On Sunday, November 22nd, 2009, the Green Gables house – a national park in Cavendish, PE- played host to the Olympic Torch. The 2010 Winter Olympics are being held in Vancouver this year, and Cassie Campbell-Pascal, a well-known female hockey player and relative to L. M. Montgomery, carried the torch in a buggy ride on the Green Gables grounds. You can read more about this in the following articles:

At Green Gables, the flames arrive in period style
by Roy MacGreggor, The Globe and Mail, November 23rd, 2009

Anne of Green Gables house plays host to the torch
By Brian McInnis, Charlottetown Guardian, November 22, 2009

1,804 signatures later and a lot of hard work by Sarah and Holly from Journalista as well as my office staff, I handed in today the petition calling on the Metropolitan Police to keep their specialist unit dedicated to combatting human trafficking.  My sincere thanks to each and every one of you who signed the petition – 1,804 was an excellent achievement and just shows the strength of feeling about the trafficking of people for profit. 

In line with the usual procedure, I presented the petition this morning at the meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority Board chaired, of course, by Mayor Boris Johnson.  Also in attendance (amongst others) were Labour GLA Members John Biggs, Joanne McCartney and Toby Harris and the Green AM Jenny Jones.  I would like to pay a special tribute to Jenny, pictured, who has been a consistently strong supporter the petition and has worked hard for many years on the trafficking issue.

In presenting the petition, I was allowed to speak for five minutes.  Concentrating on Europe and London, I told the Board how during the football World Cup in Germany there had been a significant increase in prostitution and that most of the prostituted women had been trafficked for the purpose.  It would be appalling if the same were to happen in London for the 2012 Olympics.

My second point was an explanation as to why the conviction rates for trafficking are low, namely that the victims of trafficking, often locked away and unable to go out very far, are frightened and vulnerable and therefore very unlikely to report what is happening to them.  Interestingly Sir Paul Stephenson, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, denied that the conviction rate was anything to do with the closure of the trafficking unit.

The real issue, as ever, was money.  In 2007 the Home Office provided the Met Police with £1.8 million for the specialist trafficking unit on the understanding that this would go down the following year and that thereafter the Met would be expected to find the money for the trafficking unit out if its own budget.  The Home Office duly gave the Metropolitan Police £700,000 last year.  This year, it would seem, rather than finding the finance, the Met intend to close the unit.  

I was very pleased that the Politics Show London filmed outside City Hall. (They were not allowed into the Board meeting).  There has been considerable media interest in the petition, which again illustrates just how important it is that we do all we can to eliminate the vile crime of trafficking human beings, a modern form of slavery.

Ever wanted to challenge and beat Olympic legends like Michael Phelps, Rafael Nadal and Carolina Kluft? Now you can… if you’re good at hula-hooping, walking on your hands or throwing an egg that is.

We are very proud of our Olympic and Paralympic athletes (and all the hopefuls as well) here in Canada and lately we’ve been doing a better job of making sure they know it!  Sport can be expensive, and sponsorships can be hard to come by, particularly if you’re an “up and comer”.  There is a lot of travel, equipment, coaching and other things to pay for and time to have a good-paying job can be scarce with all the practice that is necessary to reach the level of skill needed to compete on the highest global level.  For Vancouver 2010, there are a lot of ways to help support our athletes financially, to help them focus on their sport (and not their finances) and to help them reach their dream (and ours!) of reaching the podium in 2010!  Here are some of the ways that you can help!

Donate directly to Own the Podium through the Canadian Olympic Foundation.

The Canadian Olympic Foundation raises money for Winter and Summer athletes and is a great way to be involved.  A neat way to go though, if you like pins is to donate here but by ‘purchasing’ pins donated by Molson’s!  You get pins, the athletes get support!  Cool!  Good on ya Molson!  There are also reusable Molson Olympic bags available!  I have already donated here to get my pins, have you?

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Everyone loves these! And they will make great stocking stuffers for Christmas! They're super warm too!

Next up… Red Mittens!  These things are hotter than hot cakes!!  They fly off of the shelves (sometimes out of our hands as we’re trying to fill shelves!).  Red Mittens cost $10 + tax per pair with about $4 of that going to help fund athletes!  It’s pretty sweet!  There are three sizes available, adult’s S/M, adult’s L/XL, and children’s (one size only).  We just got some Mittens in today at the Olympic Superstore so come in quick before we sell out again, or check your local Bay or Zellers stores!

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Also at Bay (and I think Zellers) stores you can find little paper toque cut-outs (I don’t seem to be able to find a picture of one, I’ll try to get one tomorrow to post…).  For a minimum $1 donation you can write a message to our Canadian athletes on the toque.  The toques will be delivered to our athletes to read in the Athlete’s Village while they are here to compete!  How cool is that??  We have heard back from athletes about this sort of program and they say it means a lot to them to have messages from across Canada.  The Athlete’s Villages are going to be great, but family and friends aren’t really able to get there to visit, so the athletes can feel a little isolated.  These messages remind them that we’re all standing behind them cheering them on!  Go Canada!!  (OK… I must really believe in this one… I just made myself cry thinking about how special it would feel to get these sorts of messages… please do come in and donate to this wonderful program, thank you!).

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Buy beer, support Canadian athletes! Sounds so darned Canadian...

Alright, you stopped and got your Red Mittens, and left a message on a toque cut-out, on your way home you may want to swing by a shop and grab a case of Molson Canadian!  Just be sure to grab a specially marked case that features the “Give’r” campaign!  Molson will donate $5 from every “Give’r” case sold to Canadian Olympic and Paralympic athletes!  Plus, there is a PIN number that you can enter onto their “Give’r” contest website where you could win “The Ultimate 2010 Winter Games experience in Vancouver”!!  Sounds good, no??  Heck yes it does!

