RSP 061312

2
EditorsNote
by Joseph B. St. John

Editor-in-Chief
FROM THE EDITOR
Caledonia, Caledonia,
EDITORIAL
stjohnjb@realstorypublishing.com
J.B. ST. JOHN
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Wherefore Art Thou Caledonia?

Aint No Sunshine
- Bill Withers
In an eight-day span in which Councilmen Kabir Karriem and Joe Mickens pulled a power play on the Columbus City Council in regard to both redistricting and repaving, and Leroy and Harry (no last names needed) argued about 19th century politics over a 21st century iPhone, the leaders of the town of Caledonia met on June 5 and talked about...well...um...nothing. No kidding and no joke. Unfortunately, it was a slightly heated nothingness. How a town full of so many good people could be so misguided is inexplicable. It defies logic and is seemly business as usual for many of the people on the Board of Aldermen. It's like a big joke, except that the joke is on the community, and, as always, they will be the big loser. ey will be stuck with the bill of any lawsuit, judgment, etc. e meeting started with the board members removing every important issue from the agenda. Granted, the issues may have been more appropriately discussed in executive session, but they needed to be addressed and resolved immediately. Under the guise of "not liking being surprised" at the meeting, one by one the most pressing issues facing the town were removed from the program. Regrettably for the audience, who had to sit through the charade, it was just a ruse. Even Stevie Wonder could have seen through the farce, and therein lies the problem. No one is even slightly amused about what is occurring in their town. ey are just wondering when someone is going to fix the mess. In case youre keeping score at home, here are the issues the "Brain Trust" of Caledonia is ignoring: e Robertsons situation in regard to illegal work on their property is not resolved. Aer months of speculation, the Mayor and the Board are still waiting for an attorney general's opinion to resolve the issue. For those citizens who don't know what an attorney generals opinion is, it is where local government ocials send letters to other government ocials to get their opinion on a certain matter. In the real world, we call this cowardice. Someone, anyone, just make up your mind and have the guts to do the right thing. If you have damaged the property of a citizen, fix it. Period. You already pay for an attorney, why send for the opinion of another lawyer? It is a stall tactic, and that is all. But, wait there's more. While this dilemma is going on, the Robertsons son, Trey, has filed a grievance against the Water Department. Trey Robertson is alleging that, on May 4, 2012, he had a conversation with Water Department Head, Benny Coleman. Trey wrote on 5-4-12: I am filling out this grievance against Benny Coleman. At approximately 8:10 am on May 4, I asked Benny about signing my certification. [is certificate allows a person to receive a raise.] His response was "Well, buddy, we're going to wait and see what happens with your parents deal first." I then pointed out that their deal has absolutely nothing to do with my situation and he couldn't hold that situation against me, and he replied again, "We're just going to wait and see what happens with their deal first, and then we'll discuss signing you certification." Not only is that professionally and ethically wrong, but that goes against my constitutional rights as an employee of the town of Caledonia. at is not only discrimination but is also blackmail. Not very professional-acting of a superintendent which you have appointed to run this water system in a business professional manner. e letter had been marked with the handwritten notation received 5-9-2012 by Mayor G. Regardless of who is telling the truth, this is a time bomb that has to be corrected; instead, it just drags on, waiting to become a lawsuit. But it is all right: Doug McConaha is now saying that his property has also been illegally damaged by the water department. If true, this is the stu of legends - a one-department wrecking crew le trolling a defenseless community. You would think that if the board members had an ounce of respect for Benny they would solve the problem. If he was wrong, fix it, discipline him and move on. If he did nothing wrong, for heavens sake, clear his name. Don't let him be beaten down every day. And here is the scary part: every day that the town does nothing, it makes the town look more guilty. Plain and simple and no debate! Silence oen means guilt!
June 13, 2012
JEREMIAH SHORT
SPORTS WRITER
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The Battle of George, Ben and the Caledonia Town Marshals

Just when you think it can't get crazier, it does. A Caledonia Town Marshal was accused of soliciting an illegal payment from individuals he had arrested. When the parent of one of the subjects who allegedly was asked for money tried to talk about the situation, he was brushed o, and, though the parent was pressed for time, no other meeting time was set. So there you go. An accusation of gra and corruption, and the boards answer was a big zero! Even Town Marshal Ben Kilgore was frustrated. He wanted to be able to say that his ocer had been exonerated by the Lowndes County Sheri s Oce, but to no success. In "Hotdonia," the only things that matter are baseball fields and hot dogs. Gra, corruption and a person's good name are pointless. Like a town with a paper plant, the leaders of Caledonia like the town, they just hope no one notices the stink. If nothing else, it is time for "Hotdonia" to "grab the bull by the horns" and get their town in order. ey owe it to the community, the people involved and themselves. Once upon a time, a real smart guy said, Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes and love greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. ey will receive the greater condemnation. ere are two types of leaders: those who really lead and those who like the best seat in the house. For Caledonia's sake, let's hope people are listening to the really smart guy. Otherwise, the end of the meeting where the Mayor suggested that the aldermen stick it were the sun doesn't shine will become more commonplace. And any board who takes away the mayor's vote at a statewide conference is just asking for trouble. It's only cute for a moment, and then it smells like a paper plant.
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The Never-ending Saga of the Caledonia Water Department

Nowhere in the history of civilized man has a water department been in the middle of so much human waste. e Romans had more organization, and they did not have electricity. Whatever side a person lines up on, in regard to this situation, one thing is clear: Caledonia, we have a problem.
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Letter to the Editor from Caledonia Town Marshal Ben Kilgore

Dear Editor: made it clear that this person worked for him. He also said this person would cut the grass at the Marshal's Department. Do not blame the young man hired to keep the grounds up. Put the blame where it should be, on the Mayor. We have a Saturday Work program for individuals to work o fines. ese people are not here to do the job of our paid employees. We have them doing things like picking up trash on the streets and other jobs that the town does not have someone HIRED to do. I would like to address Mr. Clyde Jackson's complaint. I feel that, from the way it ended that night, he felt that the Board of Alderman did not want to discuss the issue. at is far from the truth. Both they and I want it brought out in the open that NO ONE on the Marshal's Department is above the law. If the allegations were found to have been true, then I would have put the cus on that ocer myself. I requested that his name not be used because the Sheris Departments investigation found there was no "evidence or proof' that this ocer did anything wrong or knew anything about what was going on behind his back. Mr. Jackson didn't want to bring up the name of the person that was at the root of this entire mess. Well, I didn't want the name of the ocer brought out because he did nothing wrong. Yes, Mayor, the board can "lambast" you because you are an elected ocial and do not get the privilege of hiding behind closed doors. e "anyone else" you referred to is a town employee who was accused and cleared of a crime. Yes, he has the right to have his name brought up behind closed doors. I have the report from the Sheris Department. Have you asked for the results? NO. Have you and I spoken since the last board meeting over a month ago? NO. I have told you time and again, both verbally and in writing that you need to come to see both the water department manager and myself so you could get the facts on dierent situations. You could be an informed Mayor with correct knowledge and facts. It is a shame that the mayor of a town the size of Caledonia cannot talk to his department heads. Caledonia is a great place to live; send your children to school; shop; attend activities at the park; and live the country life. It does not need all of the crap at Town Hall, just because ONE person doesn't get his way. I love Caledonia, and I don't like it portrayed as just a little "hick" town that is not moving ahead. It is sad to say, but for the last three years that has been what has happened. is Mayor has not done one thing to move Caledonia forward. He even fights against Caledonia Day, which is one of the best things going for Caledonia. en he wants to take the credit for it, when it is successful.
LOCAL NEWS
I am the Town Marshal for Caledonia. I am at every board of aldermen meeting and observe the antics of our Mayor firsthand. e papers represented at those board meetings seem to give the mayor a "Free Pass", and do not disclose what is going on behind the scenes. e Mayor continues to belittle our Town Clerk and talks to her horribly on the job and at the meetings. He is rude to the Aldermen. He is rude to individuals that come before the board (especially if he knows they didn't vote for him). He threatens the aldermen and individuals that disagree with him. Aer reading e Packet, this week, I noticed that the Board of Supervisors meetings are eerily similar to those in Caledonia - with one exception: George can't play a race card. If he could, I am quite sure he would.
June 13, 2012

Courtesy Photo
Car and over-grown grass.
People have complained about certain properties in Caledonia being dilapidated. e attorney for the town was asked to write a letter to those property owners to get the lots cleared up. I would request that one of those letters be sent to Mayor George Gerhart. He is responsible for overseeing the grounds at the park and Marshal's Department.
It is the responsibility of the board to make sure things that are discussed and voted on are handled according to the way it was voted. Some things are brought up, voted on and nothing is done; it is never brought up again. A follow-up is not brought up at the next meeting. All one has to do is look at the monthly agenda. ere are a few good things going on in Caledonia. Alderman Quinn Parham is trying to set in motion the plans for a new municipal building. My hat is o to him for having the foresight to see that this area is growing faster than any other part of the county. e town needs to grow with it. Subway, from what I understand, is still coming, which will be great. So people and businesses do believe that Caledonia is the place to be. It will get better.
Areas of the park and the Marshal's Department are in similarly bad of condition. e grass around the Monument at the park is a disgrace to those young men that died for this town. When a groundskeeper was hired, the Mayor
Ben Kilgore
Children, Leave the Room the City Council is in Session

who have received their G.E.D. this year. Director Darren Jordan said that this allows them to move on and to improve their quality of life, whether it is at East Mississippi Community College, getting a job, or joining the military. We are doing our best to produce individuals that can give back to the community, whether through the work force or community college, said Jordan. e Columbus Under 14 boys soccer team was presented with medals for being ranked number two in the state. e coaches, Tom Velek and Chris Hemphill, and the 13 youths hard work paid o, with 35 wins, 3 losses and 1 tie. ese boys have two state championships under their belt, said Director Greg Lewis. Lewis said that they are getting ready to go to a Division 2 championship in Greensboro, North Carolina, to represent the city of Columbus as well as the state. e young men will be playing against championship teams from 10 other states. Mayor Smith congratulated them, saying, Continue to bring the gold back to Columbus. Great Job! Lieutenants Corporal John Duy, James Grant, and Rick Jones, as well as Detective Sergeant Donnie Elkin were presented with pins from Chief Selvain McQueen to commemorate their recent promotions. e Columbus Police Department has See COUNCIL Pg. 4
ankfully, children did not witness the squabble between Councilman Joseph Mickens and Mayor Robert Smith at the most recent meeting of the Columbus City Council. On the other hand, it would have made for a great teaching moment on diplomacy. e bickering revolved around money and re-paving streets and parking lots.
e June 5 meeting was filled with over 100 friends and family who came to celebrate graduates; the state champion Columbus Under-14 boys soccer team; police department promotions; and the swearing-in ceremony of law enforcement ocers.
Councilman Kabir Karriem recognized four attendees of the 15 graduates from the Ready for Work program who were present. A few of the former students already have jobs, while others are still seeking employment. e drugfree program lasts for 90 days and prepares young people to enter the workforce.
Program Director Kamal Karriem, said, ey worked hard. is is proof that the community and the faith-based community reaching out, working hand in hand, can produce good, productive citizens and can give encouragement to those starting from ground zero. Karriem asked the City Council for letters of support as references for the alumnae.
Also acknowledged were nine of about 40 students who graduated from the Greater Columbus Learning Center on June 1 and received their G.E.D. So far, there have been about 112 participants
LOCAL NEWS
City Council Votes 4-1 to Approve Original Redistricting Plan

On Monday, June 4th, the Columbus City Council and members of the community heard a presentation from consultant Chris Watson of Bridge and Watson, Inc., noting the specific demography and geography of the redistricting plan that had been proposed. Aer a plan is passed, it is sent to the Department of Justice. e purpose of redistricting is to keep a balance between wards by population and by race. Since the city of Columbus is a black and white city, the proposal from Watson was broken down into white and black populations, fueling emotions of council members, supervisors and citizens. Wards 1, 2, 4, and 5 are predominantly black, while Wards 3 and 6 are predominantly white. ere will be no changes to Wards 1 and 2, said Watson. Ward 3 will move into the southwest corner of Ward 4, losing everything south of Hemlock and west of McCrary. Ward 6 is overpopulated, so it will be pushed into Ward 5, which will take in Fourth and ird Avenues North to North 18th, and two blocks of Seventh Avenue. Reverend James E. Samuel was the first to attack this proposal, stating, By making no changes to Wards 1 and 2, Ward 1 could have lost to other wards. e fundamental dierences weaken Wards 2 and 5, so it endangers black councilmen. Samuel also said, Ward 2 has never been a black ward. e census from 2000 tells a dierent story. e black population in Ward 2 was above 50%, and the current proposal would keep the same percentage. Samuels main issues are that the alternative plan drawn up by the public wasnt being taken into consideration, and that the Bridge & Watson-designed plan was being passed without consideration from the public. Ward 5 Councilman Kabir Karriem stated, Members of the community were asked and came to help draw up an alternate plan. Shouts of liar! and I wasnt invited! reverberated throughout the Municipal Complex. Leon Speck stood and shouted, I was not invited. If an alternate plan has been drawn up, it was a select few that were invited. Aer Karriem proposed the alternate plan, he le the meeting, exiting approximately 30 minutes before its conclusion. Several black members of the community, including ministers and representatives of the NAACP, came to the podium to state their opposition to the previously approved plan and promised that there would be NAACP intervention if the plan was not changed. In strong disagreement with the plan, District 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks reminded the black councilmen of how he helped them get their jobs. I was friends with Mayor Smith and knew him back when he worked in a hayfield. Hes come a long way. Fred Stewart is the longestserving African-American on this council who came seeking my help. A few years ago, no one knew who Gene Taylor was. He came and asked for my help, and I told him I would, as long as he would work with Mayor Smith. Councilman Karriem also sought my assistance. e only African-American on the council that hasnt benefited from Brooks political influence in helping them get into office is Councilman Joseph Mickens of Ward 2, who was the only other councilmember to work on the alternate plan with Karriem. Mr. Watson was only allowed to do what he was told to do. (Councilmen) Box, Stewart and Taylor told him what to do. My ward has been diluted, said Mickens. Aer all the talk of opposition, Mayor
Smith asked, Is there anyone in favor of this plan? Several white citizens approached the podium, giving short explanations of why the current plan is fair and that there is no need for an alternate plan. ey reasoned that not only have tax payer dollars already paid for the services of Bridge and Watson, but they were also never made aware of a meeting for an alternate plan. e disappointing part was that there was no map or information of an alternate plan prior to the meeting, said Berry Hinds. Karriem and Mickens were given a chance to present the alternate plan, and they chose not to do it. Karriem wasnt even there for the vote.
June 13, 2012
e Bridge and Watson plan, as well as the alternate plan, are to be submitted to the Department of Justice, although the alternate plan may never be considered. Out of six wards, the vote was 4-1 in favor of the original plan. Karriem was not present for the vote but would likely have voted against the original plan, making it 4-2.
Whit Harrington
whit@realstorypublishing.com
Whit Harrington is a Marine Corps veteran, who has a B.A. in English (creative writing) from Texas State University. He enjoys reading, and has been a working drummer for the past eight years.
COUNCIL cont. from pg. 3

