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Such Sweet Sorrow

Since July 2004, Ross Olivier has been pastor of the Galloway Methodist Church in Jackson, bringing with him experience forged in South Africa's anti-apartheid movement. As we spoke last Monday, his enthusiastic responses were well-considered, yet accessible. He leaned into me as he spoke. Rarely have I been in such a magnanimous presence. I couldn't help feeling a little sorry for myself: Why hadn't I met this man before? Olivier is returning to South Africa on Jan. 13.

The Road Trip Issue

For some, a vacation just isn't a vacation unless they get on a plane, take a cab to a resort and spend their days baking at the pool. Putting aside the fact that I am the whitest human being on the planet—I turn a brilliant shade of cooked-crab red after 30 minutes in the sun—and bathing suits are my mortal enemies, that just sounds boring. Give me a good car, a good map and a convivial, adventurous traveling companion any time.

College Football Preview 2019

Summer is coming to a close, and that means college football is right around the corner. The season will kick off during the Labor Day weekend, as everyone officially says hello to fall and welcomes back football.

40 Years On, Vietnam Troop Withdrawal Remembered

Soldiers returning from Vietnam were advised to change into civilian clothes on their flights home.

[Kamikaze] Two Steps Forward, Two Back

"If you don't learn from the past, you're doomed to repeat it." Well, don't be surprised if the drama that is the real world has started looking like a rerun. Too often, when Mississippi appears to be discarding the vestiges of racism that has crippled it for decades, someone here does or says something, well, stupid. Needless to say, it's kind of embarrassing how we've yet again given a platform for ignorance to rear its ugly head.

Conducting a Festival

Four smiling mop-topped men with skinny ties strum guitars to a familiar backbeat. "She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah," they confirm in unison as if they really know something. Paul's big eyes and John's long chin move with the rhythm. It's the present, 2012, but the 1960s have returned. The four men in skinny suits not only sound like the Beatles, each member of this tribute performance resembles one of the Fab Four.

Da Chief

At a crowded house party in 1994, full of teenagers and loud, blistering music, two things were happening: dancing and a rap battle. That was the first opportunity for Alex Guillermo Jr., aka Da Chief, to rap his original song "Ecclesiastes." He was surrounded by a small group of people. "I had butterflies for a couple of bars, then they went away," he said.

Puppets on Parade

"Dum dum da dum dum dum," the strings sing in my mind as I stroll down a sunny sidewalk on Lamar Street to speak with Mississippi Symphony Orchestra Executive Director Michael Beattie.

The Southern Way of Death

"When the rich wage war, it is the poor who die." — Sartre

Healthy International Eats

Two relatively new restaurants—Babalu Tacos and Tapas (622 Duling Ave., 601-366-5757) and Mezza (1896 Main St., Madison, 601-853-0876) are breaking through the grease-encased surface of southern cuisine with international offerings.

A Darker Oz

"The Hunger Games" portrays a futuristic nightmare where indentured masses, working in 12 districts, feed and entertain a parasitic society. The powers-that-be leech anything of consumptive value from the districts and hover-craft it into the Capitol, the central city of Panem.

Old School vs. The New Kids

When we're young, we learn important life lessons through play and fun: A big yellow bird on TV shows us friendship; the story of a rabbit and a turtle helps us understand the importance of persistence; a singing frog teaches us about compassion because, well, it's not easy being green. This week, I noticed that even as an adult, having fun can still teach us things.

It's All Gravy

Mention "biscuits and gravy" to anyone who grew up in the South, and the popular breakfast staple will more than likely evoke fond childhood memories.

[Stiggers] One Giant Leap For Ghettokind

Dr. Silas P. Rathbone III: "It's a defining moment in Ghetto Science history. Two of our finest will embark on a journey where very few in the ghetto have gone before.

Gone and Back Again?

Resolution 655 may pave the way for a tobacco tax designed to pay for Medicaid shortfalls.

BREAKING: Supreme Court Rules Against Berry

Update: Today, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the appeal of doomed prisoner Earl Berry. His attorney, Jim Craig, released the following statement:

UPDATED: Judge Finalizes Jury For Melton Trial

After five grueling days of questioning potential jurors, Judge Dan Jordan seated 12 jurors and 3 alternates for the federal civil-rights trial of Jackson Mayor Frank Melton and his former bodyguard Michael Recio Friday afternoon.

The Medicaid Compromise?

Administrators from two hospitals that have a no-refusal policy regarding patient admittance warned House members today that a hospital bed tax proposed by Gov. Haley Barbour will force cuts in hospital staffing and reduce services for their low-income patients.

Jackson Gets a Taste of the Caribbean

The hungry downtown crowd has spicy new option for lunch, thanks to husband and wife duo Richard and Chandra Higgins. The two opened up Taste of the Island Caribbean Take-Out June 22, and the restaurant has already developed a thriving customer base. Chandra, a native Jacksonian, spoke to the Jackson Free Press in between lunch rushes about opening a business downtown.

JPS Scores Big On Test Scores

Jackson Public Schools Superintendent Earl Watkins had big news to deliver to the crowd at Walton Elementary on Aug. 30: Public schools in Jackson are making big gains in state accountability, according to federal monitoring programs.

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