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Not surprising, at least, is that the #1 and #2 locations in the nation are in the Washington DC and Baltimore regions.

So, I was thinking the other day while watching his recent episode about San Francisco that wouldn’t it be great if he came to Birmingham to shoot an episode?  What would make a great sequence of places for him to visit??  Here are my ideas/suggestions (in case he’s listening).

1. The Famous Chef
   • Anything by Frank Stitt (Bottega, Highlands, etc.) – the only way to start an Anthony Bourdain visit would be to interview our resident famous chef, talking about his signature restaurants, his most recent book, and other endeavors!
2. The Past
   • Vulcan and a long shot of Sloss Furnaces — sets the stage for our region’s industrial roots
   • The Club — those t0-die-for orange rolls, great view of downtown, recently refurbished but retains its old charm (and neon sign), arrogance of “the” with a hard e, and the “dance floor” that inspired the disco floor in Saturday Night Fever… perhaps dinner with members of the Junior Board at The View extolling the virtues of being young and upwardly mobile in this region
   • Civil Rights District — feel-good food at Green Acres on 4th Avenue North (no fire hose shots, please), finalist for the best fried chicken restaurant in the country (according to Steve Harvey’s Hoodie Awards 2009… they won the award in 2007).  Should also include a tour of the theatre district… I recommend Elias Hendricks to tell the story about his experiences at the Lyric Theatre (I heard his story a few years ago at a Catalyst event/tour and it’s a great one!)
   • Hot Dogs — a quick cut to something lighter with George running Gus’, Gus running Pete’s, and the Lyric’s own hot dog joint… these are those wonderful hole-in-the-wall (sometimes literally) hot dog stores in downtown, which rumor says whose profits are all it takes to support the property taxes on the vacant buildings they inhabit.  The video could also capture Birmingham’s finest (police and meter maids) on their seemingly endless breaks.
3. The Present
   • Pepper Place Saturday Market — the most enjoyable melting pot of cultures on a Saturday morning anywhere in Birmingham… interview its founder , of the family Sloss.
   • WorkPlay — run by the Hunter brothers, the most famous of which is Alan Hunter of MTV VJ fame… would be great if he did the shoot when some otherwise recognizable performer(s) that the international audience might recognize (e.g. Taylor Hicks performance in September).  Alan could also talk about his founding of “Hip to be Civic” Catalyst and its impact on young professionals across the region.
   • The J. Clyde — the host loves his beer and there isn’t a better place to get beers on draft in town and the cobble stones outside would add to the shot.  I recommend an interview with Danner Kline to discuss the recent success with Free the Hopps and its future plans to address other blue laws still on the books

What did I miss?

I think this would fill up the hour show. I’ve got “no reservations” about encouraging him to come to Birmingham.

Recipe:

1. One 2-liter Diet Coke per person
2. Seven Mentos candies
3. Several thousand friends and neighbors

Result:

“Cascading cola geyser of incredible proportions” – the resulting geyser will spray as high as 20 feet into the air for about 10 seconds

Limited parking will be available in the high school parking lots with free shuttle parking available nearby. Look for signs along Highway 31 directing you to the shuttle locations. Gates open at 7:30 a.m. with the big “splash” at 9. Arrive early to make sure you won’t miss out on a second of this record-setting experience. Event proceeds benefit VHHS Band.

The date: Saturday August 8, 2009 (rain or shine)
The time: 9 AM (promptly)
The place: Vestavia Hills High School football stadium
Who – EVERYONE is invited
Cost – $5 per person. Includes all supplies. Pay at the gate (cash, please)

For more information on how your group can be a part of this event, contact Millie Whitacre (205-516-8889).

BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC) – A Walker County man was sitting in his vehicle on Wednesday, when a bomb exploded. The victim is now in serious condition at UAB Hospital.

Agents with the ATF and FBI have been called in to assist police to find out who planted the explosive device.

This all happened around 6:00 pm at a home on Crest Avenue in the Walker County community of Parrish.

Walker County’s Sheriff says it is unknown what type of explosive device it was or how it was detonated. He did say the explosion was confined to the inside of the truck.

Sheriff John Mark Tirey says this incident is shocking.

Yes, indeed!

The Green Building Focus Expo is July 28, 29 and 30 at the BJCC starting at 7:30 each morning. It is a forum that has been done in South Africa and worldwide and seeks to create Birmingham as a “green hub” for sustainable building products and services. Speakers such as Ed Begley, Jr., Charles Kibert, Karan Grover, Dominic Sims and many other thought leaders and experts will provide information on the increasing movement for green building. By attending the event you will have the opportunity to take the “Learning to LEED” class and have the opportunity to become LEED certified. With the many resources surrounding Birmingham’s 100 mile radius, we are an ideal location for this event as well as being the forefront for the future green building movement.

Catalyst will be supporting this event by promoting and providing volunteers. Volunteers will gain full access to the event and speakers. We are looking for 10-25 people who would either like to work in registration, ushers, on-site recycling program or event information.

Check out the website greenbuildingfocus.com for a schedule of events and for more information on this event contact Todd Sims at tsims@greenbuildingfocus.com or Melisa McGregor at mmcgregor@greenbuildingfocus.com. Contact Gail Harper Yeilding if you would like to volunteer, ghyeilding@yahoo.com.

