Small Professor is featured in this week's installment of Slingshot City Scenes. Dewey Saunders
Dewey Saunders
This article was originally featured onWXPN's The Keyon May 20.
In recent years, the beat-making community has grown into a global movement. Once a small, insular guild of folks with specialized skills, the knowledge required to make beats has been democratized via YouTube tutorials, info-sharing message boards, and more. Coupled with the fact that access to the technology required to produce tracks has opened up, allowing people from all walks of life to produce music for musical communities around the world, and beat-making is flourishing in 2021.
Predictably, this dynamic exists here in Philly as well. Our city boasts a great variety of producers who can not only make tracks for artists, they showcase their skills by creating and releasing their own independent instrumental projects. Here are five of the best recent beat tapes by producers with deep ties to our city's music scene.
Rolled Gold, Archetype Beats Vol. 4
For years, Philly-based producer and multi-instrumentalist Rolled Gold has been carving out a distinct sound built around crisp kicks and snares, as well as soulful chord progressions. For the fourth volume of his Archetype Beats series, Rolled Gold lays down nine breezy instrumental tracks that are a perfect complement to a nice smoke or meditation session.
GentleJawns, GentleJawns Vol 2
Working under the name GentleJawns, Joie Kathos and Jacqueline Constance create beats that are colorful and understated. With tracks like the dreamy Neo-Soul bop "After 2am" and "I Don't Know" with its atmospheric synths, GentleJawns Vol 2 establishes a sound that is bittersweet, rich and nocturnal.
AP, FREE WRLD
FREE WRLD is an impressive debut beat tape from up-and-coming producer AP. Whether it's the soulful keys and bouncy drum break on "Eastcoast Sweatshirt" or the slick, Fela-esque groove of "Afro," the entire tape is full of inventive tracks, and it's exciting to imagine what AP will do next behind the boards.
Small Professor, A Jawn Supreme (Vol. 1-3)
For the past 10 years, Small Professor's Jawns series has acted as an outlet for the Philly-born producer to flex his adept sample flipping skills. A Jawn Supreme (Vol. 1-3) is a peak in Small Pro's long and varied career with each tape showcasing his evocative and quirky approach to manipulating and arranging samples.
Deion, Life Is Beats Part II
Jersey-born and Philly-raised producer/filmmaker Deion's Life Is Beats Part II acts as the score to Life Is Strange, a film that Deion created and released independently this year. With the film's story focusing on two brothers on the run from law enforcement, this soulful soundtrack sets a dramatic tone that is rich with emotion.
Panama has alerted U.S. officials that there’s the potential for 60,000 migrants to rush the southern border while hundreds of thousands have already entered the country this year.
‘The Five’ co-host Dan Bongino questioned the presence of a border at all if its function is not to separate nations, protect citizens and ensure national security.
"We don’t have a border," he said. "Can we please just stop the silliness that there’s a southern border?"
Bongino reiterated the definition of a border as a "delineation point" between two landmasses but the administration’s policy deteriorates the existence of any physical boundary.
"So if the theory is, well, you can kind of walk back and forth however you want… then why are you even saying we have a border?" he asked. "You can call it a uni-country, you can call it a landmass, but the border isn’t designed to be a suggestion."
Bongino argued that the immigration surge was "clearly intentional" by Democrats who have acted surprised as the number of migrants has spiked.
"Democrats aren’t dumb," he said. "This is clearly intentional and we should stop pretending it isn’t."
Co-host Jesse Watters shared his frustration for the Biden administration reversing Donald Trump’s remain-in-Mexico policy.
FILE - In this Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021, file photo, migrants, many from Haiti, are seen at an encampment along the Del Rio International Bridge near the Rio Grande in Del Rio, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
"Remain-in-Mexico policy is such a gift Trump gave this guy," he said. "And Joe’s just spitting on it. Let them stay in Mexico and apply for asylum there."
Watters suggested the president promise Mexico millions of more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in exchange for an agreement to stop sending caravans across the border.
"The Story" host Martha MacCallum explained that migrants coming by the tens of thousands have been waiting for the green light to cross over into the U.S. and "who can blame them" when they see relatives and friends successfully doing just that.
"The strategy has been quite clear and that is to allow people to come," she said. "Why wouldn’t you come? It’s a better place to live, there are more jobs and you get free money and health care."
Pepsi, the NFL and Roc Nation have assembled a lineup of trailblazing musicians to perform the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show: Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar will take the world's biggest stage at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, airing on NBC and Telemundo, and streaming live on Peacock.
The Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show marks the first time these five multi-award-winning artists will perform together on stage, exciting music fans worldwide and holding a special significance for the greater Los Angeles community, as they host the Super Bowl for the first time in nearly 30 years. Collectively, these artists have been awarded 43 Grammys and have created 22 No. 1 Billboard albums.
Dr. Dre is widely credited with being one of the most influential figures in hip hop culture and a driving force behind its mass popularity. While all five artists have deeply influenced this genre of music, each brings a unique style to the world's biggest stage for what's sure to be 12 minutes of unforgettable greatness.
As part of the collaboration around the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show, Pepsi and the NFL have also joined together to support the launch of Regional School #1, a magnet high school in South Los Angeles that is set to open for students next fall as part of the LA Unified School District. The high school is based on the nationally recognized USC Iovine and Young Academy, a program founded by Jimmy Iovine and Andre "Dr. Dre" Young, that will offer a unique educational model focused on the theme of Integrated Design, Technology, and Entrepreneurship.
In addition to philanthropic support of the project, Pepsi and the NFL will collaborate with the school, its partners and the local community to develop and deliver community inspired applied learning experiences and industry internships. "This effort will help develop and inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators," Los Angeles Unified Interim Superintendent Megan K. Reilly said. "We are excited about the additional opportunities this partnership will bring to our students."
Marking the third year of this collaboration, Pepsi, the NFL and Roc Nation are excited to bring these genre defining artists together for a larger-than-life performance of hits from their deep collective catalog.
The Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show telecast will be produced by DPS with Roc Nation and Jesse Collins serving as executive producers, and Hamish Hamilton serving as director. Roc Nation is also serving as the strategic entertainment advisors of the live performance.
"The opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime show, and to do it in my own backyard, will be one of the biggest thrills of my career," said Dr. Dre. "I'm grateful to JAY-Z, Roc Nation, the NFL, and Pepsi as well as Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar for joining me in what will be an unforgettable cultural moment."
"On February 13, 2022, at the Super Bowl LVI in Inglewood, CA, in the new SoFi Stadium, Dr. Dre, a musical visionary from Compton, Snoop Dogg, an icon from Long Beach and Kendrick Lamar, a young musical pioneer in his own right, also from Compton, will take center field for a performance of a lifetime, said Shawn "JAY-Z" Carter. "They will be joined by the lyrical genius, Eminem and the timeless Queen, Mary J. Blige. This is the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show. This is history in the making."
"This year we are blowing the roof off the concept of collaboration," said Adam Harter, Senior Vice President of Media, Sports and Entertainment at PepsiCo. "Along with the NFL and Roc Nation, we continue to try and push the limits on what fans can expect during the most exciting 12 minutes in music; this year's superstar line-up is sure to deliver a mind-blowing performance."
"Artists like Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg were at the forefront of the West Coast hip hop revolution, so to be able to bring them back to LA, where it all began alongside Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar will prove to be an epic, unforgettable celebration of the impact hip hop has today," said Todd Kaplan, Pepsi Marketing VP. "The Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show has become a landmark cultural moment, bringing about some of the most iconic performances over the years – from JLo and Shakira to Lady Gaga to The Weeknd – and we are thrilled to bring together such an incredible array of talented, record-breaking musicians to put on a performance for the ages."
In 2021, Mexico is continuing to struggle with the spread of the Covid-19 virus, but is already showing some positive signs of economic recovery. Over the last few weeks I’ve tweeted a number of news stories highlighting current political and economic trends in Mexico.
On September 3, I tweeted this Insight Crime story on Mexico’s record-breaking levels of remittances. The article explains that Mexico’s Central Bank (Banco de México - Banxico) reported that more than $28 billion in remittances have been sent to Mexico from the U.S. during the first seven months of 2021, up 23% from 2020. The jump in remittances, the Insight Crime report explains, could be driven in part by higher levels of money laundering.
On September 7, I tweeted this Washington Post story on Mexico’s Supreme Court’s move to decriminalize abortion.
On September 12, I tweeted this Guardian story about Mexico’s ranking as the 2nd most dangerous country in the world for environmental activists. The article explains, “As in previous years, South and Central America – home to the world’s richest biodiversity and intact forest – was the deadliest region for those trying to resist mining, logging and agribusiness. The second deadliest nation was Mexico, where 30 defenders lost their lives.”
On September 16, I tweeted this New York Times story on rising Covid-19 case rates in Mexico and other parts of the region. The article explains, “While the spread of new coronavirus cases is steady or slowing in much of the world, it is accelerating in the Western Hemisphere, where new case reports rose by 20 percent in the past week.”
