The Plant December 2021 Vol. 55 No. 4

the plant SINCE 1969 VOL 55 NO 4

DECEMBER @THEPLANTNEWS THEPLANTNEWS.COM

2 THE PLANT

Letter from the Editor

Index NEWS 3 ARTS & CULTURE 4 PLAYLIST 8 VISUAL ARTS 9 VOICES 10 CREATIVE WRITING 17 SPORTS 21 SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT 23 CURIOSITIES 26 CONNECTIONS 30

So you’re telling me...that’s it? That’s the end of the semester? Wow. It’s been a hectic ride. For many, the first day of school in August was a first experience at college. For some, it was the first semester in-person at Dawson. For others it was a grateful return to this mammoth of a school.

Gosh darn it makes me emotional just to think about.

It has truly been a wild ride of a semester. Some days felt like weeks, some weeks felt like not enough days. I know I am not the only one who had a hard time re-adjusting to in-person school, after spending a year rolling out of bed 10 minutes before class and still logging on late because my coffee was brewing. To all of us, I want to take a special moment of appreciation, because we did amazing, and we have a whole semester’s worth of work to show for it. (To my fellow art students: look at all this beautiful art we’ve made!) To my writers, my nurses, my business students, my science kids, to everyone, a ginormous congratulations, for showing up and doing the work. It doesn’t matter if you took some days off, or didn’t submit work on time, or spent too much money on coffee, the important part is that you still put immense time and effort into your assignments. You were busy, and you showed up. That’s what really matters.

Did I become a morning person, like I manifested back in the September issue? Kind of. And you know what? It’s really not all that bad. I will officially be renewing this manifestation for next semester.

We exist in this universe for a good time, nothing more, nothing less.

Make this a good time for yourself. Always remember, I do not chase, I attract, what belongs to me will simply find me...

I’d like to take a moment to thank my absolutely wonderful team, who have put in an incredible amount of work this semester to get you all these wonderful pages: Jacqueline, Matteo, Blu, Daria, Robin, Mayan, Danaée, and Laury, Josephine, Alice, and Noé, Alyssa, Kim, Jill, Emily, and our force of nature, ever-busy, Managing Editor Mia. You guys have been truly incredible.

I’m so glad we are all in this together ;) A special shoutout and thank you to Jill and Matteo, who will not be joining us next semester, but have put in an immense amount of work and who are always so dedicated. And Mia. We truly could not have done it without you. It’s been an honour. Thank you all for being here <3 That being said, we will be opening applications as of December 10th!

Check the link in our Instagram bio (@theplantnews), or head over to our website (theplantnews.com) to apply via the linked Google form.

And lastly. The only thing I ask of you over winter break: take care of yourselves.

Hope to see you all next semester.

Happy Holidays to you and your beloved, Love always, PIPA JONES Editor-in-Chief The Plant is an editorially autonomous student paper. All opinions expressed in The Plant do not necessarily belong to The Plant, but are those of individuals. All content submitted to The Plant or its staff belongs to the paper. We reserve the right to reject or edit all submissions for brevity, taste and legality. The Plant welcomes typed and signed letters to the editor under 400 words.

Copyright 2021

NEWS 3 3

Rittenhouse Acquitted on All Charges JACQUELINE LISBONA

News Editor

On Friday November 19th, eighteenyear-old Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty on all counts at his trial in Kenosha, Wisconsin. In August 2020, Rittenhouse fatally shot two men, Joseph Rosenbaum (36) and Anthony Huber (26), and injured another, Gaige Grosskreutz (28), during a Black Lives protest in Kenosha. Drone video and bystander footage captured Rittenhouse holding an AR-style semi-automatic rifle while ordering people to leave the protest.

Rittenhouse was charged with five felonies: first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide and two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety.

After more than 25 hours of deliberations, a 12-person jury acquitted Kyle Rittenhouse on all five charges he faced. Had Rittenhouse been found guilty on his most serious charge, first-degree murder, also known as first-degree intentional homicide, he could have received life in prison. When asked why he shot Joseph Rosenbaum, Rittenhouse professed that he acted in self-defense.

He testified: “If I would have let Mr. Rosenbaum take my firearm from me, he would have used it and killed me with it and probably killed more people.” Rittenhouse also claimed that as a former police youth cadet, he went to Kenosha to protect property from rioters.

A crucial part of the Rittenhouse case is the fact that the Wisconsin law allows the use of deadly force only if “necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm”. Since Rittenhouse’s attorneys claimed self-defense, the prosecutors had to decide whether Rittenhouse truly did trigger his gun to defend himself.

Many noticed the tension between Thomas Binger, a Kenosha country assistant district attorney, and the judge on Rittenhouse’s case, Bruce Schroeder. Even before the tri-

al started, Judge Schroeder was accused of creating a double standard when he ruled that prosecutors could not refer to the men shot by Rittenhouse as “victims”. He demanded that the defense attorneys call them “arsonists” or “looters”. Binger portrayed Rittenhouse as an antagonist who contributed to the chaos of the night by “exacerbating tensions”.

When Binger asked Rittenhouse whether it was necessary to use a firearm to protect property, Schroeder erupted and accused the D.A. of pursuing “improper line of questioning”. This case highlighted an extreme divide amongst Americans.

Some condemned Rittenhouse as a vigilante, while others celebrated him as a hero who exercised his Second Amendment gun rights and tried to put a stop to lawlessness.

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, a Black Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, saw a racial double standard at work in the case: “The presumption of innocence until proven guilty is what we should expect from our judicial system, but that standard is not always applied equally. We have seen so many Black and brown youth killed, only to be put on trial posthumously, while the innocence of Kyle Rittenhouse was virtually demanded by the judge.”

The innocence of Kyle Rittenhouse was virtually demanded by the judge.

Comparisons to Tamir Rice immediately popped up on all social media platforms. Rice, a 12-year-old black boy was killed by police for having a fake toy gun whereas Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old white teen who walked right by police after killing two people, had the privilege of going home to sleep.

Josh Kramer, a second-year commerce student at Dawson college reacted: “I think that the whole trial was heavily biased. The judge and the jury were both Republican and in

favor of gun rights which is the main reason why he was acquitted. I also find it ridiculous how they’re bringing their political views into a case of right or wrong. You shouldn’t be mixing the two”.

The parents of Anthony Huber who was shot and killed by Kyle Rittenhouse said that Friday’s verdict sends an “unacceptable message that armed civilians can show up in any town, incite violence, and then use the danger they have created to justify shooting people in the street”.

One tweet under the hashtag “RittenhouseVerdict” by Gregory Jackson Jr. states: “To be Black and illegally armed in America means you will be executed by the police or incarcerated if you’re lucky. To be White and illegally armed in America means you can murder two people on camera and go home as a hero.”

Rittenhouse’s defence attorney Mark Richards said that his client “wants to get on with his life” and he has a “huge sense of relief for what the jury did to him today”. He revealed that Rittenhouse, who wants to be a nurse, is in counselling for post-traumatic stress disorder and wishes to move away due to the potential dangers of living in his town.

The verdict has left many Americans wondering whether the constitutional right to bear arms supersedes the safety of others.

4 THE PLANT

Batman V Superman: Dividing Fans and Breaking Boundaries An underrated gem or a bad adaptation?

MATTEO DI GIOVANNI

Arts & Culture Editor “Who Will Win?” The repeated question was plastered over thousands of ads during the marketing for “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice”. Fans of DC Comics were thrilled. For Warner Brothers, this film was intended to be an epic start to a cinematic universe by introducing Batman, Wonder Woman and the Justice League. The anticipation to see their childhood fantasies come to life was exciting. Except, once the heroes punched their way into theaters, the result was a flop amongst critics, producers and audiences alike.

The audience was primarily disappointed but the film still garnered a following from passionate fans who love the ambitious comic book movie. While BvS (Batman V Superman) did set up a larger DC universe, director Zack Snyder and writer Chris Terrio had a very different type of story in mind that they set out to make.

Laurence, a fan of movies and superheroes, was disappointed when she watched BvS in theatres. She felt that the marketing and trailers dishonestly advertised the film. She shares that: “We expected an epic battle between Batman & Superman because of what was shown in the trailers. But when I saw the movie, it really wasn’t about that. The result was slow, boring and ultimately, bad”.

BvS has a different approach to the superhero movie genre. It strays away from the superhero traditions and deconstructs the characters instead.

It follows an anguished Batman who breaks away from his moral codes as he tries to kill Superman, who he believes is an alien threat to humanity due to his “Otherness” and danger his power possesses. Superman, on the other hand, existentially struggles throughout the film as he becomes a target of the media and public. He also uses his Clark Kent journalistic skills to investigate how cruel Batman is towards criminals and how his bias disrupts the justice system.

But, both characters are being manipulated by the psychologically complex billionaire, Lex Luthor, who tries to undermine their powers.

Initially a Dawson Cinema Communications student, Sam, didn’t enjoy the film in theatres. He states that: “It tried something new and audiences don’t respond well to new things so quickly and abruptly, especially with a title with the word “versus” in it, which promises action. That title probably sold better but didn’t fit the narrative that well”. However, when the three hour cut was released, he grew a love for it “since it fleshes out the main character’s ambitions and rivalry”, explains Sam. He also believes that the theatrical release failed because Warner Bros “chopped off essential pieces of the story to please the audience with a shorter runtime”.

Enrico, a Health Sciences Dawson student, thinks that Batman V Superman is a flawed movie. Some of his problems with the movie is that he feels it is “gratuitous”, ruined by “typical Snyder tropes and Affleck’s subpar performance as Batman” and that the “story could have been further developed”. He further explains that “the theatrical cut was a mess and a half but, I am satisfied with the changes made in the Ultimate Edition. I am overall ambivalent about the film”. He praises the film for such things as its visual beauty stating that “there are multiple moments where I can pause and gaze at the scene as if I were looking at a piece of art”. He also likes how the movie “paints Batman as an anti hero”, particularly in the scene

Photo VIA WARNER BROTHERS

where Clark investigates in Gotham and “experiences firsthand the citizens’ fears of Batman” and, he admires Jesse Eisenberg’s manipulative version of Lex Luthor.

Sam appreciates how BvS is character driven. “It gives more screen time to its characters. It does what comic book movies are too afraid to do, which is doing something outside the basic redundant narrative that makes every Marvel movie feel similar. Zack Snyder tried a different narrative with BvS, choosing to flesh out Kent, Luthor, and Wayne’s characters and their exchanges rather than just being a basic superhero movie”, says Sam. He continues: “The movie definitely changed my views on comic book adaptations.

