I say with pride that I am an alumni of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. And to continue my education, I will soon graduate with my master's degree from UAB. I am so proud of the progress that has been made at the University. It is transforming into a traditional campus in an urban setting – a drastic change from what it was even five years ago.

Much of UAB's growth has been on account of eminent domain. And, for many years (and even still), much of the community that once resided in the Southside neighborhood of Birmingham has hated UAB because it took over housing and retail areas in order to expand the campus. Of course, this expansion has ALWAYS been on account of the medical side of campus, not liberal arts. I'm not complaining, because I work in an historical sector of the medical arena. However, at some point, this eminent domain crap gets out of control.

Today, the Parliament House Hotel was imploded in order to provide more office space and parking areas for the University hospital. The Parliament House Hotel was developed with the help of Doris Day, and in the 1960s and 1970s, it was THE place to be! I can't for the life of me imagine why they would demolish a piece of history like that.

Of course, then again… it's Birmingham! Birmingham NEVER keeps anything historical. They tore down the Terminal Station in 1969. They tore down the historical Birmingham News station last year. The city, and its citizens, refuse to stand up to big business and demand that eminent domain not take away each and every piece of the city. But, in the minds of the city's leaders, expansion of UAB brings in more money to the city.

So, the moral of the story? Either way, someone ends up with the short end of the stick. And, more often than not, money wins out, and history loses… as it did at 7:15 this morning.