Wade on Birmingham

Archive for February, 2006

UPDATE: Taylor Hicks, take 2

Tuesday, February 28th, 2006

The soul man is on a roll, man.

Birmingham native Taylor Hicks is adjusting to life on and off camera after surviving the first round of competition last week on the reality TV competition “American Idol.” Even so, the pressure is growing as he prepares to out-sing the 19 other contestants.

Hicks filled us in by phone this afternoon from Hollywood inbetween rehearsals and interviews before Wednesday night’s 10-man competition.

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Heads and tales: Parents just don’t understand

Tuesday, February 28th, 2006

To our friends expecting or already blesed with babies, today’s headlines are just for you …

Because anything less is child abuse: If you’re going to parent, parent big! In the money = love department, we offer “the Cadillac of child care.” The cost of day care is exploding in the Birmingham area, driven by demand for the “very best” in entertaining 4-year-olds. Guilty parents (who can ill afford the tab) can blow their food money on such amenities as “Internet monitoring for parents, daily written reports on each child, state-of-the-art playgrounds with sprinklers for summer fun, organic lunches and advanced educational programs with foreign languages.” We’re all for improving child care and educational facilities for Alabama’s children, but we’re guessing the money’s not so much for Junior’s benefit as it is for salving parental shortcomings. But what do we know — we were raised by wolves. Unlicensed wolves, at that.
• Parents dig into pockets for top-quality child care [Birmingham News]

Condo U: Forget those drab cold cinder block dorms. Today’s collegian needs something to suit his/her upscale lifestyle (and mounting tuition debt). How about an off-campus condo, starting at a bargain $139,000? Birmingham-based Capstone Development is creating a $53 million Seaside-style gated(!) community near Auburn University. The 370 condos on 50 acres will include “granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, oil-rubbed bronze fixtures, security systems. … a clubhouse with a 30-seat theater, a fitness center, tanning beds, pool tables, a computer center, copier. … a three-level pool.” We wouldn’t be caught dead in anything less than the $229,000 five-bedroom unit. But that’s because Mummy and Daddy love us more.
• Plain living gets fancy [Birmingham News]

Object lessons: All is not lost. We present three examples of sanity regarding kids and their rearing (that didn’t come out right).

See, the kids are all right. It’s the parents that are messed up.

Also:

  • Spring-like weather confuses plants, poets
  • Smoker in restaurant smoking section still feels ‘uneasy’
  • Olympian returns to throngs of passengers waiting to board plane

• • •

Send us your news tips.

Hell on wheels

Tuesday, February 28th, 2006

It’s the classic sports movie: Jocks fight against incredible odds. Coach yells a lot. Tragedy strikes when least expected. A climactic battle takes place between bitter rival teams. And the jocks get the girls.

Except it’s a documentary. About rugby players. In wheelchairs.

Welcome to "Murderball." It’s out on DVD, but you can catch it tonight on TV before it competes in one last showdown, the Academy Awards.

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Criminal minds

Monday, February 27th, 2006

The City of Birmingham is taking crime on, one district at a time. Last week, residents of District 3 participated in the Cease Fire Anti-Crime Summit at Avondale United Methodist Church.

Can citizens and city groups reduce the crime rate together?

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flu-ent

Monday, February 27th, 2006

Darkness hits my head,
body too weak to fight back.
Even soup tastes bad.

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bead start

Sunday, February 26th, 2006

Olympics are done.
But Mardi Gras warming up.
Let the good times roll.

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three days left

Saturday, February 25th, 2006

Dashiki? textbook?
Don’t know what to get you for
Black History Month.

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box brigade

Friday, February 24th, 2006

Time to pack and move.
Everything must go (or sell).
Leaving in the morn.

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Heads and tales: Look at me

Friday, February 24th, 2006

Can’t stop the signal 1: A new promotional campaign in TV commercials and print ads will tout “Birmingham: The DiverseCity.” Ugh. Maybe instead, “Birmingham, the city too busy to learn.” Or “What happens in Birmingham … is none of your damn business.” More commercials in an unrelated campaign will highlight the city’s growing tech industry. Some say the city needs an image makeover, and that we suffer low self-esteem, either from racial history, risk aversion or poor leadership. At least it wasn’t “Birmingham: The AdverseCity.”
• New ads to promote ‘The DiverseCity’ [Birmingham News]

Can’t stop the signal 2: Once we lure tourists here, what next? CityVision is a promotional channel offered on TV sets in 50 area hotels, similar to travel guides offered in other cities. Restaurants and attractions advertise on a half-hour repeating DVD on the channel, free to hotels. Let’s hope guests don’t accidentally flip to this show.
• CityVision showcasing Birmingham’s attractions [Birmingham Business Journal]

Can’t stop the signal 3: What better way to show off the city than a segregation-era battle between blacks and whites? That’s the pitch (cough) behind Sunday’s game at Rickwood Field between the all-white Bristol (Conn.) Barnstormers and the Birmingham Black Barons, broadcast live on ESPN Classic. Jodi Markley, a senior vice president for ESPN Classic, said, “This is the first time we’ve put together an all-white vs. an all-black team. We want to showcase the game through the eyes of the segregated South.” (Oddly enough, the black team vs. white team is overlooked in this story.) The game airs from 3 to 6 p.m. with Chuck D(!) in the booth. Tickets are $10 and $12 at the ballpark and also at the Hoover Met.
• Black, white and televised all over: Segregated baseball to be re-enacted [Birmingham News]

