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Squawk Show

Thursday, November 12th, 2009

The town of Everman, Texas has a problem with parrots. The burg’s ever-growing colony of Quaker Parrots first appeared in the early ’90s. The feathery flocks are assumed to be descended from former pets.

Christ, Born Again in Gatlinburg

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

Early 2008 was bad for Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Long-time attraction Christus Gardens closed. The property was sold to a condo developer. Everything in the attraction — the murals, the wax dummies, the famous marble face of Jesus with-the-eyes-that-followed-you, even the name “Christus Gardens” — had been sold to an outside Christian group. Rumors had them moving [...]

Step Right Up!

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

Stairs are so ordinary and prosaic that we rarely think of them as tourist destinations. Oh sure, we’ll stand in awe before a magnificent stained-glass window. We’ll wander for a wall mural or travel for a turret. But it’s about time that we pay tribute to an often overlooked, exceedingly everyday structure. So here’s a [...]

Henry The Bear, Chick Magnet

Monday, September 14th, 2009

Hugh Reed, the human friend of Henry the Bear, has observed a measurable difference between the way that women and men react to his 800 lb. black bruin. The women really like Henry. He’s the biggest cuddly toy ever. Or something.

Hitler’s Pennsylvania Cabin

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

When Adolf Hitler’s yacht was busted up for scrap in the early 1950s, souvenirs wound up all over Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey.

B Reactor’s Slide Rule: Touched By Fermi?

Sunday, August 30th, 2009

Scientist Enrico Fermi was a superstar of nuclear physics. He was the genius who helped to build the first atomic pile in 1939, and who later oversaw the construction of the B Reactor outside of Richland, Washington.

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