The Mike, Issue 6 (2016-17)

Thursday January 26, 2017 - Issue 6

SNAKE OIL FOR THE INTERNET AGE

David “Avocado” Wolfe: Everyone’s Favourite Charlatan

EDITORIAL

2 FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK...

Welcome back!

Alas, Winter break is over, and the Winter semester is well underway.

In many respects, change is in the air.... Including here at The Mike!

In case you haven’t noticed, we have a new look, a new logo, and some big plans for early 2017.

We’re also excited to announce that we have a website in store (at readthemike.net) and a special issue/magazine in the works to close out the semester, so keep your eyes open for all that fun stuff, because it’s almost here.

In other news, in lieu of all that happened in late 2016 and all that’s happened already in early 2017, we at The Mike solemnly swear to use the best — only the best words — and avoid “alternative facts” (whatever they may be), along with other Orwellian doublespeak.

We promise to continue to do our absolute best to inform, distract, and entertain you, our loyal readers. Here’s to making this year better than the last. And, next time you feel tempted to like, share, or even look at anything posted by David “Avocado” Wolfe,

remember that once, he said the following: “The reason the oceans are salty is to hold the water onto the Earth. If that didn’t happen, the water would levitate right off the Earth and that would be the end of it.”

Josh Scott MANAGING EDITOR

A fresh new year calls for a fresh new face. Here at The Mike, we’re happy to introduce our brand new logo. (Special thanks to the one and the only, Chris Quental.)

You know what 2017 also calls for? A proper website (yeah, yeah, we know it’s about time). In the words of a certain infamous Rick & Morty character: “Woo-eee!” Soon, you’ll be able to find us World Wide on the Interweb at readthemike.net!

MASTHEAD 2016–2017 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MANAGING EDITOR

BUSINESS MANAGER

Ms. Anah Mirza editorinchief@readthemike.com

Mr. Josh Scott managingeditor@readthemike.com

Mr. Zia Faisal business@readthemike.com

FAITH & THOUGHT EDITOR

OPINIONS EDITOR

ARTS EDITOR

Ms. Farah Rasmi faith@readthemike.com

Ms. Garnet Ryu opinions@readthemike.com

Mr. Liam McConnell arts@readthemike.com

SPORTS EDITOR

LIVING EDITOR

DESIGN MANAGER

Mr. Rory McCreight sports@readthemike.com

Ms. Jennifer Bueno living@readthemike.com

Ms. Yurie Kaku

ONLINE EDITOR

PHOTO EDITOR

Ms. Lindi Osborne

Ms. Alexandra Chelyguine

COPY EDITOR

COPY EDITOR

Ms. Marianne A. Kalaczynski

Ms. Daniela Solimine

Write/edit for us! Email: managingeditor@readthemike.com The Mike is the official bi-weekly student newspaper of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto, publishing since 1947. The Mike has a circulation of 2000, delivered to over 40 newsstands across the University of Toronto, St. George Campus. The Mike is published by The Mike Publications Inc. and printed by MasterWeb Inc. on recycled newsprint stock. The Mike is a member of Canadian University Press. Copyright: 2016, The Mike Publications Inc. All Rights Reserved. All editorial inquires should be sent to editorinchief@readthemike.com. The Mike reserves the right to edit all submissions.

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LIVING Meet the Fire-Coloured Cat! Some fun facts about the Red Panda Crystal CONTRIBUTOR Red pandas are small mammals with large, round heads, short snouts, and large, pointed ears, and can be recognized by their unique coats, which are the colour of cinnamon. Their bodies are covered with long, coarse guard hairs, and they have soft, dense, and woolly undercoats. Although their faces are mostly white, they possess reddish brown “tear tracks” that extend from their eyes to the corner of their mouths. These markings could possibly have evolved in order to keep the harsh sun out of their eyes. To help keep their balance they have long, bushy tails that are marked with rings, which they like to wrap around themselves to keep warm. Although red pandas are only slightly bigger than the domestic cat, their thick tail adds as much as 18 inches to their length. They are also the only Asian carnivores to have dense hair covering their feet — the only other animal to possess a similar trait is the polar bear. Red pandas have scent glands located between their footpads and they are used to mark territory with a colourless liquid that is odourless to humans.

On the bottom of their tongue, there is a conelike structure that collects liquid and brings it close to a gland in their mouth that tests the odours in the air. They are the only carnivores to possess this adaptation.

reddish-orange colour of their coat isn’t used for blending in with leaves, despite their love of climbing. Instead, they use their fur to hide from predators, like the snow leopard, by disappearing into the branches of fir trees. More often than not, these branches are covered in clumps of reddishbrown moss and white lichens. This enables red pandas to camouflage themselves in the canopy.

Photo by David Blank

and badgers). However, it was determined that they weren’t most closely they are related to bears, but instead formed their own family group alongside skunks, raccoons, and mustelids.

Genetically, they are more similar to skunks and raccoons than the giant pandas with which they share a home.

Red pandas are vegetarian carnivores. In this context, carnivore doesn’t mean meat-eater.

Red pandas are classified as carnivores because they are descended from the same ancestors as other carnivores. In fact, they have extremely strong teeth compared to other carnivores their size. Though they rarely eat anything other than bamboo and insects. When it comes to bamboo, red pandas only eat the young leaves — whereas giant pandas eat the whole bamboo plant. Since this is a poor source of nutrition, red pandas need to spend 13 hours a day eating and looking for food.

Photo by Duncan Usher

Red pandas have a sweet tooth. Red pandas actually like fake sugar. In 2009, a study was published in the Journal of Heredity, in which researchers presented many different Carnivorous species with bowls of water. And some of these bowls of water contained natural sweeteners and others artificial sweeteners. It was discovered that red pandas preferred three specific artificial sugars: neotame, sucralose, and aspartame. This means that red pandas are the only non-primate species known to be able to taste aspartame, which was previously thought to be a skill unique to a specific family of monkeys, apes, and humans.

Red pandas aren’t actually pandas. They are not closely related to giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), and, as they have no close living relatives, many consider them to be living fossils.

Their nearest fossil ancestors, Parailurus, lived three to four million years ago. Red pandas were a specialized variation that survived the Ice Age in a Chinese mountain refuge. In the last 10 to 15 years, scientists settled upon just how red pandas were to be classified. At first, it was thought that red pandas were members of the same group as bears, pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, and walruses), raccoons, and mustelids (weasels, skunks, otters, Red pandas are camouflage animals. The

Red pandas also have false thumbs. It is an extended wrist bone, essentially, and it is a trait shared by red pandas and giant pandas alike. It is thought to be an adaptation to eating bamboo, however, the red panda’s carnivorous ancestors had this trait as well. In this case, red pandas and giant pandas experienced a convergent evolution: when two unrelated animals evolve to look similar due to similar circumstances.

The red panda’s false thumb evolved to help them climb trees and later on, became used for grasping bamboo, whereas the giant panda’s false thumb evolved solely due to their bamboo diet.

Red pandas were almost named the Wah. Red pandas have many different names, depending upon where you live. In the western world they weren’t always known as red pandas. In 1821, an English naturalist Major GeneralThomas Hardwicke did a presentation on these creatures at the Linnean Society in London. He argued that the animal should be named “Wah” because its cry resembles the word “Wah”. However, Hardwicke’s paper wasn’t published until 1827, and in the meantime, a French zoologist Frédéric Cuvier had already published a documentation of the species. Therefore, naming rights went to Cuvier. According to the San Diego Zoo, Cuvier called it the most beautiful animal he had ever seen and named it Ailurus fulgens, which means “fire-coloured,” or “shining” cat. The name panda might have come from a Nepalese name for the animal nigalya ponya, which may have meant, “bamboo footed”. The giant panda was given its name later, due to its similarities to the red panda.

