MLS Season Preview

 Out with the old and in with the new, in less than two weeks a new MLS season will be among us and this season shows a lot of promise to be one of the best. With many teams bringing in new talent they are several teams that could be up for title contention.


  In the Eastern Conference there are many teams that could potentially go far and also some teams that don't stand a chance. First lets start off with Chicago Fire. A team that shows very little promise but has a lot of young talent. If their young guns can show up and get in to good form I think that they can make it into the playoffs by narrow margins. Next up, Columbus Crew. Last years finalists, in my opinion can live up to their great run last year and I think are a huge contender to win the title, I believe they will comfortably make the playoffs and also go far in the playoffs. After them we have DC United. I think that this team will make the playoffs and fall short just like they have done every year for the past 3 years. Montreal Impact, the surprise of the season last year falling short of the Finals by just one away goal. I think that Montreal will use last season as motivation and try to make it far. They will comfortably make the playoffs. Next team we have to offer is New York City FC. I think that if David Villa and Andrea Pirlo stay healthy, then NYCFC can go far and make a playoff push. New York Red Bulls is a team that doesn't have that many big names and I think that they surprise a few and I believe that they will comfortably make the playoffs just like they do most years. Orlando City FC the new club that beat top teams but couldn't get the job done against the bottom half of the table last year. Although they have Brazilian star Kaka I cant see them making the playoffs with such little depth to their squad. Philadelphia Union, a team that finished in last place last season and have acquired nobody in the offseason to help boost them to a position. I predict that like last year they will finish last again. Last but not least we have dark horses Toronto FC. Although TFC disappointed many in the playoffs last year I think this year Giovinco will be striving to beat the records he held last year and along side with Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore I can see success in this squad especially if they can keep their defense solid.


  Now lets move on to the Western Conference, Western conference has been dominating for a couple years now having won the championship in the past two years many teams show great promise while others in the conference might be fighting to stay out of last place. Firstly lets start off with the Colorado Rapids a team that hasn't been in the playoffs for a couple of years now and considering they don't have a lot of money to buy players I believe that they will be e a team competing to stay out of the bottom. Next up we have got FC Dallas a powerhouse of a team that fell short of the finals last year, I believe that they will go deep into the playoffs and make it comfortably.

   In my opinion I think that the finals will be between Toronto FC and LA Galaxy. with the new addidtions of European talents Nigel De Jong and Ashley Cole I think LA Galaxy will win the playoffs 2-0. In my opinion the Galaxy have too good of a team to not win.

Toronto Trade Controversy

     If you haven't heard, the Toronto Maple Leafs made a huge trade with Province rivals Ottawa that included 9 players in total. 9 Players is a fairly large trade but the thing that has "Torontonians" buzzing is the shipping away of their captain Dion Phaneuf. Along with Phaneuf, the leafs traded away Matt Frattin, Casey Bailey, Ryan Rupert and defence prospect Cody Donaghey. In exchange for those players the Leafs acquired defenceman Jared Cowan, forwards Colin Greening, Milan Michalek and Tobias Lindberg as well as Ottawa’s second-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. Dion at Toronto was signed to a 49 Million contract deal and many people thought that his high cap would shy teams away from wanting him.


     Although he played an important role in the squad the Leafs knew that they had to get rid of him considering the Leafs are in a "rebuilding season". They had to get rid of Dion in order to free up cap space to acquire more players in the offseason. One rumour flying around Toronto is that one of the main reasons why they decided to do this is to free up money in order to acquire Stamkos in the summer. One of the players that shared a more important role in the trade was Milan Michalek. He has appeared in 32 games this season for the Senators and has six goals and four assists along with 12 penalty minutes and a plus -1 rating. He was drafted in the first round, sixth overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the San Jose Sharks. Jared Cowen, 25, has played 37 games for the Senators this season and has four assists and a plus -7 rating. The leafs also acquired Lindberg who was the Senators 4th round draft pick in 2013 has been playing in the AHL this entire season. Greening has also spent this entire season in the AHL. They also acquired a second round draft pick which will be good to get fresh young talent in 2017.

  Some people think that this was a bad trade for the leafs and although they got rid of some depth I personally believe that taking the risk of trading away key players will be really important to sign star Steven Stamkos in the offseason. In my opinion I think that the Leafs did win this trade because freeing up cap will help them get a star in Stamkos and they will also acquire a top three prospect in the 2017 draft which could likely be Austin Matthews, Patrick Laine or Jesse Puljujärvi. Although the Leafs did get rid of captain Dion Phaneuf many people of Toronto didn't particularly like Dion anyways so getting rid of him wasn't really a problem to Leafs fans. I think that by getting rid of Phaneuf, it is a step In the right direction and as a leafs fan I believe that anything to help the leafs get out of this long slump of many seasons without a playoff run then it will help most or all leafs fans to believe that this team could have potential in the coming years.

