May 31, 2007 Issue

Here’s a tidbit about journalists: we are incurably nosy. It is our nature. When you meet one of us, you are likely to be peppered with questions. We can’t help ourselves; we just want to know. To that end, we tend to read a lot.

One of the publications I read on a regular basis is a weekly magazine called The Week. It is The Reader’s Digest of the week’s news, with columns and opinions from the world over. The excerpts are short and pungent and it helps those of us who are without 24-hour news channels keep abreast of world events.

There is a little section called a good week for… and it lists wacky things that happen all over. One such entry was about a British man who held up a car dealership and attempted to escape on a forklift, which beeps its location and moves pretty slowly.

This section also noted the launch of a website called SoundsDirty.com a pornographic website for the visually impaired.

I laughed and immediately went to my computer and dialed it up. Yes, there are sounds, but it is pretty much your regular run-of-the-mill porn. A blind person would need a sighted person to help them navigate, because you must be able to see to get around in this space, unless they had one of those Braille display devices. The other alternative is a speech synthesizer which could direct them — in that oh-so-sexy tinny voice — to hot, girl-on-girl action! I’m thinking blind people are way smarter than to need to SoundsDirty.com, but my journalistic instincts forced me to check it out.

As I’ve said before, the quickest way to get the media to your event is to feed us. Wait, while I don my Bill Campbell outfit of Birkenstocks, shorts and a loud Hawaiian shirt. Ready?

OK then, here we go. Recently Doug Jester, the operating partner at The Grape, invited a gaggle of us to partake of the new menu they are now serving. We were plied with crushed grapes in every variety from champagne to a dessert wine and everything white and red in between. We were served good-sized samples of the new menu and the wine glasses kept piling up. They now serve all kinds of good stuff including a wonderful beef potpie, quiche with leeks and bacon, veggie quesadillas, and a club sandwich. We all noshed and ate from each other’s plates, in a true investigative journalist kind of way. Check it out. It’s a spot for adults. It is located behind Panera Bread in Destin Commons. Live music on the weekends too!

My brother has had a brilliant idea. Recently he was the recipient of a random act of kindness. He was attended to by a Good Samaritan who helped him out of a tight spot. He told me about it and suggested we troll for the Good Samaritan of the Fortnight. I think it’s a wonderful idea, but I need the help of the readers. I can’t launch a good new feature with just one story. It doesn’t have to be a recent story, but it would be helpful if the dispensers of goodness can be identified. It will be even better if they can be photographed to accompany the story.

I know lots of people are on the receiving ends of selfless acts each and every day. You might even be the one providing the assistance. Don’t be afraid to toot your own horn, but do call me at 800-310-6964 and leave your information and I’ll call you back. Alternately, you can email me at thebeachcomber@earthlink.net, but be warned, the first time you email, your message will be held on the web until I clear it. Although my sturdy Mac rejects most viruses, I don’t want to sully its integrity by allowing messages about increasing my penis size to come through.

C’mon now, let’s hear it for human kindness. It is always around, always in short supply, but it should be abundant as a part of the whole Southern hospitality package. Besides, my nosy self would love to hear all about it..

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