Grow Old With Me
The longest day of my life started on a tropical island. It was oh-dark-thirty, so early in the morning that it was still night. I had only taken a short nap following a goodbye party on the beach. The palm trees stirred in the warm sea breeze as I left Guam on my flight. I spent the night in Tokyo, crossed the international date line and landed first in Seattle, then later in Spokane, Wash., all on the same day: Jan. 9, 1986.
City to Settle Willis Case
The City of Jackson is closer to settling the Cedric Willis case. The City Council could vote as soon as Jan. 24 to give Willis $195,000 for his wrongful arrest for murder and rape.
First Week Light on Substance
On a mild but drizzly afternoon that forced planned inauguration ceremonies indoors, Phil Bryant took the reins of Mississippi government.
[Tech Talk] Kindle Fire: Better Than Its Reviews
When Amazon first announced the Kindle Fire in September, tech blogs and reviewers met the news with plenty of fanfare. If any company was able to deliver a device that could rival Apple's iPad, surely it was Amazon.
Kindle Fire: Better Than Its Reviews
When Amazon first announced the Kindle Fire in September, tech blogs and reviewers met the news with plenty of fanfare. If any company was able to deliver a device that could rival Apple's iPad, surely it was Amazon.
Evernote: Remember Stuff Everywhere
I learned an interesting tidbit about Evernote in an Inc. Magazine story about the company: From their market research, Evernote's management knows that many of their customers don't "get" Evernote the first time they use it. But, unlike many of today's cloud-based productivity apps, a lot of those lost customers return and find the product does make sense.
Barbour's Shameful Pardons
We first heard that then-Gov. Haley Barbour had pardoned another wife-killer Saturday night on WLBT after the Saints game. From there, the news snowballed, with another wife-killer added to the mix, culminating in a list of more than 200 pardons and grants of clemency that we were trying to sort through as the paper went to press.
[Stiggers] Help the People See
Miss Doodle Mae: "This is the part of the year when people get serious about resolving issues from last year. And it looks like boss man Jojo of Jojo's Dollar Store has jumped on the bandwagon. At this morning's first staff meeting of 2012, he explained why he made a New Year resolution."
[Queen] I Am a Feminist
One of my favorite quotes is by Margaret Trudeau: "I can't be a rose in any man's lapel." For years, these words have sung to the very core of my being, yet I failed to understand its significance to my life. A recent conversation led me to recall situations in coming-of-age that have awakened my reality.
With the End in Mind
Once two lovebirds decide to spend the rest of their lives together, lots of planning for the wedding and the reception must begin. It's easy to run into mental and physical roadblocks as you plan for your momentous day. However, don't fret, brides- and grooms-to-be. Read up and take notes on our helpful tips from buying rings to planning your ideal honeymoon.
How We Must Respond to Haley Barbour's Pardons
It is heartening to see so many people in Mississippi and beyond respond with outrage over former Gov. Haley Barbour's pardons of so many men who killed wives and girlfriends, in addition to other murderers and sexual predators. We wish this outrage would have happened nearly four years, and perhaps it would have had the mainstream media followed our lead and reported that all but one of the murderers Barbour had helped in 2008 were brutal woman killers. Coupled with the effort to bring Personhood to Mississippi, thus endangering women's lives and livelihoods (which was pushed by our new governor and ultimately by Barbour, along with scores of other male politicians), this all sends a terrifying message to women in Mississippi, for themselves, their loved ones and their children. Men are frightened and outraged, too, as they should be. You see very few people of any political party right now here who isn't angry at Barbour.
Tinker, Tailor, Texture
"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," based on John Le Carré's classic espionage thriller of the same name, is a lyrical poem of intrigue told in bits and pieces of flashback from different perspectives. It has many moving parts, and it is difficult to keep it all straight.
Sequel Prequels?
As soon as I began reading Bill Loehfelm's third book, "The Devil She Knows" (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011, $26), I developed motherly concern for the book's protagonist, Maureen Coughlin, a Staten Island waitress who feels as if her life is slipping by. Maureen has been a bar waitress for more than 10 years and wants a change.
Why Did He Do It?
This morning, in the wake of Haley Barbour's Pardongate, an old joke popped into my head.
Why does a dog lick his balls?
Barbour Pardons Enough for 20 Football Teams
If you counted up all the pardons and sentence suspensions -- 222, over eight years -- Haley Barbour made as governor, you'd have enough for 20 football teams. And if gubernatorial pardons were a sporting contest, Barbour would be accused of unfairly running up the score on his fellow governors. According to various media reports: Barbour's fellow Republican Gov. Kirk Fordice issued one football team-worth of pardons (13) while Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, a Democrat and Barbour's immediate predecessor, issued only one. Democratic Gov. Ray Mabus, who is currently President Barack Obama's Secretary of the Navy, issued four pardons.
Pardons: ‘The Coward's Way Out'
Also see: JFP investigation of Barbour's 2008 Pardons of Domestic Killers
Reaching Fathers: John Taylor Jr. Runs for Ward 3 Seat
Family is a running theme for the Rev. John Taylor Jr. The 29-year-old candidate for Kenneth Stokes' Ward 3 Jackson City Council seat believes a lot of Jackson's problems start with fathers who don't take responsibility.
Brenda Wilder
This month, Brenda Wilder, assistant professor of music at Tougaloo College, will present her research project, "The Effects of Music for Mental, Emotional and Physical Healing of Residents on the Mississippi and Louisiana Gulf Coasts Following Hurricane Katrina," at the Hawaii University International Conference on Arts and Humanities.
Tonight: ILLLS, BOY Play Martin's
Tonight, two bands will grace the stage of Martin's: ILLLS, a new Oxford-based band, and BOY. This will be ILLLS' first time playing in Jackson and their first time playing with BOY.
The Birthday That Never Came
If you live in Samoa and your birthday is Dec. 30, I send my condolences. From ABC News Australia: