Southern Sojourner

A Tannehill Promenade Wish List

The Colonial Properties Tannehill Promenade, has by most accounts been a great success.  With a movie house among the best in the area and a Publix that is killing its competition and a Target that slowly (but surely) is getting it's act together, people are spending money in southwest Jefferson County. 

People that once would have driven two or three exits down I-459 are now stopping at Exit 1, cutting off the money trail that once regularly flowed to Hoover with its pretentious, "looking down their nose at all things not Hoover" attitude.  Read any comments on al.com that has to do with the Bessemer/McCalla area and you will that attitude and the embedded racism that continues to balkanize much of the Birmingham community.

So while I am thrilled a the good showing, I am growing impatient waiting on the rest of phase 1 to come online.  Chik-fil-a, Logan's, McAllister's, Taco Bell and Full Moon will be welcome additions.  I am also ready for a bank.  I am at Regions, but if they don't get off their tuffett and get their branch built I will be bolting to the new Credit Union or Wachovia, both of which are or will be located at the Promenade.  I am interested in the Toll House store as well. 

But even while we wait, there comes the announcement today in the Birmingham rag about Colonial wanting to start on Phase's 2 and 3.  What was interesting was that the stores listings were pretty specific.  JC Penny (weren't they suppose to be in phase 1?), Red Robin, Krystals and Lamar's Donuts (hmmm, doooonuutttts).  Phase 3 is stated to feature a home improvement retailer, which I assume is a Home Depot since Lowe's has a store in Bessemer already.  I like Lowe's better but Home Depot wanting to expand this direction and compete with Lowe's make sense.

Aside from the donuts, I am not terribly excited about any of these. I am not bummed, but not excited. 

If I had to choose, I would vote for a book store like Barnes and Noble or Borders.  Books A Million's layout stresses me and it looks junky, but I would even welcome it.  I would also advocate for a Best Buy, we need a good consumer electronic retailer here and I think it would do very well since that market is completely ignored on this side of the county with the exception of a Radio Shak here or there.  I would like a nice pub (not another "sports bar") and/or independent gourmet coffee shop.  I am happy with the Starbucks at Target, but I don't like walking into a big box for a small coffee.  I prefer intimacy in my coffee shops. We have another coffee shop in McCalla, but they can't decide if they want to sell coffee or ice cream or chicken salad (which is good) or socks.  And their coffee is average at best and often just very bad. 

I would love an Academy Sports but I don't see that with Hibbetts already established, but this is a wish list.  I would like to see some more sit down restaurants and no more clothing establishments.  I'd die for a Thai restaurant but that would border on delirium.

Beyond stoking my imagination, I wondered what was going to happen to the current footprint slated for JC Penny.  I had heard that JCP was suing Colonial over the sinkhole issue.  If they do indeed move to Phase 2, what happens with the current property?  Anyone heard?  I suppose that was too difficult a question for the reporter to ask. 

Anyway, do you have any wishes for the retail growth of the best secret in the Birmingham Metro area?

Rants and Raves at the end of 38

    First, thanks to all the well wishers that offered their thoughts on my birthday.  Most came through Facebook, which I haven't used much of late.  I was wasting too much time on it so I got away from it, though it is great way to find old acquaintances. That said, I appreciate all the greetings, but I can't respond individually to each you.  I am sure you understand.

    Life has been busy. I hate saying that because I don't want to come off like one of those incessant whiners who is always complaining about being busy as if they are to be rewarded for their martyrdom. It is so tiresome.  We are all busy, so get over it.

    So I am not griping in the least.  I feel blessed .  My business continues to grow and the prospects of a sustainable career are now within sight. But running a growing business by yourself, attempting to serve your clients as they rightly deserve, trying to be technologically efficient while trying to continue marketing efforts that will keep new business coming in, all the while maintaining life balance with my family, friends and having time for myself as well has proven challenging.  Blogging has suffered as a consequence.

    As usual there have been many stories that have caught my attention, other events that are worth sharing. So since, it is 11:15 P.M. I will use the ubiquitous bullet format for what has been happening in my mind and life that merits a mention.

• One of the great things about having a toddler:  Goldfish!  You would never feel right about buying this stuff for yourself, but Emerson has been very generous with her Goldfish and her old man thanks her. Delicious.

