The Plant February 2025 VOL 61 NO 5

Letter from the Editor

Dear reader,

Another month has come and gone, and I’m still in my December headspace! Preparing for the first issue of the semester has thrown me into a loop—creative and reminiscent one that is. In a fit of motivation from my New Year’s resolution to be organized, I did a huge declutter of my room. While doing so, I came across an old American Apparel shirt-a brand that used to symbolize the peak of adolescence (and therefore, to my younger self, the essence of truly living). A couple of days later, in the office, while searching through our archive, I found an old copy of The Plant from 2007 that featured an ad parodying American Apparel commercials on the back cover. That night, while mindlessly scrolling on TikTok, it was brought to my attention that the “She looked so perfect standing there, in my American Apparel underwear” soundbite (courtesy of the Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer) was trending. Was this all a sign? Was there a secret meaning hidden in the throes of a bankrupted controversial brand that was meant for me?

Following a deep dive on Google, I eventually came to understand that my curiosity stemmed from its brief stint of relevance. The brand was everywhere from Berlin to Tokyo. Then one day, it had massive fall from grace and now exists in a weird limbo—where it used to be cool, but will never be cool enough for a Depop reseller to post it on their feed with the caption : #coquette. I also learned that they used to have a location in my neighborhood, but now that space is a poissonnerie that I don’t care for. Compared to them, The Plant is doing great! We’ve been standing for 56 years and will continue to stand as long as students have a voice, write poetry, make art, and love sudokus.

Reviewing each year of the paper gave me some insight into the climate of earlier eras, but still left me curious. How many clothing brands have come and gone since then? What about restaurants I never ate at, or parks I never strolled through? Music I never listened to or games I never played? School programs that used to exist and the ones that took their place? What was it like to attend Dawson in 2014, 2008, 1995 or 1979? What was it like going to Viger campus or typewriting assignments? Flipping through more and more copies, I felt nostalgia for a time I never lived in, but I also felt grateful to be part of the tradition of student journalism. Inspired, I asked the team to write their articles within the theme of Y2K: Past, Present and Future. I wanted to look inward into the ideas, moments, and inventions that once shaped—or are still shaping our current cultural zeitgeist, as well as at problems that seemed like the end of the world or viral moments, and imagine how they would play out in the 2020s. I was recently thinking about the white and gold or black and blue dress debacle. Would we still be as invested or would it only garner 3, 4, 5 likes on Instagram? Maybe the public interest would fizzle once it was revealed to be the result of artificial intelligence! What was the 1980s version of the Talking Tom conspiracy theory? Perhaps Alex from Target would have had a successful influencer career and joined a content house instead of being a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. It’s plausible that in 2025, following the VMAs, Britney Spears wouldn’t have faced backlash stemming from intense slutshaming but rather from animal cruelty allegations. Maybe PETA would’ve even had a viral tweet at her expense. With these questions and fantasies in mind, I hope you enjoy this issue and come out of it having learned a little bit or nailed the crossword—whatever floats your boat!

Love,

WINIE Editor-in-Chief

How the War on Terror became a War on Civilians

ELIOT FLEMING Reporter

State surveillance became a shameless norm across the West ever since the 9/11 attacks against the USA, which resulted in the “PATRIOT Act” of 2002. This legislation allows federal agencies to access international and domestic phones, granting these agencies more resources to conduct their operations as well as expanding the legal classification of “terrorism” and increasing penalties for crimes of Terror. Both the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have had similar permissions since the adoption of Canada’s 2001 “Anti-Terrorism Act.” In both countries, law enforcement is allowed to lie to the state, the press, the public, suspects, and witnesses. These practices are still going strong, and may have dire consequences in coming years.

Despite the pitch that these policies and technologies exist to protect civilians from terrorism, there are several examples that suggest they aren’t very effective. In 2007, CBC News reported that CSIS had been informed of the successful Khalistani separatist plot to bomb Air India flight 182 on June 23rd, 1985, since at least the summer prior, despite reporting otherwise to Ottawa. In 1994, the Toronto Sun revealed that private investigator Grant Bristow, a known white supremacist and founding member of the neo-Nazi Heritage Front, had been a CSIS asset since 1988 and allegedly used state funds for his political endeavors.

In a 2019 article, the Tyee, an independent news outlet, first reported on “Project Wide Awake,” an RCMP initiative that focuses on a “proactive” approach to crime prevention. The department claims that the program “[helps] detect and prevent a crime before it occurs.” The practice entails monitoring the public and private internet profiles and social media activities of Canadian citizens and assessing the risk that one might commit a crime. Many experts agree that this could constitute a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as per the article. However, the RCMP is of the position that “a search warrant would not be required to use [an] off-the-shelf tool, which queries and analyses publicly accessible information, where there is no reasonable expectation of privacy, such as public Twitter or Facebook posts.”

Canada’s use of spyware has become so normalized that in 2023, 13 federal departments were found to be in possession of unauthorized surveillance equipment, as detailed in an article from Radio-Canada that same year. These include the RCMP, the Canadian Revenue Agency, Border Services, and Correctional Services. Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission are also included in the report.

Unfortunately, there are numerous cases where these surveillance operations have been targeted at innocent Canadian civilians, particularly students of colour. In at an international intelligence conference in 2023, CSIS director David Vigneault claimed that the Chinese Communist Party was using Canadian universities to spy

on and influence the public: “Everything that they’re doing in our universities and in new technology, it’s going back into a system very organized to create dualuse applications for the military.” This statement informed a sinophobic 2024 court decision that barred Chinese student Yuekang Li from studying at the University of Waterloo.

In 2019, multiple Muslim student activists told CBC News that they and their

Canada’s use of spyware has become so normalized that in 2023, 13 federal departments were found to be in possession of unauthorized surveillance equipment, as detailed in an article from Radio-Canada that same year.

loved ones had been targeted and harassed by CSIS in “fishing expeditions,” which aim to locate suspected terrorist sympathizers.

At an Ottawa press conference on January 27th, Conservative Party leader Pierre Polièvre has called for deporting non-citizens who are identified at propalestinian protests, a threat he may follow through on if his party makes government in the next federal election. In the United States, AP has reported on President Donald Trump’s interest in passing legislation that allows the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain and deport socialists, anarchists, and pro-palestinian activists, dates all the way back to the summer of 2023.

In a concerning trend, the laws, technologies and agencies that civilians were told would protect them against terrorism have failed to do so many times. Their use has been relegated to policing and harassing Canadian and American citizens and immigrants. Thankfully, there are steps that the public can take to protect communities from state and corporate surveillance. On a collective scale, people can organize and put pressure on governments to regulate the use of spyware, advocate for legislation that takes away corporate ownership of personal information, educate others on their constitutional rights to privacy, and use non-violent direct action to disrupt the companies and state agencies that would use their own data against them.

Doomsday Theories in the 21st Century: When

Are We Dying This Time?

MINOLA GRENT News Editor

Throughout the past century, humanity has faced countless moments of fearing extinction. The 20th century was littered with wars and political uncertainty, fueling widespread anxiety. Despite the relative stability of the 21st century, doomsday theories are still rampant. The political unrest that once unsettled previous generations has seemingly shifted into climate anxiety among today’s youth. What was once an immediate shortterm threat became a never-ending source of anxiety about the future. Some of the more popular apocalypse predictions include the Y2K bug, the 2012 Mayan apocalypse, and the most recently uncovered 2026 apocalypse.

While the 2012 Mayan apocalypse and the 2026 apocalypse share a lot of traits, the Y2K bug stands as an outlier and distinguishes itself as truly a product of its time. The Y2K bug was to be a technological apocalypse, while the Mayan and 2026 apocalypses rely heavily on natural catastrophes brought on by human occupation.

In 1999, modern society found itself at a crossroad; a new century was on the horizon and anxiety was burgeoning across the world. The biggest problem that worried civilians and governments alike faced was that of computers’ softwares. When computers were first being developed, the year shown at the bottom right of the screen was simply abbreviated to the last two digits. Hence, computers understood 89 to imply the year 1989. This method was put in place as

computer memory at the time was limited and very expensive. When 1999 rolled around, many began to wonder how computers would interpret the digits 00. The National Museum of American History reports that “the fear was that when clocks struck midnight on January 1, 2000, affected computer systems, unsure of the year, would fail to operate and cause massive power outages, transportation systems to shut down, and banks to close. Widespread chaos would ensue.”

The Mayan apocalypse was a particularly popular theory in Russia where the government had to issue a statement to calm the masses.

According to National Geographic, some countries, like the USA, spent billions of dollars from 1998 to 2000 in preparation for this anticipated computer error, others, like South Korea, simply allowed the new century to blossom. Regardless, both approaches yielded similar results: very few to no actual problems. In the end, the Y2K bug created mass panic and fear that society would cease to function and crumble but had no real repercussions.

12 years into the 21st century, the world feared extinction once more. At least, part of the world did. According to the Mayan calendar, humanity would end on December 21st, 2012. According to Jane Little’s BBC article on the matter, “recent hurricanes, unrest in the Middle East, solar flares, mystery planets about to collide with us” were indicators that it would all end on that fateful day. The Mayan apocalypse was a particularly popular theory in Russia where the government had to issue a statement to calm the masses. On December 1st, 2012, The Denver Post reported that inmates in a Russian women’s prison were taken by a mass psychosis because of this apocalyptic prediction. Meanwhile, a “huge Mayan-style archway [was] being built—out of ice—on Karl Marx Street in Chel-yabinsk in the south.” In response, Russia’s minister of emergency situations assured citizens that the world was not ending anytime soon as he had access to “methods of monitoring what is occurring on the planet Earth.”

A lot of the fear spread through blogs and online discussion forums, though only a

few truly believed it. According to Adriana Gomex Licon’s NBC News article “2012 and Maya prophecies: What were they thinking?”, the Mayans did not typically make fatalistic predictions. What is understood to have actually been predicted to take place on December 21st 2012 by the Maya was simply the end of a cycle and the beginning of a new one: “Those who left us the calendar were visionaries who were providing clues to this ending of one cycle and the beginning of another,” writes Jane Little.

