TIFF volunteer gets the celebrity treatment for a day
Twitter Advertisement She may not be famous, but the volunteer at TIFF got the celebrity treatment Friday and CBC Toronto reporter Adrian Cheung tagged along. LEAVE A REPLY Cancel replyLog in to leave a comment When the hottest stars roll into town, local restaurants and hotels pull out all the stops.Some big names who have stayed at the five-star Windsor Arms Hotel include Harrison Ford, Michael Douglas, Cher, Catherine Zeta Jones, Elton John, Meg Ryan, Ryan Gosling and Robin Williams.Nadine Tolman’s name can now be added to that star-studded list.Volunteering at TIFF is an annual ritual for Tolman. (Joe Fiorino/CBC News) Tolman got to check out hotel suites usually reserved for Hollywood A-listers and CBC Toronto’s Adrian Cheung tagged along. (Joe Fiorino/CBC News)Volunteering at TIFF is an annual ritual for Tolman, who’s been doing it for 15 years.“It’s a bonding time with my sisters. It’s two weeks my sisters and I have together,” she said. “It’s grown … [we’ve made] great strides, we have 3,000 volunteers. We have over 80 countries represented but the fun factor has also grown too.”Tolman says she likes to see TIFF volunteers get acknowledged during every public film showing with a clip on the screen. Advertisement Advertisement Facebook Nadine Tolman has been volunteering with TIFF for 15 years. (Joe Fiorino/CBC News Login/Register With:
LEAVE A REPLY Cancel replyLog in to leave a comment Olunike Adeliyi is a film, television and theatre actress whose resume is as diverse as she is talented. Olunike was introduced to us from her role as Leah Kerns on the popular Canadian television show, Flashpoint. Coming from a theatrical background, Olunike has gone on to play a variety of roles in films such as BOOST and Darken and television shows like Workin’ Moms. Inspired by her role as a mom, Olunike seeks to do more than make a living, but works to leave the world better than she found it. CEOMOM caught up with Olunike to talk about how she got into acting, her upcoming roles and what it means to be a working mother.Your big break was Flashpoint where you played Leah Kerns. Did you always want to be an actress?I am pretty sure I’ve always wanted to be an entertainer of some sort. I started young in my grandparents’ church in Jamaica doing a lot of performances during harvest and Easter. From there, my love for performing took on a life of its own. It was something that was fun for me to do. My grade six music teacher saw that I was very animated and a very hyper child. She suggested that I audition for the school play. I did and ended up getting the lead role in the Princess and the Dragon. l acted all through junior high and high school. When I got out of high school, I continued touring in dance troupes and doing background work. While doing theatrical work I got some inspiration from Denzel Washington who told me to focus on one thing and make it really great and the other talents will follow. He asked me if I ever thought about studying in New York. I applied and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Upon graduation, I came back to Toronto and everything else is history. I started in theatre because that was my educational background. At the end of the run of one of my plays, Flashpoint called me in for an audition and I nailed it. Acting is something that found me because I love it so much. It is an art form that keeps me alive and interested in humanity.You are an accomplished actress with roles in television, theatre and film. Which are you most passionate?I don’t know. If I had to choose, I think I would be most passionate about theatre, however I am passionate about all three avenues of art. They all bring different elements to the work. I love theatre, because of the writing. All of the characters are heroes and they express themselves fully. They say the things you want to say and do the things you want to do without fear of consequence. I love TV, because you get to try out different characters more frequently and learn the art of speedy dialogue and filming. If you are a recurring or a regular character you get to play with different artists every episode and support their work. It doesn’t get boring when you’re serving other artists. Advertisement Facebook Login/Register With:
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Facebook LEAVE A REPLY Cancel replyLog in to leave a comment Advertisement Advertisement Which means there’s an entire catalogue of Donté videos for you to scroll through, enjoy, and flag as a favourite for later viewing. You’re welcome. Advertisement
Positive vibes can be hard to come by — especially on social media. But if there’s one man to prove that the energy you put out into the world will return to you, it’s Toronto-native Donté Colley. The 21-year-old content creator kicked off 2019 with a taste of viral victory after posting a motivational new year’s dance video to Instagram. The clip, set to the wii sport theme song and synced with perfectly-placed emojis and a superimposed messages of optimism, has over 500,000 views and 100,000 likes — and that’s just adding up the numbers on Donté’s page. The video has been reposted Leslie Jones, Will Sasso and over a dozen major entertainment outlets, shooting Donté’s shining star straight into the stratosphere, and bringing an impressive number of followers (117K and counting, more than double the count from when I interviewed him two days ago) to his page.“I woke up the day after I posted the video, and someone had sent me a link to a Twitter account that had reshared it — and it already had a million views,” Donté tells me over the phone, “I had a decent following before, which I was definitely okay with because I really try not to take the Internet too seriously. I’m just trying to make it fun for myself and for anyone that follows me. But there’s been a very positive reaction to what I make these past few days. I really didn’t expect any of this.”When the Internet moves, it moves quick. Donté, who splits his time between studying digital communications at the University of Guelph Humber, content creating and working as an inventory associate at Aritzia, has actually been making emoji edits on his self-filmed dance videos for over a year. Donte Colley Login/Register With: Twitter
APTN National NewsWith the news that three women are in the running in the race for the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, APTN National News is taking a closer look at other women who are making a difference in their communities.APTN National News reporter Tina House has this story of one young leader in British Columbia.
