Jackson Free Press

Mobilizing the Hip-Hop Generation

To anyone who watches MTV all day—where P. Diddy, Ja Rule and Nelly dominate the screen flashing fancy cars, gold chains and an entourage of scantily clad women—political empowerment and …

[Talk] Testing for Tots

Although President Bush has been pushing his "No Child Left Behind" act as a way to help improve the standards of education in public schools, it seems the truth is …

[Talk] Social Republicans

Aug. 21, 2003—Barbara Blackmon's race might hurt her chance at the lieutenant governor's post this November, but it might help put fellow Democrat Ronnie Musgrove back into the governor's mansion. …

Monica Minter

Seated comfortably with perfect posture, Monica Jeany Minter calmly focuses on the photographer, her eyes never leaving his face until she thoroughly understands his instructions. Nothing about the busy Friday …

Get Your Grid On

<i>Dr. S' Amazing College Football Preview</i>

That chill in the night air (it got down to 75 the other night, brrr) signals that it's almost time for football. And here in Mississippi, the favorite brand of …

Wouldn't It Be Simpler To Just Win?

Here'a another reason to hate youth sports: A team playing in the Junior League Softball World Series had to forfeit a game for intentionally playing poorly. You see, it's not …

Little League World Series: Don't Believe The Hype

ABC and ESPN are showing every game of the Little League World Series again this year (the championship game is Sunday on ABC). Personally, Dr. S. regards Little League ball …

Kobe Not Feeling Charitable

Dr. S believes that Kobe Bryant wakes up every day saying to himself, "Surely things can't get any worse." Wrong, Kobe.

Amy Tuck Revives State Flag Issue

Whoa. How should we read this interesting turn of events? Does Ms. Tuck believe it will be politically expedient to have a rebel flag debate as part of her race …

Green Party of MS Says Stop Buying Public Offices

(Aug. 16, 2003, press release) The Green Party of Mississippi announces its support for a new project called "White House for Sale" which tracks the special-interest contributions to President Bush's …

Gary Anderson confident about run-off

Gary Anderson, who could become the first African-American elected to state office since Reconstruction, told the Mississippi Link that he is confident about the Aug. 26 run-off with Rob Smith, …

School Daze: Testing Madness

As I proctored a classroom full of seventh-graders taking the Grade Level Testing Program (GLTP) test last April in a suburban Jackson public school, I couldn't help but think that …

Electronic Voting Easily Hacked?

The Washington Post reports that many states are backing away from electronic voting machines: "Since being released two weeks ago, the [Johns] Hopkins report has sent shock waves across the …

Open Primaries in Mississippi?

Is the closed-primary system outdated? The Sun-Herald explores.

"African Americans for Dean" Site Launches

It's intriguing to watch the efforts of the Dean campaign to reach out to the black community. Earlier today, the campaign announced that he has appointed a new deputy campaign …

Sun-Herald: A Question of Priorities

The Sun-Herald today editorialized about Tuesday's election: "Last year, 43,466 Harrison Countians decided it was worth a trip to the polls to vote on a flag. This week, 22,280 Harrison …

Chasing the Youth Vote

Here's a story from Wiretap magazine about the strategies (and lack of) behind luring the youth vote. This talks about the Harvard report that our teen columnist Jessica Kinnison wrote …

Reed Branson: Race No Longer a Factor?

Commercial-Appeal writer Reed Branson examines the Mississippi primaries in the light of their race implications: "Mississippians are once again about to dance with, or around, the awkward issue of race. …

So Little Time, So Much Blather

The Seven Minutes That Shook The World went down Wednesday as Kobe Bryant made his first appearance in court on a sexual assault charge in Eagle, Colo. As expected, the …

Kamikaze: Left Behind, by Alphonso Mayfield

The term "kamikaze" is a well-known phrase used to identify Japanese pilots who flew suicide missions during World War II. However, the term has a much deeper significance with the …