All kinds of music require volume. It has to be listened to loud. But how loud and for how long? Here’s a quick guide.

• If you listen to music for long periods of time, 85 dB is about the maximum. You can listen for up to eight hours with no damage to your hearing.
• But turn things up to 88 dB, and the tolerance drops to around four hours.
• At 91 dB, two hours, max. If you’re at 94 dB, you’d better stop after an hour. Beyond that, things can get dangerous.
• If sound pressure levels are at 100 dB, you may suffer hearing damage in as little as 15 minutes.
• And if things are at 110 dB or beyond, damage starts within a few minutes. If you’re near the speakers, problems start within seconds.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

If you have a stereo set-up at home, you’ll know that there’s a special input for your turntable labelled “phono.”  You can’t just plug it into, say, an auxiliary input. If you can use an aux input for everything else, why not your turntable?

Because in order to play back vinyl correctly, it has to go through something called a “phono stage.” Vinyl has limitations when it comes to storing very low frequencies and very high ones. To counteract that, records are pressed with the bass turned down and the treble turned up per something called the RIAA equalization curve. Upon playback, the phono stage reverses that curve, boosting the bass by a specific amount and reducing the treble, thereby achieving the tonal balance of the original recording.

The RIAA curve may help explain why it feels better to listen to vinyl than a digital recording.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

A vinyl record features a continuous groove that begins on the outer edge and spirals in toward the label. How long is that groove? It depends on how much music is on the side of a record, but a general length is somewhere around 500 metres.

How wide is that groove? Anywhere from 40 to 80 microns, which can also be expressed as 4 one-hundredths to 8 one-hundredths of a millimetre. That’s about the width of a human hair.

There are a couple of oddball exceptions to this. For example, in 1973, Monty Python released an album called Matching Tie and Handkerchief. One side of the record secretly had two spiral grooves side by side. Depending on when you dropped the needle, it caught one groove or the other, resulting in completely different audio. Imagine trying to figure out why that side of your record was different when you went to play it.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

TORONTO – Sports business experts say Rogers Communications Inc.’s full takeover of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment is the latest sign of a shift in Canada’s professional sports landscape.

The telecommunications giant announced Monday it will acquire the remaining 25 per cent stake in MLSE it didn’t yet own for $4.35 billion, spelling the end for longtime part-owner Larry Tanenbaum through his holding company, Kilmer Sports Inc.

MLSE owns the NHL’s Maple Leafs, NBA’s Raptors, MLS’ Toronto FC and the CFL’s Argonauts. Last year, Rogers closed a separate $4.7-billion deal with rival BCE Inc. to buy its 37.5 per cent stake in MLSE, making it the majority owner.

Rogers and Bell previously owned equal stakes in the sports conglomerate, while the remaining quarter was owned by Kilmer. Rogers held an option allowing it to buy out that remaining 25 per cent stake this year.

The move comes amid other big changes involving Rogers’ sports ventures.

In a joint announcement with CBC last month, the pair said they wouldn’t renew their sublicense agreement that allowed the public broadcaster to air NHL games on Hockey Night in Canada. That means Rogers-owned properties will be the only option for nationally televised games in English on Saturday nights.

“The days of free-to-air are gone,” said Concordia University sports economist Moshe Lander.

“It’s not just the Canadian sports landscape that’s changing. This is something that other leagues have realized before the NHL, which is you only have so much money that you can make from game day sales.”

He said hockey has long been overly reliant on a revenue strategy of “how many bums in seats can you fill,” but has recently taken steps to diversify, including through lucrative television deals. That forces fans to pay more to watch hockey, along with their other favourite sports.

Last year, Rogers and the NHL extended their national TV rights deal for English broadcasts. The 12-year, $11-billion agreement starts in the upcoming 2026-27 season.

In addition to MLSE, Rogers owns the Toronto Blue Jays, Rogers Centre and Sportsnet network.

“They’re now realizing that, ‘Wait there’s a lot more other opportunities here to make money,’ TV being just one of them,” Lander said.

“If you have teams that are being owned by multimedia platforms, there is that ability then to innovate and to create lots of different revenue streams that go just beyond, ‘Hey how many people showed up to tonight’s Leafs game?'”

