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Good morning!

You're regularly scheduled posting of Dre's Ramblings can now be found here!

For those that subscribe to a feed of the blog, please change the link to: http://dresramblings.wordpress.com/feed

For those that have linked to my previous posts, please note the new website address: http://dresramblings.wordpress.com

I will not be taking down the Blogger site for at least another month while I make sure that everything works the way it's supposed to. So for the time being, links to the Blogger posts will still work. Let me know and I'll make sure you know what the link is to the posting.

Thanks to all that have stopped by since last summer; let me know what you think of the new place.

Cheers.

A majestic view of a Magic City

While my hand was not necessarily the steadiest it’s ever been, this is the best shot of Vulcan I’ve ever taken. This is the image I spoke about yesterday that I took after the Vulcan Talks! panel discussion. Between that event and other conversations that I’ve had in recent days, I’ve been really beginning to think about what my vision of Birmingham is and what I want it to be. In many respects, this statue represents that vision better than anything else I can think of. I’ll let you know how that translates to paper shortly. Stay tuned.

Cheers.

Let's talk about our cultural future

Good morning everybody: Click here to view today's post on the new blog. Cheers.

A new player enters the fray of sustainability, raising the focus on it

I'm almost finished making the shift to the new site... If you have any comments, just post them over there. Thanks a lot. Enjoy the rain and don't get washed away if you're here in town! It’s a rather wet Monday here in Birmingham. While some say it’s a messy way to start spring, it’s definitely appropriate. The idea of new starts (though normally applied to fall) seems to be the theme of the area right now. There are a lot of upset children in the region though because of the bad weather and cold temperatures they’re predicting for spring break. Anyhow,

Seeing the name Melaver in print in The Birmingham News on Saturday brought a warm fuzzy feeling inside. This Savannah, GA-based company has gained respect as one of the leaders in green development. I enjoyed knowing some of their staff on a professional and social level while living in Savannah. They have demonstrated this several times over in both restoration of older properties and new construction projects throughout the Southeast. They now plan to expand their presence in Alabama with an incredible opportunity for the Federal Reserve site downtown. It should be very interesting to see how and if this development will influence how projects are done in Birmingham.

It is still very early in the current push for sustainable development projects to prove this completely; however many people believe that the “extra” expenses that exist during a project like this will pale in comparison with the long term savings and benefits that these projects will provide to a community. National and local organizations like the U.S. Green Building Council, Sustainable Portland and Sustainable Charleston are providing valuable information to help make our communities more environmentally friendly and manageable. This would be extremely beneficial in our region, given our past history with the EPA.

That being said, there are several organizations that already work towards these goals on one level or another, including the Freshwater Land Trust here in Jefferson County. Several organizations also list environmental concerns as an issue they wish to tackle head on. TechBirmingham’s 2^nd annual Ecycling Day effort, to be held on Friday, April 22 throughout the metro Birmingham area, tackles the issues of environmental friendliness by encouraging people to bring their old devices to drop off points throughout the area. Click here to learn additional information about this event.

Several organizations throughout the city, including Catalyst, look to the importance of both parks and green space and sustainable development as essential pillars for their memberships to pay attention to and become involved in. Ruffner Mountain’s planned replacement for its nature center building calls for green building principles to serve as the centerpiece of the design as it will serve as an example of how design can support the continued existence of this habitat in the region. The list certainly goes on and on, showcasing the public’s reception to seeing right done for their environment. I’m sure there are some I’ve forgotten (a great excuse to post a comment to the site).

The announcement in the paper of an organization built on the principles of sustainable development bringing their record to Birmingham should only heighten the awareness of residents of the importance of the issue and hopefully get people paying attention to those groups that are already doing it, getting some more on board in the process. Let’s hope that’s the case.

Cheers.

The Friday Ramble: Cooperation, Books and “Why do we wear green?”

Will it work?

Interesting how people hold their thoughts in until someone else let’s the cat out of the bag. There has been some very vocal support of comments made earlier this week by Alabama Power CEO Charles McCrary. Checking out the Breaking News blog on the Birmingham News site, it seems as though communication among local leaders is beginning to improve tremendously. This hopefully means that several issues that have been identified by several groups as important to the future of the region will finally begin to see more discussion and eventual consensus.

The blog of the week

Well, Dre’s Ramblings is finally listed on its hometown paper’s list of web logs (although now I have to let them know that it’s moving – click here to see how it’s coming along). As satisfied as we are of actually taking the time to contact the Birmingham News and let them know that we exist, we’re not the blog of the week. Besides, calling your own blog that blog of the week is bunk anyway. That honor goes to the Birmingham Public Library’s new blog that chronicles pertinent information for their patrons. It provides another vehicle for the library to get information out and makes it easy to track down information, providing links to important pages on its regular site thus making it easier for nerds like myself to know all that our system has to offer. It would be really cool if they posted the list of DVDs that they had just purchased too.

St. Patrick’s Day! Now, why do we celebrate again?

While I enjoy green beer as much as the next person, it still makes me wonder why we’ve turned this holiday into one of the biggest excuses to drink in America. I really can’t say anything; I’ve been quite guilty of using this holiday for that purpose for several years while in Savannah. Wade seems to be on to something on his blog today. The idea that some people don’t necessarily know why we celebrate the life of the patron saint of Ireland is a little strange. Hopefully we can shed some light on the matter and remember that we’re honoring his life and ironically, the anniversary of his death (in this case thanks to this link to the History Channel website).

Enjoy the evening.

Cheers.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I’d try to say something Gaelic, but I’d rather just post some pictures from our parade.

The beginnning of our St. Patrick’s Day parade as viewed from in front of the AmSouth Center in downtown Birmingham.

Members of the Birmingham Jaycees and Alabama Jaycees executive committees enjoying a great St. Patrick’s Day afternoon.

