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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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Feb 22, 2010 - 10:30pm PT
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Crank,
Sochi is just down the road from a couple of recent war zones -
who knows but it could have its own within 4 years. It is on the
Black Sea and if you think Vancouver had warm wacky weather then
you will love Sochi - palm trees are native there! You might be
hard pressed to get a decent ale there and the chronic isn't as
plentiful as hash; course you wouldn't want to get busted there
either unless you wanted to devote 20 years to learning Russian.
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Last clip of Lichen Lunch
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Feb 22, 2010 - 11:34pm PT
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Man, I hope they start soon.
I can't wait to see the 'Lympics.
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Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
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Feb 23, 2010 - 12:04am PT
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Congratulations to the Canadian ice dancers who were the first North Americans to win gold in that event. The Americans did well with silver but could not match the Canadians for artistry and soul.
The Russians took third.
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Todd Eastman
climber
Bellingham, WA
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Feb 23, 2010 - 12:52am PT
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We are coming up on Wednesday to stay with friends in North Van and catch the Large Hill Nordic Combined and the 50k. It looks like the sun is about to retreat behind the rain clouds so out comes the rain gear. The Canadian XC team has skied really well and I expect the relays and the distance races the last day could go really well for them.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Feb 23, 2010 - 02:51am PT
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"Ice dance?" Well, I guess we'll take our golds however we can get them.
The colourful curling culottes are at http://uk.loudmouthgolf.com/pages/about_us.html
Went for a stroll downtown tonight, as it may be the last nice evening for a while. Quieter than the weekends, of course. Lots of people milling about, some street entertainment, a few too many loud drunk adolescent males, too often wearing hockey raiment.
Here is the famous outdoor flame, the main reason for the trip - hard to get good photos during daytime.
As reported, surrounded by a chainlink fence and other barriers - quite tacky and embarrassing, even though it's supposedly to protect the press centre, which is next door. (Lots of security around.) Probably too late now to can the klutz who planned it. It really is a lovely setting, looking over the harbour and toward the mountains and Stanley Park - but for the fence.
Some of the barrier and fence visible here - about 2 m high.
The struts of the flame contraption are lit up, which is quite pretty.
So we waited in line for the viewing area that VANOC very rapidly built off to one side - the witticism was "Mr. Furlong (head of VANOC), remove that fence!" The first photo was taken from there, and here's another more colourful one. The blue smurf is actually a VANOC volunteer, of which there are myriads throughout the city and venues.
We walked all over, mostly to say we'd been there, then had a look at the Vectorial Vancouver searchlights - I posted some info about them way back. Here's a somewhat poorer photo.
It was interesting to see what each person had programmed for their 30 seconds - we sat and watched for a while, at English Bay near the Aquatic Centre. Sadly, the lights may not be very visible for the next few nights.
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Chief
climber
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Feb 23, 2010 - 12:21pm PT
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While we're distracted by the razzle dazzle of the Olympics, agreements, accords, compacts and MOUs are being signed and legislated.
PAY ATTENTION! WE'RE LOSING BCs COAST RANGE TO PRIVATE POWER PRODUCERS.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Feb 23, 2010 - 05:58pm PT
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Canadian Ashleigh McIvor has won the women's ski cross. She is from Whistler, too. http://www.vancouversun.com/
As those of you who've visited Vancouver may have noticed, the horns at Canada Place (formerly at the BC Hydro building) play the first four notes of "O! Canada" at 12:00 noon each day. They can be heard through much of the city, not just downtown - originally air raid sirens, I think. Anyway, they've been doing the same every time a Canadian wins a gold medal. It was quite deafening last night - we were only a few hundred metres away.
Speaking of BC Hydro, and hydro power, and so-called mini-hydro developments, and Bute Inlet, and...
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bmacd
Trad climber
Beautiful BC
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 23, 2010 - 06:20pm PT
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Bump for my favorite hometown Whistler female athlete Ashleigh !
My top pick wins gold !!
Tonight we crucify the Germans in the hockey rink ...
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MH2
climber
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Feb 24, 2010 - 01:09am PT
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A view of the excitement in Vancouver, host of the 2010 Winter Olympics
Canada vs. USA, Canada's Hockey Place, 21 Feb, 4:40 pm...........Canada vs. Canada, ACT Theatre, Maple Ridge, 21 Feb 7:30 pm
Excitement building in downtown Vancouver
Cypress Bowl was not the only location renamed for the Winter Olympics. This site was formerly the front yard of the West Van Rec Centre.
The blue fence is for security. Getting to the sauna required passing a police checkpoint. I unshouldered my pack to show the contents: beer, wine, several dilators, 8 tubes of K-Y, and other articles. Before I could open it, the police asked, "Any explosives in there?"
"No."
"Okay, go ahead."
Another event in Spirit Square
A closer look at the excitement in downtown Vancouver.
