No matter what you may think of Oasis, this is a band that sold a serious number of records.  Their biggest remains (What’s the Story) Morning Glory–album number two–which came out in 1995.  Sales have reached over 20 million, including 800,000 in Canada, 4.3 million in the UK, and another 4 million in the US.

With these kinds of numbers, Oasis was insanely popular, especially at home. Their biggest show was an event in Knebworth in England in August 1996.  More than 2.6 million people tried to buy tickets for that gig and only 150,000 got in.

And get this: the guest list–the guest list–for this one show featured 7,500 names.  Now that’s big.

© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

It’s often very hard to know when history is happening, even if you’re in the middle of things. Even when it’s super chaotic and you might feel that something very important is happening, but you really can’t be sure. It’s only with time that things come into focus. When it comes to music, we know that some years were more important than others; 1956, for example. People who were alive back then were occupied by Cold War tensions, the growing civil rights movement in the U.S., the increasing penetration of television into homes, and a couple of bad earthquakes and hurricanes. But at the same time, a new singer named Elvis Presley was at the forefront of this new thing called “rock and roll.” A new construct called “teenager” was off listening to this music on their new transistor radios. And if they had a TV in their house, they were watching Dick Clark and American Bandstand. Meanwhile, in the UK, a form of pre-rock music called “skiffle” was taking off. Within a year, a skiffle-loving band called The Quarrymen” was playing gigs—and they would, of course, later become The Beatles. Speaking of whom, 1964 was also an important year. More than 70 million people watched The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show the first time they appeared that February, kicking off their international career and the British Invasion. The years 1967 through 1969 also turned out to be a big deal. The rise of FM rock radio. The Beatles and Bob Dylan drew people away from singles to albums. The Summer of Love. The constant flow of music that was inspired by opposition to the Vietnam War. Woodstock. Altamont. Books have been written about how important 1971 and 1972 were to rock. Pink Floyd released The Dark Side of the Moon. David Bowie introduced Ziggy Stardust. John Lennon’s fight to keep from being deported from the U. S. Big records from Led Zeppelin, The Who, Black Sabbath, Yes, The Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Deep Purple, and Rod Stewart, all of which are now considered all-time classics. Let’s look at 1976. No one knew it at the time, and few were paying attention, but that was the year punk was born. In 1984, we had Prince, Springsteen, Van Halen, U2, The Smiths, and Metallica with major records. And then 1991: the grunge revolution and the explosion in all things alternative. Which brings me to 1994. Rock had been on the upswing for a couple of years and when we look back now, it’s obvious that the grunge and alternative scenes of the ’90s peaked during those twelve months. Let’s look back, shall we? Songs heard on this show:

• • Alice in Chains, I Stay Away
  • Green Day, Longview
  • Nirvana, Where Did You Sleep Last Night?
  • The Offspring, Come Out and Play
  • Blur, Girls and Boys
  • Oasis, Live Forever
  • Nine Inch Nails, Closer
  • Soundgarden, Black Hole Sun

Here’s Eric Wilhite’s playlist. The Ongoing History Music can be heard on these stations. Don’t forget that there’s a podcast version, too, in case you miss any episodes. Get them for free wherever you get your podcasts.

• • 102.1 The Edge/Toronto – Sunday night at 7pm
  • Q107/Toronto – Sunday night at 9pm
  • Live 88-5/Ottawa – Saturdays at 9am and Sundays at 6pm.
  • 107.5 Dave-FM/Kitchener – Sunday nights at 11pm
  • FM96/London – Sunday nights at 8pm
  • Power 97/Winnipeg – Sunday nights at 10am and 10pm
  • 107-3 The Edge/Calgary – Sundays at 10am and 10pm
  • Sonic 102.9/Edmonton – Sunday at 8am and 8pm
  • The Zone/Victoria – Sunday at 8am and 9pm
  • The Fox/Vancouver – Sundays at 10anm and 10pm
  • Surge 105/Halifax – Sunday at 7pm
  • WAPS/WKTL The Summit/Arkon, Canton, Cleveland, Youngstown – Mon-Fri at 9pm

© 2024 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Guatemala is open to receiving citizens of other Central American nations who are deported from the United States, three sources familiar with the matter said, as the country looks to build a positive relationship with the incoming Trump administration.

“There has to be a regional response,” a Guatemalan official who requested anonymity told Reuters. “And we want to be part of the solution.”

The U.S. has struggled to deport nationals from places such as Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti due to strained relations. That could prove a challenge for President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to deport record numbers of immigrants living in the United States illegally.

His team has already reached out to the governments of several countries to test their willingness to take deportees from third countries.

Many U.S. neighbors, including Mexico and the Bahamas, have said they do not want to receive deportees from third countries.

