Volume 23, Issue 8 — April 2024

Sports, pg. 5

DMJ IS NOT “CANCELLED”

DEAN CONFIRMS PROGRAM UNDER REVIEW

MLB SEASON HAS BEGUN

FANS READY FOR A NEW YEAR OF BASEBALL

Arts & Culture, pg. 8-9

A DIVE INTO TEA CHANGING TRENDS ARE BREWING IN THE TEA INDUSTRY

Opinion, pg. 11

LAURIER’S SUSSEX PROGRAM

REFLECTIONS FROM A RECENT GRAD The Infnitum, pg. 15

ONE LAST NOTE

SERENA ANAGBE / PHOTO EDITOR

From left, Natalie Maxine and Wisdom Chinnaya.

Editor’s Note: A final say

L Another school year comes to a close. e rain washes away the snow and greens the grass. You hear birds chirping outside your window, back from their trip down south, and the sun beams on your cheeks. Final exams and deadlines for term-long projects we’ve all been putting o are nally here. But as you begin to unwind from the stressful and busy year, it’s easy to wander o in your own bubble.

Instead, I urge you to stay connected, and not just with your friends, family and peers.

Overseas in Gaza, Al-Shifa hospital was known as the largest medical complex and central hospital in the area. Just a few days ago, Israeli forces destroyed the whole building in a twoweek raid and left it in ruins.

e Israeli military reported that 6,200 people sought shelter in the hospital, including multiple severely wounded patients being treated, as it was one of the few places left in northern Gaza with some access to water and electricity. e director of the Gaza media o ce, Ismail Al- awabta, said Israeli forces murdered 400 Palestinians, including doctors, in and around the hospital. Gruesome photos have been circulating the internet showing mutilated and bulldozed dead bodies.

“ is is a crime against humanity,” Al- awabta told CBC reporters.

An Israeli military spokesperson said the hos-

pital was a major operating centre by Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups using underground tunnels, but doctors and Hamas deny any armed presence in the complex as well as other health facilities. News outlets like CNN visited the tunnels but couldn’t determine if they were being used as a command centre by Hamas.

Back in Toronto, protests erupted and at a recent demonstration over the weekend, multiple people were arrested then let go unconditionally. Attendees say police brutality took place. e incident started when the police charged a driver with stunt driving after some people were in the bed of his truck while it was in motion, which violates the Highway Tra c Act. e driver initially resisted and that’s when the situation became messy.

Salim Elewa, a person at the protest who was born in Gaza, said he was checking on a woman who was knocked over when police accused him of “swinging” at them. Elewa was beaten to the ground and when his hearing aid fell out of his ear due to the impact, he said an o cer stepped on it and he felt them dig their knee into his stomach. Elewa was let go shortly after due to a lack of video evidence showing he attacked anyone in the rst place.

When Elewa asked

a police o cer why he was turning his body camera o , he replied, “If I take o this uniform, I’ll beat the shit out of you.”

I’ve been told consistently throughout this year by family members to be careful with what I write about, to be cautious and to be indirect. If I must be direct, then I’m told not to be political or cause tension that could come back to bite me years down the line. But I am not an advocate or an activist — I am a journalist, and it’s my responsibility to report on what matters. Knowing what’s happening outside of your personal comfort zone is essential. Sharing the right facts is important. And the lives of people who are not actually too di erent from you or me are valuable, even if others make it seem like otherwise.

On a last note, I would like to thank everyone who takes the time to read, appreciate and enjoy the work our phenomenal team of writers, photographers and creatives put together to publish over the past eight months. e incredible support we receive is what keeps our student newspaper thriving.

Good luck with nals, have a lovely summer and to all the aspiring journalists out there — don’t put your pen down.

UMAYMAH SUHAIL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

KAREN SAVOY / SPUTNIK PHOTOGTAPHY

A person writing in a notebook.

Laurier’s DMJ program “not getting ‘cancelled,’” says dean

Journalism in Brantford isn’t coming to an end just yet

direction the program is heading in.

Wilfrid Laurier University’s digital media and journalism program recently took a pause on enrollment in 2023 and students are curious if this is the end of the program.

Just over a year ago on Feb. 6, 2023, students received an email from the faculty of liberal arts saying that the journalism program at Laurier Brantford was suspending enrollment to look into the program and make changes. e email left current DMJ students with lots of questions about what the future holds for the program and a year later, they’re still confused.

e email was sent out by the dean of the faculty of liberal arts, Janny Leung. A year later, she still stands by her statement.

“ e program is not getting ‘cancelled,’” said Leung, upon discovering student rumours about the program. “If you keep yourself up to date about other journalism programs in the country, you’ll see a similar thing going on.”

Regardless of Leung’s promise to the community that the program will continue upon the assessment, students are still wondering which

Just before the 2023-24 school year, the faculty of liberal arts saw a dramatic shift in the DMJ program. e previous head coordinator Bruce Gillespie made a major move over to the user

experience design program. With all his background education in journalism, students want to know why he left. E orts were made to speak to Bruce about his decision, but no response has been given at this time.

Some students were accepted

into the program to later be told that they can no longer enroll in the program. One student, Jessica Jensen, had this exact experience and is now in her rst year of English at Laurier Brantford and completing the o ered digital media certi cate.

Goat yoga returns to campus

Students can relax outdoors with some yoga — and goats

Wilfrid Laurier University’s Brantford Students’ Union hosted goat yoga sessions for students on ursday, March 7 in the Research and Academic Centre West courtyard where there was a great turnout. Full Circle Ranch transported their goats to campus from their farm in Saint omas, Ontario. e event began at 1 p.m. and ended at 3 p.m. with a total of eight 20-minute yoga sessions students signed up for when registration began at 12:45 p.m.

Koyal Vyas, the vice president of programming services on the Brantford campus, planned the

event and was pleased with the number of students who came.

“All of our slots are booked up until 2:15 p.m., which is almost our last slot,” said Vyas around the registration time. “I think everyone is having a great time being outside, having fun with some animals.”

Fourth-year youth and children’s studies and psychology major Stacey Tsui was one of the students who came and said she enjoyed the chance to unwind with her friends during a busy time in the term.

“I am stressed out and I think goats are really cute and I want to play with them,” said Tsui. She said a balance between being on campus for school and fun activities helps her stay positive during busy school semesters.

A yoga instructor from Full Circle Ranch led the yoga ows with great enthusiasm as the

many goats hopped, ran and head-butted their way over, under and on top of the students.

At one point in the session, each student had the chance to have a goat put on their back. Most goats jumped o within a few seconds, but there were a few lucky students who had to hold their cow poses for a bit longer while the goat on their back got comfortable.

One goat in particular stole the hearts of all students present, a young goat named Bean who not only was bleating with joy the entire time, but also skipping across the yoga mats very energetically.

“It’s all about making sure the students have a great time and the goats are happy. I’m from the country and I grew up around goats, so I’m excited for some people who have maybe never been around goats to experience them and of course get some

“I already got accepted into the program and committed. I then got a call that they ‘weren’t doing it anymore for rst-years,’” said Jensen. “If they had let me know earlier, I probably would’ve pursued journalism at another university.”

Other students, like professors, left the program and moved on due to issues with the program. Anthony Nadar transitioned to a lm program at George Brown College after his second year at Laurier Brantford. Nadar explained he was losing passion for the eld after taking some classes.

He expressed that the current program didn’t show students how to work in modern journalism, but rather traditional journalism, which is quickly diminishing.

“If they could show us how to properly navigate what to look for [with journalism on social media], that would’ve kept me more intrigued,” said Nadar. “Journalism really wasn’t intriguing me the way it used to… I was being taught how ltered our media is by government and I didn’t like having that lter.”

