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MAGA Z I N E

EGYPT’S

ANCIENT HISTORY’S MOST CAPTIVATING

PHARAOH TAKES ATLANTA BY STORM

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vinividiviciJANUARY2008

DEPARTMENTS +features

COVER FEATURE The “Golden King”, pop star of all pharaohs, or just plain Tut. Call Egypt’s

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13 BUSINESS BUZZ A near forgotten history at 419 East Second Avenue is unearthed by one passionate orthodontist.

18 HEARTWARMER Stan and Sharon Foxworthy may be new to Rome, but not to sharing a very worthy cause.

34 NWGA SCRAPBOOK How Rome’s lone native First Lady, Ellen Axen Wilson, wrote her way into the heart of hubby Woodrow.

40 BETWEEN THE LINES A sports-minded review of the year that soared the Hawks, snubbed Tebow, and jack-slapped the MLB.

42 CENTS & SENSIBILITY How investors can avoid getting their portfolios in a wad over the nation’s looming economic crisis.

44 WOMEN IN MIND Ooh, baby, baby... If you plan on making one soon, better get your ducks in a row with Dr. Barrell.

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DEPARTMENTS +features

vini vidi vici / v3 magazine �

� vini vidi vici / v3 magazine

EDITOR’S NOTE

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF + PRODUCTION MANAGER + ART&DESIGN

neal howard

STAFF WRITERSanna armas, will seifert, reagen

lowrey, matt rood, brian gilton, carolyn grindrod, cody eirman

CONTRIBUTING WRITERStricia steele, brian foster, chris wilson, leigh barrell

PHOTOGRAPHYsabrina wilson, january shiflett

ADDITIONAL A&Djeremy hulsey, collin vaughn

CHIEF OF ADVERTISING + OFFICE SALES DIRECTOR

ian griffin

CHIEF SALES REPRESENTATIVEjeff miller

ORIGINAL AD DESIGNanthony barba, ian griffin

LEAD MANAGEMENT + MARKETING/PROMOTIONS

anthony barba

PUBLISHERv3 publications, llc

CONTACTone west fourth avenue, rome, ga 30161/ phone: 706.235.0748 email: [email protected]

v3mag.com

NW GEORGIA’S PREMIER FEATURE READER / JANUARY 2008

$4.00

GOLDENBOY

MAGA Z I N E

EGYPT’S

ANCIENT HISTORY’S MOST CAPTIVATING

PHARAOH TAKES ATLANTA BY STORM

MAGA Z I N E

(continued on pg. 10)

—December 29, 2008—

We were hippies once…and young.Next time you glimpse a really old timer plunked in the bleachers at a football game, note the way he stares emptily, at length, toward the cheerleading squad. “Lord, if only I’d known how good I once had it,” his eyes read. “Wish somebody’d ‘a told me.” Already at the age of 28, this is the way I’ve begun to feel as the 31st of December draws near, as if the finest of New Year celebrations I’m destined to witness have come and gone.

Now, based on the boyish picture at top left, I know what the older (though not necessarily “old”) readers among you are likely thinking. “Would ya get a load of the stones on this stupid kid? What is he, like 17?!” or something to that affect. But before you fancy slapping the taste out of my mouth for making what seems such a ridiculous presumption, first allow me to give it some context:

See, the summer following our freshman year at Rome High, V3 sales director Ian Griffin and I both fell madly in love with the legendary arena rock quartet known as Phish—our generation’s equivalent to the Grateful Dead—and by the time the Vermont-based icons of improv decided to split indefinitely in August 2004, alongside my tenured BFF and first mate of the open road I had seen a staggering 50 shows, coast-to-coast, in 23 cities across 18 total states. And though each stop/she-bang on our travels would come to etch upon my memory its fair share of shenanigans (e.g., the time in Vegas when Ian, who’d never shot craps in his natural born life, went commando on a crowded weekend table at the MGM Grand and walked away with a $2,500 bankroll we later blew on Dom P. and Wolfgang Puck filets), anecdotes (e.g., the Chinatown noodle joint in Frisco, where a tiny little firecracker of a woman in soy-spattered chef ’s pajamas gave us a lashing by verbal bamboo for the spoon-to-glass jam session taking place in our curtain-cordoned booth), and crucial life lessons (e.g., when doing I-95 past the Mason-Dixon, make certain to carry either a C-note in quarters or a stun gun for the attendant), there’s no doubt that the handful of runs we made bound and determined to “rock in the New Year” rank among my personal favorites.

Why? Well, I don’t know about you all, but for this avid road hog, how any experience rates often boils down to what random nuggets of knowledge one manages to pick up along the way, and given the great hullabaloo surrounding Phish’s highly anticipated—and typically grand-scale—New Year’s Eve festivities, a number of said tidbits were sure to reveal themselves if only a “phan” were willing to ratchet up the necessary funds and transportation to make the trip.

For instance: Who knew that if given a choice between deli meat and grilled cheese, a wild Everglades gator will go for the sandwich harder than Kirstie Alley chasing a tethered cupcake? I kid you not. Give it a go should you ever come within a stone’s skip of one; see if the beast doesn’t leave your shotty slice of roast beef drifting among the reeds for the stragglers.

And how—nevermind why or who cares—do I know this? Because on Dec. 29, 1999, while gridlocked along with 85,000 others in an excruciating ten-hour traffic jam on South Florida’s I-75 corridor, just a few miles outside the gates of Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation (the sight of Phish’s two-day New Year’s Eve 2K blowout), I was grilling some gub’ment cheese specials on the hood of my buddy James’ Ford Ranger when I noticed a small gathering of fellow show-goers dropping food into the marsh from an adjacent overpass. Having entertained a lifelong fascination with all animals, particularly apex predators, I was delighted to find that four adult-sized American Alligators had assembled in hopes of being awarded a free meal. Long story short, this dreadlocked kid from Virginia and I—him with the meat, me with the dairy—took turns chucking our foodstuffs down to the murky water below, and I’ll be damned if those fearsomely impressive little boogers didn’t just about rip each other’s heads off in a frenzy to claim the foreign taste of cheddar over slow-roasted bovine.

Anyhow… Color me simple. I thought it was pretty cool.There are good gaffs a’ plenty from our pair of New Year’s runs to NYC, as well. A

lady friend of mine at the College of Charleston, who hailed from New Jersey’s upscale, countryside suburbs, offered to let Ian and I shack up at her parents’ charming carriage house in Bernardsville for the turn of 2002 and 2003. All the family would ask, in exchange for

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providing a respite roughly 40 minutes outside the Big Apple, is that we swoon them with our Southern drawls at dinnertime. And so, in the evenings, we were presented piping hot home-cooked food, a freshly lit fire beneath the mantle, rollicking laughter, and a handful of beautiful brown-eyed women who twittered with glee at the sound of a Georgia boy’s twang. Bellies full, afterwards we would bundle up tight for the “Joisey” cold, then admire the snowfall as we strolled the pristine woodlands we’d never have associated with the state if not for our hosts’ kindness.

