Putting Babies in Danger
Recent news from the citizen-based environmental advocacy group Environmental California states that your baby's plastic baby-bottle may be leaching toxins. From their report's executive summary:
[Mott] Feed Them On Your Dreams
Earlier this week, my friend Terry e-mailed me a link to a short film from 1947 called "The Secret Lives of Cats." Two things struck me as I watched: First was the obvious affection of the two adult cats toward each other and their kittens, which was, in my experience, extraordinary. The second thing that occurred to me was the old adage, "Even a cat can have kittens."
[Green Eats] Giants Dominate Organics
If you think the farmer-in-the-dell wearing Birkenstocks and singing "Kum Ba Yah" owns that organic brand you're so fond of, think again. According to "Organic, Inc.: Natural Foods and How They Grew" (Harcourt, 2006, $25), half of all organic sales come from the largest 2 percent of farms. In other words, the same food industry giants pushing trans-fats and high-fructose corn syrup on an unsuspecting public own many well-known organic brands.
[Green Eats] Eat your Veggies!
While most of us agree that organic produce is healthier in general simply because it is grown without enormous amounts of pesticides, it's not always easy (or cheap) to buy organic. So what fruits and vegetables present the most danger, and where can you save your money?
Not an Easy Subject
Her mother and three sisters died of breast cancer, yet Nancy Lewis of Canton refused for years to have a mammogram. "I really wouldn't want to know," said Lewis, when asked why she avoided the exam.
[Greenstyle] It's Only Natural
When the label says "natural," I assume it's better and safer than other products in the same category. But is it?
[Mott] What Would Jesus Drive?
My sister Lisa accused me of being a communist. She was kidding, I hope. Lisa is a die-hard Republican by her own admission; I'm fairly certain that she prays for my lefty-liberal soul. We have some "colorful" conversations because we disagree on many issues, including global warming. While she admits there might be a problem, Lisa believes that most of the science is "junk," and she simply doesn't think that humans have the power to threaten the well-being of the entire earth.
Bananas and Peanuts
Buff, good-looking Rus Blackwell lay on the floor like an overturned bug, feet flailing in the air. Wild-eyed, Turner Crumbley was on his knees staring intently at Blackwell's crotch. "Push, push!" Crumbley demanded.
Mississippi Defenseless in Federal Suit
Three-year-old Olivia Y. weighed only 22 pounds—less than half what she should have weighed—when the Mississippi courts took her from her abusive mother and turned her over to the foster-care system. Her caseworker described the severely traumatized toddler as "petite" and "quiet," and failed to provide the mental and physical care she needed while moving her repeatedly—once into a home with a convicted rapist.
Is It Safe, Yet?
The 2006 bagged spinach E. coli outbreak ended Oct. 6, 2006. The Food and Drug Administrationtraced all infections to fields owned by Natural Selection Foods in California, but they don'tknow (or aren't saying) what caused the outbreak; media speculation ran from deer to field hands.The total infected was 204 people in 26 states; 103 required hospitalization and three died.
Argue for Your Limitations
A few weeks ago, I told a friend of mine that I spend about an hour every morning writing in my journal. I began this practice last year when reading "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron. My friend was impressed, she told me, because she couldn't see herself having that kind of discipline.
BREAKING: Ellis Attorney to Ask for Recusal
Lisa Ross, attorney for Michael Ellis, told the Jackson Free Press today that she is going to ask that hearing officer Charles McClelland recuse himself from the termination proceeding of fired Chastain Middle School principal Michael Ellis. She said a "concerned citizen" told her that Jackson Public Schools has awarded part of a $7.6 million contract to McClelland Moving and Storage, owned by Charles McClelland. Earlier this year, Ellis sued JPS Superintendent Earl Watkins for sexual harassment in federal count; the district maintains that Ellis was fired in December because he mismanaged funds and doctored payroll records. The JFP has not been able to confirm the amount of the JPS contract at this writing, or ascertain what part of it was awarded to McClelland.
