tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31211788741185910372024-03-13T23:38:31.742-04:00A Ray in the LifePersonal ramblings of a guy who needs therapy buy can only afford this blog.Alexander Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12543184429570418679noreply@blogger.comBlogger246125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121178874118591037.post-86560241307926223012012-11-22T11:55:00.001-05:002012-11-22T11:55:52.537-05:00Sugarloaf Pond In November<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span style="line-height: 20px;">Georges</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"> and I spent another wonderful weekend with friends in the Townships. </span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Couldn't have asked for better weather in November.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><i>I hope you enjoy these photos.</i></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SUOlId5_MpA/UK5SncGSxuI/AAAAAAAASnQ/6SwZQ72MLfw/s1600/November+trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Road down Mountain. Townships" border="0" height="271" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SUOlId5_MpA/UK5SncGSxuI/AAAAAAAASnQ/6SwZQ72MLfw/s320/November+trail.jpg" title="November road" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">November road</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mW_YXsuHqWw/UK5SrQzs-uI/AAAAAAAASnY/32H0Aiwxh3Y/s1600/colour+reflection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Colours reflected on Sugarloaf Pond" border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mW_YXsuHqWw/UK5SrQzs-uI/AAAAAAAASnY/32H0Aiwxh3Y/s320/colour+reflection.jpg" title="Colours reflected on Sugarloaf Pond" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reflected late fall colours</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong style="font-weight: 400;">"</strong><strong style="font-weight: 400;">November comes </strong></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong style="background-color: white; font-weight: 400;">And November goes,<br />With the last red berries<br />And the first white snows."</strong></span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oPV6-WJFAEs/UK5S4PQXkyI/AAAAAAAASng/o-_rlNfqPOg/s1600/walking+the+dogs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><img alt="Walking the dogs in November woods" border="0" height="299" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oPV6-WJFAEs/UK5S4PQXkyI/AAAAAAAASng/o-_rlNfqPOg/s320/walking+the+dogs.jpg" title="Walking the dogs in November woods" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">Walking the dogs</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0U1-rWjoZcQ/UK5S_Wz_gQI/AAAAAAAASno/VmQFnmHhJcY/s1600/Ruby+on+the+trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Ruby on path in Township woods" border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0U1-rWjoZcQ/UK5S_Wz_gQI/AAAAAAAASno/VmQFnmHhJcY/s400/Ruby+on+the+trail.jpg" title="Ruby on path in Township woods" width="313" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruby foraging in forest</td></tr>
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<strong style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large; font-weight: 400;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">"With night coming early, </span></strong><br />
<strong style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large; font-weight: 400;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">And dawn coming late,<br />And ice in the bucket<br />And frost by the gate."</span></strong><div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><strong style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">"The fires burn<br />And the kettles sing,<br />And earth sinks to rest<br />Until next spring."</span></strong></span></span></div>
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- <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/116858.Elizabeth_Coatsworth" target="_blank">Elizabeth Coatsworth</a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">"A few days ago I walked along the edge of the lake and was treated to the crunch and rustle of leaves with each step I made. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">The acoustics of this season are different and all sounds, no matter how hushed, are as crisp as autumn air."<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">- <a href="http://www.ericsloane.org/" target="_blank">Eric Sloane</a></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xht0WNBivJo/UK5TJUedL8I/AAAAAAAASnw/X0OUkqrfzXE/s1600/Sugarloaf+reflected+in+pond.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Mirror pond" border="0" height="290" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xht0WNBivJo/UK5TJUedL8I/AAAAAAAASnw/X0OUkqrfzXE/s400/Sugarloaf+reflected+in+pond.jpg" title="Mirror pond" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mirror pond</td></tr>
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Alexander Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12543184429570418679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121178874118591037.post-13659209284396845162011-11-10T20:32:00.001-05:002012-11-22T13:36:14.130-05:00Don't Forget to Remember<h5>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">Sacrificing two minutes of our time is the least we can do in remembrance of so many that have sacrificed so much. </span></h5>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9t6FPhHLpU4/UK5v0cGEc5I/AAAAAAAASo4/D5usIvcIwqo/s1600/Dad+and+the+army+boys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="287" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9t6FPhHLpU4/UK5v0cGEc5I/AAAAAAAASo4/D5usIvcIwqo/s400/Dad+and+the+army+boys.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad, Alex Meunier on upper left ,1939</td></tr>
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<i style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">(<span style="color: #444444;">The following is a repost from November, 2010)</span></i><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">The fact that Remembrance Day isn't recognized as a statutory day of observance in Ontario, Manitoba and Québec is outrageous. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #444444;">If we can take a day off to celebrate Queen Victoria with a 2-4; we can certainly take a day off to remember and observe the sacrifice of generations of Canadians who paid dearly for the country we have today.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #444444;">How we feel about the politics and ideologies that precipitated these global conflicts is irrelevant. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">Whether we are peace-niks or raving warmongers, Remembrance Day is about saluting our veterans not the wars they fought in.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ymwRfV9npZQ/UK5wbfKkG4I/AAAAAAAASpE/_BcJCy0vfMM/s1600/Dad+at+18yrs+off+to+war+1939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ymwRfV9npZQ/UK5wbfKkG4I/AAAAAAAASpE/_BcJCy0vfMM/s320/Dad+at+18yrs+off+to+war+1939.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #444444;">My Grandfather and Father served in both WWI and WW2 respectively. They rarely spoke of their experiences. If I did hear of anything of what happened overseas, it was from a family friend and usually after a few beers ( and by few, I mean cases). There was only one time that I asked my father the proverbial: “What did you do in the war, Dad?”</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">The reply was quick and short: " I drove a motorcycle through the fucking mud in Sicily.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">He was a bike courier in Italy with the </span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/37cbg_hq/units-unites/8ch-eng.asp">8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise's</a></span></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444;">) and served in France and Holland as well.</span> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">November the 11th was a big deal growing up. During the late fifties and middle sixties in Moncton, we all took 11/11/11 very seriously. My parent's social life revolved around the local Legion. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">In school, we prepared for the day in class by making poppy cut-outs and drawing white crosses with the words "Lest We Forget" on faux parchment paper. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">We stood in class and recited </span><a href="http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/flanders.htm"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">"In Flanders Field"</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: #444444;"> then kept a two minute silence which was effectively policed by Nuns with rulers.</span> </span></span>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana;">In Flanders Fields</span></b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Canadian Army</span></span></i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>In Flanders Fields the poppies blow<br />
Between the crosses row on row,<br />
That mark our place; and in the sky<br />
The larks, still bravely singing, fly<br />
Scarce heard amid the guns below.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>We are the Dead. Short days ago<br />
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,<br />
Loved and were loved, and now we lie<br />
In Flanders fields.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Take up our quarrel with the foe:<br />
To you from failing hands we throw<br />
The torch; be yours to hold it high.<br />
If ye break faith with us who die<br />
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow<br />
