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Monday, October 5, 2009 5:00 pm – Plenary Session 6:00 pm – Reception 6:30 pm – Regional Break-out Sessions
HELP WANTED - Suchen fliessend deutsch-sprechende Studenten/-in um unseren Kindern durch Konversation und Spiel Deutsch zu lernen. Die Kinder haben bereits gute Deutschkenntnisse. Tageszeiten sind flexibel - idealerweise spaeter Nachmittag zwischen 4-7pm jeweils fuer 60-90 Minuten, einmal oder zweimal pro Woche. Bezahlung muss besprochen werden. Bitte kontaktieren Sie Familie Bucheit in Montreal: 514-932-2499. Wir freuen uns Sie kennenzulernen.
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News
The McGill Daily, Monday, September 21, 2009
3
Students at 13 unions petition to leave CFS Members disenchanted with student fedederation’s transparency and legal methods
Erin Hale The McGill Daily
Litigation Many student petition organizers expressed frustration with what they feel is a track record of aggressive litigation by CFS. In recent years, many of the student unions that have tried to de-federate from CFS have found themselves in hot legal water when they failed to follow CFS by-laws. Simon Fraser University’s independent student paper The Peak reported that a case between CFS and their student union, on whether it had the right to leave the federation, went all the way to the Supreme Court of B.C. The Kwantlen Student Association’s VP External Derek Robertson confirmed that his society was taken to court for similar reasons. Similarly, the Student Union of Acadia University in Nova Scotia spent almost 10 years in litigation after they tried to leave CFS in 1996. Former Canadian University Press (CUP) president and Maclean’s OnCampus writer Erin Millar said that legal threats from CFS have extended beyond student unions to student journalists in the past. “In my experience, working as a student journalist, and my work at CUP and Maclean’s, CFS has consistently been the most aggressive organization I’ve ever covered just in their trying to prevent journalists
from doing their job in reporting on them,” she said. “They’ve done that by employing legal means. They spend a lot of money using lawyers to intimidate journalists, which I think is a completely inappropriate way to spend students’ money.”
Revolving doors Other student organizers were concerned with what they saw as a revolving door policy between proCFS student politicians and the CFS national or regional headquarters Robertson pointed to the example of Hamid Osman, the pro-CFS president of York University who became the CFS National Executive Representative for Ontario after his time at York, during which students tried to impeach him. “Instead of him facing the students for reelection he became the National Executive Representative for Ontario,” said Robertson. Another student noted that the former Concordia Student Union VP External Colin Goldfinch became a member of the board of CFS’s Quebec chapter last year. In Quebec, eyebrows were raised when Concordia’s independent student paper The Link reported that Noah Stewart-Ornstein, CFS National Deputy Chairperson, kept his job after being caught on security tapes tearing down posters of the anti-CFS slate during the Concordia Student Union’s elections last year.
Transparency and reform Many student leaders stated that they felt CFS was not adequately transparent and accountable to its member organizations. Both Derek Robertson and Veronique Dorais, the presidents, respectively, of Kwantlen Student Association and the Graduate Students’ Association of the University of Calgary – where petitions to leave CFS are currently being held – said past executives had become frustrated with CFS for these reasons. “One of our executives last year went to a meeting and everything he asked for was dismissed. Every motion he proposed, asking for financial audited statements or minutes from the meeting were defeated,” Dorais said. Former SSMU VP External Devin Alfaro said that during SSMU’s time as a prospective member at CFS – from fall 2006 until fall 2007 – its executives found it very difficult to pass motions they hoped would improve CFS’s accountability. “SSMU presented a series of motions at one [annual general meeting], that were not well received. One was accepted – that executive reports list resolutions [from previous years] and what [the executive] had done to follow up
Sally Lin / The McGill Daily
M
embers of 13 student societies across Canada – including McGill’s Post Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) – have started petitions asking their peers if they wish to leave the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), Canada’s largest student lobby group. The development comes almost two years after student unions at the University of Cape Breton, Simon Fraser University, and Kwantlen Polytechnic University in British Columbia tried unsuccessfully to leave the federation because either the student unions failed to meet CFS’s referendum by-laws, or students ultimately chose to stay with CFS following litigation. Students circulating the petitions expressed strong disenchantment with CFS, and some felt that the fees their union paid – ranging from $40,000 to $300,000 a year – could be better spent elsewhere. “Our problem with CFS is twofold: on the one hand, we feel they are incompetent lobbyists. On the other, there is a sentiment among many students that CFS staff, offices, lawyers, and budgets are used to sway political consensus among students,” said James Murphy, a petition organizer at Trent University.
The Postgraduate Students Society of McGill recently approved its petition. on them. One motion wasn’t well received, that gave student media full access to the [meeting] – most of it happens behind closed doors. The final motion [would have] posted meeting minutes online,” Alfaro said.
CFS responds Though the CFS National Treasurer Dave Mulenhuis said that he could not comment on some of the litigation between the CFS and its members, because it predated his tenure at the CFS, he said that as a democratic organization, any problems members had with the CFS could still be fixed internally. “The CFS is the common democratic framework under which the student movements in Canada make decisions on campaign lobbying and services decisions. The bylaws of the federation are voted on by delegates at general meetings. Student unions vote on their common democratic framework; it’s up to them,” he said. Mulenhuis also said that CFS is a transparent organization, and ready to provide its members with any documents they require. “With [regard to] financial records, the audited financial statements are presented in budget committee. They are handed to absolutely every delegate who attends a federation general meeting. They’re sent to every member locale of the federation who does not send delegates to a national general meet-
ing,” he said. “All the financial records are available to students who wish to access them, because they are housed in the student unions of schools who are members. [It’s] the same with copies, by-laws, and constitution of the federation for every student to see and review.” Mulenhuis added that a member of CUP is invited to CFS annual general meetings to represent the press.
The road to referendum If the petitions at the 13 student societies achieve a 10 per cent quorum, their supporters will have to wait up to five months before CFS recognizes their petition, and the date for their referendum is set. During that time, CFS will first have to acknowledge their receipt of the petition, then within three months decide on whether to acknowledge its legitimacy. If the CFS chooses to approve it, they have 60-90 days to set the date themselves. A student organizer at Guelph University highlighted some of the obstacles the system posed to student societies attempting to defederate. “You can’t campaign from April 15 to September 15, and can’t campaign over winter holidays,” he said. “In six and a half months you only have a window of half a month to initiate a referendum campaign.”
Dorais said student organizers at her society were nervous their petitions could lead to legal action by the CFS. “We’re going to try to work with the CFS to follow the referendum and guidelines point by point, if this is what the student body wants,” she said. Societies can expect CFS supporters to arrive on campus during their referendum. When the Graduate Students’ Society of the University of Victoria successfully left the CFS in March 2008, the university’s student paper The Martlet reported that pro-CFS supporters flew in from across the country to support the pro-CFS campaign. Students at PGSS, the Concordia Student Union, the Graduate Student Association of Concordia, the Dawson Student Union, the Society of Graduate Students at Western Ontario University, University of Windsor Students’ Alliance, Carleton University Students’ Association, the Central Student Association at Guelph University, the Trent Central Student Association, the Kwantlen Student Association, the University of Victoria’s Student Society, the Graduate Students’ Association of the University of Calgary, and the University of Regina Students’ Union are all circulating petitions to leave the CFS.
