tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-875726459696615962024-03-07T19:29:16.166-08:00Matt Anderson Media WritingMatt Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09656905158750123365noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87572645969661596.post-11163015596565885262011-04-28T11:08:00.000-07:002011-04-28T11:08:08.058-07:00Final ArticleA college graduation party is winding down late one Friday evening. Yovani Reyes and <br />
his fiancee thank the hosts and head toward their pickup truck in preparation for the 20-minute <br />
ride home. <br />
Reyes, an Atlanta restaurant worker, is stone sober while his recently graduated soon-to-<br />
be wife, a native of Oklahoma, is anything but. As his intoxicated lover puts the key in the <br />
ignition, Reyes buckles his seatbelt on the passenger side without saying a word.<br />
Reyes, like millions of others living and working in the United States, is an illegal <br />
immigrant. Due to his undocumented status, Reyes is prohibited from obtaining a government <br />
issued driver’s license.<br />
Reyes says, "As a couple we have decided that whenever we drive somewhere together, <br />
Heather will drive, especially if it is late at night. It is too risky for me to get pulled over. Our <br />
whole future together could be at stake every time I get behind the wheel because I don’t have a <br />
license and I am here without documentation."<br />
<br />
Reyes feels more comfortable driving during the day and regularly drives to work. He is <br />
employed by two restaurants in downtown Atlanta and often finds himself working 80-hour <br />
workweeks. <br />
Jeremy Sparks also works in city of Atlanta. Make that for the city of Atlanta.<br />
Sparks, as a police officer, finds himself dealing with the issue of illegal immigrants and <br />
driving on a daily basis. <br />
Sparks says, "The biggest misunderstanding people seem to have is that I have some <br />
degree of control in what will ultimately happen to an illegal immigrant if I happen to engage one <br />
during a traffic stop. I am only there to enforce the law."<br />
<br />
Sparks has the look of law enforcer: a freshly shaved head, glistening Oakley sunglasses, <br />
and a goatee maintained with such precision that not a hair dares to deviate from place. <br />
<br />
Sparks continues, " Sometimes people beg or argue, but if I pull you over and you don’t <br />
have a driver’s license, I have a responsibility to arrest you. If you have a license, but don’t have <br />
it on you then there is a good chance you can get away with just being ticketed. If you simply <br />
don’t have a license, however, you are likely headed to jail. That’s my job. The law doesn’t have <br />
a lot of grey area on these things."<br />
Sparks concludes, "It’s not a matter of race, or politics, or any of that, at least not for me. <br />
It’s simply following the letter of the law." <br />
According to a recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution article, the number of illegal <br />
immigrants in Georgia has risen to 425,000, placing it as the seventh-largest state in terms of <br />
numbers of undocumented residents.<br />
<br />
<img height="433px" id="il_fi" src="http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2011-04/60913015.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="600px" /><br />
Among the new arrivals is Ivan Hernandez.<br />
Originally from Juarez, Mexico, Hernandez spent his first three months in the United <br />
States in Houston. Unable to find work, Hernandez followed the path of one of his cousins and <br />
relocated to the metro Atlanta area.<br />
Hernandez has had a tough life. Raised by his grandmother in Mexico until her death <br />
when he was just 13, Hernandez admits that after her passing, he was forced to panhandle on <br />
street corners just to survive.<br />
Hernandez says, "I came here, two years ago, for the same reasons we all come here. For <br />
a better opportunity. I want to find a wife and start a family and the life I was leading in Mexico <br />
was not a life to bring children into."<br />
The risks that plague illegal immigrants if they choose to drive without a license were not initially clear to Hernandez.<br />
"When I talked to people in Mexico right before I left for Houston, I thought one of the <br />
main things I could do when I got to America was drive a taxi. I had no idea it would be so tough <br />
to get a driver’s license," Hernandez adds.<br />
For many advocates of immigrants’ rights, the presidential election of 2008 appeared to <br />
offer real hope that things could be changing for the better.<br />
According to a 2008 San Francisco Chronicle article, then-Sen. Barack Obama outlined a <br />
proposal to grant driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants nationwide. Obama subsequently <br />
promised to tackle the divisive issue within his first year in office were he to be elected.<br />
