metr SPIR o IT
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INSIDER JENNY IS WRIGHT AUGUSTA TEK AUSTIN RHODES
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CONTENTS
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COVER DESIGN | KRUHU
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INSIDER@THEMETROSPIRIT.COM Insider is an anonymous, opinion-based examination of the hidden details of Augusta politics and personalities.
SIDER
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METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
All Wet When Damon Cline was forced to take all that bombast out of the District 2 Commission race in Columbia County because it turned out he didn’t actually live in the district, it seemed as if the embattled Trey Allen, blamed for everything from the Augusta Prep lights to the Springlakes ditch to the Magnolia Trace portal to hell, was going to get a free pass in his bid for reelection to the commission. Then up popped Lee Benedict. Benedict, who wants to win an election so bad it seems he’ll throw himself into just about anything, was nevertheless a surprise candidate, and if he hasn’t made the campaign trail interesting, he’s at least made it entertaining. Entertaining, because you can’t help but smile at the way his wild allegations ripple throughout the community, even after all the false alarms. It’s like deep down we really want to believe Chicken Little. Recently, his claims that the county was moving ahead with a very expensive and highly hushhush aquatic center was just outlandish enough to get people — people in the know — to start making calls to other people in the know. Was he talking about the pool the Family Y is contemplating putting in someday out at the Gateway? Was he talking about the old aquatic center the county voted down nearly four years ago? Was the county planning an October Surprise that only he had heard of? The accusatory finger would point, but there was no elaboration or explanation, which made it difficult for Allen to refute and those searching for the answer to confirm. While it’s possible the county could someday think about partnering with a private citizen who’s bought some land out by the Appling off ramp and might want to build something wet, that’s so far in its infancy that it’s not even showing up on the pregnancy test. Which leaves Benedict pretty much where he began.
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Movin’ On
THUMBS
up
5JULY2012
Keep your eye on the Kmart on Washington Road in Martinez. Last week, the retailer announced it would be closing the store, leaving a large hole in the otherwise fairly lively strip mall. County officials have been eyeing the location for over a year now, intrigued by the potential to create a new kind of mall in its place, something more contemporary and perhaps with a different orientation. Losing an anchor like Kmart inches that possibility closer to reality. Though such wholesale change is easier when conditions are dire and owners are desperate for revenue, losing Kmart could bring the owners of the mall to the table sooner rather than later. While the county would have no financial stake in the mall, nor would it have any power to force the owners to comply with any kind of redesign, officials are nevertheless anxious to appear proactive when it comes to Martinez retail, and replacing the lost jobs could be easier if everyone started thinking outside the box.
To the guy hauled off by the cops after doing a striptease at the Thursday midnight showing of “Magic Mike.” Way to commit, buddy!
down
To the woman who brought her infant to the same movie late Saturday night.
AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
METROSPIRIT
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JENNY IS WRIGHT Anticipation…
When it comes to waiting for stuff, I’m the worst. Most people would say it’s a total lack of patience, but I’ll argue that. I do have patience. Do you know how much it takes to wait for The Boy to look for his stuff or The Girl to eat dinner? It may be a shortish fuse, but it’s there. When I was little, if a friend was coming to pick me up for a playdate, I’d watch at the window until they pulled in the driveway, telling myself that they’d definitely be the next car to come around the corner. If they weren’t, I was sure they’d be in the next minivan. I got more and more specific (the next blue minivan, the next blue minivan with a female driver, etc.), until I was exactly right and they arrived. Today, I’m waiting on my shipment of clothing for our next trip. The weather is going to be completely different than that of Mexico, so I got to shop. I only ordered a couple of shirts and two pairs of pants, but I’m ready to have them. The tracking information for this package has been a total tease. The day I placed my order, the Tracking People (TP) told me that it shipped. Awesome! The Man told me, based on his experience with this website, I would probably have it by the weekend. The weekend came and went. All the TP said was that it shipped. Nothing more. What does “shipped” mean? Does that mean that it’s getting really close, but you forgot to update the information, or does it mean it’s still sitting somewhere far away? When the update finally showed up, my stuff was in Hodgkins, Illinois, and had been for two days. I’m not sure what the holdup was, but things started moving after that. They even teased me. At one point, a couple of days ago, the TP said that the package left Knoxville and was on the way to Augusta, only to show the evening’s final stop as Spartanburg. What the hell? You, TP, said that it would be here today. Well, not really. You said it was on the way, and impatient me believed you. I woke the next morning to the real update. The box went from Knoxville to Spartanburg, making a quick stop in Forest Park, before finally checking in here in Augusta. The dadgum thing has been on a truck “Out for Delivery” since 7:30 this morning. Still waiting. There is an upside. Waiting like this, expecting something sooner than it ever actually comes, is good for me. Every single week, I make Amy (Christian) wait until the eleventh hour for me to send my column. If she’s anything like me, she hits Send/Receive again and again, sure that my email is on its way. Pushing that button does make it come faster. I’ve tried it. I do understand how Amy feels, though. I want my pants; she wants my words. As much as she will doubt this, I don’t enjoy torturing her as the TP have tortured me. So I’ll send my column before I get my package. I’ll keep obsessively checking the front porch, just in case the TP haven’t forgotten to update the computer. She can stop wondering what’s holding me up (or what excuse I’m about to send her via text). She can’t, however, have my pants.
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METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
JENNYWRIGHT lives in Summerville with her husband, who she calls The Man, and two kids, who she affectionately calls The Boy and The Girl. She enjoys taking photos, cooking and playing tennis.
5JULY2012
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AUGUSTA TEK Hack Augusta
Hackathon! — A shout out goes to Josh Bolin and the entire crew of folks who pulled together the first Augusta Hackathon last weekend. Hackathon events, made famous by Facebook, pull together software coders and designers in a rapiddevelopment effort focused on a specific short-term goal. The Augusta Hackathon was no different. The Hack Augusta team set out with the goal to create an actual company within a 24-hour time period. The result: the online service singlesemail. com. Singlesemail is an entertainment email that profiles 20 singles and one advertiser. Consumers subscribe to receive the email. Everyone should get something out of the 20 seconds it takes to read the email, whether that is a deal on coffee or a possible date for your kid. It’s a solid business model and, more importantly, it’s a historic first for the local technology community! Check out their website at augustahackathon.com. Raspberry Pi — I you are looking for an idea for Hack Augusta 2.0, take a look at Raspberry Pi. Raspberry Pi is a single board computer the size of a credit card. The idea for Raspberry Pi came from Eben Upton and his colleagues at Cambridge University as they observed a decline in the skill level of students entering the computer science program. They remembered the 1990s, during which time students entered school as experienced hobbyist programmers (folks of my generation… I know you remember coding for your TRS80 and Commodore 64). Today, students have only a little bit of web programming experience, if anything. Home systems no longer allow the tinkering and experimentation that was available with the first generation of desktop systems. Upton and his colleagues desired to create a low-cost platform that would provide a programming environment that would capture the interest of this generation. Given the advances in mobile computing and inexpensive graphics processors, we now have Raspberry Pi. The Raspberry Pi is a credit-card sized computer that plugs into your TV and a keyboard. This very capable PC can be used to perform many of the same tasks a desktop PC does, like spreadsheets, word-processing and games. The device also plays high-definition video. Roughly, the graphics capabilities are equivalent to Xbox 1 level of performance, and the real world performance is something like a 300MHz Pentium 2, only with much swankier graphics. Not impressed? The price is about $40 each. Currently, Raspberry Pi forms the computer core for everything from model airplane drones, robots, media centers, network appliances and more. So if you are involved in a project developing hardware that needs a low cost but sophisticated computer core, you might want to check out Raspberry Pi. Visit raspberrypi.org. Level Playing “Surface” — Microsoft recently released its entry into the tablet market. This marks a significant departure for Microsoft, as it is manufacturing the tablet in-house and not working through a third party OEM. The device, called the Microsoft Surface, will be released in the fall and is drawing a number of favorable comments from the tech media. Two versions of the Microsoft Surface have been announced. The first will run Windows RT, a light version of Windows 8. This device won’t have a full desktop version of Windows and will run only the Metro apps available through the Windows app store. It will include a version of Microsoft Office in its base configuration. The second version of the tablet running a full version of Windows 8 Pro will be released a few months after the first. The Pro version will be slightly thicker, possess a better battery, have better peripheral support (USB 3.0, DisplayPort and an SDXC expansion slot), and have twice the storage capacity. (From what I can tell, think Windows Surface RT equals iPad, and Windows Surface Pro equal MacBook Air.) The defining feature of the Surface is its ability to quickly convert into a laptop-like configuration, aka ASUS Transformer Prime. Unlike the Prime, however, no thirdparty attachments are required. A kickstand is discretely built into the tablet to prop up the device. Also, in an ingenious design worthy of Apple, the keyboard is built directly into the cover. In addition, expect Microsoft to integrate its Skype service into the tablet, aka FaceTime, with both front and rear facing cameras. Look for the Windows Surface later this fall, synchronous with the general release of Windows 8. Until next time, I’m off the grid @gregory_a_baker.
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METROSPIRIT
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AUSTIN RHODES Oops, I Did It Again!
Have you noticed there are far more bold editorial columnists than there are bold skydivers? If last week’s column had been a parachute, I would be splattered all over east Georgia, in pieces too small to attract buzzards. Basing concrete declarations on events that have yet to transpire is the stuff that made casinos trillions of dollars through the years, and yet when the odds are so attractive, how can a mere mortal (ahem) pass up the chance to pick a winner? I was dead wrong when I predicted last week that Obamacare would be turned down as unconstitutional. Shame on me. But I am not alone in that shame. Five Supreme Court Justices were also dead wrong when they ruled that the legislation and funding mechanisms for the healthcare initiative were legal under the established and time-tested rules of constitutional law in the United States of America. I said last week that my three-year-old son and Atticus, the family Siamese cat, were smarter than President Obama when it comes to the U.S. Constitution. Now I can add the majority of the Supreme Court to the dunce list. If there is a personal consolation in all this, I suppose it is far better to err in predicting future events and the behaviors of fickle humans than it is to so completely foul up all that is acknowledged to be sound and logical precedent in Constitutional law. In all fairness, assailing their collective intelligence is the more innocent of the two possible explanations for this amazing transgression, if you are willing to give them the benefit of the doubt on the issue. Most of this country’s legal experts are not. It has been widely written and proclaimed this was nothing other than judicial activism of the highest order. You have had a week to read all those opinions, and the overwhelming consensus is that legislative intent was completely and aggressively ignored, and that the rule of law and precedent as we know it has been completely flushed away in this case. A few points to note, for those not up on such things. Now that the Obamacare “penalty” has been declared a “tax,” it will be interesting to see what other financial penalties also have been accepted into law as such. The feds now can legislate just about any behavior they want to into being, as long as they attach a tax penalty as a consequence of noncompliance. For those wondering how Obamacare could be unconstitutional when individual state healthcare mandates are not, the answer is very simple: State legislatures have the option to do many things that the federal government does not. The reason you see so few states attempting to enact completely socialized medical care is that it would be financial and political suicide for most. Because members of Congress tend to be elected under much more esoteric circumstances than state and local officials, there has always been the belief that it would be an easier mountain to climb, in a political sense, passing substantial national healthcare reform all at once, rather than just the blue states (which tend to favor European style healthcare) passing it piecemeal. The revelations concerning the motivations of Chief Justice John Roberts becoming the fifth and deciding vote in this matter are at the very least disturbing and, when taken seriously, no less than a direct threat to the integrity of the current Supreme Court as it is seated. If popular pressure and historic relevance are to be valued over the intent of the Constitution, then our Supreme Court Justices are little more than modern-day Pontius Pilates, delivering verdicts based on the roar of the crowd rather than the rule of law. Ironic that many in the same crowd cheering this ruling were the ones who most benefited when past Supreme Courts and presidents took highly unpopular stands on matters like equal access, gender discrimination and free speech. Supporters of the Obamacare measure should enjoy their win; they got what they wanted. But not for one second should they consider this a moral or intellectually honest victory, for it indeed is not. Five Supreme Court Justices knew the rules and chose to ignore them. Some call it judicial discretion, but I prefer the language better suited to laymen: They cheated.
AUSTINRHODES
The views expressed are the opinions of Austin Rhodes and do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher.
