sputnik
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Wednesday, November 21, 2012 - Issue 8 // www.thesputnik.ca
News
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On Campus
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Features
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A&E
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Sports
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Opinion
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Partnership with Laurier likely page 3
The meaning in the mo’s page 7
LB opens new science labs page 5
National Addiction Week page 3 and 6
Shaking Hands with the Border page 12
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The Sputnik // Wednesday, November 21, 2012
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The Sputnik // Wednesday, November 21 , 2012
NEWS
Jordan Johnston // news@thesputnik.ca
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Graeme Gordon eic@thesputnik.ca ADVERTISING & DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR
Angela Taylor angela.taylor@wlusp.com (519) 884-0710 ext. 3560 PHOTO AND PRODUCTION EDITOR Olivia Rutt photography@thesputnik.ca ART EDITOR Diane Sison art.editor@thesputnik.ca WEB EDITOR Caitlin Henshaw web@thesputnik.ca COPY EDITORS Ahmed Minhas Alicia Saunders Jessica Lalonde SECTION EDITORS Jordan Johnston, Local News Melissa McGuffin, On Campus Layla Bozich, Features Courtney Langstaff, A&E Kyle Morison, Sports Leisha Senko, Opinion
CONTRIBUTORS Olivia Rutt Diane Sison Courtney Langstaff Kyle Morrison Jordan Johnston Cody Hoffman Dillon Giancola Amber Richardson Melissa McGuffin Stephanie Di Bartolo Craig Hagerman Madison Hawkins Kim Jackson Kaya Firth Cody Groat Sebastien Bell Karly Rath Graeme Gordon Anthony Fusco Chelsey Kerr
WLUSP BRANTFORD MANAGER OF OPERATIONS Allison Leonard allison.leonard@wlusp.com PHONE (519) 756-8228 ext.5948 202-171 Colborne St. N3T 2C9
WLUSP OFFICE 205 Regina Street Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3C5 PRESIDENT Emily Frost (519) 884-0710 ext.3565 emily.frost@wlusp.com ADVERTISING Angela Taylor (519)884-0710 ext. 3560 angela@wlusp.com The Sputnik is an editorially independent newspaper published by Wilfrid Laurier University Student Publications, Waterloo. Contact Emily Frost - WLUSP, 205 Regina Street The Sputnik is a proud member of the Canadian University Press (CUP) Opinions expressed in The Sputnik are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the Editorial staff, The Sputnik, WLUSP, WLU or CanWeb Printing Inc. FRONT PAGE PHOTO CREDITS: Main: Layla Bozich Left: Olivia Rutt Centre: Olivia Rutt Right: (Art) Diane Sison
Brantford’s National Addictions Awareness Week activities kick off with inspiring service Dillon Giancola Staff
National Addictions Awareness Week took place in Brantford last weekend with an inspiring and heart-warming service and pancake breakfast. The event was held at the pavilion in Mohawk Park on Saturday, Nov. 10th. Brantford Mayor Chris Friel started things off with opening remarks stating the importance of making the community aware, and echoing the theme of the whole event – that we can make a difference. We can all do our part to make our community a better place and promote healthy lifestyles. A pancake breakfast took place next, and while people enjoyed their food they were treated to some entertainment. The Little Bear Traditional Dancers performed for about 20 minutes, followed by the Y.I.M. Cheerleaders. At the same time, there was lots of information to be gathered, as various agencies from the community were there with tables describing their services. Among them were St. Leonard’s Community Services, Brantford Native Housing and the Brant County Health Unit. The morning ended with a presentation from Amy Beercraft of Why Not Youth Centres. Why Not has a youth drop-in centre located in downtown Brantford for teenagers, as well as four more in Brant County. Why Not provides kids a safe and fun opportunity to get off the streets. The presentation described the street mentality of these kids who are caught up in drugs, violence, and prostitution and battle every day just to make it to the next. Beercraft said that the biggest thing to take away from this week is understanding the addiction process and how community relationships can help them. If we want to help change the culture of our community and help those in need, we have to start with the kids and those that are growing up in these kinds of situations. The kick-off was part of a whole week’s worth of events. These included a drug education workshop put on by the Brantford Police on Monday, a variety show on Thursday night, and a ‘Healthy Walk’ on Friday. Brantford started participating in National Addictions Awareness Week three years ago when Cynthia Barton realized the need for these kinds of events in Brantford. Barton, a recovered alcoholic herself, works at Brantford Native Housing and saw the need for increasing awareness first hand. She formed a committee with other organizations form the city and they began applying for grants, receiving some from Alberta and recently one from Brantford that went towards the week’s
Popping pills to feel the thrills (Photo by Olivia Rutt)
activities. “The committee provides us strong leadership to be the voice of this issue and bring it forward,” said Barton. They are presently in the works of buying a street banner to help advertise the activities for next year and expand the event.
Santa Claus is coming to town! Jordan Johnston News Editor
Brantford, Ont. – Toys Alive is the theme for the 38th Santa Claus parade taking place Saturday, November 24 at 6 P.M. The most extravagant floats of the parade will be awarded prizes. The parade will run down Dalhousie Street ending at Harmony Square. After the event, everyone is invited to meet Santa Claus Harmony Square. A long term resident of Brantford, Adam McMillan said, “As a child I can remember my parents taking me to the parade every year, it is now fun to go with my kids and see how much fun they have collecting the candy and seeing Santa.” LB has entered a float the past few years. There are rumours that this year’s float will be the best yet.
JCI, formerly the Brantford Jaycees, run the parade each year. They are a national organization and have been in Brantford for over 60 years. The goal of the organization is to allow individuals to learn and grow through community o r i e n t a t e d projects.
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The Sputnik // Wednesday, November 21, 2012
ON CAMPUS Melissa McGuffin // oncampus@thesputnik.ca
Boonaa Mohammed comes to Laurier Brantford Melissa McGuffin On Campus Editor
On Thursday, November 7, spoken word poet Boonaa Mohammed wrapped up Laurier Brantford’s Get R.E.A.L. week with performances of his work, along with discussions afterwards. Mohammed opened up the presentation with a dramatic performance of his poem “Green Card,” which brings up the topic of his parents’ immigration and his personal experience growing up in Canada. After reciting his poem, he let the audience know that he had just arrived from being in an Islamic city, apologizing for his throat being so dry from the desert. Mohammed has been dubbed “the voice of this generation,” but if you asked him he would reply, “I’m really a no-body, I won some competitions back home so because of that, I’ve got a platform.” Of Ethiopian descent, Mohammed opened up about his personal life and how his background affected his life growing up in Toronto. He shared how Toronto was so diverse that at times it was confusing. “I had Italian friends, [a] Portuguese nanny, and went to a Jewish school,” said Mohammed. He then introduced the discussion asking the audience if they had a “hyphenated moment.” A hyphenated moment — as Mohammed explains — is when someone asks you where you are from, and when you respond you are Canadian, they reply, “But where are you actually from?” In response to his question, an audience member that had immigrated to Canada around the age of ten shared her experience with her ethnicity. “I consider myself one hundred per cent Canadian, since it says that legally, but I am constantly asked what I actually am, it’s not enough to just say Canadian,” she had said.
