mr.x

Fingers crossed.

Not sure why Lord Coe wouldn't want the Olympic Cauldron to become London's mecca for 17-days....unless, he knows they screwed up and is trying to grasp at straws for an excuse.

Yet if they had also built the Orbit to double as a secondary permanent cauldron, it would be even more of a "tourist attraction!"

Wow, that media seating section in the stadium is huge. If the stadium normally sits 80,000, then what is the current seating capacity with the media stands?

Vancouver's secondary permanent outdoor cauldron wasn't an expense of VANOC, rather it was built and donated by the local natural gas company at a cost of $5-million. Maybe LOCOG could have done something creatively or cut back elsewhere...

Apples and oranges, Vancouver may have been extinguished but it was relit at the permanent cauldron outside minutes later.

Extinguishing the cauldron, with no replacement other than putting it back into the lantern in which it came from.....simply, scandalous.

An event I organized earlier this year...

Yes.

It certainly isn't as black and white as you make it out to be.

Nobody has to go to any Olympic event, but who pays to put on these Olympic events? Taxpayers.

Well, here in Vancouver the public was complaining about the ticket costs for Games events. But there was so much to do in Vancouver during the Olympics, that those who didn't have any tickets and were complaining were also part of the whole "Olympic experience." So all in all, those Live Sites and whatever public celebrations London has planned is quite vital for satisfying the greater public and also for building the Games atmosphere London organizers are yearning for. I'm sure it'll be fantastic, I don't think Brits are the stiff/conservative type? That would be the Russians two years later. http://www.globaltvbc.com/vancouver+to+host+international+sustainable+business+summit/6442538051/story.html

It's Greek efficiency....and austerity?

Haha, well the tickets for the Opening at London are quite ridiculous -- of course, as we all know, they are the most expensive in Olympic history. This is a pretty good graphic if it hasn't already been posted here: http://www.pdviz.com/2012-london-olympic-opening-ceremony-ticket-p I'm guessing it's a matter of inflating it to local market prices, market demand...and just because LOCOG can. I would imagine that some EU policies might also be in the works that are allowing tickets to be sold to anyone in the EU, not just the traditional domestic audience? Vancouver is a pretty expensive city to work with, and I'm sure David Atkins realized that himself. Right now, I'm organizing a major global conference to be held in a few months in Vancouver -- getting ready to stage everything from the Opening Ceremony to the relighting of the Olympic Cauldron!

Haha, I saw an article about the Opening budget being increased on my Google news feed and thought I'd drop by here. I'm expecting great things from London 2012.