Artichoke Vol. 6 No. 3

SEASON’S GREETINGS

DECEMBER 2016 I VOL. 6 No. 3

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CONTRIBUTORS

Editor-in-Chief

Mayeesha Chowdhury

Assistant Editor

Safa Gangat

Writers

Michael Petruzzelli Ori William Black Mackenzie Taylor Emma Ferreira Charles Manzo ChantaĂŠ Candize Kabeer Garba Christina Zisko Sana Ahmed Cole Kennedy Gerrod Harris

1 Art Director

Daniel Dohyun Kim

Designers

Mary Anne Cruz Emily Mcdonald Holden Kao Sarah Wong Justin Veneracion Madison Pflance Sarah Nwabuike Judy Gu Patrick Descartin Heena Chudasama Gurleen Hansi Elisabeth Yoon Larissa Ettlin Bri Coggans Samantha Hansel Cherry Law Nicole Hall Samneet Mann

Win ters CONTENTS

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Once A Number

11

What Am I Left With?

Feature

Michael Petruzzelli

Charles Manzo

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DSA Q&A

13

Happy Holidays!

ChantaĂŠ Candize

15

Santa Sleigh

Kabeer Garba

17

Wearing Thin

Christina Zisko

19

Exerpts From Places And Spaces We Dwell

Sana Ahmed

23

Move Forward

Cole Kennedy

25

2016: A Year In Review

Gerrod Harris

Feature

7

I Love Wine

Ori William Black

Feature

8

Dear Canada

Mackenzie Taylor

Feature

9

Do You See It

Charles Manzo

Feature

10

Fuck

Emma Ferreira

Feature

Lifestyle

Lifestyle

Lifestyle

Creative

Feature Entertainment

Entertainment

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Spotlight: WCC First Year Representative

Once A Number, A Letter to My Fellow First Years.

By Michael Petruzzelli

DEAR FRIENDS,

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As I write this letter I am sitting in my bed on a Wednesday night, avoiding studying for exams at all costs and eating my second meal of the day, a half-eaten bag of Doritos.

Why is this relevant? It really is not, but as I lay here hanging upside down with nacho cheese on my fingertips, I am trying to conjure up the most kick ass of articles ever written in the Artichoke. But…I am finding myself having to dig deeper than I expected. It is at this point that I realize that I started writing this letter with a closed mind hoping that the words would fall from my fingertips into this word document… kind of how went into this whole university thing. I am unprepared, scared, and a little nauseous from stress eating. So I sit up and write about something else that I am good at other than eating and feeling uninspired. I write about us, the unheard, voiceless numbers that are new to the walls of York University. I write about the first years, and how most of the time we feel like all we’re good at is eating and feeling uninspired!

F eatu re Well to your surprise, and I just found this out recently but apparently that is not all we are good at. I have learned that as first years, our voice roars louder than our stomachs during a three-hour lecture, and that is pretty loud. We are as loud as the “Lion� status we have been given because as first years we all have something in common; we all came to this school scared out of our minds with preconceived ideas about what university is supposed to be like. But all of those ideas that stemmed from movies and television only left us disappointed when we began feeling like numbers. I felt like a single bee in a hive much larger than I expected coming into this school.

Well, the first semester is ending and I no longer feel like a number, I feel like a friend, a student, a team member, a lion, and most of all I feel like myself again. As first years we tend to retreat and stick to the things that we have quickly become familiar with, moving from class to class occasionally stopping at the same spots to grab a bite to eat. We talk to the same people and we sit in the same areas every week in the same classes.

I am here to tell you to break down those walls. Because you are someone who has the opportunity to take advantage of the new world that will surround you for the next four years, so break out of your comfort zone! Join clubs, go to events, explore the campus, talk to people who you may have never had

the guts to before, study hard, party hard and most of all feel free to be yourself. Lastly, always remember no matter who you are or what your story is, Winters College will always accept you for all that you are and all that you want to be. As first years, we are the future voice of York University and I believe we will continue to break down walls.

Semester two is coming, so make it the one to start off an amazing university career. Get involved, get Inspired, and get loud.

