Latest news with #Oliva
Hamilton Spectator
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Transgender-owned, LGTBQ-run music label Errant Records launches in Canada
TORONTO - A transgender-owned and LGBTQ-operated record label has launched with goals of supporting 'left-of-centre' Canadian musicians. In founding Errant Records, Toronto-raised entertainment lawyer and former music manager Dani Oliva becomes a rare example of an openly transgender executive at a music label. Oliva says he intends to focus on artists outside the mainstream and fill a void left by widespread layoffs at major labels that he says left many artists floundering. Errant's first signings include Haitian-Canadian singer-songwriter Charmie, who co-wrote Nelly Furtado's 'Better Than Ever' for her latest album '7,' and Toronto native Gus who released 'I Think We're Worth Saving' earlier this year. Its management division has signed two-time Grammy-winning engineer Emerson Mancini and Canadian-Japanese guitarist Hiroki Tanaka, formerly of Juno-nominated band Yamantaka // Sonic Titan. Errant is backed by David Massey, former president of Arista Records, and Shane Carter, president of Sony Music Canada, and its releases will be distributed through New York-based media company the Orchard. The label is headquartered in Vaughan, Ont., with a Canadian staff and plans to focus primarily on Canadian musicians, especially those who are queer and/or Black, Indigenous or people of colour, Oliva added. 'The ethos is representing artists that are not typically represented in the public purview,' Oliva said by phone from Los Angeles. 'That's BIPOC artists, queer artists, artists with a little bit of a left-of-centre perspective.' Oliva points to Vancouver indie label Nettwerk Music Group as a shining example of what he hopes to achieve. That company was founded in the 1980s and helped establish the careers of Sarah McLachlan, Barenaked Ladies and others on the global market. 'I do think it's important to foster relationships within Canada, but you also, in my opinion, have to have a global perspective in mind,' Oliva added. 'And (Errant) is centred around helping artists grown in Canada develop their global relationships in a way that feels good to them, and that includes in the U.S.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 9, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Transgender-owned, LGTBQ-run music label Errant Records launches in Canada
TORONTO – A transgender-owned and LGBTQ-operated record label has launched with goals of supporting 'left-of-centre' Canadian musicians. In founding Errant Records, Toronto-raised entertainment lawyer and former music manager Dani Oliva becomes a rare example of an openly transgender executive at a music label. Oliva says he intends to focus on artists outside the mainstream and fill a void left by widespread layoffs at major labels that he says left many artists floundering. Errant's first signings include Haitian-Canadian singer-songwriter Charmie, who co-wrote Nelly Furtado's 'Better Than Ever' for her latest album '7,' and Toronto native Gus who released 'I Think We're Worth Saving' earlier this year. Its management division has signed two-time Grammy-winning engineer Emerson Mancini and Canadian-Japanese guitarist Hiroki Tanaka, formerly of Juno-nominated band Yamantaka // Sonic Titan. Errant is backed by David Massey, former president of Arista Records, and Shane Carter, president of Sony Music Canada, and its releases will be distributed through New York-based media company the Orchard. The label is headquartered in Vaughan, Ont., with a Canadian staff and plans to focus primarily on Canadian musicians, especially those who are queer and/or Black, Indigenous or people of colour, Oliva added. 'The ethos is representing artists that are not typically represented in the public purview,' Oliva said by phone from Los Angeles. 'That's BIPOC artists, queer artists, artists with a little bit of a left-of-centre perspective.' Oliva points to Vancouver indie label Nettwerk Music Group as a shining example of what he hopes to achieve. That company was founded in the 1980s and helped establish the careers of Sarah McLachlan, Barenaked Ladies and others on the global market. 'I do think it's important to foster relationships within Canada, but you also, in my opinion, have to have a global perspective in mind,' Oliva added. 'And (Errant) is centred around helping artists grown in Canada develop their global relationships in a way that feels good to them, and that includes in the U.S.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 9, 2025.