APTN National NewsWanting to take control over their own food supply, residents of Yukon’s only fly-in community opened the first Arctic co-op in the territory.APTN’s Shirley McLean has this story.
Iman Kassam APTN National NewsWhat does it take to play hockey in a small, arctic town?Determination and a pure love for the game – that’s what.And in Canada, the community of Kugluktuk in Nunavut has it all.ikassam@aptn.ca
Annette Francis APTN National NewsThe federal government is pushing through with a plan to revamp parts of the Indian Act.This comes following an order made by the Québec Superior court.It’s known as the Descheneaux case.But the plaintiff isn’t happy with how things are turning out.
The Canadian PressWinnipeg’s police chief says he’s disappointed that a jury acquitted a man accused of killing 15-year-old teenager Tina Fontaine.Raymond Cormier was found not guilty last week of second-degree murder in the 2014 death of the teen, whose body was wrapped in a duvet cover and weighed down with rocks when it was found in the Red River.Chief Danny Smyth told the city’s police services board that he had hoped for a different outcome.He said it’s clear the jury didn’t find enough evidence to convict and he wished police could have brought forward a more compelling case.But Smyth commended the officers who he said worked hard on the case and thanked prosecutors for taking it to trial.He said Tina’s death has prompted change and pointed to Manitoba no longer housing children in care in hotels.“If not anything else, this trial provided transparency,” Smyth said Friday. “The community was able to learn about the investigation. They were able to see evidence and learn about the circumstances that led up to Tina’s death.”Tina was raised by her great-aunt, Thelma Favel, on the Sagkeeng First Nation, 120 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. She left to visit her mother in Winnipeg at the end of June 2014 and became an exploited youth.Favel called Child and Family Services with concerns about Tina, who ran away repeatedly from a youth shelter and hotels where she was placed.She was last seen leaving a downtown hotel, where she told a private contract worker employed by child welfare that she was going to a shopping centre to meet friends.It’s not known how Tina died. A pathologist testified at the trial that the girl’s death was suspicious because of the manner in which her body was found.
While the overall quality of life continues to be good in Calgary according to an annual survey, age plays a big factor. Ipsos Reid released its 2017 Citizen Satisfaction Survey Monday, with 85 per cent of respondents reporting the quality of life as good, a two-point increase from the year before. Just under 80 per cent say they’re satisfied with the overall level and quality of programs and services as well. However, there were notable findings in several categories.The data suggests 42 per cent of baby boomers are likely to say the quality of life has worsened, while it was just 24 for millennials. Ipsos vice-president of public affairs Jamie Duncan offered an explanation. “We hear the narrative of the small town that maybe isn’t as small a town as it used to be and that certainly is a bit of a context for some of their frustrations, where millennials are using a very different lens on how they’re viewing things,” he said to council. Mayor Naheed Nenshi said with a changing population, council has to adjust. “We have to get ahead of these demographic shifts, and that’s an important part of what council thinks about, at the same time, it doesn’t mean that we ignore people on one end or the other end of the age scale,” he said. One of the big findings was taxes, as 60 per cent said we get good value for our dollars, 16 said it was poor, and 29 per cent neutral. “You have to remember that in your quest to make them happy, which do every single day, we also have to remember that the other 65 per cent of people who are pretty happy, you can’t take away the stuff that’s making them happy, so it makes this job challenging,” he said. Nenshi also noted the good value portion was 49 per cent before we have to take office and it’s also a good sign that the response in 2017 was that positive coming out of an economic downturn. But business confidence has been tracking downward, as the survey said since 2013, we’ve gone from 90 per cent down to 68 per cent regarding the size of the population who agree Calgary is a great place to make a living.Nenshi said that’s entirely driven by the economic downturn. “As we start to create more jobs within the community and our economic development is laser-focused on job creation right now, and it should be, that I expect you’ll see those numbers change,” he said. As for how Calgary compares to other cities, Duncan said Calgary is doing very well. “Calgary’s numbers continue to be as strong, if not in some areas, outperforming other Canadian municipalities where we do this work,” he said.
