v8n19 - All About Water

Broken-Pipe Blues Schaefer, pp. 14-15

The Lakes Plan That Won’t Recede Lynch, p. 17 - 20

Jewish Film Fest Preview Morgan and Henriques, pp. 22-23

Chili to Die For Ramsey, p. 32

Vol. 8 | No. 19

January 21 - 27, 2010

FREE

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January 21 - 27, 2010

jacksonian

As a journalism professor, Eric Stringfellow, 49, is never far away from a newspaper.

As he works on his computer, a stack of papers accompanies him.

Stringfellow is a native of Meridian but has lived in Jackson since he was 8. After graduating from Provine High School, he received a bachelor’s degree in mass communication in 1982 and a master’s in 1997 in urban communication, both from Jackson State University. He is married to Dr. Rachel Jones and has a son, Courtney.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree, Stringfellow began his journalism career with The Clarion-Ledger. He says that his favorite stories revolved around the city’s changing government. During his career, he has reported on the first elected blacks in 1984, Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr.’s first term, Dale Danks’ last term in office and former Mayor Frank Melton. And although Stringfellow left the Ledger in 2007, he still occasionally writes a column for the paper.

In 1991, Stringfellow became a journalism professor at JSU, and in 2003 he moved to Tougaloo College, where he serves as a journalism professor and chairman of the mass communications department.

Stringfellow strives to be a positive influence for his students. “The role of mentor, I really take that seriously. The difference between working at IBM and McDonalds is that much

GERARD MANOGIN

eric stringfellow guidance,” Stringfellow says, making a small space between his hands. He enjoys seeing the changes in their lives.

“It’s an immediate impact,” he says.

Teaching journalism today requires a strong vision of the future and Stringfellow places emphasis on teaching aspects of multimedia journalism.

“The skill set might change, but there will always be a market for news,” he says.

“Printed newspapers may go away at some point, but we still need someone go to out and collect the news.”

Speaking of Jackson, Stringfellow believes some of the problems for the city have to do with perception. The Jackson Public Schools system, for example, should do more to promote the good things that are going on.

“I believe that Jackson can make a complete comeback … and be one of the greatest cities in America,” he says.

He also thinks that Jackson needs to do a better job supporting the city’s housing market. “We need strong neighborhoods. West Jackson is one of the best-kept secrets in this city,” Stringfellow says.

When talking about the future of Jackson, Stringfellow sees himself in the picture.

“I would like to look back 20 years from now and know that I was a part of the solution, ” he says.

—Gerard Manogin

Cover illustration by Kristin Brenemen VOL.

Januar y 21 - 27, 2 0 1 0

8 NO. 19

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32

Flaggs Under Fire

Love, Sundance

A World of Film

Tex-a-ssippi Chili

Rep. George Flaggs has flipped on his HBCU consolidation stance under criticism.

Writer Anita Modak-Truran begins her journey to this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

The Jewish Film Festival comes to Jackson this weekend with eye-opening and artful cinema.

Chili with a side of the Saints v. Vikings equals ingredients to a winning weekend.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: 4 Editor’s Note 26 JFP Events

4 Slow Poke 28 Music

6 Talk

12 Zuga

30 Music Listings

12 Your Turn 32 Food

12 Stiggers 36 Slate

12 Editorial

22 Film

36 Stranger Than Fiction

24 8 Days 37 Astro

WARD SCHAEFER; FRED HAYES; COURTESY INSTITUTE OF SOUTHERN JEWISH LIFE; TOM RAMSEY

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jacksonfreepress.com

contents

3

Adam Lynch Award-winning senior reporter Adam Lynch is a Winona native and graduate of Jackson State.

He and his wife live in North Jackson. E-mail tips to adam@ jacksonfreepress.com, or call him at 601-362-6121, ext. 8. He contributed to the cover package.

Ward Schaefer JFP reporter Ward Schaefer came to Mississippi to teach middle school, and is now a journalist. His hometown of Chevy Chase, Md., was not named for the actor. He is slowly learning to play banjo. He contributed to the cover package.

Will Morgan A native of Jackson and a Belhaven College graduate, Will Morgan works as a historian for the State Archives. He is a lifelong movie addict and lives with his wife and big-screen TV in Madison. He wrote film reviews.

Jaro Vacek Jaro Vacek is originally from the Czech Republic. He has shot photos for the JFP since the first issue. He took photos for the cover story.

Tom Ramsey Owner of Ivy & Devine Culinary Group, Tom Ramsey teaches cooking, writes poetry and fiction, runs with the bulls and has even been known to produce an album or two. Follow his food blogs at jfpfood.com and tomramsey.com.

He wrote the food piece.

Andi Agnew Andi Agnew works for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. By night, she plays guitar in the Paper Dolls, serves on the board of Jackson Progressives, and can often be found cooking or eating good food with friends. She wrote a music story.

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

January 21 - 27, 2010

Randi Ashley Jackson

4

Account manager Randi Ashley Jackson is a Brandon/Reservoir area native. She loves organic gardening and her goldfish Gill-Bert. She strives to be the next Food Network star chef, if only in her own mind. She manages JFP sales accounts.

publisher’snote

by Todd Stauffer, Publisher

Facts, Damn Facts and Opinions

T

wo weeks ago, in a story about the continued saga of flood control on the Pearl River, we quoted Downtown Jackson Partners President Ben Allen on an aspect of the story and then, as a parenthetical, noted that he owns property (specifically, his home) on the edges of the flood zone, where it would likely benefit from the Two Lakes development.

While this is the sort of fact that one would expect to find in a responsible newspaper story, its inclusion netted us an angry e-mail from Allen when the story published, chiding us for not doing “our homework.”

If we had, we’d know that both he and Two Lakes principal John McGowan are not pushing Two Lakes for personal gain, he wrote.

For the record, we did not intend to insinuate that Allen’s primary purpose for his support of Two Lakes is personal gain.

I believe that Allen—who has been supporter of some of the JFP’s other work, particularly our annual publication, BOOM Jackson magazine—is passionate about Two Lakes because he’s passionate about for-profit development that improves life in Jackson and increases its tax base. I also think he’s very concerned that downtown Jackson—his purview—needs effective flood control.

So, taking Allen’s “homework” line in the best possible spirit, we dug into the Hinds County tax rolls. From that research, it’s clear that Allen’s family would benefit if his property values increase significantly, as would anyone, but he isn’t likely to see a life-changing personal gain from Two Lakes.

That said, we did learn something perhaps worth clarifying—Allen’s home shares a private lake, south of Meadowbrook Road, with John McGowan’s family and two other couples. (County records show McGowan’s portion of the lake and surrounding land to be in his wife’s name.) Situated on the southwest corner of the shared lake is McGowan’s estate.

And their private lake does appear, in the Two Lakes maps, to either come very close to water—separated by a tiny strip of land—or to connect to the larger Two Lakes, depending on the map.

Our other “homework” in the tax rolls revealed even more interesting surprises. A good deal of the holdings in the flood zone on the Hinds County side—including scores of acres that are currently unworkable forest and flood zone—belong to recurring names, including McGowan family members, various principals within McGowan Working Partners, and parcels that belong to prominent, connected families in Jackson’s story line—Ridgway, Mounger, Holman, Speed, Fowler and others.

So, by accident or design, the rich get a little richer. No surprise there.

Perhaps more disconcerting is a web of LLCs that have flood-zone holdings in areas that—in the currently published Two Lakes maps—end up critical to the project. Who owns those LLCs? See page 17.

On Allen’s blog (and in anonymous comments elsewhere), one theme has devel-

oped about the Jackson Free Press’ reporting: We’re accused of not really caring about flood control in Jackson. Instead, the motive behind our stories is assigned to personal animus for the players involved.

I’m reminded of an old adage—everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but nobody gets their own facts.

It’s a fact that Ben Allen owns a home near the flood plain that would benefit somewhat from Two Lakes; it’s our opinion that his vocal support for Two Lakes is not a result of his potential gains. In learning that Allen shares a private lake with McGowan, I’d guess that McGowan is a friend and neighbor, and Allen knows a great deal about the project as a result. I’m certain Allen thinks Two Lakes is the best idea, even if I don’t agree with him.

It’s also a fact—recently reported by the Jackson Free Press—that a former company of McGowan’s, Cedar Point Oil Company, lost an appeal in the Fifth Circuit because the company was dumping processed water— called “saltwater” by some and “petroleum brine” by others—in the Galveston Bay in the early 1990s without the proper EPA permit.

It’s a fact that McGowan, as reported by the Clarion-Ledger, has done flood-plain development here in Jackson without proper permitting—just drive to the end of Meadowbrook Road and peer through the gate at the unfinished (and future waterfront, in a Two Lakes world) development.

It’s a fact that McGowan wrote an op-ed for the conservative Lincoln Heritage Institute, reported by the JFP last year, where McGowan could charitably be described as relishing potential battles with environmentalists.

Therefore—let me state this clearly—it is our opinion that John McGowan, while intelligent and interesting, is not the right

man to lead a massive flood-control project on the Pearl that could affect thousand of acres, billions of dollars, endangered species and habitat, maritime industry and massive debts for future generations of Jacksonians. That’s what we have governments for, like it or not.

Here’s the fundamental fact that underpins our entire editorial position on this matter: The Pearl River needs a basin-wide solution for flood control.

Does the JFP support the 1996 Comprehensive Levee Plan as it stands? No. It’s our editorial stance that we need to work with the Corps to come up with a better solution. And we believe that solution is not Two Lakes, but rather a basin-wide approach that can be implemented using 21st-century best practices for river management. It may include levees, dry dams, buy-outs, perhaps some impoundments—or none of those things.

It’s a fact that no one at the JFP is a hydrologist. For all we know, the engineering of Two Lakes is sound. But we’ve heard the opinion of experts such as Andres Duany—a celebrated urban planner with no dog in this hunt—who said in 2008 that Two Lakes would be an enormous, complex undertaking that would not happen “in (his) lifetime.”

It’s a fact that McGowan’s claims for how cheap, easy and foolproof Two Lakes would be have not been supported by third parties.

And it is our opinion that Two Lakes has wasted 14 years on a tangent, and we lament the fact that political pressure was brought to bear by then-Rep. Chip Pickering that curtailed progress on a better solution.

It is time for Jackson—indeed, the entire Pearl River Basin—to put politics and personalities aside. Let’s engage the Corps, with the goal of putting together a truly effective solution to Jackson’s flooding problems.

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news, culture & irreverence

Since 2004, more than 62 million Americans have been exposed to drinking water that did not meet at least one commonly used government health guideline.

Bad News and Hard Cuts

by Adam Lynch

JARO VACEK

Wednesday January 20 Gov. Haley Barbour reschedules his annual State of the State address after water-main breaks leave the capital city without running water. … Sixteen U.N. personnel are announced dead along with more than 50,000 civilians after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated Haiti on Tuesday. … The state Senate passes a bill that would give Gov. Barbour power to cut state agencies by 10 percent.

Rep. George Flaggs is stuck in the middle of the HBCU debate. p. 9

Thursday January 21 Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. announces that 114 of the 142 broken water lines have been repaired as many businesses and schools remain closed due to the lack of water pressure. … The Mississippi Air National Guard transports personnel and equipment to Port au Prince, Haiti, for rescue and aid.

Friday January 22 Jackson City Councilman Kenneth Stokes proposes a 20 percent reduction for resident’s next water bill because of the city’s water crisis. … The Obama administration announces that Haitians who are illegally in the U.S. can remain because of their country’s crisis.

Saturday January 23 Former running back Deuce McAllister rejoins the New Orleans Saints as team captain; the Saints defeat the Arizona Cardinals 44-17. … The Minnesota Vikings defeat the Dallas Cowboys 34-3.

Gov. Haley Barbour predicted a year of cutting all state agencies, except the Department of Corrections, up to 10 percent.

M

ississippi Gov. Haley Barbour’s 2010 State of the State address on Monday fell short on good news. The state is facing a revenue shortfall of more than $350 million, and Barbour has recommended cutting 10 percent of the state’s budget in nearly every agency, save the Department of Corrections.

Early in his speech, Barbour championed the arrival of Schulz GMBH, to Tunica County. He said the German company is slated to employ 500 people to manufacture steel pipes. But most of the state’s job gains referenced in the speech arrived through $530 billion from the U.S. Department of Defense.

Barbour announced an expansion to

January 21 - 27, 2010

6

Tuesday January 26 After an incident during a soccer match last month that had former U.S. Representative Chip Pickering and Madison soccer coach Chris Hester filing assault charges against each other, the two dropped the charges today in a Madison court.

Breaking daily news: http://www.jfpdaily.com

STATE-OF-THE-STATE, see page 6

by JFP Staff

Sunday January 24 The city of Jackson announces the end of a 6-day-long boil-water alert for 175,000 residents.

Monday January 25 Gov. Barbour gives his annual State of the State address, predicting difficult fiscal years ahead and advocating the need to cut most state agencies by 10 percent. … More than 100 protesters honor Martin Luther King Jr. and speak out against Barbour’s proposed merger of Historically Black Colleges and Universities with a march and rally at the state Capitol.

military-grade weapons manufacturer ATK in Tishomingo County that will create up to 600 new jobs, according to the Tishomingo County Development Foundation, and Barbour thanked legislators for reauthorizing the Workforce Enhancement Training (WET) Fund,

from January 12th to January 17th

50 YEARS

“We’ll keep them in court for 50 years if they try to move on this thing.” —Louie Miller, Sierra Club regional representative in Mississippi regarding the proposed Two Lakes plan for the Pearl River.

news, culture & irreverence

BRYANT HAWKINS

STATE-OF-THE-STATE from page 6

Gov. Haley Barbour made dire predictions about the state’s budget on Monday.

which he said allowed American Eurocopter, in Columbus, to create new 64 jobs and take on a bigger helicopter production contract with the military.

Barbour then touted the promises of a new coal plant in Kemper County, a plant facing strong opposition from Mississippi Power customers who fear high rate increases will be necessary to fund the $1 billion plant.

Kemper residents are unwilling to sell the mineral rights to the lignite the plant will be burning for 50-cents a ton. He mentioned Rentech’s proposed $3 billion coal-to-liquid fuel plant in Natchez and Mississippi Gasification Inc.’s selection by the U.S. Department of Energy for a $1.7 billion loan to build a synthetic natural gas plant at Moss Point.

He also praised expansions at the General Electric plant in Batesville and a $510 million expansion at Entergy’s Grand Gulf One nuclear unit, despite critics testifying before the Public Service Commission that the state’s electricity needs for the next 20 years is negligible.

The governor blasted the idea of revenue increases to cover the dismal budget shortfall, and said he would not support the idea of a “tax amnesty” to encourage delinquent payments of state taxes, saying the endeavor would persuade people to procrastinate on their next payment in expectation of a subsequent amnesty.

Barbour emphasized that shortfalls were dragging this year’s budget process down and appealed to legislators for the power to cut the state budget up to 10 percent.

“We have more budget cuts to make in this fiscal year, and I have asked that the Legislature to change the law to allow the governor the flexibility to cut departments and agencies up to 10 percent. Without that flexibility, the cuts that would be required for the Corrections budget would force the state to release 3,400 to 4,000 convicts who are

not approved for parole,” Barbour said.

The governor aims his appeal specifically at the Democratic-controlled House, for the Senate has already approved the effort with the passage of Senate Bill 2495.

The majority-Democratic House fears the governor’s new power, despite a sunset clause slated for 2011 in S.B. 2495, with many legislators saying the state can balance the budget without Barbour’s steep cuts to state agencies.

Nancy Loome, executive director of education lobbying group The Parents’ Campaign, asked House members to oppose granting the governor the power to whack the budget. She said she feared the most unfortunate target of the financial evisceration would be education, and that refusing the governor that power would herald a year of slightly more moderate cuts.

“Barbour provided the Legislature his plan for additional budget cuts were he to be given the additional authority he has requested,” Loome wrote in a Jan. 18 press statement. “That plan calls for total cuts to K-12 education of 8.9 percent.

In his State of the State address, Barbour stated that, if he was not given additional authority, and if he-not the Legislaturewere to make additional cuts, all state agencies would be cut 8.1 percent (a smaller cut than education would face under his preferred scenario).”

Loome also pointed out that State Economist Dr. Phil Pepper and the State Revenue Estimating Committee predicted a budget shortfall this year of $347 million, but the governor would cut $65 million beyond that shortfall-a total of $412 million, to the detriment of education.

The Parents’ Campaign also urged legislators to take more out of the state’s $500 million Rainy Day Fund to cover the shortfall, a move vehemently opposed by the governor, who predicts the fund will not last a projected three more years at that rate of depletion.

Mississippi Democratic Party Chairman Jamie Franks said the state could not hope to prosper if it devastated its education and social services programs.

“If we cut public education to the bone, if we decimate our health care systems and if we destroy the programs that help those who can’t help themselves, then we will have failed the people of Mississippi.

Franks pointed out that legislators and the governor had a choice of “punishing” school children by cutting public education, “locking up the sick” by cutting mental health and “taking the easy way out” by slashing government services, or spending wisely from the Rainy Day fund and raising state revenues to match the state’s cost structure.

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statetalk

7

Legislature: Week 2

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he state Legislature is still rumbling over money issues and executive power this week. The Senate passed Senate Bill 2495 last Wednesday, a bill that would grant Gov. Haley Barbour the selective power to cut the budget of some state departments up to 10 percent, without having to cut all departments by 10 percent.

The bill unnerves the Democraticled House, which is more guarded of the Republican’s executive power. Current state law prevents the governor from cutting any agency’s funding by more than 5 percent until every agency has been cut by 5 percent.

The law prevents the executive branch from favoring one department over another, but Barbour said increased revenue shortfalls push him to make cuts beyond the blanket 5 percent as required by law.

Barbour argues that some agencies, such as Corrections, cannot abide more than a 5 percent cut. Barbour claimed during his State of the State address that an 8.1 percent cut would release up to 4,000 convicts. Barbour wants to first target other areas of the budget, such as education.

This month, the governor released a list of the programs he wants to slice by up to 10 percent, including most K-12 public education, universities and community colleges.

He also wants to hand a 9 percent reduction to the Mississippi Adequate Education Program—the program that steers state money to low-revenue public school districts. Also suffering 10 percent in cuts under the Barbour plan is the attorney general’s office and state district attorney’s offices, as well as the Ethics Commission and the Department of Finance and Administration.

“It’s too much of a cut,” House Education Committee Chairman Cecil Brown, D-Jackson, said. “We think the governor overestimated the amount of money that we need to cut, and we’re going to try to work around it without cutting things so severely.”

The Department of Corrections, in comparison, only suffers a 3 percent reduc-

tion under Barbour’s proposal.

The House may not pass SB 2495 in its current form. Appropriations Committee Chairman Johnny Stringer, D-Montrose, proposed a bill that would exempt all or part of the budgets of certain state agencies from reduction when state revenues fall below estimates, but Barbour said that particular bill was not enough to make a difference.

Stringer—who initially said a bill giving the governor the power to selectively cut up to 10 percent would not make it out of the House Appropriations Committee—said this week that House Democratic leaders were working with the governor’s request.

The situation isn’t getting any better, as far as the state’s debt goes. State Treasurer Tate Reeves presented a budgetary overview to the joint appropriations committee last week showing that the state’s total bonded indebtedness will rise dangerously close to $3.5 billion in 2010, including the conversion into long-term debt of $165 million of its investment in the as-yet unbuilt Toyota plant near Tupelo.

In a fit of bitterness, Stringer compared the Toyota plant to the failed Mississippi Beef Processors LLC plant, which cost taxpayers $50 million. “The Toyota plant is the new beef plant, in my opinion. The beef plant today works 275 people, but there’s nobody working at the Toyota plant, besides security,” Stringer told reporters. We’ve already paid $18 million in interest (on our debt for the Toyota investment), so add that $18 million to the $165 we’ve already invested in them. That’s the total that we’ve got in it, but we don’t have any jobs.”

Reeves said he was confident that the Toyota plant would eventually pay off.

Sen. David Baria, D-Bay St. Louis, said his bill to create a tax incentive for the use of solar, wind, geothermal or other energy-efficient physical plants for home and business owners may be gathering momentum this year, thanks to the personal attention of a

COURTESY DAVID BARIA

Where’s the Money?

by Adam Lynch

Rep. David Baria, D-Bay St. Louis, introduced a bill to give tax incentives for green and efficient home and business energy producers.

committee chairman friendly to the bill.

“I have been joined by the committee chairman as a co-author of the bill and feel that we can get it passed,” Baria wrote on his blog. “I have also filed for the first time a bill to allow for net metering so that those who produce excess electricity can sell it back to the power company (at a fair price). These common-sense measures will promote the wise use of resources and will help stimulate a new ‘green’ economy.”

Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney jumped ahead of Baria on another venture: the establishment of a program to help coastal residents storm-proof their homes. The program advocated by Chaney is similar to Florida’s “My Safe Florida Home” program, created by the Florida Legislature in 2006 to help Floridians strengthen their homes against hurricanes through free home inspections and construction grants.

“I introduced 2007 legislation, the mitigation program, after we did the state billing code in 2006, never knowing I’d be insurance commissioner,” Chaney told the Jackson Free Press. “The difference between us and Florida is our mitigation program isn’t mandatory like Florida’s program. What happened in Florida was when they made it mandatory, people were having premiums cut as much as 60 percent. They were actually paying people to do business with them.

The way this program comes together it should reduce (home insurance) rates by 10 or 12 percent.”

LAUGHTER IS A GIFT FROM GOD

Come be a part of a Community of Joy!

January 21 - 27, 2010

Services:

8

10:30 am and

6:00 pm 650 E South St. Jackson, MS 39201

(601)944-0415

statetalk

by Adam Lynch

Rep. George Flaggs, D-Vicksburg, reversed his position on the possibility of consolidating HBCU this month.

the state Capitol from the Mississippi State Fairgrounds Monday to recognize the birthday of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and to protest Barbour’s merger proposal.

At the rally, HBCU advocates demanded that Barbour remove the HBCU merger from the table. “We are here to serve notice to Haley Barbour,” said rally organizer Othor Cain, who helped the Mississippi NAACP coordinate the march.

