Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Injured boxer Christy Martin's home burglarized
APOPKA, Fla. (AP) — Deputies say someone burglarized the Florida home of boxer Christy Martin while she was in the hospital with gunshot and stab wounds.
Orange County Sheriff's Office spokesman Jim Solomons says a friend contacted authorities after going to the Apopka-area home to pick up some belongings for Martin. It's not clear if anything was stolen.
Christy Martin was a pioneer in …
Israelis sue Al-Jazeera over Lebanon war reporting
A group of Israelis wounded by Hezbollah rockets during the 2006 war are suing the Arab news network Al-Jazeera for allegedly aiding the Lebanese guerrillas with its reporting.
An Israeli lawyer representing the group of 91 said on Tuesday the lawsuit was filed on Monday in a New York federal court.
The plaintiffs seek $1.2 billion in damages.
Attorney Nitzana …
Allison Miller
LOS ANGELES
Allison Miller
ACME
As the recent "Soci�t� Anonyme" exhibition at UCLA's Hammer Museum helpfully reminded us, painterly pluralism is nothing new. But tor all its diversity, avant-garde modernism was largely predicated on imperatives, on overturning old paradigms for something more visionary-whether futurism or Fauvism, Surrealism or geometric abstraction. I must admit I often get a little perplexed about what the imperatives might be for contemporary painting, beyond the laws of supply and demand, and the speculative whims of fashion.
But while I wait for an imperative to emerge, I'm willing to settle for some simple painterly intelligence that …
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Chavez threatens to seize control of Venezuela's largest food producer
President Hugo Chavez threatened on Sunday to seize control of businesses caught hoarding products, and set his sights on Empresas Polar _ Venezuela's largest food producer and distributor.
If officials discover that companies sit on goods for months to later sell them at inflated prices, they "should be seized and taken under government control," Chavez said.
He called Polar a "clear example" of a business that could be taken over.
The Venezuelan leader's threats came as the country struggles with sporadic shortages of some basic foods, including sugar, cooking oil, milk, black beans, eggs and chicken.
Chavez _ a …
Big quakes rock Solomon Islands, tsunami unleashed
A tsunami unleashed by a major earthquake plowed into the Solomon Islands on Monday with the crashing waters devastating at least one village.
Initial reports said no one was seriously hurt.
A series of major quakes have rocked the South Pacific region since Sunday, with three powerful temblors striking Monday, including a 7.2 magnitude tremor. The Solomon Island's National Disaster Management Office said reports of the devastation were beginning to filter in late Monday.
The tremors were centered beneath the ocean floor near the town of Gizo, which was badly damaged in April 2007 when a 8.1-magnitude quake sent a tsunami crashing into the coast, …
`Firecracker' explodes with comic treasures
In Jobs' second act with Apple, a dramatic revival
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Steve Jobs' resignation as Apple Inc.'s CEO on Thursday was freighted with sentimental significance, the curtain call on a dramatic 14-year performance in which he rescued one of the world's most beloved brands from the brink of technological irrelevance.
As second chances go, Jobs' stewardship of Apple since returning in 1997 to the company he created with a high school friend in a Silicon Valley garage in the 1970s is widely seen as nothing short of first-class. And his job isn't done; he's staying on as chairman, where it remains to be seen how meaningfully his role in product design will change.
As mercurial as many employees and suppliers and business …
Aide: Israeli PM considering settlement freeze
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will approve hundreds of new housing units in West Bank settlements before slowing settlement construction, two of his aides said Friday, in an apparent snub of Washington's public demand for a total settlement freeze.
At the same time, however, Netanyahu would be willing to consider suspending construction on most of the lands Palestinians claim for a future state for several months, the aides said.
