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Happy Weekend, everyone! And welcome to the ninth issue of the Game Changer series! Today we will be talking about how Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah defended his teammate, catcher Alejandro Kirk, when he got body shamed online.

We are joined by former athlete Caity, former dancer Lauren, and athletic therapy major Catherine, to give us insight on the topic.

Thank you for listening! Be sure to subscribe and check out more amazing Game Changers stories on Humber Views.

We hope you have as much fun reading and listening to our story as we had creating it

— Kartik and Kennedy

How Alek Manoah changed the game by standing up for his teammate on social media

Conversations around body image can be a double-edged sword. For some, they can act as a weapon against achieving your dreams or having confidence in your appearance. For others, body positivity can motivate you to achieve what might seem impossible.

For athletes, having body positivity is as important as having a good diet — especially for those breaking barriers about what an athlete should look like.

These athletes and the conversations they start help kids dispel myths that to be an athlete they have to look a certain way — or fit a certain mold — no matter how good they are in that sport.

An important conversation about body image in sports happened this past September, involving Alejandro Kirk, a Toronto Blue Jays Catcher. It started when the host of a TSN radio show reposted a video of Kirk scoring a run from first base. The host claimed Kirk “feeds negative stereotypes,” and was “embarrassing for the sport.”

Alek Manoah, a starting pitcher and Kirk’s teammate on the Blue Jays, responded by saying, “What’s embarrassing for the sport is people that go by the name of Matthew and have never played a day in the big leagues thinking they can control the narrative and stereotypes. Go ahead and tell that 8-year-old kid who is 10 lbs. overweight that he should quit now.”

Critiques and athlete opinions on body shaming

Many experts, including Catherine Tremblay, an Athletic Therapy major at York University, were critical of the body shaming comment made by the TSN host:

“Like, to have someone like Alejandro Kirk who plays in the major leagues shamed for ‘embarrassing the sport’ because he doesn’t exactly fit the ideal of what we think of an athlete is ridiculous,” she says.

“I think even more than having the athletes come out with the pressures they face, having support from your teammates is also super important. So to have Alek Manoah shut that whole conversation down really highlights how team unity can change the culture around body shaming.”

In recent years, more athletes have started to come forward and talk about body positivity, drawing awareness to the fact body shaming has severe negative consequences, and can lead to athletes quitting sports, developing eating disorders, and having low self-esteem.

Calvin Martins, a hockey player for the Varsity Blues of the University of Toronto, says, “I had some body issues early on in my career, especially with the amount of competition you get when there are scouts at your games.”

“Constantly comparing yourself to people with leaner bodies, or who have leaned into the cutting season can seriously mess you up in terms of what you think you should look like,” Martins added.

Cody Miller, for example, is an American swimmer and a 2016 Olympic gold and bronze medalist, who has pectus excavatum, a congenital deformity in which the sternum grows inwards, which causes the middle of the chest to be caved in. His condition was barely noticeable until he was 12 or 13 years old, and growth stopped after adolescence. But due to his condition, he used to get bullied and laughed at, which led Miller to agonize over removing his shirt until his race was about to start — only feeling at ease when his body was in the water. In an interview with Global Sports, Miller said that it took him a long time to get over his body image issues and that it shattered his self-worth.

Major impacts of body shaming on athletes

Another negative consequence of body shaming is eating disorders, which are very common in athletes. Eating disorders are often seen as a female issue, but many male athletes struggle with them as well, which can go unnoticed and have serious health consequences.

A study done by the National Library of Medicine found that among college students, 35 percent of women and 10 percent of men were at risk of anorexia nervosa, and 58 percent of women and 38 percent of men were at risk for bulimia nervosa. Elite athletes are nearly three times more likely to have an eating disorder than the average college athlete.

Athletes like Alejandro Kirk inspire many young athletes, spreading a message of motivation and body positivity over a specific body type.

“I think having less tolerance for body shaming and supporting those who do speak out is important in protecting the self-esteem of young athletes, as well as teaching them to work out and eat healthily, and to identify eating disorders and when to get help,” Martins says.

🎧 Listen to the podcast above for more conversation about body shaming in sports

Related Reading

When clean eating became an eating disorder - Patrick Devenny, a former football player for the University of Colorado Buffaloes, details how he suffered from binge eating and exercise-induced bulimia.
Eating disorders in male athletes - A paper on Eating Disorders (ED) from the National Library of Medicine. “A number of factors contribute to elevated ED risk among men, including…media portrayals of dieting and exercise…[and] social media messages increasingly targeting body shape…”

Author bios

Kennedy Meraw is a fourth-year Bachelor of journalism student at Humber College. She has a great passion for sports journalism and wants to pursue it after her graduation.

You can contact her by email (kennedymeraw4@gmail.com)

Kartik Sharma is a social media manager and a fourth-year Bachelor of journalism student. He has a great passion for content writing and doing something out of the box. Kartik aspires to have a career as a social media manager or a public relations coordinator.

