Crowds of folks will stretch out like a ribbon along routes through the downtown Fayetteville area as walkers and motorcy-clists take to the road for the Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation’s Friends of the Cancer Center 6th Annual Ribbon Walk & Ride for Cancer, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011, in Festival Park.

Last year, more than 1,000 walkers and riders participated in the event and raised more than $90,000 “to help cancer patients right here at home.” All proceeds benefit Friends of the Cancer Center, one of six friends groups within the Foundation that “…help develop programs to assist patients with needs that contribute to the heal-ing process, but that go beyond the scope of Cape Fear Valley’s mission to provide medical care and treatment,” according to the event website, www.ribbonwalkforcancer.org.

A press release for the event noted, “Through fundraisers, such as the Ribbon Walk & Ride, Friends of the Cancer Center provides prescription medicine, emergency funds for utilities, dietary supplements, transportation assistance, wigs, hats and scarves to Cancer Center patients.” Friends of the Cancer Center is supported 100 percent by donations and gifts and the help of 80 plus volunteers.

Chances are, everyone knows someone who is fighting cancer or who has fought cancer, and this is a way to help patients right here in Fayetteville. Friends of the Cancer Center’s Ribbon Walk welcomes all partici-pants willing to come out and walk for survivors and encourages survivors to be there, as well as any others who can walk for a co-worker, a friend, a son, a daughter, a spouse — anyone who is battling or has battled this killer disease.

Participants may register the day of the event or preregister at www.rib-bonwalkforcancer.org and download the donation form and view walk and ride routes. Additionally, people may donate to a particular walker, rider or team online. Registration is $25, and checks should be made payable to Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation. The top team and top three individual fundraisers will receive prizes, including T- shirts, stainless-steel water bot-tles, backpacks, caps and fleece jackets.

Registration and kickoff for the ride are at 8:45 and 9:45 a.m., respec-tively. Walk registration begins at 9 a.m., and the walk begins at 10 a.m.

For more information on the Ribbon Walk, sponsorship, registration or volunteering, please call Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation at 615-7618 or visit www.ribbonwalkforcancer.org.

Photo: Last year, over 1000 walkers and riders participated in the event and raised more than $90,000 to help cancer patients right here at home.

In 2002, when the first Soldiers began to return from Afghanistan, the nation was awash in yellow ribbons and American flags. Nowhere was that more obvious than in Fayetteville.

Fayetteville is the home to the more than 50,000 troops who are assigned at Fort Bragg and Pope Army Airfi eld. It is also the home of the XVIII Airborne Corps, the 82nd Airborne Division and the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. It has been said that when the world dials 911, the phone rings here at Fort Bragg.

The families of the soldiers who were going in and out of Afghanistan, and later Iraq, showed their support for their soldiers while they were deployed in very visible ways. And upon their return, the community welcomed them with open arms.

Flash back 40 years, and it was a totally different story.

In the late ‘60s and early ‘70s the streets of Fayetteville were also awash in a sea of uniforms. Hundreds of thousands of young men came to Fayetteville prior to shipping out to Vietnam and stopped there upon their return.

This close association with the military and the Vietnam War resulted in Fayetteville’s unfortunate moniker, Fayettenam. And, in its heyday, the name fit.

The soldiers, many of whom underwent training at Fort Bragg, went off to fight on foreign soil, and returned home to turned backs and protesters. Unlike their predecessors in World War I and World War II, there were no ticker-tape parades and the nation did not embrace them.

Today, Fayetteville is seeking to change that by hosting Heroes Homecoming, a 10-day homecoming celebration for Vietnam veterans that will culminate with a parade down Hay Street on Veterans Day.

According to organizers, Fayetteville created Heroes Homecoming as a way of showing all Vietnam veterans that they remember and appreciate their courage, their sacrifi ce and everything they’ve done to defend freedom — now and forever.

And just as they have shown today’s soldiers an outpouring of love, the city is pulling out all of the stops to show that love and thanks to the veterans they hope will travel to the city to take part in a celebration that many believe is long over due

.The event officially kicks off on Nov. 4, with an opening ceremony at the N.C. Veterans Park Amphitheatre at 10 a.m. And then a dizzy array of events follows for the next 10 days.

Throughout opening day and the remainder of the month, you can check out a variety of exhibits at Fayetteville’s many museums.

At the Arts Council of Fayetteville-Cumberland County, you can take in the Vietnam Photography Project and Witness: The American Vietnam Experience, as told by local Vietnam veterans and native-born Vietnamese. At the Museum of the Cape Fear, you can peruse Voices of the Vietnam Warand, on Fort Bragg, the John F. Kennedy Special Forces Museum is home to numerous exhibits focusing on Special Forces involvement in Vietnam.

The Airborne and Special Operations Museum, and the adjacent N.C. Veterans Park, can be considered ground zero for the celebration.

On Nov. 6 at 8 a.m., The Vietnam Moving Wall will be escorted to the museum by the Fayetteville Police Department and N.C. Rolling Thunder Chapter 1. At 3 p.m. a Salute to Veterans ceremony will officially open the parade field, featuring flags representing veterans from all services. The Vietnam Moving Wall will also be open to the public at this time.

The half-size replica of The Vietnam Wall in Washington, D.C., will allow visitors to experience seeing the more than 58,000 names of those service men and women who lost their lives during the Vietnam War. Rolling Thunder volunteers will assist with locating names for visitors. The Vietnam Moving Wall will be on the museum grounds and open to the public 24 hours each day from Nov. 6 through noon on Nov. 14.

The Airborne and Special Operations Museum Foundation is selling 30-inch fl ags ($5) to be displayed on the museum’s grounds from Nov. 6-14. According to Paul Galloway, executive director of the museum’s foundation, this year Vietnam veterans will be honored in a special way. “We are going to separate the Vietnam veterans’ fl ags by putting them in a place of honor directly in front of the Moving Wall. We feel this will help give these veterans the added recognition they deserve.”

Throughout the week the museum foundation will show free movies, such as Operation Dumbo Drop, The Green Berets, Platoon, Hamburger Hill, We Were Soldiers and Good Morning Vietnam.

“Before each showing there will be special guest speakers who are associated with that particular movie,” said Galloway. “We are especially pleased to be able to feature Adrian Cronauer, the U.S. Airman who was a DJ in Vietnam, before Good Morning Vietnam.”

All movies are free and open to the first 250 reservations.

On Nov. 11, a POW/MIA Vigil and MIA Recognition Ceremony will take place. Every hour on the hour the meaning of the Missing Man table will be explained and bios of current Vietnam MIAs will be read. This will take place from noon to 8 p.m.

On Saturday, Nov. 12, the day will begin with a Veterans Day Service and Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Vietnam Memorial at 10 a.m. A second ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. at the N.C. Veterans Park. This is the offi cial North Carolina Veterans Day celebration.

On Saturday, Nov. 12, events will be ongoing throughout Fayetteville’s historic downtown, but perhaps the most anticipated event is the Heroes Homecoming Veterans Day Parade at 11 a.m. All Vietnam veterans are welcome to participate in the parade.

One veteran who will be on hand is Rossy Nance. He is a Vietnam veteran who proudly served in the Air Cavalry. Nance, the vice president of the N.C. Vietnam Vet Association, will be driving a restored Vietnam-era jeep and trailer in the parade.

For a complete calendar of events, visit www.heroeshomecoming.com or see the schedule located on page 11.

Photos: middle left; Rossy Nancy, vice president of the N.C. Vietnam Vet As-sociation, will be one of the many Vietnam veterans who participate in the Veterans Day Parade. Bottom right; The arrival of the Moving Wall in Fayetteville will be an integral part of the Heroes Homecoming Celebration. 

“Goooooood Morning Fayetteville!” Those aren’t exactly the words that made Adrian Cronauer famous, but they are important because Cronauer, a Vietnam-era military radio broadcaster, will be in Fayetteville to help welcome home and salute Vietnam veterans.

Cronauer, the inspiration for the main character in the 1987 film Good Morning Vietnam, is also the author/screenwriter. Robin Williams was nominated for and received an Academy Award for his portrayal of Cronauer in the movie, which deals with issues of censorship by the military in the reporting of the war, and the relationships and betrayals that were part of the daily lives of military men and women serving in Vietnam.

As part of the Heroes Homecoming celebration, Adrian Cronauer will be in Fayetteville Veteran’s Day weekend, participating in many of the scheduled events and welcoming home America’s Vietnam War veterans.

In a recent telephone interview, Cronauer recounted how the movie came to be. When he first wrote the script, it was in the form of a sitcom. M*A*S*H was at the top of the ratings and so was WKRP in Cinncinati. It made perfect sense to Cronauer that a sitcom about broadcasting and war had potential so he wrote a script based on his time as an armed forces DJ in Vietnam. The television industry wasn’t interested and turned Cronauer away.

The script eventually made it into Williams’ hands. He saw potential in the story and was willing to take a chance with it, which paid off for Cronauer.

“I took a year off college to travel the lecture circuit right after the movie came out,” said Cronauer. “What I made doing that paid for law school.”

Later he worked as the Special Assistant to the Director of the Pentagon’s POW/MIA Office.

“It was an amazing thing, when the movie fi rst came out, to see Robin on the screen as Adrian Cronauer,” said Cronauer adding that “If you ever see it again, keep in mind, and anyone who has ever been in the military will tell you, that if I did even half of the stuff that Robin did in the movie I’d still be in Leavenworth!”

At an event as meaningful as the Heroes Homecoming who better to extend a hand of welcome to veterans than one of their own?