Photo by Miles Barton

ARTS

4 The Universality of Christ Timothy Schmalz’s Homeless Jesus statues Laina Southgate STAFF WRITER When walking past either Regis College on Wellesley Street or the Church of St. Stephenin-the-Fields on College Street, it is difficult to ignore the bronze statue of Homeless Jesus.

Draped in a blanket and sleeping on a park bench, it is not immediately clear that the image is of Christ except that there are visible wounds of crucifixion on his feet.

Created by Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmalz, the Homeless Jesus statues are at once striking and ambiguous: what is the significance of depicting Jesus as a Homeless person?

Describing his statues as “visual prayers,” for over 25 years Schmalz has been exploring his devotion to Christ through his artwork and experimenting with art as a means of deepening his connection with spirituality.

The image of Homeless Jesus is jarring, and for some, disturbing, because the bronze statue is quite easily mistaken for a real person. This, coupled with the uncomfortable association of Jesus being reduced to a nearly unrecognizable homeless person, resulted in the statues’ mixed reception, which culminated in the theft and eventual return of one statue from the Church of St. Stephen in December 2013. Despite a few bumps, Homeless Jesus has been installed all over the world including at Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin, St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, and on the Via della Conziliazione, which leads to St. Peter’s Basillica in Rome.

Perhaps the most striking feature of these statues is that by striving to be unobtrusive and unassuming, they achieve the opposite. By depicting Christ as a homeless person, the viewer is forced to re-examine their own biases about poverty and homelessness. It is here that the true universality of Christ is demonstrated: regardless of country or city, poverty is pervasive and can affect anyone. With upwards of 5000 homeless people in Toronto alone, the statues of Homeless Jesus ask us to stop viewing those people on the streets as vagrants and instead begin viewing them as people in need and worthy of help.

These statues are globally acclaimed, and often interpreted as a visual representation of the Gospel of Matthew: “as you did it to one the least of my brothers, you did it to me.” It is this sentiment that Schmalz seeks to convey. True empathy begins with a global attempt at aiding and accepting the marginalized.

Photo by Liam McConnell

Timothy Schmalz’s Homeless Jesus statues can be found at Regis College, 100 Wellesley Street West, and at The Church of Saint Stephen-in-the-Fields, at the corner of College Street and Bellevue Avenue.

Progressive Nostalgia The past and present dance together to the music of The xx’s I See You Liam McConnell ARTS EDITOR After a four-year, fourth-month drought, torturous to their most faithful devotees, The xx have released their third studio album: I See You. The album has not forgone touchstones of the band — Oliver Sim’s front-of-the-pack bass, introspective, intimate lyrics and Romy Madley Croft’s signature guitar effects — but they’ve innovated their sound, venturing into musical territories previously unexplored.

Source: The Toronto Star

From the first notes of “Dangerous,” the listener is told that what they are about to hear is not a typical xx album. Jamie Smith’s production takes centre stage, lending the track a dance-y quality that fans will recognize from his 2015 solo album In Colour. In fact, Smith told NME in 2015 that the solo project “has definitely informed what we’re doing for the next [xx] album.” Sim’s bass cuts through the production, giving old fans a familiar hand to hold and guide them through the new sonic world they’ve been invited into. The buoyancy of the track gives the sound a sense of optimism and excitement that the trio have shied away from in years past.

And the album is off with a bang.

“Say Something Loving” constructs a wall of sound that collapses onto the listener.

One could spend hours lost inside the production of this track, picking up new details with every listen. New and old intermingle as the lyrical content blends quiet introspection — a common theme for the band — with confident self-expression.

The voices of Sim and Croft converse with one another and with themselves, asking questions like “Am I too needy? Am I too eager?” The uncertainty gives way to happy abandon as the voices combine to sing together: “All my hesitations are fading.”

It takes until the third track, “Lips,” for Croft’s aforementioned signature guitar sound to appear. Thus far, the band have stuck to an overarching theme of the album: this is new ground, but we haven’t forgotten from whence we came. “Lips” is the type of song that seems to originate from within the very soul of a listener. The unrelenting clap-snare beat and multilayered background give the track an inescapable robustness: a solid soundscape that lifts the listener high into a trance-like flight. All too soon, the music suddenly cuts on the words “ I don’t wanna know the way down.” Me neither.

The album takes a turn in tone with “A Violent Noise.” Very much in the vein of the sweeping build-ups of Sigur Rós, this electronic ballad follows crescendo after crescendo with music just as violently beautiful as that described in the lyrics. “ Performance” is the song most reminiscent of the band’s past. The lyrical content details a dejected internal monologue, accompanied by a piercing violin which would not sound out of place on Arcade Fire alumnus Sarah Neufeld’s 2013 solo album Hero Brother. As if to emphasize

the loneliness of the speaker, it is the first track to one feature only one of the band’s two singers. The xx toys with the listener’s presumptions, providing no beat drop at a moment where one might be expected.

Again, they acknowledge their past but do not dwell on it. Like the shiny cover of the album, which both rehashes and innovates a familiar theme, The xx remind us that they are the same band, only different.

Perfectly placed near the middle, “Replica” is both the literal and musical high point of a spectacular album. A thundering, deep piano note marks the chorus, calling to mind Johnny Cash’s American VI: Ain’t No Grave. Sims ponders the question “Do I chase the night or does the night chase me?” playing into the album’s thesis. If an artist does not innovate and move forward — or “chase the night” — will they fall into a state of creative stasis? Will they, as he asks, “watch and repeat” what they’ve already done?

In “Brave For You,” they meditate for the third time on the nature of performance.

Near the end, as if it were a sonic metaphor for the mask one dons in the public eye, the intricate production falls away, revealing only harsh bass notes beneath. Slowly it reappears, bringing with it guitar notes played high on the neck, instantly calling to mind “Basic Space” from xx, their debut album. The notes are a reminder that innovation and nostalgia are not mutually exclusive.

Hall & Oates makes a sampled appearance on “On Hold,” a track that sounds like a love letter to 80s pop. In tandem to the sound, the lyrics touch on the theme of the past slipping away. By this point, I don’t

need to tell you why that’s pertinent.

On the similarly 80s inspired “I Dare You,” the vocal duo sings, “I can hear it now like I heard it then.” One is led to believe that The xx’s past includes not only their own music but their entire world of influences, some from before the births of the members. The distant past, the not-so-distant past, and present have combined to form something new: familiar yet fresh.

The album closes on a soft note with the ethereal “Test Me.” A marriage of the past and present takes musical form, as a piano and cello accompany a spacey whistle, not unlike those made by approaching UFOs of B-movies past. And just like that, 39 minutes later, it’s over.

The xx have created an album of wider range and maturity than any of their previous work. It is a reminder that one must always progress and develop: not only in art but in our consumption of art, and in life itself. However, to remember and acknowledge one’s past is paramount, as it is often the past that dictates the future.

I See You is available through Young Turks Recordings at your local record store.

The xx are performing at Echo Beach this coming May 22nd and 23rd.

Photo by Liam McConnell

ARTS

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Trials in Travels

Isaac Julien’s Other Destinies at the ROM Madeleine Anderson STAFF WRITER As part of an initiative to “engage actively with the whelming and dividing it, which challenges contemporary,” the Royal Ontario Museum joined the observer to literally widen their perspecOCAD in presenting artist and filmmaker Isaac tive when considering the human experience.

Julien’s Other Destinies, curated by Silvia Forni.