added six police ocers to their squad. Canyon Boykin, Christopher Sykes,
Kevin McCrary, Mickey Williams, Ronnie Davis and Charlotte Poole were sworn in by Mayor Smith. Celebration turned to business, as the
City Council and the mayor began the meeting with approximately 24 citizens remaining in the audience. ere were a total of 18 matters on the policy agenda. Councilman Kabir Karriem started a discussion concerning railroad crossing trac backups. Representatives of the Tennessee and Wyoming Railway, formerly Columbus and Greenville Railway, have assured city ocials that their trains are not the ones causing the delays. Attempts are being made to contact representatives of another railroad company that may be the culprit so that the matter can be addressed. e name of the other company was not disclosed. Although there is a city ordinance that states that public delay should not be more than 15 minutes, the Federal Rail Road Act takes precedence. Karriem brought up a prior train delay incident that had trac backed up for approximately an hour. His concern is that, in the event of an emergency, first responders may not be able to get across the tracks and reach the scene of the emergency in a timely manner. From a fire protection standpoint, we have multiple stations on each side of the river. No matter where the delay is, we can have responding units on the scene, probably with just a short delay, said Fire Chief Ken Moore. Moore said that the responding trucks would have to get to the tracks before becoming aware of a blockage, at which time they would dispatch another truck. at is where the delay would occur. Kevin Staord announced that the stop signs at Fih Street and Fourth Avenue South, adjacent to the Columbus Light and Water Department, were ready to be uncovered on June 11. Another all-way stop at Fourth Street and Sixth Avenue South was also approved, in addition to a lowered speed limit of 25 m.p.h. e Council also approved a request to advertise for taxiway refurbishment at the Columbus-Lowndes County Airport.
is is where the previous accolades of the night were forgotten and brouhaha ensued, as discussion turned to the use of remaining General Obligation Bond funds. Re-paving First Street South, the Hitch and Catfish Alley parking lots, as well as concreting the city green area south of Harveys parking lot, were all under consideration.
Chief Financial Ocer Mike Bernsen presented the City Council and Mayor Smith with a breakdown of money spent by each ward and what monies were le over. is led to a great deal of back-andforth that ended with a heated exchange between Mickens and Smith.
Re-paving First Street South was defeated, with the other locations being approved for re-paving. e votes, in each case, were 4-2, with Mickens and Karriem voting in opposition. Councilman Bill Gaven said that paving the parking lots were important because they are used by citizens from the whole community, not just those from the ward in which the facility is located.
e last item on the agenda was the discussion for the authorization of beer sales at the Juneteenth Festival for the next three years. e beer sales were approved, contingent on beer sales taking place on the street and not inside the park. e vote was 5-1, with Mickens opposing.
Aer the meeting, concerned Columbus resident Billy Perkins said, Im against them giving anybody permission to sell beer here in the city, in any place. If they want beer, go to a bar somewhere. is is supposed to be something going on for the children.
He also said that the councilmen and mayor have one year remaining in oce and this decision should have been made with that in mind.
Paige Canida-Greene
paige@realstorypublishing.com
Paige is a senior communication major (theatre minor) at Mississippi University for Women, and lives in Columbus.
Frustration at the Caledonia Town Hall Meeting

board, saying, Its embarrassing when I have people come to my house. e flies and mosquitoes are out of control, and I cant even grill outside. Benny Coleman of the Water Department commented, Septic is dumped into a pipe and discharged into a lagoon. It stays 35-45 days and then goes to a creek. e board agreed to have a mosquito truck spray that specific lagoon. Next up at the podium, also dealing with a water issue, was Charles Underhill. He brought to the table the issue of inflated sewer rates, which begin July 1. ere will be approximately a 50% increase in waste water bills. When we paid $2 a couple of years ago, now were paying $16. People with swimming pools are going to be hit hardest. Ill pay it, but that doesnt mean I have to like it. He went on to ask, Why hasnt the rate for sewage been raised over a period of time, instead of sticking citizens with this sudden extra cost? Town attorney Je Smith commented, We should have. In another matter, it should be noted that the mayor of Caledonia is not a voting representative of the Mississippi Municipal League. Instead, the Caledonia Board of Aldermen elected to have Alderman Bill Darnell as the voting delegate. Since this is normally the mayors job, when asked, Mayor Gerhart responded, e aldermen simply elected to have Bill Darnell as the voting delegate. e mayor also pointed out inconsistencies in the manner in which the town hall meetings are being run. Weve had issues that have been on the table for weeks, and I cant get any cooperation to have them resolved, an obviously frustrated Gerhart said. We take the time to write up an agenda, and were not following it. As the tension built throughout the meeting, Mayor Gerhart ended his remarks with, Yall can stick it where the sun dont shine.
LOCAL NEWS
In preparation for the June 5 Caledonia Town Hall meeting, an agenda was prepared prior to the date of the meeting. While most of the topics were addressed at that meeting, some were not. Mayor George Gerhart conducted the meeting with vigor and a dedicated attempt to stick to the agenda. Although the meeting didnt follow the written agenda to the letter, some important issues were heard.
June 13, 2012
Nancy Robertson of WCBI presented a local high school sports magazine, Endzone, to be distributed in Caledonia. e magazine consists of coverage of local football teams, as well as interviews with players and coaches. e board voted unanimously in favor of the $375 required for production of the Caledonia version, as Mayor Gerhart added, Public interest would best be served.
Citizen Tim Sullivan aired his complaint about a lagoon behind his home. When Sullivan was recognized by the board, he was thanked for the work he has done painting his church. Sullivan humbly approached the
Whit Harrington
whit@realstorypublishing.com
Whit Harrington is a Marine Corps veteran, who has a B.A. in English (creative writing) from Texas State University. He enjoys reading, and has been a working drummer for the past eight years.
EMCC Automotive Program: Driving Grads to Work

Grady Graham pulled his first clutch, on a 1949 Ford, when he was eight years old. Back then, on his familys farm in Ethel, deconstructing tractors and work trucks wasnt job training, so much as daily life. tor of Job Placement and Work-Based Learning at EMCC. Gates job is to help students find work in their field of study, before and aer graduation. She says automotive technicians are already in high demand, but coming from EMCCs program with the recommendation of Graham and fellow automotive instructor Dale Henry is as close as EMCC can come to guaranteeing employment. eyre turning out great graduates, says Orrick. ey know what they need to know to get started. ats because Graham and Henry have been working in tandem to make EMCC the top automotive program in Mississippi, since Henry came on board in 2007. things on a yearly basis, from the equipment to the ways we taught. Now, my challenge is to bring someone in to replace him who shares my vision of wanting to be the No. 1 automotive program out there. I want to be known not just here in Mississippi, but everywhere, said Henry. Another change Henry implemented was increasing EMCCs participation in Skills USA, a state- and nationwide vocational skills competition. Henry, a gold medal winner as a student at the Mississippi Skills USA competition, increased EMCCs yearly automotive participants from one to four, and found immediate success when an EMCC student won first place at state and national competition in Automotive Job Skills Demonstration in 2007. In the past five years, EMCC has seen three of its students finish first at national competition in automotive categories and 23 gold medals at the state level in automotive. See EMCC Pg. 7
Courtesy Photo
Grady Graham
Since then and up to his retirement, last month, from East Mississippi Community Colleges Automotive Services Technology program, aer 28 years on the job, Grahams life has been the definition of on-the-job training. Aer completing automotive skills trade classes at Mississippi State University, he continued to spend six months out of each year taking classes while working as an auto technician at multiple car dealerships. Even aer taking over the automotive program at EMCC, he still spent 20 hours a year in class to maintain his certification as a Master Technician through the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence. e point is, when it comes to auto repair, theres not much Grady Graham doesnt know how to do or how to teach. But, as an instructor and mentor to hundreds of people over the years, he taught himself a far more valuable skill: how to help students land a job. Grady-Trained
Courtesy Photo
Dale Henry
e Spark Plug Henry, from Edinburg, was an automotive instructor at McKellar Vocational Center in Columbus and served on the committee that granted EMCC National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation certification in 2007. And when he transitioned to EMCC, although Graham had been entrenched as the lone automotive instructor since 1984, he said Graham was up for anything as long as it advanced the program. He allowed me to come in and implement any ideas I wanted to. We changed
Grahams presence can be felt from service departments at major dealerships to owner-run shops all over the Golden Triangle. Shane Orrick, service manager at Starkville Ford and an EMCC alum himself, estimates 90 percent of his sta is made up of EMCC grads. In the service bay at Carl Hogan Chevrolet in Columbus, you can hardly spend five minutes talking to an EMCC grad half-buried under the hood of a new Camaro without another EMCC grad walking by on his way to the parts pick-up window. For years, whenever I went to a garage to get my car worked on, the first thing I said when I walked in was, I work with Grady Graham, said Linda Gates, direc-
NEWS/COMMENTARY
Attacking The Roots of Violence The Pentagons Like Me Weapon

BBC News has recently reported that the United States military has shown that the recitation of positive narratives can generate oxytocin in the brain the chemical known colloquially as the love hormone, which can reduce or eliminate levels of hostility and anger towards others. Find the locus of primal emotions, says the Pentagon, create and disseminate narratives which aect brain activity in that area and release oxytocin, and dangerous situations can be diused. is combination of social science and the new field of neurobiology has produced promising results. One program, started last year by the Pentagons Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, looks at finding ways to generate versions of events that could be used in attempts to persuade people not to support the enemy. Known as Narrative Networks, it seeks to "understand how narratives influence human thoughts and behavior [and use them] to address security challenges such as radicalization, violent social mobilization, insurgency and terrorism, and conflict prevention and resolution, says the government ocial leading the work. Researchers found that fundamental values, such as those concerning sex and belief in God, triggered activity in one part of the brain, while more every-day belief statements stimulated activity in an entirely dierent one. ese findings, [they] suggest, means there is a biological basis for ethnic conflict. Many of the conflicts that we currently face, internationally, are ultimately about control of biology. Sex and belief in God are catch-all categories, which include convictions about gay marriage, abortion, and reproductive rights all incendiary issues in todays world. If the locus of such deeplyheld beliefs can be located, and if narratives can both mitigate the emotions generated by these convictions and stimulate sympathetic responses towards those perceived as hostile, aggression and violence might be mitigated. In a study published last year, researchers looked at what happens in the brain when Jewish Israelis and Arabs read stories intended to evoke sympathy about members of each other's group. Participants read about children suering physical or emotional pain, such as by cutting themselves with a knife or losing a parent, for example. Brain scans showed that these stories elicited similar patterns of activation in the medial prefrontal cortex, the brain region associated with sympathy, whether subjects read about members of their own group or about "the enemy". e US government currently spends billions of dollars on foreign propaganda. e Voice of America is still alive and well as the principal organ for disseminating information designed to promote positive views of the United States. is research might point the way to more behavioral messages; that is, rather than simply promoting highly generic, feelgood programs about the US, they would focus on changing behavior, through the positive narratives suggested above. Not all critics agree: In terms of promoting peace, Im not sure that knowing where in the brain the anger that leads to violence is happening is going to help us discourage war, says an expert who has been studying the eects of the recent Arab Spring uprisings on attitudes towards the West. Were going to need to change the way they interpret things that happen and were going to need to stop doing things that people interpret as insulting or challenging to their way of life. Although the research has been promising in demonstrating positive neurological eects through narratives, the design of eective behavior change programs will be a daunting challenge. It is hard enough to come up with advertising campaigns to eect fractional changes in market-share for toothpaste, let alone to modify hard-held core beliefs. Critics raise an ethical concern: If you could somehow reliably change peoples minds, so that they didnt want to kill anymore, should that be done? he asks. Well, youre impinging on their freedom in a way, but on the other hand youre saving a lot of lives. is concern is a bit disingenuous. Propaganda machinery has been in existence for years and has been fine-tuned in American commercial and social advertising. Public health ocials have tried, with varying degrees of success, to change negative behavior, such as smoking. Although these campaigns have not been based on the sophisticated neurological functions suggested in this article, they have hit upon the issue of core beliefs. Aer years of focusing unsuccessfully on death and disease, bad teeth and breath, and reeking clothing, Florida government programmers finally decided to focus on teenagers deeply held belief that capitalism was a venal and corrosive enterprise, and that every dollar spent on cigarettes would be a dollar in the pockets of fat-cat monopolists. e campaign, despite the hysterical opposition of tobacco companies, was a big success. pressions used by political leaders, to see if those can be used to predict future violence. I think that one of the most logical direct applications of this kind of finding and this line of research [is] to develop sensors that can monitor the words that are being spoken and/or the non-verbal behaviors that are expressive of those emotions, [the senior researcher] says of the Pentagons interest in his work. I think the development of sensors like that would be sort of an early warning signal or system [to detect violence]. is is being done, already, by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which is combining face-recognition soware and predictive psychological modeling to determine who is likely to be up to no good. Observers have pointed out that skeptics once doubted that a computer could beat a chess master, but as technology advanced, computers eventually became good enough to beat them. Of course, the idea of a Big Blue-style computer that taps the minds biology to generate stories sounds less like a feel-good storytelling machine than a military weapon designed to manipulate peoples mental state. Its a weapon, says Montague, but its a defensive weapon. A little scary.
June 13, 2012
Ron Parlato
rparlato@realstorypublishing.com
Other research is more familiar and mechanical, for example, to develop soRon Parlato is a writer phisticated predictive models for violent living in Washington, DC. behavior: He has close ties with Columbus which he visits Another Pentagon initiative, called frequently. His writings on Minerva, conducts scientific reliterature, politics and search on the role of emotions in in- culture, travel, and cooking citing political violence. Researchers can be found on his own are studying language and facial ex- blog, uncleguidosfacts.com.
Look to this Day

