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REALSTORYPUBLISHING.COM

April4,2012

FROMTHEEDITOR

EDITORIAL

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J.B. ST. [email protected]

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THE REAL STORY

P. O. Box 403Columbus, MS 39703

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by Joseph B. St. JohnEditor-in-ChiefEditorsNote

Race. It's on everybody's mind, but noone wants to talk about it; not only inColumbus, Mississippi, but throughoutAmerica. It is the two-ton elephant in theliving room, but the country acts like it'snot there.

Not until the community gets rocked,does it become an issue. So, over the pastfew weeks, everyone in the country, in-cluding the Golden Triangle, has stood upand taken notice.

In Sanford, Florida, the case of TrayvonMartin has set off a restorm of protestand concern. His killer, George Zimmer-man, is either white or Hispanic, depend-ing on what account you read. And, aseveryone knows by now, Trayvon is black.And, what is most clear about this case isthat no one is satised - not the peoplewho see a young man "gunned down" inhis prime, nor advocates of the now con-

troversial "Stand Your Ground" law. Bothsides stand up and want to be counted,but what do they want to count?

ere is talk about hoodies, Skittles,crime watch, laws and protest. ere aregroups that act like it is acceptable toshoot a young man and that everyoneshould just accept that the "shooter" wasstanding his ground. No questions asked.

You have others who get lost in the factthat the young man was murdered, un-

justly, and yet it happens every day. Whatmakes Trayvon different? What makeshis case a national story?

In this case, at rst glance, it is aboutrace. In a time when the President of theUnited States has a black father and whitemother, race still matters. It never wentaway. It has just lain dormant, until a bigenough event brought it back to the fore-front.

And, that event was Trayvon Martin andGeorge Zimmerman. On an otherwiseuneventful NBA Basketball All-Star Sun-day night, a young man went to the storefor some Skittles, and a few hours later, a"hellre" was born. Have no doubt, a con-troversy of biblical proportions is aliveand well in America, and it is not going

away anytime soon.Meanwhile, on the MSU campus, a

young man was gunned down outside adormitory. e victim, John Sanderson,is white. e suspected shooters, TrentCrump, Dontae Harvey and Mason Jonesare all black. As soon as the murder oc-curred, there were posts on many localblogs, arguing that this case get the sameattention as the Martin case. On the sur-face, the two cases have at least one simi-larity: people of one race killing someoneof another race.

But, here is where the cases are different.Within days, all three suspects in the

Sanderson case - Crump, Harvey andJones - are in jail, with no bond. ey arenot walking around their community,

free. ey are in J-A-I-L.

Talking to Chief Georgia Lindly on Fri-day, I asked her about that development,and she was quick to point out, "Yes, thearrests made all the difference in theworld between the two cases."

She is right. Here are two cases that ap-pear, somewhat, the same, but in the caseof John, his accused killers are in jail.Trayvon's case just continues to linger.ere seems to be no resolution in sight,and its like a festering sore - it is just get-ting worse.

What we have le, now, are more ques-tions than answers. We have a 911 tape,

on which the shooter is advised not to fol-low Trayvon. We also have a young manscreaming for help, and we have no arrestor explanation why there isnt one.

We do have a police chief that has takena leave of absence, and a country talkingabout race again, without really talkingabout it. But, the scary part is that, in con-

versations involving race, the issue of jus-tice is oen lost. And, justice is the onlything we should be talking about.

In the case of John, his friends and fam-ily have the peace of knowing someone isin jail. It does not bring him back, butthere is some closure, as strange as that

may sound to someone who has not beenthe victim of a violent crime; but, it istrue.

Trayvon's case remains in a legal limbo.If the "Stand Your Ground Law" was thereason George Zimmerman was notcharged, the local police should have beenready to stand their ground and explainthe who, what, when, where and why oftheir investigation. But, right now, all ex-planations appear limp. It appears that

very little was done to investigate thisshooting.

For the millions of people who are upsetover this case, a cautionary tale, then, isneeded.

e FBI offers the following statistics

(emphasis added):

Of the 12,996 murder victims in2010 for which supplemental datawas received, most (77.4percent) were male.

Concerning murder victims forwhom race was known, 50.4percent were black, 47.0 percentwere white, and 2.6 percent wereof other races. Race was unknownfor 152 victims.

Of the offenders for whom genderwas known, 90.3 percent weremales

Of the offenders for whom race

was known, 53.1 percent wereblack, 44.6 percent were white,and 2.3 percent were of otherraces. The race was unknown for4,224 offenders.

Of the homicides for which theFBI received weapons data, most(67.5 percent) involved the use ofrearms. Handguns comprised68.5 percent of the rearms usedin murders and non-negligentmanslaughters in 2010.

In incidents of murder for whichthe relationships of murdervictims and offenders wereknown, 53.0 percent were killedby someone they knew(acquaintance, neighbor, friend,boyfriend, etc.); 24.8 percent ofvictims were slain by familymembers. The relationship ofmurder victims and offenders wasunknown in 44.0 percent ofmurder and non-negligentmanslaughter incidents in 2010.

Of the female murder victims forwhom the relationships to theiroffenders were known, 37.5percent were murdered by theirhusbands or boyfriends.

Of the murders for which thecircumstance surrounding themurder was known, 41.8 percentof victims were murdered duringarguments (including romantictriangles) in 2010. Felonycircumstances (rape, robbery,burglary, etc.) accounted for 23.1percent of murders. Circum-stances were unknown for 35.8percent of reported homicides.

Never forget whites have no troublemurdering whites and blacks have notrouble murdering blacks. So yes, race

matters, but not more than justice; andJUSTICE should always be our FIRSTconcern! It is a lesson that can never beforgotten.

Joseph B. St. JohnMr. MoJo Risin

The Politics of Crime and Race

Courtesy PhotoTrayvon Martin

Courtesy PhotoJohn Sanderson

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RSVPTOCLOSEOFFICE

April4,2012


Aer forty years, the RSVP (RetiredSenior Volunteer Program) Office willbe closing its Maple Street location.

e organization has been in the samebuilding since 1973, and is presentlyserving over 150 senior volunteers inLowndes County. March 31, 2012 wasthe last day the program was fundedby the federal government. e lastday of operation is still unknown, atthis time.

"Over-regulation" is the answerBoard President Nan Lot gave, whenasked about the decision to close theoffice and no longer receive the granthat helps fund the program. "Weant everyone to know that the Dial-

a-Bus and the Home Delivered Mealsill continue. We are hoping to keep

he RSVP quilting project, but thereill no longer be an RSVP staff."

Jayne Reynolds, RSVP Program Di-ector, agrees with the assessment anddded, "With the extra regulations, we

ould have to hire another individualust to oversee the grant, and thatoney is just not available. e extraork has created a situation whererojects would have to be tracked con-inuously and performance goalsould have to be done for every proj-

ct. It was just creating a lot of paper-ork and paper trail."

e $41,000 annual grant helped paysalaries and funded the program.

SVP also received assistance from thenited Way, the City of Columbus andowndes County.

e extra regulations have caused

oth Ms. Reynolds and herassistant, Sandra Wilson,to lose their jobs at RSVP.When questioned abouther thought on her jobloss, Ms. Reynolds stated,"All the work that I have

one to grow the programnd all the prom-ses I have made tohe volunteers areust gone,vernight, andow, we have to

ook for a job in aown market."

e present vol-nteers have been

serving at hospitalsnd other organi-ations and evenad a senior band

that toured the community. However,the new regulations have tightenedand strangled all creativity. Instead oftailoring the programs to the volun-teers, Washington has tightened thespecications of the grant, to limitwhat the volunteers could do.

With a strong agenda, the ability tohelp the community has been limited

to only a few specic ideas.e following is a list of guidelines

that would have governed the RSVPprogram, and which allowed for no ex-ceptions:

1.Build the capacity of nationalservice network organizations tohelp their states and localities pre-pare, respond, recover and miti-gate disasters and increasecommunity resiliency.

2.Provide, support and/or facili-tate access to services and re-sources that contribute to the

improved economic well-beingand security of economically dis-advantaged people.

3.Provide, support and/or facili-tate access to services and re-sources that contribute toimproved educational outcomesfor economically disadvantagedpeople, especially children. CNCSwill, throughout its activities,focus on the use of evidence-basedand promising practices and willcollaborate with other agencies,such as the U.S. Department ofEducation, the U.S. Department of

Labor and the White House Officeof Faith-based Initiatives. Priorityin funding new grants will begiven to applicants that provideevidence on the effectiveness oftheir programs.

4.Provide direct services that con-tribute to increased energy andwater efficiency, renewable energy

use, or improving at-risk ecosys-tems, and support increased citi-zen behavioral change leading to

increased efficiency, renewable en-ergy use, and ecosystem improve-ments, particularly foreconomically disadvantagedhouseholds and economically dis-

advantaged communities.5.Provide direct services that en-able seniors to remain in their ownhomes with the same or improvedquality of life for as long as possi-ble; increase physical activity andimprove nutrition in youth, withthe purpose of reducing child-hood obesity; and improve accessto primary and preventive healthcare.