In Flanders fields</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Later, as I entered the Beatles generation, the whole sixties anti-war movement was in full form. We were anti-war, anti-authority, anti-establishment. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">We perversely viewed </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">veterans</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> as the honour guard for the </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">military</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> machine. What we didn't see was that the universal soldier was as much victim as victor. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Ironic then, that at the dawn of the enlightened age of Aquarius, life was so black and white; so good guys and bad guys. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">World War I was supposed to be the war to end all wars. G</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">reed and revenge ensured that wasn't to happen. A</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">fter a brief time-out for a global depression, the world blew up again.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana;">The world will likely not change. As long as men are greedy for power and money, we will have the abomination of war. The world even more dangerous now. There are no rules of engagement, only rules of terror.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana;">But the human spirit is resilient.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana;">My Father and I were never close. I wasn't the tool carryin', car fixin' kind of son he could relate to. Nevertheless, with age, I have come to appreciate how difficult it must have been to have served six years of his young life in a land so far away; so strange and so dangerous. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: #444444;">I wonder what future my Dad must have imagined as he boarded that train in 1939 or how it might have been if he hadn't.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">How will you remember?</span></span><br />
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Alexander Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12543184429570418679noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121178874118591037.post-7545149915435276412011-08-30T18:24:00.001-04:002011-08-30T18:30:15.767-04:00Want to see my vacation photos?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-8Vq3jVlYWVQ/Tl1fqVz7GAI/AAAAAAAABS0/zfNw-maWipw/s1600-h/First%252520poutine%252520Caissie%252520Cape%25255B7%25255D.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="First poutine Caissie Cape" border="0" height="316" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-hmiHvoq_Y_I/Tl1fqsbZHhI/AAAAAAAABS4/S565QP_-LwE/First%252520poutine%252520Caissie%252520Cape_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 6px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="First poutine Caissie Cape" width="242" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying the first of many <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/6233528346/">poutine rapées</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;">Sometimes it's nice to hang up the keyboard and hang out with people in the real
world.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;">
We did just that this summer and not to bore you with vacation photos - well,
ok, I will. It's a short compilation and takes just a few minutes.<br />
<br />
I wrote about this trip on my post on <a href="http://newraycom.com/there-are-places-i-remember/">NewRayCom</a> so won't go on about it here.<br />
<br />
Seeing my
family after so long and visiting the countryside that was my playground left a
indelible impression on me.<br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;">I can’t wait to go back.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;">(Oh, and Georges liked it too!).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;"><br /></span>Alexander Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12543184429570418679noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121178874118591037.post-84860536294234236282011-05-06T09:44:00.000-04:002011-05-06T09:44:19.853-04:00Thank You Arthur Laurents<span style="color: #394a42; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TcP6tn-HqiI/AAAAAAAABEo/TzHkcgU7ZjM/s1600-h/arthurlaurents200-04883n5f%5B3%5D.jpg"><img align="left" alt="050203Celebs23AR" border="0" height="244" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TcP6uFcmndI/AAAAAAAABEs/9Yzav2W7bVE/arthurlaurents200-04883n5f_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 7px 0px 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="050203Celebs23AR" width="165" /></a>I'm sad at the news of the death of <a href="http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118036474?categoryid=4076&cs=1&cmpid=RSS|News|LatestNews">Arthur Laurents</a>. I understand that while he wasn't universally loved as a person; he was respected by everyone that could hum a Broadway tune.</span><br />
<span style="color: #394a42; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #394a42; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">In the fifties, with West Side Story and Gypsy, Arthur Laurents made theatrical history. Later he became famous for his lacerating tongue. At 91, both he and it made a comeback.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #394a42; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #394a42; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Arthur Laurents was famous for saying what was on his mind and doing what he thought was best. These traits made his work courageous and his personal life prickly.</span><br />
<span style="color: #394a42; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Arthur Laurents met <a href="http://www.backstage.com/bso/esearch/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003345921">Tom Hatcher</a> in LA in 1954. They moved to NYC, beginning an openly romantic relationship during a time when the practice was far from common, or safe.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TcP6uQbPhjI/AAAAAAAABEw/OvIhb0iTvcM/s1600-h/arthurLaurents1%5B2%5D.jpg"><img align="right" alt="arthurLaurents1" border="0" height="244" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TcP6u0QRY0I/AAAAAAAABE0/oXEuPyrju4s/arthurLaurents1_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; float: right; margin: 4px 0px 0px 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="arthurLaurents1" width="244" /></a></span><br />
<span style="color: #394a42; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Mr. Laurents, whose partner of 52 years,<a href="http://www.backstage.com/bso/esearch/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003345921">Tom Hatcher</a> passed away in 2006, had this to say about their relationship:</span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">"I had the most marvellous life that anybody could have with another person - that I’m proud of. That’s an achievement - ‘cause most people quit on each other, and we never did. "</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">In a New York Times Magazine article, Tom Hatcher was described as part enforcer, part enabler, and part keeper of Arthur's flame and of the grudges. Hatcher made Laurent's writing life possible. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><em>Arthur Laurents, the director, playwright and screenwriter who wrote such enduring stage musicals as "West Side Story" and "Gypsy," as well as the movie classics "Rope" and "The Way We Were," died Thursday. He was 93.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><em><br />
</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">This is one of my favourite sequences from the movie version of "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gypsy:_A_Musical_Fable">Gypsy</a>".</span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"></span></em><br />
<object height="390" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TGHtz9DKqk8?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TGHtz9DKqk8?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="390" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>Alexander Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12543184429570418679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121178874118591037.post-38149951484414962262011-04-15T11:44:00.000-04:002011-04-15T11:44:07.314-04:00What Colour is Your Hanky?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JvZyrL6Ak-8/Tahbz8XFNVI/AAAAAAAABEk/9LUJsgla5Lw/s1600/pocket-full-of-hankies-460x341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JvZyrL6Ak-8/Tahbz8XFNVI/AAAAAAAABEk/9LUJsgla5Lw/s320/pocket-full-of-hankies-460x341.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Everyone knows that Montreal is one of the gayest destinations in the world. And it's a fact that <a href="http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/Accueil/">Tourism Montreal</a> is very eager to promote. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I was a young homosexual-in-training and gays had yet to march out of the closet twirling batons and blowing trumpets, I was educated in the refined skill of "code-reading". Upon meeting someone for the first time, there were ways to discern whether your new acquaintance was also "on the bus". </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Was there a copy of Oscar Wilde on the bookshelf? Does he wear a pinky ring? </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These were the days before decriminalization, before rainbow flags and pink triangle pins. Before the state was kicked out of our bedrooms.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Coding is a common way to show affinity to a group or tribe, i.e. secret handshakes, passwords, Louis Vuitton bags.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the seventies a subset of gays very ingeniously used a hanky colour code to signal their sexual activity preference. Surprisingly, it was one of the few things that straights hadn't appropriated.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In this article, <a href="http://alex%20dunphy/">Alex Dunphy</a> who is waaaay too young to remember the original codes, comes up with some new ones of his own in this </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/blog/gay-life/hanky-code-guide-to-montreal/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TourismeMontreal+%28Tourisme+Montr%C3%A9al%29&utm_content=FaceBook">Tourism Montréal</a> article.</span><br />
<ul class="no_bullet_list" id="maincontent" style="display: inline; float: left; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 22px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 460px;"><li class="post" style="background-position: 0% 100%; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>BLACK HANKY – INTO S&M</strong>: For all those interesting in the black hanky, sounds like your kind of place would be <a href="http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/blog/gay-life/kink-montreal-an-introduction/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">L’Aigle Noire</a> on <a href="http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/blog/what-to-do/street-profile-sainte-catherine/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Sainte-Catherine</a>. Full of all the leather and chainmail you could wish for, it’s definitely the place to get your kink on.</span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>GREY FLANNEL HANKY – LEFT: OWNS A SUIT, RIGHT: LIKES MEN IN SUITS</strong>: Grey flannel means you love a nice crisp suit. Worn in the left pocket means you own and like wearing suits. </span></blockquote><div style="color: black; font-size: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Hanky Code - Peaches</b></span></div></li>
