by James Edgar, The Leeds Guide
After a recent holiday to Greece, I flirted with the idea of an exclusive pan-European special report contrasting the Leeds dance music scene with that of its Athenian equiva lent. However, although I did manage to find some time between oiling my mankini-clad body and perfecting my rendition of Wham’s ‘Club Tropicana’ video to savour what the Greek capital had to offer, I found little to make a fruitful comparison. Maybe I just went to the wrong places? (Suggestions on a postcard to the usual address please.)
What I should done to hear some decent beats is follow Leeds drum & bass heavy-hitter DJ Steppa on his worldwide tour! Fresh from headlin ing nights across Europe and Canada, Steppa will be back in Leeds for his big birthday bash at SubDub on 8th September before heading out to the white isle to DJ alongside Andy C for the closing party of Metropolis’ first season in Ibiza (as featured in last month’s Leeds Guide). Then on to Lithuania of all places — Greece needs to catch up!
After the relative lull of Leeds’ summer, Steppa told us: "I’m looking forward to getting the raving season kicked off again in Leeds. There’s a lot of big line-ups this year. Metropolis and SubDub have stepped it up a whole other level."
As well as those two main residen cies, he’ll be DJing at Jump, the new monthly drum & bass night opening in September at the Mint Club. And, of course, with the return of the students it’s "all about getting ready for the freshers’ week onslaught!"
It’s not just about the mixing for Steppa. With a brand new studio, he’s looking to treat the production side of things more like a job, with a remix for Ray Keith in the pipeline for Dread Recordings. And his current tune, ‘The Menace’, a collaboration with Ego Trippin and DJ Sly (3rdangle Recordings), is getting a lot of support on dubplate from the likes of Nicky Blackmarket and Hype.
Winning Best Breakthrough DJ in the National Drum & Bass awards was a real turning point for Steppa, and he explained how he used it as a launch pad for his career (take note kids): "You can’t sit around and wait for bookings to come in, so I got off my arse and promoted myself as the best breakthrough DJ, and I’ve got so much more work out of Leeds now. I’ve played in places I didn’t even know existed or even had a drum & bass scene, so things are going off!"
Check out the latest from Steppa and listen to his beats on www. myspace.com/djsteppa
Wednesday, 22 August 2007
Wednesday, 18 April 2007
Warriors grab crucial win in battle for play-off berth
by James Edgar, FIBA website
The Golden State Warriors are still hoping for a place in the play-offs in the Western Conference following an emphatic 111-82 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Table leaders Dallas rested a number of stars, including Germany star Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard and Jerry Stackhouse, and the Warriors capitalised on the presence of Dallas reserves Jose Juan Barea, Maurice Ager, Greg Buckner, DeSagana Diop and Devean George.
Golden State jumped out to an early lead, outscoring the Mavericks 30-15 in the first quarter and never looked back.
Mickael Pietrus led the scoring for Golden State with 22 points, with Matt Barnes taking 19 and 12 rebounds and Jason Richardson collecting 14 points and seven rebounds.
Pietrus shot six-of-nine from the field, including three-of-four from the arc, and Barnes was seven-of-15 from the floor for the Warriors, who led by as many as 28 points in the third period.
Ager scored 20 points and Barea added 13 and a career-high 10 rebounds for the Mavericks, who will face either the Warriors or Los Angeles Clippers in a first-round playoff series.
The battle for the eighth and final play-off spot will come down to the last night of the season, when the Warriors take on Portland and the Clippers host New Orleans on Wednesday.
The Clippers posted a critical 103-99 victory over Phoenix Suns to keep their play-off dreams alive.
Elton Brand collected 21 points and nine rebounds and Tim Thomas added 18 and eight.
Quinton Ross made two free throws and Jason Hart scored on a floater in the lane as Los Angeles grabbed a 97-92 lead at the 2:11 mark in the fourth quarter.
Brazilian Leandro Barbosa netted five straight points for the Suns to close within 99-97 with 32 seconds left, but Hart sank all four of his free throws in the waning seconds to seal the victory.
Raja Bell and Boris Diaw each scored 17 points and All-Star Amare Stoudemire chipped in 16 for Phoenix.
