The Random Thread and The Endless Nights of Baseball Discussions

[LondonUnderground]

ugh.
why is my friend so pretty? -_-

 

[MickeyisBeast]

I JUST FOUND THE BEST PICTURE EVER!
like, I cannot explain how freakin amazing it is

 

[DisGirlAllie]

Calgary (pronounced /ˈkælɡri, ˈkælɡəri/) is the largest city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately 80 km (50 mi) east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies. The city is located in the Grassland region of Alberta.

In 2006, the City of Calgary had a population of 988,193 making it the third-largest municipality in the country and largest in Alberta. The entire metropolitan area had a 2006 population of 1,079,310, making it the fifth-largest census metropolitan area (CMA) in Canada. In 2009, Calgary's metropolitan population was estimated at 1,230,248, raising its rank to fourth-largest CMA in Canada.

Located 294 km (183 mi) due south of Edmonton, statisticians define the narrow populated area between these cities as the "Calgary–Edmonton Corridor." Calgary is the largest Canadian metropolitan area between Toronto and Vancouver.

Calgary is a destination for winter sports and ecotourism with a number of major mountain resorts near the city and metropolitan area. Economic activity in Calgary is mostly centered on the petroleum industry. Agriculture, tourism and high-tech industries also contribute to the city's economic growth. In 1988, Calgary became the first Canadian city to host the Olympic Winter Games.

 

[DisGirlAllie]

Gatineau (as of 2006[update] census population 242,124) is a city in western Quebec, Canada, the fourth largest by population in the province (after Montreal, Quebec City and Laval). It is paired with Ottawa, the capital of Canada. It is situated on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario, and is located within Canada's National Capital Region. Ottawa and Gatineau comprise a single Census Metropolitan Area.

Gatineau is coextensive with a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality (TE) and census division (CD) of the same name, whose geographical code is 81.

 

[DisGirlAllie]

Ottawa (/ˈɒtəwɑː/ or /ˈɒtəwə/) is the capital of Canada, a municipality and the second largest city within the province of Ontario. Located in the Ottawa Valley, in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario, the city lies on the Ottawa River, a major waterway forming the local boundary between the provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

Connected by several bridges to its Quebec neighbour, the city of Gatineau on the northern shores of the Ottawa River, the two cities and surrounding areas are designated the National Capital Region (NCR). Though governed by separate municipal governments, the federal lands within the region are administered by the National Capital Commission (NCC), a federal crown corporation charged with the responsibility of planning and managing the federal government's interests in the NCR.

In 2006, the city of Ottawa had a population of 812,129, making it the fourth-largest municipality in the country and second-largest in Ontario. The Ottawa-Gatineau metropolitan area had a 2006 population of 1,130,761, making it the fourth-largest census metropolitan area (CMA) in Canada. The National Capital Region which encompasses Ottawa, Gatineau and surrounding suburbs and towns has an estimated population of 1,451,415. In 2009 Ottawa-Gatineau's population was estimated at 1,220,674, making it the fifth-largest CMA in Canada. Ottawa has the 2nd highest quality of living of any city in the Americas, and 14th highest in the world according to the "Mercer Human Resource Consulting Quality of Living Survey". It is also considered the 3rd cleanest city in the world by Mercers 2010 eco-city ranking.

 

[LondonUnderground]

<3

my mum took these on her phone
im just stealin' em from fb xD

 

[MickeyisBeast]

(Yankees message to the Red Sox)

 

[DisGirlAllie]

Vancouver (pronounced /væn.ˈkuːvər/) is a coastal city located in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is named for British Captain George Vancouver, who explored the area in the 1790s. The name Vancouver itself originates from the Dutch "van Coevorden", denoting somebody from Coevorden, a city in the Netherlands.

The largest metropolitan area in Western Canada, Vancouver ranks third largest in the country and the city proper ranks eighth. According to the 2006 census Vancouver had a population of 578,041 and its metropolitan area exceeded 2.1 million people. Over the last 30 years immigration has played a huge part in city growth. As a result its residents have become ethnically and linguistically diverse; 52% do not speak English as their first language. and almost a third of the city's inhabitants are of Chinese origin, with a large amount of immigrants from Hong Kong.

