Product Review: An Alien Has Landed in My Office
For me, Halloween begins Sept. 1 and ends Oct. 31. That gives me two full months to enjoy the season and, usually, plenty of time to find a new animatronic creature to bring home.
Author: journo
Book Review: The Visions of Nicola Tesla
I enjoy reading about people who see the world differently, so Nikola Tesla seemed like someone worth getting to know. I picked up My Inventions, his autobiography, expecting stories about the machines that made him famous. What stayed with me was the way he envisioned those machines long before anyone else could.
Film Review: ‘Redux Redux’ Turns Time Travel Into a Haunting Study of Grief
Finding a genuinely good movie can sometimes feel like a quest of its own. After scrolling through what seemed like an endless number of choices, I recently stumbled across Redux Redux, a new science-fiction thriller that held my attention until the final scene.
Product Review: A Skechers Deal I Couldn’t Pass Up
Sometimes, Brad’s Deals features a bargain that is simply too good to pass up. That’s what happened when I recently spotted a pair of black-and-white Skechers D’Lites sneakers that normally retail for $75.
Book Review: The Last Days of Sylvia Plath
One of my recent thrift-store finds was a 35-cent copy of The Last Days of Sylvia Plath. Having read The Bell Jar and knowing the tragic circumstances of Plath’s death, I hoped the book would help me understand what her own “bell jar” looked and felt like — and how it finally became impossible for her to escape.
The Comfort of Little House on the Prairie
I grew up watching “Little House on the Prairie” — mostly reruns after school since the show premiered the year I was born. Even now, decades later, there are episodes I can remember almost scene for scene.
Product Reviews: Thrift Store Find Turns Movie Night Into an Event
During a recent trip to a thrift store, I spotted something I couldn’t pass up: a small tabletop popcorn machine that looks just like an old-fashioned movie theater popcorn stand. It was too cute to leave behind, especially with an $8 price tag.
Product Reviews: Ritz Toasted Chips
OK. I’m about to share a hard-hitting column about crackers. I’m pretty particular about my crackers. For years, my go-to choice has been Club. I’ve never been much of a Ritz cracker fan, until I discovered Ritz Toasted Chips. And I’m sharing this information so that you can enjoy them too.
Product Reviews: Coastal Hibiscus Brings the Scent of Summer to My Desk
A picture of the pink shell and pearl bottle of Coastal Hibiscus perfume from the internet.
Product Reviews: Why I Swapped Purses for a Backpack
I’ve always loved fashion, and my purse collection occupies several shelves in my home. While I enjoy collecting handbags, the truth is that I rarely use them. That’s because I’m more of a backpack person.
Reflections on My Year as a Journalists in Aging Fellow
When people hear the word “aging,” they often think of retirement homes, health concerns, or the inevitable passage of time. Before becoming a Journalists in Aging Fellow with the Gerontological Society of America, I might have thought of some of those things, too.
Product Reviews: Sundresses and Sandals
I’ve always thought it would be fun to do product reviews. Like everyone else, I often browse department stores, discount retailers and thrift shops, looking for good deals, and I’ve always wanted to share those finds with others who may also be deal-seekers.
Product Reviews: Designer Looks Without the Sole-Crushing Price
I don’t usually spend money on extravagant purchases. People who drop thousands of dollars on a purse have always puzzled me. A Hermès Birkin bag, for example, can cost as much as a car — or even a house. Even with unlimited funds, I can’t imagine making that kind of purchase.
California Cool Meets Old Hollywood Glam: A stay at The Hoxton, downtown Los Angeles
If you’ve ever wondered what it might feel like to spend the night somewhere between the golden glow of Old Hollywood and the laid-back, sun-drenched cool of modern California, allow me to introduce you to The Hoxton hotel in Downtown LA — a hotel that feels less like a place to crash and more like a glamorous friend’s impeccably designed pied-à-terre.
The Testament of Ann Lee: Haunting Portrait of Shaker Devotion
I went into this film expecting a biographical thriller — something that would frame Ann Lee as an experimental woman ahead of her time who embraced ideas we might now recognize as modern feminism and was persecuted by society for those beliefs. Instead, the film is about a pious, devout woman … who was still persecuted by society for expressing her spirituality in a different way.
Lessons Learned from the 2025 Solutions Journalism Academy
By the time our group gathered in the grand, historic lobby of the Herald Examiner Building in downtown Los Angeles for the official 2025 Solutions Journalism Educators Academy group photo, I realized something: This wasn’t just another academic conference where people politely sip coffee, nod a lot, and collect tote bags they’ll never use again.
Taylor’s Oil: New Mississippi law could lead to experimental marijuana cannabis oil treatment for children plagued with seizure disorders
It has been three years since Taylor Goode has spoken to his mother — three years since she’s heard the sound of his voice. And sometimes she cannot bear to look at photos of her children when they were young and thriving.
