METRO SPIRIT Augusta’s Independent Voice
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August 14-20 Vol. 15 No. 2
2 M E T R O
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Canning Kraemer: Airport Director Crashes and Burns By Stacey Eidson...................16
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FEATURES
One Mom’s Struggle With Brand Mania By Nandini Pandya ........................................19
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Opinion Whine Line ......................................................................4 Words ...............................................................................4 This Modern World .........................................................4 Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down ............................................5 Suburban Torture ............................................................6 Letter to the Editor .........................................................8 Austin Rhodes .................................................................9 Insider ............................................................................10
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Metro Beat
ANIC Responds to “Foot-dragging” Accusations ......12 Theft Investigated at Columbia County Magistrate Court ..............................................................................14
Arts
Augusta Theatre Company Director Pursues Vision in New Home ....................................................................31 Baroque Music: Precursor to Rock ‘n’ Roll? ..............32
Events
8 Days a Week .............................................................24
Cinema: Close Up Is There Anything Brittany Murphy Can’t Do?........................................36
Cinema
Music
DJ Tour Brings Indie Spirit to Augusta .........................40 Music by Turner ..............................................................41 Michelle Branch Chooses Substance Over Style ........42 Music Minis ....................................................................43 Night Life .........................................................................44
Stuff
Food: Pork Chops .........................................................22 Brezsny's Free Will Astrology ......................................47 New York Times Crossword Puzzle ............................47 News of the Weird ........................................................48 Amy Alkon: The Advice Goddess ................................48 Date Maker ...................................................................49 Classifieds .....................................................................51
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, Rachel Deahl 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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Freddy vs. Jason ..........................................................23 Movie Listings .............................................................34 Close Up: Brittany Murphy ..........................................36 Review: “Open Range” ................................................37 Movie Clock ..................................................................38
Call us at (800) 654-3038 or visit us at www.gpb.org for more information about our programming.
3 M E T R O S P I R I T A U G 1 4 2 0 0 3
4 M E T R O S P I R I T A U G 1 4 2 0 0 3
Whine Line I
’d like to address this to the so-called “out of towner” who keeps writing in. How sad your “new” life must be, to have the time to travel to Augusta, read the papers, catch-up on gossip around town and then send a reply. Are you sure you moved? I live here and it took me three weeks to write this. Keep writing; your nose is growing.
his presidential campaign in the early 1980’s? Well, he said the same things about Ronald Reagan he is saying about Bush. And his accuracy will be the same. I noticed he was decrying the loss of manufacturing jobs in S.C. Wasn’t he the twit who claimed the 1992 recession was due to “Too much Consoomin’ goin on out dere”? Typical liberal babble.
Has anyone considered bringing a pro or semi-pro basketball team into the current Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center? It might just be the thing to turn that red ink into black ink (loss vs. profit). Of course the concessions, as well as the cleanliness, would also need to be improved!
I am glad TV 26 did not air “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” in prime time last week.
I was just wondering who this Mackenzie Clarke that apparently used to work on Y105 was? Obviously she must have either gotten a better job or gotten fired if she’s not here anymore. And if you know that she is in Charleston, S.C., how is she going to appreciate the royal brown-nosing that you are giving her in an Augusta paper? Maybe you should just accept the fact that she’s not here and probably not going to come back. Let her go; you’ll be fine! I am surprised, that a radio station that plays 90 percent hip-hop/rap and 10 percent — Mercy Me would consider “John Boy and Billy” wannabes for their new morning show. What a strange combination! Richmond County schools are in trouble. It’s no wonder that every new person who comes to Augusta wants to live in Columbia County. At least the schools are better. I’m calling to complain about the lack of beautiful people in Augusta. I’ve lived all over and find that Augusta has some of the most unattractive people on the planet. What’s up with that? Hip hip hooray! In 2004, Senator Twit Hollings will be gone. Anyone remember
Years ago, the Columbia County politicians suckered the taxpayers into funding the industrial park. We now know that was a costly mistake. Presently, our politicians are telling us we need a tax-funded fire department. Next they will be telling us we need to incorporate the county into a city government. Columbia and Augusta-Richmond County governments just alike — what a scary future! So! Arnold Schwarzenegger must feel that he can follow in Reagan and Eastwood’s footsteps! Politicians are full of BS anyway! I guess being an actor would give any potential political candidate a big advantage over his opponents! OK, I’m convinced. Danny Craig will not be selected as judge. At first I thought he would make a good judge, but I forgot about all the politics involved. I cannot understand how we have any crime at all in the city of Augusta, Martinez or Evans ... every other car has the little blue line identifying them as a police/correctional officer. What is it? If you know a police officer are you allowed to display this flag or do you at least have to be a fifth cousin twice removed to qualify? Come on folks; this is ridiculous. State Senator Joey Brush would be smart if he calls it quits. His behavior will certainly be a campaign issue if he chooses to seek
Words “The president’s mishandling of and selective use of the best evidence available on the threat posed by Iraq is pretty much the same as the way he intentionally distorted the best available evidence on climate change and rejected the best available evidence on the threat posed to America’s economy by his tax budget proposals.” — Former Vice President Al Gore, quoted in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, during an Aug. 7 speech at New York University in front of political activist group, Moveon.org. Gore, according to the article, also criticized civil rights abuses under Attorney General John Ashcroft and his Patriot Act. Gore also recommended the scrapping of The Department of Defense’s Total Information Network, which he said was “right out of George Orwell’s ‘1984’” the newspaper reported.
re-election. On second thought, Brush has not shown one ounce of intelligence since winning his first election in 1990, so don’t look for him to quit anytime soon.
Yes, yes. We are in need of some cool whines. The last time I had a good chuckle reading the Whine Line was when the Don Juan de Bubba and really classy lady with the lint problem whines were published.
“Roadside Oddities Tour” was one of the funkiest articles you have ever published. I didn’t know whether you were intentionally putting us on or you really think the places listed are cool. Very odd indeed.
The farmer’s market on Broad is a great idea! I was so excited to see all those people downtown walking around enjoying themselves on a Saturday morning.
What really has Georgia graduates excited about the University of Florida’s mix-up on the media guide is that the Dawgies now know how to spell alligator and crocodile. A double bonus! Talk to me after the streak runs to 13 out of 14 in November.
Why is it when you see the coolest cars, like Prowlers and convertible Corvettes and such, they are always driven by gray-haired old men? Why can’t the ones that can actually use them to pick up women (like they were designed for) drive them? continued on page 6
5 M E T R O
Thumbs Up The new Farmer’s Market at the Augusta Common is a great idea that is sure to breathe life into downtown. When the Augusta Common first opened, some feared it might languish
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as a glorified lawn with little activity. But the new market is a way to bring visitors to the public space, as well as to restaurants and other businesses downtown.
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But the reported happenings at the Industry sound like typical fare for any raunchy, adult watering hole, except for the fact that some of the patrons aren’t even old enough to drive, let alone drink. Do these kids’ parents know what’s going on at the Industry? And what kind of parent allows their 15-year-old to stay out until one in the morning ogling chicks in bikinis? It seems if there was ever a warranted case for those moralizing religious groups who turn up in throngs to defeat the granting of legally sound liquor licenses, this would be it. The problems at the Industry have gone on too long. Close it down.
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Once again, we learned in the daily paper, a teenager was beaten up outside the Industry teen club on Reynolds Street. The attack, according to The Augusta Chronicle, occurred around 1 a.m. as the 15-year-old boy was leaving a bikini contest at the club. Why in the world is this club still open? There have been repeated problems at the club, ranging from territorial rivalries to fights in the parking lot. Teen clubs such as this one are touted as safe, alcohol-free venues where the underage can congregate and socialize.
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continued from page 4 Thank you Channel 26 for not showing the queer show. I am tired of fringe groups pushing their agendas on me. You are probably the only station besides the Christian stations that has any principles. Dozens of beautiful young girls, ages 7-14, half naked in bikinis, soaking wet and soaping up your SUV on a hot Saturday afternoon in back of a gas station. Sound like child pornography or a pedophile’s dream come true? Wrong: It’s your local schools and churches selling the bodies of adolescents for a youth group fundraiser or cheerleading camp. Why does the Richmond County sheriff allow the sale of counterfeit music CDs and movie DVDs at the old flea market? Other cities do not allow this because they understand this is against the law! No. No. No. Please tell me that these people aren’t serious about moving the stadium at Lake Olmstead to downtown. How dumb is that? Why aren’t people arrested who park their cars in front of stores in the fire zone? It’s illegal and stupid. If I am in a burning building, my life is in jeopardy just because you are too lazy to park in the parking lot. The fire trucks need to be able to park out front. It might help Richmond County schools if they got rid of Superintendent Charles Larke. What is going on with Clear Channel radio? First, they got rid of everyone on WBBQ. Now they have taken off the “Two Guys” on Eagle 102. Are they just trying to get rid of all the local personalities and have all syndicated programs? I hate syndicated programs. Let’s get back with our local personalities. Clear Channel … wake up! I’m so glad the commissioners of Richmond County think the fair citizens in Augusta are so rich. Do they think we have bountiful pockets of money? The grass along the street and the city in the county are seldom cut, and litter makes the city unsightly. Why aren’t the commissioners addressing the needs of the citizens of Richmond County instead of impressing the few wealthy tourists that visit our city?
DUI
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The Olive Road railroad trestle needs to be addressed. It is endangering the citizens of this county. Children and adults race through the trestle to get to the other side of the road. Build a pedestrian tunnel for their safety or widen the trestle tunnel to accommodate these needs. I love 92.3. However, the big problem I have is getting a clear signal. When you are in Martinez, you can’t get a good signal and when you are in Central Augusta and the Hill area, you still can’t get a good signal. It would be really great if they could strengthen their signal or boost their power so everyone can hear it. I am really tired of this black/white thing. Black leaders and white leaders — why can’t it be just a leader for all? It doesn’t matter what color a person’s skin is — we all bleed red blood. I was watching the TV the other day and saw Mechelle Jordan who used to be on the news. Can you report on the position of Board of Education spokesperson? Is it similar to the Fire Department spokesperson? Since it is a taxpayer-funded position, can we ask what the pay and benefits are? Why did this lady leave the TV news and who hired her? Why am I so totally unamazed about the failing schools in Richmond County? And the pitiful defense of those schools by teachers and administrators. Half the blame goes to apathetic parents who don’t care about education. We should care more about this than about some old flag or mascot. Augusta is a dumb town! I don’t think they should show gays and lesbians on TV. All kind of sex is for the bedroom. The world is doing nothing but getting worse everyday and TV is not helping. It is giving the wrong message to kids and it’s wrong. It’s just plain wrong. — Call our Whine Line at 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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Lexicor CEO Responds to Article To the Editor: In his recent article “New Standard, or Medical Hype?” (Metro Spirit, July 31August 6 issue) on ADHD, reporter Brian Neill should be commended on his extensive research in his effort to present to your readers the complicated and often confusing world of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Unfortunately, he added to the confusion and complications with his piece, especially insofar as his portrayal of the work of Lexicor. The most glaring misrepresentation in the article has to do with the diagnosis of ADHD. Mr. Neill was absolutely correct in focusing on some of his source’s insistence that there is no completely reliable way to diagnose ADHD, which is very troubling to doctors and parents. Typically, a child’s teachers or parents express concern about the lack of attentiveness. The child is then sent to a pediatrician or a psychologist, who performs some paper and pencil tests. Then, stimulant medication is prescribed and, if the child seems to respond well, the diagnosis is considered to be a correct one. But, as most young medical students learn, treatment response is not a way to find a diagnosis. I also must add, however, that in no instance did I state that Lexicor’s scan can diagnose the condition, and it is crucial for both your readers and your reporter to understand that. In fact, I emphasized that “only doctors diagnose” and that doctors should follow traditional practices of clinical interviews and physical examinations to diagnose ADHD and any other behavioral disorders that afflict young people. Sadly, this basic and fundamental point was lost in the article, overshadowed by the worst in pseudoinvestigative controversy mongering. What we do know from our technology is that most children with ADHD have a particular brain wave pattern. We know this from the over 2,400 children throughout the country who have had the scan and whose brain waves have been extensively analyzed. What Lexicor offers, and what was not described at all in the article, is the unique ability to analyze the data from a particular child’s brain scan. So, when a doctor in (let’s say) Augusta gives Sally a test with the
Stephen N. Xenakis, M.D. President & CEO Digital Cortical Scan, the data from that test is sent to a huge database comprised of thousands of scans, and the patterns from Sally’s brain are compared with others. The technicians at the data center review Sally’s scan for the brain wave patterns that show up in children who are inattentive because they have ADHD. Only the members of that group truly are candidates for stimulant medication. This ability to compare and analyze one child with thousands of others is what makes our technology so promising, and what makes our indicator reports so potentially invaluable for doctors, parents and, of course, children. Lexicor has processed hundreds of such scans, and realized that less than half of them are consistent with ADHD (and so, that less than half of the children should be considered for strong stimulant drugs). It is a shame that such important information did not find its way into a very long story about a very serious disorder. Instead, the reporter seemed to be distracted by an imagined “inside baseball” conflict, instead of what we know has provided a tremendous reassurance and resource to many parents and physicians in their efforts to help children. Sincerely, Stephen N. Xenakis, M.D. President & CEO Lexicor, Inc.
Snoop Sued for Making the
GIRLS GO WILD See page 43
9
Opinion: Austin Rhodes
M E T R O
Judge Overstreet Gives Minimum Sentence to Cop Shooter ... Cops Don’t Like That
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here are occasions when my email box lights up like a Christmas tree with letters from policemen and those who love them. Generally, these are not happy notes. In the last few years, Augusta Superior Court Judge Carlisle Overstreet has been responsible for a few such campaigns, kinda like he was again last week. James Tredore is a very lucky man. As an undercover investigator with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, he sees his share of dangerous situations. He is trained to handle most of them. One thing he is not really trained to handle is how to dodge bullets flying through a closed door. Such was the case 25 months ago when the investigator entered the home of a known drug dealer named Samuel Hodge. Hodge’s roommate, 28-year-old Dennis Lee Richardson, was hiding in a bedroom closet when Tredore entered the bedroom. Keep in mind, Tredore had enough backup to keep Krispy Kreme busy for a week, and yelled numerous times “Sheriff’s Office ... we have a warrant!” He was not exactly skulking around. But Richardson had no idea (according to him) who or what was on the other side of the closet door. It could have been a child; it could have been his mother; it could have been Ed McMahon with the Publisher’s Clearing House check. He said he didn’t know who it was, but he did know he was going to shoot them. And so he did, with the standard issue weapon for street thugs and scumbags (Union Local 432), a .357 Magnum. Oh by the way, if you believe that
crap from Richardson, I have a wonderful oceanfront lot in McBean to sell you. Thanks to the grace of God, dumb luck, and a Kevlar vest, James Tredore survived the attack. The bullet did puncture Tredore’s chest, but it didn’t do any real damage. It hurt like a mother, though. But not so much as the insult heaped on top of the injury by a certain superior court judge last week. Taking a lesson from the Bed Wetting Liberal Sycophant Guide to Going Easy on Criminal Buttheads (Chapter 4), Judge Overstreet gave Richardson the minimum sentence allowed by law in the case. Tredore and his boss, Sheriff Ronnie Strength, were in court to hear the sentence. They left the proceedings in stunned silence. They both have way too much class to tell the judge what they think. I, on the other hand, suffer from no such affliction. Aside to Judge Overstreet: “Geez Judge, would it have helped you out on the sentencing if Tredore wasn’t in court that day because he was dead? Would it have inspired a greater sentence if James’ mom Judy (a very sweet lady, and an old friend of mine) had been sitting in the courtroom with a picture of her buried son? Had Richardson been smart enough to go for a head shot instead of aiming blindly through a closed door, James’ brains splattered all over the back wall may have given you extra motivation to give something other than the minimum sentence in the case. Thank the Good Lord, that while Richardson certainly wanted to kill what
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was on the other side of that door, he was too damn stupid to execute the plan. Congratulations, Judge Overstreet: You have just rewarded a criminal for his lack of intelligence and sorry aim.” To say I was overrun with complaints in this sentencing would be an understatement. If I have one gripe about our local cops, it is that are way too polite when they see people like Judge Overstreet urinate all over their efforts and honor. I, on the other hand, suffer from no such affliction. I got over two dozen notes on the case from our badge-wearing folks in gray. One e-mail made specific mention of the horrific injury suffered by the Judge when he was hit by a bus in Atlanta some years ago. “Maybe some of Overstreet’s brains got squished out when that bus ran over him. Any way we can get that same bus driver down here to back up and try again?” I know that the above passage is strong, and quite frankly crosses a line (even though it was written tongue-incheek), but perhaps now you understand the nature of the animosity Judge Overstreet generated with this sentence. The e-mail I received from a retired officer summed it up best of all: “When our system has the rare opportunity to punish a wannabe cop killer, and gives him the minimum sentence, it sends peace officers everywhere the message that no one cares about them, their families, or their lives.” To the man who wrote me that note, and to all officers who risk life and limb every day for us, please accept my heartfelt apologies as a citizen of Augusta. We know you; we appreciate
the job you do, and if we are given the opportunity to ever assist you in any way, we are there for you. I can’t speak for a few idiots who work in the Marble Palace, but the real people of Augusta have your back. And of course, this ain’t a premiere performance of doo-doo quality decision-making from this particular guy. Judge Overstreet has let us down in the past. In the case of Rodricus Maxwell, a known bad egg caught with a pound of cocaine in his car, Overstreet sentenced the putz to probation, and urged him to behave himself in the future. I guess the judge thought he had the pound for personal use. Cyrano DeBergerac couldn’t have used that much coke in 20 years. But I digress. The cops and prosecutors all told the judge what a huge mistake the sentence was. And guess what? Every one of them were right. A few months later, Maxwell was up to his same old tricks, and this time, he was finally locked up. You would have thought Overstreet would learn. Obviously, he didn’t. You expect asinine decisions from certain politicians and political leaders. You expect extremist agendas from ideologues who are working subversive public campaigns. You don’t expect an educated, mature, fine man like Carlisle Overstreet to repeatedly stand by criminals while sticking it in the eye of law enforcement. Well, you expect it now. — 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.
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Opinion: Insider
Appoint Her Now or Elect Her Later Sheryl Jolly Wants To Be Judge As Georgia’s Republican Governor Sonny Perdue awaits interviews with five local lawyers who want to be judge, local Republicans anxiously await his decision. As the governor begins to focus on the selection, he and his fellow Republicans must face a harsh reality: Solicitor Sheryl Jolly, a Democrat, will run for the job in 2004 if she isn’t appointed by the governor. As The Insider has reported on numerous occasions, the Sheryl Jolly list of five finalists nominated to replace superior court judge Lyn Allgood created a firestorm of protests from Augusta’s Republican leaders and elected officials. The list submitted to Perdue by the Judicial Nominating Commission features only one nominee who is currently active in the local Republican (GOP) Party: Mike Annis, a partner in the Huguenin, Annis, and Lewis law firm. Annis is a lifelong Republican who previously served on the Columbia County Board of Education and ran unsuccessfully for the judicial seat now held by Superior Court Judge Duncan Wheale. City attorney Jim Wall, law partner in the firm Burnside, Wall, Daniel, Ellison and Revell, has made an effort to paint himself as a Republican, but hardcore GOP members aren’t impressed with his sudden conversion. Attorney Bill Sams has been active in party politics in the past but not for a while. Jolly and District Attorney Danny Craig are Democrats. In addition to determining which candidate is the most qualified to become judge, Perdue must deal with the political ramifications of his decision. Historically, partisan politics has always been a factor in the judicial appointment process. Republicans argue that this time should be no different, while Democrats, quite suddenly, are preaching the gospel of non-partisanship. Democrats have ruled Georgia for the past century-plus and now that there is a Republican governor, GOP loyalists want a Republican appointed. Consequently, they were stunned and disappointed in the final list submitted to Perdue. Regardless of which candidate is chosen, he or she must run for the office in November 2004. Perdue must consider that point as he makes his decision. If Jolly is not appointed, the only circumstance under which she would not run, is if her friend and political ally Danny Craig is selected by Perdue. The chances of Craig getting the nod are extremely slim. Jolly is very popular, a strong cam-
paigner, and a proven vote-getter. She can count on support from fellow Democrats, women, and the African-American community. She will be the odds-on favorite in next year’s election in a head-to-head race against any of the other people on the list submitted to the governor. This creates a dilemma for Perdue: Choose a judge who claims Republican leanings and face the strong possibility that he will be unseated in 2004 or choose Jolly and face the wrath of irate Republicans in Augusta and around the state. Of course, Perdue does not have to choose from the list. He can interview all five candidates, deem that someone not on the list is better qualified, and select whomever he wants. Perhaps he should think about that. Random Notes • Beginning Sunday, Aug. 17, Charles Walker Jr. and Harold V. Jones II will host “On the Spot,” a politically oriented talk show to be broadcast on Comcast cable channel UPN. The show will air on Sundays at 7 p.m. The guest on the first show is Lowell Greenbaum, chairman of the Richmond County Democratic Champ Walker Party. Walker is the son of former state Sen. Charles Walker and he was the 2002 Democratic Party nominee for the District 12 U.S. congressional seat. He was defeated by current Congressman Max Burns. Last year, Jones ran unsuccessfully as a Democratic candidate for the Georgia House of Representatives. • Former Augusta Commissioner Freddie Handy announced that he was definitely running against Commissioner Marion Williams for the District 2 seat at a recent meeting of The Committee for Good Government. Williams beat Handy four years ago and Handy wants his old job back. • Several southside politicos are concerned that District 6 Augusta Commissioner Andy Cheek will get a free ride this election. Efforts to recruit opposition to Cheek have been ongoing but, so far, the group attempting to unseat Cheek has come up empty. A last-ditch effort to recruit a qualified challenger to Cheek is underway as the qualifying deadline approaches. —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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ANIC Responds to “Foot-dragging” Accusations
By Stacey Eidson
I
f you believe in the wisdom of Abraham Lincoln’s famous words, “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” then you might want to watch out for falling bricks the next time you walk past the Augusta Neighborhood Improvement Corp.’s partly constructed office building at 925 Laney-Walker Blvd. The future occupants have found themselves in a squabble and no one seems to know how it started. Two weeks ago, members of the Augusta Commission’s administrative services committee demanded to know why ANIC’s office building, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of October, appears to be suffering from severe construction delays. In May 2002, the Augusta Commission agreed to move two city departments – the city’s Housing and Neighborhood Development department and Augusta’s fire department – into the proposed $1.4 million ANIC building, but according to Augusta Commissioner Willie Mays, somebody has been intentionally dragging their feet on the project. On July 28, Mays told his fellow commissioners that he needed to know whether the delays to the project were the fault of the city or of ANIC. Representatives from the housing department and fire department said they had provided ANIC with all the necessary documentation needed for the completion of the project. If that was the case, Mays said, he wanted to hear from ANIC’s executive director, Robert Cooks, regarding what was hindering the progress of the building. “If we need to put our foot in their behind, then we need to do it,” Mays said about ANIC. “Because the word on the street is, it is being drug out. I’m just going to throw it out just like I’m hearing it. It’s being drug on purpose so that it won’t work.” On Aug. 12, Cooks was more than willing to set the record straight. “Our contractor says that the building will be completed by October 31,” Cooks told the administrative services committee, adding, however, that the contractor has requested an extra 39 days due to the recent unusually rainy weather. “And we have not approved that as of yet. “But I would like to say on behalf of ANIC that we are doing everything to move this project forward. And I do not appreciate being categorized as delaying
“If we are all going to work together then we need to step up and communicate. ... Nobody called me and asked any questions. And I think that’s unreasonable.” – ANIC Executive Director Robert Cooks
the project because no one asked the question.” Not once did anyone from the city approach him regarding concerns with possible delays in the project, Cooks said. That’s probably not the best way for the city to begin its tenant/landlord relationship with ANIC, he said. “If we are all going to work together then we need to step up and communicate,” Cooks said. “When you (the Augusta Commission) had the meeting last time and the questions about the project came out in the newspaper (the next day), nobody called us. “Nobody called me and asked any questions,” Cooks said, turning to look directly at City Administrator George Kolb. “And I think that’s unreasonable.” Cooks said that allowing such accusations against ANIC to go unanswered in a public meeting was inexcusable particularly because of ANIC’s mission to improve the city’s urban neighborhoods and attempt to attract commercial businesses to LaneyWalker Boulevard.
