A focus on guitar [Comments from guitarists]

A FOCUS ON GUITAR

by Carolyn Heinze

Maybe you spent your younger days driving the sales staff at the local music store crazy wanking out "Stairway to Heaven" on every guitar in the place. Or perhaps you're one of those reclusive musicians who spends every free waking moment closed up in a small room perfecting modes, chords and arpeggios. Whatever the case, you've chosen to play the guitar and regardless of what level you may be at, you always welcome advice from musicians who have made their mark as household names as a result of their craft.

This month, Canadian Musician asked guitarists from all over North America how they continue to improve themselves as …

Mladin wins AMA Superbike event

Six-time class AMA champion Mat Mladin swept two weekend races, winning Sunday by 6.357 seconds at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Mladin led all but one circuit of the 26-lap race. His Suzuki teammate, Ben Spies, led that one lap. Less than two weeks after his appendix was removed, …

Offensive linemen refused to succumb to injuries

DAILY MAIL SPORTSWRITER

HUNTINGTON - Marshall University's Mid-American Conferencechampionship game win - a first-ever fourth straight in the MAC -was more about guts than it was about glory. Thundering Herdquarterback Byron Leftwich gratefully gave his MU offensive mostvaluable player game ball to linemen Scott Harper and Jeff Edwards.

Leaving the field following Saturday's 19-14 victory over WesternMichigan, Edwards, a sophomore center, could barely walk.

Coach Bob Pruett was sincerely moved. In talking about the gutsof his linemen, he had to be.

"Jeff Edwards played on one leg," Pruett said. "He couldn't walk.We put a double brace on him and he …

Whooping Cranes Rebounding in Texas

HARLINGEN, Texas - Once down to about 15, the world's only naturally migrating flock of whooping cranes has continued its comeback, now numbering a record 237 birds in wintering grounds along Texas' Gulf Coast.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Tom Stehn, who tracks the flock, said 45 cranes were born last year, including a rare seven sets of twins.

He credited the increase to mild weather at their nesting grounds in Wood Buffalo National Park in northern Canada's boreal forest. There, the birds begin their 2,500-mile migration route from their summering grounds to Texas.

"They avoided having that cold weather hit, that just-above-freezing and drizzle that …

Summary Box: Sony Ericsson profits down in 3Q

THE RESULTS: Mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson posted a break-even third quarter Friday. It blamed the drop in earnings on higher taxes and lower margins.

STRATEGY SHIFT: The company also announced that it is shifting its entire portfolio to smartphones next …

Italy FA president calls for major overhaul

Italian football federation president Giancarlo Abete has called for a serious analysis of the national sport following the defending champion's dismal first-round elimination from the World Cup.

Italy's 3-2 loss to Slovakia on Thursday marked the first time the Azzurri exited the World Cup without winning a game, and the 2006 champion hasn't won at all in 2010.

"We all know the importance of football in our country and we've disappointed tens of millions of fans," Abete said Friday. "We have to be realists. These are the facts. We need to reflect on the structural crisis of Italian football."

Abete said he would introduce new …

Gather 'Round on the way

Mennonite Church

Eastern Canada

Christian educators in congregations of MC Eastern Canada can find out all about this new Sunday School curriculum by attending one of the sessions of the Gather 'Round Learning Tour happening from Feb. 25 to March 4.

"A whole generation of kids has experienced Jubilee. We want the next generation to have material which is as current and contemporary as possible," says Eleanor Snyder, Mennonite Publishing Network staffer, of the reason for the new curriculum.

'The story has not changed; but the way we tell the story has changed," she says, noting that there is considerable effort to forge a strong home and church connection. …