Jackson Free Press

Melody from (Mechanical) Defeat

¡Los Buddies! can find inspiration in the midst of gear malfunction. The Jackson-based band has battled a steady stream of failing amplifiers and broken guitars since forming in 2005.

Nanny Hunt a ‘Slap' for African Americans

The New York Times has an interesting piece about the difficulties well-to-do African Americans can have getting quality child care in the U.S.:

Recess + Playing Tag = Lawsuit?

Playing tag, chase, and other unsupervised contact sports has been banned at a Massachusetts elementary school. I guess the next move will be to pad the world with foam rubber.

The Psychology of Looting

Very good article. The reasons for looting are looked at from just about every angle.

Horse Trailer: Heavenly Phenomenon - Live @ Sneaky Beans

Musicians are a bit like objects in space. Give them a particular orbit with which to hang around, and eventually they bounce off of each other. Sometimes, these cosmic particles …

Silly Little Editorial About Melton in Ledger Today

It's really amusing to watch The Clarion-Ledger squirm over their annointed choice for mayor. Today, they start their hand-wringing editorial about Frank Melton with this:

Hey Palin: The ‘Death Panels' Are Already Here, Darlin'

Over on Salon, Mike Madden responds to ex-Gov. Sarah Palin's latest idiocy, stating what should be obvious to all of us: The "death panels" are already here:

Back from San Francisco

Todd and I are just back from several very busy days at two alternative newspaper conferences in San Francisco—one a Web conference and the other AAN West, which is the …

People of Color in the Bible

Each Sunday in February, Senior Pastor Adrian D. Ware of The Church Triumphant will be teaching on people of color in the Bible. This is something I am looking forward …

Just In: Stacking the Deck: 72 Legislative Candidates Sign "Lawsuit" Pledge

The October 2003 newsletter of Mississippians for Economic Progress, a group set up by industry groups, to limit lawsuits in the state, says that 72 legislative candidates in the state …

One Woman's Courage

The road leading into Meerwala is a packed-earth track between green farmer's fields. In this remotest corner of Pakistan, the village has no school and no police.

Learning to Let Go

Ginger Williams almost gave up when she got an "F" in figure drawing at the University of Southern Mississippi. "I wanted to quit and do psychology," she said with a …

C. Liegh McInnis: Jackson's Renaissance Man

As a child growing up in the Delta, Clarksdale native C. Liegh McInnis began reading to counter the small-town blues. Since leaving to attend Jackson State University—where he is now …

Lift Up Your Voices and Chant

One of my most favorite things about going to church is singing. Whether it's belting out a hymn or the softer sounds of the liturgy, raising my voice in praise …

How to Know If You Are Alive

Youth Media Project

One simply can't exist and expect to be alive. Just as one may feel passion and expect there to be love also, that is not always the case. Sand put …

Visiting with Old Friends

As a child, Carla Wall loved attending ballets with her grandmother in New York City. Her passion for dance grew deeper in 1979 when top-notch dance performances came to her, …

Ready for Ambassadorship

After an early-morning Saturday warm-up in the studios at the Mississippi Art Commission building, a group of young Ballet Mississippi dancers breaks off into small factions, transforming into chattery teenage …

Art For The Body

If you loop around downtown trying to get a gander at the King Edward, you need to stop your car and visit Ink Spot, which opened six months ago, a …

For the Love of Art

Toddlers dance around the dining room table as Samuel McCain absorbs the musical notes from his iPod. The tunes might inspire his next piece of artwork. Sitting against the patio …

Steven Wells Hicks: Writing For Sock Monkeys

Steven Wells Hicks was a creative advertising director for 35 years before becoming a novelist. Born in Omaha, Neb., Hicks has lived in Jackson since July, 1974 and calls himself …