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Back from San Francisco
Todd and I are just back from several very busy days at two alternative newspaper conferences in San Francisco—one a Web conference and the other AAN West, which is the West Coast staff training for alternative newspapers such as ours. It was crazy busy—Todd gave a presentation at the Web conference (he's very popular there, being such a comedian and all), and I gave a diversity presentation at AAN West. Then we both led roundtable discussions at the Web conference. AND I attended a long AAN board meeting on Saturday. So when someone asked me this morning, "How was San Francisco," I can honestly answer, "I don't really know." We barely left our Japantown hotel (Kabuki; I don't recommend it; they are terrible with the basic details of stuff like replenishing coffee) except to have dinner.
Baker Report: Bush Iraq Policy ‘Not Working'
Now, here's a surprise. Bush and Cheney's Iraqi War has not worked. They have underreported the level of violence in Iraq. They need to try a bit of diplomacy. The situation is "sliding toward chaos." With 2,900 American troops dead, and tens of thousands of Iraqis killed in Bush's little "mission accomplished" foray, could we not have reached this conclusion a long time ago? This is infuriating. I'm so sick of morons and liars running our country (city and state, for that matter, but that's a different rant):
Libertarian Magazine Probes State Medical Examiner
Over the last week, an investigative story in Reason magazine by Radley Balko probing Mississippi medical examiner Steven Hayne has attracted national attention, even drawing an editorial in the Wall Street Journal. The Reason piece, "CSI Mississippi," starts:
Isbister and Ladd to Host Radio JFP Friday Noon
Listen is as Laurel Isbister and Donna Ladd bring you Radio JFP this week on WLEZ-FM, 103.7. Listen to the live stream at here.
Know a Jackson cartoonist who does strip called "Social"?
If so, we're looking for him. We have his portfolio, but no number, and really want to talk to him.
Want a $100 Gift Card to Tye's Restaurant? Post a ‘Local List' on Jackpedia.com!
Inspired by The Clarion-Ledger's owners' bizarre and Orwellian attempt to redefine "local business," we've decided to launch a LocalList contest on Jackpedia.com. Just head to this Jackpedia 'Local Jackson' page and post a list of local stuff you love about Jackson. That's it! Do it by 5 p.m. Friday, and we'll put you in a drawing for a Tye's $100 gift card (try the red sauce while you're there; it's divine!). Click here to see my list-in-progress to see how easy it is.
Why So Few Female Bloggers and Opinion Writers?
I'm doing research to use in my first-ever opinion-writing seminar, and I ran across this piece about the dearth of women opinion writers and bloggers—and white maledom that dominates so much of the blogosphere (not here, though. Hah!). It's interesting and provides links to other relevant pieces. Take a gander:
Torture of Children in Florida
This is not unlike what officials were doing to the children of Mississippi in our training schools for decades. It is simply unbelievable that this crap is allowed to go on in 2006 to poor kids, and especially poor children of color—the people with the least rights or respect in our country. Then, of course, the mother-f*cks try to cover it up. As far as I'm concerned, every one of these guards should go to prison for the rest of their lives, along with any officials who authorize such torture of children. AP is reporting:
Barbour Used Ledger to Excuse Non-Disclosure
Be sure not to miss the juicy tidbit in Adam's cover story this week about BlindTrust-gate, which I also talk about in my editor's note about Barbour. That is, Barbour's attorney Ed Brunini actually used the original Clarion-Ledger editorial defending Barbour back in January 2004, saying he had cut all ties to his lobbying firm, as an excuse—an exhibit even!—in his response to Attorney General Jim Hood look year, when Hood told Barbour he legally had to disclose his financial holdings and the companies he had interest in. Really breathe this in now: The Clarion-Ledger wrote an editorial defending Barbour and pooh-poohing concerns about his ties to major clients (that he has worked to benefit as governor), and then Brunini uses that editorial as so-called proof that there is "universal" approval of the way he's handled his "blind trust" among the state's media. Wacky circular logic there.
Mississippians to Protest Abortion Bill TODAY
[verbatim] Alright! Tuesday, March 7, 2006 @ 2:00-3:30 all activists who are outraged with the latest attempts to ban ALL abortions in MS, join us at the MS state capitol for a protest! Bring signs, some will be provided, but the supply is scarce. We, the pro-choice community (and those of you who are on the down low), have been too quiet and unseen for too long. Please join us!!!! The women and girls of MS are counting on us to defend their constitutional right to choose!! KEEP ABORTION SAFE!! KEEP ABORTION LEGAL!!!
