Back 1990, The Pixies were an extremely hot commodity. One of their biggest fans was Eddie Vedder, who considered them a major influence, especially with the way singer Black Francis attacked a song.
When Pearl Jam got a deal with Epic Records, he discovered that Pixies drummer David Lovering was married to a publicist at Epic. Eddie contacted David looking for guidance. What did the band need to do? How should they treat the relationship with their label. What did a brand new band have to do to cut through all the noise?
David gave him this advance: “This is something that you love, playing music. Just enjoy yourself.” That seemed to work, didn’t it?
All through his professional life, David Bowie was a big fan of Bob Dylan. In fact, there’s a song on Bowie’s 1971 album, Hunky Dory, entitled Song for Bob Dylan. There was also a considerable amount of respect coming back from Dylan, too.
In fact, Bowie says he wrote a lot of things with Zimmy, and at one point, there were plans for the two of them to duet on an unnamed song. “We got it in our heads that we could do a duet, like a thing,” says Bowie. It seemed to be a thing one evening, but the morning after, Dylan ghosted Bowie on the idea and it never happened.
You have to wonder what such a recording would have sounded like? I’ll bet that the lyrics would have been great.
Before Sweden’s Karl Martin Sandberg changed his name to Max Martin and became a writer and producer of number-one pop hits for Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Pink, the Backstreet Boys, and so many others, he was—wait for it—in a hair metal band.
Martin began in music in 1985 while still in high school when he was the lead singer of a glam metal band called It’s Alive. They eventually released a couple of albums and developed a sound that wasn’t unlike what we hear from Faith No More. Unfortunately, things did not go well for It’s Alive. Outside of a bit of a bump in Sweden, the group went nowhere and the band broke up.
Martin moved into writing and producing under the mentorship of a Swedish producer named Denniz Pop. That worked and within a few years, he was cranking out some of the biggest pop songs the planet has ever seen. Talk about a career change, huh?
Diabetes is one of the most common afflictions found in the general public and there are many different drugs that can be used to treat it. But how about music? Can it be used to stimulate the body’s production of insulin? Apparently so.
Earlier this year, Swiss researchers published an article in the medical journal The Lancet detailing a procedure where insulin-producing cells are implanted in the body and subjected to different triggers from outside. They tried light, temperature, and electric fields. But there’s also another way to stimulate these capsules: music.
By exposing the patient to certain songs, the capsules do their magic, causing them to release insulin within just minutes. They tried all sorts of different tracks, but the one that’s worked the best—at least so far—is We Will Rock You by Queen.
A clinical application is still not feasible—this is just a proof of concept so far—but the results have been promising.
Construction completion on a stretch of Stony Plain Rd has been delayed.
Global News
Valley line construction has ripped up Stony Plain Road, and for people who live here trying to get around has been a maze.
The work in the area of 131st-139th Street was supposed to be finished by the beginning of November, but now it’s looking like it will be closed until the end of that month.
Anne Hill has lived in the area for decades and said it’s annoying.
“You know I would say maybe June or July next year, that I might believe and that would just be the end of the beginning,” Hill said.
“It’s worse than anything else, in terms of disrupting traffic flow.”
Marigold Infrastructure Partners is the company doing the work and said in a construction notice it ran into challenges. It said early in the season, Marigold exposed existing infrastructure that wasn’t deemed adequate and needed to do unexpected work.
Weather also was challenging, with wet conditions making large vehicle access difficult. These large vehicles are needed for dry utilities and concrete work.
Another issue was a skilled labour shortage.
“Might there be a labour shortage, yes, but at the same time you have to be prepared for what you have to do for work to make sure you’re hitting those milestones,” City Councillor Andrew Knack said.
Knack said there are financial implications for companies missing deadlines.
“This is going to hurt their bottom line because if they are not hitting their milestones they are missing out on payments from the city,” Knack said.
Knack is putting forward a motion to city council Wednesday to help businesses that are directly affected because of construction delays.
“I think it’s important for us to support the small businesses that really do rely on this and can see a dramatic impact.”
Marigold crews are expected to complete a majority of permanent works by the end of the season, anywhere that is not finished will have temporary asphalt to open the road to motorists over the winter season.
A new long-term care home is on its way to Grenfell, Sask., after years of residents searching for care.
