Sunday, February 22, 2009

The week's biggest news

I can't help but think this might have been a week for believing in astrology. It sure felt as though there were planets (or some other controlling force) at odds with each other.

Many would contend the biggest story here in Canada was the visit from Barack Obama. Yes, that was big, but it also served as a what I call a 'smokescreen story' for another, bigger story -- a story that isn't finished and that won't be going away.

The same day President Obama visited Ottawa, the Vancouver Olympic Committee (VANOC) finally came out with a report they seem to have been stalling about -- that security for the 2010 games is going to cost $900 million dollars. Hmm, where the number is that high, why don't they just round it off and call it a billion? Here in the West, the story made the front page. I'm not sure that was the case anyplace else. Considering that all Canadians will in some way or other be paying these costs, it seems sneaky for this story to have come out on a day when hoopla stole all the headlines.

In sharp contrast to the news from Vancouver, Tuesday's news saw a report from Sochi in Russia that their Winter Olympics in 2014 will come in at 15% lower than they'd predicted. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out.

Another story connected to this week is one that happened 50 years ago, the cancellation of the Avro Arrow, a move that left thousands of workers without jobs and questions that still remain today. I wonder whether Obama even knows about that one. In fact, I wonder whether Steve Himself does.

But on we go, interesting times... indeed.

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