Olympian Gods

Even for a brief, few seconds

Demigod, or falling angel?

Once again, I'm amazed at how many of these winter sports are full of dangers. But, since these athletes are really demigods, or close enough, they deliver almost every time.

Here is another daredevil sport - aerial skiing.

The performances reminded me of Leni Riefenstahl's Olympia, which showcased the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Riefenstahl was Hitler's filmmaker, and her most famous film, Triumph of the Will, was filmed during the 1934 Nazi party congress in Nuremberg.

Olympia could also be titled, Triumph of Man. Here is a video of Riefenstahl's diving sequences in Olympia, where the athletes lose all contact with the ground and the people around them and just become god-like creatures floating in the air, defying gravity. Scroll to near the end of the clip to see the famous shots where she slowed down the film, reversed some shots, and took some upside down, removing any context (water and identifiable diving board) out of the shots, in order to glorify the athletes.

These aerial skiers had that same sense of invincibility, soaring for those brief minutes close to the heavens.

Newfoundland Premier Naturally Chooses Life Over Death

And still pushes for the ideology of health care for all

Here's a quote from the Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams on his recent visit to the U.S. for medical treatment.

This was my heart, my choice and my health...I did not sign away my right to get the best possible health care for myself when I entered politics.

Actually, I see nothing wrong with that. He chose life over prolonged complications and possible death.

Of course, the atrocity is that he, like any socialist hypocrite, leaves the proletariat to make do with what he deems insufficient for himself. His ideology is good enough for us, but just won't do for him.

Here's a quote from Edmund Burke's Reflections On The French Revolution:

The worst of these politics of revolution [I would substitute ideology here] is this; they temper and harden the breast, in order to prepare it for the desperate strokes which are sometimes used in extreme occasions...This sort of people are so taken up with their theories about the rights of man, that they have totally forgot his nature.

Yes, the ideology of health care for all takes over Canadian politics, while the real man, and his real needs, get shuffled out of the picture.

Some Startling Facts About Dual Citizenship

Panel on TVO

TV Ontario's The Agenda, hosted had a panel discussion last night about dual citizenship.

Here are a few startling facts about this phenomenon:

- In the 1970s, there were just a handful of countries which allowed for dual citizenship. Now there are over 150.

- There is a higher number of Canadian citizens living abroad than any other country (per capita ). Although the numbers weren't broken down, this implies that the majority of these are part of this dual citizenship exodus returning to their countries of origin.

- Although there are a large number of Canadian citizens living abroad (read here in their countries of origin), many still plan to retire in Canada, to take advantage of the health care and other first class facilities available here. This despite their not having participated as tax-paying residents of Canada for all those years they lived abroad.

- Canada has one of the most lenient requirements for dual citizenship - essentially, you get a fully-functional passport and are treated as a bona fide Canadian citizen. But some countries, like India, for example, will give non-resident passports which are only good for limited privileges. Acquiring the citizenship of another country diminishes the Indian one.

- Many French and British Canadians hold dual citizenship. In fact, one of the panel members, Rudyard Griffiths of the Dominion Institute, held a British passport in honor of his grandfather who fought in the continental war, but is now renouncing it to remain simply Canadian. But, the history of Canada is intricately linked with France and Britain (Canada is still a British commonwealth, and we swear allegiance to the Queen). So, dual British/Canadian passport is far more legitimate than dual Indian/Canadian passport.

Gliding in Unison

Golden ice dancing pair

Tess Virtue and Scott Moir in the Ice Dancing
long program on their way to winning the gold

Tess Virtue and Scott Moir were the ice dance pair favored to win when they went into final long program last night. And they gave an incredible performance. The music they chose to dance to, the adagietto from Mahler's Fifth Symphony, was serious but not overwhelming, unlike the punchy Phantom of the Opera which the silver medalists from the U.S. chose. Virtue and Moir glided together in perfect unity throughout their dance.

I cannot find a video of their full performance, but here is a video collage of some of their great moments.

Jane Austen's Persuasion Could Have Been Her Fairy Tale

Was there unrequited love in her past?


This is my favorite book cover of Persuasion. I find the tapestry-like botanical print appealing. It also suggests the adventurous spirit of men in that period, who went across continents to collect and draw such exotic plant species. Persuasion's Captain Wentworth was somewhat of an adventurer, who went across the seas as a naval officer during the Napoleonic wars, to come back to England a wealthy man.