But since that would occur only after the new units and some 2,500 others currently under construction are completed, the move would not amount to the freeze the Palestinians have set as a condition for the resumption of peace …
KUP'S COLUMN
The Mouse That Roared: The Disney Company's $19 billion purchaseof Capital Cities-ABC network was one of the best-kept secrets inHollywood, where everybody knows everybody's name and innermostsecrets. How this massive deal was kept quiet would make anotherBarbarians at the Gate - the book and movie based on the $25 billionRJR Nabisco deal, the only one larger than Disney's acquisition ofABC. Most of the media was so wrapped up in the pending purchase byWestinghouse of CBS that the much bigger story went undetected. ("Andnow the Nightly News, brought to you by Mickey Mouse.")
FIRST STOP FOR TOM MURPHY, chairman of Capital Cities-ABC, andMichael Eisner, CEO of Disney, was …
Final Glance: Railroads companies
NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of some top railroads companies were mixed at the close of trading:
CSX fell $.43 or 1.7 percent, to $25.05.
Canadian National fell $.60 or .8 percent, to $77.65.
Canadian …
Weekend storms kill at least 15 in US
A line of thunderstorms brought heavy flooding and tornados to Mississippi and Tennessee over the weekend, leaving at least 15 people dead, officials said.
At a Sunday news conference, Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen said it will likely be days before floodwaters recede enough to thoroughly assess the damage to roads and bridges. Emergency officials sought help from the state's Army National Guard, and urged people to stay off roads and interstate highways turned into raging rivers.
Authorities were …
Davenport hands Hingis a rare loss
Fourth-seeded Lindsay Davenport squandered a 5-0 lead and twomatch points in the third set Saturday before recovering to beattop-seeded Martina Hingis 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in the semifinals of theAcura Classic in Manhattan Beach, Calif.
Hingis, who had won 17 consecutive matches since losing theFrench Open final to Iva Majoli in June, was beaten for only thesecond time this year. She's 56-2 in 1997.
"I'll just start again," she said. "You're never happy when youlose, but it makes it easier for me."Hingis, 16, said she was tired after playing her thirdtournament in California in as many weeks. She won titles in PaloAlto and San Diego the last two weeks."Sometimes …
Davis Cup: Argentina leads Sweden 2-1 after doubles victory
David Nalbandian and Guillermo Canas beat Jonas Bjorkman and Robert Lindstedt 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 to give Argentina a 2-1 lead over Sweden in their Davis Cup quarterfinal on Saturday.
"This was a crucial point. Without this doubles victory, things would have gotten very complicated," Argentina team captain Alberto Mancini said. "Our players entered the court playing very solidly, very confidently."
Argentina has won 11 straight Davis Cup ties at home since 1998. The winner will face Russia or the Czech Republic in the semifinals.
The Argentines, supported by a crowd of more than 10,000 at Parque Roca tennis stadium, broke their Swedish foes once in each of the first two sets before dropping serve for the first time in the third. It compensated in the third with two more breaks of service.
Mancini cited Canas as the key to victory.
"Willy really played a great match and he played well and served well from the start," Mancini said. "It was a very even match. The Swedes played very well most of the time, but our team was very solid."
The Argentines broke Lindstedt for a 6-5 lead and served out for the set. In the second set, Argentina broke Bjorkman to go ahead 5-4 and then closed it out, after Sweden saved six set points, on Canas' serve.
Bjorkman again was the victim early in the third set, broke to put Argentina ahead 2-1.
An exchange of breaks between Canas and Lindstedt, in which both double faulted, left Argentina with a 5-4 lead. Nalbandian then closed out the victory.
"It was a very close match and it turned only on a few points," Lindstedt said. "They took their chances better than we did."
Captain Mats Wilander said Sweden will have to regain the momentum on Sunday.
"Nalbandian is very good in singles and in doubles, and Canas served very well," Wilander said. "But there is no reason that we cannot win tomorrow's two singles."
Nalbandian, who didn't serve well Friday in his four-set victory over Thomas Johansson, said he felt more in form Saturday.
