Putting Babies in Danger
Recent news from the citizen-based environmental advocacy group Environmental California states that your baby's plastic baby-bottle may be leaching toxins. From their report's executive summary:
[Green Eats] Giants Dominate Organics
If you think the farmer-in-the-dell wearing Birkenstocks and singing "Kum Ba Yah" owns that organic brand you're so fond of, think again. According to "Organic, Inc.: Natural Foods and How …
[Green Eats] Eat your Veggies!
While most of us agree that organic produce is healthier in general simply because it is grown without enormous amounts of pesticides, it's not always easy (or cheap) to buy …
Not an Easy Subject
Her mother and three sisters died of breast cancer, yet Nancy Lewis of Canton refused for years to have a mammogram. "I really wouldn't want to know," said Lewis, when …
[Greenstyle] It's Only Natural
When the label says "natural," I assume it's better and safer than other products in the same category. But is it?
Bananas and Peanuts
Buff, good-looking Rus Blackwell lay on the floor like an overturned bug, feet flailing in the air. Wild-eyed, Turner Crumbley was on his knees staring intently at Blackwell's crotch. "Push, …
Mississippi Defenseless in Federal Suit
Three-year-old Olivia Y. weighed only 22 pounds—less than half what she should have weighed—when the Mississippi courts took her from her abusive mother and turned her over to the foster-care …
Is It Safe, Yet?
The 2006 bagged spinach E. coli outbreak ended Oct. 6, 2006. The Food and Drug Administrationtraced all infections to fields owned by Natural Selection Foods in California, but they don'tknow …
Argue for Your Limitations
A few weeks ago, I told a friend of mine that I spend about an hour every morning writing in my journal. I began this practice last year when reading …
BREAKING: Ellis Attorney to Ask for Recusal
Lisa Ross, attorney for Michael Ellis, told the Jackson Free Press today that she is going to ask that hearing officer Charles McClelland recuse himself from the termination proceeding of …
Worth Watching
Nik Askew is a British filmmaker with a marvelous talent for speaking with people about their innermost motivations and feelings. His short films are small gems of joy, peace or …
The JFP Interview with ‘Mark Twain'
Typical Twain, and a response Hal Holbrook wouldn't hesitate to use if someone questioned his costume. Holbrook performs in an iconic white suit, his cigar used to great effect to …
Twain: A Man for Our Times
Samuel Langhorne Clemens—Mark Twain—was born in 1835 and died in 1910. By all accounts, Twain should be consigned to the history books, not the subject of one of the longest-running …
Don't Catch It!
No doubt, stress lowers your resistance. But there are things you can do to stay healthy while everyone around you is bleary-eyed and runny-nosed. Here are some basics, old and …
Mobilize for the Monkey
A small group of protesters stood at the entrance to the University Medical Center Monday afternoon, holding signs and passing out information to passersby. They were there to protest vivisection, …
Tekla Sanders
Tekla Sanders fairly shone on the sunny day when we met for lunch, her glossy curls framing her expressive eyes and wide smile. At 27, she still considers herself a …
The Lawyers and the Statistician
Day three of the Michael Ellis termination hearing resumed on Wednesday, Feb. 14, with Ellis' attorney Lisa Ross concluding her cross-examination of Charlie Bonds, Jackson Public Schools executive director of …
Weight and Insurance
Almost every single Tuesday morning since July of last year, I've sat with a group of equally weight-challenged individuals at the Baptist Nutrition Center, talking mostly about how to make …
Subjective Truths
French author André Gide wrote: "Trust those who are seeking the truth; doubt those who find it." I wrote the quote on a white sticky in magenta ink yesterday and …
The Lawyers and the Statistician
By day three of the Michael Ellis termination hearing, the Ellis women had moved up to the first row of the hearing room. They wore apparel appropriate for Valentine's Day—a …
Ellis Termination Justified?
This is an expanded web edition of an article that appeared in the Feb. 14 print edition.
