Street Art and Design Innovation

Designers frequently get pitted against clients who feel ignored. The great exception seems to be the world of high fashion, where anything-goes. (Thanks to Can West for setting the record straight on Haute Couture). Christopher Raeburn has taken advantage of this freedom by designing an entire line using military surplus fabrics.

Outside of fashion Karim Rashid has strived to make design accessible and universal, especially with his publication of Design Your Self. Britain’s NHS illustrated the importance of a collaborative approach by consulting the Design Council to help inhibit the spread of superbugs: new hospital furniture eliminates bacteria harbouring fittings and seat cracks.

Moleskine for years has taken the simple notebook and impregnated it with innovation. Now you can design your own. They have produced an excellent website (MoleskineCity my favourite). For the most part attitude determines aesthetic, fortunately the spectrum’s forever expanding: Britain has officially classified graffiti as street art (unfortunately a Banksy work was painted over by zealous volunteers). Smashing Magazine presents a good selection of graffiti artwork from around the world (expand links to explore individual collections). My favourite is REONE.

Playing For Change has changed attitudes by recording artists throughout the world and producing videos.

They provide resources in impoverished areas to ensure that the power of music continues to foster peace. The BBC helps the world comprehend the devastation of Cyclone Nargis with their interactive map, which shows destruction on an individual scale (for other spectacular maps check out cybercartography, Vanishing Employment, and the Atlas of Canadian Cinema). Big Ant International has created a number of cautionary posters for the Global Coalition for Peace: 

Whimsy

The English language harbours a hoard of scintillating words; in order to comprehend its full extent, consult innovative tools, such as the Visual Thesaurus and A.Word.A.Day (especially its daily newsletter via email).

Whim—especially in its adjectival form, whimsical—is one of my favourite words. Whimsy envelops an ethereal lightness, which suggests divine playfulness: fairies, laughter, fate, and karma converging.

For me Geist embodies the whimsical. I do not mean that it lacks rigour, but that it presents information and art in a playful and ingenious manner. As a result, I welcome each issue; the latest features eco-friendly paper and inks, Barack Obama, and Leonard Cohen. Consistent with Geist’s eco-friendly choices, Andrew Nikiforuk dispels some myths concerning the Tar Sands; Geist also included some decals to be placed on Loonies in order to raise awareness of the threat of tanker traffic presents to BC’s coast—get yours here.

In Obama Dreams Sheila Heti presents a collection of dreams from her blog, I Dream of Barack. These dreams range from the absurd to the surreal and reveal our subconscious expectations of Obama. Stranger Song is Ann Diamond’s account of her relationship with Leonard Cohen, including a number of close calls in which she nearly met him. In anticipation of the upcoming concert I have been devouring all things “Cohen”.

Geist is collecting Stan-ecdotes: stories of how another Canadian music legend, Stan Rogers, has affected people. My own Stan-ecdote hearkens from a cold fall many years ago. I was in-between jobs and spent much of my time working my way (listening, strumming, and humming) through Stan’s discography. He grounded me to Canada, especially in its lore and history, when I was relatively new to this great nation. I have already lauded The Geist Atlas of Canada and I love their Cross-Canada Phrasebook.

Although this map from the BBC lacks whimsy, it presents the information well:

  

Medea

Although buildings rise for numerous other faculties at the University of Victoria, the administration has no immediate plans to construct any for the Faculty of the Humanities; however, crumbs do fall, since Humanities gets assigned the vacated space of other faculties. Nevertheless, the faculty remains rich in many other ways—one of its treasures, the Lansdowne Lectures, has brought outstanding scholars to UVic for over 30 years. At a recent GRS gathering for Ian Morris, the most recent Lansdowne recipient, the conversation turned to modern portrayals of ancient Greece and Rome. Due to the labours of scholars, such as Keith Hopkins, moderns have a much more comprehensive view of ancient Roman society. Gritty productions, such as HBO’s Rome, have supplanted Sword-and-Sandal epics and portrayed the city’s eastern lavishness:

From every land and sea are brought the fruits of each season, whatever all the farms and rivers and lakes produce, by Greek or barbarian techniques. It follows that, if anyone wishes to behold all these things, he must travel the known world to gaze on them—or he must be in Rome (Aelius Aristides, To Rome 10–11).

