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Bloomberg: Cow Corpse Embodies Carrion Crisis in Alabama’s Bankrupt Jefferson County, January 2012

gigidouban — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 15:28:13 +0000

What are you left with when a county goes bankrupt? Roadkill. Lots of it. Read more

Bloomberg: Alabamians Blame Jefferson County Bankruptcy Delay on Greed, Ego, November 2011

gigidouban — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 02:43:10 +0000

Birmingham, Ala. — It wasn’t caution that kept Jefferson County commissioners from filing for bankruptcy sooner. It was greed and ego. Read more

Bloomberg: Jefferson County Bankruptcy a Blow to Long-Suffering Birmingham, November 2011

gigidouban — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 02:34:24 +0000

Birmingham, Ala. — Birmingham, Alabama, the most prominent industrial center in the Southeast before the civil- rights era, has been on a long losing streak that just got longer. Read more

Christian Science Monitor: In Egypt’s classrooms, lessons go only so far, September 2006

admin — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 20:13:14 +0000

ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT As students returned to classrooms this week throughout Egypt, there’s one back-to-school essential parents insist on: private tutors.

Many say sending their children to school without having arranged for a tutor is akin to not outfitting them with notebooks or shoes. And it’s not cheap. The country’s Al-Ahram newspaper reported last month that Egyptians spend about $2.4 billion annually tutoring.

Read more here…

Christian Science Monitor: To Nintendo’s surprise, Wii is hot with seniors

admin — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 20:09:42 +0000

Birmingham, Ala. Six seniors at the Sedgebrook retirement community gathered in the lounge after dinner as the holiday season was getting under way last year. The residents at the center, about 20 miles north of Chicago, were an unlikely test audience for the season’s hottest toys. The plan: determine which toys to give the grandchildren for the holidays. The assumption was that they’d give their grandchildren the toys they approved.

Runners World: Choice Words, May 2007

admin — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 19:43:26 +0000

Todd Utz, long-haired and mellow, isn’t the trash-talking type. when he runs, his inner voice isn’t goading him to crush the competition or to stomp out the slowpokes. Instead, when he hits a rough patch, he repeats a simple and unassuming mantra: “chug-a-lug.” It suits the 35-year-old high school science teacher from Birmingham, Alabama. “I’m not really that competitive,” says the two-hour half-marathoner. “I’m definitely very much a run-your-own-race kind of guy.”

Read more here…

Runner’s World: Your Most Embarrassing Questions Answered, May 2008

admin — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 19:40:56 +0000

Runners sometimes experience bodily malfunctions that they can admit only to a fellow runner. But your buddy Joe probably can’t explain your need to make a half-dozen pit stops. So we took common problems to a group of running medical experts for their feedback and fixes.

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Runners World: Train Your Brain, April 2009

admin — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 19:36:47 +0000

Train Your Brain

Knowing how you think on the run can improve your workouts—and your mood.

Running is the ultimate power vacation—no BlackBerrys, no kids, no bosses. But all’s not quiet in the brain while you’re pounding the pavement. In fact, you’re performing mind acrobatics: problem-solving, making your to-do list, even drifting to a calm state. “Running gives you the freedom to access those inner processes that the busy outer world often robs you of,” says James P. Brennan, Ph.D., an adjunct professor of human behavior at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Runners World: How to Psych Yourself Up–Not Out–For a New Race Goal, July 2010

admin — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 19:25:54 +0000

Jitters come with any race, whether you’re going shorter, longer, faster, or just heading to the starting line for the first time. But they shouldn’t stop you from running your best. This expert advice will help you manage your anxieties for any new endeavor. Who knows, you may even enjoy yourself.

Read more here…

Bryan Knox’s bid to be the best auctioneer

admin — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 14:35:39 +0000

Bryan Knox looks more World Wrestling Federation than salesman. He’s 6 feet tall, thick-necked, and weighs 275 pounds. His head is shaved bald. But make no mistake: He is a salesman. Right now he’s standing behind a podium, alternately crouching and standing on his toes, holding his palm up like a traffic cop, then flicking his wrist to display numbers with his fingers. He might point and stare intently at a person in the crowd, Crazy Eddie-style….Read More