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Angele Smith’s “Bounce Back” added to 2015 Grammy list >> page 7

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Catman claws at second award >> page 5

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Vision/ Winter 2015

The Caribbean Guyana sugar company meets target for 1st time in a decade

NEWS Colombia Miami flight diverted to Jamaica after pilot reports 'pressurization' issue was diverted Monday after a pilot reported a “pressurization'' issue. The Boeing 767 landed safely without incident Monday evening. Norton says the airline was making arrangements to get its passengers to Miami as soon as possible.

GEORGETOWN, Guyana _ The Caribbean trade bloc’s largest sugarcane producing company says it has met its first annual target in a decade.

The Guyana Sugar Corporation said Wednesday that its eight estates produced 216,000 metric tons (238,100 tons) of raw sugarcane this year.

It had produced 187,000 metric tons (206,100 tons) last year, the worst output in 23 years.

Officials credited good weather conditions for the jump in production.

Managing Director Raj Singh said the corporation is still battling high production costs and falling international sugar prices. The corporation exports the bulk of its production to Europe.

The Associated Press

Police: Bus crash in western Jamaica kills 3, seriously injures 17 others

MIAMI _ An American Airlines flight heading from Bogota, Colombia, to Miami has been diverted to Kingston, Jamaica, following a possible mechanical problem.

American Airlines spokesman Casey Norton says Flight 916

Ground crews would need to inspect the plane to determine what caused the issue, but Norton says oxygen masks did not deploy.

The plane was carrying 197 passengers and nine crewmembers.

The Associated Press

UK embassy performs first gay marriage in Dominican Republic

Police say the Monday crash in the western parish of Westmoreland killed three adult passengers aboard the Toyota minibus.

The driver apparently lost control and collided with a truck travelling in the same direction.

He survived the crash, but three of the 20 passengers died. The other passengers are reported in serious but stable condition at a local hospital.

Minibus and taxi drivers in Jamaica often drive at high speeds and swerve recklessly from lane to lane.

The Associated Press

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic _ Same-sex marriage is banned in the Dominican Republic, but a man and his partner have exchanged vows in the first ceremony of its kind performed at the British embassy in the conservative Caribbean country.

The embassy tweeted on Tuesday that the Dominican government respected its right to perform the ceremony under the Vienna Convention and that the British government has recognized the marriage.

The couple was not identified, with the embassy saying only that it is a Dominican and a British man. Embassy officials tweeted a picture of the ceremony that showed only the hands of one man placing a wedding ring on the other.

The United Kingdom announced in June that same-sex couple could marry at British consulates in 25 countries, including the Dominican Republic. It is the only Caribbean country on that list.

The U.K. parliament approved same-sex marriages in July 2013, and the law went into effect March of this year.

The Associated Press

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The World Morocco’s banning of Hollywood ‘Exodus’ epic provokes backlash by politicians, filmmakers

RABAT, Morocco _ The banning in Morocco of Ridley Scott’s biblical epic “Exodus’’ has provoked an angry response in this North African country by film makers and members of the governing coalition.

Morocco’s movie commission issued a letter to all cinemas on Saturday notifying them that the 2014 film has been banned for possibly portraying God in the scene of Moses’ revelation.

Abderrahman Tazi, the head of Morocco’s association of filmmakers, issued a statement Tuesday calling the banning “ridiculous and irrational’’ and saying it would discourage foreign filmmaking in the country.

The Progressive Socialist Party, a coalition partner with the governing Islamists, issued a statement carried by the media on Wednesday calling the move “strange and incomprehensible’’ and damaging to the country’s image.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Embassy officials said they have advised the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that additional ceremonies would be performed.

KINGSTON, Jamaica _ A minibus in Jamaica has collided with a truck on a rural road, killing three people and injuring 17 others.

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Vision Newspaper UK: Editor in Chief : Anthony Whyte, Editor: Nadia Akram, Correspondent in Jamaica: Deana Meyers Contributors: Francesca Quass, Yemi Abiade, Samantha Dennis, Claire Daley, Vision Newspaper Canada: Editor in Chief: Alwin Squire, Editors: Samantha Deschamps, Kelly Deschamps, Marilyn Marshall, Christopher Miller

UN condemns coup attempt against ‘the legal and democratic institutions’ in Gambia

The U.N. Security Council is condemning the coup attempt against “the legal and democratic institutions’’ in Gambia.

Chad’s U.N. Ambassador Mahamat Zene, the current council president, told reporters after a closed-door briefing Wednesday by U.N. political chief Jeffrey Feltman that members “welcomed the normalization of the situation in the country.’’

