Volume 17, Issue 8 – January 17, 2018
The Sputnik, We Orbit Around you News, pg. 3
TIME’S UP IN HOLLYWOOD
Golden Globe attendees arrive dressed in black
News, pg. 5
LAURIER SU ELECTION 2018
Campaigning will take place over next two weeks
Arts & Culture, pg. 8
PERSONAL COMPUTERS
A museum to show the history of technology
Sports, pg. # 10
KEEPING NEW YEAR’S GOALS
Opinion, pg. 12
GARDENING IN THE WINTER
Why you should keep your Windowsill gardening resolutions this year allows for plants in winter
Wage Increases Minimum wage increasing and what it means for employees News, pg. 4
JAMAAL OWUSU-ANSAH/DESIGN MANAGER
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THE SPUTNIK STAFF EDITORINCHIEF Taylor Burt eic@thesputnik.ca
SPORTS EDITOR Jessa Braun sports@thesputnik.ca
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GRAPHICS EDITOR Adrienne Hoe graphics@thesputnik.ca
NEWS EDITOR Shreya Shah news@thesputnik.ca
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LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Vivian Yan leadphotographer@thesputnik.ca
FEATURES EDITOR Jennany Thillairajan features@thesputnk.ca
WEB EDITOR Ben Cooke web@thesputnik.ca
ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Alexandria Clement arts@thesputnik.ca
VIDEO EDITOR Alex Vialette video@thesputnik.ca
OPINION EDITOR Meghan Gauvin opinion@thesputnik.ca
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What is something you hope or wish to accomplish in 2018?
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THE SPUTNIK
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018
03 NEWS EDITOR SHREYA SHAH news@thesputnik.ca
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR AVERY MCISAAC assistantnews@thesputnik.ca
COMMUNITY
New library aims to inspire creativity MEGHAN SLOTEGRAAF STAFF WRITER
The renovations currently going on at the Brantford Public Library are expected to be finished in early spring. The newly renovated library will feature a brand new customer service model, new technology and a maker space for creative use by the public. This maker space has been a part of the Brantford Library for years but has been hidden away on the third floor, unknown to many customers. The maker space features 3D printers, Mac computers with Adobe, vinyl cutters for making decals and technology to convert VHS tapes into DVDs as well as slides into digital files. This technology will be moved to the second floor, front and center, so people can easily access it. The library also has a media lab which will be moved downstairs too. This space, includes a green screen, video camera, tripod, and lights, headphones and microphones which allow customers to film videos and make their own podcasts. It also features a guitar, a piano, a graphic tablet and Adobe Creative Suite with Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Dreamweaver. This technology is often taken to classrooms to allow students to explore what they can do with it and learn creatively. Coding and robotics are being
VIVIAN YAN/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER
THE BRANTFORD PUBLIC LIBRARY CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION, RENOVATIONS WILL CONCLUDE IN THE SPRING
taught in the schools, and adults are given instruction on how to use the equipment as well. The library is also trying to
help seniors embrace technology.
“We [Brantford] were one of the top three technological cities back when Alexander Graham Bell was here,” said Kathryn Goodhue, CEO of the Brantford Library. “Wouldn’t it be great to recapture that title? When we think about what we want to do and what we want to give back to the city, that’s the kind of thing we think about.” The library will also feature one of the world’s best online language
learning services. Transparent Language allows users the opportunity to learn over 100 different languages. This program can be accessed for free online or by downloading the Transparent Language app and signing in with a Brantford Library card. The U.S. government uses this program, along with several other libraries aroundthe world. The library will also be introducing a new customer service model. They have gotten rid of the giant desks at the front of the library which Goodhue described as a “monolithic barrier,.” She said, “The idea is we’re not
going to stand behind them. We’ll stand beside you.” The librarians will be happy to help you find anything you’re looking for, whether that be course material, instructional books, medical books, self-help guides or your next great novel. The Brantford librarians are working closely with the Laurier librarian to ensure students have access to everything they need to complete their coursework. The library will also be getting new self-checkout machines, but the librarians will be happy to assist you in checking out as well. The main part of the construction is the glass façade in front of
the building and the removal of the wall and corridor closing in the space at the front entrance. This opens the space up and allows customers to see the bustle of activity happening inside the library. The glass front will allow the light to shine through and passerby’s will be able to see the exciting things going on inside the library. The library will also be running a couple of programs, including an author series, beginning at the end of Jan. The library will be welcoming several award-winning authors to visit the library and tickets are available for purchase online. In addition to these renovations and the new customer service model, programming is being put in place to help the homeless population and library customers experiencing problems with addictions and mental health. As an inner city library, the Brantford Library has several customers experiencing these issues and they don’t want to turn anyone away. A Laurier social work students is working with the library on placement until April to see what they can do to support and assist these people. They want the library to be a safe place to come to for everyone. The library already had a child and youth worker but they realized they weren’t reaching people over 26. New programming is currently being developed to support the adult population.
ACTIVISM
Time’s Up at the Golden Globe Awards
ADRIENNE HOE/GRAPHICS EDITOR
GOLDEN GLOBE ATTENDEES WEAR BLACK TO STAND TOGETHER AGAINST SEXUAL HARRASMENT, ASSAULT AND INEQUALITY AVERY MCISAAC ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
Over the past year there have been an increasing number of women to come forward in Hollywood as well as the rest of the world with their stories of sexual harassment and assault. In addition to the many women’s stories, the Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, a national organization comprised of female farmworkers and women from farmworkers families wrote a letter to the women of Hollywood. Alianza Nacional de Campesinas wrote a letter of solidarity to the women of Hollywood who had
come forward with their stories against Harvey Weinstein. The letter that was published in TIME magazine, spoke about the assault and harassment that female farmworkers face while on the job. The letter was written on behalf of an estimated 700000 female farm workers in the United States and Mexico. From this letter as well as the countless other stories, the movement Time’s Up was announced on January 1, 2018. According to the Time’s Up website, Time’s up is a unified call for change from women in entertainment for women everywhere.