That first year, the afternoon following our arrival, we were intrigued to learn that the multi-million dollar home once shared by Mike Tyson and Robin Givens—yep, the one in which she claimed he cast her down tumbling down the staircase like a gold-digging, dime store slinky—sat no more than a mile down the road. And since Ian, who’d formerly attended broadcasting school in hopes of one day becoming a sports commentator, had brought along his brand new digital video camera to capture just this sort of anomaly on film, we decided to shoot a mock ESPN feature outside the mansion’s wrought-iron gates. The final cut was a hoot and a half.

There are other unforgettables—like the next night in Manhattan, New Year’s Eve, when after our show at the Roseland Ballroom let out we found ourselves walking Sixth Avenue smack between two groups of Puerto Rican thugs. I’m not entirely sure why, but they began having words—angry, indecipherable words—and a few blocks down the way, one wily bandito in front decided he’d had enough and drew a nickel-plated pistol from his boxer waist. Funny, he didn’t seem to notice the two paralyzed gringos standing in the line of fire, nor did it appear he would’ve given a flying flauta if he had. But plastered against the marble façade of a gi-normous department store, hearts beating out of our chests, we laughed in danger’s wake as both crews scattered from the scene. One for the ages, we thought to ourselves.

Yessir, yessir. There was a time when the commencement of a new year used to mean guaranteed fun… (Sigh.) Used to.

By the time you all read this, we’ll be roughly two weeks into 2009, and after having had a few hours to parse over the negative sentiment upon which I’ve predicated this column, on second thought, maybe it is ridiculous for a soon-to-be 29-year-old to presume he’s experienced the best of New Year celebrations his young life has in store. In fact, maybe it’s just this sort of pessimism that has made some of the ones since Phish decided to call it a day so dry by comparison. (Or maybe I’m just an ex-hippie turned working suit who can’t bear to relinquish his rambling youth.)

Whatever the case, in relaying to you these old zingers I’ve come to this: Glorifying that which is old is no way to start anew, and in the face of an all-new year each of us is given an opportunity not to become that pitiful old goat plunked in the bleachers.

Me? Now that I’m done feeling sorry for myself, I’m going to get this calendar year crackin’ by trying to find something memorable to get into on the big night, just two days from now. As for everyone else out there, Happy New Year! God bless in doing all you can, too, to outdo the last.

Neal Howard, Editor-in-Chief

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Although today the large conveyer lines of Double Cola have stopped, the historic building at 419 East Second Avenue has nevertheless been resuscitated so that it may remain a loving attribute to the community. However, this time, with the help of local orthodontist Dr. Joseph Vargo, it comes in the form of a bright new smile. (Please pardon the pun.)

In 1933, Double Cola opened one of its two factory buildings in the South to mass-produce their tasty mix, as the soda industry

started to ratchet up and appeal to the masses. Soon, cola companies across the U.S. began popping up in an effort to compete with industry giants such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola. Rome was picked as the perfect spot to service Double Cola’s Northwest Georgia and Tennessee markets. The other plant location was just a couple of hours away in LaGrange, Ga., and was to be used to supply the southward market.

“People really do remember this place,” says Vargo. He tours the approximately 80-year-old

structure that now houses his business of 12 years. “I see people come in here all the time [to] look around and tell fond stories of how they worked here during the summers while they

were in college, or how they used to knock on the front door as a kid and get a freshly made cola for [a nickel].”

The Double Cola Company was very active in the NWGA community, as it held competitions geared toward collecting bottle tops for prizes, etc. But as the demand for smaller, more localized colas began to see a decline in the 1970s, the Rome-based bottler decided to pack up and move its facility to Chattanooga, where it continues to operate to this day. (continued on pg. 14)

factory to the growing town. Double Cola, one of the original makers of 12-oz. glass bottles and later the 16-

oz. returnable bottles that became standard for soda companies, opens shop with its large bay windows out front so that passersby may peek in and watch as soda swirls down the

conveyer lines and is dispensed, capped, and taken to market.

text by carolyn grindrod.photos by january shiflett

Picture this: It’s around 1934 in Rome, and as you drive down Second Avenue headed towards Broad Street, a brand

new building appears on the corner near Glen Milner Boulevard. A new business has added a

Even before you walk through the large glass double-doors of Dr. Vargo’s office, the history of Double Cola envelops you by presenting itself in subtle ways. There is the property’s large covered parking, which, as Vargo explains, was originally part of the loading area where trucks use to pull in for

distribution. Grand steel structures still hold up the old roofing, a feature Vargo claims was one of the primary factors in his decision to purchase the building. “I moved to Rome after my residency,” Vargo recounts, “[and] was very fortunate because Ira Levy, whom I consider a great role model in his restoration projects,

leased me a building just in front of the Rome-News Tribune…on East Sixth Street. However, we quickly outgrew the small office, as we literally had to make small closet spaces [into] offices. So, I began my three-year search for a building downtown in East Rome to renovate and restore.

“I knew I wanted to rehab a building. Our slogan is ‘Changing the face of Rome’, and I wanted to do exactly that and give back to a town that had been so supportive and gracious to us. So, we looked at buildings all over, even on Broad Street, but I truly fell in love with this building.”

Vargo would acquire the building in 2003, at which time he bought it from Brad Riddle of Riddle & Page. With his new property badly in need of restoration, he called on Atlanta-based architect Preston Bennett to help give it a fresher, more modern visual appeal; along with Rome-based contractor Jim Byers, whose job it would be to aid in the estimated $1.9 million in new construction. Entering the building, one can still see the aged wooden ceiling planks left post-restoration, as well as various nicks and scratches worn upon the old cement floors from Double Cola days past. “We had a great team,” says Vargo, “They knew exactly what I was trying to accomplish. If you look from wall-to-wall, the building is actually quite narrow, and I wanted to give it the feel that you weren’t blocked in. That’s why we chose the open curves and didn’t cover up a lot of the old brick walls as part of the heritage of the building. Our renovation project acted like a catalyst for many restoration projects in the area.”

Today, the two front offices where Double Cola workers once picked up their weekly paychecks have been reinvented. Now they are a workspace for Vargo and his crew, one in which patients can take in the history of the building. Outside the original front entrance to those offices, the original ’30s-era version of the Double Cola sign proudly hangs from its original post. “Double Cola saw what we had done with the building and granted us the right to hang the old sign in front,” says Vargo with a smile. “It’s the logo true to the 1930s, when Double Cola first came to Rome. It’s funny because people see the sign and walk in thinking that Double Cola is still made here.”

In the early days of “big soda”, the engineering of cola was much different than you’d see in some of the larger plants today. Ingredients were mixed by hand in large upstairs vats, then the newly mixed batches were poured down through pipes. Sugar and syrup had to be transported upstairs by way of a sandbag ballast shaft in the middle of the building, which today houses the curved

“People really do remember this place... [They come in here all the time to look around and

tell fond stories of how they worked here during the summers...or how they used

to knock on the front door as a kid and get a freshly made cola for [a nickel].”


staircase that led to the second floor. “When we first got the building, the staircase was so narrow that you had to walk up it sideways,” Vargo laughs. “This was to ensure there was room for the large ballast shaft.

“Today, if you look up you can still see the large gears where the pulleys would have been. If you look even closer, you can still see the cut ropes that used to pull the system. We decided to leave it intact to give a rustic style element to the staircase and pay homage to the roots of the building.”

