THE CANNON SkuleTM’s Newspaper since 1978
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DECEMBER 2018, Volume XLI
Learning Isn’t Exclusive to School Don’t Let Schooling Interfere With Your Education ZAEEM AMJAD Cannon Senior Editor “Don’t let schooling interfere with your edcuation” is the paraphrased quote from Mark Twain, a formidable writer, that many Arts and Science students have probably studied. He points out a very interesting yet a very common misconception of school: school is the only place to learn and you only go to school to learn or in other words, schooling is the only form of education. Sadly, for the longest time many students were under this false pretense. It was not until getting into good universities or colleges and applying for competitive jobs became a lot
more difficult for students, that students realised the importance of extra curricular activities. Why is that so? It boils down to the simple idea that all learning does not take place at school. Rather, school is just a tool that is used to make the learning process a more conscious effort. Just think about it, by the end of a Bachelors, Masters, or even a Doctorate in a certain field, is it possible for a student to have mastered everything there is to know about a certain subject? Instead, the purpose of school (besides taking your money) is to equip the students with the skills and tools to learn on Schooling continued on page 3
CREDIT: NADYA ABDULLAH
Legalization of Weed in Ontario
Navigating the First Couple of Days After Legalization of his platform was centred on legalising pot. Although this day was a great source The big day finally arrived of excitement for many in Canada; October 17th Canadians interested in 2018, the day Canada would recreationally consuming become the second country cannabis without fear of to fully legalise cannabis for penalty, there have been recreational use by people of many hiccups in Canada’s age. A date patiently awaited largest province. In Ontario, for by the pot smoking weed is only obtainable masses since Justin Trudeau by mail order through the was voted into power in late Ontario Cannabis Store, 2015, seeing as a major part a provincially owned and SAMUEL BEGGS Cannon Contributor
Year in Review page 6
operated store. This system, unique to Ontario, has been plagued by many issues, such as long delays and fluctuation in the available stock. This has led to increased anxiety from consumers, especially compared to other provinces where other options for purchasing marijuana exist. A massive demand coupled with a striking Canada Post resulted
in some clients waiting more than a week before receiving their first legal pot, prompting many to pine for a return to the previous week, when marijuana was as simple as ordering online through a Mail Order Marijuana service (MOMs) or going to a dealer or dispensary. Although illegal, these popular methods for obtaining weed were and still are a convenient way for
Understanding Sexual Identities page 10
many to obtain cannabis, which goes against one of the main reasons stated by the Canadian government for legalising marijuana, stamping out the black market. This begs the question of what will happen to all these people who formerly worked in the black market, albeit under very lax enforcement Weed continued on page 5
Recapping Six Months of PEY page 12
2 • THE CANNON
DECEMBER 2018
THE CANNON Masthead EXECUTIVE TEAM EDITOR IN CHIEF
Najah Hassan
Rick Liu
ONLINE DIRECTOR
Diana Li
GRAPHICS EDITOR
Nadya Abdullah
PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Fletcher Mason Clugston
LAYOUT EDITOR
WEBMASTER
Alex Bogdan
SENIOR EDITORS Zaeem Amjad Prerna Anand Dale Gottlieb Harry Khachatrian Samuel Penner Ruknoon Shadid Dinder Marguerite Tuer-Sipos Linda Yu
Letter from the Editor The end of the year always reminds me of the end of a movie. The credits roll in, the lights come back on and the person beside you asks “What did you think?”. Sometimes, we love the movie so much and are sad that it ended. Other times, we hate the movie and can’t wait to leave. And sometimes, we sit there and ponder, because we aren’t sure. Personally, that’s what the end of the year feels like. A time to reflect on all that you’ve accomplished, all that you’ve learned, all the new friends you’ve made, and all those moments, that lasted only minutes, but changed your life forever. Inspired by the diversity in SkuleTM, we decided that the theme for this issue should be culture and identity. It’s amazing how many different perspectives you can get on this topic from even just a handful of people which is what makes this issue so distinct. We’ve got articles covering topics on accepting yourself, pride in engineering and significant moments of 2018. While we’re on the topic of diversity, let’s not forget that each of us has a role to play at SkuleTM. Our strength comes from our ability to accept each other for who we truly are. Granted there may be gaps in this community that still have not been filled, but this spirit of inclusivity is hopefully something we can continue to build on for years to come. Regardless of whether 2018 is a movie you want to walk away from or one you want more of, we hope it was definitely a memorable one. From all of us here at The Cannon, we wish you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year! Writefully, Najah Hassan
About CONTRIBUTORS
STATEMENT
WRITERS Alyson Allen Samuel Beggs Andrew Zhao Manini Chaudary Nikoo Givehchian
The Cannon is the official (serious) newspaper of the University of Toronto Engineering Society. Established in 1978, it serves the undergraduate students of the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering. Submissions are welcome by email. Advertising and subscription information is available at the same email or from the Engineering Society at 416-978-2917.
