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Rob Ford now former mayor of Toronto
Rob Ford is Toronto's mayor no more.
The mayor of Canada's largest city has been asked to leave his post after a judge ruled that he failed to declare a conflict of interest in dealing with the city's public funds.
In a report yesterday by Canadian edition of The Huffington Post, Ontario Superior Court Judge Charles Hack-land ruled that Ford violated the Municipal Conflict-of-Interest Act.
The ruling was due to Ford’s failure to declare a conflict of interest when he asked city councillors to vote in paying back solicitations to fund his private football foundation - under the city government’s letterhead.
Judge Hack-land says he’s barred from the mayoral post until 2014. However, he is allowed to run again if a potential by-election comes up.
Ford met with reporters after the ruling. He says he blames left-wing politicians and argues that they will do anything in their power to kick him out.
He pledged to fight quote- tooth and nail - unquote, in getting his post back.
Ford is the third Canadian city mayor to leave office due to allegations of misusing public funds, after London Ontario’s Joe Fontana and Montreal’s Gerald Tremblay.
STORY WRITTEN BY: SATURN DE LOS ANGELES
Increased CO2 levels affect oceans, says study
A new study conducted by Nature Geoscience shows dismal outlook on marine life.
According to CBC, high carbon dioxide levels from increased fossil fuel use has contributed to a changing chemistry of ocean waters. CO2 levels are estimated to rise almost 150% by the end of the century.
With more acidic water chemistry, concerns are now being raised on how this may affected marine life.
Snails are a particular concern.
A key component of the ocean's food chain, researchers are concerned these increasing acidic levels, in addition to upwelling, may contribute to the erosion of shells of living marine life.
According to the study, visible affects of this are already being seen.
Flickr Photo by: NCBrian
STORY WRITTEN BY: HANNAH BESSEAU
Questionable contracts got Federal tax money
Federal tax money normally used to fund necessities for the country found its way into the wrong hands.
According to a report by the Canadian Press obtained by CBC News, taxpayers across the country in a way funded several contracts being investigated by Quebec's construction inquiry.
The 15 public contracts in question, which brought in federal funding had inflated price tags brought on by scams. The amounts ranged from $200 000 to $700 000.
There are 2 examples from Montreal Island contracts seen as inflated. Ottawa dished out over $750 000 in a 2004 sewer contract in Ahuntsic and $200 000 in a 2003 sewer contract in Rosemont.
The Charbonneau Commission, now in its 3rd month, has uncovered an extensive collusion scheme in the Quebec construction industry that was in place over numerous years.
Jeffrey mine may be used as Mars substitute
Canada`s last asbestos mine known as the Jeffrey mine has the potential to be used as a substitute for the planet Mars.
According to the Globe and Mail scientists from four universities have made several trips within the Asbestos region both this year and last.
A professor from the University of Winnipeg stated that there are areas on Mars similar to the Mine.
He also mentionned that the goal of the project was to imitate a Mars rover mission and uncover Methane.
The project will be put on hold because the provincial PQ government cancelled a multi-million dollar loan to keep the asbestos industry going.
FOREIGN TRADE: CJLO and Radio K
EXAMINING MUSIC, ARTS, AND CULTURE ACTOSS THE COUNTRY WITH THE HELP OF OUR COLLEGE/COMMUNITY RADIO FRIENDS
Every year, our pals over at Radio K in Minneapolis partner with college stations around North America to spotlight the music, arts, and cultural scenes of different areas. This go-around, they've teamed up with CJLO to talk about the music of Minnesota and Montreal. Below are a list of upcoming artists that each station has handpicked to represent the best of their local scenes.
