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The New American Myth
When I was 6 years old, the concept of zero made my brain hurt. "How can there be nothing?" I wailed in utter frustration. "Even when you take away all the apples and all the oranges, you still have the basket; you still have the air!"
Spring Renewal
Spring is a time of renewal. Flowers blooming, Easter, the birds and the bees doing their things—it all makes a girl want to shop for a new look and go dancing. At least that's what it makes this girl want to do. And so, this week I did.
Reverence and the River
I love thunderstorms. From the safety of a covered porch, a nighttime thunderstorm can be a truly awe-inspiring natural light-and-sound show on par with the best July 4 fireworks. Just watching those jagged stabs of light streaking across a dark sky can produce visceral reactions.
War On The Poor
Congress Embraces a New Southern Strategy
It was 7:30 in the morning, and the smallest beneficiaries of the Richard Brandon Head Start Center at 5920 N. State St. followed their young parents into the mass of little portable units. One hobbit-sized girl lifted her legs awkwardly up each of the wooden steps to the main building, keeping her eyes focused on her toes.
Donovan Childress
Donovan Childress sits relaxed across the table, scratching his beard and looking ahead with an expression that regularly breaks into a wide, affable smile.
New Year's All Over Again
The Chinese New Year is Feb. 3, and it's the Year of the Rabbit. What does that mean? It's a welcome year, according to Chinese astrology, after the tumultuous Year of the Tiger. With the rabbit comes calm and tranquility. For others, though, it's an excuse to explore other cultures, and buy Asian-inspired goods.
New Moms' Care and Feeding
Mateo was about 4 when I reached a point of complete and utter despair. "Mom, I can't do this. I'm going to lose it. Can you please help me with Mateo?" I cried into the phone with tears running down my face.
Keep Kids Safe in the Water
The American Red Cross says drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14. It is vital to always supervise your children while around or in water. Though swimming is fun and beneficial, it can be dangerous unless you take the proper precautions.
Taking A Chance
Pride and Peril of Doing Business in Jackson
When Mitchell Moore was 4 years old, his parents gave him an Easy-Bake oven for Christmas and changed his life. He was fascinated by the way batter could turn into a smooth, fluffy cake and would spend hours perfecting his creations. The 38-year-old has been baking ever since.
[Balko] A History of Paternalism
Government-sponsored public health campaigns have given us many memorably mockable moments, from talking crash-test dummies to "I learned it by watching you!" Now, courtesy of the federal government's National Institutes of Health, you can relive those campaigns (or at least the print versions of them) via a searchable, browsable online archive.
Detoxifying through Fasting
Pesticides. Additives. Preservatives. These chemicals are in the foods most of us consume every day. Detoxification diets or fasts may prove helpful in ridding the body of these toxins; however, detoxification is a contentious issue.
Failings and Desires
"You Think That's Bad: Stories" (Knopf, 2011, $24.95), a collection of short stories by Jim Shepard, speaks to harsh realities about human existence. Almost astonishingly varied settings and writing styles heighten the common ideas the stories share.
Parenting Styles
Your child may not have come with a handbook on how to be a good parent, but you can learn nevertheless. Many factors determine how you choose to parent. The best parenting, like everything else in life, is about balance.
Begin Today
"If we do not change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed." —Chinese Proverb.
Commander Jesse Robinson
With help from the community, newly appointed Jackson Police Department Precinct 1 Commander Jesse Robinson hopes to improve the quality of life for residents. Robinson, who served as Precinct 1 commander since 2009, entered his new position June 17. He replaces Donald Gater, who will now serve in the department's operations division.
No Small Feat
The students in John Bennetts' second-grade class are being perfect sponges. Bennetts, a teacher at KIPP Delta Elementary Literacy Academy, a charter school in Helena, Ark., is drilling the class on the difference between "explicit information" and "implicit information."
Facing the Truth
On Friday night, I made the road trip to my aunt and uncle's Flowood home to finally see "Mississippi ReMixed," a documentary by Jackson native Myra Ottewell who examines her personal beliefs about relationships between blacks and whites in Mississippi. Ottewell, who is a teacher in British Columbia, had set out to show how far the state has come in race relations since the 1960s. Her quest, however, revealed aspects of history of which she was unaware.
Letter to a Young Jacksonian
This time each year, I start hearing from young people who want to intern at the JFP over the summer (last year we had 19) and from former interns who need a reference or career advice.
FBI Celebrates Civil-Rights Heroes
The federal government recognized the sacrifice of three civil-rights workers today at the naming of the new Federal Bureau of Investigation building on Echelon Parkway.
Timothy Fizer
The front door of F. Jones Corner bursts open around 4 a.m. on a Friday, and Timothy Fizer emerges, holding a drunken man's arms behind his back as the man bucks and jerks under the 6-foot-tall, 330-pound bouncer's half-nelson. Instead of fighting the troublemaker, Fizer simply takes the man across the street away from the commotion of the bar and sits on his back until he stops resisting. Fizer leans over to address the subdued partier.