “pyramid” scheme, Patterson termed it “network marketing” and an important way to fight government “tyranny.” For joining up at $12, $24 or $50 a year and enlisting others, Patterson promises recruiters “up to $50,000” (actually, up to $283,000 by securing $50 memberships). On spelling- and grammarchallenged Web pages, Patterson laid out salesmanship “levels” and “matrix” patterns that promise a member 60 cents per $24 recruit -- leaving $12 for patriotic programs and $11.40 for Patterson. (For some reason, after rounding up 29,523 members -- Level 9 -- the recruiter payout drops to 15 cents each.)

-- In September, the Romanian Senate rejected a proposal by two legislators to regulate, and tax, fortune-tellers and “witches,” even though the government is otherwise desperately seeking new sources of revenue. A prominent witch had complained about potential record-keeping burdens on the “profession,” but one of the bill’s sponsors told the Associated Press he thinks opposition came from lawmakers who were frightened of having spells and curses placed on them.

UPDATE Mississippi attorney general Jim Hood continues in the thrall of what forensic experts everywhere discredit as pseudo-science (everywhere except Mississippi, that is). Hence, death-row inmate Eddie Lee Howard’s date with destiny approaches. Although only scant physical evidence was presented at his murder trial, the jury famously heard from local dentist Michael West, who, using fancy equipment, somehow identified scratches on the victim’s body as “bite marks” unique to Howard’s teeth. (In 2008, News of the Weird mentioned the DNA-inspired release of two accused Mississippi rapists who had served 12 years in prison -- having also been positively identified by West on the basis of bite marks. Between then and now, West’s theories have been nationally, resoundingly rebuked, but the attorney general has chosen to defend Howard’s original, West-based conviction rather than look anew at the case, and Howard remains marked for execution.)

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

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

by Chuck Shepherd COPYRIGHT 2010 CHUCK SHEPHERD

INDEPENDENT NEWS | SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

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community outreach CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT The Panhandle Charitable Open will be held Oct. 1-2 at the Marcus Pointe Golf Club.

The two-man, best-ball tournament has raised thousands of dollars for local charities thanks to the generous support of businesses and individuals like you.

The success in recent years of the PCO enabled the board to donate over $140,000 to charities such as Child Guardians, Inc., Gulf Coast Kid’s House, Council on Aging of West Florida, ARC Gateway, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Independence for the Blind, American Cancer Society and Covenant Hospice.

The primary charities this year will be Child Guardians, Inc., Council on Aging of West Florida, and Gulf Coast Kid’s House.

Increasing the number of charities that participate highlights a goal of the PCO to continue to expand the impact and reach of their golf tournament. For more information, contact Doug Gooch at 293-7574 or visit pcogolf.org.

BANDS ON THE BEACH AND SOUNDS OF SUMMER Free summer concerts continue to roll through Pensacola Beach in the month of September. Catch Bands on the Beach from 7-9 p.m. each Tuesday evening at the Gulfside Pavilion, and the Sounds of Summer weekend concert series from 6-8 p.m.

The free concerts are provided by the Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA).

No pets are allowed and glass is prohibited. Concerts are provided and organized by the SRIA. For more information, call the SRIA at 932-2257, go to visitpensacolabeach.com or tune in to Cat Country 98.7 for the latest updates.

GULF COAST CHORALE AND FIESTA BARBERSHOP CHORUS Tickets are now available for the Gulf Coast Chorale’s “Oscars, Tonys, and Flags” with special guest the Fiesta Barbershop Chorus. The event will be held on Saturday, Oct. 23 at 7:30 p.m. located at St. Anne Catholic Church in Gulf Breeze. You’ll

enjoy the memories, the romance, and the adventure as the cinema comes alive through this musical performance spanning eight decades of movie magic. Led by artistic director Michael Richardson, this performance features not only movie music, but also Broadway hits and a special precursor to Veterans Day with some powerful patriotic selections.

Joining the Gulf Coast Chorale is the Fiesta Barbershop Chorus with a taste of their very special tribute to Broadway, which recently played to a sold-out crowd at the Pensacola Little Theatre.