</ul><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qvmKEMI4Ja4" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe>Alexander Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12543184429570418679noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121178874118591037.post-79489890836763827002011-03-31T18:49:00.000-04:002011-03-31T18:49:21.937-04:00Fran Lebowitz: Reflections on Austen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KQKhTjuhVDQ/TZUEvzYlhgI/AAAAAAAABEY/DKNmLaA7SHw/s1600/Fran_Lebowitz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KQKhTjuhVDQ/TZUEvzYlhgI/AAAAAAAABEY/DKNmLaA7SHw/s200/Fran_Lebowitz.jpg" width="145" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Fran Lebowitz explains why she thinks Austen is popular for all the wrong reasons.</span><br style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><i><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"Any artist who has that quality of timelessness has that quality because they tell the truth. Jane Austen's perceptions don't date because they are correct, and they will remain that way until human beings improve themselves intrinsically, and this will not happen."</span></i></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ujjJlT9cCts?fs=1" width="480"></iframe>Alexander Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12543184429570418679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121178874118591037.post-90390455897662752552011-03-05T20:27:00.000-05:002011-03-05T20:27:48.676-05:00But I Don't Want to be the Black Swan!<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TXLh4R6HhOI/AAAAAAAABEI/8qswiWiFxUo/s1600-h/russiandancecortes_2%5B4%5D.jpg"><img align="left" alt="russiandancecortes_2" border="0" height="240" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TXLh4pbvnwI/AAAAAAAABEM/fC2-3lvZCTc/russiandancecortes_2_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 6px 0px 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="russiandancecortes_2" width="162" /></a>This post is inspired by the film, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0947798/">The Black Swan</a>. I loved the movie; even with it's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040725/">Red Shoes</a> melodrama and totally over the top direction. I was moved by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Swan_(film)">Nina</a>'s hunger for fame and cried when her obsession for perfection destroyed her. She won the role of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan_Lake">Odette</a>, the beautiful white swan of Swan Lake, but was destroyed when the evilness of the Black Swan, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan_Lake">Odile</a> possessed her.<br />
Like many, I was very eager to fit in as a teen; especially that period of moving from elementary school to junior high. <br />
I was the kid that other kid's moms loved; always eager to help with the dishes, polite and amusing. Yeah, you guessed it.<br />
<br />
And if being gay wasn't enough, I was English in a Acadian Canadian household, my mother (Protestant) wasn't married to my father and we lived in a part of town that "nice" people warned their kids to stay away from.<br />
<br />
Unlike my friends in the "Bowery" (as my dad liked to call our street), I took the other tack and choose to live a life as a saint. This engendered some martyrdom at the hands of one bully in particular, but I was sure that if I stoically suffered through it, that I would sit at the right hand of God and close to Father Kelly.<br />
<br />
Now, being the best little boy may have worked in pre-puberty, but once hormones kicked in and my friends started swapping spit with girls instead of swapping comics with me, I realized I had to pull a "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grease_(film)">Sandy</a>" and shake things up a bit.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TXLh5QgbC5I/AAAAAAAABEQ/1CSWd8eZ-yw/s1600-h/sandy%5B4%5D.jpg"><img align="right" alt="grease " border="0" height="240" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TXLh5tXYvFI/AAAAAAAABEU/E-uQxdZ5_ss/sandy_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 0px 6px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="grease " width="156" /></a><br />
So I starting sneaking smokes. But because of an unfortunate incident when Tommy and I, in a rush to get rid of the evidence, smoked a whole pack of <a href="http://www.smoke-free.ca/filtertips_001/Expert-eh.htm">Export A</a>'s behind the church, I couldn't look at another cigarette for at least - a year.<br />
<br />
I tried swearing; no more grammatically correct sentences with polite "thank you's" and "you're welcome's". This, of course didn't apply to my friend's parents. How hard could it be? Swearing was the lingua franca of home. <br />
<br />
The result was humiliating. My girl friends (platonic), would just giggle. It wasn't working. Seems I was just too good to be bad.<br />
<br />
I was to play out the rest of my life as <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000543/bio">Sal Mineo</a> to <a href="http://www.jamesdean.com/">James Dean</a>, as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Olsen">Jimmy Olsen</a> to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Kent">Clark Kent</a> (okay, maybe not the best example). <br />
<br />
Even today, I hesitate to let it all out – to let my evil queen reign supreme. Yes, I may lose my temper on occasion and may not always at my best, but in public, or on a public platform such as a blog; I tend to be "safe for general consumption".<br />
<br />
This is not a way to gain a following or to be noticed. <br />
<br />
You have to be controversial. You have to have some edge – be a bad ass.<br />
However, I find that there are many very nice people who are huge stars in the blogosphere. Even <a href="http://perezhilton.com/">Perez Hilton</a> has become well, nice. <br />
<br />
Do I have to pull a Sandy again to get noticed? Is this grade nine all over again? <br />
<br />
No, I'll just be me. But if someone thinks they can come by and slap me around, well, this martyr can now kick some butt!<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gyUWkQj0Q_U" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe>Alexander Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12543184429570418679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121178874118591037.post-9778063967703994892011-03-04T09:13:00.000-05:002011-03-04T09:13:07.817-05:00Too Early for Cocktails?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-tIJnAEu3Elw/TXDxwwrEZ3I/AAAAAAAABEA/bkc-O_2VIZk/s1600/boat_drinks-300x170.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-tIJnAEu3Elw/TXDxwwrEZ3I/AAAAAAAABEA/bkc-O_2VIZk/s1600/boat_drinks-300x170.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<b>It's Friday!</b><br />
<br />
Is it too early for cocktails?<br />
Seems Spike Jones never thought so. This trailer is from 1945.<br />
<br />
<div align="CENTER"><object height="390" width="480"><param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/lvt4b_qwC_Q?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="https://www.youtube.com/v/lvt4b_qwC_Q?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="390"></embed></object></div>Alexander Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12543184429570418679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121178874118591037.post-35394594370246805312011-02-25T09:23:00.000-05:002011-02-25T09:23:16.960-05:00Diana Day on Oprah!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cZmxRIrypjY/TWe5s7-pTaI/AAAAAAAABD4/bWKG6bM_Yr0/s1600/Diana-Ross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cZmxRIrypjY/TWe5s7-pTaI/AAAAAAAABD4/bWKG6bM_Yr0/s320/Diana-Ross.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>My gal pal, Fanny has invited me over to her pad this afternoon to watch Diana Ross on Oprah. Knowing that I'm a huge Miss Ross fan, it was an offer I couldn't refuse.<br />
<br />
Although Miss Ross has aged (haven't we all), she has done so well. Aside from a few unfortunate DUI <a href="http://www.clearleadinc.com/site/diana-lawyer.html">incidences </a>at airports and highways caused by that demon liquor, she has, for all her diva statue, remained remarkably sane. And I might add, after watching Cher in "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1126591/">Burlesque</a>" still human.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pEgyxrO8AkE/TWe57EF7qQI/AAAAAAAABD8/6Fi9bhPxD4g/s1600/Ethel+Waters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pEgyxrO8AkE/TWe57EF7qQI/AAAAAAAABD8/6Fi9bhPxD4g/s200/Ethel+Waters.jpg" width="166" /></a>This video from one of the <a href="http://www.tv.com/the-hollywood-palace/hosts-diana-ross-and-the-supremes--stevie-wonder--ethel-waters/episode/157886/summary.html">Diana Ross and the Supremes host The Hollywood Palace</a> shows a side of Diana that many people haven't seen. It's not the "Baby Love" or "I'm Coming Out" diva here. It's a very young Divette who, in a very rare moment for her, gives her total attention to her co-star on stage. You can see that she is totally in awe of Ethel Waters. As well she should be.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethel_Waters">Ethel Waters</a> was a legend. Her singing of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Berlin">Irving Berlin's "Suppertime</a>" tears me apart every time I hear it.<br />
<br />
Enjoy.<br />
<br />