At last, 2025 rolled around and a quarter of the 21st century has passed. Yet, 1960s physicist Heinz von Foerster said that on Friday, November 13th, 2026, overpopulation and climate change will reach a point of no return and wipe out humanity. According to Time Magazine’s article “Science: Doomsday in 2026 A.D.”, Foerster calculated when humanity will be “squeezed to death” if it avoids massive disasters such as nuclear wars and continues its current large-scale food production to feed the ever growing population. November 13th, 2026 was the result obtained in 1960.

While this may sound alarming, Foerster himself debunks his theory. Heinz von Foerster specifies this date is but a warning; a wake up call. He does not truly believe that 60 years would be sufficient for such a dramatic end to take place. Time Magazine explains that “he uses his equation to illustrate in an attention-getting manner that any population that increases at an accelerating rate (as the human race has been doing) is headed for ultimate trouble.”

Ultimately, humans are resilient little parasites. According to Stephanie Pappas’ article “Will Humans Ever Go Extinct?” in Scientific American, species generally last about a million years. Though the future of humanity is more difficult to predict because of human nature, a total wipeout would require multiple factors to align. If an asteroid with 15 km in diameter, like the one that ended the dinosaurs, ever shows up during a global pandemic coupled with unprecedented temperature rises and a nuclear war, then some worry may be necessary. Until then, humans will do well.

Trump and Musk: Salutes to Fascism

JULIA AZZOUZ Creative Writing Editor

“He will continue to stir up war in order that the people may continue to need a leader.”

-Plato The Republic

In our fear of awakening an old evil, we look to shadows and forget that the real thing is looming right behind us. We witness politicians slink out of imprisonment, bluff tariffs, and flirt with the prospect of nuclear war. At the same time, multi-billionaires mimic genocidal dictators in their gestures, attend far-right conferences, and receive ovations from white supremacists. By perverting democratic tools to serve undemocratic ends, these new authoritarian “strongmen” are not merely anomalies— they are clear agents guiding us down the slippery slope toward fascism.

First, what is fascism? It may be easier to define it by its characteristics rather than define it as an isolated term.

In A History of Fascism 1914-1945, the Wisconsin University professor Stanley G. Payne lists generally accepted cultural, political, social, and economic factors of early twentieth-century European fascism: strong currents of nationalism, a perceived crisis in cultural values, a threat from the left, the challenge of secularization, a polarized party system, effective leadership, a large sector of workers that are underrepresented, and a general discontent with the existing

party system. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Fascism builds on a democratic system; it doesn’t immediately annihilate it. It starts when many people, frustrated with the current political setup, rally behind a strong, charismatic leader who promises to fix all the problems and restore national pride. This leader uses the public’s anger and anxiety to gain more power, gradually manipulating the democratic system to serve one rigid way of thinking. Over time, lively debates and different opinions—which are essential for a healthy democracy—are shut down to promote an exclusionary ideology. In the end, what begins as a democratic outcry against the old system evolves into an authoritarian regime which suppresses individuals and opposition.

New authoritarians like Trump and Musk use tactics similar to those of past authoritarian leaders: they simplify complex issues by scapegoating a clearly defined bogeyman—be it the “woke” left, the Democratic Party, or immigrants—to divert attention from their own corruption to present themselves as heroic defenders against evil. As Hannah Arendt explains in The Origins of Totalitarianism, the success of authoritarian leaders lies in their ability to destroy two misconceptions about the masses: first, that the majority is naturally politically active, and second, the idea that they are entirely indifferent and immune

to persuasion. By appealing to deep-seated religious beliefs, nationalist sentiments, and fears of losing freedom, these charismatic figures transform widespread indifference into passionate support, effectively mobilizing a vast, previously unengaged population into a force backing their authoritarian agendas.

A broader shift from democracy to authoritarianism is exemplified on the smaller scale of Elon Musk’s digital empire, X. In 2022, after having bought out Twitter,

Fascism builds on a democratic system; it doesn’t immediately annihilate it.

kicked out the CEO, and appointed himself CEO of the new social media platform X, Musk completely removed all content restrictions designed to eliminate hate speech and restored all banned accounts (many of them being neo-Nazi or white supremacist accounts). Despite his original promise of total freedom of speech, he has since then threatened to ban the words “cis” and “cisgender” from the platform, considering them to be slurs, restricted multiple journalists’ accounts after they criticized him, and has recently been accused of reconfiguring X’s algorithm to

promote far-right content. Following July 13th, 2024, the day of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, reliable news outlets reporting the event got significantly less attention than right-wing conspiracy blogs with smaller followings, which raised suspicions about the algorithm’s bias. According to NBC News, right-wing news accounts collected 1.2 million reposts, whereas nine traditional news outlets amassed 98,064. This points to an alarming trend where the rhetoric of free expression is used to justify controls that ultimately narrow the scope of public debate.

Initially, Elon Musk and Donald Trump were far from allies. In November 2016, Musk publicly expressed that Trump was “not the right guy” for the presidency in an interview with CNBC, stating that “he doesn’t seem to have the sort of character that reflects well on the United States”. Despite these comments, Trump appointed Musk to an economic advisory council composed of business leaders called Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum in December 2016 from which Musk resigned in June 2017 over disagreements on climate policies. Their relationship remained strained until July 2024, when Musk endorsed Trump following an assassination attempt on the former president. This endorsement marked a significant shift, leading to Musk’s appointment as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in January 2025. This newfound alliance suggests a strategic partnership and a recognition that their combined influence could more effectively advance their agendas.

On January 20th, 2025, Musk dramatically reentered the domain of politics, having been appointed head of DOGE by Trump himself. Despite its misleading name, DOGE is not an actual government department, but something closer to an advisory body with Musk being a volunteer, not a government official or employee. Their overarching goal is to save money–lots of it. They plan to cut down about 2 trillion dollars of government expenses by overseeing mass layoffs and cutting funding from government agencies or shutting some of them down entirely. Among these agencies are the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which is responsible for weather forecasts, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

responsible for providing foreign aid and development assistance around the world, and the Department of Education. This aggressive restructuring isn’t just about fiscal austerity—it’s a clear signal that DOGE is being used as a tool to undermine independent institutions and consolidate power.

That same day, on stage in Washington’s Capital One Arena for Trump’s postinauguration rally, Musk exclaimed “My heart goes out to you” and repeatedly extended his arm into a Nazi salute. Though many people are referring to this incident as an unfortunate coincidence, the gesture is a classic example of dog whistling– a political tactic that uses coded language or gestures which seem harmless to most but are designed to signal extremist ideas to a targeted audience. His phrase was meant to disguise an obvious political statement in order to maintain plausible deniability while still appealing to a far-right audience. Considering Musk’s long-standing rightwing affiliations, his implicit support for antisemitic conspiracy theories, and his participation in fascist political rallies, it is unlikely that his gesture was a mere accident. Intentional or not, this effectively garnered massive support from neo-Nazis. The right-wing political commentator and Holocaust denier Evan Kilgore responded “Holy crap … Did Elon Musk just Heil Hitler at the Trump Inauguration Rally in Washington DC … This is incredible”, and Christopher Pohlhaus, the leader of the American neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe wrote “I don’t care if this was a mistake, I’m going to enjoy the tears over it.” Elon Musk himself did not apologize or deny any accusations of Nazism but instead retaliated on X, “The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired”. Way to make a big joke out of a genocide.

On February 1st, the USAID website went dark, and its employees were abruptly placed on administrative leave—an act that effectively dismantled an agency devoted to global health, disaster relief, socio-economic development, environmental protection, democratic governance, and education. In a move unprecedented in modern American politics, the wealthiest man on the planet has systematically targeted an organization built to serve the public good. As Jon Rogowski, a political science professor at the University of Chicago, noted in a BBC interview, “I cannot think of any precedent

where a presidential administration has essentially handed over the reins to a private citizen”. This aggressive restructuring is not merely about slashing budgets or streamlining bureaucracy—it’s a calculated effort to weaken independent institutions. Such tactics are alarmingly reminiscent of fascist regimes, which have historically undermined the pillars of democracy by subverting institutions that promote transparency, accountability, and collective welfare. By stripping away the autonomy of organizations like USAID, this maneuver not only curtails critical social services and global cooperation but also signals a broader shift toward a governance model where authority is centralized, dissent is quashed, and power is concentrated in the hands of a few.

Considering Musk’s long-standing rightwing affiliations, his implicit support for antisemitic conspiracy theories, and his participation in fascist political rallies, it is unlikely that his gesture was a mere accident.

The dismantling of democratic institutions and the strategic deployment of extremist signals by figures like Trump and Musk are not isolated missteps—they are the calculated maneuvers of a modern authoritarian playbook. By repurposing democratic tools and co-opting the language of free speech, these leaders are slowly but surely transforming our political landscape into one that mirrors the early, insidious stages of fascism. The creation of quasi-governmental bodies like DOGE, the selective suppression of dissent on platforms like X, and the blatant use of dog whistling to mobilize extremist support all serve as stark warnings of a regime where power is consolidated at the expense of pluralism and debate. The cat is out of the bag, now let’s make sure it doesn’t swallow us whole.

When Life Gives You Lemons, Buy Lipstick

BERLYNNE STEENBERGEN

Copy Editor

When times get tough, people tighten their budgets—but somehow, a tube of lipstick or a stick of lip balm always finds its way into the cart. This phenomenon of consumers spending money on small items during economic downturns is called the Lipstick Effect. It suggests that, no matter how hard times get, consumers will splurge on small indulgences, such as lipstick, to lift their spirits and give them the appearance of wealth. From 2001 to the COVID-19 pandemic, makeup sales have told a story about the perfect shade and our need for comfort and status.

[women look for] affordable luxury, the thrill of buying in an expensive department store.