Boona and Students participate in LB’s get R.E.A.L. (Photo by Carla Egesi)
The audience member went on to say that she could not wait for the day she could leave Canada, because she did not feel welcomed and that she could not fit in. “I thought it was good but some things made me uncomfortable in his conversations because I am white and I’ve never had any of those life experiences immigrants have,” said attendee Adam Coulter when it came to discussion time. The topic proved to be one of great importance, especially since Canada is known and prided in the fact that we are so multi-cultural and diverse. Even if you could not personally relate to the topic, such as Coulter, he was able to see how people who can relate to being a “hyphenated
Canadian” felt alienated. Mohammed performed four more of his pieces, which had a great response from the audience. One of the poems discussed the topic of how the public treats him being Muslim, especially after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. “I’m proud to be Muslim, we are supposed to be the best example of a person, that’s what our religion tells us,” said Mohammed; and his passion showed. His last poem featured the topic of love, and wrote it based on his feelings for his wife of two years. Just before the end of the presentation, Mohammed called upon the audience to come up to the stage and present their own work. Carla Egesi, MyRespect coordinator
and student at Laurier Brantford volunteered. “Although you can’t control what happens to you in life, you can control how you deal with it,” said Egesi of where her inspiration from her poems came from. The night featured many passionate stories about race, immigration, love, and many other personal experiences from not only Mohammed himself, but also from the audience. Mohammed set a very open atmosphere where people could share their own experiences and opinions. Although it may not have been relatable to everyone, discussing the topics does not hinder anyone personally; it can only help prevent future ignorance from others.
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The Sputnik // Wednesday, November 21, 2012
ON CAMPUS
Melissa McGuffin // oncampus@thesputnik.ca
The job reality for Laurier Graeme Gordon Editor-in-Chief
The ‘Careers in Criminology Fair’ took place last Thursday, November 15, in the RCW lobby with a high turnout of upperyear Criminology students. Information booths were set-up by employers ranging from policing, fraud investigation, probation, and grad programs. For many students, it was the beginning of the daunting task of seeking employment after graduation. Attending the Careers in Criminology Fair was Lori McMaster, a career consultant at Laurier Brantford’s Career Centre, who welcomed students to the job fair. McMaster and her department help assist Laurier Brantford students and alumni (services are offered lifelong, free of charge) in finding careers after graduation. “Sometimes [students] don’t come and see us, while they are here at all. Then they graduate or are graduating in a month and are thinking ‘now what?’ We see them in the spring and summer and they start doing career exploration, networking, informational interviewing (interviews of people in professions of interest), making resumes, and then embarking on a career,” says McMaster. A recent hot topic story in national publications has been the portrayal of a bleak outlook for university graduates and their post-graduate prospects. In a recent issue of The Walrus, the front cover story was “Today’s University Graduate: Unemployed, unhappy and drowning
in debt.” This provocative article, coauthored by Ken Coates and Bill Morrison, points out that Canadian universities are producing 254,000 graduates each year, and for those who are choosing to enter the workforce, instead of further education, are finding it increasingly difficult to find “paid employment … increasingly, accepting unskilled, low-paying jobs to stay afloat.” The Career Centre’s research on the success rate of alumni employment through a Graduate Survey Report helps shed light the prospects of LB graduates. Although not as extensive as the Waterloo campus’ surveys, as Brantford only has 2,445 alumni, there are still surveys from the past several years of graduates. The data collected from 285 LB graduates in 2011 gives an idea of the employment rate of graduates. 56.1 per cent of alumni surveyed had found employment, 34 per cent went on to further education, 1.8 per cent were answered other, and 8.1 per cent were unemployed; a tenth of a per cent higher than the Ontario unemployment rate for last month, according to Stats Can. McMaster and other career consultants at the Laurier Career Centre in Brantford and Waterloo assist graduates who find themselves unemployed. “When making follow-up calls [for the survey] and we come across someone who is unemployed, we tell them about Laurier’s lifelong career services. Some students and alumni … are using community-based career services … or they are paying to make a resume or to hire a career consultant,” said McMaster.
Lori McMaster (Photo courtesy Chelsey Kerr)
The average salary, which was only calculated from 30 of the respondents, was $34,283. This is a significant drop from the average salaries of 2009 and 2010 which had averages of $39,800 and $36,582. This shows an apparent drop in the average salary of graduates. However, this is not an accurate average salary of LB graduates who are getting employed after graduation because only a few respondents are disclosing their salary. McMaster explained, “Not everyone wants to give out their salary information, that data is voluntary.” The low amount of respondents disclosing their salary may suggest that the
average salary right after graduating from LB may be much lower, as it is more likely someone paid a lower salary would be less forthcoming of disclosing their income. “…what I think is happening in a lot of cases is grads are not connecting with us … for Arts degrees [career options] are really wide-open. So [some students] coming out with a degree and don’t have it all figured out, that’s fine,” said McMaster. “[However,] I believe if students do some exploratory work and thinking about a job after school, they can then make that school-to-work transition much smoother.”
Grand-opening of Laurier Brantford science labs Melissa McGuffin On Campus Editor
If you were ever around the Laurier Brantford campus in the summer time, specifically the Research and Academic Centre, you may have heard loud racket coming from the construction of the science labs. Thanks to a $2 million bequest from the estate of a local chemist William Nikolaus Martin, of which Laurier Brantford received half, those labs are now complete and have been in use since the start of the Fall semester. Now students at LB can earn a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Health Studies. So far, biology and chemistry classes are already being offered, and next year anatomy and physiology classes will be added to the course offerings. “We really do see that this will attract
more students,” said Ann Brandt, Associate Director of Development and Alumni Relations. Brandt also said that so far the lab has been well-received by students as well as faculty members, and that they are trying to promote science teachers around the Brant County area to come out and see the lab to promote the new programs to graduating students interested in the newly added program. The Grand Opening of the lab was held on the November 20, where guests included Vice President of the Brantford campus Dr. Lesley Cooper and Vice President Rob Donelson, acting vice president: Development and Alumni Relations of Laurier in Waterloo. Tours of the lab could be taken after the opening.
“We have a lot to celebrate at Laurier Brantford. The efforts of many have culminated into what we can all be proud of — an incredible place of higher learning that has outstanding space that contributes meaningfully to ongoing research both for students and faculty. We are very lucky to be part of the university at such an exciting time,” said Becca Carroll, Dean of Students, of the newly added science program and lab added to the course offerings. Carroll looks forward to the future of Laurier Brantford, “The program growth will continue our upward trend of bringing more students to the campus.” said Carroll.
