Sputnik issue 1 June 25, 2015

The Starving Artist Cafe Page 8

Men in Heels - A walk against domestic violence

Page 3

“Die-alogues” - a conversation about dying Page 6

Issue 1 | Thursday, June 25, 2015 | www.thesputnik.ca

DEAR ROUGE:

THE ART OF

UNEXPECTED

SUCCESS Dillon Giancola Editor-In-Chief All the practice, order and professionalism that seems to go into one of their sets appears to evaporate the instant they walk off the stage. Dear Rouge, a rising band from Vancouver, have just finished performing at WTFest to a delighted crowd. Some people are singing along, but many people have never heard of this band before, yet that does not dull the performance, nor is the audience not enjoying what they are watching.

But that does not get them down.

The group is comprised of a couple, Danielle McTaggart, vocalist and keyboardist, and her husband Drew McTaggart, the band’s guitarist. As groups of reporters line up to speak to them, half hour at a time, their enthusiasm and demeanor does not wane.

If there stage presence is intense, energetic, and cool, their backstage presence is laid back, goofy, and chill.

But this makes sense, it is not at odds with the set we just witnessed, as joy, and warmth emanate from the atmosphere as much as from the message of their lyrics.

The attitude they carry is but an extension of how they met, and how the

make a nk you!

band came together. Mired in projects that were not going anywhere, that eventually turned around once they met through a friend.

“I heard her doing an acoustic set, like just singer songwriter stuff, and she was just cleaning up. The whole place was in awe, and she was just enthusiastic, and I was like man we have to do a more high energy thing,” says Drew.

After this, now dating, Danielle says, “ Drew kind of encouraged me, like we got to do something just for fun, don’t put a ton of pressure on yourself.”

It all starts with that - do it for fun, don’t put pressure on yourself. The path to success has endless possibilities, but as effective as any other are those that stem from encouragement, positivity and a love for the craft.

This is where Dear Rouge started.

A lifetime of devotion to music, but perhaps an unease about where things were going. After the couple got married, and Dear Rouge was formed, they entered a contest in Vancouver called Peak Performance Project. They did not even think they would get in, yet this ended up taking a year of the band’s time and setting their career as a band on track.

“We played the show and then we got in. It was crazy like, ‘Oh man we

need 20 minutes of music and we only have four songs. That’s not enough music, we have to like make a really long intro,’” Danielle recalls.

Indeed, when describing how far they have come, Drew mentions their first online presence came on a night, “when we were in our room and ordered pizza and launched on YouTube.” That was 2012, and the two and a half years since that have been a wild, non-stop ride.

Now entrenched as a band, and making a name for themselves accross Canada, more decisions await them.

Do they stay in Vancouver, or move out of Vancouver? Will they move out of the country if the opportunity arises? What songs should be on their next album?

But for now, they ride out the path based off the decisions, and songs, they have already made.

One of the group’s biggest singles is, according to them, their most unlikely to be so. “Black to Gold” is a hit in Canada, as it was in Brantford at Lion’s Park. Perhaps it is the haunting keyboard tracks and samples that has stuck with audiences. Or maybe it’s the cry of, “raising our voice together, no way we’re standing down. We won’t back down,” that has listeners going crazy. Whatever the reason, it is the perfect track for them to be known

for, as the theme exemplifies the group, and how far they have come.

Described as a song about going from bad times to good times, Danielle explains the inspiration behind the song: “My old project, for me personally it was really life altering, it made me question everything I wanted and believed and everything, and from there this was very redeeming in that way because I didn’t really think that it was gonna happen for me, and it was really tough.”

This is the message that one takes away if they are fortunate enough to watch Dear Rouge perform, let alone get the opportunity to hang out with them.

As Danielle reflects on their journey, she is visibly thankful, as she says, “for me this whole thing has just been so cool, whatever happens from here were both just really greatful-” and then she is instantly distracted, looking out the window at the crowd getting pummelled with rain during a USS concert. “This is so crazy, these poor people!”

And the night goes on, and this fun, talented, surprising band, goes on as well, being greatful for how far they’ve come, and loking forward to where life takes them.

Tired of fynding mistaks in the Sputnik? We’re hiring copy editors. eic@thesputnik.ca

2

The Sputnik

Is Spotify killing the music industry?

WLUSP BRANTFORD 202-171 Colborne St. Branford, ON N3T 2C9 (519) 756-8228 ext. 5948

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Dillon Giancola eic@thesputnik.ca

PHOTO EDITOR Christina Manocchio

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Meghan Gauvin mgauvin@thesputnik,ca

photography@thesputnik.ca

FEATURES EDITOR Brittany Bennett features@thesputnik.ca

GRAPHIC EDITOR Sai Gnanaharan visual@thesputnik.ca

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

WEB EDITOR Jaclyn Brown web@thesputnik.ca NEWS EDITOR Chandler Berardi news@thesputnik.ca

Matthew Burley arts@thesputnik.ca SPORTS EDITOR Jacob Dearlove sports@thesputnik.ca OPINION EDITOR Josh Adesina opinion@thesputnik.ca

THE SPUTNIK ADMIN PRESIDENT Bryan Stephens (519) 884-0710 ext.

3565 president@wlusp.com

pleasant feelings about Apple Music and Spotify’s motives: “I’m not willOpinon Editor ing to contribute my life’s work to imes have changed since the an experiment that I don’t feel fairly days of LimeWire and other compensates the writers, producers, services that allowed for the artists, and creators of this music.” In free download of music. The sales of addition, Swift will not allow Spotify albums have really taken a hit since to stream her album ‘1989’. As a the development of music streamresult of Swift’s criticism, Apple has ing apps such as Spotify and Apple decided to arrange for royalty payMusic. It looks like these services outs to its artists. Wow. Swift showed will be the reason people them who was boss. will no longer have to Music streaming has purchase another album or definitely had a negative song. Ever. effect on the music indusSpotify is an app that try. Artists do not seem to offers music streaming be making a lot of money services to its customers. from their projects anySpotify Premium offers more. It seems as though unlimited music streaming upcoming artists and headfor $10 a month. Spoline acts will have to focus tify customers can also on touring and publishing download the music they deals to compensate for stream from Spotify on the loss of record sales. their computers, tablets Summer is the season or phones. In addition, where festival and concert Spotify likes to cater to dates are in demand the Services like Spotify are making a lot of money that is not going to support artists (Sai Gnanaharan) its customers with its radio most, so let’s hope they can functions and by creating playlists royalty cheque would have been tre- cash in. On the other hand, consumwith different songs, so people can mendously higher. Other artists such ers are jumping for joy knowing conveniently expose themselves to as Taylor Swift have expressed their that they don’t have to pay much for new music. Apple Music and Pando- issues with music streaming. Swift music. Seems like a fair cause for ra have similarities to Spotify, with took a stand and decided to make a celebration, no? a slight difference in fees. All these complaint about Apple Music’s free- Hopefully, artists and their manageservices for a fee of $10 have guartrial period, according to BBC News. ment teams can find a way to comanteed the halt of purchasing music.

The period lasts for about three pensate for their losses. Free music Let’s look at what music streammonths, and Swift was not happy is cool but not getting paid for your ing has done to the music industry. about this. A quote published by the work is not.

Spotify is responsible for 86 per Daily Mail UK shows Swift’s uncent of the music streaming market

Josh Adesina

FRONT PAGE PHOTO CREDITS Left: Chandler Berardi Middle: Dillon Giancola Right: Brittany Bennett Main: Dillon Giancola

THE SPUTNIK TEAM

Thursday, June 25, 2015

MANAGER OF OPERATIONS

Taylor Berzins manager@thesputnik.ca

ADVERTISING Care Schummer (519) 884-0719 ext.

