Time still ticking for Birmingham:
A&E’s documentary series First 48 is returning to the Birmingham area after making its first appearance in February 2009 during the ninth season.
This will be the third season that has included Birmingham in an airing. This is not a good thing that can be added to the “positive” category for our city, but at the same time, it’s not that bad of a thing either. The detectives and, unfortunately, even some of the criminals are local reality television stars that live right across the street. (Good: Living across the street from the detectives; Bad: Living across the street from the criminals.) On the upside, the show has increased the number of individuals calling with help and information for Birmingham homicide teams.
They like us!
Local venue The Bottletree Café, which recently celebrated its fourth birthday with a soul dance party and has been largely responsible for the influx of excellent independent music into Birmingham, has been named one of the top ten new music venues in the United States by flavorwire.com, a subsection of the cultural news site flavorpill.com. Cited among the reasons for Bottletree’s selection are it’s zany décor, and it’s hip and comfortable green-room, which contains massage chairs, a decent reading selection and a 70s era Airstream trailer to kick back in before and after a gig. Other finalists include The Drunken Unicorn in Atlanta and Saddle Creek Records’ venue Slowdown, in Omaha. For more information on Bottletree, visit www.thebottletree.com.
Slow down and pay attention:
Every day, I see people driving carelessly, and the consequences of our indifference are responsible for a terrible tally. According to a recent report on al.com, four area teens have died in car accidents in Birmingham in the last week. The latest tragic casualty, Georgia Carolyn Rose Richards, was a 17-year-old junior at Homewood Highschool and aspiring photographer, whose work is currently on display at the Homewood Public Library. Local teens Natalie Hurst, Labaron Sanders and Joshua Sparks were also killed in recent wrecks. So, the next time you get a text while driving, or someone cuts you off, keep your cool and your eyes on the road. In her memory, Richards photography will remain on display at the library through December 10.
This town runs on turkey!
Here in the South, we like to fry things, and the Thanksgiving turkey is no exception. Unfortunately, all that frying fowl creates a deluge of used oil, which when thrown away can pollute the water-supply. Since 2004, the city of Hoover has been collecting that used cooking oil and using it as an alternative fuel for its municipal vehicles, according to a report on magiccitypost.com. This season, however, donations of said oil have been a little measly compared to the 10,000 gallons usually collected, and Hoover is soliciting additional donations. If you are sitting on a load of greasy gold and would like to unload it, you can drop it off at any of Hoover’s fire stations or the Hoover Public Library. For more info call 205- 444-7655 or email fire@ci.hoover.al.us.
Christian Louboutin
