Ice Hockey and Curling.

On the public bus I take to work, there is a flat TV screen in which they have a loop tape playing for the enjoyment of the passengers. It will show advertising and some news programs. I was surprised to see Curling (a game that Canada excels at, but really is an excuse to drink) and Ice Hockey highlights make the bus news.

There is some sort of international winter sports festival taking place in Harbin. I saw highlights of the opening ceremony which included a curler being used for the lighting of the flame ceremony. Now the curler didn't huck a flaming rock into a cauldron or run around the stadium with a lighted broom. What the curler did do was throw (slide) a rock down the ice toward a target. Hitting the target with the rock caused a spark to fly along a wire toward where ever the festival's flame was to burn. The spark ignited the flame.