“I usually get upset, so I don’t get them out a lot,” she said. “I miss it and want it back for them so bad.”
But Jennifer Potts is thankful that both of her boys are still alive and with her. “I know things can get worse,” she said. “These two kids have every right to be whiny, complaining and ill, but they are never down. So I try to stay positive and in a good mood, because they are.
Riches of Merigold
Jamie Smith grew up playing in clay at his aunt and uncle’s pottery shop in Merigold.
“My first sculpture piece was Moby Dick,” he said. “I took a big block of clay and hammered on it. I beat a tail into it. Then I put some little teeth in it. They dried it slowly for well over a month.”
Today, Jamie and his brother, Stephen, help run McCartys Pottery, a hidden Mississippi gem nestled in the foliage in this tiny town outside Cleveland.
The Elaine Lynchings: A Visit to Elaine, Arkansas, 100 years after America’s deadliest race riot
Today, one year after the turmoil in Ferguson, Missouri, race riots sparked by alleged profiling, discrimination and police militarization are still making headlines in America. But in 1919, Elaine, Arkansas, was the center of the country’s deadliest race riot.
Birdhouses hang everywhere in the dying Delta town of Elaine, Arkansas — a distraction from the blight, neglect and century-old history of a county where hundreds of black men were lynched in 1919.
On Lee Street, a diner has “Open” and “For Sale” signs in a window, but no one is there.
Exploring the Lizzie Borden Case on Halloween
When the name Lizzie Borden comes up, what’s the first thing that pops into your mind?
If you’re like many, it evokes images of a 19th-century woman accused of gruesomely murdering her family. But here’s the twist: Lizzie was never convicted. In fact, she was acquitted, leaving a legacy shrouded in mystery and intrigue.
That’s why I was thrilled to invite Ashley Dees, a research and instruction librarian at the University of Mississippi, to speak to my class this Halloween about the infamous Borden case. Dees uses true crime research as a vehicle for enhancing critical thinking skills, which is especially relevant in today’s world where the reliability of information can often come into question.
The TikTok Debate: Digital Freedom Versus Data Dystopia
’ve been a TikTok user for a few years now, and while I enjoy it, my bio pretty much sums up how I feel. It reads: “A person who isn’t really sure if TikTok is exciting or terrifying.”
That idea may capture the larger debate we’re having in the U.S. about TikTok. The discussions raise important questions about free speech, national security, and how we can protect users while keeping our digital freedoms intact.
After the recent Supreme Court hearing on the possible TikTok ban, two big questions come up: Does restricting a major platform push us closer to the authoritarianism we’re supposed to be against? Is a foreign platform, one that collects user data, a future dystopian threat?
AI With Empathy: How Hume AI’s Voice Interface is Redefining Human-AI Communication
If you’ve ever watched a science fiction movie like 2001: A Space Odyssey or seen episodes of the classic Twilight Zone, you’ve likely caught a glimpse of a future where humans verbally communicate with intelligent machines.
The infamous HAL 9000 from 2001 became a cautionary tale of AI independence. Yet, while that vision seemed far off, today, a more sophisticated—and empathetic—version of talking AI is already here.
Meet Hume AI’s Empathic Voice Interface (EVI), a system designed to hear what you say and understand how you feel. You can try it by visiting the Hume AI website.
Professor from Oslo’s Peace Research Institute Speaks with Class
Peace can be built from above by people who have power, but it can also be built from below.
This was one of the key messages in a lecture given by Dr. Henrik Syse, a research professor from the Peace Research Institute in Oslo who teaches peace and conflict studies at Bjørknes University College.
Syse spoke to students in Dr. Zenebe Beyene’s peace journalism class remotely via Zoom this week about “reflections on the Nobel Peace Prize and generating a conversation about peace.”
Veteran Journalist Leads Special Honors College Class Exploring the University and State 60 Years after Meredith’s Enrollment
University of Mississippi (UM) students are being challenged to delve deeper into complex issues about the university and state thanks to a special Honors College class designed to explore important topics 60 years after James Meredith’s enrollment as UM’s first Black student.
“I would describe this class as an open dialogue about the past, present, and future of both the university and the state as a whole,” said McKenzie Cox, a journalism and political science double-major from Concord, North Carolina, who is planning to pursue a career in broadcast news reporting and policy analysis.
Thrills, Chills, and Mind-Bending Twists: A genre-busting guide to must-see movies
Whether it’s October or July, you can cozy up with a blanket (with the AC on full blast), grab a pumpkin spice something or a tropical drink, and scare yourself silly with a good thriller or horror flick.
Every year, I compile a list of the best spooky and suspenseful films I’ve watched. This time, I’ve spiced things up by grouping them into 10 cleverly creepy categories.
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