• Alabama is the 2nd fattest state in the country and 66% of the population has a gun.  Yikes.  Perhaps if we (I do mean we) got off our lazy ass butts and quit getting our fears aroused by over dramatized news, we would drop a few pounds and quit shooting each other.

• We sold Tracy's car and we now have a three weeks to find her a new one before she heads back to school.  I hate cars. I hate the fact that we have to have two.  I hate the fact Birmingham has no reputable and reliable mass transportation system.  I hate having to save for two years only to spend it all on a depreciating utility that destroys our environment, makes oil companies richer, and will have to be replaced in another 5-7 years.

• I am not looking forward to the Olympics, but I am looking forward to the political conventions.  I love patriotic drunken happy liars. I don't like seeing people's dreams and life's ambitions shattered in a matter of moments. For every medal winner there are all those loser's who have worked so hard for nothing.  Just sad. 

• I have an iPhone and I love it.  The Pandora application is fantastic as is the NY Times access. It is a fabulous piece of technology.  That said, I will not put an "apple" sticker on my vehicle window.  I will not trash PC users and I will not claim moral superiority.  Take note Mac users.

• The Tannehill Promenade is coming to life.  The movie house, a restaurant are already open.  Target and Publix open this week.  Coming are more restaurants, shops and crap like that.  I am looking forward to reducing my spending in Hoover.

• I heard from my old room mate in college on facebook and I am really looking forward to talking with him on the phone soon.  That is news in itself because as a rule I hate the phone.  It is one of the necessary evils in this society.  I just do not like talking on the phone.

• I finished 2nd out of 2,700 players in the Full Tilt Poker freeroll tournament the other night.  I was stoked.  It did take almost 6 hours and my winnings amounted to a little over $2 per hour, but I'll take a free $12 anyday particularly on something as enjoyable as poker.

• Finally, what is the friggin' deal with these Bluetooth devices. Really, do you have to have that goofy thing in your ear all the time.  We ate dinner at Bottega tonight and there were these four folks at the table next to us.  It was obvious that is was a business dinner.  And there was this guy, sitting there in his suit and tie and this stupid blinking ear piece in his ear.  I wanted to stab my fork into his temple (or maybe mine).  If you are having a dinner with friends, business associates, or family or whomever, show a little respect and demonstrate that for the next hour or so you are committed to them and that conversation and turn your stinking phone off.  AAAHHHHRRRHHH!  That just drives me crazy.

• Bottega is deliciously overpriced.  My food was very good but good grief.  And the pretense in that place is palpable.  That is definitely not my scene.

Anyway, in reading back over this it appears like I am griping a lot.  But the reality is I start my 39th year tomorrow and life is good even when it is busy.  I hope to hear from many of you soon.  E-mail, comment on the blog or drop by the house rather than call though. :)

Liberty and Justice for All?

Monday, the Alabama Senate will again consider SB 431 which would allow for a statewide vote on whether to eliminate the state sales tax on groceries.  The are needing one vote to get this thing to the voters.  Three Republican senators abstained from the vote last time, so hopefully one of them will wake up and do the right thing and get this thing over the hump.

Look, this is not a vote to eliminate the tax, it is just a vote to allow the citizens of this state to vote whether or not to eliminate it.  It seems to me that the Senators need to trust us citizens to do what is right.  What is right, however, seems to me to be fairly obvious, if you have any sense of justice in you.

Consider this:

• Alabama is only one of 2 states in whole USofA that place a full sales tax on groceries. 
• Alabama is one of only 2 states in good ol' America that levy more than $300 in income tax for a family of four at the poverty line.
• Alabama is one of only 2 states from sea to shining sea where a family of four has be start paying tax on income as low as $12,600!  That is a family of four on $12,600.

Republicans have, of course, cried afoul.  "NO FAIR!" they shout.  We will not allow "wealth to be redistributed."  We will not raise taxes on some for the benefit of others. They will try to guilt you into thinking that the wealthy are overly burdened by carrying the weight of this state's financial load.  The top 20% of income earners in the state are paying 47% of tax revenue.  That is almost half, they will say.  It is just not fair, they lament through their bourbon breath.Why should only 20% of the population pay 47% of the taxes, they like bemoan.

What they fail to mention is that same top 20% of income earners in the state that are paying 47% of the taxes, earn 57% of all the income that is earned in this state.  At the very least, shouldn't they be paying 57% of the taxes!