Look to this day, for it is life, The very life of life, In its brief course lies all the realities And verities of existence: The bliss of growth, the splendor of action, The glory of power. For yesterday is but a dream And tomorrow is only a vision. But today, well lived, makes every yesterday A dream of happiness!
~Sanskrit Proverb~
A Womans Plea
To My Husband M:
EMCC cont. from pg. 5

While success at competition certainly raises the profile of EMCCs automotive program, Henry says its no substitute for the ultimate indicator of a programs success: job placement. And that, he says, was Grahams specialty.
LIFESTYLES
My physical abuse from you has taken my self-respect, my pride, and my ability to love you. I have spent three years being scared of you. I have learned the hard way to be prepared for a quick exit from our home. During all of the slapping; chest bumping; trapping me in rooms; taking my keys, my phone, my shoes and my purse; pushing me down; and hitting me in the head - every time you did these horrific things to me I lost a little more of me.
June 13, 2012
I want you to know that I am taking my life back! Your abuse will leave scars on my heart and soul, but they are just battle scars; the wounds will heal. I will be a whole woman again, in spite of how you mistreated my love for you K is letter is for all the women in this town who have been hurt by someone they loved! If one woman can read this and see something in her own life, this letter was so worth it!
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What Gradys done here in the past is big shoes for me to fill, he said. He still wants us to be No. 1 and will still be a part of that in the future, serving on committees for me. I feel like, when he retired, I had his support 100 percent and thats a testament to our relationship over the last five years. Arriving At Destination Grahams plans for the future include some conventional retirement benchmarks. He hopes to travel and he plans to restore several of his old cars: a 46 Chevy pickup and a pair of 70s-model Ford Broncos. But hell continue attending classes to retain his certification, ensuring hell remain a valuable asset to the program he helped build. e program has changed a lot in 28 years, said Graham. We live in an electronic world and students have to have a good electronics background. e equipment has been upgraded, but weve got one of the most up-to-date shops in the state. at up-todate equipment, along with a healthy dose of hard work and Grahams approval, helped Paul Baucom, 41, of Columbus secure a job at Carl Hogan Chevrolet durCourtesy Photo ing his second year in the auTechnician Chase Franks of Houston works on the suspension on a Lincoln Navigator at Starkville tomotive proFord. Franks is a 2011 graduate of East Mississippi gram. As soon Community Colleges Automotive Services as he graduTechnology program. ated in 2011, B a u c o m moved to a full-time position at Carl Hogan, and it was right on time, as he had been unemployed for three years aer being laid o from an agricultural equipment dealer; not to mention his wife was pregnant with the couples fourth child. It was a huge relief, having a job lined up and made the second year of the program a lot easier. If it wasnt for Mr. Graham, I wouldnt be here. He was a major help, said Baucom. Graham and Henry helped Heath Crenshaw of Adaton, a 2008 EMCC graduate who is also a technician at Carl Hogan Chevrolet, transition confidently into his career working on cars - even if the cars he was working on at EMCC werent quite as up-to-date as the equipment he was using. ey help you not to be overwhelmed, when you tear into a car, said Crenshaw of Graham and Henrys instruction. But when you get your first few brand-new cars and youve got to start drilling holes in them, thats a bit of a surprise. Chase Franks of Houston, a 2011 EMCC grad, said the instructors prepared him to work autonomously, when he began as a technician at Starkville Ford, thanks to old-fashioned repetition. ey taught me well enough that, when I got out of school, I wasnt scared to do anything. When you go through a repair, they are standing right next to you and whenever they see youve got a problem, theyll come in and show you how to fix it. en theyll take it apart and make you do it again, said Franks. Henry points out that not everyone whos interested in working on cars is cut out to be a technician, but he says the environment in the shop at EMCC is close enough to industry working conditions that those who cant handle the grease and the sweat usually find out in class, rather than at work. But things are bright for those who do remain in the program and exhibit the right traits. Demand for reliable technicians remains very high and Graham says the best technicians in certain parts of the South can earn more than $100,000 annually.
Heath Crenshaw of Adaton works on a 2011 Chevrolet Camaro at Carl Hogan Chevrolet in Columbus.
Its a Mystery to Me The Death of Bob Welch

When you slip into your 50s, you begin to ask a lot of questions about your life and the music that you used to enjoy. Being a music freak from the 70s meant spending more time listening to and reading about music than studying for school. Right or wrong, music is a religion for many young men and women. e news of former Fleetwood Mac singer, songwriter and guitarist Bob Welch's suicide was extremely sad. Welch was the anchor and glue that kept Fleetwood Mac grounded and solid in the post-Peter-Green era, and he was the bridge leading to the Nicks/Buckingham juggernaut. Without the American Welch, there would have been no Fleetwood Mac "Superstar." Welch was the rock of this rendition of Mac. His California cool was at the forefront of the group for three years, and he was the face and center of everything Mac. It was his talent that kept Mac at the center of the FM radio universe. Unlike the "bluesy" first Mac or the "poppy" third Mac, Welsh gave the world the "hippie" Mac. And it was late-night FM cool. Bumped up against deep cuts from Zeppelin, the Stones and the Doobies, Welch's Mac sang songs about the supernatural and the mysterious - songs that were perfect for 1970s midnight radio. Songs about being hypnotized and the Bermuda Triangle were standard fare for the Hippie Cool Welch. It was his genre and his style, and it had its place in the world of seventies music. He was the Mac, and the Mac was his. But time, drugs and fights destroyed the group and so he was replaced by the powerhouse Nicks and Buckingham, and the rest is history. Welch would go on to have moderate success as a solo artist, but fame is fleeting and alleged drug abuse is the killer of any career even one as promising as Welchs. And therein is the tragedy. When the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame came calling in 1998, Welch was snubbed. e man that saved the band was le o the face of the rock-n-roll world. He was treated like a rogue. Even the third-string punter of the Super Bowl champs gets a ring, but in music, the worker and glue of the band gets the sha. Welch died June 7, 2012. His music will never be forgotten, and what is le is one of the best summer love songs of all time, Sentimental Lady. You are here and warm But I could look away and you'd be gone Cause we live in a time When meaning falls in splinters from our lives And that's why I've travelled far Cause I come so together where you are And all of the things that I said that I wanted Come rushing by in my head when I'm with you 14 joys and a will to be merry And all of the things that we say are very Sentimental gentle wind Blowing through my life again Sentimental Lady Gentle one Now you are here today But easily you might just go away Cause we live in a time When paintings have no color, words don't rhyme And that's why I've travelled far Cause I come so together where you are And all of the things that I said that I wanted Come rushing by in my head when I'm with you 14 joys and a will to be merry And all of the things that we say are very Sentimental gentle wind Blowing through my life again Sentimental Lady Gentle one You are here and warm But I could look away and you'd be gone Cause we live in a time When meaning falls in splinters from our lives And that's why I've travelled far Cause I come so together where you are Yes and all of the things that I said that I wanted Come rushing by in my head when I'm with you 14 joys and a will to be merry And all of the things that we say are very Sentimental gentle wind Blowing through my life again Sentimental Lady Gentle one Sentimental gentle wind Blowing through my life again Sentimental Lady Gentle one Sentimental gentle wind Blowing through my life again Sentimental Lady.....(FADE TO BLACK)
RIP.
MoJo
Do you have a question about your life, career, or relationships?
Ask Meagan!
E-mail reaches her at meagan@realstorypublishing.com. Personal information, such as your name, with NOT be divulged.
Special to e Real Story
ITS ALL ABOUT THE ANIMALS
All Creatures - Big and Small
Heather McIntyre Cares for them All

Do you have something that truly touches your heart? Something that you have a passion for that just becomes part of you or your family? ats what happened, eight years ago, on a forty-acre piece of property in Caledonia, Mississippi. Heather and Wayne McIntyre have a major passion - a passion for rescuing animals. Along with the help of Heathers biggest supporter, Pam Eads, the McIntyres come to find all sorts of animals in various situations and rescue them from being abused, or even being used in trophy hunts. Heather has also stepped up to the plate to nurse and bottle-feed abandoned animals that wouldnt stand a chance if they didnt receive assistance. Heather and Wayne care for many different species on their property, including: 8 horses; approximately 300 chickens; an uncounted number of ducks, geese, turkey and peafowl; 9 potbellied pigs; 1 standard pig; 7 donkeys; 1 camel; several goats and sheep; 10 fallow deer; 3 emus; 5 cows; 2 snakes; a gecko; a ferret; a chinchilla; and dont forget the dogs and cats! e newest addition to this menagerie is a small chocolate fallow deer, now just over a week old. Our very own Porkchop was even born at the McIntyre Farm! Even though not all of the McIntyre animals are rescues, all of them are given love and attention, just the same. Jacob, the Jacob sheep, was raised in a petting zoo, until his horns grew too large and they were afraid they (the horns) could hurt the children. Heather bought him for $175, and rescued him from a trophy hunt buyer. e peacocks were obtained from a chicken house facility that could no longer get a permit from the USDA if they continued to have the peacocks on their property. Once again, Heather and Wayne came to the rescue. e largest rescue, to date, was approximately seventy chickens that were retrieved aer the April 27, 2011 tornado destroyed a $5,000 chicken pen. Heather and her husband, Wayne, travelled 3 nights in a row to Wren and Smithville, battling debris and slipping in contaminated mud, while attempting to make their way around and under the collapsed pen, to capture the surviving chickens. Heathers happiest rescue memory is of Smoke, a little black filly that was rescued from a kill pen in New Jersey. Heathers best friend, Pam, arranged for the transport from New Jersey, so that Smokey could live out her life being loved. A total of five horses were rescued from the kill pen in New Jersey, and a friend of Heathers was able to provide shipping, free of charge, for three of them.
When the world says, Give up, Hope whispers, Try it one more time.
- Author Unknown
running around inside the fence; having a terrific time. Heathers good friend, Alicia Perkins, stepped up and got Titan out of a bad situation and brought him to Heather. He was severely emaciated, and his eye sockets were infected. Heather nursed him back to health, and with the help of his best friend, Maggie, who functions as his seeing-eye dog, Titan couldnt be happier. Some of the animals that find their way to Heathers care were animals that she oered to bottle-raise, to keep them from having to be euthanized, or because their mother wasnt able to care for them any longer, due to death or medical reasons. Others were pets that people no longer wanted or could care for, only to find Heathers heart and arms open wide for them. She says shes not really a rescue facility - more like a home for wayward, unwanted animals. ousands of animals die, every year, because people mistreat them or simply do not know how to care for them. Heather doesnt have a 9-5 job. Its more like an Ill catch a few winks, when I can kind of job. Ive only known her a short while (since I first saw Porkchops baby picture on Facebook), but I know of many, many nights where shes been up, every hour, to bottle feed donkeys, pigs, puppies, and who-knows-what-else! She has even had to bottle feed three calves at one time, before! e first cow she bottle-raised was a three-day-old rescue from a dairy farm. Unfortunately, dairy farms tend to discard the males, as they are not producers. Heather was able to rescue three of them, at $50 each (rescue is not cheap), and one of them is now a 2,000 lb. bull! Another large rescue would be a bottle-raised male bison that was saved from a processing plant. He had to be rescued, along with three goats, because he had grown up with them and had separation anxiety! He is now living out his days as a herd bull in the Carolinas! Another $50 rescue was Pablo. Pam and Heather like to attend exotic sales, mainly because these sales are a way for kill buyers or trophy hunters to acquire animals for a low price. Pam and Heather oen purchase these animals to rescue them, and Pablo and his mother, Genesis, were no exception. Pablo is now a beautiful stud, and is a mascot for a private high school. During the course of my interview with Heather, she received a phone call about Budro, a Masti/bulldog mix that had
June 13, 2012
been abandoned and found his way Johnny to Kellys bar on Hwy. 45 North. e folks at the bar pitched in to have Heather come check Budro him out, groom him, and get him ready to go to the vet to take care of any infections or other problems he may have suered. God bless you, Johnny Kelly gang! Heather wants to send a very special thank you to Pam Eads for without Pam, Heather would not be able to do the things she is able to for these animals. Plus, Pams support and friendship keeps her going. Pam has helped out tremendously - whether it is bottle feeding, taking care of babies for a few days, to give Heather a breather, or even just a shoulder to lean on. Heather also appreciates her husband, Wayne, for his support in allowing her to follow her dream. We thank you, too - Pam and Wayne! A great amount of work goes into this operation, just in terms of feeding and watering them. e McIntyres spend over a hundred dollars, each week, on feed, alone. at does not include any necessary medical attention, bedding, hay, etc. Heather is too proud to ask for donations, but Im not. If you would like to help these animals and make a donation, your help would be greatly appreciated. Needed supplies include: Ultra 24 powder (a milk replacement, available from Browns Farm and Garden), hay, feed, bedding, wormer, Ivermectin, injectable penicillin, old towels and blankets. If you would like to make a monetary donation, a ChipIn donation link has been set up on Porkchops Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/PorkchopsPigTales; or you can visit the ChipIn page here: http://aimeeshaw.chipin .com/heather-mcintyre. Any donations can also be dropped o to Pam Eads at Animal Medical Center on Hwy. 69 South. You can also donate to Heather McIntyres veterinary account (via Pam) at Animal Medical Center, as well.
A sad story involved two male turkeys that were rescued. Both were shot, within weeks, from the road near Heathers home. In one case, the shooter was identified, and fined by the Game Warden, but it is something Heather has to face almost daily, since some of the animals she obtains were rescued from trophy hunts, and if seen from the road, hunters think it is an easy kill. When asked what her funniest stories might be, Heather couldnt decide whether the chicken story - which happened recently - or the possum story would win. So, well tell both! A few weeks ago, Heather had to make a quick trip to Caledonia Pharmacy, to pick up some medicine for an ailing donkey. While inside, the pharmacy attendant looked out the window and noticed a white chicken under Heathers car. It turned out to be her white frizzle chicken, who had hitched the 4.5 mile ride to the Pharmacy! e attendant and Heather spent a full five minutes trying to catch and convince the chicken it would be safer to ride home in the passenger seat! Heather was bottle-feeding an abandoned baby opossum, several years ago, that loved to curl up inside her shirt aer he ate. Well, he was so quiet that she forgot he was there; aer helping a neighbor move for nearly two hours, they went to the store for some supplies. As Heather was going in the store, she heard a little squeak, and finally remembered the baby possum was in her brassiere!! She said that the look on the neighbors face, when she pulled the opossum out and set him on the passenger seat, was priceless. And, lets not forget Titan. Titan is a big, beautiful, brindle male masti. But he wasnt always a looker. Titans eyes were clawed out by his siblings, when he was a puppy, and doesnt have any eyes. But you would never know it if you saw him
Aimee Shaw
in collaboration with
Molly Murphree
ALWAYS THE TRUTH...NO compromise
ITS ALL ABOUT THE ANIMALS
June 13, 2012
10
FINANCIAL FOCUS
Financial Focus:
Dont Fall Victim to Investment Biases