The lowest estimate has India, China, and the peninsula of Arabia removing from our Empire each year some 100 million sestertii. That is the price our luxuries and our wives cost us (Pliny, Natural History 12.84). (Both translations from Greek and Roman Technology, p. 494–5).

Nevertheless, the same cannot be said for ancient Greece: modern society still view this culture through the clean crisp lines of fluted columns. Sanctuaries (the focus of my research) were lively gathering places that fulfilled a variety societal functions: exhibition, mediation, and protection; furthermore, Greek democracy comprised a series of public oaths, duties, and oratories.

One exception, however, is modern portrayals of Greek drama. Ground breaking productions, such as The Gospel at Colonus have led the charge and scholars, such as Helene Foley, who requires senior students to produce a play themselves, have supported these productions. Over the years, UVic’s Phoenix Theatre has produced a number of Greek tragedies and comedies, and garnered abundant praise for their efforts. Euripides’ Medea, their latest offering, stunned audiences.

Not only did modern events, such as a father murdering his five children, make the play extremely relevant, but the play was stellar from the foundations. Linda Hardy, the director, embraced Euripides version of the myth in which Medea murders her own children to spite Jason. The changes the director made to the text were sensible, such as expanding the role of the tutor and adding a nurse. The stage designers also excelled, creating a functional and mystical setting:

The choreography successfully integrated the chorus with the rest of the cast. The chorus itself, consisting of vocalists specialized in various genres, scintillatingly oscillated between screams, hums, and cries. Lastly, and most deserved of praise, the actors, in particular Katie Takefman who played Medea, provided the audience with an emotional/philosophical roller-coaster ride that evoked the cathartic intention of ancient Greek tragedy.

Trimming the Fat?

During these harsh economic times streamlining becomes the norm; however, trimming the fat becomes difficult when determining which cuts net the best results. Auto manufacturers make a good example: almost filial ties makes denying them difficult, but in sink or swim scenarios excess weight needs to be shed. I think Obama has been more than patient and Harper more than foolish in his attempt to maintain production in Canada. In fact, this second stimulus package seems excessive, since only bankruptcy will stop the hemorrhaging: GM and Chrysler require extreme market correction for their years of neglect.

One area that should be spared is the arts, since they have consistently been cut back. Furthermore, even the government has deemed cultural infrastructure important, and potential savings are a trifle compared to the $4 billion “lent” to two car companies. In particular, the CBC consistently tops ratings and requires only moderate cuts: from Jian to Kennedy CBC produces a veritable wealth of programming. If you feel the same, sign the AVAAZ petition. Linda Grant with her love of fashion demonstrates one way to embrace the crisis: she spent $450 on shoes so that she could greet it well-dressed. Of course, culture helps us process and remember:

This tear drop monument by Zurab Tsereteli, To the Struggle Against World Terrorism, a gift from Russia, stands in New Jersey and commemorates the victims of 9/11.

The British Museum has made strides where politicians, including Obama, have failed: its latest exhibition, Shah Abbas: The Remaking of Iran, conveys the wonder and cultural depth of Persia. This is the third part of a four-part series on Great world empires (Qin Shihuangdi and Hadrian before and Moctezuma II to follow) and follows the 2005 exhibition Forgotten Empire. Ali Khameni dismissed Obama’s hand of friendship as a “slogan” because the “soft soap” on the wonders of Iranian culture, a sore point because most North Americans label them Arabs and the superficiality of the entire process.

