[Ladd] One for the GrrlsI was recently visiting a couple in Fondren who have two delightful little daughters with whom I love to hang out. They're loud, proud, colorful, confident. The oldest came up to me and told me about the bedtime story her …
[Spann] The Power of ‘Passion'A year or so ago, a young man visiting my Wednesday night Bible study class relayed his encounter with a non-Christian who questioned how Christianity could be a monotheistic faith yet have a God who describes himself as three beings: …
[Ask JoAnne] No License, Little EquipmentQ. I watched the "short-necked clam battle" the other night on Food Network, and one or two of the dishes they cooked up looked pretty good, and I thought I would invite a few friends over and prepare my own …
[Mimi] Hurl Rice, Not BrimstoneOne day a guy wakes up and says, "You know what, today I am deciding to be gay. It will be so much fun. I'll tell my parents so they will shut me out of their lives and take away …
[Cohen] Never Mind All ThatIt's official. The decision was made some two and a half years ago, but the first airings of the Bush campaign's television ads brought the strategy fully into play. The horrible events of Sept. 11, 2001 will be a central …
[Lott] Protecting ForestsRecently passed by the Senate thanks to the strong leadership of Senator Thad Cochran and supported by President Bush, the Healthy Forest Restoration Act will be a major benefit in states like Mississippi where forests cover 60 percent of our …
Gov. Barbour, Do More Than 'Hope'Read last issue's "No Deposit, No Return", the story that helped set off the education firestorm against the governor the week after it came out.
[Stauffer] Movin' On Up<i>Read about the JFP's exciting moves—from moving into new offices in Fondren to hiring a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter.</i>
[Stiggers] Denials Without ConfessionsNetwork affiliates, Other Brotha/Funkee Finger Productions present "Denials without Confessions," a fresh, exciting and controversial soap opera for this spring. Here is a rough promotion/synopsis of first episode: Supa producer, TV talk-show host, herbal Viagra distributor, root doctor and investigative …
[Ask JoAnne] Because I Said SoA. It's column time again, and I have not received any bona fide questions to answer lately. (It's not difficult, by the way, to have your questions qualify as bona fide.) But I'm nothing, if not serious about my duty, …
[Lott] Protecting Gun RightsI'm co-sponsoring a Senate bill that will protect America's firearms manufacturers and sellers from outrageous lawsuits holding them liable for crimes committed with guns. Like the tactics we're seeing employed with the homosexual marriage issue, the left is also pushing …
[Stiggers] Walking Abreast in the Naked CityHey Yawl! This is Bone-Qweesha Jones of the Hooked on Phonics Hair and Touch-up Beauty Salon proudly presenting an exclusive literature experience with the poet laureate of the street corner, Bruh Zeke Johnson, author of "The Anthology of 'Skreet' (Street) …
[Ladd] Rest In PeaceWhen Dr. Monique Guillory called me and said she wanted to bring the "Without Sanctuary" exhibit to Jackson, I swallowed hard. I knew about the horrifying and controversial exhibit of lynching photographs, the images that sear themselves into your psyche …
[Cannon] Stamp Out Black History MonthIt's here again. Black History Month. "Roots" will be played over and over and over again. The Black Heritage Movie Network will show films like "Sweet Sweetback's Baadassss Song." And we'll be blessed with all those precious Black History Moments: …
[Spann] Road-Tested, Mother-ApprovedI still remember the day I discovered my first gray hair. I was blow-drying my hair and just as I parted a new section to dry, I saw it in all its pale, wiry glory. I gasped and froze, not …
[Lott] Open and ReadyIf U.S. military bases are to be closed, jobs lost, and lives changed, which communities should feel the heat first - those in an increasingly unsupportive Western Europe, or in patriotic, taxpaying towns in Mississippi? Well, I'm more worried about …
[Whitley] ‘Movin' On Up' Not Working AnymoreThe generation of African Americans that came of age during the '60s and '70s was taught that having the American dream—a job, a house, a car—was the pinnacle of success. They used every tool at their disposal, and demanded those …
[Ask JoAnne] God or the Devil?A. Now that's a full-strength question. It reminds of the tutti fruiti sauce my neighbor Sam Brooks brought me the other day. It was his grandmother's recipe, he said, and when poured over vanilla ice cream would create an "adult …
[Ladd] Catching a Creative WaveI've been thinking a lot about who's in charge lately. This first entered my brain because of Haley Barbour's half-hearted attempts at appointing a Cabinet that looks like Mississippi (for the record, that would be close to half black and …
[Stiggers] Qweemy, Qweemy Black History MomentThe Cream-O-Wheat Foodbank Foundation's "Bigg Hott Pot in the Back for the World" presents a Qweemy, Qweemy Black History Moment by the Qweem-O-Wheat Man.
[Lott] The 2004 AgendaIn his State of the Union speech President Bush outlined an agenda which includes the War on Terrorism, tax cuts, job security and improving worker training, using our nation's community colleges. Passing a good national energy policy, a bold highway …
[Ladd] Haley's March to the SeaOn the JFP blog recently, someone asked me if I was willing to give Gov. Haley Barbour the benefit of the doubt. That question gave me pause. I think of myself as independent-minded, free of party affiliation, fair-but-tough and willing …
[Fleming] A Brand-New DayA rooster crows in the morning, at sunrise, to signal a brand new day, and in metaphorical essence, hope. The rooster that was crowing last week was Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus Chair Rep. Phillip West, D-Natchez. His exuberance comes from …
[Williams] The Easy FeederWeight problems are nature's perverse intersection of passion and pain. Anyone who has tried to diet knows this. But it is especially true for horses. Like goldfish, there are some horses that can literally kill themselves with one abundant meal. …
[Stiggers] Something in the Meat Ain't CleanIn the wake of the current United States beef problem, the Lacto-Vegetarian Church International invites the public to attend an alternative nutrition, lifestyle and spiritual conference: "Something In The Meat Ain't Clean: Living the Non-Carnivorous Life." Hear the Rev. Bean …
[Fleming] Storm Clouds A'BrewinThere is nothing like the honeymoon period of a governmental transition. Optimism is running rampant, public officials are cordial to each other, and controversy doesn't seem to raise our blood pressure as high. But, alas, this too shall pass, and …
[Ask JoAnne] Avoid Shopping HangoversA. My dear, dear one, whoever you are, how do I begin? Rampant consumerism can ruin anything, of course, particularly one's pocketbook. But whose rampant consumerism are we talking about? Only my own pursuits of unbridled materialism can ruin my …
[Stauffer] To Peace and ProsperityAs I'm writing this, the Dow seems to have settled into a new level over 10,000 and up about 25 percent on the year. Our abysmal unemployment numbers have seen a little improvement recently (although some manufacturing jobs would be …
[Taylor] Isn't It Ironic?<i>"And I want to tell you, ladies and gentlemen, that there's not enough troops in the Army to force the Southern people to break down segregation and admit the negro race into our theatres, into our swimming pools, into our …