I respect how Zack Snyder presented these god-like heroes in the most relatable and grounded way possible. I will defend this movie because it proves how source material can be adapted and altered to any vision.”

Enrico thinks that Cavill’s performance as Superman is much more relatable than Christopher Reeve. Sam explains that BvS “humanized Superman by showing how his weakness is not only kryptonite, but his emotions too, and how that also affects the people around him”.

All in all, Batman V Superman will endlessly continue to be a subject of discourse. Hopefully over time, audiences will eventually appreciate the film’s uniquely original approach and deconstructive take on superheroes.

And if you watch it, make sure it’s the 3 hour cut.

=ARTS & CULTURE 5 5

Subjectivity in Film, in Light of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune Is a film’s popularity based on its quality, or the relevance of the cast and crew?

MEGHETY SAZIAN & ADRIAN DARWENT

Contributors

Ever since the release of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, I have had mixed feelings about the book-adapted film. My first impression of it was relatively positive, but the more I thought about it, the more questions I had. Did I like it because it was visually breathtaking, or because it stars Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya? I began to question what actually contributes to a film’s popularity and praise.

Generally, before a film’s release, the only thing we know about it is who acted in it, who directed it, and some fragments of a story line, all scavenged from the scarce details that we find thrown together in a trailer. About two months ago, I knew nothing about Dune. I am a fan of Zendaya and Timothee Chalamet, so when I heard about their roles in the movie, it immediately caught my attention. Zendaya and Chalamet became the reason I wanted to watch the film. I was not alone in this matter: People on all social media platforms started talking about the film’s release. Whether they knew anything about Dune or not, people were hyped for it. These two actors being the main characters gave the film more of a chance to be adored. In the end, fans will be biased, as they’ll generally love anything that their favourite actors are in. It gave the film some leverage towards success. But were these famous actors the only factor behind the film’s widespread praise?

I wanted to read the book and understand the Dune universe before viewing any adaptations. I quickly fell in love with it. The storytelling, the world-building, the characters, the imagery. The book was a page-turner. That’s where my speculations about Villeneuve’s Dune began to arise. I wanted Villeneuve to do the book justice, justice to the characters, to the story. I wanted to see how he

would capture each moment; The reputation of that book was on the line! That gave me more than a reason to go and watch it. Pairing that with David Lynch’s adaptation, a lot of people shared the same mindset: Anything even slightly better than the previous Dune would’ve satisfied the viewers and the lovers of the book-- and that’s what Villeneuve did! Villeneuve’s Dune did not complicate the book, nor did it scare people away with the visuals. Dune’s questionable predecessor gave Villeneuve’s adaptation the social expectations it needed to succeed.

By the time I finally watched the film, others who’d watched it were already preaching about how good it was. Naturally, I came in with somewhat grand expectations. Ten minutes in, I was captivated by the sound design and gorgeous visuals. Paired with the special effects and conventionally attractive actors as the film’s protagonists, the film mesmerized me. I could not look away. I left the cinema still thinking about it and how visually beautiful it was. At that moment it was obvious to me: the film was incredible. It was incredible for reasons beyond its casting and marketability. However, it took me

Photo VIA WARNER BROTHERS

taking a genuine interest in the franchise and looking beyond what others had to say to figure this out.

The type of public hype for Villeneuve’s Dune can be seen surrounding the release of a lot of other films.

We see people raving about them, be it because of their gorgeous cinematography, or the famous actors playing in them. As a result, we don’t always think of criticizing films ourselves, defaulting us to ‘liking’ them.

My difficulty in finding out how good Dune really is comes from this overarching, inevitable bias we get from the herd mentality around interpretations of well-known movies or criticisms of art in general. You feel out of the loop when everyone praises something that you originally thought was mediocre, and it’s hard to avoid bias when social media displays similar, piggy-backing opinions of art everywhere.

Ultimately, everyone’s interests and tastes are different. The most important thing to note is to stay true to your taste. Interpret a film for what you see while watching, and don’t be afraid to use your own judgement. Remember: No film is objectively good, nor objectively bad. Subjectivity is the nature of art.

6 THE PLANT

Terry DiMonte and A New Start “Montreal’s Morning Man” exits the radio world and enters a new one.

SABBIA ELJARRAT Contributor

A man fills the frame as he sits extremely close to his laptop’s camera, wearing a cream-colored t-shirt, black square glasses and a comforting smile.

He sits in a low-roofed room painted off-white and surrounded by music art pieces of the 90s. He is a vintage man, but not outdated. In fact, his latest project strengthens his modernity.

This man is no one other than “Standing By”’s co-host, Terry DiMonte.

“I was doing the same thing for so many years,” remembered DiMonte. “I’m open to learning new things and the fact that people are still interested in what Ted and I have to say is gratifying.”

DiMonte has been in the radio industry for over 30 years and had just recently dipped his toes in an opportunity that not only sparked joy, but empowered his friendship with former CHOM co-star, Ted Bird. Together, the idea born from an inside joke was brought to life - Standing By: The Terry and Ted Podcast.

Having 30 years of experience doesn’t mean there’s no time left to explore, manipulate and delve into a new hobby.

Podcasting was never a life-long dream for DiMonte, but rather something that just happened. He had gotten his first job in spring of 1978 in which radio stations were owned by individuals who adored radio for radio, and not for so-called “business.” He enjoyed it so much that he had never thought of steering himself in this direction of creative freedom.

“There are no rules, do what you like,” he laughs, “creative freedom is what Ted and I enjoy the most out of this experience.”

Photo VIA BELL MEDIA

In its simplest way, podcasting is an extension of broadcasting, and it expresses what’s current. After retirement from CHOM, he traveled for a bit and finally settled at a reminiscent studio located on Chabanel Street. His initial layout for the podcast was simply a pencil sketch, but the chemistry between these lifelong friends allowed their stories to be told in such a unique and energetic way. The first episode aired on September 8th, 2021, and marks DiMonte’s latest project.

The foundation of Standing By isn’t the content nor the early mornings, it’s the friendship. Who can record eight episodes of 45-50 minutes over a weekend? Only DiMonte can, along with Bird. “Working with Ted is what the magic is” he says proudly.

This duo had first met in 1985 at Bird’s Côte St Luc apartment sharing a Scotch. Their voices are the music to many oldschool Montrealers’ ears, and because of this, their drive for sharing their voice with the city wasn’t overlooked.

Targeted mostly for the individuals who have grown up with DiMonte in the 90s, he believes this project is open for everybody and anybody, and not strictly for the early adopters.

His main goal is to make his listeners experience his personal joy for this profession and to crack a laugh with them too.

Standing By’s first episode was exciting. Both DiMonte and Bird sat in a bedroom-like studio and were confused. No words were throwing up from their mouths, but this all changed as one particular conversation erupted; “how was your day?” From there, their ideas were recorded, submitted for the week and everything else came automatically.

In his third episode, he jokes about forgetting to change his top from last week because of how excited he was to continue recording. He also noted that there’s a lot of pressure that comes with being in any media industry, especially in a podcast format where there are no formal guidelines to it. While he solely approaches topics of radio nostalgia, he chooses to stay away from pop culture experiences because he wants the show to be a distraction from this tumultuous time.

He will, however, briefly discuss celebrity encounters and will welcome his ex-radio pals on season 2.

Having 30 years of experience doesn’t mean there’s no time left to explore, manipulate and delve into a new hobby. Even though podcasting appears to be identical to radio, it isn’t. “I’m still learning about podcasts and what the metrics are” explains Di Monte. “Even though it looks like radio, and it smells like radio and it feels like radio, It’s not radio” he concludes.

Before starting the show, he spent some time with podcast pros and is hopeful that he will improve at adapting to this new world with optimism and empowerment.

In the meantime, Standing By is available on all streaming platforms and is free to listen to!

=ARTS & CULTURE 7 7

Cabin Fever – A Slice-Of-Life Visual Novel CHRISTOPHER DIMITRIADIS Contributor

I’m in the middle of my second full playthrough of Cabin Fever as I’m typing this up. It’s just so incredibly good. This is the first visual novel I have ever played. And might I say, I love it. It is most definitely going up there on my favourite games list.

If you don’t know what a visual novel is, let me explain: A visual novel is a text-based story, interactive video game genre. They feature a narrative-like style of literature with sprite-based visuals. The sprites most often use an anime art style as they originate from Japan. There is one thing clear about visual novels: Your choices matter throughout the story.

Make the wrong choice and you may get a bad ending.

Cabin Fever is a visual novel developed by Steamy Buns Games, a company involving some members from Sad Panda Studios. Released on July 12th, 2021, Cabin Fever is a short western styled VN that has a story that is rather appropriate to our current pandemic situation. It is set mid-pandemic, years after an unknown virus, VIVID-22, has overcome the world. It probably has a storyline that is significantly more pessimistic than our current world, which is shown through various backgrounds and dialogues throughout the novel.

The main character, whose name and voice are completely up to you,

Photo VIA SAD PANDA STUDIOS

is one of those self-sufficient types who lives in the mountains and has a pretty spacious cabin upon the hills, far away from the city, filled with all kinds of off-the-grid amenities, a garden full of fresh produce and drones to deliver your online orders. No need to run into humans who may or may not have the ever-spreading virus all up in their immune systems. Everything seems to go along smooth-like until their solitary lifestyle is interrupted by the arrival of a 21-yearold woman who accidentally gets caught in one of the main character’s animal traps.

Whilst I was playing this the first time around, it made me look back to March of 2020. We were quarantined for a good few months.

Barely going outside to reduce the chances of running into someone face-to-face. Which does indeed bring up a good point in how this is a direct connection to our current situation with COVID-19.

Something to keep in mind is that this visual novel was made while the artists and development team were in quarantine, just like the rest of us were. But in the case of Cabin Fever, it represents what the world would be like if COVID-19 was even more deadly than it already is.

We learn that this virus in the novel has been around for quite some time, as brought up by the protagonist in Chapter 1: “I don’t remember much about the world before the sickness. I was

just a kid when it started, too young to fully grasp all the changes happening across the globe.”

The character’s age is 20-22 years old, so to know that the sickness has been around since they were a kid is honestly something I don’t want to ever imagine happening. It was a massive shock to learn that we were entering a pandemic last year, and it is still a shock. To know that one day we could wake up and discover that COVID-19 will not be going anywhere for years is terrifying to even fathom. If that were to somehow happen, who knows what we would do?