Love always, Someone who was once just a number but is now, Winters College’s first-year representative Michael Petruzzelli

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Spotlight: Dance Students Association

Q&A Q: WHY DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH THIS CLUB?

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I got involved with the Dance Students’ Association to give back to my program and help future students. When I was in first and second year, upper year students in the DSA were extremely open and willing to help out with any questions and concerns we might have had. As well I am extremely passionate about the York Dance program so what better way to give back then be a part of the association directly involved in helping the students.

Q: WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CLUB EXPERIENCE? My absolute favourite club experience from the DSA is attending our Improv Soiree’s, now happening on a monthly basis!

These nights give students, not

solely in the dance program, an open space to improvise, be it dance, music, or whatever talents they want to bring to the table. Magic is created at these soirees, it’s truly a pleasure to behold. Our first soiree of the year is happening October 24th at 7 in the EWAG. Q: WHAT MAKES YOUR CLUB STAND OUT FROM THE MANY CLUBS AT YORK? The Dance Students’ Association stands out among the other clubs at York by being open to dance students and anyone else who loves dance. Our events create an environment for students to be artistic, active, and simply have fun!

Q: WHAT IS YOUR CLUB ABOUT AND WHY SHOULD YOU JOIN? Our club is about fostering a love for dance, and representing all students in the dance program at York University. Our events are geared towards our students body, our reason for existing, however our events are open to all York University students to attend.

Students should join our club if they have been dancing for years or have never danced in their life and have an itch to get moving, we welcome everyone!

F eatu re

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Get In Touch Dance Students’ Association - York University Email: dsa.yorku@gmail.com Facebook Group: facebook. com/groups/113336458726473/ Instagram: dsayorku Snapchat: dsayorku

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Spotlight: Word Night

I Love Wine

By Ori William Black

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I ORDER A GLASS OF WINE Drink that glass And I order a second And then I fear of loneliness And I fear that loneliness fears me For I fear that I feel too much too quickly I hate wine The napkin soaks up and displays the purple-red dark stain as quickly as it is spilt And I fear that that napkin is me Showing every crease an un-ironed thought in and around my eyes With the fear of not being loved Soaking past the cloth straight through to the frail, delicately crafted bar that is my skeleton I hate wine I try to wash this fear out but I fear I’m making it worse It only seems to spread with every stroke of the towel Damaging the wooden finish Splintering my bones with my insecurities and the doubt that this slight intoxication from the first

glass may be the only thing I’ll ever feel I hate wine To keep the lone feeling sustained I order a third And then a fourth And now I am drunk Did I mention I hate wine?

But that’s okay For the anxiety-stricken breaks in my bones are calcified by this buzzing confidence And then I see her Cleaning up her glass of spilt fears She admits that she’s also on her fourth And there my life begins I fear I love her and I fear she loves me back She admits that she shares the same fears And for a moment we are fearless For fearing with another is almost like not fearing at all We order a fifth glass And there our lives begin I love wine.

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DEAR CANADA

By Mackenzie Taylor

DEAR CANADA, I love you more than I could begin to say. I love the peaks of your mountains rolling into your flat plains, the wetness of the Great Lakes, your French kiss, the salty taste of your skin. You send shivers up my spine. I love you and am so proud to claim you as mine. So this is a love letter. A plea if you will, for sometimes the person you love the most hurts you the most. I love you and believe you can change and grow. And when you grow and change I will finally be capable of growing too. And when we grow so tall that the rest of the world watches as our hand glides through the glass ceiling they will now know that the impossible is possible and we don’t have to live within walls of our own creating. When we do that we will look down and see the courageous following our path. I see

a future where our gender and race and sexuality no longer determines our life expectancy with in this country. That the cunt between my legs no longer determines how scared I am to walk home, drink, flirt, smile, not smile, learn, speak out, say no. I see a future for us if only you’d envision a future for me. A future when I’m not a number in statistic. A future where my aboriginal sisters don’t make up 59% of Saskatchewan’s missing and murdered women and girls. I get so pissed that one chromosome makes up myself worth. That every time I stand next to a Canadian female, the statistics say one of us will experience an act of sexual or physical violence. The odds go up once you factor in women of colour, queer women, and nonbinary folk.

