SCIENCE: returning to blog of our ancestors

For Humans, Slow And Steady Running Won The Race : NPR: "Imagine for a moment how our earliest ancestors felt when they came down from the trees and stood on two legs. "Hey, now we can carry stuff!" they might have thought. They paid a price, though: On the ground it was a tiger-eat-monkey world, and two legs were slower than four."

MEDIA: Marshall Ramsey on MPB's "Fresh Air" controversy

From Cartoon: Dead Air Marshall Ramsey (sorry, couldn't get out of town without blogging this one!)

SSP on hiatus

As of today, I'm going to suspend bloggery for a few days while I'm on the road.  Basically I'll be focused on some news opportunities, including a possible trip out in the Gulf. 

Don't worry, fret not -- your favorite Mississippi news aggregator will be back, soon.  Meantime, keep an eye on Twitter.com/Statestposts, where I'll relay what news items I can in the limited time I'll have.

STATE: Mississippi faces mid-century risk of extreme water shortages, says NRDC

The Clarion-Ledger: "A new report says more than 1,000 counties across the United States could face potential water shortages by mid-century as warmer temperatures deplete supplies and agricultural and consumer demand for water rises. The report, released Tuesday by the Natural Resources Defense Council, says some regions including the Northeast could see a boost to water supplies as climate change shifts weather patterns. But for much of the rest of the country, the group paints a sobering picture of warm temperatures further taxing aquifers already stressed by heavy use."

THE SLICK: "BP Continued Drilling Despite Report of Leak, Official Says"

NYTimes.com: "In the final days before the Deepwater Horizon disaster, BP continued drilling for oil despite internal reports of a leak on a critical safety device on the rig, a company official testified on Tuesday. Robert Sepulvado, a BP well site leader, said he reported the problem to senior company officials and assumed it would be relayed to the Minerals Management Service, the federal agency that regulates offshore drilling. The leak was on a control pod connected to the blowout preventer, an emergency mechanism that failed to activate after the April 20 disaster."

STATE: "Mississippi School Agrees To Revise Policy And Pay Damages To Lesbian Teenager Denied Chance To Attend Prom"

H/T to Ron Brown on Facebook.... Verbatim from news release by the American Civil Liberties Union: "Itawamba County School District officials agreed to have a judgment entered against them in the case of a recent high school graduate who sued her school for canceling the prom rather than let her attend with her girlfriend. The agreement ends a precedent-setting lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of 18-year-old Constance McMillen, who suffered humiliation and harassment after parents, students and school officials executed a cruel plan to put on a 'decoy' prom for her while the rest of her classmates were at a private prom 30 miles away."

XGR: Tollison for U.S. Attorney?

NEMS360.com: "State Sen. Gray Tollison's name is on the way to President Barack Obama to consider as North Mississippi's new U.S. attorney. U.S. Rep. Travis Childers of Booneville confirmed Monday that Tollison is 'among those considered.'"

MEDIA: Judy Lewis talks about "Fresh Air" (12-17-2009)

A reference on the Facebook page "Bring Fresh Air Back to MPB" points one to this MPB press release on the late 2009 "new radio lineup" announcement, which included the return of "Fresh Air" following budgetary issues (verbatim from news release, with emphasis by editor):

December 17, 2009

MPB Anounces New Programming Schedule For MPB Think Radio

Fresh Air and Tell Me More to Return to Weekday Lineup

JACKSON, Miss.—Mississippi Public Broadcasting (MPB) today announced the return of two popular radio programs and a new night-time line up for MPB Think Radio. Beginning Monday, January 4, “Fresh Air” will be aired daily at 3 p.m. and “Tell Me More” at 8 p.m. in the night-time line up.

“Fresh Air” discusses a variety of topics dealing with contemporary arts and issues. It is hosted by Terry Gross, who takes time conducting in-depth interviews with guests ranging from authors, artists, TV writers, historians, musicians, scientists, filmmakers, politicians, actors, and other individuals.

