The Olympics are in my home town...

[RGA]

And so forgive this moment of patriotism. It's a nice little video

Nikki Yanofsky is one of the singers selected to promote the games in a music video - she just turned 16 yesterday and I suppose it was a surprise selection as I thought she was more of a jazz singer. But hey what do they know at 16 right?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7v0o27BPIIk (open it up full screen)

Oh and she said yes.

Jazz http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv20K...eature=related not bad for 16.

Cheers.

Oh and it would not be a very Canadian thing to do if I left out the French version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCt0c...eature=related by Annie Villeneuve

[GMichael]

Very nice Rich. Thanks for sharing.

Do you have tickets?

[RGA]

No tickets - but my taxes will be paying for the thing for the next 20+ years LOL.

[nightflier]

What about all the controversy with these games? Any concerns about protests, riots/raids, and all that? I seem to recall something not too long ago in your the neck of the woods that was quite a show (or show-stopper, depending on your perspective). They even made a movie out of it: Battle in Seattle. The authorities are pulling no punches on this one, I hear.

[3LB]

So how many rooms you renting out and for how much?

I live just south of the boarder here in Washington.

What a winter to host the Olympics eh?

[RGA]

There are usually always protests - probably around the fact that the only people in the province who got to vote on the olympics live in Vancouver and Whistler - mostly everyone who has lots of money - Vancouver is said to now be the most expensive city in the world to live which, if true, means it has been on a serious rise.

The infrastructure built for the Olympics improved the road from North Van (the richest) to Whistler - if you can afford to go to Whistler or live in Whistler you're rich. So of course they voted for it. The rest of the province which accounts for most of the people were against it - since their taxes will pay for it to benefit the rich then no doubt there will be people protesting. Moreover the skytrain system was going to be upgraded in "needed" parts of the city but the British Columbia government decided to run a skytrain line from the airport instead - again for the richest citizens.

Cuts to other more needed things such as education is shocking while two weeks of games go on during a terrible recession. But, my view - even though I am against having the games - is that they're here - nothing is going to change it so we may as well enjoy them and do the best job of it possible.

The Vancouver PD and RCMP as well as a private security company will be all over it. We also have a large population of people who house terrorist friendly individuals - and I am sure the CIA is all over that. At least I hope so.

[RGA]

So how many rooms you renting out and for how much?

I live just south of the boarder here in Washington.

What a winter to host the Olympics eh?

Yeah what a way to make money eh? I actually live in a town near the northern tip of Vancouver Island - some of the best diving in the world - if you're into diving. I'm living in two places. I am working as a substitute teacher and live in a bed and breakfast (cheap on a monthly rate off season) and then back home to see my girlfriend on weekends and to listen to my stereo!

So I am still suitcase living just in Canada and not South Korea and China the last three years.

Just watch it on TV - it's probably better anyway. The only thing I would like to see live would be the opening and closing ceremonies and the hockey games.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Rich,
How is the snow issue up there. I last heard on NPR that low snow levels and warm temperatures are giving the organizers heartburn that Pepcid AC can't cure. Has mother nature cooperated with you guys?

[poppachubby]

Rich,
How is the snow issue up there. I last heard on NPR that low snow levels and warm temperatures are giving the organizers heartburn that Pepcid AC can't cure. Has mother nature cooperated with you guys?

It's been unseasonably warm but not to fret. The IOC has squillions of dollars. They truck it in from further north and have volunteers to help spread it on the hills.

[nightflier]

I guess as the world heats up, the Winter Olympic games have to move further and further towards the poles. Who knows, maybe Nome, AK, will get some much needed infrastructure upgrades soon enough, LOL.

[GMichael]

I guess as the world heats up, the Winter Olympic games have to move further and further towards the poles. Who knows, maybe Nome, AK, will get some much needed infrastructure upgrades soon enough, LOL.

Maybe they should move farther from the polls. We have had almost no snow this season while just a couple of hours south of us had had record snowfall.

[Luvin Da Blues]

No tickets - but my taxes will be paying for the thing for the next 20+ years LOL.

Nice of you to pay for it all yourself.

[Woochifer]

I must say congrats to Canada and Vancouver for pulling off an awesome Olympic games. The deadly sliding track, the ridiculous fence around the cauldron, and the usual transportation and weather snafus aside, it looks like everything went very well.

Having lived in L.A. during the 1984 games, every community should be so lucky as to experience those magical two weeks as an Olympic host city. It's not just the Olympic activities, but also the cultural events coinciding with the games and the general buzz around town knowing that the eyes of the world are on your city.

RGA, I don't think you should limit the focus of the infrastructure upgrades on whether rich or poor people benefit more. I'm sure that Vancouver has been trying to get these road and transit upgrades done for years, but the Olympics provides the kick in the pants needed to move the projects forward. It's no different than the L.A. Olympics spurring the new terminal construction and bi-level upgrade at the airport, and the Salt Lake Olympics accelerating the schedule for building their light rail system.

You were fortunately not watching American TV coverage of the Olympics (where NBC tape delays everything, including the U.S. hockey games on the west coast), but just know that the B.C. tourism board's commercials were running constantly. With that plus all of those great aerial views of the Vancouver region, you guys are going to have a sh**load of visitors pouring through the airport over the next few years. If a few people using the airport happened to be well-heeled, it still benefits the region because of all the spending they leave behind.

