EXTRA, EXTRA: Fox ‘News' Slants Coverage
I know, nobody is shocked that Fox News slants their coverage; at least, no one who isn't already a slobbering fan-boy. (See the inevitable comments below this entry for examples.) But for those of us who might run up against such folk at a holiday gathering this season and could use a handy retort, Media Matters offers simple, concrete evidence that Fox's news operation specifically slanted its coverage during the healthcare debate in the form of a leaked memo from the news operation.
Low Temperatures Threaten Pipes
Verbatim Statement from State Farm:
With temperatures predicted to drop into the teens within a few days, everyone should take a few minutes to check the pipes in your home. The frigid temperatures expected next week can cause pipes to freeze and burst, destroying floors, furniture, appliances and treasured family heirlooms. A few simple precautionary measures can help avoid the headache and aggravation caused by water damage.
New [FLY] Gifts Flip-Guide: Helping You Shop Local for the Holidays
As if a growing weekly paper, a busy online Daily and a wildly popular quarterly glossy weren't enough, today we introduced a new kind of publication to help Jacksonians shop local for the holidays and support local jobs and economic investment. Go right now to http://www.flyjfp.com and you'll find our first digital [FLY] edition, this one dedicated to local gifts. We're collecting all our amazing gift guides (coordinated by ShaWanda Jacome) into one digital flip-book that you can social-network around and use to find great ideas for gifts from local businesses. For the next two weeks, we will add more gift pages (and relevant ads) to the flip-book so keep checking back and watch for updates.
MDA Extends Entrepreneur Training
The Mississippi Development Authority is extending its Dec. 3 enrollment deadline for its free inaugural entrepreneur and business-owner training seminar to Dec. 17 due a low number of applicants.
JPD's Operation Safeshop Targets Crime
Read this week's crime report (PDF)
Sanaa Hill
One year ago, on Dec. 9, Sanaa Hill was doing her homework at the Sykes Road Boys and Girls Club when a stray bullet from an AK-47 came through the wall and struck her in the head. Paramedics rushed her to the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where doctors were able to remove the bullet. Hill ultimately made a full recovery and returned to McLeod Elementary School in January, where she is now a fourth-grader.
The DREAM Act and the Wealth of Nations
Against all odds, 65,000 undocumented students graduate from high school each year, many with honors. They are among America's brightest, most driven and underprivileged. We have invested much in their K-12 education, and they have much to contribute to our society.
A Bit of Christmas Drama
When I was a little boy, my father commenced our family custom of preparing a standing rib roast with Yorkshire pudding for our Christmas meal, along with mashed potatoes and butter-boiled lady peas. The whole thing was a production rivaling the best West-end dramas.
The Art of Museums
Museums aren't just for browsing. Many of our local museums have wonderful gift shops where you are sure to find a gift or two for the holidays.
Made Local
Make two people smile this holiday season by supporting a local artist and gifting your loved one(s) with a touch of aesthetics.
The Art of Staying Warm
Just because it's time to bundle up—because the weather is threatening to be frightful—doesn't mean you have to look like a shtunk while you're schlepping about downtown, in Fondren, the Renaissance or wherever you do your schlepping throughout your day.
The Best In Sports In 7 Days
Doctor S sez: The Doctor suffered another case of premature publication last week. Note to self: Drink pitcher of martinis after writing the Slate.
Will the Next Josh Hailey Stand Up?
I remember the first time I saw Josh Hailey. I was covering the City of Ridgeland Chamber of Commerce banquet for the Madison County Journal in 2009. At this suburban hobnob where conformity is king, Hailey was clad in a colorful ensemble and his hair was in dread-locked pigtails.
Traversing the Merit-Pay Thicket
Over the next five years, Oak Forest Elementary School will be on the vanguard of a nationwide experiment in school reform. The south Jackson school is one of 10 in Mississippi chosen to participate in a pilot program that will change the way the teachers are paid.
U.S. Food Bill Spares Small Farmers
Mike Steede, owner of Steede farms in Lucedale, Miss., took over the farm his family has operated for the past 150 years after he retired from teaching agriculture at the Mississippi State Extension Service last year. In May, he formed a Community Supported Agriculture program, which delivers in-season fruit and vegetables weekly to 36 members from his 40-acre farm.
Alabama, Apes and Adam Perry
I recently had a chance to sit down with Adam Perry, account and distribution manager for the Jackson Free Press, to talk about his first novel, "Boxing Gorillas." The story is a well-paced and fun read that deftly blends elements of suspense, comedy and action into an engaging romp through Alabama.
[Editorials] Be Honest About Tax Cuts
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker defended his vote against two Senate measures on Dec. 4 that would have preserved soon-to-expire tax cuts for individuals reporting less than $200,000 in personal income and for families and business owners making less than $250,000 in taxable income (after expenses).
[Stiggers] Bus-Driving Deacons
"Even though the cold-heartedness of people brings a chill to my soul, I will do my best to remain warm and sympathetic to the needs of others."
[Kamikaze] It's About People
Let's be honest. This town needs an enema. There are some leadership voids that indicate it's time for our city to turn a page—or three.
[Wilkes] TSA: Terrorists Screw America
The Transportation Security Administration implemented new policies that, in essence, give strippers more rights in their places of employment than airline passengers in an airport.