“No words …,” said Susan Adler Thorp in the All News Is Local Facebook group, referring to a huge headline typo in The Commercial Appeal.
“Hardaway: Small-ball lineup helped Tugers end skid,” it read, referring to the University of Memphis men’s basketball team.
Yep. Tugers.
Neverending Elvis
Posted at graceland.com
Graceland has a fun section on its blog that collects “Elvis sightings” in media or IRL. The image above, for example, was found in a first-grade English workbook.
Marsha, Marsha
Posted to X by Sen. Marsha Blackburn
U.S. Supreme Court justices weighed whether or not former President Donald Trump could appear on Colorado’s ballot last week. During the session, Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn stood outside in bright pink, maybe hoping to catch Trump’s eye as he flipped channels.
“The Left’s [sic] nearly decade-long witch hunt to take down Trump must end,” she tweeted.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Some stories don’t have a distinct and orderly beginning, middle, and end. At any one point, it may be hard to know where you are. Other tales have a clear beginning, middle, and end, but the parts occur out of order; maybe the middle happens first, then the end, followed by the beginning. Every other variation is possible, too. And then there’s the fact that the beginning of a new story is implied at the end of many stories, even stories with fuzzy plots and ambiguous endings. Keep these ruminations in mind during the coming weeks, Aries. You will be in a phase when it’s essential to know what story you are living in and where you are located in the plot’s unfoldment.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): As I meditate on your destiny in the near future, I sense you will summon extra courage, perhaps even fearless and heroic energy. I wonder if you will save a drowning person, or rescue a child from a burning building, or administer successful CPR to a stranger who has collapsed on the street. Although I suspect your adventures will be less dramatic than those, they may still be epic. Maybe you will audaciously expose corruption and deceit, or persuade a friend to not commit self-harm, or speak bold thoughts you haven’t had the daring to utter before.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Lately, you have been learning more than you thought possible. You have surpassed and transcended previous limits in your understanding of how the world works. Congratulations! I believe the numerous awakenings stem from your willingness to wander freely into the edgy frontier — and then stay there to gather in all the surprising discoveries and revelations flowing your way. I will love it if you continue your pilgrimage out there beyond the borders for a while longer.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): As I study the astrological omens for the coming weeks, I suspect you will feel more at home in a situation that has previously felt unnerving or alien. Or you will expedite the arrival of the future by connecting more deeply with your roots. Or you will cultivate more peace and serenity by exploring exotic places. To be honest, though, the planetary configurations are half-mystifying me; I’m offering my best guesses. You may assemble a strong foundation for an experimental fantasy. Or perhaps you will engage in imaginary travel, enabling you to wander widely without leaving your sanctuary. Or all of the above.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Of your hundreds of wishes and yearnings, Leo, which is the highest on your priority list? And which are the next two? What are the sweet, rich, inspiring experiences you want more than anything else in life? I invite you to compile a tally of your top three longings. Write them on a piece of paper. Draw or paste an evocative symbol next to each one. Then place this holy document in a prominent spot that you will see regularly. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you are in a phase when focusing and intensifying your intentions will bring big rewards.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Actor and travel writer Andrew McCarthy hiked across Spain along the famous pilgrimage route, Camino de Santiago. On the way, he felt so brave and strong that at one point he paradoxically had a sobbing breakdown. He realized how fear had always dominated his life. With this chronic agitation absent for the first time ever, he felt free to be his genuine self. “I started to feel more comfortable in the world and consequently in my own skin,” he testified, concluding, “I think travel obliterates fear.” I recommend applying his prescription to yourself in the coming months, Virgo — in whatever ways your intuition tells you are right. Cosmic forces will be aligned with you.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In the natural world, there are four partnership styles. In the parasitic variety, one living thing damages another while exploiting it. In the commensal mode, there is exploitation by one partner, but no harm occurs. In the epizoic model, one creature serves as a vehicle for the other but gets nothing in return. The fourth kind of partnership is symbiotic. It’s beneficial to both parties. I bring these thoughts to your attention, Libra, because the coming weeks will be an excellent time to take an inventory of your alliances and affiliations — and begin to de-emphasize, even phase out, all but the symbiotic ones.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio author Dan Savage says, “I wish I could let myself eat and eat and eat.” He imagines what it would be like if he didn’t “have to monitor the foods I put in my mouth or go to the gym anymore.” He feels envious of those who have no inhibitions about being gluttonous. In alignment with astrological aspects, I authorize Savage and all Scorpios to temporarily set aside such inhibitions. Take a brief break. Experiment with what it feels like to free yourself to ingest big helpings of food and drink — as well as metaphorical kinds of nourishment like love and sex and sensations and entertainment. Just for now, allow yourself to play around with voraciousness. You may be surprised at the deeper liberations it triggers.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Dear Wise Gambler: You rank high in your spacious intelligence, intuitive logic, and robust fantasy life. There’s only one factor that may diminish your ability to discern the difference between wise and unwise gambles. That’s your tendency to get so excited by big, expansive ideas that you neglect to account for messy, inconvenient details. And it’s especially important not to dismiss or underplay those details in the coming weeks. If you include them in your assessments, you will indeed be the shrewdest of wise gamblers.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn golfer Tiger Woods is one of the all-time greats. He holds numerous records and has won scores of tournaments. On 20 occasions, he has accomplished the most difficult feat: hitting a hole-in-one. But the weird fact is that there were two decades (1998–2018) between his 19th and 20th holes-in-one. I suspect your own fallow time came in 2023, Capricorn. By now, you should be back in the hole-in-one groove, metaphorically speaking. And the coming months may bring a series of such crowning strokes.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Poet Anna Akhmatova (1889–1966) lived till age 76, but her destiny was a rough ride. Her native country, the authoritarian Soviet Union, censored her work and imprisoned her friends and family. In one of her poems, she wrote, “If I can’t have love, if I can’t find peace, give me a bitter glory.” She got the latter wish. She came close to winning a Nobel Prize and is now renowned as a great poet and heroic symbol of principled resistance to tyranny. Dear Aquarius, I predict that your life in the coming months will be very different from Akhmatova’s. I expect you will enjoy more peace and love than you’ve had in a long time. Glory will stream your way, too, but it will be graceful, never bitter. The effects will be heightened if you express principled resistance to tyranny.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Piscean perfumer Sophia Grojsman says, “Our lives are quiet. We like to be disturbed by delight.” To that end, she has created over 30 best-selling fragrances, including Eternity Purple Orchid, Désir Coulant (Flowing Desire), Spellbound, Volupté (Pleasure), and Jelisaveta (“God is abundance”). I bring this up, Pisces, because I believe it’s now essential for you to be disturbed by delight — as well as to disturb others with delight. Please do what’s necessary to become a potent magnet for marvelous interruptions, sublime interventions, and blissful intrusions. And make yourself into a provider of those healing subversions, too.