On September 24, I tweeted this Bloomberg story on Mexico’s lopsided recovery from the Covid-19 recession of 2020. The article explains that Mexico’s President Lopez Obrador’s stingy Covid-response policies are “partly to blame.” The article also explains that, “Growth along the border will power a 5.9% economic expansion across Mexico this year, following last year’s 8.2% contraction. But the shape of the recovery is the opposite of what López Obrador was hoping for when he took office in 2018, promising to battle inequality and wean Mexico off its reliance on foreign companies.”
Fairphone, the manufacturer focused on making easy to repair smartphones made out of ethically sourced materials, just took the wraps off its fourth-generation handset. The Fairphone 4 uses a modular design that’s similar to the company’s previous phones, only now with more powerful internals, a five-year warranty, and a promise of two major Android updates and software support until the end of 2025. Prices start at €579 / £499 for the phone, which will ship on October 25th.
I’ve been using the Fairphone 4 for a couple of days as my primary phone, and while I’m not ready to give a final verdict just yet, it feels like a big step forward compared to the dated designs and low-power components found in the company’s previous phones. Stay tuned for my full review.
Fairphone’s ambition is to produce a more ethical alternative to modern smartphones. That means making a device that’s ethically sourced using sustainable materials before providing the software support and warranty to make it useable for as long as possible. Although Fairphone is only guaranteeing software support until the end of 2025, it has ambitions to extend this as far as 2027. In an ideal world, Fairphone would also like to eventually release 2024’s Android 15 as an update to the phone.
Normally, the specs of Fairphone’s devices are secondary to its ethical considerations, but unlike its previous phones, the Fairphone 4 is competitive with other mid-range Android handsets. The 5G handset is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 750G processor, and that’s paired with either 6 or 8GB of RAM and 128 or 256GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD. It’s powered by a 3,905mAh removable battery, and the display is a 6.3-inch 1080p LCD panel.
There are two rear cameras — a 48-megapixel main camera and a 48-megapixel ultrawide — and a single 25-megapixel selfie camera. The main rear camera is equipped with optical image stabilization and can record at up to 4K / 30fps.
A notable downside compared to previous Fairphones is that the Fairphone 4 no longer includes a 3.5mm headphone jack, a choice that feels at odds with the company’s otherwise customer-first approach. Fairphone tells me it made this decision in order to be able to offer an official IP rating for dust and water resistance, which was missing from the company’s previous phones. It’s only IP54, which means it’s protected from light splashes rather than full submersion, but that’s impressive in light of its removable rear cover and modular design.
Regarding its modularity, Fairphone is selling eight repair modules for the phone, which include replacement displays, batteries, back covers, USB-C ports, loudspeakers, earpieces, rear cameras, and selfie cameras. All of these are easily removable using a standard Philips head screwdriver, which means customers should be able to carry out a lot of repairs themselves. But, if you need to turn to a professional, Fairphone says its spare parts are readily available for local repair shops to buy and use themselves.
Fairphone’s previous two phones are the only devices to have received perfect repairability scores from iFixit, and the company tells me it believes the Fairphone 4 is even more repairable.
The hope is for these spare parts to be available until at least 2027. Fairphone has a good track record with previous devices, telling me it still has parts in stock for the six-year-old Fairphone 2, two years after the last handset was sold. But product manager Miquel Ballester concedes that the company has run out of certain parts for that model.
So too does Fairphone have a solid record on the software side of providing major Android updates for its phones… eventually. Earlier this year, the company officially released its Android 9 update for the Fairphone 2, a device that originally launched with Android 5. It may have come almost three years after Android 9’s original release, but it means that the phone continues to run an officially supported version of Google’s operating system. It bodes well for Fairphone’s support aspirations for the Fairphone 4, although it will have to contend with the fact that Qualcomm only officially supports its chipsets for three major OS updates and four years of security updates, Ars Technica reports.
In terms of materials, the Fairphone 4 is made using Fairtrade-certified gold; responsibly sourced aluminum and tungsten; and recycled tin, rare earth minerals, and plastic (including its rear panel, which is 100 percent recycled polycarbonate). The company has various initiatives to improve the working conditions of miners and factory workers involved in the supply chains for its devices. Fairphone also claims that the Fairphone 4 is the “first electronic waste neutral handset” because it’ll recycle one phone or an equal amount of e-waste for each device sold.
The Fairphone 4 is available to preorder today in Europe and should ship starting October 25th. The model with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage costs €579 / £499, while the step-up model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage retails for €649 / ￡569. Unfortunately, there’s no sign of a US release: Fairphone says it’s interested but that it’s focusing on Europe for the time being.
