Volume 50, Issue 14 by The Medium

The Independent Student Newspaper of the University of Toronto Mississauga since 1974

Issue 14 Volume 50 January 08 2024

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ILLUSTRATION BY LAURA TOVAR/ THE MEDIUM

Wonka: an overly earnest, but fun-spirited musical adaptation The latest rendition of the classic chocolatier captures just enough of the source material’s whimsical absurdity without relying on Roald Dahl’s more problematic tropes. Katya Lee Contributor

f all the classic figures in children’s literature, perhaps the most eccentric, ambiguous, and morally criticized is Willy Wonka. The chocolatier was first introduced in Roald Dahl’s 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In it, five children, including the humble, good-natured Charlie, are the lucky winners of tickets to tour the chocolate factory alongside Wonka. One is swept away by a chocolate river , another is blown up into a giant blueberry, the third is attacked by squirrels, and the fourth is shrunk to the size of an ant, leaving only Charlie behind. He’s then declared fit to own and run the factory, and the tour is revealed to have been a test all along. It’s a narrative that has been read in schools time and time again, and Wonka’s proclivity for torturing children—though never killing them—is now regarded as concerning, to say the least. But before stepping into his sadism and child abuse, who exactly is Willy Wonka? According to director Paul King’s new take, Wonka, the titular character spent his youth scraping together coins and dreaming of opening his own chocolate shop. In a host of promotional spectacles, he puts his skills as a magician and inventor to use, garnering attention from the public eye and other envious chocolatiers.

Timothée Chalamet’s performance recalls little of the cunning quirkiness seen in previous renditions. His portrayal is earnest and optimistic; perhaps at times a little eye-roll worthy. Any fan of Chalamet’s work knows that he’s more accustomed to gritty, realistic roles, and the transition from conflicted youth to jaunty showman seems just as jarring for him as it does for audiences. His delivery is overly expressive and laced with cringe-inducing sincerity. With every raised eyebrow and half-baked exclamation, you can tell just how hard he’s trying to make it work, and that’s the problem—the whole endeavour just feels so effortful for him. Then comes the issue of his singing. This film is chock-full of spontaneous belting and large-scale dance sequences, and Chalamet just doesn’t have a powerful enough voice to carry the musical numbers. But thanks to stunning visuals and absorbing choreography, he doesn’t have to. The dancing is energetic and the tunes, composed by Joby Talbot and Neil Hannon, are catchy enough that they never feel ill-placed or drawn out. Every now and then the screen will burst into a bizarre array of song and colour, and in those fever dream moments, Dahl’s elements of absurdity and boundless imagination really shine through. Nathan Crowley’s production design is delightful: bright and lavish in moments of grandeur, mellow and cozy for more heartwarming interactions. The city in which the film takes place is geographically ambiguous,

and somewhat confusingly so, given the occasional mention of real-world locations. Nonetheless, the setting is immersive enough to distract viewers from this puzzle. With its cobblestoned streets, rich velvet costumes, and shiny steampunk technology, it feels the way a family-friendly fantasy world should be: fully realized without being overstuffed. The film’s antagonists are another strong point. The wicked trio at the centre of the plot’s conflict is composed of Slugworth, Prodnose, and Fickelbruger, played by Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, and Mathew Baynton, respectively. Together, they go to horrifying lengths to prevent Wonka from kick-starting his chocolate business. Everything from their ridiculous names to their pompous attires is reminiscent of typical Dahl villains. Whereas less-skilled performers would’ve made their overtly contemptuous dialogue sound campy, these three embody their roles with enough conviction that the effect is nostalgic rather than tiresome. Get ready to suspend your cynicism and embrace the on-the-nose villain dialogue with your whole inner child. Another performer that stands out is Calah Lane, who plays Wonka’s young accomplice and eventual friend, Noodle. With a down-to-earth demeanour, she’s easily the most likeable character in the film. Opposite Chalamet’s well-meaning but naïve Willy, her practicality is grounded and refreshing. But beneath the charming visuals and sincere performances, a nagging question re-

mains: how did Wonka transform from this innocent, benevolent youth into the problematic figure seen in the novel? Dahl’s story depicts a man who manipulates children to further his business goals, and it’s difficult to imagine Chalamet’s kind-hearted version indulging in such horrific behaviour. The shift is never addressed, and it’s puzzling how the film glazes over this glaring issue from the book rather than truly addressing it. Better handled in this film is the matter of the Oompa Loompas. In the novel, they’re depicted as mischievous, primitive factory workers, paid for their labour in cocoa beans. While they’re supposedly happy with this situation, it’s problematic to create a group whose questionable ideals regarding fair wages and working conditions conveniently fit the ambitious goals of their employer. Wonka makes a positive update to this dynamic: the relationship between Lofty, an Oompa Loompa played by Hugh Grant, and Willy is more collaborative than exploitative. Additionally, the creation of the chocolate factory itself comes about through magic, thus dismissing the source material’s issue of taxing manual labour. Despite the novel’s issues and Chalamet’s awkward performance, Wonka is sure to charm audiences. It’s whimsical and imaginative; sweet but never sickly so. With its outlandish characters, vibrant colors, and spirited tone, Wonka stands out as a breezy heartfelt spectacle for the whole family.

NEWS EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief River Knott editor@themedium.ca Managing Editor Jaros Valdes managing@themedium.ca News May Alsaigh news@themedium.ca Opinion Aya Yafaoui opinion@themedium,ca Features Louis Lam features@themedium.ca A&E Hannah Wang arts@themedium.ca Sports Omar Khan sports@themedium.ca Photo Daanish Alvi photos@themedium.ca Design Laura Tovar design@themedium.ca Copy Chris Berberian Chris@themedium.ca Maja Ting maja@themedium.ca Social Media & Online Belicia Chevolleau social@themedium.ca Video Nikolas Towsey video@themedium.ca

Editor | May Alsaigh news@themedium.ca

Islamophobia and Antisemitism on the Rise in Canada Increasing reports of hate-related crimes are affecting both Muslim and Jewish communities living in Canada. Arjun Saini Contributor

ctober 7, 2023, marks the escalation of Israel’s siege of Gaza. For the last three months, many local communities in Gaza and Israel have been impacted. However, it is not only those communities that have been affected but individuals outside of these areas as well. January 2024 marks not only the beginning of a new year, but the continuation of increasing rates of Islamophobia and antisemitism in Canada. Only a few days after October 7, a University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) student posted a hateful message on social media. While it remains unclear what the message read, Campus Safety and Peel Regional Police acted quickly by arresting and charging the student. The university also banned the student from any U of T campus. On October 15, hours after the arrest, vice-president and principal Alexandra Gillespie issued a written statement addressing the hate-related incident. The statement iterated U of T’s commitment to keep all campuses a safe place to learn, live, and work. “Antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, hate, and discrimination of any kind have no place on our campus,” wrote Gillespie. All students are encouraged to contact Campus Safety or 911 and download the U of T Safety App if they encounter such incidents. The growing rates of Islamophobia and antisemitism have raised concern among not only U of T students but many Canadians. Uthman Quick, the director of communications at the National Council of Canadian Muslims, told Global News that there has been “an increase of 1,000 per cent of actual incidents of Islamophobia” across Canada. These incidents have taken various forms, including verbal abuse, racist language toward children and hijab-wearing women, workplace intimidation, and more. Meanwhile, many members of the Jewish community are also concerned for their safety. Michael Mostyn, the chief executive officer of the Jewish advocacy group B’nai Brith Canada, told Global News that Canadian Jews have felt targeted in their communities, places of worship, and schools. On October 12, 2023, two teenage boys and a 20-year-old man were arrested in Toronto after making threats toward a Jewish high school. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also commented on the increase of Islamophobia and antisemitism in Canada, describing the rise in the incidents as “terrifying.” “This needs to stop,” he stated. “This is not who we are as Canadians. This is something that is not acceptable in Canada, period.” Members of both communities are calling for a cease-fire and an end to the increasing rates of hate crimes and threats.

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Recent report reveals new budgeting recommendations for UTM departments in 2024 and 2025

The Quality Service to Students releases new funding recommendations in a recent report for various UTM departments. Meghna Patil Contributor

n December 20, 2023, the Quality Service to Students (QSS) at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) released a new management report that outlined the proposed budgets for various departments for 2024 to 2025. The QSS also proposed recommendations for future funding.