Unfortunately for undocumented workers, Obama’s position became progressively more <br />
untenable as support for illegal immigrants’ rights waned when illegal aliens became convenient <br />
scapegoats during a prolonged economic downturn that would cripple the American economy.<br />
In addition to national sentiment turning against illegal immigrants, several developments <br />
on the state level have further disenfranchised undocumented residents.<br />
In 2010, the state of Arizona passed legislation that drew national attention and the ire of <br />
immigration rights’ activists.<br />
The constitutionality of the law is still being adjudicated, but the intent of the law’s <br />
authors was clear. Chiefly among the law’s aims was to mandate that local law enforcement <br />
personnel actively attempt to ascertain the legal status of any individual they came into contact <br />
with.<br />
In the wake of the Arizona crisis, dozens of other states have proposed similar measures.<br />
In 2001, 11 states had passed legislation that allowed for non-citizens to acquire drivers <br />
licenses. Today that number is reduced to three. <br />
The three states that still do allow for illegal immigrants (Utah, Washington, and New <br />
Mexico) to acquire licenses have passed or are in the process of passing legislation that would <br />
outlaw the practice.<br />
Reyes recalls a time when things used to be different: "I remember when I was 8 or 9 and <br />
we took a family vacation to North Carolina so my father could get a driver’s license. Dad still <br />
has the license. It’s expired but he still carries it in his wallet just in case."<br />
Another setback for proponents of licenses for undocumented aliens occurred in the form <br />
of the 2005 REAL ID Act.<br />
The REAL ID Act was a piece of federal legislation, proposed by the Office of Homeland <br />
Security in conjunction with the September 11 Commission and passed by Congress, that <br />
attempted to establish national standards for state-issued driver’s licenses.<br />
The Act gave a deadline of 2008 before the states had to come into compliance with the <br />
requirements laid out in the bill. Subsequently, all 50 states were given waivers to postpone <br />
implementation.<br />
The law’s supporters pointed out that 13 driver’s licenses were issued to 9/11 hijackers.<br />
<br />
This use of terrorism, or fear of terrorism, as a rationale to deny licenses to individuals <br />
who came to America solely in the hopes of bettering the lives of their families is offensive to <br />
many who live with the consequences.<br />
Wilkerson says of her future husband, "I would argue that Yovani and the millions of <br />
undocumented Mexicans living here are more likely to be law-abiding than even the average <br />
American. Of course, you are always going to have some bad apples, but the overwhelming <br />
majority of Latino immigrants are decent folks who came to America because they love <br />
America."<br />
Reyes agrees, "This country is my home. I only have three memories of my early years <br />
in Mexico. America is what I know. I go out of my way to obey the laws and customs of <br />
America because I cherish the opportunity I have living here."<br />
The debate on illegal immigrants and driver’s licenses shows no shows of dissipating.<br />
The ideological fringe on either side of the argument continue to be allowed to frame the <br />
argument.<br />
A pragmatic compromise seems years away from becoming reality.<br />
And so Reyes and Hernandez wait.<br />
But so do Wilkerson and Sparks.<br />
The illegal immigration problem affects the entire nation. Native and Immigrant. Citizen <br />
and Undocumented alike.<br />
There is one other American cultural tradition Reyes and Wilkerson would like to be a <br />
part of. <br />
"In the movies, you always see the bride and groom dashing off in the car with ‘Just <br />
Married’ spray painted on the back with the cans trailing behind. I would like to drive my new <br />
wife into the sunset," says Reyes. "But if the American politicians say no, It’s OK. I will get to <br />
chauffeur her around on our honeymoon. We’re going to Cancun."<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The Georgia Legislature sent a clear sign to the illegal immigration population of Georgia <br />
with its passage of an Arizona-style immigration bill.<br />
It says quite simply: Get out.<br />
Just like the constitutionally dubious Arizona attempt, this piece of legislation gives law <br />
enforcement officers the authority to question anyone they come in contact with about their legal <br />
status.<br />
The bill has not been signed yet, but Republican Gov. Nathan Deal is expected to sign it <br />
into when it comes across his desk.<br />
The bill requires private employers to check potential employees against E-Verify, a <br />