British television productions of classic works almost always strike gold. Turning a Dickens or an Austen into a film (or a television production) is risky. The easy part is getting the set and costumes right. But, how about the demeanor of the actors, and even their accents?

PBS's Masterpiece Theater recently presented a perfect version of Jane Austen's Persuasion. I think it is the least characteristic of her novels. It is the most romantic, and its general plot seems less sure-handed and confident than her other novels. It also contains some of her more mean-spirited characters.

Emma may be ego-centric and bossy, but she is innocent of malice, and wins the love of Mr. Knightley, who sees the good in her. Pride and Prejudice may contain some confusing moments of apparent betrayal and sabotage, but they are satisfactory explained.

Persuasion's Anne Elliot refused the hand of Frederick Wentworth, a young naval officer, because of his lack of prestige and sufficient social standing. Seven years later, he returns as a wealthy captain. He is still unmarried, as is she. Her poignant quest to set things right, and his attempt to understand her rejection, takes up most of the novel.

The PBS's version of Anne (played by Sally Hawkins) makes her a little too plain, and Captain Frederick Wentworth a little too dashing. But, other than that, Sally Hawkins does a tremendous job of recreating the self-effacing, humble and very sweet Anne. It is surprising to see someone so good, even in a novel.

The female friend, Lady Russell, who persuaded Anne to break off her alliance with the young and poor Frederick Wentworth, reminds me a little of the mentor that took over young Isabel Archer's life in Henry James's A Portrait of a Lady. Lady Russell is nowhere near as vicious and conniving as Isabel Archer's friend Madame Merle. But there is still a certain callous disregard for Anne's feelings by Lady Russell, for the sake of maintaining family standing. The lovely Anne understands that she agreed not to marry Wentworth, but she could never quite fully forgive (although she says she does) Lady Russell's for persuading her to do so.

Persuasion was Jane Austen’s last novel. She died after completing it, and it was published posthumously a year later. She was forty-one when she died, having never married. I wonder if Persuasion, with its thwarted love story that was later revived, was how Austen would have liked her life to become, with a "happily ever after" ending.

Extreme Sports

The Winter Olympics' demands on athletes

Lindsey Vonn on her way to winning gold after suffering
through serious bruises on her shin

Given the ugly (yes, I will stick by that word) ideological beginnings of the Olympics, which was simply arm-twisting by the native population, I wasn't going to watch much of them.

But, the innocence of the games, which really is about winning and losing in those straight terms - however much some would say there are biased judges - is hard to ignore. It is fun and inspiring to watch hard working athletes give it their all, ignoring injury or bad weather, to come out as possible champions.

That is what skier Lindsey Vonn did with her spectacular downhill run after a seriously bruised shin, winning the gold.

And a mock "cold war" was staged between American and Russian skaters, with the American Evan Lysacek taking gold after an immaculate and flawless performance. Russian Evgeni Plushenko couldn't accept his loss to silver status, saying that he was the only one to attempt a quadruple-triple toeloop (I think that means he made four turns while still in the air!). He may have the prowess to perform spectacular jumps and turns, but he wobbled and faltered on his landings. Even spectators like me could see the inferiority of his skating compared to Lysacek. Nonetheless, this "cold war" went on for a little while with accusatory words coming from the Russian.

But, one thing that struck me about these games is the extreme physical and mental demands of the sports. Quadruple jumps; skiing at unimaginable speed on snow turned to ice; snowboarders who make that extra death-defying turn while still in the air; lugers without any protection speeding down tunnels of ice; speed skaters who can slice off their opponents' shins with the blades on their skates if they get too close.

I don't think such extremes exist in the summer Olympics. Yes, Olympic records are getting higher and higher, but what is the physical danger in running down a 100 meter lane? Jumping higher is a requisite for high jumpers, but the worst that could happen is that the jumper land on the metal pole.

I admire these winter athletes immensely. It not only takes superior physical abilities, and thousands of hours of practice, to get to their level, but also intense mental acuity to perform the razor thin turns while slaloming down the ski slope, or the last extra twist while still in the air on a snowboard.

