Escape from Iran
The Islamic Republic of Iran under Ayatollah Khomeini denied all human rights to a young woman and to her Baha’i community. She was threatened with imprisonment and execution. Today, she is an outspoken cheerleader for her adopted country. By Marlo Fieldstone | Featured image courtesy of Kristen| Updated April 21, 2020 Fariba (all names changed to protect family members…
A Hero Among Us
Retired psychotherapist Louisa Lai continues to help those in need. By Julia Vaiano | Featured image courtesy of Orna Watchman via Pixabay | Updated April 21, 2020 Her buzzing iPhone stirs 68-year-old Louisa Lai, a retired Toronto psychotherapist, from her peaceful slumber. She rolls over and retrieves her burgundy-rimmed glasses. She puts them on and…
Under the Roof of Africa
How a Whitby woman is helping a community 12,000 km away. By Charlotte MacDowell | Featured image courtesy of Pixabay | Updated April 21, 2020 Louise Berube’s gentle nature is contrasted by her platinum blonde hair, tinted pink lips and eyes boxed by thick black glasses. She seems to always be smiling and have a…
Reading the Tarot
What was supposed to be a fun evening involving tarot cards surprisingly leads to some interesting insights. By Shannon Attard | Featured image courtesy of Alina Vilchenko via Pexels | Updated April 20, 2020 Last March, 22-year-old Adynn Montgomery skips to the mahogany table with a bottle of Girls’ Night Out Strawberry Sangria in her…
Women Reinventing Ink
AN ALL-FEMALE TORONTO TATTOO SHOP IS HELPING TO COUNTERBALANCE AN INDUSTRY THAT HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN MALE DOMINATED. By Alexa Gregoris | Featured image courtesy of Adrian Boustead via Pexels | Updated April 20, 2020 Behind the Tinkerbell-green door of the HeartStrong tattoo shop, a small team of female artists are making a name for themselves…
Bar Bills: the Other Victims of York’s Recent Strike
Picketing may have ended, but the effects of the recent labour disruption are still impacting businesses across campus. By Ethan Saks | Featured image courtesy of Pixabay | April 21, 2019 Dust hangs in the bar’s beer-scented air, twinkling through the naturally lit room like falling stars. Rickety chairs and scuffed tables shows the age…
How to Save a Marsh
With Canada’s wetlands disappearing at an alarming rate, the fight to save the Rattray Marsh became even more important. By John Wilson | Featured photo courtesy of David Dibert from Pexels | April 19, 2019 Nina Munteanu, an ecologist and writing instructor at the University of Toronto, was devastated when she heard that long-time Mississauga…
Selling Sex for Degrees
SOME TORONTO FEMALE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS TURN TO ESCORTING TO PAY FOR THEIR EDUCATION. By Anastasiya Ivanova | Featured image courtesy of Pixabay | Updated January 7, 2020 On a March afternoon, Rosie* greets a 35- year-old Russian man at the door of the two-bedroom condo in downtown Toronto where she works. “Milan” hands the 24-year-old…
The Real Witches of Toronto
As a professor at OCAD, the founder of Toronto’s first pagan festival, and a witch, Monica Bodirsky is anything but the average Torontonian. By Shahroze Rauf | Featured photo courtesy of Shahroze Rauf | April 22, 2019 Crystal pendants of black quartz and a clear white gem hang around Monica Bodirsky’s neck, framed by brightly…
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