There are many benefits to reducing or completely eliminating your meat consumption.  Not only does it have positive effects on your body but the environment as well! Some of the biological benefits of omitting meat from your diet include reducing body inflammation, improving overall dermatological health, and lowering the risk of type two diabetes, cancer, and chronic disease.  Thinking about the effects that consuming meat has on the environment makes it easier to put things into perspective: 2000 gallons of water are used to produce just one pound of beef, oceans are estimated to be fishless by the year 2048,

 Well folks, as of December 14th, 2019, we have left Hollerado land. The Ottawa based band first formed in 2007 and called it a day and set off on their Farewell Tour in the fall of 2019. The group consisted of Menno Versteeg (lead vocals, guitar), Nixon Boyd (lead guitar, backing vocals), Dean Baxter (bass, backing vocals) and Jake Boyd (drums, backing vocals).  When I heard Hollderado was officially disbanding, I thought back to when I was first introduced to them. I haven’t been a fan since their debut album in 2009, like others. Instead, I became a fan when I

There’s a new fitness club in town! And it’s a mighty 5-minute walk from the Ryerson campus.  Meet Sweat and Tonic.  This new Toronto original fitness and wellness club just opened up this past Fall of 2019. Located on the corner of Yonge and Shuter, it’s conveniently in the heart of downtown. I know what you’re thinking. Another overpriced, high end fitness club that Toronto already has enough of. But let me tell you. This one is definitely not to miss. It’s different, unique, and chic! You can sweat and drink in the same place. That’s right, read that again. I myself

Happy Feb 25th #NationalPancakesDay! Here are some places to hit up for delicious brunch~ Sisters & Co887 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON This place is absolutely a super super cute brunch hidden gem! They are famous for their light and fluffy buttermilk pancakes topped with rich earl grey mascarpone cream! The pancakes are also served with fresh strawberry slices and sauce which adds another layer of amazing flavour. The citrus waffle we also loved as well~ the fresh citrus mascarpone well contrasted the taste of the house-made blueberry sauce, both paired the thick waffles amazingly. It’s a beautiful brunch spot that

tiff.netThis past weekend I decided to attend TIFF Next Wave because it was free for people under 25 and the films looked interesting. I saw six films at the festival, but I’m going to focus on one film and if you’ve read the title, it is called Sequin in a Blue Room.  The film follows of a 16 year old who uses a hookup app to meet older men for sex, under the alias name, Sequin. He calls himself Sequin, as he wears a sequin shirt with every hookup. Once he’s had sex with the partner he blocks them and moves

I know it, you know it, and Candadian artist Doris Wai knows it too – we all bottle up our feelings. Sometimes on purpose, sometimes by accident, but more importantly these feelings need to get out at some point. Getting stressed about academics, family, relationships, and just life in general is so common, especially around midterm season. The latest art exhibition at the Urban Gallery by calligrapher Doris Wai is one to visit, to get all those bottled up feelings out, literally.  “Bottled Feelings” is Wai’s first solo exhibit and you have until February 29th to check it out. Oh, and

DISCLAIMER: ALL views expressed in this work are my own and may not reflect the views and opinions of any students, staff, or faculty at Ryerson University or Spirit Live. If you’re a Ryerson: RTA School of Media student or member of staff and on Instagram, you may have come across @rta.confessions or @rta.memes while browsing your phone. These pages post anonymous, RTA student-submitted memes and messages often dealing with general student life, complaints, and even occasional positive words that students have for each other. Below are a few examples of some typical posts one may see on these accounts.

Super Bowl 54’s halftime show featuring Jennifer Lopez and Shakira reminded us once again that the event is about anything but the football game. The spectacle inspired me to take a look back at some of the best Super Bowl Performances in recent memory. Here’s my top 5:  Jennifer Lopez and Shakira (2020)Neither J.Lo nor Shakira have had any big songs in a while, but this year’s halftime show reminded us of the monstrous hits they do have. Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie” and J. Lo’s “Jenny From the Block” were highlights. The show was also a great display of the

Dr. Laffa has just recently opened on the corner of Church and Gerrard. It’s a kosher, Middle Eastern style takeout place, and once you get past the extremely unsettling logo design, it’s a pleasant little restaurant with a fairly extensive menu. Prices range from $8 to as much as $25 for their plates, and the portions are sizeable.  You can get a wide variety of salads, dipping plates with hummus or baba ganoush, large plates of meat and sides, and wraps made with pita or laffa.  I tried the chicken shawarma, which is $10.99 for a pita and $13.99 for laffa. I

2020 marks the eighth annual TIFF Next Wave Film Festival. The festival, which always falls on a winter weekend, ran from February 14-16 this year. The TIFF Next Wave Film Festival is special—the selections are made by a committee of 12 students ranging in age from 15 to 18. Each committee member has diverse tastes, but they all have one thing in common: a passion for film. There’s another thing that makes Next Wave noteworthy: the movie tickets are free for anyone under 25. This year, I attended TIFF Next Wave for the first time. TIFF Next Wave kicked off with

Animal Crossing fans have been freaking out this week since Nintendo announced the New Horizons special edition Switch for the game! Sporting an updated paint job and adorable Animal Crossing graphics, the new console is as cute as it gets and is already a contender for the best Valentines gift you can get your paws on. The new console features:Pastel green and blue JoyCons with white on the rails and backs, along with matching strapsA precious painting of Tom Nook and his kids on an island, holding an Animal Crossing flag A white dock as opposed to the Switch’s normal, black

It’s hard for me to describe how excited I am about Ari Lennox. On the heels of her first LP, Ari is an RnB/Soul craftswoman and is quickly becoming a force in the genre.  The Washington D.C. raised singer wrote her first songs under her Grandma’s porch at the age of 4, began performing at church as a young kid, and released her first mixtape, Five Finger Discount, in 2012. She continued releasing music online, and made her first connection with J. Cole’s Dreamville label in 2015 when she made an appearance on Omen’s “Sweat It Out”. Later on in 2015,

Were you a fan of bands like Green Day, Alexisonfire, and Rage Against the Machine growing up? Did you make it your mission to go to Vans Warped Tour every year even though you were probably way too young to be there? Did you ever go through a punk phase in high school and try to dye your hair blue, but it ended up being a horrendous blonde with a green tint? That last one was just me? Alright, well, if any of the above sounds like you, then I found your new favourite band: GROWERS. @andreas.korfmannGROWERS is an alternative rock

If you’re anything like me, you struggle to come up with healthy breakfast ideas, or any breakfast ideas at all.  We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and sometimes while we’re in school, under stress, and really busy, we forget to make time for ourselves and our health.  I personally really like the idea of making breakfast the night prior and just grabbing it and eating it on the go the next morning. I learned that almost 50% of post-secondary students nationwide skip breakfast at least once a week.  Taking care of ourselves is

Grab your skates and head outdoors! Although it’s already February and we’re all waiting for winter to be over, that doesn’t mean we should live in track pants and hoodies and stay on our couches until the trees start to bloom. Let’s face it. We live in Canada. It’s winter. It’s cold. But let’s embrace it! One of the best ways to beat the winter blues is to get outside for some fresh air and move the body. And what better way to do that than by skating! I personally set out on a Toronto excursion to find the best