One of Canada’s less well known musical gems is Stratford, Ontario based Loreena McKennitt. Here she is performing The Lady of Shalott, which is based on a Lord Alfred Tennyson poem of the same name
Your Reader Tips are welcome, as always, in the comments.

Perhaps not as famous as the Beatles or the Rolling Stones, Yosh & Stan Shmenge could still delight a crowd whenever they played. Here they are being interviewed.
Your fabulous & interesting Reader Tips are most welcome in the comments.

For some of us in Canada, especially those out in Vancouver where I live, it has been an extraordinary week of up & down emotions. For Vancouverites, perhaps we need to look into the past to find our future … a very proud & free one! With that in mind, I offer this & this to help start your weekend off on a most positive note. To all SDA regulars, I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful & safe weekend!
The comments are open, as always, for your insightful Reader Tips.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I need something light & hilarious this evening to close down a very emotional day. Here is Fawlty Towers, which I consider to be the funniest comedy ever on television.
Your Reader Tips are welcome, as always, in the comments.

I am writing this about 4.5 hours before the start of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Playoff Finals. The song, Amazing Grace, is one of the most beautiful ever written and this performance by Il Divo is sublime. To me, it speaks of quiet satisfaction emanating from a humble soul. By 9pm PDT / 12am EDT we should know whether the words are more apropos for the fans of the Canucks or the Bruins.
Now, so as not to be labeled a sexist, I think it only appropriate to also post a link to a video that will have an especially profound effect on male … ears. The group of talented female musicians is called Bond.
As I will be out & about during the game & afterwards, photographing the thousands of fans in downtown Vancouver, I won’t be able to publish this item but hope the automatic scheduler does its job!
Wherever your loyalties lie, your hard hitting Reader Tips are most welcome in the comments.

As a special salute to SDA’s infamous trolls, we’re offering a fascinating documentary about North Korea, which the journalist/narrator describes as “A Giant Socialist Themepark”! For those interested in a little something somewhat less surreal, here’s an aesthetically pleasing fractal animation.
As always, your hard news and/or phantasmagorical Reader Tips are most welcome in the comments!

From singer & comedian, Rodney Carrington, comes this hilarious video entitled Dancing with a Man – h/t Kate
Please feel free to leave your serious, and not so serious, Reader Tips in the comments!

For those who appreciate cars & technology, here’s an interesting historical retrospective of Mercedes-Benz.
For those love cars & movies, here’s one of the most famous car chases in American cinematic history. It comes from Steve McQueen’s 1968 classic, Bullitt. Arguably even better were the car chases in John Frankenheimer’s 1998 action film, Ronin. You can view them here and here.
Update: Various SDA readers have rated highly these car chases too: Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), The French Connection (1971), Blues Brothers (1980), The Driver (1978), and To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
Please feel free to leave your equally exhilarating Reader Tips in the comments!

The other evening SDA commenter Bruce Wayne Riley kindly provided a link to this segment from Korea’s Got Talent. It features 22 year old Sung-bong Choi who spent much of his life as an orphan living on the street. Much more about him can be found here, including the natural comparison to Susan Boyle and Paul Potts.
The comments are open, as always, for your interesting & even brilliant Reader Tips!

The 143rd running of the Belmont Stakes is today. No Triple Crown winner is possible (Derby winner Animal Kingdom was beaten by Shackleford in the Preakness), but in celebration of the race we bring you the last TC winner in perhaps the greatest Belmont matchup ever: the 1978 battle between Affirmed and Alydar.
Your tips in the comments.

To promote their products, technology giant Intel created a short video entitled The Chase Film that pushes the limits of the term “Multimedia”. As an added bonus for your evening’s entertainment, here’s another one from Intel that falls under the category of Scientist Humour.
The comments are open, as always, for your fascinating & possibly even profound Reader Tips.

A true musical prodigy in the past 50 years who never reached the same heights of stardom as his peers was Stephen Lawrence “Steve” Winwood. Starting his professional music career at just 15 years old, he co-wrote Gimme Some Lovin’ and I’m a Man. In the late 1960’s he was a key member of both Traffic and Blind Faith. In 1977 he embarked on a solo career that included such pop hits as Valerie, Higher Love, and my personal favourite, While You See a Chance. Throughout it all, Winwood has stayed true to the music and not so concerned about being a celebrity.
The comments are open, as always, for your insightful, interesting, & even quirky Reader Tips.

Apparently, Germans are a lot better natured than they’re generally given credit for. Your tips in the comments.

For those who love cats … or engineers, this video should have you smiling in no time!
The comments are open for your Reader Tips.
Editor’s Note: Reader Tips was created to enable readers to share their off-topic link dumps. For those who insist on using dedicated threads for this purpose, there is a junk filter with your name on it. The comments rules are simple, and warnings have been generous, but my patience has its limits. – Kate

Looking back through the first century of the motion picture business, are there any composers more prolific than John Williams and Irving Berlin? What a vast array of memorable music they provided us!
Update: Gord Tulk has filled in a big blank in my movie musical history knowledge with Elmer Bernstein. Megaera did the same with Jerry Goldsmith.
The comments are open for your Reader Tips.

Mentioned the other day by SDA regular Derek was this extended version of the Molson “I Am Canadian” anthem. And, as an added bonus for SDA readers, is a little something I created, combining hi-res photos of Canucks fans around downtown Vancouver, along with Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” in the background. Hoping both help to cheer on a Canadian team’s victory in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs tonight!
The comments are open for your Reader Tips.

I often enjoy watching old ‘B’ movies mostly to get a glimpse into how things were in simpler times. The same can be said of old TV commercials. Here are a few gems from times past. If you’ve got any favourites of your own, please do post the links.
The comments, as always, are open for your Reader Tips.

From the comments of last night’s Readers Tips comes an incredible time lapse referred by Speedy. It’s from northern Norway, in the Arctic Circle. Do watch Full Screen if you can!
The comments are open for your Reader Tips.

Just to let you all know, EBD is alive & well but just busy with a whole lot of other things for the next 40 days or so. During that time Kate & I will do our best to select interesting/quirky videos and/or musical selections that will strive to entertain & delight.
Prior to this evening, I think I may be one of a handful of Canadians who was fully aware that June 1st every year is Mexican Navy Day. Why did I know this? Well, the father of a very special lady in my life was both an admiral and a doctor in the Mexican Navy. Which meant, of course, that he owned both a gun and a scalpel. To say that I am intimidated by this gentleman would be the understatement of the century!
In honour of the Mexican Navy, please enjoy this musical tribute entitled El Siete Mares (The 7 Seas). As an added bonus, here are some members of the Mexican Navy rescuing a beached whale.
The comments are open for your Reader Tips.

Shot on steep rocky cliffs near the shores of the Dead Sea, here’s a video showing the amazing climbing ability of the Ibex.
The comments are open for your Reader Tips.