The Passing of a Dance Icon

(source: http://www.danceontario.ca)

Celia Franca, founder of The National Ballet of Canada, and Artistic Director for 24 years, died at the age of85 died [Monday February 19] in The Ottawa Hospital.

Miss Franca (photo above with Karen Kain and Veronica Tennant) was honoured for her many achievements and contributions to the arts in Canada. In 1974 she received the Molson Prize, in 1979 The Annual Award of the International Society of Arts Administrators in New York and in 1986 the Canadian Conference of the Arts' Diplome d'Honneur. In 1984 she was honoured at a Gala at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.

In 1967 Miss Franca was invested as an Officer of the Order of Canada and in 1985 was made a Companion of the Order of Canada. In 1987 she received the St. George's Society of Toronto Award and that same year was among the first to be honoured with the Order of Ontario. She served as a member of the board of governors of York University, the board of directors of the Canada Council and the board of directors of the Canada Dance Festival Society.

The National Ballet of Canada dedicated the 2006/07 season, its first in the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, to Celia Franca.

"Celia was more than the National Ballet's founder. She was its presiding spirit, its most stalwart supporter and the embodiment of its ideals and values," said Karen Kain, the company's Artistic Director. "She inspired generations of dancers by her example and her devotion to the art of ballet. And most importantly, she made us believe in ourselves and that no goal was ever out of reach. She will be missed by everyone who cares about ballet."

Secret

Tiff saw a post on postsecret that reminded her of me.
I do miss my dog more than most people who have touched my life;
but that's no secret.
It honestly wasn't me.
Seeing pictures make me miss him more.
There had better be a doggy heaven, or there is no justice in the universe.

Groundhog Day

I don't get groundhog day at all. The concept of it is baffling. I'm pretty sure it's based on the belief that animals are more in tune with nature, and that the groundhog is somehow especially intuitive since it actually resides beneath the earth and it therefore the chosen mascot to herald spring. This, however, is where the logic ends for me.
It is my understanding that the tradition is as follows:
The groundhog (wireton Willy or whoever) is lured from his comfortable burrow.
If the groundhog does not see his shadow and become scared, he remains above ground and it means that winter is coming to an end.
If the groundhog DOES see his shadow, it freaks him the hell out and he darts back into his home, indicating six more weeks of winter.

Here's the problem I have with this: If he sees a shadow, it's sunny which means it's warmer which is a more likely indicator of spring than a spooked groundhog.

I did not pay attention to the outcome of this festival. I've figured out that it is obsolete this year. Considering we didn't get any snow until mid January and it's only now beginning to get progressively colder, odds are we're going to have six or possibly even more weeks of winter following this day. We have global warming to thank for that. We have SUVs, meat factories, and furriers to thank for that. We have years and years of ecological neglect to thank for that.

Don't look at the groundhog; we have only ourselves to blame.