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5JULY2012
After 21 years with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, where he’s done just about everything there is to do in law enforcement, Capt. Scott Peebles thought he’d seen it all. Then he ran for Sheriff. “I had no idea they would just make up whatever they wanted to,” he says. “Whether it be that I live in public housing, I’ve never owned a car, I’ve never owned a house, I stalked my wife — you name it. They just throw it out and see if it sticks. I never believed people would just knowingly say something that they knew to be false just because they’re trying to win.” He’s found South Augusta particularly aggressive. “Down in South Augusta — they’ll eat your young,” he laughs. “They don’t care. They’ll hate your guts just because.” That sort of political naïveté goes hand in hand with his boy next door looks and his calm demeanor, but when it comes to his experience, Peebles is far from shy. “I’ve been on the road patrol, I’ve worked traffic and I’ve been part of the DUI task force,” he says. “I’m SWAT team commander now, I’ve worked homicide, violent crimes and I’ve put together undercover operations. I’ve got the most management experience and leadership experience and I think that’s what we’re trying to get across to people.” The field is crowded, with four Democrats and two Republicans, but six months ago Peebles was looking at a much different race. Considered by most to be Sheriff Ronnie Strength’s hand-picked successor, he was on a clear cut, head-tohead match up with fellow Democrat and former Richmond County investigator Richard Roundtree, who fell under fire for multiple relationships with female employees and leaving behind case files, SWAT gear, a gun and ammunition when he moved out of an apartment. In that race, the stakes were high, the battle lines were clear and the story was almost embarrassingly easy to follow: Peebles with all his accolades versus Roundtree with all his baggage. The Golden Boy versus the Tarnished One. Then, things got complicated. Strength’s brother-in-law, Lt. Robbie Silas, decided to run, effectively handcuffing Strength’s ability to publically endorse Peebles. Things got muddier still when Strength’s closest friend, Freddie Sanders, decided to run as a Republican. “It wasn’t supposed to be this way,” Pebbles admits. Augusta being what it is, conventional 5JULY2012
METR O
I’M THE NEWS
SAFE CHOICE ERICJOHNSON
Scott Peebles sounds off on Richard Roundtree, community policing and why he fears for Augusta
AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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wisdom suddenly had the white vote split three ways, and while Roundtree faces competition from fellow African American John Ivy, Ivy isn’t expected to cut into Roundtree’s base the way Silas and, to a lesser extent, Sanders is expected to cut into Peebles’. And the initial thought — that Sanders was in the race as a fallback in case the convoluted jumble of candidates allowed Roundtree to come out on top — passed quickly, since Sanders seems to be taking as many shots at Peebles as everyone else. Though typically not an issue in the Sheriff’s race, party affiliation has become an issue lately, perhaps spurred on by the way it’s been used in the Congressional race. Peebles, who is running as a Democrat, has been called out for frequently voting as a Republican. “I don’t know where party affiliation
unbalanced. “The reality is this: Augusta is roughly 60 percent black and we have a workforce at the Sheriff’s Office that is 27 percent black, and that is not reflective of the community it serves.” While the problem was known, Peebles says it wasn’t acted upon. “The sheriff has said many times that he’s not lowering standards just to hire someone who’s white, black, female or anything else,” he says. “And I don’t believe we got to where we are because Sheriff Strength is a racist — I know better than that. I think we got to where we are because we have an open application process.” That process, which relies on people coming to the agency rather than the agency going out and actively seeking qualified candidates, has allowed the underrepresentation of blacks and an overrepresentation of whites, which is why
thinking behind it, and he points to his announcement as proof. “A picture is worth a thousand words, and if you look at every other candidate’s announcement — nobody can come close to me when it comes to the diversity of his supporters.” A fan of community policing, Peebles bristles against Freddie Sanders’ insistence that it can’t be done with existing manpower and budget levels. “It’s about leadership, and that’s where I respectfully disagree with Freddie’s vision on community policing,” he says. “He thinks it’s a catchphrase — it’s a real policing model. It is the most aggressive policing model that exists in the United States today, and if you call Clay Whittle up in Columbia County, he’ll tell you community policing didn’t cost him one extra dime and he has reduced crime with that model.”
Though he says he misses being in the field — he’s been on leave since Operation Smoke Screen ended in March — he says he’s prepared to take on that leadership role. “One of the candidates out there — Silas — said, ‘I chose to be out of the streets… I don’t like pushing pen and paper,’” Peebles says. “Guess what — that’s what a sheriff is supposed to do. He’s supposed to organize, he’s supposed to lead, he’s supposed to make sure people have resources. He’s not a guy out there riding in the car pulling over people for running a red light.” That experience, he says, is what distinguishes him from Silas. “I have been someone who can put a very complex plan together — I’ve proven that and can follow it through and execute it,” he says. “That’s what you have in a sheriff, and I don’t believe that from where he’s been — and I know he’s done a good
really has all that much to do with it,” he says. “You’re not a lawmaker. You’re charged with enforcing the law without bias, so you don’t really have a lot of options there.” He finds it funny the way party affiliation has become an issue, however. “What I find comical is that Richard Roundtree is running an attack ad on me right now on the radio talking about all the times I’ve voted Republican,” he says. “Richard got up the other day and said he’s always been a Democrat and he’s never waffled, and I’m thinking — you didn’t start voting until six years ago. Even with all the times I’ve voted as a Republican, I’ve still voted more times as a Democrat than the guy who’s saying he’s the only true Democrat.” That’s not his only issue with Roundtree. “I’ll just say it like it is — Richard Roundtree is exaggerating things trying to incite people and divide this community,” Peebles says. “He said that nobody outside of the jail or records bureau has been promoted above the rank of sergeant in the last 16 years — that’s an outright lie and he knows it’s a lie.” He starts listing examples: “The highest ranking member of the Criminal Investigation Division is a black man named Ken Autry,” he says. “The highest ranking member of the road patrol — the guy who ran the road patrol for the last 12 or 14 years — was a black man named Richard Weaver, who just retired from the Sheriff’s Office.” Though he says it’s frustrating to hear such untruths, it doesn’t change the fact that fundamentally the Sheriff’s Office is racially
Peebles says he wants to start recruiting and one of the reasons he favors seeking national accreditation. “National accreditation holds you to certain standards,” he says. “We should be a leader in this state.” Neighboring forces, like the police department at Georgia Health Sciences University and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, have the accreditation. “One thing this election has taught me is this — someone who is supremely underqualified to be the sheriff could win this election, and that scares me,” he says. “With accreditation, you wouldn’t have the ability to go roughshod, and if I’m sheriff and I decide to leave, I don’t care how underqualified the guy coming in behind me is, at least he’s going to be held to the same standards. That’s a safety net for the entire community.” It’s a safety net the community does not currently enjoy, which is one of the reasons the prospect of a Roundtree victory has been troubling for many in and out of the Sheriff’s Office. At the same time, it has been empowering for a certain vocal segment of the black population, who some deputies report have boldly bragged about a sea change should Roundtree be elected. “It is only some segments of the black community,” Peebles emphasizes, “but this is where Richard and I disagree. He believes that dividing the community will benefit him and that’s what he chose. I’ve got black supporters on my side who have literally been accosted by his supporters for ‘why are you over there with a white guy?’” Ultimately, Peebles believes Augusta is trying to put that kind of racial
Community policing, Peebles says, is putting together a plan to attack a specific problem and them measuring the outcome. “And that’s what we did with our big operations,” he says. “We put together Augusta Ink, we followed with Fox Hunt. We took this many guns off the street, we arrested this many people, and by the way — violent crime is down 40 percent and is at a six-year low in Richmond County.” Officers now feel like they’re report takers with guns, he says. Under a community policing model, they’ll have more responsibility with what’s going on regarding their beats and they’ll have autonomy to start using problem-solving skills to solve those problems. While careful not to criticize Strength, he says the Sheriff’s Office is ripe for change. “I think Sheriff Strength has done a great job,” he says. “He’s like a father to me, but having said that, I’ve got my own ideas. If I could be half the sheriff he’s been, then we’ll be okay, but I do want to take us in a different direction.” That direction also includes forming a Citizens Advisory Board to ensure transparency and give the organization informed feedback. “The way you perceive yourself and the way someone else perceives you — those are two different things and you’d better value the way someone else perceives you because that tells you where there’s a miscommunication.” Members of this board would come from each commission district, he says, and while they could be recommended by commissioners, the sheriff would have the ultimate approval.
job where he’s been — that means you can be a good sheriff.” What it comes down to, he says, is trust. “I’m the safe bet,” he says. “I’ve already proven to you what I’m capable of. Anybody else is a gamble.” And there’s an awful lot at stake, he says. “The sheriff is the most powerful elected person in county government,” he says. “When you get somebody who’s seeking power and not seeking service, you’re going to create a monster. And this city has seen it before.” Though he knows it sounds dramatic, he insists the election will set the tone for the direction of Augusta for the next 25 years. “Roundtree’s vision is the opposite of mine,” he says. “I’m about inclusion and not divisiveness. I’m not seeking power, I’m seeking service, and I don’t believe that’s true of him.” That said, they have shared a lot over the years. “Roundtree and I have done great things together,” he says. “We’ve both been on the SWAT team together — I’ve trusted him with my life. We’ve worked homicides together. I believe he has lots of attributes, but he has to be managed properly. He needs someone who he can answer to and someone who can keep him in check.” He points to the infamous Facebook post, where Roundtree basically told members of the black community that they were either on the train or in front of it. “That’s what’s at stake for this city,” Peebles says. “That’s it in a nutshell. Someone who’s going to use that power to roll over people.”
10 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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METROSPIRIT 11
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ELEMENT OF SURPRISE By Elizabeth C. Gorski / Edited by Will Shortz
93 Some nods 94 Arborist’s catchphrase 98 Gemini and Virgo 100 Exchange purchase: Abbr. 103 Dutch exports 104 Sight on an Alaskan cruise 106 Animal pouch 107 Transnational cash 109 Farm machines 110 N.Y.C. home of van Gogh 112 Cause panic in a theater, perhaps 114 Seltzer bottle capacity 117 Environmentalist’s catchphrase 119 Hubbub 120 Neighbor of Sask. 121 Band with a juiced-up name? 122 Tokenish 123 Vacation acquisition, maybe 124 Edible root 125 ___ Hashana 126 Flirtatious lot
23-Across 44 Kind of society that is careless of the environment 47 Éclat 48 1998 Alanis Morissette hit 49 Out of line? 50 Beanpole 52 Woman warrior 54 Nibble for Dobbin 55 Jack who’s a picky eater 57 Montreal suburb 58 Farewells 60 Cleared 61 Soup servers 62 Followers 64 Like pre-1917 Russia 66 Shoulder muscles, in gym-speak 70 Love personified 72 Antagonize 75 ___ in igloo 79 Droopy-eared pet 81 Tolkien forest creatures Down 82 Scroll holders 1 Tiffs 84 One frequently being waved at 2 Tiny 87 Worry 3 Like much avant-garde music 88 Part of the Spanish Armada 4 Comment 90 Semester, e.g. 5 Dampier of the N.B.A. 92 Put down 6 Webster’s ref. 94 Mosquito fleet vessel 7 Theological inst. 95 Angola’s capital 8 Potential landfill pollutants, for short 96 “Law & Order” figure: Abbr. 9 Car opener? 97 Green vehicle 10 Presidential middle name 99 Marvin who sang “Let’s Get It 11 Signature piece? On” 12 Century, say 100 Follow-up letters? 13 Nervous ___ 101 Father, Son and Holy Spirit 14 Atmospheric worries 102 Seoul soul 15 Pasta shapes 105 Old brand whose logo featured 16 Brainstorm a torch 17 Wallops 107 Varnish ingredient 19 Question to a museum visitor 108 Unloads 24 California’s Santa ___ Mountains 111 English connections 26 “Girl With a Hoop” and “The 113 Ukrainian city, formerly Umbrellas” 115 Bud holder 29 “The Last Don” author 116 “King Kong” studio 33 Bank statement abbr. 118 Educ. facility 35 Farm females 38 45th American vice president 39 Processed material 41 Fruity drinks 42 Global warming calculation whose shape is suggested by connecting 14 squares in this puzzle in a closed loop based on the appropriate
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PREVIOUSPUZZLEANSWERS
Across 1 Went easy on 7 Went 90, say 11 Pop’s relative? 15 Nurse 18 18th-century Russian emperor 20 “___ homo” 21 Media executive Bob 22 Mobile info organizer 23 Every chemical element has one 25 Stalks in a soup kitchen 27 “Tough-actin’” medication 28 Ginger cookie 30 Eye salaciously 31 Bare 32 2012 Mark Wahlberg comedy 34 Load to bear 36 Present from birth 37 Antlered animal 38 Goggled 40 Worrisome Arctic and Antarctic developments 42 ___ anglais (English horn) 43 Congratulations indicator 45 Have loans 46 Sue Grafton’s “___ for Outlaw” 47 Popular Caribbean destination, informally 51 “___ 1138” (1971 sci-fi film) 53 Search with a fine-tooth comb 55 Realm 56 Sommelier’s pick 59 Drapery adornments 63 Backup procedure 64 Chorus line leader? 65 Seeing someone socially 67 Fan sound 68 Cost 69 Conservationist’s catchphrase 71 Slope 73 Pose 74 Falls for married women? 76 Roker and Pacino 77 Supermarket datum 78 To date 80 Like puns among all forms of humor, it’s said 82 In the arms of Morpheus 83 Place 85 ___ Diego 86 Harangues 88 Arm of the U.S. Cong. 89 Big tippler 91 Financial page abbr.
A P B B O R O L E R A P I S G E T T I G N E H A N W A R E G I S T R A D E E S T H E R C H I L O A T E D A W A S I S D R O P S H O P A L O O P E N O N S E C D R O R O Y P N M U M B L A D O R E N O T A X
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P R I O R
Y O U T U B E
R U B N O K A P I O C Y N S I E L A E S
E A S T L L O I M B L E L S G I L E O N R A S E G E S B L E S E A A S H M O O N G T R E A N O P R E S E S O N T S T O O H U B B E C T O H U E
S T P U O N N D R O T A A M M E I R N O U P P M E A R L D L E C K
W A N D
A R C O
B A H N
U P T O N
G S E D E S K
A B E L
O L E O
K E N T
N A C R E
A G A I N
Z E P P O
YES, IT'S THAT SIMPLE. Elliott Sons Funeral Homes ELLIOTTFUNERALHOME.COM
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Ruffin’ It Satori
I’ve never been one to do things the easy way. I hope you don’t take me for a braggart; that statement isn’t meant to be an indication that I derive some masochistic sense of self-satisfaction from trekking the rockier valley path. If anything, I’ve been somewhat lackadaisical in my efforts at self-advancement. I somehow made it into an MFA program despite writing most of the poems for my submission packet in the two months leading up to the cutoff date, and never even began to take it seriously until my second year. This was, to be clear, much to my detriment. I spent most of that first year growing an epically hideous beard, playing Fight Night Round 3 and limping through the most confusing breakup of my already ridiculous love life. “Catfish” is less creepy and far-fetched. Three years ago, between those first and second years of graduate school, I needed a job. Three and a half months is a long time to go without the $1,100 per month stipend that GCSU paid but, more important than that, I felt as if I needed to jar myself out of complacency. For better or worse, my life needed shaking up. The only way to do that, I decided, was to take a job doing something I had no experience doing. This next joke is so unoriginal that I probably owe royalties to anyone reading, but George W. Bush followed a similar career path. And so, in late May of 2009, I found myself on a plane to Denver, Colorado. I forget how I’d found out about the job with the Southwest Conservation Corps, but it must have fallen somewhere between “random Google search” and “word of mouth.” I accepted the job offer during a phone call on a break from my writing center gig on the GCSU campus, helping undergraduates figure out what a semicolon is (joke’s on them; the semicolon was invented by bored, spiteful grammaticians). My new boss’ instructions were as follows: bring a pair of boots, some indestructible jeans and be ready to sweat. I walked back to the writing center; my pupil had buried his lead. A month later, I sat in the terminal at the Atlanta airport, waiting to board a plane to Denver. I was wearing worn-out jeans, a gray T-shirt, drinking a giant coffee and eating a Clif Bar. I wanted so badly to look the part. During the flight, the unreasonably cute girl sitting next to me struck up a conversation; was this my first time traveling to Colorado, what was I doing there, etc. My natural defenses kicked in, and she didn’t talk to me for the rest of the trip. We landed in Denver around 3:30 in the afternoon. I grabbed my hiker’s backpack and rucksack — an item I owned only because I really wanted to be able to use that word someday — from baggage claim, hoofed it down to the airport shuttle, and caught a ride to the local Greyhound station. The attendant looked at my ticket. This bus isn’t leaving for another three and a half hours, she said.
