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The weather conditions look pretty iffy.



Still the temps hover above zero and there's barely any precip

Here's a summary of the area for today.

2010 Winter Games Venue Overview - Environment Canada

Trucking Snow in? Does anyone know if they figured anything else out? I heard about the Olympic committee consulting with Isreal!! ( of all places) for snow making technology.

I don't watch TV or the news much.



Crossing fingers for the whole event.

It will all come together, truckloads bring the snow in.

Ten things to watch for during Vancouver's Opening Ceremony - Fourth-Place Medal - 2010 Olympics Blog - Yahoo! Sports

Here is todays Olympic tidbits.

Chonsi, Wayne Gretzky is NOT going to light the torch, so as you can read speculation is Betty Fox which would be very touching given that her son Terry Fox was the cancer patient who attempted to run across Canada and raised much money for Cancer research. Sadly he succumbed to his ailment.

Oh, I can't wait for the opening ceremony of the Olympics tonight. The opening ceremony starts, on the East coast, at 9 tonight on NBC.



I love the winter olympics.



Good luck to the USA and Canada:-6



Here are 2 sites for members living along the East coast of the USA....



2010 Winter Olympics | Video, Schedules, Results, TV | NBC Olympics



Winter Olympics 2010 Schedule: 2010 Winter Olympics Events Schedule | Showbiz Galore

minks;1289814 wrote: Ten things to watch for during Vancouver's Opening Ceremony - Fourth-Place Medal - 2010 Olympics Blog - Yahoo! Sports

Here is todays Olympic tidbits.

Chonsi, Wayne Gretzky is NOT going to light the torch, so as you can read speculation is Betty Fox which would be very touching given that her son Terry Fox was the cancer patient who attempted to run across Canada and raised much money for Cancer research. Sadly he succumbed to his ailment.


Oh, that would be so touching for her to light it in memory of her son. I am going to check out your link now.........

Oh, Arnold ran part of the relay last night! :-4

The Canadian Press - Feb 12, 11:19 am EST

Attached files

chonsigirl;1289850 wrote: Oh, Arnold ran part of the relay last night! :-4

The Canadian Press - Feb 12, 11:19 am EST


that is soooo cool.

chonsigirl;1289850 wrote: Oh, Arnold ran part of the relay last night! :-4

The Canadian Press - Feb 12, 11:19 am EST




-It should have been a Canadian.

the only reason he was there was for his own publicity, not impressed.:rolleyes:

Arnold impresses anyone, at least me. Why not run a lag and stay for the games? Good publicity for the Games.

Torch relays-I guess the governing body sets up who they want to run them, and when. Just like the final torch lighter. (and isn't the suspense building, I am checking sites whenever home today for a hint of who it might be)

In '84 they set up who ran. Minks said a fellow coworker ran it through her city. From ordinary to extraordinary, everyone runs and are one and the same. A carrier of the Olympic ideal. I was just lucky to find a photo of him, they didn't even carry the news in L.A.-I just talked to my mom while at the gym. She asked me why they didn't say a thing, I told her it's because they're Democratic news stations. Oh, she was ticked, and acknowledged that's probably why. :wah:

Ghee, when the events themselves start, will we have different threads in the sports forum?

The Vancouver 2010 games will be the warmest Winter Olympics yet, at least within city limits, experts say. And that may actually be good news for Olympians.

Already the warmest city ever to host the Winter Olympic Games, Vancouver in February 2010 is going to be even balmier than usual, experts say.

The Pacific Northwest Canadian city (Vancouver map)—which will host the games from today through February 28, 2010—just experienced its warmest January since record keeping began in 1937. Temperatures averaged 44.8 degrees Fahrenheit (7.1 degrees Celsius), considerably warmer than the average of 37.9 degrees Fahrenheit (3.3 degrees Celsius). Average February temperatures for Winter Olympic host cities are typically below freezing.



