The Sputnik Issue #1

WEDNESDAY June 22, 2016 ISSUE 1 - ONLINE WWW.THESPUTNIK.CA @SPUTNIK_NEWS THE SPUTNIK

PRIDE EVENTS IN BRANTFORD 3

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CHRISTINA MANOCCHIO / THE SPUTNIK

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THE SPUTNIK

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

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Christina Manocchio eic@thesputnik.ca PHOTO EDITOR Kathleen Binder photography@thesputnik.ca LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Gurleen Lall leadphotographer@thesputnik.ca GRAPHIC EDITOR Sai Gnanaharan visual@thesputnik.ca WEB EDITOR Kurtis Rideout web@thesputnik.ca NEWS EDITOR Shreya Shah news@thesputnik.ca ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Anya Eland FEATURES EDITOR Dellesia Noah features@thesputnik.ca ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Matthew Burley arts@thesputnik.ca SPORTS EDITOR Devon Momy-Gamache sports@thesputnik.ca OPINION EDITOR

Josh Adesina opinion@thesputnik.ca

THE SPUTNIK ADMIN PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER Meghan Roach (519) 884-0710 ext. 3565 president@wlusp.com ADVERTISING Care Schummer (519) 884-0719 ext. 3560 care.schummer@wlusp.com MANAGER OF OPERATIONS Jamaal Owusu-Ansah manager@thesputnik.ca EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Lakyn Barton lakyn.barton@wlusp.com Treasurer John Pehar Vice-Chair Abdiasis Issa Director Mynt Marsellus Director Maddy Cutts Director Matthew Burley Director Fred Kuntz Director Gary Doyle

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WEDNESDAY JUNE 22, 2016

Through The Time Are we shocked about Capsule, A Story of London’s new mayor? a Canadian Soldier

Dellesia Noah Features Editor September 1, 1939 is attributed to being the beginning of World War II. Germany invaded Poland and the rest as we know it is history. There are many brave soldiers that helped shaped that outcome for the better. One of them being, Maurice Bilodeau.

Bilodeau is the great-grandfather to Danielle Crites, a history major here at Laurier Brantford.

Seeing as to where her family history lies it only makes sense that she would choose to study history.

When the war broke out Bilodeau was the youngest to serve in his regiment; the Regiment de Maisonneuve, as he lied about his age during the draft.

“He was a man who was always passionate about telling his stories from the war” Crites said. And Bilodeau had many, in one particular battle Bilodeau and his regiment were walking across a field when gunfire erupted. Bilodeau had lost track of his regiment and he and a friend tried to hide in a hole they had dug themselves. Bilodeau had dug his fingers practically down to the bone in the process. The Canadians won the battle that day but not without the sacrifice of many soldiers who had lost their lives, including Bilodeau’s friend.

Along with the many brave soldiers that helped shaped that time for the better there were ordinary people making positive differences to help change the world in small ways. One German family in particular offered their basement

Sadiq Khan, Sai Gnanaharan/ The Sputnik

Couresy of Maurice Bilodeau

as refuge to Bilodeau one night.

Once inside, Bilodeau dropped his gun on the couch where it went off, emptying its canister and destroying the German family’s couch. A small sacrifice to make for freedom I guess.

Crites and the family would always gather together during the holidays where Bilodeau would regale them of stories like these.

As Bilodeau grew older he remained a happy man – as remembered by his family -- he spent his time volunteering at the Pearly Rideau Veterans Centre and Retirement Home in Ottawa and still had a fondness for model trains.

Nearing the end of his life Bilodeau was later admitted into that same retirement home which he volunteered at where he passed away at the age of 90.

“Through my great grandfather, I learned more about the individual soldier’s view of war instead of the one taught in schools that revolve around politics and big battles” Crites said “He taught me that as long as I was kind, people will be thankful and remember you”.

Josh Adesina Opinion Editor Race and ethnicity have always been factors in regards to politics.

It isn’t surprising to see that most of our leaders are one race. However, things seem to be changing a little. The British capital now has a new mayor in power and he isn’t what a lot of people were expecting. Will he be able to handle the pressures of this incredibly demanding job? I think he will. I also believe that his ethnic background will be a reason why he will be a successful leader.

Sadiq Khan, aged 45, was born in Tooting, South London. Khan is of Pakistani descent and is a follower of Sunni Islam. The British media have done an excellent job in recognizing him as the first Muslim to ever become the Mayor of London. Several articles have been circulating about Khan’s ethnic background which isn’t really a surprise. We are used to seeing Caucasian leaders representing us – especially in Great Britain. I do not see any cons of

apply sunscreen, lets try to avoid skin cancer folks! Wear a hat too, and bring an umbrella. When you are sick of the beach, head home.

To end the day, scrub the sand out of every nook and cranny in your body! Read a book. Enroll in a summer course. Get a job, you can pay back your OSAP loans with the money you earn. Visit

our neighbouring town in Paris, Ontairo. Take a bike ride down the Grand River. Don’t forget a helmet! You will need that brain in September. Visit the waterfalls in Hamilton. Visit a local pool, Brantford has indoor and outdoor facility options. Do not splash the lifeguard, they have a resting bitch face for a reason.

there being a minority in a position of leadership. I think this will encourage more diversity in positions of leadership in London and across the world.

Furthermore, Khan is showing the world that there is more to London than we thought.

When we say the word ‘British’ we don’t usually think about diversity. We’re normally thinking about people of European descent. They don’t really give British minorities that much shine.

I can validate this with my own personal experience as a British Nigerian living in Canada. Khan is showing the world that London is a diverse city with minorities that have a lot to offer.

Although London has embraced Khan as their new mayor there will definitely be haters.

Much like the ones that he had to defend himself against whilst growing up in a Tooting council estate, according to Metro UK. The United Kingdom has a very conservative attitude to a lot of things, and I would say race is one of them. It’s important that we see diversity amongst our leaders. Furthermore, it’s important for minorities because it inspires and gives them hope.

Summer Entertainment

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Ahh summer time. Sunny days, warm air, and some free time. If you have too much free time leads to boredom, but dont worry, here are some suggestions for entertainment. Kayak or Canoe in the Grand River. Go to the beach, Port Dover is only 4o minutes away from Brantford! When you arrive to the beach, don’t forget to

Have fun, The Sputnik.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 22, 2016

THE SPUTNIK

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NEWS

SHREYA SHAH | NEWS@THESPUTNIK.CA | @SPUTNIK_NEWS

Brantford’s Annual Pride Week

Christina Manocchio/ The Sputnik

Shreya Shah News Editor The raising of a rainbow colored flag at city hall marked the kickoff of Brantford’s sixth annual Pride Week.

The yearly event is hosted by Brantford PRIDE, a non-profit organization that is composed of community members and partners. The week took off with a flag-raising ceremony that was held on June 13, followed by an array of events and celebrations ensued for the next several days.

