v8n38 - JFP Issue: Oil Spill

Vol. 8 | No. 38 // June 3 - 9, 2010

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Everything You Ever Wanted BODY/SOUL

Good for the Heart

Mott, p 22

Singing The Blues

Modak-Truran, p 27

to Know About the Jackson’s Semi-Pro Football

Hosey, p 40

Oil Spill But Were Afraid to Ask PAGES 14 - 20

Good for the Heart, Mott, p 22 Singing The Blues, Modak-Truran, p 27 Jackson’s Semi-Pro Football, Hosey, p 40

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June 3 - 9, 2010

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jacksonian

VOL.

8 NO. 38

contents

RiverWalk in Five?

COURTESY DAVID WATKINS; KENYA HUDSON; SEAN GARDNER/GREENPEACE; COURTESY HARPERCOLLINS

LACEY MCLAUGHLIN

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Jackson developer David Watkins says he can get RiverWalk up and in development in five years.

Cover photograph by U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Patrick Kelley Page 3 Redesigned by Ayatti D. Hatcher

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THIS ISSUE: Judicial Finances The JFP Public Eye looks at campaign war chests for upcoming judicial elections.

4.................Editor’s Note 6.................................Talk 12......................... Editorial 12...........................Stiggers 12............................... Zuga 22......................Body/Soul 26............................ 8 Days 27................................. Arts 28............................. Books 29..................... JFP Events 32............................. Music 34.............. Music Listings 36............................... Food 40................................ Slate 41............................... Astro 41............................Puzzles

lottie w. thornton Poised and graceful, Lottie W. Thornton settles into a white oak rocking chair her father made. The walls of her home are lined with awards from Jackson State University’s Alumni Association, and from service and teachers organizations. She points to two plaques on her dining room table.

“I haven’t been able to find a place for those,” she says modestly.

Thornton, 87, is an advocate for early childhood education and has spent the majority of her life teaching and empowering others. “I’m a firm believer in early childhood education because a child’s most formative years are the first five years,” she says.

“All of the cognitive and emotional growth needs to be nurtured during that time.”

A native of Grenada, Thornton graduated from then-Jackson State College in 1944, where she received her bachelor’s degree in education. She received a scholarship to Ohio State University where she received a master’s degree in education in 1946, and she has studied early childhood education programs throughout the country.

Thornton’s mother, who was also a teacher, died when her daughter was 10.

Thornton says she always knew she wanted to help others through education. “During that time we didn’t have a lot of choices, you had to either be a teacher or a nurse. Very few black people were doing anything else because there was nothing else,” she says.

“We weren’t going to law school and

medical school—that came later.”

During her 40-year career, Thornton taught at the Jackson State College Laboratory School, a private school for black elementary and middle-school students, from 1944 until 1965. She was instrumental in starting JSU’s Early Childhood Center and served as its director until she retired in 1984. The center is now named in her honor.

Thornton says she doesn’t have many prized possessions, but cherishes a special edition of “For My People” by her former colleague and friend, author and poet Margaret Walker.

She gently takes the large book out of its black cotton box, and displays the pages of handset type and colorful lithographs by artist Elizabeth Catlett, illustrating the struggle and hope of African Americans.

Walker gave Thornton the book as a gift after its publication in 1992.

“Margaret could discuss all kinds of topics, and she really could help you to understand a lot of things that you never would have understood without her input and her guidance,” she says.

Thornton acknowledges that there is still more work to be done to make education accessible for all children, and she doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon.

“Opportunity is not a matter of what parents can offer,” she says. “It’s matter of how best we can meet children’s needs.”

—Lacey McLaughlin

14 All Things Oil With no end in sight for the Gulf oil spill, the JFP looks at recent developments and costs.

28 Did He Do It? “The Eyes of Willie McGee” examines a 65-year-old rape case, and raises more questions.

jacksonfreepress.com

4...................... Slow Poke

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editor’snote

Abrahm Lustgarten ProPublica reporter Abrahm Lustgarten has also written for Fortune, Esquire, The Washington Post and The New York Times.

He the author of “China’s Great Train: Beijing’s Drive West and the Campaign to Remake Tibet.”

He wrote a cover piece.

Marian Wang Marian Wang is ProPublica’s first reporter-blogger. She previously worked for Mother Jones and in Chicago as a freelance investigative reporter and blogger for The Chicago Reporter, Chi-Town Daily News and ChicagoNow. She wrote the oil spill FAQ.

Latasha Willis Events editor Latasha Willis is a native Jacksonian, a graduate of Tougaloo College and the proud mother of one cat. Send Latasha your event listings to events@ jacksonfreepress.com—even if you only have the date—or post yourself at jfpevents.com.

Skyla Dawn Luckey Skyla Dawn Luckey is on active duty in the United States Coast Guard. She is a junior at the American Military University working on her bachelor’s in criminal justice. She wrote a book review for this issue.

Anita Modak-Truran Attorney and writer Anita ModakTruran is a southern convert, having moved here from Chicago over a decade ago with her husband and son. She loves the culture, cuisine and arts in these parts. She wrote a movie review for this issue.

Lisa L. Bynum Lisa L. Bynum is a native of Grenada and a graduate of Delta State. She lives in Brandon with her husband, her cat Zorro, and a boxer puppy named Otis. She maintains a food and cooking blog at www.cookingbride.wordpress.com. She wrote a food piece.

Kimberly Griffin Sales director Kimberly Griffin is a Jackson native who likes yoga, supporting locally owned businesses and traveling. In her spare time she plots how she can become Michelle’s Obama’s water holder.

June 3 - 9, 2010

Korey Harrion

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Web producer Korey Harrion is a saxophonist who runs a small computer-repair business. He enjoys reading, writing and playing music, origami and playing video games. He loves animals, especially dogs. He posts the Web stories for each issue.

by Ronni Mott, Managing Editor

Covering Our Oily Tracks

L

acey McLaughlin stood in my office doorway last Wednesday morning, coffee cup in hand, and leaned against the doorjamb.

“Can I ask you a philosophical question?” she asked. “Do you believe in karma?”

“Well,” I said, “I have no reason not to.”

Turns out, someone had broken into her car the night before, smashing a window. The thief didn’t steal anything; Lacey didn’t have anything valuable to steal in the car. Nonetheless, it was a shock.

Having had similar experiences, I empathized: When I lived in the Washington, D.C. area, burglars hit me three times. Every time, I felt violated. Someone had come into my home, gone through my belongings, freaked out my cats and helped themselves to my stuff.

It’s comforting to think that people who do harm will pay at some point, without us having to lift a finger. We like to think that if we do good things, the universe will repay us by not letting bad things happen to us.

It’s not quite that simple, of course; our good fortunes are no more directly linked to good things we do than life-kicking-us-in-theteeth incidents are directly linked to bad things we do—usually. For every Bernie Ebbers who gets caught, thousands of crooked CEOs will die rich with all their toys intact.

Let’s just say our individual karma is tied up with our collective karma. Many Eastern philosophies suggest that we accumulate as much bad karma from simply allowing bad things to happen as we do when we personally steal, lie, cheat or harm someone or something. Apparently, there’s no particular time limit on karma’s effects, either.

It’s no accident that Lacey got me thinking about karma in the face of the worst manmade ecological disaster in our nation’s history. It’s easy to look at the mess in the Gulf of Mexico and point fingers away from me: BP, Halliburton and Transocean; the Department of Interior and the Minerals Management Service; anti-regulation conservatives; lax oversight; laziness and fat-living all get blamed, and with good reason. I can’t remember when I’ve seen a more egregious combination of irresponsible behavior causing such a monstrous mess. I’m not even sure if I can wrap my mind around how big a mess this is.

Since learning of the Gulf gusher some 40 days ago, I scan the Internet every day for the latest news. Instinctively, I understood immediately that this was going to be bad. How bad is still unknown, although it is undoubtedly among the worst man-made environmental nightmares, and by far the largest oil spill in American history. (The world record, so far, belongs to Saddam Hussein; he purposely dumped 460 million gallons of oil into the Persian Gulf in 1991.)

I waver between wanting to scream and moments of doubt when I think I must be sensationalizing the event. Sometimes I can’t help but moan in pain, tears constricting my throat and stinging my eyes. Often I’m just

plain angry; my quotient of cussing goes up every day and with every new ignorant statement made by some politician or corporate goon looking to cover his oily tracks.

Back in 1973, I drove a little red 1969 Volkswagen Beetle. Gasoline was around 38 cents a gallon. With an eight or nine gallon tank, I could top off with three bucks, about what it costs for a single gallon of regular today.

By June of 1974, gas had gone up 70 percent, to about 55 cents a gallon. The OPEC cartel held America, and much of the world, hostage over its Middle East policies (specifically our support of Israel). The government asked stations not to sell gas on weekends, and we sat in long lines waiting to fill our tanks.

Hit in our wallets, Americans began to abandon their gas-guzzlers for smaller, lighter imports. No one was going to hold us hostage over oil again, no sir, and a flurry of research into fuel efficiency went into high gear.

It wasn’t long, though, before we all went back to sleep about oil, lulled, perhaps, by the hum of our radials on the way to our suburban enclaves. As the embargo receded from memory, sedans morphed into SUVs with names like Expedition and Armada, Blazer and Mountaineer—tough names for dangerous times. We forgot, of course, that we created our own danger with our lust for oil.

We humans forget a lot, especially when remembering means we have to change. And there is the crux of the problem: We’ve spent decades demanding that the rest of the world conform to what America wants. We gobble up a quarter of the world’s energy with a mere 4.5 percent of the its population (both China and India have about four times the number of people). We have allowed amoral corporations to act in our name with impunity. We’ve

stood by while politicians gutted our government in favor of private entities that increased spending and decreased responsibility. We can’t sustain, and we can’t understand why government isn’t doing enough fast enough.

But I rant.

I pray to God that this catastrophe will wake us up again. Awake Americans are a force to be reckoned with; not even corporate titans are safe when the American people move to fix things that are wrong. Armed with a bit of righteous indignation, we have the power to change everything, starting with ourselves.

Purposeful change requires us to stay awake and vigilant, though, especially when we want nothing more than to go back to sleep—back to sitcoms and suburbs, safe behind gated illusions of safety and control.

“When we open our eyes to what is happening, even when it breaks our hearts, we discover our true size; for our heart, when it breaks open, can hold the whole universe,” wrote Buddhist scholar Joanna Macy in Yes! magazine. “We discover how speaking the truth of our anguish for the world brings down the walls between us, drawing us into deep solidarity. That solidarity, with our neighbors and all that lives, is all the more real for the uncertainty we face.”

It is an uncertain world; it’s always been that way. In the end, it’s not the unknown that’s going to get us, though, but our unwillingness to change and our docile acceptance of simple answers that slide easily into our comfort zones without question.

We’ll survive this mess—probably. How we survive, and what karma we’ll create for tomorrow remains an open question. What we have to work with is right now, this moment, and no other. Will you stay awake now?

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news, culture & irreverence

Thursday, May 27 The U.S. House of Representatives votes 234-194 to repeal the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy banning gay and bisexual people from serving openly in the military. ... State House Speaker Billy McCoy and Lt. Governor Phil Bryant independently announce the formation of House and Senate committees, respectively, to monitor the Gulf oil spill, now officially larger than the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska.

Friday, May 28 President Barack Obama makes his second visit to the Louisiana Gulf Coast. ...

The U.S. death toll in Afghanistan reaches 1,000. ... The Jackson City Council approves the re-naming of a portion of the Jackson Metro Parkway after physician and civil rights activist Dr. Robert Smith.

Saturday, May 29 BP announces that its “top kill” maneuver to plug the Gulf Coast oil well fails. ... Minnesota-based Alliant Techsystems, Inc. cancels plans to add 600 jobs to its factory in Tishomingo County, citing the economic downturn.

June 3 - 9, 2010

Monday, May 31 Israeli forces attack a flotilla of Gazabound ships carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists, killing nine people. ... Islamist websites report that U.S. missile strikes in Pakistan killed Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, an alQaeda co-founder, in the last two weeks.

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Tuesday, June 1 The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, rules that suspects must explicitly tell police they wish to remain silent in order to invoke Miranda rights during criminal interrogations.

Just Five Years to RiverWalk? containing a 10foot swell during flood stages—and use the filtered creek to feed his proposed RiverWalk and Town Lake projects.

He says his plan to build waterfront property in Downtown Jackson could be completed within five Jackson developer David Watkins said infrastructure, construction and land acquisition for his RiverWalk project could cost about $300 million, years, if the Levee and take five years to complete.

Board and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can assure him that flooding will ackson developer David Watkins wants no longer be a problem. to move the Town Creek out of its tra“None of this works if we don’t have ditional bed and replace it with a scenic, fl ood control. It would still be subject to the man-made canal stretching from Mill 1979 and 1983 floods,” Watkins said. “It may Street to the creek’s Pearl River confluence. be taken care of with the direction the Corps “This will be an unbelievable developand the levee board is heading.” ment,” said Watkins, the developer behind The Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood the renovation of the King Edward Hotel, the and Drainage Control District Levee Board Standard Life Building and the revitalization approved a resolution last December that of the Farish Street Entertainment District. moved forward with the Corps’ plan to ex“Think of it as a mile-long swimming pand levees along the Pearl River, which offers pool—about eight-tenths of a mile. The channel itself is 14 feet down. Look down at about 80 percent flood-control effectiveness the river, and it’ll be 10 feet below and contain from the kind of damage wrought by the infamous 1979 Easter Flood. The Levee Board four feet of water.”

Watkins plans to re-route the original now wants to pursue the possibility of buildcreek into an underground pipe—capable of ing a shallow lake between the projected le-

J

Jonathan Larkin’s exit interview from the JPS board. p9

by Adam Lynch vees, with relatively minor environmental impact compared to similar lake plans proposed in the past.

Watkins said the new “Lake 255” plan the Levee Board is considering this month would put enough water into Town Creek to facilitate the creation of a new man-made canal with enough water in it to support boating and recreation.

The RiverWalk canal will exit into a 35acre recreational lake, lined with residential housing and entertainment venues containing developments such as a Civil Rights Museum, a National Museum of Gospel Music, recording and broadcast studios, and a picturesque canal park, among other things.

“It’s not that complicated,” Watkins said.

“Most of the property on the RiverWalk side is already owned by either developers, or the city or the Jackson Redevelopment Authority.

Look behind the Convention Center. That’s Convention Center property. We own the spot behind the King Edward.”

The development would displace property at 995 S. West Street, the site of popular strip club Danny’s Downtown. Club manager Mike Garren said he doubted the owners would be willing to sell the property, no matter how much a developer offered.

“If there’s a developer wanting to buy this property, tell him we appreciate his offer, but no thanks,” said Garren, who said the club was RIVERWALK, see page 7

by Ward Schaefer

tl e m ing BUTT

pot

“We need this community to be a great, big melting pot. We can’t have a homogenous pile of rich folks.” —Jackson developer David Watkins, speaking about his proposed RiverWalk plans, which he says will have low-income housing interspersed..

Alt. Cleanup Methods for the Gulf Oil Spill

Well, the top kill didn’t work. In the spirit of constructive criticism, we’ve come up with a few alternatives that probably stand as good a chance of working: • Shouting “Stop!” at the oil plume.

• Asking nicely.

• Applying 200,000 gallons per day of balsamic vinegar and lots of arugula.

• Sacrificing a goat to Poseidon.

• Jim Hood’s mullet (it’s where his power is stored).

• Convert BP’s $6.1 billion in first-quarter 2010 profits to $1 dollar bills.

Dump in Gulf.

• Puppies.

FILE PHOTO

Sunday, May 30 Mexican officials find 20 to 25 bodies, victims of apparent drug gang violence, in an abandoned silver mine in southern Mexico.

SOURCE: MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

COURTESY DAVID WATKINS

Wednesday, May 26 North Korea, after threatening to cut all ties with South Korea, says it is considering closing a final road link with the South that could cease production of a joint industrial park—a major source of income for the North. … The Mississippi Public Service Commission revises its early decision to cap approved costs for a proposed Kemper County Oil plant at $2.4 billion, raising the cap to $2.88 billion.

Mississippi has nearly 1 million people with high blood pressure, and 300,000 of them don’t know it. About 60 percent of Americans over 60 have high blood pressure, and it occurs more often among African Americans.

talk

news, culture & irreverence

RIVERWALK, from page 6

largely restricted to the industrial section near the downtown area because of strict zoning laws, and could find only limited placement in other productive sections of the city. “We have got to be here, but we also just happen to be in a place that’s doing quite well.”

Watkins envisions the northern section of RiverWalk containing a building combining the Civil Rights Museum and a National Museum of Gospel Music, even though Tougaloo College President Beverly Hogan told the Jackson Free Press last year that her college still planned to move forward with the construction of the Civil Rights Museum, despite financing problems.

A Civil Rights Museum commission appointed by Gov. Haley Barbour approved the location of the National Civil Rights Museum in 2008 near Tougaloo College, despite outcry from advocates like former Jackson Councilman Leslie McLemore and former Jackson Mayor Kane Ditto, who both argued that the museum belonged in an urban setting.

“We think that ultimately what Tougaloo wants is for the Civil Rights Museum to be successful, and we think it will be more successful in downtown Jackson, coordinated into a theme with the Gospel Museum and a focus on music. What will distinguish our civil rights museum from the one in Tennessee and Alabama and Georgia is our history of music in the Civil Rights Movement,” Watkins said.

Tougaloo Board of Trustees President LeRoy Walker said he remained confident that Tougaloo would be the future location of the Civil Rights Museum, but added that he was excited about Watkins’ plan.

“I’m good friends with David, and I’m enthusiastic about RiverWalk. We studied a similar development in another state, and you

would not believe the revenue that can be generated by a project like this.”

The RiverWalk design also places residential property at the southwest end of the development, along the east side of Gallatin Street.

Watkins predicts installing about 8,000 new residential units, housed in buildings rising 10 or more stories, with low buildings closer to the water but increasing in height according to location, so that all occupants will have a view of the new lake. The lakeshore itself will strictly be public access, complete with fishing piers and walkways.

Condominiums “will start at $300,000 and go up to the millions,” Watkins said.

He added, however, that he intends to have affordable apartments interspersed in the same residential area, often within the same buildings.

“We need this community to be a great, big melting pot,” Watkins said. “We can’t have a homogenous pile of rich folks.”

The other side of the lake will contain the Mississippi Arts District, containing a scenic outdoor stage called the Mississippi Music Bowl, along with the proposed new site of the Mississippi Ballet and the Mississippi Institute of Fine Arts, which the developer officially introduced to the public last month.

Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. said he fully supported Watkins’ RiverWalk project, and described the endeavor as one of his main reasons for advocating for the “Lake 255” plan recently endorsed by the Levee Board—of which Johnson is a member.

“There’s no question that the city of Jackson would benefit from a project such as this,” Johnson said in March. “We can see many examples of the beneficial impact waterfront development can have on a city, and I’m hoping the Corps of Engineers will look at this as a development possibility for our city.”

Regions Plaza Facelift, Steam Room Grille Moves

by Ward Schaefer

Courtesy steam room Grille

jacksonfreepress.com

R

egions Plaza downtown is set to relaunching in a smaller space, General begin $1 million in improvements. Manager Aubrey Norman said. Norman The Hertz Investment Group is said he cannot reveal the new location, yet, but said that it would be updating the building in Jackson. The new location to help attract new tenants. will offer 25 tables rather than Duckworth Realty, which the current 90, and a new has managed the building name: “The Steam Room for Hertz since late 2009, has Grille Presents: The Grille.” brought on four new tenants The move comes as two recently, including Disability of the restaurant’s silent inRights Mississippi and Hayes vestors pursue other projects Dent Public Strategies.

The Steam Room and as the economic recession “Right now when you Grille will be moving has depressed restaurant sales go in the mall area, the design into a smaller space in citywide.

Norman described is just a little dated,” John the fall. the relocation as “a decision Michael Holtmann, Duckbeing made while were still worth’s vice president for broon the upper hand.” kerage, said. “It’s important Norman said the move to (the) owners to preserve the building could come as soon as September. and make some capital improvements.” “[T]he items that we’re known for, After 13 years at its original location on the I-55 Frontage Road, the Steam the steamed lobster, the etouffee, will defiRoom Grille is moving. The seafood nitely be carried on,” Norman said. and steak restaurant is downsizing and Get breaking business news at jfpdaily.com.

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Jonathan Larkin: The Exit Interview Ward schaefer

,ARGE SELECTION OF PEARLS

SHELLS SUPPLIES AND DESIGNS FOR YOUR UNIQUE NEEDS

Former JPS school board member Jonathan Larkin believes the district’s administration is top heavy.

T

he Jackson Public Schools Board that Jonathan Larkin served on for almost eight years is a far cry from the board’s current, collegial incarnation. Larkin, 55, served from 2002 until this spring, when Monica Gilmore-Love replaced him.

In 2007, Larkin risked his renomination by opposing then-Mayor Frank Melton’s choice of a bond contractor. Melton never followed through on a threat to pull Larkin’s nomination, and Larkin served until April 2010 on an expired term. By the end of his service, board meetings regularly ran for three hours or more, spurring accusations of micromanagement, and votes often divided the board into rigid blocs.

Larkin, a native of Boston, Mass., is vice president of regional sales for Royal Mirror and Art Company and operates his own company, Hospitality Lighting Management.

What specifically are you proud of from your one-and-a-half terms?

I was very proud of the fact that we were able to pass this bond referendum that is now resulting in a whole lot of the construction being done. I was proud that ‌ we ratcheted up the academics, so that there were more kids who can take AP courses. I’m proud that, believe it or not, our graduation rate, compared

to most urban schools in the country, is significantly higher. ‌ We’re talking about graduation rates, for most of the schools, that when I left were in the 80s, some of them even in the 90s. And you’ve got schools in most urban areas that are running in the 30s and 40s.

Is it a good idea for the district to pursue another bond referendum?

In this economic climate it might not be as successful. We need to look at a five- to seven-year window to see what the tax base is going to be, because there are significant amounts of downtown commercial construction going on. If you get buildings like that going ‌ all of a sudden, you’ve got a much bigger tax base. There’s a whole lot of different dollars coming. And also, at that point, if you do decide to do a bond referendum, that referendum would be (funded with) a smaller millage rate increase, because you have so many more tax dollars on the roll.

What parts do you not miss?

I don’t miss the pressure of the decisionmaking. Particularly, now, next year and the year after, there are going to be so few dollars to allocate. People will lose jobs, in my opinion. Projects that should be funded won’t be.

At the same time, the district is going to have to learn to curb its spending and become a lot more efficient.

cally on the areas that they lived in or that the people in their consensus group lived in. Now, where you’re going to have individuals from every city council district ‌ As long as they are responsible to the city in general, I think you won’t see a lot of the political factionalism that happens when you have elected members from specific territories.

You originally voted against Dr. Lonnie Edwards’ confirmation. What do you think of his performance now, two years down the road?

That’s something I really don’t want to comment on. I did publicly make a comment at the time that Dr. Edwards was actually hired that I did vote against him—not against him particularly but against hiring him at that time, because I thought it would be best for the district to go back out again to see if there were other candidates. That while he was the best of the candidates who was available, I thought that we didn’t need to rush into it.

He had my support from day one. He is a very personable man. He is deeply devoted to the education of children.

Where could the district become more efficient?

I’ve always thought—and the entire board has always thought—that downtown was top-heavy, that there were too many downtown positions, and that we hadn’t really looked at how to most effectively operate.

How do you see your involvement with the schools here continuing?

I’m a member of the Downtown Jackson Rotary Club. The Rotary Club adopts kids and has a reading program. Now I’ll be free to do that. And I’ve told the members of the board (that) if they ever need help, if they want advice, I’m here.

I’m hoping the mayor will look at me for service on a future board. Based on what I do for a living, I’d love to be on the (Jackson Redevelopment Authority) board, because that’s an ideal match.

A new law that takes effect in July will allow the mayor to expand the school board to seven members. Do you think it will change the board’s dynamic for better or worse?

I think in certain instances, for certain board members in the past five years, it has been very territorial. Their focus was specifi-

I was going to ask whether you had more public service in your future.

Sure. Elected public service, no. I have no intention of running for public office. It’s something we’ve discussed, (my wife) Dana and I, and we’re just not up for that type of public abuse. I have tremendous respect for the people that put themselves f orward.

LAUGHTER IS A GIFT FROM GOD

Come be a part of a Community of Joy!

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June 3 - 9, 2010

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KENYA HUDSON

Judges Building War Chests

Jackson Ward 1 City Councilman Jeff Weill has raised more than $70,000 in his bid for a Hinds County Circuit Court seat.

W

ith the November judicial elections still months away, many candidates for circuit and county judge positions have not begun campaigning in earnest. If a recent round of campaign-finance records is any indication, though, a few candidates are wasting no time in building war chests.

In the races for Hinds County Court judge, only one candidate, Melvin Priester, Sr., reported raising any campaign funds in a May 10 filing. Priester, currently a special circuit judge in Hinds County, is running for the District 1 seat. He reported raising $20,420 between January 2009 and April 30, 2010, the bulk of which came from small donations of $200 or less.