<object height="390" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/u3M0vJygou0?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/u3M0vJygou0?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="390"></embed></object>Alexander Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12543184429570418679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121178874118591037.post-22916013803861337572011-02-10T14:50:00.000-05:002011-02-10T14:50:17.672-05:00Is Glee Causing Homophobic Backlash?<span style="color: #1a5e17; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">I came across this disturbing story in the <a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/article/936127--dozens-in-gay-village-harassed-by-teens?sms_ss=blogger&at_xt=4d54272bb5480701,0">Toronto Star</a> today: </span><a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/article/936127--dozens-in-gay-village-harassed-by-teens?sms_ss=blogger&at_xt=4d54272bb5480701%2C0"><span style="color: #1a5e17; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><strong>Dozens in Gay Village harassed by teens</strong></span></a>…<span style="color: #1a5e17; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<blockquote><em><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #1a5e17; font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TVRAz7J6kRI/AAAAAAAABDw/T28hZGzMmxg/s1600-h/kurt-gets-pushed-2_6%5B3%5D.jpg"><img align="left" alt="kurt-gets-pushed-2_6" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TVRA0YYoebI/AAAAAAAABD0/sqr_5DDd1JI/kurt-gets-pushed-2_6_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; float: left; margin: 8px 7px 0px 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="kurt-gets-pushed-2_6" width="252" /></a>Crossing guard Phil Ogison has had slushies thrown at his face.</span> </span></em> <br />
<em><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #1a5e17; font-family: Verdana;">Gay Village local Buddha Poitras spends many afternoons scrubbing pop off his windows.</span> </span></em> <br />
<span style="color: #1a5e17; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><em>And three weeks ago, Barbara Brown watched two teens walking down the street, loudly musing whether they should go “gay-bashing again…</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #1a5e17; font-family: Verdana;">In January, local florist Paul Winsor told police a group of 12 students believed to be from nearby Jarvis Collegiate Institute doused him with frozen drinks.</span> </span></em> <br />
<span style="color: #1a5e17; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><em>Days later, 30-year-old Ryan Lester, was kicked in the face and called a “faggot” at a Church St. restaurant.</em></span><span style="color: #1a5e17; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><em>”</em></span></blockquote><span style="color: #1a5e17; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Does this sound familiar? If you’re a fan of <a href="http://www.globaltv.com/glee/index.html">GLEE</a>, you may find a familiar theme here: slushing, harassment, bragging about bashing gays…</span> <br />
<span style="color: #1a5e17; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #1a5e17; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">It seems from the report that a source of some of this behaviour is a high school situated nearby, Jarvis Collegiate. I don’t remember this kind of shit going on when I lived in the neighbourhood – and this was before the major advances in LGBT civil rights. </span> <br />
<span style="color: #1a5e17; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #1a5e17; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Could this be a Glee backlash? Are the meatheads in school proudly associating themselves with the football team and head bully (and closet gay), <a href="http://www.wetpaint.com/glee/articles/max-adler-talks-was-glees-bully-surprised-by-the-kurt-kiss">Dave Karofsky?</a></span> <br />
<br />
<span style="color: #1a5e17; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Just as incidents of homophobic assaults have risen with the rise of equal rights for gays, has Glee, by being so G-A-Y, contributing to boys establishing their masculinity by over compensating like Dave? </span> <br />
<span style="color: #1a5e17; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #1a5e17; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">It reminds me of how the most racist and bigoted adults I knew in the seventies would split their guts at things that Archie Bunker said. And you’d ask yourself –“Don’t they get it?” I guess they felt it didn’t apply to them. Or maybe they didn’t give a fuck because the dude’s funny and validates their own prejudices. </span> <br />
<span style="color: #1a5e17; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #1a5e17; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Maybe that’s what these punks are doing; wearing their bigotry like shields to protect them from deadly gay rays. </span><br />
<span style="color: #1a5e17; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<object height="390" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9LWeBtmZUwg?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9LWeBtmZUwg?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="390"></embed></object>Alexander Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12543184429570418679noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121178874118591037.post-47505972504888305112011-02-03T15:53:00.000-05:002011-02-03T15:53:25.586-05:00Black Swan 2: Epidemic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TUsVnIAOrUI/AAAAAAAABDs/rUQolpdORtY/s1600/black+swan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TUsVnIAOrUI/AAAAAAAABDs/rUQolpdORtY/s1600/black+swan.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Might be lost on you if you haven't seen <a href="http://www.blogger.com/The%20Black%20Swan">The Black Swan</a>, but I think you still get the point :)<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Vxf8DR2KF1k?fs=1" width="480"></iframe>Alexander Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12543184429570418679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121178874118591037.post-50323004059056801562011-01-25T14:31:00.000-05:002011-01-25T14:31:56.713-05:00Carol and Eydie DuetI know, I know; I'm showing my age. <br />
But great talent and good taste is timeless.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Exhibit A:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TT8f1H2Rf8I/AAAAAAAABDg/82jgp8zOAVQ/s1600/Lolipop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TT8f1H2Rf8I/AAAAAAAABDg/82jgp8zOAVQ/s200/Lolipop.JPG" width="133" /></a></div><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/abobf23b6ws?fs=1" width="425"></iframe>Alexander Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12543184429570418679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121178874118591037.post-47208837068765027622011-01-21T19:54:00.000-05:002011-01-21T19:54:45.557-05:00My Favourite Musical…Today.<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TToptAz54eI/AAAAAAAABDY/BR12FCik5BU/s1600-h/natalie-wood-gypsy%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="natalie-wood-gypsy" border="0" height="246" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TTopth7MsXI/AAAAAAAABDc/Si9Jd_wmQ6g/natalie-wood-gypsy_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="natalie-wood-gypsy" width="299" /></a> <br />
<blockquote>"Well, someone tell me, when is it my turn?</blockquote><blockquote>Don't I get a dream for myself?</blockquote><blockquote>Starting now it's gonna be my turn.</blockquote><blockquote>Gangway, world, get off of my runway!</blockquote><blockquote>Starting now I bat a thousand!</blockquote><blockquote>This time, boys, I'm taking the bows and</blockquote><blockquote>Everything's coming up Ray!</blockquote><blockquote>Everything's coming up Raymond!</blockquote><blockquote>Everything's coming up Ray!</blockquote><blockquote>This time for me!</blockquote><blockquote>For me! For me! For me!"</blockquote><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Think they'd ever remount an all male version of </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gypsy:_A_Musical_Fable"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Gypsy</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana;">?</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Louise's story of always being second resonated with me so much when I first saw this musical classic. I was always silver, never gold; always the B student who had potential, never the A one whose potential was always very evident and celebrated.</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I rooted for Louise. I shouted from my seat - "Sing out, Louise". I felt her pain when she wasn't the girl Tulsa needed. And when she morphed into Gypsy Rose Lee, me and a million other ugly ducklings strolled down that ramp right along with her and were FABULOUS!</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I was thinking of about trying to decide what my favourite musical would be should anyone ask. It's an impossible question. Like anything, your favourite changes depending on the mood you're in.</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I love Sondheim, love Bernstein, love Rogers. But if I really had to give one show as the one I'd take to a deserted island, it would have to be Jules Styne's fable of Miss Gypsy Rose Lee.</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It's got it all: comedy, drama, song, dance and a bit of burlesque.</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">"You either got it, or you ain't and this show's got it!?</span><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4_eD1btsIAE?hd=1" title="YouTube video player" type="text/html" width="640"></iframe>Alexander Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12543184429570418679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121178874118591037.post-76093806675862306972011-01-19T08:00:00.001-05:002011-01-19T08:00:10.767-05:00Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand and Ethel Merman Belt It Out!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130;">I love the comment left on the YouTube site:</span><br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130;"><b>"Streisand! Merman! Garland! My god, it's the Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt of gayness"</b></span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Streisand mentions her next project - a little something called: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funny_Girl_(musical)">Funny Girl</a>! Heard of it?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Enjoy.</span><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/21hBW3_hSXc?fs=1" width="425"></iframe>Alexander Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12543184429570418679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121178874118591037.post-54621926577030509632011-01-17T14:15:00.000-05:002011-01-17T14:15:25.587-05:00A Dream is a Check–Time to Cash It!<a href="http://historyasithappened.wordpress.com/2008/01/18/martin-luther-king-jr/"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TTR20IE6NOI/AAAAAAAABDM/df0W_BF248w/s400/martin-l-king-jr.jpg" style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="307" /></a> <br />