federal database, to ensure that all workers are here legally. <br />
Yovani Reyes is a 23-year-old illegal immigrant who came to America shortly after he <br />
turned 5.<br />
Reyes says, "These politicians are voting with their hearts instead of their minds. They <br />
don’t realize how strong the Latino community is today and they don’t pay attention to the <br />
numbers. In 30 years we (Latinos) are going to be the majority."<br />
Reyes continues, "These Republicans are going to regret betraying such a big group of <br />
voters. I understand the economic situation isn’t great now and they are looking for somebody to <br />
blame, but they are doing more harm than good."<br />
His fiancee, Heather Wilkerson concurs, "The problem with the bill is the message it <br />
sends. The biggest employer statewide is the agriculture sector and they use illegal labor as much <br />
as anybody does. You are going to have an exodus of workers and it is going to drive up the price <br />
of labor."<br />
For Atlanta Police Officer Jeremy Sparks, the more things change the more they stay the <br />
same. "If it(the bill) becomes law I’ll enforce it."<br />
Ivan Hernandez is a recently arrived illegal immigrant.<br />
Hernandez, unlike Reyes, has relatively few family and friends in Atlanta, so for him it <br />
could mean a change of address. Hernandez says, "If Georgia has this kind of law and other <br />
states don’t, I should live there instead of here."<br />
What has so many of the bill’s opponents so infuriated is the potential economic loss the <br />
state might face if this legislation is ever enacted.<br />
Jerry Gonzalez, executive director of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected <br />
Officials, wrote in Creative Loafing "Georgia is the home of many multinational corporations, <br />
has the world’s busiest airport, has a thirst for expanding international trade, and is the cradle of <br />
the civil rights movement. Georgia’s economic development efforts rely upon it being seen as a <br />
good place to do business."<br />
In addition to local objections, the bill has drawn criticism from the White House. <br />
President Obama says, "It is a mistake to try to do this piecemeal," in an interview with WSB-<br />
TV. Obama adds, "We can’t have 50 different immigration laws around the country."<br />
The bill, Georgia House Bill (HB) 87, was passed on April 14 and is expected to be <br />
signed by Deal in early May. An extensive legal battle about the bill’s constitutionality is widely <br />
foreseen.Matt Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09656905158750123365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87572645969661596.post-14343797667372806082011-03-31T10:45:00.000-07:002011-03-31T10:45:32.742-07:00Profile Article Nick Alicea scrambles to find his cell phone as he hurriedly leaves the veterinarian’s <br />
office. Peanut, his beloved 7-year-old dachshund/terrier mix is, thankfully, cancer free. That <br />
mass on her belly merely a benign cyst. One thing down, a dozen to go, Alicea thinks to himself.<br />
Now where is that cell phone?<br />
Alicea searches aimlessly as he mentally runs down the laundry list of errands <br />
demanding completion today, Nov. 22, 2010, three days before Thanksgiving. Pick dad up at the <br />
airport. Buy flowers to celebrate the three-month anniversary of his engagement to the woman of <br />
his dreams, Sarah. Call and wish his baby brother a happy 29<sup>th</sup> birthday. Buy groceries for the <br />
holiday feast. Locate his cell phone.<br />
"There it is. Right where I left it," Alicea berates himself as he discovers his Blackberry <br />
under a brochure for a wedding caterer on the leather passenger seat of his jet black Mustang as <br />
he accelerates onto the highway en route to Hartsfield-Jackson. An automated voice informs <br />
Alicea he has one new voicemail. <br />
His one voicemail is from a lawyer in Virginia urgently requesting a return call.<br />
Alicea remains unaware of the significance of this voicemail and what it will ultimately <br />
lead to: A life-altering opportunity to reunite with a son he never knew he had. <br />
Waiting for his father’s arrival at baggage claim, Alicea impatiently sips an overpriced, <br />
over-heated espresso and Googles the area code from the lawyer’s number, again on his <br />
Blackberry. 7-5-7, a Virginia Beach number, a noteworthy peculiarity because Alicea has never <br />
visited Virginia’s most populous city.<br />
Several hours and errands later, Alicea finally gets around to returning the lawyer’s call.<br />
"It was the most surreal thing" Alicea confesses, seemingly still as puzzled recounting <br />
the events as he was initially experiencing them.<br />
<br />
"The lawyer says he is calling on behalf of Corey Woods. Now, right off the bat I <br />
recognize the name, Woods, Kendra, she’s a girl I dated when I was 19," Alicea continues.<br />