Do we start gardens to avoid grocery stores that could be packed full of probably contagious people?

Maybe we will avoid going outside as a whole and order any necessities we may need online. This nightmare comes to life in this well-written visual novel that is set in a world where the virus has made it happen.

In conclusion, Cabin Fever is a fantastic short visual novel with great voice acting, CG, an incredible soundtrack, visually pleasing character sprites and particularly, a unique art style. The soundtrack along with the diction from voice actors pulls you in and almost “plays” with your heartstrings. Lasting roughly 2-3 hours of full gameplay, it won’t take much time to get all of the endings and achievements. That being said, I feel that the brief experience is definitely worth having, one that has both lighthearted and emotional moments set in a world that is darker, but somewhat similar to our own in various ways. It is available on Steam and the Nintendo Switch.

Now, if you don’t mind, I will now go back to finish off my second playthrough of my new favourite game, Cabin Fever.

8 THE PLANT

PLAYLIST

Playlist by DANAÉE DESCAILLOT Visual Arts Editor

VISUAL ARTS 9 9 9

Photograph by Danaée Descaillot

Artwork by Ana Sofia Castano @ANXSART

Artwork by Fée Dauphin @FEEDAUU

Visual Arts by DANAÉE DESCAILLOT Visual Arts Editor

10 THE PLANT

A Drought in Male-Focused Pornography The Misguided Efforts of Feminism in Supplying Women with Good Heterosexual Porn ISABELLA BLU PTITO-ECHEVERRIA Voices & Connections Editor

As the next generation of filmmakers and artists, take the following into account if you pursue a career in adult cinema: A lot of porn is made for men— and I don’t mean this in the typical “women are objectified in pornography” way, because the nature of kinks is generally to objectify.

The problem with a lot of vanilla heterosexual porn is how the camera is over-focused on women. Their reactions, their bodies, while the men are cast off to the side and seen as little as possible.

Particularly frustrated with this reality one night, I cracked my knuckles and Viciously fingered my keyboard in a fit of academic horniness: Male-focused porn, I Googled.

Some brief compilations of professional porn clips with generic club music pounding over them appeared, but that wasn’t my cup of tea. Even pornography of women dominating men seemed to be made for men.

Porn for women was the next thing I searched for. This was an odd side of the internet I discovered; entire pornographic websites dedicated to a political cause: creating porn that didn’t objectify women. That’s great, in theory.

Although these women weren’t necessarily being objectified, they were still the focus of the camera work.

What audience was this website catering to? Perfect for homoflexible politically-charged lesbians perhaps, but not so much for the average heterosexual woman; It was more like porn to promote the respect of women. Unfortunately, cinematic intros featuring B-roll stock footage of fireplaces and secluded cabins followed by a girl getting eaten out to royalty-free sexy saxophone smooth jazz does not make your porn feminist, it just makes it pretentious and boring.

Your porno is not a Netflix original.

I’m not shitting on Porn For Women’s mission, but being in the midst of a break-up and consequently feeling like a can of Pabst in the backpack of a lass at an outdoor rave made the discovery of such a misleadingly-named niche all the more infuriating. This was not porn for women; it was porn made to train the horny eye not to see women as sexual objects.

If we’re talking efficiency over sheer principle, porn is the worst possible place to make this change.

Unfortunately, cinematic intros featuring B-roll stock footage of fireplaces and secluded cabins followed by a girl getting eaten out to royalty-free sexy saxophone smooth jazz does not make your porn feminist, it just makes it pretentious and boring.

Your porno is not a Netflix original.

Porn is the one place where purposely objectifying people is okay, so long as the video is produced in an enthusiastically consensual environment. This is because sexuality is society’s pressure valve; Masturbation is the time in which human beings are allowed to behave primally and apolitically. What you do in your own sheets with your own hands should be your secret.

I know from a myriad conversations with women that heterosexual women do watch porn. I know that myself and other women favor gay porn, simply because that is often the most accessible genre when in dire need of male-focused action. However, numerous polls suggest that women watch porn significantly less fre-

quently and in lower quantities than men tend to. The question remains; are women simply less inclined to watch porn, or is there a lack of content that caters to the fantasies of porn-seeking women?

Horniness is not a gendered feeling, yet today’s pornographic media scape appears to operate under the notion that men are hornier and kinkier than women, and must thus be the only consumers of pornography. Where is the proportional supply of male-focused porn to the heterosexual female demand for it?

Funnily enough, this whole situation made me realise the shortcomings of feminism in the world of pornography. Feminism is the belief that men and women must be treated equally. Realistically, shouldn’t some additional sector of feminism cater to the idea that women can be just as horny and morbid as men? If a man has the capacity to seek porn that blatantly objectifies women, shouldn’t a woman have the option to seek porn that blatantly objectifies men? To have access to pornography that caters to the animalistic and morbid female gaze?

That is equality. That would be true feminism at play.

It was a feminist idea that inspired the creation of a website like Porn for Women; The idea that if men aren’t objectified, women should not be objectified either. Props to men who actively seek women-respecting porn: you’ll have a great time on Porn for Women. Unfortunately, a website with the aim of diverting the invasive male gaze won’t do its job if the only people looking for you already agree with you.

This is why feminism in the porn realm should direct its focus toward supplying male-focused porn for fellow women, as opposed to creating porn aimed at retraining the desires of men. For heterosexual women, the results will be much more beneficial, impactful and, dare I say, climactic this way.

VOICES 11

“I Literally Want to Die” ALICE LARRIVÉE Contributor

“I literally want to die. I hate it here, oh my god.”

Dawson student Raphael Chenail, only 18 years old, shakes with laughter as he says these words. His friend Samuel Villeneuve, 19 and pictured above, taps his cigarette against a wooden table, joins in, and chuckles.

“The dream. Might just attempt to off myself a seventh time to feel something!”

There’s nervousness in their giggles. The two friends are conversing on a rooftop in Griffintown, exchanging humorous statements concerning their low wills to live. It’s frighteningly obvious that a serious discussion of their feelings and their support for one another will be avoided in this conversation.

I’ve got to admit, sometimes, I share some ‘lowkey want to unalive’ type of memes to my private stories so my friends can know I’m not doing well. It feels less awkward than asking for help, because it’s not taking myself too seriously.

As concerning as this seems from an outside look, this is normal to Generation Z; Casual, even. This generation, ranging from ages 9-24, is known to struggle with heavy depression and anxiety, so much that they joke about it with each other.

This has escalated and led to a new internet subculture of “mental illness memes” that has spread to social media and gained its popularity there.

“I’ve got to admit, sometimes,[...], I share some ‘lowkey want to unalive’ type of memes to my private stories so my friends can know

I’m not doing well. It feels less awkward than asking for help, because it’s not taking myself too seriously.

Kind of an ironic cry for help, it’s not cringey.” adds Raphael, smiling yet visibly uncomfortable to be expressing his opinions on the subject. Samuel joins in immediately: “Also, I feel like most people our age are going through it, so you don’t want to bother your friends with it because there’s nothing they can do and they’re probably not that great either, so you just go see a therapist and not mention it to your friends [at least not in a serious way].”

Agathe Dusser, a psychologist that specializes in psychoanalysis, speaks on the subject. “Even if this generation that’s mostly teenagers is more depressed and faces higher risks of suicide than the others do, they’re still generally very open to therapy. There are more ‘Gen Zs’ in treatment than in any other generation, and they’re not afraid to ask for professional help.”

More than 37% of Gen Zers have reached out for help and have experienced therapy or a psychiatric evaluation with a mental health professional. Although these statistics seem hopeful, it’s important to ask ourselves; Where do all of these jokes and viral memes about suicide come from, and why are they constantly being reposted?

Unfortunately, Gen Zers’ selfempathy and awareness, which are ultimately what prompt them to receive professional help in the first place, don’t appear to transfer into their personal lives and relationships.

Why are Gen Zers afraid to directly ask their friends for help?

Many factors contribute to this, ranging from the fast-paced nature of social media to the Covid-19 lockdowns that have led the world into a mental health and social skills crisis. Gen Zers are growing up in a world that limits real contact and prioritizes quick, straightforward text messages, both of which have been exacerbated by the pandemic.

While connections are numerous and span far and wide across

social media platforms, they aren’t necessarily intimate or deep enough to provide a space for genuine vulnerability. Gen Zers’s constant disconnection from one another (that is to say, on a more personal and intimate level), is something this generation has experienced excessively, which is a feasible factor behind their difficulty in expressing true vulnerability. Even if one has the support of friends, being used to communicating through online social networks has made authentic, reallife communication feel unusual. The fast-paced and emotionally-removed nature of expressing suicidality via jokes or memes, whether in person or online, definitely mirrors this generation’s overall means of online socialising: voice something lightly, be validated that you’re not alone, and relish in the fact that your feelings are relatable so long as you don’t get too specific and turn into a buzzkill. With teen suicide rates climbing, these ‘suicide jokes’ and memes are coping mechanisms that allow Gen Zers to approach these strong, ineffable feelings without too much pain, and without worrying about being judged or discredited by their peers [who many worry are experiencing the same, if not worse, struggles]. Maybe, after all, this is an epidemiological cry for help from Generation Z.

12 THE PLANT

The Origin Story of @Dawsoncollegememes KEVIN LABOSSIÈRE Contributor

Well, after being asked by literally everyone at the Plant to make an article about this, I finally gave in and decided to make this.

Hi! My name is Kevin. I’m a second-year student at Dawson, in General, Social Science. I am the creator and owner of Dawsoncollegememes on Instagram.

As I am writing this, the page currently stands at 1,824 followers… wow. How did it come to this, and what has come from this? Well, let me explain how it all started.

I created the page on September 15th, 2020, as a joke really. I was messing around in my online psychology class (as usual) and continued switching backgrounds while pulling jokes left and right. Then, someone in the chat said, “Kevin definitely has a meme page” and that just struck a chord with me. Back in high school, we also had our own meme page. I didn’t run it/create it, but it did lead me to wondering whether Dawson College had a meme page.

Spoiler alert: it did not. So, I created the page just to mess around, made a meme, and BAM, took less than one day to reach 100 followers, then it just kept piling up. September 20th, 500 followers.

Then came the worst teachers’ tournament, then came the collabs with The Plant, different college services, activities, the Student Council/ Executive elections… It became a standing ground for Dawson. (I’d like to mention that DSU would most likely collab, but for some reason they don’t want to repost memes?)

