The Bull & Bear November 2012 Issue

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November 2012 Issue 003 Vol. 10

THE BULL & BEAR

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Memoirs of a Hurricane Facebook is Losing its Fun Does GPA Really Matter?

The Heir to Pierre

COVER PHOTO BY JORDANA COHEN

NEWS 4 McGill Residence System $79 Million in Debt 6 When McGill Plays, Children Win 8 STANDing Ground 9 Encouraging Young Entrepreneurs

MARKETS 10 The French National Debt 11 IMF Lowers Growth Projections 12 The Rise of Massive Open Online Courses 13 China and Japan Battle Over Disputed Islands 14 Options Trading 101 15 Memoirs of a Hurricane

LIFESTYLE 16 Facebook is Losing its Fun 18 Champs in the Making 19 How to Know if You’re Fast or Lax 20 A Rustic Old Building and a Magnificent Old Edifice 22 School Drop-outs Meet their Claim to Fame

Editor’s Note Vidal Wu

LIFESTYLE EDITOR

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t’s been a relatively quiet year. After the #MUNACAtastrophe and #manifencours, it’s a bit of a stretch to think of our bi-annual slew of midterms, all-nighters and drunken debauchery as being anything particularly new or exciting. However, that’s not to say that there’s nothing to talk about, or more specifically, nothing to care about.

Racism and feminism are on the agenda, both an issue of endorsement: the former following the 4Floors blackface controversy, and the latter a result of the Who Needs Feminism? campaign. How do we as a publication determine which ideas to promote, and what are we complicit to when we press “Post”? Needless to say, It’s not an exact science, and we (nor, it’s safe to say, other publications) don’t claim to know the answers.

However, it’s our responsibility as a publication and a social barometer to represent the varied, scattershot and often impulsive ideas that students—or more accurately, people in general—have. We can’t claim to be impartial, we can’t claim to have a uniform opinion, and we can’t even claim to be “right”; we can only do our best in bringing McGill to life in print, in photos, and in our opinions. That doesn’t absolve us of guilt, but we’re a work in progress and we want to get better. Send in your letters to the editor, tell us we’re wrong, make a big stink. Without discussion and without critical analysis, the people behind the voices become irrelevant, and our raison d’être is for people, for you.

We sincerely hope you enjoy our newest issue. We can’t wait to hear what you think about it.

OBAMA WINS

OPINION 24 Does GPA Really Matter?

26 ...I am Racist?

28 The Heir to Pierre 29 Pierre vs. Justin 30 Powerful Communication 31 Hot or Not

PHOTO VIA AP PHOTO

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Briefs

BRIEFS

Your guide to events around campus Right to Party

CIS Championships

November 22nd Ivy nightclub Semi-formal to support Right to Play Canada.

November 2nd-11th Halifax and Quebec Both men’s rugby, women’s soccer and men’s soccer teams will be advancing to the championships.

Twas the Night Before: Winter Dance Showcase

Hype Week November 5th-9th Montreal Infamous for its guaranteed raging, Hype committee brings you “Reading Week 2012”!

November 25h Centaur Theatre Urban Groove entertains with special guests MSSD, Mosaica, Dance Pak, Inertia and Tonal Ectasy.

Zero Waste Week

Worldwide Careers Week

November 9th-16th Montreal Greening McGill challenges you to eliminate waste from your life for a full 7-days.

November 26th-30th Brown Building CaPS presents a week dedicated to working and volunteering abroad.

CASCO November 16th Montreal Annual dance and fashion show to benefit The Montreal Children’s Hospital through The Commerce and Administrative Student Charity Organization.

Corporate Case Simulation November 16th Bronfman Brand new student-developed case crack introducing real-world elements into the traditional setup.

Movember Stache Dash November 17th Montreal Apartment crawl to support prostate cancer research by AUS’ EPIC team.

The Bull & Bear - November 2012

David Lin Executive Editor Jean Moirez Media Editor Alessandra Hechanova Michael Horowitz Chief Layout Editors Dan Novick Aimee Pellegrino Natasha Racco News Editors Fei Qi Sameer Rizvi Markets Editors

Zain Alimohamed Jessica Simmonds Opinion Editors Kapil Mehra Advertising Director Sami Jaber Henry Fuz-Keeve Diana Cheptene Web Editors Matthew Hunter Brian Lau Michael Tong Layout Editors

April Wu Vidal Wu Lifestyle Editors

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NEWS

PHOTO BY JORDANA COHEN

W

hile only a small fraction of McGill undergraduates live in on-campus residences, the residences are a vital part of the lives of those who do. Which residence a student lives in can determine friendships and activities, and can even help define identities.

Due to the great influence McGill residences have on students’ lives, it is important to analyze their cost and future outlook. Why care about the cost of living on campus? For many students, room and board accounts for much more annual costs than tuition itself, and the future does not point to a direction in which costs will stay the same.

McGill Residences and Student Housing is a separate self-financed unit from the University itself. It owes $79 million in outstanding loans to the University, and that number will not be getting smaller anytime soon. Seventynine million is close to three times the $27 million dollar annual budget of McGill residences. Buildings aren’t cheap, obviously, but what can possibly amount to causing a debt of such magnitude?

In the fiscal year 2012, which ended on April 30th, McGill Residences and Student Housing operated at a loss of $5 million. Revenues amounted to $27 million; close to 97% of revenues were due to student fees, and the rest balanced between summer business and endowments. Major renovations and mortgage repayments were responsible for most of the expenditures.

The $5 million loss is related to the first year of the four year plan for deferred maintenance, whereby $30 million is being borrowed over the course of the

The Bull & Bear - November 2012

plan. “To sum up, the five million dollar loss was planned, not an aberration,” notes Michael Porritt, Executive Director of Residences and Student Housing.

While only three percent of revenue seems like an afterthought, summer business is a vital part of the effort to keep costs from increasing too heavily. To offset the bloated expenditures stemming from renovations and expansion, summer business will need to inhabit a bigger role in revenue collection in the future. “Summer business and other nonrent revenue is key to reduce our debt, but we are also constantly looking at ways to reduce our operating costs,” finds Kin Mow, Associate Director of Business Operations for McGill Residences and Student Housing.

The significant debt is likely to only increase in the near future. The average residence building at McGill is 60 to 70 years old, and many need constant reparations. For example, Douglas Hall will be closed next year for renovations that will cost $15 million. The fiscal year 2013 will see loan and mortgage payments increase from $6.6 million to $9.3 million due only to La Citadelle, the newest residence on campus.

In fact, the total amount owed to the university is projected to be $110-120 million by the end of next year because of the cost of La Citadelle, a project that ended up costing $17 million more than originally planned. According to Mow, McGill residences “will be debt-free by 2053.” This prediction follows the assumption that all mortgage payments will be fulfilled by that time. However, if costs can be reduced and summer business expanded, the mortgage payback

time can be significantly reduced.

La Citadelle follows the recent trend established by the newest McGill residences in that converted hotels not originally built for the purpose of housing students have become the new norm.

The move to hotel-style residences is supported by the city of Montreal, whose bureaucracy views the hotel market as too saturated. It is becoming very unlikely that a new traditional residence building will be added to the list of residences anytime soon. Permits take ages to be approved, which also hinders progress.

The future isn’t so dim though, as there are significant plans to reduce operating costs. Mow emphasizes energy cost reduction, as he states that many of the buildings will be renovated to house more energy efficient windows and newer HVAC systems. In line with summer business, Mow says that there are plans to “hire a marketing professional to increase and improve summer business,” implement “new summer programs which will better utilize our Residence facilities,” and coordinate with the city of Montreal to “be designated as one of the official hotels for various Montreal summer events.”

It is obvious that McGill residences are expensive and require huge fiscal commitments. While being indebted is not necessarily the worst scenario, too much leverage can quickly become a problem. Plans for the future are being crafted, as it will quickly become necessary to slow down spending and cut down costs while simultaneously continuing the renovation processes.

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When McGill Plays, Children Win McGill’s Right to Play extends their impact beyond our campus Elana Cipin

STAFF writer

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NEWS

President Amy Harrington and Vice President of Communications Neelum Wadekar discuss their goals for the 2012/2013 year.

PHOTO BY HOLLY SHERLOCK

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he humanitarian and development NGO, Right To Play, has been receiving thousands of dollars since 2006 from their McGill chapter’s fundraising efforts. On campus they raise awareness through word of mouth and fundraise money at events to go towards Right To Play’s programs and educational materials. Right To Play believes in using sports and play programs as a compliment to community development programs.

“Everyone has the notion that they send sporting equipment to children, but it’s so much more than that” worried co-president of Right to Play McGill, Amy Harrington. VP Communications, Neelum Wadekar agrees, “[Students] think they just send people to go play sports”.

Right to Play encourages children of all backgrounds to be more engaged in their education. They have programs in twenty different countries, promoting a range of topics, such as health, selfesteem, equality, and other life skills.

Their motto is, “When children play, the world wins.” Volunteers and professional athlete ambassadors go to these countries to teach the local Coaches how to implement the program, and make it sustainable.

Olympic Canadian skier and gold medallist, Jennifer Heil, caught up with The Bull & Bear to talk briefly on her past experiences as an Athlete Ambassador for Right to Play. “As an athlete you really believe in the power of sport,” began Heil, and continued, “we know so many benefits, anywhere from self-esteem. One of the major things, too, is being part of a community, and teamwork.”

The connection between Right to Play and Olympic athletes has existed since

The Bull & Bear - November 2012

Right to Play spawned off a fundraising organization, Olympic Aid. Charitable donations used to go towards funding projects for disadvantaged children, but the scope has increased to try and make sport the catalyst of community development and empowerment. Athlete Ambassadors come from all over the world, with backgrounds in different sports and volunteer their time to raise awareness.

Heil is no longer active with Right to Play and concentrates her efforts on a new organization, Because I am a Girl.

She was inspired to do more to promote the rights of girls in the developing world after she spent some time in Rwanda for Right to Play, in the summer of 2007.

She explained that Because I am a Girl, “Promotes educating and empowering girls to get them active members of the community.” These are not issues that Right to Play was directly targeting.

