Letter to the Editor

THE STATUS OF BIRMINGHAM WEEKLY

Like the show that reveals the secrets behind well known magic tricks, I want to write to answer questions that have been raised about the current status of the Birmingham Weekly. I want to set aside a curtain of negative rumors, including selfserving accusations.

Putting words to music

SHOWCASING A SEMINAL SEMINAR IN THE SHOALS

We just don’t get up to Muscle Shoals often enough. Florence, Sheffield or Tuscumbia either; in fact, you and I have been remiss in visiting our Quad Cities lately.

What was going on, still is

THE TIMELESS TIMELINESS OF MARVIN GAYE'S MASTERPIECE

The TimeLess TimeLiness of marvin gaye’s masTerpiece Sometimes I feel myself turning into one of those guys who says too frequently, “Can you believe it’s been [insert mindboggling lapse of time] since [insert pop culture event of epochal significance]?”

We all live in Melonville now

A 1980S CANADIAN TV SHOW EERILY PROPHESIED 2011 AMERICA

I was suffused by a transcendent insight of cosmic proportions awhile back and it was hard to stop laughing. Surprisingly, not when I saw Glenn Beck’s last show on Fox or Keith Olbermann’s first on Current.

Borne on the force of July

THE IMPETUS OF 235 YEARS AGO STILL PUSHES THE REPUBLIC ALONG

That Michelle Bachmann considers herself a viable candidate for the Presidency is one thing. In the curious world between her ears, anything is plausible. She thinks AmeriCorps brainwashes kids, she believes financial regulation reform smacks of Mussolini-style fascism and she has stated that the Revolutionary War started in New Hampshire. Why shouldn’t she assume she’s Oval Office material?

To the young who must one day turn old

WHY THE FIGHT TO PROTECT MEDICARE IS, CRAZILY ENOUGH, YOUR FIGHT

I know you don’t care about Medicare. The very word is redolent of mothballs and Aqua Velva. Medicare is old people’s business, a topic ill-suited to a zeitgeist manual such as Birmingham Weekly. However, the loosest cannons upon Capitol Hill are taking aim now at the largest health insurance program in the country, and if they succeed in destroying Medicare, they just might take your future with it.

The kids were alright

GIANTS ONCE WALKED THE EARTH ON 21-INCH TV SCREENS

It was a curious afternoon in the venerable Virginia Samford Theatre and the first time I’d been backstage. The occasion was a salute to the late Cousin Cliff Holman, legendary host of children’s television shows since Kermit the Frog was still in a fabric shop.

Should we stay or should we go?

WHEN IT SAYS LIBYA, LIBYA, LIBYA ON THE LABEL, LABEL, LABEL

Is this all about oil? Or are we actually saving people’s lives? Those questions recur every time American military might is brought to bear upon the Middle East.

No nukes is good nukes

DISASTER OVERSEAS MIRRORS POSSIBLE DISASTER RIGHT HERE IN ALABAMA

In the wake of the tsunami, we are reminded that nothing brings our enormous planet down to size quite like its basic building block.

Serving hard time in democracy’s brig

THE NAKED TRUTH ABOUT PFC BRADLEY MANNING

It occurred to me the other day that the last bastion of true democracy is the license tag renewal line.

The balancing act

NOBODY SEEMS TO WANT TO BUDGE ON THE BUDGET

Punxsutawney Phil has made his periodic return to public affairs, and that means Ol’ Possum Puss can’t be far behind. Sure enough, in Monday’s paper, there was the beady-eyed visage of the junior senator from Alabama, grousing that President Obama isn’t showing enough leadership in the quest to cut the nation’s multi-trillion dollar budget deficit.

Choice cuts

WHY SOME CONGRESSMEN STILL THINK WOMEN'S RIGHTS ARE WRONG

The 112th Congress has an insidious valentine to deliver to the ladies this year. The message is a little too long to fit on candy hearts, but it’s one you’ve surely heard before: women can’t be trusted to make decisions concerning their bodies, so men will make those for them.