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a student position on its Board of Directors. he position must be illed by a McGill student belonging to any faculty other than the Faculty of Arts, duly registered during the upcoming Winter term, and able to sit until April 30, 2010. Board members gather at least once a month to discuss the management of the newspapers, and make important administrative decisions.
Candidates should send a 500-word letter of intention to chair@dailypublications.org by September 30th. Contact us for more information.
Have a penchant for media criticism? The McGill Daily wants you to be its Public Editor! The Daily Publications Society seeks a good writer and critical thinker to write a regular column evaluating the journalistic quality of the McGill Daily. This volunteer position will involve corresponding with Daily readers, listening to their concerns and criticisms of the paper, interviewing Daily editors and staff, and exploring the issues raised by those discussions in print. For details, email chair@dailypublications.org. The application deadline is October 6th.
News
The McGill Daily, Monday, September 21, 2009
5
Council goes SSMUthly Most decisions passed with little dissent The McGill Daily
SSMU Legislative Council met for the first time this academic year in the Lev Bukhman room of the Shatner building on Thursday, providing new councillors with an opportunity to propose and discuss their new initiatives for the year. SSMU executives presented the formative work they completed over the summer, and sketched out general plans for their portfolios.
Leading Questions Senate Caucus Representative Sarah Woolf questioned President Neilson’s nomination of SSMU Speakers of Council. Woolf asked the Co-Speakers Zach Newburgh and Lauren Hudak to state their current club affiliations, questioning whether the speakers could be trusted to act as impartial facilitators. Newburgh revealed that he is president of Hillel Montreal, which oversees anglophone Hillel organizations across Montreal, but insisted that if any “matters of interest” come up, he will defer to his cospeaker. Hudak revealed that she had been a member of the McGill club Choose Life, but had stepped down, as she “took this job very
seriously, and the impartial nature of it,” and also promised to defer to the other co-speaker in cases where a conflict of interest might arise. Last year SSMU dealt with the controversial approval of Choose Life as a full-status club, paired with the raucous Gaza motion at last year’s General Assembly. VP Finance Jose Diaz addressed concerns over clubs getting their funding late by promising speedy election of a finance committee.
consulting the governing bodies.
Greener Syllabi Guest speakers from the SSMU Environment Commissioners presented their work on coordinating different sustainability-oriented groups, and their plan to create a five-year sustainability blueprint. One of their new initiatives is to encourage each faculty to integrate topics on sustainability into their course curricula, and to set up a faculty roundtable toward that goal.
Tightening Up
The Student Movement
The SSMU exec’s summer reports revealed concerted efforts to tighten up and improve SSMU services and facilities, in addition to making them easier to access. VP Clubs and Services Sarah Olle pledged that her initiative to bring room bookings online will be up and running this Monday.
VP External Sebastian RonderosMorgan presented SSMU’s role in the new student consortium Table de concertation étudiante du Québec (TaCEQ). The group will oppose Provincial Bills 38 and 44 that would impose a quota of external representatives on post-secondary institutions’ boards of directors. Science Representative Joshua Abaki asked Ronderos-Morgan why SSMU is slated to pay for 40 per cent of TaCEQ’s expenses. RonderosMorgan replied that the number was a rough estimation that had been hashed out in consultation with other TaCEQ members, and stated that SSMU only spent $345 to support the student federation during the summer – a figure that he said will not increase in the future.
Ask us first VP University Affairs Rebecca Dooley made a short report from the first Senate meeting, expressing dismay that Principal Heather Munroe-Blum had dismissed the possibility for student consultation in the selection process for a Secretary-General. She said that the larger issue here was the administration not
Kate Panzetta / The McGill Daily
Sam Neylon
SSMU execs were questioned, but conflict was limited. Ronderos-Morgan also said that he wishes to be a dynamic part of Quebec’s student movement, pushing for accessibility and trying to mend the education funding crisis in Quebec, which he pointed out, “came from Quebec [City] and Ottawa.”
A 10-year plan SSMU’s five-year lease of the Shatner building will expire in 2011. SSMU President Neilson said that he wants to start negotiating with McGill a year early, in hopes of securing a longer lease this time around.
Community concerned that case will not address racial profiling by police
Henry Gass The McGill Daily
T
he coroner’s inquest into the shooting death of Fredy Villanueva by Montreal police officer Jean-Loup Lapointe is slated to begin this October, now that the Villanueva family has been able to procure legal representation. The 18-year-old was killed in Montreal North when an argument broke out between a group of youth and Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) officers in August of 2008. The inquest was delayed last May after the Villanuevas and affiliated parties could not pay their legal fees. The government of Quebec has now paid for the Villanuevas’ lawyers, after having provided legal representation only for the police officers involved. A recent victory for the family’s lawyers involved a switch in the order of testimony, with the police tentatively slated to testify first, and the youth witnesses to testify second.
“It’s a good thing [the police officers] are testifying first because they’ve never given their version of the story before,” said John Philpop, a lawyer for the Villanuevas. “[The police officers] won’t have a chance to adjust their story based on the testimony [of the youth witnesses].” Philpop said that while it is still not guaranteed that the police officers will testify first at the hearing in October, if the new order of testimonies is accepted, it would go a long way in determining “whether [the shooting] was self-defense or criminal.” In spite of this victory for the Villanueva camp, many people, particularly the Montreal North community, are worried that the inquest will not confront the overarching problems behind the Villanueva shooting – namely, the issue of racial profiling. “The restricted mandate of this type of investigation allows neither a true study of the socio-economic conditions of the population nor an equitable representation of the
victims of the police force,” said the Montreal North newspaper Republik in a statement released in May. “The investigation...aims to wash the police officers of any suspicion, and is unaware of the fundamental causes of the social strain in Montreal North.” Republik called for an investigation into larger causes of police repression in the Montreal North community, and the sentiment has continued to grow in the year since Villanueva’s death. SPVM policy prohibits the police force from making public comments before the inquiry. Philpop emphasized that the investigation will not be held as a criminal trial. “People are concerned about not having a court that deals with profiling…. The problem with the relationship between police and minorities is important,” said Philpop. “Police treat blacks differently. I never get pulled over.... They don’t touch me because I’m white.”
The government of Quebec intends to address some of the community’s grievances by holding a separate inquiry into racial profiling. Quebec’s Human Rights Commission announced last week that it would hold public hearings within the year, which will offer young Quebeckers from minority groups an opportunity to share their experiences of discrimination. “The issue of discrimination seems to be present in many aspects of public life…beyond the police,” Francois Larsen, the commission’s director of research and education, told the CBC on Thursday. But regardless of whether the Villanueva inquest will address the racial tensions of the Montreal North community, Philpop said that the case will highlight the consequences of racial profiling within the police force. “Hopefully it will set a political precedent.... [This case] is going to be an example, ” he said. — With files from Niko Block
Community Relations Ronderos-Morgan and VP Internal Alex Brown said that they have worked to foster better relations with the Milton-Parc community, specifically the Milton-Parc Citizens Committee. Brown expressed dismay, however, over the recent behavior of Froshies and Frosh leaders, which had further alienated the local community.
WHAT’S THE HAPS
Cops to testify first in Villanueva inquest
If this can be done, President Neilson said that SSMU could form long-term plans with building tenants, student-run food establishments, and looking into sustainable infrastructure changes.
