Immigrants’ Children Look Closer for Love:
More Young Adults Are Seeking Partners of Same Ethnicity
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/07/AR2009030701841.html
Category: Uncategorized
2010 Vancouver Olympics: Ice Dancing
The best of ice dancing tells the story of two people falling in love. -Dick Button
Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir (CAN) – Gold Medal
This couple just WOW-ed the audience (and judges) with their steamy, fast-paced, and technically superb flamenco! Tessa used her long red skirt very skillfully as a prop; Scott’s expression was TERRIFIC throughout the dance.
At the end of the OD, V&M took the lead. This is one of the MOST well-choreographed ODs I’ve ever seen!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vDLpfGN80g
In the Free Dance (FD), V&M skated after their training partners/good friends Meryl Davis & Charlie White (USA). I LOVED D&W’s FD, and wondered what V&M would do. (Did you know BOTH couples have been skating with their respective partners for 13 years!?)
V&M went “old school” w/ a very sweet/elegant FD with one piece of romantic music. Their costumes were very simple, yet beautiful. The audience fell in love with them as well!
A fan blog:
http://virtuemoir.blogspot.com/
YouTube channel with many V&M videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/gillym123
Meryl Davis & Charlie White (USA) – Silver Medal
In the OD, Davis & White wore lovely Indian-inspired outfits. They danced to music from Bollywood movies, including the international hit Devdas. In a interview on the NBC web site, Charlie mentioned that they both took a classical Indian dance course to prep for their dance. Meryl was proud that many in India were watching (and commenting positively) about this program on YouTube. Very cool!
In the FD, D&W skated first in the final group. They set the bar VERY high! Their dance was fast, difficult, and passionate. Charlie is a VERY strong skater; Meryl moves like a ballerina. (IMHO they performed better than at Nationals.)
Meryl and Charlie looked exhausted at the end of the FD b/c they did their BEST! That’s how the Olympics should be…
YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/merylandcharlie
Watching these young North Americans, I was reminded of ground-breaking couples from the past: Marina Anissina & Gwendal Peizerat (my favorite team- from France), Isabelle & Paul Duchesnay (brother-sister team from France), and Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean (the famed duo from Great Britain). These teams paved the way for this confident new generation with their creative lifts, innovate choreography, and dedication to improve their sport (with OR without a medal).
I wish Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto got the bronze medal this time; in 2006, they won the silver. That judgment would have been fair, but it was NOT meant to be. B&A have contributed a LOT to ice dance over the last decade; it was FUN to watch them grow up and improve. They were the first U.S team taken seriously at the international level.
My 1st Olympics
1988 Calgary Olympics
These were the first Olympics I ever watched! I have a few vague memories of that time (since I was just 9). I went to YouTube recently to look back at some programs.
Brian Orser’s Short Program (SP)
A VERY well choreographed/fast/fun program revealing Orser’s personality, as well as skill. He was ahead of Boitano after the SP w/ this program.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8lQGAxH4VY&feature=related
Brian Boitano’s SP
Who knew a SP could ALSO be this artistic!?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me0RvshG1pY
Boitano’s Long Program (LP)
This was the gold medal-winning performance choreographed by Sandra Bezic (now a NBC commentator). As you will see, it was ALMOST flawless. Boitano was the total package, and then some IMHO. He created the ‘Tano lutz: a triple lutz with the left hand poised above the head. Besides his jumps (he’s the first American to land the triple axel) and spins, Boitano had a GORGEOUS spread eagle (another one of his signature moves) and TRULY felt the music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEYNskBniw0&feature=related
Orser’s LP
It was “too close,” as Orser says after he gets silver. He was the first man to do 2 triple axels at a major competition (1987 Worlds). Before the Brians in ’88, it wasn’t common to see 2 triple axels in one program. They BOTH set new standards for excellence, technically and artistically.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ4BLCff93M&feature=related
Viktor Petrenko’s LP
An 18 y.o. Ukranian (skating for the then USSR) burst onto the world stage w/ his elegant/mature program. Look at the height on his jumps, his beautiful lay-back spin, and posture! GREAT things were up ahead for Petrenko…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKj0E4U4zrY&feature=related
An interview looking back at the “Battle of the Brians”
U.S. Figure Skating Champs (Ice Dance)
I LOVE to watch ice dancing, BUT I never thought the US would have so MANY strong teams in this discipline! I’m VERY proud that we have such accomplished dancers going to the Vancouver Olympics. Can we beat the Russians? Hmmm… we’ll have to see. But we can be TOUGH competitors this year!
Part-time University of Michigan students Meryl Davis & Charlie White (pic above) defeated Tanith Belbin & Benjamin Agosto for the 1st time in their careers. Davis & White had a very creative Original Dance (OD) this year with Bollywood music. Their style and flair remind me of my fave team, Marinna Anissina & Gwendal Peizerat (FRA).
