The Mississippi Department of Mental Health (DMH) is proud to announce the launch off the Mental Health Mississippi mobile app, an innovative and user-friendly tool designed to provide Mississippians with immediate access to mental health resources and support. This mobile app is a continuing step in DMH's commitment to enhancing access to mental health services and improving wellness throughout the state. The Mental Health Mississippi app offers a wide range of features and resources to help users navigate mental health services, including: Resource Directory: Easily search for mental health service providers, including counseling, crisis intervention, and substance abuse treatment, across Mississippi. Interactive Map: Mississippians can use the map to find services in their county of residence. Crisis Support: Access immediate crisis intervention resources, including 24/7 hotlines and emergency services. Educational Materials: Learn about various mental health conditions, treatment options, and wellness strategies through comprehensive articles and guides. Crisis Resources: Resources are available in the app for crisis situations, including Mobile Crisis Response Teams, crisis lifelines, and Crisis Stabilization Units. Wendy Bailey, Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Mental Health, emphasized the importance of making mental health resources more accessible to all Mississippians. "The Mental Health Mississippi mobile app represents a significant advancement in our efforts to support mental health and wellness in our state. By providing easy access to essential resources and support, we hope to empower individuals to take control of their mental health and seek the help they need." The launch of the Mental Health Mississippi app comes at a critical time, as the need for mental health support continues to grow. The app is designed to be a comprehensive, user-friendly resource for individuals, families, and communities seeking mental health information and services. The app is available at no cost on the Apple App Store for iPhone and the Google Play Store for Android. The Mental Health Mississippi web site can also be reached at www.mentalhealthms.com.

If you see it, you can never unsee it. You hear it, it’s in your memory bank forever. Unless it’s the phone number to the pediatrician when your kid is running a 102 temp at midnight. But usually, everything you see and hear becomes part of you – good and bad. Kind of a scary, intimidating fact. Everything you experience while living on this earth is in your brain. And subtly, or not so subtly, it influences how you view life and interact with others. A fact worth remembering when you are looking for a late-night movie to watch. Maybe at six years old you witnessed a bad wreck unfold in front of you, with bodies flung everywhere. Or, at ten years old you accidentally walked into the path of a strung-out junkie, who thought you were a monstrous purple spider and wanted to stomp you out of existence. Maybe in adulthood your marriage disintegrated and eventually became much like the material of violent movies. Those kinds of memories never totally evaporate. It’s all there inside of your head, influencing you and your behavior. But at this point in all this blood, guts, and gore, I will toss in a tiny bone. Some positive possibilities can come with trauma, if that trauma is handled with wisdom and compassion. The six-year-old who saw the terrible wreck, and was wisely given the opportunity to talk about what he saw and how it makes him feel, has a much better chance of dealing with that trauma successfully. Yes, he still saw the horrible accident, but trauma expressed verbally doesn’t have such an opportunity to hide in the closet and terrorize the child for years on end. And yes, the ten-year-old-purple-monster-spider is likely scared to death of walking alone for a long time. But on the flip side, for the rest of her life she will carry a strong impression of what illicit drug use could do to her brain. A strong deterrent if there ever was one. And with some compassionate counsel, she will be able to walk on. Like I said earlier, at least a tiny bone. Remember the little song from being in church as a child, “Oh, be careful little eyes what you see?” Such an innocent little song. Probably makes many of you adults feel absolutely silly even reading a column based on it. But the truth from it can’t be ignored. What you experience in life, the good and the bad, becomes part of you. Realizing that, you would be really smart to make a strong effort to monitor everything that enters your body through your eyes, your ears, and your brain.  Because everything that comes into you through those gateways isn’t always great and wonderful. And even if you wisely seek out help with the traumatic events, they still end up coloring your emotions to a large degree. Then you have to live with the ramifications, until the day you quit breathing.