***Click HERE to download a compilation featuring all of the artists for FREE DOWNLOAD***
MINNESOTA
ROBUST WORLDS - "Best Wishes"
"Best Wishes" comes off the debut release from Chris Rose called "Emotional Planet". Out on De Stijl Records based in Minneapolis, Robust Worlds meld folk instrumentation with waves of sonic joy. De Stijl Records page
TOTAL TRASH - "Eye Candy Girl"
This screecher of a track lasts only 52 seconds, and it doesn't waste any time. This band isn't afraid to tear open your eardrums Deliberate, thrashing guitar work and powerful female vocals make this band one of Minneapolis' best in the punk scene. Bandcamp
WIPING OUT THOUSANDS - "Feed"
Sporting the largest synthesizer tones in Minneapolis, the duo of Wiping out Thousands create a roar that is simultaneously apocalyptic and totally danceable; it's like if Basement Jaxx got in to futurism. "Feed", from their debut full-length "This Came First", perfectly represents their juxtaposition of Alaine Dickman's sinister voice crammed right next to colossal buzzsaw synths. INSTUDIO SESSION
PONY TRASH - "Submarine"
One of the many Twin Cities supergroups, Pony Trash contains members of The Chambermaids, Poliça, Private Dancer, and Gospel Gossip and create intricate melodies with searing guitarwork. "Submarine" is out as the debut Old Blackberry Way release on the Pony Trash EP. Tumblr
DARK DARK DARK - "How It Went Down"
Dark Dark Dark are rightfully one of the most high-profile groups from the Twin Cities. Now in its sixth year of existence, the group has featured a slew of some of the most competent musicians in the area, and has always been led by Nona Marie's confident and graceful vocal abilities. Their third full-length, "Who Needs Who", perfectly showcases the type of compositions that make this quintet as warm and inviting as a blanket by a fireplace during a Minnesota winter. INSTUDIO SESSION
CRIMES - "Gold In Your Eyes"
This Minneapolis quartet don't just prove that reverb-rock is alive and well but that a solid melody can go a long way, especially with plenty of vocal harmonies and golden guitar tones for good measure. The group describes their album "Good Hope" as "serious road-trip music", and this blissful gem invites the listener to roll the windows down and let their hair blow in the breeze. INSTUDIO SESSION
BOLLYWOOD - "Hyoking"
This trio's style has been described as "scuzzy gutter-electro", which accurately decpits the gritty buzz that is their foundation. Urban decay is a recurring theme in Bollywood's music and in their aesthetic, as represented by the "Bollywood flag" composed of cigarettes and their signature stage prop of CRT televisions displaying only static. INSTUDIO SESSION
WILLIAM WITHIN - "Gone For A Drive"
This young quintet recently self-released its self-titled debut album as a group after previously having been the solo project of singer and songwriter Alex Simpson. The album is laden with unique guitar tunings, occasionally elaborate song structures, and as demonstrated on this track, intricate drum patterns with brushes. INSTUDIO SESSION
NALLO - "Gin"
Nallo focuses on the simpler things in life and invites you along for the slow ride. This lo-fi four piece balance clear, honest vocals with cavernous reverb in "Gin," out on "Mechano and the Trees" released in July of 2012. You can see the band performing live in studio K here.
GLOSS - "Front Porch"
This is the debut single from the Twin Cities quintet. Blending dream pop and catchy drum hooks with an underbelly of shoegaze influences, Gloss is able to write catchy riffs and tight melodies without sounding contrived. These youngins have already shared the stage with Minneapolis heroes BNLX. Bandcamp
MONTREAL
USA OUT OF VIETNAM - "Leg Of Lamb"
Former Doughoys and Bionic frontman Jonathan Cummins has put together a new band of almost orchestral art-metal with prog elements and a pop senibility buried underneath the dense layers of sound. Their debut 2xLP will be released in early 2013, it's something fierce.
https://www.facebook.com/usaoutofvietnam
http://usaoutofvietnam.bandcamp.com/
COCO ET CO - "State of Radio"
Subtly layered indie pop with keys, drum machine, guitar, and softly sung vocals are the backbone for this Montreal via Halifax & Hamilton duo. Very reminiscent to elements of Pinback and Low with their own unique spin on carefully crafted pop soings.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Coco-et-Co/144695632213507?fref=ts
http://cocoetco.bandcamp.com/
DIG IT UP - "Move My Way"
Raucous road tested punk rawk like a shot of adrenaline that gets everyone shouting along and bouncing around. Having already toured extensively across the east coast of Canada and the USA with the likes of None More Black and the Sainte Catherines, the quintet is putting the finishing touches on their forthcoming full length recorded with Jon Drew (Fucked Up, Career Suicide) and Marc-Andre Beaudet (Sainte-Catherines).
https://www.facebook.com/digitupmtl
http://digitup.bandcamp.com/
ECHO BEACH - "Drywall"
Layered analog synth loops and processed vocals work together in a dreamlike haze and kaleidoscope live visuals only enhance the experience. Making a name for herself in the Montreal and NYC DIY artspace scenes, Echo Beach recently performed at Pop Montreal and M for Montreal, and is currently booking West Coast and European tours
https://www.facebook.com/echobeachsounds
http://echobeach.bandcamp.com/
YOUNG LUNGS - "Attack of the Montana Red"
Energetic garage rock with sophisticated songwriting and a post-punk edge, this trio of young dapper dudes are quickly making a name for themselves after self-releasing their debut 7" for Blood on the Streets this past May when they played Pouzza Fest and have already made trips to Eastern Quebec and NYC. They've since completeled a full length that was recorded in The Oven @ CJLO and has been mastered by Jon Drew (Fucked Up, Tokyo Police Club) and should hopefully see the light of day sometime next year.