“How dare you,” Cain said, challenging Barbour. “How dare you fix your mouth to talk about a merger of our historically black colleges and universities? This is a smokescreen, and we want you to now that today during the legislative session we are watching you.”

Cain pointed out that Barbour and legislators recently approved $35 million in incentives to coax a German pipe manufacturer to build a factory in the state, and accused the governor of leaving the job half done.

“My question to the legislators and the governor is where would you get your work force from for this new plant? Will you go outside of the state, or depend on the citizens of the state to provide an educated work force? If you want that work force to come from Mississippi, then why on God’s earth would you make any education hard to access?” Cain said.

Jackson State University senior Richetta Wilson warned that merging the schools would put an end to many family legacies.

“We’ve got students whose family goes back generations at these schools. Your parents went there, and you’re encouraged to go there too,” Wilson said. “This goes back for many years. How can you destroy something like that?

Cain’s message also carried a warning to some black legislators who may support the governor’s call for a merger.

“To our state elected officials: You are not off the hook, because the ball is in your court.

Just because you have the same skin hue as I do, does not let you escape from what you have to do to protect struggling black colleges and universities in this great state,” Cain said.

“We’re watching the Universities and Colleges Committee, we’re watching the Education Committee, and the Appropriations Committee, and the Ways and means Committee.

We’re watching you all.”

jacksonfreepress.com

R

ep. George Flaggs, D-Vicksburg, has changed his tune somewhat regarding Gov. Haley Barbour’s budget recommendation for merging Mississippi’s historically black colleges and universities.

Barbour proposed a merger of Mississippi Valley State University and Alcorn State University with Jackson State University late last year as a cost-cutting measure to counter huge revenue shortfalls. The state faces nearly $400 million in revenue shortfalls at the beginning of the next fiscal year. The governor released a budget plan that would ultimately cut more than $411 million out of the state’s $5 billion budget for the next fiscal year, when combined with cuts he already made late last year. He continues searching for other means to trim state government.

Flaggs briefly attracted the enmity of HBCU advocates when he admitted during an October speech to the Mississippi Economic Council that the state’s budget crisis demanded a closer look at increasing efficiency in the state’s universities, possibly to the point of some consolidation.

“I share my black colleagues’ concerns (regarding HBCU mergers), but that does not erase the fact that we have an obligation to make certain that we provide quality education to every student at every university at the least cost to the taxpayer,” Flaggs told the Jackson Free Press in October.

Flaggs then compared the Mississippi Legislature to the Tennessee Legislature, which mulled the possibility of merging Tennessee universities under one state board last year.

The Vicksburg representative seems to have backed away from that opinion over the last few months, however. Monday, Flaggs appeared cool to the prospect of merging any university.

“I’ve looked at the governor’s numbers, and they don’t work,” Flaggs said. “We need to do everything we can to help enrollment by getting the message out that we need all eight universities. In any case, I don’t think the House or Senate is going to do it, and I think what’s on the table now is how to strengthen all universities, as opposed to pitting them against one another.”

Jackson resident Matt Thomas said he found Flaggs’ opinion unsurprising.

He said any black legislator who considers the possibility of going along with the governor’s merger proposal will face angry black voters in 2011.

“I believe the Legislative Black Caucus is largely supportive of HBCUs,” said Thomas, who criticized Flaggs’ earlier opinion on mergers. “They know they need funding, not consolidation, and that we need more cheerleaders than referees.

If we find people in the Black Caucus who don’t support HBCUs, we plan to make sure they won’t be there in 2012.”

Punctuating that sentiment, alumni, students, and advocates for historically black colleges and universities marched to

FILE PHOTO

Flaggs Backs Down on Mergers

9

JILL ORSCHEL

filmtalk

by Anita Modak-Truran

Sundance Bound

E

January 21 - 27, 2010

very year I gripe about the cold that chills my entire being when I’m in Park City, Utah, for the Sundance Film Festival. Despite the snow drifts and the messy aftermath of a daily freeze-thaw cycle, and even though I am weighed down by clunky fur boots, bundles of layers and a shamelessly ugly babushka wrapped over my head, I have an extreme fondness for Sundance. It’s the hospitable people of Utah, the bold and innovative filmmaking, and the overall risk taking the festival celebrates that keeps me coming back year after year.

The festival started in 1978 as an experiment by the Utah film commissioner and a small group of entrepreneurial folks who brought Robert Redford into the party planning.

As the festival grew with success, it moved from Salt Lake City to the old mining town of Park City. Under the wing of the Sundance Institute, which Redford founded, the festival developed into an iconic event defining that elusive concept of “independent cinema.” Sundance is the gold standard among U.S. film festivals, and without question one of the top festivals in the world. It ranks right up there with Cannes, Berlin, Venice and Toronto.

Through the years, I’ve seen the trappings surrounding the Sundance Film Festival transform it from an intimate experience to a behemoth snow carnival illuminated by Hollywood stars, rock ‘n’ roll legends and corporate conglomerates hawking their brands along Main Street. Last year’s dip in the economy brought a reality check to the lavish excess of nouveau Hollywood in a snow globe. And while there is something to be said about the heady energy that celebrity sightings bring to any small town, the focus of Sundance

10

should be on the films and the filmmakers, not on Paris Hilton hitting the slopes.

The 2010 Sundance Film Festival, taking place from Jan. 21 to Jan. 31, promises to go in new directions. Geoff Gilmore, who did an outstanding job as festival director, left last year for a job with Tribeca Enterprises in New York.

John Cooper, a tried and true Sundance insider, took over Gilmore’s role, and it looks like the Sundance Institute spent the past year rethinking programming.

In a telephone interview from his Los Angeles office, John Nein, a seasoned programmer for the Sundance Institute, said that “while the festival will the different this year, it will still be reminiscent of past festivals.” Nein said one way the festival is different is in allowing creativity at lower budgets. The eight films featured in the NEXT category all have a voice and personal sensibility, but are made with very low or no budgets —real financial constraints—Nein said.

Selected from different parts of the country, these films highlight the work of filmmakers who “realize their financial limitations and focus on writing and character interactions.”

This is a rare year, with no Mississippi-made film in any of the competition categories. Only two years ago, “Ballast,” which had the ultimate Mississippi connection from its producer Nina Parikh to its production manager (and JFP publisher) Todd Stauffer, to an incredible crew and an impressive Mississippi cast, including Tarra Riggs, Micheal J. Smith Sr., JimMyron Ross and Johnny McPhail, was a festival darling.

Last year, “Prom Night in Mississippi” (a story discovered by former JFP intern Thabi Moyo, who then became an associate producer on the documentary directed by Paul

The Sundance Festival begins Jan. 27, and the Jackson Free Press will be there blogging.

Saltzman) took a hard look at hidden racial tensions concerning the first integrated prom in Charleston, Miss., facilitated by actor Morgan Freeman. What made the film extraordinary is that this black-and-white prom occurred not in the tumultuous 1960s, but in 2008.

This year’s program for the Sundance Film Festival dives into experiences from Louisiana, Texas and all parts of the globe. Nein pointed out another new feature to this year’s festival: the “Spotlight” program.

“This program carves out a space for films we really loved from Cannes, Venice and other festivals,” Nein says.

Nein’s zeal about this year’s film line-up in old and new categories, and his unabashed enthusiasm for new voices spanning the globe—from Australia, Greenland, Russia, Canada, China and the United States—erased any second thoughts I had about the snow and ice.

My coverage of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival begins Jan. 27. I hope you will join me on my blog at jacksonfreepress.com where I will record my trek through a new epoch of personal filmmaking.

Read Anita’s Sundance coverage on jacksonfreepress.com.

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jfp op/ed

opining, grousing & pontificating

EDITORIAL

Scaring the Scared

O

ne way politicians get their constituents to vote against their best interests is to play into already existing fears. It’s a time-honored, if not somewhat dishonest way of keeping people from even attempting to distinguish a politician’s words from reality.

Mississippi, America and, indeed, the world, is suffering from what’s been dubbed the “Great Recession.” At the risk of stating the obvious, people have lost jobs, businesses have shuttered their doors, and retirement investments have lost big, shark-bite-sized chunks. We can’t ague with any of those facts.

Together, all those facts have threatened the livelihood and security of Mississippians, putting them into a place where they’re ready to accept anything.

Many people are afraid, and rightfully so. To play on those fears, however, is an underhanded way of keeping people “in their place,” and our own governor is a master of the game.

Gov. Haley Barbour began his State-of-the-State address last night by regaling the audience with the accomplishments of the state’s businesses. From Entergy to Chevron, Mississippi’s utility and oil companies are doing just fine, we heard, and we can all thank the quality of our work force, “who can be trained” to “fill the pipeline” of the jobs Barbour is bringing into the state.

From the good corporate news, Barbour segued directly into the financial bad news, which is, of course, that revenues are down. The state’s annual tobacco-settlement payment is down by $10 million although he didn’t indicate why. Barbour said that he did not want to raise personal taxes, then proceeded with a mind-numbing litany of the money that won’t be available to Mississippi: $150 million in federal stimulus funds in 2010 and $350 million in 2011; twothirds of the rainy day fund; $35 million from the tobacco settlement trust fund; a recommendation not to establish a tax amnesty (which produced $9 million in 2004); and a current $371 million budget shortfall.

Barbour ended the bad-news section of his speech with a prediction that the shortfall will be, at 8.1 percent, $437 million by the end of the year, “… and I frankly fear it may be worse,” he said.

Having brilliantly set up his audience, Haley then went full throttle into his real message: that the state Legislature should give him the power to cut state agency budgets by 10 percent, doubling his current authority of 5 percent. As an example of why he needs the additional power, Barbour said cutting the budgets for Corrections “would require 3,400 to 4,000 convicts to be let out of prison.”

And hell, who would vote for that.

Mississippi’s governor is a master of political spin. For some of us, the spin is transparent: business and prisons, good; public anything, bad. We urge citizens not to simply accept everything Barbour is saying. Let’s take care not to grab on to the first idea that looks like a lifeline. It may turn out to be a snake.

KEN STIGGERS

It ‘BE’ That Way

January 21 - 27, 2010

B

12

ig Willie ‘Shakespeare’ McBride: “Welcome to Hair Did University’s Language Arts and Across Cultures Series, a subsidiary of the James Brown Say it Loud Ebonics Speech Academy. Before we begin with our lesson titled ‘Explorations in Understanding Ebonics (formerly Negro Dialect): Conjugation of the Verbs ‘Be’ and ‘Bees’,’ allow me to address the unassuming ‘faux pas’ of Senator Harry Reid.

“I recall listening to a well-known light-skinned Negro orator named Malcolm X when he said: ‘They will break your legs and call you a cripple, poke your eyes out and tell you that you are blind.’ Did you know that Malcolm X dropped out of the eighth grade? And you have just heard how he formulated a clear sentence to a mass of dark and light-skinned people, probably considered illiterate or inarticulate.

“Frederick Douglass, another light-skinned Negro orator, learned to read and write from his white playmates on the plantation. And he had to sneak around to get his education because slave owners believed educated Negroes were dangerous.

“Until people discard their narcissistic views regarding other cultures, you will always hear someone say what Senator Reid said about the president. Let’s begin with today’s lesson. Shall we?

“Look at the sentence ‘It ‘BE’ that way.’ The verb ‘BE’ is used to describe a temporary condition. Now, look at ‘It ‘BEES’ that way.’ The verb ‘Bees’ is used to describe a permanent condition.

“Class is dismissed. Until our next meeting, be careful out there.”

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Cedar Point Dumping, Revisited

I

took offense to a statement in your Most Intriguing Jacksonians 2009 article from your Dec. 31, 2009, issue. You stated that John McGowan relished taking on “environmentalists in lawsuits over his company’s dumping chemicals into the Galveston Bay.” That statement is actually a misstatement. (I’ll refrain from branding you all as liars.)

The facts are this: when Cedar Point Oil Company Inc., (Cedar Point) purchased a lease in the Cedar Point Oil Field around 1990, it inherited a valid Texas State-granted permit to dispose of saltwater into Galveston Bay. Galveston Bay was dominated by major oil companies and large independents which all had the same state-approved permits to dispose of saltwater, a natural by-product of oil and gas production, into the bay which, incidentally, already contained a volume of saltwater many orders of magnitude greater than what was being disposed.

When the Clean Water Act was passed, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took over the provenance for issue of disposal permits. New EPA permits would be required to dispose into the bay.

The problem is, the EPA never issued any permits.

Therefore, all producers in not just Galveston Bay, but in all bays and estuaries, were in violation. Upon seeing this obvious set-up for litigation, the Sierra Club filed suit on EVERY oil producer in Galveston Bay. There [sic] stated intent was to shut down all disposal of saltwater into the bay, thereby shutting down a large portion of the oil and gas production in the bay as a result. However, in their infinite mercy, the Sierra Club devised a solution. If those “polluters” would just make a “donation” to the Sierra Club affiliated Galveston Bay Foundation, then the Sierra Club would drop litigation against those entities. All of the big companies (Exxon, Chevron, Texaco, etc.,

etc.) jumped at the deal.

John McGowan’s Cedar Point Oil Company Inc. decided to fight the suit. An enormous amount of science was brought to bear. Proof was gathered that showed disposal of oilfield brine into existing saltwater systems produced no harm. The waters that were being released into the bay were pristine but for salt content. No traces of hydrocarbons were present in these waters, much less any “chemicals” as you state in your article. When the suit finally made it to trial, the wrangling from attorneys for the Sierra Club prevented any of the scientific data from being presented to the court. The basic premise of the court was that Cedar Point was indeed disposing oilfield saltwater into Galveston Bay without a valid EPA permit. Summary judgement was passed from the bench. Case closed. Cedar Point Oil Company Inc. was fined and charged a large sum for the Sierra Club’s legal fees. The lease was later sold, Cedar Point was dissolved, and now McGowan will not go near to operations in the bay systems.

End result: Major companies get to continue dumping saltwater into the bays because they paid bribes, the Sierra Club and its cronies get richer, and true innovators like McGowan get shut out because they stand on a point of honor while we continue to buy increasing amounts of crude oil from terroristsponsoring nations. Now that’s what I call justice.

Charles G. Johnson, Geologist McGowan Working Partners, Inc. Editor’s note: The JFP previously made a correction here and online about using “the word chemicals” instead of “wastewater” (or “petroleum brine”). We have linked court documents online about this case, and have contacted the Sierra Club for a response to the accusations.

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.

EARL OFARI HUTCHINSON

Where Was the World When Haiti Really Needed It? EDITORIAL Managing Editor Ronni Mott News Editor Lacey McLaughlin Senior Reporter Adam Lynch Reporter Ward Schaefer Events Editor Latasha Willis Music Listings Editor Herman Snell Assistant to the Editor ShaWanda Jacome Writers Andi Agnew, Lisa Fontaine Bynum, Rob Hamilton, Carl Gibson, Deirdra Harris Glover, Anita Modak-Truran,Will Morgan, Larry Morrisey, Doctor S, Ken Stiggers, Valerie Wells, Neola Young Editorial Interns Will Caves, Darrell Creecy, Briana Robinson, Kalissia Veal Consulting Editor JoAnne Prichard Morris

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T

he heartbreaking and pathetic scene that I and a group of American visitors witnessed at the small beach town in Northern Haiti still haunts me. We had no sooner arrived at the beach when a contingent of Haitian police and local officials frantically waved away a throng of the town’s residents who had poured onto to the beach to hawk food, trinkets, carvings and tattered clothing items—but mostly to beg.

Their torn T-shirts and ragged shorts, and emaciated, hollow-eyed looks bespoke of more than Haiti’s legendary, world-leading poverty. It spoke of the sheer, utter desperation to get anything from those they regarded as rich foreign tourists.

The tormenting scene that I and thousands of other visitors to Haiti have routinely witnessed during the past decade has become the national emblem of Haiti. Yet it took a murderous earthquake—complete with clips of bodies sprawled in the streets, a collapsed palace and shanties, torn streets, and the shocked expressions on children’s faces—for the U.S. and legions of public agencies and private donors to leap over themselves to promise to send an armada of food, medical supplies, clothing, building materials, construction teams, security forces and cash to Haiti.

Why did it take a natural tragedy for this? Haiti’s sorry history is well known: American occupation; brutal dictatorial and military rule; the flood of refugees trying to escape the nation’s destitution; the perennial food crises; the wave of devastating hurricanes that tore through the country in one month in 2008; the U.S., Canada and France’s meddling in the nation’s internal politics; and the grinding poverty.

Haiti’s corrupt, repressive military rulers and government officials get standard blame for the country’s chronic poverty and bankruptcy. Much of that is true. But Haiti is also a relentless victim of crushing and never ending debt servitude to the International Monetary Fund and foreign banks, vicious labor exploitation, and the blind eye of U.S. aid policies that stunt Haiti’s farm and manufacturing growth.

The nation’s debt burden would sink virtually any developing nation. Haiti is compelled to shell out nearly $1 million a week to pay off its debt to the World Bank and the IMF—debt incurred by the Papa and Baby Doc Duvalier regimes and their successor military governments in the early 1990s, which the U.S. propped up. The Duvaliers and other dictatorships received half of the loans. They squandered the cash on presidential luxuries with barely a cent going to development programs for the poor.

In 2008, World Bank President Robert Zoellick—in reaction to massive outcry from government officials and Haitian activist groups—publicly pledged to forgive part of the nation’s debt totaling a half billion dol-

lars. The Bank reneged on its promise. The money could have bankrolled a vast expansion of health care, nutrition and feeding programs, supplies of clean water and rebuilding the country’s badly frayed infrastructure.

The United Nations has hardly been a benevolent force to aid the country’s development and Democratic rule. The UN yearly shells out $600 million to maintain its 8,000 peacekeepers.

Yet when the hurricanes ravaged the country, the UN force did not dispatch amphibious units, build temporary bridges, or provide trucks or equipment to provide emergency help to Haitians in distress.

U.S. aid has come under intense fire for turning a blind eye to corporations and contractors who ignore basic Haitian labor rights, human rights, minimum wage and environmental laws, who shun service providers, and invest only a relative pittance of profit back into Haitian small businesses, manufacturing and food production. This is a particular sore point given Haiti’s near total reliance on foreign food imports, which has resulted in famine, near starvation and food riots.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reports that with proper investment in food production the country is more than capable of feeding its 8.5 million population.

In 2008, a coalition of U.S. and Haitian human rights groups flatly accused the U.S. of aiding and abetting corruption in the country. It demanded that then-President Bush and Congress determine which U.S. corporations and Haitian officials pocketed and benefited from the more than $4 billion that the United States Agency for International Development and their sub-contractors spent from 1994 to 1998. They demanded to know who profited and enriched themselves from the over $8 billion dollars spent following the U.S.-engineered overthrow of democratically elected President Jean Aristide. The groups charged that the systematic looting of the country’s treasury did not end with his ouster.

Their demands fell on deaf ears.

A colossal earthquake brought the world to Haiti’s doorstep. The question though is why did it take that? And what will it take for the world to stick around after the rubble is cleared and help transform Haiti into the democratic, self-supporting nation it can be?

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His forthcoming book, “How Obama Governed: The Year of Crisis and Challenge” (Middle Passage Press) will be released this month.

CORRECTIONS

In “Build a Cozy Nest” in last week’s edition, we incorrectly stated that Bob Williams and Mitchell Gold are life partners. They are no longer a couple although they maintain a business relationship. The JFP apologizes for the error.

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13

WATER INFRASTRUCTURE

Singing the Broken-Pipe Blues

W JARO VACEK

When the water in their sinks and showers slowed to a drip last week, many Jacksonians found their thoughts turning subterranean. Following five days of freezing temperatures, water mains across the city began to burst Sunday, Jan. 10. By Friday, the city had seen more than 150 breaks in its water system. Jackson Public Schools and area colleges were closed most of the week, along with state offices and many businesses.

City work crews, along with others loaned from neighboring municipalities, repaired breaks around the clock, tearing up portions of road and exposing the city’s innards to a population that rarely considers the 4.7 million feet of water pipe running underground. In daily press briefings, Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. tried to explain why something most Jacksonians took for granted had failed so thoroughly and so visibly.

“If you take a piece of cast-iron pipe, and you hit it with a sledgehammer, it will break,” Willis said. “But if you hit a piece of ductile iron, it will just dent. It can tolerate some movement.”

But sledgehammer-wielding moles didn’t wreck the city’s water lines. Instead, the hundreds of water main breaks were the result of a combination of forces acting on mostly weak material. Yazoo clay, the unstable soil responsible for Jackson’s cracked building foundations and lumpy roads, can expand up to 50 percent when saturated with water. Johnson suggested at a Jan. 12 press conference that expansion of the clay was squeezing the pipes until they burst.

Hibbett Neel, president of Neel-Schaffer Engineers, told the Jackson Free Press that Yazoo clay was probably not the primary culprit, however. Rains from earlier in the week may have saturated the ground before freezing temperatures descended on Jackson, but he noted that there was no rain when pipe breaks started appearing. There was also minimal expansion due to freezing. Jackson’s Yazoo clay is buried deep enough below ground that it is unlikely to freeze, even when the air above is below freezing.

More likely, the pipes burst initially because the metal in them contracted as the temperature of the water rushing through them dropped. Made from brittle material—and weakened by the shifting clay around them—the pipes could not withstand the rapid change.

“Once you get a leak in the pipe, it saturates the Yazoo clay around, and you’ve got both of them working against you,” Willis said. “So it’s a little of both.”

Paying for Pipes

Crews from different cities worked around the clock to repair the broken pipes. (Archive photo)

Why They Broke

January 21 - 27, 2010

In his briefings last week, Johnson portrayed the crisis as an unfortunate confluence of local geology, freezing temperatures and outdated infrastructure. That assessment was right, more or less. While some parts of Jackson, including parts of downtown and South Jackson, escaped the crisis largely unscathed, there was no overall pattern in the location of breaks, city spokesman Chris Mims said.