Gross is also joined by panels of experts who complement each unique interview. “Fresh Air” boasts more than four million listeners weekly.

“Tell Me More” presents open conversations with host Michel Martin discussing everything from international newsmakers to everyday people, and spiritual leaders to foreign correspondents.

"I am pleased that we are able to bring these programs back to Mississippi Public Broadcasting,” said Judy Lewis, Executive Director of MPB. “It is important for MPB to be able to broadcast national shows of this quality for the benefit of our listeners.”

THE SLICK: "BP rises on cap news as Cameron set to talk Libya"

Reuters: "BP shares rose on Tuesday on confidence that a cap on its Gulf of Mexico well was holding, as Britain's Prime Minister agreed to meet senators probing the oil major's role in the release of a Libyan jailed for bombing a U.S. plane."

THE SLICK: "NOAA seafood assessors are key part of effort to keep tainted fish from consumers"

NOLA.com: "Frozen fish, freshly caught in the Gulf of Mexico, come to the laboratory in Pascagoula, Miss., nearly every day since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill began in late April. Research vessels from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration bring fish samples from as far as Brownsville, Texas, and Tampa, Fla., and throughout the open waters of the Gulf. The goal is ensuring that fish even outside the expansive no-fishing zones are not contaminated before they hit the market."

MEDIA: "At Amazon, E-Book Sales Outpace Hardbacks"

NPR: "Amazon is now selling more electronic books than hardcover versions, and the online retailer says even it's surprised by how fast things have changed. Amazon has been selling hardback books for 15 years; it began selling its Kindle reader and the e-books to go with it less than three years ago. Yet this past spring and early summer, Amazon sold 143 e-books for every 100 hardcover books, a gap that is widening quickly."

POLITICS: lots of talk about the Miss. LG race

From Jere Nash in the CL's Red/Blue blog: "Right up under the political radar screen in Mississippi is the increasingly contentious Lt. Governor’s campaign. Assuming the current field stays put – Billy Hewes, Tate Reeves, and Stacey Pickering – the election promises to deliver all sorts of intra-party intrigue. The state party apparatus is now sufficiently large and sufficiently seasoned that it can harbor a number of different factions. And they are all picking sides in this campaign."

Matt at Ipse Blogit also has some notes in his "2011 Rumor Mill" post.

THE SLICK: "In 'Be the One' video, Sandra Bullock, Drew Brees, Lenny Kravitz come together for the Gulf"

NOLA.com: "Each actor holds up a finger and looks straight into the camera. Saints quarterback Drew Brees urges viewers to 'be the one for all the people whose livelihoods depend on the Gulf.' 'Be the one for healthy, flourishing wetlands,' says musician Lenny Kravitz. 'Be the one for sea turtles,' says actor John Goodman. For another famous quarterback, Eli Manning, 'long days at the beach' are what's at stake. How, exactly, to 'be the one' for all these things? The dizzying array of celebrities flashing across the screen in the 100-second video has the answer: Sign a petition demanding more money to restore Gulf Coast ecosystems in the wake of the BP oil spill."

Be the One

ECONOMY: "Canton Nissan plant restarts"

The Clarion-Ledger: "Nissan Motor Co., which was shut down for three days, restarted production this morning at its Canton and Smyrna, Tenn., plants. The company stopped building vehicles because of delays in receiving a part that controls the engine. The shutdown left 3,300 workers in Canton and 3,500 at the Smyrna site without work. Four plants in Japan also were closed, but restarted Monday."

JACKSON: "Wreckers may ignore city's calls"

The Clarion-Ledger: "The Jackson City Council is poised to approve a new contract setting fees for wrecker services, but a majority of companies on the city's list have said they will refuse to respond to calls. The council's Planning Committee voted 3-0 on Monday for the agreement, which would be the first since the old contract expired in 2002. The proposal next will go to the full council for a vote. It sets a $75 fee for tows initiated by the Jackson Police Department and $25 per day for storage after the first 24 hours. The fee is a $10 increase over the last agreement, but for the past eight years tow companies have set their own fees for towing and storage."