FOR SCIENCE! (Photo by Olivia Rutt)
Prof Profile: Rick Gamble Graeme Gordon Editor-in-Chief There is a certain charismatic charm that Rick Gamble exudes as a professor. In Media in a Global World, I remember Professor Gamble — in his signature blazer — pacing the lecture hall as he kept the full-attention of the entire classroom. Unconventional, Gamble does not rely on textbooks and PowerPoint presentations to teach his students. Instead, Gamble opts for a more engaging style of lecturing that involves him opening his lectures up for discussion, giving examples from video footage, and expecting students to take thorough notes in class (those are the only reference students have for studying). Needless to say, Gamble’s classes are well attended. “If you’re looking for something really academic then I’m not your guy … I try to stress that I’m not an academic but that I’m a reporter.” Born and raised in Brantford, Gamble graduated from Carleton University in 1977 with a BA in English
and Journalism. After graduating, he pursued a career in journalism in his hometown of Brantford, working for the local paper, the Brantford Expositor, as well as freelance work that led him to a job with United Press Canada (a newswire service of the time). From there, Gamble “fell into television,” landing a job with CTV. “I had absolutely no intention in becoming a TV reporter, but the opportunity was there … and I ended up working there for 23 years,” said Gamble. One of the defining parts of Gamble’s career has been his work done in Africa. Right after the Rwandan genocide in 1994, Gamble was assigned a job in the region. “What happened quickly was that Africa really got under my skin … there’s something about the place that is so compelling and powerful that it keeps you coming back.” Gamble has since been back to Africa several times to cover other stories throughout the continent, covering the Ugandan civil war in
2000 “long before anyone had heard of Kony 2012.” Gamble has recently joined the fellowship of the Tshepo Institute for the Study of Contemporary Africa, a Laurier Brantford group of scholars with interests and special expertise in Africa who have pooled their talents. “The plan is to go to West Africa and to document what is happening with child labour. Part of my responsibility will most likely be to shoot documentary material to be used as a teaching tool,” said an excited Gamble. “We’re just beginning the research now … but we want to find out what the reality is and whether the situation has been exaggerated in the West. We want to get a good handle on what is happening on the ground and what might be done to address the problems as they exist.” Gamble and the institute will be looking into the cocoa industry, fishing and domestic servitude in Ghana, Ivory Coast and Senegal.
Rick Gamble (Photo by Olivia Rutt)
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The Sputnik // Wednesday, November 21, 2012
FEATURES
Layla Bozich// features@thesputnik.ca
Excessive drinking: the exception to the stigma Karly Rath Staff
Wake up in the morning, feeling like P. Diddy (Photo by Olivia Rutt)
A university campus is a bubble floating through society. In this tiny transparent space, we have our own food, dress code, language and social customs. Those who have ever seen the inside of this bubble would agree that excessive drinking is prevalent. Those outside of our bubble frown upon the very same acts that are accepted here—getting “bombed” or “hammered” regularly. According to a recent study by the London School of Economics, there is a strong correlation between education and alcohol consumption. Their extensive research determined that “the bettereducated appear to be the ones who engage the most in problematic patterns of alcohol consumption.” Though Laurier student Alissa Palmeri, 19, drinks about once a week, she believes many students on campus have drinking problems. “If people are continuing to drink every
day after their first year then they most definitely have a problem,” she said. Palmeri added that drinking alcohol is so widely accepted on campus that it is more common to find someone who gets drunk a few times a week than someone who does not. Laurier student Leah Durrer, 19, chooses not to drink at all. “I don’t see any positives to drinking alcohol other than it being a social activity but I have social activities that do not cause problems—like sports,” she said. The study by the LSE concluded that one of the main reasons drinking is more acceptable in university is due to “a greater social acceptability of alcohol use and abuse.” “Heavy drinking can be a precursor to more serious diagnoses down the road,” said Laurier Brantford’s Dr. Jennifer Lavoie, Post-Doctoral Fellow from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
Dr. Lavoie said that stigma is an enormous obstacle for people in society who evolve from being users to dependent. The stigma around alcoholism is often so extensive that condemnation spreads from the addict to the family as well. “Society condemns family members who ‘enable’ or assist the individual in continuing with their addiction,” she said. However, this stigma does not exist in universities. Palmeri said there is no shame in excessive drinking in university — in fact students promote it. She mentioned how it is very common for students to display their liquor bottles and beer bottles like trophies. Francesca Borgonovi and Maria Huerta, the authors of the LSE study, suggested another reason as to why higher educated people drink more: Opportunity. The more opportunities people have, the more exposure they have to situations involving
alcohol. So those who can afford university tuition probably come from middle-class homes where alcohol consumption is common. Dr. Lavoie said the more prevalent drinking is, the more it is tolerated. “University culture plays a large role in promoting social gatherings that are lubricated with alcohol,” she said. People outside the university bubble must hide their excessive drinking if they do not want to be stigmatized. Dr. Lavoie said that even though university students binge drink (have more than 5 drinks in one sitting), they are not seen as dysfunctional. People who drink excessively in university are not shamed like they would be if they were in another setting. But Durrer believes that when it comes down to it, university students and the rest of society should be seen equally: “A drinking problem is a drinking problem—regardless of who you are.”
along with Dr. Beal are opposed to the loathsome “F”. For Moczerad and Morgan, personal academic failure happens high above the 50 per cent mark. In fact, it’s closer to a C. The result is a gap between grades earned and knowledge learned. The problem of reconciling the two becomes a challenge for both instructors and students, with no simple solution. A first evaluation,
then, becomes an invaluable tool for finding the terms and conditions of the contract into which students and instructors will be locked. The contract thus signed, instructors, knowing where the students “are at,” can truly begin the business of teaching and students, knowing what is expected of them, can truly begin the process of learning.
A fantastic fear of failure Sebastien Bell Staff
It is a scene with which most of us are familiar. An evaluation has not gone well and now the class has to figure out what to do about it. The solution, increasingly, has become to re-weight or re-evaluate. That was the case on October 30, 2012, when a class of students received their midterm grades. EN 233 or, as it is better known, Shakespeare: Comedy and Romance, is a class unlike most. Dr. Shelley Beal, who has a Ph.D. in Book History and Print Culture, wants to make students learn differently. “Memorization and regurgitation,” as Dr. Beal put it, are not effective models of education, especially in humanities courses. She says she is “all about equality among different skill levels.” When it comes to midterms, said Dr. Beal, they are “to see where everybody’s at.” A first evaluation in any class is really a learning experience for both the students and the instructor. It determines what the professor is expecting and establishes the skill level of the students. That is where EN 233 faced some difficulties. Upon receiving the grades, the class found out that there were two distinct groups: those who did very well and those who did poorly. This is not an uncommon occurrence, though. According to Dr. Beal, most students are likely to find themselves doing very well or very poorly on the first
evaluation. Students Andrew Moczerad and Sarah Morgan are both in EN233 and on opposite sides of the spectrum. Whereas Moczerad said that he was unhappy with his grade, Morgan believes she got the marks she deserved. Their feelings about the outcomes of a discussion which was held in class are surprisingly similar, though. In an attempt to help the class, Dr. Beal opened the floor to the students, asking how they felt about the test and the grades. The end result was that the midterm would be given less weight and a future evaluation would be weighted more heavily. Both Moczerad and Morgan were pleased with the result. “I’m glad that she changed the weights,” said Moczerad. “It shows she’s trying to help.” Morgan, though she would not have opened the floor, said she understands why it happened. Morgan is a Concurrent Education student looking to become a teacher. To her, the idea of a democratic classroom is an uncomfortable one. To Morgan, “there’s a little bit of a loss of control” when instructors open up the floor. Andrew, however, is a fan of the idea. To him, the democratic classroom is fair and allows all the students to be part of the class. The ability to re-weight and re-evaluate raises questions about the use of grades, though. As far as failure goes, both students
Dual detention (Art by Diane Sison)
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The Sputnik // Wednesday, November 21, 2012
FEATURES
Layla Bozich // features@thesputnik.ca
The motivation
behind the mo' Layla Bozich Features Editor
Q: What does Movember mean to you? A: Changing the face of men’s health. Raising money for prostate cancer research.
