Friday Afternoon Kitty: Special Bad Tiger Edition

Tigers have been getting a bad rap in the media in Canada lately. In October, a tiger at the Calgary zoo named Vitali dined on drunks' arms (an after-hours zoo treat). Last week, a tiger at an exotic animal farm got rid of his keeper once and for all. There are all kinds of bad tigers, from the Tamil Tigers to you-know-who. (Rwoar!)

Our bad tiger of the day pick is Kenny, who lives at a sanctuary in Arizona. White tigers (the kind that usually eat ambiguously gay Vegas celebrity duos) are actually not a type of tiger, but descendants of one poor white male tiger named Mohan who was forcibly bred with his daughter Radha in 1951. The inbreeding has gone on to produce thousands of animals, which populate zoos and Vegas shows and large cat rescues. Inbreeding is never a good idea. Many are deformed (and subsequently destroyed). Kenny is mentally retarded; his siblings have knock knees and breathing problems.

Apologies for the hootenanny music, and for anything it implies. To Kenny, I mean.

UPDATE: prairie dog called for an update on poor Vitali, the drunk-eatin' Calgary Zoo tiger. We're happy to report that Vitali is just fine: no injuries to his mouth or paws, and no repercussions for the attack.

Pick of the Day: Volcanoless in Canada

As it happens, Canada is not volcanoless. True, there are no volcanoes currently erupting in our fair land, but according to National Resources Canada there is evidence of three volcanic eruptions in the last few hundred years. And numerous other volcanos could potentially erupt in the near future. Before everyone freaks out, keep in mind that we're talking geological timeframes here, so "near future" could mean hundreds of years down the road.

Most volcanos in Canada, as you might expect, are located in belts like the Garibaldi and Wrangell on the west coast. Many are less than five million years old, so still have plenty of life left in them. Then there's the threat posed by nearby American volcanos in Alaska and the Pacific north-west. Mount Baker, for instance, at an elevation of 3285 m, is an active Washington State volcano located less that 100 km southeast of downtown Vancouver. It blows, things could get pretty messy for residents of VanCity.

But enough geology. Tonight at O'Hanlon's Pub the Saskaton-based quintet Volcanoless in Canada is performing a free gig. Here's video of them doing their song "Tiptoes" at Cameron House in Toronto in 2008. Backing them up at O'Hanlon's are the Regina band Tinsel Trees.

Also on tap tonight is a show by Val Halla at the Gaslight Saloon. Fronted by former Reginan Val McLeod (who was featured in prairie dog's Dec. 31 My Music) the band is expected to hit the stage around 10 p.m. Here's a link to an earlier Blog post I did on Val.

And if your taste runs a little more retro, Canuck rock legends Lighthouse are at Casino Regina tonight.