The Plant October 2021 Vol. 55 No. 2

the plant SINCE 1969 VOL 55 NO 2

OCTOBER @THEPLANTNEWS THEPLANTNEWS.COM

2 THE PLANT

Letter from the Editor Last issue, if you recall, dear reader, I manifested turning into a morning person as part of my start-of-semester new-habit-making plan. Well, let me give you all the promised update...it turns out I am a morning person!

(Shoutout to 6am shifts, endless assignments, and a terrible coffee to sleep ratio. Couldn’t have done it without y’all.) I’m holding on to the hope that you, dear reader, are doing better than I am. Take comfort (as I have--for survival) as we straggle through midterm season, that it is not endless. Hard times may seem to linger, but good days are peeking over the horizon.

It’s autumn! The sun is shining on cold crisp days, the leaves crunch under foot and bicycle wheels, the air is pure, the coffee warm. I swear I can feel this season rejuvenating me, the smell of rain and the sharp air keeping me afloat under the pressure of a million endless assignments. All I have to do is put on a knit sweater and serotonin floods my brain, it’s great.

Dear reader, we are halfway through the semester. You got this. I can’t believe we’re already this far, and if you’ve made it all the way here, you can make it to the end. I believe in you.

Most importantly, of course....it’s Spooky Season, besties. Here at The Plant, we love Hallowe’en. As you peruse the pages of this month’s issue, throw on the playlist, take a moment for yourself to do some quiet reading, and have a peek at our staff ’s spooky movie recs in the Curiosities section! The vibes of this issue are immaculate, if I do say so myself.

So anyways, here’s to sound sleep, sweater weather, and quietude. I’m manifesting it.

Sending you all love and warmth, PIPA JONES Editor-in-Chief

Index NEWS 3 ARTS & CULTURE 6 PLAYLIST 8 VISUAL ARTS 9 VOICES 12 CREATIVE WRITING 17 SPORTS 21 SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT 23 CURIOSITIES 27

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

Think You’re Safe at School? Think Again.

JACQUELINE LISBONA

News Editor

During September orientation week at Western University, there were four sexual assault complaints and hundreds of allegations posted on social media. Thousands of students walked out of classes to protest sexual violence, misogyny and rape culture on campus. Western student leader Eunice Oladejo exclaimed that these issues are not just occurring on Western’s campus, “it’s something that’s happening on a lot of different campuses.” According to a 2020 Statistics Canada report, 71% of students at Canadian post-secondary schools witnessed or experienced unwanted sexualized behaviours involving students or others associated with the school.

An abundance of witnesses posted their stories on Reddit, a discussion website, and used the term “roofied” many times. “Roofied”, short for Rohypnol, is a term used to describe ingesting date rape drugs. Reddit user Chance_Cod8134 posted “During OWeek I witnessed an Engineering Soph getting pretty creepy with some of his frosh. The frosh just painted themselves purple and he wanted to take a photo of them and kept nagging the girls to go topless to show “how purple they really are.””

Another user shared “Yoo so 30 something ppl got roofied, that’s what my friend told me. And he knows 2 that got raped. This is fucked man.”

Western has taken measures to improve the safety of their school by involving Western’s Centre for

Photo VIA MCGILL UNIVERSITY

Research & Education on Violence against Women & Children. They will be conducting a mandatory training course for all 5,300 students living on the ten Western residences. Western has also increased the number of security guards on campus and has opened resource centres for support that are available to students and teachers.

Terry McQuaid, director of wellness and well-being at Western said, “This enhanced training is one crucial element of our commitment – as individuals and as an institution – to listen better and do better.”

“Yoo so 30 something ppl got roofied, that’s what my friend told me. And he knows 2 that got raped. This is fucked man.”

Since 2015, Ontario, B.C, Manitoba, PEI and Quebec have all mandated that colleges and universities implement sexual violence policies. In 2017, St. Mary’s University in Halifax introduced a campus “Consent Week”.

In 2018 the University of PEI created and marketed coasters advocating consent with the caption “If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get my consent”, and recently McGill and Concordia University in Montreal adopted a 45-minute mandatory online course about consent, called It Takes All of Us: Creating a Campus Community Free of Sexual Violence.

Alex Liepins, an academic associate in teaching and Learning Services at McGill, shared that 50,000 students have already completed the program, which is “the largest teaching initiative ever at the university”.

Closer to home, our very own Dawson college has had their fair share of sexual assault scandals including the high profile case involving Winston Sutton, a former drama teacher who had several sexual harassment allegations against him in the span of three consecutive year. In interviews with CBC, four female Dawson students described the regular visits to his office where they were given unwanted hugs, their hair was caressed, and Sutton tried to hold their hands.

In a statement from Dawson’s director general, Richard Filion, he said “the allegations were deemed extremely serious, which led the college to launch an investigation.” Dawson created a policy on sexual violence that was adopted in April 2019 that states: “It is illegal to commit any form of sexual violence.

Dawson will not tolerate intimidation, harassment, or assault of a sexual nature.” Dawson now has a Sexual Violence Response Team that can be reached via email SVRT@dawsoncollege.qc.ca and/or in room 4E.2. The college has also introduced the same mandatory It Takes All of Us training for all 11,000 students and employees.

Quebec’s Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barette announced at a press conference on September 27th that victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault will have access to a free legal service in Quebec. $3 million will be invested in these services annually and a team of 14 lawyers who specialize in domestic and sexual violence has been created to “help provide more autonomy, security and confidentiality in their legal proceedings and [victims] will have access to all the legal resources they need.”

Gender-based violence, including sexual misconduct and assault is pervasive in our culture and society. Fortunately, schools have begun taking action, and hopefully future features won’t be a repeat of past headlines.

4 THE PLANT

Controversy about Quebec’s Vaccine Passport Continues in Montreal BRENDAN SCHWARTZ

Contributor

On September 1st, the Quebec government mandated all restaurants to adopt the vaccine passport and only allow doubly vaccinated clients inside their establishment to ensure the safety of all customers.

Several restaurant managers have expressed concern that business is plummeting as a result of the new vaccine passport regulations.

Restaurant manager Rosa, from Allo Mon Coco Decarie, disagrees with the vaccine passport due to freedom of choice and believes that it also violates customers’ privacy.“We want to stop the COVID, but at the same time, I feel it’s against the liberty and the freedom of every citizen,” Rosa said last week when asked her opinion on the vaccine passport.

The manager at Juliette et Chocolat Monkland, Tatiana, agreed with Rosa that the vaccine passport is not beneficial for the Quebec population.

“I think it’s contradicting, in my opinion. I personally don’t have both my two doses, but I’m allowed to work here. So, I don’t know why our clients have to have two doses,” Tatiana expressed, while not wearing a mask during the interview. She added that she doesn’t feel unsafe not being fully vaccinated.

When asked if the COVID vaccine passport will prevent another lockdown with restaurants having to close, Tatiana indicated, “Honestly no… I don’t think it will prevent… another lockdown, obviously. I don’t think that it changes anything to do with isolating, to be honest.”

The controversy surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine passport in restaurants is evident in the different reactions of Montreal restaurant managers. For John Kolomvotos, the manager at Scores Lasalle, the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccine passport is an excellent way to keep clients safe.

Kolomvotos disagrees with managers Rosa and Tatiana who do

not believe in the passport. He stated:“It’s a good idea to make clients feel safe when they walk in.” Kolomvotos advocates that not only must clients be fully vaccinated, but so should all restaurant staff. “About 98 percent of the staff are vaccinated in my restaurant. Staff should be vaccinated. Then people will have a safer environment to eat,” added Kolomvotos when asked about his views on vaccination rules for restaurant staff.

We want to stop the COVID, but at the same time, I feel it’s against the liberty and the freedom of every citizen,” Rosa said last week when asked her opinion on the vaccine passport.

Lily Harrison, manager at the Pigeon Café on Monkland, expressed mixed feelings regarding the vaccination passport. On one hand, she feels that it helps unite people and keep them safe at the same time. “I think it’s a good idea in the sense that everybody needs to come together in order to stop the COVID.” On the other hand, Harrison doesn’t agree with the vaccine passport since only customers need to be fully vaccinated and not restaurant staff. For Harrison, this is unfair since it is a double standard. “I think it’s a little sketchy for lack of better words. Although all of the staff here are double vaccinated, I just don’t think that it makes any sense that you’re saying no to one set of people and yes to another so to me that makes the whole vaccination passport null and void,” Harrison added.

When asked about whether the vaccine passport would affect her restaurant negatively or positively, Harrison commented: “I think it will affect it negatively in the sense that it is closing off a group of people from

entering the restaurant and being patrons here and spending money here.

On the other hand, it does make the people who are vaccinated more comfortable, but on a financial business level, I think it will negatively affect us,” Harrison said.

Looking forward, some restaurant managers like Harrison and Kolomvotos agree that the federal government should take more initiative in educating restaurant staff on the vaccine passport. They also feel that the government has not provided enough funding and training for employers and employees. They need time to prepare, even before a grace period begins. “ I really think that the government gave us absolutely no option in this and they also did not give us any education on how to deal with it, nor did they give us the tools or extra money or manpower in order for someone in my restaurant to regulate it. Therefore, on that level, I disagree with the vaccination passport,” Harrison added.

“As long as measures are in place, we still need the government’s help to keep us open and survive the pandemic,” Kolomvotos argued.

NEWS 5 5

Do I Count?

Dawson Students Express Themselves on The Voting Experience.

ALICE MARTIN

Staff Writer

On September 20th, Canadians responded diligently to Justin Trudeau’s call for federal elections.