Car Free Day Montreal! Tuesday, Sept. 22, 4:00 p.m. Around Montreal Parts of downtown Montreal will be closed to vehicle traffic on Car-Free Day with the open spaces used to host activities, performances, street hockey games, workshops, and much more. Volunteer Fair Thursday. Sept. 24, 11:00 a.m. Shatner, Ballroom (3rd floor) Brought to you by the SSMU Volunteer Program, the fair is an opportunity to learn about over 60 national and local NGO’s. and how you can get involved. Breaking the Silence: Abousfian Abdelrazik Speaks Thursday, Sept. 24, 6:00 p.m. CEDA, 2515 Delisle St. (near Lionel-Groulx Metro) After six years of forced exile in Sudan, Abousfian Abdelrazik has returned to Canada and will share his story with Canadians. A community dinner will be served at 6 p.m. followed by the speaking event at 7 p.m. First Peoples’ House 8th Annual Pow Wow Friday, Sept. 25, 9:00 a.m. Lower Field The First People’s House will host a pow wow featuring music, dance, arts, and crafts from local aboriginal communities.
6 News & Letters
NEWS BRIEFS UQAM and TA Union Settle on New Contract Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and leaders of its studentworkers union, Syndicat des étudiant-e-s employé-e-s (SÉTUE) have drawn up a new contract. SÉTUE workers at the school have been working without a contract since May 31, 2008, when the former contract expired. The settlement came after almost 15 months of negotiations, and both union and administration leadership are pleased with the outcome. Eric Dremers, president of SÉTUE, said that the negotiations were tense at times, but ultimately satisfactory. “We are very happy with the work that the negotiating committee did. It was a very difficult negotiation. [UQAM] was, at the beginning, completely closed to any suggestions [from us]”, Dremers said in an email to The Daily. Starting June 9, 2009, unionized student workers will begin earning wage parity with their counterparts at Université de Montréal, repre-
The McGill Daily, Monday, September 21, 2009
senting an average increase of 20 per cent. The union also gained an extension in their time frame for filing grievances, from 30 to 45 days, and job descriptions are now included in the collective agreement. The contract has yet to be ratified by SÉTUE, whose 3,000 members will convene on October 7 and 8 to decide whether or not to adopt the new contract. This new contract will expire December 31, 2013 if adopted. The administration said in a press release, in French, that it is “especially happy with the agreement, in that it meets the top priorities adopted by the university in the Strategic Planning Framework of 2009-2014, and would balance the budget.” —Michael Lee-Murphy
Mendelson defends residence dining changes With the cafeteria at Royal Victoria College (RVC) closed, and the kitchen at the new Carrefour residence still undergoing renovations, McGill’s new food service system has faced significant obstacles. But Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) Morton Mendelson said that McGill’s decision to merge the previous system, which was run by Food Services and Ancillary
Services, into a consolidated system under the purview of his office will ultimately be an improvement. “Students are the most important group of clients, and food locations are social spaces, integral to residences. That was the reason why the two areas were merged,” said Mendelson. McGill residences have also moved to a declining balance system, in which funds allocated to meals are deducted with each item purchased. The system was implemented in order to reduce food waste and provide students with greater options. Mathieu Laperle, Director of McGill Food and Hospitality Services, backed the new system, saying that previously, students paid a fixed price for their meal plan, and were not reimbursed for meals they missed. He added that less food will be wasted under the new system, and that students will be given more options. In response to complaints that the cost of food at McGill residences is too high, the average price of a meal at Upper Rez cafeterias was dropped by $2 last week. “Price is always a challenge and [we try] to have a balance between good food and an affordable price,” said Laperle. “If you go to the grocery store by yourself, you see that food is more expensive than it was
before.” Mendelson commented that because the University is underfunded, food operations at McGill have to be financially self-sufficient. “A lot of direct and indirect costs have to be supported,” Mendelson said. Laperle said that the University has taken measures to redress the current problems by altering RVC meal plans so that residents can eat at all McGill and Martlet locations on campus. According to Mendelson, Carrefour residents are to be refunded $250 of their rent per month, and given a $100 gift card to purchase food at Martlet locations. Laperle said that he would work to address student concerns and to make more options available. Students can submit comments and suggestions to the McGill Food and Hospitality Services web site, and student-led food committees will be established in the coming weeks. —Humera Jabir
Underground City at Risk of Falling Down City Hall is pushing for more stringent regulation of Montreal’s underground structures, and has demand-
ed that the proprietors of Square Victoria, Place Bonaventure, and the Sun Life building facilitate inspections by Quebec’s Régie du bâtiment. In 2007, two fractures in a tunnel beneath Maisonneuve caused the City to close both the road and the Metro. Mayor Gerald Tremblay subsequently requested safety reports on 63 of the city’s buildings, but to date only 16 have complied. The death of Léa Guilbeault, who was killed by a slab of falling concrete at the Marriott Hotel on Peel last July, has given a sense of urgency to the City’s commitment to safeguard the downtown’s infrastructure. “Structures deteriorate,” said McGill Professor Saeed Mirza, who formally served as president of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineering. “But the inspections normally don’t get carried out. It’s ‘design, build and forget.’” He added that buildings not properly maintained pose a serious risk to society. “There are large costs, not only economic, but social and environmental costs associated with neglect,” Mirza said. When contacted by The Daily, management at the Sun Life building denied ever receiving an inspection request from the City. —Thomas Kim
Re: “Rape isn’t funny” | Commentary | September 17
If you really want to help women, go spread information about safe sex practices in developing countries...or stay local and just volunteer for STELLA in Montreal.
Letters Half-assed anarchy Re: “Giving hegemony a red card” | Sports | September 14 Because I tirelessly work on behalf of the dream of class consciousness, and am constantly “exploding with good energy and chaos,” I have long been a proponent of games with no scorekeeping, no rules, no boundaries, and no teams. Reframing competitive sports in this way just seems, well, logical. And, also way more entertaining. Think of Ronaldinho playing soccer. Now remove his ball, his jersey, the field, the goals, and his entire team. So much better! So while I do feel the DEEPEST sense of camaraderie with the Anarchist Soccer Club (or AntiClub), I take serious issue with one of their practices – they still use a ball! Talk about discriminatory practices! These anarchists are, at best, half-assing it. Ian Becker U1 English Literature
Kyle Kaplan U3 Music Technology
At long last, Zoog returns Hello Daily, Hello All, Hello World! (For my true fans this will be a welcome reference to my first letter.) I have been doing some thinking. First, I have realized that The Daily hates me for some reason. Why do you hold these feelings, Daily? Is it my intelligence? My insight? My fearlessness and refusal to lie to the people or otherwise manipulate them with shoddy pseudo-journalism?!?! I have realized that even superheroes have enemies, and that haters never take time off, so neither should I. Second, what in God’s glorious name is this “Hewman” flyer that I found stuck in the first page of my Daily on Thursday afternoon? Crude poetry, even cruder
We have been Miss Represented Re: Compendium! | September 17 Miss Advised has been brutally misrepresented by the powers that be in your occasionally decent
images…. If The Daily is responsible for this, I’m considering a protest (maybe in Gert’s…. We’ll drink until The Daily apologizes). I DO NOT want to see “Hewman” appearing ANYWHERE on campus again, and if I do, I will place complete blame on The Daily and its affiliates. Thank you and thank you and thank you. Kids, eat your onions and remember to think twice before talking trash about Zoog and/or “The Dark Motorcyclist,” because he/she is probably somewhere very near…. P.S: As I always say, “Extraterrestrials are people too!” Zoog
Less talk, more action
Your puns are puny
Re: “Rape isn’t funny” | Commentary | September 17
Re: “After 25 years on the bench, The Daily is back in the game” | Commentary | September 14
Will everyone please stop whining about this engineering song? If you really want to help women, go spread information about safe sex practices in developing countries, work to prevent genital mutilation in Africa, or stay local and just volunteer for STELLA in Montreal. Don’t squander your energy on something so trivial, so insignificant, so petty. You are wasting your time, O righteous one.
