The Bull & Bear: September 2013 issue

FROSH AND VICETONE ISSUE A publication of the

September 2013 Issue 001 Vol. 11

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THE BULL & BEAR

TAKEN BY STORM THE WELCOME BACK EDITION

OAP Lites Up the Night Air Frosh One Takes Flight Syria: Considering Crude A First-Year’s Survival Guide The (Milton) Gates of Hell bullandbearmcgill.com

Editor’s Note Tarun Koshy

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

NEWS 4 OAP Lites Up the Night 6 Air Frosh One Takes Flight 14 Catching Up with Vicetone

MARKETS

16 New iPhones are Gold, Apple Stock is Red 18 Syria: Considering Crude 19 ThoughtBasin Brings Crowdsourcing to McGill

LIFESTYLE 20 Work Hard, Play Harder 22 A McGill First-Year’s Worst Case Scenario Survival Guide 24 A Connected Campus 25 Eat Cheap

OPINION 27 The Impending Crisis of Millenial Leadership 28 The (Milton) Gates of Hell 30 Inquiring Minds Want to Know (Too Much) 31 Hot or Not

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elcome back, McGill. As The Bull & Bear’s Executive Editor for the academic year, I’m excited to share this September edition (my first on the job) with you. From the moment Dan Novick handed me the keys last May, the editorial team and I have been ambitiously planning and training in order to bring to you the highest quality media, insight, and analysis around – and our first issue does not disappoint.

Without a doubt, our publication has taken major steps forward over the last year year. Notably, we have completed our shift towards a magazine format and expanded to campus-wide coverage. As a magazine, we are first and foremost a collection of ideas, not purely facts, and it is this difference that makes us unique. To this end, the editorial team met in May and decided to realize a collective goal of producing content that people would value, something people would read, reflect on, and discuss. Together, with vibrant media coverage of the events in and around campus, The Bull & Bear starts the year with this goal in mind.

In this issue, you’ll find a collection of back to school and topical articles. Coupled with two impressive spreads of the Management Undergraduate Society’s Air Frosh One and the Vicetone concert of September 14th, all our staff have worked extremely hard to put together what I am more than happy to call a work of art.

As always, we are more than happy to hear your thoughts and feedback throughout the year, which you can provide to any of us at our Contact page. In the meantime, keep up to date with our coverage via our website, Facebook page, and Twitter feed.

Best,

Tarun Koshy, Executive Editor tarun@bullandbearmcgill.com

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Briefs

BRIEFS

Your guide to events around campus Social Science Research Symposium

SSMU General Assembly October 9th, 4:30 pm, Motion Submission Deadline: September 25, 5:00 pm SSMU Ballroom Decisions are made by those who show up. Your voice counts!

September 13, 20, 27 and October 4, 5-6:30pm Arts Room 160 Join the new AUS initiative and stop by to chat with peers about academic research.

Montreal Career Fair

Spaces of Hacking Symposium

September 27, 10am-3pm Centre Mont Royal Check out this job fair and connect with recruiters from all over the world.

October 13, 2-6pm Notman House Don’t miss out on the ACHS’ Speaker Series happening throughout the semester!

POP Montreal September 25-29 Go to http://popmontreal.com/ for details and discover your new favorite band!

Check us out online to stay up-todate with the latest news and events @MUSBullandBear The Bull & Bear - September 2013

Tarun Koshy

Marisa Samek

Executive Editor

Lifestyle Editor

Max Feinsot

Laura Thistle

Managing Editor

Lead Opinion Editor

Doron Lurie

Alex Petralia

Editor-at-Large

Opinion Editor

Matthew Hunter

Anthony Heinrich

Chief Layout Editor

Brian Lau

Jean Moirez

Michelle Papse

Media Editor

Layout Editors

Aimee Pellegrino

Henry Fuz-Keeve

Lead News Editor

Lead Web Editor

Jonathan Craske

Kapil Mehra

Lead Markets Editor

Advertising Director

Andrew Marcovitch

Charlotte Plamondon

Markets Editor

Marketing Director

April Wu Lead Lifestyle Editor

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OAP LITES UP THE NIGHT

EUS outdoor pub raises $25,000 for charity Doron Lurie

Aimee Pellegrino

LEAD NEWS EDITOR PHOTO BY JEAN-LUC OICLE

EDITOR-AT-LARGE

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tudents have been calling it the “Happiest Place on Earth” since 1982, and it might very well be. For the last two weeks of summer and one weekend every spring, students flock to McGill’s Lower Field in absurd numbers searching for live music, cheap beer and delicious burgers at the Engineering Undergraduate Society’s (EUS) annual, Open Air Pub. To be precise, this year’s OAP had McGill students buying a beer every 4.57 seconds and devouring almost seven cows.

OAP has long been a McGill summertime staple, but its continued popularity also gives rise to challenges of its own. “As you may have seen, OAP gets full to capacity quickly on busy days with line-ups all the way up to the Arts building,” acknowledged EUS VP Finance Zach Oman. “We want to be able to grow but still provide the same atmosphere, while giving student bands a place to perform for the McGill community.”

The size of OAP brings along with it some security risks, such as students hopping the fence, which need to be addressed. In order to do so, the EUS has had to work very closely with the school itself. “OAP has great relations with McGill Security and McGill Grounds,” Oman noted.

“We meet with them regularly to discuss our plans and ensure a safe environment for all patrons of OAP.” Luckily, there were no major incidents,

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but a few “interesting situations” popped up over the course of OAP. “On the first day, we had a delivery of over 1500 cases of beer,” Oman recounted. “We were a little shortstaffed to be able to move that much beer at once, so our volunteers worked really hard to move them into storage and had to open late, around 1:30pm. At least it was just the first day and following beer deliveries were done in smaller orders.”

Speaking of beer, there were a few small changes to this year’s selection, most notably the addition of Smirnoff Lemonade coolers. “Sleeman [the beer provider for most student faculties on campus], was purchased by Sapporo a few years,” explained Oman. “As such, we have the option to order any beers offered by them, as well as through some of their affiliates, such as Guinness. Smirnoff recently obtained an affiliation with Guinness, which is part of Sleeman, giving us the lemonade option.”

The last day of OAP also saw students eating about four “regular” days’ worth of food, when only the supply for two or three days was budgeted for. This resulted in an emergency last minute bun-run that thankfully left no burger bare.

While OAP is fun and full of debauchery, the EUS has also sought to give it some heart. “At our OAP Lite, all proceeds go to the PCCC (President’s Choice Children’s Charity),” Oman beamed. “It was the first such charity in Canada, and one of the few

where every dollar donated goes straight to the programs they run and recipients; all administrative costs are covered by the Weston family.”