The Clippers now need to beat the New Orleans Hornets and hope the Warriors stumble at Portland to secure thier second straight play-off berth for the first time since 1992 and 1993.
The Cleveland Cavaliers won their third straight game with a 98-92 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Larry Hughes scored 15 of his 22 points in the second half, LeBron James added 18 and Lithuanian Zydrunas Ilgauskas collected 14 points and eight rebounds for Cleveland.
The Cavaliers now must emerge victorious from their final game against Milwaukee on Wednesday and hope Chicago lose at New Jersey to earn the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
Orlando Magic posted a 95-84 victory over the Washington Wizards. The Magic are peaking at the right time while the Wizards are heading in the opposite direction.
The Magic have won five of their last six outings, while Washington have lost eight of their last 11 contests to fall into sixth place.
Hedo Turkoglu of Turkey scored 26 points, Dwight Howard had 17 points and 12 rebounds and Antawn Jamison made 14-of-26 shots.
Washington trailed by 12 points at the intermission but stormed back in the third with a quarter-ending 16-7 burst capped by Brendan Haywood's eight-foot jumper for a 73-69 lead.
Late in the fourth, Carlos Arroyo drained a jumper and Grant Hill made 1-of-2 foul shots as Orlando snapped an 88-88 tie with 1:45 remaining.
DeShawn Stevenson split a pair of free throws, cutting the lead to 91-89, but Hill fed Turkoglu for an 18-footer off the high pick-and-roll with 23 seconds to seal it.
The Magic need a win coupled with a Wizards loss on Wednesday to avoid facing top-seeded Detroit in the first round of the play-offs.
The Detroit Pistons rested most of their starters as they rolled to a meaningless 100-84 triumph over the Toronto Raptors.
Detroit outscored Toronto 38-19 in the second quarter to forge a 61-37 advantage at the break and never looked back.
Murray scored 16 points for the Pistons and All-Star Richard Hamilton added 10 of his 12 in the first half.
Argentinian Carlos Delfino scored 12 points and Lindsay Hunter had eight and a season-high 11 assists for the Detroit.
Slovenian rookie Uros Slokar scored 18 points off the bench and Morris Peterson had 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Raptors.
Atlanta Hawks found solace at the end of a frustrating season by beating the Indiana Pacers 118-102.
Smith scored 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and all five starters scored in double figures for the Hawks.
Tyronn Lue added 25 points and eight assists and Marvin Williams had 23 points and seven rebound for the Hawks, who snapped a three-game losing streak.
Ike Diogu scored 20 points and Danny Granger added 15 for the Pacers, who missed the play-offs for the first time since the 1996-97 season.
Indiana were eliminated from play-off contention with Sunday's 111-107 defeat to the New Jersey Nets and finish off the season by hosting the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.
http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/lateNews/p/newsid/18789/arti.html
The Golden State Warriors are still hoping for a place in the play-offs in the Western Conference following an emphatic 111-82 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Table leaders Dallas rested a number of stars, including Germany star Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard and Jerry Stackhouse, and the Warriors capitalised on the presence of Dallas reserves Jose Juan Barea, Maurice Ager, Greg Buckner, DeSagana Diop and Devean George.
Golden State jumped out to an early lead, outscoring the Mavericks 30-15 in the first quarter and never looked back.
Mickael Pietrus led the scoring for Golden State with 22 points, with Matt Barnes taking 19 and 12 rebounds and Jason Richardson collecting 14 points and seven rebounds.
Pietrus shot six-of-nine from the field, including three-of-four from the arc, and Barnes was seven-of-15 from the floor for the Warriors, who led by as many as 28 points in the third period.
Ager scored 20 points and Barea added 13 and a career-high 10 rebounds for the Mavericks, who will face either the Warriors or Los Angeles Clippers in a first-round playoff series.
The battle for the eighth and final play-off spot will come down to the last night of the season, when the Warriors take on Portland and the Clippers host New Orleans on Wednesday.
The Clippers posted a critical 103-99 victory over Phoenix Suns to keep their play-off dreams alive.
Elton Brand collected 21 points and nine rebounds and Tim Thomas added 18 and eight.
Quinton Ross made two free throws and Jason Hart scored on a floater in the lane as Los Angeles grabbed a 97-92 lead at the 2:11 mark in the fourth quarter.
