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@cigfluencers on Instagram
The Globe and Mail •

Opinion: Why ‘social smoking’ has become Gen Z’s new bad habit

I knew it was becoming a problem when I’d slow down to inhale the smell of cigarette smoke. This has happened, admittedly, a couple of times. When walking down a busy street, after a night out with friends or even on my way to the streetcar from work.

Funnily enough, I used to hate the smell of cigarettes. Up until a couple of years ago, I’d wrinkle my nose at their stench.

As a c...
The Globe and Mail •

Toronto’s grassroots Pride Picnic brings ‘queer joy’ to a downtown park

Two people embrace, forehead to forehead, eyes closed. “This is my twin flame,” says Alex Zalozyk about Brodi-Tyler Dawson.

It’s a sunny Saturday in Toronto’s Christie Pits Park. From a speaker, Chappell Roan’s pop hit “Pink Pony Club” plays, acting as the unofficial soundtrack for the fifth annual Pride Picnic.

A patchwork of blankets, beach towels, and pride flags has begun to form at 11 a.m. Attendees slowly continue to fill the space. Some stumble down the grassy hill, tote bags in hand, e...
Cynthia Jimenez
Cynthia Jimenez •

‘Like who cares if you have no alcohol or no anything in your system’: Londoners embrace sober party culture

With alcohol sales decreasing across Canada, Gen Z seems to be leading the charge for a rise in a sober lifestyle. Going beyond trends like “Dry January” and sober curiosity, some young Londoners are turning away from alcohol in their day-to-day lives. 
“I feel like a sober lifestyle is the way to go,” said London local, 28-year-old Brittany Hallihan, who has been sober for the past five years. Hallihan decided to go sober after starting to notice how alcohol caused  “patterns in [her] life that...
Cynthia Jimenez
Cynthia Jimenez •

London’s Music Community Celebrates The Dancing Cowboy's 80th birthday

In an interview, Camp shared his love for dance and the impact it has had on his life. “I had a lot of that kind of troubled life. So, dance has always been there for me to pull me through.”
Camp began dancing out in public after separating from his wife of 30 years. Dance was a way for him to start over, and now he finds joy through dancing, he shared.
“I've met so many people through dancing. It's such a wonderful contact. Nothing like being out and seeing all these happy faces.”
The birthday...
Claire Wexford. Generated by Bing.com Images
Cynthia Jimenez •

Social media users are finding that AI has “diluted” meaningful content and interactions

From confusing videos of cats playing the bagpipes to photos of people with six fingers, generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) seems to have taken the internet by storm. In fact, as of earlier this year 71 per cent of images found on social media are AI-generated. Journalists at The Guardian found that one in 10 of the fastest growing YouTube channels globally are showing AI-generated content only. Where one used to find photos of friends and family sharing joyful moments one largely now finds AI slop.
Justice Bekke
Cynthia Jimenez •

On becoming a local queer community figure, making memes and loving London, Ontario - Cynthia Jimenez

Theresa has been working to carve out a dedicated space for Sapphic people in the city she grew up in. Sapphic is an umbrella term which typically describes women who are attracted to women or “woman-aligned individuals.” However, the term can also be understood in a more gender-expansive way to include transgender people such as “transmasc, femmes and non-binary folks..”
The Sapphire 519 Instagram posted a story post that read “if you resonate with [Sapphic], then this account for you!!!”
As a...
Xtra Magazine •

My mother is pounding on my closet door. I don’t want to answer | Xtra Magazine

I always believed that being bilingual would be great for my career. I never thought it would wreak havoc on my relationship with my mother.
Growing up in a Colombian household meant that my immigrant parents made damn sure that we held on to our heritage. They proudly passed down their Spanish to my younger sister and me. Our parents, aunts and uncles would band against us and our cousins, reminding us at every opportunity en español, por favor. 
So, for a good couple of years, a younger me dut...
Her Campus •

Chappell Roan is the Pop Star We All Need

Chappell has shown us time and time again that she is here for the girls, that is, the trans girls.Hollywood has seen the rise and fall of many pop stars over the years but, dare I say, the most iconic one to date is Miss Chappell Roan herself. The now Grammy award-winning artist has taken the internet by storm and for good reason. From her catchy lyrics to the goose-bump-raising quality of her vocals, there is no denying the immense talent Roan has.Chappell Roan was sling-shotted to mainstream...
Her Campus •

The Art of the First Date

So, I went on 4 first dates in one week. From what I’ve seen, “first dates” aren’t really a thing for my generation. The title of first date brings some semblance of seriousness with it. It declares a concrete romantic interest from the beginning. Instead, what often happens with people my age is “hanging out” with someone for months until one or both parties have the courage to say something. Thinking back now, before all of this I had not been on a first date since about the 9th grade. Awkward...
Bloom Books
CBC Books •

Cast for ‘queen of cowboy romance’ Elsie Silver’s Rose Hill series announced for TV adaptation | CBC Books

The cast of the Rose Hill series, the television adaptation of Canadian author Elsie Silver’s Rose Hill steamy series, has been announced. The Rose Hill series follows single dads who attempt to find love in their rugged mountain town. The four books in the series are  Wild Love, Wild Eyes, Wild Side and Wild Card. The show is set to adapt Wild Love, the first novel in the series. The show’s first season will focus on best friends and neighbours West Belmont and Ford Grant, who live in a small C...
NASA/HarperCollinsCanada/Heron Hanuman
CBC Books •

Canadian Astronaut Jeremy Hansen's journey into space to be published in a book this fall | CBC Books

Get ready for lift off! Jeremy Hansen's historic journey on the Artemis II mission will be told in a new book set for publication this fall. Earthrise: A Canadian Astronaut's Journey into Deep Space will be told from the perspective of Hansen, the first Canadian to travel into deep space. John Larsen, a former senior military public affairs officer, is the author of the book. The Artemis II crew broke the record for the farthest distance humans have travelled from Earth. The mission was closely...
Penguin Random House, Tammy Zdunich
CBC •

8 books to add to your summer reading list if you loved The Odyssey | CBC Books

Feeling drawn to the world of Greek heroes lately? Whether you loved Percy Jackson as a kid or are fresh from the cinema, CBC Books has put together a list of books based on or inspired by Greco-Roman mythology. Immerse yourself in the epic world of gods, love and war this summer. Inspired by Homer’s Iliad, Son of Nobody retells the story of the Trojan War from the perspective of an ancient soldier and a modern scholar. The novel follows the story of Psoas of Midea, a commoner forced to leave...