http://bhamweekly.com/birmingham/articles.sec-8-1-odds-ends.html On Thursday October 25, you can be a part of the commemoration of the first anniversary of the death of Birmingham's Civil Rights legend, Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth. In honor of her late husband, ]]> Catalan, a highly acclaimed Spanish restaurant in Washington, D.C., before returning to Birmingham to work in some of the most prestigious restaurants. His career includes stops at the Five Star and Five Diamond resort The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia, as well as Citronelle, iRicchi, and the Ritz- Carlton in Washington, D.]]> You will also have a chance to view the long-term installation of Cuban artwork by artists in prestigious collections around the world from the Museum of Modern Art in New York to the Birmingham Museum of Art in Birmingham, Alabama..]]> I’m Chris Davis. I’ve been Chris Davis for as long as I can remember. Maybe even longer. Although I’m the only Chris Davis in my family, circle of friends and neighborhood, I realize there are others in the world that bear my name as well. ]]> Amerika’s the name. Syd Amerika. Remember it. Scratch it into your arm with a linoleum knife. Scribble it on a cocktail napkin with a pencil stub that’s longer than your boyfriend’s shvantz. I don’t care.]]> | Zamora Temple, 3531 Ratliff Rd. | 4:45pm | $15 at door, $10 online, kids under 8 FREE | (205)534-0166.]]> Bobby Collins is hilarious and has a great following as well. Laughing out loud with this crowd is a hoot. Bobby has a cult following and the crowd can be as much fun as the show. With more than 200 stand-up performances across the country each year, Collins has hit the stage from concert halls to cruise ships.]]> Running ahead of Satan but behind God are Lady Gaga and Justin Beiber. If I were you, Capricorn, I wouldn’t be Google-searching any bigger-than-life entities like those four in the coming week.]]> Can you picture yourself working harder to give your body the food and sleep and movement it requires to be at its best? If you have any doubts about how to proceed, ask your body to provide you with clues..]]> ARIES (March 21-April 19): In an old comedy sketch called “One Leg Too Few,” a one-legged man comes in to a casting agent’s office to audition for the part of Tarzan in an upcoming show. The agent is as diplomatic as he can be given the fact that the role would best be played by a strapping young man with exceptional running and leaping skills. “It’s possible that no two-legged men will apply,” the agent tells the applicant, “in which case you could get the part.” Don’t be like the one-legged man in this story, Aries. While I usually encourage you to think big and dream of accomplishing amazing feats, this is one time when you should respect your limitations.]]> demote it. After all, it’s smaller than both Saturn’s moon Titan and Jupiter’s moon Ganymede. Who wants to bestow the majestic title of “planet” on such a piddling peewee? In fact, let’s make the change now, just in time for Mercury’s retrograde phase, which began recently.]]> ARIES (March 21-April 19): In the 18th century, the French Academy laid down rules about the differences between professional and amateur paintings. For example, it was decreed that true artists must create a “licked surface,” hiding all evidence of their brushstrokes. The illusion was more convincing that way; viewers could sink their attention fully into the image without being distracted by thoughts about the artist’s process. ]]> Homework: Let’s meet in dreams sometime soon. Describe to me the adventures you’d like us to have together. Truthrooster@gmail.com.]]> Homework: Imagine that seven years from now you want a new career or line of work. What will it be? Write: Truthrooster@gmail.com.]]> Homework: What are the conditions you’d need in your world in order to feel like you were living in paradise? Testify at Truthrooster@gmail.com..]]> First there was the botched Facebook IPO which caused alleged losses at some banks totaling $365 million. This was due to so called computer issues with the electronic stock exchange the NASDAQ. Apparently, computers used to drive the auctions were overwhelmed by order cancellations and updates in the opening moments of the IPO.]]> It was the most hyped IPO (Initial Public Opening) in history.  The Company founder, Mark Zuckerberg, is now a billionaire many times over.  But it wasn't without some turmoil that the Soci]]> Google�€™s Aura, the online giant�€™s �€œhardware accelerated window manager,�€� remains a mystery to most of the outside world, even according to Geek bloggers. Aura is described by Google as a user interface that will enable much richer visuals than the Chrome browser delivers today.]]> Google's Aura, the online giant's "hardware accelerated window manager," remains a mystery to most of the outside world, even according to Geek bloggers.� Aura is described by Google ]]> Even though Apple said initial sales of the new iPad were very strong, something very odd is happening.� Workers at Foxconn's plant Shenzhen, China are being given time off.� A lot of it, i]]> As expected, the "new iPad" (as termed by the good folks at Apple, instead of continuing their previous numbering pattern from 2 to 3) hit stores with a boom!]]> Elvis Costello said, "Every day I write the book." Little did he know, every four years his book is one page longer than he expected. I'm talking about Leap Day! Leap Day was last week. February 29, to be exact. Leap Day is an extra day added during a Leap Year, making the year 366 days long instead of 365 days long, like a normal year.]]