For more on the Fiesta Barbershop Chorus, visit fiestachorus.com. Advance tickets are $10, $15 at the door and $5 for students. Free admission for children 10 and under. For more information on tickets, visit gulfcoastchorale.org or e-mail Robert Frommel at robertfrommel@bellsouth.net.

PERDIDO KEY OPEN The second annual Perdido Key Open Beach Volleyball Tournament will be held the weekend of Sept. 18-19. The tournament will be held at the world famous Flora-Bama and will feature men’s, women’s, co-ed, two, four, and six-person recreational teams.

All players will receive a goodie bag with a free souvenir tournament T-shirt. A mandatory captains’ meeting will be held Friday, Sept. 17 at Lost Key Java, followed by a players’ party at The Jellyfish Bar. There will be cash prizes for the following: —Doubles Open: Men and Women, First Place: $500 —Doubles Open: Men and Women, Second Place: $250 —Co-Ed Doubles: First Place: $500 —Co-Ed Doubles: Second Place $250 —AA/A Men and Women: First Place $300 —A/A Men and Women: Second Place $150 To receive more information about becoming a player, please contact the Perdido Key Chamber at 492-4660,

chamber@perdidochamber.com or register at perdidokeyopen.com.

org. To learn more about BRACE and its program of work in Northwest Florida, visit bereadyalliance.org.

BRACE ANNOUNCES YOUTH EMERGENCY EXPO On Sept. 25, BRACE (Be Ready Alliance Coordinating for Emergencies) will host its first Youth Emergency Preparedness Expo—YEP!— at Bayview Park in Pensacola. The event is scheduled for 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

“BRACE knows that kids can save lives too, so this event will focus on educating kids from kindergarten through 12th grade in their roles before, during and after an emergency,” says Greg Strader, executive director of BRACE. “September is National Preparedness Month, so this will be a perfect opportunity to get kids and parents to prepare for emergencies together in an enjoyable and entertaining way.”

Join BRACE for a day of fun activities where the whole family can learn and try new skills. Activities include a fullscale water rescue exercise by the Coast Guard; interactive games from police, fire and HAZMAT trainers; water safety demonstrations; rescue training skills appropriate for all ages; a student talent competition; pet activities and more. A special preschool section will teach parents and caregivers how to prepare for an emergency with infants and young children.

Adults will also learn mitigation techniques as well as tips on preparing for an emergency when you have pets. A special area for domestic pets will also be available at this pet-friendly event. BRACE will be working with area schools and teachers in August and September to publicize the event and prepare students for the activities and contests.

September is National Preparedness Month. Sponsorships and on-site vendor opportunities are now available.

For more information on YEP!, contact Stephanie Plancich at 444-7038 or e-mail HYPERLINK “mailto:Stephanie@ unitedwayescambia.org”stephanie@unitedwayescambia.

DANCING WITH THE CLASSICS BIG BAND Every fourth Saturday at Bayview Senior Center is dance night. The next date is Sept. 25. Dance to Latin, Waltz, Foxtrot, Swing, Rock, Polka and everything in between. 2000 E. Lloyd St., $10 admission.

Call 436-5190 for more information.

GULF POWER ECONOMIC SYMPOSIUM The 14th annual Gulf Power Company Economic Symposium, a conference focusing on information to stimulate our businesses and economic development initiatives, will be hosted at the Baytowne Conference Center in Sandestin Oct. 4-5. This year’s theme, “Northwest Florida: Built to Grow,” brings together civic, government and business leaders to share views on developing an economically-competitive region.

Speakers at this year’s event include Daniel Burrus, entrepreneur and author of “Technotrends”; Dale Brill, president of the Florida Chamber Foundation; Stephanie Kopelousos, Secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation; Dr. Henry H. Fishkind, Fishkind & Associates; and Simon Bailey, consultant and author.

Sponsors include PBS&J, Whitney Bank and PowerSouth Energy Cooperative.