3560 ads@wlu.com The Sputnik is a member of the Ontario Press Council, which is an independent ethical organization established to deal with editorial concerns.

For additional information or to file a complaint, contact info@ontpress.com of call (416) 340-1981. The Sputnik is an editorially independent newspaper published by Wilfrid Laurier University Student Publications (WLUSP).

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.

T

Misusing the Soap Box

in the U.S., according to the Wall Street Journal. Artists such as Pharrell have experienced the effects of music streaming. The massive hit song ‘Happy’ released in 2014 was streamed up to 43 million times, and has only received about $3,000 in royalties – according to Business Insider. This doesn’t sound right.

If Pharrell were to have received a percentage from each stream his

In This Issue NEWS MEN IN HEELS 3 BRANTFORD FOODIE 4

Dillon Giancola, Sputnik Editor in Cheif 2015-2016 (Cody Hoffman/The Sputnik)

Dillon Giancola

EIC

So here we are, it’s June and that means the start of another year! Well not really, but for us at The Sputnik it feels that way. For the first time in two years we have a different management team, and that is both terrifying and exciting! We couldn’t be more proud of the work that has been done in the past, and we can’t wait to build off that.

We have tried a lot of things at The Sputnik in the past. There was the infamous Hentai cover, endless changes to the front page, and even a failed attempt, almost ten years ago, to have the national university journalism conference in little ol’ Brantford. My favourite part of this bid was that the proposed key speaker was none other than Mike Duffy himself. They probably went with that because he promised to pay them off, but then last second he was like “oops I don’t have the money,” and so that never happened. That’s probably exactly how it went down.

While we do not currently have plans to feature politicians that are sitting trial, we do have some wrinkles that we are excited to unveil.

Along with producing our best newspaper every second Wednesday, we are excited to

highlight some new areas of focus.

Coming soon, our website, www.thesputnik. ca, wil be completely revamped. We are excited to make The Sputnik an online destination, pushing the boundaries of the kinds and styles of media a student publication can produce. We also have a brand new video department, inspired by those cool video cliips that YTV had on The Zone. Or not. But we think you guys will love it.

To go along with this, we are going to devote our efforts to bringing you not just bi-weekly, but daily news. Because, you know what, you Laurier-Brantford Goldenhawks deserve it, you guys are the life-blood that keeps..... Ah, wow, sorry that was way too cheesy. Basically we want to produce more content because we enjoy doing it. It keeps us having fun, and we hope you will enjoy reading it..

We are thrilled to show you guys what is to come. We hope you enjoy this issue, and come September this next era of The Sputnik will be unveiled in full.

Now sit back, have an apple juice, and read this issue on your porch in the morning in the sun while those pesky Brantford squirrels

eat your pancakes and poop on your lawn chairs.

FEATURES

TALKING ABOUT DEATH WON’T KILL YOU 6 THE ORIENTAL 7

ART&CULTURE THE STARVING ARTIST CAFE 8 HARBOUR 9

SPORTS

TORCH RELAY: PHOTO ESSAY 10 BECOMING A LEBRON FAN 11

OPINION WOMEN IN SPORTS 12

Thursday, June 25, 2015

3

The Sputnik

News

Chandler Berardi | news@thesputnik.ca | @sputnik_news

Standing tall against domestic violence in Brantford Taylor Berzins Manager of Operations Downtown was abuzz this Saturday as the clicking of heels on pavement rang out alongside the call of bagpipes.

A crowd of men gathered in Brantford’s Harmony Square on Saturday to slip on red pumps and strut the downtown core. The spectacle was the fifth annual Men in Heels campaign, an event organized by Nova Vita, Brantford’s domestic violence prevention centre.

In regards to the cherry red pumps that have become synonymous with the Men in Heels campaign, Freeman isn’t sure how the tradition began. “I think we just thought it would be a neat thing to do and really highlight the issue,” Joy Freeman, Executive Director of Nova Vita, explained.

For the event organizers, Men in Heels is about much more than a good photo-op of respected men from the community donning delicate footwear.

“I think the whole thing is about women, not men. And we need to keep the focus on the women, rather than men wearing heels and the construct of masculinity,” Freeman said, “The whole purpose of it is to have men experience, at least metaphorically, some of the pain and suffering that happens for victims of domestic violence. So I don’t like to talk about masculinity in terms of men wearing red shoes because I think that trivializes the matter. It needs to focus on women and the struggles of being a victim of domestic violence.”

According to Freeman, the event has grown each year. This year’s

Members of the community walk together, wearing red high-heels, to raise awareness of violence against women. (Dillon Giancola/ The Sputnik)

Men in Heels campaign broke its fundraising record by bringing in about $43,000.

Freeman explained that this year’s event was unique in the number of father-son teams that participated, noting that a lot of young men and children joined this year’s walk.

“It’s all about awareness and raising young boys to respect women, to respect relationships and to have positive relationships,” she said.

Domestic violence is a prevailing issue that affects the lives of many women in Brantford. According to the Nova Vita website, the shelter’s beds are almost always full, stating that, “the average occupancy rate for the 2013/2014 fiscal year was 94 per

cent”.

Local professor and federal NDP candidate, Marc Laferriere has participated in Men in Heels every year since its conception. According to Laferriere, Men in Heels is an opportunity to combat domesticated gendered violence.

“It’s something that we let happen as a community and we have to address as a community. Opportunities like men in heels, where we can actually talk about it in way that isn’t triggering emotionally, is actually a really helpful way for boys to get involved in the anti-violence [discussion]. It’s encouraging to see boys, who are literally taking a stand, with an extra three inches of heels,” La-

ferriere said. “They’re able to now have a frame of reference for this sort of stuff, if they ever encounter it in their lives, and to prevent it throughout their lives, so that’s really vital.”

According to Nova Vita’s website, spousal homicide accounts for 15 per cent of all murders in Canada, and about 40 per cent of wife assault incidents occur during a woman’s first pregnancy.

“It’s our problem.” said Freeman, “It’s a family problem, not only a men’s problem or women’s problem. It’s everyone’s problem. And, we really do have to get together and do something about domestic violence.”

LOCUS - A community for students living off-campus Chandler Berardi News Editor Off campus students get to experience their own type of residence life in Laurier Brantford’s first year Laurier Off-Campus University Students, or LOCUS, program.

“If you’re commuting it’s something you have to experience because it’s just like residence,” said Pasquale Centritto, a LOCUS member from the 2014/2015 year, who is preparing to begin as an off campus advisor this September.

In the LOCUS program, students are broken up into small groups called “communities” lead by off campus advisors (OCA).

Communities run their own events in order to establish close relationships and also participate in large events with all of the LOCUS communities. like capture the flag in Harmony Square,

de-stressors, bowling, Halloween and more.

“It gave me a place where I didn’t have to be shy,” said former LOCUS member Marissa Gale.

LOCUS is intended to help students’ academic and social transition from high school to university; it is meant to further students’ independence.

“We really just want to focus more on the student experience this year,” said program assistant Melissa Ehrlich.

Ehrlich stated that “additional portfolios” would added to the program come September. Community leaders will pair up with an OCA to cover one of three sections of focus: academic success, student wellness and campus outreach. Within each section, OCAs will run events or information meetings based on designed to help inform students about everything they need to know in order to have a successful first

year.

Last year, LOCUS saw majority of its members express a great deal of appreciation toward their OCAs and the relationships the program worked to develop. This year Ehrlich is working to ensure that OCAs are well prepared to create and maintain those relationships within their assigned communities.

Ehrlich wants the OCAs to be role models but also friends. She explained how important it is for a student to have someone to go to who is not intimidating.

“I was not ready to be in university; I didn’t want to go. I guess being an OCA is helping a student that could be in my shoes this time next year so I could maybe help them through it,” said Centritto.