One by-product of the crisis, or years in the dark under Bush, appears to be greater transparency. MI5 and MI6’s rules of interrogation will be published for the first time. However, this does not appear to be the case in Canada, despite Van Loan‘s refutation of O’Brian’s statement. Canada still seems to believe that torture extracts reliable information like on 24, perhaps Harper should talk to Colin Powell.

Lest you feel that you suffer too much:

View this movie at cultureunplugged.com

Innovative Exhibitions

A number of exhibits have focussed on coming to grips with new communication technologies. Connections at the MIT Museum comprises four art installations on this topic. Metropath(ologies), part of this innovative collection, presents a constant feed of changing visual and audio imagery from news sources and data provided by visitors; thus, you may a person’s name, home city, or date of birth while viewing news images (photo left). This fall Of All the People in All the World returned to Birmingham, a show which presented various data by grains of rice, e.g. actors in lab coats constantly add grains to the world population mountain. CBC Sparks, an awesome show, recently used their blog to track how many people are “plugged in”  on transit.

On a completely different tangent, Johan van der Dong, a Dutch artist, has set up an exhibition in which people can dial a mobile phone number and leave a message for God. All messages will remain confidential and not be used by the artist in any way.

Workshop Whimsy

On Saturday I went over to Vancouver to attend a Geist workshop, The Art of the Short Review, which (as expected) turned out to be really worthwhile. It, like most things associated with Geist, was informative, succint, and fun. You should be witnessing some results in coming posts.

On the way over I got to enjoy the fruits of TransLink’s labours and Victoria Regional Transit’s (VRTS) improvements: Although the VRTS has a long way to go to match TransLink’s extensive array of frequent express buses and bus stops with digital screens that provide updates on coming buses, they now offer an express bus to the ferry that’s coordinated with arrival and departure times, so you no longer have wait outside for 15 minutes.

Much of the fun of travel, even on short trips, lies with the unexpected: after getting to downtown Vancouver I happened upon the City of Bhangra, a vibrant, intoxicating display of culture. While I have had some exposure to Indian music, I have had little (a few Bollywood dance numbers) to Indian dance; this, however, was graceful, athletic, and entirely different. (I wish that I could have attended the competition.) The festival also included drummers, singers, and visual artists. On an aside, one of the sponsors, DesiWear, (Desi refers to the diaspora of people originally from the Indian subcontinent) crafts some awesome t-shirts.

LEGO Heart

As a lover of Lego (I rarely regret the time spent with my kids constructing), I thoroughly enjoyed Christoph Niemann’s I LEGO N.Y. Here’s a few of my favourites:

artevo

Today on my way through town, I was stopped dead in my tracks by a display of blown glass. I went inside the artevo gallery and discovered more than a few treasures. On my way toward the glass I fell in love, not some glib affair, but the enduring kind, with Aguiar's Trio XXXIV:


He applied oils and resin over a copper-leafed canvas to present a landscape both stark and vivacious, one captured on a photographic plate and in amber. After meditating on the piece for some time, I met Carolyn, the Gallery's manager, who demonstrated the light's play on a similar piece using the dimmer switch. Immediately, I wished to take Trio home and experience the range of emotion and hue for myself. She also spoke about some other works, not currently on display, in which he applied oils on a silver leafed canvas:


Aguiar's years studying art and working as a restorer have held him in good stead; his innovative works embody styles ranging from engraving to spray paint art. Each piece, a sublime creation, beckons for affection and adoration.

I learnt that the remarkable glass gracing the window was the work Robert Pierini and his son, Antoine.

That they achieve such astounding effects with glass leaves viewers with little recourse: to abandon their preconceptions and embrace they mystery. You must marvel your way through their websites and see some pieces in person to really discern this. My favourites are the flacons of Robert.

It is enlightening to discover such collections in Victoria. artevo also has locations in Calgary, their flagship store, and Toronto, just opening. I have already wandered into the gallery a few times to admire the Aguiars and Pierinis; however, their collection is much more extensive. The sculptures of Ottaviani and Frost demand particular attention. I also enjoyed the Buddhas of William Edward Rees.