Deputy Public Works Director David Willis said Friday that he is still reviewing repair tickets, but it appears that the vast majority of the breaks occurred in sections of pipe made out of cast iron. Still, there were breaks in relatively young, 20-year-old pipes below recently annexed portions of South Jackson, Mims noted.

Until the mid-1970s, cast iron was the preferred building material for water mains. Willis estimates that at least 30 percent of the city’s pipes are still cast iron. Cast iron is durable stuff—some of the pipes below downtown’s streets have been in service for more than 100 years—but it tends to be brittle.

The material of choice these days, which city workers used to replace breaks during last week’s crisis, is ductile iron, which 14 responds more flexibly to changes in temperature.

Last week’s massive failure, while dramatic, was not particularly surprising to those with knowledge of the city’s water system history. At the beginning of his first term as mayor, Johnson commissioned a master plan for the city. That document, finished in 1997, estimated that the city’s water and wastewater system needed $300 million worth of repairs to be able to meet existing and future demands.

On the master plan’s recommendation, in 1999 the city passed a $35 million bond issue for water and sewer upgrades.

The bond money was roughly split between sewer and water projects, with the water money largely devoted to design work for the system and for line replacement.

Another $50 million bond issue followed in 2002, this time entirely devoted to replacing large distribution lines and building an “express lane” large-transmission line to connect the city’s old J.H. Fewell treatment and pumping plant and its newer plant, named O.B. Curtis.

Built in 1991, the O.B. Curtis plant is intended to eventually replace the Fewell plant, which is nearly 100 years old.

The city has had to increase the newer plant’s capacity in steps, however. In 2004, the city issued a third round of water-sewer bonds for $54 million, most of which went to doubling capacity at O.B. Curtis to 50 million gallons per day. In addition to local money, the Johnson administration also secured $10 million for water infrastructure through various federal grants, the first of which came in 2000, Willis said.

Much of the momentum for improving the city’s water system dissipated after Mayor Frank Melton took office in 2005, though. Melton was partly to blame for this. Never a

by Ward Schaefer

strong planner, he tended to bounce from one major project or controversy to the next. His leadership also failed to inspire confidence in Jackson’s congressional and state legislative delegations, both of which could work to supplement local funding for upgrades.

“The breakdown was probably during the Melton administration when there was not the same level of emphasis on infrastructure matters,” former-Councilman Leslie McLemore said. The city still included infrastructure needs in its requests to the state congressional delegation, but Melton diluted the force of those requests when he tried to ditch the city’s longtime lobbyist in Washington.

Hurricane Katrina also derailed the city’s improvement efforts, hampering progress on pre-existing projects for nearly a year.

Together, the three Johnson administration bond issues, along with federal grants, paid for roughly $144 million of the estimated $300 million in upgrades recommended in the 1997 city master plan. Even with Johnson’s bond issues, however, the city has not improved enough of its old water lines fast enough.

Most water pipes have a design life expectancy of 60 years, and industry associations recommend replacing between 1 percent and 2 percent of a city’s water lines every year, Willis said.

Since 1986, Jackson has only replaced 300,000 feet of its 4.7 million feet of pipe, which amounts to 6.3 percent over 24 years. Accounting for price increases and further deterioration of the city’s oldest infrastructure, Willis guesses that the city’s water infrastructure needs will cost more than the $156 million remainder from the 1997 estimate. In updating the city’s master plan, the Johnson administration will have to revise that estimate upward, Willis said.

The city paid for its three bond issues in part by incrementally raising rates on citizens’ water bills. Prior to the 1999 bond issue, the rate was $1.08 per 100 cubic feet; after the 2004 issue, it had more than doubled, to $2.20.

Rate hikes are a politically difficult way to pay for improvements, however, and they cannot cover the full cost.

To pay off past bond issues, as well as any future ones, the city also needs increased tax revenues from development.

While necessary, the past three bond issues are taking a significant chunk of the city’s water budget for debt service. Of the roughly $26 million Public Works receives for water every year, nearly a third goes to debt service on bonds. Less than a third goes to operations and maintenance, which covers regular repairs but not massive efforts like last week or line upgrades.

Another third to a half covers the cost of water treatment.

Wet, But Not Sexy Like all cities, Jackson has historically faced a shortage of public and political will for addressing infrastructure needs.

“The issue, primarily, is that infrastructure issues are not sexy,” Leslie McLemore said. “You’re talking about under-the-ground issues, issues that are not as visible.”

Last week’s crisis in miniature may change that, McLemore noted: “This may be the best public opportunity that the city of Jackson has had in the last 50 years, because if this water crisis says anything to anybody—an average consumer of services or a public figure—it is that there are critical needs that ought to be addressed.”

Jackson must draw state and federal money to support its

How’s the water?

by Lacey McLaughlin

W own infrastructure funding, McLemore says. Economic-development projects can generate the increased tax revenues necessary to fund infrastructure improvements, but those projects depend on infrastructure themselves. In 2009, the city received two boosts for the city’s water infrastructure—a $20 million loan from the Mississippi Development Authority and a $5.71 million grant through the federal stimulus package—but both were specifically tied to the Old Capitol Green downtown-development project.

Citing the example of other cities like Atlanta, McLemore said that city leaders must forge a closer—and more lucrative—relationship with state lawmakers and Mississippi’s congressional delegation. That means visiting state legislators in their home districts in between sessions, and making a more compelling case in Washington, he said.

“If there’s a plus in all the frustration and inconvenience that we’ve experienced over the last several days, it is that perhaps we can get—in a much more profound way—the attention of the Mississippi congressional delegation, to really help the capital city address these long-term infrastructure needs that should’ve been addressed many years ago.” McLemore said.

Johnson will plead Jackson’s case with the state’s Congressional delegation this week, city spokesman Chris Mims said Monday. The mayor is in Washington, D.C., for a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

“Since this happened, he’s made arrangements to speak to the congressional delegation, and at the top of his list is certainly going to be upgrading our water system,” Mims said. “He’s going to speak to them and urge them to provide some assistance.”

One city priority will be upgrading or replacing the 500,000 feet of water line still remaining from the sections targeted for improvement in the 1997 master plan, Mims said.

“But of course, the problem has always been funding,” Mims added. “(Johnson) is going to ask for as much as he can get.”

hen water mains broke in the city last week, potential contaminants posed a threat to safe drinking water. Now, the city has lifted the boil-water notice for the most part, but environmental advocacy groups such as the Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Working Group claim that federal and state water-quality standards must be raised in order to protect public health.

The group reports that out of 315 pollutants found in drinking water nation-wide since 2004, more than half are not subject to health or safety regulations. Unregulated industrial solvents often make their way into water sources, EWG spokeswoman Leeann Brown told the Jackson Free Press, adding that a national assessment of drinking-water quality and higher drinking-water standards should be a federal priority. The EWG compiled a violations summary from the Environmental Protection Agency since 2004.

While there is not a comparison report from state to state, neighboring state Alabama received only 2,079 violations for failure to monitor regularly, while Mississippi received 23,123. For more information about the EWG, visit www.ewg.org.

Violation Summary for Mississippi Data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency includes the following violations of federal standards in Mississippi since 2004: Violation Type Number of Violations 23,125 Failure to monitor regularly 1,690 Failure to report information to the public or state agency in the Consumer Confidence Report 1,006 Monitoring and Reporting Disinfection Byproduct Rule 558 Over maximum contaminant level, Average 267 Public Notification Violation for National Primary Drinking Water Regulations 245 Maximum contaminant level, Monthly (Coliform bacteria) 240 Failure to monitor, Routine Major (Coliform bacteria) 97 Failure to monitor, Routine Minor (Coliform bacteria) 60 Inadequate reporting of information to the public 10 Failure to monitor, Repeat Minor (Coliform bacteria) 7 Failure to monitor, Repeat Major (Coliform bacteria) 4 Maximum contaminant level, Acute (Coliform bacteria) 2 Over maximum contaminant level, Single Sample COMPILED BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP

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THE LAKES PLAN THAT WON’T RECEDE Cypress Tree William Mounger II owns a large stretch of land that would be waterfront under Two Lakes.

Benjamin Allen shares a small private lake with the McGowan family and two other couples.

MEADOWBROOK ROAD

John and Diane McGowan Owns home, most of private lake and hundreds of acres in Two Lakes footprint.

TWO LAKES FOOTPRINT

Meadowbrook Lakes This LLC is one of several owned

by McGowan’s working partners.

It circles other land owned by John McGowan’s family.

Phyfer James A Works with McGowan Working Partners; owns home on one of Twin Lakes likely to empty into Two Lakes development.

Catherine Speed Est. Leland Speed’s family owns a strip of land that could be waterfront under Two Lakes plan.

by Adam Lynch

ER

IV LR

AR

PE

TWO LAKES MAP

A

Although both the U.S. Corps of Engineers and the local Levee Board have rejected the Two Lakes development/flood-control plan, its supporters are vowing not to give up.

The Levee Board decided to move ahead with the Corps’ recommendation to build levees in December, driving another nail in the coffin of the controversial Two Lakes plan, which would dam and dredge the Pearl River below the Ross Barnett Reservoir, creating artificial lakes covering 4,900 acres, and creating 90 miles of shoreline. The current plan would create 36 islands, which would ostensibly become prime development real estate, after infrastructure and services are funded.

Levee Board member Leland Speed argues that oilman John McGowan’s lakes plan will create more long-term wealth, and complains that the Corps-endorsed levee plan only offers 79 percent flood protection because of the lack of pumping stations at the floodgates of select Jackson creeks.

Corps spokesman Kavanaugh Breazeale said the levee plan not only delivers 79 percent flood control, but does so at an affordable price and with the least amount of potential environmental issues to upend it during the planning phase.

“It costs less than any other plan out there, and it gives back a positive cost ratio. It brings down the cost of insurance.

For every dollar spent, you get more than a dollar back in flood insurance savings and property benefits,” Breazeale said.

Speed won’t accept that, though. “I have serious reservations about the effectiveness of this (levee) plan. We don’t know if the levee will, in fact, deliver flood control,” Speed said.

Critics of Two Lakes say the same thing about that plan, pointing to its serious environmental mitigation issues—the plan would destroy more than thousands of acres of wetlands and forests—and questions about its anti-flooding promise.

The Two Lakes plan is also a potential lightning rod for

Legend River Ridge LLC This land, owned by McGowan Working Partners members, would take up much of a new island created by Two Lakes.

lawsuits—from environmental to the business community in Louisiana. The Times-Picayune reported in 2008 that the swamp tourism industry on the lower Pearl is terrified of a lakes plan in Jackson because the impoundment here could send water pollution downstream and disrupt water levels there.

Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr., a Levee Board member who voted to proceed with levees in December, said the obstacles to Two Lake are serious. “The Corps doesn’t approve of any impoundments on the river. The Two Lakes plan is not environmentally sustainable,” he told the Jackson Free Press editorial board earlier this month.

But Two Lakes developers and advocates are not a group to take “no” for an answer. They argue that the city of Jackson should move forward with plans for lake development, regardless of Corps opposition, saying it doesn’t need the $133 million from the feds to make it happen.

Downtown Jackson Partners President Ben Allen argues that local entities can “privately” fund the development, or come up with a creative public/private solution to please the roughly 100 land owners in the Two Lakes footprint. Those ideas, of course, would only address paying for it—which the Corps estimates would cost about $1.4 billion due to environmental mitigation, including a $150 million landfill removal.

Since the Levee Board rejected Two Lakes, Allen has come out strong against any flooding solution other than Two Lakes with multiple posts about it on the Downtown Jackson Partners blog. He says the City of Jackson can form an authority with the state, Jackson State University, and Hinds and Rankin counties to assume ownership of this project. Project heads could then work with financiers to offer “private placement” to the general public, in the form of stock shares in the development—possibly at $200 per share for 5 million shares.

Property of McGowan family and associates.

Property of Ben Allen Property of William Mounger LLC Property of Leland Speed family Two Lakes Islands

Johnson is dubious of the prospects Allen is presenting.

“The biggest problem, I expect, would be finding enough people willing to invest in the stock,” he said.

The mayor warned that the vocal Two Lakes campaign against levees is one-sided. “They’ve done a great job of focusing the debate away from the cost of these other options to the cost of levees. Any option will be expensive, and I don’t buy that the private sector can come up with $400 million or $600 million to pay for an option. Any option will have to involve the public body because the private sector can’t assemble land or conduct eminent domain.”

Johnson was equally dubious about the private sector’s ability to coax up to hundreds of millions in loans from lending agencies based upon land-value increases decades down the road. “All of this will be paid for by the increase in the value of land, they say. That means I’m going to a bank and saying ‘loan me a few hundred million dollars and maybe in 20 years property value will be such that I can pay you back.’ I’m not sure if banks do business like that,” he told the editorial board.

The lakes plan could also aggravate the city of Jackson’s effort to upgrade its infrastructure, including the wastewatertreatment plant near Byram. If the impoundment produces even a temporary reduction in the level of the river, the city will have to contend with federal scrutiny of organic run-off pouring into it from the treatment plant, among other barriers.

Mississippi Sierra Club Director Louie Miller promises that opposition would line up against Two Lakes, even if developers surmounted the federal and state requirements.

“We’ll keep them in court for 50 years if they try to move on this thing,” Miller said.

jacksonfreepress.com

El Charro

TWO LAKES, continued on p. 19 17

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18

Two Lakes allies, however, are focusing bad PR efforts on the levees plan—which was developed in 1996, and has not been updated since, due to political pressure from the Two Lakes lobby to consider only one option.

And there are problems with the levee plan, no doubt.

The City of Jackson, for example, would have to remove some of the businesses built inside the floodplain along Lakeland Drive during the 1960s and 1970s. The new levees bordering this area on both sides will solidly increase the chance of flooding during even mild river elevation, and few insurance companies would be willing to cover the resulting flood-prone area without cost-prohibitive elevation-based additions to buildings, such as stilts or foundation hikes.

“The levee plan eminent-domains $30 million worth of businesses inside Jackson; yet we’re the bad guys,” McGowan spokesman Dallas Quinn told the JFP. “I’m not lying about the lakes plan not having to make use of eminent domain. It does make use of eminent domain, but the Two Lakes plan does not eminent-domain anyone’s structure, business, or home.” (The JFP has not confirmed the $30 million figure.)

That means, of course, that Two Lakes would require the government to take property as well; private developers cannot take someone else’s property. McGowan told the Jackson Free Press last summer that he could not get enough support from landowners for a fully private option.

Jackson resident Jack Westbrook said the lakes plan would not directly claim his house, but he complained that it would still drive him out of his home through other means. Even if the lake does not eventually swallow enough of his property to remove him, the resulting increase in his property’s value will drive him away as it becomes high-end lakefront property. “I wouldn’t be able to afford the taxes, and I think the developers know this,” he said. “Heck, I bet they’re counting on it.”

Allen suggested on the DJP blog that targeted property owners would be paid $2,500 an acre for their land either voluntarily or through the use of eminent domain, although Westbrook pointed out that new owners of emerging lakeside property could potentially come to own land many times that value. He said he would be equally as unlikely to tolerate a public plan for funding the lake, which he said would levy heavy costs upon him for the servicing of the bond debt.

Meadowbrook Lakes?

Two Lakes developer McGowan owns property both in and near the proposed Two Lakes footprint—land that would likely benefit from a 7,000-acre lake. He has revealed in the past that he owns 453.2 acres under his name, but a JFP search of property records indicates that his family and people associated with McGowan Working Partners own a large amount of property with no direct “John McGowan” stamp on it.

Recent maps of the proposed Two Lakes development, combined with searches of Hinds County property maps, reveal that McGowan, his family and members of McGowan Working Partners, as well as Leland Speed and Ben Allen and many property owners in Eastover and adjoining communities, could benefit from a development that brings lakefront development into close proximity to their property and homes.

Much of the property owned and managed by McGowan, his family and friends is grouped off the east end of Meadowbrook Road near his home, as well as near Allen and Speed.

Maps show that a large bloc of undeveloped land there—previously reported as 140 acres—is fully owned by McGowan’s himself, members of his family, and by McGowan working partners, including the DBR Investments LLC, owned by McGowan operating manager David Russell.

The land is encircled by property owned by the Meadowbrook Lakes LLC. Hinds County property rolls do not show a McGowan, or even a McGowan working partner, currently associated with Meadowbrook Lakes LLC. But it does list a

jacksonfreepress.com

Lakes or Nothing

post office box—the same one used by McGowan’s company. listed on property rolls as the “estate of Catherine Speed.”

That LLC is also registered to David Russell.

“There’s one little bitty piece that I think is down near In the 1990s, McGowan drained at least 2.5 acres of wet- Lakeland Drive, that I own jointly with my brothers and sislands from the swath of land without a federal permit, accord- ters,” Speed told the JFP at the Jan. 11 Levee Board meeting. ing to The Clarion-Ledger archives. He planned then to build Speed’s brother, NASCAR driver Lake Speed of North 12 homes on the land, as well as a 31-acre lake and a 5,600-foot Carolina, has been listed as the primary contact on Hinds levee and chain-link fence. Some Eastover neighbors were out- County property rolls since 2003. Before that, only “Catherine raged, saying McGowan was violating a Jackson ordinance lim- Speed et al” was listed, along with the post office box for Eastiting building so close to the river and increasing the chances Group Properties Inc., Leland Speed’s company. of severe flooding on their property. McGowan backed off the The land is useless, Speed insists. “It’s totally unused. It’s plan, leaving the land sitting behind a large locked gate. mostly woods, you know, where they put a sewer line east of Two Lakes maps indicate that much of the land would some Mexican restaurant and a little gas station,” Speed said. become prime lakefront property on several sides. The entry to Hinds property maps show that the land Speed refers to the land at the end of Meadowbrook is just east of Ben Allen’s stretches along overgrown property just north of Highway 25 home. Last week, the Jackson Free Press reported on Allen’s and lines the back of affluent Eastover property along the south Two Lakes efforts, adding that he has “property (that) borders and southeast bend of Twin Lakes Circle that you can see from the river’s flood zone and stands to increase in value from a lake the highway if you look closely. (In earlier versions, perhaps development like that proposed by McGowan.” cooncidentally, Two Lakes was referred to as “Twin Lakes.”)

Allen complained in an e-mail to this reporter that the The eastern section of Speed’s property strip bends northassertion was “absolutely and categorically untrue” because, ward around the edge of the neighborhood and, indeed, butts he said, the story implied that he is supporting the Two Lakes project “for personal gain.” In the e-mail, Allen reacted strongly to that one sentence: “My house does not border the proposed lake. I have a lake behind it now. The proposed lake (would) stop well short of the lake behind my house and on property owned by hell if I know. … but it damn sure ain’t me.”

He ended the e-mail: “…my support for two lakes has nothing to do with personal gain. Nor does it for McGowan if you did your homework.” Allen did not return repeated messages to discuss the isFront row from left: Flowood Mayor Gary Rhoads, Pearl Mayor Brad Roberts sue in more detail. and Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. at a September meeting where the Corps The JFP did not mean to imply any- of Engineers announced it would not recommend a lake plan for flood control. thing more than Hinds County property maps indicate: that Allen is among landowners in the area likely up against a big, overgrown ditch that runs under the Lakeland to benefit from McGowan’s proposed Two Lakes plan due to Drive bridge right at Lakeland Circle to the South and River increased property value due to proximity to waterfront prop- Ridge Drive to the north. El Charro restaurant sits opposite the erty proposed by McGowan.

Speed property to the east of that ditch.

According to Hinds County property rolls, Allen shares Two Lakes plans show that the property might not be ownership of the small private lake he refers to in his e-mail completely worthless under McGowan’s development plan. with Anthony and Mary Petro; Edwin and Susan Gault; and The map indicates that Lakeland Circle (and El Charro) would John McGowan and his wife, Diane McGowan, whose home be on a new island, and a narrow waterway would likely line sits downt he lake from Allen on its southwestern tip. Most the current ditch on the west side of the island, possibly turnof the land around the private lake, including a narrow strip ing Speed’s stretch into waterfront property (Those two small between the lake and the city property, has been in the name of nearby “twin” lakes also connect to the canal and, thus, the Diane McGowan since 2001; before that, “John W. McGowan larger Two Lakes. Another McGowan associate, James Phyfer Life Est.” was listed on the property rolls.

Jr., owns property on one of those lakes.)

That private lake and a narrow stretch of land owned by The same island would stretch to the other side of LakeDiane McGowan separates Allen’s land, as well as that of other land Drive as well. Most of that new island would incorporate adjoining homeowners, from an expanse of land the city of undeveloped land owned by River Ridge LLC—created in Jackson owns now that would apparently become one of the 2007 by Richard T. Miller of McGowan Working Partners. islands McGowan envisions under his Two Lakes plan.

Levee Board member Mark Scarborough said Speed did According to the Two Lakes map, a new canal-like wa- not tell board members about the connection while casting terway would separate that island from an eastern point of the votes in favor of the lake. “We had to find that out on our small private lake owned by the McGowans, Allens and the own,” said Scarborough, who voted for levees in December. others. The map indicates a very small patch of land might be Flowood Mayor Gary Rhoads, who voted for the levee between the private lake and the Two Lakes canal, or conceiv- plan, said he found out on his own that Speed owned property ably a small jut of water that could connect the smaller lake that would be impacted. “I confronted (Speed) on it, and he got upset with me over it,” Rhoads said. “He very openly told with the Two Lakes canal. (See map illustration, page 17.)

Another big property owner in the area is Cypress Tree me that he was proud to be the largest financial contributor to LLC, owned by William M. Mounger II a bit to the north. the Two Lakes Foundation. I made an issue of it, but a majority The Two Lakes plan indicates that much of that land would be of the board never really went anywhere with it. I don’t know waterfront under Two Lakes. The Cypress Tree property also how in the world he’s on there representing the fairgrounds.”

Ethics Commission head Tom Hood has not returned lines a canal that would build out a creek that runs from the Two Lakes waterfront to the Jackson Academy area, creating a calls about whether Speed should have told the Levee Board.