It is still undecided when the program will be revised and ready for Laurier to resume enrolement.

physical activity with the yoga too,” said fourth-year social work student Megan MacDonald, who was one of the volunteers. e sun was shining and the temperature climbed to 12 C, so Vyas took a last-minute opportunity to host the event outside instead of its original location in the LBYMCA.

“It’s such a unique experience, I think students have just been itching for a way to get out and have fun and be outside after this long winter, and they just ate it up,” she said.

UMAYMAH SUHAIL / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF The Laurier Brantford campus. PIPER FORCE

ALEXA FORD ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

ALEXA FORD / ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

A goat on a student’s back.

Sue Dungey celebrates 25 years with Laurier Brantford

Dungey has been serving the Laurier community with lunches and smiles since 1999

Wilfrid Laurier University is celebrating Sue Dungey and her 25 years on the Brantford campus. Dungey has been with the campus since it opened in 1999 and continues to serve Laurier sta and students with a smile.

Dungey began her career in the service industry working in the basement of what is known as Laurier’s Carnegie building. She ran a sandwich shop named Sue’s Sandwich Bar, where students could be served delicious homemade meals such as caesar wraps, grilled cheese sandwiches, macaroni and cheese and a full egg and bacon breakfast for only $3.99.

Dungey’s sandwich shop was prepared entirely from her mother’s recipes, as stated in a previous article published to e Sputnik in 2007 written by Andrea Crummer, a past Laurier student who now works as a marketing and communications coordinator for the university.

After Sue’s Sandwich Shop, Dungey joined the Students’ Union in 2008 and worked at the Williams

left,

Fresh Café in One Market, which was owned by the Students’ Union. is is where she started working with Michelle Finch, the current operations manager at Laurier Brantford.

“She’s not just a co-worker, but a friend,” said Finch with a smile on her face and one or two tears in her eyes. “If you need something to eat or she knows you’re going through something, Sue always thinks of something to make your day.”

As described by the former director of hospitality of Laurier, Jeyas Balaskanthan, the two have been attached at the hip since day one.

“Sue and Michelle are a package,” said Balaskanthan. “We had an ongoing joke that [Dungey’s] like a work mother.”

Balaskanthan worked with Dungey from 2010-22 and he said he enjoyed all the time he worked with Dungey. In 2019, Williams Café closed and Dungey went on to work at Laurier’s Golden Grounds under the Students’ Union.

“She’s phenomenal, she’s been and continues to be a great team member,” said Balaskanthan.

What was your favourite headline this year?

“A case for community gardens.”

– Stefannia Kunilova, fourth-year game design student

“Students’ Union prepares for annual elections.”

– Amy Che, fourth-year youth and children’s studies student

She’s like that warm, motherly figure you need at university when away from your family.

- Koyal Vyas, vice president of programming and services at Laurier

Dungey now works at Laurier’s e Belmont in One Market. While the food she’s serving isn’t her mother’s homemade recipes anymore, she is still recognized by almost every student and faculty on campus for her hospitality towards the community.

“She’s like that warm, motherly gure you need at university when away from your family,” said Koyal Vyas, the vice president of programming and services at Laurier Brantford. Koyal has worked very closely with Dungey over her time with the Students’ Union.

From faculty members who knew Dungey since her start at the university in 1999 to incoming rst-years, she is a well-known gure within the Laurier community.

“Why car-centric urban planning sucks.”

– Jagdeep Singh, second-year user experience design student

“Editor’s Note: Journalism, a ‘dying’ profession.”

– Naomi Dunn, third-year social work student

SERENA ANAGBE / PHOTO EDITOR

From

Michelle Finch and Sue Dungey.

Brantford Bulldogs prepare for play-offs

The OHL’s Bulldogs wrap up the regular season

It’s been an exciting opening year for the Ontario Hockey League’s Brantford Bulldogs to say the very least.

e team had fairly low expectations heading into this season, after the formerly known Hamilton Bulldogs have had a large roster turnover since winning the OHL Championship in 2022.

Now in Brantford, the Bulldogs have managed to turn their squad around, featuring a mostly younger group of players, and are now one of the top contenders in the OHL’s Eastern Conference.

“Going into the season I wasn’t expecting play-o s,” said Riley

MLB

Eechaute, a local Brantford hockey fan and game operations intern with the Bulldogs. “It’s been refreshing having high-level sport back in Brantford and the team to be doing so well has been the cherry on top.”

After a shaky start to the season, the Bulldogs have been one of the hottest teams in the OHL since, being one of the rst teams to clinch a play-o spot and holding the number one spot in the Eastern Conference for a good chunk of time.

e Bulldogs have been led by a young core of players, including 2024 NHL draft prospect Marek Vanacker and Chicago Blackhawks’ draft pick Nick Lardis, with a few remaining veterans who formerly won the OHL Championship back in 2022, including starting goaltender Matteo Drobac, who recently set franchise records for wins, saves and games played by a

goaltender.

e City of Brantford has been very receptive to the Bulldogs since moving from Hamilton, selling out almost every home game and providing a play-o -like atmosphere each time the Bulldogs play.

“I think the Bulldogs have one of the strongest fan bases in the OHL,” said Bulldogs fan Koyal Vyas, who is also a sixth-year digital media and journalism student here at Wilfrid Laurier University. “It is such a unique experience to see how passionate the fans are at every game.”

With the regular season wrapping up, it’s safe to say that the Bulldogs’ inaugural year in Brantford has been nothing short of eventful. Some notable moments include Jake O’Brien setting a franchise record for points scored by a rookie, the team winning the rst OHL game held in Brantford since the 1980s and the Teddy Bear Toss game.

“

e Teddy Bear Toss goal was so cool, after the no-goal call, giving all the bears back to the fans, just to score and throw them again two minutes later, that was pretty cool to be a part of,” said Eechate about his most memorable moment of the season.

e Bulldogs will play their nal regular season game of the year vs. the Ottawa 67’s on March 24 and will play either the Mississauga Steelheads or the formerly mentioned 67’s in the rst round of the play-o s.

The 2024 MLB season has begun

Baseball season is officially here and fans are looking forward to a great year

It’s been a long wait for Major League Baseball fans, but baseball season is just around the corner.

After fans saw an entertaining 2023 year, the MLB is hoping for another this coming season. Winter is nally over, and spring training has nally started, which began on Feb. 22.

e Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers are currently the top-performing teams through Spring Training so far, with the two squads holding 15-3 and 13-4 records, respectively.

As always, all over Canada and the MLB fanbase, all eyes are on the Toronto Blue Jays. e Jays have one of the most exciting young cores in the entire league and have had great regular season performances over the past four years, making the play-o s three times in that span.

However, the Jays have been swept every time they’ve quali ed

for the play-o s in that time frame and have failed to win a play-o game since 2016.

“[I expect] more disappointment this year,” said Nolan Straus, a

local baseball fan and supporter of the Toronto Blue Jays. “Another wild card exit or even no play-o s awaits us.”

e Jays made some moves how-

ever in the MLB o -season in an attempt to get over their play-o disappointments.

“

e Blue Jays had very prevalent issues with their lineup last

year and chose to stay dormant in the o -season, only bringing in Justin Turner and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who are far from solutions to the team’s major power issues,” added Straus about the Jays’ o -season moves.

With the season underway at the end of the month, many MLB experts are giving their predictions for the 2024 World Series.

After a 2023 season that was capped o with the Texas Rangers winning the World Series over the Arizona Diamondbacks in ve games, the 2024 edition is sure to be great once again.