The Quality Service to Students (QSS) is a council of students and administrators that meets monthly to “work toward the improvement of the student experience at [UTM].” The council’s responsibilities include the following: 1. 2. 3.

Making recommendations for the operation and funding of UTM and its student services, Ensuring consistent, quality service to UTM students, Providing UTM students with a space to discuss their student experience.

At the end of every year, the QSS releases a management report that outlines proposed budgets for various departments and services at UTM, including detailed suggestions for generating more funding in the coming years. The first department that the 2024-25 proposal looks at enhancing is the Health and Counselling Centre (HCC) at UTM. The HCC offers various services, such as clinical services and counselling, health promotion and outreach, and training and professional development workshops. Based on students’ feedback from their experiences with the HCC, the following proposals have been established in the report emailed to The Medium by UTM Student Affairs & Services: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Continue to provide resources for the HCC’s annual resource and activity fair, Be Well UTM. Conduct annual physical health and wellness fair in the winter term, with topics including diabetes prevention. Expand promotion of services and access to services across campus. Complement the HCC’s existing mental health services with other forms of mental health education, such as peer support. Provide emergency reserve funding for the HCC to use in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak in the UTM community. Expand the delivery of “low-intensity wellness supports and activities”. Increase funding to the HCC, allowing it to maintain the quality of its services and support the needs of UTM students.

The proposal suggests increasing the sessional Health Services fees from C$60.86 to C$77.27 for full-time students, and from C$12.17 to C$15.45 for part-time students. The report also evaluated funding and recommendations for the Department of Recreation, Athletics, and Wellness (DRAW). The department offers various services, including but not limited to the fitness centre, drop-in sports, UTM intramurals, athletic therapy, and standard first aid and CPR-C training. Based on students’ feedback from their experiences with the Department of Recreation, Athletics, and Wellness, the following proposals have been established in the report: 1. 2.

Prioritizing student sport, fitness, aquatics, and wellness programs, as well as facility, maintenance, and operational costs. Keeping sports and fitness facilities open from 7 am – 11 pm on weekdays.

The proposal suggests increasing the sessional Recreation, Athletics & Wellness fee from C$211.68 to C$218.45 for full-time students, and from $42.34 to $43.69 for part-time students. The International Education Centre (IEC) was another department the council mentioned in its report. The centre offers a variety of services, including international student support and global learning. Based on student experiences with the IEC, the following recommendations were made in the report: 1. 2. 3.

Providing global career counselling for international students, as well as global career opportunities for all students. Instituting programs that support international student development and intercultural fluency. Increasing participation in global learning opportunities for UTM students.

There is a suggested increase in sessional fees from C$29.98 to C$45.43 for full-time students, and from C$4.22 to C$9.09 for part-time students, as part of the Student Services Fee. The council also investigated funding and recommendations for many other UTM services and departments, including the Child Care Centre, Family Care Office, and more. The QSS will vote and review these proposals in their voting meeting on January 16, 2024.

PHOTO BY MEDIAMODIFIER ON UNSPLASH

Students and workers face serious repercussions for expressing pro-Palestine views

Ontario post-secondary schools are making it difficult for students and educators to show support for Palestine by implementing mandatory signed open letters and removing programs. Razia Saleh Contributor

U of T’s School of Medicine decided to cancel the program as long as it involved Rania El Mugammar, a social justice educator who posted tweets criticizing the apartheid state of Israel.

This incident is one of many that demonstrate the repercussions of supporters who express their pro-Palestine views on social media platforms.

ith the ongoing genocide in Palestine, many students and workers alike are taking to social media to express their opinions and beliefs. Many of them are being censored or celebrated based on their opinions, which has led to a bias in people’s judgment and an impact on their work and school lives. Since the siege escalated in October 2023, professionals and students have risked their careers and futures for a crisis that they strongly believe requires their advocacy.

The Medium interviewed Lu (full name redacted for anonymity purposes), a University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) student who attended pro-Palestine protests and has been strongly involved in advocating for a permanent ceasefire. Lu is a first-year student who is interested in pursuing Digital Enterprise Management and Political Science at UTM.

Many reports of loss of jobs and threats to one’s livelihood have increased since October. Based on a CBC News Report, doctors, lawyers, and other professionals have spoken out showing their support for an end to the genocide of the Gaza Strip.

Lu attended protests that were held on campus on October 25 and November 9 last year in 2023. When asked why she attended these protests, Lu responded to “chant and stand strong in solidarity with the innocent civilians being killed in Gaza.”

The problem escalated on social media platforms like Facebook, which are limiting and blocking posts of Palestinian support.

Lu’s purpose in these protests stems from her Palestinian background. “I am originally Palestinian and have never been able to step foot into my land, so this genocide stings deep down my roots. My grandparents were kicked out [of] Yafa in 1948, which is ‘Tel Aviv’ now, and they were forced into the Gaza Strip.”

Law students from Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) who have “current or upcoming employment opportunities’’ with Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General are now required to sign a form indicating they did not participate in an open letter in solidarity with Palestine. Experts argue this new hiring policy is designed to “punish” those who show support for the people experiencing the ongoing genocide in Palestine. Since then, a group of law students at TMU signed an open letter in response to the new policy. The open letter was released on October 20, 2023, and has since been signed by more than 70 law school students. Students are facing backlash for declaring their “unequivocal support” for Palestinians and all forms of Palestinian resistance. The letter writes, “This is neither a war, nor a conflict: Palestinians are the subjects of Israel’s colonization and genocide, and the denial of such is an act of complicity in the ensuing violence.” These events have created a ripple effect among individuals who support the Palestinian cause, particularly those associated with the Temerty School of Medicine at the University of Toronto. A program titled Building the Foundations of Anti-Oppressive Healthcare was scheduled for October 12 but cancelled minutes before its launch.

“I cannot fathom the cruelty one can have to ethnically cleanse a population, force them into this tiny piece of land and then enforce a blockade and launch raining airstrikes on them every few years,” Lu continues. “That is why you will find people of all races, backgrounds, and ages in the protests on and off campus. You will find people with humanity and hope for Palestinian liberation.” Lu worries that voicing these opinions may jeopardize her future, as it has for many others already. “I feel angry. I started contemplating how ‘freedom of speech’ was a lie,” she explains. “Honestly, sometimes I wonder how my future may be affected by Palestinian activism. I see students in Germany and the US being shot for solely wearing Keffiyehs, and I realize that the oppressors will find any way to twist your words and manipulate you into the bad guy. So yes, I may struggle with finding a job in a world that stands with colonizers.” Lu believes that UTM has not done enough to support Palestinian students and the effects this genocide has had. “I want to say I understand why they have to give neutral stances, but I am also tired of giving excuses. The truth is their jobs probably would have vanished if they stood against the apartheid system Palestinians have to encounter every day. They had to stay silent or morbidly neutral to protect their positions,” Lu explains. Lu hopes that students will continue to acknowledge the importance of demanding a permanent ceasefire for Palestinians without fear of being punished.