Speed told the Jackson Free Press that his property is insigstretch of canal-front property. nificant and will not benefit much from the new water. “Search all you like, but you can’t find one self-serving feeling in (my ‘A Lot of Tracks’ vote). I’ve got none. The only thing you can say is that I’ve been Levee Board member Speed, who lives about two-tenths here 77 years, and I’ve made a lot of tracks.” of a mile west of Allen and McGowan, confirmed last week that his family owns property near the proposed lake, which is TWO LAKES, continued on p. 20 19 COURTESY U.S. CORPS OF ENGINEERS

TWO LAKES, FROM P. 17

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Speed, the son of a former Jackson mayor, joined the public sector with the election of Gov. Haley Barbour, who took office in 2003 and named Speed head of the Mississippi Development Authority. Barbour also named Speed to the Levee Board to represent the state fairgrounds. He appears in Levee Board and Corps minutes numerous times as representing the MDA with no mention of the Levee Board, including at a February 2006 meetings of the Corps, where then-Rep. Chip Pickering stated that the Two Lakes plan “would probably not be justified economically, precluding Federal participation in implementation.”

On Feb. 24, 2004, Speed represented the MDA when he spoke in favor of Two Lakes (then called “Lefleur Lakes”) at a “scoping meeting” the Corps hosted in Vicksburg. He stated in part: “I also would like to come out emphatically in favor of the LeFleur Lakes project as a way to resolve this (flooding) problem. … I have not heard any objections to it lately. This has an opportunity for the city, the counties, the surrounding communities to have a real asset rather than a couple of levees running along the sides. Because I have not heard anybody bringing up any other alternatives. Are we talking about levees or are we talking about the LeFleur Lakes project?

We need to keep that in mind. Thank you.”

Quinn dismissed any concern that Speed should have revealed his family’s land before lobbying for Two Lakes; Speed’s land only amounts to “seven-tenths of an acre,” he said.

A list of property owners released earlier by McGowan indicates that “Catherine Speed” owns 1.6 acres; property records do not show other property in her name currently.

At the same 2004 meeting, several McGowan working partners spoke on behalf of Two Lakes, but the minutes do not indicate that they revealed their connection with the oilman or any of the property.

January 21 - 27, 2010

‘Pay for Your Own Lake’

20

The land holdings of Speed, McGowan and others may not be helping Two Lakes.

Rhoads felt confident enough in McGowan’s personal motivation behind the lakes venture to say the board had no intention of putting taxpayer money to a project “so a handful of wealthy people can get richer.” He also quipped to McGowan to “pay for your own lake” minutes after the Levee Board’s December decision to move ahead with levees.

It is hard to know for sure at this stage who would end up with lakefront property and who wouldn’t. McGowan spokesman Quinn said that the most recent diagrams of the lake will likely not be the proportions that get through the environmental vetting process and various legal challenges, especially should the project attempt to make use of federal cofunding—or both. Two Lakes, he said, could expand and recede in some spots in response to legal challenges and project tweaking, so there is no telling how close or how far the water will be from its proponents’ homes when the plan comes together.

MAGGIE NEFF

TWO LAKES, FROM P. 19

John McGowan, family members and associates with McGowan Working Partners own hundreds of acres in and near his Two Lakes Plan’s footprint.

Environmentalists would likely push to shrink the water coverage in an effort to preserve wetlands, although McGowan maintains that his promised flood prevention would shrink if the lake area gets smaller.

“As far as the size is concerned, it could shrink in some parts and expand in others, but we’ll work that out once we get at the table with these (environmental) agencies and come up with a proper mitigation plan to get those permits,” Quinn said. “Hopefully, we can offset some lawsuits with mitigation to show them that this isn’t some plan to flood all these wetlands and then leave.”

The Levee Board has warned that Two Lakes would require environmental mitigation costing in excess of $1 billion.

At this stage, Two Lakes mitigation is hopeful thinking on Quinn’s part as the Levee Board and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has taken Two Lakes completely off the table.

Meantime, Mayor Johnson says he is moving ahead with talks with the Corps about an improved levees plan that would include economic development around Town Creek. “They said they could accommodate that, and communicating with the river, with recreational features with the levees,” he told the editorial board. “We need some way of communicating with the river. … If we sit around for 30 years and do nothing about flood protection, then that’s a shame.”

Johnson cautions that arguing that the answer is either Two Lakes or the 1996 levee plan is shortsighted. “If you frame the argument that it’s either/or … it becomes a political football rather than something we try to bring some resolution to. People want flood protection, and I think the business community wants the same thing. I would hope that citizens on both sides of the river trust their leaders to make the best decisions.”

Additional reporting by Donna Ladd.

Read more story about Two Lakes and levees at jacksonfreepress.com.

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film

by Will Morgan COURTESY QUARTET INTERNATIONAL

Chertok’s Mission

T

his year’s Jewish Film Festival opens Wednesday, Jan. 20, at The Auditorium in Fondren with “The Impossible Spy,” the story of Eli Cohen, a husband and father plucked from his quiet life by Israeli intelligence, who recruited him for an elaborate and seemingly impossible reconnaissance assignment. Blessed with an amazing memory and familiar with Arab customs after a childhood spent in Egypt, Cohen was the perfect candidate for the Mossad’s ambitious scheme.

Posing as an entrepreneur, Cohen infiltrated the highest levels of the Syrian Ba’ath Party, becoming a trusted ally of the country’s leaders, all the while bravely reporting on the Syrian political climate and the military’s machinations.

Though the Syrians eventually discovered his ruse and executed him, despite pleas for clemency from around the world, the intelligence Cohen provided proved instrumental in the Israeli seizure of the Golan Heights during the 1967 Six Day War. Harvey Chertok, now president of Quartet International, a production and distribution company based in New York state, served as an executive producer on “The Impossible Spy.” He remembers when he first heard of Eli Cohen while on a publicity assignment in Haifa, Israel, Aug. 19, 1982: “Somehow I got an obsession to do something about it and to hopefully make a movie about him. I wanted to get into the story of the recruitment of this ordinary guy, who was just an accountant and wanted to live an ordinary life, and how he was enticed to get onto this mission because of the incredible photographic memory he had.”

The film, starring John Shea and Eli Wallach, draws from news articles and personal interviews with several members of the Mossad and paints a picture on a global scale. But the script keeps the focus squarely on a family man who willingly gave his all for his country. “The Impossible Spy” also highlights the heartbreaking toll Cohen’s clandes-

tine work had on his wife as she struggled to hold their marriage together with only brief, infrequent visits to build on.

“Here’s a situation where you have a happily married couple, and all of a sudden he’s away on business for an extraordinary length of time,” Chertok says, “and the strain on the marriage is a very important part of the story, particularly from the point of view of women in the audience. I’m sure that women who see this try to imagine how they would handle a situation this difficult.”

On Aug. 19, 1987, five years to the day after learning of one of history’s greatest spies, Chertok delivered the final version of the film. “The BBC had the rights to distribute it worldwide, which they did quite successfully,” he says. “ It became the most successful movie—at that moment—ever distributed by the BBC. It’s played all over the world.”

Shea received the equivalent of the Chinese Oscar for his portrayal of Cohen, which is ironic, because the Chinese have never screened “The Impossible Spy” publicly.

“It was quite a piece of sculpture,” Chertok says. “(Shea) was not only very excited with it, but weeks later he called me, and said that he took it out with him to a Chinese restaurant and ‘hadn’t paid for a Chinese meal in weeks.’ So he’s had a good time with that.”

Cohen’s brother, Maurice, who worked in the Mossad at the same time as his brother and unknowingly decoded his transmissions for two years, was also pleased with the film. “He thought the movie was absolutely true and he was excited about it,” Chertok says. “He told me, ‘Harvey, please arrange to show this to as many people as you can to perpetuate the memory of my brother.’”

Though “The Impossible Spy” premiered more than 20 years ago, the film has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity after Wesley Britton, a spymaster and author, organized a screening at the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. Since then, a number of film festivals across the country have

This year’s Jewish film Festival opens with “The Impossible Spy,” a film about Eli Cohen, a man recruited into Israeli intelligence.

shown the picture, and it is now available on DVD. “The goal was to make a compelling movie that would have universal appeal. From time to time there are very good spy movies made, and we hope that ‘The Impossible Spy’ would be considered in that category. I think it will appeal to someone who is interested in action-adventure and a good true story. This is as true as you can get,” Chertok says.

Will Morgan writes in Madison. You can read his film reviews at www.parents-kids.com/media_matters.

Single-Minded Purpose COURTESY SOUTHERN INSTITUTE OF JEWISH LIFE

by Will Morgan

January 21 - 27, 2010

“Blessed is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh” is a documentary about a Hungarian resistance fighter during the Holocaust.

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I

n March 1944, Hannah Senesh, a young Jew from Budapest who had immigrated to Palestine five years earlier, parachuted into Yugoslavia in an effort to make contact with Hungarian Jews, establish resistance movements and carve out routes of escape from eastern Europe. Senesh was single-minded in her purpose, driven by her desperate need to find her mother and spirit her away before the Final Solution would ultimately descend upon the last bastion of

Hungarian Jewry.

“Blessed is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh” is a taut and harrowing documentary by director Roberta Grossman that catapults us headlong to its inevitably fateful end without blinking—never pulling away from its story of blind, unreasoning hatred and love unbound by caution and nonplused by fear.

Through the use of an excellent collection of family photographs and stock footage (and the somewhat less successful inclusion of dramatic re-enactments), the film brings Senesh’s poems, journals and letters to life—unfolding a tale of family and youth crashed and spent on the rocks of war and bureaucracy; of tragic timing, unbelievable coincidence and bittersweet partings.

After months of training for the rescue operation, Nazis captured Senesh only hours after she crossed the Hungarian border. Broken and tortured, she was finally imprisoned with her mother in a Gestapo gulag. Though they were kept in separate cells, Senesh’s mother would stand at a dirty window all day just to catch a glimpse of her daughter. Senesh buoyed her fellow prisoners with defiant hope and selfless courage, but was cruelly executed before Soviet troops could liberate the prison.

Senesh’s tragic story is at once darkly familiar and hauntingly unique, bringing to light events from the war mostly unknown to western (and certainly Gentile) audiences. Hannah’s life and her memory are crowded

with contradictions, each disparate but equally true.

She was aloof and distant, and yet caring, passionate and fueled by unflagging idealism. She was youthful, impetuous, perhaps even foolhardy; and yet her devotion to her people and her family gave her undeniably great courage, a wisdom beyond her years, and a strength of character worthy of emulation.

Hannah Senesh is the titular match of the film’s title: a seemingly small and insignificant sacrifice ignited by the fires of love and patriotism, but ultimately consumed by the conflagration of a worldwide war.

Her existence on this earth was snuffed out early, but her indefatigable spirit has marched on, giving hope to millions for decades. Senesh burned brightly in the darkness, bringing encouragement and a sense of noble dignity to those who fought beside her, those who suffered with her in the gloomy prison halls, and those who looked to her for inspiration throughout all the bleak and dirty days of Israel’s fight for survival.

A fitting end to this year Jewish Film Festival, “Blessed is the Match” is a masterful and engrossing story of courage in the face of wickedness, hope amid the darkest despair; a film that provides thoughtful meditation on the past while engendering a sense of pride and purpose for the future.

Will Morgan writes in Madison. You can read his film reviews at www.parents-kids.com/media_matters.

Festival Info

by Lacey McLaughlin

by Kristen Henriques COURTESY INSTITUTE OF SOUTHERN JEWISH LIFE

Not Your Ordinary Teen

W

by Kristen Henriques

“P

inchas” tells the story of a young Israeli boy (played by Anthony Berman) and his search for meaning. Pinchas and his mother are new immigrants from Russia. She works night shifts, barely making a living, and she divides her spare time between sleeping and an affair with a married man.

Pinchas is left on his own to find ways to occupy his time. He talks to the butcher, whose charity often keeps Pinchas and his mother from going hungry, but what he wants is a friend. He discovers a family on the third floor of his apartment building, whose warmth and unity attracts and intrigues him. One of the older sons in the family takes on the task of guiding Pinchas in his exploration of the Jewish religion, teaching him the blessings and traditions of Juda-

up with two worlds until a death brings her back to reality, leaving her to work out the conflicting dualities of her life.

Catanzariti’s acting is impressive in the title role of her first film, but Castle-Hughes steals the show as Sunni struggles to hide her own vulnerability beneath her bold appearance. Toni Collette, in the role of Sunni’s single mother, Mary, adds credibility to the cast as Mary tries to improve her life and make things better for her daughter.

For Randall’s first movie, “Hey Hey It’s Esther Blueburger” is a solid attempt at shedding light on a teenager’s struggle to learn what it means to be an adult. Sticking mostly with simple camera techniques one of the few creative scenes is Esther’s Bat Mitzvah. It is here that she goes beyond the simple and uses different angles and lighting to finally let her creativity shine.

“Pinchas” is the story of a young boy and his search for meaning through his Jewish faith.

ism. Pinchas is an eager student and begins implementing the traditions into his life, struggling to understand the scriptures and what they really mean.

Pini Tavger, a 2008 graduate of Tel Aviv University, directed this short film. Tavger has written and directed several

T

• “Impossible Spy” Jan. 20, 7:30 p.m. at The Auditorium (622 Duling Ave.); free.

Films at Millsaps College Academic Complex Recital Hall (1701 N. State St.) • “Pinchas,” Jan. 21, 7:30 p.m. followed by “Unsettled” • “Hey Hey It’s Esther Blueburger” Jan. 23, 7:30 p.m.

• “Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh,” Jan. 24, 2 p.m.

films including “Lost Islands,” “Sweet Mud” (winner of the grand jury prize at Sundance in 2007) and “Frozen Days.”

Tavger uses lighting to add depth and feeling to each scene. Much of the movie is without dialogue, with only a few words here and there, and Tavger’s use of light speaks where words cannot. He also creates a sense of despair by moving slowly through each scene, drawing viewers in and giving them a chance to soak in each moment.

The lighting and direction combine to create an understanding of what life is like for Pinchas—very little privacy, though loneliness is a way of life.

Tavger does not reserve his lighting techniques for its pessimistic effects; he also uses it to create optimism. The few brightly lit scenes offer a promise of hope: While things may still seem dark and lonely, Pinchas finds something to look forward to.

Overall, the film shows that while life may be unfair, by making your own decisions you can find meaning in life.

jacksonfreepress.com

Searching for Meaning

“Hey Hey It’s Esther Blueburger” is a coming of age film staring Danielle Catanzariti.

COURTESY SOUTHERN INSTITUTE OF JEWISH LIFE

riter and director Cathy Randall’s debut film “Hey Hey It’s Esther Blueburger” offers a fresh face for coming-of-age films. It is the story of about a girl and her quest to fit into the ever-changing world around her.

“Hey Hey It’s Esther Blueburger” introduces Danielle Catanzariti in the title role. Esther is the outcast at her posh girls-only private school and wants nothing more than to fit in. Teased and bullied by the other girls, she is left to herself, always watching from afar. Portrayed as an eccentric nerd, Esther is not your ordinary teenager.

Her home life gives her no break from the frustration as she deals with her stressed out mother, Grace (Essie Davis), seemingly uninterested father, Osmond (Russell Dykstra), and her genius twin brother, Jacob (Christian Byers).

With no friends to support her, Esther tries to escape the sea of overbearing and condescending relatives and family friends at her Bat Mitzvah. It is then that she meets the most unlikely of friends: Sunni, played by Keisha Castle-Hughes (“The Nativity Story,” “Whale Rider”). Sunni lives a life that Esther has only dreamed of: one of carefree independence.

With Sunni’s help, Esther leaves behind her old life, the unfairness and fear, and sets out on a new path—a path where she can be whoever she wants to be. Sunni takes Esther under her wing as an experiment, and convinces Esther to secretly re-enter her public school under the guise of a Swedish exchange student.

Embracing the masquerade, Esther leaves behind the old world and enters a completely new one, a world in which everything in her life is reversed. The fearful and shy Esther slowly disappears as she learns to assert herself and be heard. She does a good job of keeping

he Ninth Annual Jewish Cinema South Film Festival is in collaboration with Millsaps College’s Jewish Culture Organization and Jewish Cinema South, a program of the Goldring/ Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life in Jackson.

Tickets are $10 per screening ($5 for students with ID). A festival pass for all four films is $25. Admission is free for “Impossible Spy.” To order tickets or for more information, visit www.isjl.org or call 601-956-6215.

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BEST BETS January 21 - 28

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

THURSDAY 1/21

COURTESY HOLLY GREEN

Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams will sign copies of their book, “The Comfortable Home,” at SummerHouse (1109 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland) from 5:307:30 p.m. $35 book, first 25 guests receive a free copy; call 601-853-4445. … The Miss MC Pageant at Mississippi College (200 Capitol St., Clinton) begins at 7 p.m. in the Swor auditorium. Free; call 601-925-3809. … The D’lo Trio will play Americana at Cherokee Inn (960 Briarfield Road) at 6:30 p.m. Free. … The movies “Pinchas” and “Unsettled” will screen at Millsaps College’s Ford Academic Complex (1701 N. State St.) at 7:30 p.m. as part of the Jewish Film Festival. $10 per screening ($5 for students with ID), $25, $125; call 601-362-6357. … Aaron Lewis of Staind performs at Ameristar (4116 S. Washington St., Vicksburg) in

King Edward performs blues at Underground 119 9 p.m.midnight. $10. … Reggae/Hip-Hop/Old School Night at Cultural Expressions starts at 9 p.m. $5.

SATURDAY 1/23 Celebrate National Yoga Day with a free beginner’s class at Joyflow Yoga (Trace Harbor Village, 7048 Old Canton Road, Ridgeland) at 11:30 a.m. or 2 p.m. Free; call 601-6134317. …Los Lobos performs at MSU Riley Center (2200 5th St., Meridian) at 7:30 p.m. $33, $39; call 601-696-2200. … The “Tailgate Party Tour” with Larry the Cable Guy at the Vicksburg Convention Center (1600 Mulberry St., Vicksburg) starts at 8 p.m. $43.75 and up; call 800-745-3000; visit vccmeet.com. … Gospoetry at Koinonia Coffee House (136 Adams St., Suite C) is from 8 p.m.-midnight. $5. … Jackie Bell performs at 930 Blues Café at 9 p.m. $10.

SUNDAY 1/24 Last day to see paintings by Christy Henderson at Southern Breeze Gallery (1000 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland). Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free, artwork for sale; call 601-607-4147. … Rhythm Masters performs at Shucker’s 3-7 p.m. Free. … The Mike and Marty open-jam session at the Warehouse is 6-10 p.m. Free. … Karaoke at Footloose 7-11 p.m. Free. … Open-mic poetry at Cultural Expressions starts at 8 p.m. Free.

MONDAY 1/25 Get an update on the Farish Street Entertainment District at the Alamo Theatre (333 N. Farish St.) starting at 5:30 p.m. Call 601-291-7381. … John Anderson performs country music during the Ridgeland Chamber of Commerce Award Banquet at the Hilton Jackson (1001 E. County Line Road) at 6 p.m. $60; call 601-991-9996. …

The Central Mississippi Blues Society Jam at Hal & Mal’s is 8-11 p.m. $5. … Open mic at Martin’s at 10 p.m. Free.

John Frederick Peto’s “Concord Grades” is among several paintings on display during Art Talk Jan. 21 at Lauren Rogers Museum of Art in Laurel.

January 21 - 27, 2010

FRIDAY 1/22

The Friday Forum at Koinonia Coffee House (136 Adams St., Suite C) starts at 9 a.m. This week’s topic is the development of Haiti. Free, call 601-355-1118 or 601-8423327. … The trunk show at Dream Beads (605 Duling St.) starts at 5 p.m. with additional shows through Jan. 24.

Free, with jewelry for sale; call 601-664-0411. … Rhonda 24 Richmond sings jazz at Hal & Mal’s at 9 p.m. Free. …

The Preston Chamber Music Series presents “An Evening of Diamonds I” at Belhaven University Center for the Arts Concert Hall (835 Riverside Drive) starting at 7:30 p.m. $10, $5 seniors/students/children, free for faculty and staff; call 601-965-7026. ... The comedy play “Boeing, Boeing” opens tonight at New Stage Theatre (1100 Carlisle St.) at 7:30 p.m. and runs until Feb. 7. $22, $18 seniors/students; call 601-948-3531. ... Karaoke at McB’s starts at 7 p.m. Free. ... Blues/poetry open mic at Café 101 starts at 7 p.m. $5.

WEDNESDAY 1/27 Sherman Lee Dillon performs during the blues lunch at F. Jones Corner at noon. Free. … A rally to support federal funding of education in Mississippi starts at 4 p.m. at the Mississippi State Capitol (400 High St.). Call 601264-8005 or 601-307-4060. … Gov’t Mule performs at the Lyric Theatre (1006 Van Buren Ave., Oxford) at 9 p.m. $25 advance, $50 reserved balcony; call 662-234-5333. …

The open-mic contest winner performs at Fenian’s from 9 p.m.-midnight. Free. … Karaoke at The Auditorium is from 9 p.m.-midnight. Free.

THURSDAY 1/28 The Winter Wine Dinner hosted by Chef Timothy Sims at Huntington’s Grille (1001 E. County Line Road) starts at 6 p.m. Reservations are required. $45; call 601957-1515. … The D’lo Trio returns to the Cherokee Inn (960 Briarfield Road) to perform at 6:30 p.m. Free. …

Jackie Bell, Norman Clark and Smoke Stack Lightning perform at 930 Blues Café at 8 p.m. $5. … The Peoples play Fenian’s 9 p.m.-midnight. Free.

More events and details at jfpevents.com.

The D’lo Trio (Hal Jeanes, Connie Jeanes and Steve Chester) will perform at the Cherokee Inn at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 21.

COURTESY MARY FITZGERALD

the Bottleneck Blues Bar at 8 p.m. $40-$50; call 601-6381000. … The U.S. grand finale of the Miss Hawaiian Tropic International Model Search begins at 8 p.m. at Pearl River Resort (Highway 16, Choctaw) in the Silver Star Convention Center. The international grand finale is Jan. 23 at 8 p.m. $10 one show, $15 both shows; call 866-447-3275.

TUESDAY 1/26

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This wine pairs well with grilled meats, medium to strong cheese or simply on its own.