Ken Giesen, the treasurer for the PRIDE committee, proudly

reported that the event was a huge success. “The flag-raising was attended by over 200 people, almost double the amount of people who attended last year.”

Brantford Pride was bigger than ever this year. There was a total of eight organized events, including a Pride Dance at Pavilion Hall, a non-denominational church service, and of course, the traditional Pride Walk.

Some of the most popular events included an Open Mic Night and an evening sunset cruise along the Grand River.

“There were around 60 people at the open mic. People were spilled out onto the street because there was no room for them in the café,” reported Giesen. “The boat cruise was also sold out. 120 tickets were purchased, which was double what was sold last year,”

When asked about the growth of the Pride organization in the last few years, he added, “We are happy to announce that PFLAG a peer support group for individuals, families and friends with questions or concerns about sexual orientation and or gender identity issues - is starting up in Brantford.

The first meeting is on Monday June 20 at the Grand River Community Health Center. The group will meet the third Monday of each month at the GRCHC.” Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) is a Canadian organization which was founded by parents who wanted to understand, help, and support their children who are not heterosexually oriented. The organization works to help individuals during the ‘coming out’ phase, which can be emotionally difficult for everyone involved.

The LGBTQ+ community in Brantford has found a lot of support, especially in the form of

sponsors and donors who have contributed to Pride Week. The list of sponsors, donators, and supporters included The City of Brantford, Sociable tavern, The Brant Community Health Centre, the Sexual Assault Centre of Brant, and Wilfrid Laurier University. The partners and sponsors showed their support through the donation of time, materials, and door prizes.

Showcased on Brantford Pride’s website is a video called, “What Pride Means to Brantford.” Created by the members of the Brantford community, the two-minute clip displays the diverse group of participants as they describe that to them, Pride means acceptance, change, and celebration.

The mission of Brantford Pride, as stated on their website, is to, “To provide Brantford and Brant County with a cultural and economically viable annual festival and to encourage participation from the LGBT community and

its allies, in planning, implementation and enjoyment of Pride celebrations.”

The pursuit to create a community that is diverse and accepting of its LGBTQ+ members has become more important, in the light of the Orlando shootings.

Described as one of the deadliest mass shootings in US history, the shooting left 49 people dead and approximately 53 people wounded. President Obama has declared this event to be an act of hate and terror. As victims, family members and the international community grieve, Brantford Pride sends their love, “Love is stronger than hate. Brantford Pride sends our love and support to Orlando’s LGBTQ+ community and their families. The Pride Non-Denominational Church Service will be conducted with the tragedy of Orlando in mind.”

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THE SPUTNIK

WEDNESDAY JUNE 22, 2016

NEWS

SHREYA SHAS | NEWS@THESPUTNIK.CA | @SPUTNIK_NEWS

Laurier Brantford Prepares to Meet the World Anya Eland Assistant News Editor Laurier Brantford Prepares to Meet the World The Intercultural Certificate program is a new course offered to all Laurier Brantford students through Laurier International.

This program is a six module program, which includes the following: Introduction to Concepts of Culture, Introduction to Exploring One’s Culture, Introduction to Intercultural Communication, Exploring Difference, Introduction to Cultural Adaptation and Lifelong Intercultural Learning.

The Diversity and Equity Office and Centre for Teaching Innovation and Excellence took part in the development of this certificate.

“This type of program has been in demand at Laurier for some time. More recently, the new Strategic Academic Plan (2015-2020)

has highlighted experiential learning, and diversity as pillars of a campus known for teaching excellence and high quality student experience,” said Mike Boylan, who helped promote and register students on the Brantford campus. “The Intercultural Certificate uses an experiential learning model to develop a culture committed to exploring difference and developing cultural empathy, which in turn, support diversity and inclusivity.”

Sinthu Vimaladasan, a fourth year criminology student talked about her experience taking this course, “I wanted to gain more awareness about the interactions of peoples aside from our Western perspective. The little things we do can relay a completely different message to someone from another part of the world. Every student that chooses to gain this certificate is also gaining intercultural competency and I believe that is the biggest benefit of this program.”

Vimaladasan further explained how this program helps broaden students’ minds on the topic of

intercultural competencies. “Globalization makes it possible for us to get involved in business, education and entrepreneurialism on an international level, however, it is key to understand the societal norms of that particular state – what is respectful behaviour and disrespectful behaviour. For example, in Ghana, it is very disrespectful to use your left hand at all because it is considered dirty so it is important to be conscious of that and make an effort to use your right hand. This course really gives you a broader understanding of international affairs on a social level and will most definitely help students identify what is an ignorant stereotype and what is a social norm.”

“The ability to work across difference; to excel in an environment rich with different communication and leadership styles, different values and ways of knowing, is part of what Laurier strives to instill in its graduates. One way to develop intercultural skills is through student mobility. To this end Laurier International supports the student

exchange program, international field courses, internships and more. But relatively few Laurier students travel internationally (we are working to increase this number), and we see the Intercultural Certificate as a free and accessible program, on campus, that helps to develop well-rounded and globally minded students,” said Boylan.

Students can gain co-curricular record recognition for completing this program.

“This certificate will help students to work across difference.

It will be useful in their interpersonal relationships, as well as their academic and career success,” said Boylan.

For more information on this program check out, https:// legacy.wlu.ca/page.php?grp_ id=151&p=17015 or contact Mike Boylan at mboylan@wlu.ca.

Laurier’s Sutainable Campus Christina Manocchio Editor-in-chief Whether or not you think global warming is true or not, Wilfrid Laurier University is taking action to have less of an impact on the environment.

Laurier’s sustainable energy management initiative is the plan the university set out to cause lesser harm on the environment.

The goal was to reduce green house gas (GHG) emissions by 15 per cent between by 2015. In Laurier’s Sustainability Report 2015, the university reduce GHG by 17.8 per cent. Living walls, sensor lights, and LED lighting are just some of the simple ways that contributes to lower energy consumption.

“A lot of the projects we are selecting out of this program can potentially take 15 to 20 years to pay back,” said Robert McCallum, the project manager.

Phase 1 of the project cost Laurier five million dollars in creat-

ing. With the expectation that energy and other resources costs will rise in the future, this initiative will pay for itself in the future.

There is a plan in place to keep this initiative a small expense for Laurier. A payback agreement through Energy Service Company (ESCO), Johnston Controls Inc., will allow Laurier to pay for the upgrades through the savings.

“There are immediate environmental benefits, benefits to sustainability,” said McCallum.

Laurier’s Sustainability Office is reviewing on a new sustainability master plan for 2017. The master plans include improvements and/ or upgrades in the environment, transportation, construction, and suitability in both campuses.

The Waterloo campus has seen more upgrades compared to the Brantford campus. Phase 1 included Brantford’s Grand River Hall with upgrades in the electrical and mechanical systems. In Waterloo, the Bricker residence and the library will have the same upgrades, but with solar panels added. All upgrades occur during the summer to avoid the inconvenience for student’s studies.

