Mayans Really Loved their Chocolate Written by Andres Salazar Every holiday has its signature snack. Halloween is known for its wide celebration of candy, eggnog and everything peppermint screams Christmas, and New Year’s celebrations are often full of alcohol. Valentine’s Day is no exception. With the holiday of love and friendship just around the corner, many are loading their shopping carts with all sorts of chocolate. Whether it’s for a single person watching Netflix alone, or for a special someone, those sweet, bite-sized cacao treats go hand in hand with the day of romance. Leading up to February 14th, it seems that everywhere we look, we are completely surrounded by…
The Diamond of The Goddess Rangda Written by Liberty Blair Charissage Across the long stretches of the Hundred Isles, beyond the rotting rice fields like black fetid cesspools, lay a Charnel-Land of the Goddess Rangda. Inside the dark and oily charnel ground, where the discarded, disassembled skeletons of criminals and vagrants lay beside the corpses of babies, stretched out to be eventually eaten by dogs and other less speakable things, was a tiny hut—a hut surrounded by the scorched and blackened earth. The sickening sweet stench of death filled the charnel land. Insects hissed and buzzed everywhere, breaking the Primordial Silence, which waits patiently for the nose of civilization, which…
Can you find 6 constellations in the winter sky? Written by Shawn Funk Looking for constellations in the sky is challenging, but it is helpful to know that the coolest constellations are seasonal before you brave the cold. Thus, you might want to check a star chart to determine if the constellation you are looking for is in season. Winter constellations are among the most spectacular because they showcase the brightest stars in the sky of any season. The cold temperatures are also perfect for spotting deep-sky objects because sub-zero temperatures freeze any moisture in the air, increasing one’s visibility from the ground. Winter constellations are best viewed in the…
Journey of a Herbivore Written by Lauryn Evans Over five years ago, I watched a video of a cow that people rescued from a slaughterhouse that recognized its rescuers. This cow ran to greet those that rescued them, plopped its little (big) head into the man’s lap, and then the video showed the cow playing with a ball. While watching that video, I realized that cows are just oversized dogs. Perhaps my association is far-reaching, but it made me realize I did not want to eat meat anymore. In this piece, I will speak about my journey thus far of being vegetarian and how I feel my health has improved…
Check out our Digital Exclusive February 2023 Issue here. Some of the articles in this issue include: Black History Month: A Reflection of Military Pride Valentine’s Day in Japan I Might Be a Language Purist (But There’s Hope for Me) Social Media Manager
Valentine’s Day in Japan Written by Andres Salazar There are a couple of elements that come to mind when people hear “Valentine’s Day”. Here in Canada, chocolate, the colour red and winged babies with bows and arrows are classic holiday imagery. It seems like there isn’t much change from year to year. While those pieces might seem so concrete to us, it goes without saying that countries celebrate holidays differently. Japan is no stranger to putting its twists on popular holidays. Whether it’s a good bucket of KFC on Christmas or having costumed street parties on Halloween, the land of the rising sun also loves to have its own…
Yes, Table Tennis is an Actual Sport Written by Andres Salazar Growing up in Canada, chances are that we all either played a sport or knew someone that was an active athlete. Playing sports is regular, with soccer and hockey being the most common. While we all knew people that were always on the grass field or on the ice rink, athletes representing different sports all over the place. Volleyball, rock climbing, combat sports, and curling are some of the physical activities widely accepted as great pastimes. However, there is one sport that, here in North America, never became popular, or even taken seriously. While its larger-scale cousin is watched…
Written by Mace Elsher Considering February is Black History month, let us look into the past, so we may do better in the future to be mindful, grateful, and understanding. Stories of the war’s past become increasingly distant in our minds because of the passage of time, but for others, moments in history are as fresh as if they happened yesterday. Again, a day or a month should not provoke the conversation of black history and the challenges faced by Black, Indigenous, Desi, and East Asian people. Instead, discussing the history and current events should be an everyday consideration. However, in this article, I will be discussing Canadian Black History.…
Don’t be a Spectator! Act Now! Written by Shawn Funk I have a friend that I go fishing with every summer. A few years ago, on our way to the river, we stopped at a gas station to grab a few snacks. When we got back to the truck, he unwrapped a pizza sub and started devouring it. I asked him if he liked pizza subs (I didn’t) because its all he ever bought, a smirk crossed his face before he articulated a hard “No!” I had to laugh. Why would he buy the pizza sub if he knew it was crap? He told me that he didn’t want to…