LeMoyne-Owen College (LOC) is “The Source” of all things. The source of Black culture, pride, excellence, and, of course — magic.
This is the newest tagline for the school now in the midst of a brand change that claims its own narrative and marks its own way forward. The new effort is led by interim president Christopher Davis, inspired by new heights he believes the school can reach. The school has already been a source, having given so much to Black thought, civil rights, and political action. Davis thinks LOC — as The Source — has a lot more to give from a wealth of untapped potential.
Davis’ involvement with LOC goes beyond his tenure as interim president, dating back to 1999 when he served as senior pastor of St. Paul Baptist Church, which has been a “longtime financial supporter” of LOC. He has served in a number of representative capacities for the school and was appointed interim president in 2023, following the resignation of then-president Vernell Bennett-Fairs.
Christopher Davis (Photo: KQ Communications)
At its core, the school has been a source of educational enrichment, fulfillment, and opportunity — staying true to its original vision. But, Davis says, the school gets lost in larger conversations about historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) as a whole. “Our new tagline is this idea of being ‘The Source,’” Davis says. “As I looked at that, I really began to think about what that means given the fact that we’re the fifth oldest HBCU in the nation.”
The college is the only HBCU in Memphis, with its history dating back to 1862 when Lucinda Humphrey opened an elementary school, which became known as Lincoln Chapel, at Tennessee’s Camp Shiloh for “freedmen and runaway slaves” during the Civil War. The school was destroyed in 1866 due to fire in race riots three years after being relocated to Memphis.
“The school was rebuilt and reopened in 1867 with 150 students and six teachers,” say school officials. “In 1914, the school was moved to its present site on Walker Avenue, and the first building, Steele Hall, was erected on the new LeMoyne campus. LeMoyne became a junior college in 1924 and a four-year college in 1930.”
Owen College, founded in 1947 after the Tennessee Baptist Missionary Educational Convention, built a junior college on Vance Avenue. It opened its doors officially in 1954, and was then known as S.A. Owen Junior College. Students at Owen College became known for their tenacity and involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, including sit-ins in 1960 to desegregate city facilities. But the school began to face a number of financial challenges and losses, and entered a merger with LeMoyne college in 1968.
With such historical richness of the school, Davis began to wonder, “How is it that we don’t have the same public profile as some of the other HBCUs that you hear about all the time?” He explains that when more prominent HBCUs such as Morehouse, Spelman, and Hampton “were still a hope in somebody’s heart,” LeMoyne-Owen’s doors were already open — and the school had been reactive as opposed to proactive in terms of “shaking the narrative.”
“We’re going to take control of the narrative,” Davis says. “No longer are we going to react to what people say about LeMoyne-Owen, but we’re going to introduce them to [the] LeMoyne-Owen that we know, love, and support.”
Memphis Mayor Paul Young serves on the LOC board of trustees. He says the college impacts not only the city, but HBCU culture in general. “The importance of our only HBCU in the country’s largest minority-majority city cannot be overlooked,” Young says. “The institution offers a supportive community that fosters meaningful real-world connections and success. So many successful Memphians graduated from LOC, including my dad. It is a pillar in our city, and I believe it will be a catalyst for growth in the South Memphis community for years to come.”
(Photo: KQ Communications)
Stick and Stay
The school that so many revere has withstood a number of challenges, a testament to the persistence and doggedness ingrained in its foundation. Countless students have entered LOC’s doors and left as proud Magicians.
Everyone plays a role in shaping LeMoyne’s reputation, Davis explains. Both past and current students. “If you’re concerned about the long-term trajectory of Memphis, how do you invest in any place other than LeMoyne-Owen since we’ve demonstrated that our students stick and stay?”