At first glance the culprit behind the city’s balmy winter weather appears to be the current El Niño, a game changer in worldwide weather patterns that occurs every two to seven years. During an El Niño event—such as the current one, which began in summer 2010—the Pacific Ocean warms up near equatorial South America and disrupts large-scale atmospheric circulation.

so much for the skiers walking through water today!:yh_rotfl

Odie;1289893 wrote: -It should have been a Canadian.

the only reason he was there was for his own publicity, not impressed.:rolleyes:


i beg to differ, I think they are a global event why not have one of our neighbors carry the torch. By letting him shows our good faith despite what others may see his motive as.

Yay Canada!

BTW the torch crossed the border either tuesday or wednesday at the Peace Arch, the port of entry/exit on the west coast.

YAY for something shared between 2 nations. I for one am proud we carried to our neighbors and they carried it back.

More countries should be doing the same.

Just my 2 cents worth.

did it eventually snow? I heard it had to be made because of lack of snow.:yh_rotfl

fuzzywuzzy;1289948 wrote: did it eventually snow? I heard it had to be made because of lack of snow.:yh_rotfl
nooo just rain for now yes snow is being trucked in. Only in canada eh.

Report: Luger dies in training-run crash - Olympic Sports- nbcsports.msnbc.com

WHISTLER, British Columbia - An Olympic official with direct knowledge of the situation says a men’s luger from the former Soviet republic of Georgia has died after a crash during training.

:-1

chonsigirl;1289954 wrote: Report: Luger dies in training-run crash - Olympic Sports- nbcsports.msnbc.com

WHISTLER, British Columbia - An Olympic official with direct knowledge of the situation says a men’s luger from the former Soviet republic of Georgia has died after a crash during training.

:-1


Oh no what a terrible thing.

Sunday's women's Olympic downhill is being postponed, I wonder why?

Newsreports should come up in a few minutes.

chonsigirl;1289970 wrote: Sunday's women's Olympic downhill is being postponed, I wonder why?

Newsreports should come up in a few minutes.


I suspect lack of snow.

minks;1289977 wrote: I suspect lack of snow.


yes due to heavy overnight rain making soft mushy snow.

Mens final training for downhill today was cancelled as well.

Mens downhill for tomorrow is pending also.

Aww what a crazy start.

Ah, they need some of those snow machines turned on now. I saw the rain on an early news show this morning.

minks;1289977 wrote: I suspect lack of snow.




Bummer Mel...Pam said that Chonsi and I should send you our snow:wah: Wish we could. We have tons of it here on the East coast.:p

chonsigirl;1289954 wrote: Report: Luger dies in training-run crash - Olympic Sports- nbcsports.msnbc.com

WHISTLER, British Columbia - An Olympic official with direct knowledge of the situation says a men’s luger from the former Soviet republic of Georgia has died after a crash during training.

:-1


omg..........what a tragedy.

Ah, they showed why Arnold carried the torch. It was for his support of the Paralympics for many years, way before he was governator.

Less than a 1/2 hour until Opening Ceremonies!

chonsigirl;1290048 wrote: Ah, they showed why Arnold carried the torch. It was for his support of the Paralympics for many years, way before he was governator.

Less than a 1/2 hour until Opening Ceremonies!


Chonsi, I hope you enjoy the native flare during the opening cereminies hun, they are lovely.

minks;1290054 wrote: Chonsi, I hope you enjoy the native flare during the opening cereminies hun, they are lovely.


The USA just entered the stadium they got a lovely reception .... all teams did. It has been very very touching, Canada is coming in shortly here. We have Uzbekestand now us.... wow it's awesome. it isn't a cheer its a roar..... WOW. it is the sea of red.

minks;1290056 wrote: The USA just entered the stadium they got a lovely reception .... all teams did. It has been very very touching, Canada is coming in shortly here. We have Uzbekestand now us.... wow it's awesome. it isn't a cheer its a roar..... WOW. it is the sea of red.


It has been glorious, the country's, their flags and colours!:yh_clap:yh_clap



wow is right....its a sea of red and white.

Odie;1290057 wrote: It has been glorious, the country's, their flags and colours!:yh_clap:yh_clap



wow is right....its a sea of red and white.