The year of listening dangerously

ALABAMA MUSIC IS IN THE SPOTLIGHT ALL YEAR LONG

Somehow it figures that The Year of Alabama Music should be kicked off by people from Conway, Arkansas. Hapless as we seem to be at, um, blowing our own horn, we should nevertheless be grateful for th

The tale that wags the dog

STORYCORPS LISTENS TO AMERICA, ONE YARN AT A TIME

Mama joined the StoryCorps. She didn’t enlist. She was drafted, at the suggestion of one of her daughters-in-law, and dragooned into service one sunny January afternoon. I think she served with honor.

The horror of the horoscope

A MINNESOTA ASTRONOMER BECOMES A ZODIAC KILLER

True disorder looms in every corner of the planet, at least according to a guy who teaches astronomy at a community college in Minnesota and also those who believe planets have corners.

The Rise of the Backyard Beekeeper

David Kelton has seen a lot since he started keeping bees forty years ago – bacterial plagues, colony collapse, even mites from Asia that can decimate honey bee colonies. But lately he has noticed a new phenomenon: more beekeepers.

Tour de Blue: Birmingham's Great Century Road Ride

On April 28th, cyclists took to the roads around Birmingham to raise awareness about prostate cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death in American men.

The Tour de Blue:

Birmingham’s Great Century Road Ride

It's April again, and for many cycling enthusiasts in the Birmingham area, that means it's time to gear up for the Tour de Blue. On April 28th, cyclists will take to the roads around Birmingham

Running Things

At some point in all our lives, if we live long enough, we come to a point where we realize we are not ourselves. That we are living a life that falls squarely on the path that we thought we were supp

Take-A-Hike

Like the outdoors? Most of us from the state of Alabama have a lot to choose from when it comes to hunting, fishing or hiking. Lets face it, everyone who is interested in the outdoors is linked in some way, shape, or form. With this in mind, we can see why we should all pay attention to the other two.

New Worries at Fukushima

In December, Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda declared that “a cold shutdown� had been achieved and that the crisis at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant was now over. “The reactors are stable, which should resolve one big cause of concern for us all,� Noda told the Japanese people in a televised address.

Patterson Wins Lowery

Black Warrior Riverkeeper Programming Director wins Alabama Rivers Alliance Award for Service

Jenn Patterson, Program Director for Black Warrior Riverkeeper won the James Lowery Service Award on March 17, 2012.   The Alabama Rivers Alliance selects one James Lowery Service Award winn

Organic McNuggets?

For anyone who has ever eaten a chicken McNugget and remains oblivious as to what it looks like before the McWeird-piece-of-chicken takes shape and finds its way into your mouth, you should know one thing: chickens don't have McNuggets.

Black Warrior Riverkeeper

As part of a series that I am working on I thought it would be cool to take the time to sort of get to know some of the state's conservation groups. I have had the good fortune to get to work with a good many of them in the past year, but there was one that I had not: The Black Warrior River-keeper's.

In the Vineyards

North Georgia has a thriving little wine industry, in fact. Most wineries are around the old gold-mining mountain town of Dahlonega. There's one near the faux Alpine village of Helen-or Hel[o]n Earth as I call it. There is one next door in Towns County, and one working winery still in Rabun County.

Forever Wild

Forever Wild is a state program that preserves land for recreation, hunting, hiking and other public use. To pay for the land it uses 10 percent of the revenue from the Alabama Trust Fund, the annual earnings from royalties from offshore drilling for oil and natural gas.

The Music of the Vines

Now you are getting used to ideas of organics and sustainability in the food department, you may be aware that the same ideas extend to wine, with some caveats.

Blogosphere of the Ecosphere

The City Council voted earlier this week to apply for the grant to install seven pedestrian bridges in various spots throughout the 5.9mile path hewn by the April 27 tornado. The total cost of the project is estimated at $17.5 million, but the grant calls for a 20 percent match. Tuscaloosa residents would be on the hook for $3.5 million.