Why the PCCC? The reason is simple.

“Our partnership with President’s Choice began at least four years ago, when we would go to Provigo du Parc for food orders,” Oman explains.

The last OAP Lite saw record profits as well, and on Thursday, September 5th the EUS presented the President’s Choice Children’s Charity with a cheque of $25,000.

This is significantly more than the last three years, where $15,000, $17,000 and $12,000 were raised respectively.

OAP has cemented itself as the EUS’ main contribution to campus life. “We run OAP now to provide a watering hole for students and staff, as well as a venue for great student bands to showcase their talent,” Oman enthused. “It is and always has been an event managed and operated by volunteers: it’s an event by students for students, and all the funds from OAP go to support EUS activities such as our competitive design teams like Electric SAE, Mini-Baja and Concrete Canoe, engineering clubs, social and academic EUS events… everything.”

OAP Lite will be held at the end of the winter semester towards the end of the exam period. However, the exact dates have not yet been chosen.

NEWS

OAP FUN FACTS TO FEED ALL OF OAP’S PATRONS, IT TOOK...

125.4

6.98 COWS

723.33 LBS OF CHEESE

CHICKENS

1800

LBS OF CHARCOAL

{ON THE LAST FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6TH...{ 1 BEER WAS SERVED EVERY

2.55 SECONDS

THAT’S NEARLY 24 BEERS EVERY MINUTE

20%

PATRONS DRANK OVER OF THE TOTAL BEER FROM BOTH WEEKS GRAPHIC BY MATTHEW HUNTER

The Bull & Bear - September 2013

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PHOTO BY JEAN-LUC OICLE

PHOTOS BY: ALAIN KASPARIAN, NICOLE HIMELFARB, HRISTO VASSILEV

NEWS

AIR FROSH ONE TAKES FLIGHT

“Record levels of integration and participation” make this year’s frosh most successful and profitable in recent history Max Feinsot

MANAGING EDITOR

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rom August 29 to September 1, Air Frosh One took froshies across sand, foam, terraces and dance floors to initiate their McGill experience. Air Frosh One, the Management Undergraduate Society’s welcome weekend for first year BCom

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students, went to new heights in providing froshies with some of the craziest days of their lives.

This year’s management frosh saw the highest participation in history at 528 participants, representing 83 percent of the incoming class. MUS

Frosh coordinators had to increase the capacity from 500 to handle the high demand. The previous record for frosh participants was 450, which represented 71 percent of the incoming class.

Record levels of sponsorship

allowed for Air Frosh One to make a significant profit, according to Sean Finnell, MUS VP Engagement.

Corporate partners including Varcity 515, Brutopia, Desjardins, SOS Tutoring and more than a dozen food sponsors made it possible for Air Frosh One to charge $130 per froshie, down from $135 last year, while still achieving record profits.

Thursday and Saturday nights were all-ages events, and Science Frosh, “Frosh Ahoy!” hosted underage management froshies on Friday night during Air Frosh One’s Power Hour.

This was made possible thanks to

A record low number of ambulances this year marked a success for both the Frosh organizers and the McGill Student Emergency Response Team.

“The MSERT volunteers were the gems of the weekend,” acknowledged Finnell.

Frosh also saw increased attention paid to sensitivity and inclusivity. Of note, many popular chants such as “McGill Once, McGill Twice” and “I’d Rather Be a Redman” were banned during the celebrations following complaints from the Montreal community.

More tolerant chant alternatives were offered instead.

A record low number of ambulances this year marked a success for both the Frosh organizers and MSERT. never before seen levels of integration between Faculty froshes and SSMU. Challenges presented by this level of integration were remedied with weekly meetings between faculties throughout the summer.

Frosh 2013 also saw a hightech flavour to it with a new style of bracelet, imported from Austria. “The new bracelets were effectively tamper proof,” said Finnell. This allowed for more trust with hosting venues than in previous years while achieving the highest standards of security ever.

The Bull & Bear - September 2013

A revised “Drink If You Want To” chant was a popular target of derision among the veteran orientation staff (O-staff ) and Frosh leaders.

Thursday night brought froshies to Club Stereo, where leaders and O-Staff danced on the above terrace while froshies danced below. Froshies were still getting into the groove of frosh and breaking the ice and the frosh veterans looked down to the first years with a hint of nostalgia for when they first hit the dance floors in Augusts and Septembers past.

While cans were ordered for Friday night’s power hour, Telus theater purchased bottles, making the night unexpectedly difficult and painful for the dozens of O-staffers serving a combined total of 4080 bottles of beer.

“Beach Day Every Day! What more is there to say?” asserted Alan Liu, O-Staffer. “Beach Day was beautiful! Amazing sunny weather and great music easily made up for the unreasonably overpriced Coors Light.” The post-Beach Day foam party, with its blow up rafts and soapy froshies, made the all-ages event an experience to rival that of Beach Day itself.

In a final burst of weekend energy, all faculty froshes came out in force to celebrate the music of an electronic dance music artist who looked younger than many froshies.

Madeon’s music combined with the spectacular views at Terraces Bonsecours wrapped up frosh with enough euphoria to linger within the new students for weeks.

The September 14 MUS Concert featuring Vicetone promised to see significant first year turnout. 75 percent of frosh bracelet purchases were accompanied by the optional Vicetone ticket addition.

Dafe Oputu contributed reporting.

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NEWS

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NEWS

The Bull & Bear - September 2013

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The Bull & Bear - September 2013

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PHOTOS BY: NAT CARSON, DAICHI ISHIKAWA, JEAN-LUC OICLE

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The Bull & Bear - September 2013

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NEWS

CATCHING UP WITH

Up-and-coming DJs take McGill by storm Henry Fuz-Keeve LEAD WEB EDITOR

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nless you’re a first year or you’ve been living a very sheltered existence at McGill, you’ll know that the Management Undergraduate Society throws a massive, consistently sold-out show at Telus theatre every September. The likes of Avicii and Cazzette have all spun at exclusive McGill events and this year was no different. Vicetone, a duo from the Netherlands, has been enjoying a meteoric rise culminating in a North American tour with Nicky Romero, one of the world’s biggest DJ’s. The Bull & Bear got a chance to catch up with them backstage before the show:

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We’re setting up backstage, checking the shots, testing the audio, and it feels like I’ve been waiting an eternity. The longer we wait, the more time I have to fully realize that I’m sitting down next to one of my favorite acts in Electronic Dance Music right now. Vivid memories of the numerous times I’ve lost my mind to their songs are flashing through my head. The only thing more intense than the anticipation of the hundreds of screaming party-goers in the club is the feeling in the pit in my stomach as I wait for the interview to begin.