Out of the millions of people lining up in the polling stations, a young new crowd appeared. Indeed, that day signified for a lot of Dawson students, among others, their first ever elections. As a generation that has shown time and time again how politicised and eager it is to share its opinions, many young people are left to wonder if they actually have the power to change things, and whether their newly earned votes actually weigh much in the balance.

I want to vote for someone who really wants to do something.

Dawson students had a lot to say in regard to what were their incentives to go vote. “I’m able to vote now, I’ve complained about politics for years, so I can’t be a hypocrite and complain about the people in power and then not use my vote when given the opportunity”, says Casey De Andrade Kiss, a 2nd year Literature student here at Dawson.

Another 2nd year Cinema-Communications student, Emma Mégélas, dreamed of change: “I want to vote for someone who really wants to do something. If you want something different, go for something different”.

On the other hand, Catherine Lebrun, a North-South Studies student in her 2nd year felt that her vote meant justice: “Voting, for me, is a way to stand up for yourself and what you believe in”.

While Dawson students seem to have endless motivations to go vote, some also feel like they are in an uphill battle against political campaigns that don’t favor them. Electoral campaigns have had a tendency of addressing the concerns of older gen-

erations, to the detriment of others, and this year is no exception. “We all know that [politicians] spend a lot of time talking to senior citizens, because the pollsters all know that they don’t have as much to do [as younger people], so they vote in much higher percentages”, said Joseph Rosen, professor of Humanities at Dawson, “I really understand the kind of apathy that leads young people to not vote”.

Alexia Silvestri, 2nd year student in Marketing agrees, “It’s a vicious cycle in the way that [politicians] constantly go see the older generation and campaign for them. They’re not paying attention to us”. Many students share her opinion and Catherine Lebrun seems to think it also advantages the politicians to emphasize the older vote, “They know that if young people voted more, then the results would be different”. There seems to be a consensus amongst the new voters that the current political campaigns aren’t made to reach new voters, which in turn impacts their motivation to vote. When asked whether she felt reached out to by politicians, Catherine said one exception stood out: “If I wasn’t interested in [politics], [Jagmeet Singh’s political campaign on TikTok] is the only one that I would’ve seen”.

Young Gen Z voters seem to share a political landscape. Yet, they still make up a small number of the

Photo VIA CBC.CA

demography. It seems as though several would be left to wonder whether their vote counted, but students prove themselves resilient to these misconceptions. “I think it’s discouraging when people don’t go to vote, because the numbers won’t change, so there’s no indicator that there could be change in the future. Even if you know that your preferred candidate won’t win, it’s still important to go vote because it still gets recorded that the numbers are going up for that party”, said Casey passionately.

No matter your allegiance: Red, Dark Blue, Light Blue, Orange, Green, Purple your vote always counts. Even if, upon arriving at the polls, you decided to cancel your ballot, your vote matters in the voter turn-out. Even if you live in a district that votes the same party diligently every four years, you must not let that discourage you. This year, only 62.25% registered Canadians exercised their right to vote. While that may seem like a high number, we are missing the opinion of a little more than 10’000’000 Canadians, which would have the power to change the whole political landscape of Canada.

As the new generation who has the power to change the world, we have to make this happen. Do we count?

Yes, we do. If we want change, we must incarnate change.

6 THE PLANT

ALBUM REVIEW WESTSIDE GUNN – HITLER WEARS HERMES 8: SIDE B STEFANO REBULI Contributor

*Author’s note: this album in no way contains Anti-Semitic language or content.

Its title is a spin on “The Devil Wears Prada.”

On the second half of Hitler Wears Hermes 8, Westside Gunn delivers a hefty offering that is nothing short of a statement. Side B adds 20 tracks to the first 13 on Side A and follows suit with the series’ previous installments, combining luxury street raps with grimy instrumentals. The project shows the Griselda Records frontman capitalizing on his signature sound and his talent as a curator, all while delivering a grand finale to the series.

The production is handled by a variety of producers including legends Alchemist and Madlib, in-house Griselda producers Daringer and Beat Butcha, and up-and-comers Denny LaFlare, Conductor Williams, and Montreal’s own Nicholas Craven.

Most of the instrumentals consist of woozy vocal loops or menacing instrument-based melodies that are either backed by dusty old-school drums or left alone. No matter the combination, each producer uses a winning formula that contributes to the album’s soundscape, one that is equally glitzy and hardcore. Each beat sets itself apart from the next, but they all come together to form a cohesive instrumental palette that stays true to Griselda’s hardcore hip-hop sound.

The mixtape’s feature list is equally impressive. West assembles an Avengers-level roster of collaborators that combines old-school legends, current icons, and rising underground artists. Features include Tyler, The Creator, Jay Electronica, 2 Chainz, Mach-Hommy, Rome Streetz, and Stove God Cooks, among others.

Their appearances speak to West’s abilities as a curator – whether he’s enlisting them for verses or a hook, he meticulously pairs his guests up with a beat, with himself, and sometimes with others, bringing the best out of them.

Photo VIA PITCHFORK

Nearly everyone delivers a standout contribution, making for a tracklist full of show-stopping collaborations.

The subject matter is the usual: Westside Gunn raps about hustling and street life while name-dropping designer brands and making wrestling references. His affinity for luxury and culture transcends his lyrics: sound bites from fashion designers Coco Chanel and Julia Lang are used as skits, whereas his love for wrestling is showcased via an interlude on “Celine Dion” and the track titles of “Brodie Lee”, “Eddie Kingston”, and “Survivor Series 95”. Long-time collaborator and poet Keisha Plum also makes her usual appearance, delivering spoken word poetry on two tracks. Side B includes moments of lyrical introspection as well, with Gunn using the tracks “99 Avirex” and “Big AL” to reflect on his street life and pay tribute to his fallen friends, most notably rapper MF DOOM, his idol who passed away in late 2020.

For however many tracks there are on Side B, there are just as many highlights. “Hell on Earth, Pt. 2” is a hardcore group cut that showcases the synergy between Griselda’s main trifecta (Gunn, Conway the Machine, and Benny the Butcher) and the following “Free Kutter” uses a smooth instrumental that perfectly complements Gunn’s rapping and Jay Electronica’s intricate flow. “Julia Lang” and “Celine Dion” demonstrate West’s dominance over menacing piano and violin-based beats, while the glittery “TV BOY” finds him shining over a trademark Griselda instrumental from Beat Butcha & Daringer. On “Best Dressed

Demons” and “RIP Bergdorf ”, Mach-Hommy and Gunn pick up where they left off on May’s Pray for Haiti, trading fashion bars and further proving themselves as a dynamic duo.

“Forest Lawn” easily stands out as one of the best cuts on Side B. Over a piercing string-based instrumental, the most haunting on the entire project, Gunn proclaims his own greatness and vows to take said words to his grave. 2 Chainz and Armani Caesar follow up with verses that contain effortlessly catchy flows. “Survivor Series 95” is the sole bump in the road across all 20 tracks, suffering from being dragged out too far. The instrumental does not vary beyond a two-note loop and its four verses are not compelling enough to excuse its 7-minute runtime.

Above all, Westside Gunn strikes a balance between quality and quantity on Hitler Wears Hermes 8: Side B. He makes use of his curational talent by providing listeners with a high-grade beat selection and a variety of carefully selected and utilized guests, all while holding his own. The mixtape serves as another testament to Griselda’s grimy and hardcore hip-hop sound and ends the HWH series’ 9-year run on a high note. Between its ambitious length and its outstanding quality, Hitler Wears Hermes 8—Side B especially—is a masterclass in the art of going out with a bang.

Favourite tracks: Free Kutter, Forest Lawn, 99 Avirex Least favourite track: Survivor Series 95 Overall rating: 8.5/10

=ARTS & CULTURE 7 7

Legacy of Dune A long-awaited masterpiece or another disaster in the making?

DARIA BOCICOVA Sports Editor

If you call yourself a fan of science-fiction and your eyes don’t spontaneously light up whenever you hear the word ‘dune’, then you’re obviously lying.

When Frank Herbert published Dune, the first out of the six books in the series, in 1965, it took over the hearts of the geeks worldwide by storm. Now considered one of the most celebrated and influential science-fiction novels ever written, it became the classic of the genre.

The story is set in a faraway future where human civilization is scattered throughout the cosmos, existing in a feudal society with the Padishah Emperor at its helm. The power is divided between many noble houses, one of whom happens to be House Atreides.

Members of the house, led by the head of the family, Duke Leto Atreides, peacefully live on the planet, Caladan, until one day the Duke gets appointed as the new governor of a desert planet, Arrakis. The protagonist of the story is his son and heir, Paul who, at the beginning of the book, is 15 years old. While the native inhabitants of the planet praise Paul and his mother, Jessica, a dangerous conflict with a rival house over precious resources that can put his safety and the safety of his people in jeopardy is brewing. Born for a destiny he could never dream of, and with a power beyond human understanding, Paul has to conquer his greatest fears to survive.

If you’re not already on the way to the nearest book store after reading this, we cannot be friends.

The first-ever movie adaptation of Dune, brought to the big screen in 1984 by David Lynch, became a marvellous example of how not to adapt a book. Completely demolished by the long-standing fans of the series, the film managed to also get below-average ratings from the critics and become a red flag on anyone’s watch list.