PHOTO BY ÖMER YILDIZ ON UNSPLASH

Canadian universities receive increasing exam deferral requests

As the number of university enrollments continues to rise in Canada, universities are offering exam deferrals to equip students with adequate support. PHOTO BY NGUYEN DANG HOANG NHU ON UNSPLASH

Maryam Lela Contributor According to Western University officials , around 15 per cent of all Western undergraduate students—a total of around 1,500 students—are expected to request exam deferrals this academic year. A student can request an exam deferral if they missed the original exam because of sickness or other extenuating circumstances. Western students who deferred exams will write their exams in January 2024 instead of the usual December exam period. According to CBC News, an unprecedented number of students deferring exams creates problems regarding “where and when to schedule the make-up tests.” However, these deferrals are also a good thing. According to Marisa Modeski, Western University’s registrar, allowing students to defer their exams is “a sign that the school takes student achievement and success seriously.” Modeski adds that it is the responsibility of universities like Western to ensure that their students are successful. Providing students with the option to defer their exams is one way of ensuring their success. “Universities as a whole have become incredibly proactive and responsive to understanding the diverse needs of students today,” Modeski explains. She also notes that the increasing number of requests for exam deferrals stems from the increased enrollment rates at the university. Growing enrollment numbers have been a trend across many Canadian universities. For example, in 2012, Conestoga College in Ontario had only 10,000 students. Ten years later, Conestoga’s student population has more than doubled, largely due to international student enrollments. Canadian colleges and universities receive international students from over 150 different countries. The largest number of international students at Canadian universities comes from India, with around 40 per cent of study permits being sent there. The stereotype that all international students come from well-off families is not true. To fund their studies, many students take out many loans and struggle to pay for rent and food. For example, 23-year-old Kartik Purani, a student at Conestoga College, told The Globe and Mail that his main priority is finding work. “I’m under pressure,” he explains. “I have to earn the fees.” Purani admits that he doesn’t engage in “college life” much, due to having to look for work to pay for his courses next semester. But the job hunt is tough. Purani, who is currently living in Kitchener, has attended restaurant job fairs, and has asked for openings at various fast-food restaurants, but to no avail. There are hundreds of other international students like himself applying for the same jobs. Purani’s roommates admit that they have entered the apartment to find Purani crying sometimes. The anxiety of trying to find a job, trying to afford paying bills, and balancing coursework weighs down on him. But Purani is aware of his goals and wants to stay in Canada. He chose Canada for its alluring immigration policies. It is students like Purani who might benefit from exam deferrals. Balancing work, school, and other commitments can take a toll on a student’s mental health. Exam deferrals reassure students that universities recognize these challenges and are taking steps to account for increasing enrollment trends. “In recognizing the diverse needs of our students, that they begin from very different starting lines, we have to make sure that we’re positioning students for success,” Modeski explains. “Part of that is being accommodating to students’ needs.” Allowing for a flexible exam period may help alleviate the stress levels international students face living in a foreign country.

OPINION

Editor | Aya Yafaoui opinion@themedium.ca

We are all connected The most popular forms of testing often don’t prove to measure a student’s mastery of a subject. Aya Yafaoui Opinion Editor

write this article on January 3, 2024. It is three days into a new year, but it is 89 days into a genocide in Gaza. On the fourth day of this new year, we will reach 90 days of preventable tragedy. Ninety days of displacement, starvation, bombing, disease, injury, and death. Ninety days of terror, as people try to stay alive as the sky falls on them and the earth shatters underneath their feet. Ninety days of crimes against humanity as the powers that can stop it instead choose to push more money and ammunition into the blood-soaked hands that continue to pull the trigger. Yet tomorrow will not only be historic for Gaza. For on the fourth day of this new year, it will also be 264 days of the genocide and war in Sudan, and years of ethnic cleansing and conflict in Congo and Tigray. But I will not dwell on the numbers of the dead, injured, and displaced, lest your eyes glaze over from the sheer scale of death and destruction. These numbers will not mean anything to you except that they are entirely too much. These numbers are everywhere else, begging to be taken seriously, to be believed, to be saved. These numbers are human beings, desperate to have the most fundamental and basic human rights. These humans do not deserve the torture they endure. They do not deserve to have their homes taken from them by a bomb, a gun, or the greed of governments and corporations. These people are far away, on other continents, in different cultures. They face war and famine and hardship. We are here, and we have many challenges of our own in Canada and in broader Western society. We struggle with a cost-of-living crisis, a housing crisis, the effects of a pandemic, increasing homelessness, police brutality, and so much more. Why should we devote so much attention and effort to those people miles and miles away, when we have a responsibility to look after Canadians first? These conflicts are huge and complex. Wouldn’t our efforts be better used towards our local community? To these questions, there is a simple and clear answer: we should care because we are all connected. We are connected not only by our shared humanity, but—perhaps, more importantly—by our shared oppression as well. Take, for example, the issue of police brutality. In 2015, Freddie Gray was murdered by Baltimore Police after he was arrested over his legal possession of a knife. Upon his arrest, Gray was held down, with one officer putting his knee on Gray’s neck, while the other officer was bending his legs backward, a description of the “leg lace” move. Gray was then placed in a police van and restrained with “flexi-cuffs” and leg shackles. A witness also reported seeing the officers beating him with batons before putting him in the van. Importantly, he was not secured with a seatbelt within the van as per department policy. The next events comprised a long drive around the west side of Baltimore, wherein Gray requested medical assistance several times because he was having trouble breathing and was consistently denied. During that ride, Gray sustained a critical neck injury that

Dr. Carol Allan, an assistant medical examiner, described as “resembling those suffered in a diving accident, [which] were caused by abrupt force to his neck during his transport, when he could not see outside the van to predict sudden stops, starts or turns.” When the van finally stopped at the Western District Police Station, Gray lay unconscious, without a pulse. His neck injury, and thus subsequent death, resulted from “being handcuffed, shackled by his feet and unrestrained inside of the [Baltimore Police Department] wagon,” according to Baltimore City State’s Attorney, Marilyn Mosby. How does the homicide of Freddie Gray relate to the wider systems of oppression? Because Baltimore Police, “along with hundreds of others from Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California, Arizona, Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Georgia, Washington state, as well as the DC Capitol police have all traveled to Israel for training. Thousands of others have also received training from Israeli officials in the U.S.” And why does that matter? For one thing, police departments across the US are receiving training from a chronic human rights violator that both the US and other human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International, have cited as “carrying out extrajudicial executions and other unlawful killings, using ill treatment and torture (even against children), suppression of freedom of expression/association including through government surveillance, and excessive use of force against peaceful protesters.” That kind of training has a significant impact on the tactics and behaviour of police officers and departments. Police departments have cited their training in Israel as inspirations behind tactics such as the NYPD’s “Demographics Unit”—a unit that employs informants, called “mosque crawlers,” that spy on Muslim communities. A report by Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and Researching the American-Israeli Alliance (RAIA), found that “instead of promoting effective security for communities, the programme facilitates an exchange of tactics used in police violence and control including mass surveillance, racial profiling and the suppression of protests and dissent.” In fact, one of the largest facilitators of these policing exchange programs, Anti-Defamation League, or ADL, has acknowledged that “its exchange program helped militarize U.S. police and harm communities of color.” In short, the brutality and disregard for human rights and dignity faced by Palestinians at the hands of Israeli police and military is recreated in the US—and Canada—against our communities. The war and genocides in Sudan and Congo also tie directly back to us. In Sudan, two military rivals raze the country to the ground in a fight over its land and power. Both military leaders are backed by various other countries, such as the U.A.E., Egypt, and Russia, which have meddled in the country’s politics. For years, the Sudanese people have protested and fought to establish a stable democratic government, and yet several coups by the military thwarted that mission. The meddling in another nation’s elections/politics and their right to self-determination is a fear that has been exacerbated in North America more recently. It is a fear that arises when we become victim to the same tactics our governments employ abroad, such as Russia’s meddling in the US elections, and China’s alleged attempt to influence Canadian elections and policy.

In the Congo, we see modern day slavery. That is not hyperbole or conjecture. Congo is rich in materials such as copper, diamonds, gold, and most notably, coltan and cobalt. Eighty per cent of the world’s supply of coltan, and 63 per cent of the world’s cobalt comes from the Congo. Yet, the Congolese people are one of the five poorest nations in the world. Multinational mining companies are scrambling to expand their mining operations in the Congo and have evicted entire communities from their homes and farmland, all the while committing human rights abuses, such as rape, arson, and assault, according to Amnesty International. Those that do work in the mines are barely paid two dollars a day for the gruelling work of mining with only simple equipment, such as a pickaxe and shovel, and no protective equipment or safety measures. The result of that raw exposure to those minerals and their pollution, especially cobalt, is causing a high rate of birth defects like limb abnormalities or cleft palates. Powerful companies forcing people from their homes and polluting a community resulting in lifelong disease and disability is not limited to the Congo, or Africa, or the “third world.” It is something Indigenous communities in Canada and the US know all too well. It is also a reality for communities like St. Louis, Missouri, where governments and companies left nuclear waste to contaminate several sites, including the creek and the landfill, for decades. Residents that lived near those sites or who worked at the Mallinckrodt plant have developed rare cancers, autoimmune diseases, and have a higher risk of developing cancer due to their exposure. The carelessness for human life and health in a world run by corporations and governments founded on greed hurts all of us, whether now, in a few decades, or for generations to come. In the end, I only have one message to emphasize to you, and it is the truth that if one life is deemed worthless, then all life is deemed worthless. And that is very much the world we live in. There is no adult or child that is safe from the violence that is enacted by the systems of oppression that found the workings of our current world. But this is not a hopeless message. It is a call to start noticing how connected we all are to the struggles of the world. It is a plea to begin learning about how we are all held down by colonialism, white supremacy, and capitalism. It is an invitation to join in working to make the world better. Because none of us are free until all of us are free.

