Gulf Coast Journal with Jack Perkins; 506s; Dolphin Watch, Hammered Dulcimer Players, Painter John Dobranic, Hoveraround Gunners

In. This special presentation was produced in high definition by W. edu Tampa St. Petersburg Sarasota. Take your the waters with the most delightful animals and woman. Let's check in with the artist who creates in spite no. And look out for this game if. You. Have. Your. Own you. Don't. Own. Your home. This production is exclusively brought to a really generous story. Going to go down to a single minute. Building strong community leaders are going to take down the land. Dear Journal. I imagine an animal that is lost

delightful out in these waters the ones that we humans get the biggest kick out of. Is that often. They're so playfully are quite intelligent we're told. Home we know. But there are people who know a lot more and who get to share the Dolphins daily drama. Romance. Betrayed. Beneath the water's surface a showroom full. So we have the purchase of a very interesting watch this Dr. M. Weaver witness is only a fraction of what goes on below sea level. But as a 25 year voyeur of these dramas she has gleaned her share of good plots. You could tell real stories about those animals that would rival soap operas. The intrigue the fool around behind the island. You know the illegitimate

children. I mean it would go on and I had it but there would be a repeating cast of characters it would be hysterical. And sheers are going to want to gossip in the weekly newspaper column Dolphin Watch. I want people to understand that there's a whole society out there a drama at their doorstep. She gathers her dirt on both ends during her research. You see them as an animal behaviorist. Well my data are very separate from my explanations to people when I'm talking to people as a scientific explanation is not going to help them understand so I can help them empathize. And the more people that love wild dolphins or wild animals the better off the wild animals will be. And Spode aptly named is her desk the Intracoastal her lab. Beautiful. Gorgeous gorgeous. With a permit through the government agency no hams latest project is to study the effects of bridge reconstruction on

the dolphin population at Johns Pass. This used to be a. Popular and they're all there for the animals. Now you're going to see litter from the construction. Barges and things. Oh yes and. She began the project in 2005. We found that the year before construction started. There are about a hundred and eighty in. The year that the construction started in 2006. That number went down significantly 34 percent. Three days a week and surveys a six and a half mile course monitoring dolphin activity on weekends her husband John helped spot captaining the boat its rim rim and oyster. These are teenagers. Today it took just one minute from dock to first for him. I spent a lot of time with them in the wild.

They're pretty playful This one is fooling around with this crab. But. Eventually the boy becomes boring. The teens had permission to be deeper waters. That looks like they're headed to the road. Now this is a real instant close to. June the passing boat offers temptation too thrilling to ignore. Hey maybe we'll get some surfing. Along. It's not unusual for em to fire off several hundred pictures during a survey. The ephemeral sight that never grows old.

All loving Toto's helping him identify dolphins by markings on their dorsal fams 100 maybe seven to date with them or ripped up the fan is that the male they are. Some are assigned letters others unusual names Ramm clyster still sitting to the padding. To the very affectionate and these guys are nice loose easy. There is Courtney tanks and see how easy they co-mingle under the surface. Ana has studied 200 different species of animals during her career. Primate her initial subject. JOYCE. I didn't want to study dolphins because you can't see that most of what they do is out of sight. Thought it was. Frivolous. Frivolous yet offers to study dolphins continue to flow rhythm offers a Finally and wouldn't pass out.

25 years later she's still fascinated with you for the animal's. Perception of them. Somehow dolphins are awarded a special status in the mind of people. And maybe that's partly why I love studying because we don't. Do you find any other animal to the extent that we've deified I don't think we think that they are our friends. We don't attribute that many of any tendency to get aggressive. So we have this profound romanticism about them that they like us they're always smiling and they're always playing. So now we have 5.6 is the way to summarize the database give or take one point two.