Glorious eh. It was a very wonderful ceremony and I stand corrected. I will elaborate tomorrow when everybody who cares to watch has seen these ceremonies. Good night all

Man oh Man, I am so totally impressed by the Olympic Opening Ceromonies. I do not want to be bias, because I was expecting a total embarrasment. But, it was so impressive and it brought many tears to my eyes!! I am so impressed by the ceremony, it really was spectacular. (the only thing I have negative to say is about the French speaking - I am from the West. and I know we are a billingual country, but it is hard to take) Otherwise, kudos to all of these people for putting this on.

P.S. I am so sorry about the Luge Olympic man from Georgia, I am so sad for him and his family.

Oh Mel,



Thank you to my Canadian friends for hosting such a beautiful ceremony for the Winter Olympics. It was absolutely brilliant.



I just tried to post a thread to thank Canada and poof....I clicked the wrong button and the thread disappeared....



I'll post a thread tomorrow....bummer....

Kathy Ellen;1290065 wrote: Oh Mel,



Thank you to my Canadian friends for hosting such a beautiful ceremony for the Winter Olympics. It was absolutely brilliant.



I just tried to post a thread to thank Canada and poof....I clicked the wrong button and the thread disappeared....



I'll post a thread tomorrow....bummer....


Thank you Kathy Ellen, I figured you would be one of the more gracious people to say this, but thank you - I actually was so afraid of us being labled as "hicks" and they so made me so proud! - such beautiful and creative work done. It was so impressive, and K D Lange was so beautiful, I think she was sooooo impressive, given her sexulity (which I don't care) I always liked her. Again, Go Canada



I do not want to think and forget about that poor Geogian Luge person that lost his life. Many tears for him and his family.

moonpie;1290062 wrote: Man oh Man, I am so totally impressed by the Olympic Opening Ceromonies. I do not want to be bias, because I was expecting a total embarrasment. But, it was so impressive and it brought many tears to my eyes!! I am so impressed by the ceremony, it really was spectacular. (the only thing I have negative to say is about the French speaking - I am from the West. and I know we are a billingual country, but it is hard to take) Otherwise, kudos to all of these people for putting this on.

P.S. I am so sorry about the Luge Olympic man from Georgia, I am so sad for him and his family.


It was soooooooooooo impressive! hats off for making this so spectular!:guitarist

He was only 21.:-1

just the beginning of his career.

R.I.P.

Thank You Canada.

You are an example of what is right with the world.

Today you shine.

"Our world today is in need of peace, tolerance and brotherhood. May the Vancouver 2010 Games be held in peace, in the true spirit of the Olympic truce." Jaccques Rogge



"You are role models for our children - heroes, giants, champions - the best ever. You are living proof that men and women everywhere are capable of doing great good and that in life as it is in sport we should always give our best and never ever give up." John Furlong





"We are an idea in the process of being realized / we are young / we are cultures strung together then woven into a tapestry / and the design is what makes us more than the sum total of our history / we are an experiment going right for a change / with influences that range from a to zed / and yes we say zed instead of zee / we are the true north / strong and free / and what's more / is that we didn't just say it / we made it be." Shane Koyczan

It was a beautiful Opening Ceremony, the First People were so thrilling to see, the parade of athletes a noble presentation with the Georgian contingent so grief stricken and proud. I am amazed at what technology can do. Canada, you should smile with pride today at your graciousness and heart-felt welcome to the world.

I didn't get to see it as it didn't start here till 9pm saw most of the teams walk in then I feel asleep. :-6 What I did see on the new was beautiful. Hopefully I can catch it on the internet.

The Canadian Olympics association has canceled the National Anthem video and others on youtube.:-5

Ummm........................ I thought there were some good bits. I liked the indiginious welcoming. It's great when you learn a bit about anothers culture.

The standing ovation for the georgian team was lovely.

Shouldn't people practice lip syncing before they actually perform though? When you're going to lip sync maybe you should have the microphone to you lips and keep up with the song.

