There’s an audio interview with author Nicholas Delbanco related to his new book Lastingness: The Art of Old Age on NPR’s website.

This All Things Considered interview is included alongside an article that’s based on parts of the conversation, as well as an excerpt from Delbanco’s book. The work is titled ‘Lastingness’: The Creative Art Of Growing Old.

While listening and skimming through the text, I realized online packages can provide a virtual cultural experience. The radio piece constructs an intimate space between the host, guest and listener that reminds me of the Vancouver International Writers Festival.

Host Robert Siegel questions Delbanco about why he wrote this book, which is focused on the creative work of famous artists in their later years. Delbanco responds with answers that are somewhat personal, as he’s a 68-year-old writer.

Delbanco’s words reveal wisdom that comes from experience, and this adds a layer of depth when he talks about the tensions between being a young versus an old artist.

And then there’s the artist statement, a.k.a. the short article based on the interview.  Reading this article is like sifting through an artist leaflet. It summarizes main points of interest in Delbanco’s work, and picks out important quotes.

“Delbanco examines artists who either maintained or advanced their work past the age of 70 — from Claude Monet, to Giuseppe Verdi, to Georgia O’Keeffe.”

But wait, the highlight of the event is yet to come: the excerpt. This piece reveals Delbanco’s reflective way of thinking and writing. He writes that artists “leave evidence behind of having grappled with mortality” in their late stages of life.

His interests in lastingness and legacy are also revealed.

“Our generation, like all others, yearns to produce some something that continues — and the generative impulse, when artistic, lingers on,” Delbanco says in the excerpt.

This package shows journalism informs the public on cultural topics, but also helps to form cultural practices too.

With this bundle on Delbanco, reflecting on aging and art becomes an educational experience.

Artcirq is based in Igloolik, Nunavut, and gives the young people there an outlet, something to take pride in.

Art production has been survival strategy of the Inuit since the nomadic hunting groups settled in communities run by the federal government in the mid 20th century.

In the 1999 documentary, Journey to Nunavut: The Kreelak Story, Martin Kreelak describes how two Canadian artists came from the south in the 1960s and taught printmaking to the people of Baker Lake. Through art, some members of the community reconnected with their traditions and gained a measure of financial independence from the government.

Artcirq has helped Igloolik in a similar way, using performance and athleticism as a means for cultural expression. Their shows incorporate traditional elements such as Inuktitut songs, drum dancing, throat singing and strength competitions.

Artistic director Guillaume Saladin brought his circus training and a passion for the people of the North with him when he came to Igloolik from Quebec over a decade ago. Up Here magazine named him 2008 Northerner of the Year.

In 2009 Artcirq travelled over 1,000 kilometres by snowmobile from Igloolik to Pond Inlet to Clyde River and back to share performances and workshops. Filmmaker Derek Aqqiaruq documented the journey. The resulting film was recently posted to IsumaTV.

Although Artcirq has travelled extensively — they performed as part of Vancouver’s 2010 Cultural Olympiad — their snowmobile tour may have been one of their most important and formative journeys.

The excursion featured Inuit guides, filmmakers, reporters, musicians and performers. Babies and young children came along. The travelers endured many setbacks as snowmobiles broke down and spare parts were delivered. Young people learned valuable skills for camping and traveling on the land.

I recommend watching the whole film, but if you only have five minutes, skip to 38 minutes in and listen to David Ikiarialuk from Clyde River speak about how Artcirq is spreading pride and joy in Nunavut.

He says it better than I ever could.

“Wayne Davidson, a weather station operator in Resolute Bay — one of Canada’s most northerly communities — said Inuit hunters have noticed for years that the dark Arctic night is becoming lighter.”

Wait. The Inuit have known this for years, and now that a white guy confirms what they have observed, it’s news?

Scientists have said for some time that the effects of climate change are most dramatic in the Arctic, but the experiences of the people living there are often ignored or forgotten.

The Inuit lived in the Far North as nomadic hunters until Canadian government policy forced them into settlements in the mid 20th century.

They have experienced their environment in a way that scientists who merely travel there for a few months or years could not fully understand. They truly are climate change experts.

When I visited Baker Lake, Nunavut, three years ago, locals told me of species of animals and insects that were seen on the land for the first time as summers grew longer and warmer. There were no names in Inuktitut for these new things.

Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change (2010) tells the story of a changing environment through the eyes of a population whose ancestors depended on the land for survival for thousands of years.