The Guardian

Although I was stung when Noam Chomsky included the Guardian in Manufacturing Consent, I have come to respect this news source. In general, I'm somewhat wary of all mainstream media, especially when it stirs up kerfuffles like Obama and Wright (At least the NY Times quoted Achelpohl who stated, "This is a media-driven thing and a presidential candidate shouldn’t have to vet every person that he has had a relationship with in his life."). I frequently read the Weekly, an outstanding publication with features from Le Monde and the Washington Post, (I particularly enjoy World roundup, Comment&Debate, Culture, Books, and Diversions). The Guardian is also one of the RSS feeds in my Bookmarks Toolbar Folder. What stands out about the Guardian though is its extensive adoption of modern technology, e.g., podcasts, interactive maps, and more than the usual superficial reference to blogs. The City Guides are excellent; they are podcast tours of a number of European cities. I just listened to the Paris 1968 walking tour. Although I was not in Paris at the time, I know the city well enough to follow along in my mind. If you listen you will learn much about the city and the period; here are my favourite parts. Near the middle Sarah Wilson states, "Paris designed by Haussman is a series of very very direct boulevards designed really for military things; in fact, confrontations with the police, which is what 68 is all about. In fact, the situationist idea goes all the way back to surrealism with the important ideas of psycho-geography, finding surprising and weird places in the secret Paris, but also to in, more important, 68 ideas that of dérive (swerving) and détournement (diversion) ..." Just before the end Andrew Hussey states, "It is truly the first post-modern revolution, that is to say, it's not a revolution driven by nineteenth century Marxist ideas of class, but to do with boredom, boredom with consumer capitalism, to do with a sense that everyday life itself is a con trick that's been perpetrated on us."

Valuing the Humanities and the Arts

As a student of the humanities and an artist, I often feel the need to justify my vocation. On the way to school I regularly face a gauntlet of neighbours and family who, ignorant of my preference for late nights, remark on my late start. With every passing year, funding requires more work to for qualification and is harder to come by. Last year my choice of office was a dilapidated WWII era hut or a crowded room; I only complained once I saw the plush equivalent in engineering. Furthermore, I am not alone: Chad Gaffield, the new president of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), now seeks to “make crystal clear the ways in which SSHRC advances knowledge and invests in human capital” to the Harper government, which can be argued is suspicious of SSHRC. So what is the value of the fine arts and humanities?

Fine art provides a way for humans to make sense of their world. It helps us grieve: just think of the powerful anthem, “like a candle in the wind,” belted out by so many at Diana’s funeral to expunge the grief from their souls. The arts provide us with a dialogue when ours has been lost. They speak the unspeakable. It is uncanny how often a song comes on the radio, a painting comes into focus, or a poetic phrase catches the ear which expresses the deep groaning that is even incomprehensible to us. Karen Armstrong, speaking of poetry, phrases it this way: “Poetry matters, among many other reasons, because it is by its nature revelatory, surprising, and liberating. It re-connects us with the familiar world we mistakenly think we know while offering glimpses of the mysterious and untranslatable worlds we know we don’t know” (Tapestry October 30, 2007).

It is pure wonderment how words find their way on to a page or into a melody. I love how Gwen Stefani describes the process: “Sometimes it's so hard to find out what I am trying to say. People might think you can turn creativity on and off, but it's not like that. It just kind of comes out, a mash-up of all these things you collect in your mind. You never know when it is going to happen, but when it does it is like magic. It's just that simple and it's just that hard.” Nevertheless, the artwork seems to take on a life of its own when released into the world. Alberto Manguel states, “Under certain conditions, stories can assist us. Sometimes they can heal us, illuminate us, and show us the way. Above all they can remind us of our condition, break through the superficial appearance of things, and make us aware of the underlying currents and depths. Stories can feed our consciousness, … .” (The City of Words, 9-10).