If youre like most people, you go through many complex thoughts and emotions, when choosing investments. In fact, a field of study called behavioral finance is devoted to understanding why people make their investment decisions. As part of their work, behavioral finance researchers examine biases that aect peoples investment selections. And, as an individual investor, you, too, can benefit from understanding these biases so that you can avoid them. Here are some of the key biases identified by behavioral finance experts: Overconfidence - Overconfidence leads investors to believe they know the right times to buy and sell investments. But, if youre constantly buying and selling, in the belief that you are correctly timing the market, you may be wrong many times, and you may incur more investment fees, expenses and taxes than if you simply bought quality investments and held them for the long term. Representativeness - If you make decisions based on preconceived ideas or stereotypes, you may be suering from a bias called representativeness. For example, if you see that investments from a particular sector, such as energy, have performed particularly well in one year, you might think these types of vehicles will do just as well, the next year, so you load up on them. Yet, every sector will go through ups and downs, so one years performance cannot necessarily predict the next year's performance. Instead of chasing hot investments, try to build a balanced portfolio that reflects your individual goals, risk tolerance and time horizon. Anchoring - Similar to representativeness, an anchoring bias occurs when investors place too much emphasis on past performance. If you own shares of XYZ stock, for instance, and the stock price hits $60 per share, you might assume XYZ will always sell for at least $60 a share. But if XYZ drops to $30 per share - perhaps as a result of a broad-based market decline - you might think its now undervalued, leading you to snap up even more shares. However, XYZ shares could also fall due to a change in its fundamentals, such as a shake-up in the companys management or a decline in the competitiveness of its products. As an informed investor, you need to work with your financial advisor to determine the causes of an investments decline and any actions you may need to take, in response. Confirmation - If you are subject to confirmation bias, you may look for information that supports your reasons for choosing a particular investment. is type of bias can lead to faulty decision making, because youll end up with onesided information. In other words, you
June 13, 2012
may latch onto all the positive reasons for investing in something - such as a hot stock - but you may overlook the red flags that would cause you to think twice, if you were being totally objective. To fight back against confirmation bias, take your time before making any investment decision; a quality investment will almost always be just as good a choice tomorrow, as it is today.
Being aware of these investment biases can help you make better decisions - and over a period of many years, these decisions can make a dierence, as you work toward achieving your financial objectives.
Ryan Munson
Ryan is a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones. E-mail reaches him at ryan.munson@edwardjones.com
Whats at Plymouth Blu?
Congratulations, Oscar!
Plymouth Blu Environmental Center, a public facility that is operated by Mississippi University for Women, provides a wonderful educational experience. With environmental exhibits, over four miles of walking trails and a ropes course for team building purposes, there is certainly something for everyone! An outdoor amphitheatre is available for events and weddings; also, there are cabins on site. So load up the family and make your way to Plymouth Blu for a weekend of educational family fun!
Courtesy Photo
Anthony Nelson, Saint Leo Class of 2011, was the Tassel Turner this year; pictured with Oscar Lewis.
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Oscar Lewis graduates from Saint Leo University with a BA in Criminal Justice.
Why Do You Abuse Me So?

The Columbus Lowndes Humane Society Responds
I pick up the Real Story because it is always the truth and no compromise." I see this cute little Pit Bull puppy with the title Why Do You Hate Me So? Controversy Surrounds Caledonia Pit Bull Issue; all ten dogs that were surrendered were euthanized within a matter of days. It looks like you are trying to say the animal shelter hates pit bulls and that there is some kind of conspiracy. I can only speak for me and the Shelter, and I assure you, sir, there is no conspiracy or coverup at the CLHS; and further, the Shelter doesnt hate pit bulls or any breed, but I guess its easy to make us the scapegoat. e title should be, Why Do People Abuse Me So?," along with a picture of the starving pit bull that was so emaciated it was only 17 pounds and was literally skin and bones. en, up under the title, it should read, Local Shelter Over Capacity and Overrun with Stray Dogs Has to Make Tough Decisions to Euthanize Ten Abused and Neglected Pit Bulls Because of the Ignorance of People." But hey, it is easy to sell papers, I guess, if it looks like a controversy or conspiracy. told us it was under investigation and not to talk about it to anyone, and that is exactly what we did no cover up here, other than the one you obviously fabricated in your mind. We were never told that we could talk about it, which is why Ms. Johnwick kept referring you to Animal Control or the Sheris Department. We, as a society, will spend all we have on our hobbies, addictions, and impulses but will hu and pu because a vet charges over $100 to spay or neuter our pets. Keep in mind, a vet goes to school just the same as a people doctor, learns the same surgical techniques and uses the same drugs and everything else a physician does; so shouldnt they, then, charge $20,000 for the surgery? Since we, as a society, dont value our pets, we keep letting them multiply and multiply; some animals end up on the side of the road, some in shelters, and others much worse. When our dog or cat goes missing or is killed by getting in the road, we as a society say, hey, Ill just go get another one." When we no longer treat our pets as a yard fixture or a disposable play toy, and when we, as a society, say enough is enough," then your local shelter will stop being over-populated and overrun, euthanasia will only be used for emergency situations, and the poor, sick, emaciated pets and those with behavioral problems can then be treated because the space and resources will be there. e next time, before you speak or write in regards to the Shelter, make sure you know of what you speak and write. I would just prefer a thank you for all we do. Sincerely, CLHS Management Editors Note: We willingly acknowledge and applaud the tireless and, sometimes, thankless jobs that the sta and board of the Columbus Lowndes Humane Society do, every day, and the heart-wrenching decisions that they must make. ose facts were never in question. What concerned us was the refusal to discuss details of the situation, which, we felt, conflicted with the publics right to know.
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WHO DO YOU ABUSE ME SO?
June 13, 2012
Teddy - the face of pit bull fighting in Macon, 2007, was given a chance by his rescuers and was adopted by a loving family.
Courtesy Photos
I read the article, and I see words and phrases like, disturbing facts," murky" and more than meets the eye," clever words to make a story juicy when, in fact, it is a very sad story that you are overlooking. I think of the movie A Few Good Men, when Jack Nicholson said, You want the truth. Do you want the truth? You cant handle the truth. Here is some truth for you. e fact is, there is a serious pet over-population in Mississippi and Alabama, and even more so nationally. ere was a study done among the shelters for several years, and what they found was that over 70,000 animals in Mississippi and 120,000 in Alabama were euthanized each year. Why? e truth is, the over-population/neglect of any breed is a problem and is the result of irresponsible people. Until we, as a society, start valuing our pets and have them spayed or neutered, local shelters will always be overrun with unwanted animals. e Columbus Shelter, for example, takes in, on average, 400 animals per month. Half of that number comes in via Animal Control and the other half by owner/guardian surrender.
e sad thing is, for whatever reason, only 20 people, on average, come to the Shelter to reclaim their pets each month. We average approximately 70 adoptions per month and only have so many foster homes to go around. We are a small shelter compared to other shelters in Mississippi and take in well over 1,000 animals per month! Stop and think about that! Local shelters are forced to make heartbreaking decisions that you, sir, or anyone else, would not want to make who lives, who dies. Do we spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, to treat emaciated, heartworm-positive dogs or FIV/FELVpositive cats with URIs, or do we euthanize them humanely so that we have the money and space to help healthy, adoptable pets find a home? Sir, there are a lot worse things than death for a pet that has to die at a shelter by the hand of someone who cares, in a humane manner, than to be tied to a tree only to starve to death or live a miserable existence. Cats and dogs dont stop coming in, and there are only so many resources available; euthanasia, while unfortunate, is a tool used to control pet population. No one likes to do it or see it performed. No one wakes up in the morning eager to euthanize animals, so when you call here wanting to know details on why, when and where - who wants to talk about it? Its a no-win situation, and you just upset the people who commit their job and lives to care for these abused and neglected animals, by questioning why they have to be put to sleep. You oend the very hands that feed and care for societys
unwanted animals and make the tough decisions with article titles like Why Do You Hate Me and suggestive statements that something sinister is afoot. Again, there is nothing sinister at the shelter, just reality. If youre fishing for a cover-up or conspiracy, perhaps you are barking up the wrong tree. Why do we get the blame for other peoples ignorance and cruelty? Dont blame the Columbus-Lowndes Humane Society for having to take care of what this community discards. It is not the pit bulls nor any dog or cats fault either; it is people who abuse and neglect their animals. If you worked here at the shelter long enough, you would see horror stories of what people do to these dogs. Yes, pits get a bad rap, and yes, we dont adopt them out, but majority of pit bulls we see coming into the shelter have been socially, emotionally, and physically neglected in such a way as to make adoption not viable. However, we make exceptions, here and there, for adoptable pits and try to get them in a rescue league. I think pits may be the most abused dog in Lowndes County, and it is a problem to which most are oblivious. Just do a ride along with an Animal Control Ocer, and Im sure you will see things you wouldnt believe. I am not going to contribute to the problem Lowndes County has by allowing the adoption of an animal that for some reason we did not screen properly and have it maim or kill another dog or child. Pit bull abuse is not just a local problem - it is a national problem. With regard to being tight-lipped," as you put it, the Animal Control Ocer
CROSSWORD
Across
1: Temporary craze 4: Masculine possessive 7: Inspired wonder 11: Muhammed ___ 12: Devils play 14: Hay unit 15: Distress call 16: Judges garb 17: Poses a question 18: Coquettish one 20: Pas mates 22: Bouquet unit 23: Pacific & Indian 27: Pertain 29: Wind direction (abbr.) 30: Enthusiasm 31: Nourish 32: Sit-up targets 33: Pound operators (abbr.) 34: One ___ time (2 wds) 35: Nervous twitch 36: Emcee Bert ____ 37: Enjoy a favorite book 39: Mamas man 40: Angle starter 41: Standing 44: Route 47: Display sign 49: Baltic, e.g. 50: Site 51: Volunteered 52: Poetic ever 53: ____ of admissions 54: Nickname for Theodore 55: ____ cleaners
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9: Mooses relative 10: ____ Plaines 13: Defective cars 19: Auctioneers shout 21: Fighter pilot 24: Assessed the value of 25: Giraes feature 26: Mud bath sites 27: Remote 28: NFLs Rozelle 29: Heroes network 32: Assisting 33: Debilitates 35: Paving liquid 36: Caused distress to 38: Actor Hawke 39: Show to be true 42: At no time, poetically 43: Indiana city 44: Mat 45: How ___ you? 46: Earl Grey, e.g. 48: Gobble up SEE ANSWERS TO THIS CROSSWORD PUZZLE ON PAGE 18
Down
1: Rapid 2: Popular houseplant 3: Vanish 4: Highly unorthodox belief 5: Creamy white 6: Sis, for one 7: Cheapen 8: Had been
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June 13, 2012
LIFESTYLES
Locks of Love
Its All About the Music
Courtesy Photo
Debbie Johnston gets 10 inches of hair cut o by Cassidy Prescott at Salon 7 for the Locks of Love program. Debbie was inspired to donate her hair, which had taken her eight years to grow, aer meeting a young girl while delivering papers for e Real Story. e young lady suers from alopecia, a disease that prevents hair from growing anywhere on the body. She was still waiting for her chance to get a hairpiece when she met Debbie. Debbie, who has no children of her own, decided she could help the cause. Her 10 inches of hair will be enough to make three wigs for children suering hair loss through illnesses such as alopecia or cancer.
American Wind Symphony Orchestra concerts begin with the spectacular opening of the vessels music shell, which is powered by hydraulic lis. As the roof is raised, the first strains of Aaron Coplands Fanfare for the Common Man are heard and an evening of fascinating sights and sounds begins. Musicians are arrayed in a series of stainless steel sculptured trees so that all are visible. And the percussionists are not wallflowers in this group they perform right out front, with their gleaming batteries of timpani, drums, mallet instruments, chimes and bells. Music programs are varied and interesting, including classics such as Handels Water Music or Mozarts Grande Serenade, as well as newly commissioned works, Broadway medleys and Sousa marches. Since the early days of AWSOs 54-year history, Robert Boudreau has been searching out exciting young composers and has commissioned over 450 works. In his 55th anniversary season, Boudreau will introduce 13 new works, emphasizing the AWSOs longstanding ties to our neighbors in the Americas by including four compositions from Latin
America, as well as works from Latvian, Estonian, Japanese and French composers. French composer Karol Bea has written a brilliant work called Burning Bright for wind orchestra, while the Japanese Kaoru Wada features the flute family in his new composition. AWSO harpist Chen-Yu Huang will be featured in Mexican composer Enrique Santos Concertino for Harp and Winds." At the end of the evening, AWSO audiences are electrified by one or the other of two tour-de-force works for percussion and wind orchestra. Cuban composer Leo Brouwers Cancion de Gesta takes the audience on an epic voyage of sound and rhythm, and Japanese Kaoru Wadas ree Fragments develops and mounts into a stunning climax using Japanese traditional instruments. All in all, a Wind Symphony performance is an unforgettable experience for the whole family!
Columbus Exchange Club
Kudos, Amanda!
June 8, 2012 Amanda Galloway St. John Dear Amanda: It is a pleasure to inform you of your acceptance into the Associate Degree Nursing program at Itawamba Community College for the fall 2012 semester. Congratulations! We are very excited to have you join our program. Admissions Department
We are so proud of you!
Exchangeites serve a pizza and salad lunch to the campers at Camp Rising Sun last Monday, June 4.
WWW.SUDOKU PUZZLES.NET SEE SUDOKU ANSWERS ON PAGE 18
A Home Away from Home
13
LIFESTYLES
June 13, 2012
Camp Rising Sun, located at Camp Henry Pratt, is not only a camp but a home away from home one week out of the year.
Founded in 1987 by Susan Falkner and e Columbus Junior Auxiliary, Camp Rising Sun is a week-long camp for children with cancer, whether they are undergoing treatment or are in remission.
e first meal of each years session, served on a Monday night, is traditionally provided by the Lions Club of Columbus East. Every year since 1991, the meal has consisted of hamburgers with all the trimmings. In order to serve the approximately 63 campers and sta, the Lions Club grilled 180 burgers this year.
With a vast range of activities including archery, biking, arts and cras, watersports, and swimming, campers always have something to do. Swimming and water sports are amongst the favorites of all the activities.
anks to the eorts of trained overnight camp counselors and medical sta, this camp has been modified to meet every campers specific medical needs.
"is camp gets in your blood; we are like a family here. We have several campers return every year. Sadly, we also have campers that pass on," said founder, Susan Falkner.
Molly Murphree
molly@realstorypublishing.com
Molly is a resident of Columbus, who enjoys reading, cooking, cake decorating, and spending time with her family. She is a member of Lighthouse Baptist Church.
SUMMER HAIR STYLES
June 13, 2012
15
use center spread
16
June 13, 2012
LIFESTYLES
Just when you thought that you had a busy schedule you meet Dawn Barham and realize that everything is relative. Dawn took the time, between playing at a wedding rehearsal dinner and performing at the reception (both in Jackson) the next day, to talk about her life, her passion and her career. She started out by saying that she has been inspired by Elvis, Heart, Fleetwood Mac and U2. When asked how long she has been playing, Barham hedged a bit and replied, Well, I first picked up a plastic guitar when I was 5! Barham, the music director at Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, has both a bachelors AND a masters degree in Music Education (emphasis on guitar) from the University of Southern Mississippi. e West Point native has been at MSMS since 1993.
During her tenure at MSMS, she has started a Guitar Studies Program to train young people how to play her favorite instrument. She also founded the Guitar Performance Ensemble, comprised of students who already play the guitar. In addition to the guitar, Barham also plays the flute. When asked which instrument was harder to learn, she quickly stated that it was the guitar. is is due to the complexities of playing harmonies, unlike the flute, where the musician plays just one note at a time. In response to a question about what she would tell a young person who expressed a desire to explore a career in music, Barham replied, First, I would ask them, Do you want to be famous, or do you want to be a musician? - because you can be famous for being famous, but if you are musician, you just might get wealthy, too. When she is not instilling a love of music in young people, she is busy playing gigs around the area and throughout the region with her band, e Juke Joint Gypsies. e band which includes Tony Foster on lead guitar; Gary Shaw on drums; Mike Chain on bass; and Barham on guitar plays clubs and festivals as
well as private events like weddings and anniversaries. e band has played as far north as Cave-In-Rock, Illinois, and as far south as Jacksonville, Florida. e Gypsies, as their loyal fans refer to them, play mostly southern rock and have been described as Melissa Etheridge Meets the Allman Brothers." ey have two albums, Dodging Shadows and Broken Promises (an EP), under their belt, with a third, asyet-unnamed album due out in mid-fall 2012. When not performing with e Juke Joint Gypsies, Barham also plays solo classical gigs on guitar. Barham sums up her philosophy on life with the statement, Every day, when my feet hit the floor, I love what I do! e Juke Joint Gypsies can next be seen locally at Fuhgetaboutit (115 5th Street South) on Friday, June 29. More information on Dawn and e Juke Joint Gypsies can be found at either their Facebook page, www.facebook. com/Juke-Joint-Gypsies/164180569960, or their website, www.jukejoint-gypsies.com.
e Real Story Sta Report
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17
ARTS & CULTURE