Ed Begley, Jr. will speak on the opening day, July 28th:

“I am honored to have the opportunity to speak to design and construction professionals from across the Southeast. These professionals have the opportunity to affect real change through sustainable building practices, and their interest in doing so is critical to the future of our nation,” said Begley.

The award was given after [Area Development] magazine reviewed data from each state’s top 10 job creation and investment projects in 2008. Only those projects that “broke ground,” began an expansion or started hiring were considered.

Our neighbor to the north, Tennessee, got the “Gold Shovel” award.  According to the magazine, “Silver Shovel Awards go the ‘runner-up’ states, which were ranked according to three population categories (greater than 10 million, 5–10 million, and less than 5 million).“ Alabama is in the under 5 million category.  Georgia also received a Silver Shovel, but in the 5-10 million category.

I’ve followed his Facebook posts where he’s expressed his sentiments about needing to be in a better place to pursue his musical ambitions.  He’s been recording his new album in LA over the past few months and keeping his fans updated. Many posts are poetic in their own right, but this one tipped it all off:

• … when I look outta of this window I see more than a dirt road I see a hwy that leads to all my dreams. I’m climbing out of this window

Only the best! All of us in Alabama will be watching for great things… and eagerly await the next Michael Warren release!!

In the meantime, check him out for one last local concert.  He will put on an 18+ show this Saturday evening (10pm) at Zydeco.

BTW, you can also hear him in Hollister clothing stores nationwide.  His “Love Has Found It’s Way” is now being played over their in-store music systems.

Watch my video of Michael Warren singing at WorkPlay via YouTube (over 5,000 other people have!)
Also, watch Michael sing AMAZING with Ryan Kinder

Res ipsa loquitur

So, Kyle Whitmire, of the Birmingham Weekly decided to check the facts for themselves.  He reports in the current issue that Birmingham’s current Mayor, Larry Langford, actually lives in Fairfield, Alabama instead of within the City of Birmingham.  He was interviewed this morning on the radio about it… you can listen to the full recording at your leisure and hear his comments made on the Mat Murphy show.

As the translated phrase goes… the facts speak for themselves.  While Kyle’s video reporting does not completely debunk the concept that Larry lives in Birmingham, it sure does cast light on the potential that he doesn’t.  Kyle does propose the ONE AND ONLY way anyone can be sure of where Langford considers home:

When Langford was arrested on public corruption charges last year, he had to give one and only one address to the federal probation office. At his initial appearance, the federal magistrate told Langford in very clear terms that if he were found living at any other address he would be in violation of his release and could go straight to jail. That probation record is not a public document, but let’s assume Langford wrote on it one of two addresses. If he wrote that he lived in Birmingham, then by living in Fairfield, he is violating his probation. If he wrote that he lived in Fairfield, then he is not a Birmingham resident and is not legally mayor.

Honestly, I fear that this remains such a non-issue with the citizens and other leaders of Birmingham, that Kyle will be treated the same as the anti-Obama crowd that claim that he’s not a “natural born citizen” and thus should not be our nation’s President.  While I’m one to believe that both accusations have merit, I’m loathe to spend any of my time fretting about the unimaginable… that a duly elected official could be removed from office due to their lying under oath regarding a matter that would have made them unelectable in the first place.  Yes, I know it’s happened before.  I, for one, am not going to turn blue in the face holding my breath and predict that both will serve their terms in office untouched by the mainstream media and other elected officials who probably have their own skeletons (in the closet or otherwise) to protect.

A friend of mine came over for the IndyCars test session and wore a version of this poster on his shirt, but with Reagan and RIGHT.  He said it is not well received in Atlanta but he got lots of positive comments about it while here in Birmingham.  He didn’t head downtown, where I predict he wouldn’t have been as well received.  BUT, when I was heading to the Alabama Theatre to see my daughters perform in a dance competition I came across this poster somewhat defaced on 19th street just north of the McWane Science Center… so it makes me wonder:

Is HOPE decaying??

… as the unintentional blur in the photo seems to indicate, the picture isn’t clear right now.

Of all the mailboxes in all the towns in all the world,

Netflix sent their 2 Billionth shipment into mine.

* * * * *

I’m only guessing that this was what Clay Shannon of Birmingham was thinking yesterday on April Fools Day, of all days.  The story broke this morning that he received the two billionth shipment from Netflix (yes, with a “B”).  When Netflix called to congratulate him it took awhile for him to accept that it was not an April Fool’s joke.  Since he’s the Director of Analytics at the McWane Science Center, he was probably thinking how improbable it was to get such a call.

For his distinction, Clay will receive a lifetime subscription to the service.  The subscription price for 3-DVDs at a time is $200 annually; a pretty nice prize for doing little more than simply requesting “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” on Blu-Ray.

According to Netflix, “Netflix shipped its one billionth DVD (a copy of Babel) to a member in Helotes, Tex. in February 2007. It took eight years for Netflix to reach one billion shipments — less time than it took McDonald’s to sell one billion hamburgers — and just over two years to ship the second billion.”