Rogers also has TV partnerships with the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers, along with the NBA.

Lander said sports are among the few remaining entertainment options where live programming is still valued. With MLSE, the Blue Jays and a national sports broadcaster all under one figurative roof, he said Rogers has a stranglehold on some of the biggest content makers.

“When you have Rogers owning (MLSE), they basically create content for themselves and for their platforms,” he said.

“It makes sense, I guess, in Canada to have all of that stuff concentrated in one company. If you have it spread out, if you have different owners, if it’s not fully concentrated, then there’s not necessarily the same unity of purpose.”

Some Toronto-area pro sports teams still exist outside the Rogers bubble though.

Kilmer owns the Toronto Tempo, who are playing their inaugural WNBA season. Last month, it became the first Canadian investor in the PWHL, which is owned by the Mark Walter Group.

Women’s soccer team AFC Toronto, of the Northern Super League, is majority-owned by Canadian-American investor Mark Mitchell. Inter Toronto FC, a men’s soccer team playing in the Canadian Premier League, was bought by Mexican brothers Ricardo, Eduardo and Miguel Pasquel, via Game Plan Sports Group, in 2023.

Yet there are relatively few competitors in the sports ownership space in Canada, which has led to an “oligopoly setup,” said Brock University’s Michael Naraine.

He said Rogers has “made a purposeful, intentional play to continue to double down on being the sports leader in this country.”

“Rogers has been using sport to try to position themselves as Canadiana in the same way that Tim Hortons does this with Timbits hockey and Timbits soccer,” said Naraine, a professor of sport management.

“To do that, they’re going to spend the billions of dollars to get hockey rights. They’re going to spend the billions of dollars to get the best teams in this country.”

The strategy is also playing out at a time of elevated Canadian pride, he noted, in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war and rhetoric referring to Canada as “the 51st state.”

Rogers was also the jersey sponsor of Team Canada during last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off hockey tournament, which happened to coincide with the height of Canada-U.S. tensions after Trump returned to office.

“Rogers has figured out that these are products that people want. This is content that people across the country, coast-to-coast want to see,” Naraine said.

“These are things that are associated with Canadiana and as we go through this period of nation-building and patriotism … sport is going to be even more relevant. Canadians are going to want to tune in and over time they’ll know that association, that Rogers is sport.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2026.

Companies in this story: (TSX:RCI.B)

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Canada’s economy was in a trade surplus for the third straight month in May and exports were up for the fourth month, Statistics Canada reported Tuesday.

This three-month stretch was during the same period when the Iran war sent shockwaves through global supply chains for key materials and resources, which seems to have benefited Canada’s export economy.

Exports in May were up overall by 0.9 per cent to a record $77.1 billion, which marked the fourth straight monthly increase. Part of this spike in export values was attributed to higher prices for resources like oil amid the Iran war.

“With the latest merchandise trade numbers, Canada’s export story is becoming more balanced,” said economist Jasleen Trehan at the Business Data Lab and Canadian Chamber of Commerce in a statement.

“The next challenge is making sure this momentum is driven by stronger export volumes, not just higher prices. That’s what will determine whether today’s gains translate into long-term economic growth or not.”

The Iran war brought container ship traffic near the Strait of Hormuz region to a near standstill as Iran threatened to attack any ships attempting to pass through the narrow shipping channel without permission during the conflict, jeopardizing about a fifth of the world’s oil and other resource supplies.

One of those other resources was sulphur, Statistics Canada says, and Canada’s exports of sulphur products, along with diamonds and other non-metallic minerals, were up 37 per cent in May.

Demand for Canada’s crude oil from international markets increased significantly during the first three months of the Iran war, but that changed in May when Statistics Canada said crude oil exports dropped 5.4 per cent, after an increase of 43 per cent from February through April.

Crude oil prices were riding a roller-coaster during the Iran war, so the agency says that price volatility means it may need to revise some of its data down the line.

There was still strong global demand for other Canadian energy resources in May, which Canada’s economy benefited from. There was a 55 per cent spike in demand for nuclear fuel, while natural gas exports increased 7.4 per cent and refined petroleum energy products were up by 4.6 per cent.

