At night, it's veeeeeeeery pretty!
'Course, we'll still have a real green one in the living room...
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Trees
I know it's a bit early but I suddenly wanted a white tree. So I got one.
At night, it's veeeeeeeery pretty!
'Course, we'll still have a real green one in the living room...
At night, it's veeeeeeeery pretty!
'Course, we'll still have a real green one in the living room...
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
The Last Attempt
Vince, you want to skip this one.
This is my blog, and the advantage of having few readers is that I can write what I damn well please. This is about a book and an event few outside the diving circles have even heard of. To anybody who has not read the book, it will probably be charabia. But it's my blog, so I can indulge!!!
This post is a follow-up to the October 11's one, titled "The Ocean".
****
I've just finished reading "The Last Attempt" by Carlos Serra. Former friend and associate of Pipin Ferreras, he wrote the book trying to find out what really happened to Audrey Mestre on the day she died. He was there, he was one of the main players. And he was very fond of Audrey.
The book is riveting. In fact it cost me five hours of sleep because I could not put it down.
Having known Pipin, the book triggered several memories for me.
In 1993, when Mayol was in Freeport, he was there to do a symbolic dive: in 1966, he had broken the world record in Freeport by free diving to 66 meters. That year, in 1993, he was 66 years old and had decided to do it again, to mark the occasion.
Pipin was there either to dive or break another record. That they would both be on island at the same time seemed a little much for coincidence, especially considering that they didn't like each other. Mayol, with whom I spent more time because I spoke French, dismissed Ferreras as reckless, a bad example for others in a dangerous sport. (He would say the same to Serra.) At the time, I had overlooked it as a childish attempt to put down an competitor, because Mayol could be quite harsh in what he said about other people.
I also remembered more what Pipin was like, as Serra so accurately described the various moods. He could seem almost childish or naive in a way that made you want to protect him. He could be extremely smooth, friendly and charming. He could snap very shortly at someone but usually in Spanish, which I didn't understand. He could be somber and moody. Always, he was larger than life. And for sure, he made arbitrary decisions, following a reasoning that the rest of us seldom got, and they usually were never challenged. He was the undisputed master, in charge at all times.
I think Serra's explanation hits the nail in several regards, but there are still some holes in his theory:
Why would Pipin, making a scuba rescue of Audrey, become a hero for the public? Footage of them sharing a tank as they slowly got back up would be very anti-climatic, nothing spectacular. That he was thinking ahead for a future film makes more sense to me, because Pipin was always thinking way, way ahead. But I'm not convinced about the intended plot.
I am convinced Pipin knowingly did not fill the Pony bottle and I am convinced that asking for a scuba set to be geared up for him in advance is extremely revealing.
Something else doesn't make sense. My first question about the story was "WHY did Audrey not take air from her safety diver?" Serra has what I think is an accurate answer for that. But WHY did Pascal not clearly offer it to her, insisted with a regulator right in her face??? You see him trying to push her up. How senseless is that? Especially after the sled got stuck for 30 seconds at 164 meters. By then, he should have KNOWN she couldn't make it to the surface on time. And my guess is that Audrey wasn't even trying to swim up.
Eventually, Pascal caught her sinking back down, unconscious, and then took her up. But it remains a big mystery to me what happened at the bottom and Pascal seemed to have contradicted himself in later versions. I can believe Pipin had a hidden plan. I don't for a minute believe Pascal would have been part of it.
One thing is for sure: there are holes and lies and delusions on Pipin's part that are undeniable. The unexpected decision to suddenly put Serra in charge officially, but still not let him be. The suggestion of replacing Pascal as the deep safety on Trimix. Brushing away all attempts to remind him to fill the Pony.
One of the most revealing thing for me, as an experienced instructor, came at the very end of the book: footage of Pipin alternating a straight kick with a static kick on his way up with Audrey. Anybody who has spent significant time in the water knows the static, sideways kick that allows you to remain almost stationary or moving very slowly. NOT what you would use when bringing up your wife in a life and death situation.
All in all, I don't know. But Serra writes with the accent of truth. I don't believe all his conclusions but most of them. The episode of Pipin stealing Serra's air left my jaw hanging.
And Audrey, in all this? She was a disturbed and unhappy individual. It is very hard for me to respect a doormat woman. That she could show such physical courage as to descending to the depth she did, yet so little spine to assert herself is bitterly ironic. She was not a fighter, a survivor. I agree with Serra: I think when she found out the tank was empty, knowing who was in charge of it, she simply gave up. Holding on to the sled with both hands doing nothing, waiting for death.
