Metro Spirit 07.17.2003 by Metro Spirit

METRO SPIRIT Augustaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Independent Voice

July 17-23, 2003 Vol.14/No.50

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By Brian Neill

Blood in the Streets at First Baptist

Commission Wrestles With Civic Center

2 M E T R O S P I R I T J U L Y

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Contents Metro Spirit

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SEMI-ANNUAL SALE

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Ripping Off the Poor By Brian Neill ............................18

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Cover Design: Stephanie Bell

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FEATURES

Find Sacred Space Within Yourself: Yoga Studio Opens Downtown By Amy Fennell-Christian .............................................................................................16

Opinion Whine Line ......................................................................4 Words ...............................................................................4 This Modern World .........................................................4 Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down ............................................6 Letter to the Editor .........................................................8 Austin Rhodes ...............................................................10 Insider ............................................................................11

ENTIRE STOCK

Metro Beat

Commission Wrestles With Civic Center ....................12 Budget Battle at the Airport ........................................14

Arts

The Marriage of Technology and Art ..........................30 The Show Must Go On ... Even When There’s No Script .............................................................................31

8 Days a Week .............................................................24

Movie Listings.................................32

Cinema Movie Listings .............................................................32 Review: “LXG” ..............................................................34 Movie Clock ..................................................................35

Music The Complete Idiot’s Guide to TicketMaster ...............23 Cool Summer Sounds ....................................................36 Music by Turner ..............................................................38 Music Minis ....................................................................39 Night Life .........................................................................40

Stuff Food: Partridge Inn .......................................................22 News of the Weird ........................................................42 Brezsny's Free Will Astrology ......................................43 New York Times Crossword Puzzle ............................43 Amy Alkon: The Advice Goddess ................................44 Date Maker ...................................................................45 Classifieds .....................................................................47

M E T R O S P I R I T

M E T R O S P I R I T. C O M

ON THE COVER

Events

EDITOR & PUBLISHER David Vantrease ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Rhonda Jones STAFF WRITERS Stacey Eidson, Brian Neill ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER Joe White ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Kriste Lindler, Kristen Chandler PRODUCTION MANAGER Joe Smith GR APHIC ARTISTS Stephanie Bell, Natalie Holle ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER Meli Gurley ACCOUNTING MANAGER/CLASSIFIEDS Sharon King ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ASSISTANT Lisa Jordan CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Meli Gurley SENIOR MUSIC CONTRIBUTOR Ed Turner CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Chuck Shepherd, Rob Brezsny, Austin Rhodes, Amy Alkon, Beth Wood CARTOONISTS Tom Tomorrow, Julie Larson

METRO SPIRIT is a free newspaper published weekly on Thursday, 52 weeks of the year. Editorial coverage includes ar ts, local issues, news, enter tainment, people, places and events. In our paper appear views from across the political and social spectrum. The views do not necessarily represent the views of the publishers. Visit us at www.metrospirit.com. Copyright © The Metropolitan Spirit Inc. Reproduction or use without permission is prohibited. Phone: (706) 738-1142 Fax: (706) 733-6663 E-mail: spirit@metrospirit.com Letters to the Editor: P.O. Box 3809, Augusta, Ga. 30914-3809

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Whine Line T

he way it works now is that the newly elected president takes a year to resolve and correct any problems left by the past president and then the last year or year and a half is spent trying to get his ratings up and campaigning for another term. The U.S. problems go lacking in between all of these situations and need to be evaluated. The six-year term would definitely give the present president freedom to proceed with his programs without interference. Just think of the billions of dollars that would be saved by not having these in-between elections (as I call them) and causing confusion with the worldly needs that should be at the top of the list. Judge Duncan Wheale appears to be a loose cannon on the bench. Whether people are out to get him, as he says, or not, his actions in the court seem odd. The transcript you published of the reported gun incident is a good indication of where the judge is coming from. What a power trip he’s on. I hope he gets thrown off the bench if the allegations prove to be true. Columbia County leadership does it again when it demonstrates no institutional memory. On June 25, development was reportedly approved along Reed Creek. On the same day, the commission was fighting to save the rain tax in court with a defense that the money was needed to correct Reed Creek problems. Why support an illegal tax as a solution to flooding, and then put more concrete and asphalt in to magnify the problem? Is the commission nuts or just super stupid? Okay, so he’s dead now ... but it’s still Clarks Hill Lake to me! This town is surreal. Can’t even get a fireworks show off the ground without finger pointing and a controversy over “safety” issues. Safety issues?

Professionals are shooting fireworks above a river, for crying out loud. Grow up Augusta. Then we’ve got the local TV station patting themselves on the back a week later over what an outstanding job they supposedly did with the “river blah”. The same station who told the Hooters girls to hit the road when they showed up because they didn’t project the “image” they wanted. Building security at the Richmond County municipal building is joke. Most of the bottom floor windows are not secure. Anyone can pass anything inside one of these windows and bypass security. Even worse, the deputy marshals and security officers allow people to bypass the security checkpoint. Everyone that walks into the municipal building needs to be checked for weapons. Only law enforcement officers should be allowed into the building with their weapon. The back door for employees is a loophole that will bite the county in the butt. One disgruntled employee with a weapon will put egg on the county’s face. So where are the hotties? Out of 300, those are the hot ones? Not one of those girls was hot! You said that some were not hot, but those you picked were? Don’t think so! What idiot picked those to put in the issue? How can anybody going before Judge Duncan Wheale expect a fair trial? If Americans are guaranteed anything, it is the right to a fair trial. I’m not sure anyone going before Wheale can be assured of that. What happens next to Wheale? Does the issue just die because he’s a judge? Will the GBI and the district attorney in the county you mentioned roll over and bend for the judge? If the politically charged GBI and district attorney offices play politics, is there another way the public can find out the truth about Judge Wheale’s actions?

Words “My favorite color is navy blue and my favorite flower is the daisy. I am a Christian and I enjoy attending church. I consider myself to be sensitive, caring and kind-hearted. I’m currently serving a life sentence on the charge of murder.” — writes Susan Smith — the South Carolina woman who murdered her 3-year-old son and 14-month-old infant by strapping them in her car and rolling the vehicle into a lake — in a personal ad she submitted to a Florida-based company called writeaprisoner.com. Smith is currently serving a life sentence for the murders, but apparently that isn’t going to stop her from looking for Mr. Right. According to a recent article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Smith has already received more than 500 e-mails from potential prospects.

To all of you goofy people who have to constantly whine about President Bush and going to war. Shut up already. If we hadn’t kicked Iraq’s butt and the next terrorist plot or action had come from there, you all would’ve been saying, “Why didn’t President Bush take them out before this happened?” Unlike Slick Willie, this man has the sense to start some preventative measures and you still want to whine. Get over it, you bunch of goofy, liberal pansies! If you can’t or won’t move, I’m sure France will welcome you with open arms! Why don’t organizers of next year’s 4th of July fireworks show simply consider shooting the fireworks higher into the sky where they can more easily be seen? I was in Rabun Gap, Georgia for this year’s 4th and they put on a great show, and it’s a much smaller town. Augusta likes to

keep referring to itself as the state’s second biggest city, yet it still does things in the same rinky-dink fashion. Great observation, Thumbs Down, on how stupid America has become with the movie “Charlie’s Angels” debuting at number one. But I am quite sure the brainiacs still left in this nation shall rise again when the movie “Seabiscuit” races into theaters. Let me see if I can get the Democrat complaints in order ... 9/11 was a result of Bush ignoring reports of “potential” threats, even though the Dems admit that the reports were highly suspect. Yet Bush took similarly questionable reports on potential nukes and used them in a State of continued on page 6

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Has the Board of Assessors gone to sleep? Hello, your chief appraiser never completed the 2002 digest and now he wants to extend the 2003 digest. Some property owners will be paying two tax bills this year (2002 and 2003). What happened to the old days when the digest was completed on time? OK, let me get this straight. A major television network is going to pay a couple 1 million dollars to get married. Right? This isn’t the first time this has happened. Right? And people compete to do this. Right? Not only is this legal, but the greater American population watches in awe and can’t wait to see the next episode of a man and a woman getting married for money, not love. Money! However, White America has a problem with gays and lesbians getting married for love? Love! Is there something wrong here or am I missing the point? Sorry. Real women don’t shop at Sears, they purchase at Pdiddy.com

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Your story on the judge was a barn burner. Keep up the good work. Hello again. I am the former resident of Augusta that peruses the Whine Line and

nominates the whiner of the week. Poor yuppie Jeep owner, his truck couldn’t make it through a dirty diaper! Have your daddy buy you a Humvee! Boing! I was absolutely delighted to hear that Columbia County State Senator Joey Brush is going to evaluate Georgia’s educational testing. I guess that means if Brush can pass a test, it’s OK and will continue to assure Georgia education remains 50th out of the 50 states. Chris Naylor does not represent any of my interests. As a matter of fact, I’ve spoken to several members of the local bands and business owners in our own Augusta’s potentially beautiful downtown area and I have yet to find one person who agrees with or understands what Chris Naylor’s goal is as head of Main Street Augusta. Indeed, Mr. Naylor, “What has Main Street Augusta done for us lately?” Judge Wheale sounds like one scary dude. I think Edward Tarver should run for Georgia senate against Don Cheeks. Then we could have a three-way race. That would make the 2004 election year pretty interesting. Well, here we go again. It was about seven years ago I heard Austin’s sugarysweet-talking about his wife and how she still “thrills” him after so many years of marriage. It was then within six months she divorced him! Now he spends hours

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Hasn’t the Richmond County School Board ever heard about the separation of church and state? Last week, school board members approved the continuation of an off-campus Christian education program at John Milledge Elementary School. According to The Augusta Chronicle, more than a dozen children last spring where allowed to leave the elementary school for 45 minutes to attend a Christian program held

at Crawford Avenue Baptist Church. On July 10, the school board voted to extend the elementary school’s pilot program to include all of next year. Pete Fletcher, attorney for the school board, reportedly told the daily newspaper that the school system was not endorsing the Christian program, but rather taking a position of “neutral accommodation, not active participation.” Who does he think he’s fooling? Christ?

crying to us how much he loves this new wife of four years. And he will love her forever (he says he has loved her since she was 15 years old), but is having to proclaim his “innocence” in what turns out to be “domestic assault and battery”. And, of course, he has to cry like a juvenile baby all day about it on air, inbetween his looking up stuff on the Internet when he’s supposed to be doing a talk show. Good Lord Austin, keep your sorry personal life off the air! Augusta-Richmond County hired an assistant traffic engineer a couple weeks ago. After his further investigation of the department and officials running it, he declined the job. He probably joined Ringling Brothers Circus. Austin Rhodes must have been hit upside the head with a rock for expressing his views in the most recent edition of the Metro Spirit about North Augusta not allowing the launch site. Why not next year they do it from his back yard and see how he feels? They were doing it for safety concerns. Does he not understand, especially after all the explosions that have happened recently. Austin: South Carolina does not need Georgia to provide our economics. We have SRP. At the last Columbia County Commissioners meeting, Pam Tucker and Ron Cross publicly humiliated a young lady for not saluting the flag. This young lady is not a citizen of the United States and should not have been saluting the flag. What they did was possibly illegal, unethical and just plain rude. Both of them should be fired and forced to submit a public apology. Where do you get those black stickers with the blue stripe in the center? You know, the one that all the deputies and their families have on their personal vehicles? The ones that let you speed, weave in and out of traffic and tailgate drivers trying to drive the legal speed limit. Kind of like they drive the county vehicles! Marion William has not been bamboozled, we in district two were by electing him. He has repeatedly proven to be an embarrassment to this district, judging by the questions and attacks he constantly

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makes on others. He has little understanding of how a government or business operates and takes out his frustrations of ignorance on others. We don’t need someone who is the problem, but someone who chooses to be part of the solution. Mr. Williams needs to tend to his pulpit.

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I would like to praise the Metro Spirit for uncovering the behavior of Judge Duncan Wheale. If he threatened a man in court in shackles, this is clearly abuse by an elected official. If the allegations are true, why hasn’t the district attorney taken the proper procedures to prosecute this man, as any other average person would have been? Judge or no judge. Lee Muns, a school board member and chairman of the Columbia County Republican Party, has a son who has been brought up on potential charges of possible rape and child molestation. Do you suppose that U.S. Rep. Norwood, Georgia Senator Brush and Rep. Harbin, County Chair Cross, and several members of the commission are now embarrassed by their selection and endorsements of Muns to lead the Republican Party? I am! Muns has become a joke and should resign from both positions to avoid further embarrassment and to restore dignity to both offices. Richmond County commissioners, I have a tip for you. You can save $27,000 on a Richmond County deputy marshal’s job by eliminating the position that only serves court subpoenas to Richmond County deputy sheriffs. The subpoenas issued by the magistrate court judges can be served on Richmond County deputy sheriffs the same way superior court subpoenas are served. The sheriff’s office has the supervisors of each division serve each deputy without extra cost to the taxpayers. An added benefit to the taxpayers is the elimination of the fuel costs and the maintenance for the deputy marshal’s take home patrol car. — Call our Whine Line at (706) 510-2051 and leave your comments. We won’t use your name. Fax your whines by dialing (706) 733-6663 or e-mail your whines to whine@metrospirit.com.

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Dear Editor, It is an all-too-common practice in Augusta to disparage and even ridicule this city’s leadership. Citizens and public servants alike are often disgusted with what they see as a gridlocked, divisive governing body that spends too much time bickering, and too little time moving the city forward. The solution to such a problem, however, isn’t to then disparage anyone who wants to become part of the solution — but that seems to be the path the Metro Spirit has decided to take regarding my contemplated candidacy for the Augusta Commission Super District 10 seat. Rather than fairly and impartially evaluating my vision for improving Augusta’s government — and, yes, I do have one the Spirit has decided it will instead take shots at me and any other candidate willing to step forward and try to make our city better. What’s really going on here? Is the Spirit worried that with real leaders in place, there will be less controversy to write about? Is its intent, in criticizing my candidacy even before I’ve declared there is one, meant to discourage good candidates from trying to make a difference in their hometown? Or has the Spirit simply decided it would rather be part of the problem instead of part of the solution? The disclaimer that accompanies the “Insider” column explains that its views are those of the “insider” and “not necessarily” the views of the publisher. How interesting that someone too gutless to put a name behind their snide comments can find the gall to criticize, without substance, a citizen willing to come forward and offer their public service to the community. Since the Spirit has taken the opportunity to presuppose how I would act and what I would seek to accomplish as a commissioner, I would like to take this opportunity to set the record straight. If granted the privilege to serve as the next Augusta commissioner for Super District 10, I intend to be a servant-commissioner for the citizens of our district and continue the good work started by our current commissioner, Bill Kuhlke. We

Sonny Pittman need continued improvement in our infrastructure and public services and we need to aggressively pursue increased police and fire protection for the neighborhoods and businesses in South and West Augusta. I am concerned about the effect that escalating property taxes and millage rate hikes are having on the citizens in South and West Augusta and on our senior citizens and young couples who are living paycheck to paycheck. The citizens who pay the bulk of the tax revenues that support our municipal government have been taxed to the breaking point and we need tax relief — not tax increases. I believe that attracting new industrial, retail and technology-based companies to Augusta is the best way to expand our tax base and lessen the tax burden on homeowners. I also believe that we should find the ways and means to consolidate more government functions so we can create a more efficient operation that provides better, more costeffective service to our citizens and taxpayers. I will be in no one’s hip pocket if I get on the commission, except the citizens I serve. I intend to be a strong advocate for the needs of our district and respond quickly when a citizen calls asking for my help. — Sonny Pittman

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Truth is stranger than fiction! See News of the Weird

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Opinion: Austin Rhodes

ESPN’s Rush Limbaugh Hire Is Gonna Pay Off Big

oon to be heard on a Sunday morning TV in your living room: “Yeah ... that Jerome Bettis was a heifer before his conditioning program in the off season. He knew he had to lose weight when folks were mistaking his backside for Hillary Clinton’s ....” I can’t wait! Rush Limbaugh, the savior of the conservatives, the voice of reason and rightitude for all that is good and holy, has been hired as a “fan analyst” for ESPN’s “NFL Countdown” show. He will offer commentary and punditry about all things football, and I predict right now the show will increase its ratings performance by at least 20 percent or better. I have closely followed the Rushter’s career and I know what he can do, and not just because he is my three-hour warm-up lead in on WGAC. Virtually every endeavor he pursues turns to gold, and every time he shows up on a network or cable news show in an announced appearance, the ratings go through the roof. Limbaugh single-handedly saved AM radio nationwide when his show exploded in the late ‘80s. My own radio station is a wonderful example of a property that would not exist today had it not been for the boost his presence gave us. WGAC would not be around to bring you Harley Drew, Mary Liz Nolan, Austin Rhodes, etc., had Limbaugh’s synergy not buoyed the property in the early ‘90s. Before Rush, AM radio was dying in Augusta, and in many other places too. While certain, specific AM giants thrived in big cities (KMOX in St. Louis, KDKA in Pittsburgh, etc.), many once-great stations in markets like Atlanta (WSB, WGST) and Augusta (WGAC, WRDW) really struggled to find their identity and place in a music-dominated radio world. Music drove most profitable stations, and who wants to listen to music on a crappy AM signal? Then Rush hit. He became the foundation that many of us used to build careers and entire radio empires. Our little radio station that flirted with going dark right here in Augusta barely 15 years ago, is now one of the most profitable media operations in the area. We boast the most educated and affluent audience in local broadcasting, and with Rush’s assistance, some of our own local programming now eclipses his show in the ratings. Limbaugh became the most important figure in radio in the last 40 years, and he did it largely by being entertaining. Not just conservative, though that was certainly part of it, but mainly because the man is a very talented communicator. His personal yearly income is now some-

where north of $60 million, and it shows no sign of decline any time soon. Rush needs to do a Sunday NFL show like I need a permanent. So why is he doing it? Simple. Because he loves the NFL. ESPN’s move to hire Rush is getting bad reviews from many of the sports writers around the country paid to express their opinions. What a hilarious contradiction. Men and women who owe their weekly paycheck to the concept of free expression and articulate presentation are complaining that ESPN has hired a conservative commentator to discuss the almighty topic of football. Some, like Mike Tierney, of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC), have it right in that Limbaugh is going to have to be at his best to pull this thing off. Others, like Chuck Finder of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, are so blinded by their personal distaste for Rush’s politics that they have written off the effort before it begins. Pretty damn stupid. A pretty sizable AJC online poll would disagree. With over 48,000 participating, 75 percent of those voting say they love the move. Only 21 percent say they will stay away. Funny thing about liberals, the group that claims to be the most accessible and inclusive. They apparently only mean to include those with their own narrow view of the world and its people. One of my favorite commentators/political analysts is James Carvelle. While I can’t agree with 2 percent of his politics, his personality and presentation have me forever a fan. I would pay 20 bucks to hear the cat read the phonebook. I am convinced Mary Matalin stays married to “Serpenthead” (her nickname for him, not mine) because he keeps her in stitches. ESPN should hire him next. Rush, I will tune in. Carvelle, I would tape, so I could watch him over and over. Chronicle Goofs on Judge List My old buddy Augusta Chronicle reporter Sandy Hodson made a rare goof on a name in her list of candidates for Augusta’s Superior Court Judge nominations. Subtract from her published list the name Clayton Steadman, and add the name Clay Stebbins. As I predicted a few weeks ago, Stebbins will likely make the final list from which Governor Perdue will select the next robed one. — The views expressed in this column are the views of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher. The archived Austin Rhodes columns can now be seen at www.wgac.com.

Opinion: Insider

M E T R O

Blood in the Streets at First Baptist

s The Insider reported in the June 19-25 edition of Metro Spirit, the resignation of Dr. Timothy Owings after 13 years as pastor of First Baptist Church split the congregation into warring factions and created an atmosphere of hostility that will last for years. Since last month, the feud at the church has grown into open warfare between Owings’ supporters who think he was railroaded out of the church and those viewed as responsible for Owings’ departure. The flood of tension over the issue has risen to biblical proportions at First Baptist. In a church meeting Sunday

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night, the emotional tide overflowed and reportedly left one church member flat on his back after being punched in the face by a fellow church member. Blood and guts on Walton Way. The meeting was called for church members to vote on whether to remove church moderator J.I. McNair and three church leaders — David Bell, David Hudson and Charles Shaefer — from their positions. A petition calling for their ouster had garnered enough support to call for the vote. The members behind the petition feel these leaders unfairly forced Owings out of the church. According to members present, the session lasted for hours. Along the way, yelling, verbal assaults and fisticuffs peppered the tension-filled, grueling debate and voting process. Members cast 492 votes to oust the leaders and 417 votes to keep them. But, under Robert’s Rules of Order, a two-thirds majority is required to remove an officer. McNair, Bell, Hudson and Shaefer decided to remain in place. Apparently, that’s when the situation descended into chaos, arguing and yelling increased, and eventually a punch was thrown. At a deacon’s meeting the following night, McNair resigned as moderator but he remains a deacon. The other three leaders are still in place. At least two high-profile church leaders in the Owings camp resigned from their leadership position out of disgust over the entire affair. Whew! Church politics is rough stuff. What now? Church insiders report that a mediation organization has been contacted to help the healing process. For some members, the healing will come from finding another church home. The exodus has already begun and is expected to continue. Regarding the church’s mission to save souls, spread the gospel, and serve as a witness to christianity within the community: ?????

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S P I R I T

Abolishing the Coliseum Authority Augusta Commissioner Bill Kuhlke finally verbalized what political insiders have been buzzing about for the last few months. The idea to abolish the AugustaRichmond County Coliseum Authority has been gaining momentum since it has become apparent, even to the mentally challenged among us, that current authority members have lost all credibility and are not capable of sound decision-making. To call the civic center authority dysfunctional is an understatement. But, dissolving the civic center authority will not be an easy task and likely won’t happen anytime soon. First, several insiders who agree with Kuhlke about getting rid of the authority aren’t quite sure the building should be turned over to the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) for operation, as Kuhlke has suggested. There are a couple of other notions floating around about what to do with the civic center. Some want to create a separate department in city government and hire a management company to run the building. Others want to turn the civic center over to the Parks and Recreation Department. Both these ideas would place the civic center under the auspices of the Augusta Commission (a scary thought) so there will be major angst involved in either proposal. Perhaps we’re ahead of ourselves. It should come as no surprise that the Augusta Commission failed to pass the resolution Kuhlke sought or that the vote was split along racial lines. Besides, the local legislative delegation is the only governing body that can abolish the civic center authority. State legislation created it and it will require a state law to abolish it. The votes aren’t there within the delegation. No way. As country folks often say, “This dog won’t hunt.” Currently, the Augusta Commission appoints eight members of the Coliseum Authority and the local legislative delega-

tion appoints four. As you can see, these two governing bodies have appointed the clowns that operate the civic center. So, indirectly, commissioners and legislators are responsible for the incredible incompetency of the authority.

Bill Kuhlke P.S. The idea floated by Kuhlke has the mark of The Augusta Chronicle on it. Kuhlke has basically taken an idea the daily newspaper has been promoting for a long time and brought it into the political arena. Several commissioners and legislators perceive this idea as playing into the hands of Chronicle publisher Billy Morris, who is advocating a new civic arena as a part of the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. Morris has said he will pay for an equestrian facility (horse barn) to be located adjacent to the arena. The fact that abolishing the civic center authority is a Morris and Chronicle idea, weighs heavily on the minds of several commissioners and legislators. As usual, a Chronicle endorsement cuts both ways. —The views expressed in this column are the views of The Insider and do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher.

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MetroBeat Commission Wrestles With Civic Center

lmost one year ago today, the Augusta Commission was debating whether it should support the abolishment of the AugustaRichmond County Coliseum Authority. Back then, the civic center had no permanent leadership because the coliseum authority had just fired former General Manager Reggie Williams after a number of disastrous catering and cleanliness problems at the North Georgia Conference of United Methodists in June 2002. The authority’s former attorney, Sam Nicholson, had stepped down. And the board was desperately trying to figure out whether the civic center should hire a new general manager or a private management company to run the facility. Authority members were even boycotting meetings in order to avoid voting on these crucial decisions. The civic center was in such chaos that Augusta Commissioner Bill Kuhlke decided he could no longer sit by and allow the authority to self-destruct. “Look at the coliseum authority. I think they are doing a miserable job over there,” Kuhlke said in August 2002. “Hell, it would be better off for them to close down.” Since then, not much has changed. The authority is currently without a permanent general manager, private management company and an attorney. So, this time, Kuhlke decided he was going to try a more direct approach. On July 15, Kuhlke suggested that the commission stop trying to talk to the delegation about dissolving the authority, but instead, pass a resolution demanding the complete abolishment of the board. “I put this on the agenda because of the difficulty that continues to take place at the

civic center,” Kuhlke said. “It appears to me that we have an ineffective organization that is running the civic center that have difficulty getting people to come in and be the manager for the civic center. “They have trouble retaining an attorney. There is continuing bickering at the civic center. And the facility is filthy.” As a result of the poor management of the United Methodists Conference last year, Kuhlke said the group opted to go to Athens this year and Augusta lost an estimated $1 million economic impact. Therefore, Kuhlke suggested that the commission support abolishing the board and either pay off the remaining bonded indebtedness on the civic center, get the city to assume the facility’s operation or possibly contract with the Augusta Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau to handle the administrative needs of the civic center. Commissioner Steve Shepard supported Kuhlke’s motion. But Commissioner Lee Beard thought Kuhlke might be rushing to judgment on the civic center. “Most times I can concur with a lot of what Commissioner Kuhlke says because I think he makes a lot of sense on most issues, but as I listened to him a few minutes ago, some of those bad things that he said at the beginning of his statement about the coliseum authority, I hear a lot of those things about this body that I’m a member of,” Beard said, referring to the Augusta Commission. “And maybe we need to abolish it also.” Beard told Kuhlke that he shouldn’t believe all the negative press about the civic center that he reads in the media. Instead of Kuhlke’s more direct approach to abolish the authority, Augusta

By Stacey Eidson

Commissioner Andy Cheek thought it would be better if the commission would again agree to sit down with the legislative delegation and discuss the civic center, since the delegation is the body that will make the final determination on the authority anyway. Beard supported Cheek’s motion. Kuhlke said if the commission wants to waste its time, then it should go ahead and meet with the delegation.