PHOTO BY HANNAH BUSING ON UNSPLASH

The symbols of Palestine

One picture is worth a thousand words. Yasmine Benabderrahmane Associate Opinion Editor

T lies.

hey say that “one picture is worth a thousand words.” But I contest that, for such a claim fails the power of words—fails their resilience, authority, and threat. Behind every letter stands value in the words of resistance. They are carefully manicured, chosen with meticulous care, designed with the knowledge of their condemnation in a world that favours the oppressor’s

Power lies in the words of liberation fighters. It is the reason behind the slaughter of more than 101 journalists, as of December 27, 2023, and the targeted attacks of more than 160 press headquarters in Gaza. It is the reason for the silence of the presidents of the University of Toronto, who refuse to address a letter to support Palestinian students on their campuses. It is the reason for the censorship assumed by The Medium, of abused authority misused against its pro-Palestinian writers for weeks on end. It is the reason for the weaponization of algorithms by Meta platforms against Palestine. Silencing the words of resistance has repercussions: it births a symbolic heritage that caters to haunting oppressors long after liberation. With Palestine, censorship brought the rise of symbolic resistance, extending from names and watermelons to the kuffiyeh and tatreez. Names: Palestinian Cities to Identity Reclamation Following October 7, 2023, names like Bisan and Plestia consumed the algorithms of Pro-Palestinians. Names of young women journalists covering the genocide unfolding in Gaza; names familiar to us now, but ones fraying beyond Arab traditional naming culture. Part of the 1948 Zionist project ensured the erasure of Palestinian culture, including the process of Hebraicization of Palestinian-Arab cities. Yaffa was redesigned as “Tel Aviv,” Akka was minutely rearranged as “Akko,” Al-Lydd was renamed as “Lod.” The erasure of Palestinian city names was used to feed into a cultural amnesia of the Palestinian identity and was weaponized to justify the ethnic cleansing of its people. In response, generations of Palestinians sought to name their children after the effaced Palestinian cities. Some even residing in the names of ancient Palestinian cities like Bisan and Plestia—a measure assumed to ensure the historical validity of their ancestral lands within the history books demanding the fictionality of Palestine. Names, in the face of colonialism, extend beyond mere words and instead form to become echoes of resistance and a reminder of the oppressor’s indignity. Watermelons: Flags and Protests After the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel annexed East Jerusalem and seized Gaza and the West Bank. Amongst other actions of suppression and terror, the Palestinian flag was censored, forbidden to be flown, drawn, and represented on its land. By 1980, the colors of the flag—red, green, black, and white—were criminalized. In an act of defiance, Palestinians displayed sliced watermelons, significant in the historical presence of the fruit in the region, but more importantly, symbolic of the colors of the Palestinian flag. The ban on Palestine’s flag ended in 1993 at the hands of the Oslo Accords. Yet, the flag continues to pose a threat to the Israeli apartheid system. The flag has been most recently censored on Meta platforms, resulting in the symbolic revival of the watermelon in the process of Palestinian resistance. Kuffiyeh: the Palestinian Woven Garment The kuffiyeh is a traditionally white-and-black patterned scarf worn as a headdress in the Middle East. In Palestine, the kuffiyeh is often adorned in symbolic representations of olive leaves, a representation of resilience and indigenous Palestinian agriculture, and fishnet patterns, referencing the Palestinian cultural ties to the Mediterranean and fishing. In times of resistance, the kuffiyeh evolved as a cultural Arab symbol of solidarity and liberation. The symbolic presence of the garment lingers today, worn amongst university corridors and lecture halls, in weekly demonstrations across the globe, and throughout the streets of our cities. In the past months, the recognition of the kuffiyeh as a symbol of Palestinian resistance grew in popularity, unfavorably catching the attention of the rising islamophobia and anti-Arab xenophobia in Western countries. In November 2023, a hate-motivated shooting of three Palestinian students, Hisan Awartani, Tahseen Ali, and Kenan Abdulhamid, happened in Vermont, US. Two of the victims adorned the kuffiyeh—a detail that transcends mere coincidence, but rather marks the Western tradition of misrepresenting Arab symbols of resistance. Tatreez: the Traditions of Palestinian Embroidery In 2021, UNESCO declared the tatreez, the art of Palestinian traditional embroidery, as a symbol of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Tatreez embroidery is commonly woven on Palestinian women’s traditional dresses, known as thobes, with regionalized and socialized differentiations in thread patterns. The art of the tatreez soon formed to become a promise of return for Palestinians following the Nakba in 1948. It was a promise of return to the ancestral villages of Palestinian stories, return from the misnamed lands of Palestinian histories, and return to the rightful lands of Palestinian genealogies. The symbolic resistance of Palestine rests on Palestinian symbols and activists ensuring the failure of censorship assumed by colonialism—an inevitable promise of victory for liberation. Perhaps then, there may be some truth to the saying “one picture is worth a thousand words.” PHOTO BY RODION KUTSAIEV ON UNSPLASH

Reflections on 2023: A year of triumphs and tragedies The year 2023 emphasizes the growing need for compassion and advocacy. Vanessa Bogacki Staff Writer

hen reflecting on 2023, we can see that with the many highs we all had, several lows were also present. Last year officially marked the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, which gave people hope of having a fresh start as we were all forced to isolate from one another for the previous three years. The year was also filled with historic impacts, such as Taylor’s Version reeling in US$1 billion in Era’s tour concert sales. Meanwhile, epic blockbuster revenues increased through “Barbenheimer,” the compromise of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. The world watched Rihanna reveal her pregnancy through the Super Bowl Halftime Show, where she showed the world that she in fact does shine bright like a diamond. Yet, as we reflect on the past year, we can also see the problems that the world was filled with and continues to grieve over. The world saw Russia attempting to take over Ukraine, which caused approximately eight million individuals who resided in Ukraine to migrate and seek help in other countries while watching the rest of their families be trapped in their motherland. However, humanity struck an ultimate low when observing the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, which continues today, causing thousands of innocent lives to be lost and cultures destroyed. Throughout the ongoing attacks, it is approximated that more than 22,000 Palestinians have been killed, many of them being children. The attacks indicate not just the beginning of genocide, but the beginning of ignorance that individuals have towards the victims of Palestine. Furthermore, deaths have been publicly illustrated by the media, yet many continue to ignore the cries and rights of the Palestinian people. All these events have shaped our outlook on the world as we watched several people’s struggles this past year, learned about the horrors that are unravelling in our world, and learned about the ignorance that others hold surrounding these problems. As these events continue to take place and haunt our minds, we can reflect on the lessons that 2023 has taught us, such as the need to reach out to others. Through the horrible attacks going on in our world, we need to remember to be kind to others as we never know what they are going through. Our world needs peace, but it also needs love, and this change starts with us. Furthermore, 2023 taught us to always tell people that we love them, and we never know when their time will come. Reflecting on the death of Matthew Perry, we can see the sorrows that the internet held as several individuals shared their thoughts on the actor throughout their Instagram feeds. With the several tragedies that we watched unravel through the media, and which we continue to watch in the present day, we learn about loss quickly. This has taught us all to love a little harder and value those within our lives as thousands of Palestinians can never tell a parent they love them, play with their friends again, or simply sit in school with their favourite classmate. Through the several incidents that have occurred, the world has seen humanity work together as a community to aid people in need, showcasing that our activism is required to continue to raise awareness of the injustices in our world as we embark on 2024. It voices that we cannot ignore the needs of others and that being selfless as opposed to selfish is a universal requirement, allowing for change, prosperity, and love to occur. As 2024 is the gateway for new beginnings to take place, we must remember the past. We must reflect on the lives of many who are currently suffering with the hope of recovery from the events they have faced in the past year and resolve to help them within this process of grief. In addition, we must reflect on the events which continue to take place as the new year does not represent an end to past events. In 2024, remember to stand up for what you believe in, as you never know the impact you have on the lives of others, specifically those whose voices are being silenced. It indicates the need to become our best selves and not just by eating healthy, saving money, working out, or even by studying more—but by being in touch with our emotions and learning how we can help those who need it most.