Brazilian Leandro Barbosa netted five straight points for the Suns to close within 99-97 with 32 seconds left, but Hart sank all four of his free throws in the waning seconds to seal the victory.
Raja Bell and Boris Diaw each scored 17 points and All-Star Amare Stoudemire chipped in 16 for Phoenix.
The Clippers now need to beat the New Orleans Hornets and hope the Warriors stumble at Portland to secure thier second straight play-off berth for the first time since 1992 and 1993.
The Cleveland Cavaliers won their third straight game with a 98-92 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Larry Hughes scored 15 of his 22 points in the second half, LeBron James added 18 and Lithuanian Zydrunas Ilgauskas collected 14 points and eight rebounds for Cleveland.
The Cavaliers now must emerge victorious from their final game against Milwaukee on Wednesday and hope Chicago lose at New Jersey to earn the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
Orlando Magic posted a 95-84 victory over the Washington Wizards. The Magic are peaking at the right time while the Wizards are heading in the opposite direction.
The Magic have won five of their last six outings, while Washington have lost eight of their last 11 contests to fall into sixth place.
Hedo Turkoglu of Turkey scored 26 points, Dwight Howard had 17 points and 12 rebounds and Antawn Jamison made 14-of-26 shots.
Washington trailed by 12 points at the intermission but stormed back in the third with a quarter-ending 16-7 burst capped by Brendan Haywood's eight-foot jumper for a 73-69 lead.
Late in the fourth, Carlos Arroyo drained a jumper and Grant Hill made 1-of-2 foul shots as Orlando snapped an 88-88 tie with 1:45 remaining.
DeShawn Stevenson split a pair of free throws, cutting the lead to 91-89, but Hill fed Turkoglu for an 18-footer off the high pick-and-roll with 23 seconds to seal it.
The Magic need a win coupled with a Wizards loss on Wednesday to avoid facing top-seeded Detroit in the first round of the play-offs.
The Detroit Pistons rested most of their starters as they rolled to a meaningless 100-84 triumph over the Toronto Raptors.
Detroit outscored Toronto 38-19 in the second quarter to forge a 61-37 advantage at the break and never looked back.
Murray scored 16 points for the Pistons and All-Star Richard Hamilton added 10 of his 12 in the first half.
Argentinian Carlos Delfino scored 12 points and Lindsay Hunter had eight and a season-high 11 assists for the Detroit.
Slovenian rookie Uros Slokar scored 18 points off the bench and Morris Peterson had 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Raptors.
Atlanta Hawks found solace at the end of a frustrating season by beating the Indiana Pacers 118-102.
Smith scored 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and all five starters scored in double figures for the Hawks.
Tyronn Lue added 25 points and eight assists and Marvin Williams had 23 points and seven rebound for the Hawks, who snapped a three-game losing streak.
Ike Diogu scored 20 points and Danny Granger added 15 for the Pacers, who missed the play-offs for the first time since the 1996-97 season.
Indiana were eliminated from play-off contention with Sunday's 111-107 defeat to the New Jersey Nets and finish off the season by hosting the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.
http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/lateNews/p/newsid/18789/arti.html
Sunday, 8 April 2007
Addingham motorist has the hump over speed bumps
By James Edgar, Ilkley Gazette
SPEED bumps in Burley Woodhead could fall foul of anti-discrimination laws, a disabled Adding-ham woman believes.
Christine Gale, who fractured her spine five years ago, finds the road humps too painful to drive over and says they prevent her from enjoying Ilkley Moor.
Mrs Gale, whose injuries resulted from a sledging accident, thinks the speed bumps are preventing disabled drivers from using the roads, and she has called on Bradford Council to make a study of their impact.
The 11 humps in Burley Woodhead stop Mrs Gale from using the moor road because they cause her so much pain when her car goes over them.
She said: "I have no problems with speed bumps per se, but I find these ones too severe and painful. There is very little gradient into the bump, so the impact is very harsh.
"My problem of access is caused specifically with these speed bumps, since I have no difficulty driving over other speed bumps, such as the ones on Springs Lane in Ilkley."
The humps were put in place three years ago following approval from Bradford Council's Shipley Area Committee in 2003.