"I’m so naive. I’m thinking Corey is Kendra’s dad or brother and that something bad has <br />
happened to Kendra. Little did I know," Alicea says. "The next thing I know the lawyer is asking <br />
me to take a paternity test to prove Corey is my son."<br />
"And within two weeks, it was a done deal, a DNA swab from my cheek left no doubt, I <br />
was a dad," Alicea says as his puzzled countenance melts into a visage beaming with pride.<br />
The story of Alicea and Woods’ romance is not dissimilar to many relationships that <br />
begin in high school. Passionate enough while it lasted, but abruptly concluded when Alicea <br />
went off to culinary school. Woods quickly rebounded and was married by the time of Corey’s <br />
birth. <br />
The Woods family grew to include two other children and Corey did not learn the true <br />
identity of his biological father until the DNA results came back from Alicea’s cheek. Until <br />
then, Corey had been led to believe that the man that he called his dad was exactly that.<br />
<br />
After a brief 10 minute phone conversation between Alicea and Corey, a face-to-face <br />
meeting was agreed upon.<br />
But first, something else had to be settled.<br />
<img alt="" aria-busy="true" aria-describedby="fbPhotoTheaterCaption" class="spotlight" height="540" src="http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/167393_187252134624132_100000180405972_729249_3185989_n.jpg" width="720" /><br />
<br />
Alicea had to inform his fiancee that he was a father.<br />
<br />
"At first I was scared of her reaction, but she handled it beautifully. She instantly put me <br />
right at ease," Alicea says.<br />
Sara Smith recalls the moment similarly: "For the tiniest fraction of a second I wanted to <br />
be mad at him (Alicea), but I looked into his eyes and you could see that he was happy and I was <br />
reminded of why I wanted to marry him in the first place."<br />
Smith elaborates, "When I had a moment to myself, a moment to think things through, it <br />
dawned on me that this experience for Nick would make him be a better father to our children if <br />
and when we decided to have kids because he would realize all the moments he missed in <br />
Corey’s childhood and want to be there even more for our babies."<br />
That if and when were, in reality, a yes and now, but as Alicea packed for Virginia with <br />
his fiancee’s blessing, neither of them knew it.<br />
Exactly a fortnight after that fateful voicemail, Nick Alicea was back at the airport. Not <br />
to pick up a father, but this time as a father himself, hours away from seeing his 15-year-old son, <br />
his firstborn, his flesh and blood for the very first time.<br />
Yet, as he boarded the DC-9, the 34-year-old Alicea felt like he was the one that was 15.<br />
"It was giddiness cloaked in apprehension enveloped in dreadful bliss," Alicea slyly <br />
recollects. "I had no idea what to expect and even less of an idea of what to say."<br />
"As is the case with most fated circumstances, things have a way of working themselves <br />
out," Alicea says as he exhales. "We have so much in common. The whole three day trip there <br />
wasn’t one awkward silence."<br />
"It’s not like he didn’t have a dad growing up. Kendra’s husband raised Corey as his <br />
own. He is a tremendously well-adjusted kid. It is a testament to them, really," Alicea says.<br />
When Alicea returned home to Atlanta, It was Smith’s turn to drop a bombshell: <br />
She was pregnant. <br />
Smith sat Alicea down on Christmas Eve to tell him the good news.<br />
Four months ago, Alicea was a bachelor.<br />
One month ago, he was childless.<br />
Now, Nick Alicea would awaken Christmas morning next to his pregnant fiancee and <br />
with a 15-year-old son 600 miles away.<br />
He jokes with Smith that he should start introducing himself as Nicholas, since it sounds <br />
more befitting a father twice over.<br />
<br />
According to those that know him, Alicea has adjusted nicely.<br />
Corey Custer, Alicea’s co-worker and friend for over a decade, says "All these changes <br />
in Nick’s personal life have affected him greatly. The one overriding change I’ve noticed it that <br />
he has acquired perspective. The little things don’t bother him like they used to. It’s a maturity <br />
thing."<br />
Alicea, for his part, views these events more as life-affirming than life-altering. "Do I <br />
wish I was there for Corey’s first steps or first Little League game? Of course. But God does <br />
things for strange reasons and I don’t know a single soul who is more blessed than I am."<br />
A recent ultrasound revealed that Alicea’s newest blessing will be a baby girl.<br />
"During my bachelor days, I did a million things that made me happy," Alicea says, "But <br />
now as I lay on the couch, with Peanut at my feet and my head resting on Sara’s burgeoning <br />
baby bump, looking up at my son’s picture on the mantle, I realize for the first time in my life I <br />
