Yes, I love Boston. I try to go once or twice a year. :yes:

I'm bringing red mittens for some people I know there :jester: Once Oprah had them everyone wants them!

You should hit up NYC and MTL since your down there haha

Russia cleared out

but they moved almost all the other stuff to the main floor - what there is left of it - great britain, china, nederlands, australia etc gear is on the main floor now - it was about a 10 minute line around 5 tonight and insanely busy inside

they were putting these up on the window downtown today at the Bay

http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/8818/dsc08366j.jpg

Well, the Guardian (and by extension the British press) can't just help itself -- the bashing of our Games continues...

How Vancouver came of age
If only for a moment, the Winter Olympics gave the No Fun City a taste of what living in a world-class metropolis really feels like

Colin Horgan
guardian.co.uk, Monday 1 March 2010 17.30 GMT


At some point during the night of 19 February, something changed in Vancouver.

The Olympic games were a week old, and by and large, those paying attention to the media coverage of the event were lead to believe that the entire thing was a resounding failure. First, tragically, was the pre-games death of Georgian luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili, whose horrific crash during a training run quickly became early fodder for questions surrounding Canada's aggressively titled Own the Podium campaign, and which would cast a dark pall over the following 17 days. Then, there was the hydraulic malfunction during the opening ceremony, followed by hockey legend Wayne Gretzky's bizarre evening tour of downtown Vancouver in the back of a pickup truck in the pouring rain. In the days that followed, the weather would continue to be an issue, causing postponements and ticket cancellations, which, combined with the bleak beginning, seemed to solidify the idea that these games were somehow cursed.

And that's ignoring the protests. As spectators made their way to BC Place stadium to take their seats for the opening ceremony, a throng of protesters marched through the downtown core. They chanted "Shame on Canada" and branded placards with slogans that railed against everything from the lack of affordable housing, to the continued excavation of the oil sands in northern Alberta, from which came the fuel to power the games.

So as the first week wore on, there was an overbearing sense that Canada ought to be ashamed of itself – that Vancouver's games were nothing but an expensive propaganda campaign, designed to push the nationalistic fervor for Canadian pride into everyone's face. The Own the Podium brashness seemed somehow "un-Canadian," and drew scorn from all corners, including domestically – especially because Canada's athletes seemed to be, at best, only renting it.

As Simon Barnes wrote for the Times:

"It is customary at the Olympics to say that the nation holding them has 'come of age'. China 'came of age' in 2008; Australia "came of age" with the Sydney games of 2000 … But Canada has not come of age in Vancouver 2010."

It was as if Canada was upset at the rest of the world crashing its party, rather than being pleased to host invited guests.

Then, everything kind of changed.

A poll taken prior to the games revealed that only about half of British Columbia residents felt that Olympics would be beneficial for the province. On Friday 19 February, that poll could not have seemed any more inaccurate. Hundreds of thousands of people flocked to Vancouver's downtown core that night in the most impressive showing of what effectively amounted to the city embracing the games wholeheartedly for the first time. The daytime crowds prior to that night were large, but it was the infectious, positively celebratory feeling of that night that was new. Since then, the criticism has been quieter, and the games were labelled the one thing that initially looked impossible: a success.

For Vancouver, the No Fun City, the games have given it reason to further tout itself as "world-class" – a familiar self-imposed label that has always seemed overly insecure. And while many of the benefits of the games are as easy to list as the detriments, one potential benefit has to do with exactly what Barnes addressed: a "coming of age" for Vancouver.

After the 1994 riot that followed the Vancouver Canucks losing the Stanley Cup to the New York Rangers, John Masters described the crowd as:
"[A] large group of citizens who don't feel that the society in which they live is theirs … For many, when the party turned ugly Tuesday, the fleeting feeling of having belonged to something was lost."

Understandable, in a way – it was a riot, after all. But the feeling of belonging to something is exactly what suddenly made the Olympics an event that was no longer dominated by negativity. It is what made the tongue-in-cheek, cringingly nationalistic closing ceremony, an event that almost made sense (giant inflatable beavers and all) – that feeling of, for once, being a part of a large shared experience. It's also a feeling that's difficult to find in Vancouver, a city often fragmented by its neighbourhoods, and defined more by its geography than by its citizens.