> Lent is upon us, or at least upon Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists and Presbyterians. It's more of a Christian thing, but I guess anyone is welcome to do it. Lent is the time before Easter that the Christian Church devotes to fasting, abstinence, and penitence in commemoration of Christ's fasting in the wilderness.]]> It's February, so that means it's Black History Month! It's also the shortest month of the year too. How dare they, you might say! Well, before I threw a garbage can through Sal's Pizzeria window, Do The Right Thing style, I found out why it is in the shortest month of the year and calmed down.]]> There's something about going into a locally owned restaurant serving locally grown food. Sure it feels good and tastes good, but more importantly it makes a whole lot of sense without even thinking hard about it. And I don't like thinking hard about things.]]> I like to talk. I love to talk. Since I also do stand-up comedy, I'd better damn well like to talk. You might say I'm talking right now with this article. Except I'm talking with my fingers. That sounds like sign language so I guess it's not like that at all.]]> New years eve is always marked by things that are traditional or for lack of a better word, obligatory. ]]> First I must apologize for my strange unrelated outburst about Tyra Banks. I know it came out of nowhere. I normally write about things in Birmingham.]]> Come on Irene: Late last week and over the weekend, Hurricane Irene made landfall in North Carolina and tore up the East Coast, causing structural damage, record flooding and a death toll of over 40.]]> East Coast earthquake: Early Tuesday morning, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake occurred in Virginia outside of Charlottesville. ]]> Je suis bankrupt! It’s become a bit of a running gag in the States how weak the dollar has become compared to the Euro. If we go purely on exchange rank, then the dollar loses. But the Euro may actually be the biggest loser in the end.]]> Anarchy in the U.K.: Great Britain, historical home of the stiff upper lip and “Keep Calm and Carry On,” exploded with rioting, looting and general civil unrest in the past week. ]]> Bye-bye boonies: The country is failing. No, I’m not spouting some rhetoric about how the United States is doomed to die. (It’s not.) According to the Associated Press, rural America is at its lowest population in history, with only 16 percent of citizens roughing it in the boonies.]]> Tragedy in Norway: Last Friday, July 22, Norway experienced one of the worst terrorist attacks in recent memory. At around 3:30 in the afternoon, a car bomb exploded outside of the office of the Norwegian prime minister in Oslo, killing eight people and wounding many others.]]> Duel to the debt: The battle of the budget has been going on in Washington for months now, but we’re quickly approaching a do-or-die moment. A compromise must be reached by August 2. ]]> Rupert on the ropes: A few months ago, it seemed almost inevitable that Rupert Murdoch would take over all sources of news and crown himself King of Media. ]]> Their jagged stumps serve to mark the areas affected by the tornadoes. We can rebuild homes and pick up the shattered pieces of life in Alabama, but the barren stretches of land where trees were ripped by their roots from the ground will outline the scars left by the storms for long after.]]> Bye-bye Blagojevich: Remember Rod Blagojevich? He’s the guy with the funny hair who spent the last few years on TV chat shows trying to convince people he was a good, innocent guy.]]> LEAD STORY The medical establishment generally regards placentas (afterbirth) as biohazardous waste, but to New York City placenta chef Jennifer Mayer, they are a nutrient-laden meat that can alleviate postpartum depression and aid in breast milk production (among other so-far-unverified benefits).]]> Lead Story “When I get to Africa, I have to worship him,” said Elizabeth Osei, part-time first lady of the Akwamu people of eastern Ghana, speaking of her husband Isaac, who is the Akwamu chief. ]]> LEAD STORY Richard Handl, 31, was arrested in southern Sweden in July after a raid on his home.]]> Lead Story Arkansas Time Machine, Back to the 1950s: In McGehee, a town of 4,200 in southeastern Arkansas, a black girl (Kym Wimberly) who had finished first in her senior class was named only “co- ”valedictorian after officials at McGehee High changed the rules to avoid what one called a potential “big mess.”]]> Lead Story Berjuan Toys is already selling its Breast Milk Baby online ($70) and expects to have it in stores later this year. The doll works by the child-“mother” donning a halter top with flowers positioned as nipples, and when the baby comes into contact with the a flower, sensors mimic sucking sounds.]]> Lead Story For years, many traditional funerals in Taiwan—especially in rural areas or among working classes—have included pop singers and bikinied dancers, supposedly to entertain the ghosts that will protect the deceased in the afterlife. ]]> Lead Story In January, a baby was born to Canadians Kathy Witterick and David Stocker, but seven months later, they still have not revealed to family or friends whether little “Storm” is a boy or a girl. ]]> Lead Story The New York Yankees’ Derek Jeter achieved his milestone 3,000th major league hit in July, and Steiner Sports Marketing of New Rochelle, N.Y., was ready (in partnership with the Yankees and Major League Baseball). ]]> Lead Story On May 21, Jesse Robinson either established or tied the unofficial world record for unluckiest underage drinker of all time when he was booked into the Hamilton County, Ohio, jail for underage consumption. According to booking records, Robinson’s date of birth is May 22, 1990. ]]> Since 1990 and the dawn fun & Stuff, and the first official publication of the Birmingham Weekly in 1997, much has changed in what a newspaper is supposed to do as you can read in the Birmingham News some days but not others. We have spun off several other publications ourselves and they are spinning off as well.]]