“I cannot stand to let someone accuse us of not performing,” Cooks said. Cooks explained that ANIC met with the two city departments in early December to review the building’s floor plans. By May, ANIC discovered that the city had hired their own architects to design the department’s interior office space. “We have an architect on staff,” Cooks said about ANIC. “We did the floor plans ... and then all of a sudden we get an architect (hired by the city) inserted into the process at the last minute, in May. I don’t understand that one.” It wasn’t until June 26 that ANIC received the final drawings for the floor plans from the architect the city hired. Mays wanted to know what happened between the months of December and May to cause the city to hire its own architect to oversee the project. “Now y’all hear me all the time say I can’t build a chicken coop, but it does not take six months to deal with floor plans,” Mays said. “I’d like to hear what happened between December and May.”
Fire Chief Al Gillespie said he felt there was no problem between the two city departments and ANIC. “Mr. Mays wanted to know if there was a problem out there with the building,” Gillespie said. “We are potential lessees of the building; we are not building the building. As far as we know, we’ve met every deadline we’ve been given. So, I’m not quite sure why we are here talking about the delay of the building, if there isn’t such a thing.” But when Augusta Commissioner Bill Kuhlke, owner of Kuhlke Construction & Assoc., Inc., began asking details about the progress of the project, the commission quickly learned they may have reason to be concerned. “The building is dried in and you are working on the inside of the building now. Am I correct?” Kuhlke asked, referring to the state in which the outer structure is completed to the point that it is impermeable to rain. “No,” Cooks responded. “We are just getting to the second floor.” Kuhlke paused for a minute, then continued. “But I mean, is it dried in?” Kuhlke asked for the second time. Again, Cooks said it was not. “Has the paving been done?” Kuhlke asked. Cooks shook his head no, adding that the crew is working seven days a week on the project. Kuhlke told the group that he still didn’t believe that was enough time to finish the project by the end of October or even possibly within the 39-day extension due to rain delays. “To me, the schedule that’s been given to you right now, if you are not dried in and the paving has not been done, you may not make that timeframe even with the (rain) extension,” Kuhlke said to Cooks. By the end of the discussion, Mays told both representatives of the city departments and ANIC that whatever the problem is, everyone needed to get beyond past conflicts and concentrate on completing the building by at least the end of the year. “Whatever problem there is about this building, perceived or real, it needs to get settled today,” Mays said. “That is not a Marriott marquee out there on that building. It’s not a Peachtree Plaza (in Atlanta) and it doesn’t have a hundred and something stores in it. “We are talking about a simple, threestory office building out there. We should be able to get that built.”
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Theft Investigated at Columbia County Magistrate Court
By Brian Neill
A
uthorities have confirmed an ongoing investigation into allegations that a deputy clerk with the Columbia County Magistrate Court was stealing money at her job. “Yes, there has been a loss of money at the magistrate’s office in Columbia County,” said Mike Seigler of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation office in Thomson. “We received a written request from (Richmond County District Attorney) Danny Craig to look into the situation.” Seigler said he could offer little more information about the case because it’s in the initial stages of investigation. A source close to the situation, who asked not to be identified, said that roughly $4,000 was determined to be missing from the magistrate court coffers. The source said the suspected employee, a deputy clerk, had taken leave of her job the first part of the Aug. 4 week. Sandra Washington, clerk of Columbia County Magistrate Court, confirmed that the deputy clerk the source named had resigned. “She resigned her position. That’s correct,” Washington said. “All I can tell you is that she resigned her position, and anything further
than that, I don’t have any knowledge of.” The Metro Spirit is not naming the suspect because she has not been charged with a crime. Washington said any further information about the matter would have to come from Chief Magistrate David Huguenin. Contacted at the chief magistrate’s private law firm, Huguenin’s assistant said he would be tied up with real estate closings all day. Huguenin did not return a total of three calls made on two separate days from the Metro Spirit seeking comment about the deputy clerk’s resignation and the alleged theft. Seigler said no arrest had been made in the case and no suspects had been ruled out. He was unable to confirm the amount of money stolen as being $4,000. “At this point, we just initiated the case recently and I don’t know the actual figure and I’m not sure we’ve determined, through our investigation, the actual figure,” Seigler said. Craig, the district attorney, confirmed an ongoing investigation into theft from the magistrate’s court, but would say nothing more about it and declined to go on record naming any suspects or monetary amounts. “I could not confirm anything like that without me violating my oath,” Craig said.
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Freddy vs. Jason See page 23
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Kraemer AIRPORT DIRECTOR CRASHES AND BURNS
hen the ax dropped on Augusta Regional Airport Director Ken Kraemer last week, it was not a surprise, but everyone still seemed in shock. After the Augusta Aviation Commission voted 5-4 to fire Kraemer, those commissioners who had opposed the termination immediately left the Aug. 7 meeting in disgust. “They did it,” Aviation Commissioner Bernie Silverstein said to fellow Commissioner Whitney O’Keeffe after an hour-long, closeddoor legal meeting in which the board conducted Kraemer’s annual performance evaluation. “They did it again.” Kraemer is the second airport director to be fired by the board in less than four years. Former airport director Al McDill was terminated from his position in the spring of 2000. Following the decision to oust Kraemer, a handful of his detractors, those commissioners who voted to immediately remove him from his position and pay him a six-month severance package totaling half of his $115,000 annual salary, lingered behind in the meeting room. Augusta Aviation Commission Chairman Cedric Johnson and Aviation Commissioner Marcie Wilhelmi watched in disbelief as Kraemer told City Attorney Jim Wall that his termination was not final until it is approved by the Augusta Commission and Augusta Mayor Bob Young. “The Augusta Aviation Commission has the authority to hire and fire,” Wall calmly explained. “The reason the Augusta Commission approved the contract was because of the compensation
level.” As several airport employees quickly walked back to their offices to report the astonishing news to anxiously awaiting co-workers, Kraemer left the meeting red-faced and clearly shaken. “I need to make some legal calls,” Kraemer announced to the members of the media that had surrounded him as he exited the meeting room. “My contract is signed by the mayor and I was not hired until it was approved by the AugustaRichmond County Commission, so I feel the same is true in reverse. “So, I’m going back to work.” With that statement, the media was left dumbfounded. Kraemer had just been terminated by the aviation commission, effective immediately, but he was still planning on going back to work? It wasn’t until after 9 o’clock that night that Kraemer finally left his office at Augusta Regional Airport. He turned in his keys to the infamous 2003 Eddie Bauer Edition Ford Explorer that the airport had provided him as director, rented a car and drove home. “I had appointments and meetings that I had scheduled for Thursday afternoon, so I conducted them,” Kraemer frankly said several days after his termination. “You must understand, the airport is still my No. 1 priority. It always has been. It always will be.” When asked if he understood why he had been fired, Kraemer said he couldn’t discuss the details behind his termination until after speaking to his attorney, Jack Long, who is expected to return from a European vacation on Aug. 18. However, Kraemer did say he didn’t think it
was Augusta politics that had sealed his fate. “Rather than the political atmosphere, I think it was more personal agendas,” Kraemer said, stopping and reiterating that he didn’t want to discuss specific individuals on the board until he had received legal advice from his attorney. But Kraemer couldn’t help but acknowledge that the hazards of Augusta politics were much more dangerous than he could ever imagine when he left Dubuque (Iowa) Regional Airport to come to Augusta in the summer of 2001. “Certainly I did not expect politics to the degree that it exists here,” Kraemer said. “But there will always be a soft spot in my heart for the Augusta airport and an even softer spot in my heart for the staff. I think the staff at Augusta Regional Airport is by far the best staff that I’ve worked with in my 17 years of airport management.” Not Afraid To Speak Of the five commissioners who voted to fire Kraemer – Ernie Smith, Sheila Paulk, Joe Scott, Venus Cain and Wilhelmi – there is no doubt who will receive the most wrath from Kraemer supporters. Two years ago, Wilhelmi was out front championing Kraemer as the answer to Augusta Regional Airport’s prayers. “The reason that we’re so impressed with Ken is that it appears he’s pressed every button that can be pressed,” Wilhelmi told Dubuque’s Telegraph Herald in 2001. “(Kraemer) — by every industry standard — is a pretty sharp dude.” With that, the aviation commission plucked Kraemer from Dubuque, where he was making $65,732 a year in 2000, and offered him a twoyear contract with Augusta Regional Airport at
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an annual salary of $115,000 plus benefits. Looking back, Wilhelmi said she now realizes the board had made a huge mistake. “Did we get bushwhacked? Yes,” Wilhelmi acknowledged, sitting in her office at home. “Ken Kraemer was projected by his references that were supplied to us as being a rising star – that he wore every hat there was in Dubuque. That was true, but what we didn’t realize until six months into the program was that the answer to everything with Ken was to go to Washington and ask for money. “Meanwhile, the airport was to run on autopilot. Everything was delegated at the airport and Ken had personal responsibility for nothing.” Wilhelmi decided to speak plainly about what she considered Kraemer’s deficiencies because she said she feels that the public has a right to know why the aviation commission had no choice but to fire him. “What makes it so disappointing for me personally is that Bernie (Silverstein), Whitney (O’Keeffe) and I were the three that thought Ken was going to be great,” Wilhelmi said. “So, am I happy about what happened? I’m madder than a hornet about it – at myself, not at anybody else. And is it embarrassing? Of course. “But do you have to do the right thing, as painful as that might be? I think so. And would we be derelict in our duties to not acknowledge that we made a mistake at this point? Absolutely, yes.” After two years of Kraemer being on the job, Wilhelmi said, it became terribly clear that the director was either unable or unwilling to take on a leadership role at the airport. “Ken is the second-highest paid city employee,”
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Wilhelmi said, referring to Kraemer’s $115,000 salary. “Considering the mayor is paid half of what Ken is paid and George Kolb, who runs the entire city, is paid $7,000 more (annually) than Ken, I think we have the right to expect executive-level skills from Ken. “But Ken lacks those kinds of skills. And one of the biggest things that confounds all of us on the board was, he would always say, ‘Well, I’m overburdened.’ But he wouldn’t tell you what he’s working on because it was all on everybody else’s plate. That’s the bottom line.” Wilhelmi also said that she was flabbergasted over what she saw as Kraemer’s negative attitude toward implementing a 2001 organizational review study the commission paid almost $100,000 for prior to Kraemer’s arrival. “The much-lauded organizational review told us which departments were overstaffed, which employees were overloaded, which employees were overpaid, which employees were underpaid,” Wilhelmi said. “It was very comprehensive. But, as a commissioner, I don’t believe to this very moment that the concept of the study was ever fully embraced by the director. “I think, in his own mind, he worked very hard at it. I believe he truly believed that. Twenty-four months ago, we tried to bring in a consultant to implement the study, but he said, ‘Oh, no. I can do this.’ It never happened.” After continuously asking Kraemer about the study for more than a year, Wilhelmi said, she soon realized the board was wasting its time. “We had harped on it so long that it was almost mean-spirited to bring it up again,” Wilhelmi said. “And why beat somebody up for something they couldn’t do?” But according to Kraemer, he did implement the organizational review study. During the Aug. 7 airport meeting, Kraemer passed out a list of changes he made in the organization over the past two years such as reducing the staff in January 2002. “Am I capable of implementing an organizational review? Yes,” Kraemer said during the meeting. “We have already done an organizational realignment and staffing level assessment in-house.” Wilhelmi said she finds that claim ludicrous. Six weeks after Kraemer arrived, the tragedies of 9/11 struck. Wilhelmi said the airport had no choice but to reduce costs, therefore Kraemer opted to eliminate 30 percent of the airport staff. While that may sound like a bold move, Wilhelmi is quick to point out that 20 positions that were eliminated at the airport were already vacant and another 10 employees were moved from airport positions to other areas of employment within the city government. “All the cuts he made came from the workerbee positions,” Wilhelmi said. “So that left some supervisors with higher pay supervising only two employees. That, by anybody’s assessment, is not
good management.” About 15 months ago, Wilhelmi said she met with Kraemer and the then-personnel committee chairman Sheila Paulk to talk about ways Kraemer could better implement the organizational review study. As a result of that discussion, Wilhelmi provided Kraemer with a number of names of employees whom she did not believe were doing their jobs. In return, Kraemer has recently implied in public meetings that Wilhelmi was trying to micromanage the airport by telling him whom to fire. “Ken asked a series of candid questions and we answered them candidly,” Wilhelmi said. “Did we give him names of people at the airport? Sure. We used those names as examples where he needed to go back to his own staff and do some homework.
comprehend or process what is being asked of him,” she said. Not long after Kraemer’s arrival in Augusta, Wilhelmi said she started hearing grumbling from Federal Aviation Administration officials in Atlanta. “We got a call from our guardian angel in Atlanta with the FAA, one year ago this month, who explained that he had very grave concerns about Ken,” Wilhelmi said. “This official said that he was tired of trying to teach Ken how to do his job and that Ken clearly did not understand the airport director/ consultant/ FAA relationships. This official said, ‘Do not let him come back here without your consultants in tow.’ “Now, in 15 years of dealing with the FAA, that is by far and away the strongest statement I have ever heard out of them.” Slowly, as Kraemer began working more
“For the most part, I feel that the majority of the board did have some concerns about the airport’s leadership even though some of them supported Ken.” – Augusta Aviation Commission Chairman Cedric Johnson “But we didn’t direct him to go back and fire any employees. We don’t have the authority to do that.” Uncovering Kraemer If the aviation commission had only more thoroughly examined articles in Dubuque’s Telegraph Herald prior to hiring Kraemer, Wilhelmi believes the airport could have avoided a lot of heartache. According to a July 21, 1998 article in the Telegraph Herald, Kraemer accused the Dubuque Airport Commission of “micromanaging” the airport and suggested that the board not try to do his job. “The Dubuque Regional Airport will operate best if and when the airport commission sticks to making policy and leaves the staff alone to carry it out,” Kraemer reportedly said. Typically, that should be how a board works, Wilhelmi said. “But the problem is, Ken does not receive,
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closely with people throughout the city, Wilhelmi said, a number of department heads began informing the aviation commission that they were experiencing problems with some of the information Kraemer was providing to the board. “We were getting conflicting information from city department heads,” Wilhelmi said. “A pattern began of requesting information from Ken and when we got it, then we felt like we had to go behind him to check to see if we were accurately hearing what he was presenting.” A perfect example of this type of situation, Wilhelmi said, occurred during the last aviation commission meeting, when Kraemer said he and Human Resources Director Brenda Byrd-Pelaez had agreed on the proposed salaries he had presented to the board earlier this year regarding the airport’s law enforcement officers. These officers are currently employed by a private security company; however, Kraemer had suggested that these officers become city employees.
Some of the proposed salaries for these officers were $15,000 more than what they were currently being paid. After speaking to Byrd-Pelaez, Augusta Aviation Chairman Cedric Johnson discovered Byrd-Pelaez had not agreed to the proposed salaries. Wilhelmi said that type of situation, unfortunately, was very typical with Kraemer. “We know in the case of up to four or five departments, we would be told one thing and the reality would be another,” Wilhelmi said. “And so, it was a tremendous breach of confidence.” In the 24 months that Kraemer worked as director, Wilhelmi said the airport spent more than $400,000 finding him through a national search, moving him to Augusta, paying his salary, providing his benefits and purchasing him the $31,000 Ford Explorer. “Now, Ken is a hell of a nice guy. And it is never fun to make the call to fire someone,” Wilhelmi said. “But you cannot pay somebody $115,000 just because you like him and because he is well-liked in a community. “It is important to note that even the commissioners that voted against firing him understood what I’m saying right now.” And despite what the editorial page of The Augusta Chronicle writes, Wilhelmi says, she is not trying to chase off all of Augusta’s airport directors. “The situations with Al McDill and Ken Kraemer are completely different. There is no comparison,” she said. “Al was a meanspirited, control freak who had problems with just about everybody. ... Ken, on the other hand, is a nice person. I could not even begin to compare the two.” After the Aug. 7 airport meeting, Aviation Commission Vice Chairman Whitney O’Keeffe sent a letter to Augusta Commissioner Bill Kuhlke stating that he was resigning from the board. “Drastic changes are necessary at the airport for there to be any type of sane, reasonable management,” O’Keeffe wrote. “This airport is going nowhere and I see no reason to remain there for the few months left in my term and continuing to be frustrated.” Wilhelmi said she was not surprised by O’Keeffe’s remarks. “Whitney is great at lobbing grenades,” she said. “However, Whitney does not propose solutions.” A Commission Divided Not only should the aviation commission be ashamed about the way it treated Kraemer, O’Keeffe said, but he strongly believes the city should abolish the board as a result of its poor behavior. continued on page 18
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trees, that’s pretty much micromanaging.” Augusta Commissioner Bernie Silverstein, a long-time supporter of Kraemer, took the director’s termination extremely hard. Once the vote to fire Kraemer was completed, Silverstein said he objected to the entire evaluation process. He accused the five commissioners who voted to terminate Kraemer of purposely rescheduling the airport’s regular monthly meeting a week later so two of the airport director’s supporters, commissioners Chris Cunningham and Ed McIntyre, would not be able to attend the meeting. “I don’t believe it is fair; I don’t think it is fair to the airport. We don’t need to be without a director. I don’t think it is fair to Mr. Kraemer,” Silverstein announced. “I want the record to show I object to anything in firing Ken Kraemer that leaves us without an experienced airport director.” Several days after the Aug. 7 meeting, Aviation Commission Chairman Cedric Johnson, who supported the board’s decision to terminate Kraemer, said Silverstein is mistaken. “There is no truth to that whatsoever,” Johnson said. “In the previous meeting, the commissioners voted to change the meeting date and there was no objections to that vote. Everybody was OK with that date at the time that we made the decision.” “Now, it’s my understanding that one member mistakenly wrote down the wrong date and another member was in the hospital,” Johnson added. “Now, we’re good but we’re not that good.” Wilhelmi agreed that Silverstein’s claim was complete “hoo-ha.” “We had a called meeting on July 15 and (Aviation Commissioner) Pat Owen and I worked like dogs to finish that damn yearly evaluation on
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“If I were to grade the performance of the aviation commission’s handling of this matter, I would give them an ‘F,’” O’Keeffe said. “It was very poorly handled. It was a personal witch-hunt by just a few of the commissioners and they have been trying to get rid of Ken Kraemer for a number of months.” Whatever problems the aviation commission had with Kraemer, O’Keeffe said, he didn’t deserve to be fired. “From my personal standpoint, I like Ken very much,” O’Keeffe said. “I think he is educated in the business of managing airports and the only shortcoming that I detected was not having as much of leadership qualities that I would want to see with someone in that position. “However, at the same time, I think we could have worked with him to bring that out more.” But, instead of trying to work with Kraemer, O’Keeffe said, a group of aviation commissioners were simply determined to see him terminated at any cost. “To me the airport is civic center II,” he said, comparing the aviation commission to the oftentumultuous Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority. “I hate to say that, but I don’t see any near-term hope for that board. So, I really am serious when I say that I recommend the city get rid of this commission and seek out a company that’s business is managing airports and get someone professional to run the airport.” Without abolishing the board, O’Keeffe said, certain aviation commissioners, whom he did not want to name, will continue to micromanage the airport. “Micromanaging has certainly taken place,” O’Keeffe said. “When you have a commissioner out there showing the ground crew how to trim
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Ken,” Wilhelmi said. “We were prepared to do the evaluation that day in July, but the board members decided to wait until the next meeting.” But Silverstein isn’t buying that excuse. “It appeared to me that the decision to fire Ken Kraemer had been around for months,” Silverstein said. “In my opinion, Mr. Kraemer had a contract, and I think we should have had the integrity to hold to the contract until at least the end of December. Then, if the votes were there for him to resign or be terminated, then they could have paid the six-month severance (package). “But I’m sorry that the director has been fired. I personally felt that the management of the airport was acceptable.” Clearly, many of the commissioners’ feelings about Kraemer’s firing are still very raw, Johnson said, but he thinks the aviation commission simply did what had to be done. “A lot of times, as in any business, you have to look at where you are going, and see if the team you have in place is taking you where you want to go,” Johnson said. “Was that leadership going to be able to take us to the next level? And inevitably the board thought that it would not. “For the most part, I feel that the majority of the board did have some concerns about the airport’s leadership even though some of them supported Ken.” At the present moment, Johnson said he is more concerned about the airport staff’s morale than the commission’s. Currently, Buster Boshears, Daniel Field’s airport manager, has been assigned as interim director to Augusta Regional. In the meantime, Johnson said, the board is looking into the option of hiring an experienced airport director from Colorado named Gary Green to come to the area
and turn Augusta’s airport around. But rumors of such changes have made some airport employees a little nervous. “I met with staff last Friday, and one of the things that came out of the meeting was that the employees were concerned about whether there would be any more reduction in staff,” Johnson said. “I think that related back to the organizational review study. “My answer to them was, at this time, I don’t see us making any reduction in staff.” Johnson said he thinks the airport should first bring in a new leader who can evaluate what the airport needs to run more efficiently. That person may be Green, or it may not be, Johnson said. “A few months ago, when Whitney (O’Keeffe) and I went to see Jim Wall about maybe talking to Ken about resigning and taking a severance package, at that point in time we knew we better have some options or somebody who could possibly come in,” Johnson said. “So, we started talking to consultants to see if they knew of anybody that would be willing to come in on a short-term basis. Gary Green was a name that was thrown out.” While Johnson said it may be a little difficult for the aviation commission to discuss replacing Kraemer, he believes it is crucial to get someone quickly on board. “Anytime you have a close vote, like we had, it simply shows that people had a difference of opinion,” Johnson said. “And I think the important thing now as a commission is, we have to focus on future goals. What are we trying to accomplish? What are we trying to do? And we have to work toward achieving those goals. “And while it may be a difficult time right now, sometimes controversy brings out the best in people.”
