By Des Dougan

I was very fortunate this evening to have attended the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. BC Place was packed, colourful and loud. Seated high in the nosebleed seats with two of my children, we had an amazing view of the stadium floor as first the audience preparation then the main show kicked off. Clad in pale blue ponchos (there were ponchos around the stadium in 4 or 5 different colours) and armed with reflective gold cards and pompoms with build-in orange lights, we were prepared by the pre-show MC as he rehearsed when and what to do. Of course, once the main show kicked off, most of his instructions went by the wayside, especially in the use of the pompoms. When the stadium had darkened, and everyone (and I mean everyone) started shaking the lit pompoms, the sea of flickering orange lights was a sight to behold.

And did I mention the noise? As well as the excellent sound system, the cheers and screams of support from the crowd left my ears ringing as the performers strutted their stuff. Each country's athletes received loud applause and approval as they moved across the stadium floor. Finally, of course, the host nation entered the arena last and if I thought it had been noisy prior to this - the ovation for Canada's athletes was long and heartfelt and wonderful to see.

The emphasis on the future, showcased by the majority of performers being children, was an interesting and creative direction that differentiated the ceremony quite clearly from its sibling last month. The mix of able-bodied and disabled performers was well managed and brought home how physical challenges are no barrier to people with talent.

Lloyd Robertson's section on Terry Fox was extremely moving and emotional and led well into the lighting of the Paralympic flame, which ended the wonderful event on an excellent high note.

You never know what to expect of events such as this; and the show's directors had a huge challenge to create an event that could stand out on its own. That they did so with zest and some excellent performances is a credit to the entire team behind the show.

Downsides for me - the national anthem seemed to have been tweaked again (it wasn't clear in the stadium other than there appeared to have been an extra chorus added). It's fine as it is (actually, it's a great anthem), so why mess with it?? The second downside was John Furlong's absolutely awful French. I'm sure he's very relieved that he won't have to attempt speak the language ever again after next weekend!

Des Dougan is Principal of Dougan Consulting Group, which provides technology support services to small businesses in the Metro Vancouver area. Des can be contacted here and via @ddougan on Twitter.

By Marc Smith

It’s been a couple of days since the Olympic flame was extinguished here in Vancouver and the city is quietly getting back to normalcy.

I’m exhausted! I was out every single day enjoying the energy and excitement that was so evident throughout our city. I’m so proud that Vancouver and Canada represented in a way that no one saw coming. Here are a couple of cool links to stories from some international press that I think sums up how the world felt we did.

Brian Williams (NBC) Leaving behind a thank you note

Bill Plaschke (LA TImes) Canada is a Winter Games Wonderland

So to wrap up my 17 day experience here’s a short video.

I promise to be just as excited and proudly Canadian for the Paralympics and I look forward to watching those athletes excel and reach for Gold.

Marc Smith is Vancouver based event planner and will be reporting daily on various events happening around Vancouver. http://twitter.com/amuseconsulting

by @bsainsbury and @mande2

How did you get involved with the Metro Blenz News Squad?

I had actually planned on spending this time in Palm Springs avoiding the Olympics.  That's where I was when I received a call from Adam Schelle,  a professional photographer I have known for some time. I have some background as a Photojournalist for the Vancouver Courier and the North Shore Weekend, and  this project gave me the opportunity to pursue my passion and do some street photography...which I couldn't resist.

Which of you blog posts was your favorite ?

My favorite post was also the most challenging blog post, so far, and had to do with Religion at the Olympics. My first encounter of this occurred when I was out-and-about with my daughter, and we came across a man who was using collectible pins as the lure for his own brand of religious dogma.  I listened and observed, and had to question his approach as he 'pitched' to passersby, attracting children with his 'gifts'. The price was in the listening, as he skillfully wove his own brand into the story he was telling. That made me wonder what other religions where doing at the Olympics, and I noticed a big difference as I encountered representatives of other faiths.

The Jehovah's Witnesses were very transparent about their purpose, and the Ismailis could not have been more helpful - like the other great volunteers we met.

I have been surprised at the sheer number of stories I have bumped into, so far, and there are still a few days to go.  It's all about the people, like meeting the parents of a French mogul skier, looking for directions.  Best of all has been the opportunity to explore Vancouver with my Son and daughtet and to share this Olympic experience with them.

