by David Burn | Jul 22, 2005 | Go Big Red
“California is a garden of eden. It’s a paradise to live in or see;
But believe it or not, you won’t find it so hot,
If you ain’t got that do re mi.” -Woody Guthrie
Despite Narayan Nayar’s best efforts, he now regularly uses the word “dude” in conversation and even in writing. Academics tend to shy away from such colloquialisms, but living in Santa Cruz, CA can break down a person’s natural defenses, even a well educated person’s.
The local lexicon is far from Nayar’s only issue with the place.
There’s many things to like about (northern) California, but in no way do I consider it the pinnacle of civilization that its real estate prices would suggest. The fact that real estate prices in the Bay Area rose 22% last year evinces the kind of self-delusion a place which serves a tofu-everything can induce. It won’t be too long until the only people who can afford to live in the Bay Area are the CEOs of Apple, Oracle, Google, Adobe, Industrial Light & Magic, and Yahoo, all of whom will feast daily on a diet of ego and wheatgrass, and use the houses of regular schmucks like myself as mere parking sheds for their fleet of Segways.
I wonder if the dude’s watched Joel Coen’s The Big Lebowski, a movie which appeals to coolest of all dudes (male and female).
by David Burn | Jul 3, 2005 | Go Big Red
“You should enter a baseball field the way you enter a church.” -Bill Lee
I was lucky to grow up in a time of oddball pitchers. Mark Fidrych a.k.a. “The Bird,” Bill Lee and Dock Ellis were three of the central summertime characters of my youth.
Dock, who threw a no hitter on LSD in 1970, spoke to the Dallas press recently and now the story of his no-hitter is circulating again. Good. Maybe, in light of such a performance, some people might question the drug’s reported harmfulness. I know that’s a lot to ask, and it’s ever more to ask that one read Acid Dreams, a rigorously researched book on the widespread counter intelligence efforts made against LSD by the FBI in the 1960s.
The answers are out there. Discover them at your own risk. But let Dock’s no-hitter serve as evidence that on a good day, one can find clarity, concentration and endurance in LSD.
by David Burn | Jun 28, 2005 | Go Big Red
Flickr users, eatsdirt and nycarthur, have generously posted interesting photo sets from last weekend’s Coney Island Mermaid Parade.
According to ConeyIsland.com, “The Mermaid Parade is the nation’s largest art parade and one of New York City’s greatest summer events. The Mermaid Parade celebrates the sand, the sea, the salt air and the beginning of summer, as well as the history and mythology of Coney Island, Coney Island pride, and artistic self-expression. The Parade is characterized by participants dressed in hand-made costumes as Mermaids, Neptunes, various sea creatures, the occasional wandering lighthouse, Coney Island post card or amusement ride, as well as antique cars, marching bands, drill teams, and the odd yacht pulled on flatbed.”
by David Burn | Jun 25, 2005 | Go Big Red
Robert Patterson of Prince Edward Island, Canada has been busy readying a collabortive work space set to open Monday in Charlottetown.
The Queen Street Commons is an organized group to create and serve the common good of its members.
We come together to create the organizational power to obtain services in common that we could never afford on our own. We offer fellowship and community for those that work alone. We offer the opportunity to discover the value of interacting with others. We offer the opportunity to contribute to the common good. We offer a “Work Home”.
There’s something decidedly 1960s about these sort of collectivist operations. Which is what I love about them. If I were a poet/blogger/copywriter/journalist dude living in PEI, I’d want in bad. Hey, can I get a Canadian work visa as a freelance writer?
by David Burn | Jun 20, 2005 | Go Big Red
Boston Phoenix reports that Domino’s Pizza founder, Tom Monaghan, has big plans for the community he’s building near Naples, Florida.
Ave Maria won’t be just a university. It will also be a new town, built from scratch, in which the wickedness of the world will be kept at bay. “We’ve already had about 3500 people inquire on our Web site about buying a home there — you know, they’re all Catholic,” Monaghan says excitedly. “We’re going to control all the commercial real estate, so there’s not going to be any pornography sold in this town. We’re controlling the cable system. The pharmacies are not going to be able to sell condoms or dispense contraceptives.” A private chapel will be located within walking distance of each home. At the stunning church in the center of town, Mass will be said hourly, seven days a week, from 6 a.m. on.
You know, it might be fun to be so insanely rich, that whatever crazy scheme you had up your sleeve, people would respond to it. I’m sure the contractors in S.W. Florida could give a crap why they’re building what they’re building. If this guy was serious, he’d take a page from the Mormons, and have only church members in good standing work on his projects.
by David Burn | Apr 11, 2005 | Go Big Red
I happen to share a name with pop music icon, David Byrne. Due to this simple twist of fate, I must endure comments like, “I love your band, man” and “Left your big suit at home today, huh?” every time I meet someone new. I usually say something like “This really isn’t my beautiful house” in return.