It then continues, “Time’s Up addresses the systematic inequality and injustice in the workplace that have kept underrepresented groups from reaching their full potential. We partner with leading advocates for equality and safety to improve laws, employment agreements, and corporate policies; help change the face of corporate boardrooms and the C-suite; and enable more women and men to access out legal system to hold wrongdoers accountable.” The Time’s Up organization has announced multiple initiatives that include setting up a 13 000 000 dollar legal defence fund that is administered by the National
Women’s Law Centre that is intended to support lower-income women seeking justice for sexual harassment and assault in the workplace. Time’s Up also advocates for legislation to punish companies that tolerate persistent harassment, a movement toward parity in studio and talent agencies, and most widely noted, the call for women on the red carpet of the Golden Globes to wear black and speak out about sexual harassment and abuse. Almost every single person in attendance at the Golden Globes, including people hosting the red carpet wore black. In addition to their black attire, some people chose to wear pins that said Time’s Up. Some celebrities brought activists as their dates. Instead of the usual red carpet coverage, the women of Hollywood introduced their guests and allowed them to speak about their causes and organizations. According to The Guardian, Laura Dern was accompanied by Monica Ramirez, the co-founder and president of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas. Michelle Williams brought Tarana Burke, the founder of Just Be Inc, which is an organization that is focused on the health, wellbeing, and wholeness of young women of colour. Amy Poehler invited Saru Jayaraman, an attorney, author, and co-founder and director of Restaurant Opportunities Centers United which protects the rights of
immigrant restaurant workers. Emma Watson brought Marai Larasi, the executive director of Imkaan which is a UK based black feminist organization that helps to prevent violence against marginalized women. Susan Sarandon attended with Rosa Clemente, a community organizer, journalist, and president and founder of Know Thy Self Productions which consults on issues such as voter engagement among youth of colour. Emma Stone brought Billie Jean King, formerly a world number 1 tennis player, who used her career to champion the sports industry’s inclusivity of women. Meryl Streep brought Ai-jen Poo, who is co-founder and the executive director of National Domestic Workers Alliance, as well as being the co-director of the Caring Across Generations Campaign, which tries to ensure access to affordable healthcare and quality jobs for caregivers. Shaailene Woodley was accompanied by Calina Lawrence, an artist and musician who uses her work to address misrepresentation of Native Americans. Many other actors and actresses highlighted the injustices both in and outside of the industry while on the red carpet. Throughout the evening majority of acceptance speeches gave shout outs to the Time’s Up movement. Oprah Winfrey gave the monement a heartfelt shout out while accepting the Cecil B. de Mille award.
THE SPUTNIK
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NEWS
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018
ECONOMY
New wage increase causes controversy MEGHAN SLOTEGRAAF STAFF WRITER
In May of 2017, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne announced that Ontario’s minimum wage would be increased to $15 an hour by 2019. On Jan. 1, Ontario’s minimum wage was dramatically increased from $11.60 an hour to $14 an hour. It is expected to increase by another dollar on Jan. 1 of next year, reaching the $15 an hour goal. Ontario will be the second province to raise minimum wage to $15 an hour, after Alberta. Ontario has the largest share of minimum wage employees in Canada so it is likely the effects of a minimum wage hike will be greater in Ontario than in Alberta. This minimum wage increase is part of a new labour law in Ontario, The Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act. This act will protect employees by ensuring equal pay for the same job for all employees, casual and seasonal included, expanding the number of allowed personal emergency leave days, and bringing vacation time in line with the national average (3 weeks after 5 years with the same employer). The increase in minimum wage has caused considerable controversy. Some people are applauding the implementation of a higher minimum wage to support low-income families, and others claiming it will lead to unemployment and strug-
ANNA PRINCIPATO/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
STAFF AND CUSTOMERS OF TIM HORTONS ARE FEELING THE IMPACTS OF THE NEW WAGE INCREASES AS MENU PRICES RISE AND PAID BREAKS AND BENEFITS GET CUT
gling businesses. Wynne justifies the increase by stating that minimum wage employees need to be making an income large enough that they can provide for their families. She uses the example of a woman laid off from a plant, working at a drive-through window and trying to support a child at home. “She needs to be able to earn a living wage,” said Wynne. “That’s who we’re working to help.” However, many businesses are
having to cut benefits and hours in response to this increase in minimum wage. Fred Luk, the owner of multiple restaurants in Toronto referred to the minimum wage hike as, “the biggest small business killer in the history of Ontario,”in an interview with CBC. Some small, independentlyowned businesses are having to cut their hours of operation and number of employees due to this minimum wage increase.
The increase is even affecting much larger businesses, such as Tim Hortons, as they are consequently cutting their employees’ benefits and paid breaks. The company has received considerable backlash after the heirs to the founders cut their employees’ paid breaks and forced them to pay more for their benefits. The franchise has also raised the prices on some of their breakfast menu items in response to the increase in minimum wage.
“The higher costs for business are offset by the boost in consumer spending when workers are paid more,” said Paul Sonn, senior counsel with the National Employment Law Project in an interview with CBC News. As quoted in CBC News, Labour Minister Kevin Flynn justifies the minimum wage hike by saying, “Actually what you see is increases in employment because that money gets recycled.” Others strongly disagree.
ENVIRONMENT
Extreme cold weather leads to crisis HYRRA CHUGHTAI STAFF WRITER
they can stay inside the common area to stay warmer,” said Beecraft. Through the long winter hours, the Welcome In relies on support from the government, but also from events and fundraisers that they hold throughout the year to help with unexpected costs or for resources that the shelter may need.
The weather has not been too kind to Canadians this winter season. With extreme cold weather alerts for temperatures reaching -23 degrees Celsius with wind chill, most people have been wanting to stay inside to keep warm, but what about the people who do not have a home? Toronto has always had a crisis involving homeless shelters but with the extreme weather moving quickly, resources are needed for the city to accommodate. On Dec 3, 2017 the Mayor had announced there would be 400 new spaces in Toronto for the homeless. According to the Toronto Star, Mayor Tory stated that it was an urgent plan to add beds in existing shelters and in facilities such as motels and drop-in centres.
On Dec 3, 2017 the Mayor had announced there would be 400 new spaces in Toronto for the homeless.
By the end of January 2018, the plan is to have 200 units in place already. “The advice I've received is what we should be focusing on is giving beds to people who need them and not issuing declarations... this is an urgent situation
Toronto has always had a crisis involving homeless shelters but with the extreme weather moving quickly, resources are needed for the city to accomodate.