What’s your Olympic memory so far?

I have been surprised at the sheer number of stories I have bumped into, so far, and there are still a few days to go.  It's all about the people, like meeting the parents of a French mogul skier, looking for directions.  Best of all has been the opportunity to explore Vancouver with my son and daughter and to share this Olympic experience with them. To write my own blog post about it was rewarding and then to have it published let me show off for my kids!

What’s your take-away from the Olympic /MBNS experience?

My take-away from the MBNS 2010 experience has been that I can write, as well as take photographs. My wife Jessica is a talented writer, so I have tended to rely on her for commentary.  Now I am inspired to do more writing myself, and to revive my how-to photography blog.

More about Toby

Toby is a freelance photographer/writer based on Mayne Island, BC. His passion for photography is photojournalism and is always looking for an opportunity to find and record the story behind the story. His art photography is available through hiswebsite or retailers on the Gulf Island and Sidney, BC. Currently he is writing a book and maintaining his blog "How to turn snapshots into photographs". On March 20 he will be giving a lecture   and demonstration in Victoria, BC entitled Provocative Exposure: The moment intensified focusing on high dynamic range photography, a new and exciting way to expand the dynamic light range of a photograph.

Bonnie Sainsbury and Marilyn Anderson are co-founders of Duet Media, a Social Media Marketing company based in Vancouver

By Kassandra Linklater - @Klinked on Twitter

I write this post under time pressure because a) ‘I have places to go, things to do and awesome people to meet tonight’, and b) there are four minutes on the clock in the third period. If you aren’t aware of my time crunch, then you clearing aren't watching the soon to be shut out that our amazing Canadian Hockey team is throwing down at Canada Hockey Place (GM, post March 1^st).

The women have played a flawless game. Period. With the Great One in the audience, it is amazing to see how far women’s hockey has come. But let us not forget, the women’s team has been rocking it in the shadows of the men’s games for years. 98 – Silver, 2002 – Gold, 2006 – Gold, 2010 – and as the buzzer has just sounded – GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLD.

At the Vancouver Peace Summit in 2009, the Dalai Lama announced, "The world will be saved by the western woman." As much as enjoy the sound of that sentiment, I think the word 'western' should have been omitted. Given the chance, the possibilities for women just seem endless.

And tonight, I’m sure the Canadian women's team feels On. Top. Of. The. World.

Good job.

Signing off for now,

Kassandra

Check me out @Klinked or walking around the city, looking for your story.

Kassandra is currently the News Editor of Kwantlen’s independent student newspaper – The Runner, a member of Kwantlen’s President’s Ambassadorial Team (PAT) and the Vancouver Board of Trade’s Mentor program - Leaders of Tomorrow

by @bsainsbury

Marc Smith is one of the first bloggers to sign onto the Metro Blenz News Squad project. I had the opportunity to chat with him earlier today. What he doesn't mention is Marc was interviewed by CBC about his blogging experience. My favorite blog post of Marc's is How 4.5 Hours = the Best 10 Seconds of my Life.

How did you get involved with the Metro Blenz News Squad?

Good friends Bonnie Sainsbury and Marilyn Anderson approached me in late November with a proposition. They knew I had started to blog under my business and suggested I could bring a fresh and unique perspective while also having a great time and gain further exposure. As an event planner and an openly Gay businessman I have two unique view points not present in the blog team mix. How could I say no!

Which of you blog posts did you enjoy writing the most?

It would definitely be my tour of the Canadian Mint Pavilion. Not only because it was a great experience but as a relatively new blogger I feel that my writing has only getter better with each and every blog I do. SO the most recent post is almost my best and most favourite

What’s your Olympic memory so far?

It has been nothing but positive. I am normally behind the scenes creating great experiences for others and this time I am enjoying all the hard work of the sponsors, athletes, organizers and volunteers. There have and are some challenges and issues that hosting an Olympics raises but it’s here and I have fully embraced the once in a lifetime opportunity I have been given. GO CANADA GO.

What’s your take-away from the Olympic experience?

I have always been a very proud Canadian. I’ve travelled and assisted companies in the US with major store openings and have always been the first to say no I’m from Canada. What I’ve enjoyed most about the Vancouver 2010 Games is that we as Canadians seem to have collectively puffed out our chests and said “we are proud of our country and what we stand for” “We are Canadian” All I can hope for is that the feeling lives on long past the Olympics while still maintaining our uniquely friendly and welcoming attitude as well.