Spud’s Club’s float as it passes a crowd (trust me) by the Wachovia Tower.

It was fun. Not quite as long or large as Savannah’s click here to view pictures courtesy of the Savannah Morning News (click on the St. Patrick’s Day tab if it doesn’t immediately take you there), but still fun. Enjoy the rest of your day and Go Blazers! (UAB is playing Kentucky tonight in the NCAA Tournament and it just so happens that the Blazers wear Kelly Green!

Cheers.

Random shot of the week - Woodlawn High

Not a great picture, but an interesting one nonetheless. This tree is located in front of Woodlawn High School in Birmingham. It’s located in the neighborhood of the same name across the street from my organization’s current office. The school is not as well known as some of its alum, including Florida State University football coach Bobby Bowden and former UAB and San Antonio Spur basketball player and current state representative Oliver Robinson. Both of these Woodlawn alumni are hoping to draw attention to efforts to restore the largest mural created under the Works Progress Administration as part of President F.D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. Click here to learn more about it.

Notes from last night's talk with Arrington

I would suggest that if you wish to comment, that you do so at the new site. I'm still probably 3 or 4 days away from completing the transfer. But I will still post on both sites until it is over. Enjoy the ramblings.

While my hopes were to make this post last night, fighting with code on both the old and new blogs made it a little difficult. That being said, it was probably better to sleep on the comments made by former Mayor Richard Arrington last night at the PARCA Roundtable. Mayor Arrington was accommodating to a point, not wanting to openly criticize the current administration. For those not familiar with the city's first African American mayor, click here to view part of the series run by Birmingham Weekly about him last year. The following is more of a summary of his comments.

He started off talking about the worldwide perception of the city when he first took office, namely the fact that many people had taken their eyes off of the city after the height of the Civil Rights movement and looked back when they were shocked that the city had elected an African American to chief executive post in the city. In reference to Alabama Power CEO Charles McCrary’s comments made on Tuesday, he said that a mayor will not succeed over a long period of time without support from the corporate community. He also said that a being a mayor requires vision and the taking of risks without being reckless. Arrington talked about his having to reassure the business community that he was willing to work with them and about the difficulty in breaking the ice. He also said that he entered office at a very important time in the history of the city and gave praise to the staff that he assembled that included the city’s current Planning, Engineering and Permits Director Bill Gilchrist and the man that he defeated to become mayor, David Vann.

He said when he took office; it was a period of political and social transitions. He entered office with a 24% unemployment rate and an economy that was not diversified. Arrington frequently referred to the public-private partnership that he fostered during his time in office as being essential to his successes. These included leaving office with the lowest unemployment rate and crime rate in the history of the city and an endowment to assist its transition into the 21^st century. He said that the most important part of that partnership was to move it beyond rhetoric and into the area of action. He spoke of his relationships with the county delegation to Montgomery and the level of cooperation that had to exist in order to move things forward. He also was very willing to talk about things he viewed as problems during his administration as it relates to the corporate community. He spoke of the TCI Steel plant closing shortly after his installation into office as well as failed attempts to annex what is now Liberty Park and parts of Trussville into the City. He spoke of the importance of the commercial tax base for vitality of a city and of the compromises that had to be made in order to insure the tax base for the city while not being able to convince them to build in the city center.

I will say that I was not sure what to expect in meeting him last night. He is one of those figures that I was told you felt one way or the other about. He was personable and diplomatic and made some important comments towards the end that made me lean one way. He spoke of the MAPS initiative that I learned of during my first visit to Birmingham. Arrington pointed out that more than the dome or the transportation initiatives that were included in the package, the most important thing was to create a stronger sense of community. He suggested that it was the current problem in the region, keeping us from moving forward as a community instead of as 30+ municipalities. He said that while he did not enjoy the level of cooperation that the current mayor has with surrounding cities, there is still a long way to go to achieve true regional success and cooperation.

Several of us peppered Mr. Arrington with questions involving what needed to be done to improve relations and to push issues forward. The short, interpreted answer would be that what happens next depends on how much we really care.

So, how much do we really care? Send in some comments. You probably want to post them on the new site though.

Cheers.

Let the move begin and a note for later.

I've begun the process of moving my blog over to WordPress. Come over and check out the progress on the transfer by clicking here. Or you can cut and paste the following link: http://dresramblings.wordpress.com One more thing...

This evening former Mayor Richard Arrington is speaking to the PARCA Roundtable. The group invited him to speak about the relationship between government and business well before today’s article was published about Mr. McCrary’s comments in the Birmingham News. I’m very interested to hear what the former mayor has to say about this topic. I’ll even be more interested in taking some notes and sharing some of what he said here later on this evening.

Cheers.

Can we talk? Some groups are ready to

I just submitted a proposal to our local Chamber’s COOL Community Task Force. Click here to learn some more information about them. A while back I posted this entry (which I’ve referenced several times recently) asking for a listing of young professional groups and traditional civic organizations in order to eventually attempt to call a meeting of their leadership. The hope is to make everyone aware of the organizations that already exist, create an information network between them and promote common themes that are driven by what they want to see in their community. I’m optimistic that organizations will want to open those lines of communication and help move this city forward. Here’s a link to a PDF of the proposal.

The hope of energizing that group of people will hopefully help to energize the business community of the Magic City. Today’s Birmingham News placed an article above the fold that focused on comments made by the CEO of Alabama Power, Charles McCrary. It is something that has been identified as being important time and time again as a key to maintaining or improving itself. Campaigns are already underway to garner more name recognition in the region, including the CVB’s “The DiverseCity” campaign and TechBirmingham’s “Change” campaign. There have also been meetings convened by Jabo Waggoner with the purpose of having the area's political leaders on the same page.

