OK everyone get ready to watch the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 Paralympic Games and you better have an apple with you. That’s right an apple, because during the evening everyone in the stadium will take a bite of their apple unison, creating the biggest apple crunch ever and you want to be included TOO!!!! There’s your first insight to the night.

I’m having a great time hanging out in a country that has Paralympics on the brain 24/7. It’s really nice to feel the love, hear the interest and sense the desire to watch the Paralympic Games. To watch athletes, pure and simple do their thing.

It’s also so much fun being here in London as part of the media. I have the opportunity to sit in on press conferences for a vast variety of groups that are en masse part of these Games. Each country has briefings, the leaders Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the LOCOG and Sir Phillip Craven President of the IPC have briefings, the athletes of course have briefings and then all the events taking place during these Games have briefings. There are briefings daily.

Today was a briefing on the Opening Ceremonies with Executive Producer of the Olympic and Paralympic Ceremonies Stephen Daldry, theatre and film director and producer. Stephen’s films are The Hours, Billy Elliot and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. He was joined by the two artistic directors, for tonight, Jenny Sealey and Bradley Hemmings. Jenny is the artistic director of Graeae a disabled-led theatre group and Bradley is the artistic director of the Greenwish and Docklands Festivals.

Tonight at 8:30 p.m. people with disabilities will fly into the stadium, Stephen Hawkings will narrate the event themed “Enlightenment” and we will eat apples. The time period of focus will be the 1500 to 1700’s with Miranda from Shakespeare’s The Tempest leading us on this journey, without judgment. And yes the flame will be lit and athletes will parade.

I am putting in this quick blog a link to the Guardian newspaper and their story (you should be following this newspaper right now for a good look at the games, anyway) about the evening, it has quotes and is better then I could have created in a short time. I understand that the Opening Ceremonies can be seen live streaming on youtube and if you dig deep there are other ways to view in real time which would be about 12:30 p.m. PST. I will be attending the Ceremonies this evening and will have a follow up blog tonight.

One thing before I post this. The discussion of how much money was spent on the Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics and how much was spent on the Opening Ceremonies for the Paralympics was most interesting. Stephen Daltry made a statement that more money was spent on the OC because it had a bigger viewing audience and needed more infrastructure. Hummm seems to me that highlights an issue of exclusion and there is a saying “if you build it they will come,” and then give the viewing public a chance to tune in. Enjoy the Party!

Blessings to All, In Jumping Joy Candace

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