<blockquote><b>"We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with <em>the fierce urgency of now.</em> </b><br />
<b>In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. </b><br />
<b>Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity. The tide in the affairs of men does not remain at flood -- it ebbs. We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is adamant to every plea and rushes on. </b><br />
<b>Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words, "Too late." Martin Luther King Jr.</b></blockquote>This quote was included in <a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/01/cashing-the-check.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+typepad/sethsmainblog+(Seth's+Blog)">Seth Godin's blog </a>this morning. As a subscriber, I read his posts every morning. I'm reposting it here in full as there is little to add or comment on other than to say - it's so true. We all have checks in our pockets that remain useless until we cash them. <br />
(via Seth's Blog) <br />
<blockquote><b>Cashing the check</b></blockquote><blockquote><i>A check in your wallet does you very little good. It represents opportunity, sure, but not action.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i>Most of us are carrying around a check, an opportunity to make an impact, to do the work we're capable of, to ship the art that would make a difference.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i>No, the world isn't fair, and most people don't get all the chances they deserve. There are barriers due to income, to race, to social standing and to education, and they are inexcusable and must fall. But the check remains, now more than ever. The opportunity to step up and to fail (and then to fail again, and to fail again) and to continue failing until we succeed is greater now than it has ever been.</i></blockquote>That LIFE cover above is especially poignant given what happened last week in Arizona. The sixties saw visionaries and champions of civil rights cut down by a society afraid and suspicious of change; but we must change.<br />
Today we seem to be bankrupt of leaders whose vision extends beyond their own political party's interests; whose decisions are determined not by the latest constituent poll but by principles. To take control of our leadership deficit, we've got to support visionaries and reject pragmatists; encourage idealism and urn our back on ideologues. Are politicians our holding a lot of our checks in their pockets. It's time they cash them.<br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Yes We Can Can - Alan Toussaint</span></i>Alexander Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12543184429570418679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121178874118591037.post-64675303331442080742011-01-14T16:43:00.000-05:002011-01-14T16:43:43.239-05:00Much Ado About Money For Nothing<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img align="left" alt="dire" border="0" height="176" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TTDA7J2ouRI/AAAAAAAABDI/usC4O-gqOHY/dire_thumb%5B5%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 6px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="dire" width="139" /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">It</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> looks like I maybe swimming against the current on this one, but after turning this around in my head for a couple days, I am coming out as a supporter of the recent Canadian Broadcast Standards Council CBSC decision to prohibit the word "faggot" in the song </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money_for_Nothing_(song)" target="_blank">Money For Nothing</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">, to be heard on Canadian airwaves.</span><br />
<blockquote><em>The council (CBSC) is an independent, non-governmental group created to administer standards established by its members, Canada's private broadcasters. Its membership includes more than 700 private radio and TV stations across the country.</em> </blockquote><blockquote><em>Last year, a listener to radio station CHOZ-FM in St. John's complained that the '80s rock song includes the word "faggot" in its lyrics and is discriminatory to gays.</em><br />
<em>The broadcaster argued that the song had been played countless times since its release decades ago and has won music industry awards.</em><br />
<em>A CBSC panel concluded that the word "faggot," even if once acceptable, has evolved to become unacceptable in most circumstances</em></blockquote><b>"See the little faggot with the earring and the makeup<br />
Yeah buddy that’s his own hair<br />
That little faggot got his own jet airplane<br />
That little faggot he’s a millionaire" </b><br />
<br />
Do those lyrics do make you wince? They certainly did me in 1985. But we were all mesmerized by MTV then and watched the story of this little narrative play out with totally cool computer animations. The offending words made you take notice. But they were lost in the song's wicked music hook. And, it had a great beat to dance to. - well, so does <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancehall" target="_blank">dancehall</a> music.<br />
<br />
We have evolved since 1985. Gays have put up with a lot of shit up until a short time ago. The hearing of that word shouted at you freezes your soul and fills you with panic. The word was and is often followed by sticks and stones. (and much worse) <br />
<br />
Much of the defense of these lyrics lies in the context of the song. <a href="http://mark%20knopfler%20.com/" target="_blank">Mark Knopfler</a> was singing in character as an appliance delivery guy bitching about rock stars and the cushy lives they have. He says he wrote down what they were saying almost verbatim. Not everyone got the irony. Go to any karaoke bar and listen to a bunch of drunks when that lyric rolls up on the monitor. It's right up there with the improvised bridge in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mony_Mony" target="_blank">Mony Mony</a>. <br />
<br />
Mark Knoefler has himself censored this song. They're not to be found on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dire_Straits" target="_blank">Dire Straight's Greatest Hits</a> compilation, nor their live concert footage. Seems times and sensitivities do change. Point is, the song isn't banned, those words are. <br />
The song is great, with or without the offending word. <br />
<br />
Am I being too sensitive?<br />
<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/category/music/watch/e178381Gmta9Kdw">Dire Straits - Money for Nothing</a> </span>Alexander Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12543184429570418679noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121178874118591037.post-26761805777437342282011-01-13T08:00:00.001-05:002011-01-13T08:00:13.985-05:00Words. Kill. People.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TS5s6BCob5I/AAAAAAAABC4/lkyYmoyCwmY/s1600/hate-speech-is-not-free-speech-thumb-287x430-240132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TS5s6BCob5I/AAAAAAAABC4/lkyYmoyCwmY/s400/hate-speech-is-not-free-speech-thumb-287x430-240132.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">We can play a little "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0003677/">Travis Bickle</a></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">" with these words. But no matter where you put the inflection, the meaning is clear. Words do have the power to incite violence and murder.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">As a result of what has happened on <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/a/arizona_shooting_2011/index.html" target="_blank">January 8th in Tucson AZ</a></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">, there is now a very heated debate with much handwringing from the left and mudslinging from the right taking place. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Normally, I brush off Sarah Palin, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_movement">Tea Baggers</a> and the</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"> Fox News assholes who vomit misinformation and fear mongering as extremists who couldn't possibly be taken seriously. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">Well, guess what? They are - and by millions of gun-toting Americans.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">Her speech today struck me as being very revealing not only because she made herself and her movement the victim but she said something so ridiculously hypocritical that I realized these people; Beck, Limbaugh, Roberts etc. are so immersed in extremism that reality is whatever they say it is. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">"Especially within hours of a tragedy unfolding, journalists and pundits should not </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><strong>manufacture a blood libel</strong></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible." – Sarah Palin, Jan12, 2011</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">To use the term </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_libel" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">"blood libel"</span></a><span style="font-size: small;"> demonstrates an incredible amount of ignorance and <span style="font-family: Arial;">insensitivity. Do you think she knows what blood libel means? Does she know how loaded those two words are with centuries of prejudice and horrific persecution? </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">The most galling thing about her speech is that fostering a climate of fear and hate is her movement's modus operandi.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">And with the collaboration of Fox News who has a loyal audience representing a third of Americans, Sarah and company have a huge bullhorn with which to broadcast their messages of hate and paranoid unabated.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TS5ptghpo9I/AAAAAAAABCw/e6EBDzciYMY/s1600-h/bigstory-20080219-obama%5B35%5D.jpg"><img alt="bigstory-20080219-obama" border="0" height="204" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TS5ptwDbOWI/AAAAAAAABC0/lrJ69EYHPB8/bigstory-20080219-obama_thumb%5B33%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="bigstory-20080219-obama" width="272" /></a></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">I agree totally with TV critic, <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/television/john-doyle/" target="_blank">John Doyle</a></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"> who states in today's Globe and Mail:</span><br />
