v8n46 - JFP Back to School Issue: Keeping Kids in School

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Featuring Donna Ladd , JFP editor-in-chief one of eleven celebrity participants

July 29 - August 4, 2010

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jacksonian

VOL.

8 NO. 46

contents

Capitol Two-Way

FILE PHOTO; BRIANA ROBINSON; AMILE WILSON; KATIE STEWART

ANGELIN IRVIN

8 Mayor Johnson says a two-way street will help development.

Cover Photograph by Amile Wilson

12

THIS ISSUE: Constitution Man

7..................... Slow Poke 8...............................

Talk

14........................ Editorial 14.......................... Stiggers 14.............................. Zuga 15........................ Opinion 24........................... 8 Days 26 ........................

Books

28.................... JFP Events 30 .............................Arts 31............................

32 ...........

Music

Music Listings

34 .......................... Food 38 .......................... Astro 39 ........................... Slate 40 .................. Body/Soul

whitney barkley Growing up, Whitney Barkley never dreamed she would be a lawyer.

“I was going to be an actress and be incredibly famous, and win an Oscar,” she says with a laugh.

During her first two years at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, Barkley made up her mind that she would become an actress, majoring in theater and voice. Her life changed direction, however, after she started protesting the war in Iraq.

“That was kind of the beginning of my political awakening,” Barkley says.

She switched her major to political science and communication, and started working on local political campaigns in South Carolina. After both candidates won, Barkley felt a huge sense of accomplishment. She got the same high working in politics as she did when she was on stage.

“Politics is theater, you know,” she says.

Barkley, 25, decided to go on to law school at the University of Michigan. She wanted to learn more about the legal system, and she saw a law degree as way of making change.

After graduating from law school in 2009, Barkley soon moved to Jackson to work for the Mississippi Center for Justice. At the MCJ, Barkley works on foreclosure-prevention efforts throughout the state, funded by Equal Justice Works and AmeriCorps grants.

She says that common stereotypes about those who end up in foreclosure do not hold true in our state: “I think people get this idea, when

they talk about foreclosure, of people who irresponsibly have taken out way too much money, … and that’s really not what you see in Mississippi. … These people have gotten battered by life’s circumstances and can no longer afford to make the payments on their house.”

While Barkley is dedicated to her work, she never left theater behind. Since moving to Jackson, Barkley has performed in the “Monster Monologues” with the Fondren Theatre Workshop and “Steel Magnolias” with Black Rose Theatre. She plans on auditioning with New Stage Theatre in August.

While she’s not at the Center for Justice or acting, Barkley works with the Center for Violence Prevention where she is a facilitator in batterer’s intervention classes for abusers.

“People always ask what I mean when I say I love the guys (that attend the classes), but I do, because we’re all flawed human beings. … But most of them are actively trying to work toward being better people, and I have to respect that,” Barkley explains.

Though funding for Barkley’s position at the MCJ ends next year, she is considering making Mississippi her home.

“Mississippi has such a sense of place,” she says.

She is fascinated by Jackson’s transformation into a bustling, vibrant community.

“That’s part of what tempts me to stay here,” Barkley says. “To see that through till the end, to see Jackson be the city that it once was.”

— Katie Bonds

Bill Marcy is taking on Rep. Bennie Thompson in the November elections.

16 Sticking with School Who has a plan to fight the skyrocketing rate of dropouts in Jackson?

34 Budget Entertaining Not having a lot of money to spend on guests doesn’t mean skimping on hospitality.

jacksonfreepress.com

7................ Editor’s Note

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by Donna Ladd, Editor-in-Chief

Shall We Overcome?

I

find it hard to trust someone who claims we should never talk about race. And I find it impossible to fathom someone who says it’s “racist” to call out racism.

Race was the four-letter word of the last week. First, the NAACP rightly called out the “tea party” for harboring racists and not making them unwelcome in their party. In return, conservative hit-blogger Andrew Breitbart decided to concoct a strategy to try to make the NAACP look “racist.”

Clearly, Mr. Breitbart thinks the world, and particularly conservatives, are as stupid as he seems to be. He took video of a Civil Rights Movement veteran, Shirley Sherrod, speaking to an NAACP banquet and chopped and edited it up to make her look like she hated white people. Of course, the fool could not have chosen a better example of the exact opposite.

After a day of ridiculous over-reaction by members of the Obama administration (note to White House: racists gain power if you let them call the shots), it emerged that the unedited tape showed that Ms. Sherrod was actually giving a touching, overcoming-herown-bigotry speech about white farmers who had needed her help. (And who jumped to her defense after Breitbart’s trash-tape went viral.)

She was actually relating the story of her own evolution: about how she had to meet her own fear and hate of white people head-on.

Her story shows why it’s vital to face race issues, and the legacy of white supremacy in our country. And, yes, part of that legacy is a pool of African Americans who dislike and distrust the white people who discriminated and conspired against them and their forebears. Or, who maimed or killed them.

(Have I mentioned that a white man killed Ms. Sherrod’s father over a cow in 1965?

And that the white man wasn’t indicted?)

The best part: She overcame. But she didn’t get there by pretending that a racist legacy doesn’t exist. She faced her own demons head on, regardless of where they came from.

Of course, too many Americans do not want us to face down and learn from our collective past. It has become vogue in certain circles to accuse anyone who tries to talk about race, deal with lingering racism or try to reverse the tough effects of it of being “racist.”

That, somehow, is how people like Breitbart and the yo-yos FOX News parades in front of the cameras have come up with the idea that the NAACP is “racist.”

Freeze frame.

It is a really good idea to know what racism is, and isn’t, before throwing the label around. Words, and their meanings, matter.

Case in point: Racism v. bigotry. Both are bad and sad, but they are different.

Even if Breitbart actually had a video that showed Ms. Sherrod hates all white people, that would not automatically mean that she is a “racist.” A bigot, no doubt. But, racism is about much more than personal bigotry. It’s about supporting, directly or inadvertently, policies that suppress a race of people. It’s systemic; that’s why it has “ism” on the end of it.

In the U.S. today, anyone can be a bigot, and many people are. I’ve felt the ire of some black people who are bigots against white people. It’s sad, but it is not an “ism.”

In order for someone to be racist, they have to be part of a group with the power and privilege to institute or at least support a system and policies that suppress a race of people.

This country was built on a platform of white supremacy, and that system still lingers, although a good chunk of it has been shattered,

thankfully. But we have not arrived at a place yet where the power has shifted enough that “minorities” yet have the ability to return the racism they have long suffered. And, no, a black president has not put us there, just as it does not mean we are “post-racial.”

Racism is about power. The NAACP does not have the power to create the kind of “racist” system it was set up to counter. And by the grace of God, and the work of good people of all races, we can hope that future non-white majorities will not want to return the favor (especially after seeing how being the “privileged” race can be its own paranoid, fearful hell).

Breitbart’s little video scheme was not only misleading; it was illogical. The NAACP is not a racist organization. It does not exist to hurt non-blacks, nor it is about black supremacy. Sure, it may have some bigots among its ranks; so do most organizations. But the NAACP pushes equal access to opportunity, and that scares some people who slept through the loaves-and-fishes Sunday school lesson.

As race debates heat up, we have to be careful about equating good and evil. There’s a huge difference between being part of a group that wants civil-rights laws rolled back and profiling of all immigrants, and an organization formed to demand equality for all.

I have seen a Clarion-Ledger reporter “balance” quotes from an old Klansman with quotes from an NAACP representative. This was horrifying: There is nothing “objective” about “balancing” a terrorist group with an organization set up to overcome the terrorism.

It is terrible journalism, and it’s dangerous.

But that is what we see happening out in the media world now, spurred on by attention-seekers like Breitbart. They are playing to people’s fears, and assuming that many Americans cannot think or see a logical fallacy when it walks up and kicks them in the knee.

Trying to make people believe that facing and discussing racial problems is the same as racism is very, very dangerous. It is sowing hate, and it makes the airwaves sound like a Citizens Council rally (those idiots didn’t think they were “racist,” either, just “realistic”).

And just as this kind of rhetoric did in the past, it can motivate wounded people—perhaps someone who has lost his job, and read on a blog that it’s a black or Latino person’s fault—to commit violence like we suffered here in Jackson not many years ago.

This is irresponsible, and it is up to good people to stand up and say, “Enough.”

The good news is that Breitbart’s ploy can be an opportunity if we seize it. I encourage everyone to watch the full, unedited video of Ms. Sherrod’s remarks with an open mind.

Regardless of your race, put yourself in her shoes. Imagine your daddy was killed, and no one in power cared due to his race—and how much that could make you hate the “other.”

Then consider the kind of faith in the human race it takes to forgive and really move forward—not by closing your eyes to the past, but by opening them to the future.

Lacey McLaughlin News editor Lacey McLaughlin is a Florida native who enjoys riding her bike around Jackson. She is always on the hunt for news tips. E-mail Lacey@jacksonfreepress.com or call 601.362.6121 x.

22. She wrote the cover story.

Amile Wilson Amile Wilson is a dedicated Jackson filmmaker and media consultant and a part-time politico. He’s worked in D.C., L.A. and a few countries, but always seems to come back to Jackson.

He shot the cover photo.

Katie Bonds Editorial intern Katie Bonds has a master’s from the University of Memphis and a bachelor’s from Rhodes College. She is a Madison native who now delights in calling Belhaven home. She wrote the Jacksonian and a book review.

Natalie A. Collier Associate editor Natalie A. Collier is originally from Starkville, and graduated from Millsaps College.

She recently moved back from Chicago where she was associate editor of N’Digo. She’s not easy to impress. Try. She wrote a music feature.

Sahil Grewal Sahil Grewal, a native of New Delhi, India, is a management intern at the Jackson Marriott.

When not perfecting his bartending skills, you may find him sky diving, playing squash or rapping.

He wrote a food feature.

Carl Gibson Fresh out of Kentucky, Carl Gibson is a recent college graduate, new to Jackson. He enjoys playing drums on Farish Street, seeing local bands, buying local, and riding his bike around the reservoir.

He wrote a music feature for this issue.

ShaWanda Jacome Assistant to the editor ShaWanda Jacome was born in Jackson and raised in California. She loves to watch movies with her husband and son and then quote them, “Shut up, Buggsy! I’ve got opposable thumbs. How do you feel about that?”

LeeAnna Callon Editorial intern LeeAnna Callon is a recent graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi. She loves reading, travelling and all things Harry Potter. She also enjoys trivia games and watching sitcoms with her Cairn Terrier, Rocko. She wrote the Body/Soul feature.

jacksonfreepress.com

editor’snote

7

news, culture & irreverence

July 29 - August 4, 2010

spread

out

“The work flow is not as organized or efficient as it could be, considering the administration is spread out over many buildings.” —Former Jackson Public Schools board member Jonathan Larkin on the possibility of moving JPS administration to Metrocenter Mall.

a $222,208 price increase for the installation of a 54-inch water line at city council meeting. The project is necessary to increase water capacity to the downtown area to accommodate ongoing development, city spokesman Chris Mims said.

The change order would increase the city’s payment to project contractor T&L Construction by $222,208, which would bring the total project cost to $8.3 million.

TWO-WAY, see page 9

Are YOU smarter than third-grader Mateo?

1. What are synonyms?

2. What is superhero Wolverine’s real name?

3. How many languages can Wolverine speak?

4. What is the process in which plants change sunlight to energy?

5. Who is the Norse god of thunder?

6. In the “Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” who is the keeper of the healing elixir?

6. LUCY

8

Tuesday, July 27 The Utah State Supreme Court overturns the rape conviction of polygamous leader Warren S. Jeffs and decides to set the case up for a new trial. … BP announces that CEO Tony Hayward will step down and American Robert Dudley will replace him on Oct. 1.

BUTT

5. THOR

Monday, July 26 Canada and the European Union join the United States in putting stricter sanctions on Iran to force its leaders to resume talks about its nuclear program. Iranian President Ahmadinejad quickly deems participating countries hostile and threatens retaliation. … In Louisiana, 324 people blame oil and dispersants in the Gulf for sickness, including headaches, nausea and dizziness. Three-fourths of these people worked with clean-up efforts.

issue for street re-paving, which the council passed during the administration of Frank Melton.

Ward 5 Councilman Charles Tillman said he would likely vote in support of the project: “I’m sure that two-laning the street would bring business to the businesses down there. I’m personally convinced it’ll help, and the main thing is business and economic development. If it brings business back down to Jackson, I’m all for it.”

The Jackson City Council also voted on

4. PHOTOSYNTHESIS

Sunday, July 25 Over 90,000 top-secret documents are released online on websites such as Wiki leaks, giving detailed information on the war in Afghanistan.

Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. told council members Monday that the city is in the final stages of funding the two-laning of Capitol Street.

3. 16

Saturday, July 24 The Taliban in Afghanistan claims to have captured two American soldiers, and the U.S. military offers $20,000 for information leading to their release. … Mississippi Department of Transportation Executive Director Butch Brown is arrested for disorderly conduct and public intoxication at the Beau Rivage Casino. Brown claims that his arrest was a mistake.

T

he city of Jackson now has almost all the money it needs to move forward with turning Capitol Street into a two-way street, Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. told members of the Jackson City Council Monday.

“It looks like we’ve got most of the money identified. It’s in design now by engineers, and we’re trying to figure out how to phase it out,” Johnson said. He added that the only possible hold-up is doubt over the source of funding for required water and sewer work associated with the construction.

“Getting the money for the water and sewer is affecting the timeline more than anything else right now. We have the money to pay for the actual street construction,” Johnson said.

“We’re there. The primary issue right now is the water and sewer, because we don’t want to do the work and then have to come back and tear up the streets. That could be why nobody’s talking about the start date.”

The mayor said the money comes from a combination of federal, state and local sources.

“I can’t remember the entire cost. I think there’s more than $4 million in federal money and about $1 million in (city) money and another $2 million coming from the state (to internalize a parking garage ramp), but that doesn’t include water and sewer improvements.

The local source comes out of a bond

2. JAMES HOWLETT

Friday, July 23 The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ranks Mississippi as the second laziest state, with Louisiana as No. 1. … After spending the past year serving in Iraq, the 114th Military Police Company of the Mississippi National Guard returned home tonight.

by Adam Lynch

ANSWERS: 1. WORDS THAT HAVE SIMILAR OR THE EXACT MEANING

Thursday, July 22 Although the U.S. was once the leading country in providing college degrees, the U.S. College Board announces that it is now 12th out of 36 developed nations. … The Mortgage Bankers Association announces that mortgage rates have hit an alltime low.

Two-Way Capitol Street?

FILE PHOTO

Wednesday, July 21 The U.S. Senate approves legislation that provides additional benefits to Americans who have been unemployed for six months or more. … The State of Mississippi executes Joseph Daniel Burns for a murder he committed in 1994.

Roughly 47 percent of the Mississippi’s 85,307 3- and 4-year-olds received no preschool at all in 2008, a Southern Education Fund report found, although children who attend pre-k are more likely to graduate from high school.

Bill Marcy wants to be your congressman, Jackson. p 12

talk

LAUGHTER IS A GIFT FROM GOD

news, culture & irreverence

TWO-WAY, from page 8

Johnson said the contractors have had to compensate for the low quality of the soil housing the pipe, which is particularly waterlogged and formed of non-stable sediment resulting from the fact that the location served as an abandoned bed for the Pearl River.

The city has been up against more than one price increase because of the location of the line, and Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. said the project includes one section of a larger planned line extending between the O.B Curtis water treatment plant, near the Ross Barnett Reservoir in Ridgeland, and the J.H. Fewell plant, near Lakeland Drive.

David Willis, deputy director of the Department of Public Works, said the price increase is intended to pay for erosion control around the pipe, which he told the council was already in the ground and has passed pressure and the bacteriological tests.

This is not the first price increase for the project, however, which the city bid on in 2008 and stalled this year due to constant rain and flooding in the area. The council approved several change orders over the past year and a half—an issue that troubles Ward 6 Councilman Tony Yarber.

“What’s the possibility that we will be having this conversation again?” Yarber asked Willis at the Monday work session.

“There is a zero percent chance of another increase—not with my signature,” Willis said.

“And not with my vote,” Yarber said.

Johnson said the city has the finances to pay for the increases, because of savings from a 2004 water and sewer bond issue.

“We’re going to pay for this project through a bond issue that was floated back in 2004,” Johnson told reporters after the meeting. “We had a bond issue to provide a 54-inch line from our O.B. Curtis plant down to the Fewell plant. We already have money set aside for it, and we have money to pick up unexpected costs like this change order. In each bond issue, we’ll set aside for contingencies and unexpected things, and this is one of those things. Some things come in under-budget. The 54-inch line is over-budget, but it all works out fine.”

Johnson added that the existence of the water main this winter may have prevented the city’s loss of water pressure during multiple freezes earlier this year.

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by Ward Schaefer

File Photo

or the second year in a row, the the sales tax.”

Mississippi Department of Reve- Melissa McDonald, manager at Shoe nue is holding a sales tax holiday in Choo Train, said that last year’s sales tax time for back-to-school shopping. holiday helped her Flowood boutique, From 12:01 a.m. on even though many of Friday, July 30, to her customers seemed midnight Saturday, unaware of it. “It was July 31, the state will great,” McDonald waive its 7 percent said. “There was some sales tax on clothing good traffic, but half and footwear priced the people didn’t even at $100 or less. know about it when

The tax holiday they came in.” is meant to stimulate The Mississippi Department of Dabbs Smith, spending, helping Revenue is holding a sales-tax holiday owner of Celebrity from 12:01 a.m. on Friday, July 30, to retailers and buyers midnight Saturday, July 31.

Trends, a women’s while sacrificing some clothing boutique tax revenue. Last year’s in Flowood, agreed. holidays appears to have been a success, “I think it helps boost the economy.

Department of Revenue spokeswoman We had a lot more sales and it’s a drive for Kathy Waterbury said. people to get out and shop,” Smith said.

“It was a good holiday for the retailers,” Waterbury said. “That’s the bigger pic- Council Tries Again on Fairview ture—it helps them, puts more people to The Jackson City Council approved work and gets people out there spending.” zoning changes last week aimed at pre The department does not have exact serving Sophia’s, the restaurant operated estimates of how much sales tax the state by the Fairview Inn. Last year the Missislost over the two-day holiday. sippi Supreme Court agreed with a legal

“We asked retailers, last year, to report challenge by two couples who live across to us how much their sales were, but they the street from the Inn that the city had did not; they’re not required by law to do used preferential “spot zoning” in perso, and they chose not to,” Waterbury said. mitting the Belhaven bed-and-breakfast “And comparing last year’s numbers with to operate a public restaurant. the prior year was just not feasible, since the The changes establish a new zoning economy was so bad. (Revenue) was drop- category for historic houses with a bedping every month anyway, and we didn’t and-breakfast and public restaurant, and know what was the economy and what was likely would apply to the Fairview Inn.

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citytalk

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July 29 - August 4, 2010

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Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. says the decision to move JPS administrative offices to Metrocenter is entirely up to the board, even though he supports the move.

J

ackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. said at last week’s Jackson Public Schools board meeting that he supports developer David Watkins’ vision to relocate the entirety of JPS administration to the Metrocenter Mall, but said it was not his place to influence the decision.

“We’re not here to offer any kind of endorsement, just to say we’re excited about the prospect,” Johnson said. “This is your decision, as I’m sure you know.”

Watkins proposes leasing the second floor of the abandoned Belk Inc. department store in the mall to house JPS administrative offices, which currently reside in seven buildings in downtown Jackson between State and President streets. Watkins said he is finalizing the purchase of the mall property. Other developers of the endeavor include Socrates Garrett of Garrett Enterprises.

District Superintendent Lonnie Edwards said the district has been looking for new facilities for months.“Our current buildings are, well, mature. There’s no better way to put it,” Edwards told the board prior to Watkins’ presentation.

Edwards reminded the board that the district is expecting huge costs in upcoming years related to repairing its deteriorating

current headquarters. Watkins said the $8 million in maintenance costs facing the district translates to savings if JPS moves to his property—even though the district owns its current facilities and will pay Watkins rent on the new location.