Logging sawmills established in 1867 in the area known as Gastown became the nucleus around which the townsite grew, and Vancouver was incorporated as a city in 1886. By 1887, the transcontinental railway was extended to the city to take advantage of its large natural seaport, which soon became a vital link in a trade route between the Orient, Eastern Canada, and London. The Port Metro Vancouver is now the busiest and largest in Canada, as well as the fourth largest port (by tonnage) in North America. While forestry remains its largest industry, Vancouver is well known as an urban centre surrounded by nature, making tourism its second largest industry. It also is the third largest film production centre in North America after Los Angeles and New York City, earning it the nickname Hollywood North.

Vancouver has ranked highly in worldwide "livable city" rankings for more than a decade according to business magazine assessments. It has hosted many international conferences and events, including the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, the 1976 United Nations Conference on Human Settlements and the 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication. The 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics were held in Vancouver and nearby Whistler, a resort community 125 km (78 miles) north of the city.

 

[LondonUnderground]

its so pwetty <3

this is when we did the tour!

 

[DisGirlAllie]

Montreal is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie, or "City of Mary", the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the city is located, or Mont Réal as it was spelled in Middle French, (Mont Royal in present French).

As of July 2009, Statistics Canada identifies Montreal's Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) (land area 4,259 square kilometres (1,644 sq mi)) as Canada's second most populous with a population of 1,906,811 in the city and metropolitan area population of 3,814,700.

The most spoken language at home in the city is French by 56.9% of the population, followed by English at 18.6% (as of 2006 census). The official language of Montreal is French as defined by the city's charter. Montreal is the second largest primarily French-speaking city in the world, after Paris. Although a few francophone African cities are bigger in size, notably Kinshasa, and Abidjan, these cities have fewer mother-tongue French speakers.

Montreal is consistently rated as one of the world's most livable cities, was called "Canada's Cultural Capital" by Monocle Magazine and recently was named a UNESCO City of Design. Though historically the commercial capital of Canada, it was surpassed in population, as well as economic strength, by Toronto after 1976. Today it continues as an important centre of commerce, aerospace, finance, pharmaceuticals, technology, culture, tourism, film and world affairs.

In 2010, Montreal was named a hub city, ranked 34th globally out of 289 cities for innovation across multiple sectors of the urban economy, in the Innovation Cities Index by 2thinknow. Montreal was the next Canadian city in the annual index behind nexus city Toronto in 12th place and ahead of fellow hub cities Calgary, Quebec City, Vancouver and Edmonton. In 2009, Montreal was named North America's number one host city for international association events, according to the 2009 preliminary rankings of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA).

 

[LondonUnderground]

wooo! its me lookin' the sex outside B&J's in Maine xD

got love for my AE polo.

 

[marypops!]

I should upload the pictures I took. You can see the walk I had to endure yesterday afternoon.

 

[DisGirlAllie]

Toronto (pronounced /təˈrɒntoʊ/, colloquially /ˈtrɒnoʊ/ or /təˈrɒnoʊ/) is the provincial capital of Ontario, and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America. Toronto is at the heart of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and is part of a densely populated region in Southern Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe, which is home to over 8.1 million residents—approximately 25% of Canada's population. The census metropolitan area (CMA) had a population of 5,113,149 and the Greater Toronto Area had a population of 5,555,912 in the 2006 Census.

As Canada's economic capital, Toronto is considered an alpha world city by the Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) study group and is one of the top financial centres in the world. Toronto's leading economic sectors include finance, business services, telecommunications, aerospace, transportation, media, arts, film, television production, publishing, software production, medical research, education, tourism and sports industries. The Toronto Stock Exchange, the world's eighth largest in terms of market value, is headquartered in the city, along with the most Canadian corporate headquarters of a major Canadian city.

Toronto's population is cosmopolitan and international, reflecting its role as an important destination for immigrants to Canada. Toronto is one of the world's most diverse cities by percentage of non-native-born residents, as about 49% of the population were born outside of Canada. Toronto is consistently rated as one of the world's most livable cities by the Economist Intelligence Unit and the Mercer Quality of Living Survey. In addition, Toronto was ranked as the most expensive Canadian city in which to live in 2006. Residents of Toronto are called Torontonians.

 

[DisneyRockstar]

It's Drake's Birthday! lol

 

[MickeyisBeast]

"To remind you of what winners look like; we know it's been a while since you've seen any"

 

[MickeyisBeast]

Panthers actually won a game!
Wooohoo

 

[DisGirlAllie]

Potential Bids for the 2020 Summer Olympics

Africa
Africa has never hosted the Olympic Games. When discussing the Japanese bid, the Japanese Olympic Committee head Yasuhiro Nakamori revealed "the IOC suggested that if an African candidate emerged for 2020 they would be very strong contenders". Several IOC members have suggested that the organization should award the Games to an African nation; with Rio's 2016 award, Africa remains the only populated continent to have never hosted the Games.