“We plan to use B.C.’s clean power advantage, the power of water to transition away from using fossil fuels like gasoline, diesel and natural gas to using clean electricity over the next five years,” he told a news conference.
Premier John Horgan said the plan could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 930,000 tonnes by 2026. That is equivalent to taking about 200,000 passenger vehicles a year off the road, he noted.
“Those solutions will lead to what we call energy switching, moving away from fossil fuels and taking up more clean, green electrified options,” Horgan said.
This plan builds on existing rebates and customer supports for the installation of heat pumps, electric vehicle chargers and electrification measures, he said.
The province announced in January that it would set up an electrification fund using about $84 million from the federal government’s infrastructure investment program. The fund aims to reduce the costs of connecting to the power grid and supporting certain industrial customers upgrading their connections.
The amount would cover up to 50 per cent of a customer’s eligible costs, such as new transmission lines, to a maximum of $15 million.
It said then that depending on the industrial facilities that participate, these electrification initiatives could reduce the release of more than one million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year.
Ralston said homeowners can benefit from new top-up incentives that could save them about $3,000 over existing rebates on electric heat pumps if they’re switching from natural gas.
The government also plans to “more than triple” the number of public fast-charging stations for electric vehicles by 2025, he said.
In July, the B.C. government announced a hydrogen strategy involving government, industry and innovators to help the province achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Ralston said then that the short-term goals include establishing regional hydrogen hubs to supply fuel to industries and consumers. This would take place while increasing the number of medium and heavy-duty vehicles powered by hydrogen on highways and at industrial sites, he added.
At the news conference Tuesday, Horgan emphasized the role of such “cutting-edge innovations” along with the push for hydro power to help the province switch from fossil fuels.
Chris O’Riley, president of BC Hydro, said the province has been powered by clean energy for decades by dams and generating stations.
“The impacts of climate change, though, continue to confront us,” O’Riley said, noting the drought conditions, heat wave and fires over the past summer.
“Thanks to the clean power advantage we have here in B.C., we are well positioned to act on climate change and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 28, 2021.
Hina Alam, The Canadian Press
Note to readers: Exchanges photo attached to Site C. The previous photo was not a hydro dam.
Lloyd Strickland argued Wednesday that the breach of trust committed by Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Const. Carl Douglas Snelgrove of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary was a “stain on the entire administration of justice” and warranted a five-year sentence, as well as registration as a sexual offender for two decades, among other stipulations.
“The assault was a very significant violation of her sexual integrity,” Strickland told provincial Supreme Court Wednesday, referring to the woman and her victim impact statement, which he read aloud. “It’s clear that she’s already in a prison of her own.”
A jury convicted Snelgrove in May of sexually assaulting the woman in her living room after he gave her a ride home from outside a St. John’s, N.L., nightclub in December 2014. She was 21 at the time.
Defence lawyer Randy Piercey asked for a sentence of between 18 months and two years, arguing the woman did not actively resist the sexual activity and Snelgrove did not plan to have sex with her when he offered her a ride.
The high-profile case was tried three times after a successful appeal and a subsequent mistrial, prompting protests and citywide demonstrations of support for the woman each time a new trial began. She testified at all three trials, and the court process added to her trauma, she said in her impact statement.
‘He robbed me of my sense of safety’
She wrote that she has trust and intimacy issues because of the assault, as well as depression, anxiety and a “major loss of security and trust.” She tried to take her own life about a year after the assault, she wrote, and wound up in a mental health hospital in St. John’s.
She still has night terrors and she jolts awake in a panic if she hears noise outside her window, her statement said. She said she moved away from St. John’s as soon as she was able to.
“He robbed me of my sense of safety in my own home,” she wrote, adding: “How can you have trust in anyone when you can’t even trust the police? Police are supposed to keep us safe from harm. What he did caused me so much harm.”
Snelgrove’s wife, Diana Parsons, wrote a statement for the defence, which she read to the court.
“Doug Snelgrove is my husband, a man that I have known and loved for over 20 years,” she began. The charges against him were a “complete and utter shock,” Parsons said. “It felt like (they) were talking about someone else.”
“I am not here before you today because I’m OK with what Doug did,” she said. “His actions were inexcusable.” She said what he did was morally wrong but she did not believe it was criminal.
She said Snelgrove had dedicated his life to service, including several years with the Canadian Armed Forces in Kosovo and in Edmonton before he joined the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. He witnessed death in Kosovo, and when four soldiers from his platoon were killed in Afghanistan while he was in Alberta, she said he worked tirelessly to help the grieving families.