For those who want dig into the numbers further consider  this analayis from the Legislative Fiscal Office:

    For tax payers who itemize their return in 2009, the effect of this legislation would result in a net tax cut for Married Couples filing jointly with 2 children even if their adjusted gross income (AGI) was $125,000.  That is a tax cut for couples making well over 6 digit household income.  Married couples with no children with an AGI of $75,000 or more will have a slight increase, but those with couples with AGI of $50,000 or less will see a net tax cut.

     Singles will see a slight increase but it is minimal.  For single tax payers with an AGI of $50,000 their net tax only goes up between $31-$48. A single tax payer with an AGI of $125,000 would see a net tax increase of $355-$372.  My guess is that if you are single making that kind of money in a low cost state like Alabama, you wouldn't even notice the difference.

Finally, you might want to note that a family of four making less than $100,000 a year will see there taxes go down by as much as $1,036! That can be significant relief as gas and food prices soar.

My question is do we or do we not believe in liberty in justice for all or it is just those who make enough money to buy it.  Let's hope that it is the former!

HT to Scott Stantis, editorial cartoonist for the Bham News.  I often disagree with his commentary, but he nailed it on this one. 

My Neighbor is Gay

I am not gay.  I have been called gay, but not because someone thought I had homo-erotic tendencies, but probably because I said "roll tide" to an aubie, or some kind of childish retort like that. No one who knows me really thinks I am gay, queer possibly, but never gay.  I was hit on by a gay person once, so he must have thought I was gay, but most people know that there is just not a gay bone anywhere in me.   

I am not a homophobe either. I believe homosexuality is part sexual, part political, and, for me, thoroughly confusing.  It messes with me and my little world. There is so much shouting, too much finger pointing or wagging.  Everyone claiming God's will. Everyone demanding their rights, often to the disruptions and destruction of community that they claim to enhance or protect.  Now where rights are systemically denied and dehumanization exist, there is cause for that demand, but often the agendas go beyond that and it is only about the agenda, and I don't like that. It makes me sad.

I believe that homosexuals should have the same governmental rights and protections afforded to heterosexuals.  I believe that civil unions are appropriate  and should be welcomed. Those civil unions should allow the homosexual couple full rights as though they were married.  Heck, I don't care if you call it marriage on the civil side, but I do have a problem with homosexuals demanding that religious organizations bless that union. 

I think that the individual faith community must decide that for themselves whether there should be a religious blessing on the union.  We can not force a faith community to violate their convictions and many of those faith communities reject homosexuality, not out of bigotry (though some do) and hatred (though some have) but out of a serious intent on following on what their scriptures tell them and their faith teaches them. This can , as we have seen at times in the past, problematic, but we should not be in the business of demanding theological conformity from faith communities. 

The government must protect and afford equal rights to all citizens assuming those citizens accept the responsibility of working within the legal structures and frameworks of a society.  The government can not tell us how to believe, nor should they try.  My belief, for what it is worth, is that God loves all of us sinners, all of us. 

But I digress, I started to say that my neighbor is gay.  It is not the neighbor that I suspect is gay, but another neighbor.  My lovely neighborhood has 640 homes in it, so I suspect that I have another 60 or so gay neighbors around, but I know where one is now for sure. 

In the stupidity of the developer or the insanity of postal numbering systems, the addressing is almost  the same on similar sounding roads.  It is  hard to distinguish between "Neighborhood Dr." and "Neighborhood Tr."  I often get mail addressed to the same number on "Neighborhood Tr." while I live on "Neighborhood Dr." and occasionally I get other numbers on that road.  And that was the case yesterday. 

So yesterday I get the mail, with three of four plastic wrapped magazines. I get a lot of magazines related to my business.  It is not rare for me to get multiple periodicals in one day, along with my Wall Street Journal. I bring the stack of mail into my office, and mindlessly open  it, while I catch up on my gorgeous bride's day.  Talking, ripping, shredding, discarding or filing the stuff.  Not really paying attention to anything other than my wife.  I give a quick glance and then back to the conversation.  I open a bank statement, toss aside, bill from my accountant, put in the "to be paid stack,"  The Journal of Financial Planning, I yawn and set it aside, Financial Planning magazine, on the stack, Solutions, again in the "probably never will be read stack." I am ripping and tearing through the mail, handle it once and be done with it, the productivity experts say. And I am being productive. 