Will Leitch on MLB.com has the Atlanta Braves, LA Dodgers and Texas Rangers, in that order, as his favourites for this year’s World Series. While CBS Sports has given the Dodgers, Braves and Houston Astros, respectively, the best odds to win the World Series.

Straus has also noted the defending champions Texas Rangers as his World Series favourite.

Fans believe the MLB season will be entertaining as always and that they are sure to be treated to a great year of baseball once again.

MITCHELL HARTMAN LEAD SPORTS WRITER

SERENA ANAGBE / PHOTO EDITOR

The Brantford Bulldogs on the ice.

MITCHELL HARTMAN LEAD SPORTS WRITER

Brantford women are in business

The second annual Women in Business Expo celebrating women in business and networking

International Women’s Day was on March 8 and on this same day, the Women in Business Expo was held at the TownePlace Suites by Marriott in Brantford. is free event was held for the second year in a row.

e event was run and put together by Samantha Gernhart, the founder of Clarity Marketing & Design, who said she spent months planning the expo. She organized the speakers, space and all advertising. She also held a networking event in the fall and then another event early this year.

“I saw a gap in our community where this type of event resource support was needed,” said Gernhart.

Last year was the rst year that the expo ran. ere were almost twice as many businesses a part of the event this year as well as many more people attended, just within the rst hour there were well over a hundred people in attendance. ere were swag bags, guest speakers, a photo wall as well as so many opportunities to network

and chances to meet so many women in business.

“It’s a day for women and I just had to be here,” said Ashlee Juneau, a realtor and business owner who said this was her second year

at a booth for her business at the expo. “It’s just great to come here and collaborate with all of these other entrepreneurial women.”

ere were a diverse group of guest speakers from marketing to

wellness and nance to success stories. Each speaker was selected based on their skill set and wisdom that they could share with others. ere was something for everyone and even if you didn’t nd a guest speaker to your liking, then there were almost tables lled with businesswomen to talk to and network with.

For the rst 100 people that attended the event, there were tote bags lled with goodies. Lots of businesses shared their business cards, there were also some water bottles, pens and newspapers.

ere was a little something for everyone including some candy for everyone’s sweet tooth. For those who got there later in the day, there were still business cards and other fun things to collect at each booth, including some games, like spin the wheel or tarot card reading. “We just look at it like a networking opportunity to meet other women in business,” said Sarah Gage, a Wealth Con dence coach, who attended the event.

submission has been modi ed for readability. First date horror — My friend set me up on a mall date with one of her friends. I went to the mall with this girl, we talked, went to the food court and because we were young and in high school, we walked around a lot and window-shopped.

Turns out that I was just there and was automatically friend zoned without knowing it. At the end of it all, the girl said, “Yeah so I’m seeing this boy and we’re dating.” FML. e dreaded friend zone! is is a hard one to navigate because you came into that date thinking it was a date. I wonder what she thought

it was because if your friend set it up, one would assume they told her it was sort of a date. It is funny to look back at high school dates because they were so limited with resources and time! I am so sorry you got friend zoned but think of it as a rite of passage. It happens to everyone at least once!

SIENNA BILANCIA LEAD ARTS & CULTURE WRITER

SIENNA BILANCIA / LEAD ARTS & CULTURE WRITER

The expo networking event, women had booths to promote their businesses.

KAREN SAVOY / SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY

Discover the spirit of downtown

There are many bars to explore beyond the downtown core, Manny’s is just one of them

After a long and hard school week, students need to let o steam. For some students, this can look like curling up with a good book, taking time to watch a movie with friends or indulging in a bit of retail therapy. ese are all great ways to unwind from midterms, discussion posts and research papers, but for some students, a night

out on the town is exactly what gives them the energy for another week ahead of schoolwork.

Flashing lights, thumping bass from loud speakers and close friends dancing their nights away are the perfect formular for a great night out. In Brantford, there are many bars and pubs that meet the needs of all students, but not many students venture out past the downtown core, which is unfortunate because there are great spots for good friends and cheers just beyond campus. One of these great hidden gems and local favourites is Manny’s Place.

Manny’s Place is located at 125

Stanley St. and specializes in live entertainment, karaoke and live music every Friday and Saturday night. Manny’s is the only bar in the city that provides a full sound and lighting stage for the bands that play in it. As owner Manny Capinding said, “We give the full concert experience.” Bands from across the province travel to this bar to showcase their musical talent, and locals show o their own singing abilities on open mic nights as well.

Capinding said the bar scene in Brantford is very lively and the bar owners are all great friends who support each other’s businesses and genuinely care about their customers.

Reading slumps

As students head into finals, reading for pleasure falls behind

KATIE BIRD BOOKS IT UP PRESIDENT

Wilfrid Laurier University’s Brantford Books Its Up members know what it’s like to be in a reading slump and here are some of our fav books that cured ours. So if you are in a reading slump, be sure to keep reading!

A book that will keep you on your toes and will have you ying through the pages is e Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. is book follows Cassie as she is asked by the FBI to join a new program called e Naturals. e FBI’s new classi ed program is set to solve cold cases and who better to make up this team than extraordinary teenagers. Cassie is a 17-yearold girl who has a skill of reading people and putting together small details that others would overlook,

but she never thought that it was something special. Cassie decides to join the team and things move quickly as she is sent to live with other teens with similar gifts. ey are all put to work when a new killer appears and e Naturals are tasked to walk into the danger and use their skills to catch the killer before the killer catches them.

Another book that will pull you right out of your reading slump is Flawless by Eilise Silver. is is the rst book in a ve-book series and follows a bull rider with a bad reputation and his manager’s daughter. Rhett loves a lot of things, like women and parties, but there is nothing that he loves more than bull riding. When Summer started working for her dad, she never thought she would be asked to be the PR manager for Rhett Eaton. Now, Summer is spending

her days travelling with Rhett as he competes and she works to take his image in a new direction. Eventually, after all the time spent together, they nd their relationship turning into something more. Summer needs to keep it to friends with bene ts to protect her heart, but Rhett wants more and he’s ready to throw in his hat to give it all up for her.

Him by Elle Kennedy and Sarina Bowen will have you sitting down to read it and not getting back up till it’s done. Jamie Canning and Ryan Wesley were best friends, but after their friendship crossed out of friend zone one night at Hockey summer camp, Ryan cut Jamie o . Ryan hates how he left things and has regretted pushing his “straight” friend into a bet that might have pushed boundaries. Now they’re in college and an

“I’m great friends with pretty much every bar owner in the city. We do a lot of fundraisers for people in the community,” he said, adding that locals use bar venues for celebrations of life. “If somebody lost a loved one and they’ll reach out to one of the bars that they frequent at, they’ll hold a celebration of life there. So a lot of local bars will open their doors up to the community in that way.”

Manny’s has a slew of regulars who lter in and out throughout the week, but he also hopes to attract more students.

“We’ve been trying to nd a way to reach out to the students to let them know there’s other places that that will provide a lot of fun for them outside of the downtown core,” said Capinding. “ ere’s a lot

of bars that branch out and provide all kinds of fun.”

ere is something to do almost every night at Manny’s and it is all centered around live entertainment.

“On ursdays, we do open jam, so we get a lot of musicians that come out and they get on stage,” said Capinding, adding that many solo artists at all levels of experience are welcome and all they must do is sign up. “It is just a bunch of musicians doing their thing on stage, just playing music.” As the school year comes to a close and some extra adventure is needed, students might nd themselves travelling beyond Market and West Street.

opportunity presents itself for Ryan to apologize and explain to Jamie as their two opposing teams make it to the championships. It only takes seconds for Ryan to see that his crush he thought had disappeared is still very much there and that time has only made him want Jamie more. What happens when

they both show up to coach at their old summer camp? Does one hot night at hockey summer camp turn into six more?

