Social Hiatus… May 21, 2009
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Oy, so I use it all the time as the usual excuse for failing to blog as regularly as I used to, but this time it’s fairly legitimate to say that I’ve been so busy with school and work and other “things” that I’ve had little time to account for blogging/tweeting. Yes, I’ve even fallen horribly behind on my tweets; a travesty, I know.
So what’s new? Well, considering that I have a full class load, work, and PRSSA, not a whole lot. Very much enjoying being the VP of our PRSSA chapter; so far, next year’s shaping up well.
Got myself a boyfriend…Hell itself must’ve frozen over.
Otherwise – and so as to cut this lame post short – I’ve been incredibly busy and I want out of college. Expect regularly scheduled pro-blogging from now on.
Fin.
U2 @ Soldier Field…My Tickets Arrived! March 30, 2009
Posted by irish.lemon in music.Tags: blackberry, chicago, soldier field, u2, u2 360 tour
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So I chose last week to completely omit the fact that I have indeed acquired two tickets for U2’s show at Soldier Field here in Chicago on Sept. 12.
I can remain silent no longer…after 18 long, impatient years of waiting, my U2 tickets have arrived. Behold, the most beautiful thing I’ve witnessed to date:
Chicago SSI Parade Canceled…Indefinitely. March 26, 2009
Posted by irish.lemon in communications, politics.Tags: chicago, communications, festival, irish, parade, protest, public relations, south side, south side irish, south side irish parade, st. patrick's day
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So unless you’re a Chicagoan of Irish heritage or simply a resident of the South Side in the Beverly/Morgan Park area – as well as the other South Side neighborhoods densely populated with the Irish - you may not have heard the news that the South Side Irish Parade, which has been a neighborhood tradition for over 30 years and a Chicago landmark in and of itself since, has been canceled…indefinitely. Here’s a press release from the South Side Irish Parade Committee dated Mar. 25, 2009:
For Immediate Release 25 Mar 2009
For confirmation contact Mary Beth Sheehan (773-393-8687)
RE: SOUTH SIDE IRISH ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE PLANS FOR 2010
Let this release serve as notice that the South Side Irish St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee is not planning to stage a parade in its present form in March of 2010.
This decision was not arrived at lightly. For 31 years, this parade was a staple of the Beverly/Morgan Park and Mt. Greenwood communities – a celebration of faith, family and heritage that was cherished by thousands. Founded in 1979 by the Hendry and Coakley families, it was intended to instill in this community an appreciation for the Irish heritage that so many of its residents share.
This parade was an eagerly anticipated annual event which celebrated families, many of whom have created decades long traditions that we hope will endure. But what began as a neighborhood parade is now an event of international proportions. More than 300,000 people typically flock to the Beverly area each year, and the sheer volume has become more than the neighborhood can reasonably accommodate. With these numbers comes a collection of issues that strain both the host community and those individuals charged with effectively managing the crowds. Additionally, the amount of resources required to launch the event has become overwhelming to the community.
The Committee would like to thank the tens of thousands of parade faithful who supported this event for more than 30 years. The multigenerational families who turned out along Western Avenue each year, along with the fine organizations featured in the Line of March, were the essence of what made this parade so special. We would also like to thank the Chicago Police Department for the effort they put into managing the ever-growing crowd while working to maintain the dignity of the event.
While we regret the need to alter such a fine tradition, the Committee feels that suspending the South Side Irish Parade in its present form is the just and responsible thing to do. It is our hope, however, that this will not mean an end to the neighborhood’s annual celebration. The Committee will work to create a series of alternate events that will return us to what the parade’s founders had in mind – a neighborhood-friendly celebration of Irish heritage. Please look for news of our plans later this year.
Thank you for your support,
The South Side Irish St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee
Now, I understand full-well that the parade has become a huge party over the years and an international attraction, but when you watch or read the reports about arrests made, it’s generally out-of-towners who are the perpetrators. When I say “out-of-towners” I don’t mean people from surrounding suburbs, but from places as far as Arkansas as well as other regions in the Midwest. So that’s how it’s playing out? The out-of-towners are what’s contributing to the cancellation? Supplementing reports also suggest that underage drinking at the event is an issue. Tell me, where isn’t underage drinking an issue?
I do believe that the neighborhood’s integrity should be maintained in the sense of quelling vandalism where it may occur and stepping up police presence, but canceling the event altogether is a mistake. The event began as a community event, and I have no doubt that it will be put on next year, perhaps illegally. If it does, I guarantee there will not only be Chicagoans from the South Side, but all over the Chicagoland area to protest the decision.