PHOTO BY CASH MACANAYA ON UNSPLASH

Our entertainment is not worth the reef’s irreversible potential damage

The 2024 Summer Olympics in France are set to endanger both the environment and local communities. Meghna Patil Contributor

he 2024 Summer Olympics are happening in Paris, France, scheduled from July 26 to August 11, 2024. Sports that will be taking place include but are not limited to, archery, artistic swimming, artistic gymnastics, surfing, triathlon, volleyball, and water polo. The Olympics originated in Ancient Greece, but it was not until the 19th century that it was revived into the modern Olympics that we know and enjoy. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) oversees the control and development of the modern Olympics. The IOC has many responsibilities, which include “maintaining the regular celebration of the Olympic Games, seeing that the Games are carried out in the spirit that inspired their revival, and promoting the development of sports throughout the world.” It was not until 1994 that the Summer and Winter Olympics were held alternatively every two years. All the past Summer Olympics, as well as this year’s Summer Olympics, have included sports both on land and in water, including swimming, basketball, rowing, table tennis, and the triathlon. However, there have been issues associated with the Olympics throughout history, such as doping and drug testing, which have come to prominence recently. As it has been in the past, the 2024 Summer Olympics is a major event that many people are looking forward to attending and participating in. However, there are many people who plan on boycotting the Games due to worker exploitation that the French government has carried out. More specifically, there have been increased concerns regarding the location of the surfing venue, which will take place in Tahiti. French Olympic officials are planning on creating a surfing venue, which will destroy the reef in that area. This brings us to the question that we need to reflect on: should we be supporting the Olympics this year, or even in the future? To get a better understanding of the situation, we need to first know what Tahiti is, and why the environment is so important to protect from the inevitable destruction and damage that the building of the surfing venue will cause. Tahiti is the largest island of the Îles du Vent of the Society Islands, French Polynesia, and is located in the central South Pacific Ocean. The island is 1,043 square kilometres, accounting for almost one-third of the total land area of French Polynesia. BBC Sports has confirmed that there already is coral damage at the surfing venue in Tahiti, forcing construction to be on pause. Footage posted on social media by Save Teahupo’o Reef showed that a barge (a small boat) had gotten stuck on the reef near the contest site and broken the coral that was there. According to this source, “Surfing’s governing body confirmed that the French Polynesian government has paused all further testing and preparations to draw lessons following the incident on the reef.” It should be noted that Teahupo’o, a village on the coast of Tahiti, is considered to have one of the best surfing waves in the world and has hosted events on the World Surf League’s championship tour for a long time. However, the judges’ tower was long made up of wood.

Locals say that the construction of “a much larger aluminum tower to allow up to 40 people to watch, film, and judge the surfing at the Games would damage the coral.” Despite concerns raised by locals regarding the inevitable damage that has and will be done to the reefs, the organizers of the 2024 Summer Olympics “remain committed to hosting the Olympic surfing event at its planned site in Tahiti, 9,500 miles away from the Games in Paris.” Georgina Seal, an environmental commenter for the publication Mongabay, has pointed out that any damage done to the reef was avoidable. Many people, including Parisians and residents of Tahiti, have criticized the environmental impacts that the surfing venue’s construction has on the town and bay of Teahupo’o. There has been a group of “fishermen, farmers, surfers, and citizens of Teahupo’o [who] have started a petition and have held at least one protest in hopes of forcing Olympic organizers to change their plans.” Regarding this situation, there are those in favour of boycotting the Olympics this year to bring awareness to the inevitable damage that construction will have on the environment. The Games can always be held another time, but damage to the environment, especially coral reefs, is usually irreversible. This brings us to a great concern: should we even hold the Olympics as we have historically done by building new venues and infrastructure, due to the impact that such rapid construction has on the surrounding environment and its people? Some people may express that boycotting the entire Games may not demand the same effect of urgent change as single events would. Perhaps it would be better to boycott certain events, such as surfing, that take place in environments that are sensitive to damage. Or should the construction itself be modified to encourage the use of more eco-friendly materials? Should such events be moved to other locations while the Olympics itself is ongoing? Should we investigate past venues where surfing has taken place and have the event take place there? As Seal has pointed out, the “Olympic Committee has made a final decision to continue with the building of the new aluminum tower, with some modifications. The surface area of the tower will be 25 per cent smaller than the original plans, making it the same size as the existing wooden tower.” Locals have expressed unhappiness with this decision and have denounced not only the impact of the tower itself but also “the effects of the transportation barges that travel across the coral reef, bringing equipment and supplies to the building site.” Despite multiple protests, the Olympic Committee decided to continue with the inevitable destruction of the surrounding environment in Teahupo’o, and as demonstrated in the past, will continue to encourage such destruction of the environment of the host countries to ensure entertainment and enjoyment. In the end, we need to ask ourselves an important question: what do the Olympics truly stand for, and are they worth the increasing monetary, environmental, and human costs?

ILLUSTRATION BY LAURA TOVAR/ THE MEDIUM

features

Editor | Louis Lam features@themedium.ca

Orthodox Christmas: a shared celebration rooted in tradition across time Exploring the shared traditions and celebrations of Orthodox Christmas across calendars. Yusuf Larizza-Ali Staff Writer

hile many people celebrated Christmas this past December, another group is preparing to do so in January. Orthodox Christmas was on January 7, 2024, and served as Christmas for members of the Eastern Orthodox Church. However, despite the name, Orthodox Christmas is not dissimilar to the more popular version of the holiday.

Smith points out that technically both versions are celebrated on the same date, but they follow different calendars that place December 25 at different times. “It’s just that the Julian calendar is currently thirteen days behind the Gregorian one, so December 25 [on Julian] falls on January 7 of the more widely used Gregorian calendar.”

To learn more, The Medium spoke to Dr. Kyle Smith from the Department of Historical Studies. Dr. Smith has studied and spoken about Christianity in various forms, such as a podcast titled Biblical Time Machine, a book written by him, titled Cult of The Dead: A Brief History Of Christmas, and a course he taught this past fall, RLG337H5: Christmas: A History, which discusses the holiday’s history and how it evolved into the holiday we’re familiar with today.

Dr. Smith answers this question in greater depth in his most recent book. He explains how on the Ides of March in 44 BC, a year before Julius Caesar’s assassination, the Roman calendar was revised. This revision included extending the 12 yearly months (except February) to their current duration of 30 or 31 days. Dr. Smith states this is due to “Caesar’s Egyptian astronomers [who] had calculated the length of the solar year at 365 and a quarter day, they prescribed adding one day to February every fourth year to account for the extra quarter day in the earth’s annual trip around the sun. Though the Egyptian astronomers’ calculations were remarkably accurate, the length of one solar year is about 11 minutes shy of 365 and a quarter day. As a result, each leap day tacked an extra 44 minutes onto the calendar. At first, these minutes were scarcely noticeable. It took over a century for the calendar to be off by just a single day. But over many centuries even minutes can start to add up.”