Of course, I’m getting ahead of myself, but the iconic Blue Doge with the Glasses (made by current VP of Internal Affairs & Operations Abril Meza, who is a sweetheart btw) was a face of Dawson. In a couple months, it became a source of entertainment for students to relate and laugh at while

being stuck on Zoom for most of their classes. It kind of died of during the summer (for obvious reasons) but when we finally came back on campus, it got even bigger. This led to opportunities that I would’ve never expected to happen to me.

One day, I was approached by the VP of Internal Affairs and Operations, Abril Meza, if I wanted to help during Frosh week as a DSU volunteer. Of course, I said yes-quite the opportunity I’m getting!

This led me to really achieving a goal that I would’ve never imagined when I first posted a meme back in 2020.

It opened doors that would’ve never been opened if it wasn’t for the page.

Since coming to campus, I have met so many great people, made connections and related to people and felt at home for the first time in a while.

High school was tough for me, and seeing people that could relate to me while building a community around a single meme page is incredible. The page led to me being in the Campus & Events Operations Committee as Creative Director, which basically means that I’m part of the group that organises most of the on-campus events, collaborating with CLL and such.

It might seem stupid since it’s virtual, but connecting with so many people that relate solely through memes is awesome.

Looking back at when I created the meme page, I did not expect it to blow up, or even get new students to make pages that post other types of memes/content that are Dawson related. @dawsoncollegeaffirmations and @spottedawson are two that come to mind instantly. Instead of making it a competition, we built a community made by students, for

students. I’ve kept my identity (mostly) secret until recently; Most people know who I am at this point.

I was recently diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and the tremendous support I get every day from friends, the people I surround myself with, and followers that give me nothing but love, has really changed my life. I might just be a guy that makes memes, and even if it doesn’t show, I appreciate every single person that DMs me, comments, likes or interacts with the page. It might seem stupid since it’s virtual, but connecting with so many people that relate solely through memes is awesome. I want to give a huge thank you to everyone who has supported the page and continues to interact with it to this day. Whether it’s new followers or day ones, you have a special place in my heart, and honestly, it’s one of the reasons I take around 3 hours of total commute every day to go to Dawson.

Love y’all!

Kevin, aka @dawsoncollegememes.

VOICES 13

The Plight of the Real Santa’s: What Over Consuming Means for Your Delivery Person EMILY MCQUEEN Copy Editor

The semester is ending, Christmas is right around the corner and students are holly and jolly, ready to use their time off school to have fun. Yet the idea that the holidays are a joyful time of year isn’t agreed upon by everyone.

Warehouse employees under large companies making inconceivable profits selling gifts, for example. For these workers, your “most wonderful time of year” is a stressful, emotionally and physically draining and sometimes unsafe nightmare. Testimonies from Amazon employees in New York recorded by the Guardian and local statistics on the work environment in warehouses in and near Montreal from a 2019 report by the Immigrant Workers Center (IWC) reveal just how bad the reality is for workers during the holidays.

In the article “I’m not a robot” by the Guardian, Rina Cummings, an Amazon warehouse employee shares her experience in the unsafe, grueling conditions of an Amazon warehouse. She works three 12 hour shifts for a total of 36 hours a week. Her job is to inspect and scan Amazon packages at a speed of 1,800 packages an hour, adding up to one package every two seconds. Sometimes packages burst and Cummings must stop work to clean up, which causes her to miss her requirement. When this happens, the employee can get written up, potentially leading to termination if occurring frequently, which according to Cummings, is most of the time.

During these long and restless hours, the workers get one 30-minute break for every 5-hour shift and an additional 10 minutes off for every four hours of work. The latter has only recently been altered by the company because previously employees had difficulty finding time to go to the bathroom.

Far worse than the long hours and the high pressure of the job are the often-ignored safety guidelines and regulations. In the Guardian’s article, Cummings explains that in-

juries are common. She had recently almost lost her hand because of a pin sticking out of the conveyor belt, a carrier system used in the Amazon warehouses. The warehouse also drops packages from a chute that are either too large for the conveyor belt which they land on or are improperly packed. Employees have also been injured by the contents bursting out of packages. Cummings testifies that managers often ignore her disability accommodations that are required by law and are recommended by her mobility counsellor for her impaired vision. The only accommodations that Amazon underwent were painting safety lines in bright colours in the warehouse and putting safety tape on the stairways, an accommodation so simple it would take little to no time and cost barely anything. What’s even more irksome is that her managers consistently try to schedule her in departments unfit and unsafe for her.

Two order pickers, unnamed by the journalist out of fear of the company’s response, have shared experiences with Cummings. One claimed that their manager ignored his health restrictions after a foot surgery causing them knee pain. The worker had to take time off to heal. The other order picker suffers from chronic back and knee pains. They are often forced to use paid time off for rest and recovery.

An Amazon spokesperson responded to all accusations of unsafety in their warehouse, his statement says that the rate of injuries of company staff is high because Amazon is in fact more transparent than other companies with the number of injuries reported, which is probably why employees felt a need to testify about unsafe and grueling work environments.

These examples are from New York, but the situation in our local warehouses also leave much to be desired. In Montreal, immigrants often have few employment opportunities because of language barriers. Thus, they are often obligated out of necessity to get hired in warehouse jobs through temporary placement agen-

cies, meaning they are not assured long-term employment. In the 2019 report by the Immigrant Workers Center, 40% of the temporary warehouse workers did not receive proper safety nor health training and 42.9% weren’t supplied with adequate safety equipment. In a Montreal Dollarama warehouse, safety practices were sacrificed to push productivity leading to several accidents involving heavy packages plummeting from upper storage rooms, all for the company to have Christmas decorations in store the day after Halloween.

In the interest of not contributing to these conditions, here are some alternative gifts ideas for this holiday season. You can commission Dawson students who are also local artists like @satin.stiches on Instagram who makes clothes, stuffed toys and hats or @dumb.blondebeads who makes stylish accessories. Local artists often sell their products on Etsy, too. Experiences such as concert tickets, carousel rides, dinner dates or sports games make meaningful gifts as well as memorable experiences. You can also order from ethical fair-trade companies. Lastly, if you are out of money, craft something yourself ! Remember, the best gifts come from the heart, not from the hands of an underpaid and neglected warehouse worker.

14 THE PLANT

The Promise of the Metaverse Opinion: What Facebook Rebranding to META Really Means

ALICE MARTIN Staff Writer

Ever since October 28th, your sharp eye might have noticed that upon opening Instagram or Facebook, something in the loading screen changed. Paired with an infinity logo in the shape of an M, the “From META” caption at the bottom has raised a few eyebrows.

However, META is nothing more than an extension of Facebook. I said nothing more, but that’s for now.

A History of Rebranding Facebook has never been scared of rebranding and redesigning, but this would be, by a long shot, the most ambitious rebrand yet. Facebook’s most recognizable logo, with the lowercase white “f ” over a deep blue background has existed since 2005. However, it has suffered a few changes over the years.

In 2015, Facebook changed its font to a much rounder one, and the characteristic blue became lighter. One could say it became less aggressive, softer, more modern, and in touch with the time.

In 2019, the colors were inverted, and the blue of the letters was much brighter. This logo, which lasted until October 28th, was the epitome of softness, being generic, but not nearly as generic as an infinity symbol.

The rebranding itself to META doesn’t imply much structural change to the company’s inner hierarchy, considering CEO Mark Zuckerberg remains in control of all Facebook-related operations. The concept of a “parent-company” is the only concrete change. META, as a parent-company, now encompasses all the other companies that Facebook has previously owned, including Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Facebook itself, and Oculus, META’s virtual reality company that it acquired in 2014. Oculus will be crucial in the development of what META aims to be.

META’s Mission Statement and the Origins of the Metaverse The real reason behind Facebook’s change to META is rooted in an evolution of Facebook’s mission statement.

If Facebook was all about social connections, META aims to take these social connections a step further: Into the metaverse! META’s name didn’t fall from the sky, nor did META invent the concept of the metaverse as many people think it did.

The metaverse is a science-fiction concept first coined by author Neal Stephenson in his satirical and dystopian book Snow Crash in 1992.

In his novel, the metaverse is represented as a huge virtual reality urban environment accessed through virtual goggles. Other instances of the metaverse in popular culture includes Steven Spielberg’s 2018 film Ready Player One, another dystopian story about corporate greed where the audience and the main character of Wade fear the dominance of the OASIS, the movie’s metaverse, by one single company. Sound familiar?

While these two works are of a dystopian nature, the metaverse itself isn’t inherently dystopian. It is rather seen as the pinnacle of the internet, where shared virtual and real worlds collide, through VR headsets, for example.

This is where Oculus comes in.

META’s real chance at developing a metaverse is through headsets like the Rift, the Quest, and the most recent, which was recently unveiled: Project Cambria. Like in Snow Crash or Ready Player One, META is determined to make everything possible in the metaverse, like living, working and, as is already possible, playing.

The Heat of Competition The problem with META’s vision of the metaverse is that it’s a highly ambitious project that will likely only take form in a few decades. For now, META

Photo VIA LOGOS-WORLD.NET

is only a promise, a commitment towards building a functional, unified, useful, and well-developed metaverse using a combination of all of META’s platforms. So, if META doesn’t currently have the technology to build the metaverse to the height of their vision and, most importantly, the technology to make it accessible to everyone, why are they rebranding so soon?

First, META is undeniably starting to feel the heat of competition, and if they don’t, they should.

Although they seem hell-bent on appropriating the metaverse and on branding themselves to be the sole actor in the building of metaverses, it is to be noted that many companies are also heavily involved in the creation of these cyberspaces, and they have been for a while now.

Some of these companies like Nike, Dyson and Roblox just started to dabble in metaverses; however, Epic Games, the creators of Fortnite, is far ahead and has a vision that differs from what Facebook has traditionally been doing before changing to META. First of all, Epic wants social interactions in the metaverse to be bigger than “likes” and comments and to move away from traditional ads. Sima Sistani, the co-founder of the now-extinct social media platform Houseparty (once owned

by Epic), emphasizes that the new generation of social media will likely be more about participating than the preceding one, which was more about sharing. This is Epic Games’ mission statement.

VOICES 15 15

Epic Games has also made some major moves in their own metaverse that exists within their hit game, Fortnite. The “Party Royale” Mode has housed a few major concerts from artists like Marshmello, Travis Scott, and Ariana Grande.