So art matters, it's inherently precious, even magical, but what value does it have? Ironically, although art helps us process the overpowering and speak out our inmost thoughts, the personal experience rarely has currency; namely, the cathartic love, anger, drama, and sadness soon fades when related to another. I can’t number the times I’ve tried to recapture a mood and failed; I always want to ask, “Didn’t that piece touch you, pamper you, and grant mercy to you?” Even when art is experienced together, each individual comes away with unique impression, never mind other factors that influence experience, such as trends and critics’ opinions. Art is enigmatic: personal yet communal and elusive yet accessible.

Art’s value is more than personal betterment and access to the sublime. Art speaks to us about the human condition: how and why people act as they do, what people experience and how they express this experience, or what causes humans to tick. The humanities are disciplines that examine multiple forms of art in their historical context and the context of other pieces of art to answer these questions; scholars revive, restore, preserve, and interpret artwork. Provided there’s not too much ivory-tower jargon, these scholars can disseminate the understanding on the human condition. They can accomplish this in oblique ways, such as The Lord of the Rings and Narnia series. This field also includes philosophy and history; scholars from Berlin to Ignatieff have disseminated insightful perspectives on their current worlds. Understanding the past and the cultures of the past does provide a lesson we can learn from.

Yet, despite the valuation of master artworks, record deals and box office profits, how can art and its study be valued in dollar terms.?It can’t. Although today's market-place has no way to value the abstract or intrinsic (the environment is a good example), some dollar term needs to be assigned to them. They need to appear in the budget since their value can no longer be assumed in today’s reductionist climate. Sure any value is ambiguous, but funding needs to continue. How can one value the work of authors, such as Günter Grass (despite his role in the Waffen-SS), have had a deep impact on their country’s ability to process trauma and heal; in Crabwalk, he states, “History, or, to be more precise, the history we Germans have repeatedly mucked up, is a clogged toilet. We flush and flush, but the shit keeps rising. … By now, after all, we Germans have come up with expressions to help us deal with the past: we are to atone for it, come to terms with it, go through a grieving process” (122). How about those who bring understanding of the plight of others, e.g., K'naan, or understanding among cultures, e.g., Solzhenitsyn? The media just brings new information, facts and figures, and no way to process them. As Louis Riel stated, the artists would be the ones who gave the people (Métis) back their spirit once they’d been asleep for one hundred years. Don't they do the same for us now?

Identity and Culture (Finding myself through it)

Identity has always come hard for me. My childhood was a collection of moves: born in Canada, moved to California, then Indonesia, then back to California, then Saudi Arabia, then Italy, then Canada. A circuitous route, for sure. What made it more disparate were the visits every six months outside of these locales. So, after a spring in Saudi, I'd go for the summer to Scotland. Then there were the moves within these countries: from the busy streets of Riyadh to an isolated compound with rich fields for the seeds of an over-developed imagination. Marshall Sella, speaking of Viggo Mortensen put it this way, "... it has made him a little foreign everywhere, and everywhere at home" (GQ September 2007, 273). When I read this quote, it struck me, as I've always felt at home everywhere, but upon reflection often felt like an outsider.

In the popular media of recent months I've noticed some similar experiences. Sandra Oh states, "No matter how much you fit in, you're the outsider, and you only realize much later how deeply the assimilation affects you. You always feel like you miss out just a little bit. You are just not the same" (Onstad, K. "Oh la la," Chatelaine November 2007, 120). Wyclef Jean states, "I feel that I am part of the American Dream but I feel that for you to have the American Dream you need to have that immigrant background, meaning that at the end of the day we all are immigrants so we should still be treated with respect" (The Hour, October 30, 2007). Perhaps, the most extreme case of cultural dislocation is that of the American soldier in Iraq, who in the course of 48 hours moves from the front-lines to the couch at home; he then returns after a two week visit, a trip that includes moving through various paradigms, e.g., camaraderie vs. family integration, friend/foe vs. loved ones, alertness vs. relaxation, and duty vs. expectation.