“It is very common among Vietnam veteran’s to greet each other with the phrase ‘Welcome Home,’” he said. “No one else ever said that to them. With events like Heroes Homecoming we are finally changing that.”

He’ll only be in town for a few days, but Cronauer’s schedule is packed. He’ll speak at the opening of Miss Saigon, attend the American Red Cross gala, speak at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum’s showing of Good Morning Vietnam, attend the Darius Rucker concert at the Crown Theatre and attend the Veterans Day Parade.

Cronauer will also have the honor of emceeing the USO of N.C. Variety Show at the Crown with Connie Stevens,who is remembered fondly by Vietnam vets for the time she spent entertaining them at hastily put together USO shows in jungle outposts.

“I was there with USO troupes,” Stevens said during a 1998 interview with the New York Daily News. “I was there with Bob Hope and with Neil Armstrong in 1969 and 1970.”

She did what many talented young starlets did: They sang, they danced and they fl irted with the boys who became men long before their time. “I was only a young star at the time, but I landed in the middle of jungles and felt what it was like to be shot at and to hear explosions in the distance.”

Like Stevens, Cronauer, who says his 15 minutes of fame is fading, is sincere in his commitment to this particular generation of vets, and says he is looking forward to connecting, celebrating and remembering with his brethren during Heroes Homecoming. Find out more about the 10-day celebration honoring Vietnam veterans at www.heroeshomecoming.com.

Photo: Above: Adrian Cronauer during his radio days in Vietnam. Right: Connie Stevens with Bob Hope at a USO show in 1969.

Fall's This, That, and the Other

It is impossible not to be horrifi ed by the shooting of a 15-year-old student at Cape Fear High School late last month.

All of us, including this mother of three, kiss our Precious Jewels goodbye on school mornings as they head for the school bus or the carpool. We hope they will have a successful day both in class and in their social scenes. We might fret over looming band, forensic, soccer or cheerleading tryouts, a scary test they are facing, the often vicious atmosphere on playgrounds and in lunchrooms or some other anxiety transmitted from child to parent.

I suffered more of the above than I like to recall.

I cannot, however, remember a single day when I sent a child to school fearing he or she might be shot on campus.

The shooting at Cape Fear High School occurred with professional educators doing their jobs in close proximity on what was, by all accounts, a normal school day. Nothing seemed off kilter, just students, teachers, and administrators going about their routine and responsibilities two months into a school year.

Then came a shot from nowhere, aimed, apparently, at no one.

What a mystery is the human brain!

Even more, what a mystery is the teenaged human brain!

Current science suggests that it takes decades for our brains to come into their own — for our judgment to catch up with the stunning physical capabilities of our bodies. If we are honest with ourselves, all of us remember some really stupid action we took because we could and because our young brains did not snatch the behavioral reins and say “Whoa!”

So what are we to make of what happened at Cape Fear?

No suggestion of adult slacking has been fl ated nor has any hint of teenaged provocation. The incident appears so ill-conceived, so random and so completely avoidable that it could only have come from a teenaged brain.

Those teenaged brains have changed many lives, including their own, forever and now they must live with the consequences.

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The ongoing Occupy Wall Street movement, now camping out in New York City and in many other places around the country, is all about the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. It expresses this sentiment, in part, by saying the richest 1percent is making all the decisions for the other 99 percent of us, although the concept remains a bit sketchy.

OWS does have a point about the dangers of pronounced financial inequity in any society.

Richard Wilkinson, a retired British medical school professor of social epidemiology and author of The Spirit Level has studied the social health differences in nations with high disparities in wealth and those whose wealth distribution is more level, and the news is not good. Says Wilkinson about countries with signifi cant gaps, “Mental illness is say, three times as common. Life expectancy is lower. Teenage births are much, much higher, rates of violence as measured by homicide are much higher.”

There are many ways to calculate and assess wealth, of course, and much discussion about the importance of rewarding merit in any culture. It is worth noting, though, that by many measures the gap between the haves and the have-nots in the United States is among the largest in the world in industrialized nations, and that gap — by almost any measure one uses, is growing. Our rich are indeed getting richer and poor, poorer.

Cheery news, n’est pas?

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When they perceive dear old Mom is a tad ornery, my Precious Jewels call me Andy, shorthand for Andy

Rooney, everyone’s favorite curmudgeon.Rooney, now 92, retired last month from his long and award winning career in journalism, which culminated at CBS. For 34 years and 1097 broadcast essays, he harrumphed on camera behind a walnut table he made himself about all the things that drove him — and many of us — crazy. How do you feel about annoying relatives, pricey bottled water, unwanted and unreturnable Christmas presents, multiplying brands of cars and milk? How about the cost of groceries and gas and grandstanding politicians?

Andy was not shy about what he thought on these and a smorgasbord of other topics big and small. He gave voice to what many of us were thinking, too. In his last grumpy essay on CBS’s Sixty Minutes, Rooney bid farewell to his friends, viewers, and fans.

He also requested that if any of us see him out to dinner somewhere that we just keep our good wishes to ourselves and let him enjoy his meal in peace.

As we say in the South, bless his sweet heart.

Photo: Rooney, now 92, retired last month from his long and award winning career in journalism, which culminated at CBS. For 34 years and 1097 broadcast essays, 

Response to Occupy Wall Street

Hey, just a minute Mr. Publisher. Could you possibly be misreading the Occupy Wall Street movement?

My read on the “sit-in” of 2011 is an American public angry with the Wall Street-Washington cartel that is gutting the middle class. It is not a protest against capitalism but the against a “bastardization” of capitalism that allows a Goldman-Sachs to post its first loss in earnings this quarter and still set aside $10 billion for year-end executive bonuses. It is frustration with hundreds of millions of dollars anonymously “invested” into national and state campaigns to assure ownership of politicians. (Did you know that Congressmen Chris and Dodds were the biggest recipients of Wall Street campaign largess?)

If you are the average guy earning $20 an hour in a plant you have no clout in Washington.

You state that this nation was built on capitalism and the vision of entrepreneurs. I agree with you. But capitalism requires “capital”.

The cozy deal between D.C. and Wall Street that struck down the firewall and allowed the investment banks to move into the conservatively managed arena of the commercial banks blew up the housing sector. This critical sector not only employed a lot of people and kept manufacturing humming but was also the original retirement account for most Americans — the equity in a home. Millions of homeowners are still underwater or facing foreclosure. Employment opportunities go unmet as potential workers can’t sell a house and move (i.e. BRAC).

Occupy Wall Street is demanding some answers on why our tax dollars were used to bail out the “big banks” and those government bastions of confl ict of interest: Fannie and Freddie. Local banks are in shell shock, very cautious and over regulated. The result is “no capital” capitalism — no mortgages, no business loans, no lines of credit unless you have enough money that you do not need a loan.

Other Occupy Wall Street frustration is directed at a tax code that helps the rich get richer. If you believe that the rich really pay taxes I have some shocking news for you. Do you recall that our treasury secretary got a “pass” on forgetting to file his return? The 1 percent has lawyers, accountants, corporations and a “favorable” tax code that has resulted in an income disparity that is outrageous. While we worker bees have had incomes that are “flat lined” for the last 30 years, the wealthy have soared into the economic stratosphere with not a responsible glance back at the ravages of their excess. Deregulation of the commodities market (that was once the safety net of farmers) has allowed hedge funds to “win” (not earn) billions of dollars. In a system that has Goldman-Sachs executives moving between major government positions and the bank, we can’t fix this system by just voting. It will take major structural changes.

That is why I give Occupy Wall Street a pat on the back. They are doing what angry, frustrated Americans do when they do not know how to change the process. They are in the streets raising awareness to our increasingly dangerous future. They may not have candidates — nor did the Tea Party originally. And they may not have the ballot answers — but neither does Congress, our President or our courts. They are successfully forcing the system to pay attention. They are demanding reform:

• Reform of an unfair tax code

• Reform of a broken political process

• Reform of a “rigged” economic system

• Reform of a system that favors 1 percent over 99 percent

• Reform of a system that no longer offers the dream of upward mobility.

The Thing   (Rated R)  3 Stars

The prequel The Thing (103 minutes) needs to get from point A to point B. Point B, of course, equaling all the details revealed in the 1982 John Carpenter remake of the 1951 movie, The Thing From Another World, which was itself based on the John W. Campbell, Jr. short story, “Who Goes There?”

Those details include a charred and smoking two-headed corpse, a large block of ice with the top middle portion miss-ing, a radio guy with frozen blood at his wrists, a dog running from an abandoned research station, two dudes who only speak Norwegian flying a helicopter to shoot the aforementioned dog, and most importantly, no survivors at the station.

Yes, the film does that. But I am still not sold on the idea that the film needed to be made at all. There are one or two im-provements to the original plot, but for the most part, the flaws of the original remake (which still managed to be a great movie) carry over into the prequel without any of the redeeming points. There are still far too many cast members, many of whom behave like idiots. Despite the minor improvements to the narrative, the prequel is burdened by a lack of creativity and an overabundance of computer generated effects. Rob Bottin didn’t need a com-puter to scare the bejeebies out of the audience with the 1982 spider head guy and right now, even though he is alive, he is rolling over in his grave.

The 2011 version opens a few days before the 1982 version. A Norwegian science team has nearly fallen on top of a large hunk of metal. In a dramatic scene, there are stuck upside down in a glacial crevasse. I bet the story of how they escaped this seemingly inescapable situation would be an exciting tale! Too bad we don’t get to hear it. Maybe they died? I can’t tell. All grimy, frozen, snow suited, dirty-joke-telling Norwegians look alike.

