Thursday, January 28, 2010

Olympics Pics

On January 13, the Olympic Torch made its way through Edmonton en route to Vancouver. I saw the torch relay at the Alberta Legislature point on the route. I chose that point because I also knew there was going to be a protest by anti-Olympic demonstrators. Such demonstrations have been happening all along the route and bigger protests are in the works in Vancouver. The points of contention have to do with Aboriginal land claims; corporate sponsorships (and the nasty things those corporations are involved with when they aren't making themselves look good by sponsoring big events); the environmental impact of the Olympics; and issues surrounding poverty and homelessness in the area around the Olympics. I also learned that the torch ceremony is not part of the Olympics' history, but was started by the Nazis in the 1936 games. I was shocked. My beef with the Olympics is that I am against encouraging competition, nationalism, and yes, I agree with a lot of the points of the protesters. Still, I took some photos - and I even got one of the flame.

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