Birmingham mayor William Bell speaks at the National Press
Club on Sept. 25 in Washington to campaign for the 2016
Democratic National Convention.

Birmingham mayor William Bell has not sat still for long. Since August 2011, he has traveled out of state on city business some 37 times, including 17 trips to Washington.

AL.com received information on the trips from city spending forms, including the total cost, $65,000. He most recently visited Japan in September for the Southeast U.S./Japan Association meeting, at the request of Gov. Bentley, and spoke at the National Press Club later in the month in Washington.

Official trips for the City of Birmingham, August 2011-July 2014:

*One trip combined with Baltimore, one with New York and one with New Orleans and Point Clear.

Al.com columnist John Archibald lists five other trips for Bell in that period. The City of Birmingham did not pay for these excursions:

• Ferguson, Mo.
• Geneva
• Liverpool
• Paris
• Saudi Arabia

Mayor Bell has traveled out of state 42 times in 3 years. For comparison, President Obama has traveled out of country 37 times in 6 years.

Video: “Slavery by Another Name”

American schools teach students that slavery ended with Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. A PBS documentary explores the forced labor by newly freed black slaves between the Civil War and World War II.

“Slavery by Another Name,” based on the book by the same title, tells the story of the South through research into documents and interviews with scholars. The 90-minute film also features interviews with descendants of victims of forced labor.

Filming took place in Birmingham and Atlanta. It first aired on PBS in February 2012, a month after screening at Sundance.

Author Douglas A. Blackmon won the Pulitzer Prize for his book [Amazon aff. link] in 2009. Birmingham and Shelby County are featured prominently as centers for virtual re-enslavement of black citizens.

“Slavery by Another Name”

• Official site | PBS site

A look at the reaction online to the move … and the controversial publisher statement

Kyle Whitmire, Weld co-owner, splits for Birmingham competitor

A look at the reaction online to the move … and the controversial publisher statement

Storified by Wade Kwon · Tue, Jul 31 2012 09:34:34

Online reaction to previews of a new look to Alabama’s biggest website

al.com 2012 front page redesign

Online reaction to previews of a new look to Alabama’s biggest website.

Storified by Wade Kwon · Wed, May 23 2012 18:02:40

Working the grand opening at Birmingham’s newest grocery store

My day at Freshfully

Working the grand opening at Birmingham’s newest grocery store

Storified by Wade Kwon · Tue, May 08 2012 12:12:36

Video: A look inside the Freshfully market

Video: Wade Kwon’s interview for WhyBHM

Scott Pierce and I have several things in common. We both work on the Internet (he serves as director of technology for Intermark Interactive). We both love public speaking, having shared the stage at Ignite Birmingham. We’ve both spent years recruiting people to work in our city.

And we both love Birmingham.

Recruiting nationwide has been challenging at times, trying to convince talented professionals to consider Birmingham, not only as a place of future employment but as a livable city. It often took both sweet talk and careful strategy to lure, for lack of a better word, candidates here to see what we have to offer.

At the Birmingham Post-Herald, we went to considerable expense and trouble to show off what we loved about our chosen location. We took immense pride in showing off our hangouts, our restaurants and our ways about town. If we had someone look beyond the uninformed perception that Birmingham is a backward, terrible, hostile city, we succeeded.

There’s your new tourism slogan … “Birmingham: It’s not as horrid as you might think!”

Pierce has made it his mission to change those outside perceptions using a new website, rather than take the super-expensive inefficient route of flying everyone in the world to Birmingham for a visit. It is narrative journalism on video.

He calls it WhyBHM.

Pierce interviews residents from the metro area to ask two questions: Why did you come to Birmingham? And why did you stay?

I was honored to be one of the initial six participants, whose videos are posted on the site. My 9-minute story talks about my serendipitous journey through journalism and how Birmingham became not just my hometown, but my home.

Viewers will learn that the answers to those two questions vary greatly. And that each person’s story helps build the case for why Birmingham.

If you want to participate, email Scott Pierce at whybhm@piercingwit.com.

A talk at Ignite Birmingham

One troubling but recurring theme in Birmingham’s struggle to emerge as a true New South city is splintered efforts. This isn’t a surprise: Our community has been fractured for decades: black and white, suburbs and city, educated and uneducated, white collar and blue collar and so on.

We see recurring examples of a lack of cooperation, communication and coordination across the city. But we can also break this pattern with concerted effort.

A telling example of this duplication problem is the battle over the Neighborhoods USA annual conference, this year in Alaska. The City of Birmingham has sent an overwhelming number of delegates in years past, mostly leaders of the 99 neighborhoods.

The original travel plans for this year included sending 168 delegates for a total cost of more than $370,000. The finalized plan — after weeks of deliberation and political tactics — has whittled it to $68,000 for 28 representatives.