When asked about what Orthodox Christmas is, Dr. Smith states: “Both in terms of its theological importance as the celebration of Jesus’s birth and the basic ways in which festivities are held, Orthodox Christmas isn’t fundamentally different from Christmas in other parts of the world, though there are many specific cultural traditions among the Orthodox that may not include things like Christmas trees and Santa Claus. Although the date of Orthodox Christmas is January 7 on our civil (Gregorian) calendar, it’s actually December 25 on the Julian calendar that’s still used by most Orthodox Christians.” Orthodox Christmas is celebrated in a fashion similar to the December holiday according to Dr. Smith, with midnight church services the evening before Christmas day. Additionally, the Orthodox have “Nativity Fasts,” which he describes as “more rigorous than the Advent fast of Roman Catholics or Protestant Christians,” since they have some meat-free meals. Dr. Smith cites the example of Ukrainian Orthodox Christians: “[They] usually have a meatless dinner of twelve dishes, symbolizing the twelve apostles. The most important dish is kutia, which is made from wheat, berries, poppy seeds, honey, and usually nuts and raisins. Other things on the traditional Ukrainian Christmas Eve menu include borscht (beet soup), pierogi (potato and sauerkraut dumplings), pickled herring, and cabbage rolls.” He continues, “Meanwhile, Greek Orthodox Christians often serve a sweet bread called Christopsomo along with roast lamb or pork; the tradition among the Ethiopian Orthodox is doro wat, which is a spicy chicken stew; while Coptic Orthodox Christians in Egypt usually have fatta, which is a layered dish of rice, pita, and shredded lamb or beef all covered with a garlic-vinegar-tomato sauce.” Dr. Smith notes that this mirrors how all Christmas foods throughout the world vary in terms of their cultural significance. In this sense, communities celebrating Orthodox Christmas perform similar rituals to communities celebrating it in December. It is merely a difference in calendar uses that causes the difference in dates for many. In terms of why Orthodox Christmas is celebrated in January instead of December, Dr.

Although Christian calendar makers realized this mistake by the early Middle Ages, they didn’t rectify it until the end of the sixteenth century when Gregory XIII was serving as Pope. According to Dr. Smith, “10 days too many had accrued on the calendar.” Gregory’s solution to the problem was to shorten the year 1582 by skipping 10 days in October. “In Catholic countries, this meant that October 15 immediately followed October 4 that year. From then on, the Pope decreed that the addition of leap days would have to change. February would still get one in every year divisible by four, except in years that were also divisible by 100— unless that year was also divisible by 400. This explains why 2000 was a leap year, while 2100 will not be.” Dr. Smith also explains that most of the world adopted Pope Gregory’s changes, although it took many centuries for them to do so. “Catholic countries were the first, followed by Protestant ones, while many Orthodox Christians still refuse to accept the Pope’s calendar. Because the Julian calendar is now not 10 but 13 days behind the Gregorian one, Orthodox Christmas—again, still December 25 according to the Julian calendar—currently falls on January 7. If the Orthodox ‘Old Calendarists’ continue to use the Julian calendar through 2100, when the Gregorian calendar doesn’t add a leap day, Orthodox Christmas in 2101 will slide a further day, to January 8.” Despite these different dates, Orthodox Christmas is recognized as a formal celebration by workplaces as a holiday. Dr. Smith cites the example of an Inclusive Employer Guide that provides a brief overview of Orthodox Christmas. It states that it, too, exists as a spiritual celebration to commemorate Christ’s birth with a feast.

ILLUSTRATION BY LAURA TOVAR/ THE MEDIUM

The rebirth of a new Nakba The number of displaced Palestinians doubled to almost two million after months of intense bombardment of the Gaza Strip. May Alsaigh News Editor

n May 1948, armed Zionist forces declared the State of Israel, marking the first ArabIsraeli war. As a result, Palestinians experienced ethnic cleansing and mass displacement. By 1949, at least 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes and became refugees of their land. As of January 1, 2024, the number has more than doubled to 1.9 million internally displaced Palestinians in Gaza—which is more than 85 per cent of the population. Many are calling this a second Nakba. The word “Nakba” was coined by Constantine Zurayk, a Syrian historian and intellectual who taught at the American University of Beirut. Nakba is an Arabic word that translates to “catastrophe.” It is also used to mark the mass displacement of Palestinians in 1948. Zurayk analyzes the Nakba in his 1956 book, The Meaning of Disaster. “A country is snatched from its people to be made into a national home for remnants of mankind who settle on it from the various regions of the world and who erect a state in it despite its inhabitants and the millions of their brethren in the neighboring regions.” The statement Zurayk makes in his book references the events that triggered the Israeli occupation. In 1948, Zionist military forces captured 78 per cent of historic Palestine. Between 1947 and 1949, military forces targeted major Palestinian cities and destroyed roughly 530 villages. The remaining 22 per cent was divided into today’s occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip. Before the Nakba The Nakba stemmed from the emergence of Zionism as a political ideology in Eastern Europe. The ideology advocated the belief that Jews were a nation that deserved their own state after their persecution in Europe. After facing the 1882 anti-Semitic persecution in the Russian Empire, thousands of Eastern European and Russian Jews settled in Palestine. While some advocated for a Jewish state in nations including Uganda and Argentina, they eventually decided on Palestine. Jews regarded territories around Jerusalem as the Holy Land. Thus, their decision to pursue Palestine was based on the biblical notion that the Holy Land, or Jerusalem, was promised to them by God. In the 1930s, as Jewish immigration increased, the conflict between Arabs and Jews intensified. Following the 1940s persecution of Jews by the Nazis in Europe, the Zionist movement re-emerged to establish a Jewish state in Palestine. In November 1947, before the Nakba, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly passed Resolution 181 partitioning Great Britain’s former Palestine into two states—one Jewish and one Arab—between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. This is also where the infamous Palestinian slogan, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” originated. The Arab population rejected the resolution and argued it was unfair. It violated the UN Charter and favoured the Jewish state. Almost half of the Palestinian population would have been converted overnight into a minority under Jewish rule had the resolution been enacted. The partition allocated 52 per cent of the land to the Jewish state and 45 per cent to the Arab state while Jerusalem was still under international control. Thirty-three countries, including Canada, the US, France, and Norway voted in favour of the resolution. Thirteen countries, including Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey voted against, and 10 including China, the UK, and Argentina abstained.

On April 22, 1948, the Haifa massacre killed 50 Palestinians and wounded 200 others. On May 22 and 23, 1948, a week after the declaration of the State of Israel, the al-Tantura Massacre killed more than 200 Tantura villagers, which comprised mostly unarmed young men who were shot. These massacres occurred before the State of Israel was declared and established in May 1948. The killings signify the existence of Zionist military rule over historic Palestine before the displacement process began. Thus, May 14, 1948, signifies two things: the establishment of the Israeli State and the birth of the Palestinian refugee crisis. 2023 Nakba The refugee crisis persisted until today. Following the events of October 7, 2023, the conflict has intensified immensely into what many are calling a second Nakba. As of January 2024, more than 22,000 Palestinians have been killed while at least 57,000 have been injured since October 7, 2023. According to Al Jazeera Media Network, the current death toll stands at 22,185 Palestinians since January 2—including more than 9,100 children and 6,500 women. More than 7,000 Palestinians remain missing. Due to Gaza’s collapsed health system, most of those who are injured are unable to receive the mere basics of medical attention. Thousands remain missing under rubble caused by constant Israeli air and artillery strikes. For months, Palestinians have continued to dig through tons of wreckage with shovels and bare hands, block after block while the smell of death looms in the air. Today, almost two million Palestinians are displaced, numbers that have doubled since the 1948 Nakba. Israeli security cabinet member and Agricultural Minister Avi Dichter declared on November 11, 2023, a second Nakba. “Gaza Nakba 2023. That’s how it’ll end,” he stated. In the news interview, Dichter publicly announced, “We are now rolling out the Gaza Nakba.” The Israeli ethnic cleansing effort doesn’t stop in Gaza. It extends to the occupied West Bank. The year 2023 marks the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank. The number of raids and attacks has skyrocketed since October 7, 2023, with at least 324 Palestinians, including 83 children, killed by Israeli forces. More than 3,800 remain injured. More than one Palestinian child is killed per week, whereas at least six Israeli children have been killed throughout 2023. Dichter’s threat to inflict a new Nakba is no longer a threat. It is already happening before our eyes and is resulting in the deaths and displacement of millions of Palestinians .

Between 1947 and 1949, Zionist military forces committed multiple massacres that killed more than 15,000 Palestinians—creating a refugee crisis that remains unresolved to this day. Israel’s Massacres in Palestine During the 1948 War On December 18, 1947, the Haganah Zionist military troops killed 10 Palestinians in the al-Khisas massacre, which included five children, and wounded five others. Haganah troops did not experience any casualties. On December 31, 1947, the Baldat al-Sheikh massacre resulted in 70 Palestinians dead. On February 14, 1948, the Sa’sa’ massacre resulted in 60 Palestinians dead and 16 houses blown up. April 9, 1948, the Deir Yassin massacre resulted in 110 Palestinians dead, most of whom were women and children. On April 12 and 13, 1948, the Nasir al-Din massacre resulted in 50 Palestinians dead with houses destroyed and set on fire.

