Los Angeles

I'm flying to Santa Ana next weekend with some friends for no real reason. I might catch the Blindside/mewithoutYou/The Kick show in Pomona, but besides that, have nothing planned yet. I think the group is going for a more unstructured schedule than we had in Seattle, where we saw all the major sights in a 24-hour period. So, rather than see everything, what is the one thing in the LA/Santa Ana area that I should hit with my fellow travelers?

What Am I Listening To?

Okay, I hope this works. If it does, the line below will tell you what I'm listening to:






I want to put this on the site itself rather than just in one of the entries, but I don't know where to put it. Any suggestions?

UPDATE: BTW, this was done through the magic of AudioScrobbler and the coding powers of Darklohr. I had nothing to do with it.

Celestial Static Shows

Latest Celestial Static Update:

Hi there!
This is our basset hound, Lucie.
She wanted to make sure that you knew of some upcoming Celestial Static shows.
So, take notes, you wouldn't want to let her down... would you?
Just look at those eyes!

This Sunday- September 12
Thunder over Streator
ALL AGES SHOW!
in Streator City Park
Streator, IL
FREE show!
also playing: Glenn Kaiser, The Wayside, Fog, Cruise Machine, and more!
Celestial Static will be playing sometime on Sunday
between 12 Noon - 8:30 p.m.

The start of THE THREE DAY CHICAGO (and Chicago-Suburbs) TOUR...wow! What a mouthful!

Thursday- September 16
Hard Rock Café
18 + SHOW!!!
with 9-Fifty and The Regels
63 W. Ontario St.
Chicago, IL 60610
Show starts at 9 p.m
(C.S plays first… come a bit early!)
$5 cover

Friday- September 17
The Abbey Pub
(21 + show)
with The Rosenbergs
and Tristen
3420 W. Grace (corner of Grace and Elston)
Chicago, IL 60618
Doors open at 9 p.m.
Show starts at 10 p.m.
(CS plays 1st… get there early! They have GREAT Irish food!)
$10 advance/ $12 at Door

Saturday- September 18
The Warehouse
(ALL AGES SHOW!)
with The Violet Burning,
Satellite Picture Show,
and Erin Lee (she’ll be starting the night off…so come early!)
308 E Galena Blvd.
Aurora, IL 60505
Doors open 6:30 p.m.
Show starts 7 p.m.
$10 cover

Go to our SHOWS page on our website for more details!
Hope to see you at some shows!

Celestial Static~ Julie, Jeremy, and Jason

Celestial Static Official Website © 2004 Celestial Static

I wish CS came farther south . . . I only see them about once a year, and that's at Cornerstone.

UPDATE: I just looked up Streator on a map, and I guess I don't wish they'd go further south, since Streator is pretty far south. I just want them to play some shows in the South 'Burbs.

My Turn at the Personality Test

Got the link from Obeythefist:

ISTJ - "Trustee". Decisiveness in practical affairs. Guardian of time- honored institutions. Dependable. 11.6% of total population.
Take Free Myers-Briggs Personality Test

Edan Concerts Schedule

Here's the latest email from Edan Concerts. Anyopne interested in either the Supertones or the Project 86 show?

Dear Edan Concertgoers,
Even though fall is coming and the leaves will soon be dropping, we here at Edan decided we're going to hold on to summer as long as we can! Edan is proud to announce Eight (That's right, EIGHT!) Hot concerts for the fall that will be sure to keep you warm. Kicking off the month of Rocktober is the Supertour with the Supertones and Superchik followed shortly by an amazing line up featuring Pillar and Project 86. We also have incredible contemporary artists like Bebo Norman, Caedmon's Call, Avalon, Mark Schultz, and Matthew West scheduled for late October and November. Make sure you check out our website at www.edanconcerts.com for a full list of these great upcoming shows. See you there!



