The Youngbloods, Steppenwolf, David Bowie and other boomer favourites were just the ticket to kick off the opening reception to The West Coast in the Seventies, a collection of prints and paintings from Vancouver artist and writer Michael Kluckner on view until June 16 at the Petley Jones Gallery. The opening coincided with the launch of Kluckner’s new illustrated novel, The Rooming House, an ode to hippy Vancouver as seen through the eyes of eight 20-somethings who meet at a midtown rooming house in the 1970's.

Kangaroo Island, a 96 mile sliver of land 70 miles south of Adelaide, Australia, is a bit of a misnomer. Sure, there are lots of kangaroos around but the island is a nature preserve, often called Australia’s Galapagos, with hundreds of other animals as well - echidnas, possums, penguins and koalas - sharing the area with 4,500 permanent islanders who farm or service the tourist trade. Connected to the mainland by air and ferry, the Island is a favorite vacation spot for Aussies and foreigners.

Okay stone people, you got me. I visited Newgrange, your ancient Irish burial site and I think I hurt myself trying to figure out what your stone age society was all about. Sure, it was interesting but the squeezing and squirming through the stone, cold passageway took a toll on my back. I should have stuck to the brochure but no, I had to see for myself.

Sure, it’s bizarre but would you believe the mind that concocted this weird-looking contraption created a real life narrow-gauge railroad? And it was popular too. The year was 1951 and although Britain and the Allies had “won” WWII six years earlier, much of London still lay in ruins. The UK was coping with food shortages - rationing was still in effect – and the country was desperately trying to rebuild its economy. People were anxious, uneasy and depressed. What a better time to have a party.

To be fair, the Nazis didn't invent TV. The British did. Or the Americans. Or the Russians depending upon who you listen to. The fact is, a lot of countries were experimenting with the new medium in the 1920's and 30's but it was Nazi Germany that introduced the world's first regular television service and it was Nazi Germany that first used television to push a message.

As I enter the massive lobby of the HSBC Bank in downtown Vancouver, Alan Storey’s Pendulum sways in perpetual motion. To the left, Connie Sabo’s delightful mesh constructions hang suspended above the floor. The Pendulum Gallery is the venue for Sabo’s new installation, information + impression, on view until Feb. 4. The exhibition consists of three works and, at first, Sabo’s central piece, information + impression, flanked on either side by Caravan and Memes, seems lost in the cavernous space.

Lorna Crozier answers the telephone. "It's just so beautiful. I'm sitting in my study which has a sliding glass door which leads to a deck which surrounds a pond. The turtles are out right now sunning on a rock, and I can see an orange ribbon of fish that lie underneath the water lilies which have just started opening up." Lorna uses her words to paint a picture I cannot see. But then she is a poet.

Listen, I love Rome. I really do but now that we’re more or less free to travel again, I feel compelled to fill you in on the Eternal City. Masochists will love it. So will anybody else drawn to stress and anxiety. Don’t get me wrong, Rome has a lot of things going for it. Historical buildings, pizza, magnificent museums, pizza…