Suddenly one of them gets a text and they erupt into laughter. It’s

from Romero. It appears that he’s a pretty funny guy in addition to being a globally recognized producer. Is this really happening? These guys next to me are just casually exchanging text messages with “Nick. R.”? They started roping me in on their jokes and chatting about their last few nights and suddenly I was totally at ease. These young prodigies that play in front of thousands of people every night were just two twentysomethings living the dream and they knew it. For a brief moment it felt like we were all on the same page. It wasn’t until after their show that I remembered they’d go back to touring

NEWS

all over the world, and I’d go back to scouring the libraries for a quiet place to study.

Here’s a bit of our interview before they did their best to blow out the speakers, or our eardrums, whichever came first: Can you give us a recap of how you got to where you are today?

Basically we spent one year completely ignoring university and just making music every day and it took off from there.

Was there one thing that happened, maybe a DJ playing your song, that made you realize something big was happening?

When Tremble got signed, we knew we were doing something right.

Did you guys go to shows like this and see your favorite DJs? I (Ruben) used to have a fake ID to go to shows like Tiesto, Armin Van Buren and some trance music. We were really into trance music about three years ago.

Of all your songs and remixes, is there a specific song that you have as a favorite?

(Victor) Our Let’s Go Remix, it was our first remix we put out on the internet.

(Ruben) Sparks Remix: that was the first one that was supported by DJs and got radio plays. It reminds The Bull & Bear - September 2013

me of the time where I felt like things were starting to move for us. It gives us a nostalgic feeling.

Which current DJ do you guys listen to the most?

Well we’ve been to ten Nicky shows… and I really like Calvin Harris’s new tracks.

Was there ever a time when you guys were not into electronic music?

Yeah, for me (Ruben), I think we all go through these periods in high school: I had a hip hop phase when I was hugely into rap. (Victor) Also pop music, I used to rock Justin Timberlake, Justified, Cry Me a River...

Was there a specific artist that got you into electronic music?

For me (Ruben) it was Tiesto.

I bought his first album when I was 11. We’ve been listening to him since elementary school. I remember when I was ten and my sister let me listen to Traffic. It’s a classic. I remember listening to it and getting goosebumps and thinking “Wow, what kind of music is this? This is amazing!”

Is your style based on any other artist? Who are your major influences?

Not really. You get influenced by a lot of artists but we don’t base our music off anybody. We never did that to start with because we just made

the music that we love the most. You could classify it as house, progressive house or whatever you want to call it.

We don’t really care about it. It’s just really melodic, energetic and uplifting.

We always try to incorporate melodies and harmonies in our music. We include a lot of vocals too.

Now that your lifestyle is changing so much, can you still hang out with the same old friends that you had before? Is it hard to see them?

I have a couple of very close friends who are really supportive. It’s hard to see them; we’re away for six weeks at a time. You can always hang out with them whenever you’re home.

When you’re on tour do you ever wake up thinking “there’s no way I’m going to make it through this next show tonight”?

We had that after we played in Hollywood: we got on an early 5am flight after our set. Didn’t sleep at all. We had a show the next day, and by four in the afternoon we thought “we’re not going to make it!” We took a power nap for four hours and that got us through.

Max Feinsot contributed reporting.

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PHOTO VIA FLICKR

MARKETS

PHOTO BY TESLA

New iPhones are Gold, Apple Stock is Red Understanding the stock slide amidst tech giant’s latest product launch Andrew Marcovitch MARKETS EDITOR

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n September 10th, Apple unveiled its brand-new line of iPhone devices. In stark contrast to previous iPhone launches, Apple released 2 new models of their smartphone device, including 6 new colour options. Also unlike recent years, effectively every detail of the new iPhones had been accurately predicted by technology analysts prior to September 10th.

The new models, the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, have been the talk of tech forums and discussion boards for weeks. However, Apple’s stock performance following the announcementwas lackluster, falling 7% within the ensuing two days. While some may be quick to point fingers at a lack of any surprise features, the reasoning be-

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hind the tech giant’s stock slide actually go far deeper.

The iPhone 5s packs a fingerprint sensor built into the home button.

This feature could be the start of a new wave of smartphones where biometric identifiers replace all those passwords we need to remember across the web services we use. Apple is calling this feature Touch ID and it will allow iPhone users to unlock the device, login to apps and web services, and even pay for iTunes songs and Appstore purchases just by touching the home sensor.

Apple likes to flaunt that more pictures are taken every day on the iPhone than any other device. For most people, the iPhone is all the digital camera they ever need. It therefore makes perfect sense that Apple would

set out to improve the iSight camera on the new iPhone. The 5s camera is equipped with dual-colour flash to create the best possible picture.

For consumers that are into extreme sports, the new iPhone can also record HD video at 120 frames per second so you can see your Backside 1080 in slow motion.

The iPhone 5c is available in 5 different colours, similar to the iPod Touch. It is powered by the previous generation’s A6. The only other material difference is that it doesn’t pack the new iSight camera and flash, and is plastic rather than metal. Apple is aiming at opening the iPhone up to lower-tier consumers in the market, with the 5c acting as its low cost option. Of course it doesn’t have the chic

MARKETS metal casing, but the multi-colour plastic has generated a good deal of positive feedback already.

The truth is that the stock performance did not have that much to do with the actual quality of the new

speculated that Apple and China Mobile would announce an agreement.

Instead, Apple simply streamed the video of Tim Cook from his keynote in Cupertino, California just a few hours earlier. This confirmed that there

Apple is aiming at opening the iPhone up to lower-tier consumers in the market, with the 5c acting as its low cost option. devices. The market penalized Apple short on two major issues: The failure to announce a deal with China Mobile, and the pricing of the iPhone 5c.

Apple shareholders had speculated the possibility that Apple would announce a deal with China Mobile, which would have given the 700 million customers of China’s largest telecom provider the option to purchase the new iPhone. That is double the U.S. population! China Mobile has never offered the iPhone, and the rumoured deal was expected to be a major growth. On September 10th, after the markets closed, Apple held a keynote event in Beijing. Investors

The Bull & Bear - September 2013

would be no China Mobile deal.

The other major disappointment was the price of the iPhone 5c. If you read up on the iPhone 5c prior to the release, many journalists joked the “c” stood for iPhone “cheap”. The investor community believed they were getting a low-price phone intended to steal market share in emerging markets. The theory was that Apple would be going head-to-head with Samsung in the non-premium level device market, where the latter has an undeniable stronghold.

However, it turns out that Apple simple isn’t comfortable attaching a low price to anything bearing the

prestigious Apple logo. They decided to price the iPhone 5c at $549 without a contract, just $100 less than the 16gb version of the 5s. Analysts were expecting a price tag in the range of $300-400, with capabilities and hardware further removed from the 5s than simply the absence of dual flash, metal casing, and new processors.

