By Louis Uchitelle 

In Aisle 34 is precut vinyl flooring, the glue already in place. In Aisle 26 are prefab windows. Stacked near the checkout counters, and as colorful as a Fisher-Price toy, is a not-so-serious-looking power tool: a battery-operated saw-and-drill combo. And if you don't want to be your own handyman, head to Aisle 23 or Aisle 35, where a help desk will arrange for an installer.

It's all very handy stuff, I guess, a convenient way to be a do-it-yourselfer without being all that good with tools. But at a time when the American factory seems to be a shrinking presence, and when good manufacturing jobs have vanished, perhaps never to return, there is something deeply troubling about this dilution of American craftsmanship. 

This isn't a lament - or not merely a lament - for bygone times. It's a social and cultural issue, as well as an economic one. The Home Depot approach to craftsmanship - simplify it, dumb it down, hire a contractor - is one signal that mastering tools and working with one's hands is receding in America as a hobby, as a valued skill, as a cultural influence that shaped thinking and behavior in vast sections of the country.   

The Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance said it has chosen Lee Lawson of Fairhope to serve as its new president and CEO. Robert Ingram announced his retirement from the position in June.

Lawson previously served as vice president of economic development for the BCEDA from 2006 to 2008, during which time he was responsible for marketing and the recruitment of new jobs and corporate investments.  

Lawson said he is excited to return to the BCEDA and the organization's opportunities going forward to attract new corporate investment was something he wanted to be a part of.

"I believe in what I'm selling and that's a large part of why I chose to come back here," he said. "It's an attractive place for me and my family and I believe that translates into being an attractive place to recruit business, too."

MOBILE, Alabama -- A scientific discovery made at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine has helped launch a new biotech company in Mobile.

The business, Exscien -- which in Latin means 'for science' -- was recently awarded a grant by the National Institutes of Health to support the development of a new drug aimed at preventing and reversing acute lung injury.

Led by Steve and Christine Cumbie, the biotech company's co-founder is Dr. Mark Gillespie, a professor and member of the Center for Lung Biology at USA's College of Medicine.

Medical school staffers are collaborating with Exscien in an effort to quickly develop the treatments that initially will be used in lung transplantation surgeries.

There are no drugs available to effectively manage acute lung injury, Gillespie said, adding that the condition can complicate medical disorders ranging from trauma and infection to transplants.

The $148,000 grant will help fund research to examine the effectiveness of a drug in increasing the number of lungs available for transplant and in reducing lung rejection, school officials said.