The Olympics were never going to make Vancouver any more of a tourist destination than it already is. Instead, these games have given Vancouver a taste of what living in a world-class city actually feels like: the vibrancy and togetherness that defines the world's great metropolises did, if only for a moment, flicker to life here.

It is amusing how obssessed these British are with our Games and our city. For Games they profess to think were so inferior, they sure have a need to talk about them a lot.

Memo to British press: we get it; you were not a fan of our Games.

At one point of my life I actually respected the British and had some pride in them since Canada was their colony, however all of that respect has been lost and now I can no longer think of the British the same way, only with disgust and disappointment. Is this what the British wanted from their reporting?

Just a side thought now, every time I have spoken to a British tourist in the city, have they always looked down upon me because I was Canadian? Did they always have the mentality that they were better than me? I never would have suspected that until this garbage reporting from the British made it clear to the world what they really thought of Canada. And I'm sorry for the British people who are embarrassed of their press, because they should be.

honestly, does anyone care anymore what they say? they sound like little school children. This is all just a ploy to get more people to read their lame columns.

I would like to point out that Great Britain received ONE medal during the Olympics. Even tropical Australia beat them. Tiny Latvia got more medals! It must be comforting to the people of England that they are on par with Estonia and Kazakhstan in terms of Olympic performance :haha: Now that's embarrassing.

GO LONDON!

I love it when the "journalist" talks about how the games were powered by the Alberta oil sands! *haha*

What makes the Brits and the Russians such a bitter lot? Oh yeah, disappointing performances and their own upcoming Olympics. But were Canadians bashing Beijing or Torino? Other than protests based on China's human rights issues, no.

I'd be interested to know what line of work you're in, Yume. I don't intend to be rude, but you do get around! :cheers:

Think Deuce Bigalow. :D

The Brits aren't a depressing bunch, but they seem to have a hard time dealing with the slow decline of their Empire status... for the last 400 years or so.

I've been to the UK, and had a great time. However I don't understand how they ruled or organized anything. :rolleyes:

So they were the "worst Games ever" after all: for British accomplishment and self-esteem!

Poor chaps.

As a Canadian living in the UK, I haven't found people here to be down on the games in the way the Guardian has been. Quite the opposite actually... many people have relatives in Canada so they've always seen the country in a positive light.

But "whingeing"/moaning is quite common here... so you can never expect people to get too excited about anything unless it's the world cup. If anything, it seems like the Guardian is just trying to manage expectations before the Summer Games in London.

To be brutally honest, there are (some) very true statements within both the Guardian piece and the Times piece. I don't think there were any lies or inaccurate statements, just perspectives.
BIG CAVEAT: The Guardian is the most left-wing and grumpy paper in all of Britain somewhat akin to The Tyee, although it actually hires very talented and thorough award-winning journalists. They just have a big chip on their shoulder. The Times was always much more of a right-leaning paper, and the World's standard-bearer for journalism, but less so these days. Either way, both have chips on their shoulder.

It hardly means all of the British press hated the Games. The BBC wrote a lot of glowing reviews of the games, that were still grounded and critical, and didn't give fake shiny-happy reviews of everything. They are always my first point of call for a mature and realistic take on a World event.

The bigger issue is this: The fact that a foreign newspaper makes Canadians get defensive basically makes their point a self-fulfilling prophecy: Canadians are still a little insecure about their place in the World, and are looking for outside references to figure out who they are.

Really, Canadians should not care what The Guardian or The Sun or The Times say about the games. All of this "We're Number 1 according to this poll!" type of jingoism is really the sign of a still-maturing society. Nobody in London or Paris or NYC is going to be upset if The Guardian is critical of an event they hosted.

The best thing that can come of criticism is to maturely filter it for the practical points made, and thus grow & learn, rather than calling the writers names because they said Canada was not perfect.