I never knew her and what I learned made me lose a lot of respect for her. Still. So sad.
This is my blog, and the advantage of having few readers is that I can write what I damn well please. This is about a book and an event few outside the diving circles have even heard of. To anybody who has not read the book, it will probably be charabia. But it's my blog, so I can indulge!!!
This post is a follow-up to the October 11's one, titled "The Ocean".
****
I've just finished reading "The Last Attempt" by Carlos Serra. Former friend and associate of Pipin Ferreras, he wrote the book trying to find out what really happened to Audrey Mestre on the day she died. He was there, he was one of the main players. And he was very fond of Audrey.
The book is riveting. In fact it cost me five hours of sleep because I could not put it down.
Having known Pipin, the book triggered several memories for me.
In 1993, when Mayol was in Freeport, he was there to do a symbolic dive: in 1966, he had broken the world record in Freeport by free diving to 66 meters. That year, in 1993, he was 66 years old and had decided to do it again, to mark the occasion.
Pipin was there either to dive or break another record. That they would both be on island at the same time seemed a little much for coincidence, especially considering that they didn't like each other. Mayol, with whom I spent more time because I spoke French, dismissed Ferreras as reckless, a bad example for others in a dangerous sport. (He would say the same to Serra.) At the time, I had overlooked it as a childish attempt to put down an competitor, because Mayol could be quite harsh in what he said about other people.
I also remembered more what Pipin was like, as Serra so accurately described the various moods. He could seem almost childish or naive in a way that made you want to protect him. He could be extremely smooth, friendly and charming. He could snap very shortly at someone but usually in Spanish, which I didn't understand. He could be somber and moody. Always, he was larger than life. And for sure, he made arbitrary decisions, following a reasoning that the rest of us seldom got, and they usually were never challenged. He was the undisputed master, in charge at all times.
I think Serra's explanation hits the nail in several regards, but there are still some holes in his theory:
Why would Pipin, making a scuba rescue of Audrey, become a hero for the public? Footage of them sharing a tank as they slowly got back up would be very anti-climatic, nothing spectacular. That he was thinking ahead for a future film makes more sense to me, because Pipin was always thinking way, way ahead. But I'm not convinced about the intended plot.
I am convinced Pipin knowingly did not fill the Pony bottle and I am convinced that asking for a scuba set to be geared up for him in advance is extremely revealing.
Something else doesn't make sense. My first question about the story was "WHY did Audrey not take air from her safety diver?" Serra has what I think is an accurate answer for that. But WHY did Pascal not clearly offer it to her, insisted with a regulator right in her face??? You see him trying to push her up. How senseless is that? Especially after the sled got stuck for 30 seconds at 164 meters. By then, he should have KNOWN she couldn't make it to the surface on time. And my guess is that Audrey wasn't even trying to swim up.
Eventually, Pascal caught her sinking back down, unconscious, and then took her up. But it remains a big mystery to me what happened at the bottom and Pascal seemed to have contradicted himself in later versions. I can believe Pipin had a hidden plan. I don't for a minute believe Pascal would have been part of it.
One thing is for sure: there are holes and lies and delusions on Pipin's part that are undeniable. The unexpected decision to suddenly put Serra in charge officially, but still not let him be. The suggestion of replacing Pascal as the deep safety on Trimix. Brushing away all attempts to remind him to fill the Pony.
One of the most revealing thing for me, as an experienced instructor, came at the very end of the book: footage of Pipin alternating a straight kick with a static kick on his way up with Audrey. Anybody who has spent significant time in the water knows the static, sideways kick that allows you to remain almost stationary or moving very slowly. NOT what you would use when bringing up your wife in a life and death situation.
All in all, I don't know. But Serra writes with the accent of truth. I don't believe all his conclusions but most of them. The episode of Pipin stealing Serra's air left my jaw hanging.
And Audrey, in all this? She was a disturbed and unhappy individual. It is very hard for me to respect a doormat woman. That she could show such physical courage as to descending to the depth she did, yet so little spine to assert herself is bitterly ironic. She was not a fighter, a survivor. I agree with Serra: I think when she found out the tank was empty, knowing who was in charge of it, she simply gave up. Holding on to the sled with both hands doing nothing, waiting for death.
I never knew her and what I learned made me lose a lot of respect for her. Still. So sad.