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ONE MOM’S STRUGGLE WITH BRAND MANIA BY NANDINI PANDYA
W
hen she was 10 years old, my daughter wanted to buy underwear at Limited Too. I just did not get it. “Why does the brand of your underwear matter?” I asked her. “Because,” she said, as if explaining the most obvious fact to a child, “my friends can see the name on the band and know that even my underwear is from Limited Too.” I still did not get it. “Why would the top of your underwear show?” “Mommy, when I sit down, my jeans get pulled down slightly and it shows. Or, when I raise up my arms, my shirt gets pulled up and it can show then too.” Of course, this opened another can of worms in my mind. Why is my 10-year-old daughter wearing clothes that just barely cover her body? But that, as they say, is another story. It is now four years later and I think I have learned the motivations behind this brand-name mania. More important, I have learned things about myself and I have learned how to teach her some of the values that I hold dear. To a teenage girl of today, using brandname merchandise is like carrying important, universally recognized credentials. It tells the world that she can afford this stuff, that she uses only the “best” and that she is way above using ordinary discount store merchandise. (Brand awareness is so pervasive that even teachers are not immune — a science problem was worded this way: A poor person must decide whether to buy store brand cereal or brand name cereal.) As a caring, understanding parent I try to provide her with things that are considered standard issue. So, her backpack is from L.L. Bean ($55) instead of one from Bradlees ($20); her bathing suit is Speedo ($30) instead of one from Kmart ($15). Clothes are bought at one of these stores: American Eagle, Abercrombie and Fitch,
Gap, Old Navy. If they are bought at stores like JCPenney or Sears, they are not the store brand like Arizona or Canyon River Blues — they must be L.E.I. or Calvin Klein or a comparable well-known label. Shoes must be Nike, Adidas, etc. ($50) as opposed to those from Payless ($15). (During the “Back To School” purchasing spree last September, Payless was empty and the store selling brand-name shoes was packed!) The peer pressure is brutal and relentless. On one occasion, she noted that two of her friends were wearing what looked like identical pants. Immediately, one of them said, “but mine are Ralph Lauren.” This happened with a group of girls who are her “best friends” or even “BFFs” — Best Friends Forever. Clearly, when it comes to brand names, all other loyalties are forgotten. I shudder to think how much worse it gets when she is not with her BFFs. Another time, she admired her friend’s pea coat and mentioned that she might buy one at Costco. The comeback? “I doubt it is a real pea coat. Mine cost $300!” Purchasing decisions are governed by how the item will “play” among her friends. She knows that she will be asked, “Where did you buy it?” She has paid what I consider exorbitant prices for otherwise ordinary T-shirts just because they have a Reebok logo, or a “cute” quip such as “Girls Rule” or “Princess.” She bought a metal lunchbox with a ‘60s-style design for $15 and raved to me about how many compliments she gets because of it. The problem is that she hardly ever took lunch from home before getting the lunch box and, after buying the lunch box she took lunch from home for only as long as the lunch box was a novelty. What happens to a child who does not have the requisite brand-name merchandise? Well she is considered a reject, not quite “A List” material. Not that the child is aware of all this in any explicit way.
All she knows is that she “needs” these labels to be taken seriously by her peers. A low point was when my daughter was reluctant to go to Kmart because someone from school might be there. My point that she would not be harmed by being seen by someone from school because that someone from school would also have to be shopping at Kmart was lost on her.
STRATEGIES FOR SANITY
As a caring, understanding parent I worry about what this slavish devotion to brand names does to my pocketbook and to her morality. After almost four years of this type of brand-name awareness in our home, I have developed some strategies. First, she gets a monthly allowance of
$20. She must pay for all her discretionary purchases out of this money. That includes paying for lip-gloss, hair accessories and even candy/soda at the movies. This has given birth to an interesting phenomenon. When she wants some knick-knack, she tries to convince me to buy it for her. It’s like thinking, “Better if I can get it with mom’s money than with mine!” After a few false starts, I have learned to be steadfast in my refusal. Then she thinks really hard about getting it. She still buys items that I consider frivolous or extravagant. But now there is an automatic cap on these indulgences and without much aggravation for me. Second, she gets a mutually agreedcontinued on page 20
TO A TEENAGE GIRL OF TODAY, USING BRAND-NAME MERCHANDISE IS LIKE CARRYING IMPORTANT, UNIVERSALLY RECOGNIZED CREDENTIALS.
M E T R O S P I R I T A U G 1 4 2 0 0 3
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continued from page 19 upon budget for clothes at the beginning of the school year and she must choose her mix of brand-name/discount brand purchases to fit this budget. (We have not been very successful at this because she has “needed” additional clothes throughout the year — either because they “fell apart,” got stains from spills, or she outgrew them.) Third, I have tried to teach her to ask herself three questions before making a purchase: 1) Do I need it? 2) Can I afford it? 3) Is it worth the money? I cannot say that this last has met with a great deal of success. But, I am hopeful that over time it will teach her valuable skills about managing her wants and needs. Finally, I have taught her to keep her guard up even with BFFs when it comes to brand-name mania. It is OK, to tell white lies — “I bought it at Bob’s” (Bob’s is one of the “in” stores); “I don’t remember how much I paid”; “It was a gift from an aunt.” And, if she feels particularly brave, she could laugh it off and say, “What is it with you and brand names? Jeez! Can we talk about something else?!”
SPENDING STYLE
For people growing up in Bombay in the ‘60s and ‘70s “spending style” was not an issue. Kids wore what the parents bought them, took out the hem when pants/skirts became too short, sewed on buttons when they fell off, and thought nothing of using hand-me-downs. This was because of necessity, of course. But it was also because the culture was one of
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I HAVE TRIED TO TEACH HER TO ASK HERSELF THREE QUESTIONS BEFORE MAKING A PURCHASE: 1) DO I NEED IT? 2) CAN I AFFORD IT? 3) IS IT WORTH THE MONEY? minimalism — why get more when one can make do with less? Also, the pervasive presence of multitudes of people managing with much less and doing it with grace was enough to put an end to any ideas of false grandeur and pretense. Another important factor was an understanding of delayed gratification. I knew that I should-would-could allow myself all the indulgences that I might desire when I came into my own — after getting a good education, a good job and becoming both financially and emotionally autonomous. In fact, to this end, it was very important to do well at school and the good grades that I achieved were my brand! When I explain all this to my daughter (where I am coming from, so to speak), she tries to understand. And I think she does, in her own way. It took quite a bit
of explaining to convince her that my family in India was not poor or struggling or cheap. It has taken a lot more explaining to convince her of the need to put in the effort needed to produce brandname quality — whether it is doing schoolwork, doing household chores or keeping her room clean. Yesterday she said to me, “If I were you, I would use a Gucci leather purse and not this thing that you bought at Sears.” I told her that if I had $50 to buy a purse, I would spend half of that on a purse, save a fourth and give a fourth to charity. She just rolled her eyes. — Nandini Pandya is the publisher of DesiJournal.com, a Web site about life in the Indian Diaspora. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and their two children.
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hen fiancés Karyn Grose and Paul Edmondson discovered that their communications careers were keeping them apart, they came up with a unique solution – they opened a restaurant. The 3-month-old barbecue eatery is called Pork Chops, and it is the cutest, most homey-looking place you ever will see. Red and black are the signature colors, with bright red trim in the dining room, and black tablecloths and booth cushions. Roosters adorn the wall and the hot sauce cabinet (their own, Pork Chops brand), and little pig statues make themselves at home on benches and shelves. Grose is a veritable smorgasbord of catchy phrases. “We cook from the heart. We don’t cook out of a can,” she said. “We cook like we’re going to eat every single thing we make.” And they obviously created the restaurant with people in mind. It’s just a fun place to be. Take the picnic tables, for instance. You will find no diner tables in this establishment. “The picnic tables are fun for Saturday morning breakfast. It’s kind of like the customers are eating on their back porch.” They want that kind of down-home family feel because they feel that customers and employees alike should be treated with the same warmth with which you would treat your family. And it’s not hard, because the kitchen staff are family, for the most part. Toni Evans, who cooks the veggies, is the cousin of Angie Scott, who was running the front register that day. Scott is a friend of Grose’s that she took with her from the communications field. They had worked together for 13 years. Then of course there’s Edmondson, Grose’s fiancé and business partner. She called him over to see if he wanted to say
something about the restaurant. “We’re a barbecue place and we sell food every day,” he said with a grin. “Oh, but what about the food?” you ask. Well, in addition to Evans’ veggies, Grose bakes the cakes and cuts them into slices so large you’ll need help eating them. The chocolate is so rich your eyes will glaze over after the first bite. There’s also lemon meringue pie, deep dish cinnamon apple pie, apple crisp, sweet potato pie and banana pudding. You can buy the cakes and pies either by the slice, or if you feel brave enough, you can take home an entire cake or pie. Of course, it is a barbecue place, so you can have chipped barbecue, barbecue ribs, barbecue smoked chicken, smoked ham, or smoked turkey. Can’t decide? No problem. Just order a combination plate. Oh yes – what would Pork Chops be without … well, pork chops? The barbecue is done the Columbus, Ga., way, and is brought to you by Edmondson, who calls Columbus his hometown. And that is the other reason that Pork Chops is around. He was ordering barbecue from Columbus and cooking it up so well that his friends told him he needed to make it available to the public. So he did. And everything in the house is homemade. But don’t take our word for it. Go out to Pork Chops yourself and sit a spell. They’re open Tuesday through Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Wednesday, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Saturdays are special there – they serve breakfast all day long, in addition to the regular menu.) They’re closed Sunday and Monday. They are located at 615 East Martintown Road in North Augusta, S.C. If you’re coming from Augusta by Georgia Avenue, turn right onto Martintown Road. They’re on the left, across from Pizza Hut. Give them a call at (803) 279-0288.
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Arts Freddy vs. Jason
& Entertainment
I
n the red corner: Freddy Krueger, with 30 kills and four, 10-inch blades. In the blue corner: Jason Voorhees, with 127 kills and a razor-sharp machete. Who will win? We’ll all just have to wait until Friday, Aug. 15, to find out. “Freddy vs. Jason,” a movie 10 years in the making, from conception to release – or more like 23 years, if you count the first “Friday the 13th” film as a steppingstone on the road to this slasher flick pitting serial killer against serial killer – is about to become a reality. With an impressive resume – 17 movies between them — Freddy and Jason are about to unleash yet another bloodbath on American audiences. Though the slasher genre has been on the wane since the ‘80s, the Freddy and Jason collaboration may mark its return. A remake of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is set to hit theatres in October, with a “Dawn of the Dead” remake slated for March 2004. According to early reviews, “Freddy vs. Jason” uses less of the digital special effects that have characterized recent horror films and hearkens back to a sim-
23 M E T R O S P I R I T A U G
By Lisa Jordan
pler era, a time when campy, excessive gore was king. The action gets underway when Freddy, stuck in hell and forgotten, thus rendered powerless, by the folks he’s previously terrorized, tricks Jason into killing for him. When Jason realizes he’s been had, he yanks Freddy into reality and the battle ensues. Of course, there are the requisite hapless teens, played here by Monica Keena, Jason Ritter (yes, son of John Ritter) and Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland. As potential victims, they fuel the fire between the two villains to keep Freddy and Jason at each other’s throats – and not at their own. Returning as child-killer Freddy is actor Robert Englund, now 53. The part of Jason, previously played by Kane Hodder, now goes to stuntman Ken Kirzinger. If “Freddy vs. Jason” is successful, the actors and production crew see it as the new beginning to a successful horror franchise. But by now, you know just what to expect. Regardless of who the victor is, “Freddy vs. Jason” promises to be chock-full of good ol’ fashioned carnage. And that’s just the way we like it.
PAST AP PEARANCES FREDDY:
JASON:
“A Nightmare on Elm Street” – 1984 “A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge” – 1985 “A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors” – 1987 “A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master” – 1988 “A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child” – 1989 “Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare” – 1991 “Wes Craven’s New Nightmare” – 1994
“Friday the 13th” – 1980 “Friday the 13th Part 2” – 1981 “Friday the 13th Part 3” – 1982 “Friday the 13th Part 4: The Final Chapter” – 1984 “Friday the 13th Part 5: A New Beginning” – 1985 “Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives” – 1986 “Friday the 13th Part 7: The New Blood” – 1988 “Friday the 13th Part 8: Jason Takes Manhattan” – 1989 “Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday” – 1993 “Jason X” – 2002
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24 M E T R O S P I R I T A U G 1 4 2 0 0 3
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DaysA Week
Arts
Auditions AUDITIONS FOR RUSSELL JOEL BROWN’S “FROM MOZART TO MOTOWN 2!” AND “A MOZART TO MOTOWN CHRISTMAS” Aug. 16-20 at the Cutno Dance Center. Brown is looking for talented high school students to audition for singing and dancing parts in “From Mozart to Motown 2!” as well as adults and children between the ages of 7-12 to audition for the Christmas show choirs. Prior singing and dancing experience not required. To schedule an audition, call 394-4744. “DR. FAUSTUS” AUDITIONS held by the Augusta State University Theatre Department Aug. 20, 7 p.m., in the Theatre Center on the ASU campus. Parts available for males and females ages 9 and up. Performance dates are Oct. 9-12. For more information, contact Doug Joiner, 729-2170 or 737-1500. “SOUND OF MUSIC” AUDITIONS for adults Aug. 17, 3 p.m., and Aug. 18, 7 p.m., at St. John’s United Methodist Church in downtown Aiken. Show dates are Nov. 14-16. For more information, contact Karla Heitkamp, (803) 644-4068. AUDITIONS FOR “NEVER AGAIN” Aug. 22, 6 p.m., at Springfield Baptist Church. Par ticipants are urged to obtain a copy of the script before auditions. For more information, visit www.oneollaratime.com or call 790-0250 or (404) 483-1831. COLUMBIA COUNTY CHORAL SOCIETY OPEN HOUSE for interested singers and suppor ters Aug. 19, 7:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Evans. For more information, call 3645920 or visit www.ccchoralsociety.org. 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 SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCE CLASSES Saturdays at the Aiken Center for the Ar ts, 122 Laurens St. Beginners and experienced dancers welcome. For information, contact Marilynn Knight at marilynnk@scchamber.net or Brenda Sleasman, (803) 641-9094. ISRAELI DANCE WORKSHOP at the Augusta Jewish Community Center Sunday af ternoons, 4-5 p.m. Open to teens and adults; no experience or par tners are necessary. Cost is $2 per session, with the first session free. For information or to schedule a pre-class beginner/refresher session, contact Jackie Cohen, 738-9016. ART CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS are offered year-round at the Ger trude Herber t Institute of Ar t. Applications for tuition assistance for autumn quar ter classes will be accepted through Aug. 28. autumn quar ter runs Sept. 2-Nov. 22. 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 Art Factory. The Art 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 arts 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 WOMEN ON PAPER GROUP EXHIBITION Aug. 18Sept. 26 at the Etherredge Center Ar t Gallery, located on the campus of USC-Aiken. Opening reception Aug. 22, 6-9 p.m. For more information, call 860-3374. “TWO NATIONS, ONE VISION” PHOTOGR APHY EXHIBIT through September at the Augusta Jewish Community Center, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Thursday. Free admission. Call 228-3636 for information. WORKS BY ETHAN BROCK will be on display at the Lucy Craf t Laney Museum of Black History through Aug. 30. Call 724-3576. DISPLAY BY THE AUGUSTA CHAPTER OF THE EMBROIDERER’S GUILD OF AMERICA will be at the Friedman Branch Library in August. 736-6758. ART BY ARLENE DENGEL will be at the Gibbs Library in August. Call 863-1946. PAINTINGS BY DIANE DAVIS go up at the Euchee Creek Library throughout the month of August. Call 556-0594 for details. “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.
Dance CUTNO DANCE CENTER FOR DANCE EDUCATION OPEN HOUSE AND REGISTRATION Aug. 23, noon-4 p.m. For more information, call 828-3101 or visit www.cutnodance.com. 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. 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
The Kevn Kinney Band, along with North Mississippi All-Stars and headliners George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic, play the Aug. 15 On the Bricks date in Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park. 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.
AN EVENING OF JAZZ sponsored by Paine College Aug. 31, 5-10 p.m., at Riverwalk’s Jessye Norman Amphitheatre. For information, call 821-8223.
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.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE event at Riverwalk’s Eighth Street Plaza Aug. 23, 7-11 p.m. Free admission. Live enter tainment, food and other fun is planned. Concession sales benefit the Imperial Theatre. For details, call Riverwalk Special Events, 821-1754, or Lara at the Imperial Theatre, 722-8293.
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 ON THE RIVER Aug. 15, 22 and 29, 7 p.m., at the Jessye Norman Amphitheatre. Aug. 15 concer t is “Tribute to the Divas of Rock ‘N’ Roll.” Contact Riverwalk Special Events, 821-1754.
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.
TICKETS FOR “FROM MOZART TO MOTOWN 2!” AND “A MOZART TO MOTOWN CHRISTMAS” go on sale Aug. 18. “From Mozar t to Motown 2!” will be staged Oct. 17 at the Imperial Theatre and “A Mozar t to Motown Christmas” will be staged Nov. 29 at the Imperial Theatre. Tickets are $30 general admission or $45 VIP admission per show. To order tickets, call the Imperial Theatre box of fice at 722-8341. “MUSIC OF THE BAROQUE: UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL” is par t of the Music at the Morris series at the Morris Museum of Ar t. Concer t featuring members of the ASU Fine Ar ts facult y begins at 2 p.m. Aug. 24. Free. 724-7501.
RIVERWALK JAZZ CANDLELIGHT CONCERT SERIES Sundays through Aug. 24, 8-9:30 p.m. at Riverwalk’s Eighth Street Bulkhead. Schedule is as follows: 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. Rain location is the meeting room at Rio Bomba. For information, call Riverwalk Special Events at 821-1754. DOWNTOWN LUNCH DATE Aug. 14, 21 and 28, 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 Aug. 18 with a per formance by Aiken Brass. 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.
HEALTH PAGE
Theater
“OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS” will be per formed at the Abbeville Opera House in Abbeville, S.C., Aug. 15-16 and 22-23 at 8 p.m. Matinees are Aug. 16 and 23 at 3 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults and $14 for youth (ages 4-12), seniors (65 and up) and groups of 10 or more. (864) 459-2157.
Attractions AUGUSTA CANAL INTERPRETIVE CENTER: Housed in Enterprise Mill, the center contains displays and models focusing on the Augusta Canal’s functions and importance to the textile industry. Hours are Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sun., 1-6 p.m. Admission is $5 adult, $4 seniors and military and $3 children ages 6-18. Children under 6 admitted free. For information, visit www.augustacanal.com or call 823-0440. THE BOYHOOD HOME OF WOODROW WILSON: Circa 1859 Presbyterian manse occupied by the family of President Woodrow Wilson as a child during the Civil War and Reconstruction. Original and period antiques, restored house, kitchen and carriage house. 419 Seventh Street. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Tues.-Sat. Tours available; groups of 10 or more by appointment only. Admission is $5 adults, $4 seniors, $3 students under 18 and free for ages 5 and under. 722-9828. AUGUSTA GOLF & GARDENS OF THE GEORGIA GOLF HALL OF FAME features beautiful display gardens, as well as bronze sculptures of some of golf’s greatest masters. Available for rent for a variety of functions. Group discount rates available. Closed Mondays; open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.; open from 1- 5 p.m. on Sunday. New spring and summer hours begin March 21: open Tues.-Sat. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Admission is $5.50 for adults; $4.50 for students, seniors and military; $3.50 for children (4 to 12); free for children 3 and under. Sundays are two for one with a Super Sunday coupon. Annual garden memberships are available. Call 724-4443 or 1-888-8744443. Also, visit their Web site at www.gghf.org. NATIONAL SCIENCE CENTER’S FORT DISCOVERY: Children and adults alike can immerse themselves in the wonders of science through live demonstrations, virtual realities, Starlab, KidScape and more than 250 hands-on exhibits. General Admission: $8 for adults; $6 for children, seniors and active military. Group rates available. Operating hours: Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m. Call 821-0200, 1-800-3255445 or visit their Web site at www.NationalScienceCenter.org. REDCLIFFE STATE HISTORIC SITE: 1859 mansion of S.C. Governor James Henry Hammond, held by the family for three generations until 1975. Grounds and slave quar ters are open Thursday-Monday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. House tours will be offered on Saturdays and Sundays at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Admission to the grounds is free. Fee for house tours is $3 for adults and children ages 6-17. For more information, call (803) 827-1473. 181 Redcliffe Road, Beech Island. SACRED HEART CULTURAL CENTER is offering tours of its 100-year-old building. Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. $1 per person, children free. 826-4700. HISTORIC COTTON EXCHANGE WELCOME CENTER: Open Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sun. 1-5 p.m. Riverwalk. Free. The center also offers guided driving tours of downtown Augusta and Summerville every Saturday through Aug. 4 from 1:30-3:30 p.m. and at other times upon request. Cost for tours is $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 12 and under. Reservations are suggested. Call 724-4067. THE EZEKIEL HARRIS HOUSE: Deemed “the finest 18th century house surviving in Georgia” by the “Smithsonian Guide to Historic America.” Open Saturday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. General admission is $2; senior admission is $1 and children get in for 50 cents. For more information, call 724-0436.
Museums
“GONE WITH THE WIND” THEME TOUR of the Morris Museum of Ar t Aug. 17, 2 p.m. Free admission. For information, call 724-7501. “HIDDEN IN THE GROUND: THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN PLANTATION EXPERIENCE” 30-minute film will play
M E T R O S P I R I T
Take care of yourself. Let University help.
“THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST” membersonly per formance by the Aiken Community Playhouse Aug. 15-16. Held at the Washington Center for the Per forming Ar ts in Aiken, S.C. Call (803) 648-1438. SEASON TICKETS FOR THE AUGUSTA PLAYERS 2003/2004 MAINSTAGE SEASON now on sale. Shows include “Grease,” “Annie,” “Evita” and “The Wiz.” Season ticket packages range from $75-$124, with additional packages including the Glass Slipper Ball annual fundraiser in October. For more information, visit www.augustaplayers.com or call 826-4707.
25
Recognizing Stroke Headaches “HealthTalk” on WGAC-580 AM Tune in Monday, Aug. 18, at 8:30 a.m. to hear Mallory Lawrence, M.D., a boardcertified colon and rectal surgeon on University’s medical staff, discuss colon cancer.
Special Bone Density Screening! Thursday, Aug. 21 9-1 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28 1-5 p.m. Family Physicians of Evans, David B. Hogue, M.D. and Sherry Barinowski, M.D. University Hospital Medical Center 4106 Columbia Road, Suite 103 Martinez Participants will need to remove a shoe and sock for the screening. Appointments required and space is limited to 24 participants. For appointments, call 706/868-3212. For more information, call 706/736-0847.
Food, Fit and Fun An after-school group nutrition program for ages 12-17 Holly Ford, nutritionist Mondays Aug. 11, 18, 25 3:45-6 p.m. Weight Management and Nutrition Center Includes group sessions with dietitian and behaviorist, supervised exercise and individual instruction for the parent and adolescent. To learn more about this program, call 706/774-2956.
University Health Care System has been named the National Research Corporation’s Consumer Choice Award winner in the Augusta area for the fourth consecutive year.
F OR FREE 24- HOUR
Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability in the United States, and it is generally accompanied by Harold McGrade, M.D., a headache. Neurologist But how can you tell if your pain is a simple headache or a warning sign of stroke? According to Harold McGrade, M.D., a board-certified neurologist and director of University Hospital’s Stroke Unit, stroke headaches are generally sudden, severe and unusual, and they may be accompanied by neurological symptoms. But various types of strokes cause different types of headaches.
accompanied by loss of vision, speech or strength in the hand,” says Dr. McGrade. • The build-up of plaque on vessel walls that narrows blood flow to the brain. Although rare, these types of stroke result in pounding head pain, intermittent hand weakness and loss of speech and vision. • The build-up of plaque in the veins of the head. “Although rare in elderly patients, this does occur in those who are severely dehydrated. The pain affects the entire head and worsens when patient lies down,” says Dr. McGrade. • Blood clots that migrate from the heart or arteries into the head. “Known as embolisms, these clots result in severe headache, persistent loss of function in the arm and loss of language,” says Dr. McGrade.