Alumni play a pivotal role in the lasting impact of the school. LOC “can’t make it without their alumni,” Davis says. “We need more than just their check. We need their presence on campus. I need them walking around saying to students, ‘I was where you were, and this is what LeMoyne-Owen was able to do for me.’”
June Chinn-Jointer is a 1979 graduate of LeMoyne-Owen who’s known lovingly around campus and in the LOC community as a devoted alumna.
“[I was] a regular college student, had all the fun that any other college student would have,” Chinn-Jointer says. “You talk about having fun? I had a ball — I really did.”
Chinn-Jointer majored in social work and originally worked in the field after graduating, but a return to higher education kept beckoning. In October of 1980, she was hired as an alumni senior counselor in the career service center at LeMoyne-Owen, where she helped graduating seniors prepare to enter the job force. After displaying a vested interest in the lives of students, Chinn-Jointer was urged by mentors and school officials to move toward recruitment.
“That’s how I got into higher ed, and I’ve basically been here ever since,” she says. “I’ve had some good times here. I’ve worked at other higher-ed institutions, but I would always come back home. They would call and ask me to come back and I always came back — happily — to help my students at LeMoyne-Owen College.”
Chinn-Jointer has “worn many hats” at LOC. She has previously served as the dean of enrollment, dean of retention, and more. She currently serves as the director of alumni affairs, and as she talks about her time at the school, both as a student and in her career, it’s clear that she’s moved not only by her love for her alma mater but for the students as well.
She recalls how her own experience as a student was made better by previous alumni and mentors. As she lists the names of some who helped her along the way, she notes that their dedication wasn’t solely based on encouraging academic achievement. “Not only were they dads and moms, they kept us in line. They knew we were going to be traditional college students — playing cards, partying, and all that kind of good stuff — but they also made sure we stayed focused while we were here.”
A genuine interest in student retention and success is something that keeps many Magicians returning to the school long after they graduate, Chinn-Jointer explains. But she also speaks of a magic essence — one that is made stronger by the students who bring the campus to life, both on and off the school’s grounds.
Take, for example, the involvement of LOC students in the Civil Rights Movement. Their passionate engagement resounded through later generations of students as the need for more marches and activism opportunities grew. Chinn-Jointer explains it is a demonstration of the university’s lasting commitment to “dignity and respect.”
“Your experience as a student here is a lasting, fulfilling relationship that you have. You don’t ever lose it,” Chinn-Jointer says. “We always talk about the magic and the LeMoyne-Owen mystique — it’s wearing those LeMoyne-Owen colors, the purple and the gold, very proudly. Holding your head up, shoulders back when you walk into a room with anybody — you can stand toe-to-toe with them. That’s being a LeMoyne-Owen graduate.”
(Photo: KQ Communications)
There’s No Place Like LeMoyne
As president, Davis emphasizes the impact of alumni in helping the school reach new heights, but he also calls on current students to help tell LOC’s story. A crucial part of this, he says, is stressing that their decision to enroll there is one of intention. “You didn’t come to LeMoyne because you couldn’t go somewhere else. You came to LeMoyne because you were convinced there was no place better. We want to give them the tools and resources to, number one, live into their authentic selves, but most importantly, be positioned to be successful in life.”
For Danielle Jathan, attending LOC has been the coming-true of a seemingly unattainable dream. Jathan made LOC a home away from home as an international student hailing from an inner-city community in Jamaica called Waterhouse. “[In Waterhouse] there’s a lot of crime and violence, teenage pregnancy, gun violence — I actually never thought I would come out of that,” says Jathan. “The system makes it so hard to rise above it from a lower class.”
The idea of rising above wasn’t germane to her situation at home though. Jathan is the 2023-2024 Student Government Association (SGA) president, a peer tutor mentor, and a member of Collegiate 100 and the Rotary club, to name a few.
Jathan was also chosen to represent LOC at the White House as a 2023 White House Initiative HBCU scholar. There, she says, very few had heard of the college, so she embraced the opportunity to speak “more and more” about LeMoyne-Owen.
“It was nice for me to actually get the school’s name out there,” Jathan says. “We have this saying in Jamaica [that fits], ‘Wi likkle but wi tallawah,’ meaning people think we’re this small, private school and we don’t have much talent, but really we’re so rich with talent and prosperity.”
While Jathan plays a prominent role on campus, leadership is relatively new to her. Back at home she was known to lead from behind, she says, staying to herself and letting others take the reins. But this all changed when she came to LOC, where opportunities to lead appeared at every turn. “People kept calling me to things, saying, ‘Danielle can do this. Danielle can do that,’” says Jathan. “I realized students looked to me, and I realized I was actually good with [building] relationships with them.”
Jathan’s work is demonstrative not only of the Magician spirit, but of her devotion to motivate her fellow students to succeed. While Jathan’s involvement is marked by encouraging others, she is also able to pinpoint the ways that LOC has poured into her.
“[LOC] has equipped me with all of the leadership skills I need,” she says. “It actually brought out the leadership qualities that I already had that I didn’t know I had.”
This is a crucial element, especially for students who venture from their hometowns to study at LOC. Honesty Campbell and Kevin Bland are two out-of-state students, studying business management and special education, respectively, who both agree that the essence and life of the campus made their decision to enroll easy.
“From the moment I stepped on the campus, I felt a vibe,” Bland says. “It was a little different. Everyone seemed to operate on family time. I didn’t want to go to U of M — thought it was too big. I decided to sit down somewhere where the environment is small and where I get to learn everybody that I can.”
