The Crazy Ones
You've no doubt heard about the passing of Steve Jobs, legendary former CEO of Apple Inc. and the architect of that company's return from near obscurity to--depending on the day--literally the most valuable company in the world.
Melton's Last Laugh
The sudden and extremely belated concern about TCI doing a convention-center hotel deal with the city would be amusing if it weren't so frustrating to realize how little some people pay attention to vital city business.
[Stiggers] A Jobs Plan
The massive hirings will not affect the prices at Jojo's Discount Dollar Store. Jojo hopes that his positive and creative corporate restructuring will inspire hope and confidence in the spirits of today's extremely financially challenged consumers.
[Gregory] One Caring Adult
Before the act of 'murdering,' they act like any other child.
Hate Is as Hate Does
"So when is the Southern Poverty Law Center going to file a lawsuit against the man who killed Mr. Patel?" This was only one of many comments I've seen since James Anderson died under the wheels of a big truck.
Primitive Power
My husband balanced a lumpy, orange sweet potato in one hand. His other hand was poised on the juicer. He arched an eyebrow while I tried to keep my mind open. The sweet potato was way too large to fit in the juicer, so he cut it in chunks and fed it into the slender cylinder. I watched, knowing I would have to drink the juice and not react in any negative way. The juicer pulverized and liquidated the sweet potatoes in mere seconds.
Eat to Help Mississippi
Yes, you heard that right. We urge all of our readers to start eating and feeding your family well—not only for selfish reasons, but because Mississippi needs you. It needs you to be fit, energetic and have a fully functioning brain because we have many challenges ahead in our city and state. We need all hands on deck and healthy.
[Stiggers] Operation Backlash
In the ghetto criminal justice system, the people are represented by two members of the McBride family: police officer and part-time security guard at the Funky Ghetto Mall Dudley 'Do-Right' McBride and attorney Cootie McBride of the law firm McBride, Myself and I. This is their story.
[Kamikaze] Address Causes, not Symptoms
When is enough going to be enough? When will be fed up? No, better yet, when will we get mad? It's these times that challenge the passion in positive Jacksonians.
[Mott] I Surrender
My sister Inga was a Diet Coke junkie. She kept spare quart bottles of the stuff in reserve so she wouldn't run out. If you saw her out and about, chances are she had a Diet Coke in her hand; it was a fixture, like "Weeds" Nancy Botwin's ubiquitous Starbucks iced coffee.
The Eye of the Needle
I usually ponder, ruminate, tweet, blog, joke and seethe about some or another issue for a week or more before I write a new editor's note. This week, though, I had trouble locking onto a topic--probably because I'm so sick of divisive politics that my brain feels like just vegging in front of an Ashton Kutcher TV show with the rest of America.
Voters, Choose Wisely
Politicians are good at distracting voters. They seem to be getting better at it all the time. With the majority of them lawyers, it may just be a matter of their training: shift the attention of a jury (or a voter) to where you want them to look, not at what really needs to be looked at.
[Stiggers] Hustle Mania
The objective of the 'Hustle Mania 2011 Entrepreneur Start-Up Conference' is to help laid off workers understand the benefits of being their own boss and generating jobs in their communities, since the government and corporations seem unwilling and unable.
[Lee] My Health Is At Stake
In 2008, I was living in Colorado and facing a ballot initiative known as Amendment 48 to the state Constitution. It aims to define personhood as beginning at the moment of egg fertilization. In a statewide election, 73.2 percent of voters opposed the change, and defeated the amendment.
Odyssey of Discovery
Back in July 2006, I found myself on the edge of a new life. Four months earlier, I'd been laid off from a job after nine years. I was at loose ends, not particularly thrilled about continuing in a profession I didn't love any more, but not knowing what else I could do to support myself.
