I hate to play favorites among the many talented writers at Birmingham Weekly, but in the forthcoming “column,” Courtney Haden did such a bang-up job articulating his dismay about the future by commenting on the present, that I could not resist sending out this 63-word nub as a torchbearer for the entire issue:
So while the observance of IGY’s centenary is underway in 2057, we apparently will still be in Iraq, permanently based in Baghdad, forever policing those blasted streets in the shadow of the mightiest fortified embassy on earth, never to recover the trillions wasted or the thousands killed or the invaluable respect squandered on an evil bargain from which we will never extricate ourselves.
To learn what the IGY is, tune in here about this time tomorrow.
Who indeed? You might have missed the news last week that Birmingham’s longest-running football franchise had finally closed its doors. Hell, you might have missed the news that we had a football franchise. Nine years is a long time, but if you’re not into arena football, maybe you never even heard of the Steeldogs. Weekly staffer Matt Hooper had not only heard of Steeldogs, he all but charted his life by them, which made the news of the team’s quietus pretty tough for him to take. His remembrance of pigskins and pork skins appeared as a commentary in last week’s edition.
DEAD BUT NOT GONE: That’s the best way to think of your dearly departed, particularly if you plan to attend the fifth annual Dia de los Muertos celebration at Bare Hands Gallery. This week’s cover story offers some history of the local celebration of the Mexican holiday known as the Day of the Dead.
Or at least, put your eyes on their shoes. Dozens of empty pairs of combat boots will fill Kelly Ingram Park on Sunday, a silent representation of the lives lost in the war in Iraq. “Eyes Wide Open: The Cost of War to Alabama” will focus primarily on fallen soldiers from Alabama, but hundreds of shoes will also be displayed in remembrance of Iraqi civilians who have also lost their lives in war. The exhibit was first displayed in 2004 at Chicago’s Federal Plaza and has since been split up into smaller segments to memorialize people from different states. The Birmingham Friends Meeting, the Birmingham Islamic Society, the Birmingham Peace Project and Pax Christi sponsor the exhibit, which will be on display from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. An interfaith memorial service will be held at the Church of the Reconciler on Saturday at 7 p.m. This marks the first time “Eyes Wide Open” will be shown in Alabama. For more information visit www.asfc.org/eyes.
HIE THEE TO A NEWSTAND Or an independent bookseller with a magazine rack, or to whatever terminal you most often use to peruse the series of tubes that comprises the internet. It doesn’t matter what manner of merchant you deal with, just buy yourself a copy of the latest Oxford American. The 2007 Music Issue includes stories about Thelonious Monk’s only North Carolina homecoming, about Frederick Barthelme’s exquisite stint as a member of Red Crayola, about how Blonde on Blonde was made in Nashville and about the short careers and long lives and surpassing music of two Bettys you’ve probably never heard of (hot jazz firecracker Betty Davis and soul doyen Betty Harris). The magazine has a short story by University of Alabama professor Kevin Brown titled “I Don’t Think Nanci Griffith is a Bitch Anymore” and a heartbreaking history of the fierce folkie Lee Hays. If the promise of 170 pages of musical prose doesn’t do anything for you, consider this: The magazine comes with a free 26-track CD. To learn more about the 2007 music issue, the magazine or its mission, go to www.oxfordamericanmag.com.
Kayla Nicole Fanaei, a 20-year-old University of Alabama at Birmingham student, was voted class clown and biggest flirt in her 2005 graduating class from Parkway Christian Academy. The daughter of local businessman Matthew Fanaei, Kayla listed spending time with her friends and family as one of her top priorities. She was a crisis center and UAB Youth Safety Lab volunteer. On her Facebook.com profile she stated that, “All I want to do in life is be there for people as well as being happy myself.” She went on to say that she wanted to graduate from UAB and get a doctorate in psychology from Auburn University.
Kayla more than likely would have realized those dreams. Sadly, she was found shot to death in her car at 1 a.m. this morning at 1115 11th St. South, in the parking lot of Glen Iris Elementary.
Some weeks are full of history and music, and so are some weeklies, particularly this week’s Birmingham Weekly, which includes the true story of the Alabama Air Guard and the Bay of Pigs invasion, plus – count ‘em ¬– one-two-three-four music stories. In addition to an interview with the not-so-anonymous John Doe, we present a trio of local legends concerning The Ramblers,Vulture Whale and Menewa. Those last two bands both have CD release parties coming up this week at Bottletree, and Menewa will likely open their show with the Bob Dylan song “Isis.” How the band came to record that gem is a remarkable story.
Nearly as remarkable is the character monologue form that J’Mel Davidson occasionally pulls out of his hat and the fact that Kyle Whitmire can write such a kindly remembrance of a kingmaker.
After 59 years on her toes, Mona, the Birmingham Zoo’s Asian elephant, died early this morning surrounded by her human herd, the zoo keepers and staff, some of whom have taken care of her for more than 20 years.Mona arrived at the Birmingham Zoo in 1955, and was one of the oldest elephants in North America. According to a study published in the journal Zoo Biology, the average life span of female Asian elephants in North American zoological facilites is 44.8 years. That same study found that the life expectancies of elephants in zoos are consistent with elephants in the wild.
Last Monday, Mona had difficulty standing, and it took dozens of veterinarians, zookeepers and staff and a crane to get the 8,000-pound beauty back on her feet. Anticipating further age-related complications, the zoo staff made the difficult decision to euthanize her.
Yes, this is in bad taste. Taste? Did we say taste? Don’t know what that is. Anyway, Jerry Falwell’s (insert favorite Southern euphemism for “dead” here: the Lord called him home, passed away, with Jesus now, etc.), and we’ll shamelessly use his deceasedness as an excuse to revisit one of our favorite Family Guy clips.
Don’t let anyone tell you any different, Kurt Vonnegut said. We’re all just here to fart around. Yesterday, one of America’s greatest satirists ran out of gas.
The author of such dark comedies as Breakfast of Champions and Slaughterhouse Five was the best at deceiving his readers, leading them to believe they were reading juvenile pap until each novel’s great reveal, when suddenly the tome confronts the great questions: Is there a Creator of the Universe? Do we have free will? And if not, then what do we do with each other? And so on. Read the full story
Who indeed? You might have missed the news last week that Birmingham’s longest-running football franchise had finally closed its doors. Hell, you might have missed the news that we had a football franchise. Nine years is a long time, but if you’re not into arena football, maybe you never even heard of the Steeldogs. Weekly staffer Matt Hooper had not only heard of Steeldogs, he all but charted his life by them, which made the news of the team’s quietus pretty tough for him to take. 
DEAD BUT NOT GONE: That’s the best way to think of your dearly departed, particularly if you plan to attend the fifth annual Dia de los Muertos celebration at Bare Hands Gallery. 
PUT YOURSELF IN THEIR SHOES
Some weeks are full of history and music, and so are some weeklies, particularly this week’s 