Now, not yesterday or tomorrow
My lover-boy kitty, The Amazing Valentino (brother to Tallulah the Wonder Cat), waddles his furry little butt into my bathroom every morning to the sound of the water running in …
Your Brain on Love
The state of being "in love," my therapist told me, is pretty close to insanity. A Jungian, she said that she would not take new patients who were in love; …
Sexy Side Effects of Seahorse
The world has forever been on the lookout for a good aphrodisiac. Henry Kissinger said it was power and money, which might be your only hope if you look like …
Grandma's Got Rhythm
I admit it. I was a dancin' fool at the JFP 2007 Best of Jackson party. I've lost 50 pounds since last July, and I think I look better than …
Yearning for Home
When I was a child, we spent summers in the Catskill Mountains, where my mother ran a beauty shop. My father would drive up from Manhattan to join us on …
Excuses, Excuses
When it comes to exercise, or avoiding it, some of us have creative, if lame, excuses—my cat will miss me, for example. For the most part, though, our excuses aren't …
No Love for Twinkies
I remember a running conversation a few years back about the half-life of Twinkies and Snow Balls—those gooey, sticky-sweet confections that make your back teeth hurt. Some folks felt that …
Jason Marlow
Jason Marlow, the 2007 Best Filmmaker, isn't a guy who is going to wait for success to come knocking. At 27, he's seen more of the world than most of …
Envisioning Your Future & An Event for Women
Abraham Maslow said, "What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself," and Albert Einstein said, "If the facts don't fit the theory, change the …
The Sister Study
Here's a way you can make a difference if you are the sister of a woman who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. The National Institutes of Environmental Health Services, …
Welcome to Wellness
Greetings gentlefolk, and welcome to my Wellness blog.
As my good friend Terry said to me over the holidays, "You can't make a difference when everyone agrees with you." Amen to that, sister. And what better place to …
Radical Health: The JFP Interview With Dr. Joseph White
Photos by Ronni Mott
It can be challenging to write an upbeat article on health and wellness in Mississippi. We've all seen the barrel-bottoming numbers. Good news about the subject is difficult, though not …
Health Factoids
Your tongue naturally replaces all of your taste buds every 21 days. That means if you're trying to change your diet and switch to soy milk from cow's milk, for …
Mississippi: The Good and the Bad
Any paper addressing health in Mississippi would be remiss to not give the most recent statistics on how we're doing. Two recently published studies, one from the non-profit United Health …
The Big Fix Is In
Finding displaced and abandoned dogs after Katrina wasn't difficult. Offers of food can usually persuade dogs to trust rescuers. Cats presented a different challenge. Frightened cats hide from strangers and …
Gifts That Matter
Every time I pick up my mail these days, I get a half-dozen pleas from non-profits and charities to send money. Unfortunately for them, it was last year that I …
Taking Religion Back
Politics and religion: two subjects that should never be introduced in polite conversation. When I moved to Mississippi, the admonition became a hard and fast rule for me. Mississippi politics …
Sabri Agachan
One immediately feels welcome when entering Sabri Agachan's home. Take your shoes off and put on the slippers offered; accept tea in delicate glasses and an offer of food. The …
Indigo Changes
America's baby boom generation set out to change the world in the '60s and '70s, and they succeeded. Marching together, they helped stop an unjust, undeclared war and made choice …
The Greenhouse Effect
If your mama was anything like mine, you probably heard "Eat your vegetables!" more than once at the supper table when you were a kid. As grownups, though, we've all …
Warren Hogue
Artist Warren Hogue, 25, is just beginning to find his voice as a painter. His works are already powerful, though, with bold, saturated colors and heavy brush strokes reminiscent of …
City Buzz no. 9 November 15 - 22
The Return of John
Mayor Frank Melton is looking to correct a mistake he made about a year ago when he refused to renew the contract of lobbying firm Winston & Strawn LLP. Months …
Young Dems Hit Jackson
Beginning Friday, Nov. 17, Jackson hosts the three-day Young Democrats National Fall Conference. Kate Jacobson, 22, is the Mississippi chapter's vice president. Jacobson, born in Washington, D.C., came to Mississippi …
Change Is Vital
Lose weight, exercise, quit smoking—no one wants to hear it again. Most of us, especially when we're young and healthy, just ignore the advice. We stopped listening a long time …
Let's Do The Time Warp…Again!
You remember 1973, don't you? Elvis was in concert in Hawaii, Nixon began his second term, the Watergate hearings were in full swing, the Vietnam War ended, the Supreme Court …
Starting Over
Slowly, slowly, the Mississippi Gulf Coast is coming back to life after Katrina's devastation. A year later, the artists of the Coast have banded together, getting to know each other, …