The developer says the 120,000 square feet available on the second floor is more than enough to house the district’s offices, and even provides room to grow. Watkins, who is the face behind the recent renovation of the King Edward Hotel and the ongoing renovation of the Farish Street Entertainment District, among other properties, said he could offer a 20-year lease to the district, as well as an option for the district to purchase the property.

Johnson made no secret that the city has invested “about half a million dollars” to develop a strategy for the Highway 80 corridor where the mall is located. Among other projects and activities is a $1 million landscaping project for the highway. Johnson said the city is spending “about $6 million” on a new facility for the city’s bus system at the corner of Highway 80 and Valley Street.

The mayor said the district’s move to the area could have “a snowball effect” on the revitalization of the area.

Watkins’ long-term plan extends beyond

his Belk property. According to his presentation to the board, Watkins also envisions a JPS Arts Plaza in the interior mall to display student, teacher and guest artists’ works on a permanent or rotational basis, as well as an arena for musical, choral and theatrical performances to promote the district.

The developers’ even more extensive three- to seven-year “Metro Master Plan” includes a retrofitting of the core mall, the development of residential housing around the mall, a hotel, entertainment venues and a water feature, which could include a water slide.

The presentation stated that the massive relocation would immediately halt the erosion of the tax base in and around the mall, and “inject (the) mall with (an) increased daily head count of 600 to 1,000 potential shoppers. Another aspect of the mall’s rejuvenation plan includes returning the mall’s former Dillard’s property to retail and adding some form of movie theater, although Watkins would not specify the size of the theater.

Former Jackson Public Schools board member Jonathan Larkin said he agreed with Watkins’ proposed cost savings of the venture, considering the comparatively energy-efficient structure of the Metrocenter opposed to many of the aging buildings now containing JPS offices.

Watkins said he also has a long-term strategy for the land holding the downtown administration buildings, one of which, at 662 S. President Street, qualifies as historic.

“We have a major plan for the buildings—a significant proposal we’re working on along with the city, to attract a major development there,” Watkins said.

The property, situated between State and South President streets, could prove vital to Watkins’ proposed RiverWalk development.

RiverWalk—an ambitious project Watkins unveiled in June—involves rerouting Town Creek and building a scenic harbor in the creek bed, complete with adjoining business and residential development and an entertainment venue component.

youthtalk

by Ward Schaefer

Dan4th Nicholas

Turnover At Hinds Youth Center

Hinds County is searching for its third youth detention center director in less than a year.

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November 2009, county supervisors approved a memorandum of understanding with the group in which the county agreed to maintain a set staff-to-detainee ration, discontinue the use of restraints and allow detainees more time outside their cells. The agreement also provides for regular monitoring visits by MYJP staff.

Bryant said that the county was searching for Strong’s replacement but that it had no deadline for finding the center’s next director.

The Henley-Young job is one of several county positions that have turned over in a highly visible manner in the past year.

In November, the board voted 4-1 to hire Jimmie Lewis, the county’s former director of permits and zoning, as emergency operations director, replacing Larry Fisher, who retired. The county’s Assistant Director of Emergency Operations Ricky Moore also applied for the job. When the board passed him over, Moore retired.

Last month, Moore sued the county for racial discrimination. In a June 17 lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court, Moore, who is white, alleges that “an African-American board member plainly stated to an employee of (the) Hinds County Board of Supervisors that (Moore) would not be promoted … because of his race.” Moore’s suit also alleges that the board tailored the emergency-management job description for Lewis, who is African American.

The county has denied Moore’s allegations, and a federal magistrate judge has set a conference-call hearing on the case for Aug. 23.

The position of county administrator has also been in limbo since March, when the board voted 3-2 during an executive session to fire Vern Gavin. Smith and Supervisor Phil Fisher opposed the move, with Fisher protesting the board’s lack of notice.

Gavin’s employment was not on the March 1 meeting agenda. Bryant, who had been serving as director of the county’s emergency medical services, took over as interim county administrator.

Graham placed the administrator position on the board’s July 19 agenda, but he declined to bring the item up at the meeting.

www.MellowMushroom.com

T

he troubled Hinds County Youth Detention Center has lost its second director in one year. Clifton Strong resigned July 20, only one month after he accepted the director position. Strong follows the previous director, Darron Farr, who resigned in March after managing the detention facility, also known as the Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center, for two years.

Interim County Administrator Ray Bryant declined to comment on Strong’s resignation, calling it a personnel issue, but Supervisor George Smith indicated that Strong’s move may have come after warnings from county officials. Smith said that he spoke to Bryant by telephone after Strong quit.

“According to what I did know about (Strong), I was optimistic that he was going to make sure that (the facility) was run right,” Smith said.

Before taking the Henley-Young position, Strong was director of facilities maintenance for the Oakley Training School, another juvenile facility in Raymond.

The executive assistant at HenleyYoung, Toni Flanagan, is currently overseeing the center, as she did after Farr’s resignation, Bryant said.

Supervisor Peggy Calhoun and Board President Robert Graham both declined to discuss Strong.

“That’s a personnel issue, and I’m not going to comment on anything having to do with Clifton Strong,” Graham said.

Farr’s tenure with the detention center was marked by tension with Hinds County Youth Court Judge Bill Skinner. In 2008, the Board of Supervisors revoked Farr’s authority over the detention center and gave it to Skinner. Then, in January 2009, the board voted 3-2 in an executive session to take authority back from Skinner, citing complaints about the facility’s operation. In June 2009, after a rash of suicide attempts by juvenile detainees, Calhoun raised concerns that the facility suffered from inadequate supervision.

The center has also been the subject of intense scrutiny by the Mississippi Youth Justice Project, an advocacy group affiliated with the Southern Poverty Law Center. In

11

electiondish

Constitution Man Briana Robinson

the N-word recently to describe Democrat Rep. John Lewis of Georgia recently?

I don’t know that. All I know is that the tea party has reached out to Bill Marcy not only from an emotional but a financial and political (standpoint). … I would not be a part of an organization that used racial epithets.

Do you think the federal government should play a role in desegregation and racial issues?

That’s a complicated question. I believe what you’re saying is: Should the federal government protect the rights of all its American citizens from discrimination?

And to that question I say yes. … It’s interesting that we had to pass the ... ’64 and ’65 civil-rights bills even though there were existing bills on the books of 1867, 1869 and 1871. … The problem was the role of government to enforce (the bills) and protect citizens.

Bill Marcy, a Republican, will challenge U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson for Mississippi’s Second Congressional District seat in November.

B Follow Mississippi Happening on Twitter and Facebook.

ill Marcy is a history buff and cites articles of the Constitution when making his case for the role of government. The Chicago native will challenge incumbent U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi’s second congressional district this November.

Marcy, 64, worked as a police officer in Chicago during the 1968 Democratic Convention riots. He later worked for a private security business. He moved to Meridian in 2001, and in 2008, he ran for U.S. Congress for Mississippi’s Third Congressional District, but lost to Gregg Harper. He is moving to Vicksburg this month to make his second attempt for a congressional seat. Marcy is a member of the tea party movement and prides himself on his conservative values.

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12

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The tea party has been characterized as an angry movement in which members have used racial epithets toward blacks and immigrants. Why do you choose to ally yourself with the Central Mississippi Tea Party?

That depiction that you have described is not the tea party that I have been associated with, and I believe I have been associated with the tea party since its beginning. The people who say those things have obviously never been to a tea party. … What you find is older people in their 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. You find veterans, and you find people who have a love for the Constitution. And these are not the radicals that I hear people talking about.

But didn’t tea party protesters use

Can you explain how you see the role of government?

My belief is that every individual has an equal opportunity in this country. I believe that success should be between the individual and the marketplace. If I open up a restaurant and no one wants to come to that restaurant, I should shut my doors.

If I open up a restaurant and people come because I have good service and good food, then I will succeed. I don’t think there is a role for government in that. … I don’t believe that I need “Big Daddy” to take care of me. Big Daddy’s responsibility is to make sure we all have a level playing field.

Most people would agree with you that the government shouldn’t bail out a restaurant owner who doesn’t have a successful business model, but aren’t things more complicated than that?

You have to have an understanding of government and American history. …

by Lacey McLaughlin

Our founders were very careful; they didn’t not want big government or a nanny state.

That leads to dictatorships and total control of individuals.

Do you think this is happening now?

I think there is a trend for people who want to be taken care of.

You support domestic drilling. How does the oil spill impact your position, and do you think the government should have better regulated off-shore drilling?

I’m sure you drove into work today…

Actually, I rode my bike.

God bless you. I’m sure someone in your office drove to work today. … We need oil. I believe that oil is better acquired from people who are not out to kill us. We acquire our oil from most countries that do not like American values. Domestic drilling only makes sense. My only concern is that our environmentalist friends think that drilling in 5,000 feet of water makes more sense than drilling a shallow well, so if that something happens like the

Gulf oil spill, they have a better chance of plugging the leak.

into the district before the election? I’d say they do.

Wouldn’t the sight of oil rigs hurt tourism?

It’s a lot uglier that we have oil washing up on our shorelines.

Can you tell me any suggestions you have for improving our national deficit if you are elected.

Would you make more budget cuts in military spending or social services?

The budget is a little broader than just military or social services. But with that being said, obviously the Constitution—besides the holy Bible—is our second most sacred document. That document gives the responsibility of national defense and protection to the federal government. We need to protect ourselves, and if I am elected I will take an oath to defend America from enemies both foreign and domestic. So defense is the number one priority.

What about investing in alternative forms of energy?

I think it makes sense, but we all know that won’t be able to power America for the next 20 years.

You are a resident of Meridian— that’s not exactly in the Second Congressional District. Why do you think you represent the residents of the second district?

We need to go back to the Constitution. The Constitution says—in Article One, section two—to be a representative of the United States, you must be 25 years old. The second is that you have to be a U.S. citizen for seven years. I am 63 years old, and I have been in the U.S. all that time. … The question is: Do people in the second district vote for an individual who now lives out of the district but is moving

Only one in three residents of Greenville, Miss., in the Delta, have health insurance. Why don’t you support the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act?

(The state) already provides free excellent health care to over 700,000 people through Medicaid. The rest of the

C

people, another 700,000 people, are on Medicare—benefits from paying into the system for 45 years. That leaves about a third of working and insured people. …

But regardless of your insurance status, if you are sick in the state of Mississippi and you go to any hospital or clinic, you will be treated regardless of your ability to pay.

But do I think a single-payer system is the best system of providing care to our people? I say no. We do not need to continue the nanny state.

The people who fall through the cracks will still be treated, but won’t the cost of it put them into debt?

The largest number of people who filed bankruptcy in this country, (are) rising out of debt because of (lack of) medical insurance. When a person files for bankruptcy they keep their cars, tools and their house—they keep just about everything that they have worked for. When they file bankruptcy for medical bills, the only thing that the bankruptcy court eliminates—besides credit cards—is medical debt. I don’t understand when people say that folks are saddled with debt.

pa i d a dv e rt i s e m e n t

raving to dine in style? You can satisfy your hunger, literally, at Market Bites by Bon Ami. It’s a quaint Jackson restaurant nestled in Interior Market in Fondren, a venue showcasing interior designer style, antiques and artwork.

Market Bites by Bon Ami’s atmosphere is best described as an eclectic mixture where inside sidewalk café atmosphere meets tea room-style seating. Both relaxing and non-pretentious, Market Bites by Bon Ami has adapted the dining menu to reflect the “taste of the community,” according to owner Jane Hudson.

Market Bites by Bon Ami Jane and Jim Hudson, owners of Market Bites by Bon Ami in Fondren’s Interior Market and Bon Ami in Maywood Mart, find their culinary inspirations from their customers. Their uniquely designed menu mixes American style with a Southern flare, from their hearty and healthy Southwestern ravioli and crawfish penne dishes to lighter, healthier choices such as the chicken salad sampler plate or Salmon salad.

Customers all have their favorites such as the BLT served on a croissant with basil mayonnaise and the shrimp remoulade salad with Comeback dressing, a Jackson delicacy.

But there are certain items, like the quiche Lorraine and crab and almond quiche, that are not listed on the menu, but their popularity has customers’ lips requesting them on every visit.

Everyday lunch specials are served with salad and mouth-watering fresh fruit like cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon.

Open Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Interior Market at 659 Duling Avenue, people from all over the state love to visit and dine at Market Bites by Bon Ami, says Jane Hudson.

“We have people who come directly from yoga class and even University of Mississippi Medical Center employees in their scrubs as customers,” says Hudson. “We are definitely a dining destination, because many customers, especially women, stop in to shop and eat. Why not kill two birds with one stone?”

Market Bites by Bon Ami has their very own private room that can comfortably serve lunch to a group of no more than 16; definitely ideal for business lunches or even a smaller intimate setting for a birthday party during the lunch hour.

“People can stay past 2 p.m., too; we don’t mind at all,” says Hudson. “It’s a great place to stay and visit in the afternoon after lunch, but if you are planning to use the private room in the back, you definitely need to call and make reservations to be on the safe side,” says Hudson.

Bon Ami means “good friend” in French, and to Jane Hudson working in Market Bites

by Bon Ami is like personal time with a friend or positive therapy.

“Every day I feel like I’m having a personal luncheon, and I love my job,” says Hudson.

“Our ultimate goal is to have customers leave happy and escape from the world’s worries like we do every day.”

Find them online at www.bonamijackson.com or call 601-982-0405.

jfp op/ed

opining, grousing & pontificating

EDITORIAL

Is Suing in Our Best Interest?

G

ov. Haley Barbour said he is moving forward with a plan to hire counsel to stop the spread of Choctaw gaming to Jones County, but is the investment in lawyers really worth the trip to court? Attorney General Jim Hood sent a memorandum to Barbour saying the state had no basis upon which to build a legal argument against the tribe’s decision to build a 27,000-square-foot casino with slot machines and a snack bar on Choctawowned land near Laurel.

Hood said he based his analysis upon the 1992 Gaming Compact between the state of Mississippi and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, which does not restrict gaming to the tribe’s main territory in Neshoba County.

The tribe stated in its press release, published in the Neshoba Democrat, that “Under the compact, the tribe has a federally protected right to develop gaming facilities on property held in trust,” and the tribe points out that the lands in Jones County have been held in trust for the tribe since 1939 and was declared Choctaw Reservation land in 1944.

Furious that Hood made public his analysis, Barbour sent a letter saying the public disclosure constituted a “breach of confidentiality,” which prevents Hood from representing the interests of the state of Mississippi in the suit.

Hood, in response, said his staff had been doing research on the matter prior to Barbour’s request and provided “a copy of our internal research to a member of the Legislature who asked us what the law was on this matter.”

Barbour’s issue with Hood is largely beside the point. It is clear former Gov. Kirk Fordice, who agreed to the 1992 Gaming Compact, did not give the issue of a Jones County Choctaw casino much thought. Any attempt to change now means a change in the compact, which would require the Choctaw’s blessing.

In the eyes of the state’s top lawyer, Mississippi stands ready to lose an expensive lawsuit against the Mississippi Band of Choctaws. Tribal leaders, so far, are not publishing any concession letters from senators and representatives and Republican statewide office-holders like Barbour and Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant to withdraw their push to build the new casino. Perhaps it’s time for more than just letters demanding they change their mind.

This battle represents a historic turn-around. For decades, the state used its laws to exclude Choctaws from public water fountains and employment. Now the state must engage in a humble conversation of give and take with the tribe.

The JFP is not advocating for the construction of a new casino. But the coastal area is already filled with casinos, and if the state-taxed casinos and the casino-inundated residents want to avoid one more, they’d best learn how to barter, because the law may serve only to cost us money this time around.

KEN STIGGERS

‘Letter of Concern’

July 29 - August 4, 2010

M

14

iss Doodle Mae: “Good morning, Jojo’s Discount Dollar Store staff! Jojo asked me to conduct a special staff meeting in response to the Shirley Sherrod controversy. Most of you witnessed a hasty decision—caused by a manipulative individual—to terminate a sincere and diligent employee. Jojo was very suspicious about what happened to Ms. Sherrod after he viewed her entire speech on the Internet.

“This incident of intimidation through audio and visual manipulation reminded Jojo of the time he quit working for Mr. Meen O. Whitman’s Grocery Store to start up his own discount dollar store. Jojo did all the necessary things to obtain a small business loan. But when Jojo was about to sign the loan papers, the loan officer had to share a ‘letter of concern’ from Mr. Meen O. Whitman. It read: Dear Mr. Loan Officer: I sent you this personal letter to suggest that Jojo not receive a loan from your bank. Even though he faithfully worked 10 years for me, I strongly feel he is just not ready to manage his own store. Warning! Jojo is destined for failure and will default on his loan.

Sincerely, Meen O. Whitman “Thanks to the critically thinking and fair loan officer, Jojo has a successful business and paid back his loan.

“The morals of these teachable moments are: Everyone is not like Meen O. Whitman. And don’t get fooled by angry, manipulative political bloggers.

“Staff meeting is dismissed. Be careful out there!”

YOUR TURN

by Rommel W. Benjamin

Be Vigilant

D

onna Ladd’s “My Kind of Tea Party,” which appeared in your July 15-21, 2010, issue, brought back vivid memories of a few people who spoke out against unbridled racist propaganda and hate-inspired actions that have made Mississippi the poster state for pervasive racism. They are the late Hazel Brannon Smith, professor James W. Silver and the late state Sen. Henry Kirksey.

Indeed, there were others, but I had the privilege of meeting and engaging these three in focused, thought-provoking conversation. Consequently, they are etched in my memory in a personal way.

These people wrote and spoke out against blatant injustice in the legal system, the economy, all levels of government and the entire social system. They did so at a time when the lives of most black Mississippians and some white Mississippians were fraught with threats of physical, social and economic reprisals.

The courage, perseverance and endurance of Smith, Silver and Kirksey contributed to my decision to stay in Mississippi. Smith, a Pulitzer Prize-winning small newspaper owner and editor, could have lived a comfortable, upper-middle-class life if she had not chosen to speak out against injustice and blatant discrimination. Silver, then an Ole Miss professor, could have led a productive comfortable life as a university professor had he not chosen to speak out against a system in which law and common sense were, as he so aptly stated, “nullified by custom and tradition.”

Kirksey could have lived out his life with fewer controversies and personal problems had he chosen to focus on “making a living” and engaging in ingratiating behavior toward people with power and wealth.

These persons were “called” to speak out against evil, injustice, benign neglect and moral/ethical bankruptcy. Your “My Kind of Tea Party” column speaks

to your courage, perseverance and endurance, and your desire to purge the hatefilled thoughts and actions of those who serve as a hindrance to our progress.

Needless to say, they paid the price so many have paid for non-conformity (i.e., social, economic and psychological reprisals).

Some newspapers, talk-show hosts and ministers pander to the prevailing winds of profit and power.

A noteworthy number of black Mississippians have used and are using ingratiating behaviors to enhance their economic and social comfort level. Intolerance, self-interest and racism are frequently hidden under flags of patriotism, Christianity and public service.

Many Mississippians, black and white, are preoccupied with eking out minimal survival-level existences; they do little critical thinking about the quality of leadership in government.

The proliferation of private Christian “segregation” academies and the support they continue to receive serve as indicators that the past lies dormant, not dead. Spatial segregation continues in Mississippi.

Small inroads have been made in the area of religion, relative to diversity in some congregations.

In spite of positive changes, whenever a window of opportunity opens, the residuals of Mississippi’s segregationist past enter quickly and attempt to steal away any signs of healing the proverbial wounds.

Again, I commend you on your moral, ethical and humanistic convictions; however, be vigilant.

Hate, intolerance and ignorance have been wounded, but they are not dead.

Rommel W. Benjamin is a retired sociology professor living in west Jackson. He taught at numerous universities throughout his career, including Southern Illinois University, Mississippi Valley and Jackson State universities.

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.

Ronni Mott

‘Bring On the Rest’

EDITORIAL Managing Editor Ronni Mott News Editor Lacey McLaughlin Associate Editor Natalie A. Collier Senior Reporter Adam Lynch Reporter Ward Schaefer Events Editor Latasha Willis Music Listings Editor Herman Snell Assistant to the Editor ShaWanda Jacome Writers 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, Katie Bonds, Hanna Bowie, Jasmine Bowie, Kate Brantley, Sarah Bush, LeeAnna Callon, Alexandra Dildy, Deanna Graves, Angelyn Irvin, Brooke Kelly, Holly Perkins, Briana Robinson, Kimber Thomas 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 Intern Jessica Millis Photo Interns Jert-Rutha Crawford, Jerrick Smith

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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.