campus 'staches A photo essay by Olivia Rutt
Q: Who is your biggest motivation and why? A: My dad, diagnosed last November 14th with prostate cancer. He finished radiation and is still going through treatment, so I decided to grow out my mo this year even more, and raise even more money this year. Q: What is your goal this month? A: My goal is raise about $1000. Last year we raised $600. We’re a little over $900 right now. And to grow a beautiful ’stache. Q: What is the name you’ve given your ‘stache this year? A: It’s the monkey tail. I asked people what they wanted to see, and I got the most votes for the monkey tail. Q: How many years have you been doing Movember for? A: This is my second year of actually raising funds. My first year I just grew the ‘stache to show the support. Q: What advice do you have for other people participating in Movember? A: Grow your moustache out even if it’s a dirt stasche or peach fuzz. Ladies can be mo sistas by supporting their mo bros by helping fundraise, spread the word, make a page on Movember, raise money, and help people understand what prostate cancer is. Q: What is the biggest highlight of Movember? A: The Movember gala party at the end is always a good time. We all just party and celebrate Movember, and they give out different awards for moustaches and costumes. I might go as a guy on safari this year, so I might dye my moustache black and white, like a lemur. Last year there was the Riddler with a question mark as his moustache. Q: Who do you idolize in moustachery? A: How about Zach Galifianakis from the Hangover. He has a really luscious beard. Or Rob Swanson from Parks and Recreation. Q: Do you find you have reached your peak intelligence by the end of Movember? A: Of course I do. Being able to twirl something that’s on my top lip activates my brain cells, helping me to focus better and come up with better, more intelligent answers. Jensen’s Mo (Photo by Olivia Rutt)
The moustache makes the man: Profiling successful men with luscious facial hair Layla Bozich Features Editor
Walter Cronkite Length of moustached life: 92 years What he did with his moustache: Broadcast journalism Notable accomplishments: Often cited as “the most trusted man in America.” Covered bombings in World War II, the Nuremburg trials, the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal, the Iron Hostage Crisis, and the murders of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and John Lennon. Also covered many stories from the U.S. space program, including Project Mercury, the Moon landings, and the Space Shuttle. He was the only non-NASA recipient of a Moon-rock award.
Salvador Dalí Length of moustached life: 84 years What he did with his moustache: Surrealist paintings Notable accomplishments: Completed one of his most well-known works, The Persistence of Memory, in 1931. He was also
versed in film, sculpting, and photography. He published a book dedicated to his moustache called Dali’s Moustache, which features photo of his moustache in different poses.
famous equation”, E = mc2.
Genghis Khan
Length of moustached life: 80 years What he did with his moustache: City policeman in Kansas Notable Accomplishments: Known as the Old West’s “toughest and deadliest gunman of his day.” Best known for his part in the 30-second gunfight at the O.K. Corral in which three outlaw cowboys were killed.
Length of moustached life: 65 years What he did with his moustache: Emperor Notable accomplishments: Founded and ruled the Mongol Empire, which became the largest adjoining empire in history after his demise. He adopted the Uyghur script as the Mongol Empire’s writing system. Promoted tolerance of religion in the empire, and created a combined empire from the nomadic tribes of northeast Asia. He is regarded as the founding father of Mongolia by present-day Mongolians.
Albert Einstein
Friedrich Nietzsche
Length of moustached life: 76 years What he did with his moustache: Theoretical physicist Notable accomplishments: Developed the general theory of relativity. Regarded as the father of modern physics and as the most influential physicist of the 20th century. Invented the mass-energy equivalence formula, often called the “world’s most
Length of moustached life: 55 years What he did with his moustache: Philosopher, poet, composer, cultural critic, and classical philologist Notable accomplishments: His key ideas include the “death of God”, the Übermensch, the Apollonian and Dionysian dichotomy, perspectivism, the eternal recurrence, and the will to power.
Wyatt Earp
Mark Twain Length of moustached life: 74 years What he did with his moustache: Author Notable accomplishments: Wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), which has been called “the Great American Novel.”
Frank Zappa Length of moustached life: 52 years What he did with his moustache: Composed and played music, and directed movies Notable accomplishments: Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. Ranked No. 22 in Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Produced almost all of the 60 albums released with his band The Mothers of Invention and as a solo artist.
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The Sputnik // Wednesday, November 21, 2012
A&E
Courtney Langstaff // arts@thesputnik.ca
Sanderson welcomes fan favourite Madison Hawkins Staff It was a night of 70’s rock and roll at the Sanderson Centre, attracting people from all eras to come out and enjoy good music. Jean jackets and leather vests swarmed the theater as families, friends, and father-son duos spent their Friday night rocking out to Pink Floyd’s ‘Wish you were Here’ presented by a returning favourite ‘Classic Albums Live.’ Dave Dawkins and his future son-in-law Adam bonded over Pink Floyd. They traveled from just outside of Toronto to see their favourite album brought back to life on stage on Friday, Nov 9. “It’s my favourite album. One of my two favourite albums, the other one would be Led Zeppelin’s ‘Physical Graffiti,’ but this is one of the best albums ever produced,” states Dawkins. “I’ve been waiting for this album to come along and here we are. It’s the same guys that I have seen before and they are fantastic, absolutely fantastic,” continued Dawkins. Fellow music lover Gary Staley and his brother made the trip to Brantford to enjoy some classic rock and roll music. “ My brother told me about the show, he has been to some past concerts here and said they were pretty good. We use to listen to Pink Floyd a lot. I’m most looking forward to hearing ‘Welcome to the Machine,’” says Staley. The Sanderson Centre was packed full of an old school, easy going, laid-back music-loving crowd. Excitement was felt throughout the air as the audience patiently waited to hear music from the band you didn’t quite get until you smoked pot, as one concertgoer could be overheard saying. As eight band members stepped on stage dressed all in black, audience members yelled with excitement “ Let’s Rock and Roll!” and “ Get ‘er done!” Starting off slow and quiet, in a foggy mist that filled the stage, the talented classic albums band members made the songs of Pink Floyd come alive through crisp vocals and the sounds of the keyboard, drums, guitar, bass guitar and saxophone. Each band member played an important role in ensuring that Pink Floyd fans did not leave disappointed. The band covered favourites such as: Shine on you crazy Diamond,’ ‘Welcome to the Machine,’ ‘Have a Cigar,’ ‘Wish you were Here,’ ‘Comfortably Numb,’ ‘Run like hell’ and ‘Is there anybody out there?’ Audience members were rocking on by head banging and cheering throughout the band’s performance. The crowd went wild, with a standing ovation when the two-hour concert came to an end. With such an overwhelming appreciation for classic music the band
came back out on stage to play one last song as an encore. Lead singer Bobby joked that he was “now going to play one of his originals” for the encore, which lead to Pink Floyd fans yelling out what songs they wanted to hear for the last song of the night. It was a night of sharing memories between music lovers who couldn’t help but reminisce about how and why Pink Floyd was such an influential band. The music sent you back to the 70s — a time of peace, love and rock and roll.