My identity has been shaped by various factors over the years and has taken the form of many personal narratives, e.g., the traveler, the student, the independent. However, the obscure nature of Canadian identity has hampered my journey, i.e., establishing what is uniquely Canadian is a difficult task. Thus, my journey has included establishing what being a Canadian is. I have done so by learning the history, listening to its great musicians, reading its literature, and talking with many of its citizens. Nevertheless one can only do so much, but I have noticed a few things. First, many are looking for definition. It is a frequent topic that has spurned many debates and Molson TV commercials. Second, regional variation has muddled the issue. I once entertained one way of commenting on this diversity, as well as obtaining my 15 minutes of fame, but the threat of jail-time dissuaded me: during an election in rural B.C., I would post election signs for a fake candidate that was running for the Parti Québécois. The reactions would not have been pretty.

In the last ten years on the west coast (I can only comment from this perspective, though I live vicariously in the east coast through the music of Stan Rogers), native art has become a significant expression of our culture. It has dominated all new public buildings and I can't complain, e.g., Bill Reid's Jade Canoe is amazing. Nevertheless, I wonder what it is replacing. What would be the Olympic symbol if this weren't the trend? A lumberjack, a miner? Yes, pre-90's the west coast was defined by its dependence on natural resources. For some reason the Pacific Rim connection never took a firm hold on the coast despite a number of sister cities and Japanese immersion programs. Then came the wave of First Nation's art. At first I found this choice ironic, since there have been so very few treaties negotiated (Tsawwassen this year was only the second). Then, I realized that this art grounded us. It is an art that transcends the lumberjacks and real estate developers from Hong Kong; furthermore, by transcending the modern, it complements, rather than clashes with, the rich cultural diversity of the west coast. Its modern interpretation provides the sophistication needed for cultural cache in larger cities. Lastly, the art was authentic: it was part of a flourishing prompted by the return of many First Nations to their roots.

Among First Nations is one place that I have always belonged in Canada, though my white skin obviously betrays me as an outsider. Learning the history of the land has grounded me and provided meaning for me. Certain sites and landscapes take on new meaning for me as I learn the place name and its meaning in the original language. This experience has also made me more Canadian: I can't tell you the number of times I passed by the Quw'utsun' Cultural Centre, but this summer I finally visited it and was really impressed. The dancers, carvers and interpretive guides provided a rich experience among amazing displays and relics that was topped off by an amazing meal at the Riverwalk Cafe (the Bistro at Cherry Point also owned by the Cowichan Tribes is very good also).

Another source of richness in my Canadian education has been the CBC, especially radio: Peter Gzowski put me in touch with the personal, quirky and interesting; Michael Enwright with the sophisticated; Stuart McLean with the funny, but more so with a rich appreciation through his poetic descriptions of Canada; and Sheila Rogers with diverse, but everyday Canadians and issues. Then there's As It Happens that uniquely Canadian show and thanks to them I listen to Alan Maitland read The Shepherd every Christmas.

In the end the diverse nature of Canada does not make it indefinable, rather it's part and parcel to the process. Culture, though diverse, does provide the social norms by which Canadians can define themselves.

Differentiating products?

Lately, a number of advertisements have included speech bubbles with catchy, yet banal statements like "Now that's different!" and extraneous adjectives such as "ultimate," "cool," and "amazing". Presumably these statements help the modern consumer make an informed choice; they provide the "skinny" for the shopper who does not wish to be burdened with details or draw any conclusions for themselves. Nevertheless, they're doing much more than the thinking for that shopper. They're blatantly informing them of their preferences; before, it has always been subtle, manipulative and conniving. Can't a reasonably informed shopper determine what is different or amazing? Given that I'm a techie I ignore these speech bubbles and focus on the features, but they still grate me the wrong way. They should read "good margin," "better margin," and "best margin". These statements do not shine like the newly waxed and elevated car at a dealership, rather they read with the intended simplicity of a children's book. Just give me the features, so that I'll know what I'm getting and, yes, so I can rattle them off to anyone that shows the slightest interest in my latest purchase. Come on advertisers, you've already duped us into double mortgages for flat screen TVs, do you have to add insult to injury by insulting our intelligence?