You can contact him by email (kartik.ks1001@gmail.com) or Twitter

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit humberviews.substack.com

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Welcome to Humber Views and the sixth edition of the Gamechangers series! This season the newsletter is showcasing local and international gamechangers. Today’s gamechanger is Crooked Media. It’s a media company started by former Obama staffers in 2017 to help elect more Democrats during the Donald Trump era. Since then, they’ve created several podcast shows, merchandise, and tools to help organize people to vote and volunteer during elections.

Thanks for checking us out — and, if you like what you see, please subscribe and share!

Naima and Prabhy

Thanks for reading HumberViews! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Crooked Media: A political gamechanger

Over the years the left-leaning political media company Crooked Media has been changing the face of media and how we perceive it. Jon Favreau, one of the founders, once said, “I don’t know if it’s a political movement or a media company”. Crooked was founded by Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor — all previously senior aides to former president Barack Obama.

Crooked was founded in early 2017, after Donald Trump was elected as president. Pod Save America became the centrepiece program of the company, hosted by its founders. It is a liberal political podcast that was launched to encouraging its listeners to engage in left-leaning conversation and anti-Trump political activism.

Within a few weeks, Pod Save America attracted its first million listeners, and it now receives 1.5 million listeners on average per episode.

Later in 2017 the political media company launched their website, Crooked.com, which informed their audience with news on Democratic politics and commentary.

In its first year, Pod Save America directed its listeners to a variety of left-leaning organizations. It collaborated with MoveOn to send nearly 2,000 listeners to Republican town-hall meetings, Swing Left to raise more than $1 million for challengers to California House Republicans in 2018, and supported Indivisible to slam Republican senators with tens of thousands of calls in support of keeping Obamacare.

The popularity of Pod Save America among significant Democratic voting blocs has made it a desirable interview venue for politicians, activists, and journalists on the political left. Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, current Vice President Kamala Harris and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have all sat for interviews.

Following Pod Save America's success, Crooked Media released a number of related podcasts. Erin Ryan hosts the feminist podcast Hysteria, political journalist Ana Marie Cox hosts With Friends Like These, former Missouri Secretary of State and Democratic politician Jason Kander hosts Majority 54. Early next year they are set to launch “Pod Save the U.K” hosted by comedian Nish Kumar.

Crooked Media also openly engages in progressive political activism, by urging their listeners to educate themselves on different policies and to support policies like Obamacare and gun control. They run campaigns to encourage their audience to vote for Democrats and get involved in demonstrations and protests. The media company engaged in fundraising and turnout campaigns for the 2018 midterm elections. The group is also part of Field Team 6, a partnership that sought to increase the number of Democratic voters in crucial swing states and counties before the 2022 midterm elections.

With their growing success, Crooked Media organized a live tour called "Pod Tours America." Live recordings of Pod Save America and Lovett or Leave It from the tour were made in front of crowds in concert halls and sizable auditoriums, including New York City's Radio City Music Hall. The recordings were made available as episodes of podcasts. They continuously have live shows during important elections to help encourage people to vote. In 2018, “Pod Tour the World” was launched and the hosts spoke about their resistance to Trump in front of international audiences at live performances in Stockholm, Oslo, Amsterdam, and London.

America’s 2022 midterm elections were held in November, and were considered historic for multiple reasons. Democrat Maxwell Frost became the first Gen Z congressperson to be elected and the youngest person in Congress. Vermont elected its first LGBTQ congressperson, Becca Balint. And Summer Lee became the first Black woman elected to congress from Pennsylvania.

At the same time, many of the extreme right-wing candidates backed by former President Donald Trump lost their elections, including Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, and senate candidates Blake Masters and Dr. Mehmet Oz.

Many of the Democratic candidates were able to find a platform to speak on many of the Crooked Media podcasts. With the podcasts, they were able connect with voters, asks for donations and develop a national platform.

What makes Crooked Media a gamechanger is that it was created to give individuals an outlet and a voice. The media company has become a platform to inform and motivate the public about politics and encourage them to vote. Crooked Media helps young people understand the value of their voice — and how to use it.

🎧 Listen to the Humber Views podcast at the top of this issue to learn more about Crooked Media

Related Reading

Crooked Media Strikes This Hollywood Reporter article outlines the company’s multiyear ad sales with SiriusXM. It looks at the future of the company and how they plan to invest in more shows.

Trump-backed Candidates This piece by NBC News looks how the candidates backed by Trump did during the mid-term elections.

Historic Firsts Al Jazeera looks at the candidates that created history as the firsts of their community during this historic mid-term elections.

Stay Crooked

What a Day The Crooked Media Daily Newsletter, where you can find the company’s takes on daily news.

PSA’s Updates Watch the latest Episodes of Pod Save America and many of their other shows like Political Experts React

About us…

Prabhy Rehal (She/Her) is a fourth year Humber journalism student who is passionate about accessible journalism and storytelling. She is a member of the Sikh community, and a daughter of Punjabi immigrants. These identifiers also inform her advocacy for social justice as it allows for an empathetic approach to her work and the need for precision in storytelling. As a BIPOC journalist she understands the importance of hearing every voice and hopes to highlight stories and share the experiences of those outside the mainstream.