By: Gary Pettus, UMMC\ For the dozens of people screened recently for skin cancer at a University of Mississippi Medical Center clinic, the checkups were free — and priceless. At UMMC Grants Ferry in Flowood, around 115 people were evaluated one day in May, during Skin Cancer Awareness Month; among them, screeners found 69 cases of skin cancer or pre-cancerous conditions. The very first person examined showed signs of the deadliest skin cancer of all: melanoma. That, and the fact that another 68 cases were discovered, underlines the value of early detection, said Dr. Stephen Helms, professor of dermatology at UMMC. “When we find a case of cancer or pre-cancer, we give the person a list of dermatologists to see in the area, if they don’t already have one. “We do recommend that they make an appointment for a biopsy pretty soon, especially for melanoma; you don’t want to put it off.” A biopsy is a procedure to remove a portion of a suspicious area for closer examination or to completely remove the abnormal mass, or tumor, as a potential cure for certain types of skin cancer. Laura Beth Puhr, LPN, supervisor of clinic operations for dermatology at UMMC, said the nearly six dozen cases detected last month break down this way: Actinic keratoses: 50 – Untreated, this pre-cancerous condition can turn into a type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma. Non-melanoma skin cancers: 17 – These include squamous cell carcinoma, “which can metastasize and can be very aggressive,” Helms said, and basal cell carcinoma, which accounts for about 75-80% of skin cancer cases and which can also be destructive and disfiguring if left untreated. Dysplastic (or atypical) nevi: 1 – A type of mole that looks different from a common mole, including in size, shape and color, a dysplastic nevus rarely turns into melanoma, but the greater the number and size of nevi, the greater the risk. Melanoma: 1 – It causes most skin cancer deaths, Helms said. More than 100,000 cases of this disease will be diagnosed in the U.S. this year, and more than 8,000 people are expected to die from it, reports the American Cancer Society. Melanoma can be harder to cure than other forms, but if caught early and treated, the task becomes easier and death is less likely to follow. Held every year, the Grants Ferry screening event is sponsored by the Department of Dermatology at UMMC in partnership with the American Academy of Dermatology and the Women’s Dermatologic Society. “Our department is very appreciative for all of the people who help us with this every year and who volunteer,” Helms said. Some 50 or so UMMC nurses, physicians, staff members, students and other volunteers pitched in at Grants Ferry for this year’s screenings, organized by Helms, Dr. Amy Flischel, associate professor of dermatology; Dr. Thy Huynh, assistant professor of dermatology; Dr. Hannah McCowan, a preliminary medicine resident at UMMC; Walton Mallette, director of ambulatory operations for UPA Dermatology Administration; and Puhr. “We’ve always had a great turnout for the screening event,” Puhr said. “Usually, detection is early enough that we can get treatment for the patient so they don’t have to worry about it. Some people who come in may have a family history of skin cancer. Others come in with spots on their skin that they are concerned about.” One in five people in the U.S. will develop skin cancer, the most common cancer in the U.S., the American Academy of Dermatology reports. “Usually, if you find a basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma early, it’s not going to spread the way melanoma will,” Puhr said. “Which is why these screenings are so important.” For patients with these non-melanoma cancers, physicians recommend that they get them removed within a month or so, she said. “But we don’t wait on melanoma. It’s done as soon as possible.” Melanoma may even show up on unexposed areas of the body – such as the bottom of a foot, Helms said. “And it’s more likely to spread to other parts of the body compared to other forms of skin cancer. “Clearly, one of the causes related to skin cancer is exposure to sunlight, which is more intense from 10 a.m. to around 3 or 4 p.m.,” Helms said. “It’s more likely to damage lighter skin, but cancer is found in darker skin as well. “People should try to avoid overexposure. Outdoors, they should wear a hat and light-colored clothing and cover up.” And use sunscreen, Helms said. “It should be applied about half an hour before exposure to the sun. There are chemical sunscreens that absorb the bad UV rays and release them from the body. The others are physical sun blockers with ingredients like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. “It’s best to use a SPF [Sun Protection Factor] of 30 or greater.” People who come by Grants Ferry for a screening receive samples of sunscreen and instructions on protecting skin from sunlight, Puhr said. “We also ask them to avoid tanning beds.” UMMC offers skin cancer screenings and/or dermatologic services elsewhere, including those for underserved patients. Among them is the monthly Mississippi Delta Rolling Fork High School Dermatology Clinic for rural patients. The Jackson Free Clinic, 925 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Jackson, run by student volunteers, schedules free dermatologic services for patients once every three months. Even if you’ve never had skin cancer, a yearly screening is prudent, Puhr said. For those who have been treated for skin cancer, the recommendation is a screening every three months afterward for the first year. If no cancer is discovered, the checkups come less frequently, but at least once a year. In the meantime, you should also check yourself, Helms said. “Look for bleeding lesions or pigmented lesions or moles that are growing or changing color.” For guidance, use the ABCDE test when scrutinizing a mole, he said: Asymmetry – If the shape isn’t symmetrical, or uniform, this is a warning sign. Border – Look for a mole with an irregular border – jagged, uneven, etc. Color – If the mole has more than one color or shade, it may be cancerous. Diameter – A span of more than a quarter of an inch – about the size of a pencil eraser – is another red flag. Evolution – When a spot is changing in size, shape or color, or bleeds or becomes itchy or painful, it’s time to see a dermatologist. In fact, if any of these signs appear, Helms said, see a dermatologist soon. To schedule an appointment with a dermatology provider at UMMC, call 601-815-3374 or go online here.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center is inviting high school juniors and seniors interested in health care careers to visit the campus on Saturday, August 24 for Exploring Health Care Pathways. The one-day enrichment event, which is free, will run from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the UMMC School of Medicine, with check-in starting at 8 a.m. It offers 11th and 12th graders across Mississippi the opportunity to learn more about health care professions from faculty, staff, and students representing UMMC’s various health science schools. They will discuss information about admission requirements, educational background for each program and opportunities for scholarships. Students will be provided with breakfast and lunch. They may click on this link to sign up. Space is limited to the first 250 registrants. “We are eager to welcome students to this valuable program and to foster their interest in a future serving our rural communities’ primary health care needs,” said Dr. Dan Coleman, director of outreach in the UMMC School of Medicine. Exploring Health Care Pathways is the creation of the Office of Admissions and the Improving Primary Care for the Rural Community through Medical Education (IMPACT the RACE) Program at UMMC. For more information, call (601) 984-5010 or contact the program at Impacttherace@umc.edu.