am content."<br />
Isabella Alicea, Corey Wood’s kid sister, is due to enter this beautiful world Aug. 1.Matt Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09656905158750123365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87572645969661596.post-18843952953814773382011-03-03T10:19:00.000-08:002011-03-03T10:19:17.948-08:00 A somber teenage boy lies in an oversized hospital bed. An overcast afternoon at a local <br />
<br />
skateboard park has gone horribly wrong. The child is saddened more by the doctor’s report that <br />
<br />
he is out of commission for six months than he is by the physical pain of the fractured tibia and <br />
<br />
torn patella tendon in his left leg. To Mike McNabb, six months without skating might as well be <br />
<br />
a death sentence.<br />
<br />
Among the well-wishers that would crowd McNabb’s bedside that July evening would be <br />
<br />
Mike’s older brother Stan. McNabb had received magazines and baseball cards as get-well gifts <br />
<br />
already, but Stan arrived with this ordeal’s silver lining. Stan gave his kid brother a fingerboard. <br />
<br />
A fingerboard is merely a skateboard in miniature. Whereas a skateboard is manipulated with <br />
<br />
feet, a fingerboard is controlled entirely with the middle and index fingers of one hand. Stan too <br />
<br />
had once been an aspiring skateboarder before moving on to the more traditional high school <br />
<br />
athletic endeavors of baseball and football. Stan’s $4 gift, purchased at gas station and given <br />
<br />
halfway in jest, would have a big impact on his little brother. <br />
<br />
Six years removed from that fatefully unsuccessful landing at the skateboard park, Mike <br />
<br />
McNabb, now 19, could not tell you how many hours he has spent fingerboarding in the interim. <br />
<br />
"More than 2,500 and less than 10,000" he says without giving the question much <br />
<br />
thought. "It (the fingerboard) is essentially an extension of my hand at this point. If I go to the <br />
<br />
movies, I board on the armrest. In school, I board on the desks, railings, books, basically <br />
<br />
anything that’s in front of me." <br />
<img height="558" src="http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0PDoS6z2m9NZF8As.KjzbkF/SIG=12lt4besq/EXP=1299204915/**http%3a//www.zeitung-hk.de/wp-content/files/2008-2009/Titelfoto.jpg" width="744" /> <br />
<br />
The wiry 6-foot-2 McNabb looks the part. Calf-length black denim shorts with a <br />
<br />
seemingly endless array of pockets. A belt around his waist that was once a car seatbelt, barely <br />
<br />
holding up his shorts. A nondescript grey T-shirt under a beige camouflage vest. A sandy blond <br />
<br />
mustache that adds a decade to his visage. Upon first glance, his presence makes you think he <br />
<br />
has seen too much in this world and eaten too little. McNabb looks ill-prepared for anything <br />
<br />
outside a cameo in a Nirvana music video. Looks can be deceiving.<br />
<br />
The man widely credited with inventing the fingerboard was Cam Fox Bryant in the late <br />
<br />
1970s. The original versions consisted of little more than cardboard, coffee stirring straws, and <br />
<br />
axles from deconstructed Hot Wheels toy cars. The 96 millimeter board started out as a <br />
<br />
keychain and remained a novelty item until the mid-1990s when skateboard companies began to <br />
<br />
see the marketability and profitability of product branding on the miniature boards. <br />
<br />
According to TechDeck.com, a leading manufacturer of fingerboards and related gear, <br />
<br />
the industry broke the $100 million mark in revenue for the first time in 1999. It is difficult to <br />
<br />
estimate the number of people who have joined McNabb in the fingerboard revolution, but the <br />
<br />
consensus is, whatever the number, it is growing. There is even an iPhone app, Touchgrind, that <br />
<br />
caters to the digital fingerboarder. A YouTube search for fingerboarding videos returns over <br />
<br />
9,500 results. Mike McNabb is not alone.<br />
<br />
Among McNabb’s newest converts, Yovani Reyes may be the most fervent. Both young <br />
<br />
men work at an The Geisha House restaurant at Atlantic Station in downtown Atlanta. That is <br />
<br />
where McNabb introduced Gio (as he is known to his friends) to fingerboarding. The two would <br />
<br />
pass the down time at the restaurant in a back storage room fingerboarding. Reyes fell in love <br />
<br />
with the activity immediately.<br />
<br />
"The first time I picked up the board, I was hooked. I always wanted to skate, but it is so <br />
<br />
intimidating. With your fingers, it is so much less risk," Reyes said.<br />
<br />
The two have a mutually beneficial relationship. McNabb teaches Reyes the <br />
<br />
idiosyncracies of the craft, and Reyes, whose father is a carpenter, supplies McNabb with <br />
