Viking: "All me shiny things about me"

That's a quote-- or more likely a paraphrase-- from the movie, The Quiet Man. The character, Mary Kate, wants her shiny things. Who could blame her? She wants what she wants.

Just so a woman wanted a restaurant quality range in her new home in Greenwood, Mississippi. "No such range existed," so home builder Fred Carl designed one. ... Viking Range! (Story from Off the Beaten Path Mississippi.)

How much is that range in the window?

About those freeze dates I posted earlier... .

They were collected in The Delta, specifically, in Greenwood, Mississippi. 

According to the US Census, Greenwood has a population of just over 15,000 folks, 72% of whom have graduated from high school (5% fewer than Mississippi total), and 19% of whom have a bachelor's degree or higher (same as Mississippi total). 

The median household income is almost $25,000 (compared to $37.8k in Mississippi). 

At 48%, Greenwood's home ownership rate is well below Mississippi's 70%. But-- and folks, keep in mind it's The Delta-- the "median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2006-2010" (homes and condos, right?) is about $81k, far less than Mississippi overall ($96.5k ), but still greater than my little county's $72.5k. 

Thirty-six percent of Greenwood's population is living below the poverty level (21% in Mississippi). 

Here's an interesting statistic. The percentage of foreign born persons in Greenwood is 3.1. As a percentage, there are a lot more foreign born persons in Greenwood compared to my little county (1%) and Mississippi (2.2%). Heck, statistically it's probably the same as in Starkvegas (2.9%; Go Dawgs), but no where near large as in that Rebellious Town Up North (6.3%). 

Based on these statistics, what picture are you painting of Greenwood's population? 

According to the experts,

 "... motor vehicles discourage walking."

What an insight!

Car owners with a television are 27 percent more likely to suffer heart attacks than people who have neither, according to a global study on physical exercise and heart disease published Wednesday.

It's hard to know where to begin. The article tells us that the lead researcher is "Claes Held, a professor at Uppsala University in Sweden" and that the study was published in "the European Heart Journal." We are also told that the study covered "more than 29,000 people in 52 countries." Isn't that nice? A sample that represents 4/1000th of 1% of the population.

Of course, there's no actual link to the study, or even any real citation information. But here's all you need to know from this scientific study-- at least all the unnamed author of the article thinks you need to know. All emphases mine. 

(Information on Mississippi also below the fold.) 

Mississippi politics: Hilarious

From Y'all Politics:

Coahoma County District 5 Supervisor Dr. Roger Weiner has decided to move forward with plans of a Senatorial Campaign in 2012 against current U.S. Senator for the State of Mississippi Roger Wicker.

Weiner announced via the Clarksdale Press Register in early May that he would be forming an exploratory committee to see if it was feasible and viable option for him to seek election to the U.S. Senate in 2012.

Dr. Weiner has filed his qualification paperwork and says his run will not detract from his current duties as a Coahoma County Supervisor. If elected to the U.S. Senate, he will continue to serve in both capacities.

Currently Wicker serves as Deputy Whip and is a member of the Armed Services Committee; the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee; the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee; and the Veterans Affairs Committee. [my emphasis]

How great is it to live in a state where a (democrat) county supervisor challenges a (republican) incumbent US Senator and pledges that if elected he'll keep his day job? (Which, by the way, he's not doing too well.)

Let me be clear. I am no fan of Roger Wicker. But to understand why I find this so hilarious, let's first look at what Dr. Weiner says. From the Clarksdale Press Register:

“I am extremely concerned where Mississippi has been, where it is currently and the direction it continues to go,” said Weiner. “When you are last or next to last in education, healthcare and family income, it leaves significant opportunity for improvement. My extensive background in healthcare and education certainly could maximize that opportunity.”

“Our leadership in Mississippi has failed to address these and other issues over the last decade in any cohesive matter. Even the extremely important responsibility of appointing U.S. attorneys has been deferred for 2 ½ years.  This is an embarrassment which underlines the lack of leadership. For these reasons, I am seriously giving thought as to whether I can be an effective candidate against Roger Wicker in 2012.” [punctuation problems belong to the Clarkdale Press Register; my emphasis]

And then let's look at some quick facts about Coahoma County, which is situated on the Mississippi River in the northwest corner of the state, one county to the south of Tunica County. 

Travels

A nice little cottage in Arkansas

We ventured off the farm and traveled to and from Arkansas earlier this week. 

Some thoughts about what we saw along the way...

I thought there was a lot of cotton around here. I was mistaken. The Mississippi delta has a lot of cotton.

Cotton farmers work on Sunday.

The HWY 82 bridge is far better than the HWY 49 bridge, which is a two freaking lane bridge across the freaking Mississippi River. According to my calculations using Google Earth, the distance across the river on 82 is 0.44 miles. On 49 it is 0.57. The difference may not seem like much to you, but trust me... . I will never cross on 49 again. Never. Even though it's one third of a mile longer, I'd sooner take the M bridge. (Plus, I'm pretty sure the ladies' room in the Conoco on the Mississippi side had cameras in the ceiling.)

Roundabouts are dumb. More on this later.

Roundabout related: College presidents in Arkansas wield too much power.

Quitman County (Mississippi) just didn't look all that poor to me. Jonestown, in Coahoma County, did.

And some questions... 


If they can grow tons of cotton in the delta, why don't folks have veggie gardens? We were on back roads traveling through tiny towns-- just collections of houses, really-- and I swear, I did not see a single garden patch. I know it's late in the season, maybe fall crops don't do well in the delta..., but I didn't see any signs of gardens. [I tried to find data on food stamps by county and came up with nothing other than that 39.9% of the population in Quitman County is below the poverty level.]

And on a lighter note, is it possible to over-do thematic decorating?

A bison-- for real