Archive for March, 2018

out like a ham

Saturday, March 31st, 2018

The silly toddler
couldn’t resist a giggle
before his bedtime.

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a conspiracy of dunces

Friday, March 30th, 2018

Promises to the
poor, favors to the rich, but
beholden to none.

• • •

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the surveillance state

Thursday, March 29th, 2018

Wiretaps in our
pockets, on our desks, in our
cars and soon, our brains.

• • •

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the frozen coffeehouse

Wednesday, March 28th, 2018

Keep the thermostat
at 58 degrees to
sell more hot java.

• • •

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dad’s seat

Tuesday, March 27th, 2018

Though a place was set,
the chair at the head of the
table was empty.

• • •

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The Birmingham channel: Let’s get physical

Monday, March 26th, 2018

A look at Birmingham in videos …

The view from behind the net at a Birmingham Bulls match at Pelham Ice Arena (our vertical video of the week). From Matthew Merrifield.

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A moment with a homeless man (our other vertical video of the week). From Kacy Summers.

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Promo for Homewood gym Nexus Fitness. From Nexus Fitness.

More from Nexus Fitness. From Nexus Fitness.

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Promo for Lee Branch gym Quevity. From Zeekee.

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Dancing in Fairfield. From Victor Tyrone Ravizee.

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Promo featuring comedians DaddAzz and Melissa for this past weekend’s Best of Both Worlds Comedy Show at Birmingham Event Center in the ACIPCO-Finley neighborhood. From DaddAzz.

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Cycling on a break (our other other vertical video of the week). From the Blessed Life of a Trucker.

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Corbitt Chandler, chief executive officer of Apex Current digital marketing agency in Homewood, presents “Facebook Marketing and Sales Funnel Training” at Forge downtown. From Apex Current.

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A minute with dentist and UAB graduate Elizabeth Kalliath for Chicago’s MG Dentistry. From MG Dentistry.

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From 25 years ago this month, reports on the Blizzard of 1993. From Vorton J. Maxwell.

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Lakeview dance party! From Manish Let’s Get Em a k a DJ Manish.

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Checking out the BJCC area downtown. From Random Booshae.

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Panel discussion “I Remember Birmingham 1963” earlier this month in New Orleans. Participants were New Orleans professor Raphael Cassimere Jr.; Bastrop, Texas, composer and trumpeter Hannibal Lokumbe; Meadville, Pa., artist and assistant professor Steve A. Prince; and Birmingham’s Sarah Collins Rudolph. From Amistad Research Center.

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Birmingham mayor Randall Woodfin on Rise of the Rest, a competition awarding $100,000 to a local startup. From Alabama NewsCenter.

Shipt CEO Bill Smith on Rise of the Rest. From Alabama NewsCenter.

And Mayor Woodfin comments on Birmingham winning a Smart Cities Council Readiness Challenge prize. From Alabama NewsCenter.

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Birmingham police report on the active shooter earlier this month at UAB Highlands on Southside. From Associated Press.

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Drone footage of the annual Feast of St. Mark Italian Festival, held in April at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church in Vestavia Hills. From Zeekee.

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Teams from Atlanta and Birmingham compete in Kevin Kirk’s Cut Party Battle in December at the Birmingham Marriott. From Kevin Kirk.

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Squirrel hole in a Birmingham house. From Rid-a-Critter Inc.

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Visiting downtown Homewood and Morris Avenue. From Wynter Childers.

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More from Birmingham’s Kyle Sullivan and his monthlong trip to Antarctica in 2017. From Neoteotihuacan

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Trains in Irondale. From Carson Bean.

Trains earlier this month in Woodlawn, McCalla and Irondale among other locations. From SOU610.

Trains in December in Irondale. From Alcheng1000.

Trains in February downtown, in Irondale and in Temple, Ga. From River Line Productions.

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Ramsay High resource officer Alex Vildibill dances with students at the senior cookout. From Larry Heath.