All these books are quick and entertaining reads that will get you out of your reading slump!

SERENA ANAGBE / PHOTO EDITOR

Brando’s Beach House bar, a popular spot in town for students.

ALEXA FORD ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

SERENA ANAGBE / PHOTO EDITOR

The Vegas bar in downtown Brantford.

dive i n t o

te a

Susan Ikpeama, a Toronto local, excitedly showed o her vast tea collections in her cupboard and on top of her refrigerator. e teas she shows are from all over the world, collected throughout her life by herself and her friends as they travel. ese teas originate from Germany, Vietnam, France, Turkey and many other countries.

When I’m at my family home, I’d either be drinking tea or water.

- Susan Ikpeama, a Toronto local

Although co ee remains the most consumed drink by Canadians today as reported by Statista, a reliable source for market data, tea is no longer the underdog it had been a few years prior.

“When I’m at my family home, I’d either be drinking tea or water,” said Ikpeama about visiting her family in Toronto.

A popular form of consumption of tea is bubble tea. e delectable variety of avours and toppings like tapioca or grass jelly allow people to customize their drinks and enjoy various avours t to their own tastes.

led to her interest in milk teas. Nowadays, Valdez often chooses tea based on moods. Valdez’s moods can be distributed into calm for green tea with honey and milk, needing sugar and ca eine to be a mood for apple cinnamon fog, for lectures matcha lattes and time with friends to be a mood for ai tea.

Ikpeama, on the other hand, favours green and white tea overall. White tea being picked at the age where the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, has not had the leaves open yet. Its low oxidization and processing give it a fresh and soft oral avour. It’s better paired with more delicate avours like light

sh, basmati rice, peaches, orange blossoms or fresh salads.

Tea is often also praised for its health bene ts due to it being

Tea plantations have companies and policies put in place to ensure the ethical sourcing of tea, however when asked on Reddit, consumers stated they do not pay much attention to ethical sourcing.

“I always appreciate knowing if the tea has come from a more ethical source, but I don’t actively seek it out as it’s usually more expensive,” said user Bubbles_JG.

Countries like India and Kenya have laws and regulations put in place for tea farming, but still face issues of worker exploitation. An investigation by BBC Africa Eye and Panaroma in February 2023 led to ndings of exploitation in the Kenyan tea plantations for Unilever, which owns popular brands like Lipton, Tazo, PG Tips and more. Following this, rms were hired to work with or rehire welfare teams to help manage these plantations.

- Susan Ikpeama, a Toronto local Ste ntrad i t i on , c o m f ortinevery cup

Tea is soothing. It’s warm and comforting.

e bubble tea industry is especially on the rise. According to a market report by SkyQuest, another source for market information, it is anticipated to have a compound annual growth rate of 6.9 per cent and has become the third-most consumed drink in Canada. “ ere are more bubble tea shops than Starbucks,” said Ikpeama.

Lianna Valdez, a third-year user experience design student at Wilfrid Laurier University in Brantford, has also observed the rise of bubble tea, noting it to be a good entry for greater tea consumption with its options of fruity and milk teas.

Tea in any form – herbal, regular or bubble tea — hold signi cance in their consumers’ everyday life, brining comfort and joy to their drinkers.

“Tea is soothing. It’s warm and comforting,” said Ikpeama. at is not all. For consumers like Valdez, their journey with tea began in elementary school. As Valdez aged, her tastes changed as well. In middle school, Valdez’s choice of tea was green tea. In her high school years, more bubble tea shops began popping up, which

cup.

COVID-19 has also had a great impact on the tea sector, speci cally speciality tea stores. In Canada, tea drinkers themselves have seen some changes over the past ve years.

Valdez noticed the di erence in specialty tea shops in Brantford with many stores shutting down. “ ere was a guy in my neighbourhood called Daniel’s tea,” said Valdez, referring to the shop, T by Daniel. “He would give out free samples and such. I wonder where he’s gone.”

Ikpeama adds onto that feeling by mentioning seeing a lack of tea shops over Toronto. In an article by World Tea News, they reported of many tea distributors facing shutdowns during COVID.

“After COVID, I have had to travel to get my teas,” she said about having to travel farther in Toronto to nd speciality tea stores.

However, both agree there has been an immense rise in bubble tea shops over Ontario.

“Bubble tea is such a good option, it is expensive though,” said Valdez.

Brantford’s Trail Mix

Not the traditional nuts and sweet treats, Brantford’s Trail Mix is a musical blend of local voices

e trail is located behind Brant Crossing and other Brantford tourism destinations. It is a 10-kilometre trail that runs between Hardy Road and the intersection of River Road and Dike Trail. ere are a variety of di erent songs and genres included in the playlists. Every artist can have up to three songs chosen and each playlist is long enough to get you to the next playlist marker.

Each playlist is put together and placed on a signpost where people can scan a QR code and listen to a

few original songs created by local artists from the region. Each of the playlists is free for all to listen to.

2022. e trail remains the same as the years prior, only the songs change.

Mike Papaloni is an artist that had his song, Long Way, chosen last year for the Trail Mix.

“It was heartwarming to know that at any given moment someone could be walking the same trail I love to walk while listening to a song of mine that I made,” said Papaloni, who also owns Calm Canopy Music.

All of the songs that are included in the Trail Mix are from local artists in the Brant region. Every artist will receive $50 for each song chosen.

“I think that it is very bene cial for the local artist community to have a platform that directly engages with people on the trail,” said Papaloni.

is is the third year that the Trail Mix has been running in Brantford, as the rst year was in

Sex work is real work

The oldest profession in history, yet there is still a taboo is year on National Trail Day, the City of Brantford will release the next season of songs for the Trail Mix, a collection of songs from local artists placed on signposts with QR codes throughout a designated trail. ere are a series of songs chosen for each stop, with 10 di erent stops in total, 10 playlists and three songs in each.

Sex work often conjures up images of red-light districts and disadvantaged women working out of desperation, but these are images that the media has told us are normal.

“Sex work is not like it is in the movies,” says local Brantford sex worker who, for her own safety and privacy, has opted to stay anonymous and be called Jasmine.

Jasmine is a massage attendant at an exotic spa. She works almost every day for anywhere between eight to 10 hours. Jasmine is relatively new to contact sex work, as she was originally an online personality on the subscription-based content service, OnlyFans. ree months ago, she said she decided to make the transition from a “no-contact sex work position” to a “contact sex work posi-

tion.” is is not a common switch in the industry, she said, because usually sex workers do this in the reverse. Jasmine said she did not enjoy working from home during her time with OnlyFans, so she took the leap.

“I love interacting with people and I think my experience is a little di erent from a lot of other girls that go into this job because I didn’t go into sex work out of desperation or the need for money,” said Jasmine. “I went into it to explore my own sexuality and just because I love sex. And why not get paid for it?”

While exploring her sexuality in her current position, she said she is most certainly noticing the lack of education, support and kindness in the sex work industry, especially in Canada.

“Almost every week, I genuinely consider moving to one of the Scandinavian countries that supports sex workers and actually protects them,” said Jasmine. She said in her brief three months as a massage attendant, there have already been many times when she

has not felt safe at her job.

At her spa in particular, there are no bouncers, no security system in place or even cameras to ensure the girls’ safety. So she took it upon herself to buy her own personal alarms to have with her during sessions with clients just in case.

“When you’re in the room alone with a customer, there’s not really much that can be done other than to scream and hope that the other girls hear you,” she said.