ADRIENNE HOE/GRAPHICS EDITOR
and we do have a proposed plan to address it. I do not want anyone who needs a shelter space to be unable to get one,”stated Mayor Tory to The Globe and Mail. Although the homeless problem is being addressed in greater regions like downtown Toronto, the question is still a concern for smaller cities like Brantford. Brantford has many shelters and facilities across the city that accommodate for different needs, but many do not see the cold weather as a crisis to the Brantford public. St. Leonard’s Community Service, founded in 1968, helps with addictions and mental health. The centre houses on average about 12 people at a time. Their accommodations are specifically geared towards those
with addiction, but do open their shelters to the public, if there is a large demand. They provide resources by donation and offer food and clothes. Despite the extreme weather, they have not seen a spike in people needing their resources and have seen the numbers remain normal. The Yes Church, located on West St., accommodates all people in need of shelter. They too have not seen a significant increase in numbers this winter. “We've seen little change in our shelter attendance as far as the numbers go from any other winter, people always find that it's the weather that is the determining factor for our attendance. We find actually that out highest numbers are in the summer's, when people
are more mobile,” said Trevor Beecraft, the executive director for the Yes Church and the Welcome In Resource Centre. Another resource in Brantford is the Welcome In, which according to their website is an independent non-profit charity that offers shelter to those that are homeless or at the risk of homelessness. The shelter on average has about 20-26 people staying for the day or overnight. “Our shelter opens at 6 pm and they can sign in. We have free laundry, free accommodations, we have a meal at night, snack and then we offer a breakfast. Our guests are aloud to stay here till 8:30 am. During our cold alert for example, our research center, which opens at 9 (am), would accommodate those in the cold and
“We receive some public funding, we raise our own funds through our walk-a-ton, which is coming up. Our coldest night of the year walk-a-ton on Feb 24, that's a national walk across Canada for national homelessness. We also have our raising the roof campaign and we do receive some municipal funds and that runs both the shelter and resource center,”said Beecraft. Recording the 2017/18 year for snowfall and cold weather, according to CBC News the 2018 year could be looking like 2007-2008, which held Toronto’s snowiest winter ever. Environment Canada predicts the weather for the first three months of 2018 will be fairly above the average, which is 0 degrees Celsius, some hope to hold onto.
THE SPUTNIK
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17 , 2018
NEWS
05
ENTERTAINMENT
Golden Globes honor and award Oprah AVERY MCISAAC ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
On January 7 at the annual Golden Globe Awards Oprah Winfrey won the Cecil B. de Mille award, which is awarded to someone for outstanding contribution to the world of entertainment. She is the first black woman to win the award. Oprah made an incredibly powerful, articulate, and well spoken speech. After she was done, an incredible amount of people online praised the speech and began suggesting Oprah should be the next President of the United States. As with any opinion on the internet this idea also faced a lot of back lash. According to a CNN post on January 8 anonymous sources claim some of Oprah’s confidants have been urging her to run for
presidency, also claiming these conversations have been happening for several months prior to the
SHE IS THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO WIN THE AWARD. OPRAH MADE AN INCREDIBLY POWERFUL, ARTICULATE, AND WELL SPOKEN SPEECH.
award show. These sources say Oprah has not yet made a decision about if she will run or not. In addition to this, Oprah’s partner Stedman Grahamn said,
“It’s up to the people, she would absolutely do it.” according to the Los Angeles Times. Although these are just rumours, the current President, Donald Trump felt the need to weigh in during an interview saying, “I know Oprah very well, I don’t think she’s going to run,” but also saying, “Yeah, I’d beat Oprah.” There has been a lot of mixed feedback about Oprah’s possible presidency online. Many people think she would be a great president, but some of Oprah’s fans aren’t keen on the idea. Many have suggested the US just doesn’t need a celebrity president no matter who it is. There are also a lot of people who just don’t like Oprah all together and therefore don’t think she should run. There have actually been poles taken despite Oprah’s candidacy being a rumour, and there seem
CAMPUS NEWS
ADRIENNE HOE/GRAPHICS EDITOR
to be a lot of mixed opinions there too. According to CNN on January 12, a new pole shows Oprah with a double digit lead over Donal Trump in a would-be 2020 general election race, showing Oprah with 50% support and Trump with 39%. There are about 1 in 10 voters who are undecided. However NPR/NewsHour/
Marist survey found 54% of voters they spoke to did not want Oprah to run. Oprah herself has not made any kind of public statement on running for president since the Golden Globes, and it doesn’t appear she’ll confirm or deny the rumours anytime soon. Until then, we’re all just left to speculate.
Students’ Union elections 2018 WLU, time to pick your SU for 2018/19 TAYLOR BURT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
VIVIAN YAN/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER
TALHA, NAEEM, CHAIR OF ELECTIONS, RAN THE ALL CANDIDATES MEETING ALONG WITH, DRO, GEORGINA CULLEY
VIVIAN YAN/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER
THE MEETING WENT OVER THE RULES AND REGULATIONS OF RUNNING A SAFE CAMPAIGN OVER THE NEXT TWO WEEKS
Wilfrid Laurier Univeristy Students’ Union elections have begun. The All Candidates meeting was held on Jan. 15 at 10 p.m. Candidates from the Brantford campus were present as well as a number of members from the Laurier community. Talha Naeem, chair of elections and Georgina Culley, deputy returning officer, led the meeting with the rules and regualtions of campainging. Campaigning and voting will all happen over the next two and a half weeks. The Laurier community can expect to see posters, tshirts and pins covering the campus until the final voting day in Feb. 1. Candidates were told campaigning would commence a half hour after the All Cadidates meeting. The regulations were thoroughly stated, mentioning passive or active campaigning on voting day is prohibited. Passive campaigning consists of wearing campaign gear whiloe active campaigning is speaking with students to see if they’ll get a vote. Students are welcome to join the Open Forums that will take place over the next two weeks. The first will be held in Brantford in the lobby of the Reseach and Academic Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The second will be held in Waterloo in the Concourse from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. “The Open Forum is not a debate, it’s a chance for the student body to get to know you better,” said Culley. During the meeting, both Naeem and Culley made it clear that students are not forced to listen to campgns nor are they forced to look at campaign material. “If a student does not want to talk to you, they are allowed to walk away,” said Culley.
This also applies to the usage of social media. “You are allowed to use your personal Facebook pages and your fan pages,” said Culley. “Posting in group pages, such as the “accepted class” pages or the residence group that you are a part of, is not allowed. The reason why, is because people who are also part of that group haven’t given you permission to see your campaign materials.”
Your job is to run a safe campaign for yourself and people should know you by what you bring to the table. -Talha Naeem, chair of elections
Another topic that was spoken about was playing a fair and safe campaign. “Your job is to run a safe campaign for yourself and people should know you by what you bring to the table, rather than what the mistakes of the other [candidates are],” said Naeem, further explaining that “downplaying” other candidates will not be tolerated. There are four presidential candidates, two being from Brantford. Out of the 13 Board of Directors candidates, two are from the Brantford campus. One of the eight candidates running for Senate is from BRantford and there are three Board of Governors candidates, all from Waterloo. Visit www.thesputnik.ca for cadidate platforms and to keep up with election coverage over the next two weeks.