6.Over the next ve years, CNCSwill demonstrate the potential forCNCS-supported, national serviceinterventions to 1) positively im-pact the quality of life of veteransand 2) improve military familystrength.

ough Ms. Reynolds understandsthe nobility of these ideas, she is alsoaware of their limitations.

"All this would have done was makethings look good on paper," she said."is had nothing to do with the func-tionality of the program. It was justabout making things look good onpaper."

No truer words have been said.

Joseph B. St. JohnMr. MoJo Rising

RSVP to Close Office, Layoff StaffCore Programs Will Continue

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April4,2012

FROMTHEEDITOR

ALWAYSTHET

RUTH...NOCOMPROMISE

Mayors DepartmentHead Meetings

Closed to Press, PublicEditors Note: is article was orig-inally posted on our website, underthe headline, At Weeks End forMarch 30, 2012

From the I couldn't make this stuffup le:

I attended my rst City of ColumbusDepartment Head Meeting as a mediarepresentative, this past Monday.ese meetings have been open to themedia, for a few years now, so Ithought I would stop in and see whatwas going on.

ere was the usual boring stuff thatI had witnessed for years, during mytime as a City employee, but in light ofthe craziness of the last City Councilmeeting, I thought I would stop in, totake a peek. Nothing of note happened,so nothing was reported bye RealStory.

Well, on ursday, the following let-ter was sent to e Real Story, as wellas to the Columbus Packet, which also

had a representative at the meeting.

March 29, 2012

TO: Columbus PacketReal Story Publishing

Some time ago our legal counselwrote to the Mississippi AttorneyGeneral about whether therewas any requirement that themedia be allowed to attend myregular Monday morning meet-ings with department heads ofthe City. The attached responseshows that such meetings arenot considered public meetingsand may be closed to the public.In order to foster the free ex-change of ideas between ourstaff and my office, and to per-form a more open and honestself-critical analysis of our CityDepartments, I have elected toclose these meetings to themedia and the public. I hope youunderstand the reasons for mydecision.

For your easy reference, pleasend the letter from the AttorneyGeneral that supports my deci-sion.

Sincerely,

Robert E. Smith, Sr.MayorCity of Columbus___________________________

2011 WL 5006013 (Miss.A.G.)

Office of the Attorney GeneralState of MississippiOpinion No. 2011-00355September 2, 2011

Re: Applicability of OpenMeetings Law to MunicipalDepartment Heads StaffMeetings

Mr. Jeffrey J. TumageCity AttorneyCity of Columbusc/o Mitchell, McNutt & SamsPost Office Box 1366Columbus, MS 39703-1366

Dear Mr. Tumage:

Attorney General Jim Hood hasreceived your request for an offi-cial opinion and has assigned itto me for research and reply.

Issue Presented

Whether the Open Meetings Lawis applicable to meetings be-tween the mayor and municipaldepartment heads?

Response

No.

Applicable Law and Discussion

For purposes of the Open Meet-ings Act, Miss. Code Ann. Section25-41-3 denes "public body" as

...any executive or administra-tive board, commission, au-thority, council, department,agency, bureau or any other

policy-making entity, or com-mittee thereof, of the State ofMississippi, or any politicalsubdivision or municipal cor-poration of the state, whethersuch entity be created bystatute or executive order,which is sup ported wholly orin part by public funds or ex-pends public funds, and anystanding, interim or specialcommit tee of the MississippiLegislature.

In a previous opinion to BrendaCarter dated September 13,2002, we opined that a staffmeeting between the mayor anddepartment heads does not con-stitute a public meeting of a pub-lic body subject to the OpenMeetings Act. MS AG Op., Carter(Sept. 13, 2002). This remains ouropinion.

Please contact our office if wemay be of further assistance.

Very truly yours,Jim HoodAttorney General

By: Margarette L. MeeksSpecial Assistant AttorneyGeneral

As you can see, we have been bannedfrom the reindeer games and we arenot allowed to attend the meetingsanymore. And just think - I only at-tended one meeting!

What can I say? What is the Mayortrying to hide? What is he trying tokeep from the public?

e Real Story is still watching andstill writing. We will never stop. Wewill continue to be the communityswatch dog, even if the people that werewatching make it clear that our pres-ence is not appreciated.

Joseph B. St. JohnMr. Mojo Risin

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LOCALFLAVOR

April4,2012

REALSTORY

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Local Boutique Named One of 10 Great Places...When do you plan for the fu-

ture, by looking to the past?hat type of business

epitomizes the sayingEverything old isnew, again?

When the busi-ness in question isa vintage clothingboutique!

e Attic,Columbus onlyboutique dealingexclusively in vin-tage clothing, was re-ently included in aist compiled by USA

Today, entitled 10 greatplaces to shop for vintageclothing.

People purchase vintage clothing fora variety of reasons. One of these isthat they dont like cookie-cutter fash-ion. e Attic is emblematic of thatversion to the everything looks thesame concept in fashion, even downto the layout of the shop.

Upon entering e Attic - which isspread throughout the ground oor ofa Victorian mansion, and locatedacross the street from the rst home of

ennessee Williams, Americas greatestplaywright one steps into a longhall-way, which is lled with hats, jewelry,and other accessories. It is also packedwith spring dresses and summerrompers, with a museum of artifactsfrom the south hanging from the wallsand ceiling. One cant help but noticethe 45RPM records spelling outATTIC.

Opening off of thishallway, are rooms

devoted towomens cloth-

ing, mensclothing, andmuch more.

As youb r o w s et h r o u g h

the shop,you aretrans

portedback in

time, not justby the amazing

selection ofclothing that goes

back decades, but alsoby the music that dates from

the 1920s to the 1960s, which em-anates from the shops stereo.

Customers can easily create a com-plete wardrobe, just from the contents

of KKs fantastic boutique.Although the selection of unique

items is so vast that listing all of themis virtually impossible, some highlightsare a 1920s glass-beaded, silk chiffonapper dress, an 1800s white net gar-den party dress, and a most stunning1950s blue layered ruffle tulle ballgown with a owered bustle. In addi-tion, KK has recently acquired severalamazing party dresses from the mid-1950s that belonged to Valeka Gray,the southern actress with roles inLove Is a Many Splendored ingand As the World Turns.

What really sets e Attic apart is the

proprietor. KK Norris, who spentyears as a Hollywood stylist, possessesa wealth of knowledge about fashion,and combines that with an attentive,but not overbearing, customer servicesensibility.

In addition to accommodatingeveryday lovers of classic fashionitems, KK is oen called upon to outtperformers in various local theatrical

productions, as well as historical re-en-actments. She also worked with thewardrobe department of the recentlm, e Help, to provide the actorswith just the right look.

Getting back to the matter of therecognition recently bestowed uponher shop, I asked KK what it means tohave e Attic selected for this list.

Having the store recognized nation-ally is by far, the best "pat-on the-back",yet! I submitted e Attic to USAToday aer getting a suggestion froma fellow Vintage Fashion Guild mem-ber, Big Yellow Taxi, in Quebec. Larry

Bleiberg, from USA Today, was prepar-ing a story about vintage clothingstores considered "well worth thetravel," with input from MelodyFortier, author ofe Little Guide toVintage Shopping.

Knowing there are thousands ofvintage clothing stores in the UnitedStates, it was certainly a huge surpriseand honor to be chosen and the charmof Columbus, no doubt, had a part inthe nal selection.

In response to my query about whatthe reaction to e Attic being namedto list has been, KK replied, e

phone started ringing at 6am the

morning the paper hit the stands andhasn't stopped! Even as far as Africa,colleagues and customers are sendingcongratulations, along with new in-quires about the stock and selection ofe Attic.

e timing of the feature was per-fect, during Columbus Spring Pilgrim-age, when there is such a fun urry ofactivity in town and that just spilledover to the excitement of the article.Pilgrims walked into the store askingif I knew about the write-up and theirfriends texting them saying, You're inColumbus...you have to go to eAttic! It really has been a whirlwind ofpress and mentioning our connectionto the costumer for e Help didn'thurt, either. Folks are buying items totake back to friends in their hometownand requesting that I attach my storecard to the purchase for proof!

e Attic is located at 116 3rd StreetSouth. You can also take a virtual tourby visiting www.atticville.com. Followe Attic on Facebook at www.face-book.com/atticville.

e Real Story Staff Report

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April4,2012

NEI

GHBORHOODWATCHCitywide Neighborhood Watch

Meeting Proves Very Informative

A citywide Neighborhood Watchmeeting was held on ursday, March29th, at e Municipal Complex. emeeting was called to order and MayorRobert Smith greeted the group of 50-60 concerned citizens in attendance.

Asst. Chief Joe L. Johnson gave awarm invocation, and then Chief Sel-

vain McQueen opened the meeting bytalking about justiable homicide. Hesaid, speaking in plain English, if some-one breaks into your home and you areafraid for your safety and life, you canprotect yourself. McQueen also stated,

"I will do whatever I have to do to pro-tect myself and my family." is being

said, he pointed out that there are anumber of steps and measures that canbe undertaken to reduce the likelihoodthat one would be the victim of a crime.What followed was a well thought-outprogram, highlighted by a Power Pointslide show, with brief presentations byselected police officers, each focusingon a different subject area.