The documentary was co-directed by Zacharias Kunuk, who rose to international fame in 2001 for Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner.

Check out co-director Ian Mauro’s blog about the process of creating the climate change documentary.

Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change can be streamed online from IsumaTV. The independent production company behind Atanarjuat launched this social networking tool in 2008 to support the creation and sharing of Inuit and aboriginal multimedia. The site now boasts over 2000 videos in 41 languages.

Inuit knowledge is based in an oral tradition, and film is a great medium for storytelling.

It’s no real surprise that more and more Inuit are making films about their own communities, and that the National Film Board is getting in on the trend.

These stories need to be told. It’s time for the rest of Canada to start watching and listening.

The interview left me awe-inspired at Asimov’s vision of the future and how similar it is to where we currently stand and where it is going.

In the video, Asimov predicted something decades before it came to be.  A network of computers that would lead people to virtual libraries full of any information that might interest someone. I’m sure this sounds pretty familiar to most of you.  But to really give Asimov credit, I think I’ll let him give his own explanation:

“Once we have outlets, computer outlets.  Each of them hooked up to libraries, enormous libraries where anyone can answer any question and be given answers, be given reference material, be something you are interested in knowing from an early age however silly it might seem to anyone.  Thats what you are interested in.  And you ask and you can find out and you can follow it up.  And you can do it in your own home at your own speed in your own direction and at your own time.  Then everyone will enjoy learning. “

As soon as I finished listening to this quote I immediately thought about Wikipedia. Which seems to epitomize what Asimov said in the video when speaking about “enormous libraries” that draw on the collective knowledge of human beings.

Now Wikipedia is only one example and just a part of what  Asimov talked about.  While his prediction is an almost perfect example of the internet in its current state, what really intrigued me was his thought that the standardization of education is what will lead to the such a change.  I will again let the late Asimov explain:

“Nowadays what people call learning is forced on you and everyone is forced to learn the same thing on the same day at the same speed in class, and everyone is different.   For some its too fast, for some too slow, and for some in the wrong direction.  But give them a chance in addition to school, I don’t say we abolish schools, but to give them a vision to follow up their own bend from the start.”

So, what do you think?  Is the standardization of education leading people to embrace technology?  And do take a look at the interview. I promise you won’t be dissatisfied.

Bubble tea is commonly known as a red tea or green tea based drink with black tapioca pearls, made with or without milk. The drink is shaken with ice before being served. Many variations on the drink can now be found, including fresh fruit smoothies, ice-cream smoothies, flower-scented teas and many more. Some are unaware that bubble teas can be served hot, which makes for a toasty treat on a cold day.

Bubble tea originated in Taiwan in the early 1980s. The trend first spread to nearby East Asian countries but crossed the Pacific Ocean to Vancouver via immigrants. Bubble tea has been in Vancouver for at least a decade and a half—I remember asking for a bubble tea on hot summer days during my elementary school years here. Today, bubble tea cafés are most prominently seen in Richmond, but they can be found all over Lower Mainland.  Some bubble tea cafés serve strictly bubble tea and nothing else, while others are more like restaurants that serve Taiwanese appetizers, entrees and desserts.

What makes or breaks this drink is the strength and quality of the tea. A weak tea produces a weak drink. Of all the bubble tea places I have tried over the last 10 years, Bubble World has the best tea-based drinks. Their tea is strong but not overbearingly bitter.

Honey Green Milk Tea from Bubble World

Bubble World has expanded over the years and now many locations, including Simon Fraser University, Richmond, Vancouver, Burnaby, and Surrey. Some of them are sit-down restaurants, like the one near Metrotown, while others are more like a fast-food format—you order, you take your drinks and/or food, and you sit wherever you like. Be aware that the drinks are more costly at sit-down restaurants as opposed to the fast-food format, like the one at Granville Street and 64th Avenue.

Dragon Ball is a popular favourite among fruit-based bubble tea lovers. They use fresh fruit in their fruit smoothies/slushes and their tapioca pearls have a soft and chewy consistency.

Vancouver is definitely one of the best spots in North America for authentic and delicious bubble tea, due to its proximity to Asia and its high population of Taiwanese immigrants. My sister, who now lives in Hong Kong, still misses the bubble tea in Vancouver. For her, the bubble tea in Hong Kong is still no match for the bubble tea here.

Glamour simply no longer exists. The very word evokes stylized images from 30s and 40s Hollywood: red lips, long flowing gowns, voluptuous curves, perfectly poised hairstyles and complete elegance. And while modern Hollywood endlessly writes about stars imitating this glamorous flair, the truth is they can’t.