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Because It's INTERESTING
"Sea snakes have astonishing aquatic adaptations, like valved nostrils to seal in air, lungs that can hold a breath for hours, and skin that flushes nitrogen to beat the bends, but they do have to surface to breathe once in a while."
From an article by Daniel Duane in National Geographic's adventure, September 2005.
From an article by Daniel Duane in National Geographic's adventure, September 2005.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Perspective
From the AC360 Blog and without its permission:
Gary Tuchman
AC360° Correspondent
What a juxtaposition! I’m in an Anchorage, Alaska restaurant where the McCain-Palin viewing party is taking place. Sarah Palin’s lieutenant governor is here (the man who would have taken her place as governor if she won); so are other Republican officials.
At the moment the big screen TV projection was made by CNN of Barack Obama winning the race, there was silence; a certain and palpable sense of awe at the historic nature of the moment. But it lasted for a very short time. People began to ignore the TV; a GOP official spoke to the hundreds in the restaurant about the great job that all the Republican staffers and volunteers did in Alaska. And life went on.
Gary Tuchman
AC360° Correspondent
What a juxtaposition! I’m in an Anchorage, Alaska restaurant where the McCain-Palin viewing party is taking place. Sarah Palin’s lieutenant governor is here (the man who would have taken her place as governor if she won); so are other Republican officials.
At the moment the big screen TV projection was made by CNN of Barack Obama winning the race, there was silence; a certain and palpable sense of awe at the historic nature of the moment. But it lasted for a very short time. People began to ignore the TV; a GOP official spoke to the hundreds in the restaurant about the great job that all the Republican staffers and volunteers did in Alaska. And life went on.
Monday, November 03, 2008
Tomorrow
Tomorrow, Americans will make History. Will it be the history of a gigantic step forward or will it be the history of a nation bitterly divided?
I hope and pray.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Saturday, October 11, 2008
The Ocean
In 1993, a Unexso scuba instructor in Freeport, Bahamas, disappeared during a free dive. I already wrote a post about it somewhere.
It just so happened that both Jacques Mayol and Pipin Ferreras were in Freeport at the time. Jacques Mayol was actually on Keith's boat, preparing for a dive. He was already fairly old by then, and I suppose he had seen a lot of tragedy in the midst of his career. In any case, there was no obvious outward reaction from him after the accident. He didn't know Keith and kept to himself, but didn't seem overly disturbed.
That night, we had dinner with a group of people, including Pipin, who had befriended my husband. Pipin, at least, took the time and trouble to express his regrets and sorrow upon hearing of what had happened. He seemed genuinely shocked.
I made his acquaintance during his stay in Freeport. My husband and him talked quite a bit. He had a formidable presence and personality. We even played tennis, the three of us, my husband and I playing double against Pipin playing single.
After the Freeport years, I ran across him briefly at an underwater show in New Orleans a few years later. That was the last of our paths crossing.
I read how his wife died in a free diving accident in 2002. And the images mingled in my mind: Besson's film, and the death of Enzo in Jacques's arms on the dive platform; the frantic and fruitless search for Keith; photos of Audrey's lifeless body lifted on the boat, surrounded by divers. It's all so hauntingly familiar, all so intermingled: faces I've known, places I've known, and always, death and tragedy. I don't know...
As a dive instructor, a free diver, a safety coordinator, you watch the video of her death and you can’t help wonder: why didn’t she do this, or that? What went wrong? From what I’ve gathered so far, plenty did go wrong. I think people had become jaded about safety, Audrey included. When so much depends on a poney bottle, you devise alternatives, back-ups, when-things-go-wrong-plans. There didn’t seem to be any in place and there weren’t enough safety divers.
Throughout and always, the sea quietly laps against the side of the boat.
P.S.
James Cameron is making a film, (I believe “The Dive” is the working title) about Pipin’s and Audrey Mestre’s love story and her death. Cameron is no stranger to the deep, after gracing us with the excellent "The Abyss".
Rumors put in in theaters in 2010. Rumors also mention Salma Hayek as Audrey… hmmm, I’m not sold on that.
It just so happened that both Jacques Mayol and Pipin Ferreras were in Freeport at the time. Jacques Mayol was actually on Keith's boat, preparing for a dive. He was already fairly old by then, and I suppose he had seen a lot of tragedy in the midst of his career. In any case, there was no obvious outward reaction from him after the accident. He didn't know Keith and kept to himself, but didn't seem overly disturbed.