But in the world of a genius aka Frank Herbert, “Given the right lever, you can move a planet”. And, now, 37 years and a few less prominent at-

tempts later, thankfully without David Lynch’s marvelous touch, Dune gets a second chance to captivate its audience at the cinemas. A film by Denis Villeneuve, a Canadian director who has already given us Arrival, Blade Runner 2049. He admitted that has, himself, been a huge fan of the books for a while so hopefully, Villeneuve is as committed to introducing Herbert’s universe to the younger generation through a well-known to them medium as we hope. With a fellow geek at the helm, cinematography born of

Photo VIA REDDIT

Greig Fraser’s creative genius and a brilliant all-star cast of such famous faces as Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Oscar Issac and many others, led by Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, I have a feeling that we are in for a fun ride.

Dune premieres on October 21st.

Whether you’re a die-hard sci-fi fan who has been crossing days off your calendar since you’ve heard about the film, or you got lost on the way to the store and accidentally stumbled into the cinema, you will not regret it.

8 THE PLANT

PLAYLIST

Playlist by PIPA JONES Editor-in-Chief

Artwork by Angela Zhai @ANGSDOODS

Visual Arts by DANAÉE DESCAILLOT Visual Arts Editor Artwork by Darcy Loane-Billings @SOMEGUYNAMEDDARCY

Artwork by Anaïs-Aimée Rafaelsen @FLEUR_AIME

VISUAL ARTS 9 9 9

10 THE PLANT

Why We Like Halloween and Horror A halloween and horror discussion with Dawson professors Dr Jay Shea and Dr Kristopher Woofter MATTEO DI GIOVANNI Arts & Culture Editor

Spooky times! Fall is known for being the spookiest season of the year because it’s Halloween time! We celebrate the Halloween festivities in different ways whether it’s trick or treating, having costume parties, going to haunted houses, pumpkin carving or, binging horror movies to exhilarate the mood of the season.

But why exactly do we love putting ourselves into those scary situations, particularly with horror movies? I wanted to know more about our desire for fright, so I decided to have a discussion with Dawson College professors Dr. Jay Shea and Dr. Kris-

Photo BY MATTEO DI GIOVANNI

topher Woofter to discuss the horror film genre, LGBTQ+ identity in relation to horror movies and popular Halloween traditions.

One aspect of Halloween I adore is that it remains so popular amongst young adults. At first, I thought this youth popularity towards Halloween tended to be more exclusive to our generation. However, as Jay points out: “I don’t think our generation, [which] Kris and I came from, gravitated towards Halloween any less.

I think that there’s something kind of enduring about the attraction of Halloween, but it also has to do with [the] cultural context. When we were growing up, it was [all about] religious rights, candy scares and

those [type of] things. The real horror shows were [things] like Pat Robertson saying that ‘Halloween is like Satan worship and that you shouldn’t do it’. I think that, combined with our parents telling us we should be extra careful, made us maybe want to do it a little bit more.

So, I was thinking that there might be something [during Halloween] about an allowance for perverseness or doing something we’re not supposed to do or, not usually allowed to do”. Kris adds that: “I think it’s also about [the] argument that teenagers, younger teenagers especially, want to rehearse socialization with each other. They want to show [to other people] [that] they’re like ‘I’m strong

PLAYLIS ARTS & CULTURE 11 11

and powerful’. So, others want to see how far they can take their vulnerability. You know, you’re testing identity and horror is a great way because it is constantly jolting and shocking you! There’s [constant] screaming [with] horror. It’s shock, scream & laugh, shock, scream & laugh”. He also states that the horror genre is one that “endures” regardless of generation.

When I asked if they felt rebellious watching horror, Kris jolted in agreement. He shares his own experience, while also laughing at its appropriateness for The Plant, and says that: “around the time I was discovering how much I liked porn, I watched my first Lucio Fulci film, “The Beyond”. And, when I would watch porn, I would feel a little guilty, as anyone does at probably any age, but I felt much more guilty watching “The Beyond” because that movie is just excessive in so many ways! I felt like I was doing way worse things than I was when watching porn. And I was like, ‘cool, I’m going to be the guy who watches this kind of horror film’”.

Since horror deals with such intense subject matter, I brought up Robin Wood’s statement that “horror is the most progressive of the movie genres”. Jay agrees with him but also believes that there are still plenty of “reactionary horror movies” with “conservative, misogynist and sometimes racist elements in [them]”.

Kris later adds onto this by saying that the slasher film made women the target but at the same time, made female characters more powerful. Jay also wonders if horror has “opened up a space for women to be, yes, treated in pretty ugly ways but, also, to be the superhero in a way that maybe other genres haven’t done before”. In addition, they believe the idea that: “the slasher is a game of dress up.

It’s a game of trying on a different identity, and a different perspective in the world and I think that is kind of what Halloween is all about, to some extent.”

To add onto the notion that the horror genre opened a space for female identity, I followed up by asking if they think horror has allowed space for queer identity. Kris and Jay, who both identify as queer, felt mixed on this question. They both believe

that horror films have negative queer representation, but Jay also states that “so many of us who are in the community of horror studies … are queer”. Kris relates his queer identity with his experience to watching Creepshow by sharing that: “As a closeted queer kid, I think that being a fan of horror and making that part of your identity for me was an element of acknowledging that I was a ‘weird’ kid. For my other friends, they didn’t watch Creepshow for the same reasons I wanted to watch Creepshow. They

It allows for a celebration of transgression and opening up of boundaries watched it to scream at parties, but I liked it because it was so beautiful with reds, blues, and greens, it looked like a comic book. So, latching onto that for me was important because horror was about marginality, and I was marginalized! It’s something to think about”.

Focusing on the mood associated with the season, I asked them what they think about the overall feeling of Fall that draws us towards wanting to celebrate Halloween. Kris makes a very clever statement saying: “with the season, you start to be more aware of the decay and the death of the year” to which Jay adds on: “decadence in the sense of its true etymological sense of decay but, I also think it’s like a decadent chocolate bar because there’s something that’s rotten but at the same time there’s a beauty and a sweetness to it.” They go onto boiling it down into a few things and says: “it allows for a celebration of transgression and opening up of boundaries. We see that from the belief …that this is the time where the veil is lifted between the world of the living and the dead. So, there is that boundary that is breached and there’s a sense of openness and connectedness maybe to thoughts of the ghostly world, to thoughts of immortality to which both are like the quintessential double. It’s beautiful, it’s what we want because if those two live that means we can live on forever and maybe we’ll die but that also means that we are haunted everyday and

that there are spirits and specters out there that may not have our needs in mind”. They conclude this with the idea of stranger danger being flipped upside down since we go door to door asking for candy “opening up our door to an Other”.

For media to consume this Halloween, Jay and Kris recommend: “Prince of Darkness”, “Phantasm”, “The Changeling”, “Suspiria”, “Friday the 13th Part II”, “Halloween III: Season of the Witch”, “Twin Peaks”, “Nosferatu”, “Channel Zero” and “Twin Peaks”.

And finally, Kris shares details about Montreal’s horror community.

He is currently putting together a group of teachers at Dawson to create a horror studies collective but for now, he is continuing his work with The Montreal Monstrum Society.

Monstrum is a community consisting of teachers and professors volunteering their time to offer courses and lectures on horror in Montreal. Kris also hinted at possibly having Dawson Alumni and Indigenous filmmaker, Jeff Barnaby, coming to talk at The Montreal Monstrum Society.

The first lecture releases this month & you can find more general information at https://www.monstrum-society.ca/

12 THE PLANT

Dawson’s Disorganized Back to School 2021: An Open Letter to the Administration MARIA TERESA PEREIRA Contributor

I have been an elementary school substitute teacher for the past 13 years and a preschool teacher for the past 17. I am no stranger to germs. The ways daycares, preschools and elementary/high schools have been able to structure their students’ movements around schools have helped limit their students’ exposure to COVID-19. I have lived it and seen it in elementary schools for the duration of last year. This in mind, what I have seen at Dawson during our first week of classes has been a disaster. It has gotten me sincerely worried for the first time during this pandemic.

Initially, I was not too worried about coming back to school, even though I was disappointed knowing that school would be back fully in-person. In my opinion, there should have been a hybrid model during this semester as a transition to a fully in-person semester, as many other Cegeps and universities have offered to their students (such as Concordia and John Abbott, to name a few).

What makes me worry is the elevated risk I am taking every day by going to school. I have 5 classes on Mondays alone. In classes, we are packed 40 into a room, elbow to elbow. With an average of 40 people in each class, I’m around 200 people in an enclosed space every Monday, and that is excluding the zoo of people I encounter crammed into the hallways, elevators and staircases. There is no way to social distance AT ALL. To make it worse, there are no hand sanitizers in classrooms. There are some big bottles near major entrances, but the dispensers in hallways are often empty, with a mere note on them saying to ‘look for another station’.

I know my anxiety is probably normal, stemming from the sudden return to reality. Believe me, I want

things to become as normal as possible. I was always of the thought that businesses needed to open up fast because things couldn’t remain closed forever. I understand most of all that the mental health of people was at stake in making the back-toschool decisions. I have mental health issues. So does my adult autistic son.

I had to let him continue to take the bus and metro even during the height of the pandemic, because it was too detrimental to his developmental acquisitions to stay home. The benefit of him taking public transit far outweighed the consequences to his mental health, so his elevated risk of Covid exposure was warranted in his case, according to my evaluation as his mother.

Students should be able to evaluate and take the risks that they are comfortable taking.

Taking all of this into account, the return to in-person classes should have been staggered in colleges and universities, where the sheer number of students makes it impossible to manage the students’ movements as is possible in less populated elementary/high schools. Students should be able to evaluate and take the risks that they are comfortable taking. Courses could have been offered in person for those who absolutely needed to get out of their houses and socialize (preserving mental health), while the school could have placed cameras in classrooms so that students who wanted to remain home could follow along with their lessons.