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(Next door to McDade’s Market Extra) Mon. - Sat., 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. • Maywood Mart Shopping Center 1220 E. Northside Dr. • 601-366-5676 • www.mcdadeswineandspirits.com

jacksonfreepress.com

available at

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jfpevents

THIS WEEK COMMUNITY

GREATER JACKSON CHAMBER PARTNERSHIP’S ANNUAL MEETING Special Guest Speaker: Bruce Jenner Jackson Convention Complex, January 27th, 11:30am 601-948-7575, ksmith@greaterjacksonpartnership.com CULTURE

JFP SPONSORED EVENTS JFP Lounge at Pi(e) Lounge Feb. 11, 6-10 p.m., at Sal & Mookie’s (565 Taylor St.). Enjoy a special JFP “Creative Class” martini, free munchies, and lots of fellowship with Jackson creatives and progressives. Free admission; call 601-362-6121, ext. 11.

“Legends Idol: A Tribute to the Kings” Feb. 6, 7 p.m., at Hilton Jackson (1001 E. County Line Road). The show includes performances by Emilio Donte as Michael Jackson and Shea Arender as Elvis Presley. $22, $32 VIP, $12 children under 13; call 601-53-EVENT.

1812 OVERTURE & MORE! Presented by the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra Thalia Mara Hall, January 23rd, 7:30pm 601-960-1565, www.msorchestra.com MUSIC

SILVER TONGUE DEVIL Fire, January 23rd, 9pm 601-592-1000, www.fireclubjackson.com

DINING

COFFEE ROASTERY Come by the Coffee Roastery for the Café Ole or the Twix.

Visit www.downtown-jackson.com for a complete calendar.

Call 601-353-9800 for calendar information.

No 6

omå

January 21 - 27, 2010

somå COMPLETE

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STORE SELLDOWN TOO MANY DEALS TO LIST 2906 N. STATE ST. * chane.com

SafeHeart Screenings Jan. 21-22, at Jackson Medical Mall (350 W. Woodrow Wilson Ave.), in the mall common area. The screenings are from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Jan. 21 and 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Jan. 22. SafeHeart Health Screens of Hattiesburg will do five ultrasound and EKG screenings that target risk for heart attack, stroke, abdominal aortic aneurysm, atrial fibrillation and peripheral arterial disease. Call to register or come early. $129, free for those who qualify; call 601-450-5483 or 866548-3006.

Mississippi Health Awareness Day 2010 Jan. 21, 10 a.m., at Jackson Medical Mall (350 W. Woodrow Wilson Ave.). The day is geared toward promoting healthy living and providing disease prevention. Activities include health screenings, workshops, seminars, and other preventative health activities, including a 5K run/walk, sponsored by Leadership Jackson. Free; call 601-376-2397.

Friends of the Jackson Zoo Orientation Meeting Jan. 21, 11:30 a.m., at Jackson Zoological Park (2918 W. Capitol St.). In the Gertrude C. Ford Education Center. Current and prospective members are invited to attend. Lunch provided; RSVP required. Free; e-mail fmcallister@jacksonzoo.org.

Precinct 3 COPS Meeting Jan. 21, 6 p.m., at Jackson Police Department - Precinct 3 (3925 W. Northside Drive). These monthly meetings are forums designed to help resolve community issues or problems, from crime to potholes. Call 601-960-0003.

Circa 1998

fondren corner

COMMUNITY

366 . 9955

2010 National Migration Week Celebration Jan. 22, 12 p.m., at Millsaps College (1701 N. State St.), in the Leggett Center. In support of migrants and refugees, the event includes food samples, exhibits and performances. Free; call 601-326-3772.

Heart Beats of Jackson Health Fair Jan. 23, 8 a.m., at Mississippi Trade Mart (1200 Mississippi St.).

Meet with area physicians and medical personnel to screen for cardiovascular disease. Nutrition and healthy living workshops; featured guest speakers.

Appointments for a free screening will be available to the first 350 individuals who call the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership office. Free; call 601-948-7575.

Jackson Area National Organization for Women (NOW) Meeting Jan. 23, 2 p.m., at Charles Tisdale Library (formerly Northside Library) (807 E. Northside Dr.). Topics include Roe v. Wade Day and the upcoming regional conference.

Donated items for the Domestic Abuse Family Shelter of Hattiesburg will also be collected. E-mail stacey@nowms.org.

“An Evening in the Caribbean” Jan. 23, 6 p.m., at Huntington’s Grille (1001 E. County Line Road).

Chef Timothy Sims prepares a four-course tropical dinner paired with Bacardi cocktails. Music by Cucho and Los Papis. Reservations required. $60; call 601-957-1515.

Farish Entertainment District Update Jan. 25, 5:30 p.m., at Alamo Theatre (333 N. Farish St.).

Brad Frankiln of Watkins Partners will give an update on new businesses. Call 601-291-7381.

Mississippi Municipal League (MML) Mid- Winter Legislative Conference Jan. 26-28, at Hilton Jackson (1001 E. County Line Road). The conference gives attendees an opportunity to network with members of the state Legislature during the session. Registration required. The league will meet from noon-6 p.m. Jan. 26, 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Jan. 27 and 8:30-11:30 a.m. Jan. 28. $150; call 601353-5854.

Carbon Footprint Reduction Workshop: Consumerism and Food/Diet Jan. 26, 6:30 p.m., at Rainbow Green Services (2807 Old Canton Rd.).

Learn ways to reduce, reuse and recycle. Also, learn about permaculture, local food and going organic. $15; series of four workshops, $60; Call 601-987-0002.

“History Is Lunch” Jan. 27, noon, at William F. Winter Archives and History Building (200 North St.). USM history professor Deanne Nuwer talks about the scourge of yellow fever in Mississippi.

Bring your own lunch; coffee/water provided. Free; call 601-576-6850.

Events at Eudora Welty Library (300 N. State St.).

• Jackson Audubon Society Monthly Chapter Meeting Jan. 26, 6:30 p.m. The topic is the use of LeFleur’s Bluff State Park. Open to the public. Free; call 601-956-7444.

• Jackson/Hinds Library System Board of Trustees Jan. 27, 4 p.m. The trustees will discuss matters concerning the local library system. Free; call 601-968-5825.

Public Policy Toastmasters Club 8689 Meeting Wednesdays through May 26, at Jackson State University (1400 Lynch St.), in the Sampson Library auditorium on the second floor. Improve your communication skills and become a better speaker and leader. Membership required. Call for details on membership dues: 601-918-8523.

MUSIC 4ever Friday Jan. 22, 9 p.m., at Monte’s Steak and Seafood (1855 Lakeland Drive, Suite N-10). The event includes performances by Pyinfamous, Ulogy and poet Sycology, and music by DJ Phingaprint.

Breakfast served at midnight. $10 before 10 p.m.; call 601-454-8313.

Los Lobos Jan. 23, 7:30 p.m., at MSU Riley Center (2200 5th St., Meridian). Part rock, part blues and part soul, Los Lobos incorporates folk, Americana, jazz, traditional Mexican music, Spanish music and other Latin American styles into its sound. $33, $39; call 601-696-2200.

Bravo III: “1812 Overture and More” Jan. 23, 7: 30 p.m., at Thalia Mara Hall (225 E. Pascagoula St.). The music of Tchaikovsky is the music of the ages. Come and be carried away by the sweeping melodic passion of this Russian master—from the subtle beauty of “Swan Lake” to the stirring sounds of his celebrated “1812 Overture,” closing with his deeply moving “Sixth Symphony.” $20 and up, $5 for children 4-18 and students with ID; call 601-960-1565.

Preston Chamber Music Series: An Evening of Diamonds I Jan. 26, 7:30 p.m., at Belhaven University Center for the Arts Concert Hall (835 Riverside Drive). Mississippi Symphony Orchestra principal cellist Bennett Randman joins faculty members Song Xie, violinist, and Dr. Stephen Sachs, pianist. Carolyn and Stephen Sachs comprise the Sachs Piano Duo. $10, $5 seniors/students/ children, free for faculty/staff; call 601-965-7026.

STAGE AND SCREEN “Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure” MegaHD Cinema through June 30, at Russell C. Davis Planetarium (201 E. Pascagoula St.). Paleontologists explore sea habitats in search of new fossils and evidence of prehistoric reptiles. $6.50 adults, $5.50 seniors, $4 children; call 601-960-1550.

J. Lee Productions Open Casting Call Jan. 23, 10 a.m., at Cultural Expressions (147 Millsaps Ave.). The production company is looking for actors from all ethnic groups for its new stage play, “Revenge.” E-mail jleeproductions@yahoo.com.

“The Devil Is a Lie, It All Stops Here!” Jan. 23, 6 p.m., at Belhaven University’s Center for the Arts (835 Riverside Dr.). Written by Angela Hudson, the play focuses on the struggles that destroy today’s families. Proceeds benefit the John & Vera Mae Perkins Foundation. $10; call 601-354-1563.

“Boeing Boeing” Jan. 26-Feb. 7, at New Stage Theatre (1100 Carlisle St.). The 1960s French farce, adapted for the English-speaking stage, features selfstyled Parisian Lothario Bernard, who has French, German and American fiancees, each beautiful airline hostesses with frequent layovers. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 26-30 and Feb. 3-6, and 2 p.m.

Jan. 30 and Feb. 7. $22; $18 seniors/students; call 601-948-3533, ext. 226.

CREATIVE CLASSES Big Slick Poker Boot Camp Jan. 22, 11:30 a.m., at Beau Rivage Resort & Casino (875 Beach Blvd., Biloxi). Learn the tricks of the trade from professional poker player Vanessa Rousso. $299; call 561-351-6248.

Events at Millsaps College (1701 N. State St.).

Call 601-974-1130.

• Dance Boot Camp Jan. 25-March 1. Six-week class meets Mondays from 7-8 p.m. Jumpstart your fitness program and learn more about dance. Instructors Tracie Wade and Laura Kochon-Babba. $75.

• Liturgical Dance Technique Jan. 26-March 2. six-week class meets Tuesdays from 7-8 p.m.

Participants will learn how to structure a new dance ministry or improve a current ministry, and will gain basic knowledge of proper ballet and lyrical dance techniques. Instructors are Tracie Wade and Laura Kochon-Babba. $75.

Stringing 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.

LITERARY AND SIGNINGS Events at Lemuria Books (202 Banner Hall, 4465 I-55 North). Call 601-366-7619.

• “If Only I Had Known: A True Story” Jan. 21, 5 p.m. William H. Dodson signs copies of his book; reading at 5:30 p.m. $23.95 book.

• “Down @ 12” Jan. 23, 11 a.m. Andy Martin signs copies of his book. $21.95 book.

GALLERIES Glass Exhibit through March 31, at Pearl River Glass Studio (142 Millsaps Avenue). Recent work

by Andrew Cary Young and other studio artists will be on display. Free; call 601-353-2497.

Artist Reception Jan. 21, 5-8 p.m., at Southern Breeze Gallery (1000 Highland Colony). Featured works by Christy Henderson will be on display until Jan. 24. Free admission, artwork for sale; call 601-607-4147.

Belhaven Faculty Exhibition Jan. 21-Feb. 15, at Belhaven University - Bitsy Irby Visual Arts and Dance Center (1500 Peachtree St.). (Opening reception is Jan. 21, 6–8 p.m.) Paintings, drawings, sculpture, and photography by the Belhaven Visual Arts faculty. Free; call 601-965-7026.

2010 Exhibits ongoing, at One Blu Wall (2906 N. State St.). Featured artists include Kyle Goddard, Katie Drummonds, Allan Inman, LaTricia Graves and more. Photography by Christina Cannon, Howard Barron, Roy Gattuso, Gerard L. Howard, William Patrick Butler and others will also be on display. Free; call 601-713-1224.

EXHIBITS AND OPENINGS Jim Henson’s Fantastic World through March 14, at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.).

This exhibit offers a glimpse into the imagination and genius of the creator of characters like Kermit the Frog and Big Bird. See original drawings, cartoons, puppets and movie props. $12 adults, $10 seniors, $6 students; call 601-960-1515.

Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi Exhibit through Jan. 30, at Meridian Museum of Art (628 25th Ave., Meridian). Works by artists such as Jerri Sherer, George Berry and Stephanie Dwyer will be on display. The museum is open Wednesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free with artwork for sale; call 601-693-1501 or 601-856-7546.

“Light on Water” through March 21 at Walter Anderson Museum of Art (510 Washington Ave., Ocean Springs). This exhibition will include oil paintings by local artist Melinda Gandy. Museum hours are Monday-Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., and Sunday from 12:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. $3 and up; call 228-872-3164.

Lou Haney Art Exhibit through March 6, at University of Mississippi Museum (5th St. and University Ave., Oxford). (Opening reception on Jan. 26 at 5 p.m.) Haney, an assistant professor of art at the university, exhibits her eclectic paintings. Museum hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Free, donations welcome; call 662-915-7236.

Icons of the Permanent Collection ongoing, at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.).

Paintings of the American landscape by artists such as John Marin, Will Henry Stevens and Kate Freeman Clark are on display. View a 14-panel panorama by William Dunlap in the Trustmark Grand Hall. Free; call 601-960-1515.

Art Talk Jan. 21, 12 p.m., at Lauren Rogers Museum of Art (565 N. Fifth Ave., Laurel). In the lower-level lecture hall. Dr. Jill Chancey will discuss the museum’s current exhibit, “Recent Acquisitions: 2004-2009,” which will be on display through March 24. Free; call 601-649-6374.

“Back to Nature” through Feb. 1, at Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (2148 Riverside Dr.).

Photographers are invited to submit photos of scenes from around and inside the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, with the winners receiving awards and having their work displayed in the museum. Free; call 601-354-7303.

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, Web link, etc.) to events@jacksonfreepress.com or fax to 601-51-9019.

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

BE THE CHANGE The World Through Lou’s Lens through Jan. 25, at Arts Center of Mississippi (201 E. Pascagoula St.). The exhibit showcases 80 years of Lou Shornick’s photography along with pieces donated by various local artists such as Anthony DiFatta, Tony Davenport and Bill Wilson. All proceeds from the sale of the artwork will go to the Kids Fund established at the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson to support the launch of Mississippi Music N’ Motion, a new music education program for underprivileged students. Call 601-960-1557.

jacksonfreepress.com

Jackson Jewish Film Festival Jan. 21-24, at Millsaps College’s Ford Academic Complex Recital Hall (1701 N. State St.). Films include “Today in the Promised Land,” “Pinchas,” “Unsettled” and “Hey, Hey, It’s Esther Blueburger.” $10 per screening ($5 for students with ID), $25 festival pass, $125 patron pass; call 601-362-6357.

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music

Plus the Kitchen Sink

I

f I didn’t know better, I would swear there is a secret highway that leads directly from Jackson to Portland, Ore. In the last couple of years, several Jacksonians have made an exodus to Portland—artists, musicians, writers, even a dentist I know. The lane northwest to Portland is wider than the lane heading southward, but some still choose to return to Jackson, bringing with them more creativity than when they left.

“Both (Portland and Jackson) have been really inspiring for me,” singer-songwriter and former Portland resident Johnny Bertram says. He recorded his new album, “Days that Passed,” at his home near North Midtown Arts Center (formerly known as One-to-One Studios) on Millsaps Avenue with Andrew Best, who also played with Bertram in one of his former side projects, Synthar. Bertram says the artists and musicians who live and work around him in the Millsaps Art District constantly inspire him.

January 21 - 27, 2010

March the album is only available at the band’s shows and at Old House Depot. The rest of the world has to wait until March, when it will be available on iTunes and the Esperanza Plantation Web site (www.espera nzaplantation.com) for download.

Bertram will play a few Jackson shows with both of his bands in the next couple of months. Check out HorseTrailor at Hal and Mal’s Red Room Jan. 30, and on Feb. 4, Bertram and The Golden Bicycles will be at Ole Tavern on George Street, along with North Carolina’s American Aquarium. Find Johnny Bertram online at myspace.com/johnnybertram and johnnybertram.com, or follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/johnnybertram.

COURTESY AARON LEWIS

28

he 20-year freeze has thawed, and it’s time to warm up with good drinks and live music. Nothing eases the stir-crazy-winter blues like a live juke session.

Whether you’re looking for calm acoustics over dinner, or something livelier to get your dancing shoes moving, we’ve got you covered.

Thursday night, grab a burger at the Cherokee Inn and hear local Americana favorites D’lo Trio at 6:30 p.m., or catch blues-rocker “Big Juv” Brawley of the Juvenators at The Auditorium in Fondren, 7:30-9 p.m. You can still get tickets to see Aaron Lewis of Staind Thursday and Friday nights at the Ameristar Casino in Vicksburg at 8 p.m. Tickets are $40-$50. This solo acoustic tour may not rock the house like a full-fledged Staind gig, but it’s been getting great reviews, so it should be a treat for fans.

Widespread Panic fans should check out the return of Jerry Joseph of Jackmormons/Stockholm Syndrome fame to Martin’s Friday night, 10 p.m. Jerry’s Stockholm Syndrome project includes members of Widespread and Gov’t Mule. Even though this is a solo show, Jerry is quite the accomplished guitarist, so it’ll still be a throw down.

The quintessential Mississippi queen of jazz, Rhonda Richmond, will perform a free show at Hal & Mal’s Friday night. Also on Friday, The Quills are back by popular demand with Redmouth at Ole Tavern starting up at 10 p.m.

Then kicking things into the late, late night is Jesse Robinson & the 500 lb. Blues Band at F. Jones Corner from 11:30 p.m.-4 a.m.

Saturday night holds a variety of musical options.

Classical fans of Tchaikovsky will want to catch the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra’s Bravo III concert at Thalia Mara Hall, starting at 7:30 p.m. $20+. The symphony will feature “Swan Lake,” the “1812 Overture” and the “Sixth Symphony.” Be sure to catch the pre-concert lecture on the hall’s mezzanine level from 6:45-7:15 p.m.

Visit msorchestra.com or call 601-960-1565 for tickets.

If you’re thinking the symphony isn’t the place to get your freak scene on, then check out Silver Tongue Devil at Fire or the aristo-crunk amphetamine rush of Lord T & Eloise at Martin’s Saturday night. The hip-hop stylings of Kamikaze and Yard Boy returns to Cultural Expressions Saturday night, 9 p.m. $5. Or, if you’re ready for a road trip, Los Lobos is in the beautiful MSU Riley Center in Meridian Saturday night, $33-$39. Call 601696-2200 for tickets.

Speaking of bigger concerts, alt-rockers Sister Hazel return to Fire next Wednesday, Jan. 27, 9 p.m. They’re touring for their seventh studio album, “Release,” that dropped back in August. Also, if you can take a half-day off next Wednesday, be sure to head to the Lyric in Oxford for Gov’t Mule. Neither option is a bad way to get through hump day.

Next Friday, Jan. 29, is the long-anticipated Mississippi Opera “Voice of the Century” concert with Renee Fleming at Thalia Mara Hall. Reserved seating tickets are $39-$129 to hear the world-renowned award-winning soprano. If you want good seats, don’t wait. Call 877-MSOPERA or visit msopera.org. And see reneefleming.com for more info.

The concert of the fortnight for any fan of R&B and blue-eyed soul is Robin Thicke at Thalia Mara Hall

“Days that Passed” is Johnny Bertram’s newest release.

XXXX

T

“Days that Passed” is Bertram’s first full-length release on Esperanza Plantation Records after putting out an EP, “Sing Your Song,” the summer of 2009. His band on “Days that Passed,” The Golden Bicycles, are Tyler Tadlock on drums; Jamie Weems on mandolin; brother Luke Bertram on guitar, bass and vocals; and Best on horn, accordion, organ and just about any other random instrument found on the album.

“We really threw the kitchen sink at it,” Bertram says of the record’s multiple layers of instrumentation. “We had so much fun … we actually had to cut some things out.”

Songs like “Great Divide” combine the usual guitar-bass-drum ensemble with the unique flavors of banjo, accordion and horns. The result is a full, warm sound that never gets old, because there is something new to listen to each time.

Bertram did the bulk of his songwriting for “Days that Passed” during his time in Mississippi, and some familiar places

COURTESY JOHNNY BERTRAM

by Andi Agnew

pop up on the album. The Calexico-esque “Fortification” kicks off with a dramatic Spanish flair before launching into a straight-ahead folk-rock sound with an impressive mandolin lead and a rumbling drumbeat reminiscent of a drive down the Jackson street of the same name. “Rocky Springs,” a bittersweet tune about holding on to the past, contains a super-catchy horn/vocal bit that catapults the song to earworm status, but it’s a tune anyone would be glad to hum all day long.

Originally from Boise, Idaho, Bertram could be compared to fellow Idahoans Built to Spill; he’s had the band’s latest, “There is No Enemy,” on heavy rotation. Just as BTS changed its lineup over the years, Bertram can be found playing with different musicians and in different genres. His current side project, Horse Trailer, brings together prolific Jacksonians Taylor Hildebrand, Bryan Ledford, Dave Hutchison, Valley Magee and Jamie Weems for high-energy acoustic rock.

“It’s basically each of us playing our own songs, together,” he explains.

When asked if he thinks a musician can be successful while remaining in Mississippi, Bertram is positive: “I want to think it is possible. … (It depends) on how feasible it is to load up in a van and travel around, which is the same no matter where you live,” he says.

Jackson got a sneak preview of “Days That Passed” before Christmas, but until

Aaron Lewis of Staind brings his acoustic solo tour to the Ameristar Casino in Vicksburg Thursday and Friday night.

next Saturday, Jan. 30, 8 p.m. $35-$45. The three time Grammy-winning songwriter, with his cross-genre appeal, makes this one of the biggest concerts that Jackson has seen for some time. You probably know his singles, “Dreamworld” and “Lost Without U.” Check him out at robinthicke.com.

Plan now for a road trip later. Fiery Furnaces is at One Eyed Jack’s in New Orleans Jan. 30. The Residents will be at the Memphis Hi-Tone Feb. 4. The Black Eyed Peas and Tortoise are in Birmingham Feb. 13.