A scene shift introduces both Dr. Sander Halverson (Ulrich Thomsen) and improbable paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). I mean, she seems competent enough when dissecting the saber tooth (?), but loses that pretty quickly in the face of a male authority, which spends quite a bit of time telling her to hush. Imagine how Macready would have reacted if a Halverson told him to shut his trap and concentrate on extracting the monster? He would have whipped out the flame thrower in about five seconds. After all, he does spend most of the 1982 film restraining and killing people who turn out not to be monsters at all. Good times.

Anyway, completely ignoring the possibility of expos-ing the entire station to an alien pathogen, everyone gathers round the ice block to collect a sample using a drill. During a drunken Norwegian celebration, American pilot Derek (Adewale-Akinnuoye-Agbaje) watches The Thing escape from the block of ice. The group splits up, and we get our first on-screen casualty, Henrik (Jo Adrian Haavind). Kate and Adam (Eric Christian Olsen, looking like a young Cary Elwes) perform an autopsy and discover that even after burning, The Thing is still alive on a cellular level.

Too bad she puts all the pieces together after the pilots have already left the base with a couple of shell-shocked survivors, one of whom immediately trans-forms and eats the other. Because, for an alien, that is a totally reasonable re-sponse when you are in midair and in full view of witnesses.

The cast is steadily whittled down and the film approaches the climax in fairly short order. The film ends on a fairly ambiguous note, although the disap-pearing/reappearing Lars (Jørgen Langhelle) remains a bit puzzling, almost as if the filmmakers left him out of the sec-ond third of the film because they couldn’t figure out what to do with him.

Now showing at Wynnsong 7, Carmike 12 and Carmike Market Fair 15.

During the first 10 days of November, the Fayetteville community will honor Vietnam veterans during the Heroes Homecoming event. The Cape Fear Regional Theatre is doing its part to honor these American heroes through the staging of Miss Saigon.

Miss Saigon, a modern adaption of the opera Madame Butterfly, is set during the closing days of America’s involvement of Vietnam and revolves around an American soldier and a Vietnamese girl who find love in the midst of war and its associated pain. The two are ripped apart as Saigon falls, and the musical ultimately addresses the hard questions of what people will do to survive and who are the real victims of war.

Under the direction of Bruce Lumpkin, the cast of Miss Saigon has been working at a quick pace to put the show together. According to Lumpkin, who is revisiting the play for the fifth time, the staging of this show in Fayetteville is going to be unique.

“Each time I’ve done the show, it has been totally different,” said Lumpkin, “but this one will be even more different. We are using a lot of projections and photo montages to bring people into the story.”

Lumpkin hopes that the use of actual footage and photos of the fall of Saigon will help people really see the reality of that moment and the way that people’s lives were torn apart.

“I know that many people in the audience will have served in Vietnam and will have memories of those days,” said Lumpkin. “I hope this will strike a chord with them and those memories.”

For Shannon Tyo, who is playing the role of Kim, the show is very personal.

“For someone of my age and ethnicity and vocal range, this part is tailor made for me. It is a beautiful, wonderful part, and hopefully I can do it until the day I die,” said Tyo. “I love this part.”

“I was adopted from Korea when I was 3-years-old. In the musical, Kim is forced to make a very difficult choice concerning her child,” she explained. “For me, it is interesting to see what it is like from the mother’s side. I think about a lot of things that have happened in my life, and think about the mother who wanted a better life for her child, like Kim wants for her child. This is truly a story of great love and sacrifice.”

Tyo, like Lumpkin, is very aware that many in the audience may have actually lived through these times, and sees it as a great honor to get to perform for them.

“This is really a beautiful interpretation of the musical,” she said. “Being here in this place with such a strong miltiary background, it is very important for us to get things right. I am nervous to a certain extent, but I am very excited for them to see what we are doing. I hope it is going to be beautiful and mov-ing for them, and I am excited for them to come and see it.”

Of the videos and photos, she noted, “It’s mind-blowing how the videos and photo take you exactly where you need to be. In an instant, you are in Sai-gon in 1973.”

Lumpkin has been working night and day to ensure that atmosphere is set. “Miss Saigon is a big show, but it is also a very intimate piece of theatre. If it is well done, and you have a great group of people — like we have here – you don’t need the expansive scenery or the helicopter, because the story is what is important.”

The musical will run from Nov. 3 through Nov. 20. Tickets range in price from $12 to $27. All Vietnam veterans will recieve tickets for $15, while other veterans will receive a $3 discount. For show times, and to make reservations, visit the website at www.cfrt.org.

“October is the weirdest month” as T.S. Elliot might have writ-ten. The weather finally becomes perfect but people and institu-tions seem to come unhinged with the first chill of Autumn. That fluttering noise you hear is the sound of the wings of the chickens coming home to roost on Wall Street with the Occupy Wall Street campers. If you listen closely to the Republican Presidential de-bates, the angry candidates seem to be chanting, “It’s zombie time in America.” And the zombies are hungry.

As much as would-be Presidents try to reanimate Ronald Reagan, Ronnie ain’t coming back. And they are no Ronald Rea-gan. Each Republican candidate has to prove he has more bumper sticker ready solutions to complex problems than the next one. It’s the end of the world as they know it, and they don’t feel fine. The sunny optimism of the Gipper cannot light the doom and gloom of the Presidential debaters.

The Republican Presidential debates are even more gruesome than the return of AMC’s cable show The Walking Dead. There are a few living humans among the candidates, Mitt, Cain and Perry. The others are undead but don’t know it. They won’t lie down or go away. They haunt the Republican debates from the far ends of the stage, sniping at first one front-runner, then another.

“Brains! Brains! We must have brains!” they mumble in Zombie-speak. Michele Bachmann, the Newtster and Santorum are politically dead but still walk among us. Huntsman, believing in evolution, has no chance. Ron Paul is auditioning for his third party run against Mitt and President Obi. Ron is not among the undead. Like Dracula, he will rise up as the Tea Party’s candidate for President to suck the life out of Mitt’s campaign and re-elect President Obi. Thanks, Ron Paul.

Whereever you look, spookiness is on the march. It’s not just the Presidential debates and the return of the usual Halloween/Christmas shopping season. Lions, tigers and bears escape a private zoo in Ohio to terrorize mid America. Weirdness stalks the land like that piece of moldy celery in the far back of your refrigerator’s vegetable crisper. It remains in the recesses of the crisper until it smolders into a wretched gooey bio-mass.

Speaking of wretched gooey bio-masses, I have learned a lot about zombies from watching The Walking Dead. For those of you who are not familiar with this excellent show, a summary is in order. A plague swept the Earth wiping out most humans except for a hearty band of intrepid souls who are trying to find happiness and sanctuary from the undead somewhere in Georgia. Zombies are traveling in herds looking for human grub. Fortunately zom-bies are not really smart and can often, but not always be avoided. Being undead, zombies have certain medical impairments. Zom-bies suffer from conjunctivitis. Their eyes, when they have them, are always red and runny. Zombies seldom bath. They are decom-posing so you can smell them before you actually see them. Most zombies need extensive dental work as good oral hygiene is not a priority among the undead. They don’t floss or even brush their fangs. Zombies need orthotics. They suffer from foot drop, a condition in which the muscles of the foot malfunction in lifting the zombie’s feet, causing the distinctive shuffle that zombies have when pursuing prey.

Not all zombie qualities are suboptimal. As zombies do not breathe, they never get winded. They can chase human prey for many miles without tiring. Zombies are egalitarian. They will eat anybody. They have no leader. As such, all zombies are created equal. The opinion of one zombie, no matter how humble, is respected by all the other zombies, much like the organizational style of Occupy Wall Street.

The Occupy Wall Street movement has spread across the globe like kudzu on steroids. There’s camping in the streets, from Baltimore to D.C. Our friendly Tea Baggers have been pushed off the nightly news by the Occupy Wall Street crowd as the media’s flavor of the week. The Tea Baggers are crankier now. Mitt is going to be the Republican nominee and the OWS people are stealing their limelight. They are reduced to yelling at those dratted neighbor kids to get off their lawn

.The most frightening October news is the return of Beavis and Butthead to MTV after many years ab-sence. The horror. The horror.

While walking around FTCC’s Fayetteville campus, it is hard not to notice the banners and posters with I-PASS on them. But really, what is it? Is it a place? Is it a concept? Is it a person? Well, it is all of those things!

The developmental studies division has expanded to include services spe-cifically tailored to its students. Who is a developmental student? Any stu-dent taking one or more of the follow-ing courses: ENG 070, 080 and 090; or MAT 050, 060, 070, 080 and 090; or RED 070, 080 and 090. Students enrolled in these courses can go to either the I-PASS Center in Cumberland 314 or the McLean Learning Lab in Cumberland 315 to receive services

.I-PASS offers multiple services to assist developmental students. First, developmental students can receive intrusive advising. During an intrusive advising session, an advisor informs the students of financial aid limitations, developmental course-work, attendance policies in developmental courses, repeat policies for developmental courses and much more. An intrusive advising session lasts about 20 minutes and allows students the opportunity to ask ques-tions and voice any concerns they may have about college.

Second, I-PASS offers professional tutoring by instructors who actually teach the courses. In addition, student tutors are available to assist with problems. If students prefer to work alone, they can check out a net-book to work on during the time they spend in the I-PASS Center. Coming soon, math students will be able to uti-lize a SMART board to further improve their math skills.

