Here's the place for us Canadians to cheer on the home team.
TIME TO KICK SOME OLYMPIC PATOOTEY CANADA
Who else was a mess watching the opening ceremonies last night? That poem by Shane Koyczan was bone chilling. And of course, the East Coast tribute was INSANE! 180 dancing fiddlers on the floor with six feature performers on the main stage.
"I am a Canadian by birth, but I am a Highlander by blood and feel under an obligation to do all I can for the sake of the Highlanders and their literature.... I have never yet spoken a word of English to any of my children. They can speak as much English as they like to others, but when they talk to me they have to talk in Gaelic."
-Alexander Maclean Sinclair of Goshen (protector of Gaelic Culture)
I missed the opening ceremonies last night as I had an emergency in the building. Our brand new boilers decided they were taking the night off. Hope I can catch a replay to-day. According to what I saw on the news Canada is predicted to win the most medals with 27 (5 Gold) got my fingers crossed. We are the Best.
I'm going to wait, I guess, to find an actual VIDEO clip of the opening ceremonies. I'm sorry for not viewing it before posting, as I was waiting for the video to load when I typed it out.
[IMG]Vancouver 2010 Opening Ceremony is Most-Watched Television Event in Canadian History with 13.3 Million Viewers; 26 Million Canadians or 78% of Population Embrace Day 1 of the Games
- Two in three Canadians watch 3.5 hour ceremony -
VANCOUVER, Feb. 13 /CNW/ - Live coverage of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony Friday night by Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium has made history as the most-watched television event ever in Canadian history. On average, 13.3 million Canadians were watching every single minute of the 3.5 hour ceremony. The figure eclipses the previous record-holder, the Gold Medal hockey game at Salt Lake City 2002 (10.3 million), by 29%. Airing live across 11 television networks in 11 languages, an astonishing 23 million viewers, or two in every three Canadians (69%), tuned in to some part of the ceremony.
A total of 26 million Canadians, representing 78% of the population, experienced the 2010 Winter Games on the platforms of Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium yesterday, according to the Consortium's CUME (Canadian Unique Multimedia Engagement) index.
Previous Opening Ceremony Audiences: ------------------------------------ Calgary 1988: 4.24 million (CTV & TVA)* Salt Lake City 2002: 3.99 million (CBC & SRC)* Beijing 2008: 1.64 million (CBC & SRC)(xx) Turin 2006: 1.18 million (CBC & SRC)(xx)
"The Canadian Olympic team will break records at these Games," said Ivan Fecan, President and Chief Executive Officer, CTVglobemedia and Chief Executive Officer, CTV Inc. "But, the first record was broken last night."
Detailed Day 1 audience breakdown to follow.
About CUME:
Canadian Unique Multimedia Engagement (CUME) index is the cumulative reach of all Canadians that engage with the major media platforms offered by Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium. CUME is a calibrated summary of the most-trusted audience measurement systems for television, online, radio, and print. For detailed information about CUME visit CTVMedia.ca/Olympics and CTVMedia.ca/olympiques.
Sources ------- Television: BBM Canada * Nielsen Media Research (xx) BBM Nielsen Media Research
About Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium -------------------------------------------------
Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium is a unique relationship between leading media conglomerates CTV Inc. and Rogers Media Inc., which together will provide unprecedented coverage and consumer choice in English, French and multi-languages on multiple platforms for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and the London 2012 Games of the Olympiad. Official brands include CTV, TSN, RDS, RIS Info Sports, Rogers Sportsnet, OMNI, OLN, V, APTN, ATN, CTVOlympics.ca, RDSolympiques.ca, The Globe and Mail, Corus Québec and select Rogers radio stations across the country. [/IMG]
I see that the issue of not enough French being spoken at the opening ceremonies is still causing a bit of a stir. Canada is a bilingual country with both French and English as it's official languages. I personally do not speak French, that is the type of French that one would use in polite company. What French I learned I learned working construction so there is a alot of "merde" and "tabernac" in it. When I went to school in the late 40's and 50's Canada was predominately English and in order for anyone to get a decent job that was the language you had to speak. French was not taught in Ontario schools except in some Highschools where it was an option and very few in my Highschool chose it. In those days the French were second class citizens and as such were subject to many wrongs. In the neighbourhood I grew up in they were referred to as "Frogs, Frenchies, and Peasoupers" with the usual adjectives attached. My ex is half Quebecois and half English and she grew up in a family where her Father forbade French to be spoken so it wasn't until she went to Highschool that she started to learn the language. Thankfully those days are gone, long gone. I envy my fellow Canadians who can speak both our official languages, gives them an advantage that I and my generation don't have and I am thankful that both my girls learned it also.
I didn't see the opening ceremonies in Vancouver I don't know how much French was used but if it is as reported then it was a shameful ommission on the part of the organizers. Promises have been made that the closing ceremonies will include more French, after all it is also the official Language of the Olympics, and hopefully everyone will be satisfied. So my fellow countrymen and women "Vive l'Canada".
May the Irish hills caress you. May her lakes and rivers bless you. May the luck of the Irish enfold you. May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.
I gave up watching Hockey years ago and last night proved my decission right. I watched the 1st period then turned the TV off in disgust. Personally I think it should have been the Canadian Women's Team that played the Yanks. Then we would have won. I know the game doesn't mean elimination but there is Pride you know. It's our Game. The Americans just simply out skated and out played us and had a hot goalie. First skirmish to the Yanks in the Border War.
As I said I gave up watching Hockey years ago when the NHL started expanding. Just wasn't the same game and watching that bunch of amatuer prima donnas called Team Canada was embarrasing to say the least.
Now the Women's Team, they play Hockey as it should be played. I think they are fantastic and the Gold is theirs. I figure we will be lucky to get Bronze in the men's.