Culture – Page 136

The boardwalk

March 24, 2007 by Tricia

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September, Woodbine Beach in Toronto

We went to the beach last year in September. It was late afternoon and although the day had been nice it was starting to get a little chilly. I suppose that’s why the beach was almost empty.

I think that I took this photo on the same day. This is part of Toronto’s famous boardwalk. This is what I would call the beginning of the boardwalk in the Ashbridges Bay area. As you can see the boardwalk was almost empty that day.

On nice days, the beach is crowded with people getting sun or playing volleyball. Throughout the whole year the boardwalk is a great place to walk. Residents lucky enough to live in that area of Toronto regularly walk their dogs, cats and just about any kind of pet that you can imagine on the boardwalk.

Right beside the boardwalk there’s a bicycle path.

We aren’t too far from the beach area. It’s about a 10 minute drive or a half hour bike ride. It’s not uncommon for Chris and I to get on our bikes anytime from April through to November and bike down to the beach area, or on some of the nice trails in the area.

We’re actually pretty lucky living in Toronto. The whole inner core of the city has ravines and parks where city residents can walk or bike. You can actually travel quite a distance throughout the city on the paths that interconnect throughout the city.

Biking on the trails, or walking on the boardwalk is a great way to get some exercise and enjoy a nice day.

Do you make time to enjoy some of the things that you can do in your city or town?

The modern expressionist artwork of Victor Lysakov

March 8, 2007 by Tricia

I think I might start a new feature on this site where I spot light the works of artists that I enjoy. I did that last weekend on one of my other blogs and it felt great.

So in that vein I’d like to introduce you to the works of Russian Artist Victor Lysakov. I just spent some time on his site looking through his gallery and reading about the artist himself and I’m impressed.

Lysakov’s paintings are vibrant and unique. The colors jump out at you and make a lasting impression. The style is modern expressionist, which as you may already know is often subjective.

Lysakov’s work is different in that a story accompanies each image which allows the viewer to have some insight into the artists muse and the meaning of the painting. His paintings contain images of animals, nature, creatures and other figures. Lysakov says his paintings merely depict life, stating that sometimes the scariest things in live are the most trivial ones. How true is that?

Lysakovic discovered his artistic talent as a young boy in Siberia. He’s now a full time artist who paints almost exclusively in oil or acrylic on canvas. He’s never been classically trained but he did study both Rembrandt’s and Bryullov’s techniques.

He’s pleased to be able to formally introduce his work to the American public. As I mentioned earlier his artwork can be viewed on his site in the gallery section. The paintings displayed in the gallery are being offered for sale. The prints have been replicated in giclÃ©e format and are printed on museum quality archival canvas. This material is UV-resistant in order to give each print a long life.

If you enjoy looking at art work please do visit Lysakovic’s website. I think you’ll enjoy viewing this talented artists work and perhaps you might even be moved enough to purchase a print.

Slush, Margeritas and the Ocean – a salty bunch

March 3, 2007 by Tricia

I should have looked at this weeks Photo Hunter theme earlier. The theme this week is Salty and I’m having trouble figuring out what I could post for it.

We just had a snow and ice storm so I suppose that I could take a photo of the slushy streets as I’m sure the melting snow contains some salt. Yes, when we have ice storms I think they still use some salt in the mix when the city clears the streets.

My brother came to Toronto from Vancouver with his wife. He’s here for a business conference, but his wife just tagged along so that she could shop and visit with us, my sister and one of my other brothers.

Chris and I will be getting together with them this afternoon. I’m not sure what we’ll be doing – perhaps some shopping, maybe just walking around downtown and seeing some of the sights. Either way I plan on bringing my camera along. Perhaps I’ll find some interesting things to take pictures of. Toronto is an interesting city … and now that I know that next weeks Photo Hunter theme is architecture I know which Toronto building I’d love to get a shot of. You’ll love it!

Later this evening we’re going to meet up with my sister and my other brother and perhaps some of my nephews and nieces for dinner in a downtown restaurant. Maybe I’ll order a margarita and take a photo of it’s “Salty” rim? That would work!

I’ve been feeling so rotten lately that I haven’t been out much. It will be nice to get out and visit with my relatives as well as just be out of this house. Of course I think I’m going to be out for 10+ hours, so I hope I’m up for it. It’ll be a drag if I’m feeling horrible by the time our dinner out rolls around.