Oh, and while you’re poking around the Molson Canadian website, be sure to upload a photo of yourself to be added to their 2010 Mural Project which is being built on the side of the Molson building on Burrard Street in Vancouver!  It’s pretty darned fun (I submitted tonight, so hopefully I’ll be included!).

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OK, that was a few of the ways that you can help out, but I know there are a lot more.  Do you know of one that you’d like everyone to know about?  Please share the information by posting up a comment!  The more the merrier!

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One last thing, just a quick reminder about my current pin contest, you could win a Visa Mascot pin!!  Find the details here! Good luck!  Bonne chance!

]]> http://ladiesdotdotdot.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/i-was-there-with-glowing-heart/ Thu, 26 Nov 2009 03:10:02 +0000 Lady Bee http://ladiesdotdotdot.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/i-was-there-with-glowing-heart/

Now that's hot!

Forgive us for the large buffet of tasty offerings just prior to Thanksgiving, but we’ve had so much to share today. Me? I was fortunate to have a real hottie come to my city tonight.

The Olympic Torch Relay made its historic stop in Fredericton, New Brunswick tonight – practically in my backyard. So my little guy and I checked it out while Olympic-Cynic Mr. Bee stayed home with a tired Baby Bee (she’d had a big day – kindergarten orientation. You can expect I’ll be a basket case come September.)

The last time the Olympic Flame made it through our province was during the 1988 Calgary Winter Games – you know, that era before grunge, the San Jose Sharks, and Coke-sponsored relay runners.

That’s our beloved Marianne Limpert getting ready to bring the Olympic Flame to the big community party. She won silver for Canada in the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta in the womens’ 200 metre individual medley.

Watching Marianne sprint through the crowd, carrying the flame that has crossed oceans to be in our city, knowing that this very flame will be making its way across our beautiful country to light up the night for just over two weeks in Vancouver…well, it was the thrill of a lifetime. I was so glad my son was there to share that moment.

We just missed the lighting of the cauldron, as we were too busy trying to make our way through the crowds to get to a good vantage point where we could see the stage set up in the city square. It was an impressive setup – great sound, beautiful visuals, and excellent music from local artists. The organizers deserve props for their impressive work!

We found a spot to watch just as it was time to sing the national anthem. I admit I’m rather subdued in my patriotism (it’s the Canadian way, as you may have heard…) But when we joined the sea of humanity in our city’s square to sing “O Canada” in that damp, dark evening lit by the Olympic cauldron, with my hands on my firstborn’s little shoulders, my eyes filled with tears.

We spent the rest of our time tracking down my girlfriends in the massive crowd (what did the world do before texting, by the way? I need to remember…), snapping up pictures and taking in the entertainment and a cool video promoting the Games featuring *gasp* Trevor Linden and Steve Nash.

A note of thanks to the relay runners: there was one older gentleman in particular who was likely bombarded with photo requests all evening – including one from me. But he very kindly posed with his extinguished torch and my beaming son. Truly the thrill of a lifetime for my kid (so far).

It’s easy to feel cynical about the Olympics, and I’d be lying if I said that rampant commercialism wasn’t a little bit annoying (note to sponsors: if we want to live green, we might want to start by not giving out all these disposable souvenirs. You know, like RBC Thundersticks?) That being said, no amount of irritating marketing can snuff out the wonderful spirit of community that emerged tonight. For that, I thank the IOC.

If you get a chance, Canadian Ladies… readers, be sure to check out the Olympic Torch Relay in your community. You won’t regret it! Follow the Flame to the Games here.

That's my artsy action shot of the Flame in transit. You can call it blurry if you like. I won't be offended.

Its terrible, I don’t even remember the proper name. I couldn’t even find a link after checking for a few minutes on the TransLink website.  They do a lot of things right in terms of web 2.0 communications, but I’m not crazy about their web page. On Saturday, I did a little volunteering for the Cooperative Auto Network (CAN) at one of these fairs. Its basically all about helping people get around during the Olympics. TransLink was there, so was the City of Vancouver, CAN, Zip Car and the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition. They had it down at the West End community centre this time but apparently they have been having these all over the city. The turnout was not bad considering how miserable the weather was. Lots of people came by to ask me about the Car Co-op which was great. What was even better is that I wasn’t on my own. Assisting someone else is far less stressful. And who wants a stressful, rainy Saturday. The most stressful part of my day was all the traffic I saw while driving to my hockey game.

Everyone was great and I definitely think a few more people are thinking about getting rid of their car in favour of a membership, which is awesome.

I’ve been to a couple so far, but I’d love to be more involved in events like this through the ministry.

Hello friends! Apparently a lot of you want me to make banana softserve and homemade larabars in my new food processor! I couldn’t agree more But first things first you guys, I’ve got to get my hummus on

Well, I started today off like I start every Wednesday – Waffle Wednesday!!

 
You know the drill…

• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup egg whites
• 1 tbsp ground flax
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• cinnamon

All blended up, with 1/3 cup frozen blueberries added, then into the Belgian waffle maker.

 
Yummmm. I ate these with my hands

I decided to skip my usual morning snack and see if I could hold it out till lunch. Sometimes I feel like I have a snack just for the sake of having it, when I don’t really need it. Well, I made it to lunch, without eating my arm off. But I was quite hungry, and my lunch was too small.

Tofu + tofu spread pita. Usually I have a side of veggies or fruit to go with my pitas, but I thought this would be enough. Skipping snacks, then going for lighter meals apparently doesn’t work (HUGE duh!!)