Marc owns Amuse Consulting Inc. a full service boutique event planning company in Vancouver. They specialize in creating events for Businesses and Not-for-Profits that integrate seamlessly with the brand and identity of their clients. A strategic project management style approach infused with sustainability and community-minded initiatives ensure your event is on track for all of the triple bottom lines. Financial, Environmental and Social Impact. Going beyond the venue and catering is what Amuse is all about. Results oriented and focused on client satisfaction is what we strive to produce at each and every event they produce.

by @bsainsbury

I'm Canadian, but I wasn't a hockey fan until tonight. My friend Barbara came in from White Rock and we'd originally agreed to go to Heineken House in Richmond. She arrived at Waterfront Station a little later than she'd planned. It's 45 minutes before the Canada-Russia hockey game - we made the decision to head into Gastown. My twitter buddies has let everyone know the bars and restaurants in that area are almost empty.

Not a half a block away there's no line-up at German House. How can that be? Inside the place is busy, but we're able to find two seats right up front of the two-story screen with a sound system that rattles windows two blocks away. Everyone is happy, there's a table of Aussies whooping it up at the next table - we're all becoming fast friends.

The hockey game starts and the room errupts ..

HE SHOOTS - HE SCORES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Two tables over, a hockey fan has his Sasquatch costume from last Halloween under a red hockey jersey. Girls keep pestering him for photos with him .. Who knew a hairy Halloween costume would be a chick magnet?

HE SHOOTS - HE SCORES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everyone around me is an expert .. they know what icing, offsite are .. they can referee the game better than the officials ..

HE SHOOTS - HE SCORES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Russians did score a couple of times .. three actually .. we all boo'd. As I became a more experienced fan I realized this happens when the players allow the puck to stay in front of their net.  Canadian players got control of the puck again.

HE SHOOTS - HE SCORES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is fun! The Canadian players can do no wrong .. I notice there's no fighting in this level of play .. stopping the clock is frustrating to a new fan like me. Let's get this over with .. isn't it obvious Canada is going to win?

HE SHOOTS - HE SCORES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The intermission is awfully long .. I guess the players need some time to rest and get a pep talk from the coach. We're in the third period now and the Canadian players seem to have forgotten the thing about not letting the puck stay in front of their goal for any length of time. Luongo is a good goalie .. everyone at the table says it was a good decision to start him. I agree.

HE SHOOTS - HE SCORES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know whether we scored in the third period or not. It's all a blur to this new hockey fan. Fans are getting frustrated that the Russians seem to have the upper hand. No-one is moving around .. we're all glued to our seats ..

HE SHOOTS - HE SCORES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

10 .. 9 .. 8.. 7.. 6.. 5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1.. The place goes crazy!! We sing O Canada .. there's much hugging and high fiving .. there's a run on the bar .. I think I have the hang of being a hockey fan.

Bonnie Sainsbury is a Social Media Strategist and co-founder of Duet Media .. and an avid hockey fan!

I was invited to the Men's Curling event between Great Britain and Sweden at Nat Bailey Stadium. I learned a lot about the subtleties of the game from the Brit sitting next to me. By the 7th round, it appeared to be a Swede sweep at 5 - 3. But the Brits came back to tie the game by the 9th end. It took a tie breaker final round to finally declare the Swedes a winner by one point.

The Brits are a rambunctious group, in an English sort of way. It didn't take me long to feel part of the flock of Brits who chanted British ditties to cheer their team on. Before long, I was chanting the same songs, and was stamping my feet and clapping my hands and thighs with them to cheer the team on. Let's Go, GB, let's Go... choo, choo! My friend and I were sitting beside the "heart" of the team -  the moms and the dads and the wives and the kids of the team players - The Smiths, The MacDonalds, The Byers and The Murdochs -  who came a long way to be here to support their own.

Submitted by:

Laurie Kingdon, graphic designer | Outside-the-Box Graphics | Print + Web Media | 778.839.3755
"Use my creative spark to ignite your business vision."
www.outsidetheboxgraphics.net

My Twitter profile
My LinkedIn profile

Everyone has a story. These are some of the people that stood out during my visits to various Olympic venues. Taking their picture has been a great way to capture some of their story. And to capture glimpses of true Olympic spirit.

