By: Kassandra Dzikewicz The population of the monarch butterfly is plummeting quickly. In recent years, the butterflies have decreased by 80 to 95 percent. Deforestation, global warming and the use of pesticides are the main contributors to the decline.…
Our drinking habits kill 100,000 marine animals a year, and this brewery’s going to save them.
BY: JESSICA BEUKER Last year, Americans alone drank 6.3 billion gallons of beer, with 50 per cent of that number sold in cans held together by plastic rings. Those plastic rings often end up in the ocean, where…
Was Queen Victoria a borderline nymphomaniac?
BY: Victoria Heath This past weekend, millions of maple-loving Canadians celebrated Queen Victoria by frolicking in parks, playing hockey in the streets, and eating poutine in their cottages— basically, by being ideal Canadians. Most Canadians, however, have no idea…
To the young, struggling and aspiring writers – this letter is for you
BY: Adrian Smith It isn’t always easy for writers, especially young, aspiring writers, to be revealing of their thoughts, ideas and emotions within their work. Leonard W., the 17-year-old protégé to essayist Anaïs Nin, struggled with feeling naïve and ashamed…
Could empathy be creating more global suffering?
BY: JESSICA BEUKER Most people would agree that empathy – the capacity to understand or feel what another is experiencing by placing yourself in their position – is an inherently good quality. After all, the more we empathize…
These are the heartbreaking stories of China’s “Leftover Women”
BY: JESSICA BEUKER In China, women over the age of 27 are referred to as “sheng nu”, which literally translates to “leftover women”. According to NextShark, respecting one’s parents is seen as the most important thing in Chinese…
Is the new Filipino president really worse than Trump?
BY: M. TOMOSKI With the election of the outrageous new Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, many have been calling him the Trump of the East. But in the city of Davao, where Duterte has been mayor for 22 years, he…
Greenpeace is fighting to dismantle the world’s largest tuna company
BY: CAROLINE ROLF Tuna is a favourite fish of the whole world and a staple in many homes. It provides essential protein for millions and is considered a top predator in the ocean’s food chain. However, the demand is…
Anti-immigrant vigilantes are patrolling the streets of Europe, and locals seem to be ok with it
BY: M. TOMOSKI Founded in September 2015 by Mika Ranta, a self-described neo-Nazi and ex-convict, the Soldiers of Odin (SOO) is a vigilante group that has spread across Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Norway, Denmark, the UK, Canada, the United States…
When it comes to Bernie Sanders, we all missed the point
BY: M. TOMOSKI Three months on the road feels like one long fruitless year when your days are committed to driving from town to town listening to the same old speeches that end up on the cable TV news loop…
Tripping out legally: The five plants that let you control your dreams
BY: JESSICA BEUKER There has long been a fascination surrounding lucid dreaming, which occurs when the dreamer is aware that they are dreaming, and subsequently can exert control over the characters, narrative and environment of the dream. While some…
Women have been conditioned to fear urban environments – this is how they’re reclaiming space
BY: CAROLINE ROLF Like so many women living in cities, I am constantly being advised, “Make sure you don’t walk anywhere alone at night.” Women are often reminded not to walk out at night alone, to avoid alleys and keep…
Why I’m happy to be a child of divorce and why I’m not any more fucked up than you
BY: JESSICA BEUKER I can vividly remember staring out of the living room window, hands pressed tightly against the cold glass, tears running down my red cheeks. I’d wait for the ignition to roar, and then watch as the…
This dating website doubles as a ticket out of the sure hell that is Trump’s presidency
BY: M. TOMOSKI If you’re going to keep threatening to leave the country over what is looking like less of a joke with each passing day, then you should consider finding a loving Canadian home…or a Canadian lover, perhaps?…
The Indian child bride that became a professional wrestler to fight sexual assault
BY: Zoe Melnyk After not one but two marriages before turning 15, Neetu Sarkar used wrestling as her way out of the oppressive life as a child bride in India. At 13, Neetu was married to a man with…
Turns out binge watching isn’t actually your choice
BY: Adrian Smith Binge watching: taking in more than two episodes of the same show in a single sitting. The ‘hook episode,’ as coined by psychologists at Netflix, is the exact episode that keeps TV watchers on their couch…
Modern slavery is not only inhumane; it’s literally destroying our planet.
BY: CAROLINE ROLF As we shop for cellphones, computers and cheap frozen seafood, we remain ignorant to the fact that we are unwittingly supporting the enslavement of tens of millions of people in developing countries. A leading expert on slavery…
Which women’s images would YOU like to see on American money? We want your vote.
By: JACK M. Scroll down to view the voting platform. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Alexander Hamilton, Andrew Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant and Benjamin Franklin are the images that currently adorn the $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50…
Four University of Toronto students hope to start a global financial revolution.
BY: Victoria Heath Late last winter, sheltered in the historic halls of the University of Toronto, four students plotted to start a global financial revolution. Inspired by the 2015 UofT Hult Prize Challenge—which they subsequently won—the group, now officially…
University students are being given kits to test the drugs they use
BY: JESSICA BEUKER University students in the UK are being given drug-testing kits, which allow users to test the drugs they are taking, and whether or not they are laced with dangerous additives. The Test Your Drugs, Not…