The new 33-bed facility will be built on vacant lands on the northeast corner of Grenfell near Assiniboia Avenue and Highway 47, the province said in a news release.
The 2023-24 provincial budget includes $10 million toward the new Grenfell Long-Term Care Home. The new home will include two spa tub rooms, a commercial kitchen, common living and dining spaces, administrative areas, a maintenance garage and parking stalls.
“The residents of the Town of Grenfell and surrounding municipalities are very excited to finally have the sod turning for the new Level IV long-term care home,” said Grenfell mayor and chair of the Grenfell Health Foundation, Rod Wolfe.
“We look forward to working with the SHA and contractors for the project throughout construction, and into operationalization of the new home.”
The construction begins at a time when long-term care is not easily available in the community. In 2016, eight beds at the Grenfell Pioneer Nursing Home were closed, and in 2018, the home was closed entirely after mold was discovered throughout.
The residents were relocated to surrounding communities.
“This very important milestone means the community of Grenfell and the surrounding area are one step closer in welcoming some of their resident back to their home community in the future Grenfell Long-Term Care Home,” Integrated Rural Health physician executive Dr. Johann Roodt said.
“The community will be able to see the beginnings of a beautiful building that will eventually become home to so many for years to come.”
Scott Builders Inc. will be in charge of construction and are expected to continue work until the winter freeze.
Work will resume in the spring of 2024, with the project expected to be complete by 2025.
Grenfell is located approximately 126 km east of Regina and is home to just over 1,000 residents.
'Hate has no home here' reads one of the signs put up in the Fleetwood area of Surrey.
Global News
A group of residents from the Fleetwood area of Surrey spent some time in the rain Monday, spreading the message that hate is not welcome in their community.
The neighbours are calling for unity and love in response to vandalism at Fleetwood Park sometime over the weekend.
A picnic table was painted with hateful graffiti, including a swastika, some racist remarks against the South Asian community and the words “whites only.”
The graffiti was quickly cleaned up but when community members returned to the park Monday, it was back.
They cleaned it up again and put up signs saying ‘Hate has no place here’ and ‘No space for hate’.
Braden Remillard lives in the area and said on Sunday morning he saw a post on the Facebook Fleetwood Community page and was shocked to see the racist vandalism.
“To see something like that, it was really disheartening to see that someone could put such a hateful message out like that to the community,” he said.
Remillard was the one who cleaned up the graffiti on Sunday.
He said it was encouraging to see people come out in the rain on Monday with the message that everyone should be included and feel welcome.
“That’s what Canada’s about,” he said. “Everyone’s here to enjoy the country and have freedom.”
Remillard said he hopes the gathering Monday shows others that they are a community that comes together in love and respects each other.
Julia Pirog also attended the event Monday and said she saw the same Facebook page Remillard did.
“I wanted to do something to show the community that people are looking to support each other and don’t want to spread fear and this type of thing won’t be tolerated,” she said.
It is not known who defaced the table with the racist messages.
Global News has reached out to Surrey RCMP but has not yet heard back to find out if they are investigating.
In a statement, Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke said “I am disgusted by this and l will be talking to the OIC of Surrey RCMP to see if they can find the perpetrator who committed this tasteless and hurtful act.
“Surrey thrives on its diversity. Hate speech and racist views have absolutely no place in our City. The gathering at Fleetwood Park today shows the true nature of Surrey where we celebrate our inclusivity and stand united against hate.”
The suspect hugged the child, then began to walk away while still carrying him in her arms, police allege.
The boy’s mother confronted the suspect, who then placed the boy back on the ground before leaving the area. The child was unharmed.
Hamilton police say that the mother and the suspect were not known to each other.
Soon after the incident, police arrested 37-year-old Simithy Mansaray of Hamilton’s Rymal Road area. She’s been charged with abduction of a person under 14.
A photo of the suspect has been released as a matter of public safety, police say.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Det. Sami Haddad at 905-546-3818.
Lake Winnipeg is facing an algae bloom this year, leaving experts worried about the state of the lake's ecosystem.
Courtesy Alicia Thwaites
Lake Winnipeg is contending with an increasing amount of algae, resulting in unintended consequences.
With Lake Winnipeg facing down an algae bloom, fish are paying the price. Large quantities of the aquatic plant kill fish when it decomposes and removes oxygen from the water. Alexis Kanu, executive director of the Lake WinnipegFoundation, said one of the causes of such a bloom is phosphorous.