Microsoft’s advancements can’t be overlooked either. Microsoft Mesh is Microsoft’s metaverse in which it hopes to connect people together and to make collaborating easier for colleagues who work together timezones apart, as Microsoft publicizes it. To support its metaverse, Microsoft also has its own VR Headsets as well as the HoloLens.

If Microsoft has more of a working angle in mind, Epic Games orients itself towards gaming. And META? Well, they are all about socializing.

Rebranding As a Distraction The second reason that could explain Facebook’s rush to rebrand to META is the criticism they’ve endured since 2018.

2018 marked a rough year for Facebook’s reputation. By the end of that year, every Facebook user became all too conscious that their beloved platform, once used for connecting with long lost high school friends, had a hidden dark side.

The Cambridge Analytica scandal was among the first of many mistakes that Facebook made during that year. When the data analytics firm decided to work hand-in-hand with

a university researcher that made a fake personality quiz, it gathered data from 87 million Facebook users without their consent.

Cambridge Analytica also had close ties with Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and took part in the creation of what it calls “psychographic”, or personality, profiles of voters, which help target ads.

Now, this wasn’t Facebook’s only data breach scandal. In September of 2018, Facebook tackled another security breach that exposed the data of another 30 million Facebook users.

Unfortunately, Facebook’s weaknesses do not only lie in their users’ privacy. Facebook has been implicated in a wide range of scandals, from fake news and misinformation, to foreign interference in the 2016 presidential elections, while simultaneously promoting hate speech through its algorithms.

Every day, it’s becoming clearer and clearer that Facebook’s place in society is growing, but their accountability towards their social responsibilities isn’t. Frances Haugen, the latest Facebook whistleblower, and a former product manager there, testified on October 5th, 2021 before the US Congress. Amongst her other powerful statements, she revealed from her experience at Facebook that “it is clear that Facebook prioritizes profit over the well-being of all users”. Even if, by saying it, she rendered that information concrete, it feels like old news.

Could Facebook have created META to distance itself from the negative perspectives people have come to have on Facebook? In that sense, was the 2019 rebranding just a way to escape from the scandals that stained Facebook’s reputation in 2018? Granted, when a company rebrands, it is usually done to create a better image of itself. However, let’s not forget that this image is based on nothing but promises that META has no obligation to fulfill other than to realize the prophecy of their new name.

What if, instead of rebranding to distract people, Facebook took the opportunity to address their wrong doings? What if they used the rebranding to actively—and concretely—work towards being better socially, which many of the 2.91 billion monthly Facebook users would be psyched about?

The metaverse itself is something to look forward to, and what all the different companies involved in its creation are proposing is definitely interesting. To think that there’s soon going to be a way to connect with friends and colleagues to an almost lifelike extent even though they might be thousands of miles away is exhilarating.

If it weren’t for everything that Facebook has been responsible for and their history that makes them untrustworthy, everyone would be in awe with this innovation in technology. However, until it becomes clear that Facebook wants to take concrete actions towards its existing problems, it’ll be hard to be completely excited for META new endeavours.

Here’s to hoping the metaverse is more than just a dystopia represented in science-fiction.

Author’s note: A special thanks to Bérengère Marin Dubuard, Profile Coordinator of the Interactive Media Arts profile in ALC, for helping me navigate this awfully broad topic and for giving me the resources I needed to understand exactly what the metaverse is about, as well as who the key players are. You are a wonderful professor.

Photo VIA VOX

16 THE PLANT

VOICES 16

Separating The Art from The Artist JOSEPHINE ROSS Staff Writer

I was most recently confronted with this issue last February while reading The God Delusion by author and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins.

In this non-fiction book, Dawkins refutes the idea of any type of supernatural creator, voicing his arguments in his witty, no-nonsense manner. I was curious about his other work and began to research the author himself.

Google greeted me with pages of articles criticizing him for his lack of empathy towards women experiencing sexism in the first world. I was hit with that sinking feeling of profound disappointment that we’ve collectively come to know all too well.

I will admit that the deception I felt was perhaps brought on by my own idolization of the author, as we are often prone to putting our favourite celebrities on a pedestal. Nevertheless, I felt deceived. I tried to reason with myself, persuade myself to let it go, finish the book. You can’t dismiss a four-hundred-page argument just because an author said some ignorant things in 2014. But when I began to think about the contents of the book in parallel with the ignorant remarks he has made about women, something didn’t sit right with me.

It was difficult take the chapter on the morality of religion seriously when Dawkins appears to completely disregard his moral compass when taking part in victim-blaming women who have suffered sexual abuse. It was also difficult to read the chapter on child abuse in the Catholic church in which he voices great empathy for those who have been mentally, physically, or sexually abused by the church whilst being dismissive of sexual harassment in the workplace and date rape on Twitter. His moral compass and the empathy he displays in his book serve his cause of turning the reader against religion; he has no such agenda when commenting on the MeToo movement. I realized why I couldn’t move on, the problem with

Photo VIA PBS

writers is that their art is just a physical manifestation of their character.

We’ve seen this story play out many times in the last few years; When employees began to claim that Ellen DeGeneres perpetuated a toxic workplace environment, when J.K. Rowling came out as a TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist), or when the sexual abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein arose, we were left wondering whether it was OK to enjoy what these artists have created. However, maybe there are different degrees of how connected an artist and their work are.

In the case of Ellen DeGeneres and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the answer is simple. You can’t separate the talk show host from her talk show, of which she is the titular character and most of the segments depend on her as host. She is the show, and therefore cannot be separated from it.

The line blurs when it comes to cases like that of J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter. By reading Harry Potter, are you inherently supporting J.K. Rowling? Maybe financially, if you’re paying for the book, but say you get it from the library, is the act of reading it an act of support for the author? Harry Potter is arguably the most popular children’s book franchise, it is virtually inescapable, and

J.K. Rowling doesn’t voice any of her transphobic values in these seven books. I would argue that it can be separated from the author, after all, the franchise has taken on an identity so far removed from the author, with eight movies, two theme parks and the Fantastic Beasts prequel series. However, Harry Potter is not J.K. Rowling’s only work. Critics spotted transphobic themes in her most recent adult novel, Troubled Blood, in which a serial-killer dresses up as a woman to pursue his victims. In this case, J.K. Rowling’s transphobic opinions physically manifest themselves in the novel and it is virtually impossible to separate her from it.

Whether or not you choose to enjoy art by a controversial creator is up to you. You must evaluate the cost of continuing to support an author, singer, painter, or any type of celebrity, and align your actions with your values. Are you supporting the artist with your dollar? Do you feel comfortable supporting this artist? Are you negatively affecting marginalized people around you through your support of this artist? If you do choose to continue enjoying a piece of art by a “cancelled” artist, the most important thing is to acknowledge their wrongdoings and continue learning more about where they went wrong.

CREATIVE WRITING 17

CURVE-BALL Unless you have a crystal ball and a flair for the mystique, you can’t predict what happens to you. There may be cryptic whispers in dreams, but they often go unnoticed or gather dust, forgotten. Luck comes around sometimes, and spirits you onto a good or better path. Sometimes luck doesn’t stick around though, or just doesn’t show up.

Hoping luck comes to hang with you, MAYAN GODMAIRE

Creative Writing Editor

Kalopsia EMMY RUBIN Contributor I saw her walking down the street Holding her mother’s hand.

She was wearing pink shoes with ribbons And was eating one of those lollipops That looked like they could hypnotize talking rabbits In those retro cartoons.

I was sitting on the sidewalk Picking at the hole on my knee, Rationalizing that what’s big is deliberate And what’s small is a sign of misfortune, Even though I know that a hole is a hole No matter what size it is, And the wayward threads that border its edges Are the hints I unintentionally give the world that I’m breaking through my seams.

Maybe that’s why I’m so mesmerized By the girl with pink ribboned shoes; Because while I’m worried about what I’ll eat tomorrow, She holds on to her mother’s hand As she takes another lick of her lollipop, Never once taking her eyes off the amorphous clouds surrounded by blue, Not noticing my longing to be looking up there too.

18 THE PLANT

I don’t get any college credits for submitting to the plant BEN BISALLON Contributor Which priorities Do I prioritize My eyes Are weary There’s barely time For enough Words To reach tomorrow Perpetuate cycles Status quo Questions are not Quite encouraged Quiet conversely Leads to the same Place again I promise I tried To break it Beat it Find the key That all have searched for Yet few found I bring my only Solace closer As it approaches I ask for secrets Give me liberty Give me ignorance Let me set my naive goals again Like before I knew they were impossible

Forfeiting the Game of Games ALEX MERFU Contributor curious to see your face full of shed tears, and your grieving bellowings when all that pulses inside me is uneasiness for me, he had never lived at all, nor had he ever smiled or laughed; done any of the things you loved him for. the poet, our lord, grieves alongside, an earth-shattering sorrow not shared by me. perhaps ill see him crossing the street, or perhaps again at the park. for surely, ever surely, he is not yet dead.

CREATIVE WRITING 19

Sometimes I Wonder LEO HUSSAIN Contributor I’m standing there, my hand held by yours So they glared, forever stared, We became a car wreck on a busy road Wind in my hair, I’m driving 120, semi-comatose Sometimes I wonder, what’s the point of loving if their voices speak louder than our own?

Sometimes I wonder, what’s the point of living if they say that our living is wrong?

I’m standing there, my hand grasped by yours They barged in, old kin and men I call friends So before they glared, and forever stared, I let you go Sometimes I wonder, what’s the point of loving if their opinions matter more than my own?

Sometimes I wonder, what’s the point of trying if it breaks my bones?

Wind in my hair, I’m driving midair, alone

Managing Editor’s Farewell MIA KENNEDY Managing Editor It’s been an honour It’s not goodbye, just farewell See you soon my friends -Mia Kennedy, as resignation from Managing Editor

20 THE PLANT

CREATIVE WRITING Illustrations by MAYAN GODMAIRE Creative Writing Editor

Exploring Void NATHAN MCDONALD Contributor Cigarette in my left, beer on my right, My phone in its pocket and you on my mind, Seeing now how life relies on building block dependences.

I’ve tried 8 months without smoking, 4 without drinking, 3 without porn, And I’m still trying to get you out, But the void is an ever-hungry traveler.

Their first success becomes the last as soon as its achieved, And they will find all types of roads to get to what I need.

Why do they do this work for me without a prize in mind, This I know I will never know before it is my time.

Chin high, this inner-explorer brandishes their encyclopedic arrow towards what I need to, want to, should go get.