Ninety minutes later I broke and had a snack.

Taste of Nature Argentina peanut plains bar. This is one of my new bar finds – and it’s Canadian!

 
Ingredients are about as simple as you get: “peanuts, agave nectar, brown rice syrup.”

I had high hopes for this bar. I mean, how is sugar and peanuts not good? But it was crunchy (not chewy) and almost like a brittle. Very plain tasting, needed some salt. Honestly, I think I’d just rather a handful of peanuts.

So lesson of the day is: I sometimes still suck at intuitive eating. But I didn’t die without a snack this morning. I made up for it by snacking all afternoon though because I was never satisfied from lunch. I guess, if my diet ain’t broke, why am I trying to fix it?

Then the highlight of my day came: I got to see the Olympic torch!!!!

How cool is that!?!? Canada is hosting the Winter Olympics, so they’re bringing the torch through all the small cities as part of its international run. Chris and I caught the start of the run. It was so neat to see. This HUGE entourage of decked out vans (including one with dancers) pulled up. The first torchbearer waited nervously until they lit the torch and brought it out. Then she was off! They did a little tour around the city and had a big ceremony tonight that I purposely avoided (eeek, crowds).

After the brief excitement, Chris and I went across the street to Boston Pizza for some grub.

Boston Pizza is definitely one of those scary chains that people warn you about. Hard to order healthy here, and the food isn’t that great to begin with.

Chris pulled a Garfield.

I got the lemon baked salmon.

BLECH. Ugh, I try not to be a food snob, but this salmon was majorly sub-par. Waaaay overcooked. You can tell it was just a frozen hunk that was thrown in the oven. The saving grace of this meal was the balsamic vinaigrette with sundried tomatoes on the side. So not worth my money.

But it didn’t matter, cause afterwards we went to go see New Moon and that was definitely worth my money! I liked it much better than the first. The acting was better, and well, I’m a Jacob fan. Edward just isn’t my type

Python business… 

Lara mentioned that maybe I should talk about what workouts I’ve been doing to get my little muscle bumps on my arms. Honestly, I haven’t been doing much! I dedicate two workouts a week to weightlifting. One of those is full-body the other is upper-body + abs. My legs get so much work in with running, spinning and step class, that I really can’t do weighted squats and lunges more than once a week. Not just for the sake of my muscles, but my hips are really sensitive to it too.

Works out fine for me because upper body has been my focus lately! Back in my triathlon days I didn’t have much time for weight training on top of my six cardio workouts a week. But my shoulders started to look awesome with all the swimming I was doing! I actually haven’t swum since the triathlon itself, and when I didn’t pick up the weight training again right away (running and biking in the summer is just too much fun!) my newly sculpted shoulders started to disappear.

So. What exactly have I been doing? First off, I lift heavy. I usually do 2-4 sets of 8-12 reps at really challenging weights. Basically, I want my last rep to feel like I can’t push out any more. I know my weights are too low if my muscles don’t feel tired by the end, and too high if I can’t squeeze out more than two reps. I’m not entirely against low weights at high reps, as it’s good for increasing strength and endurance. But for straight up muscle building, I like the idea of heavy weights. A mix of the two is perfect!

I also really like to do alternating sets working two different muscles at a time. This allows for shorter rest times in between sets, and a better heart-pumping workout When I do my full-body work, I’ll alternate a lower-body and upper-body move for three sets, then move on to to another upper/lower combo. OR, I just do straight sets of compound moves that work both upper and lower at the same time. Squatting with a front grip on a barbell then pressing it over my head as I come up (front squat push press) is a perfect example of that.

I approach my upper body only days the same way. Except, I try to work opposite muscles in my alternating sets. It’s really easy to fatigue quickly when you’re working the same muscle in two consecutive sets. I also try to alternate pushing motions and pulling motions. A perfect example would be alternating sets of chest presses and lat pulldowns. Both work opposite muscles using opposite motions.

Of course, you don’t have to do two alternating sets. You can also do circuits of 3+ moves in a row repeatedly until, well, you’re blue in the face. But for the sake of not hogging all the equipment, I stick to two at a time.

If you’re not into the alternating thing, pyramid sets and drop sets are another great way to challenge your muscles which I addressed in this post.

And if you’re a complete newb and don’t know many lifting moves this page should keep you busy It’s all about getting in the weight room and trying things out! I’m a nerd, and I bring in notes and diagrams of any new exercises I want to try when I’m in there. Sometimes I get funny looks from people, but I’m never scared to ask for help if I need it Although, I gave a man a dirty look once for trying to help me adjust a bench. I don’t know why, but I do not appreciate chivalry in the weight room.

Aaaaand I’m off! Night night!

Question of the Day: What’s your least favourite restaurant chain? I really dislike Tim Hortons. They’re coffee tastes like grass water and their muffins are innocent looking cake bombs.

Whistler is Vancouver’s premier ‘cottage country’. You’d be excused for guessing that, as Vancouver boomed, Whistler would have moved in lock-step. This has not been the case, with the luxury market there moving down for years. This has affected a subgroup of Vancouver RE investors. These two posts at RE Talks on 25 Nov 2009 -

kevind (5:43 am) – “I have several friends and associates that got hammered and are still stuck in Whistler and can’t get their properties sold. One guy has had his place for sale for 5 years and has had only one offer in all that time for 1 million under his build cost and he just keeps dropping the price. He’s also lost most of his hair from the stress. I know of another place that went on the market new in 2005 for just under 3 million and last time I looked it had dropped to the 1.8 range and still for sale. The build and land cost him more than 1.8. A round of drinks one evening last season at the Longhorn and I hear this guy over at the next table make the comment something like “Christ, I feel like I could put my place up for 1 buck and no one would call”. Another friend I know just wishes his place would magically burn to the ground because the insurance replacement build value is 1.5 million more than he can hope to get for it today if he’s lucky and he would still own the land. I could go on and on.”