Daily Mirror
06-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
'Banana fertiliser' will help your orchids 'bloom like clockwork' year round
Orchids are one of the most popular houseplants due to their beautiful and unusual blooms but if they're not flowering as much as usual, it could be due to a lack of nutrients Orchids are well-loved for their colourful and unique flowers, but many enthusiasts get disappointed when their prized plants don't blossom as they should. One top tip from green-fingered experts suggests that a lack of nutrients might be the cause, and here's a nifty way to help: simply add banana peels to the soil. Olivia, an expert gardener and the brains behind Gardening Olivia, has let slip a garden secret that turns banana peel rubbish into golden bloom booster. She said: "Believe it or not, banana peels can be a terrific organic fertiliser to help your orchids bloom! Who would have thought that something we consider garbage has such great value for our plants?" READ MORE: Kickers' 'durable' Back to School shoe range that 'last all year' She recounts her own scepticism turned success story: "When I first heard this idea, I was sceptical too. But after trying it myself, I'm a believer. "My orchids used to bloom so sporadically, maybe once or twice a year if I was lucky. But ever since switching to banana peels as a fertilizer, they bloom like clockwork several times a year." But why are banana peels such a game-changer for these houseplants? It turns out that feeding orchids with banana peels not only helps them keep hydrated, especially during the scorching summer months, but also encourages more frequent flowering, reports the Express. Dishing out the science behind the magic, Olivia explains, "Potassium is important for overall plant health and plays a key role in flowering. It helps transport carbohydrates, which orchids need for energy to produce blooms." And now, how exactly do you transform those kitchen scraps into an orchid's delight? Once the banana peels have hardened, crumple them up until they resemble breadcrumbs. A food processor will make this task easier, but it can also be done by hand. Next, simply sprinkle the crushed banana peels around the soil of your orchid plant so the peels release the nutrients over time. Olivia said: "The dried peels will slowly release nutrients into the soil over several months as they decompose. I like to add a new layer every few months." This quick and simple fertiliser will help orchids bloom more and provide healthier flowers, but it only needs to be done sparingly a few times a year otherwise there is a risk of overfertilizing the plant. According to Oliva the best time to fertilise orchids is in late summer or early autumn to give the orchids a time to grow stronger roots for winter and will have even better blooms next spring. Olivia said: "For such a simple, natural fertilizer, banana peels really can't be beaten. Your orchids will thank you with an amazing bloom show. Give it a try and see for yourself."
San Francisco Chronicle
02-07-2025
- San Francisco Chronicle
Man charged with vehicular manslaughter in East Bay freeway crash that killed ‘beloved' father, husband
A man suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol and causing a fatal crash on Interstate 80 in the East Bay was charged with vehicular manslaughter, the Alameda County District Attorney's Office said. Emmanuel Gonzalez Mendoza, 34, was arrested Friday after the crash, which occurred around 3:30 a.m. in the eastbound lanes of the freeway, east of Buchanan Street in Albany. The crash killed another driver, identified in court records as Daniel Alejandro Oliva Morales. A GoFundMe page remembered him as a beloved father and husband and a kind and friendly soul who was 'deeply loved by all who knew him.' His family told KTVU that Oliva, an Amazon delivery driver and father to children ages 11, 16 and 19, was on his way to work when the crash occurred. Gonzalez was driving a Toyota Camry when he crashed. The collision caused Oliva's car, a Hyundai Elantra, to careen off the freeway and onto the roadway below, landing on its roof, California Highway Patrol officer Adib Zeid said Friday. The crash, which closed the eastbound lanes for nearly three hours, also involved a big rig whose driver was not hurt.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Funding anxiety has taken hold of advocates for people experiencing homelessness