<blockquote><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">"It has come to pass: Fox News does indeed define the U.S. political culture and the manner of debate inside that culture. It is to blame, but blame must be tempered by our understanding that Fox News is America and America is Fox News. There will be neither silence nor a change of tone until the Fox News Channel changes, or shuts up. That’s not going to happen. Look at the ratings. The ratings don’t lie."</span></blockquote><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b>Words do matter</b>. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">It's been a while since politicians engaged in civil discourse – on either side of the border. Fox News and the ideologues that speak from it's soapbox are reaping what they sow. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">It's time to plough the crop of crap under.</span>Alexander Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12543184429570418679noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121178874118591037.post-83979553124408052422010-12-31T11:34:00.000-05:002010-12-31T11:34:28.969-05:00Brand New Year!<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TR4EQEsdeiI/AAAAAAAABCQ/7ygO2cSOkhE/s1600-h/new%20year%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="new year" border="0" height="373" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TR4EQTxb06I/AAAAAAAABCU/Q8rIdHz2Q5w/new%20year_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="new year" width="466" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;"><b>Another chance to get it right!</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">Happy New Year to all of my friends who have taken the time to check in at my little corner of the cloud. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">This New Year's Eve will be spent with good friends in the quiet pastoral setting of the Eastern Townships. We'll be toasting in the New Year as the ball drops in each of Eastern Canada's time zones. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">Then, after giving each other double cheek kisses, retire to awaken to a new calendar and a new hope that the year will be better than the last.</span></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: right;"></div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><i>"The only way to spend New Year's Eve is either quietly with friends or in a brothel. Otherwise when the evening ends and people pair off, someone is bound to be left in tears."</i></span></blockquote><span style="color: blue;"><blockquote><i>W.H. Auden</i></blockquote></span><br />
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</div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3u5xS1lnv4c?fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3u5xS1lnv4c?fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> </div>Alexander Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12543184429570418679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121178874118591037.post-78183324433234563352010-12-25T00:01:00.000-05:002010-12-25T00:01:00.989-05:00I Believe in Christmas<span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">MERRY CHRISTMAS!</span><br />
<span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><strong><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TRUUQ1hPGqI/AAAAAAAABCA/T8X313JxW2s/s1600-h/christmas_magic%5B4%5D.jpg"><img align="left" alt="christmas_magic" border="0" height="228" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TRUURUi6E-I/AAAAAAAABCE/cpfptAA_uYc/christmas_magic_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 6px 0px 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="christmas_magic" width="277" /></a></strong></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Do you believe in Santa Claus? Do you believe in the story of the first Noël?</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Watching Christmas movies is one of my most anticipated Christmas traditions. Because I'm such a sentimental marshmallow, the syrupy stories of lost then found hope resonate with me. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">At the core of these movie plots is the question of believing in Santa Claus; which really translates into believing in the spirit of Christmas. Santa, like all myths, is a metaphor for those qualities that both warm our hearts and keeps humanity from annihilating itself; generosity, tolerance and hope.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">As stressful as things get, I refuse to abandon my neurotic desire to relive the wonder and awe of my childhood. Christmas gives all of us the licence to that. And why wouldn't we? </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana;">Sure, Christmas is a mythological construction. But saying something is a myth isn't the same as saying that it's a lie. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Our world is held together by the power of myths. These stories explain how we exist, where we come from, who we are. They precede art, religion and politics. They infuse our lives with meaning. Is there anything more human than to ask "Why was I born?"</span><br />
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<span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Just because we can scientifically prove that Santa doesn't inhabit a candy cane-stripped cottage at the North Pole doesn't mean that his story of generosity and magic doesn't glow in the hearts of millions of young and old alike. Is it even relevant that he be flesh and blood?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Mythology serves many purposes:</span><span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<ol><li><span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Myths grant continuity and stability to a culture. </span><br />
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<li><span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Myths present guidelines for living. </span><br />
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<li><span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Myths justify a culture's activities. </span><br />
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<li><span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Myths give meaning to life. </span><br />
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<li><span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Myths explain the unexplainable. </span><br />
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<li><span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Myths offer role models. </span></li>
</ol><span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Below is my favourite Christmas text which wasn't written as a piece of holiday prose but as a reply to a little girl's letter to the editor about the existence of Santa Claus. Are there such journalists as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Pharcellus_Church" target="_blank">Francis Pharcellus Church</a> today? (for the whole letter: <em><a href="http://www.newseum.org/yesvirginia/" target="_blank">Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus)</a></em></span><br />
<blockquote><em><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">"Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.</span></em></blockquote><blockquote><em><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished."</span></em></blockquote><span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Today, my social network is unplugged as I spend time with my family and think of all the things in life that I should be thankful for:</span><br />
<blockquote><span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">For my children who give my life so much meaning.</span><br />
<span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">For my extended family, many whom I haven't seen in years and many whom I have had the pleasure to reconnect with these past months.</span><br />
<span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">For my very close friends who have seen me at my worst and still love me unconditionally.</span><br />
<span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">And for Georges, who keeps his emotions locked deep within a heart that when called upon, grows three sizes too big.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;">I love you all and wish you a very happy Christmas and a New Year filled with peace, love, health and…magic. </span></span><br />
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<div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:5f77b1f9-250c-49a9-9162-2ac377b8acab" style="display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div id="46253b00-57da-4e8f-903f-f679782f6d2f" style="display: inline; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-sbueIxiIpE?hl=en&hd=1"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-sbueIxiIpE?hl=en&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="385"></object></div></div><div style="clear: both; font-size: .8em; width: 480px;">Yes Virginia! There is a Santa Claus</div></div><div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:3aa31b51-46fa-4b70-aa21-ad64d553d81e" style="display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div id="e21ecb65-ac7e-43bb-9361-e69e0b630c33" style="display: inline; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ml3G2TWnRcg?hl=en&hd=1"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ml3G2TWnRcg?hl=en&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="385"></object></div></div><div style="clear: both; font-size: .8em; width: 640px;">Greg Lake: I Believe in Father Christmas</div></div>Alexander Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12543184429570418679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121178874118591037.post-36663956929202116292010-12-24T08:00:00.001-05:002010-12-24T08:00:12.512-05:00Have Yourself a Very Diva Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TRPtLeF_unI/AAAAAAAABB8/LGaUKMq_FkU/s1600/vanessa-williams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TRPtLeF_unI/AAAAAAAABB8/LGaUKMq_FkU/s320/vanessa-williams.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana;">We're fast approaching Ho! Ho! day and what better way than to feature a couple of Diva's to keep the Yuletide gay!</span><br />