Around the corner from the excitement
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Feb 24, 2010 - 01:13am PT
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The current medal winners' standings, in order of most to least successful country (numbers rounded).
1. Norway 17 = one medal/286,000 citizens 2. Austria 10 = one medal/837,000 citizens
3. Switzerland 8 = one medal/974,000 citizens
4. Slovenia 2 = one medal/1,027,000
5. Latvia 2 = one medal/1,124,000
6. Slovakia 3 = one medal/1,807,000
7. Sweden 7 = one medal/1,334,000
8. Estonia 1 = one medal/1,340,000
9. Croatia 2 = one medal/2,218,000
10. Netherlands 6 = one medal/2,765,000
11. Canada 11 = one medal/3,092,000
12. Czech Republic 3 = one medal/3,504,000
13. Germany 23 = one medal/3,555,000
14. Belarus 2 = one medal/4,745,000
15. South Korea 10 = one medal/4,977,000
16. Finland 1 = one medal/5,356,000
17. France 10 = one medal/6,548,000
18. Poland 4 = one medal/9,525,000
19. Australia 2 = one medal/11,083,000
20. USA 26 = one medal/11,875,000
21. Italy 4 = one medal/15,069,000
22. Kazakhstan 1 = one medal/15,776,000
23. Japan 3 = one medal/42,476,000
24. Great Britain 1 = one medal/62,000,000
25. Russia 13 = one medal/110,918,000
26. China 5 = one medal/267,200,000
This would be even more useful if it included all top ten performers in each event, perhaps weighted, and if GDP per capita and national mean winter temperature were factored in.
Anyway, now we know who really owns the podium.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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Feb 24, 2010 - 01:15am PT
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I think the real excitement today was at the Nordie Combined site, eh?
Historic silver for the US! Hvor var Nordmennene? Katastrofe!
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Feb 24, 2010 - 01:25am PT
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And recognition today for figure skater Joannie Rochette, who is in third place after the women's short program. Her mother died suddenly on Sunday, but she decided to skate anyway. Apparently a very emotional performance and crowd.
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Chief
climber
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Feb 24, 2010 - 02:01am PT
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The Canucks and Russians tomorrow. Choice!
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Feb 24, 2010 - 12:58pm PT
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Ashleigh's pretty cute all right, but our gold medalist ice dancer Tessa Virtue is suh-MOE-kin' hot!
Now talk about The Agony of Defeat! Did you guys hear about the coaching error that cost dutchman Sven Kramer the gold? During the 10K speed skate, his coach pointed him to the wrong side of the oval! He had the gold medal in the bag, but was disqualified for going the wrong way on the course! Wow, what a terrible disappointment.
But the real story of courage yesterday was that of Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette. Her mom died of a sudden heart attack only two days ago at age 55. Joannie went out last night to skate the short program, and got a personal best score. She's in third place going into the final free skate which is tomorrow night. Good on her!
Congrats to the men's hockey team, now that they're using the right goalie. Big game with the Russkies tonight, HUGE game. Right up there with the 1972 Canada-Russia series. Our loss to the Merricans the other night was the most-watched sports program in Canadian history. Swiss are playing the Merricans this aft - GO SWISS!!
And what can you say about the curlers?? [Besides Cheryl being my favourite Olympic MILF?] With any luck, a couple more golds.
Speaking of which, you Merricans ought to watch out. Yous guys are only a single gold medal ahead of us [7 vs 6] and we've got some bad-ass women's bobsleigh drivers goin' today.
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Feb 24, 2010 - 01:06pm PT
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Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!!! Damn straight, Virtue is my all-time favourite, however my motives are knott entirely pure!
And speaking of figure skaters, you know I'm a trombone player, right Tami? Well, I am thinking I would like to play the Tuba.
Sven said he was tempted to go the right way, but that's not his job. His job is to follow his coach's instructions. In the heat of the moment, the stress, he needs to focus on skating, and the coach on the route. He'll do OK on sponsorship, he's already got a gold.
[her name is actually spelled "Tugba"]
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Feb 24, 2010 - 01:11pm PT
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Big game with the Russkies tonight, HUGE game. Right up there with the 1972 Canada-Russia series. Does that mean that the Canadians will hack their way to victory, as in 1972? When Bobby Clarke was instructed by the Canadian assistant coach that Valeri Kharlamov (the leading Soviet player) needed "a tap on the ankle" during the sixth game? And Clarke obliged, fracturing Kharlamov's ankle in a blatant attack?
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Feb 24, 2010 - 01:25pm PT
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Wow, Anders - I was completely unfamiliar with that story. That was pretty lame, all right. It is something conveniently omitted from the history books.
This link is quick and easy to read, and tells pretty much the whole story:
http://proicehockey.about.com/library/blhenderson-clarke.htm
None of that tonight, lads. Just go play hockey.
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