The question is not necessarily if they are on the same page, the question is how many of them are on the same page. Hopefully this will serve as a call to action among both groups to move forward and advance the city. People are definitely wanting to talk. Venues are being provided and new activities are bringing different groups together to discuss. The next step is to put these groups together and find out what they have in common.

I’d love to get comments about the proposal as well as well as thoughts about McCrary’s comments and mine. Let me know what you think.

Cheers.

Check out the entrance to the garden

For a slightly cooler day, I figured I'd look back to last summer. This is a shot of some students walking home from school past the Princeton Healing Garden, located off the intersection of 10th Street and Tuscaloosa Avenue, SW in the Arlington-West End neighborhood. The garden was designed to serve therapeutic purposes particularly for the residents of the nearby Princeton Towers. This is one of many ecoscapes developed in part by the Southern Environmental Center at Birmingham-Southern College.

Little blue signs everywhere

I was driving around greater Birmingham over the weekend and began to notice small blue signs placed near interstate exit and entrance ramps and at major traffic intersections. The picture to the left is one of two located at the end of the exit ramp for Airport Blvd. off Interstate 20/59. The signs were associated with The Crest, a project proposed by Barber Properties to inhabit a prominent location on Red Mountain to take advantage of view of not just Jones Valley (downtown Birmingham) but the area to the south as well. Philip Jordan at Birmingham Weekly wrote this piece about the final vote on the project that took place at the January 17^th City Council meeting. These signs state that The Crest would provide $2.36 million annual for the city of Birmingham. In relatively small print (the type that cannot be easily read while driving) the words “in income” appear next to the previously mentioned dollar amount.

There have been numerous references made to the argument that the Redmont Park neighborhood’s historic architecture should be preserved. Good point. There have also been statements made about the impact that it would have on that neighborhood’s traffic problems. Definitely a major concern. I would love to present one of the more compelling arguments that has not been readily made as of yet: the fact that we already have tons of residences and apartment buildings, whether they exist from the 1920s with courtyards to the 1950s (with… well they exist) already standing throughout Birmingham, AL.

My last post dealt with Mt. Laurel; one of the issues brought up was the idea that while New Urbanism in theory is great, it is a shame that it is not practiced in existing urban environments and instead applied on blank canvases. Despite its greatest intentions, I would argue that the same annual increase in income to the City of Birmingham could be achieved by moving into existing structures or by bringing back existing neighborhoods rather than creating new ones. Risk is not something that is associated with great wealth. However, those willing to take a “risk” are needed now as this city continues to enjoy being rediscovered. And it is already being rediscovered. The idea of asking “When is it coming?” is long over; it should now be, “How do I do my part or get involved in the process?”

Developing an edge city rather than helping to bring back some inner city neighborhoods with strong character may only lead to further feed bad feelings about the city. I am somewhat biased on this issue: I live in Central City Neighborhood in the heart of the city and my job is focused on bringing back older commercial districts throughout the city. There are gems that sit throughout the city, waiting for interested parties to come forward and lead the charge towards where most people want to go: upward and forward. I’d rather stay and fight another day for what I want in my still newly adopted home instead of packing up shop and thinking that it’s beyond hope. That same income could come in and really become part of the city rather than being perched on high looking down into it. I'd love to see private dollars go towards moving people into the core.

Considering that all of the existing current avenues for approval have been exhausted, except for civil court, it will be interesting to finally learn why these signs have suddenly appeared throughout the area.

Let me know what you think.

Cheers.

Mt. Laurel revisited

I mentioned recently that I’d received a message asking if my opinion of a previous post. That post focused on Mt. Laurel; the individual asked if my opinions on the development had changed since a post that I put up in August. I figured that the best way to answer was to go out and take a look out there. My opinion has changed… a little.

Pulling into the town on a Saturday afternoon, I still found the first issue that I had with the development quite disturbing. My main concern still lies in its location. They are attempting to deal with some of the immediate needs of its residents as well as the residents of surrounding developments. Signs in windows called for the eventual opening of a grocery store in the coming months. Additional live/work units had also been completed with a church, coffee shop and pizzeria joining the already successful Standard Bistro. It still looked extremely quiet. Driving past their large recreational area, Olmstead Park, I saw something that I’d not seen in my previous visit: people. They were playing basketball, having a game of catch, laying out on the grass enjoying a beautiful late spring afternoon in central Alabama. You saw residents out walking dogs, out for a late morning run, really just living life.

Signs guided me to the next phase of the development, with a sample home open to the public and crews working to complete the first sets for sale. I parked when I noticed an “Open House” sign sitting out in front of one of the few homes that did not have the “private residence” notice in front of it. I would hope that one result of agreeing to live in a development such as this is the notion that you are actually on display. This is where I should note that I was not the only car just traveling through for the day. People were taking advantage of the weather to see what it would be like to live out in Mt. Laurel.

Back to the home… I entered after walking up the stone stairs leading to the front porch. The entryway was reminiscent of older homes as well as the orientation of public space as you entered. While it was an open house, there was not anyone available to speak with in the home. That was fine by me; this way I could enjoy the study of the property without feeling pressured. The structure was quite impressive: three bedrooms and 2 ½ baths. The layout was more in line with contemporary designs than anything else. For all intensive purposes, the main living space of this home was designed to be off of its kitchen. The island was the size of a large kitchen table with four stools set up on one side. It’s at this point where I realize that this is a home for the 21^st century: there is a cable outlet above the counter.

It’s also interesting to note that the “back” entrance to the home was quite elaborate as well. It was set up more for entertaining, though most guests would have to enter from the front. Neighbors and family would most likely use the back. The alleyway contains all of the service amenities, including mailboxes, garbage cans and parking spaces, whether they are garages or carports. If you really wanted to, you would never have to use the front door at all. And in the time I spent driving some of the alleys, I realized that there was another world going on behind the homes; one where children are free to play in the alley without fear of car traffic, garages left open without much fear of crime.