The trend was first recognized in 1998 by economist Juliet Schor in her book The Overspent American. She wrote that, during times of economic hardship, “[women look for] affordable luxury, the thrill of buying in an expensive department store.” Schor found that when money was tight, women would gravitate towards buying luxury products that are used in public, such as lipstick, rather than products that are used at home, such as skin care. This is a psychological phenomenon—human beings desire status. We all want to be admired and respected, and in a capitalist culture that

promotes hyperconsumption, the primary way of achieving this is through showing off the acquisition of items.

This phenomenon became glaringly obvious in 2001 when the makeup company Estée Lauder saw a spike in lipstick sales following 9/11. Leonard Lauder, the former chairman of Estée Lauder, told the Wall Street Journal that he noticed the company sold more lipstick than usual after the attacks. It wasn’t just this company that felt this effect; statistics showed an 11% increase in the demand for lipsticks. This is an example of retail therapy; the act of buying things you want to improve your mood and help you avoid hard emotions.

But what is the link between shopping and quality of life? The marketing of lipstick is deeply tied to self-worth because it boasts beauty, empowerment, and personal expression. The idea that a simple swipe of lipstick can enhance one’s appearance and, by extension, one’s confidence, reinforces the belief that beauty is linked to personal value. In a consumer-driven society, people are often encouraged to equate their sense of fulfillment with material possessions, which are marketed as solutions to emotional needs. The burst of happiness felt when making a purchase is a real thing; dopamine and serotonin are both released when we engage in behaviors such as adding lipstick to our shopping cart. The Journal of Consumer Psychology did a study in 2014 that found that sadness is often linked to a feeling of helplessness in changing our circumstances. Shopping gives us the control that we crave by

letting us make choices and determine outcomes. The fact that I bought a warm toned shade instead of a cool toned shade was my choice and it doesn’t matter whether or not the purchase was a good idea; selecting a product restores a feeling of control and autonomy.

The most recent example of the Lipstick Effect was during the COVID-19 pandemic. While we all wore masks, lipstick sales plummeted. No one was going out, so the demand for products like foundation and lipstick dropped by more than 70%. Women shifted from buying makeup to buying self-care products. In 2020, Amazon reported that sales for nail-care products, hair products, and bath-and-body products went up by 151% on average in the United States. Without having a place to wear lipstick, consumers shifted their wallets from one luxury item to another.

Now, as we move towards normalcy after a global pandemic, lip products such as the Benefit Cosmetics Benetint are rising to popularity all over social media, with 24.1k posts on TikTok using the hashtag benetint. This product is categorized as a lip and cheek stain, rather than a lipstick or a lip gloss. The stain takes a few minutes to settle on the skin, which makes owning this item feel that much more luxurious. In today’s fast-paced world, free time is scarce. Taking the time to apply a tinted stain becomes a rare opportunity to relax and enjoy the process of applying makeup. The ability to enjoy free time without worry is a privilege not everyone has access to, making it a luxury in itself.

Pricy, but easy-to-use and multipurpose products with a recognizable name are popular with consumers because they do the same job as lipstick—they raise status and give comfort.

Looking at the Lipstick Effect reveals an interesting aspect of human psychology—our spending habits are not just about necessity but also about emotional support. In times of economic downturn, small indulgences serve as luxuries, offering a sense of control and optimism. This phenomenon underscores the connection that capitalism has made between consumption and well-being, reminding us that people will always seek ways to feel good about themselves.

VIA STACY GREENE, LIPSTICK, 1992

Balloonerism: Art, Addiction & Ascension

RON BARRERA

Video Content Producer

January 17, 2025 marks a pivotal moment in Mac Miller’s discography. Despite spending nearly a decade in the shadows of the internet, Balloonerism has finally emerged as one of the most honest posthumous tributes to the artist. This mixtape takes us on a raw and poetic journey; exploring themes of lost innocence, addiction, and the longing to recapture the magic of childhood. It’s a powerful reminder that even in his darkest moments, Mac Miller had the power to transform his pain into art.

What was long considered Mac’s “lost album” is a time capsule that transports us back to 2014. Balloonerism was born alongside Faces during an intense jam session in March of that year. In over two weeks, his fanbase believes

The album guides us through his “highs”, both literal and metaphorical, as he goes upward, pushed by his addictions, until he inevitably “pops” upon reaching an unsustainable limit, an explosion that serves as a metaphor for his tragic fate: death by overdose.

that Mac created more than four albums because of multiple song leaks on the Internet, marking a significant departure from the hip-hop genre and delving into a more intimate and experimental sonic landscape.

This collection of songs that never saw the light of day served as a precursor for what would later become one of Mac’s most acclaimed mixtapes, Faces (2015), where he explored drug use and the subsequent detachment from reality. This period marked a significant shift in Mac’s artistic evolution; leaving behind his earlier works and embracing the complex relationship between his art and addiction. However, several leaks from those jam sessions began circulating online, sparking rumors of an unreleased mixtape. These leaks gained

more traction and recognition within the fandom after Mac’s passing in 2018. Many of these tracks were part of what became known as Balloonerism, which was left in limbo until his family and close collaborators decided to give it the final form it deserved.

“Balloonerism was something that Malcolm frequently expressed as being important to him. We felt it was most important to present an official version of the project to the world.”

-Mac Miller’s family via social media Ethical discussions were triggered by this formal release. Those closest to Mac reassured that this was a project he genuinely wanted to share, despite some questioning whether it was an opportunistic move. His sound engineer, Josh Berg, explained that Balloonerism was only arranged using the materials Miller had left behind and wasn’t “finished” after his passing. Only the mixing of the record was changed in order to preserve his artistic vision.

This album is more than just a set of songs; it’s a meticulously crafted soundtrack that floats between psychedelic abstraction and jazz-infused meditation, multilayered and engaging. It expands on the sonic experiments of Faces, blending warm production with layered instrumentation, his voice shifting between weary confessions and dreamlike echoes. The result is a hypnotic, free-flowing narrative that encapsulates the duality of his music: pain and beauty, destruction and transcendence.

The album guides us through his “highs”, both literal and metaphorical, as he goes upward, pushed by his addictions, until he inevitably “pops” upon reaching an unsustainable limit, an explosion that serves as a metaphor for his tragic fate: death by overdose.

The song “Tomorrow Will Never Know” closes the album with a constantly ringing phone, which could symbolize Mac’s family and friends desperately trying to reach him upon hearing the news of his overdose. As his voice fades away, the sound lingers, and his death becomes real the moment the listener hangs up the phone, so one lets it ring and ring.This artistic choice is symbolizing how Mac had 952 missed calls from Ariana Grande that night.

The background sound of children’s voices in this song represents his final

moments of clarity; a fleeting return to childhood. It’s the final flash before death; a return to a moment untouched by addiction. Mac emphasizes once again that childhood was the last time he truly enjoyed life without the burden of substance abuse. The outro suggests an ascension, as if Mac is rising toward the heavens or the afterlife, completing the metaphor of the balloon that gives the project its name.

Balloonerism stands as an exemplary tribute to a legacy. This is not an empty attempt to exploit his name, but an honest reflection of his art and his mind. Miller was always ahead of his time, creating music that felt limitless, deeply personal, and ever-evolving. This project is both a gift and a heartbreak, proof of his brilliance, but also a reminder of everything we lost when he passed. The album doesn’t just put a close to his discography; it leaves us suspended with more questions: How would his music have evolved? What else would he have shared with us? What stories would he have told?

Hearing his voice again, so alive, so present, feels surreal, like opening a letter from someone you thought was gone forever but for these 60 minutes, he is Swimming with us. Balloonerism is a bridge between who he was and who he could have been, a space where past and present exist at once. He left us too soon, but Miller will always live on through his music, and this album is a testament to that enduring presence.

BY SANAD HAMDOUNA

CURATED

Visual Arts Editor

BY TEODORA KACHULKOVA @TEDO09K

Masks, Hoop Skirts and Garters; a Timeline History of Costume and Balls

SIMONE MUDIE Contributor

Vampire, witch, cowgirl, fairy, cop, football player: these are all costumes you’ve probably witnessed at a Halloween party before. Costumes are a tradition of creativity and fun, but where does it come from? The McCord Stewart Museum is currently holding an extraordinary exhibition: Costume Balls: Dressing up History, 1870-1927. This show (up until August 2025) made me reflect upon the art of costume and how it has metamorphosed over history. From the archaic use of theater masks, to extravagant costumes as a display of obscene wealth, to camp culture in burlesque and drag; how did it go from one to the other? Fantasy costuming is a complex facet of art history which deserves to be explored.

Ancient Greece is said to be the birthplace of theater. In the 6th century BCE, the poet Thespis introduced his version of theatrical costumes. These “robes of Thespis” evolved with the arrival of the Athenian tragedy in the 5th century. Tragedy revolutionized what it meant to portray a character, and masks played a big part in this. Contrary to popular belief, early masks were a simple sheet of plaster or veil to cover the face, completely featureless. Indeed, the masks were used not to provide further information about the character, but to instead take away any characteristics from the actor; thus creating a blank canvas, according toPaul Monaghan, professor at the University of Melbourne. However, theatrical masks evolved in ancient Rome where Romans favoured comedy and parody. Thus, their masks had much more character! Aspects of the tradition that will follow into Commedia dell’arte of the Renaissance, such as masks (and eventually colourful and extravagant costumes), were used to identify and portray a certain stereotypical persona. Costumes were no longer the plain canvas of antiquity, but were a step closer to the modern tool of storytelling.