Priester’s largest single donor was Samuel Brown, a doctor affiliated with Central Mississippi OB-GYN in Jackson. Priester also received $500 from Booker T. Jones, CEO of Jackson-based job training contractor MINACT. Jackson City Attorney Pieter Teeuwissen contributed $500 to Priester’s campaign. Other notable donors to his campaign include Hinds County Supervisor Doug Anderson ($200), attorney and former Jackson Mayor Dale Danks ($100), and Assistant Hinds County Attorney Sorie Tarawally ($200). As of May 10, Priester’s campaign had $12,125.88 in cash on hand.

Neither of Priester’s competitors for the District 1 seat, Trent Walker and Frank Farmer, reported any campaign funds in May. Walker, a former special circuit judge in Hinds County, did not file a report, while Farmer reports no cash on hand, no contributions, and $79 in expenses.

Judge Bill Skinner, who currently holds the District 3 County Court seat, reported no donations or cash on hand in his May 10 filing, but the longtime incumbent has proven in the past that he can raise money if needed.

A January 2007 report for the 2006 calendar year showed Skinner raising $37,267.

In the race for Hinds County Circuit Judge in District 1, Jackson City Councilman Jeff Weill has amassed a significant lead on his two opponents, Jackson Municipal Judge Ali Shamsid Deen and Bruce Burton.

Neither Shamsid Deen nor Burton reported any contributions in their May filings, while Weill reported a whopping $77,133, with $66,017 remaining cash on hand. Weill has personally sunk $21,594 into his campaign, making him by far his largest contributor.

Other large donors include Jackson oilman William Mounger, who gave $2,500, and the Mississippi Physicians Political Action Committee, which also contributed $2,500.

Weill’s war chest also boasts $1,000 contributions from businessman Leland Speed, Downtown Jackson Partners President Ben Allen and engineer Hibbett Neel.

Other notable Weill donors include Entergy CEO Haley Fisackerly ($500), Hinds County Supervisor Phil Fisher ($250) and former Mayor Kane Ditto ($250).

In the only other contested Circuit Court race, Special Circuit Court Judge Bill Gowan is challenging Judge Malcolm Harrison for the District 4 seat. Gov. Haley Barbour appointed Harrison to the judgeship last year to replace retiring Judge Swan Yerger. Gowan reported raising $4,850 in his May 10 filing, with $2,027 remaining cash on hand. Gowan’s funds come from only four donations: $2,500 from William Mounger, $1,000 each from Jeff and Leah Jorgerson and $250 from attorney Conner McAllister.

Harrison reported $20,675 in contributions in his May 7 filing, with $19,258 still remaining. Harrison received $500 each from Sorie Tarawally, attorney Dennis Sweet and businessman Bill Cooley.

Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr.’s political action committee donated $200 to Harrison, and City Attorney Pieter Teeuwissen pitched in $200. Harrison also received $500 from the Langston & Langston law firm, as well as $500 from Troy Stovall, former director of Jackson State University’s Center for University-Based Development.

Sherri Flowers, who took over Harrison’s old post as Hinds County Attorney when Harrison moved to circuit judge, also faces a special election in November. Her May 25 filing reported $1,500 cash on hand, all coming from a single donation by Assistant Hinds County Attorney Brent Hazzard.

EXPUNGE YOUR R ECORD Don’t let a past mistake handcuff your future.

You can expunge most misdemeanor convictions and arrests from your record immediately. Even felony convictions for drug possession, shoplifting, bad checks, larceny, and forgery are eligible for expungement five years after the successful completion of all terms and conditions of the sentence of conviction.

Make A Fresh Start.

Call today for a free consultation!

William Kirksey and Nathan Elmore, Attorneys at Law

(601)354-4662 or (601)353-0054 Take The First Step Toward A Second Chance!

The Market In Fondren th June 19 8am-noon

North State Street across from Mimi’s Family & Friends Dozens of Local Vendors & Artists including: Roz Roy • Elizabeth Robinson • Brown’s Fine Art • Josh Hailey

Live Music featuring: Taylor Hildebrand • Josh Little • Valley Gordon • Liver Mouse

jacksonfreepress.com

publiceye

9

statetalk

by Adam Lynch

AdAm Lynch

16th-Section Logging Too Zealous?

Poor oversight by the Mississippi Forestry Commission may be costing school districts money by losing 16th-Section timber to theft.

A Marketing

& Events

Interns Wanted

June 3 - 9, 2010

Want to learn more about Marketing and Events Production in a fast-paced environment?

Need college credit* or marketing experience?

Jackson Free Press is looking for dynamic marketing/event interns.

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Interested? Send an e-mail to: kimberly@jacksonfreepress.com, telling us why you want to intern with us and what makes you the ideal candidate.

*College credit available to currently enrolled college students in select disciplines.

former Forestry Commission employee is alleging that poor oversight and a new focus on aggressive logging is making statewide timber theft easier.

Former Franklin County forester Steve Oglesby said logging practices endorsed by Mississippi State Forester Charlie Morgan—under pressure from Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann—are making theft too easy by embracing the tactic of “cutter select” logging, which does not demand that commission employees mark trees for harvesting.

“The way they’re doing things, (they’re) getting more sales out there faster and adding those dollars up…,” Oglesby said. “(But) whether timber is getting stolen doesn’t seem to matter to them.”

Oglesby said the commission’s focus has shifted to making money rather than oversight, and that it adopted more widescale use of reckless time-saving tools, like ignoring individual tree identification for harvesting, soon after signing a 2008 memorandum of understanding with the secretary of state’s office.

Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann told The Meridian Star in 2008 that the memorandum of understanding forced the forestry commission to manage 16th Section lands “like a business,” and allowed his office to impose upon school boards a “timber management plan” that would culminate in more than 100,000 acres of the state’s 400,000 acres signed up for logging by the end of 2009.

Hosemann’s office reported a $1.2 million increase in revenue generated from timber sales from 2007 to 2008, a rise of 13 percent. Franklin County Superintendent Grady Fleming said Hosemann’s timbermanagement plan in 2008 was too aggres-

sive for the Franklin County School Board to handle.

“The secretary of state had a plan to cut too many of our trees over 10 years, and we felt it was not going to do right with us and that we were going to end up with a period of not having that resource available. It is a trust for our children,” he said.

He added that Hosemann and Morgan and about eight people “in suits” paid a visit to the board in 2008 “and wanted to tell us how to do our thing.”

Fleming said the school board refused to comply with Hosemann’s logging plan and has since adopted a more conservative arrangement. Fleming added that Oglesby lost his job as Franklin County forester because he refused to sign off on a 10-year harvesting plan pushed by Morgan and Hosemann—which Oglesby agreed was unsustainable.

Morgan said he did not see any county timber-management plan as unsustainable, despite reducing harvest rotations from an average of 60 years to 35 years. However, he did confirm that the department has mostly done away with marking individual trees for harvesting, in favor of what he calls “operator-select thinning”—also known as “cutter-select.” He said the method served the ambition of the MOU by generating more revenue for school districts, even though he claims the practice was becoming standard before his department signed Hosemann’s memorandum.

“One of the reasons for change is the buyers prefer it,” Morgan said. “It decreases their logging costs, and that translates to more value to our schoolchildren.”

But Oglesby said the lack of clear markings on the trees requires more oversight from commission employees to make sure loggers cut the correct amount. With-

out an on-the-site assessor counting the actual loads of logs leaving a harvest site, little stops a crooked contractor from hauling off his load to a different mill, turning in the wood under a different name and cheating the school district of its revenue.

“You don’t have the labor for marking each and every tree in 100 acres or whatever it is on the front end, but you’ve got to be out there making sure he cuts it correctly,” Oglesby said.

But making sure loggers cut correctly has been a problem for the commission, according to an Aug. 24, 2007, letter from former Lowndes County Service Forester Trenton “Keith” Beatty, who alerted the Lowndes County Board of Education that his superiors in the commission called him off from monitoring one logger he suspected of stealing.

Beatty’s letter, which outlines the thinning of a stand of trees on 16th Section land benefitting the county school district, claims agency officials ordered Beatty and Forestry Technician Luke Tucker to stop their daily counting of trucks carrying wood from a logging operation conducted by contractor Hayes Hunt on June 15, 2007.

“We were not allowed on the site to keep track of the loads each day from June 16 through July 16,” Beatty stated in a letter he sent to the Lowndes County Board of Education. “During that time, the average loads per day dropped to 7.8 loads a day.

While we were observing we had an average of 9.6 loads a day. Also, during the time that we were present and counting the loads, we can show a total of six loads more than what (Hunt) turned in for those days.”

Beatty—who has since been promoted to assistant district forester—has little to say on how the board and the Forestry Commission resolved the matter. He also would not comment on whether he sent to the letter to the board, even though the letter features his signature and the Mississippi Forestry Commission seal.

A second document, allegedly an addition to the 2007 Lowndes County School Board agenda, shows Beatty pleading with the board to back him up on his complaint against Hunt: “At this moment we are taking a lot of heat over this matter, simply because we are trying to protect the interests of the Lowndes County School Board, and it seems that we are being cast aside by the Board, and receiving no backing.”

Morgan said he called Beatty and Tucker away from the Hunt logging site because “it was not cost effective” to have two employees watching the site, and said the administration typically uses surveillance cameras to count the trucks. Morgan added that, “to (his) recollection,” Hunt eventually accounted for all the wood he logged from the Lowndes County 16th Section land in 2007, despite Beatty’s report.

Mississippi Restaurant Association Education Foundation Presents

Wine & swine (and lazy magnolia & brisket)

A BBQ event to benefit the MRAEF* and ProStart, featuring Lumpkin’s Bar-B-Que on the patio of Two Sisters’ Kitchen, with special guests Mark Whittington & Friends.

Friday, June 18th 6:00 pm until 9:00 pm707 N Congress Street, Downtown JacksonTickets $20 available at Two Sisters’ & Lumpkin’s

:c_dn V [jc"[^aaZY YVn XadhZ id ]dbZ K^h^i djg XVbe\gdjcY! Idjg i]Z EZig^Æ ZY ;dgZhi! HZZ i]Z hiVgh

;G:: 69B>HH>DC with the purchase of one adult admission.

7g^c\ ^c i]^h VY

Registered National Natural Landmark

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T

PA I D A DV E RT I S E M E N T

hey pioneered the 100 percent Angus beef burger in Jackson, Mississippi. They fully dress your hamburger the way you want it, unless you tell them differently.

They are a hamburger establishment that provides healthy alternatives. They are Back Yard Burgers.

In 1998, Back Yard Burgers made its debut in the Jackson restaurant market at its first location at 2601 North State Street, across from the University of Mississippi Medical Center. A second Back Yard Burgers location opened later at 6230 Old Canton Road BACK YARD BURGERS in northeast Jackson. Both locations offer customers silver platter service: a totally customer service-oriented attitude where employees will bring you your food (while dining in) on a silver platter, will follow-up with a condiment tray to make sure you have what you need, and will even refill your drink.

“We set ourselves apart from other restaurants, especially hamburger establishments, because we consider Back Yard Burgers as ‘fast casual,’” says Director of Operations Larry Roberts. “In others words, we are in between a fast food restaurant and casual dining restaurant.

We consider ourselves as the high-end of hamburger establishments.”

Employees focus on customers and drive-thru efficiency, so that food is expedited quickly, but the order is correct, says Roberts.

Back Yard Burgers’ menu also sets them apart from others in the industry: their menu offers specialty burgers along with grilled chicken sandwiches. The most popular hamburger is the standard Back Yard Burger, but the specialty burger that is ordered the most by customers is the bacon cheddar hamburger.

The blackened grilled chicken sandwich is a delicious alternative and comes dressed with coleslaw, mayonnaise and tomatoes. Their garden burger is another healthy choice, and in fact, Back Yard Burgers is one of only a few restaurants in Jackson that offers it on their menu.

“Moms can come in and have healthy selections to choose from whether it’s a classic grilled chicken sandwich with lettuce and tomato, the Hawaiian grilled chicken sandwich with pineapple, or the garden burger,” says Roberts.

Customers are addicted to the seasoned fries, with the waffle fries in a close second place. If you want to top off your order with a sweet treat, the choices are endless. From cobblers of every kind to milkshakes made with hand-dipped ice cream, you are more than likely to score something yummy.

For a more detailed look at the Back Yard Burgers menu, check them out online at www. backyardburgers.com. “Our menu is not huge, but it is top notch because we have stuck to the basics,” says Roberts.

Drive through or stop in for your personal silver platter service experience. There are two Back Yard Burger locations to serve you in Jackson: 6230 Old Canton Road, opened Sunday through Thursday 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. and on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m, and the 2601 North State Street location, which is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

jacksonfreepress.com

*The MRAEF is a 501c3 corporation, and your ticket purchase is tax deductible. Contact your tax professional for more information.

11

jfp op/ed

opining, grousing & pontificating

EDITORIAL

Dine Local This Summer

Y

ou hear the “buy local” message from the Jackson Free Press often because we think it’s one of the most fundamental things that we all can do as citizens on a daily basis to help the Jackson metro thrive as a unique community. Buying from locally owned businesses keeps more jobs, more dollars and more investment circulating here in the Jackson metro area.

While we know it’s nearly impossible to stay out of chain stores all the time, we suggest using the “Think Local First” mantra—avoid chains when you can, and limit your shopping in that chain when you know there’s a local alternative that fits your budget.

As we transition into the hot summer months here in Jackson, however, we’d like to specifically encourage our readers not just to buy local, but to dine local here in Jackson as well. The restaurant scene is a mixed bag right now.

New ventures appear every few weeks, such as Mimi’s, Parlor Market, Burgers & Blues, Poets II, Zydeco and Congress Street Bar & Grill. At the same time, we’ve witnessed the closing or downsizing of some institutions in the past weeks as well—Schimmel’s and Steam Room Grille, to name two—that suggest that all’s not yet well with the economy locally or nationally.

As we put the first quarterly BOOM Jackson on the streets this week, the Menu Guide section* in that publication reminds us of many of the fine eateries you can experience in Jackson that exist nowhere else in the world. But if we don’t patronize them regularly, those places won’t exist in Jackson, either!

Summer tends to be a down time for local restaurants, as longer days and kids at home encourage many to stay out of our favorites haunts. But this summer, please consider two possibilities when you’re making your dining choices.

First, if you do decide to go out with family and friends, consider trying the local alternative to a chain establishment; Jackson has wonderful local seafood, pasta, pizza, ethnic and steakhouse dining options—one little experiment, and there’s a good chance you’ll find a local alternative to the available-anywhere chains.

Second, if you’re considering carryout for dinner (or catering for a business lunch) remember that most of our local restaurants would love to have your business even if you’re not dining in. Call ahead and place your order—you’ll find menus for many local restaurants on the JFP website (jfp.ms/menus/), the JFP iPhone app (jfp.ms/iphone/) and in BOOM Jackson magazine.

Then, head home—ideally with some sodas and beer from McDade’s or Rainbow, or a good vintage from a local wine shop—and enjoy the sunset, your home entertainment system or just the company of family and friends.

In either case, remember the truly local options. Every local restaurant adds character and authenticity to the Jackson experience, giving us something to call our very own. Pick your favorites and show them some love this summer! *Editor’s note: The JFP Menu Guide is a paid advertising feature.

KEN STIGGERS

Out of Gas Again

June 3 - 9, 2010

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urse Tootie McBride: “Ghetto Science Public Television presents a special edition of ‘Break it down for the People World Report.’ Tonight’s topic is: ‘Should Poor Folk Cry over Spilled Oil in the Gulf of Mexico?’ With me in the studio to discuss this topic are Mister Ice Creamy Man and Chief Crazy Brother, representatives of the Ghetto Environmentalists of America.

“Break it down for the people, Mister Ice Creamy Man.” Mister Ice Creamy Man: “This oil spill tragedy is just a bad allegory—a hole spewing thousands of gallons every day. And does the corporation responsible for this environmental mess realize its impact on humans, animals, water, food, land, business, tourism, etcetera? I guess the responsible oil company forgot about what happened in Alaska around 1989. And I’ll always remember 1974, when an old former president from Plains, Ga., warned this country about its overindulgent dependency of oil. Eventually, poor folks will pay for this oil slick at the gas pumps. Bring me my ‘Sham Wow’ super absorbent crying towel! It looks like the ice cream truck will run out of gas again.”

Nurse Tootie McBride: “So what’s on your mind Chief Crazy Brother.”

Chief Crazy Brother: Remember that Keep America Beautiful commercial where the Native American man paddles his canoe into the polluted and debris-ridden shores of industrialized America? If he saw this oil spill today, he would break down like Florida Evans did on the television show ‘Good Times’ and scream, ‘D*mn, D*mn, D*mn!’”

CHATTER

Comments from jacksonfreepress.com in response to “Ross Perot + Dr. Evil= Paul Rand” by Todd Stauffer

BP Apologists!?!

“What I don’t understand are all the apologists for BP. I mean they polluted the entire gulf coast and saying ‘I’m sorry’ doesn’t get it. Actions like that are just bad for business and by being inept—and I will include the U.S. government here by their relative inaction. At least with Three Mile Island you had a containment plan in place, and I don’t see any evidence that anybody had a plan for what happens when an oil rig blows up.”

—GLewis “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: These people long for an ‘ideal’ America that never actually existed. The only thing I can think that they are actually fighting for is the ‘America’ portrayed in commercials in the 1950s. You know, the ones responsible for the drugging of most American housewives because they couldn’t stand their lives, and where segregation kept everyone ‘proper,’ and we could smoke everywhere.

You know, it really wasn’t that great. Women were oppressed. Children were more often abused with no true supportive social services.

Mental health issues were ignored and stored in ‘someone’s attic.’ And black people were told to ‘get in back,’ ‘sit outside’ and to use ‘this restroom.’ The only people who really had it good were white men.”

—Lori G “I don’t trust Run Paul or his son, Grand Paul, because I run every time I see Run Paul and grab my gun every time I see Grand Paul.

I don’t care what labels they pick and choose to brand themselves or to commit subterfuge, because I know the only label that counts is the ‘R’ they’re all really hiding behind…”

—Walt “The concept of ‘states’ rights’ terrifies me.

I don’t want the states to have any rights, especially Mississippi. I don’t want Haley Barbour and his buddies running my life.

Remember what happened the last time Mississippi had rights? Y’all gotta prove you can responsibly exercise those rights before we give them back to you.”

—DrumminD21311

CORRECTION

In the May 20 Jackson Free Press, we provided an incorrect website address for Candy’s Confections. The correct address is fatcakeguy.com. In the same issue, we reported that MS-01 Republican challenger Henry Ross served on the 5th U.S. Court of Appeals. Ross’ website reports he served on the Fifth Circuit Court, which serves Attala, Carroll, Choctaw, Grenada and Montgomery counties, among others. We apologize for the errors.

E-mail letters to letters@jacksonfreepress.com, fax to 601-510-9019, or mail to P.O. Box 5067, Jackson, Miss., 39296. Include daytime phone number. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

Or, write a 300-600-word “Your Turn” and send it by e-mail, fax or mail above with a daytime phone number. All submissions are subject to fact checks.

Scott coLom

Payday Lending: Bad Business

EDITORIAL Managing Editor Ronni Mott News Editor Lacey McLaughlin Features Editor Natalie A. Collien Senior Reporter Adam Lynch Reporter Ward Schaefer Events Editor Latasha Willis Music Listings Editor Herman Snell Assistant to the Editor ShaWanda Jacome Writers Andi Agnew, Lisa Fontaine Bynum, Rob Hamilton, Carl Gibson, Jackie Warren Tatum Anita Modak-Truran,Will Morgan, Larry Morrisey, Andy Muchin, Chris Nolen,Tom Ramsey, Doctor S, Ken Stiggers,Valerie Wells, Byron Wilkes, John Yargo Editorial Interns Tom Allin, Sarah Bush, Alexandra Dildy, Deanna Graves, Brooke Kelly, Kalissia Veal Consulting Editor JoAnne Prichard Morris

ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY Editorial Designer Kristin Brenemen Advertising Designer Lydia Chadwick Production Designer Christi Vivar Editorial Cartoonist Chris Zuga Photographers Tom Beck, Pat Butler, Kip Caven, Josh Hailey, Kenya Hudson, Kate Medley, Meredith Norwood, Jaro Vacek Design Interns Ayatti Hatcher, Jessica Millis Photo Intern Jerrick Smith Founding Art Director Jimmy Mumford

SALES AND OPERATIONS Sales Director Kimberly Griffin Account Executive Randi Ashley Jackson Account Executive and Distribution Manager Adam Perry Accounting Montroe Headd Distribution Clint Dear, Nicole Finch, Aimee Lovell, Michael Jacome, Brooke Jones, Steve Pate Founding Ad Director Stephen Barnette Marketing Intern Christina Hammond

ONLINE Web Producer Korey Harrion

CONTACT US:

Letters letters@jacksonfreepress.com Editorial editor@jacksonfreepress.com Releases releases@jacksonfreepress.com Queries editor@jacksonfreepress.com Listings events@jacksonfreepress.com Advertising ads@jacksonfreepress.com Publisher todd@jacksonfreepress.com News tips adam@jacksonfreepress.com Internships interns@jacksonfreepress.com

Jackson Free Press P.O. Box 5067, Jackson, Miss., 39296 Editorial (601) 362-6121 Sales (601) 362-6121 Fax (601) 510-9019 Daily updates at jacksonfreepress.com

The Jackson Free Press is the city’s award-winning, locally owned newsweekly, with 17,000 copies distributed in and around the Jackson metropolitan area every Thursday. The Jackson Free Press is free for pick-up by readers; one copy per person, please.

First-class subscriptions are available for $100 per year for postage and handling.

The Jackson Free Press welcomes thoughtful opinions. The views expressed in this newspaper are not necessarily those of the publisher or management of Jackson Free Press Inc. © Copyright 2010 Jackson Free Press Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Association of Alternative Newsweeklies

E

ach month, before receiving his Walmart paycheck, Mike* gets a payday loan. In exchange for the money, he writes the store a check for the amount of money he receives, plus an additional $22 for every $100 he borrows. For a loan of $300, for example, he writes the store a check for $366. The store agrees not to present the check to his bank until after his next scheduled payday.

However, after every payday, once the money is taken from his bank account, Mike still needs money to pay bills or buy groceries for his two children, so he goes back to the store and takes out another loan.

Over the course of a few years, Mike takes out 22 loans.

This story may not sound familiar to you, but hundreds of teachers, police officers, firefighters and several other hardworking Mississippians have gotten caught in this cycle of debt. Whether you know them as “payday lenders,” “check cashers,” or simply the stores with the neon signs offering loans, all these stores offer the same type of high-interest predatory loans. The loans range between $200 and $400 and must be repaid in two to four weeks, depending on the customer’s next payday. For each $100 borrowed, the store usually charges $20 to $22, which translates to annual percentage rate of more than 500 percent.

Studies show that the typical payday borrower is unable to pay off the loan in such a short period of time, so the average customer takes out eight to 13 loans a year.

This costs them a minimum of $528 to borrow $300.

To receive a loan, the store only requires some form of regular income and a checking account. Stores will rely on social security benefits, disability benefits, and, during this harsh economic recession, even anticipated unemployment benefits as collateral for a loan.

Payday lenders are able to charge exorbitant interest rates for one simple reason: lobbying. Since 1998, the payday lending industry has spent over $1.1 million on lobbying in Mississippi alone. And thanks to their lobbying power, payday lenders currently operate under a “special” statute that allows them to charge Mississippians the highest interest rate in the country—up to 572 percent. Payday lending charges are

categorized as “fees” instead of interest under the statute, so the payday lenders avoid the interest rate caps that apply to banks and other financial institutions.

You might think that similar businesses are expected to operate under the same rules In a free market, but payday lenders have lobbied their way into new rules— special rules—rules that only apply to them. This is why Mississippi has one of the highest concentrations of payday lenders per capita in the country. In fact, Mississippi has almost twice as many stores per person than Alabama.

Owners of payday stores claim they provide a valuable service.

They claim to help people who can’t get loans from banks and argue that their loans are better than penalties for overdraft fees.

While this “we are not as bad as the other guy” argument might sound compelling, there is no evidence to support the claim. And taking out one bad loan to avoid a worse fee does not change the fact payday loans trap citizens in a cycle of debt.

Furthermore, some banks and credit unions now offer alternative loans to payday lending. Bank Plus and Hope Credit Union both offer small dollar loans at less than 36 percent interest. These banks also provide financial literacy and counseling for customers to learn about money management.

These are great products and, in the future, I have no doubt more banks will enter this market.

In the meantime, our state Legislature must take action to protect consumers from these predatory lenders. Mississippians should demand that lawmakers amend the law authorizing these types of loans to put a 36 percent cap on interest rates.

If the payday lenders cannot play under the same rules as other financial institutions, something is wrong with their business model. Any business model that requires an interest rate of 547 percent to make a profit isn’t an actual business—it’s a scam. They should not be able to lobby their way out of a reasonable 36 percent interest-rate cap.

Scott Colom is a staff attorney/Skadden fellow at the Mississippi Center for Justice. *Mike is a pseudonym used to protect the person’s identity.

Payday lenders currently operate under a “special” statute that allows them to charge Mississippians the highest interest rate in the country—up to 572 percent.

