Articles for June 26th, 2009
Dallas Chamber Music Tries to Save Arts Funding, Ctd.
A thoughtful, arts-loving FrontBurnervian replies to my post, below. I encourage everyone to read the reply. It’s a forceful argument for why the city ought not to cut its arts funding. For the record, I agree with everything the FBvian says. A great city must have a thriving arts scene. Just as it must have well-maintained parks. And yet: $190 million.
Somebody Hire This Kid
An alert FBvian sends along this picture. She writes:
This guy has been standing at the corner of Cedar Springs and Pearl for at least the last two days. His sign has improved today with the white board, and both days he’s been wearing dress slacks and a tie. The sign reads (sorry for the poor camera phone shot): “Summer job wanted. A&M Finance Student. 214-356-3633.” Later today, I might drive by and give him som bottled water.
It’s the Time of Year When We Can Blow Things Up
I can’t believe that I have never bought fireworks. They are right up inside my wheelhouse. Growing up on the East Coast, my cousin Jimmy and I would try to make fireworks with Tic Tac containers and gasoline. Then there was that little forest fire incident in our neighborhood, but that’s another post. My fascination with all things combustible goes back to my childhood. Well, here in the great state of Texas, where fireworks are legal, I can finally start exploding things. Tomorrow I will be driving around DFW photographing fireworks stands and the people who frequent them. I would love some guidance on where to go (comments are ON). And for those of you who want to try to make your own fireworks (me), Wired magazine tells us how to do it:
“How to Make Fireworks
Our great nation was built on the principles of independence and self-reliance. It’s practically patriotic to build your July 4 fireworks from scratch. So, Harry Gilliam, CEO of pyrotechnics supplier Skylighter, told us how to make a spectacular fireball. (Disclaimer: Wired will not send bail money or reattach fingers.) – Daniel Dumas
1. The Fuse: Punch a hole near the bottom of an empty 10.5-ounce can (the Campbell’s Soup variety is perfect) and insert a 6-inch fuse from the hobby shop.
2. The Explosives: Sprinkle in 1 teaspoon of black or smokeless powder (available at Wal-Mart). Then cover it with a disc-shaped piece of tissue paper.
3. The Fuel: Fill the rest of the can with Cremora, the highly flammable powdered nondairy creamer. Make sure it’s well sifted and not clumpy.
4. The Show: At dusk, gather some friends, light the fuse, and run back at least 25 feet. Your creation will explode in a 4- to 6-foot ball of flames.”
Dallas Chamber Music Tries to Save Arts Funding
Dallas Chamber music just sent around an e-mail urging people to tell city officials not to cut arts funding. It reads:
Just as Dallas is preparing to open our most exciting arts venue, the Dallas Performing Arts Center, the city is proposing to cut the arts budget and merge the Office of Cultural Affairs with the library. With the positive economic impact the arts have in Dallas, we believe that shorting the arts budget is a mistake. Similarly, it is a serious mistake to combine the disparate organizations of the Office of Cultural Affairs with those of the library. We ask for your help in preventing this by contacting the mayor (tom.leppert@dallascityhall.com), the city manager (mary.suhm@dallascityhall.com) and your Council member to tell them you want to keep an independent Office of Cultural Affairs and not to reduce the arts budget. Let your voice be heard. For more information go to: www.dallasneedsthearts.com.
I sympathize with them. But a couple of points need to be made here: 1) the “Dallas Performing Arts Center” doesn’t exist. The Dallas Center for the Performing Arts does, but it’s not a venue. 2) That Dallasneedsthearts.com is awesome. I had no idea people were still using GeoCities. 3) The city’s budget shortfall is $190 million. This is going to hurt, folks. No way around it.
Michael Jackson’s Dallas Rhinoplasties
A FrontBurnervian in the know tells us that Michael Jackson’s nose had a Dallas connection:
Michael Jackson had at least two rhinoplasty surgeries in Dallas. I know this because my mother worked for an anesthesiologist at Presby. The first was in 1982, and a revision procedure followed in 1983 at the height of the success from Thriller. The surgeon refused to do additional procedures citing that Jackson had unrealistic expectations of outcomes. (Common in people with repeated cosmetic procedures, often called “dysmorphic syndrome.”) Ethical plastic surgeons require full psychological evaluation before radical procedures, and do not attempt to change features associated with someone’s race or heritage.
My mom’s employer refused to do the anesthesia because 1) Jackson was painfully thin (anorexic, and therefore at risk for cardiac arrest), 2) he believed he was “altered” (on drugs, and use of amphetamines, even by prescription can prevent healing of surgical wounds), and 3) he felt that Jackson was not going to be happy with any result. The doctor my mother worked for was Dominican, and he was disgusted by Jackson’s desire to “look Caucasian.”
The procedures were not done at Presby, but rather at a private surgical suite on LBJ Fwy. Jackson had an entire entourage in Dallas for a week each time.
Leading Off (6/26/09)
1. There was some news and stuff yesterday. DISD approved its budget, the Legislature’s special session may not save funds needed for Dallas road projects, Public Utility Commission officials are scared the grid’s gonna get overloaded if we don’t stop using hair dryers, and the Mavs drafted a French guy, ensuring I will be talking like this for about a week. But all anyone wants to talk about today, let’s admit, are the following two things:
2. Farrah Fawcett (local link: Corpus Christi native) passes.
3. Michael Jackson (local link: songs played in greater DFW area, including at The Ginger Man last night) died, too. Why mention these? Because it just seems like the right thing to do. And we really need the web traffic.
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