The cracked quarry tiles, originally installed for spills and other messes, still remains as part of the upstairs’ history. But instead of being filled with large mixing vats, the spare room in the building’s upper level has now become a nice entertainment area complete with full kitchen, a couple of offices, and a large conference room overlooking Second Avenue. This space is also home to meetings with the Dentist and Specialist Study Club, as well as

the board of directors for Rome’s Open Door Home and other non-profit organizations. “We had to remove the large vats, as well as the large cupola that was used to release heat,” Vargo explains, “[Because they had] been severely water damaged. I really enjoy the

space up here. I used to build treehouses as a kid, and this is kind of my treehouse above Rome. I really wanted this area to just be very welcoming for anyone in the community.”

The outside of the building tells the tale just as well as the inside. To the left of the building, a small fenced-in serenity garden featuring

a statuesque fountain, beautiful landscaping and seating areas provides Vargo’s employees a picturesque spot to enjoy lunches or social powwows, but the area hadn’t always been so tranquil. Back in the days of Double Cola, a nearby cement slab actually housed the outdoor

units that once supplied power to the factory’s conveyer belt system.

Vargo, for one, chooses to value every element of what his building formerly, and to this day, has to offer all who visit. “It’s a beautiful reminder of what was once here,” he says. VVV

“I used to build treehouses as a kid, and this is kind of my treehouse above Rome. I really

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community.”



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vini vidi vici / v3 magazine 1�

Will you lose weight this year? Yes, you will and save money too!

People rarely look beyond money when it comes to their personal investments. But in these tumultuous times, it’s never been more important to invest in the only asset you can’t live without: your health. Which is precisely why Rome Athletic Club and Thrive Weight Loss have teamed up to give you the latest, most effective personalized plans to make sure that you lose weight and live with optimum health.

And how will this you save money? When you lose weight you begin to regain your health. Which means that you will stop spending money on costly prescrip-tion medicines such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol medicines. On Anti-Depressants? Re-search proves that exercise can be the best anti-depressant medicine available today!

For as little as $1 a day you can look better, feel better, be healthier and happier than ever before! Exercise is the best prescrip-tion medicine for your health!

Think about this past year and how much money you have spent on prescription drugs, fad diet plans, crazy online exercise programs and/or books. You, like most people, probably spent a small fortune on all the above items. Well this year most of us cannot afford to throw our money away on what “might” help us lose weight and most of us are looking for ways to curb our spending. Cutting into that prescription drug budget just might be the very thing to help put more money in your pockets this year.

So where do you start? Prescribe yourself exercise! Just like any daily drug you take regularly, do the same with exercise. Prescribe yourself 15 minutes of walking a day or taking a Group Fitness Class three days a week. Treat your Exercise Prescription as seriously as you would your regular drug prescrip-tions. Afterall, you wouldn’t miss your daily dose of blood pressure medicine? Nor should you miss your 15 minutes of walking. Take your new prescription seriously and the results will follow.

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1� vini vidi vici / v3 magazine

When Stan and Sharon Foxworthy moved from Denver to Rome last spring for Stan’s new gig with Pirelli Tire, the town had no clue what was about to hit them. This dynamic couple—full of the kind of mutual, unconditional affection for one another everyone else in the room notices and longs for—had brought with them volumes of experience building projects from the ground up, giving life to ideas, and casting visions that others can’t help but to get behind. They race motorcycles, dabble in high-end photography and work at sustainable development. Oh, and did we mention that they’ve managed to dole out a quarter-million in cool cash to children’s charities, to boot?


WINDagainstthe

text by tricia steelephotos courtesy of sharon foxworthy


“For me, it’s been a lifelong thing,” says Stan. “Ever since I was a little boy, things that ‘went’ drove me nuts. Motorcycles have just been a part of my entire life.”

It was this connection that first drew Stan to Sharon. After a second lunch date predicated on business, one beautiful day in the Denver spring Sharon wrote a quick email demanding, “Next time there’s a beautiful day like this, you’ve got to pick me up on your motorcycle.”

“Oh my goodness,” Stan remembers thinking as he read the note, “a woman who likes motorcycles. Count me in.” And from there, things—quite literally—took off. “I really liked having her arms around me, and one day she said, ‘You know, I think I can do this,’ ” As he recounts their shared modern-day fairytale, Sharon watches him smiling.

Shortly after passing a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course and getting her endorsement, Sharon enrolled in Freddie Spencer’s High Performance Racing School

in Las Vegas. Stan knew he was in good hands when, the first night she was in Vegas, she called to say, “Honey, I think I need a track bike.”

Not long after, in the summer of 2001, Sharon got her road racing license and motorcycles, then started building her riding and racing experience alongside Stan. He proposed that Christmas, and they were married the following September. “I think I said something like, ‘What are you doing tomorrow, and the rest of your life,’ ” Stan recalls. She tugs his arm to get him back on topic.

Stan’s own racing experience had started much earlier. At the age of 12, he traded a bicycle for a non-working motorcycle. After

bringing it home, he immediately went to work taking it apart, repairing it, and getting it back on the road. His dad bought him his first “big bike” at 14, a 1973 Honda CL 450. “I was so proud,” Stan blushes, “I wasn’t legal to ride it or anything, but when Dad was out on the boat fishing, I would sneak it out in the middle of the night, push it a couple blocks down the street, fire it up and ride down to Ft. Lauderdale to cruise.”

Sharon chimes in, reconstructing the mental image of her man with his first toy, “He was probably 15 and had on knee socks, running shorts, and Ray-Ban Aviator glasses. Classic!”

He started racing on some dirt bikes in 1975, later tried flat track, then became involved with road racing and “absolutely fell in love with it.” Stan was just starting to race again in 2004 when the Racing 2 Save Lives (R2SL) concept started to come together. After an accident on the track that threw Stan from the bike and bounced him on both

Racing 2 Save Lives is as much a story about love as it is about racing. To hear the Foxworthy’s tell it, the two distinct passions have never really been separate for either of them.

sides of the helmet, he had a reality check. “I said to myself, Stan, you’re not as good as you think you are and you’re not as young as you think you are.”

“And it hurts when you fall!” Sharon interjects.

He proceeded to experiment with the “safer” super-motor racing, splitting the track between pavement and dirt, but eventually the couple came to decide that racing was far too great a commitment in terms of time and money than they were prepared to make, “But we loved the track day experience,” Sharon notes.

Track days were just coming into vogue in Colorado—days or times of day where tracks were dedicated to motorcycle use only. “We decided that was sufficient for our ‘need for speed,’ ” Sharon laughs. Through their association with the Colorado Sportbike Club, an informal club of street riders and enthusiasts, as well as their membership in the Motorcycle Racing Association (MRA), Sharon began hearing similar conversations from folks who wanted to do something for charity. “Riders are extremely social and very generous,” says Sharon. “They have decent jobs and are well-connected in their communities.”

And so, one evening over a table in a local diner, Stan, Sharon and the presidents of both biking clubs worked out on a hand napkin what they believed an innovative charity event could look like. Thirteen weeks later, they put on their first. “That was really how [R2SL] came to pass…, “ Sharon prides. “People simply loved it.” In a week-long event, drenched by unprecedented summer rain, they saw their vision spring to life. “We had people out on the race track day in and day out, and by the end of the week, we had accumulated enough money to give away approximately $5,000 to children’s charities.”