“To this day he still cannot explain his behaviour on that night in December 2014 other than it being a complete lack of judgment,” she said. “He knows how stupid it was, and there hasn’t been a single day since that he has not regretted his actions.” She said that as a result of the trials and the media attention, Snelgrove has anxiety and depression and has been seeing a psychologist.
Supreme Court Justice Vikas Khaladkar ordered that Snelgrove be taken into custody until he delivers his sentencing decision on Nov. 12.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29, 2021.
WARNING: This story contains disturbing content. Reader discretion is advised
A battle between gangs in a prison killed at least 116 people and injured 80 in what authorities are calling the worst penitentiary massacre in Ecuador’s history. At least five dead were reported beheaded, officials said Wednesday.
President Guillermo Lasso decreed a state of emergency in Ecuador’s prison system, allowing the government to deploy the police and soldiers to penitentiaries among other powers. Authorities attributed Tuesday’s bloodshed at the Litoral penitentiary in the coastal city of Guayaquil to gangs linked to international drug cartels fighting for control of the lockup.
Lasso, visibly affected, said at a news conference that what was happening in the Guayaquil prison was “bad and sad” and he could not for the moment guarantee that authorities had regained control of the lockup.
“It is regrettable that the prisons are being turned into territories for power disputes by criminal gangs,” he said, adding that he would act with “absolute firmness” to regain control of the Litoral prison and prevent the violence from spreading to other penitentiaries.
Images circulating on social media showed dozens of bodies in the prison’s Pavilions 9 and 10 and scenes that looked like battlefields. The fighting was with firearms, knives and bombs, officials said. Earlier, regional police commander Fausto Buenano had said that bodies were being found in the prison’s pipelines.
Ecuador’s capital under curfew after violent protests
Ecuador’s capital under curfew after violent protests – Oct 13, 2019
Outside the prison morgue, the relatives of inmates wept, with some describing to reporters the cruelty with which their loved ones were killed, decapitated and dismembered.
“In the history of the country, there has not been an incident similar or close to this one,” said Ledy Zuniga, the former president of Ecuador’s National Rehabilitation Council.
Zuniga, who authorities are calling the worst penitentiary massacre in Ecuador’s historywas also the country’s minister of justice in 2016, said she regretted that steps had not been taken to prevent another massacre following deadly prison riots last February.
Earlier, officials said the violence erupted from a dispute between the “Los Lobos” and “Los Choneros” prison gangs.
Col. Mario Pazmino, the former director of Ecuador’s military intelligence, said the bloody fighting shows that “transnational organized crime has permeated the structure” of Ecuador’s prisons, adding that Mexico’s Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels operate through local gangs.
“They want to sow fear,” he told The Associated Press on Wednesday, urging the government to temporarily cede control of the prisons to the National Police. “The more radical and violent the way they murder,” the more they achieve their goal of control, he added.
Ecuador seizes huge cocaine haul headed for Spain
Ecuador seizes huge cocaine haul headed for Spain – May 16, 2017
Ecuador’s president said that care points had been set up for relatives of the inmates with food and psychological support. He added that a $24 million program to address the country’s prisons will be accelerated, starting with investments in infrastructure and technology in the Litoral prison.
The former director of Ecuador’s prison bureau, Fausto Cobo, said that inside penitentiaries authorities face a “threat with power equal to or greater than the state itself.” He said that while security forces must enter prisons with shields and unarmed, they are met by inmates with high-caliber weapons.
In July, the president decreed another state of emergency in Ecuador’s prison system following several violent episodes that resulted in more than 100 inmates being killed. Those deaths occurred in various prisons and not in a single facility like Tuesday’s massacre.
Previously, the bloodiest day occurred in February, when 79 prisoners died in simultaneous riots in three prisons in the country. In July, 22 more prisoners lost their lives in the Litoral penitentiary, while in September a penitentiary center was attacked by drones leaving no fatalities.
B.C.'s securities regulator is alleging misconduct on the part of five companies involved in the province's mining, technology and cannabis industries, as well as a marketing company that promoted them.
The allegations from the executive director of the B.C. Securities Commission have not been proven. They stem from the marketing efforts of Stock Social Inc., which, from 2016 to 2018, published advertorial content about the companies on websites and social media, and enlisted "influencers" to post favourably about the companies, as well.
The BCSC describes the posts as "promotional investment material," and alleges that the companies failed to "clearly and conspicuously disclose" that they had paid for such promotion. Similarly, the commission alleges that Stock Social failed to disclose that it had distributed the promotional material on behalf of the companies.