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Association of Alternative Newsweeklies

D

riving away from Parchman Penitentiary on the night Mississippi executed Joseph Burns, I was having trouble putting my feelings into words. I had just watched a man die in front of my eyes and yet, I was oddly calm, as if I had just walked out of a movie theater.

And then it hit me. I had witnessed an act of effectively masked extreme violence. On an emotional level, I had bought in to the myth that execution is a humane act.

Mississippi should make all executions public. While we’re at it, let’s bring back the really graphic, bloody versions of killing people: firing squads, hangings, electric chairs; methods where you can see the condemned thrash about, bleed and hear them cry out in agony.

Lethal injection is far too calm for the violence we inflict on the condemned.

Looks can be deceiving. Research into the three-drug cocktail we pump into the veins of those we execute paints a different picture.

The first drug, sodium pentothal, is a rapid-onset short-acting barbiturate (a depressant) general anesthetic. In large enough dosages, the drug can kill; however, in the dose used for executions, it should only put the condemned in a coma. But it may not do that, either. Recent appeals to the Supreme Court over the use of the drug revealed autopsy results showing that the dosages used in executions have not produced a comatose state, meaning it left the condemned prisoner awake to experience the results of the other drugs.

The second drug, Pavulon, or pancuronium bromide, “paralyzes the skeletal muscles without affecting the nerves or brain. The individual injected with Pavulon is conscious without being able to move or speak, thus giving the impression of serenity or tranquility,” reports the Ohio Conference, United Church of Christ website.

The third drug, potassium chloride, stops the heart. If the prisoner is conscious, the drug causes excruciating pain, The New York Times reported in 2003.

“You’re in a chemical tomb,” said Dr. Mark J. S. Heath, an anesthesiologist and Columbia University teacher, to The New York Times.

“The subject gives all the appearances of a serene expiration when actually the subject is feeling and perceiving the excruciatingly painful ordeal of death by lethal injection,” wrote Judge Ellen Hobbs Lyle in the same New York Times piece, describing the worst-case scenario.

Lawyers made the argument against lethal injection to the Supreme Court and lost. But vets won’t use the same combination of drugs on your pet.

I can attest to the fact that the drugs make everything look serene; Burns looked like he

was falling asleep. The only change in appearance came when his chest stopped rising and falling.

Mississippi doesn’t let any cameras or recording equipment into the death chamber.

Witnesses don’t get to see the condemned’s face when he or she enters the little room.

We don’t get to see people buckling the six heavy leather straps or taping down the hands.

Medical personnel have already inserted the IV needles by the time prison guards escort witnesses into the two viewing areas, one for the prisoner’s family and one for the family of the victim. And no one sees the face of the person or people pushing the buttons to begin the drugs on their journey. Better to not leave a record should things go wrong.

Mississippi hides her executions. And that’s a shame, because unlike the gratuitous violence we all see on television and in movies, this violence is real. And it’s “we the people” who are inflicting that violence on our fellow human beings.

We should be watching. We should be gathering our children around us. We should allow the condemned to cry out. We should allow them to bleed. We shouldn’t be allowed to turn our eyes away.

It’s telling to read some of the comments in news media about putting people to death: “Bring on the rest … and don’t take so long about it. If there are witnesses and no doubt, execute them, the day after sentencing.”

The problem, of course, is that the criminal justice system is fallible. In the past several years, Mississippi has exonerated four men juries convicted “without a doubt,” and to whom judges gave life or death sentences. On average, each spent 15 and a half years behind bars for crimes they didn’t commit.

Sentencing for crimes is capricious.

Where we condemn one man to death for murder, we give another a chance at parole, or just leave them to die in prison. Or perhaps a killer will be lucky enough to work for someone like Gov. Haley Barbour, who allowed five brutal murderers (four of whom killed exwives or girlfriends) to walk out of prison just because they cleaned the mansion well.

It’s a travesty. The whole system seems designed expressly for the purpose of removing us—we the people—from any responsibility in the matter.

If we insist on killing people under cover of law, let’s stop being hypocrites about it. Let’s get it out in the open instead of hiding it like some dirty little secret.

Let’s see it, hear it and smell it.

Then, let’s confront the truth that violence never stops violence. Not even when it’s neat and tidy and oh, so serene.

BELHAVEN New wiring, new plumbing, new roof, new kitchen, new baths. Insulated. 11’ ceiling. Heart pine floors. Huge master with double vanity, separate tub and shower. Split bedroom with walk-in closets in all bedrooms. Kitchen with all stainless appliances. Beautiful front porch. *Don Potts 601-982-8455*

MADISON Luxury in Lost Rabbit. Clean lines, smooth color and Florida style decor define this French Colonial style home.

Open kitchen with granite counters and chef’s grade appliances. Formal dining room with fireplace and 10’ french doors. Covered front porch. 3 spacious bedrooms and a 3rd floor that is preplumbed for a bath to be added. *Becky Tann 601-982-8455*

FLOWOOD 4/3.5 bed with all the great features found in custom homes! Wood floors, classic kitchen with the prettiest wood stained cabinets & large center island, plus breakfast bar. Upstairs has a private guest bedroom with full BA, bonus room & “secure” hobby room!

Energy efficient insulation! *Dianne Powell 601-982-8455*

CORRECTIONS • In Volume 8, Issue 45, July 22-28, 2010, managing editor Ronni Mott used the wrong name for

ShowsPowell partner Jon Powell, calling him John Shows in the story. In the same issue, editorial intern Katie Bonds made several factual errors in her profile of Pam Johnson in the Chicks We Love feature: Johnson grew up in Mount Olive, Miss., not Mount Olive, Texas; she was a news editor in the ‘80s for the News-Commercial, not a reporter in the ‘90s; she became executive director for the Mississippi Association for Justice in 2007. The Jackson Free Press apologizes for the errors.

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

15

I

nside the Jackson Medical Mall’s Thad Cochran Center, a group of students and teachers hover around a circular table. As new students walk into the New Focus for Youth Intervention program, they pull up chairs and begin to fill the outer rim of the table.

Jackson Public Schools Board President Kisiah Nolan sits at the center of the circle. All five students look at her, anticipating the next question in a vocabulary game.

“What is the city named for a girl named Eda who likes to laugh?” she asks.

The students, puzzled, look at each other for an answer.

“Grenada,” another teacher injects.

Nolan shoots her a quizzical look.

“They are smart enough to figure this out on their own; don’t tell them,” she says, smiling.

New Focus Program Director Dr. Ollye Shirley, wife of Medical Mall board chairman Dr. Aaron Shirley, walks around

the circle, offering encouragement and occasional jokes to the students.

Earlier that day, two young girls had walked in—looking unsure if they were in the right place. They quickly took their seats, without making eye contact, but now are warming up to the other group members.

Shirley is confident the two 14-yearold girls, who are both mothers, will succeed and stay in school—as long as they keep showing up to the program.

Slow Progress On Pre-K

July 29 - August 4, 2010

Children enrolled in pre-kindergarten are 29 percent more likely to finish high school, but a statewide pre-k system is still out of reach.

16

E

arly-childhood education in Mississippi is the big engine that couldn’t: Despite reams of documentation showing its economic and educational benefits, pre-kindergarten has not attracted the political support—and public funding—in Mississippi it has in many neighboring states.

Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant is the latest state politician to recognize the benefits of ear-

ly-childhood education, announcing the formation of a panel on pre-kindergarten July 15. Bryant’s committee focuses on Mississippi Building Blocks, a one-yearold program that is using $10 million in private-sector contributions to improve the quality and consistency of early childhood care in the state.

Bryant’s proposal is similar to a bill authored by Rep. Cecil Brown, D-Jackson,

Going Beyond the Basics

New Focus started in September 2009 with a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Justice Department. The program offers a holistic approach to dropout prevention for Brinkley Middle School and Lanier High School students. In June, the program received an additional boost from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation with another $220,000 grant to help pregnant and teen mothers at risk for dropping out of school. The girls can bring their babies to the mall’s childcare center next door,

by Ward Schaefer that passed the state House of Representatives this year before dying in committee in the Senate. While Bryant’s committee is focused on emulating Building Blocks, Brown called for a more ambitious and broader goal: a universal pre-K program for the state. He will serve on the lieutenant governor’s panel,

The universal program could include a patchwork of private, public and public agencies, Brown said, so long as it coordinated their efforts.

“A lot of different groups are out there working on early childhood education, but there’s no overall plan, and I think that’s just a mistake,” Brown said. “I think we’ve got to begin that conversation.”

Building Blocks works with private childcare centers, sending mentors to train early childhood teachers and business consultants to help centers manage their finances. The program estimates that 80 percent of the state’s 4-year-olds are in some form of licensed childcare facility, meaning that an expanded version of the program could reach many children without creating new pre-schools.

A broader program that targets both 3- and 4-year-olds, as many early childhood advocates recommend, would require more infrastructure. A Southern Education Fund report found that in 2008, roughly 47 per-

cent of the state’s 85,307 3- and 4-year-olds were receiving no preschool at all.

Brown is unsure how the state should extend pre-K to those children, but he knows the benefits of a broader pre-K effort easily outweigh the costs.

“If it costs a lot of money, and we can’t do it right now, that’s OK,” he said.

We’ve got to figure out when we can do it. I’ve heard people talk about this for more than 20 years, and we haven’t done anything.”

A statewide pre-kindergarten program could offer economic returns of between $7 and $12 for every $1 invested, the Southern Education Fund report found.

Those returns come in many forms, including reduced educational costs from a decrease in students repeating grades or receiving special education, lower rates of teen pregnancy and improved children’s health. Most significantly perhaps, children in pre-school are increasingly likely to end up as productive contributors to the economy.

Evidence from the Chicago Longitudinal Study, which has followed more than 1,500 children since 1986, showed that children who attended pre-K were 29 percent more likely to graduate from high school.

by Lacey McLaughlin

Photos by Amile Wilson

program. Peterson, who calls Ollye Shirley “grandmother” and Erin Shirley “godmother,” has been in the program since its inception.

Peterson’s home life was unstable, and her grades began to slip at school. She says she didn’t feel comfortable asking for help until she came to the program.

“When my principal introduced me to the teachers at the program, I realized I just needed some attention and started feeling comfortable. I really caught on to it,” she says.

Peterson ended the school year as a straight-A student.

Since New Focus started, 85 percent of the students’ grades have improved. The program began with about 40 students, and currently about 15 show up on a regular basis.

Ollye Shirley says the number of students participating decreases in the summers because transportation is a problem. During the school year, JPS buses take the students to New Focus after school and then take them home. With 300,600 students in the district, Shirley knows many more students need to be reached.

A basic tutoring program is not enough to keep kids in school. Shirley says that one of the biggest challenges to dropout prevention is making sure students have their needs met so they can focus on learning. Shirley and the other teachers see themselves as the student’s extended family. When needed, the teachers have bought school uniforms, provided transportation so that the students can make it to the program and helped them with medical needs.

“We’ve even had to help pay for a water bill,” Shirley says. “We try not to do that, but they didn’t have water in the house, and I think they had seven people in that house.

Just imagine being in a house with that many people and not having water.”

Ollye Shirley admits that parents don’t always set a good example for their children, which is why the program also conducts workshops with the parents to change their attitudes and values.

“These girls act like its normal to have babies at 14, we even have a 13-year-old with a baby. No one says anything about it. In the neighborhood, that’s what they do,” she says.

Evaluating the Numbers

Earlier this month, the Mississippi De-

Operation Shoestring targets younger children so that they have a better chance of graduating high school before they get too far behind.

partment of Education released dropout and graduation rates for the class of 2009. The dropout numbers slightly increased from the previous year from 16 percent to 16. 7 percent. JPS had much more substantial increase from 17.8 percent to 24.3 percent. But looking at the numbers on a year-to-year basis isn’t necessarily an indicator of success or failure.

The dropout rate for the state and JPS has fluctuated over the past few years. In 2006, the district reported a rate of 26.8 percent, which significantly decreased to 15.7 percent in 2007. The state’s dropout rate also decreased from 17.6 percent in 2006 to 15.9 percent in 2007.

After MDE released the numbers, Mississippi House of Representatives Education Committee Chairman Rep. Cecil Brown, D-Jackson, cautioned against making a snap judgment.

“I’m a little disappointed but not surprised at all, because those numbers are going to fluctuate from year to year just like ACT scores do and employment rates,” Brown said July 9. “The question is: Is this trend going to be in the right direction over the long term?”

Prior to 2005, the state calculated the graduation and dropout rates based on the number of students who started and finished their senior year.

In 2005, the National Governors Association Task Force on High School Graduate Rate Data determined that districts should use a four-year “cohort” graduation rate. Cohort data track students from their freshman year of high school until expected graduation.

The dropout numbers MDE released reflects the number of students who have dropped out of JPS since their freshman year.

“This has given Mississippi a much more accurate rate of what the (graduation) rate is,” says Rachel Hicks, executive director of Mississippi First, a nonprofit education advocacy nonprofit. “If a student drops out, they are much more likely to do it before 12th grade.”

State Superintendent of Education Tom Burnham confirmed this approach July 23, in a statement about MDE’s process of calcu-

jacksonfreepress.com

while they participate in the program and they will also learn parenting skills. All the students in the program attend a financial literacy workshop once a week at the Perico Institute for Youth Development and Entrepreneurship, also located inside the Medical Mall.

Ollye Shirley started the program to decrease the Jackson Public Schools dropout rate of 24.3, improve students’ grades and make college part of their plans. While she is reluctant to give her age, Shirley has devoted her entire life to education. She was a member of the JPS school board from 1978 to 1993 and board president from 1988 to 1993. She also spent 25 years working for the Children’s Television Workshop, the television company that produces programs like Sesame Street.

Shirley recruited her daughter, Erin Shirley, as the program’s assistant director and hired four retired teachers, a counselor and a parent educator to tutor the students.

Erin Shirley has a background in electrical engineering and worked in the automotive industry for 14 years. She came on board at New Focus recently after Delphi, the plant where she worked closed.

Ollye Shirley says that changing a student’s attitude toward learning is the program’s first priority. “We had horrible attitudes at first,” she recalls.

Shirley points to Charles, a 17-year-old 9th-grader from Lanier High School. Charles (not his real name), came to the program six months ago, after he was placed under house arrest for breaking and entering.

At first, Charles was angry and kept to himself, Shirley says. She pulls out a roll of gray duct tape from her desk.

“I had to duct tape his pants,” she says.

“I said, ‘You need to pull those pants up.’

Now we don’t have to do that anymore. Now he gives hugs.”

Charles smiles as Shirley waves the duct tape at him.

“We don’t need to use that,” he says, placing his hands in the air to demonstrate his pants can stay up on their own.

Charles says he wants to graduate from high school and then major in engineering at Jackson State University.

Virgie Peterson, a rising seventh-grader at Brinkley, has made the most progress in the

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lating graduation and dropout rates.

He pointed to the fact that in 2008, the U.S. Department of Education issued its own guidelines for counting dropout rates, which differed slightly from the NGA guidelines.

Unlike the NGA guidelines, the 2008 federal guidelines gave less time for special- education students to graduate and dubbed students dropouts if they received a diploma through a GED program outside their district.

JPS Director of Accountability and Research Dr. Willie Johnson, who retired this year after 19 years in the district, said during the 2005/2006 school year, a significant number of freshmen dropped out of school.

“We started to build initiatives for dropout prevention each year after 2006, and we lowered the number of students that we were losing,” he says. “But we were never able to recover the students we lost.”

The actual number of dropouts has decreased district-wide, but because the recent data reflects dropouts over a four-year period, those numbers will not be reflected for a few years. For instance, Johnson said 448 students dropped out in 2006; 312 dropped out in 2007; 298 dropped out in 2008; and 273 dropped out in 2009.

In 2007, MDE started “On the Bus,” a dropout-prevention campaign to carry out the state’s goal of reducing the dropout rate by 50 percent by the 2011/2012 school year and bringing the state’s dropout rate down to 13 percent by 2013.

In addition to public-service announcements and partnering with businesses, the campaign required school districts to draft their own dropout-prevention plans. Each district posted its plan on the MDE website, but it is up to each district to implement the plan and update it. Smith said districts could lose accreditation if they don’t follow through on their plan.

“The penalty (for districts) is that the dropout rate will continue to climb if we don’t do something to head it off—that’s the most severe penalty,” Pete Smith, MDE director of communications, told the Jackson Free Press.

In 2007, under then-JPS Superintendent Earl Watkins, the district formed a

dropout-prevention task force comprised of community members, the mayor’s office, nonprofits and the governor’s office.

After assessing the district and the reasons students dropped out, the task force made several recommendations of how to curb the district’s dropout rate.

At the time, the district reported that 500 students were two or more grades behind by the 9th grade, while 7,653 students had 12 or more unexcused absences. Johnson said the district now has 676 students who are two or more grades behind by the 9th grade.

The district’s dropout plan, which has since been updated for 2009 to 2013, is a detailed 106-page plan full of target groups, proposed initiatives and current programs aimed at reducing the district’s dropout rate.

Nancy Sylvester, who recently retired as the district’s director of student support services, wrote the plan, which she presented at a national dropout prevention conference in 2008 and frequently traveled to school districts all over the country using her plan as a model for dropout prevention.

In conducting the assessment, the task force surveyed parents, students and teachers, and found that the majority of parents had little involvement in their child’s education and students with mental health problems lacked services and support.

Many of the proposed initiatives have steep price tags, such as spending $944,000 to decrease the counselor-to-pupil ratio by hiring more counselors. But others have no associated cost, such as a faculty mentorships and recognition for students with high attendance.

Sylvester says the plan just has to be implemented to be successful.

“We know we have a real dilemma, and we know there are some things that need to be done differently,” Sylvester says.

JPS Deputy Superintendent for Instruction Dr. Pamela Felder says the district administration is reviewing its dropout-prevention plan to see which programs are feasible and to determine what the district already has in place. After the administration reviews

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jacksonfreepress.com

Operation Shoestring Deputy Director Martha Alexander (with Executive Director Robert Langford, right) says males are more at-risk for dropping out of school than females.

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July 29 - August 4, 2010

the plan, she said the school board will look and the review and take action.

Felder noted that since the plan’s inception, the district has gone from six social workers to 28. The district is also exploring the possibility of hiring a graduation coach to work with students. Felder says the position is likely, despite a tough budget yet.

“That is going to be a strong possibility, even if it takes us restructuring some current positions to make sure that particular position is prioritized,” Felder says.

The district has received several grants to install a childcare center at Wingfield High School and provide funding for resource officers at middle schools, who will conduct

20

workshops with students on safety and mentor students.

Starting Early and Often

Operation Shoestring on Bailey Avenue sits in the midst of several dilapidated buildings. The nonprofit, which is usually buzzing with children from the nearby neighborhoods, is empty as the organization gets ready for the upcoming school year.

Executive Director Robert Langford and Deputy Director Dr. Martha Alexander know identifying at-risk students early is an important part of increasing the number of high- school graduates in the city.

“The typical JPS dropout, as we under-

stand it, is a second semester freshman, African American male who has been retained twice,” Langford says.

Four years ago, Operation Shoestring collaborated with the United Way of the Capital Area to form a pilot program called Stamp Out Drop Out. The program focused on 50 students in pre-k, elementary and middle schools and on programs geared to address their academic and family needs.

“A lot of the challenges were much bigger than one organization or a handful of organizations could provide,” Langford says of what Operations Shoestring discovered through the pilot program. “It’s important to create an environment that focuses on nur-

turing that child and his or her family and promotes and demands excellence.”

Langford realized the most effective way to ensure students success was for Operation Shoestring to create “wrap-around services” by collaborating with other community organizations and businesses. Operation Shoestring now offers more comprehensive services such as addressing individual family needs, healthcare service referrals, as well as academic and art programs for children. During the summer, Operation Shoestring partners with Galloway and Brown Elementary schools, and Lanier High School to host academic programs. Langford says he firmly believes that the success of Jackson’s rebirth will depend heavily on an education work force.