Regarding the incessant use of sports puns in Monday’s self-promotional Editor’s Note: please stop. Max Halparin U3 Geography Former Daily editor Chairman of the DPS Board of Directors
Kyle Kaplan U3 Music Technology
Devon B. Welsh U3 Religious Studies, Drama & Theatre
publication. Any and all advice must be sent to MISSADVISED@ GMAIL.COM. I am appalled that you would attempt to thwart her innocent public and future fans. Yours truly, Miss Printed
The Daily received more letters than it could print this issue. The rest will appear soon. Send your thoughts to letters@mcgilldaily.com from your McGill email address, and keep them to 300 words or less. The Daily does not print letters that are transphobic, classist, sexist, racist, or otherwise hateful.
Commentary
The McGill Daily, Thursday, September 21, 2009
7
Insurance: what is it good for? Absolutely nothing Noah Caldwell-Rafferty
B
efore I get off and going, let us make a list – a list to keep in mind throughout, and to aid us in a more thorough dissection of what’s to follow. The list, of course, is a list of your fears. Just
the little ones for now, like spiders, or dark closets, or tequila shots, or blind dates, or whatever. You can take a moment. I’ll
allow exactly fifteen seconds, then you have to keep reading. Personally, my list hasn’t changed for years, and runs along the lines of guitar strings snapping in my eye, toasters burning down the cabinets they sit under, and tequila shots (that one was personal). What are we to make of these fears? Surely they are not
what pester us every day on the way to class or keep us up at night. And surely it’s the little fears that keep us in check; if no one unplugged their toasters after use then the rate of deaths caused by kitchen appliances would soar 354 per cent (check that statistic – I’m sure it’s close to being almost true). So we see the goodness in our little fears, and you might even say that to feel them means we are still curiously, thankfully human. But sadly, once we take a grander look around, we see society’s fears as a whole and realize we are unwilling subjects to them. To be sure, there is not just one fear posing as society’s biggest vice. Rather, we are afraid of ugliness, afraid of rejection, afraid of failure, afraid of ourselves, and most of all (here comes the kicker!) we’re afraid someone will find out we’re afraid. But what do we do to counter this miasma of fears? Ah, such good capitalists as we are, we insure. Gone are the days when auto, home, and health insurance just about rounded out the list of available plans, when a risk really meant a risk. Now we
insure bags at the airport, and small chatchkas we send by DHL to our cousin in Minnesota, and our cell phones.Yet we also buy the Kevlarcoated, apocalypse-proof cases. This is all to lead me into the most grandiose, lofty insurance endeavor yet: the insurance of body parts. I know, you’re probably thinking to yourself, “Come on, who actually insures a body part?” Well, I’ll tell you who. Dolly Parton’s 42Ds are insured for $600,000, a policy which seems likely never to be filled, even though she’s got to be 125 years old by now; slightly less exciting are Keith Richards’s hands, Roger Clemens’s arm, and David Lee Roth’s man-juice. Yes, you heard right, the sex icon gets $1,000,000 if anything malignant happens to his semen. Another exercise for you, Dear Reader: Which body part would you insure? The brain, perhaps, to safeguard your parents’ suspicions that McGill partying has taken its toll? Brilliant, I’ve got it! Why not just insure your fear? This, sadly, is not a joke. By incessant insuring and guarding, we allow the cycle of fear to continue. Burying our fears in money only hides them, throwing a thinly veiled cloth over top as a disguise. Let us instead check our fears as much as they check us. Not by insuring, not by veiling them, but simply by recognition of their
worth. So far I haven’t ventured beyond a somewhat introspective look at our fears, fears over which we have at least some power. But hovering above personal and even cultural fears are those which unfold far from our reach, yet hit home all the same. Foreign military policy increasingly operates under the auspices of fear; since the Cold War, defense has consisted of precautions and pre-emption, a strategy only furthered by public support driven by being afraid. America’s Orange and Red Alerts are the obvious epitomes, while Obama’s recent decision to move proposed missile sites to waters closer to Iran is eerily reminiscent of the seventies missile standoff at the Iron Curtain. Simply put, the above is Nation Insurance, paid for yearly in taxes, and upheld by a horrifying deductible of soldiers’ and, alas, civilians’ lives. Somehow our little list of fears from before seems petty, as we realize the more drastic forms of our contemporary fear. But have no fear: to counter them simply requires that we be skeptical not only of ourselves, but of all outlets of fear, petty or extravagant.
with good-intentioned Canadian sympathy. I’m sure Montreal demands the same kind of toughness from its citizens. I must no longer be the innocent out-of-towner. I am Pedestrian,
come what may, be there dead pigeons and honking cabbies, I have the right of way.
Noah Caldwell-Rafferty is a U1 History student. Write him at noah. caldwell-rafferty@mail.mcgill.ca.
Little woman, big Montreal Zoë Toupin
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ne brisk September day, I’m walking down the street – on the sidewalk, mind you – when this car drives up to me, bumps into me, and then honks at me. There’s always something hurtful about being honked at, whether the honking is deserved or not. That honker shredded my self-esteem as a pedestrian. And then I wondered: Is Montreal full of bad drivers, or am I just an awful pedestrian? I always wait for the light to turn green. I admit, I don’t think I fully understand who exactly has the right of way when the light is green, me or that angry cab driver, but I go with the pedestrian flow. Besides, I’ve never heard of anyone getting fined for crossing on a red light.... Killed maybe, but not fined. So, I’m continuing my leisurely walk when I come across a pigeon. To avoid collision I veer left, it veers left; I veer right, it veers right, and I think to myself, if this were a movie we’d be on a date in the next scene. Since when does a pigeon have the right of way? I know I’m a freshwom-
an, but I must have more guts than a pigeon. So I walk forth, claim my path, and Monsieur Pigeon starts flapping straight toward my face and I’m running down the street – the middle of it, mind you – arms flinging while brakes are squealing, feathers falling, children bawling. It was at that moment, standing next to Monsieur Pigeon’s remnants splattered along Sherbrooke O. (I believe anywhere between the Museum of Fine Arts and the Ritz-Carlton is a dignified place for a pigeon to die) that I felt some greater force in this city rejecting me – telling me I don’t belong here. What is a true Montrealer anyway? Probably not a traffic disturbing pigeon murderer.... But there must be something that makes you fit in here. It’s most likely just a matter of claiming your turf. When I was in Israel this past winter, it didn’t take me long to realize I had to be just as ruthless and rude as the locals if I wanted to catch that bus back to Be’er Sheva on time. I had to stand my ground amidst all those soldiers-to-be with their intimidating guns hanging by their sides. Yeah, so okay, I had to
Luke Thienhaus / The McGill Daily
Learning the martial art of navigating streets
O woe is that pigeon! make a few babies cry and shove a few old ladies to the side. Sounds cruel, I bet, but when you’ve just missed two consecutive buses standing inches away from the door, you have to step up your game. Enough
Zoë Toupin is a U1 student. Write her at zoe.toupin@mail.mcgill.ca.