The money came from registration fees, a modest silent auction and, most prominently, from donations and pledges. “Basically we proved our point,” Sharon says, “that if you give riders a good enough reason to ride, they will come out in huge numbers and give generously—especially if there’s a high fun factor to it.”

At this time in Colorado, a number of racetracks were in the process of being dismantled. Development was the threat looming large on the horizon, and Second Creek Raceway, the track that hosted the inaugural R2SL event, was soon shuttered and razed to make way for encroaching construction. Not ones to be deterred by closed doors, the brains behind R2SL began considering Pike’s Peak International Raceway (PPIR), the lone national level


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track in Colorado at the time. Stan and crew went down to meet with the PPIR president, explained what they wanted to do, and asked if they could use the track free of charge. “He pulled out his calendar and gave us four days on the spot,” Stan says. “It was truly phenomenal.”

The organization had become official. Stan served as executive director at the helm of a leadership team that included Sharon, Ralph Forsythe of the Colorado Sportbike Club, and Tony Baker from Colorado’s Motorcycle Roadracing Association. “It really was the sort of foundation of our relationship,” Sharon says, smiling in Stan’s direction. “It was just an opportunity to develop something that tapped into my desire to give back, embraced both of our passions for the sport, and helped us build something as a couple and a community.”

Stan adds, “I mean they were going to come out and ride anyway. Why not do something good with those resources?”

However, the same hurdles awaited them at Pike’s Peak—i.e., dismantlement—so the team was forced to look out of state for the R2SL’s third-year venue. “At that point we had already gotten our dates for the third year, we had people and celebrities lined up, and

all of a sudden we didn’t have a racetrack in Colorado,” Stan recalls. That’s when Sharon recommended that they reconnect with Freddie Spencer, who had gotten her started in racing years prior.

A new track was being constructed in Utah, approximately nine hours from Denver, and Spencer, a three-time world champion road racer, was set to establish another school at this new location. Within a matter of a few phone calls, Larry Miller welcomed R2SL as the first event to be hosted at Miller Motorsports Park, a $100 million-plus facility slated to rent at $40,000 per day. “We pulled off a phenomenal event, bringing out celebrities and celebrity road racers. We had television stations come out, got great press, and had a great time,” Stan says.

According to the Foxworthy’s, that was when the vision grew. “We really saw the potential for what R2SL could be,” says Sharon. “It was out of that year that we expanded our vision and decided we’d like to take [R2SL] from being a local or regional event to being a nationally sponsored event.

“The idea was to raise up chapters of R2SL volunteers in the five regions of the United States, starting with the West Coast and working [our] way east. Each one of

the chapters would do the groundwork to train volunteers, find silent auction items from local businesses, get press involved on the local level, and drum up interest. And leadership staff would oversee it and manage it on a national level, providing the celebrity appearances and industry-wide press coverage.”

The third event in three years, this installment of R2SL grew from 200 participants to 350, with people coming from 19 states, Canada, and even a rider from Great Britain. The four-and-a-half mile track was divided into two, so that street riders could be duly separated from racers. “We put a high premium on safety,” says Sharon, “[and] evolved our offerings to include rider-coaches who teach people how to ride on the track, so that a novice who’s never been on a track before can get one-on-one instruction.” As a result, this phenomenal benefit was taken advantage of by close to 200 newbies in year three.

In addition to the money raised, they were insistent that the event help improve the perception and performance of street bikers on the open road. “Their skills increase, their awareness increases, panic responses are more manageable,” Sharon says. “They


just become safer out on the road, which is something we are very committed to.”

Stan adds, “Once the street riders get a taste of the track—where there are no speed limits or laws—and you can do whatever you want within physical limitation and proper instruction, then they start to realize that they don’t need to do that on the street.”

And, of course, they have donated more than $250,000 to children’s charities. “Make-A-Wish is one that we have given to consistently,” Sharon says, “at least $50,000 over the last five years.” However, they also chose to get behind a selection of smaller organizations, given that they are the ones who could most use an extra hand in the way of financial support. “The first year that we gave Family Pathways of Colorado money,” Sharon recalls, “that money covered the entire food budget for [each and every child they served] for the entire year.” The organization is now non-existent, but in its time worked diligently to assist severely neglected and abused children.

Another such organization helped by R2SL was one geared toward benefiting victims of the rare Glycogen Storage Disease. “Because not as many children suffer from it, it doesn’t get the research dollars that bigger, more glamorous organizations do.” An event participant had a daughter who was suffering

from the illness, and after he gave money to another charity, asked if R2SL would add the organization to its list of recipients. “It’s been beautiful,” Sharon beams, “a number of their family members have come out and really rallied behind R2SL, securing great items for the silent auction and drumming up support.”

The first real test of the Foxworthy’s vision for expansion came to pass in 2007, with the outfit’s first East Coast event, hosted by the Virginia International Raceway. “It was challenging,” Sharon admits. “The track was delighted to have us, but the challenge was to promote it from a distance. People didn’t know who we were and what we were about. That was a lesson learned: Marketing and promoting from a distance requires feet on the ground.”

Next year’s event is already under contract negotiations, this time back in Utah, where the regional grassroots involvement is seeing the most rapid growth. Stan and Sharon now serve as advisory board members, but they are very enthusiastic about what lies ahead. “We were featured on a National Geographic HD Theater presentation called ‘The Birth of a Racer,’ and Stan has quite the reputation in the motorcycling community,” says Sharon. In his current role with Pirelli Tire, he travels frequently within the industry and

is frequently asked about future events, in addition to volunteer and sponsorship needs.

In five years, their efforts have amassed over a quarter-million dollars, all with little more than a shoestring budget and an all volunteer labor force. “Stan and I had no idea that we would have this as part of our history, both together and individually,” says Sharon. These days, they are looking forward to feeling out the racing and riding community throughout Rome and Northwest Georgia, and hope to one day partner with local and regional tracks.

In discussing the future, Sharon reveals the real motivation for her behind the entire R2SL endeavor: the loss of her first child at just six weeks, due to SIDS. “I guess it really taught me that life is very precious and not to take people for granted,” she says. “It also exposed me to the multiple reasons children don’t make it through life [and] developed a core commitment in me to do what I could to ease other people’s suffering.”

Stan and Sharon are both adamant in insisting that the money they help raise goes directly to helping kids. “None of it has gone to administration costs or anything like that,” says Stan. “We choose carefully the organizations that we have given to, because we want money to go directly to children.” VVV

“Stan and I had no idea that we would have this as part of our history, both together and individually... I guess it really taught me that life is very precious and not to take people for granted.”


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KINGhhtext by faith robinson photos by sabrina wilson

The atlanta civic center’s “tutankhamun: the golden king and the great pharaohs” exhibition reminds northwest georgia history buffs why it’s...goodtobe

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You can’t help but to stare at a mystical mummy waving back and forth in the wind, as if it were giving you an invitation to see his beginnings and his end. And if you do in fact choose to accept this summons, amazing images provided throughout the Atlanta Civic Center’s latest hit exhibition prepare you for what lies ahead as you enter the tomb of King Tut. So open your minds, and prepare to see the ancient world through the eyes of the famous pharaoh.

