Posted on 02/10/2006 3:24:18 PM PST by Howlin
thanks for the ping. My son-in-law called me this afternoon from Germany to tell me to be sure to watch the opening cermonies. SPECTACULAR he said.
No, you don't have to watch.
I joined NetFlix today...lol.
I'm just being silly. At this time I don't know whether I'll watch or not. ;)
She doesn't have a chance. As long as Slutskaya stays on her feet, she'll get the gold, whether she deserves it or not.
Weeeee!
I love tape delay.. :}
I also like going down the 90 meter ski jump head first without skis.. nekkid.. :-o
AAAIIIEEE!!!!
now that's PPV.. lol
Good lord.
LOL
that's what I am saying.
I wonder if they'll show the guys with bubbles on their heads : )
That's a 6.0 for difficulty, talent, and creativity.
Olympic Hockey Goalie Triumphs Over Epilepsy - Women's Team
http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20060210/hl_hsn/olympichockeygoalietriumphsoverepilepsy
THURSDAY, Feb. 9 (HealthDay News) -- The rugged, tension-filled sport of ice hockey wouldn't seem a comfortable arena for someone with the potentially debilitating illness epilepsy.
But Chanda Gunn, the 26-year-old starting goalie for the U.S. women's hockey team set to compete in the Winter Olympics starting this week in Torino, Italy, has proven that the disorder need not stop you from achieving your dreams.
Gunn was diagnosed with epilepsy when she was just 9 years old. But a winning combination of good medical care and true grit has enabled her to rise to the top of her sport.
"If you take care of yourself by talking with your doctor, taking your medicines, and living a healthy lifestyle, you can really have a normal life," she said during a recent interview from Cromwell, Conn., where she was practicing with her teammates before departing for Italy.
Epilepsy, a neurological disorder caused by disturbances in the electrical activity in the brain, affects more two million people in the United States, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The result can be strange sensations, emotions, and behavior or sometimes convulsions, muscle spasms, and loss of consciousness.
But, ever-improving medicines to control epilepsy, coupled with more research into the disorder, has significantly boosted the prognosis for people with epilepsy, said Dr. John M. Pellock, a specialist in epilepsy treatment and vice chairman of the department of neurology at Virginia Commonwealth University Health System.
"The old-fashioned idea that if you have seizures, you can't do anything, is wrong," Pellock said. "Seventy-five percent of those [with epilepsy] can live a pretty normal life."
Pellock and Gunn both spoke during a telephone press conference sponsored by Abbott Laboratories, the maker of the epilepsy drug Depakote, which Gunn uses.
When Gunn was diagnosed with epilepsy, she was forced to quit swimming, her sport of choice at the time. She began treatment for her ailment, and then resumed playing athletics. At 13, playing hockey with her brother, Jacob, she discovered a passion for the game.
But there were bumps along the road to Torino. Gunn enrolled at the University of Wisconsin to play hockey. However, she neglected to comply with her schedule for medicine and her epilepsy flared. Gunn was let go from the team and returned home to Huntington Beach, Calif., after just three months at college.
"I was devastated. I loved the school and the staff," she said. "I was really frustrated. Would I be able to play hockey?"
Pellock said stopping medications is very common among young people with any illness during adolescence.
"Sooner or later, there's this feeling among kids, a little tempting of fate," he said. "They think, 'Maybe I don't have to do this.' And they go off their medications."
Doctors then must work with these patients to help them understand their condition and know that for epilepsy to be well controlled, they must take their medicines and take care of themselves, with healthy diets and plenty of rest.
Gunn said that, thanks "to great doctors who really knew me and understood me," she did just that, spending the winter and following spring getting her health back on track.
At the same time, she stayed in touch with hockey coaches from across the country, and in the fall of 2000 enrolled at Northeastern University in Boston. There, she played goalie, was named NCAA Sportswoman of the Year in 2004, and finished her career as the school's all-time leader in saves and save percentage.
Gunn, who's 5-feet, 7-inches tall and weighs 135 pounds, attributes her ability to play hockey at such a high level while managing her illness to diligence about taking her medicines and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, while keeping a slow, steady approach to life.
"I think that I never stopped moving forward. I take everything one step at a time," she said.
More information
To learn more, visit the Epilepsy Foundation.