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Your coffee tastes like leather and medicine, I said. I sat down in the terminal to read Robinson Jeffers’ dead dog poem and wait. There was no shortage of stimuli: a Native American woman in a black wrap skirt and air-brushed Elvis Presley shirt drank from a two-liter of Sun Drop and scolded her twins, a boy and a girl, both sporting coal black bowl cuts. Cave stones of myriad rock types all ending in “-ite” glittered gently from the whitewashed shelves of the gift shop, as did several varieties of keepsake pencils. I didn’t smoke, and had stopped eating junk food by that point, but I never wanted a Kit Kat or, somehow, a cigarette more desperately. I leaned against the military pack filled with spare underwear, a few books, water bottles, toiletries, Leatherman tool and headlamp, and watched the slow-motion clusters of humanity pass before me. We boarded the bus to Salida in early evening. I rode with a mother and daughter visiting family, two backpackers and another trail crew worker bound for a different town even farther west. I sat in the middle of the bus, my packs taking up the other two seats to my left. Denver, despite its Mile High City moniker, appears relatively level — flat, even. Driving out of the city feels no different than driving out of Madison, Atlanta, Chicago, Nashville. Even in actual mountainous regions, urban sprawl and the height of skyscrapers has a masking effect on elevation. Any city could be any other city. You have to squint at pedestrians’ baseball caps, or maybe neon microbrew signs in tavern windows to distinguish. Nor does the sky do you any favors. The same chamomile Pollock-streaking the otherwise gray Colorado sky tinted Tennessee during the Big Freeze of 1992. Like looking at the sun through six miles of wax paper. Outside the city, buildings, streetlights, people, anything newly reinforced melted away. Gradually, the land began to inch upward, the bus sometimes at seemingly impossible obtuse angles. I’d felt like this once before: riding a trolley suspended by a single steel cable, crawling up the side of Lookout Mountain outside Chattanooga. Now something more powerful, yet ephemeral, seemed not just to pull or beckon, but to yank us in slow motion towards point B. I didn’t know what I was doing, and accepted it. At the outskirts of a rest area at 9,000 feet, the remnants of spring frost dotted a campground. I waved my hand over the recently stamped fire, a lingering heat all that was left to distinguish ashes from snow.
JOSHRUFFIN, a Metro Spirit alum, is a published journalist and poet who just
received his MFA from Georgia College & State University. He was once the most un-intimidating bouncer at Soul Bar.
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RASHADO’CONNER
I Want a New Drug
Columbia County puts the heat on designer drug carriers The bath salts epidemic is a serious one that’s currently sweeping the nation, causing its users to react in bizarre and often violent ways. But despite the substance being reported as the cause behind several unusual occurrences across the country, not much is known about the “designer drug,” as professionals call it. CNN recently cleared up misconceptions surrounding a recent Florida case — in which a Florida local literally chewed away at the face of a homeless man. Contrary to initial reports, CNN confirmed weeks later that the “zombie-like” attacker was in fact under the influence of marijuana, not bath salts, as Florida officials were led to believe. According to Investigator Robert Ellis of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, the highly addictive drug is more in line with meth. “It’s basically like doing cocaine and meth at the same time,” Ellis described. “From what my research tells me, when you do meth, the dopamine in your brain releases all that it can release for one day. With bath salts, specialists are saying that it also dumps all the dopamine that it can dump for one day, but then, like cocaine, it kind of wraps it [dopamine] up and holds it in your brain, which causes severe side effects.” The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) has established that those effects include agitation, chest pains, increased blood pressure and increased heart rate, all induced by ingesting or snorting bath salts. Ellis added that the drug also causes “mind-altering” effects, from extreme paranoia to various other delusions and hallucinations. While Ellis is concerned about the growing trend of bath salts nationwide, the investigator is hoping that the law first catches up with a similar drug called spice, which has already begun to rear its head in several areas of the CSRA. “Some of these stores are fully aware that they’re selling products with spice in them,” the investigator said. “But these stores are being told by distributors [of spice] that it’s legal to sell. And that’s why it’s taking so
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much time to get to each store and let them all know that they can’t sell it.” The demographic itching for a taste of spice — now listed as a “Schedule 1” drug — is not entirely different from those interested in bath salts. While the age range of spice users stretches across the board, Ellis said that the drug is usually found on users in their 20s. “These users are people who are trying to obtain the drug because they think that they can purchase it legally at a store, like an alternative to buying marijuana,” Ellis said. “They don’t want to take a chance getting arrested for possessing marijuana, so they opt for spice, but the laws are catching up to it.” Ellis noted that spice — also known as K2 and considered a synthetic form of marijuana — typically shares the same effects and properties as standard marijuana. However, the investigator’s research shows that the herbal drug has proven to be far more detrimental to its user. “While it does have a lot of the same properties as marijuana, and also has some of the same effects, it’s a lot more addictive,” Ellis said. “I’d say that it’s harsher than marijuana and often has a much worse aftereffect than marijuana would have on its user. It’s definitely more potent.” Just this month, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office arrested the owner of Lewiston Express at 107 Lewiston Road along with his son for illegally hawking the synthetic drug. In addition to the Lewiston Express arrests, Ellis also shed light on a subsequent raid that took place at another store in the area; one whose name he preferred not to be mentioned in the Metro Spirit. “Everything that we took from this store, we sent to the crime lab to find out whether or not it was legal,” Ellis divulged. “So, while those drugs are being tested, we’re unable to say whether or not they’ve done anything wrong. But the legislator wanted us [law enforcers] to take samples from every store that’s selling that stuff [spice] so that they could have a wide variety of the drug in order to decide what’s legal and what’s illegal.” Ellis says that the future of spice is bleak and that it will inevitably suffer the same fate as a number of already-banned substances. “It’s going to be just like marijuana,” the investigator assured. “Every type of spice they can find with certain qualities is going to be regulated. If marijuana is already illegal and you have a drug similar to it that has worse side effects and is more addictive, then that’s definitely going to cause problems. But all of it [various strands of spice] will eventually be made illegal.”
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Book It
Augusta’s Top Stache is chosen When Augusta’s top mustaches assembled at the Country Club on June 28, they knew they were competing for a stash of loot and a heap of masculine glory, but they had no idea the Book of Man would be on site. The top contestants were immortalized in the fabled book, not only signing their names, but also drawing a likeness of their most distinctive attribute. From there, the great, handmade book chronicles the contestant’s overall scores on the following criteria: overall originality, mustache only, how the face looks while speaking, overall presentation and what turned out to be the deciding factor, the contestant’s thoughts on world peace or domination. The competition was close, but in the end, the potent combination of Nathan Klose’s distinctive stache and his hysterical dissertation on world Dalmatians put him over the top. Well played gentlemen. Well played.
Chris Rucker
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Marty Weidner
Nathan Klose
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Republican candidates state cases in Evans debate
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Audience members expecting a bare-knuckle free for all at the June 30 Columbia County District 12 Congressional debate went home disappointed. Though Augusta businessman Rick Allen and Evans real estate attorney Wright McLeod did spar briefly over Allen benefiting from the stimulus funding and McLeod being a part of the housing market process where mortgages were being bought by the federal government though Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac, neither seemed too committed to putting on a public show.
Though the Allen campaign has continued to hammer McLeod in the press, claiming campaign violations while revealing instances where McLeod voted for and contributed to Democratic candidates, onstage, Allen and the other candidates seldom strayed from their own messages. Given the number of audience members and their eagerness to learn about the candidates, that might have been a solid strategy. Not only has the Congressional race been competing for headlines with the Richmond County Sheriff’s race, many in attendance might have been Richmond County voters searching for a reason to refrain from voting Democrat themselves so they can have a say in that Sheriff’s race. Moderator Phil Kent, formerly the editorial page editor of the Augusta Chronicle and a wellknown conservative, started the event by poking the candidates in their perceived soft spots, asking Grovetown farmer Lee Anderson to have another go at the Federal Reserve question that tripped him up at the Statesboro forum, asking Wright McLeod to explain his vote for Democrat Bill Richardson and the $10,000 he and his wife contributed to Democrat candidate for attorney general Rob Teilhet and questioning Dublin attorney Maria Sheffield about how she could be so bothered by campaign “trackers.” MARIA SHEFFIELD 5JULY2012
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RICK ALLEN
Allen, who has himself cast Democratic votes and signed over checks to Democrats, was asked a question about e-verify, which seemed to some in attendance to be a softball, considering the other leadoff questions. During the meat of the debate, though, the candidates were able to articulate their messages while flying their conservative colors. Crafting believably conservative answers was especially important to McLeod, who of all candidates seemed to have suffered the most public abuse in recent weeks, though how effective it’s been remains to be seen. For McLeod, a former naval officer who flew as part of an F-14 crew in Iraq, questions about foreign policy and the military seemed to be the easiest for him to answer. “Obviously, national defense is the subject matter I am most comfortable with,” he said. “I believe in this country and I believe the primary role of the federal government is national defense. Politicians have taken that to mean trying to exert our will on other people, and we disguise that as nation building.” McLeod seemed to be able to use his personal experience to connect with the audience. “I fought in Iraq and you go in and you’ve trained and you’ve trained and you’ve trained and you welcome the opportunity to demonstrate your bravery and that you know what to do,” he said. “But you look back on it and you say, what are we doing? Does it protect us? Does it hurt us?” Allen took a similar view of nation building, though as in most of his answers, he steered it toward the economy, which seemed to be the subject he felt most comfortable talking about. “As far as our neighbors out there, wherever they might be,” he said. “You try to help them all you can, but you know what, folks — we have no money. This pace that we’re on is unsustainable.” Anderson, who consistently beat the drum of “I believe…,” while explaining his positions, said he believed it was time to bring the troops home. “We’re up against a wall and we must get our own country back on track,” he said. “If someone attacks this soil, yes — we go after them and we take care of business, but we don’t stay there. We come back home and build our country even stronger.” 5JULY2012
Sheffield, who declared herself the “clear winner” of the debate in an email sent while audience members were still milling around the lobby outside the Performing Arts Center at the Columbia County Library, came off seeming particularly confident about her answers on economic issues. “I believe we have to start with a fair and consistent tax policy,” she said. “If we don’t have fair and consistent tax policy, if our small business owners don’t have certainty, then they’re never going to hire. We’re never going to grow this economy, and that’s exactly what we’re going to have to do if we’re going to create jobs.” In contrast, Allen seemed to believe that a healthy economy was an answer in itself. “Once we get the economy growing, we’ve got to audit every area of this government and we’ve got to ask ourselves the tough questions,” he said. “As far as entitlements go, the more we grow the economy, the less people have a need for entitlements. WRIGHT McLEOD Once we get the economy going, we’ve got to deal with entitlements. The waste has got to stop.” McLeod painted a rather bleak vision of the economy, saying the nation is spending roughly $3.2 trillion a year, 60 percent of which has already been determined. “Of the 40 percent that’s left, a third LEE ANDERSON
of that is military, so you can’t take that off the table. So now you’re left with discretionary spending.” And a five to 10 percent cut in discretionary spending, he said, won’t accomplish a thing. “That doesn’t work,” he said. “Do the math. You’re not cutting anything. You’re not even hardly slowing the rate of increase in spending down.” The winner of the primary will face U.S. Rep. John Barrow in November, though with so many candidates, it’s likely there will be a runoff, which would be on August 21. AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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R.U.N.E ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED
GARY SINISE & THE LT. DAN BAND
The fireworks may be over, but if you’re still in a patriotic mood, then head to Fort Gordon’s Barton Field and take in a show by Gary Sinise & the Lt. Dan Band. This diverse group of Chicago musicians formed in 1997, when actor Sinise met composer Kimo Williams when the two worked on the same stage production. When they discovered they both loved the same kind of music, and that Sinise was an accomplished bass player, they began jamming with other musicians whenever possible. The group eventually began playing benefits for the U.S. military and at USO shows oversees. They named themselves after Sinise’s Oscar nominated turn as Lt. Daniel Taylor in 1994’s “Forrest Gump,” a character who was himself a wounded veteran and was as integral to the movie’s plot as the main character played by Tom Hanks. Lt. Dan would surely have some highly colorful expletives to share with those who may not want to make the trip to the show but, since it’s a free concert, there probably won’t be many of those. 20 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
Fort Gordon’s Barton Field THURSDAY, JULY 5 | 8 P.M. | FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
FORTGORDON.COM
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Annual Photography Exhibition shows through July 31 at the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History. Call 706-724-3576 or visit lucycraftlaneymuseum.com.
Music
Gary Sinise & The Lt. Dan Band perform Thursday, July 5, at 8 p.m. at Fort Gordon’s Barton Field. Free and open to the public. Visit fortgordon.com. The Columbia County Amateur Series, featuring Molly Hall, Larry Reed, Desiree Green and Emery Lee, is Friday, July 6, at 7 p.m. at the Columbia County Amphitheater. Call 706-868-3349 or visit columbiacountyga.gov. Augusta Amusements Big Band performs Saturday, July 7, at 7:30 p.m. at the Jabez S. Hardin Performing Arts Center in Evans. $20-$25. Call 706726-0366 or visit augustaamusements.com/events.htm. The Laughter, Love & Fiddle Tour, featuring Natalie Stovall and Paul Varghese, is Sunday, July 8, at 2 p.m. at Fort Gordon’s Alexander Hall. Free and open to the public. Visit fortgordon.com. Rhett Walker Band: Hometown Celebration Concert and CD Release Party is Sunday, July 8, at 6 p.m. at the USC-Aiken Convocation Center. $5-$10. Call 866-722-8877 or visit uscatix.com. 3 Sides of Jazz and Doc Easton Smooth Jazz perform as part of Garden City Jazz’s Candlelight Jazz Series on Sunday, July 8, at the 8th Street River Stage downtown at 8 p.m. Free. Visit gardencityjazz.com. 2012 Hopelands Summer Concert Series, featuring Swingsation, is Monday, July 9, at 7 p.m. at Hopelands Gardens in Aiken. Participants should bring lawn chairs and blankets. Free. Call 803-642-7631 or visit cityofaikensc.gov. Music in the Park, featuring Split Rail, is Thursday, July 12, at 7 p.m. at the Maude Edenfield Park in North Augusta. Free. Call 803-442-7588 or visit naartscouncil.org. An Evening of Traditional Irish Music featuring the Kane Sisters is Thursday, July 12, at 8 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Monte Sano Avenue. $15. Call 706-267-5416. The Augusta Mall’s Food Court Concert Series is each Saturday in July at 7 p.m. Call 706-733-1001 or visit augustamall.com.