FONDREN Across the street from St. James.Taken to the studs. New wiring, plumbing, windows, roof, kitchen and baths.

Split plan with 2 master suites(both with whirlpool tubs.) 2 woodburning fireplaces. Detached heated and cooled office/manroom . Incredible 3/4 acre lot. Saltwater pool and hot tub. *Don Potts 601-982-8455*

MADISON Best Price in Hoy Farms! This 4 bedroom 3 bath home located in a quiet cul-de-sac has it all. A beautiful foyer welcomes you w/travertine floors w/granite inlay. Brick arches in dining, large kitchen w/breakfast room and huge island. This custom built home is complete with a 300 sq. ft. heated and cooled workroom in garage. *Walker Tann 601-982-8455*

Flowood 8’ Cypress doors lead you to the oversized Foyer, flanked by Formal Living and Dining Rooms, both w/ FP. Gourmet Kitchen is outfitted w/ Wolf appliances, Sub-Zero fridge, granite and an island-all open to the Keeping Room that opens to a covered side porch. Master BR has plenty of space for sitting area+ INCREDIBLE closet.

Master BA w/ Travertine floors/ counters w/ Whirlpool/Sep. shower.

Balcony w/ water view upstairs. *Becky Moss 601-982-8455*

For information on these properties, call us at 601-982-8455 or visit nixtann.com for a free MLS search.

jacksonfreepress.com

Editor in Chief Donna Ladd Publisher Todd Stauffer

13

EPA Officials Weigh Sanctions Against BP’s U.S. Operations

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by Abrahm Lustgarten

Oil Spill Timeline

June 3 - 9, 2010

April 20: British Petroleum offshore oil-drilling rig Deepwater Horizon explodes, and maintains combustion over the next day.

14

gation told ProPublica that means the agency will re-evaluate BP and examine whether the latest incident in the Gulf is evidence of an institutional problem inside BP, a precursor to the action called debarment.

Federal law allows agencies to suspend or bar from government contracts companies that engage in fraudulent, reckless or criminal conduct. The sanctions can be applied to a single facility or an entire corporation. Government agencies have the power to forbid a company to collect any benefit from the federal government in the forms of contracts, land leases, drilling rights or loans.

The most serious, sweeping kind of suspension is called “discretionary debarment” and it is applied to an entire company. If this were imposed on BP, it would cancel not only the company’s contracts to sell fuel to the military but prohibit BP from leasing or renewing drilling leases on federal land.

In the worst case, it could also lead to the cancellation of BP’s existing federal leases, worth billions of dollars.

Present and former officials said the crucial question in deciding whether to impose such a sanction is assessing the offending company’s culture and approach: Do its executives display an attitude of non-compliance?

The law is not intended to punish actions by rogue employees and is focused on making contractor relationships work to the benefit of the government. In its negotiations with EPA officials before the Gulf spill, BP had been insisting that it had made far-reaching changes in its approach to safety and maintenance, and that environmental officials could

by Adam Lynch

April 22: The above-surface rigging warps with the heat of its fire and collapses into the sea, dragging with it the well pipe, potentially rupturing it in several places. The Coast Guard does not acknowledge leaking oil.

April 21: The U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazer coordinates the government’s response. Some rig workers are reported missing, 11 presumed dead.

trust its promises that it would commit no further violations of the law.

U.S. COAST GUARD PHOTO BY PETTY OFFICER 3RD CLASS CORY J. MENDENHALL.

fficials at the Environmental Protection Agency are considering whether to bar BP from receiving government contracts, a move that would ultimately cost the company billions in revenue and could end its drilling in federally controlled oil fields.

Over the past 10 years, BP has paid tens of millions of dollars in fines and been implicated in four separate instances of criminal misconduct that could have prompted this far more serious action. Until now, the company’s executives and their lawyers have fended off such a penalty by promising that BP would change its ways.

That strategy may no longer work.

Days ago, in an unannounced move, the EPA suspended negotiations with the petroleum giant over whether it would be barred from federal contracts because of the environmental crimes it committed before the spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Officials said they are putting the talks on hold until they learn more about the British company’s responsibility for the plume of oil that is spreading across the Gulf.

The EPA said in a statement that, according to its regulations, it can consider banning BP from future contracts after weighing “the frequency and pattern of the incidents, corporate attitude both before and after the incidents, changes in policies, procedures, and practices.”

Several former senior EPA debarment attorneys and people close to the BP investi-

ROBERT, La. — BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles examines a diagram during a press briefing May 19, 2010, at the Unified Area Command.

EPA officials declined to speculate on the likelihood that BP will ultimately be suspended or barred from government contracts. Such a step will be weighed against the effect on BP’s thousands of employees and on the government’s costs of replacing it as a contractor.

Even a temporary expulsion from the U.S. could be devastating for BP’s business.

BP is the largest oil and gas producer in the

April 29: Coast Guard offers new estimate, calculating the leak to be five times higher than BP initially reported.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal declares a state of emergency.

April 24: BP reports a leak, but estimates the leak to only be 1,000 barrels a day.

Gulf of Mexico and operates some 22,000 oil and gas wells across the United States, many of them on federal lands or waters. According to the company, those wells produce 39 percent of the company’s global revenue from oil and gas production each year—$16 billion.

Discretionary debarment is a step that government investigators have long sought to avoid, and which many experts had considered highly unlikely because BP is a major supplier of fuel to the U.S. military. The company could petition U.S. courts for an exception, arguing that ending that contract is a national security risk. That segment of BP’s business alone was worth roughly $4.6 billion over the last decade, according to the government contracts website USAspending.

Because debarment is supposed to protect American interests, the government also must weigh such an action’s effect on the economy against punishing BP for its transgressions. The government would, for instance, be wary of interrupting oil and gas production that could affect energy prices or taking action that could threaten the jobs of thousands of BP employees.

A BP spokesman said the company would not comment on pending legal matters.

The EPA did not make its debarment officials available for comment or explain its intentions, but in an e-mailed response to questions submitted by ProPublica, the agency confirmed that its Suspension and Debarment Office has “temporarily suspended” any further discussion with BP regarding its unresolved debarment cases in Alaska and Texas

May 2: President Barack Obama visits Venice, La., on his first spill-centered visit.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration bans fishing in a large portion of the Gulf from the Mississippi River outlet to Pensacola, Fla.

April 30: Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano calls the spill “of national significance.”

May 7: BP lowers a specially constructed oil containment vessel over the main leak

May 3: BP claims full responsibility for liability issues.

May 11: BP executives, Transocean executives and Halliburton executives point fingers at one another before Congress for the explosion.

May 8: BP reports that ice crystals prevent the May 7 “cap” from capping the leak.

those relations to a break.

Discretionary debarment for BP has been considered at several points over the years, said Jeanne Pascal, a former EPA debarment attorney who headed the agency’s BP negotiations for six years until she retired last year.

“In 10 years we’ve got four convictions,” Pascal said, referring to BP’s three environmental crimes and a 2009 deferred prosecution for manipulating the gas market, which counts as a conviction under debarment law.

“At some point if a contractor’s behavior is so egregious and so bad, debarment would have to be an option.”

In the three instances where BP has had a felony or misdemeanor conviction under the Clean Air or Clean Water Acts, the facilities where the accidents happened automatically faced a statutory debarment, a lesser form of debarment that affects only the specific facility where the accident happened.

One of those cases has been settled. In October 2000, after a felony conviction for illegally dumping hazardous waste down a well hole to cut costs, BP’s Alaska subsidiary, BP Exploration Alaska, agreed to a five-year probation period and settlement. That agreement expired at the end of 2005.

The other two debarment actions are still open, and those are the cases that EPA officials and the company have been negotiating for several years.

In the first incident, on March 23, 2005, an explosion at BP’s Texas City refinery killed 15 workers. An investigation found the company had restarted a fuel tower without warning systems in place, and BP was eventually fined more than $62 million and convicted of a felony violation of the Clean Air Act. BP

May 13: Congressional investigators determine the rig’s blowout preventer had a hydraulic leak and a failed battery.

May 18: NOAA doubles the portion of the Gulf now restricted to fishing. Scientist suspect the actual amount of oil escaping the well to be incalculable.

May 11: Interior Secretary Ken Salazar reveals plan to split the Minerals Management Service into different agencies.

May 17: BP reports that it is successfully siphoning off a percentage of the massive leak spewing underwater.

Congress remains unimpressed.

May 21: Congress creates oil commission to investigate BP explosion. Oil reaches Louisiana wetlands.

May 19: Oil enters Gulf “Loop Current,” potentially expanding its presence to Florida and beyond.

Gulf Oil Spill FAQ

E

EPA, see page 16

by Marian Wang, ProPublica

arlier this month, ProPublica pub- two days later, it sank in the Gulf of Mexico. lished an FAQ that Eleven workers were killed. attempted to explain The rig was operated by what’s known about how British oil giant BP but the Deepwater Horizon owned by Transocean, the spill happened, whether it world’s largest offshore drillcould’ve been prevented,and ing company. The incident who’s on the hook for the ruptured the oil well and disaster. has caused what is known We’ve now updated as a blowout, or an unconit with some of the latest trollable spill. questions, and answers: how GULF OF MEXICO — The What caused it? widely the oil is spreading, mobile offshore drilling unit That’s still being inveswhich agency official ad- Q4000 holds position directly over the damaged Deepwater mitted there’s “no enforcetigated. The spill occurred ment” regarding offshore Horizon blowout preventer. when a safety device called safety equipment and why a blowout preventer failed concerns are growing about the dispersants to stop the flow of oil from the well. BP has called the failure of this device “inconceivBP is using.

If you have questions you want able,” but new details have emerged as to answered, send them to suggestions@ why it may have failed. propublica.org.

According to a “60 Minutes” interview with a survivor, part of the blowout preventer’s seal broke during an accident weeks before the explosion. A Transocean Background on the Accident Itself supervisor, when told of the problem, said it What are the basics of what was “no big deal,” and operations continued despite several such equipment problems. happened?

The rig worker also told “60 Minutes” On the night of April 20, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig had an explosion, and FAQ, see page 16

May 24: U.S. government orders BP to use less dispersant, claiming dispersant is too toxic.

May 23: U.S. threatens to push aside BP and commandeer well-capping effort

May 28: BP announces “top kill” plan a failure.

May 25: BP attempts “top kill” plan, pumping mud and heavy liquids directly into well. Cuban government fears oil could foul Cuban waters.

June 1: U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announces that federal authorities have opened criminal and civil investigations into the spill.

May 30: White House energy adviser Carol Browner tells NBC “more oil is leaking into the Gul of Mexico than at any other time in our (nation’s) history.”

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until an investigation into the unfolding Gulf disaster can be included.

The fact that the government is looking at BP’s pattern of incidents gets at one of the key factors in deciding a discretionary debarment, said Robert Meunier, the EPA’s debarment official under President Bush and an author of the EPA’s debarment regulations. It means officials will try to determine whether BP has had a string of isolated or perhaps unlucky mistakes, or whether it has consistently displayed contempt for the regulatory process and carelessness in its operations.

In the past decade environmental accidents at BP facilities have killed at least 26 workers, led to the largest oil spill on Alaska’s North Slope and now sullied some of the country’s best coastal habitat, along with fishing and tourism economies along the Gulf.

Meunier said that when a business with a record of problems like BP’s has to justify its actions and corporate management decisions to the EPA “it’s going to get very dicey for the company.”

“How many times can a debarring official grant a resolution to an agreement if it looks like no matter how many times they agree to fix something it keeps manifesting itself as a problem?” he said.

Documents obtained by ProPublica show that the EPA’s debarment negotiations with BP were strained even before the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig.

The fact that Doug Suttles, the BP executive responsible for offshore drilling in the Gulf, used to head BP Alaska and was the point person for negotiations with debarment officials there, only complicates matters. Now, the ongoing accident in the Gulf may push

that BP executives harassed employees who warned of safety problems and ignored corrosion problems for years—was thought by some inside the EPA to be grounds for the more serious discretionary debarment.

“EPA routinely discretionarily debars companies that have Clean Air Act or Clean Water Act convictions,” said Pascal, the former EPA debarment attorney who ran the BP case. “The reason this case is different is because of the Defense Department’s extreme need for BP.” Instead of a discretionary debarment, the EPA worked to negotiate a compromise that would bring BP into compliance but keep its services available. The goal was to reach an agreement that would guarantee that BP improve its safety operations, inspections and treatment of employees not only at the Prud-

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SEAN GARDNER/GREENPEACE

Greenpeace USA Executive Director Phil Radford walks through oil washed up along the break water in Southpass where the Mississippi River meets the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana on Thursday, May 20, 2010.

Products North America, the responsible subsidiary, was listed as debarred and the Texas City refinery was deemed ineligible for any federally funded contracts. But the company as a whole proceeded unhindered.

A year later, in March 2006, a hole in a pipeline in Prudhoe Bay led to the largest ever oil spill on Alaska’s North Slope—200,000 gallons—and the temporary disruption of oil supplies to the continental U.S. An investigation found that BP had ignored warnings about corrosion in its pipelines and had cut back on precautionary measures to save money. The company’s Alaska subsidiary was convicted of a misdemeanor violation of the Clean Water Act and, again, debarred and listed as ineligible for government income at its Prudhoe Bay pipeline facilities. That debarment is still in effect.

That accident alone—which led to congressional investigations and revelations

15

GRAND ISLE, LA — Hundreds of HSE contract workers are cleaning up oil.

FAQ, from page 16

that BP and Transocean managers had been jostling over who was in charge in the hours before the spill, disagreeing on how to seal the well. One expert told “60 Minutes” that BP’s method—faster, but riskier—may have set the stage for the blowout.

Halliburton was the subcontractor handling the cementing process on the Deepwater Horizon rig, which it completed shortly before the explosion.

Why didn’t the blowout preventer work?

Blowout preventers are hardly foolproof.

The Wall Street Journal, which has had great coverage of the disaster, reported that federal regulators had questioned in 2004 whether an “integral” part of blowout preventers, shear rams, would work in deep-water conditions. The Deepwater Horizon rig was drilling in about 5,000 feet of water, and the device obviously did not do the job.

Despite their concerns about the shear rams, regulators from the Minerals Management Service–the agency that regulates offshore drilling—did not issue new regulations to strengthen industry requirements, according to the Journal.

The Journal also reported that another device—one that the BP’s rig lacked—was a backup shutoff device called an acoustic switch that is used by some other oil-producing countries. MMS regulators had once considered requiring the acoustic switch. But after the industry spoke out against it, MMS backed down and simply recommended that the matter be studied.

hoe Bay pipeline facility, but at its other facilities across the country.

According to e-mails obtained by ProPublica and several people close to the government’s investigation, the company rejected some of the basic settlement conditions proposed by the EPA—including who would police the progress—and took a confrontational approach with debarment officials.

One person close to the negotiations said he was confounded by what he characterized as the company’s stubborn ap-

So the spill wasn’t prevented.

Could cleanup and containment efforts have gone better?

Following news of the leak, plans were announced to burn some of the oil in order to contain the spill, but there was no fire boom on hand in order to facilitate that burn, despite a 1994 response plan that suggested their immediate use in the case of a major Gulf oil spill, according to The PressRegister in Mobile, Ala. Other cleanup and containment efforts include skimming oil off the surface and using miles of protective booms to contain the oil’s movement toward the coast.

BP has also bought up much of the world’s supply of dispersants to use on the spill. Dispersants are chemicals intended to break up the oil. As we’ve reported, those chemicals could present their own environmental concerns, since their exact makeup is kept secret.

What was the White House’s response?

The Obama administration says it has been fully engaged since “day one,” but NPR reports that it was only after the rig sank two days after the explosion that the White House stepped up its involvement.

At the time, President Barack Obama was assured that no oil was leaking from the ruptured well, and he subsequently left for a short vacation, according to a helpful NPR timeline. A leak was noticed that weekend.

In recent weeks, the Obama administration has grown increasingly frustrated with the oil companies and regulators alike. Presi-

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16

proach to the debarment discussions. Given the history of BP’s problems, he said, any settlement would have been a second chance, a gift. Still, the e-mails show, BP resisted.

As more evidence is gathered about what went wrong in the Gulf, BP may soon wish it hadn’t.

It’s doubtful that the EPA will make any decisions about BP’s future in the United States until the Gulf investigation is completed, a process that could last a year. But as more information emerges about the causes of the accident there—

about faulty blowout preventers and hasty orders to skip key steps and tests that could have prevented a blowout—the more the emerging story begins to echo the narrative of BP’s other disasters. That, Meunier said, could leave the EPA with little choice as it considers how “a corporate attitude of non-compliance” should affect the prospect of the company’s debarment going forward.

ProPublica reporters Mosi Secret and Ryan Knutson and director of research Lisa Schwartz contributed to this report.

US CoaSt GUard

U.S. CoaSt GUard photo by petty offiCer 3rd ClaSS patriCk kelley.

EPA, from page 16

BP did not have fire booms on hand to faciliate a controlled burn for oil spill clean up.

dent Obama blasted oil company executives for blaming each other at congressional hearings, calling it “a ridiculous spectacle,” and criticizing the Minerals Management Service for its “cozy relationship” with industry.

What kind of job were regulators doing leading up to this incident?

We’ve had a hard time getting hold of anyone at the Minerals Management Service, the agency in charge of regulating offshore drilling. Officials there have not responded to our many calls and e-mails.

But in a hearing last week, one MMS official said the agency left it to oil companies to certify that blowout preventers were working properly. The official said the agency “‘highly encouraged,’ but did not require,” companies to have backup systems to trigger blowout preventers in case of an emergency,” according to The Wall Street Journal. That led to this gem of an exchange: “Highly encourage? How does that translate to enforcement?” Coast Guard Capt.

Hung Nguyen, who is co-chairing the investigation, asked at the hearings.

“There is no enforcement,” Mr.

Saucier replied.

The MMS official also testified that in 2001, new rules were drafted to tighten monitoring of offshore drilling and lay out requirements for blowout preventers, but the rules were never approved by higher-ups in Washington.

The Minerals Management Service— an agency within the Department of the Interior—has a rather mixed record. In 2008, the regulator was involved in a sex and drug scandal with oil and gas company representatives. Since then, the agency has also been criticized for understating the risks of oil spills in its plans to expand drilling off the coast of Alaska. A government investigation also concluded that an office at MMS withheld data on offshore drilling from environmental risk assessors in the agency.

The Washington Post also reported that when BP was seeking permission to drill with the Deepwater Horizon rig, MMS gave BP what is known as a “categorical exclusion”—meaning drilling plans would not be subjected to a detailed environmental analysis. Exemptions are given when the likelihood of a spill is seen to be

low. Reuters reports that between 250 and 400 exploration programs in the Gulf have been granted these exclusions. The White House and Department of the Interior have promised to investigate MMS’ liberal use of categorical exclusions.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced several reforms on May 14, including breaking MMS into two separate agencies—one that oversees leasing and collecting royalties and another that oversees safety inspections and enforcement. As we’ve noted, some say this doesn’t go far enough to mitigate the regulator’s conflicts of interest.

Who’s on the hook for what happened?

While accepting that it has to pay for the cleanup, BP has tried to distance itself from the spill and push at least some responsibility on Transocean. “It wasn’t our accident,” BP CEO Tony Hayward said on NBC’s “Today” show on May 3.

Hayward has said that the company will honor “all legitimate claims for business interruption.”

The contractor Transocean, for its part, has tried to limit its liability to $27 million, citing a law that’s a century and a half old, which says a vessel’s owner is liable only for the value of the vessel, according to the AP. A whole slew of investigations have

InternatIonal BIrd rescue research center

B

ecause of the oil spill in the Gulf Coast, 33 National Wildlife Refuges are currently at risk. The spill in the Gulf has affected more than 65 miles of shoreline, and threatened 400 species of wildlife.

Oil can cause harm to wildlife in several ways, including, ingestion, inhalation, physical contact and absorption, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Also, as technicians apply dispersant chemicals to the water’s surface, the oil will fall through the water and settle into the sediments, which can affect turtles, whales, dolphins, shellfish and fish.

Birds: Birds become exposed to oil when they skim the water’s surface searching for fish to eat. If a bird comes in contact with oil, it may lose its ability to fly, dive for food or hover on the water. An oiled bird that attempts to groom itself may ingest the oil, which can kill the bird instantly or affect its internal organs, leading to death. Some of the most important migratory bird ways in the U.S. are along the Gulf coast, and now is the peak of spring migration. Birds nesting in the gulf area that can be affected include the piping plover and the already threatened Brown Pelican.

Marine Reptiles and Mammals: Now is nesting season for sea turtles, and as sea turtles swim to shore to nest they can become covered with oil and damage their eggs. Five different species of sea turtles currently inhabit the Gulf, and all are already either threatened or endangered. Also, nine different species of dolphins and several species of whales are at risk of contamination, including the endangered sperm whale and the threatened Bryde whale.

Fish/Shellfish: Fish may be harmed if

by Sarah Bush

A bird that comes in contact with oil may lose its ability to fly or dive for food.

they ingest oil through their gills or if they eat contaminated plankton. Oil contamination can affect a fish’s eggs, leading to reproduction and population problems. Crabs, lobsters, clams and oysters can also be affected. Bottom dwelling species are susceptible to damage as the oil becomes concentrated on the shore.

Long-term effects: In 2008, commercial fishermen on the Gulf Coast caught more than 1.27 million pounds of fish and shellfish, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. On average, the seafood industry supplies the Coast economy with $2.4 billion in revenue. Long-term effects on birds and marine mammals are less known; however, immune-system problems are likely as well as more limited reproduction, which can heavily affect long-term populations.

Oil has the potential to stay in the environment for decades; ecologists have detected oil sediment up to 30 years after a spill, reports the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. been launched—and hearings scheduled—

by Congressional committees, the Coast Guard and MMS. President Obama also plans to create a commission to investigate the BP spill.

What’s this I hear about a cap on how much BP will have to pay?

Everyone seems to be in agreement that BP will have to pay for the cleanup.

That will include paying back federal agencies for their help in cleanup operations.

But liability for damages is a separate issue, and at the moment, damages are capped at $75 million by a 1990 law. Lawmakers in both the House and the Senate have introduced legislation that would raise the cap on damages to $10 billion.

Those lawmakers, with support from the White House, hope to apply the measure retroactively to BP. At the moment, the measure is having a surprisingly difficult time making it through the Senate, with Republicans blocking the measure. Several Republicans have argued that BP has promised to pay for damages and will “be held to” that promise, and that raising the liability cap to $10 billion could hurt smaller oil companies.

ProPublica is an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.

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ing the external costs for foreign oil imports, which did not include the cost of military expenditures. The report concluded: “[T]he costs of U.S. oil dependence since 1970 are $8 trillion, with a reasonable range of uncertainty of $5 to $13 trillion.” That is more than the cumulative cost of all U.S. wars since the Revolutionary War, according to the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security.

In a 2007 National Defense Council Foundation report, “The Hidden Cost of Oil,” America’s oil dependence totaled $825.1 billion in 2006.

The mantra—”drill baby, drill” domestically—is not a long-term solution. The U.S. has only about 4 percent of the world’s oil reserves, according to the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, and that percent will likely drop to 1 percent over the next ten years. At the rate of U.S. consumption, 24 percent in 2007, we cannot sustain our current lifestyle with domestic production alone.

“It is in our best interest to preemptively embark on a revolutionary change that will lead us away from oil dependency rather than drag our feet and suffer the ramifications of becoming growingly dependent on a diminishing resource,” the IAGS website states.

He said, BP said

by Lacey McLaughlin

M

ississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant’s response to the oil spill has been anything but dramatic and has often sent conflicting messages. Bryant criticized the national media during a May 12 press conference for “overreacting” and said the oil spill was not the Exxon Valdez. In April, however, Sierra Club regional director Louie Miller called the spill “America’s Chernobyl,” and on May 27, the federal government confirmed what many already suspected: The amount of oil from the Gulf gusher (18 million to 39 million gallons by that day) easily exceeds that of the Valdez (11 million gallons).

Until environmental organizations are able to conduct more studies and BP is able to stop the leak, it is difficult to weigh the accuracy of all statements but here are a few we’ve fact-checked: Oil Sheen isn’t Harmful During an April press conference, Barbour said that the majority of the spill is a “light sheen” and would have little impact on marine life, claiming that most marine animals would “swim away” from the oil. …

Initially, oil sheen—a light, translucent residue—is the first to

come close to shore, but according to MSNBC, the type of oil spilling into the gulf is a heavy blend coming from deep under the ocean. Fish could swim away from the oil, but their eggs and larvae wouldn’t be able to escape the oil and could be harmed or killed.

Sending in the Troops On May 13, Barbour said he would not send the National Guard because “we don’t have anything for the National Guard to do.” …. Alabama and Louisiana Governors have called on thousands of National Guard troops to build barriers and place booms to protect wildlife. The troops could do the same thing for Mississippi’s Barrier Islands and coastline.

Smelling Oil or Paranoia?

On May 12, Bryant said that reports of residents smelling oil from the spill on the Coast were wrong, and attributed the smell to gasoline used in lawnmowers. … Miller, however, said that several residents have reported a strong odor from the Gulf that has a distinctly different smell from lawnmowers.