The Years pave their way to success Stephanie Di Bartolo Staff St. Catharines, Ontario natives, The Years, are yet another talented group of musicians that have stemmed from the Niagara region and in less than two years the guys have already made quite the name for themselves. Having been the supporting act for bands like Bedouin Soundclash, USS, The Reason, and Dirty Heads, The Years show nothing but promise for the future. The band consists of Kevin Hodgkins on vocals and guitar, Jeremy Randell on drums, Brad Neufeld on Bass and Adam Trasatti on lead guitar. All originating from the Niagara region, the boys came together from separate projects and created The Years. Red Wine and Clarity, the band’s EP (extended play) dropped in March of 2012, and the boys admit that the feedback for the EP has exceeded their expectations. “We were pleased with what we had created, but we weren’t too sure how it was going to be perceived but, it’s really taken off and we’re really happy with it,” said Randell. The boys confess that the writing and recording process for Red Wine and Clarity, though passionate, was a marriage of frustrations. “We actually kind of wrote the songs three times in a row because we were recording it ourselves and we kind of just wanted to get it perfect,” stated Hodgkins. “Every time we broke all the songs down. We’d listen to it after a mix and we would be like ‘this is crap’ so we rerecorded everything again and then the third time we got it,” continued Randall. The turning point of the EP for the band was their song Casualties, as the boys feel that this track was responsible for influencing the sound for the rest of the EP. Besides success on the music scene, the boys have also had huge success on Twitter. Acquiring thousands of fans in the span of only a few short months, the band’s following currently exceeds over 13,800 Twitter users from all over the world. The success of the band should only continue to increase, both online and offline, especially after the boys release some of their future projects. “We’re starting to write songs for our debut album which we have kind of a concept for and we’re really excited for, but it’s probably going to take a little bit of time due to the fact that we want to put it out right and we want to make sure it comes out the best way it can,” said Hodgkins. “There will be some more videos coming out and a bunch of other stuff coming out that will keep everybody, hopefully, tied over,” added Randall. The Years plan to get out on the road soon and hopefully make stops in other countries like the U.S. For now, their EP Red Wine and Clarity can be downloaded for free on their website, www. theyearsband.com.
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!"#$%&'(%)$*$)#$+ %&'()%!'(*$%,')%-$./%&$")0 /12%3245%!67424%"89:;4%<6%$:=8; Four month short-term lease now available on just renovated home. Call for Details! We can help by offering the highest quality rooms in two of our boutique student properties, both centrally located. These homes underwent total restoration in the past 12 months and the results speak for themselves. To learn more about availability and arrange viewings, call Marian or Harold Howe at The Student Edge at (519) 717-1756. Dealing with all the demands of getting a university education is a challenge in itself so the last thing you need is sub-standard accommodation. That is where The Student Edge comes in. We have four off - campus boutique homes created for the sole
purpose of providing safe and comfortable student housing. All of our homes feature 12 month leases inclusive of all utilities, wireless high-speed internet, central heating and air conditioning, laundry facilities (non-coin operated) and cable TV - furnished media room equipped with big screen television. These four properties have separate pages on this website describing with video and photographs the quality that each offers. Of course you will wish to inspect the home that interests you or your group and because we live locally can arrange an appointment on short notice.
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The Sputnik // Wednesday, November 21, 2012
A&E
Courtney Langstaff // arts@thesputnik.ca
Fun Christmas D.I.Y.s with Pinterest Amber Richardson Staff
The Homebodies: If you know a few people who take pride in their home, and love that homey feeling the holidays bring, try something like etched glass, or beer bottle candle covers for your really quirky friends. Etched Glass What you need: Painting tape (the green kind), etching paste, a glass jar and X-Acto knife. What to do: Create your stencil on the painting tape—you can do this by tracing a printed word over the tape for the outline. Use the X-Acto knife to cut out what you want etched on the glass. Put the tape on the glass, apply etching paste, leave for a minute or two and make sure to remove the tape before it starts to dissolve. Voila!
The Neat Freaks: Know someone who loves being organized? Make them a cool jewelry holder or a cute framed dry erase board. Jewelry Holder What you need: Wood, paint and cupboard knobs. What to do: Paint the wood however you want, then attach the cupboard knobs. Perfect for necklaces.
The Busy Bees: Everyone has a friend who just needs to chill. For this person, encourage them to relax with some homemade spa products like scrubs and face masks. Face Mask What you need: 1/4 uncooked oatmeal, 2 Tbsp aloe vera juice, 2 Tbsp lemon, 1 Tbsp honey and 1 Tbsp sea salt. What to do: Mix all ingredients and blend them in a blender or Magic Bullet, put in a jar and wrap a ribbon around it.
The Snackers: If you know someone who loves cookies, but can never seem to get the recipe right, the uncooked cookie jar is for you. The Cookie Jar What you need: All the dry ingredients for your favourite cookie mix, Mason jar. What to do: Layer all of the ingredients in the Mason jar and tie a ribbon and label around it. All your gift receiver will have to do is add the wet ingredients and bake.
An innovation in the immediacy of pleasure: The Sex Toy Delivery Service The Adorable Couples: Everyone knows at least one couple that is so adorable they should already be in matching tracksuits (and maybe they are). Matching dishes are a great way to recognize that they are a cute little unit, and it’s great for anyone from friends to grandparents. You can also make individual ones for your friends. Matching Dishes What you need: Plain white dishes (cups/plates/bowls) and sharpie What to do: Write or draw cute matching messages and pictures (or names) on each dish with sharpie, then bake at 350° for 30 minutes.
All of these gifts, family time is the best.
Trendy Insider: Colder weather brings the classy casual Courtney Langstaff Staff When the snow comes along and the temperature drops, the only types of clothes in mind are leg warmers, hoodies, sweats, hats and gloves. But 2012 instead brings a little class and elegance to the winter wardrobe. The trendy magazine, Glamour, describes a bunch upcoming styles that compliment any figure for any budget. Infinity & big scarves: Scarves can be trendy, cute and fun on anyone, both guys and girls. Infinity Scarves are the most ideal because they are easy and look perfect when on. Big and long scarves can go with literally any outfit whether wearing your cozy track pants and hoodies, or dressing down a classy blouse and high-waisted skirt. But what makes this trend even more ideal is that they are sold at pretty much any store, from Walmart to Aritzia, the odds of getting a scarf fit to your liking are high. Cigarette-Leg jeans & High-Waisted skirts: I know what you are thinking, what does a Cigarette-Legged jeans look like? Pretty much it’s the pant between a Jegging and straight cut jean. This just screams comfy and classy; the reason we usually go for jegging is because they are comfortable and not as starchy and stiff as a regular Levi Jean. There is nothing more sophisticated and chic than a dark Cigarette-cut pair of
jeans on dress-down day at the office. Not only are jeans an item that can compliment any figure, but so does a nice high-waisted skirt. High waisted skirts are flattering and slimming on anyone. Any woman of any size can wear a high-waisted skirt and have the ability to feel comfortable, confident and supported. They are comfy and look stylish; they can mix-and-match with virtually any kind of shirt or tank top, but don’t forget to add the infinity scarf to complete your outfit. Don’t Forget your polka dots & faux-furred coats: Polka dots are in this winter, extenuate your best features with them on your shirts, cardigans, and even those high wasted skirts. They are cute, fun, and chic this year, so don’t forget to bring them to your Christmas party, they’re a great party favour. But when the weather gets colder, you are going to need a little furry, animalfree, warmth to keep you classy and cozy this year. Faux fur is an elegant way of upgrading your old winter coat. With these types of coats you can be warm while still maintaining a highclassed fashion status. But you don’t have to shop at high-end
boutiques to get this look, as one benefit of faux fur is that it is not pricy. And for all you animal lovers out there, you can look stylish and be warm with peace-of-mind. Those are just a couple of the biggest trends to look out for this chilly weather and the upcoming winter season. Some other cute ideas are: denim shirts, tuxedo suits for women, long necklaces and strategic colour blocking fabrics.