Worth Watching
Nik Askew is a British filmmaker with a marvelous talent for speaking with people about their innermost motivations and feelings. His short films are small gems of joy, peace or inspiration—and sometimes all three—a quiet, thoughtful pause in a world gone a little mad. Each one features just one or two ordinary, yet completely extraordinary people and they run about 5 or 6 minutes, max. There's a new film most Monday mornings (natch!). If you're searching for a bit of sanity, check out his Monday 9 am TV website.
The JFP Interview with ‘Mark Twain'
Typical Twain, and a response Hal Holbrook wouldn't hesitate to use if someone questioned his costume. Holbrook performs in an iconic white suit, his cigar used to great effect to punctuate the stories he tells, and the pauses he makes.
Twain: A Man for Our Times
Samuel Langhorne Clemens—Mark Twain—was born in 1835 and died in 1910. By all accounts, Twain should be consigned to the history books, not the subject of one of the longest-running one-man plays in history. What is it that makes Twain such an icon of Americana, his wit and wisdom as relevant today as it was throughout his lifetime?
Don't Catch It!
No doubt, stress lowers your resistance. But there are things you can do to stay healthy while everyone around you is bleary-eyed and runny-nosed. Here are some basics, old and new, from the most recent research:
Mobilize for the Monkey
A small group of protesters stood at the entrance to the University Medical Center Monday afternoon, holding signs and passing out information to passersby. They were there to protest vivisection, the practice of using live animals for medical research and training, often through programs supported by U.S. government sources.
Tekla Sanders
Tekla Sanders fairly shone on the sunny day when we met for lunch, her glossy curls framing her expressive eyes and wide smile. At 27, she still considers herself a newly-wed after 18 months of marriage, and she's expecting her first baby, a boy already named David Caleb, in May. Sanders' mother has 12 siblings, 10 of them girls, so "the fact that we're having a boy is very big news," Sanders said. Her mother wants to see the proof for herself.
The Lawyers and the Statistician
Day three of the Michael Ellis termination hearing resumed on Wednesday, Feb. 14, with Ellis' attorney Lisa Ross concluding her cross-examination of Charlie Bonds, Jackson Public Schools executive director of internal audits. Ellis, Chastain Middle School's principal until Dec. 18 of last year, was fired from his position for failure "to achieve significant progress" in Chastain's performance, among other allegations. Ellis claims that JPS fired him in retribution for charging JPS School Superintendent Dr. Earl Watkins with sexual harassment. He and his wife filed a Title VII lawsuit against Watkins and JPS on Jan. 18, 2007.
Weight and Insurance
Almost every single Tuesday morning since July of last year, I've sat with a group of equally weight-challenged individuals at the Baptist Nutrition Center, talking mostly about how to make the food we're supposed to eat taste better. We also talk about our small triumphs—even one pound lost is cause for celebration—and our backsliding—the holidays were tough for many. We are each other's accountability in the program, even more so than the scales, and our personal cheerleading squad.
Subjective Truths
French author André Gide wrote: "Trust those who are seeking the truth; doubt those who find it." I wrote the quote on a white sticky in magenta ink yesterday and attached it to my laptop… "doubt those who find it." After sitting in a hearing room for three days this past week listening to hours of testimony, it's apt. The law, I think, is all about finding the "truth," subjective as it usually is.
The Lawyers and the Statistician
By day three of the Michael Ellis termination hearing, the Ellis women had moved up to the first row of the hearing room. They wore apparel appropriate for Valentine's Day—a red hat, a red coat, a red sweater, a red dress.
Ellis Termination Justified?
This is an expanded web edition of an article that appeared in the Feb. 14 print edition.
Now, not yesterday or tomorrow
My lover-boy kitty, The Amazing Valentino (brother to Tallulah the Wonder Cat), waddles his furry little butt into my bathroom every morning to the sound of the water running in the tub. Every morning, he jumps up on the edge, and after receiving a perfunctory pat on the head and kiss on the nose, he trots to the other end of the tub, jumps in and watches the rush of water in complete fascination. To his daily and utter amazement, the flow from the tap suddenly turns into a torrent from the sky when I turn on the shower, and he runs through the water to get to drier ground. He's gone through the exact same routine almost every morning for five years. Val generally doesn't like water, but something, the attention from me, the sound or look of the water, something surely makes it all worthwhile.