Officer Rhonda Sanders gave an in-depth explanation of what Neighbor-hood Watch is and how it can help eachof us. She stated that a serious crimehappens, in this country, every 2-3 min-

utes, and that we need to take precau-tions to protect ourselves and our

homes, family and property. Neighbor-hood Watch will train you how to iden-tify suspicious activity in yourneighborhood and what to do. Neigh-borhood Watch can also bring a neigh-borhood together. You will be trainedin a little self defense, but, most of all,what steps can be taken to safeguardyour home and property. Ultimately,Neighborhood Watch will teach youhow to be a "nosy neighbor." What is a"nosy neighbor", you ask? It is a personwho watches the houses around them,can tell when there is suspicious activity,

and will call E-911 when necessary.ey know if a particular individuallives in the neighborhood or not. eyare the people you can trust to be alertand know whether your home is safe orthreatened.

Next up, to speak, was CommunityResource Officer Ron Richardson. Hegave a detailed description, with slidesproviding examples, of ways to secureyour home and keep it safe. ese were

very straightforward and eye-opening.Officer Richardson also showed the

property forms that are designed to aidin taking inventory of ones possessions,and which should be kept on-hand forthe insurance company and the police,

in the event that a burglary rakes place.Office Richardson distributed blankcopies of these, at the end of the meet-ing.

Captain Mike Chandler, from theColumbus Fire Department, spokeabout the exciting things taking place,within his department. About fourweeks ago, an inspection team de-scended on the Columbus Fire Depart-ment, to begin the long and arduousprocess of getting the department ac-credited. When completed, the Colum-bus Fire Department will be the rst inthe state to be accredited. As part of this

process, they are passing out surveys forthe citizens of Columbus to ll out andreturn. is will enable the departmentto see if they are meeting the needs of

Staff Photo

Officer Rhonda Sanders, Officer Jeff Guyton, Capt. Fred Shelton, Asst. chief Joe Johnson, Chief S elvain McQueen,Lt. Carroll Culpepper, Officer Ron Richardson, and Sgt. John Duke.

Staff Photo

Officer Rhonda Sanders explainswhat Neighborhood Watch is

and how it can help.

See WATCH Pg. 7

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PIGTALES

April4

,2012


Photo of the Week

Staff Photo

$15 worth of mix could've xed this tire-getter in an extremely busyintersection between Kroger and Wendy's on Hwy 45 North.

the citizens of Columbus. If you have aeighborhood Watch group, Capt.

Chandler will be happy to attend youreeting and make the surveys available

to your members, as well as give a pres-entation about the process they aregoing through. If you are interested inhaving Capt. Chandler speak at yourmeeting, you can contact him at 662-889-8367, to schedule an appointment.

Lt. Carroll Culpepper, the ColumbusPolice Departments Administration

Commander, spoke on how importantit is to be the eyes and ears of the CPD,because they can't be everywhere, allthe time. He also informed the atten-dees about a little- known service thatthe police department offers - the Vaca-tion Home Watch program. You can goto the CPD, ll out some paperwork,and a police officer will go to yourhome, at least once a day, for up to 14days, and will check your home to en-sure that everything is OK, while youare gone.

As all of the officers in attendancestood in a line before the audience, with

so music playing, Chief McQueenstated, "is is your team; we are here toserve and protect you. Help us to helpyou."

Asst. Chief Joe Johnson stressed theimportance of calling E-911. He closedhis remarks by saying, "If you see it - tellit. We don't want your name - we wantyour information."

Chief McQueen then introduced JohnDuke, a narcotics officer who was justcoming in off of an assignment. OfficerDuke briey urged the audience mem-bers to give tips to the police. ere isnot a tip given that is not investigated,he said.

ere was a brief question and answerperiod, and then the meeting was dis-missed, with an offer for anyone withquestions to come forward and speakwith any of the officer present, individ-ually. As a reminder, they provided thephone number for Crime Stoppers:800-530-7151.

WATCH cont. from pg. 6

Fran [email protected]

Fran is a homemaker who enjoys experimentingand creating tasteful diabetic and kidney-disease-

friendly recipes. She is married to JohnAndresen and likes to crochet in her free time.

Aimee [email protected]

Aimee is the Office Manager at Malone ElectricCompany, Inc. and also has her own freelance

graphic design business. She is married toKenneth Shaw of Columbus.

I bought Porkchop a pot-bellied pigharness a few weeks ago, but had nottried to put it on him until last week.

Fran, a great friend and co-worker,

was visiting Porkchop one day and wedecided wed give it a go. What a sight- you should have seen us trying togure out how the harness went onthat fat pig. We put it on (correctly, welater gured out), but both of us de-cided THAT wasnt right. So we put iton backwards, which REALLY wasntright. Finally, we decided to look uppot-bellied pig wearing a harness onGoogle images, so we could quit ha-rassing Porkchop. YAY! We nally g-ured it out (even though Fran had itcorrect the rst time)!

Porkchop seemed awful proud to

wear his lime green harness for therest of the day. I have not tried to at-tach a lead to it, yet; I dont want totraumatize him all at once. He does apretty good job of following prettyclose to me when we walk, and evenheels better than a dog does! At least,better than our dogs!

Ive been having the hardest timending healthy food for Porkchop.Pot-bellies are a lot like humans, inthat if they eat potato chips, junk

food, etc., they will gainweight. So, last week,when Porkchop and Iwere visiting my auntand he stole one of her

freshly picked beets, Ithought: Hey, thatssomething he can eat!He was enjoying chew-ing on it, too - even hada beet red nose for afew hours, that aer-noon!

Well, leave it to me,but I found out, laterthat night, that beet pulpis sometimes used to putweight on horses. Pork-chop really does notneed to gain weight! He

does love sliced cucum-bers and carrots,though. And he reallyloves dried veggies - car-rots, snap peas, okra,green beans, zucchiniand squash - but doesnot care for fresh squash or zucchini.

Porkchops main diet consists of aspecialized feed made for pot-belliedpigs; he only gets his treats everynow and then. However, his biggestfan, who comes to see him a few timeseach week, does tend to bring himsome dry cereal that he really

shouldnt have (but really does love).But, I guess, once (or twice) a week

isnt too bad. At least thats what I tellmyself when I cheat on my diet!

Porkchops beet red nose!

Belated HappyBirthday,Tennessee!

World-famous playwright Ten-nessee Williams was born in Colum-bus, Mississippi on March 26, 1911.Born omas Lanier Williams III,Tennessee went on to write plays,short stories, novels, poetry, essays,screenplays, and a volume of mem-oirs. His career spanned the 1930suntil his death on February 25, 1983.

His work included A StreetcarNamed Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,e Rose Tattoo, Sweet Bird of Youth,Suddenly Last Summer, and manymore.

In honor of his birthday, two itemswere recently donated to the LocalHistory Department at the Colum-bus-Lowndes Public Library.

One item is an envelope from 1995,with the Tennessee Williams USpostal stamp in the upper right handcorner. It also contains an ArtCraprint of Williams on the le hand sideof the envelope. It was produced bythe Postal Commemorative Society.

e second item donated is a 1960lobby card from the movie SuddenlyLast Summer. e movie included fa-mous actors, such as Elizabeth Taylor,Katharine Hepburn, and Mont-

gomery Cli. e plot centers on ayoung woman who, at the insistenceof her wealthy New Orleans aunt, isbeing evaluated by a psychiatrist todetermine whether she should receivea lobotomy, aer witnessing the deathof her cousin, Sebastian Venable,while traveling with him in Spain theprevious summer.

e library will be showcasing thesenew acquisitions, along with manyother posters, playbills, lobby cards,

and photographs from their collectionof Tennessee Williams memorabilia,in September and October of thisyear.

Special to e Real Story

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REALSTORYPUBLISHING

.COM

April4,2012

CU

LTURALLYSPEAKING

Across1: Chips pal5: Talk informally9: Mar. follower12: Air freshener target

13: Penny ___14: Wine and dine15: High hills17: Gives approval18: ___ League19: Flooring squares21: Towels off24: Plaster mold26: Charged particle27: Adams abode29: Close with wax33: Posed34: ___ basin36: Cycle start37: Ravens cousin

39: ___ carotene40: Jasmine beverage41: Talk back43: Outmodedweapon45: Threes a ____

48: Roly-poly veggie49: That man50: Place for a levee56: ___ momentsnotice (2 wds.)57: Speedway shape

58: Actors prompt59: Average60: Shut in61: Prophecy

Down1: DeLuise or DiMag-gio2: Confused bustle3: Actor Jacobi4: Tennessee ____Ford5: Gumbys material6: Bali ___7: Sothern of Maisie

8: Experiments9: Evading army duty(abbr.)10: Punch11: Flagmaker Betsy16: Boob tube (2 wds.)