ENTERTAIN
ME
Literary
East Central Georgia’s Summer Reading Program continues through July 20. Categories include Dream Big: Read! for children up to 12 years old, Own the Night for those ages 13-19 and Cover 2 Cover for adults. Visit any branch or ecgrl.org. Porter Fleming Literary Competition submissions are being accepted now through July 13. The competition is open to authors ages 18 and older from Georgia, Florida, Alabama, South Carolina and North Carolina, and categories include fiction, nonfiction, poetry and plays. Prizes totaling $7,000 will be awarded. Entry forms and guidelines can be found at themorris.org/porterfleming.html.
Theater
It’s a family affair at First Thursday at Midtown Market on Kings Way Thursday, July 5, from 5-8 p.m., with author Charmain Zimmerman Brackett signing copies of her book “The Key of Elyon,” and her brother and book cover designer, Leonard “Porkchop” Zimmerman, displaying his painting. Storyland Theatre will be the cup charity of the evening. Call 706-364-8479. Arts
Ladies Night Out at Artsy Me is Monday, July 9, from 7-10 p.m. Call 706432-6396. Call for Entries for the Augusta Photo Festival, which is October 27-November 4, is going on now through August 15. For contest rules and more information, visit augustaphotofestival.org/competition.html. Call 706-834-9742 or email info@augustaphotofestival.org.
Exhibitions
Works by Jesse Lee Vaughn and Lauryn Sprouse show in July at Gaartdensity Gallery downtown. An opening reception is Friday, July 6, at 7 p.m. Call 706-466-5166 or email gaartdensitygallery@rocketmail.com. Photography Outreach Camp Exhibition will be on display in the Morris Museum of Art’s Education Gallery July 3-29. An opening celebration is scheduled for Sunday, July 8, at 1:30 p.m. Call 706-724-7501 or visit themorris.org. Painters Freddie Flynt and Tricia Mayers exhibit their work at Sacred Heart Cultural Center through August 31. An opening reception, free and open to 5JULY2012
the public, is Thursday, July 12, from 5-7 p.m. Call 706-826-4700 or visit sacredheartaugusta.org. Friedman Branch Library Teen Photography Contest Exhibition shows at the library through July 24. Call 706-736-6758 or visit ecgrl.org. Hamburg: The Forgotten Town, an historical exhibit on the town which flourished on the South Carolina banks near the modern Fifth Street Bridge, shows June 28-August 24 at the Arts & Heritage Center of North Augusta. Call 803-441-4380 or visit artsandheritagecenter.com. Adult Student Art Exhibition shows through July 28 at the Aiken Center for the Arts. Call 803-641-9094 or visit aikencenterforthearts.org. ASU/NYC Art Exhibition, featuring manipulated photography and wall-sized painting created by ASU students, shows in the Mary S. Byrd Gallery of Art until July 23. Visit aug.edu. The Work of Ceramic Artist Kyungmin Park is on view through July 27 at the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art. Call 706-722-5495 or visit ghia.org.
eXtreme Theatre Games with Schrodinger’s Cat improv troupe is Friday, July 6, at 8 p.m. $8 in advance; $10 at the door, if available. Call 706-7223322 or visit lcnaugusta.com.
Flix
“The Wizard of Oz” shows Thursday, July 5, at 10:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. at North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library. Call 803-279-5767 or visit abbelib.org. “Hugo” shows Friday, July 6, at 10:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. at North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library. Call 803-279-5767 or visit abbe-lib.org. “High Noon” shows Friday, July 6, at noon as part of the Morris Museum’s Films on Friday Series. After the viewing, museum Director Kevin Grogan will lead a discussion. Participants are invited to bring lunch. Free. Call 706-724-7501 or visit themorris.org. “Hotel for Dogs” shows at 1 p.m. and “First Dog” shows at 3 p.m. on Friday, July 6, at the Aiken Public Library as part of their Dog Days of Summer Movie Fest. Call 803-642-2023 or visit abbe-lib.org. “The Muppets” shows Saturday, July 7, at 2 p.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Free popcorn included. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. Free Movie shows Tuesday, July 10, at 2:30 p.m. at the Harlem Branch Library. Call 706-556-9795 or visit ecgrl.org. “Certified Copy” shows Tuesday, July 10, at 6 p.m. at the Headquarters AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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Branch Library. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org.
Call 706-774-8931 or visit universityhealth.org.
“Diary of a Mad Black Woman” shows Tuesday, July 10, at 6:30 p.m. at North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library. Call 803-279-5767 or visit abbe-lib.org.
Fresh Start Smoking Cessation meets Tuesdays, July 10-31, at 6 p.m. at University Hospital. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-774-8094 or visit universityhealth.org.
“Megamind” shows Wednesday, July 11, at 1 p.m. as part of the Family Movie Matinee series. Free. Visit columbiacountyga.gov. “Les Contes D’Hoffman” shows Wednesday, July 11, at 6:30 p.m. at Regal Augusta Exchange Stadium 20 as part of the Met: Live in HD series. Visit regmovies.com. “Stomp Out Loud” shows Thursday, July 12, at 6:30 p.m. at North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library. Call 803-279-5767 or visit abbe-lib.org. “Nicky’s Family” shows Thursday, July 12, at 7 p.m. at the Augusta Jewish Community Center as part of the Augusta Jewish Film Festival. $10. Visit augustajcc.org. Monday Movie Matinees show at 2 p.m. at the Diamond Lakes Branch Library. Participants are invited to bring their own snacks. Call 706-772-2432 or visit ecgrl.org.
Special Events
First Thursday at Midtown Market on Kings Way is Thursday, July 5, from 5-8 p.m. and features author Charmain Zimmerman Brackett signing copies of her book “The Key of Elyon,” the work of featured artist Leonard “Porkchop” Zimmerman and Storyland Theatre as the cup charity. Call 706-364-8479. First Friday, a family friendly evening of shopping, arts and crafts vendors, live entertainment and more, is Friday, July 6, from 5-9 p.m. between 7th and 12th streets on Broad downtown. Call 706-826-4702 or visit augustaarts.com. First Friday Wine Tasting is Friday, July 6, from 5-8 p.m. at Wine World in North Augusta. Featuring six wines, the drop-in tasting is $5, with a $3 rebate upon purchase of a featured wine. Call 803-279-9522 or visit wineworldsc.com. First Saturday at Mercy Thrift Story, 1621 15th Street is Saturday, July 7, from 2-6 p.m. and features free Bingo, prizes and more. Call 706-432-8452.
Health
Cribs for Kids, a class that teaches caregivers about providing infants with a safe sleep environment, is Thursday, July 5, from 5:45-8 p.m. at GHSU’s Building 1010C. Families who can demonstrate a financial need will receive a portable crib, fitted sheet, sleep sac and pacifier for $10. Pre-registration required. Call 706721-7606 or visit georgiahealth.org/safekids. Baby Care Basics and Breastfeeding Class is Saturday, July 7, from 9 a.m.-noon at Trinity Hospital of Augusta. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-4817727 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. Family Focused Childbirth Tours are Monday, July 9, from 2-3 p.m. at Trinity Hospital of Augusta. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-481-7727 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. Breast Self-Exam Class is Monday, July 9, at 4 p.m. at University Hospital. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-774-4141 or visit universityhealth.org. Total Joint Replacement Educational Talk is Tuesday, July 10, at 1:30 p.m. at Doctors Hospital. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-651-4343 or visit doctors-hospital.net. Pre-Op Spine Education Class is Tuesday, July 10, at 3:30 p.m. at Doctors Hospital. Free, but preregistration required. Call 706-651-4343 or visit doctors-hospital.net. Weight Loss Surgery and You is Tuesday, July 10, at 6 p.m. at University Hospital. Free, but pre-registration required. 22 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
Infant CPR Class is Tuesday, July 10, at 6 p.m. at Trinity Hospital of Augusta. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-481-7727 or visit trinityofaugusta.com. Breastfeeding Class is Tuesday, July 10, at 6 p.m. at Aiken Regional Medical Centers. $5; pre-registration required. Call 800-322-8322 or visit aikenregional.com. Childbirth Preparation Class meets Tuesdays, July 10-31, at 7 p.m. at University Hospital. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-774-2825 or visit universityhealth.org. Ready and Able, a three-session class for those in their third trimester of pregnancy, meets Tuesdays, July 10-24, at 7 p.m. at Doctors Hospital. Pre-registration required. Call 706-651-2229 or visit doctors-hospital.net. Childbirth Tours are Tuesday, July 10, at 7:30 p.m. at GHSU’s Medical Center. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-721-9351 or visit georgiahealth.org. Car Seat Class is Thursday, July 12, at 5:45 p.m. at MCGHealth Building 1010C. $10; pre-registration required. Call 706-721-7606 or visit georgiahealth. org/kids. Bariatric Seminar is Thursday, July 12, at 6 p.m. at Doctors Hospital. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-651-4343 or visit doctors-hospital.net. Brain Injury Support Group meets Thursday, July 12, at 6 p.m. at NeuroRestorative Georgia. Call 706-8290370 or visit wrh.org. Women’s Center Tour is Thursday, July 12, at 7 p.m. at University Hospital. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-774-2825 or visit universityhealth.org. Weight Loss Surgery Seminar is Thursday, July 12, at 7 p.m. at the Columbia County Library. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-721-2609 or visit georgiahealth.org/weightloss. Babies, Bumps and Bruises, an infant care class, is Thursday, July 12, at 7 p.m. at Doctors Hospital. Pre-registration required. Call 706-651-2229 or visit doctors-hospital.net. Center for Women Tour is Thursday, July 12, at 7 p.m. at Doctors Hospital. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 706-651-2229 or visit doctors-hospital.net.
Support
Amputee Support Group meets Thursday, July 5, at noon at Walton Rehabilitation Hospital. An amputee clinic will be held immediately following at 1 p.m. Call 706-823-8504 or visit wrh.org. Pink Magnolias Breast Cancer Support Group meets Monday, July 9, at 6:30 p.m. at University Hospital. Call 706-774-4141 or visit universityhealth.org. Men’s Breast Cancer Support Group meets Monday, July 9, at 7 p.m. at University Hospital. Call 706-7744141 or visit universityhealth.org. Aiken Cares Alzheimer’s Support Group meets Tuesday, July 10, at 11 a.m. at Cumberland Village Library. Call 800-322-8322 or visit aikenregional.com. Caregiver Support Group meets Tuesday, July 10, at 3 p.m. at Doctors Hospital. Call 706-651-2283 or visit doctors-hospital.net. Let’s Talk Cancer Support Group meets Tuesday, July 10, at 5:30 p.m. at GHSU’s Cancer Center. Call 706721-0550 or visit georgiahealth.org. 5JULY2012
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OB/GYN Cancer Support Group meets Tuesday, July 10, at 7 p.m. at University Hospital. Call 706-821-2944 or visit universityhealth.org.
Peace Corps Volunteer Information Session is Monday, July 9, at 6 p.m. at the Friedman Branch Library. Call 706-736-6758 or visit ecgrl.org.
Bariatric Support Group meets Wednesday, July 11, at 6 p.m. at Aiken Regional Medical Centers. Preregistration required. Call 803-641-5751 or visit aikenregional.com.
SRS Public Tours, including an overview presentation, safety briefing, Savannah River Ecology Lab tour and general driving tour, are Tuesday, July 10, from 12:304:30 p.m. Pre-registration required. Call 803-9528994 or email laurie.posey@srs.gov.
ALS Support Lunch and Learn is Thursday, July 12, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at GHSU’s Medical Office Building. Pre-registration required. Call 706-721-2681 or visit georgiahealth.org. Breast Cancer Support Group meets Thursday, July 12, at 5:30 p.m. at GHSU’s Cancer Center. Call 706-7214109 or visit georgiahealth.org. Cancer Survivor Support Group meets Thursday, July 12, at 6 p.m. at Augusta Oncology Associates. Call 706-6512283 or visit doctors-hospital.net.
Education
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Young Professionals of Augusta Meeting, free and open to the public, is Tuesday, July 10, at 5:30 p.m. at the Partridge Inn. Guest speaker is GHSU President Dr. Ricardo Azziz. Visit ypaugusta.com. The Titleholder’s Tournament and the Beginning of the LPGA, a lecture from Bill Bottomley that is part of the Brown Bag History Series, is Wednesday, July 11, at 12:30 p.m. at the Augusta Museum of History. Participants should bring a lunch and the museum will provide beverages. Free, members; $3, non-members. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org.
A Petersburg Boat Pilot, part of the Voices of the Past series, is Saturday, July 7, at 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. at the Augusta Museum of History. Free with museum admission. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org.
Social Networking for Adults Class is Wednesday, July 11, at 6 p.m. at the Diamond Lakes Branch Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-772-2432 or visit ecgrl.org.
Tangled Threads quilting demonstration is Sunday, July 8, from 1-4 p.m. at the Augusta Museum of History. Call 706-722-8454 or visit augustamuseum.org.
Safe Boating Course, hosted by Savannah River Sail and Power Squadron, is Saturday, July 7, from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Boathouse on Riverfront Drive. $40 registration fee includes instruction, course materials and refreshments. Pre-registration required. Call 706737-8113 or email pharris@aug.edu.
Beginners Computer Class is Monday, July 9, from 10 a.m.-noon at the Headquarters Branch Library. Valid PINES card and pre-registration required. Call 706821-2604 or visit ecgrl.org. PowerPoint for Beginners class is Monday, July 9, from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Valid PINES card and pre-registration required. Call 706-821-2604 or visit ecgrl.org.
