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Retired tobacco executive cites memory gaps in Montreal tobacco trial
Quebec smokers are suing Canada’s three largest tobacco companies for over $27 billion in damages.
They claim that they were misled by cigarette companies, that they were not informed of the dangers of smoking, or that they have developed health problems accordingly.
Roger Ackman, a 73-year-old retired vice-president of Imperial Tobacco, testified in court Tuesday.
Ackman admitted that documents including research about the health effects of smoking were destroyed under his watch.
According to The Canadian Press, Ackman says that he can’t recall the information present on these shredded documents, nor can he recall the reason why they were destroyed.
While Ackman was being interrogated by the plaintiff’s lawyer, he kept citing that he had memory gaps that prevented him from giving any extra information.
The documents in question were shredded in the early 1990s and the court battle is expected to last up to two years.
Flickr image by: Justin Shearer
Nneka + Publish the Quest @ Cabaret du Mile End
-Photo by Jens Boldt
It was an oddly quiet afternoon in Montreal on Saturday, March 24th, which was probably due to the cold crispy weather that had broke the recent heat wave, but for members of the hip-hop community it felt like the calm before the storm. That night we were blessed to have three great acts come to the city: Nneka, Saul Williams and Georgia Anne Muldrow. It would have been virtually impossible for me to make it to all three shows but perfect timing made it possible for me to begin the night with the soulful Nneka and cap off with the eminent Georgia Anne Muldrow. At around 9pm, I strolled down Laurier to meet the girls for our pre-game Fleur de Sel brownie at Juliette et Chocolat and we made our way to Cabaret du Mile-End, the first stop for our mind-blowing night.
I don’t know if many of you have been to the Cabaret du Mile-End before but it’s usually known as a sit-down venue with nice round tables set up everywhere (very much the cabaret type setting), so it was quite exciting that they ditched the tables for this sold out Nneka show. When we walked in, the front of the stage was packed with people swaying to the sounds of Publish the Quest, a 7-piece band from Seattle who fit their style somewhere between ska, reggae, afrobeat, and rock. Their set was enjoyably danceable but not particularly exciting enough for me to pick up their album, even though they were pretty much giving them away. By 9:45 we were all pretty antsy for some Nneka, so I was shamelessly happy when Publish the Quest announced that it was their last track of the night.
After a quick set rearrangement, the small-framed but super powerful Nneka hit the stage strong with "The Uncomfortable Truth." Her voice was absolutely impeccable! I have to mention that Cabaret du Mile-End also has one of the best sound system and some of the best sound technicians in all of Montreal but the praise still lies with Nneka’s camp. I swear it was like listening to a mastered album. Unfortunately her small size made it hard for anyone passed the three front rows to see her, especially since the stage at Cabaret is pretty low. I had to reposition myself a couple of times before finding that perfect side stage area to really see her performance. Once I got there I was amazed and disappointed all at the same time. It was amazing to see how the notes flowed out of her with what seemed like complete ease and how on point her voice control was but I was disappointed to see the monotonous energy she was feeding us. Throughout the set her energy and charisma lifted a bit but it was still far from what I expected. Even in terms of the band, the whole show felt a little too rehearsed and steered from the live Nneka experience I had expected. In between tracks she took some time to talk to the audience and explain some of the meanings behind her tracks; it was a nice opportunity for us to feel out her personality, which she wasn’t physically showcasing. Some of my friends commented that her talk spots were bordering on the preachy side but I feel it fell pretty much in line with her lyrical content. Around 11:30, the official set was over and they went on to do a slew of encores including her famed "Heartbeat," which got quite a reaction from the crowd. By then I had left the front area of the stage and was basing my opinions on what I could hear and not what I could see, and it was amazing. Though I wasn’t fully satiated by Nneka’s performance, I must admit that it finished much better than it started it off.
-MF Gold co-hosts Say Word! with Caity every Wednesday from 3-4pm
100 students stage a sit-in near Concordia president's office
About 100 students staged a sit-in on the 15th floor of the MB building Monday where President Frederick Lowy’s offices are located.
The students demanded academic amnesty and for the school to publicly oppose the $1625 tuition hike.
Lowy came out to speak with the students, but wasn’t willing to immediately comply with the demands. He stated that tuition hikes are necessary; universities don’t have enough funding for free education and that Quebec universities are underfunded compared to the rest of Canada.
As for academic amnesty, Lowy stated that is not in tradition to tell professors how to run their courses.
Lowy admitted that he also has not read the March 23 email about new security policies at Concordia.
The students accused Lowy of not knowing the issues, and for not listening to students. They believe he will have major influence on the provincial government if he supports the students.
Lowy agreed to have a more public meeting with students to further discuss the issues, organized by CSU president Lex Gill.
CJLO News - April 3 2012
Read by: Aisha Samu
Stories by: Aisha Samu, Nikita Smith, Niki Mohrdar, Jordie Yeager and Tara Brockwell
Produced by: Carlo Spiridigliozzi
Carey Price may be out for the season
Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price may be a goner for the last three games of the season.
After not showing up for practice Monday Radio-Canada confirmed he had a concussion from team doctor David Mulder. A team spokesman on the other hand would only confirm he had headaches.
Meanwhile the formerly injured Scott Gomez, Mathieu Darche and Travis Moen were all participating in practice yet it is unclear if they’ll be ready to play this Wednesday against Tampa Bay.
The Habs close the season this Saturday with the Toronto Maples Leafs at home. They've been eliminated from playoff contention.
Missing teen found dead
Maxime Richard's body has been found.