They were all performing live fuzzy, the problem was the broadcast feed not syncing the sound and image, they had the picture a second slow for the first half hour but they did fix it eventually. I'd assumed it was just the BBC but apparently not. Nobody's ever going to lip-sync again after the embarrassment in Peking.

It was a tremendous invocation of Canada, I only hope London has as much imagination. Shane Koyczan's poem and especially his delivery had me cheering. Thomas Saulgrain's flywire over the fields of grain was magnificent, I've no idea how anyone avoids being sick or getting disoriented doing that and he did it better than I thought possible. I'm not sure Leonard Cohen's song was the best choice for k.d. lang to sing which distresses me as both stand as high in my admiration as anyone gets. Joni Mitchell's contribution was beautifully sung, I wish she'd been well enough to do it on the day.

Why we had that defiant God Save the Queen before O Canada at the beginning I'm not sure. Why nobody had worked out that the sound of the crowd at an indoor venue needed a treble boost and bass reduction has me baffled too, they came over more disgruntled than ecstatic when they obviously weren't. Other than that, medals all round I think.

Good luck to the competitors, I hope they have the time of their lives.

spot;1290190 wrote: They were all performing live fuzzy, the problem was the broadcast feed not syncing the sound and image, they had the picture a second slow for the first half hour but they did fix it eventually. I'd assumed it was just the BBC but apparently not. Nobody's ever going to lip-sync again after the embarrassment in Peking.

It was a tremendous invocation of Canada, I only hope London has as much imagination. Shane Koyczan's poem and especially his delivery had me cheering. Thomas Saulgrain's flywire over the fields of grain was magnificent, I've no idea how anyone avoids being sick or getting disoriented doing that and he did it better than I thought possible. I'm not sure Leonard Cohen's song was the best choice for k.d. lang to sing which distresses me as both stand as high in my admiration as anyone gets. Joni Mitchell's contribution was beautifully sung, I wish she'd been well enough to do it on the day.

Why we had that defiant God Save the Queen before O Canada at the beginning I'm not sure. Why nobody had worked out that the sound of the crowd at an indoor venue needed a treble boost and bass reduction has me baffled too, they came over more disgruntled than ecstatic when they obviously weren't. other than that, medals all round I think.

Good luck to the competitors, I hope they have the time of their lives.




I missed the beginning!:-5

They sang God save the queen first?

Odie;1290191 wrote: They sang God save the queen first?That would have been enough to start a riot Odie. No, the orchestra played it before they played O Canada just before the Governor General took her seat. Unless I hallucinated that bit, it's not unknown.

Yes Odie the first six bars of 'God save the queen' were played.

Spot I thought it may have been the live feed when looking at the anthem but then two other singers came on a bit later and the music and singing began and the guy looked very embarrassed when he didn't have his microphone up to his lips but had "already" sang three or four words. Even my boys laughed at that.

The highlight for my children were the Whales. They thought that was pretty cool.

spot;1290192 wrote: That would have been enough to start a riot Odie. No, the orchestra played it before they played O Canada just before the Governor General took her seat. Unless I hallucinated that bit, it's not unknown.


two strikes!:-5

Arnold Schwarzenegger participating, I don't give a damn what he's done, it should have been a Canadian!

Second, the orchestra played God save the queen first? wtf is that?:-5





YouTube - O Canada

Wasn't it about inviting everybody? Maybe it was an address to the Commonwealth countries as well? Or maybe just remembering that Canada is a commonwealth country?

I can't find anything on youtube

fuzzywuzzy;1290198 wrote: Wasn't it about inviting everybody? Maybe it was an address to the Commonwealth countries as well? Or maybe just remembering that Canada is a commonwealth country?

I can't find anything on youtube


The Canadian Olympics banned some of youtube videos, as some are their 'rights'.



It is about inviting everyone, I just have no use for the queen, never have, she's never done anything for Canada accept cost us a fortune each time she visits, O Canada should have been played first.



