It is t-minus 18 days before the Olympics arrive in the fair city of Vancouver. As I type, an ever-burning flame of Olympic passion is making its way across this great country of ours. And the flame has not, the organizers will have you know, stopped burning at any point, despite the serious efforts of protesters along the route - God is apparently on VANOC's side.
Or is He? (Or She?).
Right now, the media would have us believe that the organizers are falling over themselves with worry over the fact that there is so little snow in the Vancouver region.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/01/20/bc-cypress-mountain-no-snow.html
I note that some of us - those of us who live here - are actually really pleased about this. The weather has been gorgeous for this time of year. And if you read the article, it becomes clear that the organizers were ready for this possibility. This isn't the first time Cypress Mountain has been closed in January. And while I am sure that laying down straw and putting fake snow on top (a seemingly bizarre and counter-intuitive way to build a ski or snowboarding course) is a lot more expensive than crossing our fingers and counting on Mother Nature, the Olympics is already costing somewhere around 6 billion dollars, so this is really just a penny in the bucket.
A lot of people are concerned about how much the Olympics will cost, for example:
http://www.vancouversun.com/Sports/Olympics+bill+tops+billion/1207886/story.html
But a good party always calls for a lot of hooplah and a lot of bling. I think even the naysayers would be a little bit embarrassed if Canada didn't make a good showing (isn't it embarrassing enough that the new Canada Line platforms they built to hold the "millions" of Olympic visitors are about the size of a Starbucks?)
Personally, I am on the fence about the Olympics. Of course, like some people, I am concerned about the loss of civil liberties and free speech I may experience as a Vancouverite (for example, I am not actually sure that I would be allowed into an event if I was wearing a pro-Pepsi t-shirt. I hope no one tells Quebec about this). For more on these and other concerns, check out:
Ivan is definitely in the anti-Olympic camp. Let's just be honest - Ivan is a bit of Bob Downer. I mean, demise of Vancouver? Homelessness, poverty, environmental destruction, security monitoring, bills, bills, bills, etc, etc, etc. But then again, if you want to throw a good party . . .
And I'm sure that everything will go back to normal once everyone goes home. Except, of course, for that post-party-Olympic-debt-hangover. I wonder if anyone knows any good Olympic hangover remedies. Maybe Italy? Gregor Robertson should call them.
At least, by the time it is all over, it will practically be spring. And if it's not snowing now, then it seems likely that it will not be snowing then. Fingers crossed.
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