8 Features
The dregs of orientation Noah Hansen takes a look at Frosh, straight up no chaser
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magine if the anthem taught to Arts FROSH participants was inscribed on the McGill acceptance letter for new students. I can see it now: Gothic buildings, smiling students, and in bold red letters:
portions of past month drinkers reporting 5+ and 8+ drinks at least twice over the period were significantly lower in Quebec (34.3 per cent and 11.2 per cent, respectively) [than in Ontario and Atlantic Canada].”
McGill once, McGill twice Holy Fucking Jesus Christ Wham Bam God Damn Son of a bitch shit
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Three cheers for McGill – Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Three cheers for fucking – McGill! McGill! McGill!
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rosh provides a different sort of introduction to McGill than the one your parents receive in the mail. It’s a couple days of informal socializing and fun provided by the students and for the students; leave all the academic humdrum for Discover McGill. Frosh is a necessary service: a context for social interaction and initiation to the culture of McGill and Montreal. But is Frosh introducing freshmen to something else entirely? Everyone’s experience is obviously unique. However, the conversations I’ve had with administrators and students indicate that Frosh distorts McGill’s culture of drinking into something distress-
Tellier sees these statistics as proof of the more temperate approach to drinking that Quebec’s laws promote: “Quebec students drink more frequently and in smaller amounts.” First-year student and Maine native Joe
s SSMU VP Internal, Alex Brown organizes SSMU FROSH and helps coordinate the faculty froshes. She defines the ideal of FROSH experience as: “A combination of dipping your feet in McGill from a social perspective, a glimpse at the city, and a glimpse at people you don’t already know.” In describing alcohol’s role in FROSH, Brown said “There’s a difference between
of revelry at a karaoke bar downtown (my rendition of “Hot ‘n’ Cold” brought the house down.) I turned to Frosh participants, a SSMU exec, and university administrators for their views on the supposedly essential experience, and on what role, if any, Frosh plays in exposing new students to the drinking culture of Montreal.
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ut what exactly is the drinking culture in Montreal? Students, administrators, and even Director of Student Health Services Dr. Pierre-Pail Tellier agree that a city in which alcohol is legal for first-years is a more posi-
Shapell, said “I think it’s a fundamentally safer environment. There’s a bigger emphasis on binge drinking in America.”
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ing and regressive. Every freshman goes through his or her own process of acclimatization to Montreal alcohol culture. Mine consisted of getting tipsy with my dad at Biftek (free popcorn?!), tasting Dieu du Ciel’s extra strong coffeeflavoured beer with my roommates (it’s as bad as it sounds), and a tequila-aided night
rienced by freshmen when adapting to Montreal’s unique alcohol culture. “For freshmen who drop out,” he said, “alcohol tends to be a part of the problem. They’re just not adjusting to Montreal.” For Tellier, FROSH does not aid that adjustment. “With FROSH, the process hasn’t started,” he said. “So there are sometimes problems in the first couple of weeks.”
tive environment than one with less progressive laws. Tellier believes that alcohol’s legality “teaches students about culture and use of alcohol.” He references the Canadian Campus Survey 2004: “The most notable regional differences concern occasional heavy drinking. The pro-
eputy Provost Morton Mendelson, who was involved in redrafting alcohol policies in McGill residences, said that Quebec’s lenient laws encourage “the responsible use of alcohol.” Mendelson added that “The policy [in residences] before was so restrictive that it couldn’t be followed,” he said. The rules now are simply to “Comply with Quebec law.” I asked Mendelson whether he wished McGill was located in a city with a higher legal drinking age, like most North American universities, decreasing the challenges related to forming alcohol policy for freshmen. “It’s a challenge I prefer to have,” he said. “However, we have a responsibility to socialize our students into responsible conduct with respect to healthful behaviour.” Frosh is unique as a student’s first University-sanctioned exposure to alcohol. Whether it promotes the responsible use of alcohol is another question. Tellier pointed to the difficulties expe-
cultural consumption [and] binge and party consumption,” she said. “We tried really hard to make Frosh the cultural. It was never the main activity.” Last spring in her campaign, Brown pledged to strengthen Frosh with more daytime, non-alcoholic activities. Brown attributes much of Frosh’s success to the behaviour of its leaders. “They are some of the first people students are meeting. They should be friendly, outgoing, and welcoming. They are alcohol role models.” But despite some preliminary training in conduct, not all Frosh leaders demonstrate behaviour that first-years should be emulating. “Having seen what some [participants] are asked to do,” said Tellier, “the leaders don’t always follow the rules of respect.” This year, the Science Frosh beer tent was temporarily closed “because of the behaviour of the leaders,” said Brown. “They were encouraging drinking and the way they were interacting with security was inappropriate.” Arts Frosh participant Lily Schwartzbaum said, “Frosh leaders were constantly drunk and high.” The First-Year Office trains Frosh leaders
The McGill Daily, Monday, September 21, 2009
along with Discover McGill volunteers, a practice that has come under question due to their drastically different roles, and considering that the attitude and behaviour of Frosh leaders have a tremendous influence over the Frosh experience. Efforts made to ensure the leaders’ responsible behaviour have evidently produced mixed results, and suggest the need for a critical examination of the event’s organizing structure.
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ome find a disparity between Brown’s ideal Frosh experience and reality. “There was pressure on students to drink,” explains Schwartzbaum. “I heard people saying ‘I’d never do this, but it’s Frosh so why not?!’ It’s not a safe environment.” Shapell, on the other hand, was not personally turned off by Arts Frosh’s emphasis on drinking: “Forgetting your comfort zone is part of Frosh. It’s a safe way to do what we we’re all going to do anyway.” Associate Dean of Students Linda Starkey, a member of the Alcohol Advisory Committee, a group that works toward encouraging safe
and positive use of alcohol at McGill, applauded efforts made at Frosh: “One thing that they did at Frosh this year, that I thought was brilliant, was they used opaque cups. So you could have been drinking alcohol or juice and nobody would know. It’s to make sure everybody can be comfortable.” Much like the conception of Frosh leaders as “alcohol role models,” the goals of Frosh don’t always materialize. “I didn’t see any goal, and if there was one, none of it was followed through,” said an anonymous Arts Frosh participant. “If Frosh is supposed to introduce students to university life, it does not do a good job.” Schwartzbaum’s views highlight the contrast between Frosh drinking and Montreal drinking. “It’s a problem in the way they frame fun,” she said. “It was excessive drinking with no purpose.”
the way her group interacted with the city. “There were cars coming in the street and the Frosh leaders stopped them,” she said. “I felt like I was being rude. Cars need to go places. I felt guilty.” This running amok only warrants the reputation many give McGill students, encouraging hostility and creating
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of gender parity and environmental responsibility.