“Last year we sat down with the delegation and gave them a list of things that we would like to see done in this community,” Kuhlke said, adding that the status of the coliseum authority was on that list. “We got not one thing. Not one thing did we get from the delegation.” Augusta Commissioner Bobby Hankerson said, if there is anyone to blame for the problems on the civic center board,

“I talk to the citizens of Augusta and a new civic center is D.O.A. when it comes to SPLOST, so we have to make what we have work.” — Augusta Commissioner Andy Cheek (pictured)

it’s the people who appoint the members. Eight board members are appointed by Augusta commissioners. “Who appoints the board members? We appoint the board members,” Hankerson said. “Maybe we should appoint a better quality of board members.” Hankerson said he is personally standing behind his appointed board member, Annie Rogers, who he said has diligently tried to improve the civic center’s situation. Augusta Commissioner Ulmer Bridges said some of the criticism of the civic center is ridiculous, such as the thought that the civic center should be making money. “None of the civic centers make money,” Bridges said. “I don’t think they are designed to make money.” Bridges also said that the discussion over the problems at the civic center did not just start last year. “The civic center has been an issue ever since I’ve been in Augusta, and that’s been almost 20 years now,” Bridges said. “It’s been moreso a controversy than the commission here and I don’t know why.” Whether the problem started this year or 20 years ago, Shepard said the commission needed to do something about the civic center. “I don’t think we can just say that everything is alright at the coliseum,” Shepard said. “It may be losing money, but I think more importantly, it’s losing its standing among its competitors statewide.” However, both motions made by Kuhlke and Cheek failed to get the required six-vote approval from the commission. Augusta Commissioner Willie Mays told the commissioners that they need to be careful when discussing the civic center because, he said, many people in the community believe those criticizing the authority have a hidden agenda. Specifically, Mays said, people think critics want to build a new $90 million sports arena with Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax funding. “If you don’t want to talk about the real game here, go to Wal-Mart. Get some panties. They are on sale,” Mays said. “But if you’re a real man, talk about what you really want.” Kuhlke simply said his only interest is to maximize the use of the current civic center for the betterment of the community. “That’s my only interest,” Kuhlke said. “It’s not to build a new arena.” Cheek said that idea was dead in the water anyway. “I talk to the citizens of Augusta,” Cheek said, “and a new civic center is D.O.A. when it comes to SPLOST, so we have to make what we have work.”

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Metro Beat

Budget Battle at the Airport

ust when you begin to believe things can’t possibly get any more tense between the Augusta Aviation Commission and Airport Director Ken Kraemer, the 2004 budget comes along. And, as two recent airport meetings proved, money definitely brings out the worst in people. The first real sign of trouble for Kraemer’s proposed 2004 airport budget came on July 10, when members of the aviation commission’s finance subcommittee met for more than four hours to review next year’s budget. Almost immediately it was clear that aviation commissioners didn’t like what they saw, but more importantly, many didn’t buy Kraemer’s explanation for several items in the airport’s budgeted $10.3 million in operating expenses. One of the aviation commissioners’ biggest concerns was the more than $96,000 in travel to conferences and educational training that Kraemer recommended for himself and his staff in 2004. This was an 82-percent increase, or $43,555 jump, from last year’s educational training budget. “We are showing a healthy increase here in ‘04, and I’m sure we’ll be discussing this line for some time today, so let’s begin with travel for yours truly,” Kraemer said, referring to the five trips the airport specifically budgeted for the airport director. Kraemer recommended that he attend four conferences offered by the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) and one trip to Washington with the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce. These trips were estimated to cost the airport approximately $10,750. Aviation Commissioner Marcie Wilhelmi quickly objected to Kraemer’s request to attend an AAAE conference held Jan. 11 -15 in Kauai, Hawaii, that costs $3,700. This was a conference, Wilhelmi pointed out, that Kraemer attended last year in Hawaii. “Ken, I’ll tell you, I thought the trip last January to Hawaii was an unnecessary one based on what you brought back,” Wilhelmi said. “It was stuff that you could have read on the Internet. So, I think we should cut that one.” Wilhelmi asked Kraemer to narrow his five requested trips down to a list of at least two. “If I had to pick one, I would pick the AAAE Aviation Issues Conference (in Hawaii) because that’s the finest conference available,” Kraemer responded. Wilhelmi was flabbergasted that Kraemer chose the one conference that she had already recommended that the finance subcommittee cut. “Sorry,” Wilhelmi said, quickly using her pen to scratch through the budgeted line for the Hawaii conference. Now, it was Kraemer’s turn to get offended. “I don’t care if it’s held in Omaha, Nebraska, it’s the finest conference of the year,” Kraemer said. “Well, what would be the second finest?” Wilhelmi asked, with a hint of sarcasm. Kraemer chose two other AAAE confer-

By Stacey Eidson

ences held throughout the year. Aviation Commission Chairman Cedric Johnson suggested that the airport’s trip to Washington, D.C., with the chamber of commerce should also be included in the budget, calling it “beneficial.” However, Kraemer disagreed. “Well, it may be beneficial for the chamber, but that’s actually the least productive trip for the airport,” Kraemer said. Somewhat surprised by Kraemer’s comment, Wilhelmi accepted his recommendation and suggested that the airport not attend the chamber’s trip to Washington. “Well, since Ken said that it wasn’t a prof-

Steve Smith recently told him it would be cheaper for the airport to change the airport security officers into city employees instead of continuing to have a private company provide staffing. “Marshal Smith said he’d be happy to take the men on but candidly he also said, ‘Ken, there’s no reason why the airport couldn’t take them on yourself. You don’t need to do it through me,’” Kraemer said. Johnson suddenly looked puzzled. “We are getting conflicting information because I talked to him (Smith) the other day and he said that he wants to take them on,” Johnson said, adding that he would try to

“Well if you take that view, we can all stay at home and hide under a rock.” — Airport Director Ken Kraemer

itable trip,” Wilhelmi said, marking through the budget line for the chamber trip. “I said it wasn’t as profitable for the airport, but from Cedric’s standpoint and the community, I don’t know. You tell me,” Kraemer sharply said to Wilhelmi. “I go to Washington enough that the allure of Washington no longer exists. It’s work. It’s not fun.” The finance subcommittee recommended cutting the chamber trip, as well as several other trips budgeted for other members of the airport administration, but it wasn’t an easy process. When the commissioners asked Kraemer which conferences he recommended for his employees, Kraemer often got defensive. “My recommendation is what you see here in the budget,” he said. “OK, assuming that you can read online just about anything you want, any place on the planet, what would you cut?” Wilhelmi asked. “Well if you take that view, we can all stay at home and hide under a rock,” Kraemer said. Frustration boiled over again when Johnson later asked Kraemer to update the finance committee on the proposal to bring the airport’s security officers under the Richmond County Marshal’s Department. Kraemer told the committee that Marshal

reach Smith on the phone. Johnson returned to the meeting a few minutes later with Smith on the intercom. Smith told the committee he would be happy to work with the airport any way he could. “Steve,” Kraemer said, into the phone’s intercom, “you’ll recall the last time you and I chatted about this was several weeks ago and you had agreed that you were willing to take them on but you also said to me that it wasn’t really necessary for them to report to you, that these guys could just as easily be part of the airport department. Is that right?” Smith clarified Kraemer’s statement. “As I told you at that time, it is my understanding that the city administrator’s position was that, rather than creating another police department, he would prefer to bring it under an existing (law enforcement) department,” Smith said. Once Smith hung up the phone, Kraemer explained that he felt that, if the airport was paying for the security officers, those employees should report to the airport director instead of other law enforcement agencies in Richmond County. “I get along fine with Marshall Smith and I get along fine with Sheriff (Ronnie) Strength,

so if our guys became sheriff employees or marshal employees, as opposed to airport employees, with the existing elected officials that are in those positions right now, I think I have a good enough relationship that they would allow the airport to supervise those people,” Kraemer said. “But those are elected officials and if someone else took Steve Smith’s job in the future or somebody else took Ronnie Strength’s job in the future, I can’t guarantee the working relationship with those folks.” Aviation Commissioner Ernie Smith cut the conversation short by pointing out that elected officials aren’t the only ones who are vulnerable to being replaced. “Yes, someone will replace them eventually,” Ernie Smith said to Kraemer, “but someone will replace you eventually, too.” By the end of the finance subcommittee meeting, commissioners had cut the budget by $69,425, but Kraemer wasn’t off the hook yet. The 2004 budget still had to go before the full board on July 15. And this time it was former bank president and Aviation Commissioner Whitney O’Keeffe’s turn to ask Kraemer the tough questions. “This budget, I guess it is your recommendation for approval today,” O’Keeffe said. “Do you think this budget will make this airport efficient and make us among the most efficient of the peer (airport) group we are compared with?” Kraemer said, given the age of the airport’s terminal, he thought it was the most efficient budget he could produce. “I’m not looking for excuses,” O’Keeffe said. “I just feel like I’m being dodged by your responses here.” O’Keeffe was also concerned about the proposed $370,000 budget for the airport’s marketing department. He told the commission that he would like to see the advertising budget reduced to virtually zero. O’Keeffe said the airport is spending $370,000 on marketing and currently the passenger enplanement is up only 5 percent. “That’s an increase of about 7,000 or 7,500 passengers by the end of the year,” O’Keeffe said. “We get $4.50 enplanement fee for each one of those people. So, if you take $370,000 to help get more passengers and we’re getting $30,000 more with increased passengers, it doesn’t make economic sense to me.” Aviation Commissioner Brad Kyzer said the airport commission doesn’t have any choice. He believes if the airport doesn’t advertise, there will be no possibility of future growth. “I think that’s been our whole problem,” Kyzer said. “Columbia and Spartanburg and these other places have been proactive in building an airport like a business while we have sat here for years and provided an airport for those who happen to want to fly out of Augusta. “We have let everyone else get ahead, way ahead. We can’t continue to do that.” Despite the tension, the aviation commission managed to approve the 2004 budget with only O’Keeffe voting against it.

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The R.C.I.A. is an opportunity to experience spirituality as you may have never experienced it before by sharing in the teachings and traditions of the Catholic Church. The R.C.I.A. process will help you to understand Catholic liturgy and worship and the Sacraments of the Church. For more information: Director of R.C.I.A. Church of the Most Holy Trinity P.O. Box 2446 Augusta, GA 30903 or email: kmp_mht@bellsouth.net

706.722.4944

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Find Sacred Space Within Yourself Yoga Studio Opens Downtown

acred Space, Augusta’s first yoga studio, opened amid the torrential rains of June’s First Friday and, as omens go, it was not a good one. As most people who practice yoga do, however, owner Kimberly Tompkins (pictured in foreground) turned her focus to the positive and was amply rewarded. She and fellow instructors Bettelou Brown (pictured in background) and Daniel Thurston were amazed that people turned out in droves, not for the soggy snacks, but to experience a sense of community they are trying to create. “I can’t tell you how humbled and grateful we were to see how many people showed up in the pouring rain,” Bettelou said. The community that many of their soaked visitors are looking forward to

includes yoga classes for all levels, including for children ages 3-5, and tai chi. Sacred Space also serves as an art gallery and currently displays the mixed media work of Pageman Deljou of Atlanta. Plans are in the works for everything from free workshops to structural integration treatments to specialized yoga classes for pregnant and menopausal women. Kim has loftier goals for her new business as well. In addition to creating a sense of community between yoga students and teachers in the area, she also hopes to create a more meaningful place for her students. And while the serene surroundings — a wide-open space filled with pale blue walls, blond wood floors, plenty of light and not much else — certainly promote a sense of peace, Sacred Space is not just an address.

“The most important thing I’d like to have represented is that we’re offering a place for people to find a sacred space within them,” Kim explained. “The name Sacred Space is not about 208 8th Street; it’s about what’s within you.” Such emphasis on the internal, Kim joked, is at the opposite end of the spectrum from where she began when she and her husband, Kyle, opened La Dolce Vita on Broad Street in 1995. For a while, her job as aesthetician and massage therapist satisfied her need to help people, but things soon began to change. “I began to feel very uncomfortable working with women on such an external level,” she explained. “Women would come into the salon focusing on every small imperfection. From being in the spa business, I truly enjoy a good massage and the feet should be

~ Story and Photos By Amy Fennell Christian ~

worshipped with a good pedicure, but there has to be a balance. There’s definitely a fine line between that and obsessiveness with external beauty.” Then, after the birth of her daughter Stella in 1998, Kim discovered yoga. “I knew, even from the beginning, that I’d found something for me,” she said. Yoga, an Eastern philosophy that has been around for thousands of years, focuses on balancing the mind, body and spirit through meditation, poses and breathing exercises. Kim said she’s noticed dramatic improvements in her own life since beginning yoga — it’s helped her get back in shape after having a baby and gotten her through some rough emotional periods. “It creates such a balance in my life,” she explained. After practicing yoga for about two years, and thanks largely to Trina Ford,

17 Kim’s first yoga instructor and owner of Integrative Body Works in North Augusta, Kim began teaching, first at Trina’s studio, and then at Open Door Preschool and Cutno Dance. Kim continued working at La Dolce Vita, but still felt uneasy. The turning point finally came when Kim voiced her concerns to one of her clients, telling the woman that she might be better off spending a little less time in front of the mirror examining her flaws. “I was shocked,” she remembered. “I couldn’t believe that I had actually said that to a client. And I remember that she stopped and took a step back and just looked at me. She finally laughed and said, ‘You know, that’s exactly what my husband says.’” A few weeks later, the client came in and thanked Kim for her advice, convincing her that another of her goals should be to help students free themselves from focusing so much on their outward appearance. That’s why, she said, there are no mirrors at Sacred Space and students are told to leave their egos at the door. “What we look like does not define who we are,” she said. “We don’t really allow ourselves to grow old gracefully. We fight it, and we fight it with silicone and botox.” One of the beauties of yoga, Kim continued, is that once students let go of their egos and their need to fix every real (or imagined) flaw, they begin see the physical results of their practice. “With yoga, there are people who are in their 80s and 90s who are still standing

on their heads,” she said. “People who practice yoga and are dedicated to it — you cannot tell their age.” To further her mission of reaching “as many people as we can of all ages and in all walks of life,” and to continue the work she began at Open Door Preschool and Cutno Dance, Kim wants to continue working with young children. She and Stella, now 5, already meditate together, and Kim feels strongly that children can definitely benefit from a little downtime — a break from schoolwork, friends and other daily intrusions. “We teach children so many different things, but we don’t teach them about themselves,” she explained, adding that this self-knowledge can be especially helpful when they reach their teenage years. “I don’t want my daughter growing up to be self-conscious because she’s not as tall as the models in magazines,” Kim said. “Teenagers are so external. They’re so competitive about the way their hair is styled and how much money their parents have, but we have an opportunity with what we’re doing to reach out to young adults to teach them that it’s OK to be who they are.” Her list of goals may sound intimidating, but Kim is inspired. Why? She’s finally found her niche. “Even as a small child I felt I needed to help people and make them feel good,” she explained, “so when I started practicing yoga, I really felt like I found my true purpose — my calling in life. It’s definitely the way I want to work with other people.”

Yoga Is Not a Religion Sacred Space may offer Sunday morning meditation that’s free and open to the public, but please don’t confuse yoga and religion. It’s a common misconception, Kim and Bettelou said, but nothing could be further from the truth. “It’s not a belief system,” Bettelou explained. “There’s nothing to believe.” Rather, Kim said, the practice of yoga can actually enhance anyone’s spirituality through proper breathing and quieting the mind. “With any religion, it’s really hard to pray when your mind’s telling you to go to the grocery store,” she said. Instead, Kim encourages her students to stop by Sunday morning for meditation before setting off for church. And, during the meditation segment at the end of each class, students can use that time for whatever they need. “If they want to dive deep into prayer, that’s fine,” Kim said.

M E T R O S P I R I T J U L Y 1 7 2 0 0 3

Rick's PAINT & BODY

Quality Repair Is Your Choice ... “Request Rick's”

868-9224 Bobby Jones across from Wal-Mart

Owner Rusty Campbell

Serving Augusta since 1977

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Ripping

Off the Poor By Brian Neill

“The minimum wage is not a living wage and there are families who are trying to live on minimum wage. If you look at the newspaper and look at the cost of an apartment – just look at how much it costs to rent an apartment, and then you think about the power and the gas and all the deposits.” — Lynda Suarez, housing research development coordinator with the CSRA Economic Opportunity Authority

ynda Suarez sees it all the time: working families at or below the poverty level, struggling to make ends meet, and finding that something like a car repair or medical emergency sends them into a tailspin of crushing debt. Suarez is housing research development coordinator with the CSRA Economic Opportunity Authority, an agency that helps the working poor get on their feet and stay there. Getting them off the streets or out of homeless shelters and into the workforce is the easy part. Keeping them there, Suarez said, can often be more challenging. “You’re working poor, and you’re barely making it and you have a job and you go into that job every day — they’re not sitting home watching ‘As the World Turns’; they’re out there struggling every day — and your alternator goes out on your car,” Suarez said, giving a scenario her clients typically face. “Well, that’s a problem for everybody, but when you don’t have any money, you know, $200 can be like $2,000. So what you do is take the money you were going to pay Georgia Power and Georgia Natural Gas and get your car fixed, because you’ve got to get your car fixed, because you’ve got to get to work.” From there, Suarez says, things snowball to the point where the family or individual ends up having to turn to a local homeless agency like the Salvation Army to begin the cycle anew. It’s a problem that the Housing and Urban Development agency and other organizations have set out to fix. Suarez, whose agency gets funding under the federal Head Start program, is one of those. “Our program, basically, is that step after shelter,” Suarez said. “Because what was happening is, the families would get into shelter; they would leave shelter; they would hang on and then the car would break or they’d get sick and then you’d go through that same cycle. And they were cycling in and out of shelters.”

Double Jeopardy Making it poor is hard enough. But imagine if, in addition to having to make do with less, you were charged twice as much for goods and services as your middle-class and welloff counterparts tooling around in their Beamers and SUVs. A report released this June suggests that’s the case. The report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a philanthropic group which annually publishes the “Kids Count” study outlining challenges facing the nation’s poorest kids, examined what it termed “The High Cost of Being Poor.” Because they lack credit and substantial assets, most poor people are forced to deal with predatory lenders and pay disproportionally high fees for services, the report states. Also, inner-city families, many of them unable to travel outside their immediate neighborhoods because of insufficient or nonexistent transportation, often have to shop for food at smaller markets or convenience stores at which they’re likely to pay as much as 22 percent more for groceries, according to the report (which can be read in its entirety at www.kidscount.org). On a recent shopping trip of our own (see accompanying graphic), a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter from a convenience store within walking distance of low-income and public housing would cost you what roughly two and half times that much peanut butter sells for at a major grocery chain in town. A can of Isomil soy baby formula at the same convenience store cost $5.49 — a full $1.70 more than at the grocery store. Granted, items at convenience stores are often more expensive than at larger stores, but as the study points out, many poor have to shop within walking distance. With no credit history — or a lousy track record for existing debt — many poor individuals and families also rely on rent-toown centers in order to purchase things like TV sets and washers and dryers, Suarez said. “You know, they don’t have something and

19 M E T R O

Study of Potential Prevention of Diabetes

S P I R I T

Are you age 50 or greater and at risk of developing diabetes?

J U L Y

Risk for diabetes may be increased if you have a history of: obesity or overweight, a large waist circumference, glucose intolerance, diabetes during pregnancy, giving birth to large babies, or a family history of diabetes. To be eligible you must be age 50 or greater and be at risk for or diagnosed with cardiovascular disease (heart attack, coronary heart disease, peripheral vascular disease or stroke). Females must be surgically sterile or post menopausal. Benefits include: physical evaluations, laboratory testing, diet and exercise counseling, electrocardiograms and FDA-approved medications or placebo at no cost. Travel compensation will be provided.

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For more information, call:

CSRA PARTNERS IN HEALTH 1220 Augusta West Parkway • Augusta, Ga 30909 • 706-860-3001

Call for Tickets:

(706) 736-7889

THURSDAY

JULY

THIRSTY THURSDAY CASH COUCH

Some lucky fan wil walk away with $500 in cold hard cash with the Somewhere In Augusta Cash Couch. All 16oz. draft beer is just $1 during the game.

SOMEWHERE IN AUGUSTA 95 ROCK

JULY

FRIDAY

YOUTH BACK PACK GIVEAWAY

The first 500 fans 14 and under will receive a free Back Pack compliments of Fox 54, Coca Cola, Sprint, and First Bank. The clear GreenJackets Back Pack meets all school regulations.

FOX 54 • COCA COLA SPRINT • FIRST BANK

JULY

SATURDAY 0

GEORGIA LOTTERY NIGHT

The first 250 fans 18 and over will receive a Georgia Lottery Logo Sports Towel. One lucky fan will have a chance to throw out the first pitch and win $50 worth of Georgia Lottery tickets.

GEORGIA LOTTERY

affordable!

family fun!

UPCOMING PROMOTIONAL EVENTS

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GROCERY STORE: Peanut butter 1lb., 12 ounces for $2.89, store brand CONVENIENCE STORE IN LOW INCOME AREA: 12 ounces for $2.29, Jif

GROCERY STORE: Isomil soy baby formula, 13 ounces, $3.79 CONVENIENCE STORE IN LOW INCOME AREA: Isomil soy baby formula, 13 ounces, $5.49

GROCERY STORE: Whole milk, half gallon, $1.79 CONVENIENCE STORE IN LOW INCOME AREA: Whole milk, half gallon, $2.69

GROCERY STORE: Colonial King thin white bread, 20-ounce package, $2.19 CONVENIENCE STORE IN LOW INCOME AREA: Colonial King Thin white bread, 20-ounce package, $2.09

because there’s no credit check, it’s ‘my way to get something,’” Suarez said. “And of course, the cost of those items over a period of time is a lot more money than you’d actually pay for that.” In fact, according to the Annie E. Casey report, people who use rent-to-own centers to purchase furniture, electronics or other items, can expect to pay two or three times more than what those items would cost if they paid in cash. And many of those types of businesses specifically target low-income areas. “Although mainstream retailers may steer clear of poor neighborhoods for a variety of reasons, exploiters often are quick to jump into the void,” the report states. “For example, low-income neighborhoods are flooded with ‘rent-to-own’ outlets that have prospered in the marketplace by targeting families at the bottom third of the economic ladder.” Public and governmental scrutiny has pushed some rent-to-own centers to prominently display the total costs one would incur in purchasing each particular item. One local Rent-A-Center we browsed through does just that. In most cases among the TV sets and electronic items in the store, the “lease” costs incurred in buying them roughly equaled each products’ retail value. Most of the TV sets would end up costing twice as much as if they were purchased with cash. The Annie E. Casey report also cited numerous obstacles associated with transportation for the working poor. First, those who can afford to buy a vehicle usually must settle for one that’s less reliable — in other words, a junker. Add to that the inordinately high interest rates applied to individuals with bad or nonexistent credit. The report showed the difference between financing a $10,000 car for five years at 6percent and 20-percent interest rates. The difference translated into $195-a-month payments versus $265, respectively. On the 20-percent loan, the additional interest incurred would be $4,200, the report stated. Health insurance? Forget it. The study, citing 2002 U.S. Census data, found that 83 percent of people earning $75,000 a year or more were offered health insurance by their employers, compared with only 26 percent of workers making $25,000 or less annually. But for many working poor, even a plain old checking account can be out of reach, Suarez said. Unplanned emergencies can sap minimum balances and, again, lack of transportation can stand in the way of even making it to the bank, Suarez said. Once again, as the report points out, profit-minded entities have come forward, all too eagerly taking over the role of bank for the poor: “As mainstream financial institutions pulled out of poor urban and rural communities, check-cashing outlets, payday lenders, and other fringe industries often moved in.” Some payday loan businesses, which advance a person cash for holding a personal check for a specific period (usually 14 days) are a trap for poor individuals who often have little financial savvy.

“The problem arises when the borrower cannot make the repayment on time — a common scenario, given that these loans are targeted to consumers living paycheck-topaycheck, often with no reserve,” the report states. “In these instances, the loan is rolled over again and again, so that the borrower ends up in perpetual debt, sometimes paying an Annual Percentage Rate of 470 percent.” Legislation, sponsored in part by local state Sen. Don Cheeks (R), passed the senate this year that would impose limitations on such payday loan businesses, forcing them to abide by the same lending standards as banks and other financial institutions. The bill was carried over until the 2004 legislative session. “Eating the Elephant” Suarez’ program allows the poor some breathing room while they get back on their feet. For up to 24 months, the CSRA Economic Opportunity Authority provides rent-free housing for poor families. In exchange, the families must put roughly 20 percent of their earnings toward paying down existing debt to utilities and the like. This gradual reduction of debt is something Suarez calls “eating the elephant.” “What we do is, our families work, and instead of putting that money toward the rent, each month they have to show us a receipt where they’ve paid (for example) $25 to Georgia Power toward a $300 bill,” Suarez said. “It’s kind of, I like to say, ‘eating the elephant,’ because for many of our families the problem seems so massive they don’t know how they’re going to get past it. And little by little they start chipping away, so at the end of the 24 months our goal is to get that family self-sufficient, so that when they go away from us they can manage on their own.” In addition, families also must contribute 10 percent of their wages toward a savings account, which is turned over to them once they leave the program. The program also teaches life skills classes that help enrollees to better their chances for success after once again maintaining financial stability. There are plenty of success stories. Shannon Ryck, youth programs coordinator at CSRA EOA, remembers a woman who entered the program a couple of years ago with an odd request. “One of our ladies that came in, she didn’t speak English very well when she first got here, but she was a really sweet lady, single mother, and she wanted to go to school to remove asbestos,” Ryck recalled. “I thought that was kind of weird, but when she left (the program) it was, I think, $50 or $60 an hour that she was making.” Ryck said many individuals who are struggling or homeless have the same capability, but are always one step behind where they need to be because of various expenses many of us take for granted. “We get calls all the time: ‘I have the money to move, but I can’t get my power turned on and I can’t move in without the power and they want a $150 deposit,’” Ryck said. “The minimum wage is not a living wage and there are families who are trying to live on minimum wage,” Suarez added. “If you look at the newspaper and look at the cost of an apartment – just look at how much it costs

to rent an apartment, and then you think about the power and the gas and all the deposits.” Grassroots programs like the CSRA EOA help. But the Annie E. Casey report suggests corporate America needs to step up and help level the playing field and provide more equitable choices and amenities for the less advantaged. One of the foremost recommendations of the study is encouraging quality retailers to locate in low-income and inner-city areas. Locally, the Laney-Walker neighborhood has fought for more retail businesses, as well as banks, to locate in the low-income community, with little luck. City leaders have noted that major

businesses are reluctant to move to such communities in which the average household income is considerably lower than in other neighborhoods. But the Annie E. Casey report takes issue with that thinking, citing studies done by MetroEdge in Chicago, Crossroads Research Center in Minneapolis, Social Compact in Washington, D.C., and the Employment and Training Institute at the University of Wisconsin, all of which indicated that the combined buying power of urban neighborhoods often matches or exceeds the purchasing power in more affluent, but less populated, communities. The report also recommended that the poor

:: :: :: ::

should have greater access to programs that educate them on their finances. Also, the report lauded such efforts as the Pay Rent, Build Credit Data Network (www.payrentbuildcredit.com), which for the first time allows apartment dwellers to build a credit history through their rent payments. Suarez realizes many people overlook the working poor. But she said anyone can find themselves in the same position, particularly in light of this uncertain economy. Like the man she met a few years ago at a local shelter who had a master’s degree and had left the military for work in the private sector. “And I will never forget that he said to me:

If you had told me two years ago that my family would be in a shelter, I would have laughed in your face. And here I sit today,’” Suarez recalled. “He got caught in a downsizing. And just like everybody else, he was doing exactly what these other people are. He was sending resumes out and then robbing Peter to pay Paul, until he was at a point where there was nothing else to rob, and he and his family ended up in a shelter. “That is not the rule; that is the exception, but it can happen, especially in today’s economy.”