This would seem sane, except that the city continues to struggle with finances after the fiscal irresponsibility of one Larry Langford.

But a city that understood the value of proper leadership training would have invested in a more homegrown approach decades ago. Simply put, the conference trip is nothing more than political patronage for the mayor and city council.

Neighborhood leaders should be well trained to run their associations, 99 in all throughout the city. But to have to do it across a continent seems extravagant at a time when jobs, salaries and budgets are being cut.

The leaders who actually want better training and resources could work together with City Hall to come up with modestly funded workshops every 2 years for incoming officers. And the leaders who just want a free trip to Anchorage are unlikely to do much beyond what benefits them most.

The next example hits a little closer to home for me.

For the past 12 months, my friend Henry McBride has been working tirelessly on putting together a quarterly series of free events called Ignite Birmingham. This would be in addition to his full-time job, his family and his other community obligations.

An Ignite brings together speakers from across the community to share ideas and passions onstage. These talks are often recorded on video to share online. It gives people the opportunity to learn and to discuss ways to make the world a better place.

The idea has been kicked around Birmingham for at least 3 years, but Henry was the one who started actually putting nose to grindstone in early 2010. Since then, hundreds of attendees and dozens of speakers have taken part in a lively and intriguing event.

I’ve had the privilege of working with Henry on publicizing the events, recruiting speakers and even speaking at a couple of them.

Henry had a bigger concept in mind, what he calls the Birmingham Idea Ecosystem. He wrote about it on his site earlier this month, outlining how Ignite and another similar international phenomenon, TED Talks, could enrich the community.

Fortunately, someone launched TedxRedMountain last week, an eerily similar cause and event. How similar?

• Both events are spinoffs of global organizations.
• Both events features speakers sharing ideas in short presentations.
• Both events are new to Birmingham.
• Both events are volunteer driven and nonprofit in nature.
• Both events use similar promotional language …
  • Ignite Birmingham: Sparking the Magic City’s Creative Class. Ignite Birmingham is an information exchange for fostering and inspiring the city’s diverse community. While mainly focused on the tech and creative communities, we encourage anyone with a good idea to speak.
  • TedxRedMountain: Bringing together some of Greater Birmingham’s leading thinkers, doers, innovators, idea-generators, creators, developers, researchers, and connectors. Creating a spark, that ignites a fire. To Advance. Grow. Act. Produce. Change. Inspire.

A couple of differences do stand out.

For instance, Ignite Birmingham is free and open to all attendees. TedxRedMountain is not:

“Invitations are extended at the discretion of the organizing team based on a broad set of criteria. Attendees will be a diverse group of remarkable individuals from Birmingham, representing a wide variety of professions.” (from the TedxRedMountain website)

No information is given on if an admission fee will be charged or how much.

‘One of Birmingham’s least functional traits
is a strong tendency towards cliques —
very high school.’

Another is the approach to cooperation, communication and coordination. I can say first hand that Henry has been open to ideas, help, sponsorship and delegation throughout the past 12 months.

I asked him if anyone from Tedx had contacted him. No one had — and we both know members of the organizing group.

Without Henry’s prior knowledge, I e-mailed them last week to voice my concern.

While this is an exciting new addition to the Birmingham scene, it also represents another missed opportunity for cooperation and collaboration.

I’m terribly disappointed that no one from this new group ever reached out to my friend Henry McBride, who has almost singlehandedly organized Ignite Birmingham events for the last year. …

Although I do not speak for him, I think Henry would have been glad to help with advice, promotion or just a friendly welcome. But for some reason, this group chose to forge its own path.

Good luck with your new endeavor. I hope in the future you do not overlook those who paved the way for you.

After e-mailing twice, I did hear back. And it was an underwhelming, generic e-mail reply:

Thank you for your e-mail concerning TEDxRedMountain.

TEDx events are designed to be be an experience unique to other events and as such, will compliment and augment other presentation-format events in the area. Our goal is not to exclude, but to provide an enriching experience that will be a benefit for all realms of the Birmingham area.

We certainly hope that your concerns will not preclude you from applying to attend or nominate a presenter and we hope that you’ll still seek to join us as we help spread “inspiring ideas” on May 19th.

Sincerely,
TedxRedMountain

I guess the part about the “goal (being) not to exclude” rings the most hollow in my ears. One of Birmingham’s least functional traits is a strong tendency towards cliques — very high school. It’s bothered me every time I’ve reached out into the community.

I did apply to be a speaker, though I doubt my rabble rousing will endear me to the organizers. And when I say organizers, I’m talking largely about friends and acquaintances, not strangers. The disappointment is greater when it seems they are caught up in advancing a cause with little consideration to the community already in place, willing to help if only given the opportunity.