PHOTOGRAPHER
Dina Castelletto
SPECIAL THANKS Anonymous Contributors
DISCLAIMER The views expressed in this newspaper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the Engineering Society unless so indicated. The editors reserve the right to modify submissions to comply with the newspaper’s and the Engineering Society’s policies.
CONTACT The Cannon 10 King’s College Road Sandford Fleming Building Room B740 Toronto, ON M5S 3G4 cannon.skule.ca cannon@skule.ca facebook.com/cannon.news
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DECEMBER 2018 Schooling continued from page 1 their own. Students attend schools for either employment opportunities or for academic pursuits in a certain field. In the latter, they will be directly applying the learnt concepts to their work as researchers. In the former, students who attend schooling with the ultimate goal of finding a suitable job are less worried about learning the curriculum and more concerned about passing their courses for their degree. In either case, students are given the opportunity to learn valuable life skills that will make them successful wherever they go.
Nowadays, employers often look more at a candidate’s ability to learn independently rather than the facts memorized from their degree because of how valuable this skill is. Learning itself is a lifelong process. No matter how young or old, there is always something to discover. Even while attending a school, education should not only be coming from textbooks and concepts being taught in class. Exploring different topics of interest is very important to increase general knowledge. At the same time, studying at an institution does not guarantee that the students are learning how to learn. There must be a deliberate
effort to develop this skill. Many students complete their education without developing this skill and struggle to adapt in the real world. These students are able to make it through the cracks and get away with nothing but a piece of paper, and the current education system can not do much about it. Attaching education and schooling together as two sides of a coin leads to many problems. To begin with, standardization in schools implies learning through explicit evaluations and imposes uniformity on the students. Students are also pushed to think in a certain way which inhibits
creativity. Additionally, the competitiveness of rankings and marks encourages individualism rather than the optimal way of learning i.e. through collaboration. It is not the institutions themselves that are in the wrong; the education system as a whole is flawed. What is taught in academic institutions is not necessarily what you need for the job you apply for, nor do these institutions necessarily prepare you to face the real world. So much attention is paid to the degree/diploma itself that students are more worried about passing or failing rather than whether they understand the material
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or not. There are so many reasons to argue that educational institutions are not proeducation. But that should not deter someone from attending these institutions. Living in the society we live in, university/college education is very important to be considered ‘educated’ and there is not much that you can do about that. A smart person would navigate through academic institutions while knowing that they are only there to equip you with some tools to learn on your own. In other words, the bottom line is do not let schooling interfere with your education.
ART X SCIENCE
Colouring Your Way Into Exams MARGUERITE TUER-SIPOS Cannon Senior Editor Adult colouring books have been on the market now for several years. Their popularity is closely linked with their promises of improved psychological state through increased mindfulness. Marketed as meditative tools, the companies producing adult colouring books have often monetized the established link between meditation and psychological state. Although it is generally accepted that a commitment to mediation will decrease anxiety and depression through increased mindfulness, colouring books may not actually be a vessel for said mindfulness. With the rise in popularity of colouring books, there has been a spark in research attempting to answer this question; can colouring improve mindfulness and decrease anxiety and depression? While most research has turned up inconclusive, a 2017 study out of New Zealand has uncovered some interesting truths surrounding the colouring book. Researchers at the University of Otago studied 117 female undergraduate
students who either coloured or solved puzzles for 10 minutes every day for a week. Differences in psychological state and mindfulness were measured between the two treatment groups. The psychological state of the colouring group improved significantly compared to the puzzle group however the mindfulness of both groups remained the same. The group of students who had spent their week colouring experienced reductions in depression and anxiety but it was not because of a newfound mindfulness, as had been previously presumed. This discovery left the researchers wondering what did cause improvement in psychological state, if not an increased mindfulness from meditation-like colouring. The answer could be something simpler. Instead of being classified as meditative, colouring in a colouring book could be classified as a small act of creativity. Previous research has concluded that by participating in small acts of everyday creativity people are capable of reducing their stress and anxiety. Rather than being a form of meditation, colouring books are more akin to a passion in cooking or
gardening, where an individual can experiment with creativity in their everyday life. Although colouring in a book seems minimal it provides enough opportunity for self-expression to improve a person’s psychological state.