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rosh is an experience that stands on the threshold of adulthood for most firstyears. The law in Montreal “allows students to be treated as adults because it makes them
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endelson sees Frosh as an abrasive presence within the city, rather than the student service that it should be. “I see these large groups marching, screaming obscenities,” he said. “How is this introducing them to Montreal culture? It isn’t. I don’t understand why students would want to reflect poorly on the University that they get a degree from.” It might seem laughable to expect students to consider their future degrees during Frosh. Nonetheless, the anonymous Frosh participant was not particularly thrilled with
a disconnect between students and the rest of Montreal. Frosh’s failure to encourage responsible behaviour extends beyond drinking habits. Recent Hyde Parks in The Daily point to a lack of the social-consciousness upon which McGill prides itself. Misogynistic drinking chants exemplify a general attitude at Frosh that can create an inhospitable introduction to McGill. And despite Brown’s campaign promises to make Frosh more sustainable, the trash littering Lower Field shows that the festivities may be encouraging more than just irresponsible drinking. Reusable mugs indicate a level of environmental sensitivity, but a great deal of beer was still served in disposable cups. It seems the ideal Frosh that Brown spoke of has yet to materialize. But there are other options. Rad Frosh, an event run by QPIRG McGill, included discussion groups, introductions to student activism, and a hike through Mont Royal Park this year. Shappell, who participated in both, explains, “Rad Frosh is about getting educated and Arts Frosh is about fun.” Fun, however, doesn’t need to be at the expense
immediately responsible for their actions,” said Solin Floor fellow Abigayle Eames. So does Frosh succeed as an introduction for students to this world of adulthood and responsibility? Schwartzbaum can answer in three short words: “It’s really childish.” As an introduction to McGill, Frosh does not do justice to a university that makes an admirable effort to treat its students as adults. Certainly, the efforts made by Brown and Frosh Leaders deserve recognition. Frosh is clearly intended to be a positive, comfortable atmosphere. However, the experiences of the Arts Frosh participants indicates a disconnect between these intentions and the reality of the Frosh experience. “When that disconnect happens,” said Starkey, “It’s something to review.”
Sasha Plotnikova / The McGill Daily
Culture
The McGill Daily, Monday, September 21, 2009
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Behind the counter A peek inside the world of Montreal’s friperies Anna Leocha The McGill Daily
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n Montreal, the friperie, or used clothing store, is more than a novelty shopping experience. I hesitate to say “it’s a way of life,” on account of the cliché, but walking down any street in the city, the discerning Montrealer can’t help but notice the ubiquitous array of vintage vêtements on every passing hipster. We’ve all been there. Those chaotic closet spaces, erupting with the type of clothes your mom swore would come back into style; that quick-tempo music in the background to keep the buyer bumpin’. It’s a shopper’s delight. But while we’re devotedly picking through chunky sweaters, do we ever take a moment to look up and wonder about the lives of those mysterious yet well-dressed characters behind the counter? They’re the people stapling price tags to our purchases, an open novel face down on the glass of the jewellery display case. I’m talking about friperie owners. Most customers don’t get past a “bonjour” or “can I help you with anything?” but behind their saccharine reception, is there a demon dancing? As university students with thin pockets, we’ve got to wonder: are these people our friends or our foes? After doing some investigative work, including visiting and interviewing friperie owners in the Plateau and Mile End neighbourhoods, and despite my best efforts to vilify the stylish shop-keepers, my results proved my skepticism unfounded. I found the owners to be, overall, benign characters who share a genuine concern for the environment, a passion for fashion, and an obligation to put bread on the table. Although their histories vary, many friperie owners started out as aspiring fashion designers. It was on
CULTURE BRIEFS The joys of short fiction
What short stories did you have to read in high school? “The Dead,” by James Joyce? A couple morbid Roald Dahl pieces that destroyed your childhood fondness for James and the Giant Peach? Modern education might have trained your inner cynic to believe that the short story train ground to a halt a few decades back, leaving little freedom for innovation
this path that they developed the experience and expertise necessary to manage a used clothing store. Since, at every friperie I visited, each item is lovingly selected by the hands of the owner, an acute understanding of fabrics and craftsmanship is necessary in order to determine the quality of the garment and eventually the price it should be sold for. Friperie St-Laurent, for instance, has on- hand stacks of books on leather jackets used to determine the time period during which specific pieces were made, while Lorraine, the owner of Friperie Bohème, explained that she could tell whether a button-hole was sewed by hand or by a machine due to her design background. Still, I did not speak to one friperie owner who had anticipated ending up in the vintage clothing business. The job became an option when design lost its charm, families were formulating, money had to be made, and closets were getting too damn big. “It got to the point where I had so many clothes that I had to open a store!” jokes Lorraine. With this in mind, the shopper can see each store as an expression of its owner. Although they anticipate the trends, the owners would never put anything on their shelves that they find unattractive – everything is something that, in theory, they would wear themselves. So, when they say “I love that dress!” you can bet they don’t have shrewd intentions. In addition, friperie owners share a belief in recycling. With the overabundance of garments already out there, why buy new? Mone from Friperie Swing explains that his environmentalism is part and parcel of his business. People can create a truly unique style using only recycled clothes. All the owners were reluctant to disseminate any information about where they find their pieces. “Just everywhere,” they would say, or
or invention in the genre today. Joyland.ca is here to change all that. It’s like a web 2.0 literary journal. Operating without grants or public funding, Joyland is attempting to reinvigorate the short story genre by making new short fiction available online to all. Based in Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles, Montreal, New York, and London, this digital lit-Mecca has been receiving emphatic praise from the Canadian and American literary communities alike. Tonight at Green Room, Joyland will be emerging from the web-world into reality. The night’s events are the first stop on a reading tour that will also touch down in New York and Chicago. Presented in conjunction
Anna Leocha / The McGill Daily
“I had so many clothes that I had to open a store,” says Lorraine, owner of Friperie Bohème “that’s the secret!” Secret shmeecret. I have no reason to believe they’re not leafing through items at the local Value Village and then tripling the price. But I can’t help but like
these people. If they’re doing it, that means you don’t have to. Instead of walking into a giant box of eighty per cent junk, you can walk into a smaller space of eighty per cent
gems. That means you’re one step closer to finding your hidden treasure. And oh, the smell of discovery is sweet. Thank the fashion gods for friperies.
with Montreal’s Matrix magazine, the night will include readings by authors such as Emily Schultz, Brian Joseph Davis, Jon Paul Fiorentino, Sina Queyras, and Arjun Basu. Drop by to see what short fiction means in the 21st century.
African choreographers working in Canada through an ongoing series of new works. This week, Zimbabwean dancemaker Gibson Muriva will wrap up that series with the premiere of his latest piece, Sisi. The work’s title means “sister” in the Shona language, and Muriva took inspiration for the piece from his sisters’ experiences growing up in Zimbabwe. In keeping with a growing trend in new African dance, Muriva blends contemporary movement with traditional African forms to produce a hybrid choreographic language. He uses this style to tackle issues ranging from Zimbabwe’s HIV crisis to the oppression of women
and the status of refugees. Muriva used an artist’s perspective in choreographing his dancers; inspiration from photographs played a big role in the development of Sisi and it’s structure. The piece makes for an interesting couple hours; it’s worth going to if only to see the way in which all the above elements come together.
—Ian Beattie The Joyland Montreal reading takes place tonight at 8 p.m. at Green Room (5386 St. Laurent).
Dancing out of Africa Over the past month, Montréal, arts interculturels (MAI) has highlighted the work of contemporary
— Amelia Schonbek Sisi runs from September 23 – 27 at MAI (3860 Jeanne Mance); tickets can be purchased at the box office.