But I also feel sorry for them. They are being required to go for more and more gutsy moves, ignoring the limits of their (great) abilities. And they will be suffering the consequences unless the posts are brought down a little.

Is "None" Singular or Plural?

Well, it can be both.

Follow the link above for full details of the argument, as well as humorous diversions (can one identify a liberal by how he defines - or fails to define - "none")?

Drawing Vs. Photography

The winner is clear

Preliminary watercolor sketch

There's nothing more uncanny then when a blank piece of watercolor paper gets filled up with lines and colors representing some "real" object or other.

I used to feel this way with photography. The slow, magical way in which the image appears on the photographic paper is always surprising. But drawing is that much more satisfying because it is infinitely harder, since the exercise involves much more (intellectually and technically) than the photographic process. I'll stick to that opinion, and photographers the world over will pounce on me, I know.

Of course, this conflict between photography and drawing/painting has been an eternal one. But, despite all the clever and sophisticated arguments that photographers make, however "differently" they present themselves, however beautifully they represent the world around us, drawing and painting wins hands down.

Ode to Curling

Dream Olympic sport...

Ode to Curling.

My Response to Comments at FPM on "A Return to Country"

What is authentic and what isn't?

Here is my rebuttal comment at FPM on my article "A Return to Country."

I tried hard to [write] a definitive definition of country music, but thought it was unnecessary. People have asked that question since country music started. There has always been disagreement. But, whatever you may say, you can always tell a piece of country music - however poppy or jazzy or bluesy - when played next to other types.

An interesting sub-theme in the movie Crazy Heart is that old-time legends like Bad consider newer country songs and musicians to be inauthentic. But Bad accepts that his much younger rival - Tommy Sweet - is the real deal. Still, Bad writes the songs, and Tommy performs them. Looks like they all need each other - young and old.

If you don't call the guitar riffs that Zac Brown performed country, they I don't know what it is.

I did say that Taylor Swift is a country/pop star. But she sings from the heart, about mundane daily things that mean a lot to her. Maybe that's what country is all about.

I agree that the music in the movie is great.

Country Music and Its Relationship to Real Things

A review


Frontpage Magazine has published another article of mine: "A Return to Country."

Comments on the article criticize my view that the bands I cite are real country musicians - but they still don't deny that the ZBB is country, only country they don't like. The funny thing is that a sub-theme of the whole movie Crazy Heart is about the reconciliation of the old with the new. Old-time legend Bad Blake ultimately agrees that newcomer Nashville singer Tommy Sweet is the real deal. Bad is still the teacher and the expert songwriter. Tommy is simply picking up what Bad gives, or passes on, to him.

But, my real point for writing the article is that many film critics stay stuck on the film - he's a good actor; she isn't; the story had funny twists. Etc. I was trying to tie together the theme of the story with society at large. How, for example, country music is influenced by...country (or land, or place). Unlike that awful movie Up in the Air, where nothing, including Clooney's relationships, is authentic.

Yes, Hollywood does dilute things, but one has to admit it when it hits gold. I think it did so with Crazy Heart.

"No Olympics on stolen native land"

Beyond just native issues


In my three-part posts on the Vancouver Olympic opening ceremonies and the prominent presence of natives, I focused mainly on B.C. natives.

This phenomenon is being felt throughout Canada. Land claims issues in Caledonia, Ontario dragged on for several years, including disrupting the lives of non-natives, some even fearing for their lives. The Ontario government, when it could have been resolved quickly and resolutely, let it drag on for years. I've blogged about that here, and also about the Mohawk reserve near Montreal, where non-whites were asked to leave the reserve to maintain the Mohawk culture and identity. If this had happened with any other group (e.g. telling Muslims and other immigrants they need to go back to their own countries), there would have been an uproar.

The native issue is the same as all the other issues, and that is Canada is readily giving away its history, culture and heritage. It was eerie to watch it so blatantly during the Olympic ceremonies. It really looked like a take-over - natives welcoming the spectators and athletes on their land! Just a few decades ago, this would have been unthinkable, treaties or not. All this is just the iceberg of what is festering underneath it all.

Natives in B.C. - Part III: Native Land Claims and Treaties in B.C.

The official logo for the Games is the
Inuit Inukshuk. Native presence permeates
every aspect of the games, including the
prominent official logo.