Rock the Blazer (Photo by Elizabeth Medeiros)
Amber Richardson Staff Have you ever been too embarrassed to walk into your local sex store and shop for exactly what you wanted? Well, problem solved. Heat of the Moment Express (hotme. ca) is a new service that allows you to discreetly order goodies online, without the humiliation of showing your face (as well as embarrassment) in public, by delivering sex store products to your door within an hour. Roberto Piazza started conceptualizing this idea 25 years ago, when he and his wife were too embarrassed to walk into a sex store and walk out with anything to spice up their sex life. “We never bought anything because we were too shy,” says Piazza. Not wanting anyone to suffer the same frustrations, Piazza, and partner Bruno Pistilli, launched hotme.ca last November that provides discreet, yet personalized services for those seeking a little extra oomph in the bedroom. There are great things for women, men, singles, couples, and trios. From personal masturbators to restraints, anybody can find something to tickle their fancy. There is also a representative online at most times to assist you with your shopping, and the best part: they have no idea who you are. A goal of the service is to never require people to create an online account, thus remaining as discreet as possible. Shortly after placing your order, a representative calls and confirms that you placed an order for a specific cost (rather than confirming the items). At this point, you can choose to pay by cash or credit card when the delivery person comes to the door. The manufacturer packages your order, without seeing your personal information, and then the delivery person receives your information without seeing your order. Anonymity is key to the business’s brand. Hotme.ca allows customers to mix and match products. There are also “Ultimate Packages,” which are exciting pre-bundled items. With the explosion in the popularity of the book Fifty Shades of Grey, two packages are even offered with a bondage set, and one each for men and women. Closet kinky people rejoice. Think it’s strange? You can get to know Roberto and the other delivery guys by watching the Heat of the Moment Express reality show on lifestylesdirtylittlesecrets. com. This hilarious show follows the lives and stories of the people delivering your products, and what Piazza says, “...shows how hard we work to get the product to your door.” If you’ve ever wondered what goes on in the world of sex toys behind the scenes, definitely watch the show. The first episode describes the business in detail, along with Roberto’s plan to conceive a show about it. The Lifestyles website introduces you to some fascinating, and extremely animated characters, such as Ms. Kitty, Naked Toni, Bruno, and more. This isn’t just about the sex toy business; it’s about everyone involved who’s making it possible. The show is a quirky, inspiring story about how Roberto went from dreaming about the business, to making it a reality — now unafraid of waving a dildo around in his kitchen for all to see.
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The Sputnik // Wednesday, November 21, 2012
SPORTS Kyle Morrison // sports@thesputnik.ca
LB basketball team dominated by Centennial, eliminated in semi Kyle Morrison Sports Editor After a hard-fought tournament resulting in a silver medal for the Laurier men’s basketball team, the guys failed to re-create any success this past Friday. In an eight-team tournament at the University of Toronto’s Mississauga campus, their play was marred by fundamental mistakes and a lack of energy. “We wanted it, but we didn’t want to play for it,” Co-captain Oje Izirein said. After squeaking into the semifinals with a 49-48 win against Humber, the Golden Hawks had an incredibly disappointing 50-23 defeat at the hands of Centennial College. Laurier started the tournament with decent play and won a lop-sided game
against the University of Toronto’s Scarborough campus. However, Laurier’s momentum wavered in their third game against Humber College. Laurier finished the first half leading 20-16, but they lost a key player in the process. Guard Alex Packer had to leave near the end of the first half with what was later reported to be a sprained ankle. He would not return to play in the tournament. The Golden Hawks played sluggish on both sides of the ball, outworked for loose balls and rebounds to start the second half, with Humber’s comeback to take the lead highlighted by a huge dunk. Halfway through the second half Laurier regained the lead, but it was a struggle to the very end. They never lost the lead down the stretch en route to their 49-48 win, but it wasn’t
without drama. On two occasions with the Hawks up by one point, the UTM Eagles were charged with two turnovers: a double dribble with seven seconds remaining and then the clincher, a freethrow infraction, in which the shooter’s foot was passed the freethrow line. The team followed up the nail-biter with a poor showing against Centennial, headlined by some questionable coaching decisions. Laurier was once again sluggish, not getting rebounds and letting Centennial players easily drive to the basket, giving up easy lay-ups. After six minutes, Coach Syed Hassan seemed to have seen enough and pulled the entire starting lineup out of the game. And that was it. They didn’t return not only for the rest of the half, but for the rest of the game.
Things were hard to watch from that point on. Laurier didn’t score a point for three and a half minutes to start the second half and turned the ball over three times in a row when inbounding the ball. Hassan stands by what he did. “[The players] didn’t execute our game-plan, box out players or run plays,” he said. “I want to motivate the team and have them learn from their mistakes.” Teaching the team a lesson is all well and good, but there was a game to be won and the basketball team wasn’t put in the best possible position to win the game. Izirein won’t let this happen again and is motivated to keep it that way. “The next one is not going to be like that. I won’t let us lose like that.”
LB Dodgeball team wins bronze at Redeemer University Craig Hagerman Staff The LB extramural dodgeball team was in action again November 9, hoping to improve on a solid first tournament. This was the toughest tournament they’ve played to date, with four of their six games going to sudden death. The Golden Hawks started the tournament against Humber North, losing a close game in sudden death. From here they were pinned against another tough opponent in Centennial College, where once again sudden death was needed to decide a winner. However, this time Laurier came out on top. In their third game, the team played one of their biggest rivals Humber Lakeshore. Humber Lakeshore had beaten LB in every one of their meetings prior, so this game meant a lot for the Golden Hawks. LB finally came out on top, beating Humber Lakeshore in sudden death. The Golden Hawks would finish off the round-robin with another sudden death win over Redeemer, giving them a berth in the semi-finals. LB would meet Humber Lakeshore again in the semi-finals, with Humber having the last laugh, winning the game and
dashing Laurier’s hopes of making it to the final. The team would play in the bronze medal game against Redeemer, where they were victorious. A third place finish in the tournament was a real confidence builder and co-captain Michelle Anger believes that the team’s preparation played a pivotal role in this. “We played very well this tournament, finally beating Humber Lakeshore who we lost to in semi-finals at the last tournament and in the finals last year,” she says, “All the games were really close this tournament and there was great competition. We were more prepared this tournament as people knew what to expect from the last tournament.” The team’s other co-captain, Tim Miller agrees with Anger and believes that the team showed improvements from their last tournament. “We improved immensely compared to our last tournament. After the roundrobin we came out on 2nd instead of 4th like the last tourney, and we beat the team that we’ve lost to every time we’ve played
them, so that was good,” says Miller. The team played in some very close games during the tournament and the strong play of Adam Zack really helped the team claim third place. “I feel I played very well overall on the day. The first game we played started off slow, but as the day progressed my confidence was up and I was playing to the best of my abilities. I was throwing hard and my dodging was on point all day,” says Zack. The team will have a break until January where they will compete in their final tournament of the season at George Brown College. Miller believes the team is making great strides in their play, making
Co-ed dodgeball (Photo by Kim Jackson)
it a real privilege to play with such a great group. “I feel as if every practice we have we are getting closer and closer as a team and I can truly say as a family because we work hard together and always have each other’s backs. It’s truly an honour to work with every single one of them,” says Miller.