Finally, the I-PASS Center has a full-time counselor who is available to assist with personal, emotional or behavioral issues. The counseling ses-sions are confidential, and appointments may be made ahead of time. The counselor also provides workshops per-taining to student issues like time- or stress-management.

Does I-PASS really work? Yes! The more time students spend receiv-ing tutoring, the better their grades. Further, over 90% of students who receive tutoring are either satisfied or very satisfied. In addition, over 82% of students who received intrusive advising were either satisfied or very satisfied with their experience.

So the next time you see one of those I-PASS signs, you will know how I-PASS can help you. Stop by sometime; we will be waiting!

Photo: During an intrusive advising session, an advisor informs the students of finan-cial aid limitations, developmental coursework, attendance policies in devel-opmental courses, repeat policies for developmental courses and much more.

With the gorgeous fall weather we are having, there is no better way to spend a day off than competing for a good cause. The 2011 “Heroes Crusade: An Athlete’s Campaign” is made up of three athletic events designed to honor the military.

The first in the three-day event is a golf tournament to be held in Hope Mills at the Cypress Lakes Golf Course on Friday, Nov. 4. Registration begins at 8 a.m. for a 9 a.m. shotgun start. Teams will be chosen “Captain’s Choice.”

According to the sponsor, “There will be a raffl e for the chance to win great prizes, including a one million dollar hole in one and a $2,500 putting contest. Volvo is also sponsoring a hole in one, where you will have a chance to win a new car!”

Individual golfer registration is $75.00, or $300 per team. Registration includes breakfast catered by Chick-fi l-A, generous goodie bags, and a lunch catered by Hardees.

Cypress Lakes Golf Course, just 2 ½ miles off I-95, offers fast, championship-style greens which are fairly designed for any level player.

All proceeds from the tournament benefi t the Wounded Warrior Project, the Green Beret Foundation, Ride to Recovery and AMBUCS. AMBUCS is a program to provide ambulatory bikes for parapalegic vets.

The golf tournament is an expansion of the previous Fallen Warrior Rugby Tournament. The rugby match to honor 100 fallen “ruggers” is on Saturday, Nov. 5, at the Jordan Soccer Complex on Ramsey Street.

The players will each proudly wear the jersey number of one of their fallen brethren to honor the sacrafi ces so selfl essly made for our country.

The Fallen Warrior Rugby Tournament was inherited by Dr. John Tinsley, who felt that as a military community Fayetteville deserved a bigger event to honor our fallen veterans. He expanded the match to a three day, three event opportunity to raise money for several charities that assist veterans, rather than just one.

Says Tinsley, “I just felt that Fayetteville needed to do more in terms of … making something designed around the military that Fayetteville can hang its hat on.”

There is an affi liated 5K run/walk and 18/36/62 bike ride on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011. The events all start at the Medical Arts Building in Fayetteville, N.C. Start times vary, but times and courses will run simultaneously.

The Heroes Crusade Tournaments are being held in conjunction with Heroes Homecoming — a two-week celebration dedicated to honoring Vietnam veterans.

For more information about the tournaments or to register, visit http://heroescrusade.org. There you can find information about the supported charities and inspiring videos of wounded veterans. You may also email the event coordinator at: tinsley982@aol.com.

Photo: The 2011 “Heroes Crusade: An Athlete’s Campaign” is made up of three athletic events designed to honor the military

Heads up, everyone! We have an opportunity here.

The N.C. Farm Center, Cumberland Co. Extension Service and Sustainable Sandhills have banded together to test the market for a CSA (Community S

upported Agricultural) project.The All American Home Grown organization will allow all you city-folk to place orders for all your favorite seasonal fruits and veggies and get them delivered from your local farmers right to your table.

Watermelon, blueberries, asparagus, squash, okra, sweet potatoes and cantaloupe — getting hungry yet? Maybe throw in the availability of local honey, fresh eggs and flowers.

The “farm to table” co-ops exist in our neighboring counties. Farm2Table in Moore County has 800 members and SE Feast is supplying the chefs in Myrtle Beach. Cumberland County certainly has citizens with sophisticated and varied tastes as recently proved again with the International Folk Festival. Now it’s your turn here in Fayetteville to buy truly fresh produce directly from the farmer — if we get enough support.

The All American Home Grown will expand the market and support local farmers who will plant to meet your culinary desires. And the variety of fresh produce you receive is truly fresh — not having traveled the roads to sit in genetically altered states to preserve the “shelf life.”

This last summer the N.C. Farm Center donated melons and squash to Second Harvest. I was shocked to learn it was the first time the churches had fresh produce to deliver. Children attending school also had “surprises” (watermelon and cantaloupe) in their school “Buddy Packs.”  This is just an anecdote to get the word out that we still have a ways to go on nutrition.

So here’s the plan: A family or organization enrolls to receive a box of produce that usually contains a variety of five seasonal fruits and vegetables. The average cost is around $25 — about what I paid for four fresh tomatoes last summer.

A subscriber is not required to take a box every week and some subscribers (i.e. the local hospital) can often order 18 boxes. If there are more “goodies” than you can use, share it with your family members, neighbors or have a dinner party featuring interesting new recipes (usually provided in your box along with the produce).

But, we need your opinion — and it is easyto give.

Go to www.sustainablesandhills.org.

Click on the Cumberland Co. Food Survey (left hand side of the page).

I wonder how many of you know that all of that produce is available locally and that those were the growing seasons. It’s interesting and fun.

Once we compile 500 surveys we can begin to work with the local farmers to set aside acreage to meet those consumer desires. And I promise you we will print the survey results on the top three seasonal favorites and what else you would like to find in your boxes.

So let’s get to it. Spring is coming! And we are a community that should support All American Home Grown.

Yin Yang

If a pollster rings up today and asks us what we think of the Tea Party and the newer Occupy Wall Street movement, many of us would say that they are different groups entirely, maybe even polar opposites.

Some of us might go on to say that the Tea Party is a right-wing movement, giving a more boots-on-the-ground boost of energy to Republicans but also giving the GOP establishment a bad case of heebie jee-bie anxiety lest the rightest right Tea Partiers scare independent voters directly into the Democratic fold. Some of us might also say that Occupy Wall Street is a liberal movement, well intentioned but risking damage to American free enterprise with a credo and goals so amorphous that not even the die-hard adherents camping out all over American are able to articulate them.

Some of us might well be wrong.

The Tea Party rose to national prominence in the weeks and months preceding the 2010 General Elections. It is a seemingly populist movement born of the frustration of a sour economy and fueled by animosity toward government at all levels. If the Tea Party had a slogan, it would almost certainly be the words of its iconic President, Ronald Reagan, who intoned at every opportunity, “Government is the problem, not the solution.”

The Tea Party mopped up for Republicans in the 2010 off year elections, changing the balance of power in Congress and in state legislatures across the land.

Enter Occupy Wall Street carrying signs saying “Eat the Rich” and attacking the excesses of American Big Business, the financial institutions and their practices which drove us smack into the Great Recession from which we have yet to thoroughly emerge. Its Democratic leaning mes-sage says that the rich must pay their fair share of taxes, at least in the same percentages as middle-class teachers, policemen, fire fighters, and mom and pop businesses. You and I may be counting our pennies, but Forbes recent release of the 10 highest-paid CEOs in the nation shows that some people need not worry at all. Someone I have never heard of, John Hammergren of McKesson, a health care conglomerate, will bring home the top paycheck this year at a cool $161,000,000. Everyone’s favorite polo enthusiast, Ralph Lauren, comes in a somewhat distant second, bringing home $66,700,000 worth of bacon this year. It is hard for people out of work and maybe even for some diehard free-enterprisers to make sense of those numbers, but they are kerosene on the flames for Occupy Wall Street.

So, can we expect our television screens to be covered by Tea Partiers and Wall Street Occupiers yelling at each other every second between now and Election Day 2012?

I suspect not as much as one might think, because while their political leanings may indeed tilt in opposite directions, both movements were birthed by the same tired mother.

Both were born of economic frustration and alienation from society at large. President Obama spoke about this to ABC News on his visit to North Carolina last month.

Addressing Occupy Wall Street, the President said, “I understand the frustrations being expressed in those pro-tests. In some ways, they’re not that different from some of the protests we saw coming from the Tea Party. Both on the left and on the right, I think people feel separated from their government. They feel that their institutions aren’t looking out for them.”

The President is right.

Millions of Americans do feel that way, even those of us who are neither Tea Partiers nor Occupy Wall Streeters.

For several months now, I have been explor-ing different eras of American history, particu-larly our Civil War and World Wars I and II, pondering what events and movements gave rise to massive societal change. My own generation initiated tremendous change during the 1960s, although this Baby Boomer certainly did not grasp the magnitude of change and its repercussions at the time.

Could it be that the Tea Partiers and Occupy Wall Street are the advance guard of a larger movement that will demand reform of both gov-ernment and business? Are we witnessing the first stretches and stirrings of the tiger of change of the Precious Jewels’ generation, a tiger that will sweep away the old and tired and replace them with something yet to be formed?

No one knows the answers to those questions, but 2012 and the elec-tions next fall will certainly reveal clues. As unscientific as this may be, I sense significant change not unlike what I experienced earlier in my life forming at this later stage of my journey.

Yin Yang.

Perhaps.

Polar opposites.

I think not.

Photo: No one knows the answers to those questions, but 2012 and the elections next fall will certainly reveal clues.