https://www.facebook.com/YoungLungsMtl
http://younglungs.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/archeryguild
C T Z N S H P - "On a Roll"
Jittery fuzz-pop trio C T Z N S H P just opened for Yamantaka//Sonic Titan and A Place to Bury Strangers at M for Montreal. "On a Roll" is from their Swan Dive EP and will also be featured on their forthcoming debut full length Doom Love. They're quickly making a name for themselves around town with their brand of early 80s influenced post-punk.
https://www.facebook.com/ctznshp
http://citizenship.bandcamp.com/
REVERSING FALLS - "Is This Thing On?"
Mechanical drum machine beats provide the backbone to crunchy guitars and anthemic pop hooks for this Montreal power trio. They punch out scrappy poppy post-punk tunes that sound like a bizarre combination of Big Black and the Pixies.
http://www.facebook.com/reversingfalls
http://reversingfalls.bandcamp.com/
Dropkick Murphys + The Mahones + Teenage Bottlerocket @ Metropolis
Reeling on the heels of an incredible M for Montreal festival, I wondered how I could ever manage to make it to the Dropkick Murphys show on Sunday night, but immediately upon hearing a Celtic flute, accordion, and a fiddle, the Scottish girl that I am broke into a smile and got her jig on.
The band to blame was the first on the roster, The Mahones. Being the least punk of the three bands last night, playing songs that are more traditional Celtic sounding, ended their set with "Drunken Lazy Bastard" and the ever-charming Finny McConnell tipping his hat, taking a bow and thanking Montreal as they left the stage.
Teenage Bottlerocket were next to hit the stage. This run of the mill punk rock band spun the show in nothing less than a tacky direction by banging their heads and rocking their guitars out in unison. They also unoriginally had a skull-masked guy who came out frequently with big signs that had words on them like "Freak Out!" (Didn't the Ramones do that?)
The sold-out crowd at Metropolis began to get antsy waiting for the band they were there to see, chanting "Let's go Murphys," when all of sudden the lights went out and the haunting Celtic tune, "Foggy Dew" began to play.
As the band drifted on to stage, the fans went wild. These are no ordinary fans, as the love they feel for their Dropkick Murphys is wildly passionate, giving you a feeling as if you were in an Irish pub with a bunch of drunkards. One wrong word and a brawl could break out.
Thankfully this would not be the case, except for a small few that were escorted out by security.
On this, their return to Montreal, the Dropkick Murphys' appropriately kicked off the show with one of their new songs "The Boys Are Back" off of their yet to be released album Signed And Sealed With Blood. A song definitely worthy of all the jumping and fist pumping.
Nothing got the crowd moshing and surfing more than the traditional tunes "Johnny, I Hardly I Knew Ya" and "The Irish Rover".
They slowed it down with the lovely little ballad, as ballads go for the Dropkick Murphys, "Rose Tattoo". Giving an awesome opportunity for the crowd to really get a taste of the raunchy, but amazing voice of bassist Ken Casey.
And if the show could not get any better, they went out with a bang ending the three-song encore with a phenomenal AC/DC cover of "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap".
--Rebecca M hosts The Commonwealth Conundrum, Wednesdays 4-6pm
IMAGE+NATION 2012: Festival Highlights
I don't know if you are like me, but I have certainly exhausted Netflix's selection of quote-end-quote Gay and Lesbian themed films. I've seen some real zingers that have questionable content , whether they are actually categorized correctly. So when this time of year rolls around, it is always very exciting because it marks the beginning of Image + Nation, Montreal's queer film festival, and the opportunity to see some amazing films, in the best format, on the big screen, with the good sound system. To celebrate their 25th year as a festival, the programmers of Image + Nation have gone all out and put together a great array of films, conquering some very difficult subjects.
The full list of programming is available on their website, and check out my list of festival highlights, followed by an interview with festival programmer Katharine Setzer. See you at the festival!
This year there are two 2011 Oscar contenders for Best Foreign Film! ZOMG! Big screen drama times!