LOCUS is a flexible service that allows students to take what they want from the program without obligations

or commitments.

Mitchell Higgins, a former LOCUS member is glad he participated in the program, “you get everything from fun nights doing capture the flag to exam tips … you always come out with something, no matter how big or how small you’ll come out with something, and you’ll be so happy that you went into it because I know I was.”

Follow Sputnik News on Twitter! @sputnik_news

4

The Sputnik

Local News

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Chandler Berardi | news@thesputnik.ca | @sputnik_news

Campus Foodie Jaz 128 Tea Hut Chandler Berardi and Meghan Gauvin

News Editorial Team

Lonnie’s Jaz 128 Tea Hut at 128 Dalhousie Street (Chandler Berardi/Sputnik)

A lot of the time my regular customers will invite friends to come here and study

– Jasmine Lee Lonnies at 42 Market Street (Chandler Berardi/Sputnik)

We have such a large variety of food – Arilyn Turalitsch Lonnie’s, located on 42 Market St. next to Laurier’s Odeon building, is owned by Brian Xurieb. According to employee Arilyn Turalitsch, Lonnie’s is most popular for their poutine. The restaurant offers twenty-eight different types of poutine. The most popular of these include the pulled pork poutine,

Turalitsch’s favourite, and the maple bacon poutine. Also offered at Lonnie’s is their all day breakfast, another customer favourite.

The business is unique because they are open 24 hours a day. The restaurant opened eight years ago and is popular amongst Laurier students.

Jaz 128 Tea Hut is located at 128 Dalhousie St. and run by Jasmine Lee and her husband. The café opened three and a half years ago and is known for their bubble milk teas. According to Lee, her business is unique to Brantford because it is the only café that serves bubble milk tea in the city. Based on sales, the Taro bubble milk tea with either popping boba or tapioca is the most popular drink. Lee recommends the original bubble milk tea with tapioca, a personal favourite.

All of the ingredients used in Lee’s

bubble milk teas are imported from Taiwan, where bubble milk tea originates. Lee expressed that Jaz 128 Tea Hut is a student friendly environment. “A lot of the time my regular customers will invite friends to come here and study,” said Lee. The café is equipped with free Wi-Fi and offers healthy herbal tea, smoothies and fruit teas.

Business hours are 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and closed on Sundays.

Burrito Brothers Admiral Submarine

Burrito Brothers at 38 Dalhoursie Street (Chandler Berardi/Sputnik)

Once they try it they always get it – Minh Quach

Burrito Brothers is located on 38 Dalhousie St. across from Laurier’s Expositor building. According to Minh Quach, brother to the owner of the business, Burrito Brothers was the first burrito restaurant in Brantford. Burrito Brothers won the award for best takeout in Brantford two years in a row. The most

popular type of burrito is the chicken burrito, and Quach’s personal favourite are the fish tacos. “Once they try it they always get it,” said Quach about the fish tacos. All beverages and most of the produce used at the store are imported from Mexico. Restaurant hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday.

Admiral’s on the corner of Dalhousie and Queen (Chandler Berardi/Sputnik)

We serve good food and pleanty of it -Harry Chatzis

Admiral Submarine is located on the corner of Dalhousie and Queen.

The twenty-seven year old business is extremely successful according to Hary Chatzis, employee since the restaurant opened. Chatzis also said that Admiral’s largest attraction is the poutine and burgers. “We serve good food and plenty of it,” said Chatzis.

Unique to the restaurant is the “Junk Pile” special, a favourite amongst the employees. The special includes peameal bacon, ham, roast beef, turkey, a hamburger patty, cheese, and chicken fingers on two Kaisers. This meal is served with a side of fries for $17.65. Business hours are from 6 a.m. to 3 a.m.

For more on Campus Foodie go to thesputnik.ca

Thursday, June 25, 2015

News

5

The Sputnik

Chandler Berardi |news@thesputnik.ca | @sputnik_news

Brantford’s youth pride coffee house astounds Chandler Berardi

News Editor Many new and unexpected community

members, ranging from ages 13 to 21, crowded together to watch a movie at the youth pride’s second event of the year held on June 12, 2015.

“I did not dress to meet new people! I didn’t think that there was going to be this many new people here so I just wore track pants, then Dave Levac shows up,” said Mikayla Hughes, one of the four youth pride council members.

According to Ken Giesen and Janet MacMillan, the founders of Brantford’s youth pride committee, last year’s attendance consisted mostly of volunteers and friends who were asked to come out and support.

“I was joking last year, there was probably fifteen people; and ten people were volunteers or on the committee,

so there were maybe five new faces,” said Giesen.

MacMillan went on to explain that the sexual orientation of those who attended the event was unknown and unimportant; everyone was welcome.

MacMillan believed the positive turnout meant that the committee’s impact continues to grow stronger.

Brantford Pride received continuous complaints regarding the lack of youth specific events. Before the youth pride committee was established in 2013, local pride events were exclusive to people aged 19 plus. Giesen, MacMillan and Hughes all experienced the same motivation to make the changes that would resolve these complaints.

Hughes Facebook messaged Brantford Pride asking to start a group based on creating events for younger youth. She expressed that many events involved age groups starting from a very young age to 13 years old, and then starting again at age 18.

“There’s really nothing for that

in-between group,” said Hughes.

Four youth council members run the Youth Pride Committee. Giesen and MacMillan explained that they are solely on the council to act as support.

They act as the adult supervision for events, and handle the jobs that youth would not know how to do, such as booking the event space.

When asked what pride meant to them, there was a common theme of acceptance amongst the council members.

“For some people it’s the one time in the year where they feel comfortable being themselves,” said Giesen.

Giesen and MacMillan expressed their excitement to witness the youths creating connections, and forming a sense of community amongst themselves despite the fact that the majority of them had never met before.

Giesen hopes to set up a connection with Wilfrid Laurier Brantford in order to involve their committee with the campus, stating that he has reached

The pride flag is raised in Brantford, on Monday, June 15.

(Chandler Berardi/ The Sputnik)

out to a Laurier professor in hopes to set up future events.

The entrance to the Carnegie building just became safer Dillon Giancola Editor In Chief Students will have a safer walk to classes when they next attend lectures at the Carnegie building. As part of a street-planning initiative designed to revitalize the downtown, the section of George street in front of the building received a facelift, as did the sidewalks.

Gone are the three-hour parking spots on the east side of the road. They have been eliminated as a result of a

Laurier request to extend the sidewalks further, in effect making them double the width as they were previously, and resulting in a much narrower road.

The sidewalk extension was the result of safety concerns. As Tony Araujo, Assistant Vice-President: Campus Administration & Special Constable Service explains, “One of the issues we faced physically with that building (Carnegie) is you come down the steps basically on to the sidewalk. There were situations where you come down and there’s a car right in front of you.

Its not really super safe.”

Laurier originally asked for two spots to be removed to allow for the sidewalk directly in front of the Carnegie staircase to be extended, but the city decided to extend the sidewalk the whole length of the block.

While it is indeed safer, this project did result in the loss of valuable parking spaces. George St. has been a favourite area for students to park, one of the few areas on campus with three hour parking, and the most accessible.

When asked of any plans to replace these spots, Mark Gladysz, se-

nior planner of the City of Brantford, said these spots were replaced three years ago when the project was first discussed. “Five new spots were created on the west side of Victoria Park on Market Street, and two new spaces were created on Darling Street, just east of the Student Union building,” Gladysz said.

The entire section of George St. betwen Darling St. and Wellington St. was also repaved. The Georget St. and Carnegie project is a part of the Victoria Park upgrades that began last summer.

New poetry display in front of Carnegie Dillon Giancola Editor In Chief

A new art piece honoring the late Pauline Johnson is being installed in front of the Carnegie building.