Operation Shoestring also focuses on young boys, because they are the most atrisk for dropping out of school. For 2009, the male dropout rate for JPS was 28.7 percent, compared to females who had a rate of 19.9 percent. Boys who lack an adult male role model are at risk for dropping out, Alexander says.

“If males tend to be retained, if they have a low reading level by the third grade, and have more difficulty getting past some of their socialization issues and, consequently, don’t perform academically, they’ll just say ‘forget it’ and walk away from it,” Alexander says.

Shawna Davie, dropout prevention coordinator at the United Way in Jackson, says the state’s subject-area test scores are a good indicator if a student is at-risk for failing.

Subject-area tests have become more rigorous within the last two years, and students must pass all state tests to graduate once they are in high school, she says.

“Reviewing Mississippi curriculum test scores and third-grade reading skills can help us identify students much earlier and make sure they are on track early on until they graduate high school,” Davie says. United Way is creating community partnerships for dropout prevention, hosting preparation workshops for subject-area tests, hosting focus groups with parents and teachers, and planning two conferences for the winter that will bring together the business community and youth.

Hicks also points to early intervention as a key component of improving the state’s dropout rate.

“I feel like we are playing catch up a lot in our high schools,” she says.

“We want to keep these kids from dropping out, but by the time we start to look at them, they are a 10th- grader who is at a sixth-grade reading level. They are already far along the path of dropping out, and we are just coming to the party a little too late.”

Eyes on the Future

At the Jackson Medical Mall, students settle into their chairs at the PRIYDE Inc. for their financial literacy workshop. A drawing of a tree with the title “Family Assets” hangs on the wall. The current exercise is meant to

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Jasmine Kyles works on an activity at New Focus.

get the middle schoolers thinking about the assets they currently have and what they want to leave for their family in the future.

AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer Marqueus Draper has each student stand up and introduce themselves.

A young girl stands up and gets a sudden case of shyness. She turns and faces the wall to avoid looking at her peers and teachers.

“Turn around, you aren’t shy,” Draper coaxes. “Make eye contact … when you do an interview, you have to talk to your future employer and look at them eye-to-eye.”

Eventually, she comes around.

“My name is Tamara Purnell,” she says.

“I go to Callaway High School. I have a baby named Kevin.”

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Draper asks.

The goal of the financial workshop is to engage students in fun activities that strengthen their math skills. Financial lit-

eracy is important, he says, because it gives students confidence to enter the work force and potential to become an entrepreneur.

Back in the New Focus learning lab, students get ready to leave for the day. Nolan, who spent 38 years working with JPS, first as an elementary school teacher, then as a principal and later as the district’s assistant superintendent for elementary schools, retired in 2001. She says that creating new horizons and possibilities for students is a key component of the program. Now many of the program attendees talk about going to college and the future careers they want to pursue.

“We have children that are making honor roll for the first time. That’s a testament to me,” she says. “They are really like our children.”

Nolan says the school board hasn’t specifically addressed the district’s dropout prevention plan yet, but board members held

Tough Times Await Bigger JPS Board

July 29 - August 4, 2010

22

The expansion will eliminate the need for a rotation, but it could also create a more explicit link between school district policy and city politics, a possibility that concerns Susan Womack, executive director of Jackson Parents for Public Schools. She hopes Johnson’s new picks will look after the interests of students across the district.

“In the past ... for the most part, the five-member board took (its) job of representing the entire school district very seriously,” Womack said. “In other words, they weren’t concerned about only the schools in their particular ward. I would hope that we don’t turn into that.”

If seats on the JPS board become closely associated with specific wards of the city, some potential board members may be discouraged from serving. Politicized organizations tend to attract different people than more politically insulated appointed boards, Womack said.

If recent board meetings are any indication, though, a bigger board will still operate more smoothly than the divided group of five that served during former Mayor Frank Melton’s administration. That group drew criticism for consistent bloc voting, micromanagement of Superintendent Lonnie Edwards and meetings that often ran more than three hours. By comparison, the board’s current incarnation is positively friendly, with no evident divisions and is a model of efficiency. When speaking to the media, board members often decline comment, deferring to Board President Nolan to speak for the entire board.

Phillips, the last remaining member from the Meltonera board, provided a rare moment of dissent when he cast the only vote against approving the district’s 2010-2011 budget at a June 29 meeting. Phillips objected to the 125 unfilled teaching positions the budget eliminated and argued that the district could restore some of those by saving money on other contracts.

He also suggested the board could trim administrative positions in the district further. Nolan told the Jackson Free Press she expects Edwards to present an evaluation of

by Ward Schaefer Amile Wilson

J

ackson Public Schools will enter the coming school year with a lean budget and a growing Board of Trustees. The five-member school board, which already boasts four members with less than a year of experience each, is set to add two new members this fall.

The City Council approved the board’s expansion to seven members at its July 13 meeting. City spokesman Chris Mims told the Jackson Free Press that Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. plans to submit his picks for the new board positions to council by the end of August. Those names will come from Wards 5 and 6, the two wards currently without representation on the board.

Ward 6 Councilman Tony Yarber said he plans to submit at least two names to Johnson for consideration. Many residents have contacted him to share their concerns and desires, he said.

“They don’t necessarily want another educator or somebody who has ties to community organizations,” Yarber said, adding that his constituents have expressed their desire for an “everyday person” on the board.

Current board members Kisiah Nolan and Ivory Phillips are former JPS teachers, while members George Schimmel and Monica Gilmore-Love both have ties to local public-education advocacy group Parents for Public Schools. The board’s fifth member, Otha Burton, served as chief administrative officer for Johnson during his previous administration.

Yarber is principal of Marshall Elementary School and, thus, cannot vote at the Council’s confirmation hearings for new board members. Ward 5 Councilman Charles Tillman did not return calls.

The City Council made a bigger school board one of its key requests during this year’s state legislative session.

Previously, Jackson mayors appointed board members on the recommendation of individual city council members, with representation on the board subject to an unofficial rotation system between the city’s seven wards.

a retreat in June and discussed goals for the district to improve its graduation rate. She says she wants to see better enforcement of the state’s compulsory school attendance law that mandates that school-aged child attend school unless they have an excused absence.

Parents who do not comply can face charges of child neglect and face time in prison or pay fines.

“We really need some teeth into (the law), and we need real attendance officers on the streets,” she says. “You can go out anytime of day and see students on the streets. … It needs to be something that isn’t just on paper.”

Nolan says that getting students to show up and holding parents accountable are the first steps to shape student’s minds and encourage them to stay in school.

“Once your mind is stretched, it never returns to the same dimension,” she says.

“They are wanting bigger and better things.”

Board President Kisiah Nolan presides over a relatively harmonious and efficient JPS school board that will add two new members this year.

the district’s central administration to the board at its August meeting.

“Our superintendent is working on that now, to see where we might consolidate some things,” Nolan said.

“We’re not going to micromanage him, so we’re giving him an opportunity to bring forth his plans for reorganization.”

Edwards’ plan will almost certainly address the vacant position of deputy superintendent for operations, which has been unfilled since Michael Thomas’ retirement in March. Executive Director for Finance Sharolyn Miller led the budget process in Thomas’ absence.

Miller indicated during budget hearings last month that she would work to find additional money to restore 15 of the 125 eliminated teaching jobs later in the year.

Adding back teachers will only add to the difficulty of the next year’s budget process, however. Despite trimming its budget by 12 percent for the upcoming school year, the district is facing the loss of $7.8 million for its 2011-2012 budget when funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act run out.

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BEST BETS July 29 - August 5

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

Thursday 7/29

The Hometown Hero and SUMITT Awards program and reception at the Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.) starts at 4 p.m. Free; send an RSVP to lfisher@ visitjackson.com. … Poets II has music by Shaun Patterson (4:30-7:30 p.m.) and Jason Turner (9 p.m.). Call 601-3649411. … Will Thompson performs during Jazz, Art & Friends at the Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.) at 5:30 p.m. $7, $5 members, $3 1-5 year olds; call 601960-1515. … Mississippi Murder Mysteries presents “The Case of the Birthday Surprise” dinner theatre at the St. Dominic Centre Cafe (3800 Interstate 55 N. Frontage Road, Suite 100) at 6:30 p.m. $45; call 601-200-6698 to make a reservation. … DoubleShotz performs during the “Dates for Leukemia” fundraiser at The South (627 E. Silas Brown St.). $40 in ad-

(210 E. Capitol St.). Free; call 601-209-7607. … Howard Norman signs copies of “What Is Left the Daughter” at Lemuria Books (202 Banner Hall, 4465 Interstate 55 N.). $25 book; call 601-366-7619. … The Jackson Bike Advocates’ eight-mile community bike ride begins at 6 p.m. at Rainbow Whole Foods Co-operative Grocery (2807 Old Canton Road). Visit jacksonbikeadvocates.org. … Andrew Campbell performs at Cups in Fondren at 7 p.m. Free. … Enjoy music by DJ RedCley during Afrikan Funkadelic Friday at Afrika Book Café (404 Mitchell Ave.) from 8 p.m.-1 a.m. Call 769-251-1031. … AJC & the E-Pushers play at Sneaky Beans (2914 N. State St.) at 8 p.m. $5. … Cucho & Los Papis perform at Underground 119 from 8:30-11 p.m. $10. … Rocket 88 plays at Martin’s at 10 p.m. $5.

Elise Norman

Saturday 7/31

The SWAC Family Picnic at Battlefield Park (953 Porter St.) is at noon. Free; call 769-251-9079. … Cirroc Lofton, who portrayed Jake Sisko on “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” is signing autographs and debuting a CD at El Potrillo in Flowood (221 Dogwood Blvd.) from noon- 2 p.m. and in Madison (123 Grandview Drive) from 2:304:30 p.m. Call 601-992-9260 or 601-605-9320. … The Top of the Hops Beer Festival at the Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.) is at 2 p.m. $35 in advance, $40 day of festival; call 205-714-5933 or 601-9602321; visit ticketmaster.com. … The Drawdown of Champions at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum (1152 Lakeland Drive) is at 6:30 p.m. $50; call 601982-8264. … The iCandy All-Male Revue Fashion Show at Tougaloo College’s Kroger Gym (500 W. County Line Road, Tougaloo) is at 7:30 p.m. $15, $20 VIP; e-mail icandycc@gmail.com. … The Vamps perform in Hal & Mal’s Restaurant (and it’s a going-away party for Hal & Mal’s manager Charley Abraham). Call 601-948-0888. … U.S. plays at Electric Cowboy at 9 p.m. Call 601-899-5333. …

Jackie Bell and the Jarekus Singleton Band perform at 930 Blues Cafe at 9:30 p.m. $10. … The Houserockers play at F. Jones Corner from 10 p.m.-5 a.m. $10.

Elise Norman’s photography exhibit (artwork pictured above) closes July 30 at Cups downtown.

July 29 - August 4, 2010

Friday 7/30

The second annual Mississippi Sales Tax Holiday on shoes and clothing that retail for less than $100 begins today at 12:01 a.m. and runs through midnight Saturday, July 31. To download a complete list of eligible items, go to dor.ms.gov/ secondsalestaxholiday. … The art exhibit featuring works by 24 photographer Elise Norman closes today at Cups on Capitol

The play “Go Ask Alice” at Black Rose Community Theatre closes today. Show times are 7:30 p.m. July 29-31 and 2 p.m. Aug. 1. $5; call 601-825-1293. … Howard Jones Jazz performs during brunch at the King Edward Hotel (235 W. Capitol St.) from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Call 601-353-5464.

Monday 8/2

Enjoy world music during Marley Monday at Dreamz Jxn (426 W. Capitol St.) at 6 p.m. Call 601-979-3994. …

Seasons After, 2cents and Taking Dawn perform at Fire at 8 p.m. For ages 18 and up. $10.

Tuesday 8/3

National Night Out at the Jackson Medical Mall (350 W. Woodrow Wilson Ave.) in the Bailey Avenue parking lot starts at 6:30 p.m. Free; call 601-982-8467. … Pub Quiz at Hal & Mal’s starts at 8 p.m. Call 601-948-0888.

Wednesday 8/4

Historian Timothy B. Smith speaks during “History Is Lunch” at the Old Capitol Museum (100 S. State St.). Free; call 601-576-6850. … The Battle of the Bands playoffs at Electric Cowboy is at 8 p.m. Call 601-899-5333. … Snazz plays at the Regency Hotel at 8:30 p.m. Call 601-969-2141.

Thursday 8/5

Fondren After 5 is from 5-8 p.m., and the Fondren trolley is collecting donated school supplies for at-risk school children.

Free, donations welcome; call 601-981-9606. … Jason Turner performs at Burgers & Blues 6 p.m. Call 601-899-0038. …

The D’lo Trio performs at Cherokee Inn at 6:30 p.m. Free.

More events and details at jfpevents.com.

The Top of the Hops Beer Festival is at the Jackson Convention Complex July 31. latasha willis

vance, $50 at the door; call 601-956-7447. … The “Left of the Dial” art show at Light and Glass Studio (523 S. Commerce St.) is at 7 p.m. Free; call 601-942-7285 or 601-942-7362. …

The play “Cabaret” at Hal & Mal’s starts at 7:30 p.m. and continues through July 31. For mature audiences only; a creditcard reservation is required. $20, $15 students and seniors, $25 VIP; call 601-664-0930.

Sunday 8/1

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25

books

by Katie Bonds

Courtesy Houghton Mifflin

Minimalist Musings

July 29 - August 4, 2010

T

26

hough a lover of words, Wyatt Hillyer is not very good with them.

The main character in “What is Left the Daughter” by Howard Norman (Houghton Mifflin, 2010, $25), Hillyer writes to his daughter: “My whole life, Marlais, I’ve had difficulty coming up with the right word to use in a given situation, but at least I know what the right word would have been once I hear it.” His tattered dictionary serves as a metaphor for his own vocabulary: “Some of its pages are frayed, some might be missing.”

“What is Left the Daughter” is a novel of derivatives. Everything we learn is once or twice removed from the action. The narrative itself is in the form of a letter from Wyatt about his life to his 21-year-old daughter Marlais. Though a story of unrequited love, the novel is more a lesson in minimalism in the vein of Raymond Carver or Bobbie Ann Mason. Norman writes with equal measure of love, murder and sex. The novel may not make you cry, but it will make you think.

The story is set during World War II in Canada and mostly takes place in the small town of Middle Economy. After both of his parents commit suicide, Wyatt moves in with his aunt and uncle and quickly falls in love with his adopted cousin, Tilda, who never returns his love.

Tilda is basically Wyatt’s opposite.

Like Wyatt, she is a lover of words, but is an excellent writer. She also seems to have an over-abundance of passion, mourning people she doesn’t even know, making up for Wyatt’s lack of ardor with her own. After tragedy strikes Middle Economy, the town never quite recovers and Tilda moves to Denmark, never to see Wyatt again.

Wyatt seems to drift through life as an observer. A comment he makes at the beginning of the novel about his youth—“my grades were only average, but I felt above

average at paying attention”—summarizes his experiences.

The secondhand elements of the novel emphasize Wyatt’s removal from life. Wyatt often references “The Highland Book of Platitudes,” which is an entire book of unoriginal sayings that have been said thousands of times before. Also, radios play a symbolic role in the novel. They are harbingers of bad news, but are secondhand sources. Furthermore, Wyatt reconnects with a woman from his past because she operates the switchboard through which he is placing a call. For several months instead of talking in person, they talk through the switchboard. And finally, we must remember that rather than going to see his daughter, Wyatt is writing her a letter.

The novel is truly melancholy, but we never get close enough to Wyatt to experience his emotions. Much like the other characters in the novel, Norman also holds readers at a distance. The constant understatement, however, allows for shocking events to pop out of nowhere and makes the novel all the more interesting.

“What is Left the Daughter” is well written and certainly does not waste words.

Every moment and every story Wyatt tells hold meaning. Discovering that meaning is the readers’ challenge and part of the pleasure of reading the book.

Howard Norman signs “What is Left the Daughter” Friday, July 30, at 5 p.m. with a reading at 5:30 p.m. at Lemuria Books (202 Banner Hall, 4465 Interstate 55 N., 601366-7619).

Katie Bonds Wants to Read...

“The Help” by Kathryn Stockett—Set during the Civil Rights Movement in Jackson, the book will soon be a movie. “mockingbird” by Kathryn Erskine— Although in the “young adult” category, it looks good, and the author will sign at Lemuria Books Aug. 16.

“Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” by Jamie Ford. My mom, who has excellent taste, recommends it.

“Sh*t My Dad Says,” by Justin Halpern—I’m wondering if anyone can top the sh*t my dad says.

“Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert—I’ve been wanting to read, but Donna Ladd recommended it, so now I can’t wait.

“The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle and Generally Have More Fun” by Gretchen Rubin—It’s on the list because everyone can use more happiness in his or her life.

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 guest is Butch Bailey of Raise Your Pints.

Listen to podcasts of all shows at jfpradio.com. Free; call 601-362-6121, ext. 17.

“Cabaret” July 29-31, 7:30 p.m., at Hal & Mal’s (200 Commerce St.). The musical is set in 1929 Berlin during the Nazi era and is directed by Richard Lawrence. The production is a joint venture of the Fondren Theatre Workshop and Actor’s Playhouse. Recommended for mature audiences only. Credit card reservations are required. $20, $15 students and seniors, $25 VIP; call 601-664-0930.

Top of the Hops Beer Festival July 31, 2-6 p.m., at Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.). Mississippi’s first beer festival by Raise Your Pints will showcase the growing popularity of craft beers from around the country and the world in a relaxed and friendly environment. Patrons will receive a commemorative sampling mug and have access to unlimited, two-ounce samplings of over 150 craft beers. The festival will also feature a Brew University Education Area where patrons will enjoy beer seminars such as “Cooking with Beer,” “Food Pairings,” “How to Brew Beer” and other beer education sessions. Tickets are available at ticketmaster. com. VIP and discounted designated driver tickets are available. $35 in advance, $40 day of festival; call 205-714-5933 or 601-960-2321.

Yoga for Non-violence — 108 Sun Salutations Aug. 7, 10 a.m., at Arts Center of Mississippi (201 E. Pascagoula St). Help the Center for Violence Prevention by signing up donors to pledge for an amount per sun salutation you complete, up to 108.

Chris Timmins will lead the event. Free sun-salutation training classes will be given at these Jackson yoga studios: • July 29, 4:30 p.m., at YMCA Fortification (800 E. River Place). call 601-383-8817.

• July 29, 7:30 p.m., at StudiOM Yoga (710 Poplar Blvd.). Call 601-353-0025.

• July 30, 5:45 p.m., at Joyflow Yoga (Trace Harbour Village, 7048 Old Canton Road). Call 601813-4317.

• July 31, noon, at Butterfly Yoga (3025 N. State St.). Call 601-594-2313.

Visit mscvp.org for more information about the Center for Violence Prevention. Donations welcome; call 601-500-0337 or 601-932-4198.

Community Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Awareness Program July 29, 10 a.m., at Jackson Medical Mall (350 W. Woodrow Wilson Ave.). The event will take place in the Community Meeting Room.

Call 601-709-5604.

Events at Smith Robertson Museum (528 Bloom St.).

• Brownfields Grant Program Brunch Meeting July 29, 10 a.m. The City of Jackson Department of Planning and Development has funds available to provide free Phase I and Phase II assessments.

Please RSVP. Free; call 601-960-2480.

• Mississippi Jazz Foundation Annual Membership Drive July 29, 6 p.m. Come for an evening of food, jazz music and fun. The Mississippi Jazz Foundation is committed to building partnerships with others in promoting the jazz industry in Mississippi. Free; call 601-594-2314.

Hometown Hero and SUMITT Awards Program and Reception July 29, 4 p.m., at Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.). The Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau is the sponsor.

Please RSVP, and wear business attire. Free; e-mail lfisher@visitjackson.com.

Try Transit Day July 30, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., at Smith Park (302 Amite St.). Join JATRAN staff for free food, a tour of the new buses and family activities.

Also, JATRAN will be offering free bus rides for the day. Free; call 601-326-5411.