I’ll leave you with this photo that my friend Jordan sent me. It is Salty since it’s a photo of the ocean:

Have a great weekend!

Snow,Ice and no Internet – Oh No!

March 2, 2007 by Tricia

We had a huge snow storm yesterday!

It was so bad that it knocked out my internet AND cable connections at about 5:30 pm yesterday afternoon. Thunder, snow and Ice … that’s what yesterday was all about!

We had well over a foot of snow and got some freezing rain too.

I actually wrote the bulk of this post yesterday in notepad while I was waiting for the internet and cable to come back on. This is what I was thinking about:

I should go out and shovel. I really should. The only problem is that I’m feeling just terrible and I’ve got yet another fever. I’m afraid that if I bundle up to go outside and start pushing the snow around I’ll feel even worse.

You’d think that maybe, just this one time our neighbors would have at least shoveled the snow from the sidewalk in front of our house? Chris does most of the snow shoveling for our house. I used to do my fair share but when I’m sick I just can’t.

When Chris gets out and shovels he always does our two elderly neighbors sidewalks and the walkway leading up to the front of their house. He also often does the sidewalk in front of the house that is attached to our own. That means he shovels from the corner and the fronts walks and sidewalks of four or five houses! He does this almost every time he shovels.

I looked outside and two of the neighbors have shoveled but they didn’t do our sidewalk or my stalker elderly neighbor Sofie’s sidewalk.

Darn … I think I just talked myself into shoveling. I can’t leave it that way. I guess I’ll go bundle up and see how far I get. I am most definitely not shoveling for the neighbors who already did some of their own shoveling … the ones that we often shovel for normally.

So yes, I did end up going out to shovel. Darn neighbors! Five years of helping people out and when I can’t get out to do it because I’m sick and my husbands at work they don’t bother. I’m tired of being nice and getting walked on. No more!

Our internet and cable returned about four hours after it had gone out. What a frustrating day it was.

Study shows black children pick white dolls over black dolls – What’s wrong with this picture?

February 21, 2007 by Tricia

I just watched an absolutely shocking video on Ria Rodriguez’ blog AfroRomance.

In the 50’s just prior to the lifting of segregation of blacks a study was done using black children as the test subjects. Each child had two dolls placed in front of them – one black and one white. Unsurprisingly for the times when questioned which doll was their favorite, or which was the good doll the children overwhelmingly chose the white doll.

Now, a high school student, Kiri Davis, who happens to be an aspiring film maker has made a short 8 minute documentary in which she did the same study over again with young black children. You must watch the short ABC video on Ria’s Blog. I’d love to hear your opinion, or better yet leave a comment for Ria as well.

The results of her study are shocking! The black children again chose the white doll as being the good doll, the “better” doll, the one that they’d most want to play with. Why? One child replied “Because she’s white”.

What does that mean when young black children in the year 2006/07 still think that a white doll, and likely therefore a white person is better? Are there still such racial issues out there that I as a white person am not seeing or feeling as much as black people and others who are not white are experiencing?

Now I live in Canada, and I know this is not a perfect Country by any means, but I do think that there are less racial issues here in the majority of cities than there are in the USA. I’m not saying there aren’t any at all, but I think there are less issues to deal with here than in major US centers like LA, New York and Chicago.

When I was a little girl I had many dolls to play with. Do you know which one was my favorite? It was a little Eskimo doll. Why? Well I am part Native Indian and this was a doll that looked the most like part of my heritage. Which again is why I’m totally astounded that the young black children in this short documentary didn’t identify with the black doll as being most like themselves and therefore “better” than the white doll.

All I can think is that it’s not necessarily true racial issues that have made these young children state that the white doll was better than the black doll, but the media influence that is all around them today. The commercial world is still a white world. Toys made for children are overwhelming based on white society. Television shows, commercials and even video games are based on white culture.

What would happen if this study was done with young white children? Frankly I think the results would be the same. Why? Well, the white children would be identify with the doll that is most like themselves and their culture. Plus, I think, that considering todays media and commercialism is based on white society that would also influence their decision.

Am I wrong?

What do you think? Lets get a discussion going about this.

The boardwalk

The modern expressionist artwork of Victor Lysakov

Slush, Margeritas and the Ocean – a salty bunch

Snow,Ice and no Internet – Oh No!

Study shows black children pick white dolls over black dolls – What’s wrong with this picture?

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