Submitted by:

Laurie Kingdon

Laurie Kingdon, graphic designer | Outside-the-Box Graphics | Print + Web Media | 778.839.3755
"Use my creative spark to ignite your business vision."
www.outsidetheboxgraphics.net

My Twitter profile
My LinkedIn profile

http://ignitethespark.wordpress.com/

Some people may call themselves sports enthusiasts.  Some may say they are aficionados.  But when it comes to curling, I'm a nut.  Period.

Yes, I adore the sport that has men and women hurling heavy stones down a sheet of ice to knock out their opponents' rocks to see who can get closest to the 'button'.  So I was beyond excited at the prospect of seeing two matches live this week at the beautiful Olympic facility.  I was practically dancing in the lineups.

And the matches couldn't have been more perfect.  The Canadians won, men and women both. We got to see highly competitive teams from everywhere from the UK and Germany to the US and China.  And of course, we saw the men from Team Norway and their um, distinctive pants. (Did you know those pants have a Facebook page?)

We sat with very nice people from Vancouver, White Rock and Saskatchewan. We all had a ball.  Canadian curling fans are full of love for their Olympians.

Then, out of the blue, two very unexpected encounters.

In walked hockey legend Paul Henderson, who won the heart of every Canadian in 1972 when he scored the winning goal in game eight to propel Canada to a hard-fought victory over the USSR in 1972.  I got to shake hands and exchange a few pleasantries with Paul before he settled down to watch the match.

And then, much to our surprise, Vanoc CEO John Furlong entered and sat down directly in front of our row.  He was gracious, shook hands with us all and asked us how we were enjoying the Games.  But when he was not 'on' and engaging with anyone I caught a glimpse of the burden of the job on his face.  After he left, all of us shook our heads and said we wouldn't want his job.

I gave him one of my Metro-Blenz News Squad cards and told him about our project and invited him to take a look.  I hope he does.  I have a feeling he'd be pleased and proud of our efforts.

I know I am.

Cathy Browne is a PR and social media professional in Vancouver BC.  She is @CathyBrowne on Twitter and blogs at Cathy's Clean Slate.

By Guacira Naves

On Thursday, an anxious crowd gathered at Caprice Nightclub, here in downtown Vancouver. Most of the people in attendance had two things in common: their devotion to the Canadian hockey team in the Olympics, and their enthusiasm about Twitter as a social network, for both business and social purposes. Shane Gibson has written a great post about that evening.

You see, here in Canada, winning in hockey is a question of national pride. I remember attending a World Cup of Hockey final in Montreal (my old hometown), and one sign summed it all-so-well: "we breed them, they buy them". No need to explain whom that sign was referring to! We Canadians may have a reputation of being polite and understated, but get us talking about hockey, and you're hitting the national ego. Tread lightly!

After the game itself, Twitter celebrity Guy Kawasaki arrived at the venue to meet some Vancouver tweeps in person. If you are active on Twitter, your number of followers expresses the number of other individuals who find your microblogging updates interesting enough to, well, follow what you have to say. At the time of this writing, Guy Kawasaki had an astounding 215,990 followers. Trust me when I say that this is a lot.

Guy Kawasaki, Mitch Baldwin and yours truly. Photo credit: Kemp Edmonds

If you missed the opportunity to meet some of Vancouver's finest social media participants on Thursday, fret not. Another gathering, smaller and more intimate, is taking place on February 25th. View the details and RSVP here.

Come and join us while you're in the 604 area code. Guy Kawasaki won't be there, but we promise to make you feel at home.

Guacira Naves is the founder of The Online Strategy House. She's an online marketing pioneer with 19 years of professional history with the Internet and 13 years of experience as an online marketing strategist.  She serves on the board of the Social Media Club Vancouver. Follow her on Twitter (@OnlineStrategy) or find her at OnlineStrategy.ca

Marilyn Anderson, Duet Media

You have to see this from my perspective, a Prairie kid who grew up watching Hockey Night in Canada at my Dad's knee.  It was a regular occurrance - part national sport, part social occaision with friends, and part necessity too, I suppose - what else do you do when it's 40-degrees-below-zero and you are miles from town?

