The Clarion-Ledger is making a lot of hay out of recent statistics indicating that only 50.6% of JPS students graduate, rather than the previously estimated 67%. The trouble is that the new figures do not factor in students who are covered by the GED Program; if they did, the actual graduation rate would probably be higher than 67%, not lower.
But this skirts more fundamental issues regarding education in Mississippi, issues that need to be resolved. Here are four proposals that I believe ... read on »
Jenny Lewis, former lead singer of Rilo Kiley, has been one of the best-kept secrets in folk rock for years. Now armed with the retro backing vocals of the Watson Twins, she has taken some of the grit out of her tone and, while it wouldn't quite be right to say she has gone mainstream, she has brought in anesthetic to go with her scalpel. "Rise Up with Fists" seems to be the track that's getting the most airplay right now:
If you're looking for something a little breezier, you can't ... read on »
I was just talking to Ayana Taylor, JFP-reporter-turned-teacher, and she told me that she had run into a NYT lesson plan for teachers—using our very own Casey Parks and her trip to Africa with Nick Kristof! This is very cool, and you can link directly to it from the JFP Web site. She said her students loved doing it because Casey was from here. ;-D
The lefty blogosphere is "atwitter" (with apologies to the Mississippi Press Association) over the notion that the 2006 mid-term elections were not only a repudiation of various Bush Administration policies and GOP scandals, but also represent an emerging regionalization of the Dems and, by extension, the GOP. Dems mopped up in the Northeast, perhaps putting to rest, for a long time, the notion of the liberal Republican in states like Rhode Island, New York and parts of New Jersey. The Dems ... read on »
by Todd Stauffer on 11/16/06 at 03:08 PM Comments (41)
There is no way that Wyatt Emmerich wrote the following without his tongue firmly implanted in his right cheek:
When Jackson Mayor Frank Melton took a sledgehammer to an alleged crack house, in one swoop he ended forever the possibility that anyone would ever accuse him of being soft on crime. In a city where crime is far and away the number one issue, that could be considered a stroke of political genius. Now the mayor can take off his police duds, don a suit and cut ribbons the rest of ... read on »
by DonnaLadd on 11/16/06 at 01:25 PM Comments (12)
Young women, beware of the emerging evidence that eating red meat can increase your risk of breast cancer. Per a New York Times editorial today:
The bad news about red meat emerged from a very large and authoritative study of premenopausal nurses by researchers at Harvard medical institutions, published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The researchers followed more than 90,000 women ages 26 to 46 for a dozen years to determine if there was a relationship between the amount of ... read on »
I'm not planning on going, but if you're aged 18-35, politically engaged, and not a Republican, this is a rare opportunity to meet national Democrats without leaving town. The folks in charge of our local YDA chapter seem to be really good people, and I wish them nothing but the best.
I'm trying to overlook the fact that they actually have a training session called "Southern Strategy" because I assume the folks who titled it don't know the history of that phrase. That's the main problem ... read on »
The Jackson Free Press wags are predictably atwitter over the development.
Have I thought to mention to y'all that the MPA wags won't let the JFP be a full member of the MPA, thus qualifying to compete with papers around Mississippi for awards, because—drum roll!—we are free distribution!?! Todd and ... read on »
by DonnaLadd on 11/12/06 at 03:50 PM Comments (10)
_(WPB)_(108_of_216)_medium.jpg "Chick Ball 2009 (7.25.09) (WPB) (108 Of 216)")
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