The McGill chapter continues to gain higher levels of funds, with their 2011 fundraising reaching nearly $30,000.

Events centred on sport, competition and parties are put on throughout the school year to raise the money that they send back to the Toronto head office. Student representatives at the universities are invited to attend Right To Play workshops and Harrington explains, “They teach you about the organization so you know what to tell students on campus about.”

The most visible fundraising event is their annually held Spin-AThon. This takes place every year in the Y-intersection at the downtown campus.

Riders must pledge money to participate and for seven hours they must keep riding in teams on the stationary bikes. “We sort of decide what kinds of events we want to

do,” stated Wadekar. They have had other events, like Right to Party, Dodgeball tournaments and a new event this year, Right to Crawl, which was organized by the second-year team.

Although the head offices of Right to Play do not encourage the association of fundraising with alcohol, Right to Play McGill has found a way around this. “We keep them updated about what we’re doing,” Harrington described, but continued that they must be careful when deciding on new fundraising events. They do not advertise the consumption of alcohol at their events, and when they do, Right to Play tends to look the other way.

“I want to involve as many people as we can,” Harrington mused. The group membership has also increased, with an executive board of fifteen and over fifty other contributing members, at least.

With a large membership they are able to spread awareness through word of mouth, by taking advantage of the age range, faculties, and social circles of their diverse members.

Right to Play McGill motivates new members to join by trying to show that being involved does not have to be a chore.

Wadekar stressed, “We try to make it look like a lot of fun so people are interested in coming over to hear what it is.”

While clubs on campus are meant to be fun, Heil was sure that Right to Play also has an impact on the communities they are in. “The teachers of the schools we visited told us that the attendance rates went up and students were on time in order to play the games before the start of class,” stated Heil, and concluded, “This shows the importance of their work and how if you can’t get kids in a class room then you can’t educate them.”

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NEWS

STANDing Ground McGill anti-genocide club goes beyond fundraising in a search for answers Doron Lurie

STAFF writer

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ost people can only sustain their moral outrage for so long before it becomes tiring. “Issues of the day,” if left unresolved during their time in the spotlight, will rarely return to the public eye in the absence of new developments. For this reason, among others, some of the most intense protracted conflicts on our planet have faded into the background, occasionally relegated a cursory nod in the mainstream media. What results is a “conflict fatigue,” writing off the situation as a given and unchangeable, and moving on with your life.

Some of the most overlooked atrocities on the planet occur as part of the ongoing strife in Northern and Central Africa. In an attempt to address this unfortunate trend, groups like STAND have emerged to bring “unpopular” causes back to the forefront.

Inspired by similar groups in the United States, STAND Canada was first formed in 2005 by students at the University of Western Ontario as Students Taking Action Now: Darfur. Its mission was to respond to the general apathy towards civil conflict in the Sudans. It has since spread, with chapters at 14 universities and dozens of high schools across the country. Their mission has expanded to include conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

“All the chapters are pretty autonomous.

We can do what we want,” explains Alison Wass, U2 Political Science student and President of STAND McGill. “We started in reaction to [the genocide in] Darfur, but now we have begun dabbling a bit more in issues related to the DRC because of changes in group interests.” The group is small but growing, doubling from 7 members last year to 14 today.

The Sudans haven’t been forgotten, as STAND McGill is a supporter of the Valentino Achak Deng Foundation, which works to increase access to education in postconflict South Sudan. This was started by a Sudanese refugee whose story was novelized in Dave Eggers’ What is the What.

“We hold typical student-esque fundraising events, like pub nights and

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PHOTO BY JEAN MOIREZ

costume sales,” says Wass. “So far this year we have already raised almost $700 of our $1500 goal, and it’s only November.”

However, Wass is convinced that while fundraising is important, the group can make a more significant impact on the academic landscape. “I feel like as students, money generally isn’t what we have a lot of. Especially as a small group, we don’t have the manpower to make a huge impact financially. Where we can really contribute is on the awareness side.” To her this also makes the club far more interesting due to the focus on intellectual stimulation. “A lot of our members didn’t sign up just to do pub nights and costume sales. This approach makes it actually engaging on a personal level.”

While fundraising is focused on Sudan, the club’s research mandate seeks to both educate on and investigate the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. “There is a conflict in the eastern region of the DRC,

focused in the Kivu provinces, that has been going on for many years. It is very much the result of an ongoing civil war within the whole country as well as a carryover from the genocide in Rwanda, which borders the DRC, since many of the perpetrators fled into the region.”

The various groups are fighting mainly for control over the country’s significant natural endowment of rare earth minerals, a significant component in a variety of consumer electronics. While the warlords fight it out, the Congolese people suffer from frequent attacks. “What really worries me is the prevalence of sexual violence against women, with mass rape being used as a terrorist tactic to break up communities.”

The lucrative nature of the rare earth minerals industry has some groups concerned for the potential of corporate sponsorship of the violence. “The Enough Project, starting in the USA, began the Conflict Free Campus Initiative, which tries to connect us as ordinary citizens to the conflict in the DRC by creating links between the production of our mobile phones with these conflict minerals,” Wass explains. “The idea is that by buying a mobile phone made using these minerals that were acquired by sketchy means, they say that you are indirectly supporting the conflict.”

While she is not fully convinced of this connection, it is compelling enough of a possibility to warrant further research. “The Enough Project has made a statement strong enough to instigate some activity. As a group, we had reason to question some of their claims, as they certainly have an agenda that they want to put forward,” notes Wass. “What we have been doing at STAND McGill has been looking into exactly what percentage of minerals in my cellphone actually link back to the DRC, where access to the mines almost always involves extortion and bribes by the militias.”

Wass is enthusiastic but aware of the challenges they face. “This is all very new to us, just the 14 of us trying to establish a body of knowledge. So far, we’ve been able to

NEWS establish a link to the DRC, with Intel buying from Xstrata, which buys from Glencore, which buys from Katanga Mining, which runs open-pit mines in the DRC.” Wass finds that this hits a little close to home. “Katanga Mining is actually traded on the TSX and has headquarters in the Yukon, so as Canadians we have an interest in protecting our image abroad.” Their research then involves going through Katanga’s financials and asking questions. “If we see so many dollars set aside for transportation and miscellaneous costs, we want to know exactly

what the breakdown of those costs is.”

The next step is to establish direct links with companies like Katanga and ask some difficult questions. “We’ve established contact with Minmetals Resources Ltd., an Australian [miner with operations in the DRC], and will be talking with them sometime next week,” enthuses Wass. “We have to look into this but, we need to be careful of research bias and try not to create links that aren’t there.”

STAND aims to hold more fundraising events this semester, with a pub night

planned for mid-November. The McGill chapter’s personal website will be going live soon, and they plan to periodically share their findings. “Next semester, once we’re on our feet and have a decent body of work, we plan on holding some discussions with the McGill community,” Wass explains.

“We want students to be able to think critically and engage in the discussion.

We’re not looking to ‘save’ the DRC, but if we can look into the human side of the conflict and explore the possibility of these corporate links then we will be satisfied.”

Encouraging Young Entrepreneurs YESocializing helps new entrepreneurs find their footing Dan A. Novick NEWS EDITOR

Zuzanna Kuza Staff writer

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he Young Entrepreneurs Socializing organization, or YESocializing, is a new initiative with the vision to bring together leaders of several young companies on a monthly basis and discuss their ideas for development and innovation in today’s marketplace. Their mission? “Casual networking for young entrepreneurs.”

The premise of the organization, founded in August by McGill students Alexandre Flamant and Sean Kim, is to create a platform whereby young startup enthusiasts, local startups, and experienced mentors and investors unite in one location to meet, socialize and network.

Both Flamant and Kim have had experience as budding young entrepreneurs.

Flamant founded MTLTextbooks in 2010, a local platform to buy, sell, and exchange used textbooks, which he subsequently sold for a profit in 2012. Kim founded Totum Pass in 2011, a social mobile application to help people discover their city through friend recommendations. Being full-time students, YESocializing was an ideal way for the two to remain active in the startup community, while still committing their time to school.

YESocializing emerged as an idea after both Flamant and Kim encountered problems with creating contacts and developing a network of resources for their own start-ups. “When we first started it was hard to reach out as young students to find resources for raising money or legal matters.

There’s a big gap between college students The Bull & Bear - November 2012

and the startup community,” admits Kim. “Having been through it personally, we wanted to bridge that local gap by bringing together young startup enthusiasts, local startups and experienced advisors in the same room, allowing them to network in an informal setting.”

The organization makes it easier for start-up company founders to establish their future path of development through a tight-knit network of others experiencing similar setbacks and triumphs. Essentially, YESocializing acts as the first easy step for young students looking to break into entrepreneurship, allowing them to take a peek of what the world of entrepreneurship truly entails.

“The Montreal startup circle is a very close group,” finds Kim. “It’s intimidating for young students to attend these events because a majority of the attendees are much older that have a greater extent of success and experience with entrepreneurship. We’ve done things but relatively small compared to them,” adds on Flamant.

Their launch event on September 27th was sold-out, attracting over ten local startups based in Montreal and over 70 attendees, including some from the United States. “It was amazing to see the abundant number of young startup enthusiasts in our community, many of which were students,” finds Flamant.

Events hosted by YESocializing benefit from the presence of many start-

up companies such as Wildcard, Wavo.me, and OOHLALA Mobile that are already garnering a following. The meetings allow for fresh faces to ask questions and pick the brains of their peers who have already begun traversing the competitive market.

Each event boasts new guest speakers who present their companies, products and entrepreneurial tips to the larger audience.

“We are continuously striving to raise the bar by bringing high-quality startups and experienced mentors to our events, and we are also in the process of partnering up with the Dobson Cup Centre to better accommodate our young student entrepreneurs at McGill.” The Dobson Cup is an annual opportunity for entrepreneurs to showcase their business ideas and receive advice from industry experts, with the winner being awarded $15,000.