“You aren’t smelling lawnmowers on the beach in Biloxi and Bay St. Louis. It comes and it goes, it’s quite evidence that when the wind conditions are right you’re smelling the dispersants and the oil burning as well,” Miller said.

A sample of oil taken by Greenpeace Senior Campaigner Lindsey Allen on the breakwater in the mouth of the Mississippi River where it meets the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana on May 18.

P

roblems resulting from the April 20 deadly explosion of a British Petroleum oil rig could be nothing compared to the potential complications.

The phenomenon offers no comparative situation upon which to base destructive potential, according to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Biology Department Chairwoman Judy McDowell. You can’t compare the devastation, for example, to the destruction from the 1989 breach of the Exxon-Valdez tanker in Alaska’s Prince William Sound.

“After the (Valdez) accident you knew how much oil you were dealing with, so the big challenge involved predicting where that oil would move geographically in both space and time,” McDowell said. “With this spill, the amount of oil being spilled is unknown.”

Another issue to consider is the sheer mobility of the oil, which McDowell said is dispersed throughout the Gulf of Mexico, potentially affecting more area, both inshore and deepwater, making predicting long-term impacts “purely speculative.”

Sandra Brooke, coral conservation director for the Marine Conservation Biology Institute of Bellevue, Washington, told the Jackson Free Press this month that by dispersing the oil geyser directly into the water with detergent agents, BP essentially brokered a trade-off on which ecosystems to sacrifice: the shoreline and surface animals vs. deepwater habitats invisible to the human eye. “… (T)he most well-developed deepwater coral system we know of in the Gulf of Mexico is less than 100 kilometers up the shelf from (the massive leak). Nobody has been considering the effects of that dispersed crap on the real deep-water corals,” Brooke said.

Louisiana fishermen are, according to Mississippi Sierra Club Director Louie Miller, furious at the potential implications of oil seeping into the already fading Louisiana wetlands—which were losing an acre an hour to the sea, according to CommonDreams.org.

“Many of them are already out of work and their careers could be over for years.

They’re kind of in the middle of another Katrina with this.”

Time Magazine published a story claiming analysts had put damage to the Louisiana fishing industry at $2.5 billion, while Florida could end up losing $3 billion in tourism income. Time also reported that BP CEO Tony Hayward expected BP’s liability costs to top $8 billion.

The Louisiana wetlands along the edge of the water serve as the breeding ground for much of the shrimp and fish industry that makes Louisiana famous. This could be a problem considering the nature of oil to hit the smallest marine life the hardes. Oil spills impact stationary plants and animals, sensitive species and critters in the midst of vulnerable life stages—such as eggs, larvae, and juveniles.

Brooke said free-floating oil in the deepwater area could also spur the growth of oil-devouring bacteria, which could use up considerable oxygen in the Gulf area, spawning bacteria-based dead zones comparable to the algae-based seasonal dead zone already prevalent along the mouth of the Mississippi River courtesy of agricultural run-off.

Facing unsightly oil on the beaches and the possibility of the persistent loss of the fishing and the sport-fishing industry, there is the potential for the veritable death of the coastal-based tourist industry in Louisiana and Mississippi. Even Florida isn’t fairing well these days, according to a New York Times article, which describes tourist bookings having dropped 15 percent since April 20, despite the fact that Florida appears to suffer no clear evidence of oily beaches.

Miller said tourists won’t risk ruining their expensive vacations with the depressing sight of beach-going tar-balls.

The problems with the diving tourism and fishing industry appear to be compounded by the sheer longevity of oil in the environment. Some organisms feed on hydrocarbons, but their cleaning effort stops only a few inches down under the soil in every case study.

“With the West Falmouth spill, which happened in 1969, it took more than a decade for some of the benthic species … in that habitat to return, such as fiddler crabs.

But even 40 years later, the fiddler crabs in that area, their burrows will not penetrate beyond the oil layer, and so they have a very shallow burrow which leaves them more prone to predation,” McDowell said.

Imagine countless Louisiana crawdad holes, decades from now, still incapable of penetrating the earth 10 centimeters. But there’s no sense in thinking of oil’s environmental prevalence in terms of years, when you can classify it in terms of geologic cycles.

McDowell points out that the oil can persist long enough to enter the fossil record. Millions of years from now some future paleontologist could potentially dig down into the sedimentary rock of an ancient Louisiana coastal swamp and uncover fossil evidence of a layer of oil deposited there courtesy of BP 19 in 2010. jacksonfreepress.com

G

as prices in the U.S. are around $2.90 a gallon for regular, ringing up a tidy $58 tab for a 20-gallon SUV fill up. In the United Kingdom, that same tank of gas will set you back more than $145, according to NationMaster.com.

So why is gasoline so cheap in the U.S.?

Truth is, it’s not cheap at all; what we pay at the pump is only a fraction of the real cost.

In 1998, when a gallon of regular was around $1.03, the International Center for Technology Assessment, a non-profit, bi-partisan organization that provides analyses of the impact of technological on society, attempted to gauge the full cost of a gallon of gas in the U.S. “The Real Price of Gasoline” examined a host of federal tax incentives and subsidies, military protection for oil-rich regions of the world, the impact of oil to the environment, health and other social costs, like urban sprawl. From the billions in oil companies tax breaks, to programs that support extracting and producing gasoline, to Defense Department spending in the Middle East, the report concluded that the “real” price of a gallon of gas fell somewhere in between $5.60 and $15.37. A partial 2005 update to the report added another 21 to 32 cents per gallon.

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, managed by the U.S. Department of Energy, produced a report in 2005 titled “Cost of U.S. Oil Dependence,” examin-

by Adam Lynch

SEAN GARDNER/GREENPEACE

by Ronni Mott

Shrimp Processors Fear for Livelihood Carl Gibson

by Carl Gibson

W

ally Gollott, owner of the Gulf Pride Seafood Company in Biloxi, leads me to a large metal door at the company’s freezer, down the street from where 43,000 pounds of shrimp are being peeled and packed by 30 or so workers.

“Let me show you something,” Gollott says, heaving the door open with a grunt and parting a plastic curtain.

We walk into a cold, concrete room about the size of a church sanctuary, our breath now visible in the shrimp freezer. The room itself is sparsely occupied by pallets stacked with boxes of freshly-processed gulf shrimp, stacked three high in one corner of the room. About two-thirds of the room is empty, and a forklift sits in the other corner, about 10 empty pallets stacked on its arms. Unused pallets complement the several dozen barrels of shrimp, which truckers will pick up and deliver to local food distributors all the way to Memphis, and in some cases, to St. Louis and Chicago.

Gollott says that since the oil spill, business has sharply decreased. Gulf Pride normally takes in between $10 million and $14

million in revenue every year. Even though biologists had predicted the 2010 shrimping season to produce a once-in-a-decade bumper crop, Gollott says his company will be lucky to make even $6 million this year, and much of that will depend on imports.

“It probably will shut us down until we’re able to secure some shrimp, maybe in Texas,” Gollott says with a sigh.

On Saturdays, the plant is usually busier than normal—Gollott is processing 25,000 pounds of Louisiana shrimp still untainted by the expanding oil slick. His colleague, Earl Fayard, president of Ocean Springs Seafood Inc., is processing 18,000 of his own shrimp at the Gulf Pride plant. Even on a comparably prosperous day, Gollott says business has slowed down drastically.

Mississippi’s shrimping season officially begins this month, and the 2010 hurricane season is already underway. As of May 27, NOAA has predicted 23 storms of at least tropical strength, and three to seven of those storms could be major hurricanes.

In the meantime, the federal government is urging shrimpers to catch what they can before more fishing zones are closed off due to the oil spewing into the gulf.

“We’re getting the last of what’s available for a period of time. In the near-term, we’re going to run out of shrimp to process,” Fayard says.

“I don’t know what will happen to the company after this. It could be early retirement for me.”

How Much Will This Cost Us?

June 3 - 9, 2010

20

File Photo

W

ith more oil still to come, gauging the Gulf oil spill’s economic impact is a tricky thing. Researchers at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi’s Harte Research Institute estimate that the spill puts $1.6 billion worth of economic activity and services at risk for the Gulf region.

Of that, tourism accounts for $77.6 million, recreational fishing comprises $114 million and commercial fishing represents $30.3 million. The bulk of the estimated cost is the $1.2 million researchers attributed to “ecosystem services”—a catchall term for direct and indirect contributions of the natural environment to things like storm protection and waste treatment.

The problem with the Texas A&M study is that the huge number of variables involved makes estimates nearly meaningless. Nobody knows how much oil will ultimately leak into the Gulf, and of that amount, how much will find its way into fishing waters and onto beaches and wetlands. Beyond that, the potential effects on tourism and seafood consumption are even harder to pin down.

While solid estimates of the spill’s cost are scarce, proof of the Gulf economy’s importance abound. The region’s commercial seafood industry generates roughly $2.5 billion per year. A 2006 Mississippi State University study estimated the economic impact of the state’s seafood industry at $308.3 million.

With Mississippi waters unaffected so far, the harm on Mississippi fishermen have been

by Ward Schaefer

primarily a result of perception problems, Rep. Diane Peranich, D-Pass Christian, argues.

Tourists and locals aren’t eating as much seafood or renting fishing boats. “(I) know one gentleman in particular who was able to show us that he lost $15,000 in just one week, and our waters were open and are still open,” Peranich said.

Tourism is the Coast’s great contribution to the state economy, and a decrease in tourism numbers could have a profound impact statewide, said Mike Cashion, executive director of the Mississippi Hospitality and Restaurant Association.

Together the three coastal counties— Hancock, Harrison and Jackson—account for $1.63 billion in travel and tourism revenue and $170.23 million in state and local taxes. The three counties accounted for $653 million in restaurant sales last year. Restaurant revenue spikes in the summer during tourist season, so a significant portion of that figure is at risk, Cashion noted.

“That’s one of the sad things about this,” Cashion said. “It just couldn’t have happened at a worse time.”

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21

Before You

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by Ronni Mott

This information should not be used as a substitute for a doctor’s care. Please consult with your doctor before changing or adding any therapies.

S

ometimes, when I can’t fall asleep, I count the beats of my heart. Thathump, tha-thump, tha-thump, I search for the steady rhythm. Thathump, I hear the beat through my inner ear. Tha-thump, it pushes to my fingertips.

Tha-thump, I try to slow it down. Thathump, my breath and heart in sync, thathump, and I’m asleep.

Everyone eventually dies of heart failure, a doctor once told me. Regardless of what else might be killing you, when your heart stops, that’s it. Culture sees the heart as the seat of emotion, it symbolizes our courage, and it breaks like glass. Metaphors aside, the heart is a muscle with a job to do. It doesn’t require our conscious effort to work, and for most of us, we take it for granted right up until the time it stops working well.

Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States, accounting for 26.8 percent of all deaths in 2006. In Mississippi, the rate is even higher: 28.3 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.

Women have a higher risk for heart disease than men, it turns out, although we are frequently misdiagnosed because our symptoms can be dramatically different.

Risk factors for heart disease include everything from genetics to obesity to poor lifestyle choices like being sedentary and smoking.

“Based on early studies, smoking was recognized as a bad practice for lung cancer, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis, [but] … it’s an even bigger problem for cardiovascular disease,” said Dr. William Kannel, former director of the Framingham Heart Study in a 2007 PBS interview. “… [T]here are at least 10 cardiovascular events for every case of lung cancer (attributed to smoking).”

The groundbreaking Framingham Heart Study, which has been ongoing since 1948, has followed more than 10,000 participants to identify the causes and risk factors for heart

disease and stroke. Many of the facts about heart disease that we take for granted today, like the connection between high cholesterol and heart attacks, come from the study, which is now working with the children and grandchildren of the original set of subjects.

Before the study “there was a concept that (heart disease) was an inevitable (result) of aging and genetic makeup; that if you had a bad family history, that was it,” Kannel says.

“We began to say, ‘No, it isn’t exactly that way; some folks are more susceptible than others, and there are correctable, predisposing causes that can be dealt with to lower the risk.’ This was an important contribution.”

Like any muscle, your heart responds to conditioning. Regular exercise is one of the best ways to keep your heart in shape. As you become more fit, your heart doesn’t have to work as hard to pump blood through your system. Controlling high blood pressure is also important, as is keeping your cholesterol in check.

Exercise is also a great stress reliever, which is important because doctors are discovering that stress plays a huge role in whether your heart is healthy. Cardiologist Dr. John Kennedy, author of “The 15-Minute Heart Cure,” (Wiley, 2010, $25.95) and board member of the American Heart Association, says stress is often the underlying cause of heart disease.

“The reason that this is so is because when the ‘flight or fight response’ is triggered, adrenal and cortisol are released into the body and have deleterious effects on the heart, the blood pressure, inflammation, and so on,” Kennedy told PsychCentral.com. “I give talks to doctors, and of the last 3,000 of them I asked if emotional stress precipitates heart disease; well, 3,000 out of 3,000 agree.”

Kennedy’s book uses guided imagery and breathing techniques to induce the relaxation response, something people who meditate or practice yoga can appreciate.

“I actually based it on sports psychology, meditation techniques and cognitive behavioral therapy,” Kennedy says.

“The technique can be used in business as well. You know, in other cultures, Italy for example, people work to live. Here in America, we live to work. … [W]e all need to downshift and be in the moment.”

Other activities that can lead to a healthy heart include simple things like laughter and listening to joyful music, according to cardiologist Dr. Michael Miller, director of preventive cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. His study on music showed a 26 percent increase in bloodvessel dilation (that’s good) when subjects listened to joyful music that they liked.

“The (positive) responses we’ve seen to music and laughter are similar to those that

are obtained with exercise or the use of medications that are protective to the heart, such as statins,” Miller says in a hospital interview. “… Clearly, they should be considered as part of our heart-healthy routine lifestyle.

Hungry Heart

J

ulia Zumpano, a dietitian with the Preventive Cardiology Center at The Cleveland Clinic, recommends a “whole-foods diet” for heart health. “You want everything to be in its natural form, as it comes from the ground, the less processed the better,” she says on WebMD. The following are WebMD’s top 10 recommendations for heart-healthy eating. For the complete list of 25, including a list of nutrients provided by each food and serving suggestions, go to www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/25-top-heart-healthy-foods.

1. Salmon 2. Flaxseed (ground) 3. Oatmeal 4. Black or Kidney Beans

5. Almonds 6. Walnuts 7. Red wine 8. Tuna 9. Tofu 10. Brown rice

It’s Different for Girls

D

octors often misdiagnose heart attacks in women because their symptoms aren’t necessarily the same as those for men.

In general, heart attack symptoms can include: • Shortness of breath.

• Repeated episodes of chest discomfort.

• Discomfort in other parts of the upper body, such as one or both arms (usually the left), the back, left shoulder, neck, jaw, or stomach • Numbness or tingling in the arm, hand or jaw.

• Dizziness or light-headedness.

• Sweating.

Women are less likely to have chest pain during a heart attack, and their symptoms can also include: • Back, neck or jaw pain • Persistent heartburn or indigestion • Nausea or vomiting • Dizziness or light-headedness • Weakness • Fatigue SOURCE: www.pbS.ORg/takEOnEStEp/hEaRt.

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23

Christi Vivar

“This is the perfect place to go bike riding,” I thought, when my husband and I went to survey the new neighborhood we would be moving into. And apparently he thought the same thing because before I could say anything to him, he declared to me that we would most definitely spend the summer riding bikes. I’ve been trying to find some type of physical activity with which to bond with my husband as he has no desire to practice martial arts (with me), and because of my asthma, I can’t keep up with him for long while jogging.

I have fond childhood memories of riding bikes with my brother and two cousins, and I’m glad that I will be able to more memories now with my husband. I’m sure this won’t be a trend but something we will continue to do no matter where we move next.

Lacey McLaughlin

There is no such thing as a “normal” week at the JFP, and this can make it hard to find time to get into a workout routine.

For the goal of losing 10 pounds, I’ve starting running again and for those days that I can’t squeeze in a workout, I’ve been more conscious about what I eat . I find that I am too busy to plan meals and I wait until I’m starving to figure out what to eat. At that point, I’m more likely to make unhealthy choices.

Two weeks ago, I meditated for the first time at the Jackson Zen Dojo. I was concerned that my Attention Deficit Disorder and chronic impatience would make staring at a wall for half an hour tortuous. But I went into it without any expectations and it was a great way to refocus my mind and energy.

June 3 - 9, 2010

ShaWanda Jacome

24

to work by about 8:30 a.m. Coffee, shower, dressed ... occasionally a bowl of cereal; mostly not. Once at the office, more coffee, maybe a pastry and more coffee. By late lunch, I’m starving, although the food is often decent.

Back in the office? Coffee until I feel guilty about it, then I’ll finally switch to water late in the day. Head to the bank drive-through by 6 p.m., then it’s generally back to the office until at least 8 p.m. Then, three nights a week we’re out on the town. The other two nights are generally Monday night (home after enough pages are done; quick dinner, try to get to bed) and Friday night—often dinner out with friends or dinner in with a movie.

Saturday—back in the office most days.

Sundays? A day of rest—and exercise!

So, what does the Road to Wellness hold for me? Four more days of exercise. I can’t hit every weeknight, but I’ve got to build the discipline to either get up and on the street in the morning for a walk (which means up by 7:15 a.m.—not easy for a devout night owl) and/or more nights in the gym, even if it means getting work done an hour earlier each evening.

Latasha Willis

I’ve come to the conclusion that instead of the five goals I listed, I should have just had one goal: Improve my short-term memory.

Why? Because I keep forgetting my goals!

My brain is on autopilot most days, thinking about obligations for work, school or church, so two or three days will go by before I realize that I haven’t done something. I think that I may have to post a checklist on my mirror to remind me of what I am supposed to be doing. I’m distracted on a regular basis, so I hope I don’t overlook the checklist!

Kristin Brenemen

I’ve been turning the TV off earlier in the evenings. With this extra time, I’ve been getting things ready for the next day, spending time with the family and reading. I’ve been going to bed a little earlier on some nights.

I have been struggling with exercise. I have a hard time finding an type of exercise that I enjoy. I’m not a big fan of the outdoors (Mississippi summer weather and mosquitoes are not my favorites) and it’s hard to fit it into my schedule.

I love music so I know aerobic classes would probably be my best bet. I’m going to stick with in-home DVDs. And with DVDs I can fit it into my schedule when it’s most convenient for me.

Through some trial and error over the years I have discovered that sugar is the enemy.

Sugar is in everything we eat, and it’s hard to avoid. Everything has sugar, high fructose corn syrup, cane juice, dextrose, sucrose, glucose, maltose—the many guises lurk in everything from breakfast foods to dinner entree ingredients. Read a couple of nutrition labels if you don’t believe me.

Step one of the Road to Wellness: Avoiding sugar again. Not going so well in this first week or so. Someone set a trap in the office this morning with delicious red velvet cupcakes (complete with patriotic American flags poking out of the tops of each).

I only ate half of one. Don’t judge me.

Maybe tomorrow I’ll do better.

Todd Stauffer

Ashley Jackson

For the past few months I’ve been loving the time spent either on the elliptical at the gym or on the bicycle that I’ve recently dusted off, adjusted a bit and started riding around the neighborhood. After an hour or so of cardio mixed with hard work for my leg muscles, I’m ready to enjoy a long, quiet evening and a good night’s sleep. There’s only one problem—I generally only get that exercise one (sometimes two) nights per week!

Here’s the deal—up at 7:45 a.m. to get

Starting on a new wellness program can be difficult in the beginning. Other than forgetting exactly what I was planning to change, I have been in the process of moving into a new house. That’s been a long tiring process and has made it difficult to eat balanced meals, go to the gym and yoga. My new (and possibly haunted) house is much closer to my workout facilities. On a positive note, my arms, legs, and abs have been getting a fantastic work out from moving heavy boxes up the stairs.

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BEST BETS May 27 - June 3

by Latasha Willis events@jacksonfreepress.com Fax: 601-510-9019 Daily updates at jfpevents.com

Thursday 6/3

Local retailers and buyers are invited to the Mississippi Market at the Mississippi Trade Mart (1207 Mississippi St.) from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Free with tax ID and two credentials; call 888-886-3323. … Fondren After 5 is from 5-8 p.m. Free; call 601-981-9606. … St. Luke’s United Methodist Church (621 Duling Ave.) is having an art show with music by the Perry Combs Jazz Group and a space jump from 5-8 p.m. Free; call 601-362-6381. … Couture for a Cure at Renaissance (1000 Highland Colony Parkway) at 6 p.m. benefits the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. $5 in advance, $8 at the door; call 601-853-0775. … Soulshine, Township has music by Fingers Taylor and Friends from 7-9:30 p.m. Free. … Raphael Semmes performs at Underground 119 from 8-11 p.m. Free. … The Jason Turner Band plays at Poets II. Call 601-364-9411.

saTurday 6/5

The NPC Southern Classic at Thalia Mara Hall at 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. features bodybuilding, fitness, figure and bikini competitions. $15-$35, tickets held at will call only; call 601605-1316. … The Hamstock BBQ & Music Festival on Jackson Street in Ridgeland from noon-10 p.m. includes music by Horse Trailer, The Revivalists and The Alex Ross Band. Free; visit jacksonstreetdistrict.com. … The Mississippi Boychoir 15th Anniversary Celebration is at Galloway United Methodist Church (305 N. Congress St.). Call 601-366-0579 for more details. … Pelican Cove has music by the Emma Wynters Trio from 6-10 p.m. Visit emmawynters.com. … Crossin’ Dixon performs with Scott McCrory at Fire at 9 p.m. Call 601-592-1000. … The house party with DJ Allen at Dick & Jane’s is at 9 p.m. $6, $10 ages 18 and up.

Bryan Doyle

sunday 6/6

The BK International Hair Expo at the Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.) is from 9 a.m.6 p.m. and continues June 7 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. $25 students, $40 professionals; call 601-331-2882. … The play “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do” at New Stage Theatre (1100 Carlisle St.) closes today with a 2 p.m. performance. $22, $18 students and seniors 60 and up; call 601-948-3533. …

The Mike & Marty Open Jam Session at The Warehouse is from 6-10 p.m. Free. … Open-mic poetry at Cultural Expressions is at 8 p.m. $5.

Monday 6/7

Stevie J performs during the blues lunch at F. Jones Corner at noon. Free. … Karaoke at Dreamz Jxn starts at 5:30 p.m. Call 601-979-3994. … The “Work Play” networking event at Last Call is from 6-10 p.m. Free admission. … The Central Mississippi Blues Society Jam at Hal & Mal’s is from 8-11 p.m. $5. … Hunter Gibson and Rick Moreira perform at Fitzgerald’s from 8 p.m.-midnight.

Free. … Fenian’s has karaoke from 8 p.m.-1 a.m. Free. …

The Open-Mic Free Jam at Martin’s starts at 10 p.m.

Rhonda Richmond performs at the Afrika Book Café June 4 at 9 p.m.

June 3 - 9, 2010

Rhonda Richmond performs at Afrika Book Café (404 Mitchell Ave.) at 9 p.m. $15. … Robert Randolph and the Family Band are in Hal & Mal’s Big Room at 9 p.m. Visit robertrandolph.net. … “Can’t Feel My Face Friday” with DJ Reign and DJ Hova at Dreamz Jxn is at 9 p.m. Call 601-9793994. … Old Tavern has music by Furrows, Spacewolf and The Diagonals at 9 p.m. Call 601-960-2700. … First Friday at the Marriott Hotel (200 E. Amite St.) in the Windsor Ballroom starts at 9 p.m. and includes music by DJ Phil from “The Rickey Smiley Show.” The dress code is upscale. The first 50 people get in free. $10; visit jbentertainmentgroup. net. … Minor Adjustments plays at Martin’s at 10 p.m. Call 601-354-9712. … The Bailey Brothers perform with Jesse 26 Robinson at F. Jones Corner from 11:30 p.m.-4 a.m. $10.

“Art at the Auditorium” at The Auditorium Restaurant features works by local artists from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Call 601982-0002. … Music in the City at the Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.) at 5:45 p.m. includes music by Sibyl Child, Deborah Feldman and John Paul of the Mississippi Opera. Free, donations welcome; call 601-960-1515. … The Xtremes perform at Shucker’s from 7-11 p.m. Free. … Pub Quiz at Hal & Mal’s starts at 8 p.m. Call 601-948-0888.

Wednesday 6/9

M. O. Walsh signs copies of “The Prospect of Magic” at Lemuria Books (202 Banner Hall, 4465 Interstate 55 North) at 5 p.m. $16.95 book; call 601-366-7619. … The CD release party for Mississippi John Doude at Bonnie Blair’s Irish Pub (1149 Old Fannin Road, #16, Brandon) starts at 7 p.m.

Visit myspace.com/mississippijohndoude. … Barry Leach performs at Hal & Mal’s at 8 p.m. Call 601-948-0888. … Rotary Downs and Furrows perform at Martin’s at 9 p.m. $5. … Storage 24 takes on Asphalt Cowboy during the Battle of the Bands at Electric Cowboy. Call 601-899-5333.

Thursday 6/10

The opening reception for Brent Funderburk’s “Illumina” exhibit at Bryant Galleries (3010 Lakeland Cove, Flowood) is at 5:30 p.m. Call 601-932-5099. … The JFP Lounge at Sal & Mookie’s Pi(e) Lounge (565 Taylor St.) is from 6-10 p.m.