That night, we had dinner with a group of people, including Pipin, who had befriended my husband. Pipin, at least, took the time and trouble to express his regrets and sorrow upon hearing of what had happened. He seemed genuinely shocked.
I made his acquaintance during his stay in Freeport. My husband and him talked quite a bit. He had a formidable presence and personality. We even played tennis, the three of us, my husband and I playing double against Pipin playing single.
After the Freeport years, I ran across him briefly at an underwater show in New Orleans a few years later. That was the last of our paths crossing.
I read how his wife died in a free diving accident in 2002. And the images mingled in my mind: Besson's film, and the death of Enzo in Jacques's arms on the dive platform; the frantic and fruitless search for Keith; photos of Audrey's lifeless body lifted on the boat, surrounded by divers. It's all so hauntingly familiar, all so intermingled: faces I've known, places I've known, and always, death and tragedy. I don't know...
As a dive instructor, a free diver, a safety coordinator, you watch the video of her death and you can’t help wonder: why didn’t she do this, or that? What went wrong? From what I’ve gathered so far, plenty did go wrong. I think people had become jaded about safety, Audrey included. When so much depends on a poney bottle, you devise alternatives, back-ups, when-things-go-wrong-plans. There didn’t seem to be any in place and there weren’t enough safety divers.
Throughout and always, the sea quietly laps against the side of the boat.
P.S.
James Cameron is making a film, (I believe “The Dive” is the working title) about Pipin’s and Audrey Mestre’s love story and her death. Cameron is no stranger to the deep, after gracing us with the excellent "The Abyss".
Rumors put in in theaters in 2010. Rumors also mention Salma Hayek as Audrey… hmmm, I’m not sold on that.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Mind Blowing
Next add of the McCain campaign:
“We may not be good for your bank account, your mortgage, your health care, or your job security — but none of that will matter if you are dead.
John McCain: If You Want to Live.”
I...I...I.. I... I... I...'m speechless
“We may not be good for your bank account, your mortgage, your health care, or your job security — but none of that will matter if you are dead.
John McCain: If You Want to Live.”
I...I...I.. I... I... I...'m speechless
Thursday, October 02, 2008
A La Demandé Guénérale
From my (long) walk of Sunday, introducing Fall colors...
A neighbor I met on the way (I always stop to meet any cat I come across. Just being civil, you know...)
After the rain...
This is my life: a diary, and a cat guarding it.
A neighbor I met on the way (I always stop to meet any cat I come across. Just being civil, you know...)
After the rain...
This is my life: a diary, and a cat guarding it.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Sunday Stroll
Distance: 21 km
Pace: brisk walk
Time: 3:45
Terrain: half flat, half hilly
State of legs: wooden sticks
Next destination: hot bath
Pace: brisk walk
Time: 3:45
Terrain: half flat, half hilly
State of legs: wooden sticks
Next destination: hot bath
Falls Has Landed
Mr Newman has ended.
I've just finished re-reading most of the Little House On The Prairie books. I had to stop.
Those who have read The Lord Of The Rings must know the feeling well. The wrenching nostalgia of the story ending, having to leave the characters behind, knowing nothing would ever be the same, desperately wishing things could go on unchanged forever.
The Little House's books always have the same impact on me. Unlike TLOTR, it's a real story, so you can grab comfort from searching deeper what happened to the beloved characters. But like TLOTR, things change never to return. And like every real story, the end is always the same: everybody dies in the end.
I must be having a "facing death" moment like Marie had recently.
I am fascinated, these days, by this phenomenon: a loving family. And yes, it used to happen even "back then".
A loving, involved, benevolent father.
A loving, steadfast mother.
Happy children.
Exemples? Sure.
Brought to us through writings: Charles and Caroline Ingalls, and the children: Mary, Laura, Carrie and Grace.
Brought to us through paintings: Carl and Karin Larsson, and the children: Suzanne, Ulf, Pontus, Lisbeth, Brita, Kersti and Esbjorn.
Karin and Kersti.See the steady, open look of Karin, straight into the eyes of her husband and partner? I've seen the very same look on photographs of the modern day family that is my third example, but whose name and pictures I will not post to preserve their privacy.
I'm not saying things were never hard for them, they were. But at the heart of it all, the Family remained as the very core of their purpose.
Children grow up, families burst so that the seeds start a new family all over again. So knowing it is not destined to last, there is a magical moment, frozen in time, covering a few years, of two loving parents raising young children.
