Well, Birmingham Weekly has gotten ahold of this year's line up for City Stages; Birmingham's "world class" music festival. I'd post a few of the headliners here, but they're really not even worth the time it would take for me to do it. City Stages hasn't really been relvenat since the mid-90's music festival wise, and is sort of limping along at this point because it is practically the only thing that can pull any significant number of people downtown. Honestly, the acts don't really matter anyway. No one I know goes to see them, other than the obligatory swing by whatever indie/cool Hip Hop act is playing in order to maintain "street cred" yo.

My experience consists of the following:

• Get free VIP passes
• Actually only use Fri & Sat night. Maybe just one night.
• Park in someone's downtown office's deck. Or the museum's deck. Whichever is closer.
• Speed through the gate and head straight to the VIP section, avoiding contact with the unwashed masses.
• Drink free beer, hob-knob with the other VIPs, disdainfully look at the proletariat below.
• (I would add this is how pretty much how everyone I know who lives OTM experiences City Stages)

It's pretty much a see and be seen networking event for the young (or those in denial that they are no longer young) professionals in Birmingham at this point. Go figure.

Well, Richard Scruschy again is again in one of our posts, if a bit oblilquely. Today the Daniel Corporation completed its purchase of the Healthsouth campus. Not news in and of itself, but they got the whole kit and kaboodle for only $41 million. Considering that the campus consists of 104 acres of prime 280 real estate, a 200,000 sq ft office building, a smaller adjancent building that has already been sold to Nexity Finacial Corp for $8 million, and the $100 million "digital hospital" we blogged about previously.

However, a little birdie told us some interesting news not in the press release. Like how there is an "unamed" other public company that is going to be moving into the Healthsouth building. The press release also failed to mention how Daniel Corp is planning on developing its own version of the Summit right in front of the Main building. It's all still in the early planning phases but it apparently looks good. One things for sure though, traffic on 280 is only going to get worse.

Well, well, well. Guess who made the NYT today? None other than former AL governor Don Siegelman.

Siegelman was in the news as the 11th Circuit overturned his bond ruling. So he's a free man for the time being. You remeber why he was htrown in jail right? Good ol' NSN favorite Richard Scruschy had given him $500,000 as a bribe...I mean "donation" to Siegelman's campaign. In exchange...I mean, just by happenstance, Scruschy got appointed to the State hospital liscencing board. Pretty convenient for a guy who was building a "digital hospital" at the time.

Of course, all that is brushed aside by Siegelman. The real reason he was thrown in jail was "partisan politics." And the Grandmaster Vizier of partisan politics, Karl Rove himself, was behind it. Nevermind that everyone and everything Scruschy came in contact with has come up rotten. Juest a bit of advice Don, we can call you Don right? Don, you got out of prison and pretty much everyone in Alabama has forgotten about you.

Quit while you're ahead.

Lots of discussion over at ATL and around the law blog world in general about the newest edition of the US News and World reports Law School rankings.

Specifically, that many schools dropped in rank. Alabama came in at #32 tied with Ohio, Georgia, and Colorad-Boulder. Not too shabby. As usual, Cumberland doesn't even rank. They're usually somewere in the T3 or T4 section. Poor Alabama. With so many attorneys annd so much legal work going on in the State, you'd think we would have more than two accredited law schools, but Alabama and CUmberland are it. Sure, there is Birmingham School of Law, but it is a a night school and I think we all know what that means. 

So I decided to spruce up the site a bit with some photos of Birmingham that make it look like it's a passable city to live in. Most of these photos were pullem from the Magic City group over at Flickr. I believe all of these photos are for public use under a Creative Commons license. So, in theory, it should be all good for me to use them. But if anyone wants to throw a hissy, let me know and I'll pull your photo down. I probably won't want it up anyway because you're so lame.

Interesting story in the Birmingham news today. And by interesting I mean an example of the rampant cronyism that is loose in the Magic City.

The Headline:

• "Half of taxpayer contribution to computer charity diverted for Katopodis' use"

That would be John Katopodis, former city councilman and Jefferson County Commissioner, now involved in a civil suit against none other than local robber baron, Richard Scrushy. Katopodis and Scruschy formed a charity called "Computer Help For Kids" back in 2001 with none other than, wait for it, current Birmingham mayor Larry Langford.

It comes to light in the article that Katopodis pretty much used the charity account for his own benefit. You know, casinos, hookers, blow - the usual. Of course, the best part is that $200,000 of it was your tax dollars! Woohoo! Look, I don't mind you blowing my money in casinos guys, but at least invite me and the rest of the taxpayers with you.

At the end of the article is a laundry list of other things that the $200,000 was used for (other than you know, helping kids). A few of highlights:

• $16,000 in annual rent payments from Computer Help to the Council, even though both were housed in offices HealthSouth provided rent-free
• A $10,000 check to the Holy Family Foundation run by Langford's wife. Katopodis said it was a "loan repayment" <-air quotes added by me
• A $10,000 check to Bettye Fine Collins(look who shows up again!), currently the county commission president, for consulting with the Council of Cooperating Governments.

The grand total from everything listed is.....$104,000 in "payments,"  "loans," and "consulting." Combine that with the money blown on casinos and everything else, probably something like 20% of that $200,000 actually went to help kids in any shape or form. Although i wouldn't be suprised if the number was closer to zero.

But of course, the people of Birmingham are either willfully ignorant, complacent, or just don't give a damn about any of it. Meanwhile, all the Over the Mountain business types shake their heads when they read this in the paper, show it to their friends, and continue to move further away from this city. Good job guys! thanks for making Birmingham grow!

In its most recent issue, Birmingham Weekly published the 1^st part of a new ongoing series entitled: "Pieces of the Puzzle: Conversations on the Future of Birmingham." The format consisted of a round table conversation between the following:

• Bettye Fine Collins, President of the Jefferson County Commission (this means she goes to meetings and that's about it)
  John Lauriello, a principal in Southpace Properties (this means he’s a real estate shark)
• Sandra Storm, ex-Circuit Judge turned consultant for Clarus Consulting (this means they cut her checks so they can say they have a judge on board)
  Deborah Vance, chief of staff for Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford (this means she runs around in circles doing interviews like this pretending the mayor’s office is relevant)
  Charlie L. Williams Jr., and I’m going to quote here: "one of 18 elected Jefferson County Constables, as well as the longtime president of Birmingham’s Druid Hills neighborhood" (this means he’s essentially irrelevant)
• Mark Kelly, an editor at BW, moderated the whole she-bang (they give Over the Mountain people something to read so they feel like they are part of the city)

I’d like to say it was an interesting article, but it was the same thing people like this always say in summits/luncheons/"conversations"/neighborhood meetings/association gatherings/etc in Birmingham:

• "Too many poor people."
• "Too much crime."
• "Business doesn’t care about the city."
• "People have re-segregated themselves."

However:

• "There is hope."
• "Young/affluent/childless people are moving into loft district/refurbished building/one small section of the city."
• "But Mayor <insert name here> and City Councilman <insert name here> are committed to turning things around."
• "The solution is to have more meetings like this!"

Way to go guys! Next time you’re wondering why people want to put businesses in office parks outside of the city, drive around the Summit, Liberty Park, the Galleria, or the 280 corridor at about 7 pm on a Tuesday. Now drive around downtown Birmingham at the same time. Yeah, that’s why.