Community Bike Ride July 30, 6 p.m., at Rainbow Whole Foods Co-operative Grocery (2807 Old Canton Road). Join the Jackson Bike Advocates for the eight-mile ride. The theme is, “Live like it’s your last day on Earth and you want to leave your mark!” Dress casually or wear a costume, and bring a noisemaker or a boombox if you wish. Free; visit jacksonbikeadvocates.org.

CAPITAL CITY BEVERAGES, INC. IS NOW PROUD TO OFFER THESE FINE WINES. Ask for them at your local restaurants, grocery stores and convenience stores.

Mississippi Craft Beer Week through July 31. Raise Your Pints will be hosting several craft beer events around the state leading up to the July 31 Top of the Hops Beer Festival at the Convention Center in downtown Jackson. For details on each event as they are announced, visit RaiseYourPints.com, follow Raise Your Pints on Twitter (@RaiseYourPints) or visit the Raise Your Pints MCBW 2010 Facebook page (facebook.com/RaiseYourPints). E-mail butch@raiseyourpints.com.

“Buy the Book” Book Sale July 31, 10 a.m., at Eudora Welty Library (300 N. State St.). The event is sponsored by Jackson Friends of the Library. Call 601-968-5811.

Third Annual Mississippi Youth Hip-Hop Summit July 31-Aug. 1, at Mississippi Valley State University (1200 Highway 82 East, Itta Bena). Youth ages 13-21 from around the state will learn important information about their rights and will express their talents though music, dance, spoken word and art. Registration is required. An adult chaperone is required for participants under the age of 18. The Mississippi Prevention of Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Coalition is the sponsor. Free; call 601-354-3408.

CAPITAL CITY BEVERAGES MISSISSIPPI’S COMPLETE BEER

AND

W I N E S O U RC E

Ask for these wines at stores & restaurants in Central Mississippi.

Can’t find these wines? Call 601-956-2224.

SWAC Family Picnic July 31, noon, at Battlefield Park (953 Porter St.). The event is open to all SWAC alumni, family and friends and includes a live DJ, food, beverages, games and tailgating. The SWAC Alumni Alliance of Jackson is the sponsor.

Free; call 769-251-9079.

We Are Africa 2010 Road Tour Aug. 2, 6 p.m., at Afrika Book Cafe (404 Mitchell Ave.). African Ancestry will do a special seminar on tracing your roots with a DNA test. Free admission, $225 DNA test kit; visit africanancestry.com.

Events at Jackson Zoo (2918 W. Capitol St.). Call 601-352-2580.

• Story Time Tuesday Aug. 3, 10 a.m. A local celebrity will read an animal story to kids. After story time, the kids get to do a related craft project or have an animal encounter. Free with paid admission.

• Splash & Slide through Aug. 15. Children get to enjoy inflatable water slides and story time in addition to complete access to the zoo. Five-day passes are available. $4.50 per child.

Financial Education Seminar Aug. 3, 6 p.m., at 3000 Fondren Building (3000 Old Canton Road), in suite 550. Hosted by CredAbility, the seminar will be led by certified budget and credit counselors.

Free; call 601-969-6431.

National Night Out Aug. 3, 6:30 p.m., at Jackson Medical Mall (350 W. Woodrow Wilson Ave.), in the Bailey Ave. parking lot. Residents will gather as part of a national campaign to fight neighborhood crime. Come for food, fun, games and entertainment. Free; call 601-982-8467.

Central Mississippi MSU Send-off Party Aug. 3, 6:30 p.m., at Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame (1152 Lakeland Drive). Incoming MSU students will get to meet future classmates, alumni and friends of the university. Prospective students and their parents can also get more information about MSU. MSU representatives will be available for questions. Free; e-mail kambrown82@yahoo.com.

More EVENTS, see page 28

jacksonfreepress.com

JFP Sponsored Events

27

jfpevents

from page 27

“History Is Lunch” Aug. 4, noon, at Old Capitol Museum (100 S. State St.). Historian Timothy B. Smith talks about his new book “Mississippi in the Civil War: The Home Front,” the most recently published volume in the Heritage of Mississippi Series. Free; call 601-576-6850.

FORMCities Call for Design Proposals through Aug. 15, at Jackson Community Design Center (509 E. Capitol St.). The JCDC will host a design competition and symposium focused on the inherent challenges and immense potential for socioeconomic and environmental reconciliation by addressing barriers created by an urban divide. Student and professional teams may enter, and the deadline is Aug. 15. $60 professional teams, $35 student teams; e-mail formcities_competition@gmail.com.

Project Redirectory Recycling Program through Aug. 31. Telephone book recycling bins are located throughout the metro Jackson area, and you can schedule a pickup from your business if you have 50 books or more. Contact Keep Jackson Beautiful for a list of locations. Books may also be dropped off at Recycling Services (3010 N. Mill Street). Call 601-366-4842.

Center for Cultural Interchange Call for Hosting Families through Aug. 31. CCI needs to place 1,000 foreign exchange students from more than 40 countries around the world for the 2010-2011 school year. All of the students to be placed are 15-18 years old and are proficient in English. The application deadline is Aug. 31. Call 800-634-4771.

FREE 5 Day/4 Night Carnival Cruise given away daily!

5 Day/4 Night Carnival Cruise to the Bahamas, Caribbean or Mexico for the customer with the highest purchase total that day. A cruise given away every day for a limited time only. Stop by to get something special for someone special. Online orders also eligible for the contest.

July 29 - August 4, 2010

711 High Street in Jackson, MS 601-354-3549

28

Mon - Fri: 10:00am - 6:00pm Sat: 10:00am - 5:30pm

www.CarterDiamonds.com

Jackson State University Alumni Association Membership Drive through Feb. 28. The JacksonHinds chapter is currently seeking new members to join the association. $25 membership; e-mail gwash80@hotmail.com.

Medical Mall Moment Report ongoing, at WOAD 1300 AM. Find out about the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation’s current activities every second Friday of the month at 8:30 a.m. Call-ins to 601995-1400 are welcome. You can send your questions and comments in advance to zsummers@ jacksonmedicalmall.org or call the office for more information. The broadcast is also available on jacksonmedicalmall.org. Call 601-982-8467.

Cancer Rehab Classes ongoing, at Baptist Medical Center (1225 N. State St.), in the Activity Room of the Hederman Cancer Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The class helps cancer patients enhance cardiovascular strength, endurance, their immune system and bone density. It helps to increase overall strength and stamina, decrease fatigue and weight loss, and improve digestion. Registration is required.

Free; call 601-948-6262 or 800-948-6262.

Afrikan Funkadelic Fridays ongoing, at Afrika Book Cafe (404 Mitchell Ave.). Every Friday from 8 p.m.-1 a.m., enjoy music by DJ RedCley and West African food from Chitoes African Deli.

Brews and light wine will also be available for purchase. Call 769-251-1031.

Farmers markets 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 Thursday and Saturday from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Free admission; call 601-506-2848 or 601-354-6573.

Farmers Market through Dec. 24, at Old Fannin Road Farmers Market (1307 Old Fannin Road, Brandon). Homegrown produce is for sale MondaySaturday from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. and noon-6 p.m. Sunday until Christmas Eve. Call 601-919-1690.

Farmers Market ongoing, at Mississippi Farmers Market (929 High St.). Shop the Mississippi Farmers Market for fresh locally grown fruits and vegetables from Mississippi farmers, specialty foods, and crafts from local artisans. The market is open every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 8 a.m.2 p.m. Call 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.

Stage and Screen “The Case of the Birthday Surprise” Dinner Theatre July 29, 6:30 p.m., at St. Dominic Centre (3800 I-55 North Frontage Road, Suite 100), in the cafe. The play by Mississippi Murder Mysteries includes a three-course dinner. Reservations are required, and seating is limited. $45; call 601-200-6698.

“Go Ask Alice” July 29-Aug. 1, at Black Rose Community Theatre (103 Black St., Brandon). The play about a teenage girl with a drug addiction is directed

by Janice Weaver. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. July 29-31 and 2 p.m. Aug. 1. $5; call 601-825-1293.

Golden Dragon Acrobats July 30, 8 p.m., at Ford Center for the Performing Arts (100 University Ave., Oxford). The Golden Dragons are recognized throughout the United States and abroad as the premiere Chinese acrobatic touring company of today. $20, $15 ages 18 and under; call 662-915-2787.

“Hurting Too Bad To Forgive” July 31, 6:30 p.m., at Forest Hill High School (2607 Raymond Rd.).

The stage play about a family’s struggle to forgive is written by Ann Jackson. $8 in advance, $10 at the door; call 601-672-4873.

The iCandy All Male-Revue Fashion Show July 31, 7:30 p.m., at Tougaloo College (500 W. County Line Road, Tougaloo), in Kroger Gym. Proceeds benefit the Jackson Tougaloo Alumni Scholarship Fund. $15, $20 VIP; e-mail icandycc@gmail.com.

“Gold in the Hills” July 30-31, 7:30 p.m., at Vicksburg Theatre Guild (101 Iowa Blvd. Vicksburg). The play is the Guinness Book of World Records’ longest-running show. Set in the 1890s, it features a relentless hero, a winsome heroine, a ruthless villain and the wilder side of city life in the infamous New York Bowery. $10, $5 children 12 and younger; call 601-636-0471.

“Let’s Dance” Ballroom Exhibition and Dance Social Aug. 1, 1 p.m., at Southern Cultural Heritage Center (1302 Adams St., Vicksburg), in the auditorium. A variety of dance students will per-

Albums released this week: Charlotte “Medusa Groove,” Tony Da Gartorra vs. Gruff Rhys “The Terror Of Cosmic Loneliness,” Lachi “Lachi,” Red Wanting Blues “These Magnificent Miles,” Savannah Jo Lack “Knitting Songs,” The Shimmies ”To All Beloved Enemies” Kimberly Cadwell ‘Without Regret,” Danger Radio “Nothing’s Gonna Hold Us Down,” Dru Hill “Indrupendence Day,” Fat Joe “The Dark Side,” Furnaze “No Stairway to Heaven,” Tom Jones “Praise and Blame,” Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em “Dre,” Sky Sailing (Owl City Side project) “An Airplane Carried Me to Bed,” Ringo Starr “Live at the Greek Theatre 2008,” George Thorogood “Live in Boston 1982”

6A0=3E84F Yocona International Folk Festival Aug. 4. See dancers from Singapore and Finland, drummers from Japan and others groups from around the world.

The children’s workshop is at 10 a.m. at the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center (400 Second St., Indianola), and the live performance is at 7 pm. at the Mid-Delta Arts Association Theater (310 Main St., Indianola). Please RSVP for the workshop. Free workshop; $15, $10 children under 18 for 7 p.m. performance; call 662-887-9539, ext.

227 (workshop), 662-887-4522 (performance).

LITERARY AND SIGNINGS “What Is Left the Daughter” July 30, 5 p.m., at Lemuria Books (202 Banner Hall, 4465 Interstate 55 North). Howard Norman signs copies of his book; reading of the book at 5:30 p.m. $25 book; call 601-366-7619.

Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival Poetry Contest through Aug. 15. Submit two to four poems with a combined length of up to 400 lines to be judged by Louisiana poet laureate Darrell Bourque. The grand prize is $1000, a VIP pass to and public reading at the 2011 festival, and publication in Louisiana Cultural Vistas magazine. Visit tennesseewilliams.net/contests for guidelines. $20 entry fee; call 504-581-1144.

CREATIVE CLASSES Digital Camera Workshop July 30, 8:30 a.m., at Mississippi e-Center (1230 Raymond Road). The workshop on digital cameras provides some of the fundamentals of digital photography needed to set up learning projects in the classroom. Teachers will participate in hands-on activities, some of which can be used to generate ideas for science projects. A reservation is required. Free; call 601-979-1177.

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.

Art Therapy For Cancer Patients ongoing, at Baptist Medical Center (1225 N. State St.), in the Activities Room of the Hederman Cancer Center on Wednesdays. The classes are designed to help cancer patients and provide an outlet to express feelings, reduce stress, assist in pain management, help build positive coping skills and increase self-discovery and self-awareness. Art supplies are included. Registration is required. Free; call 601948-6262 or 800-948-6262.

Afrikan Dance Class ongoing, at Afrika Book Café (404 Mitchell Ave.). The class is taught by Chiquila Pearson on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. $5; call 601-951-8976.

EXHIBITS AND OPENINGS Jazz, Art & Friends July 29, 5:30 p.m., at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.). Enjoy cocktails, listen to the best jazz Jackson has to offer, and mingle with friends all while surrounded by world-class art. This month’s performer is Will Thompson. $5 members, $7 non-members, $3 1-5 year olds; call 601-960-1515.

“Left of the Dial” Art Show July 29, 7 p.m., at Light and Glass Studio (523 S. Commerce St.).

See Polaroids and mixed media works by Gorjus (David McCarty) and mixed media collaborations with Roy Adkins. Refreshments will be served. Free admission; call 601-942-7285 or 601-942-7362.

Events at Mississippi Craft Center (950 Rice Road, Ridgeland). Free; call 601-856-7546.

• Fiber Art Craft Demonstration July 30, 10 a.m., Claire Whitmore will make scarves and purses.

• Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi Call for Applications through July 30. Those interested in jurying into the guild must submit an application by 5 p.m. July 30.

• Larry Smith Exhibit through July 31, in the Small Exhibit Room. See clocks that the artist made from computer parts. Exhibit hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.

Fun Friday July 30, 10 a.m.-noon, at Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (2148 Riverside Drive).

Children will participate in interactive, hands-on activities that coincide with the “Megalodon: Largest Shark that Ever Lived” exhibit. Parents must accompany their children. $3-$5, free for members and children under 3; call 601-354-7303.

“Mound Bayou: The Promise Land, 1887-2010” through July 31, at Smith Robertson Museum (528 Bloom St.). See photographs of the beginning of Davis Bend, the move and name change to Mound Bayou, Isaiah Montgomery, T.R.M. Howard and others involved in the founding of the city. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Saturday. $4.50 adults, $3 seniors, $1.50 children under 18; call 601-960-1457.

Pieces and Strings: Mississippi Cultural Crossroads 20th Annual Quilt Contest and Exhibition through Aug. 1, at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.), in the public corridor. This annual presentation of award-winning quilts is on loan from Mississippi Cultural Crossroads, sponsors of Crossroads Quilters, a group that displays and sells its one-of-a-kind handmade quilts at the Crossroads Building in Port Gibson. Museum hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Free; call 601-960-1515.

Art Exhibit through Aug. 1, at Southern Breeze Gallery (1000 Highland Colony Parlway, Ridgeland).

See works by Nancy Mauldin, Amy Giust, Lucy Hunnicutt, and Jackie Ellens. Gallery hours are Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. Free; call 601-607-4147.

A M A LC O T H E AT R E

South of Walmart in Madison

ALL STADIUM SEATING Movie listings for Friday, July 30th thru Thursday, August 5th Cats and Dogs 3-D PG

Despicable Me (non 3-D) PG

Cats and Dogs (non 3-D) PG

Predators

Dinner For Schmucks

PG13

Charlie St. Cloud PG13 The Kids Are All Right R PG13

Salt Ramona and Beezus Inception

Last Airbender 3-D PG Twilight Saga: Eclipse PG13 Grown Ups

Toy Story 3 3-D G G PG13

Socerer’s Apprentice PG Despicable Me 3-D PG

Karate Kid

BE THE CHANGE Dates for Leukemia July 29, 7 p.m., at The South (627 E. Silas Brown St.). Bid on dates in a silent auction. Pictures of bachelors and bachelorettes will be displayed along with information about the date package for each one. Also enjoy refreshments and music by DoubleShotz. Please wear cocktail attire.

Proceeds benefit the Mississippi chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. $40 in advance, $50 at the door; call 601-956-7447.

PG

Earn points towards FREE concessions and movie tickets!

Join the SILVER SCREEN REWARDS

Jessie “Guitar” Smith, 5 - 9pm

TUESDAY Acoustic Open Mic Night with Kenny Davis & Brandon Latham

Daily Lunch Specials - $9 Happy Hour Everyday 4-7 Happy Hour Everyday 4 - 7pm LIVE MUSIC LIVE MUSIC Every Tues. thru Sat. Wednesday - Saturday LATE NIGHT HAPPY HOUR

Sunday - Thursday 10pm - 12am

2-FOR-1, YOU CALL IT! FRIDAY TRIVIA Gift Cards to 1st-3rd Place Winners

GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE DAILY BARGAINS UNTIL 6PM Online Tickets, Birthday Parties, Group & Corporate Events @ www.malco.com

Movieline: 355-9311

601.978.1839

6270 Old Canton Rd. Jackson, MS 39211

Mississippi Center

“Paintings from the Soul of the Southland” and “Whimsical Women” Exhibits through Aug. 31, at Mississippi Library Commission (3881 Eastwood Drive). See artwork by landscape artist Alfred Nicols and clay sculptor Susan Clark.

Exhibit hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays. Free; call 601-432-4056.

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.

PG13

Knight and Day PG13

“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 ten or more. Free; call 601-961-4724.

Mississippi Artists’ Guild Exhibition through Aug. 31, at Municipal Art Gallery (839 North State St). The art exhibit will highlight 50 to 100 artistic selections from members including winners of the exhibition. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Tuesday-Saturday. Free; call 601-960-1582.

R

BLUE MONDAY

August 7 at 10 a.m.

SUN SALUTATIONS benefiting the MSCVP

+ FREE TRAINING SESSIONS! No experience necessary.

Information on classes below.

METRO AREA TRAINING SESSIONS: Fortification YMCA July 29th at 4:30 p.m.

Joyflow Yoga July 30th at 5:45 p.m.

Studio OM Yoga July 29th at 7:30 p.m.

Northeast YMCA July 31st at 9:30 a.m.

Butterfly Yoga July 31st at 12 p.m.

Yoga for Non-Violence | mscvp.org

jacksonfreepress.com

form with instructor James Frechette. In between the demonstrations, an assortment of popular big band and jazz favorites will be played for attendees to enjoy. Bring a lunch or purchase from on-site vendors. Free; call 601-631-2997.

29

arts

by Sarah Bush

Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Canvas Conversations JET-RUTHA CRAWFORD

Bands Wanted

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Bands/dJs for Hire

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30

Musicians Wanted

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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.

Student Taylor Walker, one of many who participated in Rosalind Royâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s summer camp, will display artwork at the Mississippi Arts Center.

L

ocal artist Rosalind Roy, or Roz as she prefers to be called, does not like to think of herself as a teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;not in the traditional sense of the word, that is. And calling her a teacher might be mischaracterizing the work that sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s doing at her summer art camps for children that she holds at her spacious studio in Fondren.

Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s showing them art â&#x20AC;&#x153;the Roz way,â&#x20AC;? by emphasizing the importance of creation for self-expression. For Roy, every painting has a totally different meaning and a unique story, and she hopes to pass this art philosophy on to her participants.

Roy begins each morning session with the children by talking about the basic techniques of either paper collage or finger painting (depending on the workshop), showing them examples of her own work, and then she lets the kids go and explore. While the largest group she takes is 10 children, she really enjoys the smaller sessions of four or five because of the oneon-one time she can devote to each child.

But Roy tries to show them more than the technical side of art. As a child, Roy says she had a difficult time expressing herself verbally, and her art was her form of expression. The use of art as an emotional outlet is something she wants to teach her participants. She wants them to know that things you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t say to anyone else, you can say on your canvas. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For me, I look at art as where a person can put all their hurt, all their pain; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like you talking to your canvas â&#x20AC;Ś you talking to that medium,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s them expressing themselves.â&#x20AC;?

The artist takes each childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work seriously, helping her or him establish a sense of pride in what theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re creating. On the last day of the camp, she has each child present two or three pieces of artwork to the class. The child stands in front of the group, introduces him or herself as a professional artist, tells the name of the pieces and the story behind each creation.

While she has worked with kids before, this is the first time Roy has hosted a workshop in her studio. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been a learning experience for her, as well. After a couple of sessions, she became fascinated with how different children responded not only to their own art, but also to hers. The younger boys seemed determined to set themselves apart from the others, she says, while the younger girls were obviously influenced by Royâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own work that literally covers every inch of the walls of her studio.