Heavy gunfire rang out Tuesday near the presidential palace in the tiny West African nation while President Yahya Jammeh, who came to power in a 1994 coup when he was 29 years old, was in France. He has reportedly returned to Gambia.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also reiterated the U.N.’s “principled condemnation of all attempts to seize power through unconstitutional means,’’ spokesman Farhan Haq said.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Vision/ Winter 2015

news

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Autopsy report: Man shot 3 times by Los Angeles police who say he reached for officer's gun that Ford's parents have “gone into seclusion.''

“They're distraught, they're hysterical with grief and anger,'' Lerman said. “It essentially filled in their worst nightmare that this happened like this, more like an execution than a confrontation.''

Ford's parents have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit and $75 million claim against the city alleging the two gang officers knew Ford from the neighbourhood and were aware he had mental problems. Though Beck said he had no indications thus far that the officers involved knew anything about Ford's mental condition.

Lerman said an expert is reconstructing the incident along with witness statements from people who directly saw what happened, and he was confident the family would prevail in court.

A poster reads "We Will Remember Ezell Ford" in front of Paradise Baptist Church before a community forum Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014, in Los Angeles, to discuss the Aug. 11th police shooting of 25-year-old Ezell Ford. The shooting has sparked a few peaceful protests, including one on Sunday involving several hundred activists and black community members. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

LOS ANGELES _ An autopsy report released on a 25-year-old black man killed in a confrontation with Los Angeles police appears to affirm initial statements by officers about the struggle that led to the close-range shooting, police said.

Ezell Ford was shot three times in his right side, right arm and back, according to the report that also says a muzzle imprint was found around the back wound and that Ford had abrasions to his left hand, forearm and elbow.

The report was disclosed Monday after police initially ordered the Los Angeles County medical examiner's office to withhold the results for months to avoid tainting potential witness statements.

Ford was unarmed when police confronted him Aug. 11 on a street near his home. Police said officers tried to speak to him but got into a struggle with Ford and shot him when he tried to grab an officer's gun.

Police Chief Charlie Beck told a news conference the investigation was far from over. Stressing he was not drawing conclusions, Beck said, “There is nothing in the coroner's report that is inconsistent with the statements given to us by the officers.''

Beck said the officers reported that Ford attracted their attention with suspicious actions then knocked one officer to the ground.

Ford was atop the officer and grappling for the officer's holstered weapon when his partner fired two shots and the fallen officer pulled a backup gun and shot Ford in the back, according to an account read by Beck on Monday.

He said many other types of evidence from interviews, officer statements, measurements, photographs, gunshot residue and details about the bullet will also be analyzed during the investigation.

Beck said officers told investigators it was a violent struggle in which “the (downed) officer drew his backup gun and reached over Mr. Ford's back and shot Mr. Ford in very close proximity _ possibly, probably the cause of the muzzle imprint mentioned in the coroner's report.''

The LAPD previously identified the two gang officers involved as Sharlton Wampler and Antonio Villegas.

He said the muzzle imprint was consistent with the type of weapon used by the officer, and that the other weapon was a semi-automatic pistol that probably wouldn't leave the same kind of mark.

The imprint indicated Ford was shot either right up against his skin or very close to his skin, said Richard Lichten, a retired law enforcement lieutenant and a police practices expert. He said the abrasions only indicated Ford had sustained friction wounds at some point.

Additional details such as injuries to the officer involved in the scuffle would provide more details, Lichten said.

“The autopsy report is only one piece of the puzzle, only one piece, and no one should render a solid opinion based only on an autopsy report,'' Lichten said.

The chief said it would be several months before the investigation was completed and presented to the civilian Police Commission to determine if it was within department policy. Meanwhile, the officers remain on non-field duties.

The commission will receive separate recommendations from Beck and the department's independent inspector general. The county district attorney's office will separately determine if the shooting was justified or if charges should be filed.

Beck said the department has found no witnesses who saw the confrontation between Ford and the officers. He appealed for any possible witnesses to come forward.

Steve Lerman, an attorney for Ford's parents, said the autopsy report was “horrifying'' and supported the family's claim that the shooting was “unjustified, illegal and unconstitutional.'' He said the family read the report together and

“It's simple to me that they pounced upon an unarmed defenceless man they knew to be mentally challenged and ended up shooting him in the back and killing him, that's the nutshell,'' Lerman said.