I would not mind trying to create a home in that kind of environment. Especially if children were in the picture, the opportunity to not worry as much for now is great. It is still somewhat disturbing when you must drive at least five miles to get additional services provided, though the recent and potential commercial openings can and do provide some creature comforts without too much traveling. The other projects in the area do not seem to be developing with their neighbor in mind. That still disturbs me as well. When you know or can sense the long range plan for a development, it should at least cause other developers to consider how it will affect or aid their projects. To see the planning applied to Mt. Laurel just cut off by a fence separating you from the subdivision next door it’s a little sad. I also still wonder why some of these projects could not be constructed in existing cities, or applied to current urban situations. That being said, I’m more comfortable with Mt. Laurel now than I was originally. Time will tell whether it will be allowed to provide its goal comfortably or if it will be an anomaly among typical subdivisions constructed in Central Alabama and around the country. Thoughts? Have a great day! Cheers.

The Friday Ramble: Baseball and good music

You’d think the world was ending ‘cause we couldn’t beat Canada (if you’re a baseball fan) The boys of summer representing the United States got a reprieve from elimination in the World Baseball Classic yesterday thanks to the Mexican national team in yesterday’s 9-1 shellacking of the Canadian national team. There are a lot of people asking why the United States is not dominating this tournament. There are two answers that I would present to them:

1) Take a look at where some of our game’s biggest stars are from. Now tell me what team they’re playing for during the tournament. Where do they identify with the most?

2) Don’t forget that this is America’s favorite pastime. The rest of the Americas may finally be feeling like living up to their end of the deal as well.

Today will be a good one, as it could very well be Roger Clemens’ last start if he chooses to retire after pitching against South Africa this afternoon in Scottsdale, AZ. Game starts at 2 p.m. local time.

Turn on some music… (No, really; some regional acts or undiscovered souls maybe) This coming Wednesday, Moonlight Music Café owner Keith Harrelson has called a “Birmingham Radio Forum” (scroll down if necessary) to “examine” the state of local radio in the Magic City. While our local hero in providing new and refreshing music to the region, Scott Register (a.k.a. Reg of Reg’s Coffeehouse) will not be there, it will provide either the beginning of a new movement in town or show once again that while we may think that something is wrong, very few of us are willing to go out there on that limb and make the necessary requests for changes. This Birmingham Weekly article lays out the situation in greater detail.

The world of digital radio exists for few people in comparison to those that are still stuck listening to whatever the computer tells them is hot and trendy for the moment via the airwaves. The ability to be exposed to new music, something that you think would be easier nowadays due to changes in technology, has become harder than ever due in part to that same digital divide that has been discussed by several people in recent years.

Music also used to be able to tell the story of a region; people pulled into town and immediately searched for those stations that typified the genres popular among the locals. There are few exceptions as we enter the 21^st century, as individuals switch on their XM radios in their cars devoid of noticing local flavor or listen to whatever the local version of the national companies say is hot now.

I actually sit bopping my head to the sounds of WMVY from Martha’s Vineyard whenever I’m behind the desk in the office or working on a project over the weekend (unless, of course, it’s time for Reg’s). The Massachusetts station reminds me of my time living near the coast. It’s something that I can identify with. It’s hard to identify with a local station nowadays when the talent is piped in from all over the place. Hopefully Keith will be lucky and get a diverse crowd out there to begin the process of identifying the local sounds in town or a better sense of our identity for the masses.

Cheers.

City Stages is getting closer and a great pic

You can blame how I stumbled into Birmingham in part on City Stages. 1998 to be exact: the year of the Phil Collins fiasco. For those that know, that’s worth a separate posting all unto itself (but I digress). That visit led to seven years of thinking about moving here and, to some extent, this blog. When you first mention it, you kind of get that weird look until you learn of its beginnings and of the intentions of the organization. Well, yesterday’s Birmingham News placed this story above the fold. There are several bands that I probably would have never seen if I hadn’t attended the festival. I hope it helps the organization get out of the red and continue to bring a different, eclectic music festival to life.

If you have not picked up a copy of this week’s Birmingham Weekly as of yet… why don’t I just let you read the posting on the Catalyst blog.

Cheers.

Random shot of the week

For those that don't necessarily know Birmingham, AL (and I'm learning more all the time) the occasional random shot for you:

Looking south at the corner of 7th Avenue South and 29th Street South in the Lakeview district.

Comments on arrests in church attacks

Some of the most interesting news to come out of yesterday’s arrest of suspects wanted for the church burnings in rural Alabama was what came out of the college campus that two of the accused attended. The comments, made during a press conference on the campus of Birmingham-Southern College by their president, have been somewhat lost in the whirlwind of debate regarding proper punishment for the crime if they’re convicted. Attention has already been paid to the needs of the communities affected. This however, probably more than anything else since my arrival in town, provides a brilliant example of the existence of leadership willing to do things that are not necessarily expected or necessary. The college’s ability to step up in this time of need should serve as a call to arms for more people to figure out ways that they may be able to help rebuild the physical homes for these congregations. Perhaps it should also cause us to ask ourselves what we can do for our community, whether it’s asked for or not.

Random ramblings for a Friday afternoon

For those of you that got a message or comment posted about the site today, please look at this post & thanks for stopping by. Or just keep on reading this post.

One more source for getting the word out I attended a Cultural Alliance workshop last night and learned something as a result of some additional research. Their new website, activeculture.info does provide for civic clubs to post their meeting dates on the site. The site has also become the official arts and culture site for the Birmingham News. A search of the site showed that no organization currently uses it to publicize their meetings. The multi-faceted approach that was mentioned here earlier this week includes using new vehicles for getting the information out. It is somewhat surprising that groups have not explored this avenue as of yet. Many of these groups are in fact open to a wide array of people that do not know of their existence when they first arrive here in town. Hopefully, some of the groups that I’ve been trying to list will begin to use this resource in addition to the methods that they already use.