In 2022, more than 40 per cent of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally came from Mexico, amounting to 4.8 million of 11 million overall, according to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security report. That was followed by Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, which together accounted for over one-fifth of the total.

Guatemala has been particularly proactive in preparing for a second Trump term relative to neighbors El Salvador and Honduras, meeting with Trump transition team members, Senator Marco Rubio before he was tapped for secretary of state and the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank, about migration and mass deportations, border security, drug trafficking and China.

All three countries, along with a Nicaraguan government that has the most openly hostile relationship with the U.S., face a moment of reckoning, both in handling Trump’s demand they accept deportees and in a potential curtailing of remittances from immigrants in the U.S., which are a major contributor to their economies.

The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Guatemala-U.S. meetings signal the center-left government of President Bernard Arevalo, a Biden administration ally, wants to start on smooth terms with the Trump administration, despite ties between Guatemala’s conservative opposition and many in the president-elect’s orbit. Trump’s inauguration will happen on Jan. 20.

El Salvador, whose populist President Nayib Bukele already has cozy ties with the Trump camp, has taken a less proactive approach. But a source close to discussions between Salvadoran officials and the transition team said the Trump administration foresees smooth cooperation with El Salvador on immigration.

The Guatemalan official noted the country already receives 14 deportation flights per week under President Joe Biden and is preparing for an increase.

Honduras’ Deputy Foreign Minister Antonio Garcia told Reuters the country receives 10 deportation flights a week. Reuters was not able to confirm the number of deportation flights to other Central American countries.

Guatemala expects a significant increase in deportations in the fall, based on the rationale that it will take time to ramp them up.

“We aren’t ready for it, but we know it’s coming,” a second Guatemalan government official said.

Guatemala would prioritize Guatemalans for re-integration, the second official said, adding every country should take responsibility for its citizens, but also highlighting a regional pact among Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador that allows free movement.

Guatemala’s vision for deportees is to put their skills developed in the United States to work in the private sector, the person said.

“These are people who have worked in construction, in the service industry, in various sectors, and many speak English. We want to harness that.”

In late November, Guatemala’s security minister and migration director traveled to Washington, according to the three sources close to the matter, and met with Rubio and other key Republicans, where discussions covered drug trafficking, migration and deportations.

They also met with the Heritage Foundation, whose employees staffed much of the first Trump administration.

While they discussed immigration and deportations, the foundation mainly emphasized it wanted Guatemala to maintain its allegiance to U.S. ally Taiwan over China, the sources said.

Officials know more deportations could strain Guatemala’s economy if remittances drop and the cost of re-integrating deportees rises.

Around 20 per cent of Guatemala’s GDP comes from remittances – money sent home by the diaspora in the United States.

In 2023, remittances accounted for 24 per cent of El Salvador’s gross domestic product and nearly 30 per cent of Honduras’ GDP.

Guatemalan officials said they are not worried about the immediate economic effects of a drop in remittances, but expressed concern about reduced remittances paired with Trump’s proposed increased tariffs or taxed remittances.

“We don’t have a financial plan yet, there are just too many unknowns,” said the second official.

Guatemalan officials are analyzing surveys by the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration showing from which parts of Guatemala the most migrants departed, hoping to prepare those communities for their possible return, two officials said.

The Salvadoran government said it would announce plans once the Trump administration takes action.

“We work in facts and it’s still all speculation,” Vice President Felix Ulloa told Reuters.

Bukele, like Trump, casts himself as a political disrupter, and has ties to many people close to Trump.

Honduras’ Deputy Foreign Minister Garcia said the country’s ambassador to the United States had met informally with Trump’s transition team and with Guatemala to coordinate a response.

Garcia emphasized the country had always received deportees but noted at least 40% of migrants try to migrate to the United States again. He added it was important the two countries work to improve living conditions causing migration, such as gang violence, unemployment and poverty.

“Honduras is already experiencing the phenomenon of mass deportations and perhaps the difference will be from 10 flights to 20 or 30 more,” Garcia said. “We will have to sit down with the Americans and agree on logistics and slots at return centers to do so within a framework of dignity and respect.”

© 2024 Reuters

More than 10,000 migrants died while trying to reach Spain by sea this year, a report released by a Spanish migration rights group said on Thursday.

On average, that means 30 migrants died every day this year attempting to reach the country by boat, Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders) said. Overall deaths rose 58 per cent compared to last year, the report added.

Tens of thousands of migrants left West Africa in 2024 for the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago close to the African coast that has increasingly been used as a stepping stone to continental Europe.

Caminando Fronteras said most of the 10,457 deaths recorded up until Dec. 15. took place along that crossing, the so-called Atlantic route — considered one of the world’s most dangerous.