As they point to meditation, mindfulness, contemplation, whatever makes me sweat, Being its vessel, this rogue mind runs to the ropes, ravishing and ranting and reminding and racking all to try and hoist my sails.

This goal, this game, their insatiable pass time.

Serenity, my holy grail, is true North, But with my bravado-ridden companion, no missions will lead me there.

Now, now that I’ve spoken against their efforts, by the explorer’s decree, my feet lay in sinking cement, a mix of bad habit and false spontaneity.

Sinking, my lungs fill with troubled waters while my body reminisces the time of heartfelt exploration.

Each shore presented different options: Salty, bitter, bitter-sweet, sweet; Foamy, infested, turmoil-fret fleet.

I’ve walked, ran, sat along sands Of coarse, soft, much-trodden land, Always with my relic in mind, the one I swear I’ll find, to no extent.

For, the calmest, stagnant, lukewarm waters in which I dip myself Are but short-lived.

Once my forefinger bobs over what could fill the explorer’s void Time proves itself unkind.

It’s never enough.

Then back to smoke and poison in a can, To endorphins in all shapes and forms.

These habits compress the exploration of life.

Still are they kinder than the unknown promised land.

Winter KAYLA JOY FRIEDLAND Contributor the blue silk that spread along the edges of the sun and all she was dipped his finger into the earths’ charcoal used the sun as his canvas and smeared his fingerprints along the sides of her face and a single tear drop fell he wiped it away and handed it to the birds, as they soared among the prairies they dropped her tears onto the wind’s eyelashes and the breeze caught them and they froze, marbled and each different and they fell and he watched from the clouds he had created the cold he had birthed the love he had made he gave her a name the hardened tears and the dusted skies he called her winter and she was so beautiful

SPORTS 21

Elitist Sports Can you go skiing without selling a kidney in the process?

DARIA BOCICOVA Sports Editor

We live in a time when for some of us, sport is a source of entertainment or a lifestyle; for others, it can often become a privilege. The prices on sports equipment are rising, and it becomes harder for people with a below-average overall income to engage in those sports, therefore rendering them “elitist”.

I’ve recently discovered, and yes, I meant to say discovering because it was a whole event, anyway I discovered the prices of the equipment and had a micro stroke as I was scrolling through the website. I feel like that calls for some context. A good friend of mine happens to be the most outdoors creature anyone has ever met. If it were up to her, winter would be ten months out of twelve, and it would NEVER stop snowing.

It sounds like hell if you ask me. But she is certainly living up to the Canadian stereotype here. And knowing how much I would dislike anything snow-related, she recently threatened me with going skiing. Let me tell you, the fear is real.

After I went through the five stages of grief, including three crying breaks, at the mere thought of that questionable opportunity, I finally came to terms with fate. I actually decided to look up what we’ll need.

If you type in “Ski equipment”, one of the first websites that you will probably find, at least I did, would be MEC, aka Mountain Equipment Company. It sounds like they would know what’s what. I quickly found the “Ski and snowboard gear” section, then despite having no clue what backcountry ski was, clicked on that as it seemed like the most logical choice.

The first pair of skis that was shown to me stood proudly at 1,938.95$, excluding taxes. And that’s only the skis. If that doesn’t make you want to stay home wrapped

Photo VIA SKI CANADA MAG

in a duvet instead, I don’t know what will. But retreat was not an option at that point, and after scrolling for a while longer, it became pretty clear that, on average, the price range for skis was between 800$ and 1,100$, depending on the model. For that price it better have a motor and a pair of wings in the package, so you can fly off the edge of a mountain.

Now, I am definitely no expert in skiing, but even I know that’s not the only thing you need. I then calculated the approximate price of all the equipment one adult would need, which gave me flashbacks to maths lessons, and I had to take another crying break. The complete set, including skis, poles, bindings, boots and helmets, would cost around 3,000$, on average.

That was clearly not the amount I was prepared to pay for something that would collect dust in the basement for the rest of the year, or life depending on how the trip would go.

Plan B, rent the equipment. There are plenty of shops in Montreal that offer rental, one of them is Ski Town.

You can rent equipment for a day, for holidays or a whole season. Renting a new adult ski set with BOA for a season would cost around 300-350$ with taxes.

But why are the costs so high?

Making skis requires a usually unlikely alliance of materials which

includes fiberglass, wood and metal.

It would need specific molds to be able to recreate the necessary shape and ensure flexibility without risking durability. On top of that, ski in Canada is a seasonal sport and you would hardly see anyone picking out a new pair of bindings in the middle of May. Considering that many of the companies that sell them specialise in winter sports equipment, that would put them on a tight budget for a part of the year, and no one wants to work at their own expense.

There is also another option, as a last resort. You can always take on a DIY challenge, crafting shis in your shed. As for me, I have too little trust in myself and only one of the nine lives left to attempt something like that.

Now, I’m off looking for an excuse to bail on the trip. If you won’t see any of my articles nezt term, it means that I wasn’t successful and am currently buried in the snow on the side of the mountain somewhere.

P.S. If you do end up making skis, send me a test drive video.

22 THE PLANT

SPORTS

Gender VS Fair Competition BRITTAINNY JONES Contributor

For decades women have been fighting to get recognized playing the sports they love. Even in the 21st century, we are fighting for things that are still gender-specific, including different pay rates. Young women that play sports are striving to make a difference. Alexa Hawraniak plays soccer for her Cegep, John Abbott College. She is also part of the feminist society club in John Abbott college, making her even more passionate about this subject.

Alexa and I met at Starbucks on a breezy Autumn day. She walked in with her head held high and a walk with grace. I could smell her peppermint tea even before she got to the table. We chitchatted for a bit before we got to the goods. I asked her whether she plays soccer for fun or as a future profession? Her eyes immediately lit up with a fiery passion. “I do not necessarily play for fun. I am a super competitive person, so I really like competition. I play AAA for my Cegep also. So, I would not necessarily say for a future profession, maybe like university soccer is my next goal.”

I then asked why she does not want to play soccer as a profession. Alexa laughed hysterically, nudging my shoulder. She said, “Do not get me wrong, I love soccer with my girls, but some of the people I play with are crazy! I also do not really enjoy running. I am interested and invested in being a crime scene investigator.”

Photo VIA DREAMS TIME

When asked, “What is it like being a female soccer player?” Alexa wiggled in her seat and said, “I think as a female soccer player, women always must work harder, they always must prove themselves more, even if they do better in stats and everything. They always have to do more because it will never be good enough.” When we touched upon whether being a female player has any disadvantages, Alexa sighed and said, “I don’t think it gives me that much of a disadvantage at all. I mean, obviously, sometimes they do not take us seriously, which is annoying. Even though here in North America, women’s soccer is a lot bigger than men’s soccer. The women’s teams do historically better than the men’s teams as we have proven in world cups, Olympics, for example, the American women’s team won 4 world cups, won the Olympic gold and this year women just won gold so.”

We transitioned to something that would lighten the mood. We took a little break, we joked around things that have been going on lately. I mentioned that I saw the picture on the John Abbott College website of her with her teammates, and the girls seemed to be so happy. I asked if she found it empowering to be playing on an all-girls soccer team?

Alexa laughed and said, “For sure!

I think playing soccer with women is diffidently empowering, we joke about things and hangout outside of the soccer field. We all go to the same school and we are all hashtag girl

bosses. I think just being a team with all these girls who love playing the sport, who want better for the sport is always great and we all share the same passion.” Alexa was grinning ear to ear, talking about the girls on the team.

I did some research on the pay difference between female and male soccer players are it was shocking. I asked Alexa, “It has significantly been over 50 years since the Equal Pay Act was passed in the United States and men still get paid more than women. What do you think about the pay difference?” She was processing this information because she seemed upset and fed up with how men get paid more than women. Alexa said, “The difference between men and women soccer players are atomical. It goes back to women. We only played soccer since the 80s-90s and only started becoming popular in the early 2000s.

This is crazy to me because it is 2021, and times are changing, yet this is still happening. There is no logical reason this should be happening.”

Female soccer players are not seen as equals to male soccer players.

It has been decades, and nothing is changing. Soccer is still being viewed as gender-specific because female soccer is newer in comparison. There are pros and cons to everything, and you need to exceed the cons to break boundaries and be the change. Alexa loves her passion even though there is controversy around it, and she wants to exceed people’s expectations of female soccer players.

SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT 23

“The Search Engine That Plants Trees” JULIETA LOZANO-RAMSAY Contributor

Is it free?

Yes. No need to make an account either.

So how do they make money?

Through clicks on the ads that appear when you search something up. As with most other search engines, when you look something up, you receive links to the most relevant results. Above said results, there are often a couple sponsored links (labeled Ads). If they happen to be of interest to you, you’ll check them out and thus Ecosia (or whatever search engine you may be using) will get ad revenue from Microsoft Advertising.

What do they use that money for?

Planting trees! They are responsible planters that focus on biodiversity (no monocultures), working with local communities so they may reap the benefits and making sure the roots ~actually~ get into the ground.

How many searches translate to one tree?

Approximately 45! A little search counter sits in the top-left corner of your browser.

Is this organization legit?

Ecosia is both a non-profit and for-profit business (you can read about it in their FAQ, see below). It’s a certified B Corporation. 80% of ad revenue goes directly to planting & conserving trees. Their blog includes monthly financial reports and updates about their different projects.

This seems too good to be true, what’s the catch?

I have been using Ecosia for years and it has improved a lot, especially in terms of little delays in searching. I have never felt unusually inconvenienced, but there are two things I have flagged that I want to share: 1. The searches are powered by… Bing…PLEASE DON’T LEAVE, LET ME EXPLAIN. Yes, with Ecosia you are searching via

Photo VIA ECOSIA

Bing, accompanied by Ecosia’s algorithms. However, I do a lot of research, and I haven’t found there to be a huge difference. Especially because I can simply put google.ca into Ecosia if I ever want to look something up there. Don’t knock it until you try it!

2. Though your searches will not be altered to show ‘more sustainable’ results, Ecosia does have features that are on theme. For example, a little green leaf will appear next to some websites to indicate that they have been certified sustainable. These things do not change your searching experience, but they are there, so take that as you will.

Alright, alright…What about privacy?

