Thursday - "Gawker" Style....

• The Champaign Public Library had its big ground-breaking ceremony this morning... and I can only hope the $10 dollars and fines I paid yesterday go towards building something resembling anything but the "Mad Max" looking metal monstrosity we have now. I know, "you can't judge a book by it's cover," and all that... but still, with as much money as is being spent, I'm judging!

• WCIA, Busey Bank, and the Central Illinois Chapter of the American Red Cross is giving people yet another route for donations to Katrina survivors. You can drop off your donation at the station's studios, located at 509 S. Neil St. in Champaign (aka by the Dunkin' Donuts on the intersection of Green and Neil) or mail your donation in the form of a check to:

WCIA Disaster Relief Fund
P.O. Box 20 Champaign, IL
61824-0020

You can also just drop of your donation at any Busey Bank location. Find their location nearest you right here.

• And in more entertaining news... local "ultra lounge," Soma, is throwing a "White Party" tonight. The regular Thursday dynamic DJ duo of DJ Mertz and DJ J-Phlip will be spinning some underground house (is that where the Ninja Turtles live?) while people dressed in white will be drinking $3 Absolut vodka drinks. So... drink cheaply and dress like everyone else... sounds like a normal night downtown to me! At least the music will be good. If you'd rather get tanked on a cheap bottle of SKOL Vodka and listen to J-Phlip wearing your tightie whities in the comfort of your own home, just click here.

• Wonkette helps shed some light on why the levee broke in New Orleans. Around 80% of the funding that was to go to shoring it up over the past 3 years has gone to Iraq. Read the article here. Any guesses as to why they're calling it "Lake George?"

• Champaign o' Blogs fave, Seth Fein, throws down on the Urbana Sweet Corn Fest, stress tests local Scientologists, and gives props to the CU Blogosphere (and the Mark Foley/Don Gerard fiasco).