Also, The Lyric in Oxford has good gigs lined up with G Love Feb. 3, RJD2 Feb. 10, Bela Fleck Feb. 11 and Dark Star Orchestra Feb. 25. Spoon is in New Orleans March 18 and in Birmingham March 19.

—Herman Snell

Best of Jackson 2008 & 2009 Winner

BANDS/DJS FOR HIRE Disc Jockey (DJ) Service Professional DJ - 20 Years Experience - Holiday Parties/Weddings/Birthdays/Private Parties, Lights/Fog/Etc available, Photography Services Available, Live Band Availble (601) 850-4380

GEAR Wanted - Baritone Bugle Looking for B-flat Marching Baritone Bugle in good condition. Reasonably-priced.

Please call 769-232-2415 Bach stradivarius trombone Bach Stradivarius professional trombone w/ F -rotary valve, Excellent condition. Dynamic tonal quality. $1,600.00 Call:- 769 232 2415 Bass gear Quality professional gear. Swr Silverado combo.

350 watts RMS. $400. New aoustic 200 watt bass head $200. Two Swr 1 15’ and horn cabinets $250 ea. Loud and Clean Sold seperately or together.

(601) 214-4412 Professional Sound Engineers Need sound equipment or just a couple of engineers at your next event call Daniel 601.488.0436 any venue large or small anywhere in the south.

Complete PA Huge carvin pa for sale, all accessories, cables, processors, mics, stands, lights, amps, etc. Over $20,000 in gear to sell for best offers. Equipment is in as new condition. (225) 341-9391 Guitar Gear - Must Sell!!

Vox AD120VTH Valvetronix Stereo Head $400, 1x12 and 2x12 cabinets- $80-$125. (601) 540-1739 Baby Blue Electric Bass Baby Blue Electric Bass, Excellent condition ’75 Fender Music Master, short scale. $600.00 firm.

Call Tim or email reeves@cgdsl.net (601) 665-5976 Need extra sound?

Need sound or just an engineer at your next event call Daniel 601.488.0436 or Mike 601.291.9713.

1 - 1604vlz 1 - pmp-5000 - powered mixer 10 - b1520 pro - speaker cabinets 6 - b1800x pro - sub cabinets 4 - f1520 pro - monitor cabinets 5 - ep1500 - power amps 2 - ep2500 - power amps 1 - 266xl - compressor limiter 2 - s - 3-way crossover 2 - ew165g2 e865 - wireless mics 6 - pr99 - mics.

Lighting also available: 6 - Scanners 12 - Par Cans 1- Lazer

MISCELLANEOUS Need A Few Good Musicians Interested in helping to set up music non-profit organization (centered around the BLUES) for disadvantaged youths in the Jackson metropolitan area? If so, I am looking to talk to you. Need musicians who can teach everything from banjo, guitar, dobro, mandolin, fiddle, accordion, harmonica, piano, etc., etc. COME BE A PART OF THIS GREAT PROJECT! (601) 924-0210.

MUSICIANS AVAILABLE Metal Vocalist Seeking Band Exp’d metal vocalist with wide range. Influences: Lamb of God, Opeth, WhiteChapel, etc.

Scream and Sing. Contact David for more info davida2318@gmail.com (601) 201-3815

Party time I’m a 29 yo drummer. I primarily like hard rock and heavy metal. Hit me up at DrumminD21311@aol.com. (769) 798-8370 Drummer Available Mature/seasoned drummer available. Have played everything from country to Christian Contemporary.

Would like to join existing band or form new one with seasoned musicians ONLY...no beginners please! Would like to play classic rock, blues and/ or contemporary. Call if interested. (601) 613-5835 Looking to Start Band I am a bass player new in town and am looking to start a band in the Jackson area. I need a guitarist, drummer and lead vocals. No specific genre is preferred, but the band will be based on rock and metal (no death or black metal). I’ve played in several bands and played out hundreds of times and am able to get gigs. If interested or for more info please call Chris @ 386-365-2944 Drummer Available 41 Year old drummer looking to play with existing group or start one. Great love for the instrument and really want to put something together for fun and profit (gigs 1-3 month). Rock, classic rock, pop, jazz, and swing. Good chops and attitude, no ego, just want to play. Call bill @ 601-955-7924 or e-mail at wricha2796@aol. Com. (601) 955-7924 Female Vocalist Seeking Band I am a 16-year-old female vocalist seeking a synthpop or rock band. Ages of band members preferrably 25 years or younger due to parental objections. Contact by email at freezepopforever1029@hotmail.com.

Old Drummer Available!

Drummer available: most recently, i have played with the veterans of foreign bars band. Interested in playing blues, funk, soul, maybe country. I am an older guy and settled in for the duration.

I would be interested in a steady band, fill-in, and, possibly, a new start-up. Let me hear: mcdrum89@yahoo.Com or call 601-832-0831 Musician Available 25 Years experience playing Drums, Guitar & Bass.

Recently relocated to Jackson from Memphis, TN. All genres of music. Contact Tim at 601-665-5976.

Or email: reeves@cgdsl.net Serious inquires only.

Drummer Looking For Band I’m an experienced drummer looking to form/join a band. I have mostly played metal, but I am open to rock/hard rock/metal, etc. Call Dave at (769) 226-0845.

1935 Lakeland Dr. 601.906.2253

MUSICIANS WANTED Deathcore guitarists Metal band looking for 2 exp’d guitarists. Influences include WhiteChapel, Carnifex, Opeth, etc.

Call David for more info (601) 201-3815 Metal Singer & Bassist Wanted AnnX is looking for a Experienced Energetic METAL Vocalist and a Bass Player to play shows and write new material. (601) 383-4851 New band Experienced bass player/vocal and sound engineer/ keyboard are forming a rock band. We are seeking experienced musicians to join. +30 age preferred.

Open to music from 1960’s to current day. Must own equipment and no illegal habits. Call Charles at (601) 898-1628 or Gary at (601) 850-4380 Become our Next Instructor Major Scales Studio is accepting applications for a classical or rock or jazz guitar teacher. Must have professional appearance. Please email your resume to Majorscales@aol.com.

Cellist Needed For Album/tour Cellist needed for my album and possibly to tour shortly after. I am signed with South City Records. I need to start recording ASAP! Must be reliable and dedicated.

Please contact me at scorpiano31@gmail.com Drummer/Bassist needed - Metal We are in need of a drummer and a bassist. Experience in metal (death, black, etc.) is preffered, but not completely necessary. Call Buddy at (601)5025647. Thanks for reading. -Buddy

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

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jacksonfreepress.com

BANDS WANTED vocalist looking for band im a rock vocalist looking for a band in need of a lead singer please call at any time my name is shane (601) 940-0510

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livemusic 8

around S A Lthe O Ocorner N

Country and Rock Music OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK - 4 P.M. ‘TIL

HAPPY HOUR 5-7, MON-THURS

WEDNESDAY - JANUARY 20

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR ALL SHOWS 10PM UNLESS NOTED WEDNESDAY

LIVE BAND Open Mic / Ladies Night / 2 FOR 1 DOMESTICS

THURSDAY - JANUARY 21

Open Mic with Mike Mott FRIDAY - JANUARY 22

1/20

GHOST TOWN @ 9:30

LADIES NIGHT LADIES DRINK ALL YOU CAN 8PM-12AM FOR $5 - NO COVER

THURSDAY

1/21

OPEN ‘TIL 2AM FRIDAY

1/22

TOOZTHEN COMPANY JERRY JOSEPH SATURDAY

1/23

LORD T AND ELOISE

SUNDAY

1/25

OPEN MIC JAM TUESDAY

1/26

MATT’S LATE NIGHT KARAOKE $2 MARGARITAS $1 HIGHLIFE & PBR

January 21 - 27, 2010

WEDNESDAY

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FAZE 4 @ 9:30 SUNDAY - JANUARY 24 2 for 1 Domestics MONDAY - JANUARY 25

CLOSED TUESDAY - JANUARY 26 POOL LEAGUE NIGHT 2636 S. Gallatin Jackson, MS 39204

601-961-4747 www.myspace.com/popssaloon

1/24

KARAOKE MONDAY

SATURDAY - JANUARY 23

1/27

LADIES NIGHT LADIES DRINK ALL YOU CAN 8PM-12AM FOR $5 - NO COVER 214 S. STATE ST. • 601.354.9712 DOWNTOWN JACKSON WWW.MARTINSLOUNGE.NET

TOPTEN SONGS THIS WEEK 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

PUDDLE OF MUDD - Spaceship SHINEDOWN - If You Only Knew MUDVAYNE - Scream With Me SKILLET - Monster THREE DAYS GRACE - Break SLIPKNOT - Snuff CAVO - Crash FLYLEAF - Again JANUS - Eyesore ATREYU - Storm To Pass

JAN. 20, WEDNESDAY Fenian’s - Open Mic Contest Winner 9-12 a.m. free Hal & Mal’s Restaurant - Hal & Connie (Folk) 8 p.m. free Underground 119 - Bill & Temperance (bluegrass) 8-11 p.m.

F. Jones Corner - Sherman Lee Dillon (blues lunch) free Shucker’s - Hunter Gibson & Rick Moreira 7:30-11 p.m. free Pelican Cove - Karaoke Contest 6-10 p.m.

Kathryn’s - Larry Brewer 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Ole Tavern - Karaoke Fitzgerald’s - Rainmaker’s 8-12 a.m.

Huntington’s - Adib 6-9 p.m.

Regency - Snazz Pop’s - Open Mic/Live Band The Auditorium - Karaoke 9-12 a.m.

Footloose - Karaoke 8-12 a.m. free Time Out - Shaun Patterson Electric Cowboy - Karaoke McB’s - Houseband 7 p.m. free Eli’s Treehouse, V’burg - Karaoke 8 p.m.

JAN. 21, THURSDAY F. Jones Corner - Sherman Lee Dillon (blues lunch) free; Blacdadi Strahberies 9:30 p.m. $5 Hal & Mal’s Restaurant - Jason Turner 8 p.m. free Underground 119 - Scotty T & His B3 (jazz) 8-11 p.m.

930 Blues Cafe - Jackie Bell, Norman Clark & Smoke Stack Lightning 8 p.m. $5 Footloose - Karaoke 8-12 a.m.

Cherokee Inn - D’lo Trio (Americana) The Auditorium - “Big Juv” Brawley (blues/rock) 7:30-9 p.m. free Regency Hotel - Karaoke 7 p.m.

AJ’s Seafood - Hunter Gibson 6:30-10 p.m. free Castaways - Karaoke 6-10 p.m.

Fitzgerald’s - Adib 8-12 a.m.

Huntington’s - Andy Hardwick 6-9 p.m.

Poets II - Karaoke 10 p.m.

Electric Cowboy - DJ Cadillac 9 p.m.

McB’s - Karaoke 7 p.m. free Pool Hall (old Last Call location, I-55) - DJ Mike 8:30 p.m.

Ameristar, V’burg - Aaron Lewis of Staind 8 p.m. $40-$50 Eli’s Treehouse, V’burg - Karaoke 8 p.m.

Proud Larry’s, Oxford - The Whigs, Young Buffalo 9 p.m.

JAN. 22, FRIDAY Martin’s - Jerry Joseph (rock) 10 p.m. www.jerryjoseph.com Hal & Mal’s Restaurant - Rhonda Richmond (jazz) 9 p.m. free Underground 119 - King Edward (blues) 9-12 a.m. $10 F. Jones Corner - Sherman Lee Dillon (blues lunch) free; Jesse Robinson’s 500lb Blues Band 11:30-4 a.m. $5 The Auditorium - Larry Brewer 7:30-9 p.m.

Pelican Cove - Jam Haus 6-10 p.m.

Ole Tavern - Redmouth, The Quills 10 p.m.

Pop’s - Ghost Town

1/23 1/27 1/30 2/04 2/09 2/10 2/13

Wired Espresso Cafe, 115 N. State - Ronnie Dennis (CD Release Party) 7 p.m. 601-500-7800 Crawdad Hole, Lakeland Dr Fulkerson/Pace 7-10 p.m.

McB’s - Johnny Crocker 8-11:30 p.m.

930 Blues Cafe - Blues/Jazz 5:30-8 p.m.; Jackie Bell, 9 p.m. $10 Schimmel’s - Dr. D (blues) 6-9 p.m. free Electric Cowboy - DJ Terry 9 p.m.

Footloose - Karaoke 9-1 a.m. free Hunt Club - Jordana Fitzgerald’s - Adib 8-12 a.m.

Cultural Expressions - Reggae/HipHop/Old School Night 9 p.m. $5 Pool Hall (old Last Call location, I-55) - Karaoke 9 p.m.

Regency - Sonny Kane Project Huntington’s - Ralph Miller 6-9 p.m.

Dick & Jane’s - Show Night/DJ Allen 9 p.m. $6; 18+ $10 Reed Pierce’s - Trademark Ameristar, V’burg - Aaron Lewis of Staind, Breakaway 8 p.m. $40-$50 Golden Moon, Choctaw - Emma Wynters Duo 6-10 p.m.

JAN. 23, SATURDAY Thalia Mara Hall - Miss. Symphony Orchestra Bravo III: 1812 Overture & More (Tchaikovsky) 7:30 p.m. $20+ msorchestra.com Martin’s - Lord T & Eloise (aristocrunk) 10 p.m. www.lordtandeloise.com 930 Blues Cafe - Blues/Jazz 5:30-8 p.m.; Jackie Bell, 9 p.m. $10 Hal & Mal’s Restaurant - Pinter, Fortenberry, Chester 9 p.m. free Hal & Mal’s Red Room - Beth Patterson 9 p.m. $5 Fire - Silver Tongue Devil (rock) 9 p.m. myspace.com/silvertonguedevil1 F. Jones Corner - Houserockers (blues) 11:30-5 a.m. $5 myspace.com/thehouserockers Ole Tavern - Wooden Finger, Through the Sparks 10 p.m.

Underground 119 - Jason Marsalis (jazz) 9-12 a.m. $10 Poet’s II - The Rainmakers (classic rock) 9-1 a.m.

McB’s - Electric Co. 8-11:30 p.m.

Pelican Cove - Thomas James 6-10 p.m.

Hunt Club - Jordana Cultural Expressions - Kamikaze & Yardboy (hip-hop/Soul) 9 p.m. $5 Pop’s - Faze 4 Electric Cowboy - DJ Terry (country/dance/rock) 9 p.m.

Dick & Jane’s - House Party/DJ Allen 9 p.m. $6; 18+ $10 Touch Nightclub - DJ 2 Tall 10 p.m. 18+ Club Clarion - DJ Huntington’s - Ralph Miller 6-9 p.m.

Regency - Fade 2 Blue Koinonia Coffee - Gospoetry 8-12 p.m. $5 Reed Pierce’s - Trademark Vicksburg Convention Center Larry the Cable Guy (comedy) 8 p.m., 800-745-3000 MSU Riley Center, Meridian - Los Lobos $33-$39, 601-696-2200 Ameristar, V’burg - Breakaway 8 p.m.

Golden Moon, Choctaw - Emma Wynters Duo 6-10 p.m.

Los Lobos - MSU Riley Center, Meridian Gov’t Mule - Lyric, Oxford Fiery Furnaces - One Eyed Jack’s, New Orleans The Residents - Hi-Tone, Memphis John Mayer / Michael Franti - BJCC Arena, Birmingham RJD2 - Lyric, Oxford Black Eyed Peas - BJCC Arena, Birmingham

JAN. 24, SUNDAY Warehouse - Mike & Marty Open Jam Session 6-10 p.m. free Fitzgerald’s - Andy Hardwick (brunch) 11-2 p.m.

Sophia’s, Fairview Inn - Knight Bruce 11 a.m. (brunch) Pelican Cove - Larry Brewer 2-6 p.m.

Shucker’s - Rhythm Masters 3-7 p.m. free Martin’s - Karaoke 6 p.m.

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

Footloose - Karaoke 7-11 p.m. free Cultural Expressions - Open Mic Poetry 8 p.m. $5

JAN. 25, MONDAY Hal & Mal’s Restaurant - Central Miss.

Blues Society Jam 8-11 p.m. $5 F. Jones Corner - Sherman Lee Dillon (blues lunch) free Hilton, County Ln - Ridgeland Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet: John Anderson (country/unplugged) $60 w/ dinner, 601-991-9996 Martin’s - Open Mic 10 p.m. free Fenian’s - Karaoke 8-1 a.m.

Fitzgerald’s - Hunter & Rick 8-12 a.m.

Huntington’s - Ralph Miller 6-9 p.m.

JAN. 26, TUESDAY Hal & Mal’s Restaurant - Pub Quiz 8 p.m.

Fenian’s - Open Mic 9 p.m.

F. Jones Corner - Sherman Lee Dillon (blues lunch) free Martin’s - Karaoke 10 p.m.

Shucker’s - The Xtremes 7-11 p.m. free Fitzgerald’s - Rainmaker’s 8-12 a.m.

Huntington’s - Jimmy Jarrett 6-9 p.m.

Time Out - Open Mic 8 p.m.

McB’s - Karaoke 7 p.m. free Cafe 101, 101 South St - Open Mic (blues/poetry) 7 p.m. $5, 601353-0434 Final Destination - Open Mic

JAN. 27, WEDNESDAY Fire - Sister Hazel (rock) 9 p.m. myspace.com/sisterhazel Fenian’s - Open Mic Contest Winner 9-12 a.m. free Hal & Mal’s Restaurant - Taylor Hildebrand 8 p.m. free Shucker’s - DoubleShotz F. Jones Corner - Sherman Lee Dillon (blues lunch) free Pelican Cove - Karaoke Contest 6-10 p.m.

Fitzgerald’s, Hilton - Hunter Gibson & Rick Moreira 8-12 a.m. free Huntington’s - Adib 6-9 p.m.

Kathryn’s - Larry Brewer 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Ole Tavern - Karaoke The Auditorium - Karaoke 9-12 a.m.

Footloose - Karaoke 8-12 a.m. free Time Out - Shaun Patterson Electric Cowboy - Karaoke McB’s - Houseband 7 p.m. free Eli’s Treehouse, V’burg - Karaoke 8 p.m.

Lyric, Oxford - Gov’t Mule

venuelist Wednesday, January 20th Footloose Bar and Grill 4661 Hwy 80 West, Jackson, 601-922-9944 Freelon’s Bar And Groove 440 N. Mill St., Jackson, 601-353-5357 (hip-hop) Fusion Coffeehouse Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland, 601-856-6001 Garfield’s Restaurant & Pub 6340 Ridgewood Court, Jackson, 601-977-9920 Gold Strike Casino 1010 Casino Center Drive, Robinsonville, 888-245-7529 Grand Casino Biloxi 280 Beach Boulevard, Biloxi, 228-436-2946 Grand Casino Tunica 13615 Old Highway 61 North, Robinsonville, 800-39-GRAND The Green Room 444 Bounds St., Jackson, 601-713-3444 Ground Zero Blues Club 0 Blues Alley, Clarksdale, 662-621-9009 Grownfolks’s Lounge 4030 Medgar Evers Blvd, Jackson, 601-362-6008 Hal & Mal’s 200 S. Commerce St., Jackson, 601-948-0888 (pop/rock/blues) Hamp’s Place 3028 W. Northside Dr., Jackson, 601-981-4110 (dance/dj) Hard Rock Biloxi 777 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, 228-374-ROCK Hat & Cane 1115 E. McDowell Rd., Jackson, 601-352-0411 Hauté Pig 1856 Main St., Madison, 601853-8538 Here We Go Again 3002 Terry Road, Jackson, 601-373-1520 The Hill Restaurant 2555 Valley St., Jackson, 601-373-7768 Horizon Casino Mulberry Lounge 1310 Mulberry St., Vicksburg, 800-843-2343 Horseshoe Bar 5049 Hwy 80 West, Jackson, 601-922-6191 Horseshoe Casino Tunica, 800-303-7463 The Hunt Club 1525 Ellis Ave., Jackson, 601-944-1150 Huntington Grille 1001 E. County Line Rd., Jackson, 601-957-1515 The Ice House 515 S. Railroad Blvd., McComb, 601-684-0285 (pop/rock) JC’s 425 North Mart Plaza, Jackson, 601-362-3108 James Meredith Lounge 217 Griffith St. 601-969-3222 Julep Restaurant and Bar 105 Highland Village, Jackson, 601-362-1411 Kathryn’s Steaks and Seafood 6800 Old Canton Road, Ridgeland. 601-956-2803 Koinonia Coffee House 136 S. Adam St., Suite C, Jackson, 601-960-3008 LaRae’s 210 Parcel Dr., Jackson, 601-944-0660 Last Call Sports Grill 1428 Old Square Road, Jackson, 601-713-2700 The Library Bar & Grill 120 S. 11th St., Oxford, 662-234-1411 The Loft 1306 A. Washington St., Vicksburg, 601-629-6188 The Lyric Oxford 1006 Van Buren Ave., Oxford. 662-234-5333 Main Event Sports Bar & Grill 4659 Hwy 80 West, Jackson, 601-922-9987 Manda’s Pub 614 Clay Street, Vicksburg, 601-638-6607 Martin’s Lounge 214 S. State St., Jackson, 601-354-9712 (rock/jam/blues) McB’s Restaurant 815 Lake Harbor Dr., Ridgeland, 601-956-8362 (pop/rock) Mellow Mushroom 275 Dogwood Blvd., Flowood, 601-992-7499 Mississippi Academy of Ancient Music 103 Magnolia, Edwards, 601-977-7736 Mississippi Coliseum 1207 Mississippi St., Jackson, 601-353-0603 Mississippi Opera P.O. Box 1551, Jackson, 877-MSOPERA, 601-960-2300 Mississippi Opry 2420 Old Brandon Rd., Brandon, 601-331-6672 Mississippi Symphony Orchestra 201 East Pascagoula St., Jackson, 800-898-5050 Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium 2531 N. State St., Jackson, 601-354-6021 Monte’s Steak and Seafood 1855 Lakeland Dr., Jackson, 601-362-8182 Mugshots 1855 Lakeland Dr., Jackson, 601-713-0383 North Jackson Pockets 109 Culley Dr., Jackson, 601- 362-4939 Okasions 1766 Ellis Avenue, Jackson, 601-373-4037 Old Venice Pizza Co. 1428 Old Square Rd., Jackson, 601-366-6872

Ole Tavern on George Street 416 George St., Jackson, 601-960-2700 Olga’s 4760 I-55 North, Jackson, 601-366-1366 (piano) One to One Studio 121 Millsaps Ave., in the Millsaps Arts District, Jackson One Blue Wall 2906 N State St., Jackson, 601-713-1224 Peaches Restaurant 327 N. Farish St., Jackson, 601-354-9267 Pelican Cove 3999A Harborwalk Dr., Ridgeland, 601-605-1865 Pig Ear Saloon 160 Weisenberger Rd., Gluckstadt, 601-898-8090 Pig Willies 1416 Washington St., Vicksburg, 601-634-6872 Pool Hall 3716 I-55 North Frontage Rd., Jackson, 601-713-2708 Pop’s Saloon 2636 Gallatin St., Jackson, 601-961-4747 (country) Proud Larry’s 211 S. Lamar Blvd., Oxford, 662-236-0050 The Pub Hwy. 51, Ridgeland, 601-898-2225 The Quarter Bistro & Piano Bar 1855 Lakeland Dr., Jackson, 601-362-4900 Que Sera Sera 2801 N. State St., Jackson, 601-981-2520 Red Room 200 S. Commerce St., Jackson (Hal & Mal’s), 601-948-0888 (rock/alt.)