Lerman has said his investigator found witnesses to support his case, but he refused to divulge details. Beck said police tried to reach witnesses listed by the family's legal staff but were unable to successfully speak to any.

The suit also claimed that the city, LAPD and 10 unnamed superiors or other officers were part of a culture that tolerated civil rights violations, including racial profiling and excessive force against blacks.

Tyler Izen, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, said in a statement that the autopsy presented only “one set of facts among many hundreds being collected and assessed in the ongoing investigation.''

“LAPD officers are put directly in harm's way every day as they face complex situations, unthinkable dangers and split-second decisions while protecting the residents of Los Angeles,'' Izen said. “No officer goes to work with the intent of using force, much less deadly force, but force may become necessary.''

By Tami Abdollah THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

___

Tami Abdollah can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/latams.

Community

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Vision/ Winter 2015

What ’s On

Events

Family & Children

John Legend

Smokey Robinson

ASAP Ferg & YG Best Coast Connection Tour

Fabolous Feat. Deat Loaf

Cormega

Ross Petty Productions Presents Cinderella

Disney Live Mickeys Music Festival

Venue: Fallsview Casino Resort

Venue: Fallsview Casino Resort

Venue: The Rockpile West

Niagara Falls, ON Date: January 9th, 2015 Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ca

Venue: Sound Academy

Venue: Kool Haus

Niagara Falls, ON Date: January 5th & 6th, 2015 Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ca

Toronto, ON Date: January 14th, 2015 Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ca

Toronto, ON Date: January 22nd, 2015

Date: Januray 23rd, 2015 Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ca

Venue: Elgin Theatre Toronto, ON Date: January 2 -4th 2015 Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ca

Venue: Sony Center for the Performing Arts Toronto, ON Date: January 9th - 11h 2015 Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ca

Kranium

Morgan Heritage & Romian Virgo

Rich Homie Quan

The Spinners

Chris Brown & Trey Songs

The Wild Kratts Live

Skate Niagara Ice Show

Venue: Oshawa Music Hall Oshawa, ON Date: January 24th, 2015

Venue: Sound Academy Toronto, ON Date: February 6th, 2015

Venue: The Phoenix Concert Theater Toronto, ON Date: February 17th, 2015 Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ca

Venue: Living Arts Center Mississauga, ON Date: February 13th, 2015 Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ca

Venue: Air Canada Center Toronto, ON Date: February 25th, 2015 Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ca

Venue: Living Arts Center Date: January 2nd, 2015 Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ca

Venue: Meridian Center St Catherines, ON Date: January 3rd, 2015 Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ca

Vision/ Winter 2015

Community

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Catman’ claws at second award HAVING won the category last year, Jamaica born radio host Catman has again been nominated for the Best Radio Personality in the Dancehall Industry Awards.

Catman, whose given name is Anthony White, hosts God Alone on London's City Lock Radio 89.6 FM. The programme airs on Mondays and Tuesdays from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm and noon to 2:00 pm, respectively. His segment caters to young and up-and-coming reggae artistes in the United Kingdom.

"I feel great to be nominated for a second straight year, it shows that my show is still relevant and it is gratifying to know that my work is being recognised," said Catman.

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Other nominees include Little Mama, CJ Mafia and Oney British. Started 13 years ago, the awards are scheduled for January 1.

By the first quarter of the new year, the radio disc jock will be able to expand his listenership locally. He will be hosting a four-hour radio programme on Bess 100 FM on Wednesdays from 8:00-12:00 pm. That programme began in 2013.

"The show has grown from a 15-minute segment to four hours. We feel it is a major achievement and major boost for all the young artistes that depend on me for the little radio airplay whenever they can get it," Catman said.

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Music

Vision/ Winter 2015

Violence Plagues Sting - Police decided to pull the plug early the clash was not resolved. So I guess the fans were a bit too over-enthusiastic, but we are urging everybody to just cool down," Kiprich's statement read in part.

Kiprich and his rival, Blak Ryno, were sheduled for a lyrical showdown. Both artistes began hurling insults at each other when the police decided to pull the plug on Sting which has a reputation for artistes' clashes.

An off-stage incident later resulted in a member of Kiprich's entourage being injured.

ISAIAH Laing, promoter of Sting, says he is disappointed at the violence that transpired at the Boxing Day show. He adds that his team will be looking at ways to prevent a recurrence.

"Right now, we are in a meeting and are analysing the event.

We have to find a way to resolve these things," he told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.

The show -- held at the JamWorld

Entertainment Complex in Portmore -- came to a premature end early Saturday due to altercations between artistes. Several people were injured.

