Managing Holiday Stress
Holidays aren't always an unbroken time line of happiness and joy. They can be stressful, especially for women. The Brookhaven Retreat a residential trauma and addiction center in the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, offers some reasons for the stress and tips to managing it in the following release:
What's True, What's Not
The five "myths" include:
Even with all of the Obama administration's upcoming emphasis on the economy, the nation's health care is sure to get a lot of attention in the coming years. With nearly 50 million uninsured Americans, and facing epidemics of obesity--and all the fun stuff that comes with it (heart disease, diabetes, stroke, etc.)--HIV/AIDS, autism and a host of other health problems (not to mention a rapidly aging population), you're bound to start seeing a lot of news on the subject. As always, the facts will allow you to separate marketing/lobbying spin from reality. Along those lines, The Wall Street Journal health blog featured "Five Health Myths Busted" on their site today.
Thomas Daschle to head HHS
The Washington Post announced today that former Sen. Tom Daschle will head the Department of Health and Human Services in the new Obama cabinet.
Body Soul Page Premieres
If you're interested in health-related issues or follow the Body&Soul column in the JFP, be sure to check out the new Body Soul page. I'll be posting new information concerning your health (physical, mental and spiritual) on that blog at least two or three times a week, and events tagged with Body Soul will also pop there there. Be sure to check back often.
Another Reason to Come to Fondren Unwrapped
Here's an e-mail I received today from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society:
Like you need one to come out to one of the the holiday season's premier shopping events, right? Well, you could buy a gift book about Mississippi and do a good deed at the same time.
Seale Granted Hearing
In a rare move Nov. 14, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granted federal prosecutors an en banc rehearing on the court's Sept. 9 decision that overturned the conviction of James Ford Seale. In that decision, the court ruled that the statute of limitations had expired on the federal kidnapping charges prosecutors used to convict Seale.
Blue Christmas Without You
My extended family is tiny compared to most, and we habitually don't play well together. We live hundreds of miles from one another, and are infrequently inclined to get on airplanes for what could be an unpleasant, if not altogether intolerable (and expensive) holiday excursion. Because of this and myriad other reasons, the holidays aren't particularly my favorite time of year.
Therapeutic Yoga Workshop
Friday Evening: Therapeutic Insights into the Bandhas
Butterfly Yoga in Fondren is hosting yoga teacher, author and columnist Doug Keller, E-RYT 500, for a weekend Yoga Therapy Workshop, Dec. 5 through 7.
"Run"dezvous and Bike Too Duathlon
<i>(verbatim release)</i>
It's not too late to sign up for the inaugural "Run"dezvous and Bike Too Duathlon which will take place Saturday, November 15 at 7:30 a.m. on historic Jackson Street in Ridgeland, Mississippi. Proceeds will benefit Mississippi Children's Home Services' Jean Austin Bagley Campus.
Share Your Health Care Vision
<i>(Verbatim from the Mississippi Health Advocacy Program</i>
In less than 3 months a new American President will be sworn in and tasked with addressing the nation's healthcare challenges. Voting in yesterday's election was not your only opportunity to voice your concerns on health care.
Marathon Prizes Announced
The Second Annual Mississippi Blues Marathon announced today that they will be awarding a total of $30,000 in prize money, including $4,000 each to the top male and female runner, plus an additional $1,000 if they break the course records.
Beyond the Blind Spots
Last Sunday after my yoga class, I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few essentials like cat food and shampoo. The store wasn't crowded and I had my choice of lines. As usual, I exchanged a bit of banal small talk with the checker and the bagger.
[Mott] Nearing Nirvana
I've always been fascinated with how my brain works. Sometimes, it's downright confounding. Take dieting, for example. I know exactly what I should be eating (and not eating), but I can talk myself out of doing what's good for me in a hot second.
Glorious, Beautiful Leaps of Nicole Marquez
Nicole Marquez looks small in the bed with its hospital-white sheets, her short dark hair showing signs of her lying prone for a little too long.
