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 @MoniKanada

Only three days left before the Paralympic Cauldron will be lit in here in Vancouver and the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games will be opened on March 12th!

I was curious about the Paralympic Torch Relay  and will share some information with you which I adapted from the Vancouver 2010 web site and an online article by the Vancouver Observer.

The Paralympic Torch Relay is one of the most important tools to increase awareness and communication for Paralympic Games. It usually lasts at least seven days and starts after the closing of the Olympic Village.

Through public celebrations, school programs and online, the 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay will engage Canadians, and hopefully the world, by introducing us to the stirring stories of Paralympians and other Canadians who inspire by defying the odds. It will shine a light on their achievements, celebrate their passion for sports and help spark a flame in the soul and heart of Canadians. We will have the opportunity to gather and participate in the 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay when it visits our communities.

The Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay Emblem is a metaphor for the fire within each and every one of us — the fire of friendship, inspiration and the spirit of the 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay.

Unlike the Olympic Flame, the Paralympic Flame has no traditional starting place, so each Paralympic Torch Relay team has the freedom to choose a lighting method and organise a ceremony that is significant to the Host Country. For the first time in its history, the Paralympic Torch Relay will be run in a non-linear way, with the Paralympic Flame being carried in and around each community while the celebrations take place.

In the last three days of the Paralympic Torch Relay the following Celebration Communities are opening up their events to us to enjoy the experience, celebrate the possible and admire the achievements of Paralympians and others with amazing stories of courage and perseverance:

March 10, 2010:
Vancouver - Hillcrest-Riley Park (Community Centre)
From 11 am - 1 pm
A unique flame creation ceremony by the Tsleil-Waututh Nation will kick off the Paralympic Torch Relay. The Flame will travel in a circular route in Riley Park with exchanges taking place along the route and a street party on Ontario Street.  The event will be launched by Mayor Robertson along with other municipal officials.

Maple Ridge celebrations will take place at Spirit Square beginning at 6:30 pm.

March 11, 2010
Vancouver (UBC) — Celebrations on the UBC campus will take place outside of the Student Union Building near the UBC Thunderbird Arena — home to ice sledge hockey competitions. The event will begin at 11:00 am.

March 11-12, 2010:
Vancouver Downtown - Robson Square:
Time:   March 11-12, 2010   2 pm – 2 pm (24 hours)

The 24-hour Torch Relay will start from the stage at Robson Square and the Paralympic Flame will travel in a repeated loop along Howe, Georgia, Granville, Smithe, Bute and Robson with the exchanges of the Flame taking place at various locations. Celebration activities will include simultaneous live entertainment, sponsor activities, sports demos and cultural crafts display. Throughout the whole 24 hours the Paralympic Flame is continuously carried and passed between torchbearers.

The event concludes around Robson Square at 2:00pm on March 12. The Paralympic Flame will then be brought into BC Place for the Opening Ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.

I'm planning on going to one of the above celebration sites and let that torch spark a flame in my heart. Will I see you there?

PS: Follow the Paralympic Flame on Twitter: http://twitter.com/followtheflame

And go here  (choose album 'March 2010') to see some amazing pictures from the Torch Relay in Whistler on March 8th!

Monika Becker is the owner of Clear Directions – Consulting & Life Coaching in Vancouver BC, where she assists her clients in articulating and achieving important life goals with caring clarity, passion for possibility and soul-infused service. One of her specialties is the work with female entrepreneurs that are open to a holistic approach to business and life. For more information please visit www.ClearDirections.tel

By Marc Smith

What would you do if you found a $600+ camcorder on the street? I am guessing you’d look both ways and pocket it. I think that’s what most people would do in fact.

Not Josh Rimer and Craig Weckerle. They instead made a YouTube video hoping to find the owner and return the camera with it’s contents safe and sound.

Here’s the story and the time-line of how it all came to pass:

Feb 12th it’s the Opening Ceremonies and Josh and Craig decide to try to get into LiveCity Yaletown. As they are walking towards David Lam Park Craig spots a camcorder on the ground. They pick it up and wonder how they are going to find the owner.

Josh a YouTube star with over 100 + videos to his credit decide that a YouTube video reenacting the camcorder discovery+ highlighting some of the camcorders footage may be the solution to finding the owners.

Feb 20th Josh and Craig make the Video including a “dramatized” reenactment of the discovery. Here’s the video.