This isn't aimed at any particular person here, so don't take it personally. But yeah, some of the foreign press weren't loving the games, next...

a news piece done by some TV station in Salt Lake City. Check it out
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=9805681

Olympic village said to be the 'best yet'

"A Salt Lake man has been in charge of the athletes' villages. He's lived all over the world setting up the accommodations where the different countries stay; but this village, he and many others say, is the best yet."

I think everyone is aware that this "worst games ever" theme was a narrative concocted by a lazy, cynical, incompetent press, not a reflection of British people in general, who will have to host their own Games in two years.

A somewhat humourous epilogue to the anti-Olympic/anything protesters:

http://www2.canada.com/vancouvercour...1-cd81ad586345

lol That is pretty funny. But they clearly live in their own World if they think the response is "mostly positive" towards them.

Maybe, mostly ignored, and not having tomatoes thrown at them... but not positive.

So many posts in this thread are making the rather silly mistake of confusing the worst of the British press with the Britain itself; to the extent where some posters bizarrely sound more bitter than the British papers they're attacking. :jester:

Just to let you know, most I've spoken to have enjoyed Vancouver so don't get so stressed when a few journos trying to sell papers write a few silly articles. London 2012 has had many, many, many more unfair articles written about it than Vancouver 2010 ever will from the British press; it's just the way the press works.

Vancouver 2010 was great fun - really passionate and showed Canada in a great light. It wasn't without its problems but what Games are? And us Brits are proud of our one gold thanks very much. It's an improvement on our performance in Torino. :)

See you in London! :tup:

it seems like the brit press is attacking the "olympics" and not so much Canada and Vancouver but as hosts they have to take some of the brunt for perspective

I think you're downplaying a significant matter. People are upset because the reporting was inaccurate. Anyone who was AT these Games knew that they were far more upbeat and successful than the British press was letting on. In short, they were essentially lying to the British and global public that these Games were a failure, when it fact we know they were not.

They have a journalistic responsibility to report the truth -- glitches included. But by coining phrases such as Worst Games Ever (on Day 3, no less), they changed the filter through which the Games were viewed - and that was unfair to Canadians, to Vancouverites, to the athletes, and to Vanoc.

I believe that was the anti-Gateway and anti-Canada Line crowd that was protesting. I disagree with them on so much of what they argue for, but I would have hated to see them get hurt in the wake of the hockey victory.

Glad they are OK.

Luger's death, Canadian fans focal points of Games

By John Mackinnon, Edmonton Journal

Now that Canada's high-volume Olympic pep rally has simmered down to a dull roar, it might be appropriate to ponder some of the unfinished business emerging from the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver-Whistler.

It seems safe to say the 2010 Games will be remembered for two key things years from now: the joyous, unabashed Canadian rooting for the home team's many successes, and the unnecessary death of luger Nodar Kumaritashvili of Georgia on an unsafe track just hours before the opening ceremony.

If part of the legacy of these Games is to show other host cities how to stage a 17-day block party, well worse legacies have been left. Although, how the party hits you is probably a function of whether your team is winning or not.

Having seen the party-hearty Cariocas loudly heckling athletes from other countries, apparently in joyous, unabashed, raucous support of their own at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2007, it's possible Canadians might live to regret adding the outdoor beer bash to the Olympic culture. Perhaps, that could be as soon as 2016 when that South American city stages the Summer Games.

The death of the luger is obviously a more serious matter, and not only because the insensitive official response struck many as a case of appallingly misplaced priorities. The immediate damage control -- blaming the athlete for his own death, correcting egregious safety flaws on the track while denying the circuit was unsafe -- was disgraceful.

This was hardly the first time in Olympic history that the Games went on despite loss of life. Anyone with a sense of history knows of the massacre of students in Mexico City prior to the '68 Summer Games and the slaughter of Israeli athletes by Palestinian terrorists at Munich, Germany, in '72.

"The Games must go on!" then IOC president Avery Brundage had exhorted at, of all things, a memorial service for the slain Israelis.

In this case, the athlete Kumaritashvili died preparing to compete in his sport, which like many of the winter disciplines is inherently dangerous.

