Denizens. . .

I met this pair of "locals" on Farish Street as Nils and I were on our "culture crusade" Saturday.


The first thing out of the mouth from the guy on the left (#1) was some long rambling story about how he needs money and I should help him because he is a poor, homeless man. I explained to the gentlman that he looked to be in perfect health and should find a job. Needless to say, after a brief millisecond ponderance of my reasonable, logical response, he proceeded to berate me as a hater, explaining to me that I "ain't skraight" nor "down" so on and so forth. So, I gave him $20, miscalculating ever so slightly that this might shut him up and he might get along with his miserable life. Wrong.

Then, #1 begins to tell me that he needs $40 to be able to stay in the boarding house down the street for a week, to which I respond, "See, if you had that job I was talking about, you'd have the $40 and then some." This only elicited more extemporaneous blaming of "the man" for all his ills.

As I listened to this guy, person #2 walks up and wants to know why I'm giving out money. I tell him it's because I am a nice, thoughtful and generous person. All the while, person #1 is still going on about his perceived persecution. #2, not wanting to be left out, demands money. I tell #2 that he can split the $20 I just gave #1 (thinking in my dark, twisted mind that a fight might ensue that I can photograph). #1 rejected this idea wholeheartedly. So, I gave #2 $20 too.

I wasn't all that concerned about my safety as I knew Nils was lurking nearby, always quick with a blade, and not to mention the .357 magnum digging into the small of my back. I presumed that at nearly point blank I probably wouldn't miss. Plus, it was worth the risk to really piss off a couple of worthless individuals.

Alas, nothing terrible happened but I received no appreciation for my charity and #1 had the gall of actually saying as he walked away, "I don't give a fuck about no whitey taking pictures", when #2 pointed out that I was taking his picture again.


What's the old saying about helping the helpless? I think it goes something like, "Fuck them!"

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A View Of Farish Street. . .

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Fortunate Son. . .

Well, Nils is gone and my liver is ecstatic.

I'll get to the weekend hijinks later. For now, a fortune. . .

"Adventure can be a real happiness."


Indeed.

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Dancing Shoes Or Jockstraps. . .

It is a ballroom after all.



This is what the ballroom of the Capital City Convention Center in downtown Jackson looks like to date. The City of Jackson is operating on the premise of "build it and they will come." Many have their doubts. The convention center will tie into the already completed Mississippi Telecom building (below) or what we politely refer to as the "Whataburger" building.


I, for one, am optimistic. Downtown Jackson is undergoing a renaissance of capital investment, renovation and renewal. There is something on the order of $2 billion dollars worth of active investment taking place at the moment, not just kooky ideas floating around, but hard dollar investments. The two buildings will encompass more than 330,000 square feet of meeting space and associated facilities.

The first multi-story building in 25 years is being built at the corner of Capitol and Lamar which is called The Pinnacle at Jackson Place. The structure of the building has been completed and the finish work is well underway.

Also, the renovation of the historical King Edward Hotel and Farish Street Revitaliztion are both well into development.

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