<span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanessa_L._Williams" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Vanessa Williams</b></span></a><span style="font-size: small;"> actually starred in a TV movie called "</span></span><a href="http://christmas-specials.wikia.com/wiki/A_Diva's_Christmas_Carol" target="_blank"><span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">A Diva's Christmas Carol</span></a><span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">." I haven't seen it but will try to; Kathy Griffith plays the ghost of Christmas Past! I love this version of Vanessa singing "What Child is This?" as much for the amazing black & white video as for the musical arrangement. It reminds me of the sort of arrangements heard on Oscar Peterson's Christmas CD: </span><a href="http://www.allaboutjazz.com/reviews/r1202_124.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">"An Oscar Peterson Christmas"</span></a><span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"> which is one of my favourites.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Although not a big "D" diva as in Judy, Maria Callas, Babs or Diana, Vanessa certainly plays one to the hilt in such shows as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugly_Betty">Ugly Betty</a> and now, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desperate_Housewives">Desperate Housewives.</a></span><br />
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<div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:522cc920-89ad-430b-90c3-4888b7e43a59" style="display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div id="e41352bc-8d78-4b63-9326-7d9264c15a1e" style="display: inline; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UiGeR0lwpkI?hl=en&hd=1"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UiGeR0lwpkI?hl=en&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="385"></object></div></div><div style="clear: both; font-size: .8em; width: 480px;">Vanessa Williams: What Child is This"</div></div><br />
<span style="color: #26656a;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><b>Cher</b></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><b> </b>is a big "D" Diva and she pulls out all the stops in this Phil Spector classic: </span><a href="http://music.msn.com/music/album/rosie-o'donnell/a-rosie-christmas/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">"Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"> with some ample <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-Tune" target="_blank">auto tune</a> help from Rosie O'Donnell</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">.</span><br />
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<div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:59c24baf-83fc-4a2d-a997-57dbdfc003a8" style="display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div id="678a7e63-edae-4279-ace0-fd9441b0ac6a" style="display: inline; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mhNs42nhkhA?hl=en&hd=1"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mhNs42nhkhA?hl=en&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="385"></object></div></div><div style="clear: both; font-size: .8em; width: 480px;">Cher & Rosie O'Donnell: Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)</div></div><span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><br />
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<span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><b>Enjoy. I hope that Santa or that other special Christmas elf leaves something really cool under your tree.</b></span>Alexander Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12543184429570418679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121178874118591037.post-90632293804447634552010-12-23T08:00:00.001-05:002010-12-23T08:00:05.058-05:00The Man with the Bag is Coming to Town<span style="color: #394a42;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TRKe-4aj7eI/AAAAAAAABBQ/0JSRW3WmoFI/s1600-h/904064%5B5%5D.gif"><img align="left" alt="904064" border="0" height="204" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TRKe_Pkb2PI/AAAAAAAABBU/ba3IVkHb8GQ/904064_thumb%5B3%5D.gif?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 5px 0px 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="904064" width="204" /></a>Here are two of my favourite Santa songs done in my favourite versions: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kay_Starr" target="_blank">Kay Starr's</a> <span style="color: red;">(Everybody's Waiting) For the Man With the Bag</span> and Bing and the Girls with <span style="color: red;">"Santa Clause is Coming to Town".</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #394a42;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><span style="color: red;"><br />
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<span style="color: #394a42;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">I hadn't heard "The Man With the Bag"until about 1996 when the Cocktail became cool again. We bought the Christmas Ultra-Lounge cd to play at our Toronto restaurant, Le Charolais over Christmas. Georges fell in love with the kitschy tunes and this song in particular. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #394a42;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><br />
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<span style="color: #394a42; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><span style="color: red;">"Santa Claus is Coming to Town"</span> breaks down into two camps; the rock version ushered in with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Gift_for_You_from_Philles_Records" target="_blank">Phil Spector</a> in 1963 and interpreted by Bruce Springsteen, The Pointer Sisters and every rocker wanna be in every Karaoke bar in the world.</span><br />
<span style="color: #394a42; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TRKe_YKvyBI/AAAAAAAABBY/lrTw9o60lKQ/s1600-h/Bing%20and%20Andrew%20Sisters%5B7%5D.jpg"><img align="right" alt="Bing and Andrew Sisters" border="0" height="210" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TRKfACpe06I/AAAAAAAABBc/71eSf0rIa8Y/Bing%20and%20Andrew%20Sisters_thumb%5B5%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Bing and Andrew Sisters" width="197" /></a></span><br />
<span style="color: #394a42; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">I do love </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crystals"><span style="color: #394a42; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">The Crystals</span></a><span style="color: #394a42; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"> version and the whole album </span><span style="color: #394a42; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">for that matter,b</span><span style="color: #394a42; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">ut whenever I hear <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bing_Crosby" target="_blank">Bing Crosby</a> & <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Andrews_Sisters" target="_blank">The Andrew Sisters</a> tear into the old chestnut, then it really feels like Christmas. This was kid #3's favourite when he was little. I'd play it in the car and we would all sing along with it. But, should anyone forget to sing Bing's very deep bass line: "..gather round", we'd have to rewind (remember that?) and start all over again.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">What's your favourite version of 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town'?</span><br />
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<div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:2632e91d-5ec4-4601-af4a-305dc1433f76" style="display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div id="6ce75086-e5d8-474f-aef0-291dd970f05b" style="display: inline; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/v-a_TiHrm34?hl=en&hd=1"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/v-a_TiHrm34?hl=en&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="385"></object></div></div><div style="clear: both; font-size: .8em; width: 480px;">Kay Starr : Everybody's Waiting for The Man with the Bag</div></div><div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:734845da-28b0-40e3-a54b-a1a5a54c6ca1" style="display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div id="df512fff-d657-4815-89e8-c25947d38e1c" style="display: inline; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0BjcV48W218?hl=en&hd=1"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0BjcV48W218?hl=en&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="385"></object></div></div><div style="clear: both; font-size: .8em; width: 480px;">Bing Crosby & The Andrew Sisters: Santa Claus is Coming To Town</div></div>Alexander Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12543184429570418679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121178874118591037.post-29915064786358572302010-12-22T11:08:00.000-05:002010-12-22T11:08:14.142-05:00Electronic Arts says It Gets Better<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TRIiCjWA7MI/AAAAAAAABBM/z3wmRpue6Uo/s1600/EA+gets+better.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TRIiCjWA7MI/AAAAAAAABBM/z3wmRpue6Uo/s320/EA+gets+better.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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The staff of Video game giant <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Arts">Electronic Arts</a> add their voice to the "<a href="http://www.itgetsbetter.org/">It Gets Better Project</a>".<br />
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<div style="background-color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10px; height: 32px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 2px; text-align: center; width: 640px;"><div><a href="http://www.gametrailers.com/" style="color: white;" title="GameTrailers.com">Video Games</a> | <a href="http://draft.blogger.com/game//" style="color: white;" title="Electronic Arts">Electronic Arts</a> | <a href="http://draft.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3121178874118591037" style="color: white;" title="It Gets Better: EA Employees">It Gets Better: EA Employees</a></div><div style="padding-top: 3px;"><a href="http://xbox360.gametrailers.com/" style="color: white;" title="XBox 360">XBox 360</a> | <a href="http://ps3.gametrailers.com/" style="color: white;" title="PS3">Playstation 3</a> | <a href="http://wii.gametrailers.com/" style="color: white;" title="Wii">Nintendo Wii</a></div></div></div>Alexander Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12543184429570418679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121178874118591037.post-38861957214740161112010-12-22T08:00:00.000-05:002010-12-22T08:00:08.714-05:00A Choo Choo Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TRFFWSTzUOI/AAAAAAAABBI/2iqBFcNb4-M/s1600/movies_polar_express.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="355" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TRFFWSTzUOI/AAAAAAAABBI/2iqBFcNb4-M/s640/movies_polar_express.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="color: #994631; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><br />