TOPEKA, Kan. – A Kansas agency plans to conduct a full audit of a water park’s inspection records before it reopens this spring, a state official said Wednesday, after criminal charges were filed over the decapitation of a 10-year-old boy on the world’s tallest waterslide there in 2016.The state Department of Labor said it will review reports from daily inspections of rides by park staff at the Schlitterbahn park in Kansas City, Kansas, before it is scheduled to reopen May 25 for its annual season. A state law enacted last year after Caleb Schwab’s death requires amusement parks to keep daily reports on their rides and to give them annual inspections.A grand jury has issued indictments with multiple criminal charges against the park; the construction company that built the giant waterslide; former park operations director Tyler Austin Miles; the ride’s co-designer, John Timothy Schooley, and a co-owner of Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts, Jeffrey Wayne Henry.Henry, Schooley and the construction company face one felony count of second-degree murder and Miles and the park, one count of involuntary manslaughter, over Caleb’s death. The raft the boy was riding on the 17-story Verruckt ride went airborne and hit an overhead loop.State law allows parks to have their own staff do daily inspections and to have private inspectors do the annual inspections, rather than state inspectors. The inspectors doing the annual reviews must be either licensed engineers with two years’ experience with amusement rides, have five years’ experience in inspecting rides or have been certified by one of three industry groups.Hersh said the audit will show whether the park has been conducting the required inspections and maintaining proper records on them as it prepares to reopen for the sesason.“They will have a notebook full of inspections,” she said.Schlitterbahn spokeswoman Winter Prosapio said in a statement Tuesday that the latest indictment against Henry, Schooley and the construction company “is filled with information that we fully dispute.”The company also posted a statement on its website that all park attractions are “thoroughly inspected daily” by supervisors and managers.Also, it said, before the park opens for the season, each ride has a thorough internal review and an inspection from “an independent third party.” The statement said the park’s insurance provider also conducts annual inspections.Henry, Schooley and the construction company are charged with second-degree murder in connection with Caleb’s death, and Miles and the park are charged with involuntary manslaughter over it. All are charged with multiple counts of aggravated battery and aggravated endangering a child in connection with injuries to other riders on the 17-story waterslide.Miles was arrested last week and released from a Kansas jail on bond. jail in Wyandotte County, Kansas, on $50,000 bond. Henry was arrested Monday in Cameron County, Texas, and waived extradition to Kansas during a court hearing Wednesday.As for Schooley, family attorney Kit Yam, of Houston, said he was travelling in Asia. Yam said Schooley is in the process of hiring a Kansas City-area attorney.“He is out of the country at this point on a business trip,” Yam said.___Associated Press writers Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Missouri; Tim Talley in Oklahoma City, and David Warren and Terry Wallace in Dallas also contributed to this report.___Follow John Hanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna .
JAKARTA, Indonesia – Rescuers in inflatable boats retrieved human remains, pieces of aircraft and personal belongings from the Java Sea on Monday after a new-generation Boeing jet operated by an Indonesian budget airline crashed minutes after takeoff, killing all 189 people on board.Distraught family members struggled to comprehend the sudden loss of loved ones in the crash of the 2-month-old Lion Air plane with experienced pilots in fine weather.They gathered at crisis centres set up by the authorities at airports, hoping desperately for a miracle. But a top search official, citing the condition of the remains recovered, said no survivors are expected.The disaster is a setback for Indonesia’s airline industry, which just emerged from decadelong bans by the European Union and the U.S. over safety concerns.President Joko Widodo ordered an investigation and urged Indonesians to “keep on praying.”The crash of the Boeing 737 Max 8 is the latest in a series of tragedies that have struck Indonesia this year, including earthquakes and a tsunami that killed several thousand people.An air transport official, Novie Riyanto, said the flight was cleared to return to Jakarta after the pilot made a “return to base” request two to three minutes after taking off. It plunged into the sea about 10 minutes later. Weather conditions were normal but the plane, which Lion Air received in August, had experienced an unspecified technical issue on its previous flight.Relatives and friends wept, prayed and hugged each other as they waited at Jakarta’s airport and at Pangkal Pinang’s airport on Bangka island off Sumatra where the flight was headed. Some including Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani headed to the search and rescue agency’s headquarters in Jakarta for information. About 20 ministry staff were on the flight.Latief Nurbana said he and his wife Yeti Eka Sumiati stayed up late Sunday talking to their 24-year-old son Lutfi Nuramdani, squeezing every moment they could from his weekend visit to Jakarta to catch up on his life in Pangkal Pinang.Nurbana said they talked until falling asleep and Sumiati woke up early to take their son, a post office worker, to the airport.“Last night, we were chatting together about his wife who is now seven months’ pregnant, his plans and his dreams with his own small family until we fell asleep,” he said as his wife wept and clung to him.