Exact Replica Bike Sweepstakes

:: :: :: :: ::

Deadline:

Entries must

be postmarked by July 27 & received by July 31

Tour De France Lance Armstrong Exact Replica Bike Sweepstakes

Street Address___________________________________ City,State,Zip_____________________________________ Daytime Phone___________________________________ Evening Phone___________________________________ Tour De France Lance Armstrong Exact Replica Bike Sweepstakes OFFICIAL RULES- NO PURCHASE NECESSARY OPEN TO U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY, 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER, TO ENTER: You may enter to win the Tour De France Lance Armstrong Exact Replica Bike Sweepstakes by the following ways: 1) Register online at www.metrospirit.com. 2) Official Entry Forms will be available by picking up a copy of the Metro Spirit newspaper through 7/27/03 or while supplies last. On an official entry form or plain piece of 3" x 5" paper, hand print your name, complete address (no P.O. Boxes), zip code, day & evening telephone numbers, and e-mail address (if any). Deposit your completed entry in ballot box located at the Metro Spirit located at 825 Russell Street, Augusta, Georgia 30904 by 7/27/03. Limit 1 entry deposited per person per day. Sweepstakes ends 7/27/03. 2) Enter by completing an Official Entry Form or by printing your name, address and telephone number on a postcard (minimum size: 3.5"x 5", .016" thick; maximum size 4"x 6", .016" thick) or an

8.5"x11" sheet of paper and mailing your entry to Metro Spirit, P.O. Box 3809, Augusta, Georgia 30914 Attn: Tour De France Lance Armstrong Exact Replica Bike Sweepstakes. Entries must be postmarked by July 27, 2003 and received by July 31, 2003. PRIZES & ESTIMATED RETAIL VALUES: FIRST PRIZE: A 5200 Trek Bicycle (exact replica of the bike Lance Armstrong used on the tour), cobranded with the USPS, OLN, and Comcast logos. (ERV $4,000 ea.) GRAND PRIZE RANDOM DRAWING: First Prize Winner will be selected in a random drawing on or about 7/31/03, from among all eligible entries received. Drawing will be conducted by a representative from Metro Spirit. Odds of winning the First Prize are dependent upon the total number of eligible entries received. Prize will be awarded & winner will be notified by telephone. First Prizes will be awarded at the sole discretion of participating retailers. GENERAL RULES: Sponsor and its agencies are not responsible for

S P I R I T J U L Y

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LANCE ARMSTRONG

Name____________________________________________

M E T R O

1 7

Tour De France

Sponsored by:

TO ENTER: Mail entry form to Metro Spirit P.O. Box 3809 • Augusta, GA 30914 OR Log on to www.metrospirit.com lost, late, misdirected, or illegible deposited entries or for entries not deposited in time for the random drawing. No cash substitutions/transfer of prizes will be permitted except at sole discretion of sponsor. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute prize of equal or greater value. All Federal, state & local taxes & any other expenses or incidentals not specified herein are sole responsibility of winner. Sponsor & its agencies assume no responsibility or liability for damages, losses, or injury resulting from acceptance or use of any prize. Potential winner will be required to execute and return an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability/Publicity Release (where legal) within 10 days of attempted notification, or the prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner will be selected. Return of prize notification as undeliverable will result in disqualification & alternate selection. Acceptance of prize by winner constitutes permission to the sponsor & its agencies to use winner’s name/voice and/or likeness for purposes of advertising & trade without further compensation, unless prohibited by law. By participating in this promotion, entrants agree to be bound by the Official Rules & judges’ decisions.

ELIGIBILITY: Sweepstakes open to U.S. residents only, who are 18 years of age or older as of date of entry, except those entering via an alcohol/liquor retailer, who must be 21 years of age or older to enter and cannot be a resident of California. Employees and their families of Outdoor Life Network, Comcast Cable, Metro Spirit, their affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies, Don Jagoda Associates, Inc., are not eligible. This offer is void where prohibited, and subject to all federal, state and local laws. SPONSOR: The sponsor of this promotion is Outdoor Life Network, 281 Tresser Blvd., Two Stamford Plaza, Stamford, CT 06901. The administrator is Don Jagoda Associates, Inc., 100 Marcus Drive, Melville, NY 11747.

Dining Out

M E T R O

Partridge Inn Becomes Center for Southern Culinary Excellence

S P I R I T J U L Y 1 7 2 0 0 3

Augusta’s Finest Bed & Breakfast

312-334 Greene Street Augusta, Ga 30901

(706) 724-3454 1-877-292-5324

he Partridge Inn's reputation for excellence in food and drink has grown rapidly. The rest of the world is taking notice of what Augustans have known for many years. The food and beverage operation at The Partridge Inn is world- class. The landmark hotel, its two restaurants — the fantastic Bambu On Hickman and the venerable P I Bar & Grill — and executive Master Chef Philippe Chin have been the subject of numerous articles in recent months. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune, the Knoxville News, the Gwinnett Daily Post and Tennessee's Daily News Journal have all published stories describing their wondrous offerings. Magazines have also taken notice. Atlanta Magazine, Golf Georgia, Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles and Points North have featured the hotel as a destination to enjoy gourmet delights. New York's James Beard Foundation has just invited the hotel and Chef Chin to return to New York City a second time to present a dinner in February, 2004. The Partridge Inn is now hosting the Best Chefs of the South series. Next Thursday, July 24, Chef Gerry Klaskala of Atlanta's ARIA restaurant will be preparing a four-course banquet in the newly remodeled Morris Partridge Ballroom, preceded by a reception featuring Chef Chin's signature hors d'oeuvres. Chef Klaskala is enormously well- known and has opened such restaurants as Atlanta's Canoe and Buckhead Diner and Savannah's 45 South. In the upcoming months the series will showcase Chef Steve Leitch from La Bastide in Travelers Rest, S.C., Chef Marty Rosenfeld from Lakeside Restaurant in Highlands, N.C., Chef Kelly Yambor from Elizabeth on 37th in Savannah, Ga., and Chefs Donald Barickman and Don Drake from Magnolias in Charleston, S.C. Each meal is accompanied with specially selected wines from a noted winery. A limited number of tickets are available for only $59. They may be purchased by calling 706-2621111. Tickets for all five events are $250. Such noteworthy events and lavish attention from regional publications are signals that The Partridge Inn is now one of the South's culinary centers. Much of the attention has centered around Chef Chin and the groundbreaking Bambu On Hickman. This exotic restaurant has captured the attention of Augusta with its water-

fall, rain forest and outstanding menu. Chef Darren Gransbury is in charge of the kitchen and he is a big part of the culinary team assembled by Chef Chin. "This is a rewarding job in an exciting restaurant. I really enjoy working with this team," said Gransbury, who received his training in England. French Master Chef Chin and F&B Director Kevin Kilchenstein have actually revamped the entire hotel's food and beverage offerings. The PI Bar & Grill has been transformed into a sophisticated steakhouse with a marble-topped bar and wood accents throughout. This restaurant is open 365 days a year for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Philippe has revised all the menus to reflect his interpretation of Southern cooking. The P I Ultimate Southern Gravy, featured as a steak sauce in the P I Bar & Grill, is a taste sensation. There is a different hot buffet lunch every weekday. Italian and Mexican food are now offered on Mondays and Tuesdays to complement the Southern styles presented during the remainder of the week. Chef Jorge Pacheco is in charge of the dinner hours. "I am so happy to be working with Philippe and his recipes in a traditional style steakhouse that is so popular in the town,” said Chef Pacheco, who hails from Los Angeles via Philadelphia. Restaurants are only part of the scene at The Partridge Inn. Catered events are also a longstanding tradition. Executive Sous Chef Charles Smith oversees every banquet dish. He is also in charge of the hotel's renowned Sunday Brunch, labeled "a gastronome's delight" by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Our guests expect the finest catered events imaginable and my team wants to exceed those expectations. Chef Chin's dishes are incredible and we enjoy presenting them," Chef Smith told us. There is a wide variety of rooms and spaces available, such as the ballroom for a wedding or a courtyard for a reception or a paneled boardroom for a private dinner. The hotel employs several specialists to help plan the events for their clients. Bambu On Hickman is open Tues.-Sat. from 5 p.m. till 11 p.m. Call (706) 312-7777 for reservations. The P I Bar & Grill is open every day of the week and reservations can be made by calling (706) 737-8888. Catering and meeting specialists can be contacted at (706) 262-1111.

Arts

& Entertainment

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to TicketMaster

t’s been involved in several highprofile lawsuits. Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder famously rallied against it in the mid-‘90s. And, chances are, if you’ve ever been to a concert, you’ve used it. It’s not too hard to guess just what we’re talking about here – TicketMaster, the nation’s largest retail ticketing company. In 2002 alone, they sold over 95 million tickets, worth about $4 billion. With numbers like that, it’s not hard to believe we’ve all made a transaction through TicketMaster a time or two. But few of us understand the intricacies of buying tickets through the company, as evidenced by the extensive “Frequently Asked Questions” portion of the TicketMaster Web site, exemplified by queries about everything from why it’s so hard to score those elusive, most desirable seats to just what those service charges are for, anyway. What You’re Paying For Say you’re planning on attending the upcoming Mike Epps comedy show at the Bell Auditorium Aug. 1. Tickets for that show are available at both the Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center Box Office or through TicketMaster’s distribution channels. “Basically, our contracts are signed with the venues or promoters,” explains TicketMaster spokeswoman Kandus Simpson. “We do all of the ticketing for that particular venue or promoter, if we have contracts with that venue or promoter.” But the price you ultimately pay for a Mike Epps ticket depends on how you purchase it. If you head across town to the Civic Center Box Office, you avoid paying the per-ticket convenience fee charged by purchasing through TicketMaster’s online, phone or ticket outlet distribution channels. As Simpson puts it, you’re paying for the convenience of being able to purchase tickets from the comfort of your own home or from an easily found distribution center (which, in our area, are

located inside Publix supermarkets). The convenience charge varies according to event. In the case of the Mike Epps show, for example, a $4.50 per ticket convenience charge is added on top of the face value of the ticket, already set at $28.50 or $35.50 for this particular event. The face value, Simpson says, is fixed by the venue, artist or promoter. Any taxes are usually included in the face value. Also tacked onto the face value for shows at the Bell Auditorium or Civic Center is a $1 per ticket building facility charge. According to TicketMaster’s “Frequently Asked Questions,” this fee is collected by TicketMaster on behalf of the venue, with the purpose of this charge varying by venue. Finally, there’s the question of delivery. If you purchase tickets in person, you don’t need to worry about just how you’ll get your hands on the goods. But order online or by phone, and you can either opt to pay no additional cost for delivery by standard mail or $14.50-$25 for delivery by UPS, depending on how fast you want them to arrive. Shipping costs are applied to an entire ticket order. What You Get So we already know that convenience is one of the perks you get for shelling out more. But that’s still not saying anything about where you might end up sitting. The first person in line or online doesn’t always get the primo seats. That’s because the venue, artist or promoter typically sets aside a number of tickets for their own use. Also limiting the number of seats available to the general public is the fact that places reserved by seasonticket holders at a particular venue are not available for purchase through TicketMaster. Also, while a customer is considering a purchase, TicketMaster holds that inventory while a customer is deciding whether or not to go ahead with the order. If a potential buyer decides not to purchase those seats or does not complete his or her transaction within the

M E T R O S P I R I T J U L Y

By Lisa Jordan

specified time period (usually about five minutes), the seats are released back into the purchase pool, where someone else can come along and snap them up. In addition, more tickets may be released as the event approaches, usually because the artists, venues or promoters decide they no longer need tickets they originally held or because an event is so hot, concertgoers are willing to purchase seats with obstructed views. Other Ways To Buy Tickets While TicketMaster may be the most popular way to purchase tickets, there are alternatives. In the Augusta area, you may have noticed that tickets to many events, such as GreenJackets baseball games or this weekend’s Augusta Southern Nationals, are available through a local company called Tix Online, which also offers buyers the option of purchasing tickets online, by phone or at

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an area outlet. “There are a large number of regional players who specialize in smaller venues,” Simpson says. TicketMaster itself has gotten in on the small venue act with its TicketWeb division, which offers clubs and other similarly sized venues a means to distribute tickets on the Internet. Currently, there are no Augusta venues that use the TicketWeb service. Another alternative, best exemplified by acts like Phish and The Dave Matthews Band, is to buy tickets directly from the band. Phish offers tickets by mail-order, while Matthews sets aside a certain percentage of tickets to be sold to members of his fan club. If a band is willing to offer this service, details are usually found on their official Web site. For more information on buying tickets, head on over to www.ticketmaster.com, www.tixonline.com or visit a particular band’s official site.

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DaysA Week

Arts

Auditions “THE ODD COUPLE” will be per formed by For t Gordon Dinner Theatre in September. Audition dates are July 21-22, 7 p.m. Par ts are available for six men (ages 25-55) and two women (ages 25-40). For information, contact Steve Walper t, 791-4389. AUDITIONS FOR “BLOODI MARI,” a digital sci-fi shor t movie to be submit ted to the Sundance Film Festival. Female actress between 18-26 is needed. For more information, contact Gregory Dixon, 799-5679. AUDITIONS FOR “GREASE” will be held 11 a.m. July 19 at St. John United Methodist Church, 736 Greene St. Roles available for men and women ages 17-50. Please prepare a solo from the show or a 1950s style rock ‘n’ roll song; accompanist provided. Contact the Augusta Players at 8264707 for information. AUDITIONS FOR “THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW” now being held. Must be 18 or older to audition. For details, phone 589-4269. ENTRIES NOW BEING ACCEPTED for “A Sense of Place 2003: Continuity and Change in the New South” juried fine ar t competition. Open to all ar tists in the South ages 18 and older. Works in the following categories will be accepted: painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture and mixed media. Entries must be postmarked by July 18. For an entry form or more information, contact the Ger trude Herber t Institute of Ar t at 722-5495 or visit www.ghia.org/exhibit. AUGUSTA CONCERT BAND rehearses Monday evenings and is looking to fill vacancies on most band instruments. Interested par ties should contact Ben Easter, (803) 2020091 or e-mail bandforaugusta@aol.com. SWEET ADELINES PEACH STATE CHORUS OPEN REHEARSAL for singers each Thursday at 7 p.m. at Church of Christ, 600 Mar tintown Rd. in Nor th Augusta. They are on the lookout for voices in the lower ranges. Contact Mary Norman at (803) 279-6499.

Education PAPERMAKING WORKSHOP July 31, 1 p.m., at the Augusta Museum of History. Open to the public and free of charge. Reservations are required. There will also be a special morning session only open to local educators and ar tists. Call 722-8454 for information and reservations. BALLROOM AND LATIN DANCE LESSONS taught Monday through Friday at The Ballroom Dance Center. Cost is $10$12 drop-in or $30-$80 per month. No par tners necessary. For more information, call 854-8888. ART CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS are offered year-round at the Ger trude Herber t Institute of Ar t. Classes and workshops are open to toddlers through adults and feature instruction in drawing, painting, photography, pot tery, weaving and sculpture. For a newslet ter or detailed information on registering for classes at the Ger trude Herber t, call 722-5495. The

Ger trude Herber t Institute of Ar t also offers Educational Tours; for information, contact the Education Director at the above telephone number. ART CLASSES FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS at the Ar t Factory. The Ar t Factory also has a homeschool program and scholarships are available. Available programs include voice lesson and pantomime workshops, as well as classes in dance, theater, music, visual ar ts and writing. Call 731-0008 for details. USC-AIKEN MUSIC CONSERVATORY PROGRAM now open. Students of all ages and experience levels welcome. Private lessons available for musical instruments and voice; instructors are USC-Aiken faculty and have at least a master’s degree in their per formance area. (803) 641-3288.

Exhibitions ART BY AUDREY CROSBY will be on display at the Gibbs Library during July. Call 863-1946 for info. PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAGEMAN DELJOU is now on exhibit at Sacred Space Yoga Studio. Viewings are by appointment only. Contact Kimberly Tompkins, 736-8023. WORKS BY RAY STURKEY will be at the Lucy Craf t Laney Museum of Black History during July. 724-3576. “PICTURES FOR MISS JOSIE,” collages and drawings by Benny Andrews, will be at the Mary Pauline Gallery through Aug. 16. For more information, call 724-9542. WORK BY DANIEL HAYES is on display at Borders Books and Music during July in celebration of the one-year anniversary of his first Borders exhibit. Call 737-6962 for details. “ARTVENTURE 2003: SELF-PORTRAITS” exhibition of works by students in the Ger trude Herber t Institute of Ar t’s outreach program through July 25. 722-5495. “PORTRAITURE IN THE SECOND AND THIRD DIMENSIONS” will be on display at the Ger trude Herber t Institute of Ar t through July 25. Call 722-5495 for info. THE WALTER O. EVANS COLLECTION OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN ART on view at the Morris Museum of Ar t through Aug. 10. Call 724-7501 for details.

Dance THE AUGUSTA INTERNATIONAL FOLK DANCE CLUB meets Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m. No par tners are needed and newcomers are welcome. Line and circle dances are taught. For location information, call 737-6299. THE DANCES OF UNIVERSAL PEACE held the first Saturday of every month, 7-9 p.m., at the Unitarian Church of Augusta, honors the religious traditions of the world through song and movement. Call (803) 643-0460 for more information. SECOND SATURDAY DANCE at the Ballroom Dance Center, 225 Grand Slam Drive in Evans, held the second Saturday of every month, 7:30-11 p.m. Dress is casual. No par tners necessary. Tickets are $10 per person. 854-8888.

Philadanco gives dance performances and teaches classes during Atlanta’s National Black Arts Festival, running July 18-27. AUGUSTA CHAPTER OF THE UNITED STATES AMATEUR BALLROOM DANCERS ASSOCIATION holds a dance the first Saturday of each month, from 7:15-11 p.m. Cost is $7 for members and $10 for non-members. Held at the BPOE Facility on Elkdom Cour t. Contact Melvis Lovet t, 733-3890, or Jean Avery, 863-4186, for information. CSRA/AUGUSTA BOGEY-WOOGIE DANCE AND SOCIAL GROUP meets every Wednesday at 6:45 p.m. at A World of Dance Studio. Couples, singles and newcomers are welcome. The group also offers beginner shag lessons all summer. For information, phone 650-2396. SINGLES DANCE each Saturday night from 8-11 p.m. sponsored by the Christian Social Organization for Single Adults. Held at Westside High School. Tickets $5 for members, $7 for non-members, and are available at the door. For more information, contact Doris Heath, 736-3376.

Music SOULFUL SATURDAYS with live soul music, spoken word and theatrical per formances through Aug. 30. Held at the Jessye Norman Amphitheatre, 8-9:30 p.m. Admission is $5. For information, call 821-1754. ORIGINAL VOICES SINGER/SONGWRITER FESTIVAL July 26, 9 p.m., at the Imperial Theatre. Tickets are $5, available at the door. Featured per formers are Silver Dash Music, Tara Scheyer and the Half-Shir t Leroys, The Patrick Blanchard Band and Ronnie Hill and Roger Davis. For more information, call the Imperial Theatre at 722-8293. RIVERWALK JAZZ CANDLELIGHT CONCERT SERIES Sundays through Aug. 24, 8-9:30 p.m. at Riverwalk’s Eighth Street Bulkhead. Schedule is as follows: Kay King, Edna Stewar t play a special indoor concer t at the Imperial Theatre, July 20; Air Apparent, July 27; Soul Bar Jazz Quar tet, Aug. 3; Jazz-a-ma-tazz, Aug. 10; Quiet Storm, Aug. 17; Josef Patchen and the Blue Diamond Express, Aug. 24. Admission is $5 per concer t, or you may purchase season tickets for $50. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and a picnic basket. For information, call Riverwalk Special Events at 821-1754.

DOWNTOWN LUNCH DATE July 17, 24 and 31, noon-2:30 p.m., at Augusta Common. Bring a lunch or eat lunch catered by the featured restaurant while listening to live music. 821-1754. HOPELANDS SUMMER CONCERT SERIES continues July 21 with a per formance by Swingsation. All concer ts begin at 7 p.m. on the Windham Per forming Ar ts Stage at Hopeland Gardens in Aiken. In the event of rain, concer ts will be held in Gym 2 at the H.O. Weeks Center. Free admission. Call (803) 642-7631 for information. MUSIC IN THE PARK CANDLELIGHT CONCERT at Creighton Living History Park in Nor th Augusta 8 p.m. July 24. Jazz Soulstice per forms. Free. (803) 442-7588. COMMUNITY HEALING MEDITATION DRUMMING CIRCLE hosted every third Monday of the month by IDRUM2U, the Not Gaddy Drumming Studio. Held 7-9 p.m. at the G.L. Jackson Conference Center, 1714 Nor th Leg Cour t. Fee is $5 or a donation of canned goods for the Golden Harvest Food Bank. All are welcome and drums will be available to rent. For info, phone the Not Gaddy Drumming Studio, 228-3200.

Theater “THE SOUND OF MUSIC” will be per formed by the Washington Lit tle Theatre company at The Playhouse in Washington July 18-20. Tickets are $10. For reservations, call 678-9582. “A ... MY NAME IS ALICE” will be per formed at For t Gordon Dinner Theatre weekends July 18-19 and 24-26. Tickets are $28-$30 for dinner and show or $12 for show only. Call the box office at 793-8552 or visit www.for tgordon.com for reservations. “RUMORS” will be per formed at the Abbeville Opera House in Abbeville, S.C., July 18-19 and 25-26 at 8 p.m., with matinees July 19 and 26 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $14 for youth ages 4-12, seniors 65 and older and groups of 10 or more. (864) 459-2157.

“WHERE THE LILIES BLOOM” will be at Aiken Community Playhouse’s Washington Center for the Performing Arts in Aiken July 18-19. Performances are at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 adult, $8 senior, $6 student and $4 child. Call (803) 648-1438 for tickets and information.

Museums “IMAGES OF CHILDHOOD” theme tour of the Morris Museum of Ar t’s permanent collection. Tour star ts at 2 p.m. July 27. Admission is free. Call 724-7501 for info.

THE MUSEUM OF LAUREL AND HARDY OF HARLEM, GEORGIA features displays of various Laurel and Hardy memorabilia; films also shown. Located at 250 N. Louisville Street in downtown Harlem. Open 1-4 p.m. ThursdayMonday. For more information, call 556-3448.

“PATTERNS OF CHANGE: HISTORIC PRESRVATION IN GEORGIA” will be playing continuously in the History Theatre at the Augusta Museum of History throughout July. Call 7228454 for information.

LUNCH AT NOON LECTURE SERIES held the second Wednesday of every month at the Lucy Craf t Laney Museum of Black History, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Call the museum at 724-3576 for more information.

“COLLECTING AFRICAN-AMERICAN ART” talk by Atlanta ar t collector Paul R. Jones at the Morris Museum of Ar t July 17. Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for seniors, students and the military. 724-7501. THE GERTRUDE HERBERT INSTITUTE OF ART in Ware’s Folly exhibits works by local and regional ar tists. Ar t classes, workshops and other educational programming for children, youth and adults are held in the Walker-Mackenzie Studio. Ware’s Folly galleries open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; and Saturday by appointment only. The Walker-Mackenzie Studio gallery is open Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is free, but a donation of $2 for adults and $1 for children and seniors is encouraged. Call 722-5495 for more info. THE AUGUSTA MUSEUM OF HISTORY hosts permanent exhibition “Augusta’s Story,” an award-winning exhibit encompassing 12,000 years of local history. For the younger crowd, there’s the Susan L. Still Children’s Discovery Gallery, where kids can learn about history in a hands-on environment. The museum also shows films in the History Theatre and hosts a variety of programs. Located at 560 Reynolds Street. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

JULY FEST July 26 at Aiken Fairgrounds includes a gospel fest, basketball tournament, talent show, carnival games, ar ts and craf ts, live enter tainment and more. Call (803) 6427635 for information.

THE MORRIS MUSEUM OF ART hosts exhibitions and special events year-round. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sundays, noon-5 p.m. Closed on Mondays and major holidays. 1 Tenth Street, Augusta. Call 724-7501 or visit www.themorris.org for details.

“THE DRUM” presentation July 20, 2 p.m., at the Morris Museum of Ar t. Ar tist Baba Raa El explores the history and evolution of the drum. Free admission. 724-7501.

“RETURN OF THE DINOSAURS” exhibit at For t Discovery through Sept. 21. A group of animatronic dinosaurs will be on display in the Knox Gallery. Admission to the exhibit is free with paid general admission to For t Discovery. For information, call 821-0200 or 1-800-325-5445.

11:30 a.m. with a cake-cut ting ceremony in the lobby of Darling Hall at For t Gordon. 791-3579.

and Sunday 1-5 p.m. Admission is $4 adult, $3 seniors, $2 kids (6-18 years of age) and free for children under 6. Free admission on Sundays. Call 722-8454 or visit www.augustamuseum.org for more information.

FORT GORDON JULY RETIREMENT REVIEW July 31, 9:30 a.m., in Alexander Hall. Open to the public. For more information, call 791-6001. “A WALK IN THE WOODS” at Spirit Creek Educational Forest in Hephzibah July 22 and 29, 9-11 a.m. Free. Call 790-2351 for more information.

Special Events CHANGE OF COMMAND CEREMONY July 25, 8 a.m., at the Bar ton Field Stands at For t Gordon. Col. Daniel Gerstein will relinquish command to Col. Nathaniel Smith. For information, contact Major Tina Schreiner or Sgt. Kelly McCargo at 7919309.

Expressway. Call 556-9090 or visit www.pet finder.com.

COLUMBIA COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY holds pet adoptions M every Saturday from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and every Sunday from E 1-4 p.m. at PetsMar t. For more info, call 860-5020. T RICHMOND COUNTY ANIMAL CONTROL AND AUGUSTA ANIMAL RESCUE FRIENDS holds pet adoptions at Superpetz off Bobby Jones Expressway every Sunday from 1-4 p.m. Call AARF at 364-4747 or visit www.aarf.net. Adoptions also held at the Richmond County Animal Control Shelter, Tues. through Sun., 1-5 p.m. Call the shelter at 790-6836.

ATLANTIS MUSIC CONFERENCE AND SHOWCASE in various venues throughout Atlanta. For more information, visit www.atlantismusic.com or call (770) 499-8600.

AUGUSTA SKI AND OUTING CLUB ANNUAL LAKE PARTY July 25-27 at Ridge Road Campground at Lake Thurmond. Camping reservations required by July 21. Non-members welcome. For more details, or to make reservations, contact Cameron, 651-0905, or Diane, 736-3736.