cate in detail. Linda has been working in glass for over 30 years. Prior to that, she took up quilting as a result of witnessing the quiltwork done by sta nursing assistants at the psychiatric hospital where she worked. e glass quilts that she has in Eclectic are composed of simple geometric shapes arranged together to form more complex patterns. However, it is the vibrant colors of her fabric quilts that really grab ones attention. Each one is more beautiful than the one before. Although these three artists work in widely divergent mediums, their pieces, at least in this show, blend together into one quite harmonious collection that is a symphony for the eyes. e exhibit, which will be on display through June, is not to be missed!
June 13, 2012
that she has only been practicing photography since 2006. Greens mosaics are made up primarily of stained glass but also incorporate smalti, agate, natural stones and fused glass accents. Charlie Munoz is a sculptor, jewelry artist and cellist. His small bronze figurines evoke the human form and are magical in their simplicity. When sculpting, Charlie works with bronze, iron, steel and clay. His jewelry employs sterling silver, gold and copper. Some of Charlies figures in the current show might remind one of little abstract soldiers waiting to do battle in some miniature, table-top conflict. Linda Munozs work consists primarily of quilts but heres where it gets interesting. Not only has she produced quilts made out of textiles, she has also created glossy glass quilts which are equally intri-
Eclectic," the current exhibit at the Rosenzweig Arts Center (501 Main Street in Columbus), is certainly aptly named. e show, which features three artists from Gordo, Alabama, includes a plethora of artworks which vary in media, theme, color and much more. Rhys Greens work consists of mosaics and photography. Although her mosaics are lovely, her photographs have a beautifully gritty feel which cannot be ignored. e most captivating of her photographs are those that make up the series titled Roadside Evangelism." Although Green has been described as a
Get out and get your culture on!
late bloomer, she has obviously made up for lost time, as her work has a captivating quality about it; one would never guess
18
FATHERS DAY
Wait, Im not Madonna? A Tribute to Fathers

From the ages of 6-11, I felt I had a real shot at being a singing sensation. I would entertain at family gatherings, singing Michael Jackson or Cyndi Lauper, really putting my heart and soul into it. My mother made me enter talent shows, where I probably scarred quite a few people, singing Tomorrow, courtesy of the musical Annie. Did I mention that my hair was really short and home-permed? ank God we didnt own a camcorder. I think I also sang My Favorite ings from e Sound of Music. In fact, if you were in the vicinity of Noxubee County at the time, I really apologize for having ruined two wonderful musicals for you. By the time I hit adolescence, I think it was clear to everyone that I didnt have much of a singing career ahead of me. (ats right, Adele, if I had pursued things, you might not exist. Ill take my thank-you in the form of a check.) I briefly wanted to be a meteorologist, because I was obsessed with the weather. I was like the walking Weather Channel. I watched the Michelin driving report religiously, because it showed severe and tornadic weather all over the country, and I decided that wherever there were frequent tornadoes, I would not visit or live. at didnt work out so well either, considering that I spent the April 11 tornadoes in my bathtub, with a comforter over my head, reciting Amazing Grace, while the tornado hit .5 miles away. Needless to say, Im not a meteorologist. By the time I was ready to go to college, I was convinced that I would be a lawyer. I can possibly attribute it to seeing A Few Good Men 97 times and thinking that being a lawyer would be non-stop action and would mean being able to take down corrupt Jack Nicholson-types, but, for a while, thats what I really wanted to do. I started at MUW, majoring in political science and thought I would graduate, go to law school, and end up being involved in the legal case of the century. Had Dave Evans taught more than a few of my classes, I probably wouldve done that, but that wasnt the case. I started to take some journalism and non-required English classes and thought, Wait - I actually like this. Can you do something you like? e answer is, yes and no. I did work in journalism for a total of six years, post-college - editing, not writing so much, but I always kept writing. It is something that I truly love to do and, hopefully, one day, it might turn into something bigger - as in lucrative - but who knows? e point is that dreams and having those passions are what keep us alive, and its okay not to know, at 19, what you want to be. Heck, I hope its okay, at 34, not to be 100% sure, or Im in some trouble. If you had told my twenty-year-old self that Id be living in Albertville, Alabama, and working as an insurance agent, at 34, I wouldnt have believed you, but thats how things work out, sometimes. Sometimes, the path diverges a bit and you just have to follow it, have faith, and enjoy.
e true meaning of being a father; a male figure involved in our lives, showing things we should know. Teaching us is never a bother. He teaches us the ways of strength, the means to provide for family, repair things broken. He will go to any length. A father is that special one, who gives his children understanding and love, along with determination and a strong will, whether you be his daughter or his son. He does not have to be your birth dad, nor even a relative you've always known. A father is that male in your life, who makes your life always good and never bad. Remember him dearly this Father's Day, with gis, meals, hugs and greeting cards. He is special. Tell him why. Show him you love him in every way.
June 13, 2012
Joyce White
Fathers Day: A Brief History

Father's Day is observed in the United States on the third Sunday of June each year. It celebrates the contributions that fathers and father figures make to their childrens lives. Father figures can be considered to be any male subject who has helped to raise and teach someone. ey can include fathers, step-fathers, male relatives, male family friends, fathers-in-law, grandfathers and greatgrandfathers. e origin of Father's Day may spring from a memorial service that was held in 1908 for a large group of men, many of them fathers, who were killed in a mining accident in Monongah, West Virginia, in 1907. Mrs. Grace Golden Clayton wanted to celebrate the lives of the 210 fathers who had been killed in the mining disaster. She chose the Sunday nearest to the birthday of her recently deceased father. A woman named Sonora Smart Dodd was an influential figure in the start of Father's Day. Her father raised six children by himself, aer the death of their mother. is was very uncommon at the time, as many widowers either placed their children in the care of others or quickly married again. Sonora felt that her father deserved recognition for what he had done. She was inspired by the work of Anna Jarvis, who had pushed for the establishment of Mother's Day celebrations. President Calvin Coolidge recommended Father's Day as a national holiday in 1924. In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation recognizing fathers, designating the third Sunday of June as Fathers Day. e first time that Father's Day was ocially recognized as a holiday was in 1972, when it was signed into law by President Nixon. Most gis given on Father's Day range from clothing to electronics, tools, outdoor cooking supplies and sports items. Many children in schools make their fathers homemade greeting cards and small gis. Many restaurants are busy on Father's Day because most families treat dad to a meal. Remember your dad or father figure this Father's Day, Sunday, June 17. Select the gi he really wants, or just give dad a relaxing day. Make him feel special, and thank him for the all things that he does to make your life better.
Emily Gaither Smith

emilygsmith@gmail.com
Emily is a former resident of Columbus, and now lives in Albertville, Ala., with her husband. Read Emilys blog at msdemocrat.blogspot.com
Joyce Shaw White