“Now he’s gone. We can’t believe that he left us this way, we can’t believe that his plane crashed. That’s something we only see on TV news, now it happened to my son,” Nurbana said. “We want to see his body, his face, his remains.”More than 300 people including soldiers, police and fishermen are involved in the grim search, retrieving aircraft debris and personal items such as a crumpled cellphone, ID cards and carry-on bags from the seas northeast of Jakarta.Search and Rescue Agency chief Muhammad Syaugi said he’s certain it won’t take long to locate the hull of the aircraft and its black box due to the relatively shallow 25 to 30 metre (100 to 115 foot) depths of the waters it plunged into. Three specialized search ships, including one from Singapore, were headed to the crash location.The jet, on a 1-hour flight, was carrying 181 passengers, including one child and two babies, and eight crew members.Lion Air said there were two foreigners on the plane: one of the pilots, Indian national Bhavye Suneja, and an Italian citizen.Friends and relatives gathered at the pilot’s family home in New Delhi to comfort his immediate family.“His father is stunned and not in a condition to talk or do anything. Sister and mother have not come out. They are distressed,” said family friend Anil Gupta.The pilot of Flight 610 had more than 6,000 flying hours while the co-pilot had more than 5,000 hours, according to Lion Air.The Transport Ministry said the plane took off from Jakarta at about 6:20 a.m. and crashed just 13 minutes later. Data from FlightAware showed it had reached an altitude of only 5,200 feet (1,580 metres).Boeing Co. said it was “deeply saddened” by the crash and was prepared to provide technical assistance to Indonesia’s crash probe.The 737 Max 8 was leased from China Minsheng Investment Group Leasing Holdings Ltd., according to the official China News Service.Malindo Air, a Malaysian subsidiary of Lion Air, was the first airline to begin using the 737 Max 8 last year. The Max 8 replaced the similar 800 in the Chicago-based plane maker’s product line.Lion Air president-director Edward Sirait said the plane had a “technical problem” on its previous flight from Bali to Jakarta but it had been fully remedied. He didn’t know specifics of the problem when asked in a TV interview.“Indeed there were reports about a technical problem, and the technical problem has been resolved in accordance with the procedures released by the plane manufacturer,” Sirait said. “I did not know exactly but let it be investigated by the authorities.”The crash is the worst airline disaster in Indonesia since an AirAsia flight from Surabaya to Singapore plunged into the sea in December 2014, killing all 162 on board.Indonesian airlines were barred in 2007 from flying to Europe because of safety concerns, though several were allowed to resume services in the following decade. The ban was completely lifted in June. The U.S. lifted a decadelong ban in 2016.Lion Air, a discount carrier, is one Indonesia’s youngest and biggest airlines, flying to dozens of domestic and international destinations. Earlier this year it confirmed a deal to buy 50 new Boeing narrow-body aircraft worth an estimated $6.2 billion.It has been expanding aggressively in Southeast Asia, a fast-growing region of more than 600 million people. In a record transaction, Lion Air signed a deal to buy 230 Boeing jets for $21.7 billion during a visit by then-President Barack Obama in November 2011___AP journalists Elaine Kurtenbach in Bangkok, Shonal Ganguly in New Delhi and Achmad Ibrahim and Ali Kotarumalos in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.
TOKYO — One of the biggest mysteries surrounding the arrest of Nissan’s former chairman Carlos Ghosn is over how he allegedly could have underreported his income by millions of dollars for years and why the company is going after the suspected wrongdoing now.Ghosn, who headed the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Motors auto alliance, was arrested Nov. 19 on suspicion he underreported his income by $44 million over five years, or about half of what he was really making. Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi have ousted him as chairman; the board of Renault SA of France says it’s waiting for more evidence.Nissan is among a growing list of top-name Japanese companies whose corporate governance has been found lacking in recent years.“Wait a minute. Who wrote the financial statements? The accountants. Who audited them? The auditors,” Christopher Richter, auto analyst for CLSA Securities Japan Co., said of the case. “How do you do this without other people being complicit?”Japanese prosecutors say Ghosn and another Nissan executive, Greg Kelly, an American suspected of collaborating with him, were arrested because they are considered flight risks. But the timing of the scandal, given the length and scale of the alleged wrongdoing, is raising questions.Why did Nissan choose to come forward now, asks Eric Schiffer, chief executive of Reputation Management Consultants in the Los Angeles, California, area.“If Nissan knew about this all along and decided to pull the trigger, such Machiavellian tactics will significantly backfire on the brand,” Schiffer said.Japanese media have reported that two other company employees contacted authorities as whistleblowers and sought plea deals. Ghosn has not made any public statements about the case.Kelly’s American lawyer Aubrey Harwell said his client, who was dismissed as a Nissan executive director after his arrest, did nothing wrong.Kelly acted “according to the law and according to company policy,” Hartwell said. “He had talked to people in the company and to outsiders, and he believed everything he did was done totally legally,” he said in a telephone interview from his office in Nashville, Tennessee.Only Ghosn’s attorneys and embassy officials from Lebanon, France and Brazil, where he has citizenship, are allowed to visit him. On Monday, Imad Ajami, a Lebanese consultant in Tokyo who has spoken with people allowed to visit Ghosn, said he also was asserting his innocence.Ajami said Ghosn’s visitors have bought him a mattress, clothing, cheese and other foods to make his stay under the frugal conditions in the detention centre more