I rip the plastic off the next one and as I am placing in my magazine stack, I glance down and see

"What the..."  I utter. 
I look up at my wife, feeling surprisingly sheepish.
I look back down, "Am I really seeing this, or I have a blacked out" I think to myself.  "And why, if I have blacked out is this what I am seeing.  I am not gay."

It is hard enough to explain why the Victoria Secrets catalog comes addressed to me, but what do you do when you plop this magazine down on your desk in front of your wife?  I quickly retrieve the card stock '"renewal" slip that accompanied the magazine and glance down at the address.  Whew! "It is not mine," I think.  Which is funny that I thought that, because there is no reason for it to be mine.  I am not gay, but that is what I though. Anyway, that was my "male mail surprise" for yesterday.

And now my neighbor has been outed. Of course, he may be out already, I don't know, which is what makes me wonder what I should do.  I could toss it, but  it is time to renew and it is his property after all.  I could deliver it, but would that cause him embarrassment?  If he is out, no problem I guess, but if he isn't I don't want to him to be uncomfortable.  Do I place it in an envelope and mail it to him without a return address?  Does that mean that I am uncomfortable?  You see this gay stuff messes with my world. 

I flipped through a couple of pages and confirmed what I already knew.  I am not gay.  My wife took a look. 12 pack abs, abnormally fit and handsome men. To my great pleasure, I was reaffirmed that she is not gay either.  Blessings and affirmations come in surprising ways. 

To Catch an (insurance) Predator

Southern Sojourner (SS) is a personal blog.  I place where I can be juvenile or mature, a spot in the worldwide web where I can spout off or write out my reflective contemplations. It is my space where I can share what is on my mind, pissing me off, or stirring my soul.  I enjoy it, need it and have made some great friends because of it.  I met my friend Michael, with whom I play poker every month, who lives in my own neighborhood, due to this little dot in the vast technological universe. But it is a personal blog.

I have two other blogs that I could start with my Typepad account and I have often thought of using one of them for my business and one for my faith community should I ever get around to starting it. (BTW, if anybody that reads this that lives in McCalla/Bessemer area and wants to help start a progressive faith community let me know.)  I just didn't know if I would have the time to maintain them.  This blog sucks enough as it is, do we really need two other under attended blogs out there.  I doubt it. 

Anyhow, since I can not separate my business from who I am, I periodically share financial stuff here at SS. My friend Jack put me onto the Dateline NBC special that aired last Friday night.  Turns out that pedophile busting Chris Hansen put on a different type of sting operation here in good old Birmingham. The predator he was looking for this time were insurance salesmen who prey (on anybody) primarily on seniors touting the "risk free" investments that are known as Equity Indexed Annuities.  Boy howdy, it was spot on.  I have sat in training sessions where the insurance companies taught agents how to sale these crappy products and I can tell you first hand that the "undercover training school" that was represented here is how it is.   Check out this segment from the special.

If you are considering or more probably being sold an annuity, you might want to check out the whole episode. I will give you a couple of rules of thumb to help you sort through the decision.  Most people, not all, mind you, but most, people do not need an annuity.  They are ridiculously expensive.  Second, if an advisor is trying to get you to put an annuity in an IRA, you can be sure he/she is not working in your best interest. There is no reason to have an annuity inside an IRA, it is just an sales tactic.  Finally, you will be better served in both the short term and the long term to work with an planner/advisor that doesn't receive compensation from any source other than you.  You work for whomever pays you and if you are the sole source of compensation for your planner then that planner will work for you or else you will fire him. And you can fire him with no surrender charges.

All I can say is beware the sale of financial products and cautious around those that sell them.  Many are indeed predators. 

Quest for an Intergalatic Home and Peace and Tax Fairness

I haven't been blogging as much as I like.  I have a lot of things I would like to blog about, but I am terribly slow.  I don't know how you can blog everyday, it is just such an investment of time.  It is ironic that I write this because this is one of the rare second blogs in a day for me. 

While it takes time,I can say that the television is not taking up any of it. The state of television is woeful.  I admit that I am still mourning the passing of The Wire, but for all the friggin channels out there, it is sad.  But even among the valley of drying bones in t.v. land, there are still gusts of life that give you hope.  Lost returns in two weeks with new episodes for the rest of this season.

