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The Cost of Cars and Oil

Our dependence on oil and cars comes with a hefty price tag. MSN Money reports that Americans spend an average of $8,600 per year for a vehicle for car payments, repairs, insurance and gas. One way to curb costs is to purchase a car with a friend or significant other and share. If you're not in a position to do that, here are some ways to cut down on costs.

Amish Paradise

On a dreary morning 10 miles south of Pontotoc, my silver 2002 Acura, a gas-guzzling machine filled with empty McDonald's bags and assorted clutter, is sharing the road with a one-horse-driven wagon. The driver kindly waves and nods his full-bearded head.

FEMA Chief Relieved of Katrina Duties

Good news: Brownie's off the case. MSNBC is reporting:

‘This Country Is Better Than That'

Great New York Times editorial today:

The Altar of Football

Across the country, college football fans just got started planning their lives around their team's schedule. New York Times reporter Warren St. John, born in Birmingham in 1970 into a University of Alabama football-fan-family, shows in his new book, "Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Journey into the Heart of Fan Mania" (Crown, 2004, $24), that he thoroughly understands that statement. For St. John, there's nothing out-of-the-ordinary about believing that Bear Bryant's a deity, nor is it strange to feel high as a kite when your team wins or so low as to be underneath the abused sod of the field if they don't.

The Art Of Killing

A Review Of "Shadow Of The Colossus"

What is art? A painting by da Vinci? Michelangelo's David? A guitar solo by Hendrix, maybe. But while Mona Lisa can be seen, David can be felt, and a riff by Jimi can be heard, none of these art forms can be controlled. They are what they were when created. But now video games, no longer confined to being kill simulators and virtual ping-pong, can become controllable art. "Shadow of the Colossus" proves this point.

The River Runs Through It

Most everyone is familiar with the names of the big wine regions in California: Napa, Sonoma, Central Coast, etc., but what about the smaller AVAs (Approved Viticultural Areas)? Within Sonoma lies a little AVA called Russian River Valley, which is known for producing some of the finest Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs in California.

Zombie Marlon Brando!

All right, I lied. While Don Vito doesn't actually make his undead debut in this game adaptation of the classic movie, the depth and fun presented by "The Godfather" is a sure winner. In this version, the series, the player creates and controls a young Italian boy, gives him a name and then lets him loose in the world of 1950s New York. In the beginning of the game, the boy's father is brutally murdered by Don Barzini and his thugs. Confronted by Don Corleone, he is told to "save his anger," and then runs off in confusion. Years later, his mother shows up at the wedding party seen in the beginning of the first movie claiming she needs help.

The Grit In The Oyster

February's cold—it's dreary. The holidays are over, and life just gets mundane. Lesley Silver says this when explaining why the annual Attic Gallery theme show in Vicksburg is appropriately timed.

Kids Acting Up Again

Jackson's young talent is taking center stage again—all around the metro area. The adults are offering up some performances, as well. Still, the old stage adage advises: "Never try to compete onstage with kids or a dog." So we'll start with the kids.

Make It A Medley

Peas and carrots. Broccoli and cauliflower. Tri-colored bell peppers. Sure, I like a good veg medley from time to time, but what I really crave most days is a great wine "medley."

The Uncomplicated Garden

Gardening is not only for those of us endowed with large yards. One of Jackson's most unusual gardens is located in the back of a pickup truck owned by garden expert Felder Rushing. Vegetables, herbs and flowers follow him wherever he drives, proving Rushing's claim that gardens need not be large or complicated.

[Geek] Don't Ask "Y": A Vision Of The Unmanned World

I have to profess an undying affection for "what if" stories—what if the British had won the Revolutionary War, what if Napoleon had not lost at Waterloo—and the comic book genre is full of these stories. What if Spider-Man had joined the Fantastic Four? What if Superman's rocket had landed on Earth in Russia?

Shining Stars

On Saturday, April 2, the stars will shine for those looking for a glamorous, star-studded way to spend the evening when Tougaloo College hosts the third annual Two Rivers Gala fund raiser featuring Jeffrey Osborne, Najee and Shirley Brown, among other entertainers. Proceeds from the annual event benefit the private, historically black liberal-arts institution.

House of Strain

A Review of "The Grudge"

This Halloween season's requisite "spooky house" flick, "The Grudge," tries in vain to combine American and Japanese horror genre sensibilities, with clunky, derivative, disappointing results. Director Takashi Shimizu has adapted his own 2003 film "Ju-on: The Grudge" for American audiences (who certainly couldn't just rent a subtitled version of the original), but something seems to have gotten lost in translation.

Race Relations…What a Headache

Youth Media Project

Tolerance is a limited, quick answer, but doesn't address the entire situation. At the end of the day, our process of trying to reach new levels of conversation are the true product that we need. This is something else I learned: sometimes process is progress. We work to communicate, not fully understanding what will lie at our conquest's end. As an artist though, I feel as if I must help capture and transform each moment of this progression so that the truths of each moment are not lost.

House Of Duchovny

Here's a surprise: Dour, dry David Duchovny's directorial debut, "House of D," is more weepy than creepy, a conventional coming-of-age story that flashes back to 1970s New York City.

Who's Afraid of Peter's Wolf?

If you are looking for a way to introduce your children to fine music, go to Belhaven College on May 1. The Mississippi Symphony Orchestra and Puppetry Arts Theatre will present "Peter and the Wolf." Peter Zaplatel, artistic director at Puppet Arts Theatre, describes the show as "an intro to classical music for children."

Her Perspective

To be 19 years old from a small town outside of Petal, newly married and living in "the big city" provides opportunities to see things other people take for granted. Jackson isn't far from photographer Natalie Bancroft's home outside Hattiesburg, where she was born in her grandmother's house, but it is an urban metropolis compared to her rural stomping grounds.

Deadly Love

Jackson State University senior Jimmy Lee is about to get his fifteen minutes of fame. Lee wrote, and is producing, directing and hosting a performance of his play, "Dangerously in Love," on Thursday, Nov. 11 at JSU's University Park Auditorium as a fund raiser for JSU's American Marketing Association.

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