Since December 2006 any planning for new traffic-calming measures needs to adhere to disability equality legislation. This ensures their suitability for disabled people.
Mrs Gale believes permission for the bumps would not be granted if an application was made now.
She has been advised by the Disability Rights Commission to ask Bradford Council to carry out "a retrospective impact assessment."
In a letter she wrote to City Hall chiefs, Mrs Gale said: "I believe little or no consideration was taken into account concerning disabled drivers when the speed bumps were originally installed."
Mrs Gale also doubts the road humps have had an effect on motorists speeding through the area.
Her husband Andrew expressed his concern on other safety issues. He said: "She has to go over the bumps at such a low speed, people behind her start beeping and some of them even overtake her. It encourages road-rage."
A spokeswoman from Bradford Council said: "We will look at the issues that Mrs Gale faces with the speed bumps on Ilkley Moor/Burley Woodhead Road and investigate, and we will reply to Mrs Gale direct with the findings."
Mr and Mrs Gale were made famous in 2003 when they staged a John Lennon-Yoko Ono-style bedroom Love-In' at their home in Old Station Way to protest against the war in Iraq.
The former Beatle and his wife staged a similar stunt to protest against American involvement in the Vietnam War.
Because of the publicity over the event, John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono invited Mr and Mrs Gale to meet her in London.
SPEED bumps in Burley Woodhead could fall foul of anti-discrimination laws, a disabled Adding-ham woman believes.
Christine Gale, who fractured her spine five years ago, finds the road humps too painful to drive over and says they prevent her from enjoying Ilkley Moor.
Mrs Gale, whose injuries resulted from a sledging accident, thinks the speed bumps are preventing disabled drivers from using the roads, and she has called on Bradford Council to make a study of their impact.
The 11 humps in Burley Woodhead stop Mrs Gale from using the moor road because they cause her so much pain when her car goes over them.
She said: "I have no problems with speed bumps per se, but I find these ones too severe and painful. There is very little gradient into the bump, so the impact is very harsh.
"My problem of access is caused specifically with these speed bumps, since I have no difficulty driving over other speed bumps, such as the ones on Springs Lane in Ilkley."
The humps were put in place three years ago following approval from Bradford Council's Shipley Area Committee in 2003.
Since December 2006 any planning for new traffic-calming measures needs to adhere to disability equality legislation. This ensures their suitability for disabled people.
Mrs Gale believes permission for the bumps would not be granted if an application was made now.
She has been advised by the Disability Rights Commission to ask Bradford Council to carry out "a retrospective impact assessment."
In a letter she wrote to City Hall chiefs, Mrs Gale said: "I believe little or no consideration was taken into account concerning disabled drivers when the speed bumps were originally installed."
Mrs Gale also doubts the road humps have had an effect on motorists speeding through the area.
Her husband Andrew expressed his concern on other safety issues. He said: "She has to go over the bumps at such a low speed, people behind her start beeping and some of them even overtake her. It encourages road-rage."
A spokeswoman from Bradford Council said: "We will look at the issues that Mrs Gale faces with the speed bumps on Ilkley Moor/Burley Woodhead Road and investigate, and we will reply to Mrs Gale direct with the findings."
Mr and Mrs Gale were made famous in 2003 when they staged a John Lennon-Yoko Ono-style bedroom Love-In' at their home in Old Station Way to protest against the war in Iraq.
The former Beatle and his wife staged a similar stunt to protest against American involvement in the Vietnam War.
Because of the publicity over the event, John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono invited Mr and Mrs Gale to meet her in London.
Thursday, 8 March 2007
Fears grow over future of an Ilkley Post Office
By Paul Langan and James Edgar, Ilkley Gazette
PENSIONERS in Ilkley could be left without vital services if the Leeds Road Post Office ends up on a closure hit list.
Post office owner Kam Basra has asked Ilkley Parish Council for support because she fears that the Dean Street Post Office will be included in the next cull of nationwide postal businesses.
At a meeting this week, parish councillor Michael Gibbons said: "I was informed by the lady who owns the post office on Leeds Road that she has been notified that she was under threat of closure under the proposals recently announced.
"That service to the community would be a terrible loss. She told me today that there will be a consultation of sorts. But the list that will be produced on this occasion unlike the previous occasion will be definite and those on the list will go. I think that is absolutely unacceptable.