Greenhorn (8:50 am) – “Whistler bankrupted a very good friend of mine. He got in 4 years ago on the Olympics hype but it was all a mirage. Once his property was underwater, he gave it back to the bank and got sued for the deficit. Just going through bankruptcy now. Luckily other assets like his home were in his wifes name and she has credit still or he would be on the street. They both have jobs and income right now, but the deficit to the bank was too huge to recover from. Bankruptcy was the only choice. I went to many parties in his house in Whistler. It was beautiful. Towards the end, he had a tenant who operated the property as a type of hostel/hotel. The tenant was always late on rent payments though he was making money and getting paid every month. There are a lot of scammers up there.”

Help us get to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics!

Samsung is taking 5 Canadian teams (of 2) for a 20 day, all expense paid trip to attend the Vancouver 2010 Olympics from February to March!

Our job is to prove to them how we can do creative story telling to be able to share all the WOW moments from the Olympics! With Tine’s skills in communications, blogging, social media and Dom’s skills in illustration, video editing and networking, we believe we have the skills to compete!

We are in the process of creating our video and once it’s up, we are counting on all our dear friends and supporters to get the word out!

For now, join our Facebook Group!!

For more info on the contest: http://www.mobileexplorers.ca.msn.com/

THANKS FOR BELIEVING IN US! May the best Mobile Explorer win!

<3 Dom & Tine

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We know that our blog has had a lot of posts about the BC Paramedics lately, but we’re very interested in seeing how this all turns out.

Paramedics are asking colleagues from around the country not to come to work during the Olympics until the labour disputes are settled between the government CUPE:

BC paramedics warn ongoing labour dispute could impact service during Olympics

Ambulance workers in British Columbia are asking their colleagues across North America not to come work at the Olympics until their labour dispute with the province is resolved, a request the union says could jeopardize service levels at the big event.

“People obviously need to be worried about whether or not an ambulance is going to be there,” John Strohmaier, president of the Ambulance Paramedics of B.C., said Monday.

“It’s not our intention to put patients in the middle of this dispute … We are certainly going to try, to the best of our ability, to be there for patients when they need us. We are asking those same people to be there for us.”

The province’s 3,500 paramedics were forced back to work through legislation earlier this month, ending a seven-month-old job action. Paramedics worked at reduced levels during the strike, since ambulance services are designated an essential service in the province.

Despite the legislation, paramedics continue to pressure the government for a better deal.

On Monday, about 200 paramedics and supporters showed up to protest outside a speech by Health Minister Kevin Falcon and earlier this month more than 80 called in sick over two days, idling dozens of ambulances.

And Strohmaier said union members are reluctant to volunteer to work overtime as a result of the legislation, and are requesting other paramedics stay away in support.

“As long as this labour dispute exists in British Columbia they shouldn’t be thinking about coming to B.C. and volunteering during the Olympics either,” he said.

Strohmaier said the union is not only unhappy with the back-to-work legislation, but by the province’s appointment last week of a former deputy minister, Chris Trumpy, as head of a commission set up to try to resolve the labour dispute.

“It’s a pretty simple fix. Appoint an independent third party to conduct the review and this dispute is over,” Strohmaier said in an interview.

As head of the commission, Trumpy is charged with reviewing issues such as salary, staffing levels, workload and health and safety. The commission is expected to report back to government Jan. 15.

Labour minister Murray Coell said Trumpy has worked under both NDP and Liberal governments and is “very independent.”

Coell also said he thinks “cooler heads will prevail” and the labour dispute will be resolved before the Games.

The back-to-work legislation was passed weeks after the Olympics organizing committee, known as VANOC, wrote a letter to the government asking for a guarantee of paramedic services.

“Without full emergency services on site at the competition venues, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games may not proceed,” the committee’s medical services director, Dr. Mike Wilkinson, wrote in a memo dated Sept. 14.

Wilkinson has said they’ve lined up volunteer medical staff in case of a shortage during the event, but will rely on the expertise of the province’s ambulance system and its staff.

As part of its bid for the Games, the Vancouver organizing committee promised that every venue will have paramedics and ambulances on site at all times.

Strohmaier said there aren’t enough staff to handle the ambulance needs in B.C. on a regular day, let alone during the Games.

He said the province will need “several hundred” more paramedics and ambulances to handle the thousands of visitors coming during the Olympics. But Strohmaier said he isn’t aware of any plans to add staff during the Games.

Despite criticism from the paramedics’ union, B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell said the back-to-work legislation was not passed because of the pending Olympics.

“I know lots of paramedics, and I think the paramedics are professionals, they care about people, they want to provide the public with service,” Campbell told reporters after an Olympic event Monday.

“It was unfortunate for all of us that we had to legislate people back to work, but it was about the H1N1, it was the pressure that was on the system, we spent literally millions of dollars trying to find a resolution to this. Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible.”

The ambulance workers, who are members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees local 873, say they went on strike seeking better staffing levels that would result in faster ambulance response times, wage parity with other emergency responders and a multi-year contract.

They argue they’re being stretched to the limit by the ambulance service’s dependence on part-time workers, unpaid travel time and chronic overtime.

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Visit http://www.riteaid.com/ by December 19 to enter the Rite Aid Win A Trip To The Vancouver Winter Olympic Sweepstakes and to read their Official Rules.

