By Brent Thompson      For more than 10 years, the phone would ring several times each week around 11:30 a.m. The call would come from either me or Scott Allen and it always began with the same four words - “Have you eaten yet?” Scott and I ate lunch together more often than most friends do and I am so grateful that we did. I now know that we were … [Read more...]

By Nausicaa ChuIt is not often that people say you look like Natalie Portman. It’s even less likely for this to happen on the streets of Germany while you are researching Ukrainian technology and perfecting your German-language skills.But Laura Aughtman frequently finds herself in unusual situations. In fact, her trip to Germany was but one leg on a journey that has … [Read more...]

By Nausicaa ChuThey are mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers, attorneys, CEOs and shopowners. They are also cancer survivors—in that order.For Jim Proctor, Lynn Ritchie, Tricia Kirk and Lauren DeMoss, cancer is but one part of a bigger life story. On August 23, they will tell these stories on stage as honorees of the Hope Gala, the American … [Read more...]

By Nausicaa ChuIn Cieneguita, Panama, a single main road cuts through a patchwork of grass and trees like a vein. To the south, the road winds through empty swaths of green before reaching the small village. Most people have never heard of this village. Even people 20 minutes down the road do not know that it exists.Yet, 3,000 miles away, Gina Winn and students from … [Read more...]

By Nausicaa ChuWithin a 30-minute radius in the Birmingham region, there are 99 times more jobs available by car than by transit. In a 20-minute radius, that number climbs to 144. In a 10-minute radius, 128.These statistics, from a 2021 Brookings Institution report, point to an undeniable conclusion: having a car greatly increases one’s chances at finding a job in … [Read more...]