That Apple shareholders clearly didn’t get the news they were looking for on September 10 does not mean Apple will not have a successful run with the new line of iPhones. After a year of declining stock prices, Apple executives are well aware that their investors are getting impatient. Only time will tell if Apple was correct to charge more than expected for the iPhone 5c. Analysts estimate pre-orders to have exceeded 1 million devices at time of print. Last year, Apple sold 2 million iPhone 5 devices in the first weekend.

With 5c sales numbers already strong, and hot demand for iPhone 5s when it debuts in stores on September 20th, Apple may be on track to sell more iPhones in the opening weekend than ever before.

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MARKETS

SYRIA: PHOTO VIA WIKIPEDIA

CONSIDERING CRUDE O

n August 21, a chemical weapons attack was carried out on civilians in the Syrian capital of Damascus. With the number of casualties exceeding 1,000, both the United States and France have expressed the belief that President Assad was behind the attack. As of now, France is pushing for military action, and 23 US Senators have approved military backing for action in Syria.

Amidst the countless areas of political and social turbulence, the possibility of launching a military strike has already begun to take effect in the oil market.

Oil prices are starting to rise as the US deliberates taking action in Syria.

A barrel of crude oil jumped to a sixmonth high in August, at over $117 USD. Bank of America Merrill Lynch has forecasted that number to soon reach a figure between $120 and $150.

Syria only produces about 50,000 barrels a day, which is negligible compared to the 10 million per day produced in Saudi Arabia. However, with the question of Western involvement looming, the possibility of conflict spreading to surrounding countries has some analysts nervous.

The neighboring country of Iraq,

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As pressure mounts over unrest in Syria, analysts examine the effect on oil markets Natalya Hibbert MARKETS WRITER

which is known to have extremist AlQaeda groups working in Northern Syria, could prove a particularly disastrous region. If these groups begin to work with the Syrian rebels, it would not only enable continued brutality between Syrians, but could potentially allow the extremist views of Islamic law to creep their way into the country, further destabilizing the region.

Libya has also been lagging in its oil production. Oil production has severely decreased due to security protests prior to the 2011 war that ended with the death of Moammar Gadhafi, causing oil prices to steadily rise. The US role in Libya proved effective in removing Gadhafi and thereby transferring the responsibilities to NATO. However, these actions may have proven inappropriate in terms of specific aspects of Western interest, namely the security of oil exports.

Meanwhile, further east, Iran has shown support for the Assad regime and it is unknown how the country would react under military strikes. In the past, Iran has provided military and financial support in the region, but the current president of Iran has emphasized efforts to develop stronger diplomatic ties with the West.

If Iran decides to respond to these attacks, it will first do so by blocking the Strait of Hormuz. This body of water, which separates Iran from the United Arab Emirates, is a daily passageway for oil tankers. Blocking this area off will severely impede oil exports, causing sharp increases in oil prices.

Michael Wittner, an oil industry observer from Société Générale SA, suggested that military strikes could cause Brent crude oil to rise to as high as $150 USD per barrel. “The concern is that an attack on Syria will reverberate through the region, increasing the spillover into other countries and possibly resulting in a larger supply disruption elsewhere,” Wittner noted.

However, the spike will be temporary, as high prices will be coupled with lowered demand, therefore causing prices to decrease.

While the possibility of US involvement continues to develop, many will look to whatever action is taken as a sign of where the West places oil as a component of its interests in the region. Oil prices are certainly not the most pressing issue in Syria, but they are nonetheless a significant point of consideration for the US.

MARKETS

ThoughtBasin Brings Crowdsourcing to McGill Student driven start-up offers students a chance Alan Liu

MARKETS WRITER

F

or many of us, U3 marks the end of our university career and the often overwhelming transition into the job market. While most scramble to finish job applications, sign up for information sessions and attend firm tours, two such students have opted for a different route. Immediately following the 2012 Dobson Cup (Desautels’ Entrepreneurship Competition), Roger Huang (BCom ‘13) and Saam Pousht-Mashhad (BCom ‘13, Law L1) pondered what they could pursue with their entrepreneurial vision in lieu of the traditional postgraduate route. What resulted were the early stages of ThoughtBasin.

Alan Liu: What led you [Roger] and Saam to create ThoughtBasin?

Roger Huang: We felt we had something to prove beyond our resume points. We wanted to create a forum where students could engage in real-world problems and gain experience and rewards in doing so.

ThoughtBasin’s goal is to provide an interactive experience for students to explore different companies and industries. While Saam and Roger are the driving forces behind the start-up, none of it would be possible without the help of their team of ambassadors and technical specialists. Ambassadors spread the word of the organization around campus and act as representatives, while the technical specialists are responsible for bringing ThoughtBasin’s online forum to fruition.

Liu: What is the purpose of ThoughtBasin’s online platform?

Huang: The online platform will take the driving principle behind ThoughtBasin - connecting students with real-world problems in a fun and engaging manner that recognizes and rewards them for good solutions - and bring it to a more viral scale. Students will have online proThe Bull & Bear - September 2013

PHOTO VIA THOUGHTBASIN

files that can be viewed by either fellow students or organizations. There will also be mentors with industry experience who can interact online with the students and will be able to give them feedback.

Students are able to collectively address questions posed by corporations through crowdsourcing in the online community. Other users on the ThoughtBasin platform may vote positively on answers they like from their peers, although the ultimate decision on the proposed solution rests with the hosting company.

Aside from commenting and voting on others’ submissions, ThoughtBasin users can check out what opportunities are available in various industries and virtually interact with experienced professionals. If students submit an idea that is accepted by a company, they can potentially receive monetary remuneration or, perhaps more importantly, employment offers. Last spring, for example, a student was given an internship offer at the Canadian Liver Foundation through ThoughtBasin.

In addition to case solving, ThoughtBasin hosts speaker events where students can engage directly with industry professionals and learn from their experience. The latest panel on innovation and creativ-

ity included Benoit Mathieu, the VP of costume and creative spaces in Cirque du Soleil, Risa Dickens, the senior community manager from Yelp, and the founders of many other Montreal start-ups.

Liu: What is your vision of ThoughtBasin’s expansion to other universities?

Huang: We’re already looking to expand to Concordia, and students at U of T, UBC, and Queens have contacted us. We want to do great things at McGill first, then take it Montreal-wide, then take it around the country, and then the continent.

We believe ThoughtBasin can become a global online platform where dynamic students from around the world can come together and work on solving real-world problems, from local business issues, to global problems of substance.