This would have cut down the number of people on campus, reducing the risk of an outbreak, while preserving students’ freedom of choice. It seems that this decision would have been the best of both worlds. Was it

considered? If so, what was the reasoning behind going through with a 5000-student return all at once? It makes no sense.

Now, I know this is all easier said than done. But we have adapted throughout Covid. This is something that could have realistically been done.

I never thought I would be complaining about this situation, however, living through it this week just made me realize how disorganized of a return this was. Students were not consulted, and since we are the ones living through the consequences of the College’s decisions, shouldn’t we have been? I was not provided the opportunity to take the calculated risks I was comfortable taking; the choice was made for me, which resulted in me being obliged to sit in a classroom surrounded by 200 students on a Monday alone.

I simply wanted to voice my concern and displeasure at the situation. As the epidemiological situation in Quebec worsens and we continue to spiral downwards into the 4th wave, I’m speculating that we will eventually be online again. It seems inevitable...

As we navigate the ups and downs of this pandemic, please keep in mind that providing flexibility surrounding being in class or online just seems like the right thing to do for us all, doesn’t it?

Thank you for considering my suggestions.

VOICES 13 13

Can I Get High and Get High Grades?

ISABELLA BLU PTITO-ECHEVERRIA Voices Editor

If you regularly smoke weed, you know about its omnipresence on campus perimeters. Even if you’re just out for a cigarette, there will be at least one group passing around a joint or sucking the cigarette-infused hash smoke out of a Coke bottle. Despite telling yourself you won’t be getting high this time, the fact that cannabis is so readily available at any given time makes self-control in the name of education such a complicated ordeal. As an ex-pot-smoker and avid learner, I am all too familiar with having to juggle pot-smoking and grade-maintenance daily. With that in mind, I’d like to tell you why I quit smoking weed, despite all the fruitfulness it brought to my social life during my first semester at Dawson.

POV: It’s Fall 2019. Every break is a moment where time stands still.

With a cigarette between your lips, you’re kicking a hacky-sack between a fresh group of potential besties.

“Do you smoke weed?” asks an acquaintance.

“Oh, HELL YEAH I do!”

This brief interaction sparks intense communal excitement; there is something unspoken that unifies people who smoke weed.

Unlike in high school, we now have the freedom to roll a joint out in the open. No more threats of detention or expulsion; seize the moment, man!

You and your mates are giddy as the mason jar is popped open. The scent triggers vivid memories of all your best while-I-was-high stories.

The sun is shining bright; you’re overwhelmed with an overarching sense of peace.

That familiar skunkiness fills your lungs. “This is so cool! I can smoke weed here, and I won’t get in trouble!”

The euphoria lasts for a while.

Your friends trickle off to their classes. Then it’s just you. Reality sets in: “Fuck, I gotta go to class.”

That numbed bliss is smothered once you walk into Dawson. You

check your schedule a few hundred times, your impaired memory failing to grasp the number of the classroom you’re supposed to get to.

Alas, you’ve arrived, but you were late due to the time spent confusedly roaming about the halls. Everyone stares at you. Do you reek of weed? Is the professor onto you?

You find a secluded seat and set up camp. Your teacher lectures on, but you struggle to process anything.

Sure, you hear the words, but it’s just noise. Everyone else seems to get it...

They look so prepared! You desperately want to leave; “There’s no point in being here, I’m too high to learn.”

For some, it enhances creativity, boosts productivity, alleviates anxiety...

For me, weed was a handicap.

You either bury your head in your arms and close your eyes until you hear other students shuffling their belongings, or you hold your breath and march out of the classroom mid-lecture in hopes of finding more like-minded friends back outside. In any case, that fiasco turns into a few, and by the time you’re sober and ready to learn, you’ve missed too much, so you panic-skip your next class. “I’m so lost... There’s no point in going.”

You go back outside and chainsmoke cigarettes until a familiar face passes by. Perhaps you can chat, or more importantly, light a joint together to get to that timeless utopia you crave. Only this time, when you finally get there, it feels like purgatory. The cycle continues. A year goes by, half of your friends have graduated, and you are alone knowing that each one of your friendships will fleet as the Earth spins on without you.

I must note that weed affects everyone differently. For some, it enhances creativity, boosts productivity, alleviates anxiety... For me, weed was a handicap. Getting stoned would

make me more aware of my thoughts, but not in a wise, self-aware way; it made my thoughts my entire world, to the point where I couldn’t experience anything new. I was too far removed from the present to learn from it. As a student, I couldn’t learn. As a person, I couldn’t grow. Learning is the pinnacle of growth, and being chronically stoned prevented me from doing that in any way. That is why I chose to quit.

Looking back on those days is bittersweet. While my impulse is to call it a waste of time, I’m glad I did what I did. Everyone has the right to fuck up their first semester in favour of reckless fun, and I’m lucky to have exercised that right before a pandemic stole our youth. I do, however, mourn the knowledge I missed out on by showing up high to class. I mourn the grades I could have gotten, had I decided to do my homework instead of getting high with strangers in a field somewhere. Consequently, my grades do not reflect my intelligence. Nowadays, I’m lucky to have found the strength to kick my habit for good. That is, at least while I’m in school.

14 THE PLANT

Ask The Plant PIPA JONES Editor-in-Chief

Dear Plant, What is a gender and where do I get one?

Love, Bones I’m going to be honest with you, Bones (Bonesy? Bonathan?), I picked mine up at a garage sale when I was 12, it was like $2 and my mom said I could get whatever I wanted. It doesn’t always work and sometimes it makes this weird beeping noise that I can’t turn off. Most of the time it just sits on the stack of books by my desk, but at this point I’m kinda attached to it and I don’t really wanna throw it out. I feel like the space would be too empty. Maybe I could put a plant there instead.

I’m definitely not the best person to ask about gender. I mean I can tell you what I did for mine, but I think I missed the day where they were explaining what it was so I tried looking it up but all the websites were subscription based and I didn’t feel like turning my ad-blocker off to access them. Nobody answered my emails about it either.

From what I understand, it’s one of those collectible sets with a bunch of different colours but you can never collect the whole set because the company only sends one colour per shipment so even if you buy like 10 at once from the store they’ll all be the same. Not sure if it’s the same for all the brands though, might depend where you get it from.

You can probably find them anywhere they sell soap. Same section, bottom shelf. Walmart, Canadian Tire, maybe even the Dep might have? I’m pretty sure I saw some at Dollarama once. It was in the aisle next to the candy, but it’s the dollar store so just be aware of the quality, you probably get what you pay for. I have a friend in one of the arts programs who got his from the Dawson Bookstore downstairs to test it out. Apparently it’s not that great, they tried returning it but it was non-refundable. She said she’d wait for it to break before getting a new one just so it wasn’t a complete waste. Reduce, reuse, recycle, save the planet, all that stuff.

Personally, I recommend going to the thrift store to buy a gender.

It’s more sustainable, there’s always a bunch of different styles, and if you look long enough you can usually find some gems! I went to the Value Village near my house the other day and I found this really pretty one, it didn’t fit me though but I ended up getting it for my friend anyway. I’m giving it to her tomorrow, I’m really hoping she likes it because I think it would really suit her.

If you don’t feel like paying for it just steal it; nobody’s gonna know. Who’s gonna know? Nobody’s gonna know. They don’t pay

VOICES 15

anyone enough to keep track of them. Or wait for after Christmas or Valentine’s Days, that’s when things usually go on sale.

Whatever you end up getting, just make sure it fits comfortably and you can move around in it. Doesn’t really matter what anyone else thinks, even if someone says it’s “whacky” or “eccentric” (thanks mom), someone else will appreciate it just as much as you. Also if you change your mind you can always get another one later! It really doesn’t matter, as long as you’re happy with it.

Gender, I want to say, is like a bottle of wine. I personally don’t know anything about wine, so I usually just get the one with the prettiest label. Bonus points if it’s a sparkling red, I like those a lot.

In the meantime, Bonesy, I’ll let you know if I see any for sale on Depop.

Best of luck my dear Bones, xoxo,

The Plant

Skull of a Skeleton with Burning Cigarette (1885), Vincent van Gogh

16 THE PLANT

VOICES

BookTok: TikTok Talks Books JOSEPHINE ROSS Staff Writer

TikTok, the hit social media and entertainment platform, gained popularity due to its eerily accurate algorithm, its diverse user base and snappy, addictive short video format.

As the platform grew in popularity, various communities within TikTok began to emerge. These different “sides” of TikTok are centered around a varied range of (sometimes rather niche) topics, “BookTok” being one of the most popular communities on the app.

BookTok rapidly gained popularity, even amongst users who may not consider themselves “bookworms”. Within this side of TikTok, creators produce diverse book-related content, such as recommendation videos with titles like “5 Books That Will Make You Fall in Love with Reading” or relatable literature-enthusiast videos like “Things That Bookworms Do”. Part of the reason why BookTok works is due to the pairing of TikTok, which could be considered Gen Z’s favourite way to consume content, and reading, an activity that many young people have set aside in favour of “easier”, often screen-based, media consumption.

Like most social media, BookTok has its pros and cons. I think it is important to highlight the positive impact of BookTok before criticizing it. This community is accomplishing

Photo VIA CHAPTERS INDIGO

a feat that schools, libraries, and other institutions have tried for years: an uptick in young people reading.

Additionally, the community has impacted the popularization of formerly unknown authors, often promoting writers who normally would not receive a huge platform to advertise their new work. There is also something to say about the type of books recommended; I have seen far more references to LGBTQ+ literature than in any other privatized advertisement. Furthermore, BookTok has effectively connected a community of like-minded readers across the globe.