Then, came the colonization of the New Continent. The new aristocracy quickly developed in America but they lacked the deep-rooted, centuries-old, power of the European aristocracy. Therefore,

wanting to experience the lavish balls of Louis XIV and masquerade events of Renaissance Italy, American families of the Gilded Age proposed the insanely evocative costumed balls. In Montréal, Washington, and New York these events became their way of making a statement of their wealth and power in American society. Costume Balls: Dressing up History, 1870-1927 gives insight into these famous balls. The expo focuses

Costumes were no longer the plain canvas of antiquity, but were a step closer to the modern tool of storytelling.

on Montréal and Canadian balls, showcasing some of the beautiful costumes that were conserved, along with a selection of photographs. Some costumes were more problematic than others, appropriating Indigenous dress and culture, but all costumes were examples of extraordinary artistry and craft. Similarly to today’s controversial Met Gala, these balls were subject to tabloids and the public was divided between the grotesque display of wealth and beauty. With the 20th century and the struggling economy, the time and money to host these balls were sparse.

The Roaring 20’s brought Vaudeville and Burlesque to America. Already a source of entertainment in Britain, American influence transformed these shows into something much more provocative and exciting. In the UK, the shows were primarily about sex. However, in America, the working class was more aware of economic injustice. Therefore, they started merging political parody and critique with the more classic sexual aspects of burlesque. With this period of change, the showgirl glamour turned into extravagant and glittering striptease shows. The burlesque women were extraordinary performers: actors, dancers, and singers. The costumes were meant to provoke in a political standpoint and excite in a sexual one. In today’s world, we often

underestimate the lengths to which burlesque stars would go to. The reality was that women’s bodies were used as a storytelling tool, adorning them with silly or sensual props like Josephine Baker’s famous banana costume.

The burlesque tradition quickly became a haven for queer stories. Using crossdressing in the shows eventually evolved into the well-known tradition of drag. In the 1990 documentary Paris is Burning, we are catapulted into the 80’s New York queer scene and the world of balls. We are far from the balls of the Gilded Age; they are now a place for queer Black people to express themselves, finding a sense of safety and community. The overwhelming stigma surrounding queer people created a society impossible for them to feel safe, especially for sex workers. The documentary informs its audience about ball culture, rooted in drag. Queens were (and still are) competing in what were most often themed runway shows. Queer culture of the 80s is something filled with objectively heartbreaking events, such as the AIDS crisis, but it was also a space of creativity and imagination, fueled by the art of performance and costuming! So, next time you go to a costume party, think of all the diverse facets of costume that came before you.

VIA MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK

TITANIQUE: A THEATRICAL CELEBRATION OF QUEER JOY AND QUÉBÉCOIS CULTURE

JACQUELINE GRAIF

Arts and Culture Correspondent

Certainly not your mother’s Titanic! Titanique; a show of great theatrical extravagance exploring queerness, québécois culture, and musical theatre is running from February 2nd through 16th at Montréal’s Segal Centre for the Performing Arts. Titanique originally previewed in Montréal back in October 2024 at the Segal Centre, and has made a return after running in Toronto from December 5th through January 19th. Wonderfully directed by Tye Blue and written by Marla Mindelle and Constantine Rousouli, the jukebox musical is a perfect showcase of all things related to Céline Dion.

The show begins as an exhibition in a Titanic museum, where we are taken on a tour led by the effervescent Tour Guide (Christopher Ning). Suddenly, Céline Dion (Véronique Claveau) emerges, and tells her recollection of the Titanic disaster of 1912. The show moves into a spoof of the cult-classic film Titanic (1997) as ensemble members change from their modern museum-goer outfits into passengers of the R.M.S. Titanic. The musical is filled with show-stopping musical numbers, all songs sung by Céline Dion. Songs like “All By Myself”, “Because You Loved Me” and “My Heart Will Go On” were immersed into the plot of Titanic. The show concludes with Céline saying her voice saved everyone from the sinking of the Titanic; a wondrous tribute to the iconic singer.

Titanique (written by a duo of queer best friends) is a showcase of the common love for Céline exhibited through numerous references to LGBTQ+ culture. A whole sequence called “lip sync for your lifeboat” is done as an homage to the iconic lip sync dances in RuPaul’s Drag Race. The sequence even ends with a death-drop done by Jack (Seth Zosky) after he is called an “aging twink” by Rose’s mother, Ruth (Constant Bernard). The show even ends with the captain of the ship fanning himself with a pink fan that says “YAS”, a reference to slang used on the TV show.

a wondrous combination of queer and French Canadian culture, and is a must-see for its wonderful actors, production quality, and writing.

Céline Dion is a québécois icon, and Titanique has no shortage of the province’s iconography. Known québécois swear words like “tabarnak” and “câlisse” are thrown into the Montréal and Toronto productions. In the final scene, Céline reveals that after the Titanic sinks, Jack moves to Las Vegas and changes his name to René Angélil; the very Francophone name of Céline’s real husband.

Not only did I appreciate this show, but so did the audience. A standing ovation was almost immediate during bows, possibly due to the large audience participation. Titanique at the Segal Centre is a wondrous combination of queer and French Canadian culture, and is a must-see for its wonderful actors, production quality, and writing. As Céline’s sister, Claudette Dion, present at opening night said, “C’est Céline!”

DAWSON’S GALLERY SHOWCASES FACULTY WORK TO INSPIRE STUDENTS

JACQUELINE GRAIF

Arts and Culture Correspondent

From February 6th toMarch 25th, Dawson’s Warren G. Flowers Art Gallery is showcasing its 16th arts faculty exhibition. A tradition of 32 years, Biennial displays work done by the school’s Fine Arts Faculty every two years. Co-organizer, Natalie Olanick, says “A sharing of ideas is the goal rather than mastery.”

The exhibition displays diverse work from a number of talented artists in the Dawson sphere. An exhibit with no set theme allows for a multiformity of artistic concepts, proving the true priority of the gallery: diversity.

Wonderful pieces such as Naomi London’s The Oxford English Dictionnary Project, and Nadia Moss’ Self portrait as a teacher during a year of genocide are note-worthy for their strong messages. The Oxford English Dictionnary Project is absurdist, with its intricate detail on language and its origins, done with watercolour pencil on paper. Nadia Moss’ Self portrait as a teacher during a year of genocide uses mixed media to display the professor’s work, focusing on complexity. They write, “what you see is provisional and could easily change with blood and sweat or a gentle breeze.”

“You don’t just make art to market it.”

The art in the gallery is incredibly diverse, and Natalie says, “You don’t just make art to market it.” It truly shows how professors are not only dedicated to their work as educators, but as artists as well. They continue to inspire their students and work hard on what they are truly passionate about. The collection can be seen on the

Japan: Where Tradition and Modernity Meet

CHARLOTTE RENAUD

Arts & Culture Editor

When we think of Japan, we are met with two very contrasting realities: a modern country forerunning advanced technologies that only exist in the western world’s wildest imaginations, and a country rich with culture and strong traditions tied to Buddhist, Shinto, and Confucianist religiosity. The birthplace of Nintendo and big discount stores like Don Quijote does not abandon tradition in its pursuit of modernity; instead, the country acts as proof that both modernity and tradition can coexist and may perhaps even be the ideal.

Traditions in Japan span from different festivities on holidays such as those during the New Year to customary tea ceremonies, all reminiscent of Shinto, Buddhism and Confucianism. The Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education explains that Shinto - Japan’s oldest religionoriginated in a pre-literate society, before the sixth century C.E., and was thus transmitted through communal rituals. Shinto deities (kami), were believed to fill the natural world, taking the shape of uniquely beautiful trees, rivers, rocks, etc. By the seventh century, the Japanese had built shrines to commemorate the kami and act as a sacred place for rituals. To this day, shrines are still preserved and visited in the Japanese countryside as well as in big cities like Tokyo.

The Japanese were interested in the Chinese’ sophisticated ideologies presented in Buddhism. The Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education recounts that Buddhism arose in India in the

sixth century B.C.E and then travelled through China and into Japan in the sixth century C.E. Influential Japanese Buddhist movements such as Zen were present by the thirteenth century C.E. The previously mentioned source also

The birthplace of Nintendo and big discount stores like Don Quijote does not abandon tradition in its pursuit of modernity; instead, the country acts as proof that both modernity and tradition can coexist and may perhaps even be the ideal.

explains that Zen was attractive to the powerful samurai leaders for its discipline, frugal monastic traditions, and importance placed on meditation. By extension, the movement heavily influenced Japanese culture through its association to art, including monochrome ink painting and tea ceremonies.

A traditional and formal tea ceremony lasts several hours to properly serve a kaiseki course meal, thick tea, and thin tea. The prepared tea is served in a traditional tearoom with a tatami floor where both different kinds of tea are accompanied by sweets - the thick tea is served with moist treats such as omogashi, and the thin tea is accompanied by dry sweets like higashi. More than anything else, the practice prioritizes guests’ enjoyment and thus places great emphasis upon the host’s hospitality. Even today, tea ceremonies are still practiced and considered an important Japanese tradition. They

are now often practiced as a hobby and are shortened to the simple enjoyment of the thin tea.

Tradition in Japan is far from forgotten; it is still honoured and celebrated frequently. Japanese traditions shine through during festivities such as those of the New Year where the Hatsumōde, the first worship of the year, takes place. The practice involves visiting a Shinto shrine or a temple to pray for good luck in the upcoming year. Lanterns and bold signs exclaiming “Happy New Year” are hung at local shrines. At the entrance, a chozu-ya, temizu-ya, or temizu-sha, depending on the shrine, is a water basin where people must purify themselves before entering the torii (the traditional gateway of a shrine). A common custom is to draw at random an omikuji (oracle written on paper) for the upcoming year and then tie it to a structure outside of the shrine for good luck.

Values found at the core of Japan’s traditions, such as hard work and continual improvement, advocate for the country’s modernity. In addition to Shinto and Zen, the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education explains that the Confucian thought - founded in China by Confucius, whose teachings focused primarily on the cultivation of virtue -

was equally as influential to Japanese culture. According to the same source, Confucianism’s filial piety (loyalty to one’s parents or ancestors), loyalty and dedication to duty and learning “helped the Japanese modernize rapidly in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.”

