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DIY: Sword Fighting

The choreography of a ninja and the slice of a Samurai is what you learn during a duel with Gabriel Gordon, 31. Gordon has sword fought since he was 7, when he trained under his uncle who taught Kendo, Japanese fencing.

Delores' Bus

Delores Williams drives a Greyhound bus full time. I'd be willing to ride anywhere with her after being on board Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr.'s 18th "Mayor's Pride Ride" last Saturday. The mayor welcomed us on board, calling us VICs—very important citizens—and then introduced Delores. Throughout the ride, she proved over and over why she gets this special assignment, maneuvering that big dog deftly down narrow, crowded streets, turning at tight corners without touching nearby power poles or parked cars, and zigzagging through the crowded parking lot of Jackson State's Athletics and Assembly Center so that those on board finishing their sweet tea from the Chimneyville BBQ Smoke House didn't spill a drop.

Blood, Sweat and Fear

In 1904, Upton Sinclair's novel about the plight of immigrant workers in Chicago meat-packing houses sparked legislation like The Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act. "In many respects, we're back to the days of Upton Sinclair," said Lance Compa, labor law professor at Cornell University and editor and author of the Human Rights Watch report "Blood Sweat and Fear: Workers' Rights in U.S. Meat and Poultry Plants."

Union Pledge On Shaky Ground

After a shaky start, AFL-CIO leaders say a meeting last week with Jackson Mayor Frank Melton went well, with the mayor re-stating his commitment to working with the union in renovating or re-building aging Jackson housing.

Peace, Love and Appeasement

After nearly two weeks of tug-of-war between the Mississippi House of Representatives and Gov. Haley Barbour, it seems that both sides have stopped pulling and come to agreement on a $455.9 million bond bill that includes both economic-development bonds that the governor wanted and education and infrastructure funding that the House demanded. The theme of Monday's sessions was peace, love and appeasement as our state's lawmakers got ready to head home for Thanksgiving. After Barbour agreed to expand the call to include the additional bonds, the bill passed 107-2 in the House and 48-2 in the Senate.

Score One for the City

The city of Jackson moved a step closer to a convention center last Saturday, when the Legislature passed a bill that allows for a voter referendum on the issue. The bill will enable the city to raise $65 million by putting additional taxes on restaurants and hotels in the Jackson city limits. Now 60 percent of voters in the city of Jackson will have to vote yea for it to pass and become a reality, assuming Gov. Haley Barbour signs it; he has indicated support for a Jackson convention center.

Crime Plan Faces Reality Check

Last week Mayor Frank Melton announced a number of methods to combat crime in the city. "I'm making a change in leadership at the municipal court, and Gayle Lowery, a current city judge, will take over the municipal court effective immediately," Melton announced at a July 25 press conference in what his office is now calling the "oval office" (the square "ceremonial" mayor's office in City Hall).

Weed and Seed: Successes and frustration with community policing

The duties of a policeman share a similarity to that of firefighting in that the majority of effort exerted by law enforcement usually happens after the brunt of the damage is already done. Like firefighters, policemen generally respond to a frantic call for help, rush to the scene, beat down the door, hose everything down indiscriminately, and leave a mess. This public perception may be oversimplified, but the generalization of a cavalry showing up belatedly at a field littered with the arrow-perforated bodies of settlers seems to stick.

[City Buzz] Screw ideology; Mississippians want health care

MOVE OVER, VERMONT: The John C. Stennis Institute of Government announced the surprising results of a statewide poll on Dec. 8, showing that a wide majority of Mississippians want the state to pay more of their health-care coverage, and are willing to raise some taxes to pay for it: 78 percent favored guaranteed health coverage for every Mississippian, and 74 percent said they would pay higher taxes to make it happen. Of the 78 percent, 87 percent were Democrats, and 70 percent were Republicans. A full 89 percent want every child covered; 70 percent want smoke-free public places; 66 percent want smoke-free restaurants; 56 percent want the government to spend more to fight AIDS and STDs. The full results of the study are at healthyfutures.cc. …

PDFs Campaign Finance Reports for Melton, Johnson

See a list of campaign contributions and disbursements here.

Melton Vows Lawsuit Over Public Ed

Read report here.

Protect The Vote

Just as President Bush has nominated a potential U.S. Supreme Court justice who may further roll back federal voting-rights protections, the Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP is announcing a rally in Atlanta on Aug. 6 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act and to call Congress to extend the Act beyond 2007.

From 2004: Chokwe Lumumba v. Mississippi Bar

Activist attorney Chokwe Lumumba, the founder of the New Afrikan People's Organization, is headed back to court this week to fight for his professional life. Again. The Mississippi Bar is arguing for the disbarment of the attorney, who is known for representing black men accused of violent crimes from 17-year-old South African Azikiwe Kambule to rapper Tupac Shakur to ex-police officer Eddie Myers who was found innocent of murder in October 2002.

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.

Tea With Lydy

I've thought often of Lydy Caldwell since she was so horribly murdered in October. But I thought of her often when she was alive, too.

Trapped In Left Field

The first week of September was a turning point for the Left Field Sports Grill, says President Dan Keith. Katrina blasted through the streets of Jackson, and the grill suffered the same power outage as everybody else. When the lights came on again days later, however, the pub's troubles had only begun.

[City Buzz] Rules Are Made to Be Busted

DON'T LIKE THE RULES? CHANGE 'EM: Democrats in the Mississippi House succeeded in passing a rules change on Wednesday, March 3, 2004, that they will likely use to block some controversial legislation. The rules change now requires a 2/3 "supermajority" vote to get bills out of committee instead of a simple majority; it's expected that such a supermajority will not be possible when it comes to legislation such as Voter ID and tort reform, which have tended toward party-line votes. If the bills can't be voted out of committee, they can die there without reaching the House floor. …

I Lied, But I Didn't Swear

(Update: Download Circuit Judge Robert Bailey's decision in PDF.)

Dear Tougaloo

Five years ago, Dr. Roy L. Irons and an acquaintance attended a fund-raising gala in Memphis to benefit LeMoyne-Owens College, and got an idea. One year ago, the Tougaloo alumnist started garnering support from other Tougalooians, friends, and a cavalcade of metro businesses to hold the same benefit event for his alma mater. In conjunction with TRUST Marketing, Inc., the same company involved with the LeMoyne-Owens College event, Irons soon put his dream of helping his college into action. The first Two Rivers Gala will be held at the Jackson Medical Mall Thad Cochran Center on April 5 at 7 p.m.

Genocide in Our Midst

When "Schindler's List" with its black-and-white format and horrifying portrayal of the terrors of the Holocaust hit the theaters in 1993, the movie brought the misery and human degradation of the Jewish extermination to the eyes of millions. Before award-winning director Steven Spielberg released his shocking historical account, he culled through the testimonies of numerous Holocaust survivors—victims, rescuers and passionate observers, trying to get an accurate scope of his subject matter, tales of countless families separated and slaughtered. First the old and infirm, then the children, followed by the adults, depending upon their state of physical fitness—all gassed with chemicals that turned their lungs to jelly; all murders rationalized in the name of eugenics and in keeping the human bloodline strong.

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