Naima Syed (She/Her) is a fourth year Humber journalism student, she is an avid photographer and writer and hopes to get into broadcast journalism when she graduates. She has also been fond of journalism at a young age, and wanted to pursue it, she understands the importance of having a voice and would like to use her platform to talk about important issues. She’s a proud Muslim Canadian and hopes to tell stories about her community.

Thank you for reading HumberViews. If you enjoyed this post, share it with your friends and family.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit humberviews.substack.com

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Happy Monday everyone! And welcome to our fifth issue of Humber Views’ Game Changer series. Today we will be talking about Apple Music’s Artist of the year, three times in a row Spotify’s most-streamed artist in the world, 2022 Billboards #1 artist, and overall Latin music icon — Bad Bunny.

Listen to our podcast “4 a.m. perreo” with special guests Rojas and Gilbert Suarez from the group 6ix pal mundo. We chat about the evolution of reggaeton and what they, as new latin artist, think about Bad Bunny’s influence in the genre.

To learn more about Bad Bunny’s music career, awards and why he is considered a Game Changer in Latino America, read our story below.

Thank you for listening! Be sure to subscribe and check out more amazing Game Changers stories on Humber Views.

We hope you have as much fun reading and listening to our story as we had creating it!

— Maria and Enrique

Bad Bunny: Taking a new era of Latin music to the world

Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, better known as “Bad Bunny”, is a 28-year-old Latin singer and songwriter from Puerto Rico who has revolutionized Latin music — specifically the reggaeton genre.

Bad Bunny began his musical career in 2016 as part of the production company Hear This Music, an independent label that is under the control of Mambo Kingz and DJ Luian. With them, Bad Bunny released 50 songs in a two-year span. Many, if not all, of his songs from this time belong to the Latin trap genre, which is very similar to American rap in terms of the topics they discuss in the songs and the rhythm.

This genre stands out for its profound sexualization and objectification of women, openly discussing sex, drugs and having a lavish lifestyle. This was the type of music Bad Bunny started making, collaborating with other renowned Latin singers such as Ozuna, Farruko and Arcangel. Although these collaborations brought him a lot of fame, the music fell short of the Bad Bunny’s ideals for how he wanted people to experience and connect with his music.

In 2018, Bad Bunny parted ways with his record label, putting an end to limiting his ability to make decisions about his music, as the label decided the songs he would do and the artists with whom he would collaborate.

“I am no longer with Hear This Music — they never wanted me to release an album, they never allowed me, they never supported me,” said the artist during an Instagram Live.

With his new creative freedom, Bad Bunny began to experiment with his music, expanding his horizons of the urban genre and incorporating elements of other Latin American musical genres such as mambo and merengue into his songs. Later on, he began to use sounds from electronic music, pop, and even Latin rock.

Later in his career, taking advantage of the great international reach that his music had, Benito began to change the mindset of the genre with what is called “the new era.” It breaks with the stereotypes of toxic masculinity and the prejudice towards women commonly seen in reggaeton.

Benito began to take the concept of reggaeton to another level, giving his audience the opportunity to go from listening to songs that expressly talk about sex and women's bodies, to songs like “Andrea” where he highlights the virtues of women and defends their fight for freedom.

Or “Yo Perreo Sola” where he dresses as a woman from head to toe, wears makeup and sings about the independence and confidence of women.

The Puerto Rican is an artist who has slowly been leaving his mark by breaking down the barriers between musical genres in Latin America, giving artists like Drake and Cardi B the opportunity to experiment with reggaeton.

Some people could accurately say that reggaeton had evolved before, but Bad Bunny has achieved even greater recognition and is a true gamechanger for the genre. According to the Global Digital Artist Ranking study, he began 2022 as the most listened-to artist across all digital platforms such as Apple Music, YouTube, Deezer and Spotify. Ranking above international artists like Harry Styles and Ed Sheeran, he currently has over 62 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

His fame has led him to be part of the Super Bowl LIV halftime show with Shakira and J Lo and to win two Grammy Awards, four Latin Grammy Awards, eight Billboard Music Awards, an MTV Video Music Award, two American Music Awards, and thirteen Lo Nuestro Awards, among other accolades.

Benito uses his music and fame to raise awareness about the social and political problems of Puerto Rico, advocate for women, and to be an ally of the LGBTQ+ Community. By using his music to touch on topics never before discussed in reggaeton, Bad Bunny is a Latin music gamechanger in every sense of the word.

Related Reading

BBC|Spotify Wrapped: Bad Bunny tops most-streamed artists globally—BBC discusses Spotify Wrapped, Bad Bunny’s career and his many accomplishments as a Spanish speaker artist.

Democracy Now|Meet Puerto Rican Journalist Bianca Graulau, Featured in Viral Bad Bunny Video on Injustices in PR — Democracy Now talked to journalist Bianca Graulau about her participation in the documentary “People Live Here”, which appears in the music video for Bad Bunny’s El Apagón. Graulau talks in detail about the problems they wanted to represent with this documentary.

The Washington Post|For Bad Bunny’s fans, he’s more than a global superstar. He’s a political icon— This article from The Washington Post talks about the influence that Bad Bunny has on Latinos living abroad. Raising Latino pride and sharing Latin American social and political problems with the world.

