Pardons: ‘The Coward's Way Out'
Also see: JFP investigation of Barbour's 2008 Pardons of Domestic Killers
Barbour to DV Victims: ‘You Can't Trust Us'
Also see: JFP Domestic Abuse Archive and 2008 investigation of Barbour's domestic pardons.
Barbour Pardons Two More Woman Killers
Gov. Haley Barbour's going-away present for Mississippi is to put a trio of convicted murderers back out on our streets, including two more who brutally murdered the women in their lives.
Weight Loss Success
You may think losing weight has to be complicated, but the bottom line is pretty simple: Eat less; exercise more. You have to consume fewer calories than you burn off.
A Wish List for DV Legislation
With all the new faces in the Mississippi Legislature this year, advocates for new and strengthened laws to protect victims of domestic violence are being non-committal about the specific legislation they plan to introduce during this year's session.
Green Gold
The search for jade's source in the Americas took on the air of mystery when evidence of forgotten, ancient and highly sophisticated civilizations emerged from the equatorial jungles. Where did it come from?
Resolution Tango
When I was younger, I would annually trot out the usual suspects when it came time to make my new year's resolutions. You know the ones: lose weight; quit smoking; improve my relationships; get a boyfriend; re-connect with people I lost touch with.
Lies and Damned Lies
Factcheck.org, a non-profit, non-partisan project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, bills itself as the voters' consumer advocate. The organization checks TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases for factual accuracy and reports its results on its website.
Domestic Violence: Health Crisis?
Twenty-four American women and men will become victims of intimate-partner violence in the minute it will take you to read this story. If it takes you two minutes, the number jumps to 48.
The Jobs Act: Help or Not?
It's no wonder that economics is called the "dismal science." Regardless of what motivated Thomas Carlyle to coin the term (some say it was a prediction that the world's resources could never keep up with population, while others say it was a negative reaction to ending slavery), no one can call economics an exact science.
A Great Ride
After nine years with one company, I got a pink slip. It was inevitable. The company had been sold several times, and with each takeover, my department's budget and staff shrank. Nonetheless, when the day arrived, it was a blow. With more than 25 years of experience in marketing and related fields, I knew finding a job to replace the one I lost would be difficult.
Domestic Violence: Public Health Issue
Twenty-four American women and men will become victims of intimate-partner violence in the minute or so it will take you to read this story.
Angel of the Court
When it comes to domestic violence, the best defense is an orchestrated, integrated justice system. That's the kind of system that earned the Clinton Municipal Court this year's Angel Award from The Center for Violence Prevention on Tuesday. The CVP is a Pearl non-profit that provides shelter and advocacy for domestic-violence victims and an offender-intervention program.
Jesus the Radical
It's easy to imagine historical events in the context of our own time, place and worldview. It can be highly deceptive, however, to separate a person, his or her words and works from their historical context. It tends to skew meaning and motive, and both tend to become more biased and distorted over time.
Ring a Bell
At the end of September, I took my vacation in Batesville. Unbeknownst to many--including the majority of Mississippians, I imagine--Batesville is the home to the Magnolia Grove Buddhist Monastery and mindfulness meditation practice center. For five days, 850 participants shared living quarters, meals and the teachings--dharma talks--of Vietnamese Zen Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh. The subject was cultivating the mind of love.
Imam in the Middle
In June 2007, I took a once-in-a-lifetime 12-day trip to Turkey. During our stay, our group visited multiple historic and religious sites. What made this trip different from a typical tourist agenda was that we also visited schools, hospitals and businesses, and met with students, teachers, doctors and entrepreneurs.
Moving The Bad Stuff With Feng Shui
Feng (wind) Shui (water) is an ancient Chinese art that promotes peace and balance in your personal space by strategically placing items and omitting clutter. The Chinese believe that luck, when created, can enhance wealth and happiness in your life.
The Joy Of Washing Dishes
In one of Zen Buddhism's most famous stories, a new monk approaches his teacher after a meal.
Home at Last?
When I was small, my parents seemed to think that moving to a new city to give my dad better job opportunities was a pretty cool thing to do.
‘Obamacare' and Mississippi: What's In It For Us?
Shortly after Congress passed the Affordable Care Act—known as ACA to supporters and "Obamacare" to detractors—Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour joined a multi-state lawsuit challenging its constitutionality.
Finding What's Right
It's easy to criticize. I know this intimately. In fact, I'm considering hiring a private detective to search for that half-full glass.
The Best Defense
When it comes to supporting breast-cancer research, even professional football players are getting in on the act. If you're a fan, no doubt you've seen all the pink out there on the field.