Watching children react and discover art is one of the main reasons Roy wanted to do the camps. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re innocent and open to new ideas,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t judgmental about art.â&#x20AC;?

The children and their parentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; responses to the camps have been positive, so positive that some parents have asked Roy about ways for them to pursue art more seriously. Although Roy is thrilled these parents are reacting so supportively to their childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work, she reminds them that theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got to let them be children, to experiment, fail, explore and learn.

Next summer, Roy would like to try her art camps with an even younger group: 3- to 5-year-olds. She believes itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s never too soon to introduce a child to art, and she is also curious to see what a 3year-old can do with finger paint and a blank canvas.

Roy attributes her personal success and her success with the summer camps to God. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When you have an artist who loves what theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to always be blessed. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to always be good,â&#x20AC;? she says.

She refers to this positive spiritual presence as spirit, and she encourages each child to sit quietly, listen to his own spirit and see what comes out.

On Aug. 21, children in Royâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s art camps will display their work at the Mississippi Arts Center, 2-4 p.m. Though art camps end this week, if you are interested in private art lessons, contact Roy at 601-954-2147.

COURTESY ROZROY

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music

by Carl Gibson

Fish, says some of the shy patrons at Fenian’s will try crowing their favorite tunes once they see the regulars entertain the crowd.

KJ orders Fish to the stage with two others perform Lil’ Jon’s “Get Low,” to the roaring delight of the drunken audience and to the surprise of the performers.

“This isn’t ‘American Idol,’” Fish says.

“What sets this place apart is that you know that no matter how bad you do, no matter how much you suck, the more people cheer for you.”

It takes the crowd an hour or two to warm up to the singing, but the cheering becomes louder and more enthusiastic as bar patrons order their second and third drinks. The songs become increasingly varied: A lone white guy sings Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On”; a group of black female college students belts out “Lady Marmalade” after some encouragement from their friends at the bar; four men with thick Irish accents put their arms around each others’ shoulders and growl “Champagne Supernova” by Oasis.

“Sometimes they just need a little bit of liquid courage,” Fish says. “If they have to wait two hours and sing, most people get good and drunk, and then they don’t care by the time they get a microphone in their hand.”

Fish, Collette’s girlfriend, accompanies the KJ around town to his regular round of haunts—her singing everything from Alanis Morissette to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, while he moves through stacks of song requests from barflies eager to sing their favorite songs.

The crowd is a bit different at Sportsman’s Lodge on Wednesdays, where a slightly older demographic gathers to hear their friends sing themselves hoarse to classic rock and country songs. Men at pool tables interrupt their games to watch a shy, skinny kid in glasses ostentatiously perform Prince’s “Kiss.”

Fish laughs and cheers with the rest of the Lodge patrons.

“This is what karaoke is all about,” Fish says. “You already have a podium to make fun of yourself and nobody judges you. It helps you relax. The funnier, the more classic.”

If Only I Could Sing

I

n February, Top of the Charts Music Crew released “Karaoke Hits 2010,” a disc (on Amazon for $8.99) filled with 50 of the most popular karaoke covers from the previous year. Some of the hits, we dig: “Cowboy Casanova,” “Empire State of Mind,” “Paparazzi” and “If I Were a Boy” (yes, Beyonce, please keep it to yourself and don’t tell anyone). Some of the titles on the album, however … if Big Eye Music wants to be cool, they’d rerelease the disc sans certain tracks like Mi-

ley Cyrus’ “The Climb,” “Shut it Down” made famous by Pitbull and Akon, and “Single Ladies” (as you can see, we have a love-hate-but-mostly-hate relationship with Beyonce).

When folks like “Hope and Law” gather at local watering holes like Fenian’s to belt out karaoke classics, KJ Matt Collette keeps the tunes coming.

After each performance, no matter the karaoke scene is happening, the growing crowd inevitably gives a round of rebel yells and applause. This night, KJ Collette continues announcing names under the next rotation of singers as he sips a beer from behind his rig. Collette has won some local accolades: JFP readers chose him as the second-best KJ in Jackson. JFP readers also picked Fenian’s as the best bar for karaoke in the 2010 Best of Jackson awards.

“People come in and hand me songs.

When I get a big enough stack and I know I’ve got another stack about to form, I let them know if they turn any in now, it’s going to be on the next rotation,” Collette says. “I’ve had at least 64 people at one time in one rotation.”

Karaoke deejaying, since 2004, has become Collete’s full-time job. His weekly rotation starts at Fenian’s on Monday nights and moves throughout the week to Martin’s, Sportsman’s Lodge and Last Call. Occasionally, he may set up shop at Dick and Jane’s for Friday night “Gayraoke.” Somehow, Collette still finds the energy to sing a song of his own between rotations.

“I’ve been doing this for about five years,” Collette says. “Why do I keep doing it? Because it’s just too much fun.”

E

ver dreamed of getting up to sing the karaoke track you’re known for—“‘I Will Survive’ as performed by Gloria Gaynor,” perhaps—and in the audience sat a record producer looking for fresh talent? After you’re done singing, he walks up to you and exclaims he hasn’t heard a voice like yours in decades and everyone across the country deserves to hear your talent—nay, your gift.

Before you know it, you’re in a studio in L.A. or New York City (whichever is the city of your recording dreams), sipping warm water with lemon, an all-star team of producers surrounding you, listening to a playback of a track written specifically you by the Diane Warren.

courtesy Abraham McDonald

Karaoke Wishes, Contract Dreams

Singer Abraham McDonald won the Oprah Show Karaoke Challenge and soon thereafter signed a record deal with Island Def Jam Music Group.

Change a detail here or there, and that’s the story of Dallas, Texas, native, L.A. suburb-reared Abra-

ham McDonald, the winner of the Oprah Show Karaoke Challenge last year. After belting out Oleta Adams’ “Get Here” and trumping his two competitors, the silkyvoiced McDonald walked away with a $250,000 cash prize and within a few months had signed an exclusive contract with Island Def Jam Music Group. He is one of the few who has gone from relative karaoke obscurity to a major recording deal, with his appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

“Winning Oprah’s first karaoke challenge has been amazing.

From the experiences of singing places I’ve always dreamed of singing and meeting people I’ve always wanted to meet to finally

by Natalie Collier getting out of that apartment! …

I got my own tree, y’all!” McDonald said in April on an Oprah follow-up show.

That’s not all he has. McDonald’s first single, “Miracles,” released the week he appeared on the follow-up show, at its highest sat at No. 34 on the Urban AC chart and is the lead single for his debut album, scheduled to hit store shelves Sept. 14. Not bad for someone who went from having no national name recognition to live performances at the House of Blues Los Angeles and is prepping for an 18-city Budweiser Superfest Tour with R&B notables like Anthony Hamilton, Kem, Jaheim and Raheem DeVaughn.

Whether you aspire to national recording contract heights or something else, since his boyhood dream of singing materialized, McDonald has admonished his audiences repeatedly to live their best lives, saying: “Continue to dream.

Push your dreams as if they’re as light as a feather. … When you get tired … there’s always someone to the right of you, in another lane, (who’s) not as tired as you are. So if you quit, they’re going to get what was for you.”

Take a road trip up to Memphis and see the Budweiser Superfest Tour Aug. 22 at the Desoto Center or catch it at the New Orleans Arena Sept. 3. Visit livenation.com for tickets.

jacksonfreepress.com

I

n a darkly lit corner of Fenian’s Pub on Fortification Street, an older long-haired man in a T-shirt looks around tentatively as he puts down his pint. His wife, still clad in her hospital scrubs, smiles eagerly.

“Up next, we got Hope and Law!” Karaoke DJ (or KJ) Matt Collette announces.

Lawrence Warnock picks himself up as his wife, Hope Magee, leads them to the stage.

The Monday night crowd hoots and hollers behind them. The screen behind him flashes, “I’m going to Jackson—Johnny Cash/June Carter.”

From the karaoke stage, the Monday crowd at Fenian’s is a bit intimidating. It’s a diverse throng, with white and black, young and old; some are on their second or third beer as their designated drivers look onward, sipping water and coke. Crowds chatter loudly over the music that blares from the speakers.

The familiar two-step and fast guitar strumming of Johnny Cash gets a squeal out of a group of pretty, well-dressed younger women in their early 20s. As they and the rest of the bar cheer them on, Hope and Law get a little more courageous. They belt out the chorus with flair, and Law gives a fist pump for good measure.

Monday night karaoke at the neighborhood pub has been a long-standing tradition for the couple. It turned their relationship into a marriage after just six months of dating.

“Our first date was karaoke night at Fenian’s,” Hope recalls. “It helped both of us realize that we don’t care what other people think about us. We’re ourselves.”

Hope and Lawrence are among the regular Monday crowd, and are usually there to sign up for multiple songs around 8 p.m., usually belting out songs well after midnight.

Regular Mary Fisher Hames, better known as

Carl Gibson

Karaoke Connections

31

COME CHECK OUT OUR NEW SMOKERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DECK!

livemusic July 28, Wednesday

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR aLL sHows 10pm unLess noted

WEDNESDAY

KARAOKE W/ MIKE MOTT THURSDAY - JULY 29

7/28

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

WEDNESDAY - JULY 28

LADIES NIGHT

OPEN MIC & FREE LINE DANCE LESSONS

FRI. & SAT. - JULY 30 & 31

WILLY WAGGS

7/29

80â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s night

July 29, Thursday

Different theme each week FRIDAY

7/30

ROCKET 88

TUESDAY - AUGUST 3

POOL LEAGUE NIGHT 2636 S. Gallatin Jackson, MS 39204

601-961-4747

www.myspace.com/popsaroundthecorner

SATURDAY

7/31

ROOSTER BLUES KaraoKe SUNDAY

8/1

MONDAY

8/2

OPEN MIC JAM TUESDAY

8/3

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

$2 MARGARITAS $1 HIGHLIFE & PBR

July 29 - August 4, 2010

WEDNESDAY

32

8/4

Ladies night ladies drink all you can 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 Hal & Malâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Restaurant - Taylor Hildebrand Fenianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Welch/McCann (blues rock) 9 p.m.

Electric Cowboy - Battle of the Bands Playoffs (rock) 8 p.m.

Underground 119 - Virgil Brawley & Steve Chester (blues) 8-11 p.m.

Ole Tavern - The Spooks,+ Burgers & Blues - Jesse â&#x20AC;&#x153;Guitarâ&#x20AC;?

Smith 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Shuckerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Jon & Amanda 7:3011:30 p.m. free Parker House - Chris Gill & the Soleshakers Pelican Cove - Guns of Addiction 7 p.m.

Regency Hotel - Snazz 8:30 p.m. $5 myspace.com/snazzband2 Philipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Rez - Kokomo Joe DJ/ Karaoke 7-10 p.m. free

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

Hal & Malâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Cabaret (musical) 930 Blues Cafe - Jackie Bell, Norman Clark & Smoke Stack Lightning 8 p.m. $5 Burgers & Blues - Emma Wynters 5:30-9:30 p.m.

Fenianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Tooz Co. (folk/ole time) 9 p.m.

Underground 119 - Swing de Paris (gypsy jazz) Congress St. Grill - Bubba Wingfield 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Poetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s II - Shaun Patterson 4:307:30 p.m.; Jason Turner 9 p.m.

The South, Silas Brown - Dates for Leuekmia: DoubleShotz 7-11 p.m. $50, 601-956-7447 Wingstop, State St- Shaun Patterson 9 p.m.

Shuckerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Rhythm Masters 7:3011:30 p.m. free Last Call - Eddie â&#x20AC;&#x153;D.J. Old Schoolâ&#x20AC;?

Harvey AJâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Seafood - Hunter Gibson 6:3010 p.m.

Regency Hotel - Karaoke/Bike Night 7 p.m. free Parker House - Virgil Brawley & Steve Chester 6:30-10 p.m.

Roberts Walthall - Ben Payton (blues) 6:30-10 p.m.

Electric Cowboy - DJ Cadillac (country/dance/rock) 9 p.m.

Philipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Rez - Bubba & His Guitar 7-10 p.m. free McBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Karaoke 7 p.m. free Hot Shots, Byram - Karaoke 8 p.m. free

July 30, Friday F. Jones Corner - Jessie Smith (blues/solo) noon; Sherman Leeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Miss. Sound w/Jesse Smith 10-5 a.m. (blues) $10

Lumpkinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s BBQ - Virgil Brawley (blues lunch) 11:30-1:30 p.m.

Martinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Rocket 88 (roots rock) 10 p.m. $5 rocket88music.com Underground 119 - Cucho & Los Papis (Latin Jam) 8:30-11 p.m. $10 Hal & Malâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Restaurant - Bill & Temperance (bluegrass) Hal & Malâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Cabaret (musical) 930 Blues Cafe - Jackie Bell, Jarekus Singleton Band 9:30 p.m. $10 Sneaky Beans - AJC & the E-Pushers 8 p.m. $5 Cups, Fondren - Andrew Campbell 7 p.m. free Electric Cowboy - U.S. (rock) 9 p.m.

Burgers & Blues - Mike & Marty 7-11 p.m.

Afrika Book Cafe - DJ Redcleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Afrikan Funkadelic 8-1 a.m.

Shuckerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Travelinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Jane Band 8-1 a.m. $5 McBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Greenfish Dick & Janeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Show Night/DJ Allen 9 p.m. $6; 18+ $10 Phillipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Rez - A20 - 6-10 p.m. free Regency Hotel - Josh Burton 8:30 p.m. $5 Irish Frog - Emma Wynters 6:3010 p.m.

Hot Shots, Byram - Karaoke 8 p.m. free Reed Pierceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Snazz 9-1 a.m. free DiamondJacks, Vâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;burg - Rainmakers (classic rock) 9-1 a.m.

Whistle Stop Cafe, Hazlehurst Hunter Gibson Ameristar, Vâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;burg - Band X, Glenn Williams Neshoba Co. Fair - Vernon Bros. (bluegrass) 12:30 p.m.

July 31, Saturday Hal & Malâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Restaurant - The Vamps (jazz) Hal & Malâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Cabaret (musical) Electric Cowboy - U.S. (rock) 9 p.m.

Fenianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Bofus (Americana) 9 p.m.

F. Jones Corner - The Houserockers 10-5 a.m. (blues) $10 Underground 119 - Scott Albert Johnson & Easy Co (blues/juke) 9 p.m. $10 Burgers & Blues - Mark Whittington & Fingers Taylor 7-11 p.m.

930 Blues Cafe - Jackie Bell, Jarekus Singleton Band 9:30 p.m. $10 Dick & Janeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - House Party/DJ Allen 9 p.m. $6; 18+ $10 Shuckerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Mike & Marty 3-7 p.m. free; The Electric Cowbell Dance Band (debut/Latin) 8-1 a.m. $5 McBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Sofa Kings Pelican Cove - Rodney Moore Duo 2 p.m.

Phillipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Rez - Larry Underwood & Hound Dog Lucy 6-10 p.m. free Regency Hotel - Josh Burton 8:30 p.m. $5 Last Call - DJ Twillight (salsa class) 8:30 p.m. $5 Petra Cafe, Clinton - Karaoke 8 p.m.

Hot Shots, Byram - Karaoke 8 p.m. free Reed Pierceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Jason Turner Band 9 p.m. free

7/31 Steve Miller Band, Peter Frampton - Wharf, Orange Beach 8/03 Deer Tick/Dead Confederate - Proud Larryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Oxford 8/06 Sugarland - Wharf, Orange Beach 8/06 Crystal Method - Minglewood Hall, Memphis 8/11 Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Philips Arena, Atlanta 8/27 Billy Idol - IP Casino, Biloxi; 8/28 Resorts Casino, Tunica 9/03 Blondie - Memphis Botanic Garden

Brookhaven Rec. Center, Hwy 51 - Brookstock X: The Juvenators+ 6 p.m. $10 DiamondJacks, Vâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;burg - Rainmakers (classic rock) 9-1 a.m.

Washington St/Duffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Vâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;burg - Summertime Blues Fest: Rocket 88, LC Ulmer, Seth Libbey, Jimbo Mathus, Koestler Bros,+ 2 p.m.-12 a.m. (3 stages) $15, 601-638-8828 Whistle Stop Cafe, Hazlehurst Bubba Wingfield Ameristar, Vâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;burg - Band X, Glenn Williams

Aug 1, Sunday King Edward Hotel - Howard Jones Jazz (brunch) 11-2 p.m.

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

Sophiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Fairview Inn - Knight Bruce 11 a.m. (brunch) N. Midtown Arts Center, 121 Millsaps Ave - M!A Improvisor Improv Concert 8 p.m. free Ameristar, Vâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;burg - Glenn Williams

Aug 2, Monday Fire - Seasons After, 2cents, Taking Dawn 8 p.m. 18+, $10 myspace.com/seasonsafter , 2centsmusic.com Hal & Malâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Restaurant - Central Miss. Blues Society Jam 8-11 p.m. $5 F. Jones Corner - Stevie J (blues lunch) 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 - Marley Mondays/DJ (world) 6 p.m.

Irish Frog - Open Mic 6:30-10 p.m.

Aug 3, Tuesday F. Jones Corner - Amazing Lazy Boi (blues lunch) 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. free Ole Tavern - Open Mic Shuckerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - The Extremez 7:30-11:30 p.m. free Time Out - Open Mic 8 p.m.

McBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Karaoke 7 p.m. free LDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kitchen, Vâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;burg - Sounds Unlimited 8:30 p.m.

Aug 4, Wednesday F. Jones Corner - Sherman Lee Dillon (blues lunch) free Electric Cowboy - Battle of the Bands Playoffs (rock) 8 p.m.

Shuckerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - DoubleShotz 7:3011:30 p.m. free Regency Hotel - Snazz 8:30 p.m. myspace.com/snazzband2

venuelist Freelonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 Grownfolksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lounge 4030 Medgar Evers Blvd, Jackson, 601-362-6008 Hal & Malâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 200 S. Commerce St., Jackson, 601-948-0888 (pop/rock/blues) Hampâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 HautĂŠ Pig 1856 Main St., Madison, 601853-8538 Here We Go Again 3002 Terry Road, Jackson, 601-373-1520 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) The Irish Frog 5o7 Springridge Rd., Clinton, 601-448-4185 JCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 Kathrynâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 LaRaeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 Mandaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pub 614 Clay Street, Vicksburg, 601-638-6607 Martinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lounge 214 S. State St., Jackson, 601-354-9712 (rock/jam/blues) McBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 Monteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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

Olgaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 2906Â 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 Poetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s II 1855 Lakeland Dr., 601- 364-9411 Pool Hall 3716 I-55 North Frontage Rd., Jackson, 601-713-2708 Popâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Saloon 2636 Gallatin St., Jackson, 601-961-4747 (country) Proud Larryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 & Malâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s), 601-948-0888 (rock/alt.)

Reed Pierceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 6791 Siwell Rd., Byram, 601-376-0777, 601-376-4677 Regency Hotel Restaurant & Bar 420 Greymont Ave., Jackson, 601-969-2141 Rickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cafe 318 Hwy 82 East, #B, Starkville, 662-324-7425 RJ Barrel 111 N. Union 601-667-3518 Sal and Mookieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 565 Taylor St. 601368-1919 Samâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lounge 5035 I-55 N. Frontage Rd., Jackson, 601-983-2526 Samâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Town Casino 1477 Casino Strip Blvd., Robinsonville, 800-456-0711 Schimmelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fine Dining 2615 N. State St., Jackson, 601-981-7077 Scroogeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 Soopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 Sportsmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 Chikanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 VBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 Walkerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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, July 28th

Ladiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Night w/ Snazz 8:30 p.m. - Guysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Cover $5

BUY 1, GET 1 WELLS Thursday, July 29th

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

$2 MARGARITAS! Fri. & sat. July 30th & 31st

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

The Rio Grande Restaurant

Weekly Lunch Specials

Open for dinner Sat. 4-10pm thursday

JULY 29

LADIES NIGHT with MR. NICK! LADIES DRINK FREE

WELLS & PONIES 9PM-2AM

friday

JULY 30

SETH LIBBEY & The Liberals saturday 400 Greymont Ave., Jackson 601-969-2141 www.regencyjackson.com

6325760$16 /2'*( 35(6(176 %8' /,*+7 3$5$',6( 322/6 63$¡6

SUMMER

PA RT Y !