Reed Pierce’s 6791 Siwell Rd., Byram, 601-376-0777, 601-376-4677 Regency Hotel Restaurant & Bar 420 Greymont Ave., Jackson, 601-969-2141 Rick’s Cafe 318 Hwy 82 East, #B, Starkville, 662-324-7425 RJ Barrel 111 N. Union 601-667-3518 Sal and Mookie’s 565 Taylor St. 601368-1919 Sam’s Lounge 5035 I-55 N. Frontage Rd., Jackson, 601-983-2526 Sam’s Town Casino 1477 Casino Strip Blvd., Robinsonville, 800-456-0711 Schimmel’s Fine Dining 2615 N. State St., Jackson, 601-981-7077 Scrooge’s 5829 Ridgewood Rd., Jackson, 601-206-1211 Shuckers on the Reservoir 116 Conestoga Rd., Ridgeland, 601-853-0105 Silver Star Casino Hwy. 16 West, Choctaw, 800-557-0711 Soop’s The Ultimate 1205 Country Club Dr., Jackson, 601-922-1402 (blues) Soulshine Pizza 1139 Old Fannin Rd., Brandon, 601-919-2000 Soulshine Pizza 1111 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland, 601-856-8646 Sportsman’s Lodge 1220 E. Northside Dr. at I-55, Jackson, 601-366-5441 Steam Room Grille 5402 Interstate-55 Frontage Road. 601-899-8588 Stone Pony Oyster Bar 116 Commercial Parkway, Canton, 601-859-0801 Super Chikan’s Place 235 Yazoo Ave., Clarksdale, 662-627-7008 Thalia Mara Hall 255 E. Pascagoula St., Jackson, 601-960-1535 Thirsty Hippo 211 Main St., Hattiesburg, 601-583-9188 (indie/alt.rock/jam/world) Time Out Sports Bar 6270 Old Canton Rd., 601-978-1839 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 Tye’s 120 N. Congress St., Jackson, 601949-3434 Under the Boardwalk 2560 Terry Rd., Jackson, 601-371-7332 (country/classic rock) Underground 119 119 S. President St. 601352-2322 VB’s Premier Sports Bar 1060 County Line Rd., Ridgland, 601-572-3989 VFW Post 9832 4610 Sunray Drive, Jackson, 601-982-9925 Vicksburg Convention Center 1600 Mulberry Street, Vicksburg, 866-822-6338 Walker’s Drive-In 3016 N. State St., Jackson, 601-982-2633 (jazz/pop/folk) The Warehouse 9347 Hwy 18 West, Jackson, 601-502-8580 (pop/rock) Wired Expresso Cafe 115 N. State St. 601-500-7800

LADIES NIGHT w/ SNAZZ Ladies’ Cover Free - Guys Cover $5

8:30PM BUY ONE GET ONE Well Drinks Thursday, January 21st

Weekly Lunch Specials

Bike Night w/ Krazy Karaoke 7:00 PM - NO COVER

$2 MARGARITAS!

Parking now on side of building

Friday, January 22nd

Sonny Kane Project 8:30 pm $5 Saturday, January 23rd

FADE TO BLUE 8:30 pm $5 cover Exquisite Dining at

The Rio Grande Restaurant

Open for dinner Sat. 4-10pm thursday JANUARY 21

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

friday JANUARY 22

Redmouth 400 Greymont Ave., Jackson 601-969-2141 www.regencyjackson.com

WE’VE GOT FOOTBALL ON EVERY GAME DAY! t lunch specials $7.95 - includes tea & desser

Smoke-free lunch

weekdays 11am-3pm

WED. LADIES NIGHT & KARAOKE

THURS. $2 DOMESTICS LONGNECKS

TIC OMES $10 D KETS BUC ANY

G DURIN L GAME! BAL FOOT

FRI. SUPER NOIZE 9:30 - ‘TIL COLLEGE NIGHT BRING STUDENT ID

SAT.

NCAA BASKETBALL

SUN.

NFC/AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

MON. S.I.N. NIGHT

TUES. JACKPOT TRIVIA $2 DOMESTICS

SUNDAYS, BLOODY MARYS & MIMOSAS $3 ON SDAYS THUR S PINT $1.50 AND DAY 2 FOR 1 MON

with

The Quills saturday JANUARY 23

Wooden Finger

/w The Delicate Cutters tuesday JANUARY 26

OPEN MIC with Cody Cox *DOLLAR BEER*

wednesday JANUARY 27

Kick Ass Karaoke

with KJ Joosy FREE WiFi Open Mon-Sat, Kitchen open Mon-Fri 11 am-10 pm & Sat 4-10 pm

jacksonfreepress.com

61 South - Rainbow Casino 1380 Warrenton Rd., Vicksburg, 800-503-3777 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 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s 111 Colony Crossing, Suite 130, Madison, 601-607-3171 Bennie’s Boom Boom Room 142 Front St., Hattiesburg, 601-408-6040 Borrello’s 1306 Washington St., Vicksburg, 601-638-0169 Buffalo Wild Wings 808 Lake Harbour Dr., Ridgeland, 601-856-0789 Capri-Pix Theatre 3021 N. State St., Jackson, 601-981-9606 Castaways 135 Madison Landing Circle, Ridgeland, 601-856-1680 (pop/rock) Central City Complex 609 Woodrow Wilson Dr., Jackson, 601-352-9075 Cerami’s 5417 Highway 25, Flowood, 601-919-2829 Char Restaurant 4500 I-55, Highland Village, Jackson, 601-956-9562 Cherokee Inn 1410 Old Square Rd., Jackson, 601-362-6388 Club 43 Hwy 43, Canton, 601-654-3419, 601-859-0512 Club City Lights 200 N. Mill St., Jackson, 601-353-0059 Club O’Hara 364 Monticello St., Hazlehurst, 601-894-5674 Club Total 342 N. Gallatin St., Jackson, 601-714-5992 The Commons Gallery 719 N. Congress St., 601-352-3399 Couples Entertainment Center 4511 Byrd Drive, Jackson, 601-923-9977 Crawdad Hole 1150 Lakeland Dr., Jackson, 601-982-9299 Crickett’s Lounge 4370 Hwy 80 West, Jackson, 601-922-0500 Crossroads Bar & Lounge 3040 Livingston Rd., Jackson, 601-984-3755 (blues) Cultural Expressions 147 Millsaps Ave., Jackson, 601-665-0815 (neosoul/hip-hop) Cups in Fondren 2757 Old Canton Road, Jackson, 601-362-7422 (acoustic/pop) Cups in the Quarter 1855 Lakeland Dr., Jackson, 601-981-9088 Davidson’s Corner Market 108 W. Center St., Canton, 601-855-2268 (pop/rock) Debo’s 180 Raymond Road, Jackson, 601-346-8283 Diamond Jack’s Casino 3990 Washington Street, Vicksburg, 1-877-711-0677 Dick & Jane’s 206 Capitol St., Jackson, 601-944-0123 (dance/alternative) Dixie Diamond 1306 Washington Street, Vicksburg, 601-638-6297 Dollar Bills Dance Saloon 103 A Street, Meridian, 601-693-5300 Edison Walthall Hotel 225 E. Capitol St., Jackson, 601-948-6161 Electric Cowboy 6107 Ridgewood Rd., Jackson, 601-899-5333 (country/rock/dance) elixir 4800 1-55 N, Jackson, 601-981-7896 Executive Place 2440 Bailey Ave., Jackson, 601-987-4014 F. Jones Corner 303 N. Farish St. 601983-1148 Fenian’s 901 E. Fortification Street, Jackson, 601-948-0055 (rock/Irish/folk) Fire 209 Commerce St., Jackson, 601592-1000 (rock/dance/dj) Final Destination 5428 Robinson Rd. Ext., Jackson, (pop/rock/blues) Fitzgerald’s Martini Bar 1001 E. County Line Road, Jackson, 601-957-2800 Flood’s Bar and Grill 2460 Bailey Ave., Jackson, 601-713-4094

31

dining

by Tom Ramsey

Bowl of Red

January 21 - 27, 2010

32

TOM RAMSEY

W

hen the weatherman started talking about snow in Jackson, my wife got busy gathering up blankets and throws. Nine-year-old Zak sat by the window keeping a keen eye on the night sky, straining not to blink and miss catching a glimpse of the first flakes, back-lit by the streetlight. Our teenage boys furiously worked the keyboards on their iPhones making plans with girls to drink coco and flirt (as if they need an excuse like snow for flirting).

But my mind immediately went to food—BIG food—steaming-in-one-giantpot food; the stuff that warms you up from the heart out and sustains you through the cold night; food you eat in a big-ole bowl with a big-ole spoon in front of the TV or the fireplace. Several old standards meet these requirements, but for my money, one stands head-and-shoulders above the rest: chili.

For the longest time, I put chili in a category of foods that are the stuff of bachelor pads and empty bragging. I can’t count the number of guys who tell me, “I don’t really cook, but I make a great ____.” (Insert either chili or spaghetti sauce).

My attitude toward chili changed on a trip several years ago to Austin, Texas.

A friend of mine from college was getting married and asked me to be a groomsman.

When I was booking the trip west, I saw that Southwest Airlines was running a “friends fly free” promotion. Naturally, I called my frequent traveling pal, Dan Blumenthal, to see if he wanted to tag along to a wedding where he would know absolutely no one in attendance and, therefore, have a shot at impressing a bridesmaid. Not surprisingly, Dan was up for it, so off we went.

Thirty minutes after we stepped foot onto Texas soil, we stopped at a Texaco station to fill up the rental car. Intoxicating waves of beefy-peppery aromas drew Dan to a little lunch counter run by a local family.

While I was paying for the gas, Dan called me over to where he was inspecting the small menu. “I love Texas-style chili. Let’s eat chili

everywhere we go this weekend,” he said with a goofy ecstatic grin on his face.

Dan’s culinary skills allowed him to scan the menu and immediately recognize the house specialty.

“Two Frito pies with cheese, please.”

He ordered with the confidence of a local.

What they gave us was a red-checkered, rectangular paper boat filled with heaven. The crunch from the Fritos, the sharpness of the shredded cheddar, the savory taste of the meat, the kick of red pepper and the hot acidity of the chopped red onions all played like finely tuned instruments in a symphony of yum.

And this was just convenience-store food.

Every chance we had to eat chili on that trip, we took it. We had chili in oversized china bowls, garnished with fresh chives, cilantro and artistic dollops of sour cream at a fancy restaurant, and in a utilitarian cafeteria-green plastic bowl at a neighborhood diner. I even found a bowl of leftover chili in my friend’s fridge and used it as a topping on my midnight-scavenger hotdog.

I noticed a central theme in all of the chilies: lots of meat, no beans, a spicy kick, a hint of bitterness and very little liquid. I couldn’t wait to get home and work on my version of what the Texans call “A Bowl of Red.” And although my friend’s marriage didn’t last long, my love for chili and my recipe for this soul-warming dish have stood the test of time.

TEX-A-SSIPPI RED CHILI Serves 6 2 pounds chuck (cubed) 3 pounds ground beef (round, sirloin or chuck) 8 cloves garlic 2 large yellow onions 1 large red onion 1 bunch green onions 1 jalapeño pepper 3 tablespoons oregano 2 tablespoons chili powder 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (add gradually to suit your taste) 3 tablespoons ground cumin 3 tablespoons paprika 3 dried ancho chili peppers (stems and seeds removed) 2 tablespoons whole coriander 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate 4 tablespoons olive oil 1 bottle dark beer 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes Cilantro for garnish Limes for garnish 1 cup sour cream 2 cups queso fresco (or shredded jack cheese)

To prepare the ingredients, coarsely chop the red onions, yellow onions and garlic. Cut the chuck into ½ inch cubes.

Remove the seeds and white membrane from jalapeño pepper and finely chop the remaining flesh. Finely chop the green onions and the ancho chili peppers.

Slice the limes into wedges.

Place a stockpot over medium heat until it is very hot (Three minutes will do the trick) add the cubed beef and quickly brown on all sides. Add olive oil, garlic, red onions, yellow onions and jalapeño pepper, and cook until onions are translucent. Add ground beef and brown completely. Add all herbs and dry ingredients, including ancho chilies. Add chocolate and stir until it is well mixed with the beef. Add half the bottle of beer and tomatoes. Bring all to a simmer and cook until the liquid is reduced by half.

Ladle chili into a large bowl and top with a dollop of sour cream. Sprinkle with cheese and green onions and garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.

To morph this bowl of goodness into Frito pie, cover the bottom of a bowl with corn chips, spoon on a heavy layer of chili, top with melted cheese, and microwave for about 30 seconds or until the cheese melts.

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Paid advertising advertising section. section. Call Call 601-362-6121 601-362-6121 x11 x1 totolist Paid listyour yourrestaurant.r restaurant.r

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Nagoya Japanese Restaurant (6351 I-55 North #131 @ Target Shopping Ctr. 601-977-8881) Frequent finalist in the “Best Asian” category, 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.

RONNIE DENNIS CD Release Party Friday, Jan. 22nd at 7pm

ASIAN

LUNCH: MON.-FRI., 10AM-2PM See Us Come kfast! a e r B r o F

7AM -10AM

168 W. Griffith St. • Sterling Towers Across from MC School of Law

OEC (Ridgeland 601-853-4188 and Madison 601-853-8288) Dine in or take out Japanese-style hibachi orders, friend rice, salads or sushi. Hibachi options range from veggies to jumbo shrimp. And it ain’t Japanese in Mississippi without the crawfish roll, right?

Tokyo Express (5050 I-55N 601-957-1558 and 900 E County Line 601-899-8838) Lunch or dinner hibachi orders (chicken, shrimp, steak, scallops) and cooked sushi rolls (snow crab, philly, crawfish, dynamite, titanic) along with fried rice and appetizer.

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.

COFFEE HOUSES Cups Espresso Café (Multiple Locations, www.cupsespressocafe.com) Jackson’s local chain 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 Café (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.

BAKERY

601-352-2364 • Fax: 601-352-2365 Hours: Monday - Friday 7am - 6pm

“Home of the Best Brisket in Jackson”

Serving:

Home-Cooking T BUFFE- Friday

H OT P ASTA D ISHE G RILLED F ISH P ANINI S ANDWICH

$8 Monday & only $10 Sunday

En

from the Belhaven bakery

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

Broad Street (4465 Interstate 55 N. 601-362-2900) Hot breakfast, coffee espresso drinks, fresh breads and pastries, gourmet deli sandwiches, quiches, soups, pizzas, pastas and dessert. A “see and be seen” Jackson institution!

Campbellʼs Bakery (3013 N State St 601-362-4628) Cookies, cakes and cupcakes are accompanied by good coffee and a full-cooked Southern breakfast on weekdays in this charming bakery in Fondren.

Crazy Cat Bakers (Highland Village Suite #173 601-362-7448 & Fondren Corner Bldg) The amazing lunch sandwiches include: Meatloaf Panini, Mediterranean Vegetarian, Rotisserie Chicken to gourmet pimento cheese. The outlandish desserts are: to die for. Now open in the Fondren Corner Building on North State Street.

Call Us: 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 salads—and don’t forget the crab cakes. Party menu includes a “panini pie.” 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. Voted Best Wine Selection and Best Chef in 2009, Bravo! walks away with tons of awards every year.

HOURS: Monday-Friday, 11am-3pm 182 Raymond Rd. | Jackson, MS 39204 Telephone: 601-373-7707 lumpkinsbbq@comcast.net

Express Tokyo Fresh • Sushi • Fast

Sushi & Habchi

DAILY HAPPY HOUR 2-5 Free beverage with the $5 purchase DINE IN OR CARRY OUT

ITALIAN Basilʼs Belhaven (904 E. Fortification, Jackson, 601-352-2002)

COME & GET A FACE-FULL OF BARBEQUE AND FAMILY FUN

“Now Dats Italian”

A metro-area tradition since 1977 Dinner Hours: Lunch Hours: Tues-Fri 11am-2pm

Tues-Thurs 5pm-9pm Fri & Sat 5pm-10pm

601-919-2829 5417 Lakeland Drive ~ Flowood, MS 39232

5050 I55 N Ste. D Jackson (Located in Deville Plaza) PHONE 601.957.1558 FAX 601.957.1368

Ceramiʼs (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!

Fratesiʼs (910 Lake Harbour, Ridgeland, 601-956-2929) “Authentic, homey, unpretentious” that’s how the regulars describe Fratesi’s, a staple in Jackson for years, offering great Italian favorites with loving care. The tiramisu is a must-have!

Hickory Pit Barbeque (1491 Canton Mart Rd. 601-956-7079) The “Best Butts in Town” features BBQ chicken, beef and pork sandwiches along with burgers and po’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, Lumpkin’s offers all your favorites for on-site family dining or for catered events, including reunions, office events, annivesaries, weddings and more.

DINE LOCAL, see pg. 34

jacksonfreepress.com

BARBEQUE

33

Paid advertising section.

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

“Best Take Out” winner Best of Jackson 2009

BAKERS

BARS, PUBS & BURGERS

Now with TWO locations to better serve you

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

Fenianʼs 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.

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

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

Fitzgeralds at the Hilton (1001 East County Line Road, 601-957-2800) Bar favorites with a Gulf Coast twist like Gumbo Ya Ya, Shrimp Cocktail and Pelahatchie artisan sausage and cheese antipasto. Plus grilled oysters, tournedos of beef, chicken pontabla and of course the fried stuff—oysters, catfish, shrimp, seafood or chicken. Did we mention the bar?

Hammontreeʼs RJ Barrel (N Union St, Canton 601-667-3518) Americana at its best. Sandwiches, BBQ, and kids running around the Canton Square. Don’t miss the homemade crust for pizza and calzones, however. Nice beer selection, too.

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

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

Martinʼs 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

(

still need help paying off our student loans

(

NEW! FONDREN CORNER | 11AM - 2PM HIGHLAND VILLAGE | 10AM - 6PM 601.362.7448 • CRAZYCATBAKERS.COM

2003-2009, Best of Jackson

Italian Done Right.

Remember you can buy our lasagna by the pan!

707 N. Congress Street Downtown Jackson • (601) 353-1180

910 Lake Harbour Dr. Ridgeland | 601-956-2929 Monday - Saturday | 5 - until

January 21 - 27, 2010

SOUTHERN CUISINE

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ou Y k

!

” us son i ng Ja c k 09 t o 0 V n Fo r e c ue i 08 • 2 b 20 r • a 6 st B 00 “ Be 03 • 2 20

Best Butts In Town! since 1980

601-956-7079

1491 Canton Mart Rd. • Jackson

The Auditorium (622 Duling Ave. 601-982-0002) Sweet Potato Crawfish Cakes, shrimp & grits, fried green tomatos, creole seafood pasta, catfish, shrimp and combo platters, Mississippi cavier salad, babyback ribs with sweet potato fries and cole slaw. Even a veggie plate! Full bar, movie nights and music on the Peavey Stage.

Julep (1305 East Northside Drive, Highland Village, 601-362-1411) Tons of Best of Jackson awards, delicious Southern fusion dishes like award-winning fried chicken, shrimp and grits, blackened tuna and butter bean hummus. Brunch, lunch, dinner and late night.

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

Sunioraʼs Sidewalk Cafe (200 South Lamar Street 601-355-1955) Homecooking, soul food, buffet and pizza for lunch in downtown Jackson. Soup and salad bar every day, plus daily lunch specials. “Mama’s in the kitchen!” Mon-Fri, 11am-2pm.

Paid advertising section.

Sugarʼs 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 include cheesecake, Madison Mud and strawberry shortcake from scratch!

Two Sisters Kitchen (707 N. Congress St. 601-353-1180) Best of Jackson winner for fried chicken (year after year after year) offers a sumptious buffet of your choice of 6-8 veggies, a salad bar, iced tea & one of three homemade desserts. Lunch only.

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

Telephone:

601-665-4952 For the sizzling taste of real hickory smoke barbeque -

THIS IS THE PLACE! B.B.Q., Blues, Beer, Beef & Pork Ribs Saturday & Friday Night Blues Band Coming Soon!

Lunch & Dinner Hours: Tuesday - Thursday 11a.m. to 8p.m.

Friday & Saturday 11a.m. to 10p.m.

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.

Schimmelʼs (2615 N. State St. 601-981-7077) Creative southern fusion dishes at attractive prices make the atmosphere that mush more enticing. New appetizer menu, “Martini Night Football” and others bar specials for football season!

Steam Room Grille (5402 I-55 North 601--899-8588) Great seafood featuring steamed lobster, crab, shrimp and combo patters. Grilled specialities include shrimp, steaks, and kabobs. Fresh fish fried seafood, lunch menu, catering, live music.

