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If Not Now, When?
Next Tuesday is Election Day in Mississippi. If voting trends hold true, fewer than 40 percent of those eligible to vote will actually cast ballots. It also means that progressives probably won't see many victories over conservative candidates.
Can We Learn from the Hotel Morass?
As the city administration and the Jackson Development Authority scramble to close a convention-center hotel deal filled with "complexities" (as JRA member John Reeves put it), the situation should make the rest of us wonder: How can we avoid being in this place again?
Council: Revisit Free Speech 101
The Jackson City Council voted Tuesday to extend a compromise to the Occupy Jackson protesters, allowing them a permit to stay in Smith Park until 11 p.m., rather than all night. That may or may not have been the right compromise between their right to assemble and the city's need to ensure nothing happens to them in the middle of the night.
Follow Lead of Powell, Barksdale
There are people who complain, seeing insurmountable problems everywhere, and there are people who take action infused by hope and informed by facts and evidence. We were thrilled to see people in the latter category, working for the future of the city's children, and thus all of us, honored this week by Colin and Alma Powell's America's Promise Alliance. The alliance named Jackson one of the country's 100 Best Communities for Young People.
What the Mamas Taught Us
When I heard 40 days before Election Day that the "No on 26" folks were trying to hire a spokesperson, I just knew women didn't have a chance. Thankfully, I was wrong.
Building Business
Gov. Haley Barbour has long been bullish on Mississippi's business environment, announcing every new business his administration brings into the state—large and small—and every new development with great fanfare.
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.
Guns for Safety?
Also see: JFP Crime Blog
It so happens that in the past few weeks, a number of people with ties to the Jackson Free Press—staff and former staff—have encountered the same piece of advice from Jackson Police Department officers. The advice: Buy a gun.
No Tea Party of the Left, Please
The pent-up frustration caused by not speaking out in a clear voice finds a venue this Saturday when some Jacksonians will gather in Smith Park for Occupy Mississippi, a localized version of the Occupy Wall Street protest movement that spread to other U.S. cities in recent weeks. We fear, though, that many of the frustrated protesters could lack focus and are venting.
Craig Noone, Crime Fighter
A few weeks ago, Jackson State University professor Noel Didla was sitting outside Parlor Market in downtown Jackson waiting for friends. Suddenly, Craig Noone, the young visionary and chef who created the restaurant, saw her and came outside to talk to Noel. He mentioned the current issue of BOOM Jackson magazine in which Noel was photographed at her desk for a small "At Work" feature. Craig asked Noel to autograph his copy and told her how much he liked the small piece.
Crossing the Street
One night when I was a teenager, a terrified woman showed up at our front door. "Help me," she begged, crying and looking over her shoulder toward the house across the street. "He is angry. He is beating me. He might kill me."
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.
Second Best Ideas
I vividly remember the day when Ward 1 City Councilman Ben Allen bounded into my office at the Jackson Free Press. During the Frank Melton mayoral administration, it wasn't unusual for Allen to pop by; we didn't agree on everything and fought like banshees on the Internet from time to time, but we were on the same page when it came to some of the crazy coming out of city hall. We found common ground on the need for Jackson, and particularly downtown, to get its groove back.
One Zen Day at a Time
You could call me an armchair decorator. No, I don't mean that I spend my spare time decorating armchairs; I mean I like little more than plopping into a big comfy chair, or propping up in bed, and reading about domestic bliss.
Why They Kill
Despite popular belief, violent criminals aren't born with a moral screw loose. They're not even turned into criminals because they grow up in single-parent homes (although having two good parents certainly helps kids) or from living in a crime-ridden neighborhood (although it contributes).
Giving Miss Eudora
If you're a Mississippian, and you love great literature, you love Eudora Welty. So why not spread some Miss Eudora love to those on your holiday list?
Many Kinds of Magic
It's not every day that I pick up a novel that surprises me on every level and sets all my senses on fire. But this happened with "The Night Circus", the first novel by Erin Morgenstern, a quirky and inventive writer who lives in Salem, Mass. (yes, of witch fame), who studied theater and studio art at Smith College.
Rising and Converging
"Grace" is one of those words I struggle with. There are the simplistic, surface definitions like charm or loveliness. I tend to find it a complicated word, though, filled with lightness and darkness struggling for domination, with the clouds shrinking if we're lucky. I guess that means I lean more toward it meaning mercy, forgiveness, prayer, clemency, even immunity or reprieve.
Living Out Loud
I love color. I don't always wear a lot of it—I learned in New York City that black (and chocolate brown) makes you look skinnier, more chic and shows less dirt.
My Boudoir
With all the talk of man caves these days, it can be easy to forget that it was women who had to fight for the right to have a "Room of One's Own," as Virginia Woolf declared it.