The 2010 Vancouver Winter Games and Canadian Patriotism

The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic games are progressing very well. Canada is currently ranked at fourth place in medial count rankings; behind USA, Germany and Norway.

I am really glad to see that, finally, Canadians have shown their patriotic side. Such out pouring enthusiastic patriotism was never expected in Canada as Canadians are very polite and subdued people, who keep low profile, don`t usually brag, for example, as compared to Americans.

A few days ago, I went to down town and in surrounding suburbs to witness for myself first hand all the patriotic events I saw on TV. Sure enough, I too was carried away with the celebrations. Robson square was crowded, the whole down town was flooded, and is still flooded, with a lot of people as I write this blog.

Chants of “Go Canada Go!”,  impromptu performances of the Canadian National Anthem (O! Canada), visceral screams of “Whoooo!”, “Canada!”, and more have echoed throughout Vancouver, and neighbouring cities.

The Canadian Home Renovation Tax Credit Explained

The Home Renovation Tax Credit (HRTC) has left many homeowners wondering how this new credit available for tax year 2009 will impact their tax returns.

Here are some quick facts that can help you know what to expect if you have made eligible renovations to your homes and cottages.

The deadline for HRTC has now passed; but it is tax time and you will need to know what to claim. Please keep in mind that your renovations must have been done before February 1, 2010.

Ethiopian Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics: Meet Olympian Robel Teklemariam

Ethiopia’s Olympics history is astounding, to say the least. For decades, many Ethiopians have participated in the Olympics around the world and have made us all proud – these were all summer Olympics.

When it comes to the Winter Olympics, however, Ethiopia and many other African nations don’t actively participate due to lack of snow in the continent. For instance, there were a total of 9 African participants in the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics from a total of 6 countries:

• Algeria (2)
• Ethiopia (1) – Robel Teklemariam
• Kenya (1)
• Madagascar (1)
• Senegal (1)
• South Africa (3)

Vancouver Winter 2010 Olympics Games Free Events

Olympics – whether Winter or Summer – is a great event.

Ethiopia has been participating in the summer Olympics for nearly 50 years now. Ethiopia has opened the floodgates for all Africans to participate in the Olympics.

I am very proud of the accomplishments of Ethiopian athletes. In the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics, Ethiopia sent 12 athletes, and came home with 8 medals – that is by far the best a country could hope for. However, Canada did send 425 Olympians to Sydney, but came back with nothing. I remember the media hammering the Canadian Olympic Committee by comparing them to Ethiopians. Canada’s low performance in 2000 was improved in 2004 in Athens and again in 2008 in Beijing.