U.K.'s Birmingham longs to be in Alabama

To be fair, the two great Birminghams of the world have a lot in common. Both were hubs of the Industrial Revolution, and today they’re both ethnically diverse and focused around service industries. So, can we really blame city officials in Birmingham, England, for accidentally featuring the Birmingham, Alabama, skyline in a recent flier? Well, yes, apparently we can. The poor Brummie City Council has been getting mocked relentlessly by folks on both sides of the Atlantic since featuring Alabama’s buildings in a recycling flier labeled "Thank you, Birmingham!" But as a proud resident of the American Birmingham, I refuse to join the chortling masses.