As society’s expectations of talent fades and the binaries between celebrity culture and stardom blur, classic Hollywood memories evoke, now more than ever, a nostalgic yearning for a period when glamour had a particular aura.

Take, for instance, the recent film, The Tourist. The Tourist recalls a golden age of cinema with it’s elaborately lush costumes and colorful romantic backdrops. The very pairing of Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp reminds us of a time when moviegoers went to the theatre to go see the stars and the glam, and then perhaps the film.

But the second one steps outside the theatre, they are overburdened by a vast selection of images and information about Angelina Jolie’s every move online and in magazines. With pictures of Jolie walking her six kids to school or showing off her tattoo infested arms, the glamour fades. Fast.

Today, Hollywood is full of talented and beautiful women but there is no mystery. The way the media delves into star’s lives leaves little room for secrecy or control. And that, I believe, is what made the women of the classic Hollywood era so glamorous: mystery, elegance and exoticism

All these women had it: Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, Natalie Wood, and Dorothy Dandridge.

Image courtesy of Reel Classics

But the woman still most synonymously associated with glamour is Elizabeth Taylor. Almost always shown in an exquisite evening dress and diamonds, of course, Taylor left a sensational legacy in the world of Hollywood still greatly remembered today. Her relationships were shown in the media, but never in excess and certainly not outside the realm of a upscale party.

Least we forget that Elizabeth Taylor, beyond her glamour and beauty, also won two Oscars in her career as an actress.

It was an era of endless beauty and talent. Actresses and actors epitomized style and yet seemed to easily evoke a sense of mystery, sex and control. It is a glamour that is no longer accessible.

The film was the 1954 version of A Star is Born and it was shown at the Scotia Bank Cineplex as part of The Classic Series. The monthly series since September has showcased some of Hollywood’s best motion pictures and will offer a total of twelve films.

The idea: showcase classic movies in theatre in digital and HD format.

The reality: just another example of classic cinema surging into the mainstream. And it’s about time. In the spirit of preserving our film heritage, it seems the major companies have finally taken to projecting these Hollywood gems onto the big screen.

But before delving into a discussion of the resurgence of classic cinema, I must admit that when I heard that A Star Is Born was playing in digital format, I could barely contain my excitement.

The film, an epic allegory for Garland’s life and the artificiality of Hollywood itself, was Garland’s reentrance into the spotlight after an attempted suicide in 1950. The re-offered version includes deleted scenes that were not shown to original audiences in the 1950s.

Judy Garland’s marvel entrance on screen in electric coloring and sparkling HD, however, quickly turned my excitement to disorientation, and then excitement again. As I sat in the exact theatre I had seen Black Swan the week before, I marveled at the fact that I was seeing Garland perform on the same screen as Natalie Portman near days apart….Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.

No one else in the audience seemed to have the same moment of mystification. Audience members clapped from the onset of the film, as Garland’s name appeared on the screen. The clapping continued following the prolonged (and tad egotistical) sequences of Garland performing- a reminder to the audience that true talent exists, somewhere.

Following the film, I spoke to Sara Marshall, assistant to the Communications Manager of CEO, about Cineplex’s decision to showcase classic films this year.

“I think there is something to be said seeing a movie that you’ve loved since you were kids. It’s a bit of a novelty. People really respond to that,” she told me.

The packed audience certainly showed this to be true.

So, whether you’re a movie buff or think there is something fantastical in seeing classic cinema in HD format, Cineplex in Canada will be offering Doctor Zhivago next month followed by The Wizard of Oz . Did I mention the tickets are just $5?

Twitter overflowed with reports that taxi drivers hiked up prices after the attack and refused to drive people (Russian) out of the airport for less than 10,000 roubles (the regular price is 1,500 to 2,000 roubles). Some Twitter users estimated that prices went as high as 30,000 roubles (Russian).

Airport workers hadn’t even finished scrubbing blood from Domodedovo’s floor when some of the more militant Tweeters started to outline their own version of justice. Here are some examples, translated to English:

• @scarraver “I wish all taxi drivers who hiked up prices for taking people out of #domodedovo to burn in hell!!!”

• @diramiis “Dear suicide terrorists. Next time, please blow yourselves up in #domodedovo among taxi drivers. (Russian people.)”