The Holly Day Fair is right up there with Black Friday when it comes to shopping traditions in Eastern North Carolina. Perhaps one of the reasons is that the event gets bigger and bet-ter each year. In fact, it is the largest show of this type in this region of our state. In its 45th year, the Holly Day Fair is something that organizers and shoppers both look forward each fall. So November 3-6, loosen up those purse strings, head to the Crown Expo Center and shop till every last name has been crossed off that list.

About 22,000 shoppers attend each year, and the more than 200 vendors that come are eager to impress the crowds.

We’ve got a great selection of vendors this year,” said Jenny Beaver, Holly Day Fair chair. “We’ve brought back the favorites and added some new vendors too.”

Shoppers can look for an extensive selection of unique handcrafted and manufactured products to select from including the best in holiday decorations, handmade crafts, stylish jewelry and clothes, children’s toys, specialty food items and much more. There will be Christmas trees — fully decorated and ready to take home and set beside the mantle — for sale. Not too many though, said Beaver, as each one is deco-rated by a professional designer.

This year’s theme is “An All American Christmas.” With Fort Bragg right next door and the “All America City” title which was awarded to the city of Fayetteville earlier this year, the theme was a natural and easy fit. Besides, Bea-ver is hoping to draw in even more visi-tors than last year, including Fort Bragg residents and shoppers from surrounding areas like Pinehurst and Sanford.

“We are working really hard to get the most out of our advertising dollars this year and to extend our reach,” said Beaver. “We’ve made some really big leaps this year in getting the word out. This is the first year that the Holly Day Fairhas its own website. We also have a Facebook page and will be doing a Facebook ad this year.”

It’s an ambitious goal, but the Holly Day Fair organizers are looking to top the almost $275,000 raised last year. “We are hoping for $300,000,” said Beaver. “I know that is a big number, but we can do it.”

The shopping is great and the festively decorated event puts shoppers in the holiday spirit, but what some people don’t realize is that all of the money raised by the Holly Day Fair goes right back into the community.

More than 400 members strong, the Junior League of Fayetteville is an all-volunteer organization. According to their website, these volunteers “partner with various agencies to effect change in area of child health and welfare. The Junior League of Fayetteville is a member of the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI), which has 290 member Junior Leagues and 160,000 members internationally.”

Last year alone, the Junior League of Fayetteville gave grants to 15 organizations ranging from Hope Mills Middle School for math reviews to Hungry Angela’s back pack buddies program, the Southeastern Regional Area Health Education Center’s child abuse and detection prevention program to the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra concert for special needs children and adults and to the Child Advocacy Center’s program help for abused children under age 18.

“A lot of people don’t realize just how much the Junior League of Fayetteville contributes to the community,” said Beaver. “The organization has done a great job of branding their event — the Holly Day Fair — but they haven’t necessarily branded themselves as the sponsor. It’s important for the community to know that not only are they getting a wonderful shopping experience when they come to the Holly Day Fair, they are helping the children in our community too.”LaJuanMills, Junior League of Fayetteville echoes that sentiment.

“Each year keeps getting bigger and better and we are proud to report that we raised over $270,000 for the community last year with this one fund-raiser,” said LaJuan Mills, Junior League of Fayetteville President, “We hope to surpass that amount this year, to sus-tain our focus of commit-ting programs, projects and advocacy to ensur-ing children ages 0 to 18 have the opportunity and services essential to their physical, intellec-tual, emotional and social well-being.”

Holly Day Fair kicks off Nov. 3 with the Super Shopper event from 9 a.m. to noon. These special event tickets can be purchased for $13. Tickets are limited. Strollers and any type of rolling carts are strictly prohibited during Super Shopper hours.

General admission tickets for the event are $9. All tickets include free parking. Chil-dren 5 and under are free. Regular hours of the event are as follows: Thursday, noon to 8 p.m., Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets to the 2011 Holly Day Fair can be purchased in advance through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com, at the official Holly Day Fair Web site at www.hollydayfair.com, or at the following local merchant locations: Bell’s Seed Store, The Pilgrim, Luv My K-9’s and So Chic Bebe.

Find out more at the Holly Day Fairwebsite www.hollydayfair.com/press.php and Facebook page www.facebook.com/hollydayfair.

Ides of March(Rated R) 4 Stars

The Ides of March (101 minutes) is one of the early fall “prestige” flicks that I usually don’t have a whole lot of patience with. When a political film, based on a play (by Beau Williamson), does the awards circuit I expect to be bored. George “Facts of Life” Clooney takes the director’s chair for the fifth time, and I confess I would be more tolerant of the implied vanity if he had a lesser role in the film. While he doesn’t take up an unreasonable amount of screen time, he did cast himself as a presidential hopeful that almost everyone loves and admires.

Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling) is a Junior Campaign Manager for Governor Mike Morris (Clooney). The Governor is in the middle of the Ohio Primary, competing against Senator Ted Pullman (Michael Mantell) for the Democratic nomination.

When the film opens, Meyers is playing with podiums prior to a political debate. Following the debate, Pullman’s senior campaign manager Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti) persuades Meyers to meet with him. Meyers is unable to contact Senior Campaign Manager Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman), and in the absence of direction, curiosity drives him to the meeting. Unless you think Meyers is sort of shady, then ambition drives him to the meeting. Judging by the reaction of Zara later in the film, that is a very bad choice.

During the meeting, Duffy tries to seduce Meyers to the dark side of the Democratic Party, and Meyers compares his tactics to that of Republicans. Them are fighting words, and the meeting ends with Machiavellian laughter echoing over the hot wings. Also, Duffy ends the meeting with explaining that Meyers’ infantile approach to politics will inevitably turn into jaded cynicism. Watch Duffy help him with that!

Soon after Meyers’ expresses his undying loyalty to Morris and Morris’ ideals he gets to know intern Molly Stearns (Evan Rachel Wood). Given the number of times she lies or otherwise misleads him, a smart politico would be asking to see some identification for proof of age, or would at least Google his sweet young thing. Since Meyers is fairly naïve (as becomes glaringly obvious later in the film) he elects to trust that the manipulative blonde is totally legal. Sucker.

Molly clearly likes older men, so it is no surprise when one older man in particular makes random late night/early morning calls to her personal cell phone. Too bad for her gentleman caller that Meyers is on the case. Molly makes no attempt to cover up the inappropriate nature of the call, and methinks she wanted to get caught. Or maybe she’s just that dumb. Given the events in the remainder of the film, I lean towards the latter.

Somewhere in there a New York Times reporter gets tossed into the mix. Ida Horowicz (Marisa Tomei) dogs the Morris campaign managers for insider information. While Meyers’ believes that loose lips sink ships, Zara is far more willing to leak tidbits to the press. His leakage eventually inconveniences poor dumb Meyers who had unthinkingly confessed to meeting with Duffy (though it takes Meyers a bit of time to figure out the mystery of who told). Why everyone gets their panties in a twist over this one brief meeting seems a bit confusing, but I agree that it’s a nice contrast between how Molly is treated by Meyers over her non-mistake and how Meyers is treated by everyone else over his non-mistake. Too bad he doesn’t seem to appreciate any of the hypocrisy he is embracing.

Meyers spins out in fairly short order. With every scene his nostrils flare a bit wider, his eyes twitch a bit more, and his inability to accept the reality he has chosen to inhabit gets more obvious. Overall, this is an interesting political thriller that entertains more often than not.

Now showing at Wynnsong 7, Carmike 12 and Carmike Market Fair 15.

ARE YOU AN OSTRICH?

November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month and it deserves attention from you. According to the Alzheimer’s Association report Changing the Trajectory of Alzheimer’s Disease, “The number of Americans age 65 and older who have this condition will increase from 5.1 million today to 13.5 million by mid-century.”

The impact of this information on healthcare, senior care and the family unit is going to be devastating. Figuring out medical options, residential situations and financial resources are just a few areas which will be impacted greatly. As the research continues to try to find a cure for this dreadful disease, you must get informed.

From personal experience, we know that seniors do not want to inform family when they are having problems with household management, paying bills or preparing meals. They do not want to admit when they get lost returning home from church or the grocery store. Seniors want to maintain their independence and not worry their children. This is reasonable but not practical.

The practical side of the situation is that when there are obvious changes in behaviors or routines, strategies can be put into place to fix the situation. Family members or professional caregivers can plan, purchase, prepare and serve meals daily. An approved designee can pay bills or automatic drafts can be set up easily. Homes can have simple handrails and shower seats installed or retrofitted for entire handicapped accessible bathrooms. Safety measures can be implemented such as removing throw rugs, purchasing alert buttons, installing extra locks on doors to prevent wandering and locking away dangerous items. These are a few ideas, but the key is to know what needs attention.

Often a senior will explain away why things are happening … just an accident, the bill got stuffed away in old papers or the peas burned because she just didn’t put enough water in them. The senior might say they planned to go a different way home than the usual route to cover up getting confused on the directions. When visits are short, explanations might continue to work. However, with an extended visit the symptoms become more evident to indicate the senior needs more help.

Get informed. Know the symptoms for the onset of dementia, of which Alzheimer’s is the most prevalent.

Research has shown the starting certain medications can slow the progression of the disease. Waiting is the wrong path to choose. Discuss it with your primary Physician. Consider seeking further testing.

Our title, Are you an Ostrich? is simply to encourage you to Take your head out of the sand and know that you will have a family member, neighbor or close friend who will develop Alzheimer ’s disease, if you haven’t already.

Become informed by reading materials available on the internet, at bookstores or in the library. Attend seminars in the community. Contact your local Area on Aging for upcoming events which might be helpful for you.

