Posts in category Life & Style

Margot Blackman & Egbert Gaye Congratulations and much love and respect are in order for Mrs. Una Adams who celebrated her 105th birthday on October 15. Mrs. Adams was born in Barbados on October 15, 1913, and came to Canada in 1948 to join her husband Mr. Fred Adams who served in the Canadian military during WWII. They settled in the Rosemont district where they raised their sons Dr. Robert Adams and Neil Adams. Speaking to the CONTACT by phone, Mrs. Adams was gracious and engaging. A lifelong member of the Salvation Army, which she joined growing up in St. …

Margot Blackman Congratulations to Eula Williams of Cote-de-Neiges who was recently honored by the directors and staff of Maison Shalom when she retired after 23 years of faithful duty. Maison Shalom is a  home for the intellectually and physically challenged children and adults, and Eula’s performance working with them has been outstanding. In their recent newsletter, Benjamin and Vanda Treiser, co-presidents of Maison Shalom, wrote the following about Eula: The staff and residents will miss her enthusiastic demeanor, warm smile, and loving care. In appreciation of her many years of devotion to the lives of our residents, a party took …

Independent Pop/R&B singer-songwriter and actress, Anastasia “Ana Stasia” Dextrene, released her debut album, “Best Life – EP”, this past August. And she has already turned heads with a collection described by radio stations and listeners alike as “fierce”, “incredible” and “top of the class in Canadian music.” Ana Stasia released her first original single, “One Heart”, in the summer of 2016, and in the Spring of 2017, the multi-talented artist obtained a music artist development deal with Grammy Award-winning producers Alex Houton and Brian Vibberts. She was also featured on the release of Grammy- nominated and award-winning songwriter and producers …

Jabari Arthur recognized at Akron University By Ruthven V. Licorish What defines greatness is when you hold all the records and what you mean to your fans, the guy who holds the most records or the guy who you recognize as the leader of the pack. Those factors are what help to place you in the ranks as the greatest receiver of all time. You have to give it to Jabari Arthur, who was inducted into the Akron University Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, October 6. Beginning as a 7-year-old, Jabari made his first foray into football as a …

Vincentian-born novelist releases another masterpiece “Fate’s Instrument” Egbert Gaye Montreal novelist H. Nigel Thomas gives what he considers to be a simple reason for writing: “I feel a compulsion to explore the complex mystery that is the human animal.” A compulsion made even more urgent after thoroughly consuming two novels by renowned Trinidad and Tobago author, Earl Lovelace, “The Dragon Can’t Dance”, and “Wine of Astonishment,” along with the political masterpiece “Salt Eaters” from the late Toni Cade Bambara, a provocative African-American, author/film-maker. “I was really taken by their storytelling style and it made me aware that I could write, …

Egbert Gaye Although it doesn’t happen regularly, it’s not unusual that a typical day at work for Sharlene Royer might include a concussion or a broken bone or two. You see, a typical day at work for this Montealer could involve falling off a ledge 30 feet above the ground, ejecting from a speeding vehicle or engaging in lengthy periods of hand-to-hand combat or with weapons. That’s what she does as a stunt-woman/actor or as a stand-in for big name stars such as Halle Berry, Zoe Saldana, Vanessa Williams, Rosario Dawson, Ciara Renée, Paula Patton, Monica Arnold and even the …

Once a Globetrotting musician, Joel Campbell now calls Montreal home Egbert Gaye For all of history, brilliant minds have been grappling with the complex connection between two words: fate and destiny. One relates to what will happen inevitably , the other we will do inevitably. In tracing the path that lead him to Montreal after many years of playing on some of the world’s biggest stages with some of music’s biggest names, the story of Joel Campbell, a young British-born musician, hinges on those two words. He says there’s no denying that is was inevitable that he came to Montreal. …

Leonard Wharwood: activist, community organizer and diplomat Egbert Gaye When it comes to community building and organizing, Leonard Wharwood was a giant of a man. Dependable, hard working and smart, he was a go-to guy for the many organizations and groups with which he was associated for the past 30 years or so. His passing on Thursday, August 23 has left a void in our community and a patch of sadness in the hearts of those whose paths he crossed during his endless hours of work developing his business and assisting others. He was only 60-years-old when he died following …

“Every generation faces their own problems. I can’t say for certain that this generation is interested in confronting the problems we face today.”   Egbert Gaye On a hot summer day, Dan Philip, head of the Black Coalition of Quebec was sitting in his office on Decarie reading a recent article by Richard Martineau published in the Journal de Montreal. Of course, he and his organization came in for a lot of slag from Martineau who fancies himself a columnist and a commentator as he muses on the legitimacy of advocacy groups such the BCQ. “Dès qu’il y a un …

Egbert Gaye Ed Note: In 2014, Caylah Cruickshank entered Tulane University as a top-rated student athlete on a full scholarship amid wild expectations of success on the basketball court and in the classroom. After three years of hard work and exciting highs at the highly rated university, she leaves having met those expectations and some. Here’s how she sees her journey forward… My name is Caylah Cruickshank and I recently graduated from Tulane University. On May 19, 2018, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and a Minor in Marketing. As a Division 1 scholarship student-athlete, I …