BookTok has even had an impact on how bookstores market their new releases. For example, Indigo now features an “As Seen on BookTok’’ section in their stores and online.

That being said, BookTok has definitely had some negative effects as well. For starters, if you make a habit of consulting BookTok for recommendations, you have probably noticed a pattern in the books that the BookTok algorithm decides to popularize. Recommendations that gain traction seem to be limited to YA, fantasy, and romance novels, most of which have been published in the last ten years. There is nothing wrong with this category of books, however, scrolling BookTok is not the most valuable tool if you are aiming to diversify your reading list. Whilst many creators on BookTok have used the platform to recommend their per-

sonal favourites, a pattern emerged of people recommending the same dozen books. Popular titles in these videos include The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, From Blood and Ash, The Song of Achilles, We Were Liars, The Midnight Library, and Normal People.

Being a young adult on the platform, I was not immune to the “hype” these books received. Eventually, I caved and read a handful of the much-appraised books. Whilst I did enjoy many of the novels, I found that some were rather overrated. In other words, my expectations for some of the books had been so heightened due to the volume of positive exposure that they received on the app that when it came to reading them, I was often disappointed. The most frustrating part of all this is that if I had picked up these novels without being promised that they would change my life or bring me to tears, I probably would have enjoyed my reading experience more.

BookTok is certainly a valuable community, filled with original content and passionate creators; we can attribute many positive effects to the platform. If you are interested in reading some “BookTok books”, Normal People and All The Light We Cannot See are two titles I enjoyed, although I will not promise that they will change your life.

CREATIVE WRITING 17 17

THE BLACKNESS OF NIGHT There’s something exquisitely cathartic in October. You bring out the rats, you feel the first sting of cold on the wind, you dress to provoke fear or lust, or, best of all, a mix of both. Things usually forbidden and nasty take center-stage. Death and gore become festivities or outfit accessories. There’s illness, pus, blood and guts. All for the hell of it! This October I am reduced to blood and flesh and I am here for it. Of course, October can also be flannel sweaters, full-moon nights, warm orange-red-yellow-brown-tinted photos, cardigans and chai lattes. It’s a personal choice, and these poems take it both ways.

MAYAN GODMAIRE

Creative Writing Editor

Confessions of a Cashier KAYLA JOY FRIEDLAND Contributor between the buzzing and beeping and sweet potatoes rolling beyond the carpet and to your feet where you greet me with squiggly lines for eyebrows that look like your undercooked toddler took a sharpie to your forehead I try to look behind the empty eyes of paying customers who are supposed to mean nothing to me but queen elizabeth on green plastic and some canadian bird on a donation that could’ve been you sigh and tell me you’ve already given money to a cause that runs on a constant influx of the public’s hard earned cash you smile, I smile back a papercut on my thumb as i hand you your ticket out of the beeps and buzzing and painfully bright artificial constellations and i wonder about you and why you think one donation is enough and if donations are a form of self gratification? or if i’m just too generous, or not generous at all, maybe i’m pretentious maybe i deserve a nobel prize maybe i deserve less than 13.50 an hour maybe the earth is dying and you spent $1 on plastic bags, or did you? because i didn’t charge you but you didn’t notice you were too busy scraping your wallet of a facade of generosity and the human condition that never fails to go stale

18 THE PLANT

Tragedy JULIETA LOZANO-RAMSAY Contributor Taking it for granted, the oldest tale Tragedy makes the hermit set sail Tragedy reassigns value Tragedy makes the obedient wail Tragedy is the secret that found you Tragedy is not the coffin, but the nail The villain profits and the fool fights it Tragedy doesn’t create imbalance, it highlights it As you fall make sure to tip the scale Taking it for granted, an overgrown trail

I love you in the morning EMMY RUBIN Contributor I love you in the morning, When you dance in the bathroom As you brush your teeth.

I love you in the afternoon, When you sit alone outside Reading a book under a tree I love you in the evening, When you get home and call your friends On your pink rotary phone But most of all I love you underneath the moon, When I stand in the shadows of your room As you sleep, at peace, but not alone.

Dr. Seuss’ Drunken Rambling After a Marital Affair ISABELLA BLU PTITO-ECHEVERRIA Voices Editor “You’re a nose-picker, head-splitter, tooth-breaker, shit-eater!”

A finger pointed like the metal bat of some beer-bellied wife-beater.

Yet it’s me she’s yelling at, with her foul-breathed, baseball brat of a tongue singing ghastly words, just for fun But she ain’t wrong, I’m a head-splitting, tooth-breaking, shit-eating cheater.

The scene is so cold I’d buy some sweat by the litre The rose-scented witch I was with didn’t like me either I try to feel bad-I’m like a child on a seesaw when I see her the weight back and forth, from leg-to-leg, it teeters Who made it so playgrounds were built?

To let our wild-child out with no guilt?

It’s a facade, because at the slightest tilt You’ll find yourself balls-deep in a rose-scented, world-shattering, divorce-inducing aether.

CREATIVE WRITING 19 19

Black and white ASPEN CRICK Contributor It’s that time of year again: Spooky season, Her favourite season.

A smile escaping her lips As smoke makes its way past them.

Cigarette in one hand, My hand in her other.

A flannel to keep her warm But her blood flow being enough To keep the surge of energy.

“Smoke and cigarettes” Smoke filling the air Only makes me miss her more More than I should.

All I have left is a wisp, A cloud of smoke.

Watching from a distance As others find love In October.

Yes, You Can Be Them CHRISTOPHER DIMITRIADIS Contributor Yes, you can be them.

I want you to be them.

Be yourself.

Your true self, my darling.

Yes, you can be the ever-loving cottagecore witch in the backyard with your kitty sidekick.

Yes, you can be as masculine as your heart desires.

Yes, you can be all of those things while remaining mine.

I love you for who you are.

And that will never change in a millennia.

And before you know it, We will be holding one another while drifting off into a dreamland.

Smiling as we embrace each other.

Author’s note: This poem is a response to Aspen Crick's poem "Can I Be Them?," published in last month’s edition of The Plant

20 THE PLANT

Illustrations by MAYAN GODMAIRE Creative Writing Editor

The Bees’ First Sting TEA BARRETT Contributor Coats over costumes like clouds covering the sun, Sneaking sweets out of your sack.

The evening always ends too early, Until the sugar crash hits.

The autumn air nips at your skin like a collie herding sheep and roses your cheeks, While a jack-o-lantern’s blazing eyes cast daring shadows on your courage.

The journey to the Door, a dangerous one it is, Through treacherous and unknown, Could the monster under your bed be within?

But the reward gives your feet a mind of their own as they push onward.

Past the gangly ghouls and the menacing macabre darkness, The abyss of horrors steals your sense of self, strips you of your façade.

“Bzz! Bzz! Bzz!” go the bees in your brain as they pollinate your fears, And they’ll cultivate the cycle endlessly, The Door.

You need to get to the Door.

But a challenger faces you on the porch, a looming boulder in your path.

Is it real? Am I safe?

You stare into the hollow eyes of the scarecrow that invite you to fall in, To lose yourself in the corn maze of your consternation.

And you swallow hard when you feel shards of glass stick in your throat like honey.

Your feet are your betrayal, like the paws of a cat testing the waters.

Eyes the size of endless pits, cautious and wary, The air in your lungs race against the rising of your ribs the closer you get.

Closer…

Closer..

Closer.

You made it to safety…

For now.

But the bees keep buzzing, they’ll ring in your ears like a vicious tinnitus, Honeycombing the essence of your identity and stinging your heart like a hornet.

Until the Door stands and greets you like an old friend.

Until you can turn the handle.

CREATIVE WRITING

SPORTS 21 21 21

Working Out Behind a Screen How Alternative Sports Will Rescue Your Workout Routine DARIA BOCICOVA & ALICE MARTIN Sports Editor & Staff Writer

Alice: I’ve been thinking lately that it’s so much easier to stay at home and play video games than it is to go to the gym. I’m either lacking in motivation or easily bored.

Daria: Well, then why not unite the two? Who said that you can’t play video games and be physically active at the same time? There are plenty of alternative sports that include both.

Alice: That’s right, don’t we all remember the Pokemon GO craze? That was a huge trend in 2016 and often comes to mind when talking about combining fun and physical activity. All of a sudden, there was a 99% chance that anyone walking in parks looking at their phone would be playing Pokemon GO. You got to live out this fantasy world that most of us who grew out collecting pokemon cards and playing the game have gotten so attached to. Plus, the gigantic bonus was that it became almost too easy to clock in 10,000 steps in a day in order to reach the most PokeStops possible. Here’s your motivation. However, the app lived its hay day in July 2016 and suffered a massive downfall which made the app lose an extraordinary amount of its players. But, Pokemon GO is far from being the only alternative sport. Daria, I remember you mentioning something newer, yet similar.

Daria: Yes, actually, I recently became addicted to this new game that resembles Pokémon GO a lot, but proved to be much more interesting and engaging to me, especially as a fan of fantasy. I’m sure you remember the popular game trilogy, The Witcher which was based on the book series of the same name.

Alice: Of course, there’s also a Netflix series.

Daria: We don’t talk about that. Anyhow, now anyone can have a taste of the life of a witcher right on their phones with The Witcher Monster Slayer. The game consists of not only searching for monsters and slaying them but developing your own character and enhancing their equipment. You’ll have to gather ingredients and brew potions and oils to survive. This game really puts your quick thinking to a test. You also get different quests from other characters that you may encounter during your travels.

