ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.
Today’s guest blogger is Uma Srivastava. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.
Close your eyes and imagine a timid young 17-year-old girl entering “Malfunction Junction” with a car full of school supplies, boxes, and clothes.
She had never lived anywhere else but in her hometown of Meridian, MS,– population 39,000 people. Continue reading Timid Mississippi gal intrigued by Birmingham
ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.
Today’s guest blogger is Megan Gagliardi. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.
Take one look at me and you’ll see a normal 24 year-old-girl standing before you.
Take another look and you’ll most likely notice a 9-inch scar running down my chest. It’s a constant reminder to me that I should never take anything for granted – not even the little things. It’s my battle scar showing others how hard I have fought for life.
Continue reading My Birmingham battle scar: How I fought for life
Surprisingly Awesome is my favorite podcast. Each episode explores topics that would put most people to sleep, but the show makes boring topics interesting and fun.
Subjects like pigeons, mold, or concrete become fascinating.
Birmingham, Alabama would be the perfect topic for the show.
Birmingham may sound boring—but Birmingham is Surprisingly Awesome. Continue reading Birmingham is surprisingly awesome
ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.
Today’s guest blogger is Mike Warren. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.
After having been at Children’s of Alabama for over eight years, I want to share some thoughts.
Over 100 years ago a small group of dedicated volunteers recognized a great community need and began what would become Children’s of Alabama.
I think our organization today would make them extremely proud as we have grown to be a tremendous asset for the health of children throughout Alabama and the surrounding area. Continue reading Children’s of Alabama: the 10th busiest pediatric center in America
Don’t you love stories with happy endings?
Once upon a time in the sleepy village of Birmingham, Alabama, an evil UAB President Ray Watts (or his Trustee Roundtable) made the decision to terminate UAB football.
The UAB students took up arms, the faculty revolted, and the townspeople arose.
Chicken Little ran through the streets yelling, “The sky is falling—the sky is falling.” Continue reading The fairy tale story of Ray Watts and UAB football
My wife and I and two other couples were going out to eat one evening.
I suggested one of my favorite restaurants–Surin West in 5 Points South.
One of the women said, “I don’t feel safe around some of the people who hang out at 5 Points.” The other woman quickly agreed.
So we chose another restaurant in a different neighborhood. Continue reading 5 Points South landlords are dumb
It never would have crossed my mind.
But when a friend suggested that UAB change its name, my first reaction was ‘what a great idea, why didn’t I think of that?”
I’ve thought about it ever since. The more I think about it the more I like it. Continue reading Is it time for UAB to change its name?
One of the greatest obstacles to metropolitan Birmingham’s growth is too many competing governments, but that’s not the only deterrent.
Being located in Alabama is also an obstacle.
The Birmingham Business Alliance (BBA) publishes a report that compares key economic figures of metropolitan Birmingham to eleven peer cities.
In my opinion, the most important of these key metrics is job growth. And metropolitan Birmingham has no more jobs than they had before the recession. Continue reading Birmingham punished for being in Alabama
When our Chamber of Commerce (BBA) visited Charlotte in 2004, we were greeted by the President of the University of North Carolina Charlotte.
Charlotte’s a city on fire, but the first words out the President’s mouth were, “We don’t have anything like UAB.”
Can you believe a great city like Charlotte is jealous of us?
But it appears by recent events we may be taking UAB for granted.
It’s been a few weeks since UAB decided to retain its football program, so I thought it might be healthy to take a moment to reflect. Continue reading UAB deserves better from Birmingham
A good friend came rushing up to me as I entered the Harbert Center for a meeting. He said, “I just found out something I bet you don’t know— “The University of Alabama doesn’t exist.”
Now I’ve heard some farfetched things in my life, but few topped this one.
But before all you anti University of Alabama folks from UAB and UAH get too excited, he explained that you don’t exist either.