Beauty (South Africa) Described as "explor(ing) complex and shifting intergenerational tensions around class, language, race – and their financial and personal costs – through one man's repressed sexuality." These discussions seem to be almost omnipresent in the gay dichotomy of life, so it seems like a visual treat to see it done at this calibre of the cinematic scope. I will see you at Cinema du Parc on Tuesday, November 27th at 9pm.
The other Oscar contender is Bullhead (Belgium). This noir-vengeance thriller, done in the same style as Shame and Raging Bull, with heavy Cronenberg visual references, about destiny and human sexuality, sprinkled with a dash of homoerotic tension, is being shown twice, with French and English subtitles. Yay to distribution rights that don't interfere with existing language politics! Be sure to check the listings for the subtitles of your choice on Tuesday November 27th, French subtitles at the 7:15pm screening, and English at the 9:15pm show, both at Cinema du Parc.
Call Me Kuchu (Uganda) is the intense documentary about Ugandan LGTBQ activist David Kato. If you aren't aware, currently, again, there is a bill in Uganda being pushed forward by their parliament to have homosexuality punishable by death. With that being said, knowing this is a documentary, please be prepared for some heavy content, and bring a tissue, or several. It screens at Cinema du Parc on Wednesday, November 28th at 9:15pm.
Lesbiana: une révolution parallèle (Canada) is a homegrown documentary, showcasing the rise of the radical lesbian movement, right here in Quebec. Using archival footage and interviews, learn the faces and names that fought the struggles, united against patriarchy, in a time when Quebec was in its most recognized political era, post October crisis. Bonus study points if you have any papers or critiques due in your Lesbian Issues and Realities class, or if you can work the content in to another term paper. Check it out on Sunday November 25th at 5pm, Cinema du Parc.
Following that same political feminist radical lesbian angle, be sure to see the doc, Audre Lorde: The Berlin Years 1984-1992 (Germany) at Cinema du Parc on Saturday, December 1st, at 3:15pm. This documentary by German filmmaker Dagmar Schultz, uses archival footage, interviews and rare home movies to portray an era in German history full of profound socio-political change, with Audre Lorde at the helm of organizing, and facilitating relevant dialogues with other feminist activists. Once again, take notes for bonus marks for your Women's Studies or English term papers! If I was your TA, I would give you a venerable nod for any reference involving Audre Lorde.
Interview with Image + Nation Festival programmer Katharine Setzer, originally aired on CJLO's With Gay Abandon on Friday, November 23rd.
-- Julie M hosts With Gay Abandon, Fridays 1-2pm on CJLO 1690AM
November 26th, 2012
Hosted & Produced by: Carlo Spiridigliozzi
Stories by: Carlo Spiridigliozzi, Alyssa Tremblay & Daniel J. Rowe
Quebec women's groups start campaign awareness on violence against women
Different women’s rights groups in Quebec have started a 12-day campaign on conjugal violence.
According to CBC News, the campaign is in response to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which falls on every November 25th since 1999.
Louise Riendeau, a spokeswoman for the Quebec Association of Women’s Shelters said that there were 19 000 complaints to police related to conjugal violence in twenty-eleven. She also elaborated that conjugal violence remains one of the most pressing issues faced by women in Quebec.
Abuse in a relationship normally begins with words and escalates from there according to Riendeau.
Montreal police have put in place their own plan. It is a 5-year strategy to help eliminate conjugal violence introduced on November 21st at a time when a few of their own are in front of the ethics court for not taking a woman’s plea for help seriously in 2010.
She was stabbed to death by her ex-husband in October of that year.
Mine terrain may be useful for mission to Mars
A failing asbestos mine in Quebec may be Canada’s ticket to Mars.
Canada’s space agency is interested in using the mine’s terrain to conduct simulation Mars missions.
Some say these test runs could increase Canada’s opportunities to participate in future space missions.
Scientists recently tested out the idea at Quebec’s Jeffrey Mine in the town of Asbestos.
According to a report by The Canadian Press, the goal of the project was to discover methane gas, a key indicator of life.
Scientists have already discovered methane in Mars’ atmosphere and are now trying to detect the gas on the planet’s surface with NASA’s Curiosity rover.
The Jeffrey mine is the last remaining asbestos mine in the country.
Operations are shutting down after the mine failed to receive a critical 58 million dollar loan from the new Parti Quebecois government.
STORY WRITTEN BY: ALYSSA TREMBLAY
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