I thought that I had an invincible immune system. I managed to last the past few years without getting COVID, despite my run-ins with people close to me contracting it. But whenever I did hear about others having COVID, I was told that they had ‘mild’ symptoms or that while it was terrible while it lasted, it was short-lived, lasting only a week. I stayed up to date with my vaccines, but I was...
If you’re a ‘90’s kid like me, Cassie Ventura probably holds a special place in your memories, like she does in mine. I remember when I first heard Cassie’s first hit, “Me & U,” and seeing her music video shortly after and thinking, “Wow, I want to be just like her.” Her follow-up hit, “Long Way 2 Go,” was also on repeat as I got ready for school. Her being half-Filipino might have...
It should go without saying that affordability issues in Canada are on the rise, leaving many Canadians struggling to just get by. Not only is it difficult to find an affordable place to live, but it is also difficult to buy groceries or go out and to eat. Meanwhile, grocery store corporations such as Loblaw Companies Ltd. and Metro Inc. have continued to enjoy a rise in profits during the third...
On June 6, 2021, Nathanael Veltman drove his pickup truck into a family of five in London, Ontario, resulting in the tragic deaths of Talat Afzaal, her son Salman Afzaal, and his wife Madiha Salman. Two of their young children were also harmed: only the 9-year-old boy survived. On November 16, 2023, Veltman was finally found guilty for four counts of first-degree murder and one count of...
As a 3L, I’m acutely aware of how fast approaching the “real life” working world is. Soon enough, all of us law students will reach the end of our law school journey and move on to the real world, where most of us will dedicate most of our lives working as attorneys for a firm, or maybe even start our own. Maybe some of us will leave the legal field altogether, or not even bother to try to become...
Katalin Karikó’s initial disbelief in winning the 2023 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine alongside her partner, American immunologist, Drew Weissman, reflects her humility and modesty, despite the significant impact of her contributions on global health. While you may not recognize her name, you are undoubtedly aware of her accomplishments. Karikó and Weissman pioneered research on...
Have you tried OpenAI’s ChatGPT lately? OpenAI, an artificial intelligence (AI) research company originally founded by Sam Altman amongst others, have the mission to develop AI tools to, as stated on their website, “ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.” ChatGPT—which is an AI-powered chat robot—was launched by OpenAI in November 2022, and its success has led many...
As of 31 January 2023, the British Columbia government plans to decriminalize possession of up to 2.5 grams of certain drugs by those over 18, which is the first exemption of its kind in Canada. Given the overdose and drug crisis that is occurring in the province, the government’s response in decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of these drugs is aimed to reduce barriers and stigma...
In 2016, Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) was legalized in Canada. This allowed for doctors and nurse practitioners to use medication to cause a person’s death at their request. When the bill was first introduced, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that the Liberal government was focused on, “respecting Canadians rights, defending their choices…while at the same time, protecting the most...
Should the money be going elsewhere? Now that the municipal elections are over, one of the main issues to be addressed is what to do regarding the huge $857 million deficit in Toronto. While a lot of the deficit can be attributed to the COVID-pandemic costs, it is important to think about how the mayor will attempt to balance the budget. Will they increase taxes? Will they cut services? Perhaps...
People weren’t wrong about the structured 2L recruit: It truly is as energy draining as everyone said it would be. I thought that people were exaggerating, but going through three days of interviews, especially as an introvert, has left me needing multiple days of straight up sleep. Stressful isn’t strong enough of a word to describe this process. People say that going through this process is...
Fallout of the FTX collapse If you invest in crypto, you should know how risky it is to keep your coins on an exchange. “Not your keys, not your crypto,” as the saying goes. It is no doubt that it is convenient to keep your coins on a platform—the ease of being able to trade, withdraw, store, or otherwise transact with your coins is much simpler. But in the wake of the latest crash of a once...
On 7 September 2021, El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, made a huge announcement: They would become the first country to adopt bitcoin as a legal tender alongside their current currency, the US dollar. The government said this would be a great way to attract foreign investment, generate jobs, and reduce reliance on the US dollar. There are many benefits of having decentralized currency...
Are the current laws unconstitutional? Back in 2013, my Law and Morality professor had a sex worker speak to the class about the issues that she and her colleagues faced due to the sex worker laws that were in place at that time. Those next few weeks, our tutorials were discussions about the morality of being a sex worker, and a classmate asked something along the lines of, “Laborers sell their...
The Bank of Canada (“BoC”) has been aggressively increasing interest rates, with another anticipated rate hike on the way. When the pandemic first hit, the BoC responded by lowering the interest rates to stimulate economic activity. By lowering the interest rates, businesses and consumers benefited by having lower payments on their loans. The BoC prioritized making credit more readily available...
If you live in Ontario, then undoubtedly you are aware of the issues that plague our health care system. When asked by a journalist about whether Doug Ford was looking into privatizing health care, he responded, “Everything is on the table.” He followed that up with a guarantee: “You will always be covered by OHIP, not the credit card.” Is he following through with that promise? One can argue...
If you found your way here because you want to transfer law schools, I was in your position not too long ago. I knew from the first week at my original law school that I wanted to transfer back to a school closer to home, yet the pressure of not knowing what was required of me made me nervous. Would I be able to attain the grades needed to get accepted back home? How hard is law school, really...
My mother was sitting by the kitchen table wrapping all her pennies, nickels, and quarters in various coin wrappers. She had all the coins organized on her bed. I knew that when tomorrow came, we would be at the grocery store by the embarrassingly loud coin machine waiting for it to count her coins as I stand beside her feeling embarrassed and ashamed. My mother was a strong-willed woman...