Considering the volume of public outcry already, I have no doubt the issue
SSIP 25th Anniv. Poster
will continue a year from now. It may fade with the onset of summer and the other festivities around the city, but I’m hoping the issue makes a resurgence during the summer Celtic Fest at Grant Park as well as the Irish Fest at Gaelic Park. There’s already a Facebook group up and running – yes, of which I am a part – protesting and writing to city officials as well as committee heads to bring the parade back to Chicago.
dissident IRA violence in NI… March 10, 2009
Posted by irish.lemon in Uncategorized.Tags: antrim, armagh, british army, continuity ira, ira, murder, northern ireland, police, psni, real ira, soldiers killed, violence
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So it’s been a bit much to fully absorb the events in Nothern Ireland in the past few days. On Sunday, the Real IRA claimed responsibility for the murder of two British Soldiers at their barracks in Massereene in Co. Antrim; they also seriously injured two pizza deliverymen when they opened fire at the gates.
Last night, to my horrified surprise as I was writing my paper about the role of “ancestral voices” as fuel for sectarian violence in Northern Ireland since 1966, I was perusing through the Irish Times and AP and stumbled across a breaking story that a PSNI officer was shot in the head while responding to an alleged disturbance in a Catholic neighborhood in Craigavon, Co. Armagh. Just heard this morning that the Continuity IRA – whom I’ve never heard of – have claimed responsibility for that one.
All I can say, is that I hope this doesn’t derail the Good Friday Agreement; I honestly don’t believe it will, but I don’t doubt it might cause further dissidence between Catholics and Protestants, nationalists and unionists. However, if handled like the Omagh Bombing, there’s a shred of hope that the Real IRA and the Continuity IRA will back off and stand trial. I’m in no way whatsoever condoning the three murders that were inflicted on servicemen and law enforcement, but – with the exception of the two men wounded that were delivering pizzas – I’m glad to see there hasn’t been a calculated attack on civilians. Generally, not to suggest the IRA of any faction exclusively set out to attack civilians, but they’re always caught in the crosshairs no matter what…
Enough is enough.
viva la VIA..! March 2, 2009
Posted by irish.lemon in Uncategorized.Tags: chicago, cod, college of dupage, howard schultz, instant coffee, marketing, nloth, no line on the horizon, starbucks, starbucks via, starbucks via ready brew, u2, via
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Well, tonight is just an eve of excitement now isn’t it? I’m supposed to technically keep my mouth shut about a particular event that happened today…at least until tomorrow. I promised my boss I wouldn’t blog or tweet about it until after the fact, so I’ll keep my word as intended, but expect more tomorrow.
already satirizing our sweet VIA display
In other news, VIVA LA VIA! Yeah, I said it. I helped to a very minor degree on our store set for tomorrow’s launch of Starbucks VIA Ready Brew instant coffee. I honestly hate to admit, Howie was right, it’s relatively delicious. Generally speaking, instant coffee is absolutely awful, unless you get the good stuff from Europa; considering we’re Americans, we have little to no concept of how to properly enjoy coffee. At any rate, the convenience and surprisingly palatable flavor of VIA has led me to keep my mouth shut and my criticisms to a bare minimum…it’s good stuff, and I’m quite thrilled to have Chicago as one of only three test markets for the product, with Seattle and London being the only others.
Also, I got my hot little hands on the new U2 album; no worries to my
happiness is new U2
managers who read this blog, I promise you I did NOT take a copy tonight. Besides, we’re not selling the $100 deluxe version, so no worries there…just took shameless photos of myself practically eating the packaging. I’ve got a bit of a rebuttal to make against the New York Times regarding the loss of U2’s relevance in the world. Look for that tomorrow or Wednesday. I was, however, very pleased to see that $1 from the sale of each copy of “No Line On the Horizon” would be donated to the Global Fund. Not an incredibly huge donation, but pending the response from customers, it could lead to something.
Enough Starbucks news, I’ve got some sad personal affairs that I’d very much like to address for the sake of my distress and discontent and the illusion that my posts are actively read by the world. As I may have mentioned not too long ago, I received the CEIA National Two-Year Student Internship Award. The award presentation is going to be – as it always is – at CEIA’s National Conference, which happens to be in Portland, OR this year. Originally, I was supposed to attend the event. Obviously, the economy keeps spiraling further into the abysmal depths of depression, there was the slim chance I wouldn’t be able to attend.
karole, casey, and myself in the ad the CEIP dept. took out in the feb. 20 edition of the courier
Well, that slim chance became far more likely when I went for the SFE Award as presented by COD. Today, I got a very apologetic email from the Co-op director. In very few words, she regretfully announced to me that the school wouldn’t cover the expenses to send me to Portland even for a day to just fly in, accept my award, and go home. Now to me, there’s something incredibly wrong with this.