Sex Education is Not a Partisan issue
For so long, Mississippi's public officials, and its community and school district leaders have shied away from talking about sex to avoid the potential political consequences. Last week however, the Women's Fund of Mississippi began advocating for school districts and parents to teach children comprehensive sex education.
[Stiggers] Agitate, Agitate, Agitate
A change might come when tons of letters of concern from angry minority voters pile up in politicians' offices.
[Kamikaze] The Green Light
I remember making my transition from doing music full time to more community-oriented exploits. I like to categorize it as maturation. It was about seven or eight years ago, and I decided to dust off my writing talent and get back into print. It had been a while; I left a cushy Associated Press job to dive into the music business. But I felt the writing bug again and wanted to share my stories with a new audience.
[Rhodes] Hopeful Realism
As a Christian minister and public theologian, my days are spent in prayerful reflection about souls—not just the immaterial part of us, but all of who we are. For me, to be human is to be a soul—an embodied spirit, a spirited body. And every day, I'm passionate about serving people holistically, touching and transforming mind, body and spirit: all that we are and all that we have.
Journalism and Ethics
If you take one point away from Valerie Wells' cover story this week, let it be this: Mainstream media have agendas that don't always serve the needs of the citizens who rely on it. As more and more news outlets fall under the control of media giants and entertainment networks, the need to seek out and tell hard truths often falls by the wayside in favor of double-digit profits.
[Stiggers] The Invisible Man
This poem titled 'Return of the Invisible Man: Observations of an Unemployed Poet' is my personal expression about black men, like me, experiencing the highest unemployment rate of all gender/race categories.
[Rhodes] Monuments of Hope
I have long admired Martin Luther King Jr. and the movement that made him a global leader. I remember seeing a framed portrait of him while visiting a poor village in Brazil and being amazed by how global this southern black man was and is.
[Queen] Reaching for Greatness
'It doesn't matter who you are, where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you. Always.' —Oprah Winfrey
Newspaper Bites Self
Coincidentally, today's Editor & Publisher e-blast featured a story about USA Today's long-standing habit of padding their official "paid" subscriber numbers with the "freebie" newspapers they distribute through hotel chains. (If you've done much business travel, you may have seen a copy outside your door or in the lobby.) They do this by offering a low price to the hotels for those copies, and then convincing the hotels to put a disclaimer in small print, saying that the guest can request a 75 cent refund from the hotel if you don't want the paper. If you don't complain, USA Today interprets that to mean you "bought" the paper and counts it.
Pick Better Battles
Jackson city government could be a prime example of democracy in action. The Jackson City Council and the administration of Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. could see their roles as they are designed, working hand-in-hand within democracy's intentional system of checks and balances.
[Stiggers] Hump Day Disco
Ladies and gentlemen, I'm proud to announce Clubb Chicken Wing's Weekly Hump Day Job Network Session and Disco. Every Wednesday night, the hopeless will become hopeful with the Back Room Resume Writing Workshop and Job Counseling Rap Session.
[Kamikaze] Stop Waiting; Start Working
In past columns I've spoken about what has been coined the "savior complex," the tendency of a group, party or race to expect one individual to be the answer to all that ails it. It's the thought that by electing or appointing the perfect person to a position of power, we can sit back and watch as they magically make everything better with the stroke of a hand.
[Garrott] The ‘Other' Fan
Football gives us something better to chat about in elevators other than, 'It's hot' or 'It's really, really hot.'
Learning to Win
Near the end of August every year, I start getting jittery. Yes, I'm ready for cooler temperatures. I also like being a Libra and having an October birthday--the big 5-0 this time!--and I love the crispness and smell of Autumn air. Football weather, I call it, just like my daddy did.
Washing Our Souls
On a balmy night last month, I was walking along Frenchmen Street in New Orleans with heavy thoughts. Life suddenly seemed like a game show with so many different paths and choices that come with inevitable disappointments and victories. I pondered the best investment of my time and the sacrifices I would need to make in order to meet my goals. Would it all be worth it in the end?