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THE SPUTNIK
08
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018 ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR ALEXANDRIA CLEMENT arts@thesputnik.ca
BRANTFORD
Brantford’s Personal Computer Museum
From Atari to IBM to iPhone, The PC Museum is a place of technology, history, nostalgia and gaming ALEXANDRIA CLEMENT ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR
Walking into the Personal Computer Museum in Brantford is akin to walking through a time machine. You are surrounded by decades of computer collection – dozens of computers from all eras, all set up and many with programs for visitors to interact with. The museum holds at least 100 computers at any given time, and has the largest collection of interactive computers in Canada. It also holds the largest collection of video games in Canada. Founder Syd Bolton had the idea for the PC Museum when he was just 16 years old. “When I was sixteen, I remembering having the thought that I wanted to have a computer for every year I am old…” said Bolton. “So I just started collecting. I had said to my friends in high school that one day I would have a computer museum, and they thought I was nuts.” The PC Museum opened about twelve years ago, and is situated in a converted building behind Bolton’s house in Brantford. The museum serves two primary functions for visitors – many can relive their nostalgia of older models and games, and many others can learn about technology they have never
seen before. Bolton places an emphasis on this level of discovery, of knowing how we arrived at our modern technology that we may take for granted. “It’s a two-pronged thing,” said Bolton. “It’s a nostalgic hit for people that lived it, and can show their kids. And then for the younger generation, it’s a discovery thing. We didn’t wake up and have iPhones. It’s an evolution.” The soundscape of the museum is a low murmur of interested conversation, and a constant symphony of 8bit beeps and music. Most computers are loaded up with a game from its respective era – there’s 1982’s Dig Dug, Asteroids loaded up on 1982’s Vectrex game console, as well as simple text and card games to play on monochrome monitors you might only have seen Mulder and Scully typing on in the X-Files. The games are a way to connect visitors to the respective eras. Bolton emphasizes games and computer programs as a visual representation of progress. The PC Museum features a ceiling-height wall of computer programs from all eras. “There’s so much history in here. Every single program that’s on that wall – somebody spent hundreds to thousands of hours working on every single one of those,” said
ALEXANDRIA CLEMENT / ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR
COMPUTERS ON DISPLAY AT THE PERSONAL COMPUTER MUSEUM WITH INTERACTIVE PROGRAMS RUNNING FOR VISITORS
Bolton. “They affected anywhere from hundreds to thousands to millions of people through that software.” The PC Museum is an archive of technology, and presents a unique way to bring people together and create connections through technological history. There is a sense
of nostalgia accompanied with vital learning and interest, and this is what the PC Museum is all about. “What we find most interesting is hearing people’s stories and connections,” said Bolton. “These computers are like time machines. And so they take people back to positive times in their life.
They remember those things fondly. That’s what I love to hear. That’s why I think people should come here.” The Personal Computer Museum is open one Saturday per month from 10am to 4pm. Appointments or group tours can be booked online.
MOVIES
The Last Jedi: The LUKEwarm Star Wars sequel Star Wars: The Last Jedi delivers Jedi that may be the last, but are certainly not the Jedi we’ve come to know MILES SMITH STAFF WRITER
The newest instalment in the Star Wars saga is out in theatres, and it has been…thoroughly underwhelming, and to many, disappointing. The two-and-a-half-hour movie has, at the time of writing, grossed 1.2 billion worldwide, half of what the previous instalment The Force Awakens had earned. What exactly caused the film to bomb so thoroughly? Needless to say, there are going to be spoilers ahead, so if you would like to see the film for yourself, feel free to put this down for the moment. The Last Jedi has an amazing ability to have almost a million subplots, and yet barely move the story’s progression at all from the last movie. All in all, every character was busy with their own arc, and the trio never unified, making this movie feel like three episodes of a TV show, with little to do with one another other than occupying the same universe. There are character progression arcs which had no cause to begin, such as Finn’s ‘transition to a hero’ in which no substantial character growth happens. This arc is particularly frustrating due to its failure to track, even at the beginning. Finn is reprimanded for ‘not being a hero’ as he appears to be jumping ship, when in fact he is taking Rey’s homing beacon off of the ship which he knows is dangerous, and in fact doomed. P Perhaps the most frustrating arc is Rey’s, while she is training under Luke Skywalker. Many parallels are drawn to Luke’s training in Empire
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Strikes Back, but Rey’s training feels cheapened, as we see next to no master-student interaction, and no physical indicators that Rey is gaining more control over her skills. In this tutelage there is an air of either aggressive indifference, passive teaching, or genuine fear. The teachings of Luke barely feel like teachings at all, and that overall lessens the experience. Although this movie has many other sins, the needless, tepid humour, the expanded run-time, the long un-exciting ship chases, and the comedic death of major villainous roles. The most unforgivable sin in The Last Jedi is the complete and utter disregard for the charac-
ter of Luke Skywalker. In the film, Luke is painted as a broken man, haunted by his legend. A man full of fear, and just outright mean. Starting out his performance by throwing his lightsaber away and pranking the eager, sincere Rey, who just wants to be able to protect her friends, Luke is consistently out of character for the majority of the movie. The most egregious sin is the reveal of Luke’s attempt at Kylo Ren’s life while under his mentorship, in an attempt to pre-emptively save the galaxy from a great, dark force. It is this extremely out of character action which causes the destruction of Luke’s Jedi temple, Kylo Ren to
turn into the mentorship of Snoke, and Luke himself to go into hiding. Any fan can say, that is not the Luke to which they have become accustomed, and Mark Hamill himself even came forward in an interview posted to Youtube on December 6thth: “Who is this guy? How did the most optimistic, hopeful character in the galaxy turn into this hermit who says, ‘It’s time for the Jedi to end’?” he asked, “I read that and I said, ‘What?’ That’s not what a Jedi does. I mean, a Jedi is optimistic, a Jedi has tenacity. He doesn’t secrete himself on an island.” Hamill continues, in a December 20th interview: “That’s the
crux of my problem. Luke would never say that. I’m sorry. Well in this version, see I’m talking about the George Lucas Star Wars. This is the next generation of Star Wars, so I almost had to think of Luke as another character. Maybe he’s Jake Skywalker. He’s not my Luke Skywalker, but I had to do what Rian wanted me to do because it serves the story well.” The blame for almost all of the misgivings can be shifted onto writer/director Rian Johnson, who was specifically brought on for The Last Jedi. “So it’s not what Mark had in his head initially, and that’s why he’s spoken very openly about his being caught off guard by the script and where the character ends up. But I knew this is where it had to be,” Johnson said, in a December 18th interview with Business Insider. Ultimately, Rian Johnson wanted to tell his own story in the Star Wars franchise, and in doing so wrote a story which not only alienates the legacy characters, but trashes the work and storylines which JJ Abrams set up in the previous film. Abrams will be brought back for the next instalment. There were good points in this movie; there were many silent, extremely powerful, and beautiful scenes. The visual effects were amazing, and the spaces felt grand. Of course, we get to see Carrie Fischer’s last performance, but even that suffers the cutting room floor. All we can do at this point is sit tight, and wait, for the Jedi to Return.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018
THE SPUTNIK
ARTS & CULTURE
09
TELEVISION
Black Mirror: episode by episode guide BECKY ROTCHILL STAFF WRITER
A ranking of Black Mirror’s new episodes, including where they land within all 19 episodes. Minor spoilers ahead, so probably take some time to binge the season before reading. SEASON 4 EPISODE 1: USS CALLISTER This episode begins as a Star Trek parody, and to be honest, I was tempted to turn it off. I kept telling myself “This is Black Mirror, it’ll have a twist,” and it sure did. This episode is space opera turned into a horrifying commentary on men in the tech industry that I could talk about for the rest of my life. Plot: Robert Daly, the CTO of a video game company, is bitter about his mistreatment by employees and their CEO. Using their game called Infinity he creates a subversion based on his favourite show, a Star Trek parody called “Star Fleet”. Within the game, he makes avatars of those who have “wronged” him in the office, an example being someone who brought him the wrong sandwich. The “avatars” in his game are revealed to be fully sentient, have all their memories and are essentially prisoners within his computer. Fun fact: Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad’s Jesse Pinkman, is the voice of the player that contacts the crew of the USS Callister at the end of the episode. Time of the twist: Approximately 20 minutes into the episode.