"Some of the advertorials had small print disclaimers stating that the issuers paid a fee for dissemination, but the disclaimers were not clear and conspicuous," the commission said in a news release.
The BCSC's misconduct allegations are against the six companies involved, as well as one individual from each company.
Those accused are:
Kyle Alexander Johnston, of West Vancouver, president, CEO and sole director of Stock Social
Jeremy Arthur William Poirier, of North Vancouver, president, CEO, an officer and a director of Bearing Lithium Corp. (formerly known as Bearing Resources Ltd.), a mineral exploration and development company
Ryan James Johnson, of North Vancouver, corporate communications officer for Hello Pal International Inc., a software development company
Chad David McMillan, of Vancouver, strategic advisor consultant to ImagineAR Inc. (formerly known as Imagination Park Entertainment Inc.), an augmented reality company
Jared Michael Lazerson, of Vancouver, president, CEO, and a director of MGX Minerals Inc., a mining company
John-David Alexander Belfontaine, of Pickering, Ont., president, CEO and a director of Phivida Holdings Inc., a distributor of CBD foods and beverages.
The commission will set a date for hearings on the executive director's allegations in November.
We’re back, folks! Hockey is back and the Flyers kicked off the preseason in perhaps the most Flyers way possible—with an exciting comeback to tie the game and a prompt loss in overtime—last night against the Islanders. The result was a tough one, but we remind ourselves that it was the first game back after all, and a lot of rust is being shaken off. Expectations are manageable here, so we’re focusing on a pretty simple question as we ease into the preseason—who looked sharp right out of the gate?
All stats via Natural Stat Trick.
Carter Hart
It’s good news to start out with, and we’re pleased to announce that after the last pretty brutal season, the initial looks for Carter Hart were quite good. He had quite a bit of work, particularly in the first period when the Flyers were caught hemmed into their own zone quite a bit and the Islanders were pressuring well, and Hart remained steady. He was reacting well, tracking pucks through traffic, and (the big piece) not making himself look small in his net anymore. As we know, confidence is a huge key to his game, and he seems to be getting that back.
The goal he gave up was a tough one—a long shot through a good bit of traffic—but on the whole, it was a nice sort of rebound showing for Hart. We’re not expecting anyone to be perfect right from the jump, but the improvement we’re already seeing from him is encouraging. it pretty well goes without saying that as Hart goes, the team will likely go this season, and it may well be good news that things are looking like they’re getting back on track.
Ryan Ellis
The initial returns from just about all of the new additions were good, but Ellis was probably the one who stood out the most. He’s working well to get adjusted to the new system with the Flyers, and the immediate payoff has been good. He brought a nice bit of flash with the setup on Maksim Sushko’s goal—an intentional missed shot which went wide of the net, left for Sushko to pick up behind it for the wraparound attempt—to tie the game and ultimately force overtime. He looked solid in a somewhat limited look on the Flyers’ second power play unit. He provided a nice bit of offense with a team-high eight shot attempts, and then two individual scoring chances. And overall he brought a nice steadying presence, on the whole, right to the very end, as in the final minute of regulation we saw the defensive efforts looking pretty scrambley, he made a nice block and then a clean dump out to settle things down. No drama, just the simple, correct play.
He’s also showing some nice initial chemistry with Ivan Provorov, and that’s a very good sign. It’s not hard to imagine that this is a pairing that the Flyers will want to roll with in the season, and one that will be given a lot of tough minutes to work with, to boot, so to have them rolling pretty immediately has been a welcome sight.
Egor Zamula
And staying on the topic of new defensemen for a bit longer, Egor Zamula also had himself quite a solid game. The biggest bit of flash came from his goal in the second period to get the Flyers on the board, where he beat Cory Schneider with a shot from the point through a bit of a screen, but beyond that there was still a lot to like about his game. He was moving the puck well at the blue line and on breakouts, and he also had a couple of nice disruptive breakups on would-be Islanders chances on the rush. There wasn’t as much flash there, but the more quietly effective parts of his game were still working well, which was a real positive.
He’s still very much getting adjusted to the pace of play at the NHL level, and that’s clear even in a preseason setting, but he’s still putting in some nice work and making good progress.
Oskar Lindblom
One of the more exciting notes that’s come out of training camp so far is the fact that Lindblom is looking so much closer to old form, and that’s certainly something we saw reflected in last night’s game setting. Lindblom looks stronger, right off the bat, and he was able to bring a good bit of speed as well. He had one nice look at the tail end of the second period, but mostly the impressive bit was how his characteristic details game was clicking quite well. It wasn’t perfect, but he brought some solid defensive play and looked strong on the forecheck, and that had him looking quite effective.