And here I am today, in Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, in the Caprice Lounge on Granville Street to watch another kind of  "Hockey Night in Canada" game.  This is a much bigger party....with a couple of hundred other people, many creatively dressed in 'fan attire' and lots of Canadian flags and clothing in red.....watching the Canada-Swiss game on a very big screen!  What a difference a generation makes, eh?

It was a great evening, even for the non-hockey fans in the crowd (you're a good sport, Bonnie!) who were there waiting for Guy Kawasaki's appearance later on - check out Twitter, it will all make sense then.  From "scoreless tie" to "Canada leads!"...to OVERTIME NERVES......the tension built, the crowd enthusiasm grew, the flag-waving exploded....until overtime ended and the score was still tied 2-2!

What do we do?  Well, I didn't know the answer to that until it happened: after one scoreless 5-minute overtime period, the ruled dictate a Shoot-Out! Not quite the O.K. Corral, but exciting none-the-less, the Canadian and Swiss stars took their turns.....1 -2 -3.....the goalies win, the score stays tied........so the goalies are changed and Canada's Sidney Crosby gets a second chance.  As the famous commercial says "He shoots - he scores!" and the room went wild! Cheering, smiling faces, much hugging and slapping of backs, toasts were raised and flags were waved!

Marc Smith, of Amuse Consulting, took the mic and we all stood and sang a rousing chorus of 'Oh, Canada', and it all seemed 'right', and a bit surreal.  Outside, the party on the street was wild; every possible patio location on the strip was full of people celebrating something - and even those not hockey fans were caught up in it all. 

Wasn't that a party?! and the night was still young......

Marilyn Anderson is a Communications Specialist and Co-Founder of Duet Media.

Last night I went to check out Buck 65 at Live City downtown.  I got there a few hours early and found the line ups a lot faster then I anticipated.

The venue was at capacity but when I got inside there was a group called Fresh I.E. on stage who are Christian rappers from Winnipeg.  I grabbed a spot at the front of the stage and took some shots of these guys, who sang about life changes from what I gathered.

It was clear that people were pumped to see Buck 65 as the area in front of the stage became packed quickly when Fresh IE named their last song.  The audience was ecstatic when Buck 65 finally walked on stage.  He played two amazingly entertaining songs at the start of his set, one about Zombies and the other with reference to Michael Jackson.  Both he mentioned were new but it didn't deter the crowd in the least.  Part way through the show someone handed him a stack of fake money which he proceeded to share with the audience and went into a tune about what a nice guy he is.  This was my first time seeing him play live and I thought he was incredibly charismatic and appreciative of his cheering fans.  He signed autographs and grabbed reaching hands, and played several additional encore songs, even when he lost power to his laptop, he used his finger to tap the mic for a beat and rapped over top.  I thoroughly enjoyed the show and by the force that held me up against the stage wall throughout the concert, I believe that was the general consensus!

I grabbed some footage of a few of his songs and posted one below of the last song before his encore:

Article & imagery by Leigh Righton

Follow on twitter: @madmannequin Website: www.madmannequin.com

By Des Dougan

Today I managed to make it downtown to try to get a sense of the Olympic experience. First impressions - loads of people, very many of whom were wearing Canada gear, lots of security, and lots of visitors, too.

Parking near Science World, my son and I took the Skytrain to Granville and then bused down Richards to Davie St, where we stopped in the Granville and Davie Blenz. I set up my laptop and started streaming the snowboard cross event from Cypress while I ate lunch. Although I was too late to see her first run, managed to pick up the fact that Maëlle Ricker must have fallen or hit a bad patch on her run. Bad news, I thought...

The Blenz was pretty quiet (although the music was loud enough to drown out the laptop's speakers), so we walked down Davie to Pacific and along the Seawall towards Science World. Again, the walk was characterized by busy crowds, lots in red, heading in both directions. We passed  a couple of police officers by the casino and I noticed that one had the uniform and badge of the Sudbury, Ont., police force - so there's obviously more than just buses from across Canada in the city.

Heading through past Quebec House and the Saskatchewan pavilion, the general mood was one of a friendly city welcoming people from all across this wonderful country and abroad. People chatting on the Seawall; quiet lineups at the entrances to the pavilions; friendly "Smurfs" and visible, but laid-back, security. We who live here are truly fortunate to be in one of the most beautiful cities on Earth.

