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Stokin' the Flames
and Donna Ladd
It's the most tasteless kind of three-way tussle one could imagine: The Clarion-Ledger and Councilman Kenneth Stokes are fighting over who's more under the sheets with the Ku Klux Klan. The current flare-up started Sept. 2 when WLBT-3 reported that fliers, tucked neatly into copies of the Thrifty Nickel, were being tossed into yards in Byram. Thrifty Nickel is a classified newspaper that typically doesn't offend a soul. The fliers reproduced an editorial as well as a poliical cartoon from The Clarion-Ledger, both on Stokes' comments about the city's new redistricting plan. The editorial labeled his remarks as "racial demagoguery at its worst."
[Herman's Picks] Vol. 8, No. 31
Spring fever is in the air, and you'll find lots going on this week around town.
John Currence: ‘King of American Seafood'
John Currence was wiped out for days during the fifth annual Great American Seafood Cook-Off held in early August in New Orleans.
A Ride Through Town
Being a bicyclist in Jackson is not always easy. Rude cars tailgate bicyclists; they honk, they weave and sometimes insult or threaten even the most kindly of two-wheelers. While Ridgeland and Madison are actively installing bike-friendly infrastructure, Jackson seems content with offering bikers nothing but exhaust fumes. It will probably take hundreds of bikers overflowing sidewalks and crowding roads before the capital city will take notice. So put down that chicken leg and buy a bike. Forget gas prices while the breeze runs through your hair and calories run off your skin.
No Fires Burning
For filmmaker Tom Rice, patience is paying off. Rice, a Jackson native, began work on "The Rising Place," his feature film debut as a writer and director, in the late '90s. The film was finally released on DVD and video in late October. The film's roots date back to 1996 when Rice, now a Los Angeles resident, read a novella by Natchez native David Armstrong called "The Rising Place." Shortly thereafter, Rice acquired the rights to the book and penned a screenplay loosely based on the novella.
Minimalist Musings
Though a lover of words, Wyatt Hillyer is not very good with them. The main character in "What is Left the Daughter" by Howard Norman, Hillyer writes to his daughter: "My whole life, Marlais, I've had difficulty coming up with the right word to use in a given situation, but at least I know what the right word would have been once I hear it."
Domestic Disturbance: A Review Of "A History Of Violence"
By turns tender and tragic, funny and frightening, David Cronenberg's masterful new thriller "A History of Violence" has emerged on the short list of 2005's most outstanding releases. A meditation on individual identity and family life, "Violence" is possibly the most mainstream film that Cronenberg, whose credits include the grotesque "Dead Ringers" and "The Fly," has ever made. Boasting superb performances, striking camerawork and compellingly rendered themes, "A History of Violence" is a must-see drama.
[Drive] Cat-Like Reflections
Does your car say something about you? It's a question I can't seem to get out of my head, even though, intellectually, I'd prefer not to worry about it. Unwittingly, I'll look around at people I know when I see them in a parking lot and make subtle judgments. A Camry? Interesting. A VW Jetta? A-ha. A Hummer? Oh…I see.
Milkshakes and French fries on this road? Probably not, huh?
The JFP Road to Wellness came at a wacky time for Todd and me. It started the week we were closing the new BOOM Jackson, as well as the summer arts preview issue. And we were preparing for a long road trip for our bargain vacation. He and I have long suffered from workaholism—we don't go home soon enough, we eat late, we're often too tired to exercise by the time we leave the office. We are fortunate that years ago, we chose a more healthy lifestyle by going vegetarian (no meat, but we have dairy and some eggs), by converting to mostly organic choices, and by starting to walk, meditate and actually take weekend days off (I take off more than he does, but he's trying). So we have a good base for wellness. But it's our workaholism that tends to hurt us. When we do leave the office by 7, it's usually to attend an event around town -- many that we too often have what I call "little blocks of cheese" for dinner as we graze the party snacks.
Where in the World Does Redondo Beat?
Redondo Beat can be difficult to pinpoint on your musical atlas. The group's name might remind you of a popular beach town in California.
Talent in Full Bloom
Caroline Herring labored to be heard over the garbled intercom chatter of an Atlanta lawn and garden store. It seems that she has a green thumb, and it's time to get seeds in the ground. Gardening, she says, is a treasured respite from the requirements of her career, the pressures of motherhood, and the hectic cycle of recording and touring.
Sleeping With the Giant
So, we're 2. Our determined little rag has defied the odds—at least the mythical barriers that some folks thought were absolute reality. I remember the skepticism from a handful of folks around town well: "Mississippians don't read!" "How are you going to reach out to the black community?" "You need to decide what you're going to be: a paper for North Jackson or for West Jackson. They already have their own paper, anyway." "Young people don't care about Jackson; they're just biding time until they can bolt." "What artistic community?" "This city will never support a progressive newspaper."
...But Is It Affordable?
The images in this spread show that downtown living is exciting, creative and cutting edge. But with all of the renovation and construction, will there be room for everyone who wants to live downtown? That is, will there be affordable housing?
EDWARDS: Finding My Roots
It was 1961 when my father, then 19, moved from Mound Bayou, Miss., to Milwaukee, Wis., to live with his older brother Willie. Mound Bayou was offering few if any jobs, and the last thing he wanted to do was to go to college. Milwaukee, on the other hand, was full of jobs and opportunity. Also, his oldest brother, Claude, had his own barbershop and was one of the founders of a new church, Faith Temple. During a time in the Delta that was heated with racial tension, Mound Bayou was a safe haven for civil-rights workers, being one of the only towns at the time with a black-owned hospital, post office, pharmacy and even a zoo. But the move seemed like the best choice; my father felt that he had experienced enough injustice and was thinking of what would be best for a family. I grew up in Milwaukee and returned to my father's home state to attend Jackson State University. I recently asked my father to talk about his life in Mississippi. Many of his memories surprised me.
[Purvis] Déjà Vu All Over Again
I have not been myself since I learned of the tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Always, no matter what I'm doing, it seems to be hanging out with me, sometimes on the periphery of my thoughts and more often in the foreground as the days get marked off the calendar like fallen soldiers on the battlefront.
[Ladd] Life in the Fast Lane
Not to be a drama queen here, but hanging out at the Mississippi Legislature can really shatter one's faith in humanity. After doing years of research on harmful youth policies (zero tolerance, adult sentencing, "superpredator" rhetoric, media demonization of youth), I'm already convinced that most people don't give a damn about young people they didn't raise. And too many don't really care enough about the ones they did.
Aiming Against Government
District 73 Rep. Jim Ellington was busy getting ready for a fundraiser for the Central Mississippi National Rifle Association on Sept. 22 when he gave this interview. The Raymond resident has kept his seat in the Mississippi House for the past 24 years, and like most Mississippi Republicans, Ellington is in favor of the least government intervention possible.
Gifts for Your Sports Fanatic
A few years ago, my wife, Lacey, gave me one of my favorite books. "The Sports Book" (DK Publishing, 2007, $19.95) has an Astroturf cover and contains information about multiple sports. Not only has the book been great to read, but it has been a resource and help for articles I have written. It was one of the best gifts I've ever received.
Getting What They Deserve
On March 21, the NFL laid the smack-down on the New Orleans Saints. After months of speculation, Commissioner Roger Goodell finally handed down his ruling, and it wasn't pretty.
Back in the Saddle
Like many of us, I started off the new year so well. I actually began an intensive fitness makeover at 6 a.m. on Dec. 30--just so that I would have a head start on everyone.