“Phosphorous is a nutrient that gets flushed into our waterways and makes its way into Lake Winnipeg. It’s the driving force behind the growth of these blooms,” Kanu said. “People who live and work on the lake have been reporting these blooms for decades. Unfortunately, we’re still not seeing the action that we need from government on this issue.”
Phosphorous, Kanu said, is a nutrient for plants. It’s what controls the growth of algae, and putting an excess of it into waterways can feed the bloom. The way to solve this, she said, is by regulating activities that generate a surplus of the nutrient. She pointed at things like human and animal waste that can produce phosphorous.
Regulating how sewage treatment plants can operate, she said, would reduce the flow of the nutrient into the lake.
Kanu noted that at the city’s North End sewage treatment plant, the limit of production of phosphorous has not been met — with the limit sitting at one milligram per litre. Global News has reached out to the City of Winnipeg about the facility’s compliance.
Another avenue of phosphorous production is farming, according to Michael Rennie.
An algae bloom on Lake Winnipeg may be a result of an increased flow of phosphorous into the waterway, according to experts.
Courtesy Pat Payjack
Rennie, an ecologist and research fellow with the IISD Experimental Lakes Area, said major industrial changes need to be made to solve the problem of algae blooms. Otherwise, a ripple effect caused by the consequences of having more algae can be detrimental. And it would put at risk not only fishing and recreation, he said, but also the entire health of Lake Winnipeg.
“If you start dramatically changing abundances of particular food web components in any ecosystem, whether it’s lake whitefish or walleye or anything else, that’s going to have knock-on effects right across the board,” Rennie said.
Rick Gergatz, the administrator of The Lake Winnipeg Report, a Facebook page dedicated to informing residents about the conditions on the lake, said he’s received photos from many people pointing to the presence of algae across the lake’s shoreline.
He noted that the plant’s presence seems to be more concentrated on the west side.
Phosphorous is a nutrient, experts say, that is feeding the growth of algae across Lake Winnipeg. One way to deal with it may be by regulating its production.
Courtesy Pat Payjack
“Anywhere from Winnipeg Beach all the way up to Sandy Bar, and even into Hecla area,” Gergatz said. “Algae is normal, excessive algae is not. That’s what we’re getting right now. And (it’s) because we’re treating the lake as our sewage lagoon.”
According to Gergatz, the problem is being compounded. With the damage already done, he said, it’s time to “smarten up.” One way to do so would be to regulate the city’s North End treatment plant, he added.
Ultimately, to Gergatz, Lake Winnipeg has always been beautiful. He said he just wants to see it treated right.
WATCH: Post-secondary institutions are getting their enrolment numbers finalized and it looks like Lethbridge College’s student body is returning to pre-COVID-19-pandemic levels. As Erik Bay tells us, overall enrolment is in line with 2019 figures, with some demographics up by a wide margin year-over-year.
Lethbridge College is seeing a resurgence in its overall enrolment.
“If I look at fall 2019, I think we’re up 20 students from then,” said registrar Marko Hilgersom.
According to Hilgersom, the college’s current enrolment is up eight per cent compared to last year, adding about 400 students.
That puts student totals around 5,500 — on par with pre-COVID-19 pandemic figures.
“It’s good. It means budget remains in play from what we planned on, because we did plan for a modest increase,” Hilgersom said.
Certain demographics within the student body are fuelling that bump.
Enrolment for apprenticeship programs is 20-per cent higher, while international students continue returning to post-secondary institutions.
Learners from other countries now make up roughly one-fifth of the college’s student base.
“It’s a trend across the province,” Hilgersom said. “International is our big growth market if you think of… the amount of people that live outside of Canada and want to take advantage of our excellent education system as well as opportunities.”
There is one key group that’s staying stagnant, however.
“Domestic numbers are pretty flat still, so it’s not quite the enrolment growth we were hoping,” Hilgersom said.
He adds there’s an effort to attract more southern Albertans to Lethbridge for their education.
“We work a lot stronger with local school districts, because it’s their interest, too. They want their students transitioning into post-secondary,” Hilgersom said.
“Industry’s also involved, because they see the need for continuous support in their labour force.”
Steps Lethbridge College is hoping it will continue its post-pandemic rebound.
The University of Lethbridge is set to release its enrolment numbers Tuesday.
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