Yesterday, dancehall acts Kiprich and Masicka, who were allegedly at the centre of the fracas, issued statements.

"I am disappointed that it has come to this, but things got a bit overheated onstage and

"I am urging my fans not to retaliate in any manner, because this is now a police matter. One man has already been detained in connection with the incident, so we shall leave the law to run its course," read another part of Kiprich's release.

Masicka's tone was similar.

"I really want to apologise to the fans, especially anyone who got injured, because this is my first big moment at Sting, and

it shouldn't have ended up like that," read part of his statement.

According to eyewitnesses, an altercation began backstage between members of deejays Demarco and Masika's entourage sending dozens of patrons running for cover as both sides hurled bottles at each other.

Explosions, sounding like gunshots, were also heard. It is unclear if they were in fact gunshots.

Masicka was escorted out of the venue by police to prevent further hostilities.

Checks with the Constabulary Communication Unit of the Jamaica Constabulary Force revealed no arrests had been made.

-- Brian Bonitto www.jamaicaobserver.com

Vision/ Winter 2015

Music

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Angele Smith’s ‘Bounce Back’ added to 2015 Grammy list

Reggae artiste Angele Smith’s single Bounce Back has been added to the 2015 Grammy provisional list under the Destiny movie soundtrack compilation.

was a wow feeling and a shock because Jamaica has so many talented artistes,” he said in an interview with the Jamaica STAR.

Bounce Back was produced by veteran proAccording to the artiste, the compilation is a group ducer Clive Hunt and the artiste believes Destiny’s effort, however, he recompilation has the pomains grateful to be a part of such a successful tential to make the final cut. project.

“The compilation for the sound track for Destiny has made it to the provisional list for Destiny and that is something that I am very proud of because it is a big deal for a young artiste. When I found out it was on the short list it

“When you have a producer like Clive Hunt behind the production anything can happen. I think the project will go places and has the capability to win. Besides this is a winwin situation for us I don’t see how we can lose

because just being shortlisted on the provisional list is a win because the Grammy is the most prestigious award in music,” Angele Smith said.

The artiste is gearing up to release his debut album in February 2015.

However, his current focus is directed to Jollywood film Cain and Abel which was released last month. Angele Smith is featured as an actor director and recording artiste in the production.

“I have learnt a lot from the CEO of Jollywood over the past two years and he recently have me a chance to assist

with production so I am blessed to have the experience. The movie will be screened at Triple Century so people can purchase their tickets and be a part of the experience,” he said. www.jamaica-star.com

Music

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Vision/ Winter 2015

Vision/ Autumn 2014

IGGY AZALEA - ATTENDS L.A. LAKERS GAME

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ It was her boyfriend she came to watch at “work.'' But Iggy Azalea got to get in a little leg work herself when she showed up at the Staples Center in Los Angeles to watch Lakers play the Phoenix Suns yesterday. She's dating Nick Young _ who scored 21 points in the Lakers' loss. During a time out, Azalea, was shown on the Staples Center scoreboard chair-dancing to her own hit song “Fancy.''

Alicia Keys welcomes second Chris Rock and child with husband Swizz Beatz wife divorce

LOS ANGELES _ Alicia Keys gave birth to son Genesis Ali Dean on early on Saturday morning. It's baby number two for the Grammy-winner and husband, producer-rapper Swizz Beatz, who are also parents to 4-year-old Egypt Daoud.

The 33-year-old singer shared the news on her Instagram account, Sunday, with a photo of

NICKI MINAJ SAYS SHE HAD AN ABORTION

NEW YORK -- Nicki Minaj admits she had an abortion while she was still in high school.

She tells Rolling Stone she got pregnant from an older guy she dated

Genesis's footprints. The image also details that the baby was born at 1:52 a.m. and weighs 6 pounds, 5 ounces.

Keys expressed excitement in her social media captions, saying that “the joy of joy is joy'' and that she is grateful. http://aliciakeys.com/ (AP Photo/Peter Kramer, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP)_ Chris Rock filed for divorce from his wife Malaak Compton-Rock, a statement from his representative confirmed Sunday.

The statement went on to specify that Rock and his family request privacy as they go through this process because it is a personal matter.

Comedian Chris Rock and philanthropist Malaak Compton-Rock had been married for 19 years and have two daughters, Lola Simone, 12, and Zahra Savannah, 10.

Chris Brown cancels Philippine New Year's Eve concert, reportedly because of lost passport

while attending a performing-arts high school in New York.

circumstances I can't bring in the new year with you...''

