As a blogger, and someone who writes about Vancouver, events, music and pretty much everything else under the sun, I often get approached to review products and services. On the other hand, sometimes I am the one requesting a review product in exchange for a write up on my site (ie. Fitness World). I wouldn’t exactly call this “selling out”, this is moreso using my public platform to pass on information that may be useful to others (as usual). I feel that as long as I fully disclose my intentions (and all transactions) that my readers can still benefit from this type of content. As such, I have a few reviews I need to catch up on, so here they are in lovely roundup form. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
What do Orland Kurtenbach, Andre Boudrias, Chris Oddleifson, Don Lever, Kevin McCarthy, Stan Smyl, Dan Quinn, Doug Lidster, Trevor Linden, Mark Messier, and Markus Naslund have in common? They’ve all worn the “C” for the Canucks since we entered the league in 1970.
This morning at a press conference at GM Place the organization announced that goalie Roberto Luongo will be Captain for the 2008-2009 season. I swear, it’s gotta be the new haircut as this has taken a few by surprise. Not that he’s not a leader, but a goalie being captain is pretty much uncharted territory.
Congratulations also go to Ryan Kesler, Mattias Ohlund and Willie Mitchell who will wear the “A”.
Update: As of today, Naslund will still be the last person to wear the “C” in Vancouver. According to TSN: “By league rule, the Canucks goaltender cannot wear the “C”, but he can be named captain.”
Update: From Alanah at Canucks and Beyond (who pasted an entire section of the rulebook on her post): “Bottom line he can’t act as captain during the course of the game, so his assistants will take those responsibilities.”
Update: You know, we should have all clued in when us Fan Zone folks were in the suite last week. The marketing department was saying Nazzy’s Suite had been renamed using Luongo’s name.
[poll=15]
Update: The baby’s name has been chosen, and will now be called Tiqa
This summer I had the chance to visit the Vancouver Aquarium for the first time in about a decade. What I discovered was that it was far from simply being a tourist attraction and an entertainment destination. It’s a valuable research facility, a way to teach children about sustainability and its impact on animals and the environment, and the staff are some of the nicest people you’ll meet.
In a news release this morning, the Vancouver Aquarium announced a contest to name the newest addition to their family, Qila’s baby beluga calf.
Starting today (Monday, September 29), Canadians are invited to visit the Vancouver Aquarium website at www.vanaqua.org to submit a name suggestion.
Submissions will be accepted up to 11:59 p.m. Friday, October 10, 2008. Our panel of judges will select five “finalist†names, and Vancouver Aquarium Members will vote on their favourite. The winning name will be published in the Vancouver Sun and announced live on Global Television’s morning news Friday, October 24, 2008.
Five prizes each consisting of an annual Vancouver Aquarium family membership will be randomly awarded from all contest entries. The membership provides admission to the Vancouver Aquarium for one year for two adults and three children (ages 4-18)
The Grand Prize winner will receive a “one of a kind†Beluga Encounter with the baby, Qila and Aurora hosted by our veterinarian and our Marine Mammal Curator. Plus, the grand prize also includes an annual Vancouver Aquarium family membership and a $150.00 (CAD) gift certificate from the Gift Shop at the Aquarium.
You can watch the baby on the Aquarium’s Beluga Cam for some inspiration or visit the Vancouver Aquarium for a closer look.
It was a year ago that I first wrote about the Surrey Memorial Hospital‘s Tulips for Tomorrow campaign.
Now, 12 months, 100,000 bulbs and $420,000 in donations later, they are initiating the campaign for another season.
Your donation will put Surrey in bloom when spring rolls around, and will fund new medical equipment for our hospital… …There is a change this year. The tulip bulbs are being made available for sale (while supplies last, of course!), with 100% of the proceeds coming back to the Foundation. Each package of 10 tulip bulbs is selling for $10 at five Surrey locations – 99 Nursery and Florist, Art’s Nursery, David Hunter Garden Centers, Central City, and Guildford Town Centre.
Tulips for Tomorrow supports the hospital and also beautifies the community. They also have a shiney new WordPress site for the campaign that also allows you to place a donation online. SMH continues to be important to me (read my history of the hospital) since not only was I born there, my niece and nephews were as well.
It’s been a while since I did a Vancouver History segment so I have decided to look at some familiar streets and neighbourhoods around town and share how their got their name, with help (as always) from my favourite VancouverHistory website.
Shaughenessy Thomas George Shaughnessy, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was the President of the CPR until 1918.
Cates The Cates brothers, who started our most well-known tugboat company, were from Maine and in 1950 Cates Park was dedicated in the name of Charles H Cates, founder of the Cates Towing Company which became Cates & Son with his son John H Cates (who later became Labour Minister). George Emery Cates (Charles’ brother) started Cates Shipyards and his son, John A Cates developed Bowen Island as a summer resort, opening Hotel Monaco and the Terminal Hotel.
Seymour Mount Seymour, Seymour Street Frederick Seymour was governor of B.C. from 1864 to 1869. He moved from New Westminster to Victoria when it was named the capital in 1868, which he was not too happy about. Side note, he pronounced his name “seemer.”
Hamilton Hamilton Street Lauchlan Alexander Hamilton was a CPR land commissioner and surveyor that arrived in Vancouver in 1883 where he surveyed and named streets from English Bay to Hastings and as a city councilor he proposed Stanley Park and laid out its perimeter.
Capilano Capilano River, Capilano Suspension Bridge, Capilano College Royal name of the Stalo people, a Capilano chief greeted Simon Fraser in 1808 and in 1906 another Chief Capilano lead a delegation to London to speak with King Edward about land claims. This Chief Capilano was friends with poet Pauline Johnson, who told many of the Legends of Vancouver and his wife was the granddaughter of George Mathias who welcomed Captain Vancouver at Point Grey in 1792. Their son, Mathias Joe Capilano, was a Squamish chief who was a prominent leader and internationally famed carver who attended coronations of both George V and Elizabeth II. He was a lifelong campaigner for the rights of Native people and in 1949, with his wife, he cast the first native ballots in B.C.
Khahtsahlano Kitsilano August Jack Khahtsahlano helped build the first Capilano Suspension bridge when he was 12 years old and his grandfather was the namesake of the Vancouver neighbourhood, Kitsilano. August Jack is most known for his conversations with archivist J.S. Matthews, by which he “made a name for himself as one of the most fruitful and dignified sources of information on early native life.”
You can continue reading up on interesting tidbits like this over at VancouverHistory.ca.