By: Kara Kimbrough Elements of home in the form of Mississippi State University alum Dak Prescott’s large presence in the Dallas Cowboys’ world headquarters in Frisco, Texas, and hearing stories about Jackson native LeAnn Rimes’ formative years in nearby Garland added special touches to the final part of a recent trip to Texas. Additionally, enjoying world-class cuisine, including exceptional Texas barbecue; a shopping mecca attached to my hotel and slipping into a private room filled with rare books were unforgettable experiences. First, a stop in Garland set the tone for 36 hours in Frisco. Known as “Cowboy Hat Capital of Texas,” the “Pho Real Trail" is another big draw. Pho (pronounced “fuh”) is a Vietnamese soup made of broth, rice noodles and sliced beef. Pho fans can visit 18 small, locally owned businesses on the trail. Sampling Texas-size bowls of pho at 286 Noodle House was the perfect fuel as we set off for adventures in nearby Frisco. Upon arrival with other travel writers, I quickly learned Frisco is a mecca of premier sports venues. These include The Star, ice hockey, basketball and baseball arenas and championship golf at Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Training Center. PGA’s impressive headquarters opened on the grounds in 2022; unlike adjacent facilities in the complex, this building is not open to the public. There’s so much to see and do in Frisco, named at or near the top of international and national “best of” lists, including safe place to visit and best place to live. It’s impossible to list all the interesting aspects of one of Texas' fastest-growing cities located less than 30 miles from Dallas. Instead, here’s a brief recap of my favorite things about Frisco: Dining – A delicious pancake breakfast at Ryder Cup in the Fields Ranch Clubhouse at PGA Frisco was followed by lunch at family-owned Hutchins BBQ. Thick and juicy ribs were sliced before my eyes, then paired with some of the best sides I’d ever tasted. This hearty meal adequately satisfied my desire for authentic Texas ‘que. That evening, upscale Frisco eatery J. Theodore featured some of my favorite things: a built-in coffee bar, bakery and books. Rare Books, a hidden speakeasy/bar, requires a literary phrase password to enter through the sliding bookcase wall. Two favorite appetizers - truffle parm fries and crispy Brussel sprouts - set the stage for dinner; a delectable serving of, you guessed it, my favorite grilled chicken pesto pasta. Books, books…I was impressed to learn Frisco loves its books. Besides the Rare Books room, touring the cavernous Frisco Public Library, built in a former rocket parts factory, and finding a satellite library branch just off the lobby of the Hyatt Regency were trip highlights. The Star – A tour of the 91-acre campus of the Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters and practice facility should be on everyone’s bucket list. The Star features displays of players’ and cheerleaders’ uniforms through the years; Super Bowl trophies and rings and the outdoor practice field. There’s also the Ford Center, a12,000-seat indoor athletic facility shared by the Cowboys, City of Frisco, and Frisco ISD’s 12 high schools. The state-of-the art Ford Center was the site of this year’s Academy of Country Music Awards. Last, seeing Cowboys quarterback Prescott's recognition as a recipient of the prestigious Walter Payton (another beloved Mississippian) Award for advocating mental health and cancer research was icing on the cake. Stay and shop - A short walkway connects Frisco's Hyatt Regency to the Stonebriar Centre filled with 208 retail stores and restaurants.  There’s also indoor skydiving, a movie theatre and the nation’s only KidZania. This one-of-a-kind “city” is built entirely for kids and allows them to experience careers ranging from firefighting to medicine. Thirty-six hours was not enough time to explore this amazing city; a return trip is definitely necessary. In the meantime, I’ll have memories, hundreds of photos and a recipe based, as much as I could remember (and with a few tips from the restaurant) of the delicious cole slaw at Hutchins BBQ. Hutchins BBQ Copycat Slaw 1 cup Miracle Whip 1/2 cup granulated sugar ½ cup apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/2 teaspoon celery salt 1/4 cup yellow onion (very finely chopped) 8 cups cabbage (finely chopped) 2 carrots, shredded or finely chopped In a large bowl combine oil, vinegar and sugar. Add in onions and celery salt. Stir in Miracle Whip. Toss the cabbage and carrots together. Pour the dressing over the cabbage and carrots, stir well. Add additional toppings and seasonings to taste. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours before serving for the best result. Drain excess liquid and serve! Kara Kimbrough is a food and travel writer from Mississippi. Email her at kkprco@yahoo.com.