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Bellhops moving company participates in the 14th annual Chili Cook-Off earlier this month at Brookwood Village in Homewood. From Bellhops.

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Birth video for Lillian Grace Dotman earlier this month at UAB Hospital. From Megan Pettus Videography.

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Birmingham mayor Randall Woodfin marks 100 days in office by announcing plans for the city earlier this month at the Alabama Theatre downtown. From Mayor Randall Woodfin.

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Promo for the Alabama School of Fine Arts downtown. From Alabama School of Fine Arts.

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Birmingham rock band Smoking with the Bandit performs “Blood Red Eyes” at the Almost Legal Podcast studio in Sterrett. From Jay Galloway.

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Out on the town, including the Roof at Redmont Hotel downtown. From Pia Ming.

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Atlanta singer Puddles Pity Party, a k a Mike Geier, performs earlier this month at Iron City on Southside (our other other other vertical video of the week). From Kevin Muir.

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Dancing Dolls of Birmingham performs (our final vertical video of the week). From Tre’Vonnda Gaines.

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Time-lapse footage of the 2018 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships earlier this month at the CrossPlex in Five Points West. Only a few facilities nationwide use a hydraulically banked track (seen at 0:48). From Davis Architects.

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Family trip to Birmingham. From Pia Ming.

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Comedian Crissle West tells the story of the Birmingham Children’s Crusade of 1963 led by Gwendolyn Sanders (Eris Baker of “This Is Us”) for Comedy Central’s “Drunk History.” From William Pierce.

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Fonteneau and Arnold law firm on regulations for sick leave. From Trey Miller.

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Acting coach and Birmingham native Britt Rentschler. From John Rosenfeld.

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Courtlin Arrington, 17, accidentally shot and killed earlier this month on campus at Huffman High. From Daily Mail.

Huffman student Michael Jerome Barber charged in shooting; report given in sign language. From Sign1News Admin.

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Feature on Lakeview nonprofit artists’ co-op Paperworkers Local. From Alabama NewsCenter.

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The Spirit of Houston marching band rehearses in 2014 at Samford’s Seibert Stadium before the BBVA Compass Bowl. From Marc Martin.

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Send us links to your videos. | More videos on the Birmingham channel.

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how to sell more guns

Monday, March 26th, 2018

Guns in schools. Guns in
churches. Guns in hospitals.
Gun in underwear.

• • •

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#sundayread for March 25, 2018

Sunday, March 25th, 2018

Photo: Book Catalog (CC)

My picks for #sundayread for March 25, 2018:

101 recent poems from me: Haiku retrospective 45
#haiku #poetry
What happened when Cambridge Analytica harvested 50 million Facebook profiles for a data breach?
1. https://buff.ly/2FR5gje by @CaroleCadwalla dr and Emma Graham-Harrison @_EmmaGH
2. https://t.co/4cElhbzY5H by Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson and Fred Vogelstein @fvogelstein
Former Mobile Press-Register reporter @RyanDezember’s 10-Year odyssey through America’s housing crisis
(via @jenbarnett)
I listened to “The Power of Now” by @EckhartTolle again, and found it to be uplifting and clarifying.
[aff. link] https://amzn.to/2pE3T1a
A first-time author unwittingly exposed the house of cards beneath “bestseller” books
By @Thu-Huong Ha
(RT @wordpressdotcom)
Take a Hike!
By Charles Petersen @petersenplusone
Flashback: Case study – 11,000+ Facebook Shares for chickens in sweaters
The Death of a Teenage Quarterback
By @LarsAnderson71
The Protein Craze
By @CaseyJohnston
Flashback: The new new new LinkedIn
Oral history of FX drama “The Americans,” starting its sixth and final season Wednesday
Compiled by Cynthia Littleton @Variety_Cynthia
A Most American Terrorist: The Making Of Dylann Roof
By Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah
Buddhist monk Ittetsu Nemoto @itte2nemo10 confronts Japan’s suicide culture
By @LarissaMacFarqu har
RT @xaviercolas: best dedicatoria ever

children’s crusade 2018

Sunday, March 25th, 2018

With signs and guts, they
marched, let down by grownups but
ready for action.