2003 ATLANTA BUCKARAMA July 31-Aug. 3 at the Atlanta Expo Center features exhibits, speakers and more. Admission is $7 adult, $4 seniors and kids 6-12 years of age and free for kids under 6. For more information, contact Doug Rithmire, (770) 787-7887.

JULY FILM SERIES Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m., at Headquar ters Library. July 22 showing of “Citizen Ruth” and July 29 showing of “Seventh Seal.” Call 736-6244 for more information.

GATLINBURG CRAFTSMEN’S FAIR July 18-27 at the Gatlinburg Convention Center in Gatlinburg, Tenn. Admission is $5 for adults and free for children 12 and under. For information, visit www.craftsmenfair.com or call (865) 436-7479.

NIGHT HIKE at Spirit Creek Educational Forest July 28, 89:30 p.m. Free. Call 790-2351 for information. GOLDEN HARVEST FOOD BANK’S MANNA TRUCK DISTRIBUTION of fresh produce for families in need July 26, 9 a.m., at Gospel Water Branch Baptist Church in Evans. All persons in need are welcome. For more information, call 736-1199.

FRIDAY EVENING THEATER July 18 and 25, 7 p.m., at Augusta Common. Admission is $1 per person; children 5 and under are free. Bring blankets and/or lawn chairs. 821-1754.

AUTHOR PRESENTATION AND BOOK SIGNING with Dee Merian, author of “Amerian Mosaic,” July 19 at Borders Books and Music. Event star ts at 5:30 p.m. Call 737-6962 for information.

PEACE VIGIL every Saturday until U.S. troops come home, noon-2 p.m. at the corner of Wrightsboro and Walton Way Ex t., near the Army Reserve Office. For more information, contact Denice Traina, 736-4738.

ARMY COMMUNITY SERVICE BIRTHDAY OBSERVANCE to honor the 38th bir thday of the service will be held July 25,

MCDUFFIE FRIENDS OF ANIMALS holds pet adoptions each Saturday, 1-3 p.m. at Superpetz on Bobby Jones

Introducing D. Scott Burns, M.D.

Out of Town

HARLEY-DAVIDSON 100TH ANNIVERSARY OPEN ROAD TOUR kicks off July 19-21 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Festival features live music by Tim McGraw, Blues Traveler, Ted Nugent, Journey, Steel Pulse, The Warren Brothers, Indigenous and Alison Krauss, as well as exhibits, children’s pavilion and more. Call (770) 946-4211 for information. “THE SOUND OF MUSIC” will be per formed July 22-27 at the Theatre of the Stars in Atlanta. For tickets and information, call (404) 252-8960. ART IN THE PARK juried ar ts and craf ts show 10 a.m.-5 p.m. July 19 at the American Legion Grounds in Blowing Rock, N.C. Free. Call (828) 295-7851. NATIONAL BLACK ARTS FESTIVAL in Atlanta July 18-27 with displays and per formances in visual ar ts, music, dance,

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“Every patient deserves quality care.” 2856 Washington Rd. 73-STEAK 1654 Gordon Hwy. 796-1875

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he physicians of Augusta GYN are pleased to welcome Dr. Scott Burns. His expertise complements one of this region’s most respected groups of obstetricians and gynecologists. Dr. Burns joins Drs. Ronald Daitch, Murray A. Freedman, William E. Barfield, Jr., Wade B. Blount, Gregory C. Cook, Deborah C. O’Shields, C. Kathy Chance, and Hatim H. Lukman in providing comprehensive health care services for women. These include prenatal care and delivery,

infertility treatment, laparoscopic and hysteroscopic surgery, laser surgery and hormone replacement therapy. Dr. Burns is a 1999 graduate of the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, and completed his internship and residency in Ob/Gyn at the Medical College of Georgia. Dr. Burns feels that many patients today are more educated about various conditions and illnesses, and that it’s important to listen to them, while helping to further educate them. In fact, he sees himself as a partner in their health care. “It’s important that we hear exactly what patients are saying, so we can work together to ensure optimal health,” he adds. “Every patient deserves quality care from their physician.” Augusta GYN, P.C. is located on the 4th floor of the Watson Women’s Center, 1348 Walton Way, Suite 4100, Augusta, GA 30901. For an appointment with Dr. Burns, call 706/722-1381.

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AUGUSTA GYN, P.C.

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THE CSRA HUMANE SOCIETY holds pet adoptions every Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and every Wednesday evening J U from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Pet Center located behind the L GreenJackets Stadium on Milledge Rd. 261-PETS.

COMMUNITY BLOCK PARTY July 19, noon-3 p.m., at Servants of God Baptist Church. Medical, dental and vision screenings, games, DARE presentations and more will be available to the public free of charge. Donations of school supplies will be collected for the Links to Learning distribution for inner-city students. Volunteers are also needed. Call 722-8693 for info.

GRASSROOTS ARTS PROGRAM grant applications are now being accepted by the Greater Augusta Ar ts Council. Funds from the Grassroots Ar ts Program suppor t community ar ts projects. Applications are due July 18. For more information and application forms, contact Erin Swenson, 826-4702.

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Glass Beads • Swarovski Crystals • Vintage Glass Semi-Precious Stones • Classes “Augusta’s only full service bead store.”

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literature and theatre. For details, visit www.nbaf.org or 26 film, call (404) 730-7315.

FREE COMMUNITY MEDITATION Sundays, 10-10:45 a.m. at Sacred Space Yoga Studio. 736-8023.

M E THE 2003 GEORGIA GAMES will be held through July 20 at T various sites around Atlanta. For more information, contact R the Georgia State Games Commission at (770) 528-3580. O S P I R I T

THE MCG BREAST CANCER SUPPORT GROUP meets the third Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. and provides education and suppor t for those with breast cancer. For information, call 721-1467.

SOUTH CAROLINA PEACH FESTIVAL through July 21 in Gaffney, S.C. Country music stars will per form, and a parade, tractor pulls and more will be featured. Contact Dennis Fowler at (864) 489-9066 for info.

DIET COUNSELING CLASSES for diabetics and those with high cholesterol at CSRA Par tners in Health, 1220 Augusta West Parkway. Free. Call 860-3001 for class schedule.

“THE ART OF LYON HILL: THE MYSTERY AND MECHANICS OF MARIONETTES” through Aug. 18 at the Sumter Gallery J of Ar t in Sumter, S.C. Call (803) 775-0543.

PROJECT LINK COMMUNITY LECTURE SERIES is held the first Tuesday of every month and is sponsored by the MCG Children’s Medical Center. Project Link provides educational resources and guidance for families who have children with developmental delays, disabilities and other specialized health concerns. Free and open to the public; takes place from 6:30-8 p.m. in the main conference room at the Children’s Medical Center. Call 721-6838 for information.

U L FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL featuring classical, Y

jazz, bluegrass and more; the London Symphony Orchestra

1 continues their summer residency this year. Held through 7 July 27 in Daytona Beach, Fla. Call (386) 257-7790 or visit

www.fif-lso.org.

2 0 “TWELVE ANGRY MEN” through July 20 at the Class Act 0 Theatre in Mariet ta, Ga. Showtimes are Fridays and 3

UNIVERSITY HEALTH CARE SYSTEM COMMUNITY EDUCATION holds workshops, seminars and classes on a variety of topics: weight and nutrition, women’s health, cancer, diabetes, seniors’ health and more. Suppor t groups and health screenings are also offered. Call 736-0847 for details.

Saturdays, 8 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets are $18 adult, $15 seniors and children. Call (770) 579-3156. “MY WAY: A MUSICAL TRIBUTE TO FRANK SINATRA” at the Ar ts Center of Coastal Carolina, Hilton Head Island, S.C., through July 19. Tickets are $37 adult, $34 matinee and $31 preview; children under 16 get in for half price. Call (843) 842-ARTS to make reservations. “A SALUTE TO 25 YEARS OF THE GEORGIA MUSIC HALL OF FAME AWARDS” runs through Jan. 18, 2004, at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Macon, Ga. Exhibits, programs and events honoring the 25th anniversary of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame awards. Call 1-888-GA-ROCKS for info. COWPARADE ATLANTA features over 200 life-sized, fiberglass cows painted by local ar tists and placed throughout Atlanta. The cows will be on public display through Sept. 14. For information, call (404) 898-2915 or visit www.cowparadeatlanta.com. GEORGIA SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL runs through Nov. 2 with performances of “Much Ado About Nothing,” “The School for Wives,” “The Tale of Cymbeline” and “The Tempest.” Tickets are $23-$32, with special $10 preview shows. Held at the Conant Performing Ar ts Center on the campus of Oglethorpe University in Atlanta. Call (404) 264-0020 for information. REEDY RIVER NIGHTTIME CONCERT SERIES through Aug. 28 at the Peace Center Amphitheatre in Greenville, S.C. Free. (864) 467-6667. SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK festival through Aug. 3 in Greenville, S.C. Plays presented by Warehouse Theatre. Call (864) 235-6948. JEKYLL ISLAND MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL includes per formances of “Schoolhouse Rock Live,” “State Fair” and “Hello, Dolly!” in rotating reper tory at the Jekyll Island Amphitheatre in Jekyll Island, Ga., through July 27. For information, call (912) 635-4060 or (229) 333-2150. ON THE BRICKS concer t series continues Fridays through Aug. 22 at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta. July 18 concer t features Mieka Pauley, Juniper Lane, Wisechild, Rober t Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise and Wyclef Jean. Tickets are $3 per show or $25 for 12. Kids 5 and under get in free. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. Purchase tickets by phone at 1-800-594-TIX X or online at www.onthebricks.com.

AT THE GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART in Athens, Ga.: “Old Worlds, New Lands,” through Aug. 31; “Becoming a Nation: Americana From the Diplomatic Reception Rooms, U.S.

Ben and Keeter bring their puppet show to area libraries July 24 and 30. Call 8212600 for more information. Depar tment of State,” through Aug. 31; “‘Leaves Have Their Time To Fall...’: Reflections of Mourning in 19th Century Decorative Ar ts,” July 19-Sept. 14. Call (706) 542-4662. HARDEEVILLE (S.C.) MOTOR SPEEDWAY 2003 RACING SCHEDULE is July 26 and Aug. 9, 16 and 30. For information, call (843) 784-RACE. THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART’S FOLK ART AND PHOTOGRAPH GALLERIES host two exhibitions through Aug. 9: “Land of Myth and Memory: Clarence John Laughlin and Photographers of the South” and “Faces and Places: Picturing the Self in Self-Taught Ar t.” Call (404) 577-6940.

Benefits GOLDEN HARVEST FOOD BANK FOOD DRIVE through July 25. Nonperishable food items will be collected at all local branches of South Trust Bank. For more information, call the Golden Harvest Food Bank at 736-1199. AIKEN COUNTYWIDE SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE July 21-25. A $7 donation will buy a book bag and school supplies for a child’s first nine weeks of school. For more information, conatct Tony Lit tles, (803) 642-7559. AUGUSTA-RICHMOND COUNTY ANIMAL CONTROL is in need of dog and cat food, cat lit ter and other pet items, as well as monetary donations to help pay for vaccinations. Donations accepted during regular business hours, Tues.Sun., 1-5 p.m. at the shelter, 4164 Mack Lane. Call 7906836 for information. SHEPEARD COMMUNITY BLOOD CENTER BLOOD DRIVES in various locations around the CSRA this month. The blood center is urging people of all blood types to donate in order to combat a blood supply shor tage. For detailed information on locations and times to donate, visit www.shepeardblood.org. You may also call Susan Edwards at (803) 6437996 for information on Aiken locations and Nancy Szocinski at 737-4551 for information on all other locations.

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AMERICAN RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVES at the Aiken Red Cross Blood Center on Millbrook Drive and the Augusta Red Cross Blood Center on Pleasant Home Road. The bloodmobile will also stop at various area locations this week. For a complete list, call the Aiken Blood Center at (803) 642-5180 or the Augusta Blood Center at 868-8800.

Learning AUGUSTA STATE UNIVERSITY CONTINUING EDUCATION is now offering the following classes: Stained Glass, Ice Skating, Yoga, Beginning Shag, Belly Dance, Introduction to the World of Wine, Drivers Education and more. Also, ASU offers online courses. For more information, call 737-1636 or visit www.ced.aug.edu. AIKEN TECH CONTINUING EDUCATION offers the following courses: Microsof t PowerPoint XP, Adobe Photoshop 6.0, Microsof t Cer tified Technical Education Training, Health Care Courses, Infant Massage, Rape Aggression Defense, S.C. Childcare Training System, Defensive Driving, Driver Education, Motorcycle Safety and more. Aiken Tech also offers Education to Go classes online. For more information or to register, call (803) 593-9231, ex t. 1230.

Health HATHA YOGA with Tess Stephens at the St. Joseph Wellness Center in Daniel Village Plaza. Day time classes held from 10 a.m.-noon Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Evening classes held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Monday and Wednesday and also 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. Cost is $60 per month for unlimited classes or $10 per class. For more information, contact Tess at 738-2782. FREE HATHA AND KRIYA YOGA CLASSES at Christ Church Unity. Hatha Yoga classes Mondays and Wednesdays, 9-10:30 a.m.; meditation-focused Kriya Yoga Tuesdays 6-7:30 p.m. Voluntary offerings are accepted. Call 738-2458 for more info.

PEACHCARE FOR KIDS AND RIGHT FROM THE START MEDICADE offers free or low-cost health coverage to qualifying families. Coverage includes prenatal care, hospitalization, vaccines, dental and vision care and is available to pregnant women of all ages and to children through age 19. Contact the RSM Project at 729-2086 or 721-5611 for information. YOGA CLASSES at Walton Rehabilitation Hospital are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-8 a.m. for $45/month or 10:30 a.m. to noon for $55/month. Call 823-6294. FREE HIV/AIDS TESTING every Tuesday from 4 to 7 p.m. at St. Stephen’s Ministry, 922 Greene Street. Free anonymous testing, pre- and post-test counseling and education. A FREE WOMEN’S HEALTH CLINIC is held from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Salvation Army and Welfare Center, 1383 Greene St. Services include Pap smear, breast exam and the diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmit ted diseases. For more info or an appointment, call the St. Vincent dePaul Health Center at 828-3444. W.G. WATSON, M.D., WOMEN’S CENTER CONDUCTS EDUCATION CLASSES at University Hospital. Course topics include Lamaze, breast feeding, parenting and grandparenting. Par tners will learn positive suppor t techniques. There are also programs designed to help older siblings adjust to new family members. Some classes are free, while others require a fee. Registration is required by calling 774-2825.

Kids CRAFT WORKSHOP WITH SHEMARIAHA FARMER July 29, 10 a.m. at the Friedman Branch Library. Open to children ages 7-11. Registration is required; call 736-6758. “MAKE YOUR OWN RAIN STICK” ACTIVITY at Spirit Creek Educational Forest July 30, 9-11 a.m. Bring old paper towel or toilet paper rolls. Free. Call 790-2351. FAMILY FUN FAIR July 22, 9-11 a.m. at the Augusta State University Born To Read Literacy Center. Hands-on learning activities will be available for young children. Call 733-7043 for more information. CHILDREN’S STORYTIME at Borders Books and Music 11 a.m. July 21. This week’s featured book is “There’s No Such Thing as a Dragon” by Jack Kent. 737-6962.

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DAY July 19, 9-11 a.m. at the H.O. 28 TOUCH-A-TRUCK Weeks Center parking lot. Children can view and sit in fire trucks, police cars, ambulances and other vehicles. Free.

M E Call (803) 642-7631. T R ARCHERY CAMP will be held July 21-25 for kids ages 8O 14 at Citizens Park in Aiken. For more information, call

(803) 642-7631.

S P “A LOOK INTO THE INSECT WORLD” storytime presentaI tion with Bet tina Bergh July 23, 10 a.m., at the Ma xwell R I Branch Library. Call 793-2020 for more information. T

BEN AND KEETER’S PUPPET SHOW: July 24, 10:30 a.m., J at Headquar ters Library, 821-2600; July 24, 7 p.m., at the U Gibbs Library, 863-1946; and July 30, 10:30 a.m. at the L Appleby Branch Library, 736-6244. Y

CAVE EXPLORING PRESENTATION by Carol Jackson July

1 7 23, 10:30-11:30 a.m. at the Appleby Branch Library. Call

736-6244 for information.

2 0 HOME SAFETY PRESENTATION with Deputy Johnson of 0 the Sheriff’s Depar tment July 21, 10:30 a.m. at the 3 Friedman Branch Library. Open to children of listening age

only. Call 736-6758.

LEARN ABOUT CAVES with Carol Jackson July 22, 10 a.m. for preschoolers and 10:30 a.m. for school-age children. Held at the Friedman Branch Library. Call 736-6758 for info. BIRTHDAY PARTY AND PUPPET SHOW to celebrate the Augusta public libraries’ new Bir thday Book Club, which allows family members and friends to honor a child’s special day by donating a book to the library. Par ty star ts at noon July 19 at Headquar ters Library, 902 Greene St. For more information, contact Gloria Harley, 868-1935, or call the library at 821-2600. “LARRY CAT IN SPACE” AND “DIGISTAR VIRTUAL JOURNEY” PRESENTATIONS at the Dupont Planetarium on the campus of USC-Aiken July 18-19. “Larry Cat in Space” will be presented at 7 and 8 p.m. Tickets are $4 adults, $3 senior citizens, $2 K-12 students and $1 USC-Aiken faculty and staff. “Digistar Vir tual Journey” will be presented at 9 p.m. Tickets are $5 adult, $4 senior citizens and $3 K12 students. Call (803) 641-3769, (803) 641-3654 or 278-1967, ex t. 3654 for reservations. AT SPIRIT CREEK EDUCATIONAL FOREST: “Creek Crit ters” July 23, 9-11 a.m. Free. Call 790-2351 for information. STORYTIME WITH TORIECA FLANAGAN 10 a.m. July 30 at the Ma xwell Branch Library. Call 793-2020 for more information. “FREE WILLY” FILM SERIES Saturdays at the Ma xwell Branch Library. “Free Willy 2” will be shown July 19 and “Free Willy 3” will be shown July 26. Films star t at 11 a.m. and children under 8 must be accompanied by a guardian at least 16 years old. Call 763-2020 for details. PHINIZY SWAMP NATURE PARK FAMILY DISCOVERY SERIES July 17, 6-7:30 p.m. Bring the family and a picnic dinner to the park’s Picnic Pavilion and enjoy a program on nature. Free; advance reservations not necessary. Call 828-2109 for more information. GET READY FOR ALGEBRA I at Augusta State University. Eighth graders meet July 21-31. Both sessions held 4-5:30 p.m. and cost $75. Call 737-1636. STORYTIME AT PENDLETON Thursdays throughout July, 10:30-11 a.m., at Pendleton King Park, 1600 Troupe St. Bring a blanket or chairs and meet at the gazebo. For more information, contact Kay Mills, 738-4321 or Kimberly Cooper, 821-2631.

SUMMER ADVENTURES DAY CAMP runs in sessions through Aug. 8. Cost is $90 for Sessions 1-4; Session 5 is $45. Open to kids ages 5-12. Held at the H.O. Weeks Center in Aiken. Call (803) 642-7631 for information. SUMMER FUN DAY CAMP through Aug. 8, running in twoweek sessions, at the Smith-Hazel Recreation Center in Aiken. Open to children ages 4-12. Cost is $60 per session; out-of-city residents pay an additional $27.50. (803) 642-7635. PLANETARIUM SHOWS FOR SUMMER GROUPS with special show times Wednesdays and Thursdays at the DuPont Planetarium. Reservations are required; for details, contact Janice Weeks at (803) 641-3769 or 278-1967, ex t. 3769. SCIENCE POTPOURRI CAMP for students entering 2nd and 3rd grades. Held July 21-25 at For t Discovery. Cost is $125 for members and $150 for non-members. Beforeand af ter-camp care available for additional fee. Contact Lisa Golden, 821-0646. DRAW ON NATURE II CAMP offers ar t, science and technology activities to students entering 2nd and 3rd grades. Held July 28-Aug. 1 at For t Discovery. Cost is $125 for members and $150 for non-members. Before- and af tercamp care available for additional fee. Contact Lisa Golden, 821-0646. FAMILY Y SUMMER CAMPS offer a variety of traditional and special interest camps for children 4-17 years old. For specifics, call 733-1030, 738-6678, 738-6680 or 3643269. “SUMMER OF FUN” DAY CAMPS through August at Riverview Park in Nor th Augusta. Themed one-week sessions will be offered, including ar t camp, magic camp, music camp, Spanish camp, inventor’s camp and science camp. Cost is $100 per session. For information, call 6678806. SUMMER VACATION READING PROGRAM at all East Central Georgia Regional Libraries through July 25. Children who complete 20 books or read for 10 hours over the summer receive a pack of summer time treats. Obtain a reading folder at any of the libraries or call Headquar ters Library at 821-2600 for details. “EVERY CHILD AN ARTIST” SUMMER ART CAMP, presented by the Ger trude Herber t Institute of Ar t. Weeklong sessions run throughout July in locations downtown and in Columbia County. Open to children ages 5-14. Per-session cost is $50 for GHIA members and $65 for non-members; tuition assistance is also available. For information, call 722-5495. KENNY THOMAS BASEBALL CAMP for kids 5-14 years old at USC-Aiken July 21-25, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Early drop-off and late pick-up also available. Cost is $160 per session. Call (803) 642-7761 for details. GIBBS LIBRARY SUMMER STORYTIME REGISTRATION now open. Call 863-1946 for more information or to register your child. STORYLAND THEATRE is now taking reservations for the 2003-2004 season: “Sleeping Beauty” Oct. 28-Nov. 1, “The Cour tship of Senorita Florabella” Feb. 24-29 and “Hansel and Gretel” April 13-17. Season tickets for weekday school per formances are $9 per student; season tickets for weekend family matinees are $10.50 per person. For reservations, call Storyland Theatre at 736-3455 or fa x a request to 736-3349. YOUTH LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT SKILLS PROGRAM for teens ages 12-19 held the third Saturday of the month at the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History. Call 724-3576.

WEEKLY STORY SESSIONS at all branch libraries. Visit www.ecgrl.public.lib.ga.us for more information. FIRST SATURDAY STORYTELLING at the Lucy Craf t Laney Museum. In addition, there is a tour of the museum. Held 10 a.m. to noon the first Saturday of the month. Call 724-3576.

Seniors

FIT 4 EVER LIGHT IMPACT FITNESS CLASS is $25 for 12 tickets for Aiken city residents and $45 for all others. Classes are held at the H.O. Weeks Center in Aiken on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 10-11 a.m. Call (803) 642-7631 for information. THE CARE MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT COMPANY, a non-profit organization, provides transpor tation for seniors who live in the 30906 and 30815 zip code area. For a minimal fee, door-to-door shut tles provide safe, clean and dependable transpor tation 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Appointments must be made 24 hours in advance; call Linda Washington, 733-8771, or leave a message for more information. COMPUTER CLASSES FOR SENIOR CITIZENS Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Shiloh Comprehensive Community Center. For more information, call 738-0089. AIKEN PARKS AND RECREATION offers a multitude of programs for senior adults, including bridge clubs, fitness classes, canasta clubs, line dancing, racquetball, ar ts and craf ts, tennis and excursions. For more information, call (803) 642-7631. JUD C. HICKEY CENTER FOR ALZHEIMER’S CARE provides families and caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia a break during the day. Activities and care available at the adult day center, and homecare is available as well. For information, call 738-5039.

FALL VOLLEYBALL LEAGUE ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING July 21, 6:30 p.m. at Citizens Park 2 in Aiken. Open to those 16 years of age and older. (803) 642-7761. AUGUSTA SOUTHERN NATIONALS drag boat races July 18-20. Proceeds benefit the Georgia Special Olympics. Tickets are $18 or $50 for patron tickets and are available from Tix Online, www.tixonline.com or (803) 278-4TIX. FAMILY Y FALL SOCCER REGISTRATION: Wheeler Branch registration through July 19 for children 4-13 years old as of Aug. 1, 2003, 738-6678; Marshall Branch registration through Aug. 2 for children 4-5 years old as of Aug. 1, 2003, 364-3269; Southside Branch registration Aug. 18-29 for children 4-5 years old as of Aug. 1, 2003, 738-6680. SWIMMING LESSONS at the Smith-Hazel Pool in Aiken. Instructors will teach people of all skill levels how to swim; open to ages 2 through adult. Morning and evening classes available, and lessons run in two-week sessions through August. Cost is $30 per session. (803) 642-7631. SUMMER SWIM LESSONS offered in two-week sessions through July 31 at the Family Y pools. Classes available for six month olds through adults. Call 738-6678, 733-1030 or 738-6680 for details. AUGUSTA GREENJACKETS HOME GAMES July 17 and 24-26, Aug. 6-13, 18-19, 28-31 and Sept. 1. Tickets are $6-$8 for adults; $5 for senior citizens, military personnel and children 4-12; and $1 for children 3 and under. For tickets, visit www.tixonline.com or call 736-7889. INTRODUCTORY AND DROP-IN CLIMBING Fridays, 5:306:30 p.m., at the Virginia Acres Park Climbing Wall in Aiken. Cost is $5 per session. Call (803) 642-7631 for information. THE AUGUSTA RUGBY CLUB is always looking for new members. Teams available for women and men; no experience necessary. Practice is Tuesday and Thursday nights, 7-9 p.m. at Richmond Academy. For more information, call Don Zuehlke, 495-2043, or e-mail augustar fc@yahoo.com. You may also visit www.augustarugby.org.

THE ACADEMY FOR LIFELONG LEARNING offers lectures, courses, field trips, discussion groups and community information seminars on a variety of topics to mature adults. For more information, contact the USC-Aiken Office of Continuing Education at (803) 641-3288.

Meetings

THE SENIOR CITIZENS COUNCIL OF GREATER AUGUSTA AND THE CSRA offers a variety of classes, including aerobics, quilting, tai chi, Spanish, painting, crochet, line dancing, bowling, bridge, computers, drama club/readers theatre and pinochle. For dates and times, phone 826-4480.

THE CANOE AND KAYAK CLUB OF AUGUSTA meets the four th Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Warren Road Community Center. New members welcome. For more information, visit www.ckca.homestead.com or call 8605432.

SENIORNET provides adults age 50 and over education for and access to computer technology. Many different courses are offered. Contact the USC-Aiken Continuing Education Office at (803) 641-3563.

THE GEM AND MINERAL SOCIETY meets the third Friday of every month at the Georgia Military College Building on Davis Road at 7:30 p.m. Contact Jean Parker, 650-2956, or Connie Barrow, 547-0178, for more information.

Sports

HOPE HOUSE, INC. BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING July 21, 6 p.m., at 3212 Wrightsboro Rd. Hope House, Inc. is a non-profit organization that offers housing and treatment for homeless women suffering from addiction, as well as their children. For more information, call 737-9879.