To an observer viewing the Games from a distance, the unspoken but implicit response was less the Games must go on, than "Let's get this party started."

IOC president Jacques Rogge and John Furlong, chief executive of the Vancouver Organizing Committee, were clearly devastated by the tragedy and expressed remorse. But as for shouldering accountability for what appeared to be a preventable fatality, that's another matter.

There were admonitions that the sliding track in the Sochi, Russia, site of the 2014 Games must be dialed back in terms of speed and degree of difficulty.

But it remains unexplained why the Whistler track was not toned down, despite a plethora of warnings from the athletes themselves, well before Kumaritashvili paid with his life. Instead, the venue was modified only afterward, and as part of a shameless exercise in damage control.

Nor is the lesson of Whistler that the specifications for future sliding tracks be tightened up. Rather, it is that the safety measures for a wide range of extreme disciplines will have to be calibrated with great care by future organizing committees and overseen with far greater vigilance by the IOC.

Speed and mayhem is what the IOC is selling with snowboard and ski cross, the sliding sports, downhill skiing, with its rock-hard, icy tracks and old-fashioned ski jumping. The least the IOC can do to honour Kumaritashvili would be to insist in future on greater safety standards than were in place at the Whistler Sliding Centre.

Meanwhile, the worthiness of women's hockey as part of the Winter Olympic program once again was raised, this time around by none other than Rogge himself as the Games wound down.

Rogge voiced the long-held view that the sport cannot continue for long on the Olympic program if only Canada and the United States are truly competitive at the highest level.

How to broaden the talent pool is the critical question, and here the International Ice Hockey Federation and Hockey Canada need to play lead roles.

For decades, Canada has effectively exported players, coaches, even referees to other countries to help them grow the sport. The IIHF has relied on teaching resources (videos, minor-hockey instructional programs) developed by Hockey Canada to provide grassroots support in other countries.

In Canada, the women's game has grown from less than 10,000 registered players in 1990, when the first IIHF-sanctioned women's world championship was held, to more than 85,000 today.

It is in Canada's interest, not to mention the IIHF's and the IOC's, to find realistic ways to provide developmental support for the women's game in Sweden, Finland, Switzerland and other countries. As it is, the Chinese women spend plenty of time in Canada, training and competing, trying to lift their game.

...

http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/2...105/story.html

One luger unfortunately died and now they're comparing this game to Munich and Mexico City ? This was not a massacre like what happened in those previous two games...

Also, as we all know, the truth is usually inbetween the two sides arguing and never just the one extreme side. As such, I think it is entirely more probable that both the track and the athlete caused the athlete's untimely and unfortunate death.

Thankyou! That is what I'm concerned about. So anyone who is defending the British press, please read this statement.

The IOC, ILF and IBF got the sliding track that they wanted. The IOC insisted on Whistler, the federations approved the steep narrow location, the designer and architect have long resumes with the Olympics. All of them desired a faster track, and the result was even faster than they anticipated. They seemed at first nervous with their collective creation, then appalled.

But In the end, the crash rate was 3%, the same as all other tracks around the world. The only difference is that someone died.

the deisgners first track was salt lake city - prior to that he had never even seen a track he designed buildings

That is the architect, not the designer. And yes, it could be that the exposed metal pillars existed due to the architect's inexperience. The architects did not choose the shape of the track, but they did choose how to construct it.

The designer was a European man who has designed 10 winter olympics' sliding tracks. This is the person who decided how many corners, how steep, which sections would be challenging and prone to ejecting a pilot from the track.

However, ultimately, the designer was merely working with the constraints of the site that the IOC insisted on. Fitzsimmon's Creek is narrow and steep. It was predetermined to be fast and difficult. It was not Vanoc's preferred location.

There are many who could share blame, and Vanoc doesn't figure much into it.

The problem with journalism is not so much that they don't bring out the truth. But that they only pick certain parts of the whole story. So while yes what they say might be true it doesn't cover every thing.

And every single media outlet does the exact same thing. They all pick out what they want to get their point across. Hence why you should just take what is being said by all media with a grain of salt ;)

All newspapers - all of them - report the "truth" through their filter. That's why every newspaper reporting the same event tells a different story. None of them are lying, they just tell the truth with different emphases. I think the Guardian article does just that. It's not inaccurate in anything the journalist listed.