About the authors

Maria Pimentel is a public relations coordinator, fourth-year journalism student and avid reader. Maria enjoys writing about arts as a form of social change and giving a voice to underrepresented communities. She is passionate about arts and books and looks forward to having a career as an entertainment reporter or book editor.

You can contact her by email (marilopimentel@gmail.com) Twitter or Instagram.

Enrique Domingo is a social media manager and a fourth-year Bachelor of Journalism student. He is a music and sports enthusiast, and when writing about these topics, he gives the perspective of unheard communities on broadly reported issues. Enrique aspires to have a career as a social media manager or a marketing director in sports-related companies.

You can contact him by email (enriquedomingomontrull@gmail.com) or Instagram.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit humberviews.substack.com

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Many candidates running for Toronto city council will do anything to garner a following — often turning to social media as an aid. However, with anonymity so prevalent on platforms like Twitterand Facebook, the discourse during election campaigns can turn volatile.

Running this year in Ward 4 — Parkdale-High Park, Siri Agrell decided she wanted to do better, creating what she believed to be a better — and more positive — online presence, without social media.

— Jeremy Honess

jeremy.honess@gmail.com / @JeremyHoness / Portfolio

A Groundbreaking Campaign

How Toronto council candidate Siri Agrell changed the game with her engaging online — but off social media — campaign.

Photo by Parviz Foto on Unsplash

Candidates running for Toronto city council often run a campaign based on their proposed policies and plans for their ward. However, this campaign style frequently falls short of actively engaging their constituency. Most candidates running for municipal office have a set agenda which rarely accommodates any kind of deviation.

The Ward 4 race in Toronto’s recent municipal election came down to three leading candidates: the incumbent, city councillor Gord Perks, Community Activist Chemi Lhamo and former journalist and advisor to Mayor John Tory, Siri Agrell. Each candidate ran different styles of campaigns, but Agrell’s charted an unconventional course.

Siri Agrell, though she ultimately lost, ran a campaign free from the standard cookie-cutter political campaign strategies. Agrell deleted all of her social media accounts and replaced them with an innovative, interactive website that recreated the experience of meeting her at the door.

“I tried to think about the information people want and the best way to get it. How do you replicate some of the, more impactful forms of communication online? So what is the new advertising? How do you replicate the experience at the door, where you actually get to really look people in the eye and level with them? How do you do that online?” said Agrell.

Her campaign website was a joint venture between Agrell and the Toronto-based internet marketing service Day Shift Digital, which provided Agrell with new digital tools to add to her website to enhance the user experience.

“We incorporated a couple of different digital tools. So I worked with a company called StoryTap, which is a female-founded Canadian technology company that allows you to answer questions via video and so we embedded that on the website. So people asked me questions and I‘d get a prompt and I could answer,” said Agrell.

Agrell explained that she wanted to run a campaign and a platform where she could engage with the community meaningful way. By design, her campaign and her website highlighted and addressed the issues both she and her constituency believed weren’t adequately being prioritized.

Toronto Star Journalist Ben Spurr said, “When I covered that race, I went to her campaign office, and I was actually pretty impressed that the, like, local level of detail they had of issues in the ward. I remember seeing that they had a big map on the wall of the campaign headquarters that had sticky notes [all] over and I think that it was saying that, in this neighbourhood traffic is the big issue in this neighbourhood, is that something else, it's high rents or something. And so she really seemed to have spoken to a lot of people, you know, tried to understand what their concerns were at, like a very micro level.”

Spurr ultimately believes that her lack of social media presence, however, didn’t really play a huge role in the impact of the results of the election.

“I don't know, ultimately, if that, you know, made much of a difference. I think that social media presence can have almost as like, distorting effect on what's happening in a campaign…So I don't know how decisive that was,” said Spurr.

Spurr also believes that though Agrell’s website was different and perhaps more engaging, it ultimately fell on deaf ears.

“I think in a municipal election where very few people vote, no matter how kind of exciting or different your website is, I think it is probably not going to swing it for you either way,” said Spurr.

Agrell ultimately believes that her campaign was hindered by a lack of early outreach and support for her campaign. Her campaign had a following that wasn’t big enough to sustain a campaign with no additional aids like social media. But Agrell doesn’t regret removing herself from social media.

“I think a failure on my part to enumerate the cost of the status quo — I think that there's a lack of understanding in the ward about the true impacts of the approach of the incumbent,” said Agrell.

Agrell doesn’t believe, however, that her campaign strategy was a failure.

“In terms of the social media piece, I hear this [message] with people all the time — actually reconsidering how we talk to people and how we engage and how we regulate things at least on the local level. There are different ways to motivate it and I think we have to try and push for that.”

🎧 Listen to the Humber Views podcast episode at the top of this issue to learn more about Agrell’s strategy

Related Reading

BetaKit: Oneeleven’s Former Ed Siri Agrell Explains Why She’s Embracing Tech (But Not Twitter) In Her Run For Public Office

Jeremy Honess is a student journalist currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Journalism degree program at Humber College. Currently, he is interested in covering political issues at the municipal level. In addition to his vested interest in municipal politics, Jeremy is also interested in the automotive industry and keeps tabs on the latest automotive trends.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit humberviews.substack.com

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Welcome to the first story of the second season of Humber Views, highlighting Game Changers! Today we are introducing you to a group of young activists dedicated to fighting the climate crisis intersectionally, Latinas for Climate. Two of the team members behind the youth-led organization join us to share L4C’s origin story, the realities of how climate change is affecting women in South America and how fear motivates them to keep going. This story includes a written introduction, podcast, and YouTube video focusing on different areas of their work and growth since they started.