But flying under the radar with less hoopla is the return of Battlestar Galactica.  Friends, (sounds McCainian) any hoopla this series gets is well deserved. The bittersweetness of this return is of course, the realization that this is the final season.  Like, Lost, I was late to the Battlestar party and have been utilizing my Netflix membership to catch up. So I am having to DVR these new episodes because I am just on Season 3.  I just noticed that Season 3 Disc One is on the way, so I am stoked, but If you haven't watched Battlestar, you are sinning against yourself.  Well written, timely, attractive cast and with Cylons! Awesome!

Now to some serious notes:

I need you step up to plate if you live in Alabama.  All you guys who petitioned me to Free the Hops, it is time to return the favor.  If you live in Alabama, I need you right now to contact your representative and urge the support  of the Tax Fairness Act.  The bill will eliminate the sales tax on groceries and raise the income tax threshold to $20,000.  The House will be debating this bill on Tuesday, April 15th.  The bill for the House is HB 274 and in the Senate it is SB 431.

I am pleading you to contact your representative and ask them to support these respective bills. You can find your representative and their contact information here. To understand the bills more, Alabama Arise has produced an excellent talking points grid.  I encourage you to read it.   

To validate the need and urgency, you will want to note that this week that it was reported that the income gap in Alabama is the 2nd highest in the country.  We're number TWO, We're number TWO.  Jeesh.
The poor continue to lose ground in Alabama.  You should not have to be paying sales tax on groceries and we shouldn't be taxing families of four when then only make $12,600! Please take the time to contact your representatives and pass it on to others who will do the same.  Let them know that we are paying attention and demand justice for all citizens in this state. 

Recap of the Commission Supported Eagle Forum

Despite the protest of many Jeffco citizens and the Eagle Forum's own hypocrisy in accepting government funding, the event was held, thanks in part, to the $15,000 of discretionary funds given by the Jefferson County Commission.

Now some have, rightly argued, that $15,000 is pocket change and that governments have given to causes on the left in the past.  Agreed, though that doesn't justify it.  Especially considering the financial woes of our County.  If you don't live in Jefferson County or you have chosen to ignore the problem, you can read about it here, here, here, here, here, here,  here, and here.  You get the point. Seems to me that every penny counts in this situation.

Well how did the public education event that the commission choose as being so worthy of our tax dollars.  Here is a quote from the Birmingham News reporting on the event to the "mostly older almost all white" crowd:

Schlafly told the group to demand of "our candidates" commitment to a litany of conservative causes, chief among them the protection of unborn life, marriage between a man and a woman, appointment of Supreme Court justices in the Clarence Thomas mold, the rights of parents to demand public schools teach children what the parents want and defense of the words "under God" in the pledge of allegiance.

But, it was what Schlafly charged is an effort to create one-world government that she kept coming back to time and again. She accused President Bush of conspiring with Mexican and Canadian leaders to merge the three nations into one North American Union. She charged that would be a major step toward furthering the ambitions of men such as former CBS News anchor, Walter Cronkite, who she said supports the creation of one-world government.

"We don't want to be integrated with Canada or Mexico in anything," Schlafly said as the crowd applauded. "Beginning with this North American Union, all this is about getting us to get rid of our sovereignty.

She charged that Bush, along with Canadian and Mexican leaders, will use an outbreak of flu to form a committee that will begin to make decisions about health care for all three nations.

"They don't understand that the U.S. is an oasis of freedom and prosperity. We have freedom of single-family dwellings and we don't want to give that away."

A flu conspiracy?  Furthering the ambitions of Walter Cronkite?  Wow! Don't you feel better that our county is being run by such great stewards of our taxes.  Don't you think that County took a great step forward last Saturday because of this event?  Note to the Commission:  People are paying attention.  Your election season will be coming.

Business, Schools and Worship in McCalla

More good news for McCalla.  It appears the Home Depot distribution center down at the industrial park is a go.  The estimate is that this will create 400 new jobs within 3 years.  I am not crazy about tax abatements, but I guess you work with the business environment dealt you.

In school news, I saw where several Jeffco schools will be participating in new Advanced placement initiatives.  A four year investment totaling 4 million dollars will be given to these projects.  It is not fair to express disappointment, since I admittedly don't understand all of it, but why isn't McAdory a participating school? 