Sports-Outdoors
Swamp Saturday, a free 2.5 mile, 1.5 hour guided hike at Phinizy Swamp, is Saturday, July 7, at 9:30 a.m. Call 706-828-2109 or visit naturalsciencesacademy.org. One Mile Fun Walk, sponsored by the Walk a Mile a Day for Life Walking Club, is Saturday, July 7, at 10 a.m. at
Come in for a tour TODAY!
353 N. Belair Rd | Evans M O R N I N G S I D E O F E V A N S . C O M 24 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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the corner of Broad and 13th streets downtown. Sign in is at 9:30 a.m. at Sweet Lou’s Crab Shack. Free, but pre-registration required. Call 803221-1339 or email walkamileaday@hotmail.com. Adaptive Golf Clinic is Tuesday, July 10, from 10 a.m.-noon at First Tee of Augusta. Call 706-826-5809 or email alsalley@wrh.org. The Augusta GreenJackets play the Greenville Drive Tuesday-Thursday, July 10-12, at 7:05 p.m. at Lake Olmstead Stadium. $7-$11. Call 706-7367889 or visit greenjacketsbaseball.com. Free Canal Boat Tours are available to teachers throughout the month of July, Teacher Appreciation Month. The daily tours last about an hour and depart at 9, 10:15 and 11:30 a.m., as well as 1:30 p.m. and include free admission to the Canal Interpretive Center Reservations suggested. Call 706-823-0440, ext. 4, or visit augustacanal.com.
Kids
Storytime at HQ with Helen Blocker Adams is Thursday, July 5, at 10 a.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. Craft Workshop for ages 5-8 is Thursday, July 5, at 11 a.m. at the Appleby Branch Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-736-6244 or visit ecgrl.org. Patriotic Music with the Signal Corps Band is Friday, July 6, at 10 a.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. After Hours Scavenger Hunt for Teens is Friday, July 6, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. A snack supper is included, and preregistration is required. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org. Wild Wild Westival, part of the Artrageous! Family Sunday Series, is Sunday, July 8, from noon-4 p.m. at the Morris Museum of Art. Free. Call 706-7247501 or visit themorris.org. Karaoke Young Adult Program is Monday, July 9, at 5:30 p.m. at the Euchee Creek Branch Library. Call 706-556-0594 or visit ecgrl.org. Books’n Bling, a craft program in which participants will make jewelry out of keyboards and more, is Monday, July 9, at 7 p.m. at North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library. Pre-registration required. Call 803-279-5767 or visit abbe-lib.org. The Diamond Lakes Puppet Players perform for kids ages 3-10 at the Diamond Lakes Branch Library on Tuesday, July 10, at 10 a.m. Preregistration required. Call 706-772-2432 or visit ecgrl.org. Mr. Bill and His Guitar George: Stories and Songs is Tuesday, July 10, at 10
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a.m. at the Friedman Branch Library. Call 706-736-6758 or visit ecgrl.org. Jazz 4 Kids, an interactive class for those ages 5-10 is Tuesday, July 10, at 10 a.m. at Fort Gordon’s Woodworth Consolidated Library and features the book “Mysterious Thelonious.” Pre-registration required. Call 706-7870230 or visit fortgordon.com. Officer Bethune Reads to You is Tuesday, July 10, at 10:30 a.m. at the Appleby Branch Library. Call 706-736-6244 or visit ecgrl.org. Singing the Night Away, a karaoke contest for teens, is Tuesday, July 10, from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Maxwell Branch Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-793-2020 or visit ecgrl.org. Nurturing Nature Walk for kids ages 3-5 is Wednesday, July 11, at 9:30 a.m. at Reed Creek Park. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Free, members; $2 per child, non-members. Call 706-210-4027 or visit reedcreekpark.com. Reptiles and Amphibians, featuring Sean Poppy from the Savannah River Ecology Lab, is a children’s program at the Maxwell Branch Library on Wednesday, July 11, at 10 a.m. Call 706-793-2020 or visit ecgrl.org. Bricks 4 Kids, a Lego program, is Wednesday, July 11, at 10 a.m. at the Wallace Branch Library. Call 706-722-6275 or visit ecgrl.org. The Sheriff’s Department visits the Appleby Branch Library on Wednesday, July 11, at 10:30 a.m. Call 706-736-6244 or visit ecgrl.org. “Chicken Little,” a Porkchop Production, shows Wednesday, July 11, at 10:30 a.m. at North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library. Call 803-279-5767 or visit abbe-lib.org.
Massage Room for Rent.
Gorgeous newly renovated, 10 room massage practice. located across Lady A Amphitheatre (Evans)
for details: 706.651.0202 ashley@gatherapeuticmassage.com
Native American Tales, part of the What’s in the Box? series, is Thursday, July 12, at 10 a.m. at the Morris Museum of Art. Museum family members and parents, free; non-members, $4. Pre-registration required. Call 706724-7501 or visit themorris.org. Story Time @HQ is Thursday, July 12, at 10 a.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Call 706-821-2600 or visit ecgrl.org.
Portman’s Rock Band Concert is Thursday, July 12, at 3 p.m. at the Columbia County Library. Call 706-863-1946 or visit ecgrl.org.
Creepy Critters with the Savannah River Ecology Lab is Wednesday, July 11, at 2 and 3 p.m. at the Aiken County Public Library. Call 803-642-2023 or visit abbe-lib.org.
The Zombie Games, a young adult program in which participants will test their survival skills, is Thursday, July 12, at 4 p.m. at the Aiken Public Library. Call 803-642-2023 or visit abbe-lib.org. TV and Film Summer Camp, for those ages 8-17, is July 9-13 and July 16-20 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at Paine College. $100; pre-registration required. Call 706-631-1981 or visit georgiafabulousevents.com/upcomingevents.html.
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Scholarships available for the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Arts Summer Arts Camps on July 9-13 and July 16-23. Open to children ages 5-11, full and partial tuition scholarship are available, and those interested can call or visit the GHIA to request a scholarship application. Call 706-722-5495 or visit ghia.org. In My Backyard shows Saturdays in July at 8 p.m. and Digistar Laser Fantasy shows Saturdays in July at 9 p.m. at the DuPont Planetarium in Aiken. Digistar shows are $5.50, adults; $4.50, seniors; $3.50, 4K-12the grade students; $1, USC-A students, faculty and staff. General shows are $4.50, adults; $3.50, seniors; $2.50, 4K-12th grade students; and $1, USC-A students, faculty and staff. Call 803-641-3654 or visit http://rpsec. usca.edu/planetarium. Fully Persuaded, the second annual Sanctified Diva Conference, is Thursday-Friday, July 12-13, at 7 p.m. at New Life Worship Center in Hephzibah. Danielle Harris is the host of the conference, which is free and open to the public. Call 706-796-7880 or visit newlife-worshipcenter.org.
Volunteers
Call for a free quote today!
Andrew Jones 706.833.3060
Jimmy Link Basketball Camp, for those ages 6-15, is July 9-12 from 9 a.m.1 p.m. at Riverview Park in North Augusta. Pre-registration required. Call 706-945-1361 or email jlink@paine.edu.
Spiritual
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Simply Science, a hands-on program for those ages 5 and up, is Thursday, July 12, at 10 a.m. at Reed Creek Park. Children must be accompanied by an adult and pre-registration is required. Free, members; $2 per child, non-members. Call 706-210-4027 or visit reedcreekpark.com.
Therapy Dogs is a children’s program at the Columbia County Library on Wednesday, July 11, at 2 p.m. Call 706-863-1946 or visit ecgrl.org.
35 Years Experience
therapeutic massage
American Red Cross Babysitter’s Training, for those ages 11-15, is Thursday, July 12, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at Aiken Regional Medical Centers. $30; preregistration required. Call 800-322-8322 or visit aikenregional.com.
“Chicken Little,” a Porkchop Production, shows for ages 4-12 at the Diamond Lakes Branch Library on Thursday, July 12, at 10 a.m. Call 706772-2432 or visit ecgrl.org.
All Yard Work
georgia
Safe Sitter, a class for those ages 11-13, is Thursday, July 12, from 9 a.m.4 p.m. at Doctors Hospital. Pre-registration required. Call 706-651-4343 or visit doctors-hospital.net.
Self Defense for Teens is Wednesday, July 11, at 2 p.m. at the Columbia County Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-447-7660 or visit ecgrl.org.
706.466.3027
BY THE HEAD GATES
Creatures of the Night, a program for those ages 5-9 that includes a craft, is Wednesday, July 11, at 3 p.m. at the Maxwell Branch Library. Preregistration required. Call 706-793-2020 or visit ecgrl.org.
Jazz 4 Kids, an interactive class for those ages 5-10 is Thursday, July 12, at 10 a.m. at Friedman Branch Library and features the book “When Louis Armstrong Taught Me Scat.” Pre-registration required. Call 706-736-6758 or visit ecgrl.org.
CALL FOR RATES AND AVAILABILITY
THE BICYCLE PEDDLER
Wii Games for Kids is Wednesday, July 11, at 2:30 p.m. at the Harlem Branch Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-556-9795 or visit ecgrl.org.
Bead Craft Workshop for teens is Wednesday, July 11, from 2-4 p.m. at the Headquarters Branch Library. Pre-registration required. Call 706-8212600 or visit ecgrl.org.
FRIDAY - MONDAY
706.373.4519
“When I Grow Up,” a Dream Big Puppet Show, shows Wednesday, July 11, at 2:30 p.m. at the Euchee Creek Branch Library. Call 706-556-0594 or visit ecgrl.org.
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Volunteer Training is Monday, July 9, and Wednesday, July 11, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at CareSouth Hospice’s office on Fury’s Ferry Road. Free. Call 706854-7417 or email dporter@caresouth.com.
If you would like to see your organization’s events listed in our calendar, please email Amy Christian at amy@themetrospirit.com. The deadline for each Thursday’s issue is the previous Friday at noon. AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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Call Livelinks. The hottest place to meet the coolest people.
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Locally Owned & Operated 5JULY2012
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IN MUSIC
red, white & the Blue. burgers & BBq. rock n roll too.
The Library Goes Out in Style
we love the
uS of a!
4TH OF JULY KICKOFF s *!3/. 7()4% s -!44 !#/34! s -)#(!%, 0!44%23/. "!.$ s ")' " 4(% 34).'%23
STOP IN FOR DINNER AND STICK AROUND FOR OUR LATE NIGHT LIVE MUSIC! 19K@AF?LGF ,< c 1#& www.wildwingcafe.com 28 METROSPIRITAUGUSTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
A couple hundred people witnessed the closing of a bar in rare fashion last week. The Library, formally The Vue, officially closed its doors last Wednesday night to a packed crowd there to see the bands Crossfade, Weaving the Fate and Candlelight Red. For most people who had been to the Library lately, you could see the closing coming. The last couple months had been up in the air for the place, and definitely down in attendance. From changing its name, canning almost the entire staff and remodeling the interior, you could tell that even the Library was unsure of its future and direction. At the first sign of change to what was the Vue, I was excited. I heard of bigger and better things to come for the place, everything from a pure rock venue to a comedy bar. But unfortunately, even with a new name and look, the buzz was gone. The bar had done all this work and somehow remained the same bar, minus the crowd. My guess is thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when the bar became open for bids and a couple local entrepreneurs snagged up the place. So how do you celebrate the sale of your business? You celebrate with a rock concert and all you can drink for $15. Sounds like a good deal right? Well here is how my ordering went that night: can I have a Michelob Ultra? Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re out of that, the bartender replied. Can I have a Miller Lite? Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re out of that, she replied again. So for the first time in my life, I blinded ordered a light beer. I bet when the doors finally shut on The Library, the cooler was as empty as the bar. I wish all the best for everyone who worked at the Vue/Library, especially the owner, Robbie. Robbie has always treated me, and everyone Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve come across, great. Maybe weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see Robbie come back one day with that bigger plan. As for the new owners, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m excited to see what comes out of the space. Rumors are out that it will be called Surrey Live. I like the sound of that. As it was the final night for the Vue/Library, it was also the final night for local promoter Mike Garrett. Along with being responsible for bringing Crossfade to town, Mike has spent years bringing in great bands to the CSRA, but has decided to throw in his promoter hat and focus on booking and managing bands. Mike is booking bands like Straight Line Stitch all over the country, so if any new promoters are looking for some great bands, contact Mike at augustabooking@gmail.com. I hope continued success for Mike, and I hope a new promoter steps up to take his place because I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to miss out on any shows. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking for something to do this weekend, enjoy an acoustic set from Jerod Gay. Jerod will be live at Joeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Undergroud Saturday, July 7. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a 21 and up show with no cover. Want something a little louder? Do not miss Those Darlins with Baby Baby at Sky City, also on Saturday night. I hear nothing but good things about the bands. I expect to hear reports. And last I have some sad news. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t cover Southern Gospel much, but Andy Griffith passed away. Along with being a famous actor, Griffith was a Grammy Award winning gospel singer. So rest in peace, Andy Griffith; your theme song was my third go-to whistle song behind â&#x20AC;&#x153;Patienceâ&#x20AC;? by Guns Nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Roses and the Jeopardy theme. What shows am I missing out on? Where is your band playing? Too cool to advertise? Email me at matt@themetrospirit.com and let me know whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s up!
MATTSTONE can be heard weekdays from 2-6 p.m. on 95 Rock. 5JULY2012
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Thursday, July 5 Live Music
Barton Field (Fort Gordon) - Gary Sinise & The Lt. Dan Band Coyote’s - Rhes Reeves French Market Grille West - Doc Easton Smooth Jazz Joe’s Underground - Villanova Junction Band Mellow Mushroom (Downtown and Evans) - Live and Local O Lounge - Jazmine Soul Band The Playground - Dale Lewis Jr. Polo Tavern - Brent Lundy Sector 7G- Swamps, Narratives, Discourse, Hate Your Guts, Distrust, Convuluted, Coastlines, Akira Somewhere in Augusta - County Line Surrey Tavern - Crowfield Wild Wing - Matt Acosta The Willcox - Classic Jazz
What’s Tonight?