With the possibility of interacting with industry figures, winning prizes ranging from money to interviews, and obtaining real-world case experience, ThoughtBasin might just be the next big thing. Best of all, signing up is free of charge. Keep your eyes peeled, as ThoughtBasin’s online platform launches September 30.

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LIFESTYLE

WORK HARD, PLAY HARDER Lifestyle section writers share their summer internship stories The Bull & Bear Lifestyle Section

“H

ow was your summer? How was your internship?” are usually the main topics of conversation around Bronfman come September. No matter how you spent your four-month long vacation, whether it be interning at a large firm or at a tiny start-up, travelling, or spending quality time with family and friends, there will be a fair share of stories and memories.

The Bull & Bear Lifestyle section shares their most unforgettable summer experiences.

Intern turned social worker This summer, I signed up to be an intern, but unexpectedly became a social worker. Within a week of starting my job, I noticed that something was off at The Company. As I walked down the even lines of cubicles and corner offices,

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stacks of paper stood as a wall, blocking out any natural light. When I entered my cubicle, I too had a stack of papers, and one too many pads of sticky notes. Perceiving my boss as passive aggressive, I proceeded with my task, which consisted of moving these stacks of papers to other locations.

In need of a task shift, HR relocated me to their file room—only to discover upon arrival that they had not filed anything since 1995. Filing though the papers, I would come across endless marriage and divorce certificates. On one particular occasion, I filed a worker’s medical report, then a few stacks down the line; I ended up filing the same worker’s death certificate.

In need of yet another job change, I became the assistant to a VP whose secretary was on maternity leave. Three jobs in and still nothing for my CV, I was

praying for a miracle. Instead, I ended up assisting a woman who was sure in need of one. On my final day of work, I walked in to find her crying over how full her inbox was. I felt like I had landed in the pages of my Organizational Behaviour textbook. I had high hopes for my internship this summer, but all I learned was how to keep my desk organized and strategically avoid being sticky noted to death.

LIFESTYLE Ernst & Young

This summer was, without a doubt, the best summer of my life! I worked in the Toronto office of Ernst & Young, and met wonderful people from all over Canada. They were amazing individuals, from their personalities to their taste in coffee and doughnuts. I could talk about how fascinating it was testing controls, typing out numbers, doing walkthroughs and the like, but that seems a little dry, so I’ll focus on EY’s socials and events.

All 2,300 EY interns from places as far as Australia, India and Italy came together for the International Intern Leadership conference. We were paid to go to Disneyland and Universal Studios (twice), eat as much as humanly possible, meet new friends, listen to inspirational speakers, and challenge ourselves to fit 2,300 people in one swimming pool. I experienced Chicago and New York City for a month through the Global Student Experience Program that EY runs. Some people may say that accounting is boring, but if you’re having a lovely dinner on a boat under the Brooklyn bridge, courtesy of EY, and talking to people from all over the world, crunching numbers doesn’t seem like a bad deal.

Big Ben

The Bull & Bear - September 2013

Interning on the banks of the river Thames in the storied Palace which houses both the Commons and the Lords – not to mention Big Ben – I had absolutely no trouble finding the strength to wake up bright and early every morning this summer. However, it wasn’t simply the breathtaking grandeur or the enthralling history of the building I worked in which captivated me day after day; it was the people whom I met within the thick stonewalls of Westminster.

I was fortunate enough to be given a parliamentary internship in the office of Chris Heaton-Harris, MP, who was not only a delight to work for, but an inspiration as well. I witnessed the ceaseless work of a member of parliament who labored day in and day out to fight for the policies and moral beliefs that his constituents elected him to uphold – a charge repeatedly carried out with passion and conviction. His staffers, Tom and David, both equally passionate and engaging, helped me appreciate how the British Parliament operates, and how very important and demanding the work of its members is.

I thank the Hansard Scholars Programme for this truly remarkable experience and hope other McGill students will also get the opportunity to partake in it in the future.

The Red Chamber This past summer, I spent six weeks interning in the Canadian Senate, during arguably its most chaotic period in recent memory. Between Senators Duffy, Wallin, Harb and Brazeau making headlines for their, uh, “creative spending,” and calls from the public and the NDP to scrap the Senate altogether, the Red Chamber has never been more frenzied...

Or, frankly, more exciting.

I had the privilege of interning for Senator Grant Mitchell-- who notably lives in Edmonton, both in person and on his expense claims. As one of Alberta’s few and proud Liberals, he brings a vigour and enthusiasm to an institution too often viewed with cynicism. During my brief time in Ottawa, I was able to work on many of his projects: the investigation of systemic harassment and misogyny within the RCMP, the development of a comprehensive mental health strategy for children and youth across the country, and Bill C-279, which would amend

the Charter to include gender identity in order to better protect trans* people.

I was also able to meet and work with many members of the Liberal Party, in both the Senate and the House of Commons-- and maybe it’s my partisan streak, but I think they’re due for a comeback any day now. You can quote me on that!

Rugby Champions

The highlight of my summer was spent representing Canada’s U20 National Women’s Rugby Team at Nations Cup in Nottingham, England.

Our team began our week long preparation in Toronto, where we conducted fitness testing and skills assessments, clarified offensive and defensive structures, and outlined our goals for the tournament. Once we landed in the U.K., we began our ‘non-game day’ routine; this consisted of training twice a day, meetings, video sessions, and hydrotherapy.

In our first match, we faced the United States: After 80 long minutes, we came out victorious with a final score of 25-15.

Four days later we faced England—the reigning champions—and proceeded to upset them 43-15. In our last round robin game, we were set to play South Africa. We remained disciplined and came out with a 37-0 win.

Our final four days were spent preparing for our cup final against the U.S. We spent hours reviewing game film, identifying America’s strengths and weaknesses, and planning our attack.

Sunday came and we executed our game plan with precision and discipline, not letting up until the final whistle blew. We emerged victorious as the 2013 Nations Cup Champions, after defeating the U.S. 27-3. This marked the best performance by a Canadian U20 side at Nations Cup ever!

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LIFESTYLE

A McGill First-Year’s

Worst-Case

Scenario Survival Guide How to make the most of your first year at McGill Niall Carolan

LIFESTLYE WRITER

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LIFESTYLE

I

’ll start with the place you will likely be spending most of your time, Residence. “Rez” is the perfect intermediary between the smothering care of living at home and the terrifying reality of self-sufficiency; and while you may smell the lack of inhibition in the air, this is the place you will make some of your closest

provides a totally inclusive environment and there will always be someone to listen to you, from your floor fellows to the front desk.