The university has added fea-

tures that encourage students to utilize the sustainable efforts campus. In Branford, the Expositor residence has indoor bicycle racks that students and faculty can use for a small fee, and free outdoor bicycle racks throughout campus. The living wall in RCW and the garden located in the court yard are features that contribute to sustaining the environment. Both campuses offer courses for students to learn about suitability in an economic, cultural, and environmental perspective.

“I thnk this will continue to evolve, and to be a continuous improvement process,” said McCallum.

Laurier in Waterloo has more environmentally friendly features for students, including a bike share for students and other community members who don’t have access to a bike. Laurier’s plans to create a sustainable campus will take some time, but the long term benefits will be worth it.

Christina Manochio/ The Sputnik

WEDNESDAY JUNE 22, 2016

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NEWS

ANYA ELAND | NEWS@THESPUTNIK.CA | @SPUTNIK_NEWS

Congratulations Laurier Graduates!

Christina Manochio/ The Sputnik

Shreya Shah News Editor June 7 and June 8 marked a special day for many golden hawks – it was time for the 2016 graduation ceremony.

Graduation took place at the Sanderson Centre for the Per-

forming Arts, where hundreds of students gathered with their friends and family to celebrate the completion of their degree.

Dressed in their graduation regalia, students first headed to the Odeon building to meet up with their classmates and chat for a final few minutes before heading out to the ceremony.

Next stop was the Sanderson Centre where the friends and families of the graduating students waited in anticipation.

Jananni Puvanendran, one of the

graduating students, described what it felt like to walk across the stage and accept her degree, “Walking across that stage, it goes by quickly, you really don’t get to process four years within those 20 seconds. It’s honestly after, when you go back to your seat and sit down and stare at that paper, that you are able to look back and reflect on everything.”

The closing of the ceremony was marked by the alumni welcome speech given by Scott Lyons. Lyons graduated from Wil-

frid Laurier University in 1989 and is currently the president of Extend Communications Inc. – a telephone answering service call centre.

As the graduation ceremony drew to a slow and happy end, William Kearney, a graduating history major, had the following advice for incoming Laurier freshmen. “Get involved. I wish I had done that more in the beginning and I only really made an effort in my fourth year. As for stud-

ies, things will come easier if you work on organising yourself and developing good routines. Stay away from Vegas and please limit your NV exposure.”

Congratulations to the graduating class of 2016. We wish you the best luck as you start a new chapter in your lives.

Future plans in the Golden Horseshoe Chris Ritsma Contributor When discussing any type of politics, boundaries are always part of that discussion. Whether it be municipal, regional, provincial, or national, lines on a map divide us into segregated regions.

The 2016 Bay Area Economic Summit instead focused on how the economies of the world know no boundaries, and instead mesh between the regions that politics often separates.

While Brantford was not the specific focus of the Summit it was mentioned and is part of the Golden Horseshoe area that the Summit addressed more than a few times. The Burlington Chamber of Commerce and the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce organized the event on June 21 to bring together the leaders of innovation and progress at second annual Bay Area Economic Summit. The goal was to foster a discussion about the future of the Bay Area and the Golden Horseshoe and its future within the broader economy of Ontario and the world.

Earlier this year in April it was announced that there would be the addition of a GO Transit bus route from Burlington’s Aldershot station to Brantford. By connecting these two cities allows more transit options when travelling between cities. The hope of this route is to boost the economies of both cities, which have

their own strengths that can now be accessed more easily.

The event spanned the entire day and had plenty of talent in attendance. With speakers such as the local MP and MPP from both Hamilton and Burlington, as well as the mayors of both cities, there was a meaningful discussion about the goals of the municipalities as a partnership. There were other speakers such as Steve Beatty, the Partner & Head of Global Infrastructure at KPMG, who spoke about ‘magnet cities’, which are cities that either repel or attract people. This type of discussion can be applied to any city around the world, but the Bay Area wants to become a leader in attracting businesses and residents to the area.

The event displayed that municipal governments are stepping up to become leaders at improving the economies and livability of their cities in a more focussed way than the provincial and federal government can. A common theme throughout the summit was the topic of partnership, and how areas around Ontario should work together to become one working economy that accomplishes goals together. Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring mentioned that 35,000 people commuting between the cities for employment is one example that the two cities are in fact one community with similar needs. This is in contrast to previous ways that cities

and regions around Ontario have worked for decades. In the past each area fights for the attention of the higher levels of government for funding, policy change, and improvement of their community. Working together, the politicians and private business owners feel that they can make larger, more efficient changes and improvements to areas that are falling behind. Hamilton and Burlington feel that they can complement each other, rather than fight each other for cultural and economic superiority.

When discussing any political matter, many are often quick to judge an event like this as all talk, and no actual benefit to the community. That is why its important that both the private and public sector made achievable promises at the event. The keynote speakers Dino Trevisani, the President of IBM Canada, and Ontario’s Premier, Kathleen Wynne, both made promises toward the improvement of not only the Bay Area and the Golden Horseshoe, but all of Ontario and its communities. Wynne promised the Ontario government will work with the municipalities represented at the event, as well as others to implement changes that will benefit the economies and communities of the area. Wynne spoke of her plan to increase jobs by making smart investments in areas like the Bay Area with funding for projects like the proposed

Program booklet, Chris Ritsma/ The Sputnik

LRT and improved assistance for post-secondary tuition. Wynne also spoke about the Canadian Pension Plan (CPP) deal which she noted was a significant win for Ontario as the province no longer needs the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan (ORPP) that was being developed.

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THE SPUTNIK

WEDNESDAY JUNE 22, 2016

FEATURES

DELLESIA NOAH | FEATURES@THESPUTNIK.CA | @SPUTNIK_NEWS

Golden Hawks Around the Globe Almost every person has a list of countries they want to travel to on their bucket list. traveling is more than just a chance to get some much needed R and R. It’s a chance to experience other cultures and foods different from your own. It’s a chance to go back and learn of your roots and where you may have come from, and it’s also a chance to re-connect with family. This is exactly what these following golden hawks experienced, take a trip with them around the globe.

Dellesia Noah Features Editor

Courtesy of Jessica Chesler

Britany Legault: “My family and I went to Los Cabos in Mexico to an all-inclusive resort called the Rio Santa Fe for a well-deserved family vacation. The resort we stayed in was amazing, and it backed onto the ocean. We couldn’t swim in it though, since it was the Pacific Ocean and the under tow was extremely strong. We went on two excursions; one was ATVing through the desert; we saw cattle, a roadrunner and the views were immaculate. The other was to a beach called Lover’s Beach which we had to take a water taxi to get to since it was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I loved Los Cabos because it had amazing views, amazing food, and free booze! It also brought my family together, and we really bonded throughout this trip. My favourite food was from the Asian inspired restaurant they had on the resort, for desert, we had deep fried ice-cream.