Ischemic or Arterial Blockage Strokes About 80 percent of all strokes are ischemic strokes, or those that occur when blood flow to the brain is blocked. These strokes may be caused by: • A tear in a blood vessel wall. “These tears, which can result from even minimal trauma such as coughing, cause severe, unusual and progressive headache generally at the front or side of the head. The pain is
Hemorrhagic Stroke This type of stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain leaks or ruptures, and results in blood spilling into surrounding brain tissue. “Most common in patients older than 70, these hemorrhages cause very severe headaches accompanied by lethargy, drowsiness, and progressive neurological symptoms that develop over minutes,” says Dr. McGrade. Subarachnoid hemorrhages, on the
other hand, result in bleeding between the surface of the brain and the skull. The pain affects the entire head and becomes almost unbearable within seconds or minutes. “Patients also experience neck stiffness and altered consciousness. These strokes may be preceded by warning leaks that result in headaches beginning in the back of the head and neck a few days before the actual rupture,” says Dr. McGrade. When to Seek Medical Attention Brain cells begin to die within minutes of the onset of a stroke, so immediate medical treatment is vital. “If you experience a warning sign of stroke, call 911 or have someone drive you to an emergency room immediately. And don’t neglect transient ischemic attacks (TIAs). These temporary interruptions of blood flow to the brain cause the same symptoms as stroke and may indicate a serious risk of a full-blown stroke,” says Dr. McGrade.
Log on to learn more: www.universityhealth.org
For free 24-hour health information on stroke or to find a physician, call ASK-A-NURSE at 706/737-8423 (SER-VICE) or 800/476-7378.
Your resource for healthy living. EDUCATION Optifast® Medically Monitored Weight Management Program Holly Ford, nutritionist Aug. 14, 21 5 p.m. Weight Management and Nutrition Center FREE informational session For more information, call 706/774-8917.
HEALTH SCREENINGS FREE Pulmonary Function Screening Aug. 19 1-3 p.m. University Hospital Asthma Clinic University Hospital Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Center off R.A. Dent Boulevard Appointment required. For more information, call 706/774-5696. FREE Blood Pressure Check FREE Glucose Screening FREE Height & Weight Measurement 9 a.m.–noon Aug. 13, 20, 27
HEALTH INFORMATION , CALL
University Seniors Club, Daniel Village Shopping Center No appointment necessary. For more information, call 706/738-2580.
FREE Prostate Screenings For all men over 50 and African-American men over 45
SENIORS CLUB
Sponsored by
Breakfast with the Chaplain: “Amazing Grace” The Rev. John Messick, University Pastoral Care Department Thursday, Aug. 21 9-11 a.m. University Hospital dining rooms 1-3 FREE for Seniors Club members, $5 for nonmembers Space is limited to 80. Reservations required. Call 706/738-2580 or 800/413-6652.
Saturday, Aug. 16 – Lowe’s Aiken Saturday, Aug. 23 – Lowe’s Bobby Jones Expressway Friday, Aug. 29 – Lowe’s Windsor Spring Road All screenings will be held from 8-11 a.m.
SUPPORT GROUPS
Refreshments, information, door prizes, gift certificates, giveaways and a chance to win a $500 grill at each store location!
Cardiac Support Group “So You’ve Survived a Heart Attack! Are You Still At Risk?” David Clark, M.D. Aug. 25 6 p.m. University Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Center Education Room FREE Registration required. Call 706/77-HEART (774-3278)
ASK•A•NURSE
AT
737-8423 (SER-VICE)
No appointment necessary. For more information, call 706/736-0847.
OR
800/476-7378 (SERV)
TODAY !
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Voted Best Steak In Augusta For 15 Years 1987-2002
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Looking for Local Live Music? Check out the Nightlife Section
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2856 Washington Rd. 73-STEAK 1654 Gordon Hwy. 796-1875
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“Frida” will be shown at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 19 as part of the Main Library’s free film series. continuously in the History Theatre at the Augusta Museum of History throughout August. Call 722-8454. “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. 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.
All You Can Eat Prime Rib & Seafood Buffet Friday & Saturday Night $21.95 Includes All-You-Can-Eat Crab Legs
Live Maine Lobster only $4 more
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. 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. 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 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. 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.
Special Events AUGUSTA METRO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FULL GOSPEL BREAKFAST Aug. 21, 7:30-9 a.m. at the Julian Smith Casino. Cost is $10 for chamber members and $15 for non-members. Reservations required by 5 p.m. Aug. 15. Contact Margaret Taylor, 8211312, for more information.
2651 P ERIMETER PARKWAY • RESERVATIONS
(706) 855-8100
WOMEN’S EQUALITY DAY will be celebrated with a command program at For t Gordon’s Alexander Hall Aug. 28, 1:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. For more information, call 791-2014.
THE MASTERS CAT CLUB ANNUAL CFA CHAMPIONSHIP CAT SHOW Aug. 23, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., at the Riverview Park Activities Center in Nor th Augusta. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for children and seniors and free for children under 3. Please bring a donation of pet food for local shelters. For more information, call 860-6820. DOG OBEDIENCE/PUPPY SOCIALIZATION REGISTR ATION Aug. 27, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Julian Smith Casino. Dog obedience class is $50 for 12-week course and puppy socialization class is $40 for 8week course. Bring proof of vaccinations; do not bring your dog. For more information, call the Augusta Humane Societ y at 736-0186. BOOK SIGNING at Borders Books and Music Aug. 16. From 1-3 p.m., Steve Brown will sign copies of his books. For more information, call 737-6962. “A SOUTHERN SMORGASBORD:” AUGUSTA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY HOMECOMING AND SEMINAR Aug. 15-17. Oppor tunities for research, workshops, lectures and more. Cost is $40 per person. 738-2241. “MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE” AND “DIGISTAR VIRTUAL JOURNEY” shows at the DuPont Planetarium in Aiken Aug. 15-16. “More Than Meets the Eye” will be shown at 7 and 8 p.m. and “Digistar Vir tual Journey” will be shown at 9 p.m. Make reservations by calling (803) 641-3769, (803) 641-3654 or 278-1967, ex t. 3654. ALFRED HITCHCOCK FILM SERIES on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. throughout August at the Nancy Carson Library. No registration required and admission is free. For more information, contact Derek Marshall or Jennie Elliot t, (803) 279-5767. AUGUST FILM SERIES at Headquar ters Library. All films star t at 6:30 p.m. and admission is free. Aug. 19 showing of “Frida;” Aug. 26 showing of “Lone Star.” Call 821-2600 for information. SATURDAY MARKET ON BROAD: Main Street Augusta is seeking farmers and vendors in the CSRA to market homemade and homegrown products in downtown Augusta on Saturday mornings through October, 25. Market is open at Augusta Common 8 a.m.-1 p.m. For more information, contact Mar y Killen of Main Street Augusta, 722-8000, or Sheri Chambers, 664-1054 or 564-6231. PEACE VIGIL every Saturday until U.S. troops come home, noon-2 p.m. at the corner of Wrightsboro and Jackson in front of the Army Reserve Office. For more information, contact Denice Traina, 736-4738. MCDUFFIE FRIENDS OF ANIMALS holds pet adoptions each Saturday, 1-3 p.m. at Superpetz on Bobby Jones Expressway. Call 556-9090 or visit www.pet finder.com. COLUMBIA COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY holds pet adoptions every Saturday from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and every Sunday from 1-4 p.m. at PetsMar t. For more info, call 860-5020. RICHMOND COUNTY ANIMAL CONTROL AND AUGUSTA ANIMAL RESCUE FRIENDS hold 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.Sun., 1-5 p.m. Call the shelter at 790-6836.
NOW OPEN IN WEST AUGUSTA! GERALD JONES VW/AUDI
27 M E T R O S P I R I T A U G 1 4 2 0 0 3
CHECK OUT our full line of
BRAND NEW 2003
(and some 2004’s)
VW & AUDIS!
Come see us for all your VW/Audi service needs! David & Andy Jones
Gerald Jones Volkswagen/Audi 706-738-2561 Located in the former Columbia Square Shopping Center in West Augusta
CSRA HUMANE SOCIETY holds pet adoptions every 28 THE Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and every Wednesday
evening from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Pet Center located M E behind the GreenJackets Stadium on Milledge Rd. 261-PETS.
Out of Town
GOOMBAY FESTIVAL celebrating African-Caribbean S culture Aug. 22-24 in downtown Asheville, N.C. Free. P (828) 252-4614.
I R I DOG SHOWS AT GEORGIA NATIONAL FAIRGROUNDS T AND AGRICENTER: Southeast Alabama Kennel Club
Dog Show Aug. 28; Columbus Kennel Club Dog Show
A Aug. 29; Macon Kennel Club Dog Show Aug. 30-31. U Call 1-800-987-3247. G
1 ART IN THE PARK show 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 16 at the 4 American Legion Grounds in Blowing Rock, N.C. Free
admission. For more information, call (828) 295-7851.
2 0 “THE SHAKESPEARE COMEDY SPECTACULAR,” 0 featuring per formances of “The Taming of the Shrew,” 3
“All’s Well That Ends Well,” “Twelf th Night,” “The Merry Wives of Windsor” and “Much Ado about Nothing,” will be at the New American Shakespeare Tavern in Atlanta throughout August and September. For more information, visit www.shakespearetavern.com or call (404) 874-5299. “WILL ROGERS FOLLIES” will be presented at Theater of the Stars in Atlanta through Aug. 17. (404) 252-8960. “RUINS AND RECONSTRUCTIONS: RECENT DR AWINGS AND SCULPTURE BY BRIAN RUST” exhibition at Bank of America Plaza in Atlanta through Oct. 2. Open 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday and by appointment. Free admission. For more information, call (404) 816-9777. GEORGIA MOUNTAIN FAIR through Aug. 17 in Hiawassee, Ga. Admission is $7; children under 10 get in free. Live enter tainment is included in the ticket price. Call (706) 896-4191 or visit www.georgiamountain-fair.com. GULLAH GOSPEL SUMMER CONCERT Aug. 14, 8 p.m. at the Ar ts Center of Coastal Carolina on Hilton Head Island, S.C. The Hallelujah Singers per form. Tickets are $26 adult and $13 for children under 16 years of age. Call (843) 842-ARTS for ticket information.
“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. COWPAR ADE 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 per formances 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 Per forming 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. ON THE BRICKS concer t series continues Fridays through Aug. 22 at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta. Aug. 15 concer t features George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic, the Nor th Mississippi All-Stars and the Kevn Kinney Band. 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. Depar tment of State,” through Aug. 31; “‘Leaves Have Their Time to Fall ...’: Reflections of Mourning in 19th Century Decorative Ar ts,” through Sept. 14; “Af ter Many Years: The Paintings of Wilmer W. Wallace and Lamar Dodd,” through Sept. 14. Call (706) 542-4662. HARDEEVILLE (S.C.) MOTOR SPEEDWAY 2003 RACING SCHEDULE is Aug. 16 and 30. For information, call (843) 784-RACE.
We’re not your ordinary pizza buffet! All-You-Can-Eat Pizza Buffet
4.29
Only $
includes salad, pasta & dessert Special Orders Available
STEVI B’S PIZZA
212 Bobby Jones Expressway • 863-2021
T I R E D
Benefits “HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAYLOR” event to benefit the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation Aug. 15, 11 p.m. at Club Argos. The Argos Angels and special guests will per form. For ticket information, call 481-8829. BEACH BASH to benefit the American Cancer Society Aug. 15 at the Radisson River front Hotel. The Swingin’ Medallions will provide live enter tainment. 722-8900. 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. 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 “READ HEBREW AMERICA” at the Augusta Jewish Community Center Wednesday evenings, 7-8:30 p.m. Aug. 20-Sept. 17. Free. Register by Aug. 15; call 228-3636.
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: PCs 101, Microsof t cer tified system administrator, health care courses, massage and bodywork therapy, rape aggression defense, South Carolina childcare training system, real estate courses, defensive driving, driver education, private pilot ground course, 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 YOGA AT THE AUGUSTA JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER Sundays, Aug. 17-Sept. 21, 1:30-3 p.m. Cost is $55. To register, call 228-3636. RESEARCH-BASED STRESS REDUCTION PROGRAM at St. Joseph Wellness. Call 729-6309 for more information. HATHA YOGA with Tess Stephens at the St. Joseph Wellness Center in Daniel Village Plaza. Daytime 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 of ferings are accepted. Call 738-2458 for more information.
MULTIMEDIA ON THE COMPUTER WORKSHOP Aug. 16, 13 p.m., at the Wallace Branch Library. Call 722-6275.
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.
BASIC MICROSOFT WORD COMPUTER TRAINING Thursdays, Aug. 14-Sept. 11, at the Wallace Branch Library. 722-6275.
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.
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O F
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T R O
“THE ART OF LYON HILL: THE MYSTERY AND MECHANICS OF MARIONETTES” through Aug. 18 at the Sumter Galler y of Ar t in Sumter, S.C. Call (803) 775-0543.
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.
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.
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.-noon the first Saturday of the month. Call 724-3576.
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.
Seniors
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.
SPARKLING SINGLES FOR THE 50-PLUS GENER ATION social group meets Aug. 14, 2-3:30 p.m. For more information, contact Regina Orlosky or Bobbie Olivero, 826-4480, ex t. 360 or 242.
FREE HIV/AIDS TESTING every Tuesday from 4-7 p.m. at St. Stephen’s Ministry, 922 Greene Street. Free anonymous testing, pre- and post-test counseling and education.
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
SENIOR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR THE NEW VISITOR CENTER AT PHINIZY SWAMP NATURE PARK to greet visitors, hand out literature and sell merchandise. Volunteers are asked to commit one Saturday or Sunday per month, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. or 1-5 p.m. Call 828-2109 for information.
Baseball season is winding down, so catch a GreenJackets home game while there’s still time. Remaining home games are Aug. 18-19, 28-31 and Sept. 1 at Lake Olmstead Stadium. “TECHNOLOGY AND TENNIS FOR LIFE” FALL SESSION through MACH Academy will be held Aug. 18-Dec. 18 at May Park Community Center or Fleming Tennis Center. Program includes homework assistance, computer instruction, tennis and fitness instruction, field trips and more. Fee is $50 per month. For information, call 796-5046. CHILDREN’S STORYTIME at Borders Books and Music Aug. 18, 11 a.m. Featured book is “Miss Spider’s New Car.” Call 737-6962. STORYTIME AND CRAFT PROJECT Aug. 20, 11 a.m., at Headquar ters Library. For information, call 821-2600.
BIRTHDAY BOOK CLUB bir thday par ty for children with August bir thdays Aug. 23, 2 p.m., at Headquar ters Library. For more information, call 821-2600.
“BUILDING READERS” project and storytime Aug. 16, 10 a.m., at Headquar ters Library. Registration is required; call 821-2623.
Happy Hour
GIRLS INCORPORATED OF THE CSRA AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM runs through May 21, 2004. Open to girls currently enrolled in kindergar ten through high school. In addition to offering specialized programs, Girls Incorporated offers van pick-up at select schools, neighborhood dropoff, homework room and a hot evening meal. For information, call 733-2512. 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.
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 nonprofit 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, 7338771, 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 pro-
The Fort Gordon Dinner Theatre Presents...
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Gourmet Sandwiches
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Call 793-8552 for reservations or visit www.fortgordon.com
next to Omni Health & Fitness on Walton Way Ext.
738-8101
Open at 6am until Mon - Fri • Open at 9am Sat & Sun
Produced in cooperation with Samuel French Inc. and the Army Entertainment Program.
CAMP MEETING ‘03 David & Nicole Binion
Joseph Garlington
Tommy Tenny
Tommy Barnett
Chris Hill
Darrell Glass
August 29
August 27 7:30 PM - Music by David & Nicole Binion & Guest Speaker Joseph Garlington
August 28 10:00 AM - Guest Speaker Joseph Garlington 7:30 PM - Music by David & Nicole Binion & Guest Speaker Tommy Tenny
M E T R O S P I R I T A U G
COMPUTER COURSES: Personal Computers for Seniors, 1 Sept. 8-9; and Internet and E-mail for Seniors, Sept. 15- 4 16 at Aiken Technical College. Classes run 9 a.m.-noon 2 and cost is $50. Call (803) 593-9231, ext. 1230.
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.-noon for $55/month. Call 823-6294.
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.
29
10:00 AM - Guest Speaker Tommy Tenney 7:30 PM - Music by David & Nicole Binion & Guest Speaker Tommy Barnett
August 30 7:30 PM - Guest Speaker Chris Hill
August 31 8:30 AM, 11:00 AM & 6:30 PM Guest Speaker Darrell Glass
I-20 at Belair Road (Exit 194) • 706-868-6410 • www.nhwc.org
MORNING BIBLE STUDY August 28th - 29th @ 10AM
0 0 3
for senior adults, including bridge clubs, fitness 30 grams classes, canasta clubs, line dancing, racquetball, ar ts and
AUGUSTA JOHN BIRCH SOCIETY GOVERNMENT ADVOCACY SEMINAR every third Saturday of the month at the Friedman Branch Library. Videos, information and question and answer session on government issues and current topics. For more information, contact Tonio, 373-3772.
craf ts, tennis and excursions. For more information, call M (803) 642-7631. E
T R JUD C. HICKEY CENTER FOR ALZHEIMER’S CARE provides O 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.
THE GIBBS LIBRARY BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP will be reading “The Six teen Pleasures” by Rober ta Hellenga and will meet Aug. 18, 7 p.m. Call 863-1946 for information.
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 A more information, contact the USC-Aiken Office of U Continuing Education at (803) 641-3288.
OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS 12-Step Recovery Program meets Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays in Augusta and Saturdays in Waynesboro. No dues or fees. For meeting times and places, call 278-5156.
THE SENIOR CITIZENS COUNCIL OF GREATER AUGUSTA
“A COURSE IN MIRACLES” DISCUSSION GROUP meets Wednesdays, 7 p.m., at Christ Church Unity to explore writings on spirituality and inner peace. Call 738-2458.
S P I R I T
Weekly
G
1 AND THE CSRA offers a variety of classes, including aero4
bics, quilting, tai chi, Spanish, crochet, line dancing, bowl-
2 ing, bridge, computers, drama club/readers theatre and 0 pinochle. For dates and times, phone 826-4480. 0 3 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.
Sports GREATER AUGUSTA SWIMMING TRYOUTS Aug. 1921 at the Augusta Aquatics Center. Tryouts for those 10 and younger from 5-6 p.m.; tryouts for those 11 and older from 6-7 p.m. At tendance on all three days is required. For more information, call (864) 333-2940. FAMILY Y FREE IN-LINE HOCKEY CLINICS for children and teens throughout August and September. For dates, times and locations, contact Donna Pope, 3643269, or Winn Crenshaw, 733-1030. NORTH AUGUSTA YOUTH FALL RECREATION PROGR AM REGISTR ATION for youth football, cheerleading and soccer through Aug. 18 at Riverview Park Activities Center. Registration forms and directions are available at www.nor thaugusta.net, or call (803) 4414311 for information. TOTAL FITNESS LUNCHTIME classes at the H.O. Weeks Center in Aiken. For ty-minute classes of fer a full workout, and full shower and locker-room facilities are available. $15 per month. Call (803) 642-7631. THE AUGUSTA JUNIOR ROWING ASSOCIATION will host an informational meeting regarding the fall season for prospective rowers and their parents Aug. 21, 6:30 p.m., at The Boathouse. For more information, visit www.augustarowingclub.org or call 821-2875 or 7383991. FAMILY Y FALL SOCCER REGISTR ATION: Southside Branch registration Aug. 18-29 for children 4-5 years old as of Aug. 1, 2003, 738-6680. AUGUSTA GREENJACKETS HOME GAMES Aug. 18-19, 2831 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
The DuPont Planetarium in Aiken presents its “More Than Meets the Eye” and “Digistar Virtual Journey” shows Aug. 15-16. members. Teams available for women and men; no experience necessary. Practice is Tuesday and Thursday nights, 79 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.
Volunteer AUGUSTA GOLF AND GARDENS DOCENT TR AINING Aug. 27, 9:30-11:30 a.m. To par ticipate, contact Beda Johnson, bjohnson@gghf.org or 724-4443. ARTS IN THE HEART OF AUGUSTA FESTIVAL is looking for volunteers to sell badges, beer and festival merchandise at this year’s festival, Sept. 19-21 at Augusta Common and River walk. For more information, contact Lisa Br yant, 560-3950, 724-3728 or L_A_Br yant@hotmail.com. EDUCATION TR AINING for those interested in leading school field trips through Augusta Golf and Gardens. Training sessions will be held 9-11 a.m. Aug. 19-21, with training to lead kindergar ten and first grade Aug. 19, second and third grades Aug. 20 and four th and fif th grades Aug. 21. To par ticipate, contact Beda Johnson at bjohnson@gghf.org or 724-4443. VOLUNTEER FEST at Phinizy Swamp Nature Park Aug. 14, 7-8 p.m. Free. Call 828-2109 for more information. SERVICE CORPS OF RETIRED EXECUTIVES (SCORE) provides counseling and mentoring to businesspeople star ting up a new business or expanding an ongoing business. Services are provided free of charge. For more information, call the Augusta of fice at 793-9998. SOUTHERNCARE HOSPICE SERVICE is currently seeking volunteers to per form a variety of tasks, including relieving caregivers, reading to patients and running errands. Training is included. For additional information, contact Lisa Simpson, (803) 463-9888 or 869-0205. THE SAVANNAH RIVER SITE CITIZENS ADVISORY BOARD is looking for interested Georgia and South Carolina citizens to run for membership in 2004-2005. Board membership requires a 10-15 hour per month time commitment and active par ticipation on one or more issues-based commit tees. Female applicants are
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NAR-ANON FAMILY GROUP for relatives and friends of drug abusers. No dues or fees. The group meets Mondays at 7 p.m. in Room 430 of the Summerville Building beside St. Joseph’s Hospital. For information, contact Kathy, 650-0947, or Josie, 414-5576. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS: For more information and a meeting schedule, call 860-8331.
COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATE PROGR AM VOLUNTEER TR AINING: The CASA program is looking for volunteers 21 years of age and older to advocate for abused and neglected children in the juvenile cour t system. Volunteers need no experience and will be provided with specialized training. Call 737-4631.
OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS meets Tuesdays, 6-7:30 p.m. Call 785-0006 for location and information.
CSRA HUMANE SOCIETY NEW VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION PROGRAM the third Saturday of every month at the Pet Center, 425 Wood St. Orientation star ts at 11 a.m. Volunteers under 18 years of age must have a parent or guardian present during orientation and while volunteering. Call 261-PETS for information.
CHRIST-BASED RECOVERY MEETING every Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., at the Love & Light Healing Center. Please use the back entrance. For information, contact Kenny Stacy, 373-5585.
WORLD HERITAGE FOREIGN EXCHANGE PROGRAM is looking for area families, couples and single parents to host highschool-aged foreign exchange students for a semester or a year in the U.S. For more information, visit www.world-heritage.org or contact Beth Folland, (803) 279-2696 or 1-800-888-9040. THE KITTY ORTIZ DE LEON FOUNDATION needs volunteers to help promote organ donor awareness. For more information, please contact Cassandra Reed at 481-0105 or kodfoundation@aol.com
NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS: If you want to stop using any drugs, there is a way out. Help is available at no cost. Call the Narcotics Anonymous help line for information and meeting schedules at 855-2419.
FREE ‘N’ ONE SUPPORT GROUP for those bat tling addiction to drugs and alcohol. Approach is a spiritual one. Held ever y Thursday night. For information, contact Sarah Barnes, 772-7325. TOUGH LOVE SUPPORT GROUP Monday nights, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the South Augusta Resource Center. Learn how to understand addiction and how to exercise tough love with those you care about. Call Sarah Barnes, 772-7325, for info. GEORGIA-CAROLINA TOASTMASTERS meets Wednesdays at noon at the Clubhouse, 2567 Washington Rd. $8 for lunch; visitors welcome. 860-9854.