It’s 2016 you can pause and rewind live tv but yet we haven’t figured out how to treat each other like

human beings. How to respect and celebrate our differences. How did we let ourselves get so fucked up.

I’m tired but I’m not done fighting for us for them. I know my skin gives me privilege- every time I buy foundation, a nude bra, apply for jobs, interact with the cops. So I’m saying what I’ve learned from others and what I know to be true for myself. My voice will be held into a battle cry. Until something is done. Laws change. We change.

I will kick and scream and bleed all while being called a bitch and a slut. But I am stronger than lies and hate and social constructs and the women I’ve come across are even stronger than I. We are here, Canada. We are here.

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Do You See It

Spotlight: Word Night

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By Charles Manzo

WHEN I SEE IT IN MY DREAMSI feel a dark sinister presenceA presence on my shoulders.

Something skeletalSomething boneyA hand familiarbut older.

Something grimSomething slimA cloth made form icebut colder.

Something darkSomething guiltyblood dripping down my chest.

Sinister shadow creeps from the floor.

I feel the snarls at the tips of my hairsSomething terrifyingSomething dangerousI cannot move.

For my neck is stuckAnd my eyes are frozenBut my ears are awakeI hear it.

It’s creakingIt’s snappingIt’s presence is dauntingIt starts to breatheIt’s breath as putrid as a skunk’s carcassIt’s mouth opensit’s hot breath on my ear.

I hear it’s teeth snappingIt’s tongue circlingIt opens its mouthAnd whispersWake up Chuck.

It’s time for school.

F eatu re By Emma Ferreira

FUCK THE MESSAGE THAT I AM NOT GOOD ENOUGH. Turn the FUCKing lights on, Let me see my body for what it is, not in the shadow of someone else’s mould.

FUCK you for saying that I need to change That this temple of mine is yours to dictate.

FUCK you for not loving my insecurities, For not relinquishing in their beauty For not savouring their harsh edges FUCK you for trying to define me, for trying to put me in a box.

I AM WHATEVER THE FUCK I WANT TO BE I AM LIMITLESS. FUCK being fake and FUCK being two faced because I have sixty fucking faces and they all have teeth as sharp as razor blades, So protect those delicate adjectives that you cling to because I bite and I bite hard, FUCK you for telling me I am less of a person because of my size.

FUCK you for constantly telling me to be myself because I don’t know who the FUCK that is yet FUCK you for making me feel worthless.

FUCK you for caging me in and putting me under a microscope.

FUCK pressure

FUCK gender FUCK the idea of beauty FUCK looking in the mirror and hating yourself FUCK dependency FUCK fitting in FUCK social norms And FUCK social cues because I’m not FUCKing done yet.

FUCK the industries that make money off of my low self worth, FUCK me for wanting so badly to be a part of them.

FUCK being someone else’s property.

FUCK secrets and swallowing pain.

FUCK feeling numb, FUCK escape, FUCK feelings I’d rather forget, FUCK guilt, And, FUCK YOU.

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What Am I Left With?

By Charles Manzo

F eatu re

Spotlight: Word Night

WHEN THE NUMBING STOPSWhat am I left with?

When my liver gives inWhat am I left with?

When my lungs turn to charcoalWhat am I left with?

When the holes of my veins seal upWhat am I left with?

When my heart slows it’s beatingWhat am I left with?

When my mind starts to burnWhat am I left with?

When I am free of my mind’s prisonWhat am I left with?

When I step foot on the moonlight grass with bare feet.

Bare from head to toe while the ground feels cold.

What am I left with?

When my tears start to flow.

All I hear is silence.

What am I left with?

When darkness consumes this moonlit field.

Where from the dreary treesSo sinister and the wind embraces iceWhat am I left with?

When a silhouette of black from afarAdvances into my viewWhat am I left with?

When the figure, Reaches closer and closer.

Gliding with contemptAs I see all but a face, What am I left with?

When my tears turn to frost, And my legs then shake from fear, What am I left with?

When time slows down.

When my heart stops, When my blood stops flowing and I know my end is nearWhat am I left with?

Oh god.

Oh god.

Judgement is comingAnd I find myself, left with-

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Happy Holidays!

