July 23, 2016 Paul McCartney, Live and Let Die, in Hamilton. I was able to edit a version from 2 angles thanks to Alene filming part of it from a different part of the arena. This was the big production of the show, befitting the song which is arguably the best Bond song ever. To say it was a blast would be understatement.
July, 2016 The Euro 2016 Final was amazing.
Early in the final game Ronaldo exited in tears. But if you thought Ronaldo’s tournament and contribution to the final was over you would have been very wrong.
In this game the French were heavily favoured. And it would have been glorious for them to win as the host country. Everyone would have been happy. Portugal of course lost their hosting tournament to Greece when they were similarity heavily favoured. Portugal had not beaten France for many years. But sometimes the sporting gods like to write a more interesting story.
Ronaldo only played 20 minutes before succumbing to an injury from a nasty tackle by Payet. For me the tackle was a little cynical and produced negative karma for France. In hockey the knee on knee hit is dangerous and reckless. On replay it was clear that Ronaldo's knee was flexed about 4 inches in the wrong direction. Ouch! Ronaldo wept openly. He bravely tried to continue but had to be taken off on a stretcher in tears.
For the rest of the game the sheer theatre of Ronaldo’s presence was inspiring. Late game he self appointed himself co-manager and barked out instructions limping around the manager's box with “official” manager Santos. He even at times drifted onto the field. You could feel his passion.
At minute 79 Santos subbed in Eder for the upcoming star Sanches. Eder? I love it when a manager makes a late change in a game that produces results. In this case it made history. Eder was born in Guinea-Bissau. His parents were very poor and unable to care for him. He ended up in Portugal at the age of 3 and grew up at the Lar de Girassol institution near Coimbra. Eder loved football, and finally his talent was recognized and he was allowed to attend a local academy. He has knocked around a few clubs and fought back from serious injury, and now plays in Lille France. Now....this guy is not graceful. But in extra time, he makes a gangly run across the front of the box and unleashes a powerful bending low strike that beats Lloris. The Portuguese go ballistic and Ronaldo is now over the top in intensity.
At one point Ronaldo excitedly usheres an injured player back onto the pitch because they are dangerously down to 10 men. It's a frenzy. Portugal hang on and win 1-0. Ronaldo of course takes off his shirt. In the end it was really a beautiful tactical team effort. France could muster no response. Deschamps' managing was poor. Pepe was excellent throughout the tournament. I loved his “imperious” late game clearing header. Nani seemed reborn and always dangerous. The rest of the team played as a well organized unit under Santos' guidance. And of course Ronaldo...who at times...against Hungary and Wales...carried the team on his shoulders and produced brilliant moments.
Ronaldo is often vilified for reasons of his own making. I think it's because he displays ALL his emotions openly and passionately. We would likely and quietly feel and think the same as him under similar circumstances, but keep a lid on it. But now, he has risen to new heights in an already stellar career. Messi who?
July, 2016 There ae things lurking in the forest.
June 30, 2016 Sitting around a pool in summer I often think of The Swimmer, with Burt Lancaster and it's subversive message. Have a look at my essay on the film.
June 25, 2016 Yes my very precise telescope uses a guidance system made from a piece of water-main, a pickle jar lid, a toy car wheel and a rubber band.
June 1, 2016 Night tree.
May 9 2016 This is a projection of the sun through binoculars during the transit of Mercury. The arrow points to the planet, I think.
May 7 2016 Pierre Bensusan at St. Stephens Church in Toronto. Amazing guitar player. Watch the fluid grace of his left hand. Rare to be in such a good spot to take my own video. I happened to have along a 200mm lens which worked out perfectly.
April,28 2016 I have always secretly wanted my own reader board. Then, recently I came across a set of discarded signage letters, and voila…now installed in The Coffee Planet. My own 18 character max. analog Twitter. If anyone would care to contribute a succinct maxim let me know. And...very handy for birthday parties too..
April,24 2016 Paris to Ancaster bike race. Not to muddy this year.
April,3 2016 Walking home at night in a snowy part of the universe.
March 6, 2016 New Coffee Planet recordng by Tig. Ancient Thirst. Check it out.
March 1, 2016 Long before Banksey there was Blek le Rat. 20 years before. I photographed this piece by street artist Blek in Paris in 1985. Blek was an early proponent of stencil use and Banksey freely acknowledges his influence. Read more and about a few other street artists.
Feb 27, 2016 "Starve" is a brilliant new comic book series. It's Iron Chef meets Road Warrior as chefs of the near future battle in a morally broken TV spectacle known as Starve. Read the review.
Feb 25, 2016 Film review: Best of Enemies (2015). Absorbing documentary on the 1968 TV debates between brainy heavy weights Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley Jr during the US national political conventions. Each night the two well-known intellectuals weighed in on the issues of the day, which sadly have not changed: race riots, inequality, war, the rich and poor. The two hated each other, and ultimately combine for an entertaining left vs right battle of pompous elocutions. Read the review
Feb 14, 2016 The demographic overlap must be quite thin between those who might want a Louis Vuitton hand bag, and those who play video games. Never the less, here it is: Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII modelling for LV in a New York Times ad today. It’s a great looking ad and this digital chracter is part of a bigger campaign on the web, but it still seems like an odd choice since mostly young males play the game. But, Japan is a big market for LV and this character is well known there. There also seems to be a natural synergy here. A touch of AI and virtual reality. It feels like a good fit somehow. It also feels like a fresh idea even though Lightning was briefly in a Prada ad a few years go. It will be interesting to see if this is the start of a trend.
Feb 04, 2016
Orphx at The McMaster LIVELab with video graphics by Jackie Levitt. A pulsaing and hypnotic show. This group usually plays in places like Berlin to 1000's of people, so it was a pleasure to see them in such an intimate space.
Dec 9, 2015 A little night photograpjy while strolling through the neighbourhood.
Nov 18, 2015 Espresso machine action in Hamilton.
Nov 14, 2015 Kale Porn. 12 kale varieties from Alene's garden still going strong in November.
Nov 4, 2015 Not sure what it is, but the invasion has started.
Oct 25, 2015 Road trip to Toronto with my pal TVZ who likes cigars. He said to me, "you gotta see this place." It's like slipping into a worm whole and ending up in Cuba. The ladies were rolling fresh cigars with leaves from the island. F. Corrrenti Cigars, is quite a place and it has been there for like 100 years. There is a noteable picture wall with photos of patrons, from Bill Clinton to Brad Pitt
Oct. 14 2015 Georgetown Boys project. Alene and I have had these photos of the Georgetown Boys for along time. They were taken, we believe, by Aris Alexanian when he was a teacher there in 1923-27. We occasionally come across people who are related to the boys, and thought that it would be a good idea to create a website with the photos in case anyone can identify the boys or would like copies of a long lost relative. We would be happy to send along a hi-res version of any of the images to any relatives. In addition a few of the images are currently being used at The Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg. There will also be some used in an exhibition on genocide at The Sarah Corning Center for Genocide Education in Toronto. Have a look at the site.
Sept. 23, 2015 The mighty Niagara. Quick fly by during a bike ride. GoPro shot hence the wide angle. One of my favourite spots to view the cataract since I worked here as a kid, for the Niagara Parks Commission.