GOLDEN HARVEST FOOD BANK needs volunteers during the day, from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday, to help sor t donated products and assist in their agency shopping area. Help is needed year-round. If you are able to lift 25 pounds, can commit to at least 3-4 hours per month and would like to help fight hunger in the Augusta area, contact Laurie Roper at 736-1199, ex t. 208.
SEXAHOLICS ANONYMOUS, a 12-step program of recovery from addiction to obsessive/compulsive sexual thoughts and behaviors, meets Wednesdays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 7 p.m. at Augusta Counseling Services. Call 339-1204 and leave first name and phone number; a confidential reply is assured.
AUGUSTA-RICHMOND COUNTY ANIMAL CONTROL: New volunteer orientation is scheduled the first Saturday of each month at 1 p.m. at the shelter, 4164 Mack Lane. Schedule subject to change; call 790-6836 to verify dates and times.
BUSINESS NETWORK INTERNATIONAL Augusta Chapter meets every Thursday morning from 7-8:30 a.m. at the Cour tyards by Mariott. The group is a business networking group designed to give and receive referrals. All professionals welcome. For more information or to join, call Barbara Crenshaw, 868-3772.
SHEPEARD COMMUNITY BLOOD CENTER is seeking donors to prevent a blood supply shor tage. To donate call 737-4551, 854-1880 or (803) 643-7996.
Meetings 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. For more information, contact Jean Parker, 6502956, or Connie Barrow, 547-0178.
AUGUSTA TOASTMASTERS CLUB #326 meets Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. at Advent Lutheran Church. Call 868-8431.
RIVERWALK TOASTMASTERS meets Mondays, 7 p.m. in Classroom 3 at University Hospital. Call Gale Kan, 855-7071. 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) 733-6663. You may also e-mail listings to rhonda.jones@metrospirit.com or lisa.jordan@metrospirit.com. Listings cannot be taken over the phone.
Lunch ... Fast! Come in for a quick lunch & homemade dessert ORDER IN ADVANCE FOR WHOLE DESSERTS
1034 Broad Street 722-4937 • located between Blue Sky & Metro
31
Arts: Performance
Augusta Theatre Company Director Pursues Vision in New Home
M E T R O
By Rhonda Jones
S P I R I T A U G 1 4 2 0 0 3
T
here are no chairs on the afternoon of my visit with Augusta Theatre Company (ATC) director James Worth (pictured) at the young company’s new home on the upper end of Reynolds Street, so we sit on the carpet of what will soon be a lobby as I toss him random questions. In the next room, a stage area is taking shape. “We have 48 days to finish the theatre,” he says. “Our first show goes up the first week of November.” His voice is everresistant to the development of an Augusta accent, remaining stubbornly British, though he has been in town for 13 years. Likewise, he guards his vision of the sort of theatre he grew up watching – contemporary and bold. “I have a vision of a repertory theatre company here in Augusta. A permanent group that performs plays on a regular basis and brings works of drama to the city.” He says that he started the company four years ago because he realized that there was nowhere in Augusta to see cuttingedge works – works like “Angels in America,” which deals with various aspects of homosexuality, from coming out to oneself to living and dying with AIDS. “Theatre is important,” Worth says. “Theatre is the voice. Theatre is a very important voice. It reflects what is going on in society today.” Worth doesn’t subscribe to the idea that such plays are controversial, even in the Bible Belt. “I think what I’m doing is mainstream theatre,” he says. “We’re doing what goes on, on the West End of London and what goes on, on Broadway.”
During a conversation last October, he mentioned his dream of making professional theatre a reality in Augusta. I ask if he was speaking literally or simply referring to the quality of performances. He replies that he wants to create professional-caliber productions acted by professional actors. “That’s down the road. I wish I could create that now, but I can’t. We have to grow.” I ask him if theatre is his life. He pauses for many moments. “I guess you can say theatre is my first love. Some of the most memorable moments of my life have been in the theatre,” he says. “Watching great actors give great performances.” He elaborates on what makes a great performance. “It’s changed your perspective on life, because I think that’s what theatre should be doing. I don’t see it as just entertainment. It is much, much more than that.” Worth won’t admit to having a favorite play. “It’s like saying do you have a favorite piece of music. I love music and I love plays.” Well, with the exception of Tchaikovsky, he confesses. I ask him about his directing style, whether he tries to mold the actor to fit the vision or vice-versa. He readjusts his position and sits forward, chuckling with ideas. “I obviously come to the play with a concept. Every time I read a play I see it in my mind. But that’s not what I necessarily end up with.” He adds that the production that hits the stage absolutely has to be a collaboration
between actors and director. “What they bring is as essential as my part.” “But,” he adds with a laugh, “at the end of the day there has to be a benevolent dictator.” He finds the “truth of the language” an indispensable part of the experience. Sometimes, he says, he will close his eyes during rehearsal and see if the dialogue “sounds true.” If it does, he says, then he knows they are on to something. “It’s the truth of interpreting the writing, and I think that’s what’s made us so successful with the Shakespearean productions we’ve done. Not treating it as literature, but as dialogue, which is what Shakespeare wrote.” Unfortunately, he says, many young readers don’t get to see the Bard’s works on the stage; instead, they are forced to merely make do with muddling through the text. “That’s not what Shakespeare intended,” Worth says. “That’s not what any playwright intends. If you’re not true to the writer, then you’re not serving yourself, the playwright, or the audience. You’re not doing the job.” And he doesn’t use the j-word lightly. “Theatre is work. It’s not jolly, jolly times, and the actors have to get through some moments that are very difficult to deal with.” But, he says, there is a payoff. Take the play “Grace and Glorie” as an example. It is about dealing with cancer. The payoff for that one came in the form of an audience member who came up to him after one of the shows.
“‘I’ve come to see this and I’ve got cancer,’” Worth said, mimicking her. “‘I’ve been told I have six months to live, and I came to see how I should deal with it.’ “That blew me away,” he says. “But that’s what theatre is about. That’s why I do theatre. That’s why I want this company to succeed. That’s why I want this company to grow. That’s why we have spent five years building this company up.” He says there is nothing more magical than having people not just say that the production was well done, but that they have learned something about life because of it. And it’s a pretty special thing as well, he adds, to witness the actors actually go through the learning process that it takes to get to know their characters. “When you’ve got actors and they’re working hard and they’re finding things out about the characters and themselves, it’s a wonderfully creative time.” I ask if that process is a difficult thing to actually experience. “Yes, I think for sure. I think for some actors it is difficult,” he says. And for the audience as well. But Worth says it’s a necessary process. “If you don’t face those things and you don’t go see those things you’re not educating yourself,” he says. This year, it will be Kesselring’s “Arsenic and Old Lace,” Russell’s “Educating Rita,” Orton’s “Loot,” Scheafer’s “Amadeus” and Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.” Keep your eyes on Metro Spirit as the season draws near.
32 M E T R O S P I R I T A U G 1 4 2 0 0 3
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SATURDAY MORNING
Arts: Music
Baroque Music: Precursor to Rock ‘n’ Roll? By Rhonda Jones
T
o hear some baroque music enthusiasts, music just wasn’t music before the 17th century, for many reasons. The word itself is from an Italian word that means “bizarre,” and it was thought bizarre, apparently, because it was so energetic. And about that word, baroque. Does it give you the willies, invoking the memory of some anxiety-ridden experience that happened while you were taking your humanities classes? Do you have a phobia? Well, here’s your chance to overcome it in a nice, safe setting. The concert, according to music instructor Linda Banister, will be no more than 50 minutes long. “The music of the baroque is basically built on the dance rhythm. That was the new toy. Not only the idea of a steady harmonic sound, but it was the idea of the steady downbeat.” So that means that baroque was the precursor to rock music, right? She laughed. “Everything’s a precursor to rock ‘n’ roll,” she said. “Any piece of current music, you can trace through music history what pieces of it came from where.” She said that the baroque period is when the major and minor system that we use today was solidified. “You’re going to hear a harmonic system that makes sense to our ears,” she said. In other words, it’s not going to be weird. If you’ve made it this far in your reading without the urge to breathe into a paper sack, then you’re ready to remember when all this neat stuff actually took place. It was a tiny sliver of time that existed roughly between 1600 and 1750. “It starts around the beginning of the 17th century with the invention of opera,” Banister said. “Opera is the only musical form that didn’t evolve. It was a musical form that was planned by a group of people – wealthy people in Florence (Italy) who had special interests.” So there you have it. If you had suspicions that the operatic form was created in a laboratory, there’s evidence that you may be on to something. Banister knows these things, you see. She teaches voice at Augusta State University and is the director of the school’s opera workshop program. “And the rest of us are all teachers of music, with the exception of Larry Millen, who is a doctor.” So how did he fall in with a bunch of music teachers? Banister said the better question would be how did he fall in with medicine, because he was a musician first, with a degree in piano. Millen will play harpsichord for the concert. The others are Carl Purdy on viola, recorder, violin, mandolin and guitar; Quentin Kuyper on recorder and cornet-
to; Patti Abasolo Myers providing vocals; and Christine Crookall on cello. A recorder is an ornately shaped wind instrument played somewhat like an Irish whistle, in that the mouthpiece is on the end and the instrument is held somewhat parallel to the body – unlike a flute, which is held out to the side, perpendicular to the body. Banister had to explain “cornetto.” “A cornetto is kind of a hybrid instrument that looks like a horn in that it’s a depiction of an animal horn, only it has a mouthpiece on it that looks like a trumpet mouthpiece, but it has a double reed in it…” And what does it sound like? “A trumpet with a cold or an oboe on bad steroids,” she said. “I don’t know. It has a rather plaintive sound.” We asked how she got into opera. “For me? Because it’s musically big enough. I mean, when I started out as a green 17-year-old – because I’ve sung since I was about 2 – at that time I thought being a singer in a nice lounge would be lovely and I think it still probably would be. I think the more you know about anything, the more you’re drawn to the extreme of that particular thing.” Besides, she said, if anything will teach you to sing, it’s Mozart, Shubert and Brahms. As for the pieces the ensemble will perform, Banister gave us names. “You’re asking a very hard question … I know that we will do … some Bach and Purcell. I think we’re going to try to do some Corelli and some Monte Verdi. And we may have a surprise composer, in that there is a lesser-known composer – Dowland – oh, I think we’re looking at some Dowland too. He’s a British composer.” The concert, “Baroque Music: Up Close and Personal” takes place 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 24 at the Morris Museum of Art. For information, call (706) 7247501 or visit www.themorris.org.
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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 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) ★★ American Wedding (R) — Jim (Jason Biggs) is going to marry his nerdy, peppy, fresh-faced, relentlessly horny girlfriend Michelle (Alyson Hannigan). This, of course, requires a bachelor par ty (strippers), a meeting of the in-laws and shopping for the wedding dress (a danceof f at a gay bar), not to mention the catastrophe-bound event itself. "American Wedding" becomes something of a showcase for Seann William Scot t, who gets to strut his stuf f right up to, and then well over, the top. Another saving grace is the presence of Eugene Levy, once again portraying Jim's dad, and Fred Willard, as the father of the bride. All of which might sound like a recommendation, which this most cer tainly is not. But essentially, the thing is harmless. Cast: Jason Biggs, Seann William Scot t, Alyson Hannigan, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Eugene Levy, Fred Willard. Running time: 1 hr., 35 mins. (Salm) ★1/2 Bad Boys II (R) — Vulgar, brazen, crass, violent, stupid, juvenile, loud, long and pointless — "Bad Boys II" is all that, plus a thin slice of enter taining. The scene is Miami. Marcus (Mar tin Lawrence) and par tner Mike (Will Smith) are back as narcs pledged to double duty: to collar nasty crooks, and to tickle the audience with so much cute bonding humor. They kick of f this par ty by blowing a major drug bust while messing up a Ku Klux Klan rally at the drop site for smuggled dope. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer gives us not story, but the idea of story as gooey plot pizza; not violence, but the idea of violence as
car toonish pulp; not style, but the idea of style as shiny pictures for gaping apes; not comedy, but the idea of comedy as compulsive imbecility; not fun, but the idea of fun as a migraine of lavishly cheap jolts. Cast: Will Smith, Mar tin Lawrence, Gabrielle Union, Joe Pantoliano, Jordi Molla. Running time: 2 hrs., 30 mins. (Elliot t) ★ 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 cookiecut 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 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
Miramax Films
“Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over”
RATINGS
★★★★ — Excellent.
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M E T R O
“Freaky Friday”
Buena Vista Pictures
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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 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) ★★★★ Daddy Day Care (PG) — Looking very much like the engorged warm-up for a future TV sitcom, "Daddy Day Care" stars Eddie Murphy and Jef f Garlin as cereal company promo men who lose their jobs, then star t a home day-care facility. There is an absurdly snooty villain (Anjelica Huston), owner of a posh day-care school. The kids are Central Casting darlings. The movie, which has a stern warning against sugar-based cereals, is sugared cereal. Cast: Eddie Murphy, Anjelica Huston, Jef f Garlin, Steve Zahn, Regina King. Running time: 1 hr., 35 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
★★★— Worthy.
★★ — Mixed.
★ — Poor.
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. Freddy vs. Jason (R) — The two masters of horror find themselves locked in a gory bat tle. An unfor tunate group of teens finds that they’re trapped in the middle of the slasher showdown. Cast: Rober t Englund, Ken Kirzinger, Kelly Rowland, Jason Bateman, Jason Rit ter. Grind (PG-13) — Skateboarding flick about four skaters who take one last road trip before college to follow the summer tour of one of the country’s biggest skateboarding stars. Their goal is to get noticed and asked to be par t of the troupe, but the tour manager makes things as dif ficult as possible for the boys. Cast: Colin McKay, Rober t Baker, Adam Brody, Shonda Farr, Jason London. Hollywood Homicide (PG-13) — As an L.A. cop par tner, rumpled veteran Harrison Ford plays Senior as a leathery grinner who always gets his man, still has a hunter's eye for women and hustles real estate deals while chasing crooks. Josh Har tnet t's Junior is a dead cop's son, but cannot shoot straight, is a veggie and teaches yoga. Junior really wants to be an actor. The antic "plot" is from some kind of slag heap. The main villain is a record producer who doesn't just rip of f black talent, but also murders them. "Hollywood Homicide" reeks from its slumming, cynical exploitation of Hollywood as a junky old tar t, and Ford even cracks a wist ful line, about when the town was glamorous. That must have been back in his days as a carpenter. He should have hammered a nail through this script and mailed it back. Cast: Harrison Ford, Josh Har tnet t, Keith David, Lena Olin, Bruce Greenwood, Lolita Davidovich. Running time: 1 hr., 48 mins. (Elliot t) ★ 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
0— Not worthy.
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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-the-sequel 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) ★★ Open Range (R) — Four freegrazers, horsemen without proper ty, roam around the American plains in the last days of the Wild West. A remote village, Harmonville, is being run by an evil rancher who makes his own laws, and the four vow to free the village from his control. Cast: Kevin Costner, Annet te Bening, Rober t Duvall, Dean McDermot t.
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) ★★★ Rugrats Go Wild (PG) — It's a synergistic cock tail, bringing together car toon figures from two big Nickelodeon TV shows, "Rugrats" and "The Wild Thornberrys," for a string of gags without a plot. Unless, as plot, you call being stranded on a deser t island that isn't really deser ted an "adventure." This TV promo gizmo and baby sit ter is an awfully small movie, though a Nickelodeon release boasts of $100 million in tie-ins and lists nine major companies. Voice cast: Tim Curry, Michael Bell, Lacey Chaber t, LL Cool J, Bruce Willis. Running time: 1 hr., 24 mins. (Elliot t) ★★ Seabiscuit (PG-13) — Charles Howard, acted by Jef f Bridges, is a brawny, self-made man whose success as an auto biz wiz led to personal tragedy, then a healing fancy for horses. Mostly, for Seabiscuit. Two other men also are saviors of Seabiscuit, in turn saved by him. Chris Cooper is trainer Tom Smith, a folksy genius of horse sense; and the scrappy jockey, Johnny "Red" Pollard, a Depression castaway stuck with dud horses and even bare-knuckle boxing, is acted by scrawny but muscular Tobey Maguire. The film piles on glossy contex t, but it finds its legs once the beloved horse turns into a comefrom-behind challenger, egged on by the media. As a scrappy fable, this corn pops well, emotionally. Cast: Jef f Bridges, Tobey Maguire, Chris Cooper, William H. Macy, Elizabeth Banks. Running time: 2 hrs., 10 mins. (Elliot t) ★★★ Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (PG) — Now the boyish Juni Cor tez (Daryl Sabara) is a private investigator, the rest of his family away spying, and Juni is pulled into the evil video game empire of the Toymaker (Sylvester Stallone). He must rise through levels, liberate sister Carmen (Alexa Vega) and prove himself as The Guy. Mostly he must sur f through gaudy storms of computerized ef fects, of ten in 3-D (yes, you wear glasses). There are robots and blue-tongued monsters and frantic chases. For a while, leathery grandpa Ricardo Montalban is liberated by animation from a wheelchair to clank around in a huge metal suit. Montalban is always a kick, but the movie is about as Hispanic as a pinata made in Taiwan. Cast: Daryl Sabara, Alexa Vega, Sylvester Stallone, Ricardo Montalban, Salma Hayek. Running time: 1 hr., 32 mins. (Elliot t) ★1/2 S.W.A.T. (PG-13) — Samuel L. Jackson is Lt. Dan Harrelson, called Hondo, who is can-do to a fanatical degree. He's the only actor of sizable presence. Time for plot! Bring on one-dude fashion layout Olivier Mar tinez as Alex, a French psycho who has killed 24 and bags No. 25 by slit ting the throat of his uncle with a knife "given me by my father." He is called "the frog." Arrested, the swin-
Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (PG-13) —
Angelina Jolie recycles as Lara Crof t, tracking down a golden ball that leads to a magical chest that is Pandora's my thic box. Chief villain Ciaran Hinds is a bulging suit who wants to release hellish plagues on the world. The high point goes nowhere but down, a long, gliding jump of f a Hong Kong skyscraper. Many exotic places are visited, each one posing like a theme park. But then the wowzer payof f: a hokey cave with acid pools, and ugly tree monsters fiercely auditioning for "Lord of the Rings: The Final Nonsense." Cast: Angelina Jolie, Gerard Butler, Ciaran Hinds, Djimon Hounsou. Running time: 1 hr., 56 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. Twentyeight 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 Uptown Girls (PG-13) — Molly Gunn is a spoiled New York socialite, used to get ting her own way. Her manager runs of f with most of her money, forcing Gunn to take a job as the nanny of a spoiled brat who isn’t much dif ferent than she was as a child. Cast: Brit tany Murphy, Dakota Fanning, Heather Locklear, Donald Aedeosun Faison. Wrong Turn (R) — Bad luck befalls Chris (Desmond Harrington) when he sets out on a three-hour 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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M E T R O
g Openiny Frida Aug. 15
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fast, fresh and absolutely delicious
No microwaves here! All food is prepared with the finest and freshest ingredients. We marinate & grill our breasts of chicken and filets of steak in our homemade marinade. We have a huge selection of vegetarian & vegan items, including The world’s best guacamole which is 100% vegan. All orders are customized right in front of you. Just the way you like it. Proudly serving the freshest, best tasting burritos under the sun.
Burritos Skinny
Salads 4.85
rice, beans, meat, cheese, salsa
Fatty
5.45
rice, beans, meat, cheese, salsa, guac
Heavy D
5.85
rice, beans, meat, cheese, salsa, sour cream, guac, lettuce
Vegetarian
4.35
rice, beans, cheese, salsa
Super Vegetarian
5.15
vegetarian with sour cream, guac, lettuce
Vegan
4.85
rice, beans, tofu, salsa, guac, lettuce
tacos Skinny
2.25
beans, meat, cheese, salsa, lettuce
Heavy D
2.95
beans, meat, cheese, salsa, sour cream, guac, lettuce
Vegetarian
1.95
Comes on a toasted 10” tortilla with melted Monterey Jack or without.
Regular
4.85
lettuce, beans, cheese, salsa, black olives, cucumbers
Chicken
5.50
same toppings as regular, served with Southwestern dijon or without
Guacamole
5.50
spinach leaves, black beans, mushrooms, cheese, salsa, guac, black olives, cucumbers
quesadillas All come with Monterey Jack. Salsa and sour cream served on the side.
Cheese Meat Meat & Beans Vegetarian
3.75 4.85 5.15 4.75
beans, cheese, salsa, lettuce
Super Vegetarian
2.45
vegetarian with sour cream, guac, lettuce
nachos Regular
munchies Chips and Salsa 1.75 Cheese Dip sm 2.25 / lg.3.25 Chips & Guacamole 3.00
4.50
beans, cheese, lettuce, salsa, black olives
Super Nachos
5.50
Regular with meat
Heavy D Nachos
5.85
Super nachos with sour cream and guac
kid’s menu Kid’s Burrito Kid’s Taco Kid’s Quesadilla
2.99 1.99 2.99
Daniel village shopping center 667-0960
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The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (PG13) — Sean Connery's Allan Quatermain is a former
ish Alex of fers $100 million to anyone who can free him. Within hours, L.A. is crawling with crazies armed with bazookas and other big-time weapons, ready to blow Alex free, demolish subways, escor t him through sewers (yes, one has computerized bats) and land a jet plane on a street bridge. Of course, only Hondo's squad can block this evil and perhaps Francophile scheme. Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez, LL Cool J, Olivier Mar tinez, Josh Charles, Larry Poindex ter. Running time: 1 hr., 57 mins. (Elliot t) ★ 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) ★★★
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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) ★★★
36 M E T R O S P I R I T A U G 1 4 2 0 0 3
Cinema: Close-Up
Back To School Bash Is There Anything Brittany Murphy at Southgate Plaza Saturday, August 16 11am to 4pm Southgate Plaza Gordon Hwy
Each child will receive a
Free Gift Bag with School Supplies Inside* Backpack Giveaway* every 5 minutes
*while supplies last
Can’t Do?
By Joey Berlin
B
rittany Murphy is ascending through the Hollywood ranks toward the select group of young actresses who can draw ticket buyers to the multiplex. In her new comedy, “Uptown Girls,” the 25year-old Murphy plays the pampered daughter of a deceased rock star who discovers she has been swindled out of a sizeable inheritance. Suddenly destitute, she takes a job as nanny to the bratty daughter of a music business bigwig. The twist is that Murphy’s character is an overgrown child, while the precocious little girl, played by the precious little actress Dakota Fanning, acts like a jaded grown-up. Meanwhile, Murphy is on a career tear, having rapidly graduated from a spate of shortlived television series to juicy supporting turns in films such as “Clueless” and “Girl, Interrupted,” then rocketing to star-making roles in “Don’t Say a Word,” “8 Mile” and “Just Married.” Murphy also continues to voice the character Luanne on the animated sitcom “King of the Hill.” Q: W.C. Fields advised actors to never work with children or animals. How do you feel about that, having just done both in “Uptown Girls?” A: Dakota Fanning is 9, and she is one of the most extraordinary human beings that I have ever met and the most talented and caring and giving. She’s a ray of sunshine, light and energy. She’s just a living testament to love, miracles and blessings. She is my kindred soul sister. As far as the pet pig Moo — who is portrayed by two pigs, Softy and Springer — is concerned, they were really great. They were really nice animals. One was for comedy, the other one was for drama.