932 Lynch Street in Jackson (Across from the JSU Baseball Field)

We Do It All!

MEDITERRANEAN/MIDDLE EASTERN Aladdin Mediterranean Grill (730 Lakeland Drive 601-366-6033) Distinct, casual elegant dining. Delicious authentic dishes, made from scratch, 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.

TWO FREE DRAFT BEER MUGS When you buy any menu item over $8 after 8pm every Fri. and Sat.

Hot Lunches and Dinners, Catering, Meals-To-Go, Rent-A-Chef, Gourmet Foods

Watch all games for the NFL Sunday Ticket, ESPN Game Plan, and the NFL Channel here!

14 TVs - 1 projector screen - 2 big screens

PIZZA

Daily Lunch Specials - $9

The Pizza Shack (1220 N State St. 601-352-2001) 2009’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 & Mookieʼs (565 Taylor St. 601-368-1919) Pizzas of all kinds plus pasta, eggplant parmesan and the local favorite: fried ravioli. Voted Best Chef, Best Kid’s Menu and Best Ice Cream in the 2009 Best of Jackson reader poll.

Happy Hour Hour Everyday Everyday 4-7 4-7 Happy LIVE MUSIC Every Tues. thru Sat. LATE NIGHT HAPPY HOUR Sun. thru Thurs. 10pm - 12am Two-for-One, YOU CALL IT!

CARRIBBEAN Taste of the Island (436 E. Capitol, Downtown, 601-360-5900) Jerk chicken or ribs, curry chicken or shrimp, oxtails, snapper or goat, plus bok choy, steamed cabbage and Jamaican Greens, Carry out, counter seating or delivery available. 11a-7p.

VEGETARIAN High Noon Café (2807 Old Canton Road in Rainbow Plaza 601-366-1513) Fresh, gourmet, tasty and healthy defines the lunch and brunch options at Jackson’s vegetarian (and vegan-friendly) restaurant. Wonderful desserts!

For catering, 601-978-7878 5050 I-55 N Jackson, MS www.foodiesjackson.com

“BADGE SPECIAL” Military, Fire, Police, & Emergency Personnel 2-for-1 drinks all day, everyday!

601.978.1839 6270 Old Canton Rd. Jackson, MS 39211

Reflections on the Old Thoughts on the New

free wireless internet Photo courtesy of a proud mom

jacksonfreepress.com

Thank you for entering our doors over the past year

35

Doctor S sez: If the Saints go to the Super Bowl, the Doctor ain’t going to work on Monday.

Or ever again.

THURSDAY, JAN. 21 College basketball, Loyola at Belhaven (women, 5:30 p.m. and men, 7:30 p.m., Jackson): It’s the Jesuits vs. the Scotsmen in a GCAC doubleheader.

NOW OPEN ON SUNDAYS!

FRIDAY, JAN. 22 NBA basketball, Los Angeles Lakers at New York (7 p.m., ESPN): Things could get ugly at the Garden when Kobe and the Lakers hit the Big Apple.

Dinner Entrees Served All Day! Beef Boxty- $10.99

to Tender beef stuffed pota pancake

Irish Stew- $8.49

Traditional lamb stew

Shepherd’s Pie- $9.99 Better than mom’s

WEDNESDAY 1/20

Open Mic Winners (This Could Be You) THURSDAY 1/21

To suggest features, e-mail: ronni@jacksonfreepress.com + To advertise, e-mail: kimberly@jacksonfreepress.com

Newspaper Delivery Drivers

Jim Flanagan (Irish Folk) FRIDAY 1/22

Larry Welch (Classic Rock) SATURDAY 1/23

Shawn Patterson (Acoustic Rock)

Brunch 11am-3pm SUNDAY 1/24

Brunch 11am-3pm Open All Day MONDAY 1/25

Karaoke w/ Matt

January 21 - 27, 2010

TUESDAY 1/26

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Open Mic Contest w/ A Guy Named George (Win a paid gig at Fenian’s)

The Jackson Free Press seeks contract delivery drivers for in-town and out-of-town newspaper delivery routes.

Drivers must have clean driving record, reliable transportation and auto insurance. Routes are generally 4-5 hours per week on Wednesday afternoons and Thursday mornings. Call 601-362-6121 x18 or write ap@jacksonfreepress.com

SATURDAY, JAN. 23 Men’s college basketball, Mississippi State at Alabama, 11 a.m., Tuscaloosa, Ala., Ch. 12, 105.9 FM): This is the SEC West team Bulldogs coach Rick Stansbury loves to hate the most. … Ole Miss at LSU (12:30 p.m., Baton Rouge, La., CSS, 97.3 FM, 103.9 FM): Speaking of hate, nobody hates like the Rebels and Tigers hate. …

Grambling State at Jackson State (5:30 p.m., Jackson, 620 AM): It’s the Tigers vs. the Tigers in a SWAC cat fight.

hot streak going against the Colts? No. …

NFC Championship, Minnesota at New Orleans (5:40 p.m., Ch. 40, 620 AM, 930 AM): So who are you pulling for, homeboy Brett or our long-suffering Saints?

Who Dat! MONDAY, JAN. 25 College basketball, Spring Hill at Belhaven (women, 5:30 p.m. and men, 7:30 p.m., Jackson): Let’s go back to the Rugg for another matchup of GCAC church schools.

TUESDAY, JAN. 26 Men’s college basketball, Kentucky at South Carolina (8 p.m., ESPN): The Kats invade the Chickens’ house.

SUNDAY, JAN. 24 NFL football, AFC Championship, New York Jets at Indianapolis (2 p.m., Ch. 12, 930 AM): Can the Jets keep their

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 27 Pro tennis, Australian Open women’s semifinals (8:30 p.m., ESPN2): Who will make it this far? Bet on a two or three Euros and one or both of the Williams sisters.

The Slate is compiled by Doctor S, an advocate of the brotherhood of man (which excludes anybody from Alabama).

Promote world peace by going to JFP Sports at www.jacksonfreepress.com.

Curses, Foiled Again

Cunning Move

After robbers used heavy metal drain covers to smash their way into a Welsh bank in Cardiff and make off with $171,156, police quickly identified the culprits because a witness remembered the personalized license plate— “J4MES”—on the sporty blue BMW used as the getaway vehicle. Police found James Snell, 27, and his brother Wayne, 34, holding more than $48,944 of the loot and rounded up the rest of the gang. “It was the distinctiveness of the car which contributed to the robbers’ undoing,” prosecutor Daniel Williams said. (The Daily Telegraph)

Canada’s second-oldest magazine is changing its name because its unintended sexual connotation has caused the history journal to run afoul of Internet filters and turned off potential readers. The Beaver, founded in 1920 as a publication of the Hudson’s Bay Company, will become Canada’s History with the April issue, editor-in-chief Mark Reid announced. “Market research showed us that younger Canadians and women were very, very unlikely to ever buy a magazine called The Beaver, no matter what’s about,” Reid said.

Patriotic Duty Elbow Room The Wanxiang-Tiancheng shopping center in Shijiazhuang, China, opened a parking garage with extra-wide spaces to accommodate women drivers. The bays are 3 feet wider than normal and painted pink and purple. In addition, the shopping center hired female attendants to guide women into their spaces. “The added space helps us to park safely,” a driver identified only as Miss Zhang told the Hebei Youth Daily newspaper. “I think it shows respect for women.” (Agence France-Presse)

On the Cutting Edge After police arrested Jared Weston Walter, 22, for snipping off the hair of a woman sitting in front of him on a bus outside Portland, Ore., they identified him as the “TriMet barber,” who prosecutor Chuck French blamed for “a number of incidents” in which women have either had their hair cut with scissors or “superglued” on TriMet buses. (The Oregonian)

Champion hurdler Jana Rawlinson had her breast implants removed to better her chances of winning a medal for Australia at the 2012 Olympics. Rawlinson told Woman’s Day magazine she “loved having bigger boobs” but didn’t want to “short-change Australia.” (Agence France-Presse)

When the Heimlich Maneuver Fails While handcuffing assault suspect Andrew Grande, 23, sheriff’s deputies in Bay County, Fla., said they observed him swallowing what turned out to be a “large bag of marijuana.”

When deputies ordered him to “spit it out,” he continued to resist. Deputies tased him, whereupon he fell to the ground and choked to death, sheriff’s officials concluded, on the marijuana.

(Panama City News Herald) Compiled from mainstream media sources by Roland Sweet. Authentication on demand.

BY MATT JONES

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): ne of the musical Jonas Brothers got married last month. Until then, 22-year old Kevin Jonas was a virgin, having pledged himself to abstinence until he married. Humorist Andy Borowitz reported on huffingtonpost.com that when Jonas and his bride returned from their honeymoon, he had some shocking news. “To be honest, sex was not worth the wait,” Borowitz quoted Jonas as saying. “After we did it, I was kind of like, that’s it?” I haven’t verified that Jonas actually said what Borowitz claims, but if it’s true, I must protest. How could Jonas reach such a definitive conclusion based on so little experience? Wouldn’t it be wise to consider that over time he might uncover secrets and plumb mysteries that are unknown to him in his unripe state? Learn from his apparent mistake, Aquarius. In the coming weeks, cultivate a humble, innocent, curious attitude not just about sex, but about everything.

I have a Piscean friend who does modern-day cave paintings. She hikes out to underground caverns and abandoned gold mines, where she creates murals on stony walls. Only a few friends know about her unusual hobby. She shows us photos of her work, but otherwise keeps it secret. She says it’s a pleasurable spiritual practice to offer these beautiful mysteries as a gift to the earth, without any expectation of getting recognition or money. I don’t normally recommend such behavior for Pisceans; in general, I believe you should err on the side of being somewhat self-promotional to compensate for your self-deprecating tendencies. But I do suggest that you try it in the coming weeks. I think you’ll conjure up an epiphany or two if you offer life your favors without worrying about whether they’ll be returned.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Philosopher David Pearce is committed to the abolition of suffering. While he acknowledges that we’ve got a long way to go before accomplishing that goal, he believes it’s possible, mostly with the help of technology.

(More at http://bit.ly/8oTsCV.) More than two millennia ago, Buddha also articulated a vision for the cessation of suffering. His methods revolve around psychological and spiritual work. In light of your current astrological omens, Aries, I think it’s an excellent time to contribute to this noble enterprise. Your level of suffering is rather low these days, which could give you a natural boost if you set in motion some long-term strategies for reducing the pain that you experience and the pain that you cause.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I don’t mean to sound melodramatic, and I certainly don’t want to encourage you to do something foolish, but if you’ve been pondering the possibility of storming the castle, this would be a good time to do so. What exactly am I implying with the phrase “storming the castle”? Well, anything that involves a brave effort to fight your way into the command center of the empire ... or a heroic attempt to take back the sanctuary you were exiled from ... or a playful adventure in which you work your way into the heart of the king or queen.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “Let us not underestimate the privileges of the mediocre,” wrote Friedrich Nietzsche. “Life becomes harder and harder as it approaches the heights—the coldness increases, the responsibility increases.”

I bring these thoughts to your attention, Gemini, because in the next two months you’ll be in a prime position to renounce some of the “privileges” of your laziness. Please hear me out. I’m not saying that your lackadaisical attitudes are any worse than mine or anyone else’s. But there come times in everyone’s cycle when he or she has a chance to outgrow those lackadaisical attitudes so as to reach a higher level that’s both more demanding and more rewarding. This will be one of those times for you.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): According to a poll conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, there are as many people who give credence to astrology as call themselves Catholic.

Believers in reincarnation are another sizable minority; their numbers equal those who put their faith in the Pope and in the planetary omens. Based on this evidence, we can safely conclude that at least some supposedly woo-woo notions are no longer just for woowoo-ers. You can’t be considered a New Age weirdo or pagan infidel if you’re receptive to the possibility that the world is exceedingly mysterious and a long way from being all figured out. That’s good news for you Cancerians. According to my analysis, your belief sys-

tem is ready to crack open and allow a surge—maybe even a flood—of new data to rush in.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): How are your wooing skills? Have you enhanced your seductiveness in any way during the last few months?

Have you been working on boosting your ability to attract the bounty you need? I’m not just speaking about your power to corral love and sex and tenderness and thrills. I’m referring to the bigger project of enticing all the resources that would be helpful as you pursue your quest to become the best and brightest version of yourself. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to ramp up your efforts.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “We should feel excited about the problems we confront and our ability to deal with them,” said philosopher Robert Anton Wilson. “Solving problems is one of the highest and most sensual of all our brain functions.” I wholeheartedly agree with him, which is why I expect that in the coming weeks you will be getting even smarter than you already are. The riddles you’ll be presented with will be especially sexy; the shifts in perspective you’ll be invited to initiate will give your imagination the equivalent of a deep-tissue massage.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “Dear Rob: I’ve been listening to your audio messages on my laptop in my bedroom. And I’ve noticed a curious thing: My cat goes nuts trying to get to you. She never shows any interest in the other videos and music I play.

But when your voice comes on, she does everything she can to try to get into my computer, to find the source of your voice. What’s going on? Libralicious.” Dear Libralicious: Maybe it’s because in all versions of my recent Libra horoscopes, I’ve been putting subliminal messages designed to draw out and energize your tribe’s inner feline. It’s that time in your cycle when you have a mandate to be graceful and inscrutable and sleek.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): This would be an excellent time for you to do a lot less of everything. You’re entering a phase when you can actually help your long-term goals by being less ambitious. The point is not to give up your drive to succeed, but rather just put it to sleep for a while. Let it recharge.

Allow it to draw energy from the deeper psychic sources that it tends to get cut off from when it’s enmeshed in the frenzy of the daily rhythm. Do you have the courage to not work so much, not try so hard and not push so relentlessly?

“Bank Job”— you’re getting colder.

Across 1 Leon Uris novel “___ 18” 5 Enter 9 Uses as a source 14 Shape of some mirrors 15 It now includes Lat. and Lith.

16 Muhammad Ali’s daughter 17 Macho way to say “dandruff”?

19 How bad grades are sometimes written 20 Jackson or Johnson 21 Category for everything else: abbr.

23 Night before 24 They may get stroked 26 Drying-out stage 28 Watch chain 31 “Hedwig and the Angry ___” 33 Wine refused in “Sideways” 36 “He’s a complicated man/but no one understands him/but his woman” 38 Shankar on the sitar 40 “Slithy” “Jabberwocky” creature 41 Like Shaquille O’Neal 42 Rocky and Bullwinkle’s nemesis 43 Graceful swimmer 44 Airport near Paris 45 2007 NBA Draft #1 pick Greg 46 He voices Shrek 47 Currency replaced by the euro 49 Musician descended from Herman

Melville (hence the name) 51 “Marble” deli loaf 52 Perot, formally 54 Exhaled response 56 Blood-type system 58 Ticket leftover 60 Childbirth assistants 64 Fictional typing tutor Beacon 66 What somehow happens to the vegetables in your TV dinner?

68 Beyond husky 69 Muppet with his pet fish Dorothy 70 Bullring yell 71 Cobb, for one 72 “Liquid sunshine” 73 Word that can precede either word in 17- and 66-across and 11and 30-downDown 1 N.Y.C. gallery 2 “One Day in the Life of ___ Denisovich” 3 Arrive at the airport 4 Woodard of “Desperate Housewives” 5 Chew, as with a rawhide bone 6 “Charter” tree 7 Prop, really 8 Polite refusal 9 “Think outside the box,” for instance 10 James Bond creator Fleming

©2009 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: 1-800-6556548. Reference puzzle #0443.

Last Week’s Answers

BY MATT JONES

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Cartoon character Homer Simpson is on record as saying that whenever he learns something new, it pushes some old stuff out of his brain. For example, when he took a course in home winemaking, he forgot how to drive. But I don’t see this being a problem for you as you enter the high-intensity educational season, a time when your capacity to find and absorb new teachings will be at a peak. If you push hard to learn new lessons, you will certainly not cause the expulsion of old lessons. On the contrary, you’ll dramatically enhance the power and brightness of what you’ve already learned.

Last Week’s Answers

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Take what you really need, Capricorn, but don’t take what you just sort of want. That’s my advice to you.

Haggle with life, yes, but insist only on the specific essentials and forgo irrelevant goodies. A similar principle applies as you seek the information you crave: Formulate precise questions that will win you the exact revelations that are necessary to help your cause and that won’t fill your beautiful head up with useless data.

Want inspiration as you reclaim your own unique relationship with the Divine Wow? Go here: http://bit.ly/RebrandGod

“Missing Links” Place the following fifteen letters into the grid so that, as in Scrabble, all sequences of two or more letters form English words. You must use all fifteen letters given and cannot move any of the letters already placed in the grid.

A C D E E G I K N R S S U U W

jacksonfreepress.com

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):

11 That sharp nail in the road you just ran over?

12 Abbr. on a mountain sign 13 “No Ordinary Love” singer 18 For real 22 Mid-tournament rounds 25 Atlantic catch 27 Bohemian 28 Camera setting 29 Frequent site for flight layovers 30 Tool used to clean out the pits in kiddie playlands?

32 Group of wives 34 Egg producer 35 Edgy 37 It may get jammed under your windshield wiper 39 Italian restaurant selections 42 Be a braggart 46 “___, it’s full of stars!” (“2001” line) 48 Threw out 50 Tries for, in an auction 53 Awesome 55 Smarts 56 “Good Times” actor John 57 The Who’s “___ O’Riley” 59 Horror actor Lugosi 61 Mane man?

62 Fuzzy style 63 Put away your carry-ons 65 “Love ___ Battlefield” (Pat Benatar) 67 “___ dreaming?”

37

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January 21 - 27, 2010

Intern at the JFP SUPER BOWL PARTY Reserve your table now!

50 WINGS & BEER (CALL FOR DETAILS)

Hone your skills, gain valuable experience and college credit* by interning with the Jackson Free Press. You set your hours, and attend free training workshops.

CROWN ROYAL PARTY Thursday, Jan. 21st 9PM - 1AM

SHAWN PATTERSON

We currently have openings in the following areas:

ALL WEEK LONG - $4 CROWN ROYAL SHOT ON THE ROCKS

• Editorial/News • Photography • Cultural/Music Writing • Fashion/Style

• Arts/Writing Editing

• Internet • Graphic Design • Communications: Marketing/Events/PR

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

EVERY NIGHT 11PM - 12AM $1 Well Liquor Shots

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

1428 Old Square Road in Jackson 601.713.2700 lastcallsportsgrill.com PAID ADVERTISEMENT

Stop in and try one of Sugar’s specialties. If you come in three or four times, Glenda Barner will know you by name. Visit them at 168 W. Griffith Street in downtown Jackson, or see what’s on the menu by visiting them online at www.sugarsdowntown.com. You can even call in your order to 601-352-2364. It’ll be ready for you after you place your order in no time!

jacksonfreepress.com

W

ith a name like Sugar’s Place, you would think that all things sweet would be this restaurant’s culinary focus. Rather, the restaurant was named after the sweet affectionate name that co-owner Glenda Barner’s dad called her mom: Sugar.

“Our dad called Mom ‘Sugar,’ and so we decided to name the restaurant Sugar’s Place, because when we were growing up everyone came over to Sugar’s (Mom’s house) to eat,” said Barner.

Glenda Barner “Plus, we use all of Sugar’s (Mom’s) recipes in our restaurant, carrying out her cooking legacy.”

Sugar’s Place is located on 168 W. Griffith Street across from Mississippi College School of Law in downtown Jackson. Owners Shelly and Glenda Barner opened their soul food restaurant in 2008.

Known for their catfish, peach cobbler, and broccoli cheese casserole, the food is prepared with the same love that your mom would put on the table. It’s not institutionalized; in other words, every menu item starts from scratch every day, whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Stop by for breakfast for an egg or sausage biscuit or one of their many breakfast meals. You can choose from eggs, grits, smoked sausage, turkey bacon or a Texas toast sandwich. Whatever you choose, your tummy will not be disappointed.

The vegetables vary, but customer satisfaction is always consistent. Choose a three or four vegetable plate from greens, black eyed peas, green beans, yams, broccoli cheese casserole, macaroni and cheese, potatoes and gravy, corn, fried okra, fries or coleslaw, all made fresh daily.

Lunch promises happiness in the form of favorites such as Big D’s Dynamite Wings (get ‘em spicy fried, Buffalo mild or hot, or with honey Bar-B-Que) and an 8-ounce, or even 16-ounce, hamburger. Yes, you read right: a 16-ounce hamburger.

Sandwiches on the menu range from a Downtown Club at $6.25 or a Smoked Ham or Roasted Turkey Sandwich at $5. All sandwiches are piled high on Texas Toast and dressed with mayo, lettuce, cheese and tomato and are served with fries, chips or your choice of one vegetable.

“We are a family-owned business, and that’s what makes our restaurant unique,” says Glenda Barner. “We are laidback and definitely not pretentious,” she says, pointing out that all food is served in to-go plates. Now, that’s a tried and true example of not being pretentious.

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BELLYDANCE NEW CLASSES begin

January 25 @ 6:30pm For More Information Call Millsaps College at 601-974-1130

Downtown’s Newest Pizza & Soulfood Buffet

DAILY LUNCH SPECIALS Soup & Salad Bar Available Everyday 200 South Lamar Street in Jackson Monday - Friday | 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Phone: 601-355-1955

Waitstaff wanted We are getting so busy that we are opening an extra day so Cerami’s Italian Restaurant is looking for experienced waistaff. Personality and charisma is a must. Come join or family to achieve our goal of making people happy one bite at a time!!! Talk to Mike or Alissa (601) 919-2829

File Chapter 7 Bankruptcy for $999! ($299 Federal Filing Fee Included!)

Interest Free Payment Plans Available

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Get a better job, reach the Latino Market, small groups, Native teachers, Latino parties and reunions.

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No experience necessary. Make up to $300 per shift.

Part-time, day, evening, night shifts available. Training, placement, certification provided. Call 877-879-9153

Estates • Wills • Trusts

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It’s never too early to start planning

The Law Office of

Shawn M. Lowrey Phone: 601.818.6325 | Fax: 601.949.7574 shawn@shawnlowrey.com http://shawnlowrey.com