Other Twitter feeds were more subdued, but many still encouraged people (Russian) at Domodedovo to take photographs of the offending taxis’ license plates and send them to the open email mproekt2020@yandex.ru. The plate numbers would apparently later be used to scorn individual taxi drivers or for revenge.

Here’s the complication: there were no confirmed reports (Russian) that taxi drivers increased prices for trips out of the airport. This information eventually floated into Twitter feeds (Russian), but it was not nearly as prominent as the rumours on the price hikes.

I am not particularly concerned about people who started these rumours on Twitter. Emotions ran high in the country after the attacks and people looked for a target to their frustration. But I am concerned about how easily other people believed and repeated these rumours.

The witch hunts on Moscow’s taxi drivers revealed a disturbing trait in the Russian character. They showed that the Russian people are ready to see the worst in each other.

No authoritative reports came in to confirm that taxi drivers increased prices at Domodedovo, but Twitter users already wrote that this must be so. It seemed inevitable that the taxi drivers who hastily hiked prices in the aftermath of the Moscow subway bombings in March 2010 would do so again. Even the truthful reports could not replace the Russians’ cynicism in society and each other.

Man is wolf to man. What an accomplishment it would be for Russia if this was no longer so.

Still, the city of Vancouver wants to ensure that “every resident lives within a five minute walk of a park, beach, greenway, or other natural space…” as part of the greenest city initiative.

One of the first things I noticed when I arrived in Vancouver was how many park signs popped up around each corner. I pass by at least one walking five minutes in either direction from my apartment – which I consider a very fortunate location.

The two parks I’m referring to in particular, Choklit and Charleston,  are used everyday by people that come from all over the demographic spectrum.

Some people sit on benches and watch the water taxi ferry here and there. Others gather with friends, drinking coffee and catching up on all things life.

There are athletes training for dreams, dogs chasing flourescent tennis balls and young parents chasing two-year-olds.

Parks provide people in a city with a place to move and a place to be still, a place to think and a place to forget.

They are a place of refuge and, according to a development organization called the Healing Cities Working Group, they can play an integral part of the human healing process. As the working group’s foundation states in it’s mission:

“Key findings in the literature review reveal that healing involves much more than curing physical ailments.  Healing is a multidimensional process facilitated by integrating physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, and social components of a person’s being. Each component affects the others.  This awareness changes the relationship between people and their environments because it recognizes that people do not live as isolated islands, but rather are intimately connected to their surroundings and influenced profoundly by a range of factors.”

One of those factors of influence for residents of densely populated cities is proximity and availability of places, like parks, that offer space for the healing process to take hold.

Or imagine you receive an email notification that your wife is dead while she’s sitting right next to you.

"Opossum makes the obituaries for performance playing dead." April 25, 2009.

Deathswitch, Dead Man’s Switch and similar websites, offer the “service” of spreading the word of your earthly departure.

The automated system works by dispersing email announcements to your loved ones if you fail to respond to one of its regular prompts. The prompts link back to the website where you’d be required to click a button that reads “Wait – I’m still alive!”

That’s right, as if tweeting, status updating and GPS tracking weren’t enough, you can pay Deathswitch $19.99 a year to reconfirm your cyber existence.

The site boasts that it is “bridging mortality,” and it recommends a  number of uses including: distributing your passwords, final wishes, banking details, love notes, unspeakable secrets, funeral instructions or last word in an argument.

Beyond the immediate risks inherent in providing an anonymous source with your bank passwords and vital details, there’s the next, perhaps more pressing, concern: what if it’s wrong?

What if your iPhone battery dies but you don’t? Or if you go on vacation, or oversleep, or if (gasp) there’s simply a glitch in the system?

You could end up like Pat Burns.

Two months before his death, the former NHL coach – not to mention his friends and family – would learn from the media that he had died.

The false information propagated Twitter feeds and news sites last September in the rapid, real-time nature known only to our era.

“An honest mistake,” explained the Toronto Star newspaper columnist who’d sent the first Tweet.

Cliff Fletcher, an NHL executive, had hastily spread word to a group of hockey reporters that Burns had lost his battle with cancer. Fletcher believed he was sharing sad news; he was mourning.

Burns, meanwhile, was out grocery shopping.

“I’m still alive and kicking,” he told the Star the next day.

And, “I’m not dead, far f—— from it,” he assured TSN while making the rounds to remedy the media’s death switch glitch.

If you’re a public figure in this culture of immediacy-reporting, it may only take one reporter to negligently trust a single source, before you get word that you’re dead.

For everyone else, you can take a chance with a website.