“Western Union: Small Boats” (2007) represents the dangerous migration from Africa to Europe by way of the Mediterranean Sea. This “moving-image installation” juxtaposes beautiful European architecture and beach scenes with piles of wasted blue boats and clothing washed up on the shore. This stark contrast underscores the complacency at the recurring tragedy of drowning migrants. The climax of the 18-minute film loop shows a collection of underwater shots of a body fighting against the rough waters.

Other points in the loop echo the way in which Photo by Graeme Robertson the body moves in these shots, including the Isaac Julien first gained global acclaim in 1989 for scenes where the body moves on the floor and his drama-documentary Looking for Langston. fights up and down a staircase. These relocations His style of poetic filmmaking tackles neglect- of the moving body transfer the fight against ed stories with a new form in Other Destinies, the crashing waves to safe, indoor, European composed of two installations, “Western Union: settings. This disturbing contrast between the Small Boats” (2007) and “True North” (2004).

The pieces focus on dangerous expeditions that threaten people on a cultural and environmental level. Migrants in “Western Union” and people of colour in “True North” were culturally vulnerable, whereas the Arctic Sea posed an environmental threat. Throughout his work, Julien infuses sublime landscapes with human experience.

Each installation is presented on three screens — a form that complements the content of the installations. Julien plays with the audience’s attention in the multi-screen medium by over-

“Vanishing Ice” by Isaac Julien (from his “True North” series)

natural world and the European setting comments on the migrants’ fight for a life in Europe as they cross the Mediterranean Sea. “True North” (2004) recalls and reimagines the story of the 1909 Polar Expedition of Matthew Henson, an African-American explorer whose major contributions to the expedition are under-acknowledged. Much of what can be understood of the plot is taken from the words spoken by a female voice, who can be assumed to be the black woman that is depicted. The voice speaks about thinking that they had “overshot [their] mark” and the statement is followed by a repeated, “I didn’t know what he would do,” revealing an overwhelming state of uncertainty.

The reccurrence of varied and powerful images of water not only connects the two installations, but also recalls Julien’s 2014 MoMA installation “Ten Thousand Waves” (2010). Water’s critical role in our relationship with the natural world seems to be at play in each of Julien’s film works.

The repeated theme of vulnerable persons in a vulnerable landscape is especially important now, given the major political changes that have occurred this year in both the United States and in the United Kingdom. These are times when complacency for those at risk must be challenged, and this installation has the capacity to do just that.

Other Destinies is on now until April 23rd, 2017 at the ROM. Remember, Tuesdays are free for full-time post-secondary students.

Blood, Broken Bones, Telekinesis: That Song and Dance Carrie: The Musical at Hart House Theatre Liam McConnell ARTS EDITOR Immediately apparent when I entered the theatre on opening night of Director Richard Ouzounian’s Carrie: The Musical was the full house I sat amongst. I’ve attended the opening nights of both Tideline and Much Ado About Nothing — shows from earlier in Hart House Theatre’s 2016-2017 season — and neither opened to so large a crowd. It seemed as if Toronto’s theatre-going community was as excited for a musical adaptation of Stephen King’s classic debut novel as I was.

As the cast took the stage, music swelled and Joe Pagnan’s colourful set began to transform.

The stage played a sort of character of its own; its LED colours were constantly in flux, and its three-sided panel background turned to best reflect the respective setting: white, silver, and black. I found them an apt visual metaphor for Carrie and her transformation. White for Carrie White, innocent to the realities of womanhood. Silver for her prom, as she found herself shiny and new in an unfamiliar world. Finally, black, for the famously dark turn her magical night takes.

The moment was only one of the visually stunning aspects of the play, which also incorporated screens displaying plot-advancing Instagram photos and neon clothing under blacklight. True to the horror of the original, choreographer Amanda Nuttall imbued the production with moments of discomfort and general creepiness. At one point, the cast ceased bullying the overwhelmed Carrie and, in perfect unison, turned their heads to face the audience. The sudden complicity I felt in their evil act sent a chill down my spine.

As the climax of the prom scene approached, the tension among the audience was palatable. We all knew what was coming but were nonetheless excitedly apprehensive.

When the blood fell over Carrie — a thoroughly convincing, thick red liquid — hands shot to mouths in shock and delighted horror. The colourful stage lights gave way to a harsh strobe as Carrie went to her dastardly telekinetic work, reminiscent of Brian De Palma’s 1976 film adaptation.

Particularly strong performances were exhibited by Tiyana Scott as Carrie White and Brittany Miranda as Margaret White. From Scott’s first notes of act one, it was obvious that she possessed a singing voice of spectacular quality and strength. The two performer’s duets, of which there were fortunately several, were the production’s highlights. One of these featured the dance talents of Ryota Kaneko and Sarah D’Cunha, who played Margaret’s memories as she described them in song. The casting of the younger Margaret was spot-on: as she stood in front of the older Margaret, it was immediately obvious who she was playing.

Photo by Liam McConnell

All in all, Carrie: The Musical is a visually striking, multi-faceted feast for the senses, full of both rising and established theatrical talents, on and off the stage.

Carrie: The Musical plays until this coming February 4th at U of T’s Hart House Theatre.

SNAKE OIL FOR THE INTERNET AGE David “Avocado” Wolfe: Everyone’s Favourite Charlatan Josh Scott MANAGING EDITOR (Cover by Kate Dockeray) A charlatan, according to the Oxford En- graphics, videos, clickbait listicles, pseu- University of San Diego — though how glish dictionary, is a word used to describe do-reports, and pseudoscience. that applies to his chosen field, is unclear. a person that “falsely [claims] to have a speWolfe is also a professor at the Living-Food cial knowledge or skill.” The term originatNutrition Masters Program, in Patagonia, Aried in Italy during medieval times: it was used zona, and “faculty” at the “BodyMind Instito identify travelling types that fraudulently tute” — where, for $54/month (or a one-time claimed to possess medical skill, that sold payment of $600), you can earn your own so-called “medicine.” Apparently, enough “David Wolfe Nutrition Certification,” thus of these types came from an Italian village enabling you too with the power to “change named Cerreto that cerretano — meaning “inpeople’s lives.” Given that a video on Youhabitant of Cerreto” — grew synonymous with Tube exists where Wolfe gloats about the the idea of phony physicians. Their methmoney he’s made, and claims that he is “the ods often included a sort of practiced “chatwealthiest hippie on Earth,” things begin to ter,” which in Italian, translates to ciarlare. seem suspect. (If you’re interested, it’s entitled “David Wolfe is Happy About Money.”)

Yeah!!! ....I mean.... Wait a minute....

As the story goes, ciarlare and cerretano became so entwined that the Italian word Research gave way to more than a few quesshifted to ciarlatano. When it was Anglicized The memes that Wolfe shares get the most tionable things (not least of which is the fact in the 1600s, ciarlatono became charlatan. attention of anything he posts: they gar- that Vin Diesel’s Facebook page has 101 milSince then, while the tools and methods of ner anywhere between a couple hundred lion likes, a figure topped only by Shakira, charlatans have evolved, the underlying sim- likes and shares, to hundreds of thou- Cristiano Ronaldo, and Facebook itself). Acilarities have remained the same: all seek to sands (in some cases, millions) of likes and cording to Socialbakers — a website that meaestablish trust by convincing vulnerable peo- shares. In turn, these generate more likes sures and documents social media analytics ple that they are authorities, in order to hawk and shares, and result in more page-likes. — Wolfe’s page is averaging 724 511 fresh pagetheir own scientifically unproven wares. As many of you know, anytime that anyone likes a month. In comparison, Steezy Deez likes an old post on Facebook, said post re- is only generating 273 538 page-likes in the appears in the newsfeeds of said person’s same span. When I realized that Yung Deezy friends, starting this never-ending cycle is probably closer to topping out than Wolfe, afresh. Why does any of this matter, you I looked to Ronaldo instead. Only, Wolfe ask? This gives Wolfe access to an impos- has him beat as well: the monthly growth sibly large audience on a daily basis. Giv- rate of Ronaldo’s page is a measly 682 482. en that these days, Facebook is the primary news source of choice for many, Wolfe seems Given his meteoric rise, Wolfe may very well to have more influence, at least in the on- inflate his page likes through other means. line sphere, than even certain media giants. Some suggest that he does so via so-called “like farms” — paid services that generate According to Wolfe’s website, “the world’s top page-likes on demand through, presumably, The smarm-master himself, live in the flesh.