comfortable. Detainees usually sleep on straw tatami mats and are fed mostly rice, soup and vegetables.Prosecutors have released very little information about the case and neither man has been officially charged. In Japan suspects can be held for weeks for questioning without any charges.A source familiar with an internal investigation by Nissan said the hidden salary was categorized as “deferred income,” meaning it was promised for later on, such as after Ghosn’s retirement, and the documents promising the money were kept secret from auditors and others. He spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to discuss such details.One possible motive is that Ghosn was seeking to avoid public criticism over his multi-million dollar paychecks, which are a rarity in Japan even for top executives. Even the underreported amounts, about 1 billion yen ($9 million) each year, drew unwelcome scrutiny and commentary.Ghosn was forced to defend his salary at shareholders’ meetings beginning in 2010, when Japan started requiring the disclosure of individual executive pay.Pay packages in the west tend to be higher — Toyota Motor Corp.’s Chief Executive Akio Toyoda earns less than 400 million yen ($3.5 million) a year. But many Japanese companies lack the sorts of systematic checks required for publicly listed U.S. companies. That includes periodically changing who checks financial statements instead of having the same people do it for many years.Japan needs independent oversight for executive pay, said corporate governance expert Takuji Saito, who teaches at Keio Business School.“The problem here was that the pay was significant, in line with global standards, but the way it was decided was still so Japanese,” he said of Nissan’s lack of transparency. “Nissan deserves criticism for having allowed this to continue unchecked for so long.”Saito believes that failing to report deferred income is still “a grey area in criminality” in Japan, but a clear problem in corporate governance.It’s certainly turned out to be a big problem for Ghosn, 64. He’s being held at a Tokyo detention centre pending his indictment or release and has hired Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP to represent him.Japanese media say, without citing sources, that Ghosn is asserting his innocence, insisting he always wanted his income reports to be legal and denying he signed secret documents. Prosecutors have refused to comment.Whether a suspect intended to commit a crime or did it unknowingly is important in determining criminality under Japanese law.Nissan veteran Hiroto Saikawa, who took over from Ghosn as the automaker’s chief executive last year, has harshly criticized his former boss and vowed to instil greater transparency and accountability at Nissan. The company is setting up a panel of outsiders to come up with recommendations, including reviewing the company’s executive compensation system.The raft of scandals at many blue chip Japanese companies suggests managers are struggling to meet sometimes overly ambitious profit targets amid slowing demand, labour shortages, rising costs and intensifying competition. But they also highlight a rift between old-guard practices and an increasingly global business world in Japan.— Major steelmaker Kobe Steel was charged with violating competition laws after massive faking over many years of quality data for products sent to hundreds of companies, including aluminum castings and copper tubes for autos, aircraft, nuclear power plants, appliances and trains. Kobe Steel said a zealous pursuit of profit, unrealistic targets and an insular corporate culture caused the wrongdoing.— In 2016, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. disclosed it falsified mileage data. That followed a massive coverup over decades of auto defects thought to have helped cause a fatal accident. In 2004 its president, Katsuhiko Kawasoe, was arrested. He was sentenced to three years in prison, suspended for five years, and did not serve time in jail.— In 2015, electronics maker Toshiba Corp. said it had doctored its books in a systematic accounting coverup that began in 2008 or earlier. The company declared bankruptcy, stricken by troubles in its nuclear business after multiple meltdowns in March 2011 at a power plant in Fukushima, northeastern Japan.— Beginning in 2014, auto parts supplier Takata Corp. recalled more than 100 million defective air-bag inflators linked to 25 deaths and more than 180 injuries worldwide. Last year, Takata pleaded guilty to fraud in a U.S. court and agreed to pay more than $1 billion (109 billion yen) in penalties.These scandals and more, from faked data to cutting corners, have driven calls for stricter corporate oversight. Reflecting widespread sentiments, Schiffer, the brand management expert, says he finds it hard to believe Nissan insiders weren’t aware of what was going on earlier.Otherwise, they were “incompetent,” he said.___Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/yurikageyamaOn Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/yurikageyama/?hl=enYuri Kageyama, The Associated Press
ROME — The father of Italy’s labour and development minister has apologized for hiring workers off the books for his small construction firm but insists his “errors” shouldn’t reflect badly on his son.A video posted Monday on Facebook featured Antonio Di Maio acknowledging he hired workers without contracts.DiMaio’s son, Luigi Di Maio, leads Italy’s 5-Star Movement, an anti-establishment party that prides itself on the honesty and transparency of its public servants.After initially saying he didn’t know about the family business, Luigi Di Maio said he confirmed there were problems. He has distanced himself from them.Police have also searched the family’s Naples-area homestead after Mediaset’s Le Iene investigative program suggested some buildings there were unauthorized.The program interviewed the elder Di Maio’s workers and first revealed they were paid under the table in cash.The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Less than two years after he shook up the New York fashion world