Archive for Grassroots
Toronto’s Amanda Martinez To Perform At South Africa World Cup
York University grad, Amanda Martinez, is in South Africa to perform her World Cup song Sueños Posibles (Dreams Realized). Her mother is from South Africa and her father is from Mexico – and those two teams play in the opener!
Born in Canada, Martinez grew up in a house that loved music. Although she spent her early years immersed in music, studying classical piano and ballet, Martinez obtained an undergraduate degree in biology and later completed her master’s degree in international business.
A distinctive Latin / Jazz artist, Amanda Martinez brings flair and variety to each and every one of her songs. Her sound is a blend of musical influences, including flamenco inspired rhythms, Afro-Cuban beats and Mexican folk music. The Toronto based singer – songwriter records her albums almost entirely in Spanish, but most of her fan base is English speaking, her first language.
Everything About Amanda Martinez
Listen To Sueños Posibles (Dreams Realized)
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The Dangers Of Until It Hurts Young Athletes
For Children in Sports, a Breaking Point
By Jane E. Brody
I’d be the last person to discourage children from playing sports. Indeed, I wish many more would move away from their computers, put down their iPods and cellphones and devote more time and energy to physical activities.
But for many children and adolescents, the problem is the opposite of being sedentary. Encouraged by parents and coaches, many with visions of glory and scholarships, too many young athletes are being pushed — or are pushing themselves — to the point of breaking down, physically and sometimes emotionally.
All Champions Share A Common Bond
Nigel Reed
writes and broadcasts at CBC Sports
Canada’s pride of ownership
I am currently house hunting. This Englishman’s Canadian castle has been sold which will render the vendor homeless midway through the World Cup unless he finds something suitable in the near future.
Finding ‘something suitable’, it turns out, is easier said than done. This is due, in part, to the way in which some estate agents market their clients’ homes. Suffice to say I am now up to speed with the industry lingo.
Descriptions such as “stunning” and “immaculate” accompany many of the properties for sale. The fact most of them are neither just means the agent is being, shall we say, ‘creative’ in his or her attempt to drum up interest from people like me.
A phrase with which I have become familiar in recent days is “pride of ownership”. It is intended to convey a message of a solid property, which has been meticulously maintained and is in prime condition for a prospective buyer.
My wife and I have stopped going to see such stock. From what we can tell, pride of ownership is actually agent-speak. Roughly translated, it means the dwelling is still standing but is going to need thousands of dollars spent on renovations to drag it into the 21st century and make it habitable.
I was fortunate to witness pride of ownership of an entirely different kind this past weekend. While Toronto FC was out of town, I was asked to MC the Ontario Soccer Association’s annual awards banquet. It is, as you might imagine, a gathering of the great and the good of the province’s soccer achievers.
