Four creative things to do without internet On 16 January 2023 from around 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., the WIFI at Passy was officially disconnected. Some said the router room was flooded. Others said it was disconnected wires. I said, “How am I supposed to watch The Bachelor Australia?” (Writer’s Note: There are THREE Bachelors this season!) After playing Klondike for the first twenty minutes, I quickly...
When we were in elementary school, our naiveté had us thinking that our Toronto Raptors were great. The likes of Joey Graham, TJ Ford, Morris Peterson, Jamario Moon, and Rasho Nesterovic were the Raptors of my childhood. We believed that Jose Calderon was an elite point guard and that Shawn Marion would change our fortunes. I never thought we could actually be on the top of the basketball world...
“Lionel Messi has shaken hands with paradise.” – Peter Drury From 20 November to 18 December 2022, the world celebrated its most cherished and adored game. Thirty-two teams battled it out for the chance to hoist the World Cup, and it may have been the greatest World Cup tournament that has been played. Without further ado, here are my six final thoughts regarding the twenty-second FIFA World Cup...
Milan Borjan (right), Canada’s 2022 FIFA goalkeeper, is seen helping up a Croatian player. Prior to the start of the 2022 World Cup, the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) president Gianni Infantino urged teams to direct their focus not on politics but solely on soccer. But this is an impossible task, not only for the teams competing, but also for those following along...
When I first heard, all the way back in April, that Elon Musk was putting in a takeover bid to purchase Twitter, I was skeptical that the plan would ever even materialize. So far removed from Musk’s typical business ventures, I frankly did not understand the profitability scheme he was envisioning with the acquisition. It felt more like a statement than a serious offer. My hunch was proven...
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...
Over 50,000 people marched in London, England to campaign for climate change ahead of COP21 in Paris, France (Photograph: Matthew Kirby) Loss and damage breakthrough at COP27 As the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) comes to a close, the same question is again at the forefront of climate talks, but the answer may be different: Who will pay for the impacts of climate change? Well...
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...
Polio vaccination in POC 3 at UN House. The Ministry of Health has been conducting the 4th (and last) round of its national immunization campaign for 2014, targeting children aged 0 – 5 years. Magna, a local NGO, has been working with the Ministry of Health, with the support of UNICEF and WHO, with the aim of immunizing 300,000 children in Central Equatoria State, and 2.4 million children...
Kanye West’s inflammatory statements have doubtlessly caused fervour over the past few weeks. What began as a series of tirades against other members of the fashion and music industries culminated into a slew of provocative statements and actions from Kanye. In early October, Kanye and right-wing commentator Candace Owens brandished shirts with the phrase “White Lives Matter” printed on them at...
I was spending time with some of my friends over the weekend, with the intention of watching holiday movies while consuming the occasional libation. After consuming more than intended—prior to watching anything—we inevitably came to the debate of which movie to watch. We all suggested some of our favourites, which were hotly debated, before we eventually settled on putting several ideas in a hat...
A selection of songs that I’ve been listening to recently by Black artists “Bikini Bottom” – Ice Spice: Unless you’ve been hiding out in a hyperbaric chamber for the past couple of months, you know who Ice Spice is. The queen of New York drill has been the focal point, for better or worse, of a great deal of attention online, primarily for her uber-catchy, male-deriding hit “Munch...
The Toronto Maple Leafs just lost defenceman Morgan Rielly for at least the next ten games. This was not welcome news: Over the last few weeks the Leafs have also lost TJ Brodie from their blue line and Ilya Samsonov from their crease. On the other hand, fans were seeing their team get on a roll with Matt Murray recovering and the team racking up at least one point in nine out of their last ten...
FIFA is a disgrace. I hope Gianni Infantino is forever smeared for the comments he made when defending the tournament this past week. I also hope that Sepp Blatter never has the opportunity to do anything relevant in the world ever again. Qatar should not be hosting this tournament. Unfortunately, it is. If you will not watch because your values and morals prohibit you to do so, then you are a...
November 12 saw one of the most anticipated UFC pay-per-views of the year come and go: UFC 281. The card featured several stand-out fights that resonated with both die hard and casual fans alike. I watched the card with some friends, most of whom rarely tune into UFC cards or combat sports in general, and they were all clamoring that the Poirier versus Chandler fight was one of the best fights...
Qatar, the host of this year’s FIFA World Cup of soccer, has faced a barrage of criticism that began in 2010 when it was awarded the tournament. Concerns about the treatment of migrant workers and members of the LGBTQ2S+ community have made this World Cup one of the most heavily criticized and denounced in history. Migrant workers in Qatar who helped build stadiums and World Cup infrastructure...
Bills @ Patriots To start us off, we have the Bills visiting Gillette Stadium to take on the Patriots. The Thursday Night games this season have been under par to say the least. However, this game has the potential to be a good one, within reason. The Bills are 0-2 against their own division and are looking to get a much-needed divisional win on the road. With the AFC East having the possibility...
On 22 October 2022, the Parkdale Legal Services held a symposium to commemorate its fifty-year anniversary. Osgoode students offered their time and energy to help plan and run the symposium. The “Parkdale Community Legal Services at 50: Defining Our Future” symposium brought together alumni, activists, lawyers, professors, community members, and current Osgoode students for a day of art...
Scientists discover genetic variation that offers largest evolutionary advantage found in humans A study published in Nature two weeks ago identified a genetic variation that gave certain people a 40% chance of surviving the Black Death—the largest evolutionary advantage found in humans. The Black Death, a plague that spread throughout Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa ravaged the...
A congressional letter that urges President Biden to negotiate directly with Vladimir Putin to end the war against Ukraine, signed by thirty liberal democrats, was withdrawn by the Congressional Progressive Caucus on 25 October 2022. The House Democrats pointed out that the incrementally painful consequences are becoming increasingly far-reaching and are reflected not only in Ukraine but...
The Canadian housing market has been retreating due to increased interest rates over the past year. What was once a dominant sellers’ market has slowly become buyer-friendly as current homeowners cannot keep up with the rising interest rates. However, within this mayhem and the worrying housing price bubble, a niche area of housing financing is booming, particularly for a specific religious...
The Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) has been making headlines this week following the announcement from French President Emmanuel Macron that his country would withdraw from the investment treaty because it did not align with the Paris Agreement. This follows announcements from Poland, Spain, and the Netherlands that they were pulling out of the agreement as well. The ECT is a multilateral investment...
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...