It has been nearly one year since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. It has been more than one year since Canada reported its first case of the virus: carried into Canada by an international traveler. In March of last year, Ontario declared an emergency under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act with the aim of curtailing the spread of the virus. Within the...
The Wire is a cop drama. The Wire is a study of the systemic and institutional racism that remains incredibly relevant in North America today. The Wire is a character study of some of the most common yet elusive American people—those who you don’t learn about in history textbooks, but those who are inherent in every society. There are many different ways to describe The Wire but none of these...
J.S. Bach hardly needs an introduction. I could have named the article “My Music: Bach” and you most likely would have known whom I was talking about—notwithstanding the fact that there are a number of other fine composers named Bach. Indeed, Bach’s reputation is such that, while his music is unquestionably great, I sometimes wonder whether he unfairly overshadows his contemporaries. Are we still...
How Mark Messier “guaranteed” himself another victory, this time in Court In a career full of accolades, the greatest moment in hockey legend Mark Messier’s time in the NHL came after a guarantee. As captain of the New York Rangers, Messier “guaranteed” his team would come back and defeat their rival New Jersey Devils in Game 6 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals to tie the series. The man they...
How the Toronto Maple Leafs managed to outdo themselves yet again Last Monday, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators renewed acquaintances for the 150th meeting of the “Battle of Ontario”, with the two teams on polar opposite ends of the NHL Standings. The Maple Leafs entered the game with the league’s best record of 11-3-1, pacing the rest of the NHL with 23 points. They had gotten off to...
How the internet tried to get back at Wall Street by harming people the same way Wall Street does Historically it has been the big traders with deep pockets who have bullied little traders in the markets, but the rise of retail investing has shifted the firepower. GameStop is the latest demonstration of strength by retail dollars, causing institutional short sellers to get burned and abandon...
What the international community can learn from one another As the clock struck midnight, it seemed that the international community was holding its breath for a new year. There were hopes that with a new year would come relief from rising case counts, ICUs pushing full capacity, and increasingly tighter lockdown restrictions. Nevertheless, much of the international community currently remains in...
The results of the People’s Climate Vote, a survey conducted by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), covered over 50 countries and polled over 1.2 million people to assess public opinion on climate change. UNDP said that the poll was the world’s biggest survey ever of public opinion on climate change. It asked respondents if climate change was a global emergency and if so whether they supported...
Achievement unlocked. In January, Elon Musk clinched the title of the world’s richest person for a few days after surpassing Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on Bloomberg’s billionaires’ list. Musk’s wealth skyrocketed by more than $150 billion in the past 12 months as Tesla’s share price surged 743 per cent in 2020. Tesla’s annual sales rose 36 per cent last year, and the world’s ‘buzziest’ enterprise...
Part 1 First, some context An initial public offering (IPO) or in layman’s terms, ‘going public’, is arguably one of the most important moments for any business and certainly one of the biggest pay-days for its founders and early investors. But what is an IPO? Put simply, an IPO is a manner in which businesses can raise capital through the public markets whereby shares can be bought and...
RE: Smearing, Silencing, and Antisemitism Dear Editors, Nobody questions (so I hope) Professor Bhabha’s right to criticize Israel. Nobody should even challenge his right to provide a selective, one sided, and even false history in the form of half-truths. And it is entirely off the point that I agree with much of what he says as to the former but disagree as to the latter. Where he crossed...
The month of February began tumultuously amidst reports of the Myanmarese military detaining members of the civilian government and declaring control of the country. Though it is too soon to say anything definitively, it appears that the democratic transition initiated roughly a decade ago has come to an end. This is not the first time that the military has overthrown a civilian government in...
Recruit season is upon us. This year’s 2L class is facing additional stress due to the pandemic and will be navigating the first-ever virtual recruit process. As I stare at the Excel spreadsheet I made with the list of employers, application requirements, practice information, and contacts, I can’t help but wonder when this will end. For some odd reason, the time from January – April always...