How to Be Safe
When I lived in the Washington, D.C., area, I knew a woman who was repeatedly on the receiving end of crime. She was mugged in the subway, had her purse snatched at a bar, was attacked and raped walking home. I didn't know her well; however, it was hard not to feel badly for her.
Donovan Childress
By the time he reached 30 this year, Donovan Childress says he had never spent a day in the hospital. In fact, he can't remember any serious illnesses at all. He was the one who would stay healthy at work, even as one-by-one, his coworkers succumbed to whatever kind of yuck that was going around.
Ronni Mott Responds to Hood on Hayne
On March 12, 2010, Radley Balko, formerly of Reason Magazine, published an email from Hood to coroners and others urging them to get legislators to vote against H.B. 1456. The bill, signed March 19 by Gov. Haley Barbour, requires that anyone hired by a Mississippi county to do an autopsy be American Board of Pathology certified in forensic pathology.
[Mott] I Surrender
My sister Inga was a Diet Coke junkie. She kept spare quart bottles of the stuff in reserve so she wouldn't run out. If you saw her out and about, chances are she had a Diet Coke in her hand; it was a fixture, like "Weeds" Nancy Botwin's ubiquitous Starbucks iced coffee.
Odyssey of Discovery
Back in July 2006, I found myself on the edge of a new life. Four months earlier, I'd been laid off from a job after nine years. I was at loose ends, not particularly thrilled about continuing in a profession I didn't love any more, but not knowing what else I could do to support myself.
Beloved Farish
On its Facebook page, the Farish Street/Main Street Project says that it "seeks to stimulate revitalization in the Farish Street Historic District by encouraging cooperation and building leadership in the business, residential, church, city, state and community partners of the District."
JFP People of the Day: Outstanding Educators
Parents for Public Schools of Jackson and the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson honored four outstanding teachers in the Jackson Public Schools: Diane Setzer, Mary Cook, Barbara Stevens and La'Keshia Opara-Nadi. All four received a 2011 Outstanding Educator award during a luncheon yesterday at the Jackson Medical Mall.
Stop That Laboring
Start the long Labor Day weekend off tonight unwinding with friends. Head to Dreamz JXN for Can't Feel My Face Friday, The Irish Frog in Clinton to hear Davey Arwine and Nick Blake or Ole Tavern for the Thomas Jackson Orchestra. To find your new favorite watering hole, check out the JFP Music Listings page for the best in Jacktown and surrounds, from MCs to rock to jazz to gospel, every day of the week.
[Mott] Shine On
In his classic work on creativity, "The Gift," Lewis Hyde likens artistic output to the gift giving of indigenous people. Creativity is a sacred thing to be shared and passed on, like a fine pipe of tobacco among some Native Americans, not something to be squirreled away or used up for personal gain. "Whatever we have been given is supposed to be given away again, not kept," he writes.
City Offers to Settle With Cedric Willis
After 17 years, Cedric Willis may get some measure of compensation from the city of Jackson for a wrongful conviction that cost him 12 years of his life. In 1994, Jackson police arrested Willis, then 19, for murder, rape, armed robbery and aggravated assault. Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Tomie Green exonerated him of all charges in 2006. Willis did not commit the crimes for which he was imprisoned.
Truth to Power
I spent last weekend in New Orleans at the Association of Alternative Newsmedia convention. It was held in the posh Ritz Carlton in the heart of the city's business district, and I was challenged trying to reconcile our "alternative" moniker with the neat little pyramids of individually rolled cloth hand towels by each sink in the ladies' rooms.
Woman on a Mission
Standing an easy 6 feet tall in her fashionable beige wedge sandals, Sandy Middleton strode into the Copiah County sheriff's station. She breezed past the unmanned reception desk, barely pausing, pushing her sunglasses up into her blonde hair and out of the way.
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.
From At-Risk to OK
Constant, intense stimulation, pressure to do more and better, media and peer pressure, and life's everyday changes bombard kids from all directions. Living in atmospheres of poverty, crime and abuse puts additional enormous stress on families and children.
Hard Decisions
If you are a child with aging parents, or a caring parent with foresight for your children, here are some of the documents that will help you deal with end of life decisions. As difficult as they may be to complete, they will be a comfort during times of high stress and crisis.
Thanks for Brooklyn
It seemed everyone knew one another, and always, always someone was looking out and watching over the kids.
TGIF: The Weekend's Here!