CEOs, ambassadors, celebrities, athletes, artists, the use of automated bots. Little is known and the real superheroes of this planet — Moms — about like farms aside from that they exist: To put it simply, David “Avocado” Wolfe, the self-proclaimed and all look to [him] for expert advice in health, beauty, at least, according to the work of Emiliano herbalism, nutrition, and chocolate!” Obviously, De Cristofaro and his colleagues at Universtyled “rock star and Indiana Jones he’s a beauty expert — this much is clear sity College London. But I digress. of the superfoods and longevity unifrom his impressive perm — but a chocverse,” is a modern-day charlatan. olate expert as well?! Where do I sign? By If, like me, you spend any and all of your design, Wolfe sets himself up as your onespare moments obsessively browsing Face- stop-shop authority for all things alternative. book, then you have surely encountered one of David “Avocado” Wolfe’s posts through a Among other things, Wolfe is the master of friend either liking or sharing one. Perhaps, the self-flattering pronouncement: “David has unwittingly, you have already liked one your- led the environmental charge for radiant health via self. For all you know, you might even like a positive mental attitude, eco-community building, his page without realizing it, as my mom re- living spring water, and the best-ever quality organic cently discovered she had. (Full disclosure: it foods and herbs.” He has “over 20 years of dedicathappens — I recently discovered that some- ed experience and [has] hosted over 2750 live events.” where along the line, I’d liked the page of As for qualifications, well…. He claims to “the snack that smiles back” — Goldfish™.) have studied at Oxford, but further research yields that a David Wolfe is registered as David “Avocado” Wolfe’s Facebook page has having taken only a single course. He does Mr. Avocado has as much credibility as this guy. over 9.6 million likes. He shares memes, however, have a Juris Doctor in Law from the

Needless to say, online, appearances are everything. Regardless of how Mr. Avocado got them and how he is getting them, in the world of Facebook, the amount of likes his page has matters because a page’s number of likes directly effects its perceived legitimacy. The simple reality is that, when unsure as to whether a page is authentic or fake, a quick check into the number of likes it has makes for a quick and (albeit, much too) easy distinction of the real from the artificial. So, surely, with 9.6 million page likes, Wolfe is the real deal. No?

Intriguing and convenient!

F**k to the no, no, no.

I mean, he’s certainly an authentic quack — Wolfe has said some pretty preposterous stuff, including: “Chocolate lines up planetarily with the sun… Chocolate is an octave of sun energy… In fact, it’s the energy of the center of the sun.” Seriously. You can’t write this stuff. To top it all off, he even claims that the Earth is “optically flat.” Just let that wash over you.

But this is not the real problem. The real problem has to do with his influence, how he gets it, and how he uses it. On Facebook, Wolfe grows his audience through a basic variation of “bait and switch” marketing, that preys upon the laziness and trust of the general populace. The first two steps of Wolfe’s method are as follows: 1) Post innocuous, relatable, pathos-laden memes to establish an audience; 2) Repeat Step 1 for awhile, in order to both generate more followers, and cement your reputation as an authority (here, I use the term authority as loosely as we assign it these days).

blenders, its going price is relatively reasonable. Nonetheless, it has been successfully marketed on a complete and utter lie.

Another one of his products is deer antler extract, which.... Wait for it.... He describes thus: “Deer antler is not a product. It’s a cosmic substance. And it’s an androgenic substance, by the way — very androgenic. And it needs to be taken with respect and understanding, which is why we’ve been getting into this whole thing about estrogenic forces and then androgenic forces. You got to know that deer antler is an androgenic force. And why?

Because it’s cosmic in nature. It’s elevating. It’s levitational in nature. Which actually makes you younger. The forces of levity make you younger.” With his own unique combination of uncanny self-assuredness and circular reasoning, Wolfe makes his case in roughly the same fashion that he claims mushrooms are from distant planets. I’d laugh, only people are actually buying 60mL bottles of this garbage for $100 apiece. (A litre goes for over $1000.)

A Science Enthusiast describes Wolfe’s 3-Step method as “The David Avocado Wolfe Effect” — he baits us with cute, fuzzy, feelgood memes, only to hit us when we least expect it with seriously harmful claims.

This, is the real danger. Wolfe knows exactly how to sound science-y: to the casual observer, some of his word salad-y, devoid of fact, gibberish actually sounds plausible; when, really, he just wants your money.

This kind of reductive nonsense does real damage.

he lists this “growing body of evidence” below: which ends up consisting primarily of links to articles from sites like Natural News and The Truth Wins, sites notorious for being either anti-vaccination and/or having supremely low journalistic standards. In the 5 to 10 minutes it takes to properly sift through these links, five times (FIVE TIMES) I was forced to click the tiny “x” at the corner of a full-screen Nutribullet contest pop-up, and resist the urge to punch my computer screen and exclaim “Nutribullet, this!”

He goes on, in a passage that reads like like the Pig Latin equivalent of Legalese: “If you choose to avoid vaccinating yourself and your family, that is your choice, and it should always remain your choice. To force others to vaccinate themselves and their families is a violation of our basic human right to protect ourselves and our families from danger.

The basic and important logic is this: If you and/or your child are vaccinated, then you and your child are supposedly safe, so you shouldn’t be concerned with violating the basic humans rights of another family and their children by forcing them to comply with vaccine serums supplied by transnational pharmaceutical corporations with products made in China.” I mean, I sort of see where he’s coming from — until he says “supposedly safe” — and completely misrepresents the argument for herd immunity, the effectiveness of which depends upon a high percentage of the population having said vaccination against a virus or bacteria.

This is absolutely crucial for protecting those that cannot be vaccinated. If one person gets the vaccination and nobody else does, any With Step 3, things get interesting. He posts hope of herd immunity (any hope of stifling some pseudoscience that either further inor eradicating a particular disease) goes out stills an Us. vs. Them dynamic (in which, the window. I know this much, and I’m no naturally, Wolfe takes the side of the aver- The irony here? Priceless. The irony that this article scientist; then again, neither is Wolfe. age viewer against, effectively, “the man,” might have the adverse effect of promoting Wolfe’s quackery? Expensively depressing. in his various forms, be it big government, All things considered, next time you feel big pharma, modern medicine, or science in tempted to like or share one of David “Avgeneral) or subtly promotes one of his own This smarmy douche goes to great (and I ocado” Wolfe’s posts, remember all of the products. Wolfe makes money through both mean great) lengths to sow the trust that un- above, along with the fact that he once said his reputation as a whole, and the sale of his derlies his sales pitches. For instance, did the following: “Gravity is not intrinsic to matter. sketchy products. When you like or share his I mention that he’s also an anti-vaxxer? (I That Carl Sagan idea that was sold to us on Cosmos posts, know that you’re giving a man who be- mean, by this point, you’re probably think- on PBS, was sold to us deliberately to actually conlieves the earth is flat, a man whose Wikipe- ing, “yep.”) I found the following on his fuse us just so you know that. There’s people who have dia page was once deleted for “unambiguous website — he seems to delete his anti-vacci- known that gravity is a force that can be displaced. advertising or promotion,” free advertising. nation-themed memes after awhile): “Where There’s people that have known that since the 50s or there is smoke, there is fire. A growing body of evi- even earlier than that. But by screwing up, confusing Wolfe is the spokesperson for the Nutribullet; dence indicates that vaccines are not safe and that our mind about things, and giving us incorrect theoyou might have seen its infomercials. He has they can injure, permanently maim, or even kill you ries, we were brain washed into a totally different beclaimed that Nutribullet turns regular food or a family member. The damage caused by vaccines lief system. That gravity is intrinsic to all matter, we’re into superfood. If true, this would be magnif- can no longer be ignored, nor can it be dismissed as fighting gravity, we have to push our way through icent — only, blending food doesn’t alter its a necessary evil. By 2010, the US Court of Claims gravity to launch a craft up into outer space, all this nutrient content. In fact, the NutriBullet is had awarded nearly $2 billion dollars to vaccine nonsense….” Got it? Brilliant stuff, really. no more than a glorified (and admitted- victims for their catastrophic vaccine injuries. Curly, half-decent) blender. In Canada, it re- rently, this number is believed to now be $3 billion Here’s a realistic New Year’s resolution for tails for about $100. The fancier models dollars.” Take note of the loaded language. you: stop paying attention to David “Avocaare upwards of $130. Compared to other Now, this is all news to me. Thankfully, do” Wolfe (#DontCryWolfe).

