Jun 26 0 comments
Leg-Slappin' Fun, Sweet Home Alabama, The Salty Ham

you’re not joking?

So, lately the buzz (and snickering) around Birmingham has been about Mayor Larry Langford's proposal to the City Council to present the City of Birmingham as a site for the 2020 Olympic Games. No, seriously… he really did. And this is exactly why we're all still laughing.

Apparently, he believes that since he's pushing for the dome stadium (that we are still unsure will be built… and why, too), and for an olympic-size pool (for what reason, might I ask?), Langford believes that we would be a perfect place. Besides, we held the soccer events for the 1996 Atlanta Games, so that makes us ready, right? I mean, since our air traffic is about to be possibly severely reduced, it makes complete sense… Annoyed

What I love is that, according to Musings on Birmingham, Langford prefaced the proposal with: “This is not a game or a joke." Again, seriously??? If you have to say that, shouldn't you reconsider it altogether? If you know they're gonna laugh and giggle, you should know it's a bad idea. I mean, this is SO out in left field, it's not even funny.

Yes, Birmingham needs some good positive PR and something good for the economy, but having to put millions (probably billions) of dollars into building for the Olympic games when the city is already in debt in so many areas is SUCH a bad idea. And, if people are already upset with Beijing's pollution problem, I can't imagine what they will think about Birmingham's smog and ill-consideration for a greener city.

However, maybe I'm skeptical, because there are some like Musings and Andre over at the Terminal who think that a push like this could be good for Birmingham. I suppose it could be a good thing for Birmingham… I've just seen things continually flop that we thought were good ideas. See: Birmingham Fire, Birmingham Stallions, Birmingham Bulls, Alabama Slammers… and that's just the professional sports realm. The only things that work here in the state are college sports and racing. I could go on, but I don't have the time or the desire to be negative. I want to see Birmingham get out of its rut. I'm just not sure that the Olympics are the way to go.

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Jun 26 0 comments
Entertaining the Masses, Ins-and-Outs

grad school v. life


Source: PhD Comics 

Oh, it's SOOOO true, in every aspect of studying versus life outside of school. It is a constant battle, one which I continually choose school, and lose out on life. And, that's exactly why I have no life at all… One day, I'll pay for it. But, oh the guilt of feeling horrible for not studying like I should. Why do they do this to you? It's absolute torture.

Jun 25 0 comments
The Salty Ham

transportation & birmingham

Well, things in Birmingham obviously aren't getting any better, as noted in several sources lately. Lately, Men's Health and the Boston Globe wrote a story on the greenest and the less green cities in the country. Birmingham, in a list of 100, made 96, and scored a big, fat "F." I'd say that is pretty consistent with the city, considering that most people don't attempt to carpool, use public transportation, and refuse to do anything but commute alone. Plus, God forbid you get behind a bus in the city, or your car will be filled with black exhaust when they hit the acceleration pedal. 

Because Birmingham is such a commuter city, and gas prices are so high, you rarely see things that happened this morning. A local radio station's morning host from 960 WERC, opted to ride her horse to work. While backing up traffic, she also decided to pick up her breakfast through Arby's drive-thru. You can check out pictures of the exciting parade through the streets of Birmingham here.

Seeing how "The Magic City" also loves its cars, it's also no surprise that the airport is also under risk of further suspensions and reductions in air service. Of course, that's not so great for people who live here. Not only will flights cost even more now, it will mean that every flight will continue to require connections in other city… most likely Atlanta: the city that Birmingham loves to hate. But, as the old adage says, "If I die and go to hell, I'll have to layover in Atlanta." It's so true, and it seems it will only remain so for as long as I will live, and generations beyond.

Jun 25 0 comments
Entertaining the Masses, Political Slants, Sharing Our Nation's Cap-i-tal

politicization

So, there are a few political moments that have been awe-inspiring lately… some funny, some serious. But, definitely things that have been making me think. 

First of all, I'm still a little upset about Tim Russert being gone. However, his son is mega-impressive. At the funeral, he pleaded for both McCain and Obama to sit together and speak. He's supposed to be on Larry King Live tomorrow night, and I'm super-stoked. I'm excited to see what he will do with his life since he has always been in the light with his father. 

Tom Brokaw is slated to host 'Meet the Press' through the election. I'm fairly OK with that decision. I wouldn't mind seeing Brian Williams in that slot in a permanent basis, but he still has a media slant, one which Russert never really had. While I love Chris Matthews, I am glad that he wasn't put in the position. He's still a little hard and edgy, and too rough at times. On "Hardball," he takes on a character too much like Bill O'Reilly, which I don't like. However, I love the Chris Matthews that shows up during election shows on MSNBC and on his regular Sunday show "The Chris Matthews Show." But, he's still not the right pick for "Meet." I am curious to see who will fill the position after November. It could completely change the show. It's a big decision… It could change my viewing habits.

One of Barack Obama's national ad's targeting specific states showed up, and it's pretty impressive.

Watching his press conferences and his campaigning, he seems stronger and stronger. I'm ready to know what his thoughts are on his veep selection. Again, I'm completely pushing an Obama/Richardson ticket. But, I will be fine with whomever he chooses.

On the other side, John McCain is killing me. He's flip-flopping on his energy policy and oil drilling. And, Stephen Colbert has jumped in to help McCain find a new buzzword for his campaign, since he's using and reusing the same phrases. Check out "Lexicon Artist."

And finally, this was too funny not to share since we're on politics. It's dated, but it's still so funny. And, since we're on the final countdown to the end of an error (1/20/2009), I figured why not provide a video clip of Frank Caliendo's Bush & Clinton impressions. Enjoy!