Photo courtesy of Britany Legualt

Philip Kartos: “I went to Italy for three weeks in May. I went with a group of about 40 other 3rd and 4th year Nipissing Students in the Con-Ed Program to teach English. Everything there was so beautiful, our daily walk to school in the town we taught in had this amazing view of these mountains nearby. It was really incredible. The entire city of Venice had to be the most amazing and breathtaking. We went on a gondola ride and really got to take in not just the larger tourist spots, but even the really quiet residential areas, it seemed like two completely different places in the span of a half hour gondola ride. And of course I loved the food, especially the pizza. It was obviously the best pizza I’ve ever had and probably ever will have and I’m missing it right now.”

Photo courtesy of Philip Kartos

Cyril Tuazon: “I went to the Philippines for the first time in 11 years since I moved to Canada. I went to visit my family members who I haven’t seen in a very long time. I stayed with different sides of the family since I was there for a full month and wanted to get the full extent of my trip. It was a rewarding and soul searching experience to be able to reconnect with loved ones since we’re separated by countries.

The food I ate was quite good and incomparable to the “Filipino” cuisine in Canada. The food there was just so good that I couldn’t help but eat more than I could take. Of course it made my body pay a price and gain five pounds but that’s okay. If I speak in terms of symbolism, my five pounds that I gained is from the memories that I gained that I will never let go of, the happiness and joy that took over me and the food.”

Photo courtesy of Cyril Tuazon

Jessica Chesler: “I went to Sydney, Australia for a few weeks, to go and see my family. During my time in Australia, there were so many amazing experiences that I was able to have while I was here. We went during a festival called Vivid Australia, a light show that features various artist that are inspired by different theme which made my trip even better. One of my favourite places I visited was downtown, Sydney.

While I was there, I was able to go to some incredible areas, which include the Sydney Opera House, the Royal Botanical Gardens, Circular Quay and much more. I had the most incredible trip and would love to go back again.”

Courtesy of Jessica Chesler

WEDNESDAY JUNE 22 2016

THE SPUTNIK

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FEATURES

DELLESIA NOAH | FEATURES@THESPUTNIK.CA | @SPUTNIK_NEWS

The Catfish Experience

Matthew Burley/The Sputnik

Kurtis Rideout Web Editor With their profile pictures curated from Google images, their short contact list which might have one or two common friends, and a wall completely devoid of any actual social interaction, it’s almost as if they made the account yesterday just to add you.

Whether you are on Facebook, Twitter, Tinder or the next emerging social media thing, the platform isn’t really relevant, you most likely know exactly what I am talking about.

The first thing to note is that being ‘catfished’ can be a huge violation of someone’s privacy and can also have a lasting impact on someone’s ability to trust other people.

Furthermore, it often leaves people feeling embarrassed or ashamed, having found themselves tricked into a very vulnerable position. For this reason, a number of the names in this story have been changed out of respect for all parties involved.

Secondly, where does thethe term ‘catfish’ actually come from?

It derives from the act of adding a few catfish to a shipment of cod fish during overseas transport to keep them on their toes. Thus resulting in a healthier, leaner tasting fish.

The story actually originates from the 2010 documentary Catfish where Vince Pierce, the husband of a women in her forties had been posing online as a teenage girl, relayed it as follows: “By the time the codfish reached China, the flesh was mush and tasteless. So this guy came up with the idea that if you put these cods in these big vats, put some catfish in with them and the catfish will keep the cod agile. And there are those people who are catfish in life.

And they keep you on your toes.”

Carlie is a nurse in her thirties living outside of Toronto.

A few years after splitting up with her husband she decided she would try dating again via the popular singles website Plenty of Fish.

Though it wasn’t enough to scare her away from online dating altogether, she recounted to me a very memorable experience of a meet up that turned very quickly, and awkwardly, into the classic ‘blind date’ nightmare scenario.

Scott’s profile on Plenty of Fish (PoF) detailed a pretty average sounding guy in his mid-thirties.

He claimed that he worked in trades and was interested in athletics and going to the gym.

It seemed as though he was a pretty healthy, active guy, so when he first started messaging Carlie, she ignored the fact that each of his profile photos was a blurry headshot.

It was ‘Roll up the Rim’ season at Tim Horton’s when Carlie parked her car and nervously entered the café where she was supposed to meet Scott.

When she first lay eyes on him she had to do a double take. If his hobby was going to the gym it had been a long time.

Before she could even sit down the first thing that came out of his mouth was, “You’re one hot mama.”

He offered to buy her a coffee.

Ignoring the warning signs, Carlie decided that since she was already there she would humour him. At least he offered to buy for me, she thought. He then reached into his pocket and emptied the contents onto the counter. Two ‘Roll up the Rim’ coupons for free coffee.

They sat down and proceeded to chat.

He told her how he was currently unemployed and living in his mom’s basement, and just when she thought things couldn’t get worse he interrupted before she got the chance to excuse herself, “I’m gonna go out for a butt, do you

mind coming outside to join me?”

Carlie awkwardly obliged, noting the fact that his profile said he was a non-smoker.

“Oh everyone gives you a hard time when you say you’re a smoker,” he said nonchalantly.

Outside he interrupted again, and noting the weather he suggested they sit in his car for the duration of the cigarette. With her patience wearing thin she complied. She sat in the passenger side of his car with her hand covering the door handle for good measure.

“Well,” he sighed, “Should we go park behind No Frills?” “…Um, what for?”

“It’s just better if we get this over with…”

Before he could even elaborate, Carlie finally built the nerve to cut him off and make an exit.

Feeling no sense of rejection, lit cigarette still in hand, he confidently pulled his gum out of his mouth and stuck it to the bottom of his steering wheel, and asked for a kiss.

And if you thought this story couldn’t get worse, here is the kicker, after a few months passed Carlie was in for quite the shock and surprise when she was greeted by none other than Scott’s ‘big, fat silhouette,’ cast from beyond the divider doors at the hospital where she worked.

As it turns out Scott had a number of health complications including hepatitis, recreational drug use, and much more; he was actually in the hospital for a minor surgery related to such complications (so much for being in good shape).

Needless to say she spent the rest of her shift blockaded in a room on the opposite side of the building…

But guess who happened to be acting as head nurse the day he returned to the hospital with a dehisced surgical wound?

Vishal is a copywriter from India in his late-twenties.

Like most teens growing up in the golden age of instant messaging, Vishal and his friend Rahul logged

many hours exchanging emoticons with their friends from school, and it wasn’t unusual for them to kill a whole afternoon goofing off sitting around the computer.

What started out as a pretty innocuous joke quickly spiraled into something a lot more serious when Vishal and Rahul decided to create an account on MSN Messenger with the address Jennifer_anderson91@hotmail.com.

Arming themselves with jpegs from Google images and a backup account for extra pictures, they shared the password around with their group of friends, and all began taking turns pretending to be Jennifer, choosing their mutual friend Saul as a target for their elaborate prank.

