Human beings have an innate need to believe in something. We are capable of achieving things, great things, things well beyond our means, if only we believe that it is possible. Conversely, we can be drawn into some of the most reprehensible behavior mankind is capable of by belief.

Last year, I jested about the fact that people going to Tannehill State Park for the annual Labor Day fest would be more likely to see a Moon Pie than a union parade, and I received quite the tart rejoinder from gentlemen of the brotherhood,...

GREEN EXPO NOTEBOOK: Yo, Green Spacers. Last week, the BJCC exhibition hall was the site of the Green Building Focus Conference and Expo, one of the largest events of its type in the Southeast, which is hosted by Birmingham firm Green Building Focus.

To be sure, the recent Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has caused consumers to think twice about the source of their seafood. While government and British Petroleum sources assure consumers that the marine life is safe to eat, many shrimpers and fisherman will tell you about their uncertain future.

It’s that time of year again, the kids are back in school, the traffic is getting thicker, the spider lilies are blooming, and thankfully the temperatures are finally beginning to relent. As a coffee roaster, I find this season of the year brings with it a sense of clarity and purpose.

1. In Thieves’ Highway, Valentina Cortese plays tic-tac-toe on Richard Conte’s bare chest with her fingernails. 2. A heartbreaking four-minute montage through the entirety of a marriage at the beginning of Up. 3. A soldier finds himself staring at the shelves in a stateside supermarket, utterly adrift, in The Hurt Locker. 4. “What is time? Swiss manufacture it. French hoard it. Italians squander it. Americans say it is money. Hindus say it does not exist. Do you know what I say? I say time is a crook.” Peter Lorre in Beat the Devil.

Sometimes a tragedy can spur inspiration and promote a lasting legacy. In the case of Shane Hulsey, a passionate environmentalist and kayaker, this inspiration is exactly what followed after his untimely death. Losing his life in a boating accident at his beloved Little River Canyon, Hulsey’s family and friends were compelled to honor his memory and continue his environmentally-conscious activities. But what started with a modest goal has resulted into a thriving organization known as the Hulsey Little River Trust (HLRT).