I spent all of Friday evening running around my neighbourhood looking for some merchant’s lost horse that was taken by a gryphon. Rest assured that I completed my daily steps goal in less than a couple of hours. My phone probably thought that I was being chased by an actual monster.

Photo VIA CD Project

Daria: Yeah, like a lot of my teachers are.

Alice: Relatable, but moving on, let’s dive deeper into the theme of monsters in alternative sports. Consider this: if you’re getting chased by a horde of zombies, wouldn’t you run faster and longer? Although this scenario, hopefully, is not likely to happen anytime soon, Zombies! Run is an app on the App Store that aims at recreating those conditions as accurately as possible. The experience is focused on a narrative where you are a “Runner” for a group of survivors of the zombie apocalypse who have to go gather resources and supplies. There are multiple features in this app that I liked. First, you can choose whether you want to be chased by zombies or not. If you choose to, it creates a great interval training and of course, you get that extra adrenaline boost. If you remove the chase option, you are in for a smoother ride, where you get to follow your own pace, which is less stressful and more relaxing. Second, if you don’t want to run, but you have a rower or an elliptical at home, it has an option to simulate running. Finally, it has an option to track your calories and exercise time as well as the distance through GPS, if you prefer to run outside rather than inside.

Daria: Speaking of GPS. Do you know what GEO-caching is?

Alice: It’s like a treasure hunt, right?

Daria: Yes, precisely! The keeper, at least that’s what I call it, would hide or bury the treasure. Once that is done, the keeper shall take note of the coordinates and transmit them to the rest of the players. One can also create elaborate puzzles for the players to solve in order to get the coordinates to increase the difficulty. And if your friends don’t want to play, you can always find someone online.

But some of the most exciting things happen when one interprets the coordinates wrongly. Therefore, remember, if you are ever going to try this and you end up at a cemetery, double-check before pulling out a shovel.

Alice: Monsters are indeed a great way to motivate you.

Alice: You didn’t…

22 THE PLANT

SPORTS

Photo VIA UBISOFT

Daria: I didn’t. But if you see someone gravedigging at night, it may be someone I know. But as much as I like it, the winter is coming and you know me. If there’s more than 10 cm of snow, it’s the end of the world and I’m not going anywhere.

Photo VIA WALLPAPERACCESS

Alice: Well I have a solution. Let me tell you about another great alternative: Beat Saber. This game made me sweat my heart out for 3 hours without noticing. Beat Saber is a game exclusive to Oculus virtual reality headsets whose objective is to break cubes with sabers that are coming at you at full speed to a rhythmic electronic beat. Although its mechanics are fairly simple, this game is ridiculously fun and challenging, especially due to its energetic playlist and multiple playing options. Although Beat Saber is one of the most physically demanding games on Oculus, we have to recognize virtual reality as physical activity in general. Even the developers of Oculus themselves, Facebook, realised that and included a software that tracks calories burnt and exercise time for the day.

With Beat Saber, I would regularly hit 700 calories in a session. Unfortunately, it does require buying a VR headset and it is limited in multiplayer. Sometimes I’m with friends and we can’t play because there is no local CO-OP option.

Daria: And that’s why we have Just Dance. I think most of us have been playing it for as long as we can remember, I know I have. At this point, whenever my cats hear the soundtrack, they leave the house. Now, one of my favourite things about this game is the multiplayer option.

There are options for up to four people in terms of choreography but it’s also possible for multiple people to play as the same character. Plus, if a few years ago you needed to buy an Xbox Kinect or PlayStation Move separately if you play on one of these consoles, now you can just connect your phone and dance until you drop. It’s also available on Nintendo Switch for a more portable option. But even if you don’t have a console, you can just find a gameplay video on YouTube and enjoy it for free. With an ever growing library of songs and new hits being added every year, there is certainly something for everyone. I cannot stress enough how many crazy nights I spent playing Just Dance with my friends until dawn.

Alice: Inadvertently, all these platforms make you connect with friends, go outside and make time pass quicker. Aside from actually working out, alternative sports have a lot more benefits. They really do take the best out of both worlds, uniting the physical activity of sports and the fun of video games and it is definitely something that we should all be participating in a lot more.

SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT 23

Trees: Can They Save Us? EMILY MCQUEEN Copy Editor

The words “Lots of solutions are talked about but what about a solution that is right in front of us?” were spoken by Greta Thunberg, climate activist and Nobel prize winner, in a conservation.com viral video. She and climate activist George Monbiot go on to explain that tree planting and forest conservation is a key part of the solution in fighting against climate change. Trees suck carbon out of the air, cost little and build on themselves; they seem to be the perfect solution, but are they enough?

The answer is no; not if overly powerful corporations and our own government continue to use tree planting as compensation for releasing CO2 into the atmosphere. Trees can also go from CO2 drainers to a CO2 source if affected by natural disasters such as forest fires or viruses.

Trees are crucial to the decrease of carbon emissions and the survival of many ecosystems. Thunberg and George explain that all trees from coral reefs, to jungles, to swamps, to the northern Canadian forest could make a massive difference. They list three contributions we must make to help: “Protect, restore and fund.” We must protect trees from direct hu-

Photo VIA VANCOUVER SUN

man harm but also natural disasters.

We must restore our forests from harm we have caused in the past. To achieve the two previous steps, we need funding .

The Canadian government was one of the first to take advantage of this solution by investing 3.2 billion dollars into planting 2 billion trees over the next 10 years. According to the Government of Canada’s page “tree planting under the Growing Canada’s Forest program will help Canada exceed its 2030 Paris Agreement greenhouse gas emissions reduction target and establish the building blocks to get to net-zero by 2050.” Since the Trudeau government has not taken much action other than this to reduce Canada’s gas emission, they evidently believe that this is a sufficient solution.

Tree planting is quite helpful, but is it enough? British ecologist Thomas Crowther states in the Rolling Stones article Planting Trees to Fight Climate Change that, “if we can do it right, the conservation and restoration of forests can potentially buy us some time as we try to decarbonize our economies.” The problem is that many governments and carbon polluters use tree planting as a means for excusing their fossil fuel use and CO2 emissions. In Crowther’s words,

“if tree planting is just used as an excuse to avoid cutting greenhouse-gas emissions, then it could be a real disaster.”

With the augmentation of climate disasters, forests are increasingly at risk. Calamities, such as forest fires or bug viruses that kill trees, turn trees from carbon drains into carbon sources. That is why Canada must protect its forests by reducing greenhouse gasses because the defrizzing of the permafrost (layer of year-round frozen earth) releases viruses that will negatively affect trees and summer heat waves causing large scale forest fires. The Rolling Stones article goes on to explain that during the California forest fires, the dying trees released 600 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. Canada has had both an increasing amount of forest fires and many bark beetle infestations, which voraciously kill trees.

The dead and dying trees turn from “carbon sinks to a carbon source.”

Canada’s tree planting efforts are not in vain, but we must simultaneously reduce our carbon emissions with more practical methods. When trees are used as greenhouse gas storage our forests become a ticking time bomb, overtly waiting for the next natural disaster.

24 THE PLANT

A Quick Note from the Editor-in-Chief Even though these next two articles touch upon the same topic, I was very excited to include them both side-by-side in this issue. I took the Astronomy class taught by Rim (who you will meet in Mia’s article) a few semesters ago, and let me tell you-if there’s one complimentary class that you should sell your soul to attend, make it this one.

I’m a big fan of our galaxy. Consider having a look at the night sky sometime soon.

PIPA JONES Editor-in-Chief

Stargazing and Soul Searching: A Guide to Urban Astronomy NOE YASKO Staff Writer

Though I don’t like to admit it, being overwhelmed is a huge part of my life.

When it feels like the universe is collapsing in on me, I sometimes think that a late night trip to the heart of the city will help me find inner peace.

But as my eyes glaze over our twinkling city’s skyline, the bright buildings serve only as a reminder that this place is bustling. If I intend to live in it, I need to keep up.

So what if instead of navigating these hard times by the obliterating light of our metropolis, I used the glow of stars? Reader, if you’ve ever felt wistful about stargazing but never considered urban astronomy as a worthwhile hobby, read on to learn more about stargazing in the city: What makes it difficult, how it can be done, and what important benefits it can bring to you.

As an urban astronomer, a crucial first concept to understand is light pollution otherwise known as the reason why we rarely see a lot of stars in the sky. As described by the National Geographic, light pollution is “the excessive or inappropriate use of outdoor artificial light”. This artificial light clouds the night sky, leaving the wonders of the celestial sphere to shine in obscurity.

As can be expected, the city of Montréal struggles with this issue.

On the interactive global light pollution map, a blurred haze of red and yellow light is spread over our hometown, signifying extreme levels of light pollution.

The issue with light pollution lies not in the fact that the city is illuminated, street lamps and other

sources of light are needed for safety reasons, but rather in the impractical design of lighting structures. Street lamps, for instance, often aim more than half of their light upwards, where it is rendered completely useless and brightens the night sky beyond what is required to ensure our safety. Worse consequences of light pollution include the deaths of millions of birds due to disrupted migratory processes, and its contribution to global warming from the excessive amounts of carbon dioxide released by electricity generating power plants. This is why more efficiently designed structures are essential in decreasing the levels of light pollution in cities. Moreover, the economy suffers as well; billions of dollars are wasted on illuminating areas that do not even need the light.

Far beyond our city’s tallest skyscraper lies a whole new world, all we need to do is look higher.

