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Memories of Medgar
A week and a half before he met his fate outside his family's Jackson home, Medgar Evers, the Mississippi field secretary for the National Association of Colored People, said if …
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Stinker Quote of the Week: 'Blacker'
Wyatt Emmerich, whose (white) grandfather stood up for civil rights when he held an editor's pen, has proclaimed himself up as the arbiter of "all things black."
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Business
Moody About Jackson’s Bond Rating
Credit rating service Moody's last month downgraded the rating on the city of Jackson's water and sewer system revenue bonds from Aa3 to A1 and set an outlook for the …
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Justice
Lawsuit Puts Prison Mental Health in Focus
Victor Voe warned them: "Don't let them kill me. I be hearing them say they going to kill me. I am hearing voices that others don't hear."
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City & County
Jackson Upgrades Bus Stops, Hires Election Consultant
The Jackson City Council had a busy night May 28. In the absence of Ward 1 Councilman Quentin Whitwell, the council voted unanimously to hire an election consultant, to provide …
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City & County
Chokwe Lumumba Celebrates Victory
The atmosphere in the Clarion Hotel's ballroom was electric moments before Chokwe Lumumba arrived on the scene to celebrate his election victory Tuesday. Lumumba was officially Jackson's next mayor.
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Editor's Note
Anticipating the Best
Without the facts, people cannot make good decisions for themselves. They cannot come together in social or activist forums; they can't celebrate what's great about their community while tackling what's …
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Music
The Crest of the New Wave
Daniel Guaqueta, the 36-year-old drummer, introduced me to his other two mates, guitarist Brent Varner, 23, and bassist Tyler Baker, 24. This trifecta of talent became Buddy & the Squids …
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Mississippians Taking Supplies to Okla.
A group of volunteers from a Mississippi town that was hit hard by a tornado in 2011 will travel this week to help victims of a deadly twister that hit …
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Deadly Okla. Tornado Widest on Record, Rare EF5
The deadly tornado that plowed through an area near Oklahoma City last week was even larger and more powerful than previously estimated — a record 2.6 miles wide with winds …
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Soldier Due to Plead Guilty in Afghan Massacre
The American soldier charged with killing 16 Afghan civilians during nighttime raids on two slumbering villages last year is expected to recount the horrific slaughter in a military courtroom Wednesday …
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Manning Trial Takes on Cloak and Dagger Feel
Pfc. Bradley Manning's court-martial over the leak of hundreds of thousands of classified documents has been all about secrecy and security, and his trial has taken on a cloak and …
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A Little Thing Called 'Science' Disputes Phil Bryant's Working Mother Claim
By Donna LaddI guess it's no surprise that Gov. Phil Bryant told The Washington Post that education went to pot when women started entering the workplace: We're guessing he's a fan of FOX News, and they've been hawking that meme, Melanie Tannenbaum blogs at Scientific American. Even thought it's news to us who never look at FOX News, apparently they've been arguing this issue there of late, with a bunch of men blaming working mothers for behavioral and educational problems, even though serious research shows otherwise. Imagine.
Tannenbaum writes:
[W]hen looking at samples where the families were on welfare, children whose mothers worked while they were very young (1-3 years old) actually performed significantly better on measures of overall achievement and had significantly higher IQs , although there were no differences when it came to performance on formal achievement tests. On the contrary, when looking at samples where the families were not on welfare, there were no differences in overall achievement or IQ between the children whose mothers worked and did not work during their early childhood years, although higher SES children whose mothers worked while they were young actually did slightly worse on formal achievement tests.
What if we look at whether or not the child is coming from a single-parent household? Same story. Children who lived with single mothers performed better on measures of overall achievement and IQ if these single moms worked while the kids were very young. Children who lived in two-parent households, on the other hand, showed no differences in overall achievement or IQ, but did worse on formal achievement tests if their mothers had worked.
And what about behavioral problems, like externalizing behaviors (aggression or impulsivity) or internalizing behaviors (depression or anxiety)? After all, if lower-income children whose parents work outside the home have higher IQs but also have higher rates of depression and anxiety, that’s still a problem, right?
Sure, it would be a problem — if that were the case. But it’s not. Once again, the pattern is the same. Children who lived with single mothers who had worked outside of the home while the kids were very young actually exhibited significantly lower rates of overall behavior problems, significantly lower rates of aggression and impulsivity, and marginally lower rates of depression and anxiety. Children from two-parent households showed no such difference in overall behavior problems, aggression, or impulsivity, though they also showed lower rates of depression and anxiety. So, across the board, when mothers worked outside of the home where their babies were very young, it didn’t matter if they were single mothers or members of a two-parent household. Looking across a wide variety of racial and socioeconomic groups, studies either found no relation between employment and behavioral problems, or they found that children whose mothers worked while they were young actually had fewer behavioral problems and better academic outcomes than their counterparts whose mothers stayed at home.
The data keep telling the same story, no matter how you …
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Senators Blast Military Response to Sex Assaults
U.S. senators dressed down senior military leaders Tuesday, led by female lawmakers, combat veterans and former prosecutors who insisted that sexual assault in the ranks has cost the services the …
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Politics
Guest Commentary: Gov. Phil Bryant Is a Caveman
An Oxford mother responds to Gov. Phil Bryant's comments about working mothers.
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City & County
Cornelius Griggs: Man Without a Party
Many Jackson voters are suffering election-cycle fatigue, but few are more exhausted by the political process than independent mayoral candidate Cornelius Griggs.
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Person of the Day
Beth S. Gersh-Nesic
Beth S. Gersh-Nesic says that what defines Impressionism is its emphasis on light. Through light, artists express quick changes in atmosphere, activity and texture.
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Most Miss. Cities Hold Mayoral Elections Tuesday
Most Mississippi cities will elect mayors Tuesday, choosing people to propose budgets, appoint department heads and make sure that potholes are filled, garbage is collected and clean water is flowing.