Casa Blanca - Thursday Tango Club Argos - Karaoke Cocktails Lounge - Karaoke Coyote’s - Karaoke Fishbowl Lounge - Karaoke Fox’s Lair - Soup, Suds & Conversations Helga’s Pub & Grille - Trivia The Highlander - Butt Naked Trivia The Loft - Karaoke The Playground - Open Mic Malibu Jack’s - Sports Trivia with Mike Thomas Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Evans) - Karaoke The Playground - Open Mic with Brandy Shannon’s - Karaoke Sky City - Open Mic Night Soul Bar - Boom Box Dance Party Villa Europa - Karaoke Wooden Barrel - ’80s Night Karaoke
Friday, July 6 Live Music
100 Laurens - Mike Frost Duo 1102 - John Berret’s LaRoxes Carolina Ale House - Jim Perkins Casa Blanca - Chris Hardy Columbia County Amphitheatre - Molly Hall, Larry Reid, Desiree Green, Emery Lee Cotton Patch - Old Man Crazy Country Club - Cole Taylor Fox’s Lair - Ke-Su French Market Grille West - Doc Easton Joe’s Underground - Swyrv Midtown Lounge - The Unmentionables PI Bar & Grill - Jazz Duo Pizza Joint (Evans) - Summer Jam Music Sessions Polo Tavern - Reverse Effect Shannon’s - The Southern Meltdown Band Somewhere in Augusta - John Kolbeck Wild Wing - Shine Box
What’s Tonight?
Cocktails Lounge - Grown-Up Fridays with DJ Cork and Bull Pub - Karaoke Eagle’s Nest - Free Salsa Lessons; Latin Dance Party First Round - DJ Kris Fisher Fishbowl Lounge - Karaoke Iron Horse Bar & Grill - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke with Ryan Moseley Mi Rancho (Washington Road) - Karaoke with Jeff Barnes 5JULY2012
Mi Rancho (Clearwater) - Three J’s Karaoke Ms. Carolyn’s - Karaoke Palmetto Tavern - DJ Tim Rebeck’s Hideaway - Open Mic Roadrunner Cafe - Karaoke with Steve Chappel Sector 7G - The Fence Sitters present: Raiders of the Lost Rave w/ Number5, LinearNorth, and Polyphase Sky City - ’80s Night Wheels - Live DJ Wooden Barrel - Karaoke Contest
Saturday, July 7 Live Music
100 Laurens - Celia & Eli 1102 - Southern Conduct The Acoustic Coffeehouse - Open Acoustic Jam Session with Eryn Eubanks and the Family Fold Cotton Patch - Erica Sunshine Lee Country Club - Faith Jackson Jabez S. Hardin Performing Arts Center - Augusta Amusements Big Band Joe’s Underground - Jerod Gay P.I. Bar and Grill - Not Gaddy Jazz with Pam Bowman Polo Tavern - Jim Fisher Band Shannon’s - Ke-Ju, Perfect Picture Sky City - Those Darlins, Baby Baby Wild Wing - Emry Lee Band
What’s Tonight?
Club Argos - Variety Show Cocktails Lounge - Latin Night Fishbowl Lounge - Karaoke Fox’s Lair - Karaoke with Mario and Birkie Helga’s Pub & Grille - Trivia The Loft - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke with Rockin Rob Mi Rancho (Clearwater) - Karaoke with Danny Haywood Mi Rancho (Washington Road) - Karaoke Ms. Carolyn’s - Karaoke Robbie’s - Saturday Night Dance Party Somewhere in Augusta - UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen II Wheels - Live DJ Wooden Barrel - Kamikaze Karaoke
Sunday, July 8 Live Music
5 O’Clock Bistro - Buzz and Candice (brunch) 8th Street Riverfront Stage - 3 Sides of Jazz, Doc Easton Smooth Jazz Alexander Hall (Fort Gordon) - Natalie Stovall, Paul Varghese The Cotton Patch - Keith Gregory (brunch) Patridge Inn - Sunday Evening Jazz w/ the Not Gaddy Jazz Trio USC-Aiken Convocation Center - Rhett Walker Band The Willcox - Jazz Jam Session Wild Wing - Swingin’ Richards
What’s Tonight?
Caribbean Soul - Love Jones Sundays Malibu Jack’s - Karaoke with Mike Swift Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Washington Road) - Karaoke, Salsa Dancing Shannon’s - Karaoke with Peggy Gardner
Monday, July 9 Live Music
Hopelands Gardens - Swingsation Shannon’s - Open Mic Night
The Laughter, Love & Fiddle Tour, featuring singer and fiddle player Natalie Stovall and comedian Paul Varghese, is Sunday, July 8, at 2 p.m. at Fort Gordon’s Alexander Hall. Free and open to the public. Visit fortgordon.com.
What’s Tonight?
Applebee’s (Evans) - Trivia Club Argos - Karaoke Malibu Jack’s - Trivia with Mike Thomas Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Trivia with Mike Thomas Somewhere In Augusta - Poker Tournaments Wild Wing - Trivia
Tuesday, July 10 Live Music
The First Round - Stoney Cannon The Fox’s Lair - John Fisher The Highlander - Open Mic Night Wild Wing - Will Erickson The Willcox - Piano Jazz
What’s Tonight?
Club Argos - Karaoke Fishbowl Lounge - Dart League Laura’s Backyard Tavern - Karaoke w/ David Doane Malibu Jack’s - Karaoke with Denny Mellow Mushroom (Downtown and Evans) - Trivia The Playground - Truly Twisted Trivia with Big Troy Polo Tavern - Karaoke w/ Joe Caudle Shannon’s - Karaoke with Mike Johnson Somewhere In Augusta - Big Prize Trivia
Wednesday, July 11 Live Music
Hopelands Gardens - Brass To The Future Joe’s Underground - Sibling String Wild Wing - Patterson & Nale
What’s Tonight?
Club Argos - Santoni’s Satin Dolls Cocktails Lounge - Augusta’s Got Talent Cotton Patch - Trivia and Tunes Coyote’s - Drink N Drown w/ Snow Bunny Bikini Contest Hotel Aiken - Karaoke w/ Tom Mitchell Laura’s Backyard Tavern - Karaoke w/ David Doane The Loft - Karaoke Malibu Jack’s - DJ Mike Swift Midtown Lounge - Karaoke w. Charles O’Byrne Mi Rancho (Downtown) - Karaoke Mi Rancho (Washington Road) - Karaoke with Rockin’ Rob The Playground - Krazy Karaoke with Big Troy Polo Tavern - Karaoke w/ Tom Mitchell Somewhere in Augusta - Comedy Zone w/ Ward Anderson and Mary Asher
Upcoming
Split Rail- Maude Edenfield Park July 12 Betsy Franck - Surrey Tavern July 12
False Flag - Wild Wing July 12 Dennis & Misty - Polo Tavern July 12 Keith Gregory - Cotton Patch July 13 Larry Frick - Country Club July 13 The Tams, Swinginn Medallions & Drifters Concert Lady Antebellum Pavillion July 13 The Suex Effect - Midtown Lounge July 13 Hear No Evil, DJ Fugi, DJ Rana, DJ Jeff Edwards Sky City July 13 The Burning Angels - Stillwater Tap Room July 13 Perfect Picture - Surrey Tavern July 13 John Kolbeck Band - Polo Tavern July 13 McKinley Band - Polo Tavern July 14 Doug and The Henrys - Hopelands Gardens July 18 Preston and Weston - Maude Edenfield Park July 19 Concrete Jumpsuit - Surrey Tavern - July 19 Old Man Crazy - Polo Tavern July 19 Susan Chase, Miranda P., Hillman/Flores, & Modern Day Drama- Columbia County Ampitheatre July 20 Hot Rod Walt and the Psycho-DeVilles - The Loft July 20 Cosmic Charlie (Grateful Dead Tribute) - Surrey Tavern July 20 Zeeny Cobb - Polo Tavern July 20 Celia & Eli - 100 Laurens July 20 Jim Fisher Band - Polo Tavern July 21 The Welfare Liners - Stillwater Taproom July 27 Mike Frost Duo - 100 Laurens July 27 Machine Funk (Widespread Tribute) - Surrey Tavern July 27-28 Irritating Julie - Polo Tavern July 27-28 John Kolbeck - 100 Laurens July 28 The Southern Meltdown Band - Laura’s Backyard Tavern June 29 John Berret’s LaRoxes - Iron Horse Bar and Grill July 22 John Berret’s LaRoxes - 1102 July 27 John Kolbeck - Polo Tavern August 2 AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
METROSPIRIT 29
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CANCER (June 21-July 22)
The epic breadth of your imagination is legendary. And yet now and then there do come times when your fantasies should be set aside so you may soak up the teachings that flow your way when you physically venture outside of your comfort zone. Now is such a moment. Please don’t take a merely virtual break in the action. Get yourself away from it all, even if it’s only to the marvelous diversion or magic sanctuary on the other side of town.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
In Norse mythology, Fenrir was a big bad wolf that the gods were eager to keep tied up. In the beginning they tried to do it with metal chains, but the beast broke free. Then they commissioned the dwarves to weave a shackle out of a bear’s sinews, a bird’s spit, a fish’s breath, a mountain’s root, a woman’s beard and the sound a cat’s paws made as it walked. This magic fetter was no thicker than a silk ribbon, but Fenrir couldn’t escape from it. As you deal with your current dilemma, don’t try to fight strength with strength. Instead, use art, craft, subtlety and trickery. Three will probably be enough. Two might even work fine.
acknowledge its validity and importance. Doing so will reveal a secret that will help you attend to your special need with just the right touch.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Due to the pressure-packed influences currently coming to bear on your destiny, you have Official Cosmic Permission to fling three dishes against the wall. You also have clearance to hurl rocks in the direction of heaven, throw darts at photos of your nemeses and cram a coconut cream pie into your own face. Taking actions like these should be just the initial phase of your master plan for the week. In the next phase, you should capitalize on all the energy you’ve made available for yourself through purgative acts like the ones I mentioned. Dream and scheme about how you will liberate yourself from things that make you angry and frustrated.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
This is a time when your personal actions will have more power than usual to affect the world around you. The ripples you set in motion could ultimately touch people you don’t even know and transform situations you’re not part of. Be on your best behavior. Not necessarily your mildest, most polite behavior, mind you. Rather, be brave, impeccable, full of integrity and a little wild.
Check to see if you’re having any of the following symptoms: 1. sudden eruptions of gratitude; 2. a declining fascination with conflict; 3. seemingly irrational urges that lead you to interesting discoveries; 4. yearnings to peer more deeply into the eyes of people you care about; 5. a mounting inability to tolerate boring influences that resist transformation; 6. an increasing knack for recognizing and receiving the love that’s available to you. If you’re experiencing at least three, you are certifiably in close alignment with the cosmic flow, and should keep doing what you’ve been doing. If none of these symptoms have been sweeping through you, get yourself adjusted.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
Goldfish that are confined in small aquariums stay small. Those that spend their lives in ponds get much bigger. What can we conclude from these facts? The size and growth rate of goldfish are directly related to their environment. If you want to take maximum advantage of your potential, you will be wise to put yourself in spacious situations that encourage you to expand. For an extra boost, surround yourself with broad-minded, uninhibited people who have worked hard to heal their wounds.
Members of the Nevada Republican Party have concocted a bizarre version of family values. A large majority of them are opposed to gay marriage and yet are all in favor of legal brothels. Their wacky approach to morality is as weird as that of the family values crowd in Texas, which thinks it’s wrong to teach adolescents about birth control even though this has led to a high rate of teen pregnancies. Reject the conventional wisdom as you clarify what that term means to you. Deepen and strengthen your moral foundation.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Over the years, you’ve explored some pretty exotic, even strange ideas about what characterizes a good time. In the coming days, I’m guessing you will add to your colorful tradition with some rather unprecedented variations on the definition of “pleasure” and “happiness.” I don’t mean to imply that this is a problem. To paraphrase the Wiccan credo, as long as it harms no one (including yourself), anything goes.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
There come times in your life when you have a sacred duty to be open to interesting tangents and creative diversions; times when it makes sense to wander around aimlessly with wonder in your eyes and be alert for unexpected clues that grab your attention. But this is not one of those times. You really do need to stay focused on what you promised yourself you would concentrate on. The temptation may be high to send out sprays of arrows at several different targets, but stick to one target and take careful aim with your best shots.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
There’s a term for people who have the ardor of a nymphomaniac in their efforts to gather useful information: infomaniac. That’s exactly what you should be in the coming week. You need data and evidence, and you need them in abundance. What you don’t know would definitely hurt you, so make sure you find out everything you need to know. Be as thorough as a spy, as relentless as a muckraking journalist and as curious as a child. P.S. See if you can set aside as many of your strong opinions and emotional biases as possible. Otherwise they might distort your quest for the raw truth. Your word of power is empirical.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
No one is more talented than you at the art of avoiding boredom. And you could teach a master course in how to weasel out of strenuous work without looking like a weasel. None of those virtues will come in handy during the coming week, however. You should concentrate very hard on not skipping any steps. You should follow the rules, stick to the plan and dedicate yourself to the basics. Finish what you start.
I’ve been meditating on a certain need that you have been neglecting, a need that has been chronically underestimated, belittled or ignored, by both you and others. I am hoping that this achy longing will soon be receiving some of your smart attention and tender care. One good way to get the process started is simply to
ROBBREZSNY FREEWILLASTROLOGY@FREEWILLASTROLOGY.COM 30 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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Michael Johnson
mejphoto.photoreflect.com
Katelyn Hayes, Jessica Sanders and Lindsay Fore at the Loft.
SIGHTINGS
Rob Collins, Lauren Johnson and Cody Chuwning at the County Club.
Lauren McNeal, Jack Zilliox and Gena Russo at Midtown Lounge.
SIGHTINGS
Becky Tankersley, Sam Felton and Erica Marcum at the Library.
Chris Hunt, Stephanie Newman, Kristina Kenny and Erik Hanson at Surrey Tavern.
SIGHTINGS
Mallory Lanier, Cassie MaGill and Lindsay Chambers at the Evenings in the Appleby Garden concert featuring the United States Army Signal Corps Band.
5JULY2012
Angelena Walker, Cory Saxton, Holly Terrell and Amanda Wallace at Surrey Tavern.
Kristen Henry, Lauren Dinwiddle and Caroline Kenrick at the Partridge Inn.
