2010 Vancouver Olympic & Paralympic Super-Thread

[SpongeG]

oh and the teacher from GLEE! and the dude with the mohawk from GLEE! they were there too

[SpongeG]

some pics - my camera battery died at robson square so i went to put in my back up and it was dead too - but by leaving it off a bit it had enough charge to snap a few pics at the NHL party at club bud...









this guy is from the TV show "V"


Americans in the crowd




the short girl is US figure skater tara lipinski - she is very young and very skinny tiny thing - she has her back to me being interviewd by a tall guy






some actors


us figure skater kristy yamacgucho - also extremely skinny and tiny


michael buble

[SpongeG]

deadmau5 CTV video

[SpongeG]

oh yeah when i was there the guy who is on cTV right now - the guy with the glasses from MTV - you must all know him and that ginger girl...

anyway people saw him and jumped all over him he looked totally shocked people were yelling "it's MTV GUY!!!" lol he was walking down granville and went into the commodore aka Club Bud

[SpongeG]

oh and i think it has turned into a the unofficial olympic sport JUMPING and running along the lantern trees on granville - so friggin noisy and everyone does it as loud as they can

[Delirium]

i loved it when Montgomery got off the gondola after winning his gold and some girl gives him a pitcher of beer. that was awesome. unscripted, genuine and so canadian. that would never happen on NBC.

"the guy with the glasses from MTV - you must all know him and that ginger girl..."

i am always SHOCKED that CTV would give these two clowns airtime. i can't stand them. what are they doing here anyway? they don't cover anything. they just sit there and babble and look like complete idiots.

-------
something else that bothered me watching the alpine events. i'm getting annoyed with the commentators keep saying things when a skier crashes. Things like "the course needs to be shaved, too many bumps, sun and shadows, this is ridiculous, etc etc.
If there was one complaint with alpine in torino was that it was too easy. these are the olympics. it needs to be challenging and if one person can make it down, then it's fair game. before any athlete goes down a course, it has to be inspected by the ski federation and all the coaches. they approve the course so it's not like this is a surprise. anyway, the CTV commentators suck. they can be downers.

[subdude]

Cops close downtown liquor stores



Many weren't able to buy alcohol from downtown liquor stores, Saturday

The VPD requested all downtown liquor stores shut down early

Sheila Scott/Alison Bailey Feb 20, 2010 23:21:30 PM

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - If you tried to grab anything from a liquor store downtown Saturday night - you were out of luck.

At the request of the Vancouver Police Department, liquor inspectors ordered all stores downtown to close at 7 p.m. in hopes of cutting down on the rowdy atmosphere.

Mike Jahnke from Jimmy's Cold Beer and Wine at Homer near Robson says closing early will have a big effect on his business. "Well we do most of our business normally in the evenings between six and eleven, so it's pretty devastating to say the least."

Jahnke says he was only given one hour notice that he would have to close down four hours early. "The liquor inspector came in to our store at six o'clock and served me with a letter indicating that they're going to have to close at 7 p.m. We had a lineup of about 40 people outside our store and they're not happy."

The early closure also upset many potential customers. One man was quick to express his disappointment to us. "Vancouver turned from 'no fun' Vancouver to 'fun' Vancouver. Within halfway into the Olympics, we're back to 'no fun' Vancouver."

But some seem to understand the decision. "At the same time, we're actually glad that it is closed right now even though I'm knocking on the door."

And this may not be the only time it happens, Jahnke says the liquor inspector hinted the early closures could become common during the Games.

[zivan56]

These liquor control regulations are ridiculous in the first place...I bet we are the laughingstock of most of the visitors to here. Even totalitarian states didn't regulate the sale, time of sale, and consumption of alcohol. I bet its unconstitutional as well. Plus it doesn't help at all...I saw tons of people drinking on the Skytrain coming into downtown. They will just buy it earlier and drink it later.

I'm not surprised people are drinking on the streets...it takes hours to get into any place. I was thinking of going to the liquor store and just putting beer in coffee cups after walking around for hours with nowhere to sit down. Something I haven't done since way back when I was under age. But since we couldn't get seats anywhere, that pretty much ruined the night...

EDIT: From NYTimes

Vancouver Worries About Too Much Revelry
By IAN AUSTEN

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — As the Olympics have progressed and the warm and dry weather has continued, boisterous crowds have continued to grow late at night downtown. So much so that the Vancouver police are becoming alarmed.

At the request of police, British Columbia’s liquor board ordered liquor stores to close at 7 p.m. on Saturday in a bid to reduce the increasingly large number of obviously drunk people making noise and sometimes fighting with each other in the city’s center.

“The strategy behind this is to stop the supply of alcohol to the streets,” Constable Jana McGuinness said in a statement. “We are seeing people replenishing their stock at nearby liquor stores and then openly consuming the liquor in the streets.”

