Jackson Free Press

Farrah Gray

Farrah Gray's book "Reallionaire" (HCI, 2005, $12.95) starts off with a powerful couple of sentences: "I'm a nineteen-year-old African American male who grew up in a single-parent household. And if …

Honoring Our Soldiers: Are Mississippi Lawmakers Doing Enough?

Mississippi is paying dearly with our soldiers' lives in the Iraqi War. Since the war began in March 2003, at least 37 servicemen from Mississippi have lost their lives. In …

July 28 – August 3, 2005

<b>Overcoming Perceptions</b>

The Hinds County Board of Supervisors recently made a noteworthy investment in The Legacy of Timbuktu Exhibition Project. This international one-of-a-kind exhibition is expected to attract over 200,000 visitors to …

Jobs Report Boosts Obama's Re-election Campaign

The figures announced by the Labor Department — 114,000 new jobs last month to bring unemployment to 7.8 percent — gave Obama fresh evidence to support his argument that his …

Oxford's Change—and the McCain Slaves

NPR has one of the requisite stories about how far Oxford has come since 1962. (Doh.) This one has some good stuff from Boston Globe reporter Curtis Wilkie, who was …

[Spann] That's All I Want for Christmas, Santa

That time is finally here. For months, I've patiently waited for this special moment. As I head to the mall for a little afternoon shopping, I can finally pop in …

Isaac Hayes: 1942-2008

After blogging about Bernie Mac's death yesterday, I wish I was kidding. From CNN:

Family Ties

The Dillons are a musical family in the purest sense. As daughter Anna Lee puts it, her father Sherman Lee Dillon, 57, has raised seven kids on music, not only …

Group Appointments With Doctors: When Three Isn't A Crowd

In recent years, a growing number of doctors have begun holding group appointments--seeing up to a dozen patients with similar medical concerns all at once.

Gay Marriage at High Court: How a Case Can Fizzle

Late in the oral argument over same-sex marriage in California, Justice Anthony Kennedy made a startling comment, given the months of buildup and mountain of legal briefs that have descended …

U.S. Pays Tribute to King as Obama Begins New Term

The youngest daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. hailed the inauguration of the nation's first black president to a new term as one of the achievements made possible …

Crews Aim to Start Removing Oil from Damaged Barge

The Coast Guard says crews hope to start work Wednesday to remove thousands of gallons of oil from a damaged barge on the Mississippi River, but it's not clear how …

Dailies Aren't Telling Citizens What They Need to Know

Ain't it the truth? We're surrounded by evidence of this problem, as discussed by Governing magazine. This is a good story, and very thought-provoking. It starts out:

Tea Time

It may be surprising to learn that one of the more widely consumed beverages on the planet—second only to water—came about by accident. According to legend, as Chinese Emperor Shen …

The Women of Ivy Gap

It all begins with the parting of dark purple velvet curtains, revealing the yellow-green walls of the fellowship hall of the First Baptist Church of Ivy Gap. Littered about the …

Passion, Obsession and Art

In "Swan Thieves" (Little, Brown and Company, 2010, $26.99), author Elizabeth Kostova combines art, obsession, passion and the great lengths people will go to defend their loves.

School Movies

OK, some are better than others, but all the following movies set in one way or another in a school are worth renting, if for no other reason than to …

[Drink] Smoothie Operator

When my niece Sasha comes over, she heads for the raspberry patch. When her pile is big enough, we make the world's best smoothie.

Hoop Skirt Dreams

Damn. I'm having that dream again—you know the one with the Goo Goo cluster packages and kudzu floating around a lady in a hoop skirt. I think those are catfish …

New Artistic Ground

Some people think that you have to live in a place like New York City to break new artistic ground. The upcoming Fondren Theatre Workshop (FTW) presentation features four dramatic …