So then, what are the ways we can actually observe the night sky in the glare of this bustling city? First, a good set of tools is needed. Though many celestial objects can be seen with the naked eye, like the moon, planets, and stars, a good set of binoculars is a great asset to any amateur stargazer. Most pairs of binoculars will even allow you to see Jupiter’s four largest moons. Telescopes are also indubitably the best tool for stargazing, but they are pricey and more difficult to use. To find out which stars are visible in a specific region of the world at a given time of year, one can use a

starfinder map, also known as a planisphere, which can be accessed online.

Also, if you’re looking for a community of astronomers to guide you through your learning, a great resource for young students in Montreal is the Royal Astronomy Society of Canada. With centres all around the country, the RASC aims to inspire and educate anyone with an interest in astronomy through meetings and events. Conveniently, the RASC has a centre located in St-Anne-de-Bellevue, in the suburbs of our city, where members can have access to an observatory located in an area with low levels of light pollution, an array of different telescopes, and a library filled with incredible scientific resources. If the membership is affordable for you, it is definitely worth looking into.

Finally, I’ll circle back to my initial question, how would we change if we had the luxury of viewing a sky full of stars at night, instead of bright buildings and lamp posts? While there aren’t many studies conducted on the psychological benefits of stargazing, I can speak from personal experience when I say that seeing astronomical phenomena is a beautiful experience that has the power to change not only a mood, but a mindset. I have traveled across a country to see an eclipse, so I know firsthand how important it can be to look for a sense of the bigger picture in nature. Looking outside the bubble that is school and work, and choosing to connect with the sky instead, is incredibly grounding and reminds us that beyond our personal problems, there’s a vast universe out there to be discovered. Far beyond our city’s tallest skyscraper lies a whole new world, all we need to do is look higher.

SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT 25 25

Stargazing for Stellar Sights See what’s visible in the night sky this month!

MIA KENNEDY Managing Editor

In the interest of keeping astronomy accessible, all of the stargazing opportunities covered in this article will not require a telescope. Your eyes, warm clothes and a mug of tea is all you need to enjoy some stargazing this month.

October rewards stargazers with a stunning four meteor showers, the most remarkable being the Orionids meteor shower. Meteor showers are the result of a small asteroid or comet fragment entering Earth’s atmosphere and burning bright as it descends towards our planet’s surface. This phenomena peaks on the 21st of October, where up to 21 meteors could be visible per hour. SpaceTourismGuide suggests looking for Orionids meteors near the Orion asterism, in the southern sky, between 3am and 5am. Grab your binoculars and enjoy some shooting stars!

Although they might be outshined by meteors, don’t forget to check out the awe-inspiring planets our solar system boasts. October 24th is a great opportunity to spot the famous Red Planet: Mars! Shortly before the sun rises, this tiny red spot will reach its highest point in the night sky and be visible in the eastern sky. Apart

Io, one of Jupiter’s moons. Photo VIA NASA

from Earth, Mars is the most explored planet in our solar system. With life-sustaining water-ice and 25-hour days, it is thought to be an attractive option for human development. Imagine waking up on a red desert in your Martian slippers, gazing out at Martian polar ice caps and sipping on Martian coffee. Zeep zorp. Broft gilfghart.

(Martian for “Ah-h. The good life.”)

As one of the most recognizable celestial objects, the Moon can be used to spot several noteworthy planets this month. On October 14th, it closely approaches Saturn, one of my favourite planets. Never lonely, Saturn is orbited by 82 known moons and flaunts gorgeous rings of water-ice and dust.

Why is it my favourite planet? Since it has a lower density than water, Saturn can float in any body of water despite being our solar system’s second largest planet. Yeah. That water bottle you’re slugging around? Saturn could float in that.

To spot the largest planet in our solar system, you need only wait until the next day. On October 15th, the massive Gas Giant, Jupiter, will be brushing shoulders with the Moon.

You likely know Jupiter for its Great Red Spot, a giant storm known to have existed since the 17th century when it was first spotted by Chinese

astronomers. On Jupiter, one day lasts 10 hours due to its rapid rotation, so the planet has a shape like a flattened sphere. It also has 80 known moons, one of which, Io, looks suspiciously like a four-cheese pizza. Its mouth-watering appearance is explained by the 400+ volcanoes found on its surface.

Rim D, a teacher and professor in the Physics Department at Dawson, recommends checking out these planets while you can. She shares that, “Right now we are very lucky that Jupiter and Saturn are both visible in the sky, in the south direction, from sunset until about 2 AM. Jupiter is recognizable because it’s brighter than the brightest star.” So catch a peak of these planets while you still can!

Elizabeth Zara, a second-year student in Studio Arts, is taking a class taught by Rim, Introduction to Astronomy. She finds that taking the time to learn about space has broadened her horizons in more ways than one. Elizabeth says, “I like being able to enjoy the sky and actually know what I’m looking at. Plus, it’s like ‘The universe is massive. It’s not just you.’

It’s kind of the scientific version of a philosophy class.” Rim agrees, sharing that, “Of course, a person should think that they themselves are important, but we should also be aware that all of us are a tiny part of a much bigger universe.”

Both see good consequences of learning more about astronomy. Elizabeth hopes that it would raise awareness on how big of a problem light pollution and smog is. Rim adds that it could also encourage people to pursue studies in scientific fields while fueling the imagination and a healthy curiosity for the world around us.

If space interests you, consider taking an astronomy course, visiting the Montreal Planetarium or picking up a book recommended by Rim, “The Stars, A new way to see them” by H.A. Rey. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the fast pace of everyday life, so take a moment to lean back and see just how tiny we are in the grand scheme of things. Warning: existential crisis imminent.

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SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT

Changing Seasons ROBIN STEEDMAN-BRAUN Science and Environment Editor

Wondering why the weather has been so unpredictable recently? You’re not alone, and it looks like we’ll have to get used to it as we adapt to this new normal of climate irregularity.

Record high temperatures this past summer have people concerned about what this winter has in store, and why the Earth’s usual climate patterns are changing so drastically.

The Earth’s tilted axis is the cause of our seasons. As the Earth circles the sun throughout the year, different hemispheres of our planet receive different amounts of sun and heat, causing periods of varying weather patterns, known as seasons.

However, as greenhouse gas emissions increase our planet’s atmospheric temperature, extreme meteorological changes prevail. A recent study by the Journal of Geophysical Research Letters suggests that we could have six-month long winters by the end of the century, and that we can expect to experience only two seasons: winter and summer. Summer would be six months long, and winter only two, with fall and spring becoming short transitional periods.

While this may sound appealing to some, the consequences this will have on the Earth’s ecosystems are enormous and worrisome. Indeed, the changing seasonal clock will disturb agricultural practices as well as increase the risk for natural disasters such as forest fires, heat waves, and

Photo VIA CBC

droughts. According to this study, in the last 60 years, from 1952 to 2011, the length of summer has already increased from 78 to 95 days.

Prolonged warm seasons also lead to health risks for humans. Indeed, long periods of high temperatures lead to a greater occurrence of worrisome mosquito-borne diseases, such as malaria, dengue Zika virus and more. These diseases are much less prevalent in North America because the cold winters kill off the mosquitoes every year. However, with a sixmonth long summer, tropical mosquitoes, as well as the diseases they can carry, could travel north, and expand their habitat past the tropics.

These drastic temperatures can also have a devastating impact on wildlife. We are already seeing evidence of changing ecosystem patterns in response to atypical seasonal behavior, such as flowering plants budding early as well as premature bird migration. Animals are having an increasingly difficult time with these changes. For example, in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, sea turtles are being heavily impacted by unusually cold winters. As sea turtles are cold-blooded creatures who rely on the heat provided by their environment, when the water becomes too cold, they can develop a certain type of hypothermia, known as cold stunning. Cold stunned turtles experience reduced mobility, decreased circulation, and become lethargic, putting them at risk to be hit by boats or eaten by predators, if they are not

already dead from hypothermia. Unusually cold weather patterns are putting more strain on our wildlife, threatening already vulnerable species, and by the year 2100, many of these species will be completely extinct.

As a result of climate change, summer and winter temperatures have become increasingly different, especially in mid-latitude regions of the Northern Hemisphere, which is right where Quebec is. Summer temperatures are increasing much faster than winter ones, causing a disparity between the two seasons. This explains our scorching hot summers being followed by freezing cold winters.

High summertime temperatures are arriving earlier and lasting longer because of climate change. As many cities, including Montreal, still experience freezing cold days regularly during winter, the average number of days with temperatures below-zero is decreasing each winter across North America, worrying climate experts.

As for the chilly months ahead, there are high chances that we experience a “yo-yo” winter, with temperatures swinging from one end of the scale to the other. This drastic weather has become more and more common in the last ten years, and we have already had a glimpse of it this autumn. Nonetheless, ski bunnies should rejoice in the high amounts of snowfall expected in the upcoming frosty months. Expected cold fronts coming from the coast and Atlantic provinces mean a snowy, stormy, and icy January for southern Quebec. However, the stormy weather is expected to dissipate by February, and we can expect a relatively mild March. Just as September is now a summer month, March has become a winter month, meaning we should expect spring-like temperatures to start only in April, as a cold winter drags on. Time to bundle up.

CURIOSITIES 27 27 27

THE PLANT RECOMMENDS: HALLOWEEN MOVIES! Night of The Living Dummy (1996)

I don’t know if it’s just me, but Spooky Season always seems to have a certain air of nostalgia to it. Handing out candy to kids, you may also reminisce about the time when it was you wearing a hand-made costume, holding up a bag and saying “ trick or treat” all night long. To match this nostalgic vibe, watch a 90s Goosebumps classic: Night of the Living Dummy! ( it’s season 1, episode 10).

