Jack Burns Lives!

I’m often called to task for my pessimism and grumpiness. A fair accusation and one I don’t mind, because it puts me in the company of some pretty great people. Mark Twain, Edward Abbey, Emma Goldman, Arthur Schopenhauer, even Woody Allen. It’s often hard to be optimistic in this world, especially when you bury your [...]

The dream vacation is set. Marathon, Texas, population 450.
Why is Marathon the dream destination? Because there’s really nothing there. A hotel, a few B&B’s, several art galleries, a book seller, a good bar, a couple of eateries, local train service and miles and miles of open space and hiking through west Texas and Big [...]

photo credit: WBIR Knoxville
Tucked safely away on page 12 in the appropriately named “National Briefing” section of today’s New York Times is a single paragraph about the major spill in East Tennessee.
“Brief” is the right word to describe the coverage this event has received in the national media and why more people are not [...]