Birmingham certainly has room for two idea-generating events. If only they were working in tandem. (And this may border on the absurd, but a different Tedx Birmingham, completely separate from TedxRedMountain, is scheduled for August. Poetic, ironic and sad.)

My last example is also close to home, but one I feel is positive in approach and outcome.

Two weeks ago, we launched a new nonprofit organization called the Alabama Social Media Association, based in Birmingham. It is an open group that seeks to educate anyone interested about better uses of social media.

Our founding board — I am a member — reached out to organizations across the state before launch day to explain who we are and why we’re here. It was a gentle invitation to work together in the future on events and projects.

And we continue to reach out to groups to answer questions and explain our mission. If you’re interested, contact me, and I’ll be happy to give you more information.

We’ve been working on it since last fall, and we deliberated time and again if we could have done more to work within the existing social media group in Birmingham. But after repeated candid conversations with organizers at the local and national level, we reached an impasse.

But it forced us to line up a stronger mission and a more open, broader approach. And it worked well.

Our experience has shown us that cooperation, communication and coordination can yield great results. Not everyone will jump on board, but those that do begin building partnerships for the long haul.

We feel it’s critical, because we won’t always be here in these roles, and we want this association to be approachable, sustainable, durable.

Birmingham, blow up the sandboxes. Working together can make the load a lot lighter.

Update March 15: One of the Tedx Birmingham organizers called me today for a short chat. He reached out to Henry McBride, and they discussed ways Ignite Birmingham and Tedx Birmingham can collaborate.

He also said he reached out to TedxRedMountain, but has yet to hear back.

Photo: Josh Self

What do you think? What can be done to encourage cooperation and overcome cliques? Leave a comment with your thoughts.

Video: Preview of “The Spill,” “Frontline”

Some of you may recall way back in the spring of this year, a teensy weensy little petroleum spill somewhere out to sea.

It started with an oil drilling platform explosion in the Gulf of Mexico killing 11 workers and blossoming into the worst U.S. environmental disaster ever. Portions of the Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida coastlines suffered natural and economic damage.

Relive those heady days of early 2010 tonight when “Frontline” presents “The Spill,” a look inside the seemingly reckless practices of BP, the platform’s owner.

BP chief executive officer Robert Dudley said Monday, “I do not believe that BP is an unsafe company. There will be some documentaries run, I think tomorrow night in the U.S., that paints that picture of the company.”

The report airs at 9 tonight on Alabama Public Television, repeating at 1 a.m. Sunday. It will also be available for viewing online.

Caution: Watching this news documentary may cause vomiting, but don’t worry, BP will clean that up, too.

Video: “The Spill” investigates BP’s history of lax inspections
and equipment upgrades and maintenance.

Republican nominee Robert Bentley and Democratic nominee Ron Sparks will have a lot to discuss tonight at the gubernatorial debate. The FBI made arrests today in a federal gambling probe involving alleged bribes to state lawmakers. Those arrested this morning include VictoryLand owner Milton McGregor and lobbyist Robert Geddie.

Both nominees have discussed gambling during previous debates and campaign stops.

Tonight’s debate will focus on economic development and business. The hourlong event, sponsored by the Birmingham Business Alliance, starts at 6 p.m. at Hill Recital Hall on the Birmingham-Southern College campus. Admission is free and open to the public.

The debate will be carried live on Fox 6 and on the station’s website.

Election Day is Nov. 2.

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

A town hall will give attendees the first opportunity to ask business and city leaders about the new Blueprint Birmingham, a 5-year economic development plan from the Birmingham Business Alliance. The free 2-hour event takes place at 6 tonight at Alabama Power, 600 18th St. N., downtown [map].

Panelists include Birmingham Mayor William Bell and Hoover Mayor Tony Petelos, who both appeared at Thursday’s kickoff event at Railroad Park.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

The Birmingham Association of Black Journalists is the event sponsor.

Update: Full list of panelists …

Part 1: The Blueprint and Leadership

• William Bell, mayor of Birmingham
• Ann Florie, Leadership Birmingham
• Jay Grinney, chief executive officer of HealthSouth and co-chairman of the Birmingham Business Alliance Steering Committee
• Tony Petelos, mayor of Hoover

Part 2: Economic Development

• Bob Dickerson, Birmingham Business Resource Center
• Bill Ivey, TechKnowledge
• Patrick Murphy, senior vice president of Economic development at the Birmingham Business Alliance
• Lashunda Scales, Birmingham City Council

Also:

• Read Blueprint Birmingham.

At a glance: Blueprint Birmingham is a well-considered plan, peppered with great ideas and perhaps a few pie-in-the-sky objectives. Achieving most of the goals in 5 years will make the region far more competitive with an economic impact in the billions of dollars. Two critical components remain unknown for now: the price tag, and the willingness of enough citizens and investors to make it fly.

A new view of Birmingham, from
the recently opened Railroad Park.

