If you’re like most of us who live in downtown Toronto, you probably moved to the city with dreams of making it big! What you probably didn’t expect is that dreaming big can also mean living small. Real small.

As we keep seeing in the headlines, it seems Toronto condos are shrinking faster and more steadily than breathing room on public transit. However, despite this increasing tendency, prices don’t appear to be going down anytime soon. So how are city dwellers able to live in Canada’s most expensive city?

Enter micro condos, a living space roughly between 275 and 400 square feet — roughly as big as two parking spots. These tiny living quarters appeal to professional millennials who want affordable housing without sacrificing their lifestyle. This concept, of course, isn’t unique to Toronto and is actually quite common in metropolises like New York City and San Francisco. With Toronto’s first micro condo already sold out, and similar units steadily on this rise in Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary, we can only expect this trend to continue.

How can you turn a small apartment into a functional and cozy living space? Thankfully, I have a few tricks and tips that will help turn your tight quarters into an urban oasis.

All of the lights

From statement chandeliers, to vintage-style Edison bulbs, to metallic pendants and industrial lamps, lighting is truly having a moment in the spotlight. For those living in a 300-square-foot space, this could not have come at a better time. Any designer will tell you that the oldest trick in the book to making a space seem bigger is through the power of light.

The key is lighting up the corners where the walls meet, either at the ceiling or floor, so you create the illusion of depth and space. Make use of multiple light sources such as floor lamps or track lighting, and consider mounting lights to the wall so every part of the room is well-lit.

And don’t forget to make the most of vertical space, especially if you have high ceilings. Hang a long pendant from the ceiling to draw the eye up and down, emphasizing the room’s height rather than the floor space. With plenty of lighting options to choose from, I have no doubt your boutique-sized space will soon feel like a luxury-sized one.

Illusions aren’t just for magicians

Living small also means mirrors are your new go-to. These magical reflective accessories know no bounds, and they have the ability to make any space feel bigger. Whether it’s placing one behind a candle or beside a lamp, a mirror will maximize the light’s reach while creating a relaxing ambiance.

Looking to create the illusion of another window? Simply place a mirror across from a window so it reflects the natural light and outdoor views. Craving higher ceilings? Use a floor length mirror to produce the appearance of a taller apartment. Much like the strategic use of lighting, a well-placed mirror will transform your tiny downtown home into a lofty oasis.

There’s no better deal than a 2 for 1

You know what they say: great things come in small packages. But sometimes these great things also come in the form of multi-functional furniture. Rather than trying to work your space around furniture, focus on buying pieces that will work with your lifestyle.

A stylish dining table is a must-have when entertaining guests, and can be tucked against a wall to double as a desk when the party’s over. Instead of a traditional coffee table, consider a hollow ottoman that can also be used for storage. And, one of my favourites, nesting tables that you can easily tuck away or stack together to give you move space (also very on trend). At the end of the day, it’s important to select versatile pieces that fit well in your space, because every inch counts.

The sky’s the limit

If you’re working with minimal floor space, draw the attention up with colour. One of the best ways to do this also happens to be one of this year’s biggest trends in design — statement ceilings. Using paint, wallpaper, wood, tiles or whatever inspiration strikes you, transform your tiny space from top to bottom by adding some flair to the ceiling.

While you may have heard that white paint will make a small space feel larger, feel free to be as bold as you want with your colours. Just remember a few things: don’t paint over the edges of the ceiling, take the wall colour up over the crown molding and use glossy paint so light can reflect and make your ceiling appear higher than it is. This modern and chic design decision is sure to bring your micro condo to the next level.

It’s time to think outside the box

Let your creative side run wild, or at least as much as it can inside your petite pad. Start to think about your space differently and get crafty to maximize the layout. What was once just a blank wall used for artwork, can be an area for floor to ceiling shelving. The unused back of your doors and cabinets can be handy storage solutions.