By Mika Hartman Hudson is my hero; however, you don’t need superpowers to sense other people’s emotions or need a power to tell you what someone else might be thinking or feeling. It’s called “empathy”. Some have these senses more than others. It took me being a momma to a child with special needs to truly have my power to see it, or not, in others so clearly. If your child fell and scraped their knee, you would likely tell them that you know it hurts. That you are sorry. You would probably blow on it, kiss it, make it feel better. You would let them know that you can feel that pain, too. It’s not sympathy, it’s empathy that they need. My child does not need your sympathy or your turned cheek when he’s hurting. He is just like every other child that needs love and reassurance that he will be okay. When you don’t try and imagine what he is feeling or thinking, you are not seeing him. This “empathy” word has been weighing heavily on me lately. I can give everything Hudson needs to live, be happy, provide comfort, communicate and embrace who Hudson was born to be… but many others can’t or won’t. So my efforts become limited to only a few who can understand how Hudson feels, communicate with him, see him and accept him. If you don’t have empathy, how will you inspire my hero to shine his brightest. Hudson will fall. He will struggle to show you when his iPad is dead or malfunctioning. He will cry out when his tummy hurts. He will grab snacks and shake the bag until you open it to give hime some. He will cry and you will have to guess until you figure it out… that is, if you figure it out. I have never prayed for Hudson to be different than who he was born to be. I wouldn’t change one hair on his head or one extra beautiful feature he was gifted; however, I did pray recently, for the first time, that he could one day be able to use some words. I was snuggling with Hudson as I was praying this; the tears of guilt for even asking made his head look like he just got out of the pool. Why was this my prayer? If I don’t want to change Hudson at all, why ask for this? Well… We recently were hit with the whole house stomach bug. It was brutal and ongoing, not the 24 hour kind. Hudson usually picks up every illness he comes across; he does’t have a great immune system and he loves to lick his hands, too. When your chid hurts like this and he can’t tell you what he needs, you feel completely helpless. As his mom, I can communicate pretty well… unless he is sick. Then it is truly try and try again. Hudson can’t tell me if his sock isn’t on correctly. He can’t tell me what hurts or if he stubbed his toe. Hudson can’t tell me he’s hot or cold. He can’t share if his head hurts or if he put a lego up his nose (this hasn’t happened, thankfully). This list goes on and on. Unless it’s a visible need, it might go unnoticed and this part kills me. I live with constant worry that I have missed something. Hudson might never talk. He might never get to tell me that he loves me using his voice. Even though he can’t use words yet, he does a wonderful job showing me how much he loves his life. It’s seen in his giggles, in smiles and definitely felt in his powerful kisses. His joy can be seen without words. I am finding a lot of the world desensitized to having empathy; it is a very selfish time today. Taking time to look at someone and guess what they might be thinking or feeling takes little effort, but many don’t outside of their own lives. I have watched moms on this journey struggle to carry the heavy that can be felt in daily life. I always thought that that would never be me, that I would carry it differently; my shoulders can’t afford chips if I want to carry this load the distance for Hudson. I don’t want your sympathy either. Empathy of warmth and compassion would go a long way. A better understanding of why I might decline an invitation to something; I want to go and love being invited, it might just not work. Or assuming I won’t come and therefore not even asking. Or if you change a date or time and I forget, my mental capacity is maxed out most days. Grace is always good for moms like me. The opposite of empathy is callous, heartless, inhuman, hard, insensitive, indifferent, and inhumane. When a mom is trying to be present in her world, change the world and not be angry at the world, see her. Know that you would deserve someone seeing you, experiencing your pain and joy, if you needed them to. Empathy is heartbreaking, but it makes us human. The one word describing empathy I don’t want is your pity. My life is one you may never experience and for that, I have EXTRA empathy that you’ll never know a love that I have.