The St-Lambert teenager, who went missing on Feb. 28, was discovered in the woods in Granby by local residents Sunday evening.
Investigators confirmed to Longueuil police that the body belonged to Richard.
The 16-year-old was last seen leaving school with possible plans to take a bus to Sherbrooke.
Police stated that there wasn't any indication of violence at the crime scene, and that Richard probably took his own life.
People close to him said he had been recently suffering from depression.
Seven die in school shooting at Oikos University in Oakland, California
A former student at Oikos University in Oakland, California opened fire at the school Monday, killing at least seven people.
According to CBC, One L. Goh surrendered at a nearby Safeway supermarket. Police Chief Howard Jordan told CBC it was about an hour after the shooting occurred.
There were seven fatalities and three others were wounded.
According to CBC, Jordan said police do not yet know the motive behind the shooting.
Flickr: Derrick Coetzee
Disputes over F-35 program arises
According to CBC, Canada’s F-35 jet fighter program will be re-examined on Tuesday after the release of an auditor general’s report that slams the Defense Department and it’s agreement with procurement policies.
The government will be revoking the Defense Departments responsibilities for the program and setting up a special secretariat of deputy ministers to manage the program
It has been said that the government feels military officials misled the program. They promise to become more transparent about the fighter jet purchase from Lockheed Martin.
In March, the associate minister of national defense suggested to the House defense committee that the purchase of the F-35 was not a forgone conclusion. He stated that Canada would continue to be involved in the Joint Strike Fighter program, however that did not mean they to actually purchase the F-35.
Prime Minster Stephen Harper says that Canada’s aerospace industry has received hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts due to their 15 year involvement in the F-35 program.
Canada’s plan was to spend 9 billion dollars on 65 jets however plans have been changed due to a change in price.
The price of the U.S. F-35 program has surpassed the 1.5 trillion dollar mark making it the most expensive ever.
However, the Canadian government has estimated that their 65 jets will only cost 75 million each; the parliamentary budget officer has estimated the price to be closer to 148 million.
Film Review - No Room For Rockstars
As I've crawled on in age, my relationship with the Vans Warped Tour has changed. As a kid, going to Warped was an exciting adventure, and a chance to see a whole bunch of bands in one place. As an adult, since my interest in pop punk turned out to be indeed "just a phase" and the majority of the bands on tour cater to a very young audience, the Warped Tour is no longer a priority. In fact, of the 72 bands that played at the Montreal stop of the 2010 Warped Tour, I would have been interested in seeing exactly three: Andrew WK, Every Time I Die, and The Dillinger Escape Plan, all of which I've already seen before, and none of them worth the hefty price of admission to an all-day, outdoor show.
Nonetheless, I had hoped to see these three make an appearance in No Room For Rockstars, the documentary about the Warped Tour by director Parris Patton (who has directed and edited several documentaries about musicicians) and produced by Stacy Peralta (the legendary professional skateboarder and director of the acclaimed documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys). Since the three only make indirect appearances, one as a logo on a tent, another on a flag carried by a fan through the crowd, and the last via a frightened tour manager being yelled at by Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman, I was ultimately disappointed.
I wasn't, however, let down by the film itself. Despite the fact that No Room For Rockstars focuses on a handful of musicians that I personally don't care for, the director's skill at subtly exposing his subjects instantly drew me in. In fact, the film benefits greatly from the mostly non-punk, pop or otherwise, musicians that it spotlights. Sure, a member of Pennywise appears just long enough to throw in a soundclip or two (one of which gives the film its name), but this is not a history of Warped Tour by any means. It is a snapshot of the megamillion dollar business that this tour represents, warts and all, and the 2010 tour (along with the subjects selected for this documentary) is the perfect embodiment of just that.
Through the perpetual breakdowns of Suicide Silence, the insufferable teenaged posing of Never Shout Never and the canny, focused positioning of Mike Posner, the film offers a very pointed lesson in what it takes to be in the music business today, and how taking part in a massive tour like Warped fits into all that. Lyman himself makes several appearances, living up to his punk/businessman duality, one day grilling a pile of meat for the tourbus drivers, and raking the Every Time I Die tour manager over hot coals on another. They all exemplify the many difficult layers of the music business, where in order to "make it", a young dad screams curse words at children not much older than his daughter 300 days a year, while a teenaged mouth casually drops the phrase "...and a year later, I was signed to Warner Bros."
The true heroes of the film, however, are the ragtag bunch of misfits from Forever Came Calling, a band from 29 Palms, CA (home of Dick Dale, King of the Surf Guitar!) who follow the tour from city to city, selling their CDs to the line in hopes of scraping together enough cash to make it to the next city. With more drama and charisma than the professional musicians profiled put together, Forever Came Calling bring the punk and DIY spirit back to the Warped Tour, and in the end, it is they who make the futility of being in a touring band feel good again.
If you've ever blown black snot into a tissue after a day in the dust at Parc Jean Drapeau, and been curious about how they shift that massive undertaking from city to city, you will want to see No Room For Rockstars. As for me, I enjoyed it so much that I'm hoping for a sequel, only I'd like the next one to spend even more time on the Fabio-meets-Rob-Zombie awesomeness of Kenny Leath, the Warped Tour stage manager.
Honouring a Great
Around 2000 suggestions were sent to the City of Montreal on ways to honor the late baseball star Gary Carter.
According to CTV News, mayor Gérald Tremblay says they have received many good suggestions and the selection committee will try to quickly come to a decision.
Carter’s family will also have a say in the matter.
Possible ideas include erecting a monument in his honor or naming a street or park after him.
The former Montreal Expos and New York Mets star passed away at age 57.
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