Ecosia certainly claims to protect your privacy, even claiming they aren’t collecting as much data on you as Google (for details: https://info. ecosia.org/privacy). I’m no privacy expert, but from what I’ve read they are not as staunchly protective of your privacy as, say, DuckDuckGo. They do, however, have a solid privacy policy. Using Ecosia is generally considered safe for the everyday person. If your priority is privacy, I suggest looking into it further.

Is Ecosia carbon-neutral?

Not only is Ecosia carbon neutral, Ecosia is-- and hold onto your green pins-- CARBON NEGATIVE!!!! It is an organization actively decreasing the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Bing is carbon neutral. All Ecosia searches run 100% on renewable energy. They aren’t just achieving this through

ECOSIA QR CODE

offsetting: It is integral to how they run their business. Guys, this is so exciting!

If revenue comes from ads, what happens if you have an ad blocker?

Ad blockers obviously keep your searches from going to trees, but you can make an exception for Ecosia!

Ad blockers including AdBlock Plus, uBlock, and Ghostery can be disabled just for Ecosia, while remaining on for other sites.

How do I install it?

Ecosia can be easily added as a browser extension (ecosia.org will show you how). There is also an app!

If you make an account, you can sync your devices (though I can’t personally speak to this).

More questions? https://ecosia.zendesk.com/ hc/en-us. If there is anything else that concerns you, I really encourage you to check out their FAQ page. Their blog (https://blog.ecosia.org/) is a great place to learn about their project and how else you can support them. Plus, look it up for yourself ! There are plenty of reviews and examinations on how well Ecosia works.

To sum it up…

Ecosia allows you to make an impact by planting trees which provide and secure legitimate employment, food, medicine, water, biodiversity, and oxygen. All you gotta do is use the internet like you would anyway!

24 THE PLANT

The Evergreen Dilemma of Christmas ROBIN STEEDMAN-BRAUN Science and Environment Editor

While Christmas time is, deservedly so, one of the most anticipated and celebrated moments of the year, the holiday season is nonetheless a display of consumerism at its finest. From plastic toys to glutinous amounts of food, overconsumption has driven this holiday for many decades. According to Politico, environmentalists tend to call Christmas the “world’s greatest annual environmental disaster”. Indeed, Christmas corresponds to as high as 4% of an individual’s annual carbon and ecological footprint. When you take into consideration the nearly eight billion people on Earth, the holidays are an important environmental risk.

The main factor environmentalists focus on when it comes to the holidays is the abundant number of trees cut down every year. While plastic trees seem like a more ecological option, they are not actually. According to The Carbon Trust, an artificial Christmas tree is only greener than a natural tree after twelve years.

Indeed, “fake” Christmas trees are generally built from plastic and metal and have a carbon footprint of 40 kg of carbon dioxide (CO2), whereas an average-sized two-meter Christmas tree, if sent to the landfill after the holidays, has a carbon footprint of 16 kg of CO2. If a tree is repurposed after Christmas, for example for wood chips or a bonfire, its carbon footprint is only 3.5 kg of CO2. The most ecological option would be to buy a second-hand plastic tree, but buying a real Christmas tree is a close second. A typical 6-foot-tall Christmas tree requires approximately five to ten years to grow to its full height.

As trees grow, they absorb carbon dioxide gas (CO2) from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, helping offset atmospheric greenhouse gases and global warming. Ultimately, the carbon released by disposing of a Christmas tree is offset by the photosynthesis done by the tree during its growth.

Photo VIA UNSPLASH

Food waste is another consequence of Christmastime. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported in 2019 that wasted food products account for as much as a tenth of our greenhouse gas emissions. As a nation, we eat 80% more food during the winter holidays, but this excess often ends up in the trash. Indeed, we end up throwing out more than 230 000 tons of food in this two-week period alone.

The biggest environmental impact of Christmas comes from the meat consumed at holiday dinners, as well as our tendency to overestimate the amount of food we will consume.

The holiday season means reuniting with family members and travelling, sometimes even overseas multiple times in the short period between mid-December and mid-January. Over 53% of Canadians travel during the holidays, whether it be by car, train, or plane. This travelling contributes to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

We can’t forget about the paper use at Christmas. It is estimated that Canadians use more than 540 000 tonnes of wrapping paper a year, a large majority of it during the holiday season. If we placed the amount of holiday cards we send each year alongside each other, they would cover the world’s circumference 500 times. While these paper wastes can be recycled, countless pounds of paper end up in landfills. Re-using wrapping or using newspaper laying around the house to wrap presents.

With all this mind, it is important to enjoy Christmas nonetheless, making a conscious effort to reduce your carbon footprint!

SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT 25

In Fairy Creek, Pacheedaht and Protestors Clash on the Future of Old Growth NOE YASKO Staff Writer

South of British Columbia’s Vancouver Island, a lush forest alive with ancient western hemlocks, Douglas firs, and yellow cedars flourishes. This old-growth woodland, named Fairy Creek, has been the site of massive protests since August 2020. In April of this year, however, some members of the Pacheedaht nation- who own the land being blockaded upon- asked protestors to leave their grounds.

This raises an important question: how can we balance environmental protection with the respect of indigenous land rights?

In scenic Fairy Creek, thousand-year-old trees tower in masses.

Beneath them, shorter and newer growth burgeons. Dead and fallen logs weave themselves on the forest floor, providing optimal habitats for fungi; In return, these organisms decompose the decaying wood they live on. This enriches the soil with nutrients and promotes a new, successive growth cycle. Perched high in their nests, endangered marbled murrelets - small, penguin-like birds- lay their eggs in the safety of the rigid structure of old-growth trees. With increased logging threats on the horizon, their future rests unsure.

According to the government of British Columbia, an old growth tree in a wet, coastal region is one that has lived for 250 years or more.

With relatively no human disturbance, old-growth trees thrive and reach phenomenal heights; Fairy Creek’s douglas firs, for instance, are around 45 to 60 meters tall with diameters 1.5 meters wide. In oldgrowth forests, trees are in constant competition for sunlight as the forest canopy thickens, shading growth below it. This results in slower growing trees, as the lack of light decelerates their development. According to Jim Pojak, senior ecologist for the Ecological Society of America, oldgrowth forests are categorized by

deep, multi-layered canopies, wider tree spacings, a significant amount of downed logs, and many trees of oldage that vary widely in size, height, and species type.

So what exactly has protestors so concerned? Well, cutting down a tree of a thousand years of age brings more adverse consequences than the logging of new growth. Think about it: can a tree that takes a thousand years to grow back still be deemed a renewable resource? Old-growth trees are central components in Fairy Creek’s ecological community, and cutting them down means altering an entire ecosystem and its dynamics. Additionally, since these massive trees have been in century-long processes of carbon sequestration, clear cutting them allows for a sudden release of large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which contributes to global warming.

While the nation as a whole shares the protestors’ concern for the future of Fairy Creek, ideas on how preservation should be achieved differ amongst individuals.

Old-growth is highly sought after for its sturdiness and for the absence of knots on the wood’s surface. This billion dollar industry’s workforce is large in number and includes, though in vast minority, Indigenous people. According to the BC Council of Forest Industries, “5,300 Indigenous people are directly employed in the industry, more than any other resource sector in B.C. Indigenous communities are also vital industry partners as owners, and through business and stewardship partnerships.”

The Pacheedaht nation has been practicing sustainable forestry for de-

cades for cultural and economic purposes. While the nation as a whole shares the protestors’ concern for the future of Fairy Creek, ideas on how preservation should be achieved differ amongst individuals. Many believe that protestors have no right to interfere with their forestry management strategies. “We do not welcome or support unsolicited involvement or interference by others in our territory”, wrote Frank Queetso Jones, hereditary Chief of the Pacheedaht nation, in an official statement. Jones also pointed out that their community benefits from logging, allowing them to buy back land that is rightfully theirs. “We are finding ourselves buying our own land back”, he told journalists.

Some protestors, who aim to respect Indigenous land rights while also continuing their fight for environmental preservation, have responded to Jones’s statement. Extinction Rebellion, a global organization that fights for the environment, made a statement of their own in April 2021. “We recognize we have no place to comment on the internal governance of the Nation, however XR [Extinction Rebellion] Vancouver believes that protecting these ancient ecosystems remains crucial.

We support the call to action at the blockade in Fairy Creek”, it reads.

Ultimately, it seems as though protestors have not let Jones’ statement affect their plans.

Currently, around 3.6 million hectares of old growth available for harvest in British Columbia remain.

Another 10 million hectares are, thankfully, safe under protection due to being deemed either uneconomical or unsustainable to log. As the situation develops, the future of logging in Fairy Creek remains to be seen.

26 THE PLANT

HOROSCOPES Happy birthday to every child eclipsed by Jesus this month. You are not forgotten.

ARIES (mar. 20 - apr. 18): Do you feel wronged by the stars? Are you in the type of mood that makes you want to cause everyone to cry tears of lead? Your emotions are valid, Aries. Do what it takes to feel better about the way your life has aligned recently.

No one will blame you.

TAURUS (apr. 19 - may 20): This December, try something new. Go to a dance class, become a bird-watching specialist, ask someone out, commit tax fraud. It could help you feel something in the midst of this intense seasonal-depression-end-of-semester-sadness cocktail. Thrills and chills, Taurus—make this month your own.

GEMINI (may 21 - june 20): You’re trying to make the right decision, but the wrong choice is still calling at you. This month will be an exercise in willpower and restraint. You know what is best for you, fight the urge to choose the self-destructive option— no matter how fun it may be.

CANCER (june 21 - july 22): The hurt from these past few weeks might be hard to keep underneath the surface this December: time with family, friends, and lovers may remind you of what you’ve lost.

Seek comfort above all else. Eat mashed potatoes on a ceramic tile floor at 2AM, lurk in alleyways with your dog, wrap yourself in 17 layers of blankets. Whatever works for you.

LEO (july 23 - aug. 22): Trust only your own instincts this month. Your friends have the best intentions, but they might be too wrapped up in the frantic energy of December to properly give counsel to you. Whatever you do, do not trust your horoscopes .

VIRGO (aug. 23 - sept. 22): December will be incredibly happy for you. You’ve been waiting for this break from school with many goals for the break and your ambitions will pay off. It’s a good moment to forge new connections, take care of old ones, and steal some from your next-door neighbors.

LIBRA (sept.23 - oct. 22): Let yourself dream. You’ve had an incredibly realistic mindset this year, and though it has gotten you through, it has also kept your moral incredibly neutral. You deserve to be the optimistic dreamer, to be the ambitious believer.

Anything is possible if you can just think of it.