The article is not particularly negative about Vancouver's games at all, but the fact that you are so sensitive about it as to bold certain statements sort of proves my earlier point. The journalist reported the reality he experienced, warts-and-all. You got offended by it because it wasn't the reality you experienced. As I said earlier, that's exactly the signs of an overly insecure Vancouver that the city needs to get over. Any non-positive criticisms and people are upset.

In fact if you re-read the article, the first half points out all of the *potential* for disaster, then mid-way through, it says "then something changed", and talks about how the end result was a success. Yet you're upset about the article as if the journalist had bludgeoned the city? Why so sensitive? Everything he listed was an accurate and documented fact - a death, protests in the streets, bad weather, social unrest. The Guardian, being a socialist newspaper, is going to play that stuff up, given. But they didn't paint the whole event as being a failure, as you made it sound that they did.

most news in newspapers is opinion now

news is just the facts

Oh come on. Did you read the final sentence of the article - in essence, the argument and conclusion he was building up to?

"These games have given Vancouver a taste of what living in a world-class city actually feels like: the vibrancy and togetherness that defines the world's great metropolises did, if only for a moment, flicker to life here."

Translation- "Hicksville hosted a party and people had fun - but London this is not. I can't wait to get out of this hellhole and back to my flat in London, far away from these colonial boors."

It's funny because my experience of nightlife in London - while invigorating - was far from instilling feelings of "vibrancy and togetherness" that defines his world-class metropolis.

Are you British? It sounds like you are the sensitive one defending the British press. I'm sure any other normal human being would be upset if their city and games were being criticized the way they have been (especially since they were a success and regarded by many who actually attended the games as the best there ever was). Its actually quite clear the British press have had something against Vancouver and the Canadians all along, before the games even started they made it very clear. In my opinion, they sound jealous and envious and will cut down other peoples heads to make them seem bigger.

I echo the sentiments of those here that are fed up with the British attitude towards Canada. I've been there 3 times now and each time lived with a British family. They were so ignorant of Canada and generally were so patronizing of things Canadian. It was annoying.

If they didn't have all those awesome cultural institutions, I would stop visiting London. Ugh, I like the French so much more. The French, they LOVE Canadians. They might think we're quaint too but I don't get that sense of disdain from the French like I do from the British.

^ Let's face it - we were their colony, so they probably don't appreciate the fact that Canada has evolved into a far more tolerant and prosperous country that has shunned most of its British baggage (the name of our province not included).

The UK has long diminished the sacrifices - and casualties - that Canada made during the two World Wars, so their trashing of our Olympics is really no surprise.

As I said a page back:
I think I was quite clear and rational. Not emotional or sensitive.

"The British Press"? One or two UK newspapers wrote a less-than-glowing review and you're saying the whole British Press (do you know how many newspapers that is?!) "have something against Vancouver"?! Ahem. I'd call that being too sensitive.

And no it's not "normal" to be offended if a stranger criticises you. That would be an immature, jingoistic response.
I've not heard any objective reports of the games being "the best there ever was", and would you really believe the subjective ratings of a person who attended? For being the best OR the worst? That comment is just anecdotal and I don't think you'd be able to point to a non-biased source that would back up the claim.

Like I said before, this is not personal against anybody here, it's just a rational observation and we can all benefit from it by taking a breath when criticised and looking at where it's coming from, rather than letting the blood boil and taking it personally.

This is just ridiculous. "The Brits hate us because of the War! They're Jealous of us! So they formed a conspiracy to write a bad review of the Olympics in revenge!!!"

...

Criticism is not what I see in the Guardian. Pointing out glitches is not criticism. Criticism needs feedback. What could VANOC have done better, what could they have done in addition to how they reacted to the glitches.

But when you label something 'worst ever' or 'calamity' (I'll concede 'glitch') that's not necessary. And when you tout how the citizenry stepped up to embrace games but call them jingoistic, they've acknowledged that the people themselves are at fault (since in their first premise, they established that the response was a bottom-up response).

