Thanks, But No ThanksI'm no feminist, and I definitely wear a bra most days of the week, but I am fed up with men giving me their unsolicited advice or trying to force me into liberation. It happened on the track one day …
We're Not CluelessWhen we consider activism of the '60s and '70s, we think of the war on Vietnam with thousands of citizens flocking to the street with "Peace Not War" signs. Or we recall the Civil Rights Movement that snaked through the …
Proud to be an AmericanWe only lost three distribution spots due to our last issue, which offered dissenting views to the Iraqi War. We knew when we switched last issue's cover story at the last minute from the state of the crime debate in …
WAR: If Duty CallsI managed to get through the weekend without watching any news coverage of the war or any television for that matter. Instead, I worked on my research proposal for class, and enjoyed a hike with my dogs and some good …
SPANN: The War Roller CoasterDriving to work the day after Dubya officially declared war on Iraq, I was struck by a feeling of patriotism coupled with sadness. I noted the American flags plastered on bumpers and the ribbons on antennas swaying in the March …
LADD: Talk About Freedom<i>Join another vigil for peace and safety of the troops Sunday, March 23, at 7 p.m. in front of the Eastland Courthouse on West Capitol Street downtown. This column is dedicated to Todd Allen, who showed up one day to …
EVERS: ‘I Cannot Support This War'I'm against the war. I think it's uncalled for, too expensive, and physically, mentally and economically not worth it. The president hasn't proved to me, yet, that we're justified going in and killing innocent people—not only Iraqi women and children, …
Marathon WomanI'm doing a crazy thing this summer. It's a little bit self-serving, but mostly it could benefit a few million people that I will never meet. In January, I joined Team Diabetes, a fund-raising and awareness program sponsored by the …
Gun Violence: A Public Health Issue?With the United States under violent assault since Sept. 11, 2001, American citizens have reeled from the size and scope of the assault and wondered whether ours really is a kind and gentle nation. We don't understand the reasons for …
WIGGS: Sweet Potato PowerMy mother and father each grew up with sisters and started off wanting some boys to balance the genealogical mix a bit. They wound up with four sons. "Be careful what you wish for," my mom was wont to say, …
BRUNO: Day of the DivaFrom Delilah to Diana Ross, from Salome to Sade, and Helen of Troy to Madonna the Boy Toy, legendary, world-changing women have wielded their feminine power with greatness and relevance. But are they divas? Vanity, narcissism and ego have become …
Me and Willie HoytWillie Hoyt was a character. My mom met him when I was in the fourth grade. My father had died a couple years earlier after a long illness, she was lonely, and Willie Hoyt, an enlisted man, was on leave …
LADD: Hoofbeaters Make It Real<i>Remember the reception to honor the Murrah Hoofbeat staff Tuesday, March 4, from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center (downtown at 528 Bloom Street). Come have cookies and punch, and congratulate these young …
WIGGS: From Contrails to CommitmentIn the two days before the shuttle Columbia disintegrated and traced that awful sparkling arc across the Texas sky, I'd already been thinking about space. On Thursday, I'd read a Harper's article about the unthinkable catastrophe a relatively small asteroid …
SPANN: The Wacky Professor Strikes Again"Sweetie, what do you think of all these corporate scandals?" "Well, management guru Charles Handy would posit that …" Uh-oh! The Wacky Professor strikes again!
MARK WIGGS: Watching for ‘The Quiet American'<i>"Go see "The Quiet American" before the next war starts, if there's time, even if you have to leave Jackson in your gas-guzzling SUV to go where it's showing."</i>
EDITORIAL: ‘Borrow and Spend' MisguidedThere are two major common-sense approaches that could be taken in the short-term to help the United States come out of its current recession, while paying for a looming Iraqi invasion and the homeland security challenges that may result from …
The Best of TimesThe other night I was sitting in my office about 10 p.m. It had been another one of those 12-hour days that we've put in several times a week since launching this magazine last Sept. 22. It was a quiet, …
GUEST OPINION: What Trent Lott and I Have in Common"The last straw is an awesome thing," wrote columnist Deborah Mathis in the Arkansas Times in December. "So small. Seemingly so insignificant. Yet powerful enough to topple careers, ruin lives and break the camel's back. Trent Lott can now attest …
Life Lessons at the Honky Tonk"Let's go to the redneck bar," Blondie exclaimed from the backseat of my car. Three of us had just enjoyed a girls' day out after feeding the cows and touring my friend's farm in Canton. A little window-shopping and some …
SPANN: Attitude Makes All the DifferenceSomehow a white co-worker and I found ourselves talking about race relations. Sitting comfortably in my downtown Jackson office a year after the controversial state-flag vote, we joked about Mississippi rednecks and the Confederate flag-emblazoned halter tops we hoped to …
South Toward HomeComing of age in Neshoba County, I considered Jackson the big city. I loved standing in the seat of our long turquoise Chevrolet, my left hand curled around my Daddy's neck as we sped from Philadelphia to Jackson, either down …
HIGHTOWER: Flowers in a Dark WinterThe politicians don't want to think about it, the media establishment has turned a blind eye to it, and the Bushites are trying to shout it down—but it's rising anyway, getting bigger and bigger all across the country.
SPANN: Woman's BirthrightMars, Venus or whatever, men will never understand women. Think about it. From the beginning, the enigma of woman has been shrouded from man in a cloak of mystery. Eve was created while Adam slept. Wouldn't you know? Important work …
HIGHTOWER: Voter-Owned ElectionsWhat if our elections were "voter-owned," instead of being owned by the big money powers—would that make you feel better about voting?
Don't Believe The Urban LegendsTodd and I were out at Little Toyko one Friday night having dinner with two other couples. Politically, the left, right and the middle were amply represented among the six of us. So were various perceptions of Jackson. We were …
WELLNESS: Bad To The Last DripYour throat feelslike a cross between sandpaper and raw meat. Your nose must be training for a marathon. A percussion section has taken over the inside of your head. Your cheeks are on fire. Yes, it's cold and flu season, …