2010 Olympics

Have to very care my words here today. VANOC had copyrighted and patented so many Olympics related words, terms and phrases that it is very easy to infringe on these rights. Most important is VANOC's zest in enforcing it.

An example is Olympics Pizza which operated as a going concern for more than 30 years. The legal eagles in VANOC wanted the pizza parlor to change its name. If there is a knock on the door tonight I'll know who is at the door.

Today's Vancouver Sun reported that VANOC is in the process of engaging a firm to actively search the Internet for violations of the registered words. Here is a list of the words:

* '00
* '02
* '10
* 2000
* 2002
* 2010
* Beijing and Beyond
* Bid Booster
* Bid Champion
* Celebrate the Impossible
* Driven by Dreams
* Driven by Nature
* For The Fire Within
* Friend
* Game Plan
* Gold Medal
* Host Country
* I'm Backing the Bid
* It's Our Time To Shine
* Let the Dreams Begin
* Road to Beijing
* Road to Vancouver
* Road to Whistler
* Sea To Sky
* See You in Vancouver
* See You in Whistler
* See You in Beijing
* Top
* Vancouver '10
* Vancouver 2-10
* Vancouver 2'10
* We're Next

Today's photo is a automobile's license plate which is specially designed to commemorate the 2010 Olympics. This is an excerpt from Vancouver Olympics' website:

"The plates cost $35 (with an annual renewal fee of $25) and can be purchased at any time. They will be on sale through December 31, 2010, and renewable through 2012."

Public transit

Due to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games the rapid transit line from Downtown Vancouver to Richmond and Vancouver International Airport, known as the Canada Line, bumped the Evergreen Line connecting Vancouver to the northeast part of Lower Mainland off the funding list. The construction of this 19 km project has dissected the city two parts along Cambie.

The original proposal and plan was to have all the tunneling done underground. Because of rising cost VANOC and the provincial government had agreed to the construction consortium's proposal of eliminating a station along the line and employing the cut and fill construction method. The consequence is Cambie now resembles a war zone with many businesses closing its doors.

The photo above is the exist of one of the tunnels through Downtown Vancouver. The tunnel for the Skytrain heading the opposite direction will be underneath this. Not sure how it'll connect to the existing lines' terminal down the block, the Seabus Terminal.

The is the view facing the tunnel. The continuation of the line to link up with the existing two lines.