* South Africa
On June 23, 2010, roughly midway through South Africa's hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, South Africa's President, Jacob Zuma, indicated that the country was considering bidding for the 2020 Olympic Games. In response, Jacques Rogge, the IOC President, encouraged South Africa to bid for the Games and said he would meet with President Zuma to discuss the issue in July 2010, when he was scheduled to visit the country to attend the finals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Johannesburg

Following South Africa's widely acclaimed hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, backed South Africa to host the Summer Olympics. In an interview with FIFA on July 2, 2010, South Africa's President, Jacob Zuma, indicated that South Africa was interested in hosting an Olympic Games. On July 13, 2010, two days after the end of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, South Africa’s governing Olympic body, the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), announced that it would formally oversee a national bid for the 2020 Olympic Games and encouraged potential South African host cities to state their intention of being involved in the process.

Following this call, Durban officials notified SASCOC of their intention to be involved in the process the same day. On the other hand, Cape Town officials refused to commit the city to bidding for the 2020 Olympic Games.

On July 21, 2010, Cape Town mayoral committee member for economic development, Felicity Purchase, stated that a bid by Cape Town for the 2020 Olympic Games was “premature” as the city was ”not ready” to do an Olympic Bid in the short term as it was “short of facilities”.

On September 7, 2010, SASCOC announced that Durban was the only South African city to submit an application to be South Africa's bid city for the 2020 Olympics, and that it considered the country's 2020 Olympic Games bidding process "finalised". SASCOC also announced that it would be up to the South African government to decide whether it would submit a formal bid to the IOC for Durban to host the 2020 Olympic Games.

* Cape Town
Following SASCOC's call for South African cities to state their respective intentions regarding their interest to bid for the 2020 Olympic Games, Cape Town officials refused to commit the city to bidding for the 2020 Olympic Games. On July 21, 2010, Cape Town mayoral committee member for economic development, Felicity Purchase, stated that a bid by Cape Town for the 2020 Olympic Games was “premature” as the city was ”not ready” to do an Olympic Bid in the short term as it was “short of facilities”.

On 28 July 2010, at a full Council meeting, Mayor Dan Plato described the Olympic Games as the "next logical step". He stated that Cape Town will follow a considered process to decide whether or not to bid for the Olympic Games in 2020. Cape Town would complete a "gap analysis — to ascertain the facilities, venues and services required to host the Olympics, against what Cape Town currently has."

Cape Town aims to "attract a portfolio of events ranging from small and medium to major and mega" boosting its existing sports events hosting experience which includes various junior and senior world championships, and other single sport major events e.g. ICC 2003 Cricket World Cup, IRB 1995 Rugby World Cup, FIFA 2010 World Cup.

The City of Cape Town has provided the green light for the development of an International Aquatic Centre as well awarding the tender for the upgrade of the Bellville Velodrome and Bellville Stadium.

On 19 September 2010, the City of Cape Town requested a formal opportunity to consider the possible submission of a bid.

Cape Town's communications director, Pieter Cronje, said the city had asked Sascoc to give it enough time to submit a bid, but had received no response. "Hosting the Olympics is a major project which requires guaranteed national funding, a needs assessment for the facilities and venues required, the operational capacity to host and an assessment of legacy benefits," he said.

Only after that assessment had been completed would the city decide whether to submit a bid to host the games. "Previous communication from Sascoc asked an open-ended question about the City of Cape Town's interest, but gave no process, format or deadline. That's why the city is now requesting a formal opportunity to consider the possible submission of a bid," he said. In response, SASCOC's CEO, Tubby Reddy, denied that Cape Town had not been given a deadline. In outlining the bidding invite procedure that SASCOC followed, Reddy stated: “The notion that SASCOC messed up Cape Town’s Olympic Bid is very far from the truth and in fact is rather an attempt from some to hide their own inefficiency. SASCOC has followed due process in the bidding process and cannot be held accountable for any misunderstanding, especially on the part of the city of Cape Town".