Come on out and dance tonight The ability to live in a town where you’re upset that there’s too much to do is something that I’m grateful for. There are many people that may disagree with the first part of that statement, but I’d say that you’re not really looking for something to do. For example, I’m not saying that I’ll be dancing, but it should be a lot of fun tonight at the Rotaract Club event that I mentioned in an earlier post. You can always eat some wings and then dance to some swing music at the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, watch films that competed in the most recent Sidewalk Scramble and that would only get you through until Saturday morning and just be what’s happening downtown. And if you can’t afford the $100 ticket dinner tonight with John Waters (like me) you can always go and see his photography on Saturday as well.

The ability to see a city morph and change is something that few people really pay attention to while it’s happening. The appreciation happens after some time later. This is a great time to be in town, if only to say, “I was here when…” after the next wave of transplants and natives come to roost. Those that wait for a city to become hip and cool are missing out on the opportunity to help shape how it can be that way for others. I know that it’s always a matter of not paying attention to what’s going on in your own back door. As a New Yorker, I’m very guilty of that habit. I’m trying to make a conscious effort to not fall into that same trap here. I figure now’s as good a time to enjoy it as any.

Some random links Click here to view information about the upcoming Relay for Life event in Leeds/Moody and learn how you can support the Jaycees in their fund raising efforts.

Click here to view the still morphing list of young professional organizations as I’m still hoping people may have some information for me. Click here if you have something happening in a different town that’s similar and you want to see it on this list.

And finally, thanks to the guys at Homewood Musical Instrument Co. for fixing my classical guitar so I can play it again. Just playing around with it should keep me busy enough for the week. Enjoy.

Cheers.

The power of blogging and why do we read them anyway?

An e-mail I received yesterday reminded me of the fact that the comments I post up here serve as a window into not just my life, but this region, reveling how someone thinks it operates and where it’s going to those that choose to stop and take a gander. Blogging can be a tool to voice what you think or a way to keep inside jokes going. Its power has already been talked about on numerous television newsmagazines and there are even blogs about blogs.

I’ve come to blogging (rather late compared to others) as a way to clear my mind so I can be more productive. The ability to put my thoughts out there for me and the rest of the world to see in perpetuity is a little nerve racking. It does let me get it out there for all to read and get feedback on. Most times the comments are generic, sometimes pointed at one person, all aimed at getting some kind of conversation going. It’s become a town square in a way that not even myspace is capable of. Conversations can be had about fun things and serious things without necessarily ever meeting the person. Back in college I had to lead a conversation about how computers and the internet were changing the notion of the town square as a meeting place and a place for great conversation. The conclusion for participants at the end of the class was that people still use the town square, but that it’s purpose was changing. Now it has a Wi-Fi connection in it and you’re there to check your myspace, Facebook or Friendster account. You hear from people on a far more regular basis than previous generations ever did. And you never know who’s reading your thoughts.

I know that some of the people that read this blog are bloggers themselves. I’d love to know what your reason is for blogging. If you just like to read what we write, I’d love to know about that too. I’ve sent a link to this post to a lot of people. I’d invite you to take a ride through the roads that I’ve created here and let me know what you think. Kind of pointless to write without getting criticism. More later.

Cheers.

More organizations for your viewing pleasure (and some bones too)

Thanks to Kristy J. for sending in the links to these organizations to add to our growing list.

Young Leaders of Magic Moments

Glenwood, Inc. Junior Board

Young Women’s Connection

Click here to read the initial post and this link (ok, and this one too, though not as necessary) to see additions to that list. Sometime later today or tomorrow I plan to reorganize that first entry to show all of the organizations on one page. Thanks as well to all of those that have responded favorably to the concept of meeting and finding out what everyone else is doing. Hopefully work on that aspect will begin soon.

Partying on the roof of McWane, but still no "Batman Begins" Today’s Birmingham News also talks about some really interesting news from the McWane Center. Now, if we could only get them to show some new releases on that IMAX screen every once in a while.

More later. Cheers.

Two important projects poised to influence future of city

This morning’s Birmingham News reported that the resolution providing $17 million to be applied towards the Railroad Reservation Park and the acquisition of the Eastwood Mall property for construction of a new shopping center was approved during the weekly City Council meeting. Click here for a history of the entire Railroad Reservation site, courtesy of www.bhamrails.info. A printer friendly version of the article talking about the master plan recently presented for the Oporto Madrid commercial area is available by clicking here.

Both of these large scale initiatives call for the city’s fabric to be altered. The RailroadReservation Park allows for a connection between the City Center and the UAB medical hub that has developed on Southside. Groundbreaking for the park is scheduled for later this month. The park serves as a catalyst not only for connecting two areas into one large downtown, it also provides a potential point from which some other initiatives can be dealt with, including transit and safety. It will be a lot of fun watching the dirt being moved around on this site. Thanks to Curtis Palmer for the picture.

The master plan for Oporto Madrid, developed by KPS Group, provides suggestions for redeveloping a commercial area that has been affected by continued development “over the mountain.” Wal-Mart, whether loved or not, provides the catalyst in this area for renewed interest and development. The hope is that increased traffic in the area produced by customers to the new Supercenter store will provide incentive for additional retailers, national and local, to follow suit. Even before this announcement was made, construction on a Publix within the city limits was well underway on Montclair Road. The plan also calls for a pedestrian focused component, providing a "Main Street" or "town square" feel, something that would be interesting to see applied in a section of town that has become quite dependent on automotive traffic for its design of shops, as is the case in most city edges in the late twentieth century. If successful, it can provide a model for future development throughout the city and allow us to see just how quickly people are willing to give up their self-dependence on the car for an opportunity to enjoy days like this one. And it would be a great feeling. We'll see what happens. Let me know what you think.

