Archive for the “History” Category

From guardian.co.uk

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.

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I was able to get up to the EAA AirVenture event in Oshkosh this year for the first time ever.  I’ve been meaning to get up that way, but one thing or another came along and prevented me from going.  Well, this year, I took a Friday off and headed up – and I had a blast.

The day I went was the Warbird airshow. That means that all sorts of vintage, restored aircraft from WW II through Vietnam was flying during the airshow. The day was great – not too hot, and mostly sunny. There was a threat of a storm but that passed to the north. During the day I got to see a flyby by some F-15s and I got to see the F-22 in action. It is amazing how close you can get to some of the aircraft.

Anyway, enjoy the images. Leave comments if you feel like it. Also, check out the EAA AirVenture 2008 video page – I took some video with my digital camera. The quality is good, but a little bouncy – I didn’t bring a tripod. Enjoy!

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My son and I went to the Lake County Civil War days again this year.  We only came for the Big Battle on Sunday since we were also preparing for Cub Scout Day Camp the next week.  The weather was great and we had really good seats.

What was fun was that the re-enactment portrayed the Battle of Brandy Station.  I was able to walk this battlefield last August.  You can see my pictures of the actual battle site here.  This was the first time that I can remember that the Big Battle was fashioned after an actual battle.  Most of the times, the battle showed the was the armies fought and some of the tactics they used.  I thought this years battle was pretty interesting becuase I could put some frame of reference around it, but I’m not sure how others viewed it.  I know my son liked it because he got to see the reenactment and was able to see the cannons fire.  All in all, a good time was had by the two of us.

This is a great event put on by the Lake County IL Forest Preserve district.  If you’ve never been, you should go!  Also, a heaping big thanks to all of the reenactors who devote their time to protraying this important time in our country’s history.  Here is a list of the participating units:

If you like the pictures below, please leave a comment!

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75 years of beer Yes, it’s been 75 years since Prohibition was ended and beer flowed legally once again. To commemorate this event, check out www.75YearsofBeer.org. Events are scheduled across the country – there might even be some that are close to you.

In related information, there have been some interesting articles about breweries in the Midwest. One of the articles is from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, titled “Back-roads breweries” It’s an interesting read about some of the smaller breweries that can be found in Wisconsin. The other article is titled “Draft Picks” and comes from Chicago Magazine. The author picks out six breweries from the IN-IL-WI area that offer not only great beers but also tours. besides some interesting information, the article also provides directions to these breweries.

Lastly, I found some information that has an interesting historical aspect for me. Pabst is bringing back the original recipe for Schlitz beer. The Chicago Sun-Times has more detail. This is interesting to me since my grandfather once worked for the Schlitz brewery in Milwaukee. I’ll have look for it in the store and try some out.

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Images from another Civil War event that my son and I went attended. This one was smaller than the Lake County event, but it was still a great event.

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