She says it's the hardest thing she's ever gone through and she's still haunted by it.

The organizers, Maligaya Development Corp., said they were informed by Brown's local representatives on Wednesday afternoon that he was still in Los Angeles.

Minaj says it was the right choice at the time, though, because she had nothing to offer a child.

“According to them, Chris Brown lost his passport the day before the scheduled event,'' it said in a statement. ``Hence despite having entered into a contract with us, Chris Brown would not be able to comply with his obligation to perform.''

She rapped about it on her “Autobiography'' mixtape but she didn't expect anyone to hear that.

She makes an allusion to the abortion on her new album, “The Pinkprint.''

The Canadian Press

MANILA, Philippines (AP)_ American recording artist Chris Brown cancelled a New Year's Eve concert in the Philippines at the last minute, reportedly because of a lost passport, organizers said Wednesday.

Brown tweeted that “Due to unfortunate

Brown was to perform along with other musical acts at the 55,000-seat Philippine Arena in the New Year's Eve concert, which also featured a fireworks show.

Music

Vision/ Winter 2015

9

Album Review

SremmLife Rae Sremmurd

Redemption of the Beast DMX

The Documentary 2

Game

Tetsuo & Youth Lupe Fiasco

Rae Sremmurd has been one of many new acts to take the hip-hop world by storm in 2014, riding— as these acts often do—a wave of momentum due to a major single that often goes viral first before snagging all-important radio play.

DMX is about to release his seventh studio album called “Redemption of the Beast,”. On facebook he spoke about the album.

“Swizz [Beatz] did the single. I got Sean Kingston on the Scott Storch record. Of course I got a little LOX on there. Drag, you know. Keep it family tight. It’s going be a few features, but nothing crazy. I got Tyrese on a couple of joints.”

The album is scheduled for release on January 13th.

Game will commemorate a decade since The Documentary dropped by unleashing its follow-up on the same date. The Documentary 2, his 10th solo album, is slated for release Jan. 18, 2015, exactly 10 years after his debut. Ahead of The Documentary 2 was Year of the Wolf, Games’s new compilation featuring artists from his Blood Money record label. That album droped in October. The Documentary 2 is Game’s first solo studio album since 2012’s Jesus Piece.

Tetsuo & Youth is the upcoming fifth studio album by American rapper Lupe Fiasco, set to be released on January 20, 2015, by Atlantic Records and 1st & 15th Entertainment. The album was promoted by the Tetsuo & Youth preview tour, which took place November 2, 2013 to December 15, 2013.[1] Lupe’s label-mate Stalley was a supporting act on the tour, while The Boy Illinois took role as an opening act.

www.facebook.com

www.bet.com

www.wikipedia.org

In the case of the rap duo, they scored two: first the Mike WiLL Made It-cosigned “No Flex Zone,” followed closely by the top 20 hit “No Type.” www.radio.com

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Music

Vision/ Autumn 2014

Mo'ne Davis wins AP Female Athlete of the Year honours over Lauren Hill and Serena Williams A vote by U.S. editors and news directors selected Davis as The Associated Press 2014 Female Athlete of the Year. The youngest winner in history, Davis beat out Mt. St. Joseph freshman Lauren Hill _ who played her first college basketball game while battling terminal brain cancer _ and three-time winner Serena Williams. The selection was announced Monday.

Davis tossed a two-hitter to help Philadelphia beat Nashville 4-0 in the Little League World Series opener for both teams. Davis, the first girl to appear for a U.S. team in South Williamsport since 2004, had eight strikeouts and didn't walk a batter. Her team was eventually eliminated after losing to teams from Las Vegas and Chicago.

Davis gave up three runs in the Las Vegas game, and could not take the mound against Chicago because of pitch limits.

After the tournament, Davis was everywhere.

PHILADELPHIA _ No one in the sports world had heard of the 2014 Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year until August.

Illustrated, has her jersey displayed in baseball's Hall of Fame and was named Sports Kid of the Year by Sports Illustrated Kids.

That's when 13-year-old Mo'ne Davis became an instant celebrity as she took the mound in the Little League World Series and mowed down batter after batter, giving ``throw like a girl'' a whole new meaning.

She met the Obamas at the White House, starred in a Spike Lee-directed car commercial (the NCAA said it wouldn't hurt her eligibility), marched in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade along with her Taney Dragons teammates and presented Pharrell Williams with Soul Train's “Song of the Year'' award.