Canada also exported a lot of aluminum products in May, as U.S. President Donald Trump’s sectoral tariffs, including on Canada’s steel and aluminum imports, continued to bite. There is currently a U.S. tariff of as much as 50 per cent on Canadian core aluminum products, while some derivatives like auto parts may see less of a tariff.

Prime Minister Mark Carney vowed to double Canada’s exports to countries other than the U.S. over the next decade, and Tuesday’s report shows that may be working.

Statistics Canada says there was a more than 50 per cent increase in exports of aluminum products in May compared to April, the majority of which were sent to the Netherlands, Italy and Greece. In total, those aluminum exports were valued at $1.2 billion, which was the highest since the record seen in May 2022.

Although Canada exported more goods to international partners in May compared to the previous month, exports to the U.S. still increased by 1.5 per cent in May, which marked the fourth consecutive increase. At the same time, imports from the U.S. fell by 1.4 per cent, which contributed to a wider trade surplus with the U.S. totalling $11.6 billion in the month.

This was the largest trade surplus with the U.S. since the record high seen in January 2025, the agency says.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

A woman suspected of carrying out a bomb attack in a Monaco apartment building last week that seriously wounded a Ukrainian business magnate has been found dead, and two men have been arrested in connection with her death, authorities said on Tuesday.

The body of Anastasiia Berezovska, 39, a Ukrainian woman who was wanted for the June 29 bombing, was found with gunshot wounds to the head and pistol cartridges, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office said in a statement on Telegram.

Two men, who had been in contact with Berezovska after she returned to Ukraine on July 1 and who made several transfers to her crypto bank accounts, were arrested on suspicion of murder, the statement added. One of the suspects is a law enforcement officer. The other is a current employee of the GUR (the military intelligence service) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, according to the prosecutor general.

The GUR employee had confessed to killing Berezovska with the other defendant, the statement added.

“He also said that he had not informed his superiors about his contacts with Berezovska, the money transfers, or any of his other actions, and had acted on his own initiative,” it continued.

Both men are suspected of being involved in the bombing plot, according to Ukrainian authorities, who said a basement room resembling a torture chamber was discovered in the law enforcement officer’s home.

Monaco’s deputy public prosecutor, Morgan Raymond, said during a news briefing last Friday that Berezovska was suspected to have been “disguised as a man” during the attack and may not have acted alone.

Raymond said the suspect was initially identified as a heavyset person, appearing to be male, wearing a dark, long-sleeved top, light-coloured shorts and a black bucket hat.

A broader review of CCTV footage from previous days and testimony from a witness redirected the investigation toward a woman disguised as a man.

Three people wounded in the explosion last Monday were identified by media as property developer Vadym Yermolaiev and his partner and son. Monaco authorities said they appeared to have been specifically targeted.

Yermolaiev, who took Cypriot nationality seven years ago, was placed under sanctions by Ukraine in 2023, following Russia’s invasion the previous year.

Raymond said Berezovska waited on a park bench for the three people to return from dinner on Monday before taking a parcel bomb out of her bag and placing it on the steps of the building where the victims were headed.

“The individual turned around to confirm that the three victims were on the steps and then detonated the bomb using a remote control,” he added, before noting that the suspect’s last known residence was in Germany, and she was believed to have fled through France, then Italy, in a rental car.

Monaco’s head of state, Prince Albert II, described the blast as “an odious act” and said all public services were mobilized to ensure security.

— with files from Reuters and Global News’ Katie Scott

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Canada wants more countries to back its global defence bank initiative before it announces a roster of founding nations, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said in an interview on the sidelines of the NATO leaders’ summit in Ankara on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has been promoting the multilateral Defence, Security and Resilience Bank (DSRB) and had been aiming around 10 national backers at the NATO summit, the country’s lead negotiator told Reuters last week.

The bank’s purpose is to bolster the defense of allied nations by raising up to US$134 billion in cheap finance.

“We want more and more countries to come on board before we put something out,” Anand said. Discussions were ongoing and the project still had a “critical mass” of support, she added, echoing prior comments by Carney.

The summit, attended by Carney, runs Tuesday and Wednesday.

The project’s fate remains in the balance without broader support from other nations, who are being asked to provide startup capital.

Anand did not name those in talks but said Luxembourg — the project’s only other public backer — had put in significant effort.