Jun 23 0 comments
Entertaining the Masses, Ins-and-Outs

it’s a shame

 

RIP George Carlin…

Image source: indexed.

 

Jun 19 0 comments
Entertaining the Masses, Political Slants, Voices of the Past

gonzo journalism

Hunter S Thompson once said, "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." And that's exactly what he did. He took his brand of journalism, with his eccentric nature and took to the campaign trail of 1972, documenting every bit that he could. In "Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72," he took no prisoners, and branded the new form of gonzo journalism, which, in addition to news stories, also referenced his cynical opinions, as well as references to drug and alcohol use. It was a new concept to journalism, and Thompson never cared whether people liked it or not. 

Tonight, in Washington, D.C., as part of the SILVERDOCS Festival, "Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S Thompson" premiered. The documentary, narrated by Johnny Depp, has been hailed by critics and was praised at the Sundance Festival. I can only hope that it will reach the depths of the dirty south, and show up somewhere close to Birmingham so I can see it. Here's the trailer:

It's a shame that he decided to put an end to his life in February 2005. He spoke what the world was always afraid to say. He feared no one… no association… and no press. I can't wait to see the movie. That is, of course, if it ever makes it down this way. Of course, if it doesn't, there's always the DVD.

Update: The DCist ran a fantastic article on the SILVERDOCS screening and what to expect from the documentary. I can only say that I'm even more excited now. The film drops nationwide on July 4.

Jun 18 0 comments
Entertaining the Masses, Leg-Slappin' Fun

transformers

When I was a kid, I used to watch the show "Transformers" religiously. The theme song had the line: "more than meets the eye." Today, fellow friend and blogger Shope shared a link to Face of the Future, where you can upload a photo and point out specific points and then transform the photo into different ethnicities, age ranges, or even artistic methods. It's so much fun! Below are the interpretations of my portrait into a few famous artists of the past.

Botticelli:

 

Modigliani:

 
I really enjoyed playing around with this website… if you can't already tell. I think I prefer myself in Modigliani form over photo any day. It is a much better look for me. But, apparently for any photo you have lying around, there is always more than meets the average eye, and anything can be transformed into something lovely and completely different. 

…if only other things in life worked so easily.

 

Jun 17 0 comments
Ins-and-Outs, Leg-Slappin' Fun

ikea

Shopping at Ikea is like returning to therapy:     

It feels like the right thing to to do, but then you get there and realize you aren’t adequately emotionally prepared.

Jun 17 0 comments
Entertaining the Masses, Political Slants, Sharing Our Nation's Cap-i-tal, Voices of the Past

russert remembered

My heart was completely broken when I heard the news about Tim Russert's death. There isn't a Sunday that went by when I didn't either TiVo or watch "Meet the Press" or at least read up about it. I loved Tim Russert, and his style that he brought to journalism. He could ask a tough question and not be a jerk, and still have integrity and a smile on his face. But no one could get by on his show without the hard questions. America has lost an incredibly unbiased journalist when Tim Russert passed away. I couldn't stop crying as I watched the coverage as Tom Brokaw and the rest of the NBC and MSNBC crew covered stories about Russert's life and work.  

One of my favorite endings of "Meet the Press" was this year during the first round of the playoffs: Russert Cheers on the Caps

Here are a few great tributes written on the life of Tim Russert:
NBC's Tim Russert Dead at 58
Tim Russert: The Smile That Lit Up Journalism
Tim Russert, 58, a Fixture of NBC's Face of Politics, Dies
A Death in the Family
The Many Gifts of Tim Russert

And here is NBC's "Remembering Tim Russert Special:"
Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six

The world has a missing place… and some really big shoes to fill…

Jun 13 0 comments
Political Slants, Voices of the Past

a changed declaration

In my graduate seminar this summer based on Thomas Jefferson, of course the topic of the Declaration of Independence is approached. That time was last night. In order to discuss the topic, our professor used Garry Wills's Inventing America: Jefferson's Declaration of Independence along with a companion article, from Daniel Walker Howe entitled, "European Sources of Political ideas in Jeffersonian America" (Reviews in American History 10, December 1982). In the book, Wills breaks down the ideas of Jefferson's subjectivity of his proclamation.

The most shocking to many of us was the drastic changes that Congress had made to Jefferson's document in order to make it official. Jefferson's original writing made it incredibly passionate, and those exclusions change the entire meaning of the document. Congress rejected TJ's theory of expatriation, as well as excluding an entire section that TJ intentionally meant to target: the people of Great Britain.

For most of the American people, we are familiar with the Preamble, which is usually recited at some patriotic event, usually at the Fourth of July. However, the Declaration of Independence was an entire statement and declaration incited with passion about how angry the American people were with the broken relationship between the colonies and the King of England. What had once been a harmonious and virtuous social contract was met with an uncooperative group of colonies because of the forceful tactics used in taxation and military protection. The colonies felt that they would be better off as independent without the betrayal of the King, and independence would provide foreign aid from other nations if possible. 

It's amazing to think that TJ's Declaration was established upon the beliefs and concepts of that of the Scottish Enlightenment, based on equality of love, affection, and benevolence of society, and not on legal contracts. Of course, everyone still debates TJ's concept of what he meant about his phrase "all men are created equal…" and it is still debated among historians. I'm sure TJ meant it to be vague, just as the writers of the Constitution meant to write the Bill of Rights, which continue to be debated to this day. They must be culturally relevant, which is a concept that Jefferson really understood… which is probably why he wrote what he did.