And maybe, as I passed it by, do I only now, when it's too late, discover that this might be really what it's ALL about. This whole Life charade.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
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Thursday, September 18, 2008
The Nanuk Chronicles
I'm on a polar bear kick. Polar bears are very appealing, in an anthropomorphic way. They can be very human-like in their attitudes, and very cat-like as well, which I believe is part of my attraction to them.
So in The Nanuk Chronicles, I’m going to post bear pictures. I went through thousands of them and no, I didn’t bother taking note of photo credits. I apologize in advance. I’ve no idea where a lot of them came from. One of my main sources, however, is a stock photo agency called Alaska Stock. All their pictures are copyrighted so they all bear (get it) the name.
Since I’m only an obscure, small, under-read blog, I don’t think any one will mind.
So here we go, all captions written by me of course.
Introducing..... SUMO BEARS!
These guys already have a fan club. Last May, enthusiastic fans created a riot. They are celebrities.
Bear yoga is the latest health craze up North.
Not everybody is equally gifted.
The well known "Sun Salutation":
It's enjoyed in groups:
And not forgotten in captivity
So in The Nanuk Chronicles, I’m going to post bear pictures. I went through thousands of them and no, I didn’t bother taking note of photo credits. I apologize in advance. I’ve no idea where a lot of them came from. One of my main sources, however, is a stock photo agency called Alaska Stock. All their pictures are copyrighted so they all bear (get it) the name.
Since I’m only an obscure, small, under-read blog, I don’t think any one will mind.
So here we go, all captions written by me of course.
Introducing..... SUMO BEARS!
These guys already have a fan club. Last May, enthusiastic fans created a riot. They are celebrities.
Bear yoga is the latest health craze up North.
Not everybody is equally gifted.
The well known "Sun Salutation":
It's enjoyed in groups:
And not forgotten in captivity
Friday, September 05, 2008
The Politics of a Brand New Face
A few days ago, I had never heard of her. Now, she's everywhere and I'm already having an overdose.
I don't like her. I don't like what she stands for. I don't want her at the head of a very powerful nation.
I don't care who her husband is, I don't care if her kid is pregnant, and I don't like pitbulls.
Go back to your beauty queen world, Sarah Palin, just go away.
I don't like her. I don't like what she stands for. I don't want her at the head of a very powerful nation.
I don't care who her husband is, I don't care if her kid is pregnant, and I don't like pitbulls.
Go back to your beauty queen world, Sarah Palin, just go away.
Friday, August 29, 2008
...don't you think?
How ironic is it that I and millions of Americans are cheering for a next President of the US whose middle name is "Hussein"?
For Shasta
Once in a while, a story strikes you and stays with you, like Beslan did and does for me.
I have always wanted to be a vegetarian because I love animals so much. Alas, I am very much a meat eater.
I have always wanted to be as colorblind as I was as a child. But with age came experience.
I have always wanted to be against the death penalty, as an ideal. But I've always been on the fence.
Two days ago, a monster was sentenced to death, and I don't see what else could have been done. Would a life in prison made him repent and change? I don't think so. What about the little boy he once was? I believe he is lost for this lifetime. We shoot rabid dogs, don't we?
Can society enforce "thou shall not kill" by killing? I wish I could say no.
For Dylan and Shasta, I say: "Yes, willingly."
I have always wanted to be a vegetarian because I love animals so much. Alas, I am very much a meat eater.
I have always wanted to be as colorblind as I was as a child. But with age came experience.
I have always wanted to be against the death penalty, as an ideal. But I've always been on the fence.
Two days ago, a monster was sentenced to death, and I don't see what else could have been done. Would a life in prison made him repent and change? I don't think so. What about the little boy he once was? I believe he is lost for this lifetime. We shoot rabid dogs, don't we?
Can society enforce "thou shall not kill" by killing? I wish I could say no.
For Dylan and Shasta, I say: "Yes, willingly."
Monday, August 25, 2008
Walking In The Sunshine
Not to be outdone by my little brother, who does it regardless on a daily basis, I went for a 21km walk yesterday. My hip flexors and I are no longer speaking. Other than that, R.A.S.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Windy
Two good books this weekend:
Cry, The Beloved Country
which has been sitting in my library for years, the only one of my books about Africa that had remained mysteriously untouched. I had tried it before once or twice but didn't have the perspective needed to grasp and enjoy it. Now I do, with a South-African sister-in-law only the cherry on the sundae.
Ayn Rand's Anthem
Controversial, sure, as was all she wrote. But as brilliant as the rest.