20: ___ Magic21: Word in CD22: Crowds sound23: Fascinated by24: Surrenders terri-tory

25: College course(abbr.)28: Youngsters claim30: Feminine suffic31: Territory32: Pinocchio, for one35: Eye surgery beam38: Compass dir.42: ___ in the bucket(2 wds.)44: Artist Picasso45: Chafe46: Actress Hayworth47: Actor Sharif48: Throw rocks at

51: ___ Lost You52: Moving vehicle53: Intention54: Opposite of SSW55: Mattel male

SEE ANSWERS TO THIS CROSSWORD PUZZLE IN OUR NEXT ISSUE

CROSSWORD 04.04.2012

Signs

of Spring AboundEvidence that spring has arrived is allaround us in the beautiful blooms ofazaleas, the switch to Daylight SavingTime, and happenings in the galleries.

What?! e galleries?!

ats right signs of new life aretaking place in our local art galleries!

is past ursday, I decided to beatthe crowds that one always nds at theRosenzweig Arts Centers galleryopenings, by checking out Hillary

Parkers new show, early that aer-noon.

Simply stating that Hillary Parker istechnically procient is like saying thatTennessee Williams was a talentedplaywright both assertions wouldnot only be incredible understate-ments, but they would also do atremendous disservice, not only to thework, but also to our enjoyment of it.

Ms. Parkers sprouts, orchids, andfruits and vegetables are not just per-fect replicas of the items that they rep-resent; they seem to burst forth fromthe page, with a ripe lushness that be-lies their 2-D nature.

I was particularly drawn to her or-chid collage shadowboxes and herEdible Art series. e shadowboxeseach consist of a variety of items -dried plant parts, watercolor images,text, and more all encased in a simple

wood and glass display. e EdibleArt series was made up of eensmall prints of realistic images of fruitsand vegetables.

Her portraits of dogs added a playful,yet very lifelike, air to the show.

All but a handful of pieces in theshow are iris giclee prints, makingParkers work easily affordable, withmany examples priced at less than

$100 each. For individuals desiringoriginal artwork, there were some half-dozen watercolors, ranging in pricefrom $400 to $3,000, which wouldmake ne additions to any collection.Parkers work will be on display untilApril 28th.

Earlier this day, I had spent a glorioushour soaking in the days warmth,breathing in the fresh air, and enjoyinga musical performance by MikeCooper, as the most recent installment

of this years Noon Tunes, a delightfulmusic series sponsored by Main StreetColumbus. Mike is a talented musi-cian, who is versatile enough to bridgea variety of musical genres fromblues, to country, to rock & roll. eaudience obviously recognized this, aswell, as they rewarded Cooper with en-thusiastic applause aer each number.

Even if, Heaven forbid, you missedboth of those spring-like events, youhave another opportunity, as more artwill burst forth, tomorrow.

e opening reception for Emer-

gence, a group show of work byemerging artists, and the latest in theArt in Columbus series, is scheduledfor ursday, April 5, from 5:30pm-7:30pm, at Renee Reedy Studio (1015th Street South; below Caf on Main).

Having had an opportunity for a sneakpeek at the work that will be on displayat the show, I can tell you that you willbe impressed by what you see, as theterm emerging artist belies the talentthat is evident in the paintings, photo-graphs, and mixed media works.

e Art in Columbus series is a part-nership between Renee Reedy Studio,which also offers incredible photogra-phy and cinematography services, andRandom Acts of Culture, a local arts

organization.

ursdays reception will featurefood by Caf Aromas, beer sponsoredby Mitchell Distributing, and winesprovided by Rooks Wine Cellar, as wellas so drinks. In addition, poster pro-duction was provided courtesy of Sig-nature Sound & Printing MediaSolutions.

is event is FREE and open to thepublic.

So, as you can readily see, just likeowers, art can bloom, during this sea-son of renewal. Its a perfect time to

Get out and get your culture on!

Get Out and GetYour Culture On!Get Out and GetYour Culture On!

Get Out and GetYour Culture On!


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Coddling Kids: Hollyweird Silverstoneas a Model for What Weve Become

Last month, I was traveling for workand stopped for lunch at Panera Bread,in the Summit Shopping Mall, in an af-uent section of Birmingham, Ala-bama. My server delivered my food,

nd le me to eat and watch people.Seated to my le was what appeared

o be a young mother, her child, andher parents. My rst thought was thatthe boy was much too big to be seatedin a high chair. But, who am I to decidehat?Maybe hes a special needs child, Ihought.

e next thing that caught my atten-ion was the fact that the mother wasaking the boys sandwich apart, break-ng it into bite-size pieces. She pleaded

for him to try a piece of the cheese,hich she had stripped off of the sand-

wich and placed on a napkin on thetable.

Come on, darling.try just a smallbite, she coaxed. is is that breadthat you love so much

He took a piece of the sandwich outof her outstretched hand. It remindedme of a mother bird feeding its baby.

She continued to dissect the sand-wich, feeding him bite by bite. If that

asnt enough, the grandmother tookver to let her daughter take a few bitesf her own lunch. e grandfather

ooked disgusted, but outnumbered. Iad a feeling hed rather be at the park,

laying baseball with Junior. Nohance of that happening, though.

As I ate my lunch, I noticed thatther adults were also coddling theirids. It reminded me, in a way, of whate teachers oen do with our students.e spoon-feed them. Parents oen ex-

ect and demand it.

As a high school science teacher, withseveral years of experience under my

elt, I began to expect my students to

assume some responsibility of theirown learning. At the expense ofsounding too New Age, I spent a lot oftime creating and facilitating authenticlearning situations that encouraged my

students to step out of their safetyzone, avoid the use of textbook com-pany-prepared worksheets, and startthinking for themselves.

I recall a particular students motherblasting me, when her daughter re-ceived a C in my Biology II class.

Not my baby! she exclaimed. Mybaby has always made straight As, andnow youve ruined her college plans.(She really did say that, she and manyothers.)

I attempted to help her understandhow my classroom was set up for stu-

dent-centered learning and that therewere no worksheets to memorize, notest reviews that covered every detailof the upcoming test. I also asked herwhy she had not attended either one ofthe two Open House nights that I hadheld for my parents, in my classroom.ose were informal events, where Iengaged the parents in the types of ac-tivities that their children would expe-rience.

No, I didnt come to those, she ad-mitted.

ere comes a time when a parentand a teacher must practice tough

love and demand accountability fromtheir children. is is not to say thatparents and teachers have to be meanand aggressive. On the contrary!

Deep inside, students like limits, andthey can have respect for the adults intheir lives only when that same respectis modeled for them. Students needstructured activities, with guidelinesand consequences; they deserve praise,where praise is needed and genuinelygiven.

All of the PC garbage that has in-ltrated every aspect of our society,down to the baseball parks, is makingus weak. I was in Atlanta, watchingsome friends children play a stepped-

up version of t-ball.

I asked one of them, Whos win-ning?

Oh, we dont do scores, she said.

Why the hell not? I was livid.How will you know who wins? Ibelted out.

Oh, thats not important, said themother of another player. We justwant each of out little players to feelspecial, she explained.

On top of that, each and every kiddogot a special ribbon aer the game be-

cause they were all special, and theywent home thinking that they are re-ally great at modied t-ball, and all iswell with the world.

We do the same thing at school,making sure that each child feels spe-cial, packing them all into the samedeath crate, creating little robots whocant think, cant read or solve prob-lems, and who cant identify India orNew Mexico on a map. But hey, theysure feel special, and isnt that whatcounts?

I could tell by the expressions on the

faces of several of the parents at thatball game fathers, in particular - thatthey wanted to agree with me. But theysat, spineless, non-verbal, so as not toupset anyone. Just like the bulk of theAmerican public, who has sat throughthis big giant insular bubble of a dis-ease called Political Correctness. ishideous disease has swept through ourcountry like wildre, ruining the land-scape.

You cant call Christmas vacation,

Christmas vacation any longer, be-cause it might be offensive to non-Christians. You mustnt call a janitor a

janitor because theyre actually envi-ronmental technicians. Its way out of

hand, and its all tied in with the dont-want-to-hurt-little-Johnnys-ego bullcrap. No Child Le Behind? Wannabet?

Life is rough, parents; you know this,so why do so many of you continue toover-protect your child like thats goingto insulate him or her from lifes harshside? It reminds me of the sickening

video that made the news and U-Tubethis week. at clip showed the Hol-lyweird actress Alicia Silverstonefeeding her child chewed-up food, di-rectly from her mouth to his. Well,folks, that sort of sums it up.

If you missed that clip, look it up,now, and be prepared to be freaked-out and grossed-out for sure. Its justhow that lady was treating her specialson at Panera Bread Company, inBirmingham. Parents, quit coddlingyour kids, and teachers, stop makingyour students ll out endless work-sheets to memorize! And America, geta grip! Its time to curtail this PC en-

vironment, today. You can still be civilwithout being over-the-top.

John [email protected]

John Dorroh is a Columbusresident who presentlyworks and lives part-time inthe St. Louis area. He worksas an educationalconsultant, traveling in the

Midwest and Southeast.He writes short stories,essays, and cheesy poetryabout people he has metalong the way.

Your weekly dose of Porkchop!

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FRAUDALERT Great Job, Ladies!