When I got back to my office, I cranked up CTV's video stream and among the wonderful views of Vancouver from Cypress realized that Maëlle Ricker was still in contention. A quick check told me that she's had a second opportunity to qualify, and boy! did she take it.

We watched as she qualified for the semi-final, heart in mouth as her American rival almost took her out, then, delaying our departure for my son's homework appointment, we watched as she totally blew away the field in the final. Amazing! A second home gold and from a local, too! Way to go, Maëlle!

I know a certain President who'll be grinning from ear to ear over this victory!

Des Dougan is Principal of Dougan Consulting Group, which provides technology support services to small businesses in the Metro Vancouver area. Des can be contacted here and via @ddougan on Twitter.

by Marilyn Anderson, Duet Media

.......Volunteer laundry, that should read.

Today was a great day - perfect Vancouver-in-the-sunshine spring day weather, crowds of smiling people enjoying their Olympic experiences at venues downtown, and lunch shared with two 'new friends' at Alberta House.

That's where the laundry came in!

There was a lengthy wait for a table at the restaurant, and we were happy to be seated with two other diners.  As lunch and conversation evolved, they shared a new twist on the Olympic Volunteer experience.

It turns out they had opened their home to an Olympic Volunteer from Eastern Canada.  If you know any volunteers personally, you understand how long their days can be and how hard they are working.  I know a couple of these good folks myself; it never occurred to me to think about doing their chores at home, too.

I love the blue volunteer outfits - called them 'Smurfs' in an earlier post - but never gave a thought to what those outfits included.  Apparently, those outfits come with everything - pants, jackets, vests, hats, scarves......layers galore.....BUT (here's the catch).....only ONE of each piece.

That seems fair, you are thinking - you only need one jacket, you say.  That's true.  However, think of yourself working 12 hour days, maybe a long time spent in transit each way, and having ONLY ONE TOP/SHIRT.  That's what I mean about the laundry.

Our lunch companions shared the plight of their volunteer houseguest - who gets little enough sleep as it is - and no time to wash that one shirt each day.

Who knew?

SO, my friends, here's my suggestion: if you have a volunteer at your house - or, if you know one - be a star yourself and offer to do the wash.

One  load a day - like vitamins!  (Dry on low, please).

Marilyn Anderson is a Vancouver-based Communications specialist, Co-founder of Duet Media.

By Marilyn Anderson,       photos by Toby Snelgrove - His blog

Dragon, dancing

I love red - that clear, bright red which makes up about a third of my wardrobe - because it has a great energy. Maybe it's the Canadian in me, or the fact that I am a Prairie farm kid at heart - I don't know - but it warms me and generally makes me feel good.

Today, I saw it in so many different ways.

Near Oakridge, there was a lively red dragon, celebrating Chinese New Year with his dance!

Scarlet Otter

Heading south along the river, Harbour Air added flare to their fleet, painting one of their planes  - an Otter - this lively shade (not your average otter, I'd have to say! but a great conversation piece for the folks at the Flying Beaver next door).

Warming Tent

The O-Zone in Richmond was awash in red, from tents and screens to flags and childrens' hats. We met Angela and April with their red "i" sign at the ColdFX Warming Tent (yes - all they want is to offer you a dry, comfortable place to warm up!), and a fellow from Kelowna whose red Coke jacket is essential for his shifts at the Skating Oval.

Juggling Coach

We met Juggling Coach Mike, in his red sweater, teaching visitors from Chicago who just arrived today, and members of the R.C.M.P. wearing blue but giving red washable tattoos to little children....and making their parents smile.

Waterloo Wonder-kids

There was Wayne Gretzky on the big, red screen, being interviewed about lighting the flame at the Opening Ceremonies, and Nick and Darryl from here from Waterloo, Ontario. Nick is the one in the great red-and-white hat! These two young men saved for two years to come to these Olympic Games. They are here for 10 days and have event tickets for every day! That's dedication.

And then, too, downtown there was more red - splashes of red paint on the broken glass in the Bay front windows......not for smiles...but for frustrations and broken promises and fractured dreams.

Spilled paint

So many ways to see red, and so many ways to interpret that phrase. Do you see "red", "see red", or maybe even "see" things as red? What does it say about who we are and what we do?

Today, I saw red in so many different ways. Do you see it too?