Playing with Fire- Theoren Fleury

I just finished reading the memoirs of Theoren Fleury. For those of you who have never heard of him, he was probably one of the greatest hockey players to play in the NHL.
The book is written in a very raw and in your face kind of way. He is no James Joyce, but the way it is written draws you in regardless. It's almost like he is sitting down with you over a cup of coffee and telling you his story.
Believe me, what a story!
Originally from Russell, Manitoba, Fleury worked his way through the ranks of minor hockey to be part of the 1989 Flames team that won the Stanley Cup. His experiences as a young player were tarnished by the sick pedophilic advances of his coach when he was 14 years old. The damage left behind on Fleury's psyche from the sexual abuse continually haunted him and caused him to spiral down and literally blow away millions of dollars on drugs, gambling and strippers. He recounts how he would party all night, come back at 6 a.m, and score a hat trick that night on the ice.
I remember when the fashion shows were happening in Milan, the professional soccer players were always backstage hanging around. They wanted to see and be seen with the gorgeous women wearing the fabulous clothes. I met a few, both in Italy and in Brazil and there was always one vein that was common to them all. They were just normal guys with the same insecurities that people have, thrown into the spotlight and having to perform for huge crowds weekly. They were passionate about the game, its all they really knew. Unfortunately, there were always the 'dark' elements waiting for them to bring them down, the hangers-on, the 'entourage', the money hungry gold diggers. I saw this so many times I have lost count.
There is a parralel between pro athletes and fashion models and the fact that they end up going out with each other is because they 'get it'. They both have to deal with the same 'dark' elements. How many young girls in Paris starting out as models were abused by their agents? More than anyone will ever know. I know of a few and I had to fend off my agent when I was 17. Reading Fleury's book brought that memory back to me. The same fear factor that Fleury's coach used on him was used on me and other girls in Paris. Luckily I was able to get out the situation before it became severely damaging to my psyche and moved on with my life. I didn't go down the same path as Fleury, but I know a lot of girls that did.
Young, far from family and familiarity. A recipe for disaster and perfect for the soul stealers and vampires to pounce.
Fleury has beem clean and sober for four years. He tried a comeback with the Flames, but was cut from the team. He retired a Flame.
He wrote that the reason he wrote this memoir was to bring to light the abuse that happens on a daily basis in the sports world. He is to be commended for comng forward and exposing parts of his life to total strangers.
I always loved how he was a tough cookie on the ice and was fearless against the 'goon squads' of the NHL. His tenacity is his greatest strength.
Thank you Mr. Fleury for sharing you life story. If your book stops even one child from being abused in the future, you have scored the best goal of your life.

Rio's new Olympic rings are expensive - Winnipeg Free Press

I am happy that Rio de Janeiro has been given the chance to host the 2016 Olympics. They really have ther work cut out for them though. Huge infrastructure projects and better transportation will need to be implemented immediately.
I hope that this will give Rio a chance to get out of its current state of affairs and put it back on the map as a destination for travellers.

EVERY GIRL AND WOMAN SHOULD WATCH THIS!!!!!!

Having been a fashion model in my former life(before kids), I feel it is my obligation to young girls everywhere to show what really happens these days with retouching and Photoshop.

Determination.....

Irving Penn...the Last Great Photographer

Being a fashion model in the late 80's and 90's, I had the opportunity to work with some of the best photographers out there. There are not many people who can say that they have worked with Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, Albert Watson, Patrick Demarchelier, Steven Meisel and Mario Testino. But there was one photographer who I considered the best over and above all the others. Irving Penn. Unfortunately I never had the opportunity to work with him. He passed away yesterday at the age of 92.
He was known for being a perfectionist and it shows in his photos. The lighting, the aesthetic, the poses, were all just so amazing. I remember seeing his still lifes in Vogue and was always in awe at the simplicity of the image, but with the knowledge of what goes on behind the scenes to get the shot(remember, this was before Photoshop and onsite editing). Everyone has seen at least one of his adverts for Clinique.
There will never be another Irving Penn. The New York Times did a wonderful story on his life and his work.
He will continue to set the standard for photographers and art directors for years to come.But there will never be another Penn.

Seasons

Rio de Janeiro Olympic Host City 2016

FINALLY!!!
After two unsuccessful bids to host the Summer Olympics, Rio de Janeiro came out on top of Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid to win.

Chicago and Tokyo were eliminated in earlier voting and even after a last ditch effort by Juan Samaranch to woo the votes for Madrid, Rio was declared the winner with a 3-1 margin in the total tally of votes.

This is a very exciting venture for the people of Rio de Janeiro and for the rest of Brazil.
It is the first time that the Olympic Games will be held in South America. They picked a great city.

Needless to say they have their work cut out for them. There will have to be major overhaul throughout the whole city to be able to accomodate the traffic and the sheer amount of spectators expected to attend.
Brazil has the money to fund the Olympics, just from the oil royalties off of the coast of Rio. They have the skilled labour to build the stadiums, the roads and the venues. My only suggestion would be to increase the amount of machinery to build the roads faster. They tend to do everything manually, which is alot more time consuming.

This is the chance for Rio to clean up its act and hopefully there will not be insane amounts of palm greasing. The only things that could destroy the Olympic dream for Rio are corruption and greed from politicians.

It's up to the people of Rio and Brazil to not let this happen.

PARABENS RIO DE JANEIRO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!