Cheers.

Pictures from the game and other tidbits for your viewing pleasure

I just checked out the pictures that Curtis took at the Black Barons game on Sunday afternoon. I tried to take some, but once I figured out that the digital had no battery life left it became a little impossible.

For those that look at new home sales as an indicator of the market, here’s something else to consider. Today’s Birmingham News article shows that preservation may in fact be alive and kicking in the Magic City in a much larger way than most may think in terms of residential. Or it could show that people do not necessarily want to move into more congestion. Read it and decide for yourself. One of the best ways to show a renewed interest in our city is to bring back those areas that have been getting vacated and provide examples on how that can come back and bring life, vitality and fun back into town.

Today’s first meet and greet session with Catalyst’s new director, Cherie Fields, and its steering committee was great. It’s definitely a great next step for a great organization. The Birmingham Business Journal had some fun scooping the other papers in town this week with this article.

And, since I posted this ramble late last night, I figured I’d link to it so I can get some feedback.

Now it’s time to get some more work done so I can enjoy a late lunch outside and enjoy the warm weather.

Cheers.

Communication should be key to civic pride

Even if you just stumble across this page, I’d love to hear what ideas you may have from your own towns about this post.

Bets and I had some friends over for drinks to celebrate the end of the Carnival season before the beginning of Lent and my attempt to get back into decent shape before Memorial Day. While enjoying beer and wings, the conversation shifted to the norm: what’s going on and how can we change things. Among those at the gathering were friends that we did not make until we met here in Birmingham, though we were actually neighbors in Savannah. The conversation with them about what we missed about Savannah while being honest and frank about its shortcomings made me think about simplifying the statement I earlier today (if that’s possible). The main thing that seems to drive the future of a city is communication on all levels. The question is how many people really take advantage of the tools and resources currently available to reach this goal

Planned changes to my office’s website in the next two or three weeks that will make our intentions somewhat clearer. Several organizations in the region are trying to make their websites cleaner and simpler. While this eventual streamlining may be well for those of us on the other side of the technological divide, there are many people here in town that do not have access to a computer and that do not “know” what’s going on. The coolest thing about my time in Savannah was watching the availability of information change and how that change impacted the way things were done in the city. It is still far from perfect. The key is figuring out how to plug in wherever you are. We all operate in spheres of influence that prevent us from seeing everything going on. activeculture.info, organizational websites and the newspapers are fine, but what about 4” x 5” cards announcing upcoming events. Let’s beat them over the head with flyers announcing what’s going on. And not just art gallery openings, and not just in the usual places. How about getting some of this information in West End, Ensley and Pratt City? Even if they do not attend at first, the seed is planted for the next time.

For those of us who experienced college, this is nothing more than taking our extracurricular activity experiences and applying them to modern times. The only real way to affect change is to get out there and make it known every way possible.

I’m tired of selling those that do not have the right “tools” short; I’ll get off the soapbox only after making people aware of all that their city has to offer. But it takes a change in attitude that a city must undertake thoroughly and completely before that happens. If we’ve truly done everything that we can and people are still apathetic, then it will just have to stay the way it is. People must begin to consider the fact that everyone wants to see their city succeed; now let’s figure out how to get everyone to the table. Let me know what you think.

Cheers.

Catalyst gets a director; now the fun begins

For those of you not familiar with Catalyst for Birmingham, two things to do before you continue:

1) Check out their website

2) Point of disclosure: I’m on the steering committee (like I said a while back, I have a hard time saying the word “no,” plus it’s a great organization). However, what I write on my blog is my opinion and not that of the entire committee.

Now that those things are out of the way,

Today the organization announced that they have hired a director to manage the day-to-day operations. Cherie Fields, a Birmingham native, will assume the duties of director officially tomorrow, beginning with a meeting of the organization’s steering committee. Cherie’s focus will be to help manage the goals and needs of the membership base of the organization and to assist the steering committee as it attempts to fulfill these goals. These two objectives are extremely important as the organization attempts to reinvigorate itself. She’s going to do a great job and is going to have a lot of fun doing it.

Joining the steering committee re-engaged me in a study of young professional organizations that started while in Savannah. I found the concept of the creative class interesting, though flawed, and ability to pull together young progressives for events such as the Memphis Manifesto as impressive and necessary for the future of cities as they hoped to become. The result has been following the activities of several organizations around the country and beginning to track the activities of similar organizations in our region. So far it’s been a lot of fun to learn how other groups are driven to make their communities better. It’s also made me aware of things that could be tried here to continue progress in the Magic City.

One of the issues faced by Catalyst is its perception as a downtown-focused or young professional-focused organization. I’ve been reminded recently of the one thing that drew me to Catalyst when meeting with Alan Hunter in August 2004: the idea that an organization was open to anyone that wanted to join and that it could make a difference. Young professionals may make up the leadership of the organization, but to me it’s always been a focus on allowing ideas from anyone that wants to voice them to be expressed. That is why it has never used the latest “catch phrase” to describe itself and why I hope it never will. What drives Catalyst is that its members are committed to change; it is what drives most civic organizations at their core, and hopefully for the better. Instead of calling them “hipsters,” “bobos,” “yp’s” or “progressive,” let’s call them what they really are: people who care about seeing good things for their native or adopted hometown. Let’s cheer them on rather than find new ways to meet and not share information.

A hope for the near future is to have a meeting of all of these organizations, providing an opportunity for civic and political leaders to know what’s being talked about out there, what’s really being talked about around town.

Thoughts? Comments?

Cheers.