Things started out pretty innocently actually, they would ask their friend Saul questions that they knew he couldn’t answer and when they caught him lying to impress ‘Jennifer’ they even made him feel bad enough to apologize. They laughed as he tried to talk soccer with her, and then even more when he agreed that Randy Orton (the WWE wrestler) was the best player on Manchester United team.

The whole charade lasted a few months and even transitioned over to texting, which apparently got pretty nasty according to Vishal, but the one thing I still don’t understand about his story is the fact that the way he tells it, it never actually ends in with Saul freaking out on his friends, he just claims that Saul didn’t trust them with anything computer related for a few months.

Go figure.

Allie currently lives with her boyfriend Tone in Carolina, who she met online through the popular avatar based ‘metaverse’ site IMVU. Allie grew up in a small town in Southern Ontario where it’s really easy to feel alone unless you don’t mind spending all your free time with your parents. Like many other young people growing up in such an isolated place, the internet be-

came her connection to the world beyond her small town.

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Allie though.

As the metaphor suggests, the ‘catfish’ kept her on her toes.

Around the time she was fourteen years old Allie would spend some of her time chatting in various Facebook groups, one in particular was called ‘The Bathroom Wall’. That is where she met a young man named Leo who all but inducted her into his seemingly exciting group of friends.

Though she has fond memories of the group, she noted that they seemed pretty dramatic, even for high school kids. She also noticed that it was very rare for more than one of them to talk to her at a time, which seemed very peculiar.

“I never actually got an answer as to whether or not Josh was a real person, or whether this was one guy/girl with a lot of different accounts, trying to just mess with me, but it seemed too suspicious to even be real.”

Nonetheless, Allie began to fall for Leo’s best friend Josh, someone she considers to be her first crush.

Josh was the first person who genuinely showed interest in her, but as they began to lose touch her suspicions started to materialize; they had all but disappeared from each other’s lives.

“I had really fond memories of Josh, Chelsea and the others, and it actually took about five years for me to come to terms with the fact that these people probably were never real, which devastated me. I’ve made ample amounts of friends online, but after that, I was always weary in terms of who I was talking to and whether or not I would share certain information with them. What I still don’t understand to this day though, is what would possess somebody to do that in the first place, but to a 14-year-old girl as well. It’s pretty pitiful.”

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THE SPUTNIK

WEDNESDAY JUNE 22, 2016

ARTS & CULTURE MATTHEW BURLEY | ARTS@THESPUTNIK.CA | @SPUTNIK_NEWS

A Canadian Perspective on Ghanian Culture

Brittany Bennett Staff Writer Everyone warned me of the culture shock, but it’s really hard to say what that is exactly.

I have been living in Accra, Ghana for about three weeks now. I was lucky enough to have been one of seven Laurier students to attain the Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship through our Human Rights and Human Diversity department. I am so grateful to be interning for the amazing NonGovernmental Organization, the Street Children Empowerment Foundation for the next three months.

I guess you could call it an emotional jet lag of sorts, culture shock. I feel as if I will understand it’s meaning so much more once I have reintegrated back into Canada in September. I have also been warned of the culture shock I may experience when coming back, which was super surprising to hear.

It has been quite interesting because the most common thing you hear about the Ghanaian culture is “they are so nice,” which is also a Canadian stereotype. The funny thing is, Ghanaians and Canadians are both “nice” cultures, but in very different ways.

In Canada we are used to the typical over-politeness. Now in

Ghana, that is not the “nice” everyone is talking about. For example, my first day here we were in a little store and a couple of the other students were looking through the two fridges of drinks.

The lady at the front used a very stern, almost aggressive sounding voice (at the time at least), to say, “shut the door” because one fridge door was left open while they were looking in the other. I was taken aback to be honest. I thought, why didn’t she just ask them to shut the door politely?

But I soon learnt that is just not a piece of the Ghanaian culture.

Not to say that lady was mean, or angry with the students for leaving the door open, Ghanaians just tell you what to do rather than ask you. Before realizing this I felt so confused. I thought everyone must have been just saying Ghanaians were nice to make me feel better. This culture shock made me feel a little bit lonely at the start.

But then you find yourself on the streets of Ghana looking even slightly lost and within seconds someone will ask you, “where are you going?” and help you to the point of walking you to wherever you need to go. That’s not something you find in Canada. Certain Canadians might take the time to explain directions to you if you ask for assistance, but no Canadian is going to notice your facial expressions, make the effort to ask if you need help and physically guide you to where you need to be. It’s so incredibly relieving to know you always have help if you

Bojo Beach, Accra, Ghana, Brittany Bennett / The Sputnik

get lost in Ghana. That might be something I get too used to over these next few months. I am going to be driving to Newfoundland shortly after coming back to Ontario in September, and I can really see this culture shock coming into to play on that drive if I get lost. I am definitely not going to have the security of relying on the community to help me find my way.

In Ghana, you walk into your office of work and everyone greets you with a smile and “good morning.” You see people on the streets and many say, “you are welcome,” almost all ask, “how are you?”

These are not courtesies I am used to in Canada, but are so very heart lifting here in Ghana.

Now the art here was a fabulous culture shock. Ghana is such a colourful country; it’s absolutely gorgeous. The tro tros – which are a van-type taxi of sorts – are all different bright colours. A lot of the buildings incorporate bright colours in their design, especially the smaller shops. Ghanaian clothing is always very flashy and unique (to us Canadians at least). There is a traditional Ghanaian cloth called Kente that is a piece of artwork in itself. Kente cloth was originally worn by royalty; it is a very common fabric that captures beautiful patterns, designs and colours.

Kente is local to Ghana, and a lot of the specific patterns symbolize different meanings and history behind them. Friday is the national Kente wear day so many people can be found wearing the unique fabric and promoting its cultural value, even in the workplace.

I am not even one third through my adventures here in Ghana and I am finding more of the positive side to culture shock than anything. Maybe it’s just the honeymoon phase, which is also typical for culture shock, but I am loving every minute of my stay here. Of course there are the differences that take quite the getting used to: the sweltering heat, the jampacked public transit, the crazy traffic, everyone stopping you on the streets and people asking to take pictures with you. But the positive easily overcomes the negative. Culture shock can come in many different forms, but always know, it’s okay to feel however you may feel. Culture shock is unique to every person, and is in itself a form of growth that I am grateful to be experiencing.

Red Hot Chili Peppers “The Getaway”

Album cover courtsey of Warner Bros.

Matthew Burley Arts and Culture Editor On June 17 Los Angeles natives, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, released their eleventh studio album, “The Getaway”.

A work in progress for five years, “The Getaway”, provides a distinct sound; a sound that’s undeniably The Chili Peppers, however, it separates itself from their other bodies of work. After giving the album a listen, the listener can pick up on a sense of gained maturity from the Chili Peppers. This can be shown in both their lyrics and their production choices.

