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[Halloween Special] Smell My Feet

OK, rule one: Never, ever teach this chant to a school-age boy, especially of the Monkey persuasion. Yeah, it makes you feel like "cool mom" for a moment, but repetition soon makes one feel like "I'm going to take that whole bag of sugar and stick it in your pumpkin if you don't stop it now" mom. Being the cool—while somewhat neurotic—mother that I am, I decided to take advantage of the "No Halloween on a Melton School Night" decree and allow the Monkey the chance to trick-or-treat on a Saturday night.

[Lott] An Ethanol Milestone

It was a rainy, dark and gloomy day in Mississippi on Thursday, October 26, but weather aside, it was a bright and promising day for our state and nation. I was pleased to join Senator Thad Cochran, Representatives Chip Pickering and Bennie Thompson, and local and state leaders to kick off construction of Mississippi's first ethanol plant. Soon it will be turning bushels of corn into gallons of fuel for our cars and trucks.

Here We Go Again

It may not count as much of an October surprise, but Republicans are thrilled that a New Jersey Supreme Court decision has returned gay marriage to the headlines, according to a piece in the New York Times today.

Feds: Criticism of Airport Security ‘Without Merit'

This is an intriguing story today in The Clarion-Ledger. A federal investigation has found that criticism of the Jackson-Evers airport security, reported in recent months by The Clarion-Ledger, "are without merit," that found no "disciplinary action warranted."

Francine Thomas Reynolds

The interim artistic director of New Stage Theatre, Francine Thomas Reynolds, has been at the theater for a number of years, involved in teaching, acting and directing. She was the education director from 1989 to 1995.

Whites Appealed Katrina Insurance More

The Associated Press is reporting:

Ole Miss Student Kills Campus Police Officer

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal is reporting that a second-year Ole Miss student has been arrested for dragging and killing a campus police officer after he was pulled over for speeding:

DiFatta Donates Evers Painting to Boyd Elementary

See a full gallery of photos of the reception here.

Shteyger and Films - Festival Begins

Jackson is set to receive a fresh dose of Jewish culture this weekend, as the 5th annual Jackson Jewish Film Festival kicks off this Saturday. Thanks to the efforts of Jewish Cinema South, this year's festival should have something for just about everybody, with an eclectic mix of films designed to show different aspects of Jewish life. Beginning this Saturday and running through Tuesday, Oct. 24, daily screenings of these multiple-award winning films will be held at the Millsaps College Recital Hall, opening up with a Saturday evening sponsor reception. After the overwhelming success of last year's festival, this year's event is sure to please film buffs as well as those seeking a jumpstart of Judaism.

Another Tragic Mississippi Day: Wilcher Executed

Gov. Haley Barbour's statement:

Despite the needless delay caused by the U.S. Supreme Court, justice has finally been rendered for these horrible crimes. The real tragedy in this case is that justice was delayed for more than two decades.

Fall Colors Arriving

The approaching fall promises exciting colors not only in nature, but also in gadgets. Apple this past week announced the Product Red iPod Nano, a bright red Nano with all the same features as the other colorful Nano models, but with a twist—$10 of the purchase price goes to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS in Africa. The Product Red series was started by Bono and Bobby Shriver to encourage consumers to buy bright red products that donate a portion of profits to the Global Fund.

Isaac Byrd

Isaac Byrd, 54, is not the kind of guy who bases his self-assessments on the opinions of others. "One of the great downfalls of black America and Mississippi is that the black community, for historic reasons, has been externally driven by what other people think and do. It's important to be aware of things, but don't let others dictate what you are," Byrd says.

10 U.S. Soldiers Die in Iraq Today; 69 This Month

The New York Times is reporting:

PMG Chevrons Invite Local Papers Back Into Stores

JackBlog Goes Live

After a weekend of database spelunking, we've gotten JackBlog up and running...old hands around here will note that the names and faces of the innocent haven't been changed...this is simply a reorganization of our staff writers and regular bloggers. JackBlog serves as a landing spot for all our regular bloggers (Ali, Tom, L.W., Donna, me, Cyrus, etc.), so that you can head to a single page or grab a feed to see what folks are blogging about. It will also serve as a central blog for "promoting" items from the Forums that Donna or other editors think deserve special attention. Let me know what you think...I've also moved The Amazing Sportsblog to a top-level tab and reorg'ed some of that stuff...as you can see from the huge banner ads, we've got the JFP Fall 2006 Menu Guide up online as well. Criticism and/or praise is welcome!

