The Retaking Of Iolani Palace

Iolani Palace
Honolulu, HI
For the second time this year, a Hawaiian independence group staged a takeover of Iolani Palace in protest of the 1893 illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom.  The group of approximately 20 members of the Kingdom Of Hawaii Nation Ministry Trust held the grounds for a few hours before they were arrested.

I visited Iolani Palace when I was eight years old.  It was the home of six Hawaiian monarchs: King Kamehameha III, King Kamehameha IV, King Kamehameha V, King Lunalilo, King Kalākaua and finally Queen Liliʻuokalani before the fall of the House of Kalākaua.  Afterward, it was used as the capitol building for the territory, and later the state of Hawaii until 1969.  In 1978, the building was restored and opened to the public as a museum.

As a man with native Hawaiian ancestry, I am firmly in support of Hawaiian sovereignty. It's going to take a little more than good intentions and security t-shirt to get the job done, but I respect the effort and the message.

Honolulu Star Bulletin - August 16th, 2008

Future Aces And The Chicken

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs @ Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees

PNC Field - Moosic, PA

Pitching: Carlos Carrasco vs. Ian Kennedy
Results: Yankees defeated Iron Pigs, 2-1

One of my happiest memories of going to a ballgame was when I was 12 years old and my dad took me to a West Palm Beach Expos game in which The Famous Chicken.  I knew who he was from old blooper videos, and from the '82 Donruss baseball card that was released back when he was still called the San Diego Chicken, but I didn't fully appreciate his act until I got to see it live.  It's a totally unique form of comedy that has the power to instantly turn everyone in the audience into children.  When I saw that he was doing an appearance at a SWB Yankees game and that they were playing the Iron Pigs, I knew I couldn't miss it.

The Chicken was funny as always.  After the game, he had a table set up to meet the fans and sign autographs.  I was probably the oldest person in that line without a kid, but I didn't care.  I wanted to meet the dude.  He was very nice, and he signed my game program.

The game turned out to be a pitchers dual between two of the best prospects in the Yankees and Phillies organizations.  The Yankees struck early in the bottom of the 1st.  Brett Gardner singled off of Carlos Carrasco, followed by an RBI double off the bat of Chris Basak.  The Iron Pigs tied the game in the top of the 4th when Jon Knott hit his 27th double of the season, followed by a Chris Snelling RBI single. 

Carlos Carrasco had a rough 6th inning that saw the Yankees regain the lead.  Cody Ransom hit a one out single, then advanced to second on a balk, and advanced to third on a wild pitch.  Finally, Jason Jaramillo let a passed ball get through which allowed Ransom to score what would end up being the winning run for the Yankees.

The Iron Pigs made it interesting in the bottom of the 9th when second baseman Oscar Robles hit a double to deep right field off of Scott Strickland that fell just inches short of being a game tying home run.  Shortstop Mike Rouse followed this up with a line drive, but Yankees first baseman Juan Miranda made an incredible diving play to record the final out of the game.

STP By The Lehigh River

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club / Stone Temple Pilots
Musikfest - Bethlehem, PA
Stone Temple Pilots has been one of my favorite bands since I was in middle school.  Last night's show was a part of their reunion tour, and they performed an excellent set.

Some of the folks in attendance uploaded video to YouTube, including clips of Wicked Garden, Big Bang Baby, Vasoline, Lady Picture Show, Creep, Interstate Love Song, Sex Type Thing, and Trippin' On A Hole In A Paper Heart.  The video above is a playlist with the songs in order that they came in the setlist.  Speaking of which, here are the setlists for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Stone Temple Pilots.

For as happy as I was to be lucky enough to see Stone Temple Pilots in concert, the venue was pretty disappointing.  Musikfest is a very cool festival with lots of food and vendors in the hours before the show, however the concert itself may have been most quiet rock show that I've ever been to.  We had lawn seats, so I didn't expect it to be insanely loud, but my girlfriend and I were able to speak at a regular volume during the music and still understand each other perfectly.  I'm not sure if there's a sound ordinance in town, but if that's the case, they'd be better off finding a different venue altogether for the live performances of Musikfest.

The Morning Call - Allentown, PA  (August 7, 2008)

I'm sure the show was louder for the folks who were closer to the stage.  The problem is that you have to be an ArtsQuest member to even have the right to buy seats near the stage.  Between the poor volume and their exclusionary ticket selling practices, I might think twice before buying a ticket to see another live performance at Musikfest.  At the very least, I'd investigate the other stops on the band's tour and choose another show nearby before I'd return to see a show at the Straub Riverplace.  Even if it's a few hours away, it would be worth the drive to attend a rock concert the way that it's meant to be.

The Morning Call - Allentown, PA  (August 8, 2008)

The Morning Call - Allentown, PA  (August 10, 2008)

Musikfest

Musikfest
Bethlehem, PA (2008)

We got tickets to see Stone Temple Pilots at Musikfest in Bethlehem, PA, so we got to town earlier in the day to walk around, eat some food, and experience the festival.

There was a Celtic store called Donegal Square that wasn't far from where we parked.  We stopped in and found a few CDs, some of which were holiday music and had been marked down.  There was a very cool little cafe attached to the store called Grandma McCarthy's Tea Room & Bakery where we stopped for refreshments.  I had a French press coffee and some scones.

Obama campaign headquarters was not too far away.

The ruins of the 1771 Dye House have been excavated by Yale University.  It was once a building where clothes and other fabrics were dyed different colors, and is a part of Bethlehem's Colonial Industrial Quarter, which has been given the distinction of being the country's first industrial park.

There are a lot of peaceful spots between where we were parked and the festival grounds.  The building over my shoulder in the first picture in this set is the old Bethlehem Union Station, which was built in 1924.

There's a ton of good food and beverages available at Musikfest.  There's not a lot of shade in this section, but they had misting stations set up with fans to help folks cool down, which is what Angie is doing.

There were a few shows that I wanted to check out, but money is a little tight since I went back to college.  If money were no object, I definitely would have wanted to see Live, Collective Soul, Kool & The Gang, Boston, Poison, Earth Wind & Fire, Jethro Tull, and John Fogerty.

Do The Mashed Potato...

The Potato Dance mural
Musikfest - Bethlehem, PA
The one in the center danced so hard that he fell down and dropped his lil hat.

Do The Day, And Let The Day Do You

Duma Key
Stephen King (2008)
I can't recommend this highly enough - one of the most interesting and creative stories that I've read in a long time.  Jerome Wireman might be favorite Stephen King character ever.