• • •

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Wade’s 101: Haiku retrospective 45

Saturday, March 24th, 2018

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a very special election
It’s shocking what a
few hundred thousand voters
can achieve as one.

elfcare
Santa’s workers bled
and toiled while breathing in
sawdust and benzene.

the wretched tale of retail
The mall is dying
a death by a thousand clicks
for online shopping.

home surveillance
To wreck our right to
privacy, Elf on the Shelf
can’t beat Alexa.

the endless space opera
It ain’t over till
the Wookiee growls and the droids
beep at each other.

everyday contrivances
The writer seeks an
adventure while strolling, a
hero while snooping.

run-down town
The run-down town with
the run-down park and run-down
school and run-down kids.

old man comes a’callin’
Dreary visitor
settles in for a long un-
welcome appointment.

overheard in the next car
Ashamed and brittle,
the passenger belted out
insult after insult.

not the santa I know
He gets a little
wound up getting ready for
a lap around Earth.

winter warmup special
A big bucket of
hot cocoa with marshmallows
the size of a fist.

the unselfish season
Dare we remember
the reason for the season,
thinking of others.

in anticipation of being all grown up
She would dream of get-
ting older, filling out her
curves, dating, driving.

the re-wrappening
Gifts that were almost
good enough headed to those
houses less worthy.

describe 2017
Kleptocracy. Sex
monsters. Women’s movement. And
Russian collusion.

the fluidity of the moment
Time marches to its
own mysterious beat:
tick, pause pause pause, tock.

middle option freestyling
Thanks, Fort Lauderdale,
and I’ll take you up for the
day at your house or

the final score
Was it a year of
missed opportunities or
big life-changing moves?

mmxviii
Three hundred sixty-
five chances to find love and
fulfillment ahead.

squirrel in the engine
A stowaway stayed
warm by the engine block at
10 mph.

regrets, she’s had a few
Her life flashed before
her eyes, a tangle of loves
and not speaking up.

a bitter pill unswallowed
Rancor and mistakes
of a career gone by spring
forth with purest bile.

appetizing formula
Basic equation
of bread and oil yields a
complex expression.

deep state of the union
The bureaucracy
hums along with nary a
care in the world. (wink)

backup doorbells
One chime sends the dog
barking and the other one
yelping in alarm.

the lost shipment
Every package ends
up somewhere, but not always
the right where. Nightmare.

tribal customs
Fandom brings us all
together but also keeps
us far, far apart.

caste systems
Give us your tired,
your poor. We need them to fuel
this corrupted realm.

retail restlessness
The walk-in by a
customer slightly lessens
the rampant boredom.

see rocks in the city
A fake mountainside
begs me to hug it closely
while ascending it.

catch it!
Influenza, or
what the kids call it now, “the
flu,” it’s gone … viral.

a cure for the unexpected
An acute case of
irony deficiency
needs only bluntness.

extended hibernation
With the icy wind
and bitter cold, we find our
shelter in plush quilts.

to get more candy bars
Boys go to Jupi-
ter to get more stupider.
Girls go to Mars …

severe management alert
The threat of snow is
an excuse for the working
class to shun labor.

the hole proverb
People who live in
glass dictatorships shouldn’t
throw stones. (Or insults.)

kids’ marathon
Endless wailing for
McDonald’s for 26
minutes in the car.

mt. inadequacy
Testing each foothold
while climbing the great indoors
1 yard off the mat.

double trouble
I met another
me the other day. Kinda
strange if you ask me.

the x factor
No bumps in the road
until a giant pothole
derails everything.