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<span style="color: #994631; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">For those of a certain generation, train sets were on the top of Santa's list. </span><br />
<span style="color: #994631; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">I loved the whole imaginary world you created with an electric train set. Train culture was very predominate in my hometown. <a href="http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moncton" target="_blank">Moncton</a> was a major hub for the CNR (Canadian National Railway) in the Maritimes. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #994631; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Perhaps the attraction is that, as a kid, there is very little in the grown up world that you have any say in. In this world of tiny shops, stations, stores and landscapes, you were king.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #994631; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">It was like being the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Friendly_Giant" target="_blank">Friendly Giant</a> holding the power to do whatever you wanted with your little kingdom. (Sort of like Stephen Harper, really.)</span><br />
<span style="color: #994631; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Of course each Christmas I would decorate the train village with the assorted buildings, tiny trees, but also a assorted collection of cowboys, indians and assorted animals from my toy farm. </span><br />
<span style="color: #994631; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">I remember first hearing "Old Toy Trains" in the sixties when Roger -"You Can't Rollar Skate in a Buffalo Herd"- Miller released it. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #994631; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">I bought the book <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Polar_Express" target="_blank">The Polar Express</a>, complete with silver bell, for my kids when they were very young. The book is beautiful; the story now a classic. They retained much of the same graphic look in the film version, and while the humanoid appearance of the characters are a bit creepy, once you get past that, it is an enchanting and very moving experience.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #994631; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">The song, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Believe_(Josh_Groban_song)">"Believe"</a> written for the movie by Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #994631; font-family: Verdana;">and sung by <a href="http://www.joshgroban.com/" target="_blank">Josh Groban</a> is one of those Andrew Lloyd Weber-ish big ballads that get on my nerves. But when sung over the visuals from the movie, the lyrics come alive and the song soars like wind tossed snowflakes.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #994631; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Can you hear the bell?</span><br />
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<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nQen8EY-XpU?fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nQen8EY-XpU?fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nZ19mW-TMRk?fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nZ19mW-TMRk?fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Alexander Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12543184429570418679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121178874118591037.post-19320172905747552882010-12-21T08:00:00.000-05:002010-12-21T08:00:04.516-05:00Deck the Halls with songs by Garland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TRAppBjcr5I/AAAAAAAABBE/nh9fr8mi0zI/s1600/tonightshow2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TRAppBjcr5I/AAAAAAAABBE/nh9fr8mi0zI/s400/tonightshow2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><br />
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<span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Judy wouldn't be Judy unless there was drama. And these songs are dramatic. </span><br />
<span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">The first is from her 1968 appearance on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tonight_Show_Starring_Johnny_Carson">Tonight Show with Johnny Carson</a>. It was her second to last appearance on TV before passing away a year later. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">I haven't heard this song before and find it very compelling. It's represents a sentiment that isn't expressed all that much during the "merry" season (and probably with good reason). </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana;">But with <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/ashleybaccam/when-people-break-up">statistics</a> that report a huge bump in the amount of break ups just before Christmas, it still seems relevant.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">This performance is so poignant on so many levels. If you know anything of her life story and the history of people walking out on her, it's heartbreaking to watch how she reaches deep inside her to deliver such a performance. That she does this while simply sitting in the guest chair on the Johnny Carson Show speaks to her legendary showmanship.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">"We can be happy anywhere as long as we're together."</span><br />
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<span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">One of the most popular Christmas songs, "Have Yourself a A Merry Little Christmas" was introduced to us in "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meet_Me_in_St._Louis">Meet Me in St. Louis</a>", a movie I first remember watching at Queen Street School where the Sisters would find us wholesome Christmas films to watch each year. (they were big on Bing). It was also there that I first saw "It's a Wonderful Life".</span><br />
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<span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">If you think the song is a downer now, check out the original lyrics that Judy and director husband, Vincent Minnelli had insisted be replaced.</span><br />
<blockquote><span style="color: #994631; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><em>"Have yourself a merry little Christmas, it may be your last,<br />
Next year we may all be living in the past<br />
Have yourself a merry little Christmas, pop that champagne cork,<br />
Next year we will all be living in New York.</em></span><br />
<span style="color: #994631; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><em>No good times like the olden days, happy golden days of yore,<br />
Faithful friends who were dear to us, will be near to us no more.<br />
But at least we all will be together, if the Fates allow,<br />
From now on we'll have to muddle through somehow.<br />
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now."</em></span></blockquote><span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">It was changed again when <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ6yQgBvuoI">Frank Sinatra</a> released the song changing the line:</span><br />
<blockquote><span style="color: #994631; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">"<i>Until then we'll have to muddle through somehow</i>". to </span><span style="color: #994631; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">"<i>Hang a shining star upon the highest bough</i>,"</span></blockquote><span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">I prefer the the "muddle" version. It best represents what I am able to accomplish each Christmas in spite of the best intentions. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Whatever your Christmas tradition, I wish you a very, very merry one.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Today's question?…<span style="color: #26656a; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Why do you suppose so many choose Christmas to break up? - Save on gifts? - Don't want to bring him/her home to meet the parents?</span></span>Alexander Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12543184429570418679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3121178874118591037.post-22383155552567517552010-12-20T08:00:00.000-05:002010-12-20T08:00:06.307-05:00Someday at Christmas?<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TQ7Nl1U5eSI/AAAAAAAABBA/_uqnHi5Qak0/s1600/peacechristmascards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nNwwlQ5dVVA/TQ7Nl1U5eSI/AAAAAAAABBA/_uqnHi5Qak0/s400/peacechristmascards.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Let's crank things up a bit with some Christmas music set to a Motown beat.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">I'm a huge fan of Motown and of Stevie Wonder and The Supremes in particular. So of course I listened to all of their Christmas releases. Admittedly, most of the Motown Christmas albums kind of sucked. They were full of fillers and versions of songs already done by other artists in the Motown stable..</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Stevie Wonder's contributions to my Christmas song favourites have also become popular favourites sung by many artists of all musical styles. But you can't beat the originals. </span></div><br />
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<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MtOmLeFdnGY?fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MtOmLeFdnGY?fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Alexander Raymondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12543184429570418679noreply@blogger.com1