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August 12th 2011

Read by Joshua Nemeroff

Produce by Erica Bridgeman

Stories written by Michael Lemieux, Erica Bridgeman and Danny Aubry

Markets Rebound

North American stock markets rebounded from the week’s massive drop late Thursday after traders put cash in to markets by buying stocks that had sunk to attractive lows.

A trading practice known as short selling was also banned for certain shares by four European countries. The practice is believed to have been responsible for the sharp decline in shares of French Banks on Wednesday.

The S&P plummeted 1100 points in three days last week including a 520 point single day loss on Wednesday. 

The US market welcomed the news that less Americans were joining the unemployed than predicted.

Gold hit a record high Thursday of $1800 an ounce.

A veteran trader has said that investors are scared of being the last one out in the event of a market downturn and the last one in if the market resurges. This fear makes it easier to sell than buy and hampers the growth of the market. Many traders cautiously remember 2008.

Short selling is the act of borrowing against an asset and selling it later on the assumption that profit can be made after the loan is paid off. The ban came a day after what the head of the Bank of France called “unfounded rumors” caused shares to drop sharply around the country.

West Island man charged with producing child pornography

A 52-year-old Pierrefond man was charged on Tuesday for producing, distributing and possessing child pornography over a span of three years. Kimberly Byron Moskalewski is also accused of secretly watching or recording a person for a sexual purpose.

The violations allegedly occurred at Moskalewski's home, which is located a block away from an elementary school. According to sources, that same home is where Moskalewski's wife operated a small daycare since 1996.

It is not yet known whether the daycare was involved in the charges.

Moskalewski, who does not have a criminal record, is expected in court on Wednesday. He can face up to 10 years in prison for producing child pornography.

Warren Jeffs gets life in prison

Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs will get life in prison for sexually assaulting two underage followers. A Texas jury took less than half an hour to come to the decision. 

The prosecution says that Jeffs took two teenage members of his Church as brides. DNA evidence proved that he fathered a child with a fifteen-year old. 

He is the head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints, a radical branch of the Mormon religion. The group's ten thousand followers believe in polygamy and that Jeffs is God's spokesperson on Earth.

Jeffs defended himself after going through several lawyers, and said his religious rights were violated. He avoided arrest for years, and eventually made the FBI's Most Wanted List. 

August 10th, 2011

Read by Emily Brass

Produced by Nikita Smith

Stories by Alina Gotcherian, Dominique Daoust, A.J. Cordeiro, Sarah Deshaies

Gatti's death not a suicide: manager

According to his former manager, Arturo Gatti’s death wasn’t a suicide. Pat Lynch said the result of a ten month private investigation will be released at the end of the month.

Montreal’s late boxing champion was found dead in July 2009. He was vacationing with his family in Brazil at the time. Gatti’s widow was initially arrested for his murder but later released. Police concluded he hung himself from a wooden staircase column in their rented apartment.

Lynch said he spoke to the welterweight champion before his final trip and said he didn’t appear depressed. Arturo Gatti had retired in 2007 with a career record of forty wins and nine losses.

Riots bring chaos in England

Rioters across England continue to unleash chaos. Wielding wooden bats and metal bars they have torched and looted recklessly across the country. Hundreds of people have been affected by the damage.

Violence first erupted Saturday in Tottenham after a vigil for Mark Duggan. He was supposedly killed by police while unarmed. But Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said that the riots have nothing to do with that. And the government has not acknowledged any underlying motive such as the economy or unemployment.

Thousands of police officers have been deployed across the country to stop the violence. They have arrested over 300 people so far including an 11-year-old boy.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister David Cameron has been on vacation in Italy. He will return home Tuesday to deal with the state emergency.

August 8th 2011

News read and produced by Sofia Gay.

Stories written by Chris Hanna, Jacqueline Di Bartolomeo and Sofia Gay.

Osheaga 2011 - Day 2

Saturday’s showcase kicked off with a brief set by Montreal’s punk rock vets, The 222s. The set was plagued with poor sound, but they still had the early birds' toe-tappin’ to songs like “I love Susan” and “Academic Drop”. They were followed by Atlanta’s Manchester Orchestra, who had the first solid following of the day. Though the volume of their guitars was high and their energy was impressive, I wasn’t overly blown away.

A few hours into the day, the festival itinerary became a matter of concern; main stage bands were really overlapping with the smaller stages. In a perfect world, you’d be able to catch every band on your to-do list. I tried my best.