Dominant LB extramural volleyball team wins silver Dillon Giancola Staff The LB extramural volleyball team played their first tournament of the season at Redeemer College on November 16 and is the latest Laurier Brantford athletic squad to bring home some serious hardware. Their goals going in were to keep communication flowing and have a positive attitude, and they did that and more as they fought their way to a silver medal. They breezed through their first three games, not dropping a single set and facing no real adversity. They beat Redeemer White and Mohawk in the morning, and took care of an undersized Centennial team in the afternoon. Of the seven teams in the tournament, they were one of three unde-
feated teams going into the last round-robin game. Their fourth game was against the undefeated Humber North team, and provided them with their first test of the day. Humber dominated early and was hitting very hard. Seemingly out of the set at 1118, Laurier kept their composure and battled back. They had all the pressure at the end, but came up just short, losing 25-23. The next set started off the same early, and stayed that way throughout as Laurier lost 25-13. Laurier had a brief break before their semi-final matchup, and they did not let their loss affect their game. They played the other undefeated team, Humber Lakeshore, and it was a thriller the whole way. They got off to a great start and took the
lead at 10-4. Humber, clearly rattled early, rallied and had Laurier back on their heels, tying the set at 19. But Laurier finished strong and took the set 26-24. T h e second followed the same formula as they took an early lead, and finished strong with eight straight points to take the set 25-16. The playoffs are first to three sets, and that third set was hard to get for Laurier. It went back-and-forth the whole way, and Humber was not willing to go down without a fight. They took the third 25-20. The fourth set defined Laurier’s toughness in this tournament. Trailing most of the set, and not wanting to let Lakeshore tie the game, Laurier played their hearts out. Down 21-19, they scored four straight points and after a timeout Laurier took the set 25-22, and the game 3-1.
The final was a rematch against Humber North, and this time Laurier came to play. They gave everything they had, but were not able to win a set, losing 25-20, 27-25, and 25-23. Compared to their first match, this was a much better result, and shows the potential that Laurier has. One of the leaders on the team is second year student Aryan Avandi, who thought the team played excellent. “It was evident on the court that the team was in great synchronization,” says Avandi . Laurier plays in a co-ed league in Brantford and has a record of 5-1. Their next game is November 19. Their next tournament is February 1 at Humber Lakeshore, where they will be looking for redemption and gold.
LB hockey teams prepare for upcoming tournaments Anthony Fusco Staff Extramural hockey at LB is booming. Both the men’s and women’s teams have tournaments this coming Friday, November 23. The team captains are excited to play and have high hopes for their respective squads. Dave Howe, the men’s extramural captain, is optimistic about the team’s upcoming tournament. “The competition level of this tournament is looking good, but I feel we have a good squad here with experience,” says Howe, “We need the veterans to step up and play a big role in setting the tempo with strong backing from our rookie goaltender, Ben Brenner.”
Howe also outlined some of the things the squad needs to work on before taking the ice again. “I think the biggest thing we need to work on is our power play and breaking out of the zone. We need to capitalize in those situations with the talent this team has,” says Howe. The boys are ready to go and there are a few players Howe thinks will step up and help propel the team to victory. “I think Ben Brenner and Brian Holland are ready to step up. Brian and Ben played big roles in the first game and we look for them to keep this going,” says Howe. But Howe was also quick to point out that it’s an entire team effort. “We want the win and for that to happen we need all our players, rookies and
vets, to step up,” says Howe. The team plays three games on Friday against the University of Toronto Scarborough campus, Humber North and Mohawk in a round robin format. The women’s extramural team is also ready to take to the ice and show off their team. Captain Brittany Howe had some positive words about the readiness of the squad. “I feel like we are prepared and have a great team to be successful this season. We have a lot of newcomers to the team who are going to be great additions to the returning players,” says Howe. The girls have been diligently preparing for their first tournament. “We have been doing weekly dry lands with all the girls and we will be having a
practice this week before the tournament starts,” Howe says. She is excited for this tournament and believes that her team will excel. “I feel like for our first tournament we have a good chance of doing really well. We know that there is going to be some really good competition as we faced some of the teams last year, but we have prepared ourselves for them and are eager to get on the ice and do the best we can,” says Howe. They will play two games on Friday against Seneca and Sault College. Both of these teams are prepared and excited for their upcoming tournaments. They have worked long and hard and are ready to do their best to bring pride to the LB campus.
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The Sputnik // Wednesday, November 21, 2012
OPINION Leisha Senko // opinion@thesputnik.ca
Canadians should care about the US election Kaya Firth Staff I have to start off by confessing that I am not an expert on politics by any means. I know surprisingly little about how the United States government functions, and only slightly more about how our own government functions. But, as a maturing adult, I have a growing interest in government policies and practices, and I strongly believe that my peers should feel the same way. Obviously, everyone is aware of the US presidential election that happened a few weeks ago. Twitter and Facebook were flooded with posts glorifying one candidate – or, more often, bashing the other. I know some people were frustrated by what they viewed as everyone jumped on the political bandwagon and supported one candidate or the other based on uninformed opinions. Regardless, everyone seemed to have an opinion one way or the other about the American election – but should Canadians even care about whom is in power in the US? It’s not our country. Shouldn’t our focus be on our own government? Personally, I think Canadians should care about the American government. For starters, we have an extremely close relationship with the US on several fronts. The United States is Canada’s largest trading partner, exchanging more than $1.7 billion worth of goods and services across the border every single day, for a total yearly trade of $645 billion in 2010. This means that our economies are heavily dependent on one another. If the US economy takes a turn for the worse, Canadians are in trouble too. If the US isn’t buying Canadian goods or isn’t producing enough of their own goods
to export to Canada, the Canadian market and resulting profits will suffer. People lose jobs and can fall behind on financial responsibilities such as mortgages. I work as a camp counsellor during the summer and when the economy was at its worst, fewer kids were enrolled in camp because families couldn’t afford it, meaning that the company wasn’t able to hire as much staff. This is one specific example, but when overall job short-
ages in Canada become an issue due to a faltering economy, Canadians will recognize the need to care about the US government. Secondly, because our countries are so close geographically, anything that is close enough to be a threat to the US is also a threat to Canada, including a number of environmental issues. Canada and the US have signed many agreements in the past surrounding environmental concerns such as protecting migratory birds, safeguarding Great Lakes’ freshwater, and setting goals to reduce pollution and damage to the ozone layer. On any issue, ranging from pollution to national security, if it affects the US, you can be sure we’ll feel the impact in Canada too. The Keystone Pipeline project becomes increasingly relevant and controversial with the environmental issues facing North America. Most recently, the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy were
a top concern, and many believe that the increasing frequency and severity of hurricanes can be attributed to climate change. If it comes to pass, the Keystone Pipeline will release more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which is a major reason why it has not yet been approved. The project has been given