the dearest of dunderheads
Prattling with close pals:
Familiarity breeds
hilarity. Ha!

facing the rock
Hold on even though
fingers are aching, muscles
are straining. Upward.

skyscrappers
Women hold up half
the sky, nearly crushed by the
weight of oppression.

the nightly celebration
Back yards with clinking
glasses, strings of lights dangling
from limbs, gunfire.

away with words
The narrator sped
up so fast that paragraphs
had to be gulped whole.

lives in boxes
Her DVDs, his
books, their cutlery, plus a
few old memories.

the alarm that cried ‘wolf’
No one ran for the
exits. Smoke filled the hallway.
Flames lapped the ceiling.

to make amends
Go forth, with heart in
hand, seeking forgiveness but
expecting nothing.

liquid disposition
One more slug. That’s all
I need to make it through the
day, to numb my pain.

it even has a weird pronunciation
Precious daylight in
short supply. Someone has to
be the mini month.

the reluctant rodent
A shadow holds the
entire hemisphere in
its icy power.

in pursuit of love
Maybe it’s behind
that tree, or inside that old
café. Keep looking.

the welcoming dank
An abandoned place
for hardy and foolhardy
misfits to explore.

knew attitude
A rebirth within
my own skin liberates me.
Zero fucks given.

lost in time
Recapture glory?
But nostalgia is poison.
We must move forward.

the unfashionable stairwell
The crew removed the
broken escalator step
by step by step by …

fifth-wave feminism
Tools for ladies. Shoes
for ladies. Potato chips
for ladies. Not men!

the introvert’s guide to rsvp’s
No answer means no.
No means no. Maybe means no.
Yes? Probably not.

the two koreas
Hopeful, scared. Urbane,
withdrawn. Planning, reaction-
ary. Hand in hand.

the marathon
More women rush past
the starting line with hopes of
being elected.

the power of then
The past has a hold
on us stronger than any
debt or blood promise.

write down seven times
Not every first draft
leads to a meaningful book
or flowing sonnet.

so many flavors of love
Passionate. Endless.
Platonic. Codependent.
Mutual. Selfless.

field guide to homo sapiens
Do not interact.
Merely observe. Gaze deeply
into human hearts.

till the muffler gives out
Sputters and lurches
make for a troubled ride on
a car’s last journey.

the hunt for ice cream
The fluffiness. The
sharp delight of an untried
flavor. Frosty joy.

the call of duty for a 10-year-old
Who made that lone child
the human shield for his class
-mates? He volunteered.

the invisible receptionist
Only a ghost haunts
the abandoned desk at the
front of the office.

the all-spin zone
The humble snowboard
sends riders high into the
sky with bold panache.

the comeback
Her knees rebuilt. Her
arm fractured. Ready to ski
at full tilt boogie.

the devilish landlord
Beat the tenants. Break
the leases. Ignore the gripes.
Holler for the checks.

cautiously optimistic
Keeping the champagne
in storage while watching each
small step for progress.

the plain bus stop
No shelter, no bench,
just a patch of dirt next to
a sun-bleached marker.

the five rings
Let the continents
of people rejoice in games
and good sportsmanship.

when one becomes two
She would face the day
with a bit more grit and a
heap of wistfulness.

intelligence quotient
We know more than we
let on, and sometimes a whole
lot less than we should.

the price of johnny’s soul
What is the devil
doing with a gaudy gold
fiddle anyway?

eternal precipitation
the ground is damp the
house is damp the dog is damp
the shoes are muddy

an awkward hollywood minute
The stars shone on the
red carpet, burning with rage
at their mistreatment.

oscar haiku 2018
splish splash
Tale as old as time:
Girl meets fish. Girl boinks fish. Girl
goes off the deep end.

evasion of the body snatchers
White people are so-o-o-o-o
possessive. Black lives matter
in the sunken place.

ebbing and flouting
She spelled it out on
the rural route. Justice now!
Somehow. Burma-Shave.