AUGUSTA JUNIORS VOLLEYBALL CLINIC in preparation for high school tryouts will be held July 31, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Family Y on Wheeler Road. Cost is $25. To register or obtain more information, call Elaine Cupp at 2792215 or visit www.eteamz.com/augustajuniors. AMA PRO FLAT TRACK HOT SHOE SERIES at Gordon Park Speedway July 26. For tickets, contact Tix Online at (803) 278-4TIX or online at www.tixonline.com. THE PYTHON POWER LEAGUE DRUG-FREE SOUTHEASTERN POWERLIFTING CHAMPIONSHIPS July 26 at the Mar tial Ar ts Tournament Center. For more information, contact Tee Meyers, 790-3806 or py thongym@aol.com.

GIBBS LIBRARY BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP is reading “Atonement” by Ian McEwan and will meet for discussion July 21, 7 p.m. Call 863-1946. GUIDELINES: Public Service announcements are listed in this section without charge at the discretion of the editor. Announcements must be received by Monday at noon and will be included as space permits. Send to Events, Metro Spirit, P.O. Box 3809, Augusta, GA 30914 or fax (706) 7336663. You may also e-mail listings to rhonda.jones@metrospirit.com or lisa.jordan@metrospirit.com. Listings cannot be taken over the phone.

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The Marriage of Technology and Art

By Rhonda Jones

J U L Y 1 7 2 0 0 3

ou know what art is, right? It’s that framed thing you hang on your wall, or naked Greek statues. Well, art can be pretty far removed from the stuff you looked at in your humanities classes. Don’t believe me? Visit virtualart@ATHICA.org. It’s an art exhibit. It’s a playground. It’s both. It’s art that plays with you. If you touch the upper left image on the page, which is an animated man in an animated green shirt, you will see these words: All Systems Go, Katie Bush (USA), http://www.lovekatie.com. Click the image, or the link, and your screen will be filled with the image — predominantly black, purple, blue and gold — of what appears to be a circuit board. Move your pointer around the circuit board and the segments will jiggle. Click insistently on the jiggly bits and you get strange cartoons — like the construction worker using a jackhammer on a giant sneaker. Click again and you get other images, many of which move in strange ways. “Random Paths” by USA artist Jody Zellen is an interesting, moody one — clickable verse surrounded by accompanying images. For example, the first line, “I followed my shadow through the streets of Rome …” is surrounded by six shadow images. Clicking the first part of the line leads to an entire page of images; clicking the second part of the line leads to a page of different images. Each page’s file name is “Roman Holiday,” and the images are from what could very well be Rome — impressive architecture, pedestrian scenes, wrought iron gates and such. It’s like a collage of moments. You wind your way through the entire verse, finding a veritable treasure of arty snapshots. There are 10 exhibits in all. ATHICA’s virtual art is part of the Web site of a year-old gallery in Athens, Ga., called the Athens Institute for Contemporary Art, affectionately referred to as ATHICA. It is the brainchild of Lizzie Zucker Saltz, who was used to having access to art spaces created for the purpose of engaging in provocative dialogue, not for the purpose of turning a buck. Having gotten her MFA in California and grown up in cities that devoted space to nonsaleable art, she decided to create such a space in Athens. “Art is about having a space where

people can have conversations about issues important in their lives,” she said. “You can’t have that unless you have a space that isn’t focused on sales.” Saltz employed the services of another artist, Laura Floyd, to create ATHICA’s Web site. Floyd, being a different type of artist, suggested that virtual art — art created for use on the computer — be included. Saltz said go for it. “I had seen lots of net art,” Saltz said,

Yeah, But Is It Art? Inevitably, there will be people out there who refuse to believe that anything created with computer technology can actually be called art in the first place. Saltz said that art is about the fact that images are being used to convey a message; it’s not about the medium itself. “You know, you’re receiving something over a computer screen as opposed to in a frame,” Saltz said. “People get way too focused on the

adding that it fit right in with her reasons for creating ATHICA in the first place. “It’s really thought existing outside a commercial system. A way to have things surface that otherwise don’t get supported in the culture.” Floyd’s ideas are similar. “I can say it’s a truly democratic art form, in the sense that you don’t have to have huge amounts of money to publish your own ideas,” she said. “And since there’s little money to be made, Disney and TimeWarner aren’t dominating the medium. What you get is decidedly non-mainstream.” She said virtual art draws an international audience, especially from Europe, Great Britain and Canada.

geekiness of it … What are you talking about? That’s what I’m interested in.” “I think this argument stems partly from the commodification of art,” Floyd said. “If it’s not tangible, if it isn’t something you can sell or hang on your wall, then it’s not real. But even though the images and words disappear after you turn off your computer, the ideas don’t go away. That’s what art is supposed to be about, not just something to hang over your couch.” The two artists make it clear, however, that the medium is not altogether unimportant. For instance, Saltz said, using virtual space as gallery space brings together the “global village,” which represents an evolution in our communication style as a species.

Floyd agreed. “You do end up developing a global/local sensitivity. What kinds of things are going to translate well in Germany or England? I guess my work ends up being a study of Americanism from the inside. I like to think I’m presenting foreigners with a non-mainstream, non-corporate view of who Americans are.” If you would like to give yourself an education on Web-based art, Floyd recommends a few Web sites: http://rhizome.org/, http://trace.ntu.ac.uk/ and http://www.aec.at/de/prix/index.asp. For a peek at Floyd’s own work, head on over to www.jiffylux.com, where she has put together a truly interactive exhibit in the form of an old television. Manipulate the site by using the TV’s knobs (there are instructions on the screen). And yes, these are twisty knobs. On Channel 4 is a list of “programming,” and what you will get is a barrage of images, sound effects and text that illustrate what you may have seen on the television in the ‘50s. As simple as it is (there are no bad guys to blow up, no Sims, no far-out special effects to criticize), you can lose some serious time in there. Her other site, www.tuffluckcafe.com, appears to be a menu the likes of which may appear at a little country diner in the heart of Dixie. The menu items are really image categories. For instance, clicking on Smoked Pig Pileup will get you images of an interstate accident. Many of the images are of police officers. Basically it’s a collection of disturbing, familiar images that may be seen on any given day in this part of the country. So why does she do this if virtual artists receive so little monetary compensation and recognition? “I find I can express myself more effectively in words, images, animations than in paint or in music, with much more freedom and more depth and detail,” she said. “It’s exciting to have so many possibilities at your fingertips.” If you want to see the first of ATHICA’s virtual exhibits, hurry over to www.ATHICA.com before Aug. 7. That’s when the second exhibit will go up. If you would like information, or are interested in submitting some of your own work, then contact Saltz at info@ATHICA.org. Don’t worry about trying to find their telephone number. They don’t have one.

Arts: Theatre

Top Dressing

The Show Must Go On … Even When There’s No Script

By Rhonda Jones

And Three More Plays Another of the four plays, “The Macbridged Macversion of MacBeth” by Klaire Lockhart, also takes a look at life in the theatre. “It’s basically about a group of college kids and one of them says ‘MacBeth’ and that’s bad luck in the theatre,” Jones said.

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esperation gets creative juices flowing like no other stimulation. And while Julie Jones did not actually use the d-word in describing the circumstances that led to the birth of her play “Four Hundred and Ninety-Nine Seats,” she was a director very badly in need of a script. When she set out to put together Augusta State University’s (ASU) Summer Stock 2003, the student director had not intended to write a play. She had wanted to offer “Noises Off,” which is a bedroom farce about a bedroom farce called “Nothing On,” which is almost ruined because of backstage drama. But, alas ... no budget. “So I wrote my own backstage comedy,” Jones said. “Julie was writing this play, but Julie could never get anything on the computer,” her friend and fellow actor Jahuie McCrary said. “And then came this thing when, 12:30 at night, I’m at Julie’s apartment whipping out these lines.” Of course, he said, he’d resisted at first, but was repeatedly overwhelmed by her enthusiasm and proliferation of random ideas, some involving surprises for the audience. “Hopefully all planned,” she said. One of those planned surprises is a cameo by local entertainer Russell Joel Brown. They wouldn’t talk about the rest. This is Jones’ second Summer Stock experience. Her directing debut was actually with ASU’s Summer Stock 2002, a program which she and McCrary, as part of ASU’s drama guild, had resurrected just that year. Summer Stock 2002 included a play called “Competition Piece,” which involved high school drama students pitting their work against that of their peers, and which won Best Student Directed Piece from ASU’s drama guild. Jones herself won Best Student Director. But even with such immediate success, Jones said that being outside the action is inherently bittersweet. “I knew I wanted to direct this year,” she said, adding that she had decided to go for the best of both worlds. So she wrote herself into “Four Hundred and Ninety-Nine Seats.” She plays Lucy Tinsley, who has sold a play to a theatre producer who doesn’t care about the writer’s work and who endures the horror of watching the play go downhill. It’s a comedy.

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NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING AUGUSTA, GEORGIA AND THE GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO HOLD A LOCATION AND DESIGN PUBLIC HEARING FOR WRIGHTSBORO ROAD IMPROVEMENTS GDOT PROJECT STP-7001 (9), RICHMOND COUNTY, P.I. NO. 250510 AUGUSTA PROJECT NO. 323-04-296823309 Jahnie McCrary and Julie Jones show off a costume for ASU’s Summer Stock 2003. It’s only bad luck, though, if you say the name out of context. But if you’re actually performing the play, Jones said, then voila! No curse. The thing is, they perform it in only 20 minutes. “And imagine what can happen in 20 minutes,” McCrary said. “The Ferryman,” by Jonathan Cook, carries a parental advisory note because of adult content. “It’s about people … it’s about a man who gets mixed up with the wrong kind of people and suffers the consequences,” Jones explained. “It’s a mob story. It’s the only one that’s not a comedy.” “Revisions,” by ASU student Mer Laney, also carries a parental advisory, for language. “It’s about a woman who is an author, and she has this one main character she puts into all her romance novels,” Jones said. But problems erupt between the two women — er, author and character, that is — when the character takes over the author’s mind, and the author gets her revenge by placing her errant character into some outrageous scenes. “This is not normal theatre,” Jones promised. “This is going to be something people haven’t seen.” The Summer Stock 2003 production takes the stage July 18-19 at 8 p.m., July 20 at 3 p.m., and July 25-26 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $4 per person. For info, call Julie Jones at 5646456. And if you would like a little sneak preview of McCrary’s acting prowess, look for him in the current Bojangle’s television ads.

On July 21, 2003 Augusta, Georgia and the Georgia Department of Transportation will hold a public hearing concerning the proposed Location and Design of Project STP-7001 (9), Richmond County. The hearing will be held from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Sue Reynolds Elementary School, located at 3840 Wrightsboro Road, Augusta, Georgia 30909. Project STP-7001 (9), is a proposal to improve Wrightsboro Road from the existing five lane section of Wrightsboro Road, approximately 2,400 feet east of the intersection with Jimmy Dyess Parkway, to the Interstate 520 southbound ramp in Augusta-Richmond County, a distance of approximately 2.4 miles. The improvements involve widening Wrightsboro Road from two lanes to four 12-foot travel lanes, providing a 4-foot bicycle lane in each direction, and placing a 20-foot raised median with turn lanes at median openings. Shoulders would include curb and gutter with adequate drainage structures, and 5-foot sidewalks on both sides. As part of the project, Wrightsboro Road would be realigned between Maddox Drive and Belair Road. In addition to the improvements to Wrightsboro Road, Barton Chapel Road would be relocated approximately 180 feet to the west to satisfy current intersection spacing requirements and to provide adequate distance for required left turn queue lengths at the intersections of Barton Chapel Road and Augusta West Parkway. The proposed roadway is anticipated to help alleviate traffic congestion, improve access to adjacent residences and businesses along the existing roadway, and reduce vehicular accidents. Representatives from Augusta-Richmond County and the Department of Transportation will be available from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM with plans and displays.The public will have an opportunity to attend the hearing at its convenience to ask questions and discuss the project with a Department representative. Representatives will be available to discuss relocation assistance. There will be no formal presentation. A court reporter will be available during this time to allow the public an opportunity to make comments about the project. These comments will be

included in the transcript of the hearing. Written comments may be submitted to: Mr. Harvey D. Keepler State Environmental/Location Engineer 3993 Aviation Circle Atlanta, Georgia 30336-1593 Written statements should be submitted by August 1, 2003. The displays at the public hearing will be available for ten days for review after the public hearing at the Augusta Public Works and Engineering, located at 1815 Marvin Griffin Road, Augusta Georgia. The transcript, as soon as it’s prepared, will also be available at this location. There is wetland involvement on this project. Unavoidable wetland losses would be mitigated by restoration of existing degraded wetland habitats or creation of new wetlands. The Georgia Department of Transportation is in need of providing wetland mitigation for their projects. Land for wetland mitigation, in the form of restoring degraded wetlands: 1. must be relatively near the project (no greater than ten miles); 2. must not be existing wetlands or swamp (potential restoration areas should show signs of being previously ditched or drained or converted to non-wetland use such as agriculture or silvaculture); and, 3. must be easily accessible by local or state roads. Anyone who has such property and would be willing to sell it to the state for wetland restoration, should send a letter, with a map (USGS Topographic Quad Sheet, County road map, or detailed drawing) clearly showing the location of the degraded wetland, to Harvey D. Keepler, at the above address. The environmental document and displays will be available for review 15 days before the date of the public hearing at the location stated above. Also copies of the environmental document will be available at the hearing for public review. Copies of the environmental document are available to the public by sending a request to Mr. Harvey Keepler at the address listed above.

M E T R O S P I R I T J U L Y 1 7 2 0 0 3

M E T R O S P I R I T J U L Y

Cinema

“Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle”

Movie Listings

1 7 2 0 0 3

Anger Management (PG-13) — Af ter "assaulting" a stewardess on a flight, doofy Dave (Adam Sandler) is ordered by a cour t into anger therapy. That means bonding with Buddy (Jack Nicholson), anger management guru, and time with Buddy's pet circle of hair-trigger loons, including Luis Guzman as a gay par ty beast and John Tur turro as a rage-aholic called Chuck. Buddy and Dave get in each other's hair, play mean pranks on each other, trade frat-level penis jokes, run up to Boston, and return to New York, where both seem to have something going with Dave's girlfriend (Marisa Tomei). "Anger Management" is not bad enough to make you angry, because inevitably the cast cooks up some silly fun. Cast: Jack Nicholson, Adam Sandler, John Tur turro, Marisa Tomei, Luis Guzman, Woody Harrelson. Running time: 1 hr., 35 mins. (Elliot t) ★★ Bad Boys II (R) — “Bad Boys II” stars Mar tin Lawrence and Will Smith once again as detective buddies in this sequel to the 1995 film “Bad Boys.” The pair of Miami detectives are now working a case that takes them overseas to London. Cast: Mar tin Lawrence, Will Smith, Gabrielle Union, Joe Pantoliano, Henry Rollins, John Salley. Bringing Down the House (PG-13) — Queen Latifah smoothly pockets "Bringing Down the House" as Charlene, a good-hear ted fugitive from the law, turning to a starchy, divorced ta x at torney for refuge and suppor t. Steve Mar tin is the lawyer, Peter. The core idea of this very simple comedy is pure buzz of contrast: Latifah is abundantly, explosively black, while Mar tin may be the whitest man ever to star in movies. Latifah rides out the nonsense in her queenly, Pearl Bailey style. It's a cookie-cut comedy. The movie delivers its very manufactured goods, but it lacks the guts to be a meaningful comedy. Cast: Steve Mar tin, Queen Latifah, Eugene Levy, Joan Plowright, Jean Smar t, Bet ty

Columbia Pictures

White. Running time: 1 hr., 45 mins. (Elliot t) ★★

Bruce Almighty (PG-13) — Jim Carrey is Bruce, the goofy features repor ter on a TV station in Buf falo. He aspires to become a "serious" anchor, but af ter blowing his cool on the air, loses his job and has a rif t with his sweet, please-marry-me girlfriend (Jennifer Aniston). There cometh unto Buf falo the Almighty (Morgan Freeman). The Lord loans his powers to Bruce. Time for some payback, some wild stunts, some sexual dazzling of Aniston, some nudges of satire. Like Mel Brooks as Moses in "History of the World, Par t I," Carrey has climbed the comical Mount Sinai and, like Brooks, he has dropped a tablet on the way down. One of the pieces is "Bruce Almighty." Cast: Jim Carrey, Morgan Freeman, Jennifer Aniston, Philip Baker Hall, Catherine Bell. Running time: 1 hr., 45 mins. (Elliot t) ★★

Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (PG-13) —

is a dodo begging for ex tinction. Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu reprise their 2000 updates on the old TV espionage cuties, again combining macho girl brass and "shake your booty" allure. The plot involves impor tant high-tech rings. The buf f, jived angels race dir t bikes. There is a naughty nuns bit, set to music from "The Sound of Music," and a "Dir ty Dancing" jam of pumpin' rumps. Stupefying is a violent showdown at L.A.'s Grif fith Observatory. This dizzy spree of self-adoring ideas ends with out takes of the cast laughing dementedly, wild with surplus merriment. The term "go, girl" grinds to a halt. Cast: Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu, Demi Moore, Bernie Mac, Crispin Glover, Luke Wilson, John Cleese. Running time: 1 hr., 42 mins. (Elliot t) 0 Chicago (PG-13) —- It's been 23 years since Richard Gere stripped on Broadway for "Bent." Now he gets to pull of f his clothes as slick shyster Billy Flynn. Mostly in wonder ful suits, his hair shining like creased

New Line Cinema

“How To Deal”

RATINGS

★★★★ — Excellent.

silver, Gere is having the best time of his movie life, singing and tapdancing and lording over women with rakish snaz. He's a lioness-tamer; the main cats are Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a cabaret sex bazooka and killer on Death Row and newcomer Roxie Har t (Renee Zellweger), a Bet ty Boop who killed her lover. For cash and headlines, Flynn will help guilty women beat the law. "Chicago" is zip for depth, but it has all the sexy sur face it needs to be ex travagantly alive. It tops of f at the Chicago Theater, and the old show palace looks delighted. Cast: Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, John C. Reilly, Queen Latifah, Christine Baranski, Taye Diggs. Running time: 1 hr., 53 mins. (Elliot t) ★★★★

Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (PG-13) — may be the dumbest, at least

this year. Sad, for those who recall its very popular and funny parent. 1994's "Dumb & Dumber " had Jim Carrey (Lloyd) and Jef f Daniels (Harry) as per fectly cast dodo buddies who don't know they are stupid losers. As slob soul mates, they achieved a rare blend: crass with finesse. Now, the finesse is gone. For the new, young H&L, Eric Christian Olsen as Lloyd looks like a teen Carrey, and has some of the crazed ego energy. Derek Richardson has Daniels' flying hair and pudding face, but without the sly craf t that Daniels brought to foolishness. It's a prequel, and in high school the boys bond so firm and fast that soon the movie stages a slow-mo salute to their friendship. You must be very challenged to enjoy stuf f like that. Cast: Eric Christian Olsen, Derek Richardson, Rachel Nichols, Cheri Oteri, Luis Guzman, Eugene Levy. Running time: 1 hr., 22 mins. (Elliot t) ★ Finding Nemo (G) — A father clown fish (Alber t Brooks) tracks young son Nemo through the Pacific to Sydney, Australia, af ter the small fry is caught and sold for a fish tank. Ellen DeGeneres voices adorable Dory, who is very pret ty and helpful as Marlin's search mate. The humans are alien invaders, big and nearly thoughtless. If "Finding Nemo" is just another of our plex distractions, then it's a giddy bummer, but as a whimsical warning with bite it arrives just in time. Helping to make the seas a lasting realm for real Nemos could be the good, giving backwash of "Finding Nemo." Cast: Alber t Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe, Austin Pendleton, Vicki Lewis, Geof frey Rush, Barry Humphries. Running time: 1 hr., 41 mins. (Elliot t) ★★★★ Freaky Friday (PG) — It’s the updated version of the ‘70s film, starring Jamie Lee Cur tis as a frazzled mom and Lindsay Lohan as her rebellious teen-age daughter. The two are constantly arguing and both wish they could be someone else. When their wish comes true and the two end up switching bodies, they have to find a way back to their normal selves – before Mom walks down the aisle again. Cast: Jamie Lee Cur tis, Lindsay Lohan, Mark Harmon, Christina Vidal. From Justin to Kelly (PG) — Last year’s “American Idol: The Search for a Superstar” winner, Kelly Clarkson, and runner-up Justin Guarini star as college students who head to Miami for spring break. The two meet up, fall in love, and, yes, sing and dance their way across the beach. Cast: Kelly Clarkson, Justin Guarini, Katherine Bailess, Brandon Henschel,

★★★— Worthy.

★★ — Mixed.

★ — Poor.

Anika Noni Rose.

Holes (PG) — Adapted by Louis Sachar from his highly successful novel, "Holes" has a thick shellac of literary fidelity — Sachar trying to tuck his book elements into one of the quirkiest movies Disney has ever released. "Holes" is mostly set in a juvenile detention camp in the deser t. Teen boys are made to dig big holes to find a legendary Old West crime treasure, coveted by the whip-voiced warden (Sigourney Weaver), her yokel henchman called Mr. Sir (Jon Voight) and their prissy assistant (Tim Blake Nelson). The new boy on the digging detail is Stanley Yelnats. Director Andrew Davis, so sure with the tensions of "Under Siege" and "The Fugitive," is amiably sweating this assignment. His tone veers of f on fishing expeditions, sly humor and pathos casting their baited lines nex t to teen terror and prat falling hokum. My kids liked it somewhat more than I did, which probably sums up the movie about as well as any thing should. Cast: Jon Voight, Sigourney Weaver, Shia LaBeouf, Khleo Thomas, Tim Blake Nelson, Henry Winkler, Ear tha Kit t. Running time: 1 hr., 51 mins. ★★1/2 How To Deal (PG-13) — Mandy Moore is Halley, a teen who has seen too much love go wrong — including the divorce of her parents — to believe that it truly exists. When Halley meets what seems to be the per fect guy, she finds out that she just may prove herself wrong. Cast: Mandy Moore, Trent Ford, Dylan Baker, Peter Gallagher, Alexandra Holden, Allison Janney, Mackenzie Astin. The Hulk (PG-13) — It's excessive and too long, but with exciting macho blows it pounds away at machismo. The nerdy, but more than sturdy scientist Bruce Banner (Eric Bana) becomes a plaintive monster, morphed by digital ef fects into a furious green giant. The Hulk doesn't merely leap tall buildings in a single bound. He springs over Wile E. Coyote canyons and falls from the upper atmosphere into San Francisco Bay and turns huge U.S. tanks into twisted toys. "The Hulk" presses on like a Wagner opera of "Fight Club." You can end up pulverized and satisfied, whipped and wowed. Cast: Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliot t, Nick Nolte, Josh Lucas, Paul Kersey. Running time: 2 hrs., 15 mins. (Elliot t) ★★★ Identity (R) — Plot disposables converge at a Nevada motel in this "thriller," victims of bad luck, ripe for grotesque ends: Rebecca DeMornay as a snippy actress, John C. Ginley as a nerd husband, John Hawkes as a motel geek, Amanda Peet as a prostitute, Clea DuVall as a bride who keeps screaming, Jake Busey as a killer psycho, Ray Liot ta as a cop who may be a psycho, John Cusack as ex-cop and possible psycho, Bret t Loehr as a witnessing child who should, by the end, be psychotic. This soggy pulp has rain on the brain even worse than "Basic." Running time: 1 hr., 27 mins. (Elliot t) 0 Johnny English (PG) — Rowan Atkinson isn’t Mr. Bean this time around — he’s secret agent Johnny English, put on the case of her majesty’s missing crown jewels. A Frenchman is the prime suspect, who is also accused of plot ting to steal the throne. Cast: Rowan Atkinson, Natalie Imbruglia, John Malkovich, Douglas McFerran.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

0— Not worthy.

(PG-13) — Sean Connery's Allan Quatermain is a former adventurer suf fering from disillusionment and a broken hear t. A mysterious Brit who calls himself "M" finds the physically fit Quatermain in Africa with predictions of impending doom and a request by Queen Victoria to help save the world. An opium-wracked Quatermain is tracked down by the Dracula-inspired character Mina Harker (Peta Wilson), who is introduced a lit tle later in the film, as are Captain Nemo, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the Invisible Man. One might forgive some of the clunky editing and pasted-together plotlines. Less forgivable is the contrived, bring-on-thesequel ending. Unforgivable and completely baf fling is the dimming of Connery's star-power. Cast: Sean Connery, Naseeruddin Shah, Peta Wilson, Stuar t Townsend and Shane West. Running time: 1 hr., 41 mins. (Wood) ★★ Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde (PG-13) — Reese Witherspoon is so peachy and

pink and perky as Elle Woods, girl lawyer crusading for animal rights in D.C., that you can just about forgive the brazen retouching of elements from "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," including a clip from the Capra film. Elle even visits, like Jimmy Stewar t before, the Lincoln Memorial. The rather lame "political" plot and sof t gags breeze by thanks to her, Sally Field, Bob Newhar t and Luke Wilson. 1 hr., 35 mins. (Elliot t) ★★ The Lizzie McGuire Movie (PG) — is something between taf fy, tapioca and a gold brick smoothly entering the Disney vault. It stars Hilary Duf f, 15, the lit tle Houston gal made a household name by the Disney Channel's "Lizzie McGuire" show. The movie takes Lizzie to Rome, where she soon splits of f from her school tour to be shown the city by dreamboat Paolo (Yani Gellman). He's half of a bubble-gum Europop duo, the female half being gone for reasons that are stupid. Lizzie is her look-alike, and gamely subs for her at appearances, even a concer t at the antique Colosseum. The city looks grand as ever, Lizzie smiles splendidly, Paolo gets a bum exit. His dreamboat sinks, but Rome, being old and wise, does not weep. Cast: Hilary Duf f, Adam Lamberg, Alex Borstein, Yani Gellman. Running time: 1 hr., 30 mins. (Elliot t) ★★ Malibu’s Most Wanted (PG-13) — Brad “Brad” Gluckman ain’t no Eminem. He’s Malibu’s worst rapper, a rich white boy who thinks he has the nuances of the hip-hop lifestyle down pat. Nothing

could be fur ther from the truth, and when B-rad’s embarrassing antics creep into his father’s campaign for governor of California, the family decides that some tough love might be in order. Cast: Jamie Kennedy, Blair Underwood, Ryan O’Neal, Taye Diggs.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (PG-13) — The movie will be a

shocker for anyone expecting watery gruel ex tracted from a Disneyland-ride base. This "Pirates of the Caribbean" is an original, with clever plot ting, some rapierlike dialogue and a scurvy crew of first-rate second bananas. When the Black Pearl, the invincible pirate ship commanded by the dread Capt. Barbossa (Geof frey Rush) storms Por t Royal and kidnaps Elizabeth (Keira Knightly), the governor's beautiful daughter, what can her secret admirer, the lowly blacksmith Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), do but go af ter her? He's forced to team up with the immensely unreliable Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp). The movie lies becalmed when Depp/Sparrow is absent; when he's on screen, it's a rousing good time. Since he's on screen a good par t of the time, that makes "Pirates of the Caribbean" a rousing good movie. Arrrrr! Cast: Johnny Depp, Geof frey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightly, Jonathan Pryce. Running time: 2 hrs., 14 mins. (Salm) ★★★ The Quiet American (R) — Michael Caine stars as Fowler, a middle-aged British repor ter and opium addict repor ting from Vietnam during the French Indochina War in the early 1950s. Though he has a wife in London, Fowler has taken up residence and fallen in love with a beautiful young Vietnamese woman. A handsome young CIA agent (Brendan Fraser) arrives, threatening Fowler’s relationship. Cast: Michael Caine, Brendan Fraser, Do Hai Yen, Rade Serbedzija, Quand Hai. Rugrats in Paris (G) — “Rugrats in Paris” follows the car toon toddlers of Nickelodeon fame to the City of Light when Tommy’s dad is set to take a business trip. Chuckie, desperate for a mother, schemes to hook his father up with a saucy Parisian. Cast: E.G. Daily, Kath Soucie, Cree Summer Franck, Casey Kasem, Debbie Reynolds, Susan Sarandon. Running time: 1 hr., 18 mins.