She was the first girl to win a Little League World Series game, and her performance dazzled fans young and old. Her steely gaze and demeanour on the mound were intimidating, while off-the-field, she shined in interviews.

She told admirers that if they thought she was good at baseball, they should see her play hoops. Only in eighth grade, Davis already plays for her school's high school varsity basketball team.

Davis appeared on the cover of Sports

The talented three-sport star _ she also plays soccer _ and honour student from South Philadelphia handled all the attention with poise, modesty and maturity.

“A lot of adults around me help out, taught me to be respectful, to be calm during everything and not let anything get to you,'' Davis said after learning of her latest honour.

She threw whiffle balls to Jimmy Fallon on NBC's Tonight Show, threw out the first pitch at Game 4 of the World Series and signed a book deal.

“It's been really fun, got to do a lot of things, meet a lot of cool people,'' Davis said. “My favourite thing to do was playing in Williamsport or going to the White House. (The Obamas) just seemed like a regular couple, no different from anyone else.''

While others are still talking about her Little League performance, Davis, a point guard, is concentrating on basketball.

“It's making me a lot better, helping me make decisions,'' Davis said of playing varsity. “In middle school, I can get away with small things. The girls now are a lot taller so I'm working on my jump shot and ball handling a lot.''

Davis aspires to play for the University of Connecticut and reach the WNBA. She plays midfielder on her soccer

team and hopes to play three sports in high school, though she's not sure about baseball.

“I know the boys will be much stronger so that depends,'' she said. “Hopefully, I can continue playing as long as I can.''

Davis isn't just a jock. She excels academically despite such a great demand for her time.

“It's all about time management, how you plan your projects and not waiting until the last minute,'' she said.

Steve Bandura, a recreation leader for the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department and director of the Anderson Monarchs sports programs, has helped coach Davis since she started playing sports. His son, Scott, was the catcher for Taney. Bandura said Davis has maintained her “natural personality'' no matter how many cameras or microphones are in her face.

“She's still the same person, still a kid who wants to do kid things,'' Bandura said. “She has fun meeting celebrities and all that but the bottom line is she loves to play sports, go to school and have fun. The adults make a bigger deal out of it. Her teammates understand she's breaking down barriers and they're proud of her. They've been together so long, it's like she's their sister.''

Davis knows she has become a role model.

Her message to everyone, especially girls: “Always follow your dreams. If there's something people tell you that you can't do it, go for it.''

By Rob Maaddi THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ___ Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter: https://twitter. com/AP_RobMaaddi (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

Vision/ Autumn 2014

sports

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Sam says coming out was right thing to do in TV documentary on Oprah Winfrey Network

ST. LOUIS _ Michael Sam says in a TV documentary airing Saturday night that coming out as gay was the right thing to do.

The Oprah Winfrey Network said in a release that the 90-minute program followed by a one-on-one with Winfrey and Sam was the player's first TV appearance since being cut by the Dallas Cowboys in mid-October. After one day of filming last spring, the Rams pulled the plug on the network's plans for a Sam documentary during training camp.

In a transcript released by the network, Sam called the NFL draft “the longest three days of my life.'' The St. Louis Rams drafted Sam late in the seventh round.

Sam said the reassuring hand of his boyfriend, Vito, on his shoulder during the wait to get picked affirmed the decision last February to reveal his sexual orientation. Sam, a defensive end who was the SEC co-defensive player of the year.

“In that moment, I was like 'I don't care what happens.

I made the right choice to come out,''' Sam said.

In a voiceover promo for the show, Winfrey questions whether Sam got a fair shot.

Sam kissed his boyfriend as a national television audience looked on.

“Some say the kiss, the cake, it was all just too much,'' Winfrey said. “Some say he wasn't good enough. Others say he

should have never come out.''

The Rams made Sam, the co-defensive player of the year at Missouri, the 249th overall pick out of 256 in the draft.

He was among 21 players waived by the team to reach the 53-player limit before the season opener.

Echoing his remarks after drafting Sam with the 249th overall pick out of 256, coach Jeff Fisher said several times it was purely a football decision. The Rams were well-stocked with pass rushers, and undrafted Ethan Westbrooks grabbed the final defensive end spot.

“I will tell you this: I was pulling for Mike,'' Fisher said then. “I really was, and I don't say that very often. Mike

came in here and did everything we asked him to do.''

On Twitter, roughly an hour after he was cut, Sam thanked the Rams and the city of St. Louis. He also wrote “The most worthwhile things in life rarely come easy, this is a lesson I've always known. The journey continues.''