In their Free Dance, D&W skated to music from Phantom of the Opera. Though both teams had well-choreographed/difficult/engaging programs, D&W had better music than B&A. I think the audience was leaning a little more toward D&W also. I esp. liked D&W’s lifts and how they used the music. They are BOTH very strong skaters; they were paired up 10 years ago!
Bronze medalists Emily Samuelson & Evan Bates (pic above) had a very fun and fast-paced country-western OD. The audience LOVED it! (Evan shares a house on the UMich campus w/ Charlie White.)
Samuelson & Bates, who I learned about last year, are very strong/athletic skaters. But they can also be artistic, as they showed in their FD.
Emma on recent news
Murder at Yale
There have been some very disturbing issues in the news lately. The item that seems topmost in people’s minds is the brutal killing (which may’ve been premeditated) of Yale grad student, Annie Le. One of my younger (female) cousins also attends an Ivy and performs work similar to that of the deceased young woman. I also have two acquaintances (from my NYC days) w/ connections to Yale. One of them attended Yale for undergrad; another is currently in the MBA program. Yale looks like an unlikely place for such a heinous murder. Many people are wondering why it occurred. Was the accused, Raymond Clark III, jealous of Le’s superior intellect and workplace success? They were the same age and worked in the same lab, though Le was in a higher position. Or did he just lose control, and kill her without intent? (I highly doubt this!)
Annie Le was a promising young scientist; she was also petite, pretty, and exuded happiness in photographs released to the media. Her parents were described as quiet, hardworking people by neighbors in Le’s rural California hometown. She was engaged to be married to a bright young man, her long-time boyfriend, attending Columbia. Tragically, her body was discovered by New Haven police on her proposed wedding day. One of her mentors, Dr. Rocky Tuan, appeared on Larry King Live; he said she was “one of the most intelligent and motivated students” he’d ever met. Le interned at the NIH during summers under Dr. Tuan’s supervision. Wow, writing this is choking me up a bit!
What can we do on a day-to-day basis to decrease violence, especially violence against women? I know several people involved in non-profits that aid women and children. But you don’t need to be an expert on this topic to better the situation. If you have some money handy, why not attend a social event where some of the proceeds go to charity? If you are a parent/guardian, teach your children (both genders) that sexist talk in not appropriate in any situation. Teach by example from a young age. There are situations where girls should be treated more gently than boys, as my aunts and older friends often say.
If you are a teenage boy/young man, don’t ignore nasty comments, jokes, and stories your buddies say about females. Call them on it- you could change their minds. What if they make fun of you? Being considerate to girls will get you further than your buddies in the long run. As for the girls, you can make a difference by being more observant. Are any of your friends being treated unkindly by their boyfriends? Look for clues, both verbal and physical. Don’t stay silent; acting subservient won’t attract the right kind of man.
President’s health care plan
Another news item being discussed is the opposition to President Obama’s health care plan. First, one of South Carolina’s state reps, Republican Joe Wilson, yelled “You lie!” during Obama’s speech to the joint session of Congress. Some people outside cheered; in no time Wilson was flooded with campaign contributions and new adoring right-wing fans. Secondly, Former president Jimmy Carter said that racism is the cause of such vehement opposition to Obama’s plans. Now, we should respect Carter for the positive things he’s done after leaving office (as my Dad said); he has written many books as well. It is a well known fact that he grew up in rural Georgia during segregation, and his mother worked as a nurse with African-American patients.
I’m pretty sure all of the “tea party” protestors I saw last SAT on the DC metro were white; most of them were over 40. There were a few families with kids, too. But an attractive young couple, who didn’t fit the typical Republican image, stood out in my mind. Are these people concerned about the state of their health insurance? Yes. They feel that if we give coverage to more people, their coverage will do down the tubes. But they have no proof that yet! These are middle-class types worried about taxes, not just illegal (or “undocumented” as some prefer) immigrants. What documents did their (white) ancestors have when they left Europe for America, I wonder? Are all these people racist? Of course not!
President’s speech on education
Why were parents/school districts freaking out even before Obama spoke? What’s wrong with addressing youth, many of whom admire the attractive/cool/youthful president? I didn’t listen to all of this speech, but read/heard sections. Pres Obama basically said the same things one of my old friends believed; she works as a money manager in SoCal. Though she was from a very wealthy/well-connected family, she studied long hours and worked hard to prove herself in college and in the workplace. Having successful parents motivated her more than many others her age, not less! Being from a Hindu Indian family made her feel proud, not different; she didn’t believe in peer pressure. This young lady believed that it was mainly up to her to get the best grades, no matter what the subject was or who the teacher was of the course. Things didn’t come easy to her (she switched majors twice and settled for her second favorite career), so she had to put in the hours. The only time she took off was Friday afternoon and evening. Obama must’ve been like her as a student, I imagine.
Knightleyemma 