EDAN CONCERTS FALL LINE UP

Sunday, October 3rd, 2004
Supertones - Superchik - Skyharbor
The Wedding - Flatfoot 56 - Neophyte Standing
Cornerstone Church
855 W. 5000N. Road
Bourbonnais, IL 60914
6:00 pm show
$15 Advance

Friday, October 15th, 2004
The Awakening - Leper - Dead to Sin
Heart & Soul Caf"r> 253 E. Rand Road
Mt. Prospect, IL 60056
7:00 pm show
$15 Advance

Saturday, October 23rd, 2004
Pillar - Project 86 - Falling up - Subseven
Wonderland Ballroom
310 E. Chicago St.
Elgin, IL 60120
6:00 pm show
$18 Advance

Sunday, October 24th, 2004
Roper - Elementary - The Felix Culpa - Hook, Line & Sinker
Heart & Soul Caf"r> 253 E. Rand Road
Mt. Prospect, IL 60056
7:00 pm show
$10 Advance

Saturday, October 30th, 2004
Bebo Norman - Bethany Dillon - Jason Morant
Edman Memorial Chapel
501 College Ave.
Wheaton, IL 60187
7:00 pm show
$12 College / $12 Group / $15 Advance / $20 Gold Circle

Sunday, October 31st, 2004
Bebo Norman - Bethany Dillon - Jason Morant
Cornerstone Church
855 W. 5000N. Road
Bourbonnais, IL 60914
7:00 pm show
$15 Advance / $20 Gold Circle

Friday, November 5th, 2004
Caedmon's Call
w/ Compassion International Artists
Judson College
1151 N. State St.
Elgin, IL 60123
7:30 pm show
$12 College / $14 Group / $17 Advance / $20 Gold Circle

Saturday, November 20th, 2004
Avalon - Mark Schultz - Matthew West
Concordia University
7400 Augusta Blvd.
River Forest, IL 60305
7:00 pm show
$15 Group / $18 Advance / $22 Gold Circle

Attention college students: Edan Concerts and Ministries is recruiting campus representatives to help promote Edan Concerts around Chicagoland. Please contact the Edan office via our website at www.edanconcerts.com.

We hope we see you soon,
The Edan Concerts and Ministries Staff

Blame it on TekieCid

This is all TekieCid's fault. He'd just bought some tacos there, and literally five minutes later the place was going up in flames. I heard something about the cashier refusing to give him sour cream.

Hey Guys!

Anyone out there want a GMail account? I have five to give away. The first five people (hopefully friends and/or avid readers) who somehow get their current email addresses to me will be invited to receive an account. I'll post an update here once I've sent all five out.

Pillar is the Next Big Thing

The latest Flicker Records newsletter:

1.Pillar is the Next Big Thing
2.Monk and Neagle tours with Ginny Owens this fall!
3.subseven rocks the studio
4.Rise of the Robots Tour
5.Mark & Will of Audio A. and Flicker Records announce benefit concert.

1. Pillar is the Next Big Thing
Flicker is happy to announce that Pillar has been named Fuse's Next Big Thing
for the month of August. Previous winners include: Modest Mouse,The
Killers,Coheed and Cambria,Lost Prophets,Story of the Year and Switchfoot.

In other Pillar news...the band has some big things coming up in September. The
band will be hosting MTV2's Head Banger's Ball on September 18th. Pillar's song
"Rewind" will be played on the season premiere of the CBS drama Joan of Arcadia
on September 24th.
www.pillarmusic.com


2. Monk and Neagle tours with Ginny Owens this fall!
Now that the self-titled CD has hit the streets, the guys are supporting the
album on tour with Ginny Owens. Keep checking back for updated shows on their
new official homepage www.monkandneagle.com or www.flickerrecords.com



3.subseven rocks the studio
The boys have been working hard on their follow up album due out in March '05.
Everyday they post a new pic or video clip from the studio, so check out their
news on www.subsevenmusic.com They head out this fall on the Pillar "Where Do We
Go From Here" tour, so catch a show and grab their EP which is available now!



4.Rise of the Robots Tour
The Rise of the Robots tour featuring Flicker's Staple and Mortal Treason will
headline shows Oct.12-Nov.18th. Both Chasing Victory(mono v/s stereo) and The
Showdown (mono v/s stereo) will also be on the road with them, so keep checking
www.flickerrecords.com for showdates.



