Chicago: Good Times 2009

Christine and I just returned from an incredibly fun weekend together in Chicago. I was in town for work, so we found a great deal on a hotel and stayed a few extra days. We enjoyed a very nice time together, great jazz at Andy's on Hubbard, hilarious comedy at Second City and fantastic food at Yolk, Downtown Dogs and Giorando's. Most of our trip was spent in River North in the Near North Side of Chicago. Below is a slideshow with a few photos from our adventures.

We know so little about Iran. How can we show support?

If you're like me, your heart is with all the incredibly valiant people in Iran that are struggling for freedom, justice and a voice in their nation's future. Yet beyond our sincere empathy, it is an incredibly complex situation to try to even begin to understand.

So the elections were fixed. Are Mousavi's politics significantly different and better than those of Ahmadinejad? Would US intervention help or hurt the situation? Can this conflict be solved in months or will it take years or even decades for real change? What can I do individually and what should I do to help those struggling for a better Iran?

In my quest to understand these things better, I found some solace in that social networking and citizen journalism seem to be helping to some degree. I found the following articles helpful and informative:

Citizen journalism on the rise in Iran - Tom Silva, Chicago Tribune, June 22, 2009

"What's also extraordinary is technology hatched in America's micro blogging has delivered to this movement the power of instant expression and instant appeal to the court of world opinion."

Western Media Inaccuracy & The Iran Twitter Grid - Time King, Salem News, June 22, 2009

"If anyone is on twitter, please set your location to Tehran and your time zone to GMT +3.30. Iranian security forces are hunting for bloggers using location/timezone searches. The more people at this location, the more of a logjam it creates for forces trying to shut Iranians' access to the internet down. Cut & paste & pass it on."

Iran's Revolution: A Hard and Uncertain Path - Howard Schweber, The Huffington Post, June 22, 2009

"The Iranian government is dominated by a generation that remembers not only the Revolution of 1979, but more immediately the Iran-Iraq War with its million Iranian dead. The basijis who are doing the skull-cracking and shooting now are the same force that launched suicidal human wave attacks against much better (American) armed Iraqi forces in the marshes."

They May Not Want The Bomb - Fareed Zakari, Newsweek, May 23, 2009

"Everything you know about Iran is wrong, or at least more complicated than you think. Take the bomb. The regime wants to be a nuclear power but could well be happy with a peaceful civilian program... The country's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a fatwa in 2004 describing the use of nuclear weapons as immoral. In a subsequent sermon, he declared that "developing, producing or stockpiling nuclear weapons is forbidden under Islam."

While many Iranians fear making their names known publicly, this revolution now has a human face. Neda Agha Soltan was tragically killed Saturday during fierce clashes that left at least 13 dead. She has not died in vain, as she has been immortalized as the "Angel of Iran."

It is my hope that this situation leads to greater empathy, tolerance and connectedness between people of disparate cultures. While it may not lead to the political change we desire, much like Tiananmen Square protests in China, it can create human bonds that did not previously exist.

Photo: Agence France-Presse

Twilight Ride at Navy Pier in Chicago