North Korea is in Charge of World Disarmament – Part 2

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Image by Grant MacDonald via Flickr

Update:

This link points out that Canada is the only country to speak out on this travesty.  John Baird, Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister,  has asked the North Koreans to pass on the appointment.  In addition, he said that Canada will be reviewing it’s participation in the conference.  The ONLY country, wow.  I am proud of our country for this, and our government.  Happy Canada Day!

From the very foolish file comes this tidbit.  Believe it or not, North Korea has taken over the chairmanship of, get this, the UN Conference on Disarmament.  I have no idea where this comes from but it is on par with the United Nation’s endorsement of Iran’s proposed anti-terrorism conference in Tehran.  The world is going crazy in a hurry or am I missing something logical in here.

http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews/world/archives/2011/06/20110630-115855.html

Paladin Restaurant in Winnipeg Burns Down

My favourite place to eat in Winnipeg, the Paladin Restaurant on Des Meurons in St Boniface burnt yesterday morning.  We made a stop here on every trip back to Winnipeg.  Very sad, although I understand they will rebuild.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/2011/06/26/million-dollar-fire-in-st-boniface

Listening to The Sheepdogs

An extremely interesting story.  Saskatchewan band “The Sheepdogs” are one of two bands remaining in a contest by Rolling Stone magazine to be on their cover.  This was open to “unknown” bands and was done by fan vote.  Please vote for them HERE

http://www.rollingstone.com/choosethecover

Continue reading “Listening to The Sheepdogs”

Bookers BBQ Grill & Crab Shack – Calgary

Lori and I went for dinner tonight at Bookers BBQ Grill & Crab Shack here in Calgary with some friends, Bill and Betts.  We had never eaten here before but had heard lots of good things, and Bill recommended as they had live music  on Friday and Saturdays.  On their website they were advertising duelling pianos, which is fun.

I had the catfish creole, very good. Food is a step up from pub fare, yet not quite fine dining.  Atmosphere is great as was the service.  We finished up and the band came on.  Imagine our surprise when it was not duelling pianos, but renowned blues artist Sonny Rhodes.  Even better, we are in the front row.  He was playing an unadvertised evening at Bookers.  Absolutely incredible, and unbelievable luck.

Links

http://www.bookersbbq.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Rhodes

http://www.sonnyrhodes.net/

The Sonny Rhodes website is currently down, lots of links on the Wiki page though

Jasper, Alberta – The End of the Ski World

If there is a place in Alberta that I would go back to time after time after time, it would be Jasper.  Jasper is a special place.  Every bit as beautiful as Banff, without the commercialization.  It is 4 hours west of Edmonton on the Yellowhead Highway.

Check out this view from the top of the Tramway.

Beautiful.  There is nothing like standing on top of a mountain.

Then there is the skiing.  Marmot is a good hill and I think it is the farthest north hill in Canada.  I do know that the spring skiing is excellent, and goes late into April.

And lots of other attractions, including the power of Moligne Canyon.  This canyon winds it way through the face of a mountain and is latticed with walkways that bring you into the heart of the canyon.  I loved this walk and look forward to doing it again at some point.

Links

http://www.jasper.travel/

http://www.skimarmot.com/

Banff Springs Hotel

This stately palace is a jewel.  Banff is a favourite spot of ours, being only a bit over an hour from home.  I love the way the city turns to prairie, then foothill and suddenly one is in the mountains and all within 45 minutes of driving.  Surprisingly, to me anyway, we have never stayed here.  We will have to make a point of changing that.  Banff, in itself, is very commercialized.  If you like to shop, then you will love this place.  Having said that, if you like to ski, eat or commune with nature, you will love it here as well.  I don’t wish to completely compartmentalize this as a shoppers paradise only.  We have eaten at several places, but our favourite is the Grizzly House Restaurant .  Food is good, but the atmosphere is wild.  Phoning the next table is a fun thing to do, not to mention the 600 degree block of granite put in front of you to cook your supper fondue style.  Be careful, it can get pretty drunk out by the end of the meal.

Links

http://banffgrizzlyhouse.com/

http://www.fairmont.com/banffsprings/

Athabasca Falls, Jasper, Alberta

The power of water is shown in this photo of Athabasca Falls.  We lived in Edmonton in the early 90’s and loved visiting Jasper National Park with our sons.  There is much to see and enjoy in a very mature, minimal tourist environment.

Royal Tyrrell Museum – Drumheller

Everyone loves Dinosaurs

Especially the youngsters.  This museum, 90 minutes NE of Calgary in Drumheller Alberta is amazing.  The area around Drumheller is a treasure trove of fossils.  The Red Deer River has carved out a valley that has exposed multiple sets of bones and fossils and is one of the more active dig sites in the world.  The scenery is amazing with hoodoos and layers of time exposed to the elements.

Links

http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com/

http://www.dinosaurvalley.com/