Unfortunately, you will eventually have to face the reality of class: Challenging? Yes. Impossible? No. Once the intoxicated honeymoon of Frosh comes

McGill has endless resources to help you manage your time and course-load. and longest lasting relationships. With hundreds of like-minded, ambitious young people all sleeping under the same roof, you only have to walk out of your room and say “hello” to a neighbor. Don’t forget, these are the friends who will help you with last minute project deadlines and nurse you back to health after some particularly rowdy nights out. Rez also

to an end, you may feel slightly overwhelmed by all the crowded lecture halls and stacks of readings, but fear not!

McGill has endless resources to help you manage your time and course-load.

Your academic advisor can help you with any scheduling queries, while the Tutorial service can set you on the path to academic success. And although you may

think university textbooks are printed on gold-leaf paper, there are plenty of places to buy discounted books: McGill Classifieds, McGill textbook exchange, and The Word bookstore all sell textbooks at reasonable prices.

Another point I would stress to all first years—especially those new to Montreal—would be to see as much of this beautiful city as you can. In my first year, I found myself frequenting the same bars and clubs each week. A good way of breaking this habit is to rent some Bixis with a few friends and explore parts of the city you aren’t used to. Another great way to mix up the monotony of Tokyo Thursdays is to enroll in a SSMU MiniCourse. These diverse, inexpensive, noncredit courses are a great way to try new things, something my three roommates and I are attempting this semester. And, if four guys with less combined coordination than a baby giraffe can learn to Salsa, the possibilities are endless.

McGILL ESSENTIALS Academic Advising:

http://www.mcgill.ca/students/advising/

Tutorial Services:

http://www.mcgill.ca/tutoring/

SSMU Mini Courses:

http://minicourses.bigcartel.com/

Bixi:

Rentals are available from May through November, and can be returned to any BIXI station — not just the one you got it from. Rates start at $7 a day, and monthly and annual plans are available.

Stations on Milton / University, Prince Arthur / St-Laurent, and Hutchison / Sherbrooke.

McGill Classifieds:

http://www.mcgill.ca/classified/

The Word Bookstore: 469 Milton Street

The Bull & Bear - September 2013

23

LIFESTYLE

A Connected Campus

Campus awareness and coherence: there’s an app for that!

Laura Thistle

LEAD OPINION EDITOR

W

hen is the next rugby game?

When is the end of the adddrop period? Where should I go to find out about volunteer opportunities on campus? I dare you to answer all

24

these questions without asking around. If you can’t, there’s a problem. Every student should be aware of key dates and campus resources, however, when lengthy listservs are the only means of communicating that

information, a lot falls between the cracks.

That is the problem which Tom Zheng (founder of Wildcard) and Randeep Singh, developers of a campus-wide information application, seek to remedy.

LIFESTYLE Tom and Randeep, who are both U3 students studying political science and materials engineering, respectively, have been tirelessly working alongside the AUS, MUS, and EUS to develop their idea. Together, they have created three apps – AUS McGill, MUS McGill, and EUS Events – which deliver updates and reminders relevant to each of the aforementioned organizations. Students can subscribe to receive specific types of updates, as well as, have access to a calendar section and a general information panel. Tom is also hoping to collaborate with campus vendors to set up a coupon redemption system to be integrated into the apps.

Last year, Tom led the development of the Wildcard mobile application, which connects Montreal businesses with customers by means of special deals and

Wildcard-exclusive events. The AUS, MUS and EUS apps seek to achieve the same level of connectivity between McGill organizations and students. Tom, who served as VP Academic on the AUS last year, found that similar problems were faced by both the businesses he worked with at Wildcard and the organizations he collaborated with on campus.

“We’re looking for a solution to apathy,” says Tom. “Why is there such low voter turnout for school elections? Why is our community so disengaged? Because students have a very hard time getting the information they want, so they lose interest in the campus community altogether.”

Imagine this: you walk by Dawson Hall, and you get a notification on your phone about that week’s drop-in advising hours. You walk by the gym and you

receive a reminder about the upcoming lacrosse game. With these sorts of specific updates, students will have no trouble finding out about campus events, opportunities, and important dates.

Another key feature of the app will be the ability to receive updates from your Facebook friends about their participation in campus events. For example, when varsity athletes check in at their games, their Facebook friends with the AUS, MUS, or EUS app will be notified. Each of these features of the app seeks to increase student awareness of, and interest in, campus activity, ultimately leading to a less apathetic and more involved student body.

This dream is the reality which Tom and Randeep hope to establish before they graduate.

Eat Cheap

Affordable and delicious food around McGill campus Don Wang

LIFESTYLE WRITER

A

re you new to McGill or tired of eating the soup and bagel combo at Tim Hortons everyday for lunch? Do you

The Bull & Bear - September 2013

have a meal plan, but want some variety beyond cafeteria food? These walletfriendly and mouth-watering choices

will give your stomach something to think about when you get the hunger rumbles in the middle of class.

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LIFESTYLE Kantapia: 364 Sherbrooke Ouest

Kantapia is a cozy Korean restaurant situated near the corner of Rue Sherbrooke Ouest and Avenue du Parc.

Opened in April 2013, Kantapia is a newcomer to the McGill restaurant scene, but has soon become a neighborhood favourite. Other than one dish, the Galbi, nothing on their menu is over 10 bucks! They have a selection of kimbap (Korean sushi), bibimbap (mixed rice in a hot stone bowl), and jigaes (Korean stew), to name a few. I recommend the kimchi jigae and soondubu jigae (soft tofu spicy soup) served with rice. After a cold day of running around campus, these dishes will definitely warm you right up. The best part of the Kantapia experience is the unlimited side dishes.

The kimchi and marinated potatoes will keep flowing, as long as you keep asking.

Chances are, if you walk along Rue Milton to campus, you’ll have seen the sign for McGill Pizza. Unassumingly located on the first floor of an apartment building, McGill Pizza may have escaped your attention, but definitely give it a try.

Although they offer choices other than pizza, their best deal is a slice of pizza with fries for only 5 bucks. Sure, it’s not the most nutritious of meals unless you count pizza as a vegetable. However, if you’re drowning in readings or papers and your body needs grease, there is no better place to get your oil fix than McGill Pizza.

Super Sandwich: 1115 Sherbrooke Ouest

McGill Pizza: 625 Milton

Super Sandwich is one of those places that you either love or you haven’t heard of yet. A regular hang for management kids, Super Sandwich is in the Le Cartier building adjacent to Bronfman.

The store itself is tucked away in the corner of a depanneur that can be easily missed. Don’t let its appearance fool you though; they serve a mean sandwich, most for under $4.00. They have many choices including ham, turkey, chicken salad, tuna, roast beef, and more. They might not have as big of a veggie selection as Subway, but their sandwiches definitely hit the spot when you’re craving a snack between classes.