All right I'm sure him is a full time professor and chair of shoulders Argosy University. She teaches statistical analysis to graduate students. It's kind of weird to me. The fact that we call this number the mean. He's a nice a statistic here for him. It's like she often uses animal behavior to spur learning behavior. I wrote a book on statistics it's called good natured statistics because I filled it with animals. It's a friendly a statistics book that's been written. I'll stand on that. You're scowling over there. She makes it real for the people in the classroom and that's what that's part of what we pride ourselves here at Argosy is that it's practical application of intellectual theory. I'm back on the misbehaving dogs cause a commotion. So when dogs bark. We use them to look for dolphins in the water because they can hear. And right on cue. They see him right there rolling on each other

the animals are extremely slow. Some terms of physical. Interact with each other. The reason. It is so much thank you so much. And they are so much. Like me. But they have real relationships. Clearly she loves her dolphin. I wonder what they think of her or think. That. In music as in many aspects of life. Often what is simpler is better. Simple and time tested. That's the kind of music that can be heard once again on the Gulf Coast. Mountain music brought to the flatlands music with a long pedigree. The sweet sounds have been celebrated for millennia.

It originated back in. Ancient Persia but 3000 years before Christ was. Today a loyal following is much smaller. But Edye saddler hopes to change that at least here on the Gulf Coast. To reach a wider audience she created what she hopes will become an annual summer festival at Venice is a shmuck haven. It's it's fun to play with other people. Here on the bank of the my acca river as many as two dozen dulcimer players joined other musicians to share a day together. Joe I'm looking there's something new about this role. People are. What have never heard of never heard of the elsewhere before. You're going to be. Impressed. With the sound and you might even say what is that instrument.

It happened to Joe whole for the first time she saw five years ago sound beautiful and I wish I could know that. It was harder than she thought but she was hooked on the instruments melodious tone. Like you say it's a happy set you know. Yes loving and uplifting. This is the soft sweet music. Fitting that. Dulcimer. Derives from the Latin and the Greek word for sweet. Shaw. It's a relative of the piano but a lot more portable. Perhaps that's why some people start playing. After they stop working. Before I retired. After 35 years work and. I got a dulcimer Bluegrass Festival and I still I have gotten a lot of people started since I retired. E.D. Sadler did. She and her husband Howard visited him and you would

dulcimer Festival in their native Michigan for 20 years before Howard got one of his own. And all he was just a venture waited but he played it eight hours a day and I spend a lot of time on tours. I have a landline. And I see are that here. A year later she was out of the yard and back inside playing her own golf and that was my team 91. Now at age 81 she wants to pass the sweet sounds of this historic instrument. To be celebrated again. Centuries from now. We're not always we end together. Next we have a couple of stories that remind us why we should never use the word disability. And disability means no ability. Well you look

at this next story and you tell me that this artist has no ability. Oh I. Surf on the sandy beach. Blowing some resting on the horizon. Sail against the sunset sky. It's a familiar scene along the Gulf Coast and on John Doe branch campus. When someone comes to. Work at night. People say. I think I've been there. Ever occur to you. That's right. Hang it you. Can't. Kevin The only. Moment. John's landscapes and

seascapes are his s Cape escape from a disease that has robbed his body of almost all that. Much. John has muscular dystrophy genetic disorder of the muscles that progressively weakens the body's ability to move. Movement is confined for John to just two fingers. John's creative spirit is not confined at all. Right. Get. Very. Easily. To the right. To the ceiling. So I try to do a little. Channeling herself. You doing it. Again. Seems. John has lived with empty for more than 40 years. Symptoms started when he was six.

And was having a. Lot of those. Walking up stairs. Yes on the list. So he was right and the time comedian steps said my leg by that I mean my leg bother me by the time John was mine he was confined to a wheelchair. Friends and I am like recalling me having to go fishing just the same was a kid. The family moved from Chicago to Sarasota in 1990 to better accommodate John's progressive disease like. You call very easy. And wearing it cold. I stood. Up. He's been on a ventilator for 25 years. I'm his only. And give my stuff. Help a person just like eye glasses. Hearing aids.

King's whenever an artist as long as he can remember John's painting technique has evolved with his condition. When I couldn't get my arm. My arm. So I found it. Oh I'm. It was a you have a coffee mug you know it's. Much bigger. Every stick a pencil in it and then just dress. My hand on top. Eventually an organization called medical engineers created a special musical for John. First of all it's. The record deal. And a horror. Film I will hear. Is. CONNECT THE WORLD here. Until my cultural. And when I use my.