With love, The Reality of Adulthood By ChantaĂŠ Candize

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L if estyle CHRISTMAS IS MY ALL-TIME favourite holiday. The feeling of being surrounded by vibrant lights, the joyful and carefree laughter of children who don’t have to worry about the stress of exams and final papers. And to Christmas themed mugs being filled with white hot chocolate and Baileys, with a dash of an eclectic group of carolers in nearly every department store, and the oh so satisfying message “APPROVED” with every tap of my Visa truly makes me happy.

But most of all, as I must admit, it is the unity of family and friends for the holiday season. It is this sense of indescribable warmth that I seem to tremendously lack for the other 365 days of the year (remember, this year was a leap year. Yeah, I forgot too). As I locked lips with university for over 3 years now, I have disconnected and drifted from time and a great deal of my social life. It is not only me; it is my group of friends, and well, nearly everyone who has left their high school days in the past that seems almost too long ago.

With the constant hustle of going to school to get a degree to get a fantastic job, to working part time so I can fund myself to go to school to get a fantastic job is an extremely tiring cycle that seems to take up nearly all 24 hours of the day or even more I must say. I have learned that nearly everyone else is working in some way to accomplish some goal they have and I have accepted that. I have family and friends who live abroad, or who even live in the same condominium as I do, and we only have time to connect around the holidays as it seems to be a time of people winding down and taking time to finally laugh at memes in the same room.

Being able to rekindle fond memories and get cozy in faux fur throws, freshly washed pyjamas, with a face mask plastered all over my warm face due to generous glasses of red wine, there is something so special about sharing the room with people you love and appreciate during the holiday

season. Giving and receiving larger than life bear hugs, smiles so wide they can fit a whole pie, and gut deep laughter brings a natural buzz to me.

Knowing that although it may be a while before I get to connect with loved ones because we are all hustling and trying to make a dollar out of 15 cents, it is such a warm and comforting feeling that the Christmas season brings. Not all the gifts, not the spiked eggnog, but the people whom I am proud to call family by blood and experiences, time and memories.

Heck, if I cannot reconnect with everyone, we can continue to tag each other on the most relatable memes on Facebook and Instagram.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!

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Santa Sleigh 15

By Kabeer Garba

I HAVE NEVER BEEN ONE TO get all too excited for Christmas and the only thing worth enjoying was the milk and cookies my mother would set out. It was not an unordinary happy time in life where every person was jolly and all candy was cane. Which kind of took a toll on me. I questioned for so long whether my family was a happy one.

L if estyle Each of my friends would constantly be singing Christmas music as soon as December hit. People would start posting pictures, they would get excited to decorate the trees, and start wearing Christmas themed pajama pants. Everyone was happy, so why not me? Later in my life I stopped questioning my happiness and started forcing it on myself. I would make myself smile when I looked in the mirror and I wished that one day the smile would be real. I would buy myself the gifts that I wanted, instead of asking others for them.

Christmas became my time, I could do what I wanted and I was the king of my own world.

I would be lying if I said that those times were the happiest of Christmases for me. I would be lying if I said I wanted to go back to that time, but I would also be lying if I said that I was not glad it happened. I still remember the change, I remember looking into the mirror and seeing myself with a genuine smile for the first time. I

remember selling some of the gifts I got myself over the years so I could afford the perfect necklace for you. I remember singing along to my first Christmas song and I remember feeling happy. Well, that it how love goes I suppose, the colours get brighter and the melodies sound sweeter right? Right. Last year for Christmas, all I wanted was to understand. I needed to know who decided that it was me who deserved a happy ending. Who decided that I should be smiling and gazing at the most beautiful person around? After all of this time, all of the selfish purchases and cold shoulders I gave, all of the vulgar comments and sickening scowls. I had never done anything for anyone and yet I was happy. Well it is time for that to change. It is time for me to start giving back to the community and doing my part to be jolly, and that starts with you.

You make me better, you make me happier. Will you be my Mrs. Clause?

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Wearing Thin By Christina Zisko

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WHILE I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED writing, there are times when I’m especially glad that I have this outlet to express myself. This is one of those times.