“We’re still in discussions with many of these countries. Of course, we have a critical mass of countries now, but the more the merrier as it is in terms of ensuring that SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) have the capabilities to ramp up,” she said.

The DSRB is aiming to secure a triple-A credit rating, allowing it to provide low-interest loans to fund defense projects, particularly for nations and companies that currently struggle to access cheaper finance.

It also plans to provide loan guarantees to private banks to support defense industry scaling.

© 2026 Reuters

The company vying to build Canada’s first commercial space launch pad in Nova Scotia says it has signed a deal with a German aerospace firm that could see orbital launches by 2028.

Maritime Launch Services Ltd. says Germany’s Isar Aerospace will build a dedicated complex at its site near Canso, Nova Scotia, for Isar’s launch vehicle known as Spectrum.

Maritime Launch’s Spaceport Nova Scotia, which is expected to become Canada’s first commercial launch pad when it becomes operational this year, will provide the launch site, an operations centre and more services.

In a news release, Maritime Launch said Isar will begin construction this year with plans for space launches by 2028.

The 10-year deal will see Isar pay Maritime Launch US$3.75 million per fiscal quarter once the contract is fully underway.

In March the federal government announced a $200-million lease with Maritime Launch so Canada could send satellites into orbit without the help of other countries or foreign corporations.

“This agreement represents another important milestone in building Canada’s sovereign launch capability,” Stephen Matier, CEO of Maritime Launch, said in a statement about the Isar deal.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Late filmmaker and actor Rob Reiner made a posthumous cameo in Larry David’s new show, Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness, where he appears to criticize U.S. President Donald Trump.

Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead with stab wounds in their home in the upscale Brentwood section of Los Angeles on Dec. 14, 2025. Their son, Nick Reiner, was arrested on Dec. 15 and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the killing of his parents.

Nick pleaded not guilty to the charges and is currently being held without bail while awaiting his trial in Los Angeles.

In David’s new sketch comedy series, which aired its second episode on Friday, Reiner appeared as George Washington and told a crowd of colonists that he would not be running for a third term.

“I believe that no man should serve more than two terms as president,” Reiner said. “And I hope that future presidents will follow my lead.”

Without mentioning Trump by name, David asked, “Well, what if there’s some a–hole in office, some narcissistic prick, who doesn’t follow the constitution?”

“He could use the presidency to enrich himself and his family. He could send troops into American cities to terrorize and even kill American citizens, all to distract from the fact that he’s friends with a pedophile,” David added.

“Rest assured, even if this future president violated the constitution, then the Congress of the United States, and the United States Supreme Court, would not allow it,” Reiner said.

David asked what would happen if the Supreme Court consisted of “a bunch of yes men” and Congress cared “more about party than country.”

“I can’t even fathom the existence of such men,” Reiner said, adding that future presidents should take part in a peaceful transfer of power following each election.

“Where the loser accepts the results of the election and full-throatedly endorses the victor,” he added.

“Anyone who wouldn’t accept the results of a free and fair election is a sociopath,” David’s character said, before ranting about a president who could attack the free press and attempt to silence “anyone who dares to criticize him.”

Jimmy Kimmel, who has a long-standing feud with Trump, also appeared in the episode, playing a colonist, and said, “Are you suggesting that the president would taketh the time to challenge anyone who dare make fun of him? As if he were a big baby?”

Reiner’s character tried to tell the crowd that “a man of such poor character would never be elected president in the first place.”

As the colonists began to argue amongst themselves, Reiner’s Washington said, “We’re f—ed.”

The episode ended with an “In Memoriam” title card for Reiner.

Reiner filmed the scene for Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness on Nov. 13, 2025, director Jeff Schaffer told Variety.

Schaffer told the outlet that the sketch allowed Reiner to get the “last laugh” against Trump.

“It’s coming out on Fourth of July weekend, and if it in any way spoils a sad octogenarian’s weekend, then oh well,” Schaffer added.

Schaffer revealed that at the Los Angeles premiere, the George Washington sketch was swapped out to keep Reiner’s role top secret.

“It just didn’t feel like the right way to show the world,” Schaffer said. “We thought long and hard about where the sketch should air … and ultimately we decided that July 3 was the perfect time. Just let it come out on the Fourth of July weekend, on the 250th, and let it sink in that way.”