No purchase is necessary to enter. Making a purchase will not increase your chances of winning. Sweepstakes Period: Rite Aid Winter Olympic Sweepstakes (the “Sweepstakes”) begins on October 25, 2009 at 12:01:01 A.M. Eastern Time (ET) and ends on December 19, 2009 at 11:59:59 P.M. Eastern. Visit their website for complete details.

Tim Vyner: World Games / Bankside Gallery, 25–29 November 2009

Last night I went to the opening of Tim Vyner’s new show of paintings at the Bankside Gallery in London. Tim was my illustration tutor for 3 years at Bath and a massive influence during my time there. His talent as an artist is exceptional and his latest show is nothing short of stunning.

The painting shown above is actually from a few years ago and not in the current exhibition, but shows Tim’s wonderfully naive & charming style and his real eye for colour. The show on in Bankside for the next few days is the result of his trip to the Beijing Olympic games and features some truly beautiful artworks. There’s also some paintings of London that document how the city is already changing in preparation for 2012. I love his treatment of street scenes and store-front typography, all rendered with a subtle and exquisite touch. Definitely one to check out.

See more of Tim’s work here.

Following recent discussion, a number of leading surveillance researchers have signed and issued the following ‘Vancouver Statement’ of which I did the first draft (followed by multiple revisions from many hands!). If you are a researcher who has done any work on mega-event security and surveillance, and agree with the statement, you are encouraged to send your name and affiliation to Adam Molnar at UVic. It is being press-released and hopefully discussed in the BC Legislative Assembly.

The Vancouver Statement of Surveillance, Security and Privacy Researchers about the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games

As researchers from Canada and the wider world, who are conducting research on the global security dynamics of mega-events, we agree:

• that the Olympic Games should be a celebration of human achievement, friendship and trust between people and nations.

However, having analysed past and planned Olympics and other mega events, from a variety of historical and international perspectives, we recognise:

• that recent Games have increasingly taken place in and contributed to a climate of fear, heightened security and surveillance; and
• that this has often been to the detriment of democracy, transparency and human rights, with serious implications for international, national and local norms and laws.

Therefore, we ask the City of Vancouver, the Province of British Columbia and the Government of Canada:

• to moderate the escalation of security measures for Vancouver 2010 and to strive to respect the true spirit of the event;
• to be as open as possible about the necessary security and surveillance practices and rationales;
• to withdraw temporary bylaws that restrict Charter rights of freedom of speech and assembly;
• to work constructively with the Provincial and Federal Privacy Commissioners;
• to respect the rights of all individuals and groups, whether they be local people or visitors, and pay particular attention to the impacts on vulnerable people;
• to conduct a full, independent public assessment of the security and surveillance measures, once the Games are over, addressing their costs (financial and otherwise), their effectiveness, and lessons to be learned for future mega-events;
• not to assume a permanent legacy of increased video surveillance and hardened security measures in the Vancouver/Whistler area, and to have full and open public discussion on any such proposed legacy.

We hope that these recommendations will contribute to a unique and positive Olympic legacy by which Vancouver, British Columbia and Canada will be remembered for setting the highest ethical standards.

For further information, contact:

Richard Smith, tel: 778-782-5116; or Colin Bennett

I’m not allowed to watch Dancing With The Starts this season, Brennan won’t let me.  Okay, that’s not entirely true.  Yes, he made fun of me, but many others did the same, and the show honestly just didn’t hold the same excitement for me that it once did. 

My (our) first season was the 5th, the season of Helio Castroneves, Mel B and Marie Osmond.  Yaw and Brennan,  being the amazing friends that they are, would come over every Monday and Tuesday to enjoy whatever vegetarian delight I could come up with and sit through two hours of dancing festivities.  Since beginning my following of the show in season 5, I have seen every single minute of every single episode through season 8 and the triumph of Shawn Johnson.  Every sequin, every bangle, every dip, slip and trip for four seasons straight I witnessed. 

Then this season was announced.  Outside of Donny Osmond – who, by the way, has my full support for tonight – I really wasn’t interested in most of the cast, and as my obsessive behavior for the show had reached an all-time high, I realized it was time for a break.  While I haven’t watched an episode of Season 9, I have seen bits and bobs about the progression as the weeks went on, including comments on last night’s freestyle routines.  There really are no words for how devoted (obsessive, crazed) I have been to this show, and as such, I am fully confident in making the following assessment: The decision of who takes home the mirror ball trophy, and the sparkly glory that goes with it, all comes down to the freestyle dance.

Let us certainly not overlook the fact that there are nine weeks preceeding the finals and that one must knock off 7, 10, (or this season) 12 other competitors to even have the chance to uninhibitedly shake what yo momma gave ya, and I will absolutely give credit to all those performances that got the final three into, well, the final three.  But let’s look at the tape as to what the competition really boils down to.

Gilles Marini, Season 8 Runner-Up Previously known only as the naked dude on Sex and the City, Marini came out of nowhere to be the front-runner in season 8.  Pelvic thrusts, undeniable chemistry with partner Cheryl Burke, that French accent and oh so obvious good looks made this ’star’ a fan favorite early on.  The very partner that turned him into the Don Juan of the Ballroom completely screwed him over though by choreographing a lack-luster freestyle, focusing more on her and less on him; you know, the star.  Judge Carrie Ann Inaba didn’t let that go unnoticed, and the judges’ scoring accurately reflected the audience’s take as well.

Melissa Rycroft, Season 8 Second Runner-Up Jilted on national television by her super-tool fiance, Jason Something-or-the-other, Rycroft jumped into the competition only two days before the start of the season, replacing an injured Nancy O’Dell.  America’s new sweetheart already had ballet training and a few years as a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader under her belt, and she made good use of those skills to dazzle the audience at every turn.  I was a Melissa fan, and I’ve always been a huge Tony Dovolani supporter, but what was supposed to be a freestyle turned out to be ’see how many lifts we can do in a minute and thirty seconds.’  Poor judges remarks and scores were earned immediately followed by being announced as first out in the finals.