Be sure to subscribe to check out previous editions and upcoming posts within the next few weeks!

Thank you for taking the time to read, listen and watch. If you liked this story, we’d love it if you share it with friends or family. We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed creating this for you!

— Carolyn and Claudia

Women and Climate Change

Have you ever wondered what is going on with new weather patterns and why the strangest natural disasters seem to be happening more often? The answer is simple: climate change.

This is a big and scary phrase, and it’s something not everybody understands. Although some may not take an interest in what climate change is and don’t want to hear about it, those same people don’t see how the rise of environmental disasters are especially impacting a specific group of people: women.

But there are people trying to change that.

In this part of the world where in recent political history, women and activists have faced tremendous backlash and danger to their very existence, a group of young women from across South America and the Caribbean came together to create Latinas for Climate (L4C). These women felt called by the urgency of the gender and climate crisis to use social media to kickstart a movement that would become one of the largest female- and youth-led organizations in Latin America.

So Who Are L4C?

📺 Watch our video below to find out.

These women felt called by the urgency of the gender and climate crisis to use social media to kick-start a movement that would become one of the largest female and youth-led organizations in Latin America. Their work lies in the intersection between gender equality and climate action because the environmental crisis isn’t gender-neutral. L4C has been using their social media presence to advocate, protest, and campaign against climate change. The group has used their Instagram page as a hub to share their message and protest. For example, earlier this year, they shared a chant they created earlier this year in Spanish calling out “the fight for Latina America.”

The work of these young Latinas comes at a pivotal time in activism work. Many who work in climate accuse a lot of “activism” put out there today of being performative and unproductive for the movement. But, according to Intersectional Environmentalist team member Diandra Marizet, L4C’s work is an “artistic and effective way to protest”, as it is also based on seeking results and action as they lead an initiative for change to supplement their social media posts for awareness.

Marizet says this is a great example of how advocacy and protests should be done, contrasting it to some of the recent climate protests in Europe which have included foods being thrown onto glass-protected paintings. Along with sharing informative infographics and strategizing ways to get their message out on a global scale, the members of Latinas for Climate creatively use their passion to create change — online and offline.

👂 Listen to the podcast above to learn about the current initiatives and projects L4C is working on.

Related Reading

Leaders Not Victims — This piece by Euronews discusses how women in South America, Asia, and Africa at the front of climate advocacy are demanding funding for their causes. They want to be viewed and treated as leaders, not just victims of climate disasters.

The Key To Climate Action and Peace — UN news explores how opening space for women to fully participate in the climate space and work is crucial to working towards solutions.

Why Women’s Rights Matter in COP27 — Sophie Rigg, a senior climate advisor at Action Aid, pens an op-ed about the gendered impact of environmental disasters and makes a case for why women’s stories matter in decision-making at this world conference.

About Us

Carolyn Burgos Cando

Carolyn is a third-year Humber College Bachelor of Journalism student with a high passion for connecting people to the latest news and ensuring people are receiving the correct information. After graduation, she is hoping to become a public affairs officer to continue her work of giving the appropriate news regarding the Canadian Armed Forces and global news. You can contact her by email (burgoscarolyn@gmail.com) or Instagram.

Claudia Ovejero Pham

Claudia is a third-year Humber College Bachelor of Journalism student that is driven to give representation to communities that need the most. She hopes to continue to create content and stories that are impactful to the audience and give them perspective on the world today. You can contact her by email (claudia.ovejero@icloud.com) or Twitter.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit humberviews.substack.com

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Good morning! Welcome to the Wednesday edition of Humber Views. Today we will be exploring the workout experience of Zumba. The fitness craze that is fun, flirty, and fierce!

🎧 Listen to the podcast above to check out my Zumba experience.

Make sure you subscribe to Humber Views below.

Dance meets fitness: Is it a Party?

COVID-Crazy (pronounced KRAY-ZAY) is the term that I affectionately use to describe my mood from time to time during this pandemic. It’s a cross between laughter (for this madness), anger (for this situation), and tears (just because).

The combination of homeschool, Zoom meetings, and lockdown measures has had me in search of something more.

Trizanne Lemon, 40, was also feeling low and frustrated. She was laid off from her job and looking for something to do. Surfing the internet, she landed on the Groupon website, and a Zumba ad.

The class made promises of fun, and at a discounted rate, how could you lose?

"I love to dance, and I love music," said Lemon. “It was something different, and I wanted to see what it would be like.”

She signed up and started classes the following week.

I had to check it out for myself and went to Groupon.

The video was bright, with people wearing a full range of colours like fluorescent pink, green, and yellow. It was a cross between participants wearing baggy t-shirts to cut-off tops. There were shimmying shoulders, shaking hips, smiles, and laughter.