Didja Vote? Have Problems?
Get voting info/advice/help numbers here.
ON THE ISSUES: Military And Veteran's Needs
In a recent Army Times poll of active-duty National Guard and reserve personnel, Republican presidential contender John McCain outpaced Democrat Barack Obama nearly three to one, with McCain garnering 68 percent of the respondents, while 23 percent said they would vote for Obama.
Prosecutors Provide Court Info on Cold Cases
Responding to an Oct. 16 request from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in the case of James Ford Seale, federal prosecutor Tovah Calderon wrote that the Federal Bureau of Investigations "currently is reviewing 22 civil rights related 'cold casesҔ under that Court's jurisdiction, with seven cases being "particularly promising."
Protect the Vote
The ACLU of Mississippi is announcing a new non-partisan coalition called Protect the Vote 2008, launched to educate and protect voters in the state.
Grisham in Jackson
Author John Grisham will be in town tomorrow night at a catfish dinner honoring former-Gov. Ronnie Musgrove.
[Mott] Elite Confessions
I confess. I am a liberal elitist. Not only that, I'm a white, bleeding-heart Democrat, pro-choice, anti-death penalty, pro-government regulation, MasterCard-carrying liberal elitist.
ON THE ISSUES: Special Needs: Left Behind?
During the final presidential debate Oct. 15, moderator Bob Schieffer asked the candidates: "Why would the country be better off if your running mate became president rather than his running mate?"
Tame That Money Monkey
The other morning driving to work, I tuned my car radio to NPR to catch the latest news. It was grim: Russia and Brazil suspended trading on their stock markets. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke wanted to cut the interest rate again. The $700 billion bailout was looking to be closer to $1 trillion.
Poll Watchers Needed
Rosalind Rawls, executive director of the Mississippi Democratic Party has put out the call for volunteer poll watchers to help guarantee the rights of Mississippi voters on Election Day. I urge you to read on regardless of your party affiliation. Here's her e-mail:
Obama Endorsements
The New York Times is reporting that The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times (which last endorsed in 1972) and The Chicago Tribune (in its first-ever Democratic endorsement) have or will be endorsing Barack Obama for President.
Fourth Man Exonerated, Registers to Vote
Arthur Johnson, 48, registered to vote this month, after nearly 16 years in prison for a rape he did not commit, and another eight months waiting for Mississippi to officially exonerate him.
Palin: A Woman's Woman?
The lights were low in Hal & Mal's Red Room the night of the vice-presidential debate on Oct. 2. Excited chatter filled the room, along with a big screen set up at the far end.
Oakley Still Hurting Children
Students may no longer have to eat their own vomit at Oakley Training School, but the Department of Justice's eighth quarterly monitors' report shows that the school still has a very long way to go.
What Women Wish Gwen Ifill Could Have Asked
Ellen Bravo, former Director of 9to5 (National Association of Working Women) and Coordinator, Multi-State Working Families Consortium (a network of 11 state coalitions representing nearly a million members of a wide range of organizations), released the following statement [verbatim] about last night's vice presidential debate:
Register to Vote TODAY
Now is the time to double-check your registration, or, for procrastinators, it's time to register to vote. The deadline for the presidential election is Saturday, Oct. 4, if your county has an office open on Saturday. Otherwise, it's Friday, Oct. 3.
Senate Passes Emmett Till Act
If there is any doubt that the wheels of power grind slowly, the U.S. Senate proved the point this week, when, after more than three years of delays, it unanimously passed the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, which will strengthen federal and local agencies' abilities to investigate and prosecute unsolved civil rights era murders.
Bringing Traditions Together
Dr. Beverly Lanzetta isn't afraid of life's Big Questions. The New Mexico author, ordained interfaith minister and monastic is the founder of the Desert Interfaith Church and the Interfaith Theological Seminary. She has written and edited six books on spiritual contemplation and contemporary religious thought.