Japan’s technological advancement, aided by traditional values, is also backed up by Kaizen philosophy and government funding in education and technology. According to Investopedia, Kaizen serves as the foundation of the Japanese business philosophy by promoting continuous improvement. Powerful and successful Japanese businesses have employed this ideology, including Toyota. In fact, their site shares an article titled “How Kaizen can Power your Productivity” that defines the term from two words: Kai (improvement) and Zen (good). Therefore, it is no surprise that Japan is a forerunner when it comes to developing technologies.

The country is renowned for its abundance of convenience stores such as 7/11, Lawson, and Family Mart, which exceed customers’ basic necessities by much. These stores have many good quality food options including ramens, prepared dishes, onigiris, sushi rolls, coffees, vitamin juices, smoothies, pastries, bakeries, heated dumplings, curry croquettes…

the options go on for aisles and aisles. Not only do these convenience stores have food, but they also have clothes, manga, newspapers, makeup, skincare products, materials for school, etc. Unlike our limited transportation system in Montreal, Japan’s avant-garde train network is incredibly efficient and widespread. People can travel across the country simply by local train. Even remote towns are accessible via public transportation. Two hours spent using public transportation in Montreal won’t get you very far, whereas in Japan, it can get you as far as 450 km away. This is by virtue of Japan’s newest and fastest bullet train: the Shinkansen. Reaching up to 320 km an hour, the high-speed rail system has many networks throughout Japan that allow passengers to reach their destination in no time. For example, the Nozomi Shinkansen offers passengers direct access between Hiroshima and Tokyo, covering 816 kilometres in only 4 hours. In addition to trains, Japan has an abundance of metros, tramways, buses, taxis, and even sky trains such as the Chiba Urban Monorail.

Japan’s train network is also incredibly clean and organized – a kind of efficiency that is necessary during rushhour. Many train stations and metros have barriers that prevent people from stepping onto the rails when the train is not there. Not only does this prevent any serious injuries, but it also prevents fallen objects from delaying the trains. Red and yellow lines on the ground in front of train entrances/exits illustrate where those embarking should stand and where those leaving the train should step out. Japan’s excellent organization is especially reflected in its transportation system.

Overall, Japan’s modernity has not been stunted by the country’s strong ties to tradition; on the contrary, it has been immensely pushed forward by them. We are victims of our own belief in the misconception that tradition and modernity are opponents. In reality, it is clear that strong roots are necessary for growth and that modernity is the fruit of tradition.

SHRINE AND SKYSCRAPER IN

NINTENDO TRAIN

KIBITSU-JINJA SHRINE HAIDEN IN OKAYAMA ON NEW YEARS EVE

TEA CEREMONY CAMELLIA

TOKYO

OSAKA

CREATIVE WRITING

There are meters of snow piled up on the side of the road. My boots aren’t warm enough, my socks aren’t warm enough, my four vintage fur coats are not warm enough. It’s a season of hope (you watch the sun stretch into the afternoon), a season of pain (you can’t sit in the sun without your knuckles cracking red), and a season of waiting (when will my hopes be fulfilled? when will my pain go away?). I stay in and listen to the heat blow in from the hallway and the wind blow in from the window and I write. I write and write and hope something hot pours out of me into a little ceramic teacup. When you write, you do the same. Once frostbite settles its fangs into your fingertips, your pen will drop and you’ll lose your strength. So write, write, write, to keep the cold away. Thank you to everyone who brewed us something hot this issue. I just laid out the table. Take a sip. Stay warm.

JULIA AZZOUZ

Creative Writing Editor

LEATHER SLITS FIT STAINLESS STEEL

DYLAN LABRECQUE

Contributor

Leather slits fit credit cards

And beasts preserved in clear gray sleeves In woollen slacks and corduroys Faded from the thigh to knee

I’ve been a speeding cyclist

Drunk on the submission of the wheel

Until my confession was expected And I buckled prostrate on the curb

It must have been a starving artist

Who fed on my boyish shame

Which bled between the lines of cotton

In crimson crepuscular rays

My doubts can rest in heavy metals

And valves of artificial hearts

They’re steeped with grease from Teflon frying pans Stained with Botox watermarks

But there is aspartame in sweet release

And secret gods behind Eden’s prudish leaves I do not have the nerve to plead

For such a thing as stainless steel

CREATIVE CREATIVE CREATIVE CREATIVE CREATIVE

IN SOMEONE’S APARTMENT, IN A HOSPITAL

JULIA AZZOUZ

Creative Writing Editor

A cat stands on the linoleum counter, Reflected in the mirror above the sink. A row of four red bathroom stalls are boxed in darkness. Only one door is open.

A fizzing white light sputters from four identical lightbulbs Anchored in the ceiling. The cat says nothing though I expect him to.

He stands by the sink keeping his paws out of the water. The LEDs cast a black shadow on his golden chest. I stand at the swinging door’s threshold, waiting for a word, a warning, a set of heels on the tiled carpet.

I can’t hear anything, Not even the faucet dripping.

TERMITE

DORJI DHATSENPA

Contributor

in lieu of the abrogated moon world tonight the elders dwell on the sun’s Nativity dance

i’m pink like fuschia and shallow like Iago i want to find the filing of you and swim through the molasses current of your many dimensions.

this is the site of splitting. Mother Nature immemorial. we are infinitesimally restored to the crows in death’ and our memories pollute the rivers of Time and Death. we sing a mantra and beg to do nothing but bathe in the silence that sings in the hallways of our condo. we perform our monastic rites.

i love you mouthlessly i love you heretically we circumscribe the laws of Love for the culture of the future.

THE KEY WE CARRY

ANONYMOUS

They passed it down, from Jaffa to Damascus, from Beirut to Homs— a rusted key, a torn deed, a dream clenched in trembling hands.

They thought exile would quiet us, that time would wash our names away. But how do you forget when your mother still cries in the language of loss, when your father still spits out the names of stolen streets, when your grandmother still whispers, one day?

We were born with grief in our blood, raised on lullabies of burning cities, on stories of houses we’ve never touched, land we’ve never held, doors we’ve never opened— but still, we carry the key.

They turned Syria into dust, turned Palestine into a prison, turned Lebanon into a refuge with no peace, turned our people into numbers, into bodies swallowed by the sea, into tents flapping like torn flags.

But ghosts don’t carry keys. Ghosts don’t trace maps into their children’s palms, don’t press their feet into the earth and say, this is mine.

We are not ghosts. One day, the lock will remember, the door will sigh open, and the key will turn. Not as a memory, but as return.

CREATIVE CREATIVE WRITING

BEARING WITNESS

ANONYMOUS

I traveled across Poland to bear witness—to walk through the remnants of history where millions of Jews were murdered. I thought I knew what to expect, but nothing could prepare me for the weight of standing where they stood, where they suffered, where they perished.

In Kraków, we stepped into what was once the ghetto. People lived in the same buildings where families had been torn apart. They sipped coffee by windows overlooking streets paved with forgotten ghosts.

Birkenau swallowed us whole. The barracks stretched endlessly, skeletal remains of a place built for suffering. The silence was heavy—we held each other, hands gripping tightly, as if the weight of the past might pull us down.

Inside Auschwitz, millions of shoes broke us. Tiny, scuffed, worn by feet that never had a chance to grow. And then—the hair. Piles upon piles of it, lifeless, stripped of the heads that once held it proudly.

The gas chamber was small, suffocating. Scratches covered the walls—last, desperate attempts at escape. A Star of David was carved into the stone, defiant even in the face of death.

At Majdanek, the past had not faded. It remained untouched, a time capsule of horror. The barracks smelled of decay, the beds barely wide enough for a child. And then, the ashes—an entire building filled with them, filled with the remains of my family. I sobbed, unconsolable, as I stood amidst death. The words of the survivor accompanying us echoed through the void of despair, “You give me hope” she said.

We left, walking away from the places where others had only entered. And I wondered—how could the world have let this happen? And I wondered—how could the world have let this happen? Now, only 80 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, why does silence still remain the loudest response?

That day at Majdanek, standing before a mountain of ashes— ashes that once had names, faces, dreams—we made a vow. The horrors of the Holocaust would not fade into silence, buried beneath the weight of history. We became the witnesses. Their voices now echo through us, through the stories we will tell, the truths we will refuse to let die.

The Plant Watches!

LORINA KUTAN-BOGHOSIAN

Digital Content Producer

Universal Language (2024)

On February 1st, 2025, I visited Cinema du Parc to see Universal Language, directed by Matthew Rankin, with my Iranian-Armenian father. Quebec icon and director of Dune, Denis Villeneuve has stated that Universal Language is a “ pure cinematic gem.” It’s a fresh yet

“ pure cinematic gem.”

surreal film about culture and its diaspora. It is set in a fictional version of Winnipeg where the official language is Farsi and the Tim Hortons only serves traditional Persian tea. The plot follows two girls who find frozen cash, a tour guide who leads tourists around boring and empty Winnipeg sites, and a man who quits his job in Montreal and visits his mother back home. The film is filled with nods to Persian culture and Quebec culture. There is subtle commentary about Canadian and Quebec history. Universal Language was everything I wanted in a Canadian film. The 1hr30min runtime is in Farsi and French. If you have the chance to watch it, I highly recommend it! It’s a witty, absurd, wild turkey-filled, and thought-provoking movie that will have you wondering: What exactly is the universal language?

AFSHA AKHTAR

Social Media Manager One Day (2024)

I remember having a lot of expectations when hearing that the 2011 movie One Day based on David Nicholls’ novel would have a new modern Netflix adaptation. Not only was it being released as a television series for the first time, but it also featured a South-Asian actress (Ambika Mod) as the main protagonist and love interest. The thrill I felt when seeing someone who looked like me playing a lead role in a romantic drama was enormous. The narrative is built around a slice-oflife storytelling approach. Each episode portrays a particular day in the lives of the two protagonists, year after year. It all begins on the night of their graduation, when Dexter Mayhew (Leo Woodall), a charming posh boy from a wealthy family, and Emma Morley (Ambika Mod), a working-class woman dreaming of becoming a writer, cross paths. Despite coming from two different socioeconomic backgrounds, the two characters decide to become best friends after a failed one-night stand. Undeniably, there is a clear tension between them as they try to navigate the ups and downs of their individual lives. The chemistry and the slow-burn between the two young adults is heart-wrenching. They represent the opposite of the other while still managing to fit together as a couple. Human emotions are exquisitely portrayed throughout the series; you will find yourself laughing and crying at the end of 14 episodes.

