Slimantics: The obituary as an art form

The art of writing involves showing rather than telling. The novice will write about a person being tall or beautiful or angry. The great writer will create a image of those qualities in the reader’s mind. Readers don’t want to be told; they want to see.

California nursing home incident brings to fore end-of-life issues

My last job before returning to Mississippi was a gig as a graveyard-shift janitor at a 55-plus living facility in Mesa, Ariz., called Venture Out.

It was the sort of job you would expect a convicted felon who had gone from one minimum-wage job to another since being released from prison would have.

Slimantics: A guide to success and happiness

I was at lunch Thursday when an older gentleman managed to capture my attention.

“Are you Slim Smith?” he asked.

When confronted with this seemingly benign question, I always respond with a degree of trepidation and feel the urge to ask, instead, “Uh, why do you want to know?”

Slim Smith: An anniversary that is neither understood nor celebrated

The 1960s were turbulent times in our country. That is why every month, it seems, there is some official recognition of a milestone anniversary.

Slimantics: Turn out the lights, the Tea Party’s over

The fever appears to be breaking. The Tea Party movement, much like the Know Nothing Party of 150 years ago, will soon have run its obstructionist course.

As is the case with most national trends, that fever will break last in Mississippi, which seems to be on a perpetual two-year time-delay for most national trends.

From trauma to triumph: Smart says there is hope even in the worst of circumstances

Fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart lay in the dirt, sobbing after being brutalized by a man who had abducted her from her family’s upscale Salt Lake City home hours earlier. The memories of that night remain vivid.

Slimantics: Education: Is our heart really in it?

If a visitor from another planet landed his spaceship in Mississippi and spent some time examining what he found, he would likely be led to ask a question that Mississippians appear to have quit asking long, long ago.

He would observe that our state is almost always last in everything good and first in everything bad and ask the obvious question: How come?

Slimantics: Reform shouldn’t mean ‘make it worse’

Noted 20th Century essayist G.K. Chesterton once wrote that the whole modern world is made up of Conservatives and Progressives. “The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes,” he wrote in a 1924 newspaper column. “The business of Conservatives is to prevent mistakes from being corrected.”

The Best/Worst day ever: A letter from Bear Bryant becomes a kid’s rare treasure

On the day Paul “Bear” Bryant died, a veil of mourning descended upon the state of Alabama. Memories of that day and those that immediately followed remain vivid among University of Alabama football fans.

What were they thinking?: ‘States’ Rights’ bill introduced by Smith and Chism misguided and sure to evoke ridicule

Education has been one of the dominant themes in this year’s Mississippi legislative session. Although the methods vary, the one thing all parties agree on is that Mississippi’s educational system is broken. Most often, a deficiency in math and English skills are cited as being areas of particular concern.

Johnson urges audience to remember, celebrate, act

Dream 365 wrapped up five days of activities Monday with the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Breakfast at the Trotter Convention Center. Keynote speaker Harry Johnson told an audience of more than 300 that the key to fulfilling King’s dream relies on three components: remembering, celebrating and acting.

Slimantics: Charter schools: The poor get poorer

For the second time in two years, the Mississippi Senate has passed Charter School legislation. The bill, which has a faint aroma of Good -Ole-Boy corruption, would permit for-profit charter schools to open in chronically low performing districts.

Slimantics: Meredith remains an enigma

James Meredith was the guest speaker at Tuesday’s Columbus Rotary meeting.

Having been a frequent enough Rotary guest not to be considered a guest anymore, I noted that Meredith’s appearance drew an especially large crowd.

Slimantics: No-nnelee makes a point with (your) pocketbook

Quite frankly, I expected better from Gregg Harper and Steven Palazzo, two of the three Mississippi Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Both Harper and Palazzo voted against the Tuesday legislation that prevented the fiscal cliff disaster from becoming a reality.

That the third Republican, the one who represents Lowndes County, voted no on the bill was as predictable as a two-year-old pitching a fit at the supermarket until he gets candy.

Slimantics: You’re not Roy Rogers, you know …

Fifteen years ago, when I moved to northern California, people there often commented on my speech.

I would usually just laugh and say, “You know, I never had an accent until I left Mississippi.” The brighter folks usually figured out what I meant by that.

The Christmas story: Sheep have always played a prominent role in Christmas imagery

For those outside the Christian faith, that sheep would be the most prominent animal in Christian imagery might seem an odd choice.

Slimantics: The next Adam Lanza …

Early last January, I got a call from an old high school friend who lives in the suburbs of Memphis.

It was the same day a deeply-disturbed 22-year-old named Jared Loughner opened fire in the parking lot of a Tucson supermarket, killing six people and injuring 12 others, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

Slimantics: Decorating a sinking ship?

There was some belief that more attention was given to the Titanic’s choice of china than its supply of lifeboats. It was a hard point to refute, given the way things turned out.

Castleberry gets IHL approval for CottonMill project

On Thursday, the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Directors approved a contract between Mississippi State University and Columbus developer Mark Castleberry to develop the much-delayed CottonMill project.

Slimantics: Secession: Haven’t we’ve tried that already?

As of Tuesday afternoon, residents in 47 states had signed petitions to secede from the United States. Of that group, more than 30 states have collected enough signatures to prompt official consideration.