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Q: Your last movie was also heavy on slapstick comedy. Are you tired of doing physical comedy yet? A: No, because actually, in real life when I was younger, I was a dancer. I danced a lot, not professionally, but it was the only thing I was formally trained in. And they would always say about me, “She can dance circles around anyone or anything. But she can’t walk to save her life.” And it’s true. So acting klutzy is something that is not unusual for me because it happens literally every day. And it’s far more like me in real life, as opposed to other characters and roles that have utilized my emotional pool for aspects of their personalities. Q: Molly, your character in “Uptown Girls,” was rich, but then lost her money. Do you ever see yourself getting in the same position? A: No, that would be really bad for myself, my loved ones, my family. I have been swindled in certain ways in my life. I’ve been taken, emotionally. I think we all have. You learn from those experiences. And, generally, they are the most growthful times of your life. “Be careful what you say out loud,” my
mama always said. So I really, definitely don’t intend on having a Molly situation in my life. Knock on wood! Q: Is it true that you fronted a band called Blessed Soul? A: It was actually a hip-hop R&B group, and it was with friends. We never intended to have a record deal or anything like that. It was for fun. I have always been surrounded by music my whole life, far more so than acting. And now we are recording an album in November and I am really excited about that. I can’t give any details on it just yet. Q: Tabloid photographers have been following you everywhere you go. How do you handle it? A: As far as the picture-takers are concerned, there are great upsides to it. First of all, someone is documenting your life, so your grandkids will all have pictures. I was on my first vacation with an ex-boyfriend. It was my first vacation since I was 9 when I went to Disney World. We went to Australia and there were paparazzi hiding in the bushes. And, obviously, we addressed them and talked to them. There were two of them. We had forgotten a camera and they documented the whole entire vacation. I loved that. And a dear friend of mine, Winona Ryder, told me, “They are there during your worst times and during your best times.” It’s not going to go anywhere. It’s there, and so long as people spell your name right, there are a lot of upsides. And, of course, I did choose this for a living. Q: What is the next project that you are working on? A: The next film that I’m a part of is called “Little Black Book,” and it’s a highly intelligent comedy that’s basically about betrayal and deceit. It’s co-staring all these amazing people. Holly Hunter, Kathy Bates, Ron Livingston, Julianne Nicholson, Rashida Jones — they’re just great people. I’ve been working with Holly, rehearsing with her all week, and it’s been really incredible.
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Cinema: Review
M E T R O
“Open Range” Breathes New Life Into Costner’s Career
S P I R I T
By Rachel Deahl
A U G
A
fading star without the head of hair he once had or the box office returns he once commanded, Kevin Costner has been trying in vain to reinvent himself for nearly a decade. Starring roles in embarrassing films like “3000 Miles to Graceland” and “Dragonfly” came on the heels of the actor’s horrific attempt at making a postapocalyptic Western, “The Postman.” Now, with his newest Western, “Open Range,” Costner demonstrates the dual qualities that made him a star to begin with: despicable hubris combined with an unabashed determination. Thankfully, the director who made “Dances With Wolves” shines through, mostly overshadowing that guy who gave us “Waterworld” and “The Postman.” The one thing you need to initially give Costner credit for is making a film in a genre which he recently failed in and one, for all intents and purposes, which is still dead in Hollywood. Although “Open Range” doesn’t have quite the bite or briskness of the film that was supposed to rein-
vent the genre, “Unforgiven,” it’s probably the best Western to come out since Clint Eastwood’s Oscar-winner. The most glaring achievement of “Open Range” is its breathtaking scenery. The film, which was shot predominantly in Canada (Alberta and Calgary), opens with a cattle drive amid an endless expanse of rolling hills and distant mountains. And, essentially set outside an upstart town, the film continually elicits the sensation that it’s tapped into locations that simply no longer exist in the American landscape. That these visuals ended up coming from Canada may prove this true. Based on the novel of the same name, the plot involves a showdown between a small outfit of cowboys (played by Costner, Robert Duvall and “Y Tu Mama Tambien” star Diego Luna) and the greedy rancher (Michael Gambon) who tries to steal their herd. Ostensibly the tale of a clash between free-grazers and ranchers, “Open Range” is more about the way in which the uninhabited land of the American West went from unclaimed territory to regularly owned
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land. Although Costner’s film waters down this conflict to one in which Michael Gambon’s demonical Irish-born entrepeneur needs to be avenged for theft and murder (he seriously wounds the sparse outift’s youngest member and steals their
cattle), the historical interest is still there. A throwback to a bygone era in American history and American filmmaking, “Open Range” may not revive the Western, but it will remind us why Hollywood starting making these films in the first place.
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REGAL AUGUSTA EXCHANGE 20 Movies Good 8/15 - 8/21 Uptown Girls (PG-13) Fri-Sat: 12:20, 2:40, 5:00, 7:20, 9:40, 12:00; Sun-Thur: 12:20, 2:40, 5:00, 7:20, 9:40 Open Range (R) 12:55, 4:00, 7:10, 10:15 Grind (PG-13) Fri-Sat: 12:15, 2:35, 5:05, 7:40, 10:05, 12:30; Sun-Thur: 12:15, 2:35, 5:05, 7:40, 10:05 Freddy vs. Jason (R) Fri-Sat: 12:10, 12:40, 2:30, 3:00, 4:55, 5:35, 7:30, 8:15, 9:55, 10:45, 12:20; Sun-Thur: 12:10, 12:40, 2:30, 3:00, 4:55, 5:35, 7:30, 8:15, 9:55, 10:45 Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (PG-13) 12:15, 5:30, 10:55 Freak y Friday (PG) Fri-Sat: 12:05, 12:35, 2:20, 2:55, 4:45, 5:25, 7:00, 7:35, 9:20, 9:50, 11:35; Sun-Thur: 12:05, 12:35, 2:20, 2:55, 4:45, 5:25, 7:00, 7:35, 9:20, 9:50 S.W.A.T. (PG-13) Fri-Sat: 12:55, 1:30, 2:25, 4:10, 4:30, 5:15, 6:50, 7:25, 7:55, 9:35, 10:05, 10:35, 12:25; Sun-Thur: 12:55, 1:30, 2:25, 4:10, 4:30, 5:15, 6:50, 7:25, 7:55, 9:35, 10:05, 10:35 American Wedding (R) Fri-Sat: 2:15, 4:35, 7:05, 8:05, 9:30, 10:25, 11:50; Sun-Thur: 2:15, 4:35, 7:05, 8:05, 9:30, 10:25 Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (PG-13) 12:45, 3:50, 6:45, 9:45 Seabiscuit (PG-13) Fri-Sun: 1:25, 4:50, 8:00, 11:00; Mon-Thur: 12:25, 3:55, 7:00, 10:00 Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (PG) 12:30, 2:50, 5:00, 7:15, 9:25 Bad Boys 2 (R) Fri-Sun: 1:00, 4:20, 8:00, 11:15; Sun-Thur: 1:00, 4:20, 8:00 Pirates of the Caribbean (PG-13) Fri-Sun: 1:35, 4:40, 7:45, 10:50; Mon-Thur: 1:05, 4:05, 7:15, 10:20 The League of Ex traordinary Gentlemen (PG13) Fri-Sat: 1:45, 4:25, 6:55, 9:30, 12:05; SunThur: 1:45, 4:25, 6:55, 9:30 Terminator 3 (R) 2:20, 5:10, 7:50, 10:30 28 Days Later (R) 2:45, 8:10 Finding Nemo (G) 12:00, 2:40, 5:20 EVANS 12 CINEMAS Movies Good 8/15 - 8/21 Open Range (R) Fri-Sun: 1:05, 4:05, 7:05, 9:50; Mon-Thur: 4:05, 7:05, 9:50 Uptown Girls (PG-13) Fri-Sun: 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, 7:30, 9:30; Mon-Thur: 3:30, 5:30, 7:30, 9:30 Freddy vs. Jason (R) 2:10, 4:30, 7:35, 9:40 Grind (PG-13) 2:20, 4:50, 7:15, 9:25 Freak y Friday (PG) Fri-Sun: 12:55, 3:05, 5:15, 7:25, 9:35; Mon-Thur: 3:05, 5:15, 7:25, 9:35
THE PARTRIDGE INN’S GOURMET GETAWAY PACKAGE
Enjoy a night’s stay at Augusta’s
premier hotel – The Partridge Inn. This package includes a deluxe room, the Grand Continental Buffet Breakfast and $10 Dining Credit for two people in either of the Hotel’s two acclaimed restaurants:
S.W.A.T. (PG-13) 2:00, 4:40, 7:40, 10:00 American Wedding (R) Fri-Sun: 1:15, 3:20, 5:40, 7:50, 10:00; Mon-Thur: 3:20, 5:40, 7:50, 10:00 Seabiscuit (PG-13) Fri-Sun: 1:10, 4:10, 6:55, 9:45; Mon-Thur: 4:10, 6:55, 9:45 Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (PG-13) FriSun: 1:20, 4:20, 7:20, 9:45; Mon-Thur: 4:20, 7:20, 9:45 Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (PG) Fri-Sun: 1:45, 3:45, 5:45, 7:45, 9:35; Mon-Thur: 3:45, 5:45, 7:45, 9:35 Bad Boys 2 (R) 8:00 Pirates of the Caribbean (PG-13) Fri-Sun: 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 9:55; Mon-Thur: 4:00, 7:00, 9:55 Finding Nemo (G) Fri-Sun: 12:55, 3:00, 5:10; Mon-Thur: 3:00, 5:10 MASTERS 7 CINEMAS Movies Good 8/15 - 8/21 Freddy vs. Jason (R) Fri-Sun: 1:05, 3:05, 5:05, 7:05, 9:30; Mon-Thur: 5:05, 7:05, 9:30 Grind (PG-13) Fri-Sun: 1:15, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15, 9:45; Mon-Thur: 5:15, 7:15, 9:45 Freak y Friday (PG) Fri-Sun: 1:10, 3:10, 5:10, 7:10, 9:25; Mon-Thur: 5:10, 7:10, 9:25 S.W.A.T. (PG-13) Fri-Sun: 1:25, 4:15, 7:25, 9:50; Mon-Thur: 4:15, 7:25, 9:50 American Wedding (R) 7:20, 9:20 Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (PG) Fri-Sun: 1:20, 3:20, 5:20; Mon-Thur: 5:20 Bad Boys 2 (R) Fri-Sun: 12:55, 3:45, 6:45, 9:35; Mon-Thur: 4:00, 6:45, 9:35 Pirates of the Caribbean (PG-13) Fri-Sun: 1:00, 4:05, 6:55, 9:40; Mon-Thur: 4:05, 6:55, 9:40 REGAL 12 CINEMAS Movies Good 8/15 - 8/21 The Hulk (PG-13) 1:55, 4:45, 7:35 Rugrats Go Wild (PG) 2:10, 4:20, 7:10, 9:15 How To Deal (PG-13) 2:30, 5:00, 7:25, 9:45 Holly wood Homicide (PG-13) 2:00, 4:30, 7:00, 9:25 2 Fast 2 Furious (PG-13) 2:15, 4:35, 7:05, 9:30 Bruce Almighty (PG-13) 2:35, 5:05, 7:30, 9:50 Daddy Day Care (PG) 2:40, 5:10, 7:40, 9:45 X2 (PG-13) 1:55, 4:50, 7:45 Wrong Turn (R) 2:45, 5:15, 7:50, 9:55 Chicago (PG-13) 2:20, 4:40, 7:15, 9:35 Anger Management (PG-13) 2:05, 4:25, 7:00, 9:20 Bringing Down the House (PG-13) 2:25, 4:45, 7:20, 9:40
Movie listings are subject to change without notice.
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IF YOU HAVE DIABETES, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Each year, more than a million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes. Learning to live with this chronic disease isn’t easy. Even with a proper diet and plenty of exercise, keeping your blood sugar level under control is challenging. Diet and exercise are the first steps, but often they are not enough. If you have type 2 diabetes, you may be eligible for a research study being conducted in your area. To qualify, you must have type 2 diabetes and be age 21 or older. As part of the study, you will receive: • Study-related physical exams • Investigational medication • Glucose monitoring supplies And you will have the benefit of knowing you’re not alone in living with your diabetes. Call today if you would like to learn more about this study and to find out if you qualify.
Call: CSRA PARTNERS IN HEALTH Diane K. Smith, MD 1220 Augusta West Parkway • Augusta, GA 30909 706-860-3001
Bangin
a latin musical explosion
‘
Saturday, August 16
the third Saturday of every month
Live entertainment by
Bio Ritmo
starting at 10pm Free Salsa lessons every Saturday by A & E Dance Studio. Salsa dance competition to be held at this event. Winners will receive a prize and advance to the finals held November, where a grand prize will be awarded. Doors open @ 9pm • Stylish night attire required • Come early - Stay Late
“Bio Ritmo clicks all the right cowbells, blows all the right horns, to make salsa with all the heat of a habanera.” -New City Chicago
706.303.9700 • 813 broad • www.modjeskalounge.com
M E T R O S P I R I T A U G 1 4 2 0 0 3
40 M E T R O S P I R I T
Music
A U G 1 4 2 0 0 3
DJ Tour Brings Indie Spirit to Augusta
By Lisa Jordan
Y
ou may already be familiar with Calvin Johnson. After all, he’s the mastermind behind Olympia, Washington’s K Records, has fronted bands like Beat Happening, the Halo Benders and Dub Narcotic Sound System, and has collaborated with the likes of Beck, Steve Fisk and Pansy Division. With a seven-date tour of the East Coast that begins this Friday, Aug. 15, Johnson can add DJ to his resume. “I’m going to be spinning records,” he explains. “I have this band, Dub Narcotic Sound System. It’s live. This is more like just playing records that I like.” Johnson’s record collection will meld with that of Ian Svenonius, of Scene Creamers, The Makeup and Nation of Ulysses fame, for the Ian Svenonius and Selector Dub Narcotic DJ Tour. Svenonius is well-acquainted with the turntables: He’s got his own regular DJ night in Washington, D.C. “I’ve worked with him in his first band, Nation of Ulysses,” says Johnson. “We’ve toured together.” Johnson’s own musical projects run the gamut from the stripped-down punk of Beat Happening to the danceable Dub Narcotic Sound System and his intimate solo works. So it’s not a surprise, then, that behind the DJ mask, he likes to experiment. “I like to mix it up,” he says. “Punk rock, new wave records with some old soul and funk, throw in a little country and R&B now and then.” Johnson’s appreciation for all sorts of music also helps him out with his everyday duties as the ringleader of K Records, which releases independent music of all varieties, whether it be hip-hop, punk or folk-pop – or any number of lesser-known genres the K Records’ Web site lists. “I’ve been able to work with lots of different people, and I have a lot of different bands that have put out different records on K,” Johnson says. “I enjoy it. You get to work with all these very creative people and get to watch them work and be a part of it, and it’s exciting.” Most of the artists currently on K Records are based around the Northwest, but Olympia in particular seems to be fertile ground for the do-it-yourself music crowd. “It’s a small town — 35,000 people,” says Johnson. “There’s a few shows now and then and we have a good radio station. There’s music that goes on and other
“I like to mix it up. Punk rock, new wave records with some old soul and funk, throw in a little country and R&B now and then.” — Calvin Johnson kinds of creative life.” For now, and in addition to the upcoming DJ tour, Johnson is working on some music of his own. Dub Narcotic Sound System is working on an LP to be released next January, with a single out possibly as soon as this fall.
The tour will hit cities like Boston; New York City; Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta; Raleigh and Augusta. “The Soul Bar is just kind of the place to go,” Johnson says. “A lot of people talk about it, and they were kind enough to have us there. I’ve been there, but I’ve
never played there.” On Friday, Aug. 22, the Ian Svenonius and Selector Dub Narcotic DJ Tour comes to the Soul Bar. For more information, visit the Soul Bar’s Web site, www.soulbar.com, or K Records’ Web site, www.krecs.com.
MUSIC BY TURNER
Where’s the Cows? Dept. Tickets for MATCHBOX TWENTY’s upcoming date at Greenville’s Bi-Lo Center are going fast and it’s no surprise to anyone who follows ROB THOMAS and the band. Their third album, the excellent “More Than You Think You Are,” has sold well over a million copies. The Sept. 26 show will only be their second date of the band’s fall tour, which will eventually take them to Europe. HOOBASTANK has a small club tour planned to precede their yet-unnamed second major album. The Southern California-based band will visit Charlotte’s Tremont Music Hall August 27, giving their fans a chance to enjoy the group in an intimate setting.
BY
VAN MORRISON has another newie ready for October. “What’s Wrong with This Picture?” contains 11 new Morrison compositions along with a couple of covers. The pair of non-originals are LIGHTNIN’ HOPKINS’ blues standard “Stop Drinkin,’” and a take on the traditional “St. James Infirmary Blues.” A U.S. tour was being discussed as we went to press. Those LYNYRD SKYNARD dates canceled last month have been rescheduled. The Southern rockers, on tour with SAMMY HAGAR, had to postpone several shows due to guitarist GARY ROSSINGTON’s health problems. You can catch the two bands Sept. 10 at Atlanta’s Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheater and Sept. 27 at Charlotte’s Verizon shed. Tix for the original dates will be honored. Turner’s Quick Notes The FABULOUS T-BIRDS have a new “bestof” due this month … The surviving DOORS plan on performing their landmark “L.A. Woman” disc in its entirety on selected upcoming U.S. tour dates … You can tell Mrs. Rita that GIN BLOSSOMS are set for an August 20 show at Atlanta’s Variety Playhouse … COUNTING CROWS have a DVD planned to document their first 10 years as a group … LUCINDA WILLIAMS visits Atlanta’s Tabernacle Sept. 24 … 70,000 PHISH fans braved the mud, sweat and beers at Maine’s Loring Air Force Base last weekend for “It” …
THIS SATURDAY NIGHT
Buffett Night We’re turning our pool into a tropical Buffett Bash!
Sat, August 16th • 6pm
A U G
Entertainment by the pool Bring your swimsuit & take a plunge!
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Wear your favorite Hawaiian Shirt & receive a free tequila shot!
$2 Cheeseburgers $2 Coronas $2 Margaritas $2 Captain Morgans $2 Sea & Bay Breezes Door prize winner & limbo contest winner receive weekend hotel stay in either Atlanta or Savannah
Night Club
Located in Holiday Inn West 738-8811
Rio Bomba presents
DOUBLE T.R.O.U.B.L.E.
A tribute to the life and music of
Elvis Presley the King of Rock and Roll
Friday, August 15
ED TURNER
Friday, 8/15 - Bamboo Saturday, 8/16 - Saundra Willis Sunday, 8/17 - Shelly Watkins Wednesday, 8/20 Bart Bell & Shelly Watkins
300 Shartom Drive, Martinez (behind Applebee’s on Washington Road) 860-0698
! No Cover
Adams
Turner’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Jeopardy A. This rocker was fired this summer from the cast of “Jesus Christ, Superstar” for “inappropriate behavior at curtain calls.”
Shannon’s Live Entertainment
M E T R O S P I R I T
Q. Who is Sebastian Bach?
N
EIL YOUNG is at it again. During the rocker’s 35-plus year career, Young has been known to mix in a curve or two when it comes to musical styles. Foray’s into grunge (“American Stars and Bars”), country (“Old Ways”), rockabilly (“Everybody’s Rockin’”) and even electronica (“Trans”) have proved that he’s not one to tread water in any one space for very long. Young’s new CD, “Greendale,” new and in the stores this week, contains 10 “chapters,” or stories, about the mythical Green family. The themes run the gamut from corruption, greed and ecology told in typically obtuse Young fashion. The singer has been previewing most of the album on his current summer tour with mixed results. Regardless of the eventual success or failure of this new disc, Young has proven yet again that “Rust Never Sleeps” as long as you’re at least pleasing yourself. After all, it could be another album of PEARL JAM feedback.
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8:00-9:30 p.m. $5 Rio Bomba - Cotton Row - 8th St. at Riverwalk - Augusta, Ga.
774-0053 Join tribute artists Jeff Barnes & Russell Schneider on an energetic tour from the 50’s and Movies to the ‘68 Comeback and 70’s Live concerts.
Don’t forget karaoke in restaurant!
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42 M E T R O S P I R I T A U G 1 4 2 0 0 3
Home of the Pittsburgh Steelers Fan Club
Music
Michelle Branch Chooses Substance Over Style By Beth Wood
Preseason Football Is Here! We’re the best place to catch the game
OME OF WE’RE YOUR H FALCONS THE ATLANTA Live Music Every Thursday Night Brandon (Big Mighty) & Friends 10pm-1am 23 TV’S COLD DRINKS GREAT FOOD Food & Drink Specials Nightly
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Thanks to all for making the opening of our restaurant so much fun & such a wonderful success. Thanks also to the Shroom Crew for all their hard work & dedication. Your efforts are much appreciated. Thanks Augusta! Keep on Shroomin’ Shawn Ledford
Corner of 12th & Broad :::: Downtown Augusta :::: 828-5578
T
een-pop queens Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera were awash in commercial success a couple of years ago when Michelle Branch, a modest, guitar-playing singer-songwriter, made a splash of her own at the age of 18. Hailed by fans and the media as the “UnBritney,” she was the antidote to sexed-up young girls with slick songand-dance routines, skimpy costumes and prefab careers. Many hoped that the dressed-down teenager from Arizona signaled a new trend favoring musical talent over smooth moves. “When I first started, it was Britney and Christina and they were doing things a lot different than I was doing,” said Branch. “I never ever would have imagined that there’d be other women like Vanessa (Carlton), Avril (Lavigne) and Norah (Jones). It’s exciting as a music fan and a female to see other women making their own decisions and wearing clothes.” Keeping one’s clothes on can be challenging. In its current issue, Blender magazine ran photos with a short interview and review of Branch. Compared to past pictures, they seemed seductive, but alongside pinup-type shots of Ashanti, Liz Phair and cover girl Jewel, they seemed tame. “That was one of the worst days of my life,” Branch said, recalling the photo shoot at Blender. “The photo editor would say, ‘Wear this short skirt, wear this bra and skirt,’ and I was saying, ‘No, I won’t.’ We were arguing back and forth. I made them go get a T-shirt. “They came back with a M¨otley Crüe shirt and asked me if I’d wear it and I said ‘Yes.’ They left and came back with it all shredded. It was awful, but we (later) ended up with a compromise.” The two main photos display a sultry Branch in a low-cut blouse and a long skirt. “I’m 20 years old. As I grow older, I want to look different than before — not necessarily sexy,” explained Branch, who celebrated her birthday July 2. “I want to look feminine.” Her heroes are musical giants, running the gamut from the Beatles and Led Zeppelin to Joni Mitchell and Cat Stevens. “I listen to Fleetwood Mac, too. Stevie Nicks is the only one who might qualify as a glitzy, sexy chick,” she said with a laugh. “That’s as close as I get to that. “Sex is always going to be a part of music. Sex sells,” she stated. “Being a young woman — oh, I don’t have to say teenager anymore — I’ve been fortunate
that the people around me have said, ‘Let her do her own thing, that’s what she does best.’” That approach has proven successful. Her major-label debut, “Spirit Room,” sold 1.5 million copies. “Game of Love,” a single with Santana, stayed at No. 1 on the Billboard charts for 13 weeks. (“The only song I’ve sung that I haven’t had a part in writing,” she commented.) Her new “Hotel Paper” CD entered the Billboard 200 at No. 2. Branch named the CD after the notepads on which she scribbled songs while touring to promote her first CD. Has she been using up hotel paper during this tour? “I haven’t written a song since the release of my new record in March, and that is really weird for me,” she said. “I’m all tapped out. I need to focus on touring a bit. The writing will come back naturally. Songs happen when they want to happen.” Opening for the Dixie Chicks on the second half of their tour has been a positive experience for Branch. “At first, people were wondering if it made sense — the Dixie Chicks and Michelle Branch,” she said. “The audiences have been extremely responsive. “Usually when you’re the opening act, people get there for the last few songs, but the places have been packed from the start and they’ve even sung along to some of my songs. So it actually was a natural pairing.”