<br />
handmade obstacle courses. Reyes explains, "It’s fun either way, but when you have built the <br />
<br />
pieces yourself, it is just that much cooler."<br />
<br />
Corey Custer, the restaurant’s manager, has a surprising take on his employees and their <br />
<br />
unusual hobby. "Ordinarily, we wouldn’t want our team members doing anything other than <br />
<br />
work when they are on site, but with Mike’s fingerboarding, it seems to be a morale booster for <br />
<br />
the employees. Everybody gathers around and there’s a lot of <i>oohing</i> and <i>ahhing</i>. We want our <br />
<br />
employees to have fun and they seem to have fun with this. Plus, they are mature enough to <br />
<br />
realize that you have to put the board down when it’s time to work. So I don’t think a little <br />
<br />
fingerboarding is hurting anyone. The only drawback is when Mike needs a weekend off to <br />
<br />
‘follow the board’."<br />
<br />
McNabb has "followed the board" throughout the Southeast. <br />
<br />
"I have been to Charleston, Knoxville, and New Orleans for competitions and shows. The <br />
<br />
prize money sucks, if there even is any, but it is fun to go on road trips with my boys." <br />
<br />
McNabb also professes to the tangential benefits of increased dexterity that <br />
<br />
fingerboarding offers. <br />
<br />
"I’ve always loved to mess around with cars. When I get done with school I want to be a <br />
<br />
mechanic and I really believe that fingerboarding makes me better with my hands. At least when <br />
<br />
you do it as much as I do." <br />
<br />
McNabb still occasionally rides his skateboard.<br />
<br />
"Now I can ride with reckless abandon, because if I get hurt, I can still board with my <br />
<br />
fingers. That’s the beauty of it. It’s like golf. Me, I hate golf, but they always say you can golf <br />
<br />
for your whole life, you never have to give it up. I have that same security with my fingerboard." <br />
<br />
McNabb and his friends have recently started a rock band called <i>Beast The Line. </i>The <br />
<br />
phrase refers to a particularly good run at an obstacle course on the fingerboard. McNabb is the <br />
<br />
group’s songwriter and drummer. Between songs McNabb has been known to navigate his <br />
<br />
fingerboard across and around his drums. And yes, they do have a song called <i>Follow The </i>.<br />
<br />
<br />
BoardMatt Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09656905158750123365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87572645969661596.post-17112320338139091152011-02-10T11:14:00.000-08:002011-02-10T11:14:16.589-08:00The Return of Repticon<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Reptile lovers: Your wait is over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The semiannual Repticon Atlanta Reptile and Exotic </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Animal Show returns to Georgia for its tenth year on July 9-10. The exhibition features scaly, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">slithering creatures of all kinds: snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs, and arachnids. Repticon will be </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">held at the Gwinnett County Fairground at 2405 Sugarloaf Parkway.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In addition to dozens of vendors peddling their amphibian and reptilian wares, Repticon </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">features interactive displays and exhibits that cater to young and old alike. A typical day at the </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">festival includes an introduction to the fascinating world of tropical dart frogs at 11:00 a.m.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ken </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Panse, known to those in the reptile community as “The Reptile Wrangler,” follows the frogs at </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">noon with his collection of alligators and turtles. Panse is a crowd favorite who is also available </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">for children’s parties. At 2 in the afternoon there is a presentation from the good folks at Green </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Desert Reptiles, followed at 4 by Arachnids, a show put on by the Exotic Kingdom company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Several Repticon sponsors will be getting in on the fun by providing gifts to be raffled </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">away at the exhibition. Another aspect of Repticon that allows it to continue to thrive even in </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">uncertain economic times is its affordability. Adults earn entry for only $10, while children ages </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">5-12 get in for $5, and as always, kids four and under enter for free. Multiple day VIP passes are </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">also available upon request.