> Well things do have a way of rolling around to the same juncture, and maybe that´s what it means that an electron can be in two places at once, and why the Greeks offered wine to their ancestors. Last time I wrote about the year that has passed since I took over the Birmingham Weekly--again.]]> Some of you came to receptions and dinners here, even Rev. Shuttlesworth's 90th birthday dinner--and I had half a mind to think the Rev would appear.]]> We have had lots of prizes and giveaways before, but this is one that requires the most serious commitment. We have been telling you about this one for a while on the back cover of the paper, but now the time is nigh for you to pack up your camping gear and go spend a weekend in Manchester, Tennessee.]]> But he does not want stereotypes of what ballet should be to hold it back. He choreographed the new ballet himself. But the new ballet is the story of the beginnings of ballet in Birmingham, when Figueroa, a dancer from the ghetto in Harlem, teamed up with Virginia Simpson, an heiress and patron of the arts.]]> I always seem to have a lot of people telling me what I should do. The country girl, for example, would shine a light in my face at a quarter to three in the morning with her marching orders. Scarlet counsels against springtime urges of the blood, though not particularly appealing to reason.]]> By the time you read this, if you weren't lucky enough to be there, you may have already missed it. Sorry about the timing. It was good for spontaneous people who were ready to take their jobs at the Gallerias and Harbert Centers and shove them and head on over to join the revolution in Avondale.]]> On March 8, Birmingham Weekly's Avondale Bricks Gallery will unveil its first show, EN CADA BARRIO,REVOLUCIÓN. The title comes from an authentic propaganda poster I pulled down off a wall in Old Havana and brought back from Cuba. You can see it on the cover of the Birmingham Weekly.]]> I am afraid to say I kept quiet for too long. I have been harboring a secret right by our office in Avondale that I have been dying to spring. There was a little hole in the wall restaurant that I could not wait to let you know about. But I did for too long.]]> Yeung Lap Ming wrote to tell me, from far afield by the looks of the name, that he has a lucrative business proposal for me. But John Zidek also emailed to let me know me that I have already won 1.5 million pounds sterling (I added the sterling myself just because I like the way it sounds) in the Liverwood promotion.]]> Batman and Robin, Han Solo and Chewbacca, Henry Lee Lucas and Otis Toole. These great cinematic teams have added a new dynamic duo to their ranks. Benjamin Franklin Gates and Riley Poole are the stars in the classic films National Treasure, and they have taken the world of action by storm. ]]> WARNING! Do not read this article straight through! This is a special article that allows you, the reader, to influence the outcome while living a life as close to the crippling ennui that is “J’Mel” as possible! Hosannahs!]]> I posed a question to myself last night: is there a day that goes by when I don’t think about, reference, somehow discuss, or in any way access knowledge about Star Wars. I don’t think that there is.]]> Here is the layout. There was a small white case that he had assembled himself over a year ago. It supported the television that he held so dear. ]]> I was having my usual breakfast of turkey sausage and Peach Nehi when it occurred to me that it was the perfect time for another numbered list! ]]> If your love interest has a talent or a hobby, are you expected to feign interest? I mean, are Russell Brand and Katy Perry telling each other how funny/talented at singing they each are or do they just ignore the conversation all together and get to the dastardly business of “doing it”? ]]> I used to know a guy that decided one day that he was “punk”. We never had a conversation about it, so I don’t know what he thought that definition meant, but I’ll tell you some clues I saw that point to reasons he thought allowed him to make this change.]]> Have you ever had the fortune/misfortune of watching the series Hoarders on A&E? If you haven’t, then I’m not sure you should. I don’t know if I can in good conscience suggest this show to people. ]]> Be thankful for numbered lists! It’s that time a year again when people gather together to enjoy the most fattening of meals and find things to complain about. Not me, though. I’m thankful for stuff—so much stuff! You don’t believe me?]]> It was time to retire. He had spent the better part of his youth trying to make a go of it, but it never really gelled into a viable occupation. Briefly, in the beginning he’d been a lot better at masking his contempt for the thankless task but as time went on he found it harder and harder to pretend that he cared. ]]> Hi, Kids. Time for a couple of trashy news or pop-culture items, calorie-rich bon-bons to take you away, at least briefly, from thoughts of the sweltering, dysfunctional mess that is your national government, from horrifying images of the Big Crash they promise. ]]>