Sabteca
Almodad
Dumah
Mishma
Zepho
Uz
Pinon
Calcol
Bezalel
Bunah
Shallum
Shaaph

There aren’t too many girls’ names, I’m afraid, but how about Mehetabel, Matred, Mezahab, or Ephrathah?

I do not believe Stuart Scott was the first African American on ESPN[1], but he certainly was influential because on SportsCenter, early on, he used hip-hop vernacular; he said things on the air that I knew when I heard them that the white producers who had approved it didn’t know what he was talking about[2]. So it was like our own little codified thing. It was almost like, “If he’s cool enough to say that on the air, and no one’s stopping him, then this network is cool enough to watch[3].”

I don’t want to commit hyperbole here[4], but Stuart’s delivery on SportsCenter — his willingness to stick with it despite getting complaints[5], and the producers letting him stick with it — is one of the great cultural moments that African American culture has ever had[6]. It made us relevant in sports[7].

[1]Seriously? This is a VP and he’s apparently only vaguely aware of John Saunders, Robin Roberts, and Mike Tirico, not to mention the numerous commentators.
[2]Not Clinkscales’ fault, but that’s all one sentence.
[3]No African-Americans watched ESPN before Stuart Scott authorized it, apparently.
[4]Too late.
[5]The words “minstrel show” come to mind; consult Jason Whitlock for more.
[6]Seriously, he said that.
[7]Seriously, STUART SCOTT made African-Americans relevant in sports. Step aside, Joe Louis! Get out of here, Jackie Robinson! Eat it, Jesse Owens! You’ve been supplanted, Muhammad Ali, STUART SCOTT is in the house!

Moreover, if it had gone just a little bit to the west, it very well could have hit Druid City Hospital, which is located where Bryant Drive merges into University Boulevard; as it was, the tornado must have almost clipped the hospital, as many of the destroyed homes and apartment complexes are all but in the hospital’s shadow. DCH is the major hospital in the area, and the only real trauma center in the county. If it had been knocked out, in addition to whatever loss of life there was in the hospital itself the city’s rescue efforts would have been crippled, with only the smaller satellite hospital in Northport available this side of Birmingham.

It doesn’t really help, I guess, but it really could have been much worse.

The city right now is kind of odd. Most of the power is back on, and most of the city is now relatively normal. But there’s a big hole in the middle of town right now. You can circle around it… but the main shopping district for the city is closed, and much of it is gone. City workers are doing a great job at something that’s really not what they were trained for. It’s going to be a while before we find a new normal.

Okay, so after (apparently, the recount is underway, but his situation looks good) making the runoff in the gubernatorial primary, in a huge surprise, and being in good shape to win it… after that, Robert Bentley fired a bunch of his campaign staff. He brought in non-Alabamians, led by Mike Huckabee’s son-in-law, to fill their roles. I am increasingly of the opinion that he will blow this, and Bradley Byrne will get the nomination.

AP has called the race for Sparks. Wow. Can’t find it online yet.

UPDATE:

Rep. Artur Davis loses bid to become first black Ala. governor .

Of course that’s how USA Today has to put it.

Early returns! Five percent in, and St. Roy is in fourth place. Right now, the GOP runoff would be Byrne vs. Bentley, but I still expect Tim James to catch Bentley. Sparks has a big early lead on Davis; in a low-turnout election, the machine help that Sparks had could be determinitive. Luther Strange up early on “Troy King”. And Twinkle! is leading in her PSC race, and could avoid a runoff. Only really bad news is that Dale Peterson is out of the runoff for the GOP Ag Commissioner spot, but it’s early. I know he’s got one more great ad in him.

The weather’s nice today, so I’m guessing high turnout, which probably is good for Artur Davis on the Democratic side. Hope I’m wrong about that. For the Republicans, Bradley Byrne will get the most votes, but probably less than 40 percent; I’m guessing he’ll meet Tim James in the runoff.

Just because the state supreme court says he’s supposed to! What kind of attorney general just follows the stupid law like that?

King says he’s disappointed in the Supreme Court’s ruling because it reversed past decisions by the court. He says the state constitution requires that he abide by the court’s decision and he will.

Man, Troy has been so reasonable lately. It’s a comfort that his TV ads remain absolutely insane, like the one where he strongly suggests that Luther Strange is a terrorist sympathiser. (Unfortunately, I can’t find it online.)

This is obviously close to my heart as a librarian and (before that) a library rat in the Jefferson County libraries. But for goodness sake, William Bell is trying to be the grownup here. This is the fault of Crazy Larry with his insane spending spree and the City Council which enabled it. The council president is still doing it — he wants to “raise more revenue”. In other words, raise taxes. During a very mild recovery from a very deep recession in a city that’s been economically declining for my entire life. I am not at all happy about the (putatively temporary) library closings, but there’s little choice in the matter here.