JULY 31

JP HARRIS

AND THE TOUGH CHOICES W/ TAYLOR HILDEBRAND monday

AUGUST 2

2-for-1 Draft tuesday

AUGUST 3

OPEN MIC 6$785'$< $8*867 7+ VWDUWV # QRRQ /,9( 086,& '5,1. 63(&,$/6 *,$17 6:,00,1* 322/ 35,=(6 6&+:$*

/,9( 086,& )5,'$< -8/< 7+ %5,$1 -21(6

@QbQTYcU POOLS AND SPAS

with Cody Cox *DOLLAR BEER* wednesday

AUGUST 4

KARAOKE w/ CASEY AND NICK FREE WiFi Open Mon-Sat, Kitchen open Mon-Fri 11 am-10 pm & Sat 4-10 pm

jacksonfreepress.com

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 Bennieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Boom Boom Room 142 Front St., Hattiesburg, 601-408-6040 Borrelloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 Ceramiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 Crickettâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 Davidsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Corner Market 108 W. Center St., Canton, 601-855-2268 (pop/rock) Deboâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 180 Raymond Road, Jackson, 601-346-8283 Diamond Jackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Casino 3990 Washington Street, Vicksburg, 1-877-711-0677 Dick & Janeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 Fenianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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) Fitzgeraldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Martini Bar 1001 E. County Line Road, Jackson, 601-957-2800 Floodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bar and Grill 2460 Bailey Ave., Jackson, 601-713-4094 Footloose Bar and Grill 4661 Hwy 80 West, Jackson, 601-922-9944

33

dining

by Katie Stewart

Katie Stewart

Hospitality for Less

A guestbook preserves your hospitality memories.

“I

f there is any concept worth restoring to its original depth and evocative potential, it is the concept of hospitality,” wrote Henri Nouwen in his 1975 book “Reaching Out.” As a young couple on a budget, my husband, Mason, and I have sought to weave this notion of hospitality into our lives without over-spending.

Entertaining can lead to a good deal of pressure on hosts and hostesses. As much as I love Martha Stewart and Design*Sponge, I have to ask, “Who has time or money to decorate such sumptuous tables?” Yet, I’m not willing to put off hospitality until I have the means to present a gorgeously decorated home and a dinner of filet mignon to

a dozen guests. My goal is to open my home and share my life with friends, whatever my income. A simple meal at home is merely a vehicle for the true purpose of developing community.

To achieve this goal, we have developed several strategies for hospitality that don’t involve high costs.

Use the grill. We received a basic charcoal grill for Christmas last year, and it has become our main resource when it comes to spring and summer entertaining. Many foods that can be grilled tend to be fairly inexpensive, and often they require only simple seasonings.

Hamburgers and chicken are the obvious choices, but you can prepare all kinds of dishes on the grill, including fish, veggies and fruit. The grill also frees up my small kitchen so I can more easily prepare side dishes.

Go vegetarian. Without meat, your meal becomes cheaper and can still be just as tasty. Veggie kabobs, fruit, hummus with pita bread, and cheese quesadillas with sour cream and guacamole are all inexpensive options for serving to company.

Invite friends to participate. We hosted a “bring your own meat” birthday party where we fired up the grill and asked guests to bring their choice of meat to put on the grill. I purchased chips and dip and made plenty of potato salad. We were able to host around 30 guests at minimal cost to us. For smaller gatherings, potlucks and supper clubs also work well for budget hosting.

Preserve the memory. Buy a guestbook and ask your guests to sign it. Take pictures of the food and your guests.

You’ll treasure the community long after the meal has been forgotten.

Last Sunday night, we hosted friends for dinner. Below is our simple menu, which cost little and led to an evening of fun and fellowship.

Tilapia

$10 for 2.5 pounds Seasoned with cumin, salt & pepper, then buttered, wrapped in foil and grilled

Rice

$1 for high-quality Japanese rice for six; cooked in the rice cooker

Sautéed Vegetables

Squash and zucchini, 88 cents a pound; sautéed on the stove with garlic, onions and olive oil

Ice Cream

A half-gallon of Edy’s on sale for $2.99.

Total: Less than $20.

Demystifying Wine

by Sahil Grewal

F

rom the earliest days, wine has been looked upon as a natural remedy for man’s ills. In ancient times, physicians found it invaluable. Today, many doctors recommend it for various ailments such as improving heart health.

You can drink wine without food, but pairing it with a meal helps your body absorb minerals such as potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron and zinc. This can be especially important to vegetarians who need to get the most nutrition from their limited diets. Moderate wine consumption with a meal also aids digestion.

If you’re watching your weight, light wine has 17 calories per ounce, and dry red, white table wine and Champagne (brut) have 25 calories per ounce.

July 29 - August 4, 2010

Pairing Wine and Food

34

• Serve wine before the food.

• Generally, the sequence for serving wine is: dry sparkling wine; light dry wine; full-bodied wine; rich wine; and then sweet wine.

• Typically, white wine goes well with white meat and fish, and red wine goes well with red meat.

• Aim for harmony between the dish and the wine; they have to complement each other.

• When serving fine wine, avoid vinegar-based sauces.

• When serving dry red or white wine, avoid dishes with sweet sauces.

• Serve white wine before red wine.

• Serve good wine before great wine.

• Serve wine at its correct temperature.

Because wines have so many complex flavors, give some thought to your menu before selecting your wine. Beside the fruit flavors found in wines, they can also have notes of pine tree, resin, vanilla, coffee, tea, herbs, smoke, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, mint, truffles, oak, jasmine and many more, depending on the type of wine you select.

Consider these pairings for your next summer get-together:

Hors d’oeuvres— Sometimes, serving wine with a salad can be difficult due to heavy dressings; however, try Sancerre, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc or Gewurztraminer.

Fish— Pair oysters and shellfish with dry white wine, Champagne, Chablis or muscatel, and try smoked fish with white Rioja or white Graves. For fish with sauces, try a fuller white wine or Riesling. For shallow-fried or grilled fish, go with California chardonnay, or Australian Sémillon or chardonnay.

White Meat— The type of wine to serve depends on whether you serve the white meat (chicken, turkey, rabbit, veal or pork) hot or cold. If the meat is served hot with a sauce or savory stuffing, pair it with either a rosé such as Anjou or a light red wine like Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, Californian Zinfandel, Saint Julien or Burgundy. If serving the meat cold, pair with a fuller white wine such as Hocks, Sancerre or Tavel.

Roast and grilled lamb— Pair with Medoc, Pomerol or Cabernet Sauvignon.

Roast beef and grilled steaks— Pair with big reds such as Burgundies, Rioja, Barolo or Pinot Noir wines.

Summer Grapes White wine grapes are fruity and less likely to give you a hangover.

Wine Grapes Chardonnay

Chenin Blanc Gewurztraminer

Muscat Riesling Sauvignon Blanc

Quality/flavors Ripe melon, fresh pineapple, tropical fruits, nutty Apple, honeysuckle, melon Rose petals, grapefruits, tropical fruits (e.g. lychees) Grapes, raisins Apricots, peaches, lime Gooseberries, tropical fruits, custard, nuts, honey, grass, bellpeppers, lime, butter, olives

Red wine grapes are fruity, light, lively, full of nutrition and help with digestion.

Wine Grapes Pinot Noir Merlot

Quality/flavors Strawberries, cherries, plums Plum, damson, blackcurrants

White Zinfandel and Malbec grapes are also worth trying this summer.

Primos Cafe

2323 Lakeland 601-936-3398/ 515 Lake Harbour 601-898-3400 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!

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.

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BAKERY 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!

CampbellĘźs 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 HeavenĘźs 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.

Crazy Cat Bakers (Highland Village Suite #173 601-362-7448) Amazing sandwiches: Meatloaf Panini, Mediterranean Vegetarian, Rotisserie Chicken to gourmet pimento cheese. Outlandish desserts. Now open for dinner Wednesday through Friday.

CASUAL GREEK DINING

Live Music on Friday Night

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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. Tuesday-Thursday (11am-8pm) Fri-Sat (11am-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 unforgetable option) known for their sweet buns. Televisions throughout, even small tubes at your table. Po-boys, quesadillas; good stuff!

DINE JACKSON, see pg. 36

Friday and Saturday Night Music

jacksonfreepress.com

BasilĘźs Belhaven (904 E. FortiďŹ cation, 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. 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.

CeramiĘźs (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!

FratesiĘźs (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!

35

Paid advertising section.

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

2003-2010, Best of Jackson

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

707 N. Congress Street Downtown Jackson â&#x20AC;˘ (601) 353-1180 Open 11am-2pm, Sunday thru Friday

PO BOYS â&#x20AC;˘ RED BEANS & RICE PASTA â&#x20AC;˘ BURGERS

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now Dats Italianâ&#x20AC;?

Thursday Night, July 29 Bubba WingďŹ eld Live 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

601-919-2829

120 N Congress St. in Jackson (601) 968-0857

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

5417 Lakeland Drive ~ Flowood, MS 39232

Monday â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Saturday, 10 a.m. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 8 p.m.

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Fenianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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.

Stamps Superburgers (1801 Dalton Street 601-352-4555) Huge burgers will keep you full until the next day! The homestyle fries are always fresh, cut by hand using white potatoes with traditional, lemon pepper, seasoning salt or Cajun seasoning.

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 stuffâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;oysters, catfish, shrimp, seafood or chicken!

Hal and Malâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blackboard special. Repeat winner of Best of Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Best Place for Live Music.â&#x20AC;?

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.

Martinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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.

Shuckerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Oyster Bar (116 Conestoga Road, Ridgeland 601-853-0105) Serious about oysters? Try â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;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 CafĂŠ (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.

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!

Happy hour everyday til 7 p.m.

Sportsmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lodge (1120 E Northside Dr. in Maywood Mart) 601-366-5441 Voted Best Sports Bar in 2010, Sportmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 â&#x20AC;&#x153;lollipopâ&#x20AC;? lamb chops. Add a full bar and mix in great music. Opens 4 p.m.-until, Wed-Sat.

ASIAN Jackson

Byram

Full-Service Catering â&#x20AC;˘ Private Rooms Available â&#x20AC;˘ Reservations Suggested

1801 Dalton Street (601) 352-4555 Fax: (601) 352-4510

5752 Terry Road (601) 373-7299 Fax: (601) 373-7349

107 Depot Drive, Madison | 601.856.3822 www.strawberrycafemadison.com Mon.-Thurs. 11am-9pm and Fri. & Sat. 11am-10pm

Come see Why We Were Voted One Of Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Best Mediterranean Restaurants

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 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Best Chineseâ&#x20AC;? 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 Mimiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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.

Poâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Polks (4865 N. State Street 601-366-2160) Great home-style cookinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 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!

July 29 - August 4, 2010

Mediterranean & Lebanese Cuisine

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Lunch starting at just $6.99 Hours of Operation: Everyday am-until

Paid advertising section.

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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 11-2, Sun. 10:30-2.

Zydeco Restaurant and Bar (6340 Ridgewood Rd. 601-977-9920) Cajun/creole favorites such as gumbo, sausage, oysters, fried green tomatoes, po-boys and muffalettas. Steaks, seafood and jambalaya for dinner. Beignets, omelets and seafood for Sunday brunch!

Telephone:

FULL LUNCH $9.00 with tax

601-665-4952

For the sizzling taste of real hickory smoke barbeque -

THIS IS THE PLACE!

B.B.Q., Blues, Beer Beef and Pork Ribs

Entree, 2 Sides, Bread & Beverage Down Home Cooking Downtown 168 W. Griffith St. • Sterling Towers Across from MC School of Law

601-352-2364 • Fax: 601-352-2365 Hours: Monday - Friday 7am - 4pm

Lunch & Dinner:

Tuesday - Thursday 11am - 8pm Friday & Saturday 11am - 10pm 932 Lynch Street | Jackson (Across from the JSU Baseball Field)

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.

Rocky’s (1046 Warrington Road, Vicksburg 601-634-0100) Enjoy choice steaks, fresh seafood, great salads, hearty sandwiches and much more in the “polished casual” dining room. Open 24/7 in the Riverwalk Casino.

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.

PIzza 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.

CarrIBBeaN

HAPPY HOUR Mon. thru Sat., 2-7pm 2 for 1 Mixed Drinks $4 Wine and $1 Off Draft

50¢ Boneless Wings!

/LD 3CHOOL 4HURSDAY - DJ OLD SCHOOL $4 WELL DRINKS $5 FROZEN DRINKS $6 REMY VSOP

THE GREEN ROOM FOR SERIOUS BILLIARDS

Voted Best Place to Play Pool!

Best of Jackson 2010

One Hour of Pool with one Guest (free with this ad)

12 BEERS ON TAP

Kitchen Open ‘til 2 AM 1428 Old Square Road in Jackson 601.713.2700 lastcallsportsgrill.com

JOIN A LEAGUE NOW! Handicapped In-house League Everyone can play. Anyone can win.

444 Bounds St in Jackson | 601-718-POOL www.greenroomms.com | greenroomms@yahoo.com

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.

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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Best Butts In Town!

since 1980

601-956-7079

1491 Canton Mart Rd. • Jackson

jacksonfreepress.com

section.

37

BY MATT JONES

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

Can you force things to grow? Is it possible to induce ripening simply by aggressively exerting your willpower? Normally I’d say no, but these days I think it’s within your capacity. Don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying you could go up to a tomato plant and magically transform mid-size green tomatoes into big orange beauties. But from a metaphorical perspective, you could accomplish something like that. What fragile bud would benefit from bursts of your vitality? What sweet young thing might thrive with your invigorating help?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

In James Hillman’s book “The Dream and the Underworld,” he says something I’ve heard from other researchers—that the majority of dreams we have each night are unpleasant. But that’s not true for me.

Way more than 50 percent of mine are educational, entertaining and not at all bad or scary. Quite a few have jokes and riddles. Most stretch my understanding of how the world works and motivate me to get smarter about what I’ve been ignorant about. As you enter the Intense Dreaming Phase of your cycle, Virgo, I suspect your nocturnal adventures will resemble mine. Get ready to encounter intriguing characters who will have the power to heal you. Talking animals may give you righteous clues about upcoming waking-life decisions.

A mercurial teacher could relieve you of a delusion. The wind and rain may play music that dissolves your fear.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

During the Tang Dynasty, a golden age of Chinese culture, educated people didn’t use clichéd salutations to begin and end their encounters with each other. No “Hi, how you doing?” or “See you later. Take care.” Instead, they improvised creatively, composing poetic riffs appropriate for the occasion. “Your face is especially bright today. Are you expecting to see a lucky cloud?” or “I’ll bask in your glories again later. In the meantime, may you find a brisk blend of elegance and mischief.” I’d love to see you do something like that, Libra. It’s prime time to boost your alliances to a higher octave. Give more to your collaborators, and ask for more, too.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

I admire people who sweat freely and abundantly while they’re working hard at what they love to do. Singer James Brown, “The Godfather of Soul,” was renowned for his sweltering floods and so is baseball player Pablo Sandoval. But many unfamous people I’ve known would also be top candidates for King and Queen of Sacred Sweat, like my friend Julia, who practices her passion in the garden and my friend Luke, who welds giant metal sculptures. I’m hoping you will come into your own as one of this elite group, Scorpio. The omens suggest you’d be wise to raise the heat in your alchemical furnace.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

The wind coming off the creek has picked up in the last half hour, and so the branches of the lemon tree outside my office window are swaying vehemently in the late afternoon sun. Is the tree upset? No. Is it worried or offended or angry at the wind? Of course not. From what I can tell, it’s enjoying the raucous movement. I can even imagine that it knows how lucky it is: It wouldn’t be able to dance so expressively without the help of the gusts. I hope you’ll interpret your experiences in the coming week with a similar perspective, Sagittarius.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

July 29 - August 4, 2010

While flying over water, an eagle can spot a fish swimming from 300 feet away. As it prowls through a winter landscape, a coyote can detect the presence of a mouse bustling beneath thick snow. I suspect you’ll have a comparable knack for tuning in to things that are of keen interest, Capricorn, even if they are hidden or located at a distance. To maximize your advantage, get clear about what you’re hungry for. Build a vivid image in your mind’s eye of what you need.

38

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Lola, a woman I know, has mastered the art of selfcontradiction. She makes no apologies for the apparent oppositions she gladly contains. For instance, she’s perfectly at ease with the fact that she is not only a lesbian anarchist skater punk who’s a prolific graffiti artist, but also a devout Christian who doesn’t consume drugs

or alcohol, drives a Lexus SUV and volunteers as a massage therapist at a hospice. Your internal paradoxes may or may not be as extreme as hers, Aquarius, but I urge you to express them with the panache that she does.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

My friend Erica went to a Chinese herbalist, seeking help for a skin problem that hadn’t been healed by six other doctors. “Very rare condition,” the herbalist told her. There was only one thing he knew that would work: Erica would have to travel to the Ruoergai Marshes in Sichuan Province, China and track down a White-tailed Eagle, whose fresh droppings she would gather up and apply to the affected areas of her skin. As the prospect of such a pilgrimage was daunting, Erica decided instead to simply imagine herself carrying it out. After a week of such meditations, her skin had improved. In 21 days, she wasn’t completely cured, but she was much better. The moral of the story, Pisces: Simply visualizing a heroic healing quest may help fix your glitch.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

Success coach Tom Ferry says our ability to pursue our dreams can be damaged by four addictions: 1. an addiction to what other people think of us; 2. an addiction to creating melodrama in a misguided quest for excitement; 3. an addiction to believing we’re imprisoned by what happened in the past; 4. an addiction to negative thoughts that fill us with anxiety. The good news, Aries, is that in the coming weeks you will find it easier than usual to free yourself from addictions 1, 3 and 4. On the other hand, you may be extra susceptible to addiction 2. So take action to make sure you don’t fall victim to it! What can you do to avoid distracting adventures and trivial brouhahas?

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Some of the biggest whales feed primarily on tiny organisms like protozoa, algae and krill. They swim around with their mouths open, gulping seawater, using filtering structures in their upper jaws to sieve out the stuff they want to eat. Their strategy for getting a meal has resemblances to an approach you may benefit from using: sifting through a lot of superfluous material to get the rich basics you seek. Discernment isn’t the only skill you’ll need; relaxed patience will be crucial, too.

“All the Right Angles”—they’ve got the market cornered.

Across

1 “Little Women” sister 5 His famous role is being reprised in 2010 8 List with activities for kids 12 ___ con pollo 14 Wyatt of the Old West 16 Apple pesticide banned in the 1980s 17 Play ___ in (affect) 18 It may stick out of one’s pants 20 General Colin’s nickname in the dynamite business?

22 Old synthesizer brand 23 Albuquerque coll.

24 Kind of dye 25 Helper, for short 27 Goddess of the dawn 29 “Humble” homes 34 “The Office” actor Steve made up of many parts?

37 Snoring cause 40 Its chairman was Yasser Arafat 41 Long-limbed 42 Thurston of “Gilligan’s Island” moving to Missouri?

45 “The Worst Comedian of All Time,” according to Maxim 46 Betty White recently hosted it

47 Tater 51 Fashion line?

53 Madness’s musical genre 55 ___-Locka, Florida 56 Soundgarden frontman Chris crushed by the other team?

61 Polynesian capital 62 Its ads compare cereal bowl quantities 63 Falls behind 64 Dirty 65 Simmons competitor 66 Major event for a law student 67 Abbr. in many Canadian city names 68 Caustic substances

Down

10 Finger part 11 Online address 13 Asian mammal also called a “humped cattle” 15 Elizabeth Wurtzel autobio drug 19 Blue solid on a pool table 21 Lower-level apartment number 26 Network that merged with UPN 28 Missile storage buildings 30 Some tests 31 Cub Scout group 32 Antlered beast 33 The Family Stone leader 35 Some motorcycles 36 On the cheap end 37 It may get in gear 38 Greek consonant 39 “Smoking” alternative 43 Tissue swellings 44 Nevada county 48 “The Writer’s Almanac” subject 49 Burning the midnight oil 50 Cowboys’ home 52 Office notes 54 Part of NEA 56 Busy workers during April 57 Latvian capital 58 Right on the map?