I understand the slump we’re all in, but when the institution boasts about the amount of awards its students receive, how much attendance is up, and all the grants and scholarships that are being given out to students, departments, and just to the institution itself, I begin to wonder what the real reason is. So, instead of accepting my award in person, I have to wait until May to attend the Board of Trustees meeting and accept it there, where I know no one, no one knows me, and where all relevance will have been stripped from the original significance.
I’m incredibly disappointed, but I’m still the national winner in my category, however, by matters of principle, I’m very surprised that this was the road the institution preferred to travel. Again, I’m not ungrateful, just surprised, but what can you do? My Manifest Destiny’s just gonna have to wait. Besides, the Co-op department took out that nifty ad in the Feb. 20 issue of the Courier, so I can’t gripe too much.
At any rate, it’s been an interesting day. This week’s going to be absolutely insane with PRSSA elections coming up fast, four papers and a speech due by Thursday as well as my obligation to play my horn for a Taize prayer service at St. Vincent DePaul, I’m guaranteed to be a ball of nerves. Spring break, get here a bit faster please…
silver sears tower..? February 26, 2009
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So the City of Chicago wants to potentially paint the Sears Tower silver…I vote ‘no’, thank you.
if i don’t go crazy tonight… February 26, 2009
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I had an English teacher in high school who I’d gone to for the better part of at least three years for help and advice. Although, I’d hardly had enough life-experience (in other words, enough chances to fuck things up) to really gain from his insight. However, being that he was my AP English teacher for two years and someone from home to hold onto when I went to DePaul, I heeded one piece of valuable advice: whenever I hit a wall or just need to vent, write.
And so, here I sit, uncharacteristically unnerved and incredibly insecure after a string of successful events that have occurred in a very short amount of time. The conference went incredibly well, I’ve won two internship awards, all the nonsense with my records, major, and standing are in order, and I’m looking down the barrel of an internship with a large PR firm…what more could I ask for?
Aside from the incredibly empty feeling dictating my daily routine, things, by all accounts, are finally going the way I want them to. Yet, at the same time, I’m more terrified than I was exactly a year ago. I’ve even gone to my first Sunday Mass in over four years at the behest of a mentor as well as for research for a Liturgy & Music class I’m in this quarter. Maybe because I literally felt nothing but the urge to scream at the top of my lungs when I was sitting among the congregation, reciting the prayers I’ve managed to remember for so long, greeting people I’ve never met, kneeling in prayer while unable to actually pray, rather have an intellectual sparring match with God;whether in St. Vincent DePaul or St. Francis Xavier, I’ll challenge Him anywhere for either a rightful smiting or continue to be ignored.
Today’s Ash Wednesday. I knocked on Casey’s office door just to say ‘hi’ since I was already on campus for a newspaper ad I’m in, and I saw the ashes on his forehead, and he clearly saw mine with the complete lack of. After being asked why I didn’t get myself to a service, I could only manage a pitiful response in the form of a shrug and an “I don’t think I’m going to get mine”…trying to come up with a “logical” reason as to why I ignored my “responsibility” was a matter of not wanting to disrespect a tradition I’ve known all my life by going through the motions without really believing in it anymore.
Now, that situation, though occurring over four hours ago, is bothering me to the same degree it did at the moment of inquisition. The debate has since crossed my mind, not what to give up for Lent, but what to give another chance. After a heated debate with a coworker this weekend on the issue, he said, “you sound like you believe in something.” True, but whether or not a deity fits my ideology is another matter. I’m not content being just another among His flock, I damn well exercise my “free will” to the fullest…but there in-lies another contradiction to me. If given the reasons to believe in my religion and a God again, I’d surely welcome the opportunity. But for now, it doesn’t suit…
And if you know something that I don’t, then you must know more about me than I’d initially thought, and maybe that’s where your impatience with this resistance comes as so uncharacteristic. Tell me then…what should I know?
bomb scare @ depaul library… February 19, 2009
Posted by irish.lemon in Uncategorized.Tags: bomb scare, bomb threat, chicago, chicago police department, college, depaul university, john t. richardson library
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literally the last thing i needed today was to be chased out of the john t. richardson library whilst blogging over a bomb threat. but, as fate would have it, i was…wasn’t a pleasant experience, although i figured it was a hoax.