By Bob Garver For a franchise that has been fairly consistent with its style of PG animated humor, the “Despicable Me” movies are kind of all over the place for me. I couldn’t stand the first one, loved the second one, thought the first “Minions” spinoff had its moments, felt the shtick was stale for the third one, and was pleasantly surprised by the second “Minions.” Now comes the fourth entry chronologically from the first, the sixth in the series overall. Unfortunately, I found this one to be on the lower end of the spectrum. It didn’t send me into a days-long depression over the state of family entertainment like the original did, but it is quite possibly the worst since the first. The new movie finds reformed supervillain Gru (Steve Carell, his Eastern-European accent as grating as ever) at odds with his old high school rival, the coackroach-obsessed Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell). The very idea of a high school for aspiring supervillains is cooler than anything onscreen here, and since this series likes to do prequels, it might be a good idea to set one there. Gru and his new colleagues in the Anti-Villain League are able to imprison Maxime, but he escapes and vows revenge on Gru and his family, especially his new baby. The family is forced to go into hiding, and everybody has little B-stories where they try to start a new life in a posh neighborhood under new identities. Wife Lucy (Kristen Wiig) tries to become a hairdresser with disastrous results. Middle daughter Edith (Dana Gaier) stands up for little sister Agnes (Madison Polan) at karate class. Oldest daughter Margot (Miranda Cosgrove)… gets about three lines. Gru tries to endear himself to his snooty neighbor (Steven Colbert), but ends up getting blackmailed into pulling a heist with the neighbor’s aspiring-villain daughter Poppy (Joey King). The movie could have had a more positive message by having Gru teach Poppy that a life of villainy is not the way to go, but no, she’s validated and wants to be a supervillain as much as ever by the film’s end. The Minions (all voiced by Pierre Coffin) get their own subplot where some of them are given superpowers by AVL boss Ramsbottom (Steve Coogan). This thread doesn’t work for me because the Minions were already non-human without many physical limitations anyway, so giving them superpowers just seems like a lateral move. Example: one of them gets the power to stretch. Okay, but another Minion, one that isn’t given superpowers, gets stuffed into a vending machine and spends the entire movie living there. Seems to me the Minions were pretty stretchy already. Almost all of the spoken jokes are terrible – painful, even. I think there was a logic that if Carell and Ferrell (or Carell/Colbert) were just allowed to be in a scene together, the chemistry they’ve shown in other projects would just punch up the material automatically. There was admittedly something of a precedent for this, as Carell’s chemistry with longtime collaborator Alan Arkin did elevate the last “Minions” movie, but that’s not the case here. This isn’t a rewarding reunion of Ron Burgandy and Brick Tamland. Nor does the movie capitalize on the potential for a Gru/Megamind crossover, even though both characters starred in 2010 animated movies about supervillains turning their lives around. “Despicable Me 4” is too innocuous to make me truly mad, and the animation is as bouncy and pleasing as ever. The new baby is undeniably adorable and I thought the visual physical gags hit at an agreeable rate. A wheelchair equipped with monster truck tires got me giggling, I’ll admit it. But it’s clear that very little attention was given to the script, and characters and storylines are underdeveloped even for the low bar I have for this series. I seriously doubt that this movie is going to turn any fans off of the “Despicable Me”/”Minions” franchise, but I even more seriously doubt that it’s going to turn around anybody that wasn’t a fan already. Grade: C- “Despicable Me 4” is rated PG for action and rude humor. Its running time is 95 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.

By: Rachel VanderfordPhotos Photos By: Joe Ellis/ UMMC Communications UMMC Colony Park South will house several ambulatory clinics, beginning in 2025. UMMC will lease about 65,000 square feet in the three-story building across the street from UMMC Colony Park North, currently under construction. The University of Mississippi Medical Center is leasing brand-new medical office space directly across from the future ambulatory surgical center on Colony Park Boulevard in Ridgeland. The surgical center will make up UMMC Colony Park North, while this installment will establish UMMC Colony Park South. This move aims to enhance the patient experience by providing a more accessible and convenient location for many of its ambulatory clinics. "Patients expect to see their primary care physicians in free-standing, community-based clinics like this," said Dr. Alan Jones, associate vice chancellor for health affairs. "Our main campus, while comprehensive, can be challenging to navigate. This new clinic space is designed to streamline the patient experience, offering easier access and more accessible parking. Our goal is for patients to enjoy a seamless visit, with minimal disruption to their daily schedules." UMMC will occupy approximately 65,000 square feet of the medical office space, sharing the three-story building with Jackson Heart. The new facility will house several UMMC ambulatory clinics, including orthopaedics, internal medicine, neurology, and physical and occupational therapies. Additionally, it will cater to specialty surgeries such as plastic surgery and urology. The site will also feature a comprehensive medical laboratory and advanced radiological services, including MRI, CT scans, mammography and ultrasound. “We are excited about this new location,” said Dr. Michael Hall, professor and chair of the Department of Medicine. “This multispecialty clinic should make it easier for our patients to access different providers and specialties without some of the complexities that our large main hospital campus brings. This should facilitate comprehensive, high-quality care in a new facility that also provides unique training opportunities for our students, residents and fellows.” While many services are transitioning to the new location, certain specialty clinics will remain at the UMMC Pavilion. These include transplant services, neurosurgery, wound care, and medicine specialties like gastroenterology, rheumatology and infectious disease. The relocation of the Medical Center’s clinics to this new site is scheduled for January 2025, when they will begin welcoming patients.