While doing some online shopping (as millennials often do), I came across a photo on a well known clothing retailer’s website that angered me. The woman in the photo was modelling a pretty floral dress, but the only thing that I could focus on was how absolutely unhealthy she looked. This model’s arms were particularly disturbing.

Without showing the photo in question, the best way I can describe it would be that her upper arms were literally thinner than her lower arms. In order to make sure I was not overreacting, I showed the photo to a friend of mine, as well as my mom, in an effort to get a second (and third) opinion. As I expected, both of them expressed their disappointment. My mom even gasped when I pulled the picture up on my computer screen.

Before I continue, I want to make a few things clear. I am in no way body-shaming. I understand there are naturally very thin and petite girls, as well as girls that are naturally more curvy, and everything in between. There are as

many different body types as there are people in the world, and many shapes and sizes can be considered healthy. I draw the line when a model looks emaciated. As a society, we are becoming increasingly more aware of the unrealistic expectations placed on women by the media, and this photo simply proved the necessity of these discussions.

A part of me wanted to simply close the page and move on. Why waste my time? But my unshakeable frustration led me to write an e-mail to the company. This is what I wrote: “Hi there, I was scrolling through your website and came across these photos. I have to say that I am so disappointed to see an emaciated model on your site. The girl in the attached photos is scarily skinny, and frankly I’m just so tired of seeing these images. It’s unhealthy for young girls to see this being celebrated, and the fact that this girl

is out there starving herself to fulfill her dream of modelling makes me so sad. There is a difference between naturally slim and unhealthy. I hope you reconsider the models that you use to show off your products. A diversity in body types would truly make a difference.

Thank you, Christina Zisko” I truly did not expect a response.

I assumed that my email would get lost in the sea of correspondence I am sure retailers receive every day.

However, less than a week later, I received an email back, from the “Online Operations Manager”: “Hi Christina, Thank you for the feedback. As a husband and a father to a young girl I could not agree more with you, however on this I do disagree as the model is a personal friend of mine. She herself eats, does not diet or starve herself.

We at (insert company name here) have hired a variety of models of all different body types, and we don’t

L if estyle promote that unhealthy lifestyle of starving to become a specific size.

- (Insert Manager’s Name Here)”

which means that while I’m no doctor, I can be confident that, weight notwithstanding, the size of a person’s arms can be an indication Am I wrong to be completely of nutritional health. infuriated? The fact that this man It frustrated me that the felt as though her being a “personal” response I received was basically friend of his was any indication just a defence for this one particular of her health is ridiculous. Eating model. I was in no way attacking disorders most frequently occur her personally. What I was doing, behind closed doors. Even those however, was questioning values of closest to those who suffer may some clothing retailers as a whole. not know. For example, one of my This is why I would have much best friends in elementary school preferred a one line email stating suffered from bulimia for years.

“Thank you for your input”, rather Years later, she told me that during than this man informing me on the lunch break nearly every day she supposed nutritional habits of this went to the washroom to throw female model. I felt like the manager up. I had absolutely no idea. None. focused on one line of my email in So even if this online operations an attempt to brush the issue under manager happened to see this model the rug. Maybe I’m overreacting, eat, how can he promise that she but for some reason, while casually “does not diet or starve herself”? shopping online, I lost my cool.

I do not want to bore anyone Moving on from this model in with facts, but this one is important, particular (even though I basically so bear with me. Nutritional health just dedicated an entire article to and recovery of teens with eating her), this is a broader issue and disorders can be monitored by Mid it is proven. The media does have Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC), an effect on people. When young

girls do not see themselves in the media that they consume, that is detrimental. Representation matters. Seeing models like Ashley Graham on the runway and in commercials is a big step forward, and that is exciting. I am ready for the day where models of all shapes and sizes can walk the runway together, so long as consumers can be confident that the preparation leading up to the photoshoot or fashion show was done in a healthy way. I chose not to follow up with this man.

It seemed futile to continue the conversation. But, regardless, I am happy that I chose to speak up. If nothing else, it allowed me to vent a little, much like writing this article.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have more shopping to do…just one less website to visit.

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Exerpts From Places And Spaces We Dwell By Sana Ahmed

POST ONE: Spaces to Grow

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One of the central ideas for this project is to show that connection to nature and land exists in urban and suburban spaces, where wilderness feels like a place far away from where us city dwellers reside.