Lance Bass, Season 6 Second Runner-Up Oh, Lance and Lacey.  Rebels of the ballroom they certainly were, and after a roller coaster of early performances, they finally hit their stride.  After all that hard work to make it into the finals, they went for a full-on hip hop freestyle and in their minds, that meant no lifts.  No lifts in DWTS Finals world means no points and no votes.  They also threw in some random Cha Cha steps, which instead of showing that they tried to incorporate some things Lance learned throughout the previous 9 weeks made the dance entirely disjointed, and the judges certainly did not enjoy.

Mel B, Season 5 Runner-Up With a partner like bad boy of the ballroom Maksim Chmerkovskiy, in addition to her feisty personality and undeniable flash, no one saw two-time Indy 500 champ Helio Casotroneves pulling ahead in the final lap for a victory over Ms. Brown.  On the first few beats of her freestyle, I was prepared for a mind-blowing exhibition to Timabaland’s ’The Way I Are’.  I was bored from the beginning, and Mel B seemed to stumble almost as though she had no idea where she was or why she was in a tight red corset with all those lights shining on her throughout the dance, and I wasn’t alone; judges remarks reflected my thoughts and Mel went home empty-handed.

Marie Osmond, Season 5 Second Runner-Up Okay I’ll admit it, Marie was not really one of the top three dancers from this season, though I loved her from the start.  Her fans, and not her footwork, kept her going week after week, but nothing could save her from the Bride of Chucky-like baby doll freestyle to the Rolling Stones’ tune, ‘Start Me Up’.  I love Marie, I love Jonathan (seriously, if I’m ever on DWTS, I want him as my partner), and I love the Stones, but this collaboration was an absolute nightmare.  The doll thing was cute for a couple of seconds, paying homage to fans who buy her line of dolls, but it was way too much, way too creepy, and way not enough dancing for anyone’s taste.  Her freestyle is still talked about to this day as one of the worst in series history.

Now let’s look at who beat them. 

Shawn Johnson, Season 8 Champion In a final three lovingly made fun of for being the ‘who’s that’ of the ballroom instead of ‘who’s who’, Shawn Johnson took home the mirror ball in spectacular fashion with a freestyle that left even the hearts of the audience racing.  The girl’s an Olympic Gold Medalist in gymnastics for crying out loud, and Mark Ballas squeezed out every last drop of energy within her for the 1:30 minute show.  It is possible for one to argue that, as I mentioned before, none of the last three standing had much of a fan base and that, being fresh off an Olympic victory, Shawn had a bit more of a following.  I’m telling you seriously though, it all came down to her freestyle, and a lack of freestyle finesse from her competition.

Warren Sapp, Season 6 Runner-Up I wanted Warren to win so badly I could taste it.  For some reason, I couldn’t stand Brooke Burke and I absolutely loved the idea of a former defensive tackle channeling Fred Astaire.  He was amazing throughout Season 6, particularly in the smooth dances, and his freestyle was what pushed him ahead of Lance into the final two.  Warren Sapp in a silver sequined vest?  Priceless.  Of course, his freestyle wasn’t fawned over by the judges like Season 6 champion Brooke Burke’s performance, which leads us to…

Brooke Burke, Season 6 Champion I wasn’t the biggest fan of this freestyle, probably because I wasn’t the biggest fan of Burke, but the judges absolutely ate it up.  Carrie Ann said it was one of the best ever, and the fans agreed by crowning Burke Season 6 champ.

Helio Castroneves, Season 5 Champion Yes, Helio had Julianne Hough, fresh off her Season 4 victory with Apollo-Anton Ohno as a partner.  Believe me, it wasn’t her fan base that got them first place, it was the ridiculous choreography in the freestyle.  Every second was jam-packed with passion, excitement, lifts that tiny little Castroneves should never have been able to pull off, and oh Helio, that smile.  True, they didn’t get a perfect 30 with fussy pants lift policewoman Carrie Ann’s 9, but the dance was beyond spectacular.

Obviously I don’t know the results of tonight’s Finale, and it’s quite possible all my theories and conjectures could be thrown right back in my face, but I’ll be durned if Donnie Osmond doesn’t take home the trophy based on Kelly Osbourne’s stumble and Mya’s iffy performance.  Of course, Donnie’s 8 million-strong Mormon fan base doesn’t hurt either…

*Notable exception: Joey Fatone and Apollo-Anton Ohno, Season 4.  Either could (should) have won that season.  Interesting though, Laila and Maks took home third after receiving only 26 points to the fellas’ perfect 30’s.  Coincidence?  I think not.

I must hand it to Stephen Colbert, he pulled quite the fast one last week. As many of you know, Mr. Colbert came out with guns blazing last week calling Canadians “iceholes” and “maple syrup suckers”, in response to the availability, or lack thereof, of venues in Vancouver for foreign athletes. The comments caused and uproar and even spurned Canadian officials to respond with offers and challenges aimed at Colbert.

What many of these officials, and probably many viewers, failed to realize is that Colbert has used this incident to pull the wool over all of our collective eyes. He was recently named the major sponsor of the American speed-skating team even though he will not personally donate any money to the squad. He intends to generate donations and sponsorship from his fans in ‘Colbert Nation’. One way of doing this is by generating attention to his cause, which he did by creating this patriotic controversy. By bashing Canada and making it seem like the Americans were wronged by being given limited practice time, he has created the illusion of an “Us versus Them” scenario. Good on Colbert.

