Olympics 2010: The Adventures of an Incurable Pessimist

Posted on February 28th, 2010 in 2010 Winter Olympics :: 3 Comments

I spent this afternoon out in Hamilton, Ontario, watching the Canada vs the United States hockey game. This morning I predicted that they would win with a 3-2 margin, which they did. And on that note, thus ends the 2010 Winter Olympics. I'll be honest -- I was against the Olympics. I was against the costs, against the expenditures, against the further widening of the gap between the rich and poor. But truthfully, I'll carry the three days I spent in Vancouver at the start of the Olympics with me for the rest of my ...

Read more »

What Do The Olympics Mean To You?

Posted on February 16th, 2010 in 2010 Winter Olympics :: No Comments

I went down to the Atlantic House the other day with Rebecca, John Bollwitt, and John Biehler. We did our best to help the Atlantic House with their excess beer problem, and eventually had to solicit the help of a few other people, namely Robert Scales and Kris Krug, who happened to be in the area and swung by. Since I had my video camera on me, I thought I would take a quick stroll and see if I could find out what some of the people in Atlantic House thought about the Olympics. The end result is this ...

Read more »

Jenn Heil’s Final Mogul Run

Posted on February 13th, 2010 in 2010 Winter Olympics :: No Comments

John Biehler and I decided to grab some grub around 7pm tonight, but unfortunately, had a hard time finding a place that could initially accommodate us. The first pub we tried to get into (on the corner of Robson and Granville) was completely full, so we decided to try the Kingston Pub on Richards street. While it was also extremely full, they managed to find room for the two of us downstairs near the large screen TV. Shortly afterwards Rebecca and John showed up, and we watched the Women's Mogul event while sipping a few beers. When ...

Read more »

Robson And Granville Crowds, Evening Of Day 2

Posted on February 13th, 2010 in 2010 Winter Olympics :: No Comments

We just walked back to the west end from the Kingston Pub, and ended up walking past a huge group of people around Granville and Robson. Here's what it looked like about an hour ago.

Read more »

Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Stock Photos

Posted on February 13th, 2010 in 2010 Winter Olympics :: No Comments

I've started putting some of my Olympic photos on VancouverStockPhotos.ca for use by organizations seeking stock photos from around Vancouver during the Olympics. John Biehler is also going to be putting a pile of his photos up soon there, so if you know of anyone looking for commercial licenses for photographs, by all means send them to the 2010 Olympic Stock Photos gallery. If you're a non-commercial organization, then you are free to use the photos as long as you follow the attribution clauses as indicated on their associated Flickr photos (non-commercial, attribution). The set of CC licensed photos ...

Read more »

On Democratic Rights During The Olympics

Posted on February 13th, 2010 in 2010 Winter Olympics :: 2 Comments

This morning I got to walk along Robson Street and watch the protests as they occurred. Given that I saw first-hand how the police officers and the protesters interacted, I thought I would make a few comments. First, it is everyone's democratic right in Canada to be allowed to protest peacefully -- these rights are protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. That said, you are not allowed to protest violently, or to break any of the normal laws of this country while in the process of protesting. Vandalism and destruction of property are not ...

Read more »

Inside the BC International Media Center

Posted on February 13th, 2010 in 2010 Winter Olympics :: 2 Comments

I actually didn't apply for a media pass, so I technically do not have access to the BC International Media Center. That said, if you have access, you can sign people in as visitors, so I'm currently down here as a guest of John Biehler. Here's a quick video that John and I shot to give everyone a little tour of what it's like inside.

Read more »

Riots and Protests In Vancouver

Posted on February 13th, 2010 in 2010 Winter Olympics :: 7 Comments

This morning John Bollwitt and I were sitting on his couch watching TV and saw that there were a group of protesters heading towards Robson Street. Both him and I immediately grabbed our cameras and headed outside to see if we could see what was going on, and possibly grab a few photos. The group involved was waving a green and black flag with a big "A" in the center, which apparently stands for anarchy. Several of the protesters were wearing masks, and the police were following behind closely, but not engaging any of the protesters. At one ...

Read more »

An Hour Away

Posted on February 12th, 2010 in 2010 Winter Olympics :: No Comments

I'm somewhere near Surrey I think, stuck near the back on a Greyhound bus. The mood here is pretty dismal -- most people are either sleeping or in some weird state of iPod euphoria. The scheduled arrival time, barring any major road hiccups, is around 12:10pm I think. The first order of business for me will be to store my luggage somewhere, most likely in a locker in the bus terminal. That'll of course mean that I have to come back and get it later, but that's way better than walking around with a suitcase all ...

Read more »

The Opening Ceremonies

Posted on February 12th, 2010 in 2010 Winter Olympics :: No Comments

I have all my camera gear packed up, which for me, is quite a lot of stuff. I pulled my old laptop/camera-bag out of retirement, which means I can have the majority of my gear, as well as my laptop, all in the same bag. It is as convenient as it is heavy. I bought a ticket on the 10am Greyhound bus leaving Chilliwack for downtown Vancouver. I decided that having my car in the city wasn't really a good idea with the games going on. Right now I'm just sipping a coffee, then I'm going to ...

Read more »