Getting ready now will empower you to act appropriately when necessary.

Photo: Become informed by reading materials available on the internet, at bookstores or in the library. Attend seminars in the community. Contact your local Area on Aging for upcoming events which might be helpful for you.

UCWAdvertisingRates2022.pdf

When it comes to advocating government subsidies of National Public Radio (NPR), I stay neutral on the topic. This is because after listening to NPR for nearly 30 years, I am confident it is a venue that can support and sustain itself.

Here, in our hometown of Fayetteville, we are extremely lucky to have our own NPR station, WFSS, located on the campus of Fayetteville State University. We are even luckier to live in a community that appreciates the contributions WFSS makes locally. After all, WFSS (91.9 FM), has been our hometown NPR radio station for 34 years, continually growing and providing useful local and national news, interviews with community and business leaders and supporting its neighbors who are making a difference by contributing to our quality of life.

This month, WFSS has its semi-annual fund drive. As this area’s weekly community newspaper, we intend to support this effort and hope our readers will also.

The entire station operates on donations. Over the years it has proven to be a good investment and the money raised by WFSS directly benefits the listeners by providing NPR programming, quality local programming and community outreach.

Local is the key word here. It does get rather confusing in this part of North Carolina. There are 16 public radio stations in our state and each one is independently owned and operated. Each must raise its own funds and no money is shared between them. No one NPR station represents all the public radio stations in our state. That means contributions to WFSS in support of public radio here in our neighborhood must be contributed locally. That is not to say WFSS doesn’t have a broad reach.

WFSS broadcasts into 13 counties in southeastern North Carolina, covering a 60-mile radius. Joe Ross, Kathy Klaus, Janet Wright and the entire staff live and work in this community. They are professionals and are committed to every market they serve, including: Fayetteville, Spring Lake, Hope Mills, Fort Bragg, Raeford, Sanford, Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Lumberton, Clinton, Dunn and Elizabethtown.

Need I say more about this wonderful media outlet? Yes. A special thank you to the Cumberland Community Foundation Inc., for challenging the NPR listening audience and WFSS team to bring in new members and to encourage lapsed members to come back. The CCF will match every basic membership pledge of $60 or more. Now, that’s a commitment!

Below, I have listed the many ways you can support this valuable asset to our community. You can’t beat “free!” Tune in and let’s keep public radio in the Fayetteville community. Contributions can be made by calling 672-1621 or 1-800-245-9377. You may also pledge online at www.wfss.org or you may mail your pledge to WFSS, 1200 Murchison Rd., Fayetteville, NC 28301, ATTN: Fall Fund Drive.

Tell them that your favorite community newspaper, Up & Coming Weekly, recommended them.

Where Is the Logic in Occupying Wall Street?

Occupy Wall Street, the current movement du jour, is bringing together tens of thousands of protesters. Unfortunately, the only thing this diverse group is coming together on is that they are victims of a rotten economy and incompetent, irresponsible and failed government leadership at all levels.

Oh yeah, it’s sad, but true. In our own community hundreds of Fayetteville/ Cumberland County residents stood in long lines for hours last week at a job fair held at the Crown Center by the Cumberland County Department of Social Services. This event served as a dismal reminder of what comes from ineffective and failed government policies and blatant incompetence and dishonesty.

The constant sound bites of rhetoric about the nation’s $14 trillion dollar debt, the 25 million out-of-work Americans and the prospects of increasing taxes to raise enough money to pay our bills ring hollow, when the most serious concerns are ignored.

Concerns like the gross Medicaid/Medicare fraud that totals billions. Solyndra’s $535 million dollar bankruptcy and loss of taxpayers money. We can’t forget, my all time favorite example of government incompetence — the covert hair brained operation of Fast and Furious which placed hundreds of lethal weapons into the hands of criminals and gangsters who are currently using them not only to commit crimes, but, to actually kill Americans.

No wonder people are angry. Targeting Wall Street, capitalism and rich people is easy. The sad truth is most of the protesters have little or no knowledge of local, state or national affairs or of how economics really work. Their time and passion is so misplaced.

Our nation was built on capitalism and through the blood, sweat and tears of true risk-taking entrepreneurs. How can this reality be ignored by protesters wearing $110 tennis shoes, Old Navy hoodies and Gap jeans while communicating on cell phones and entertaining themselves with ipads, ipods and iphones? Where is the logic?

My suggestion to these folks, and the 35 people who rallied locally around the Fayetteville Market House last week, is to first become responsible for their own actions and well being. Take control of their futures and realize that the redistribution of wealth is not the answer to their problems. The second thing they need to do is find a job. Only 4.3 percent of the unemployed have college educations. Maybe they should get educated.

Third, stop blaming everyone else. The realization that our nation was built on a foundation of hard work, free enterprise and capitalism will eventually prove them silly. Locally, we have plenty of examples of people who exercised their talents, worked hard, took their chances and succeeded in participating in the American Dream: The late Bobby McCoy, M.J. Soffee and Putt Putt Golf creator and founder Don Clayton immediately come to mind. Some of these amazing, hard working, dedicated risk takers I see everyday like Ralph Huff of H&H Homes, Ron Darden of Darden & Miranda Insurance Company, Mike Karaman of Karaman Communications, Jimmy Townsend of Townsend Real Estate, Jim Pittman of Fast Signs, Bill and Mary Mathews of M & M Leather, Don Price of Lafayette Ford and Holly Whitney of Legends Pub on Bragg Boulevard.

Entrepreneurs and risk takers everyone, and, not a “silver spoon” to be found anywhere. My list could go on and on but you get the point. The system works. It is the government that is broken. It is our government at all levels that has fostered programs and policies that cripple all Americans not just the poor and working middle class.

Only we can fix this problem and the solution is to get involved with the process. Vote in the upcoming election and let your voice be heard. This is where and how justice will be done. Not on Wall Street and not by protesting ambiguities where each fruitless day only showcases and defines the hypocrisy of the uninformed. Vote, work, educate. If you never earn a million dollars your pride, dignity and happiness will bring you wealth beyond compare. Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.  

Photo: Protesters rail against Wall Street while embracing the corporate culture as seen by name-brand camping gear and communications devices.

Reading Rocksis in its eighth year, and it is bigger and better than ever. On Oct. 22, the public is invited to rally at Festival Park for a 1.5-mile walk through historic downtown Fayetteville.

Last year the program attracted about 20,000 participants and raised more than $200,000. Every school in the system participated — that’s two special schools, one year-round classical high school, 14 traditional-calendar high schools, 15 middle schools and 53 elementary schools — 85 schools in all, according to the Cumberland County Schools website. There are 53,361 students enrolled in this school system and 24,290 of them attend elementary school. That is almost half of our county’s students.

The money raised averages out to more than $2,300 per school, although it wasn’t necessarily distributed that way. It’s still an impressive sum — and every penny of it was used to promote literacy for the benefit of Cumberland County students.

Belinda Cashwell, Cumberland County Schools System media services director, said that the event organizers are hoping to have 25,000 walkers this year and that they’ve already raised $225,000. While the schools have already completed their fundraising campaigns, the county is still taking donations and can be reached at678-2613.

One of the many great things about this fund-raiser is that each school keeps 100 percent of funds they raise.

“It is all used to promote literacy in Cumberland County,” said Cashwell. “We are trying to raise money to put quality literature in the hands of children through our media centers. We have professional media coordinators who read professional reviews on every book purchased. We want to make sure our children have the very best materials.”

Getting kids to read is only part of the program. Cumberland County Schools also have computer-based reading programs in the schools. Once students read a book they can go and take a test about what they have read. Any parent with a child in the Cumberland County Schools is well-acquainted with the Accelerated Reader program. The program gives student a goal to read a set number of books. That goal goes into determing a student’s grade. The tests, taken on the computer, track how well a student is comprehending and processing the information they read in the book. Students must score greater than 70 percent on the test for the book to count against their goal.

The testing element is a web-based model that Cashwell says has more than 150,000 quizzes in it. The school system also has a targeted teaching prescriptive learning model, that students can use to check out books by objective in every single media center in the Cumberland County Schools System.

Statistics were not readily available to compare the literacy rates of local students with the state or country, but Cashwell did note that, “Our drop out rate is only 2.7 percent. We are the fourth largest school system in the state and our drop out rate is lower — which is a good step when you are talking about drop out rates — than other counties our size.”

In addition to the walk, which is free and does not require registration, there is also a run scheduled for Oct. 22 that will benefit Reading Rocks.

Runners can register at active.com and search Reading Rocks in Fayetteville, N.C. The race starts at 7 a.m. Online registration costs $20. It is $15 for students and same day registration is $25.

If the good cause is not enough to inspire participation, Cashwell said that the format of the event is a unique and fun way to do things.

“We call Reading Rocks a parade in reverse — 16 bands are stationed along the route and everyone walks past the bands,” said Cashwell. “The school that raised the most money, well, their band gets to perform at the center of the Market House. The most exciting thing is that this is our only community-wide signature program with Cumberland County School in the greater Fayetteville area. It is exciting because it is not just school children walking. We have nursing home residents who come out and participate in their wheelchairs, school personnel and their families come out too. It’s an everyone event, even though it is a fundraiser.”

Sure, raising money for literacy is a great thing and the community support is amazing, but most of all, Cashwell loves the kids.

“My favorite thing about Reading Rocks are the children. Last year there was a big surprise. It was the first year that our high school students exceeded our elementary students in attendance for this event and that is very exciting.”

