Tom Brokaw, the Olympics, and Canada

February 23, 2010 Maurice 1 Comment

There is a video that has gone viral in Canada, and is racking up hits like crazy on YouTube. If you have not seen it, and you’re a Canadian, you should watch it! I was very moved by this tribute.

It’s been described as “Tom Brokaw explains Canada to the USA,” but Canadians have dubbed it a “Love Letter” and I really like that description. There are a number of things I really appreciated hearing, especially the line “And if you’re in a fight, you want the Canadians on your side…” Our military is often maligned, even by Canadians, so it was good to hear that the USA appreciates the bravery of our men and women in uniform. I remember a dinner party at our house about fifteen years ago, when a couple of lesbians sneered and laughed at our military. When I suggested that perhaps their grasp of history was a tad weak, they have refused to speak to me ever since. So it was good to hear that a world class military power understands our abilities, even if ignorant Canadians fail to appreciate it.

I’m willing to bet a lot of Americans were surprised about the amount of oil that Americans get from us, and that we are such good trading partners… I’m pleased that Mr. Brokaw was able to point out how we stand arm in arm, even when we disagree, that friendship can rise above disagreements. It was a really beautifully done piece of journalism.

The remarks at the end, describing how our Prime Minister, Mr. Stephen Harper stood in Parliament to encourage Canadians to be outwardly patriotic, wave the flag, and show our pride during the Olympics and we’ll apologize for it after was quite funny. You could see Mr. Brokaw shaking his head, chuckling, as if to say, “Can you believe that? Apologize for being patriotic? What a country!”

What a country indeed!

Thank you Mr. Brokaw, thank you NBC, and GO CANADA ALLEZ!

All About Max, Surrey Parks

Max in Green Timbers

February 22, 2010 Maurice 1 Comment

Pam has been off the last few days so we’ve been able to go for some nice walks. The weather is so incredible, it’s hard to believe how sunny and warm it is. Today we went up to Green Timbers park, a large urban forest in the north section of Surrey. It’s a lovely park, with a small lake and lots of walking trails.

We trundled about for forty-five minutes. We saw lots of ducks on the lake, which excited Max no end! We chatted with a couple fisherman, but they were having no luck. I’ve been here before and seen people hauling fish out, so it is good for fishing some days.

Max is doing well these days, and he really likes all the walks we’ve been taking lately. The pictures of Max were taken today. He is heading through a big tree that has fallen over, and the stump has left a sort of door through the wood! Thought it was cute.

Commentary

Friday at the Olympics

February 19, 2010 Maurice 2 Comments

We decided to brave the crowds and check out the Olympics in Downtown Vancouver on Friday. We had tried to get downtown on Thursday, but found no parking at the Park ‘n Rides for the Skytrain so we decided to give it a try on Friday, by driving all the way downtown! We parked close to where we used to live, and grabbed the train at the Broadway Station. The flowers and cherry trees are blooming all over the place. Not really Winter Olympics, but hey, we’re cool with that!

The trains were packed tighter than sardine cans, but nobody seemed to mind. Everyone was in a good mood. There were TONS of national flags from many countries. It was exciting and quite moving, really. We don’t often see such patriotism in Canada, but we saw so many Canadian flags, painted on faces, on hats, coats, and of course the mittens. People wore the flag like a cape – which Pam did too, of course!

We checked out the Cauldron, and it is MASSIVE. It stands 20 or 30 feet high, and is incredibly large. I didn’t think it would be so big, but man, it really dominated the skyline. There were just tons of people everywhere. The square was full, and people just kept coming!

We turned around and made our way up Granville Street. Granville is a major street in Vancouver, and it’s been shut to cars and other vehicles and it’s just loaded with people. The whole street is filled, and the sidewalks are overflowing too. There is a guy in a top hat and tails, doing card tricks. A musical duo, a drummer and a guitarist are playing Dire Straits. Guys on stilts make kids laugh with their antics. There are pin traders everywhere, with little stands with hundreds of pins from Olympics past and present.

People are in costumes everywhere. Canadian flags are over people faces, the Dutch are painted in orange, with orange jackets and orange pants. Russians are dressed in the real cool Russian jerseys, wearing outrageous red/orange wigs that make them look Shaun White, the USAs dominant snowboarder. Danes are wearing Viking helmets, blowing trumpets, draped in flags. The Swedes are resplendent in the blue and yellow of their flags.