with a splashy debut for Calvin Klein, designer Raf Simons is leaving the company.In a joint announcement, the company and the Belgian designer said they were parting ways amicably after Calvin Klein “decided on a new brand direction different from Simons’ creative vision.” A representative for Simons said in an email Friday night that the designer would have no further comment.Simons revitalized Calvin Klein with his hip European sensibility after being appointed chief creative officer in 2016. His New York Fashion Week shows were the talk of the industry, beginning with his February 2017 debut, which had a clear political message, opening and closing with the David Bowie song “This is Not America.”Celebrities flocked to his shows, critics raved, and the fashion establishment rewarded him with three top awards in two years. He won the Council of Fashion Designers of America award for womenswear in both 2017 and 2018, and in a rare feat also took the menswear award in 2017.But critical raves don’t necessarily translate to commercial success. There was reportedly disappointment on the part of PVH, the corporation that owns Calvin Klein, in sales under Simons.Simons, who previously worked at Dior, brought an artsy European approach to the iconic American brand, often citing numerous cultural references — but especially Hollywood — as inspirations. In September, his runway show riffed on the movie “Jaws,” with models in various types of wetsuits strolling in front of enormous screens depicting a glistening ocean.Many of the garments had big bites taken out of them — as in shark bites. Simons said the shark represented danger.“Very often we are attracted to things that we actually know are dangerous,” he said in an interview. “But we can’t stay away from it.”Some of models wore tasseled caps and robes; Simons was also riffing on “The Graduate.”At his show last February, Simons coated the former American Stock Exchange Building in downtown Manhattan with a huge bed of popcorn. Guests slogged through the kernels to get to their seats, with bits of popcorn falling into boots and shoes and coating one’s clothes with powder.It was Simons’ version of an American landscape, including a huge barn house. But the clothes evoked not so much rural America as a dystopian world on another planet, with balaclavas, huge gloves, and bits of Mylar flowing from the garments.As was typical, that show was attended by a slew of celebrities including Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, Laura Dern, and — straight from a premiere party — the cast of “The Black Panther,” including Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o and Chadwick Boseman.Calvin Klein will not show during New York Fashion Week in February 2019. No word was given about a successor.Jocelyn Noveck, The Associated Press
FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – An overheating light ballast caused officials to evacuate Peace Villa for a short time this morning.Deputy Fire Chief Darrell Blades with the Fort St. John Fire Department said that firefighters were called out to Peace Villa shortly before 7:30 Friday morning. He said that an overheating light ballast began emitting smoke, setting off the building’s fire alarms.
Residents of Peace Villa seen during this morning’s evacuation. Submitted photo. Blades said that Peace Villa was evacuated while firefighters went inside to investigate. He said that apart from a minor amount of smoke, there was no extension of fire, and the facility’s residents and staff were allowed to return inside after about ten minutes. No one was injured.
Residents looking to adopt a furry friend can do so by visiting the North Peace SPCA at 9311 81st Avenue. All “Purr-fect” adoptable companions can be found here.For more information contact the North Peace SPCA at (250) 785-7722. FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – The BC SPCA’s North Peace Branch in Fort St. John is hoping to find as many good homes as possible for cats this month by offering an intriguing promotion.As of July 10th, all cat adoption fees at the North Peace SPCA will be for half the original cost. In a release the SPCA said that the promotion will be running until the end of July.“We have so many cats and kittens in our care right now and we’d like to find them loving homes,” said North Peace SPCA manager Candace Buchamer. “We’re hoping this promotion will encourage anyone who has been considering cat adoption to take the next step and make it a reality.”
GRANDE PRAIRIE, B.C. – The RCMP’s Major Crime Unit (MCU) and Grande Prairie RCMP Detachment are investigating the suspicious death of an adult male.The morning of January 20th, 2019 at approximately 1:30 a.m., police responded to a report of an altercation in the area of Resource Road and 100th Avenue. An adult male suffered serious injuries was transported to the Grande Prairie Hospital were he was pronounced deceased.MCU have now assumed carriage of the police investigation which is in its preliminary stages. Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed this altercation to contact Grande Prairie RCMP at 780-830-5700 or your local police.If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store.”
