I was at a riot the other night and a hockey game broke out ... (thank you, thank you).

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As for Vancouver, they had a Stanley Cup riot in 1994 - not quite as bad as this one, but a riot none the less. And fine city as it may be, it has a very seamy side, as is well known in Canada. Not that it was the seamy-side that was out rioting, from what I could see on TV, but the city isn't quite the Shangri-la that some may think.

And an interesting fact: there were, apparently, 100,000 people gathered in downtown Vancouver on the evening of the riot.

Oh, one other thing: there is no shortage of yahoos, idiots and extremely violent people in Canada, and never has been, as far as I can tell. (But to a man, they will give you the time of day if you ask them nicely and if they're wearing a watch).