consequences for the future. The Keystone pipeline is estimated to cost $7.6 billion – can the US or Canadian economies really afford this? The US has a multi-trillion doll a r debt load and is still choosing to invest a huge amount of money in a system that doesn’t necessarily need to be fixed. We already export oil to the US; the pipeline is simply a different way to do it. Due to this case study, and many others, it seems we should all have a vested interest in the political activities and government policies of the United States. Although we don’t have a say in electing their president, we still need to be aware of the consequences of the projects proposed, Crossing boarders (Art by Diane Sison) and the people in power, especially when they relate directly to the Canadian economy, job market, and the go-ahead the health of our planet. by the relevant Canadian agencies, but President Obama rejected the proposal earlier this year because it needed more environmental review. Governor Romney promised that approving the pipeline would be one of the first things he would do if he won the presidency, showing little regard for The not-so-little campus that could both the Canadian and US environmental Do you remember registering for Laulandscape in this specific case. In a time rier’s small, quaint, Brantford campus? Do when natural resources are becoming inyou remember the selling feature “one-oncreasingly scarce and therefore increasingone time with professors” being drilled ly precious, shouldn’t we consider reducinto your ambitious grade 12 mind? And ing our sales and saving our resources? In despite the mid-sized first year classes, my opinion, the health of our planet in the you’re still anticipating the discussionlong-term is more important than making based seminar-style classes that exude an money. aura of academia. As an environmentally responsible genI made it to those seminar classes of the eration, I believe that we should all have academic promised land- its a shame that some concerns about this pipeline. Globmy anticipations were for naught. ally, we are constantly searching for more The well-marketed one-on-one style of efficient and environmentally friendly teaching that brands Laurier Brantford is sources of energy, and I don’t think that we slowly diminishing, at no fault of the proshould embark on such an expensive projfessors but the direction in which universiect that will have serious environmental ties are heading. Though I am the first to
THE MOUTHPIECE
How innovation will end meat production Leisha Senko Opinion Editor “Twitter co-founders invest big in vegan meat company.” It’s an anomalous, almost delightfully silly headline, just strange enough to make it in with the other fluff news pieces at six. A plot device made painfully cookie-cutterish, the excitement chalked up to a large sprinkling of eccentric billionaire behavior. After all, it seems clear that nothing can really become of it. Vegans make up less than one per cent of the American population, and many have expressed on message boards an aversion to the taste of animal products. On top of this, most omnivores are turned off by the notion of faux meat, that’s just a given. It feels like an inherently bad idea, and yet the closer you look into the particulars of the buy, the more compelling the situation becomes. Take the company in question, Beyond Meat, for starters; reports state that they’ve managed to create a product so eerily meat like that the average American, and even notable food critics, can’t tell the difference. This June, supermarkets in California went through weeks worth of stock in as little as two days. It is also noted that their blend of soy and vegetables, is cheap and environmentally conscious to produce, almost totally void of saturated fats and is on schedule to become significantly cheaper when mass produced, in comparison to actual animal proteins. If all that weren’t enough, the caliber of investors is raising some eyebrows. Evan Williams and ‘Biz’ Stone have made most of their money on strange financial bets that have become ubiquitous in nature. Twitter was initially deemed utterly ridiculous, and yet businesses, news organizations, communities and even indi-
viduals consider it an indispensable tool. Williams, who cofounded Blogger, created a platform that is still a top ten website. It’s kind of an ominous and exciting blend, one that has the potential to set off a storm of change. The hope of the new investors is that restaurants, fast food outlets and supermarkets will see the financial benefits and abandon actual meat products happily for this new product. Institutions like McDonalds, KFC and Burger King, who have long been loathed and lobbied against by the vegan and vegetarian community, will delightedly change, or so the theory goes. Does this seem very likely? From a business perspective, this is where the story gets hot; the roundabout answer is yes. Meat, as it turns out, is exceptionally expensive, dangerous and messy to create, especially when corners are cut. Cramped battery cages, illegal waste dumping, hedgy fattening methods and debeaking are only some of the unsavory yet capitalistically savvy means to an end, and yet with regulations tightening and an Internet generation and inspectors able to see the effects of these missteps (including environmental ruin and possible food safety issues like e-coli from quick and unsanitary slaughter methods) the stakes are constantly on the rise. Williams and Stone are predicting that corporations, facing a reduction in meat accessibility and feasibility, will not act as the immoral monsters animal rights protestors believe they are, but rather as amoral profit-seekers: a much more desirable position in this case. And yet, even with all of this, it still feels utterly futuristic and impossible. Meat has been such a strong North Ameri-
can staple, so much so that the idea of tossing it aside without a second thought just feels ridiculous. More likely, the new product will simply be adopted under the table in key locations and expanded from there. Believe that’s immoral? Currently meat producers and therefore, complicit distributers, are doing far worse. The BPI this year admitted that approximately 15 per cent of beef is filler or ‘pink slime,’ which is basically leftover slaughter scraps ground into a paste. Chicken, according to a UK county council, is routinely injected with salt water, up to 15 per cent is made of just this alone. The reason for these measures is solely monetary, so the idea that an identical, yet cheaper, vegan version might be passed up is looking less and less likely. The last field of resistance will be the major meat producers like Tyson Foods and the large Cattle and Poultry lobbies. In the end though, the numbers suggest that they simply won’t be able to compete. The prices they dictate now are already as low as they can possibly manage, with conditions on the very cusp of legality, and prices are expected to skyrocket in the next year. Droughts, controversy created by the ‘pink slime’ scandal and a real legislative threat present after Europe banned battery cages, won’t help the titans of the industry. However, it’ll leave remarkable room for a revolutionary product like Beyond Meat to slip in. It’s an idea so peculiar, so eerily simple and so chalked full of mutual benefits, that it seems destined to make strange bedfellows out of the most passionate enemies in this fight, and maybe even alienate the producers, who until this time, have seemed utterly untouchable.
celebrate the growth of our little campus that could, I wish an accompanied growth in faculty paralleled the expansion of the student body. Professors are getting bogged down. They are hired because of their academic works and progress. Ever-expanding class sizes and therefore essay-marking are leaving them with little time for any personal research. Its understandable that they would move to ScanTron based exams that rely on regurgitation rather than an greater understanding of ideas. The quality of your education is at stake. Imagine getting to that fourth year seminar that partners perfectly with your discipline. Imagine the idea-stirring discussion or a rapport with your peers and professors, putting you on a nearly horizontal power structure. Now imagine doing all of this while looking at a professor speaking on a TV screen, or reading a discussion online. The push towards the more cost-effective method of distance education is leaving students, (tuition payers) in the dust. It is necessary to take into account the managerial need to budget effectively and the growth of a campus with little surplus classroom space at the moment. But those are long term factors, therefore a rebuttal should be long term as well. Talk to your Dean, students. Talk to your department head. Let them know you came to Laurier Brantford for the type of mind-expansion one simply cannot get from a 500 person lecture. Enough attention brought to the matter from those paying for this university (you) will result in a shift of campus direction. And if not, you will find yourselves paying $7,000 a year to sit on the aisle stairs of a lecture hall, scrolling through Facebook on your Macbook. At least right now you have a chair. Sincerely, I think we can, I think we can