YESocializing’s next event, an elevator pitch competition, will be held on November 6 at Brutopia Pub from 5-7pm. Each startup will be given 90 seconds to present their idea to the judges. Following a Q&A period, the judges will pick the top two finalists. The audience will then vote to decide a final winner. “Whether you have an interest for entrepreneurship, looking to join a startup, or currently an entrepreneur, this event is for you,” concludes Kim. For more information about YESocializing and their events, visit http:// yesocializing.com/

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MARKETS

The French National Debt Will Hollande offer a turnaround for France?

Henri-Luc Carlin

THE MACROECONOMIST

Staff Writer

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hile headlines consistently offer updates regarding the economic and political state of a few key Eurozone countries (think Germany, Greece, Spain & Italy), we sometimes forget that France is also going through its fair share of reforms and issues.

Ranked as the world’s 5th largest economy in GDP terms, and the second largest in Europe, France is home to 32 Fortune 500 companies. Total, AXA and L’Oreal, to name a few, are all headquartered in the Hexagon, and the avid investor should without a doubt be current on French developments if he wishes to capitalize on depressed European stock prices.

With quarterly growth rates of real GDP (seasonally adjusted change over previous quarter) being flat over the past 3 quarters, France is in desperate need of a catalyst to jump-start its stagnating economy.

While center-right ex-President Sarkozy was a believer that austerity was the solution to a paralyzed French economy, voters put an end to his lead by electing left-wing President Francois Hollande in May 2012 – the first Socialist to be elected President in France since the 1980s.

Hollande promised the French that he would refocus fiscal efforts from austerity to growth. While this pleased the masses, some stated that France’s public spending, which now accounts for 57% of its GDP, isn’t sustainable and must be reduced to allow for growth in economic activity to return. In fact, the country hasn’t run a balanced budget since 1974, and its lavish public spending is largely

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PHOTO BY JEAN MOIREZ

funded by debt. With a Debt-to-GDP ratio of 91%, and unemployment reaching a 13-year high of 10.2% in Q2 2012, returning the French economy to a healthy state will prove to be a true challenge for the President.

Luckily, Hollande claims he hasn’t overlooked the issue, and has addressed it in his 2013 budget that aims to reduce the country’s annual deficit to 3%. However, critics state that the President’s deficit target feasibility is based on overly optimistic growth figures. They also argue that most of the savings will come from the increase in French tax rates, which is expected to do more harm to growth than simple spending cuts would.

While the President seems to

have good intentions in refocusing the country’s efforts on attaining growth, now is not the time for France to let the Eurozone down. Hollande needs to employ a short-term strategy to strengthen the French economy, be it through the austerity and public spending cuts he dismissed, or through other methods such as the loosening of France’s rigid labor-market rules.

However the President does it, he must ensure that the second largest Euro-denominated economy does not show prolonged economic weakness in such a critical time, as it could prove to be disastrous for the recovery of the EU as a whole.

MARKETS

IMF Lowers Growth Projections Lagarde critiques debt consolidation policies Jonathan Craske STAFF WRITER

The Bull & Bear - November 2012

THE MACROECONOMIST

A

s investors grow frustrated with the uncertainty that seems to loom relentlessly over the Eurozone, its effects have quietly crept into emerging markets, or so the International Monetary Fund claims in their most recent World Economic Outlook. Presenting their report in Tokyo, the fund made plain a series of concerns regarding the status of growth in Asian and South American economies, calling into question the legitimacy of several national fiscal policies.

Growth projections that took a hit were most noticeably those of the fastest growing markets in the world. Brazil, China, and India – recent drivers of global economic growth, saw forecasts for growth slip up to a full percentage point.

Ominously, the fund also made mention of the possibility of seeing Asia’s growth fall below 4% in 2013, with expectations of 5.4% down from April forecasts of 6%.

The IMF was quick to acknowledge, however, that most of these markets have well-structured policies in place to handle such decelerations. Despite the dip in projected growth, emerging markets remained comfortably at forefront of global economic growth, thanks largely to low interest rates and gradual deficit reduction policies. Even with the reduced projections, developing market growth is still comfortably ahead of the rest of the world (Asia by 2 percentage points). This did not stop both South Korea and Brazil from lowering their interest rates further in the week following the release of the outlook.

China was notably unsung in these praises as they continue to receive criticism for failing to move towards more sustainable policy structures. In fairness, China has little incentive to listen. Despite

PHOTO VIA IMF

IMG growth data: growth projections into 2013

being the second largest economy in the world, China holds roughly the same voting power in the fund as the notorious economic juggernaut and global superpower… Italy – currently ranked 8th with a GDP less than one third of China’s.

Although there is little doubt as to the rightful placement of blame on Greece and Spain, the fund was firm in extending its censure beyond the Eurozone. Japan continues to struggle to reign in its massive levels of public debt, which are on track to rise above 230% of GDP by the end of this year. Moreover, worries over the “fiscal cliff ” in the US have been muted, but not eliminated.

More important is the IMF’s recent approach to austerity measures and debt consolidation. France, Great Britain, and the Netherlands all have policies in place to front load their debt consolidation,

while Greece and Spain have been clinging to austerity measures just to keep their heads above water. The outlook, however, points out that the global economic climate has made aggressive consolidation more harmful to output then was previously thought: It is presumed that, in both advanced and emerging economies, a single percentage point of deficit reduction could trigger a drop of roughly 1.7 points in growth.

Accordingly, Greece and Spain have been asked to loosen their grip on the reigns of austerity, while debt reduction policies are to be revised to take advantage of low interest rates that will allow for more gradual consolidation. Ultimately, the outlook marks a substantial repositioning for the IMF and its stance on pursuing substantial levels of global growth and stability.

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MARKETS

The Rise of Massive Open Online Courses A world-class education just got a lot cheaper Maximilian Feinsot

INVESTMENT BANKER

STAFF WRITER

PHOTO VIA BIZCOVERING.COM

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rinceton, Stanford, University of Pennsylvania and University of Michigan: What do these four world-class universities have in common other than their high tuition rates? They are the founding partners of Coursera, one of three online education platforms that are in the process of revolutionizing higher education with Massive Open Online Courses.

The concept for Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs, spawned from the successes of The Khan Academy.

Khanacademy.org has thus far delivered over 200 million lessons worldwide, and offers a free high school-level education to anybody with access to the internet.

First to capitalize on the idea of offering University courses online for free was Sebastian Thrun, professor of Artificial Intelligence at Stanford University and the man behind Google’s driverless car.

Sebastian Thrun founded Udacity in January, 2012 after opening up his online Stanford University course, “Introduction to Artificial Intelligence,” to the world in 2011 and registering some 160,000 students. Udacity now offers 14 courses online to 112,000 registered students.

Coursera, cofounded by Stanford Professors Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller in April, is now the largest of the three major University-level online education platforms and, like Udacity, is for-profit. By August, it had registered over one million students 196 countries.

It now offers 200 courses in just about every subject. Since its founding, it has signed on 29 more partner universities,

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bringing the total number of universities partnered with Coursera to 33, including four Ivy League schools and nine universities outside of the United States, notably the University of British Columbia and University of Toronto.

This raises the question, will McGill hop on the bandwagon, and if so, when?

Conspicuously absent from the list of universities that are partnered with Coursera are Harvard and MIT, who, instead of joining Coursera, cofounded their own MOOC venture, edX. edX, which launched this Fall, is based on MITx, MIT’s online education software that was started in December 2011. edX is also partnered with UC Berkeley and the University of Texas system. It is the only not-for-profit venture so far in the US. It currently offers 8 courses in science and engineering fields.

The concept of MOOCs allows millions of students access to the best education resources the world has to offer, resources that they would otherwise not be able to harness. But many questions about the way forward for these enterprises remain. Udacity, being a for-profit company, must identify a means of income. Coursera’s partner universities joined with the expectation that they would see income from their venture down the road, and so Coursera must also answer the call for returns on investment along with with its own forprofit expectations. edX is currently operating on seed money from Harvard and MIT but will eventually require its own source of income to remain

operational.

In addition to income questions, other issues have arisen as to how to certify students in such a way that their completion of the course will be recognized by potential employers.

Current methods of income that are proposed to both fill the funding gap and offer profit opportunities in the future include selling student information and resumes to partner companies, offering course certification for a fee, tutoring services, licensing courses to community colleges and other institutions, and charging tuition to courses after a trial period with the course. Coursera and Udacity already offers course certification for a fee, and Udacity offers you the option of submitting your CV and transcript to participating firms. These solutions offer solutions to many of the problems these enterprises face. They allow for student’s achievements to be recognized and potentially helps them find an employer and they provide a source of income and potentially profits as well.

Though Coursera, edX, and Udacity have yet to show any return on investment, they offer the promise of universal education. These companies are works in progress, still in their infancy, and could unleash educational potential across the world. Coursera and Udacity may very well capitalize on this possibility. McGill has yet to announce whether it will provide MOOCs or not, and seeing as the payoffs of providing MOOCs are unclear in the short run, McGill will likely wait for results of the first school year of MOOCs.

MARKETS

China And Japan Battle Over Disputed Islands Dispute hurts investment and trade of both countries Alan Liu

STAFF WRITER

The Bull & Bear - November 2012

PHOTO VIA HAZIMIAI.WORDPRESS.COM

The string of islands known as Senkakuislands in Japanese, and Diaoyu in Chinese

economic losses in the millions for Japan.

Reciprocally, Japan damaged China’s manufacturing industry by the limiting of Japanese technological imports.

3) Japan reduced imports of Japanese goods into China, including delayed checks at border control. But, Japanese investors recognised further risk in China and direct investment has slowed, contributing to the slowdown

in the Chinese economy that is currently occurring.

4) China has continuously threatened to re-enact the rare-earth minerals blockade, thereby choking Japan’s valued high-tech industry. Japan’s closure and destruction of Japanese factories, being major taxpayers, have also damaged the local economy in regions.

5) China has caused over a billion dollars worth of damages in setbacks and destruction of Japanese-owned factories and stores throughout China. In retaliation, Toyota, Nissan, and Suzuki are limiting production in China.

6) China has been called upon by domestic individuals to utilize its power as Japan’s largest creditor, with over $230 billion invested in bonds, for leverage and threat of sanctions. Previously, working at Japanese factories, thousands of Chinese workers find themselves out of work, as the closure of large factories supplying goods from electronics to toothbrushes increases.