12Culture
The McGill Daily, Monday, September 21, 2009
Back to the basics Uncovering the joys of uncooked cooking
Marlee Rubel The McGill Daily
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he first time I heard the term ‘raw foodism’, I could not run for the door fast enough. The mere thought of limiting myself to a measly selection of uncooked, unprocessed fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds made my taste buds shrivel, and my appetite was instantly gone. But the North American food industry is a business, not a service, and it has become close-to-common knowledge that profit is a much larger concern in the eyes of these businesspeople than public health will ever be. The unappetizing realities of the meat and dairy industries, as well as the recent surge of genetically modified products into our supermarkets leave those of us who are “in the know” wishing that we weren’t. This is where raw foodism seems to make its sell, and David Cote, the owner of Crudessence, Montreal’s raw food restaurant, was thrilled to share his views on why raw food can heal the world. Originally a juice bar, Crudessence reopened this past May as a restaurant. It has attracted a wide range of people and publicity, including features in nearly every Montreal newspaper, as well as a lengthy clip on CBC Radio. Cote describes his clientele as ranging from frequenting yogis to the wealthy women of Westmount, who don’t speak to anyone and order their food to go. Though the prices hit the higher end of a student budget, the food quality at Crudessence is undoubtedly worth the extra dollar or two.
“Eating raw food is about listening and being aware when you eat something. If you do this, you will naturally end up eating raw,” explains Cote. “It’s not about eating 100 per cent raw food. This movement has become far too dogmatic in this sense. If you try to do this, you’re going to find yourself in a freezer eating ice cream in the middle of the night.” Cote believes that our society is still stuck in a survival mode, and it is only when we realize that we can let this notion go that we can make peace with our health. He claims that unlike our parents and grandparents, our generation need not fear running out of food. It’s okay, he even dares to say, to feel a little hungry sometimes. “You’re not going to die tomorrow,” Cote laughs, and suggests that our society is painfully out of touch with our own bodies, as opposed to the profit-driven industries that benefit from preserving such ideas. Cote claims that when eating a high percentage of raw foods, a university student couldn’t fall asleep in class if they tried. “It’s about efficiency, eating for energy. You no longer feel lethargic, and break away from habits of using food to numb yourself from your creative energy.” While such a movement can easily be dismissed as far too radical for many people’s liking, perhaps it’s what we need. “Eating raw food makes you responsible for your own life,” Cote claims. “Crudessence” roughly translates to “something that continues to grow larger.” But, to Cote, it means, “returning back to health, back to reality, back to raw.” While it is easy to write this lifestyle off, we could all use a little more fresh food in our Kraft-laden diets. It is true that what we eat becomes a
Sally Lin / The McGill Daily
On his raw food diet, this guy couldn’t fall asleep if he tried. part of us, and even more apparent that what we eat dictates how we feel. After all, humans are the only animals that cook and process their food – and also the animals that suffer most from cancer, obesity,
and diabetes. Perhaps the answer is to tune out the processed voice of Ronald McDonald, and tune into your own. Pop into Crudessence for a delicious smoothie, a raw meal, or a burst of inspiration and be a tad
more kind to that precious body of yours.
Crudessence is located at 105 Rachel O.
Science+Technology
The McGill Daily, Monday, September 21, 2009
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Fishing for the future of ocean life Documentary focuses on the implications of overfishing in marine populations
David Zuluaga Cano Sci+Tech Writer
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uman over-consumption of fish is killing the oceans, according to the documentary The End of the Line, which ended a run at Cinéma du Parc last week sponsored by Greenpeace Canada. Based on the best-selling book of the same name by Charles Clover, the film argues that unless there are radical changes to fishing quotas and a conscious commitment to curtail consumption, we are facing an enormous environmental crisis. Much of the film’s argument is derived from trends in the fish population – in particular, the decline of northern bluefin tuna. The film quotes a study published in Nature in 2003 that measures the bluefin population at only 10 per cent of its historical level. With its legal status still unclear, bluefin tuna is sometimes found on the menu at upscale restaurants around the world. This past summer the governments of Britain, France, Germany, and the Netherlands called for a ban on the trade of the northern bluefin.
Looking for a challenge BEYOND the books?
Although it is widely accepted in the scientific community that global fishing stocks are in decline, coming up with an estimate of the damage has proved controversial. There has been some recent self-criticism among scientists that objective science has been giving way to sensationalism. Notably, Ray Hilborn, a professor of fisheries management at the University of Washington, accused several studies of overstating their results in an issue of Fisheries journal in 2006. The film claims that at current fishing rates, we will see a collapse in the oceans by 2048. The problem is that predicting the complete end of seafood is impossible. It violates a basic assumption in economics called the law of diminishing returns – eventually, if a fish population declines sufficiently, it will become unprofitable for anyone to exploit it. “The fisheries merely become commercially extinct,” says McGill professor Andrew Hendry, who studies evolutionary dynamics at the Redpath Museum. “Although that still doesn’t tell us how quickly they can recover.” Imposing serious fishing quotas
WWW.INNOCENTIVE.COM Solve Problems. Earn Cash. Change Lives.
Justin K. Wong / The McGill Daily
The sorry state of a world without Spongebob. End of the Line offer a limited perspective on the science of fisheries, diminishing the importance of the issue. Nevertheless, despite the film’s shortcomings, it could be a starting point to discuss a real problem affecting the environment. In Canada, the nightmare returned this summer with the collapse of the
salmon fishery in British Columbia’s Fraser River. Calls to ramp up conservation efforts, such as those put forth by the film, will likely grow stronger. But whether the world is willing to have a serious conversation on the management of our oceans remains to be seen.
Nature knows best Prof talks science that mimics materials found in the natural environment Shannon Palus The McGill Daily
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Solve some of the world’s toughest problems for cash awards ranging from $5,000 - $1,000,000.
tends to be a problem for governments wary of upsetting voters. However, delaying important decisions only exacerbates the problem, as the federal government discovered in 1992 when it finally ordered a stop to all cod fishing in the North Atlantic, a ban still in effect to this day. The collapse of the cod fishery in the Grand Banks has had catastrophic effects for Newfoundland. Overnight, the provincial economy lost 40,000 jobs. Losing the cod was a devastating blow to a culture that had been based around it for four centuries. With the industry closed, young Newfoundlanders have since been leaving the small, fish-dependent towns along the coast in search of better opportunities. “You walk along the shore of one of those villages, and all you see are two-, three-million dollar boats rotting on the dry docks,” says Derrick Lovell, a U1 student in Canadian Studies who hails from the northwest corner of the island. “My parents are teachers. There used to be about 600 kids at their school, and the number has now gone down to 120.” The arguments made by The
ll it takes to make the finest products is a couple of eons of evolution. The best computer? The brain: crash-free, pre-installed, plug and play, wireless. The material with the best compression strength? The femur bones in your very own legs. The most efficient solar cell in existence comes with free installation. It’s biodegradable and not on the market. Leaves are superior at converting light into energy compared to anything that people with doctorates and research labs have been able to design. On September 9, Christopher Barrett, a professor from McGill’s chemistry department and a member of the Centre for Self-Assembled Chemical Structures, gave a talk at the Redpath Museum entitled “Mother Nature as a Green Materials Engineer.” The lecture was part of the Cutting Edge lecture series, a program established in 2003 that grants public audiences a look at a variety of interdisciplinary scientific innovations.