Have we Lost the Meaning of Christmas

     
People have seem to forgotten that we should share these Christmas times with family and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord. Kids these days only care about what they are going to get for Christmas and what they have to get. Kids feel that Christmas is a time in which they can brag about what they got and rub all their presents in others peoples faces even if some families aren't as wealthy as others.


 
  
The main thing that people think of when they think of the lost meaning of Christmas is that Kids only care about presents and everything is based on the fact of making sure that everyone likes their presents especially the kids. People believe that Christmas is too commercialized now a days. I feel like you cant even watch T.V without getting interrupted with a Christmas ad for the latest gadgets or toys. Then there is always the mother telling the kid to be on their best behaviour so they can get these presents from Santa.
 


   You can also look at it from another perspective and say that Christmas is celebrated because it was Jesus Christ's birthday our saviour but rumour has it that some people say that Christmas is not lost because of the fact that we have mistaken its true meaning. People say that it was to celebrate Jesus' birthday but he was not even born in December and he was actually born in May. People say that Christmas was originally a Pagan Festival that was hijacked by the Catholic culture so they could have a major holiday for themselves



 


    In my opinion I think that the Christmas tradition is lost in some way as Kids nowadays probably don't know why we actually celebrate Christmas and they all probably do care about Christmas but the fact that we still spend a lot of time together with our families still means we still know some meaning of Christmas. And in my opinion I feel that the true meaning of Christmas is still there because people my age have matured and realize that Christmas isn't about the presents but its about spending time with friends and family and celebrating our saviours birth.

Trudeau Spanking Ban

   
       Justin Trudeau is working to implement a law that states that spanking your children as a way of providing disciplinary action will be illegal soon. Parents either think that this is the right thing to do or they think that the Government shouldn't get involved in the homes of the nation.

   
      This may come off as surprising to some but spanking your children as a way of showing them discipline is legal in some ways as of right now, although Justin Trudeau is working to change that. The law permits only mild corrective action. The law prohibits straps, paddles and other implements, blows to the head, and any corporal punishment of children under 2, In no way does it condone beatings or physical harm, by parents or any other adults. When it comes to disciplining your children many parents are asking for change regarding the laws towards child abuse. Many people feel that it is ridiculous that you will get reported for leaving your child in the car alone for five minutes but if you spank your child in the butt there will be no consequences. Abusive parents need to be dealt with because the parents behaviour inside the house will affect their children's behaviour everywhere else. Justin Trudeau has promised to implement every one of the 94 recommendations made by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. No 6 on this list calls for the repeal of current spanking law which Trudeau is taking action to right now.

   
        Other parents believe that there is nothing wrong with using reasonable violence to discipline your children when they have done wrong. They need to know that when they do wrong they will face the consequences. Parents that use violence against their children know that its for the better. When they spank their children, they are letting them know that if you do something wrong, this is what will happen and parents believe that something will trigger their children to not do those wrongful actions considering that they will know that the consequences of a spanking will come when they do. People also need to realize that there is a difference between protection and abuse. If your child goes to reach for a hot plate and you smack their hand away then that is protection. But if you smack your kid for misbehaving at an amusement park, then that is abuse.

 
      In my opinion I agree with Trudeau and I think that spanking in general should be illegal because I feel that there are other remedies that you can give to your children other than violence to prevent them from doing wrongful actions. Some of these may include taking away of electronics or being sent to their room to reflect on their actions. After the children have realized that their actions aren't worth being punished, then they will continue to act disciplined and not commit wrongful actions.  Children know when they have done wrong, and when you take something of theirs that they use frequently or they love then it will teach them to not do something bad again. In conclusion, there is no need for violence when dealing with your children because it will eventually backfire, leading Kids to think that Spanking gives the impression that violence solves problems and eventually after using violence on your children multiple times, your kids will being to tell lies because they fear of getting hurt. Violence used frequently on your children should not be permitted in any way because simply, there is no need for it.

My Favourite Film of All Time

         Your favourite movie has to be something that you know you can always rely on. Something that you can watch when you're feeling down and need something to pick you back up. Or a movie that you will go out of your way to stop whatever it is that you are doing and take the time to watch the movie.


      For me, my favourite show is a cross between 21 Jump Street and Kicking and Screaming. I know I can rely on these movies to pick me up when I am down and they will always be there to make me feel better. For me I feel that comedies are the best movies because you will usually need a good laugh when you are feeling down or you'll need something to take your mind off of the things that are going on in your life. For me, these movies are 21 Jump Street and kicking and Screaming because I have seen them so many times that I have memorized most of the lines in the films and I can count on it to cheer me up.

   For me, another factor that comes in to play when deciding what my favourite film of all time is depends on the time of the year or the season. For example, whenever its Christmas time I will watch Elf around 6 or 7 times in a 4 week span. The movie puts me in such a good mood to just spend time with my family and appreciate what I have during the holidays. Another example would be something that I personally do in my life is watching funny movies related to school in the summer. its funny to me because I choose to watch these movies during summer as it gives me a little reminder that I don't have to deal with what these people in the movies are dealing with for at least two months.