Yet the ultimate question is: Should this conflict escalate into a full trade war?

We know for a fact that its effects in the current economic crises would definitely not improve market conditions. An absence of Japanese high tech goods could severely damage American, European, and Chinese electronic markets. Reversely, the flight of Japanese companies in China amidst a trade war would result in massive unemployment and contribute negatively to a slowing market. Neither the Japanese nor the Chinese people would gain from a disastrous trade war and both countries ought to acknowledge the damage such a dispute would cause. Our job for now is to wait and see what “political” strategies these countries try and implement next.

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INVESTMENT BANKER

N

o, war will not occur. A trade war, on the other hand, has already started. In light of recent events surrounding the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, China and Japan have been having an increasingly strained relationship – to say the least.

Following the United States administration of the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, China claimed control of the uninhabited islands. But these are now under Japanese administration. The conflict remained relatively low-key until fishing boats within the area precipitated this into a larger event. Tensions quickly escalated with activists from both sides attempting landings and sending patrol ships to the region.

When the Japanese government offered to purchase the Islands for ¥2.05 billion ($26 million), the Chinese government and public responded in outrage. Subsequent protests in 85 Chinese cities have resulted in widespread looting, arson of Japanese vehicles, and flag burning. Although voices advocating military action were present in China, the possibility of a Chinese attack on Japan is slim to none, thanks to the detrimental economic effects it would have on the world and the Japanese insistence that the United States would stand by its side.

With military force put aside, China decided to flex its economic strength.

Below details a rough summary of each state’s economic action: 1) China’s trade with Japan accounts for 9.4% of overall Chinese trade. Japan’s trade with China accounts for almost 21% of overall Japanese trade.

2) China harmed the Japanese tourism industry through 60,000 canceled flights, resulting in an unknown amount of

MARKETS

OPTIONS TRADING 101 THE TRADER

A simple explanation for a complex derivative Maxime Riahi STAFF WRITER

PHOTO VIA KERR HENDERSON

A

n option is a contract that gives you the right to buy/sell the underlying asset of the contract at a future date for a significantly reduced cost – if done properly that is. Unlike Futures contracts, which also give you the right to buy/sell the underlying asset, Options do not oblige you to make the transactions.

When you buy an option, you are buying the RIGHT to buy the underlying asset, but are not obligated to exercise your right.

This is a very important distinction to Futures contracts because it significantly reduces the risk of loss that is incurred by using leveraged derivatives. With Options, the maximum loss you can take is 100%.

Now granted, that is a pretty large sum, being your entire trade and all. The distinction is that with Futures contracts you can lose more than 100% because you are essentially borrowing from your broker. If your trade goes against you with Futures, you are in debt to your broker. So in that regard, buying options will never put you in debt (there are exceptions; selling options could make you lose more than 100%).

There are two types of options: Puts and Calls. Calls give you the right, but not the obligation, to buy the underlying asset within a given period of time. There are three main elements to an options quote:

14

the strike price, the price of the option, and the time of expiration.

STRIKE PRICE The strike price is the price that the underlying asset has to reach in order for you to be able to exercise your option.

The strike price is based on the prices of the actual asset, and not the price of the option. Remember, options are just contracts, they are not real things, just agreements to buy and sell at some point in time. Until the underlying instruments price reaches the strike price, you are not allowed to buy the underlying.

PRICE OF OPTION The price of an option known as the ‘Premium’ is derived from complex pricing models, most notably the Black-Scholes model, taking into account multiple variables. These variables are known as the Greeks: Delta, Gamma, Theta, Vega.

There are more, but these four are the most useful to trading. Delta is the rate of change in the price of the underlying asset.

Gamma is the rate of change of Delta, or the rate of change of the rate of change in the underlying price. Vega is a measure of volatility. And last but not least is Theta, which is the measure of time-decay in an option.

TIME Options prices are essentially based on the probability of the underlying price of an asset reaching the strike price before expiration of the option. Because of this expiration date, time plays a crucial role in pricing. When time runs out as the date gets closer to expiration, there less chance of the Call option expiring above the strike price if it is still underneath it. Similarly, as time runs out there is a greater probability of the option expiring above the strike price if it is there already. Call options, above the strike price, become more valuable as time runs out, and those that have not yet reached the strike price, become cheaper as time runs out on the contract.

Ultimately, options can get very complicated as investors build complex positions involving multiple derivatives.

By doing so, they can reduce risk by hedging, they can bet on changes in volatility, and they can eliminate price direction bias from a position. The article above describes trading of naked options, meaning one basic options position. This was a demonstration of the basics and most institutional traders will not trade in this fashion as it involves way too much risk, which they can effectively eliminate by building options positions.

MARKETS

Memoirs of a Hurricane The aftermath Colton Dick

STAFF WRITER

O

The Bull & Bear - November 2012

their indirect risk.

The caveat of the insurance industry is the occurrence of low probability events such as natural disasters. Depending on the natural disaster or man-made catastrophe, most general insurance products will cover the resulting damages.

The fundamental difference between a catastrophe claim and normal P&C claim is the inability to accurately predict the total potential cost of a disaster and set aside the appropriate reserves. Extreme weather, unknown geological factors, and even human behavior present a slew of

PHOTO VIA PIXMULE.COM

Satellite image of Hurricane Sandy

unknown variables that limit the insurance company’s ability to gauge their exposure.

In order to mitigate this systemic risk, insurance companies sell the catastrophe liability to reinsurers.

Typically, insurance companies engage in varying levels of insurance and reinsurance. As such, the level of liability borne by any particular insurance company varies on the distribution of those respective business segments. ACE Limited (NYSE: ACE), for example, derives 82% of income earned from global underwriting, 11% from life insurance, and finally 7% from reinsurance. The more important consideration however, is the liability borne in the case of a disaster. Most insurance companies are

certain to diversify the risk from such unpredictable events because at worst, they have the potential to bankrupt the company. As an example, ACE Limited is 100% liable for losses up to $500 million in North America. However for liability between $500 and $1.2 billion, 100% of the risk has been placed with reinsurers.

The Travelers Companies (NYSE: TRV), however, is liable for all losses up to $1 billion, 80% liable for losses up to $1.5 billion, 43% liable up to $2.25 billion and 100% for all losses beyond $2.25 billion.

Inline is a chart displaying a suggested distribution of a potential $20 billion claim between 78 public P&C insurers. It also reflects a suggested distribution of the first degree of liability held by insurers. As observed above, the amount of losses that are not reimbursed through reinsurance vary between insurers. Therefore, more analysis is needed to determine the level of liability and how such a catastrophe will affect a company’s solvency.

With the catastrophe provisions specifically detailed in the annual report it becomes possible to model how a projected loss would affect the liquidity and solvency of an insurance company. Assuming that insured losses related to Hurricane Sandy are in fact $20 billion and are distributed as above, then ACE Limited has $1.4 billion liability to payout. $1.4 billion will be paid out from catastrophe reserves and reinsurers will then reimburse roughly $700 million. Travelers, however, will only be reimbursed $80 million. In this scenario, ACE Limited is better positioned then Travelers.

If the estimates hold, Hurricane Sandy will have been the fourth most costly disaster in US history following 9/11, Katrina, and Hurricane Andrew.

Insurance companies are positioned such that any one catastrophe will not bankrupt the company. The problem occurs after an accumulation of severe catastrophes, where insurance companies are forced to pay claims over and beyond what they are able to.

15

INVESTMENT MANAGER

ver the past week, Hurricane Sandy has claimed over 86 lives and caused an estimated $30-50 billion in damages. It has affected every facet of business with massive disruptions ranging from GM’s manufacturing production to the cancellation of over 14,600 flights. Although natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy seem more infrequent, their respective economic damage is increasing. For 2011, Munich RE, a German reinsurer, estimated total economic losses related to catastrophes to be $380 billion with insured losses of $102 billion. These figures represent a 72% increase in total losses and 168% increase in insured losses despite the fact that there were 150 fewer natural disasters then the previous year. Inevitably the question arises: who assumes this increasing liability?

The obligation to cover Sandy’s damages depends on who owns the property and whether or not that property has been specifically insured against the afflicting damage. If insured, liability is segregated into two categories: direct and indirect. Property and casualty insurance companies bear most of the liability directly related to natural disasters. In the case of Hurricane Sandy, catastrophe risk modeling company EQECAT has estimated insured losses to be between $10 and $20 billion.

Insurance companies separate property and casualty (P&C) insurance into two main components: general P&C insurance and P&C reinsurance. General P&C insurance is the above-described process of underwriting various insurance products for consumers for different risks, the liability of which is solely borne by the insurance company. P&C reinsurance is best described as insurance for insurance companies. More specifically, it is the practice of selling a portion of the insurance risk to another insurance company for a portion of the premium received. These insurance companies then exploit a variety of strategies to hedge

IS LOSING ITS FUN Digital collaboration in the 21st century is convenient, awful

Claire Llewellyn

Staff Writer

O

h my God, I am so popular. I have 54 notifications and 3 messages, and all in the time that my computer’s been closed for this marketing class. Suddenly, a swirl of resounding disappointment comes over me as I realize that 99% of them are from school groups.

No comment. Literally.

In the past, I used to have to force myself to stay off Facebook for the sake of my schoolwork, but now I have to coerce myself to respond to my newfound group-mates. Whatever happened to the personalized, once-a-week meetings?

Now I find myself talking to my groups on the hour, every hour. They’re worse than the needy girlfriend who demands a personalized Twitter feed of your life via iMessage. As our digital and IRL lives converge, U3 Marie Turk explained to me

that, “It seems very normal and common to create a private group to share info on the project,“ and this year, I’m in 4 groups of 7 people. That means that in addition to my social life, I have to be in contact with 48 people on a daily basis, amounting to what feels like a part-time job.

Facebook has all but doubled my need to keep in touch with others. A few hours offline and I’m suddenly behind—not socially, but academically. To my avail, meeting times that were once agreed upon in person and written in my agenda are changed five times. U2 Gabriel Gougaud explained, “Facebook for group work just allows us to save so much time. It is very useful to share links, videos, texts, correct each other mistakes, in a more pleasant way than just sharing Google docs.” Yet I can’t help but feel frustrated; while Facebook does allow for collaboration and communication, perhaps it’s allowed for too much.