However, nature is all around us, the wild is all around us, and we can connect to it right here in our own backyards (pun kind of intended).

This is my back garden, and it is one of my favourite spaces at home.

As an adult I do not spend a lot of time here except for when I garden, but whenever I do come out here, I always feel connected.

I used to play here a lot as a kid with my sister and our friends. The backyard became many different worlds in our imagination and we would become the characters in the stories we used to play out. I also remember my dad planting every spring. He would labour away at tilling the soil, fertilizing it, and then planting a variety of vegetables. There were times my sister and I would be playing in the backyard while my dad worked the land. Sometimes we would be

C reative curious about what he was doing and watched him garden. We often asked him questions and sometimes we would help. What I remember most is the way he would amuse us by showing us insects such as ladybugs, potato bugs, and creepy crawlies. However, my dad had the most fun introducing us to earthworms. One day, he asked us to hold out our hands. With excitement we asked what he was giving us, and instead of telling us, he placed earthworms in our hands. We looked at them intently, afraid we would get bitten as they lay on our palms. My dad reassured us the worms were harmless, but when they started to squiggle, we squealed and threw them back in the soil and ran away as my dad chuckled at us. But we loved those weird worms and always went back to hold more of them.

Now as an adult, I garden with my dad. He taught me everything I know so far about planting

vegetables and it is one of the most important skills I could have gained.

I’ve been planting for a couple of years now, and because of this I have noticed a change this year. A few of the plants died from being eaten by insects. I lost two bushels of kale, three cucumber plants and three zucchini plants. The tomato leaves also seem to be suffering from a lack of nutrients or maybe from insects as well. However, the tomatoes themselves seem to be doing just fine.

I am noticing a lot of issues this season. We have also been going through a drought, hence the yellow grass, which is an issue I will explore in a different post. But I water twice a day so I don’t think it’s a lack of hydration.

Despite these problems, I have been getting a steady amount of vegetables from my garden. One of the beautiful experiences of being in my backyard is that I can walk in into a space that is filled with life and nourishment and walk out

with a variety of food from the land.

Aside from the vegetables I planted myself, I also have plants that grow on their own; such as the mint I get each year and the grape vine that grows on the fence.

I feel a strong connection to my environment and it is not just through the act of planting my food and picking it from the garden. It is from understanding the land, the way the soil works and knowing the conditions these plants need to thrive. And it is from knowing the changes that occur when problems arise, and being able to connect them to local issues such as the lack of soil nutrients and drought, and global issues such as climate change.

There is something wild about this connection, and it is experienced right here in my suburban neighbourhood.

Continued on the next page

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POST TWO: #StreetView Four years ago you would have seen a canopy of leaves over the street that blocked most of the sky from view. I miss driving down the road and seeing the canopy in motion, as breaks of sunlight seep through.

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The trees were destroyed after the ice storm in 2013. Although the frozen branches brought a magical look to the landscape, the consequences have been heartbreaking. The heaviness of the ice broke down the branches and the trees died. I was surrounded by them all of my life and then one day I came home and the street was bare.

Looking back, I’m now realizing that the loss of the landscape I grew up with mirrored the loss of my sense of self that occurred earlier that year. They say that destruction leads to the creation of something new. Through loss, a connection was born between myself and the place I grew up, because I became aware of my environment the moment those trees were gone.

C reative POST THREE: Resilient: Trees have been disappearing from my neighborhood. The 2013 ice storm really did a lot of damage and since then I’ve seen such a huge difference in tree cover. It’s sad to see it happening especially because I grew up around them. It was hard

to see tree stumps with no branches or leaves the following summer, and it felt like I was in some dystopian novel, living in a world that was slowly decaying. I know this sounds dramatic but it was heartbreaking. I was also experiencing sadness in my personal life at the time, hence the brooding.

I remember one particular day I was feeling down and decided to go for a walk and take pictures. I walked through a small park right by my house and saw one of the stumps, but this time instead of feeling upset over it I was delightfully surprised and also a little shocked. That stump that once looked lifeless had little branches sprouting out from the roots and growing leaves! The tree started regrowing in a new way. I was humbled by nature’s resiliency and reminded that life goes on as we find ways to survive.

