Guest Column by Phil Fleming Bob Riley must explain to the people of Alabama why he received a specific $500,000 campaign contribution from disgraced lobbyists Jack Abramoff and Michael Scanlon in his 2002 campaign for governor. Abramoff and Scanlon sent the funds to the Republican Governor’s Association, which then added an additional $100,000 dollars. That…
Monthly Archives: February 2010
Snowy Stars of the Great Backyard Birdcount of 2010
Glynn Wilson This brave little tufted titmouse [baeolophus bicolor] stole the show in today’s snow on the first day of the Great Backyard Birdcount of 2010. He posed with this seed from every angle, and watched me without fear while all the other birds scrambled to and from the dogwood feeder all afternoon… Glynn Wilson…
Snow Brings Photo Op on Backyard Birdcount Day One
Glynn Wilson The rare third snowfall in Middle Alabamaland is just in time for a photo opportunity for the first day of the Great Backyard Bird Count of 2010, Feb. 12-15. This is just a quick, first shot of a goldfinch in the dogwood tree just beginning to be covered with snow in the morning.…
Lower Your Carbon Footprint
Under the Microscope by Glynn Wilson When David Whiteside of the new Tennessee Riverkeeper recently helped set up a deal with the Sweetwater Brewing Company out of Atlanta to exchange some cases of Georgia Brown for a blog ad, he said, “It will lower your carbon footprint too.” Hmmm, I thought. Could be true. No…
Snow Expected in Middle Alabamaland
One to two inches of snow is expected in the Middle Alabamaland on Friday, mostly during the day between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., according to the National Weather Service, which places the chance of snow at 80 percent. Glynn Wilson From the first big snow in Birmingham this winter. See more photos on Facebook…
MSNBC's Olbermann Slams Senator Richard Shelby
Alabama’s senior Senator gets famous, but NOT in a good way… MSNBC’s Olbermann echoes our story at Truthout.org, which you can see here, in case you missed it… An Alabama Senator with long-standing ties to the US military-industrial complex and an outspoken critic of President Barack Obama is backing down from a direct confrontation with…
Russel Lanier Dies at 57
Russel Lanier, the son of the late Russel D’Lyon Lanier Jr. and Eleanor Gaines Boykin Lanier and the self-described “Barbecue Man from Alabam’,” died from esophageal cancer in a Birmingham hospital January 11. He was 57. Lanier was famous in the Alabama barbecue business for his Ol’ Hickory barbecue restaurant in Talladega. I got to…
Conservation Group Threatens Lawsuit
The Conservation Alabama Foundation has served notice of an intent to sue the Demopolis Water Works and Sewer Board for violations of the Clean Water Act and its water pollution permit for taking the liquid waste from the Arrowhead Landfill in Perry County, which has made national news lately for the controversy over taking millions…
Snowmageddon II Hits DC in 2010
Brooks Boliek The scene of the blizzard in Takoma Park, Maryland, just north of DC Snow, wind and slush hounded eastern commuters Wednesday as blizzard warnings from Baltimore to New York City heralded the second major storm in a region already blanketed by historic weekend snowfalls. More than 10 inches of new snow fell before…
Senator Backs Down From Blocking Obama's Nominees
by Glynn Wilson An Alabama Senator with long-standing ties to the US military-industrial complex and an outspoken critic of President Barack Obama is backing down from a direct confrontation with the White House today after taking the unprecedented step of announcing last week that he would filibuster all the president’s appointments to secure earmarks for…
A Hoarse Who Dat Nation Savors Saints' Victory
David Rae Morris Hoarse, hungover and happy, New Orleans woke up Monday wondering if that first ever Super Bowl victory really happened. In the French Quarter, stragglers — decked out in Saints jerseys and team colors — remaining from the all-night party turned to coffee and beignets as dawn broke, according to the Associated Press.…
Is Liberal, Intellectual Condescension Really the Problem?
Under the Microscope by Glynn Wilson A conservative professor of politics at the University of Virginia has written a column in Sunday’s Washington Post asking the question: Why are liberals so condescending? In the setup, he writes, “Every political community includes some members who insist that their side has all the answers and that their…
Elvis Presley: When It Rains, It Really Pours
An Unreleased Elvis Song for a Rainy Day Elvis recorded this song July 11, 1955 at Sun Records but no take was deemed acceptable for release. Drummer Johnny Bernero joined Elvis, Scott Moore, and Bill Black for the session.
TVA Coal Ash Cleanup Hits Snag in Alabama
The Tennessee Valley Authority’s massive cleanup of a coal ash spill from last Christmas at the coal-fired power plant in Kingston, Tennessee, “has hit a snag 500 miles away, just before the treated wastewater reaches Mobile Bay,” according to the Associated Press. A wastewater processing company in Mobile, Alabama, called Liquid Environmental Solutions, said Friday…
Democrats Turn Negative Toward Congress
Approval of Congress Hits New Low, Down There With Lawyers The Big Picture by Glynn Wilson In a continuation of our series on public opinion in America, we find it quite interesting that in the latest surveys, the public approval rating of Congress has fallen to a new low — down there on the scale…
Environmental Groups to Rally for Clean Water
Environmental groups from across Alabama and will gather in the state capital for the 12th annual Watershed Leadership Conference hosted by the Alabama Rivers Alliance Feb. 27-March 2. This year’s conference will feature the first ever Alabama (Clean) Water Rally, a four-day event geared toward informing citizens about key water issues affecting the state and…
Rep. Todd Joins Nationwide Effort Calling for Energy Action
State Rep. Patricia Todd, a Birmingham Democrat and the first openly gay legislator in Alabama, is one of more than 1,000 state legislators from across the country calling on the U.S. Senate for action on clean energy jobs legislation. A letter signed by the legislators from states in every corner of the country was sent…
Labor Unions Demand Refund from Parker Griffith
Alabama’s labor union community will have a press conference on the steps of the Madison County Courthouse on Monday Feb. 15 at 11 a.m. to officially request a refund of their political contributions for the 2008 election cycle from Congressman Parker Griffith. “In our opinion the change from the Democratic party to the Republican party…
February is Black History Month
In honor of Black History Month, a photo that speaks volumes… by Spider Martin From Bloody Sunday, Selma, Alabama, 1965
Redneck Humor: Presidential Farts
No matter how old you get, you can’t lose with a good fart joke… Maybe I watch The Daily Show too much, but you gotta put a little humor in between all this serious news, now and then. Here’s a retrospective video on our favorite former U.S. president. He knows who he is, and so…