The ladies of Saum Chiropractic Clinic pulled off a great Ladies Night!

ank you so much from the Relay Story staff

Fraud Alert:Protect Your Bank and Credit Card Accounts

We have learned that there has beena rash of credit/debit card fraud occur-ring in our community, recently. Oursources indicate that most of these in-cidents have occurred aer the victimshave dined at area restaurants.

Victims have reported that, within ashort period of time aer they usedtheir card to pay their restaurant bill,they have learned that their checkingaccount has been emptied or theircredit card has been charged up to thelimit.

When they have contacted theirbank or card issuer, they have learnedthat the majority of the charges madeon their account were for access to theon-line game World of Warcra.

Citizens are urged to exercise cautionwhen using a debit or credit card. efollowing are some tips to help protect

yourself from being a victim ofcredit/debit card fraud:

Keep all receipts from credit/debitcard purchases, and comparethem with bank or cardstatements.

Check your on-line accountrecords, frequently, to monitor allactivity associated with your cards.

Immediately report lost or stolencards to the issuing company andthe police.

Never give your bank or creditcard information over the phone,unless you initiated the call. Never

give this information over a cellphone.

Although protection for account

holders varies, according tolocation and company, you shouldalways report any suspiciousactivity on your account both tothe issuing company and thepolice.

Consider using cash for sometransactions.

Some of the above recommendationshave been compiled by the NationalCrime Prevention Council.

Be alert! Be safe!


ANSWERS FROM THE MARCH 28, 2012 CROSSWORD PUZZLE

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Why Good People Do Bad ThingsDavid Brooks has written an article in the New York

Times (3.20.12) about human nature. Why, we ask,Do good people do bad? Brooks wonders why thisdoesnt happen more oen, since we are programmedfrom birth and down the millennia of human existenceo be self-protective and aggressive and to expand ourerimeters and secure our interests.

John Calvin believed that babies come out de-praved. G. K. Chesterton wrote that the doctrineof original sin is the only part of Christian theol-ogy that can be proved; and that the inner worldis a battleeld between light and dark, and life is astruggle against the destructive forces within.

is worldview was both darker and brighter thanthe one prevailing today. It held, as C. S. Lewis putit, that there is no such thing as an ordinary per-son. Each person you sit next to on the bus is ca-pable of extraordinary horrors and extraordinaryheroism.

Frank Bales, the topical subject of Brooks article, ishe young soldier who massacred 16 people infghanistan, recently.

Friends and teachers describe him as caring, gre-

garious and self-condent before he in thevague metaphor of common usage apparently,snapped. As one childhood friend told eTimes, ats not our Bobby. Something horrible,horrible had to happen to him.

is is a normal reaction, affirms Brooks:

According to [the prevailing worldview] mostpeople are naturally good, because nature is good.e monstrosities of the world are caused by thefew people (like Hitler) who are fundamentallywarped and evil. is worldview gives us an easyconscience, because we dont have to contemplatethe evil in ourselves.

However, Christians believe that Man was expelledrom the Garden of Eden in shame and sin; and thatedemption can come only through Jesus Christ. Ni-tzsche espoused the theory of beyond good and evil

that is, acting on those very basic and primitive im-ulses of self-protection, acquisition, expansion, and

security, without the guilt and recrimination imposedy society, is the highest form of human expression.

As Nietzsche says:

life itself is essentially appropriation, injury,overpowering of what is alien and weaker; sup-pression, hardness, imposition of ones own forms,incorporation and at least, at its mildest, exploita-tion

Although we may not admit it, we admire Nietzschesuperman. In a world in which religion, morality, and

he strictures dominate and reduce the individual to aerd-following being, we would like to be Richard III,aron the Moor, Edmund, Goneril, Regan, or Mac-eth. We would want to, as Nietzsche puts it:

...sail right over morality, we crush, we destroy per-haps the remains of our own morality by daringto make our voyage [to a world where hatred,envy, covetousness, and the lust to rule are theconditions of life and must be present and musttherefore be further enhanced, if life is to be furtherenhanced.

Shakespearean characters are the embodiments ofpure, unalloyed, untrammeled ambition the perfectexpression of Nietzsches theory of the pure will of theSuperman, an amoral striver beyond good and evil. Asimple, but familiar example from Machiavelli, whichShakespeare espoused inAntony and Cleopatra:

Love is a link of obligation, which men, becausethey are rotten, will break at any time they think

doing so serves their advantageMachiavelli also commented on law and force, sug-

gesting that princes need law, but there are times whenonly beastly force will suffice. He, like Nietzsche, un-derstood that accession to power requires setting asidethe bourgeois assumptions of morality; and believedthat while love of the people can be useful, fear is themost instrumental tool in gaining and retaining power.Machiavelli also suggested that princes need law, butthere are times when only beastly force will suffice.

Human nature, however represented by the Bible,Shakespeare, or Nietzsche, is neither good nor evil.Shakespeare was especially good at chronicling theendless cycle of history and describing the human na-ture which underlies it. e same palace coups, plots,

duplicity, greed, desire, and ambition are played outover the centuries.

As Brooks observes:

In a survey of students, David Buss of the Univer-sity of Texas found that 91 percent of the men and84 percent of the women had detailed, vivid homi-cidal fantasies; and had taken steps toward carry-ing them out. One woman invited an abusiveex-boyfriend to dinner, with thoughts of stabbinghim in the chest.

ese thoughts occur because we are descendedfrom creatures that killed to thrive and survive.Were natural-bornkillers and the real ques-

tion is not what makespeople kill but what pre-vents them from doingso. [Italics mine].

ere are, then, threetypes of people: 1) thosewho have successfully in-corporated the principlesand moral precepts of so-ciety, who repress evilthoughts, and lead nor-mal lives; 2) those whodo not live by the rulesand express the evil oftheir natures; and 3) those

who live by Nietzschesrules.

ese last are Supermen- the Genghis Khans; theRichard IIIs, Macbeths,and Edmunds who plot toaccede to power; who ful-ll desires to conquer andacquire without the ethicsand morals of what Niet-zsche called the herd.

Brooks adds another category that which includesRobert Bales; people who have always lived well withinthe margins of society, but whose containment vesselsprings a serious leak. Robert Bales has to be a freak,we argue. People just arent that way.

Most of us live within the rules and devise others tokeep pathological killers at bay; but we also secretly ad-mire the Supermen, the amoral heroes who express

their true, basic, and fundamental natures.e closest we have come to both realizing and ad-

miring this primitive potential is by acknowledging itwithin a psychological theory:

Self-actualization is the organism's master motive,the only real motive: "the tendency to actualize it-self as fully as possible is the basic drive...the driveof self-actualization" or mans tendency to actualizehimself, to become his potentialities...to express andactivate all the capacities of the organism."(Wikipedia)

In one brutal act, Robert Bales raised issues that wehave long chosen to ignore the nature of war and thestresses that can release primitive urges; human nature;

and the nature of good and evil and David Brookshas discussed them all intelligently and well.

Ron [email protected]

Ron Parlato is a writer living inWashington, DC. He has close ties with

Columbus which he visits frequently.His writings on literature, politics and

culture, travel, and cooking can be found on

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RECIPE

Mississippi Speech LanguageHearing Association at the Capitol

Courtesy Photo

Mississippi University for Women student Sarah Donaldson of Starkville, back row, left, recently participated inLegislative Day at the Mississippi Capitol. This was part of a grant through the Mississippi Speech LanguageHearing Association, with emphasis on training future professionals to be advocates for the profession and thepeople they serve. The Louisville native is pictured with Brittany Jones, Jackson State University, back row, right;Front row, from left, Ashley Hicks Foresman, head of the MSHA Young Professionals Committee, University ofMississippi graduate; Noelle Dunbar, The University of Southern Mississippi; Amy Simmons, UM; Stephen Clay,MSHA's lobbyist; and Cory Washington, UM.

WWW.SUDOKUPUZZL ES.NET SEE SUDOKU PUZZL E ON PG 11

An African Goose enjoys the beautiful weather.

4 servings Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients1 1/2 cups nely chopped

broccoli orets1 tablespoon butter1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons all-purpose our1 1/4 cups low-fat milk1 teaspoon Dijon mustard1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary1/4 teaspoon salt1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese3 large eggs, separated2 large egg whites1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

DirectionsPreheat oven to 375F. Coat four 10-ounce ramekins (or a 2-2 1/2-quartsouffl dish) with cooking spray andplace them on a baking sheet.

Place broccoli in a medium, microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave until the

broccoli is tender-crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.Melt butter and oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in our and cook, whisking, for 1

minute. Adjust heat, as needed, to prevent themixture from getting too dark; it should be

the color of caramel. Add milk, mustard,rosemary and salt and cook, whiskingconstantly, until thickened, 1 to 2 min-

utes. Remove from heat and immediately

whisk in goat cheese and 3 eggyolks, until well combined. Transferto a large bowl.

Beat the 5 egg whites in a mediumbowl with an electric mixer on highspeed, until so peaks form. Add cream

of tartar and continue beating until stiffpeaks form.Using a rubber spatula, gently fold half ofthe whipped whites into the milk mixture.Gently fold in the remaining egg whites andthe reserved broccoli, just until no whitestreaks remain.