Hopefully it won't take 30+ years to pay this thing back like the Montreal games. I don't get the impression that Vancouver went overboard with building new athletic facilities, and the infrastructure upgrades will benefit local residents long after the games are over. It's not like Beijing and London spending billions of dollars on facilities that will largely lie dormant after the Olympics leave town. The L.A. Olympics actually turned a $200 million profit because they used almost all existing facilities (the bicycle velodrome was the only new facility built for those Olympics) and used the student housing at UCLA and USC as the athletes' villages.

[Woochifer]

I guess as the world heats up, the Winter Olympic games have to move further and further towards the poles. Who knows, maybe Nome, AK, will get some much needed infrastructure upgrades soon enough, LOL.

The temps were in the mid-70s in Sochi last week.

[02audionoob]

According to the blog I was just having a look at, this is in Sochi...

[RGA]

Yes for the most part the games went well I have to admit and found myself watching most of the events when time permitted. I preferred the opening ceremony to the closing ceremony to be sure but they had said it was going to be more party focused. I felt they could have or should have found better Canadian talent for the music part of things - but I suppose they felt they should try to appeal to a variety of music tastes and age groups which is the only thing I can think of to have K-OS or whatever dreadful thing they were called. To end it with them was pretty pathetic but apparently the games ended with Neil Young and the rest was party.

If so Neil Young was probably as good a choice as any and fitting song.

It also didn't hurt that Canada mustered a record for most gold medals at a winter games and it was nice to see South Korea win 6 golds given that I lived their for two years and I know they must be excited by the results if it is anything like their Red Devils soccer team. Although, I bet most Canadians put the most emphasis on the Men's hockey which was quite a game. Miller is certainly ranked as a top goalie for a reason - there isn't a better one.

Yes the games didn't require new buildings - BC Place has been there since 1983 and many of the other venues were already built. The tourism trade should increase - it was always popular with the Germans, Danes and Japanese. Although the Danes have a special kinship with Canada due to WWII.

I saw a lot of American vehicles here on the island - I live near the northern tip of Vancouver island where diving, canoeing, whale watching and fishing are very big. http://www.best-scuba-diving-vacatio...rdy-scuba.html

I am glad there wasn't a lot of politics bogging things down and that there were no incidents (at least nothing major - some goofs throwing garbage cans through windows early on) but on the whole it seemed like a good atmosphere. Sochi looks awesome - never even heard of the place until they had their show.

It was nice to see Michael J Fox looking a bit better these days as well. I would have liked to have seen Loreena McKennitt or even Diann Krall, Feist, or the Barenaked Ladies to some of these bands they picked. Did they play Nikki Yanofsky's I believe a billion times in the United States? Every single intermission that song or parts of it were being played http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP9IQuz-jlk . She does Nora Jones better than Nora Jones - LOL - they should have had her singing Jazz with Buble or Bubble or whatever - not that goofball trio screechy pop song.

[Worf101]

Kudos to you and yer countrymen and women for a great games, only marred by NBC's frackin' coverage. Sigh.. Canada where the women celebrate like men and men celebrate like figure skaters. Urrgh. Home of the giant inflatable beaver (where kin ah gits one of dem dere Giant Beavers?) LOL. Actually you folks were great hosts and reinforced the stereotype that Canuckian's are nice people. Congrats.

Worf

[poppachubby]

I felt they could have or should have found better Canadian talent for the music part of things - but I suppose they felt they should try to appeal to a variety of music tastes and age groups which is the only thing I can think of to have K-OS or whatever dreadful thing they were called. To end it with them was pretty pathetic...

Maybe K-OS isn't to your tastes, but the fact is he's probably one of Canada's "coolest" artists right now. He's actually on the cutting egde of his genre and gets respect abroad. The other thing about K-OS is he insisted on performing live, with no lip syncing. Shamefully, this can't be said about the rest of the "artists" who performed.

I do agree however that rather than Avril Lavigne, Feist should have been called up.

[RGA]

Actually I think it's pretty unfair to suggest that the "rest" of them were lip syncing. Avril never lip syncs and the same thing applies - she may not be to everyone's tastes but there are demographics at play. I felt her song choices were poor but she always sings them. Avril is fine - she always sings her stuff live and being out of pitch a fair bit is an indicator. Nikki Yanofsky performed the Canadian Anthem live - yes she just happens to sing that good and it makes everyone else seem lesser. Sarah McLachlan and KD Lang sang live as did Neil Young. I can't speak to some of them like Bryan Adams and Nelly Fertado - it was difficult to say with the delay from mic to speakers.

KD Lang said she would only do the song for the Olympics if she could perform it live. She was the musical highlight of the entire games for me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVq0L4kkpKM

I had less problem with K-OS the artist or having a rap artist (not generally my taste but like Avril - a demographic - It was the dancing group which was pretty lame. Not one person thought a bunch of guys dancing pretty poorly (with glow sticks stuck to their body) was particularly great. It was difficult to see them and theree was no overall display to see. A bunch of guys jumping around on stage doing their own head spins and such not in any sort of choreography seemed to me like it was thrown together.

K-OS being a bad singer aside - is not a big deal as rappers don't exactly sing they talk fast and if it wasn't for rap they would have careers as auctioneers.