I made my way over to see Mountain Goats, one of my favorite bands over the last decade. The set was filled with bittersweet love songs and “coping strategies for divorce” as outlined in “Wild Sage” from the Get Lonely album. Despite the heartache exhibited in much of John Darnielle’s work ("Love Love Love"), the setlist was rather upbeat in nature and gave casual listeners a reason to follow them beyond Saturday’s set. “This Year” and “No Children” were obvious crowd favorites, while their newest single “Damn These Vampires” went over well.

At this point, tough decisions had to be made. I wandered back to the main stage and spent the rest of the day there. Karkwa’s set blew me away, and my love of their Polaris winning album Les Chemins de Verre grew tenfold.

A freshly groomed Sam Roberts followed with an ass-kicking set of his best work. During his set, all I could think about was the amount of listens I gave his Inhuman Condition EP upon it’s release, the one with “Don’t Walk Away, Eileen.” He didn’t play it, but he did play “Brother Down.” I was pretty happy with that.

Lupe Fiasco was impressive, though I was watching him while staking out a great spot to catch Death From Above 1979’s reunion performance. Despite having OD’d on You’re a Woman, I'm a Machine YEARS ago, I was looking to re-kindle that love I had for the now defunct Toronto two-piece. Under a large tombstone banner reading“DFA 1979 (2001-2005)" the furious bass of their opener “Turn It Out” bled out the speakers, and that love rushed back in an instant. From there on it only got better with “Going Steady” and the instant crowd pleaser “Black History Month”. In between songs, Sebastian Grainger belted out a few verses of “Alison” in anticipation of Elvis Costello’s headlining gig… and went right back to play the rest of the set.

Things cooled down a bit for Bright Eyes’ sunset performance. Fitting, since this would be their last stop ever in Montreal. Did YOU know they were breaking up? I certainly did NOT… I found out while enjoying every minute of their near-perfect set. Of the 12 songs played, half were from 2005’s acoustic masterpiece I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, with “Land Locked Blues” and “Lua” being personal highlights. If you had to pick twelve of your favorite Bright Eyes songs, you’d have picked this set list. “The Calendar Hung Itself,” “Bowl of Oranges,” “Lover I Don’t Have to Love”… it was the first time I had ever been a witness to multiple couples making out (and not finding it annoying). I saw a few teary eyes, and several slow dancing two-somes; I was just thankful to witness it. After all, this is a band that defined a generation. In any case, it’s not like Conor Oberst is going to disappear off the face of the earth. He’ll be doing Mystic Valley Band stuff, or maybe he’ll put out another Desaparecidos album… or MAYBE another Monsters of Folk album. I liked that one.

Up next, the main event: Elvis Costello and the Attractions.

It was everything I'd hoped for: a greatest hits set from one of my all-time favorite musicians. The stage show featured a go-go dancer and a “Hammer of Songs” contraption on the right of the stage… not as cool as the original “Wheel of Songs”, but who really cares.

The show started with the instantly recognizable bassline of “Lipstick Vogue” followed by the mid-tempo sway of “Watching the Detectives”. “Alison” followed shortly afterward and had the whole crowd singing along. Costello’s body of work is so impressive, it’s hard to pick one album to focus on. Given that Osheaga might not be where his niche audience is at, the greatest hits package made the most sense (Mike’s favorite Costello album: 1987’s Blood and Chocolate).

After around 45 minutes of delirium at the front of the stage, I turned to see the rest of the audience and my jaw dropped. Nobody was there. I was in shock. Bands that played at 2pm had larger crowds, and here was ELVIS friggin’ COSTELLO playing to MAYBE one thousand people. I didn’t expect an Eminem-size crowd, but in stark comparison to previous years’ headliners, this was sad. There were a few lulls here and there, but still his set was superb. Covers of Nick Lowe and The Who were done to perfection, while the gentle lover’s plea of “I Want You” brought the house down.

“What’s so funny about peace, love and understanding?” was my cue to exit. With the fireworks, detours, and road blocks, it was an interesting drive home.

-Mike B hosts The Lonesome Strangers every Tuesday from 8-10pm

Marchers remember Fredy Villanueva three years after his death

Seventy-five people gathered in Montreal North to remember Fredy Villanueva on Sunday afternoon. He was shot and killed by Montreal police three years ago. 

The coroner’s report into the death has yet to be completed. The investigation has brought to light many flaws in the current system that looks into police shootings in Quebec. In Ontario, an independent civilian body leads investigations into police shootings. 

Villanueva was 18 when he died. Fredy’s brother Dany is currently facing deportation to the family’s native Hondouras. Authorities believe Dany has ties to street gangs. 

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