Sounds like they made it personal.

What, you mean you don't find drunken slappers vomiting on street corners give a feeling of "vibrancy and togetherness"?! :haha:

London's a great place to visit, but for its residnets, unless they're wealthy, the living standards are going to be close to Second World.

Remember that the douche that wrote that article is, in fact, living in Vancouver. Odds are he is a member of those who protested against the games and/or has some sort of political agenda that is influencing his opinion piece.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/colin-horgan

If you guys haven't already seen it, be sure to check out another FANTASTIC gallery by Boston.com

Part 1: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/201...rt_1_of_2.html

Part 2: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/201...rt_2_of_2.html

Check out some of their other famous galleries here, too:
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/ :D

About the Guardian article, apparently the writer never intended to negative. In fact if you check out his blog posts he never really takes a position either way.(although i seems like he enjoyed the Olympics)
http://trueslant.com/colinhorgan/201...er-2010-recap/

I think we're talking about Larry Donegan, not that guy.

The one we were talking about was posted a few pages back.

thought this was interesting...

Will Vancouver and Whistler bail out 2014 Sochi Olympics?
BY PINA BELPERIO

Rumour has it that Vancouver and Whistler may need to step in for Sochi during the 2014 Olympics. The mere suggestion of hosting the Olympics twice in four years is being met with shudders by local residents.

AssociatedContent.com writes how the IOC may have to move the 2014 Sochi Olympics to another city for the first time in history or cancel them for the first time since WWII and Kootenay Mountain Culture Magazine reports that the Russian host city is having challenges in meetings its timelines and obligations.

A small group of American Circassians have come to Vancouver with a strong message to the world: "If you let the 2014 games go on as planned in Russia, you'll be skiing on the graves of our oppressed ancestors." NoSochi2014.com claims that 2014 marks the 150th commemorative anniversary of the Circassian Genocide, when Russian armies killed 1.5 million people and drove out residents living between the Black Sea and the Caucasus mountains.

The alpine ski and snowboard events are proposed for Rosa Khutor, the Nordic events on Psekahko Ridge, and the alpine Olympic village at Krasnaya Polyana, an existing village in the valley. Krasnaya Polyana (named "The Red Hill" by the Russian troops for the amount of Circassian blood spilled) will be the centre of the 2014 Olympic Games.

http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/word...sochi-olympics

----
Oh, and the Russians are claiming that our men;s hockey team was on drugs when they beat the Russians :haha:

Russians accuse Team Canada of drug use
By MIKE ZEISBERGER, TORONTO SUN
http://www.torontosun.com/sports/van...-13069241.html

Once again, since my last past seems to have been completely ignored by some here who seem to be frothing at the mouth, can we have less of the "they" and "them" please? We're talking about no more than a handful of articles from a few individual journalists. They do not represent Britain, public opinion, me, most people I've spoken to who've watched the Games on TV and loved them, or better journalists in this country who no doubt feel as bad about these articles as you do.

A few articles haven't been nice and have twisted the truth till it breaks, but that's what the press does. They don't need a reason to do this; and they've been doing it to London 2012 for the last seven years. Would I prefer this wasn't the case? Of course I would. Some elements of our press (by no means all) are an embarrassment quite frankly, but there's no deeper reason for this than wanting to sell papers. There's no vendetta against Canada any more than there is against the hundreds of other subjects, countries, people who have had poor articles written about them.

So, less of the pathetic theories as to why these articles might or mightn't have been written please, and less of the bitchng about the UK in general. It makes some sound as bitter as the articles they're attacking.

Thanks djh for providing a balanced view on this. Your posts have been spot on.

Moreover, the writer is based in Vancouver (not sure if he is even a Brit).

Cheers. Being a Brit myself.... we are mostly very nice people:tup:

On a lighter note...

Holland House smashes previous Olympic record; 120,000 people lined up
http://www2.canada.com/richmondnews/...4-cb3e2d00cf56

Olympics exceeded expectations: Tourism Richmond
http://www.bclocalnews.com/business/86262252.html