It’s now over two years later and look how much this new kind of tree has grown!

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Move Forward By Cole Kennedy

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2016 WAS A STRANGE, frustrating, emotional rollercoaster of a year, but it is almost over (I say, as the crowds burst with cheers and tears of joy). As always with my articles, I would ike to talk about something superhero related, namely The Flash television show and this season’s Flashpoint storyline. Overall, I would like to talk about two things: new year’s resolutions, and time travel.

On The Flash, Barry Allen made a personal choice to go back in time and save his mother’s life, creating a universal change of events, altering his future forever, with no permanent way to put things back to the way they originally were, even if he wanted to. This storyline sparked a lot of hilarious memes and jokes at Barry’s expense. The powers that Barry possesses are nothing but fantasies for us, but I am sure we have all dreamt of possessing powers like his. The ability to travel back in time and fix something terrible…who would not want that ability? Especially after this year. Of course, logistically, time travel is impossible and would undoubtedly unravel the entire universe, but ethically, should it be done?

En ter tain men t I often find myself dwelling on these fantasies far too frequently.

I will spend so much of my time pondering my previous decisions, leaving too little time to think about the decisions that lay ahead. What if I had just started my essay a little earlier? What if I had been a little more confident in that situation?

What if I had done this instead of that? You can drive yourself mad thinking about all the “what ifs”.

Unfortunately, we are not Barry Allen, and we do nor have his luxury of manipulating time.

When you’re thinking about your 2017 new year’s resolutions, do not focus on the past. The past is unchangeable, and written in ink.

Instead, focus on the year ahead and what you want to make out of that year. New year’s resolutions

always seem to be about changing yourself or doing something that you normally would not do, but that is not what they should always be about. You do not need to change anything, just be the best “you” can be from this point on. 2016 has been, based on popular opinion, a shitty year. While it is over, there is nothing about the year we are entering that necessarily stands out from the year we are leaving. So let’s collectively make 2017 a great year. We cannot change the year we have just experienced, but we can change the year ahead. Give more compliments, hug more people, say “I love you” more often, finish your work on time, do not be an asshole, anything…whatever you need to do to be a better “you”, do it.

Amidst all the memes and jokes and legitimately thrilling episodes, I have learned a valuable lesson; time travel is, so far as we know, fictional.

For every mistake we make or result of bad thing that happens in our lives, we cannot jump into a Delorean, or click our heels, or run into the Speed Force. We can’t go back in time and reverse things from happening. What we can do is accept what we’ve experienced, endure it, make the necessary steps to grow from it, and move forward.

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2016: A Year In Review BY GERROD HARRIS

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IF THE WORLD HAD AN innocence left, 2016 would have been the year which took it all away. With every major event, I sigh under my breath, expecting that things couldn’t get worse, and then, withint a matter of days, they certainly do. Yes, 2016 is the year in which some of the greatest musicians and songwriters have passed from our world- David Bowie, Prince, Lenard Cohen, and Dave Brubeck- among other great cultural figures- from the comedic genius of Gene Wilder to the titan that was Muhammad Ali- and also brought us the victory of the racist, sexist- just general asshole- Donald Trump during the 2016 American election. Yes, “things can’t keep getting worse”, certainly seems like a just motto for a year that has kicked our hearts when they were down.

But, there was something that made 2016 bearable: music.

2016, out of all the things it wasn’t, proved to be an incredible year for music. Here, I will count down the best albums from a number of categories. Your favorite artist didn’t make the list? Well call me the Grammy’s ‘cause they just got snubbed!

Best Rock Album: David Bowie, Blackstar It is hard to call Blackstar David Bowie’s greatest piece of art. His career stretched back to the later half of the 1960’s and saw him successfully tackle a number of genres. To many, Blackstar is an album which encapsulates much of his career, incorporating jazz and electronic textures to an art rock flair. Regardless, the song writing and recorded performance is nothing short of brilliant. Pair that with how Bowie had timed the album to coincide with his death

as a parting gift to his fans, and you have a truly remarkable album which will be regarded as a modern classic.