There is no registration required for the Reading Rocks walkathon. It’s a great way to support literacy and promote healthy living at the same time. The whole thing is over by 11 a.m. Call 678-2613 to find out more information or to make a donation.

Photo: Event organizers are hoping to have 25,000 walkers this year.

50/50  Rated R  3 stars

Interesting trivia: Director Jonathan Levine is the guy who directed All the Boys Love Mandy Lane! So, here’s hoping 50/50 (100 minutes) makes a TON of money, because fan boys and girls have been talking about that Amber Heard flick since it was finished in 2006, and a successful box office for 50/50 might give an American Studio the impetus to release it stateside.

Quality-wise, this is way better than Seth Rogen’s other cancer comedy, which we have all collectively decided to pretend is in no way similar to this movie. Except Seth Rogen is in them both and they both involve his friend who has cancer. But when I think about it, they are actually very different movies, because this one involved interesting characters instead of caricatures of real people, and was actually funny.

Adam (Joseph Cobra Commander Gordon-Levitt) is dating Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard). Howard is usually gorgeous, and Rachael is supposedly out of Adam’s league, but she is com-ing off as kinda whiney and trashy. Not only is Adam way more together than her, her whole character is a poorly put together clichéd mess. Since the script is loosely based on an incident in the life of screenwriter Will Reiser (who is friends with Seth Rogen in real life as well), it begs the question: did he date a girl named Rachael who was this much of a mess? Is she a real person who he is making look way, way worse in the screenplay because he needs to work some stuff out and bashing an ex-girlfriend in his movie was one way of doing that? It would be a sad commentary on his screenwriting skills if he made up a character this limited.

Adam works at a kind of NPR with his friend Kyle (Rogen). Adam doesn’t drink, smoke, or drive, so he is genuinely puzzled when he finds out he has a rare, difficult to effectively treat, spinal cancer. Because jogging every morning and living a super healthy lifestyle will guarantee that you live forever. Really though, Adam does a pretty good job of dealing overall. As he points out to his therapist Katie (Anna Kendrick), life is 100% fatal (I may be paraphrasing).

Having dealt with the shock of a cancer diagnosis, Adam invites his mother (Angelica Huston) and father (Serge Houde) to dinner so he can fill them in. Again I wonder: In real life did Reiser have a father with Alzheimer’s? If not, then this is a pret-ty cynical attempt to jerk the audience around. If yes, then why not leave out that part of the story and focus on how his mother deals? Is it padding? The scenes with the father don’t add a whole lot of depth to the film, Houde doesn’t get a whole lot of dialogue, and the character is a sort of emotional wallpaper.

So, having filled in the family, Adam heads in for his chemo treatment. Naturally, Rachael refuses to share the experience. To make up for failing to handle the situation perfectly, she invests in a retired race dog named Skeletor. Let us pause and acknowl-edge how awesome that name is. While sitting through chemo-therapy, Adam makes friends with Alan (Philip Baker Hall) and Mitch (Matt Frewer). Mitch brings pot infused macaroons to the hospital, and a good time is had by all.

Kyle starts using Adam’s cancer to pick up chicks, which works well for him (since he is a player) but not so much for Adam (due to Adam’s awkwardness/domesticity/overwhelming depression). Here’s where things start to get a bit depressing. In a movie about cancer, it is surprising that didn’t happen earlier. My husband suggested that, overall, the movie was uplifting. I pointed out that I felt jerked around and manipulated. Perhaps, as he said, this move falls outside my skill set.

Now showing at Wynnsong 7, Carmike 12 and Carmike Market Fair 15.

OM.....

One of my favorite columnists recently wrote a column on one of my favorite topics.

The New York Times’ ever-clever Maureen Dowd devoted her piece, entitled “How Garbo Learned to Stand on Her Head,” to the benefits and dangers of practicing yoga.

I read Dowd regularly, but this column grabbed me since I have had an active yoga practice for well over a decade. It has seen me through the sale of a third generation family business, the Precious Jewels’ departures from the nest, five political campaigns and countless untold and largely unremembered stresses of daily life. I began yoga at a time when I was facing unwanted surgery, though not because of my medical problem. The upshot is that my medical issue long ago resolved itself without surgery, and I take no medication for it — nada! I never even think about it unless I tell someone this story. 

Yoga is an ancient tradition — some would say art, involving both body and mind. There are many different practices, some more physical, some more mental, some more spiritual. American Baby Boomers have adopted yoga by the millions, and it is now practiced in gyms across the nation as a form of exercise, though there are certainly many people whose practices are more cerebral.

Dowd and I agree on many things, including this: Yoga is not for everyone, but then neither are triathlons, polo, mountain bike racing or sitting on the sofa drinking martinis and savoring chocolate.

I found Dowd’s yoga column a riveting read, both because she suggests yoga as a cure for some of our most intensely partisan politicians and because she touches on possible negative effects of yoga, which has not been my experience at all. Interesting as her column is, the 114 literate reader comments the Times allowed may be even more so. They come from people who believe they have benefi ted from the practice of yoga and from others who see it as hogwash.

Here is a sampling of those comments: “

We can learn to relax our bodies and minds, and we need to regularly for our health and well-being. Well-taught yoga in moderation is one way. I wonder why this simple idea, with many years of research and common sense behind it, still makes people … well, nervous.” Margaret in New York City

“I tried standing on my head and found that it was easier and more fulfilling to stand on someone else’s head.” Richhorn in University Place, Washington

“Oh brother. I’d rather have a couple of martinis than listen to a yoga teacher for an hour instructing me to make my body do things it doesn’t want to do on a dirty mat with crummy music …We Baby Boomers are the most obnoxious generation that ever lived. No wonder the 20-somethings can’t stand us.” Louise in Kansas

“I always thought that if you could look that silly in a room full of other equally silly-ly posed people then you must have achieved a state of complete oblivion. I find it now just too uncomfortable. However yoga has saved my sanity. When in my life I have found myself under extreme stress, I will lie flat on the floor, do the circular breathing and relax. It works. Amazing.” Scientella in Palo Alto

“With the economy in downward dog, the 99 percent and 1 percent in warrior, and all of our politicians in child’s pose, yoga may very well be our undoing, after all.” Jacob B. in Seattle, Washington

“Get a dog. No nagging, nor alimony, no university tuition, always glad to see you.” Dan Green in Delray Beach, Florida

“As a holistic physician I routinely ‘prescribe’ yoga to my patients. ‘Behavioral prescriptions’ are slowly replacing the U.S. obsession with meds. Yoga, however, historically comes from Eastern culture. Although Harvard’s Herbert Benson ‘Westernized’ yoga … any medical intervention from other cultures is inherently mistrusted by arrogant U.S. bio-medicine … U.S. patients are light years ahead of the stuck U.S. profession of organized medicine. But I doubt U.S. politicians are among our most enlightened patients.” Dr. Rick Lippin Southampton, Pennsylvania“

A soothing massage, a nice piece of Stilton and some Chivas on the rocks, sipped slowly, works wonders for me after a hard day at my volunteer job … Finally, unplug all media and communication devices for an hour or two before bed and read a few pages of a good book. Good night….ZZZZ..zzz” Renolady in Nevada

“I’ve done every type of exercise and fitness regime for my entire life. Took up yoga at 40 and am now 50 and it is unquestionably the best thing I’ve ever done for my mind and body...Harmony with yourself is what allows harmony with others and all your environments: social, family, work, etc…” Mr. Spock in New York City

Larry Eisenberg in New York City wins the Maureen Dowd Ever-Clever Award, though, with this little ditty:“

I’m raring to discard my toga, Resume my old practice of Yoga,End sexual disorder,Put frayed nerves in order,Pretend that I’m not an old foga.” Namaste.

Join in on the fun in Downtown Fayetteville at this month’s 4th Friday celebration on Oct. 28. Take a stroll around the historic district, browse the unique boutiques and satisfy your hunger at one of the many remarkable restaurants. There will be music on every corner and many other fun activities for visitors and resi-dents to enjoy.

“We have a drum circle, belly dancers, acoustic musicians, jugglers. Different businesses will have refreshments, and the Arts Council has an exhibit,” said Sheri Collins, 4th Friday coordinator at the Downtown Alliance. “Also, this year we started doing different themes. For instance, this month’s theme is the Zombie Walk.

”In the spirit of Halloween, Zombies will invade downtown Fayetteville at the Second Annual Zombie Walkon 4th Friday. Join in on the fright fest by slip-ping into your most blood-curdling costume and start lining up at the Festival Park Promenade at 7:30 p.m. The zombies will start invading downtown at 8 p.m. and will begin shuffling down Ray Avenue and making their way toward the Market House on Hay Street. The walk will end on Green Street and the zombies will be greeted by haunting music by the Villains/Misfits and others. “The Zombie Walk ended up being a bigger event than we thought,” said Collins, “There were about 1,000 people who participated last year, and we were only expecting maybe a couple hundred.”

The Zombie Walk and concert is free and open to the public. It is expected that this year the costumes will be even better than last year and that there will be even more participation.

Other Halloween related events are the Murder Mystery dinner theatre at the Rainbow Room. This is a fundraiser put on by a group from Fayetteville State University and will benefit homeless and runaway teenagers. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased by calling 322-8266.

There will also be a showing of The Night of the Living Dead at the Cameo Art House Theatre.