SEASON 4 EPISODE 6: BLACK MUSEUM I heard this was the best of the season, and I can see why people think that. It is arguably one of the most important of the show as a whole, because it finally proves the long-running fan theory that all Black Mirror episodes take place within the same universe. The titular museum in the episode has artifacts from previous episodes, including Daly’s DNA processor from USS Callister, the bathtub from Crocodile and the tablet from Arkangel, to name a few. Plot: Nish’s car runs out of power, and after pulling into a rundown gas station, she pulls out a portable car charger. Seemingly to kill time while her car charges, she enters the nearby “Black Museum”. She then begins a private tour with Haynes, the proprietor of the museum, who tells her the story behind a few of the artifacts. The artifacts are all from technologybased crimes. The museum’s main attraction, though, appears to be a fully sentient holographic murderer who had been sentenced to the electric chair, and whose consciousness Haynes saved before his execution. Guests are allowed to electrocute the prisoner, forcing him to relive his painful last moments forever. Nish doesn’t like this particular attraction very much. Fun fact: The lab rats shown in Haynes’ first story are named Kenny and Hector, which are the names of the main characters in season three’s Shut Up and Dance. This was either a slight nod to the
audience or, since this is all the same universe, the rats were actually named after the characters. Time of the twist: Almost an hour in, with a second, heartwrenching twist taking place in the last minute. SEASON 4 EPISODE 4: HANG THE DJ Perhaps one of the only episodes of the season that gave me the feeling that I so love-hate from Black Mirror, Hang the DJ is a sweet love story with all the confusion and mind-explosions we’ve come to expect from this show. This season had a lack of episodes that had me saying, “Okay, what is going on?” only to have it all make sense in the end, but this one definitely delivered that. Plot: Frank and Amy meet on what appears to be a futuristic dating app. They each possess a small, round device that they refer to as “Coach”. Using their Coaches, they are able to find out their “expiration date”, which is 12 hours from then, at which point they have to go their separate ways and “the System” will pair them up with new people. After both have different relationships, Frank in a yearlong relationship with a woman he despises and Amy on a series of flings, they are paired up again. After this, they begin to question the logic of The System. Fun fact: USS Callister’s Elena is using the dating app from this episode while she mans the reception desk at Callister. Time of the twist: It starts within the last few minutes, but the last minute is where the ultimate
reveal takes place. SEASON 4 EPISODE 3: CROCODILE There are distinctly three best episodes in this season, and three worst episodes. We are now in the territory of the three worst. While intriguing in that “I have to know what happens” sense, Crocodile lacked the feeling of a Black Mirror episode. The technology element was seemingly thrown in in order to make it Black Mirror material. On top of that, the main character’s development is strange and drastic and overall, not very believable. She went from lifelong guilt over a hit-and-run to infanticide real quick. Plot: Mia and her friend Rob are driving when they hit a cyclist, killing him. Rob had been drinking and therefore refused to phone the police, much to Mia’s dismay. They dispose of the body and the bicycle into the nearby lake and move on with their lives. Years later, Mia is now a successful architect. While on a business trip, Rob visits her to tell her that he is going to write a letter to the wife of the man they killed. Horrified it could be traced back to her, Mia kills Rob and disposes of his body. After killing him, though, Mia looks out her hotel window and witnesses a pedestrian get struck by a self-driving pizza truck. Shazia, an insurance worker, is hired to investigate the accident using a piece of technology called a “Recaller”, which allows your memories to be shown on a small screen. She needs to find someone who saw the accident, and eventually this leads her to Mia.
Fun fact: This is probably the only piece of live-action television where the hero is a guinea pig. SEASON 4 EPISODE 2: ARKANGEL The problems with this episode lay in a lack of twists or huge plot developments. It had a lot more potential, especially using the feature on Arkangel that makes it so Sara can’t see traumatizing things. I really thought it was going to go in a different direction than it did, especially after the scene with the grandfather’s heart attack. Also, why does 15-year-old Sara look like she’s 25? Plot: Marie, a panicky, overprotective single mother, has her infant daughter implanted with a device called Arkangel that allows her to see where her daughter is at all times, and to see through her eyes using a tablet.The device also monitors Sara’s vitals and has a feature that blurs out anything that might scare or upset her. While Sara is in middle school, she gets curious about what she’s missing, and starts furiously stabbing at her hand with a pencil in an attempt to see blood. After this, Marie removes the blocking feature and puts the tablet away. Skip ahead to high school when Sara begins lying about her whereabouts, Marie brings the tablet back out only to tune into Sara losing her virginity. Yikes. Things just get worse from there. To read about the rest of the episodes in season four, visit www. thesputnik.ca.