A section from one Johnson’s poems, inscribed on granite, will be installed into the sidewalk in front of the building’s staircase.

“Then meet we as one common Brotherhood. In peace and love, with purpose understood,” is the quote that is being placed. This comes from the same poem that Johnson read during the dedication of the Brant monument.

“When you stand on the quote you’ll be able to see the monument that she wrote the poem about,” explained Dr. Kathryn Carter, one of

Laurier’s leads behind the project.

“It’s a nice legacy that has been happening for hundreds of years here so it roots the whole campus to the arts.”

This project came about as a result of the planned project to extend the sidewalk in front of the building. Since the sidewalk was already being dug up, Laurier thought this would be a great opportunity to produce public art, and poetry in the sidewalk had long been something they had wanted to do.

This project was funded in part by the City of Brantford’s Public Art Reserve Fund. “We tapped into that for funding, and matched it with funds from the university so that it was absolutely a joint project. 50/50 city and university, and that patch of sidewalk is jointly owned by city and university so it

worked out well,” Carter said.

The Carnegie building has long been one of downtown Brantford’s more iconic buildings. It was also Laurier’s first building on the Brantford campus, and this art adds to that legacy.

“One of the nice things is in front of the Carnegie building there are names of male writers all over the windows, so we thought it would be nice to have words of a female poet in front,” said Carter.

“Then meet we as one common Brotherhood. In peace and love, with purpose understood.

Pauline Johnson (wikimedia commons)

6

The Sputnik

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Features

Brittany Bennett | features@thesputnik.ca | @sputnikfeatures

“Die-alogues” organizers Maureen Russell and Melissa Chadwick pose with bucket table toppers beside the list of team names. (Brittany Bennett/ The Sputnik)

Talking about death won’t kill you Brittany Bennett Features Editor Death. It’s a completely natural phenomenon, an end that us as living beings will all come to one day. Yet, we pretend as if it will never happen. And you know what? It is a damn scary thought. But it is also a reality and one that has its consequences if it not truly thought about.

Most people brush off talk about dying, they have an, ‘I’m not going to die’ type of mentality, or just straight out avoid the topic in general. It is estimated that only one person in every 100 has some sort of plan for if they were to die. However, Brantford is starting this conversation, and it is not all dark and scary.

Seats booked up quickly at the Stedman Community Hospice on Tuesday, June 16th for an event called “Die-alogues.” The gathering brought members of the community together in hopes of giving a sense of comfort in discussions about death and dying.

It began with an uplifting video titled “What do you want to do before you die?”

Four young men calling themselves The Buried Alive completed their bucket lists and helped others along the way figure out what they want to do before they die.

Large silver buckets topped each of the eight tables in the room of the Stedman Community Hospice that day, with foam flowers holding photos and inspirational quotations.

Something as simple as a bucket list is one of the many positives to come from thinking about dying. Everyone has this imaginary bucket list in their mind, I want to do this one day, or I am going to do that someday.

But have you ever taken the time to sit down and write it all out? Or figure out ways you

can actually accomplish this list? We began that opportunity that Tuesday, an opportunity many take for granted or put off to another time that never actually comes.

Lois Scott was quite about the event, and eager to attend ever since a poster was dropped off at her place of work in BeckettGlaves Family Funeral Centre. Scott loves her work there as an after care councillor, as well as the other co-owned funeral home, Hill and Robinson. Both homes are in Brantford.

“They brought out the reality of death and dying by a way of humour, in a way where it was also combined with serious issues. Which I think is good. I found it a very comfortable, very welcoming atmosphere,” says Scott.

Death is normal conversation for Scott, as she has been working in funeral homes for 16 years. But she had never heard of a conversation about death and dying in the Brantford community before.

Scott admits that most people do not prepare for their funerals ahead of time, and this leaves some seriously unanswered questions for their loved ones. Do they want a celebration of life or a wake? If they are having a funeral ceremony, do they want an open or closed casket? Cremation or burial? Is there a specific song they may have wanted to be played? These and more complicated issues arise if a will is not prepared.

But we do not need to think about death and dying just for the aftermath, but also to improve our current living.

“Die-alogues” organizer, Maureen Russell, says she has never had so much appreciation for her life until she began thinking of death and dying. Russell’s work as a psycho-social spiritual bereavement clinician at Stedman Community Hospice has made her aware of some serious bereavement issues that individuals deal with. Russell explains

that death is typically seen as the elephant in the room, but it does not have to be that way.

“Die-alogues” was a great way to bring this conversation to light. The serious issues were discussed, such as feelings about death, last meals and donations in your memory.

But this also lead into inspiring conversations about leaving a legacy, important role models and finding out which people mean the most to you. For example, how many of us have ever thought about who we would like to spend our last meal with?

Before the evening took a serious turn, laughter filled the room as everyone began by picking team names for each table. All eight tables came up with a corky name such as the Die Hards, Moving On Up, and the Ghost Riders. The fun really kicked in once the euphemism challenge began: trying to come up with an original death related euphemism that has not been said before. After much debate and cackle, the game concluded with table two’s “return to sender” and table seven’s “rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic” co-winning. Among the other notable entries were “the bird of paradise has shit all over him” and “#done.”

“I found with the way they brought the light side to it, that’s the way to talk about [death and dying,]” says Scott. Most employees at the funeral homes Scott works at also bring their senses of humour to the table, and she has had a lot of positive feedback from the comfort this attitude brings.

“Die-alogues” first began in May of last year at Hospice North West in Thunder Bay. Once Russell and clinical nurse specialist, Melissa Chadwick, both underwent presentations on the uplifting way of talking about death and dying, they knew they had to bring it to Stedman Community Hospice.

“You know what? Talking about death won’t kill you,” Russell chuckles. Punny,

but true. This is the main line Russell says to her children when trying to bring up the death conversation. Russell admits that it is typically an older crowd that wants to talk about death and dying, but she was thrilled to see a few younger faces in the crowd.

Russell is hoping to see more of a younger crowd at future events. “It’s you guys that are going to make the change, certainly not I or Melissa. It’s you folks that are going to do it,” she explained to me.

Russell and Chadwick have seen firsthand the after effects of not having the proper conversations about death. “We avoid this, we deny that death is going to happen and then we don’t do some of the important things that we need to do around that,” says Chadwick. Relating this to a personal experience, Chadwick had to scramble to figure out her father’s life review when he was unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer when she was just 19. This turned into a stressful conversation about dying when her father was very near death, instead of being able to have a peaceful set of mind in at least one area during this difficult time.

Chadwick admits that these conversations are going to be hard, but timing is everything and it really does make the difference. Having these conversations not only brings a peace of mind for yourself in the moment, but for your loved ones in the future.

“Death is a part of life, we have to talk about it,” says Chadwick. And “Diealogues” is proving this does not have to be morbid conversation. Russell and Chadwick look forward to continuing this discussion of death and dying in the fall. They have many new and exciting ideas to encourage this serious, necessary conversation in a fun, lighthearted way.

Thursday, June 25, 2015

7

The Sputnik

Features

Brittany Bennett | features@thesputnik.ca | @sputnik_news

The Oriental: Old-school and proud of it Dillon Giancola

Editor-In-Chief The early 1990s were a rough time for businesses in downtown Brantford. The donut effect had reared its ugly head, drawing out long time businesses to new plazas built on the outskirts of the city. This happened to cities all over Canada, but Brantford was hit especially hard. Factories boarded up their doors, and headed for warmer destinations in the United States and Mexico - the recession of the time continuing its destruction.

In the middle of this was a tiny Chinese restaurant. The owners of The Oriental had enjoyed 30 years of serving the community, entrenched in their familiar spot at 164 Market Street. But now the times were changing, and the future was uncertain.