Your Brain on Love
The state of being "in love," my therapist told me, is pretty close to insanity. A Jungian, she said that she would not take new patients who were in love; they were unlikely to make any progress. Now, she wasn't referring to the deep love and affection you have for your long-term partner or your mother. She's talking about the all-consuming, heart-pounding, wide-eyed stuff you've experienced during those first days of a new love—being madly in love—the substance of romantic poetry.
Sexy Side Effects of Seahorse
The world has forever been on the lookout for a good aphrodisiac. Henry Kissinger said it was power and money, which might be your only hope if you look like Kissinger (or The Donald). Isabel Allende said it's words, while Saul Bellow said it was being a writer. Others will swear that the most potent aphrodisiac resides between your ears and in your eyes. Whatever.
Grandma's Got Rhythm
I admit it. I was a dancin' fool at the JFP 2007 Best of Jackson party. I've lost 50 pounds since last July, and I think I look better than I have in 20 years. I bought a fabulous new outfit for the occasion and I had my high heels on. I had an absolute blast.
Yearning for Home
When I was a child, we spent summers in the Catskill Mountains, where my mother ran a beauty shop. My father would drive up from Manhattan to join us on weekends. The small town of Liberty, N.Y., and the Appalachian foothills were my playground. I spent many happy days picking wild strawberries and blueberries, or catching minnows and salamanders in the clear creeks and ponds. I was 8 when these summer idylls ended.
Excuses, Excuses
When it comes to exercise, or avoiding it, some of us have creative, if lame, excuses—my cat will miss me, for example. For the most part, though, our excuses aren't unique.
No Love for Twinkies
I remember a running conversation a few years back about the half-life of Twinkies and Snow Balls—those gooey, sticky-sweet confections that make your back teeth hurt. Some folks felt that any food product designed to outlast cockroaches and nuclear bombs was a damn good thing. I never quite understood that viewpoint.
Jason Marlow
Jason Marlow, the 2007 Best Filmmaker, isn't a guy who is going to wait for success to come knocking. At 27, he's seen more of the world than most of us ever dream. He recently returned from a trip to China, where he met several Oscar-winning filmmakers working on a new project. "It turned out to be awesome," he said. The people were just people, not what he thought of as "Hollywood" types, he told me, and were welcoming and supportive.
Envisioning Your Future & An Event for Women
Abraham Maslow said, "What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself," and Albert Einstein said, "If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts."
The Sister Study
Here's a way you can make a difference if you are the sister of a woman who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. The National Institutes of Environmental Health Services, part of NIH, is looking for 50,000 women to participate in The Sister Study in 2007. The study focuses on the environmental and genetic risks for breast cancer.
Welcome to Wellness
Greetings gentlefolk, and welcome to my Wellness blog.
As my good friend Terry said to me over the holidays, "You can't make a difference when everyone agrees with you." Amen to that, sister. And what better place to make a difference than in the health and well-being of the people of Mississippi. As corny as that may sound, I may have found my purpose for being here. Let's ignore the fact that it only took 10 years (I'm a late bloomer, OK?) and a mid-life crisis that Jung would be proud of the get me to this place.
Radical Health: The JFP Interview With Dr. Joseph White
Photos by Ronni Mott
It can be challenging to write an upbeat article on health and wellness in Mississippi. We've all seen the barrel-bottoming numbers. Good news about the subject is difficult, though not impossible, to find. According to the United Health Foundation's rankings for 2006, for example, Mississippi moved to No. 49 on the overall health scale, up from No. 50 in 2005. That's a small blip on the radar, but every little bit counts, right?
Health Factoids
Your tongue naturally replaces all of your taste buds every 21 days. That means if you're trying to change your diet and switch to soy milk from cow's milk, for example, after 21 days the taste will seem right instead of foreign.
Mississippi: The Good and the Bad
Any paper addressing health in Mississippi would be remiss to not give the most recent statistics on how we're doing. Two recently published studies, one from the non-profit United Health Foundation and the other from the American Heart Association, provided the following stats and our ranks in comparison to all other states for 2006:
The Big Fix Is In
Finding displaced and abandoned dogs after Katrina wasn't difficult. Offers of food can usually persuade dogs to trust rescuers. Cats presented a different challenge. Frightened cats hide from strangers and noise, sometimes in places so inaccessible that no amount of searching can be successful. Feral cats compound the problem, because they tend to be aggressive even after capture.
