2010 Vancouver Games.
This is an iffy hate love thing. For starters, there's that Aborginal elderly lady who died in jail because she protested the "upgrades" to the Sea to Sky Highway. The Homeless of Hastings have been evicted much in the same manner as the Chinese evicted the homeless Shanty apartments during the Beijing games. And how can a city afford such extravagance while it has social issues such as homelessness.
Now here's the thing I've been selected to volunteer at Whistler during the ParaOlympics. (somehow, people didn't register for those games, I registered for both), and got the ParaOlympics. But for the Athletics especially Canadian ones this is a chance for them to preform and what they have been training for. A Chance to see the beauties of the human spirit. Go Cindy Klassen. Go Team Canada hockey. It is a time for visitors from around the world to witness a gather of partaying people.
Sigh to bad there is some muck to mire all these cool things about such an event.
A lot of people have a love/hate relationship with the Olympics. The Games are supposed to represent some of our best qualities as human beings. Individuals striving to perfect their bodies and abilities - hard work turning into accomplishment. Countries competing, but coming closer together.
But, like you say, how can we afford the time and money to host these events when people are living and dying on the streets? Our hospitals are understaffed and underfunded. Infrastructure is crumbling with age.
With the Games, are we too busy celebrating ourselves, in spite of ourselves?
Studies have shown that the ones who most pay for the games are the local poor and homeless. They are hit harder by tax increases, weeks of elevated prices, and housing shortages. The homeless are 'displaced' during the celebrations. Voices of dissent are silenced. Human might overcomes human right.
The Olympics bring out the best in us - and the worst.
But, like in everything else, we should strive to do better.
Volunteering at the Paralympic Games sounds like you're doing more, and doing it better. The Olympics should be a time that mobilizes the host nation to emulate the athletes who compete. Our hard work should become the accomplishments of a nation.
You should feel honoured to volunteer - no one overcomes more obstacles and works harder than the Paralympic athletes.
We should all try so hard.
I agree with Chris. Be proud of all the athletes and what they have accomplished and remember we always need, as individuals to try to make change one step at a time.
It will be an amazing learning experience.
Good Luck
Anybody here a betting person? My bets are on the Olympic games being the next target of terrorists. When the whole world is in economic chaos, what always generates wealth is a hurry? War, especially a World War.
When the population has no stomach for war, what always happens? Some "tragic event". Luscitania motivated folks into WWI, Hitler used the "terrorist card" to generate a thirst for war in Germany, Pearl Harbor generated the will for American involvement in WWII, 9/11 catapulted Americans foolishly into Iraq. What might happen to motivate the peace-seekers of the world into the next war? Olympic tragedy.
Dubai runs the Port of Vancouver and I have seen assault weapons come from the dockyards. Dubai is currently cash-strapped. Now what might they make a killing off of by letting it "slip" through the port? Dirty bomb? Or two? Who's watching our coastline?
The province of BC stands to clean up too. There are a whack of run-down properties in the Downtown Eastside (adjacent to the dockyards) the BC government just bought. They are in serious need of repair. One little dirty bomb and, forget the woes of the homeless cause there goes the neighbourhood. POOF! NO more homeless! The BC government won't have to do those expensive renos after all and think of the money to be made off the housing starts after the tragic event, n'est pas?
Don't expect the "Olympic Security" to do anything about it either, they are only here for the "Clean Up". They have a lot of protective gear in order to clean up ANYTHING and anyone. With the city of Vancouver having newly invented Olympic by-laws that allow police to disappear people, your missing page may get quite full.
As Ms Terri mentions, the materials the games give the volunteers regarding security is huge.
Interesting theroy Ms Terri, a false flag operation, would certainly galvanize a marginalized Canadian population into a war frenzy. and such operations have been used in the past, such as the Gulf of Tonkin or the blowing of the Manchurian railway, by "Chinese" terrorists (Japanese Agent Provactures).
During the g-8 protests there were agent porvacuters inside the peaceful sit inners, which is why protest leaders stressed to their flock to show control and retraint to not give the cops what they wanted.
And the Games themselves have been targets for terrorism from the Black September revolutionaries, to that crazy lone nut bomber.
so what do you guys think do you like or dislike the games?
PS Assult guns shipped into Canada. Wow man! that's freaky.
Well one more week to go when the world would see what Billions of dollars worth of potential money to help, gets the country. Here's to a good games. Still could have used that money to help the poor.