This episode gave me frightening nightmares as a kid but now it just makes me look back fondly on my childhood, and also laugh because the dummy is genuinely hilarious.

If you opt for Goosebumps this Halloween, you’ll also get to hear the show’s iconic theme song, which I think we can all agree goes hard.

Corpse Bride (2005) Nobody knows how to create a masterpiece that is equal parts enchanting and deranged like Tim Burton does. He understands the assignment, every single time. The animation is impeccable, and if you’re looking for a romance that isn’t really a romance because the love interest is a zombie and also not really the love interest by choice (#girlboss, #gatekeep, #gaslight), then this movie is perfect for you. Also the scene where the skeletons make music with their bones and switch heads? A cinematic masterpiece.

Of the six men that keep me bisexual, Victor Van Dort is definitely top three.

NOE YASKO Staff Writer

PIPA JONES Editor-in-Chief

Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Ghostbusters (1984)

For the best halloween movie, look no further than Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas. It’s a stop-motion masterpiece that includes everything from nasty bugs to a heartwarming unrequited-love-turns-requited story.

Warning: this movie does include Christmas themes and is thus to be watched with caution.

Another classic. This movie has the best of both worlds: New York City and ghosts (and, of course, Chinese food).

What’s not to like? Equally funny and spooky, it’s the perfect Halloween movie, especially if you’re not into hardcore gore (same). While you’re at it, why not follow it up with the 2016 remake?

MAYAN GODMAIRE Creative Writing Editor

ROBIN STEEDMAN-BRAUN Science & Environment Editor

The Shining (1980)

Vous avez raté votre vie, réussissez votre mort... (2012)

It’s time for classics. The Shining, based on Stephen King’s book and directed by legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick in 1980, will leave you on the edge of your seat for its whole duration. The Shining masterfully uses coloration and sound to create an atmosphere that will make you sick with suspense, and that’s aside from the narrative. You’ll have nightmares of the sound of Dany’s Big Wheel alternating between carpet and hardwood. I, personally, hate horror movies because I can’t stand gore and violence. Yet, this movie has crawled its way in my heart because it’s genius and truthfully has very little gore. If you’re looking for a great psychological thriller that won’t leave your mind, listen to The Shining. And you know what? Treat yourself to its sequel Doctor Sleep afterwards. Truly lives up to the expectations.

Vous avez raté votre vie, réussissez votre mort... The suicide shop is based on a black comedy book by Jean Teulé. It is an animated film for adults that tells the story of the Tuvache family who lives in a world on the verge of dying due to climate change, and virtually everyone is depressed. The Tuvaches own a shop where one may found everything to end their own life. But how can they keep up with their successful suicide business when there’s a new baby in the family that makes everyone around happy?

DARIA BOCICOVA Sports Editor

ALICE MARTIN Staff Writer

Mean Girls (2004)

Coraline (2009)

JACQUELINE LISBONA News Editor

LAURY CHARLAND Cusriosities Editor

Not a fan of horror movies but still want to watch something “Halloween-themed”? Try Mean Girls, a 2004 America-teen comedy about high school cliques, bullying, and of course, a dramatic and costume-filled Halloween party!

Are you a fan of surprising horror? Things that work more on a psychological level? Coraline is the film for you.

The animation does not indicate the truly terrifying storyline and psychological torture you will be put through, but I promise--it is much more than a children’s movie

28 THE PLANT

The Hills Have Eyes (1977) Do you enjoy B-rated gore films? Then the 1977 cult classic “The Hills Have Eyes” directed by Wes Craven is the perfect campy but low production cost movie for you. The Carter family becomes prey to the cannibals hidden in the valleys after having been stranded in the desert. This film will kill your appetite.

KIM DUBUC Graphic Designer

Charlie Brown (1966) To complete a cozy rainy day, pop a Charlie Brown CD in your DVD player and sit back as beautifully drawn, lovable characters fill the yawning gap adulthood left in your heart. These slow tempo, simply animated cartoons may seem elementary at first, but they will draw out your inner child, squeeze them tight and remind them that life’s absurdities are to be cherished. “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” is the iconic feel-good Halloween movie.

Sit around the television with a bowl of popcorn or leave it on in the background while you hand out candy; Vince Guaraldi’s soundtrack will charm scheming witches while Snoopy’s howls ease the creaking bones of your closet’s friendly skeleton. For the perfect autumnal vibe, look no further than Shultz’s art brought to life... much like the zombie in your backyard.

MIA KENNEDY Managing Editor

Bonus: 3 Options

Hmm, well it’s VERY hard to pick one, so here are three: “The Exorcist”, “Trick r Treat” and “Drag Me to Hell” !

The Exorcist is one of my favourite films of all time. The cold & dark mood of the movie has everything you need to feel during the Halloween season, so chilling. “Trick r Treat” is such a fun Halloween anthology that has a great balance of the funny and the spooky. Very memorable. I also recommend Drag Me To Hell because it has a perfect balance of genuinely scary moments and absolutely goofy moments. We do be lovin horror movies that give us spooky fun times!

MATTEO DI GIOVANNI Arts & Culture Editor

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

If you’re not into horror but are hoping for an adults-only Halloween movie night, I recommend The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The musical follows a newly engaged couple who, stranded by a flat tire, seek refuge at a pansexual, crossdressing madman’s castle. The adventure includes adultery, the creation of the perfect man in a lab, a few murders, an orgy and aliens. The film streams on Disney+, but if you’re looking for a sexy night on the town, the Imperial theatre holds a yearly projection of the now lgbtq+ cult movie.

EMILY MCQUEEN Copy Editor

CURIOSITIES 29 29 29

HOROSCOPES Happy birthday to every Ghoul and Monster birthed in October. This month is yours, darlings.

ARIES (mar. 20 - apr. 18): Your sense of honor and sharp anger would make you a valiant fighter and an even better soldier. This Halloween, consider dressing as a samurai—though maybe leave the swords at home TAURUS (apr. 19 - may 20): Your charisma and ability to charm are no secrets. Why not weaponize them? Go out to the sea and drown lost men. This Halloween, you should go as a siren.

GEMINI (may 21 - june 20): You are perhaps too bright for your own good sometimes, and you’ve been known to scheme. Mostly, it is for your own personal good, but this Halloween, could you scheme against Humanity as a whole? A mad scientist would be the perfect costume for you.

CANCER (june 21 - july 22): Cancer, you’ve always been one to trust your instincts.

Sometimes, it seems like you can peer into the future: people are always surprised at how much you should gleam from subtle hints. Perhaps being in the skin of an oracle on Halloween night is the best idea.

LEO (july 23 - aug. 22): You are nothing if not dependable, Leo. And what can we all depend on to be present on Halloween, no matter the year or weather? Jack-O-Lanterns, of course! This would make a great costume for your Halloween party this year.

VIRGO (aug. 23 - sept. 22): People always comment on your old soul, always ponder on how many bodies you’ve inhabited before this life.

What better costume for a soul so ancient than a mummy?

LIBRA (sept.23 - oct. 22): Libra, what are you hiding? Always so mysterious, so evasive. To get to know you, one must decipher your codes, which is why you should definitely go as a sphinx this Halloween: you are its perfect embodiment.

SCORPIO (oct. 23 - nov. 21): Regal and always looking down on people you do not deem worthy, why not advertise your God Complex in the most literal way? This Halloween, go as a Greek god or Goddess. After all, don’t you think you would have been one in another life?

SAGITTARIUS (nov. 22 - dec. 21) : You are surprisingly sneaky, and one way or another, you will get to the place where you need to be, even if it is risky. In some ways, you are quite like a cat, so this Halloween, dress as the classic black cat.

CAPRICORN (dec.22 - jan. 19): You love to party more than you love your own regular life, being the center of attention makes you feel alive, and you are always willing to try new things, even if those things are a bit… sketchy. For these reasons, rockstar is the perfect costume for you.

AQUARIUS (jan. 20 - feb. 18): Are you even alive? It seems recent times have been hard on you, and you’ve simply been going through the motions for the past few weeks. Going as a zombie this Halloween might allow you to rest, stay in character and be in the Halloween spirit all in one.

PISCES (feb. 19 - mar. 19) : Your love of puzzles and enigmas is remarkable. You love figuring things out, even if they do not concern you in any way. Choose a costume that really represents you this Halloween and go as a classic detective.

30 THE PLANT

PUZZLES 1. Small, black winged animals associated with vampires (Down) 2. A pumpkin _______ latte (Down) 3. A warm piece of clothing, a top, ________ weather (Down) 4. We leave them by our doorstep and carve faces into them (Across) 5. Traditionally female figure known for riding broomsticks and having pet cats (Across) 6. Stone statues which depict demonic-looking and winged creatures, often put atop buildings and representing guards (Across) 7. Edible items handed out on October 31st upon hearing the phrase “Trick or Treat!” (Down) 8. Foliage that makes crunchy satisfying sounds when stepped on (Across)

COME BACK NEXT ISSUE FOR THE ANSWERS!

CURIOSITIES 31 31 31

COMIC

ANSWERS FOR THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE

Curiosities by

LAURY CHARLAND Curiosities Editor

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

Brendan Schwartz Stefano Rebuli Anaïs-Aimée Rafaelsen Darcy Loane-Billings Angela Zhai Maria Teresa Pereira Kayla Joy Friedland Julieta Lozano-Ramsay Emmy Rubin Christopher Dimitriadis Aspen Crick Tea Barrett

Matteo Di Giovanni Arts & Culture Editor 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