So now that the video has been made how can they get the word out? Both Josh and Craig have extensive Twitter and Facebook connections so they immediately start to post the video through both platforms asking for help to spread the word to find the owners.

Feb 27th Joseph Ruttle of The Province newspaper picks up the story and runs an article in the Provinces 2010 News Blog. As of today it’s had over 9000 views.

March 1st apparently someone at King TV in Seattle heard about the story and the search and a segment aired on King’s newscast which triggered the Motor Vehicle Dept to search for the owners via the shown WA license plate.

March 2nd Josh get an email from the OWNER! It turns out they are a family living in Seattle and they not only had lost their camcorder but also their tickets to the Opening Ceremonies. The tickets were replaceable but the camcorder had the start of their Olympic trip recorded along with the last images of the owners Father captured on film. He has since passed away and the footage had not yet been downloaded and saved. Josh and the owner are currently working out a way to get the camcorder back to it’s rightful owner.

The story of these two honest Vancouverites is starting to make the international news as well.

Josh was also contacted by two Seattle based news organizations today that want to do a story on the video, Josh and Craig and the return of the camera. Could a story have a better ending than this? Stay tuned I’ll update this post with any footage of the interviews I can get.

The Olympics may be over but the best part of Canada is still alive and proud. Our honesty and our neighbourly ways. Way to go Josh and Craig.

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

Opening Ceremonies On The 15 Foot Screen

One of the great surprise venues offering free Olympic Activities is Coastal Church on Georgia St. beside the Shangri La Hotel.  Coastal has two Slogans: "For People Just Like You" and "Coastal Church Loves Vancouver".  With that in mind Coastal has fully engaged the Olympic Spirit and offeres a host of free activities every day.  With a 600 seat theatre featuring a 15 foot screen, Coastal has become a great facility to watch ceremonies and the games:  You can still experience the games and feel the crowds even if you don't have a ticket.

Daily Activities

Free Coffee From 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM

Coffee Served ... Free Timmy's For Everyone!

Start out the day with a free coffee.  It's so much fun to see people’s surprised faces when you offer them a Free Tim Horton's!    We buy it on Alberni St. and Give it away on Georgia Street ... Why go anywhere else?   Lots of ESL students tourists and business people stopping by taking advantage of a hot drink We’re getting also people noticing that there’s a church in our block teaming with life. Many people stopping by are on their way to work. Volunteers are having fun, though standing in the sun, cold or rain, giving out a smile, and double-doubles.

WI-FI CAFÉ – 10 AM – 2 PM

Need to take a load off ... Looking or a WiFi Connection?  Coastal has been featuring different talented and creative Christian bands/artists from around Canada and the United States. The Coastal Wi-Fi café has become a cozy place with great live music in the afternoon (2 PM). We listened to a group from who came all the way from Indianapolis and played some cover songs.

HOCKEY GAME NIGHT – Canada Vs. Norway – with Special Guest Cindy Klassen!

Cindy Klasen interviewed by Doug Kooy

We cheered on Canada as they scored 8 goals against Norway, winning the game! All on the Big Screen in High Def!

We were excited and privileged to meet Cindy Klassen in person! Doug Kooy interviewed her during the 10 minute intermission! She shared her experiences as an athlete, and how her faith in Jesus as her Lord and Saviour is everything in her life. Great woman of God. She was gracious to stay at the end for few more minutes to take pictures with people. http://www.cindyklassen.com/

HOCKEY GAME NIGHT – Canada Vs. Switzerland at 4:30 PM  - 8:00 PM Tonight

Come and cheer on Canada as they play against the Swiss Hockey Team. Concession stand is open – offering hotdogs, popcorn, chocolate, pops, and chips!

ALPHA EXPRESS Runs 12 – 1 PM Daily

Alpha is an opportunity to explore the meaning of life in a relaxed, friendly setting.   Alpha has become a worldwide phenomenon, now in 164 countries, where millions of people have come to explore the meaning of life.

At each session, people enjoy great food, laughter and learning in a fun and friendly atmosphere where no question about life and God is seen as too simple or too hostile... questions like: Is there a God? Why am I here? Where did I come from? Where am I going?