Michael Johnson
mejphoto.photoreflect.com
Matthew and Christina Gartner with Kristin and Matthew Stringer at the Partridge Inn.
AUGUSTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
METROSPIRIT 31
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ART 45
AMYCHRISTIAN
Come Together Jewish organizations unite to create film festival The inaugural Augusta Jewish Film Festival starts Thursday, July 12, with the powerful story of Nicholas Winton who, all told, may just be responsible for nearly 6,000 people being on the planet who might not have been had he not intervened. “Nicky’s Family” is the story of this Englishman who, at the outbreak of World War II, organized the rescue of 669 Czech and Slovak children and then didn’t speak of it again for about 50 years. This movie is a powerful way to begin what is the culmination of two years worth of work by several local organizations who felt the need to bring the community together. Representatives from Congregation Children of Israel Synagogue, Adas Yeshurun Synagogue, the Augusta Jewish Federation and the Augusta Jewish Community Center came together to form the Augusta Jewish Leadership Council. “About two years ago, the Jewish organizations in town decided to form a council to look at how we could all work together and work for the community,” said Dr. Nettie Albrecht, a local psychologist who is president of the Augusta Jewish Community Center. “We thought it was important to work together for the community.” And not just the Jewish community. So after batting around some ideas, one member suggested a film festival. “So we did some research and found that many communities had held film festivals that were very successful,” Albrecht said. “We thought it was about time that Augusta had one too. And we thought the community would support it because there are people who live here from all over the world.” The next step was deciding on the movies to show. The group contacted Jewish organizations in other cities to find out what films they had shown during their festivals, and then formed a subcommittee of those who would watch the movies and pare down the choices. “The committee decided that we wanted a wide variety of films, comedies and dramas,” she said. “And we wanted them to be successful films and ones that other communities had enjoyed.” The subcommittee narrowed it down to five. Along with “Nicky’s Family,” they include “A Matter of Size,” an Israeli comedy about four men who give up struggling with their weight and learn to accept themselves as they are… through sumo wrestling; “The Yankles,” about a Jewish orthodox Yeshiva baseball team managed by Charlie Jones, a former major league ballplayer who agrees to help the team as part of his community service requirements; “Nora’s Will,” a family comedy in which the matriarch dies before implementing her plan to bring her family, including her ex-husband Jose, together for a Passover feast; and, finally, “The Matchmaker,” a love story set in the 1960s that has won numerous awards, and was nominated for seven Israeli Academy Awards, including best picture. The films will be shown at either the Augusta Jewish Community Center or the Jabez S. Hardin Performing Arts Center at the Columbia County Library (see schedule at right), and Albrecht says that the group is working on incorporating theme nights into some of the showings. “‘The Yankles’ is a very family oriented baseball film, so we thought it would be great to have it at the Jewish Community Center because, if there are children there, they can play on the playgrounds,” she said. “And we’re going to try and have hot dogs and chips in keeping with the baseball theme.”
The Augusta Jewish Film Festival “Nicky’s Family” with opening night reception Augusta Jewish Community Center Thursday, July 12 | 7 p.m. $10 per film; $40 for five if purchased at once; opening reception tickets sold separately 706-228-3636 augustajcc.org
32 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
Other films in the series include
“A Matter of Size” Jabez S. Hardin Performing Arts Center Thursday, July 19 7:30 p.m.
“The Yankles” Augusta Jewish Community Center Sunday, July 22 3 p.m.
“Nora’s Will” Jabez S. Hardin Performing Arts Center Thursday, July 26 7:30 p.m.
“The Matchmaker Jabez S. Hardin Performing Arts Center Tuesday, July 31 7:30 p.m.
5JULY2012
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THE
BOX TOPS
Where’s your magic now, Mike, says Ted the foul-mouthed Teddy Bear.
EIGHT
RANK
TITLE
WEEKEND GROSS
TOTAL GROSS
WEEK #
LAST WEEK
1
TED
$54,415,205
$54,415,205
1
-
2
MAGIC MIKE
$39,127,170
$39,127,170
1
-
3
BRAVE
$34,094,643
$131,768,334
2
1
4
MADEA’S WITNESS PROTECTION
$25,390,575
$25,390,575
1
-
5
MADAGASCAR 3
$11,840,276
$180,036,798
4
2
“Ted”
SAMEIFLING
Arrested development has rarely been this funny (with apologies to the Bluths) The titular teddy bear in “Ted,” the live-action film debut for animation star Seth MacFarlane, begins his life as a miracle, when a little boy named John wishes his Christmas gift bear would be his friend forever and ever. When they wake up, Ted talks! The next morning, upon meeting the freely moving, yappy, sentient bear, John’s parents recoil in horror, yank John away from the bear and prepare to blast the toy back to hell. John intervenes, insisting that Ted is his friend, and they chill. Ted becomes an international story, makes magazine covers, slays on Carson. Twenty-seven years later, the gild is off the lily. Ted’s just a foul-mouthed deadbeat voiced by MacFarlane. He still has enough sway over John (Mark Wahlberg) to coax him into watching Flash Gordon movies and smoking pot when he should be getting to his shift at a rental car office on time. John should also be thanking his dead-end-job stars for his girlfriend of four years, Lori (Mila Kunis). She’s smart, successful and mostly unfazed that Ted is still hanging around. Gradually, though, John manages to botch a good thing and Lori forces the choice: her or the bear. MacFarlane’s reputation as a guy who’ll do anything for a laugh can only be enhanced by his turn as Ted, who uses the same sort of animated body-capture that Andy Serkis used to play King Kong and Golem. MacFarlane has built a comedy empire by creating, writing and directing “Family Guy”; a recent New Yorker profile of the cartoonist and actor pegged the value of that franchise in the neighborhood of a billion dollars and MacFarlane’s own annual “Family Guy” take at north of $30 million. The scattershot, scatological sense of humor in “Ted” echoes the series’ sensibility almost note for note. The prime audiences in both cases are emotionally stunted bros who were raised by television and who enjoy jokes predicated on beers, butts and beatings. If that sounds dismissive, don’t worry: “Ted” happens to be pretty damned funny. The script is original, vulgar and littered with MacFarlane’s kaleidoscopic pop culture references. Wahlberg plays John as a simple straight man who bumbles as he tries to keep his best friend and his girlfriend happy at once, and who views Ted as his equal. If the movie misses an
opportunity, it’s by deploying Kunis mainly as hot-girl wallpaper. (She has something of the opposite problem playing the ignored-and-abused Meg on “Family Guy.”) And if the plot arc is more accurately a speed hump, it may not matter. MacFarlane’s style is to bury you in a flurry of jokes. You’re never sure from which direction they’re coming, even if you know exactly where the story is heading. At least “Ted” brings a jaundiced sweetness that your average “Family Guy” episode merely hints. The moving force in “Ted” is a 35-year-old dude truly loving his childhood stuffed-animal best friend, for it was little Johnnie’s wish that brought Ted to life. While that moment is played for laughs by the awesome narration of Patrick Stewart, the dippy sense of sincere kid-wonder never quite leaves, despite the R-rating. Maybe MacFarlane is winking to all the 11-year-olds who will dupe their parents into taking them to a film that depicts stuffed-toy-on-woman sex and more bong hits than “Pineapple Express.” Or maybe he’s acknowledging his key demographic and the furry line between precocious childhood and stunted adulthood.
THE8ERS Movie times are subject to change.
The Big Mo
Gates open at 7 p.m.; shows begin at 8:30 p.m. (approximately)
July 6-7 Field 1: The Amazing Spider-Man (PG13) and Men in Black III (PG-13); Field 2: Brave (PG) and Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (PG) ; Field 3: Madea’s Witness Protection (PG-13) and The Avengers (PG-13).
Masters 7 Cinemas
July 6-7 Battleship (PG-13) 1:15, 4, 7, 9:40; What to Expect When You’re Expecting (PG13) 1:30, 4:15, 7, 9:50; The Dictator (R) 1, 3, 5:15, 7:45, 10; Dark Shadows (PG-13) 5JULY2012
1:45, 4:30, 7:15, 9:50; The Pirates! Band of Misfits (PG) 12:45, 2:45, 4:45, 7:30, 9:30; Chimpanzee (G) 3, 7:30; Think Like a Man (PG-13) 1:30, 4, 6:45, 9:30; The Cabin in the Woods (R) 12:45, 5, 10
Evans Cinemas
July 6-7 Savages (R) 1, 4:10, 7:05, 9:55; Katy Perry: Part of Me (PG) 12:05, 2:30, 4:55, 7:35, 9:55; The Amazing Spider-Man (PG-13) 12:30, 12:45, 1:30, 3:45, 4, 4:45, 7, 7:15, 8, 9:30, 9:45; Magic Mike (R) 1:45, 4:30, 7:10, 9:50; People Like Us (PG-13) 12:25, 9:40; Ted (R) noon, 2:40, 5:05, 7:30, 10:05; Madea’s Witness Protection (PG-13) 12:10, 1:15, 2:50, 4:20, 5:30, 7:25, 8:15, 10:05; Abraham
Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (R) 12:05, 2:30, 4:55, 7:20, 10; Brave (PG) 12:35, 1:20, 3, 5:20, 6:45, 7:40, 10; Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (PG) noon, 2:15, 4:35, 6:55, 9:15; Snow White and the Huntsman (PG-13) 3:45, 9:25; The Avengers (PG-13) 3:15, 6:30
Regal Exchange 20
July 6-7 Savages (R) 10:30, 1:30, 4:30, 7:25, 10:20, 1:10; Katy Perry: Part of Me (PG) 11:30, 2, 4:40, 7:10, 9:30, 11:55; The Amazing Spider-Man (PG-13) 9:30, 9:50, 10:05, 12:40, 12:55, 1:15, 1:40, 2:10, 3:50, 4:05, 4:20, 5, 7, 7:20, 7:40, 8, 8:20, 10:10, 10:25, 10:40, 11:05,
12:35, 1, 1:15; Magic Mike (R) 11:40, 2:20, 4:50, 7:30, 10:15, 12:45; People Like Us (PG-13) 11, 4:20, 9:15; Ted (R) 11:45, 12:15, 2:15, 2:45, 4:45, 5:15, 7:15, 7:45, 9:45, 10:15, 12:15, 12:45; Madea’s Witness Protection (PG-13) 11:05, 11:25, 1:45, 2:05, 4:25, 4:45, 7:05, 7:25, 9:45, 10:05, 12:30; Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (R) 11:15, 2:15, 4:55, 7:35, 10:05, 12:35; Brave (PG) 10, 10:20, 11:20, 1:50, 2:50, 4:35, 7:30, 8:10, 10; To Rome With Love (R) 10, 1, 4, 7, 9:50, 12:25; Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (PG) 12:35, 2:05, 5:25, 6:55, 10:45; Prometheus (R) 1:40, 5, 7:35, 10:50; Snow White and the Huntsman (PG-13) 10:45, 4:10, 10:35; Moonrise Kingdom (PG-13) 11, 1:45, 5:15, 8:20, 11:25; The Avengers (PG-13) 10:15, 10:30, 1:35, 4:25, 7:45, 10:20
AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
METROSPIRIT 33
OPENING FRIDAY, JULY 6
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ACTION
“The Amazing Spider-Man,” rated PG-13, starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans. There’s a lot that’s surprising about this “reboot”: One is that it’s a reboot of a trilogy that just began in 2003, starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, and just ended in 2007. Really? Five years is all it takes? The second is the choice of director: The biggest movie Marc Webb directed before this was “(500) Days of Summer.” We used to roll our eyes at people who, sounding like a broken record, said Hollywood has run out of ideas, but… Opens July 3.
DRAMA
“Savages,” rated R, starring Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Benicio Del Toro, Salma Hayek, John Travolta. Director Oliver Stone returns to his “Natural Born Killers” style of filmmaking in this adaptation of Don Winslow’s book about a couple of pot growers whose girlfriend (yes, she’s both of their girlfriends) who gets kidnapped by an unhappy Mexican drug cartel. Our question: Is there any other kind of Mexican drug cartel?
DOCUMENTARY
“Katy Perry: Part of Me,” rated PG. No comment. Opens July 5.