The more intimate setting of 463 students invokes a tight-knit bond that students adore. Campbell didn’t visit the college prior to enrolling, but through relationship-building with her peers she now knows she made the right decision.
“We are surrounded and based off family,” says Campbell. “This becomes your family.”
Community impacts every aspect of the student experience, Bland says. It’s as if the school is tailored to match the needs of each student individually, as he’s found he’s never quite alone through anything he’s faced.
“There’s someone always around who’s attended the school, that knows about the school,” Bland says. “When you meet that person for the first time, there’s already a connection there.”
(Photo: KQ Communications)
Magic at Work
A bulk of the magic of LeMoyne comes from alumni and current students keeping the legacy alive, but Davis says in order to continue this momentum, they have to give back to the community that helped them to become who they are today.
“One of the things I like to boast and brag about is that, regardless of where our students come from, 98 percent of our graduates stick and stay in Memphis when they graduate,” Davis says. “We have a direct impact on the economy, culture, and direction of this city.”
The school’s curriculum is constantly evolving to adapt to not only the needs of the workforce, but the city’s workforce specifically, Davis says, adding that the major markets in Memphis are education, healthcare, supply-chain logistics, and IT — and the school is responsible for supplying the needs of these markets.
For example, the school has a new partnership with MSCS as a pipeline for teachers. “We’re looking to be ‘The Source’ of teachers for Memphis-Shelby County Schools,” says Davis. “Not just any teachers, but teachers who have been trained and developed and nurtured to serve in urban school districts — specifically Memphis-Shelby County Schools.”
It’s important for students to not only stay in Memphis, but for them to be employed in the city as well. Davis hopes employers consider LOC graduates when vetting candidates for various jobs in the city, as the school has had the needs of Memphis in mind when preparing students.
“Not only do we want our students to stay here — we are training and upscaling our students so they can be employed here,” he says.
As the school continues to explore the source of what makes the school unique, it can’t be narrowed down to just one thing. The magic lives in its campus, its students, its alumni, and the legacy that has permeated the city of Memphis and beyond.
Stick with me here. In 1899 in Peshawar, Pakistan, James Squid, a drunken British officer, arrested a … tree because he thought it was a fugitive trying to get away from him. He ordered the tree chained to the ground, Oddity Central reported, and the chains have remained for 125 years, along with a plaque explaining them. While tourists are tickled by the strange restraints, locals see the chains as a symbol of British oppression. “Through this act, the British basically implied to the tribesmen that if they dared act against the Raj, they too would be punished in a similar fashion,” one local man said. Others call it a living history. [Oddity Central, 1/4/2024]
Recurring Theme
• Authorities are still fishing for a man who entered a Bass Pro Shops store in Fort Myers, Florida, on Dec. 20 and dipped a net into the indoor fishpond, capturing a 50-pound tarpon. USA Today reported that the suspect left the store with the dripping catch, and despite a cash reward and social media posts, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office has not been able to identify or find him. [USA Today, 12/27/2023]
• Authorities were called to the Leeds, Alabama, Bass Pro Shops on Jan. 4 after 42-year-old George Owens of Sterrett drove a car into a pole in the parking lot, then exited the car, stripped off all his clothes and ran inside, where he did a cannonball into the aquarium. AL.com reported that Owens yelled at two police officers, then climbed over the edge of the aquarium, where he fell to the concrete floor and knocked himself out. He was charged with public lewdness among other offenses. [AL.com, 1/5/2024]
Super Freak
On Dec. 13, as a family in Arlington, Virginia, sat down to dinner, a Ring doorbell notification alerted them to someone at the door, WUSA-TV reported. The woman told her husband, “There’s this guy; he didn’t ring the doorbell. He’s just standing there and he’s in a gingerbread man costume.” The husband called the police non-emergency line to report the creepy visit, and about an hour later, another neighbor, Lindsey Churchill, spotted the gingerbread man. “All of a sudden my dogs were going crazy … and there was a giant blow-up gingerbread man costume out on the sidewalk,” she said. “We kind of locked eyes and the gingerbread man went on his way. It was not holly jolly.” Police never actually caught up with the subject, who was not identified. [WUSA, 12/21/2023]
Getting Away From It All
• Three armed suspects were busy robbing a check-cashing business in Commerce City, Colorado, on Dec. 16 when another thief mucked up their getaway plans, 9News-TV reported. The robbers’ vehicle, which was probably stolen, was outside when a woman jumped in and took off with it, leaving the teenage suspects to try to escape on foot. Police were able to capture two of them, along with loaded firearms, and arrest them. The car thief is still at large. [9News, 12/19/2023]
• In Wheat Ridge, Colorado, police caught up with a burglar on Dec. 28 who had hired an Uber for use as a getaway car, 14News-TV reported. Jose Guadalupe Perez-Gallardo was taken into custody as he approached his hired ride, carrying a backpack with $8,600 worth of stolen Milwaukee-brand tools inside. “Ordering an Uber as your getaway driver makes it that much easier for us to find you,” the Wheat Ridge Police Department posted online. [14News, 1/3/2024]
Questionable Judgment
Dr. Kevin Molldrem of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, is the subject of a malpractice lawsuit filed in late December by his patient Kathleen Wilson, USA Today reported. Wilson alleges in the suit that Molldrem, during a single visit in July 2020, performed more than 30 procedures on Wilson’s mouth — eight crowns, four root canals, and 20 fillings — and that the work was done “improperly,” resulting in her disfiguration. The lawsuit also alleges that Molldrem used twice the amount of anesthesia allowed and then falsified records to cover that dosage. Wilson is seeking more than $50,000 in damages. [USA Today, 12/28/2023]
Illustration: Jeanne Seagle
Not on My Watch
Vancouver, British Columbia, police revealed that on Dec. 19, a 72-year-old woman successfully chased an intruder from her home with a shovel, Vancouver City News reported. A naked man broke into the victim’s home with a pointed metal rod, which he swung toward her throughout the encounter. She fought back with a shovel, and “chased him out of the house and cornered him until officers arrived,” police said. “Kudos to her, it was pretty badass of her, I would say,” said Constable Tania Visintin. No one was injured during the incident. [Vancouver City News, 12/20/2023]
Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.