PHOTO BY TRISTAN SOSTERIC ON UNSPLASH

Connecting Mississauga: UTM Urbanism Club aims to improve public transit and city living for students Cutting wait times and increasing UTM’s MiWay budget are among the top goals. Madhav Ajayamohan Associate Features Editor

magine this: you just stepped out of your home and you have an important lecture in 15 minutes. You need to catch a bus, but the moment you reach the bus stop, the bus you need has already left. The next bus is in 30 minutes, and you spend the next half an hour waiting in the cold, missing most of your lecture.

Gazdar admits that this is an issue that cannot be resolved just by talking to MiWay. He stressed that by working with all the stakeholders—MiWay, City Council, the Administration—by going straight to the people making decisions and listing our grievances, students can make change.

A majority of the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) student body does not need to imagine this scenario; it’s a discomfort that many of us experience, especially if we live off campus. The unpredictability of Mississauga’s “MiWay” transit system has messed up our plans on more than one occasion. However, is wallowing in this feeling enough? Don’t you wish to voice your concerns somewhere? Don’t you want to find other people who feel the same way? If the last two questions resonate with you, that means you’re suited for the UTM Urbanism Club.

In addition to improving MiWay, Gazdar also specified that the UTM Urbanism Club is working to improve the digital UPASS system.

The UTM Urbanism Club originated from its current president, Ethan Lam, and his experience of living in Mississauga and missing three MiWay buses in a row.

Regarding future plans, Joshua Wuebbolt, the UTM Urbanism Events Executive and a founding member of the club, admitted that improving MiWay is the main focus of the club for the foreseeable future. “In the future, we want to touch on many more parts of urbanism—urbanism is much more than just public transportation. However, as a small club, we want to focus our attention on one issue, the MiWay, before moving to something else,” said Wuebbolt.

“After visiting other places where you can live without a car because the city is well-designed and there is good public transit, like Europe, it was irritating to come back to Mississauga where you can’t get anywhere by bike, scooter or foot, and you can really only get places by car or using the MiWay system, which leaves much to be desired,” Lam explained. After looking for a way to change the MiWay system in UTM to no avail, Lam decided to “gather many like-minded individuals together, and see if they could make something happen.” Lam got some people together and launched a Discord server to gauge interest. The server ballooned in size and became very active. Eventually, that server evolved into the UTM Urbanism Club, a private advocacy group “dedicated [to] bettering the city and the city spaces.” The club has a strong focus on improving the MiWay system, an effort led by Cyrus Gazdar, the UTM Urbanism Club’s Advocacy Lead. During the 2023 fall semester, Gazdar explained that the club talked with MiWay, along with the Transit Advocating Party (a branch of the UTMSU that bargains with MiWay for the UPASS), and a few other clubs about these issues. UTM Urbanism also released a survey to understand more about what the student body wants to see changed in the MiWay system. “From the survey,” Gazdar said, “the biggest problem is that buses do not appear on time, or they are too full—all issues that can only be received by having more buses running on lines like the 1C or the 44.” Gazdar charted out UTM Urbanism’s next goals to talk to the Mississauga City Council, University of Toronto administration, and other campus committees to get some funding adjustments in the MiWay budget or work within the current MiWay budget to get more buses running along UTM routes. Gazdar also shed some light as to why the MiWay system has been so erratic as of late. “During the pandemic, the MiWay budget was cut since fewer people used public transit during the lockdown. However, in the two years since, ridership has surged beyond prepandemic levels, but the funding MiWay receives is still close to the funding they received during the pandemic.”

“The digital UPASS is more of a complicated topic,” Gazdar explained. “There are some people who like it, and some people who don’t. Usually, the UPASS system is renegotiated every year between the UTMSU and MiWay, so we are looking to see if there are any changes that can be made to the system to benefit all students before the next negotiation period.”

Wuebbolt stressed that all future efforts from the club will focus on making Mississauga a denser, more liveable city. Wuebbolt explained that much of Mississauga is zoned for single family housing, which makes everything far apart. It makes it harder for people to get around; the further apart everything is, the harder it is to walk, bike, or scooter. Another consequence of Mississauga being a spread-out city is the impact on our social life. “Life in Toronto seems much better than in Mississauga, in part because it feels like everything is closer together, and it helps build a sense of community that is lacking in Mississauga,” explained Gazdar. The goal of the UTM Urbanism Club is to improve Mississauga by making it easier to get from one point to the other and make the city more connected. Our time in university may be some of the best moments in our lives, and the city we live in plays a large role in that. The UTM Urbanism Club is advocating for changes to help unify Mississauga, and to allow us to be connected to the city. If you’re interested in becoming more involved in the UTM Urbanism Club, or urbanism in general, the club has several social and informative events for the new semester. In January 2024, the club has plans for a “Build Our City Together” event, where all attendees’ input will be taken to build the best or worst city on City Skylines II, a 2023 city-building game developed by Colossal Order and published by Paradox Interactive. In February 2024, the club will table at a basketball game that UNICEF is hosting. UTM Urbanism Club will also organize an information session by RMTransit, a local transit YouTuber who evaluates transit systems across the world. However, if you’re looking for a more informal way to participate in the club, check out their Discord server (UTM Urbanism Club) or the weekly lunches the club hosts every week. ILLUSTRATION BY UTM URBANISM CLUB

Arts

Editor | Hannah Wang arts@themedium.ca

Rockstar’s new rockstar: GTA VI More than a decade after the release of one of the most critically acclaimed video games ever, its successor has finally been revealed. Samuel Kamalendran Associate News Editor

he gaming world was taken by storm when Rockstar Games released its first trailer for Grand Theft Auto (GTA) VI, the latest addition to a gaming series considered one of the greatest ever.

Within days, the trailer continued the series’ habit of breaking records, from gaining more than 90 million views within 24 hours—snatching YouTube’s title for most views in a day for a non-music video from Mr. Beast—to surpassing the lifetime view count for GTA V’s trailer in just 36 hours. Its monumental success builds off GTA’s massive popularity among the gaming and entertainment communities, as made evident by the 250 million views gained by GTA VI trailer-related content in fewer than three days after its release. The series was born in 1997 with the release of Grand Theft Auto , the first instalment, which was followed by numerous other major and minor titles. Most notably, GTA III, which featured the first three-dimensional environment, which blew up the game’s popularity even more. The latest instalment, GTA V, was released in 2013 and experienced unprecedented success, becoming the fastest-selling entertainment product ever, bringing in US$800 million in just 24 hours and winning numerous awards, along with holding the title as the second-bestselling video game. While controversial for its portrayal of violence and adult themes, the game’s critical acclaim made it the precedent for appealing video games. Rockstar’s impressive and proven résumé of celebrated productions is why gaming fans are so hyped for GTA VI. First announced in February 2022, the release timeline was only sprinkled with rumours and supposed insider reports, until December 4, 2023, when a trailer leak steered Rockstar to release the first official trailer a day earlier than planned. Millions flocked to behold what would be the future of GTA—and discovered that Rockstar did not fall short on their promise that GTA VI would be the “biggest, most immersive evolution of the [GTA] series yet.” Years of speculation and intense anticipation were met with the purest symphony of the very chaos and civil disobedience that elevated GTA to its first era of fame. Besides resurrecting the same vibes from the past titles, the most fascinating part of the trailer was the exposition of how far gaming technology has come. GTA VI’s trailer featured stunning visuals, the depth and detail of which made the shots seem real. This habit of mimicking reality was continued with the mayhem displayed through the rowdy behaviour presented as in-game social media clips, which featured everything from a facetattooed criminal to car-surfing to rowdy alligators. The common thread throughout these images is that they are all recreations of real-life viral shots taken in Florida in recent years. This approach is in line with GTA’s theme of satirizing the randomness of life in bustling metropolitans. In this case, GTA VI will feature Florida through the fictional US state of Leonida, in which the Saga’s fictional Vice City exists. The trailer also introduces GTA’s first-ever female protagonist, a woman named Lucia, who, alongside an unnamed male counterpart, operates a Bonnie-and-Clyde-like relationship as they attempt to thrive in a chaos-embroiled world. The trailer is accompanied by American singer Tom Petty’s “Love is A Long Road,” which could tease the relationship dynamic between the focal playable characters. There are also multiple easter eggs: Lucia’s court-issued ankle bracelet, which might indicate a restriction of movement at the game’s start; the building with rounded windows next to the Atlantic hotel, which was a setting for a thrilling scene in the highly referenced film Scarface; and various returning vehicle types.