Now, the namebrand confusion may worsen, as the RISD grad has launched his own web site and internet radio station–areas I’ve long been active in.
For the record, he spells it “Byrne”. I spell it “Burn”. His spelling is English. Mine is Scotch.
by David Burn | Dec 7, 2004 | Go Big Red
Rosa Parks, 91, has earned free rent for life. Hartford Memorial Baptist Church in Detroit had been paying Parks’ rent, which had been as high as $1,800 a month, since August 2003.
After first threatening eviction, Riverfront Associates, which owns the apartment where Parks has lived since 1994, decided in October saying Parks could stay for free for the rest of her life. “I thought it was the right thing to do,” managing partner Peter Cummings told the Detroit Free Press. “This woman is an icon. She deserves an enormous amount of respect. In a way, I think it’s an honor to be able to accord her that respect.”
Parks was 42 when she refused to give up her seat on a city bus in Montgomery, Ala., in 1955. Her arrest triggered a 381-day boycott of the bus system organized by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
by David Burn | Dec 1, 2004 | Go Big Red
Robert McArtor, 71, of Spring Hill, Tenn. has his wallet back. After 30 years.
According to The Tennessean, employees of Bison Designs in Longmont, Colo., which manufactures belts, key chains and bottle openers, found the wallet. Company owner Brian Kelleghan said he had purchased a building and was having new windows installed when a contractor pulled some insulation out of the wall. Out fell the wallet.
”It was crammed full of pictures from what looked like multiple generations,” Kelleghan said. ”It was obviously a gem and I could tell the man who owned it was a family man.”
The key to finding the rightful owner of the stolen-long-ago wallet was a note found inside scribbled by McArtor’s 6-year old daughter, Beverly. ”I love you mother and father,” the note said. ”You are good pairint’s and as I said I love you, Love Beverly.”
Kelleghan took the wallet to his office and showed it to several employees. Colleen Kelly, who manages the company’s new accounts and bill collections, took an interest in finding the owner of the wallet. She couldn’t find a Robert McArtor online but came up with another plan. ”I had the note and just typed in the daughter’s first and last name and found her on a college alumni Web site,” Kelly said. ”It’s scary what you can find on the Internet.”
”It must be an extraordinary person that would go to this length to track us down,” said Robert McArtor, 71. ”Only in this computerized day and age could they have a way to track us down. If the wallet was found in 1975, when I lost it, they probably wouldn’t have found us.”
thanks to uber-blogger, Jim Romenesko, for bringing this story to light
by David Burn | Sep 28, 2004 | Go Big Red
I’m experiencing my own little backlash against the pervasiveness of technology in our lives. Two areas I find particularly bothersome: 1) Plastic surgery and 2) Cell phones. I understand that both technologies have a place in society. Plastic surgery’s place is helping to reconstruct one’s body after a terrible accident. Cell phones, on the other hand, prove convenient when one’s car breaks down.
Since moving to Chicago last year, I’ve noticed several people talking to themselves on the city’s sidewalks. The odd thing is these ladies and gentlemen don’t look to be insane. In fact, these fast talkers are usually well dressed and often appear to be rather hurried. Then, I’ll see the earpiece and realize what it is I’ve been witness to–a cell phone conversation, masked by the smallness of the device itself.
the offending device
An even worse environment for cell phone use (of any type) is on the train. The train is a public venue. Thus, most people respectfully keep to themselves. Until their cell phone rings. Then all within earshot get to learn all about the formulating plans, relationship troubles or business dealings of an imperfect stranger.
Regarding the medical enhancement of physical features, all I can say is I feel sick when I see a person who’s volunteered to go under the knife. Michael Jackson, Cher and Joan Rivers (most notably) are humans willingly transforming themselves into something less than human. I see these celebs, or others likewise transfigured, and I see no beauty whatsoever, only disease. Some may argue that plastic surgery can help improve one’s self-esteem. I’m sorry, but that’s a crock of shit. All “enhancement” does is reveal one’s suffering soul.
by David Burn | Sep 22, 2004 | Go Big Red
Given that I am a full-fledged member of the Burn clan (Scottish in origin), one might think I’ve made the pilgrimage to northwest Nevada in September for the annual pagan art ritual, Burning Man. I have not. I put this event in the same category as a Goa Gil production–something I know is right on, but thus far elusive to me personally.
Photo by Rick Egan. Click image for his photo site.