A scene from the movie Ratatouille: A tall, lanky man walks into a classy French establishment and opens the menu. His name is Anton Ego. The waiter, Mustafa, walks in. Mustafa: Do you know what you’d like this evening, sir?Anton Ego: Yes, I think I do. After reading a lot of overheated puffery about your new cook, you know what I’m craving? A little perspective. That’s it. I’d like some fresh, clear, well-seasoned perspective. Can you suggest a good wine to go with that? Also Read – Torpedoing BengalMustafa: With what, sir? Anton Ego: Perspective. Fresh out, I take it? Mustafa: I am, uh . . . Perspective was what was on our minds as we rumbled along the dirt paths into Rongmesek, our last stop of this journey. It’s hard to come by these days. With all the advances in technology one would think that we’ve become more global of a community, when the reality is that we’re still living in bubbles – from newsfeeds to friend circles – huddled together in Plato’s cosy cave. Also Read – Educational model of coexistenceBut as we turned away from the concrete and into a lush wilderness tucked behind the hills of Meghalaya, a tribal community changed all that. Before we knew it, it had started. That indescribable ooey-gooey warm brownie feeling deep in our souls in a week that began with an animal sacrifice and ended with a fashion show. There’s a lot going on in this community straddled between a traditional past and modern future. Perspective is ripe and served daily. SPIRITS OF LIFE As with most days in Ri-Bhoi, there was a glass of rice beer in our hands before we trekked behind Albinus Timug, the head of this riad, or village-state, to one of the sixteen communities on the outskirts. (It’s quite possible that we accidentally called him Albus a couple times. Although unfortunately not a wizard, he was equally eccentric.) It was there that we would witness a ceremony only imaginable in a Hogwarts Divination class: a reading of entrails. But before we could take our seats Albinus spotted our bamboo mugs were empty and called for a refill, an offer we couldn’t refuse. A chicken slowly bled to death in the hands of one of the village elders who chanted from the depths of his throat. Next to us sat Dr Fabian Lyngdoh – also with a bamboo mug of rice beer – translating the local Khasi dialect of the man to his right (he wasn’t having any rice beer so we question his judgment). The ritual that was unfolding in front of us was one that falls under ‘animism’ or an indigenous faith sometimes referred to as Ancient Hinduism – but due to the variety of influences from East Asia, these titles are mere political classifications rather than a true reflection of the faith. What exists here is a rich and robust tradition with unique mythologies such as the mythical bird, voplakpi, that propagated mankind. Before the elder were two gourds – representing two deities, or Spirits of Nature. According to myth, one of these deities, Peng, was at first a wild, evil ‘forest entity’ with a proclivity for trickery. After mankind tamed him, he took his spot above their doorways, protecting them from other malevolent spirits as the new household guardian (in exchange or the occasional meal). The ceremony continued as the elder placed the chicken at the foot of these deities and brought out a bamboo mug of his own. These deities were being called upon through these prayers to aid in the village’s request, to ensure a successful start to the sowing cycle that would begin the next day. He sprinkled the rice beer on to the gourds, inviting the deities to give their blessing. After this, he made an incision in the chicken’s rear end to pull out the entrails. Took a moment with them. Then finally announced that the ceremony had been a success – how he determined so was not something we were made privy to. But the village elder wasn’t alone in that decision. To help him, he had, at the very beginning, also called upon his ancestors, another important facet of their faith. From deities to ancestral spirits, these communities pay homage to their lineage as well as nature, fostering a connectedness to the world around them. The offering of rice beer represents their gratitude, but no ceremony can end without feeding the deities. The chicken, along with rice used in the ceremony, was then cooked and served to the deities before parting ways. VILLAGE ON FIRE Some traditions, however, fade with time. The vibes of the main town of Rongmesek are more modern. And smack dab in the middle is a church. Our story begins in Rome, 1889. A religious congregation – the Society of the Divine Saviour – is preparing to send the German Father Otto Hopfenmuller to Assam to indoctrinate communities into their faith. Otto makes his way over to Shillong where his first few months are spent learning the tribal culture and translating Christian scriptures into Khasi. The legend goes, as Dr Fabian’s brother, Constantine, narrates, that there once was a village called Phahamingding, or the village on fire. For years a great mystery had plagued the residents: every spring, a fire would ravage the village, destroying land and houses alike. Until one fortunate day a French priest encountered this village and baptized its community into the Catholic faith, and suggested they rename the village to Rongmesek. Then—the fires stopped. Becoming Christian has made this community no less Indian But faith was only a pinch of what followed. A church was founded in the heart of the village, and a school at its side. Education led to improvements in language, agriculture, macro-economics and societal welfare. To appease the pessimist in you, crediting the new life of this village – away from magical fires – to education wouldn’t be a stretch. Today, Sunday mass has become an ingrained part of the lifestyle with the entire town closing for the day. While the Catholic doctrines might not have changed, the spirit of Karbi culture has affected how Christian practices manifest themselves in this once burning village: during mass, traditional dances are a part of the ceremony. The custom of blessing grains with the ceremonies of the indigenous faith continues in its own fashion at the church. Constantine finds an enthusiasm behind the newfound Christian faith. There’s a joy that this once isolated village has now become part of a bigger community. Whether wrong or right, everything that happened has led to this moment for the village. We have no control over the past. There is no point in regret. Whether it was truly a miracle, coincidence or simply strategic planning—ultimately faith is what you make of it. And in this community, it served as a step forward. In the month of August, prayers are dedicated to India with the national flag proudly swaying inside the church. (Photographs extracted and text excerpted with permission from Bhagwaan Ke Pakwaan; written by Devang Singh & Varud Gupta; published by Penguin. The excerpt here is a part of the chapter titled ‘Rongmesek, Meghalaya’.)