Oh yeah, Brenna was furious! No doubt about that. Absolutely amazing how the very air around her sizzled, and at the same time, made everyone nearby feel like they had just stepped into a sub-Arctic meat freezer. The words blazing from her firepit-mouth could strip a rhino down to his thin underskin. Had it been able to speak, the desk that she pounded on with both fists would have pleaded to be burned for firewood to escape the abuse. What on earth was wrong with the woman? What disastrous disaster had just happened? Nobody knew the answer, they just knew they needed to escape…now. Coworkers melted into the woodwork to run from the hot lava. Computers and printers shut down, ducked their cowardly heads, and tried to act like they were just pebbles. Hearing the ruckus, the office supervisor stepped out of his office to investigate the problem – whatever it was. But within five quick seconds he retreated back into his sanctuary and double bolted the door. Didn’t know the problem, and didn’t care. Nothing was worth facing that screaming hyena who was by now heaving her office chair across the room to land on lamps and pictures that already lay in shards on the floor. Police officers were called, and firmly but politely gave her an escort to the local cooler to ice down a bit. Much later, a brave soul from the office dared to inquire what kicked off such a fire in the woman. Her answer? “Oh, uh, nuthin’ really. I’m just fed up with my kids not doin’ their chores at home, and that no good husband of mine spendin’ his paycheck every @#$^& week at a bar. Sumthin’ just exploded inside me when I heard those other girls in the office laughin’ about meetin’ men at some bar tonight.” Really?!  Dropping verbal bombs and throwing furniture was the best she could do about her bad home situation? Taking her anger out on clueless people in her office? Because her home life was a mess? Not smart. Not cool. Extremely self-destructive. Instead of aiming long pent-up anger directly at her lazy, rebellious teenagers and her bar-hopping Harry, she exploded in the office, raining hellfire and brimstone on everyone there. She destroyed her job, her coworker relationships and her professional reputation – all accomplished in three minutes of scatter-gunning her anger at the world. Folks, please. Don’t let yourself fall into Bombing Brenna’s trap. She held her resentment and hurt in for way too long, and unexpectedly let a group of giggling ladies light her fuse. Then unable to control herself, she scatter-gunned everyone there with verbal bombs. And followed that up with turning her own office into a jigsaw puzzle. If this reminds you of you, don’t impulsively destroy the good part of your world. Instead of making her mistake, go aim for the real target and fire away. Maybe you’ll actually see results - instead of consequences.

By Kara Kimbrough Describing the unique features and sights of charming Grapevine, Texas in a few hundred words is an impossible task. Visiting the city on the outskirts of Dallas was an enjoyable, eye-opening experience that left me wanting to return. I knew little about Grapevine before I arrived to spend a whirlwind 48 hours with writers and tourism officials from Travel Texas and Grapevine Convention and Visitors Bureau. Every stop on the tour yielded one memorable experience after another. It’s impossible to list them all, so I’ll share just a few of the many reasons Grapevine attracts 12 million visitors each year. Location, location, location – First, Grapevine is a mere 60-or-90-minute (depending on the plane) flight from Jackson, MS International Airport. And it gets even better upon landing at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport; Grapevine is less than 15 minutes away. After being picked up at DFW (more on transportation below), within 30 minutes I was seated at a table at Mac’s on Main, sipping an iced tea and awaiting lunch. Grapevine Main Station – The saying, “Everything old is new again” is an apt description of one of my favorite Grapevine buildings. The sprawling brick station located next to the railroad tracks was built to resemble a 19th Century steam railroad station. In fact, in a byone era, the old railroad tracks went right through the space on which the building is located. Today, within the station's stately brick walls is a spacious European-style food hall offering a variety of dining and beverage options and plenty of seating areas for people-watching. Twelve stories up, the Grapevine Observation Tower proved to be a breathtaking experience. Clear skies afforded 50-mile radius views in four directions of AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys; Dallas and Fort Worth and a birds-eye view of nearby DFW. Just below, the TEXRail, which transports travelers from the airport to Grapevine Main Station, was completing a run to the city. For $5, travelers can hop on the train at the airport, eliminating the need for an expensive Uber or car service. Gaylord Texan - Visiting one the nation’s largest resorts located on 150 acres next to Lake Grapevine has been on my bucket list for a while. Sadly, plans for our group to stay in some of the 1,814 guest rooms didn’t work out. However, a tour of the breathtaking 2-1/2-acre atrium during the nightly light show eased my disappointment. It’s hard to describe the experience of gazing up at the star-lit Texas sky through a massive glass skylight covering almost three acres of the resort's atrium. A replica of The Alamo; flowing river reminiscent of San Antonio's Riverwalk; hundreds of flowers and trees, including a life-size replica of a Live Oak, are interspersed throughout this breathtaking space. Visitors are welcome to visit the Gaylord to dine at one of resort's restaurants or simply enjoy the scenery. Grapevine Mills – In addition to numerous small boutiques, vintage and antique stores, Grapevine Mills is the largest shopping destination in North Texas. It’s filled with 180 stores, including national chains as well as SEA LIFE Aquarium, LEGOLAND; interactive museum Meow Wolf and an outdoor splash pad. Historic Main Street District - Grapevine has done an amazing job of transforming 18th and 19th century stores into modern buildings with elements of the past. All buildings along