SCORPIO (oct. 23 - nov. 21): Change is going to come whether you like it or not, Scorpio, but you choose how you deal with it, and the yearning to unsettle everyone by making changes about yourself as drastic as the ones about your situation is good. Go goth, sing opera in a misty swamp. Do you. If the people in your life cannot deal with it, change their status in your life, too.

SAGITTARIUS (nov. 22 - dec. 21) : Family might tend to get under your skin this holiday season. They might ask questions they shouldn’t ask or make snide comments. Remember: you do not have to maintain peace for the sake of other people at your own expense.

Stand up for yourself and most importantly, do not feel bad for it.

CAPRICORN (dec.22 - jan. 19): If it feels like life might open its mouth and swallow you up, don’t despair. It means you are taking on many things at once and moving quickly towards bigger, better things.

You will not be digested, I promise—though you might get chewed a little bit. Forgive life for it.

AQUARIUS (jan. 20 - feb. 18): If your emotions have been jumbling your mind lately and you’ve found yourself in desperate need of your logical side, it might be time to set aside your emotions. I give you permission to press pause on them until the end of the semester. I find the best way to do this is to sink into the cold ocean for several minutes—but do as you will. I believe in you.

PISCES (feb. 19 - mar. 19) : You can achieve that goal you’ve set for yourself—if only you start giving that goal the same amount of importance as you give other people’s goals. It is not your job to help everyone carry through their own plans, and you’re allowed to focus on yourself. Keep this in mind as the holiday season approaches.

CURIOSITIES 27

QUIZ: WHICH TYPE OF CHRISTMAS COOKIE ARE YOU? 1 a) b) c)

Where do you like to study?

The library, in complete silence, with a warm homemade cup of coffee.

At home, alone with some instrumental music and a reward system when you get through one of your study goals for the day.

At a coffee house with two friends and a steady stream of conversation to keep up morale.

2 a) b) c)

What is your ideal drink at a bar?

Straight whiskey—none of that fruity nonsense and chasers. Those are for the weak.

A lemonade—drinking isn’t your thing. But hey, you’re happy to be here.

An elaborate mixed cocktail with so much sugar you could get diabetes on the spot.

3 a) b) c)

What is the best midnight snack?

A couple of crackers and cheese eaten in the low light of your computer screen A bag of classic Lay’s chips in bed with your favourite show playing in the background.

Anything. Last night’s leftover pizza, a slice of cake, 3 granola bars—whatever you have in the house.

4 a)

How would you rather spend your summer?

At a summer lake house, spending your time swimming, reading, and cooking. Maybe you’ll work a few hours at the golf course, but only to break routine.

Working a summer camp job, spending many hours in the sun and filling up your bank account again after the long job-break you took during your studies.

Having a part-time job and plenty of time to party in the woods with strangers—memories and money, that’s your ideal summer.

b) c) 5 a) b) c)

What is your ideal winter drink Black coffee, absolutely no modification.

A fancy tea steeped in hot milk.

Hot chocolate, so long as you get marshmallows and sprinkles on top.

If you have mostly “c” answers, you are a strawberry jam-chocolate thumbprint cookie. You like people, surprises, and living out loud. Parties and crowds are where you shine—the extrovert in you is powerful and you like feeding them. This statement cookie, with bold flavours and colours, is the best way to represent you.

If you have mostly “b” answers, you are a classic butter cookie. You don’t need excess to be happy, and a quiet life with your little habits and the people you love is enough for you. You’re a bit of an introvert but if you’re with the right people, you come out of your shell in an instant. The subtle flavours of the butter cookie and its polarizing effect on the people who eat them best represent you.

If you have mostly “a” answers, you are the gingerbread man cookie. A classic, rooted in tradition. You are certain and know what you like. You enjoy doing things right and you love a routine, and the recurrence of the gingerbread man as well as the classic flavour suit you best.

Results

28 THE PLANT

RECIPE: CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD COOKIES Hello dear reader. This issue, I share with you a personal favourite of mine in the cookie department. Now, I must admit, this recipe is not an original—I found it on Ricardo’s website a few years ago—but it is simply too good not to share it here so you, your family, your friends, your neighbors, and your cat can enjoy it too.

Ingredients • ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened • ¾ cup (160 g) sugar • 1 egg yolk • ½ tsp vanilla • 1 ¼ cups (190 g) unbleached all-purpose flour • 1/3 cup (35 g) cocoa powder • ¼ tsp salt

Instructions 1 With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.

2 In a bowl, using a wooden spoon, combine the butter with ½ cup (105 g) of the sugar. Add the egg yolk and vanilla.

Mix until smooth. Add the flour, cocoa powder and salt.

3 Using a 1-tbsp (15 ml) ice cream scoop, form the mixture into balls. Finish rolling the cookies with your hands, then roll in the remaining sugar. Place on the baking sheets, evenly spacing them out.

4 Bake one sheet at a time for 14 minutes (see note). Let cool completely on the baking sheets.

Photo VIA COOKIES&CUPS

CURIOSITIES 29 29

PUZZLES

COME BACK NEXT ISSUE FOR THE ANSWERS!

Hints Across 1 - The number of days for Hanukkah 3 - Jewish holiday happening around December 4 - A type of sock in which small gifts are left 8 - A type of bird eaten at Christmas, usually accompanied by gravy Down 2 - General word for the originally religious festivities that occur around December 5 - A treat left on a chimney for Santa Claus to find 6 - Typically chocolate coins exchanged during Hanukkah celebrations 7 - An offering made to another person, typically wrapped in decoration paper Curiosities by

LAURY CHARLAND Curiosities Editor

30 THE PLANT

ANSWERS FOR THE NOVEMBER ISSUE

INTRODUCING... CONNECTIONS! Dealing with the aftermath of a drawn-out pandemic-induced lockdown has left Dawson students fragmented to say the least. With social skills rusted and motivation at an all-time low, how can we move forward in our endeavours without feeling so alone?

I created Connections with the hope of giving people an opportunity to advertise who they are, and/or to find what they’re looking for, without having to commit to a club or class. Whether you’re a musician looking to find bandmates; a student in need of a roommate; looking for specific textbooks; looking to recruit people for a volunteering project; looking to find human canvases for your tattooing career; looking for a tutor; looking for models to help build your photography portfolio; Connections is a place where bridges can be built between Dawson students for whatever reason you seek.

To post an ad: 1 - Briefly state who you are (no names required).

2 - State what it is you’re looking for/what you’re advertising.

3 - Leave a means of contacting you.

Your ad will be featured in the upcoming issues of the Plant.

You can submit your ad via: The Plant’s Instagram: @theplantnews Email: theplantnewspaper@gmail.com The Birdhouse: a box available at our stand during issue launch days!

Follow the Plant on Instagram to know when our deadlines are, and when the next month’s issue will be coming out!

Next time you pick up a copy of your school’s newspaper, flip over to Connections and see if anyone out there is unknowingly looking for you.

Let’s help each other out!

Cheers to a fruitful winter break, ISABELLA BLU PTITO-ECHEVERRIA Voices & Connections Editor

CONNECTIONS & CURIOSITIES 31 31 31

THE PLANT RECOMMENDS...

Bomboloni Boss. This doughnut shop specializes in the Italian bombolone doughnuts. They are based in Montreal and offer a rotation of flavours as well as classics, like the cannoli bomboloni. For December, you can enjoy flavours like Milk & Cookies, Panettone, and Christmas Crème Brûlée.

The prices are a bit steep, but for an occasional well-deserved sweet treat, these doughnuts are perfect and well worth the money. You can find them @bomboloniboss on Instagram.

Photo VIA DOORDASH

CONNECTIONS ADS: DECEMBER 2021 Musician looking for guitar case-- preferably for Telecaster, a tweed “thermometer” (in shape of guitar) case.

Reach me at: micbo62@gmail.com Hello! I’m an artist that offers commissions in cartoon, anime, and realistic style! You can contact me by my Instagram @Mausnow_art or email: yneva@itnm.ca

Many thanks to this month’s ad submissions: you guys are pioneering something with the potential to do a lot of good for yourselves, and amongst your peers!

Drummer with 9 years of experience (didn’t take it seriously until like 2yrs ago but I still learned in the 9yrs just that these past 2 yrs I’ve been learning way more), looking to start a rock/light metal cover band to start practices during winter break. Need a bassist, electric guitarist, and singer between amateur to intermediate level.

Contact: haig.naccashian@dawsoncollege.qc.ca

NOTE: One should always take precautions when meeting someone new in person. Meet in a public space and let a loved one know where you are going prior to the meeting.

Bassist/Guitarist looking for other musicians to Jam/Start a musical project! I’m a guitarist/bassist and I have a passion for creating music. I listen to and can appreciate most styles of music, but recently I’ve been into a lot of: Punk, Metal, Grunge, Jazz, and Genre fusion. I’m looking for anyone who’s down to create some noise and have fun!

Don’t be shy to shoot me a text or add me on Instagram!

438-459-6514 @therealcwiss

When providing contact information please keep in mind that the newspaper may reach a wider audience than Dawson College.

Multigenre producer looking for people to work with and jam. ig: @iamjustintatone Self-explanatory. @dawsoncollegememes

32 THE PLANT

MASTHEAD

CONTRIBUTORS

Pipa Jones Editor-in-Chief

Alyssa Scotti Cover Artist

Mia Kennedy Managing Editor

Jill Goldenberg Social Media Manager

Emily McQueen Copy Editor

Josephine Ross Staff Writer

Kim Dubuc Graphic Designer

Alice Martin Staff Writer

Jacqueline Lisbona News Editor

Noe Yasko Staff Writer

Matteo Di Giovanni Arts & Culture Editor

Meghety Sazian Adrian Darwent Sabbia Eljarrat Christopher Dimitriadis Fée Dauphin Ana Sofia Castano Alice Larrivée Kevin Labossière Leo Hussain Kayla Joy Friedland Nathan McDonald Alex Merfu Emmy Rubin Ben Bisallon Brittainny Jones Julieta Lozano-Ramsay

Danaée Descaillot Visual Arts Editor Robin Steedman-Braun Sciences Editor Daria Bocicova Sports Editor Mayan Godmaire Creative Writing Editor Isabella Blu Ptito-Echeverria Voices Editor Laury Charland Curiosities Editor

CONTACT The Plant Newspaper Dawson College 3040 Rue Sherbrooke O Montréal, QC H3Z 1A4 2C.15 theplantnews.com theplantnewspaper@gmail.com @theplantnews