8

OPINIONS

From Store, To Plate, To Trash A problem that should be eating away at all Canadians Garnet Ryu OPINIONS EDITOR We’ve all been there. In the grocery-store, picking out only the best apples you can find, or at home, picking off the leftovers on your plate. I mean, of course you want the best foods for yourself and for your family. What’s the point of saving that slab of meat if you can just go buy some more later?

This is the way in which Canada wastes $31 billion worth of food each year, according to the Value Chain Management International (VCMI), and that’s excluding certain sources of waste that they are unable to measure accurately. Food wastage doesn’t refer to rotten food that’s been thrown out, but rather, to perfectly edible food that was discarded for whatever reason, during any step of the process it takes to get the food from the ground to your mouth.

Globally, a third of food wastage occurs before it reaches consumers, amounting to around 1.3 billion tons of food a year. 30% of plant produce isn’t “attractive enough” for supermarket shelves. Although much of the wastage in Canada is attributed to packaging and processing, retail, farming, and transport and distribution, the consumer is known to be the biggest source of wasted food, with 47% (around 275 kg) of food wastage coming from each household annually. Much of this has to do with our need to have only the best of foods from the supermarkets, where we scrutinize every blemish on every fruit and root and leaf, and in our homes, where anything past the “best before” date is considered untouchable.

The problem with this mentality is that it’s damaging to all levels of food-handling. Take for example, farmers whose paychecks depend on the amount of their food consumers purchase. They lose significant revenue with the large volumes of food lost or discarded. The disposal of the waste is expensive too — it costs Torontonians around $10 million dollars annually. The cost of food in general also rises because of the large amount of energy (from labour, water, machinery, transportation, etc.) required to produce the larger amount of food needed due to the sheer amount of wasted food. Evidence of this is immediately seen if you were to observe the garbage bins behind big-box stores like Walmart — much of the food discarded there has been observed as unblemished.

Environmental issues surrounding food wastage have also become increasingly apparent, with food waste accounting for around 70% of landfill-volume and 30% of greenhouse emissions. In fact, intensive farming gives rise to worse farming conditions, raising the amount of work needed to produce the same amount of produce each year, which does not allow farmers to undertake proper, more expensive forms of land management. Thus, we enter a sort of cycle between environment and costs, as the numbers regarding both steadily escalate.

Although I’m just as guilty as everyone else for contributing to this system, I find it ridiculous that we live in a country, or even a world, in which some people struggle to feed

themselves while others waste nearly half of the food they consume. In fact, developed countries like Canada, waste enough food to feed all of the people lacking food today.

One in eight Canadians have difficulty earning enough money to buy increasingly expensive food; 860 million people worldwide are malnourished.

All this can seem way above our heads. If 53% of food produce is wasted before it reaches our grasp, how on earth are we supposed to combat it?

Nonetheless, the first step towards change here, as always, is increased awareness. Developed nations need a mentality shift towards food, whether that is through the media, through the education system, or through the government.

A greater effort from the government, through better maintenance systems and employee training, and a greater effort from the general public, is certainly warranted.

Some individuals are already making a difference in the way we handle food, with volunteer programs like “Second Harvest,” that collect surplus food to redistribute.

In a similar fashion, I believe that greater awareness and effort towards this cause will reveal more opportunities to correct it on both a national and a global level.

Let’s Talk Conversation One writer’s guide for having more productive conversations on difficult topics Soy Mei COLUMNIST Disclaimer: By no means do I claim to tions about other groups of people. However, I do think that it is still impor- Remember: it is okay to challenge the be an expert. Rather, these are just things that I have noticed in myself and others, through conversations that I have had with others concerning thoughtful discussions.

Recently, I have found myself engaged in friendly debates regarding political and social issues, debates that have involved many opposing opinions. Through this process, I have become increasingly aware of reactions and perspectives that I had never before truly considered. And, no, these revelations were not derived from the pages of books, but through experience — a key component of personal development.

My first realization was that I am very defensive when it comes to certain topics. While I firmly believed that I could be objective on any issue, I couldn’t help but notice that I tended to lose this nonpartisan stance at times, like when someone makes made broad statements about specific groups of people. It would be a kind of a reflex to take these statements personally without first lending them consideration.

This recognition showed me two things.

One was that, even though I would like to think that I am completely unbiased, I still react based on emotion to criticisms related to aspects of my identity.

Something else that I also took away from these interactions, is that it is counterproductive for arguments to make wide, stereotype-based asser-

It is much more likely that others will understand and sympathize with your view if you explain how it came to be. It might take a little more effort, but doing this will ensure that people know where you are coming from. I think that, by being more aware of knee-jerk reactions, I am able to better understand different opinions.

tant to try to understand the opposition’s arguments. That way, we can truly make informed decisions. I think that simply dismissing opposing views is a grave mistake, as we would miss a great opportunity to come to an agreement and unite as people, and it could silence legitimate concerns.

standard view. If it seems like you are the only person with a certain kind of view within your circle, odds are, there are still plenty of others who think the same. And just because those around you might have a different view, especially when it comes to social and economic issues, this doesn’t make your opinion less valid. Moreover, the validity of your argument definitely should not have anything to do with your identity. You shouldn’t owe it to anyone to supporting an ideology: do your research and confide in what you think is best for yourself and others.

I believe that it is through our interactions with others that we grow as people. This is why discourse must always be embraced.

Cartoon by Gary Varel

Another thing I gathered is that people can be hypocritical at times, in relation to how to deal with issues that are personal to them as opposed to issues that aren’t. Personally, I try to avoid this by asking myself whether I would have the same reaction, if the same rhetoric were applied to a different group. It is a method that I use to help me be come more focused on my central beliefs, and avoid being easily swayed by over-generalizations.

One thing that I find would almost always derail conversations is the use of ad-hominem — the attacking of one’s character rather than their ideas. Let’s face it: most of the time it is very difficult to grasp what a person is like in real life simply by hearing their views on a particular issue. It is a technique usually used to supress dissenting views, and frankly it just indicates that you have no real argument.

9

OPINIONS Politics, Plagiarism, and the Value of the Press Some ramifications of the Monica Crowley saga Josh Scott MANAGING EDITOR Amidst severe allegations of plagiarism (stemming from reports by CNN and Politico) Monica Crowley has decided not to assume a position with the Trump administration.