Reiner was a longtime critic of Trump, telling Variety in 2017 that Trump is “the single-most unqualified human-being to ever assume the presidency of the United States” and referring to him as “mentally unfit” for the job.

After Reiner and his wife were found dead in their Los Angeles home, Trump shared a post on Truth Social taking aim at the late actor.

“A very sad thing happened last night in Hollywood. Rob Reiner, a tortured and struggling, but once very talented movie director and comedy star, has passed away, together with his wife, Michele, reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, sometimes referred to as TDS,” Trump wrote. “He was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump.

“May Rob and Michele rest in peace.”

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Canadians who felt last week’s heat wave may now be dealing with a “heat hangover,” a term that is gaining popularity on social media.

Millions of Canadians across Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories were under heat advisories last week as temperatures reached the mid-30s in some places and the humidex in Toronto reached 48, according to Toronto Public Health.

“Initially when we’re exposed to heat, especially in the first heat wave of the season, we struggle to cope with it,” Glen Kenny, full professor of physiology at the University of Ottawa and university research chair in Human Environmental Physiology, said.

Toronto Public Health reported 39 heat-related emergency room visits from June 30 to July 4, when Environment Canada’s orange-level heat alert was in effect. The highest number of emergency room visits was recorded on July 2, with 15.

Parts of Ontario, Quebec, the Northwest Territories and Newfoundland and Labrador remain under yellow warnings for heat, the most common alert, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). The impacts of a yellow alert are “moderate, localized and/or short-term,” with the orange alert being issued whenever a weather event could have “major” or “widespread” implications.

Although ‘heat hangover’ is not a formal medical term, Dr. Steven Lin, chief of emergency medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital with Unity Health Toronto, stated that the symptoms are real.

“Many people do feel lingering effects after a significant heat wave. Fatigue, headaches, dizziness and feeling generally unwell can persist for a day or two as the body recovers from heat stress and dehydration,” Lin said in an emailed statement to Global News.

“This is caused when there is cumulative dehydration and electrolyte depletion when there is prolonged sweating over multiple hot days and when fluid and electrolyte losses are not fully replenished. It results in lingering fatigue, headache, and cognitive impairment.”

Lin also adds that other symptoms can include “sleep disruption with poor sleep quality and sleep quantity.”

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety also states that heat exposure is associated with “trouble with concentration, issues with memory, attention and reaction time, difficulty sleeping, emotional changes such as feelings of anger, depression, stress, or anxiety and behaviour changes such as impulsivity, aggression, or violence.”

As a result, the combined symptoms can emulate the feeling of a hangover once a heat wave passes.

“Essentially the body still has yet to properly recover , that essentially leads to […] a general fatigue and malaise on the next day,” Kenny added.

“Think of it as having a neighbour who essentially is playing bass music all day, they’ve got big speakers playing. People say it’s just a stressor, which it absolutely is. Your body is under stress, your central nervous system, your brain, everything is changing, because essentially it leads to fatigue. So that’s what heat stress does.”

Health Canada recommends that Canadians “remember that indoor temperatures can remain warm, even after outdoor temperatures cool down.”

“Continue monitoring the temperature of your home and watching for signs and symptoms of heat-related illness in yourself and others.”

Lin also stated that Canadians “should be mindful and stay hydrated during heat waves and even afterwards.”

“Increase fluid intake proactively and do not wait until feeling thirsty. Staying cool is also important. We can spend time in air-conditioned spaces, use fans or have cool showers. We should also prioritize sleep and recovery.”

“Importantly, we should also check on vulnerable family members, neighbours and friends. Older adults, young children, those with chronic medical conditions and socially isolated individuals are at highest risk. Regular check-ins during and after heat waves can identify early signs of heat illness.”

Kenny also said that “the most important thing” following recovery from a heat wave is a proper diet.

“There’s no question you want to maintain electrolytes and hydration and always hydrate regularly. Because, again, it takes time for your body to actually re-equilibrate when it comes to hydration. Just because you hydrate and drink water and electrolytes during a heat wave doesn’t mean that you actually maintain hydration,” he said.

“I think it’s just no different than recovering from intense exercise, you just need to listen to that body.”

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.