the picturesque Main Street are locally-owned, ranging from restaurants, boutiques, bakeries, wine bars and coffee shops. There’s even an old bank, now operating as a jewelry store, that was once robbed by a member of the infamous Bonnie and Clyde gang. Speaking of restaurants, over 200 eateries offering a variety of cuisines are located throughout the city. I’m still dreaming about lunch at Mister O1. Fresh burrata served with homemade focaccia bread, followed by made-from-scratch pizzas set a new standard for all pizzas to follow. That evening, dining at Teatro Bistro was the perfect ending to 48 hours in Grapevine. Owner and culinary director Carla Pellegrino has appeared on numerous TV shows, including Throwdown with Bobby Flay, which she won. After opening restaurants in New York City and Las Vegas, Pellegrino brought Teatro to Grapevine to rave reviews. Sampling Pellegrino's famous meatballs, delicious Rigatoni Bolognese and a few bites of the some of the best desserts I’ve ever tasted was one of the highlights of the trip. Somehow, small servings of mixed berries and homemade gelato; chocolate lave cake; New York style cheesecake and the lightest, most delectable tiramisu on the planet melded together beautifully, a testament to Pellegrino's superior skills in the kitchen. Last, Grapevine is billed as the “Christmas Capital of Texas” for good reason. Over 1,400 holiday events are scheduled during the 40 days before Christmas, including ice-skating; rides on the Grapeview Vintage Railroad; a gigantic lighted Christmas parade; Christmas markets, festivals, movies and much more. Every business along Main Street is adorned with lights and decorations, each one more elaborate than the other. Learn more about Christmas in Grapevine and other aspects of the city at: www.grapevinetexasusa.com. Grapevine is the perfect quick weekend getaway from Mississippi, or anywhere, really. In short, everything you could possibly want – memorable dining, shopping, accommodations, historical sights and more in a unique, charming setting -  can be found in Grapevine. Classic Italian Meatballs by Carla Serve 8/10 1 pound ground beef ½ pound ground veal ½ pound ground pork 2 large eggs 1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley 1 ½ garlic clove, peeled and minced (optional) 1 ½ cup bread crumbs ¾ cup lukewarm water ½ cup regular olive oil - not extra virgin (Bertolli or Felipo Berio) Salt and ground black pepper to taste Corn oil enough to fry (do not use fry mix oil to fry it) Procedure: Combine beef, veal and pork in a large bowl. Add eggs, cheese, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Using your hands or a mixer with a paddle on low speed, blend the ingredients together. Then during mixing process, add the bread crumbs into the bowl and slowly add the lukewarm water and olive oil, mix it together until the mixture becomes homogeneous. Make a small (2 ounces) pad, place an 8 inches sauté pan over a medium hi flame for about 2 minutes, add a spoon of vegetable oil and sear the meat pad, both sides. Taste it to make sure meatball is moist and seasoned enough before rolling it. Shape the meat mixture into balls (about 5 ounces) and with your hands roll it well until the core feels bonded (to make sure it won’t lose its shape or open up at frying time) Place a large sauté (14 inches) pan over medium high flame and add the oil (corn, canola or vegetable oil, enough oil to immerse half of the meatballs). Once oil gets to 425 degrees, place in one layer of meatballs (do not deep fry or overlap them), make sure the oil just reaches half of meatballs; discard the excess if needed. When bottom half of the meatball is very brown and slightly crisp. turn it and cook the top half. Remove it from heat and let drain in a perforated pan or on paper towels. Lower cooked the meatballs into simmering Marinara sauce or Sunday gravy for about 10-15 minutes or until them reach 135-140 degrees inside. Serve it over pasta or on their own in marinara sauce. Recipe from Chef Carla Pellgrino Kara Kimbrough is a food and travel writer from Mississippi. Email her at kkprco@yahoo.com.

By Douglas Carswell America faces an axis of aggression.  China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are not only actively undermining US interests.  They increasingly seem to be working together. How should America respond? According to a new report published by Mississippi Senator, Roger Wicker, America needs a new national defense strategy capable of responding to this “emerging axis of aggressors”. “21 st  Century Peace Through Strength: a generational investment in the US military” offers a serious analysis of US military capabilities and makes some important recommendations. Wicker calls for an immediate $55 billion increase in military spending in 2025, on top of the almost $900 billion existing budget.  The aim, he suggests, should be for the United States to spend around 5 percent of GDP on defense. To put that in context, America today spends 3.4 GDP percent on defense, and has not spent more than 5 percent since Ronald Reagan was in the White House.  Reagan famously won the Cold War, facing down the Soviet threat by beefing up American strength.  Wicker envisions a similar approach in “Peace through Strength”. What is really interesting about Wicker’s proposal is not the call for more money for the military, but his suggestion that there should be a “dramatic increase in competition in the defense industrial base”.  Senator Wicker is right.  Often, we think of applying free market principles to education or healthcare.  There is a very powerful argument for applying free market discipline to defense spending, too. With the national debt growing, it is vital that America gets the maximum bang for every defense buck.  Wicker puts forward ideas as to how to make this happen through far reaching “acquisition reform”. Allowing more market competition in the defense sector would help ensure that America avoided the sorry fate of my own native Britain. The UK spends about $70 billion a year on defense.  That might be less than a tenth of what America spends, but it still means that the UK has the sixth largest defense budget in the world, above Japan and roughly on a par with Russia. Unfortunately, Britain has not been effective at converting what she is able to spend on defense into military muscle.  