We’ve crossed the line between professional peers and casual colleagues. In fact, we’ve developed our own Facebook personas. One of my fellow group mem-

16

bers, U2 Mor Pecht explained that, “I [have] found some peoples different Facebook habits hindering…there are still students who don’t check their accounts regularly. This goes against the ‘most easy way to reach people’ vibe that Facebook groups have created.” There exist those who over- post ideas and comments, and worse, the “liker”, the person who contributes nothing but a thumbs-up to others’ hard work and ideas. In the end, it’s definitely quality over quantity, but please, say something.

All this goes to show that perhaps Facebook isn’t making our lives any easier. Lately, I’ve been feeling a desire to go back to our roots, to the Stone Age of communication. I’m talking landlines, posters, and paper agendas, and I’m not alone; Turk explained that she “used to

LIFESTYLE game, watching a video and it can just never end, which can be disastrous with all the deadlines we have to meet.”

Speaking of deadlines and professionalism, while we were all warned that our employers might be checking out our Facebook, the tides have turned. According to Gougaud, we can now use Facebook to “stalk [our] group members before meeting them so you have a better idea who you are going to deal with.” Say you can’t make it to the group meeting and one hour later, a Drunkstigram lets

us know where you were last night. Suddenly, you’re accountable and your peer review grades will surely reflect this.

Notifications are no longer a beacon of hope distracting us from our finance homework, but a hassle requiring constant vigilance. We could all use a lesson in group etiquette on Facebook. Keep your posts wise, witty, congenial, and timely. Together, we can all make Facebook fun again.

PHOTO BY LANNA LAN

immediately check my notifications see what was posted. Now I’m just annoyed at it because I’m always reminded of all the work I have to do.”

For others, it’s quite the opposite.

Spending hours on our accounts, Facebook creates a dangerous connection for us social butterflies, as it merges our social lives with our academics. After talking to U2 Alexandra Henein, “If you let yourself get even just a little bit distracted, you can find yourself looking at photos, stalking your ex(es), playing a stupid

The Bull & Bear - November 2012

17

LIFESTYLE

Champs in the Making Start-up creates platform to facilitate fundraising for athletes Emily Barber Staff Writer

M

cGill student David Ancor and his co-founder Michael Shpigelman are making waves in the Montreal web start-up community and making a difference in the lives of Canadian athletes.

Ancor is a second-year psychology major that came to McGill in the winter semester of 2011 after spending a semester in Japan training for the 2010 Judo Junior World Champions in Agadir, Morocco. Before long, the financial burdens of being a student, rent and tuition, and the costs of travelling the world trying to make the 2016 Olympic games became overwhelming. Ancor had two choices: “quitting [his] 16-year long passion or finding a way that [he] can make money without picking up a job that would take away from [his] training and studying.”

In Ancor’s mind, quitting his 16year long passion was simply not an option; thus, MAKEACHAMP.com was born. Ancor sat down with his training partner from the National training center—Michael Shpiegelman—about nine months ago to talk business. Shpigelman, a web developer, suggested they create a website where athletes can “create a profile

18

very easily and receive contributions.”

The two launched MAKEACHAMP.com approximately six months later. Since its launch, MAKEACHAMP.com has acquired 100 registered athletes, raised close to $5,000 for various athletes and teams, and was one of four companies chosen to present at the Montreal NewTech in October. On the site, athletes can create a profile that showcases one’s ‘athletic resume’—a horizontal, chronological representation of an athlete’s achievements, results, and goals. From here, visitors can easily make a financial contribution to help said athlete reach their athletic aspirations. The McGill Rowing team is currently using MAKEACHAMP.com to fundraise money that will be used to lower equipment and regatta costs for athletes. The team has already surpassed their fundraising goal of $1,200 with just under a month still left of their campaign.

Ancor notes that the promotion of MAKEACHAMP.com post-launch has been one of the easier aspects of growing their business, as the “idea seems to sell itself.” Ancor and Shiegelman are well connected with the judo community and the demand

for means to raise funds is high. The pair has also secured the support of a few Olympic athletes—David Eng and Antoine Valois—that have helped to grow the website outside of the judo community.

Going forward, Ancor and Shiegelman hope to continue to improve some of the technical aspects of MAKEACHAMP.com. Their ultimate goal is to make “the process of creating and marketing a campaign as effortless and efficient as possible.”

In addition, future plans for the site include developing a variety of ‘products’ or ‘perks’ that athletes can offer in return for contributions, for example, posters, t-shirts, video montages, and more. The co-founders also want to create a video, which will illustrate the lack of government funding available for Canadian athletes and the ways in which MAKEACHAMP.com can help.

Visit MAKEACHAMP.com to create your very own athlete profile and check out co-found David Ancor’s page to see how champs are made: www.makeachamp.com/davidancor

LIFESTYLE

How to Know if You’re FAST or LAX Another way of classifying Color Me Rad participants.

Majd Steitieh Staff Writer

I

n terms of physical appearance, there’s not much of a difference between a person who’s “fast” and a person who’s “lax”— they both took part in the Color Me Rad 5K Run in Montreal on October 7th, they both helped raise a substantial amount of money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada, and they both got a total makeover from head to toe! However, in psychological terms, the differences are blatant in the mind of a fast person compared to that of lax person, but slight to a person who is neither.

A FAST PERSON COMPETES. . . A LAX PERSON TWEETS A fast person is one that has trained for several weeks, put in a ridiculous amount of hours, and has even started eating better to be in the best shape possible. They’re in it to beat a personal record and have no time to take photos, meet new people or joke around. A lax person on the other hand, shows up to the event with a chocolate bar in one hand and a camera in the other. They do the race partly to support a good cause, but also to take a bunch of cool photos to upload on Facebook, Tweet about the event, and get as many hashtags trending as possible.

A fast person is one that is 100% focused on running from start to finish.

All they can think about is the finish line and how they can get there in the shortest amount of time. They are not side tracked by the TV crews filming the event, they are The Bull & Bear - November 2012

not ones to slow down in front of a photographer so they can get that awesome candid “Oh I didn’t see you there” shot (we all do it, it’s okay), they just keep their eye on the non existent prize and power through. A lax person; however, counts how many more check points are left and invents reasons for why they need to take a break: “I have to tie my shoelaces”, “I need to see if I got an important email”, “Wait, wait I need to tie my hair back, it’s slowing me down” or the ever so popular “Oh my gosh, so cute! We have to stop and take a picture!” Although they do try to run as much as they can, their efforts are half-hearted at best.

A FAST PERSON AIMS TO FINISH ON TOP. . .

A LAX PERSON AIMS TO NOT STOP A fast person comes in to the race with a white shirt and comes out with a moderately colored shirt. The distribution of the color is elegant and tasteful and looks rather artistic extenuating the color of their eyes.

The rest of their body i.e. their mouth, teeth, and lungs are not covered in color, and they beam with glee because they’ve completed the race in the shortest amount of time possible, helped contribute to a great cause, and had a great workout. A lax person comes out looking like they just survived an atomic bomb. Their hair is all messed up, puffy, and frizzy with at least three colors in it. Every inch of their body (and we mean EVERY inch of their body) is drenched in color and you honestly can’t even recognize them. Not only is their shirt ruined beyond repair (Tide

isn’t even that good) but even their teeth and tongues are blue. You could actually mistake them for Avatars especially because some of them somehow managed to blue themselves completely.

We can sit here (or stand) and make fun of the lax people all we want, but the truth is both fast and lax people are equally crucial to this race. We need the fast runners to add legitimacy and credibility to the race. They make it more serious and provide everyone with the motivation to continue running and finish the race. Having said that, the race wouldn’t be what it is without the lax people. With their funny costumes and constant photo taking, they add life to the event. They are the people you remember when you talk about the day with your friends and laugh about all the crazy moments that you had.

They turn the race from something intimidating to something not so grueling. They actually make waking up at 7am on a cold Sunday with a 60% chance of rain fab instead of drab.

You probably know one person in your own life that fits into the fast or lax category.

It could be a friend, a family member, your neighbor, your dog walker, your babysitter or that random friend on Facebook. It could even be you! But whether you’re fast or just plain lax, remember to have fun with it! Don’t try to be someone that you’re not or someone you think you should be. It’s not always good to be fast nor is it always bad to be lax. One thing is definitely always true: both fast and lax are rad and needed to make a fad!

19

LIFESTYLE

A Rustic Old

Building

and a Magnificent

Old Edifice Whether for Italian or French, Old Port is the place to eat!

Kokulan Mahendiran Staff Writer

W

inter is coming. Luckily it hasn’t arrived just yet; so it is of the utmost importance that you make use of the precious few days you have left during which you can make it to the old port without having to don a Canada Goose, a pair of gloves, boots

and multiple scarves! That means this is your last chance to wander comfortably (somewhat) down to the Old Port for a scrumptious meal pending spring’s arrival, and with it the 3rd season of the Game of Thrones!

Now I’ve got two great places

for you to choose from, either an authentic Italian eatery on St-Paul Ouest or a charming French jewel of a restaurant, which resides on rue St-François-Xavier.

Both are very inviting with wonderful atmospheres; however, Bonaparte tends to be on the pricier end of the spectrum.

Osteria Venti

372 St-Paul Ouest Housed in a 200-year-old building, Osteria Venti is a highly praised restaurant and a rather unique sight to behold. Although the interior is decidedly modern and trendy, the décor manages to fit in beautifully with the rustic nature of the original building – aged gray brick walls and all. The term venti refers to executive chef, and owner, Michele Forgione’s pursuit to celebrate the twenty regions of Italy through his cuisine.

Venti, if you’ve yet to figure it out, means twenty in Italian. Fun fact: Venti-sized drinks at Starbucks have,

20

PHOTO BY THERESA ESTACIO

LIFESTYLE you guess it, twenty ounces – unless its an iced drink in which case there’s room for an extra four ounces to make up for the space taken up by the ice.