She added, “We are encouraging people to enjoy the Olympic experience but to do so responsibly by leaving the alcohol at home.”

As Saturday night became Sunday morning, there was little evidence that the early liquor store closings had improved the situation. If anything, the crowds appeared to have reached even higher numbers along Granville Street, which has been the epicenter of Olympic partying. Some of it has been closed to traffic for the duration of the Olympics while its remainder has been shut most nights to accommodate crowds spilling out of its numerous bars and nightclubs.

It was also not apparent that the early liquor store closings had brought sobriety to the gathering.

Saturday also saw an expansion of the increased police presence that began on Friday. Police from the Integrated Security Unit, a force of officers from across Canada led by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, are now assisting the local force. A police helicopter which tracked protesters a week ago hovered over downtown through the night and into the early morning. And police officers on horseback were on the scene.

Outside a nightclub two handcuffed men, one with a bloody nose, sat on the road and were surrounded by about a half dozen police officers.

Most of the revelers were well under 30 and a significant number seem to be very intoxicated. A stroll through downtown near midnight saw several young men urinating in public, numerous people drunk to the point where they needed support from friends to stay standing and two women who said they were not feeling well who certainly looked the part.

The situation was a contrast with Whistler, the town hosting the downhill skiing and sliding events, earlier Saturday night. Its crowds of Olympic celebrants, which were proportionately just as large, spanned a wider range of ages. Although the village center was congested, obvious drunks were a minority. Earlier in the day, Gregor Robertson, the mayor of Vancouver, asked his citizens not to create the impression that they lived in a city of rowdy inebriants.

“The spotlight is on us as we celebrate with guests from around the world,” Robertson said in a statement. “We want to ensure the memories people take home are ones of a great time in a wonderful city.”

Adding to the tensions on Saturday was a long predicted overload of the Canada Line subway system, which was built in part to accommodate the Games. Throughout the evening, long lines formed at its downtown stations as police officers and security guards limited entry to avoid overcrowding on platforms.


http://vancouver2010.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/21/vancouver-worries-about-too-much-revelry/

[subdude]

Crazy lineup for Livecity Yaletown last night:

[cornholio]

Any idiot will realize that when you starting pushing agaisnt the people by closing the liquor stores unexpectedly early then all your doing is heightening tensions and making sure the people push back. Which morons make these decisions? These are people having fun, the citizens of this country, the one who make the decisions about what is right or wrong and when you start attacking them then your going to get attacked back. It is impossible for a riot to start in a situation such as this, the only way a riot can start is if its instigated and the mood of the group(all the people downtown) shifts to deffensive, that is only possible with police "attack", something those idiots are starting to do. Is there not a competent person out there who can make the right decisions? There is not one riot that you can name that wasnt started by police interference if it wasnt a protest, not one, not one, not a single one, it is simply not possible, large groups of people are completly predictable, you canot get a riot out of them if you dont attack them.

Its so freakin simple I just dont understand how stupid the police are.

[jlousa]

Umm yeah, because allowing the liquor stores to continue selling late into the night and allowing people to drink in the streets is certainly the recipe to stop a riot. I'm not defending their decision but it's seems obvious to me that it was done because enough people were causing problem. Living downtown and being out enjoying the scene every night I've seen more underage/early 20's wasted out of their minds to last me a lifetime. It's very unfortunate that because of a small subset everyone needs to pay, but that's life. I've bought my liquor in advance and everyone else that lives downtown can too. These limits are only affecting people that haven't planned ahead.

[zivan56]

The effect will be close to zero considering people know about it. I saw a bunch of people drinking on transit when I was coming down before the restrictions were in place. I'm guessing they will just drink more beforehand and bring much more with them then they usually do. That is even worse than closing liquor stores early, since the lineup to get into them was ~1 hour and people would sober up. Now, they have more than they need and need to drink it all before the night is up.

[SpongeG]

they are going to do it again tonight apparently they are making the decision now

[Prometheus]

Originally Posted by Delirium

i loved it when Montgomery got off the gondola after winning his gold and some girl gives him a pitcher of beer. that was awesome. unscripted, genuine and so canadian. that would never happen on NBC.

"the guy with the glasses from MTV - you must all know him and that ginger girl..."

i am always SHOCKED that CTV would give these two clowns airtime. i can't stand them. what are they doing here anyway? they don't cover anything. they just sit there and babble and look like complete idiots.

-------
something else that bothered me watching the alpine events. i'm getting annoyed with the commentators keep saying things when a skier crashes. Things like "the course needs to be shaved, too many bumps, sun and shadows, this is ridiculous, etc etc.
If there was one complaint with alpine in torino was that it was too easy. these are the olympics. it needs to be challenging and if one person can make it down, then it's fair game. before any athlete goes down a course, it has to be inspected by the ski federation and all the coaches. they approve the course so it's not like this is a surprise. anyway, the CTV commentators suck. they can be downers.