i knew something fishy was going on when i got in there though. there were at least five campus safety officers standing around the entrance, but it was over 45 minutes before the warning message went off.
i wasn’t the least bit satisfied with the level of communications the university provided, or complete lack thereof. the threat was announced around 11:30am and i didn’t hear another word about it ’til i got to the loop for my PR class, where i currently sit. now, we have this alert system that we as students sign up for to receive alerts about possible life-threatening events or other emergencies. they’re sent via email, text, and phone call…i signed up for all three since i’m a commuter now. however, i didn’t receive a single notification and it wasn’t ’til 4:58pm that i got this email:
Dear Students,
We are sending this to you because you are registered for a class in Lincoln Park on Thursdays. As you may know, we received a bomb threat this morning at the Richardson
Library.Public Safety immediately notified Chicago Police to assess the situation. After a preliminary investigation, a precautionary evacuation was ordered. No other buildings were affected and no classes were cancelled outside the library. At 2:30p.m., Chicago Police gave the all clear to the library, which was declared safe andreopened. All campus activities and classes in the building and the entire Lincoln Park Campus are continuing today as scheduled.
In response to this situation, DePaul activated its public address and electronicmessage sign system in the library. A large number of Public Safety and Chicago Police officers were on the scene to personally notify those directly affected and
to direct those outside the building away from any potential danger. DePaul also sent an e-mail to the desks of all employees to alert them to what was happening and posted the information on its home page, DePaul’s main source of information in an emergency.Our emergency communication staff were prepared to issue a DPU Alert if the situation were to escalate. Thankfully, that did not become necessary.
Some students have asked why a DPU Alert was not issued. That system notifies approximately 30,000 people simultaneously in up to three different ways: telephone, e-mail and text message. It was established for use in life-threatening
emergencies with immediate danger and is not designed to be a primary alert system.First responders, who are most likely to be Public Safety officers and Chicago Police or Fire personnel, will always direct those in immediate danger to safety. DPU Alert will be used if the situation is determined to pose imminent danger, and will almost always be the third notification to those in the area when a decision is made to activate it.
Unfortunately, bomb threats are a routine prank designed to disrupt activities at many large institutions like universities, high schools, airports and shopping malls. DePaul takes every threat seriously. It calls on the expertise of the highly trained Chicago Police Department to evaluate the danger level and then responds accordingly, always ready to take the next step if and when the situation becomes more serious.
We regret the inconvenience this unfounded threat caused.
Chicago Police and Public Safety are actively investigating to determine who made the threat. If a suspect is identified, he or she will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. If you have any information about the threat, please call Public Safety at 773/325-7777.
Sincerely,
Bob Wachowski
Director of Public Safety
u2 leak: NLOTH review… February 19, 2009
Posted by irish.lemon in Uncategorized.Tags: album leak, album review, get on your boots, no line on the horizon, u2, u2 album, u2 review
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once again, many thanks to getmusic in australia for “unintentionally” leaking the new U2 album. i’ll tell you all right now, for those of you that only marginally like or casually listen to U2, you’re likely not going to enjoy “no line on the horizon” very much. for the U2 purists, especially those like myself who find the best era to be early 90s U2, this album is truly a gem…
no line on the horizon-
immediately, tonally, this song echoes the airiness best defined by zooropa. the bass line retains a pedal quality and drums are fairly subdued. bono’s vocals are hard to distinguish; not quite able to put my finger on it, but the overexaggeration is unmistakably similar to much of what we’ve heard in the joshua tree. edge brings us back to achtung baby with his incredibly simple riffs and when we reach the bridge, we’re thrown into a wail similar to “with or without you” crossed with that from “electrical storm”. a strange track that i can’t quite place, let alone discern how i feel about it. it’s very constant and flowing, but not to much of a crescendo like we’re used to, just steady and galloping,
magnificent-
undoubtedly the BEST song on the album. all you hear in the first few seconds are a pounding bass drum and powerchord 10 times over, slowly layering a bassline, synthesizers, and a snare that brings the whole thing to a head in a burst of melodic delay that makes you feel like you’re running while standing still. after the intro, we hear a clap track and congas…yes! congas! definitely influenced by the riad in morocco. the song persists between lulls in the verses, climbing and clawing, running away ahead of you with the words of “only love could leave such a scar”. likely a song devoted to god, (”my first cry, it was a joyful noise”) and the difficulties of understanding the ways of the world therein; thankfully, U2’s lyrics always leave open ends and interpretation. the edge’s solo near the end is so incredibly similar to those on achtung baby, and again, i think that’s just the effect of morocco on the band’s creative dynamic.