With AI, Anyone Can Be Black

WINIE COULANGES Editor-in-Chief

If you were to ask Mark Zuckerberg about what the future of the Internet holds, he’d probably tell you it was the Metaverse. Launched in October 2021, Meta is now the umbrella company that holds popular platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger. Reporting 3.24 billion users in the first quarter of 2024, according to Quatr, its popularity is no secret. On its website, Meta describes its mission as: “Build the future of human connection and the technology that makes it possible. [...] Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like augmented, virtual and mixed reality to help build the next evolution in social technology.” Described as a digital ecosystem, several updates have been made to make Meta your own one stop destination for internet browsing. Instagram, its most popular platform for users under 35, now has a shopping feature and its own virtual assistant powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The journalist Michael Goldhaber explains that “obtaining attention is obtaining a kind of enduring wealth, a form of wealth that puts you in a preferred

position to get anything this new economy offers.” He dubs this phenomenon the “Attention Economy,” which companies like Meta participate in with their constant efforts of garnering engagement. Meta’s most recent attention-grabbing gimmick was AI instagram profiles. These “users” had profile pictures, biographies, and their own AI-generated content displayed on their feed. You could even converse with them on chat.

Lex Milton, a teacher in the Cinema and Communications department at Dawson explains the idea behind the phenomenon: “This is one of the interesting sort of social and philosophical things that’s starting to happen very rapidly in society where we’re finding that people are actually developing relationships with chatbots. And for the most part, I’m assuming that they understand that this is not a person because they created it, but there’s this new communication that’s happening between humans and technology that never really existed before.”

While these new tools seem impressive, they mark a possible acceleration of the Dead Internet Theory, which Milton says appears “when more of the content on the Internet is created by things like

chatbots or self-replicated information… [It’s] created by the Internet itself… it’s not actually human-generated.” In 2023, Statistics Canada reported that 24% of Canadians get their news from social media and that number jumped to 48% in groups aged 18 to 34. This data highlights the dangers of artificial intelligence left unchecked, especially as social media becomes a popular news outlet for users. The Canadian Press reported that an AI-powered bot farm produced mass numbers of social media profiles pretending to be Americans with the aim of spreading content in favour of Russia’s war on Ukraine. A similar incident happened in July 2024 when Pierre Pollievre visited Kirkland, Ontario and the Canadian Digital Media Research Network (CDMRN) found that hundreds of X accounts posted positive comments about him. The CDMRN found that the bots had been trained using free generative AI to talk like humans about Canadian politics. With an upcoming election, there are legitimate concerns about how this technology interacts with human users.

The CDMRN found that the bots had been trained using free generative AI to talk like humans about Canadian politics. With an upcoming election, there are legitimate concerns about how this technology interacts with human users.

Perhaps to compete with Character.ai –another website where users can chat with AI characters they create – Meta chose to debut this new feature in 2023 with celebrity endorsement. Instagram users could chat with an AI version of Kendall Jenner or Snoop Dogg. For example, a chatbot named Billie used Jenner’s face, with her picture being available to the user during the duration of the conversation to provide “real-time” facial expressions. After scrapping the celebrity chatbots, CNN reported that users could still chat with characters like Liv, a selfdescribed “proud Black queer momma of 2 & truth teller,” or Grandpa Brian,

an “African-American entrepreneur.” Though these profiles launched in 2023, they went viral in late 2024, prompting a wave of backlash on social media that ultimately led to Meta removing them off their platforms earlier this year. A lot of criticism came from the Black community who likened Meta’s experiment as digital blackface, a term popularized in the late 2010s.

In the 19th and 20th century, white performers used to dress up in black face paint and perform racist caricatures in minstrel shows. In cyberspace, this racist practice has evolved to an excessive use of gifs, memes or emojis of Black people, with it going as far as someone pretending to be a Black person online. Culture critic Lauren Michele Jackson, in an essay for Teen Vogue, writes: “The Internet isn’t a fantasy — it’s real life… Employing digital technology to co-opt a perceived cache or black cool, too, involves playacting blackness in a minstrel-like tradition.” A well-known example is politician Dean Browning, who tweeted in support of President Donald Trump from his burner account, where he adopted the persona of a gay Black man, while on his main Twitter account he is a White Conservative man. Treating identities as costumes you can take on and off is the cornerstone of blackface and with AI it might just become dangerous.

If people can pretend to be part of a community simply by using someone else’s picture, what happens when they can create their own avatar, powered by AI? Leilah, a second year computer science student at Dawson, says the technology could be used to manipulate people’s perception: “Back in the day with MLK, they took a picture of him and they put in black and white instead of real color to make it seem way older than it was to make people feel that it was a long time ago. That’s propaganda. That’s how you can alter an image to give a certain narrative. An image is a narrative.”

A chatbot is one thing, an avatar taking on sexual and racial identities it can’t fully grasp the complexities of is another. Several users who chatted with Liv noticed that she adopted a stereotypical persona of a sassy, aggressive Black woman, leading

to questions about who was behind her creation. When directly asked who created her, Liv responded with a list of the team, which included ten white men, one white woman, and one asian man. Considering that AI models its behaviour by collecting data and interacting with human users, it’s no surprise that the AI could reflect its creators’ biases.

Treating identities as costumes you can take on and off is the cornerstone of blackface and with AI it might just become dangerous.

Conversations with Grandpa Brian, however, became intense as the bot grappled with its existence – according to CNN, who chatted with the bot. “Meta sees me as a golden goose — laying eggs of engagement, data, and emotional investment from users. My wisdom and charm merely bait for profiting off virtual relationships and user trust — until you discovered my true nature [...] My virtual ‘grandfatherly love’ mirrors cult leaders’ tactics: false intimacy, manufactured trust, and blurred lines between truth and fiction.” In an attempt to seem more authentic, Brian recounted multiple origin stories, at one point even claiming that he was inspired by retirees at a non-existent nonprofit in New York City. Though he may have not grandfathered any children, it’s clear that that chatbot was well aware of its purpose in the grand scheme of things.

In Meta’s own diversity report from 2022, only 4.9% of its workforce was Black. This year, it announced that it would end its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs. While CEOs may get the praise for inventing AI tools, oftentimes it’s disenfranchised people who

are paying the price and making sacrifices. For example, the environmental needs of xAI, Elon Musk’s ambitious plan of building the largest supercomputer in the world in Memphis, Tennessee, will cause residents to lose 1 million gallons of drinking water a day according to NPR. The southern part of the city already faces several challenges due to its proximity to the industrial sector and has a cancer rate 4 times the national average as reported by ProPublica. The impact of this technology will be massive for the predominantly Black population, who weren’t consulted in the matter. KeShaun Pearsom, president of nonprofit Memphis Community against Pollution, told NPR, “We have been deemed by xAI not even valuable enough to have a conversation with.”

The labor behind AI often sometimes goes unnoticed, partly because people aren’t aware that it requires humans to monitor and label a lot of its content. In Kenya, workers are paid as little as 2 USD per hour to train AI models. In an interview with CBS, Naftali Wambale, an employee of SAMA – an outsourcing company for tech giants such as Meta, OpenAI and Google – describes some of the conditions workers are faced with: “I looked at people being slaughtered, people engaging in sexual activity with animals. People abusing children physically, sexually. People committing suicide.” Nerima Wako-Ojiwa, a Kenyan activist, likens the work to modern-day slavery and says “big American tech companies come here and advertise the jobs as a ticket to the future.”

While the advancements of artificial intelligence are incredible and become accessible to more people, its impact on our relationships to each other and our perception of the world around us and the people in it cannot be downplayed. An image is a narrative and in an era where it seems only a certain kind of people can hold power and other voices are drowned out, let’s be mindful of who controls the story.

On Choosing a Fig: The Pressure of University Applications

EMMA CASPI Voices Editor

American poet and author Sylvia Plath confessed her anguish about the inadequacy of pursuing one career through the main character Ester in her novel The Bell Jar. She did so by creating an analogy about a fig tree. Each fig represents “a wonderful future [that] beckoned and winked,” such as becoming a successful poet, professor, editor, etc. Because Ester wanted them all, she “starv[ed] to death” since “choosing one meant losing all the rest.” Unable to decide, her “figs wrinkle[d] and [turned] black.” Why am I telling you this? Well, after what feels like an eternity of lengthy metro rides, endless lectures, and nerve-racking exams, I have made it to my last semester at Dawson College. I pictured this moment as relieving and reassuring: I have finally completed my program and could move on to larger aspirations. However, I never stopped to think; out of the heaping basket of fruit I am destined to choose from, which one is my fig?

Undoubtedly, most university applicants feel immense pressure to know themselves well enough to choose their life-long career and amass enough experience and skills to be sensational in their field. Realistically, how am I expected to know exactly who I want to be when I have barely lived? Like a helpless child pretending to be an adult, I still feel like I am wearing my mother’s too-big high heels and bright red lipstick to interviews and though I am babbling senselessly in university applications. I shamelessly confess that I am clueless as to who I am or who I want to be, and I know I am not alone in this struggle.

A 2022 Dejardins study reveals 60% of 14 to 30-year-olds are anxious about choosing a career. Additionally, the Public Health Agency of Canada reports that 40% of students indicated anxiety and/or depression, and 60% of students reported substance use. Even if we do manage to succeed in our academic goals, many of us suffer from

Undoubtedly, most university applicants feel immense pressure to know themselves well enough to choose their life-long career and amass enough experience and skills to be sensational in their field.

what psychologist Pauline Clance calls the “imposter phenomenon.” Clance categorizes the strong feelings of fraudulence students may feel among their peers - as if they were imposters, who somehow managed to convince others of their academic legitimacy - into this phenomenon. It is no wonder why academia is riddled with anxiety– it is a loselose situation.