“Oh, geez,” manager, Warren Mark remembers saying, “it’s pretty desolate.” Warren was unsure of the steps to take; the downtown was all he knew. But the real risk was moving. Sure, the downtown was not the same, but Warren thought that the reputation and relationships they formed were strong enough to keep the restaurant going, and that the gamble to stay put was one worth taking.

The Oriental has been around since 1961 under the ownership of Peter and Margaret Mark.

They still own it and work there today, but their sons Warren and Wayne assume most of the day-to-day managerial duties. After all this time, running their restaurant for three generations, the Marks’ have never diverged from their restaurant’s identity: a simple, reliable place to eat some good Chinese food.

Everything in the restaurant is made from scratch, whether it be gravy, sweet and sour sauce or wontons. Spring rolls are the only exception. “It always has been that way, we’re old-school,” says Warren. It becomes apparent that this statement could be a motto for The Oriental.

Inside the walls lies an old Brantford. The 53 year-old restaurant is the last of its kind in the downtown area. You will not find a buffet here, nor any old, tattered booths. Instead, you will find a surprisingly large space, divided in two by a load-bearing wall. The tables are a mix of round and square, small and large. The ancient dark, maroon carpet is the only other shade evident before yellow invades your senses, and takes over your thoughts.

Yellow table-cloths are everywhere. Yellow pillars hold up pale sponge-painted mustardcoloured walls. A golden chandelier hangs in the middle of the far room. This yellow – think custard or Dijon – think old – sets the tone of

The Oriental. Not flashy, nor bright or loud enough to be tacky, it just surrounds, providing its loyal customers a mellow atmosphere to relax in.

There are few people dining at The Oriental on this evening. The chatter is barely audible, allowing the songs of the early-2000s playing on the radio to be heard clearly. It is only as you near the end of your meal that you realize that Chinese restaurants don’t look like this anymore. In fact, few restaurants seem as comfortable showing their age as The Oriental.

The Marks’ moved to Brantford in 1961, and opened The Oriental at its original location, 104 Market Street. Downtown was lively back then, the centre of Brantford. On a Saturday, the streets would be packed, couples visited the markets on their days off and parents took their children to The Oriental and other small, independent restaurants for dinner. It was known as “The House of the Dragon” at that time, because of the two large paper Mache dragons that bordered the entrance way, complete with red light bulbs for eyes.

When Warren was not at school, he and his brother Wayne would be at The Oriental. Since the restaurant is only closed Christmas Day, the Marks’ never had a lot of room for family time outside of the restaurant, but that was OK. “That’s just what we did. We worked and spent time there, and made the most of it,” Warren says.

Brantford was not very multi-cultural at that time, and the Chinese were a very visible minority. Warren did get bugged as the only Chinese kid at school, but no more than the Hungarian or Polish kids did. Prank phone calls to The Oriental, with the caller asking for Mr. Wong and apologizing for “winging the wong number,” were reoccurring, as were other Chinese related jokes.

One joke in particular has always stood out to Warren. People used to make lots of Chinese jokes involving cats, and one night in particular somebody thought it would be a great idea to throw a cat into the restaurant when the door opened. Warren and the staff scrambled after it, trying to grab the cat before it wreaked havoc on the restaurant.

“It was hilarious,” says Warren, “but of course, I didn’t think that at the time.”

Fast forward to the early 80’s, and The Oriental was busy all the time. Dinner rushes were two fold, at 5, and at midnight, as people came for some late night Chinese food after a rowdy night of drinking at the bar. The restaurant was open until three a.m., and the behaviour at these times was fitting – fights would break out, entertaining onlookers and causing staff headaches.

But all things end, or so they say. In came the 90’s, and out went the busy downtown. One

The Oriental Restaurant, located at 164 Market St., has been a reliable dining establishment since 1961. (Brittany Bennett/ The Oriental)

by one, shops closed down, and the Marks’ were not sure what to do. They scraped by for a while, and, perhaps at the right moment, in stepped Laurier Brantford.

On a Thursday afternoon, the streets are busy with students hurrying to school, and a youthful joy floats through the air. Young families, of many different cultures, go out to restaurants like The Oriental on Saturdays. It is not quite as busy as the 80’s, but Warren is pleased with how far Brantford has come. As much as anybody, he and his staff are reaping the benefits of this new atmosphere.

As Brantford continues to change, it is safe to say The Oriental will not.

“I love working there, just the family feeling.

Everyone is so friendly and I am happy when I am working,” says Jayme Petryschuk, a Laurier student who has worked at The Oriental for

Is university worth the debt?

Brittany Bennett

Features Editor Post-secondary education is in more demand than it has ever been before. Not only do employers love to see a college or university education listed on your resume, they expect it. In this competitive society we have to give them what they want if we are to get by. However, post-secondary education is proving to be incredibly difficult without the assistance of parents and financial loans.

A Statistics Canada census found 26.9 per cent of young adults from the age of 20 to 29 were residing in their parental home in 1981. Just 30 years later that statistic has jumped to 42.3 per cent.

I compiled a survey of 61 students about student debt and finance, and about 77 per cent agreed their parents had helped them in some way with education related expenses or necessities. This same percent-

University students face the prospect of more debt today than ever before. (Sai Gnanaharan, The Sputnik)

age said that they had also taken out some sort of student loan.

We are living in a world where debt is a social norm. According to the credit monitoring firm Equifax Canada, the average consumer debt held by Canadians last year was $20,967. This number does not even include the biggest debt of all, mortgages.

You would think, if we are living in a world that will result in a cycle of debt, we could at least begin our way of paying it back debt free. But no, we work our butts off to get a degree that will land us our job just to pay off all the money we put into getting the degree itself, even though we have much more debt already awaiting in our future.

About 42 per cent of the survey’s respondents listed themselves as over $14,000 in debt. Out of the respondents that have taken out some form of a student loan, only about 27 per cent have begun to pay that debt off, and only about 6 per cent have done so in large amounts.

One of the more popular student loan programs in Ontario is the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). In order to

a year. It is this same atmosphere and feeling that has attracted customers for over 50 years.

Not too long ago, as a customer was leaving the restaurant, something was said to Warren that struck a chord with him: “You know, when I was a little boy, I remember my father taking me here, and as I grew up I remember taking my girlfriend here, and then I remember getting married and taking my wife here. Now I’m taking my children here.”

Warren pauses as he tells this story, and glances away as a slight smile comes over his face. “And I never really thought about it, the three generation thing.” He says, “there’s been some good memories here.”

Warren does not know what the future will look like for The Oriental, but says that neither he nor his family are ready to give it up any time soon. “We’re here for the ride.”

qualify for a loan the student is required to answer a series of questions regarding not only your current financial situation, but also your parents.

OSAP seems to assume that every parent is going to assist their child with their educational related expenses, but this is not always the case. Some students are facing the problem where they are not accepted for loans because their parents make a certain amount of gross income.

Not only this, OSAP does not require any proof that these parents are actually going to assist their child with educational related expenses. This is then forcing students to seek out bank loans with much higher interest rates.

Post-secondary education is truly a privilege and most would agree a wonderful opportunity. But this privilege comes with chains in the form of dollar signs.

Parents are seen to play a large role in their children’s economic future, and the numbers are showing a progressing need for financial assistance in the future.

8

Arts & Culture

The Sputnik

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Matthew Burley | arts@thesputnik.ca | @sputnikarts

Checking in with the Ascot Royals Dillon Giancola

Editor-In-Chief I recently got to talk with Brantford’s own The Ascot Royals, ahead of their performance at WTFest. Singer Jimmy Chauveau and guitar player Tal Veisman were on hand to talk about their heavy touring schedule, new songs, and the message behind their songs.

Dillon: So you guys are touring pretty heavily it seems like.

Jimmy: On the verge of kick off time so it’s exciting.

Dillon: What’s that like right now, to be playing constantly?