The Game, music for fun and the problem with television today

One for the ages It was an interesting turnout yesterday and an INSANELY LONG game. The ones that appeared were the diehards, the ones that sought refuge from the rest of the world and those just looking for an excuse to call their parents and friends and tell them that they were going to be on TV (i.e., me). While reports had the crowd at Rickwood Field at 4,000, you get the feeling that more people would have been aware had the game been publicized to the general public more. The wind didn’t help matters much either. Nonetheless, my mom got to see me look like a geek on television. Those that felt left out by not being able to attend, there’s still some home: the annual Rickwood Classic is scheduled for June 22. And of course there’s always the option of trying to convince them to hold the Negro Leagues event again, providing everyone a chance to enjoy the game. Click here to learn about those that were elected to the Hall of Fame today in a special called vote to honor former Negro Leagues stars.

Jump and wine Today is a chance to listen to Carnival (or at least get in the mood) courtesy of www.pointalive.com. This website originates from Point Fortin (where my uncle just happens to be the mayor) and should give listeners a pretty good idea of the way things are going down there. The server has been slammed on and off for most of the day. Something to keep in mind is the number of Trinidadians living off of the island trying to listen. If you’re patient, you’ll eventually have some fun bopping your head along.

No chance for failure Finally, I figure I haven’t had a real rambling commentary for a while (that is the name of the blog after all)… I will freely admit that I’d become a fan of Love Monkey, the CBS drama that did not involve murder, explosions or “reality” television. I’d been wondering why the show did not come on two weeks ago when I was looking forward to an excuse to take a break from watching the Olympics. For some unknown reason, I finally decided to check out one of my favorite music magazines earlier today, Paste. While trying to catch up with the rat race, I learned of the show’s current “hiatus” though plans call for their not to be a return.

Now, call me a weird individual, (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing), but I keep wondering how three episodes is enough to measure the success of a television show. I’ve been wondering just how many people tuned in to watch the show and were upset that a rerun of NCIS was on instead. It’s funny that networks never mention what those numbers are instead. I also realize that I’m one of the few on this information superhighway that does not have cable television, probably shielding me from the news longer since I’m not wired up on the latest gossip from E! Online or similar stations. For Love Monkey, the idea of looking at something other than a court room, police precinct or an emergency room was quite refreshing as was the music. The issue is more with providing an opportunity for shows to truly succeed, even this age of instant gratification where something has to be an instant success. People are more frightened than ever to take their time and take a chance. It’s led to a cookie cutter style that is slowly beginning to infiltrate all that we do.

Though in a perfect world a cable network or another station would pick it up and run with it, I’ll include the link to the online petition but accept that part of our creativity is disappearing daily whenever execs refuse to take a chance.

Cheers.

A chance to give back to nature, people and yourself (well...maybe)

If you stumble across this post this afternoon, live in the metro Birmingham region and want to help support one of our greatest assets, please consider stopping by Ruffner Mountain tomorrow afternoon beginning at 3 p.m. We will be holding an organizational meeting for the Friends of Ruffner Mountain, which I mentioned sometime last week, wherever this link takes you :) This is an interest meeting and the idea is to identify those that may want to volunteer at the Nature Center in various ways, including fund raising. I hope some of you will make the pilgrimage out there tomorrow, even with the raindrops falling on your heads. I also have one more link to an existing young professional organization to post. For those that want to learn more about this initiative, please click here; it should answer most of your questions. The Young Advisory Board for Big Brothers, Big Sisters Thanks to our friends over at Wade on Birmingham for that lead. Finally, I would be remiss not to mention the fact that this is one of the busiest weekends in the Caribbean. Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago reaches its climax over the next few days. Being raised by Trinidadians, it was my belief that my year basically began and ended with the festival. In some respects, it still does. It's a great chance to remember what you're grateful for as well as an opportunity to determine what you need to do to better yourself in the coming months. Of course, the most important thing is to point out all of the cool things going on right now. So, over the weekend the sounds of jazz, pop and hip hop on my computer are replaced with the sounds of calypso and soca. And I'd like to offer a couple of links to get everyone in the mood. Toronto-Lime.com TriniSoca.com And in case you wondered just how seriously Trinis take Carnival, click here to see the importance of the upcoming World Cup soccer warm-up match taking place on Tuesday, courtesy of the Trinidad and Tobago Express. Enjoy your Friday evening. Cheers!

Baseball set to capture the Magic City's imaginaton, and some other things

Leading off
The ESPN Classic game featuring the Birmingham Black Barons taking place on Sunday afternoon that I’ve previously mentioned received some great press in two of our local publications today: The Birmingham News and Birmingham Weekly. I’m hoping there’s a great turnout. It definitely provides an opportunity to take a good look at and honor some history, complete with individuals that hover larger than life over the game and our culture. Few things embody the ability to slow down and enjoy life than being at a ballpark. You don’t even necessarily have to be watching the game. It’s definitely something to get you in the mood for the season to begin, especially with players beginning to report for spring training in Arizona and Florida.

Civic organizations round up, Part 1
I have to put on my Jaycees board member hat for a moment: The Birmingham Jaycees are having a bowling night at Lightning Strikes Lanes in Trussville this evening beginning at 6 p.m. You can always imagine the worst part of your week sitting at the end of the lane to motivate some high scoring this evening. If you have a chance, please come on out. Keep a lookout for a blog site for the chapter in the coming weeks.

Please take a moment to view my personal webpage for the upcoming American Cancer Society Relay for Life event in Leeds/Moody on May 19. I plan to take part in that event as a member of the Birmingham Jaycees team. The page has links to addition information and provides opportunities to donate online. I encourage you to at least visit to learn more about this incredible project.

More later. Cheers.

Good news on Constitutional Reform front!

