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Winter Olympics: Do Medals Matter?



Letter to the Editor

Globe and Mail

Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010

Why do medals matter? Do they make us healthier, wiser, more caring? Do we become better citizens? What values do we invest in those pieces of gold, silver and bronze?

What does it say about us that we need these expensive distractions, which showcase a very small number of privileged athletes who play games extremely well? Does it speak to our need for heroes and role models, our sense of national identity?

Bertolt Brecht, playwright and party pooper, said it best: Pity the country that needs heroes. We don't need to own podiums. We need to own a more confident sense of self. Then maybe we can enjoy the Games without worrying so much about who wins and loses.

Claude Adams


March 16, 2010

Drugs, lions, snow etc.


Budding filmmaker Misha Kleider felt he had to sample cocaine and heroin to “understand the street” (A Walk On The Drug Side – March 16).

I admire his pluck. I just hope he applies a different modus operandi to any exploration of documentary subjects such as assisted suicide, lion taming or avalanche skiing.

Claude Adams, Surrey, B.C.

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