Clarion-Ledger Whining About ‘Tort Reform' ... Again
Gov. Haley Barbour's media partner in "tort reform" is now whining about Mississippi's position on the U.S. Chamber's state legal climate ranking, now asking the question they should have asked long ago before taking this political propaganda as gospel: "Does this ranking really mean anything?" With all due respects, the Ledge was played as a bunch of dumbasses on the "tort reform" issue -- see the JFP's cover story, "Hoodwinked!" that explains how -- and maybe they'll start figuring it out sometime soon. Meantime, a snippet of today's edit-whine:
NYT: Clinton's Negativity ‘Squandered' 20-Point Lead
The New York Times seems to be turning on the Democratic candidate they endorsed, saying she took the "low road to victory":
Laurel Mayor Is Endorsing Eaves, NOT Barbour
In a turnabout, the Democratic mayor of Laurel is denying reports that he and Barbour were planning to jointly announce his endorsement of the governor. The Associated Press is reporting that Barbour's campaign had told them that, but the Laurel mayor is now denying:
Attend a Vigil this Sunday to Denounce Murder of James Craig Anderson
Here is the verbatim press release:
We're thrilled to hear that a diverse group has come together in the metro—include Pine Lake Church, the NAACP, Beth Israel and New Horizon Ministries—to honor James Craig Anderson, who was allegedly murder because he was black by a group of white Rankin County teens. They will hold a vigil this Sunday night at New Horizon International Ministries, one block from where the murder took place, to "call for forgiveness and peace for our city" and to "denounce hates brought to this neighborhood." Let's all show up.
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.
Clarion-Ledger's Jackson Circulation: 22,000
This is so deliciously educational that it deserves its own blog entry. In an article today about the city's legal-ad controversy, The Clarion-Ledger admits that out of its total circulation of "roughly 100,000," that only "about 22,000" of that is in Jackson. That means that less than a quarter of the paper's circulation is in Jackson—perhaps explaining a lot about why the paper dumps on Jackson so hard. Of course, its dumping on Jackson so hard is probably part of the reason so few Jacksonians read The Clarion-Ledger. It also explains why the Ledge is chopping itself up into pitiful little pieces and throwing piles of unwanted publications in our yards -- in a corporate scheme to try to force more Jacksonians onto its circulation rolls.
Why Women Back Obama
Especially younger ones. This is extremely well said, and captures something that resonates with me—I like the way he treats women. The Clintons seem to come from another generation, when men sh!t all over their families, and their wives blink lovingly back at them, no matter what. And, as the writer points out, Obama promises change on so many levels—from the personal to the most public. And that's what so much of the American public craves. Money quotes:
Fire Donald Rumsfeld, for Starters
A New York Times editorial today takes on the sticky issue of what the Bush administration should do to start cleaning up the horrendous mess it's made in Iraq:
A Special Thanks to the JFP Staff and Freelancers
Did I leave anyone out! Thank you all so, so, so much. You are the BEST.
Before the frenzy of Best of Jackson winner and party madness kicks in, I want to give props to the best staff a company can have. The JFP staff members have worked tirelessly to produce the biggest (page count and advertising) issue we have ever produced. Managing editor Maggie Neff, editor's assistant Sage Carter-Hooey, operations manager/Boom editor Ronni Mott and I counted the ballots, assigned and trafficked the four sections. Web designer Vince Falconi designed the best online voting interface we've had yet. The sales staffpublisher Todd Stauffer and sales execs Kimberly Griffin, Ashley Jackson and Sumter Scheppeworked with local businesses to both sell and conceptualize wonderful ads, and to give us enough pages to put out a really impressive salute to Jackson. Accountant Montroe Head has to keep track of all the business madness. And, oh, the designerswhom we're now calling the "angels"editorial designer Melissa Webster, (new) advertising designer Casy Leatherman and ad production czar Christi Vivar simply kicked butt. Special thanks to freelancer designers Darren Schwindaman and Ben Deneka; Darren came in and helped with the ad crunch and Ben did the Monopoly-inspired cover. And, of course, reporters Adam Lynch and Ward Schaefer pitched in where needed and kept the news machine going while we obsessed with millions of little big blurbs. Of course, all of our freelance writers deserve huge praise for turning around the blurbs so quickly (we promise more time next year, guys!) and interns Rosie Nolan and Jackson Breland factchecked their faces off, as well as all sorts of other help we couldn't do without. Photographers Kip Caven, Roy Adkins, Lizzie Wright and Pat Butler helped gather the images quickly. Now, Sage and Kimberly are spearheading the big party effort Sunday.
JFP is Turning 9—What's Your Favorite JFP Memory?
I'll include a couple to get us going:
We need your help, JFP Nation. Our 9th birthday issue publishes this week, and we want to include favorite JFP-related moments (funny or serious) from staffers, readers, freelancers, etc. Please post below. We'll put what we can in the print edition. Thanks, all!