Day Trip to the Perry Lakes

Early Saturday morning, on a day trip organized by the Cahaba River Society, a group of committed naturalists, hardy outdoorsmen and women, and a metro something photographer trundled off I-59 from Bham and turned down Hwy 5 past Centreville towards Selma to the Perry Lakes and Barton’s Beach Parks.

Garden Variety Gallantry

A few weeks ago in a story about the special class at Elyton School, I mentioned a Civil War sword sticking out of a tree we used to watch for every time we drove down Third Avenue. It was part of a sad sweet story of love unfulfilled.

Blogosphere of the Ecosphere

According to John Wathen, Hurricane Creekkeeper for the Friends of Hurricane Creek, “Coal mining has been a serious problem in Hurricane Creek for many generations causing it to be placed on the EPA’s impaired streams list.

Mine on Hurricane Creek

A mine on Hurricane Creek is polluting the waters that flow into the Black Warrior River and its owner should be forced to begin meeting its permit, according to a lawsuit filed by the nonprofit groups Black Warrior Riverkeeper and the Friends of Hurricane Creek.

Lowering the Barge on Lock 17

One of my first memories of my dad was at Lock 17. Judging by the number there must be many locks on the Black Warrior River, but this one seems special.

Blogosphere of the Ecosphere

Here are some of the programs supported by the Southern Environmental Center at Birmingham-Southern College: What do you get when you combine great libations, a harvest supper by Whole Foods Market, and Birmingham’s coolest live & silent auction?

Northern Beltline

A POOR INVESTMENT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, REGION, AND TAXPAYERS

This week the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) released its evaluation of the Northern Beltline highway project, drawing opposition from the Black Warrior Riverkeeper, an environmental watchdog group with a mission for protecting the river.

Save the water

TIPS ON REDUCING WATER USE AT HOME

There are plenty of reasons for us to appreciate how precious our water is and to take practical steps each day to use less of it. For one thing, there are critical shortages of this life-sustaining resource in many parts of the world.

Green briefs (August 25, 2011)

NEW NUKES: The directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority announced recently that they plan to finish building the Bellefonte nuclear reactor in Hollywood, Ala. They spent mega-bucks on before dropping it in 1988 due to cost overruns and other factors, according to an Aug. 18 report by Matthew L. Wald of The New York Times (www.nytimes.com).

Green briefs (August 18, 2011)

STOPPING NASTY FLATULENCE: The Alabama Wildlife Federation has recognized Calera-based Southern Lime Company as Air Conservationist of the Year, according to an August 15 report by Brad Gaskins of The Shelby County Reporter.

Green briefs (August 11, 2011)

COAL AND WATER DON’T MIX: Alabama’s waterways have been threatened on several fronts in the past year. According to the Southern Environmental Law Center, two coal mines in the Birmingham metro area— Rosa Mine and the proposed Shepherd Bend mine—would pollute the Black Warrior River and, by extension, Birmingham’s drinking water. But the Magic City isn’t the only one whose water supply may be endangered.

Green briefs (August 4, 2011)

NOT SO FAST, EDDIE: Two Democratic congressmen have filed legislation to strip Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas of revenues from offshore oil drilling in federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico.

Green briefs (July 28, 2011)

COAL MINE CONTROVERSY: Eco-groups Black Warrior Riverkeeper and the Southern Environmental Law Center say they will continue to fight a permit issued to the operators of the proposed Shepherd Bend coal mine on the Black Warrior River, despite a recent legal setback.

Green briefs (July 21, 2011)

CHECKBOOK DEMOCRACY: Greenpeace has accused 15 members of the U.S. House of Representatives—all of whom get substantial financial support from the energy business—of fighting attempts to set tougher federal standards for pollutants from coal-fired power plants.

Tornado Photography

A collection of Birmingham Weekly Photography of the devastation caused by tornadoes on April 27, 2011.

