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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."
Whip It Good
Watching George Glass demonstrate his skill with a bullwhip, I was convinced that I could grow to enjoy this sport. On eBay I could find myself an inexpensive whip, then I could order some videos from Western Stage Props: "Whip Cracking Made Easy" and "Whip Cracking Made Easy—Part Two," finally working my way up to "No Bull Whip Cracking"—a study of over 30 advanced whip cracking techniques." For now, though, Glass—a 57-year-old insurance man who lives in Ridgeland with his wife, Sherrie, a music teacher at Northwest Middle School—is my best bet for hands-on whipping.
[Ladd] Just As I Am
I was baptized when I was 13 in a Southern Baptist church in Neshoba County. I wasn't particularly spiritual; there was more anger and selfishness and confusion in my heart than love. I couldn't have been ready to live a godly life; I didn't know what it meant. I just walked down the aisle because everybody else was doing it.
Mayor Yarber, Socrates Garrett Address Contracting Dispute, 'Steering'
Mayor Tony Yarber and his administration recently became defendants in another sexual-harassment lawsuit, this time saddled with charges of steering city contracts to campaign supporters.
Radical Right Targets Girl Empowerment Effort
Oct. 14, 2005—AP is reporting that the Tupelo wingnuts are at it again:
BREAKING: Lee Vance New Police Chief; Anderson Out?
More details as they emerge.
WAPT is about to report that Mayor Frank Melton today promoted Commander Lee Vance to the position of police chief, meaning that current Chief Shirlene Anderson is out.
DNA Exonerates Sunflower County Man After 16 Years
[Verbatim from Innocence Project] Sixteen years after his arrest, all charges were dropped against Arthur Johnson today when it was revealed that the DNA testing that led to his release in February pointed directly to another man who is in prison for sexual assault. Arthur Johnson is the fourth man to be exonerated in Mississippi since 2006. Kennedy Brewer and Levon Brooks were exonerated in January due to post conviction DNA testing. Cedric Willis was also exonerated in Jackson in 2006, but DNA testing in that case was completed before trial. As in this case, in the Brewer and Brooks cases, the DNA tests that exonerated them led to the identification of the real perpetrator.
Never Back Down: Mississippi Escalates War on Gangs
Mississippi law enforcement may soon be able to decide young people are a gang even if they're not part of a larger criminal enterprise with a hierarchy and criminal connections beyond whomever they got the pot from.
McMillin Talks on Irby ‘Conspiracy'
Hinds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillin this week fired back at accusers who say he led a conspiracy to go easy on Karen Irby, whose intoxication and high-speed driving killed two doctors and seriously injured her husband, Stuart, and herself after leaving the Jackson Country Club the evening of Feb. 11, 2009. Police reports show that she crossed five lanes of traffic in her black 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS 500 and hit a Chevrolet Silverado C1500 pick-up truck head-on; it burst into flames, killing Drs. Mark Pogue and Lisa Dedousis.
Tsunami Benefit Raises $4,311
The JFP-Collective-Rock 93.9 benefit last night at the Red Room at Hal & Mal's has raised $4,311.50 for disaster relief! Hal & Mal's donated 10 percent of sales for the evening. The checks will be mailed to Oxfam late Friday. The event was a raging success. Thanks to the musicians, volunteers, local businesses, artists and all the Jacksonians, young and older, who turned out to make the event such a success. The music was hot, and the community spirit was even hotter. Most of all, we thank JFP intern Swetha Regunathan who spearheaded the event and designer Jakob Clark who made such amazing music come together on one stage for such an important cause in less than a week. Cheers to them, and to Jackson.
DA Smith Says MBN Framed Jackson Man; Agency Says Evidence Not 'Credible'
Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith is hanging his defense to state charges and a bar complaint around what he alleges is a set-up of Christopher Butler, the man at the center of five of the six counts that could get the DA booted from office.
No Tea Party of the Left, Please
The pent-up frustration caused by not speaking out in a clear voice finds a venue this Saturday when some Jacksonians will gather in Smith Park for Occupy Mississippi, a localized version of the Occupy Wall Street protest movement that spread to other U.S. cities in recent weeks. We fear, though, that many of the frustrated protesters could lack focus and are venting.
Moore Alleges DA ‘Misconduct'
The attorney for Sharrod Moore, who is awaiting his Sept. 15 trial for the Nov. 14, 1995, murder of Jackson police officer Robert J. Washington, is accusing Hinds County District Attorney Robert S. Smith of "prosecutorial misconduct." Smith, they say, used "perjured" witness accounts to get the indictment, has not provided timely discovery documents and alleged a police "cover-up" in the case in a Jackson Free Press interview in May.
Where The Streets Have No Name
I've flown to Chicago twice in a month to give writing workshops at Northwestern's journalism school, and each time I've been swept up in a wave of compassion and love. I like to think it's because so many Mississippians have made the city their home, but that may well be a bit egocentric of me.
Chip Pickering Leaving Congress
Rep. Chip Pickering, a Republican representing the Third District, announced today that he is not seeking re-election next year. One wonders if the Democratic Party will now go out on a limb and attempt to take the seat, or if they will allow perennial candidate Jim Giles to take the seat by default.
Please Help With Presents for Katrina Kids
Dec. 4, 2006—Sweet Potato Queen Jill Conner Browne just forwarded us this e-mail. Everyone, please do what you can to help these children get presents this year; drop-off info in Jackson and Oxford is included at the bottom:
Artists To Watch
<b>Skipp Coon</b>
You gotta love the new mayor of Jackson. No, not that one. Skipp Coon, born Joecephus Martin, calls himself "the mayor of Jackson," and even raps about the current mayor of Jackson from time to time. Skipp Coon—a name he created to talk back to the stereotypes of the Jim Crow era—is an honors graduate of Jackson State with a degree in education, now working on his master's. Calling himself "more of a rapper than a hustler," Skipp says he is not solidly in the Dirty South rap-music camp with a lot of other area rappers. The Forest Hill High graduate likes Project Pat, 8 ball and MJG—and even Maroon 5. He said in a recent blog interview that he admires David Banner "because he reps Mississippi" and Kanye West "cause he made it big without killing anyone or selling dope." Last summer, Skipp toured Europe with his friend DJ Phingaprint, and played the biggest hip-hop festival on the continent—in the Czech Republic, where he was a sensation. Skipp is working on his new album with about a dozen tracks ready to go; you can hear "I'm Just Skipp" on the jacksonfreepress.com Podcast #1 right now. So come listen to the mayor.
LAST CALL: VOTE Today Until 7 p.m.
Attorney General: Jim Hood - won
The Jackson Free Press urges everyone to go to the polls today and vote in state and county elections. Polls are open until 7 p.m. Following are the JFP's endorsements in races where we prefer one candidate to the other (which is slightly different from the print version. We dropped our endorsement of David Blount, and added one of Dick Hall due to the tone of campaign ads.)
Returns: National Elections
OK, it's getting there. Polls will start closing soon. Please use this thread to discuss the returns as they come in.
Trash Talk: Kim Wade Disses the JFP
"Last week the Jackson Free Press had an interesting article in there where the editor was lamenting the fact that 'hey, you know Lefties are religious, too,' and she was going on and on, and this is Donna Ladd was going on and on about how she was religious and how she respects Buddha and all these other folks, well that's fine and good—and we as Christians, we respect those other religions, too, that's how they were able to flourish here in America.