The Chili Peppers opted out of using their old producer Rick Rubin for award winning producer Danger Mouse, who has been involved with artists such as Broken Bells, Gnarls Barkley and The Black Keys. Radiohead producer, Nigel Godrich, did the mixing for the album, adding his influence into “The Getaway”.

While the rest of the band prepared for the upcoming album, The Chili Peppers bassist, Michael “Flea” Balzary, had his own obstacle to overcome. In an interview with Consequence of Sound’s Collin Brennan, Flea stated he, “essentially had to relearn bass from scratch before recording the album,” due to a snowboarding injury.

Despite the changes that the Red Hot Chili Peppers faced, they kept things spicy on “The Getaway”. The album brings funk and soul influences together, mixing them together with mellow percussion, catchy bass lines and vocalist Anthony Kiedis’ hip-hop delivery. The title track, “The Getaway”, draws the listener in with it’s unique introduction and toetapping drum beat. You’re hooked when you reach the chorus, as

soothing female vocals float into your eardrums.

The Chili Peppers continue to switch things up on lead single “Dark Necessities”, as it’s filled with soft piano, raunchy vocals and a mean guitar solo at around the four-minute mark. The last single on the album, “We Turn Red” brings us back to classic Chili Peppers; deep bass, whiney vocals and boozy guitar riffs that are reminiscent of cruising down back roads.

“We Turn Red” is where the classic Chili Peppers begin to fade away and a mature version of the band begins to show it’s face. The track “Sick Love” showcases Kiedis’ vocal range and a new depth their lyrics, “Prisons of perspective, how your vision gets corrected, and sick love is a modern cliché.” The pairing of the light percussion with piano and Kiedis’ delivery reminds the ear of Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jets”.

The vibes begin to get murky as the album comes to a close.

Themes of death, depression and family shine through on the track “The Hunter”. The deep lyrics paired along with violin, trumpet and haunting drum rolls make the ear beg for a second listen. The final track “Dreams of a Samurai”, takes the listener to a new world, using powerful imagery and a variety of unique sounds. It makes the listener question who they were just listening to, and surprises them when they remember it’s the Chili Peppers.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers went in a different direction with “The Getaway”; they kept to their roots with their sharp vocals and creative lyrics, but showed that they were not afraid to experiment with different instruments, tempos and themes.

“The Getaway” is available on Spotify and Apple Music.

THE SPUTNIK

WEDNESDAY JUNE 22, 2016

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ARTS & CULTURE MATTHEW BURLEY| ARTS@THESPUTNIK.CA | @SPUTNIK_NEWS

Canadian music talent takes over Brantford for WTFest Matthew Burley Arts and Culture Editor On June 24 and 25, Lions Park will overflow with musical talent from across Canada at the second annual WTFest.

WTFest President Jamie Stephens is excited about the upcoming changes to the event and its lineup. “WTFest is full of talent that you won’t be able to find anywhere else,” stated Stephens.

“Each band usually costs about $40 to $50 to see, and with WTFest you get that all in one.”

This year’s lineup for the two-day music festival includes Dry County, Monster Truck, Saint Ansonia, The Standstills and headliners, Billy Talent. There will be a second stage featuring 12 local and regional bands including Harbour, Quick Wicked and The Ascot Royals. However, the second stage is where the changes just begin for the music festival.

The format has changd for this year’s WTFest. The first day includes the finale to the recent battle of the bands and concludes with the headlining performance from Dry County. The event is free to the public, however there is a capacity of 3,000 people.

In the past, guests had asked for a 19 plus V.I.P. section at WTFest, and this year’s event will feature one.

The V.I.P. section will include a handful of perks including gifts, exclusive vendors, parking and extra space.

Stephens stated that he was happy to accommodate the guests, however, he said that he felt, “it’s important that everyone has treatment and equal chances.” Stephens refuses to block off the stage for V.I.P. guests because, “people aren’t hitting the bars for live music anymore,” and he wants to provide a fun atmosphere.

Stephens stated that they “take pride in (themselves)

Jamie Stephens, Gurleen Lall/ The Sputnik

on having the best priced tickets for a music festival.”

Stephens can back up this claim with ticket sales as all of the V.I.P. and early bird tickets have been sold out.

Advanced tickets will be available until June 24, and admission will be available at the door.

After recently returning from the East coast on their month long “Pipe Dreams” tour, Harbour is excited for their second run at WTFest.

Vocalist and bassist of Har-

bour, Jamie Mittendorf, stated that Harbour will, “have the most energy playing out of any band at WTFest.”

“For festivals,” stated Mittendorf. “We really feed off of the crowd. We want to put on a good show when we know it’s important.

Mittendorf stated that Harbour “typically headlines”, having gone as far as Japan to headline a tour.

However, Mittendorf said that he looked forward to changing up the setlist for

the music festival and opening for Billy Talent.

Harbour recently released their new single, “Life” and plan on releasing more in the near future as they are currently “sitting on” approximately 30 songs. Mittendorf hinted that Harbour would play “new material that people haven’t heard,” at WTFest.

WTFest newcomers Quick Wicked are excited to showcase their talent at the upcoming music festival. Quick

Wicked frontman, Jeff Love stated that they are collectively, “perfectionists” and will put in the time and effort to create the music they want. “We’ll sit in a basement for months instead of going out to make sure things are just right,” said Love. Quick Wicked’s latest album, “Hustle Monkey”, is an example of this and how they, “focus on developing guitar riffs” and trying new techniques.

“We’ve had good feedback on the album; it’s been fun,” stated Love.

The band will be performing tracks from “Hustle Monkey” and possibly from their self-titled album, “Quick Wicked”. Love stated that the band had just begun the writing process for the first song of their next album.

Love stated he didn’t know what to expect for WTFest, however, he was looking forward to playing alongside Billy Talent and Harbour. “You’ve just gotta go do your own thing and not be in it to be cool,” stated Love. When asked what the fans should expect from Quick Wicked, Love stated, “We’re going to fucking give’r!”

The planning process for WTFest has gone smoothly so far. Stephens mentioned that there had been some “bumps” in the first year, however, things are on schedule for this year’s event.

Lance Calbeck of WTFest has been happy with the feedback he’s received about the music festival over the past two years. “We’ve had good reception so far and we’re looking forward to another year,” stated Calbeck.

“This year hopefully it’ll be bigger and better.”

Want to know more about WTFest?

Check us out online at thesputnik.ca

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THE SPUTNIK

WEDNESDAY JUNE 22, 2016

SPORTS

DEVON MOMY-GAMACHE | SPORTS@THESPUTNIK.CA | @SPUTNIK_NEWS

Canadian Olympic medal hopefuls

Olympic rings, Sai Gnanaharan/ The Sputnik

Decon Momy-Gamche Sports Editor Canadian Olympic medal hopefuls By: Devon Momy-Gamache In only six weeks, the Olympics will begin, with Rio de Janerio hosting the world’s greatest collection of athletes.

Canada has finished in the top 15 in the last two Olympics in total medals (14 in 2012 and 13 in 2008) after struggling in the 2004 and 2000 Olympics.