Ciao, bella: Before we Turin out the lights (ack), one last Winter Olympics quickie. Albertville native and Auburn alum Elise Woodward Thomason was the lead designer for the pictograms for the 15 sports. “I saw them printed large, on the sides of buildings, and huge banners on the side of the Olympic stadium. It was a bit of a thrill.” Ah, the thrill of victory, the agony of design.
• AU grad’s art covers Turin [Birmingham News]

Also:

  • Anti-crime summit interrupted by drug dealer’s beeper
  • Weekend forecast: baby shower, with occasional drooling
  • Still no winner in state’s hepatitis lottery

• • •

Send us your news tips.

peanut gallery perspective

Thursday, February 23rd, 2006

Back row listens, waits,
while audience still debates.
Complain and complain.

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Heads and tales: Settlement, stat!

Thursday, February 23rd, 2006

Stock and aw: Birmingham-based healthcare company Healthsouth is paying $445 million to settle class action suits against the company, with no admission of wrongdoing. The plaintiffs will also receive 25 percent of any future judgments against Ernst and Young, UBS and former founder Richard Scrushy. That’s why we invest solely in fat-free chitlins and Martha Stewart bidets.
• HealthSouth reaches $445M agreement on lawsuits [Birmingham Business Journal]

De port! De port!: Forget confiscating nail clippers at the airport or stocking up on duct tape and plastic sheets. How about letting a Middle Eastern country that has banked al Qaida money and recognized the Taliban, as well as supplying two of the 9/11 hijackers, run the Port of Mobile? Not bloody likely, says Gov. Riley. While Mobile isn’t part of the president’s plan to allow six U.S. ports to be managed by a United Arab Emirates-owned company, the governor says Alabama will remain in charge of its own port. Thank Allah, since President Bush says "People don’t need to worry about security."
• Riley: Arab port deal not happening in Alabama [Decatur Daily]

When the Web cost a nickel: Community colleges statewide are helping old folks sign up for Medicare drug benefits. That’s because the new program requires high-speed Internet access. Great idea, that, forcing the elderly to go online to save money on overpriced meds. Because as we all know, Grandpa loves to surf the Web.
• Elderly can get Medicare help at schools [Birmingham News]

Also:

  • State officials prepare clinics, vaccines for outbreak of March Madness
  • Animals running wild, untaxed in Shelby County
  • It’s official: I’ve become my mother, if my mother were still living at home with her parents

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Send us your news tips.

Just for Hicks: 12 anguished men

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2006

Saving the best for last, Taylor Hicks sang last against middling competition in tonight’s “American Idol.” Shouldn’t be hard for him to nab one of the six men’s spots, given the weaknesses among the group.

Recap after the jump …

Updated with video, eliminations.

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stormy leather

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2006

Boots squeak on clean floor.
Soles slick with rain residue.
Nature comes inside.

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Heads and tales: Rule of flaw

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2006

Conventional wisdom: A Senate committee approved 10-0 on Tuesday a bill allowing citizens to vote on a constitutional convention — after a House committee failed to pass it 7-7. The state’s 105-year-old constitution, amended countless times, has outlived its usefulness. If by some miracle the Legislature OKs the referendum, we predict the religious conservatives will spend millions to discredit the reform movement, and that voters will shoot it down by a 2-1 margin. On the plus side, we’ll never have to dream big again.
• Constitutional convention gets new life in Alabama Legislature [Associated Press]

Home overrule: The House hasn’t been entirely slacking. It approved 74-3 on Tuesday a bill allowing citizens to vote on whether to severely curtail the Jefferson County Commission’s ability to float bonds. If voters statewide approve, the five commissioners would no longer be able to raise money through bond issues without holding a referendum or by unanimous vote. We haven’t been big fans of the shenanigans at the county level, but we’re certainly not gonna let Greene County tell us how to run our bidness. If only we could fix the constitution …
• House OKs bill to limit Jeffco bonds [Birmingham News]

Heads in the clouds: Pemco Aviation Group wants Birmingham to cough up $2.5 million to help it win a military contract. Corporate welfare or patriotic duty? At stake, 500 new jobs if the contract is signed — or 500 jobs cut if not, say company officials. Birmingham also wants to give $11 million to lure Wal-Mart to the Eastwood Mall site. A few mil here, a few there, it starts to become real money.
• Pemco asks council for $2.5 million [Birmingham News]

You’re soaking in it: Hoover is leaving the Jefferson County Storm Water Management Authority, which oversees federal water quality mandates, Sept. 30. That’s because Oct. 1, annual fees increase from $5 to $12 for homes and $15 to $36 for businesses — the first such increase in 10 years. Outrageous!! The city’s pullout is likely to have a dramatic effect on the oversight group’s budget, while Hoover mayor Tony Petelos said the city will meet federal standards on its own. Maybe Hoover should start its own postal system, too, since stamps went up two whole cents.
• Water agency losing Hoover [Birmingham News]

Also:

  • Tourists too entranced by city TV promos to leave hotel rooms
  • Car-repair scam replaces horn with collegiate fight song medley
  • Bar violates occupancy limit for ‘self-involved pricks’

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Send us your news tips.

project runway

Tuesday, February 21st, 2006

Stuck at Gate D2
with delayed flight, bad weather.
Guess I’ll read a book.

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