Ann Oliva addresses conferees during the National Alliance to End Homelessness annual convention in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Greg Childress) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Anna Oliva, the executive director of the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH), has never seen advocates for people experiencing homelessness as concerned about the future as they've been the last six months. The 30-year veteran in the fight to end homelessness told NC Newsline that advocates and others are worried about the current political landscape that has left federal funding for programs for the unhoused fraught with uncertainty. 'Primarily, I would say folks are scared,' Oliva said Monday. 'They're scared — when I say folks, I mean service providers, our leadership, our homeless services leadership, people who are in the system — they don't know what's going to happen.' Oliva made her comments during an interview with NC Newsline shortly after the NAEH kicked off its annual convention in Washington. More than 2,000 advocates, service providers, nonprofit leaders and people with lived experienced have gathered in the nation's capital to discuss policies and strategies to end homelessness. 'All of this uncertainty is making what are really hard jobs even harder,' Oliva said. 'And it's making the lives of people who are tenants in these programs uncertain in a way that I think is pretty damaging.' The uncertainty couldn't have come at a worse time. Homelessness in America increased by 18% in 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR). The report found 770,000 Americans — an 18% increase over the previous year — experiencing homelessness on a January night in 2024. It was the largest number recorded since HUD began conducting the counts in 2005. According to HUD, the number of people experiencing homelessness increased in every category — except for veterans — measured during the department's annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Count. The count is a snapshot of the number of individuals in shelters, temporary housing and unsheltered on a single night. 'I would say that right now folks are, they're nervous about the direction that the country is going and how they might try and figure out how to make up a [funding] gap, right?' Oliva said. 'If there is a gap, if there is a cut that's made from the federal government, if the federal government no longer funds the Continuum of Care (CoC) program, what does that mean for them?' The CoC to which Oliva referred is a community-based planning process and system aimed at ending homeless by coordinating efforts among various stakeholders to provide housing and services to families and individuals experiencing homelessness. The system is largely funded by HUD. The NAEH has lobbied against budget cut it believes would negatively impact programs to prevent and end homelessness. It has urged Congress to reject cuts to Homeless Assistance Grants and other safety net resources. The Alliance estimates that cuts to the program would eliminate funding for more than 166,000 units of Permanent Supportive Housing, which is a critical intervention for individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. President Trump's FY 2026 budget proposal calls for $532 million in cuts to the federal government's Homeless Assistance Grants account, the NAEH said in a recent statement. The conference in Washington is taking place against the backdrop of a Senate debate over President Donald Trump's so-called 'one big, beautiful bill.' The bill stirred controversy in North Carolina over the weekend when U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) voted against it, arguing that it would cause more than 660,000 North Carolinians to lose health care. [The Senate approved the measure in a 51-50 vote late Tuesday morning.] Trump threatened to run a candidate against Tillis in next year's GOP primary and Tillis abruptly announced that he would not seek reelection. 'What do I tell 663,000 people in two years or three years, when President Trump breaks his promise by pushing them off of Medicaid because the funding's not there anymore, guys?' Tillis said in a floor speech. Nationally, estimates from the Congressional Budget Office show that the legislation being debated in the Senate would leave nearly 12 million people without health care coverage by 2034. The bill slashes $1.1 trillion from Medicaid, Medicare and Obamacare over that period. More than $1 trillion of those cuts coming from Medicaid. Oliva said if the budget legislation passes, the advocates and service providers for people experiencing homelessness will have a new set of problems with which to contend. 'We're very concerned about how many people are one medical bill away from losing their housing, how many people need those services in order to maintain their housing over time, how many people will be priced out of the rental market if they have to pay medical bills above their rent,' Oliva said 'There's all sorts of questions that we have about what the impact of that would be in communities.' Oliva said the impact of Medicaid cuts would be widespread. 'All of these social services and policies are connected, and could have a pretty significant impact on the number of people experiencing homelessness in communities nationwide, red communities and blue communities alike, rural communities, suburban communities,' Oliva said. 'Rural and suburban communities rely much more heavily on federal dollars than urban communities do, and they're going to be deeply impacted by these potential changes should they pass.'