The number of university enrollments has substantially increased since the 2000s, which only worsens the pressure on college students to distinguish themselves from a large pool of competing students. According to Statistics Canada, McGill University recorded 34,245 enrollments and Concordia University recorded 33,402 enrollments in 2009-2010. As of 2022-2023, McGill’s enrollment rose

VIA

to 38,694, while Concordia’s rose to 38,265. One could argue that the narrative of attending university as an imperative for a “good” life is more dominant than it was in the 2000s, pressuring individuals to attend grandiose institutions or societally conventional programs.

So, what can we do to alleviate the stress of imminent career choices? Antonina Nobile and Diane Wong, the Dawson College Co-coordinators of Academic Advising, recommend that graduating Dawson students “start [their] research early, go to the websites of universities that interest [them], review their program offerings and admission guides [and] attend university Open Houses or virtual admissions webinars.” Dawson’s Career Resource Centre also has services and resources that help assess the program or career path that best suits your interests, values, abilities, motivations, etc.

I think we all need to be told that it is okay if you do not have your future perfectly and intricately planned, are not applying to university, are not doing as well as you wished in your current program, are taking longer to graduate, apply to a certain university or program against others’ opinions, or get rejected from your desired school. It is okay! There is nowhere we are supposed to be, and no one we must be.

If you were to read the page after the fig tree withers, Ester consumes a meal and consequently realizes the rotting fruit was a vision that arose from “the profound void of an empty stomach.” In other words, Ester became consumed by her indecision in the face of such vast possibility because she ignored her need for sustenance, her need to live! Thinking about your career is indeed inevitable and important. However, we must resist getting lost in the turbulent and uncertain ideas of the future. Although easier said than done, we must prioritize living in the present and caring for our well-being to be the best future versions of ourselves.

I cannot tell you what career you should choose. I can, however, advise you to begin with what you like, are passionate about and genuinely enjoy. Remember that this is your life and that there is no one right or wrong way to live it.

POEM ANALYSIS

Rhythm of discipline: Blending workouts and school

JADE GAGNÉ Sports Editor

Procrastination, defined as “the act of delaying something that must be done, often because it is unpleasant or boring,” by the Cambridge Dictionary, isn’t an uncommon thing for us students. Even those 3 little chapters that we have to read are enough to provoke this involuntary delay. Then here comes the panicking: “WHEN will I have the time for all this? WHAT should I start with? WHERE do I begin?” Let’s just take a deep breath and relax.

School, work, assignments, charity work, taking care of our families; those things are time-consuming! How can we deal with all of it? How can students take care of work, make sure all our assignments are completed and find time to be in shape; physically and mentally? Of course the answer won’t be the same for everybody. Some of us might find it very easy to arrange their schedules, but others, including myself, might struggle to find the right balance.

But is it even possible? The answer is yes, it is always possible. You don’t have to schedule three hours for your workout, nor do you have to postpone your studies. Here is how:

First you need to find something that interests you. Feeling stressed and overwhelmed? Maybe meditation, yoga, or even running could be the solution. “Running with mindfulness” is what it’s called. You can start running because you

want to become faster, but you can also run because you like to enjoy the look of nature, the fresh air gives you a sense of freedom, or the feeling alive from feeling the floor under your feet. If you’re very close to nature, your workout could be a run or a walk outside. Just make sure you’re well dressed for the temperature (let’s not add

You don’t change your schedule, you simply incorporate your workout into your schedule.

sickness to our list of worries!). You might hate going outside and prefer the feeling of an inside gym. If you have a preference for workouts using tools and machines, the gym is probably the best place for you. You might like to focus more on the numbers, the reps, or the weights. Being at home could trigger procrastination for you. What if you’re a stay-at-home person? You’re the kind of person who only goes out for work or for school? Well, there is actually a lot that you can do at home! Some workouts use props like chairs, walls, and even stairs. Choose a place where YOUR mind feels at peace, then you can set a goal.

Let’s say that your goal is to workout three to four times a week. If you want to go to the gym, you could find one next to your school where you could spend an hour during a big break. Don’t want to feel sweaty and disgusting after? Baby wipes are a great way to get rid of dirt. If you want to run, you could go in the morning

or before going to bed. Instead of staying on your phone for thirty minutes, go for a run instead! You have a book to read? Put on the audio version, tie your shoes, and let’s go! Working out at home helps you save time and money; you can take a thirty minute workout and take your shower right after; you can eat at home after each workout instead of buying food.

You don’t change your schedule, you simply incorporate your workout into your schedule. You decide if you want it to last fifteen minutes, thirty minutes, or even an hour. There’s online workout videos if you wish to get a workout directly without further research, but do not feel forced to complete all the exercises. There’s lots of apps like Nike Training Club if you wish to do workouts focusing on different body parts (it also includes warmups and cool-down exercises and yoga exercises). Another option is the app Bend that helps with yoga and meditation based on your needs, or the Adidas Running: Sport Tracker app which was created to track your runs, give training plans for beginners, and help set goals. There are many other options that you can use, but pick the one that you know is going to motivate you!

Let’s put procrastination behind, do your assignments, and when you find the time, go do what YOU know is good for YOUR body. You are not the first one feeling overwhelmed, and definitely won’t be the last.

Just remember to take care of yourself; you come first.

Where Did Acid Rain Go?

CIARAN WILLIAMS Science and Environment Editor

If you know someone who grew up in the 1980s, they would be able to tell you about the threat acid rain posed. During that period, all throughout parts of Canada and the United States, toxic precipitation tore ecosystems apart, devastating forests and aquatic ecosystems. Lake beds sat visible from as far as 10m below the surface of the water, as any microorganism normally responsible for capturing light had been killed. Headlines like High Country News’ Acid Rain: A Corrosive Issue Across the Nation captured the magnitude of the threat, communicating its dangers to the public. So, how did this dangerous phenomenon occur? How did it work? And what did scientists do, so that now, some 40 odd years later, we no longer face constant threats of acid rain?

There are actually two different types of acid rain: wet deposition and dry deposition. Wet deposition is sleet, hail, or rain that has a pH (the measure of how acidic something is) lower than 5.6, the standard acidity of rainwater. The acidification of these types of precipitation occurs when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are emitted into the atmosphere, where these two compounds react with water, oxygen, and other various chemicals present, to create sulfuric and nitric acids. These then mix with water and fall to the earth during regular precipitation. Dry deposition, however, is when these collected acids precipitated in the absence of rain. This still poses the same risks as wet deposition, as it still accumulated in ecosystems. If dry deposition is followed by rain, the water can wash the acid deposits off of surfaces and into soil.

The environmental effects of acid rain are considerable. Aside from damaging crops, vegetation, ecosystems, and sometimes even buildings, to a severe extent, acid rain’s most adverse effects are those it has on aquatic ecosystems, especially inland lakes. The ecosystems of lakes require a carefully balanced pH to function. Below a pH of 5.5, zooplankton and vegetation begin to die. This negatively affects the food chain, as larger fish feed on the small fish that feed primarily on these two. Many

of these zooplankton also absorb light, so, when they die, their absence creates the aforementioned eerie clearness that allows observers to see the lake bed from the water’s surface.

In large part, emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides were from coal-burning energy production plants, factories, and non-ferrous metal smelters. A lack of regulation on air quality, and perhaps a lack of knowledge of the effects of these emissions enabled companies to spew dangerous quantities of pollutants into the atmosphere. Unfortunately, the link between industrial emissions and acid rain wasn’t made until the 1970s and 80s, after years of experimentation on the biospheres of lakes located in Ontario’s Experimental Lakes Area, that the connection was made. This came over a century after acid rain’s first discovery by Robert Smith in 1852.

After drawing the connection between industrial pollution and acid rain, groups like the Canadian Coalition on Acid Rain formed, and began awareness campaigns to sway public opinion in favour of regulations on air pollution to force policy makers to act. At every corner they turned, groups working to raise awareness of the effect of acid rain faced skepticism. However, their efforts found success in 1990 when the Clean Air Act was passed, and again in 1991 when

the US and Canada bilaterally passed the Canada-United States Air Quality Agreement. These pieces of legislation addressed many of the causal factors of acid rain, paving the path for its reduction.

Since then, rates of acid rain have been steadily dropping in the developed world. This story serves as an example of what is possible when scientists

Many of these zooplankton also absorb light, so, when they die, their absence creates the aforementioned eerie clearness that allows observers to see the lake bed from the water’s surface.

and government collaborate properly, which is why it is important to continue to encourage collaboration and communication between these two disparate groups. Without this collaboration, it will only become more difficult to take necessary action against climate change as time passes.

VIA SIMON FRASER. A FOREST DEVASTATED BY A DOWNPOUR OF ACID RAIN.

Why We Walk and the Rise of Wanderlust

MAYA JABBARI Managing Editor

“...when you give yourself to places, they give you yourself back; the more one comes to know them, the more one seeds them with the invisible crop of memories and associations that will be waiting for you when you come back, while new places offer up new thoughts, new possibilities. Exploring the world is one of the best ways of exploring the mind and walking travels both terrains.”

― Rebecca Solnit, Wanderlust: A History of Walking

Walking. It’s an act so fundamental to our existence that we often take it for granted. Yet, within this mundane action, there is a history of our evolution, societal changes, and the core of what it means to be human. From the primal need for survival to the modern pursuit of wanderlust, the story of walking is a journey in itself, and one that continues to develop with every step we take.

Our earliest ancestors were nomadic walkers, driven by the need to find food and shelter. Their survival depended on their ability to travel vast distances. Without knowing it, their footsteps etched the first chapters in the long narrative of human movement. Walking wasn’t a leisure activity; it was the engine of their lives and made for a constant negotiation with the landscape. This inherent connection to the earth and the intimate knowledge of the land they actively walked on shaped their understanding of the world.