National Geographic and the Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University partner up on the project, “Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs”, showing now through May 2009. In November 2008, thousands began pouring into the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center to marvel over the original artifacts and ancient treasures buried alongside Egypt’s famous boy king. According to officials, the museum’s goal is not only to

give back to Georgians through education and research, but also to reveal marvelous stories of the ancient mummies.

As your presenter and guide, National Geographic offers visitors an audio tour narrated by actor Harrison Ford. If you choose to experience the audio tour, you can conveniently wrap the phone-like device around your neck and listen as he (and other featured narrators) lead you through the exhibit’s 11 awe-inspiring galleries, each of which holds a host of pristinely preserved artifacts and stories of pharaohs from several different eras. The narration of each venue provides listeners both fascinating and contextually relevant historical information regarding the tour, whether it be pertinent to the head of Amenhotep III (donning a luxurious blue crown molded from unbaked clay) or the Egyptians’ use of canopic stoppers (many of which feature a replica of King Tut’s head). By entering in

the gallery specific number, via the device, each section narrates the life and times of a given pharaoh.

Before one enters the tomb, musical notes intimating danger and excitement prepare you for this enchanting wonder as Ford helps awaken our natural curiosities; introducing you to the lifestyles of the pharaohs and their ancient world. “Now come… Travel back in time… See where and how these rulers lived. Now, step into the world of Tutankhamun: The Golden King [and] the Great Pharaohs…”

Traces of light spill through the cracks of the wide double-doors that first welcome visitors inside; a tunnel leads you to stand before a mural depicting a wondrous Egyptian pyramid. The first stop on the exhibit presents an array of golden crowns in the center of the room, representing a certain pharaoh’s status in ancient society. “America has welcomed the Golden King, and now he returns, bringing with him all the great pharaohs of Egypt,” notes Dr. Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities.

Four galleries are designed for King Tut, each scattered with treasures and statues of the boy who died at just 19 years of age. Sandals made of pure gold, ornate furniture, jewelry and weaponry are among some of the priceless artifacts found in the antechamber, annex, treasury and burial chamber of his tomb, and each consecutive section prepares you for the rooms dedicated to Tut alone.

Throughout the exhibit, many a pharaoh—adorned with golden jewelry and other lavishly hand-crafted items—illustrates how royals were represented in ancient Egyptian society. Whether in the form of a colossal statue meant to honor the pharaohs, canopic coffinettes or carved sphinx, hard working laborers were the magic-makers behind such pieces, each item made with diligence and meticulous detail; every carving, chip and color wrought so delicately by way of experience and patience; traces of beautifully vibrant hues such as blue, jade, orange and bright gold bursting from every crevice.

In 1992, Dr. Zahi Hawass discovered the tomb of Inty-Shedu inside the great pyramid at Giza, and as the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities’ secretary general, Hawass later emerged as a world-renowned archaeologist with his unprecedented findings. The statue at Inty-Shedu’s tomb is easily identifiable via the extensive detail found in its broad shoulders, curled black wig, and fitted collar around his neck. Several secondary statues of the Inty-Shedu

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are displayed, as well. Inty-Shedu, as it turns out, is a religious title that translates to “overseer of the boat of Neith” (also globally recognized as “king’s acquaintance”).

Inty-Shedu’s tomb was discovered in the cemetery where pyramid builders were once laid to rest, and contains several statues of his likeness. The first thing that may leap out to visitors are his large, almond shaped eyes, both of which are painted midnight black. “I will never forget the look of the eyes of the Inty-Shedu,” Dr. Zahi Hawass was once quoted.

You can’t help but to feel equally excited and curious as, from gallery to gallery, you drift to the tune Egyptian flute music playing overhead.

As you enter the exhibit’s final stages, you proceed into a tent-like structure designed to mimic the one used by British explorer and founder of King Tut’s tomb, Howard Carter. In 1922, Carter revealed the long lost burial chambers of “the Golden King”, who is widely recognized as having been one of the last kings from Egypt’s 18th Dynasty. Also featured are numerous images taken by photographer Harry Burton, who actually assisted Carter in unearthing his monumental and mythical findings.

Nearing the exhibit’s end, an incredible capstone (proffered with the help of Siemens Medical Solutions) reveals 3-D cat scan images of the young Tutankhamun’s mummified remains, as researchers still struggle to crack open the mystery of his untimely death. Some Egyptologists believe that he was murdered by his successor, while many theories have been developed and tested via scans and other scientific analyses.

Still, the mystery lingers as to how the teenaged king died.

Tickets for “Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs” are available through the Atlanta Civic Center box office or for purchase online at www.KingTut.org. Group rates are also available. Profits from the exhibit will go to help raise money for preservation and conservation efforts currently underway in Egypt. VVV


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“Thinking of U.” “Is Hillary 4 real?!” “Baby, U R the real Maverick!” Stored away somewhere, the Obamas may have some great letters from their courtship during the pre-Internet era. But have changes in communication technology truly rendered the time-honored love letter a thing of the past?

Retrieved text messages and emails with electronic signatures may be the bulk of what is devoured by historians and biographers who seek a glimpse into the personal lives of future presidents and first ladies. For the romantic historian in us all, however, let’s just hope that the Bushes and Obamas were eloquent with the old-fashioned pen and paper, as well.

The personal letters and writings of our top executive have always been a major primary source, helping readers piece together the development of the presidential mind and persona. The nascent ideas and insecurities found in their words allow the ordinary citizen to somehow relate their own experiences to those of these larger than life figures. But it is those letters of longing, heartache and puppy love that paint us a new image of the war makers and nation builders we come to revere.

Harry S. Truman continued to scribe doting letters to his wife and confidante, Bess, well into the 1950s. Some of the letters are of the schoolboy variety, confessing love and longing, while other letters allowed President Truman to express his private concerns over such issues as the Second World War and the selling of furniture.

One of the most famous correspondences in American history was carried between John and Abigail Adams. The Adams were separated for years at a time. First, when John was in Philadelphia as a member of the Continental Congress, Abigail was left to run the Adams’ homestead outside Boston; and

later as John, on separate occasions, was sent as an envoy and minister to France, Great Britain and Holland. Abigail was only with him for four of his 10 years abroad.

Also, Abigail was often absent during Adams’s tenure as both vice president and president whereupon he served in New York, Philadelphia and Washington D.C., electing to reside at the family farm instead. This separation allowed the energetic minds of both parties to convey their thoughts to one another in voluminous installments, and she proved to be his equal in both intellect and prose. In her letters to John, Abigail kept him grounded and humble, while at the same time instilling in this sometimes insecure Founding Father a strong sense of confidence and purpose. Though not flowery with their words (as contemporaries Jefferson and Hamilton tended to appear with their lovers), neither John nor Abigail did wane from expressing his or her deepest appreciations and love for the other.