WERECOMMEND
“The September Issue”
If you watched “The Devil Wears Prada,” you may have been less than impressed with the film and the tyrannical & condescending editrix of Runway Magazine, Miranda Priestley. There were rumors that it was based on the goings-on at Vogue, but the 2009 documentary, “The September Issue,” confirmed them. The offices were mirror images, and a seemingly cold matriarch runs the show, never forming meaningful relationships with her employees...or did she? Don’t confuse coldhearted with being direct. Anna Wintour is forthcoming, and has passion. It shows. She’s so powerful, in fact, that Yves Saint Laurent changes their entire fall line based on her opinion about a specific fabric. She isn’t a bitch. She’s got clout. Take note. — Jenny Wright
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CUISINE SCENE
AMYCHRISTIAN
Let’s Get Crazy New restaurant likes to have fun, but takes its community commitments seriously Crazy Turks General Manager Amanda Gary likes to say that the shoe fits when it comes to the restaurant’s name. “They don’t call us Crazy Turks for nothing,” she laughed. “You never know what we’re going to do.” This privately owned family friendly pizza restaurant and bar opened last September and the parking lot has been packed almost ever since. And the staff has been known to supplement their already reasonable menu prices with some extreme Facebook marketing. “A lot of times we’ll just decide in the middle of the afternoon to throw something crazy up on Facebook to see how many people are paying attention,” Gary said. “One day we decided to do everything at the bar buy one, get one [free]. More people were paying attention than I thought.” Such are the perks of working for a non-corporate restaurant — the freedom to try food and drink specials almost on a whim. But it works out for the community as well because there’s less red tape to go through if a group wants to hold a benefit. And serving the community in this way is something the staff at Crazy Turks takes seriously. “We’re actually doing a big benefit tonight,” Gary explained on a recent Tuesday afternoon. “It’s for Mac Meads, who went to Westside. His helicopter went down in Afghanistan and he’s at Walter Reed in Bethesda looking at about three years worth of recovery.” The benefit for Meads was planned to go on simultaneously at Crazy Turks’ two locations in Augusta and Fayetteville, North Carolina, since the soldier had been stationed at Fort Bragg. And while Meads’ benefit is the latest, it wasn’t the first that Crazy Turks has hosted. The restaurant is most well known for its benefit for JD Paugh, who was one of their loyal customers. “What happened was Monday was JD’s day off and he wanted a bike night on his day off, so he talked to the owner and that’s why we did it,” Gary said. “So he’s the only reason we have Bike Night on Monday nights.” And they still have it. “Last night the patio was full and it was almost a hundred degrees,” she said. “We mark off this whole side of the parking lot for bikes and they all just hang out. We have some great beer specials that night, but mostly they just come out for company, camaraderie and to have a great play to hang out.” It may have been full that night, but it was nothing compared to the night Crazy Turks hosted the benefit for JD Paugh. “I think there were something like 180 motorcycles in the parking lot that night,” she said. 5JULY2012
These events, Gary said, have been great for word of mouth, but she also knows that, without great food, customers won’t keep coming back. Fortunately, that’s where Crazy Turks shines. “Our pizza and calzones speak for themselves, and I would daresay we have some of the best pizza in town right now,” she said. “And that’s what the feedback is telling me.” There is, however, one other item that many customers, including Gary, love even more. “Our Philly cheesesteaks are the best,” she said. “My staff actually makes fun of me because I eat one a day five days a week… and I’ll probably have on this afternoon. They are that good.” It’s the combination of quality meat, cooked on a flat-top grill, combined with grilled onions, mushrooms, peppers and American cheese, that she says makes the experience complete. “It melts in your mouth when you eat it,” Gary said. “And I’m probably one of the pickiest eaters in town, so for me to love it, it’s got to be good.” Those who want something different can be assured of the quality on the menu, she went on to say, from the alfredo pasta sauce, which is made to order from scratch, to the marinara, which is made in smaller batches every couple of days. It is taste tested by the owner, who ladles out a small cup and drinks it. Gary said that it is the combination of the owner’s experience owning one restaurant and her 15 years of experience in corporate restaurants — that delicate balance of control and freedom — which has had a hand in making Crazy Turks a success. It’s not the only thing, though. From live music on Sundays, to karaoke on Fridays and Saturdays to plans for a kids night and trivia, Gary and her staff place an emphasis on fun. And Gary lays the success squarely at the feet of those who work at Crazy Turks. “I have a great staff. They have busted their butts since September and we certainly couldn’t have done it without them,” she said. “Great staff, great food and a great atmosphere — those are the three prime things you need. And a little luck.” Crazy Turks 2910 Washington Road, Augusta Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-midnight; Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 a.m. 706—922—7299 crazyturkspizza.com
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ON THE BALL
Atlanta’s Savior New Hawks GM reiterates just how much can be done in a week’s time
Finally, the Atlanta Hawks can be known as something more than the team who couldn’t sell out the Omni with Dominique Wilkins in the league’s spotlight, and choosing Marvin Williams — a sixth man while at UNC — over future NBA stars Chris Paul and Deron Williams. So now we’ve got Joe Johnson and his $90 million contract heading out the door to Brooklyn for a bunch of expiring contracts to make room for a potential big name player (Chris Paul? Dwight Howard?) in the next couple of years. But what Danny Ferry did that also stunned the league was he was able to also set up a potential deal with Utah to get Marvin Williams out of town. Now the deals are not final; the one with the Nets is contingent upon Deron Williams re-signing with the team. But the fact that we are even Googling “Hawks” and “Major Moves” in the same search bar is amazing enough. The days of mediocrity are over. Danny Ferry has come out guns blazing and
stated that its time to clean house in order to get this organization on the right track. Remember that Atlanta is home to a majority of the players in the NBA while out of season. What is also exciting for Hawks fans is the level Ferry sees this team performing at. Let’s not forget that the Hawks have been one of the most consistent teams in the Eastern conference for a few years now, but for one, that’s not really saying much, and two, it sure has been difficult to watch — and sell tickets. Head Coach Larry Drew seemed to know Ferry was going to be a welcome change of pace for a organization who desperately needed anything remotely newsworthy to happen to it. “We’re looking to get over the hump,” said Drew. “We’ve been a team that’s knocking on the door and I think we share the common goal. We want to get to the next level and that’s going to be our focus.” Of course we’ll see what output the team has on the floor and then we’ll decide if it was the right decision or not. But what can’t be harped on enough is that the lukewarm era for the Atlanta Hawks is over. The Iso-Joe days are over. The cage is being rattled. You finally might see something unexpected at the Highlight Factory for the first time in a long time. Great city. Great arena. Great players around the league who already live there. Selling potential history is not hard when you emphasize that just getting into the playoffs is not enough anymore. And Ferry has done that.
MATTLANE is host of The Weekend Rundown which airs from 10 a.m.-noon Saturdays on News-Talk-Sports 1630 AM. He can be reached at mattlane28@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @Mattlane28.
Call us today at 706.667.9009
THINK. NOT A BIG BOX... NOT EVEN CLOSE
Are you so frustrated with your computer you’ve considered tossing it out the window? Is it so slow you can barely use it? Are you having trouble getting to your favorite web page... or facebood? Are you even tempted to teake it to one of those Big Box Stores for service? Think again!
NOTABIGBOX.COM
Do you really want the place that sells you envelopes or flat screen TVs working on your computer? Bring it to ComputerOne today... and our real computer guys will make it all better at a price you can afford. We’re the opposite of a Big Box Store. We’re the little store in Fairway Square and although we have our own of computer experts, we dont really call them geeks (at least to their faces). They’re just competent, skilled computer technicians with the know-how to clean up your computer at a reasonable price and get you back on the internet fast. And although we’re not keeping score, given the fact we’re celebrating our 25th anniversary this year, it is very likely we’ve sold and repaired more computers than any other company in Augusta... and we have thousands of satisfied customers to prove it.
Professional Virus & Spyware Removal Services $69.95 About Us | Services | Virus and Spyware Removal | Custom Built Computers | Point of Sale Systems | Driving Directions | Contact Us Copyright 2011 ComputerOne Technology, Inc., All Rights Reserved - Website developed, hosted and maintained by Southfire, Inc. 2825 Washington Rd., Fairway Square Shopping Center, Augusta, GA 30909 - 706.667.9009
36 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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SPONSOR THE
Metro Spiritâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pet Page! amber@themetrospirit.com
Scootie's Story By Lorna Barrett
him. Scootie fell out
Special Events Augusta Humane Society offers obedience classes twice each
squirrels.
Ongoing Adoption Events: PETCO
Scootie was about came running in the house through the cat
PetSmart
chasing him. Then we saw that he was him to the emergency
cats that had full access to the outdoors by way
was then that we found out that he had said that this would cause difficulties
anything.
disease. Not us. That was just not
search of Scootie. Two days later a neighbor called and said he thought he could see our cat in
down too much. He still had squirrels to chase. he lost both of them. houses down the street from us if they had seen
Scootie was an amazing called to him.
bedroom so none of the other cats would Scootie.
among the other cats. That was going
There were two other doors he tried to dig
were definitely not fans of this surgery.
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of his life.
AUGUSTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
METROSPIRIT 37
WHINE
LINE Nelson Muntz wanted me to pass along his comment on Austin Rhodes’ column on Obamacare -- HA HA!
About the witch who takes credit for the community garden in Harrisburg. Our church allowed her to use our property for that garden. We were none too pleased when the witch invited her witch friends to have a witch ritual on our property. We are a Christian church and had we known our land would be used for such heresy we would have never agreed to let them use it!
WHINELINE@THEMETROSPIRIT.COM
Have something you want to get off your chest? Send your whines to whineline@themetrospirit. com. If you do so by noon on Friday, you might just see it in the next Thursday’s issue. Oh, and whines may be edited for content but will pretty much be printed exactly as you type them.
If the rapid disappearance of America’s soap operas has got you down… not to mention the preponderance of reruns and terrible reality shows on TV this summer… then we suggest a visit to dramafever.com. Dramas in Korea are roughly the equivalent of U.S. soap operas and this site star ted as a way to let the rest of the world see what that country had to offer. Today, you can still watch daily dramas, but you can also scope out all kinds of television shows, as well as documentaries, feature films and music videos. Some of the names of these shows may sound familiar (“Lie to Me” and “Full House”), but the ones that struck our fancy are the ones with names like “Flower Boy Ramen Shop,” “My Girlfriend Is a Nine-Tailed Fox,” “Heaven’s Postman,” “Vampire Prosecutor,” “The Great Catsby” and “Obstetrics and Gynecology Doctors,” which, contrary to what you might think, is not a comedy. We refuse to believe that any of these choices will be anything but awesome.
WERECOMMEND
I see Tom Cruise is getting divorced for the third time (Mimi Rogers #1, Nicole Kidman #2, and “I’m jumping up and down on a couch on The Oprah Winfrey Show” for Katie Holmes #3). As they say: “Once is a fluke, twice is a coincidence, and three times is a trend.” My question is: “What is it called after the fourth time?”....because you all know that’s coming in a decade or so, right?
Jenny is Wright? Ah, actually, no. Jenny is more like white, privileged, sheltered, clueless, corny, and extremely stupid and shallow. How much of these inane and pointless ramblings must we take? The Man. The Boy. The Girl. AAARGGGH!! Why is the Metro Spirit indulging this egomaniacal twit?
Why does Austin Rhodes allow the loudmouth Brad Owens to call in and dominate his radio for nearly an hour with all of his conspiracy theories? And why would anyone give credibility to someone who was a supporter of KKK Grand Wizard Davis Duke? Yeah Brad.. those photos will never go away. STOP! Stop posting these inconsequential, brainless, worthless, random-thought Twitter posts on the television show I’m watching. The next time a Twitter post is posted with meaningful, thoughtful commentary.....well, that will be the first time - STOP IT!
You haven't been tested for hepatitis C?
You're an idiot!
- Mikayla H., Age 11
A five minute test could save your life, so what's stopping you? If a kid knows how important it is to get tested for hepatitis C, then why do most of us pretend it doesn't exist? Hepatitis C is a leading killer of adults ages 47 to 67 in America, and frequently goes undiagnosed. But, it is curable! Take the test! Don't be an idiot! Call us today. Get tested. Know.
706-724!2445 www.MedEEA!!ociate!.com 38 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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Please tell Austin Rhodes how happy I am insurance companies will no longer be able to deny me healthcare coverage based on pre-existing conditionsm, or wipe me and my kids from their coverage rolls when a medical bill becomes “too large”. Thanks Democrat Congress and President Obama for ensuring I’ll receive the world’s best medical treatment no matter what my finances! Government making sure all its people receive adequate medical care is the very essence of our Constitution! I dont know if I heard the TV news correct today,but it said all the cooling centers in richmond county were shut down. If this is true I hope whoever in charge of the cooling centers go straight to hell and your AC stops working. You dont do that kinda stuff to the elderly and children! NADPS officer on Five Notch 6.28 around 5:30 driving in excess of 90 mph around a blind curve. your drifted in my lane because of your speed could of killed me and my child. Then I find out you were going to a BRUSH FIRE... really? what would you do stomp it out. It’s no wonder I disagree with Austin Rhodes so much. How can a mature adult ever agree with a person who receives their knowledge and advice from a “56-year-old cat” and a three-year-old, according to Rhodes’ latest Spirit screed? I’ve always thought most of the trollish things that spill constantly from him were profoundly childish animalisms. Now I know for sure. This is to the article in the columbia county news times about the blankets taken from the laundramat. I took them, they were left, wet, stinking.The idea was to donate to good will with other things i have. Little did i know that big brother was watching, they put me on the web and when i called to say hey, i have them come get them or i will bring them to you, guess what! The columbia county detective that is on that case called me a thief. Really never again. Let you know how the blanket caper goes,lol. I’ll never understand why Austin Rhodes doesn’t consider it unconstitutional for the government to draft (force) people into the military, ban drugs, alcohol, and wire-tap people’s houses without a warrant, but it’s definitely unconstitutional to require people to have health insurance so my insurance and his doesn’t get over-charged to pay for people who don’t have it. I can’t believe he’s not overjoyed that fundraisers will no longer be required to pay for people who can’t afford insurance or who’s insurance dropped them to get the treatment to which all human beings have natural born right. What Josh Ruffin knows about politics can be stuffed inside a gnat’s rear end and it would roll around like a BB in a boxcar. Stick to beer and boxing, dude... In the June 28th edition of the Metro Spirit, there was a whine line post that was completely inaccurate. Maybe if that person were to do research on their own and not listen to Austin Rhodes for all of their information, they would know the truth. Billy Morris has NEVER given money to the Allen campaign. Look at www.fec.gov , and get your facts straight. Next time you feel like calling a stranger a “queer” get out of your car and say it to his face. I may look queer to you but I can still kick your ass into next Tuesday! It amazes me how often South Augusta grocery store customers get irate at the checkout line. They are usually well-to-do, middle aged women and will get totally rude and disrespectful to the cashier when something doesn’t go their way. And 9 times out of 10 they’re the ones in the wrong. They read the price wrong or the sale ended yesterday or the promotion doesn’t cover this item. But it’s always the cashiers fault. 5JULY2012
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FORT GORDON DINNER THEATRE PRESENTS
by John Cariani
SHOW DATES MENU
Braised Chicken with Peppers and Onions, Baked Cod with Pineapple Salsa, Teriyaki-Glazed London Broil, Rice Pilaf, Glazed Carrots, Summer Squash Casserole, Garlic Buttered Green Beans, House Salad with Assorted Dressings, Iced Tea and Starbucks Coffee, Deluxe Dessert Table
TICKETS
Civilians: $40 | Seniors (65 & over), Retirees, DA Civilians, Active-Duty E6 & below: $30 | Show only: $25
For reservations, call 706-793-8552 5JULY2012
On a cold, clear, moonless night in the middle of winter, all is not quite what it seems in the remote, mythical town of Almost, Maine. As the northern lights hover in the star-filled sky above, Almost’s residents find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and often hilarious ways. Knees are bruised. Hearts are broken. But the bruises heal, and the hearts mend – almost – in this delightful midwinter night’s dream. “… a whimsical approach to the joys and perils of romance. Magical happenings bloom beneath the snowdrifts.” – NY Times “A charmer ... Unexpected magic lingers in the air like someone’s breath on a cold winter’s night. John Cariani aims for the heart by way of the funny bone.” – Star-Ledger “Sweet, poignant and witty.” – NY Daily News Produced in cooperation with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., and Army Entertainment Division AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
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