Transfer to the prepared ramekins or souffldish.

Bake until puffed, rm to the touch and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers160F; about 20 minutes in ramekins or 30 minutesin a souffl dish. Serve immediately.

Broccoli and GoatCheese Souffle

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EDUCATION

April4,2012

REALSTORYPUBLISH

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Columbus MiddleSchool StudentsExcel at Regionals

Columbus Middle School SPIRITStudents recently competed in the re-

gional Destination ImagiNation Tour-nament in Madison, MS. ecompetition was held on Saturday,

arch 24, 2012, at St. Anthony'sCatholic School, and Columbus Mid-dle School teams won in four out ofve divisions.

Destination ImagiNation, Inc. is anextraordinary non-prot organizationthat provides educational programs forstudents to learn and experience cre-tivity, teamwork and problem solving.estination ImagiNation is an educa-

ional program in which student teamssolve open-ended challenges and pres-

nt their solutions at tournaments.eams are expected to think on their

eet, work together, and devise originalsolutions that satisfy the requirements

f the challenges. Participants gainore than just basic knowledge and

skills - they learn to unleash theirmaginations and take unique ap-roaches to problem solving.

e following teams qualied toompete at the State challenge, onpril 14, 2012, at Columbus Highchool.

Sixth Grade Super Smart Squirrels 1st Place in Architecture/Structure

hallenge:Braden BonsallChristina ClarkAidan DunkelbergKarlito HillJonas OswaltGraham Weseli

Jebakas 1st Place in theeatre/Drama Challenge:

Brianna M. BrownShemaiah CaineAmari ColvinKerrigan HillAyana MorrisJessica VerdellEvelyn Walker

WALLJAZ 1st Place in ScienticResearch Challenge:

Ansley DaleLeonardo DismukesZoe FowlerJaylan LenoirAnthony McClelland

Wrishija RoyLaurel Yarborough

Bojangles SPIRIT 1st Place in theTechnology/Engineering Division:

Ladd ChainJimbo KillebrewCamden SandersAvery VelekCooper WeseliJoshua Williams

Columbus SPIRIT 2nd Placein the Architecture/StructureChallenge:

Michael Bailey

Amari ColvinCameron DouglasDarrion FisherChris GrayRussell TaylorJessica Verdell

MUW Receives NationalRecognition forCommunity Service

For the second year in a row, Missis-sippi University for Women has beenrecognized on the Presidents HigherEducation Community Service Honor

Roll. e President's Higher EducationCommunity Service Honor Roll,launched in 2006, annually highlightsthe role colleges and universities playin solving community problems andplacing more students on a lifelongpath of civic engagement, by recogniz-ing institutions that achieve meaning-ful, measureable outcomes in thecommunities they serve. Honorees arechosen based on a series of selectionfactors, including: the scope and inno-

vation of service projects; the extent towhich service-learning is embedded inthe curriculum; the schools commit-ment to long-term campus-commu-nity partnerships; and measurablecommunity outcomes, as a result ofservice.

We are truly honored by this recog-nition. I am very appreciative of all fac-ulty, staff and students for theircommitment to community serviceand dedication to making a difference,said Dr. Jim Borsig, MUW president.Community service is important indeveloping leadership skills among ourstudents. It is also an opportunity forfaculty and staff to demonstrate lead-ership, through service on campus andin the community.

MUW students, faculty and staffcompleted 263,000 hours of commu-

nity service in 2010-2011. ose pro-grams included weekend service tripsto assist with disaster recovery, sum-mer programs beneting students in

at-risk school districts in the state, andservice learning projects that helpedstudents learn more about their eld ofstudy, while helping those in theGolden Triangle.

Jessica Harpole, MUW coordinatorof leadership and service, said, Ourstudents, faculty and staff are examplesof how a small group of committedpeople can make a huge impact on theregion. Hopefully, others will followthis example of servant leadership andget connected to a project that they canbe passionate about.

e Corporation for National and

Community Service oversees theHonor Roll in collaboration with theU.S. Departments of Education andHousing and Urban Development,Campus Compact and the AmericanCouncil on Education.

CNCS is a federal agency that en-gages more than ve million Ameri-cans in service through its SeniorCorps, AmeriCorps, Learn and ServeAmerica programs, and leads Presi-dent Barack Obamas national call toservice initiative, United We Serve. Formore information, visit NationalSer-

vice.gov.



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CONSUMERCORNER

by Mo & No-Mo

e skies are blue, with big whitepuffy clouds oating by, in the shapesof bunnies, sheep and other imaginedcreatures. A gust of wind sends a kiteoff to locations only dreamed of. Yes,spring fever is here - oh boy, is it here!Stores are full of shoppers; the parkinglots are full. Upon entering a store, therst obstacle you encounter is the huntfor the elusive shopping cart. ereare a few lined up against the wall, butyou soon discover that most havewheels that dont work in the same di-rection; the rest have at least one attire. How do you resolve this chal-lenge - you go back out to the parkinglot where you ran the obstacle courseof buggies to get your car into anempty parking space, and nd a func-

tional shopping cart.Back in the store, the aisles are in

gridlock - crowded with buggies lledwith crying babies or toddlers; smallchildren running around, playing hideand seek or tag; items spilling off theshelves and scattered across the oor.You ever-so-gently navigate aroundthe frustrated young woman, whose"little darling" is throwing a tantrumbecause mommy won't buy him thatEaster basket or chocolate rabbit. Itdoesn't take long to realize that youaren't going to get anything done, thisday, so let's go to another store and

take care of some of those other er-rands. Let's see - envelopes, le fold-ers, ink cartridges - yes, Office Depot

is the place for me. Jumping in the car,I head towards that magical placewhere my shopping list intersects witha peaceful environment and plenty ofhelp to locate the needed items.

Walking in the door this Saturdaymorning, I stop to breathe in the calmand quiet of a nice, well-stocked (and

all on the shelves - not the oor) store.Taking notice of the large number ofcustomers, I venture out to nd the

rst item on my list. Aer severalminutes, I stumble upon the en-

velopes, and place this much-neededitem in my basket. Continuing withmy quest to locate items on my list, itbecomes apparent that a store associ-ate is needed to complete this task.What, no assistance is available?! Butthis is Office Depot; they are supposedto be there to assist you in your everyneed. Walking through the store, I amamazed to discover how many cus-tomers are having the same issues I am- at the last count it was around 23.

Not surprisingly, it appears that onlyone register is open. e cashier hasabout eight customers lined up and

waiting to check out, so no help isavailable to assist me, there. Ahhh,see one associate. He is sitting over athe copy desk, using a computer. woman who should be working be-hind that counter is hunkered dowbehind a display, chatting and laugh-ing with her co-worker, who is at thcomputer. Finally, I hear one cus-tomer walk over and ask if she isworking, and she replies to the cus-tomer, "I guess I am, now." Should wblame this whole scenario on sprinfever, or is this simply indicative of bacustomer service and bad businesspractices? You be the judge. All wcan do is report what we see.

If you have a local business or establishment you would like us to consider for review, please e-mail us at:[email protected].

You will get our honest opinion of the business, their personal customer service, and the services offered.

We strive for fair, unbiased reporting, so we hope to hear from you.

Drinks provided by Brought to you by

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Welcome Center. Lunch served by the Front DoorApril 5, Music by Paul Brady at the TN Williams

Welcome Center. Lunch served by the Front DoorApril 12, Music by Marian Montgomery at the

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Trotter Courtyard. Lunch served by Zacharys

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Saving Boots, Having FaithWhen you read this story, you areoing to fall into one of two categories -ou are either an animal lover or yourent. Let me clarify; I am dening an-

imal lover as a person who treats theirpets as little human beings. We let themsleep with us at night; place Christmaspresents in their own personalizedstockings; carry pictures of them in our

wallets or on our cell phones; and tellstories about them to anyone who willisten to us. By my own denition, I amn animal lover.One of my four-legged children,oots, had a sore on her right rear leg

hat would not heal. I had taken her toy veterinarian several times, over the

ast three months. She was prescribedoral antibiotics, topical antibiotics and

ne REALLY expensive super antibi-tic. I was even trying some holisticraps on the wound. I cant forget toention there was a massive amount of

rayer, on my part, for her. All my furryhildren are special, but Boots was myusbands baby. He rescued her fromhe body shop where he was working

on his car. She had a kitty cold and ahernia. Boots was only supposed to staywith us until she was well, but you knowhow that goes. Boots short stay hasturned into 8 years. My husbandpassed away, unexpectedly, last sum-mer, so my emotional attachment to heris immense.

A couple of weeks ago, I made an ap-pointment, for Boots, with my veteri-narian. I knew that the sore wasntgoing to heal and most likely it neededto be amputated. If she needed surgery,I knew that I wouldnt be able to affordit. If my nancial circumstances weredifferent, I would not hesitate to haveher leg amputated. I asked my son to gowith me, for moral support. I alreadyknew what the recommendation wasgoing to be and I knew what I was goingto have to do.

e veterinarian said that Bootsneeded to have her leg amputated. Myheart sunk and the tears started owing.(ank goodness, I was not sobbingloudly.) She stepped out of the room. I

thought she was getting the consentform for the euthanasia, for me to sign.My son, AJ, asked me to let him pay forthe surgery because he knew how muchI needed Boots. I told him no, becausethat was not good stewardship of ourmoney, right now. e veterinariancame back into the room and told methat someone had set up a fund for peo-

ple with special circumstances to helpwith the care of their pet. e veterinar-ians at the clinic thought that we t thecriteria. I continued to cry, but now,they were tears of joy.