It's shaping up to be a great weekend, weather wise. After work is the perfect time to start taking advantage of the outdoors with the Community Bike Crawl, starting at 6 p.m. in Rainbow Whole Foods Co-operative Grocery (2807 Old Canton Road) parking lot. The ride goes through downtown and ends at Sal & Mookie's on Taylor Street in Fondren. Call 601-454-1286 for more info. If you're more of an indoor person, you have lots of options, too. At 7 p.m., head to Jazz Night Live at circa. Urban Artisan Living (2771 Old Canton Road) Admission is $12. Call 601-362-8484. At 9 p.m., stop in at Dreamz JXN for "The Game Changer" for music by DJ Phingaprint and DJ Jonasty, and an appearance by actor Hosea Chanchez from "The Game." Call 601-624-4088 or 601-824-1077 for VIP information. What's the best place to begin looking for things to do in Jackson? The JFP Best Bets page, of course.
Faith Leaders Call for Death Penalty Moratorium
About 20 Mississippi faith leaders gathered in the rotunda of the state capitol yesterday to appeal for a moratorium on executions in the state. The press conference came one day after the state Supreme Court announced May execution dates for two men on death row in the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman.
Begin Today
"If we do not change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed." —Chinese Proverb.
It's the Weekend
Despite Mercury being in retrograde (with its attendant communication, transportation and technical hijinks), you'll find plenty to do in and around Jacktown this weekend. If you're lucky enough to have the day off, head to Jackson State (1400 John R. Lynch St.) for the free Creative Arts Festival that begins at 1 p.m. The festival continues tomorrow, with featured luminaries like Sonia Sanchez and Amiri Baraka. Call 601-979-3935 for information. If you can't make the festival, Sanchez and Baraka read their poems and sign books at Afrika Book Cafe (404 Mitchell Ave.) at 6 p.m. Email [e-mail missing] for info. If you're in the mood for drama, we've been hearing good things about the New Stage Theatre production of "A Soldier's Play." Call 601-948-3531, or visit newstagetheatre.com for times and ticket information. Where's the best place to start when you're looking for things to do and places to go? The JFP Best Bets page, of course.
Who's Fooling Whom?
No one likes to be fooled.
Barbour to End Death Penalty in Mississippi (SATIRE)
In an exclusive interview with the Jackson Free Press, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has broken with the Republican Party's tough-on-crime stance to press state legislators for an end to the death penalty in the Magnolia state.
It's the Weekend
If last weekend's St. Paddy's Parade and associated frivolities have you hankering for more, this weekend won't disappoint. The first annual Zippity Doo Dah Weekend in the Fondren neighborhood began yesterday and runs through tomorrow night. Today until 5 p.m., join the Sweet Potato Queens for the Bluebird Scavenger Hunt and the Queens Qrawl for All. Tomorrow, you'll have plenty of opportunities for family fun beginning with the Market in Fondren from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.; the Sal & Mookies 4th Annual Kid's Carniva from 10:30 a.m. until 3 p.m.; and live music throughout the day. The weekend closes out (for all but the heartiest SPQs) with the Zippity Doo Dah Parade at dusk. All proceeds from the weekend go to the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children, so not only will you have a blast, you'll be making a difference, too.
A Mind/Body Bookshelf
Wellness is more than just the absence of illness. It incorporates the whole being, body, mind and spirit. Physicians and psychiatrists have studied and written about wellness for decades (at least), so we know their interest in wellness is far from being some new-fangled, new-age fad.
Children's Health Study Kicks Off
Hinds County will serve as one of more than 100 locations across the nation to host the National Children's Study, which organizers say is the largest long-term children's health study in the nation. On Monday, March 7, join an awareness rally at the Mississippi Capitol to help kick off the study.
Amnesty Today and Tomorrow
Save money today and tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. with the city of Jackson's Municipal Court Services annual amnesty program.
Weekend Events: Is it Spring, Yet?
Start the weekend after work today with a trip to the Arts Center of Mississippi Arts Center (201 E. Pascagoula St.) and take in "Lena Horne: Her Influences, Her Life & Her Legacy" before it comes down next week. If museums aren't your thing, check out an indie movie at the Russell C. Davis Planetarium (201 E. Pascagoula St.) in the same complex, or take in a performance by Grammy-winner Pinetop Perkins at Underground 119 a few blocks away on President Street. Not sure where to start your weekend plans? Head straight to the JFP Best Bets page for ideas.
Come Together
I once had a client who considered himself completely uncreative. An entrepreneur with a thriving small business, Mr. Jones (not his real name) had a peculiar stance about artists: He couldn't understand why they were necessary, couldn't see why anyone would give them the time of day and considered their "sensitive" natures a bunch of malarkey. It is merely social habit, he said, that allows artists to get away with being thin-skinned and quirky.