THE SPUTNIK
10
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018 SPORTS EDITOR JESSA BRAUN sports@thesputnik.ca
INTERNATIONAL
Canadians to watch for at the Olympics LAURA BANNIER SPORTS WRITER
X Games 2016, she won gold at Aspen slopestyle. Isabelle Weidemann It will be the first Olympic Games for the 22-years-old long track speed skater. She started skating at age six and fell into speed skating at age 12 following her friends. Despite her relatively young age, she managed to obtain hopeful performances during the 2017 World Single Distances Championships, including a sixth place for the 5000m, a ninth place for the 3000m and a 18th 1500m.
From Feb. 9 to Feb. 25, SouthKorea will host the 23rd Winter Olympic Games. Here are 10 Canadian athletes you should keep an eye on during the competition. MEN: Charles Hamelin The 33-year-old short track speed skater has already competed in three Olympic Games in 2006, 2010 and 2014. He won three gold medals and one silver medal. He is competing in both individual and relay races. Last November, the athlete won gold at the short track World Cup in Seoul, South Korea. He seems in good shape for his fourth Olympics and will hopefully bring a fifth medal home. Samuel Edney It will also be his fourth time at the Olympic Games. Samuel Edney is competing in luge. In 2014, the 33-year-old became the first male to win a World Cup luge race. At the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, Edney finished seventh in the singles event. It was the best ever Olympic result for a Canadian male luger. Max Parrot Parrot started snowboarding when he was 10. Pyeongchang 2018 will be his second Olympic Games after Sochi, where he finished
ADREINNE HOE/GRAPHICS EDITOR
fifth overall. At 23 years old, Parrot landed the first ever switch quadruple underflip in the big air competition at the 2017 X Games in Aspen. His performance allowed him to bring gold home. Mikaël Kingsbury Kingsbury is 25 years old and will be competing in his second Olympic Games as well. In 2014 at the Sochi games, the freestyle skier brought a silver medal home. The athlete won a remarkable amount of World Cup medals: a record13 in one season. He is confident for Pyeongchang.
Denny Morrison Morrison already won forth Olympic medals, including one gold. He is one of Canada’s most decorated long track speed skaters. The 32 year old athlete will be competing in his fourth Olympic Games. In December 2017 Morrison won gold in the team pursuit at the World Cup in Salt Lake City. He also finished fifth in the individual 1500m race. WOMEN: Kaitlyn Lawes Pyeongchang 2018 will be a sec-
ond Olympic experience for Lawes. She competed in her first curling tournament at the age of four. Today, the athlete is 29 and won gold at her first games, Sotchi 2014. It was Canada’s first Olympic gold in women’s curling since Nagano 1998. Spencer O’Brien At 29, O’Brien will be competing in her second Olympic Games. She learned to snowboard at 11 from her father and sister. She was not interested in professional riding but started competition as her sister did. During the Winter
Alex Gough The luge athlete will be competing her fourth Olympic Games. The veteran woman came closer to the podium as she ever was at the Sotchi Games, finishing fourth. At a World Cup race in February 2011, Gough became the first Canadian luger to win gold. During the 2017 World Championship the 30-year old athlete finished fifth at the singles women’s event. Jaimie Macdonald The 23-years-old athlete will be competing her first ever Olympic Games at PyeongChang 2018. She has been a member of the senior short track speed skating national team since 2015.In Dordecht, Netherland during the World Cup of February 2016, she earned her first individual podium, taking bronze in the 1000m. The young athlete won five World Cup medals in the 2016-17 season.
FITNESS
Why keep your resolutions? JESSA BRAUN SPORTS EDITOR
It’s getting to that time in January when people begin to let their New Year’s resolutions fade from their minds. This is especially true when it comes to resolutions about working out. As someone who works at the Hawk Desk, I literally see it all unfold. From New Year until mid January, everyone’s all like, “New year, new me,” and the gym is packed. A couple weeks go by and eventually the gym-going population begins to decrease, and lastyear-laziness finds its way back to all its owners. I support workout resolutions with all my heart, and therefore am here to give you reasons to keep persevering with your resolution. Even if working out was not your resolution, these are also reasons for you to start hitting the gym. 1. Adds structure to your schedule. More than half the human population functions better with a structured dailyschedule, according to Myers Briggs Type Indicator statistics. Having the gym as a commitment in your schedule gives you something to build your day around. It’s also easier to actually get up and go to the gym when it’s a commitment you’ve literally put down into a certain timeslot each day.
Make it a mandatory obligation. Treat it like a meeting, class or work shift that you can’t miss. It might be tough at first for those who aren’t regular gym-goers, but after a couple of weeks it will become a familiar, comfortable routine. 2. Decreases levels of depression, stress and anxiety. According to multiple studies, exercise is vital for maintaining reduced levels of stress, fatigue, anxiety and depression. It improves alertness and concentration. Exercise helps the brain release endorphins, which are chemicals that kill stress. They also help you sleep better – a bonus! In terms of depression and anxiety, recent studies have shown occasional exercise to not be an effective solution for the long-term. However, going to the gym on a daily basis is effective and can make a huge, positive difference. 3. Causes you to be more productive. Combining reasons one and two, exercise helps you to be more productive in every aspect of your day. When you decide to go to the gym at a certain time, you block off that time and now you know what you have to work around and when you’re available to do your studying and assignments. By knowing the specific hours
SAI GNANAHARAN/CONTRIBUTOR
A REGULAR AT WILKES HOUSE GYM, SECOND YEAR JALEELAT GIWA, PERFORMS HER FAVOURITE GYM WORKOUT: SQUATS
you have vacant to get things done, you are more likely to actually sit down and do it all during that time. When someone has all day to get something done, they’re likely going to spend time doing other things since they “have all day.” 4. Helps to feel good overall. Exercising is hard work, which is why people feel so good after they do it. It feels like something’s been accomplished. Exercise even helps to feel good physically. There’s barely anything bad that can happen to a human body after a workout, so just living with the feeling that you’re a little bit healthier, a little bit stronger . . . is a good feeling. 5. GOLDEN HAWK GRIND! Yes, the Golden Hawk Grind has started. For those who don’t
know, the Golden Hawk Grind is a fun competition Wilkes House Recreation runs. Every time you go to the gym, attend a fitness class, or play an intramural game, the Hawk Desk attendants give you a sticker to put beside your name on a big chart on the wall. By the end of the semester, those with the most stickers are entered in a draw to win some sick swag and prizes. So get off that couch and hit the gym, people! 6. Surrounds you with a positive environment. People who go to the gym are motivated, which are the kind of inspirational people you want to surround your life with. Every person you see at the gym had the energy at one point that day to get out of the house and go through the effort of improving themselves
by working out. Let these people inspire you. Be one of them. Being surrounded by these positive influences leads to an overall better attitude. 7. You made this resolution for a reason. We all have different reasons why we make a promise to ourselves to work out. Maybe we want to lose weight, maybe we want to feel healthier, or maybe we just want a new hobby. Whatever the reason may be, remind yourself of it and why you began working out in the first place. Keep it in the back of your mind. Don’t let the act of quitting, laziness or giving up take over. You’re stronger than that (no pun intended).