* Durban
Durban's plans to host the 2020 Summer Olympics were boosted by the IOC's selection of that city in 2008 as the venue for the IOC General Assembly's Congress in 2011. Acting chief executive of Durban Tourism Perry Moodley intimated that hosting the event was a tactical move in light of the city's plans to bid to host a Summer Olympics. Moodley stated further that "Getting Olympic decision-makers from around the world in Durban is most important". Durban was a host city for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The city's new Moses Mabhida Stadium, built for the World Cup, can be easily converted into an 85 000 seater athletics venue. The stadium is part of the multi-sport, Kings Park Sporting Precinct.

Durban's chances of being South Africa's 2020 Olympic bid city was boosted in July 2009 when the spokesperson for the country's Sports and Recreational Minister singled out Durban as the city that might be the country's 2020 Olympic bid city, were the country to decide to bid for the Games.

On July 13, 2010, 2 days after the end of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Durban's Olympic aspirations were given a major boost when FIFA President, Seph Blatter, revealed that he would support an Olympic bid by Durban.

Following the call by SASCOC on July 13, 2010, for South African cities to state their intention of being involved in a bid for the 2020 Olympic Games, Durban officials notified SASCOC of their intention to be involved in the process the same day.

On July 15, 2010, Durban's 2020 Olympic aspirations were given another boost when the city beat Tokyo to win the rights to host the IOC-sanctioned World Transplant Games in 2013.

On July 20, 2010, influential IOC member, Gerhard Heiberg, chairman of the committee's marketing commission, in relation to the 2020 Olympic bid, singled out Durban in stating that “it will be time to consider Africa at some point." Durban received a further boost when on July 22, 2010, a senior IOC member stated that Durban is the best city in South Africa to make a strong bid for the 2020 Olympics.

On August 10, 2010, the Chief Executive Officer of the Southern African Tourism Services Association (SATSA), Michael Tatalias, endorsed Durban for a 2020 South African Olympic bid, stating that Durban was South Africa's "best placed [city] to bid" for the Olympics and was probably South Africa's "best bet" for an Olympic bid.

In mid-August, 2010, Danny Jordaan, the Chief Executive Officer of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Local Organising Committee, expressed cautious optimism about Durban's bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games, stating that "Durban has what it takes" [to host the Games].

During the weekend of September 4–5, 2010, South Africa's tourism industry, including the Southern African Tourism Services Association (SATSA), the Tourism Business Council, the Association of South African Travel Agents (ASATA), the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (FEDHASA), Tourvest, Thompsons, and Southern Sun, expressed unequivocal support for Durban to be South Africa’s candidate city for a 2020 or 2024 Olympic bid.

The government is expected to rubber-stamp Durban's bid. Following SASCOC's announcement, Durban's City Manager, Dr Michael Sutcliffe, said Durban officials and SASCOC would meet with the South African government in the following month about the bid.

* Rabat, Morocco
Rabat, the Moroccan capital, is expected to submit a bid for the 2020 Olympics. Officials from Morocco are confident that their capital will win the right to host the games; they chose Rabat as the bidding city, over the much larger Casablanca, stating that Rabat is more internationally significant. If a bid is submitted, it will be the first time Morocco has submitted a bid.

 

[DisGirlAllie]

Asia

* Delhi, India
After successfully hosting a large scale events such as the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) stated that "Delhi would bid for the 2020 Olympics." Sports minister Manohar Singh Gill later stated that funding infrastructure would come before a 2020 bid. Jacques Rogge has expressed his willingness for Delhi to bid for the games. It is unclear though how much effect the controversy surrounding the 2010 Commonwealth Games in terms of security and sub-standard facilities will have on any future bid.

* Busan, South Korea
With the success of the 2002 Asian Games held in Busan, the city's mayor announced on November 14, 2005 to the Korean news agency Yonhap that they were planning to bid for the 2020 Olympic games. The official bid was made during the 17th APEC forum held on November 18 and 19 in Busan. However, its bid in 2020 may be jeopardized if Pyeongchang wins its third bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics. South Korean capital Seoul hosted the games in 1988.

* Doha, Qatar
The IOC rejected Doha's bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics, although fellow applicant (and eventual host) city Rio de Janeiro was accepted, despite the Brazilian city's lower score on the IOC's evaluation of bids. While Doha bid organizers accused the IOC of "closing the door on the Arab World", the IOC cited technical reasons for its rejection of the bid, such as Doha's insistence of holding the games in October.

On August 7, 2008, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the Heir Apparent of Qatar, revealed that the state will bid for the 2020 games. Sheikh Tamim, who is also the Chairman of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), said that Qatar was determined to learn from the lessons of its failed 2016 bid, and "bid for hosting the Olympic Games in 2020 as per set measures and standards."

* Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Dubai has expressed great interest in a 2020 Olympic bid but has not formally announced it will bid. Dubai's hosting of Sportaccord 2010 has been a great way to show off Dubai's sport infrastructure. Statement from Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum: "We will have to take an honest look at our weaknesses as well as our strengths," Sheikh Mohammed said on April 25. "I can assure you of this, though: if we decide to make a bid for the Olympics, we will be in it to win." However Dubai received a setback when the city decided not to go forward with the organisation of the 2013 World Aquatics Championships.

* Japan
* Tokyo
Soon after failing to win its bid to host the 2016 Olympics, intentions were expressed to try again for 2020. Tokyo hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics. Hiroshima and Nagasaki expressed interest in a joint bid as well; however, Japan has ruled out that joint bid and intends to focus solely on Tokyo's bid. Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara said Tokyo may allow Hiroshima and Nagasaki to stage some events if the city is selected.

In response to the announcement of South Africa’s governing Olympic body, the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), on July 13, 2010, that it would formally oversee a national bid for the 2020 Olympic Games and encouraged potential South African host cities to state their intention of being involved in the process, Japanese Olympic Committee chief, Tsunekazu Takeda, expressed wariness after South Africa emerged as a new rival in Japan’s bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics.

* Hiroshima
Hiroshima is considering a bid, or would host some of the Tokyo-based games.

 

[LondonUnderground]

i love travelling on the tube.

but since 7/7 its kinda scary :S

 

[DisGirlAllie]

Europe

* Budapest, Hungary
On 18 December 2008, the assembly of the City of Budapest unanimously accepted the proposal for the Act on the Preparation of the Budapest Olympic Bid, prepared by the NGO Budapesti Olimpiai Mozgalom (BOM). The proposal is to be presented to the Parliament of Hungary.

* Istanbul, Turkey
Turkish government sports official Mehmet Atalay said that Istanbul has decided to launch another Olympic bid, believing its chances are much stronger this time. Istanbul has four previous bids for the 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Summer Games; it skipped the 2016 Games. Atalay said, "we didn't bid for 2016 because we were in a preparation period. [...] We will keep on bidding until we get it."

* Rome, Italy
On 2 October 2009, the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) confirmed that Italy intends to put forward a bid for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. Shortly after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded Rio de Janeiro the Games for 2016, the President of CONI, Giovanni Petrucci, said: "The time has come for an Italian bid for the 2020 Games. Rio de Janeiro's victory surely gives Italy the possibility (for 2020)." The country recently hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. Immediately after Petrucci's announcement, Rome and Venice announced their candidacies for an Italian bid. Bari, Palermo and the Romagna region also put in bids, but they did not meet the minimum requirements: "Rome and Venice are the only serious bidders, all the rest is just so much talk", Petrucci said.

On 19 May 2010, CONI backed Rome over Venice as Candidate City for the 2020 Summer Olympics, citing greater experience and already existing sport and hospitality facilities as crucial factors for the choice. After losing out to Athens in 2004—despite that it was considered to be the favourite—Rome will attempt to present another bid for the 2020 Games. The Italian capital staged a Games in 1960. Giovanni Alemanno, mayor of Rome, has thrown his full backing behind a Rome 2020 bid, saying: "The choice of Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Games offers a big opportunity to Italy and Rome for the next edition in 2020. More than half a century after the fantastic Games of 1960, we can dream of bringing the Olympic rings back to the Italian capital."

* Madrid, Spain
After failed attempts for both the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics, Madrid announced plans to bid for 2020 or 2024. However, on July 24, 2010, Alberto Ruiz Gallardon, Mayor of Madrid, announced that Madrid was putting any bid for an Olympic Games on hold in order to help the country with its bid for the 2018 World Cup finals and that no decision over a third attempt to hold the Olympic Games would be taken in the near future.

* Lisbon, Portugal
The country's capital of Lisbon intends to enter for the 2020 competition.

* Saint Petersburg, Russia
Governor Valentina Matviyenko has announced an intention to bid, having discussed the plan with the head of the ROC; governmental support has not been confirmed. 2024 is also a possibility. Saint Petersburg bid for the 2004 Summer Olympics but did not make the short list.

* Bucharest, Romania
On 24 August 2010, Bucharest Mayor Sorin Oprescu announced intentions to host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Bucharest. This comes a few years after the Government announced a plan to bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Prahova Valley.