sand trap
We shall film on the
beaches. We shall film in the
hills. No surrender.

that’s no lady — that’s my life
Not about the first
lady nor Hank Hill’s bloodhound
on “King of the Hill.”

red carpet 2018
Who are you wearing?
How did you approach your role?
What jerk harassed you?

serenade of horns
That one car blocking
the whole intersection while
tying up traffic.

the power of fear
It either keeps us
from doing what is needed
or immobilized.

commandeer in chief
My hair is stupid.
I hire crooks and liars.
Make me President.

with cinema and marvel for all
I pledge allegiance
to Black Panther. Wakanda
forever. Amen.

seething with joy
The gift was a joke,
which became a trojan horse
for a bigger joke.

the woofers play
Two pups circle each
other while a third explores
a left tennis shoe.

the storms of connection
Arm in arm, they shared
an umbrella, not letting
rain or cold stop them.

black swans and unicorns
The petting zoo had
just black swans and unicorns,
nothing to cuddle.

she draws you
The charcoal pencil
reveals a fragile soul in
the piles of wrinkles.

kids do the darndest things
Make signs, shout slogans,
fight violence, participate
in democracy.

on intelligence
Some is good, extra
can’t hurt, less artificial
and more natural.

personality test 2018
Someone’s Netflix queue,
their Instagram profile pic
or their latte tastes.

leprechaun in training
She has the vape pen
and the tattered hat, but lost
her pot o’ bitcoin.

mechanical malfeasance
A simple oil
change turned into an all-too-
quick tune-up shakedown.

a poisonous hope
Holding out for a
better ending, waiting for
a great tomorrow.

a malady for all seasons
Spring fever leads to
summer strokes, fall vertigo
and winter frostbite.

who tells our stories?
The storyteller
is as important as the
style, plot and pacing.

temporary spring cleaning
To throw out stuff to
make room for more stuff in the
space for all our stuff.

seasonal malaise
The pollen coats the
air, while the germs take over
the grubby wee hands.

till today do us part
They couldn’t break their
bonds cleanly, settling for
a messy divorce.

• • •

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seasonal malaise

Friday, March 23rd, 2018

The pollen coats the
air, while the germs take over
the grubby wee hands.

• • •

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temporary spring cleaning

Thursday, March 22nd, 2018

To throw out stuff to
make room for more stuff in the
space for all our stuff.

• • •

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The Birmingham channel: Up, down and all around

Wednesday, March 21st, 2018

A look at Birmingham in videos …

Spending time with friends at Starbucks in Cahaba Village, Mountain Brook. From Cody Gremlin.

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Takeoff from Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport. From Freddie Rent.

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Highlights from the state RE/MAX awards banquet at the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover. From Ricky Carruth.

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Listening to WAGG (610 AM). From Local and DX Radio.

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Tuscaloosa singer Stephanie Whatley-Farmer performs the National Anthem at Alabama Veterans Memorial Park in Mountain Brook. From Stephanie X Fluteforia Whatley.

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Dominican singer Héctor Acosta performs earlier this month at El Sol on Valley Avenue. From Hector Acosta y Orquesta.

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Preview of a tech panel held earlier this month at the Sheraton Birmingham downtown. From MCP Networks.

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Members of the Alabama Power Service Organization deliver Cheeriodicals gift boxes to Ronald McDonald House. From Alabama NewsCenter.

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A tour of Sloss Furnaces. From Abom79.

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Final project review for students at Covalence coding boot camp. From Covalence.

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Baseball: Wheaton at Birmingham-Southern in February. From Wheaton College Baseball.

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Practicing with the Hoover football team. From UTR Highlight Videos.

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Christian singer-songwriter Robbie Shae performs in November at the Pelham Civic Center. From Robbie Shae.

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Savannah jazz guitarist Howard Paul, Birmingham pianist Ray Reach and Nashville singer Lindsey Benedict perform at the Carver Theatre downtown. From Jerry W. Henry.