Luckily, her and her coworkers have not had any major issues in this area, but she said it is important to stay alert and lay down the law with her clients.

“I lay the rules down ahead of time, saying this is what you’re allowed to do, this is how much you’re allowed to touch or not touch. If you wanted extra things you’re going to have to pay for it,” she said. “ ey understand that nothing is going to come for free and if they do get aggressive, I get aggressive right back.”

In Canada, Bill C-36 states that the purchasing of sex work is illegal, but the selling of sexu-

Artists that are a part of the database were contacted by the city and there were social media advertisements posted to get the word out to artists in the area. e Trail Mix is an opportunity for local artists to have a chance to get their music out into the world and connect with the local audience.

al services is decriminalized. In theory, this is supposed to protect sex workers and try to abolish prostitution by criminalizing the buyers of sex work. But Jasmine says this does the opposite because sex work is still illegal and there is no protection for sex workers or standards for businesses that sell sex to uphold.

Jasmine said this is extremely frustrating for her and others who work in the sex work eld because the responsibility falls on them to ensure their own safety and payment.

“It’s usually just the girl’s responsibility to be safe, you have to fend for yourself. If somebody screws you over and doesn’t give you your money, that’s on you, you lost it, you should ask for it rst,” she said.

As a newcomer to this industry, something Jasmine wishes more people knew about sex work is that the people who do this work are people too. ey are mothers, daughters and sisters who have chosen to do this and would like protection at their job like anyone else.

BACHIR MILOUDI / SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY A walking path in Brantford.

SIENNA BILANCIA LEAD ARTS & CULTURE WRITER

ALEXA FORD ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

OLGA STEBLYK / SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY

A refection on the Laurier-Sussex program

From the perspective of a Sussex graduate

I had always known that I wanted to go abroad for school. My rst ight was at three months old and I never stopped. When I stumbled across the Wilfrid Laurier University booth at my high school university fair, that was where I was introduced to the Laurier Bachelor of Arts and University of Sussex Bachelor of Law program.

I could get my B.A. at Laurier and spend three years in England to get my law degree. It was a win-win situation.

I e LL.B Sussex program evokes very mixed opinions if you were to ask around the Laurier campuses. Anybody I have talked with about the program has almost always had very strong feelings, both good and bad.

I As I am a month away from my

HUMANITIES

graduation, I share those same strong feelings as my peers. e program is certainly not without its aws. I was promised many things of what my experience would look like in the program. I would nish school faster since I didn’t have to take the law school entrance exam. It was cheaper compared to law school tuition in Toronto. I would be supported every step of the way. I bought into the vision of the program, glorifying what my experience would be. For a while, my experience was what was promised.

I Until it wasn’t.

I It wasn’t until I had to move halfway across the globe in a pandemic during a lockdown that my Sussex bubble popped. It was after I had spent weeks just nding housing. Unless I wanted to live in a dorm with up to 12 other people, use a predatory guarantor company or cough up a whole year’s rent in advance, there were very little housing options for me. It was after I spent over a month just trying to open a bank account while the

banks gave me the run-around. It was after I had to work twice as hard to play catch-up just to be on the same level as my peers. A legacy of peerages, monarchies and feudal landownership made the legal system a confusing mess unless you happened to be wellread in British history. at was not me.

I When I got home, it made my past years going to law school in a pandemic halfway across the world feel like child’s play. My mental health was destroyed, and I spent most days crying in bed, with little willpower to do much of anything. When my friends in the program were telling me about the fact that they had to start therapy, I knew that it wasn’t just me not being able to adjust to being back home.

All these deadlines and expectations of what I should be doing according to the school’s timeline were slowly starting to crush me. is wasn’t helped by the fact that I didn’t want to be a lawyer anymore. I e almost constant check-ins, meetings and socials that happened up until we went to Sussex were nowhere to be found. I didn’t feel much di erent than what I imagined a baby deer would if they were dropped o in the middle of a forest and told to fend for themselves.

I e Sussex program is not an easy fast pass to becoming a lawyer. ere are exams when you come back instead of entrance exams into law school. It is not cheaper than going to school in

Philosophy: Is it really that bad?

Take a moment to ponder what it is to think

l My adoration of philosophy is something that I love to talk to others about. It has helped me understand my place in this weird and wonderful society, how to not only love myself but others in these trying times and how to fall in love with the absurd nature of this world.

However, when I talk about my love of philosophy, I am met with confusion and blatant annoyance at some points. I have never really understood why philosophy gets the hate it does. Having talked to others, the hatred of my beloved genre comes out of not fully understanding what it is. Philosophy is such a broad word used to describe so many brilliant subgenres that deal with so many di erent topics. It can range from absurdism explaining how life’s purpose is to nd what makes you happy in this absurd life to metaphysics trying to nd what is real or not by process-

ing what’s around us in nature. Besides from questioning life’s purpose and meaning, subgenres could be as simple as conversations over harming others or self-love, not all philosophers blab about life’s meaning and the existential questions that have been pondered for hundreds of years.

Another misunderstanding of philosophy is that it was only written by a bunch of dead white men. When talking to my one

roommate, she said they are just long books written by a bunch of dead white men, so why would she read them? For the most part, a lot of popular philosophers are Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, Plato and my personal favourite dead white man, Fredrich Nietzsche. However, there are so many wonderful philosophers that are people of colour and some of them are even still alive! One of my favourite philoso-

phers of colour is bell hooks. Being a Black woman who lived in America, her writings range from topics of gender, femininity, race, love and how these t into society. Her writings do not use complicated language and are looking at perspectives of topics that are often missed in philosophical debates. e best part about hooks is her writing style, her way of writing captures the mind and feeds the soul. In her book, All About Love: New Visions, she writes, “Knowing love or the hope of knowing love is the anchor that keeps us from falling into that sea of despair.” How could you not just fall in love with that sentence?

Lastly, philosophy is what you make of it. Reading philosophy with a closed mind means you will get closed-minded results. is does involve some pondering for some philosophy, however, what you get out of it makes it all worth it. Take this quote from Meditations by Marcus Aurelius: “ e stench

Canada. My bank account and the exchange rate can attest to that. It is also not a fun little vacation to England. It is hard, it is lonely and it is not glamorous by any means. I Despite all the aws, I would do the program over again in a heartbeat. I made my place in Brighton while attending Sussex until it started to feel home. While it hadn’t been the easiest, the last few years are some of the most cherished and formative years of my life. I don’t think I could have ever lived as many lifetimes as I did if I chose to stay in my smalltown cage. I shudder to think of who I would be if I didn’t have this experience in the Sussex program.

of decay. Rotting meat in a bag. Look at it clearly. If you can.” At rst glance, you may think that it is the oddest quote that I could have found. But, when you look into it, he is writing about how the truth may not be the most appealing, but to look at it clearly to understand the reason of the ugly truth. If you just breeze past the quote, Aurelius seems like the writing of a madman, but there is meaning behind the odd wording and without trying to understand it, you will get nothing out of it.

Reading philosophy, I know, is not for everyone. Take my roommate for example, as I was talking to her about this piece, she said that although I make good arguments for philosophy, she is still not going to read it. So, in the end, as my last plea to you to read philosophy, I leave you with a prime example of a dead white man using Latin to convey a simple message. In the words of Nietzsche, “Sum, ergo cogito; cogito, ergo sum.”

JADA PHILLIPS / LEAD OPINION WRITER

JADA PHILLIPS LEAD OPINION WRITER University of Sussex campus, Brighton U.K..