Ditch the workout and join the party!

I don't know about you, but I have never found any joy when working out.

Who are these people? Who really “loves” working out?

My journey into Zumba-land began.

Zumba Fitness is a Latin-inspired workout created by Colombian-born dancer, choreographer, and fitness instructor Alberto "Beto” Perez in 2001. The music incorporates the Latin sounds of reggaeton, salsa, bachata, merengue, and cha-cha and draws from hip hop and world music. Zumba is available in 185 countries, and it is the leading fitness program, according to a Zumba Inc. study.

Here are five things that you need to know before you walk into a Zumba class:

Dress comfortably. If leopard print is your thing - do you!

This is a fitness class. No dance experience is required.

Just Dance! Don’t take yourself too seriously.

Be prepared to have fun.

Drop it like its hot and tap into your inner diva.

“My first class had a lot of laughter,” said Lemon. “I didn’t know the steps. [But] If I can lose weight and laugh, why not.”

This workout promises to burn up to 1,000 calories in a one-hour class. The additional benefits are weight loss, increasing coordination, and strength. Studies have also shown that Zumba contributes to positive feelings and lifts your mood. The most beneficial aspect of Zumba is social connection.

Participants usually find a sense of community

For Lemon, one of Zumba's highlights is the relationships and connections that she has formed with her instructors. They even went to her birthday party.

“Once you find your person, it’s weird how that happens, but you start this friendship based on Zumba,” said Lemon

Participants have characterized Zumba as freeing.

"For that hour of class, I get to escape reality. That's what keeps me going," said Lemon.

The profile of a Zumba-er

The Professional: Beware of this fitness diva with head-to-toe dance gear, including leg warmers. Her thrusting hips and waving arms may be hazardous. Take two steps back.

The Competition: This person has their eyes on you through the mirror. Keep a steady gaze because if you’re not careful, it may turn into a dance battle.

The Carefree: This person is jamming and having a great time. You wish that you could be more like that person.

The Beginner: This person is not sure what they are doing and shrugs their shoulders anytime your eyes connect. Be sure to give them a wave because you missed that move too.

🎧 Listen to the podcast above this article to check out my Zumba experience.

Share Humber Views with your friends and family.

Related Reading

Learn about all of the health benefits of dancing your way into fitness and the different types of classes. Healthline.

When fitness and the artistic form connected to become the vast phenomena that it is today. Take a look back at the early beginnings. CBC

Music and movement go hand and hand. This piece explores the vital connection of pop music to our workout routines. POPSUGAR

About the author

Natashia Wynter is passionate about storytelling and enjoys creating content that connects, inspires, and informs. She is a third-year student at Humber College. You can email her at natashia.wynter@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @NatashiaWynter.

Subscribe at humberviews.substack.com

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Tarot continues to gain popularity with enthusiasts claiming the practice can help individuals seek guidance and deal with life’s obstacles, big or small — but are the answers really in the cards?

If you liked this issue of Humber Views, subscribe for more!

My personal Tarot journey

🎧 Listen to the podcast above for more about Tarot and those that love it

Tarot is not something so new to me. A friend recommended I watch some readings on YouTube when I was experiencing the worst run in my love life two years ago. I watched a couple of videos and I remember resonating with some of the messages I heard. I kept up with the videos for a couple of weeks and even subscribed to some readers. I made it a goal in the beginning of 2019 to be more mindful and spiritual, but it wasn’t long until life got busy and I started forgetting to check-in with myself.

The arrival of COVID and the consequential time apart from others has seen people dedicating more time to self-care and wellness, and, for me, Tarot has become somewhat synonymous with that. In this ‘age of uncertainty’, individuals are being pushed to seek the guidance and comfort they can’t find in the physical world, and instead are finding solace in new-age practices such as meditation, sound therapy, and, of course, Tarot.

Enthusiasts say the new-age practices such as Tarot can be the perfect way to exercise spirituality and intuition, which is something that’s probably useful in times of isolation. The unfolding of tragic events in 2020 may explain why Tarot is having a moment in culture, even for those who shy away from the occult. A few weeks into my new ‘do everything from home’ routine, I’ve found myself clicking on Tarot reading videos on YouTube again. I even re-downloaded astrology apps that I used to check daily.

Taking it a step further, I decide to sit down for a reading with Toronto-based Tarot reader, model, YouTuber, and founder of LAMÈ spa, Pandora Saul.

Tarot Basics

The Tarot deck consists of 78 cards, each with different images and their respective symbols. Instead of the spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs we find on regular playing cards, the suits in a tarot deck are wands, swords, cups and pentacles. Each suit represents a fire, earth, water or air energy that entices the reader to formulate insights into one’s past, present or future, requiring some form of astrological understanding from the reader and the seeker.

The Rider-Waite deck is the most widely used set of cards by mediums. The deck is divided into Minor and Major Arcanas, each card presenting a detailed and theatrical scene containing fragments of allegory interpreted by the reader. Each reader has a different way of reading cards but typically, the middle card in the spread represents you in the narrative while the surrounding cards embody the obstacles or people affecting your orbit.