The White House was also, for a time, home to another duo skilled in the art of the common love letter, the Wilsons. Woodrow and Ellen Wilson launched their loving correspondence in the spring of 1883 here in Rome, when Princeton graduate Woodrow, then a struggling lawyer in Atlanta, ventured to Rome on a legal matter and to seek the counsel of his uncle, James W. Bones. At a Sunday service before East Third Avenue’s First Presbyterian Church, Woodrow first spied Ellen Louise Axson, the pastor’s daughter. Ellie Lou, as she was known about town, was a beautiful and independently minded young lady. Woodrow would later recall to her that, upon first seeing her, he had thought to himself, “What a bright, pretty face; what splendid and laughing eyes.”

Born in Savannah, 6-year-old Ellen Axson had arrived in Rome in 1866 when her father, Edward, was offered the position of pastor

at First Presbyterian. Growing up, Ellen had proven herself a voracious reader and skilled artist. She pursued studies at the Rome Female College as a teenager and continued to work with private tutors and talented art instructors. Her art, mostly landscape work, had even won an award at a competition in Paris, France. And while known for her selectiveness in suitors (she had turned down many men in Northwest Georgia and all over the state), “Ellie, the Man Hater”, as she was called by her friends, found something special in Woodrow.

The 27-year-old Wilson visited Rome several times in the following months, supposedly on work-related business and to visit his uncle. But the most likely reason for his travels from Atlanta were born by a panging of the heart.

Their first formal engagement was a picnic by Silver Creek, just east of Lindale. Woodrow was in love, Ellen was soon to be. The following summer saw both Ellen and Woodrow in the North Carolina mountains visiting with relatives. By “chance”, each found themselves in Asheville awaiting trains—Woodrow, leaving for Baltimore to begin graduate studies in political science at Johns Hopkins University; Ellen, returning home to Rome. Delaying their departures by two days, the couple was finally able to get to know one another, and by the time they both had left Ashville, Ellen and Woodrow were engaged.

It would be two years before they were married, and during these two years the young couple would rarely find the chance to be together.

Woodrow, hard at work at Johns Hopkins over the holiday season, struggled with his loneliness and the incredible effect that his love for Ellen had upon his studies. In a letter to Ellen, Woodrow, after many dream-filled nights, confesses: “The first visions were delightful, but in the last from which I awoke only a few hours ago and which still haunts me, I dreamnt [sic] that you were dead—you

Barack and Michelle Obama’s loving pre-presidential correspondence with one another may one day be reaveled to the American public:


without whom I would not care to live, nay whose loss would make me wish to die. But why should I distress you by telling you of all this. I am ashamed of my weakness. It need not distress you, for it’s all past now. I am not often subjected to the dominion of my nerves, and it requires only a very little prudence to enable me to maintain that mastery over myself and that free spirit of courageous, light-hearted work in which I pride myself.”

Woodrow proved to be the more prolific and sensitive of the two in their collective writings. He always had worries at school to expound upon and was never at a loss for ways in which to express his love for Ellen by hand. Ellen, too, soon opened up to Woodrow and poured her feelings out onto the page. Writing from Rome in the summer of 1884, shortly after the death of her father, Ellen expresses to Woodrow for the first time her intense love and longing for him: “The joy it gives me to love and to be loved by you is too deep and entire to be affected beyond measure by accidents of time and place. And yet I do miss you so much—more than I ever did before. ‘What shall I do with all the days and hours that must be counted ere I see thy face?’ Don’t you think I am unreasonable to begin thinking already about the next time? It certainly isn’t because thoughts of the last time have been exhausted, or have lost their charm. But perhaps I am a little like certain children I know, who, about a week after Xmas begin to lament that they must start their calculations all over again—and that they can no longer say it is one, or a dozen,

days away, but three hundred and sixty!”Rome and Baltimore lay some 700 miles

apart, but that distance shrunk greatly in the fall of that year when Ellen enrolled at the Art Students’ League in New York City. Though a young school at the time, the Art Students’ League employed many respected and widely renowned artists as instructors. The school would later be associated with such names as Norman Rockwell, Man Ray and Jackson Pollack.

It had been well over a year since their engagement and the couple was becoming evermore desperate to settle in together at long last. In the hope of hurrying the wedding date, Woodrow contemplated accepting teaching positions at what he considered lesser institutions. He needed a steady income before he would take Ellen as his wife.

But with Ellen in New York, Woodrow could find time to whisk to and fro by train for weekend visits, and decided he could weather a stay at Johns Hopkins for one more year of studies and the chance at better job offers. Woodrow’s Princeton friends would also call on Miss Axson while they were in the city; all with overwhelming approval of his young, bright fiancée.

Ellen excelled at the Art Students’ League and was quick in making friends. She would frequent the opera, theater and art museums, and often took part in discussions of contemporary literature and poetry. New York exposed her to a far more cultured and intellectual world than anyplace in the South could at that time. And it was this

environment that would nurture in her a greater self-confidence, a sense that would later allow her to feel more at place alongside the ostensibly gifted Woodrow.

The toll of their prolonged engagement was still hard on the young couple, though. Woodrow desperately needed a confidante in Ellen. Though extremely ambitious and hardworking, he often suffered from periods of self-doubt. Woodrow writes to Ellen in November of 1884: “…Now and again I lose all faith in my own talents and am possessed of the conviction that I am nothing better than a dull fool, with a vain knack for counterfeiting thought and am ashamed that anyone should admire me. Of course I could not confess this to anyone but you… It does me good to confess… And the privilege of confessing to you is like a cool, refreshing breeze, to blow away the clouds that oppress and stifle me.”

With the two-year separation drawing to a close, Woodrow becomes more confident in his abilities and possibilities for a successful career in teaching. Graduating in May of 1885, Wilson, with three degrees in tow, was a viable candidate for positions at numerous universities.

Ellen, recognizing his accomplishments and talent, and with his sometimes low self-confidence in mind, writes in April of 1885: “…I will be a better wife to you than I could ever have been to a small man, because no other but yourself could have stirred my nature to its upmost depths, could have inspired me with such passionate longing toward my own ideal of womanhood, or have given me so strong a motive for earnest unflagging effort for attainment.”

Woodrow Wilson and Ellen Axson were married in June 1885 in Savannah. Woodrow began work the following spring as a professor at Bryn Mawr College, just outside of Philadelphia. The couple, though finally together as husband and wife, continued to be loving pen pals while apart in their travels.

Throughout his tenure at Princeton—first as professor, then as University president— while governor of New Jersey, and eventually as our nation’s commander-in-chief, Woodrow Wilson was often away from Ellen. During these times, Ellen’s letters kept her strong (yet intensely human) husband humble, confident and clear-headed, and their letters to one another reveal a youthful love that never appeared to grow old. VVV

This is the first installment of two articles focusing on Rome native and First Lady Ellen Axson Wilson. The second article will focus on her life and role as First Lady in Washington D.C.


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Didn’t We Almost Have It All?: A look back on the year that brought together Bud Selig and...Whitney Houston?!

And though the thought of football ending is a bit depressing, there are plenty of big events to keep the everyday avid sports fan busy well into June.

Yet, despite these many reasons to be excited, I’d like to take this opportunity to reflect upon the year that was 2008.