Joyce is a single mother and grandmother, and serves our community as the night supervisor for Lowndes County 911. She enjoys researching genealogy and has lived here all her life.
SEE CROSSWORD PUZZLE ON PAGE 11
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Why Water?
clude more water into her daily regimen, it has been easier for her to move and around weight train. It is also easier for me to stretch her out, since her muscles are more pliable. So that you will know how much water to drink, here are some guidelines. To replace the amount of water lost through urination, perspiration, breathing and bowel movements, the United States Department of Agriculture recommends that women consume approximately 91 ounces per day. Men should consume 125 ounces per day. Be sure to drink enough water to replace fluids lost in hot or humid weather, to help lower your body temperature, and aer exercise. It is not uncommon to lose as much as 2-3 pounds of fluid, in your breath and sweat during an hourlong workout. Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding need additional water to stay hydrated and to replenish the fluids lost, especially when nursing. e Institute of Medicine recommends that pregnant women drink approximately 77 ounces a day and women who breastfeed approximately 104 ounces a day. Remember: your body is more than 60% water. You can last several weeks without food but only a few days without water. Highlights of why water is so important: It increases metabolic rate It reduces pain and lethargy It increases mental acuity It reduces muscle strains and tears It promotes healthy skin It supports good digestion It is an essential nutrient for life
19
MIND, BODY & SPIRIT
You have probably heard that drinking water is important but never really understood how vital it truly is. You might not even think about drinking anything, let alone water, until you are thirsty. Do you know when you are really dehydrated? e truth is, you are already dehydrated when you first experience thirst. Other symptoms of dehydration are: dry skin; fatigue and weakness; increased body temperature; muscle cramping and pain; headaches; obesity; constipation; and joint pain. Severe symptoms include: muscle spasms; vomiting; vision problems; loss of consciousness; and kidney and liver failure. Water is a nutrient that serves many physiological functions, such as transporting other nutrients to cells and assisting in removal and excretion of toxins and waste products. Water is also responsible for brain function, nutrient delivery through the bloodstream, and muscle, bone, lung and joint functions. e benefits of water include: Reduction in inflammation Elimination of body fat Regulation of body temperature Skin moisturizing Digestive health Less illness Ill give you some examples of how water works in real-life situations. During a conversation with my best friends mom, she told me that she had been having leg cramps for two years. ey would wake her up during the night. She would try taking a hot shower, massaging her legs and applying a heating pad, all to no avail. I asked her how much water she was drinking, and she said, not enough. I recommended that she drink a minimum of 70 ounces to begin with, and then to increase beyond that. She has not had leg cramps since. I work with many clients who have daily physical issues that are related to a lack of water. ese range from muscle tightness and fatigue (which sometimes lead to strains) to problems with constipation and lack of energy. One of my clients, Teri, has cerebral palsy. Her muscles have more constriction, which is indicative of cerebral palsy. Since she has been working to in-
Do you have a question about your life, career, or relationships? Ask Meagan! E-mail reaches her at meagan@realstorypublishing.com.
Topic:
Saying No Is Hard
Question
Dear Meagan, I have a hard time saying no I'm sure . that I am typical of many women, having been raised to please. Usually, I think this is a good thing, but sometimes I wonder if I'm missing something, because I oen end up feeling resentful. How can I learn how to say no" and not feel guilty about it? Signed, Confused
When we do say no and feel guilty about it, it is usually because we dont have anything le to give and really need to rejuvenate instead. e resentment isnt really toward the other person or situation, the resentment is toward you. You are mad at yourself for putting yourself in the same position again of trying to do too much, which will, as a result, make it hard for you to follow through on all of your responsibilities. If you fail at just one task that " you feel defines you, then you allow yourself to beat yourself up, and, suddenly, you feel like no one loves you anymore. What would help most, at this point, would be to take a look at your life and take note of the things you feel are important to you - the things that you want to put your time and eort into. Master those things, including taking care of yourself. When someone asks you to help them with a new project, or to run an errand, or to do something that gives you that feeling in the pit of your stomach (the feeling telling you to say no), take some time to really decide if you can realistically handle it. Saying no isnt being selfish, because the truth is that if you cant do it, someone else will. Contrary to what you have told yourself up to this point, being more selfish by doing the things you love that truly nurture your spirit will ultimately make you more selfless and able to do things for others with confidence, ease and happiness. Its ok to say no." Your only true responsibility is to be who you are. How much you give and how you give it is completely up to you. Do one thing for yourself every day that feeds your spirit, and you will be o to a great start. e more you honor yourself and what you need in order for you to be at your best, the easier it will become to say no to the things you know you cant honestly follow through on.
June 13, 2012
Answer
First of all, you are not alone: About 99.9% of the women that I work with always bring this issue to the table. Taking action is the only way to break free of any patterns you have set up for yourself. Good for you for realizing that this is a pattern and that you are ready to break free of it! Traditionally and culturally, women have always taken on a heavy load caring for the family, taking care of the household, grocery shopping, cooking, keeping up the marriage, looking good all the time and, more recently, keeping a full-time job. e list goes on and on. On top of that, because women have traditionally filled the role of primary caretaker in the home, they are also expected to put on a happy face and act like nothing is ever wrong; if the caretaker is happy, everyone's happy. Because women (and men) have bought into this system for so long, and because society traditionally expects it of them, it makes it hard to say no when someone needs your help because it might make you look bad. A big part of the reason we choose to do things we dont really want to do (and probably dont have the time for) is that we want to feel loved and accepted by everyone. e truth is, though, that trying to control how others feel about us is both exhausting and completely impossible. Plus, we are taught to be selfless before being selfish (in the good sense - and yes, there is a good sense), which can oen keep us from ever paying attention to our own personal and spiritual needs.
Melinda Due is a certified personal trainer, with additional expertise in nutrition counseling and life coaching, as well as a B.A. in Business.
Meagan M. ONan
meagan@realstorypublishing.com
Meagan is a trained and experienced Life Coach, awardwinning author of Creating Your Heaven on Earth, blogger, poet, and supporter of the underdog. She has a life coaching practice in Columbus, MS. (Meaganonan.org)
Melinda Due
mvpfit@yahoo.com
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20
SAFETY TIPS MY MS STORY
Safety Tips
from http://www. safetyathome.com
My MS Story - Part III

I had a week to research the three multiple sclerosis (MS) medications, all of which are only available in injection form. I read all of the information on the medications. Okay - I skipped over the sections with the words containing "pharmacokinetics," "acetate salts of synthetic polypeptides" and "structural formulas." Wouldnt you? My eyes scanned the sideeect section because I can certainly understand them - or at least I hope I can. e side eects are almost identical in all of them: injection site abscesses; hypertension; bowel urgency (the more gentle term for diarrhea); cavities (kind of a weird one); abnormal dreams (I have those anyway); emotional incontinence (spontaneous crying for me); warts; hay fever; hyperventilation; frequent urination; depression; and suicide (just to name a few). Oh yeah, they all give you flu-like symptoms, too, until your body adjusts to the medication, so take two Tylenol P.M. at bedtime so you can try to sleep through feeling really crappy for about six weeks. Dont they all sound lovely? Believe it or not, I was okay with all of those things. You will laugh when I tell you what the deciding factor in selecting an MS shot was. I could take the subcutaneous ("SQ") shot (just under the skin) 365 days a year; an intramuscular ("IM") shot (in the muscle) 52 times a year, or a dierent IM shot 182 times a year. It kind of sounds like a no brainer doesnt it? I thought so. I was going to go with the 52 times a year shot (duh!). Why would I want to give myself a shot 365 days a year when I can slide by with only 52? Remember, last week I had learned that there is no way to monitor the shots effectiveness, so 52 is much less than 365. I made my decision. I went back to my neurologist and told him which one I had picked. He really didnt care because I needed to choose the one that was best for my lifestyle. He started going over the three medications with me, just to make sure that I understood everything. He pulled out the syringes and showed them to me. e shot that was only 52 times a year had a needle that looked like a harpoon! e 365days-a-year shot had a MUCH, MUCH smaller needle. All of that malarkey about which one fits my lifestyle better suddenly came down to the fact that I didnt want to harpoon myself with that huge needle 52 times a year! e other one looked much less painful. Why didnt he just show me that last week? is was the first hurdle in managing my life with MS. It didnt seem so bad. I started to think I could do this. It would be easy. I got this! He continued to talk while I had this nice little conversation with myself. All of a sudden I heard BUT." Uh oh, what did I just miss? I started to hear fatigue can be so severe that, some days, you just wont have enough strength to leave the house; mobility issues may require walking aids; stress makes MS worse; and cooking supper may make you too exhausted to eat." Wow! Are you kidding me? He kept going - depression; insomnia; bladder and bowel issues; spasticity; numbness and tingling; dizziness; vertigo; pain; and problems with vision and cognition. PLEASE STOP TALKING! I shouted to myself. I needed a moment or two or ten. Just a little while ago, I thought this was going to be okay. At that precise moment, I was right in the middle of my own Titanic adventure. e appointment started out well, but I had just hit an iceberg. For me, those MS symptoms were the icy cold water attempting to take my life away.
Boating Safely
ings to Know Before Youre Out on the Water
Its summer! And with summer comes all kinds of fun opportunities to enjoy the outdoors, including boating. When the sun is on your face, the wind is in your hair and the spray is keeping you cool, its easy to leave safety behind. But according to the United States Coast Guard, there were 709 fatal boating accidents and over $54 million dollars in damage due to boating accidents in 2008. e number-one cause of fatalities? Nearly two-thirds were caused by drowning, and of those 90% were not wearing a life jacket. UL, a global independent safety science company with more than 40 years of technical expertise in personal flotation device testing, oers the following safety information if you find yourself with the lucky opportunity of getting out on a boat this summer.
June 13, 2012
5 ings to Know Before You Go

1. Be prepared: Have at least one U.S. Coast Guard-approved/UL-listed personal flotation device (PFD) for each person on board, and make sure that each life jacket is appropriate for each passengers height and weight. Life jacket requirements and information can be found at www.uscgboating.org. 2. No substitutions allowed: Remember that inflatable swimming aids such as toys, ras, water wings, ski jackets or belts, and other devices can easily puncture and deflate and are not approved by the U.S. Coast Guard or certified by UL as a life safety device. ese items are essentially toys and should not be used as a substitute for a PFD. 3. Do not overload your boat: Capsizing and falling overboard are the most common causes of fatal accidents and account for more than half of all boating fatalities. Pay attention to the capacity label on your boat, and be careful not to overload small boats with passengers and/or gear. 4. Inspect your boat like you do your home: Ensure that the fuel pump is sturdy and contains no cracks. Inspect the bilge pump to ensure all fuel build-up has been cleared and no cracks have developed. 5. Take a safety course: Approximately 90 percent of all reported fatalities occurred on boats where the operator had not received boating safety instruction. If you own or plan on operating a boat, contact the local oce of the U.S. Coast Guard to learn more about taking a boating safety course. 6. Drink responsibly: Alcohol was listed as the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents in 2008. Sun and dehydration can heighten the eects of alcohol, so be aware and drink responsibly.
Candi Vezina
Candi is involved with several community groups. She enjoys doing things for others and spending time with her family.
Not really a pothole...but a serious tire danger!
The American Pit Bull Terrier

later, we finally wised up and quit breeding dogs available to the public (breeding is not a money-making opportunity, and the quality of people who wanted the dogs had started going downhill). But I digress. One of Cujos favorite things to do was to sneak out of his doghouse, tiptoe up behind somebody and let out the biggest, loudest single bark youve ever heard. Of course, everybody jumped - and that just tickled that old dog to death. Hed have this look on his face like he had just told the funniest joke, and his little stub-tail would wag his whole hind end as he walked back to his dog house. Another funny thing that I remember him doing oen was acting like Shaggy. We were sitting in the living room one day, and I just happened to look out the front door and noticed a medium brindle dog butt going by. Well, my husband and I both jumped up; he ran to the back door, and I went out the front. As I made my way around the corner, I had just enough time to see that same brindle dog butt jumping over the chain link pen. About that time, my husband came around from the back of the house, and here came Cujo, out of his dog house, looking like we had just woken him up from his winter hibernation eye boogers and all - with a look that said It wasnt me! Yeah, right, dude - youre not fooling us! I have many, many more years of funny pit bull stories to tell, and a few not so funny. I hope youll join me on this journey. In closing, Id like to leave you with a poem written by an unknown author about the American Pit Bull Terrier: CALLED AS SEEN: Got a Problem? (see below) Aimee Shaw
ashaw@realstorypublishing.com Aimee is the Oce Manager at Malone Electric Company, Inc. and also has her own freelance graphic design business. She is married to Kenneth Shaw of Columbus.
21
THE AMERICAN PIT BULL TERRIER
June 13, 2012
One of the hardest things for me to comprehend is how the majority of all of the informative articles or educational pieces about pit bulls are written by socalled experts who have never even owned a pit bull, much less shared their life and love with one.
Unfortunately, and in large part due to misrepresentation in the media, a lot of the horror stories about pit bulls that were mostly just urban legends have come true over the years, including stories of feeding them gun powder to make them meaner, using puppies and kittens as bait dogs, and so on. ese stories have been propagated by the media so oen that it has become true because "lowlifes who dont need any dog, much less a pit bull, believed it and thought that was what they were supposed to do.
Weve owned many, many dogs - many more that we can count - from rescues to fosters to puppies to our own yard and house dogs. I can speak from experience - and thats what matters most, in a case like this. Hopefully, I can answer any questions, alleviate any fears and introduce you to one of the most goofy, loving, and just plain ole happy-golucky breeds in existence today. Before I met my husband, I had never seen nor heard of a pit bull. Maybe that was a blessing: I hadnt heard the hype about them, so my heart was completely open. e first pit bull I met was a medium brindle male named Cujo. Dont let the name fool you; he was a big teddy bear. His dam, Princess, was a little white dog with tan markings. When my husband and I got married, we let Princess stay behind to take care of Grandma. Princess would sit outside on the front porch in front of the screen door. If she hadnt heard Grandma move in a while, shed stand up, peek inside and whine. Once Grandma said, Its ok, Princess, Im fine, Princess would lie back down. She was also protective of all the kids who came to see Grandma but never tried to bite a soul; she would just give a warning growl and a look." Cujo was the first pit bull I ever had the pleasure of owning." He was a character, too. My husband and I had just married and didnt really know much about pit bulls at the time. I started researching and bought every book and magazine I could find about pit bulls. We actually bred dogs for a number of years, and when we would sell a puppy we would give Richard Strattons first book about pit bulls to the new owners. Several years
CALLED AS SEEN: Got A Problem?