5. Mark & Will of Audio A. and Flicker Records announce benefit concert
Audio Adrenaline and special guests get set to ROCK on October 28th, a benefit
concert for the Hands & Feet Project and Rocketown Skatepark. Event takes place
at Rocketown in Nashville, TN at 7PM Central.If you or anyone you know can
travel to Nashville for this event, HELP us spread the word! Visit AudioA.COM
for details and maps. Tickets are only $12 in advance, call (615) 843-4006.
Hope to see you there!

Your church and youth group can team up with Audio Adrenaline and be responsible
for building homes for orphans in Haiti. The land has been cleared off and blue
prints have been drawn. After the charity auction, AudioA will be organizing
teams to travel to Haiti and START BUILDING. Tell everyone you know and your
church pastors to sign-up for information about building a team at
www.handsandfeetproject.org.

Rocketown (or, more accurately, RCKTWN) is a great venue. I went there a few weeks ago, during my trip to Nashville, to see Stretch Arm Strong, Haste the Day, Martyr AD, and a few more local bands (including jakelevinsrideshisbike). It's a renovated warehouse, with a cafe-style area, a small-venue style area, and a huge stage area.

Liveblogging the Bush Nomination

Alright, here's the other side of the coin. I did the Kerry nomination here, and now it's time for Bush.

I start watching right before the Bush daughter piece. Seems like basically fluff, giving a little more insight into the Bush family, making him seem a little more human. Do we really need that, though? I mean, I think most criticisms that are leveled against Bush as a person are that he's too much of an Average Joe, and not presidential enough, whatever that means.

Now it's Michael Williams, Assistant Convention Secretary. He's talking, but it's hard to understand what he's saying, because they're showing the Bush cavalcade coming in and they're also airing external audio.

Williams, an African-American is stressing how his success story is based on the fact that Bush believed in him.

Hmm . . . Looking at the schedule, Nicole Mullen already sang and Michael W Smith is up ahead. I already posted on Third Day playing yesterday. I don't know if anyone else has been in a position to notice this, but there's a demographic that is definitely being courted this week, and I haven't seen anyone else mention this. Jaci Velasquez, Third Day, Nicole Mullen, and Michael W Smith are all Contemporary Christian Musicians. Giving all of them a national stage such as this is a huge step for the bands, and also helps to reach to the evangelical Christian community. It's a very subtle and smart move, IMO -- bringing in modern evangelicals, especially younger segments, who might usually feel no need to vote. Add in some of the benedictions I'm seeing right now -- some of the huge heavyweights in the Christian speaking circuit, such as Joni Eareckson Tada and Max Lucado. I've never heard of Donnie McClurkin before, but it sounds like he fits the bill also. And this won't hurt much, since those outside of this segment probably don't recognize these names.

In between, CSPAN gets in a shot of one of Comedy Central's The Daily Show reporters.

BTW -- sorry to Third Day for calling them CCM here. They're only CCM in the broad sense of the word, and I don't mean to disrespect them, just trying to generalize a little to make a point. Third Day, you guys are rock to me. ;)

Mel Martinez now, Republican Senate candidate from Florida and former HUD Secretary. He's been hyped up very recently on Red State (post here) as possibly the candidate that can bring Florida to Bush again. Focusing on Bush as a good friend, as a compassionate conservative, as an enabler.

He seems to be reading from the teleprompter a bit much. Staring at one place too much, uncomfortable with the words.

Looks like Michael W Smith is coming up next. Still looks pretty young, although I think he's in his forties now. Singing "There She Stands", which he claims was written at the request of President Bush.

And now, George E. Pataki (Georgie Pataki? ;). Sounds like his focus will be on national unity, starting with an anecdote about some Oregoners (Oregonians? Oreganos?), some Iowans, some Pennsylvanians, other states helping out New York. Sounds a little too scripted or acted or something, though. Was he a stroke victim or something at some time in the past? He's only smiling with half of his mouth, and his voice seems to be a little slurred. I haven't really seen him speack in public before.

