We quickly readjusted our strategy and thought that it was most important to try and get a good viewing spot for the victory parade. Again,as we scouted locations, nothing looked too good for my son, so we crossed the street and lucked into a great location. We were fairly close to the street, and there was a metal barricade that my son could use to elevate himself. We were also very close to the speakers and the confetti cannons – not to mention we were in the shade, a big benefit. As we were waiting, we had some entertainment. Close by, a young woman was verbally scuffling with some other people. Soon enough, it turned physical and the police were there quickly and in force. The offender was quickly removed and peace resumed.

As the parade turned down Michigan Ave. my son was lucky enough to get to the curb and have a frontline view of the activities. The pictures below are from the Blackhawk victory parade. I’ll add videos tomorrow. Overall, despite the crowd, the heat, and the humidity, my son and I had a fun and memorable time.

[View with PicLens]

12►

They’ve won the Stanley Cup for Chicago – the first time in 49 years!

Let’s see if this works.

Use this link to show support.

From guardian.co.uk

. . . corrupts absolutely.

As I read about the unrest in Iran, I just have to look at the irony of it all.  I remember back in 1979 when the current regime came to power.  They said that they were overcoming oppression from the Shah.  They said they represented the people.  They said a lot of things, but over time, they have proved to be just the same as the Shah’s corrupt administration that they replaced – maybe even worse.

The mullahs came to power because they said they were persecuted and used religion as the opiate to get the masses on their side.  Once in power, they started to crack down and enforce rules and laws that they thought were best, not necessarily what the people wanted.  They used terrorist methods and supported terrorist causes to further their agenda and to build power.  Over time, this arrogance and desire for power led to the unrest we’ve seen lately.

It’s tragic to see that these religious rulers who run Iran are so power hungry that they can murder their own people in order to maintain their power.  They accuse their own people of using terrorism (when they did so openly and with pride when they came to power) in protesting against what they feel is wrong.  They send armed forces out against unarmed civilians.  And I’m sure they’ll find some passage from the Koran that could be perverted to back their power play here – they’ve been perverting it for years.

This regime has to go.  The people must be heard.

Most people don’t realize that volcanic ash isn’t like the stuff you’d find in your fireplace; it’s actually pulverized rock.  Sometimes it can be the consistency of Comet cleanser, other times it’s much more gritty.  It can cuase serious damage to all types of engines not to mention the damage it can do to fragile humans and other forms of life.  So you see I have an interest in what’s going on.

To see for yourself, what’s going on at Mt. Redoubt, you can view these webcams that the Alaska Volcano Obserbatory has set up:

• Mt. Redoubt hut
• Unocal platform Anna
• Seismic station DFR

There are some pretty spectacular images to be seen, so check it out!

I’ve been using Dropbox for about 2 weeks now and I love it. I am able to keep needed files in synch between my work laptop, my personal laptop and my home desktop. And I can do it for free!

So, here’s how it works. Go to getdropbox.com to create an account and to download the software that you need – Windows, Mac and Linux.  Once you have the software, install it and you’re good to go.  I’m not sure how this works on a Mac or Linux system, but on Windows you can designate a directory that will act as your dropbox and then it is presented as a special folder – simple simple!  The nice people at dropbox have a product tour that explains so much more than I’m willing to expend the effort for.

So what I really like about this is that I have 2 GB of online storage to use to keep important or necessary files in synch between systems.  It’s secure so I can rest assured that anything important is safe.  I also not only have access to my files from the three computers I listed above, but I can also access the files from a web browser.  This option would come in handy when I have to troubleshoot my realtives’ computer as I do from time to time.

If you need more than 2 GB, there’s a pay to play option (Dropbox Pro) available, but for most people, 2 GB will do just fine, thank you.

Seriously, thanks dropbox guys!

OK.

The kids and I watched Madagascar 2 recently, and it was a relatively harmless movie.  It got a few laughs and chuckles from the crowd (all three of us) here.  Some of the loudest laughing came from scenes where Moto Moto was wooing Gloria the hippo.  For those of you who haven’t seen the flick, Gloria is a female hippo – ’nuff said.  Anyway, Moto Moto has a couple of scenes where he’s singing and dancing, like this one here.  So this was the source of much hooting from the kids.  We had to watch the extra scenes with the music videos for the movie also.

So, as I saw this for the fourth or fifth time, I realized that this was the PG version of Sir Mix-A-Lot’s Baby Got Back. This staple of ’80s early rap is still a fun trip down memory road.

It also shows that savvy filmmakers will make movies that appeal to various age segments. I remember taking the kids when they were much younger to movies that really were only for them. There was nothing there for the parents. Madagascar had some humor and innuendo that adults got while providing belly laughs for the kids. I think that I like all of the Pixar movies for much the same reason.

Overall, I simply liked the movie just because it allowed us to spend some fun time together.