THE SPUTNIK
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018
NHL
As the Toronto Maple Leafs come back from their week off, and the second half of their season starts up, I will be looking back at the first half and discussing what I think is in store for them for the rest of the season. The Leafs have had higher expectations for this year from fans than they have had in a very long time. I believe they have lived up to them so far, but there are definitely some concerns and questions to be asked. First lets look at what the Leafs have done so far this season month by month. The Maple Leafs had a very good start to their season. In the month of October they went 7-5-0, which is good enough for 11th overall in the league. They improved even more in November going 9-4-1, which was third best in the league for that month. What stood out the most in
these two months was that the Leafs had no trouble scoring. They scored the most goals in the league in the first two months with 91 goals total and were fourth in goals per game with an average of 3.45. They did, however, give up a lot of goals and it was clear that their defense needed to improve. Nonetheless people were very excited about how good the leafs were doing. In December things started to change. The Leafs went 6-5-1, which was 20th in the month of December. So far, January hasn’t been any better. the Leafs going 2-2-1. In the last month and a half the Leafs’ scoring dried up with a 2.42 goals per game, which is 26th in the league in that time frame. They are still in a good position being 9th overall in the league (record of 25-17-3) but there have been many questions about why they have been struggling recently, particularly in scoring when they were so good in the start. One reason could be simply
CAMPUS
MSOCC debut of the season JESSA BRAUN SPORTS EDITOR
Laurier Brantford’s men’s varsity soccer team played for the first time this season on Saturday. The Golden Hawks competed in a tournament hosted by Centennial College at the Pickering Soccer Centre. Six fellow Ontario Collegiate Athletics Association (OCAA) teams participated in the event. Out of four games, Laurier tied one and lost three. “Even though we’ve had a tie and losses so far I’m still happy with the guys,” said Head Coach Murphy Wiredu. “We have a way better team than we had last year. And this year we have more bodies, so this year more guys get to rest.” The Golden Hawks faced the Centennial Colts in their first game of the tournament. The Colts took an early lead after scoring a goal in the eighth minute of the game. It wasn’t until the second half that Laurier tied it up with a goal from Denziel Henry, assisted by Martin Mejia. Not even two minutes later Phil Catarino scored a second goal for Laurier, taking the lead 2-1. A tough one-on-one in Laurier’s half resulted in another goal for Centennial and tied the game for a final score of 2-2. “It was their first time competed together, so there were a lot of nerves,” Wideru said. Laurier didn’t have much luck in their next three games.
11
The Maple Leafs: a mid-season analysis
ADREINNE HOE/GRAPHICS EDITOR
HANNAH KASTEIN STAFF WRITER
SPORTS
The Golden Hawks’ second game, against the George Brown Huskies, was a game full of fouls. Laurier was able to capitalize on a five-on-three power play in the first half, with Catarino scoring a goal. Jerrett Putt scored the second goal in the second half of the game after a long pass up from goaltender Pasquale. The Huskies, who slid the ball into the net three times in the first half and scored another three in the second half, won the game 6-2. Laurier played the Guelph Gryphons in their third game. The Golden Hawks were able to hold off the Gryphons for most of the first half at a tie of one-one, but the Gryphons tucked another one away just before the halftime whistle. The Golden Hawks scored two goals in the second half, but the Gryphons fought back and kicked in four more. “Even though we lost 6-3 there were some things we did very, very well,” said Wiredu. “We stayed connected, and the discipline was there.” Catarino played a major role yet again in the game, finishing two goals and giving Putt an assist. “I have a lot of confidence in him (Catarino) and that he’s going to change the program,” Wiredu commented on the rookie. Laurier faced Centennial Colts again in the consolation round, where the teams played for fifth place. The Colts took the victory in the fifth round of shootouts.
that fatigue has been an issue. The Leafs have had one of the hardest first half schedules in the league this year. Before going on their break on January 10th, the Leafs had played the most games than any other team so far (45). On top of that, 10 out of 13 games in December were played on the road. Traveling that much and not sleeping in your own bed can be tiring on anyone. This is especially true if you’re playing NHL hockey 3-4 times a week, which is why some fans and reporters are saying that the decline has been because of fatigue. This is just one theory but there could be other reasons why they are having trouble. Maybe it is just lack of luck, or maybe Babcock - the Leafs head coach - has been trying to get the Leafs to play a different way in order to teach them a lesson by playing defensively first and giving up less goals. No one really knows for sure. Babcock has done a few questionable things this season that have a lot of fans complaining. A lot of people think these so-called “bad decisions” that Babcock is making are some of the reasons why the Leafs have not been so hot lately. A lot have to do with the Leafs starting line-up, who is playing or not playing and who is playing to many minutes or not enough. When one of the Maple Leafs top defenseman, Nikita Zaitsev, went
out with an injury on December 15th Babcock made the decision to replace him with Roman Polak who had been in and out of the lineup playing on the 3rd pair until then. This has been a big controversy because simply put, with 10 minor penalties since coming in to replace Zaitsev on the 2nd pair, Polak has not been good and it has left Leafs fans scratching their heads as to why Babcock keeps him in, especially when he has better options such as Travis Dermott. Another thing that Babcock has been doing is not playing the Leafs star forward, Auston Matthews as much as people would like. Instead he’s playing Leo Komarov more, a player who has 11 points in 45 games so far this season versus Matthews’ 33 points in 35 games (Matthews was hurt for 10 games in December). I give Leo some credit that he is a very good defensive player, but should he be playing more minutes than the number one goal scorer? Absolutely not, especially when the team has been struggling to score the way they have as of late. Don’t get me wrong I still think Babcock is a great coach, which I why I would like to believe there is reason behind his madness. Maybe he is resting his star players for the second half of the season so they can finish strong and have a great playoff run (that’s what I’m hoping). Overall, so far this season has been pretty great for the Leafs.