Now the emphasis is on Bush doing what he say he does. "He said he'd do it - AND HE DID!" About Kerry: "This is a candidate who has to Google his own name to find out where he stands!"

And someone had to do it. "This fall, we're going to win one for the Gipper!" But he finishes nicely -- "Our opponents will lose one for the Flipper!" Not the best humor, but a lot better than just leaving the Reagan reference standing by itself.

Next he's making the case for preemptive strikes. He's quoting Kerry's nomination speech and throwing it back in his face, emphasizing Kerry's defensive stance on terrorism.

AND NOW, PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH. But first, a montage of Bush's life. People will be complaining that the RNC is exploiting September 11th for political gain -- looking at people that Bush met in New York immediately after the WTC attacks.

Bush comes out like a rock star.

Call me paranoid, but for some reason, as the President stands out there all by himself, I remember the urban legends about the '0 presidents . . . Hopefully, security is really good at Madison Square Garden.

"I accept your nomination for President of the United States." My roommate says something like, "Phew. Didn't know whether that was going to happen."

Haha. He say "We will build a safer world and a more hopeful America, and nothing will hold us back." CSPAN switches cameras, to one where two delegate-held signs are visible in the crowd: "A Safer World" and "A More Hopeful America". I think we see what the mottos are going to be for the rest of the campaign.

"America's schools are getting better and nothing will hold us back." I sense another theme in the works. Yep -- ". . . beter prescription coverage, and nothing will hold us back."

People have been complaining that the RNC has not been addressing the economy. Looks like they left it all to the President, because that has been his greatest focus so far.

He's promising to "reform and simplify the tax code." He's going to expand the job training program and funding for community colleges. Creation of "Economic Opportunity Zones" -- areas of high unemployment and a faltering economy will be helped by tax breaks and other assistance to encourage businesses to move. Tax credit to encourage small businesses to set up health savings accounts. Moving into healtcare now.

Promising that every small community and town will have a rural health center. Emphasizing the need for medical liability reform now. "Our laws should never stand in the way of a more family-friendly workplace." So he's moving to family issues -- home ownership.

He's now talking about the personal account, nest egg idea re: Social Security, which IIRC he also talked about in the Bush-Gore debates.

"Tonight I remind every parent and every teacher, I say to every child, no matter what your circumstance, no matter where you live, your school will be a path to promise in America." Hitting on education again, quite a bit. "The soft bigotry of low expectations" -- a favorite educational talking-phrase.

AAARRRGHGHGHGH! Lost my internet connection. I'll keep liveblogging, but it won't be live for you guys for now. As if anyone is reading this.

Now he's pointing us to his website -- GeorgeWBush.com.

Now he's getting into Kerry. Not for long, though. He gets back to what he supports -- "Welfare reform that strengthens family and requires work." And now, he is emphasizing pro-life: "We must make a place for the unborn child." That's what I want to hear!

Going through the planks of the platform -- Sanctity of marriage. Federal judges who "understand the difference between personal opinion and strict interpretation of the law."

Back to Kerry. Is the quote about Reagan true -- "eight years of moral darkness"? That could hurt with Reagan Dems.

Ah - we're back.

Bush has been all over domestic policy, in response to those who have criticized his campaign as having a lack of focus on such things. Now he's getting into national security -- his strength, IMO.

A protestor tries to make a disturbance -- I could tell because "Four More Years!" started up while the Pres was still talking, in order to drown out the protests. Boy, she looks angry.

A checklist of successes -- Libya, Saudi Arabia, al Qaeda, Iraq.

"In Saddam Hussein we saw a threat. Members of both political parties, including . . ." "FOUR MORE YEARS! FOUR MORE YEARS!" Must have been another protestor, not wanting to hear Bush make the case for the Iraq invasion. He continues his argument, spelling out, once again, why Operatioin Iraqi Freedom was necessary, and why it will be a success. Now he's explaining how free democratic countries in the Mid-East will destabilize the terrorists' power structure.