This month’s feature exhibit at the Art’s Council is Witness: The American Vietnam Experience Told First Hand Through Images and Stories of Local Vietnam Veterans, Native Born Vietnamese and the Texas Tech University’s Vietnam Center and Archive. This exhibit will be open to the public at the Arts Council from 7-9 p.m. during 4th Friday.

Arts Alive!is another 4th Friday feature that takes place at the Farmer’s Market at the Fayetteville Area Transportation and Local History Museum on Franklin Street. Local artists will set up dis-plays and there will be handmade goods such as clay pottery, paintings and jewelry for sale.

Cotton Exchange Express will be on site for visitors to ride through the 4th Friday area. “This can be for adults as well, but is mostly something that the kids enjoy,” said Collins. “There’s also the 4th Friday trolley and you can get out anywhere.”

So come out to this month’s 4th Friday and join in on the haunting and art-centered festivities that Downtown Fayetteville has to offer.

Photo: Take a stroll around the historic district, browse the unique boutiques and satisfy your hunger at one of the many remarkable restaurants.

With elections right around the corner, being informed is paramount to ensuring the right candidates get voted into public office. While figuring out which candidate is indeed the one to vote for can be difficult, The Fayetteville Republican Women’s Club is mak-ing it a little easier for some people to decide.

On Saturday, Oct. 22, The Fayetteville Republican Women’s Club presents Politics in the Park. The event is at Mazarick Park One, from 1–4 p.m. There are several fun activities on the agenda including a picnic, silent auc-tion and 50/50 raffle.

Linda McAlister, The Fayetteville Republican Women’s Club secretary, is looking forward to is the recognition of historical achievements by Republican women. She noted that women have had an influential role in American politics and have swayed the course of history yet go largely unnoticed for their efforts. She added that people may be surprised by what they will learn about the achievements of Republican women.

The main event of the day, though, is the meet ‘n greet.

“It is meant to introduce Fayetteville area citizens to Republican candidates at the state and local level,” said McAlister. “I think introducing candidates to people, networking with local citizens and the public having a chance to meet the candidates one on one makes such a difference. When you can meet some-one and look in their eyes — and not just hear sound bites — and hear why they believe a certain way and what has gotten them to that opinion and shake their hand, it makes a difference.”

Several candidates plan to attend, which McAlister says will benefit both the candidates, because they can connect with potential voters, and those in attendance at the event because it offers face time with the candidates.

Tony Gurly is scheduled to be there. He is running for lieutenanat gov-ernor. “He is pretty much a name that no one knows around here,” said McAlister. “This is a chance for people to meet him before they see his name on the ballot.”

Wayne King is not a candidate, but he is the Republican vice chairman for the state, and he will be there, too. “He is a 30-year-old gentleman who is such a grass-roots organizer,” said McAlister. King is visiting different counties in the state to unite the Republican voters and help with campaigns.

Ilario Pantano is tentatively planning to attend. McAlister describes him as a dynamic speaker, a veteran, an author and a financial guru who is sure to impress the crowd.

Local radio personality Dave Taylor is the emcee. He will introduce not only the state-level candidates, but also the local councilmen who are running. There are several people running for the very first time and they will be at the event, McAlister said. “It’s a great opportunity to reach out and get to know the people who may be making decisions for the city and state in the coming years,” she added.

It is events like these, says McAlister that give people an opportunity to become informed and help shape the government.

“You are not just relying on news, print coverage or sound bites,” she said. “This is what The Fayetteville Republican Women’s Club has done for me — it has made candidates accessible to me. I am thrilled with having met everyone who was running on the Republican ticket the last election cycle. We get so busy with the bubbles of our lives that we don’t meet the people who are making the decisions about our lives.”

Tickets are $15. Call 323-5369 or email mgkidd@aol.com for more information or to pur-chase a ticket.

It has been two years since Fort Bragg hosted its last Oktoberfest, but it’s back now, and from Oct. 27-Nov. 6, at the Fort Bragg Fairgrounds, local residents choose to attend are in for a great time.The festival has all the things required for a fun day with friends and family.

What started in 1810 as a wedding celebration in the fields just out-side the city gates of Munich, Germany, has grown into a celebration that people look forward to all over the world each year. Sure, when Crowne Prince Ludwig (later to become King Ludwig I) wed Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen, he had no idea this festive occas-sion would be the root of a long-lasting and much cherished tradtion, much less the largest festival in the world, according to the city of Munich’s website.

The fact that it gives the rest of the world a reason to hold a festi-val, enjoy the autumn weather and some entertainment is a boone for festival lovers all around. With the cooler weather, heading out for a day of fun is an easy choice, and the fact that there is not far to travel to get there is a bonus.

The Fort Bragg version of Oktoberfest is full of great entertainment and activities that the entire family is sure to enjoy.

Entertainment varies daily and includes a Bavarian Brass Band, a traditional German oom-pa band, Newton and the Signature Series Band, an R&B band, rock band Black Market Special, country performers Currie Clayton and Contraband and Ryan Daniels. Delta Saints, a blues/rock band and The Fifth, a rock band, round out the stage sched-ule. There are multiple performances scheduled each day.

Of course, there will be carnival rides galore, and food vendors offering everything from popcorn and cotton candy to funnel cakes and hot dogs. Unlimited free rides are included with the price of admission.

Every Monday through Thursday is Customer Appreciation Day. From 5-7 p.m., it costs just $5 to get in for those aged 3 and older.

Gates open at 5 p.m. on weekdays and 1 p.m. on weekends. Monday through Thursday after 7 p.m. general admission is $12; children 3-9 $10; military and Department of Defense civilians $10; Handicapped non-rider $7; senior citizen non-rider age 50 or older $7. Friday through Sunday general admission is $17; children 3-9 are $15; military ID cardholders and Department of Defense Civilians are $15; Handicapped non-riders are $7; and senior citizen non-riders ages 50 and older are $7 to get in. Children under 36” tall and under age 3 are admitted free every day.

Parking is free and the public is invited to come and join the fun. Find out more at www.fortbraggmwr.com.

Photo: The Fort Bragg version of Oktoberfest is full of great entertainment and activities that the entire family is sure to enjoy.

With the first signs of Fall showing up in the Cape Fear Region, it only makes sense that people’s thoughts will turn away from summer and outdoor pursuits to something a little calmer — but not if you’re a fan of hockey. In Fayetteville, colder weather means one thing: It’s time for FireAntz Hockey. This year, the FireAntz are pulling out all of the stops to ensure a great year as they celebrate their 10th anniversary, according to Dean Russell, the team’s assistant general manager.

Russell said the team is going into the season with a new outlook, a new coach and by-in-large, a new bench. The team has been busy recruiting new players under the watchful eye of the new coach, Sean Gillam.

“Sean is looking to build a bigger team, a tougher team,” said Russell. “We are truly a developmental league, so players come here to learn and then they move on. We are looking at about six former players returning, but everyone else will be new.”

Russell said he doesn’t believe that will affect the devotion of fans, who have a strong support for the team. “We have even more opportunities for fans to get out and meet the new players. We are scheduling more meet and greets and more opportunities for the players to be out in the community,” he said. “I think it won’t take long for the fans to warm up to the new team.”

The new coach and the new team are something of a fresh start for the franchise. Last year was the first time the team did not make the playoffs, something Russell hopes will change this year.

“This is going to be a bigger team, a tougher team,” he said. “We start training camp Sunday (Oct. 9), and I’m sure we are going to see a lot out of the team.”

Over the years, the FireAntz have worked very hard to become an integral part of the community. They have participated in everything from promoting the Blood Donor Center to reading to children in elementary schools. That sense of community will be even stronger this year, as the team celebrates its anniversary.

“We have a lot of special nights already scheduled and a lot of other events, including the choosing of an all-decade team by the fans later this year,” continued Russell. “Our first military night is at the end of this month on Oct 29.”

Military nights are one way the FireAntz reach out to the military community. The team has already made inroads with the new commands and hopes to continue building relationships with the military.

The first game of the season is scheduled for Oct. 21 at the Crown Coliseum. Russell hopes that fans will come out and show the new players the support that make FireAntz fans legend.

“We have some players returning who were fan favorites, but we don’t think it will take long for the fans to warm up to the new team,” he said.

For more information about meet and greets, how to particiapte at on-ice games or to book appearances by the FireAntz, visit www.fireantzhockey.com. Check out upcoming issues of Up & Coming Weekly for more information on the team, special nights and upcoming events.

 Gillam to Lead FireAntz in 10th Anniversary Season

When Kevin MacNaught, president/general manager of the Fayetteville FireAntz, announced he was looking for a new coach to the lead the team in its 10th anniversary season, he was innundated with resumes. As he pored over reams of paper, one resume rose to the top — that of Sean Gillam, an assistant coach of the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees.

Gillam replaces Tommy Stewart, who was released April 7 after four seasons with the Southern Professional Hockey League team.

“The cornerstones are that we’re going to be a hard-working, disciplined team that puts forth 100 percent effort every night,” Gillam said.

MacNaught noted,“I have faith in him to be able to recruit and put a strong team together,” MacNaught said.

“I have confidence in him that he’s straight-up. He didn’t brag about anything — I had to pry stuff out of him about his assets, so he’s pretty humble that way. He’s a guy I think the team’s going to be able to follow and believe in.”

Gillam, is a 35-year-old native of Lethbridge, Alberta, and a third-round pick by Detroit in the 1994 NHL entry level draft. A defenseman, Gillam played in 662 games over 10 seasons as a pro minor leaguer. He signed with Rio Grande Valley (McAllen, Texas) in 2003 when the Killer Bees were launched, and the team retired his jersey in 2008.