Birmingham has never run short on problems, or even solutions to those persistent problems. But what the city and its leaders have often lacked is action.

Today marks the start of a significant 5-year action plan called Blueprint Birmingham, assembled by the Birmingham Business Alliance with consultants from Atlanta’s Market Street Services.

Business leaders will unveil the economic development plan to the public today at 5:30 at the new Railroad Park, but a copy of the plan was furnished to me last week.

The mere existence of a plan — good ideas welded to action steps and deadlines — is a small miracle unto itself. (The Blueprint already distinguishes itself from the feel-good do-nothing approach of Region 2020 or the tax-and-dome policy of the MAPS proposal.) It should be an easy sell to those yearning for progress, any progress.

Let’s dig deeper into the plan itself, after the jump …

(more…)

Found on the stroll to Artwalk Friday evening …

View Larger Map

Property location

On Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard between Second and Third Avenues North, this vacant lot is making you an offer:

Barber Companies

We would like to give this property to the organization or individual that will build a building and open a new Birmingham business on this site.

See website for details
www.barbercompanies.com

A quick check of the Barber site reveals no additional information.

Anyone want to open a supermarket? Tanning salon? Coworking space?

What would you put there? Leave a comment.

Blueprint Birmingham, the regional plan for development, will be shown to the public on Sept. 23 at the new Railroad Park. So says our insider at the Birmingham Business Alliance for this Wade on Birmingham exclusive.

Originally set to be revealed in May, the plan from the Birmingham Business Alliance and Atlanta’s Market Street received so much public input that more time was needed to put it together, officials said.

Currently, the plan is in its final stages. Blueprint Birmingham is an economic development plan for the seven-county region. After input from the public, the plan will require funding and action during the next 5 years to succeed. No word yet on the price tag or other plan details.

Update: Dalton Smith, president and chief executive officer of the Birmingham Business Alliance, resigned today, just a little more than a year since the organization was formed. He plans on forming an ethics reform advocacy group.

Young professionals were once an afterthought in Birmingham. Residents age 20 to 40 weren’t even a group — they were merely the bar hoppers and the laborers that made life easier on established generations.

Within the last decade, they have become an established brand. YPs have formed civic groups, held social events and candidate forums. But beyond that, this is a group that is worshiped.

In the past 8 months, two awards ceremonies focused on top young professionals. Blueprint Birmingham, the Birmingham Business Alliance’s still-forming economic development plan, singled out YPs for one of its focus groups. Not surprisingly, the alliance’s early report includes attracting and retaining young professionals as one of the area’s top challenges.

In the 2009-10 special mayoral election, several candidates went out of their way to court YPs and include their issues in their platforms, even as YP issues overlap other voters’ concerns.

And yet, we must ask why.

Why are YPs coveted? What have they done for the city in recent years that earns them this adulation?

Comparing 2000 to 2010,
the city is in more dire shape
economically and politically.

To be sure, a few individuals have stood out in service, in leadership and in accomplishment, not unlike the same distinguished handful in every generation. But as a demographic, as a group, as a movement, have YPs lived up to their promise in Birmingham?

Comparing the Birmingham of 2000 and the Birmingham of 2010, the city is in more dire shape economically and politically. The school system continues its long downward slide. City government seems determined to continue its tried-and-true mismanagement and shoulder shrugging.

YPs do not deserve the blame for these persistent issues any more than the yuppies, the natives or the CHUDs.

And amidst the air of doom hanging over the city’s future, a few bright spots still manage to emerge: the grand opening of Railroad Park, the recent push for more thoughtful zoning and development (especially with respect to neighborhoods), the slow growth of downtown life.

Again, YPs do not deserve the credit any more than any other group.

For all the special attention paid to young professionals in Birmingham, it seems rather misplaced. The city still has enormous challenges to overcome, a leadership vacuum and a damaged psyche to boot. The better course would be to develop and follow leaders of any age and background committed to leaving the city better than they found it.

Could YPs yet rise to the occasion and provide some initiative to fix these problems? Of course.

Have they done so? Not at all.

• • •

What’s your take? Have Birmingham’s young professionals lived up to their promise?

The original Five Points Music Hall made it 8 years. The new one didn’t make it 8 months.

Wade on Birmingham has learned that a Five Points Music Hall manager or owner has cleared out its tables and alcohol Tuesday night from its Southside location. No word as to what happened or what’s next for the space. The Web site lists shows for this weekend and April.

Five Points Music Hall re-opened in July, after the previous tenant Banana Joe’s closed in 2008 following a double homicide in the club’s parking lot.

Also:

• Bhamwiki article
• Ona’s Music Room moving from Southside to Pepper Place following Saturday show

Hat tip and photo credit: Eric McGinty of Birmingham band Avery Ellis Exhibits.