A New Age Community

Twenty-five-year-old pre-school teacher Julie Manankil, sits in front of her tapestry covered wall with lo-fi and ambient instrumentals softly playing in the background. She has only been practicing tarot for some months now, but her home has transformed into something like a new age sanctuary.

“I’ve actually always been interested in Tarot, I honestly just never had the courage to do it. Just like anything that’s new, it’s scary and you don’t want to get anything wrong,” she says.

Social media has been a powerful tool for cultivating and sparking interest in Tarot. Instagram feeds continue to flourish with pictures of elegantly laid-out card spreads, colourful and vibrant crystals and smoking sage. Additionally, members of the online community are eager to share their wisdom and knowledge with followers who are just getting started. The hashtag #tarotreadersofinstagram, has become somewhat of a global community where members give, seek and share readings. The mystical element of Tarot itself can initially draw you into the practice but knowing there’s a whole community behind you just might help solidify that choice.

Misconceptions

A tarot reading is said to provide guidance on various sectors of your life including work, finances, love and family. If individuals are specifically looking for some sort of fortune telling, they might be seeking answers in the wrong place. Tarot isn’t about predicting the future — it’s about reading the individual seeking answers. The visual images presented on the deck encourage us to dig deeper into thoughts and experiences our conscious minds can’t articulate too well. In a time when we’re anxiously waiting for the world to restart, Tarot can be a tool for self-reflection rather than definite prophecy, and how it is used is completely up to the individual.

“I would describe it [Tarot] as a divination tool into guidance and understanding yourself on a more intuitive level. Tarot really helps give us that physical clarity of the things we are experiencing – being in control of the way I navigate through life was kind of the end goal for me” Manankil says.

Related Reading

Should You Buy Your Own Tarot Deck?: Do you have a natural intuition and consider yourself an empath? Find out if Tarot is for you.

21 Tarot Card Basics For Anyone Who Wants To Learn How to Read Their Own: If you prefer it to be just between you and the cards, here are some basics to get you started.

Tarot reading is like a mirror — and the art of finding meaning is in the card design: The message of the reading is often found in the pictures we see on Tarot cards, learn how to identify it.

About the author

Michelle Ramos is a freelance writer and student journalist at Humber College. She has numerous bylines at local publications including Exclaim! and S/ Magazine, and dreams of one day launching her own magazine. Currently, she is pursuing a career as a lifestyle and culture writer. Follower her on Twitter @mxzchelle.

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Do you wonder about the life of the jocks you see in the gym? Do you still think there's no place for women in bodybuilding? Still trust the bloggers on social media? It's time to find out the truth.

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Muscles and power: human right or gender privilege?

The fitness industry has always been competitive, rife with exaggerations and stereotypes. For women interested in powerlifting and bodybuilding, the pressure and judgement can be very challenging — even if some of the stereotypes are not relevant anymore. Women have been judged just because they have muscles. They constantly hear threats about what diets and intense exercises can do to their bodies.

Over the years, hurtful, misleading, and sometimes ridiculous stereotypes have prevailed in the society. It would seem that a lot has changed since then: numerous examples of female bodybuilders performing on stage are still breaking gender-based barriers. However, the prejudices are still there.

Keara Sutherland and Benjamin Yeung joined me to talk about this issue. As people with a fitness background, they discuss the accuracy of the industry's most common stereotypes and analyze how the image of a woman in bodybuilding has changed throughout the years.

‘Harmless’ supplements and other myths

Social media has brought everything into a new focus. The fitness industry has become a great source of income for social media influencers. By publishing perfectly-photoshopped pictures and writing multiple inspiring 'Everything is possible' kind of posts, some influencers have managed to turn their audiences into an extremely profitable business. They endorse and sell various types of food supplements, vitamins, and even performance-enhancing drugs, positioning these as magical pills to help users achieve the body they desire so much.

Both Keara and Benjamin work in Ottawa's Cancer Research Institute: Ben has a Ph.D. in molecular biology, and Keara is a Master’s student studying microbiology and immunology. Reflecting on modern science and their personal experience, they talked about the danger of the flourishing influencer market. They also revealed the potential harm of using chemically-stuffed supplements without a proper understanding of how the human body works from a medical perspective.

“You can order everything online, it is not regulated in any way… Supplements are not drugs, and as an influencer, you should understand there are lots of children and even adults, not educated on this topic. Let them know these are not magic pills. You need to understand the responsibility, properly educating yourself and others.”

Keara & Benjamin

Keara and Ben bring these issues to the light, in simple words explaining how these so-called safe pills, supplements, vitamins and diets affect our bodies. They provide insights from the fitness and medical industries, giving simple tips that will help social media users to pick up sense from nonsense and make more informed decisions in the future.

Related Reading

Dietary supplements send more than 23,000 people to the ER each year - A very important piece by Washington Post exposes the alarming statistics about the effect that the unregulated market of diet pills and food supplements has on consumers.

Most dietary supplements don’t do anything. Why do we spend $35 billion a year on them? - An article reveals that supplements do not carry any benefits and no independent scientists cannot defend the dietary supplements industry in this matter. Members of leading American health institutions explain why society is misled, stressing that the FDA does not regulate supplements in the same way as drugs, encouraging people to pay attention to the FDA's regulations and processes.