Sam spent seven weeks on the Cowboys' practice squad before being released and is a free agent.

By R.B. Fallstrom THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ___

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www. twitter.com/AP_NFL (AP Photo/LM Otero)

FILM

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Vision / Winter 2015

Film Review: In J.C. Chandor's 'A Most Violent Year,' the capitalist is the gangster

the former owner of Morales' business, and she slowly reveals the measures she's stealthily taken to prop up the company. Morales' in-house lawyer (Albert Brooks, who's amassing a tremendous late career as a character actor) is also pressuring him to take more drastically illegal steps even while the suspicious local district attorney (David Oyelowo) is investigating.

In his exciting first three films, writer-director J.C. Chandor, the son of a Merrill Lynch investment banker, has proven to be a canny, clear-eyed studier of capitalism, sensitive to its strivers and alert to its ethical storms.

His debut, “Margin Call,'' plunged into the board rooms of a Wall Street firm in crisis.

He followed that with “All Is Lost,'' a metaphorical survival film about a man (Robert Redford) literally wrecked by the global economy.

In “A Most Violent Year,'' Chandor widens his scope, fusing a solemn meditation on the American Dream with a '70s-styled gangster flick. Oscar Isaac plays Abel Morales, the young head of a Brooklyn heating company. With a risky bit of lending, he's trying to expand his business while at the same time fending off mysterious hijackings of his trucks.

It's 1981 New York, one of the city's most crime-ridden years, and violence crackles in the streets.

The atmosphere is exceedingly rich. The greatest pleasures of “A Most Violent Year,'' vividly shot by the excellent up-and-coming cinematographer Bradford Young (who also lenses “Selma''), are the earthy browns and yellows of its moody period details: Morales' beige overcoat, the bare winter trees of its suburban Westchester, the electric wide shots of New York highways.

Where we are can't be mistaken. This is Sidney Lumet territory: street-level New York, alive with corruption, danger and moral quandary. It's a street corner of cinema Lumet so definitively staked out that, though Chandor is far from his direct descendent, Lumet's spirit can't help but loom over “A Most Violent Year,'' set in the year his “Prince of the City'' blazed across marquees.

The movie is doted by the standby scenes of gangster films: the clandestine gathering of rival family businesses, the shootout (handsomely done on the 59th Street Bridge), the sudden police raid

of the boss's home. The film's excellent chase sequence leads irrevocably to the era's great icon of decay: a graffiti-covered subway.

That “A Most Violent Year'' builds all of this not on the usual glamorized misdeeds but on the residential oil business _ a line of work whose terrors usually only come monthly by mail _ is both slightly reaching and a clever adaptation of the crime thriller. This is about the dirty work of mainstream American business, not the underworld.

For Chandor, the backdrop of money, oil and guns make rife fodder for big American themes. Morales, elegant with a politician's manner, is grounded by a belief in his cleanness. “We're at war,'' he's told of the cutthroat industry, to which he responds: “Well I'm not.''

But his remove from the fray gets tested; idealism not be enough to survive. His wife Anne (a slinky Jessica Chastain) is the daughter of

These pressures enflame the film's slow-burn, never igniting with the fury the film's title promises, but adding up to a lean, always absorbing examination of what success takes in a gritty marketplace ruled by raw power. “We are so weak now,'' laments Morales at a moment of leverage.

The performance by Isaac (“Inside Llewyn Davis'') is commanding. His restrained businessman and aspiring immigrant clearly evokes Pacino's Michael Corleone, and it's a testament to Isaac that he can get even within a mile of that comparison.

If there's something that holds back Chandor's films, it's their conceptual neatness and their hard-to-miss allusions. (A tragic side story involving a driver in Morales' fleet is this film's most glaring misstep.) But his control is impressive enough to make me want to him to _ like Morales _ get a little dirty.

By Jake Coyle THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

“A Most Violent Year,'' an A24 release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for ``language and some violence.''

Running time: 124 minutes. Three stars out of four. ___ MPAA definition of R: Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Vision/ Winter 2015

FILM

13

'The Book of Negroes' among new Canadian TV shows set for 2015 Shot in Montreal.

“X Company’’ (Wed., Feb. 18, CBC): Who knew there was a real life spy school during the Second World War on the shores of Lake Ontario? Hugh Dillon, Evelyne Brochu, Dustin Milligan and Connor Price are among the stars. A Canada-Hungary co-production from the folks who brought you “Flashpoint.’’