They are currently sitting in a playoff spot with a 10-point cushion so it looks as though –without a huge collapse – that they will make the playoffs for the second year in a row (2002-2004 was the last time that happened). A lot of their success has been because of the Leafs great goaltending so far, in which Frederik Anderson deserves all the credit. In order to keep improving however, the Leafs need to find a way to score again as well as improve their defense immensely. Once Nikita Zaitsev returns that will help out the defense a bit but the Leafs may look into getting another top four defenseman from another team in order to make a push in the playoffs. However they might find that the answer is in the Leafs rookie defenseman Travis Dermott, who has only played two games but has looked very good. He is a great puck-moving defenseman who can skate really well and seemed to be very confident with making plays and starting breakouts in his first 2 NHL games. I believe he can be a great 3rdpair defenseman for the Leafs going forward this season. It will be interesting to see what the team management decides to do with him and what improvements they will make to the rest of the Leafs defense this year. After all, the teams that make it far into the playoffs tend to have the best defensive lineups in the league.
THE SPUTNIK
12
OPINION
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018
Monopoly takes over Canadian press CHRISTOPHER KUNKEL STAFF WRITER
For many, Canada has been a land of openness and accessibility – a land with freedom of the press, equal opportunity and democracy. However, this country is on a crash course toward the likes of North Korea. In ten years, you may never see local news. Instead, it will be massproduced, canned garbage. In no way is this more evident than in the case of our print media – a near monopoly controlled by a powerful few who fake competition and drain the life out of journalists. The quick and dirty example of this is Brunswick News, a company that literally owns every Englishlanguage paper in New Brunswick. Owned by the Irving Family, one of the most unchecked monopolies in the democratic world, Brunswick News has been known for employing dirty tactics to prevent smaller newspapers from getting started. These tactics include unwarranted lawsuits, law manipulation to get the police to raid individuals’ homes and dirty business tactics to undercut newcomers. All the while, they have a barebones team of journalists who produce articles that are put into all of their newspapers instead of supporting dynamic teams for each city.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
This results in zero opposing opinions in our newspapers and a fake sense of objectivity in our overall media. So, why should this concern us? Journalists act as our media gatekeepers and have the power to choose what stories to report on and, of course, how to report on them.
All of which plays a part in how we interpret our news and in turn, view society. The dangers of having only a small few control the mass of our news consumption are that we will evidently be fed the same stories in the same light and will lose all opportunities to see opposing sides. Eventually everyone will think
and believe the same information without contradiction or question. If you want to get a job writing for your local newspaper, that dream may die sooner than you could ever imagine. This is not a one-off occurrence. It is happening everywhere free markets have control over the free press. Torstar and Postmedia,
the two juggernaut companies that own a majority of Canada’s newspapers and almost all of those in Ontario, fired approximately 244 journalists at the end of 2017 when they traded competing newspapers with each other. This was an act of anti-competitiveness – something that our country’s autonomous future is contingent on fighting. However, they now have monopolies in several Ontario cities, and no one is around to keep them in check. This is a serious problem for our society. The news that you are reading at a corner store, a restaurant or your front door has no competitor or regulator; they can do what they want and push whatever agendas their shareholders desire. Would you rather live in a country where you know that the news you are fed is proverbial feces, or do you want to continue living in the pretend land of Canada where companies are becoming the new state? Setting a precedent for our country’s future, Brunswick News has been known to sprinkle their papers with pro-Irving articles just as Kim Jong-un’s regime is known to sprinkle the news with their own agenda. Is this the Canada we want to be living in?Many may not even be aware that Brantford lost one of its newspapers, Brant News, in all this. These companies conspire against the general public, and the flock is inevitably consumed by the wolves.
Windowsill gardening during winter WARNING: The following article is pure pro-gardening propaganda - proceed with caution MEGHAN GAUVIN OPINION EDITOR
Hi, my name is Meghan Gauvin. I am a 22 year-old Millennial who loves houseplants and I’m not sorry. Apparently, next to avocado toast and having high career expectations, houseplants are the next fad that Millennials are taking a whole bunch of crap for. But don’t fret! This article will dive into how you too can bring your plants indoors for the season so that no one will have to give up their beloved hobby.
And if you haven’t joined the bandwaggon yet, here is why you should: In the midst of these horrible winter months when blankets of snow cover our once green and colourful neighbourhoods, many people have turned to houseplants to get them through these dark times. Windowsill gardens have become a popular tool for stress relief not only in winter but all year long. There is a kind of satisfaction in taking care of something and watching it grow and flourish. In the past, I was the least likely
person to try to have plants in my home. Although I’ve been the proud owner of multiple pets, it has always been nearly impossible for me to keep plants alive long enough to reap any of their benefits. This past summer, I decided to try my luck with a beautiful Ming Aralia Bonsai houseplant to liven up my desk at work. I named him Ab – and no, that is not short for Abraham, just Ab – and he is the love of my life. Ab is alive and he depends on me to help him grow - and when he does
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it feels like a real accomplishment. Gardening has also been proven to have mental health benefits and indoor plants can help combat seasonal depression. As mentioned before, winter can be long and many of us miss the vibrant colours of Mother Nature. It‘s amazing the positive effects these houseplants will have on your general mood. There are also physical health benefits to having plants in your home. In my house, green beans and kale are two healthy greens that I now incorporate into my diet. As it turns out, I’m much more likely to eat the veggies I grow than the ones I get at the grocery store. Another apparent benefit to growing veggies inside is the money I save on my grocery bill. This tactic becomes a lot easier in the summer when I can really take advantage of outdoor space and weather. While some indoor plants are good to eat others can actually help purify the air in your home. According to the Huffington Post, the following plants are the best at fighting unwanted pollutants and chemicals in your air. The Philodendron is a small leafy plant that can potentially live in your home for years if properly taken care of. A Philodendron is known for absorbing a toxic chemical often found in paint thinner. The Snake Plant is another great addition to your indoor garden. Not only does this plant remove benzene and formaldehyde but also absorbs carbon dioxide
and releases oxygen. As reported by Huffington Post, the English Fern is the number one air filtering houseplant and is know to filter out formaldehyde. For those of you who may have some concerns about killing your plants, try to start with something that doesn’t need an overwhelming amount of attention – something sturdy that won’t die easily. For example, many people have promised me it is nearly impossible to kill a cactus or bamboo. There are also plants that thrive during colder temperatures making them the optimal houseplants during this Canadian winter. In other news, the gardening trend has become so prevalent it has managed to gain some negative media attention. I recently read an obnoxious article on how Millennials are replacing having children with buying plants. Of course, there is no way that we could just love plants separately from our desire to have or not have children. Not only did the article link two extraordinarily different topics with very little explanation as to how they relate, it also assumed that Millennials are not having children by choice, which is pretty unbelievable. However, this topic could be an article in itself. While the snow continues to fall and the temperature drops daily, remember that gardening doesn’t have to be over. Houseplants are ‘in’ and don’t let anyone tell you differently.