Just to give you an idea of what Forgione is capable of, he’s been the executive chef of everything from the Nelligan hotel in the Old Port to La Crystal on Rene-Levesque to Loews Vogue in the Golden Square Mile.

He’s also worked at KoKo Restaurant + Bar, a well-known location to those who like to party on Stlaurent. After working in numerous hotels and restaurants, this great

chef finally realized his childhood dream with the opening of Osteria Venti, and it is naturally with a great deal of passion that he runs his establishment.

To the chef and his team’s credit, this passion beautifully manifests itself in the cuisine at Osteria. The menu is filled with regional dishes from across the boot, and every dish seems like it was home-cooked in a lovely villa in the countryside.

Whether you’d prefer the Cansunziei all’ampezzana (beet filled ravioli with butter and sage poppy seed sauce) or something heartier like the Biancostato di manzo (braised short

ribs with soft polenta), you can be sure to enjoy a delicious meal.

Appetizer: Ricotta con bottarga (ricotto, bottarga) Main: Garganelli con manzacolle (garganelli, British Columbia organic spot prawns, arugula, saffron sauce) Desert: Tiramisu Total: $32.00

Bonaparte

443 rue St-François-Xavier Bonaparte is located in a truly gorgeous building, the Auberge Bonaparte – a charming historic boutique hotel in the heart of Old Montréal. Originally built in 1886 for the honorable Justice Joseph-Amable Berthelot, the building eventually turned into the beautiful hotel that it is today. The in-house restaurant is located on the main floor, with windows looking out onto the street.

The tables that overlook the street are some of the best in the house, so make sure to make reservations with a special request in advance.

The decor is nothing short of breathtaking. The atmosphere is warm and cozy. This is a fine dining restaurant that lives up to its rave reviews and accolades. This is the perfect place in Montréal for an in

Tasting Menu (7 course) - Lobster bisque - Duck foie gras crème brûlée - Shrimps and scallops - Pear and tarragon sorbet - Breat of duck - ‘Symphonie of desserts’ - Tea Total: $68.00

The Bull & Bear - November 2012

PHOTO BY THERESA ESTACIO

timate and romantic dinner – especially come February.

As much as I praise the décor and atmosphere, that’s not what keeps the tables constantly occupied.

Bonaparte specializes in authentic French food and has an authentic French chef. A native of the Vendée region of France, Gerard Fort has worked throughout his country, from Auvergne to the south of France. Fort has been the executive chef of Bonaparte since he arrived in Montreal, twenty-one years ago.

Whether you choose to be seated in the Impératrice Hall, the Centre Hall or the Verriere, you will be treat-

ed to varying atmospheres, but the quality of your chosen dishes will not falter. There are, however, certain items that I’d be selfish and cruel not to recommend. The Lobster bisque is mouth watering… in fact, my mouth is watering as I write about it. The Mushroom ravioli is a must for vegetarians and the roasted rack of lamb is a plateful of heaven for carnivores!

And for those of you who are really hungry and willing to lighten a sizeable load from your wallet, the tasting menu is outstanding!

Bonaparte lives up to its name, its reviews and believe it or not, to its price!

21

School Dropouts Meet Their

Claim An interview with the founders of Monolith Agency Tanya Qadir

PHOTOS VIA MONOLITHMTL.COM

Staff Writer

22

to

Fame

LIFESTYLE My interview with Felix Major and Guillaume Germain of MONOLITH, a multidisciplinary creative agency, reflected the success of these young (age 24 and 29), accomplished individuals who were apparently “school dropouts”. Hats off to Felix and Guillaume for opting out of the all too familiar “midterm madness” in pursuit of their dreams in entrepreneurship and graphic design.

Why did you name your company “MONOLITH”?

Guillaume: Stanley Kubrick’s movie, The Space Odyssey, was released in 1969. In this science fiction film, “black monoliths” are extraterrestrial beings that exist on different planets. We were on the quest to find a name that we both liked and thought of “MONOLITH”. “MONOLITH” is a very simple entity- we like simplicity and pure designs.

What made you decide that this was what you wanted to do?

Felix: We’re both very creative and decided to make a living out of it.

I’m more of a “business guy”, but I’m also very creative.

Guillaume: It was natural for me. It was the next step after being a graphic designer. We both had a lot of connections, we had online websites and I had a fashion magazine, so the next steps were making websites, branding logos, and so forth for other companies.

What kind of educational or design background do you have?

Felix: I went to CEGEP and lasted about 3 months because I didn’t know what I really wanted to do in life. After that, I incorporated my company. I went to a design school and lasted 2 months there. I dropped out because I was already making cool projects and couldn’t concentrate on schoolwork. My teachers understood my decision and said I would be rich very soon.

Guillaume: I finished high school in Michigan and then went to CEGEP Montreal. I studied animation for 2 years and then quit. I worked for a few different companies The Bull & Bear - November 2012

– including Ango Mode.

Who is the creative genius behind all your concepts?

Guillaume: A lot of ideas come from Felix initially; I’m usually the one tweaking and perfecting the idea.

You have a head office in Boucherville, Quebec, and liaison offices in two other cities overseas.

Do you see yourself expanding to the emerging Asian markets in the future?

Guillaume: We work with representatives overseas in California, but our head office is in Boucherville.

We’re looking into downtown Montreal. We want to expand, but one step at a time.

Felix: We have no boundaries.

We get e-mails from all around the world. A month ago we made a logo for a guy in Winnipeg who contacted us via our website.

Do you see companies from China, India, South Korea, Brazil and South Africa as a potential threat to your work, given that all these are fast emerging world economies with highly qualified labor?

Guillaume: But they don’t have our brains and creativity!

Do you offer a cutting edge solution to your clients better than what your competitors have to offer?

Guillaume: Absolutely, and for a better price. We know exactly what we want to do. We offer turnkey projects and everything that our clients want.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Guillaume: We like to read and watch movies. Everything that we find interesting, we incorporate into our work.

What’s a typical day at work like for you?

Felix: I start the day with my iPhone in bed. Guillaume is already at work. We get many calls from clients throughout the day and leave the office at about 9 PM.

You have a fairly large portfolio of big names. How difficult was it to get the companies to have your brand as their logo?

Guillaume: We’ve been working together for a year but we’ve also had our own projects before. Felix had some good contacts and I was already working for a big company. When we got together we had a fusion- we had something to present to new clients.

We love meeting new people and having a beer… going to happy hour!

Name one project you had the most fun working on. Why? Felix: A political party organized a design contest to find a party logo. I told Guillaume that this could be a chance to be known as graphic designers. We worked on this project and 2 days after presenting it, I got a call from the president of the party.

He said that he liked our logo the best and wanted to use it as the party’s official logo. It was a surprise, but we had lot of fun doing it.

Guillaume: Before this, I worked with the menswear company, Ango Mode. I approached the president with an idea that I had for a teenager clothing line, called “Cereal”. The concept was that all the clothes would be in zip-lock bags, which would be in sealed cereal boxes. It was approved and I FLIPPED. I worked so hard. I had made a $100000 investment to start my own clothing line at 22. I sold 15000 pieces.

How did you meet and what made you decide you belonged together as a team?

Guillaume: We met each other because we have a mutual friend. He told me that I should meet Felix because we have a lot in common.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Felix: We have the shares, the background, the experience. So now we can offer everything to our clients and can build anything from scratch.

23

OPINION

Does

GPA

really matter?

Avoiding the ‘over-educated barista’ option Elliott Charbonneau Staff writer

G

rowing up, my mother always told me two somewhat contradictory things. On one hand, I was told to do well in school – “it’ll pay off in the long run” – and on the other hand, that “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know”. After four years of university and two jobless summers I’ve come to realize the weight of her words; good grades are no longer enough to ensure good jobs.

Years ago the road to a career was simpler. If someone finished high school, attended university and earned a degree, a job was waiting for them when they graduated. Today, one degree is no longer enough. Instead, students set out on a degree grind. An undergraduate should be followed by a master’s, and if a master’s doesn’t find you a job, a Ph.D is just around the corner. A university education was once a passport to a long and prosperous career. As time has passed, an undergraduate education has shifted from being a sign of privi-

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lege to the standard and jobs seem scarcer then ever. The new “normal” for an undergraduate degree holder has transitioned from being a working professional to the over-

are not acquired through online postings or explicit job offerings, but rather through the “underground job market”. While every company out there wants us to fill

As time has passed, an undergraduate education has shifted from being a sign of privilege to the standard and jobs seem scarcer then ever. The new “normal” for an undergraduate degree holder has transitioned from being a working professional to the overeducated barista. educated barista.

Recently I attended a networking workshop where the first thing taught to us was that 75% to 95% of new jobs (depending on the sector)

out online applications, personality questionnaires or competency tests it would appear that they ignore them when it comes time to hire.

The human aspect appears to have

OPINION

PHOTO BY ANNIE TSENG

Weaving a large social network is an important skill that all of us need to take the time to master.

disappeared from the job hiring process, hidden behind computer screens and miles of cable, but the truth is this component is more important now than ever. While forging professional relationships today should be simpler than ever with the Internet and phone sitting right in our pockets, it has become all too easy to ignore. Who we are as a person and our relationships seemingly lose weight when we feel the only way to represent ourselves to an employer is through a PDF or Word document pulled up on a screen. I guess on the bright side, the Costco method of hiring, where all applicants apply in bulk, has contributed to the rapid growth of the HR industry.

If you find yourself panicking at this point in the recruiting season because you haven’t done any networking yet, fear not, it’s never too late to start. Put yourself out there – cold call, research companies and people to set up informational interviews, and if all else fails, print out some resumes and start knocking on doors. Networking doesn’t come naturally to all of us but it’s an important skill that we all need to develop regardless of the job we’re looking to pursue.

The age-old adage that it’s not The Bull & Bear - November 2012

what you know but who you know holds true now more then ever. A university degree no longer ensures a job like it once did. Instead, it only proves you have the knowhow, while finding a job appears to

went downtown to every office building in Vancouver. I handed out resumes to every single capital markets, securities and asset management firm in the city. While a job never materialized out of it, I

If you haven’t done any networking yet, fear not: it’s never too late to start.