Each month has been assigned a gemstone or mineral that is associated with it and the people born in that month. The birthstone for February is amethyst, one of the most well-known gemstones out there. Ancient cultures used the stone for a variety of purposes. Amethyst means “not intoxicated” and comes from the ancient Greek word amethystos. The ancient Greeks believed that wearing an amethyst would keep them from getting drunk, although I have never seen any evidence of this.
Amethyst is a purple variety of quartz and is a fairly common stone, but that does not mean it is not a powerful or useful stone. In fact, I often joke that amethyst does it all and is very handy to have around.
One of amethyst’s most sought-after properties is it’s perceived ability to help soothe emotions and provide a peaceful environment. Amethyst is thought to help ease anxiety and stress, making it a great stone to have at work or at home. It is believed to aid in decision-making and mental focus, bringing a clarity of mind. This may tie back into purported beliefs that amethyst can prevent intoxication. Having an amethyst with you to aid in clear mental functions may mean that you are less likely to want a drink or to overdo it when you do drink.
Many gemstones have spiritual properties based on their color. Each color has a meaning and an energy, and color plays a large part in our lives. We use color often in the spiritual world, but color psychology is a very real thing in the mundane world. Many companies use color in their logos and ads to send messages to us at a subconscious and emotional level. Purple is a color that is associated with authority, the Divine, spiritual endeavors, creativity, wisdom, peace, and the crown chakra. Taking the color purple into consideration, amethyst would be a good stone for all of these intentions.
Amethyst is a great stone to use for increasing your intuition and connecting with the Divine. Amethyst is one of the stones associated with the crown chakra, which is the chakra that connects you to Spirit, aids in personal transformation, and helps you realize your own divinity and the divinity of humanity. Amethyst also works indirectly to help increase your spirituality. It is believed by some to calm your fears while raising your hopes and lifting your spirit. Releasing your fears and maintaining a positive attitude is a good way to raise your vibrations, which leads to being more connected to Spirit. And the more in tune with Spirit you are, the better your intuition will be.
Nothing in life ever fits easily into just one box, and amethyst is no exception. Yes, it is purple and it is great for all the calming and spiritual intentions of purple, but amethyst does even more. Breaking the color rule, amethyst is a good stone to use for protection. Some people believe that amethyst can protect against a psychic attack. So it may not be the best stone to save your car from getting broken into, but it would be useful to protect your energy. It is thought that amethyst transmutes the negative energy directed at you into loving and protecting energy.
You can also use amethyst to attract love. It can help promote love in all of its forms, as well as provide stability and protection to an existing relationship. Amethyst can help you understand what you need from a relationship and encourage you to find balance with your partner and work in service to the relationship. Amethyst is a stone that pairs well with other gemstones and combining it with rose quartz for love work is a heady combination.
If you need a gemstone that can do it all for you, look no further than this month’s birthstone. Amethyst is usually available in jewelry, carvings, and specimen pieces, so you can find the right fit for your needs and space. Let’s embrace the power of amethyst and manifest a peaceful, healing year.
Emily Guenther is a co-owner of The Broom Closet metaphysical shop. She is a Memphis native, professional tarot reader, ordained Pagan clergy, and dog mom.
You don’t have to travel to Downtown Memphis to enjoy an elegant evening with cocktails and dinner.
You can just go to District 12. Literally.
District 12 Social Club — titled as DXII — is at 6642 Winchester Road, which is in district 12 of Shelby County, says owner Brent Hooks, 34.
The name also was inspired by District 12 from The Hunger Games. The people who came “from humble beginnings” in District 12 “ended up being the most prominent district out of all of them,” he says.
“Prominent district” sounds like what Hooks is going for with his social club, which joins other clubs in the area. “They’re not the same as us, but we complement them.”
Hooks, who grew up in the area, says, “We felt like it would be a good opportunity for us to create another restaurant district out of Downtown.”
DXII, which opened New Year’s Eve, has been a “tremendous success,” he says. “We got rave reviews on the decor, on our service, and our waitresses, our food and our drinks.”
They’re “still in the soft opening phase,” so they’re only open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. But they plan to add Thursday nights when they “go to full operations” in spring.
“Primarily the concept is to build a community and a landscape for creatives,” Hooks says, adding, “Mainly millennials and the generation right after us. A place owned and operated [by] — and actually for — our demographic and our peers.