Free; call 601-362-6121, ext. 11. … Swing de Paris and the Jason MarsalisVibes Quartet perform at Highland Village (4500 Interstate 55 North) at 6:30 p.m. Free; call 601-982-5861. …

Mississippi Murder Mystery presents “Bedlam in Cabin B” at Plantation Commons (105 Plantation Cove, Madison) at 7 p.m. $40; call 601-331-4045. … GWAR, Dirge Within and Mobile Deathcamp perform at Fire at 9 p.m. $17.

More events and details at jfpevents.com.

The D’lo Trio plays at the Cherokee Inn June 3 at 6:30 p.m.

Courtesy Hal Jeanes

Friday 6/4

Tuesday 6/8

arts

by Anita Modak-Truran

creative commons

‘Am I Blue?’

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“S

ita Sings the Blues” is a diaphanous dream of an animated musical. The movie opens on the voluptuous and glittery goddess Sita rising from salty blue waves on a pink lotus blossom. On another lotus blossom, a peacock Victrola balanced on a cobra table plays a scratchy torch song. Sita placidly sways to the jazzy rhythm until the record gets stuck on “a woman like me.” Then, with a burst into a cosmic universe, a beating heart centers a kaleidoscopic montage of floating deities. This is big. It’s the greatest break-up ever.

The film, written, directed, edited, animated and produced by Nina Paley, tells two parallel stories of heartbreak punctuated by the 1920s jazz songs of torch singer Annette Hanshaw. One story is ancient and epic and based loosely on the Hindu “Ramayana.” The other is contemporary and biographical, based on Paley’s divorce. The stories are universal, timeless and told in a fresh, original style, marrying Eastern and Western philosophy and art.

As narrated by shadow puppets with heavy Indian accents (Aseem Chhabra, Bhavana Nagulapally and Manish Acharya), the goddess Sita is the virtuous wife of the god Rama. Despite her heavenly beauty, purity of heart and unconditional love for her husband, Sita’s marriage to Rama is not bliss. After Rama is banished from the kingdom for 14 years, the demon king Ravana kidnaps Sita. Ravana covets Sita’s fair-as-lotus-blossom skin, her eyes like lotus pools, her hands like lotuses and her big, round, firm … lotuses. Rama raises an army and rescues Sita, but he has nagging doubts about her chastity.

“Am I blue, am I blue, Ain’t these tears in these eyes telling you,” sings Sita (sung by Hanshaw). She croons her sad songs for all broken-hearted women.

Nina (voiced by Paley) feels exactly like Sita. She cries “weak American tears” (a phrase coined by playwright John Howell) when her husband, Dave, goes to India for six months of work. When Dave signs on

for another year, Nina places the cat up for adoption, sells the condo in San Francisco and travels to India to join her husband.

Dave gives Nina a frosty reception.

Nina, like Sita, is blue.

“Was a time I was his only, only, only one. But now I’m the sad and lonely one,” she sings.

The intercutting of Sita’s epic tale with Nina’s personal failures pops the hot air from the fairy-tale bubble of happily ever after and replaces it with the simple truth: Unconditional love may not be enough to sustain a marriage.

“That man went away. Now he’s gone, and we’re through. Am I blue,” Sita sings.

Paley’s film, which won awards at the Berlin International and countless other film festivals, was her way of coping with her own personal tragedy.

“I’m just an ordinary human who also can’t make her marriage work,” Paley writes on the movie’s website. “And the way that it fails is uncannily similar to the way Rama and Sita’s (relationship fails): Inexplicable yet so familiar. And the question that I asked and the question people still ask is, ‘Why’?

‘Why did Rama reject Sita?’ ‘Why did my husband reject me?’ We don’t know why, and we didn’t know 3,000 years ago.”

Paley’s visualization of the intertwined stories is a brilliant collage of jeweled colors and ingenuity. With one exception, she animated the entire film. She used old-fashioned, low budget 2-D techniques and Flash animation. The result is a Bollywood extravaganza, swirled with surrealism and topped with wide-eyed “Betty Boopness.”

The film is sheer enchantment.

“Sita Sings the Blues” is part of the “Dinner and a Movie” series at Rainbow Whole Foods Co-Operative Grocery (2807 Old Canton Road), screening June 4 at 7:30 p.m. A vegetarian Indian dinner precedes the screening of the film. Advance tickets, available at Rainbow, are $13 for non-members and $11 for members. Tickets at the door are $16 for non-members and $14 for members. For more information, call 601-366-1602.

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Rainbow Whole Foods Co-Operative will screen“Sita Sings the Blues” at 7:30 p.m. during “Dinner and a Movie” on June 4. A vegetarian Indian dinner will precede the screening.

27

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Movie listings for Friday, June 4th thru Thursday, June 10th Killers Marmaduke

PG13 PG

Get Him to the Greek R Splice

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books

by Skyla Dawn Luckey

Did He Do It?

D

id grocery delivery driver Willie McGee crawl through a window, wake mother of three Willette Hawkins from her sleep as she held her infant daughter and rape her? Or did Hawkins wake up after a nightmare and believe it actually happened? Did she make it up?

These questions will frequently pop into the reader’s mind while reading “The Eyes of Willie McGee: A Tragedy of Race, Sex, and Secrets in the Jim Crow South” (HarperCollins, 2010, $26.99) by Jackson native Alex Heard, a true story about a black man, McGee, who allegedly raped a white woman, Hawkins, in Laurel, Miss., in 1945.

The questions may never find answers. On May 8, 1951, after receiving a death sentence in three separate trials, the 35-year-old McGee was executed in Mississippi’s traveling electric chair for the crime of rape.

Heard, editorial director of Outside magazine and author of “Apocalypse Pretty Soon,” spent five years researching and writing “The Eyes of Willie McGee” in his spare time. Heard first learned of the McGee case at Vanderbilt University, where the late journalism professor Jim Leeson played a tape recording of the McGee execution broadcast for his students. (Listen to the broadcast at www.eyesofwilliemcgee.com.) Years later, Heard came across a few pages about the McGee case in a volume he found in a used bookstore, and he decided to investigate.

At first, the details of the case were murky, but Heard discovered great resources of information, among them the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and the archives of the communist Civil Rights Congress in Washington, D.C. (The CRC paid for McGee’s defense, and former Congresswoman Bella Abzug was his lead attorney, adding interesting historical twists to the case.) There, he discovered trial transcripts, FBI documents and archived newspapers. Heard conducted interviews with people who still remember the horrific events, and he interviewed the nowgrown McGee and Hawkins children. The result is an unbiased story that reports hardship and suffering endured by both families.

During the trials, journalists from California to New York, and as far away as the Soviet Union and China, wrote about Hawkins as if she was an evil, power-hungry sex fiend— the woman who cried rape. The stories and conjectures from people all over the world will blow the reader‘s mind, and Heard uncovers the truth about many of the assumptions that have become accepted truth over the years.

“McGee was ultimately executed—but the woman lost quite a bit as well,” Heard writes on his website. “In the aftermath, she was thrown under a bus by journalists and historians who were (and still are) surprisingly Courtesy HarperCollins

ON THE PROWL. READY TO ROLL.

sloppy about conveying her side of the story.”

The story remains a sore subject in Laurel.

In interviews, the majority of Laurel’s African Americans believe McGee was innocent while the majority of whites believe he was guilty.

Heard reports: “‘Willie McGee was a man who liked women and they liked him,’ Cleavan Jordan began. ‘Along in there after the war, he got messed up with a white woman and her husband found out.

So she called rape on Willie to save her own neck,’” In contrast, Mrs. O.A. McMullan, in her 50s at the time of the trial, says: “The lawyers themselves should be shot for having anything to do with this case, for defending the old rascal. He is guilty, and everybody knows it.”

Tension during the trials extended to McGee’s white lawyers—Dixon Pyles, Alvin London and John Poole—who did not bring up allegations of an affair between the two, afraid of a potential lynch mob if they showed favor to McGee. During one of the trials, the lawyers fled for their lives before delivering a summation, and they never called witnesses to McGee’s defense.

Heard gives examples of how the corrupt justice system of the time favored whites, as in the case of Laverne Yarbrough.

“At around 6 p.m. on December 6, 1946, a 24-year-old white male named Laverne Yarbrough showed up at a small grocery store in the Queensburg section of town. The store’s owner, F.A. Hendry didn’t know Yarbrough, but he noticed that he had a bottle of whiskey in his pocket,” Heard writes.

Hendry closed the store for the night.

Moments later, two African American boys witnessed Yarbrough walking past them holding a little black girl by the hand. He proceeded to pick her up and take her into the woods, where he raped her.

“Notably, blood-test evidence was never introduced,” Heard writes, “[A]pparently, for Laurel investigators, the visual link of a bloody girl and blood on Yarbrough’s clothing and skin was enough.”

Prosecutors sought the death penalty for Yarbrough, but an all-white jury sentenced him to life. A white man rapes a helpless child, and his life is spared; a black man rapes a white woman, and he is executed.

McGee’s guilt or innocence remains in question, but even if guilty, it is clear that Willie McGee was not treated fairly. “The Eyes of Willie McGee” may be the first time the story is told equally from both sides.

Signed copies of “The Eyes of Willie McGee” are available at Lemuria Books. Heard appears in Oxford, June 2 (Overby Center at Ole Miss at 9 a.m., and Square Books at 5 p.m.); Greenwood June 3 at Turnrow Books; Laurel June 4 (no venue, yet); and New Orleans June 6 at Garden District Books.

jfpevents Radio JFP on WLEZ ongoing, at WLEZ 100.1 FM and wlezfm.com. Join Donna Ladd and Todd Stauffer every Thursday from noon-1 p.m., where they discuss vital issues and play local music. This week’s guests are singer Akami Graham and Kimberly Thomas. Listen to podcasts of all shows at jfpradio.com. Free; call 601-362-6121, ext. 17.

Fondren After 5 June 3, 5-8 p.m., in Fondren. This monthly event showcases the local shops, galleries and restaurants of the Fondren neighborhood. Free; call 601-981-9606.

JFP Lounge at Pi(e) Lounge June 10, 6-10 p.m., at Sal & Mookie’s (565 Taylor St.). Enjoy a special JFP “Creative Class� martini, free munchies, and lots of fellowship with Jackson creatives and progressives.

Free admission; call 601-362-6121, ext. 11. “The Market in Fondren� Flea, Craft and Garden Market June 19, 8 a.m.-noon, at First Baptist Church of Jackson (431 N. State St.). Local artists and food producers will sell their goods. Entertainment provided. Call 520-205-0288.

Sixth Annual Chick Ball July 24, 6 p.m., at Hal & Mal’s (200 Commerce St.). This fundraising event benefits the Center for Violence Prevention. Seeking sponsors, auction donations and volunteers now.

Get involved, volunteer, donate art/money/gifts at chickball@jacksonfreepress.com. Be a sponsor for as low as $50. $5; call 601-362-6121, ext. 16; visit jfpchickball.com and follow us on Twitter @ jfpchickball.

CORRECTION: In the Summer Arts Preview (Vol. 8, Issue 37), the Yoga for Non-Violence fundraiser for the Center for Violence Prevention was listed with a date of Aug. 10 at 10 a.m. The correct date is Aug. 7 at 10 a.m. We apologize for the error. Please call 601-500-0337 or 601-932-4198 for more information on the event.

Community Fun at St. Luke’s June 3, 5 p.m., at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church (621 Duling Ave.). Enjoy an art show, live music by the Perry Combs Jazz Group and a kids’ space jump. Free; call 601-362-6381.

Mississippi On The Money Lecture Series Marathon June 4, 10 a.m., at Eudora Welty Library (300 N. State St.). In the Community Meeting Room. The multi-lecture event will begin with topic “Update: Federal Reserve and World Central Banks� and end with the lecture “Farish Street Future Shock.� Emzy Veazy III is the host. Call 424-288-6202.

Jackson Audubon Society Monthly Bird Walk June 5, 8 a.m., at LeFleur’s Bluff State Park, Mayes Lake (115 Lakeland Terrace). An experienced Audubon Society member will lead the walk. Bring binoculars, water, insect repellent and a snack. Call ahead if you would like to borrow a pair of binoculars. An adult must accompany children under 15.

Free, $3 car entrance fee; call 601-956-7444.

Free Rabies Clinic June 5, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., at Mississippi Animal Rescue League (5221 Greenway Drive Extension). The Humane Society of the United States, Mississippi Animal Rescue League and Mississippi Spay and Neuter are providing free rabies vaccines for cats and dogs. Those who participate will have a chance to win spay/neuter certificates ranging from $25 to $75. Free; call 866-901-7729.

Public Media Camp Mississippi June 5, 8 a.m., at Mississippi Public Broadcasting (3825 Ridgewood Road). The camp brings together community technology activists, citizen journalists and other members of the public interested in public media with public broadcasters. Participants will formulate conference tracks and sessions as part of the preconference engagement process. Significant portions of the event will also be left open for attendees to create their own sessions on the weekend of the event. Free; visit pubcampms.eventbrite.com.

Mother/Daughter Conference June 5, 11 a.m., at God’s Refuge Christian Fellowship Center/Church (1931 Boling St.). Activities include a movie with popcorn, discussions with paneled guest speakers, a question-and-answer session and refreshments.

Registration is required; seating is limited. Free; call 601-918-8539.

Events at the Jackson Zoo (2918 W. Capitol St.).

Call 601-352-2580. • St. Dominic’s Dream Night at the Zoo June 5, 5:30 p.m. The invitation-only event allows physically or mentally challenged children and their families to see the zoo at their own pace and engage in activities that are customized for them.

Participants must be referred by an approved organization to get an invitation. Free admission. • Zoo Camp June 7-July 2. The one-week camps for children ages 6-12 include keeper chats, games, crafts, tours and presentations. The camps to choose from are “Zoo Toonsâ€? on June 7-11 or June 14-18, or “Stripes and Spotsâ€? on June 21-25 or June 28-July 2. A T-shirt is included. $150, $140 members, $35 optional lunch, $12 extra T-shirt. • Story Time Tuesday June 8, 10 a.m. Mayor Harvey Johnson will read “Tenrec’s Twigs.â€? After story time, the kids get to do a related craft project or have an animal encounter. Free with paid admission.

Callaway High School Class of 1975 Reunion June 5, 7 p.m., at University Club (210 E. Capitol St. #2200). Former students will meet to celebrate their 35-year class reunion, which will take place until midnight. $50; e-mail rob430@gmail.com.

BK International Hair Expo June 6-7, at Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.). The event brings stylists, barbers, manicurists, estheticians, students and product companies together to network, market their products and increase their bottom line. Continuing education classes and vendor space are available. Hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

June 6 and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. June 7. $25 students, $40 professionals; call 601-331-2882.

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National Cancer Survivors Day June 6, 2 p.m., at Old Capitol Inn (226 N State St.). The event is a chance for cancer survivors, caregivers, family members, friends and health-care professionals to unite and show that life after a cancer diagnosis can be meaningful and productive. Baptist Cancer Services will be giving special recognition to a “Cancer Survivor of the Year� and a “Caregiver of the Year.� Free; call 601-948-6262 or 800-948-6262. “Reach for the Stars� Summer Enrichment Program, Session I June 7-July 1, at Central United Methodist Church Family Life Center (517 N. Farish St.). Children in grades K-6 will receive daily instruction in mathematics, phonics/language and reading. They will be given an opportunity to complete the JPS summer reading program and will keep a copy of the books. Each session includes arts and crafts, basketball, dance, drama, flag football, guest speakers and music. They will have access to a free physical exam. Breakfast, lunch and a snack are served daily. The camp operates 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays. Registration with proof of age and a report card are required. $75, free for children in Lanier High School feeder pattern with $25 activity fee; Call 601-355-7858.

Summer Enhancement Program June 7-July 23, at various Jackson locations. Kids ages 7-12 will enjoy games, watching movies, arts and crafts, listening to guest speakers and other fun activities. Call for a list of locations, which include Jackson gymnasiums and community centers.

Registration must have been completed by May 21. Lunch and a snack will be provided. Items to bring may include an insulated lunch bag, a water bottle, a sleeping mat and a beach towel. $70; call 601-960-0471.

More EVENTS, see page 30

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JFP SPonSored eventS

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jfpevents OPEN M-F 4P M ‘ T IL

HAPPY HOUR

M-TH 5-7

Wednesday - June 2nd

Stoney Larue Thursday - June 3rd

Karaoke with Mike Mott

from page 29

Small Business Administration 8(a) Business Development Workshop June 8, 1 p.m., at Regions Plaza (210 E. Capitol St.). In suite 1000 in the SBA conference room. Learn about programs designed to enhance federal and non-federal procurement opportunities for small businesses. In addition, those present will learn of programs that provide capital, surety bonding, and business counseling to small businesses. Space is limited. Free; call 601-965-4378, ext. 13, 14 or 19.

Mayor’s Community-wide Ward 3 Meeting June 8, 6 p.m., at Liberal Trinity Church of God in Christ (725 W. Northside Drive). Find out about job opportunities, summer youth programs, economic development, ward updates, fire safety and senior citizens from the mayor, Councilman Kenneth Stokes and city department heads. Call 601-960-2324.

Willy Waggs

SafeHeart Screenings June 9, 8 a.m., at Jackson Medical Mall (350 W. Woodrow Wilson Ave.). In the Community Room. SafeHeart Health Screens of Hattiesburg will do five ultrasound and EKG screenings that target risk for heart attack, stroke, abdominal aortic aneurysm, atrial fibrillation, and peripheral arterial disease. Call to register or come early. $129, free for those who qualify; call 601-4505483 or 866-548-3006.

Sunday - June 6th

“History Is Lunch” June 9, noon, at William F. Winter Archives and History Building (200 North St.). Mississippi Department of Archives and History historian Clarence Hunter presents “Charles Hamilton Houston and the Coming of Civil Rights to Mississippi.” Free; call 601-576-6850.

Friday & Saturday - June 4th & 5th

8 Ball Tournament Tuesday- June 1st

Pool League Night 2636 S. GALLATIN JACKSON | OPEN EVERYDAY 4PM UNTIL | 601-961-4747 WWW.MYSPACE.COM/POPSSALOON

Greater Belhaven Market through Dec. 18, at Mississippi Farmers Market (929 High St.). Buy some fresh produce or other food or gift items. The market is open every Saturday from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Free admission; call 601-506-2848 or 601-354-6573.

Farmers Market ongoing, at Jackson Roadmap to Health Equity Project’s Farmers Market (2548 Livingston Road). Buy from a wide selection of fresh produce provided by participating local farmers.

Market hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Tuesday and Fridays, and 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Saturdays. Free admission; call 601-951-9273.

Events at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School (370 Old Agency Road, Ridgeland). Call 601-853-6000.

• Adventure Camp June 7-July 30. The day camp is for students in grades 2-6. Camp hours are 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. weekdays. Extended care from 2:45-5:15 p.m. is available. Campers must bring their own lunch. $200 per week, $50 per week for extended care.

• Kinder Camp June 7-July 30. The day camp is for children in grades pre-kindergarten to first grade. The children will explore a new topic each week. Campers will need to bring their own lunch and a nap mat. Camp hours are 9 a.m.2:30 p.m. weekdays. Extended care from 2:455:15 p.m. is available. $200 per week, $50 per week for extended care.

May 20 - 26, 2010

Heatwave Classic Triathlon June 5, 7 a.m., in Ridgeland. Participants will do a half-mile swim at the Ross Barnett Reservoir, bike 24.5 miles along the Natchez Trace Parkway and complete a 10K run on the Ridgeland Multi-Purpose Trail. Registration

by June 4 is required. $80, $140; call 601-8532011.

30

Katfishin’ Kids June 5, 7 a.m., at Turcotte Lab (Ross Barnett Reservoir, Highway 43, Canton). Kids ages 15 and under will learn how to tie a knot, select the correct lure, bait hooks and cast. In addition, they will learn what a fish is and become familiar with its habitat. The pond will be stocked with catfish so they can try their hand at fishing. Each child participating will receive a free t-shirt and goodie bag while supplies last. Parents must accompany the children. The equipment and lunch are free. The event is sponsored by the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. Free; call 601-354-7303.

Stage and Screen Contra Dance at the Commons June 4, 7:30 p.m., at The Commons Gallery (719 N. Congress St.).

Folk dance lessons start at 7:30 p.m., and the music and dancing begins at 8:30 p.m. Free, $5 donations welcome; call 601-540-1267.

“Breaking Up is Hard to Do” through June 6, at New Stage Theatre (1100 Carlisle St.). The comedy is about two friends from Brooklyn in search of good times and romance over one wild Labor Day weekend. The score showcases 18 Neil Sedaka classics. Show times are 7:30 p.m. June 2-5 and 2 p.m.

June 6. $22, $18 students and seniors 60 and up; call 601-948-3533.

“Extending The Glory” Dance and Worship Arts Conference June 4-5, at New Jerusalem Church (5708 Old Canton Road). Workshops on classical and modern dance moves as well as choreography and mime will be offered. Conference times are 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on June 4 and 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on June 5. The conference will end with a 6 p.m. performance by the participants on June 5. Lunch is included. Online registration is available at born2danz.org or extendingtheglory.eventbrite.com. $20 thereafter; call 601-278-3541 or 601-260-8159.

Dinner and a Movie June 4, 7:30 p.m., at Rainbow Whole Foods Co-operative Grocery (2807 Old Canton Road), in Rainbow Plaza. The movie of the night is “Sita Sings the Blues.” A gourmet vegetarian dinner is included. Advance tickets are available at the customer service desk. $13, $11 members in advance; $16, $14 members at the door; call 601366-1602.

MuSic Hamstock BBQ & Music Festival June 5, noon, at Jackson Street District (between Interstate 55 North and Highway 51, Ridgeland). During the 10-hour festival, teams will compete in a barbecue cook-off for cash prizes, the title of “Best BBQ” and a chance to go on to the Memphis in May barbecue event.

The entertainment line-up includes Horse Trailer, Alex Ross & The Groove Hounds, The Delta Mountain Boys and The Electric Hamhock. Free admission; visit jacksonstreetdistrict.com.

Mississippi Boychoir 15th Anniversary Celebration June 5, 1 p.m., at Galloway United Methodist Church (305 N. Congress St.). The jazz workshop presented by the Tommy Sciple Jazz Trio is at 1 p.m. The dinner concert at 5:30 p.m. features Mississippi Boychoir’s Concert and Training Choirs, and the Alumni Reunion Chorus. Dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m., and the Tommy Sciple Jazz Trio will give a concert at 7:30 p.m. A reservation is required for the dinner. $8 online, $10 at the door for workshop; $25, $15 children 12 and under for dinner concert; $8 online, $10 at the door for 7:30 p.m. performance. Call 601366-0579.

Music in the City June 8, 5:15 p.m., at the Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.). Hors d’oeuvres will be served at 5:15 p.m. The music performance with Sibyl Child, Deborah Feldman and John Paul of the Mississippi Opera begins at 5:45 p.m. Free, donations welcome; call 601-354-1533.

Literary and SigningS Events at Lemuria Books (202 Banner Hall, 4465 Interstate 55 North). Call 601-366-7619.

• “Windblowne” June 5, noon. Stephen Messer signs copies of his book. $16.99 book.

• “Big Appetite: My Southern-Fried Search for the Meaning of Life” June 8, 5 p.m. Sam McLeod signs copies of his book; reading of the book at 5:30 p.m. $23 book.

• “The Prospect of Magic” June 9, 5 p.m. M. O. Walsh signs copies of his book; reading of the book at 5:30 p.m. $16.95 book.

“I Got Art” Camp, Session I June 7-11, 8 a.m.noon, at Roz Roy Studio (3310 N. State St.). Children ages 5-13 will learn finger-painting techniques and how to make paper collages. Supplies and a snack are included. Register by June 4 to receive the discounted price. $85, $125 two children; call 601-954-2147.

New Stage Summer Day Camp June 7-19, at New Stage Theatre (1100 Carlisle St.). The acting camp is for children who were in grades K-4 during the 2009-2010 school year. Sessions will be held Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-noon. $250; call 601-948-3533, ext. 232.

Museum School June 7-Aug. 6, at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.). One-week sessions for children in four different age groups involve creating 2D and 3D artwork. Times and dates vary, and class sizes are limited. Lunch is available for $7 a day at the Palette Cafe, and the children should bring snacks and a cover-up such as a smock, apron or large T-shirt. $70-$245, $15 discount for members; call 601-960-1515.

Jewelry Making Class ongoing, at Dream Beads (605 Duling Ave.). This class is offered every Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. Free; call 601-664-0411.

Belly Dance Class ongoing, at Lumpkin’s Restaurant (182 Raymond Road). The class is held every Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Monique Davis is the instructor. $5; call 601-373-7707.

Summer Camp, Session 1 June 7-11, 9 a.m.1 p.m. at Mississippi Craft Center (950 Rice Road, Ridgeland). Children ages 5-8 will learn from master craftsmen who teach pottery, wire sculpture, fiber, fabric art and mosaics. Registration is required, and supplies are included. $150, $125 for second child in same family; call 601-856-7546.

Events at ArtWorks Studios (160 W. Government St., Brandon). Call 601-622-5511.