This year has presented untold challenges for students. At a time when business is anything but usual, we are forced to carry on as if it were. Certain of ourselves, though the world is uncertain of itself. If our reality is a simulation, as some have suggested, it is as if the attendant slipped and unwittingly engaged the red button on the switchboard reading ‘expert mode’. Whereas yesterday’s...
Last year’s seemingly-unending American presidential election is in the rear-view mirror. After months of baseless claims by the Trump campaign with respect to voting irregularities, President Joe Biden’s inauguration took place in January—in a ceremony marked by masked faces and viral mittens. There is plenty to dissect in the aftermath of the November 3 election: the relative successes of...
Donald Trump has been a controversial and polarizing figure for years, with his venture into American politics only serving to exacerbate this fact. He has been able to strike a chord with many Americans, drawing crowds to rallies and inciting demonstrations by supporters. Curiously, support for the self-proclaimed ‘America-First’ politician has not been limited to the United States. For whatever...
Reader be warned, Bridgerton spoilers below. Shonda Rhimes, the brilliant creator of highly successful Grey’s Anatomy and How to Get Away with Murder, partnered with Netflix to create what has now become the platforms most watched series, Bridgerton. The show is based on a series of eight romance novels by Julia Quinn, with the first novel written in 2000. Season one has been watched by...
On December 16 2020, HBO released a documentary titled The Art of Political Murder. The film is an in-depth look at the investigation that took place after the brutal assassination of Guatemalan Catholic Bishop Juan José Gerardi Conedera, who fought for justice and accountability after the end of the Guatemalan Civil War. He was murdered in 1998, shortly after presenting a report which identified...
A Poem Who is Lady Justice? With her strong stance and steady glare. Does she hear me calling out, Asking whether she really even cares? What is law, anyways? A question for the ages. As old as time, yet remains unanswered, Even though she is debated and squashed in never ending mazes. Maybe law is a thing? Or better yet; a person, maybe places? Is law all of the above, a...
An Osgoode and U of T Law student go head-to-head on the topic of friendships Point: By Lara Zarum (1L, Osgoode) I figured it would be easy to write about why it’s important to have friends outside of law school, considering I have no friends in law school. Friends? In this economy? At the moment, my closest friend is my dog. We didn’t ask to start law school in the middle of a pandemic. We...
It is the most prestigious race in history, yet considering its importance, the America’s Cup is transpiring in New Zealand with remarkably little media attention. Known as “The Billionaire Death Race,” the America’s Cup was first contested in 1851 when the yacht America, racing for the New York Yacht Club, sailed to the Royal Yacht Squadron on the Isle of Wight. There, on the 22nd of August in...
Thomas Tuchel’s mid-season appointment comes as no surprise at Stamford Bridge When Frank Lampard began his second full season in charge of Chelsea FC, many supporters assumed that he would be allowed at least the full season to show signs of progress before the board sought a replacement. However, given the massive expenditure that the club underwent this summer to bring in Timo Werner, Kai...
In our last issue of the 2019-2020 academic year, I wrote a note on how the COVID-19 pandemic would, beyond its obvious devastation, leave the world a better place. This time last term, I wrote about the ways in which our world needed to change, and how it seemed like it would. I wasn’t the first, nor the last, but it was the only thing important enough to start the year off by saying. What the...
Understandably, there is a sea of conflicting information going around about the safety, efficacy, and reliability of all of the available COVID-19 vaccine candidates. Much of that uncertainty stems from the novel scientific methods being used to generate immunity in two of the current contenders being administered and bought on the public market. In an effort to clarify some of the complex...
As the rise of self-directed retail investing increases with technological innovations and fintech, investors should remain increasingly critical of how their brokers are making their money. The saying, “If you’re not paying for the product, then you are the product” is as relevant as it has ever been in the age of commission free trading. In Canada the most prominent commission-free brokerage is...