Put yourself out there – cold call, research companies and people to set up informational interviews, and if all else fails, print out some resumes and start knocking on doors. have become a matter of proving you have the know-who. As a result, weaving a large social network is an important skill that all of us need to take the time to master.

Over this last summer, after cold calling and emailing what felt like a thousand firms and constantly being met by stock rejection emails, I finally decided to do things the old fashioned way. I printed off sixty-five resumes and

had the opportunity to meet with several fund managers, CEO’s and business men, many of which told me to come back next summer when the markets had turned around and they would be more than happy to hire me. At the end of the day, learning to network now might make the difference between your degree serving as a placeholder on the wall when you graduate, and a long and rewarding career.

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OPINION

If it’s going to be argued that Canada is not in the least diverse, then I don’t know what is.

PHOTO BY FLAVIE LA LIBERTÉ

...I Am Racist?

Of tabloids and technicalities Tarun Koshy Staff writer

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ccording to a commentary article posted on October 18th, I’m racist, even if I, on my knees and tearfully, beg to differ. Amidst all the hustle of exam preparations that I’m sure many others have as well, I simply had to take the time and read ten paragraphs

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telling me that, out of all my qualities, I am a racist. And not just any flavour of racist, but a very specific type – inherently racist. And, like a toddler learning a new word, our esteemed author Guillermo has gone through the whole article chorusing “racism” at every possible chance.

The article goes on to expand on a few points. But, while I’m not entirely comfortable with the conclusion, I can for argument’s sake, concede that racism is present in pretty much all individuals.

Not so much in the “I hate all white people,” way but moreso in that people tend

OPINION to be inherently aware of differences, and those differences can exist on a physical or cultural level. So for the benefit of the doubt, I assume my Cultural Studies friend is referring to this context rather than the blatant hate normally given to the term “racist.” Judging by his addendum, “How we speak, act, and reflect on racism can be in itself oppressive or emancipatory,” I imagine he probably means just the same, albeit having previously worded it poorly.

However, for all the cutting analysis those five years at McGill has offered, the article itself is built on some, at best, misleading and poorly phrased foundations. After all, if everyone is racist, how is racism based on deviation from a white norm? Either a large portion of the world’s population is putting a whole lot of dark makeup every morning, or that maybe, just maybe, racism isn’t based on a white subset. Growing up in the Middle East, I’ve seen racism shoot from all different sides of the board. As kids, the soccer games during recesses were based on racially-differentiated teams, locals were given unilateral preference over both Caucasian expats and Southeast Asian expats, and a local always had the last word on major decisions. So to assume, as the fundamental basis that “them white folk” are the unmarked is just a poor starting point to try and prove what may be a few grains of truth.

But I moved away from that society to avoid the overbearing racism, choosing to live in Canada because of – guess what – its diversity. However, if I go by the article’s definition, I’m no better off – the very notion of being a diverse society is itself racist. So according to the article, my idea of moving to Canada was racist. Normally I don’t have an issue with a faulty conclusion if the argumentation is at least basically sound, but I seriously question what five years has taught Guillermo if the fact that I am no different than any other person living in Canada means I live in a racist society. Yes, historically my ethnicity was oppressed under racism, and yes, the current law does not explicitly acknowledge that, but I don’t want preferential treatment for myself and I certainly don’t want preferential treatment for others based on race.

Even if I ignore the personal perspective, Canada offers numerous programs to immigrants as a whole, allowing new imThe Bull & Bear - November 2012

migrants to pick up skills at either no cost or significantly subsidized cost. Are these programs ignoring diversity? No, they recognize that people come from different backgrounds, and therefore provide opportunities. In fact, I would further argue that we, as students, still vocalize the issue of racial injustices where they actually exist (as opposed to fabricating it), going to show that it is not okay and not smoothed over to be forgotten. Does Guillermo really intend to marginalize those of us who have taken action and raised awareness about race issues? Am I really being told that the actions of those who have made it their career to change society for the better are worthless because, at the end of the day, they’re racist?

who have been the victims of racism certainly don’t share your liberal use of those labels.

I’ll give Guillermo the benefit of the doubt and assume he’s not calling me a racist despite having been on the receiving end. In which case, his use of the term “racist” is merely mismatched; he’s defined the term in one specific level and applied it on the colloquial level as a number of the comments have succinctly identified. Whether for artistic flair or simply gross error, such flaws need to be corrected.

But at the end of the day, Guillermo makes a few nuggets of truth – people aren’t taught to identify racism, it’s become a basic assumption that we’re all

Does Guillermo really intend to marginalize those of us who have taken action and raised awareness about race issues? Am I really being told that the actions of those who have made it their career to change society for the better are worthless because, at the end of the day, they’re racist?

And if it’s going to be argued that Canada is not in the least diverse, then I don’t know what is because here, I’m encouraged to be as cultural or ethnic as I want, I’m encouraged to go to any religious location as much as my heart contends, and I’m more than encouraged to speak languages other than English. Even living in what could be easily argued as a WASP-y neighbourhood, I went to school with Muslims who grew out beards and were devoutly religious, all without a hint of racism or fear. So go ahead, tell me I’m the outlier, tell me I’m a subset outside the norm of omnipresent racism, even tell me I’m just a conditioned sheep blind to racism, but know that when you toss the term racist at people in general, at least build a basic foundation to support it on some level. If the term is being used in a different light, then make it clear because the people

the same on a racial background level and, in essence, smoothed over. And to some extent, he’s right; it is sometimes chilling to see people behave like something never happened, like racism doesn’t exist. The call to action here would be to educate people to acknowledge the past and be aware of it rather than ignore it.

But this concept of ignorance is not racism; it is by no stretch a sense of hate or superiority in cultures, nor is it a centrally “white” concept. It’s just plain ignorance.

So rather than poring through the dictionary in search of catchy vocabulary, it may be better to take the time and check how reasonable the argument sounds beforehand. But what do I know; I’m just a bourgeoisie, apparent racist according to Guillermo. Who knows, with this type of argumentation, one could argue the tuition hikes were sexist.

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NEWS

The Heir to Pierre Pretty-Boy Justin Ameya Pendse STAFF writer

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ustin Trudeau’s announcement to run for the Liberal Leadership has made Canadians all across the country melt; the Toronto Star has said he is the leader Canadians were most likely to vote for. Let’s face it, the prospect of him winning the leadership is keeping Stephen and Thomas up at night. However, Justin needs to win by doing more than just showing up.

As Canadian polls conducted by the Toronto Star and the National Post are already indicating that Canada will have a Liberal Government if Trudeau was the leader, I’ve begun to subscribe to the suggestion of Sir Winston Churchill when he said that the best argument against democracy is having a five minute conversation with the average voter. The fact is that the average Canadian voter is, frankly, uninformed and according to our voter turnout in 2011, which was about 61.1%, a good chunk does not value our democracy.Canadians are more likely to be able to identify the United States Secretary of State rather than our Governor-General or the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives rather than the Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons.

The ignorance of the average Canadian voter will make me happy in the next election because if they do bother to take a few minutes out of their lives by voting for the only representative they have at the federal level, they will probably vote Liberal to support pretty-boy Justin who also has a famous last name.

My concern is, however, for the people who care about and respect Canadian politics. The fact that Justin is virtually uncontested for the Liberal Crown is a huge problem as he lacks legitimacy in the eyes of many; he has been a Member of Parliament for only four years, not doing a lot except swearing in the House of Commons and beating up a Conservative Senator for charity. There is no doubt that Justin is a genuinely good person who loves and cares about Canada, but Canadians are identifying him by his father’s legacy and

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PHOTO BY LANNA LAN

his looks, which is the problem.

What we need is more candidates running against Justin, so he can fight to win the leadership rather than just showing up. The leadership race should be Justin’s time to push away from his celebrity status and use his charisma to explain his platform and vision for Canada so Canadians who actually care know where he stands on foreign policy, crime and other issues. This can’t happen with candidates like David Bertschi who try (and fail) to create campaign ads imitating those of former Republic Governor, Tim Pawlenty.

I’m sure that Bertschi means well, but he is not a serious enough contender to take on Trudeau. He has no Parliamentary experience and has a relatively low profile, his name isn’t even on the Wikipedia page “Liberal Party of Canada leadership election, 2013” We need serious candidates in this race. Even if the Liberals see Justin

as the savior who will revive a dying party, they should run someone strong, so that Justin’s win doesn’t come off as default.

Maybe giving Justin a tough competitor will give him the chance to speak about issues such as healthcare, Iran, gas prices and other issues and give him legitimacy in the eyes of his Liberal colleagues who are probably supporting him based on his odds of winning rather than his substance.

Canadians who are finally starting to tune in to politics to see Justin smile and wave may find out what he actually stands for.

We need to make sure that the Justin is not declared after the first ballot, and that can only happen with a serious challenger.

The person that comes to mind is Dalton McGuinty. McGuinty, a few days ago, announced his resignation as the Premier of Ontario after serving as Premier since 2003. During the time Dalton was Premier, Ontario has had the best public schools in the English-speaking world, the shortest hospital wait times in Canada, and has consistently balanced the provincial budget; Dalton has delivered on the issues that are most important to families. Regardless of your political affiliation, it is hard to deny that Dalton McGuinty has an impressive record. With an opponent like Dalton, this race will be about the issues, rather than just Justin’s looks and charm; Justin lacks the experience Dalton has, so he would have to make it up by presenting a real plan to the Canadian people; professing your love for Canada won’t cut it. If the Liberals run Dalton, or someone like him, this race can actually be contested.

Liberals, for Justin’s sake, don’t hop on the bandwagon. Support other candidates and make sure they put up a strong fight.

I want Justin to win, but we need him to emerge with substance, rather than just being the heir to Pierre, because after the leadership, Little Red Riding Hood needs to be able to face the big bad wolves at the leaders’ debate, and when he’s Prime Minister, on the international stage.

NEWS

Pierre vs. Justin Like Father Unlike Son Scott Myres

STAFF WRITER

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s a drop into the ocean of political commentary, writing on the fate on Justin Trudeau should be preceded by an apology. Allusions to his father, his lack of a substantive legislative record, and his career training before politics have served as considerable fodder for insufferable amounts of opinion pieces. However, reservations aside, these discussions have failed to take into account one important fact of all politicians’— Justin’s and Pierre’s in particular—rise to power: the seminal moment in which a politician is made.