26

Closer to home

If you’re too hungry to trek a couple of blocks away from campus, then you’re in luck! A variety of food trucks will now frequent McTavish Street and the area behind the Redpath Museum.

It makes going to classes in Leacock so much harder when all you can smell are waffles, poutine, or roasted meats. Additionally, our very own Gert’s Pub in the SSMU building started serving lunch and bar snacks last year. They offer a different tasty special every day of the week.

And last but not least, there is Midnight Kitchen, or known to most students as “free lunch because I have no more money for food”. MK is a student run organization that serves vegan lunch every day in the SSMU building, Monday to Friday, from 12:30 until whenever food runs out. Typically, they serve on the 3rd floor, but on Fridays, they serve in the basement. The line starts forming around 12:15, but on busy days, the food can be demolished by hoards of hungry students as early as 1:00, so make sure to get a spot in line pronto!

OPINION

The Impending Crisis of Millenial Leadersip Who we’ll soon be electing, and why it’s going to be a problem Wyatt Hnatiw

OPINION WRITER

K

urt Vonnegut once said, “True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country”. While it is a scary thought that the guy you saw passed out on a couch at last week’s party could one day be in a position of influence, I am more concerned about the way modern society is cultivating its leaders. Future leaders are sacrificing important life experiences in favour of maintaining spotless records, and this will lead to the systematic elimination of the ability to truly lead from our population.

My unease stems from the increasing role that sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram play in our daily lives from a young age. Potential leaders are becoming increasingly concerned with maintaining a spotless online persona, to the point that their online image becomes a principle priority – and with good reason. We’ve seen what technology can do to public figures in the Elliot Spitzer and Anthony Weiner scandals. While we scoff at the buffoonish behaviour of these middle-aged men, it incites an important question: “Haven’t you ever done something that would be scandal material?”

However, should this really be the only question we ask potential leaders?

Glance at your Facebook page and you will probably see drunken pictures from Carnival, or an unsavory photo you took as a joke for a friend. The simple truth is that most 20-somethings have at least a few pictures of drinking and partying floating around on the Internet.

Usually these photos aren’t an issue until a job interview, but in the not-so-distant future we will be electing politicians who have lived their whole lives online.

When anyone with the ability to type can see about 1000 pictures of a candidate’s college days, won’t you always vote for the straight-A student over the party animal? This example may seem extreme but it is indicative of the future of our leadership decisions. The natural response to this idea is that we’d rather have the clean cut candidate over the slob, the straight-laced student over the drunk. In

The Bull & Bear - September 2013

some situations, transparency is to be desired, but this saturation of information is fundamentally destroying the way these future leaders lead their lives.

We all know one or two people who did their very best to stay squeaky clean throughout high school and college, never breaking rules, seldom drinking and having conniptions when a Facebook picture of them at a party appears. We knew that those people had planned out their next thirty years and none of them wanted to jeopardize their chances at becoming our future Prime Minister.

“I’ve always made an effort to not get caught holding alcohol, it was always just a little neurotic tendency of mine,” commented Elliot Hepworth, McMaster medical student. “As a student we are constantly fed stories, true or not, about employers taking a keen interest in your online social life,” remarked McGill Management student Nathan Mooney in the same vein.

Even with this limited sample size, it is clear that this frame of mind is becoming increasingly common. Even if youth isn’t spent living in some sterile room, the fear of being passed over or rejected based on their online persona is omnipresent.

This permeating frame of mind is encouraging young people to avoid having some of the experiences which would not only help them grow as potential leaders, but also as human beings.

The issue is not the existence of career conscious chaps planning their future years but the fear that we are limiting our future options for the future. We shouldn’t simply seek a spotless record from our leaders; this is not a college application. Leadership qualities are cultivated and established by experience – both good and bad. Bill Clinton “never inhaled” and marched in protest of the Vietnam War, and President Obama experimented with marijuana and cocaine.

There is a reason why these two men were elected despite what we would today consider black marks on their record. Actions such as these are part of what comprises the whole of a person. Strength of

character cannot be fostered by simulated scenarios and academic learning: When the most difficult choice a potential leader has ever faced is whether to join the debate club or an honours society, how can we expect them to lead in a situation where the stakes are infinitely higher?

Clinton’s protest of the war may have seemed controversial at the time, but it allowed him to witness firsthand the power of people in a democratic nation and demonstrate willingness to stand up for his beliefs.

It was not caution and careful planning that gave these men the characteristics of a leader; it was how they dealt with adversity, and the lessons they learned through making difficult decisions. When someone attempts to develop their character in a vacuum, where does the impetus to grow come from? What difficulty do they face? By avoiding controversy at all costs, these leaders of tomorrow have eliminated the potential for true growth.

It is not the “correctness” of one’s past choices that dictate whether or not one will be an influential leader. People are defined by the sum of their experiences, not by the temptations they avoided.

Today’s kids who dream of public office have not spent their years cultivating personality and skill, but instead avoided experience in favor of safety. These people spurned parties for model UN and socials at bland Young Leader conferences.

While others were living their lives, these “future leaders” paused theirs at 16.

Sadly, I do not foresee this pattern changing. There will always be people who spend every waking hour in the library in pursuit of their ideal career and there will always be those who sacrifice their lives now in exchange for what they desire 20 years in the future. However, I hope that when we go to vote for candidate A or B, each one with identical spotless records, we begin to question whether we’ve been rewarding the right behaviours.

27

OPINION

The (Milton) Gates of Hell McGill’s Latest Construction Project

T

he Berlin Wall. The U.S.Mexico border. The thick layer of insect repellent that lines the door to my apartment.

What do all of these infamous barriers have in common?

They aren’t very good at keeping things out.

And now we have our very own wall to protect us from ourselves!

Ladies and gentlemen, in case you hadn’t noticed, the Milton Gates are now literally gates—

28

gates which were apparently stolen from Canadian Tire. This change is inconvenient for everyone, especially for those of us who live close to campus (our supposed ability to wake up fifteen minutes before class and still grab a sweet spot in the classroom is now jeopardized).

In addition to being inconvenient, the gates simply don’t work. People on bikes are mostly just casually biking through them, and when they don’t just bike through the gates they

PHOTO VIA WIKIPEDIA

Adam Banks

OPINION WRITER

OPINION stop for a second to walk their bikes through and get right back on. Bikes don’t just create more traffic at the gate—most don’t even fit (when two people are walking in either direction), which kind of defeats the purpose.

Though the other day I saw a young man thwarted by his plans to bike through the pearly gates, breaking his reflector in the process and pretending like it didn’t happen. He won’t be safe at night anymore. Awesome!