LOL
Opening ceremonies sound good!
http://apnews.excite.com/article/20060210/D8FMI1T8B.html
That's what I think every time they say "Torino." Or something "bull-like."
Guess it's better than thinking of Jesus's shroud every time they say "Turin."
DEBORAH HASTINGS, AP National Writer
TURIN, Italy - A dazzled, cheering audience danced on their chairs in the winter cold Friday night and the opening ceremony of the Winter Games became one giant house party.
Passion was the show's theme and passion was what poured from the audience, right up to the arrival of the Olympic torch, carried by skiing hero Alberto "La Bomba" Tomba, who ran up the stage steps and handed it off to a succession of Italian medal winners.
Ultimately it was Stefania Belmondo, a two-time gold medal winner in cross-country skiing, who touched the flame to a wire that ignited fireworks and lit the Olympic caldron.
The cheering crowd screamed its delight — just one of the many times it did so throughout the three-hour show.
But it wasn't truly over until the big man sang.
Luciano Pavarotti performed "Nessun Dorma," ("Let No One Sleep"), from Puccini's "Turandot," an aria that the tenor has turned into a signature piece.
While that closing number sent spectators home happy, it was the parade of nations that really got the party going.
More than 2,500 athletes arrived to the accompaniment of chest-thumping disco ranging from "YMCA" by the Village People to "I Will Survive," by Gloria Gaynor.
Italy, as host country, entered last and brought down the house. Dressed in fur-trimmed coats, against the pulsating, popular Italian pop song "Una Donna Per Amico" ("A Woman For a Friend"), the crowd jumped to its feet, and shouted while ringing souvenir cow bells provided by show organizers.
Second only to the audience's reaction to Italy was the roaring welcome given to the Americans. Around the packed stadium, fans stood and clapped as "Daddy Cool" blared through loudspeakers.
More than 200 U.S. athletes, wearing white coats and hats of blue and red, waived and blew kisses. Giant video screens showed a smiling first lady Laura Bush.
In an unusual security move, three plain-clothed guards followed the Danish team as it marched through — a precaution that responded to recent violence by Muslims enraged at derogatory cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad published in Danish newspapers.
Security was also tight for the arrival of Mrs. Bush and Cherie Blair, wife of British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
"Rhythm, Passion and Speed," promised the show's producers, and those watching — an estimated 35,000 at the Olympic Stadium and two billion tuning in — got all of that.
The program opened with Yuri Chechi, one of Italy's most famous gymnasts, swinging a mighty hammer onto a giant anvil that sparked tall flames. Rollerbladers in red body suits zoomed across the stage, two-foot flames shooting out the back of their heads.
Next came a tribute to the seven countries abutting the majestic Alps — including Austria, Germany and France. Dancers wearing green sheaths pranced near brightly painted fake cows pulled on rollers. It was a homage to mountain life and livestock, and to cheer both, the stadium audience was supplied with the cow bells.
In what executive producer Marco Bacilli described as an "iconic moment," silver-clad dancers appeared with big, white bubbles stuck to their heads. Bacilli, who has staged concert shows for U2 and the Rolling Stones, said the balls signified snow, of which there is none in Turin.
This northwest city, home to both Fiat and Savoy-era mansions, has exhibited a certain ambivalence to the Winter Games, largely because of an ever-changing pattern of traffic detours and street closures. The weather, hovering in the high 30s and low 40s this week, melted more than a foot and a half of recent snow and prompted officials in the mountain venues to churn out the man-made kind.
For the first time, eight women carried the Olympic flag: Italian actress Sophia Loren, Chilean writer Isabel Allende, American actress Susan Sarandon, Nobel Peace-prize winner Wangari Maathai of Kenya, and three Olympic medal winners. They were Nawal El Moutawakel of Morocco, Manuela Di Centa of Italy, and Maria Mutola of Mozambique. The eighth was Cambodian human rights activist Somaly Mam.
Behind the scenes, 6,100 volunteers helped stage the event, for which they had practiced an estimated 10,000 hours. Cost of both the opening and closing ceremonies: $34 million.
Firewowrks erupt over the Olympic Stadium at the conclusion of the opening ceremony for the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy, Friday, Feb. 10, 2006. (AP Photo/Massimo Pinca)
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