Jimmy: It’s honestly the most exciting time for us, we thrive off playing live and the atmosphere of these events. It’s really exciting to do what we love each day.

Dillon: Is this the most you guys have been playing in a set time? Is it like this every year?

Jimmy: Lately. We usually tour pretty extensively and lately we’ve been hiding away and writing and getting an EP ready for release at some point. But it’s good to be back, it’s been awhile coming.

Dillon: About that new EP, is it still in the works?

Jimmy: It’s still in the works. There’s no deadline on it so far.

Tal: We have a single release in mid July. It’s the first single off the new EP that’s going to come out.

Dillon: You guys are already playing songs off that right?

Jimmy: Yeah we’re going to showcase a lot of them today for the people of Brantford.

Dillon: Is Brantford where you guys are based out of right now?

Tal: We’re kind of based out of Brantford, we’re kind of from all over the place.

Jimmy and Ben are originally from England and I came from Israel and the other two guys - Scotts from Hamilton and Sam is from Palmerston, Ontario. But now most of us live around the Brantford area, I live in Toronto.

Dillon: What’s it like living in Brantford, playing in a band that’s touring all around?

Jimmy: Its nice and cheap for us, it’s a good place. We had a moment, about a

Tal Veisman, left, and Jimmy Chauveau, right, of The Ascot Royals perform Sunday, June 24 at WTFest. (Dillon Giancola/ The Sputnik)

year ago, our gear was stolen, so we had a fundraiser show and the Brantfordians were amazing, they came out in numbers and were supportive at a hard crucial time for us, and really made us realize why we were really doing this. It forced us into working that much harder to come out with a better product.

Dillon: Laurier students always want to know what it’s like to live year round, and what you do for fun.

Jimmy: It’s a good community and it’s got a good music scene as well. It’s starting to thrive out of the city, and just good people, you know?

Dillon: Let’s talk about your sound.

It’s pretty modern but unique. Who are some of your influences and how have they changed?

Tal: I would say that in the past we were pegged as a dance rock band. A lot of the British influences came in, with anything from the indie influences and the dances beats and things like that. With the

newer stuff were doing, it’s more eclectic and more open to interpretation and it’s straight up rock songs that have good energy, but we focus more on who were are as people and to get that to come out in the music. We found our identity message wise and we’ve had a few struggles in the last few years and we’ve zoned in on that.

Dillon: So when I listen to you guys, I find the vocal arrangements and the rhythmic aspects set you guys apart from other bands. Is that a focus during song writing or does that come out of production?

Jimmy: Honestly, we’ll get the bare bones together then we’ll bring it to the guys and we’ll add a lot more flavour to it.

Tal: We are focusing more on singing, all of us now, we’re working on our voices and it’s been a lot of fun.

Dillon: Awesome. So what are your plans for the rest of the summer?

Jimmy: Heading down to Warped Tour July 1st to 8th, then we’ve got a couple of big shows, Illuminata Festival.

Tal: Illuminata festival before warped tour. Illuminata’s in Toronto, that’s the 25th. We’re basically focusing on our new single that’s coming out in July.

Dillon: But you can’t talk about it?

Tal: I can tell you the name of the song.

It’s called “Best is Yet to Come”. We’re really excited about it. It’s a really important song for us to, when we wrote it, it was a special thing for us. We’re actually working on our new EP with Gavin Brown.

Jimmy: Out of Nova Street.

Tal: He’s been instrumental for us going to the next step. Aside from the great shows that we’ve landed.

Dillon: Aside from the rain, what’s it like playing this big of a festival in Brantford?

Jimmy: Oh we love it man, to come back to Brantford and do this at this spot is unbelievable. We get to showcase our new songs in the loudest way possible and we are very grateful to Jamie Stephens for having us.

The Starving Artist is hungry for talent Chandler Berardi and Meghan Gauvin

News Editorial Team Toronto born artist opens new Brantford restaurant dedicated to showcasing local talent.

The Starving Artist, owned by Christina Hajiioannou, is downtown’s newest opportunity for Brantford artists to share their passion.

All talent, including musicians, poets, photographers, costume designers, painters and more, is encouraged and ever changing.

“There is a need to be recognized and these people need someone to help them get recognized,” said Hajiioannou.

Hajiioannou emphasized that there is no lack of talent in Brantford, rather a lack of outlets for artists to display their work.

Art shows will be consistent events at the restaurant. There is room for 10 artists to be showcased at each show; currently

The front of The Starving Artist Cafe, located at 42 Dalhousie St. (Chandler Berardi/ The Sputnik)

there are five confirmed.

Hajiioannou decided to exclusively use Brantford companies, businesses and staff in her restaurant. She sees no need for competition between other businesses and instead plans to offer her support.

Artists are welcome to hand out business cards and sell merchandise without having to share their profit with the owner.

Hajiioannou wants her restaurant to act as free advertisement for the artists. She also intends on keeping her artists’ contact information on file to use as suggestions

for those looking to hire.

The restaurant owner wants to work with her artists in order to boost their confidence, and make them realize that her restaurant is somewhere where they can feel safe and comfortable.

Singer/songwriter, and Laurier Brantford student, Emma Ruetz said, “this is going to be really exciting, I think, because it’s so unique. There’s no other place on campus where you can just go and be an artist.”

Hajiioannou stressed that customers do

not have to be artistic.

“It’s unlike anything I have seen before, and it seems like the owner has a very unique vision,” said Julia Rajsigl, an art enthusiast and Laurier Brantford student.

The Starving Artist’s private opening is set for Friday June 26 and Saturday June 27. Hajiioannou plans to have the restaurant open to the public during the first week of July.

The restaurant’s menu will consist of crepes, paninis and soups, as well as microbrewery beer and local wine.

Laurier OneCards are something Hajiioannou would like to incorporate, as well as giving students a 10 per cent discount.

Having sold hundreds of her own paintings, Hajiioannou knows how beneficial and uplifting the opportunity of exposure is; she wants her artists to experience the same positivity she has.

“Art is interesting for anybody. People appreciate it in different ways but even people who aren’t artists find interest in art; it’s kind of one of those universal things,” said Ruetz.

Thursday, June 25, 2015

9

The Sputnik

Arts & Culture

Matthew Burley | sports@thesputnik.ca | @sputniksports

Getting to know Harbor

Harbor, from Brantford, performs on June 14 at WTFest. Appearing from Left to Right is Mike Beilawski, Jamie Mittendorf and Henry Dowling. (Dillon Giancola/ The Sputnik)

Matthew Burley

A&C Editor Brantford’s Harbor is a up-tempo, easygoing pop-punk band. The guys are about to tour Japan in promotion of their CD “Grade School Summer”, and had some time to talk with The Sputnik’s Matt Burley before they played at Brantford’s WTFest.

Harbor is comprised of singer and bassist Jamie Mittendorf, Henry Dowling on guitar, Hosh Bombay on drums and Mike Beilawski on guitar and vocals.

Matt: So how’d you guys meet? Were you all friends before hand?

Henry: Yeah we all grew up in the same music scene playing in the same bands, it all kind of came together in early 2012. A few of our bands broke up and we had the right members come together and we were finally able to play with the people we wanted to.

Matt: So you started initially because all your other bands broke up?

Mike: We’re all friends, thats a pretty important piece of it too.

Henry: Theres difficulties with each.

There’s been lineup changes and I guess finding the right people to mesh with is one of the hardest things about being in a band I’d say. So it’s finally working out.

Josh: When we started the band, we wanted to do something different because at the time everyone sounded the exact same, and we wanted to stand out and be different and bring pop punk back to what it was in the ‘90s.

Matt: I saw that on your page you define yourselves as “shitty pop punk”. That was pretty funny, gave me a laugh.

Josh: Bringing it back to American Pie times.