Gifts That Matter
Every time I pick up my mail these days, I get a half-dozen pleas from non-profits and charities to send money. Unfortunately for them, it was last year that I had the cushy big-corporation management job. This year is going to be different.
Taking Religion Back
Politics and religion: two subjects that should never be introduced in polite conversation. When I moved to Mississippi, the admonition became a hard and fast rule for me. Mississippi politics contains a lot of bizarrely coded language that, as an outsider, I can't penetrate. And religion? Well, let's just say that I got invitations to about a half-dozen Baptist and Methodist churches within a couple of weeks, none of which I accepted. There are some who will likely never forgive me for that Yankee faux pas. Being in the buckle of the Bible belt came to mean only one thing to me—evangelical, fundamentalist Christianity.
Sabri Agachan
One immediately feels welcome when entering Sabri Agachan's home. Take your shoes off and put on the slippers offered; accept tea in delicate glasses and an offer of food. The house is spotless, almost Spartan; hospitality and cleanliness are blessings to the Muslim home, Agachan will tell you.
Indigo Changes
America's baby boom generation set out to change the world in the '60s and '70s, and they succeeded. Marching together, they helped stop an unjust, undeclared war and made choice a legal reality for women. They also ushered in an age of increased self-awareness and self-help gurus in an effort to make the closely examined life a life worth living. Many of them, derided as hippies and cock-eyed liberal optimists, found their place in the world by eschewing the moneyed American dream and following their hearts and consciences. Today, their children and grandchildren are on the verge of changing the world yet again.
The Greenhouse Effect
If your mama was anything like mine, you probably heard "Eat your vegetables!" more than once at the supper table when you were a kid. As grownups, though, we've all read numerous times that eating a diet rich in fresh fruits, veggies and grains will make us feel better, look better and live longer.
Warren Hogue
Artist Warren Hogue, 25, is just beginning to find his voice as a painter. His works are already powerful, though, with bold, saturated colors and heavy brush strokes reminiscent of Van Gogh.
City Buzz no. 9 November 15 - 22
The Return of John
Mayor Frank Melton is looking to correct a mistake he made about a year ago when he refused to renew the contract of lobbying firm Winston & Strawn LLP. Months after Melton came into office, he outraged the council by not renewing the firm's $74,000 contract with the city. Winston & Strawn lobbyist John Waits, in particular, had netted the city more than $111 million in federal money since 1995, funding projects such as the Metro Parkway, Union Station, the brickwork for Farish Street, the Linder-Maple Study and the Mobile Command Center. Melton dismissed Waits last year to make room in the tight city budget for Chief of Staff Marcus Ward, who makes $70,000.
Young Dems Hit Jackson
Beginning Friday, Nov. 17, Jackson hosts the three-day Young Democrats National Fall Conference. Kate Jacobson, 22, is the Mississippi chapter's vice president. Jacobson, born in Washington, D.C., came to Mississippi at age 5 when her parents moved to Tupelo. "None of my family is Southern, but I'm Southern now," Jacobson said proudly. She moved to Jackson in 2002 to attend Millsaps College, where she received her bachelor's in political science last May. I caught up with Jacobson at her office last Friday.
Change Is Vital
Lose weight, exercise, quit smoking—no one wants to hear it again. Most of us, especially when we're young and healthy, just ignore the advice. We stopped listening a long time ago, and precious few of us are making any changes in our behavior, at the cost of billions of health-care dollars, not to mention the impact on millions of lives.
Ronni's Wild Ride
"Have you ever noticed? Anybody going slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac."
Let's Do The Time Warp…Again!
You remember 1973, don't you? Elvis was in concert in Hawaii, Nixon began his second term, the Watergate hearings were in full swing, the Vietnam War ended, the Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade, Secretariat won the Triple Crown, and Pink Floyd released "The Dark Side of the Moon." OK — maybe not.
Starting Over
Slowly, slowly, the Mississippi Gulf Coast is coming back to life after Katrina's devastation. A year later, the artists of the Coast have banded together, getting to know each other, supporting one another, going around the country doing shows together.