Behind Black Mask

HOW THE PULP MAGAZINES TRANSFORMED AMERICAN POP CULTURE AND STORYTELLING

When you think of old pulp magazines or racy detective stories, you may not think of long-dead American writer Henry Miller, but I can’t help making that connection because of a passage from his book Black Spring.

Brain food

A CONVERSATION WITH MENTAL_FLOSS CO-FOUNDER WILL PEARSON

Who has time for learning anymore? The leisure time between working, sleeping and eating that used to be the domain of self-education has become filled with a thousand little digital chunklets all vying for our attention.

If you don't like people you're screwed

CHRIS BROGAN SAYS SOCIAL MEDIA ARE A GREAT WAY TO CONNECT WITH CUSTOMERS

But Brogan, a seemingly down-to-earth Maine native, didn’t mind making jokes about his field of endeavor to amuse 50 or so attendees at his presentation here, which was held in a conference area in the BJCC exhibition hall just off the busy expo floor.

Believe in doubt

HOW A CRITICAL MIND POISONS NOTHING

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.

Mary, Mary why ya Buggin’?

After reading her blog posts at al.com about last weekend’s BAAM Festival, I feel I’ve got legitimate reason to wonder. Her first installment, “First impression: Friday night at BAAM, the Birmingham Arts and Music Festival” should have been called “Local Music Fest Boasts Only Local Music.

Outsider eyes

Hello Birmingham. Nice to formally meet you! I’ve been lurking in the background at the paper for a while now, getting our new website ready and contributing an article or a photograph every once and a while, but it’s nice to take the final steps into editorship.

Big changes at Birmingham Weekly

A new editor and a new web site

All Jesse Chambers wants to do is write and write and write. This is a man who, at the age of 50, decided the written word was his true calling, and he is not to be distracted—except for when he became editor of Birmingham Weekly three and a half months ago… reluctantly. Jesse knew that he was the only one who could step in and provide the necessary skills the paper needed in a very difficult time. His natural talent and a refusal to accept less than the best he can give, qualities that make Jesse an excellent writer, are the same things that made him a top-notch editor. He has worked tireless hours and, as regular readers of the paper know, it shows.

Out with the old...

Parting remarks from outgoing editor

Yeah, it’s time for another exciting “letter from the editor.” The only other one I’ve written was printed in March, in my first paper as managing editor. This is my final paper as managing editor, so—once again—it’s time to say… something. It’s 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday, deadline day. I have about 45 minutes to write this piece. That’s it. Of course, I’ve already written the damned thing in my head a hundred times. It feels as though this piece should be a summing up, but of more than just my exhausting, emotionally rich few months as editor of this newspaper. It’s more a summing up of 53 years of trying to prove myself, of trying to be a good soldier.

Immodest proposals

It’s my last day as managing editor, so I decided to write whatever the hell I want. The following proposals, I believe, could dramatically improve this city of my birth, this city that I love (and hate… natives will understand my schizophrenia). Some of the proposals are wackier than others. Some are not at all original. But if you want to see Vulcan alive again, you’ll do what I say.

Lyric Theatre on list of "Places in Peril"

Birmingham’s oldest surviving theatre, the Lyric, located at Third Avenue North and 18th Street downtown, has been added to a new list of the ten most endangered historic sites in the state of Alabama

Josh Kelley & Tim Brantley go independent

Josh Kelley and Tim Brantley don’t seem to have that much in common. Kelley lives in Los Angeles with actress wife Katherine Heigl (Grey’s Anatomy, 27 Dresses, Knocked Up) and has had his songs featur

0 Days Out: The scene in Chicago

Hello from the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Chicago, Illinois, where Kyle Whitmire and I are waiting on Obama's election night rally, the Party AND/OR Riot in Grant Park.\ \ We made it up here f

2 Days Out: Polls holding steady, and Nazis endorse Obama

Nazis endorse Obama in the name of poetic justice. Irony for irony's sake.

