I live in two different worlds.
The world of my contemporaries—folks 50, 60, 70 years old who are generally happy with the status quo.
And the world of 20, 30, and 40 year olds—who are desperate for change.
I make some of my contemporary friends nervous. Continue reading Look out divided Birmingham: Here come the Millennials! →
My wife and I are a Costco family
We shop Costco every week, eat free snacks, and look forward to chance meetings with friends—many we haven’t seen in years. Continue reading Oh no! Homewood, Vestavia, & now Hoover →
Mountain Brook Village
It’s been a wild ride publishing ComebackTown.
I never dreamed publishing a weekly blog about how to create a more prosperous Birmingham could be so challenging—but so DARN interesting!
I’ve learned so much about human nature, Birmingham, and our suburban neighbors. Continue reading What I’ve learned about Birmingham, Mtn. Brook, & people →
It’s a beautiful sunny day.
You work downtown and make plans to meet a friend at the Summit for lunch.
You drive onto the 3rd Avenue North entrance ramp of the Red Mountain Expressway. Continue reading 13 Jeffco cities wasting your money–risking your life →
Iron Bowl 2017 Alabama vs. Auburn
We in Alabama have made a name for ourselves.
We are known for our football and for our politics.
The prominence of Alabama football is obvious.
The Crimson Tide has won 17 national football titles and the Auburn Tigers have won five. Continue reading Alabama named #1 in football and political corruption →
Birmingham Barons playing baseball at Regions Field
When I was growing up in the ‘50’s Birmingham and Atlanta were about the same size.
Birmingham was actually larger than Nashville, Charlotte, and Austin—but I digress.
My father took me to Rickwood Field to watch the Southern League Birmingham Barons play baseball against the Atlanta Crackers. Continue reading The Birmingham company that ate Atlanta →
Morris Sher, 1915-1970
I grew up in the South in the 1950’s.
‘Negroes’ drank from water fountains labeled ‘Colored’; used separate restrooms from whites; and were relegated to sit in the back of buses.
My father owned a small retail store in downtown Birmingham. Continue reading My dad’s struggle to do the right thing in racially charged Birmingham →
Boxes move along a conveyor belt at the Amazon.com fulfillment center in Kenosha, Wisconsin
Would Alabama football fans be excited if Nick Saban led Alabama to a last place finish in the SEC?
Would there be a parade?
Would there be cheering?
Would Bama fans be slapping each other on the back and celebrating? Continue reading Did we win the Amazon booby prize? →
I recently published a piece titled “Mountain Brook stealing from Vestavia Hills.”
It tells about my clever Mountain Brook friend who smuggles his garbage into the trashcans of a nearby Vestavia Hills’ neighbor because Vestavia picks up garbage more often than Mountain Brook. Continue reading Confusion in Mtn. Brook, Vestavia, Homewood, & Birmingham →
I apologize for using the word ‘screw’ in the title, but I can’t find a more appropriate term.
Why is there so little job growth in Birmingham? Well, look no further than what appears to be happening in Hoover.
How do you feel about tax increases?
How about tax increases to stab your neighbors in the back? Continue reading We increase our taxes to screw each other →
To begin a conversation about a better Birmingham