For the unfamiliar, Crowley is a conservative author, commentator, columnist, talk radio host, and former Fox News contributor. She was chosen by Trump to serve as Senior Director of Strategic Communications for the National Security Counsel (NSA): a position that does not require senate confirmation. She received her PhD in International Relations from Columbia University, where she also received her MA. (Note my hesitance to use the word “earned.” )

Photo from plagiarismtoday.com (I assure you, the irony is not lost)

To plagiarize, according to the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, is to “take and use (the thoughts, writings, inventions, etc.

of another person) as one’s own” — then again, all you students already know this.

A recent CNN Kfile review uncovered more than 50 plagiarized passages from Crowley’s aptly named 2012 book, What the (Bleep) Just Happened?. Crowley directly copied from conservative columns, news articles, Wikipedia — even from, in a particular instance, a podiatrist’s website.

Shortly afterward, HarperCollins moved to stop selling it. Among other things, it is a little disconcerting that a publisher as large as HarperCollins can be unaware of plagiarism on so grand a scale.)

A few days later, a Politico Magazine investigation revealed that more than 12 sections of text from Crowley’s 2000 PhD dissertation had “been lifted, with little to no changes, from other scholarly works.”

Crowley’s method in some parts included footnoting without the use of quotation marks; in others, it consisted of copying or heavily paraphrasing text with no attribution whatsoever.

When I first heard about Politico’s allegations, I thought, no way. No way that Columbia, an Ivy League University, and the “oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York” (circa 1754, when it was King’s College), would allow

blatant plagiarism to pass — on a PhD dissertation, no less. One look at Politico’s comprehensive side-by-side comparison dispelled those doubts.

From an academic standpoint, plagiarism is one of the worst, if not the worst possible offence a student can commit. At many colleges and universities, plagiarism is grounds enough for complete expulsion.

In the past, Columbia has revoked at least one PhD for plagiarism (see Bengü Sezen).

School officials have yet to act or comment on these this allegation. Given Crowley’s lack of political experience, her political and journalistic authority derives primarily from her degrees, and so, any decision on the part of Columbia will have a serious effect on her career.

In light of this news, Crowley chose not to accept the post. What background factors played into this remain unclear, but considering the ongoing feud between the Trump administration and a solid portion of the media — not to mention Trump’s own personal vendetta against, specifically, any aspect of the press to speak critically of him — this decision has important implications. It seems, for all its bluster, the White House remains susceptible and accountable to the power of the truth

uncovered by the press.

That, or Trump is simply willing to discard a minor player like Crowley without a fight.

Regardless, the fact that this train of events was kicked off by CNN (the very network Trump called “fake news” during his press conference) proves, at least partially, fitting retribution.

On a local level, due to allegations of plagiarism, the Ontario College of Teachers recently stripped Chris Spence of his teaching license. It stemmed from allegations surrounding a specific article that Spence had written for the Toronto Star, and grew into claims that Spence had plagiarized in his speeches, blogs, and books. Spence is currently the subject of a U of T tribunal that is looking into claims that he plagiarized portions of his OISE thesis, scheduled to proceed February 16.

(In short, things are not looking very good for him.)

The main takeaway from this, however, is that in Ontario, plagiarism matters. The question now is, does it matter in New York?

Your move, Columbia. Journalists, academics, and post-secondary students across North America will be watching.

New Year, New Me? The lies we tell ourselves at the beginning of every year Sam Barrett COLUMNIST Welcome to another year of fun and bad decisions! After the train-wreck that was 2016, I am sure that many people are excited to move forward into 2017 with a clear mind and several ideas for what the future will hold. Most people take January as an opportunity to think of resolutions and goals in the hopes that they will accomplish them this year.

There are plenty of things to choose from, but ideally, these goals are things that will help individuals better their lives. The most popular resolution is exercising more.

The number of gym memberships always increases at the beginning of the year. However, most of these members drop off as the year goes on and they realize that a spurof-the-moment commitment to exercise isn’t something they can maintain. Without planning and motivation, these types of resolutions fall through. Personally, I’ve made a resolution to procrastinate less, but that seems unattainable. Regardless of that, resolutions have varied success rates; often, for a plethora of reasons. Whether it is due to lack of time, motivation, or ability, resolutions don’t usually make it through the first few months of the year.

Perhaps we’re just too idealistic at the start of the year. We are excited that one year is dead and gone and, with the light of fireworks ushering in a new year of possibilities, we are swept up into an optimistic spirt that leads us to make promises to ourselves that we don’t think all of the way through. Positivism is a great way to look forward to accomplishing goals in the New Year, but these goals mean relatively little without a drive and a proper plan in place.

This kind of optimism can make or break a resolution, and I’ve seen too many friends break their resolutions a week into the year, shrug it off, and continue living life as if they’d never set that goal in the first place.

So why make resolutions at all? I think that setting personal goals for ourselves and having customized resolutions can be really productive. We make New Year’s resolutions with the intention of making our lives better. It could be trying something new or maintaining a positive habit; these goals are things that can make us happier, healthier people.

A more realistic goal for some individuals might be to genuinely set goals. Setting goals isn’t always easy. Figuring out what we want and how we want to prioritize it can be stressful. On top of that, planning on how to accomplish these goals can be both complex and rewarding. Goals can range anywhere from going on weekly walks to waking up on time to writing down three things that make you happy each and every day. Little goals that we set for ourselves can be the most satisfying to accomplish. They’re attainable and need just a little bit of determination to complete. They don’t have to be life-changing to be important to you.

Big resolutions aren’t effective unless you’ve really planned for them. Don’t start off the year with an unrealistic lie to yourself that deep down, you know you won’t keep. Instead, if you want a goal for the year, make it something attainable and build up your commitment slowly. You never know what kind of things you’ll learn about yourself when you really take time to think about what you want. It’s never too

late to set goals and make priorities for yourself. Using the New Year’s momentum and the last bit of January to push forward, I hope you all are able to make and accomplish goals that will be both attainable and personally fulfilling. I hope you have a successful year.

Good luck!

http://www.thelyonsshare.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/ new-years-resolutions-funny.jpg

SPORTS

10 Sports and National Identity Building bridges through sport Rory McCreight SPORTS EDITOR Masai Ujiri, General Manager of the Toronto Raptors, recently visited the remote Saskatchewan town of La Loche. More specifically, he travelled to the school where a shooting occurred last year. In an article by the Toronto Star, Bruce Arthur outlines the efforts Ujiri made to ease the trauma of a devastated town. With pure motives, Ujiri brought gifts, involved the Prime Minister of Canada, and brought a handful of kids on the trip of a lifetime.

Incidentally, he created lifelong Raptors fans.

At their best, sports are about unity. Consider Ujiri and the Raptors visiting those kids in La Loche. The Raptors are a Toronto-based team, comprised of only one Canadian, many Americans, and a 7-foot-tall Lithuanian. Its Nigerian GM journeyed to a remote Saskatchewan hamlet, in which 89% of its population speak Denesuline — an aborigine language with approximately 20 000 speakers. These disparate identities can reach each other through their shared love of sports, and recently, the Raptors facilitated this love and displayed this potential on a national scale.

This might help explain why, “We The North,” is more than just an ad for the Raptors. It’s a mission statement — amd a

reminder that the Raptors play for all of Canada: as they are Canada’s lone professional basketball team. They are not only a team that is supported by a whole country, but one that supports a whole country just the same. The Raptors and the Blue Jays are talking points, commonalities for not just Torontonians but all Canadians to bond over. This is not to say that Ujiri might not have been interested in the positive PR; rather, in a different sense, it symbolized a fulfillment of the Raptors’ promise to all of Canada: the promise that the Raptors are Canada’s team.