Opposition to Iraq War Grows in South

A new poll of the region hit hardest by the war in Iraq finds that the South is steadily losing patience with the war in Iraq:

[Lott] Made In Mississippi

Unlike some states, Mississippi is creating manufacturing jobs, and we're doing it in the high-tech sector where a wide array of complex products are now made in Mississippi. The latest example is Raytheon's plant in Forest. I was delighted to be there on October 11 for groundbreaking on a 90,000 square-foot expansion of its facility which will create 100 jobs. Once completed, it will produce the latest radar for our F/A-18 Navy fighter aircraft – units so good they're designed to outlast the aircraft itself.

The Problem with ‘Straight Talk' ...

... is that sometimes it isn't true. Read what a political science professor has to say about Frank Melton's antics on his blog:

Ferrell Tadlock

Ferrell Tadlock, an attorney who works for the Mississippi Court of Appeals, isn't known by most for his day job. He's known for his heavy involvement in the arts. As one of the founders of the Crossroads Film Festival, Tadlock knows a thing or two about films. Before helping to get Crossroads off the ground, he helped Ed Inman sponsor movie nights on Mondays at New Stage Theatre.

North Korea Goes Nuclear

Last night, North Korea tested a 5-15 kiloton nuclear weapon in an underground test, according to the government there.

[Halloween Special] Smell My Feet

Trick or treat. Smell my feet. Give me something good to eat.

OK, rule one: Never, ever teach this chant to a school-age boy, especially of the Monkey persuasion. Yeah, it makes you feel like "cool mom" for a moment, but repetition soon makes one feel like "I'm-going-to-take-that-whole-bag-of-sugar-and-stick-it-in-your-pumpkin-if-you-don't-stop-it-nowmom." Being the cool—while somewhat neurotic—mother that I am, I decided to take advantage of the "No Halloween on a Melton School Night" decree and allow the Monkey the chance to trick-or-treat on a Saturday night.

Nice gesture, but where is the substance

Roxanne Rogers

There is nothing average about Roxanne Rogers, 27. This self-avowed "Pearl girl" is unique, from her Southern drawl to her gorgeous, funky hair. From the moment you enter Rogers' salon Stella, one glance at the suit of armor by the door, the artwork on the walls and the chairs that spin around in stomach-twisting circles make it clear that this is not your mama's salon.

Brunini, Watkins Ludlam to Anchor ‘Two Jackson Place'

Just in from David Watkins:

The Brunini law firm yesterday signed on with Parkway to be one of the anchor tenants in the new "Two Jackson Place" office tower to be built in downtown Jackson. The other anchor tenant is Watkins Ludlam.

AG Forms New Domestic Violence Unit

[verbatim] Jackson, MS*Attorney General Jim Hood kicked off National Domestic Violence Awareness month (October) today with the announcement of a newly established unit to combat Domestic Violence in Mississippi. The Domestic Violence Division of the Office of Attorney General is being funded by a two year, $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.

DIY Music Studio

During the last mayoral campaign, candidate Frank Melton promised to build a recording studio on Farish Street. Well, he won, but the studio hasn't happened, yet—and with his mayoral future in serious doubt, it looks like that recording studio may go down as yet another unfulfilled campaign promise. (But geez, who's counting?)

Fleming Formally Requests to Debate Lott

Michael Raff

Michael Raff, 64, is a legend in Mississippi. Born and raised in Sioux City, Iowa, Raff attended Notre Dame until his junior year, completing a BA and master's degree in theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary in Missouri. In the summer of 1966, he traveled to Jackson to work in the Civil Rights Movement, intending to stay only one summer. He wound up falling in love.

[Lott] America's Soft Underbelly

During World War II, when the Allies planned the invasion of Nazi occupied Europe, Winston Churchill actually proposed coming from the south, from the Mediterranean Sea and into the Balkans. That region was, as he called it, the "soft underbelly" of Europe, less guarded and ripe for a swift, piercing and fatal blow to Hitler's regime.

Open Letter to the Publisher of The Clarion-Ledger

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