Chiefs from the four tribes standing behind the Governor General

- Natives in B.C. - Part I: The Vancouver Olympics Ceremonies

- Natives in B.C. - Part II: Native Prominence in the Vancouver Olympics

Land claims are a gargantuan issue in British Columbia. Only fourteen treaties were signed with B.C. natives by the late 19th century. The Fraser Institute (pdf file) attributes this low number in B.C. (compared to other provinces) to the diversity of B.C. native groups and their own conflicts over overlapping borders; natives themselves being unwilling to sign treaties; and changes in British administrations and governments which interrupted the processes. By the early 20th century, B.C. natives were no longer allowed to make land claims or negotiate treaties. Land was nonetheless allocated as reserves for native groups under the Indian Act. The British Columbia Treaty Commission was set up in 1993 to re-establish the treaty negotiation process. To date, 60 groups are participating in this process. In 2000, the Nisga'a is the first group to complete the treaty process.

Four native groups, the Squamish, Musqueam, Lil'wat and Tsleil-Waututh, negotiated with the Vancouver Olympics Organization Committee for increased participation and presence in the Olympics. They claim that some of the Olympics venues and activities fall on their land. Although no formal treaties have been signed by any of the parties, they are more than halfway through the negotiation process to finalize the treaties. But these native groups are not the only ones to make demands on the province and the Olympics.

Others are using the Olympics to voice their grievances about their general economic conditions, and are demanding that the government increase its assistance to their groups. They are protesting that too much money has been allocated to the Olympics at the expense of their well-being, and that Olympic venues adjoining their yet-to-be claimed lands are causing negative (e.g. environmental) effects. The Vancouver Olympics have been marred by such protest groups.

Natives in B.C. - Part II: Native Prominence in the Vancouver Olympics

Four giant totem pole-like figures had extended arms
as though greeting the spectators. Native dancers
from around the country danced underneath them.

Only three channels for the flames functioned

- Natives in B.C. - Part I: Native Prominence in the Vancouver Olympics

- Natives in B.C. - Part III: Land Claims and Treaties in B.C.

The Opening Ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics showed us all the dynamics of the British Columbia native land claims movements. There had been hints cropping up over the years about the natives’ influence in the Olympics. The issues essentially boil down to the B.C. government accommodating four native tribes’ request that since the Olympics were being held on their land, they be present in as many decisions and programs as possible.

Four native tribes (or First Nations as they prefer to be called – and they never call themselves simply Canadian), the Squamish, Musqueam, Lil'wat and Tsleil-Waututh, were given unprecedented importance. Their chiefs were treated as national dignitaries, sitting right behind the Governor General.

At the beginning of the ceremonies, a member of each of these four tribes greeted the stadium in English, in French and in his (there was one woman in the group) respective native tongue. Four giant totem pole like figures with arms stretched out, carved as though in ice, rose from the stage, mimicking the four host nations’ greetings. These figures remained on the stage as dozens of natives from around the country entered the stage, performing their dances. These figures then retreated down into the stage, as other activities resumed on the giant stage.

Everything went smoothly until that very last, most important, moment. Those totem pole figures were to be replaced by four conduits for the Olympic flames that were being carried by four carefully chosen Canadian athletes. Each athlete was to ignite a conduit, and the flames from these four sources were to travel up to a single cauldron in the middle.

One of the four conduits never made it from under the stage. The symmetry and the magic of the show were broken. And I could only read omens out of that failed ending.

Four natives, who behaved with the confidence of true landowners, aided by menacing giant ice “spirits” were later replaced by four Canadians that represent the current country. The four conduits, replacing the four totem pole figures, lost their strength and symmetry when one failed to rise. Is that what Canada is becoming, slowly and compliantly losing its structures and foundations?

It was disconcerting and alienating to watch. It is as though we were reversing the Canadian experience, and relinquishing the country acre by acre, until we reach the moment a couple of hundred of years ago when the first settlers came to Canada to boldly start a new, and astonishing enterprise of building a brand new country. We now seem to be striving for the moment before that grand arrival.

What happened at the ceremonies should be a wakeup call for Canada. This is another in a series of acquiesces which is slowly diminishing the country, both culturally and geographically. A country which holds multiculturalism, high levels of immigration and of course these persisting native land claims as the epitome of Canadianness surely has a very shaky future.

