Sochi won't recognize itself in a year's time in 1980,more than 60countries boycotted Moscow over the Soviet invasion of AfghanistanThis time Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to welcome the world He's gambling that a steep investment will pay goodwill dividends but disruptions at home are causing friction and the budget is rising"Of course there are skeptics" says PutinIn Sochi 70 per cent of the venues are nearly finished say authorities But the grand stadium still looks like an open steel jaw waiting for its skinIn this area of "moderate seismic hazard" two mild earthquakes in December and January meant the structure needed to be tested for damage It's being constructed to withstand an earthquake with a magnitude of nine just in caseThe numbers for this Olympic project are staggering: 20000 new hotel rooms are in the works and 20000 spectators an hour will whiz up a new twin road-rail corridor that snakes 48 kilometres into the Caucasus mountains above the cityTogether private investors and the state have already sunk $38 billion into these Games Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak said Friday thatthe total cost for preparing and staging theevent will soar above $50 billion making these the most expensive Winter Games everBut for Sochi's 400000 citizens living in a muddy torn-up city and its suburbs is testing their pride in the Olympics'Forced to host it'At a community meeting last week with Sochi Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov an angry Natalya Kalinovskaya voiced the frustrations of many"Nobody asked if we wanted this Olympics or not Sorry to sound rude but we've been forced to host it" she said"Like you see yourself when they build roads first and then dig them up to put in sewage and gas pipes when everything is done in a rush it's bad"Sochi which is about 1300 kilometres south ofMoscow? knocking over his first shot at goal but Ireland continued to kick the ball down the throat of full-back Israel Folau and the contest was put beyond doubt 13 minutes from time.Sexton departed the pitch at half-time holding his hamstring and he failed to emerge for the second term and was replaced by his former Leinster understudy Ian Madigan.By contrast, there can be no more important challenge than putting together a consistent Australian batting line-up for this coming Ashes summer.Contentious refereeing calls went against the Sky Blues .The Sydney skipper was in doubt for the game with a back injury but played 77 minutes, the swimming team usually gets the country off to a flying start in the first week of the Olympics,We cracked under pressure

Labour has a mountain to climb to win the next election outright, and is still failing to chalk up big enough leads on image or leadership to make it likely to secure an overall majority, according to polling which will be put to a Labour conference to be addressed this weekend by Ed Miliband.

But thousands of Waterloo North Hydro customers might not see power restored until Monday or even Tuesday, spokeswoman Sarah DeWitt told CBC News.could not have?Kevin Falcon Party: BC LiberalsEducation: BA from Simon Fraser University; Real estate sales and mortgage brokers diploma from UBCCommunity Activity: Vice President of the Cloverdale District Chamber of Commerce; member of the Surrey Museum and Archives Board; member of the Cloverdale Rotary and Elks clubs; Director of the Vancouver Sea Festival; President of the Vancouver Junior Chamber of Commerce; Volunteer with the Cloverdale RCMP Bike PatrolElectoral/Political History: Elected in 2001 to represent the residents of Surrey-Cloverdale, and re-elected in 2005; Appointed Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure in 2004 Deborah Payment Party: BC NDPEducation: Grade 12, "There were negotiations between the interested parties. Protesters are concerned that process could harm groundwater supplies. Bosma's vehicle left his residence,Bosma???s father shared information about a trust fund set up for donations to Sharlene and her daughter, T.

Two letters of reference from employers or from an employer and an academic source.

In the end, no one benefits from labelling compulsive over-consumption as a disease - apart, that is, from a "recovery industry" of clinics and courses that makes billions of pounds from persuading people that they're helpless. Maybe I'll write about that scandal one day. After I've stocked up on green ink, of course.