MUSIC MINIS
Why Won’t They Just Go Away? It all started with a new late-afternoon entertainment show being developed by Ryan Seacrest, who hosts “American Idol.” It is going after the “aging” ex-
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Score One for the People The Recording Industry Association of America tried to go after some college students in Boston for illegally sharing music online, but were shut down by a judge. According to U.S. District Judge Joseph L. Tauro, Washington subpoenas cannot be served in Massachusetts. The schools attended by the students – Boston College and MIT – had filed motions asking the judge to throw out the subpoenas, which requested information on the students. The RIAA replied with the ominous statement that Internet users are not anonymous and that Internet providers can be forced to reveal their names. Teens Sue Snoop Dogg Let’s set the scene: Mardi Gras 2002. Flashing 17- and 18-year-old girls. Mailorder sex videos. Lawsuit. The breasts belong to Jaime Capdeboscq and Whitni Candiotto, who allege that they were offered drugs to flash for photos. Those pix later became the cover for “Girls Gone Wild,” a series of mail-order videos featuring naughty bits. The owner of Mantra Films, Inc., Joseph R. Francis, has been arrested for an interesting string of charges, including procuring minors for sexual acts, filming said minors, conspiracy and racketeering. The two girls say that he had promised not to use the photo in connection with a video. Snoop Dogg is involved because he hosted that particular video, “Girls Gone Wild Doggy Style,” and because the photos were taken during a party for him.
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Britney Spears
viewers of MTV’s “Total Request Live,” and has received good response in the marketplace. So now J. Lo and Britney Spears are potentially getting into the act with talk shows of their own. We Had No Clue “Blues Clues,” the Nick Jr. television hit among preschoolers and stoners alike, has finally made a contribution to the indie rock world. Ex-host Steve Burns, who retired his green-striped shirt in 2002, released his first album, “Songs for Dustmites,” Aug. 12. For more information about Burns’ music career, upcoming tour and, yes, for some really sketchy pictures of him (with and without a fake ‘fro), visit www.steveswebpage.com.
COMPILED BY RHONDA JONES AND LISA JORDAN Information compiled from online and other music news sources.
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Tinsley Ellis performs Friday night at the Blind Pig.
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COMING SOON: August 26 GIBSON BROTHERS “This is the pure stuff, the way bluegrass sounds best.” - Music Row Magazine
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Adams Nightclub - DJ The Bee’s Knees - Meditate on This! The Big Easy - Buzz Clif ford, George Sykes Blind Pig - Open Mic Night with Randy Carver, Shameless Dave, Sabo and the Scorchers 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 - Will McCranie and Friends Coyote’s - The Rhes Reeves Band D. Timm’s - Joe Patchen and the Blue Diamond Express Greene Streets - Karaoke Joe’s Underground - John Metro Coffeehouse - Tara Scheyer and the HalfShir t Leroys Michael’s - Mike Swif t Modjeska - SKYNN with DJ Richie Rich Playground - Open Mic with Doug James Red Lion - Keith “Fossill” Gregory Robbie’s Sports Bar - DJ Tim Soul Bar - The Kilpatrick Project, Push Eye Stillwater Tap Room - Avet t Brothers Stool Pigeons - Live Enter tainment Surrey Tavern - The Family Trucksters Time Piecez - DJ Dance Par ty
Friday, 15th Adams Nightclub - DJ Andy’s - Black-Eyed Susan Back Roads - DJ The Bee’s Knees - DJ EL HOG The Big Easy - Air Apparent
Blind Pig - Tinsley Ellis Borders - Billy S. Cafe Du Teau - James McIntyre Club Argos - Happy Bir thday Taylor Benefit for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, featuring the Argos Angels and Special Guests Coconuts - Augusta’s Hot test Mom Contest Coliseum - Hollywood Creations Male Revue Cotton Patch - Tony Williams and the Blues Express featuring Pops Coyote’s - The Rhes Reeves Band Crossroads - 420 Outback, Mud Wrestling D. Timm’s - Joe Patchen and the Blue Diamond Express Fox’s Lair - Dennis Hall Greene Streets - Karaoke Hangnail Gallery - Thee Fine Lines, Flat Stanley, Estrela Highlander - Ma xwell Lummus Jeremy’s Nightclub - Sawdust Joe’s Underground - Medicine Hat Last Call - Jimmy Buf fet t Beach Par ty with St. Somewhere The Lighthouse - New Day Marlboro Station - Lauren Alexander Michael’s - Mike Swif t Modjeska - DJ Jason Wilson Ms. Carolyn’s - Live Band Partridge Inn - Jazz Soulstice with Anthony Carpenter Playground - John Kolbeck The Pourhouse - The Recaps featuring Sassy Brass Red Lion - Blind Mojo Rio Bomba - Double T.R.O.U.B.L.E. Elvis Tribute, Karaoke Robbie’s Sports Bar - DJ Tim Rumors - DJ Dino and DJ Doug Romanella, Wet T-Shir t Contest
The Shack - DJ Chip Shannon’s - Bamboo Soul Bar - ‘90s (R)evolution Stillwater Tap Room - Henry Wynn and Company Surrey Tavern - Soul Dimension
Saturday, 16th Adams Nightclub - Buf fet t Night Andy’s - Dennis Hall Back Roads - DJ The Bee’s Knees - Ghidrah’s Eggtooth The Big Easy - Buzz Clif ford, George Sykes Blind Pig - Shameless Dave and the Miracle Whips Borders - Tim Jenkins Cafe Du Teau - James McIntyre Club Argos - DJ Joe Steel Coconuts - Dance with DJ Stump Coliseum - Beat the Clock with Sasha Cotton Patch - Quiet Storm Coyote’s - The Rhes Reeves Band Crossroads - Sulcus Groove D. Timm’s - Joe Patchen and the Blue Diamond Express Fox’s Lair - Edmond “The Lurch” Kida Greene Streets - Karaoke Hangnail Gallery - The Decrepits, Back-Up Plan, The Inmates, Go For Broke Jeremy’s Nightclub - Sawdust Joe’s Underground - Happy Bones 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 Bio Ritmo Ms. Carolyn’s - Live Band Partridge Inn - Sandy B. and the All-Stars
The Pourhouse - The Recaps featuring Sassy Brass Red Lion - Lyka Champ Robbie’s Sports Bar - DJ Tim Rumors - DJ Dino and DJ Doug Romanella, Sexy Legs Contest The Shack - DJ Buckwheat Shannon’s - Saundra Willis Soul Bar - Sugarland, Gran Bel Fisher Stillwater Tap Room - Reeltime Travelers Surrey Tavern - Soul Dimension
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M E T R O S P I R I T
Adams Nightclub - DJ Cafe Du Teau - The Last Bohemian Quar tet Cotton Patch - John Kolbeck Marlboro Station - Claire Storm Orange Moon - Smooth Jazz Sunday with Emery Bennet t Pizza Joint - Michael and Jayson Robbie’s Sports Bar - DJ Tim The Shack - Karaoke with DJ Joe Steel, Sasha’s Cabaret Shannon’s - Shelly Watkins Somewhere in Augusta - Patrick Blanchard
Monday, 18th Coliseum - Q.A.F. Continuum - Monday Madness Crossroads - Club Sin with DJ Mykie G Fox’s Lair - Open Mic Greene Streets - Karaoke Joe’s Underground - John Michael’s - Mike Swif t Surrey Tavern - Pat Blanchard
Tuesday, 19th Adams Nightclub - DJ
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The Reeltime Travelers appear at Stillwater Tap Room Aug. 16. The Bee’s Knees - 12*Tone Lounge Blind Pig - Sabo and the Scorchers Coliseum - Tournament Tuesday D. Timm’s - Joe Patchen and the Blue Diamond Express Fox’s Lair - Open Mic French Market Grille West - Wayne Capps Greene Streets - Karaoke Joe’s Underground - John Metro Coffeehouse - Irish Night with Sibin
Michael’s - Mike Swif t Stool Pigeons - Karaoke Surrey Tavern - Tuesday Night Jam Session
Wednesday, 20th Adams Nightclub - DJ The Bee’s Knees - Heliocentric Cinema Blind Pig - David Bryan Unplugged Club Argos - Blue Par ty with Guest DJ
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 Fox’s Lair - Open Mic Greene Streets - Karaoke Joe’s Underground - Mike Baideme The Lighthouse - Joe Tut t
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mon 18th
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Tara Scheyer & the Half-Shirt Leroys $1 Bud Light Draught Pints $2.50 Import Draught Pints $4 Irish Car Bombs
tues 19th Live Celtic Music w/ Sibin (8pm-10pm) $2.50 Guinness & Harp
fri 15th
wed 20th
Ladies LATE Night Specials (12-2) $2 Well Drinks - $5 Cosmopolitans
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sat 16th Bluegrass in the afternoon w/ Eryn Eubanks & the Fold 2-5pm $5 Bacardi Rumtinis Night!
coming 21st Josh Pierce, Miles Kilpatrick & Tristin
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The Soul Bar hosts Sugarland (pictured) and Gran Bel Fisher Saturday, Aug. 16.
continued from page 45 Michael’s - Mike Swif t Playground - Hari-Karaoke with Kap’n Karaoke The Pourhouse - Edmond P. “The Lurch” Kida Robbie’s Sports Bar - DJ Tim Shannon’s - Bar t Bell, Shelly Watkins Somewhere in Augusta - Brandon Bower Soul Bar - Live Jazz Surrey Tavern - John Kolbeck Veracruz - Wayne Capps
Upcoming DJ Calvin Johnson - Soul Bar - Aug. 22 ph Balance - Soul Bar - Aug. 23 The Gibson Brothers - Stillwater Tap Room Aug. 26
Chris Duarte - Blind Pig - Aug. 29 Hobex - Soul Bar - Aug. 30 doubleDrive, Minus Driver - Crossroads - Sept. 5 Troubled Hubble, Fake Red Seth - Hangnail Gallery - Sept. 6 Orchestra Taboga - Modjeska - Sept. 20 Seether - Crossroads - Sept. 25
Elsewhere George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic, North Mississippi All-Stars, Kevn Kinney Band Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta - Aug. 15 Atlanta Symphony Orchestra - Mable House Amphitheatre, Mableton, Ga. - Aug. 15 Joe Jackson Band - Roxy Theatre, Atlanta Aug. 15 Bebo Norman - Mable House Amphitheatre,
Thee Fine Lines (pictured), Flat Stanley and Estrela take the stage at the Hangnail Gallery Aug. 15. Mableton, Ga. - Aug. 16 k.d. lang - Chastain Park Amphitheatre, Atlanta Aug. 17 Saw Doctors - Variety Playhouse, Atlanta - Aug. 19 Huey Lewis and The News, Billy Bob Thornton Chastain Park Amphitheatre, Atlanta - Aug. 19 Gin Blossoms - Variety Playhouse, Atlanta - Aug. 20 Carolyn Dawn Johnson - Wills Park Equestrian Center, Alpharet ta, Ga. - Aug. 21 Goo Goo Dolls, Pat McGee Band, Marc Broussard - Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta Aug. 22 311 - HiFi Buys Amphitheatre, Atlanta - Aug. 2 Indigo Girls - The Arena at Gwinnet t Center, Duluth, Ga. - Aug. 23 Don McLean - Mable House Amphitheatre,
Mableton, Ga. - Aug. 23 Blue Man Group, Tracey Bonham - Atlanta Civic Center, Atlanta - Aug. 23 Jump Little Children, Bain Mattox - Variety Playhouse, Atlanta - Aug. 23 Many tickets are available through TicketMaster outlets, by calling 828-7700, or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets may also be available through Tix Online by calling 278-4TIX or online at www.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.
Brezsny's Free Will Astrology ARIES (March 21-April 19)
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
If you’re single, this is the most favorable time in many moons to try creating a harem for yourself. You’re even more attractive than usual, and the cosmos has decreed that what might have been greedy in the past is just right now. If you’re in an interesting monogamous relationship, on the other hand, don’t mess it up with fantasies of polyamory. Instead, brainstorm with your partner about how you could provide more variety for each other. Dress up in different roles, for instance. Speak with funny accents, invent new names or pretend you’re living in another historical period. How would you do your love dance if you were members of the French Resistance in World War II or escaped American slaves headed for freedom circa 1863?
I’m sure you’ve had the experience of a song popping into your head and refusing to leave, as if it had taken one of your brain circuits hostage. Usually it’s a catchy tune you’ve heard recently on the radio, but now and then it’s an old song you haven’t thought of in a long time. The former is a nuisance, but the latter may be an oracular message from your unconscious mind — a helpful hint, like a vivid dream, that can clue you in to a not-yetfully-bloomed truth. I predict you will be the lucky recipient of such an oracle at least twice in the coming week.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
Just assume you’re a prime example of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s belief that “If you’re strong enough, there are no precedents.” You have permission from the cosmos to make that assumption. You’ll also be perfectly justified, Leo, in expecting the fire in your belly to grow bigger and hotter. Given the exceptional amounts of willpower you’ll be able to channel in the coming days, it may even make sense for you to wear a ring with a symbolic thunderbolt and refer to yourself with the royal “we.”
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
If you’re typical, your memory is not very efficient; by tomorrow at this time you will have forgotten much of what you learned today. But you cannot afford to be typical during the next 10 days, Taurus. It’s crucial to the ultimate success of your long-term dreams that you remember far more than you usually do. I don’t care how you do it: Intensify your perceptiveness, try memorystrengthening exercises, take massive doses of ginkgo biloba or all of the above. Become as aggressively receptive and absorptive as you have ever dared to be.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Pablo Picasso had a difficult birth. When he finally popped out after a long labor, he wasn’t breathing. The midwife decided his face was so blue he’d be impossible to revive. She declared him dead and left. But Picasso’s uncle, who was in attendance, got up close to the infant and puffed cigar smoke up his nose. That was the shock that brought him to life. I expect that a metaphorically analogous wakeup call will resurrect you from your soul numbness in the coming week, Virgo.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
Can you be a dissatisfied rebel and exuberant lover of life at the same time? Can you identify all the things that are wrong without losing your bemused tolerance? I think you can, especially this week. You won’t have any role models to draw from, though, so you’ll have to trust your intuition and the following advice: Be a playful protester! A sweet-tempered complainer! The goodies will come to you if you overthrow the status quo with inventiveness and compassion. ACROSS
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Grant 32 On account of 5 Kites, e.g. 34 Result of 10 N.B.A. “cabbage” nickname getting moldy? 14 Dodeca- halved 38 Nobelist Hahn or Warburg 15 Company that made Asteroids 41 1972 Derek and the Dominos hit 16 Where Pearl 42 Sports City is achievement 17 Picketer, award perhaps 43 Result of a farm 18 Virologist Salk animal losing 19 Chinese opacity? dynasty up to 46 Fajita flavorer A.D. 1125 47 Delicacy from 20 Result of a the sea banner getting 48 Curative locale stripped? 51 Knock out 23 Noun 52 Way to concerning Roosevelt Island verbs 56 Whiplike? 24 Grand Bahama, 58 Result of a e.g. dairy food 25 Kind of nut getting larger? 28 Skill 62 Sanction 1 Faucet part
New York Times Crossword Puzzle
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Give yourself a treat you’ve been denying yourself far too long. Get a friend to give you a ride in a wheelbarrow. Use one of your so-called
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Kansas’ motto 65 Abounding 66 Miniature cloud 67 Reds Hall-ofFamer Tony 68 Prayers to Mary 69 Recent 70 Vermont ski resort 71 Like cranberries DOWN 1 Kind of daisy 2 Cloth-stretching frame 3 Still around 4 Underground conduits 5 Low, in La Paz 6 “Believe ___ …” 7 Actress Oakes of “CHiPs” 8 Olive ___ 9 Cordage fiber 10 Undivided 11 Absolutely smooth 12 “Got it!” 13 ___ vadis 21 Expensive 22 More than patch up 26 The Miners of the Western Athletic Conf. 27 Warranting an R, perhaps 30 Gibson and Brooks 31 “Good going!” 33 One to whom a warranty applies
flaws strategically. Have a staring contest with a snake. Take shopping lessons from an expert. Using a felt-tip pen, inscribe a sacred poem or symbol on a new pair of underpants, thereby transforming it into your special magic underwear that will make intriguing things happen whenever you wear them. Whisper a taboo secret while moving very fast, preferably on a roller coaster. Say a rowdy prayer each time you lick a Tootsie Roll Pop, and don’t stop until you reach the center. Round up someone — pay him or her if necessary — to be your yes-man or yes-woman for 24 hours.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
After studying the cosmic omens, I realized I’d be unable to glean your oracle until I was standing on holy ground. I left immediately for Spirit Rock Meditation Center, a Buddhist sanctuary near my home. There I sought out the outdoor prayer wheel, a brightly painted wooden cylinder inscribed with noble phrases like “wise speech” and “wise intention.” Buddhists believe that when this ritual device is spun on its axis, spiritual blessings are cast in all directions. As I reached for one of the handles to give it a whirl, I spied an awesome sight: Four salamanders had arrayed themselves on the section of the wheel that read “wise livelihood.” I knew I’d found my message for you, Scorpio. This week, do everything possible to get closer to making your money by serving your highest ideals.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
In 1977, English professor Coleman Barks had a dream that changed his life. In the dream, he was relaxing on a riverbank near his childhood home in Georgia. A ball of light floated towards him. It contained a man with his head bowed and eyes closed, sitting cross-legged and wearing a white shawl. The man raised his head, opened his eyes and said, “I love you,” and Barks answered, “I love you, too.” Some time after this dream, he met the same mysterious figure in waking life. It was a Sri Lankan holy man, Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, who ultimately set Barks on the path to becoming a translator of the dead mystic poet Rumi. Today Rumi’s books are bestsellers, largely due to Barks. I predict you will soon have a dream with equally potent possibilities for your fate, Sagittarius. I hope to God you remember it and write it down.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
The “problem” you now face is unprecedented: You are seeing too clearly, thinking too crisply and speaking too forthrightly. Normally I would celebrate this state of affairs, but right now it’s preventing you from even discovering, let alone taking advantage of, the subtle opportunities that life is offering you. These opportunities will only make themselves known if you relax your piercing gaze and invoke what we might call fuzzy logic. You know how at night you can see better if you look out of the corners of your eyes?
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
I’ve rarely seen astrological aspects so favorable for sublimating your libido in the quest for sublime truth. You will have cosmic law on your side if you attempt to do what a few mystics have claimed to accomplish: fall in love with the Divine Wow. Please note that the right kind of human partner can facilitate this erotic breakthrough; the wrong kind will distract you from it. Now read what the Indian saint Ramakrishna had to say: “Mad! One must become mad with love to realize God. When one attains ecstatic love of God, all the pores of the skin, even the roots of the hair, become like so many sex organs, and in every pore the aspirant enjoys the happiness of communion with the supreme universal self.”
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
You remind me of that rare hybrid known as the puwo, a cross between a poodle and a wolf. When the poodle part of you is dominant, you’re nervous, elegant and beautiful in a fragile way. When the wolf aspect is in control, you’re wild, restless and ferocious in a style that’s enigmatic and potentially dangerous. Sometimes, when the two facets are equally balanced, you’re an unpredictable X factor: nervous and wild, elegant and restless, fragile and ferocious. How much longer can you sustain this crazy-making drama? I hope and predict you’ll finish no later than August 20, since after that you won’t be able to get away with it. — © Rob Brezsny You can call Rob Brezsny, day or night, for your Expanded Weekly Horoscope
1-900-950-7700
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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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News of the
Weird L
argo, Fla., private school principal (and Disney fanatic) Dick Baker, 52, was under pressure in August to resign after revelations by the St. Petersburg Times that he took chosen middle-school-age girls (his “princesses”) on dozens of overnighters to the Disney World resort, during which he supplied them with Disney-themed costumes and swimsuits (and wore his own Disney pajamas). One princess made 81 trips. Baker’s friends and neighbors, and all the princesses, and most parents, support him, calling a recent police investigation (that was completed without charges) a witch hunt, but enough other people were puzzled by Baker’s frequent hugging and tickling of the girls, plus his Disney obsession, to call for his resignation. • In June, Milwaukee police officer Robert Henry, 34, was awarded lifetime disability benefits because of work-related stress, which he said was caused by the department’s decision to fire him for roughing up a misdemeanor suspect in a 2002 incident caught on videotape. (He was reinstated on appeal, but shortly after that filed for disability.) Henry, who had a total of four years’ service, will receive $23,000 immediately, then $39,000 a year for 29 years, and then collect his standard pension. People Different from Us • Police in Westerly, R.I., arrested Robert Brayman, 51, and his disciple Hobart Livingston in July and charged Brayman with commissioning Livingston to build a pipe bomb to kill a woman whom Brayman was stalking. According to police, Livingston believes Brayman has spiritual powers and submits himself nearly totally to Brayman, including having paid Brayman more than $13,000 over a threeyear period for protection of actress Natalie Portman, whom Livingston believes is in danger from creature-implanted eggs that might otherwise hatch without Brayman’s guardianship. Among the exercises Brayman uses to upgrade Livingston’s avoidance of evil spirits: having Livingston try to dodge BB’s fired by Brayman at a local cemetery. Urban Legends Come to Life • According to an Associated Press dispatch, a bolt of lightning struck the steeple at the First Baptist Church in Forest, Ohio, on July 1 (damage: $20,000) just as a guest evangelist was beseeching God for a sign from above. And, though it’s not quite the rocket ship of the urban legend, a Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is being configured with a 39,000-horsepower jet engine by a team of retired aircraft mechanics in Pierce County, Wash., to challenge the world land-speed record, according to a June story in the Tacoma (Wash.) News Tribune.