"Our men and women in uniform are doing a superb job for America."

So far, he seems to be doing well. Very rational and clear, not yelling or screaming, not mangling words. Hopefully, that's what he needs to be doing -- not taking any chances on being overly charismatic; he'll leave that for the more informal campaign trail stump speeches. Now, he needs to be 'presidential'.

Hitting on Kerry's worst quotes -- "I voted for the $87 million before I voted against it." "The coalition of the coerced and bribed."

Moving to freedom on the march. "As freedom advances, heart by heart and nation by nation, America will be more secure and the world more peaceful."

He mentions Nicaragua in passing. People will be hitting on that tomorrow, I'll bet. "BUSH DEFENDS IRAN-CONTRA!"

He's bringing it home now, closing it out with self-deprecating humor about his English, his Texas swagger, his stubbornness.

On to patriotism, looking to the future. Great quote: "Here buildings fell; here a nation rose."

Speech is finished. He walks around the stage waving to the crowd. His wife comes out and they share a quick kiss. They continue to wave as the Cheneys come out. The balloons drop on time.

Let's switch from CSPAN to CNN and see what the talking heads say . . . Nah, I'll leave that to others. I'm checking out The Daily Show.

See you guys later!

Most incoherent news report . . .

Check out this news report by ABC 7 Chicago, and then based on the article, try to answer the following questions for me. I honestly want to know what this new check law is all about, but the story provides no information at all. BTW, the video is almost word-for-word the same as the written piece.

• What legislature is passing this law: the US Congress? The Illinois State Congress? The Chicago aldermen? The World Bank?


• What changes will this law put into place? Will it force people to switch to paying checks online? Will it force people to simply use another type of paper check? Will everyone need chips implanted in their hand and forehead with '666' encoded?


• When exactly is this law going into effect?


• What does technology have to do with it? Is there a specific new technology that has enabled this change?


• Is the technology driving the law, or is the law driving the technology? Are we being forced to draft this law because of changes in the way that banks have been doing business, or is the law forcing the banks to change their methods?

No answers to any of these. But we do now know what 'floating a check' means:

If you have ever written a check knowing you don't have exactly enough to cover the check, but you figure by the time the check clears, you will have money in the bank. That's called floating.

Thank you, Leah Hope!

THIRD DAY?!?!?!?

WHAT?! WHY DID I NOT HEAR ABOUT THIS? I'm sitting watching the RNC, and the stage raises to show MAC POWELL AND THIRD DAY! Now I'm not the biggest Third Day fan, but I like a lot of their stuff. To see Powell chanting "Four more years!" is just blowing my mind. They're opening for Michael Reagan and the Cheneys!

P.S.: Michael Reagan and the Cheneys would be a great name for a rock band.

P.P.S.: For those of you who have no idea who Third Day is, they're a Christian band out of Georgia, and generally play Southern rock, which I can respect, unlike CCM and Country. I've listened to them since their first, eponymous, CD, which came out in '96 and contained great songs such as Take My Life, Praise Song, Forever, Love Song, and Consuming Fire.

Kerry sisters VMA metanode

Elementblue has asked me, in a reply to my link-filled post from a couple days ago, why I reported that the Kerry sisters were booed at the VMA's, when CNN reported that the Kerrys were introduced at the same time as the Bushes, and that it was unclear who was being booed. Well, the reports that I read were inconclusive as to whether the Bush sisters were being booed, but conclusive on the Kerrys being booed. Check out these reports, some of which I did not find before I posted. Also, all of the reports I have read (with exception of CNN) have indicated that the two pairs of sisters did not appear simultaneously:

Drudge Report
Juiceenewsdaily
Above Top Secret (more reaction of viewers than a report)
Wizbang
The Washington Dispatch
Michelle Malkin
World Net Daily

I did read this analysis before I posted, which suggests that CNN is misleading when stating that the boos were intended for both.

Here's video of the incident. No Bush sisters in view at the time, and the boo's are clearly directed at the Kerrys. Thus, CNN's reporting that the intended recipient of the boos was unclear is false.