It all began with the New Year’s Day bowl games, including the realization of another Heisman jinx when, in the Capital One Bowl, Tim Tebow’s Gators found themselves upended by the Michigan Wolverines. The Georgia Bulldogs followed in the Sugar Bowl by capping off a fantastic season with their dismantling of highly touted quarterback, Colt Brennan, and the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors—a win that would later vault the Dawgs to a #1 preseason ranking. Then you had LSU’s Les Miles, who coached his Tigers to a national title in the second straight flogging by an SEC school over the Ohio State Buckeyes.

In recounting this, I realize just how much time passes in a single year. This season, Tebow finished third in the Heisman race, but has the Gators playing for the crown. The Georgia Bulldogs broke the hearts of the Athens faithful after squandering their national title aspirations, then topped it off with their first loss to rival Georgia Tech in eight years. And Les Miles may very well be on the hot seat next season after taking the

Bayou Bengals from national champs to a 7-5 Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl berth. What a difference a year makes.

In the NFL, it was the New England Patriots who garnered the early spotlight,

making it all the way to the Super Bowl with an 18-0 record before running into the New York “Football” Giants, quarterbacked by the often criticized younger Manning brother, Eli. In a game dominated by defense, Eli escaped pressure late in the fourth and heaved a downfield prayer that was answered by a little known receiver named David Tyree. That play, one that will go down as among the greatest in Super Bowl history, saved the drive that ruined the Patriots’ perfect season and gave the Giants their third Super Bowl win in franchise history.

Just getting to the Super Bowl was improbable for the G-Men, who had to come up with three road wins just to reach the mountaintop. The last of them came at Lambeau against future Hall-of-Famer Brett Favre and the Packers. The week prior, Favre had looked like a kid in a candy store while leading his boys to a blowout snow game victory versus the Seahawks, but he would come up short against Manning’s Giants in what—backed only by speculation at the time—would prove to be the last game in which he’d call Green Bay home. A few months after his tearful farewell to the NFL, rumors of Favre’s return to the Packers began to circulate. But when the dust cleared, Aaron Rodgers was still in Wisconsin and Brett Favre was on his way to becoming a New York Jet.

This season, the Packers are officially out of the playoffs, while at deadline the Jets were not only still in playoff contention, but leading the AFC East. Again, what a difference a year makes.

In the wonderful world of roundball, it was the Boston Celtics and the Kansas Jayhawks who managed to shake the monkeys from their backs, each by winning their first respective championships since the mid-to-late ’80s. The Celts “Big Three”, composed of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, survived a brutal playoff run that ended with a game six victory over the Lakers. It would be the first NBA title for Boston since 1986, a time when Larry Bird was king. The Celtics were pushed to game seven in every playoff series except the championship, and are looking to repeat in 2009 after getting off to one of the best starts in league history. And if I had to call it early, I’d say we may be looking at a rematch of last year’s Finals, with a better Lakers team lying in wait for revenge. (Feels like the ’80s all over again, huh?)

While the Celtics proved NBA championships are hard to come by, the tourney known as March Madness has provided plenty of anguish for the University of Kansas Jayhawks. After winning the championship behind Danny Manning in 1988, Kansas had made four trips to the Final Four and gone on to the championship game twice, only to come up short in the end. But in ’08, they ended their 20-year drought in one of the best NCAA tournament comebacks ever recorded, beating Memphis in an overtime run fueled by Mario Chalmers’ three-point shot to tie at the end of regulation.

This season promises just as much excitement, but from the onset, it seems that there are only the North Carolina Tar Heels and the rest of the NCAA. Tyler “Psycho T” Hansbrough is coming off a “Player of the Year” performance from last season and brings back his entire supporting

The new year is upon us, and with that comes a very exciting time in the world of sports. College football crowns its national champion, the nfl playoffs are underway, the nba season is heating up, and conference play is just around the corner for ncaa roundball.


cast. The Jayhawks dismantled the Heels in the tournament last year, but honestly, there aren’t many rosters in the country that can stack up against UNC this season. Remember, though, that in the big dance it’s one-and-done, so anything is possible.

I can’t wrap up 2008 college hoops without mentioning the improbable SEC Tournament victory for the Georgia Bulldogs. Looking back, I’m not sure if the tornado that hit the Georgia Dome had a magical effect on the outcome, or if the SEC had just hit rock bottom with respect to basketball. Regardless, the Bulldogs put together a historic run—one that ended with them hoisting the trophy after winning the championship at Georgia Tech’s Alexander Memorial Coliseum (I know you Dawg fans get a kick out of that) because of wind damage to the Dome. But the magic would quickly fade, as Georgia lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Bulldogs did manage to win an NCAA championship in one major sport, however, just not the Bulldogs from Georgia. The Fresno State Bulldogs pulled off a miracle win at the College World Series, after falling one game behind to Georgia then taking the next two to win it all. It would have been

the first College World Series championship for UGA since 1990, but it was a good run nonetheless.

On the MLB front, the Philadelphia Phillies won their first World Series in 28 years by defeating the miracle seasoned Tampa Bay Devil Rays in five games. The media desperately wanted Boston and L.A., which would have pitted Manny Ramirez against his former team, but instead they got about the most unattractive match-up in terms of media market that you could ask for. I congratulate the Phillies on their accomplishment, but am still of the opinion that the best thing to ever come from the City of Brotherly Love is the cheesesteak.

On a more serious note, Major League Baseball seems to be losing more and more fans each season. To its leaders, I drop the following hint, courtesy of former diva and current crackhead Whitney Houston: “I believe the children are our future / Teach them well and let them lead the way.” The fact is, folks, that it’s hard for a 9-year-old to stay up until 2 a.m. to watch the end of a playoff game. But they are the fans of the future, and it’s time for someone (Bud Selig) to stop wasting our government’s time on steroids, clean up his own mess, and cater to the kids

who’ll support the declining sport long after he’s dead and gone.

I know it. You know it. Mrs. Houston knows it (and she’s smoking crack rock!)

So much transpired over the course of 2008 that I’m sure I left plenty of important things out of this write-up. From Roger Clemens’ D.C. meltdown to Evander Holyfield’s failed quest to become the oldest and first five-time heavyweight champion, it was a year to remember in the world of sports. Tiger Woods’ heroic U.S. Open win, the Thrashers and Hawks both making the playoffs, and the unprecedented turnaround witnessed by the Atlanta Falcons under new coach Mike Smith are just a few more examples of why this was a very special year.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to let all of our readers know that my counterpart on the college football pick show I do (during the NCAA season at 7:30 a.m.) on 95.7 The Ridge, Matt Davis, will be appearing live in a cheerleading outfit at WOW Café and Wingery on Jan. 8 during halftime of the National Championship game broadcast. His bloomers are courtesy of my superior knowledge with respect to college football, though it could’ve just as easily been me. But you can thank me later for sparing you all that sight. VVV

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withCHRISWILSON

CENTS&SENSIBILITY

Four Words You Shouldn’t Believe: These are the terms that tend to make investors act irrationally

If you believe “this time is different,” you are mentally positioning yourself to exit the stock market and make impulsive, short-sighted decisions with your money. This is the belief that has made too many investors miss out on the best market days, and scramble to catch up with stock market recoveries.

Stock market investing is a long-term proposition—which is true for most forms of investing. Any form of long-range investing requires a certain temperament. You must be patient, you must be dedicated to realizing your objectives, and you can’t let short-term headlines deter you from your long-term quest.