Alain Vigneault summed up his showing nicely after the game:
I thought Oskar had some real good moments. Some other times, I think he put himself a little bit in 50/50 opportunities because of his puck decisions. Just a matter of him getting his timing back. I think physically he feels stronger and I’ve seen it in practice and I saw it tonight in a couple of opportunities there 1 on 1 he’s winning those situations and that’s what we need from him.
It’s going to take some time for Lindblom to get himself all the way back to that old form, but he’s putting in some really good work, and the initial returns are promising. Just like with everyone else, we’re not expecting perfection from him right away, but the improvements we are seeing are really encouraging. If he can take another step forward this season, that would certainly be a huge asset for the Flyers.
The top line
The Flyers reunited one of their most used top lines for this game, with Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier, and Travis Konecny, and it was not shocking to see that they were getting right back to old form and looking very sharp. The Flyers did get some good work from all of their lines—despite a difficult start, just about everyone was able to contribute a bit of offensive flash—but this one was probably their best in terms of consistently being able to establish extended offensive zone time with a cycle. They weren’t rewarded with a goal, but they did still have a few nice looks, and the work overall was good, and they held a nice territorial advantage, closing out the night with an adjusted 58.52 CF% (for however much weight we want to give underlying numbers in the preseason).
Is it a surprise that the line that has worked very well together in the past was working well together again? No, definitely not. But any bit of momentum we can already see lines building is a good thing, so we’ll take this.
Seth Jones #3, Chicago Blackhawks Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Blackhawks have a lot of different best and worst case scenarios for the season. If a lot of different things go right, then this team could be very fun to watch.
So today I want to talk about those different things that need to happen for the team to succeed this season. Obviously the Blackhawks have a better roster than last year, but that is not enough.
In order for the Blackhawks to win and go on a real run for the playoffs some things need to go right for the team. Let’s highlight five different things:
1. Seth Jones Is The Guy Stan Bowman And The Blackhawks Traded For:
The Blackhawks are really counting on Seth Jones to be the leader of the blue line. After trading a handful of assets and Adam Boqvist to the Blue Jackets, Bowman signed Seth Jones to a massive contract extension.
Moves like that are needed to secure a player the team is looking for. Players like Jones, true number one defenseman, do not grow on trees. Even still though this season Jones needs to prove he is the guy the Blackhawks think he is when they traded a lot of stock in the organization to get him.
Personally I do believe Jones is the real deal, but at the same time we won’t know whether or not he is until puck drop. Can he be the number one center this team has been missing the past few years? Time will tell.
This year's five finalists are selected by the jury from 130 titles submitted by 60 publishers. The jury is composed of Canadian fiction writers Rebecca Fisseha, Michelle Good and Steven Price.
Each finalist will receive $5,000.
Meet the 2021 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtwoodGibson?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AtwoodGibson</a> WT Fiction Prize finalists <a href="https://t.co/RCJQDhSxAI">https://t.co/RCJQDhSxAI</a><br>◥ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryoneKnowsYourMotherisaWitch?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryoneKnowsYourMotherisaWitch</a> by <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RivkaGalchen?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RivkaGalchen</a><br>◥ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeWantWhatWeWant?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeWantWhatWeWant</a> by <a href="https://twitter.com/AlixOhlin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AlixOhlin</a><br>◥ Fight Night by <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MiriamToews?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MiriamToews</a><br>◥ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AugustintoWinter?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AugustintoWinter</a> by <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GuyVanderhaeghe?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GuyVanderhaeghe</a><br>◥ The Strangers by <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KatherenaVermette?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KatherenaVermette</a> <a href="https://t.co/iqYSohpFdQ">pic.twitter.com/iqYSohpFdQ</a>
Recently renamed, the fiction prize honours Canadian literary icons Margaret Atwood and Graeme Gibson, two of the five co-founders of Writers' Trust of Canada.
The 2021 prize is funded by businessman and philanthropist Jim Balsillie, who has committed $3 million to support Canadian literature. Balsillie is the former co-CEO of Research in Motion.
The winner will be announced on Wednesday, Nov. 3.
The Writers' Trust of Canada has awarded an annual fiction prize since 1997.
The Writers' Trust of Canada is an organization that supports Canadian writers through literary awards, fellowships, financial grants, mentorships and more.
It also gives out seven prizes in recognition of the year's best in fiction, nonfiction and short story, as well as mid-career and lifetime achievement awards.
