Walking into a Protest

How do we stop those cuts? How do we fix the deficit?
Tax, tax, tax the rich! 

Pay your fair share.
Stop corporate greed. Jobs with Justice.
Tax the 1%.

I believe I was on Madison St., heading eastward, when I literally ran into this protest.  It was a peaceful one, clearly, but there was a row of police officers who walked and biked alongside them on the street, near the curb.

I pulled out my iPhone, and turned on the videocamera.  I kept it at chest level, that is, without looking through the viewfinder.  I didn't want to show anyone that I was videotaping, and possibly have my iPhone confiscated or otherwise get into some trouble.

It was months later that I found the perfect soundtrack on YouTube to accompany it:  "Clockwork Tangerine," by Paul Mottram.

Chicago Morning Elegance

Temperatures were pleasant, sun rays poured all around, and the breeze waxed and waned with the distant traffic. On a walk along West Randolph, Chicagoans like me live for spring mornings like this.

The song is "Morning Elegance," by Oren Lavie, and this is his standout music video:

Memorial Day at Millennium Park

In Chicago, we have a standing belief: If you plan an outing or a picnic on a holiday, then it's sure to be cold and rainy.  But not so, this past Memorial Day!  The temperatures rose to the unseasonable 90s (F). No matter, celebrations went on swimmingly at the fountains of Millennium Park. It was better than going to a swimming pool, and it was open to everyone.

It was delightful to see quite a lot of people at Millennium Park.  Children in some neighborhoods are wont to wrench open a fire hydrant, and enjoy the rush and the cool of water on a hot summer day.  Of course, that's not really cool, as it's wasteful of water and it depletes supply for putting out fire.  But the fountains at Millennium Park were a wonderful, more resource-conservative alternative for children and their families.

Created by artist Jaume Plensa, the Crown Fountain streams captivating, animated faces on monument structures.  I gathered some Chicagoans have asked whether their faces can be displayed, too.  The answer is no, apparently, as the School of the Art Institute of Chicago curates the display, according to an agreement with the City, benefactors, and the artist.

I'm sure it's just a passing curiosity.  The fact that these monumental faces spew a stream of water, periodically from their mouths, adds more than enough delight to families' outing.