Canadians will have a wide variety of sports to enjoy as they watch their national athletes go up against the best in the world. This year may be a bit of a down year, as CBC is predicting Canada to finish 21st in the total medal standings, so some athletes will need to outperform their standard for

Canada to continue their rise up the recent medal standings.

Arguably the strongest team for Canada will be the women’s diving team. A pair of silver medals at the 2015 world championships have the pairings of Meaghan Benfeito and Roseline Fillon in 10-metre platform, as well as Jennifer Abel and Pamela Ware looking to win medals. Benefeito and Fillon won bronze at the last Olympics, while Abel won gold. Individually, all four women have finished in the top ten at either the 2015 or 2013 world championships, so it’s possible that more medals could come from the group. As for the men, 18-year-old Phillippe Gagne will be making his debut, and could be a contender after winning a pair of medals at the youth Olympics in 2014 and finishing fifth at the 2015 world championships with François Imbeau-Dulac.

In track and field two Canadians compete as some of the top overall athletes with Brianne Theissen-Eaton, a two-time de-

fending world championship silver medallist in the heptathlon (which involves seven different throwing, running and jumping events over two days and a pointbased system for each event). In the men’s decathlon (10 events) Damian Warner has won two consecutive world championship medals along with a fifth place finish at the last Olympics. The 100 m could make Andre de Grasse a threat for a medal after a gold at last summer’s Pan-American games and bronze during the world championships. De Grasse and Aaron Brown will most likely be joined by two others on the 4x100 m relay team, which could be a threat again as long as they avoid disqualification. In the pole vault defending world champion, Shawnacy Barber will make his Olympic debut at the age of 22, and should be a medal threat.

Canada should be able to find some success on the soccer field, as the women’s team won bronze at the last Olympics. The team

was eliminated in the quarterfinals at the World Cup last summer, but with a top 10 ranking should still be a threat. Placed in a group with highly ranked teams in Germany, two, and Australia, five, will force the team to start strong.

The men’s team failed to qualify.

Canada’s women’s basketball team qualified after winning the 2015 FIBA America’s championship, and have reached the quarterfinals at the last world championship (2014) and Olympics. The Canadians with a favourable draw, if they reach that stage, could find a way to earn a medal. The men’s team will have one last chance to qualify in early July, when they travel to the Philippines for a sixteam tournament. Canada will have to get past a pair of top ten ranked teams with France, five, and Turkey, eight, also participating.

The two new sports could provide some medal opportunities for Canadian women. Rugby seven’s will provide a chance for

a strong Canadian team to earn a medal. The team finished second at the last World Cup in 2013 and has finished third in three seasons and second once in the four years that there has been an international series.

Brooke Henderson is currently ranked second in the world in golf and should be a strong contender to win a medal. Although not a new sport, tennis player Milos Raonic will be hoping to continue his strong play after making the semifinals of the Australian open earlier this year. Raonic is ranked ninth in the world and should have a favourable draw.

The Olympics will have surprises, as always, so don’t forget to keep an eye on all the other athletes in the pool, on the track and in various other venues as Canada is expected to send around 300 athletes, all attempting to win gold and hear the national anthem played.

New faces to replace Laurier legends Devon Momy-Gamche Sports Editor Every new school year involves a new group of students who take the place of the graduating students both in class and athletics.

One player who will be almost impossible to replace will be running back Dillion Campbell, who graduated as Laurier’s alltime leading rusher. Campbell was a former OUA MVP as well as a first team Canadian All-Star.

Eric Morelli will be returning to lead the team as they potentially switch to more of a passing offence with most of the receivers returning.

If Laurier wants to get further than the OUA semi-finals it will be because of a strong de-

Sai Gnanaharan/ The Sputnik

fence led by All-Canadians Godrey Onyeka (quarterback) and Kwaku Boateng (defensive end).

The women’s soccer team will be losing their leading scorer from each of the last four sea-

sons after Emily Brown graduates. Brown has scored a total of 76 goals in her five years while helping the Golden Hawks reach four of the last five CIS championships.

Nicole Lyon tied Brown for the team lead in goals last season with 13, and will be entering her fourth year. Sophomore Gagan Parhar finished third on the team with seven goals in her

debut season.

The young men’s hockey team last year revealed the potential impact of freshman players. The team is top three in point and four out of the top five were all freshman. Mac Clustam finished tied for fourth in points as a defenseman and earned All-OUA rookie honours.

In goal, the golden hawks relied on another player making their debut with Colin Furlong eventually earning the starting job and playing well to end the season. A deep run could be possible with the experience the players earned last season.

The new group of incoming freshman could be the next stars for Laurier and that’s the best part of a new year beginning.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 22, 2016

THE SPUTNIK

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SPORTS

DEVON MOMY-GAMACHE| SPORTS@THESPUTNIK.CA | @SPUTNIK_NEWS

Warriors best team ever?

It’s a NBA jersy, Christina Manocchio/ The Sputnik

Adam Stocker Staff Writer This was written before of game 4 of the NBA finals, now the game has changed.

Is this year’s Golden State Warriors the greatest NBA team ever? This is an argument that people will continue to discuss for as long as the NBA exists.

Following a record-setting 73-9 regular season, the Warriors are closing in on their second consecutive championship.

The Warriors are led by reigning MVP Steph Curry, who was the first player to be voted unanimous MVP. The Warriors have found out how to make the most of modern basketball, executing pace and space to perfection while shooting a ridiculous percentage from three.

The argument for greatest team ever is a conversation over five teams in addition to the Warriors. Any list of the NBA’s greatest team starts with the 1960s Boston Celtics. But other team’s worth discussing include the 1970-1971 Los Angeles Lakers, 1985-1986

Boston Celtics, 1986-1987 Lakers, and 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls.

It should be noted that the NBA only introduced the three-point line in the 1979-1980 season, although the modern three-point explosion began this decade.

The argument for the Warriors being the greatest team ever is that they broke a record thought to be unbeatable by winning 73 games in a season. The Warriors’ average margin of victory was 10.1 points. The Warriors seem to have no weakness in the modern NBA, given their size, length and speed. The Warriors possess possibly the greatest shooting backcourt in NBA history and flexible wings (Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala), who are capable of defending multiple positions. The Warriors also have a good defensive big man in Andrew Bogut and a capable bench that helped them manage the minutes of their starters.

The Celtics of the 1960s and the Lakers of the early 1970s are the only teams on this list who did not play in the era of the threepoint line. Given the impact the three-point line has had on the NBA, it’s impossible to compare those teams to the Warriors. The 1960s Celtics, lead by Red Auerbach, Bill Russell and John Havlicek, won every title in the decade

except for the 1967 season. However, the Celtics won those titles when the NBA had fewer than 13 teams. The Celtics’ best regular season was 1959-1960 when they went 59-16, while the best win differential was in 1964-1965 when the Celtics won by 8.4 points.