The Writers' Trust of Canada was founded in 1976 by the prize's new namesakes, Atwood and Gibson, alongside Pierre Berton, Margaret Laurence and David Young.
Get to know the five finalists for the 2021 Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize below.
Miriam Toews is the author of Fight Night. (Knopf Canada)
The story of Fight Night is told in the voice of Swiv, a nine-year-old living in Toronto with her pregnant mother, who is raising Swiv while caring for her own elderly, frail, yet lively mother. It explores the pain, love, laughter and will to live a good life across three generations of women in a close-knit family.
"A careful balance of wit, irony, dark humour and philosophical musings makes for a thoughtful and thoroughly enjoyable read about women and girls navigating the world together," the jury commented in a statement.
Q34:02Miriam Toews on her new novel Fight Night and how it explores 'the fight for one's mental health'
Bestselling Canadian author Miriam Toews sat down with Tom Power to discuss her highly anticipated new novel, Fight Night, and what it says about family, resiliency and the fight for mental health. Fight Night is out now. 34:02
Katherena Vermette is the author of The Strangers. (Hamish Hamilton Canada)
The novel brings readers into the dynamic world of the Stranger family, where Cedar has nearly forgotten what her family looks like; Phoenix has nearly forgotten what freedom feels like; and Elsie has nearly given up hope. The Strangers is an exploration of race, class, inherited trauma and matrilineal bonds that, despite everything, refuse to be broken.
"A beautiful, raw testament to those living on the margins," said the jury in a statement. "Cathartic and disturbing, The Strangers offers vital insight into the colonial brutality that still haunts the lives of the Métis."
Katherena Vermette talks to Shelagh Rogers about her latest novel, The Strangers. 17:18
Rivka Galchen is the author of Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch. (Harper Perennial)
The story is set in 1618 in the German duchy of Württemberg. Plague is spreading throughout the Holy Roman Empire — so is fear. Amidst the war and chaos, Katharina Kepler is accused of being a witch. Galchen draws on real historical documents but infuses them with imagination and humour. Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch tells the story of how a community becomes implicated in collective aggression and hysterical fear.
"A powerful indictment of misogyny, gossip and the casual cruelty of crowds," the jury said in a statement. "Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch shines with empathy and understanding, using the past to dissect and examine one of the essential crises of our time: the conflict between science and superstition."
Galchen is a Canadian American writer. She is also the author of the novel Atmospheric Disturbances. She lives in New York City.
Writers and Company52:03Rivka Galchen’s reimagining of a 17th century witch trial is a story that speaks to our time
The Canadian-born American novelist talks about magic and science and her new book about the real-life witch trial of the mother of 17th century astronomer Johannes Kepler. 52:03
Alix Ohlin is the author of We Want What We Want. (House of Anansi Press)
We Want What We Want is a short story collection that involves bad parents, burned potential and inescapable old flames. Vanessa comes back home to her father engaged to her childhood best friend; Amanda drives to Upstate New York to rescue her cousin from a cult, but ends up discovering well-dressed men living together in a beautiful abode — each story conveys humour, pain and beauty.
"These stories bring us into the company of people who want what we all want: to connect, to matter, to heal, and to cross into unfamiliar territory, hoping that the risk will be worthwhile," the jury commented in a statement.
Ohlin is a writer from Vancouver and the current chair of the creative writing program at the University of British Columbia. Her books include the novels Inside and Dual Citizens, both which were finalists for the Scotiabank Giller Prize.
The Sunday Edition30:17Alix Ohlin's fiction about the realities of relationships
Alix Ohlin isn't quite a household name, but she's already been nominated for Canada's most prestigious fiction award as many times as Alice Munro, Margaret Atwood and Miriam Toews. Ohlin received her second nomination for the Scotiabank Giller Prize for her new book, Dual Citizens, in which she explores the intensity and messiness of relationships – familial and otherwise. 30:17
Guy Vanderhaeghe is the author of August into Winter. (McClelland & Stewart)
August into Winter takes place in 1939 in a world on the brink of global war. After Constable Hotchkiss confronts the spoiled, narcissistic Ernie Sickert about the disturbing pranks in their small prairie town, Ernie commits an act of unspeakable violence. What follows is a course of events that will change many lives forever.
"August into Winter is equal parts mature love story, tension-packed manhunt, and nuanced exploration of the pursuit of personal and societal ideals," said the jury in a statement.
Born in Esterhazy, Sask. in 1951, Vanderhaeghe is the author of fiction including Man Descending, The Englishman's Boy, Daddy Lenin and Other Stories, among other. He is a three-timer winner of the Governor General's Awards and has received the Order of Canada.
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