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A popular pastime for many Repticon enthusiasts is to bring their cameras and treat the </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">event as an interactive zoo. This was the case for Stephanie Hernandez, a 27-year-old Acworth, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Ga. mother who has attended several previous Repticon shows. Hernandez says of the show, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“My two loves are animals and photography and what better way to combine the two then </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Repticon.” Hernandez added, “When I became pregnant with my son six years ago I decided to </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">give up my other two babies, my two albino ball pythons, to provide a safer environment for my </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">son. Now, my son and I come to Repticon and I get to see him interact with all these beautiful </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">creatures and it just brings back so many memories.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The comments by Stephanie Hernandez point to the family-friendly atmosphere at </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Repticon, but now let me turn my attention to the other side of the table, the business side of the </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">table: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the vendors. What is it that the vendors get from this traveling exhibition? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Repticon visits </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">upwards of forty cities a year. It is a year-round endeavor. Repticon puts on exhibitions from </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">January all the way through early December. Why do they do it?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Do they travel the country for exposure, publicity, a love of animals, or the almighty </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">dollar. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The answer is a complex yes to all these questions, but it is not as simple as that. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Repticon is profitable for these vendors for all these reasons. Although specific vendors were </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">unwilling to divulge exactly the amount of my money there bring in from one of these shows, the </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">consensus among the vendors at large was that it was all worth it. As Tim Koppenhofer from </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Special K Reptiles explains, “even if you don’t make a sale that day, if you can make a good </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">impression and create good word of mouth, appearing at Repticon has benefits that your business </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">will see down the road. When you are dealing with living creatures your reputation is more </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">important than if I were selling other goods. There is a great deal of brotherhood among those of </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">us who travel together. It becomes like an extended family.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">For the proprietor of Fire Ball Pythons, Trey Barnard, it is a matter of perception. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Barnard explains, “Repticon is the biggest thing going in the reptile community from the public </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">perspective. From a business standpoint it is important to be associated with this exhibition </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">because when people visit the show they view the vendors as successful. They view us as </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">trustworthy.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Repticon is a celebration. It provides something that, these days, has become increasingly </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">difficult to find: affordable family entertainment. Those in attendance know it, and more </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">importantly, the vendors themselves know it and they act accordingly. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 2in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">For more information visit www.repticon.com </span></div>Matt Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09656905158750123365noreply@blogger.com0