This will be my last pre-election dispatch from Birmingham. Tomorrow, I'm on the road to Chicago. Hopefully we'll be able to keep you guys updated as to what's going on in Illinois!\ \ Looks like poll

6 Days Out: Republicans redefine socialism

Obama, the communist socialist non-American Muslim wrong-kind-of-Christian athiest terrorist sympathizer foreign-policy-wimp who is too much of a hawk when it comes to fighting terrorism and who has no record to speak of.

A note: Birmingham Weekly columnist Kyle Whitmire will appear on WBHM 90.3 FM at 4:30 pm. Also, Obama's got 30 minutes tonight on CBS, NBC, and FOX, at 7:00. Also, check out Mark Kelly's Electoral Col

Shlomi Dadon of Angel Hair

Photos by Stephen Humphreys

The Birmingham Weekly once again settles the question whether anyone can be a master or slave to fashion. Shlomi Dadon even transformed our publisher from a picture of doggerel verse to eglantine refinement, and everyone remembers that picture of shirtless savagery from the last makeover.

Euphemistically Speaking

But one of the contenders running to be the Republican presidential nominee did just that in a recent GOP debate on January 16th.

Water Management

I'm starting to wonder if it's ever going to stop raining. Every week there is a new deluge. Every week I get pushed further and further back from the start of the guide season. But then I remember that we really need the rain to bring the water table up.

Mountain Chili

So how can a column on food memories not honor that importance... for the commercials, the half-time show, the tail gate parties, and especially the parties all over the country? And a lot of them will be serving chili in some form or another so I figured I might as well weigh in with my version.

Resolve This! Part Two

Ok, ok I'm full of crap. I vehemently stated a couple of issues ago that I don't make resolutions and now I seem to be making them involuntarily. I'm not a hypocrite. I'm just an impressionable young fella who can't resist the magnetic draw of resolutions.

On Avondale

THOUGHTS FROM THE PUBLISHER

Welcome to the neighborhood. We still have people asking where to find us since we moved into new digs in Avondale.

Following Mr. Allison

I love this place. It’s off the beaten path and so pristine it hurts. Now the place I’m talking about is the Kathy Stiles Freeland, Bibb County Glades Preserve.

In Studio

BLUFF PARK 48TH ANNUAL ART SHOW

One essential component of artist survival is the gallery. German-Belgian transplant Guido Maas made a gradual transition to Birmingham starting seven years ago.

Modeling Stand-in Tips

When you find yourself in the middle of publishing a newspaper and you are out trying to showcase--be it the sunny or the seamy side of Birmingham--you have to rely on model citizens to cooperate. That takes both management skills and constant education when dealing with amateurs and professionals alike.

WE SHALL OVERCOME ONE DAY

We hope you have been getting the feel of this space from Haley Castille’s pieces in this section--that is meant to be a place to explore spiritual, metaphysical, and dare I say religious issues in a maybe what can we do about it in this life context.

On the Black Warrior River

Thoughts from the Publisher

The things I do to bring you all the swag and benefits of the Birmingham Weekly! Some say it is keeping the strict weekly deadlines that so quickly roll around again.

Get Out!

Tom McGuane once remarked in his book of essays, The Longest Silence, that he had always been fascinated by moving water. I know exactly how he feels. I doubt that my life would be anything like what it is today without that love.

Make-over

HAIR STYLE AT TONYA JONES, AVEDA SALON AND SPA CIVILIES THE SAVAGE

Stylist Cindi Horton met the subject at a local dinner party and immediately identified someone in need of a new look and update. “You could tell he had been focused on other things besides his appearance."

David DeRouen weathers the storm

Let me tell you about David DeRouen.

Thoughts from the Publisher

When it comes to what to do in Birmingham, it ultimately comes down to what’s cooking. When you have company in from out of town are you going to take them to Vulcan or Chez FonFon? And maybe that’s the way it is everywhere.

Politics Fix

CNN, FOX, and MSNBC can't get enough of politics. In fact many of their reporters refer to themselves as political junkies. At the end of the day, a junkie is a junkie. Junkies will do whatever they have to do to get that next fix. They don't care what it is and where it comes from as long as they can get high.