OLGA STEBLYK / LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

VICTORIA BLAGDON SENIOR COPY EDITOR

The best of Brantford’s Black excellence

A look into the Black Student Collective gala

University students naturally need a place to share culture, community and tradition. e Laurier Brantford Black Student Collective did a great job at bringing that message to fruition during the Cultural Royalty Gala. ey provided a beautiful set up at the Banquet Hall and it was accompanied by amazing authentic African food. ey had blends of jollof rice, fufu and stews, and a variety of meat like chicken and goat. ere was a diversi cation of performances ranging from slam poetry, African talking drums, dancing and many guest speakers. It was truly the drums that brought people on the dance oor, as it is known in African culture that everybody must dance when the drums are being played.

It was gorgeous to experience the way community is expressed through dancing and how people

engaged with each other through rhythm. I cannot help but mention the vibes induced by DJ Astro who had a blend of Caribbean and African music ranging from Amapiano, dancehall, Afrobeats and obviously much more.

I personally performed a poem named “Do your hands fail you?”, which was discussing a common experience held by people of color. It was about being able to openly enjoy cultural food in western spaces, speci cally relating to the importance of eating with your hands within African traditions.

ere were many other topics held by other speakers such as assimilation, honoring Black excellence, the experience of being a Black student on campus and being comfortable within your body. It was ful lling to see so many di erent voices come together on broad topics to celebrate Black culture.

e Black Student Collective had an amazing hand at creating a safe space for di cult topics and

Be Greater

I believe in you, you should too

MITCHELL BALDWIN OPINION EDITOR

e mark of bravery is not to have no fear, but it is to act in the face of fear. e mark of wisdom is not to be profound with your words, but instead with your actions. To be greater, you don’t need fancy titles, a cool job, expensive clothes, fast cars or even a big place to live. All you need is a desire for more, a desire to grow past barriers, a desire to be the best version of yourself not because you owe it to yourself, but because you owe it to everyone who would kill to be in your position.

You have the capacity to be greater. Everyone does. You have the ability to lead by example, extend the bene t of the doubt to those you don’t know, to live with love in your heart even when it is easy to hate. You have the ability to inspire those around you to

live with compassion, to ght for a future where justice and fairness is the reality we all share. e idea of a world that champions truth, justice and a better tomorrow might seem like a dream. Maybe it is. But dreams are what keep us alive. Dreams are what inspire us. Dreams are what gives hope to tomorrow, that we can do better than what we have. Dreams help us to be more than the sum of our parts. Dreams help us be greater. But why should you? It’s easy to say that you should do something but not why. Well, let’s try to think about this a di erent way. If you were to spend every day of your life only ever putting in half-e orts in all you do, then chances are you’ll be left with lots of regrets when you get to the end of your life. Even if you don’t succeed in trying to reach your dreams, trying your best, trying to be greater, will at the very least give you the comfort of knowing that you tried your best.

Furthermore, there are countless amounts of people worldwide that would kill to be

authenticity to come together. As it is uncommon for most people to wear cultural clothing in social settings, it was honestly lovely to see so many di erent people wearing their heritage. is included variations of Kente, Dashiki, Aso Oke and countless more. It was especially refreshing to see the beauty of cultural garb on the Brantford Campus and the vast ways culture can be presented.

Over the years, the Black Student Collective has succeeded in bringing the acceptance of culture and the experience of communal traditions to Wilfrid Laurier University in Brantford. Whether it is within their meetings or public events, they never fail to bring awareness to history and build connections for Black ourishing. ey are regularly celebrating heritage and providing spaces to educate others on Black excellence. e Brantford campus is lucky to have a community that promotes education and authenticity.

in your position, in university, in Canada, in a place where they would have the opportunity to pursue their dreams. You do live in a place like this. You can actually pursue your dreams. To waste such an opportunity would be to spit in the faces of all those who don’t share in our privilege of a university education.

So, I implore you to use this opportunity you have wisely. Don’t use it to be vain, don’t chase roles and titles that mean nothing. Build something that others will use, use your con-

nections to advance community interests. Be a hero and be the one to start the conversation about issues that matter the most. Gather signatures for important issues, take these issues to the people who are in charge, demand that they act. Lead on issues no one else is talking about. Dare to be greater, you just might be the one to spark a deluge of change. Dare to be greater. Dare to hope. Dare to dream. Dreams are what we build the future with. Hope is what helps us dream of

a brighter future. Being greater helps us ght the good ght to help those in need. It allows us to be the architects of our own future, to reject the dark futures of a hateful world. It helps us be not just the people we are, but the people we were always meant to become.

All it will take to build a better world for all is for you to wake up one day and decide to be greater. What’s stopping you?

OLGA STEBLYK / LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

SERENA AGNABE / PHOTO EDITOR

From left, students Naomi Abolor and Mercy Autur at the BSC gala

HASNA ISASE OPINION WRITER

Hot takes at The Sputnik

A collection of our most debatable opinions

I To close out the year, we decided to put together a list of opinions from e Sputnik’s sta team for you all to see. Opinions were collected from a spreadsheet that noted contributors had a chance to ll out. We hope you enjoy reading both our serious and comical opinions through a variety of topics. e following are the opinions of editor-in-chief Umaymah Suhail, news writer Piper Force, In nitum editor Tusharika Tyagi, arts and culture editor Alexa Ford, opinion editor Mitchell Baldwin and nally, lead opinion writer Jada Phillips.

Our rst topic is university life:

• Post-secondary schools should have enough residences for half of the student body. e cost of textbooks should be included in tuition.

• e earliest classes should be allowed to start is 10 a.m. and the latest is 4 p.m. Unpaid internships should be illegal. Why should people have to work for free just to get experience?

I en we have some on food and drinks:

• Oreo ins are better than

Double Stuf.

• Ketchup is overrated.

• You shouldn’t get steak if you eat it well-done.

I With only a brief note on religion:

• It should be mandatory for students to take at least one introductory religions course in Canadian high schools where they learn about the di erent religions.

I We had a lot to say about society:

• It should be a government mandate that people work a minimum of two years in retail, so they know how to behave when shopping.

• Corporal punishment is just lazy parenting.

• Free speech should not extend to those spreading obviously false information.

• Pharmaceutical companies should be charged with homicide for the drug crisis. Pharmaceutical companies make billions of dollars a year from an opioid crisis they created. Instead, governments are arresting those with addictions who are victims of the drug crisis than the drug dealers just because they are a multinational corporation.

• It is immoral for people to have more than one to two kids (unless they are adopted) due to overpopulation. Our Earth cannot support our population growth and

it will lead to problems like war and famine.

• You can’t be scally conservative and socially liberal. If you fail to see how the material conditions of somebody’s life can a ect their quality of life, then you are missing the whole point. Conservative economic policies cut funding for the services and programs that those facing poverty rely on most, which just makes existing social problems bigger.

• As an actor, if you put your beauty over your skills, you are not good at your job. Botox to the point where you can’t see wrinkles when you frown should be made illegal for actors who want to do their job properly.

• People should break out into song and more often than they do now.

• Retail workers should be able to tell o rude customers.

• If you can’t a ord to tip, then you shouldn’t go out to eat. On the other hand,

tipping culture has gotten out of hand. We shouldn’t have to tip for everything just so businesses can use it as an excuse to not pay their employees properly.

I Dating is important, so we had some important thoughts:

• Ghosting someone should be acceptable within the rst month of talking.

• Hookup culture has caused more harm to society than it has brought liberation. Hookup culture has destroyed many people’s self-worth, ruined people’s ability to develop emotional intimacy with others, allowed for people to avoid the responsibility that comes with having a sexual relationship and put people at increased risk of STDs.