Latest Religious Messages • The family of the late Ben Martinez filed a lawsuit in June against the Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Fe (N.M.) because a priest had castigated lapsedCatholic Martinez during his funeral, telling guests that the Lord “vomited people like Ben out of his mouth to hell.” (The priest, Scott Mansfield, has since moved to another parish.) And Cheryl Bartges has not yet filed a lawsuit but did tell WABC-TV in New York City in July that her late father suffered grievously in the last hours before his death because a priest sent from the Diocese of Rockville Centre (N.Y.) to administer the last rites refused to do it, following an argument about the Catholic Church’s culpability in the child-molesting scandals. • Popular Lutheran pastor Thorkild Grosbold was suspended in June from his church in Tarbaek, Denmark, after he declined to retract his statements to a newspaper that he doesn’t believe in a “physical God,” or an afterlife, but believes instead that God is only a constant moral force; Denmark is a highly secular nation, but church leaders say that pastors still must believe in an actual God. And Tulsa, Okla., Christian evangelist Carlton Pearson recently expanded his “Gospel of Inclusion” (providing for universal salvation) to make clear that even Satan would be admitted to heaven if he apologized; the resurrection of Jesus, Pearson says, shows that hell is only a temporary condition, not a place. • Smited: Kim Russell, 35, collapsed and died in a hotel room in Yeovil, Somerset, England, in December (probably of “sudden death syndrome,” an inquest decided in July). She was in the room for a first-time rendezvous with the man with whom she had been carrying on an Internet-based romance and had been so excited to meet him that she had walked out on her husband and two children two days before Christmas. Unclear on the Concept • Darrell Krumnow, 29, pleaded guilty in Waco, Texas, in March to taking socalled “upskirt” photographs of a 19-year-old female clerk at Richland Mall. Krumnow was done in because, unlike other upskirt photographers who have figured out that they need to be discreet, Krumnow used a flash, which caught everyone’s attention. • In July, a judge in Sacramento, Calif., overruled a defense by two California Highway Patrol officers and decided that the lawsuit against them could proceed (by relatives of a man who accidentally fell down a gorge adjacent to Interstate 5 and who died because no one called for help). The officers had contended that, though they knew the man had fallen, law enforcement officers are under no duty to help if they had nothing to do with the original fall. • The Florida Legislature, faced with a mounting traffic accident rate caused by its increasingly older population but habitually unable to address the problem because of resistance by senior voters and their lobbyists, finally passed a law in May to improve highway safety. From now on, seniors’ eyesight will be tested at every license renewal, but only for drivers age 80 and older. — Chuck Shepherd © United Press Syndicate
I
spotted a beautiful girl on Wednesday at a local bar. To break the ice, I sent her and her girlfriends a round of drinks. She and I flirted and talked the entire evening, and I got her phone number when she left. Friday afternoon, I left her a message that a bunch of friends and I were meeting at a happy hour Friday after work. I left my cell number so she could call me back. A week has passed, and I still haven’t heard from her. This is weird, because she seemed like a great girl, and I was pretty sure we’d really hit it off Wednesday night. What’s my nex t move? — Telephone Silence Why wait until you have a relationship with a woman to take her for granted? Take her for granted right from the star t! Dating is the showroom for the relationship. Especially on the first few dates, it’s the lit tle things that count — like whether you use gold cord or red ribbon to tie the engraved dinner invitation on the dove’s leg when you send a flock of them through her bedroom window. Although communicating via rent-a-fowl isn’t a dating must, it does serve an impor tant function: let ting a woman know how much you care. Of course, so does a last-minute phone message informing her of an oppor tunity to stand nex t to you in a crowd scene with discount alcoholic beverage service. (At least you didn’t drive around looking for her, then yell an invitation out the car window: “Hey, I’m starved and my house is a mess — how about you come over and mop my floors and make me dinner?”) If she isn’t on a romantic dinner date with a guy who asked her out last week for this week, she’s probably wondering what we’re all wondering: Who was that guy buying her and her friends drinks on Wednesday, your stunt double? That guy would surely understand the dif ference between football and dating: you don’t give a “great girl” a twominute warning, then expect her to come running so you can tackle her. Until you come to understand this, your dating field will fail to resemble the playing field in a fundamental way — it will not include scoring. Your answering machine hit-and-run maneuver is unlikely to minimize your losses. In fact, you should never leave a recorded message for a woman you don’t know very
well. But, but ... you don’t want to get rejected, not to your face. Yes, you do. Because what’s worse than being rejected to your face is being rejected not to your face. When that happens, you’re never sure whether you really were rejected, or as you’d prefer to believe, you called the wrong number or she dropped her answering machine into the Ganges. Get this girl on the phone and explain that you were so impatient to see her that you kind of screwed up, and you should have asked her out for dinner. Then do it. The idea is to let her know how special she is to you; something you show by put ting a lit tle bit more time, ef for t and thought into sweeping her of f her feet than you would into brushing a fleck of lint of f your sweater. For courage, just imagine what you could be telling your grandkids: Grampy went to a bar where he met the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen — smar t, funny and all the trimmins’. Then Grampy called the woman and came of f like a huge dorkus, and cheap, too, so she never called him back — and that’s how he got stuck with Grammy!
I’ve been dating a guy for six months, and it’s going nowhere. He says he really wants us to be together, but all his time is consumed by work, and when he isn’t working, he’s out with his friends. He doesn’t call me except to return my calls, and he cancels our dates often. I should move on, but part of me feels some hope for us. Why am I so hung up on him? — Low Priority There’s no shame in making a beeline for the obvious. Millions of people do it every day, when they turn to the cof fee bar for their daily lat te instead of to the carburetor repair shop. Yes, this guy claims he wants to be with you, but he won’t so much as bend a time card to do it. This should tell you something, and not that his of fice has switched to recording worker hours on titanium. Unfor tunately, it doesn’t stop par t of you from feeling “hope for us.” Which par t of you would that be — the par t that’s always dreamed of walking of f into the sunset all by yourself, wondering whether your boyfriend’s having a good time with the guys, and straining to remember what he looks like? — © 2003, Amy Alkon
Got A Problem? Write Amy Alkon
171 Pier Ave., Box 280 • Santa Monica, CA 90405 or e-mail AdviceAmy@aol.com
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To respond to ads using a 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 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, 2037, 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 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, 6070, who’s honest and caring. ☎574264 WIDOWED SENIOR WF, honest, neat appearance, good sense of humor, seeking WM, 55-75, honest, caring. ☎449726 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
FROM THE HEART Handsome, outgoing, fun, young-looking SWM, 42, Virgo, N/S, seeks WF, 34-46, who likes to go out and is very nice. ☎605027
We Purchase Fine Swiss Watches, Estate Jewelry and Diamonds.
Monday-Saturday 10am-9pm 2635 Washington Road | Augusta, Georgia 30904 | 706.738.7777 www.windsorjewelers.net HANDY MAN Medium-built, tolerant, clean, financially secure DWM, 48, 5’10”, Aquarius, smoker, with a good sense of humor, enjoys cooking, house work, gardening, reading, music, cuddling. Seeking woman, 20-54, for long-term relationship. ☎607612 DELICATE HANDLING DWM, 27, 5’4”, Libra, N/S, does glass work, non-custodial dad, seeks a serious WF, 20-35, N/S, to settle down with. ☎589673 LOOKING FOR YOU Handsome SBM, 27, 5’8”, Aries, non-smoker, seeks woman, 24-33, non-smoker, who is independent and likes to have fun. ☎596431 MUTUAL RESPECT SWM, 28, 5’, brown/blue, Sagittarius, N/S, loves line dancing, shooting pool, and long walks. Seeking WF, 18-35, N/S, good-natured and good-hearted. ☎583044 FLEXIBLE AS A RUBBER HOSE DWM, 56, Leo, smoker, enjoys traveling, and partaking of the area restaurants seeks WF, 45-55, with an agreeable disposition. ☎583222 EASYGOING ALL-AROUND SBPM, 6’2”, 196lbs, educated, very secure, Leo, N/S, loves romantic moments, live music, and family time. Seeking BF, 28-42, N/S. ☎583499 EVERYDAY MAN SBM, 19, 5’7”, very outspoken, very outgoing, all ears, Capricorn, N/S, seeks BF, 18-28, N/S, for movies and mall shopping. ☎585897 FUN AND ROMANTIC DWM, 36, 6’1”, Gemini, N/S, likes talking, movies, exercising, and traveling. Seeking woman, 21-45, N/S, in shape, for romance. ☎573045 COUNTRY DAD Male, 39, 6’, 205lbs, sandy brown hair, with 2 children, Gemini, seeks and outgoing country woman, 28-45. ☎578137
HEART OF GOLD SWM, 31, 6’3”, 210lbs, brown/blue, enjoys reading, movies, travel, sports. Seeking outgoing, attractive SF, with similar interests, for friendship, possible LTR. ☎556440 LOOKING FOR MS. RIGHT SWM, 37, 5’9”, 180lbs, enjoys biking, sports, travel, dining out. Seeking outgoing, attractive SF, with similar interests, for friendship, possible LTR. ☎557954 SUN AND FUN SWM, 43, 5’7”, 160lbs, medium build, enjoys reading, movies, dining out, travel, dancing. Seeking SF, with similar interests, for friendship, possible LTR. ☎558039 NEW TO AREA SBM, 5’3”, 185lbs, enjoys travel, working out, sports, music, reading. Seeking attractive, outgoing SF, with similar interests, for friendship, possible LTR. ☎559583 ARE YOU THE ONE? SBM, 34, 5’10”, 170lbs, enjoys bowling, movies, travel, dining out, reading. Seeking positive, active woman to enjoy life with. ☎561078 SUMMER FUN SWM, 60, self-employed, enjoys casinos, reading, travel, sports. Seeking SWF, with similar interests, for friendship, possible LTR. Serious inquiries only. ☎556936 NEW TO AREA SBM, 30, 5’7”, medium build, caramel skin, Gemini, smoker, works in health care field. Seeking BF, 25-35, sure of herself. ☎568136 OUTDOORSMAN SWM, 19, Capricorn, N/S, landscape architect, likes sporting events, movies, fishing, hunting, anything outdoors, seeks SWF, 18-25, N/S, similar interests, who is outgoing, likes to have fun. ☎541345
Stud Finder YOU HAVE 6 NEW MATCHES
FIRST TIME AD Attractive SBF, 27, light-complected Pisces, non-smoker, seeks BM, 26-30, non-smoker, who is honest and interested in a long-term relationship. ☎603443 YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO SBF, 39, Leo, N/S, seeks BM, 38-45, down-toearth, very direct and straightforward, to have fun with. ☎582549 LOOKING FOR LOVE SWF, 24, blonde/brown, attractive, compassionate, easygoing, desires SWM, 24-34, honest, open-minded for friendship and companionship. ☎323553 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 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 I’D LIKE TO HEAR... what you have to say. SBF, 18, 5’5”, darkskinned, pretty, Aries, N/S, enjoys shopping, vacations, and movies. Seeking a man, 20-28. ☎578781 JUST BE THERE FOR ME SBF, 23, 5’2”, Pisces, N/S, enjoys traveling. Seeking a romantic WM, 25-31, N/S, for LTR. ☎576613 LEASING W/OPTION TO BUY SBF, 30, fun, outgoing, romantic Pisces, N/S, enjoys song writing, music, traveling, and conversation. Seeking man, 30-50, for friendship and more. ☎567142 RAINY DAYS AND COOKING... are a few of my delights. DBF, 38, 5’5”, 125lbs, pecan tan complexion, laid-back, down-toearth, Aquarius, smoker, N/D, seeks BM, 3045. ☎569952 STILL SEARCHING SWF, 47, 5’8”, 148lbs, Sagittarius, smoker, interests vary, seeks SWM, 37-48, for LTR. ☎342017 TABLE FOR TWO SWF, 57, 5’4”, blond/green, easygoing, outgoing, enjoys cooking, fishing, reading, NASCAR. Seeking honest, respectful S/DWM, 57-65. ☎965851 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 MAKE YOUR OWN DESTINY Loving, intelligent SBF, 34, seeks SBM, 35-45, for companionship, long walks, movies, dining out and more. ☎550597 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 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 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 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 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, commitment-minded, a handyman type, to share romance, fun, friendship and a possible lasting relationship. ☎488232 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, 3958. 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 WHOLE LOTTA LOVE SBF, 33, would like to share movies, dinners, quiet evenings at home, the usual dating activities, with a great guy. ☎463610 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 OUTGOING WF, 50s, 5’5”, 150lbs, brunette, likes dining out, dancing, cooking, interior decorating, more. Give me a call. ☎443130 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, 37-60, for possible LTR. ☎421273 A SPECIAL SOMEONE SBF, 25, mother, seek financially stable, independent man, 20-45, who loves children, for LTR . ☎415803 A SIMPLE GAL SWF, 35, 5’4”, seeks laid back man, 18-40, for casual dating, friendship maybe more. ☎418340 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
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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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To respond to ads using a 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 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 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
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 ON Male, 34, 5’10”, 180lbs, black/hazel, Capricorn, financially secure, smoker, seeks woman, 2739, smoker, petite, who loves Nascar and beaches. ☎429058 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 YOU WIN MY HEART SWM, 44, N/S, seeks clean, sincere, honest, intelligent, wise, crafty SBF, 35-45, N/S, for life mate and deep friendship. ☎611238
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 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 NO GAMES HERE SBM, 36, brown/brown, long distance truck driver, Aries, smoker, seeks honest W/HF, 3036, smoker, who likes to travel and is looking for LTR. ☎509226 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 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 WANNA DANCE? SWM, 37, smoker, wants to share outdoor fun (fishing, hunting, camping), with a wonderful woman. ☎464905 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
LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP Senior SWM seeks sincere, honest SWM, 2545, 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, funloving GBM, 30-50, for dating, possible LTR. ☎257126
LOOKING FOR LOVE Outgoing, spontaneous, loving, down-to earth SBM, 24, Sagittarius, non-smoker, seeks man, 19-50, to date and enjoy life. ☎602634 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 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 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 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 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 A NEW START Retired, fit, outgoing GWM, 44, enjoys walks, movies, sports, reading. Seeking outgoing GM, with similar interests, for friendship, possible LTR. ☎527836 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 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 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
How do you
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 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
Women Seeking Women
Men Seeking Men
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 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
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
GIVE ME A TRY GWF, 27, 5’7”, 150lbs, brown/blue, enjoys dancing, movies, travel, conversation. Seeking attractive, warm GF, with similar interests, for friendship, possible LTR. ☎553580
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
LOOKING FOR LOVE GBF, 19, enjoys reading, movies, dining out, travel, sports. Seeking GF, with similar interests, for friendship, possible LTR. ☎554721
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
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 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 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 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
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qLET’S MAKE MUSIC Petite SWF, 26, 5’6’’, seeking SWM to make sweet harmony with. Must 42142 know how to play all my notes. Serious replies only.
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Classifieds Employment
Club Argos Presents ...
An Evening to Benefit The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation Friday, August 15th • Showtime 11pm Featuring “the argos angels”and special guests
Tickets: $10 in advance, $15 at the door all proceeds to benefit amfar and the elizabeth taylor aids foundation
For more information call (706) 481-8829 1923 Walton Way, Augusta Ga. Alt. Lifestyles
Don’t Miss This Friday at
Club Argos …
Benefit for The Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation
The Shack ... You’ll Be Back
Fri, Aug. 15th
Monday-Sunday Happy Hour from 4pm-12 midnight $2 Long necks $3 Wells
Open @ 9pm Showtime @ 11pm
* LIVE ENTERTAINMENT * * DOOR PRIZES * Special thanks to: Caterers: • French Market Grill • Mimmo’s • Villa Europa • Yo Pizza • Smoak’s Bakery
Bar Sponsors: • The Playground • The Big Easy • The Blind Pig
Blue Party w/ Guest DJ No Cover Free Draft Beer
Thu
Karaoke Dance Party with DJ Joe Steel.
Fri
DJ Chip
Sat
DJ Buckwheat
Sun
& Other Local Sponsors
Wed
Karaoke 8-12 with DJ Joe
Sasha Sundays Her showcast is not just Drag it’s pure talent. Come let us entertain you. Show starts at 12:30am.
(803) 441-0053 425 Carolina Springs Rd North Augusta, SC
Argos welcomes Gay, Lesbian, Bi, BDSM, Swingers, TVTS & all openminded patrons
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)
Come have fun where the party doesn’t end!
Call us @ 481-8829 or email us at ClubArgos@aol.com
THE COLISEUM
Premier Entertainment Complex & High Energy Dance Music
Fri, 8/15 Hot Male Strippers Hollywood Creations Next Sat, 8/23 Lauren Alexander’s Birthday Bash
Drink Specials: WED $9 Wet N' Wild FRI & SAT Famous Beer Bust All You Can Drink $9
Open Mon-Fri 8pm-3am Sat 8pm-2:30am
Fri & Sat. No Cover Before 10 p.m. 1632 Walton Way • Augusta, GA
706-733-2603
Email: ColiseumAugusta@aol.com
www.metrospirit.com
Call 738-1142 to place your Classified ad today!
Request for Proposals The Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority (ARCCA) is seeking qualified proposals for companies to provide food and beverage service for the Augusta Richmond County Civic Center Complex. For more information, please contact: Linda G. Roberts, Assistant General Manager Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center Complex 601 Seventh Street P.O. Box 2306 Augusta, GA 30903 706-722-3521, ex t. 511 A pre-proposal conference and tour of the venue will be held at 601 Seventh Street, on September 9, 2003, at 1:00 PM, EST. At tendance is not mandatory. (08/14#8188)
Request for Qualifications Augusta Neighborhood Improvement Corporation, accepting sealed qualification from vendors for: Construction Manager, experience must be, but not limited to: Pricing Subcontractor Negotiation Quality Control, Timing & Specifications Draws & Compliance with codes Provide documentation demonstrating: Length of time in business Description of firm’s capacity Description of firm’s client base Resume’ for principal representative assigned to our organization Sealed submissions must be received at: Augusta Neighborhood Improvement Corporation 753 Broad Street, Suite 702 Augusta, Georgia 30901 At tn: Rober t A. Cooks, President & CEO No submissions accepted after August 15, 2003 ANIC reserves the right to: be sole judge of all responses and accept or reject any and all submissions. (08/14#8179)
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
Miscellaneous For Sale
READINGS BY
MRS. GRAHAM
Help Wanted 59 People needed to lose weight! All natural, doctor recommended 100% Guaranteed Call for free sample, 706-284-7650 (08/14#8171)
Equipment WOLFF TANNING BEDS AFFORDABLE • CONVIENENT Tan At Home Payments From $25/month FREE Color-Catalog Call Today 1-800-842-1305 (08/14#8131)
Private Investigator 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 (08/14#8183)
Professional Services VIRTUAL SENTRY Watch any location from remote sight over phone line or cell. Record activity with hidden cameras, in smoke detector’s, VCR’s, clock’s toy’s, etc. Call 706-564-5819 for more info. (8/14#8166)
Religion 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 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 (08/07#8184)
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 Chakra balancing. She specializes in relationships and reuniting loved ones.
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)
Roommate Seeking 2 males to rent rooms in private home. Good neighborhood, many ex tas. $100 wkly, utilites included, call for more information 706-733-0990 (08/14/#8175)
Travel
341 S. Belair Rd. Open from 9 a.m. til 9 p.m. Call (706) 733-5851
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 (08/14#8182) Professional Therapeutic Massage Prevention & Treatment Sciatica, Back, Neck, Hip, Knee, Ankle, Shoulder, Whiplash, Hamstrings, Tennis Elbow, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Repetitive Use Injury Therapy 706-592-9450 Or 399-8527 (08/14#8178) Professional Massage By experienced male. Designed for healthy men 18 - 45. A great way to rela x House & Hotel Calls Only 706-589-9139 (08/14#8190)
Musical Equipment KARAOKE 19 Disc - Country $110 41 Disc - Variety $199 63 Disc - Variety $249 100 Disc - Country $399 Rental Systems, DJ Services 706-790-3950 (09/04#8192)
www.metrospirit.com
M E T R O S P I R I T
Mind, Body & Spirit
SPECIAL READINGS WITH CARD
Benefits
51
Sharon Foust of the Vacation Shoppe, Specializing in Cruises. All inclusive Vacations and Leisure Travel. Offering Low Rates Give her a call at 706-414-9392 cell (09/04#8191)
Call 738-1142 to place your Classified ad! Wheels
Dead Bodies Wanted
We want your dead junk or scrap car bodies. We tow away and for some we pay. 706/829-2676
OR
706/798-9060
1994 Chevrolet Suburban, burgandy, loaded, 157K, gray leather interior, dual air bags, 10 disc changer, great condition, $6000 firm, 706-309-9314 leave message. (08/14#8189)
A U G 1 4 2 0 0 3
*Every Tire Includes 30 Day Ride Guarantee | Free Mounting | Free Lifetime Rotation
Continental Touring LX 70,000 Mile Warranty
50
$
99
P175/70R13
P185/65R14.............$74.99 P195/65R15.............$78.99 P205/65R15.............$79.99 P215/65R15.............$81.99 P205/70R15.............$76.99
75 & 80 Series only
Incredible Buy 4
P155/80R13
P185/75R14 P195/75R14
Oil Change & Filter
8
$
88
99
W/ completed Tires Plus Credit Card Application
YOUR CAR'S MOST FREQUENTLY NEEDED SERVICE!
• Install new oil filter • Includes refill of up to 5 qts. Kendall ® 10W-30 motor oil • Lubricate chassis (if applicable)
Plus environmental disposal fee.
Most cars & light trucks. Offer Ends 9-6-03
P205/75R14
Alignment
Eager
P175/70R13
65,000 M ile Warranty
TOURING
80,000 M ile Warranty
P195/60HR14........$68.99 P195/60HR15........$70.99 P205/60HR15........$72.99
99
P175/70R13
LT TRUCK / SUV
74
$
/T Dueler H
60,000 M ile Warranty
P235/75R15..........$84.99 P235/70R15..........$88.99 P255/70R16........$104.99
Touring LP
Luxury Performance
96
P225/75R15 P235/75R15
99 $
80,000 M ile Performance Touring R adial
50
$
P195/70R14 . . .$61.99 P205/70R15 . . .$72.99 P195/65R15 . . .$68.99
High P erformance 50,000 M ile Warranty
Limited Treadwear Warranty Ask for details
57
99
$
P175/70R13
P205/65R15 . . .$71.99 P225/60R16 . . .$84.99
Brakes
P195/65HR15 .....$58.99 P195/60HR15 .....$53.99 P205/60HR15 .....$56.99
A/C Check
OFF
THRUST
ASK ABOUT OUR LIFETIME ALIGNMENT!
• Inspect your vehicle's steering/suspension • Align vehicle to mfr.'s specifications • Road test vehicle Most cars & light trucks. Offer Ends 9-6-03
Any Brake Service over $99.99
Most cars & light trucks. Offer Ends 9-6-03
99
P185/65R15
P205/55HR16 .....$73.99 P245/45HR17 ...$104.99
Summer Maintenance
99 $
$
KEEP YOUR AIR BLOWING COOL!
• Inspect vehicles hose fittings and compressor • Adjust A/C belt • Perform system leak test • Run performance test Most cars & light trucks. Offer Ends 9-6-03
Most cars & light trucks. Offer Ends 9-6-03
Brake Check
Most cars & light trucks Offer Ends 9-6-03
Mon - Fri 7-7 - Saturday 7-5 - Sunday 9-4 - No Dealers, please
AUGUSTA CLEARANCE CENTER 2705 Peach Orchard Rd. (Closed Sun) ......706-798-8882 AUGUSTA EXCHANGE 274 Rob’t C. Daniels Pkwy................................706-667-8008 CENTRAL AUGUSTA 617 15th Street (Closed Sun) ...............................706-724-5800 EVANS CROSSING 4359 Washington Rd. ...............................................706-210-8010
99
Coolant flush, oil change & filter, 4-tire rotation & balance, front wiper blades, a/c check
FREE! FREE! FREE! Battery Check
Most cars & light trucks Offer Ends 9-6-03
99
P205/75R15
39 20 16 99
$
99
P185/60HR14
40,000 M ile Warranty
65
$
64
$
P185/65R14 . . . .$57.99 P205/65R15 . . . .$67.99 P225/60R16 . . . .$78.99
40,000 MILE WARRANTY
P205/75R15 P215/75R15
50
Here’s just what you need to start a new revolution. Tires Plus
4$FOR 4$FOR 4$FOR
80
PERFORMANCE
50
$
DAYS!
P195/70R14..........$78.99 P205/70R15..........$92.99 P215/70R15..........$95.99
Executive 40,000 MILE WARRANTY
Insignia
S-T Turanza L
* Prices good on in-stock Continental Touring LX tires only. No other discounts or offers apply. See store for details Offer Ends 08/31/03
40,000 MILE WARRANTY
PASSENGER
*With tire purchase. Balancing and stems extra.
Alignment
Check
Most cars & light trucks Offer Ends 9-6-03
We Honor Most National Accounts
HEPHZIBAH 2601 Tobacco Rd. ...............................................................706-790-0977 MARTINEZ 3849 Washington Rd. .............................................................706-860-6303 N. AUGUSTA 404 E. Martintown Rd. (Closed Sun) .................................803-278-4466