Despite spending all that money, British aircraft carriers seldom seem to carry many aircraft.  Indeed, the expensive new carriers don’t always seem to be able to spend much time at sea.  The less said about British tanks the better. UK defense acquisition has been a series of costly disasters because the defense budget is often spent in the interests of various favored suppliers, rather than the military. I first became aware of quite how bad British defense acquisition was on a visit to Afghanistan as a Member of the British Parliament.  Troops in Helmand complained about a shortage of helicopters, yet I noticed rows of American Black Hawk helicopters on the runway back in Kandahar. Why, I wanted to know, didn’t we Brits just buy Black Hawks from the American company that made them?  I soon discovered that British defense acquisition is viewed by some as a giant job creation scheme.  Or else it is about filling the order books of well-connected companies, not giving the military what they need. America needs acquisition reform to avoid defense dollars being spent by various vested interests, rather than on the best interests of the US military. Some will say that America cannot afford to increase defense spending.  I worry that America cannot afford not to. Years of federal deficits mean than the US national debt is soaring.  There will be enormous pressures on federal spending.  All the more reason to ensure that the US gets maximum value for every defense dollar. Let’s hope Wicker’s reforms are acted upon whoever is in the White House. So often politics focuses on trivia. What Wicker has done is produce a serious study to address important geo political questions that the United States is going to have to deal with. Putting America first does not mean ignoring what is happening on the other side of the world. Merely wishing away anything outside the Western hemisphere does not make the United States more secure. It ultimately means that the world’s problems will show up at the US border. Putting America first means investing in defense. Wicker shows how we might do that. Douglas Carswell is the President and CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.

By: Bob Garver “A Quiet Place: Day One” made a grave miscalculation with its advertising. Scenes were filmed with the intention of putting them in the trailers, but not the movie. This way, when people saw the movie, they wouldn’t be able to properly anticipate the surprises and story progression. To that end, the advertising succeeded, I was indeed thrown off while watching the movie. But here’s where they didn’t succeed: the scenes shot just for the trailers were terrible, with clumsy dialogue and careless pacing. I was so mad at Hollywood for continuing this series without the creative vision of director John Krasinski, especially when the movie looked like garbage without his input. I only saw this movie out of obligation for the column, and I wouldn’t be surprised if fans of the series stayed away entirely because of those awful trailers. But it turns out that not only is this movie better than the trailers, it’s better than the two installments that Krasinski directed. "Day One” casts aside the familiar Abbott family in favor of new protagonist Sam (Lupita Nyong’o). Sam is a cancer patient taking a trip from her hospice to Manhattan along with her nurse Reuben (Alex Wolff) and service cat Frodo. Sam only agrees to the trip on the condition that the group stop for pizza at her favorite place in Harlem. The sudden invasion of echolocating aliens means a delay in pizza. Honestly, Sam is only interested in self-preservation to the end that it means eventual pizza. Sam shelters in place for a bit with Reuben, who has a great scene where he stares down an alien like he’s staring down death itself. Also in the shelter is familiar character Henri (Djimon Hounsou) from “Part II” of the series, here forced to make an unthinkable decision. She moves on to helping some children in Central Park before finding a companion in anxious wreck Eric (Joseph Quinn). Can the two survive in alien-infested New York long enough to get a slice of pizza? If so, what happens after that? “Day One” has the most suspense yet for a “Quiet Place” movie. It was scary enough that characters had to keep quiet to save their lives on a family farm or in small town. But in New York, the noises are as big as the pizzas. Speaking of food, I wonder if the characters’ best bet for survival would be to let the aliens fill up on noisy people and then hope they’re too stuffed to give chase. Maybe that’s why the film’s biggest flaw is that the main characters get away with making as much noise as they do. The film does an excellent job of wringing scares out of not only the slightest sounds, but loud-looking images. Even with everybody promising to be quiet, a crowd of people is going to make noise eventually, that’s just how crowds are. So if the characters find themselves as part of a crowd, the clock is already ticking. And that’s with a reasonable amount of effort being made. Some people just aren’t cut out for quiet, and associating with those people in this environment could prove fatal. “A Quiet Place: Day One” had me afraid to breathe loudly in the theater, a testament to the film’s immersiveness. And yet, the suspenseful atmosphere is only the second-best thing about the movie. The real star here is, well, the star: Lupita Nyong’o. This movie doesn’t have returning players John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, or even recent Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy, and Nyong’o makes up for all of them. One way or another, Sam doesn’t have much time left on this Earth, but you’ll want to be there for every moment. It took until nearly the exact halfway point of the year, but I think we have our first serious contender for an acting Oscar. Not bad for a movie whose advertising had me thinking it would be one of the worst films of the year. Grade: B “A Quiet Place: Day One” is rated PG-13 for terror and violent content/bloody images. Its running time is 100 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.