Everywhere, people are happy, cheering, high fiving. They stop each other in the street to take pictures, posing for each other, outrageous, and crazy and happy.

We reach Robson Street, also close to traffic and we find the square behind the Art Gallery is filled to overflowing, people fascinated with the Zipliners… They have constructed a tower near the Law Courts, five stories high. You get in a harness and you fly across the square, across Robson Street to the side of the Art Gallery. Some people try to do flips, some simply scream! It’s truly something to see.

There is an outdoor skating rink, bigger than the one that used to be there, at the base of the Art Gallery. People can skate for free, bring your own skates, or get some from there. It’s a gas seeing them boogie around the place, young and old.

We grab a hotdog ($4 – 3.50 cheaper than at a hockey game!) from a street vendor and turn back onto Granville Street, meeting some crazy fans, dressed up like who knows what! There are huge displays of public art, and more pin traders. We offer some grapes to the cops doing traffic duty, but they decline with a laugh. The Bay has huge portraits of Olympic athletes, five stories high! Very very cool.

There are displays of Native Indian art all over. There are several pavilions with the Four Host Nations featured prominently all over downtown. We sample some delicious venison stew ($5), but have arrived too late for the bannock bread ($2) much to Pam’s disappointment! We make our way back to the Bay to check out the Olympic Super Store, but there is an hour’s wait to get in, so we decide to head home. It’s been an awesome day. I never dreamed it would be so much fun, but it’s very exciting. We will definitely be going down again. It’s just too much fun to miss!

Commentary

Opening Ceremonies

February 15, 2010 Maurice Leave a comment

I watched the 2010 Olympic Opening Ceremonies and I loved them. I thought they were amazing, a display we Canadians could all be proud of… but like true Canadians, we experienced considerable angst over them.

Quebec complained there was not enough French; Chinese and East Indians complained there was not enough focus on immigrants; Native Indians complained only the Four Host Nations were adequately represented, and on and on…

[First about the French – during a first viewing of them, I felt French was more than adequately represented. It was the first language spoken by the narrators at every turn. French was the first language used when countries entered, and it was used quite extensively. On a second viewing with Pam (I recorded it because she was working) I see where their complaints had some validity. The “story” was often only in English, and that could have been better done. Does that bother me? Only slightly – these are OUR games here in predominantly English speaking BC, and we will foot the bill when they lose money. French was spoken enough.

And let me say this — do you think China even considered using a pop-tartlet from separatist Tibet to sing their national anthem during the 2008 Olympics? I seriously doubt it. We considered it, and we let a singer from Quebec, a separatist province, sing our National Anthem here. And I felt she did a truly poor job… For me, this was a major disappointment with the Opening Ceremony, but you know what? It’s ok – we’re fine with it, I wouldn’t change it, because we want all Canadians to feel part of these Olympic Games, even the separatists.

The complaints of the other Native bands was silly. Native elements dominated the story line, and if they felt more Native representation was needed, tough. Deal with it. The Native community in BC is vibrant and alive and those nations whose land is being used were excited and pleased with their showing. The Native elements all over Vancouver for the Games is exciting for all of us, and in no way were Natives denigrated.

The story line was moving and interesting. I’m sorry that not every single aspect of our culture was made clear – like the oppression of Irish settlers, the prejudice against Hutterites, the sacrifices of the Calgary Highlanders, a volunteer regiment of mostly Scottish men… but you know what? You only have so much time in an Opening Ceremony and you can’t include everything. I’m sorry Chinese and Indians felt left out. But I’m not sorry for the way the event unfolded.

I loved the dude flying over the wheat fields, loved the floating bear, loved the whales breaching in the stadium! SO much was RIGHT with the ceremonies, I’m saddened that people feel the need to complain all the time. It was a joy for me and for Pam and we enjoyed it immensely. The fiddling was fantastic. Loved it. Ashley MacIsaac was awesome.

kd Lang’s version of Hallelujah was fantastic, breathtaking, a bravura performance. It made tears stream down both our faces. We had to rewind it to listen to it again. But hey! Did she look a little too much like Wayne Newton or what? Terrific, terrific performance. Each note was perfect. Thank you so much kd. Really and truly, thank you so much.