AJ told me that he knew we werentgoing to have to euthanize Boots. Hesaid that he knew I prayed for God togive me the strength to make the deci-sion to euthanize her. I asked him howhe knew that I prayed for strength. Hesaid I just know you - how you thinkand how you pray. AJ said, Mom, Godhas been taking good care of us, sincedad died. He knew you needed Boots.

My son wasnt worried.On March 12th, Boots had her right

rear leg amputated up to her hip. enext day, she came home. As soon asshe got home, she went through the catdoor, straight to the food bowl, to eat.Boots has adapted well to having onlythree legs. Animals, unlike people,dont know that they are differently-abled. ey just do what they normallydo. (We should take a lesson or two

from them.)God did answer my prayer - just not

in the way I expected. I thought that,because Boots didnt get better, I wouldlose her. God answers prayers in Hisown time and in His own way. Godcares about me so much that He caresabout the little things that are importantto me. God loves us all that much. Howawesome it that?!

Spring

SafetyTipsBicycle Safety

Bike riding can be a fun activity for children, but if they don't know how toride safely, it can also be a very dangerous one. In 2002, almost 300,000 chil-dren were treated in hospital emergency rooms, aer bicycle accidents. Oen,these accidents are preventable.

You can protect your children by teaching them the following rules:

Always wear a helmet and make sure it's fastened. Helmets can

reduce head injuries by up to 85 percent and, in many states, it'sillegal for children not to wear them.

Wear bright clothing. Bright and light-colored clothing makesriders more noticeable. If children are allowed to bike ride aerdark, make sure they have reectors on their bike, helmet, andclothing.

Ride in safe places, such as in parks, on bike trails, and on roadswith little traffic.

Obey the rules of the road. Bikers must stop at all stop signs andred lights, use hand signals when turning, and ride only on theright hand side of the road, with the ow of traffic.

Look both ways before crossing an intersection. Seven out of tenbike crashes happen at driveways and intersections.

Whenever possible, cross the road at crosswalks. at's where

drivers expect to see bicyclists and pedestrians crossingintersections. Remember, always walk bikesacross crosswalks.

Give bikes regular tune ups. It's just asimportant for a bike to be well maintained,

as it is for a car.

Lock up or keep bikes in a safeplace. To help police return abike, if it is stolen and recov-

ered, record the serial numberand take a picture of the bicycle

for their use. Many local policedepartments have free bikeregistration days and other bike

registration programs.

Ride with a friend. It'smore fun and safer,because help is there,if needed.


Candi Vezina

Candi is involved with several communitygroups. She enjoys doing things for others andspending time with her family.

Sale Elementary Wins Governors AwardSale Elementary and Mississippi University for Women College of Education

& Human Sciences was awarded the Governors University Partnership Award.

is distinguished award recognizes the innovative partnership between twooutstanding educational entities - MUW College of Education and Human

Sciences and Sale International Studies Magnet School. ey have partneredtogether for the Kids N College Program, which has provided unique

learning experiences every semester, since 2009.

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INVINOVERITAS The Seeds of Tomorrow

I love science. Like many people,when I was a little boy, I used to lookup at the stars and wonder and theo-rize about the vastness of space and thethought processes of things like bugsand plants. I would imagine what arhododendron might say to an ant asit crawled about the petals of its

blooms. I wondered if cicadas yingthrough the air navigated using thestars as placeholders, and imaginedshrimp whistling tunes as they foragedfor food in the seemingly never-endingsoup of the ocean. As I got older, and Ibecame a little less fantastical about theworld and universe that surrounds us,I abandoned these fantasies, in searchfor truth. Each day, more and more, asI learned about the world, I becamedrawn to history and the people thatdiscovered and created constructs ofour reality. ere were so many peopleand so many components to the vastbody of knowledge that we accumu-

lated, and the even vaster body ofknowledge that we did not know. As Itried to back my mind away from theentire population, though, it began toseem as if as time moved along, fewerand fewer scientic celebrities ap-peared.

en, I discovered Carl Sagan.

Carl Sagan was many things. He wasan astronomer, a cosmologist, an as-trophysicist, a novelist, a teacher, anda promoter of the search for extra-ter-restrial life. Sagan brought the techni-cal nonsense that oozed from nerdyscientists in white lab coats behindclosed doors in government facilities,to the living rooms and minds of peo-

ple like you and me when, in 1980, hehosted the landmark series, Cosmos.rough this wildly popular televisionshow, Sagan translated all the mumbo-

jumbo that science had to offer, put itinto a common and workable form,and gave it an even more commonperspective that most anyone could

easily translate. Once more, he gave allof it purpose. Cosmos was more than ascience program. It was a presentationof the driving force of why science ex-isted, and its part within the humanmechanism. In essence, Cosmos wasthe human interaction and observa-tion of everything that was, is, andmight be. is astounded me. Some-how, in the bowels of my mind, I knewthat everything had to t in line witheverything else. ere had to be somesort of order to the chaos of the uni-

verse. But, up to that point, I had neverheard anyone or anything put it insuch a viable form, as when I began to

watch Carl Sagan pull apart the uni-verse and the earth, and glue it to thehuman purpose.

But Carl didn't answer all of thequestions. Sagan le the entire uni-

verse open and still greatly undiscov-ered. His presentations re-ignited thedreams and wonders of anyone wholounged on the couch with a bag of po-tato chips and a willingness to wonder.Sadly, in 1996, this pioneer of transla-tion, Carl Sagan, died. For a while,some of us wondered if there wouldever be another face of the scienticworld, a man so knowledgeable and,well, human, to present the hiddenworld of science to the people again.

en I discovered Neil deGrasseTyson.

Neil deGrasse Tyson has become theface and voice bridging the gap be-tween the general population and sci-ence and exploration, today. Tyson'scareer, like Sagans, is marked by anumber of titles and talents, such as as-

trophysicist, cosmologist, science com-municator, teacher, and, perhaps, evencelebrity. Currently, he is the Directorat the Hayden Planetarium in Manhat-tan, New York, and has, not one, butten honorary degrees from a variety ofinstitutions. e author of severalbooks, including: e Pluto Files: eRise and Fall of America's Planet; DeathBy Black Hole: And Other CosmicQuandaries; and his most recent pub-lication, e Space Chronicles: Facingthe Ultimate Frontier, he has racked upa formidable resume of guest and TVappearances. He's appeared on eColbert Report seven times, on eDaily Show with Jon Stewartsix times,and has been a guest on Real Time withBill Maher a number of times. Heshows up everywhere, and still hastime to be the host of the PBS series,NOVA: scienceNOW.

But Neil deGrasse Tyson is notmerely a scientist, nor is he merely acelebrity. He has a message to share,and it starts with a dream. In his recentoffering to the world, e Space Chron-icles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier,Tyson shines the spotlight on the sig-nicance of the rediscovery and im-portance of America's space

exploration program and NASA. OnMarch 7th of this year, Neil deGrasseTyson was asked to speak before Con-gress on the future of just these topics.ere, Tyson explained to the ScienceCommittee that "...audacious visionshave the power to alter mind states, tochange assumptions about what is pos-sible, and when a nation allows itself todream big, these dreams prevail in thecitizens' ambitions." But, as much asNeil deGrasse Tyson is a student of thepresent and scientist of the future, heis also a student of history. Noting thatthe space exploration program and

NASA was born out of a national fear

and cold war, he goes on to mentionthat once America decided that we hadwon the space race, we stopped dream-ing about discovering new planets andtraversing the cosmos. As he assertedwith frank and expert articulation, theproblems of this country are "...the col-lective consequence of the absence of

ambition that consumes you when youstop having dreams."

Neil deGrasse Tyson gets it. Whatmade this country great was not war,nor was it legislation; but, rather, inno-

vation and opportunity - the seeds ofwhich are grown in the dreams and thewonders of children. As those seedsgrow and are watered by our environ-ment, the stalks burst forth from theirbeds, peering at the sky for the rsttime. ose stalks are the dreams of anew generation, who begin to see thepossibilities and that there's a placeand room for their owers to grow.

Eventually, they will open their petalsto the sky. ey will become mathe-maticians, engineers, physicists andgeologists. ey will become teachers,inventors, discoverers and explorers. Itis this next generation that will trans-form the desert of yesterday into thegarden of tomorrow. Yes, we mustworry about today, but we cannot con-tinue to ignore tomorrow. Withoutdreams, there are no ambitions. With-out ambitions, there is no progression.Without progression, there are no he-roes. And without heroes, humanitybecomes unable to realize the possibil-ity of escaping the harshnesses of theworld and its environment.

Dare to dream, Neil. Keep spreadingthe seeds of tomorrow.