Matt: Who would you say some of your influences would be?

Jamie: Anything from Blink 182, Green Day, Rufio.

Josh: Rufio all the way.

Henry: Pretty much anything we grew up listening to, highschool pop punk, “Big Shiny Tunes”.

Matt: So you were originally from Brantford and moved to Toronto and then moved back?

Mike: Kind of the other way around.

Jamie: When we started the band most of us were living in Toronto at the time but were originally from the Brant-

ford area and we ended up all moving back.

Henry: Just over time, it wasn’t a group decision or anything.

Jamie: We say were from Toronto so our international fans know were from the Toronto area, but we’re all born and raised in Brantford, and Paris.

Matt: So did your perspective change at all about Brantford after the move?

Henry: Not really. Honestly we’d go there (Toronto) to see shows of other bands so it doesn’t feel like it’s that far away.

Josh: Brantford’s home, as shitty as it is.

Matt: Eh, home’s where the heart is.

How does it feel to be performing with big names like Lights and Hedly? Are you excited?

Henry: Oh yeah, we’re fans of a lot of these bands so its an honour to be up there.

Jamie: This is definitely one of the biggest shows we’ve played so far so, we can’t wait.

Matt: Have you played with any other big names?

Jamie: We’ve played with Hawthorne Heights, Four Years Strong, Hit the Lights, State Champs, Swellers, Reset, a few more.

Mike: Not too bad.

Dillon: So you guys are going to Japan right away?

Josh: Yeah, in August. It won’t be real until were on the plane going “somewhere else to play shows”.

Dillon: How was that set up?

Henry: Basically right after we released the video for “Grade School Summer”, we were contacted by a Japanese record label and CD sales have kind of picked over there the past year. This record company approached us about coming over there. We said yes!

Jamie: Yeah we’re on the same label in Japan as Anti - Flag, Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphy’s.

Matt: Did you guys always envision yourselves in music?

Henry: Not when we started the band.

When we started we were like “lets do this for fun”. We weren’t set out to get signed, to get huge. Everybody wants that who plays music but we’ve definitely worked hard to get where we are but not for the sake of making it big. It’s because we love the band and not for fame and fortune.

Josh: Everything that’s happened within this last year has been so surreal.

We never asked for it, it kind of just happened and were all just lucky as hell.

Matt: What are some jobs that you’ve worked before forming Harbor?

Josh: I still have a job, I work at Ford Motors.

Jamie: I sell cars for a living. It’s not bad.

Mike: I drive a forklift. And I also work in a kitchen so that’s exciting. All my time’s taken up by either working or the band. It’s cool.

Henry: I work up North working construction. I’m super into design and architecture so it’s right up my alley.

Matt: That’s cool that you have legitimate jobs and can pull off running the

band, it must be difficult. What’s your favourite song off the album?

Mike: I’m a big fan of “Untitled”. It’s our last song.

Henry: I like playing it the most but I feel like its the go to one. I’d say “Hack It” or “Someone like you”.

Matt: What does Harbour have planned for the future?

Mike: Well, definitely Japan, then when we’re back we want to come together and work on a full length.

Henry: We’ve been in and out of the studio working on a two song EP that we’re hoping to do a split with Yeah Detroit, a band from the UK. It’s not for sure but we’ll see how that pans out, it’s pretty set to happen right now.

Matt: Awesome, thanks so much.

Jamie Mittendorf, left, and Josh Bombay, right, of Harbor. (Dillon Giancola/ The Sputnik)

10

The Sputnik

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Sports

Jacob Dearlove | sports@thesputnik.ca | @sputniksports The Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games rolled through Brantford on Saturday, June 19, as the torch relay made its’ way through the city.

The relay started at the Wayne Gretzky Centre, where local icon Walter Gretzky ran his leg of the relay, before making its’ way to Harmony Square. Harmony Square was alive with people celebrating and learning about the different athletic events that will be part of the Games this summer.

From interactive exhibits of wheelchair basketball and weightlifting to demonstrations of wrestling, boxing, rugby and karate, to musical performances and games for kids, there was something for everyone to enjoy at the celebration event. The atmosphere was fantastic, and the excitement reached a peak when women’s sledge hockey player Jessie Gregory carried the torch into the square.

The Games have been a hot-button topic in the province, but the buzz generated by the torch relay on Saturday indicated an overwhelming curiosity and interest in the event and an excitement for what is to come this summer.

OH, CANADA: PAN AM GAMES

by Jacob Dearlove

Brantford wrestlers Shane and Rob Mudford are cheered on after competing to a tie in the wrestling demonstration in Harmony Square. ___ The Sainte-Marguerite-Bourgeoys choir performs the Canadian national anthem in Harmony Square. ___ Marcus, (shooter) and Owen (defender) try their hand at wheelchair basketball. ___ Women’s Sledge Hockey player and Brantford native Jessie Gregory waves to the crowd along with Walter Gretzky after arriving in Harmony Square with the Pan Am torch.

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Sports

11

The Sputnik

Jacob Dearlove | sports@thesputnik.ca | @sputniksports

Once one of the most hated players in the league, Lebron James became a sympathetic figure in this year’s playoffs. (Sai Gnanaharan/ The Sputnik)

The strange process of becoming a Lebron fan Jacob Dearlove

Sports Editor Something completely out of the ordinary happened during the course of the 2015 NBA Playoffs.

It wasn’t Dwight Howard calling the Rockets ‘champions’, and it wasn’t Josh Smith leading the Rockets to victory with clutch three-pointers.

It wasn’t Steph Curry raining down impossible shot after impossible shot with ease, and neither was it the rise of Matthew Dellavedova to one-hit wonder status.

This phenomenon did not happen all at once, and it was probably not as noticeable as any of the aforementioned moments, yet it was certainly just as, if not more, noteworthy.

The most interesting storyline of the entire NBA Playoffs was the transformation of the public perception of LeBron James.

One of the players who sports fans love to hate, for whatever reason, became one who most fans came to root for as the playoffs, and his championship hopes, dwindled.

I’ll be straightforward from the top – I’ve never had a LeBron problem. I tend to have an appreciation for almost all ultra-talented athletes—I can set aside most conflicting personality quirks in order to appreciate the fantastic athletic feats that these players are somehow able to perform.

As such, I cannot personally say that the transformation was one that I

experienced, but I was certainly witnessed it.There are plenty of reasons that fans of the NBA and fans of sports have for hating LeBron. It may be his self-proclaimed ‘King’ status, his decision to leave Cleveland, or even his decision to leave Miami and return to Cleveland, as well as the manner in which he made those decisions.

Some people are just sick of the seemingly endless ‘King James’ coverage that floods ESPN broadcasts, and others are upset about the comparisons to Michael Jordan as the greatest to ever play the game.

For whatever reason people hated him, though, LeBron’s inspired battle through the 2015 NBA Playoffs made him a hard man to root against.

For some, it was simply the task which was before him that made it possible to cheer for LeBron. The city of Cleveland has not had a single professional sports team win a championship over the course of 143 combined seasons, and as a result it was hard to root against Cleveland as a team from the very beginning.

That 143-season drought is 36 seasons longer than any other city in North America, and it’s been headlined by numerous crushing defeats, including the four-game sweep of the Cavaliers in the 2007 NBA finals.

Regardless of how you feel about the way LeBron handled his first departure from Cleveland, his return was admirable and was a great thing for the city. Cleveland was due for a championship, and LeBron returned to bring them that.

For others, it was the adversity that led to LeBron having absolutely zero help down the stretch of the playoffs that made it possible to root for him.

It was just one round into the playoffs when the Cavs lost Kevin Love, the team’s third-highest scorer and leading rebounder in the regular season.