     In conclusion, I feel a movie should reflect the opposite of your personality at the time of watching it or reflect on something happening in your life during the current moment. Like watching Christmas movies during Christmas or watching school movies when you're out of school or lastly just watching hilarious movies that don't make you think much when you are in need of a good old fashioned laugh.

Terrorist Attacks in Paris

          

               If you haven't heard, which it would be very hard to believe if you didn't hear, there were Terrorist attacks by ISIS on Paris, France on Friday during a soccer match. An unidentified man was carrying a bomb attached to his chest and was not granted access into the stadium. He then walked away and detonated the bomb. Also there was mass shooting during a concert killing many people and injuring even more. The question that has to be asked here is why. What was the reasoning behind ISIS bombing Paris and why did they do it.

     Apparently, there are many reasons for why ISIS decided to terrorise France and the first is simply because, this is what Global Jihadists do and they simply cant help themselves. Another reason is that this was always the plan, but Isis didn't have the capability or opportunity to carry it out before and they felt that considering there was a large concert as well as a soccer match they felt that this would be the best time to do so considering how populated Paris was going to be. The Islamic State wants to offset its territorial loses in Syria and Iraq by carrying out high-profile attacks abroad. this mean that ISIS wants to take their mind off of their territorial loss to Iraq and they felt they felt that the best way to do that was to bomb Paris.

   By ISIS doing this terrible action they are making a statement saying that they want to cement their position as leader and show Al Qaeda that they are the leader of the Global Jihad and they want everyone to fear them so they know how strong they really are. ISIS also wants more powerful nations to attempt to get rid of ISIS as it will give them even more reasoning to want to terrorise these particular countries like United States and Russia. But the answer could be way more simplistic to why ISIS did this. It could be the total opposite of what we think the reasoning is to why ISIS did this. Maybe ISIS actually wants its enemies to all go into Syria so ISIS can do things to their countries when there is nobody there to protect it. ISIS could potentially drain resources, since all large countries are basically at war, it will create a lot of chaos. they may even be presenting themselves as a defender of Muslims in which they just want to protect their religion.

    The thing that is very bad is that ISIS is very unpredictable and we don't know when they will strike again. In my opinion I believe that all of the larger countries like USA, England, Canada, Russia and France all need to declare war and fight together to defeat the Islamic Nation once and for all. For the safety of the citizens I believe that the only way to defeat ISIS is to declare war and get rid of them once and for all.

Was shooting Sammy Yatim Necessary

        Sammy Yatim, 18 was on a TTC streetcar, and decided to pull out his penis and held teenage girls at the back of the Streetcar hostage with a knife. After the Streetcar came to a stop all the passengers ran off the car and Sammy stayed on the Car. Shortly after the cops arrived and they all held guns to him asking him to drop his knife. After he held the knife in his hand after being asked multiple times to drop the knife James Forcillo a 30 year old officer shot him times. After seeing that he was still moving he put another 6 shots for a total of 9 shots to Sammy. To top it all off, Sammy was moving but at the slightest and the Officer decided to tase Sammy to solidify that Sammy was no longer a threat. You have to look at this from two different perspectives. What would you want the police officer to do if you were a parent of someone who was being threatened by Sammy or what would you want the Police to do if you were close to Sammy.

       Some people may think that Officer Forcillo shooting him 9 times as well as tasering him after the shots were fired was going overboard. People know that Sammy was not close enough to the officers that the knife would cause a threat. Even if Sammy decided to throw the knife, the armour that Officers wear would easily protect them. If they wanted to make sure that Sammy no longer posed a threat then they could have easily shot Sammy in a spot that would have made him fall to the ground like the arm or leg. This returns to cop training, maybe they should train cops to shoot people in places that will most likely not cause death so we can prevent things like this happening. At the end of the day, Cops should be here to serve and protect, not murder.

      
        Other people may think that shooting Sammy was the right thing to do. Due to the fact that he was holding a knife, he was posing a threat. The only way to keep everyone safe on and off the streetcar was to remove him from the situation and after he decided not to listen to the officers, they felt that the best thing to do was to get rid of him by shooting him. Yatim reportedly pulled out his penis and was threating girls at the back of the streetcar with a knife. How would you feel if you were a parent of one of the girls. what would you want the cops to do.  you would want the cops to remove him from that particular situation for the safety of your daughter

    In my opinion I think that shooting Sammy Yatim was not necessary, let alone 9 times as well as a taser shock. I feel that, at a distance a knife can not cause a threat. In the surveillance video you can easily see that Sammy is scared, considering he had several guns pointed at him. Although I didn't personally know Sammy I could tell that the only reason he didn't drop his weapon is because he felt that is was the only sense of defence he had. Even after Sammy didn't drop his weapon there was clearly no need to shoot him 9 times. At most the officer could have shot him in an area like the arm or leg which would cause Sammy to drop the weapon and not die. I hope that the officer that shot Sammy gets charged as well as lose his job because we can not have officers like that who aren't protecting us attempt to protect us.