Graphic novels and a surfing Jesus

On Sunday I had a cool time hanging out with my son. First I took him to his acting class and then we cruised around some shops. One of these was Curious Comics. I was glad to hit this store because it gave me a chance to check out Casanova, which GQ had favourably reviewed but I found passable at best. It was not charged with the historical and political brilliance of Pekar's Macedonia or the comical cross-cultural charm of Delisle's work. Neither did it have the ingenuity of other adaptations, namely Sienkiewicz's Moby Dick. I also found this great book for my son, Lost in Skookum Valley. It is published and set in B.C. and follows the Herge style. Check it out.

In this shop I also encountered the Fishermen. Given the sincerity of the founder's message I feel bad finding them so funny. I can see his point, but NFL Jesus comes off like Toyota's "what would Jesus drive". These are definitely of higher quality than the ridiculous Testamints, but they only serve to push forward capitalism's agenda that it is the best mechanism for serving everything (since it defeated Communism) including democracy and religion. The "access" that Capitalism brings is often a cheapened one. Today the remark came up in jest that religious services will soon be offered in a pay as you go format: 1 visit by the priest $40, one by a deacon or elder $25; much like getting your fortune told. Well I'll sign off with, D€r€k given all this talk. Just remember that a free market is not the same thing as freedom; yeah prosperity fosters choices, but equality -- come on!

Tradition and Reason

Upon reflection, part of the reason that I and many in my mixed culture seek reasons why is a lack of tradition : I have no idea what my ancestors did or believed. The chain is broken. What spiritual beliefs? What did those stars represent? What do those birds sing of? What happens after starlings flee? These questions came with no answers, not even a framework for me. What is true for me? leads me to explore, prove and adopt. Although no pure tradition exists except in isolation, since influence relentlessly pursues even the most xenophobic culture, the difference is that those with a strong tradition have a root to grow out of. Multi-racial, -cultural, -ethnic make-ups, by nature and contrast, have internal conflicts. Also certain cultural roots are often either preferred or suppressed. My parents are first generation Canadians, yet I do not speak Gaelic, Dutch or Chinese. Where do I come from? During different periods of my life I have even stressed my relation to certain cultural groups by diminishing or not recognizing the other cultures present in my make-up. I am? I used to envy those with an easy answer, but now I view myself as an alloy : I have some strengths that derive only from the fact that I am a mixture. I realize that I can neither escape my roots nor can I only be my "base-metal". Since few answers have been given to me, I'll continue to explore what causes what.

Was Mark Mothersbaugh really the front-man for Divo? Wow! And he can write "Let Me Tell You About My Boat".

Unqualified

Botched in Translation in the August 7, 2006 issue of Macleans humorously recounts tales related to tattoos with incorrect Chinese and Japanese characters ( I don't think anyone would knowingly put "crazy diarrhea" on their calf). Imagine if my language training was limited to this : "wow! that inscription reads, "Romans conquered diarrhea".

Football Poetry

Well, Spain came back, but there is still a chance for Tunisia if they can beat the Ukraine by two goals. The compilation The Beautiful Game in National Geographic (June 2006) really pumped me up for the World Cup. The map is awesome, especially the chart that shows that 218 million watched the Final in 2002 compared to 127 million for the opening ceremony of the 2004 Olympics and to 95 million for the 2004 Super Bowl. Given my interest in the Classics I particularly enjoyed Robert Coover's article Morality Play: Soccer as Theatre:

The explanations advanced for soccer's intense mysterious power, the trancelike quality of great matches, its worldwide domination over all other sports, have been many...Soccer has often been compared to Greek Tragedy, or seen as a kind of open-ended morality play. Perhaps the difficulty in scoring...intensifies this sense of theatre, causing the denouement--or collective catharsis--to be withheld almost always until the final whistle.

