Long day, long rehearsals

It’s concert week again, and there are lots of rehearsals all week. The Cascadian Singers are doing an ambitious program of song in the Bellevue Art Museum on Saturday night, called “Doppelgängers,” where the concept is that we alternate between different settings of the same text. I think there are five or six “Doppels” in the concert, most in the first half with liturgical texts around the Byrd Mass for Five Voices (though there are two really cool settings of the Pater noster at the end of the first half, including the most chant-like Stravinsky I’ve ever sung). The concert is also the premiere of the winners of our annual composition contest, including a very cool setting of some Blake poetry and a new setting of the text of “The Silver Swan.”

It’ll be a very cool program and well worth the travel to the east side (hint, hint, all you Seattle bloggers!!).

To get there, though, I have two more long rehearsals. Thank goodness Lisa is out of town this week or she’d be really grumpy with me.

—Except that today I turned down a job as a tenor section lead in a local choir because it would take up too much family time. Does that balance it out? Probably not.

Congrats…

…to Priscilla and Scott, who were married today in Las Vegas. Hope you have a lifetime of joy together.

I wasn’t able to watch the ceremony—I was in meetings all afternoon, went straight from work to rehearsal, and got home after the Internet video stream had expired. But I’m sure the service was more solemn and wonderful than anything in Las Vegas has ever been.

Are you being watched? Secret surveillance on the rise

Washington Post: U.S. Steps Up Secret Surveillance: FBI, Justice Dept. Increase Use of Wiretaps, Records Searches. This is pretty disturbing:

Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the Justice Department and FBI have dramatically increased the use of two little-known powers that allow authorities to tap telephones, seize bank and telephone records and obtain other information in counterterrorism investigations with no immediate court oversight, according to officials and newly disclosed documents.

The article credits the PATRIOT Act, which loosened restrictions on when these “national security letters” and “emergency foreign intelligence warrants” may be used, for the increase in use of these tactics. With no checks and balances, these powers may be the most immediate threat to civil liberties out there.

Do I exaggerate? I don’t think so. Remember, the secret court that oversees the requests for these warrants has said that the Justice Department isn’t doing a good job of justifying them. And much of the case for war was made with dubious information. Can the Justice Department be trusted to process the information it already has? If not, why should we grant them a blanket right to reach into our bank and telephone records?

Qui custodiet custodies?

“Freedom suits”: slave lawsuits from 180 years ago

LA Times via Seattle Times: “Slaves’ courtroom fights for liberation revealed.” Archivists in St. Louis have uncovered, and digitized, an archive of the records of 283 “freedom suits” filed by slaves against their masters in St. Louis from 1814 to 1865. Many predate Dred Scott’s suit, often with more successful results. In fact Missouri, like Virginia, had a practice of “set[ting] aside taxpayer money to hire lawyers for slaves who sued for freedom.” The story, and the archive, open the doors on a fascinating chapter of US history.

From the blogosphere

I had to leave work quickly owing to illness (better now, thanks). I spent the afternoon in bed and am just now catching up with the keiretsu. Who, actually, have been mostly pretty quiet recently. Of course, anywhere else in the world spring doesn’t mean drenching rain so they’re probably all outside.

  • Esta has gotten a potentially renewable scholarship to the seminary. That’s my sister!
  • Greg points to an unintended consequence of the Bush Doctrine (i.e. strike first when you see evil or a potential threat, and to hell with the international community): Turkey is getting ready to march into Iraqi Kurdistan.
  • Tin Man: “I’m shocked, shocked to find that bombing is going on there.“ And he’s having fun (if that’s the right word) with his new computer: “Someone better invite me out this weekend, or I might not leave my apartment.”
  • Tony Pierce: “i am for this war because i look forward to the bush administration showing just as much attention to all the other portions of the world where there are tyrannical leaders, human rights tragedies, and oil rich nations that were also deeply involved in 9/11.
    i am looking forward to the bush administrations being just as courageous in dealing with these global terrors.” Also (the man is on fire today): Bounce Wit Me. Featuring George W. Bush’s war, to the words of Jay-Z.

  • Doc Searls notes that Kevin Sites, the CNN blogger in Iraq, has “stopped blogging for now.” Or, more precisely, has “been asked to suspend [his] war blogging for awhile.”
  • Dave offers pictures of a warm spring day in Cambridge, Mass. Of course there’s still snow on the ground there. Still, I miss watching the crews on the river.
  • And here, locally, I’ve found another UVA blogger, Ian T. Fisk, also known as the modern day founder of the Yellow Journal.

Greg: Debunking Gore critics over the Internet

I’ve heard the tired saw that Al Gore claimed he invented the Internet too many times, and heard it debunked almost as often. Greg points to (and quotes some lengthy excerpts from) an article at the Daily Howler providing a definitive debunking.

(Oh, and Greg, I think I’ve been reading too many warbloggers. After following the reaction to Doc’s statements yesterday, including Doc’s own follow-up, I had a dream last night that I got a righteous fisking for saying I wouldn’t stay silent about the war. I’m not even sure I know what a fisking is. Except that it has nothing to do with Ian. (Small inside joke.))