“We really want people to come in and enjoy their time, network, and be able to let their hair down.”
Their customers include professional collaborators and local and national influencers, Hooks says. “Just a space where we felt like you can unwind. Where you can connect and feel safe, along with a place where you can find some good food, some craft cocktails, and entertainment all in one location.”
They wanted to “bring the Downtown feel” — physically and atmospherically — to the club. “The exposed brick. The hard texture wall. Those types of features.”
Black, gray, purple, and emerald are the colors used in the club.
“We actually have a more futuristic feel. And one of our main things was to be sure that the building had a certain flow to it. So, the bar is actually in the center, and it’s circular.”
The dress code is upscale casual, Hooks says. “More of a chic, classy feel,” Hooks says, adding, “We really are going for this sexy look, sexy feel.
“Personally, what I wear are some designer sneakers like Maison Margiela sneakers. Jeans are cool, but not sweatpants or anything like that. With shirts, I personally would wear a collared button-down shirt, but it’s not required.”
They don’t want people showing up in a “white T-shirt or something like you’re going to a basketball game.”
As for food, their menu is “ever-evolving. Since we’re in the soft-opening season, it’s not fully rolled out.”
They serve “new American-style bar food,” which includes chicken wings. “Jamaican jerk is one of our popular flavors.”
DXII also serves a variety of flatbreads, including Turks and Caicos, which is “a play on the Jamaican jerk chicken in flatbread form. It comes with a jerk and pineapple glaze.”
Hooks describes the fare as “really good bar food with more of a District 12 twist.”
That goes for their cocktails too, including the Lychee Martini, which is “vodka based and has some lemon juice and lychee juice and fruit.”
Long as Winchester, which includes several types of alcohol, is a play on Long Island iced tea. “More of a boozy drink.”
They plan to have live music in the future, but, for now, DJs are featured.
The look and sound of DXII changes after happy hour ends at 8 p.m. “We just transition to a different feel. During happy hour, the light show is not as dynamic, although we do have a pretty cool light show at that time.”
The more relaxed house music during happy hour is at a “conversational level,” Hooks says. Then everything “transitions to more of an upbeat feel. Music is a little bit louder. Not just blasting.” And the light show after 8 p.m. is “much more dynamic.”
Owning a social club is right up his alley, Hooks says. “I, personally, have been in this industry for a while. My uncle owned a nightclub, Plush Club, when I was in high school and college. And I worked there during that time period.”
Later, Hooks was co-owner of the New Daisy. “I’ve always had this interest, passion, and love for food, beverage, and hospitality. And that mix of entertainment.”
Born in Memphis, Hooks is the great nephew of the late Dr. Benjamin Hooks. After getting his undergraduate degree in accounting and finance from University of Memphis, he got an MBA in global business in grad school at Vanderbilt University. “I really have a business mind as I approach some of these ventures,” he says.
He and his cousin, Michael Hooks Jr., are owners of Allworld Project Management, an engineering firm.
Hooks and his club’s business partners are looking at other locations that would be conducive to opening food, beverage, and hospitality businesses. “Our goal was to develop a hospitality group and that’s what we’re doing,” Brent says, adding, “In the next five years, we hope to open one or two more establishments in another city or another part of Memphis.”
They’re already looking at Nashville and Birmingham, but, Brent says, “Downtown might be in our future. We do like Downtown. I live, work, and play Downtown. I’m not against Downtown.”
Sunday, February 4th, 2024: Weight 162.4. Went to Home Depot to get birdseed, pansies, and some wood putty for Tatine’s project. Finished the Ebet Roberts profile for Memphis Magazine. I’m pretty pleased with it. It’s 3,500 words with lots of moving parts, but it all came together, and the photographs are amazing. Took the hounds on a 35-minute walk in Overton Park. Did Duolingo (150 points).
Made wide-noodle pasta with leftover filet, shallots, garlic, fresh herbs, and butter/olive oil sauce for dinner. Very tasty. We watched another episode of True Detective: Night Country. Still not sure I like it. Stayed up late and finished The Alienist. Entertaining read, but not enough to lure me into the second book in the series.
A little over a year ago — in January 2023 — I began keeping a daily journal. At first I called it “Cancer Diary” because I wanted to track the details of my health while I was undergoing treatment. I started every day’s post with my weight, then I chronicled what I ate, what medicines I took, my doctor visits — the good, the mundane, and the scary.
As my health got better over the ensuing six months, I found myself maintaining the journal out of habit rather than for health reasons. Now I just call it “The Daily Days.” I still note my weight and any health stuff that comes up, but mostly I just keep track of what happens: errands, editorial meetings, what I’m writing about in the Flyer and Memphis Magazine, conversations, walks, dinner, etc.
The entry at the beginning of this column is pretty typical, and I’ve piled up 40,000 words of this stuff in a little over a year. Unfortunately, there’s no plot, and as Larry David might say, I’m pretty, pretty, pretty boring. I can, however, tell you which birds came to the feeder on, say, July 6th (Go, downy woodpecker!). Or what day the first mosquito showed up last spring. Facts! But no one’s ever going to read this stuff.