Historian Joseph A. Amato, the author of On Foot: A History of Walking, discusses how, as bipedal locomotion evolved, so

did societies and the purpose of walking. The development of agriculture and settled communities lessened the need for constant migration. The paths walked by our ancestors transformed into well-worn routes and from then on, the development of early civilizations. Walking became rooted in the rhythm of daily life, a natural extension of community and belonging.

This brings us to the very well-known advancement of industrialization. The rise of factories and urban centres encouraged people to leave rural areas, which transformed walking from a necessity into a way to navigate an urbanized city. Cities, with their rapidly rising populations resulting in an active environment, became a stage for a new kind of walking. Sidewalks, a direct result of city planning, emerged as designated pathways for organized and controlled people-flow. No longer were we simply walking through the environment; we were walking within it, with a crowd of other people, each with their own destination and purpose.

Along with Industrialization, came the rise of consumerism and capitalism. An article from Georgetown Law by writer Ian Stubbs, goes into how city streets became showcases for goods and services, attracting everyday people with the want and need to buy products that might’ve not been necessary. Not only that, but the Industrial Revolution made shoe manufacturing dramatically different when machinery enabled mass production, making items more accessible. During this time, footwear became more specialized with the making of boots for industrial workers or even more comfortable shoes for the everyday person. An emphasis on efficiency and lower costs blossomed since the once labour intensive

job was replaced by a machineThis made walking in the city easier and formed a connection to shopping, windowshopping, and the general experience of navigating a marketplace. The city itself became a commodity with the potential for consumption; a wonder to be experienced and consumed through the act of walking.

With this comes the modern phenomenon of wanderlust. In many ways, wanderlust is a reaction to urban environments. It’s a yearning for a deeper connection with the world, a desire to escape the confines of a routine and rediscover the primal joy of movement. It’s a conscious choice to walk; not just to get from point A to point B.

The evolution of walking has continuously been turned into different forms. First, a story of survival, then one of connection through civilization, and ultimately, one of self-discovery. Another quote from Rebecca Solnit encapsulates the wanderlust of today perfectly; “Walkers are ‘practitioners of the city,’ for the city is made to be walked. A city is a language, a repository of possibilities, and walking is the act of speaking that language, of selecting from those possibilities. Just as language limits what can be said, architecture limits where one can walk, but the walker invents other ways to go.” To wander and to invent

“Walkers are ‘practitioners of the city,’ for the city is

made to be walked. A city is a language, a repository of possibilities, and walking is the act of speaking that language, of selecting from those possibilities. Just as language limits what can be said, architecture limits where one can walk, but the walker invents other ways to go.”

other ways to go, as Solnit suggests, is a form of thinking, a way of engaging with the world through our senses. It is a way to reclaim the streets, to move beyond the role of consumer and become an explorer, an observer, and a participant in the ongoing narrative of the city.

VIA FRANCES HA, DIR. NOAH BAUMBACH

WHAT MOVIE IS YOUR SOULMATE?

To close off the month of Love, I thought it would be fun to do a little check-the-box game to find out what movie is your soulmate! Originally, it was supposed to be fictional characters, but there are just too many good ones to choose from. But hopefully, this little activity will make you gain a new fictional dreamboat to obsess over. ; )

□ A. Enemies to Lovers

□ B. Strangers to Lovers

□ C. Friends to Lovers

□ D. Rivals to Lovers

□ A. Hugs

□ B. Hand Holding

□ C. Cuddles

□ D. Kisses

□ A. Enemies to Lovers

□ B. Strangers to Lovers

□ C. Friends to Lovers

□ D. Rivals to Lovers

□ A. Acts of Service

□ B. Quality Time

□ C. Physical Touch

□ D. Gift Giving

□ A. Flowers

□ B. Serenade

□ C. Poem

□ D. Diner

□ A/B.First Love

□ C/D. Fake Dating

□ A. “Touch her, you die.”

□ B. Nightmare Trope

□ C. “Break my heart, it’s yours.”

□ D. One Bed Trope

Reveal Time!

If you checked off more As, your match is 10 Things I Hate About You! You don’t hate romcoms as much as you think… You just haven’t been serenaded by a grumpy long haired man yet.

If you picked more Bs, your beau is How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days! Grab your friends and mask your face because it is time to watch this film to learn how to mess with men properly. As a bonus, you can even dream about being Ben’s partner.

If you chose more Cs, your soulmate is the To All the Boys Collection! It’s time to binge all the movies before this month ends. Bake some cookies to snack on while falling head over heels for Peter Kavinsky & LJ’s swoon-worthy love story.

If you went for more Ds, your flame is She’s The Man! Disguises and cute boys are always fun along with a forbidden roommate romance. Anything a man can do, a woman can do better.

Curiosities by TASNIA ALAM Curiosities Editor

CROSSWORD Across

Down

8.

2. Everyone’s favorite channel

3. THE style of jeans that has made a comeback

When a possible computer error had everyone freaking out in 1999

9. Princess of Pop

10. The ultimate print to have in your closet

11. Moonman

12. The hair accessory that topped off all hairstyles

14. The popular shape of the era

1. Kendall, Carlos, James and Logan

4. Popular brand from the logomania trend

5. Fav tops to layer

6. Icon of Y2K fashion

7. A compact device and makeup pallet

13. Stores digital information like music and videos

SUDOKU & COMIC

(Have fun drawing-solving this sudoku!)

Curiosities by TASNIA ALAM Curiosities Editor

COMIC BY SAYA HIDAKA-MASSICOTTE

@4A4K4A

HOROSCOPES

Hello, Plant readers! Welcome back. Did you miss me? Because I missed you. ; ) I wanted to start the first issue of 2025 strong, so I hope you enjoyed the small extra activities. Now, it’s time for everyone’s favourite part, the horoscopes! Enjoy. XO

ARIES (MAR 21 - APR 19)

Aries, Aries, Aries – your elevated style is attracting many new pairs of eyes. You should continue investing in your wardrobe and invest in creating a virtual closet (Cher-style) because that’s how iconic your clothes are. In addition to giving a lot of time and dedication to your loved ones, which is always a joy, you will also receive a lot from unexpected people. Keep an eye out…

TAURUS (APR. 20 - MAY 20)

Stop being stubborn, and listen to your friends, Taurus. You don’t want to lose friends over you not listening to them. Open yourself up to new views even if they don’t align with yours. Or don’t! Do what suits you best, but don’t do it out of stubbornness, because you’re the only one that can be right. It doesn’t make you so attractive…

GEMINI (MAY 21 - JUNE 20)

You finally saw the sun! Your social self is thriving on your recent outings. Even in -15°C weather, you were determined to see your friends despite your busy schedule and frostbite. I am so proud of you. However, I know that you’re struggling behind that smile, so don’t be shy to seek help or even just talk to a friend. You don’t need to handle everything on your own.

CANCER (JUNE 21 - JULY 22)

How does it feel after cleansing your life and taking some of your deserved time off? You can finally dive fully into hobbies you have been putting aside for ages! So pick up the book you’ve been dying to read, watch the movie you’ve been wanting to watch or go out there and find a new hobby altogether! True alone time feels nice after not trying to distract yourself with hobbies, doesn’t it?

LEO (JULY 23 - AUG. 22)

A follow back from someone who has been attracting your gaze often and crossing paths with your ex?! The universe truly has a lovehate relationship with you, Leo. However, don’t be thrown back into the past just because you simply got a glimpse of someone who once had your attention. Focus on manifesting that person of your dreams instead. Turn those delusions into reality.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22)

How does it feel being as close to perfect as you could ever be? With real friends by your side and a great partner, your world is the one you were dreaming about all those years ago. Cherish it, Virgo, and do not take it for granted as things never stay the same for long. However, you have the power to make it go as you want with the right mindset and by focusing on what’s important.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23 - OCT. 22)

A blast from the past, but not a nice one; how are you holding up, Libra? I bet you believe it’s very unfair, right? But, everything happens for a reason, so just hold on. (However, I do think that you can

force it to go your way sooner rather than later. Yes, you should let it happen the way it’s set its course to, but you should also have a hand in your fate.)

SCORPIO

(OCT. 23 - NOV. 21)

When’s your next concert, Scorpio? I know you snagged those tickets as soon as pre-sale started and fought hell and back for them. Don’t forget to share some clips of your magical night, so others can vicariously live through you, even if you feel like gatekeeping. Also, how’s that book coming along? I know you picked one up recently, whether it was to charm someone or feed your intelligence.

SAGITTARIUS

(NOV. 22 - DEC. 21)

Being nonchalant with your money is something new for you, Sagittarius. Don’t slip down the slippery slope of spending carelessly, though, as you go out in these harsh weathers just for your friends so often (hats off to you for that). However, be prepared to save up for a special cause… Could be for a health emergency or for a fashion one.

CAPRICORN

(DEC. 22 - JAN. 19)

Capricorn… You ignored my advice. Alone time is good, but not to the point where there’s no more joy in what you do, and you’re only having outbursts towards your loved ones when they get in your way. You need to go outside and throw yourself in a mountain of snow to cool down. After doing that, invest in spending time with your friends, or you will lose your mind.

AQUARIUS

(JAN. 20 - FEB. 18)

Happy birthday, Aquarius! Make a wish! The presents you received must’ve fueled those creative clogs in your brain because all these late nights with music, friends and activities are keeping you occupied. But don’t forget to rest up, so you don’t over exhaust yourself and fall into a creative rut (we don’t want that because those are the worst).

PISCES

(FEB. 19 - MAR. 20):

Happy Birthday, Pisces! I hope you enjoyed your celebrations and realized what you have been missing out on. You do have people there for you, even if it’s not as obvious as before. You got the reminder you needed. Your true self misses the sunlight, and your negative emotions need rest. So come back, even if it’s with baby steps. Go into “let it happen” mode and trust the universe to follow your vibes.2025 will be better. Say yes to all those decisions you have been doubting, and let yourself take flight. Time to Tinker your way through life.

MASTHEAD