And don’t be shy when it comes to the ceiling, as I mentioned above, it’s basically another wall. Simply attach a hook or two and, voila, you can hang everything from your pots and pans to your ultra-chic planters. Always remember, there are endless nooks and crannies that can help you save space – so be sure to make the most of them.

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A slew of teasers sent out by Marvel Comics proclaim “Marvel History Is Destroyed” with the date March 2019 at the bottom. The subject line of the email from Marvel PR said “The Marvel Universe Is Destroyed!”

Each teaser features a different superhero comic series and implies that a mystery character played a key role in its history. For example, the Amazing Spider-Man teaser asks “Who brought Spider-Man back after ‘Spider-Man: No More’?” while the Fantastic Four teaser asks “Who really gave the Fantastic Four their powers?”

Check them all out here:

The word “who” in all of the teasers is given a fiery yellow and orange stylization, which may be a hint towards the identity of the character (or group of characters). The Phoenix Force? Dormammu? The Spirit of Vengeance? The list of powerful flaming Marvel characters is pretty long, so it could be anyone.

The notion of the Marvel universe being destroyed is not a new one. In 2015 the Marvel universe was destroyed and replaced with the patchwork reality known as Battleworld as part of the Secret Wars event. The idea of game-changing secrets from heroes’ past coming to light is also a bit familiar, as that was the plot of 2014’s Original Sin event. We already know that Marvel’s big 2019 event is the Thor-centric War of the Realms, so perhaps these teasers aren’t setting up another event but something else entirely.

Stay tuned to IGN for more details as they emerge.

Joshua is Senior Editor of IGN Comics. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – West Texas A&M’s grip on its the No. 1 ranking is loosening, but the Lady Buffs are still atop the 2015 NFCA Division II Poll that was released by the Association on Wednesday. A lead that was 21 points over No. 2 Valdosta State going into the week has dwindled to just eight points.

 

West Texas A&M received 11 first place votes and totaled 391 points after a 3-1 showing in its home tournament. The Lady Buffs (13-2) dropped the opener to St. Edward’s (5-7), but rebounded with a victory over those same Hilltoppers (11-3) and a doubleheader sweep the next day against Newman (5-4 / 9-3).

Winning 12 of their last 13 games, the Blazers (14-2) picked up three first place votes (383 points) following a three-game Gulf South Conference series sweep of West Florida. Valdosta State knocked off the Argonauts by the scores of 7-3, 8-0 and 10-2 to improve to 6-0 in league play.

Cal State Monterey remained in the third spot after taking three of four from Cal State San Bernardino in a CCSA road series. The Otters (10-1) split the opening doubleheader winning 5-1, and falling 11-3 before sweeping the Coyotes day later, 8-0 and 8-4.

Missouri-St. Louis and St. Mary’s (Texas) flip-flopped fourth and fifth spots. A second straight undefeated weekend has the Tritons (13-1) riding a 10-game winning streak and taking the No. 4 ranking. Behind a high-powered offense and strong pitching, UMSL swept through the competition at the Lewis Indoor Tournament (Rosemont, Ill.) by outscoring its opponents 42-5. They run-ruled four teams, including then-No. 15 Wayne State, and won a nailbiter against Grand Valley State, 1-0.

St. Mary’s (15-2) went 5-1 at home last week, including a 4-1 showing at its annual Rattler Invitational. Following a 6-2 mid-week win over Our Lady of the Lake (6-2), the Rattlers topped Tarleton State twice, then-No. 13 Central Oklahoma and Texas Woman’s but fell to Texas A&M Commerce, 1-0.

Idle squads Angelo State (11-1), West Chester (0-0) and LIU Post (0-0) come in sixth, tied for seventh and ninth, while Alabama-Huntsville (10-3) is tied with West Chester for that seventh spot. Rounding out the top 10 is Dixie State and Wingate, both grabbing the 10^th position with 229 points apiece.

Rollins moves into the top 25 for the first time this season at 18^th. The Tars are off to a 10-0 start highlighted by an 8-0 week that included road two wins at Armstrong State.

The NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll is voted on by 16 NCAA Division II head coaches with two representing each of the eight NCAA regions. 2015 records and previous week’s rankings are shown with first-place votes in parentheses.

NFCA Division II Softball Poll – Feb. 25, 2015

 

Rank

Team

2015 Record

Totals

Prev. Rank

1

West Texas A&M

14-2

391

1

2

Valdosta State

14-2

383

2

3

Cal State Monterey Bay

10-1

364

3

4

Missouri-St. Louis

13-1

352

5

5

St. Mary’s (Texas)

15-2

316

4

6

Angelo State

11-1

292

7

7

West Chester

0-0

289

6

 

Alabama-Huntsville

10-3

289

9

9

LIU Post

0-0

269

8

10

Dixie State

9-5

229

12

 

Wingate

8-2

229

11

12

North Georgia

7-3

218

10

13

Arkansas Tech

6-0

207

18

14

Caldwell

0-0

158

16

15

Georgia College

15-3

143

19

16

Winona State

7-0

141

t25

17

Emporia State

7-2

130

17

18

Rollins

10-0

115

RV

19

Humboldt State

7-4

106

20

20

Central Oklahoma

8-4

105

13

21

Indianapolis

3-3

92

22

22

Tampa

8-3

79

14

23

West Virginia Wesleyan

0-0

69

21

24

Metro State

10-4

41

t25

25

Augustana (SD)

7-3

40

23

Dropped Out of Previous Poll: No. 15Wayne State (4-7), No. 24 Southeastern Oklahoma State (8-7).

New to Poll: No. 18 Rollins

Others Receiving Votes: North Alabama (29), Lenoir Rhyne (25), California Baptist (17), Southeastern Oklahoma State (17), Wayne State (Mich.) (16), California (Pa.) (11), Southern New Hampshire (10), Southern Indiana (10), Midwestern State (6), UC San Diego (4), Arkansas Monticello (2), Shorter (1).

• Helps men with sexual dysfunction issues
• Some suggest that sex dolls provide an outlet for people with violent sexual desires
• Using sex dolls could impact learning about consent: sex educator
• Would sex dolls in a “brothel” have more agency than human sex workers?

We truly live in a dystopia, because you can now file this story under old news: Toronto is not, in fact, getting a new “sex doll brothel.”

Aura Dolls’ plan to open such a facility in the city’s North York area next month predictably brought serious backlash, and it was shut down over a licensing issue.

“If there is any good place for people to pay to have sex with plastic dolls — and I’m not sure there is — it is certainly not here,” city councillor John Filion said in a statement to HuffPost Canada. “Among other things, this business literally objectifies women and sends a very unhealthy message, to young men in particular.”

Even though patrons won’t be able to pay $120/hour with one of the Aura dolls (or $240/hour with two of them), the sex doll industry isn’t going away anytime soon. Such items come in both standard and fetish iterations, at price points ranging from “entry-level” (in the $500-$1,000 range) to “luxury high-end” (up to $10,000).

It’s normal for many to have a knee-jerk reaction of disgust at a plastic doll built like a human that someone buys to have sex with, says Dr. Philip Jai Johnson, a psychologist and researcher at the Toronto Sexuality Centre.

He attributes this in part to the “uncanny valley,” an effect where something becomes disturbing when it approaches human likeness, but falls slightly short. “On some level, it is kind of a moral view, which is just the sense that anything that deviates from the real thing is not appropriate.”

Michelle Shnaidman, CEO of feminist sex and porn platform Bellesa, says that using a sex doll isn’t wildly different from using other devices.

“Eradicating the shame around people using — or even requiring — sex toys to find sexual satisfaction is an ongoing battle,” she says. “Their humanoid resemblance gives us — non-sex doll users — pause. But just because these dolls have a face doesn’t make them any more threatening than the vibrators in our nightstands.”

“Niche” sex toys, a group with sex dolls at the forefront, is a nearly $20-billion industry, according to Forbes. And analysts have forecast that the global sex toy market will grow nearly seven per cent between 2016 and 2020.