So, in conclusion: the Kerry sisters were definitely booed. The Bush sisters were also booed, although many online news outlets did not mention it. The two pairs did not appear at the same time.

UPDATE: Oops -- I meant to link the CNN report. Here it is.

Perl humor

Okay, so I'm looking through Perl documentation for a certain module that I need for work, and I come across this. Yes, it's a real specification. Yes, it's been implemented. Yes, it must be completely tongue-in-cheek. And yes, there are multiple references to Veggietales.

A bunch of quick links

Alright -- there's a lot of news here, and I don't have much time to analyze it right now, so I'll just provide some quick links:
AOL is expanding in Loudoun County, here.
An article on Blago supporting a casino in the Southeast Suburbs here, and it sounds like he's not talking about the Ho-Chunk.
Anarchists attack the Protest Warrior delegation in New York, caught on video here (via Instapundit).
Related to that, Communists for Kerry here.
Editor from Reuters sends National Right to Life Committee a nasty email here (via That Liberal Media).
The Kerry sisters booed at the MTV VMA here.

Protest Warrior Pics

I wasn't at this protest, but I was sent the link to some pictures. A group of anarchists (at least I was told anarchists, judge for yourselves from the pics) left from Chicago on Saturday to go to NYC to protest the RNC. Protest Warrior's Chicago chapter was there to wish them well. Here it is.

Cubs Update

Baseball Prospectus finally has their playoff odds calculations here. The Cubs are projected to have an 80.2% chance to make the playoffs! Other notable probabilities: White Sox are at 2.5%, St Louis is 100%, San Fran 22.4%, San Diego 4.7%, Florida 1.9%, Houston 0.4%, Boston 76.3%.

Protestwarrior Chicago

Don't have the time to post a detailed analysis of the counterprotest on Saturday, but you can check out the protestors' reaction here. Read the comments -- it should give you an insight into both sides of the protest. And my brother may have gotten a mention, unless there was another PW with a Cubs hat:

Re: Protest "Warrior" Website HACKED!
by Tito
(No verified email address) Current rating: -4
23 Aug 2004
Adding insult to injury, a PW guy was wearing a "Chicago Cubs" hat. It goes without sayint, that only fascists support this team. Anarchists are SOX fans all the way!

Anyways, the Protest Warriors got wind of this post, and I believe you can see at the top that the article has now been downvoted to 'hidden' status. :)

Casino Update

OK -- I've already found the first plank for my platform: I oppose the plans to construct a Ho-Chunk Casino in Lynwood. Here are the latest details on the plan.

Jesse Jackson, Jr., who will probably be my opponent in '08, supports the casino.
South Holland, Dyer and Beecher oppose the casino.
Casino websites, here and here, think that Homewood is in Indiana.

I oppose this casino not only for moral reasons, but also for economic and social reasons. This casino would not increase tax revenues in the area, since the Ho Chunk Nation does not have to pay taxes. The casino would not bring a large amount of jobs into the area, since most of the jobs would be filled by members of the Ho Chunk Nation. The casino would not increase profits for other businesses in the area (restaurants and the like); as an all-around entertainment center, hosting restaurants and other games in addition to the casino, the Ho Chunk installation would in fact compete with other businesses. Basically, this casino will act as a parasite, a leech, a mosquito, a vampire, sucking the value out of the local economy.

If you live in the area of the proposed casino -- Lynwood, Lansing, Cal City, Glenwood, Sauk Village, Munster, Dyer, Crete, Chicago Heights, Beecher, Schererville, Homewood, Flossmoor -- make your voice heard! Get out to your local village meetings and speak up! If I were in the area during the week, I'd be out there, telling our local officials that we DON'T WANT A CASINO!

Persons 2008

Ok, I think that my candidacy will do better than this guy. But maybe I should work on an official platform, some sheet of paper that I can point to and say, "This is why I'm running." Look for that here sometime before Election Day. 2008.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The Scream was stolen yesterday.