• Bugs, Bees and Butterflies Mini-Camp June 3-4, 9:30-10:15 a.m. Preschoolers will make clay creations, nature prints and more. $30.

• Mosaics and Mexican Tile Art Mini-Camp June 3-4. Children in grades K-5 will create their own mosaic and learn the art of Mexican tile painting called majolica. Sessions are 10:30 a.m.noon for grades K-2 and 1-2:30 p.m. for grades 3-5. $50; call 601-622-5511.

•Teen Techniques: Painting at the Rez June 3, 4 p.m., at Pelahatchie Shore Park (Pelahatchie Shore Drive, Pelahatchie). Teens will meet with Lori Rene’ of ArtWorks Studios for sketching and watercolor painting of their surroundings. $40; call 601-622-5511.

Spinning Workshop June 4, 5 p.m., at Body Benefits (Odyssey North Shopping Center, 731 Pear Orchard Road, Suite 30, Ridgeland). The focus of the three-hour workshop is heart rate training. A question-and-answer session and refreshments are included. $50; call 601-991-9904.

GALLERIES Mississippi Watercolor Society Exhibit through June 30, at The Cedars Historic Home (4145 Old Canton Rd.). Artwork by society members will be on display in The Cedars Gallery until June 30.

Gallery hours are Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The show is part of the Four Seasons of the Cedars performing and visual arts series. Free admission; call 601-981-9606.

2010 Exhibits ongoing, at One Blu Wall (2906 N. State St.). Featured artists throughout the year include Katie Drummonds, Kyle Goddard, Allan Inman, LaTricia Graves and more. Photography by Christina Cannon (starting Jan. 20), Howard Barron, Roy J. Gattuso, Gerard L. Howard, William Patrick Butler and others will also be on display.

Free; call 601-713-1224.

EXHIBITS AND OPENINGS Events at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (2148 Riverside Drive). Museum hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. $3-$5, free for members and children under 3; call 601-354-7303.

• Fun Fridays June 4-July 30. Every Friday in June and July from 10 a.m.-noon, children will participate in interactive, hands-on activities that coincide with the “Megalodon: Largest Shark that Ever Lived” exhibit. Parents must accompany their children.

• “Megalodon: Largest Shark that Ever Lived” June 5-Jan. 9. The 60-foot, 2-million-year-old Megalodon looms life-size in this mega-exhibit of modern and fossil sharks.

Public schools do more than educate children. They measure a city’s pride. They reflect community. They predict the social and economic well-being of a city’s future.

For 20 years, Parents for Public Schools of Jackson has worked to keep our public schools strong, to empower parents as leaders for positive change, and to engage community support of our public schools.

Join us. For our city. For our children.

For our future.

Mustard Seed Exhibit through June 24, at Mississippi Arts Commission (Woolfolk Building, 501 N. West St., Suite 1101A). Artwork by Mustard Seed residents will be on display. An invitation-only closing reception will be held on June 24 from 2-4 p.m.

Gallery hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Free; call 601-359-6030.

Artist and Three-Dimensional Artisans Exhibit through June 30, at Mississippi Library Commission (3881 Eastwood Drive). See works by artist Becky Barnett Chamblee and Craftsmen’s Guild artisans Anne Campbell, Carmen Castilla and Rhonda Blasingame. Hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. An artists reception will be on June 3 from 4-6 p.m. Free; call 601-432-4056.

Founding Chapter, Parents for Public Schools, 1989 200 N. Congress, Suite 500, Jackson, MS 39201

www.ppsjackson.org

“A Portrait of Jackson Women – Photography by Karla Pound & Leah Overstreet” through June 30, at Arts Center of Mississippi (201 E. Pascagoula St.). The documentary project includes audio interviews and environmental portraits of twenty Jacksonian women including the late Mildred Wolfe, Ellen Douglas, Dr. Helen Barns, Patti Carr Black, and Dorothy Moore. Hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Monday-Friday. Free; call 601-960-1557.

“Mound Bayou: The Promise Land, 18872010” through June 30, at Smith Robertson Museum (528 Bloom St.). See photographs of the beginning of Davis Bend, the move and name change to Mound Bayou, and founders of the city. Museum hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. MondayFriday and Saturday from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. $4.50 adults, $3.00 seniors, $1.50 children under 18; call 601-960-1457.

“Summer Dress” through Aug. 31, at Manship House (420 E. Fortification St.). The museum exhibits the Victorian practice of preparing the home for the heat, insects, and dirt of the summer months. Reservations are required for groups of 10 or more. Free; call 601-961-4724.

Check jfpevents.com for updates and more listings. To add an event, e-mail all details (phone number, start/ end date and time, street address, cost, URL, etc.) to events@jacksonfreepress.com or fax to 601-510-9019.

The deadline is noon the Thursday prior to the week of publication. Or, add the event online yourself; check out jfpevents.com for instructions.

BE THE CHANGE Couture for a Cure June 3, 6 p.m., at Renaissance (1000 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland). The event includes a silent auction, food, drinks, and a fashion show. A cash bar will be available. Proceeds benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. Tickets can be purchased at Pink Bombshell. $5 in advance, $8 at the door; call 601-853-0775.

jacksonfreepress.com

CREATIVE CLASSES

Jason “Twiggy” Lott Exhibit ongoing, at Nunnery’s Gallery (426 Meadowbrook Road). See paintings, collages and assemblages constructed from discarded objects called “reconstructions.” Free admission; call 601-981-4426.

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music

by Lance Lomax Robert Randolph and the Family Band performs at Hal and Mal’s (200 S. Commerce St.) Friday, June 4. Doors open at 8 p.m., and the show starts at 9 p.m. Tickets are $25 and available at ticketmaster.com.

‘To Live the Dream’ DANNY CLINCH

I was a drummer for the church choir at 8 or 9 years old. I grew up watching guys like Henry Nelson play the pedal steel and wanted to be like them. My father bought me my first one at 16. I spent about eight hours a day playing it.

Robert Randolph and the Family Band will perform at Hal and Mal’s Friday, June 4.

D

renched in sweat, Robert Randolph runs across stage, his fingers snug in their finger picks. Clapping his hands in the air, he stands on the stool in front of the pedal steel guitar he has come to know so well. Randolph and the crowd exchange screams as Danielle Morgan plucks the bass and casts his highpitched voice through the Hal and Mal’s Jason Crosby rotates between the Hammond organ and piano, and Marcus Randolph keeps the time on drums. The crowd gains intensity as Robert Randolph and the Family Band share their music and energy.

An Irvington, N.J., native, Randolph began playing drums at age 8. Though he also plays the piano, guitar and saxophone, Randolph is best known for revolution-

izing the music scene with his pedal steel.

He has performed all over the world with musicians like Eric Clapton and The Dave Matthews Band, and his fan base continues to grow.

Randolph is currently on tour, making a stop in Jackson June 4. He recently spoke to the Jackson Free Press by phone.

Who are your musical influences?

Most of my musical influences come from R&B and gospel. I grew up in the church. As children, gospel was the only music we were allowed to hear. As we got a little older, we started sneaking in some R&B. We listened to a lot of Michael Jackson, Prince and Stevie Wonder, to name a few.

How did you and the Family Band start making music together?

The bass player and the drummer are my cousins. We grew up playing together. Now, my sister travels with us as a vocalist. That’s really how we got going. We’ve added several players through the years, but that’s the core of it. As a family we have that ability to feed off each other .

Looking back over your musical career, what big events stand out?

Two things come to mind: The first year of Bonnaroo was amazing. Being one of the first bands to be a part of that festival is huge. Having the opportunity to be a part of the Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival was also huge. Being in a class of eclectic guitar players, songwriters and musicians is an awesome feeling.

Do you have any stories you’d like to share about your encounters with other well-known musicians?

Throughout the years I’ve had the opportunity to become close friends with Eric Clapton and The Dave Matthews Band.

They’ve helped get me in front of a lot of people. They were happy to see me grow and reached out and were very accepting. I’ve sat in the studio with Leon Russell, Johnny Lang, Elton John and Greg Allman. Some of

them just want to come and hang at the studio. We’ve even had Ben Harper write for us .

What gets you fired up when you’re on stage?

Stage dives always get me excited. It’s really the energy of the crowd—having the crowd look at you and want something exciting. People love to crowd surf. We want to share a joyful experience with them. I like to let it all go on stage and share this great thing we like to do with the fans. It’s grown into something wonderful for us.

Are there any artists you enjoy covering, or favorite songs for you to perform?

There are so many different songs. We love to play (Jimi) Hendrix and (The Rolling) Stones tunes. This time around we’ll be playing all these new songs we wrote and recorded.

We may do a cover of “Rosanna” from Toto.

What’s it like to be on the road?

It’s a blessing to travel—to get new music, to get new fans, and to live the dream.

We go out and share the music, and we write new songs on the road. You never know when you’ll witness something on the road, and that will become a part of your next song.

Is there anything that stands out about performing in Jackson?

It’s Mississippi, and I’ve become close with the North Mississippi All Stars. They used to talk about being in the South. It’s the energy, too. People associate me with the South anyway. It just fits. The people always come out, and we always have a good time.

Reissue Done Right

by Rob Hamilton

June 3 - 9, 2010

I

32

n the movie “Men in Black,” Kay (Tommy Lee Jones) introduces Jay (Will Smith) to the newest in alien audio technology. “Guess I’ll have to buy the ‘White Album’ again,” Kay quips. This joke becomes more and more apt with each passing year as audio technology evolves.

Ideally, reissues should give you further insight into the recording process of the album, giving you a deeper understanding or new perspective on the music. In recent years, The Band, The Clash and The Velvet Underground have done just this with some of their classic albums.

The Rolling Stones, on the other hand, have traditionally done the opposite, reissuing albums with no added material and still asking their fans to purchase them. The Stones re-released their entire early catalog a few years ago in a new, clearer, “superaudio” format that never really caught on and has since gone the way of the minidisk.

The new reissue of “Exile on Main Street,” originally released in 1972, thankfully bucks this trend.

“Exile,” like “The White Album” by The Beatles,

is an album that demands to be owned on any and all you a glimpse at the manic level on which the Stones were mediums. It is an undeniable classic and contains some recording in these sleepless, drug-infused sessions. The reof the band’s finest songs, as well as cord also give us outtakes of two of capturing the Stones in their most the album’s classics, “Loving Cup” self-destructive phase. and “Soul Survivor,” which show the different directions the songs nearly The range of styles on “Exile on took. The former is a slowed-down, Main Street” is as varied as the drugs and vices passing through the storied countrified version of the song, with recording session itself. The album the guitar as the driving instrument as swings with reckless, delightful disopposed to the piano. The latter feajointedness from a classic Stones guitar tures Keith Richards on vocals, soundsound on “Happy” (with Keith Riching every bit as haggard and beaten as ards singing), to gospel with “Shine legend says he was during the “Exile” sessions. Neither song can quite match a Light,” to country with “Sweet the quality of the album cuts, but they Virginia,” to R&B with “Tumbling The Rolling Stones’ reissue of “Exile still provide illuminating insight into Dice.” The mastery the band shows on Main Street” provides revealing, what “Exile on Main Street” could over every genre is impressive, with never-before-heard outtakes in “Tumbling Dice” in particular rank- addition to the original 1972 songs. have been.

With a new Rolling Stones reing among the best R&B crossover lease, it is always best to be wary of a songs ever recorded.

It’s the outtakes, though, that make this version of money grab. But re-release of “Exile on Main Street,” is a “Exile” worth purchasing. The reissue includes songs that new perspective on a classic album that I recommend you didn’t make the cut on the original album, and they give purchase no matter how many formats you already own.

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Looking for band mates? Wanting to sell your gear?

Advertise here for free! Visit JFP Classifieds.com. If you are interested in sponsoring the Musicians Exchange call JFP Sales at 601-362-6121 ext. 11.

jacksonfreepress.com

Bands Wanted

33

livemusic June 3, Thursday

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR aLL sHows 10pm unLess noted WEDNESDAY

6/2

Ladies night ladies drink all you can 8pm-12am for $5 - no cover THURSDAY

6/3

."!

CHAMPIONSHIP Get $5 Pitchers and 59 cent Boneless Wings during the championship game!

DR. Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BLUES BAND SAT., JUNE 5TH 9PM - UNTIL

80â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s night

Different theme each week FRIDAY

6/4

minor adjustments members of mayhem string band, day breakdown, & jimbo mathusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; tri state coalition

SATURDAY

6/5

Seth Libbey & the LiberaLS

SUNDAY

6/7

OPEN MIC JAM TUESDAY

6/8

MATTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LATE NIGHT KARAOKE

$2 MARGARITAS $1 HIGHLIFE & PBR WEDNESDAY

6/9

Ladies night June 3 - 9, 2010

ladies drink all you can

34

Mon. - Sat. | 2-7pm

1428 Old Square Road in Jackson 601.713.2700 lastcallsportsgrill.com

June 4, Friday

6/6

KaraoKe MONDAY

HAPPY HOUR

8pm-12am for $5 - no cover 214 S. State St. â&#x20AC;˘ 601.354.9712 downtown jackson www.martinSlounge.net

F. Jones Corner - Sherman Lee Dillon (blues lunch) free; Amazing Lazy Boi & Blues at Sunset Challenge Band 10-4 a.m. free Lumpkinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s BBQ - Jesse Robinson (blues lunch) 11:30-1:30 p.m.

Fire - Smaash 9 p.m.

Fenianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Legacy 8:30-11:30 p.m.

Dreamz - Akami Graham & the Key of G (R&B) 9 p.m. $5 930 Blues Cafe - Jackie Bell, Norman Clark & Smoke Stack Lightning 8 p.m. $5 Footloose - Karaoke 8-12 a.m.

Soulshine, Township - Fingers Taylor & friends 7-9:30 p.m. free Underground 119 - Raphael Semmes (Jazz) 8-11 p.m. free Cherokee Inn - Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;lo Trio (Americana) 6:30-10 p.m. free The Auditorium - Larry Brewer (classic rock) 7:30-9 p.m.

Congress St. Bar & Grill - Virgil Brawley (blues) 6:30-8 p.m.

Huntington Grill - Emma Wynters Steamroom Grille - Tooz Co. 6-9 p.m.

AJâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Seafood - Scott Albert Johnson (blues/juke) 6:30 p.m.

Welty Commons - Drum Circle 7:30 p.m. free Regency Hotel - Karaoke 7 p.m. free Poets II - Jason Turner Band Burgers & Blues - PhePlays Duo 6-10 p.m.

Electric Cowboy - DJ Cadillac 9 p.m.

Time Out - Shaun Patterson 9-12 a.m. free McBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Karaoke 7 p.m. free Popâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Karaoke Union St. Books, Canton (Song)writers Showcase 7-9 p.m. free, 601-859-8596 Hot Shots, Byram - Karaoke 8 p.m. free Eliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Treehouse, Vâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;burg - Karaoke 8 p.m.

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Hal & Malâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Big Room - Robert Randolph & the Family Band 9 p.m. robertrandolph.net Ole Tavern - Furrows, Spacewolf, The Diagonals 9 p.m.

Underground 119 - The 4 Playazz (blues) 9-1 a.m. $10 Afrika Book Cafe, 404 Mitchell St Rhonda Richmond (jazz) 9 p.m.

Martinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Minor Adustments 10 p.m.

Fire - Brantley Gilbert 9 p.m.

Burgers & Blues - Jason Turner Band 7-11 p.m. free 930 Blues Cafe - Blues/Jazz 5:30-8 p.m.; Jackie Bell, 9 p.m. $10 Dreamz Jxn - DJ Reign & DJ Hova 9 p.m.

Poets II - GoldyLocks McBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Brad Biard Welty Commons - Contra Dance 8:30 p.m. free F. Jones Corner - Jason Bailey free; Bailey Bros. w/Jesse Robinson 11:30-4 a.m. $10 Marriott Downtown, Windsor Ballroom - First Friday/DJ Phil 9 p.m.

Electric Cowboy - DJ Cadillac 9 p.m.

Little Willieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s BBQ, Old Fannin Boheme Duo 6-10 p.m.

Haute Pig - Shaun Patterson 7-9 p.m. free Lumpkinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s BBQ - Virgil Brawley (blues lunch) 11:30-1:30 p.m.

Irish Frog, Clinton - Emma Wynters 6:30-10 p.m.

Footloose - Karaoke 9-1 a.m. free Dick & Janeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Show Night/DJ Allen 9 p.m. $6; 18+ $10 Cultural Expressions - Reggae/HipHop/Old School Night 10 p.m. $5 Regency Hotel - Snazz 8:30 p.m. myspace.com/snazzband2 Kathrynâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Jay Wadsworth (acoustic) 7-10 p.m. free Popâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Willy Waggs Bonny Blairâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Irish Pub - Joe Lasalla 7-10 p.m.

St. Joe Performing Arts Center, Madison - Jeremy Kittel Band 7 p.m. $10 Hot Shots, Byram - Karaoke 8 p.m. free Reed Pierceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Dreamer 9 p.m. free No Smoking Smoke House, 209 Main St., Yazoo City - Open Mic 6 p.m. free, 601-571-7937 Ameristar, Vâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;burg - Party Planet, LaNise Kirk Thirsty Hippo, Hâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;burg - WATIV 10 p.m.

June 5, saTurday F. Jones Corner - Sherman Lee Dillonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Miss. Sound w/Scott Albert Johnson 11:30-4 a.m. $10 Shuckerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Hunter Gibson & the Gators 1-5 p.m.

Fire - Crossinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Dixon w/Scott McCrory 9 p.m.

Hal & Malâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Restaurant - John Wooten (steel pans) 9 p.m.

Ole Tavern - Red Hill City, The Gills (alt rock) 9 p.m.

Underground 119 - Alex Ross & the Cadillac Blues Band (R&B) 9-1 a.m. $10 F. Jones Corner - Scott Albert Johnson (blues/juke) 11:45 p.m.

Galloway Methodist - Miss. Boychoir Concert 5 p.m.

Martinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Seth Libbey & the Liberals 10 p.m. myspace.com/sethlibbey Fenianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Bofus 9-12 a.m.

Burgers & Blues - Tooz & Co. 7-11 p.m. free 930 Blues Cafe - Blues/Jazz 5:30-8 p.m.; Jackie Bell, 9 p.m. $10 Poets II - GoldyLocks Cultural Expressions - Kamikaze & Yardboy 9 p.m. $5 Electric Cowboy - 17th Floor 9 p.m.

Fitzgeraldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Chris Gill 8-12 a.m.

Crawdad Hole - Fulkerson/Pace (rock) 7-10 p.m. $5, byob Jackson St., Ridgeland (outside) - Hamstock BBQ & Music Fest: Horse Trailer, The Revivalists, The Alex Ross Band, Pineross, Electric Hamhock, Delta Mountain Boys, Bryan Ledford & Matthew Magee noon-10 p.m. free jacksonstreetdistrict.com Pelican Cove - Rodney Moore & Jay Wadsworth 3 p.m. free; Emma Wynters Trio 6-10 p.m. www.emmawynters.com Huntingtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Ralph Miller 6-9 p.m.

Sportsmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lodge - DoubleShotz Dick & Janeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - House Party/DJ Allen 9 p.m. $6; 18+ $10 Bonny Blairâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Irish Pub - Karaoke 7 p.m.

Hot Shots, Byram - Karaoke 8 p.m. free Reed Pierceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Dreamer 9 p.m. free Ameristar, Vâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;burg - Party Planet, LaNise Kirk

McBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - PFC Downtown Tupelo - Elvis Fest: Cowboy Mouth Railroad Park, downtown Leland - Hwy 61 Blues Festival: Johnny Winter, Big Jack Johnson, Big George Brock, T-Model Ford, John Horton, Mickey Rogers, Mike Holloway, Eddie Cusic, Pat Thomas, Alphonso Sanders & Bill Howl-N-Madd Perry, Adam Gussow, Jimmy Phillips, Brenda & the Go Cats, Lazy Bone, 19th St. Red Band, Kairos Gospel & Blues Band 12 p.m.-12 a.m. highway61blues.com

June 6, sunday King Edward Hotel - Howard Jones Trio (jazz brunch) 11-2 p.m.

Warehouse - Mike & Marty Open Jam Session 6-10 p.m. free Fitzgeraldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Andy Hardwick 11-2 p.m.

Sophiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Fairview Inn - Knight Bruce 11 a.m. (brunch) Zydeco - Mark Whittington 11-3 p.m.

The Hill - Open Blues Jam 6-11 p.m.

Footloose - Karaoke 7-11 p.m. free Cultural Expressions - Open Mic Poetry 8 p.m. $5 Hot Shots, Byram - Karaoke 6-10 p.m. free Ameristar, Vâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;burg - LaNise Kirk

June 7, Monday Hal & Malâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Restaurant - Central Miss. Blues Society Jam 8-11 p.m. $5 F. Jones Corner - Stevie J free Fitzgeraldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Hunter Gibson & Rick Moreira 8-12 a.m. free Martinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Open Mic Free Jam 10 p.m. free Fenianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Karaoke 8-1 a.m.

Dreamz - Karaoke/DJ 5:30 p.m.

June 8, Tuesday Miss. Museum of Art - Music in the City: Miss. Opera Trio 5:45 p.m. free Hal & Malâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Restaurant - Pub Quiz 8 p.m.

Fenianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Open Mic 9 p.m.

Martinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Karaoke 10 p.m.

Shuckerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - The Xtremes 7-11 p.m. free Time Out - Open Mic 8 p.m.

McBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Karaoke 7 p.m. free Fitzgeraldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Hilton - Hunter Gibson & Rick Moreira 8-12 a.m.

June 9, Wednesday F. Jones Corner - Sherman Lee Dillon (blues lunch) free Martinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Rotary Downs, Furrows 9 p.m. (indie/alt) $5, rotarydowns.com Hal & Malâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Restaurant - Barry Leach (solo/jazz) 8 p.m.

Underground 119 - Virgil Brawley & Steve Chester 8-11 p.m. free Fenianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Jason Bailey (blues rock) 9-12 a.m.

Kathrynâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Larry Brewer 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Regency Hotel - Faze 4 - 8:30 p.m.

Irish Frog, Clinton - Ralph Miller 6:30-10 p.m.