Johnson say there’s been very little academic research on sex dolls, probably because they are so “emotionally divisive.” Based on the small amount of research that’s out there, he says the demographic most likely to seek out sex dolls are single men in the 30-40 range.

Lonely stereotype

There’s a stereotype that such dolls exist solely for lonely and desperate men, but one of the few studies that did examine people who used sex robots — which are slightly higher on the uncanny valley scale than dolls — found that wasn’t true. It suggested that fear and rejection were in fact the biggest motivators.

Johnson would like to see more academic research on the use of sex dolls, because he does think that in some rare cases, there’s a possibility they could be a safe, stress-free way for certain men to work out sexual dysfunction issues.

“For men with sexual functioning difficulty, they do go on dates, and if they can’t perform, they will get rejected very often. It does put some men in a catch-22 position. And for that reason I think sex dolls could be — and I don’t want to say for sure, but they could be a good treatment approach.”

Others have suggested that sex dolls could provide an outlet for men with violent sexual desires to keep them from taking that anger out on real women. A representative from Aura Dolls allegedly told Vice that the use of sex dolls may have prevented the Toronto van attack, which killed 10 people and injured 16 others in April.

The suspect, Alek Minassian, is believed to have been part of the “incel” online community of men who react with hostility and violence to women who won’t have sex with them.

No research backs up the claim that sex with a doll can prevented “incel” violence, an idea women’s rights advocate Julie Lalonde called “dangerous.” In fact, many people — Johnson included — say that just as there’s a theoretical risk sex dolls may help some men, there’s also the possibility that they could feed into unhealthy attitudes towards women and sex.

The discussion is not a new one. Trottla, a Japanese company, has been marketing child sex dolls as a “safe” way for pedophiles to fulfill their urges since the early 2000s. In 2016, The Atlantic profiled the company’s founder Shin Takagi, who self-identifies as someone with pedophilic impulses he has never acted on.

Takagi said the dolls help people like him — although many psychologists expressed reservations. A strategy that could help some pedophiles control their desires might exacerbate them in others, said Michael Seto, a University of Toronto psychologist who examines pedophilia. For some, “having these substitutes might only aggravate their sense of frustration,” he told the magazine.

Sex educator Lyba Spring says she fears a dependence on sex dolls could make it harder for someone to develop a relationship with a real person — someone who voices opinions, and whose body isn’t built for male fantasy.

“In the same way that there are adolescent and young adult men who complain that their use of pornography has made it increasingly difficult for them to have sexual and intimate relationships with women, I think that the use of these dolls may continue to prevent men with intimacy issues from learning how to be intimate,” she says.

She also worries that younger men who get used to sex with dolls are not factoring consent into the equation, which can potentially be dangerous later on.

“Dolls obviously cannot consent, but the person using them is also not learning about consent,” she told HuffPost Canada.

Operating a “brothel” could also be problematic: sex dolls would have more agency than human sex workers. “I find it irritating to use the word ‘brothel’ given the human context of our current laws, which continue to put sex workers at risk,” Spring says.

Terri-Jean Bedford, a professional dominatrix who has been instrumental in challenging the Canadian government’s stance on sex work, says prostitution laws enacted under Stephen Harper in 2014 didn’t give much more consideration to real sex workers than is given to the dolls.

“Even living women, under his law, could not be paid for sex,” she said in an email to HuffPost Canada. “The dolls probably meant more to him.”

Johnson hopes to see more research on sex dolls happen soon. “Some of the questions I certainly would be interested in seeing are: How do sex dolls influence the attitudes of people who use them, be they attitudes towards women, towards sex, towards themselves?” he says. “We don’t have the answers we need.”

CORRECTION: Michael Seto is a psychologist, and not a psychiatrist as described in an earlier version of this story.