The many references to the themes and ideas presented in past installments pay homage to the vibrant culture and community fostered by the GTA series, which only increases the buzz for GTA VI. For now, fans must watch and wait for the game’s release sometime in 2025—if everything goes according to Rockstar’s plans. Until then, we can be sure that Vice City will be waiting to welcome its future citizens. ILLUSTRATION BY LAURA TOVAR/ THE MEDIUM

sports & health

Editor | Omar Khan sports@themedium.ca

The Shohei Ohtani Saga How the Toronto Blue Jays almost landed one of the greatest baseball players of all time ILLUSTRATION BY LAURA TOVAR/ THE MEDIUM

Justyn Aleluia Columnist

hohei Ohtani might be one of the greatest players that baseball has ever seen. Dubbed the Michael Jordan of baseball, he is, arguably, one of two players in history to excel in both pitching and batting—the last player to do it at a high level was Babe Ruth. When he finally hit free agency in November 2023, many assumed that he would sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In many ways, The Dodgers are similar to Ohtani’s previous team, the Los Angeles Angels, as they offered a massive Japanese market, plenty of financial flexibility, and a high chance for Ohtani to finally make the playoffs and win a World Series. Toronto Blue Jays fans could only dream of signing a marquee-free agent of a similar level, let alone one of the greatest superstars to ever hit the open market. However, as free agency progressed, the Blue Jays kept coming up in Ohtani rumours. On November 28, Blue Jays General Manager Ross Atkins expressed that Rogers Communications, which owns the Blue Jays, would support the pursuit of the Japanese superstar. “We’ve always had incredible support from ownership to make this team better,” Atkins said. “We’re one of the few markets, I believe, that has the ability to be nimble.” With that, Blue Jays fans became hopeful. The same week, it was reported that Ohtani met with the Blue Jays at their state-of-the-art spring training facility in Dunedin, Florida, a clear sign that this pursuit was serious in nature. Ohtani had previously stated that he would hold it against a team if his visit to them was publicly reported, so this news was met with mixed reactions from fans: some were excited to hear that their team was in on the biggest free agent in baseball history, while others worried that the reports compromised the Blue Jay’s chance at signing Ohtani. On December 6, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts publicly confirmed that he and his organization met with Ohtani at Dodger Stadium for a few hours, and that was all it took for Blue Jays fans to start their celebrations. Still, some fans thought this “leak” was the fatal flaw in the Dodgers’ negotiations with Ohtani. On the night of December 7, an anonymous X user noticed that a private jet was scheduled to fly from Anaheim to Toronto the following morning, December 8. In a now-deleted post, the user shared the plane’s tail number, and Jays fans quickly concluded that it was Ohtani’s plane. Then, on the morning of December 8, Canadian opera singer Clarence Frazer posted on X that Yusei Kikuchi, a Jays pitcher and good friend of Ohtani, had reserved an entire Toronto sushi restaurant for 50+ people. Fans ran wild, making the supposed “Ohtani flight” the most tracked flight on FlightRadar24 for the day. Throughout the day, Torontonians truly believed that Ohtani was on the plane to Toronto. Toronto Maple Leafs player Max Domi tweeted, “LFG @BlueJays !!!” Even Drake posted a picture of himself in an Ohtani jersey. At 4:01 pm, 30 minutes before the mystery plane was set to arrive in Toronto, credible insider Jon Morosi reported that Shohei Ohtani was en route to Toronto. Soon after, Dodgers writer JP Hoornstra published an article claiming that the deal was done. Ohtani was a Blue Jay. As a Blue Jays fan, that moment was pure euphoria. Toronto finally had a superstar willing to sign for them. Fans erupted in joy across social media. But it took only an hour for their worlds to come crashing down. Reports indicated that Ohtani was still at home and not heading to Toronto. Blue Jays insider Ben Nicholson Smith posted on X that Ohtani had yet to decide. So, who was on that private jet? Turns out it was Shark Tank star Robert Herjavec making a routine flight home from Anaheim. The next day, Ohtani signed a 10-year $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, delivering the final blow to Blue Jays fans. The exhausting saga exposed credible journalists like Jon Morosi and JP Hoornstra for publishing false reports. Jays fans were understandably upset at the two for getting their hopes up, prompting the two to publicly apologize to baseball fans for their irresponsible reporting. But what’s new? Torontonians experienced a similar situation in 2019 when Kawhi Leonard joined the Clippers over the Raptors. This was just yet Toronto sports letdown added to the list. Let’s hope 2024 brings better luck to the Canadian sporting scene.

Locked on Leafs: In-Season Adjustments The Toronto Maple Leafs are facing significant goaltending challenges, stirring up conversations and concerns about the team’s performance in the crease. Omar Khan Sports and Health Editor

t the beginning of the season, Ilya Samsonov was poised to continue his role as the starting goalie for the Leafs. After lifting the Leafs past the first round of playoffs for the first time since 2004, the team and its fanbase were confident Samsonov was the goalie for the future. This did not go as planned.

Samsonov has struggled greatly this season, with a save percentage of only 0.862. Samsonov’s play has been so poor that rookie goaltender Joseph Woll was chosen to take over the starting job. Woll’s 0.916 save percentage has bailed the Leafs out of a few games they did not deserve to win this season and has propelled Woll to become the Leafs starting goalie for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, as Leafs’ luck goes, Woll suffered an ankle injury in December and will likely be out of play until February. This put Samsonov back in the starting position, while the Leafs called up their third option, Martin Jones. With this opportunity in hand, Samsonov continued to struggle, eventually being demoted to the American Hockey League. This unprecedented move highlights how unplayable Samsonov has been, putting the Leafs in a difficult spot. As of right now, Martin Jones, who started the season as the Leafs’ third goalie, remains the starting goalie. Jones and his 0.930 save percentage have stabilized the crease for the Leafs. However, the question of who will back him up remained unanswered. Dennis Hildeby has had a tremendous start to the season for the Leafs’ AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. As a rookie goalie, his numbers are excellent, and he has tremendous potential. However, some believe that thrusting Hildeby into the NHL at his age and with his relatively low level of experience could ruin his development. Despite these concerns, Hildeby was called up to back up Martin Jones. It is unclear if this is the plan for the foreseeable future, as Joseph Woll’s timeline to return is unclear and the current goalie market is scarce. For now, however, the Leafs look to Jones and Hildeby to guard the net. One bright spot for the Leafs has been the play of defenceman Simon Benoit. Benoit, also known as Benny, has been solid on the blue line for the Leafs. What he lacks in offence and goal scoring, he makes up for with his tremendous defensive play and physical assertion over opposing players. Benoit was a sleeper pick-up for the Leafs. Not much was expected from the 25-year-old defenceman, as he came off a subpar season with the Anaheim Ducks, who finished dead last in the league that season. Few fans expected to find Benoit on the second defensive pair alongside Jake McCabe. The shutdown pair has won their minutes and provided solid defence for the team. As the Leafs enter the new year, goaltending continues to be an area of concern. However, fans hope to see Martin Jones continue to stabilize the team, regardless of his position at the beginning of the season as the Leafs third goalie. The possible activation of Dennis Hildeby also peaks fan interest, as the future will tell if the Leafs are confident enough in him to play him or if reserving him for the right time is the best option. In front of the goalies, the Leafs team defence, best exemplified by Simon Benoit, will continue to be tested as the Leafs look to see what positions they need to prioritize heading into the trade deadline.

ILLUSTRATION BY LAURA TOVAR/ THE MEDIUM

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