Free Republic

QUINCY, Fla. -- A grandson and a former son-in-law of Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden were killed when their car was hit a by a utility truck that was helping to restore power outages caused by Hurricane Frances. John Allen Madden, a 45-year-old former Florida State lineman who played under Bowden, and his 15-year-old son, Bowden Madden, were killed instantly Sunday when the passenger side of their car hit the front of the truck, Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Robert Mills said Monday. Mills said the Bowden family had been informed of the deaths. "Most of us have been around...

Dear Friends and Family, I know that I haven’t been able to stay in touch with all of you to the level that I would like, but as they say, war is hell. I just want to say that things are progressing here, despite what you might see on TV. Much of the negative media coverage makes its way to us over here and it does have an effect. To that end, I recently felt compelled to respond to what I have found to be biased, incomplete and at times untrue coverage of our efforts here in Iraq. I've already...

Atlanta radio legend Ludlow Porch used to host an annual flip-flop parade for the fun-seekers who listened to his daily program. If memory serves me correctly — and more and more frequently it does not — the parade was held on the Fourth of July, but it might have been Memorial Day. I think it originated from downtown Tucker. I’m not sure if Ludlow still has his annual flip-flop parade, or even if he is still on the air, but if he is and if he does, I have the perfect person to serve as this year’s grand marshal. That’s...

A recent poll in England asked participants to choose the best books of the century. Depending on you spoke to, the result was either a shock or no surprise at all: "The Lord Of The Rings" was the runaway winner, once again proving the enduring popularity of J.R.R. Tolkien's remarkable creation. Clearly, his books have achieved a level of popular consciousness to which few other literary endeavours could ever hope to aspire. And yet, while millions have read (and re-read) "The Lord Of The Rings", many know little or nothing about the man who gave the novels life and essentially ...