Photo by The Toronto Star

There’s a feeling amongst the players that the stakes are higher in Toronto than in many American cities. Take,

for example, DeMar DeRozan electing to remain with the Raptors instead of testing out free agency. He did this despite the fact that he would have made substantially more money on the open market, and perhaps wanted to play in LA (being born in Compton he must have grown up loving the Lakers). Really think about it. The Lakers are one of four NBA teams in California and one of two within LA. They would compete with the Clippers for fans within LA itself — unlike, the Raptors who are not just a city’s team, a province’s or a state’s team. Instead, they’re a whole country’s team, and the players and management feel that.

Ujiri’s national empathy is mirrored by the Blue Jays — Canada’s lone professional baseball team. Some of the Jays went on a cross-Canada adventure to spread goodwill and recognize the rest of its national fanbase. Athletes are starting to recognize Toronto and Canada as more than just rabid hockey fans. Now, more can look past some of the logistical problems of playing in the Great White North, like the cold, and travelling through customs for all away games — even, paying a higher tax rate. These detriments start to seem insignificant in light of the possibility of being loved by a whole country instead of just one measly city.

Bargaining with the Olympics

Bringing Sportswriting Back to Toronto

Why the NHL’s participation in the 2018 Olympics remains up in the air

An interview with the new Editor-InChief of The Athletic TO

Nick Fleming STAFF WRITER

Rory McCreight SPORTS EDITOR

The greatest moment in sports that I have ever experienced was Sidney Crosby’s overtime game winning goal against the United States in the gold medal game at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. The pure elation of having beat the United States in our national sport on home ice is something I may never again experience in my lifetime of watching sports. However, despite the incredible popularity of Olympic hockey amongst fans and players alike, the NHL’s future participation remains up in the air.

Interviewing a hockey fan like The Athletic’s new Editor-In-Chief James Mirtle, the day after a crushing shootout loss for team Canada in the World Juniors had me a bit nervous. “Shootouts are ridiculous,” he lamented over the phone. (And, “I can’t stand them,” in multiple tweets the night before.)

But The Athletic isn’t looking to bring back the old school, shootoutless game — they’re too busy looking forward. As for Mirtle, well, he just really dislikes shootouts.

http://static.gofansgo.com/media/post_ images/gary_bettman_YoX4KU8.JPG

The owners of the now 31 NHL teams have little desire to see the season shut down for approximately two weeks, as such a break would equal a tremendous amount of money lost. Furthermore, the potential of injury to star players is a concern that is on the minds of owners throughout the league, and presents another undesirable situation.

And yet, the Olympics are an event that elite players greatly enjoy and look forward to, as it presents players with

but one of a few opportunities in which they are able to represent their country on the international stage — and of these chances, is by far the most renowned.

The owners, and the commissioner of the NHL (Gary Bettman), are well aware of the players’ desire to attend and have tried to take advantage of that situation by using Olympic participation to get an extension of the current Ccollective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), between the NHL Players Association (NHLPA) and the league. But as much as this might sound like an easy solution to Olympic participation, extension of the CBA is really not in the interest of the players due in particular to the section that deals with escrow, which basically states that the players have to pay the owners if the NHL doesn’t make enough money in a season.

Thus, the deal was quickly rejected by the players, who in essence, said that they wouldn’t jump into an extended CBA just to go to the Olympics.

Fortunately, for fans of NHL participation in Olympic hockey, not all is lost. The NHL is working on two schedules for the 2017/2018 season — one that doesn’t include the Olympics, and one that does.

This means the Olympics are still in play.

Additionally, Donald Fehr, the head of the NHLPA, has said that he is optimistic that the NHL will participate in the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

For now, we’ll just have to wait, and hope that a decision will be made to participate.

We should expect an answer sometime in the next couple of months.

The Athletic TO is a new Toronto-based multimedia sports resource that started up late last year. Amid cutbacks across the major Toronto newspaper’s sports section, The Athletic recognized an opportunity. It began as a California start up that measured major North American sports markets to determine viable investments for a local sports website: Toronto was second only to Chicago.

The economic potential of quality, local sports journalism was first tapped into by Dejan Kovacevic of Pittsburgh, PA, who began Pittsburgh Sports in 2014 and now has a staff of 10 fulltime sports writers that cover everything from hockey to college football.

In our conversation, Mirtle emphasized the importance that The Athletic remain fresh and young. “Our main subscription base has been surprisingly young,” he explained. “We buy into analytics and advanced statistics and are really trying to push the app.”

The Athletic’s mobile app has been steadily rising in the charts of the App Store. The goal with the app is for an

interactive experience: they’ve modelled it after running and cycling apps, providing on-the-go entertainment, like podcasts. Mirtle wants to give the people what they want: “We ask ourselves, is their interest? Will this have a good return on investment?” As it turns out, this means game recaps, analytics breakdowns, and alternative storytelling from around the world of sports.

The Athletic isn’t just about being a platform for young sportswriters to get a start in a notoriously nasty business; it’s also a viable business model.

Mirtle explained that the website can comfortably operate with eight to nine thousand subscribers. Considering that the Greater Toronto Area has a population of around 6 million, or that the capacity at the ACC is around 20 000 (and Leafs games consistently sell out) 8000 paid subscribers is an attainable figure. After hitting that mark, Mirtle has his eyes set on growth: “We want to build our writing staff and take on more full-time writers as soon as possible.”

Looking towards the future, Mirtle saw nothing but potential. “We are looking to hit the Blue Jays hard. We want at least two full-time reporters on the Jays.” They’re also looking towards expanding into other Canadian markets, so if, heaven forbid, you’re a Hab’s fan, The Athletic will have you covered. If you’re curious, check out The Athletic’s app. It’s an easy way to both support local journalism and read some great writing. There’s even an added bonus for subscribers: they have a monthly meet-up with some free booze and a Leafs game — that is, if that entices you.

NOTES

11

The Youth Homelessness Epidemic Why aren’t we talking about Ontario’s Safe Streets Act? Josh Scott MANAGING EDITOR Sure, your hydro bill sucks. You know what else sucks? Getting fined or jailed for trying to survive.

As citizens, we ought to push for a more rehabilitative and less punitive governmental approach to homelessness. Legislation like Ontario’s Safe Streets Act — which calls for police to issue fines to those without the means to pay them (and in certain cases, even calls for jailtime) — is severely misguided.

Why aren’t we talking about this?

In Canada, approximately 7000 youth (between the ages of 16 and 24) are homeless on any given night. 48% report family conflict as the main cause of their present circumstances. Yearly, 35 000 youth go without a place to call home. The mortality rate of homeless youth is approximately 40 times that of housed youth.

epidemiology at Dalla Lana School of Public Health, based out of Kenya.

Braitstein holds a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Applied Public Health Chair.

In 1999, Ontario passed the Safe Streets Act. It was supposedly designed to deter panhandling and other forms of solicitation.

In practice, it criminalized activities used by the homeless to survive, in, it seems, an effort to protect the general public from the discomfort of having to view or interact with the homeless firsthand.

In light of her study’s findings, Braitstein finds Ontario’s Safe Streets Act misguided.

“Criminalizing youth or instituting policies that assume they are thieves, delinquents or drug addicts, won’t help,” she said.

50% of homeless youth come from middle and upper-income families. 65% have failed to complete high school. 77% are unemployed. 43% have been in the child welfare system.

Today, Ontario shows no intention of repealing its Safe Streets Act, despite the best efforts of people like former Ontario attorney-general Michael Bryant, who blames himself for not scrapping the act when he had the chance. “Let’s stop criminalizing the poor for being poor,” says Bryant.

On any given night in Toronto, it is estimated that there are as many as 1000 to 2000 homeless youth. One in five identify as LGBTQ.