The deadline to register is Sept. 17. Conference materials, continental breakfast, breaks, lunch and Monday’s reception are included with registration. There is a separate fee for golf on Monday, Oct. 4.

The public can register by visiting gulfpower.com/symposium, printing out the registration form and faxing the material to the number indicated. For more information, please call toll-free 877-262-0598 or e-mail fpcecondevsymp@ southernco.com. Visit Gulf Power on Facebook at “14th annual Gulf Power Economic Symposium.”

Can’t decide on the entree?

Order them all. Our brunch is all inclusive for one price .

Crispy French Toast with Apple Syrup

Roulade of Grouper with Saffron and Asparagus

Southern Fried Chicken with Sausage Grits

$23.99 Includes everything on our brunch menu:

Filet Mignon Tips with Wild Mushrooms and Pinot Noir Jus

Vol Au Vant of Scallops Bonne Femme

Mediterranean Table of salads, roasted and grilled vegetables, Seafood Bar and Carving Station of roasted turkey, pork or beef, An Omelet Station with twelve ingredients to choose from, One or all of our five a la carte specials and a dessert bar.

Every brunch comes with a free Bloody Mary, Screwdriver, Mimosa or Champagne. Have bottomless Champagne for $30.00.

30 | INDEPENDENT NEWS | SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET

For reservations call: 850-434-6320 600 south palafox, downtown pensacola

to advertise call 438-8115

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We’re looking for freelance writers for our expanded A&E section. Music, dance, theater, visual arts and literature are areas we want to cover with more depth and insight than any publication in the region. If you have style and pizzaz, the IN wants you. Please, e-mail a cover letter, résumé and recent clips to:

joani@inweekly.net

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www.NabardFitness.com www.NabardFitness.com THE UNIVERSAL CROSSWORD EDITED BY TIMOTHY E. PARKER IN A GOOD POSITION by Richard Broome

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PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

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OWNER, SOUTHERN DRAW’L DESIGN, ILLUSTRATION, DESIGN AND MARKETING What is your chief characteristic?

I would like to think that I have a good attitude about life and an adventurous spirit.

What do you appreciate most about your friends?

I have been blessed with friends that are fun, honest and loyal. Each has something special about themselves that I appreciate.

Who is your favorite hero in fiction?

Yosemite Sam—Bugs always gets the best of him but he keeps trying. One of these days he’s going to get that varmint.

Who is your favorite heroine in fiction?

Holly Golightly. The visions of Manhattan made me dream of living there. When I came of age, I did, and in 15 years of living there I met many Hollys.

What is the best thing you have ever won?

I don’t remember ever winning anything of value. I am saving up for the big one…the lottery.

What did your mother always tell you?

“If you do that again, I am going to tan your hide.” Still haven’t learned.

What is the worst idea you’ve ever had?

I grew up on a farm and once I tried to un-jam a soybean combine while it was running. I slipped and fell through the rotating header, and slid completely through all the moving parts, barely missing the auger and cutting bar. I landed on the ground in front of the combine and stood up without a scratch. God was looking out for me that day.

What is your favorite food?

I love a perfectly grilled ribeye steak.

Which talent would you most like to have?

A rock singer, of course.

What movie do you love to watch repeatedly?

“The African Queen”—I’ve always had a place in my heart for Katharine Hepburn.

What was your most embarrassing moment?

Like I would tell you. It was embarrassing enough the first time around.

What historical figure do you despise the most?

I don’t despise anyone. There have been evil people throughout history. Despising them doesn’t do any good. Overcome and move on. Mankind has always been able to do that.

What TV show is your guilty pleasure?

“Curb Your Enthusiasm.” I record it to watch anytime I like.

What is the last book you read?

“Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time” by my good friend, David Goodwillie What is your theme song?

“Car Wheels on a Gravel Road” by Lucinda Williams. Just the name has a sound of adventure to it.

INDEPENDENT NEWS | SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |

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INDEPENDENT NEWS | SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 | WWW.INWEEKLY.NET |