A few of us were vicious, you hype, So are all the rest. Creativity in media puts liberty to the test. ese laws against this noble breed are laws that we dont need. Lets all write our Congressmen, Come on! Its deed, not breed! ey call me Baby Killer, and so are all my sons. ey cry for my extinction with every lie thats spun. ey prey on fears of idiots, and if the truth be told ey wouldnt know a bulldog if one bit them on the nose. If all the pit bull experts would use their decayed brains, And try to get to know me, theyd never feel the same. For, I am filled with courage, along with heart and drive. And when the dust has settled, youll see that Ive survived. For my master and his household, Ive lots of love to give. And with a heart as big as Texas, Ill die that he may live. e truth, in most all cases, will come out in the end. And all shall know the truth and see that Im a damn good friend!!!
- Author Unknown
is isnt an article about that. Let's clarify a couple of things, however. First, feeding a dog gunpowder does not make it mean. Gunpowder in a dogs system is poison, and, if it survives, it will be in constant pain, which drives it crazy and makes it unstable. Dogs such as this should be put down, as they are unpredictable. Second, using puppies and kittens as bait to train a dog to make it fight is ridiculous - much like training a professional boxer or MMA fighter with preschoolers would be. It would have the same eect, i.e., nothing. So dont do it.
is article - and hopefully more to come - will be about the true American Pit Bull Terrier from an experienced owner of the breed. My husband and I have owned pit bulls for over 30 years.
22
MISSISSIPPIS BEST KEPT SECRET
Mississippis Best-kept Secret

I went down to the crossroads, got down on my knees.
Ever since Robert Johnson belted out those haunting words, Clarksdale, Mississippi, has been on the map as a mecca for blues enthusiasts all over the world. Sojourners from all walks of life travel to this tiny town in central Mississippi everyday looking for a one-of-a kind experience, and they find it here, in the place where the blues were born. On this journey, there is only one place you must stay: e Shack Up Inn. e Shack Up Inn is unlike anything you will find anywhere else in the world. It is a completely unique experience that cannot simply be described as a place to rest your head; its a state of mind. Once you turn o Highway 49 onto Commissary Circle, you enter a completely dierent world. e Shack Up Inn, in itself, is a compound of 14 sharecropper shacks which were found all over the delta and painstakingly moved and renovated, with the bare necessities of modern-day living. Each one oers indoor plumbing, central heat and air, and a mini kitchen; other than that, they are just the same as you would have found them 100 years ago. Each one is completely unique. e Crossroads Shack, for instance, has its own piano, while e Robert Clay Shack still has the remnants of the old whiskey still that the original owner housed in his attic! All of the shacks are full of amazing memorabilia: old photographs, folk art, farm equipment, even a rifle or two (unloaded, of course). But the highlight of each shack is the porch. All of the shacks are equipped with at least one porch, and here at e Shack Up Inn, that is the place to be. Time seems to pass a little slower when you are relaxing with friends, a cold beverage in hand, and watching the sun set over the delta from your perch on your porch. e shacks are not the only option here at the inn. ere are also 10 bins (the shacks version of a hotel room) located in an old cotton gin on the property. e Cotton Gin Inn, as this piece of the shack is known, also contains the lobby, as well as e Juke Joint Chapel. e Chapel is a huge part of the experience here. It takes up a good chunk of the cotton gin and is two stories tall, with an enormous raised stage where bands perform from time to time. Even when there is no performance, e Juke Joint Chapel is a great place to gather with your fellow shackers and hear some very interesting stories. e Sky Shack is also located in the Cotton Gin Inn. is is the fanciest of all the
June 13, 2012
shacks, and it oers something a little different. e Sky Shack is actually a part of the Juke Joint Chapel! It is an indoor shack, and its front porch is actually a balcony overlooking the stage of the chapel, making it the place you want to be when there is a performance (so be sure to find out who is staying there, and quickly make them your friends!). e Cotton Gin Inn also includes a gi shop which you shouldn't miss. Lots of fabulous shack merchandise is sold here: t-shirts, coee mugs, postcards, stickers, folk art and local pottery. e posters are the best souvenir of all. Each shack has its own poster which is designed to look antiqued and has a unique saying about that shack. You can buy just the poster, but for $20 more you can get a framed version in a beautiful worn cypress frame! It's definitely worth the extra money, as it's a great way to remember a trip to this magical place. If, for any reason, you begin to get tired of all this relaxation, fear not, for there are many other things to do in Clarksdale. Just a few miles down the road from e Shack Up Inn is historic downtown Clarksdale, which oers up fun for everyone. If you are a history bu and would like to learn more about the music that shaped a nation, check out e Delta Blues Museum. Here, you can travel back to a time when cotton was king and the blues were the thing. e museum houses some extremely rare pieces of music history, including B.B. Kings famous guitar, Lucille," and the actual house where Muddy Waters was born! Just across the street from the museum, you will find Ground Zero Blues Club. is is the club owned by Clarksdale na-
tive Morgan Freeman and politician Bill Luckett. Stop in any time of day for some delicious grub - the fried tamales are a must - or come in any night of the week for live blues music. You may even bump into one of the owners. On a recent trip, we met Mr. Luckett, who informed me that he modeled downtown Clarksdale aer our own fair city of Columbus! Also close at hand is Cathead Delta Blues and Folk Art, which is a great place to pick up local blues musicians albums or the latest works of local visual artists. e Shack Up Inn and Clarksdale itself are certainly a must for any fan of the blues, but every Mississippian should ex-
perience this truly original place regardless of their musical taste. It is a lovely place, filled with rich history, interesting characters and a truly diverse culture. You will find yourself planning your next trip even before you leave. e best description of the time you will spend here is written on the wall of e Robert Clay Shack: I lost my mind and found my soul here."
Tori Hawkins
tori@realstorypublishing.com
Tori is a native of Columbus, who studied communications at MS State University.
23
PIG TALES
June 13, 2012
Porky Pig
Porkchop is growing. He has six chubby cheekers (cheeks) now. But hes still as cute as he can be, and he tickles me to death every day with something crazy he does.
e other aernoon, as I was going into the kitchen to put a dish in the sink, Porkchop (of course) followed me in there, expecting to be fed. He walked around one side of the island as I walked around the other. en it started: the five-minute game of how many times will Porkchop walk around? It was pretty funny - I bet that pig made six trips around the island looking for me, as I was walking just out of sight so hed follow me! He finally wised up and just stood there at his bowl, whining!
Chubby Cheekers
When I leave the house in the mornings and get ready to put the dogs in their room for the day, I always say, Who wants a biscuit (dog treat)? Of course, all the dogs come flying to the back room, and - guess what - so does Porkchop! So I have to bribe him out of the dog room so he wont be locked up with them all day. Sometimes I do give him a biscuit, too. He is on a bit of a diet, and I dont want him to expect food every time we move - but he does anyway!
fridge, she comes flying at break-neck speed to get her share. She loves watermelon, grapes, and lettuce - of all things!) Anyway, aer Porkchop decided he was about done with the watermelon, Toby (Porkchops best pit bull friend) decided he was going to take it outside. I spotted him just as he was headed out the doggie door and did a quick Cesar Milan "tsk." Toby dropped that watermelon rind like it was hot! Last night, I was ready for another piece of watermelon. I dont know if anybody else does like I do, but I always cut o about inch of the exposed watermelon before I cut my actual piece. I usually give it to the cat, but this time I cut it up in slices and put it in Porkchops bowl. Aer the cat and I had eaten our pieces, I took my plate back in the kitchen, and Porkchops bowl was completely empty! at fat pig ate a whole piece of watermelon - a whole piece - rind and all!
I finally got a watermelon last week. When I made the first cut, I gave Porkchop the le-over, with a little meat on it, and the rind. at pig ate and ate all the way down to the rind! He LOVES watermelon - almost as much as I do. (Interesting side note no matter where our cat, Jibbilette, is when I get a watermelon out of the
e other aernoon when it was raining, Porkchop decided he really needed to go outside. He usually hates water - well, a bath, anyway - but he wanted to go out. He stayed out in the side yard for a while, and, when we brought him back in, he couldnt do enough rubbing (on everything) to get the water o of himself. It was very funny to watch. He basically gets up against something and then does this weird booty-dance against it. It is hilarious. Ive tried to get it on video a few times, to upload to his Facebook page, but I havent been very successful as of yet. But stay tuned!! I do have an audio of a mini-piggie fit on there! Last night, Porkchop decided he wasnt happy enough with just receiving a piggie massage, so he proceeded to give Toby a piggie massage! He was rooting around on Toby, just massaging away. I was kind of glad, though, because usually hes rooting on me, and that can hurt! You wouldnt think
a pig nose, which is so so, could be so rough! If youve never had a pet pot-bellied pig, you just dont know what you are missing. Between Porkchop, my three pit bulls, and my three cats that are constantly acting goofy and making me smile, I dont think my life could get any better. Oh, and I cant forget my really goofy husband! For all the Porkchop photos, updates, and videos you can stand, visit Porkchop on Facebook: http://www. facebook.com/PorkchopsPigTales
Aimee Shaw
ashaw@realstorypublishing.com Aimee is the Oce Manager at Malone Electric Company, Inc. and also has her own freelance graphic design business. She is married to Kenneth Shaw of Columbus.
Do books have even-numbered pages on the right or left side?

Look for the answer on page 27!
24
CONSUMER CORNER
A Real Story Sta Report
Little Dooey... Lotta Moola
You know how sometimes youre just not really sure what you want to eat, but youre pretty sure you know what you dont want? My husband and I find ourselves in that dilemma quite oen. Last Wednesday, we were debating what to eat for supper that night, and, aer much deliberation, we decided on the Little Dooey. Before we even walked in, the satisfying aroma of barbecue hit us, and our stomachs immediately began to growl. Oh, I cant wait, I thought to myself. We pondered the menu for a while and finally decided on an order. My husband ordered the BBQ brisket plate and I the childs chicken finger basket. I order un-sweet tea everywhere I go and was very thankful that the Little Dooey oered Splenda! Yay! Kudos for that! We sat down in a booth - it was very nice and cozy, not too crowded or
cramped - and waited on our order. ey brought it out fairly quickly, for which our growling stomachs were greatly appreciative. is is where the story gets a little weird. My husbands beef brisket plate looked like a Happy Meal portion, while my chicken tender basket (with onion strings) looked like it was enough to feed both of us! "Yay!" for me (I had enough to take home and eat for two meals) but boohiss! for my husband. e food was
June 13, 2012
good, the service was good, and the atmosphere was good, but the price - $23 - was a little high for what we got. Ratings Cleanliness: umbs Up Price: ($11/per person) Value for the Money: umbs down Friendliness of Sta: umbs Up Variety of Menu: umbs Up
e Little Dooey has two locations, 927 Alabama Street, next to Little Caesars Pizza, and 701 Hwy. 45 North.

If you have a local business or establishment you would like us to consider for review, please e-mail us at: consumercorner@realstorypublishing.com. You will get our honest opinion of the business, their personal customer service, and the services oered. We strive for fair, unbiased reporting, so we hope to hear from you.
SportsTalk
by Jeremiah Short
25
SPORTS
Local Prospect Spotlight

Johnson is Mr. Reliable for the Yellow Jackets
2011 season. e 6foot, 2-inch, 285pound lineman helped Starkville make it to the state championship. It was a good experience, to me; I had never played in a game so important, says Johnson about playing in the state championship. Its rare for a player to play both sides of the ball - even at the high school level. Johnson knows why he has been able to play oense and defense: My size and explosiveness o the ball lets me play both sides. Jamie Mitchell, Starkville Highs head coach, values Johnsons ability to take on dual roles. Hes a big, strong and physical kid. He is going to have to be a rock for us on defense, and I think he will, says Mitchell. Major college programs have taken notice of Johnsons talent. Nine schools - Mississippi State, Indiana; Ole Miss; Alabama; Southern Mississippi; Louisiana Tech; Louisiana-Lafayette; Arkansas State; and Memphis - have expressed interest in his services. Indiana, Arkansas State and Southern Mississippi are the only ones to oer thus far. Johnson is being recruited as a defensive tackle by most schools; he expects to play that position full-time next season. Im trying to play mostly defense, but if I have to play oense for the team, I will, said Johnson. e hulking lineman, obviously, will do whatever is needed for his team to win. He views himself as a leader. I try my best to be the leader. On Friday nights, Im the hype man. Outside of the team goal of winning a state championship, Johnson has one personal goal for 2012: I want to play in my first all-star game. Johnson has shown himself to be a reliable leader, player and overall teammate. Whichever school the talented prospect signs with will gain a player built of the right stock. Im a tough guy and work through my things. Im a hard worker, and its hard for me to quit at anything. ey know they can depend on me, said Johnson. He added, If its fourth and one on the goal line; Im there to stop that play!
June 13, 2012
When talking with coaches and players, the trait that they value in a player is reliability. Juwan Johnson, Starkville Highs star defensive tackle/oensive linemen, has been just that for the Yellow Jackets. Johnson has played most of his career as an oensive lineman, but he added defensive tackle to his responsibilities late in the
Jeremiah Short
jshort@realstorypublishing.com Jeremiah Short covers Mississippi State University football and basketball. Follow him on Twitter, @JeremiahShort26; or join his Facebook blog, Real Story Sports: J.Shorts Blog.
Higgins Versatility Aids the Yellow Jackets

touchdowns (six rushing and three receiving). Higgins had a solid 2011 season, but he wasnt satisfied, as the Yellow Jackets lost in the state title game. It was alright, but I want to do better. It hurt. I want to do better so we can go back and win; its all about the team! said Higgins. e dynamic athletes ability to play several positions is valuable to the Yellow Jackets, according to Head Coach Jamie Mitchell. His versatility is huge for us. He plays some fullback, h-back, and tight end for us. We need to get the ball in his hands; hes our best receiver, as well. Higgins, who has a commanding voice, tries to be a leader for his teammates. I try to make them like me - to where, if Im not in the game, the team will be straight, said Higgins. Higgins, obviously, is a talented player, but he is working to improve for next season. His talents were on full display during spring practice. I did pretty well, and there were a lot of recruiters out there to watch me play, Higgins said. Kentucky, Troy, Louisiana-Lafayette, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Alabama are among some of the schools that checked him out during spring practice. Louisiana-Lafayette has been the only school to oer him, so far, but Kentucky is close to oering the versatile athlete. Higgins intangibles and his ability to line up at several positions make him an intriguing prospect. Once he hits the camp circuit, the oers should start to flood in for him. He could end up being one of the steals of the 2013 recruiting season.
e Starkville High School Yellow Jackets returned to prominence in 2011. Several players figured in that resurgence. Stanley Higgins, a Yellow Jacket fullback/tight end/defensive end/linebacker, can be counted as one of those athletes - or should I say, four of those athletes. Higgins put together an impressive season in 2011, compiling 474 total yards (271 rushing and 203 receiving) and nine
Jeremiah Short
jshort@realstorypublishing.com
26
SPORTS
Robinsons Role Expanding Next Season