Faithing the facts

TRYING TO BELIEVE WHEN ONE WOULD RATHER BE LEAVING…

At the pool the other day, I heard a George Michael song. That sentence alone raises too many questions to answer in the small space available here. (Why was he listening to a radio station, let alone one that plays George Michael songs?

Presidential post-time

480 DAYS OUT, HANDICAPPING THE GOP HOPEFULS

If you’re here looking for what has recently become a predictable dose of political satire, I’m sorry. This is not your week. The little yellow light on my satirical-faux-conversation tank is burning bright. I’m tapped out for now, man.

The midnight ride of Paul Revere

TEA PARTY EDITION

It’s Independence Week; what better time to brush up on that most American of American stories: Paul Revere’s ride. Now, the way I always understood it, Paul Revere rode from Boston to near Lexington, warning Americans that the British troops were making their move. But then Tea Party historian Sarah Palin gave us a more authoritative account:

Democracy for Dummies

IF IGNORANCE IS BLISS, THEN AMERICA IS THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH

I’m sure you were shocked by the wanton display by a politician last week, a man who surely knows better but was so blinded by his ego and insulated by his base that he felt he could get away with anything.

The more, the murkier

PART-TIME GOVERNING PAYS OFF FOR EVERYONE BUT THE VOTERS

The presidency of Barack Obama ended April 4. It was a pretty good one, given that it lasted only two years. He managed to get some health care reform enacted, rescued a couple of car makers and generally helped the nation weather an economic tsunami resulting from eight years of a Bushquake.

Bay of Pigs

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF DOOMED CUBAN INVASION THAT COST ALABAMA LIVES

Fifty years ago, beginning April 17, 1961, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency—using Cuban exile air and ground forces—tried unsuccessfully to invade Cuba and spark an uprising against President Fidel Castro.

Bell wether

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES

Just slightly more than a year ago, Birmingham was faced with a 77 million dollar deficit. The city was reeling from the many misdeeds of former Mayor Larry Langford, and the city government was in shambles. On top of that, we were in the midst of the great recession, which hit all of us hard and created a bleak landscape where progress for the city and hope for a better future seemed distant at best.

Is Artur Davis a sore loser or a forward thinker?

HISTORY SUGGESTS IT MAY NOT MATTER

In something of a break with custom, U.S. Rep. Artur Davis has said he will not endorse or campaign for his primary opponent, state Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks, who beat Davis in June to become the Democratic nominee for governor of Alabama.

City Briefs (August 5, 2010)

Birmingham politics round-up

Since late last year, the Grants Mill Road bridge over Lake Purdy has been closed because the city could not enforce vehicle weight restrictions on the bridge. This has created quite a problem for Birmingham, Jefferson County and Shelby County residents who used the bridge—they currently have to take a six-mile detour to get to their destinations.

William Bell in charge

As a native Californian, I was excited when I moved to Birmingham in November 1999. From all appearances, the Magic City had nothing but an upside. How could a place with three fouryear colleges, including a major medical school; thriving nightlife; a burgeoning food scene; and a great music tradition be anything but exciting and ready to burst at the seams?

Special Mayoral Election Results Rundown

Cooper vs. Bell, and just how the hell we got there.

The vote tallies are the unofficial results of the Dec. 8 2009 special election for Birmingham’s mayor, as posted in City Hall at 9:21 p.m. on Tuesday night. The commentary is ours. Patrick Co

Birmingham Election Night Live Blog

Birmingham mayoral results live as they come in.

Birmingham Mayoral Election Live Blog

Royal elected Council President, Smitherman reacts to loss

Smitherman says Hoyt broke a pledge of support, and Hoyt's election to Pro Tem might not be valid.

In a five-to-four vote, Birmingham’s City Council elected Councilor Roderick Royal as its new President Tuesday morning, making him acting mayor until voters select a new mayor in a special election.

Can Jefferson County break the bank?