By creating this controversy, he will most likely generate a large amount of viewer sponsorship, which in turn will increase the amount of exposure his ‘Colbert Nation’ will get. So let’s review this; Colbert bashes Canada,  rallies Americans against Canada, viewers sponsor Colbert’s team, Colbert’s show gets promoted on the world’s biggest stage for free essentially and WE are unsportsmanlike. I invite Mr. Colbert to look in the mirror.

While you may gain some fans south of the border, you have definitely lost (at least) one in the Great White North. I only have one thing left to say to Colbert; Suck it…our maple syrup, that is.

I’ve been neglecting this due to my weekend.

On Friday:  Spending the Night with Chris in the PacPacific Vancouver

A beautiful place, really. There’s lot of Olympic themed things around the Pan Pacific right now. The water nearby has beautiful huge olympic rings right now, it looks amazing at night. Relaxing in the hot tub you can see them floating. It’s a lovely sight!

London Olympics 2012

When – 27^th July – 12^th August 2012 – Summer Olympics Game

29^th August – 9^th September 2012 – Paralympic Games

London has also been a host the Olympic Games held in the year 1908 and 1948, this is the third time that the Olympics will be held in London. The games will take place at several venues. Most of these venues are specially constructed for the purpose of Olympics. Besides the new venues, the already existing historic venues will also offer a variety of facilities that are needed in these games. The committee responsible for organizing Olympic Games in London is headed by Lord Coe. The committee is in charge of running the games and following the success of bid. On the other hand Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is responsible for the construction of required infrastructure. The finances for the games are too high and thus the escalating cost is considered to be an ongoing problem. In fact the logo of London 2012 Olympics is also controversial but, still the spirits are high and there is a lot of enthusiasm amongst the people of London.

The preparation for the Olympics is going on with great energy. More than 300000 plants are also being grown in the wetlands at the Olympics Park. Although all the events to be held during the London Olympics will be scattered in several areas of the capital but, most of it will take place in the region of Stratford. The other regions involved in staging the events include 5 boroughs of London – Newham, Waltham Forest, Hackney, Greenwich and Tower Hamlets. Around 200 nations will participate in 2012 Olympics Games which will feature around 20 sports. Softball and baseball games will not be included in 2012 Olympic Games.

London Olympics 2012

Some of the most popular London attractions such as O2 Arena, Aquatics Centre, Velopark, Horse Guards Parade and Hyde Park will also be included in the list of Olympics venues where events will be held. The London Olympics 2012 will also bring a boom in the travel industry of London as millions of tourists will also come down to the city either to take part in the Games or to enjoy the games. Thus the London hotels and other major accommodations have already started preparing for the games. The hotel industry in London has always been extremely welcoming and it has always given a wide range of options to the tourists. So this time also you can expect the hotels to offer a variety of packages which can easily suit your pockets. Besides the London hotels, the London transport, London restaurants and all the major London attractions are also getting ready in order to offer the best of services to the tourists.

With such a pace of preparation, London will surely be able organize the London 2012 Olympics successfully. So you also get ready and plan your visit to London to explore the Olympic Games 2012.

We are very happy to see Usain Bolt and Sanya Richards win the Athlete of the Year award.

An envious achievement indeed!

Now, we are thinking: why not put an Indian in that league? Why not make an Indian athlete win the Athlete of the Year Award? Is it enough to see only Indian cricketer’s win Player of the Year Award?

Be the Athlete you wanna be!

What does it take to be a world class, or what we call – Super Power Athlete? Is it the determination? Power?  Endurance? Stamina? Training?  Nutrition? What exactly does it take?

As a specialist in Performance Nutrition, we will be the first to tell you that unless you have the drive to win, no matter what training or world class nutrition you take, you are never going to be world class. You won’t make a dent in the Sports Universe.

But then, if you think, if you believe that you have it in you to win. If you have this crazy attitude to win no matter what the odds, then yes, Training and Nutrition will get you world class.

We won’t comment on Training. That, we leave it to you and your coach. You have to sweat it out to condition your body to be world class. Let’s talk about Performance Nutrition then, shall we?

Performance Nutrition: when world class is not enough

When you mix Crazy attitude to win with Training, you get a world class athlete. But world class is not enough.

You have to beat the best. You have to keep winning. You have to change the rules of the game. You have to be the High Performance – Game Changer t.  To be there, you need to bring the 3^rd element in the troika (Attitude and Training being the other two) – Performance Nutrition.

What most Indian Athlete lack is not talent or training? That we have in plenty. We have 1 Billion in population, we can’t go wrong there. What most, no, all athletes lack is Nutrition!

Because nutrition is that fundamental element in making sure the athletes win matches and win it on a consistent basis.

BODYFUELZ and Performance Nutrition:

BODYFUELZ enjoys making professionals athletes win matches through Performance Nutrition. We did it with Sushil Kumar and he won the Bronze Medal at Beijing Olympics (the second Indian to win a match – the last one was in 1952 at Helenski). We are going to make sure Sushil wins the Gold in the next Olympics at London

Today, BODYFUELZ is working with  hundreds of athletes preparing for Common Wealth Games and London Olympics (2012) in shaping their foundation and Performance Nutrition. Our commitment to the Indian Athletics to support athletes aim for the Gold in every match they play.

Our strength is Performance Nutrition through Amino Nutrition.

If you are an athlete, sports player, or you know someone who belongs to the sporting arena, get in touch with us at 1800-200-4500 and tell us how determined you are to win matches and we will show you how it is done .

It’s quite ironic, but I couldn’t seem to get this piece published anywhere. 