I dream I could wake up one day to find that there existed Lucy M. Montgomery, Jane Austen, Tolkien and Ayn Rand's books that I had not yet read. Oh the feast!
Shimmering colors, songs of the wind, chimes brought back from the seaside by my mother... as delightful to listen to as they are to look at.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
At The Movies
So I saw the latest Batman.
It's become a cliché to say that Heath Ledger steals the show but he does. He simply does. I took a few minutes to think long and hard whether the hoopla over his performance would have been the same had he not died tragically since. Honestly, I think so! He created a character of such intensity, with peculiar speech, mannerisms, walk… The minute he’s on the screen, you see no one else. Christian Bale is oddly tame and flavourless, almost as a background character, but that’s partly due to the scenario, which gives him little chance to display his acting skills.
I was in the car, on my way to see Tropic Thunder, because I usually enjoy Ben Stiller‘s humor, because the premise sounded good and because a satire of Hollywood is always welcome. But I suddenly realized that even though that’s a movie I want to see and I’m willing to pay for, I’d rather wait for the DVD because most likely the out-takes will be worth the wait. So I turned aound.
Pride and Glory came out. I try to go see most of Norton’s movies but I believe this is the movie adaptation of Motherless Brooklyn. If that’s the case, I’m not so eager because I didn’t really enjoy the book. And if that’s the film, goodness, it’s a project Norton has been working on for, what? the last TEN years or so!
Finally, two movies I’m looking forward to: Body of lies, with Crowe and DiCaprio and, of course, Madagascar 2, with a lion and a zebra!!!!
Be good and don’t abuse the popcorn.
It's become a cliché to say that Heath Ledger steals the show but he does. He simply does. I took a few minutes to think long and hard whether the hoopla over his performance would have been the same had he not died tragically since. Honestly, I think so! He created a character of such intensity, with peculiar speech, mannerisms, walk… The minute he’s on the screen, you see no one else. Christian Bale is oddly tame and flavourless, almost as a background character, but that’s partly due to the scenario, which gives him little chance to display his acting skills.
I was in the car, on my way to see Tropic Thunder, because I usually enjoy Ben Stiller‘s humor, because the premise sounded good and because a satire of Hollywood is always welcome. But I suddenly realized that even though that’s a movie I want to see and I’m willing to pay for, I’d rather wait for the DVD because most likely the out-takes will be worth the wait. So I turned aound.
Pride and Glory came out. I try to go see most of Norton’s movies but I believe this is the movie adaptation of Motherless Brooklyn. If that’s the case, I’m not so eager because I didn’t really enjoy the book. And if that’s the film, goodness, it’s a project Norton has been working on for, what? the last TEN years or so!
Finally, two movies I’m looking forward to: Body of lies, with Crowe and DiCaprio and, of course, Madagascar 2, with a lion and a zebra!!!!
Be good and don’t abuse the popcorn.
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Olympics' Opening Ceremony - random thoughts
How do you insure security for an event THIS vast? The truth is, you can't. Determined and well organized terrorists, infiltrating themselves ahead of time, would make a play of it. Just trying to imagine the logistics of security on top of the obvious logistics of the opening ceremony makes me dizzy.
It feels funny to hear all announcements in French first. An homage to monsieur De Coubertin, I suppose?
I didn't like the military bringing up the Olympic flag. The Olympics are no place for the military and certainly not in the opening ceremony.
It struck me how Caucasians were interchangeable, country wise. Watch the athletes coming into the stadium and try to GUESS which country is which without looking at the flag or the colors. If you say you can do it, I think you're a liar. We tend to stereotype "the Australians", the "Brazilians", "the Spanish", "the Americans", but the truth is, we're all alike, we're all a melting pot. Only language, culture and politics really divide us.
Will Chinese athletes REALLY be dope free? aghhhh, hard to believe.
All right, let the games begin!
It feels funny to hear all announcements in French first. An homage to monsieur De Coubertin, I suppose?
I didn't like the military bringing up the Olympic flag. The Olympics are no place for the military and certainly not in the opening ceremony.
It struck me how Caucasians were interchangeable, country wise. Watch the athletes coming into the stadium and try to GUESS which country is which without looking at the flag or the colors. If you say you can do it, I think you're a liar. We tend to stereotype "the Australians", the "Brazilians", "the Spanish", "the Americans", but the truth is, we're all alike, we're all a melting pot. Only language, culture and politics really divide us.
Will Chinese athletes REALLY be dope free? aghhhh, hard to believe.
All right, let the games begin!
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
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