Speaking of which … I’m also 25,000 words into a “novel,” a word that I’m still putting quotes around because I’m not sure if it will ever be ready for prime time. It’s a hobby at this point, with a plot that jumps from our hero’s college days in the 1970s to the present, and back again. Here’s a sample:
“I turn onto a gravel road that leads to a small bridge over the stream and then winds upward into the woods. As darkness comes on, I pull over and we get out, the dogs and I, stretching, sniffing the cool, piney air. The night feels crisp and new. I’ve had enough desert to last me for a while.
“I feed the dogs and we wander around through the trees. I discover a small clearing and pull the car onto the dry needles, away from the road. I don’t expect to have company up here but I can’t assume anything at this point. I unroll my sleeping pad in the back and we soon nod off.
“I’m startled awake by Doll’s deep, crooning howl — a primeval sound from deep inside her, reverberating in the closed car. It gives me the shivers. What time is it? What the hell? I grab her collar and shush her. She’s trembling, wide-eyed. Susie is growling, low. Out the car window, I see the moon hanging full in a black sky. The woods are dark and impenetrable. I pull the glock from the side-pocket and slowly open the door and then I hear it: coyotes, dozens of them, baying and yipping, distant and thrilling, a cacophony of hound-songs echoing down from the slopes above us.
“I let the dogs out of the car and within seconds they are both howling along with their mountain brothers and sisters, heads back, sending up cries from their ancestral hearts, full of joy and life and noise. I listen for a while, smiling big, transfixed by this crazy celebration, and I want in. I put the gun back in the car, strip, and stand naked beneath the brilliant sky, alive in the sound, the moon, the mountains. I tilt my head back and howl and howl.”
If I ever finish this thing, you’ll be the first to know. A-whoooo!
As various MAGA spokespersons made clear, the partisans of former president Donald Trump have nursed dark suspicions that the highly public romance between songstress Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is but a cover for coming propaganda in favor of Democratic president Joe Biden, whom Swift is reliably known to favor.
Those conspiracy-mongers should have been at a local Super Bowl party hosted by Criminal Court clerk aide Barry Ford, a Democrat, and attended by several other prominent Democrats, including DA Steve Mulroy, Shelby County diversity official Shep Wilbun (a veritable encyclopedia of NFL history), and state Representative Joe Towns.
Ford, a diehard fan of the San Francisco 49ers, had decked out his house with 49er paraphernalia and, joined by several others present, arguably a majority, made his 49er partisanship obvious.
Alternatingly, he kept up a running lament that Biden, whom he enthusiastically supports, hasn’t been making enough public appearances to maximize his reelection chances.
For Ford, anyhow, what Biden does clearly loomed larger than whether Swift and Kelce say “I do” or don’t.
And, like most Americans, he has no trouble keeping his politics and his sports fandom separate.
Perhaps, too, those concerned Trump partisans should just have some patience. Taylor Swift’s song litany largely consists of spirited “gotcha last” rebukes of her erstwhile and subsequently discarded boyfriends.
• Meanwhile, two matters dealt with in this space last week drew clarifying responses. First was a pair of statements from City Hall regarding our disclosure of prospects that Memphis native Maura Black Sullivan might be in line to become the city’s chief operating officer. (These responses arrived in time to be posted in the online version of our report but not in time for the print edition.)
“I can confirm that we had early talks with Maura Sullivan about a different position with the Young administration, not the COO/CAO position. We have a strong leader currently acting in the COO role who has my full faith and confidence.” — Mayor Paul Young
“The role we initially discussed was a high level position on the Mayor’s cabinet. And while talks about that position haven’t continued, we do have an ongoing dialogue with her and many others who we consider allies in the work of creating a stronger Memphis.” — Chief Communications Officer Penelope Huston.
One is left to wonder: What other “high level” position has been the subject of discussions with Sullivan, who is currently employed as COO of Metro Nashville Public Schools and who had previously served as COO for Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke and, before that, as deputy COO for former Memphis Mayor AC Wharton?
But so be it. It is certainly to be hoped that Mayor Young, who has had his problems so far squaring things with the city council, ultimately succeeds in getting the staff he wants.
• Also in our mailbag this week is the following clarifying statement from DA Steve Mulroy concerning the County Commission’s passage, reported here last week, of a measure desired by the DA that equalizes the pay scale for county and state employees on his staff.
“I’m a state employee, so I’ve always been at the top. So parity was never a concern for me.
“Using county dollars, the county gave a salary supplement to supervisors of all stripes, even state employees who were supervisors. I took those supplements away from the state supervisors, on the rationale that county money shouldn’t be going to state employees who were already getting paid way more than comparably experienced county counterparts.
“Out of fairness, I included myself in that, and took away my county-funded supplement, forswearing all county funds, and relying only on my state salary.
“A TV reporter the other day asked me if I was going to restore that supplement to myself, now that the County Commission has acted. I said, no, my pay cut stands.”
While renovations for Tom Lee Park were underway, Carol Coletta, Memphis River Parks Partnership (MRPP) CEO and president, knew that the project was worth remembering. It’s a story almost a century in the making, beginning with Tom Lee’s heroic act of saving 32 people from drowning in the Mississippi River in 1925. “Very few public assets or public parks are built with one person’s courage and display of generosity and humanity at its core,” she says.“We had this in mind every step of the way … the opportunity to bring that story to the forefront and put that at the center.” A film, it seemed, would best document MRPP’s efforts in continuing that story, so Coletta commissioned filmmaker Molly Wexler and her team at Last Bite Films to follow the four-year journey.
