Trip to Germany: Amid great beauty lie the seeds of a horrible ugliness

This is a look back at the restaurant that occupies Eagle's Nest, Adolf Hitler's mountaintop retreat in Bavaria during World War II. Image by Del Stone Jr.

A river runs through the little town of Bertchesgaden, Germany – a clear, blue ribbon of foam, as pretty as a river can be. The river tumbles down from mountains that ring the village like a crown reaching into the… READ MORE

Trip to Germany: Berlin carries you from the past into the future

Germans refer to Berlin as the world's biggest construction project. Image courtesy of Del Stone Jr.

The drive from Leipzig to Berlin, in what was once East Germany, carries you from the past into the future. The past begins on the autobahn, which in some places still uses the cobblestone-like ext and entry ramps of the… READ MORE

Trip to Germany: The scariest part was the airplane ride

The author snapped this photo of the Delta jetliner he flew aboard to Germany. In the column he referred to it as a DC-10 but in all probability it was an MD-11. Image courtesy of Del Stone Jr.

A large group of my friends – large enough to physically overpower me – escorted me to the airport for my recent trip to Europe. They know I’m a weenie about flying (as if I hadn’t collapsed into their arms… READ MORE

Even God must deal with red tape

Image courtesy of picryl.

And God said, “Let there be bureaucracy”: My Destin correspondent, Winona Havey, who frequently ponders the imponderable and mails me the results, forwarded to my attention this little gem, which I now forward to you: “In the beginning, God created… READ MORE

Skepticism now has an ultra-atmospheric spin

Image courtesy of Flickr user Lance H. Bates under the auspices of a Creative Commons license. https://www.flickr.com/photos/7977365@N08/5709021472/

A number of people called, e-mailed, faxed, or contacted me via the Intergalactic Council to let me know what a rube I am for suggesting flying saucers are a figment of the collective unconscious. One person even admonished me to… READ MORE

Justice isn’t justice if it isn’t equal for all

Image courtesy of Olaf Growald, Wikimedia Commons.

The death penalty? The righteously wrathful were rubbing their palms last week as jurors in the penalty phase of the Timothy McVeigh murder and conspiracy trial decided he should die for his crime. His crime – the April 19, 1995… READ MORE

A performance that could help save a life

Image courtesy of Flickr user lilbluelola. — Performance Against AIDS: Frankly Scarlett in downtown Fort Walton Beach will again be the venue for Performance Against AIDS V, a fund-raiser for OASIS and its efforts to improve the quality of life… READ MORE

There’s no place for flab in rock ’n’ roll

Image courtesy of Pikist by way of a Creative Commons license.

Let the good times roll: Skinny teenagers capered across the stage at Fort Walton Landing as I stood astride my bike, trying to ignite matches by rubbing them between my flab rolls. It was Saturday night’s Battle of the Bands…. READ MORE