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (PG) —

“Sinbad” is an animated adventure, following Sinbad the Sailor as he searches to clear his name for a crime

commit ted by Eris, the goddess of Chaos, who has framed him. He’s also out to save pal Proteus the Shapeshif ter. In an ef for t to accomplish his goals, Sinbad sets out into Eris’ realm, meeting and challenging various monsters and serpents along the way. Cast: Brad Pit t, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Joseph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeif fer. Stuart Little 2 (PG) — is a sequel capsule, as smooth and shiny as a jellybean. It brings back the Manhat tan mouse (Michael J. Fox), a computerized dearie loved by the Lit tle family as equal to their son, George (Jonathan Lipnicki), and his baby sister. The slow-star ting story is Stuar t's adventure to rescue new pal, birdie Margalo (Melanie Grif fith), a flut ter-ball of gold feathers, from the raptor Falcon (James Woods). 1 hr. 18 mins. (Elliot t) ★★1/2

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (R) —

An almost unbroken stream of mighty mayhem, high on the bliss of eviscerated metal. Arnold returns as the Terminator, to save the future leaders of mankind (Nick Stahl, Claire Danes) from a vicious terminatrix (Kristanna Loken) who is like the sleek evil twin of the computerized vamp in "Simone." It goes where it must, to nuclear hell, and is weirdly satisfying. 1 hr., 48 mins. (Elliot t) ★★★ 28 Days Later (R) — opens with berserk lab chimps being freed by perhaps crazier animal rights activists. The chimps infect the British Isles, so that London is soon deser ted except for corpses, some prowling zombies and a very few healthy survivors. Twenty-eight days af ter the chimps escape, cycle messenger Jim (Cillian Murphy) stumbles into the scared, but tough Selena (Naomi Harris). They light out for the territory. The infected zombies, whose blood can ruin you with one well-placed drop, are ready to pounce from shadows. Inevitably the plot heads for genre midnight, with strobed lightning and ravenous gobblers and a rock score amped for madness. The posh is pulped. Cast: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Noan Huntley, Brendan Gleeson, Christopher Eccleston. Running time: 1 hr., 48 mins. (Elliot t) ★★1/2 2 Fast 2 Furious (PG-13) — The speed par ty "2 Fast 2 Furious" is 2 silly 2 believe and 2 cliched 2 be very enter taining. 2 bad. It stars Paul Walker, back as Brian from the 2001 summer hit "The Fast and the Furious," in which he was an undercover cop and rival,

then pal, of mechanic and street racer Dom (Vin Diesel). Walker gets to appear slight nex t to the big rack of torso Tyrese, cast as racer and ex-con Roman Pearce. The set ting is now Miami. The script is a chop-shop quickie with a greasy aroma of "Miami Vice." The car scenes are so heavily edited and accessorized with tech-freak dazzle that even the blasting finish collapses into a string of stunts. This film is just a motorized budget. Cast: Paul Walker, Tyrese, Cole Hauser, Eva Mendes, James Remar. Running time: 1 hr., 44 mins. (Elliot t) ★1/2 Wrong Turn (R) — Bad luck befalls Chris (Desmond Harrington) when he sets out on a threehour tour to Raleigh for a job interview. He’s barely star ted down the freeway when an accident up ahead halts traf fic. Taking a windy and isolated dir t road to get around the jam, Chris doesn’t see the SUV full of teens that is stopped in the middle of the road, tires mysteriously blown out. Investigating the accident scene, the group finds a strand of barbed wire stretched across the road — could it be a trap? Cast: Eliza Dushku, Desmond Harrington, Jeremy Sisto, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Lindy Booth. Running time: 1 hr., 50 mins. X2 (PG-13) — At the hub is the dutiful sequel section, laboring to ex tend the fantasy of a human world infiltrated by power ful, feared mutants, which the 2000 film transplanted from its comic-book roots. Then there is the ef fects section, each mutant get ting a chance to show his/her powers. There is the senior section of power ful old men, the creepy wizard Magneto (Ian McKellen) maintaining a duel of Elite British Accents with the paranormal seer Xavier (Patrick Stewar t). And the "check 'em out" section for new or aspiring stars (Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Kelly Hu, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Aaron Stanford). "X2" seems to have been made by and for people who constantly switch between "Star Trek" episodes and James Bond reruns, while hoping for some Hannibal Lecter. Cast: Patrick Stewar t, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Brian Cox, Alan Cumming, Famke Janssen, Anna Paquin. Running time: 2 hrs., 5 mins. (Elliot t) ★1/2 —Capsules compiled from movie reviews written by David Elliott, film critic for The San Diego Union-Tribune and other staff writers.

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t seems absolutely natural to see Sean Connery as an extraordinary gentleman, but it is surprising for him to be just one of a league of them. As suave superspy James Bond, Connery ruled, dominating scenes over high-tech cars and sexy babes who had more curves than lines. In “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,” Connery is part of a fairly talented ensemble, but that’s not the reason his considerable charisma seldom shines through. With the plot based on figures from famous books, it’s inexplicable that the characters are so sketchy and the dialogue so pedantic. Occasionally entertaining, “LXG” — as it has been dubbed — is packed with special effects and loaded down with mostly lame attempts at literary witticism. Connery’s Allan Quatermain is a former adventurer suffering from disillusionment and a broken heart. A mysterious Brit who calls himself “M” — wink, wink — finds the physically fit Quatermain in Africa with predictions of impending doom and a request by Queen Victoria to help save the world. In the comic books upon which the movie is based, an opium-wracked Quatermain is tracked down by the Dracula-inspired character Mina Harker (Peta Wilson), the League’s lone female and only vampire. Harker is introduced a little later in the film, as are Captain Nemo, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the Invisible Man, in a plodding sequence reminiscent of the game Clue. Dorian Gray and Tom Sawyer are added to the movie version of “League” in a shameless ploy to provide an excuse not only for cute young actors (Stuart Townsend and Shane West, respectively) but for an American presence.

The character of Sawyer and such references as the Bond-inspired “M” disrupt the literary flavor of Europe in the late 1800s, which the graphic novel by Alan Moore and artist Kevin O’Neill carefully rendered. The film honors the original in its depictions of the inner conflicts of the characters’ good and evil sides, but doesn’t flesh them out. Stephen Norrington, LXG’s director and a former special effects designer, has a much surer hand when using skills from his previous job. The monstrous Hyde’s transformation to Jekyll and back is disgustingly effective, as are some shots of Captain Nemo’s Nautilus. Naseeruddin Shah, the submarine commander, is a prominent actor in India, known to American audiences for “Monsoon Wedding.” Scenes between Shah and Connery prove that seasoned pros can make stilted dialogue hum, if not sing. He and the 72year-old Connery give credence to fights that the film’s more technically enhanced scenes lack. Probably the tastiest role is that of Mina the vampire. Wilson, the Australian actress of TV’s “La Femme Nikita” fame, plays the part with lipsmacking relish. She gets the sparks going with Townsend’s refined, yet sleazy, Dorian Gray. Most of the jokes about the eternal properties of the two characters work well. Given that the film was hampered by torrential floods in Prague, where most of it was shot, and a well-publicized rift between Connery and Norrington, one might forgive some of the clunky editing and pasted-together plotlines. Less forgivable is the contrived, bringon-the-sequel ending. Unforgivable and completely baffling, though, is the dimming of Connery’s star-power.

MOVIE CLOCK REGAL AUGUSTA EXCHANGE 20 Movies Good 7/18 - 7/24 Bad Boys 2 (R) Fri-Sat: 11:30, 12:00, 12:30, 1:00, 2:45, 3:15, 3:45, 4:15, 6:30, 7:00, 7:30, 8:00, 9:45, 10:15, 10:45, 11:30; Sun-Thur: 11:30, 12:00, 12:30, 1:00, 2:45, 3:15, 3:45, 4:15, 6:30, 7:00, 7:30, 8:00, 9:45, 10:15, 10:45 Freak y Friday (PG) Fri: 7:30 How To Deal (PG-13) Fri-Sat: 11:50, 2:30, 5:10, 7:40, 10:10, 12:35; Sun-Thur: 11:50, 2:30, 5:10, 7:40, 10:10 Johnny English (PG) Fri-Sat: 11:35, 1:50, 4:05, 7:05, 9:20, 11:40; Sun-Thur: 11:35, 1:50, 4:05, 7:05, 9:20 Pirates of the Caribbean (PG-13) Fri-Sat: 11:45, 12:15, 1:30, 3:00, 3:30, 4:45, 6:45, 7:15, 8:15, 10:00, 10:30, 11:20; Sun-Thur: 11:45, 12:15, 1:30, 3:00, 3:30, 4:45, 6:45, 7:15, 8:15, 10:00, 10:30 The League of Ex traordinary Gentlemen (PG13) Fri-Sat: 11:40, 12:45, 2:15, 3:40, 5:00, 7:20, 7:50, 9:55, 10:40, 12:30; Sun-Thur: 11:40, 12:45, 2:15, 3:40, 5:00, 7:20, 7:50, 9:55, 10:40 Terminator 3 (R) Fri-Sat: 12:10, 2:55, 5:30, 6:55, 8:05, 9:30, 10:35, 12:05; Sun-Thur: 12:10, 2:55, 5:30, 6:55, 8:05, 9:30, 10:35 Sinbad (PG) 12:05, 2:20, 4:35 Legally Blonde 2 (PG-13) Fri-Sat: 11:55, 2:35, 4:50, 7:25, 9:45, 12:10; Sun-Thur: 11:55, 2:35, 4:50, 7:25, 9:45 Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (PG-13) Fri-Sat: 12:05, 2:25, 5:05, 7:35, 10:05, 12:40; SunThur: 12:05, 2:25, 5:05, 7:35, 10:05 28 Days Later (R) 12:25, 2:50, 5:25, 8:10, 10:50 The Hulk (PG-13) 12:55, 3:50, 7:10, 10:20 2 Fast 2 Furious (PG-13) Fri-Sat: 11:30, 2:05, 4:45, 7:20, 9:50, 12:20; Sun-Thur: 11:30, 2:05, 4:45, 7:20, 9:50 Finding Nemo (G) Fri: 12:20, 2:40, 5:05, 9:30, 12:20; Sat-Thur: 12:20, 2:50, 5:15, 7:45, 10:20 Bruce Almighty (PG-13) 12:00, 2:30, 5:00, 7:30, 10:00 EVANS 12 CINEMAS Movies Good 7/18 - 7/22 Bad Boys 2 (R) 12:45, 3:45, 4:45, 6:50, 8:00, 9:50 How To Deal (PG-13) 1:10, 3:20, 5:40, 7:50, 10:00 Johnny English (PG) 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, 7:30,

9:30 Pirates of the Caribbean (PG-13) 1:00, 2:05, 4:00, 5:20, 7:00, 8:45, 9:55 The League of Ex traordinary Gentlemen (PG13) 1:55, 4:25, 7:25, 9:50 Legally Blonde 2 (PG-13) 12:45, 2:55, 5:05, 7:15, 9:25 Sinbad (PG) 12:45, 2:40 Terminator 3 (R) 1:15, 4:10, 7:05, 9:20 Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (PG-13) 12:55, 3:10, 5:35, 7:45, 10:00 Stuart Little 2 (PG) Tues, Thur: 10:30 a.m. Rugrats in Paris (G) Tues, Thur: 10:30 a.m. The Hulk (PG-13) 4:05, 9:05 Finding Nemo (G) 12:50, 3:00, 5:10, 7:20, 9:35 Bruce Almighty (PG-13) 1:05, 6:55

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MASTERS 7 CINEMAS Movies Good 7/18 - 7/24 Bad Boys 2 (R) 12:45, 3:45, 6:45, 9:45 Johnny English (PG) 1:15, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15, 9:15 How To Deal (PG-13) 1:30, 4:30, 7:30, 10:00 Pirates of the Caribbean (PG-13) 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 9:55 The League of Ex traordinary Gentlemen (PG13) 12:50, 3:00, 5:10, 7:25, 9:50 Legally Blonde 2 (PG-13) 1:05, 3:05, 5:05, 7:05, 9:05 Terminator 3 (R) 1:10, 4:10, 7:10, 9:40 REGAL 12 CINEMAS Movies Good 7/18 - 7/24 X2 (PG-13) 12:50, 4:25, 7:50 Wrong Turn (R) 1:10, 3:10, 5:15, 7:40, 9:55 The Quiet American (R) 12:55, 3:00, 5:05, 7:25, 9:40 The Lizzie McGuire Movie (PG) 12:45, 2:50, 5:00, 7:15, 9:35 From Justin to Kelly (PG) 1:05, 3:05, 5:10, 7:35, 9:50 Dumb and Dumberer (PG-13) 12:50, 2:55, 5:00, 7:20, 9:35 Identity (R) 1:00, 3:05, 5:10, 7:30, 9:45 Chicago (PG-13) 1:30, 4:40, 7:05, 9:20 Holes (PG) 1:20, 4:30, 7:00, 9:25 Anger Management (PG-13) 1:25, 4:35, 7:00, 9:15 Malibu’s Most Wanted (PG-13) 1:15, 3:15, 5:20, 7:45, 9:45 Bringing Down the House (PG-13) 1:35, 4:45, 7:10, 9:30

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36 M E T R O S P I R I T J U L Y 1 7 2 0 0 3

Music Cool Summer Sounds

By Lisa Jordan

By now, we’re well into summer, and that means that vacation time is fast winding down. But it’s not too late to pick up some new tunes to get you through those sticky summer days and nights by the pool, hanging out at a party or road-trippin’.

“Rooney” – Rooney

“Elephunk” – The Black Eyed Peas

“Fiction” – Fictional

“Blueside” is the infectious first single released by psychedelic-pop-for-the-new-millennium boys Rooney, and as the opening track on the group’s self-titled debut, it does a great job of setting the tone for the rest of the recording. Effectively layering ominous melodies and lyrics with an upbeat pop chorus, “Blueside” quickly establishes Rooney as possibly one of the most refreshing musical acts to sign to a major label in recent memory. Still, there’s a strong impression that Rooney has borrowed quite a few elements from predecessors as far back as The Beach Boys and as contemporary as Weezer (with whom Rooney recently toured), especially on tracks like “If It Were Up to Me” and “I’m Shakin’,” neither of which would sound out of place on the latter’s debut album. And, like Weezer, Rooney never fails to sprinkle their lyrics with tongue-in-cheek humor and silly references to pop culture. The scathing first line in “Popstars” takes aim at Britney Spears and *Nsync’s Justin Timberlake, respectively, delivering “Hey baby you’ve hit me again one more time, you said bye bye bye bye bye good bye” in a slow drawl. And how long has it been since a band made reference to “The Neverending Story” and Daisy Duke on the same album – that is, if it’s ever happened before?

Lazy beats and fast talk characterize the bulk of “Elephunk,” the latest and third release from The Black Eyed Peas. Maybe you’ve already heard Justin Timberlake getting funked up with the band on the mellow, socially conscious single “Where Is the Love.” But that song stands out from the rest of the material on the album as one of the most laid-back – and possibly best – tracks on “Elephunk.” Also guesting on the album is Papa Roach, who collaborated with The Black Eyed Peas on “Anxiety.” The addition of Papa Roach to the mix creates a clichéd rap-rock hybrid that doesn’t sound that much different from the singles put out by countless rap-metal acts over the past five years. Songs like “The Boogie That Be,” “Hands Up” and “Let’s Get Retarded” – which begins with a very Alicia Keys sounding drone of “Let’s get retarded in here” by songstress Fergie – keep the party pace of the album chugging along. Likewise, “Latin Girls” fits as a sexy dance-floor anthem. But while “Elephunk” makes for fun summer listening, its best moments are also its quietest and calmest, like “The Apl Song” and the aforementioned “Where Is the Love.” Ultimately, The Black Eyed Peas deliver a solid bit of something for everyone, from those who like their funk mixed with a heavy dose of boy-band vocals to party patrons searching for the perfect soundtrack.

The haunting and otherwise beautiful melodies produced by trio Fictional on their album “Fiction” are ruined by one thing – and it’s not the relatively simplistic lyrics. It’s something actually far more trivial, and yet so much more distracting, than that. The German accents striking the vocals add an element of decipherability that takes the listener’s ear away from Fictional’s complex electronic interludes, found in songs like “Burning Man” and “Perfect Stranger,” and instead turns that ear toward listening for the awkward tones of a foreign tongue struggling for textbook-perfect English. That’s a real shame, given that this group has crafted some stunning melodies. From the album opener, “The Sound of the Falling Rain,” to closing track “When the World Is Dying,” the nuances of Fictional’s instrumentations are darkly satisfying. Then there’s the accent. If it weren’t so jarring, we wouldn’t be bracing ourselves to expect it, thus ruining the enjoyment of listening to the long – usually about a minute or more – instrumental intros. But in listening to “Fiction,” I found myself just waiting for the vocals to kick in – and dreading it. Purely instrumental track “Mariner” alleviates the problem, but it’s the only such track on the album. Fictional does deserve credit for a fantastic effort that falls short simply because of one minor glitch. With some of the most intricately crafted electronic sounds to come out in recent years, the group is more than halfway there.

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oncerts in Augusta. Regardless of the size or stature of the show or artist, Augusta always seem to get shortchanged. Lack of suitable facilities (our acoustically challenged Civic Center) and a very fickle customer base that scares away most big promoters make it tough for locals who enjoy good live music. These are just a couple of the reasons why most of the concerts listed in this column take place in Atlanta, Columbia and Charlotte. Yes, when it comes to good music acts Augusta is as inconsequential and forgotten as the lowly filbert is in a can of deluxe mixed nuts. A welcome respite from Augusta’s lack of music activity is on the way. The Imperial Theater and the Morris Museum of Art are bringing four great entertainers to town encompassing a wide range of musical styles. Blues guitarist ROBERT EARL KEEN starts the series Sept. 2, followed by the Grammy Award-winning RICKY SCAGGS on Oct. 12. Bluegrass faves MOUNTAIN HEART are set for Oct. 24, with the legendary Fairfield Four Nov. 8. Ticket info will be announced soon. Get a Life Dept. For years, one of our favorite Web sites is Thesmokinggun.com. In addition to their usual craziness of celebrity mugshots and other contemporary insanity, the site currently has copies of several letters written to the FCC from people criticizing the latest “American Idol” competition. One of the most eloquent complainants turns out to be a 56-year-old chemical engineer who was extremely distraught after CLAY AIKEN lost to RUBEN STUDDARD in the finals. The site also has a terrific collection of musician’s contracts with promoters that you might find hard to believe. COURTNEY LOVE, who disbanded HOLE several years ago for a solo career, has a new disc planned for the fall. Love, probably the eventual successor to ANNA NICOLE SMITH’S televised disfunctionalism, wrote most of the

PEARL JAM

disc with friend LINDA PERRY, former lead vocalist in the short-lived, ‘90s-era band 4 Non Blondes. Even if you’re not a fan you’re gonna love the title: “America’s Sweetheart,” in the stores Oct. 28. Breaking the Law Again Dept. Original JUDAS PRIEST frontman ROB HALFORD has rejoined Judas Priest, the heavymetal band he helped found almost 30 years ago. Halford left the group in 1990 for a lessthan-stellar “solo” career as leader of the band FIGHT. He replaces his replacement, TIM “RIPPER” OWENS, who joined the band in 1996. Owens’ storybook journey as the band’s singer was chronicled in the film “Rock Star.” Look for new Priest material and a tour next year. Turner’s Quick Notes The THORNS’ PETE DROGE has a new solo effort “Skywatching” out this week ... A PEARL JAM live show from last year in Seattle is available on the band’s Web site at PearlJam.com ... A previously unissued ROY ORBISON DVD featuring rare concert footage is new and in the stores ... The four albums from ‘80s-era country rockers SOUTHERN PACIFIC have recently been issued on CD ... You’ve been warned: Lollapalooza stars JIM ROSE AND HIS TRAVELING CIRCUS SPECIAL issued a DVD this week. It’s not for the faint of heart (or stomach). Here, taste this. Turner’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Jeopardy A. This jazz legend recorded an album in 1971 honoring former heavyweight boxing champion JACK JOHNSON. Q. Who is Miles Davis?

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MUSIC MINIS Paul Is Dead – Again Forensic proof that Paul McCartney did not make it out of the ‘60s alive and has been replaced by a lookalike? That’s what one Web master is claiming. Check out the evidence at http://www.anycities.com/user/uberkinder/ind ex.html. Actual Snake Bites Musician in Band Called The Hiss How often do rock musicians get bitten by poisonous snakes? You may never know, because you will never hear about it unless they’re high-profile … or in a band whose name seems to be asking for it. Johnny Kral, who recently joined The Hiss, was bitten during his very first U.S. tour – while sleeping no less. After a Tuscon, Ariz., gig, he went to bed and that’s when the snake got him. It crawled up his pants leg and sunk its pointy little fangs into him. So now the photo captions are saying The Hiss have “venom in their veins” – and they’re not exaggerating! Welcome to America, Johnny-boy.

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Dylan … Our Dylan … an Alleged Plagiarist? English teacher and Dylan fan Chris Johnson, who is living in Japan, happened across “Confessions of a Yakuza: A Life in Japan’s Underworld” by 62-year-old Junichi Saga, and noticed the similarities between the book and Dylan’s “Love and Theft.” From Saga, we have, “My old man would sit there like a feudal lord…” From Dylan, we have “My old man, he’s like some feudal lord…” Johnson found such similarities on about a dozen pages of Saga’s book. From Saga, we have: “My mother … was the daughter of a wealthy farmer … (she) died when I was 11 … My father was a traveling salesman … I never met him.” From Dylan’s “Po’ Boy,” we have, “My mother was a daughter of a wealthy farmer/My father was a travelin’ salesman, I never met him.” Upon hearing the news, Saga was delighted. He, too, is a Dylan fan, and is thrilled to think that Dylan might enjoy his work as well. He is also not, as we can see, a litigious American.

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D A P P L E D G R AY S The Goodies (pictured) appear at the Soul Bar with The Hellblinki Sextet Saturday, July 19.

