Photo Essay: "An Evening with Michelle Obama" in Saskatoon, March 22, 2018

Text and images (c) Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen, 2018
Poster from the Internet

Before moving to Saskatoon, I'm proud to say I vote for Barack Obama. Michelle as First Lady was a bonus.

When former president George W. Bush came to speak in Saskatoon in 2009 via the Chamber of Commerce, it was at the smaller TCU Place, and there was a large protest march of hundreds of people (of which I participated, having moved to the city just a few months before). This time, however, when the former First Lady came through the same organization, it was at the much larger Sasktel Centre (where the major sports and music events take place), it was cheered by all 8500 in attendance, with no protests inside or out.

The tickets were $100 (after the exorbitant TicketMaster fees), which was out of my price range, honestly, but thanks to working at the YWCA and some donated tickets, I was able to score a couple for myself and my partner.

Not surprisingly, there was a bunch of yakking before Michelle hit the stage for her hour-and-a-half by locals, such as radio host Shauna Powers, Darla Lindbjerg (CEO of the Chamber of  Commerce), Murad Al-Katib (president and CEO of AGT Foods), and someone representing the Invictus Games for wounded veterans (including two participants).

Rather than a set talk, moderator and Olympic gold medalist Cassie Campbell interviewed Obama, who talked extensively about growing up, raising her daughters, living in the White House, and some of the programs she worked on while First Lady. Despite that, she also avoided politics in general (sans an subtle audience-appreciated swipe at the present White House occupant's ego).

A coworker of mine who was present later said he wished for a more set speech, but I rather enjoyed the banter, and the humanizing of Barack and the joy of their relationship. She showed kindness, humor, grace, and a sense of how the Obama administration all worked together for the general good, things that are currently missing in Washington. It felt like everyone went away after feeling good.

Please note that we were sitting quite far away from the stage, as the first picture will attest. For that reason, the pictures aren't the sharpest, but I'm proud of how they came out in the long run, all things considered.

The view from where we were sitting

Shauna Foster

Darla Lindbjerg

About the Invictius Games, and two participants 

Murad Al-Katib

Michelle Obama and CassieCampbell

Photo Essay: Lecture by Dr. Eric McLuhan, St. Thomas More College, November 2, 2017

Text and photos (c) Robert Barry Francos/FFanzeen, 2017
Title photo from St. Thomas More College Website

I've known Eric McLuhan and his son Andrew for a few years now, meeting up with them at Media Ecology Association conferences throughout the world. One would think that Eric would be stuck in the shadow of his father, Marshall, but for those of us who pay attention, he is a brilliant thinker in his own right.

Referencing Marshall, as we all do (and should), whether we realize it or not, Eric has risen to high academic circles on his own and risen to the academic stratosphere with his publications about media, religion, and culture in both solo projects as well as with others, such as a recent collaboration with Dr. Peter Zhang.

Eric comes across as a bit elfin and frail, walking with a cane and being soft-spoken, but I've also seen him give heck to other academics who he believes crosses the line of what he or his dad was positing in their writing, including recently with one who had collaborated with Marshall.

For this talk, his topic was "Catholicism and Communication: The Sensus Communis, Synesthesia, and the Soul." Marshall had famously adopted Catholicism in his adulthood, and raised his family in it, so it makes sense that this would be a topic Eric would cover on his talk for the 29th Annual Michael Keenan Memorial Lecture, in Father O'Donnell Auditorium, at St. Thomas More College, on the campus of the University of Saskatchewan, in Saskatoon.

As a non-Catholic, I still found it fascinating, and was happy to discuss it with him and Andrew at breakfast the next day.

[photo courtesy St. Thomas More College Website]

BEFORE:

Eric McLuhan and Andrew McLuhan preparing.

INTRODUCTIONS:

Arul Kumaran, English Department Dean

Sarah Powrie, English Department Head

THE LECTURE:

Q&A PERIOD:

POST-LECTURE: 

Tammy Marche, Associate Dean, Psychology Department

Women of Comedy: My Jokes are Up Here! Tour, Broadway Theatre, Saskatoon: March 7, 2016

Text and photos (c) Robert Barry Francos

The  day after the show, March 8, would be International Women's Day, so the My Jokes are Up Here tour that features three Canadian comics put on a fundraiser show for the local YWCA Saskatoon (where I work): Christina Walkinshaw, Jen Grant, and Erica Sigurdson.

I've been a fan of stand-up for as long as I can remember. It may have started when someone gave me the early Jackie Mason I'm The Greatest Comedian In The World Only Nobody Knows It Yet album, or perhaps it was George Carlin's infamous groundbreaking AM and; FM. Then again, it could have been my very early (5 years old) crush on Shari Lewis. Who knows, but I've enjoyed the art form for nearly as long as I can remember. Funny thing is, I haven't seen much of it from an audience, but lots on television, Netflix, and rentals.

The women this night were on fire, and I'm sure it was not just because they were recording it for an album. I may be on it indirectly, as they mentioned "the guy taking photographs." I didn't use a flash, as I know that can be distracting, so the pix tend to be a bit on the fuzzy side; at the end of the show, though, they all posed for me, and I'm proud of that one (at the very bottom here, and yes I used a flash on that one).

Yeah, they were hilarious, and it was a great night.

Christina Walkinshaw

Jen Grant

Erica Sigurdson

Final bows

Posing for my camera