“We didn’t specify the story,” Coletta says. “We just said to Molly and her great crew to just document what’s going on here and talk to everyone, see what you see. And I think they really landed the story really neatly because in a lot of ways, they’re really telling a story about equity and at its heart that’s what the story of the making of this park is all about. We had this mantra of a riverfront for everyone. And not just for a few days a year, not just to be enjoyed by a few, but really a riverfront for everyone.”
Part of the beauty of a documentary, as opposed to, say, a book, is that individual voices come together, with each voice taking direct ownership of part of the story. It’s a story of many, not just one, Coletta says. “It just comes alive and I think it sticks in a way when you hear straight from people who’ve been involved, people who feel affected by it, seeing some of the images. It opens with a beautiful image of Tom Lee’s family and just to see them, just to hear from them, and how meaningful this was to them is a lovely part of the story. But it’s a piece of the equity story.”
The film, she continues, “has a real emotional center to it that is quite lovely, and so I think it will be a film that can be enjoyed by people who know nothing about Memphis and know nothing about this park. … I think of major projects that have been built in Memphis, and the histories teach us a lot about what it takes to build something ambitious. I’ve seen a lot of projects get built and I hope someone who’s going to build the next project can look at this film and say, ‘Let’s learn from this experience.’”
The 25-minute documentary, titled “A Riverfront for Everyone,” will premiere at the inaugural This Is Memphis event on Friday, February 16th, ahead of Tom Lee’s birthday on Sunday. For the premiere, MRPP will host a silent auction of fun, unique, Memphis-related experiences, and will serve generous bites and drinks throughout the evening. Cocktail attire is suggested. Purchase tickets here.
MRPP also plans to air and to screen “A Riverfront for Everyone” on WKNO and at film festivals at later dates.
With inflation on the rise, interest rates at recent historical highs, and income stagnation in many industries, it may seem impossible to create an investment portfolio and become a millionaire in today’s economy. Here we highlight five myths about millionaires to help you separate fact from fiction.
Myth #1 – Millionaires inherit their wealth. Many people view all millionaires as trust fund babies born into a life of luxury. However, a recent survey found that 79 percent of millionaires didn’t receive any type of inheritance. In fact, the only characteristics shared by most millionaires are determination and work ethic. Truth – Most millionaires come from families with average or below-average income and built their wealth independently.
Myth #2 – It’s easy to spot a millionaire. If your mind produces an image of millionaires living in big houses, driving fancy cars, and vacationing in exotic locations, you may be surprised to learn that most millionaires live relatively modest lifestyles. Consider the following data points:
The most popular car brands among millionaires are Toyota, Honda, and Ford, with nearly 61 percent of millionaires driving one of the three.
The average American millionaire spends $117 per month on clothes, while the average American (across all income levels) spends $161 per month on clothes.
The average American millionaire spends less than $200 per month at restaurants, while the average American spends $303.25 per month eating out.
93 percent of millionaires use coupons some of the time when shopping.
The fact is that most millionaires don’t look wealthy. Millionaires tend to live comfortably within their means and avoid taking on unnecessary debt. They tend to purchase homes they can afford then work to pay them off early. Truth – Most millionaires accumulate their wealth through a combination of hard work and smart financial decisions, and their relatively frugal lifestyles can make them difficult to spot.
Myth #3 – You need a high salary to become a millionaire. When asked, many Americans guess that most millionaires are doctors, senior corporate executives, or business owners because these careers typically offer the highest salaries. In reality, the top five careers held by millionaires include:
Engineer
Teacher
Accountant (CPA)
Manager
Attorney
Are you surprised to see teachers on the list, given that they’re notoriously underpaid? Their inclusion shows a high salary doesn’t necessarily equate to financial success. In fact, 69 percent of millionaires averaged less than $100,000 in household income per year, and 33 percent of millionaires never reached a six-figure income throughout their entire careers. Truth – Millionaires don’t always have high salaries. Even those in lower-paying careers can build wealth over time. Ultimately, one of the greatest indicators of whether you can become a millionaire isn’t how much you earn but rather how much you consistently save.
Myth #4 – Millionaires have degrees from prestigious universities. While it’s true 88 percent of millionaires hold a bachelor’s degree, 62 percent of them obtained their degrees from public state universities — and one out of 10 millionaires never obtained a college degree. Only 8 percent of surveyed millionaires attended Ivy League schools. Truth – Education is important, but the degree matters more than where it’s from.
Myth #5 – Millionaires are savvy investors who know how to manage their finances. Most millionaires understand they don’t know what they don’t know. They tend to spend a lot of time reading and learning about how they can reach their financial goals. Very few attempt to save and invest on their own. In fact, 68 percent of millionaires work with a financial advisor, and most began doing so before they achieved millionaire status. Truth – You don’t need to manage your finances on your own. A qualified fiduciary wealth advisor can help you make smart financial decisions and build your wealth over time.
Gene Gard, CFA, CFP, CFT-I, is a Partner and Private Wealth Manager with Creative Planning. Creative Planning is one of the nation’s largest Registered Investment Advisory firms providing comprehensive wealth management services to ensure all elements of a client’s financial life are working together, including investments, taxes, estate planning, and risk management. For more information or to request a free, no-obligation consultation, visit CreativePlanning.com.