Jefferson County has declared war on JPMorgan.

Don’t believe for a second that this saga ends with the conviction of Larry Langford. This story is just beginning. And if you think the $235,000 worth of jewelry, clothes and cash Langford received i

Tales from Twitter

SO MANY HEADLINES, SO FEW CHARACTERS

What a week to reintroduce one’s self to Twitter. When the micro-blogging trend achieved white-hot heat back in 2008, I was there.

A response to Tipping Point

We received this response to Matt Hooper’s column “Tipping Point” from Nathan Barret, who runs the Spring Street Fire House DIY music venue here in Birmingham, and felt we should share it, and Mr. Hooper’s response, with you.

State of the race

FEATURING JON HUNTSMAN, THE GUY WHO BELIEVES IN SCIENCE

Hey, 440 some-odd days until the 2012 election! Excited yet? Sure you are! Michele Bachmann won the Iowa straw poll, a black guy is running for the GOP nomination and Christine O’Donnell is walking off the set of Piers Morgan Tonight. It’s a great time to be alive.

The tipping point

YOUR GUIDE TO THE COMING SOCIETAL APOCALYPSE

A couple of weeks ago, while I was knee-deep in deciphering the debt ceiling debacle, I ran across a disturbing AP story out of Philadelphia.

Border wars

THE METRO CROSSPLEX BECOMES JUST A CROSSPLEX

Before we get started, I need to fire off a few letters. Dear People Who Swim and Run Fast, That’s excellent that you can do what you do. I mean, wow, you’re awesome.

Minority rules

DEBT, DEFAULT AND THE ART OF THE ONE-SIDED COMPROMISE

Well, OK then. So much for the grand bargain. This past weekend had to be the most uninspiring stretch of time to be an American since...well, maybe Watergate or the Clinton impeachment. No wonder we couldn’t get our form of government to take hold in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Been there, done that, let’s do something else

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Sarah Palin’s Lipstick

THE FORMER GOVERNOR ELICITS ADVICE FROM A TRUSTED ADVISOR

It’s a summer afternoon in Alaska, and GOP/Tea Party matriarch Sarah Palin is alone in her home, talking to her most trusted advisor and best friend. You get to eavesdrop. Lucky you. (Boilerplate, boilerplate...not real, no sue, etc., etc.)

Girls on Film

The right to vote, equality in the work place, political power, wearing pants without being scolded...the achievements of women over the last century are innumerable.

In Response to "Euphemistically Speaking"

In regard to the article written by Lori Hamilton, let me state that I am no fan of Newt Gingrich, although my dispute with him may differ from Ms. Hamilton's. Her categorization of Speaker Gingrich's assessment of helping poor people out as racist is, quite frankly, unwarranted.

Make the grade or take the cut

For the mainstream devotee of the National Football League, the majority of their entire knowledge on the game and how the whole business side works comes from media outlets and opinions of writers who are still bitter about never making it as an athlete.

The return of college football

A WILD OFF-SEASON HAS DONE LITTLE TO DAMPEN ENTHUSIASM FOR THE 2011 SEASON

It was Karl Marx who coined the term “opiate of the people” back in 1843 as a slight against organized religion. But the father of socialism could have just as easily spun the term to describe college football in the modern day.

Women’s soccer rules!

THE U.S. WOMEN’S SOCCER WORLD CUP FINAL LOSS BROUGHT A DIVIDED AMERICAN PEOPLE TOGETHER—AND REMINDED US HOW ESSENTIAL TITLE IX IS.

My father never watched a soccer game in his life, but all during Sunday’s women’s World Cup final I kept thinking of him. When I was a kid, he thrilled me with his accounts of what it was like to sit in front of a radio and listen to Joe Louis’ knockout of Max Schmeling in 1938.

Strange Trip

THIS YEAR'S FINAL FOUR IS ANYTHING BUT PREDICTABLE

To call this year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship “madness” would be something of an understatement. I feel a strong desire to quote Jerry Garcia and say, “what a long, strange trip it’s been,” but rest assured I’ll resist the temptation.

