Jackson, Mississippi

Started out on Sunday, 8/19 @ 4:45 p.m. to Seatac to fly to Jackson, MS via Houston's George Bush International Airport. Flight was uneventful, as was the layover, but on the 2nd leg we crossed over the Mississippi River and from 25,000 feet up, was quite a sight! Brown ribbon glistening in what looked like muggy sunlight all the way to the hazy horizon.

Landed in Jackson, and took a cab into town. $35 for a 20 minute ride, with a cabbie who corrected my pronunciation of the street where the Marriott was (It's A-Mitt, not Amity, sir...). Hot and muggy outside, air conditioned inside. After a spin on the bike, a quick swim and dinner (good gumbo!) I took a stroll around downtown. At 8:00 p.m, the streets were deserted, and the air was still warm. The amazing thing was the buzzing from the cicadas (what the bell-hop called locusts) in the trees. Jackson is the state capital of Mississippi, so there are plenty of government buildings and other historical structures. I must say that I found it to be a rather pleasant walk. Took a couple of pictures at the Capitol Building, which is noteworthy for the rotunda, the gold statue a top the dome, and the monument honoring the Daughters of the Confederacy in front of the steps. The Mississippi state flag still has the stars and bars in its design.















The workshop at Jackson State University went well. The local HMCO rep told me that JSU is a "HBC" an historically black college, for those unfamiliar with the acronym. We drove in on Walter Payton Drive, named for the famous Chicago Bear running back, who played his college football as a Jackson State Tiger.

There were 8 accounting faculty at the workshop, held in a new building, one of several on campus. Very nice looking facility, and the faculty and I worked well, with lots of good questions and comments about the software, how they would incorporate it into their classes, how to share curriculum, etc. One of the faculty, Bobbie Daniels was interested in developing online accounting classes, and I'll follow up with her. All in all, I was very impressed and had a great time.














View from hotel room at sunrise....

The flight back to Seattle was uneventful. A long wait at Jackson-Medgar Evers airport, followed by a short flight to Dallas-Fort Worth, where I had another long wait. There, I encountered something stunning, a Fox News Store! Had to wonder, what's next, a Nazi Party shop? The KKK emporium? Get me back to the People's Republic of Seattle, please!