Natives in B.C. - Part I: The Vancouver Olympics Ceremonies

Douglas firs from Cathedral Grove in Vancouver
Island, recreated with rolls of fabric during
the Olympics ceremonies.

- Natives in B.C. - Part II: Native Prominence in the Vancouver Olympics

- Natives in B.C. - Part III: Native Land Claims and Treaties in B.C.

The Olympics opening ceremonies were stunning. There was a beautiful choreography of light, sound and projected images on the huge stage in the middle of the stadium in B.C. Place. Canadian musical stars shone. Sarah McLaughlin, whose style I'm not so crazy about, had an almost angelic voice. K.D Lang sang Leonard Cohen's "Halleluiah" with such fervor that it sounded like a desperate plea to a higher being (Lang is gay, and looks more and more like those aging, bitter lesbians). Fiddlers from Cape Breton and Newfoundland gave a Scottish and Irish flavor to the night, not to be outshone by virtuosos from Quebec.

The visual presentations were equally impressive. The Aurora Borealis of the north was recreated with amazing authenticity. The prairies materialized square mile by square mile (or so it seemed), until the whole stage was covered with undulating golden grass. Alpine skiers performed choreographed descents down the majestic Rocky Mountains, which incredibly collapsed into mere fabric at the end of the performance. Orange, red and yellow giant maple leaves engulfed the stage. And the giant Douglas-firs of the Cathedral Grove in Vancouver Island were recreated once again with rolls of fabric.

But, the focus of the evening was on the native presence. In Part II of "Natives in B.C.", I describe how the native presence was felt to the very end of the ceremonies. And in Part III, I will discuss the land claims and treaty issues that is especially active in B.C, giving a historic perspective to this unique situation.

"No Olympics on stolen native land"

Natives and Canadians

I'm preparing a rather long blog on the Vancouver Olympics Opening Ceremonies, and the native presence, both on the stage and amongst the dignitaries.

This is a complicated issue of land claims and treaties, which is unique to B.C. I've had to do a bit of research to make sense of the situation.

I'll have the full post up by tomorrow.

Sex Scandal, Toronto Style

Where marriage is irrelevant

Adam Giambrone announcing his entrance
into the mayoral race, with his "live-in partner"
Sarah McQuarrie by his side.

One of Toronto's mayoral candidates has left the race because of a "sex scandal."
This is how the CBC puts it:

Adam Giambrone, Toronto Transit Commission chair and one-time mayoral hopeful, recently confessed to several intimate relationships with women other than his live-in partner of several years. The admission preceded Giambrone's decision to drop out of the mayoral race.

Now, isn't this person living in sin anyway with his "live-in partner?" What difference does it make how many trysts he has had, and with whom?

It is no longer, "The wife who stands by her cheating husband" but, "The live-in partner who will make the best of the situation, despite the shock and
disappointment that she is not the only woman he is sleeping with, and hopes he will put a ring on it ASAP." Poor Sarah McQuarrie.

Of course, in a country where marriage is no longer a sacred, spiritual (and by that I mean Christian) union of man and woman, where gay marriage is legal, faithfulness can be measured with any kind of stick.

The examples of cheating politicians the CBC gives are of men with wives, not men with "live-in partners." This is the first that I've heard of this. Propriety à la Canadian liberal.

Update on Modern Bridal Wear

More on Vera Wang's chiffons

From Vera Wang's Spring 2010
Bridal Collection

For those of you who haven't yet visited The Thinking Housewife's erudite website, I strongly recommend that you do so. Topics range from portrait paintings to young boys and video games.

Laura linked to a story I did on modern wedding gowns and how they lack beauty and craftsmanship. Interesting comments follow her post.

More Infidelities

How about love during marriage to keep your husband?

I watched yet another 20/20 borderline gossipy interview on Friday. I hate to judge people since one never knows what goes on in their lives to make them do what they do. But, one has to wonder what part Mrs. Sanford played in her husband's personal life. There were some telling moments in Jenny Sanford's interview with Barbara Walters that made me conclude that she must have been distant and uninvolved in her husband's life (despite her busy role as his campaign manager).