Real Hair. Don't throw. It was the table. Left right. All right. Slowly John fills his canvas with colorful places mostly only visited in his mind. Perhaps things that make you. Give me ideas. During warm weather John paints up to two hours a day. His will and patience are stronger than his muscles. And think tanks. Cream. Yes. I want one. I may want to take. Half a year. His father and mother are immigrants from Croatia devoted caregivers and his biggest supporters. Everybody finding his personality to take over his wheelchair and

everything and nobody seen him and. Which is how he wants people to see his artwork. And I. Am going to judge me by the quality and they were right now in the scene for me in person you know like how does he do that. I can't got straight line. At age 48 John has adapted his life and his art to New Jersey. Eventually his finger muscles will give up. But John says. He won't. There's only 10 doing something. Think of the way. I'm doing it. Disability. Replaced with disability. Jon Bramnick passion to paint is is an example to us all.

So what do you say John Doe pranic knowability. I say. Nobility. And here are some other fellas who have challenges but do those challenges stop them. Not exactly. What you do when you're faced with adversity determines the person you love. This is Sarasota as quadriplegic rugby team holds. The hub around. GUNNER. Cut. There are six serious athletes in six custom chairs playing a game so fast and furious fans call it murder ball.

Live. Live. Live. Quadriplegic everyone thinks you have no function. That's not true. It's just you've lost some function. And your upper extremities. Everyone when their first start playing is classified. You're given a functional level between half a point and three and a half points by half point a moment you play for guys on the floor a total of eight points. I'm half a point which means I have no finger function. No wrist flexion. I don't have any triceps if I try to raise my arm above my head it'll fall down. I don't have any abdominal the most impaired on the court. That was. For rugby borrows many of its rules from basketball and honestly I've.

Got a dribble or pass and in seconds. You got to advance the ball over half court. In 15 seconds. If you committed off. Now with the turnover. One aspect is a little more hard to hit. None of the. Chairs that we. Have were. The only breaks we have by hit. Somebody. What. On quad rugby is an adrenaline packed demolition derby. It also impacts its players in. Quieter but equally powerful way. So many young guys start playing the sport. It just carries over into the rest of their lives and more confidence out in the regular community you know most say guys here they work full time. Some of us we have families. Here. Just a bunch of regular guys that happened to get in here. I made up and will share that decided we're not going to stop living just got everything I want everything.

I mean these Atlantic Coast regional champs played at the 2008 National quad rugby championships ranking impressively is fourth in the United States during the last long but even the tightest teammates may find themselves facing off. Paralympics are coming up played in the Canadian team since 2002. I'm going to be playing against Nick my teammate for Sarah so when he plays on the U.S. team he's a young stud on the team for the U.S. So I'm kind of a veteran now in Canada so he's you know he's got a big mouth I can't wait to shut him up on the court. Oh. Really. Yeah in about six months I'm going to have a really nice gold medal hanging from my neck right about here is going to go right there. What. Gunners work hard play hard. Turn tragedy into triumph.

Assumptions. Enjoy all the rights to everyone oust the people on the outside. That's so terrible. OK terrible things happen to people every day. You deal with it. The Ford F-150 back completely over my neck and broke my neck it broke my nose and I was in the hospital with guys my age who got head injuries and I realize that I don't have is no bad. I was in Iraq car accident you know driving too fast and missed a turn. At a guardrail rolled my car in a flipped over and that's when I broke my neck. When I was 14 I. Was hiking. Up in Vermont. And I got attacked by a bear. Last Patrol my car Little 5 little mustang flipped it on the roof. I. Woke up the next day with a broken neck. Said sorry mom. I dove into a lake.

And it. Looked to shallow. That was in 1994 so it's. 2008 now. 14 years. I was injured in an automobile accident in nineteen seventy eight. I'm a veteran. I was injured in the Army in November 0. I've never been one acquitted anything in my life. Most of these guys out here don't. You know that's why they're here. That's why they're here. That's why you see him out there communities living life to high level and I sit at home feeling sorry. For why me. Why not me. That's why I say. Why are you so good you can't get hurt. And deal with a dog. I. Said. Right. Yes.

All right as of right now let us all open our vocabulary files and forever disable the word disable. Thanks for being with us on this volume of the Gulf Coast Journal. Let us leave you as we started in the water with our friends. This is floating there listening to others that are coming. To the hangar. There are. People who can order this or any other

volume of a Gulf Coast journal with John Perkins on a high quality DVD for their call 1 800 3 5 4 9 3 3 8. Or visit our website at. W e d dot org. This w e production is exclusively brought to you through a generous grant from the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice. Building strong community leadership partnership and Daoud philanthropy.