moment of surrender-
very slow to start, almost dreamy and again, similar to the synthesized ambient music associated with achtung baby and zooropa. it takes on a new personality when adam’s bass and a clap track come in to mirror the pedal of the keyboard. bono’s vocals are incredibly harsh when they arrive (”i tied myself with wire to let the horses run free/playing with fire ’til the fire played with me”) both in content and in delivery. relatively distinguishable about a relationship gone horribly wrong, leaving an open wound an a lament to either the other person as well as god…again, god theme, but that’s U2. the song is a reminder of the inner struggle we all go through at some point and try like hell to find our way back, as futile as the fight may seem. incredibly heavy song, and chillingly suited for the times most of us are having – in the US at least.
unknown caller-
my least favorite song on the album, reminding me strangely of pink floyd mixed with seargent pepper – there’s french horns…yes, you heard me – however, innovative in it’s own right. the chorus is a bit stiff and incredibly awkward chanting praises to put yourself out there and respect yourself. the combination of organs, synthesizers, french horns, and U2 make for an odd duck. but then again, this entire album is an odd duck.
i’ll go crazy if i don’t go crazy tonight-
quite possibly the sweetest song on the album. another of those semi-psychotic stalkerish themes meshed with social awareness and begging for change. the lyrics literally pull you in every direction, and i think that’s exactly what it was going for. definitely one for further analysis of it’s ambiguity. the edge’s use of pinging delay and melodic arpeggios are familiar from “how to dismantle an atomic bomb” and they suit the song well.
get on your boots-
i know my initial assertions of this song were incredibly negative, but take away the somewhat ridiculous 60s groove and “candy floss/ice cream” and you have an incredibly anxious and socially concerned song. once again, definitely one to be analyzed further. it’s like unwillingly looking into a mirror and how everything fits in the world; what comes first and will we all make it out alive. “let me in the sound” is most definitely a reference to drowning, and take that as you will…the bridge is the ballsiest part of the song and echoes the theme more than the rest of the track. listen to it three times…once to hate it, twice to tolerate it, thrice to interpret it. you’ll be surprised.
stand up comedy-
my favorite song on the album…funky as hell and bono’s begging you to stand up is infectious. i can see this being incredible live. in all my years, i’ve never heard U2 bring the funk and they’ve done it here. edge definitely echoes tomo morello and you’ll hear some nuances similar to rage against the machine. best verse overall, “i could stand up for hope, faith, love, and while i’m getting over certainty, stop helping god cross the road like a little old lady/come on people, stand up for your love”. more religious allusion, but it works incredibly well. to put it simply, this song kicks ass.
white as snow-
the album takes on a more somber and – for lack of a better word – hopeless turn at this song. hauntingly crafted and beautiful, it’s another reflection (notice a trend) and reminds me of this album’s version of “sometimes you can’t make it on your own” but a bit more elusive. “love” is a central theme, and it flows like a prayer. the french horns show up again. it starts to take on a quality similar to “love is blindness”. incredibly strange and unnerving. provides an awkward shift to the album, but the theme fits.
FEZ – being born-
heavily echoing zooropa in the beginning, it will bring back fond, but suspicious memories of the zootv tour when bono was switching through all the different tv stations. the band bursts in with an equally paranoid and anxious entrance with the edge playing single notes, chiming with his signature delay, building to bono literally screaming his guts out like a dying man. even when the wails ease into words, they’re frantic and terrified. anyone that has heard the sountrack for “million dollar hotel” will find a lot of similarities. absolutely brilliant, and in need of further investigation. this one’s relatively unique while maintaining qualities from both the 80s and 90s.
breathe-
another awkward one, bono seems to be channeling both dylan and lennon simultaneously while edge is hard up on the ramones without the speed. very assertive, but i lost interest when bono refers to a “cockatoo”…i just laughed. however, socially aware and religiously-based, aside from the opening verse, it’s an effective song in bringing out a rebellious attitude from the listener. it has it’s charm, and i’m still in search of it…
cedars of lebanon-
incredibly heart-wrenching and if this song doesn’t tear you down before building you back up, then you have no human emotion. i can’t fully review this one for the simple fact that it echoes different emotions and experiences for each person. i don’t think this will ever be a big hit, but it’s another one of those hidden treasures in U2’s catalog that will be cherished, though reverently, for the true fans…
so there it is, i’ll post a list of songs to listen to beforehand as a guide for what i hear being taken from old stuff and incorporated in a new way…this one’s a winner, and definitely worth the wait, although 5 years was a bit much 
