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President Obama's Speech at Fort Hood Memorial (Transcript)
Yesterday, President Obama spoke at a memorial for the Americans murdered at Fort Hood last week. In honor of the victims, and all veterans today, here are his comments, verbatim:
Clarion-Ledger: Jackson Nightlife ‘Virtually Nonexistent'
I'm reading the first piece in The Clarion-Ledger's new "Changing Faces" installment, and I run into this humdinger of a sentence, stated as a fact by the journalist, thus the newspaper:
Dailies Aren't Telling Citizens What They Need to Know
Ain't it the truth? We're surrounded by evidence of this problem, as discussed by Governing magazine. This is a good story, and very thought-provoking. It starts out:
Noise and Pulse, by Scott Albert Johnson
Every shaman knows that, at the very heart of the universe, there lies an inexorable, joyous pulse. As the late Nigerian percussionist and drumming scholar Babatunde Olatunji once put it: "We say that rhythm is the soul of life, because the whole universe revolves around rhythm, and when we get out of rhythm, that's when we get into trouble."
Where the Elections Parties Are
These are the ones we've heard about. Feel free to add others:
we are just staying at the headquarters at 1755 Leila drive and preparing for a run-off which will be on august 28th and then the general election. we are low key and it will be really a working night for us. we are inviting everyone to stop by. probably between 9 and 10:30 as we will know where we are then.
Six to Watch, by Palmer Houchins
Want to make it big in the music industry, but discouraged because you're from a small city like Jackson? Don't despair; here are six who are breaking out.
Do the Right Thing and ... Report
As I proofread this week's cover story about the stories mainstream media won't cover, I thought back to the first year of the Jackson Free Press.
Men Who Hate Women on the Web
Joan Walsh of Salon has a fascinating story about how women are often treated online, using the ugly attacks on Kathy Sierra as an example. She writes:
State Investigates ‘Lawn Service' Contracts
Better late than never. It looks like the state and the media are finally playing catch-up on investigating the city's allocation of money to Frank Melton's "lawn service" contracts to young friends from the Wood Street area. The Jackson Free Press has been trying to get attention to this matter for many moons now, and it seems that the feds took heed before the state auditor bothered to take a closer look. For background, here is one of our stories, from last March, on the issue in which I interviewed the head of the "lawn service" (and that story links to documents that we acquired and published for the first time).
With A Good Intention
People come up and thank me all the time for being "daring." Or "courageous." Or "fearless." No, the Jackson Free Press is not particularly daring or courageous (although admittedly we can be a bit fearless now and then). We're just trying to do our job the best we can. Sometimes we succeed better than others. But "daring"? Not really. Unless you mean willing to risk angering an advertiser or a reader when we tell an unpopular truth.
'ShopLocal' Blog Declares War on JFP; Says We're 'Misinformed'
In a post that can only be called "jaw-dropping" in its hubris, Gannett's ShopLocal blog has taken major umbrage with the JFP's special local-business issue last week, which exposed "local washing" by huge corporations such as Gannett, and especially my piece revealing the ShopLocal scam that Jackson's outlet of Gannett, The Clarion Ledger, is pushing. It seems that us dumb-little-LOCAL types are "misinformed" about "local" really means, and ShopLocal Senior Director of Product Management Patrick Flanagan decided to take time out of his busy corporate day up in Chicago (where this division of ShopLocal hangs out its shingle) to correct us dumb hicks. You see, "local" isn't necessarily "local." You could be talking about "national-local," or "local-local," or "hyper-local," or whatever other phrase the country's largest newspaper company wants to use to whitewash what they're doing.
Only Children Bleed
The House Juvenile Justice Committee is holding legislative hearings on the training schools at the Capitol on July 19 from 2-5 p.m. and July 20 from 9 a.m. until noon in Room 113. Call Rep. Eric Fleming, D-Hinds, at 925-1740 or 359-3374 for more details.
Hey Palin: The ‘Death Panels' Are Already Here, Darlin'
Over on Salon, Mike Madden responds to ex-Gov. Sarah Palin's latest idiocy, stating what should be obvious to all of us: The "death panels" are already here:
Lott: Scrap Medicare drugs, pay for storm
Gannett News Serviceis reportingt:
Cheers to Gailya Porter!
Last week, we learned that Smith Elementary has ranked as a Level 5 school. We featured principal Gailya Porter as "Jacksonian" a month ago in our education issue. Here's an encore of that story in honor of a remarkable school and community.
Dazed and Content
I'm sitting here, dazed and content, in front of my eMac, trying to reflect on what 2004 has meant to me. We're about to send the last issue of the year to the printer—the one that is on the streets for two weeks in order to give us a few days to rest and rekindle for the new year. At 40 pages, it's one of our biggest issues, yet, and it's filled with profiles of creative and influential Jacksonians, stocking-stuffer ideas, cool fashion, a breathtaking JFP interview and wonderfully designed ads for local businesses. It's got breaking news, hip-hop gossip, pages and pages of entertainment listings and details on where to celebrate on New Year's Eve.
"Policing Jackson: Problems & Solutions" – Questions?
Post your questions for the panel or specific panelists below.
The Jackson Police Officers Association and the Jackson Free Press are presenting a town-hall meeting with police officers and other concerned citizens for real talk on fighting crime in Jackson. JFP Editor Donna Ladd will moderate the discussion in the Department of Education auditorium (the old Central High School) at 359 North West Street in Downtown Jackson (print map here) on Thursday, March 27, at 6:30 p.m. A reception and fellowship will follow.
Barbour Finally Addresses Pardons; Insults Mississippians
Statement from the Office of Former Gov. Haley Barbour
Lobbyist and former Gov. Haley Barbour finally addressed the firestorm around his 200+ pardons last night in an email statement. Here it is, verbatim; please read my comments below it:
BREAKING: Melton Responds to "Batman" Release
The man that Mayor Frank Melton admits being "obsessed" with has been released from jail tonight. He, along with brother Terrell Donelson and James Benton, were acquitted last week of the murder of Aaron Crockett. District Attorney Faye Peterson filed a motion yesterday asking for his release due to weak evidence. She filed documents that show the the primary witness, provided by Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics when Melton was at the helm, is unreliable and perhaps tainted by promises and payments by Melton.
Look at All the 2009 Chick Ball Art and Prize Donors!
With the 5th Annual Chick Ball just days away, we are excited to celebrate the triumphs of domestic violence survivors, as well as the creative talents of women artists and musicians. The evening will also include a silent auction of art and gifts. All proceeds of the Chick Ball, including winning bids in the silent auction, go directly to the Center For Violence Prevention. Here's a list of some of our generous donors. View a full color shopping guide in the current Jackson Free Press.