Invino [email protected]

Attempting to make sense of his universe,Invino Veritas bubbles outward from the chaos,sometimes submitting to its innite whirl, and

other times raging against its disregard for its ownelements. His writings incorporate multiple stylesand energies which can be found on his own blog

of random things athttp://musingsfortheinsane.blogspot.com/

Check out our website @realstorypublishing.com

or facebook.com/rspublishingfor additional articles

and information!

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HEALTH

April4,2012


Havent you been told, for years, to eat healthy? You have been told by yourdoctor, your family, the media, and even by the labels on products in the store.

is information differs from source to source, each having its own denitionof what is healthy. We are constantly searching for the one thing that works.

is has become a national obsession, which has led to many products beingsold to the public as the cure-all. is, consequently, has shied the focusfrom trying to nd out how to eat healthy, to what product can make us loseweight. is oen leaves the basics of nutrition forgotten.

e vast majority of society nds itself overweight. is is reected in theCenters for Disease Control statistics that show that more than one-third of

adults in the United States are obese, and approximately seventeen-percent ofchildren and adolescents, age 2-19 years, are obese. Of course, we are remindedthat Mississippi has ranked as the fattest state in the nation, for the last six years.About 95% of those who are overweight and go on repeated diets, usually gainthe weight back (and more), within one year. Obesity is dened more clearlyby body-fat percent, composition and circumference measurements. Body-fatpercentage is that percentage of body mass that is not made up of bone, muscle,connective tissue and uids. Body-fat is measured most commonly by skin-fold calipers, Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), Anthropometric Tests,Hydrostatic Weighing, and Dexa Scans. e American Council on Exercisebody fat chart is as follows:

Women MenAthletes 14-20% 6-13%Fitness 21-24% 14-17%Acceptable 25-31% 18-24%

Obesity >32% >25%

So, lets delve into what healthy and nutrition really means. e dictionarystates that nutrition is a necessity for existence. It denes healthy as possessingor enjoying good health. ink of food for the body, just like gas is fuel foryour automobile then, you can better understand how the body works andthe role of proper nutrition. Eating smaller more frequent meals, approximatelyevery three hours, will help to reduce body fat and have positive results, includ-ing:

Increased energy level and metabolic rate Improved hormone balance Stabilized blood sugar Improved mental clarity and mood Reduced food cravings Improved sleep

e biggest misconception is that you have to eat food you dont like. isis not the case. Instead, it is all about eating more of the foods that are good foryou, that you do like. Selecting foods that you like from the following categorieswill help you to establish a more balanced pattern of healthy eating.

Food Examples When To EatProtein Lean beef, turkey, chicken,

sh, eggs Every meal

Fruits - Fresh Strawberries, blueberries.or frozen apples, oranges, pineapple During the day

Food Examples When To Eat

Vegetables Fresh or frozen Green beans, broccoli, asparagus, spinach,

squash, onions, peppers, green lettuce,carrots, cucumbers Every meal

Fats Olive oil, natural peanut Limited amountbutter, nuts during the day

Starchy Oats, whole wheat, sweet potatoes,Carbohydrates pasta, brown rice Aer exercise

Reduce the amount of fried foods and choose foods that are grilled, baked,broiled, or steamed. It is also best to reduce or eliminate boxed foods or frozendinners, as they contain many chemicals, sodium, and sugars. Always choosefresh or frozen fruits and vegetables. Canned fruits and vegetables are dead- devoid of the nutritious properties that are needed for the body - due to theprocessing and additives. Learn to read and understand food labels, becausethat will help you to reduce the likelihood of eating food and food productsthat arent healthy. Be aware that what you read on the front of food packagesis just to encourage you to buy that product, and not necessarily the whole truth.Always read the label and ne print on the back. Phrases such as low fat andlight can also mean hidden sugars, for example. Last, but not least, drink aminimum of sixty-four ounces of water a day. e body requires water to per-form the following functions or processes: forming the uids around joints;regulating body temperature; alleviating constipation; eliminating waste; re-ducing body fat; and regulating metabolism. You may not realize this, but whenyou rst notice thirst, you are already dehydrated.

e most important key to success is to realize that we must be responsiblefor creating a healthy lifestyle by utilizing basic nutrition.

Points to remember:

Eat at regular intervals, during the day

Be consistent with good eating habits

Eat foods you like, from eachcategory

Reduce or eliminatepre-packaged foods

Choose foods that aregrilled, baked,broiled, or steamed

Read andunderstand food labels

Drink sixty-four ouncesof water per day

The True Denition of Eating Healthy

Melinda Duffie isa certied

personal trainer,with additional ex-pertise in nutritioncounseling and life

coaching, as well as aB.A. in Business.

Melinda [email protected]

Your AdCould Go Here!Call Cindy Today! 574-3893

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pril4,2012

HEALTH

For most of us, when we think ofspring, we think of sunshine, birds,and owers - happy things. Walks inthe park, the sounds of kids playingoutside, spring showers, buddingtreesyou get the picture.

But, if spring is such a happy time,why are 99% of the people who walkthrough my doors feeling irritated,anxious, stressed and upset? Womencomplain of more menstrual-relatedpain, PMS, and anxiety/depression,and men come in stressed and aggra-

vated from work, home, kids - what-have-you. Headaches and migraines

also ourish at this time of year - partlybecause of the pollen, yes, but there'sanother reason, too.

Chinese Medicine, an ancient artpracticed for thousands of years, offersa different way to look at the seasonsand how our bodies and emotionsreact to them. According to this tradi-tion, the human body has numerousenergetic systems, or channels, thatcorrespond, on some level, with the

various systems of Western Medicine(musculoskeletal, neurological, en-docrine, etc.). Beyond their anatomicand physiological correlations, these

energetic systems also relate individu-ally to different emotional states, sea-sons, mental states, times of day, etc.Spring, in Chinese Medicine, is thetime of the Wood element. Part of theunderlying theory of Chinese Medi-cine is that we humans, being a part ofnature, also reect it (nature), both inour physical bodies and in our emo-

tional states. e Wood element, dur-ing this time of year, represents na-ture's urge to grow. In the spring,everything that was hibernating, bothliterally and guratively, is respondingto nature's urge to burst forth with new

life. We humans, too, experience thisurge to grow, to push out of our hiber-nation and move our bodies more -hence the term, "spring fever."

Spring is also the time of Wind -those of us living in this area of thecountry know this well, with tornadoseason upon us, once again. Windstirs everything up and moves it -sometimes gently, sometimes force-fully. Because we humans reectwhat's going on in nature, Wind exter-nally becomes Wind internally, stirringup whatever might be "stuck" in ourphysical, emotional, or mental body.

Wind is seen as the root of many typesof pain and disorders, from the com-mon cold to seasonal allergies to a badheadache or a bad mood.

Spring is also the season of the Liverin Chinese Medicine ("Liver" with acapital "l" refers to an entire theoreticalsystem, not just the anatomic liver,which itself is only a small part of thewhole). e Liver is responsible forthe smooth ow of Qi (pronounced"chee"; meaning life energy) in thebody, in addition to numerous otherfunctions (many of which correlate di-rectly with the functions of the liver in

Western Medicine). e mental stateassociated with the Liver is control,and the emotional state when the Liveris out of balance, is anger.

At this time of year, then, here's whathappens. Wood energy is dominating,and our bodies respond to the urge tomove, to push forward, to grow. Wind,

which is also dominant around thistime, starts to stir everything up exter-nally, blowing away the old and some-times destroying the new. Wind, orthe stirring up of things, is a necessarypart of the process of change (think,

"winds of change"), and change, as weall know, can sometimes be painful.is external Wind moves internally,causing an aggressive movement of Qiand oen with it, pain (which happenswhen Qi is disrupted). e Liver re-sponds with frustration, irritation, andanger at its inability to control every-thing as smoothly as it would like(both literally and guratively), andthe result is pain, insomnia, anger,stress, and anxiety.

e key to all of this is knowing howto help your Wood element during thisseason of spring. If your out-of-sort-

ness is mood-related, sometimes justsimply knowing you're not crazy helps- there is a reason for your feeling theway you do!

e very best thing you can do foryourself, during this season of spring-time, wood, and wind - whether yoursymptoms are physical (pain), mental(over-obsessing), or emotional (irrita-tion/anger/depression), is to keep yourstress as low as possible. Stress is un-avoidable in life, and while we can'tnecessarily control what goes onaround us, we can control our own re-actions to it - by taking care of our-

selves and minimizing our internalstress.

Simple ways to keep internal stress ata low include: taking time out for your-self on a daily basis (even ve minutesmakes a difference); taking deepbreaths; moving in some way; meditat-ing; taking a bath, etc. e important

thing is to place yourself in the centerof your world in a positive way, even ifit's just for a small amount of time,rather than focusing on all the thingsyou're stressed about and all youshould be doing. Remember, the

Liver, when out of balance, pushes usinto over-control mode; the less con-trol you have of your own internalworld, the more out of whack every-thing else is going to seem.

And nally, treating yourself regu-larly to therapies such as massage,yoga, and acupuncture is a fantasticway to keep stress levels down. Mas-sage

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