Needless to say, the logic of fining and/or jailing the homeless for acting as homeless people must, by necessity, to survive, is absurdly inane.

According to an international study released last year, poverty (as opposed to delinquency) is the leading cause of youth homelessness around the world.

Internationally, 39% of homeless youth cite poverty, 32% cite family conflict, and 26% cite abuse as the main reason why they are living off the streets; in contrast, 10% cite delinquency.

If, as recent studies have suggested, deliquency is not the leading cause of youth homelessness — and instead, it is family conflict — then the logic of the Safe Streets Act strikes me and should strike you as akin to the logic of fining and arresting a stray dog for begging for food. Not only are both parties completely incapable of paying said reparations, they are each also equally as likely to “reoffend.”

This study was led by U of T’s own Paula Braitstein — an associate professor of

Above all else, the first step towards

SUDOKU

combatting youth homelessness is eliminating the stigma that surrounds it — along with any notion that homeless youth have themselves to blame, when in truth, all signs point towards larger factors entirely beyond any individual’s control.

And why, in particular, does youth homelessness matter?

“A strategy to address youth homelessness will not simply result in fewer people who experience homelessness, but rather, contribute to the longer-term reduction in poverty within the province,” states a 2015 report from York University’s Canadian Observatory on Homelessness.

As students in downtown Toronto, we encounter homeless people on a daily basis.

With the rising cost of post-secondary education, many of us do not have the money to spare. Nonetheless, for those that wish to make a difference, however small, there are other ways to help.

At U of T, student clubs like Street Patrol try to do their part. Organized by the Newman Catholic Students Club, Street Patrol is a group that not only delivers packages of sandwiches, clothing, and other supplies to the homeless, but also engages with them in meaningful conversation. Street Patrol’s monthly gatherings welcome newcomers.

If you would like to donate or take part, check out the U of T Newman Catholic Student Club on Facebook.

In the city as a whole, not-for-profit organizations like The Trek for Teens Foundation do important work. Founded in 2007 (with help from the Rotary Club of Etobicoke), Trek for Teens raises money and awareness for homeless youth in local communities. To date, it has raised over $66 000 in funds and in-kind donations for local shelters through the efforts of

volunteers and participants. Run by youth, Trek for Teens has engaged thousands of young people across Canada.

Alex Wichert (The Mike’s 2015-2016 Sports Editor) serves as Trek for Teens’ Director of Media & Advertising, in addition to being on its Board of Directors. Among other duties, he deals with promotion, branding, and outreach; basically, he manages Trek for Teens’ public presence.

“Youth homelessness is often overlooked or misrepresented in common sentiments because of its stigmatization,” says Wichert.

“It [also] affects more people than one might think.”

According to Wichert, the topic of youth homelessness, compared to “other equally worthy causes,” does not receive nearly as much “attention and effort” as it deserves.

Trek for Teens holds numerous events across the city and on-campus, and is always looking for fresh faces — volunteers and student leaders alike. If you’d like to get involved with Trek for Teens in some capacity, visit trekforteens.com/contact.

You can also reach them through their U of T affiliate, student-run Trek for Teens Club.

You can only shove so many people into the closet before the door breaks; making homelessness less visible doesn’t make it go away. Right now, we’ve got a crisis, and Ontario’s hands are dirty. Now there, is a conversation worth having.

In order to approach youth homelessness properly, our understanding of its causes needs to shift. As uncomfortable as it might seem, let’s start a dialogue. At the absolute least, the Safe Streets Act has got to go. *Statistics drawn from Covenant House Toronto (unless otherwise specified).

CARTOON CORNER

FAITH & THOUGHT

12

The Root of the Problem with New Year Resolutions The gearing of the heart, the spiritual home M.K. Every New Year, all kinds of people set new resolutions seeking to renew their lives and fix old habits while building ones. This New Year, like many other New Years, signifies a regeneration of the self. This applies to all people who are seeking to grow in their spiritual selves, whether they are Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, atheist, etc. Everyone looks forward to a new self — a renewed and better self. Hoping for the best but perhaps expecting the worst, hoping to be better but perhaps not expecting any actual change.

So, what is the problem? Why is it so easy for us to slip? Why is it that every New Year, there is no change? And if that is the case, why should we even set these New Year resolutions in hopes to better ourselves, only to be disappointed with ourselves and the reality of our life?

The problem with our slip-ups and failings lies in the core of our beings: our hearts. The heart, or the spiritual soul, is the engine of our selves. It is through the ignition of the soul, when the engines and gears of our soul are fired up, that real change can occur. When the very root of our being is taken from a place of bitterness, anger, selfishness, and greed to a place of freedom, love, compassion, kindness, and selflessness, then it will show externally in our daily lives, as a natural overflow of the change in our hearts. In this way, we can affect the world around us, our culture and our society, by living positively.

If anyone reading this relates to what I have written, I want to challenge you to reflect on your own self. Be honest with yourself, and see if the root of your problems might reside within your own heart, so that this year your soul can be truly renewed.

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This is the issue with human beings. We are willing to change, we are willing to get better, and we set numerous goals and make amends to get there, but the problem is that we are always prone to failure. Whether we recognize this failure or accept this mistake, it is evident in our lives through the eyes of those around us.

We set our goals on the beginning of the first day of January, and by the next week, or even by the next day, we feel that we are slipping in our willingness to carry these resolutions through. By this time, we might have already given up hope that there will be any new changes or renewed selves in 2017.

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Gender Inequalities in the Thai Sangha Reconciling the patriarchy of The Council of Elders Taylor Irvine CONTRIBUTOR When discussing religion, it is important not to generalize entire groups or paint an entire religion with one brush.

This is because the traditions and customs of the society in which a certain religion is practiced affects how the religion operates and which values are instilled throughout it. This fact is evident in the Buddhist Sangha (monastic community) in Thailand, whose guidelines for initiation sometimes conflict with the Buddha’s teaching due to patriarchal views in Thai society. The Buddha’s teachings reveal that men and women are equal in their ability to become ordained, practice the dharma, and attain enlightenment. However, as cultural beliefs and practices can often influence the way doctrine is implemented, The Council of Elders, the Buddhist authority in Thailand, reject women’s ability join the Buddhist Sangha.

The Council of Elders was established in the early 1900s through the Characteristics of Sangha Administration Act (1901), and continues to be the undisputed authority of Buddhism in Thailand, and upholds the patriarchal guidelines for ordination from the early 1900s. Up until 2014, women in Thailand were not allowed to become ordained as bhikkunis (nuns), and had to travel to Sri Lanka in order to receive a legitimate ordination.

In 2014, a ground-breaking bhikkuni ordination was executed which successfully ordained eight Thai bhikkunis. However, The Council of Elders rejected the legitimacy of the ordination of these bhikkunis under the

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Sangha Act (1901), and continues to refuse their entrance into the Thai Sangha.

Even though bhikkunis continually face this invalidation by The Council of Elders, there is growing acknowledgement of this discrimination and increasing social support for bhikkunis in Thailand. On a trip to Bangkok last year, I witnessed an institution put in place for social protection of bhikkunis and women. I visited a nunnery that provided formal dharma education to bhikkunis, implemented equality in the sangha that the Buddha taught, and provided accommodation and support for women subjected to domestic violence. It is a breathtaking place with multiple buildings for different subjects of teaching. The nunnery encapsulated serenity in the middle of the busy streets of Bangkok through ponds, lily pads, enormous weeping willow trees, grand monuments, and an endless amount of sunshine. Although currently The Council of Elders do not recognize bhikkuni ordination, there are ways in which bhikkunis and the ordination of bhikkunis are moving forward and flourishing, creating a brighter future for women in Thai Buddhism.