We were promised snow. I fully expected to wake up to find a blanket of white everywhere. Nothing at all. I got organised for a morning run round the village, checking the weather app on my phone just before setting off: “snow starting in 3 minutes!” But it wasn’t actually snowing at that moment so I put on a light just-in-case waterproof and set off. And, lo and behold, three minutes down the road it started to snow. Well, it was more like semi-frozen drizzle. I’ve run in worse. And besides, if the severe weather warnings of ice and snow come true, then it may not be fit to run anywhere tomorrow.
All morning snow flurries have come and gone but it all melts once it touches the soggy wet ground.
Over in the land of ice and snow where the Winter Olympics are going on, various un-sport- related things have been going on.
The Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych insisted on wearing what he called a “helmet of memory”, emblazoned with the images of Ukrainians killed as a result of Russia’s invasion. He was informed only 21 minutes before racing by the IOC president, Kirsty Coventry, who spoke to the media in tears after she could not persuade him to change his mind.
Skeleton, by the way is a winter sliding sport in which a person rides a small sled, known as a skeleton bobsled, down a frozen track while lying face down and head-first. The sport and the sled may have been named for the sled's resemblance to a ribcage.
The controversy has not been limited to one athlete. The Ukrainian short-track speed skater Oleh Handei revealed on Thursday that he too had been ordered to alter his helmet – this time to tape over a line from the Ukrainian poet Lina Kostenko reading: “Where there is heroism, there can be no final defeat.” Olympic officials judged the quotation to be linked to the war and therefore in violation of neutrality rules. “They saw my sentence and they said to me, ‘Sorry, but it’s war propaganda,’” Handei said, adding that he would comply so he could still compete.
And earlier at the Games the IOC blocked another symbol. Haiti’s two-person delegation arrived wearing uniforms designed by Stella Jean, originally featuring the revolutionary Toussaint Louverture, the leader of the Haitian Revolution, on horseback. Louverture was a former slave who led the charge that created the world’s first Black republic in 1804. The IOC ruled the image violated restrictions on political symbolism, forcing the figure to be painted out, leaving only the charging red horse against a vivid tropical landscape.
Once upon a time the only concern about uniforms was the colour and style. Nowadays everything has become political.
And on the ice-dancing front, first there was the shock that the American pair were beaten to Gold by a French couple. And now it seems that both the French skaters are involved in scandals about domestic violence or bullying of former partners. Here’s a link to an article about it.
The question about use of screens in classrooms rumbles on everywhere. Sweden has expressed concerns about the situation. “Studies raised red flags about declining reading comprehension and concentration among Swedish students. The Swedish government officially announced it would scale back the use of digital devices in early grades,
with more focus on physical books and handwriting.
According to an AP News report, Sweden’s Education Minister Lotta Edholm said students “need more textbooks” and emphasized that physical books are important for student learning as the country reconsiders screen-heavy instruction.”
Here in the UK, lexicographer Susie Dent is urging families to read, talk and play word games to boost language development. Children’s vocabulary is shrinking, she tells us and the overuse of screens is to blame. She points out that English-language speakers have always been afraid of new technology. Apparently the Victorians were suspicious of postcards because people would have to cram messages into small spaces and the elegance of the written language would be lost. Goodness knows what they would say about text messages! I can remember people worrying that watching television would be harmful to children’s language development. And yet both television and the internet have been useful tools on education - used in moderation!
Our smallest grandson (6 years old) has a quite amazing vocabulary. His knowledge of stuff about undersea creatures and insects has been enhanced by what he has seen on screen. However, he also loves books about these and other scientific topics. And he has always been exposed to nursery rhymes, picture books, stories and lots of conversation. Not afraid to ask what things mean, and to listen to the explanation, he is one of the lucky ones.
Here’s a thing: “A limited edition of Soreen lunchbox loaves will include fun words such as kerfuffle and hullabaloo, with definition and origins, as a way of sparking children’s curiosity.” Soon we’ll be back to reading the cereal boxes at the breakfast table, something quite common in our baby-boomer childhood.
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone.
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