The State of Influencer Marketing - A piece that explains the modern stats and trends of the influencer market & its popularity within businesses, revealing the most popular platform for this type of marketing.

How Asia's Female Bodybuilders Are Smashing Gender Stereotypes About Body Image - An engaging article published by Forbes, where female bodybuilders share their stories and unique takes on the issue of offensive stereotyping and the ways social media adds to the stigma.

About the author:

For the last three years, Krystyna Shchedrina has been studying journalism at Humber College, pursuing a career as a lifestyle & entertainment reporter. She is passionate about photo, video and audio production. Other than that, Krystyna is interested in medicine, psychology, and is currently learning a fourth language. You can reach her through her website or follow her on Twitter: @KShchedrina.

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Hello and Happy Friday! Today’s edition wraps up the first week of Humber Views. We hope you’ve enjoyed what everyone has released so far! The guests in today’s podcast episode are Kirstan Radford and Sam Gilbert, two Sneaky Dee’s regulars and they tell me what they love most about the popular Toronto bar!

Today’s subculture topic is about Toronto’s “infamous” Sneaky Dee’s and those who regularly attend. What makes it so popular and what makes Sneaky Dee’s stand out among so many other dive bars in the city? Does it have to do with the food? The history? The atmosphere? Read on to find out!

And if this is your first time coming across Humber Views, welcome! Make sure to subscribe below so you don’t miss out on any future stories in the coming weeks.

Sneaky Dee’s is not just a bar, it’s a home

By: Josh Welsh

🎧 Listen to the podcast that goes along with this story in the player at the top of this issue of Humber Views.

If there is one thing everyone can agree on at Sneaky Dee’s, it’s the food.

“They have wicked awesome nachos,” says Sam Gilbert, a 30-year-old Sneaky Dee regular.

Darryl Pezzack agrees. “Their nachos are amazing, I can’t get enough of them,” he says.

Gilbert also says the best spot to take selfies is in the bathroom. “Its tie-dye colours make it fun.”

The food is not the only great thing about Sneaky Dee’s. There’s also the stellar service they offer. “The staff are amazing, they always make it a good time,” Pezzack says. “The restaurant staff I’ve experienced [there] have always had a kind way of speaking and actually have a conversation with you compared to other restaurants where they just take your order and walk away.”

Sneaky Dee’s is a popular bar among Torontonians, especially young people. Located in the Annex area, on the corner of College and Bathurst streets, it has become a “home-away-from-home” for college students and young punk/rock bands of the past, who have left layers of graffiti on the walls and booths. Before the pandemic, the bar would offer events for social gatherings and, on a regular weekly themed night, would usually draw a stellar crowd. For those looking for a late-night food fix, it’s also open until 4 a.m.

The Tex-Mex bar and concert venue is family run and has been that way for the past 30 years. Their previous location was across from the former Honest Ed’s on Bloor and Bathurst streets. They moved to their current location at 431 College Street in the early 1990s. At the time, it was a key venue for the Toronto punk rock scene. It was also a popular hangout for anti-fascist activist groups like the Anti Racist Action (ARA).

On Wednesdays, Terrance Balazo hosts Another Round Trivia, a series of trivia nights that he writes and hosts himself. Because of the pandemic, Balazo has had to move Another Round online to Thursday evenings over Twitch. He says the same people attend almost every week and the demographic is huge. “It’s everybody from their early 20s and the oldest is 70, which makes it difficult for me to write questions because I can’t focus on one specific group,” he says jokingly.

When asked what makes Sneaky Dee’s stand out in the city, he lists the fact that it’s family owned, its look, and the food as the things that create its huge appeal.

“It can seem intimidating at first because of the graffiti and it looks like a dive bar but it’s not a dive bar,” says Bolazo. “I think that it’s family-owned and not [part of] a chain of pubs makes it different.”

When it comes to the atmosphere, its fans call it one of the best bars in the city. “Sneaky Dee’s has a vibe to it,” says Kirstan Radford, Gilbert’s roommate.

Gilbert agrees instantly. “It’s the people that go there, usually everyone is really nice there. We always end up back,” says Gilbert.

Gilbert and Radford started attending Sneaky Dee’s for their emo nights and concerts. “Emo night is everything you’d want it to be. It’s just the best,” Radford says.

In September, a proposal was submitted to the City of Toronto to demolish Sneaky Dee's and its surrounding buildings to construct a 13-story mixed-use condominium, which upset many Sneaky Dee’s enthusiasts. Online petitions to save the venue started popping up shortly after and garnered thousands of signatures in the wake of the news. Some people demanded it be declared a heritage site, while others have since flocked to social media to share their memories and love for Sneaky Dee’s amid reports that it could be gone forever.

From hip-hop nights to 90s nights to emo nights, Sneaky Dee’s offers a wide range of food, cheap drinks and events for everyone of all ages. “There’s so many different versions of Sneaky Dee’s that you can enjoy. Anybody can go,” says Gilbert.

If you loved what you read or feel this story on Sneaky Dee’s is worth the share, feel free to pass it along to your friends, family and followers!

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