As of anytime-o-clock Eastern Standard Time, walking through campus is roughly as difficult as a summer camp obstacle course, except with a little less mud thanks to lower field’s sod-square facelift. Getting to class is more difficult (as if getting out of bed wasn’t difficult enough already),

located at the corner of “if you haven’t seen it yet you haven’t been on campus”.

I’m fully aware that I’m not the first person to criticize these gates in campus media, and I won’t be the last. The Daily (“Bikes on Parade”) offers solutions such as a bike lane that would allow students to safely cycle alongside pedestrians. That being said, maybe the cost of paint is more expensive than I had previously assumed. Maybe metal is cheaper.

There have been annoying construction projects going on for as long as I’ve been a student here.

I know times are tough, dearest administration, but spending money on expensive construction projects is not an adequate response to coming second place in the ratings game. I

Bikes don’t just create more traffic at the gate—most don’t even fit and traffic at Milton and University has gotten much worse. This traffic is thanks to not only the newly installed “bike gates,” but also the recently formed “Redpath-McLennan Cave”,

The Bull & Bear - September 2013

highly doubt that the church pew benches installed last year outside of McLennan really helped anybody, not just because of how awkwardly placed they are. Aren’t there other ways

our tuition money could be spent?

For instance, we could use some staplers, which are no longer present in McLennan. 24-hour library access will also be sorely missed, especially for those of us who study after midnight and feel more comfortable in a library than a coffee shop.

Here’s a thought: Why don’t we build things that actually serve a purpose? Keeping campus “safe” is an important priority, but I don’t think these ridiculous bike gates are the best way to address it. I certainly don’t feel any safer due to the installation of these magical gates (that are supposed to force all the big bad cyclists to dismount). I would much rather see the administration address the safety issue by doing something productive instead of prohibitive, like designating more areas where student cards are required for access. Not by inconveniencing every single student— bikers and pedestrians alike—who uses the Milton Gates to get to class.

On the other hand, if our biggest problem is the people getting their exercise by biking through campus, I suppose we have it pretty good.

The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Bull & Bear.

29

Inquiring Minds Want to Know (Too Much) ‘Do Not Track’ can guard the public’s privacy from the tech industry Samuel Robinson OPINION WRITER

I

t’s time to tell Big Brother Zuckerberg, ‘Do Not Track.’ While Edward Snowden highlighted the lengths to which Washington (and maybe Ottawa) has violated our privacy, Silicon Valley has been doing the same for years. Major technology companies have built elaborate tracking and analysis systems into their products, violating laws and disregarding ethical considerations in the process. And now, they’re working hard to stop a proposed web standard, ‘Do Not Track’, that would allow Internet browsers to opt out of those databases for good.

You think the NSA knows a lot about you? Think again. Some of the biggest stocks in tech, including Facebook and Google, predicate their business model on the fact that the more detailed information about consumers they provide to advertisers, the more profit they make. Every ‘Like’, search, website visit, and much more, files into repositories of users’ digital lives. Unlike the NSA, Silicon Valley spies on everyone, not just suspected terrorists. Even if a person rarely logs into a social network or enters a search, modern technology can follow and monitor their actions between websites. With databases of information unparalleled in size, it isn’t surprising that the U.S. sought out the tech industry to achieve its surveillance objectives. What is surprising is just how easily those companies complied.

Silicon Valley’s ethical transgressions far exceed giving information to advertisers. While many companies (like

30

Google, Apple, and Microsoft) were secretly forced to give in to the spy agency’s requests, all (except for Twitter) worked with the NSA to build secret databases to hand over information more easily.

Microsoft allegedly even allowed the US to hack into Skype chats and Outlook

Every ‘Like’, search, website visit, and much more, files into repositories of users’ digital lives. emails that the company assured users were secure. Silicon Valley may pin its pitiful defense of its users’ privacy on legal obligation, but tech companies also break the law when it serves them.

Tech companies have been caught making major invasions of privacy, yet they have been able to avoid public scrutiny even when alleged to have broken laws. In 2010, Google admitted to stealing information from the computer networks of houses its cars were mapping for Google Maps. The search engine’s Wi-Fi peeping ensnared confidential data and passwords from victims. Likewise, Apple was found to log location information from the public’s iPhones without notifying its users. In response, Apple silenced criticism by removing the alleged ‘bug’ in a software update. For both scandals, the public fallout was significantly shorter lived than for the NSA, and repercussions amounted to a few hushed

court cases. If tech companies continue to get only a slap on the wrist for ‘accidents’ like these, what will they do next?

Do Not Track’s proponents seek a solution to Internet surveillance. Do Not Track is an anticipated option in web browsers, initiated by the US Federal Trade Commission, which prevents websites from collecting personal information not deemed necessary to the user. In other words, a website may not keep information on a visitor unless the visitor explicitly allows it. In an age where phones are listening for their owner’s voice 24/7, Do Not Track reinforces the notion that users have the right to online privacy.

However, Do Not Track stands at an impasse, stalled by considerable lobbying from the advertising industry.

Negotiations for the standard between advertisers and privacy activists have been in deadlock for over two years. Advocates on the side of privacy are losing their resolve and resigning, but it’s hard to blame them. After all, industry lobbyists are well funded and can afford to stall this as long as possible. As a result, negotiations for Do Not Track will continue to fail without the support of the general public. Only with petitions, noise, and perhaps even anger, can Do Not Track be propelled from dream to reality.

The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Bull & Bear.

OPINION

Hot Not orr

Our guide to your next opinionated conversation

Vicetone

The Milton Gates Literally Being Gates

Blood, sweat and tears of the first two weeks at McGill washed away by... blood sweat and tears at Telus Theatre.

McGill takes a design cue from Canadian Tire, mildly inconveniencing everyone.

The return of 4a7, BDA, and Blues Pub It’s not a new year at McGill unless you’re drinking cheap beers in a random campus basement.

Tokyo 2020 Sorry Istanbul, better luck next time!

Samsung Galaxy Gear Smartwatch You didn’t know you needed Snapchat on your wrist until now!

Breaking Bad Finale Don’t be too sad it’s ending, Executive Producer Vince Gilligan is going to give us all heart attacks anyway.

The Bull & Bear - September 2013

PQ Charter of Values Get your filthy hands off our yarmulkes, Pauline!

The Abyssal Hole in front of Redpath When it comes to mild inconveniences, McGill’s really on a roll. Just in time for winter too!

BCom Office Lineups The wait for advising will leave inexplicable gaps in your resume should you somehow land an interview. Good luck in the job market!

Miley Cyrus at the VMAs You’re a crappy, shallow person for caring about this, but you do for some reason.

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