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Zirándaro group Banda Los Costeños performs earlier this month at Rancho El Centenario in Mt. Olive. From Erik Estrada.

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Promo for musician Big Trejure Girl performing earlier this week at Side Effects downtown. From Cinema Cove.

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Music video for “No New Friends” by Birmingham rapper Floss the Mack. From Stanley Parrish.

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Athens, Ga., chillwave singer-songwriter Washed Out performs in February at Saturn in Avondale. From Large Marge.

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Staying at the Sheraton Birmingham downtown (starting at 3:27). From More Milah.

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Train on 32nd Street. From Birmingham-Rail Productions.

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Hiking at Ruffner Mountain. From Travel with Annie G.

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Promo for the University of Alabama at Birmingham. From EduBookings.com.

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Highlight reel for Thompson senior guard Roy’el Everson. From Street Light Recruiting.

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Visiting Highlands College preview day. From Jubilee Santos.

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Drone footage of U.S. 280 and Cahaba Valley Road. From SRS NNLG.

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Birmingham real estate agent Gene Darden introduces his video channel. From Southern Realty Specialists KW the Real Estate Gene.

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Commercial for I Am Infinity fashion show on April 18 at the Alabama School for Fine Arts downtown. From Finn.

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Softball: Birmingham Thunderbolts 06 vs. Alabama Firecrackers 06 earlier this month in Hoover. From Dwayne Hubbard.

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Drone footage of George Ward Park in Glen Iris. From Wendell Flynn.

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Promo for March 31 “Soul-Winning Mega-Marathon” at Hamburger Heaven in Green Springs, Homewood. From Sanderson1611.

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The challenge of venture capital for minority-owned startups. From Ashlee Ammons.

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Drone footage of Quinlan Castle and other parts of Birmingham. From Jerad Watson.

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Tampa power metal band Kamelot performs in 2015 at Iron City on Southside (our vertical video of the week). From Metal Model MF.

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Vlogging at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. From Cody Gremlin.

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Talking with UAB athletic director Mark Ingram. From Jonathan Yates.

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Highlights from February’s Ladies Rock Camp Birmingham at East Lake United Methodist Church. From Girls Rock Birmingham.

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Drone footage of the Birmingham Amateur Radio Club’s annual Hamfest earlier this month at the Zamora Shrine Temple in Irondale. From Jerry Turner Sr.

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Drone footage from above Railroad Park, featuring 360-degree angles. From Aidavue.

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Students from Moulton’s My Girls Dance Center perform “The Renegade” at February’s Industry Dance Awards at the Alabama Theatre downtown. From KARtv.

Students from Mountain Brook’s Linda Dobbins Dance perform “First Flight” at the Industry Dance Awards. From KARtv.

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Promo for podiatry services at Simon-Williamson Clinic at Princeton Baptist Medical Center in Arlington-West End. From Telegraph Creative.

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Checking out Frank Fleming’s “The Storyteller” in Five Points South. From Cody Gremlin.

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Drone footage of Vulcan, Regions Field, Sloss Furnaces and more. From Pingwin Media.

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The Birmingham Thunderbolts in action (our other vertical video of the week). From T Siaosi Tuimoloau – Montgomery.

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Boston ska-punk band Bim Skala Bim performs earlier this month at Iron City on Southside. From Mikey Bookout.

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A night at the Red Wolf in Jones Valley. From Naomi Early.

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“The Kyle and Ricky Show” visits Sherman Concrete downtown. From Construction Channel.

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Testimonial from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama employees for the Birmingham Corporate Challenge. From Knight Eady.

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Promo for MealFit planning service in Birmingham. From MealFit.

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Members of Los Angeles-based Viver Brasil Dance Company perform earlier this month at a Samba in the Streets workshop held at St. Paul United Methodist Church downtown. From Starnes Publishing.

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