olympic hooliganism

Back in the city this week and trying to take full advantage of it:

Yesterday I got to witness the gong-show... errr, I mean unveiling of the 2010 Olympic countdown clock. To my right were hundreds of black suit & trench clad office types, cheering with pride. To my left, several dozen angry protestors in balaclavas and bandanas yelling shame and various profanities under the auspices of fighting homelessness.

I was in the middle, dressed like those on my right wondering if I should be sympathetic to those on my left--afterall, I pass at least a dozen homeless people each day on my way to work, clearly there is a problem. But the fact is (not mentioning all those other givens like the difficulty of falling through the social safety net in Canada), were there no olympics, those dollars wouldn't be going to the homeless.

I CAN appreciate the intention, but the presentation was ineffectual. In fact, it pissed me off. Booing and yelling during the national anthem, egging the stage and commandeering the mic - unacceptable. Whatever smidgeon of sympathy I may have had was obliterated.

end rant.

It's a good day, the day before Valentine's Day, and I've got a little something up my sleeve.