I agree with you about the impromptu pitcher of beer. A true classic.

I also agree with you about the CTV alpine colour commentator. His constant harping and whining was inexplicable and annoying. The course is designed brilliantly: it is technically advanced, fast and exciting. It is everything that an olympic-level downhill course should be. It should push the world's best athletes to new limits. Besides, the vast, vast, vast majority of skiers (from the best to the worst) were making it down at blistering speeds without problems.

His pathetic whining was not shared by the NBC commentators, who described the course as challenging and exciting.

[NetMapel]

Most epic hockey game going on right now between Canada and the US.

[cabotp]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

I agree with you about the impromptu pitcher of beer. A true classic.

I also agree with you about the CTV alpine colour commentator. His constant harping and whining was inexplicable and annoying. The course is designed brilliantly: it is technically advanced, fast and exciting. It is everything that an olympic-level downhill course should be. It should push the world's best athletes to new limits. Besides, the vast, vast, vast majority of skiers (from the best to the worst) were making it down at blistering speeds without problems.

His pathetic whining was not shared by the NBC commentators, who described the course as challenging and exciting.

That is also why I like the slide centre. Yes there was the unfortunate death and they could of designed the walls to be higher to make sure no one flips out of the track.

But the simple fact that it is so difficult makes the challenge more interesting. To me difficult is great for the ones who actually make it are better than the ones who don't.

[mrjauk]

Originally Posted by zivan56

The effect will be close to zero considering people know about it. I saw a bunch of people drinking on transit when I was coming down before the restrictions were in place. I'm guessing they will just drink more beforehand and bring much more with them then they usually do. That is even worse than closing liquor stores early, since the lineup to get into them was ~1 hour and people would sober up. Now, they have more than they need and need to drink it all before the night is up.

Absolutely agree. This will not do anything to alleviate the problem. Ever notice what happens in a night club before last call?

On a related note, it's disconcerting, but entirely understandable, that there is a thread on this forum positing the hypothetical of a riot. I've traveled to and lived in many cities around the world and nowhere did I ever get a similar sense that things to devolve into violence during alleged celebrations. You can blame the "bridge-and-tunnel" crowd all you want, but all other cities have similar groups. I honestly don't know what it is. Maybe it is our draconian liquor laws, that have the opposite of their intended effect?

Anyway, were a riot to happen, I wouldn't be surprised.

[SpongeG]

i'm watching Undercover boss but i see that canada is losing? i only looked on facebook...

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by cornholio

Any idiot will realize that when you starting pushing agaisnt the people by closing the liquor stores unexpectedly early then all your doing is heightening tensions and making sure the people push back. Which morons make these decisions? These are people having fun, the citizens of this country, the one who make the decisions about what is right or wrong and when you start attacking them then your going to get attacked back. It is impossible for a riot to start in a situation such as this, the only way a riot can start is if its instigated and the mood of the group(all the people downtown) shifts to deffensive, that is only possible with police "attack", something those idiots are starting to do. Is there not a competent person out there who can make the right decisions? There is not one riot that you can name that wasnt started by police interference if it wasnt a protest, not one, not one, not a single one, it is simply not possible, large groups of people are completly predictable, you canot get a riot out of them if you dont attack them.

Its so freakin simple I just dont understand how stupid the police are.

ORLY?

Study the 1994 riot. Had nothing to do with what you describe. Any time you liquor up a bunch of guys in their early twenties the potential for violence increases exponentially. Look at the "Entertainment Strip" (sic) on Granville on any given Saturday night.

[giallo]

Originally Posted by mrjauk

Absolutely agree. This will not do anything to alleviate the problem. Ever notice what happens in a night club before last call?

On a related note, it's disconcerting, but entirely understandable, that there is a thread on this forum positing the hypothetical of a riot. I've traveled to and lived in many cities around the world and nowhere did I ever get a similar sense that things to devolve into violence during alleged celebrations. You can blame the "bridge-and-tunnel" crowd all you want, but all other cities have similar groups. I honestly don't know what it is. Maybe it is our draconian liquor laws, that have the opposite of their intended effect?

Anyway, were a riot to happen, I wouldn't be surprised.

I've got to agree. For whatever reason, Metro Vancouver (and BC for that matter) have an almost feral-like younger population. It isn't until around 25 when the a lot men start to get their shit together.

While I think closing the liquor shops are insane, I actually can't fault the cops. A chunk of younger metro Vancouverites have proven time and time again to be shit disturbers when drunk.

I do think our ridiculous liquor laws are part of the problem. They absolutely encourage binge drinking; gotta get that last drink before the shop/bar closes. We've had two generations now with this sort of mentality. We need to approach alcohol more maturely in this province.