Here’s an e-mail I just received from Hill Carmichael at http://www.gbm.org. Please take a moment and look it over and pass it on. Cheers.

GREAT NEWS!!!  Yesterday, the Senate Constitution, Campaign Finance, Ethics and Elections Committee passed a substitute of Senate Bill 52 (Citizens Convention Bill) out of committee on a unanimous 10-0 vote.  The substitute bill of SB52 is very similar with the following changes:

• Strengthened the Ballot question to include that the people would vote on any recommendation made by a Convention, Yes or No - this is already required by Amendment 714, passed in 2002


• Changed the age requirement for the delegate to18 years of age, rather than 21 years of age as currently required for Representatives.


• Removed the findings of Section 1 found in the original bill


• Senator Bedford amended the substitute bill to include several of the Findings in Section 1 that had been removed

To view the original SB52 and the substitute SB52, please visit www.constitutionalreform.org.  

The bill now goes to the Senate Rules Committee for scheduling on the Senate floor.  It is crucial that we contact the Senators on the Rules Committee TODAY and urge them to give Substitute SB52 priority!  Below you will find the contact information for the members of the Senate Rules Committee. 

Thanks to all of you for your extraordinary efforts!  Now, let’s pick up those phones and call our Senators!

Hill   
 
Senate Rules Committee:
 
Chair, Vice Chair & Ranking Minority Member
 
Jim Preuitt (D) District 11, Chair
H 256-362-5253 Talladega
S.H. Rm. 729-B, 334-242-7898
 
Pat Lindsey (D) District 22, Deputy Chair
O 251-459-2478
H 251-459-3508 Butler
S.H. Rm. 721, 334-242-7843
 
Roger Bedford (D) District 6, Vice Chair
O 256-332-2880
H 334-256-332-7709   Russelville
S.H. Rm. 730-B, 334-242-7862
 
Members
 
Lowell Barron (D) District 8
H 256-638-1982   Fyffe
S.H. Rm. 726-B, 334-242-7858
 
Jack Biddle (R) District 17
H 205-631-4591
O 205-945-6551
S.H. Rm. 722-B, 334-242-7846
 
Tom Butler (D) District 2
O 256-837-8374    Madison
S.H. Rm. 733-C, 334-242-7854
 
Gerald Dial (D) District 13
O 256-396-5600
H 256-396-5626   Lineville 
S.R. Rm. 735-A, 334-242-7882
 
Larry Means (D) District 10
O 256-547-6386
H 256-538-2014 Gadsden
S.H. Rm. 729-A, 334-242-7857
 
Hap Myers (R) District 34
O 251-471-6549
O 251-342-5199   Mobile                           
S.H. Rm. 735-B, 334-242-7886
 
Tommy Robert (D) District 3
O 256-773-2854
H 256-776-3618    Hartselle
S.H. Rm. 534-C, 334-773-2854
 
Hank Sanders (D) District 23
O 334-875-9264
H 334-875-1395   Selma
S.H. Rm. 730-A, 334-242-7860
 
Roger Smitherman (D) District 18 
O 205-322-0012
H 205-322-3768   Birmingham
S.H. Rm. 732-A, 334-242-7870
 
Zeb Little (D) District 4 Majority Leader
O 205-934-2693 
H 256-734-6348
S.H. Rm.  736-A, 334-242-7855
 
Jabo Waggoner, Jr. (R) District 16
O 2O5-969-7524  
H 205-822-7443
S.H. Rm. 7 37-C, 334-242-7892

Olympic spirit? Ratings push

If you read the reports from Turin and the watch the coverage on the networks of NBC, you would think that there was a major news story going on in the world of speed skating. I’m even giving into the hype by writing something here. No matter, this is more a case of people trying to create drama during a Winter Games where most of the drama, as far as American media is concerned, has not materialized. The debate over who is right in the war of words between speed skaters Shani Davis and Chad Hedrick has almost become more important than the dispute itself. For as much as we want to believe that the Olympics are about winning one for the team and the country, the obvious fact is that they are an opportunity for individuals to shine. They are also an opportunity for your dreams to come true. It may help to remember the goals that the individuals had before arriving in Italy earlier this month. Davis was focused on one medal and one medal only: the 1,000 meters. He fashioned all of his training to accomplish that one goal. If you’ve been competing in the sport for 17 years, working to achieve a gold medal in a race where you enter as the odds on favorite, would you consider taking part in an event that you feel would hurt your chances? If making sure he was “the first black male” had anything to do with it, you’ll never really know, since I have a feeling that it was more about his accomplishing the feat for himself, his family and friends in Chicago more than anything else. Hedrick was driven to be a dominant force in these Olympics. His personal goal was to equal a feat only accomplished once before: win gold in all five speed skating events. Serving as team captain, he felt that everyone would want to assist him in accomplishing that goal. One could argue that since Davis chose not to compete in the team pursuit that Hedrick felt as though he was not being given all possible assistance to achieve his goal. I found it funny how the two men appear to have approached the game. Hedrick seemed to be viewing the Games as a race against Davis. His quotes in yesterday’s Associated Press article all but stated that was how he felt. Davis viewed it as a race against the clock and the world, and not just Hedrick. While Davis may come across at time to be egotistical according to reports, he is no more egotistical than an individual that wants to hoard all of the gold for himself. The Associated Press report yesterday stated that Davis skated in the last pairing, “…knowing the time that he had to beat.” I find it interesting that the report does not mention what time he was aiming for, Fabris' time or Hedrick's. In the end, Davis had the last word, even though it was not with Olympic gold. He was just fast enough to humble the Texan. He beat Hedrick twice, which probably upset Hedrick more than anything else. Are we really going to care after the games end February 26? Unfortunately no; the individual pursuit only seems to matter once every two years when the United States acknowledges the rest of the world’s interest in events other than those that we deem important.