"This was such a big point and the support of the crowd really helped move us a long," said Nalbandian, who repeatedly used hand gestures to spur on the raucous crowd. "It was a pleasure to win this point for Argentina."
Sweden and Argentina are playing each other for a fourth time, and for the third straight year.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
ShowCase
What: Alternative Rock
Where: London, ON
Visit: www.cordcalling.com
On paper, London. ONs Cordcalling have a lot in common with The White Stripes. The male/ female guitar/drum duo plays loud, blues-influenced rock; however, the similarities largely end there.
Cordcalling's somewhat experimental approach allows them to work a lot of sound into tight two-piece compositions. The husband and wife duo of Denise and Brian Conway take their songs in any number of directions. "What I Have" boasts a country-blues feel while "When I Scream" contains a lot more garage and punk.
The pair recently recorded their debut fulllength, Obsessed By The Light, which followed a well-received three-song EP While Cordcalling have a lot of experience playing to London's healthy music scene, they're hoping the strength of their new songs will give them the opportunity to tour outside of lheir hometown, exposing them to new authences. The band's willingness to incorporate a wide-range of influences into their sound is a bit of a risky endeavour. And while the band occasionally misses the mark, there is enough done right to demonstrate that the young band is developing what promises to be an exciting approach to music.
What: Hip-hop
Where: Brampton North, ON
Visit: www.promofm.com/ibkredible
lbukun Akmgbola was born in Nigeria and moved to Toronto's Rexdale neighbourhood in 1995 where he grew up immersed in hip-hop culture. He started writing songs at 10 years old and today, the 19-year-old calls Brampton home and performs under the moniker I.B.Kredible.
His songs play like recipes lor pop music success with high production values and lyrics common amongst rappers such as the chart-topping Drake. With slick production, well-managed samples, and tight, consistent lyrics, Kredible's songs should have no problem lilting into playlists at clubs, gyms, and on music television.
His first single, "My LiIe is a Movie" was recorded with his group StacDeck Music. Kredible says: '"My Life Is A Movie' represents a direct description of what the song is about and what it means. When people hear about the song, I want them to be able to view the lyrics as though I was telling the story of their lives."
It's this balance of pop accessibility and honesty that makes Kredible stand out trom other independent hip-hop acts. "My Life is a Movie" or "Gettin' High" play like they already belong on top-40 radio. And while many might be quick to brush off the pop side of hip-hop, there's no denying that the masses love it: so why not root for one of our own to succeed?
What: Alternative Rock
Where: Toronto
Visit: www.benhur.ca
Benhur's songs might seem like radio-ready alternative rock, but beneath the surface there's some rich and highly-textural things going on. It's a sound that one wouldn't expect trom a band with but a single EP under their collective belt (2009s Tryst).
Benhur began in Toronto when frontman and main songwriter Ben Nissan finished law school and decided that working 80-hour weeks at a Bay St. law firm might not be what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. Nissan confesses that he tried practicing law, but at work, making music was always on his mind.
So Nissan put away the suits, rounded up some likemmded musicians (Danilo Baracho on bass, Steve Frize on lead guitar, and Mateus Macedo on drums) and started writing. The EP had play on some commercial radio stations as well as overseas radio and the band complemented the coverage by playing at a number of Toronto's best-known clubs. The band recently re-entered the studio and is writing a handful of songs to release as singles. This summer, they're hoping to play some of the many great music festivals happening across the country. Fans of U2 and Coldplay should be sure not to miss the chance to see them if they make it through their town.
[Sidebar]
If you are an unsigned artist and would like to be a part of Showcase, please submit your EPK at www.sonicbids.com/cmshowcase.
Selected artists will also appear on the Canadian Musician website, www.canadianmusician.com, with one song streaming in MP3 format.
[Author Affiliation]
Ben Conoley is a freelance journalist living in Fredericlon. NB. He has written lor chartattack. Exclaim!, Alternative Press, and more. Ben is also a proud member of the Polaris Music Prize jury.
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