About
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A Community United: The Danforth Multifaith Commons and Beyond
Walking into the Saturday morning Shabbat services at the Danforth Jewish Circle, you notice Jesus staring down at you from the stained glass windows. You also notice the overwhelming warmth and friendliness you’re greeted with. The Danforth Jewish Circle is an inclusive Jewish congregation that operates out of the Eastminster United Church, at Danforth and Jackman avenues. The East End United Church (EEU), the Danforth Jewish Circle (DJC), and the Neighbourhood Unitarian Universalist Congregation (NUU) are three different religious congregations that share this building and collectively form the Danforth Multifaith Commons (DMC). The concept of the DMC intrigued me from the start. It’s not every day that you see three…
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Things to Do If Your Child Tells You They Have Anxiety
So, your child has opened up to you about feelings of anxiousness and you’re wondering where to go from here. You want to be understanding and compassionate to your child, but you don’t want to reinforce their fears and continue the anxious cycle. While every child is different and the specific cause of their anxiety might alter the way it is dealt with, this list is a good starting point for parents that have little to no experience with anxiety in children. Thank Them for Trusting You While parents and children should constantly practice being both grateful and apologetic to each other when necessary, thanking your child is never more…
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Tai Chi: Finding Balance through Movement
Breathe in, breathe out. Concentrate on your moves. Detach yourself from the stress of everyday life. There is only you, your balance, and your next movement in the routine. The rest of the world fades away. Tai Chi (or, as some say, Taiji) and Qigong were born in Ancient China, but are by no means limited to that geographical boundary. Today, Tai Chi is one of the most popular martial arts, one with a deep philosophical approach towards energy, life force, and inner peace. The circulation of Chi (or life force) in the body can help mind and body’s health. It can also create balance in thoughts and movements. Some…
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Book Lovers
Five Harlequin Novels as Tinder Profiles Single on Valentine’s Day? Instead of going on a disappointing date with Mr. Wrong or scarfing down ice cream while watching rom-coms, why not take a more novel approach to your evening? Our friends at Re:Reading have the perfect solution for the lovelorn hearts of the Danforth—Harlequin novels. With everything from billionaires to princes in disguise (and heat levels that range from sweet to super-spicy) there’s something for everyone craving a little lovin’ this Valentine’s Day. To get you started, we’ve whipped up five Tinder profiles based on novels that you can pick up on the Danforth. Let yourself be swept—er, swiped—away! Against the…
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What Do Safe Streets Look Like?
Forty-two. That is how many Torontonians died in the 2003 SARS outbreak, and it is also how many pedestrians and cyclists died on the streets of Toronto in 2019. If the City of Toronto treated pedestrian and cyclist safety as seriously as it is treating the current coronavirus scare perhaps that number would not have been so high. But, as the Toronto Star reported last December, Toronto police issued 140,000 fewer speeding tickets in 2018 than they had a decade earlier, and nearly fifty per cent fewer careless driving charges. There is a clear causal relationship between the reduction in the number of tickets that are issued and the increase…
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Danforth Reads
At On the Danforth, simply put, we believe in the power of books. Not just to entertain and inspire, but to shed light on some otherwise overlooked issues. That’s why we were delighted to hear the theme of this year’s CBC Canada Reads competition: “one book to bring Canada into focus.” But can one book really hold that much power? We’d like to think so, and what better way to figure it out than by celebrating the format of Canada Reads and arguing amongst ourselves? So we’re hosting a mini Canada Reads debate at onthedanforth.ca: the same five books, a few slightly less famous defenders. Read our arguments, and leave…
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8 TikTok Dance Challenges for you to check out ASAP
TikTok has taken over the internet. With the app’s intent of encouraging and spreading creativity, users are able to share short, engaging videos to the mass public. There is a wide variety of content including comedic skits, a resource for sex education, and even cat videos! One of the most popular trends on the app are dance videos, with creators all over the world participating in challenges to popular and throwback hits. Here are our 8 favourite dance challenge videos on the app at the moment! 1. Nothing says a TikTok dance challenge like TikTok’s Queen Charli. Source: https://www.tiktok.com/@charlidamelio/video/6749964175251918086 2. We’re just as obsessed with this Mariah Carey song making…
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Toronto Light Festival
Toronto is, without a doubt, home to some amazing festivals, markets, and artistic exhibits. Among these is the Toronto Light Festival, which showcases some very talented artists who are using lights to demonstrate their talent and chase away our winter blahs. We headed out to the distillery district to check it out for ourselves, and it was truly a treat for the eyes. Still looking for a creative Valentine’s Day date, or just looking for your next great Instagram post? Head out there and check it out! Otherwise, we have you covered. Check out the video for a sneak peek of the Toronto Light Festival!
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New Year, Same You: 5 Things to Do Instead of Cutting Your Bangs in the New Year
Look at Joe Keery. On the left, he is stable. Left Joe Keery is who you want to be. On the right, he has made the plunge that many of us fall prey to as soon as the hopeful light of a new year blinds us all—getting bangs. If you find yourself in the same position as Joe, wondering if you too should get bangs, just know the answer is no. The answer is always no. If for some reason you look at Joe and still want to get bangs, consider this list of five things to do to save yourself from making the detrimental cut. 1. Dye your hair…
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Let Your PFLAG Wave!
Finding your place in the world can be challenging. And this challenge is compounded when you find out you don’t fit where you were expected to. This is a very real dilemma for many members of the LGBTQ+ community. Statistics Canada estimates that 3 per cent of the Canadian population openly identify themselves as homosexual or bisexual (they don’t yet report on the percentage of transgender Canadians). Who should these Canadians turn to when struggling with questions of selfhood? Where can they, and their families, turn for support when they’re facing an identity crisis? Luckily, Toronto’s queer community has a trusted resource in Parents for Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). PFLAG…