Typically, articles on Justin’s record put forward one of two conclusions: that he is consistently underestimated by those within and without his party, though he persistently disproves them by beating the odds; or that he is a rhetorical bungler and policy lightweight with no substantive record after four years in Parliament. My opinion falls closer to, if not long past, the latter. And when considering what is widely regarded as his seminal moment, it is easy to see why.

Through the useful (and, as will be seen, unforgiving) lens of historical comparison, I will begin by looking at his father’s. For Pierre Trudeau, his own seminal moment occurred during the constitutional conference of February 5-7, 1968. Justice Minister at the time, and having recently entered his name into the ring for leader of the federal Liberals, the national vantage was necessary—one that would relay his style and character across the country.

Trudeau’s main opponent at the conference, Quebec Premier Daniel Johnson, was fighting to maintain his mantle as the sole voice of French Canada.

This title was threatened, especially by the up-and-coming Justice Minister who had jettisoned onto the federal scene only three years prior. Yet Johnson was a highly shrewd and intelligent politician. He expected Prime Minister Lester Pearson to maneuver the conference by means of The Bull & Bear - November 2012

his usual diplomatic skill. He expected the other premiers to accept the conclusions of the Bi and Bi Commission, promoting linguistic equality. What he was not prepared for, however, was Trudeau unleashed.

By the conference’s second day, Johnson lauded his fellow premiers’ acceptance of linguistic rights while reiterating his demand for more broadbased constitutional change. In responding to the Premier, Trudeau insisted his strong opposition to special status for Quebec.

While undermining the power and role of Quebec’s MPs in Ottawa, he posited, such a policy could only ever lead the province closer to separation. Instead he emphasized the role of a Canadian Charter of Human Rights, one that would enshrine linguistic rights within the constitution.

In ever more metallic tones, and through gritted teeth, Trudeau and Johnson debated the merits of their respective positions.

As recounted in the following day’s Globe and Mail, “[Trudeau] and [Johnson] crossed rapiers…in a 90-minute duel that starkly defined the gap between the federal Government and Quebec.” Reporters, ignoring the intricacies and minutiae of the policies before them, broadly declared that the federal government had finally found its voice. For Trudeau, the conference proved a seminal moment. As fellow Liberal minister Jean Marchand would later recall, it was then that “Trudeau was really created.”

Nearly forty years later, Justin faced his own seminal moment. However, it did not take place in the regal conference rooms of Parliament. Nor did it involve the figurative dueling of rapiers over constitutional rights.

Entering the boxing ring in Ottawa’s Hampton Inn, Justin could not miss the opportunity to participate in the “Thrilla on the Hilla,” a charity boxing match taking place March 31, 2012. The fight presented the controversial MP with an

ideal chance at undercutting those plebian critics who so persistently denigrated the favoured son as a pampered member of the patricii—and an unaccomplished one at that.

However, his challenger, Conservative Senator Patrick Brazeau, with a military background and martial arts training was the audience favourite. While assessing the herculean fight before him, the daring underdog would state: “as it stands I can’t lose. Even if I do actually lose I know I will have gone in and people [will have said], ‘Well, there wasn’t a chance anyway.’”

With such high expectations, the ensuing Trudeau victory was obviously all but guaranteed. And, following his success in the ring—defeating Brazeau in a thirdround TKO victory—subsequent media reports recounted smugly of the triumph of the expectant martyr. As considered by the Ottawa Citizen, if Trudeau “[goes] on to become more…they will say that it all really started in a boxing ring, on a Saturday night.”

When comparing Pierre’s with Justin’s, seminal moments have denigrated in substance from that which they were. They should not be taken for granted, either, providing politicians with a foundation off of which to build their careers. Character is formed, public personas are aligned, and an image that often times the candidates themselves come to believe is created.

When looking at Pierre and Justin, the articulate and erudite intellection of the father is demonstrably overtaken by the vapid and insipid histrionics of the son.

This should represent cause for concern if it in any way speaks to the boy who would be king. For, in the classic formulation of French intellectual Comte de Buffon, the style becomes the political man.

And Canadians should pay close attention. For this political man, if polls are any indicator, need only stumble down Sussex Drive to be bestowed the keys to 24.

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OPINION

Powerful Communication Stepping out from behind the screen Marisa Samek Staff writer

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ifteen-year-old Amanda Todd flashed her breasts during a webcam conversation with a stranger.

The photo was released on Facebook and circulated to Amanda’s peers and classmates who responded by bombarding Amanda’s timeline with slurs such as “You’re a slut” and “I hope you die.” After two years of being ostracized at school and humiliated online, Amanda ended her life by drinking a bottle of Clorox.

A little closer to home, The Bull & Bear has published a couple articles examining the intricacies of the “friend zone.” Insightful comments have been made on how to differentiate “just friends” from “more than friends” but essentially, all the anxiety in and out of the “friend zone” is due to misunderstood signals and the failure for either party to have the courage to tell the other how he or she truly feels.

Furthermore, we’ve all seen a group of friends sitting silently at a restaurant while having riveting text conversations with someone not at the dinner. It is the

easy to anonymously harass Amanda Todd, makes it easy to misinterpret romantic advances, and makes it easy to isolate ourselves from those around us.

Call me grandma, but the prevalence of Facebook and texting have made us poorer communicators during face-toface conversations which impede us from having real inter-personal connections.

This brings me to a meme I saw recently. There was no image, just the phrase, “The feeling you get when you press ‘send’ on a risky text.” It’s a feeling I can relate to, but it’s nowhere near as intense, nor as difficult, nor as rewarding as when I look someone in the face, and make a risky statement. “I’m not wearing underwear” or “I don’t think we should be together anymore” or “Yes, I did run over your dog with my fixi” don’t have the same effect when they are preceded by an impersonal beep-vibration and internalized silently as they do when they are delivered and received with an awkward silence, a darting glance to the side, a slap to the face, or a warm smile.

Social media and texting made it easy to anonymously harass Amanda Todd... and makes it easy to isolate ourselves from those around us. stuff of a Kurt Vonnegut dystopia; no one speaks or looks each other in the eye but each one bends their head staring vapidly into a palm-sized screen. Lack of speech conserves precious oxygen and reduces our carbon dioxide emissions. Most importantly, we never have to worry about dealing with real emotions because tone, physical contact, facial expression and eye contact cannot be misconstrued, let alone expressed, through a text message.

Social media and texting made it

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Genuine feelings between individuals do not exist without genuine contact – eye contact, verbal contact, and physical contact. Increased reliance on social media and texting has turned us into voyeurs and not participators in our lives. The fact that we are privy to more information makes it more difficult for us to act. It’s true, we cannot take responsibility for every Amanda Todd, but we can take responsibility for every person with whom we have an immediate,

personal relationship. For those around us, it’s about engaging in the moment.

For the Friend Zone, it’s about defining boundaries and speaking honestly. For the Amanda Todds, it’s about having the courage to reach out and listen.

This weekend, I spoke with Dr. Solomon Shapiro, a psychiatrist from the University of Toronto Medical School, about how to improve social intercourse.

Dr. Shapiro gave me the Chemical X of communication – it’s all about eye contact. In order to improve face-to-face communication, we need to be aware of our emotional state and pay attention to that of the person with whom we are conversing. Maintaining eye contact during a conversation gives both parties the opportunity to really observe how each one reacts to the verbal input of the other.

“You essentially need to listen to your partner’s eye,” explained Dr. Shapiro. “People generally avoid eye contact out of fear. If you don’t look, you never have to deal with how the other person is reacting to what you said. But, if you get over your fear, and look, then you can pursue a deeper connection because you will be able to observe exactly what offended or delighted the person you’re talking to. Focusing your attention on being emotionally rather than intellectually present allows you to truly live in the moment.”

Being mindful of eye contact paces a conversation, reduces social anxiety and creates authentic connection. Although social media is celebrated for providing us with the capability to connect and communicate continuously, immediately, and worldwide, a society where cyber interaction replaces human interaction exacerbates social isolation, diminishes our capacity for human sympathy and limits individual thought. The result: a civilization of emotionally-stunted cyborgs delivering superficial hate-speech across the WWW.

OPINION

t o H The Man with the Iron Fists: Directed

by RZA (of Wu-Tang Clain fame) and presented by Tarantino, this action-packed 19th century blockbuster’s got all the makings of a winner: Lucy Liu, Lucy Liu and Lucy Liu.

Christmas: I don’t know about you, but after puking an entire bottle of Wallaroo Trail on Halloweekend, I’m too down for some fireside chillin’, carton/bottle of eggnog/gin in hand as the world turns white.

The iPad Mini: We probably won’t “get” this product for another 6 months—think MacBook Air— but if I’m going to read Wired on a portable screen, I want it to be big. Really big. Bigger is better. Yup.

The EU and the Nobel Peace Prize: Auto-fellatio for the EU to detract attention from the impending economic Armageddon. Well done for delaying/exacerbating our demise, guyz!

#Obama2012: As the great drag queen extravaganza RuPaul said, ‘Barack Obama, shantay you stay. Mitt Romney, sashay away.

Movember: Put away those razors and embrace the ‘stache. Everyone’s favourite prostate cancer awareness project (don’t forget to register and solicit donations!) is back for another round of awkward teenage facial hair.

#Quake2012 (B.C. Edition): Not to be outdone by the social media frenzy in Montreal, British Columbia decided to host a relatively minor earthquake to minimal fanfare. WE WILL REBUILD, Y’ALL. The Royal Phoenix Bar: I’ve tried to like you. Really, I have. But your distinct lack of a dancefloor, the gigantic bar that takes up half of the room and being pushed by people all night trying to get to the bathroom is just not cutting it for us.

Montreal: IT’S LITERALLY NOT HOT ANYMORE. WHERE DID THE DEGREES GO

Blackface: Skin colour will never make or break a costume. Come on guys, crack open a history book.

t o N The Bull & Bear - November 2012

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