• When men get mad that women say they want their partner to be at least six feet tall, it’s them just getting mad that they are nally being held to a tiny fraction

of the standards placed on women’s appearances.

Who could forget about animals?:

• Donkeys are better than horses and it is only pretty privilege that lets horses win over donkeys.

• Having a reptile as a pet doesn’t make you quirky or di erent.

Arts & Culture

To conclude, we have some thoughts that relate to our arts and culture section:

• Zack Snyder movies suck.

• Most Marvel movies sucked after Avengers: Endgame

• Princess Bride is one of the best movies in cinema history.

If you have an opinion you’d like to see published or you just totally disagree with any of our opinions, consider volunteering next year. We’d love to have you.

JADA PHILLIPS LEAD OPINION WRITER

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO / FABIANA PENAGOS The Sputnik team in Odeon.

The Great Migration

The end of an era INFINITUM

It was cold and the grass was wet at the hill’s peak where the portal was to be opened. In the dusk of night, hundreds of people had come together to leave this realm to journey somewhere they had never been to before. Magic was going to leave these lands.

is was what those people had wanted. ose jealous disgusting cockroaches that feared those who were di erent.

e story of magic on these lands came from three centuries before the migration. ere had been a portal that opened on top of a hill from which came a badly injured being. Seven friends were close enough, having been on a trip to pick the gutenberries, a healing plant that grew on the top of the hill, when they found that being. e original seven nursed the being back to health and were given the gift of magical power. Soon as their families grew, so did

the amount of people with the powers.

Everyone knew this. Everyone knew that people who had these powers were also harmless. e seven had learned how to take hatred and resentment out of their body into a pill. ey detached themselves from feeling that emotion. is had led their young to do the same. Tradition which only led to ruin.

Even when the houses were being torched in the middle of night and children were being slaughtered right on the streets, those with magic tried to nd a middle ground.

A lot of good it did them all.

Marie watched as her parents had found the way to construct a safe passageway, a way to be killed. Marie watched as her parents found a way to build a safe passageway as they distracted the mindless people of the wretched kingdom. She had never had the chance to remove her hatred from her body and thus, her emotions steeled. She was going to live until the day she would be able to see the kingdom fall.

As all the people with magic

left, they built her a new home atop the hill’s peak to look over the kingdom. No person without magic would ever be able to come close or even gaze upon the area where Marie lived.

And so, she lived for years to come. Waiting to see the day the kingdom would crumble.

en came a little boy crawling on his fours. His golden head of hair shined in the sun even though the rest of his body had seemed dirtied, as he had followed a squirrel all the way to the place no other human should have been able to travel.

Little by little, his steps stopped in a vegetable garden, grabbing at the pretty red fruits. at’s when Marie found him. She hadn’t seen another human so close for so long and she felt fear rise that perhaps everyone could walk past her spell to protect herself. But the tiny bundle of joy was the exception.

“What do I do with you?”

She asked as she begrudgingly enchanted a deer to deliver the child back to the King’s hunting party that had become frantic searching for the young prince that had lost his way.

Intrigue bloomed within Mary’s

heart. She looked at the child from afar. And much to her annoyance, the boy would always nd his way back.

From a toddler who had lost his way to a toddler who kept walking away from his father and mother to make his way to the frowning woman.

e child had a heart of gold. A heart of gold that melted the frozen soul within a very hurt woman. She nally came out from her home until she made her way down to the palace. Her adopted son, who had adopted her as a second mother to himself, had begun asking for her help to learn about the past.

Kindness had crept back into the lands.

Marie smiled, as her son brought the truth of the lands to the front. He helped her have a family again. When he had a sister, she blessed

the baby for his sake.

For his sake, she taught the others about the knowledge she had gathered over the years.

For his sake…

en one day they came for him. His sister who had been easily swayed had found herself a creature of disgust.

Victor looked upon Mary’s new family with greedy and envious eyes. So, he manipulated. So, he killed.

And what did it all lead to?

Mary looked at the body of her son, frozen in time, healing slowly and slowly. She was going to bring him back after the little sleep for centuries they would need.

Maybe when they woke this time, it would all be di erent. Maybe this time, the little prince would get happiness that would last.

A few months ago, I downloaded this app that apparently gives your daily horoscope and possible predictions. My friends were really into that kind of stu at the time, so I thought I’d join in. I’d never heard of this app before, and it didn’t have any ratings on the App Store. It was the rst one that came up when I looked for “Horoscopescope”. It gave generic predictions,

sometimes being accurate, sometimes not. But as I kept using the app, the projections have started getting more speci c. February 9th, 2024: You will run into an old friend today. And I did. A little freaky, but still pretty generic.

February 10th, 2024: Talk with your teacher after class. She’ll give you an extension for the assignment. I talked with her. I got my extension.

February 11th, 2024: Don’t walk up the right side of the stairs today. I cautiously stuck to the left side that day, watching in shock as my friend walking beside me tripped on an unaccounted for pencil sharpener while heading upstairs. It’s now February 12th. I checked my phone as soon as I woke up to see my horoscope. February 12th, 2024: You are not safe here. Run.

I type nearly every day. I guess you could say I somewhat “enjoyed” it. After all, I had gotten pretty good at it. But I’m starting to think that it may love me more than I enjoyed it. I remember the day when it rst began — I had typed the word “Loved”. After taking my hands away from the keyboard, the keys began to move on their own, forming the

words “Love you” on my screen. I watched, scared, as the keys clicked down one by one, as if moved by some invisible force. Since then, it’s been happening every time I try and work on my computer. Slowly, every sentence I typed would gradually become some form of “I love you” after typing. “ e weekend report is…” now “I love you”. “Sales have been going up by…” “I love you I love you”. “I’m writing this email because…”

“iloveyouiloveyouiloveyouiloveyouiloveyou”. Today, I’m going to write something back. I slowly typed “I don’t love you” into the document. ere was complete silence for a few moments before the keyboard started clacking wildly, letters popping up on screen. Now my document is full of the words “I hate you” and I can’t delete them. Whoever is inside my keyboard won’t let me. I don’t think they love me anymore.

SHORT STORY

One Last Note INFINITUM

The death of an artist

Carl fumbled with his medication, swearing quietly as the frustration mounted. e lid was always a bastard to unseal, and his hands had stopped being perfect tools over a decade ago. A bittersweet melody of nostalgia played through the periphery of his awareness as he remembered how deftly his ngers once answered his brain’s commands. Now they had seemingly been replaced with these barely usable stubs of wrinkled esh. Now it takes a monumental amount of focus and e ort to open the bottle without spilling its contents all over the table, as he had just succeeded with aplomb. He closed his hand around one of the wayward pills and dragged it to the edge of the table, twisting his hand to catch it a heartbeat too late as it fell to the ground. He swore again and reached for another, scooping it into his other hand before raising it to his dried lips and taking a quick swig of his vitamin water to wash it down.