Three Outcomes of the NFL Contract Talks

WHY A WIN FOR THE PLAYERS IS A WIN FOR EVERYONE

Why a win for the players is a win for everyone So what just happened? For months, the sports media has been telling us that the National Football League Players Association was about to be crushed in their contract negotiations with the league owners.

His bite was worse than its bark

AN ALLEGED TREE MUGGER POISONS MORE THAN HISTORIC OAKS

Why is brominated vegetable oil in Mountain Dew? I can understand the high fructose corn syrup (number two on the ingredient list behind carbonated water) and the various chemicals to preserve flavor and freshness, but I’m not sure about oil.

Avondale park’s priceless diamonds

SOUTHSIDE BALL ASSOCIATION PROVIDES KIDS FUN AND FUNDAMENTALS

“One kid, six dads.” That’s Scott Walton’s enduring memory of his son’s first T-ball game. As the batter knocked the ball into play, the first base coach, third base coach, batting coach and three other fathers in the dugout got into their high-volume act. As Walton recalls it, “Here was this four-year-old kid with a crowd of guys five times his size yelling at him to do different things.”

Remembering Superbowls past

THE BEST AND WORST OF THE BIG GAME

THE TOP FIVE WORST SUPER BOWLS IN REVERSE ORDER OF SUCKINESS

2010 Iron Bowl preview

WE GROW ‘EM GOOD IN THE SOUTH

It’s been really getting under my skin this season, the way people are down on the strength of the SEC. Folks all over the media and across the country are pointing to the fact that Florida, Tennessee and Georgia are all struggling this year as evidence of the SEC’s waning dominance.

Cam scam?

AUBURN’S HEISMAN HOPEFUL HITS SOME COMPLICATIONS

Cameron Newton, the quarterback for the No. 2 ranked Auburn Tigers, has been making headlines all season for his dynamic play on the field. So much so, that he is widely considered to be the front-runner for the coveted Heisman Trophy. Now it seems Cam is making a little noise away from the field, and not in a good way.

Questioning the king

WHY LEBRON SHOULD STOP APOLOGIZING AND WIN ONE ALREADY

“What should I do? What should I do?” asks a pensive LeBron James, the world’s greatest basketball player, in his new Nike ad. Don Draper would have called it “confessional advertising”—an ad designed to offset a client’s tarnished image.

Tis the season for parity

WEEK TWO POINTS TOWARDS A MORE LEVEL PLAYING FIELD

I was struck this weekend, whilst enjoying a fabulous Saturday of college football goodness, at the ridiculous nature of this thing we call sports. College football is the king of the ridiculous these days.

College Football Preview 2010

CONFERENCE UPHEAVAL OPENS THE DOOR FOR DRASTIC CHANGE

With a non-BCS team in the top five, and two in the top six, it seems the dominance of the current conference heavyweights may be over. The conferences themselves don’t seem as stalwart, getting some pretty serious makeovers. Plastic surgery seems more apropos.

Quickies: A Baseball Summer

Each year, the conference donates books to schools or libraries to encourage reading and research about the legacy of the Negro Leagues, raises funds to purchase headstones for unmarked graves of players and awards $2500 college scholarships in an essay writing competition.

World Cup Fever

The epidemic has finally hit the ‘Ham

I’m a baseball fan. Let me clarify. I’m a baseball fanatic. I root for the Yankees, a quality which endears me to few, but not because I like to win. I really like to win, actually, but I root for the Yankees because I rediscovered my love for baseball in Yankee stadium after a long and bitter divorce with the sport. I grew up a Phillies fan, listening to games on the radio with my dad and travelling to old Veterans Stadium once a year to get a first-hand look at the grass. When Major League Baseball struck in August of 1994 I was so angry I stopped following it. Until, that is, I made the happy mistake of moving to New York. New York is a baseball town, and I couldn’t live there long without absorbing a little of the old game in some way.