Darrell Robinson, Noxubee County High Schools starting running back, has been quite productive over the past two years, with 2,312 yards combined in 2010 and 2011. His rushing yards werent what he was expecting in 2011, though, and Robinson is striving to improve upon that output. I felt that I could have done better. I didnt get the yards I wanted to, said Robinson. We had to spread the ball; we got some talent down here! Robinsons goal is to have 2,000 yards rushing in 2012. at feat might be even more impressive, considering the electric ball carrier will add receiver to his duties. Im going to be playing receiver more this year. Im going to start at running back, but I am going to play receiver as the game goes on, Robinson said. Tyrone Shorter, Noxubee Countys head coach, expounded on what he expects Robinsons role to be next season. He will have a bigger role this year. We are going to put him in some at slot reCourtesy Photo
June 13, 2012
e 5-foot, 10-inch, 190-pound running back hasnt garnered much recruiting interest up to this point, as Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Nebraska are the only schools that have sent letters.
Robinson has a stated personal goal, but he also has a team goal for 2012: I want to try to get to Jackson!
e talented running back is the classic diamond-in-the-rough, but if he leads Noxubee County to a state title and reaches his desired statistical benchmarks, Division I programs may take notice.
I dont really say too much. Whatever needs to be done - I do it. If I need to play receiver, I will play receiver. If I need to play running back, I will play running back. If I need to play quarterback, I will play quarterback. Im going to do whatever my team needs.
ceiver; we are going to have a package. He is also going to play a bigger role on special teams. Hes going to return kicks and punts for us this year. Hes just a gied and talented kid. We are going to get the ball in his hands as much as possible, says Shorter.
He is already hard at work to make his 2,000 yard goal a reality - getting up at 5 a.m. every day to run. I want to get faster; Im trying to run a 4.2. I get up early - around 5 oclock - to run, said Robinson.
Jeremiah Short
Jones Only Has One Speed

Over the years, the Noxubee County High School Tigers have been blessed with talented linebackers such as Deontae Skinner, OBryant Brandy, Nate Wayne and Cory Johnson. Javancy Jones, a 6foot-3-inch, 210-pound rising senior, is on track to be the next great one. He had a monster 2011 season, totaling 87 tackles (with 20 tackles for a loss) and an impressive 17 sacks. I think I did pretty well; I do think I could have done a little bit better, says Jones. Jones takes particular pleasure in taking down the quarterback. Getting tackles are fun, but there is nothing like a sack. When you make a sack, the crowd gets into it and everything. e oense knows they have lost a lot of yards and lost a down, Jones said. Jones has extraordinary versatility; he excels at rushing the passer but can also drop into coverage. As a defensive end, I play the outside and make sure nobody gets outside of me. Either they [oensive players] come to me and I make the tackle, or they go to the other side and the other linebacker makes the tackle, said Jones. As a linebacker, I drop into a zone or keep playing the receiver to make sure he doesnt catch the ball. He is surrounded by other Division-Ilevel talents, which makes his job much easier - and makes life dicult for opposing teams. He explains the issues the Tiger defense causes other teams. When Dylan and I line up on opposite sides, teams dont know where to go, really. Dylan is on the le and Im on the right. If they cant go there, then they have to go up the middle - and Antonio Ryland is there, Jones said. On the defensive line, we get aer the quarterback. So they really only get two seconds to let the ball go. His talents have piqued the interest of several schools. Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Arkansas State, Arkansas and Alabama have all shown him attention. Ivy League schools Yale and Harvard have made overtures, as well. Jones's reported 3.9 GPA (grade point average) is probably the reason that the Ivy League programs are keeping an eye on him. Jones has only one oer (from Arkansas State) at this point, but he is undeterred. I just let it come, when it come - and keep working. e defensive end/linebacker plans to make improvements during the o-season. I want to gain more weight, get faster, and get quicker with my hands. I want to do better than last year and go to Jackson. I want to prove that Noxubee is the best, says Jones. Jones is used primarily in rushing the passer, but the coaching sta is preparing him for the move to linebacker at the next level. e coaches got me at defensive end, but in practice they rotate me in at linebacker because they say Im going to need that for college. So they are helping me out so I can get better in high school. ey are giving me an upper hand so when I get to college I wont be behind, Jones said. Javancy Jones is the true embodiment of a student athlete and should become a highly sought-aer prospect before signing day 2013. Noxubee County Head Coach, Tyrone Shorter, talks about the traits that will make him that big-time prospect.
His motor never stops running. He practices the way he plays. Sometimes I have to hold him out of practice so our offense can run a play. He runs that mouth a lot, but its in a good way. We are going to play him at fullback this year. We are going to play him on special teams. I see why he is getting so many oers. Hes just a phenomenal player.
Jeremiah Short
T hai Steak Salad
CLASSIFIEDS!!
Ingredients Cooking spray 1 (1 1/2-pound) flank steak, trimmed 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 cup fresh lime juice 1 tablespoon brown sugar 2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce 1 tablespoon fish sauce 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic 1 teaspoon Sriracha (hot chile sauce, such as Huy Fong) 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage 1 1/4 cups fresh bean sprouts 3/4 cup julienne-cut carrots $ 1/3 cup fresh mint leaves 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves Preparation 1. Heat a large grill pan over mediumhigh heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle steak evenly with pepper and salt. Add steak to pan; cook 6 minutes each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove steak from pan; let stand 5 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices. 2. Combine juice and next 5 ingredients (through Sriracha) in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. 3. Combine cabbage and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Add 6 tablespoons juice mixture to cabbage mixture; toss well. Toss steak in remaining 2 tablespoons juice mixture. Add steak to cabbage mixture; toss to combine.
FREE
27
CLASSIFIEDS LEGALS RECIPE OF THE WEEK
GOT SOMETHING YOU WANT TO SELL?
June 13, 2012
BOATS, RVs, ATVs MOTORCYCLES

Crossroads Cruiser 2005, 32x8, 2 slides. Very nice for sale by owner. $14,500, in great condition. Call for more info, located on Luxapalila River. 242-0786. 2007 Honda Rincon (680 cc). Excellent condition, Warn winch w/ front or rear mount, Kolpin gun boot, 2wd/ 4wd switchable, auto or electric shift, digital gauges, garage kept. $5,000. 386-3467
lose weight? Would you like to try a free sample of something that could change your life forever? Go to www.plexusslim.c om/billslim, or call Bill 662-570-9299. We are looking to sponsor four people to take part in the weight loss project, Lowndes County Losers. 662-574-7751. Active family of four needs CLEANING PERSON. House is 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, a little over 2000 sq.ft. Also, there is an indoor cat. I will purchase cleaning supplies. Interested parties should send email to theboxylady @yahoo.com with employment history and a list of excellent workrelated references. A resum with references would be nice. I need someone honest, trustworthy, reliable, and dependable. You must have your own transportation. Serious inquiries only. NO phone calls. Top $$$ for your college books! Call Slate @ 662-4974228 or stop by Cheyenne Station : 5475 Hwy E, Columbus MS JACKET SALE: Kids NASCAR and Cartoon Jackets Buy one at regular price and get second one at half price. LADIES JACKETS - Betty Boop, Tweety, Diva, M&M, others, $75. OVER 200 JACKETS IN STOCK. Come see: Sibleys Collectibles, 362 Waverley Ferry Road, Ph: 329-1420. Open 6 days, 12-5.
2 bath, $425/mo; $350/deposit. 662-425-9071 ONE TIME SPECIAL OFFER!! Our best selling 3BD/2BA singlewide with designer dcor and furniture. 205-339-5397 SPRING CLEARANCE SALE. Only two 3BR/2BA homes left! Call today to qualify! 205-339-5483 Do you have at least $1300 a month in Social Security? Then you may qualify for one of our homes. 205-339-5628 4BR/2BA JUST REDUCED! All appliances, including washer and dryer. 205-339-5397 Your deed and $500 can put you in a brand new home! Call 205-339-5632! GOT LAND?! New home on your land. No cash out of pocket. 205-339-5397 LOTS ON THE RIVER ARE ALMOST EXTINCT! Dont miss this once in a lifetime opportunity! For sale are 9 dierent wooded lots. 6 are waterfront. Docks can be built. Location cant be beat. Waterfront lots can be bought for $50k per lot and $30k per lot across road. Call Patton Whitten with Century 21 Doris Hardy & Associates, LLC at 662.574.5196 Lots for sale! Ridge Lakes in Starkville, buy one or all, great investment! Development on a lake for retirees or college students. Call Dennis 662242-0786 RV Park on the Lux! Camp on the river,
full hookups, lots of room and private! Minutes from work or play! Call Dennis for rates and more info. Also have camper for sale or rent, 662-242-0786 Downtown apartments for rent - Studio, 2 BR available. Furnished and unfurnished available. All appliances and laundry on site. Priced from $700$1000. 574-7176. HOUSE FOR RENT: 3BR/2 BA, 2413 3rd Ave. S. (Sandfield area). $525/mo, $450/ deposit. HUD accepted. 425-9071 Low maintenance, exceptional quality throughout, 3 BR, 2 BA, open LR, DR, kitchen, large sunroom. Private back courtyard, secure neighborhood. Plantation Pointe Estates, 2097 sq.ft. plus porch and double garage. Call for an appointment! 241-6595. FOR ALL YOUR REAL ESTATE NEEDS - call Sheri Lipsey, ReMax Real Estate 327-7750 or 662-549-1354
Photo of the Week
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Salary Position Available Assistant Project Manager for Ground Maintenance Contract at Columbus Air Force Base. Job duties include, but not limited to: Safety Instruction, Heavy and Light Duty Equipment Operation, Training Employees, Managing Daily Operations, and General Maintenance. Serious inquiries only. Send resume to amgcolumbus@gmail.com. 662-434-6104
Courtesy Photo
Shawn Shaw, mid wake-board flip, on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.
LEGAL NOTICE
The name(s), title(s), and address(es) of the owners/partners/corporate ocer(s), and/or majority stockholders/members/trustee(s) of the above named business are: Saowanee Sattrakoune, 1015 8th Avenue North, Columbus, Mississippi 39701. This, the 6th day of June, 2012.
Publish: June 6 & 13, 2012
I, Saowanee Sattrakoune, intend to make application for an On-Premises Retailer, Wine only permit as provided for by the Local Option Alcoholic Beverage Control Laws, Section 67-1-1 et. seq., of the Mississippi Code of 1972, Annotated. If granted such permit, I, propose to operate as a Sole Owner under the trade name of Sao Thai Restaurant & Sushi Bar, located at 411 WilkinsWise Road, Columbus, Lowndes County, Mississippi.
MISCELLANEOUS
DAYLILIES for sale, tagged varieties. Downsizing garden. Many beautiful colors to choose from, only $5 per whole clump. Aberdeen. 549-0010. King size bed frame, $99; 20 color TV, $99. 662-352-7995 Need AVON fast with no wait? Quick and simple, 24/7. www. your avon.com/jhambrick Are you trying to
SERVICES PROVIDED
INSURANCE - Burial, Cancer, and Life. Call for your free quote! 662738-4224 or 662738-4224 For your best deals on topsoil, sand, gravel, clay, and crushed concrete for driveways, parking pads, etc. Call D&D Materials for a free estimate! 662-549-3431. Pickup or delivery! Need spring cleaning all year long? Call Shelia, 2408979. References available.
TRiVIA ANsWEr:
REAL ESTATE
HOUSE FOR RENT: 2413 3rd Avenue South (Sandfield Area). 3 bedroom/
Left
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2

by Joseph B. St. John

FROM THE EDITOR

J.B. ST. JOHN

Wherefore Art Thou Caledonia?

June 13, 2012

rparlato@realstorypublishing.com kate@realstorypublishing.com ashaw@realstorypublishing.com

KATE SPENCER AIMEE SHAW

The Battle of George, Ben and the Caledonia Town Marshals

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ART & PRODUCTION

KATE SPENCER J.B. ST. JOHN

The Never-ending Saga of the Caledonia Water Department

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ALWAYS THE TRUTH...NO COMPROMISE

THE REAL STORY

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Joseph B. St. John MoJo

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Letter to the Editor from Caledonia Town Marshal Ben Kilgore

June 13, 2012

Car and over-grown grass.

Children, Leave the Room the City Council is in Session

ALWAYS THE TRUTH...NO COMPROMISE

City Council Votes 4-1 to Approve Original Redistricting Plan

June 13, 2012

COUNCIL cont. from pg. 3

ALWAYS THE TRUTH...NO COMPROMISE

Frustration at the Caledonia Town Hall Meeting

June 13, 2012

EMCC Automotive Program: Driving Grads to Work

ALWAYS THE TRUTH...NO COMPROMISE

Attacking The Roots of Violence The Pentagons Like Me Weapon

June 13, 2012

Look to this Day

ALWAYS THE TRUTH...NO COMPROMISE

EMCC cont. from pg. 5

June 13, 2012

Its a Mystery to Me The Death of Bob Welch

ALWAYS THE TRUTH...NO COMPROMISE

Do you have a question about your life, career, or relationships?

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ITS ALL ABOUT THE ANIMALS

All Creatures - Big and Small

Heather McIntyre Cares for them All

June 13, 2012

ALWAYS THE TRUTH...NO compromise

ITS ALL ABOUT THE ANIMALS

June 13, 2012

ALWAYS THE TRUTH...NO COMPROMISE

Dont Fall Victim to Investment Biases

June 13, 2012

Whats at Plymouth Blu?

ALWAYS THE TRUTH...NO COMPROMISE

Why Do You Abuse Me So?

WHO DO YOU ABUSE ME SO?

June 13, 2012

ALWAYS THE TRUTH...NO COMPROMISE

June 13, 2012

Its All About the Music

Columbus Exchange Club

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