Now I know what you’re thinking – oh wow! A struggling writer turns to a blog to get her work into public discourse, the ingenuity! But give me a break, Im only 19.

Anyway, here you go – the piece no-one wanted. Let the blogging begin.

Australia’s got cold feet

Citius Altius Fortius – you know, faster, higher, stronger; it’s the Olympic motto. We all learn it in primary school, and every four years even the most inactive of Australians cannot help but be entrapped by it. Sitting in our front-row armchair seats, we cheer on our nation’s athletes to victory in distant lands. You have to love that kind of patriotism – well for the Summer Olympics anyway. See; add that white sheath of precipitation and suddenly, most of us lose interest.

12/02/2010- it’s the day that the 21^st Winter Olympiad begins in Vancouver, Canada. And before you ask, yes, I am counting down. Whilst my enthusiasm is clearly an extremity, it concerns me that no-one else in this country seems to display even the slightest bit of excitement for this upcoming cultural festivity! Quite simply – our nation has no care for the Winter Olympics.

Sure, everybody knows about ‘that guy’ who managed Australia’s first gold medal after his competitors conveniently stacked it on the finish line (Steven Bradbury, men’s 1000m short track speed skating, Salt Lake City, U.S.A 2002). Perhaps for some, the name Alisa Camplin will also ring a bell for her success in the same year (if not for her skiing, then the follow up ‘Extra’ gum commercials should do it). But do you know who Zali Steggall is? How can it be that such a self-confessed sport-fanatic nation loses all momentum for the highest of competitive forums – the Olympics?

The answer is actually pretty obvious – a clear lack of success, most of our country consists of desert and the highest Australian mountain does not allow for sufficient training facilities. Do not let this fool you, the Winter Games are undervalued. It is my intention to convert the masses. From this very moment, I urge you to jump on board the Vancouver bobsled. Channel our Jamaican friends from Cool Runnings (1993) and “feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme”, come on now – it’s winter time!

At this point, you may be questioning my unusual infatuation for this spectacle. It’s just snow, right? Well, I like to think of the Winter Olympics as being similar to Eurovision – an unconventionally entertaining geography lesson, which sometimes gives you the giggles, and sometimes makes you nod your head in approval. For me, the interest began back in 1998. Although I was only in Grade Two at the time, every night I would sit up with Sandy Roberts and Gary Wilkinson in Nagano, Japan, and be bewildered by disciplines I didn’t know to be humanly possible, set against the bright image of an arctic landscape. Bit of a romanticised reflection, but I’d never seen snow before and additionally hooked by the Olympic hype being generated for the then upcoming 2000 Sydney games, I was an instant fan.

 t is in our nature, as a modern Pacific island, to mock these sporting cultural norms of our foreign counterparts, and one would assume that this unfamiliarity is a key reason behind disinterest. Yet, it is for this same disparity that I believe we should embrace the Games with curiosity. Until 2006, I had never been skiing. Even then, I was frequently passed by French toddlers, as I struggled to just remain upright for more than five minutes! My point is, alpine sports are not intrinsic to Australian people (nor a natural skill) and for two weeks once every four years, it provides a great contrast to observe winter experts at their (and the summit’s) peak.

Let me give you a bit of context – the first ‘official’ Winter Olympiad took place in 1924 in Chamonix, France. Technically, it was not recognised until a year later, and at the time was celebrated as “International Winter Sports Week” (see – undervalued!). This, however, was not the first infiltration of icy events to the games. 1908 saw the inclusion of figure skating in the London program, and the 1920 Antwerp competition added Ice Hockey to this list, for which, unsurprisingly the first gold was awarded to Canada. Whilst we now expect that the Summer and Winter Games alternate every two years, this ruling was not stipulated by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) until 1986. Prior to this, the Olympic Charter had declared both competitive forms to be held in the same year. With the exception of St. Moritz (1948), Australia has participated in each Olympiad since 1936.

Like any sporting festival, the Winter Olympics have not been without intriguing highlights. Forget Steven Bradbury, in the 1994 Lillehammer (Norway) games, the final of the men’s 1000m short track speed skating, finished with the awarding of just two medals; going to Koreans who remained standing after an extreme amount of disqualifications and falls.

Skiing, skating and bobsledding have long provided the platform for the Winter Olympic program, but in recent times there are a few other unique sports which, in essence, only give you more incentive to switch into Vancouver this February. Snowboarding sees the ‘cool kids’ of the snow come out to play. Australian, Torah Bright finished 5^th in Torino (2006), but will use her goofy stance to start as a real medal hope next year, having won 6 of the last 8 major titles she has competed in. The need for speed is intense on the luge (feet first) and skeleton (head first) tracks, where tenths of a second can be the difference between finishing on the podium and finishing last. Did you know that the biathlon combines cross-country skiing with rifle shooting? But nothing can compare to the inevitable marvel at the sport of curling. Using a large broom (that’s its official name), competitors move large stones down the ice, in a lawn bowls-like attempt to get it as close to the centre of their team’s ring as possible. My friends, this stuff is gold!

It was always my intention to go to the 2010 Vancouver games. However, thanks to the fact I didn’t win Tattslotto’s $90mil (or rather, my inability to save), this dream won’t be. But you can join me in generating the Olympic spirit here in Australia! Get ready to befriend Miga, Quatchi and Sumi (the Olympic mascots) in Canada, and sit back for some better late-night viewing than Gunthy-Renker home shopping (the time difference will most likely see the broadcast in such hours).

Oh and by the way, Zali Steggall took home Australia’s first ever individual winter medal, earning herself a bronze in the Women’s Alpine Skiing Slalom; fittingly, in 1998 at Nagano.