Footloose - Karaoke 8-12 a.m. free Electric Cowboy - Battle of the Bands: Storage 24 vs. Asphalt Cowboy (rock) Bonny Blairâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Irish Pub - Mississippi John Doude (CD release) 7-10 p.m. myspace.com/mississippijohndoude

6/05 John Prine - Cannon Arts Center, Memphis 6/10-13 Bonnaroo: Miike Snow, XX, Ok Go, Blitzen Trapper, Tokyo Police Club, LCD Soundsystem, Flaming Lips, Stevie Wonder, Dead Weather, Calexico, Ween, Dropkick Murphys,+ â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Manchester, TN 6/09 Melvins - One Eyed Jackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, N.O.; 6/10 Bottletree, Birmingham 6/09 Miike Snow - Republic, New Orleans 6/12 Michael Franti - Minglewood Hall, Memphis 6/16 Passion Pit / Tokyo Police Club - House of Blues, N.O.

venuelist Freelon’s Bar And Groove 440 N. Mill St., Jackson, 601-353-5357 (hip-hop) Fusion Coffeehouse Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland, 601-856-6001 Gold Strike Casino 1010 Casino Center Drive, Robinsonville, 888-245-7529 Grand Casino Biloxi 280 Beach Boulevard, Biloxi, 228-436-2946 Grand Casino Tunica 13615 Old Highway 61 North, Robinsonville, 800-39-GRAND The Green Room 444 Bounds St., Jackson, 601-713-3444 Ground Zero Blues Club 0 Blues Alley, Clarksdale, 662-621-9009 Grownfolks’s Lounge 4030 Medgar Evers Blvd, Jackson, 601-362-6008 Hal & Mal’s 200 S. Commerce St., Jackson, 601-948-0888 (pop/rock/blues) Hamp’s Place 3028 W. Northside Dr., Jackson, 601-981-4110 (dance/dj) Hard Rock Biloxi 777 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, 228-374-ROCK Hat & Cane 1115 E. McDowell Rd., Jackson, 601-352-0411 Hauté Pig 1856 Main St., Madison, 601853-8538 Here We Go Again 3002 Terry Road, Jackson, 601-373-1520 The Hill Restaurant 2555 Valley St., Jackson, 601-373-7768 Horizon Casino Mulberry Lounge 1310 Mulberry St., Vicksburg, 800-843-2343 Horseshoe Bar 5049 Hwy 80 West, Jackson, 601-922-6191 Horseshoe Casino Tunica, 800-303-7463 The Hunt Club 1525 Ellis Ave., Jackson, 601-944-1150 Huntington Grille 1001 E. County Line Rd., Jackson, 601-957-1515 The Ice House 515 S. Railroad Blvd., McComb, 601-684-0285 (pop/rock) JC’s 425 North Mart Plaza, Jackson, 601-362-3108 James Meredith Lounge 217 Griffith St. 601-969-3222 Julep Restaurant and Bar 105 Highland Village, Jackson, 601-362-1411 Kathryn’s Steaks and Seafood 6800 Old Canton Road, Ridgeland. 601-956-2803 Koinonia Coffee House 136 S. Adam St., Suite C, Jackson, 601-960-3008 Kristos 971 Madison Ave., Madison, 601-605-2266 LaRae’s 210 Parcel Dr., Jackson, 601-944-0660 Last Call Sports Grill 1428 Old Square Road, Jackson, 601-713-2700 The Library Bar & Grill 120 S. 11th St., Oxford, 662-234-1411 The Loft 1306 A. Washington St., Vicksburg, 601-629-6188 The Lyric Oxford 1006 Van Buren Ave., Oxford. 662-234-5333 Main Event Sports Bar & Grill 4659 Hwy 80 West, Jackson, 601-922-9987 Manda’s Pub 614 Clay Street, Vicksburg, 601-638-6607 Martin’s Lounge 214 S. State St., Jackson, 601-354-9712 (rock/jam/blues) McB’s Restaurant 815 Lake Harbor Dr., Ridgeland, 601-956-8362 (pop/rock) Mellow Mushroom 275 Dogwood Blvd., Flowood, 601-992-7499 Mississippi Academy of Ancient Music 103 Magnolia, Edwards, 601-977-7736 Mississippi Coliseum 1207 Mississippi St., Jackson, 601-353-0603 Mississippi Opera P.O. Box 1551, Jackson, 877-MSOPERA, 601-960-2300 Mississippi Opry 2420 Old Brandon Rd., Brandon, 601-331-6672 Mississippi Symphony Orchestra 201 East Pascagoula St., Jackson, 800-898-5050 Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium 2531 N. State St., Jackson, 601-354-6021 Monte’s Steak and Seafood 1855 Lakeland Dr., Jackson, 601-362-8182 Mugshots 1855 Lakeland Dr., Jackson, 601-713-0383 North Midtown Arts Center 121 Millsaps Ave., Jackson, 601-497-7454 Okasions 1766 Ellis Avenue, Jackson, 601-373-4037 Old Venice Pizza Co. 1428 Old Square Rd., Jackson, 601-366-6872 Ole Tavern on George Street 416 George St., Jackson, 601-960-2700

Olga’s 4760 I-55 North, Jackson, 601-366-1366 (piano) One to One Studio 121 Millsaps Ave., in the Millsaps Arts District, Jackson One Blue Wall 2906 N State St., Jackson, 601-713-1224 Peaches Restaurant 327 N. Farish St., Jackson, 601-354-9267 Pelican Cove 3999A Harborwalk Dr., Ridgeland, 601-605-1865 Pig Ear Saloon 160 Weisenberger Rd., Gluckstadt, 601-898-8090 Pig Willies 1416 Washington St., Vicksburg, 601-634-6872 Poet’s II 1855 Lakeland Dr., 601- 364-9411 Pool Hall 3716 I-55 North Frontage Rd., Jackson, 601-713-2708 Pop’s Saloon 2636 Gallatin St., Jackson, 601-961-4747 (country) Proud Larry’s 211 S. Lamar Blvd., Oxford, 662-236-0050 The Pub Hwy. 51, Ridgeland, 601-898-2225 The Quarter Bistro & Piano Bar 1855 Lakeland Dr., Jackson, 601-362-4900 Que Sera Sera 2801 N. State St., Jackson, 601-981-2520 Red Room 200 S. Commerce St., Jackson (Hal & Mal’s), 601-948-0888 (rock/alt.)

Reed Pierce’s 6791 Siwell Rd., Byram, 601-376-0777, 601-376-4677 Regency Hotel Restaurant & Bar 420 Greymont Ave., Jackson, 601-969-2141 Rick’s Cafe 318 Hwy 82 East, #B, Starkville, 662-324-7425 RJ Barrel 111 N. Union 601-667-3518 Sal and Mookie’s 565 Taylor St. 601368-1919 Sam’s Lounge 5035 I-55 N. Frontage Rd., Jackson, 601-983-2526 Sam’s Town Casino 1477 Casino Strip Blvd., Robinsonville, 800-456-0711 Schimmel’s Fine Dining 2615 N. State St., Jackson, 601-981-7077 Scrooge’s 5829 Ridgewood Rd., Jackson, 601-206-1211 Shuckers on the Reservoir 116 Conestoga Rd., Ridgeland, 601-853-0105 Silver Star Casino Hwy. 16 West, Choctaw, 800-557-0711 Soop’s The Ultimate 1205 Country Club Dr., Jackson, 601-922-1402 (blues) Soulshine Pizza 1139 Old Fannin Rd., Brandon, 601-919-2000 Soulshine Pizza 1111 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland, 601-856-8646 Sportsman’s Lodge 1220 E. Northside Dr. at I-55, Jackson, 601-366-5441 Stone Pony Oyster Bar 116 Commercial Parkway, Canton, 601-859-0801 Super Chikan’s Place 235 Yazoo Ave., Clarksdale, 662-627-7008 Thalia Mara Hall 255 E. Pascagoula St., Jackson, 601-960-1535 Thirsty Hippo 211 Main St., Hattiesburg, 601-583-9188 Time Out Sports Bar 6270 Old Canton Rd., 601-978-1839 Top Notch Sports Bar 109 Culley Dr., Jackson, 601- 362-0706 Touch Night Club 105 E. Capitol St., Jackson, 601-969-1110 Two Rivers Restaurant 1537 W. Peace St., Canton, 601-859-9979 (blues) Two Sisters Kitchen 707 N. Congress St. 601-353-1180 Two Stick 1107 Jackson Ave., Oxford, 662-236-6639 Under the Boardwalk 2560 Terry Rd., Jackson, 601-371-7332 Underground 119 119 S. President St. 601352-2322 VB’s Premier Sports Bar 1060 County Line Rd., Ridgland, 601-572-3989 VFW Post 9832 4610 Sunray Drive, Jackson, 601-982-9925 Vicksburg Convention Center 1600 Mulberry Street, Vicksburg, 866-822-6338 Walker’s Drive-In 3016 N. State St., Jackson, 601-982-2633 (jazz/pop/folk) The Warehouse 9347 Hwy 18 West, Jackson, 601-502-8580 (pop/rock) Wired Expresso Cafe 115 N. State St. 601-500-7800

Wednesday, June 2nd

Ladies’ Night w/ Snazz

8:30 p.m. - Guys’ Cover $5

BUY 1, GET 1 WELLS Thursday, June 3rd

Weekly Lunch Specials Parking now on side of building

Bike Night w/ Krazy Karaoke 7:00 p.m. - No Cover

$2 MARGARITAS! Fri. & Sat. June 4th & 5th

Snazz

8:30 p.m. - $5 cover Exquisite Dining at

The Rio Grande Restaurant

Open for dinner Sat. 4-10pm thursday

JUNE 3

LADIES NIGHT with MR. NICK! LADIES DRINK FREE WELLS & PONIES 9PM-2AM

friday

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FURROWS

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OPEN MIC with Cody Cox *DOLLAR BEER* wednesday

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Open Mon-Sat, Kitchen open Mon-Fri 11 am-10 pm & Sat 4-10 pm

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88 Keys 3645 Hwy. 80 W in Metrocenter, Jackson, 601-352-7342 930 Blues Cafe 930 N. Congress St., Jackson, 601-948-3344 Alamo Theatre 333 N. Farish St, Jackson, 601-352-3365 Alley Cats 165 W. Peace St., Canton, 601-855-2225 Alumni House Sports Grill 574 Hwy. 50, Ridgeland, 601-855-2225 America Legion Post 1 3900 W. Northside Dr., Jackson, 601-605-9903 Ameristar Casino, Bottleneck Blues Bar 4146 Washington St., Vicksburg, 800-700-7770 Beau Rivage Casino 875 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, 800-566-7469 Belhaven College Center for the Arts 835 Riverside Dr, Jackson, 601-968-5930 Bennie’s Boom Boom Room 142 Front St., Hattiesburg, 601-408-6040 Borrello’s 1306 Washington St., Vicksburg, 601-638-0169 Buffalo Wild Wings 808 Lake Harbour Dr., Ridgeland, 601-856-0789 Burgers and Blues 1060 E. County Line Rd., Ridgeland, 601-899-0038 Capri-Pix Theatre 3021 N. State St., Jackson, 601-981-9606 Central City Complex 609 Woodrow Wilson Dr., Jackson, 601-352-9075 Cerami’s 5417 Highway 25, Flowood, 601-919-2829 Char Restaurant 4500 I-55, Highland Village, Jackson, 601-956-9562 Cherokee Inn 1410 Old Square Rd., Jackson, 601-362-6388 Club 43 Hwy 43, Canton, 601-654-3419, 601-859-0512 Club City Lights 200 N. Mill St., Jackson, 601-353-0059 Club O’Hara 364 Monticello St., Hazlehurst, 601-894-5674 Club Total 342 N. Gallatin St., Jackson, 601-714-5992 Congress Street Bar & Grill 120 N. Congress St., Jackson, 601-968-0857 The Commons Gallery 719 N. Congress St., 601-352-3399 Couples Entertainment Center 4511 Byrd Drive, Jackson, 601-923-9977 Crawdad Hole 1150 Lakeland Dr., Jackson, 601-982-9299 Crickett’s Lounge 4370 Hwy 80 West, Jackson, 601-922-0500 Crossroads Bar & Lounge 3040 Livingston Rd., Jackson, 601-984-3755 (blues) Cultural Expressions 147 Millsaps Ave., Jackson, 601-665-0815 (neosoul/hip-hop) Cups in Fondren 2757 Old Canton Road, Jackson, 601-362-7422 (acoustic/pop) Cups in the Quarter 1855 Lakeland Dr., Jackson, 601-981-9088 Davidson’s Corner Market 108 W. Center St., Canton, 601-855-2268 (pop/rock) Debo’s 180 Raymond Road, Jackson, 601-346-8283 Diamond Jack’s Casino 3990 Washington Street, Vicksburg, 1-877-711-0677 Dick & Jane’s 206 Capitol St., Jackson, 601-944-0123 (dance/alternative) Dixie Diamond 1306 Washington Street, Vicksburg, 601-638-6297 Dollar Bills Dance Saloon 103 A Street, Meridian, 601-693-5300 Edison Walthall Hotel 225 E. Capitol St., Jackson, 601-948-6161 Electric Cowboy 6107 Ridgewood Rd., Jackson, 601-899-5333 (country/ rock/dance) Executive Place 2440 Bailey Ave., Jackson, 601-987-4014 F. Jones Corner 303 N. Farish St. 601983-1148 Fenian’s 901 E. Fortification Street, Jackson, 601-948-0055 (rock/Irish/folk) Fire 209 Commerce St., Jackson, 601592-1000 (rock/dance/dj) Final Destination 5428 Robinson Rd. Ext., Jackson, (pop/rock/blues) Fitzgerald’s Martini Bar 1001 E. County Line Road, Jackson, 601-957-2800 Flood’s Bar and Grill 2460 Bailey Ave., Jackson, 601-713-4094 Footloose Bar and Grill 4661 Hwy 80 West, Jackson, 601-922-9944

35

dining

LISA LAFONTAINE BYNUM

Bounty of Zucchini

A

fter one of the strangest winter seasons I can remember, it seems warm weather is finally here to stay. Even though the official start of summer isn’t until June 21, Mississippi typically only has a few days of true spring weather before we plow headfirst into summer.

Most gardeners already have their summer gardens planted; however, if you would like to try growing your own vegetables, it’s not too late. It makes me happy every time I walk out to my herb garden and snip some fresh basil for my spaghetti sauce, fresh thyme for my roast chicken or fresh rosemary for a steak marinade.

I may have gone overboard with the tomato plants this year, and if I don’t end up with a bounty, I will be greatly

disappointed. If you don’t have a lot of space for a big garden, the Mississippi State Extension Office suggests growing plants that don’t require a lot of room such as lima beans, lettuces, green onions, tomatoes, sweet peppers and eggplant. As space permits, you can add broccoli, cabbage, hot peppers, okra, summer squash, peas and pole beans. When looking for the best area to plant a garden, look for a spot that gets direct sunlight for at least six to eight hours a day. And don’t forget to water. Mississippi summers are notoriously hot.

If your green thumb is a little brown or gardening is just not your thing, I encourage you to check out a local farmer’s market. Often, market prices are lower than grocery stores because you are cutting out the middleman.

The produce is grown locally, so you are giving back to your community. Not only that, the fruits and vegetables are at their peak and have spent less time in transit, enhancing their taste, texture and aroma. Don’t believe me? Slice into a fresh tomato or bite into a handful of strawberries from a farm stand. There is no comparison.

I have discovered some great deals on fresh plants and herbs for my garden that were considerably cheaper than a lot of the larger retail chains. (They also seem to water their plants more frequently. Have you noticed some of the larger chains—which shall remain nameless—expect you to buy half dead plants?).

Now is the time to take advantage of the bounty of fresh

Urban Blackberries II BLACKBERRY ICE CREAM (2 quarts)

Custard Recipe: 1 cup sugar 1 tablespoon cornstarch A dash of salt 4 cups half-and-half 2 cups whipping cream 2 eggs, beaten 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

June 3 - 9, 2010

Macerate 4 cups fresh blackberries with 1 cup sugar; mash and strain. This will yield about 2 cups of syrup. Set aside.

Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan. Gradually stir in half-

36

ZUCCHINI CAKES WITH DILL DIPPING SAUCE

by Lisa LaFontaine Bynum

and-half. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until mixture begins to simmer. Gradually stir about 1 cup of the hot mixture into the beaten eggs.

Add back to remaining hot mixture, stirring constantly. Cook, still stirring, over low heat until slightly thickened (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat.

Add whipping cream, blackberry syrup and vanilla. Beat with a whisk until smooth. Place in refrigerator for 45 minutes to cool. Put this mixture into in the ice cream freezer and process according to directions.

G

Dill Dipping Sauce 3/4 cup sour cream 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper Zucchini Cakes 2-1/2 cups shredded zucchini 1 cup Italian-style seasoned breadcrumbs

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon seafood seasoning (i.e. Old Bay) 1 medium egg, lightly beaten 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1 large carrot, chopped 1/4 cup finely chopped onion 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup canola oil

For the dip, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the cakes, place shredded zucchini in a colander to drain for up to two hours, or wrap in cheesecloth and squeeze to remove excess liquid. Pat dry and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, seafood seasoning and garlic powder. Combine egg and butter. Add to bread crumbs and stir until blended.

Add the carrot, onion and zucchini.

Place flour in a shallow bowl. Shape zucchini mixture into 24 small patties. Coat with flour.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Fry patties, a few at a time, for 3-4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels. Serve with dip.

Makes 2 dozen cakes and 3/4 cup dip.

etting a dish the way you want it and then telling other people how to do it isn’t easy.

Too many factors are involved: For instance, if you don’t have the same cooking utensils—like a loaf pan or a heavy cookie sheet or (God help you) a good seasoned skillet—then whatever you might have eaten in my home and gotten the recipe for just will not turn out the same way. It’s molecular.

Another major consideration is the lessoned repetition of creating something for the table. Most people who cook well, and I mean really well, don’t think a whiff about telling others how to cook it. I once asked a woman who made the best pork and dressing I had ever eaten tell me, “Honey, just take the biggest skillet you’ve got, brown your chops

by Jesse Yancy in it, fill it with sage dressing and pop it in the oven for a while.”

The recipe took me a year to nail down the way she did it, and I’ll never be able to replicate it with any keen degree of precision.

Jake’s blackberry ice cream is of the same ilk. He is a master with an ice cream freezer (no small feat, my friends), and he knows what works and what doesn’t. His recipe is involved, but if you manage to follow a good part of it, you’ll end up with something wonderful, despite yourself.

Custardy blackberry ice cream is a great treat for those hot, sultry days in the late spring. Chopped walnuts are always a nice addition. This recipe works well with other berries and fruit, too.

%*/&+BDLTPO Paid listyour yourrestaurant.r restaurant.r Paid advertising advertising section. section. Call Call 601-362-6121 601-362-6121 x11 x1 totolist

El Portrillo

(210 Dogwood Blvd, Flowood, 601-992-9260)

Mexican food with an attitude, complete with great atmosphere, luxurious patio, plenty of food and drink specials and, of course, a fabulous margarita! One of Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most extensive Mexican menus including items like bacon-wrapped shrimp and the shrimp nachos.

coffee houses Cups Espresso CafĂŠ (Multiple Locations, www.cupsespressocafe.com) Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s local group of coffeehouses offer high-end Arabica beans, a wide variety of espresso drinks, fresh brewed coffee and a selection of pastries and baked goods. Free wi-fi!

Wired Espresso CafĂŠ (115 N State St 601-500-7800) This downtown coffeehouse across from the Old Capitol focuses on being a true gathering place, featuring great coffee and a selection of breakfast, lunch and pastry items. Free wi-fi.

Serving:

H OT P ASTA D ISHES G RILLED F ISH P ANINI S ANDWICHES

â&#x20AC;˘ Open for ValentineĘźs Day @ 12 noon

(serving Dinner menu & Valentines specials)

â&#x20AC;˘ Now accepting ValentineĘźs Reservations â&#x20AC;˘ Special Valentines Menu offered Saturday, Feb. 13th & Sunday, Feb. 14th

Enjoy from the Belhaven bakery

Mon. - Thurs., 11am - 8:30pm | Fri. & Sat. 11am - 9pm 904B E. FortiďŹ cation St. - English Village

Call Us: 601-352-2002

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bakery Crazy Cat Bakers (Highland Village Suite #173 601-362-7448 & Fondren Corner Bldg) Amazing sandwiches: Meatloaf Panini, Mediterranean Vegetarian, Rotisserie Chicken to gourmet pimento cheese. Outlandish desserts. Now open in Fondren Corner on North State Street.

Broad Street Bakery (4465 Interstate 55 N. 601-362-2900) NEW MENU! Hot breakfast,coffee espresso drinks, fresh breads and pastries, gourmet deli sandwiches, quiches, soups, pizzas, pastas and dessert. A â&#x20AC;&#x153;see and be seenâ&#x20AC;? Jackson institution!

Campbellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bakery (3013 N State Street 601-362-4628) Now serving lunch! Cookies, cakes and cupcakes are accompanied by good coffee and a fullcooked Southern breakfast on weekdays in this charming bakery in Fondren.

For Heavenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cakes (4950 Old Canton Road 601-991-2253) Cakes and cupcakes for all occasions including weddings, parties, catered events. Owner Dani Mitchell Turk was features on the Food Networkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ultimate recipe showdown.

BAKERS

Open for Dinner Starting June 2 Wed. - Fri. 5PM - 8PM

7T\_l ?haV[ FcXV\T_

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(Special includes Entree + Two Sides)

ItalIan Basilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Belhaven (904 E. Fortification, Jackson, 601-352-2002)

The signature Paninis are complimented by great Italian offerings such as spaghetti and meatball, tomato basil soup, cookies and cupcakes. Dinner menu includes fresh tilapia, shrimp and risotto, seafood pasta, generous saladsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget the crab cakes. Party menu includes a â&#x20AC;&#x153;panini pie.â&#x20AC;? BYOB.

Zydeco - (n.) a popular music of southern Louisiana that combines French dance melodies, elements of Caribbean music and the blues, played by small groups featuring the guitar, the accordion and a washboard.

BRAVO! (4500 Interstate 55 N., Jackson, 601-982-8111)

Wood-fired pizzas, vegetarian fare, plus creative pastas, beef, and seafood specials. Wonderful atmosphere and service. Bravo! walks away with tons of Best of Jackson awards every year.

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Ceramiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (5417 Lakeland Drive, Flowood, 601-919-28298)

Southern-style Italian cuisine features their signature Shrimp Cerami (white wine sauce, capers artichokes) along with veal, tilapia, crawfish, chicken and pasta dishes. Now with liquor license!

Fratesiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (910 Lake Harbour, Ridgeland, 601-956-2929)

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Authentic, homey, unpretentiousâ&#x20AC;? thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how the regulars describe Fratesiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, a staple in Jackson for years, offering great Italian favorites with loving care. The tiramisu is a must-have!

.E@CASKK@ KQNP

barbeque Hickory Pit Barbeque (1491 Canton Mart Rd. 601-956-7079)

The â&#x20AC;&#x153;Best Butts in Townâ&#x20AC;? features BBQ chicken, beef and pork sandwiches along with burgers and poâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;boys. Wet or dry pork ribs, chopped pork or beef, and all the sides.

Lumpkins BBQ (182 Raymond Rd. Jackson 866-906-0942)

Specializing in smoked barbeque, Lumpkinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offers all your favorites for on-site family dining or for catered events, including reunions, office events, annivesaries, weddings and more.

Rib Shack B.B.Q. & Seafood (932 J.R. Lynch Street, Jackson, 601-665-4952) Hickory-smoked BBQ beef or pork ribs, BBQ chicken, giant chopped BBQ beef or pork sandwiches. Fried catfish, pan trout, fried shrimp, po boys. Tues-Thurs (11-8pm) Fri-Sat (11-10pm).

bars, pubs & burgers Alumni House (574 Hwy 51 Ridgeland 601-605-9903, 110 Bass Pro, Pearl, 601-896-0253) Good bar food, big portions and burgers (with â&#x20AC;&#x153;blackenedâ&#x20AC;? as an option) known for their sweet buns. Televisions throughout, even small tubes at your table. Po-boys, quesadillas; good stuff!

DINE LOCAL, see pg. 38

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!

Best Butts In Town!

since 1980

601-956-7079

1491 Canton Mart Rd. â&#x20AC;˘ Jackson

jacksonfreepress.com

37

Paid advertising section.

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Come see Why We Were Voted One Of Jackson’s Best Mediterranean Restaurants

Fenian’s Pub (901 E. Fortification St. 601-948-0055) Classic Irish pub featuring a menu of traditional food, pub sandwiches and beers including Guinness and Harp on tap. Free live music most nights; Irish/Celtic bands on Thursdays.

Poets Two (1855 Lakeland Drive, Suite H-10, 601-364-9411) Pub fare at its finest. Crabcake minis, fried dills, wings, poppers, ultimate fries, sandwiches, po-boys, pasta entrees and steak. The signature burgers come in bison, kobe, beef or turkey!

Cool Al’s (4654 McWillie, 601-713-3020) A standard in Best of Jackson, Al’s stacked, messy, decadent, creative burgers defy adjectives.

Or try pineapple chicken, smoked sausage...or the nationally recognized veggie burger.

Fitzgeralds at the Hilton (1001 East County Line Road, 601-957-2800) Top-shelf bar food with a Gulf Coast twist like Gumbo Ya Ya, Pelahatchie artisan sausage and cheese antipasto. Grilled oysters; fried stuff—oysters, catfish, shrimp, seafood or chicken!

Hal and Mal’s (200 S. Commerce St. 601-948-0888) Pub favorites meet Gulf Coast and Cajun specialties like red beans and rice, the Oyster Platter or each day’s blackboard special. Repeat winner of Best of Jackson’s “Best Place for Live Music.”

Last Call (3716 I-55 N. Frontage Road 601-713-2700) Burgers, sandwiches and po-boys, plus sports-bar appetizers and specialities. Try chili cheese fries, chicken nachos or the shrimp & pork eggrolls. Pay-per-view sporting events, live bands.

Martin’s Restaurant and Lounge (214 South State Street 601-354-9712) Lunch specials, pub appetizers (jalapeno poppers, cheezsticks, fried pickles) or order from the full menu of po-boys and entrees. Full bar, massive beer selection and live music most nights.

Shucker’s Oyster Bar (116 Conestoga Road, Ridgeland 601-853-0105) Serious about oysters? Try ‘em on the half shell, deep-fried, charred from the oven or baked in champagne. Plus po-boys, pub favorites, burgers, mufalettas, pizza, seafood and steaks!

The Regency (400 Greymont Ave. 601-969-2141) Reasonably priced buffet Monday through Friday featuring all your favorites. Daily happy hour, live bands and regular specials.

Time Out Sports Café (6720 Old Canton Road 601-978-1839) 14 TVs, 1 projector and two big-screens. Daily $9 lunch specials, pub-style appetizers, burgers, seafood and catfish po-boys, salads, and hot entrees including fish, steak and pasta.

Ole Tavern on George Street (416 George St. 601-960-2700) Pub food with a southern flair: beer-battered onion rings, chicken & sausage gumbo, salads, sandwiches and weekly lunch specials. Plus, happy hour 4-7pm Monday through Friday.

Pelican Cove Grill (3999A Harbor Walk Drive 601-605-1865) Great rez view! Shrimp and seafood appetizers, soups, salads, burgers and sandwiches, plus po-boys, catfish baskets, and dinners from the grill including mahi-mahi and reggae ribs.

Sportsman’s Lodge (1120 E Northside Dr. in Maywood Mart) 601-366-5441 Voted Best Sports Bar in 2010, Sportman’s doesn’t disappoint with plenty of gut-pleasing sandwiches, and fried seafood baskets. Try the award-winning wings in Buffalo, Thai or Jerk sauces!

Underground 119 (119 South President St. 601-352-2322) Jumbo lump crabcakes, crab quesadillas, beef tenderloin parfaits, orange-garlic shrimp, even “lollipop” lamb chops. Add a full bar and mix in great music. Opens 4 p.m.-until, Wed-Sat.