"A lot of residents use that office the loss of a postal service there and the inability to access a postal service would be a tremendous loss. We should put a strong case for the retention of that unit."
The Dean Street shop is also a newsagents and off-licence and is located opposite a complex of old people's flats.
Jean Tales, who lives in the complex, said: "It would be a great loss. I use it for everything that needs to be done at a Post Office.
"It's so very useful for the elderly people around here too. It's quite a long walk for them to the main Post Office. I just hope it doesn't close."
Pensioner Robert Rishworth also lives opposite the Post Office. He said: "I use it and I think it's convenient for people.
"I pay my rent there, I do my shopping there and I pay all my bills there, so I'll miss it if it is closing. I'm sure the other people will feel the same as I do.
"At the moment I'm physically strong enough to go to the other Post Office. But what's going to happen in a few years when I can't get there? Everybody in this complex is a pensioner, so what's going to happen?"
Another neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said: "I wouldn't like to see it closed myself because I get my bits and bobs there."
Kam Basra said the fate of the shop was out of her hands, and will be decided later this month.
She said: "I think the elderly residents would be devastated. Young children from the school next door also use the shop.
"It's a good service for the community. This side of town hasn't got much any more. Ilkley is quite a large town now, and we've only got two Post Offices as it is. It's an unnerving time."
Parish Councillor Kathy Best said: "It serves a lot of elderly people, some of who are housebound and it also serves a social purpose.
"It is a facility that is available for everybody and it is particularly useful for people who live round there particularly the elderly."
In December the Government announced that between 2,500 and 3,000 post offices faced closure because of financial losses.
The Department of Trade and Industry described the current size of the network of 14,000 post offices as unsustainable' and the Royal Mail said the size of the network depended on the level of Government funding.
PENSIONERS in Ilkley could be left without vital services if the Leeds Road Post Office ends up on a closure hit list.
Post office owner Kam Basra has asked Ilkley Parish Council for support because she fears that the Dean Street Post Office will be included in the next cull of nationwide postal businesses.
At a meeting this week, parish councillor Michael Gibbons said: "I was informed by the lady who owns the post office on Leeds Road that she has been notified that she was under threat of closure under the proposals recently announced.
"That service to the community would be a terrible loss. She told me today that there will be a consultation of sorts. But the list that will be produced on this occasion unlike the previous occasion will be definite and those on the list will go. I think that is absolutely unacceptable.
"A lot of residents use that office the loss of a postal service there and the inability to access a postal service would be a tremendous loss. We should put a strong case for the retention of that unit."
The Dean Street shop is also a newsagents and off-licence and is located opposite a complex of old people's flats.
Jean Tales, who lives in the complex, said: "It would be a great loss. I use it for everything that needs to be done at a Post Office.
"It's so very useful for the elderly people around here too. It's quite a long walk for them to the main Post Office. I just hope it doesn't close."
Pensioner Robert Rishworth also lives opposite the Post Office. He said: "I use it and I think it's convenient for people.
"I pay my rent there, I do my shopping there and I pay all my bills there, so I'll miss it if it is closing. I'm sure the other people will feel the same as I do.
"At the moment I'm physically strong enough to go to the other Post Office. But what's going to happen in a few years when I can't get there? Everybody in this complex is a pensioner, so what's going to happen?"
Another neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said: "I wouldn't like to see it closed myself because I get my bits and bobs there."
Kam Basra said the fate of the shop was out of her hands, and will be decided later this month.
She said: "I think the elderly residents would be devastated. Young children from the school next door also use the shop.
"It's a good service for the community. This side of town hasn't got much any more. Ilkley is quite a large town now, and we've only got two Post Offices as it is. It's an unnerving time."
Parish Councillor Kathy Best said: "It serves a lot of elderly people, some of who are housebound and it also serves a social purpose.
"It is a facility that is available for everybody and it is particularly useful for people who live round there particularly the elderly."
In December the Government announced that between 2,500 and 3,000 post offices faced closure because of financial losses.
The Department of Trade and Industry described the current size of the network of 14,000 post offices as unsustainable' and the Royal Mail said the size of the network depended on the level of Government funding.
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