New Delhi: Former champions P V Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth will look to shrug off their erratic form and ensure an Indian sweep at the USD 350,000 India Open, which is shorn of star power this time. With Saina Nehwal pulling out of the country’s blue-riband tournament after failing to recover from acute gastroenteritis, the onus will be on Sindhu and Srikanth to keep the tricolour flying at the business end of the tournament starting Tuesday. Olympic silver-medallist Sindhu, who claimed the World Tour Finals in December last year, will be the firm favourite to secure the women’s title after receiving the top billing following the pullout of Chinese top seed and reigning All England champion Chen Yufei due to medical reasons. Also Read – Puducherry on top after 8-wkt win over ChandigarhThe absence of Japanese players will also help Sindhu’s case. Sindhu had a decent start to the new season with a quarterfinal finish at the Indonesia Masters but a first-round exit at the prestigious All England Championship came as a major jolt. The Indian ace, who won silver medals at the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and the World Championship in 2018, will draw inspiration from her performance in the last two editions where she had reached the finals and claimed the title in 2017. Also Read – Vijender’s next fight on Nov 22, opponent to be announced laterSindhu will open against compatriot Mugdha Agrey and is expected to face fast-rising Danish Mia Blichfeldt, seeded eighth, in the quarterfinals. A win is likely to pit her against Chinese third seed He Bingjiao. Youngsters Vrushali Gummadi and Sai Uttejitha Rao Chukka will also be in the fray in women’s singles at the World Tour Super 500 event. The tournament will hold a lot of prominence for third seed Srikanth, who has endured a title draught for the last 17 months. With defending champion and top seed Shi Yuqi pulling out, Srikanth will be at the forefront along with former world champion Viktor Axelsen, who had claimed the title in 2017 after three back-to-back finals. Srikanth, who clinched as many as four titles in 2017, consistently reached the quarterfinals in 2018 but couldn’t come close to claiming a title with the 2017 French Open triumph being his last win. The 26-year-old from Guntur, who clinched the title in 2015, will begin his campaign against familiar foe, Hong Kong’s Wong Wing Ki Vincent, and might come across fellow Indians Sameer Verma or B Sai Praneeth later as both are in the same half of the draw. Fifth seed Sameer, after reaching the semifinals at the World Tour Finals, will open against Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke, while Praneeth faces a qualifier. RMV Gurusaidutt too is in the same half and will start against Thailand’s Sitthikom Thammasin. Praneeth, who had clinched the 2017 Singapore Open for his first maiden Super Series title, is coming into the tournament after securing a final spot at the Swiss Open and he will look to extend his good run. The other half of the men’s singles draw will have HS Prannoy, Subhankar Dey, Ajay Jayaram and Parupalli Kashyap. Prannoy, troubled by a gastro-esophageal reflux disease last season, is coming to the event after competing at the Asia Mixed Team championship and will take on Thailand’s eighth seed Kantaphon Wangcharoen. SaarLorLux Open champion Subhankar, who had stunned Asian Games champion Jonatan Christie of Indonesia on way to a quarterfinal finish at the Swiss Open, will open against fourth seed Indonesian Tommy Sugiarto. Ajay and Kashyap, two careers marred by injuries, will look to continue their comeback with first-round matches against Chinese Taipei’s Wang Tzu Wei and Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu respectively. In doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty withdrew with the former still recovering from a shoulder injury. Sixth seeds Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy will lead the challenge in men’s doubles, which also features Arjun MR and Ramchandran Shlok. Arun George and Sanyam Shukla will also be a pair to look out for after they stunned World No. 14 pair of Liao Min Chun and Ching Heng last week at Hong Kong. In women’s doubles, Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy and Meghana Jakkampudi and Poorvisha S Ram will be in fray, while Pranaav Jerry Chopra and Sikki will be the best hope in mixed event.
Mohali: Opener K L Rahul cracked a patient 50 before a terrific cameo by skipper Ravichandran Ashwin powered Kings XI Punjab to a challenging 182 for six against Rajasthan Royals in a second leg IPL clash here on Tuesday. Rahul, who was named in the World Cup squad on Monday, recovered after a slow start to post a 47-ball 52 studded with three fours and two sixes. He was ably supported by David Miller (40 off 27) as the duo shared a 85-run stand to lay the foundation. Also Read – Puducherry on top after 8-wkt win over ChandigarhAshwin then blasted a four-ball 17 in the last over as KXIP posted a good total on board. Pacer Jofra Archer (3/15) returned with an exceptional three-wicket haul to emerge as the best bowler for the Royals. Invited to bat, opener Gayle (30) smashed Jaydev Unadkat for a couple of sixes in the second over, before blasting Dhawal Kulkarni for a four and a six in the fifth over. Archer then had him caught behind by Sanju Samson in the sixth over as KXIP were 39 for one in the first powerplay overs. Also Read – Vijender’s next fight on Nov 22, opponent to be announced laterPlaying his first IPL game this season, New Zealand’s Ish Sodhi was then introduced into the attack and Mayank Agarwal (26 off 12) clobbered him for a six in the fourth ball. Agarwal then picked up a four and a six off Shreyas Gopal before Sodhi returned to remove him. Trying to play a slog sweep, Agarwal was caught by Archer at long-on. Left stranded on the other end, Rahul tried to steady the ship with Miller, who came into the side due to the last-minute ankle injury of Moises Henriques. The duo took singles and twos before Rahul finally scored his first boundary when he lifted a Unadkat delivery across the mid-off region. In the 14th over, Rahul and Miller exploded after bringing up the hundred for KXIP. The duo amassed 19 runs off Sodhi’s over, his last, with Rahul smoking a massive six over deep square leg and Miller thumping one over long-off. Brief scores: Kings XI Punjab: 182 for 6 in 20 overs (KL Rahul 52; J Archer 3/15) vs Rajasthan Royals.