59 “Get going!”

60 Playwright Coward 61 The whole kit and caboodle ©2010 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@ jonesincrosswords.com) For answers to this puzzle, call: 1900-226-2800, 99 cents per minute.

Must be 18+. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800-655-6548. Reference puzzle #0471.

Last Week’s Answers

1 Shearing sound 2 Baseball stats 3 They get deployed 4 Ian of “Ratatouille” 5 Body type somewhere in the middle 6 Obama Chief of Staff Emanuel 7 “I could ___ referee” (line from Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind”) 8 Down Under pal 9 Airline with a hub at Ben Gurion

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

You know about World War II, but do you know about the planet’s worst conflict since then? It was the Second Congo War, involving eight African nations and killing 5.4 million people between 1998 and 2006. You’re painfully aware of the oil hemorrhage in the Gulf of Mexico, but have you heard about the equally horrific catastrophe that an American oil company wreaked on Ecuador from the early 1960s until 1992 (tinyurl. com/EcuadorOil)? I bring these things up, Gemini, because now is an excellent time for you to fill in gaps in your education and learn the rest of any story that you’ve been missing—not just concerning events in the world but also in regards to your personal history. P.S. Much of what you find, unlike the Congo War and the Ecuadorian oil disaster, may be good news.

BY MATT JONES

Last Week’s Answers

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

A psychic in Colorado was arrested for bilking her clients. Nancy Marks allegedly told people that their money was possessed by nasty spirits, and that the best solution was to hand the money over to her. The cops claim she collected 290,000 of the evil dollars before she was nabbed. My message to you, Cancerian, is very different from the psychic’s warning: Your bank account has a divine blessing on it. At least temporarily, this makes you a kind of cash magnet; you have an unusual power to attract legal tender. Take advantage!

Say this sacred mantra: “O monnee gimmee summ.”

What are the conditions you’d need in your world in order to feel like you were living in paradise? Testify at Truthrooster@gmail.com.

“Greater-Than Sudoku”

For this “Greater-Than Sudoku”, I’m not givin’ you ANY numbers to start off with! Adjoining squares in the grid’s 3x3 boxes have a greater-than sign (>) telling you which of the two numbers in those squares is larger. Fill in every square with a number from 1-9 using the greater-than signs as a guide. When you’re done, as in a normal Sudoku, every row, column, and 3x3 box will contain the numbers 1-9 exactly one time. (Solving hint: try to look for the 1’s and 9’s in each box first, then move on to the 2’s and 8’s, and so on).

Doctor S sez: Hang on, sports fans. The NFL starts playing meaningless games in just over a week.

THURSDAY, JULY 29 Extreme action sports, X Games (1 and 7 p.m., ESPN): Hey bruh, the 16th X Games are taking over downtown L.A. It will jam harder than a Widespread Panic concert. Don’t forget your helmet and hackey sack.

FRIDAY, JULY 30 Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony (7 p.m., Jackson Marriott): The Hall inducts legends Henry Armstrong, Allen Brown, Bob Coleman, Frank Dowsing, Lake Speed and Ken Toler.

For tickets, call 1-800-280-3263. And you can meet the inductees Saturday from 9:3011 a.m. at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. … PDL playoffs, Southern Conference semifinals, Mississippi vs. Houston (7:30 p.m., Millsaps, Jackson): The Brilla is hosting the first round of the playoffs. The winner of this game meets the Baton Rouge-Laredo winner in the conference title game Sunday at 7 p.m. at Millsaps.

SATURDAY, JULY 31 Major League baseball, Atlanta at Cincinnati (6 p.m., SportSouth, 620 AM): The Braves and Reds meet in a battle of NL contenders.

SUNDAY, AUG. 1 Golf, U.S. Senior Open (3 p.m., Ch. 3): The over-50 set battles for the top prize in geezer golf. Take it easy on the old guys.

MONDAY, AUG. 2 Southern League baseball, Mobile at Mississippi (7:05 p.m., Pearl, 103.9 FM): The M-Braves return home to open a series against the BayBears. Who says Mondays are all bad?

TUESDAY, AUG. 3 Movie, “Le Mans” (5 a.m., TCM): Steve McQueen is a driver haunted by a past accident who’s competing in a deadly endurance race. Just remember, Steve McQueen was the man, and Steve McQueen is STILL the man. Just ask the Rolling Stones.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 4 Movie, “Undisputed” (10 p.m., AMC): An imprisoned boxer (Ving Rhames) faces the prison’s best fighter (Wesley Snipes). Wesley Snipes? The next time Snipes sees the inside of a prison, it won’t be a movie set.

The Slate is compiled by Doctor S, who thinks the air conditioner in the JFP Penthouse might be dying. Hey, Todd! Donna! Sigh.

Meanwhile, things are always hot at JFP Sports on www.jacksonfreepress.com.

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Welch/McCann After police arrested Ronald White, 35, for shoplifting in Cinnaminson, N.J., they discovered he had outstanding warrants that required posting $400 bail. White paid cash. The next day, Detective Sgt. William K. Covert discovered that five of the $20 bills White used were counterfeit. “They’re pretty poor,” Covert said. “I didn’t have to touch them, and I knew they were bad.” Before police could locate White, he showed up at the police station to complain that he had overpaid his bail and wanted his money back. Officers found two more bogus $20 bills on him. “One of my favorite sayings is, you can’t teach stupid,” Covert said, “because every day something else comes up, and you just shake your head.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Hypocrite of the Week Farmer David Jungerman, 72, posted a sign in a cornfield in Bates County, Mo., accusing Democrats of being the “Party of Parasites,” who “always have their hand out for whatever the government will give them” in social programs.

When asked about farm subsidies he has received totaling $1,095,101 in the past 15 years, including $34,303 last year, Jungerman insisted, “That’s just my money coming back to me. I pay a lot in taxes.

I’m not a parasite.” (The Kansas City Star)

Overstimulated More than 1,200 prison inmates defrauded the government of $9.1 million in tax credits reserved for first-time homebuyers, according to a report by the Treasury Department’s inspector general. Among the recipients were 241 inmates

serving life sentences, who received $1.7 million.

The report disclosed that thousands of non-incarcerated people filed erroneous claims, resulting in more than $28 million being improperly doled out. (CNN Money)

Bozophobia A British circus began offering free workshops aimed at overcoming people’s fear of clowns.

A recent poll ranked coulrophobia as Britain’s third biggest phobia, behind spiders and needles. Paul Carpenter, who runs the sessions along with his fellow clown partner and the ringmaster at John Lawson’s Circus, explained that the therapy was aimed at adults, not children. “Many of them have a preconceived idea of clowns as knife-wielding psychos, and they’re petrified, very frightened,” Carpenter said, blaming the role of clowns in horror movies. Participants are encouraged to dress up as clowns themselves. (News Core)

Way to Go Police investigating the fatal crash of a tractor-trailer on a Houston freeway concluded the 26year-old driver was trying to crash the 18-wheeler into a support column to collect insurance money.

A witness observed the driver jump out of the cab just before impact. The driver hit his head on the ground, lost consciousness and was pronounced dead. Authorities said the driver of a vehicle following the truck was supposed to be behind the wheel of the truck but backed out at the last minute. (Houston’s KTRK-TV News) Compiled from mainstream media sources by Roland Sweet. Authentication on demand.

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by LeeAnna Callon

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T

he sugary-sweet scent of morning pastries pervades the air among the boisterous morning patrons in the tiny, single room of Scurlockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Donut Shop and Eatery near the corner of South Congress and Pearl streets. What better place to meet with two men who have recently embarked on a weight-loss challenge?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;This was really just for show; we normally wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have done that,â&#x20AC;? Tom Ramsey says of the assorted plate of glazed donuts, chocolate donut holes and a single blueberry donut placed in the center of our table.

Ramsey grabs a donut and pauses before taking a bite, giving a thumbs-up to Jesse Houston as he takes a picture with his phone.

Ramsey, a lobbyist and partner in Athena Government Relations, president and founder of Ivy & Devine Culinary Group and a food writer for the JFP, decided he wanted to lose some weight to feel more comfortable with himself and to prepare for an upcoming television project. He declared his self-improvement challenge on Facebook, and it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t long before Houston wanted in. Houston is the sous chef at Parlor Market, a new restaurant opening soon on Capitol Street.

Ramsey and Houston created â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jesse and Tomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Slim Down Challenge.â&#x20AC;? With both at a starting weight of 236, the first one to get below 200 pounds is the winner. While they havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t decided on a prize for the winner (Ramsey says they are open to offers), the loser must spend an entire day dressed in drag in an outfit designed by friend Julie Skipper. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one condition: no crazy crash diets, just good, old-fashioned sensible eating and exercise.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just want this to be not complex. Most things are better if they are simple; a menu is better if it is simple,â&#x20AC;? Ramsey says.

Ramsey wants to reach his goal without compromising his style of cooking.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I use butter. I use cream. I use milk. I use oils. I cook with bacon. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not going to

LeeAnna Callon

Slim-Down Challenge

Chefs Jesse Houston and Tom Ramsey are an unlikely pair to challenge each other to lose weight. But the race is on.

trim all the fat off all the meat. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to cook exactly the way I cook, but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to eat less,â&#x20AC;? Ramsey says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Portion control is what I think is the key to all of this, portion control and not just eating out of boredom. â&#x20AC;&#x153;

He adds that he is also drinking more water and not skipping breakfast. He says he chooses a light breakfastâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;plain Greek yogurt with a spoonful of honey and a squeeze of lemonâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;to fuel his morning walk with his recently adopted dog, Biscuit.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Exercise and smaller portions, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to whip his ass,â&#x20AC;? Ramsey says.

Houston has been focusing on his exercise regiment for the challenge.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been running almost every morning,â&#x20AC;? Houston says, adding, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just got a bike, so Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to try to bike ride places I need to go instead of driving. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to get a nice big basket on the bike, E.T.-style. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be awesome.â&#x20AC;?

Cutting out sodas, drinking more water and skipping dessert are also part of Houstonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s slim-down plan. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opting for vegetarian dishes when he goes out to eat. He finds this rewarding because he is trying and enjoying new things that he ordinarily wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t order.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just have to keep active and conscious of what I eat,â&#x20AC;? Houston says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The more active you are, the more you want to eat healthy.

The less active you are, the less you care about eating healthy, and once you start down that path itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Well, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve already had donuts today, I might as well have a giant burger.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to make all of these compromises.â&#x20AC;?

Buying foods from the local farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s market is another way Houston is being more conscious about what he eats.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make a bad meal if you use everything from the farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s market,â&#x20AC;? Houston says, who began working in restaurants at 18 and attended the Texas Culinary Academy at

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Owner Mark Scurlock approaches from the kitchen, a plate in hand with a cinnamon roll, a glazed twist and a few donut holes, saying, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;all are going to have to murder this before yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;all go, because weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to be here until 1 oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;clock.â&#x20AC;?

Ramsey accepts the plate and replies with a laugh: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Do you know why weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re here?

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing an interview about our weightloss program.â&#x20AC;?

The plate of sweets is divvied up among Ramsey, Houston and Ramseyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intern, Liz Lancaster, as they thank Scurlockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s staff.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;If this was a test, we failed,â&#x20AC;? Houston says, shaking his head.

Ramsey takes this opportunity to explain that thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s never a need to gorge yourself.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always tomorrow. I can eat some more tomorrow,â&#x20AC;? Ramsey says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not going to go away. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not going to stop making donuts.â&#x20AC;?

As we prepare to leave, Ramsey and Houston contemplate big plans for future publicity of their challenge. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Maybe we need â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Jesse and Tom Slim-Down Challenge: The Musical,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? Ramsey says.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think we can make that happen,â&#x20AC;?

Houston replies.

Though neither is a trained composer, both have high hopes.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have jazz hands,â&#x20AC;? Ramsey says with a laugh.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;And I have rhythm,â&#x20AC;? Houston says, drumming on the tabletop.

If you are interested in keeping up with the challenge, visit â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jesse and Tomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Slim Down Challengeâ&#x20AC;? page on Facebook for updates and some occasional smack-talk. You can also support your favorite challenger with a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Team Tomâ&#x20AC;? or â&#x20AC;&#x153;Team Jesseâ&#x20AC;? T-shirt, which will be available within a few weeks at Swell-O-Phonic on Old Canton Road.

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The Way I See Things

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While driving Sunday morning, I saw a church sign that read, “Life is 10 percent how you make it and 90 percent how you take it.” This reminded me of another technique I learned years ago to deal with stress: Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, also known as REBT. REBT has to do with the theory that the way a person views a situation results in negative emotions, not outside forces. For example, instead of saying, “He made me angry,” you would say, “The way I perceived his behavior made me angry.” That way, you can change your inner dialogue before your emotions end up in the driver’s seat.

I realize now that I need to use REBT a lot more often on my road to wellness. I allow too many circumstances to get under my skin, which is not healthy in the long run. I think that in addition to reaching my wellness goals, I need to take a step back every now and then to assess my view of life. This should keep me grounded and less frazzled. —Latasha Willis

The Literate Wind Down One of my Wellness plans was to actually sit down and read a book! Well, several books. Reading is one of my favorite leisurely activities that I simply have not made time to do recently. I slowly have whittled through my mounting pile of bed stand stackers since May. Here are the books that I’ve actually managed to read since May:

“The Sea of Monsters” (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #2) by Rick Riordan. I watched the Percy Jackson movie in the theater last year and picked up the book on the suggestion of a helpful bookstore employee.

The series is far more enjoyable than the CGIdriven flick; I’ll keep reading until I finish it.

“American Gods” by Neil Gaiman was a re-read for me, picked up again by the suggestion of #1B1T aka One Book, One Twitter. The idea was to get a whole lot of people reading the same book at the same time, and then discuss each chapter as you went through it. Even the author pitched in on the twitterbased conversations. Sadly, books with big twists are a less surprising the second time.

“Strange Big Moon: The Japan and India Journals, 1960-1964” by Joanne Kyger, a poet with a penchant for Zen wandering and Zen journaling. It was interesting to travel in her headspace through new countries during a new and sudden marriage.

There are a few others that I’ve been juggling but haven’t finished yet, including:

“Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” by Seth Grahame-Smith (hilarious but I can’t take it seriously enough to finish yet)

“Sir Thursday” (The Keys to the Kingdom, #4) by Garth Nix (I was enjoying this YA series, but book four just isn’t as strong as the first three).

“The System of the World” (The Baroque Cycle, #3) by Neal Stephenson (I love

it but have been struggling to finish the third book for three years now).

“Nightfall” by Isaac Asimov (I’ve read 2/3 of this book and find the last section disappointing. . This doesn’t count comics and manga, by the way. I’ve read a number of those but consider them fodder and not true nutritious brain-food.

—Kristin Brenneman

Hedonistically Healthy I’m not big on deprivation. Never have been, and I’ve been blessed to not feel like I’ve had to deprive myself much over the years in order to be healthy or to maintain a decent weight. Of course, I suppose I’ve been blessed that I’m not a big fan of many habits that are really bad for you, like eating meat or smoking.

I do have my non-guilty pleasures. My main bad habit was always drinking alcohol. I learned to be a partier at Mississippi State, and was kind of good at it. But in recent years, I’m much more interested in quality over quantity—give me one good golden margarita any day over several mixed with bad tequila.

I haven’t eaten meat (including fish and chicken) in over a decade, and that isn’t hard at all. And it means I have a more interesting and varied diet, and try more things than I ever did when I ate meat. But I have never been on a “diet” in my life and never plan to.

I hate those trendy diets that, inevitably, don’t work and are unhealthy. I tend to think more European than that: It’s more about portion control and moderation. That is, you just don’t need the delicious unhealthy dish you love every day or every week. (And this is my advice to people who don’t want to give up meat: Do as Todd and I initially did and have meat “as a garnish,” as he called it. Or have it once or twice a week.)

Of course, we all have our dietary weaknesses, and mine are bread, pasta, carbs. Fortunately, it is easier to get bread without transfats (the healthiest is at Rainbow), and we eat whole-grain pasta now. But I am too much of a hedonist to give up bread entirely. I’m happy not to eat a pig or cow, but don’t get between a good baguette and me! On this Road to Wellness, though, I am eating less bread, and am trying to eat everything more mindfully.

I am also discovering the hedonistic pleasure of good fruit, which is easier during the summer, of course. One challenge is always getting delicious, organic fruit that we can afford. But I’ve also started reminding myself how much we are willing to pay for two cups of coffee at a coffee shop: no more than a bag of sweet cherries can cost. And I love going to the farmer’s market, although I don’t always get there on Saturdays in time to get the best stuff.

And I do love my smoothies in the morning: dump in a mixture of fresh and frozen fruit (I always use a banana for smoothness), nonfat vanilla yogurt, flax powder or oil, soy milk, organic fruit juice, soy protein powder, and blend. It couldn’t be easier. Or prettier.

—Donna Ladd

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Inside of the City Centre Building 200 South Lamar Street behind Suniora Cafe in Jackson Call us @ 601-832-8578. Ask about our other menu items!

Spacious living/dining, kitchen, bedroom, den; hardwood ďŹ&#x201A;oors, CH/A; ďŹ ve minutes to MC. $550/month, no pets; call 601-355-6548, leave a message.\ ot run in Arkansas or Texas!

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EARN $75 - $200 HOUR.

Media Makeup Artist Training. Ads, TV, Film, Fashion.

One week class. Stable job in weak economy. Details at www.AwardMakeUpSchool.com 310-364-0665

HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA!

Graduate in just 4 weeks!! FREE Brochure. Call NOW! 1-800-532-6546 Ext. 97 www.continentalacademy.com

GAIN NATIONAL EXPOSURE

Reach over 5 million young, educated readers for only $995 by advertising in 110 weekly newspapers like this one. Call Jason at 202-289-8484. This is not a job offer

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1 Bd/1Bth cozy cottage, hardwood ďŹ&#x201A;oors, lots of windows, central heat and air, W/D connection and security system. $615.00 a month. Deposit is $615.00. 601-259-4151

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107 N. Union Street, Canton On the Square 601-427-0703 | www.unionstreetbooks.com

A/c service tech

Commercial only, with refrigeration experience.We offer the following beneďŹ ts: great pay, company van, uniforms, paperless invoicing, paid medical, dental, and vision Ăą 50% for employees, paid holidays & vacations. Requirements: minimum 5 years experience and a clean driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s license. Call 888-528-3688, email resumes to billm@bas-services. Com, or fax resumes to 251-928-9125

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â&#x20AC;˘ We Sell New & Used Books, most Used books are $3 or less! â&#x20AC;˘ New Releases are 20% off â&#x20AC;˘ We also carry local art and local handmade jewelry

Jackson - 601.981.1568 Hattiesburg - 601.582.1977

All of this heat wearing you down?

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ALL AREAS - ROOMMATES.COM.

Browse hundreds of online listings with photos and maps. Find your roommate with a click of the mouse!

Visit: www.Roommates.com

$$$HELP WANTED$$$

Extra Income! Assembling CD cases from Home! No Experience Necessary! Call our Live Operators Now! 1-800-405-7619 EXT 2450 www.easywork-greatpay.com

www.priorityapplianceandrefrigerationrepair.com

Summer A/C System Tune-Up Special!

Summer Discount $79 Regular Price $119 Expires Aug. 31, 2010 See website for details.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;When Quality and Time Matters!â&#x20AC;?

Call us at 601-826-7576 or at 1-800-253-6040

service@priorityapplianceandrefrigerationrepair.com

File Ch. 7 & 13 Bankruptcy for $999 until July 31! ($299 Federal Filing Fee Included!)

Just $400 Down!

Interest Free Payment Plans Available

Security Cameras â&#x20AC;˘ Attendant On Duty Drop Off Service â&#x20AC;˘ Free Wi-Fi

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

1046 Greymont Ave. (behind La Cazuela) CALL US AT 601-397-6223!

FREE BACKGROUND INFO. AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

August 1st, 6-10pm

Smokestack Lightning presents

FREE Outdoor Concerts

EVERY SUNDAY, all summer long!

Serving Lunch, Monday - Friday from 11a.m.-2p.m.

(Free Delivery Downtown)