The organization compiles its figures from families of migrants and official statistics of those rescued. It included 1,538 children and 421 women among the dead. April and May were the deadliest months, the report said.

Caminando Fronteras also noted a “sharp increase” in 2024 in boats leaving from Mauritania, which it said became the main departure point on the route to the Canary Islands.

In February, Spain pledged 210 million euros (around US$218 million) in aid to Mauritania to help it crack down on human smugglers and prevent boats from taking off.

Spain’s interior ministry says more than 57, 700 migrants reached Spain by boat until Dec. 15 this year, a roughly 12 per cent increase from the same period last year. The vast majority of them came through the Atlantic route.

© 2024 The Canadian Press

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is warning of “significant congestion” on one part of Highway 401 due to drivers heading out on Boxing Day.

In a post on X at 8:03 a.m. Thursday, the OPP said the Highway 401 westbound exit to Trafalgar Road in Mississauga is experiencing serious backlog due to traffic. Toronto Premium Outlets, a large outdoor shopping centre, is located just off the exit.

In a picture accompanying the post, a row of illuminated taillights from several vehicles can be seen, with stopped cars taking up at least one lane of traffic beyond the offramp. The OPP did not say what time the photo, which was taken on a traffic camera, was captured on Thursday.

“Shoppers are advised to use the Winston Churchill Blvd exit as an alternative to ensure a safe and smooth shopping journey,” the OPP said in the post.

“As a reminder, the HTA (Highway Traffic Act) does not permit pedestrians to walk on controlled access highways, including off-ramps.”

The OPP added members of its Mississauga detachment will be “proactively monitoring” the area throughout the day.

Toronto Premium Outlets is just one of the many attractions open through the Toronto area on Boxing Day.

In Canada and other countries like Australia and Britain, the day after Christmas is a secular national holiday known as Boxing Day.

No one knows for sure when Boxing Day started, but some believe it was centuries ago when servants would be given the day after Christmas off for rest. Others trace it back even earlier, to the Roman practice of collecting money in boxes.

In modern times, Boxing Day has evolved into a day of relaxation and indulgence — and shopping. It is filled with sporting events, and is often a day when people open their homes to family and friends to celebrate the holidays.

— with files from The Associated Press

© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

An Israeli strike killed five Palestinian journalists outside a hospital in the Gaza Strip overnight, the Health Ministry said early Thursday. The Israeli military said all five were militants posing as reporters.

The strike hit a car outside the Al-Awda Hospital in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in the central part of the territory. The journalists were working for the local news outlet Al-Quds Today, a television channel affiliated with the Islamic Jihad militant group.

Islamic Jihad is a smaller and more extreme ally of Hamas, and took part in its Oct. 7, 2023 attack into southern Israel, which ignited the conflict. The Israeli military identified four of the men as combat propagandists and said that intelligence, including a list of Islamic Jihad operatives found by soldiers in Gaza, had confirmed that all five were affiliated with the group.

Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian militant groups operate political, media and charitable operations in addition to their armed wings.

Associated Press footage showed the incinerated shell of a van, with press markings still visible on the back doors. Several young men attended the funeral outside the hospital, many of them sobbing. The bodies were all wrapped in white shrouds, with blue press vests draped over them.

The Committee to Protect Journalists says over 130 Palestinian reporters have been killed since the start of the conflict. Israel has not allowed foreign reporters to enter Gaza except on military embeds.

Israel has banned the pan-Arab Al Jazeera network and accused six of its Gaza reporters of being militants. The Qatar-based broadcaster denies the allegations and accuses Israel of trying to silence its coverage of the conflict, which has focused heavily on civilian casualties from Israeli military operations.

Separately, the military said a 35-year-old reserve soldier was killed during fighting in central Gaza early Thursday. A total of 389 soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the start of the ground operation over a year ago.

The conflict began when Hamas-led militants stormed across the border in a surprise attack on nearby army bases and farming communities. They killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead.

Israel’s air and ground offensive has killed over 45,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry. It says more than half the fatalities have been women and children but does not say how many of the dead were fighters. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

The offensive has caused widespread destruction and driven around 90 per cent of the population of 2.3 million from their homes. Hundreds of thousands are packed into squalid tent camps along the coast, with little protection from the cold, wet winter.

© 2024 The Canadian Press

Workers on the front line of Toronto’s homeless crisis say the holiday season has been tough for those living on the streets, as colder temperatures set in along with feelings of isolation.

“Whether you’re a newcomer and it’s your first Christmas away from the family, whether you’re Canadian-born and your family is still far away or not speaking to you for whatever reason, it’s hard for people to be aware that they are not at home,” said Michalina Seidl, a case manager at Bethlehem United.

“People who are staying in a shelter are regular people. Most of the time they’re the most vulnerable….So just remember to be kind to people, because you never know what they’re going through.”