Voter Registration Deadline Oct. 4; What to Do NOW
The numbers for voter turnout in the November general election will be historic. That's the prediction in a year where the winning team will either include the first African American president in the U.S., or the country's first female vice president. The country is also sharply feeling the pinch of a trillion-dollar war, a massive deficit, economic chaos, crumbling infrastructure and the disappearing middle class, to name just a few of the issues.
UPDATED: Prosecutors Appeal Seale ‘Acquittal'
A 2005 Jackson Free Press investigation helped spur Seale's prosecution. See JFP Archive of Seale Investigation. Also, see http://www.roadtomeadville.com for full coverage.
Technicality May Free Seale
James Ford Seale will be going home soon, probably within days, thanks to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which on Sept. 9 overturned his 2007 conviction on federal conspiracy and kidnapping charges for abducting Charles Moore and Henry Dee in 1964.
You've Got to be Kidding
One of my former bosses often quipped that her "need to edit" was a force too strong to resist. Having worked as an editor myself, I have to admit that I can usually "fix" just about all but the most poetic and perfect prose. The Clarion-Ledger, on the other hand, seems to have given up editing altogether. Perhaps it went the way of the employee coffee.
Obama Campaign Opportunities
The Jackson Free Press received several e-mails regarding opportunities with the Obama campaign in Mississippi.
10,000 Protesters Barely Make the News
In 2008 at the St. Paul Republican Convention, police arrested 818 protesters, which was less than half of the number arrested at their 2004 convention. Minneapolis had more than 3,700 well-trained, well-armed police officers on the street, and police and FBI raided suspected anarchists prior to the event.
84,000 Jobs Slashed in August
August Unemployment At Five-Year High
NPR reported this morning on last month's unemployment figures and updated numbers for June and July. Verbatim from their Web site:
Urban Myth 101
Last week, the Jackson Free Press received several e-mails proclaiming "Jackson Crime Alert" in the subject line. Obviously having been forwarded through dozens, maybe hundreds of prior e-mail addresses, the story the e-mails tell is about a man named Hong Kong, who peddles his hip-hop CDs in neighborhood parking lots and gas stations in Jackson.
One Woman's Courage
The road leading into Meerwala is a packed-earth track between green farmer's fields. In this remotest corner of Pakistan, the village has no school and no police.
Hurricane Green: Who Profited?
By now, it should be clear who is making the big bucks on Katrina recovery: contractors and consultants. The storm's victims haven't fared so well.
Disaster: A Growth Industry
"The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism" (Picador USA, 2008, $16), is so well written and researched that you will find it as difficult to put down as anything by your favorite fiction writer.
UPDATED: Government Ignores Own Bio-Lab Safety Studies
Alert: The government's deadline for comments on the bio-lab facility is Monday, Aug. 25. See below for contact info.
Congress Does the Right Thing
From the Environmental Working Group's EnviroBlog (verbatim):
Redefining Pregnancy
You're a woman who has been raped, and you're terrified that your rapist made you pregnant. You ask your doctor for emergency contraception, but she refuses to give it to you; she's morally opposed to it.
Bell Denies Responsibility
Robbie Bell says she was not home on Trawick Drive when her son, George Bell III, raped and then bludgeoned Mary Heather Spencer with a flashlight the night of Sept. 10, 2007. So says her response to Linda Francomb's lawsuit, filed July 23.
Of Lady Killers and 'Good Behavior'
Citizens can feel secure knowing that the men in green and white stripes working on the road crews are not rapists or murderers. Mississippi law says that violent criminals are not eligible to participate in work programs outside prisons.
Barbour Gives Relief to 4 ‘Domestic' Killers, of 5 Total
Bobby Hays Clark murdered on-again, off-again girlfriend Veronica Conner in 1996 by shooting her in the neck with a 25-caliber automatic, hitting her carotid artery. Now, his record is clear, thanks to Gov. Haley Barbour, who has helped four "domestic" murderers in recent weeks.
UPDATED: Barbour Helps Domestic Killers
At least three of six criminals getting relief from Gov. Haley Barbour killed their former or current wife or girlfriend.