Finally, I have worshiped at three congregations over the last month and have a few observations that I need to note to myself as I continue to pray about a new faith community in the area.  These were not really surprising to me, but rather reinforcing what I have felt for a while.

1. I don't really have any desire to go to a big box church.  I know that everyone clamors to hear about the big stores at the Tannehill Promendade, but I don't share the same enthusiasm for churches.  Each weekend comes around and I try to think about where I wish to spend a Sunday morning and there hasn't been one yet that would leave a big footprint.
2. I don't want to dress up.  If I feel I have to put on a sports coat and slacks to feel comfortable then go ahead and count me out. This is not to say that there is anything wrong with those who want to "dress up" but I don't want to feel any conforming pressure to do so.  Can I wear jeans?  That is what I have been asking myself each Saturday evening.
3. Hospitality must be expressed authentically and not be overbearing.  I like being waved to in the parking lot.  I enjoy a smile and a handshake, but beyond that, let me be.  When I am ready to converse I will, but don't overwhelm me with false welcomes.
4. I like to hear scripture read.
5. I like to hear songs by Over The Rhine and Derek Webb. Thanks!  I am not interested in "pop" worship.  It is not completely true, but the more commercial the song, the less I find it to be significant for worship. 
6. I like musical diversity, but I like music to be conducted in a non-performance way. I want to worship, when I go to worship.  If I want to go to a concert, I will, but when I go to worship, I would rather focus my attention on God and how I relate to Him, not watch bands or singers show off their talents. I like the piano/keyboard, acoustic guitar, and acapella singing.  I like drums in moderation, but think that snares can be overbearing. I like it when I can hear others around me sing, regardless of whether they can actually carry a tune or not.  There is community in common voices.
7. I think visuals in worship are great but they must be stimulating or provocative not titillating.  The use of visuals for the sake of using visuals is useless.
8. I need communion on a weekly basis.
9. I like dialogical or conversational preaching.  I am not very good at this, but I find it very attractive and engaging.
10. I like it when I get the sense that anyone would be welcome, no emphasis (intentional or not) on socio-economic, racial or even sexual status.  That would explain my aversion to the "dress up" stuff I was talking about.  I like the freedom to be able to state where I am on my journey and what beliefs I hold without worrying about whether I am going to be found to be "too far" out there to fit in. 
11. I like and need grace and I appreciate it when the congregation seems to have an idea that they are all recipients of that grace not purveyors of it.  This means you don't have to have your crap together to worship. 
12. I miss choirs.
13. I need coffee.  Good coffee.  And I want to be able to "take it" with me to worship. 

More to come. 

If you read this, I would love to have input on what you like about your church or if you don't go to a church, what you would like if you were to go. 

Official announcements for the Tannehill Promenade

Three more stores were "officially" announced for the Colonial Tannehill Promenade.  No surprises, but the movie theater company was named, Premiere Theaters.  I couldn't find their corporate site, but I believe this is their entry into this market.  The other two named were JC Penny and Ross Dress for Less.  These are in addition to the already officially known, Publix, Target and Maurice. 

I noticed Colonial has signs up now on Eastern Valley Road and progress is being made on the site.  I just wish we could get more announcements. 

In concert news,  Workplay continues to pull in great shows.  Two of note are David Wilcox in February and the Greencards are coming back in March. 

Props for The Wire

Just got back from Santa Fe and man it is hard to know where to even begin to get back into the groove. 

We got back around 8 P.M. last night, but before we hit the sack, we watched our DVRed episode of The Wire because it is that good. If you haven't seen it, you need to start with season one and become engrossed in the best thing on television right now.

Terry Gross loves The Wire, and you can check out several Fresh Air episodes featuring the show.

Another reference to the show was found in a remarkable Op-Ed piece by Sarah Vowell in the New York Times (ht. Bob).  The piece is not about the show just a passing reference, but it is a wonderful reflection on Martin Luther King, Jr.  Go read it!  The comments are great as well, there is a really nice one in the list from someone in Birmingham.  Check it out. 

BTW,  the Natalee Hollaway reference that was made in episode two, "This ain't Aruba," was used to make an obvious statement made even more forcefully in last Sunday's episode when it was stated that people are dead in the wrong zip code. No doubt!  Birmingham is among the most violent cities per capita in the country, yet we still get Van der Sloot news.  Do you think we would be getting news three years later from a suspect in a killing in Gate City?  It is in the zip code I guess.