Runners Up: Iggy Pop, Post Pop Depression¸ The Rolling Stones, Blue And Lonesome, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Getaway Best Pop Album: Beyoncé, Lemonade Whether you like her or not, Beyoncé is one of the biggest cultural figures of today’s modern pop landscape. Lemonade, musically, is much like the rest of her catalogue. She has a great voice and, along with her song writing team, she showcases her vocal prowess through a number of catchy and dance fuelled tracks that left the world searching for Becky with the good hair. It was the video album aspect which accompanied the music of Lemonade which made Beyoncé one of the biggest sensations of 2016. And yet still,

En ter tain men t Taylor Swift still made the most money out of everyone in the industry this year.

Runners Up: Rihanna, Anti, Ariana Grande, Dangerous Woman Best Jazz Album: DeJohnette/ Coltrane/Garrison, Movement Legendary jazz drummer Jack DeJohnette only played with John Coltrane for a very limited period back in the 1960’s. Movement sees him team up with Coltrane’s son, Ravi, along with New York bassist, Matt Garrison, for an album that is as new as it is old. Simply put, everything about this album is beautiful. It may be one of the best collections of instrumental music released this year; one which embraces spontaneity and a true spirit of improvisation.

Runners Up: Snarky Puppy, Culcha Vulcha, Miles Davis & Robert Glasper, Everything’s Beautiful Best R&B Album: Childish Gambino, Awaken, My Love!

Awaken, My Love! sees Childish Gambino (Donald Glover) take a funky right turn down an avenue which fuses elements of hip-hop with a very funky and soulful feel.

This is the record that is definitely Glover’s best to date and has solidified his career in a tasteful direction that is as retro as it is innovative. Awaken, My Love! is a record which will leave longtime fans ecstatic with Glover’s performance, while bringing along a massive wave of new fans, and certainly leaves me very excited to see where he goes next.

Runners Up: Frank Ocean, Blonde, The Weeknd, Starboy

Best Hip-Hop Album: A Tribe Called Quest, We Got It From Here...

Thank You 4 Your Service Who would have ever thought that in 2016, hip-hop pioneers A Tribe Called Quest would put out one final album? Following the unfortunate death of Phife Dawg, the group announced that in the previous year, they had recorded what would be one final record. We Got It From Here...

Thank You 4 Your Service captures a highly nostalgic vibe, while also commenting on what it is to be Black in the White America of the twenty-tens. The album also features guest appearances from Andre 3000, Kanye West, and Kendrick Lamar. In many ways, this is a classic hip-hop record, fitting in with the groups past work, while also proving to be a modern masterpiece.

Runner’s Up: Kendrick Lamar, Untitled, Unmastered, Kanye West, The Life Of Pablo, Drake, Views Best Metal Album: Metallica, Hardwired… To Self-Destruct Metallica are back after the very disappointing St. Anger (2003) and the good-but-not-great Death Magnetic (2008) with the earth shaking Hardwired… To SelfDestruct. The band’s first album in eight years takes them back to their thrash roots while still managing to explore the limits of modern metal with a record that delivers many catchy choruses, killer riffs, and blistering pulses. 2016 was the year that made Metallica great again with an album which can stand beside their classic material.

Runners Up: Megadeth, Dystopia, Avenged Sevenfold, The Stage Best Live Performance: Prince, Piano And A Microphone Tour Picking the best performance is an impossible task. The fact that I haven’t seen nearly everyone to compare to one another is an issue, but performers are bound to have an off night and I can very well be basing this off of what could have just been a bad show among an excellent tour. However, all that is nice, except anyone who was present at either of Prince’s two sold out sets at Toronto’s Sony Centre on March 25th, will certainly claim that his solo show- which saw the now passes icon perform a career spanning set using only his voice and a purple grand piano- was one of the best they have seen in their life. I have been going to concerts for over ten years, and I would definitely make this bold statement.

Watching Prince perform was almost spiritual as he played a verse of “Cream” and jumped into a chorus of “Raspberry Beret”. The near three hour show was a complete jam and was as perfect as any live performance could ever be.

Runners up (from what I saw): Iggy Pop, Prophets Of Rage, Pearl Jam, Lenny Kravitz

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Winters Free Press EST. 1967