I hope to read some more of Coover's works in the future (on the web version of the article he supplies an article on Spain).

Labelling

Labels can accurately represent contents if the contents/ingredients are few in number and readily identifiable. If it is a case of WYSWYG the label works. Although many people like to extend labels to people, people are individuals that cannot be so readily categorized. More commonly, labelling people leads to or is used fuel racism and other forms of intolerance/ignorance. Todd Haspect, a Youth Empowerment supervisor, states in May 26, 2006 issue of Saanich News, "Upon spying a group of teens adorned with Mohawks, ragged clothes, tattoos or body piercings, some adults tend to make negative snap judgments about their character rather than remaining neutral or taking time to find out who they are as people." The label reads: "those with Mohawks are sketchy".

Waiting for my drink in a new coffee shop I was checking out, a homeless man introduced himself to me. Subsequently, I shared my table/food and chatted for about half-an-hour. I am glad that he broke the barrier and ripped the label off by introducing himself to me; what a blessing.

What is very interesting about labelling is that many feel compelled to label themselves. This compulsion arises in seeking an air of respectability in social circles. Even though I genuinely say that I want to be myself and forget about the pressure to conform, I still find myself at times glamorizing my story. The pressure to fit into an acceptable preset mould is great. Finding a label also saves you lots of explaining at cocktail parties. Anyway, I'll still venture to be myself and to find my place.

My co-worker showed me the fuh2 website the other day. I wish that one day I will invent something so quirky and original. It, however, both encourages and mocks labelling, so mine hopefully will be in a slightly different vain.

Blast from the Past

Besides being astonished by the amount of 80's music on the radio --it exceeds the amount of new releases by far, the popularity of Star Wars among 7 to 9 year-olds blows me away. Lately I have watched my son play Star Wars with his friends, though he only saw the movie the other night. He played along just fine with my basic summaries of the movies and characters, though I had to correct talk of "rookies" to "Wookies". Either the movies are overly simplistic or children do not "get" a lot of it. I believe it is mostly the latter; shows for kids often have dialogue for the benefit of adults. I have noticed that, since he watched the movie, guns are more prevalent in his play. Col. Grossman at www.killology.com has many sources to back up the correlation between video games and increased violence (the Marine Corps uses violent video games to induce a willingness to kill). I think we'll scale down the level of violence that he watches for a bit until this stimulus is diluted a bit.

Men's e-zine

Yesterday, at my son's school, I was surprised to learn that there are professionals in the field of yo-yo'ing. Tim the Yo-Yo Man put on a very funny and polished act for the kids that taught them about N(ever give up), E(ncourage others), D(o your best). NED is what true champions do; I guess Bode Miller never learned this lesson. If he did, he may have actually delivered at the Olympics. Anyway, the reason I was at the school is that I am a stay-at-home-dad for three days a week. I have searched in vain for a magazine that relates to this life. All the parenting mags are glorified Chatelaines and all the men's mags just make you envious. You are not raking in the dough to buy all those gadgets or go on the cool trips and definitely do not have the time to be that in shape. Surprisingly this magazine phenomenon translates into real life. I am one of the few dads to pick-up, drop-off and go to assembly. As a result I am around women all the time, including my wife, and even at the last two meetings I was outnumbered 10 to 2 (the other guy was the chair). So, I have decided to face the issues here on my blog. I am not sexist at all in this, just surprised that people can actually talk about so many things for such a long time. I feel that my five minute contribution stands for nothing in the one-hour world.