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The Bee’s Knees - 12*Tone Lounge The Big Easy - Buzz Clif ford, George Sykes Blind Pig - Open Mic Night with David Bryan Cafe Du Teau - James McIntyre Club Argos - Karaoke Dance Par ty with DJ Joe Steel Coliseum - Karaoke with Travis, Hi-Energy Dance Continuum - Playa*Listic Thursday Cotton Patch - Wayne Capps Coyote’s - The Rhes Reeves Band D. Timm’s - Joe Patchen and the Blue Diamond Express Fox’s Lair - Bo Gardner and Sa x Greene Streets - Men’s Pop, Rock, Blues and Soul National Karaoke Contest Joe’s Underground - Pat Blanchard Michael’s - Mike Swif t Modjeska - SKYNN with DJ Richie Rich Playground - Open Mic Night Stool Pigeons - Live Enter tainment Surrey Tavern - The Lit tle Mighty Time Piecez - DJ Dance Par ty TGI Friday’s - John Kolbeck

Friday, 18th Back Roads - DJ The Bee’s Knees - Jazz Sessions with Moniker The Big Easy - Air Apparent Blind Pig - Shameless Dave and the Miracle Whips Borders - Eryn Eubanks Cafe Du Teau - James McIntyre Club Argos - Argos Angels Cabaret with Diane Chanel, Barbara Barringer, Taylor Collins, Leslie Larue, DJ Joe Steel Coliseum - Beat the Clock with Sasha

Cotton Patch - Pat Blanchard Coyote’s - The Rhes Reeves Band Crossroads - The Six th Hour, Skerv, Mud Wrestling D. Timm’s - Joe Patchen and the Blue Diamond Express Fox’s Lair - Dennis Hall Greene Streets - Karaoke Hangnail Gallery - Summer fest Hangnail Air Conditioning Benefit with Kill the Author, No More, Thicker Than Blood, Mur Highlander - Heavy Dose Joe’s Underground - Impulse Ride Last Call - DJ Boom, DJ Richie Rich The Lighthouse - New Day Marlboro Station - Lauren Alexander Michael’s - Mike Swif t Modjeska - DJ Jason Wilson Partridge Inn - Jazz Soulstice with Anthony Carpenter The Pourhouse - The Recaps Review featuring Sassy Brass Red Lion - Captain Easy, Pause for Ef fect Rio Bomba - Karaoke with Mr. Russ Rumors - Elvis Impersonator Contest The Shack - DJ Chip Shannon’s - Roulet te Soul Bar - ‘90s (R)evolution Stillwater Tap Room - Sassagrass Surrey Tavern - Soul Dimension Tops Lounge - The Inhibitors

Saturday, 19th Back Roads - DJ The Bee’s Knees - David Bradberry, Marc Tompkins The Big Easy - Buzz Clif ford, George Sykes Blind Pig - Shameless Dave and the Miracle Whips

Borders - Lisa Savage Leonard Cafe Du Teau - James McIntyre Club Argos - Argos Angels Cabaret with Petite, Claire Storm, Sasha and Guests, DJ Joe Steel Coliseum - Beat the Clock with Sasha Continuum - Siclid, Embryo, Tur tleneck, Wet TShir t Contest Cotton Patch - Black-Eyed Susan Coyote’s - The Rhes Reeves Band Crossroads - Jemani, Cross Fade, Push Cult D. Timm’s - Joe Patchen and the Blue Diamond Express Fox’s Lair - Bob and Ron Greene Streets - Karaoke Hangnail Gallery - Summer fest Hangnail Air Conditioning Benefit with Cycle, Absint, Nothing Star, Estrela Joe’s Underground - Pat Blanchard Last Call - New Day The Lighthouse - Tony Howard Marlboro Station - Miss Peg Metro Coffeehouse - Live Af ternoon Bluegrass with Eryn Eubanks and the Family Fold Michael’s - Mike Swif t Modjeska - Bangin’ with Orchestra Taboga Partridge Inn - Sandy B. and the All-Stars The Pourhouse - The Recaps Review featuring Sassy Brass Red Lion - Adalaya, Shinebox Rumors - Elvis Impersonator Contest The Shack - DJ Buckwheat Shannon’s - Bar t Bell, Allen Black Soul Bar - The Goodies, The Hellblinki Sex tet Stillwater Tap Room - The Dappled Grays Surrey Tavern - Soul Dimension

Sunday, 20th Cafe Du Teau - The Last Bohemian Quar tet Cotton Patch - John Kolbeck

41 M E T R O S P I R I T J U L Y 1 7 2 0 0 3

(L) See New Day Friday night at The Lighthouse or Saturday night at Last Call. (R) Eryn Eubanks performs at Borders café Friday night and at the Metro Coffeehouse Saturday afternoon. Marlboro Station - Claire Storm Mellow Mushroom - Stink foot Orange Moon - Smooth Jazz Sunday with Emery Bennet t Pizza Joint - Michael and Jayson The Shack - Karaoke with DJ Joe Steel, Sasha’s Cabaret Shannon’s - Shelly Watkins Somewhere in Augusta - Patrick Blanchard TGI Friday’s - Brandon Bower

Monday, 21st Coliseum - Q.A.F. Continuum - Monday Madness Crossroads - Club Sin Dance Par ty with DJ Mykie G Greene Streets - Karaoke Joe’s Underground - John Kolbeck Michael’s - Mike Swif t Surrey Tavern - Pat Blanchard

Tuesday, 22nd Adams Nightclub - Karaoke with Bill Tolber t The Bee’s Knees - Comin’ ‘Round the Bend Classic Country Coliseum - Tournament Tuesday D. Timm’s - Joe Patchen and the Blue Diamond Express French Market Grille West - Wayne Capps Greene Streets - Karaoke Joe’s Underground - John Kolbeck Metro Coffeehouse - Irish Night with Sibin

Michael’s - Mike Swif t Stool Pigeons - Karaoke Surrey Tavern - Tuesday Night Jam Session

Wednesday, 23rd The Bee’s Knees - Meditate on This! Club Argos - DJ Joe Steel Coliseum - Wet ‘n’ Wild Talent Search Continuum - Open Mic Jam Sessions Coyote’s - The Rhes Reeves Band D. Timm’s - Joe Patchen and the Blue Diamond Express Greene Streets - Karaoke Joe’s Underground - Mike Baideme Michael’s - Mike Swif t Modjeska - Theology on Tap Playground - Karaoke The Pourhouse - Edmond P. “The Lurch” Kida Shannon’s - Tony Howard, Laurie Somewhere in Augusta - John Kolbeck Soul Bar - Live Jazz Stillwater Tap Room - Steep Canyon Rangers Surrey Tavern - Pat Blanchard Veracruz - Wayne Capps

Upcoming Put Syrup on the Records Showcase - Soul Bar - July 24 Spectral Erosa - Club Argos - July 25 Original Voices Singer-Songwriter Festival Imperial Theatre - July 26 Zoso - Crossroads - Aug. 1 Mad Margritt - Crossroads - Aug. 2

Sugarland - Soul Bar - Aug. 16 Ra, doubleDrive - Crossroads - Aug. 19 Shinedown - Crossroads - Aug. 22 Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation Benefit - Club Argos - Aug. 15

Elsewhere Caillou - Mable House Amphitheatre, Mableton, Ga. - July 17 Dave Gahan - Roxy Theatre, Atlanta - July 18 Robert Bradley’s Black water Surprise, Mieka Pauley, Juniper Lane - Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta - July 18 Charley Pride, Darryl Worley - Georgia Mountain Fair, Hiawassee, Ga. - July 19 Tift Merritt & The Carbines - Smith’s Olde Bar, Atlanta - July 19 David Cassidy - Mable House Amphitheatre, Mableton, Ga. - July 19 Modest Mouse - Variety Playhouse, Atlanta July 22 The Outfield - Wills Park Equestrian Center, Alpharet ta, Ga. - July 24 Everclear, Maroon 5, Evenout, Kill Hannah Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta - July 25 Ginny Owens and Caedmon’s Call - Mable House Amphitheatre, Mableton, Ga. - July 26 Nickel Creek, Frank y Perez, Antigone Rising Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta - Aug. 1 Restless Heart - Mable House Amphitheatre, Mableton, Ga. - Aug. 2 Eels - Variety Playhouse, Atlanta - Aug. 7 Liz Phair, Hootie and the Blowfish, Tonic, The Clarks, Bain Mattox - Centennial Olympic Park,

Thursday THE LITTLE MIGHTY Friday & Saturday SOUL DIMENSION

Monday & Wednesday PAT BLANCHARD

471 Highland Ave. | 736-1221

Many tickets are available through TicketMaster outlets, by calling 828-7700, or online at w w w.ticketmaster.com. Tickets may also be available through Tix Online by calling 278-4TIX or online at w w w.tixonline.com. Night Life listings are subject to change without notice. Deadline for inclusion in Night Life calendar is Tuesday at 4 p.m. Contact Rhonda Jones or Lisa Jordan by calling 738-1142, fa xing 736-0443 or e-mailing to rhonda.jones@metrospirit.com or lisa.jordan@metrospirit.com.

Celebrating Years!

(some of the guys from The Big Mighty)

Tuesday Night Jam Session

Atlanta - Aug. 8 The Headhunters - Variety Playhouse, Atlanta Aug. 9 Flashback Festival - HiFi Buys Amphitheatre, Atlanta - Aug. 9 George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic, North Mississippi All-Stars, Kevn Kinney Band - Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta - Aug. 15 Bebo Norman - Mable House Amphitheatre, Mableton, Ga. - Aug. 16 Saw Doctors - Variety Playhouse, Atlanta - Aug. 19 Goo Goo Dolls, Pat McGee Band, Marc Broussard - Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta Aug. 22 Don McLean - Mable House Amphitheatre, Mableton, Ga. - Aug. 23 Pam Tillis - Mable House Amphitheatre, Mableton, Ga. - Sept. 6 Aerosmith, Kiss - HiFi Buys Amphitheatre, Atlanta - Sept. 14

Surrey Tavern

Open Mon-Sat at 4 pm until

M E T R O

By Celeste Raspanti Based on the book by Vera & Bill

S P I R I T J U L Y 1 7 2 0 0 3

Cleaver Directed by Dave Howard July 11, 12, 18, & 19 at 8:00 p.m Matinee Sunday July 13 th 3 p.m. The Washington Center for the Performing Arts 124 Newberry St. Aiken, SC

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otorist Catherine Donkers got a ticket in Portage County, Ohio, on May 8 for not having her baby strapped in, mainly because she was breastfeeding it while she drove. Rather than pay the $100 fine, Donkers’ husband, Brad Barnhill, demanded a trial with himself as the defendant, in that his First Christian Fellowship for Eternal Sovereignty teaches that the husband must take responsibility for all of his wife’s public actions. (That religion’s principal focus, according to founder Christopher Hansen, is keeping “Godgiven rights” free of “encroachment of the Beast,” which is defined as the government.) Barnhill said that at his next court appearance, he will make a citizen’s arrest of the prosecutor. • Increasingly, chickens are being kept as pets in suburban homes, according to an Associated Press writer in June (though reporting with scant evidence). A Bala Cynwyd, Pa., family has nine chickens, which are “aesthetically pleasing,” said the owner, even “cool.” A Cedar Hill, Mo., woman recalled the 38 chickens she has had over the years and said “the best part” was “knowing them as individuals.” Another Bala Cynwyd woman said her chickens are faithful in the way they follow her around the yard and are “very sweet. They give back.”

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Life Imitates Art • (1) Life Imitates the Three Stooges: Providence, R.I., high school teacher Michael Dame was charged with assault in June when, being taunted by a truant student who had stuck his head in Dame’s classroom, Dame slammed the door, catching the student’s head inside. (2) Life Imitates the Movie “Carrie”: Dorothy VerValen filed a lawsuit against the city of Sultan, Wash., for a broken ankle suffered when she stepped onto her father’s gravesite at the town cemetery to clear away moss, and the plot caved in beneath her. (In June, the judge ruled it wasn’t the city’s fault.) News That Sounds Like a Joke • In June, the St. Paul Pioneer Press profiled counselors Lynn Baskfield and Ann Romberg, who use the technique of “equine-assisted coaching” to help clients like Mari Harris, who wants to boost her singing career. In a typical session at a Stillwater, Minn., farm, Harris would ride and walk a horse until struck with some dramatic insight on how to achieve showbusiness success. Said Romberg, “It’s much less difficult to accept feedback from a horse than a human.” Another client said that when his usually passive horse suddenly sped up in a frenzy, “It got me thinking.” “I (had) let (my) business lead me,” he realized, apparently for

the first time, and thus started drawing a better balance between work and family. The Continuing Crisis • Tacky People’s Rights: Among the more effortless budget cuts this year proposed by California (which is facing a near-catastrophic financial crisis) was $400,000 by ending the free stocking of trout in 10 Los Angeles County lakes, but local fishermen went nuts and got the county Board of Supervisors to denounce the cut. And when Boston Mayor Thomas Menino ended a longtime giveaway program this year, of free golf privileges for 15 local ministers, several black minister-golfers were incensed, like Rev. James Allen, who said, “I don’t want to make it a racial thing, but it seemed like that’s what it was.” • New Frontiers in PC: Sal Santana II, 12, was suspended for three days from an El Paso, Texas, middle school for sexual harassment after sticking his tongue out at a girl who said she wouldn’t be his girlfriend. And the Leander, Texas, school board voted in June to prohibit students from “teasing.” And Britain’s National Society for Epilepsy said in April it had received several inquiries from teachers in training who had been instructed to avoid the term “brainstorming,” as offensive to epileptics (substitute: “thought shower”) (but the society said brainstorming was OK). Just Can’t Stop Myself • Investigatory work by a scorned woman turned up more than 50 others who were victims of the same man, 29-year veteran U.S. Army Col. Kassem Saleh (most recently stationed in Afghanistan), who struck up e-mail romances with the women and wrote “the most intoxicating love letters” one woman had ever read while assuring her (while also assuring others) that they would soon marry. The 5-foot-10 Saleh created at least one skeptical woman, though: Saleh had claimed to be 6-foot-5, but when a first-meeting date with the woman neared, he wrote that he had shrunk about 5 inches due to repeated parachute jumps. Saleh issued a public apology to the women after The New York Times outed him. Recurring Themes • America’s most underrated highway safety problem appears to be senior drivers who mistakenly step on the accelerator instead of the brake: Henry Clax, 78, Jersey City, N.J. (hit three lampposts and then 13 people coming out of a Jehovah’s Witnesses assembly, April); Marcella Stahly, 63, Albuquerque, N.M. (tore through the front wall of a fruit market, March); Ms. Nahid Nainzadeh, 64, New Fairfield, Conn. (plowed halfway into a bank, April); Leonard Borok, 81, Coral Springs, Fla. (crashed through the front window of a post office, May); Waunona Reed, 85, Crescent City, Ore. (struck 26 people leaving an Assembly of God church, January). Least Competent Criminals • A suspected burglar in Albany, Ore., apparently escaped in June after failing in his quest to break into a warehouse, but he left behind his bolt cutters, some burned clothing and part of his scalp. Police said the man had attempted to cut through a 480volt line and probably had “severe” burns. — Chuck Shepherd © United Press Syndicate

Brezsny's Free Will Astrology ARIES (March 21-April 19)

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

I hope you decided against participating in that weird contest — you know, the one in which you would have competed to see who could bang their head against the wall the most times before passing out. I trust you also turned down any invitations you got to show off your amazing wounds or prove how attractive your problems are. Continue to show a similar forbearance in the coming week, Aries. The worst is over. The pressure to express yourself perversely will soon diminish as the very hassles that have been frustrating you will morph into elegant opportunities.

In a scene on the HBO TV show “Six Feet Under,” George told Ruth about a house he’d owned in New England. Built over a stream, it had originally been a mill, though the wheel and grinding stones had been removed decades before. After he’d lived there for a while, George decided to put a new floor in the kitchen. He ripped out the old surface, then tore up the first wooden plank of the foundation below. There, just two feet below him, was the stream — alive, sparkling, thrilling. He had known about it all along, but at that moment he actually saw it flowing beneath his house. I predict you will have a similar breakthrough in the coming week, Cancer. You will commune intimately with a source of magic you have had only indirect or imaginative contact with.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Karvina, a town in the Czech Republic, has passed a law making it illegal to grow weeds. Offenders can be forced to pay a hefty fine if the Weeds Commission finds, say, a thistle flourishing amidst the potato plants. I’m tempted to enforce an equally stringent requirement on you Tauruses, at least for the next two weeks. For your own long-term good, as well as everyone else’s, you cannot afford to be lax towards interlopers, whether they’re actual or metaphorical weeds. Maintain the highest standards, please. Commit yourself with passionate integrity to incorruptible purity.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

When many people I know talk about their childhoods, they emphasize the alienating, traumatic experiences they suffered. Few report vivid memories of the good times. This has always felt dishonest to me; I attribute it to the cynical tenor of our age rather than the objective truth. In saying that, I don’t mean to downplay the way our early encounters with pain demoralized our spirits. But you, Leo, are in a phase when it’s crucial for you to acknowledge and honor the gifts you were given in your early years: all the joyful encounters, wise teachings and blessings that helped you bloom.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

You should be seriously considered for employee of the month. I love how you’ve been brightening up the workplace with your bursts of imaginative flair. If your associates have not yet registered the fact that your already-considerable value has risen even further, I urge you to show them this horoscope. In another matter, I’m certain that you should also be named shopper of the month. On the one hand, you’ve been healing an obsessive glitch in your consumer habits, while, on the other hand, you’ve been delightfully intuitive about which purchases will improve your life in the most lasting ways.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

I predict you will be in a hearty, even triumphant mood in the coming week, Virgo. There’ll be few if any loose ends. Unfinished business will either complete itself or else reveal to you how to wrap it up simply and quickly. However, even if you have to pass through a moment or two of dark doubt, it’s essential that you stay committed to your mood of hearty triumph. Please write down this poem from Tony Hoagland and carry it around in your wallet:

“No matter how you feel, you have to act like you are very popular with yourself; very relaxed and purposeful, very unconfused and not like you are walking through the sunshine singing in chains.”

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

Black South Africans fought for more than 40 years to dismantle the oppressive system of apartheid. One of their most potent weapons was toyi-toyi, a militantly exuberant form of singing and dancing. It mobilized the energy of crowds at the large protest demonstrations that ultimately broke the will of the white minority rulers. Imagine how confounded their authoritarian minds must have been when confronted by thousands of high-spirited people singing and dancing in unison. I wish you were uninhibited enough to lead a celebratory form of uprising like toyi-toyi, Libra. There’s a status quo you’re part of that desperately needs a friendly shock of that caliber. Can you maybe think of something a little less outrageous but equally fun, rebellious and effective?

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

If you’re a songwriter, it’s a good time to make yourself a Jennifer Lopez sock puppet, install it on your left hand, and ask it to help you create a tune that will sell a million copies. If you’re a painter, it’s a perfect moment to channel the spirit of Pablo Picasso as you dash off a few dozen masterworks, and if you’re a writer, you should pretend you’re the reincarnation of F. Scott Fitzgerald and whip out a future bestseller. In short, Scorpio, I recommend that you imitate people who have been successful in the way that you want to be. If necessary, get a new hero who inspires you to even greater heights than your old familiar heroes.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

“The man who never alters his opinion is like standing water, and breeds reptiles of the mind,” said visionary poet William Blake. There’s not a person alive who can ignore that counsel, in my opinion; in various degrees, we all suffer from the mental illness of dogmatism. Luckily for you, Sagittarius, it’s a perfect moment to flush out the standing water in your own psyche. You will attract unexpected help whenever you seek information that might shake up your staunch theories and beliefs about the way the world works.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

“You do not truly know someone until you fight

them.” That’s one of my favorite lines in the film “The Matrix Reloaded.” The oracle’s bodyguard, Seraph, says this to the hero, Neo, after starting a brouhaha with him. It seems Seraph doesn’t necessarily want to kick Neo’s butt, but rather find out more about him so as to determine whether he can be trusted to consult with the oracle. Take this wisdom to heart, Capricorn. I suspect you’ll have some interesting conflicts in the coming weeks. Their purpose is to bring you closer to the people you’ll struggle with, not drive you apart.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Everyone has an allergy, either physical or psychic. Mine is to cats. My colleague Sophie’s is to peanuts. My friend Jason’s is to his family of origin. (He starts sneezing if he merely sees a photo of his brothers and sisters.) I have an acquaintance, Justine, who swears she’s allergic to environments that are too clean and orderly. Your allergy, Aquarius, might be to something concrete like tree pollen or dairy products, or it might be more mysterious, like Jason’s or Justine’s. Whatever it is, you should redefine your relationship with it in the next two weeks. Believe it or not, you can reduce its power to make you sick.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

To prepare for your week, listen to this tale of role reversal. It stars a beautiful flower as the villain and a grubby little insect as the hero. It’s taking place all over Africa right now, where the water hyacinth has been choking rivers and lakes with its rapacious growth. A non-native species brought from Brazil a century ago, the hyacinth has had no impediments to its out-of-control spread until recently. Then a scientist found weevils that eat nothing but hyacinths, and sicced them on the out-of-control flower. His strategy is already working. The moral of the story, Pisces, as far as you’re concerned: If you’re threatened with getting way too much of a good thing, enlist an unlikely ally to assist you. — © Rob Brezsny You can call Rob Brezsny, day or night, for your Expanded Weekly Horoscope

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New York Times Crossword Puzzle

ACROSS

31 Disruption

65 Sandal feature

1 Says it’s so

33 Breeder

66 Color lighter

8 Bagel choices

35 & 37 Speaker of

15 Find and get rid

of 16 “Why?” 17 & 18 Start of a query 19 How to do things 21 Terminus of Chicago’s I-190 22 A long way off 23 Prince of Darkness 25 Sauterne, e.g. 26 Break down 28 River that Kazakhs call Zhayyq 29 He averaged almost a goal a game 30 Pierre’s present?

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10 Faint

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43 Big ___

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Puzzle by David J. Kahn

Bernardino County

36 U.K. fliers

45 Braggart

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38 Attacks

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE 13 Short-lived

46 1950’s

56 Competitive

39 Words of

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58 Shot in the arm

49 “All Over the

59 Half of binary

T A C H

H O L A

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___

code

61 Kind of deposit 63 Piazza, for one

For answers, call 1-900-285-5656, $1.20 a minute; or, with a credit card, 1-800-814-5554. Annual subscriptions are available for the best of Sunday crosswords from the last 50 years: 1-888-7-ACROSS. Online subscriptions: Today's puzzle and more than 2,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($34.95 a year). Crosswords for young solvers: The Learning Network, nytimes.com/learning/xwords.

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’ve had the same boyfriend for six years. He claims he loves me, but refuses to get married. How is this possible? He is sweet, but we have very little (if any) sex. The last time was three months ago. It’s been like that since year two of the relationship. I’m also paying for more than half of everything. Do you think he’s just using me? — Under-satisfied Despite valiant ef for ts by those who make commercials showing bonfires coming out of people’s toes, nobody cares if you have athlete’s foot. That’s probably because it’s called “athlete’s foot,” not “deadly athlete’s foot.” Sadly, the standard for concern about a medical condition has always been danger of becoming clinically dead, not merely irritated to death. It’s why people sprint across restaurants to bear-hug chicken bones out of choking victims, but never to tear the ugly of f a fashion victim (any girl wearing cargo pants and stilet to heels). Still, it seems only fair, if you had a big green thing stuck between your teeth during a romantic dinner, that paramedics would rush to your side with dental floss — just like they’d rush over with electroshock paddles if you had a big gob of something stuck in your hear t. If only the relationship world weren’t plagued by medical world prejudices. Unless one’s romantic situation seems likely to cause convulsions or death, it’s considered bad form to run away screaming. Thankfully, your boyfriend isn’t chasing you around the living room with an a x. Then again, he isn’t chasing you around the bedroom with flavored, scented massage oil, either. And while it’s great that you aren’t a victim of domestic violence, shouldn’t domestic violent boredom be cause for alarm? You aren’t alarmed because you’ve got your head full pondering why a guy who won’t have sex with you and won’t pay his way won’t marry you. Marry you? Hello? What is it about vague dissatisfaction that inspires you to try to make it permanent vague dissatisfaction? Your big worry is whether the grass looks less brown on the other side (i.e., is he just using you?). What really mat ters isn’t his motivation for sticking around, but your own. There’s no mention anywhere in or near your let ter about “boundless happiness” or any thing even remotely Hallmark-cardy in tone. Okay, so the guy’s “sweet.” Wouldn’t you be, too, if somebody else were paying most of the bills? What you share with him is like flesh-eating bacteria, but with an ex tremely slow digestive

process: the life-eating relationship. Days come, days go. More days come, more days go. On a positive note, you’re not dead yet. Clinically speaking. Plus, you probably still have your lef t arm where your lef t arm used to be. Oh, joy. If you were new boyfriend-shopping today, would you look for one who of fers you lack of sex, refusals to get married and financial dependency? So, why are you still there? Because 911 operators will get mad if you call and ask them to rescue you from your boring life? Because you’ve put in all this time, and you’d have to admit you’ve wasted it if you lef t now? (Why not waste more time instead?) Maybe you’re afraid of being alone. Newsflash: You’re alone now. It’s just a crowded kind of alone. Until you do the other kind of alone, the one where you work on your relationship with yourself, you won’t have a happy relationship with anybody else. Sure, it’ll be terrifying, braving the big, hairy, green-fanged unknown. On a positive note, it shouldn’t be anywhere near as frightening as the dull, joyless known.

I met this really nice guy when I was on vacation. We hit it off so well that he’s flying from Canada to see me. The bad news is that I’m a struggling artist (he’s a well-to-do professional), and my old car doesn’t pass the test. The only car that looks worse is the one on the “Beverly Hillbillies” reruns. I know material things are superficial, but pushing my car to get it started isn’t exactly seductive. When I pick him up at the airport, should I rent a car and say mine is in the shop? — Parked Carcass What’s going through this guy’s head right now is probably not “Gee, I hope she’s got a great car, or I’ll have to dump her at the airpor t and fly right back home.” He probably hasn’t given it a moment’s thought. Supply him with the facts — that your car has CARS, the mechanical version of SARS — and present the notion that renting might be a good idea. Chances are, the person whose job description doesn’t include the word “struggling” will volunteer. If he wants to ride with you in your clunker, get ting stalled isn’t the worst thing in the world. Af ter all, it does have a back seat, doesn’t it? — © 2003, Amy Alkon

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To respond to ads using a HOPELESS ROMANTIC SBF, 25, no children, very independent, Leo, N/S, seeks BM, 26-40, N/S, with whom to share movies, dancing, and quality time. ☎300467 GET INTO THE GROOVE SWF, 43, 5’4”, 110lbs, slender, active, Capricorn, N/S, enjoys playing frisbee and nature walks. Seeking WM, 37-47, wide shoulders a+. ☎301123 ENVELOPING EMBRACE Kind-hearted SBCF, 52, non-smoker, enjoys dining out, attending church. Seeking loving SBCM, 52-65, with similar interests. ☎287845 FIRST TIME AD! Employed SBF, 35, no children, wants to meet a laid-back, spontaneous man, 33-41, race unimportant, to get to know as a friend and maybe progress to more! ☎280007 BE MY FRIEND Attractive SWF, 29, 5’7”, 129lbs, brown/ brown, N/S, no kids, never married, seeks SWM, 20-37, in shape, friendship first, possible LTR. ☎945103 GOOD GIRL Attractive SWF, 38, 5’4”, 145lbs, blonde/hazel, N/S, Pisces, enjoys outdoors. Seeking tall SWM, 30-42. ☎864247 SINCERE BEAUTY Sophisticated SBCF, 23, 5’2”, 140lbs, interested in seeking educated, independent, employed SBM, 23-30, long walks, stimulating conversation, friendship, dating, more. ☎849311 OLD-FASHIONED VALUES Honest, relaxed, christian SBF, 56, Aries, N/S, enjoys cooking, dining out, quiet times at home. Seeking marriage-minded, financially secure SBM, 50-56, N/S, for LTR. ☎829149 AN AUTUMN SPECIAL Hard-working WF, 38, 5’4”, 100lbs, blonde/brown, enjoys biking, watersports, cooking, and travel. Seeking WM, 35-50, for possible LTR. ☎965904 GOOD-HEARTED DWF, 61, 5’9”, honest, neat in appearance, with a good sense of humor. Seeking WM, 60-70, who’s honest and caring. ☎574264 MAKE MY HEART LAUGH SBF, 22, 5’8”, 155lbs, part-time student, seeks sensual, kind man with a great heart, for movies, dining out, and open-minded conversation. ☎565120 WIDOWED SENIOR WF, honest, neat appearance, good sense of humor, seeking WM, 55-75, honest, caring. ☎449726

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Monday-Saturday 10am-9pm 2635 Washington Road | Augusta, Georgia 30904 | 706.738.7777 www.windsorjewelers.net LEO SBF, 31, wants to share quality time with a man who loves movies, dining out, quiet times, for friendship. ☎202217 A GOOD-HEARTED WOMAN Honest SWF, 5’4”, long dark brown/hazel, would like to meet a trustworthy SWM for a good, honest, open relationship. I smoker, so another smoker is preferred. Grovetown. ☎111411 Men Seeking Women

SEEKING FUN SHF SWM, 26, smoker, 5’11”, 195lbs, former military, security guard, will be joining police academy, likes to hang out, go to bars, have good time. Seeks SHF, 18-32, for fun, dating. ☎534532 THE PERFECT MATE DBM, 40, 6’, 195lbs, with 1 child, Capricorn, smoker, homeowner, loves gardening, cooking, and hunting. Seeking WF, 28-42, petite, to bedazzling. ☎873556 ONE-IN-A-MILLION SBM, 19, Sagittarius, N/S, 5’9”, braids, gray eyes, medium build, likes to have a good time, seeks compatible woman, 18-30. ☎531369

SOMETHING TO ADD? SBM, 42, Gemini, N/S, 6’, enjoys going out, romance, seeks SWF, 25-40, N/S, who will have something to add to a relationship. ☎546480 READ ON SWM, 29, Pisces, N/S, 6’3”, 235lbs, athletic, likes the outdoors, playing sports, watching sports, going out to eat, watching movies. Seeks SWF, 23-35, N/S, for dating. ☎549310 OUTDOORSMAN SWM, 19, Capricorn, N/S, landscape architect, likes sporting events, movies, fishing, hunting, anything outdoors, seeks SWF, 1825, N/S, similar interests, who is outgoing, likes to have fun. ☎541345 HERE I AM SBM, 32, 6’9”, glasses, Aries, smoker, loves singing, drawing, and dining out. Seeking a woman, 21-56, with whom to connect. ☎430788