Remember last September when new, scripted Canadian TV shows were as scarce as promises kept at a CRTC hearing? Well, run that Maple Leaf flag back up the antenna _ January marks the start of the real Canadian TV season.

Besides the return of “19-2’’ (Jan. 19, Bravo), “Mr. D’’ (Jan. 20, CBC), “Spun Out’’ (March 5, CTV), “Motive’’ (March 8, CTV), “Remedy’’ (Feb. or March, Global) and “Continuum’’ (wrapping up with six final episodes in 2015 on Showcase), several new Canadian shows are set to start.

Here are seven to watch for in 2015: “The Book of Negroes’’ (Wed., Jan. 7, CBC): Based on the Lawrence Hill bestseller, this six-part miniseries wowed international buyers at MIPCOM in Cannes in October. It stars Aunjanue Ellis as Aminata Diallo, a woman kidnapped from Africa and sold into slavery in the southern U.S. Shot in Halifax and South Africa and starring Cuba Gooding, Jr., Jane Alexander and Louis Gossett, Jr., with Allan Hawco and Ben Chaplin. Directed by Clement Virgo.

“Sunnyside’’ (Thurs., Jan. 8, City): Two Canadian comedy veterans _ showrunners Dan

Redican (“Puppets Who Kill’’) and Gary Pearson (“That’s So Weird!’’) _ break every rule with this sketch-scripted hybrid.

Sunnyside is a bizarre neighbourhood facing an infestation of ponies, clowns and street vendors. Part Monty Python, part “Portlandia,’’ all original. Peopled with top Canadian sketch players such as Kathleen Phillips and Pat Thornton. Listen for Norm Macdonald as the voice of “The Hole’’ _ an open manhole that people line up to use as the Internet in Sunnyside. The Winnipeg production is already renewed for a second season.

“Young Drunk Punk’’ (Wed., Jan. 21, City): Two young men _ Ian and Shinky _ explore the lost years between high school and “what’s next.’’ Set (and shot) in Calgary, this comedy is a semi-autobiographical take on a coming-of-age journey loosely based on Bruce McCulloch’s life before “Kids in the Hall.’’ Stars Tim Carlson and Atticus Mitchell as Ian and Shinky as well as creator/writer McCulloch, who plays a version of his own dad.

“Man Seeking Woman’’ (Wed., Jan. 14, FXX Canada): Naive 20-something Josh Greenberg (Jay Baruchel) is such a loser he is drenched daily by his own

little rain cloud. When it comes to women and dating he makes Sheldon on “The Big Bang Theory’’ look like George Clooney. Still he keeps seeking, encountering characters played by Britt Lower, Maya Erskine and Eric Andre along the way. Shot in Toronto and based on a book of short stories by comedy phenom and former “SNL’’ scribe Simon Rich.

“Schitt’s Creek’’ (Tues., Jan. 13, CBC): Canadian comedy Hall of Famers Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara (“SCTV’’) star as Johnny and Moira Rose, a once wealthy couple forced to rebuild their lives in their only remaining asset: Schitt’s Creek, a loser town once purchased as a joke for their hipster son (Dan Levy).

Chris Elliott also stars as the town’s idiot mayor. Levy wisely ignored all pleas to change the title.

“Ascension’’ (Mon., Feb. 9, CBC): In 1963, the U.S. launched a covert space program sending hundreds of men, women and children on a century-long voyage aboard the starship Ascension. Their mission: to boldly go forth and populate a new world.

Halfway through, however, something goes horribly wrong. Brian Van Holt, Tricia Helfer and Wendy Crewson are along for the ride.

Canadians are also involved in some of the new U.S. imports premiering in January, including “Backstrom’’ (Jan. 22, Fox).

Here a barely recognizable Rainn Wilson erases memories of Dwight from “The Office’’ as a surly Portland, Ore., police detective. Hart Hanson (“Bones’’) is the ex-Canadian executive producer in charge. Among the cast of the highly anticipated “Breaking Bad’’ prequel “Better Call Saul’’ (Feb. 8, AMC) is Montrealer Michael Mando. He plays a tough troublemaker who does legwork for weasel attorney Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk).

Finally, “House’’ showrunner and London, Ont., native David Shore joins “Saul’’ boss Vince Gilligan as executive producers of “Battle Creek’’ (March 1, CBS). This lighthearted crime procedural stars Dean Winters and Josh Duhamel as an odd couple of Michigan cops.

By Bill Brioux THE CANADIAN PRESS

__ Bill Brioux is a freelance TV columnist based in Brampton, Ont.

(AP Photo/Joel Ryan, file)

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