Valve has confirmed that a Portal-themed Easter Egg discovered by CS:GO players is not an ARG.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players caused a stir earlier this week when they discovered a Portal reference hidden in the new Danger Zone Blacksite map. Tucked away in the blocked-off Room 3 of the map’s motel was a handful of computers emitting a broadcast that was decoded to reveal the first line of Portal’s ending song, Still Alive; “This was a triumph, I’m making a note here: HUGE SUCCESS.”

Players continued to explore the map and some speculated that this was the beginning of an ARG, with clues being gathered over on Reddit. Sadly, speculation was soon nipped in the bud by the game’s official Twitter account, and a player who claims to have an email from Valve’s Gabe Newell, also confirming that this is an Easter egg.

“Congrats to all who have found our Portal Easter egg on dz_blacksite! We’re just having a bit of fun and the Easter egg is not a product announcement. Enjoy Danger Zone!” read the tweet from the official CS:GO Twitter account.

The in-game broadcast was discovered by YouTuber snaileny with the Reddit investigation being summed up and monitored by YouTuber Valve News Network (via PCGamesN).

Further clues that players cited as possible evidence of an ARG included Half Life logos, the room number the computers were found in (indicating the third instalment in the Portal of Half Life series), hi-res unused textures, and a series of security cameras that lead players to the wreck of a ship.

You can read the entirety of the investigation right here.

CS:GO’s new battle royale mode was introduced last week, along with news that the game is now free-to-play.

Shabana is a freelance writer who enjoys JRPGs, wine, and not finishing games. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Following a 3-0 week, which included a pair of wins over No. 6 Oklahoma, LSU strengthened its hold on No. 1 in this week’s USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll, announced Tuesday by the Association.

 

After ascending to No. 1 for the first time in program history last week, the Tigers (30-1) received 30 of 32 possible first-place votes and 798 points to grab a firm hold of the top spot. LSU topped Nicholls, 6-1, in a mid-week affair and capped off its 3-0 week by edging the Sooners, 1-0, in the opener and a posting resounding 10-2 victory in the finale.

As with the top spot, the next five rankings remained the same. Oregon received a first-place vote and 758 points to continue its eight-week run, including preseason, in the No. 2 position. The Ducks (25-3) defeated Utah by the scores of 4-2 and 15-9 in the first two games of a three-game Pac-12 series that concluded Monday in Salt Lake City. 

Weather played havoc on the SEC series between No. 3 Florida (29-2) and No. 5 Alabama (21-6). The Gators won a pitching duel between Lauren Haeger and Alexis Osorio, 1-0. Weather forced the series to conclude on Monday with a doubleheader in Tuscaloosa. It was the only game of the week for both programs.

No. 4 Michigan (28-4) enjoyed a 4-0 week launching 16 home runs and outscoring its opponents, 54-3, including a three-game Big Ten sweep at Ohio State (13-1, 13-1, 20-0). In the series finale against the Buckeyes, Wolverine head coach and NFCA Hall of Famer Carol Hutchens (’06) became just the third NCAA head coach to reach this milestone and is currently the second winningest active coach.

No. 6 Oklahoma (25-5) went 3-2 this week with wins over Iowa (14-0), Wichita State (10-0) and RV McNeese State (3-0). No. 7 Georgia (28-5) and No. 8 Auburn (32-2) both moved up one spot after 4-0 weeks, which included SEC sweeps of Arkansas (10-0, 12-4, 9-1) and then-No. 13 Kentucky (5-0, 9-7, 4-1), respectively.

Following a 5-1 week, Louisiana-Lafayette (25-4) dropped two spots to No. 9. The Ragin’ Cajuns swept a three-game non-conference series from Georgia Southern (8-2, 12-1, 9-0) and took two-of-three from Troy in a Sun Belt Conference battle (3-9, 6-3, 12-2).

Coming in the 10^th spot is UCLA. The Bruins (29-5) return to the top 10 after a pair of Pac-12 road wins at then-No. 18 Washington (10-3, 8-4) to extend their winning streak to 15 games as of Sunday.