To Hell With Good Intentions

McLusky
McLusky Do Dallas
Beggars Banquet/Too Pure, 2002

My love is bigger than your love
We take more drugs than a touring funk band (Sing it)
My love is bigger than your love (Sing it)
My love is bigger than your love (Sing it)

My band is better than your band
We’ve got more songs than a song convention (Sing it)
My love is bigger than your love (Sing it)
My love is bigger than your love (Sing it)

And we’re all going straight to hell

My dad is bigger than your dad
He’s got eight cars and a house in Ireland (Sing it)
My love is bigger than your love (Sing it)
My love is bigger than your love (Sing it)

When we gonna torch the restaurant? (Sing it)
When we gonna pay the guide dog? (Sing it)
My love is bigger than your love (Sing it)
My love is bigger than your love (Sing it)

And we’re all going straight to hell

When we gonna torch the restaurant? (Sing it)
When we gonna get excited? (Sing it)
My love is bigger than your love (Sing it)
My love is bigger than your love (Sing it)
And we’re all going straight to hell

Your next TV courtesy Microsoft .NET alerts?

I’ve been thinking about getting a new TV. I’m really a movie guy and watching letterboxed content on my 27″ screen is a little painful. But my options for getting a bigger TV were:

  1. A larger conventional or rear projection TV, which are a good value but won’t fit in our built in entertainment center;
  2. A front projection unit (like a computer projector), which is also a relatively good value (80″ screen, anyone?) but which requires a totally dark room for best fidelity;
  3. A plasma TV, which has the right form factor but which is way too costly for me right now

Then I noticed on Microsoft.com’s home page a link that said something about a plasma television set (the link is down now). Curious, I followed the link to find a sweepstakes: “Sign up for alerts and win cool prizes.” Including, coincidentally, the 42″ Panasonic plasma TV I was looking at. Unfortunately I’m, for various reasons, not eligible to play…

Music in the time of war

As I drove in this morning listening to KEXP, I was thinking how it was interesting that you could interpret just about any song as war commentary. Example to follow: McClusky’s “To Hell With Good Intentions.” Then John (In The Morning) put on War on War and I realized that I wasn’t the only one hearing it that way. Heck of a playlist today, starting at 6 am. In fact, I’m half tempted to submit it to Art of the Mix and see how it gets voted.

Playlist so far:

  • Billy Bragg, “Rumours of War”, Don’t Try This At Home
  • Coldplay, “A Rush Of Blood To The Head”, A Rush Of Blood To The Head
  • Echo & the Bunnymen, “The Killing Moon”, Songs To Learn & Sing
  • Massive Attack, “What Your Soul Sings”, 100th Window
  • Moby, “The Sky is Broken”, Play
  • The Fading Collection, “Grief”, Interactive Family Radio
  • Jakatta, “American Dream”, Indian Summer
  • Stars, “Death To Death”, Heart
  • Smog, “Morality”, Supper
  • The Cure, “Killing an Arab”, Boys Don’t Cry
  • The Postal Service, “Brand New Colony”, Give Up
  • Belle & Sebastian, “I Fought in a War”, Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like A Peasant
  • New Order, “Love Vigilantes”, (the best of new order)
  • Butterglory, “The Sklls of the Star Pilot”, Crumble
  • Cat Power, “He War”, You Are Free
  • Longwave, “Wake Me When Its Over”, The Strangest Things
  • The Godfathers, “This Is War”, Unreal World
  • Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, “Dead Voices”, Hearts Of Oak
  • Beatles, “Revolution 1”, The White Album
  • Junior Ross & The Spear, “Rough Way Ahead”, Babylon Fall
  • Jurassic Five, “Freedom”, Power in Numbers
  • Marlena Shaw, “I Wish I Knew (how it would feel to be free)”, Black & Proud Vol. 2
  • Public Enemy, “Louder Than a Bomb”, It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back
  • Gus Gus, “Gun”, Polydistortion
  • The Future Sound Of London, “We Have Explosive”, Dead Cities
  • Sigur Ros, “Viorar Vel Til Loftarasa (good weather for airstrikes)”, Agaetis Byrjun
  • Clinic, “For the Wars”, Walking With Thee
  • Wimbledon, “That’s What I Like to Call Collateral Damage”, Cumershl
  • Grand Mal, “1st Round K.O.”, Bad Timing
  • Mclusky, “To Hell With Good Intentions”, Mclusky Do Dallas
  • Sleater-Kinney, “Combat Rock”, One Beat
  • Wilco, “War On War”, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
  • Willie Nelson, “Darkness on the Face of the Earth”, Crazy: The Demo Sessions
  • Bob Dylan, “Paths of Victory”, The Bootleg Series Vol 1
  • Ben Harper, “With My Two Hands”, Diamonds On The Inside
  • Johnny Clarke, “Love Your Brothers and Sisters”, Dubwise & Otherwise 2
  • Gomez, “Army Dub”, In Our Gun
  • The Notwist, “Consequence”, Neon Golden
  • Joseph Arthur, “Ashes Everywhere”, Come To Where I’m From

Doc isn’t reading the right sites

Doc Searls: “Liberalism may not be absent from the blogging world, but it’s certainly impotent.” He’s talking about peaceblogging, not liberal blogs in general. I wonder how he missed Tom Tomorrow? It’s not as though he’s low profile.

I could recommend a few other key liberal blogs, and so could my friend Greg, who should certainly resent the blanket description of his blog as “impotent.” Go get ’em, Greg.

Bill of Rights found; Ashcroft surrenders

In unrelated news, a historic copy of the Bill of Rights, which was one of 14 commissioned by George Washington when he was president and which was subsequently stolen from the North Carolina State House by a Union soldier during the Civil War, has been recovered, according to CNN. No word on whether Ashcroft has been notified, or whether he’s aware that we have a Bill of Rights.

The war has begun

CNN: Twenty-four cruise missiles were fired and 2000-lb. “bunker buster” bombs were dropped at “selected targets of military importance.” Speculation is that the target was a meeting of Saddam and his military advisors.

Hmm. Apparently itís operation Iraqi Freedom. As operation names go, itís no “Desert Storm.”