For a complete Line up of Free Events check out the Coastal Olympic Calendar

Howard Olsen  is President of High Output Training Systems and is one of Canada’s leading sales performance experts . He is on the Board of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers and every year his riveting keynotes and profit producing training programs help thousands of business people and their companies positively impact their bottom lines.  More information is available high-output.com and HowardOlsen.com Follow Howard @howardolsen

Probably one of the best things to do during the Winter Games 2010 is to just walk around downtown Vancouver. This evening, the first evening of men's hockey, I had the chance to do just that. It is incredible to feel the energy in the air and to hear the shouts of glory from every goal scored.
On this evening we started, a friend and I, from Waterfront Station and headed west. Go west, young man, go west. (Or, in my case, woman.) Our first destination was the Olympic cauldron. The first time I saw the cauldron in person was during the day on Saturday. I must admit that seeing it at dusk is probably the best time. It is magnificent. I am proud that Vancouver gets to keep this symbol because it is a beautiful piece of art and, coming from an art college graduate, that is saying something.

Cauldron by greysquare photographics

Of course a hop skip and jump from the cauldron is the floating Olympics rings in the harbour so we photographed that as well. Maybe not as magnificent as the cauldron but impressive non-the-less because of what it represents.
What I found really fascinating photographing in this area was the way people were trying to all get the 'good' angle yet were very nice about the whole thing; taking turns and helping people out by taking stranger's portraits. It is amazing what can bring the people of the world together.
I just had to take this next shot because in Vancouver all our cranes seem to get in the spirit of any occasion and the Olympics is quite the occasion to celebrate. I wonder if this happens in the rest of the world.

Celebration Crane by greysquare photographics

From here we headed on to Robson Street and found it had a 'few' people there. This is nothing unusual and I am enjoying having the street closed to traffic during the evening. I wonder who I have to talk with to lobby having this a regular thing on the weekends? I noticed the hot dog vendors are doing excellent business and I am happy that they are making good money with their wares. I know we all have our favourites and I am sad when ‘my’ vendor isn’t there.

Robson Street by greysquare photographics

At Robson Square we went down stairs, under the street, to see what was going on. There are performances happening there every night on two stages. We happened to catch the Richmond Academy of Dance and their tap dance performers.
What Robson Square is most popular for is the ice skating which is surprisingly very inexpensive. I think it is $3 for rentals! We had just missed the mascot skate which would have been fun to see. I have always wondered how anyone can skate in one of those costumes. It is quite a large rink and has excellent viewing potential if you want to bring the kiddies but not skate yourself.

Richmond Academy of Dance by greysquare photographics

The Usual Suspects by greysquare photographics

Ice Rink by greysquare photographics

Free Skate by greysquare photographics

Once we were done photographing at the rink I realized I had not yet spent the time to photograph the count down clock donated to Vancouver that is on the other side of the Art Gallery. So we headed over to Georgia and had a great time photographing there. The fountain is all back lit and made for some fun shots and the clock is now counting up from the opening ceremonies. I wonder if it will count down to the paralympic games then count up during those games as well.
By now we were chilly so we headed over to Blenz on Granville just north of Georgia. Mmmmmm, soy chai latté!

Olympic Clock on Georgia by greysquare photographics

Vancouver Art Gallery by greysquare photographics

Backlit by greysquare photographics

Pacific Centre Polar Bears by greysquare photographics

Once we were properly warmed we headed south on Granville to check out the lit art between Georgia and Robson. I am loving those lanterns! Every time I see them I feel joyful. They are so much fun and people love stomping around on the lantern tree base because it makes so much noise. The last time I was at the lanterns I remember it vividly because Alexandre Bilodeau won gold for Men’s Freestyle Skiing. The cheering in the streets was so exciting and filled the street with such energy that it was contagious. So, those lanterns are etched in my memory forever.

Lanterns by greysquare photographics

Odd Signage by greysquare photographics

Lanterns by greysquare photographics

Art by greysquare photographics

Lanterns by greysquare photographics

Lanterns by greysquare photographics

I had a great time tonight and I look forward to doing the walkabout this Saturday up at Whistler.
GO, Canada, GO!

by Lara Hildebrandt

greysquare photographics

By Des Dougan

I can't remember the last time I sat in front of the TV for three hours - perhaps watching one of the Lord of the Rings movies - but I did it tonight, and was captivated. Along with my 14-year-old son, Peter, we watched entranced as the amazing, and sometimes breathtaking, Opening Ceremony unfolded. From Greece to Canada, we watched as the athletes and coaches paraded through BC Place (which was transformed from a concrete balloon into an amazing chameleon throughout).