No. 24 South Alabama returns to the top 25 after a one-week hiatus, while No. 25 James Madison makes its first appearance of the season. The Jaguars (21-6) won four games last week, defeating Southern Mississippi, 9-1 and take all three from Appalachian State (6-1, 3-2, 8-0) in a Sun Belt series. The Dukes (22-6) have won 13 straight and 16 of their last 17 contests after sweeping Virginia (9-1, 10-2) in a doubleheader and going 3-0 in a neutral site CAA series against Towson (5-1/8, 4-3, 6-4). 

The USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches, one representing each conference.  Current 2015 records are shown and first-place votes are in parentheses

USA Today/NFCA Division I Softball Poll – March 24, 2015

Rank

Team

2015 Record

Totals

Prev. Rank

1

LSU (30)

30-1

798

1

2

Oregon (1)

25-3

758

2

3

Florida (1)

29-2

747

3

4

Michigan

28-4

703

4

5

Alabama

21-6

659

5

6

Oklahoma

25-5

609

6

7

Georgia

28-5

593

8

8

Auburn

32-2

586

9

9

Louisiana-Lafayette

25-4

563

7

10

UCLA

29-5

503

11

11

Florida State

26-7

464

10

12

Minnesota

27-4

442

15

13

Baylor

21-6

365

16

14

Arizona

27-7

341

17

15

Tennessee

21-7

325

14

16

Kentucky

21-8

319

13

17

California

23-6

308

12

18

UCF

29-5

251

20

19

Washington

28-7

239

18

20

Missouri

20-5

190

19

21

Arizona State

22-10

177

21

22

Kansas

29-2

170

22

23

Texas A&M

24-7

148

23

24

South Alabama

21-6

61

RV

25

James Madison

23-6

29

RV

New to Poll: No. 24 South Alabama, No. 25 James Madison

Dropped out: No. 24 Mississippi State (22-8), No. 25 UAB (22-7) 

Others Receiving Votes: Notre Dame (15), Mississippi State (13), Western Kentucky (5), UAB (4), North Dakota State (4), Virginia Tech (3), USC Upstate (3), Florida Atlantic (2), Texas (1), South Carolina (1), Cal State Northridge (1).

A new world-first study has found young people who regularly use sunscreen could reduce their risk of developing melanoma by up to 40 per cent.

Led by researchers at the University of Sydney, Australia, the study is the first to look at how using sunscreen in childhood could affect the melanoma risk for Australian adults aged 18 to 40 years.

The team looked at data on sunscreen use collected from interviews with 603 melanoma patients and 1,088 control participants.

The results showed that regularly using sunscreen in childhood and adulthood was significantly associated with a decreased risk of melanoma among young adults age 18 to 40, with the risk reduced by 35 to 40 per cent for regular sunscreen users compared to those who rarely used it.

The researchers found that sex, age, ancestry, educational level, skin pigmentation, and sunburn were also factors associated with sunscreen use.

Regular users of sunscreen were more likely to be female, younger, of British or northern European ancestry, have a higher education level, lighter skin pigmentation, and a strong history of blistering sunburn, whereas participants were who were male, older, less educated, or had skin that was darker or more resistant to sunburn were less likely to use sunscreen.

“Despite sunscreen being widely available and recommended for sun protection, optimizing the use of sunscreens remains a challenge and controversies continue to surround its use,” commented lead researcher Associate Professor Anne Cust.

“This study confirms that sunscreen is an effective form of sun protection and reduces the risk of developing melanoma as a young adult. Sunscreen should be applied regularly during childhood and throughout adulthood whenever the UV Index is 3 or above, to reduce risk of developing melanoma and other skin cancers.”

“Some population subgroups such as people with sun-sensitive skin or with many moles might get a stronger benefit from using sunscreen.”

Melanoma is the most common cancer diagnosed in Australian men aged 25 to 49 years and second most common cancer in women aged 25 to 49 years, after breast cancer.

Approximately two in three Australians will be diagnosed with melanoma or other types of skin cancer by the time they are 70 years old.

The results were published online in the journal JAMA Dermatology.