Carl took a deep breath and continued doing what he had been doing for the past ve days: playing the same few bars of music and experimenting with the last few notes. He had been at it for days, trying in vain to narrow his choices down as he composed what he knew would be his last piece of music. It wasn’t even named yet, but it was super uous to his mind. He considered naming it after his son, but the boy had a temper as ery as his hair and would not appreciate the gesture.

e song was intended to be the nal one played at what Carl knew would be his last concert. His hands could barely keep steady long enough for concerts anymore, but he felt unsatis ed with the thought of the last few pieces he made being the ones he is remembered for. In the arts, it is often the last thing you do that immortalizes you; everything else is a pretext or stepping stone, but the last thing you do before your time is up always given special attention. Carl recalled how the public eye would even exonerate or absolve some of the more controversial artists if their death was strategically or accidentally timed to coincide with the release of some work of theirs; tragedy has a way of overwriting guilt that way as if one death is enough to wash away all your sins in life. Carl, as he so often congratulated himself on, had always managed to avoid signi cant controversy. Oh, he’d made a few enemies here and there in his eightplus decades of life, ru ed some feathers with particular interviews or choice comments made online towards some of the younger, more impetuous artists who would seek

to make a name for themselves at his expense, but he largely kept to himself and focused on the music. Sometimes, he regretted this. On days where he remembered old rivals or lovers, friends or colleagues, almost all of whom had either long since passed or had simply lost track of, he would sometimes regret not stirring up more trouble as a rebellious artist ought to do. Especially these days, where his days were too often surrendered to doctors and nurses, or the ever-encroaching fatigue constantly shortening his days, a gentle, insidious lullaby inevitably coercing him into an unwaking dream. Some mornings, he found himself wrestling himself awake as if the claws of death were already around him and he needed to shake himself back to life, unwilling to move on without putting some sort of exclamation point on his life. After one of these mornings, a little under a year ago, he resolved to put on this concert. He called around, spent some money, called in old favours or simply glad-handed and smarmed his way into being hired by a charity to play a concert. Charity work suited him ne, as he had long ago made

more money than he ever possibly knew what to do with. A fat cheque was just as likely to sit forgotten on his desk as it was to be cashed and spent. His only real complaint was the organizer’s insistence on using some newfangled hologram technology controlled by an AI to accompany the music.

ese thoughts swirled in his head as he continued to repeat the last few bars of music, his mind

an un nished song would be like leaving the last few swallows of a wonderful whiskey to oxidize, the last few bites of a meal to sit out and rot, to let the last few rays of sunlight die over the horizon without being observed.

more so than during his prior performance this evening and took his place at the piano. e room went silent, a familiar sound, the calm before and after the storm, and he moved his ngers into place and began to play.

searching for a tting end to this last song. e digital piano was all he could t in the hotel room, but it o ered a cleaner sound in some ways than a real one. Even so, the nal few notes simply refused to reveal themselves, a vexing, thunderous silence lling his mind instead. At least the last few bars were enjoyable and rapturous; he felt his heart heave and swell with joy and sentiment as each note played out, a mixture of melancholy, reverie and nostalgia all intertwined, but it felt hollow without an ending. He’d previously struggled with artist’s block, but this was ridiculous. I can’t go on stage tomorrow with an un nished song, Carl lamented to himself. is is the one I’ll be remembered for. Leaving life on

Carl kept these thoughts in mind as he worked into the night, focused on capturing the dying embers of his life in song and on communicating that to the audience. He would not allow his dusk to go unobserved. at imagery reminded him of an old lullaby he sang to his son as he stroked his red hair, promising him the world would still be there in the morning. e rest of the event had gone o without a hitch. Carl had performed several of his older pieces, and thanks in part to the cocktail of medication he’d arranged for, his ngers and hands had been behaving themselves. He didn’t even mind the AI-controlled holograms as much as he expected to. He stood just o stage as the host nished his penultimate speech, reintroducing Carl to the stage for one last song, a never-before-heard work. Carl took to the stage and waved enthusiastically,

e song lled the room with sweet nostalgia, the sting of bitter recollection and the fear of the encroaching end, but it gave way to a resounding hope. e lights from the hologram danced around him, displaying patterns and colours, accentuating the music and moving as if controlled by Carl himself, captivating and hypnotizing the crowd.

Carl felt his heart swell as though t to burst and poured it into the song. He improvised, the lights ared and built and the music swelled along with his heart, the promise of a crescendo all but undeniable as the song neared its end.

e nal few bars began, and Carl felt the seizing in his chest, a surge of joy and pure artistic creation the only thing fueling his body as the music owed out of his mind, through his now stilled heart and into the piano and out of the piano and into the room and the lights, su using the area and ensnaring the senses of the crowd as they shared in his rapturous ecstasy, the joy of creation owing out of Carl and into the crowd as the song approached its dramatic climax, the music building as Carl felt the nal few notes ow from his mind and into his heart-

A memory. Standing on the precipice of a cli , overlooking the ocean as the sun settled into it, reminded Carl of the ery red hair of his son barely visible from beneath the blankets. It was a moment, unbidden, a memory, purely his own and all the more special for it.

Carl held the note, the last one

before his crescendo, in the air. In his heart, he held the last few notes of the lullaby, singing it again to his son in his mind’s eye. e fatigue wrapped itself around him like a warm blanket while the echoing silence lled the auditorium.

Carl never heard the applause or the gasps and shouts that followed. All he hears is the soft lullaby as something unseen wraps him in a blanket and gently shu es him o stage.

TUSHARIKA TYAGI / INFINITUM EDITOR A memory. Standing on the precipice of a cliff, overlooking the ocean as the sun set-

CONNOR PILGER

Femme Supreme and the Vangels

Issue #1: The Raid

THANDO BHEBHE LEAD INFINITUM WRITER

Sehrin, 1973, Africa Minor. I

High up in the black sky with twinkling stars, the wind whirled, spun and swirled, warning.

We heard the call, the cry of wolves.

ey were here.

ey went by many names, legendary names.

Some called them Amazons, like the old warriors of Greek legend.

Others called them Valkyries, like the old warriors of Norse myth.

I even heard them being called Sirens, like the old temptresses from fables of the sea.

Really though, they were all of these, together, united, one. Angels, brought together by she called Venus.

Mother of them all.

ey were Vangels!

II

e helicopter’s blades spun through the cold air, the whooshing swirls echoing as soldiers readied for what was to come.

ese were Vangel Amazons

ey dawned dark purple fatigues, vests, helms and armaments, sti ing them to the teeth.

Prayers were made, whispers to goddesses uttered, but there was no need, for one sat amidst them.

Her name was Venus, daughter of Mother Venus

She was known as Warriess, princess of war, and commander of all Vangels to her warriors.

On this day, Venus and her Amazons rode the air in Vangel Valkyrie helicopters, ready to play saviour as salvation was nigh.

“Sisters!’’ shouted Venus.

“ e mission is simple. Innocents have been captured; we are here to save them.”

Venus looked into each Amazon’s eye, their stares level, meeting her glittering green eyes with no fear, utterly lled with faith, faith in her.

e helicopters dipped, the desert horizon swirling, dancing at the whirling blades.

Boots touched the ground, Venus landing rst, Amazons leaping from the chopper behind her.

She stood tall, her large claymore blade sheathed behind her, stainless silver seaming with crimson curls. Amazons joined her line, their guns hanging heavy, a silhouette of black shadows revealing under the night sky.

ey stood atop a desert hill, a tiny village below them, shimmering like an oasis in the desert darkness.

To the unknowing eye, it looked

like a paradise. Palm trees stood tall, while sandcastles and steads connected in tiny streets, all revolving around a single center. At the heart of this village sat a stone fortress, and to this fortress’s north sat Venus, staring.

e Atlantic Ocean swooned to the fortress’ south, meeting the desert upon the village’s beaches. Venus’ stare fell upon these beaches as well, waiting.

“Byrd Intel says they’re being held down there,” said a soldier.

e Byrds were Vangel’s intelligence wing, run by Aphrodite, the mistress of spies, daughter of Mother Venus. While Venus held herself as Warriess, princess of war, Aphrodite was Fataletrix, ward of whispers.

Venus disregarded all that, however, calling her sister “Phrodie.” To be continued... Read the rest of the story online at thesputnik.ca.

THANDO BHEBHE / LEAD INFINITUM WRITER