-not a debating thread, just my personal opinions on the Canadian Olympics



sorry Minks, sometimes I need to vent.

fuzzywuzzy;1290193 wrote: Spot I thought it may have been the live feed when looking at the anthem but then two other singers came on a bit later and the music and singing began and the guy looked very embarrassed when he didn't have his microphone up to his lips but had "already" sang three or four words. Even my boys laughed at that.You remember when Johnny Lyall jumped his snowboard through the hoops and made the Welcome to the 2010 Winter Olympics speech from the centre of the arena? His voice was a second ahead of the picture too. You're not going to tell me he was lip-syncing as well, I hope. It was the feed, nothing else. The BBC sound feed was switched about ten seconds into Bryan Adams and Nelly Furtado's song, there was a distinct tone change, I'm not sure whether they'd made the sync right before then but it was clean afterwards. It was a live orchestra from the start too, I don't think you'd get them to sit there all evening miming.

Odie;1290196 wrote: Arnold Schwarzenegger participating, I don't give a damn what he's done, it should have been a Canadian!You'll pardon my saying so but the stooge he was playing with, who handed the flame on to him, was Sebastian Coe, and he's as Canadian as I am, when he's in his dinner jacket he gets called The Right Honourable The Lord Coe, KBE.

The boys said it didn't look like the fiddlers were actually playing so that could explain the delay in the feed but it was Bryan Adams looking embarrassed that throws speculation on the lip syncing.

A special thank you to all of our Canadian friends. The 2010 Olympic Opening Ceremony was absolutely breathtaking and highly enjoyed by me.



You really outdid yourselves and should be so proud of your wonderful country.



I loved every moment of the ceremony from the gorgeous pictures of Canada to Nikki singing "O Canada," the stadium floor turning into the sea and whales swimming across, songs sung by Sarah and KD, dancing routines of the fiddlers and the speed skaters with colored lights skating around the Canadian Rockies..... Oh, there's so much more that I've left out....



But, the highlight of the ceremony, for me, was the beginning when the Canadian flag was led into the stadium by members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the 4 Aboriginal nation's dancers as well as the English and French traditional dancers.....



And last by not least all of the Athletes who were sooooo proud to be chosen for the olympics. To see them walking, so proudly, holding their flags really brought tears to my eyes. I especially loved the Aussies having great 'craic.'



Thank you again Canada. I know that you're very proud of your country and certainly should be. I watched the ceremony for 5 hours and plan to watch or tape the whole ceremony. I'm just so sad that I didn't think to tape the ceremony:o

spot;1290201 wrote: You remember when Johnny Lyall jumped his snowboard through the hoops and made the Welcome to the 2010 Winter Olympics speech from the centre of the arena? His voice was a second ahead of the picture too. You're not going to tell me he was lip-syncing as well, I hope. It was the feed, nothing else. The BBC sound feed was switched about ten seconds into Bryan Adams and Nelly Furtado's song, there was a distinct tone change, I'm not sure whether they'd made the sync right before then but it was clean afterwards. It was a live orchestra from the start too, I don't think you'd get them to sit there all evening miming.


Nope, that looked alright to me but I didn't get the talking bit just his raising of his arms, which looked okay on the screen and in time witht he announcements.

It's also quite possible that you got the British feed and we got the Australian feed.

Odie;1290196 wrote: two strikes!:-5

Arnold Schwarzenegger participating, I don't give a damn what he's done, it should have been a Canadian!

Second, the orchestra played God save the queen first? wtf is that?:-5





YouTube - O Canada


Arnold has been associated with the Special Olympics for a long time, through his wife, founded by his mother-in-law.



And yes, the orchestra did play God Save The Queen first, I am sure the have parts of the ceremony somewhere online, I've seen some.

I thought their choice of final torchbearers was very nice. (even though I was hoping for Mrs. Fox, what an inspiration story)

Canadian ice hockey great Wayne Gretzky lights cauldron

Reported by Reuters on Saturday, 13 February 2010

VANCOUVER - Canadian ice hockey great Wayne Gretzky lit the permanent cauldron after the opening ceremony at the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver on Friday.



Canada loves their hockey and they couldn't have chosen anyone better to light the cauldron!