It was a shame that the fourth pylon for the Olympic Cauldron failed to rise from the floor, but stuff happens right? It was still a great event. I’m glad I got to see it. Not sure I would have had Wayne Gretzky hop into a truck to go light the outdoor cauldron, but hey, picky picky…

And I’m glad I have it recorded! Well done VanOc!

All About Max

First blooms

February 10, 2010 Maurice 2 Comments

The WINTER Olympics are set to kick off on Friday, so it’s nice see the crocuses finally starting to bloom in the garden!

Yep, it’s tough I know, especially knowing that Washington, DC and other points east are covered – deeply! – in snow. So while you’re out shoveling snow, at least you can come and look at the crocuses blooming here in Surrey!

It’s odd though, usually the yellow crocuses bloom first, but we don’t have any yellow ones up yet. We’ve got about 30 or so purple ones, and just a couple of white ones.

Not sure what happened to the yellow ones, but hopefully they’ll be popping open shortly. The grape hyacinths are pushing open too, with small little buds ready to pop open in to their full purple glory in the next couple of days.

Maybe the yellow ones are waiting until Canada wins their first gold in the Olympics!

All About Max

Peacocks in the city

February 9, 2010 Maurice 2 Comments

There was an article in one of our local papers this morning about peacocks, and how they are disturbing a neighbourhood. Some of the locals complained about their noise, and their habit of going to the bathroom on the sidewalk, driveways, and roofs of their homes.

I was totally fascinated. Particularly because the neighbourhood is within walking distance of our house! That’s right! Peacocks wandering around Surrey! I found it very hard to believe, but the paper pointed out that a peacock is basically a pheasant, and there was no reason they couldn’t survive in the wild here in the Lower Mainland.

Well, Pam and I just had to go check it out! And holy cow! As we wandered around, there they were, sunning themselves in the front yard of a house. But there are a LOT of these birds! And they are BIG. Some up to thirty pounds!

The article said there were fifteen, although they said that some people had reported that there might be as many as thirty. Well, I can confirm there are OVER thirty. I counted 28, in two yards, and another five perched on a fence.

It was really remarkable. They had very little fear of me, allowing me to get within a couple feet of them, before merely moving off at a very slow rate.

Very very cool. Truly a remarkable thing…. it will definitely be part of my strolls in the future! We had Max with us, but we kept him back, because he really wanted to go after them! He loves to chase birds!

Commentary

Olympic Flame, Day 102

February 8, 2010 Maurice 2 Comments

The Olympic Flame came through Surrey today, and Pam and I were there! It passed within a couple of blocks of our house. We got over to the intersection of King George Highway and 72nd Avenue, and the place was packed!

There were people lining King George Highway, dressed in Hockey Canada jerseys, waving flags, and wearing their red mittens. The mittens have been a symbol of these Olympics and all the torch bearers have been wearing them.

People of all ages were there, from kids in strollers, to grandmothers in wheelchairs. People from all walks of life, people from every culture, people just proud to be Canadian, and proud to be a part of these Olympics.

First came big trucks, sponsored by Coca-Cola, carrying people telling us that the Torch Bearer was mere minutes away, to get ready to cheer and clap! But truthfully, they didn’t need to tell us; people were excited to be there and more than ready to bask in the glow of the Torch. Next came a bus, loaded with people who would be Torch Bearers.

Then, we caught a glimpse of the Torch Bearer, and the cheers started through the crowd. It was awesome. The man running with the torch was beaming, his smile wider than the mouth of the Fraser River! It was obviously a special moment for him, and it certainly was for us.

We ran along with him and then cut through a parking lot so we could see the next runner. Her smile was even wider than the first. It was remarkable to see. We headed quickly to our house and caught the Torch Bearer one more time as she ran down 72nd Avenue right at 141A street.

I am very glad I got to experience it. It was moving, and uplifting, and joyous. A remarkable time, shared with so many people. The streets were lined with people! All cheering, proud, excited and eager to see the Torch. It was a community event, and the community embraced it!

Here are a couple movies of two different Torch Bearers. Enjoy!