Kyrie Irving, LeBron’s secondhand man in Cleveland, suffered through injuries throughout the playoffs. Irving, who was second on the team in points and assists, and first in minutes played and steals, missed seven games in the playoffs, including the final five.

Down the stretch, the Cavaliers were reduced to a skeleton of their original depth and LeBron was on an island against a very talented Warriors team. No matter how much you can’t stand a player, it’s human nature to root for the underdog; and for once in his life, LeBron was the underdog.

Even as an underdog in the Finals, LeBron nearly averaged a tripledouble; he only averaged 8.8 assists in the series against Golden State to go along with 35.8 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. He gave every ounce of his energy, but there just was not enough talent around him to carry the team through.

If it wasn’t for the sake of Cleveland or that he was an underdog for the first time in his life, perhaps it was finally seeing LeBron humbled that brought fans over to James’ side during these playoffs.

Maybe for some people it didn’t sink in until seconds before the final

buzzer, when a visibly crushed James congratulated Steph Curry on the win and walked off the court with his head down.

Watching one of the greatest players of all time walk off the court, with his shoulders slumped in total defeat, it was as if at that moment, LeBron was finally human.

So much of what he does on the court and the media coverage that he receives makes James out to be this otherworldly character. This ‘other’ characteristic is what can make it so easy to hate LeBron. It makes him seem distant and intangible, and it was this humbling moment that temporarily broke that barrier.

Whether it was the motivation behind his championship desire, the incredible effort he put in, or the human side of LeBron that was on display, it is hard to deny that he became an easier player to root for in the 2015 NBA Playoffs.

There’s no telling if that will continue into the next season, and it doesn’t have to, because for just a few games, or even a few minutes, some people were finally able to just appreciate the basketball talent of LeBron James.

Do you love to talk sports? Apply for a sports-writing position, email eic@thesputnik.ca for details!

12

Opinion

The Sputnik

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Josh Adesina | opinion@thesputnik.ca | @sputnikopinion

Women’s soccer and the power of femal athletics Josh Adesina

Opinion Editor Let’s be honest. When it comes to sports, females are generally overlooked because many feel as though it is a male-dominated skill.

The truth is that female athletes are just as talented as males are. There is a big difference when it comes to salaries between the two genders but females can have the same drive and aggression. The FIFA Women’s World Cup is currently taking place, and the Women’s National Basketball Association has existed for 18 years, with both boasting worldclass athletes. Furthermore, by displaying their athletic talent, women are encouraging females worldwide to play sports.

Canada’s national soccer team have been competing in the 2015 Women’s World Cup since June, and are preparing for the quarterfinals.

The team’s head coach, John Herdman, alongside the team’s highestscoring forward, Christine Sinclair, have been leading the team through the fierce competition.

Understanding women’s sport in Canada means looking at some of the factors controlling it. Herdman is a good example. Herdman is no stranger to coaching and has an impressive history of soccer experience. The New Zealand National soccer team was coached by Herd-

man between 2006 and 2011, after which he was hired by Canada’s team. Herdman led the team to a gold medal in the 2011 Pan American games in Mexico. The following year, Herdman led the team through the London Olympics but their met their match with England in the Bronze medal match and suffered a great loss to them. The loss hasn’t shaken Herdman or the ladies playing for Canada, and here they are again this year, determined to win.

Herdman’s strong mentality has been a driving force for Canada. The Canadian Soccer Association made a statement by extending Herdman’s contract to 2020. An ambitious head coach can never steer a team in the wrong direction. A quote from defender Carmelina Moscato published by the Globe and Mail gives you an idea about Herdman’s professionalism. “You talk about squeezing blood from a rock. He’s really done it with a lot of us. He has reinvented ourselves.” Herdman’s ambition has motivated the team and it doesn’t look like he will be giving up anytime soon.

In a video published by the Canadian Press, Canadian Soccer President Victor Montagliani spoke about the positivity that the team brings to Canada and women’s sports. “Women’s football is a very pure form of football. I think women’s football can shine some light on the clouds that are hanging over the game.” Montagliani’s quote sup-

The Canadian Women’s soccer team, long the face of soccer in our country, now has the opportunity to be the face of sports, for a moment, in our nation. (Sai Gnanaharan/ The Sputnik)

ports the fact that the team has impacted women’s sport for Canadian females, and brings positivity to the sport of soccer. There is a lot of support and positivity that surrounds Canada’s national soccer team.

Furthermore, we cannot neglect young Canadian players such as Kadeisha Buchanan, aged 19. Born in Brampton, Ontario, Buchanan is one of the youngest players on Canada’s national soccer team, and mentioned that she was passionate about indigenous female soccer players. We

definitely cannot forget about Christine Sinclair, the team’s captain.

Born in Burnaby, British Columbia, the 32-year old is ranked third in international goals scored. Confident female athletes like Buchanan and Sinclair are sure to encourage females to play and enjoy the sport.

Overall, Canada’s national soccer team is definitely bringing a lot of positivity to Canadian sports. If you’re a sports fan, make sure you show support to your team and cheer them on through this tournament!

The Caitlyn Jenner PSA: Gender is a complex conversation Josh Adesina

Opinion Editor Just when you thought the Kardashian family were out of surprises, it seems like they saved the biggest and best for last.

Caitlyn Jenner, formally known as Bruce Jenner, has broken the internet with her bold decision to come out as a transgender. Jenner’s action has received a tsunami of support from various celebrities and television personalities, along with encouraging comments from millions of people across the world. Let’s not pretend as though your newsfeed wasn’t flooded with corny captions about Jenner.

Born in Mount Kisco, New York, in 1949, Jenner was an athlete who won a gold medal as a participant in the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics of 1976. From a young age, Jenner was quite the athlete, excelling in sports such as basketball,

football, skiing and track. Jenner was encouraged at a young age to pursue sports and attended Graceland College through a football scholarship.

An unfortunate injury made her pursue track and field instead.

Various opportunities presented themselves to Jenner as a result of her success in the world of sports.

In addition to endorsements, Jenner became involved with television appearances, and starred in shows such as ‘The American Sportsman’ and ‘CHiPS’, followed by appearances in films such as ‘The Original Content’ and ‘Can’t Stop the Music’. Jenner also makes several appearances in the reality show ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’. As you can see, Jenner is no stranger to television and the world of entertainment.

For those that do know about what it means to be transgender, here is a brief description that will allow you to develop a basic understanding.

Trans or transgender is an umbrella term used to describe those who ex-

press or identify with diverse gender identities that differ from gender norms. Gender identity is ones internal understanding of their gender experience, whereas, gender expression is how one publically presents their gender. The Ontario Human Rights Commission explains that trans or transgender can be used and is not limited to describe people who identify as transgender, trans woman (male-to-female), trans man (femaleto-male), transsexual, cross-dresser, gender non-conforming, gender variant or gender queer.

Everybody has their opinion about whether or not this is a scheme to cash in on big bucks for Jenner and the Kardashians. It wouldn’t seem far-fetched to think this, because of the opportunities that will rush towards Jenner and the Kardashian family, as a result of her coming out.

Regardless of whether or not you agree about Jenner’s decision about identifying as a female, it is her decision. If an individual feels as though

they want to identify themselves as a certain gender, it shouldn’t lead to them being discriminated against.

Celebrity tabloids and social media are gossipy beasts, and it’s likely that you will be exposed to their speculation and chatter about gender.

Discussing people who are transgender, or even gender as a whole, can be challenging because there are many people engaged in conversations about gender who do not the take time to learn about its complexities.

So educate yourself on the nature of these discussions, and go beyond the pettiness. It isn’t right to be spiteful to someone because of their sexual orientation. Jenner will live her life as a woman regardless of what people say, and how they feel about it.

We are all human beings and deserve to be treated with respect. You do not have to like everything, but it is always important to show others the same respect that you yourself are in pursuit of.