JOSHUA BELL

Looking forward to Joshua Bell Live

 in Denver tonight! http://www.joshuabell.com/reviews/boettcher-concert-hall-denver

It's been such a long time.....

I know it's been such a great awhile, as my summer was overwhelmingly busy, but now I'm back and will try to catch up a bit.

Been traveling here and there, Denmark, Sweden, London, Paris to name a few. Squeezed in a visit to Bastille Opera House in Paris and saw the rarely performed "Il Trittico" by Puccini.

I miss you Freddie......

Is this the real life
Is this just fantasy
Caught in a landslide
No escape from reality
Freddie Mercury


5 September 1946 - 24 November 1991

Freddie Mercury meant a lot to me growing up, as a teenager, he was my Idol. I loved opera and Freddie! Queen was my first concert, Freddie's musical talent along with his voice range was the best by far. He was a true talent!


Pictured with Montserrat Caballé the greatest soprano of all times!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddie_Mercury

The Tales of Hoffman

An Unfinished Tale...

Indeed, a tale of tales! Enjoyed the opening night (Saturday, November 7, 2009) of "Tales of Hoffman" at the Elle Caulkins Opera Colorado. It's my first time seeing this production, a production that showed an amazing talent, not only by the principles, but an amazing chorus, stage director, and production.


Overview Inspired by the tales of the German Romantic poet E.T.A. Hoffmann, the opera tours a dramatic dreamscape populated with beautiful courtesans, magical portraits and fantastical automatons. The lush music fuels the visual style of the stage design inspired by 19th century couture and Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher. This innovative production brings to life Offenbach's vivid fantasy of a poet obsessed with four remarkable women – and the four villains bent on his destruction.Stage Director Renaud DoucetSet and Costume Design André BarbeConductor Emmanuel Joel-Hornak This production is a co-production between Opera Colorado, Opera Theatre of St. Louis and Boston Lyric Opera.

Me and Julian Gavin, tenor- at Elle Caulkins Opera House
http://www.operacolorado.org/operas/hoffmann/

Nice To Meet You; Pass the Purell

Read an article on USA TODAY and couldn't help to comment on it.

Nice to meet you; Pass the Purell is the headline and not far fetched and it's something that I will do without hesitation. Or better yet, shouldn't we incorporate the "bow" rather than the typical "handshake"? I lived in Asia for 3 years and would not be awkward in reverting to the bow, it comes natural for me (I must say, I'm doing it now, and of course, been looked at "funny"). Could we blame "them"?

Now, let's be frank here, H1N1 hasn't killed any more (so far) than the typical Influenza Type A for instance, so, is it the possibility of a "pandemic" in question and feared here? Nevertheless, none of us have stopped going on with our lives, though some establishments (mostly medical facilities, I think) have taken precautions, some doctor's offices have pulled their magazines and toys from the waiting room (actually I am glad they have done that and would be even happier if they discontinue for good), I never liked the idea of touching items in the waiting room that other people (who could possibly be contagious) anyways.

Something that really bothers me and I don't seem to ever understand: Why do "early learning centers" where toddlers, teachers and parents walk about the classroom floors with their "street shoes" on, the same floor these toddlers play on. What's wrong with that picture? I think everyone should remove their shoes when inside the classroom where activities are on the floor, i.e., playing with toys, sitting on the floor to read and laying on the floor, though in a mat, I've seen kids with their faces on the floor while sleeping. They do it in certain Asian cultures!

Yes, pass the sanitizer, sneeze into your elbow and remove your shoes! Oh yes, wash your hands!!!

Rio wins right to host the 2016 Olympics

I am totally ecstatic with the win of the bid to host the 2016 Olympics! This was a very emotional moment for me, as it made me feel nostalgic of my home country. "President Lula" gave a very passionate speech and indeed confirming the theme (at least according to my book) of the the next Olympics in Rio: Live with Passion! Indeed, he showed what a passionate Brazilian citizen can be! Just goes to show you, the influence Brazil has gained-- they truly are a rising global power- in my opinion at least!

Here's some links to some of the online news:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/03/sports/03olympics.html?_r=1&WT.mc_id=fb_nyt644&WT.mc_ev=click

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091002/ap_on_sp_ol/oly2016_bids

http://globoesporte.globo.com/Esportes/Noticias/Olimpiadas/0,,MUL1327272-17698,00-RIO%20TRANSFORMA%20O%20SONHO%20OLIMPICO%20EM%20REALIDADE%20E%20CONQUISTA%20OS%20JOGOS%20DE.html

Sympathy for Caster Semenya: Hermaphrodites Are People Too

by John Devereux



Imagine for a moment that you’re eighteen years old and the entire world is wondering if you’re a man, woman, or something in between. Helpful people have tried to remove the uncertainty by giving you a feminizing makeover. Welcome to Caster Semenya’s life.
Semenya’s prowess at the women’s 800 meters, combined with her muscular physique and curiously male demeanor have made the world wonder about her true sex. It has now been leaked by track and field officials that Caster Semenya has been declared a “hermaphrodite”.
In order to compete in track and field she has been forced to submit to an intrusive investigation of her chromosomal make-up and the structure of her reproductive organs. How would you feel in her shoes? Humiliated, embarrassed, downtrodden, ready to crawl into the nearest hole and never come back, I warrant. Can we show a little sensitivity and understanding in this difficult situation? After all, nobody is accusing Caster Semenya of cheating. She has been raised as a girl, considers herself to be a girl, and for all intents and purposes is a girl.

Is Caster Semenya a Hermaphrodite?
Technically a hermaphrodite is someone or something with both male and female reproductive organs. Hermaphrodism in humans is rare, but far from unknown. According to a Developmental Biology textbook by Scott F. Gilbert, human hermaphrodites typically have a sex organ that is somewhere between a penis and a clitoris. Some hermaphrodites have both a penis and large breasts.
Babies born with ambiguous sex organs are typically assigned a gender by doctors based on the size of the organ. Smaller equals female while larger equals male. Surgical procedures may be performed to “normalize” the organ. Some biologists consider gender to be part of a continuum rather than a binary situation.
The question is not, then, whether Caster Semenya is a man or a woman. She is perhaps somewhere in between. Since her gender identity has always been female, should she be allowed to competed in athletic competitions as a woman?
The answer is not so cut and dried. Semenya’s testosterone level has tested within allowed limits for female athletes. Who is to say than, that she should not be considered a woman? The question, I suppose, is whether it’s fair to other female competitors of unambiguous gender to force them to compete against a person whose unusual genetic make-up may give her a significant advantage. After all, the segmentation of competitors by sex is meant to level the playing field for female athletes.
Adding to the controversy is the fact that Caster Sememya is a black woman from South Africa, a country without a great history of success by black athletes in international competitions. During the apartheid era, South African athletes were long banned from international events. Now that the majority black population has political control over the country, they are understandably touchy about efforts to draw in to question the achievements of one of their own. Mutters about “racism” have been heard.
I suspect that Caster Semenya will be barred from future competitions, but I don’t see how anyone can be happy about it. Fairness is a hard thing to come by in this world, but there’s nothing very “fair” about excluding someone who doesn’t fit our conception about what a “normal” human being is. Here's the link to the original posting by John Devereux: TBD