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Thursday, Feb. 18
As many as 19 people were injured Tuesday evening
when a barricade gave way at a live entertainment site in downtown Vancouver. The
band Alexisonfire had just started its set in front of a packed house of 7,600
at the LiveCity Yaletown open-air site when the crowd surged toward the stage,
crushing those in front against a security fence, which then collapsed. The
lead singer joined paramedics and medical staff in aiding victims. Ten people
were taken to hospital. Band members are credited with taking a lead role in
calming the crowd and ensuring that emergency workers were able to work
unimpeded. While the concert was cancelled at that point, it may be another
example of Olympic bonhomie in that there was no protest from what had been an
energetic and exuberant crowd. A more robust fence has been installed and the
concerts will continue.
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From the “now it can be revealed file”, a man with
fake security documentation was apprehended at the opening ceremonies Friday
evening as he worked his way to within 12 rows of U.S. Vice-president Joe
Biden. He was apprehended by two plainclothes RCMP officers because “he did not
look like he belonged there”. The mentally ill Vancouver man
was described by police as being “infatuated” with Biden (feel free to connect
those two dots at your leisure). VANOC refuses to say exactly how he managed to
get through several layers of security, but all persons entering the site
required a ticket to get into BC Place Stadium, with VIPs and special pass holders
requiring a bar-coded ID tag to move further into the facility. There has been
a suggestion that he created the pass on his home computer and hand-coloured
it.
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In
another sign that the apocalypse may be fast approaching, Steven Colbert, the
psuedo-journalist/alleged comedian arrived in Vancouver to
support the U.S. speed
skating team and tape segments for his TV show. A crowd that would grow to more
than 6,000 started gathering at midnight for
the first taping, which started at 9 a.m. outside
Science World, which has been taken over as the Sochi 2014 pavilion for the
duration of the Olympics. The Globe and Mail reported that “despite having to stand in cold mud, which Mr. Colbert
dubbed the Canadian swamp, fans held Syrup Sucker banners and chanted the
satirist's name while clouds of marijuana smoke wafted around the crowd.”
Vancouver welcomes the world.
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