I'm no longer much of a TV watcher and haven't watched an Olympic opening for a long time; that said, tonight's was quite possibly the most amazing piece of theatre it's been my pleasure to watch - ever. From the first moments, watching the snowboarder carve his way down the mountain and into the stadium through the Olympic rings, to Rick Hansen and his cohorts lighting the cauldron, we sat ooh-ing and aah-ing.

The march of the athletes was fun, and turned into a geography lesson for a Grade 9 student who didn't know what the Soviet Union used to be (it's hard to believe it didn't exist any longer when he was born). We cheered when the huge Canadian team finally made their entrance, a proud Canadian and his immigrant dad, just as proud of the country I now call home.

The cultural segment in the middle was a real eye-opener - knowing how cheesy and kitschy these events can sometimes (often?) be, I had low expectations... Wow, were they blown away or what? Quite amazing lights and graphics led us through from the North to the Prairies (underpinned by Joni Mitchell's ageless talent). The punk fiddlers and the punk poet (Shane Koyczan) whose creation was just so Canadian; the peerless Sarah McLachlan and the quite amazing rendition of Hallelujah by kd lang, who has one of the greatest singing voices ever. It's so hard to recall the details, there was so much to see.

The Olympic flag ceremony and the minute's silence for Nodar Kumaritashvili were emotional moments handled with tact and grace. It was great to see Betty Fox alongside Senator Romeo Dallaire and Bobby Orr. I loved Donald Sutherland's voiceovers during the cultural segment.

Finally, the flame arrived and the only hiccough of the evening when one of the crystal pillars failed to rise, causing a short delay and unfortunately preventing Rick Hansen from taking part in lighting the cauldron alongside Catriona Le May Doan, Steve Nash, Senator Nancy Greene Raine and Wayne Gretzky. Overall, though, a quite stunning demonstration of the great talent and skill we have in this country.

And then I got back to my trusty MacBook to find 200 tweets - some of my co-bloggers really do need to get a life!!!

It's clear that my amazement at the quality and sheer energy exhibited by the performers, and the talent who designed the event, is fairly universal from all the tweets I read. Let's hope, Canada, that the rest of the world recognizes what great talent we have here. And that we Canadians, from wherever we have come, open our hearts and offer our hands to the thousands of visitors to our country and our city.

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.

Luck was smiling on me yesterday. I was gifted two tickets to see the dress rehearsal of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Opening Ceremonies!

Now don’t get all excited I’m not going to spill the beans about what I saw or who performed. I respect the producers wish to keep it a surprise. What I will do is tell you how I felt and the challenges and success of actually getting in to BC Place to see the dress rehearsal.

To start with the the line ups of people were amazing. We started at Robson and Beatty at 3:40pm and we didn’t get into BC Place until 5:05pm. Now luckily the dress rehearsal only had about a 1/3 capacity inside so if you are seeing the Official Opening Ceremonies I highly recommend giving yourself plenty of time to get inside so you don’t miss a thing.

The actual entrance into BC Place was at the corner of Nelson and Pacific and it was a bit of a zoo. Not much if any signage and no crowd fencing so it was almost a bit like a mosh pit. The Energy was electric, I saw many people I knew in the crowd and all faces were smiling and full of anticipation. I was already starting to feel my Canadian pride seeing how well mannered we all were + the huge volunteer force in their Olympic outfits.

So after getting through the airport like security we are now inside BC Place. Another line up at the concession stand. This was actually slower and more painful than security. Staff are really unsure and they actually ran out of the veggie dog my friend ordered so we had to wait 10 minutes on the side. Ok now we are in our seats, we enjoyed the remaining moments of the preshow. the sound was a bit echoed but that is what a dress rehearsal is for. To fix technical difficulties.

6pm sharp the dress rehearsal begins and my heart filled with pride. Multiple times during the show I had tears of joy in my eyes. The show was magnificent and even though most of the big performers weren’t there I was uplifted and truly awed. I think the world will really understand what it means to be Canadian. More importantly I think this will help Canadians remember what it means to be Canadian.

My only disappointment from the night is the realization that I won’t get to see in live on opening night. If you are going be loud, be proud, be Canadian!

Marc Smith www.twitter.com@amuseconsulting