ASIAN STIX (109 Marketplace Lane off Lakeland Dr Flowood 601-420-4058) Enjoy the quick-handed, knife-wielding chefs at the flaming teppanyaki grill; artful presentations of sushi; the pungent seasonings and spicy flavors of regional Chinese cuisines.

Nagoya (6351 I-55 North #131 @ Target Shopping Ctr. 601-977-8881) Nagoya gets high marks for its delicious-and-affordable sushi offerings, tasty lunch specials and high-flying hibachi room with satisfying flavors for the whole family.

Ichiban (153 Ridge Drive, Ste 105F 601-919-0097 & 359 Ridgeway 601-919-8879) Voted “Best Chinese” in 2010, cuisine styles at Ichiban actually range from Chinese to Japanese, including hibachi, sushi made fresh with seafood, and a crowd-pleasing buffet.

SoutherN cuISINe Mimi’s Family and Friends (3139 North State Street, Fondren) 601-366-6111 Funky local art decorates this new offering in Fondren, where the cheese grits, red beans & rice, pork tacos and pimento cheese are signature offerings. Breakfast and lunch, Mon-Sat. Julep (1305 East Northside Drive, Highland Village, 601-362-1411) Tons of Best of Jackson awards, delicious Southern fusion dishes like award-winning fried chicken, shrimp and grits, blackened tuna and butter bean hummus. Brunch, lunch, dinner and late night.

Primos Cafe (515 Lake Harbour 601-898-3400 and 2323 Lakeland 601-936-3398) A Jackson institution featuring a full breakfast (with grits and biscuits), blue plate specials, catfish, burgers, prime rib, oysters, po-boys and wraps. Save room for something from the bakery.

May 27 - June 2, 2010

Mediterranean & Lebanese Cuisine

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Lunch starting at just $6 .99 Hours of Operation: Everyday am-until

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Po’ Polks (4865 N. State Street 601-366-2160) Great home-style cookin’ open Mon-Sat for a $4.95 lunch. Chopped steak and gravy, Fried chicken, smothered pork chops, catfish, pan trout, BBQ rib tips, plus sides galore!

Sugar’s Place (168 W Griffith St 601-352-2364) Hot breakfast and weekday lunch: catfish, pantrout, fried chicken wings, blue plates, red beans & rice, pork chops, chicken & dumplings, burgers, po-boys...does your grandma cook like this?

The Strawberry Café (107 Depot Drive, Madison, 601-856-3822) Full table service, lunch and dinner. Crab and crawfish appetizers, salads, fresh seafood, pastas, “surf and turf” and more. Veggie options. Desserts: cheesecake, Madison Mud and strawberry shortcake.

Two Sisters Kitchen (707 N. Congress St. 601-353-1180) 2010 Best of Jackson winner for fried chicken offers a sumptious buffet of your choice of veggies, a salad bar, iced tea & one of three homemade desserts. Lunch only M-F 11am-2pm, Sun. 10:30am-2pm.

steak, seafood & fINe dINING Huntington Grille at the Hilton (1001 East County Line Road 601--957-1515) Chef Luis Bruno offers fresh Gulf seafood, unique game dishes and succulent steaks alongside an expansive wine selection; multiple honors from Best of Jackson, Wine Specator and others.

SUNDAEYT

BUmFF-3pm

“Now Dats Italian”

A metro-area tradition since 1977 Lunch: Tues. - Fri. & Sun. | 11am-2pm Dinner: Tues. -Thurs. & Sun. | 5pm-9pm Fri. & Sat. | 5pm-10pm

601-919-2829

5417 Lakeland Drive ~ Flowood, MS 39232

11a ies, meats, Fresh vegg much breads and more!

Open Mon-Fri 11am-3pm, Closed on Sat. 182 Raymond Rd. in Jackson, MS Telephone: 601-373-7707 E-mail: lumpkinsbbq@comcast.net

VOTED BEST HAIR STYLIST BEST OF JACKSON 2009 & 2010

medIterraNeaN/mIddLe easterN Aladdin Mediterranean Grill (730 Lakeland Drive 601-366-6033) Delicious authentic dishes including lamb dishes, hummus, falafel, kababs, shwarma and much more. Consistent award winner, great for takeout or for long evenings with friends.

Jerusalem Café (2741 Old Canton Road 601-321-8797) Yes, it’s a hookah bar in Jackson, which also happens to have a great Meditterean menu, including falafel, lamb shank, feta salad, kabob, spinach pie, grape leaves and baba ghanouj.

Kristos (971 Madison Ave @ Hwy 51, Madison, 601-605-2266) Home of the famous Greek meatball! Hummus, falafel, dolmas, pita sandwiches, salads, plus seasoned curly fries (or sweet potato fries) and amazing desserts.

Petra Cafe (104 West Leake Street, Clinton 601-925-0016) Mediterranean and Lebanese cuisine in the charm of Olde Towne Clinton. Stuffed grape leaves, spinach pie, shrimp kabobs, greek salads, hummus and more. Lunch and dinner served seven days a week.

1935 Lakeland Dr. 601.906.2253

PIzza

CarrIBBeaN Taste of the Island (436 E. Capitol, Downtown, 601-360-5900) Jerk chicken or ribs, curry chicken or shrimp, oxtails, snapper or goat, plus bok choy, steamed cabbage and Jamaican Greens, Carry out, counter seating or delivery available.

11a-7p, Monday-Friday.

Sundays - 10:30 AM & 6 PM Worship service & kids service

NEWLOCATION 4101 NORTHVIEW DR, STE C2 (Center Square Shopping Center) JACKSON, MISSSIPPI 39206

601-954-6820

51

Northside Dr.

THE JOURNEY r.

Mellow Mushroom (275 Dogwood Blvd, Flowood, 601-992-7499) Pizzas of all kinds, munchies, calzones, grilled hoagies, salads and more make up the extensive and “eclectic” menu at Mellow Mushroom. Award-winning beer selection. Dine in or carry out.

The Pizza Shack (1220 N State St. 601-352-2001) 2009 and 2010’s winner of Best Pizza offers the perfect pizza-and-a-beer joint. Creative pizza options abound (“Cajun Joe, anyone?”), along with sandwiches, wings, salads and even BBQ. Sal & Mookie’s (565 Taylor St. 601-368-1919) Pizzas of all kinds plus pasta, eggplant parmesan and the local favorite: fried ravioli. Voted Best Chef, Best Dessert, Best Kid’s Menu and Best Ice Cream in the 2010 Best of Jackson reader poll.

Nor thv iew D

Meadowbrook Rd.

CVS

Visit us on the web: explorethejourney.org

mexICaN El Portrillo (210 Dogwood Blvd, Flowood, 601-992-9260) Mexican food with an attitude, complete with great atmosphere, luxurious patio, plenty of food and drink specials and, of course, a fabulous margarita! One of Jackson’s most extensive Mexican menus including items like bacon-wrapped shrimp and the shrimp nachos.

VeGetarIaN High Noon Café (2807 Old Canton Road in Rainbow Plaza 601-366-1513) Fresh, gourmet, tasty and healthy defines the lunch options at Jackson’s own strict vegetarian (and very-vegan-friendly) restaurant. Daily lunch specials -- like Mexican day and the seaside cakes on Fridays -- push the envelope on creative and healthy; wonderful desserts!

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section.

39

sports

by Diandra Hosey

NOW OPEN ON SUNDAYS!

Dinner Entrees Served All Day! Guinness Stout Cheese- $3.99

Spread with crostinis

The Reuben- $8.99 Classic, Awesome!

Marianara Chicken Sandwich- $8.99 Messy but good!

WEDNESDAY 6/2

Josh Matthews (Folk/Rock)

THURSDAY 6/3

Legacy (Irish)

FRIDAY 6/4

Nick B. & Stan Black (Acoustic Rock & Blues) SATURDAY 6/5

Bofus

(Americana) SUNDAY 6/6

Brunch 11am-3pm

Open 11am - Midnight MONDAY 6/7

Karaoke w/ Matt TUESDAY 6/8

June 3 - 9, 2010

Open Mic with A Guy named George

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COURTESY JACKSON JUGGERNAUTS

A Chance for the Next Level

The Jackson Juggernauts are Jackson’s semipro football team. See the team’s first home game July 17 at Newell Field.

U

ndeterred by Friday night’s rain and eager to make the team, 16 hopeful young men arrived at Newell Field in Jackson bright and early May 8 to try out for the Jackson Juggernauts 2010 football season. The Juggernauts are in their second year with the Southern American Football League, a league with teams from 10 southern states. The league gives players an opportunity to showcase their skills throughout the South and to college, Arena League and Canadian League scouts.

Tryouts consisted of drills from Phase 1 of the Juggernauts training program—running and conditioning—and the men needed frequent water breaks.

“We gotta get in shape!” yelled Commissioner Joe Bean, a league owner.

Most of the hopefuls were medium height and slim; a few were muscular. One short, heavy young man visibly struggled during the drills, resting his arms on his waist and breathing heavily. Two large men in blue jeans—returning players from last year—observed, critiquing the players the way Drew Brees might watch an eager young quarterback vowing to be a Saint.

The drills lacked intensity. An intense workout would surely deter players with less developed skills, but with only 16 men at the tryouts, participation was limited. Bean attributed the lack of contenders to the previous night’s storm. He explained that many are unaware that Newell Field has artificial turf, making muddy ground of no consequence.

“This is the second year for the team in Jackson, and turnout last year was good,” Bean said.

In 2009, Robert Bronson, current president of the Mississippi Youth Sports Association, coached the team’s first season to a 6-4 finish. Bronson declined to coach for the 2010 season, though, and the team is searching for a new head coach.

Matthew Pulliam’s pure love for football led him to the tryouts, and his parents proudly observed their son as he attempted to add another chapter to his football career. A Clinton native and 2000 graduate of Clinton High School, Pulliam attended Mississippi College, where he was a successful snapper for the Choctaws. He graduated in 2004 and earned

a tryout with the Buffalo Bills but fell short of making the team. He currently works as a registered nurse with the University of Mississippi Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit and regularly volunteers with the Madison Central High School football team.

“He loves football and saw this as a chance to stay in the sport,” his mother explained about his tryouts for the Juggernauts.

Reginald Hill is looking for the same opportunity. He was a football and track standout at Brandon High School, where he graduated in 1997. He continued both sports at Hinds Community College in Raymond, and says that he was a two-time All-American in both sports. Hill earned a scholarship from Texas State University in football and track, and again won All-American honors in both sports. With one year of eligibility left, he returned to Brandon after his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. His mother survived, and in 2005, Hill earned his bachelor’s in Criminal Justice.

The following year, Hill returned to Texas and joined the unattached track team, Speed Koncept Track Club. Hill also he says tried out for the 2000 and 2008 Olympics. He quit Speed Koncept in 2008 and began working for a telephone company in Houston.

Hill’s mother suffered two heart attacks, which led to his second return home. When asked about his ambitions for the Juggernauts, he explained that he “just wanted to keep in shape.” He’s headed for the ELITE Pro Football Combine in Atlanta June 7, in hopes of earning a spot on a National Football League, Canadian League or Arena League team.

If he’s not picked up, he plans to return to Jackson, play with the Juggernauts and attend the Jackson Police Academy.

Jackson native Rodney Gamblin, 27, began his career with the Juggernauts in its first season and is a league All-Star. He graduated from Jim Hill High School in 2003, earning a football scholarship to Hinds Community College where he played until 2006. Gamblin went on to play for Paul Quinn College in Dallas, but after his first year, the college dropped the football program due to lack of funds. He stayed in Texas and began his semipro football career with the North Texas Stampede, returning home to the Juggernauts after a year.

Gamblin works as a lab assistant with the Public Health Laboratory and is a youth basketball coach. As for the Juggernauts, he says that he “always shoots for the stars, because if you don’t end up on the stars, you can land in the clouds.” He wants to play professionally, but despite his ambitions, he says: “We are here for the community and to make it better. It’s not about the glitz and glamour of the NFL.” The Juggernauts’ first game is in Baton Rouge July 10, with the first home game against the Lake Charles River Cats at Newell Field July 17. Tickets are $5. For more information, call 601-665-7444 or visit www.safleague.org.

Doctor S sez: You call it a waste of time; the Doctor calls it Major League Soccer.

THURSDAY, JUNE 3 NBA basketball, Finals, Boston at Los Angeles Lakers (8 p.m., Ch. 16): Finally, we get to Celtics vs. Lakers, the series we’ve all been waiting for. Can the Lakers repeat as champs? No, Celtics in seven.

FRIDAY, JUNE 4 College baseball, NCAA Auburn Regional, Southern Miss vs.

Clemson (2 p.m., Auburn, Ala.): The Eagles begin their quest for a second straight trip to the College World Series. … NCAA Charlottesville Regional, Ole Miss vs. St. John’s (7 p.m., Charlottesville, Va., 97.3 FM): The Rebels showed signs of life in the SEC Tournament.

Can they keep it going?

SATURDAY, JUNE 5 PDL soccer, Nashville at Mississippi (7 p.m., Millsaps College, Jackson): The Brilla and Metros kick it at Harper Davis Stadium.

SUNDAY, JUNE 6 NBA basketball, Finals, Boston at Los Angeles Lakers (7 p.m., Ch. 16) Here the NBA goes, dragging this series out again. Can we finish

by July 4?

MONDAY, JUNE 7 College softball, College World Series Game 1 (7 p.m., ESPN2): Women who throw the ball faster and hit it harder than 99 percent of the men reading this begin their battle for the NCAA title.

TUESDAY, JUNE 8 NBA basketball, Finals, Los Angeles Lakers at Boston (8 p.m., Ch. 16): The Lakers and Celtics shift to from LaLa Land to Beantown for Game 3.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9 Major League baseball, Atlanta at Arizona (8:30 p.m., SportSouth, 620 AM): The Braves invade the Snake house.

Slate is compiled by Doctor S, who is wondering if watching 30 hours of “Family Guy” is too much. For some real comedy, go to JFP Sports at www.jacksonfreepress.com.

BY MATT JONES

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

As they orbit the planet, astronauts witness as many as 15 sunrises and sunsets each day. Time isn’t really sped up for them, but it seems like it. I expect you to experience a similar feeling in the coming weeks, Gemini. You may have the fantasy that you’re living the equivalent of four days every 24 hours. The light will be brighter, the emotions richer and the teachings more highly concentrated.

If you give yourself to the surge with relaxed enthusiasm and focused receptivity, your evolution will be expedited.

I think you’re ready to stand up and reclaim your power from the soul-sucking influences that have been swindling you. But you don’t have to turn this showdown into a melodramatic epic that brings down the house or blows up the world. In fact, I think it’s better if you stay low-key as you transform the dynamics that have been grinding you down. The adjustments may be nowhere near as major as you imagine. Why? Because most of what you need to do is make shifts in your own attitude.

The necessary changes in outer circumstances will arise naturally once you’ve done that.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

If I were writing the story of your life as a fairy tale, the current chapter would be filled with enchanted events.

You’d hear animals’ thoughts in your head and you’d remember your past lives. You’d be able to find accurate oracles in the shapes of clouds, the ringing of distant bells and the patterns of shadows on the sidewalk. You would see the help that’s invisible to everyone else and know what to do in order to get the love you want.

Take advantage of the available mojo, Leo. Use it to set people free, including yourself.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

How skilled are you at getting things done and making things happen? This is different from just being busy; it’s not the same as scrambling around attending to whatever tasks are at the forefront of your attention.

I’m talking about actually cranking out excellent results that manifest a comprehensive vision of your intentions.

I’m talking about working hard and smart to serve the big picture, not working frenetically and mechanically to rid yourself of nervous mental energy. You’re in a phase when these themes are especially important, Virgo. Be a master of the details; don’t let the details master you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

In her essay “Write Till You Drop,” author Annie Dillard offers advice to aspiring writers. I’m going to quote a certain passage that happens to be apropos for you Libras right now. “Spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for later . . . give it, give it all, give it now. The impulse to save something good for a better place later is the signal to spend it now. Something more will arise for later, something better. These things fill from behind, from beneath, like well water. Similarly, the impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive. Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you.”

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

In a Rolling Stone interview, musician John Mayer suggested that Tiger Woods could have avoided his terrible troubles if he had just chosen to masturbate more.

Rather than literally acting out his obsessive sexual urges with a jillion women who weren’t his wife, why not contain them in the fantasy realm? I suggest you consider applying this principle as you make your decisions in the coming weeks, Scorpio—not just in regards to your sexual life, but in other areas as well. There may be times when you could prevent an influx of unnecessary chaos simply by conducting a conversation in your imagination rather than by having it with the actual person who seems to be agitating or enthralling you.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

There are very few people who can lick their own elbows, and up until now you have probably not been one of them. Judging from the current astrological configurations, however, I’m guessing that a lot of you Sagittarians are about to be more flexible, limber and acrobatic than usual—not just in your mental attitudes but possibly even in your physical abilities. At least

metaphorically speaking, you’ll be able to bend over backwards without damaging your dignity. You could also stretch and twist yourself into poses that have previously been impossible. So who knows? Maybe you’ll find a way to plant a kiss on your own elbow.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

The TV comedy series “Community” takes place on the sleepy campus of a community college. It features the hijinks of seven misfits who are older and weirder than their fellow students. In one episode, an inept female security guard chases the lead character, Jeff, hoping to catch and cite him for a farcical misdemeanor. As she races along, shouting for him to stop, she takes out her can of pepper spray and shoots several streams in his direction. The cloud of noxious stuff doesn’t reach him, but she runs face-first into it as she continues her pursuit. It irritates her eyes and forces her to halt. Later, in telling her associate what happened, she says she was the victim of “self-inflicted friendly fire.” I worry that you’ll soon be tempted to carry out a metaphorical version of that, Capricorn. Please don’t.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Here’s how author Leo Buscaglia described the rigorous requirements for being a great lover. You must “continually have the subtlety of the very wise, the flexibility of the child, the sensitivity of the artist, the understanding of the philosopher, the acceptance of the saint, the tolerance of the scholar, and the fortitude of the certain.”

I’m sorry to report that no one I’ve ever known has met those high standards! In the coming weeks, however, you Aquarians will have the potential to get halfway there. Life will conspire to boost every effort you make to be a great lover.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

Recently I was remembering the names of streets near the house where I grew up in Allen Park, Mich. Although I didn’t register it at the time, they were lyrical, euphonious and evocative: Philomene, Shenandoah, Osage, Luana, Cleophus, Gahona. As I walked and played on them day after day for years, my imagination breathed in the magic of their exotic sounds, unobtrusively nurturing my poetic sensibilities. I bring this up, Pisces, in the hope of inspiring a comparable rumination in you.

Think back on the riches of the past whose importance to your development you may have underestimated.

It’s a good time to re-connect with the power and glory of influences that brought out the best in you almost without your knowledge.

“Repeat Offenders”—it’s just overkill.

Across

1 1973 snake movie starring Dirk Benedict 8 Hard workers?

14 “The Life ___ with Steve Zissou” 15 One of many in Las Vegas 16 Former Campbell’s Soup slogan 18 Atlanta suburb 19 Enthusiastic assent, in Spanish 20 Bikini part 22 Back muscles 23 With 31-across, quadruple platinum R&B album of 1992 26 Beauty’s counterpart 30 River that passes through Essen, Germany 31 See 23-across 34 Presidential monogram of the 1950s 37 Actress Lathan of “The Cleveland Show” 38 “___ was saying...”

39 Financial advisor and TV host Suze 41 ___ Maria (liqueur) 42 1953 Looney Tunes short where a student daydreams 45 Make a sad face 46 Part of a lunar cycle 47 Some all-female band members 52 Moby Dick chaser

53 Hydrocarbon suffix 54 “I’m rippin’ up ___ doll...” (Aerosmith lyric) 58 Chests 61 1990’s “Groove Is In the Heart” dance band 64 Beekeeper’s place 65 Month of fasting 66 Took out for a spin 67 Last name of Southern rapper Bubba

Down

1 ___ Club (Wal-Mart offshoot) 2 Unit used to measure a city’s area: abbr.

3 Totals 4 “____ am” 5 Type of silver associated with British money: abbr.

6 Silicon monoxide, for short 7 Prefix for “phobia” that means “dark” 8 Alternatives to Pepsis 9 Electrical unit of resistance 10 Waco university 11 She backed Barack 12 Like J, alphabetically 13 Former Guns N’ Roses guitarist 17 “Scooby-___, Where Are You!” 21 Actress ___ de Rossi of “Arrested

©2010 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@ jonesincrosswords.com) For answers to this puzzle, call: 1-900-226-2800, 99 cents per minute. Must be 18+. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800655-6548. Reference puzzle #0463.

Last Week’s Answers

BY MATT JONES

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

If you’d like to be in supreme alignment with cosmic rhythms this week, I suggest that you completely avoid using the f-word. Likewise, you’ll maximize your chances for taking advantage of fate’s currents if you refrain from ever using the s-word, the c-word, the m-word and the b-word. As a general rule, the more precise and the less lazy you are in using language, the more willpower you’ll have and the better able you’ll be to attract the experiences you want. It’s always invigorating to choose your words creatively and kindly, of course, but especially now.

Last Week’s Answers

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

If you grow a mere acre of peanuts, in a good year you’ll harvest a big enough crop to make 30,000 peanut butter sandwiches. That might be more than you need. If you just plant enough peanuts to fill a basketball court, you’ll still have enough to make over 3,200 sandwiches, which would provide you with more than eight every day for a year. This is a good phase of your astrological cycle to be thinking thoughts like these, Taurus. You will have more insight and motivation than usual if you formulate long-term plans to create abundance for yourself.

Psychologists hypothesize that the best way to eliminate a bad habit is to replace it with a good one. Tell how you’ll do that. Go to Freewillastrology.com and click “Email Rob.”

“Strip Sudoku”

No, you don’t have to take your clothes off to play Strip Sudoku (but I won’t stop you). Just fill each square in this grid with a digit from 1 to 9 so that, as in a standard sudoku, no digit is repeated in any row, column, or 3x3 box (as marked off by shading in the grid). Each three-square strip (as marked off by heavy black lines) contains an S, M, and L-marked square, which stand for small, medium, and large. The S will be the smallest of the three digits in its strip, the M will be the middle digit, and the L will be the largest digit. Now solve!!

jacksonfreepress.com

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

Development” 23 Baseball Hall-of-Famer Mel 24 “Positive,” to Pierre 25 “What an unfortunate situation” 26 ___ B’rith 27 Active Sicilian volcano 28 “Just as I suspected!”

29 Sailor’s visibility hazard 31 East, in Germany 32 “The other,” in Spanish 33 Newspaper published since 1908, for short 34 Prohibited areas in combat: abbr.

35 Stupor 36 ‘80s rockers Split ___ 40 Wu-Tang Clan producer 43 Czech play where 8-across came from 44 Does some high school vandalism 45 Naval vessel commanded by JFK 47 Morocco’s capital 48 Wishful thought 49 “Champagne Supernova” band 50 Boxing match div.

51 Lusty looks 54 Banned apple spray 55 Hyphenated septic system treatment brand 56 “I never knew ___ that was not odious” (John Sherman) 57 Demographic for characters in “Reality Bites” 59 Modern version of a K-ration 60 Aust. city 62 “The Raven” monogram 63 Transatlantic MTV honor, for short

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601-259-4151

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I can Help!! 500.00 down, Easy payments from 290.00 - 340.00 a month

on the 1st level

OfďŹ ce: 601.924.4647 | Fax: 601.926.4799 M-F 10-6, Thurs 8-2, Sat by Appt. Only

www.rathburnchiropractic.com

Weiser security

Now hiring for security ofďŹ cers In the jackson, ms area *beneďŹ ts *on site training **retirees welcomed** You can reach us at 1-800-349-0700 E. O. E

Bad Credit, No Credit, Stop Stressing about transportation!! Come and speak with me about getting the car you need today!! I can get you a great 18,000/18 month limited warranty too!! Call me you will be glad you did! Kim @ 601-939-7239

PI&I Motor Express

Is currently hiring ďŹ&#x201A;atbed drivers. Starting pay is 26% after 6 months, 27% and after 6 additional months 28%. Job offers many beneďŹ ts including weekends off. Please call 60-878-5395

Credit keeping you from your new car?

YOU CAN BE APPROVED TODAY. Low on cash for down payment? I CAN YOU HAVE APPROVED as LOW AS $499.00 DOWN APPLY ON LINE at approvemenow. tripod.com or call me now to ride today. Gil 601-720-

File Ch. 7 & 13 Bankruptcy for $999 until July 31! ($299 Federal Filing Fee Included!)

Just $400 Down!

Interest Free Payment Plans Available

Neil B. Snead

Aď?´ď?´ď?Żď?˛ď?Žď?Ľď?š ď&#x153;Ś Cď?Żď?ľď?Žď?łď?Ľď?Źď?Żď?˛ Aď?´ Lď?Ąď?ˇ Jackson â&#x20AC;˘ (601) 316-7147 FREE BACKGROUND INFO. AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

WHY PAY MORE TO PRINT?

$2 OFF INK REFILL (min. purchase $10)

$5 OFF TONER REFILL (min. purchase $30)

One per customer. Not valid with other offers.

Code JFPCPN.

Location Name: Madison & Flowood | Madison: 601-603-2314 and Flowood: 601-939-3373 www.cartridgeworldusa.com