The Simon Tonekham Statesman

Well, it’s finally official. The new mascots for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics/Paralympic games has finally unveiled. When the news first broke out, my tears began to water! Those mascots look really cute!!!! The mascots are:

Quatchi: A very shy sasquatch who likes to meet new friends and explore new places.

Miga: A half-orca (whale), half kermode bear, who likes to do anything fun and exciting.

Sumi: An animal guardian spirit with the wings of a thunderbird and legs of a black bear

Mukmuk: A Vancouver Island Marmot that acts as their official sidekick.

Speaking of Marmot, I was watching a news report yesterday and I heard that the Marmots are considered to be an endangered specie – meaning that they are on the verge of extinction. There was a connection to the marmot. A zookeeper at the Toronto Zoo set up a special project to save the Vancouver island marmot. They decided to go out west and capture as many marmots as they can. As a result, there’s some mixed reviews on the Toronto Zoo’s project to save the Vancouver Island Marmot. I was very impressed by the effort they made.

Anyways, if you want to checkout the mascots for yourself, please do so at this link: http://vancouver2010.com/mascot/en/index.php

Here’s a video on where you can see the mascots in action: http://vancouver2010.com/mascot/en/meet.php

Or, if you are anxious to view this right away:

Alternate link to the video above: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnSncdPP8VY

The opening on the Youtube video is slightly cut, but that doesn’t matter. Here’s what the mascots look like: http://www.notcot.com/archives/2007/11/2010_vancouver.php

By the time I saw the video and the mascots in action, I literally cried…My tears began to water and I want to get a hold of these mascots! But fear no more, HBC has started to release some swag (merchandise) for the 2010 Winter Olympics just in time for the holiday season! If you want to check out the swag and have the opportunity to buy them online (some Zellers and The Bay stores are selling these merchandise at their participating stores), please check out this link: http://www.hbc.com/mascots.html

I really love to hug those mascots for sure!!!! ^_^

Changing gears, I’ve put up my first “Flashback” posting on my blog. This week is going back through time when Blink 182 performed for their last every concert in Canada:

It’s been almost three years since Blink 182 ran into an indefinite hiatus. That hiatus isn’t complete with the last-ever show by the band. As our concert reporter Kevin Talbot reports back on that day on May 29, 2004, Blink 182 performed at Toronto’s Molson Amphitheatre with a sold-out crowd.
[View our report]
The ball had finally come down in early 2005 when Blink-182 made a big announcement that they are taking an indefinite hiatus. From then, they are no plans for a possible reunion. In November 2005, the record label had released their Greatest Hits CD compiling of hit songs from their musical career. Guitarist Tom Delonge is now in another band called Angels & Airwaves. Their new album “I-empire” was released in November 6^th, 2007. This was a follow-up to their debut album “We Don’t Need to Whisper” which was released back in May 23^rd, 2006. As for drummer Travis Barker and Bassist Mark Hoppus, they are now in a new band called +44 (Plus 44). Their debut album “When your heart stops beating” was released last year on November 14, 2006. Work, currently underway for their second follow up album, is slated to be released tentatively in 2008.