Valentina Diaz, a manager at Fred Victor Bethlehem United Shelter, says the season exacerbates the “emotional heaviness” homeless people face year-round.

“Having to go through life hardships on your own can be particularly hard for people that are living on the streets or in shelters,” said Diaz.

Diaz said among the homeless people struggling are refugee claimants who now make up a large portion of the people currently using the city’s shelter system.

Earlier this year, the city said there had been more than 2,500 refugee claimants in the shelter system in 2023.

By the end of that year, that number had grown to nearly 4,200.

Diaz said shelters have done their best to support increased number of refugees.

“We had to open that availability of beds to them because they were coming to a new country and they didn’t have any resources or any sort of supports,” she said.

Diaz said her shelter also hosted a holiday party recently for residents with games, music and food so they feel less isolated.

“We try to make it as joyful as possible, and just make it known that even though they’re not related, there is a community here that they can support and rely on,” said Diaz.

Earlier this month, Toronto’s Ombudsman Kwame Addo released a report investigating the city’s May 2023 decision to stop allowing refugee claimants to access its base shelter system beds, finding that the decision was “inconsistent with city policies” and “amounted to systemic racism” as some claimants were turned away from shelters even when beds were available.

The ombudsman made several recommendations to the city, including clarifying processes for refugee claimants.

City Manager Paul Johnson wrote in a letter that he did not agree with the report’s findings and “would not take further action” in response to the recommendations.

© 2024 The Canadian Press

U.S. president-elect Donald Trump says he told Canadian hockey legend Wayne Gretzky during a Christmas Day visit that he should run for prime minister of Canada.

“I just left Wayne Gretzky, ‘The Great One’ as he is known in ice-hockey circles,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform Wednesday afternoon.

“I said, ‘Wayne, why don’t you run for prime minister of Canada, soon to be known as the governor of Canada — you would win easily, you wouldn’t even have to campaign.’ He had no interest,” Trump wrote.

His comment about being governor of Canada refers to Trump repeatedly suggesting the country become a U.S. state, which Ottawa insists is a joke.

Trump added that it would be “fun to watch” if Canadians launched a movement to get the retired hockey player to seek office.

The Canadian Press has tried to contact Gretzky through his agents.

Experts have said that Ottawa is rightfully focused on the prospect of damaging tariffs under the looming Trump presidency instead of pushing back on rhetoric about annexing or purchasing Canada.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau leads a minority government that could be toppled by a confidence vote next year, following the surprise resignation of finance minister Chrystia Freeland.

Trump also expressed Christmas greetings to Trudeau, again referring to him as a governor and claiming that Canadians would see a tax cut of more than 60 per cent if the country became an American state.

“Their businesses would immediately double in size, and they would be militarily protected like no other country anywhere in the world,” Trump wrote in a post that also alluded to his desire to annex Greenland and the Panama Canal.

Gretzky has previously backed Conservative politicians, such as former Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown during his run for the party leadership.

During the 2015 federal election, Conservative leader Stephen Harper interviewed Gretzky in front of hundreds of supporters as the Tories unsuccessfully sought re-election.

At the event, Gretzky told Harper he thought he had been an “unreal prime minister” who had been “wonderful to the whole country.”

Gretzky later said he always follows a prime minister’s request, regardless of political stripe, noting he had once hosted a lunch for former Liberal prime minister Pierre Trudeau.

© 2024 The Canadian Press

If you’ve ever been to a live show, you’ve no doubt experienced feedback–that loud, screeching, piercing noise that feels like an ice pick is going through your ears into your brain.  It is NOT pleasant, but it’s something music fans have had to endure since the invention of microphones and amplifiers.  But maybe not anymore.

There is now software that turns down the volume before feedback happens.  At soundcheck, a venue is checked for the various frequencies that triggers feedback.  Once the analysis is done, the gig can go ahead feedback-free as the software takes care of any problems.  It can even adjust to changing conditions.  For example, the acoustics of an empty arena are different than one filled with 18,000 sweaty bodies.

As this technology spreads, it should mean the end of feedback forever

© 2024 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

One woman is dead following a crash in Cloverdale Christmas morning.

Around 11:15 a.m. Wednesday morning the Surrey Police Service were called to the intersection of 176^th Street and Highway 10 after a two car collision, involving a taxi.

The adult passenger of the taxi was killed despite life-saving measures by paramedics on scene.

Police say, both drivers remained on scene and are cooperating with the investigation.

The Criminal Collison Investigation Team and the Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service are investigating the cause.

Highway 10 near 176^th Street remains closed to eastbound traffic as of 12:30 p.m. and is expected to remain closed for several hours.

Any witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage is asked to call Surrey Police Service at 604-599-0502.

© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.