Running of the Squirrels

   Due to the current financial crisis in Spain, the Pamplona council has decided to replace its running of the bulls with a new venue called the running of the squirrels, a cost effective alternative to the traditional one and approved by the European Council as an example of Spain’s new commitment to fiscal responsibility. The event will start with prayers by the runners to St. Vermin, the patron saint of rodents and begins at the corral at Santo Domingo, goes through the Ayuntamiento Square and down Mercaderes street as well as Estafeta street in the old town and ends up in the town bullring at the end of the Telefónica stretch. Updated versions of Ernest Hemingway`s classic, “The Sun also Rises”, reflecting the changes will be on sale.

A Portrait of the Pre Adult as a Young Man

  There’s a new phase in the developmental stages of men – the Pre Adult. This is an extended period of time between adolescence and adulthood during which males have adult privileges without adult responsibilities. IKEA in Australia has responded to this need by creating a nursery for men modeled on its children’s play area where the adults i.e. women shop while the kids (men) play. The area has free hotdogs, video games, pinball and other things that appeal to the Pre Adult when he leaves his home basement man cave to venture into the wider world. IKEA hopes to roll this Mänland out in North America in the near future after testing the concept in Australia. See the video below for a demonstration where the men certainly see the benefits.

  At least these boys have significant others so they can be categorized as late stage Pre adulthood as opposed to those who can’t even develop a relationship with the opposite sex. This is a new consumer demographic and websites such as Eternal Bachelor have stepped in to market products such as Eternal Bachelor logoed t shirts to this group. Kay Hymowitz, a William E. Simon Fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor of City Journal who has degrees in English literature from Brandeis, Tufts, and Columbia University, in her book, “Manning up: Has the rise of women turned men into boys”, addresses the sources of the new life stage which she identifies as young, educated males between the ages of 21 and 35 who hang out with their bros, read Maxim magazine, watch cable channels, play computer games and worship screen characters as portrayed by Seth Rogen and Adam Sandler.  She certainly doesn’t hold back in her book and in an article published in the Daily Beast says:

Shocked? I wasn’t. During the last few years researching this age group, I’ve stumbled onto a powerful underground current of male bitterness that has nothing to do with outsourcing, the Mancession, or any of the other issues we usually associate with contemporary male discontent. No, this is bitterness from guys who find the young women they might have hoped to hang out with entitled, dishonest, self-involved, slutty, manipulative, shallow, controlling—and did I mention gold-digging?

  She also says that these aging frat boys don’t have to worry about a lonely midlife because as they get older the pool of potential female partners increases while the pool of desirable men decreases. The drawback is that they’re intimidated by their more highly educated (women make up 58% of college graduates) and higher paid alpha female counterparts. A distinguished columnist at the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, those bastions of objective and insightful reporting, she is well regarded as a commentator on childhood, family issues, poverty and cultural change in the States.

   My twenty two year old son who is a member of the North American hikikomori  has played video games like War Craft at night and slept during the day with the occasional food foray for the last five years. He doesn’t seem particularly intimidated by his three alpha female older sisters who graduated summa cum laude or magna cum laude from higher learning institutions and during the occasional appearance from his basement man cave where he keeps his state of the art computer rig as well as his bed seems content. I hope that this developmental stage doesn’t last until he is thirty five.

Son playing computer game

Polish festival 2011

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Now entering its sixth year, the Roncesvalles Polish Festival brings a unique old-world charm to Roncesvalles Village, well known as one of Toronto’s most vibrant, diverse and creative neighbourhoods. Come and experience everything that Roncesvalles Village has to offer: our rich Polish heritage, our art, music and culture, our fabulous restaurants and unique, trendy shops.

“We are expecting over 200,000 people this year,” said Andrew Chomentowski, Vice Chair of the Roncesvalles Village BIA. “Roncesvalles Avenue is the main street of the coolest neighbourhood in Toronto, home to a huge number of innovative entrepreneurs, merchants, artists, musicians and artisans. During the festival you’ll experience the street’s history and explore its trendy shops and restaurants.” Our festival, which is free, is a great destination for families. Roncesvalles Village is only minutes away from Lake Ontario and High Park. Best of all, it’s easy to get to by TTC. (from festival website)

Polish knight

Lots of chess players on the street

Looking north on the street

High Park toronto

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  When I walked from the Ukrainian festival to the Polish festival on Sunday, I took a detour through High Park which is between the two festivals. I started at the top of the map (north) and walked down the center road to just below the yellow area on the map below and then went east on the path that leads past the park zoo.

High Park map

High Park is a municipal park which spans 161 hectares (400 acres), and is a mixed recreational and natural park, with sporting facilities, cultural facilities, educational facilities, gardens, playgrounds and a zoo. One third of the park remains in a natural state, with a rare oak savannah ecology. High Park was opened to the public in 1876 and is based on a bequest of land from John George Howard to the City of Toronto. It is the largest park entirely within the city. (Wikipedia)

Lake Ontario in the distance looking south

Reflecting pools in the center of the park

Looking west towards Grenadier Pond

Park zoo

Looking east along the zoo path

Children`s play area

Duck Pond on east side of park

Ukrainian festival 2011 (3) dance

Youth group

Ukrainian festival 2011 (2) Food

Grandma`s perogies

Desert

Beer garden

My dinner – sauerkraut, schnitzel and red cabbage salad

Ukrainian festival 2011 (1)

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  Last Sunday, I went to the Toronto Ukrainian festival which is billed as the largest Ukrainian festival in North America. I’ve noticed almost all of the festivals which I attended in Toronto this year have said that they’re the largest of their type so what’s going on with the rest of the continent.  On the same day, I also went to the Polish festival which also advertises itself as the largest in North America. There are so many different ethnic festivals in Toronto that they have to double up on weekends! The Ukrainian one was better than the Polish festival but then they’ve been at it for fifteen years while this is the sixth year for the Poles. There seem to be Polish perogies as opposed to Ukrainian ones although I couldn’t tell the difference in taste or appearance. The two festivals were about two miles apart so I could hike from one to the other through High Park, a large wooded area in west central Toronto.

Poster for festival

The Ukrainian Canadian community in Canada is made up of over 4 million people who trace their heritage to Ukraine and have been part of the Canadian mosaic for over 128 years. The community is well known and respected. As a result the Festival attracts diverse audiences with multi generational families not only from the GTA, but from all parts of Canada, the USA and abroad. (from festival webpage)

Icons for sale

The Ukrainian Canadian Research & Documentation Centre (UCRDC) (Ukrainian: Українсько-Канадський Дослідчо-Документаційний Центр, French: Centre Ukrainien Canadien des Recherches et Documentation) is a community center which collects, catalogs, and preserves material documenting the history, culture and contributions of Ukrainians throughout the world. UCRDC produces documentary films, such as the 2003 Between Hitler and Stalin, prepares educational materials, and sponsors lectures, conferences and exhibits on various topics related to Ukrainian issues.

UCRDC is a non-profit organization which seeks community support through various fundraising activities. The Center functions as a resource location which, according to its website, "holds an archive, a small library, oral histories (both in audio and video format), photographs, memoirs, personal archives and other miscellaneous items." (wikipedia)