At some point in Mark Sanford's affair with the Argentinian Maria Belen Chapur, he asked his wife if she would give him permission to visit Maria. Jenny, who has written a book about this experience, never clarifies if he wanted to visit Maria to smooth things over for the final break-up. I have a feeling this was the case - why would he ask his wife for permission otherwise?

In a telling moment, when Jenny refuses, Sanford moans "Why don't you love me?"

Now, I don't think he was talking of that particular moment. This, to me, seems like a recurring problem in their marriage.

Jenny does say that she (and by extension Sanford, though this is clearly not the case by his affair) has a practical view of love. She doesn't come out fully saying it, but she seems to have a low regard for unconditional love, a debate she said she had many times with her husband.

Now, who wants a wife who is "practical" about loving her husband? It sounds like no love to me. I'm not condoning Sanford's behavior, but it must have been very difficult to be married to his practical, campaign managing, unconditional love scorning wife.

People have to get their emotional fulfillment from somewhere. I wonder if that is what happened with last week's fascinating 20/20 topic which I also blogged about - John and Mrs. Edwards. Although, I will be bold enough to say that I'm pretty sure that's what happened there too.

Canadian Multi-Culti P.C. Police Force

In all the wrong places

The Jamaican Bobsled Team is a good sport. Its members gained fame when they qualified for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. They never finished the race because they lost control of their sled, which crashed. This is disappointing, or funny, depending on your sense of humor.

Canadian comedian John Candy acted as their coach Irv Blitzer Cool Runnings, the film about the bobsled team. Recently, playful University of Toronto students donned blackfaces and bobsled costumes and called themselves the Jamaican Bobsled Team. Of course, the Canadian Multi-Culti P.C. Police Force descended furiously upon them, despite one of the pranksters being a black man who covered his face with white makeup to represent their coach Irv.

All this, though, didn't bring the real-life team any luck. It unfortunately failed to qualify for the February games in Vancouver.

Natives Thriving under Multiculturalism

Setting rules for their benefits

There's been regular native Canadian issues taking over Canadian society these day. The asymmetrical treatment that natives get in comparison with the rest of Canadians is incredible. Native activists against land development around the Caledonia region south of Toronto managed to subvert all the laws and policies of the land in order to stage their protests over land claims. Businesses and families suffered over a three-year period before a type of truce was finally achieved. Yes, this is war language here, not used by the Canadian government, but by natives.

The most recent issue is the eventual eviction of non-Mohawks living on a reserve near Montreal. The fascinating thing about all this is that if Mohawks living in non-Mohawk regions were asked to leave (nicely, since that is the only way Canadians will treat natives) there would be a national uproar both by native and non-native Canadians.

Such is the society that is flourishing under multiculturalism, which allows peoples of all kinds, except for the builders and developers of the country, to have full say on how they want to live.

Some Computer Glitches

I'm having some computer glitches, so blogging won't be as frequent.

Beyonce and Her Soldiers

Grammy aggression

I had written in an earlier post that I called the Mulatta Madonnas, that such singers have an aggressive and sexual energy, from their personal lives to their public performances. Some of this was apparent in yesterday's Grammy Awards, where the most dominant and popular of them all, Beyonce started the evening off with a resounding number.

She entered the stage in a leather mini-skirt covered in studs. And following her were futuristic-type dancers, which commentators called her body guards, but to me they looked like an army of soldiers. Her song, titled "If I were a boy," was an interesting parody of a woman betrayed by a man, who tells him how she would be a better man than he.

I read more into the song. Often, many subliminal messages emerge in artists' works and they are often not aware of these messages right away. I think there is a subtle black supremacist sub-message occurring in many black artists' works these days, and I think Beyonce is feeding off that energy. Some are much more direct, as I quoted Alicia Keys deriving her energy from the Black Panthers's ideology. Beyonce is the least aggressive of them all, which perhaps explains her huge popularity. But, I find that her behavior at performance constantly at odds with her pleasant personality, and her pent-up energy is released in her sexually charged performances and aggressive style.

The far-end of the spectrum was represented by Pink, who sang a ballad while being pulled up in the air in a fetal position. One got the impression that she wanted nothing to do with the harsh realities down on earth, and rather than fight, would rather float carefree (although not as much as she would like to) above and away from all the turmoils of life.