The early ‘70s Lakers teams have one major knock when it comes to being the greatest team ever: they only won a single title.

The Lakers teams made it to the finals often, but lost to the Celtics and Knicks of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. The Lakers were led by three Hall of Famers – Wilt Chamberlain, Gail Goodrich and Jerry West. They also had Elgin Baylor, but in their only title-winning season, Baylor was injured for all but nine games and retired after the season. The Lakers steamrolled their competition in the regular season winning 69 games, by an average margin of 12.3 points.

The margin of victory is tied with the previous season’s Milwaukee Bucks for the largest in NBA history.

The ‘85-86 Celtics were led by a player from their ‘60s dynasty, KC Jones. The Celtics lineup was a list of Hall of Famers: Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Kevin McHale, Dennis Johnson and Bill Walton are all enshrined in Springfield.

The Celtics of the ‘80s won three

titles in the decade. In the ‘85-86 season, the Celtics went 67-15 and won by an average of 9.4 points.

The Lakers of the ‘80s won five titles lead in ‘86-87 by the trio of Hall of Famers: Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy. The Pat Riley-coached Lakers offensively dominated, scoring 117.8 points a game, on the way to winning 65 games by a margin of 9.3 points. The Lakers had seven different players’ average double figures. The Lakers lived up to their nickname of “Showtime”.

The final team in the conversation for greatest ever is the 95-96 Chicago Bulls that went 72-10.

The argument for the Bulls is that they combine arguably the greatest player (Michael Jordan) and coach (Phil Jackson). In addition to having Jordan, the Bulls sported Hall of Famers and defensive stars Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. The Bulls led the league in points per game and defensive rating. They also had one of the most dynamic European players of all-time, Toni Kukoc, who could be considered the prototype that Kevin Durant was built on. Kukoc was one of the NBA’s first 6’10 players who could shoot, pass and dribble. Key role players included defense first point guard Ron Harper, who with Jordan and

Pippen gave Chicago perhaps the greatest perimeter defenders of all-time. It’s worth noting, that the Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr was also on the Bulls, coming off the bench as a three-point specialist.

At the end of the day, it’s an impossible argument to make for one team over another. Today’s rules are offensively friendly – defenders can no longer hand check offensive players like they could during the Jordan era. Modern usage of the three-point shot has completely changed the way basketball is played. The Warriors attempt more threes per quarter than other teams in earlier eras shot in an entire game. The fun with making an argument for the greatest team ever is that no one can be right or wrong.

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THE SPUTNIK

WEDNESDAY JUNE 22, 2016

OPINION

JOSH ADESINA | OPINION@THESPUTNIK.CA | @SPUTNIK_NEWS

The Raptor’s success and its efftects on Toronto

Josh Adesina Opinion Editor The most successful season in Raptor franchise history has recently come to an end. Basketball fans across Canada have never seen performances like this before. To be honest, I don’t think any basketball fan was expecting the Raptors to come this far.

Although the success of this passionate team is important the affect it has had on the city is worth noticing.

The Raptors finished with a franchise record of 56 wins.

As if we thought that would be enough. The Raptors also made it to the third round of the NBA playoffs which was a huge accomplishment. We saw spectacular performances from the likes of Bismack Biyombo and bench players such as Cory Joseph. Undoubtedly, there were millions of people worldwide that were

Sai Gnanaharan/ The Sputnik

paying attention to DeMar DeRozan and his team. Although they were unsuccessful in defeating LeBron James and the Cavaliers, they were able to bring hope and excitement to the city of Toronto.

Toronto is a really small city in

comparison to most major cities across the world. London, LA, New York and Tokyo are like big brothers compared to Toronto.

Nonetheless, Toronto is definitely on the come up. Furthermore, it had already started turning

heads when it hosted the All-Star weekend earlier this year. A-list celebrities didn’t think twice about flying up North and soaking up Toronto’s winter scenery.

It looks like the success of the Toronto Raptors in addition to

the All-Star weekend is sure to attract attention. If we`re honest with ourselves, basketball fans haven`t really considered Toronto as a basketball city. Toronto is the only Canadian city to have a basketball team. In addition, the Raptors were the only team that hadn`t won fifty games. Thank goodness that`s in the past now.

As a result of the attention Toronto has been receiving there are opportunities for the city to develop even more. People around the world are finally paying attention to what Toronto has to offer.

This could mean big business especially during the summer with various events such as Caribana weekend and the CNE exhibition.

It looks like Canadian sports is something that will help Toronto turn into the city it needs to be.

Let`s just hope we don`t see too many air balls from DeRozan and Lowry in the next season.

Is the UK doomed without the help of the EU?

Josh Adesina Opinion Editor The United Kingdom has been preparing itself for yet another referendum. The only difference is this time the poll results will determine a lot more than just one country’s fate.

There have been several predictions made about the UK’s future whether it decides leave or remain with the EU. The truth is that we will all have to see what will happen to Britain for ourselves.

Not too long ago we were talking about a referendum involving Scottish independence in 2014. This was an important time for Britons especially for those of Scottish descent. Scotland thought it would be better off being separated from the United Kingdom. Of course, the poll results showed that the decision was opposed by the majority of the UK. Fast-forward to 2016 and we are faced with the decision of the whole UK leaving the EU. For those of you that have absolutely no idea what I’m writing about I’ll give you a quick explanation. The United Kingdom

Tristan Martin / Flickr

is made up of four countries: England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. The EU is a partnership that coordinates twenty-eight countries including the ones that make up the UK. You might be thinking ‘why is this such a big deal anyway?’

First of all, there hasn’t been any country that has left the EU before, according to the Telegraph. There have been a lot of predictions made about Great Britain’s future but we really don’t know what could happen.

However, there are more cons then there are pros. There are three million jobs in the UK

that have ties with the EU, according to the Telegraph. All of these jobs could disappear if the UK decides to leave the EU. Can you imagine three million jobs disappearing just like that?

Anything like that happening in Toronto would be catastrophic.

Second, immigration, free trade agreements and keeping the British Pound are issues that leaving the EU would affect. According to BBC News, British Prime Minister, David Cameron has voiced his opposing views of having the Euro as part of the British currency. In addition, immigrants will have

a hard time coming into the UK if the UK leaves the EU. Several British citizens of various ethnicities have expressed their grief with leaving the EU. They believe other immigrants deserve the same opportunities they were given.

Third, businesses will be affected. According to BBC News, prominent business executives in the UK such as BT chairman, Sir Mike and Marks & Spencer Chairman Lord Rose are in favour of the UK staying with the EU. Agreements between British businesses and the EU will have to be renegotiated and

will undoubtedly have an effect on British jobs. British citizens could be in for it because there is no telling what the job market will look like without the EU’s help.

So there you have it. As you can see, the United Kingdom is in a bit of a situation right now.

I’m quite anxious to see what happens to my homeland, and even more anxious to see how this will directly affect Britons.

Let’s hope that we can still call Britain Great after all of this.