SEEKING NATURALIST SM, 50, 5’11”, 163lbs,enjoys travel, fine dining, swimming, the arts. Seeking adventurous, attractive, fit SF, with similar interests, to explore the world with. ☎516833 SEEKING BBW SWM, 41, 6’, black/green, enjoys reading, movies, dining out, travel, dancing, quiet times. Seeking queen-size female, with a heart to match, for love and romance. ☎325398 LET’S GET IN TOUCH! SWM, 20, Cancer, smoker, enjoys fishing, hunting, walking, playing games. Seeking older woman, 30-60, for possible relationship. ☎888111 NO GAMES HERE SBM, 36, brown/brown, long distance truck driver, Aries, smoker, seeks honest W/HF, 30-36, smoker, who likes to travel and is looking for LTR. ☎509226

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MAKE YOUR OWN DESTINY Loving, intelligent SBF, 34, seeks SBM, 3545, for companionship, long walks, movies, dining out and more. ☎550597 STILL SEARCHING SWF, 47, 5’8”, 148lbs, Sagittarius, smoker, interests vary, seeks SWM, 37-48, for LTR. ☎342017 SEEKING DECENT MAN SBCF, 32, Cancer, N/S, CNA, likes having fun, going to the movies, eating out, fishing, looking for decent man, 25-45, N/S, who is hardworking and will treat her with respect. ☎544912 TAKE ME DANCING SWF, 25, 5’9”, blonde/brown, Gemini, N/S, seeks WM, 30-38, N/S, who likes kids. For dating. ☎385501 BEACH BUM SBF, 31, with bachelor’s degree in communications, Taurus, N/S, loves dining out, movies, working out, and reading. Seeking man, 26-36. ☎869451 COMPANIONSHIP DWF, 48, enjoys antiquing, travel, dining out, movies and more. Seeking DWM, 48-58, for loving, tender relationship. ☎732056 SINGLE MOM SEEKING SBF, 20, Gemini, N/S, mother of twins, likes going to the park, spending time with family, going to the mall, movies, seeks compatible SBM, 18-35, N/S. ☎532672 GREAT PERSONALITY SWF, 45, 5’2”, blonde/blue, likes cooking, bowling, movies, travel. Seeking affectionate, caring, compassionate SM, N/S, financially secure, for dating, possible LTR. ☎525164 WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO LOSE? SWF, 48, Cancer, N/S, seeks WM, 40-56, who wants to have a great relationship. Why not give me a call? You never know. ☎511453 WHOLE LOTTA LOVE SBF, 33, would like to share movies, dinners, quiet evenings at home, the usual dating activities, with a great guy. ☎463610 TABLE FOR TWO SWF, 57, 5’4”, blond/green, easygoing, outgoing, enjoys cooking, fishing, reading, NASCAR. Seeking honest, respectful S/DWM, 57-65. ☎965851 BIG HEART, BIG BRAIN? Creative, expressive SF, 41, graphic artist, loves the country, with passion for gardening, nature, flora/fauna, needlework( knitting, crochet, quilting). Seeking creative, spiritual man, to share hopes, dreams, desires. ☎483300 MAYBE YOU’RE THE 1 SBF, 30, 5’7”, brown complexion, auburn/brown, thick, seeks independent, loving SM, who’s fun, active, commitmentminded, a handyman type, to share romance, fun, friendship and a possible lasting relationship. ☎488232 LOOKING FOR LOVE SWF, 24, blonde/brown, attractive, compassionate, easygoing, desires SWM, 24-34, honest, open-minded for friendship and companionship. ☎323553 OUTGOING WF, 50s, 5’5”, 150lbs, brunette, likes dining out, dancing, cooking, interior decorating, more. Give me a call. ☎443130

ARIES/TAURUS DWCF, 52, 5’4”, brown/green, likes the beach, playing pool, sailing, flea markets, dining, movies at home, stargazing. Looking for tall, honest, kind, affectionate, Christian man, 39-58. Let’s adore each other. ☎479572 ALL I WANT IS YOU SB mom, 28, is in search of a man, 25-45, who would want to start off as friends, leading into more. ☎459939 DON’T PASS ME BY SHF, 18, 5’1”, 126lbs, short/brown, would like to meet a guy for bowling, dancing and romance. ☎463061 LOVES TO LAUGH Attractive SWF, 19, 5’9”, Libra, smoker, seeks WM, 18-35, for a solid, good, honest friendship leading towards LTR. ☎455393 LOOKING FOR YOU SWF, 37, 5’6”, Scorpio, N/S, enjoys mountains, bowling, the beach and music. Seeking WM, 35-48, N/S, to be a companion, friend. ☎456544 NO INTRO NEEDED SBCF, 26, 5’4”, 130lbs, single parent of a 7year-old son, very independent, Gemini, N/S, seeks BM, 27-40, to be my friend. ☎432010 SEARCHING FOR MR RIGHT SBPF, 39, Libra, loves church, traveling, movies, and dining out. Seeking SBPM, 3760, for possible LTR. ☎421273 A SIMPLE GAL SWF, 35, 5’4”, seeks laid back man, 18-40, for casual dating, friendship maybe more. ☎418340 A SPECIAL SOMEONE SBF, 25, mother, seek financially stable, independent man, 20-45, who loves children, for LTR . ☎415803 NICE EVENINGS Attractive SBF, 35, enjoys nice evenings, conversation, seeking loving SBM, 30-37, for nice evenings. ☎400597 OUTGOING/OUTDOORS TYPE Tall, full-figured, SF, 5’10, long red hair, green eyes, outgoing, outdoors type, spends allot of time with two children, likes movies and sports. Seeking compatible SM, 24-40. ☎402582 LIGHT UP MY LIFE Beautiful BF, 60, 5’11”, with a brown complexion, N/S, N/D, has lots of love and passion to share with a SBM, who goes to church. ☎383766 MORE THAN AVERAGE Slender SBF, 53, 5’2”, independent, Aries, smoker, loves music, conversation, laughter. Seeking independent, mature SBM, 48-65, for friendship first. ☎369627 HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER SWF, 57, 5’11”, 130lbs, very trim, Capricorn, N/S, enjoys canoeing, backpacking, nature photography, and hiking. Seeking WM, 5262, N/S, with similar interests. ☎358288 ATTENTION! Your military date is in Augusta. SF seeks military male, 29-45, with good sense of humor, good values/qualities. No abusers. Race open. Children ok. Will answer all. ☎334255 SINGLE MOM DWF, 40, 5’3”, brown/brown, full-figured, new to the area, seeks non-smoking SCM, 40+, for companionship, friendship, possibly more. ☎319109 A LOT TO OFFER SWPF, 39, 5’2”, 155lbs, loves, sports, dining out, cooking, movies, walks in the park, playing pool, travel, dining out. Seeking young man, with similar interests, for friendship and companionship. ☎321666

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ABBREVIATIONS

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M B D F H C LTR

Male Black Divorced Female Hispanic Christian Long-term Relationship

G W A S J P N/D N/S

Gay White Asian Single Jewish Professional Non-Drinker Non-smoker

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J U L Y 1 7 2 0 0 3

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46 M E T R O S P I R I T J U L Y 1 7 2 0 0 3

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To respond to ads using a THANK YOU VERY MUCH SWM, 25, 5’9”, 164lbs, brown/hazel, told he looks like Elvis Presley, Rick Nelson, and one of the Everly Brothers, enjoys fishing, history, art. Seeking WF, 19-26, N/S. ☎508305 SEEKS HONESTY SM, 55, 6’, 200lbs, professionally employed, seeks outgoing, fun, sincere lady to share casual times, friendship, fun and maybe something more later on. ☎494413 WANNA DANCE? SWM, 37, smoker, wants to share outdoor fun (fishing, hunting, camping), with a wonderful woman. ☎464905 I CAN COOK SWM, 51, 6’1”, 193lbs, with blue eyes and a laid-back attitude, seeks a woman with a spontaneous, creative spirit. ☎434997 TAKE ME AS I AM SWM, 31, 5’6”, medium build, brown/blue, Gemini, N/S, enjoys movies and more. Seeking SWF, 25-35, N/S, N/D, who enjoys good times, dating, for LTR. ☎341418 WELL-ROUNDED SM, 27, loves art, theater, movies, music, long walks, conversation. Desires to meet attractive, cultured, social woman for dating, possibly more. ☎471543 ARE YOU THE ONE? SM, 29, enjoys tennis, movies, dancing, dining out, long walks, antiques, Asian culture. Seeking confident, sweet, good-natured woman for LTR. ☎471619 HARD-WORKING SWCM, 48, enjoys sports, travel, dining out, dancing, reading, movies. Seeking stable, sincere woman, with similar interests, for friendship, possible LTR. ☎474643 NEVER BEEN MARRIED SWM, 40, would like to meet a woman who enjoys simple pleasures such as outdoor fun, music and exercise. ☎463381 SOMETHING SO RIGHT SWM, 46, 5’8”, 195lbs, wants to meet a lady with good moral character, who is looking for a lasting relationship. ☎464950 TRY ME SBM, 31, enjoys sports, movies, park walks, good conversation. Seeking pretty, honest SF, to share these with. ☎448964 WELL-ROUNDED MAN Educated DBPM, 41, 5’11”, loves reading, working out, the arts, dining out, travel, quiet times. Would like to meet female, 30-45, with similar interests, for fun, friendship, and maybe more. ☎442021 TAKE ME ON Male, 34, 5’10”, 180lbs, black/hazel, Capricorn, financially secure, smoker, seeks woman, 27-39, smoker, petite, who loves Nascar and beaches. ☎429058 SAY ‘BYE TO LONELINESS Male, 35, 5’2”, H/W proportionate, attractive, light-skinned, Leo, proportionate, smoker, seeks woman, 18-35, laid-back, committed, and faithful. ☎432003 YOU AND ME SWM, 34, enjoys outdoors, good times, movies, laughter, romance. Seeking loving, caring SWF, 20-50, for LTR. ☎412476 JUST FOR YOU SWM, 29, brown/green, 5’8”, 150lbs, employed, seeks outgoing, active SWF, 2135, who can appreciate a loving man. ☎416629 COMMITMENT SM, 6’1”, 205lbs, outspoken, outgoing, very loving, looking for SF, who is not afraid of commitment, is loving and caring. ☎406726 LET’S CHAT SWM, 53, Scorpio, N/S, college-educated, easygoing, enjoys travel and beaches. Seeking friendship, possible LTR with a WF, 45-55, N/S. ☎358466 KEEP IT SIMPLE SWM, 45, carpenter, enjoys travel, sports, fishing, dancing, music, playing cards. Seeking SF, who enjoys the same. ☎343229

COMPATIBLE WOMAN WANTED DWM, 46, 5’9”, N/S, slim build, Capricorn, N/S, enjoys old cars, boating, classic rock, horror movies, mountains, beach. Seeking SWF, 38-46, N/S, for LTR. ☎341454 SEEKING TRUE LOVE Handsome SBM, 39, compassionate, financially secure, seeks romantic, attractive, compassionate BF, 21-45, for romantic dinners, movies, walks along the beach, true friendship, LTR. You won’t be disappointed. ☎920361 SAY YOU, SAY ME SWM, 25, 5’10”, 165lbs, medium build, brown/blue, Gemini, N/S, outgoing, energetic, seeks WF, 19-28, for friendship, possible LTR. ☎302503 YOU SUPPLY... the marshmallows. I’ll supply the bonfire, SWM, 36, truck driver, Aries, N/S, loves camping. Seeking a woman, 40-58. ☎316730 JUST YOUR AVERAGE GUY SWM, 37, N/S, likes motorcycles, fishing, camping, farming, relaxing weekends. Seeking SWF, 25-40, to join me on life’s journey. ☎287476 LET’S FALL IN LOVE SM, 25, enjoys travel, movies, writing. Looking for a good woman, 25-42, who shares some of these interests. ☎281603 LET’S DO LUNCH SBM, 28, Leo, homeowner, entrepreneur, attractive, seeks friendship with average, every day woman, 20-40. Have your heart talk to mine. ☎270867 SOCCER LOVER SHM, 21, 190lbs, loves to play soccer. Seeking a woman with a good personality. ☎250070 CHEF/PIANIST 6’, 190lbs, brown/blue, handsome, amateur psychologist, nice car, time off to travel, will send photo. Seeks pretty female companion, 26-39, no kids, light smoker/drinker okay. ☎882215 LET’S HOOK UP 34-year-old SBM, 5’9”, 180lbs, Aquarius, nurse, bald head, new to area, open-minded, fun-loving, hopeless romantic. Seeking woman who loves to be romanced. ☎849401 Men Seeking Men

MASCULINE AND FIT SWM, 39, Libra, smoker, 5’8”, brown/brown, masculine, works out, fit, likes movies, riding bikes, camping, cooking, time at home. Seeks SWM, 30-43, with similar interests. ☎545309 YOU NEVER KNOW Fun-loving, easygoing GWM, 51, 5’11”, 198lbs, enjoys cooking, movies, fishing, walking. Seeking interesting GWM, 18-33, who’s full of life, for casual relationship, possibly more. ☎676662 RELAXING AT HOME SBM, 35, Virgo, N/S, likes relaxing at home, fun, concerts, trips going to the beach. Seeks fun, spontaneous SBM, 26-37, N/S. ☎532700 YOU CAN MAKE MY DAY Male, 60, Cancer, N/S, seeks a WM, 49-65, N/S, for casual relationship. Why not call me? ☎927707 A NEW START Retired, fit, outgoing GWM, 44, enjoys walks, movies, sports, reading. Seeking outgoing GM, with similar interests, for friendship, possible LTR. ☎527836

How do you

ARE YOU THE ONE? SWM, 34, 6’1”, 195lbs dark blond/blue, goatee, enjoys quiet nights home, going out with friends, travel. Looking for masculine, easygoing SW/HM, 18-38, for casual dates, possible LTR. ☎502698 TAKE A CHANCE GWM, 43, 6’2”, 195lbs, black brown, seeks other GWM, for fun times and maybe something more. ☎493530 COULD IT BE YOU AND ME? GWM, 24, enjoys quiet evenings, movies, quiet evenings at home, dining out. Seeking fun, outgoing GM, with similar interests, for friendship, possible LTR. ☎471342 BOY NEXT DOOR SAM, 27, 5’9”, 147lbs, Sagittarius, smoker, seeks WM, 25-45, who enjoys fun times and a true friendship. ☎456425 LET’S MEET FOR COFFEE Good-looking GWM, 36, 6’, 200lbs, muscular, tan, enjoys working out, yard work, spending time with my dogs. Looking for attractive SM, 32-48, for dating, maybe leading to LTR. ☎436231 ME IN A NUTSHELL WM, 18, brown/blue, medium build, looking for fun, outgoing, energetic guy, 18-30, for movies, hanging out, quiet evenings at home, and more. Friends first, maybe becoming serious. ☎425471 SEEKING THE REAL THING BM, 32, 5’8”, 200lbs, enjoys reading, cooking, dining out, movies, spending quality time at home. Seeking WM, 25-35, who has similar interests, and wants a long-term, monogamous relationship. ☎389698 LET’S GET CRAZY SWM, 35, 6’1”, with green eyes, is in search of a man to get together with, and share good times. ☎384239 LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP Senior SWM seeks sincere, honest SWM, 25-45, to share home and lifestyle. Many interests including gardening, cooking, arts and crafts, travel, camping. ☎294303 ENJOYS ALL THAT LIFE HAS GWM, 40, shaved head, goatee, Pisces, smoker, seeks very special, attractive, strong, fun-loving GBM, 30-50, for dating, possible LTR. ☎257126 WHAT’S HAPPENING? SWM, 30, 5’7”, 200lbs, brown/blue, Aries, N/S, seeks BM, 19-35, N/S, outgoing, for friendship first, possible LTR. ☎958402

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LOOKING FOR LOVE GWM, 41, 5’8’, 140lbs, Pisces, enjoys fishing, television, wood working, gardening, arts, crafts. Seeking GWM, 25-45, for friendship first, possible LTR. ☎705204 Women Seeking Women

WAITING FOR YOU GWF, 18, 5’4”, blonde/blue, enjoys music, movies, animals, travel, dining out. Seeking outgoing, honest GF, with similar interests, for friendship, possible LTR. ☎527575 IS IT YOU? SGF, 42, soft stud, loves movies, cuddling, traveling, plays, comedy. Seeking feminine Christian female, compassionate and understanding, with like interests, to share friendship, good times and maybe something more. ☎487095 SEEKING A RELATIONSHIP GBF, 24, enjoys dancing, sports, movies, music, quiet evenings. seeks goal-oriented GPF, 24-33, who knows what she wants. ☎474251 ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES SBF, 30, 5’5”, with brown eyes, seeks a woman, 30-36, to hang out with, get to know, and see where it goes. ☎380595 HAVE A GOOD TIME SB mom of two, 35, wishes to spend time, conversations, friendship and life with a great lady. ☎458794 WHY WAIT? SWF, 38, 5’6”,140lbs, short brown hair, easygoing, enjoys playing golf, the beach. Seeking feminine female, 20-40, to have fun times and more. ☎448489 GOAL ORIENTED Intelligent, happy, attractive SBF, 23, student, seeks similar SBF, 24-40, N/S, for all that life has to offer. ☎411842 LOVES CHILDREN Easygoing, nice SF, 32, looking for someone with the same qualities, 29-39, and a people person. ☎388943 OPEN-MINDED CHIC Broken-hearted GWF, 30, Libra, smoker, seeks woman, 20-45, to mend my heart. Let’s not be afraid of who we are. ☎370110

“EVERYONE’S BEST FRIEND” GWF, 26, 5’6”, medium build, likes watching movies, bowling, hanging out, malls, phone conversations. Seeking fun-loving, seriousminded GWF, 22-35, medium build, for friendship and possibly more. ☎335046 WELL-ROUNDED GWPF, 24, 4’11”, brown/brown, loves animals, movies, dancing, travel, dining out, sports, conversation. Seeking GF, with similar interests, for friendship, possible LTR. ☎329740 BEAUTIFUL AND FEMININE GWF, 32, 5’7”, 135lbs, enjoys reading, movies, dining out, travel, sports, music, movies. Seeking GWF, 25-39, with similar interests, for friendship, possible LTR. ☎329063 A REFRESHING CHANGE SWF, 30, Libra, smoker, is hoping to find it in a woman, 25-45. Will show a lot of a affection. ☎307177 AVID READER Quiet SF, 24, part-time student, into all types of music, especially oldies, pets, writing poetry. Seeking a female, 24-40, with same interests. ☎283861 FALL FEVER SWPF, 46, 5’6”, 129lbs, college graduate, enjoys reading , home movies, camping, country-living, seeks same in SWF, 45-50. ☎965910 LOOKING FOR LOVE SBF, 32, 140lbs, 5’8”, down-to-earth, likes clubs, movies, and quiet times. Looking for a female, 30-35, with the same interests. If you’re the one, call me. Aiken, South Carolina. ☎113533 OUTGOING FUN WF, 28... 5’3”, medium build, loves movies, putt-putt golf, and bowling. Seeking WF, 25-40, medium build, for fun and friendship. Hope to hear from you soon. ☎958847 NO INTRO NEEDED SWF, 39, 5’7”, 145lbs, homeowner, easygoing, selfless, Taurus, smoker, loves movies and bowling. Seeking WF, 35-49, with comparable interests. ☎935299 I WON’T LET YOU DOWN Single GBF, 32, mother, non-smoker, looking to become acquainted with a laid-back, sensual GBF, who enjoys quiet times, movies. Interested? ☎910581 A GOOD HEART SF, 39, goes to church, works for a living, likes having fun, going on trips. Seeking a similar female, 37-49. ☎780112

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lNOT YOUR RUN-OF-THE MILL Offbeat SWM, 31, 6’2’’, artist, enjoys independent movies, museums and punk rock shows. Seeking SF who is into art, 48142 music, and anarchy.

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Classifieds

Call 738-1142 to place your Classified ad today!

Alt. Lifestyles

Auctions

Medical Equipment

Private Investigator

If You’re not Partying at Argos, The Tower of Argos or at The Shack…

AUCTION! Historic District - Rocky Ford, Georgia Saturday, July 19, 10 am Antiques, collectibles, personal proper ty and items found in these old buildings. Approximately 8 miles south of Millen, on GA #17. As Is - Where Is 10% Buyers Premium (07/17#8164)

Medical 3 Wheel Scooter Electric, like new, Heavy Duty. Reasonably Priced. 706-733-3778 (07/17#8144)

R AY WILLIAMSON & ASSOCIATES Private Investigations 17 years experience Domestic Relations and Child Custody Cases Licensed and Bonded in Georgia & Carolina 706-854-9672 or 706-854-9678 fa x (07/17#8155)

You’ll Be Back

Wed Sasha & Co Talent Show

Fri

DJ Chip

Thu

Sat

DJ Buckwheat

Sun

Karaoke 8-12 with DJ Joe

Karaoke Dance Party with DJ Joe Steel.

Fri

Argos Angels’ Cabaret with Diane Channel, Barbara Barringer, Taylor Collins, and Leslie Laru

Sat

Argos Angels’ Cabaret hosted by Petite, Claire Storm, Sasha and other guests

WOLFF TANNING BEDS

Help Wanted

(803) 441-0053 425 Carolina Springs Rd North Augusta, SC

Argos welcomes Gay, Lesbian, Bi, BDSM, Swingers, TVTS & all openminded patrons

Come have fun where the party doesn’t end!

Call us @ 481-8829 or email us at ClubArgos@aol.com

... You’re Not Partying

THE COLISEUM

Premier Entertainment Complex & High Energy Dance Music Fri, 7/18 & Sat, 7/19 Beat the Clock 9-10pm w/ Sasha All Drinks $1 Coming Events: Fri, 7/26 Mr. Augusta CSRA Pride 2003 Contest Fri, 8/8 Petite DeJohnville

Drink Specials: WED $9 Wet N' Wild SAT All You Can Drink Well/Liquor/Draft $9

WE’RE BACK! Free Cover w/ Coupon

For 21 & Over and Non-Members

MARLBORO STATION 141 Marlboro Station, Aiken S.C.

803-644-6485

Open Mon-Fri 8pm-3am Sat 8pm-2:30am

Fri & Sat. No Cover Before 10 p.m. 1632 Walton Way • Augusta, GA

18 to Party • 21 to Drink

706-733-2603

Email: ColiseumAugusta@aol.com

Mind, Body & Spirit

Begin a New Career In Massage Therapy Train for a rewarding career in Massage Therapy in only 6 months

733-2040

Augusta School of Massage Inc. 3512 1/2 Wheeler Road • Augusta, GA 30909

Metropolitan Community Church of Our Redeemer A Christian Church reaching to all: including Gay, Lesbian, and Transgendered Christians. Meeting at 311 Seventh Street, 11 am and 7 pm each Sunday. 722-6454 MCCAugusta@aol.com www.mccoor.com

Resort Rentals

Wheels

Now Hiring! X-Mar t Currently hiring full time clerks. Neat appearance, cashier experience preferred. Apply in person 1367 Gordon Highway. For directions call 706-774-9755 (7/31#8103)

Mind, Body & Spirit

Religion

Amelia Island, Florida 2 Bedroom 2 bath direct ocean front condo in the hear t of historical Fernandina Beach, Florida. A convenient location without the crowds. 736-7070 -----------560-8980 (07/10#8156)

Travel

$250 - $500 a Week Will train to work at home helping the US Government file HUD/FHA Mor tgage Refunds. No experience necessary. Call 1-800-778-0353 (07/17#8160)

Sasha Sundays

Fri, July 25 Spectral Erosa’s Goth Night with D.J. Tryskl & Claire Storm Fri, Aug. 15th Benefit for The Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation

Golf Clubs: Nike Drivey, 9.5 degree stiff graphite $140; Top Flight Irons, S.S. rifle shots $140. Also callaway woods. Les 860-3387 (08/14#8133) –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Black Jump Boots. Never Worn. $25.00 706798-7954 (07/24#8115) –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Regency Crystal Police Scanner. Base or mobile, receives Aiken County agencies. $35.00. 706-798-7954. (07/17#8112)

AFFORDABLE • CONVIENENT Tan At Home Payments From $25/month FREE Color-Catalog Call Today 1-800-842-1305 (07/17#8131)

Her showcast is not just Drag it’s pure talent. Come let us entertain you. Show starts at 12:30am.

COMING EVENTS

Miscellaneous For Sale

Equipment

Monday-Sunday Happy Hour from 4pm-12 midnight $2 Long necks $3 Wells

Dead Bodies Wanted

We want your dead junk or scrap car bodies. We tow away and for some we pay. 706/829-2676

706/798-9060

Call 738-1142 to place your Classified ad!

READINGS BY

MRS. GRAHAM

C A R D R E A D I N G S

Mrs. Graham, Psychic Reader, Advises on all affairs of life, such as love, marriage, and business. She tells your past, present and future. Mrs. Graham does palm, tarot card, and crystal readings. She specializes in relationships and reuniting loved ones.

SPECIAL READINGS WITH CARD

1923 Walton Way Open Mon-Fri for Happy Hour @ 6:00pm with $1 off everything Every Fri & Sat Garage Party from 9-10 with all drinks only $1 (Everything $1)

www.metrospirit.com

341 S. Belair Rd. Open from 9 a.m. til 9 p.m. Call (706) 733-5851

Massage is wonderfully soothing Massage promotes optimal health in mind, body, and spirit. Swedish • Shiatsu • Stress Relief Call Sasha 706-841-0039 or 770-490-3608 (07/17#8165) Full Body Massage! Therapeutic tension relief, intense or tender touch, rela xing music, aromatherapy, by appointment only - $49.00/hr. Call Joy - 706-771-9470 or John - 706-868-5598 (07/17#8120)

Life is hectic. Weekends shouldn't have to be. Join Scott Simon for Weekend Edition every Saturday at 8:00 AM on WACG, 90.7 FM. Reclaim your Saturday and hear weekend news, views, and commentary. From gardening tips and film reviews to in-depth news analysis, Peabody Award-winning host Scott Simon eases you into the weekend with a fresh perspective.

Photo of Scott Simon by Lisa Berg

The Shack ...

Club Argos Dance Club & The Tower of Argos Leather Bar Augusta’s Premier Progressive House Dance & Entertainment Zone with DJ Joe Steel.

Call us at (800) 654-3038 or visit us at www.gpb.org for more information about our programming.

M E T R O S P I R I T J U L Y 1 7 2 0 0 3

Better Than Chicken at

Grandma’s

Café Style Chicken Salad on French Baguette, with Sour Cream, Red Grapes and Apples. Served with Roasted Red Potato Salad. 7

Skillet Roasted Chicken with Creamy Leek Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans and a Fresh Thyme Gravy. 13

Pan Fried Chicken Livers, with Buttermilk Skillet Fried Chicken Sandwich Emmental Gougére, Caramelized with Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, and Shallots and Aged Sherry. 7 Creole Mayonnaise. 6

437 Highland Ave, Surrey Center • 706.737.6699 • Fax 706.733.8644 • Mon-Sat Lunch & Dinner