Barrett’s take-home message was that nature makes an excellent collaborator when it comes to materials science. “[Nature is] offering us 3.8-billion years of research and development, at no extra charge,” said Barrett. Many of the progressive products of evolution exist on the nanoscale, with dimensions less than the width of a human hair. DNA, for example, is both the world’s most intricate set of blueprints and the smallest. Spider silk is another example. Spun by hundreds of tiny spinnerets, the material has a greater tensile strength than steel when compared in terms of weight. However, since a spiderweb’s strength is relative to its size, harvesting the material is impossible in its existing producible quantity. Much of the work that Barrett discussed seeks to emulate nature, rather than collect it. “[Scientists are] not just harvesting [natural] materials, but understanding the process to make these things,” said Barrett. This venture concedes to nature’s small construction scale and bottom-up building scheme. There are no tweezers tiny enough
to handle objects on the nanoscale and so the trick is to mimic not just the finished product – say, an assembled strand of DNA – but to invoke the self-assembly feature that comes built in to 100 per cent natural products. Compounds naturally make their way through the assembly process without the help of construction workers. If it costs less energy for a protein to fold into a particular shape rather than remain as an unstructured strand, then that is what it will do; nature prefers to exert the least amount of effort and to find the lowest thermodynamic state. Engineers manipulate this concept with protein “soups,” studying, for example, what combination of genetic building blocks will assemble themselves into various DNA origami shapes like stars or squares. Practical applications of self-assembled, nature-inspired creations include biocompatible surfaces for objects ranging from contacts and stitches to heart valves – products that need to interact with the human body without being rejected by it. There are also applications of biomimicry in light-activated therapeutics – polymers that self-assemble in
water and break down under light, and are thus easy to turn on and off. However, research in self-assembly can be difficult as it often requires an aquatic medium or environment. Computer parts need to be dry, making it difficult to integrate biological innovations, both natural and lab-made, into electronics. Self-assembly is also a complicated process. On small scales, every hydrogen bond, every charge on every compound, matters a lot. “In order to exploit self-assembly, we have to understand self-assembly,” said Barrett. Though he notes that self-assembly and biomimicry research is currently taking baby steps, Barrett remains enthusiastic and inspired by every development. “We’re impressed with everything,” said Barrett. “It’s nice to feel humbled as a scientist, trying to replicate what’s already been created, what’s already evolved.” The next lecture in the series is titled “Can we erase memories for therapeutic benefits?” and will be held on October 8 at 6 p.m. in the Redpath Museum.
Compendium!
The McGill Daily, Monday, September 21, 2009
Lies, half-truths, and I’mma let you finish
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Transfiguration professor fired
CAPTION CONTEST WINNER!!
Student turns into wood, unable to comment
Congratulations, Stuart Wright! Too bad about the transfiguration thing, though.
Jacques-Cartier Pompidou The McGill Daily
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tuart Wright, U1 Chemistry, turned into a plank on Thursday when attempting to transfigure himself into a basilisk. Professor David Devilsbottom, assistant professor in the chemistry department, was quickly replaced by Professor Finnicky Fickleheart, who had long vied for the position. The accident happened around 3:35 p.m. in the Rutherford Physics building. “He was standing right in front of me,” said lab partner Pom Dopowich, “and told me to put on the supplied sunglasses, because, you know, basilisks cause death with a single glance, and then he turned into a plank of wood.” Pom blinked and opened his eyes very wide. “It was fucking weird!” he shrieked. Wright was unavailable for comment at press time. McGill Administration fired Professor Devilsbottom on the basis that he had not included “turning students into planks of wood” on the syllabus. The class will continue on Tuesday, when students will be required to turn their partners into dragons. Professor Fickleheart seemed excited when asked to comment over the phone. “Ten long years have I waited, ten long years,” he said.
Although more fastidious visitors may frown on the extravagance of installing two fountains in your parlour, we think the symmetrical effect (if judiciously and tastefully achieved) well worth any remarks of disapprobation it might collect.
Miss Advised, Miss Heard, apologies for miss representing you.
U1 Chemistry student Stuart Wright post-transfiguration.
need advice? missadvised@gmail.com
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Across 1. ___ of the earth 5. Repeats 10. Austen matchmaker 14. Comprehend 15. Bay 16. Wind in the Willows automobilist 17. Pencil case 18. 100 Nigerian kobo 19. Head covering 20. Destructively 23. Yokel 24. Samaritan 28. “Fiddler on the Roof” setting 31. An “aye” vote 32. J’ai, in England 33. Cocaine addict’s lifestyle 36. Guy Fawkes Day mo. 37. Surrounds pupils 38. Black gold 39. Gospel writer Skywalker 40. Kidnapping vehicle, stereotypically 41. Merchant 45. Before, to Shakespeare 46. “Catch-22” pilot 47. Brightly coloured tropical fish 48. CV 50. Wine barrel 51. What they thought the One Ring was not 57. Arrhenius, BronstedLowry or Lewis ___
60. “I pledge my ___” 61. Twelfth month of the Jewish calendar 62. Entice 63. Major and minor 64. ___ souci 65. Ogle 66. Rapiers 67. Elizabethan way to tutoie
31. Harvard rival 34. It may get into a jamb 35. Coniferous 39. Most unsound, as a hull 41. An unspecified amount 42. Railroad support 43. Malawi monetary units 44. At one time, at one time 49. Mammalian organ 50. Adorable one 52. Houdini’s obstacle 53. Cover, with “en” 54. Boring 55. Crescent 56. Otherwise 57. Matterhorn, e.g. 58. Pool implement 59. Wrath
Down 1. Follower of Pyrrhonism, without “tic” 2. Up the ___ 3. Glower 4. Sibling sleeping arrangements 5. One cent president 6. Broadcasting 7. Assortment Solutions to “Anotha’ haad crosswuhd” 8. Paddington Bear’s homeland 9. Secret stores 10. CH3CH2 11. Bovine sound 12. Cultural revolutionary 13. Distraction disorder 21. Very small amount 22. “___ we forget” 25. Busty posters 26. Elicits 27. Midnight Rider 28. Quiver 29. Zimbabwe’s capital 30. Triads
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® Registered Trademarks of The Bank of Nova Scotia. TM Trademark of SCENE IP LP, used under license. TM* Trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia. * New customers who open a new SCENE-eligible bank account and obtain a SCENE ScotiaCard attached to a SCENE membership account, get 1,000 SCENE points added to their SCENE membership account. Another 1,000 SCENE points will be added for having automatic payroll deposited OR for having a total of 2 pre-authorized credits (PACs) and/or pre-authorized debits (PADs) added to the new SCENE-eligible bank account. New customers who open a new Scotia OneTM account or Scotia Value® account by September 30, 2009 and obtain a SCENE ScotiaCard attached to their SCENE membership account, get 8,000 additional SCENE points added to their SCENE membership account for having automatic payroll deposited OR for having a total of 2 PACs and/or PADs added to the new Scotia One account or Scotia Value account. All PADs/PACs must occur within the same month and must be added by November 30, 2009. The 8,000 additional points will be awarded on January 15, 2010. Additional conditions and restrictions apply. This offer is not available to existing (as of July 16, 2009) SCENE-eligible bank account holders. You must be 16 years or older as of July 17, 2009 to be eligible for the additional 8,000 SCENE points. Existing customers who switch to a Scotia One account or Scotia Value account by September 30, 2009 and obtain a SCENE ScotiaCard attached to their SCENE membership account, get 2,000 additional SCENE points added to their SCENE membership account for having automatic payroll deposited OR for having a total of 2 PACs and/or 2 PADs added to the new Scotia One account or Scotia Value account. All PADs/PACs must occur within the same month and must be added by November 2009. The 2,000 additional points will be awarded on January 15, 2010. For full details, go to www.scotiabank.com/freemovies