But wait—isn’t this time different? Well, it is unusual. We are seeing a level of government intervention in the financial markets that we haven’t seen since the 1930s. We’ve also seen banks, insurers and brokerages seized or rescued. So when headlines say “bank failure” and “government bailout”, and media outlets conduct “man on the street” interviews, you are going to get a sound byte or two of someone—not an economist—wondering aloud about a second Great Depression. (In every recession, some news story inevitably appears weighing how the current economic situation stacks up against the 1930s.)

But you know what? This time is different. Today, the federal government is able to intervene in the financial markets in a way it

couldn’t then. When the Bank of the United States (one of the bigger private banks of that time) collapsed in 1930, the Federal Reserve lacked the power to rescue it. It was an event that gravely wounded the banking system

and aggravated the Depression.

Today, by contrast, the U.S. government has pulled out all the stops. You have $700+ billion assigned to mop up

bad debt and ease a credit squeeze. You have the U.S. Treasury taking stakes in banks and the Fed issuing loans and helping to engineer bank mergers. You have economic stimulus packages and federal government efforts to stem foreclosures. Yes, this is different—and welcome.

What happens when investors believe those four little words? It’s called panic. In early October, we all saw it. And yes, the potential for panic still exists—witness the morning of Oct. 24, when index futures declined so fast that “circuit breakers” had to be enacted to halt selling on Wall Street.

The silver lining here is that recently, the market has begun to move in response to standard indicators again—earnings reports, economic releases from the federal government, news from the housing sector, etc.—rather than fear. The news hasn’t been great, but investors have shifted their attention from credit market concerns (inspiring panic) to economic concerns (resulting in more predictable behavior).

Look at the good news we’re getting. No kidding, there really is some. As of Dec. 11, the overnight LIBOR rate (the interest rate banks charge each other for loans) was 1.20%—below the benchmark U.S. interest rate of 1.25%, well below the high of 4.82% reached on Oct. 10. Existing home sales

increased 5.5% in September, as a result of a buyer’s market—and by the way, year-over-year sales were up 1.4%. The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 5.00% in December, down from 6.46% a few weeks ago.

Remember when oil prices were $147 a barrel? In mid-December, they settled below $40 per barrel (62% lower). The Treasury Department may soon move to shore up more than 20 financial companies through cash injections, according to Bloomberg; PNC Financial Services Group announced that it would use Treasury funds to buy National City Corporation, effectively creating one of the larger banks in the U.S.

This is the time to stay in the market. Withdrawing money from a retirement savings account (and the investment funds within it) might feel rational in the short term, but it can be hazardous for the long term—especially since many Americans haven’t saved enough for retirement to start with. We’re looking at a turbulent stock market right now, and the market may fall a bit further before a recovery builds momentum. The key is to remember that a recession is a few quarters long, not the length of your retirement. If you have questions about your money, turn to the financial advisor you count on as a resource. VVV

Chris Wilson is a Representative with Investment Professionals, Inc. and may be reached at 706.236.3536 or [email protected].

These are the views of Peter Montoya Inc., not the named Representative nor Broker/Dealer, and should not be constructed as investment advice. Neither the named Representative nor Broker /Dealer gives tax or legal advice. All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however, we make no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. The publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If other expert assistance is needed, the reader is advised to engage the services of a competent professional. Please consult your Financial Advisor for further information.

The person sending this is an employee of Investment Professionals, Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC. Please note this individual does not provide legal tax advice. Please consult your lawyer or CPA for assistance. This is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell securities. The products offered are not insured by the FDIC or any other agency of the U.S., a bank, or an affiliate of a bank. Products are subject to investment risks, including the possible loss of principal amount invested.

“This time is different.” Beware those four little words. They are perhaps the most dangerous an investor can believe in.


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Are you thinking about getting pregnant? If so, there are several things--besides the obvious--that you will want to do.

First, you’ll want to stop taking your birth control pills and have at least two to three regular periods in order to allow your hormones to get back on track. This also allows your uterus to become better prepared for implantation and maintenance of a pregnancy. It is not uncommon for it to take a couple of months for your periods to be-come truly regulated. If you haven’t started your period within three months of stopping your birth control, you should see your Ob/Gyn for an evaluation.

It is also important to start taking a prenatal vitamin at least one full month before becoming pregnant. This is to ensure that you don’t experience a deficiency in folic acid. A deficiency in folic acid can lead to spinal birth defects, of which spina bifida is the most common type. If you have certain medical conditions, are on specific medications, or have had a previous child with a spinal birth defect, you may need higher dosages of folic acid.

If you smoke or drink alcohol, you will surely want to quit. Both have been linked to decreased fertility and can lower the quality of your eggs. These habits have been shown to decrease sperm counts, as well, and there are significant risks associated with both to the pregnancy and the baby. Fetal alcohol syndrome causes specific birth defects and mental retardation, thus no amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy. Tobacco use during pregnancy has been as-sociated with miscarriage, preterm labor, abruption of the placenta, and sudden infant death syndrome. If you need to use medication to quit smoking, you will want to do it before getting pregnant.

Limit your caffeine intake, as large amounts have been linked to increased incidence of miscarriage. However, it is generally accepted that one small cup of coffee a day is safe during pregnancy.

Avoid raw meat. There are certain bacteria that can cause serious illness during pregnancy.

If you share your household with a family cat, have your husband change the litter box. (Yay! You finally have an excuse.) To justify this, let him know there is a parasite called Toxoplasmosis that can be carried in feline feces and can be dangerous during pregnancy.

Avoid getting your hair permed or colored. Though it is generally considered safe nowadays to do so, it is wise to avoid the chemicals associated with the process during pregnancy, particularly in the first trimester.

Know your husband’s and your own family history. If there are any inherited illnesses or chromosomal abnormalities, your Ob/Gyn may send you to a genetic counselor for blood work that may be able to assess your risk for having a baby with the same condition.

See the dentist before you get pregnant. Healthy gums and teeth, oddly enough, also reduce the risk of miscarriage.

Make an appointment with your primary care physician. You need to make sure you are up to date on your vaccines. If you have never contracted chicken pox or have not received the MMR vac-cine, you will want to get the proper vaccinations prior to getting pregnant. There are serious complications with chicken pox and ru-bella (the R in MMR) if contracted during pregnancy. Also, you have to wait at least two to three months before trying to get pregnant after receiving the vaccine.

Finally, you will also want to have yourself tested for sexually transmitted diseases and make sure any medical conditions are well managed. This includes hypertension, diabetes, asthma, thyroid dysfunction and seizure disorders. Some medications for these con-ditions may need to be changed as some can cause birth defects.

Following this checklist can help you take all the steps necessary to have a healthy pregnancy. VVV

BiographyOriginally from Atlanta, Dr. Leigh Barrell did her undergrad-uate work at Berry College, medical school at Medical College of Georgia with a residency at Georgia Baptist Medical Center in Atlanta. Dr. Barrell is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and has practiced in Rome since 1998. She opened Rome Women’s Health Center in October 2007 and resides in Rome with her husband Kevin and 7 year old daughter, Katie.

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jan, 2009 v3 magazine

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