A colouring book, does not provide you with a distinct way to reduce your anxiety. That said, colouring in a book does seem like an easier and more accessible way to cash in on your daily creativity fix compared to taking up
gardening, still-life painting, gourmet cooking, etc. The important thing would be to find a way that works for you, since most of us will face challenges to our mental state at some point. So go on – and colour on!
A DIGITALLY REPRODUCED SKETCH CREDIT: MARGUERITE TUER-SIPOS
4 • THE CANNON
DECEMBER 2018
From Rural Ontario to the Toronto Pride Parade ANONYMOUS Cannon Contributor In my small town in rural Ontario, I grew up thinking that the feelings I had made me an abomination. I learned from a young age to hide that I was gay. Those around me that did not learn that lesson faced years of bullying. As a child, I thought it was a phase and that I might be able to “pray away the gay” if I tried hard enough. “Please God, make me normal,” was something I remember praying many times. Later, after a few years of trying, I realized that it was not just a phase and decided to bury my feelings. I could still make my family proud by being successful, even if I would never get married and give them the grandkids they talked about so often. My goal was to be a son they would be proud of. That determination was what drove me to study hard enough to make it to engineering at UofT. One of my fondest memories is the pride on their faces the day I got my acceptance. My accomplishments let me forget about the secret I carried. It was something
I thought I would deal with in the future, or maybe never. Moving to Toronto was one of the most exciting, and one of the hardest things I have done in my life. As exhilarating as it was to leave home, it did come with challenges. My first year in Toronto I discovered I was a bad cook, hated cleaning, and that I missed my family and town much more than I thought I would. In my
“
I had lived in my town, I had a “normal” life there. I was spared the direct abuse that other LGBTQ+ people faced in my town. I missed the friends I had grown up with there, even if I could never be fully honest with them. Moving to Toronto made me realize that a chapter in my life might be coming to an end. I was reluctant to leave my “normal” life behind. It took a while for me to love Toronto. And yet,
it. He had been my friend since my early days at UofT, and while I knew he was supportive of the LGBTQ+ community I have never been more nervous than I was the night I told him. I could feel my heart beating in my chest and every possible outcome was racing through my head in the moments before I told him. What if he said he wants to move out? What if he doesn’t want to be my friend anymore?
“Please God, make me normal,” was something I remember praying many times.
first year, I did not like this city. It was busy, smelly, and dirty. In the City of Toronto alone there are 250 times as many people as the town I was from. Such a change came as a shock and required time to adjust to. Despite the damage my town had done to me, I still loved the good parts of it. I missed my friends and my family. Since I had managed to remain in the closet the whole time that
I loved engineering from day one. Nowhere before had I felt like I could truly be myself, and while the scars from my small town took a while to heal, after a few years I built up the courage to come out, and I found acceptance. The first person I told was my roommate during third year. I had been building up the nerve to tell him for months and I was terrified when I finally decided to do
These horrible thoughts raced through my head but I was determined to come out anyway. I fought back against the urge to run and continue hiding. In the end, his reaction was anticlimactic. He nodded his head when I told him, and said he had had no idea before I told him. After that, the conversation moved on, and it was as if nothing was different. I had never
felt so relieved before in my life. The experience was surreal after growing up in my town. If I had come out to my high school friends, I would have quickly found myself friendless. Later, when I came out to my other friends in engineering, I went through that stress and anxiety all over again, but it was easier the second time around. Again, I found acceptance and I felt like I had taken off a mask. What I found in the engineering community was true acceptance, something I had dreamed about finding for years. Outside of school, one of the best parts of moving to Toronto was something I did not explore until my third year in the city. Church St. always seemed so intimidating to me when I first moved to the city, and despite living beside it in first year, I never visited. My family called the street trashy when we first went apartment hunting and worried about me living so close to it. That sentiment kept me away from Church St. for a long time. Pride continued on page 5
RURAL ONTARIO, SUCH AS MINDEN ONTARIO, CAN BE A WORLD’S AWAY FROM TORONTO CREDIT: FLETCHER CLUGSTON
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DECEMBER 2018 Pride continued from page 4 However, in my third year, I met someone who would become my boyfriend. He took me to Church St. for the first time. It was a Wednesday night and the bar we had picked was almost completely empty but we grabbed a seat near the stage anyway, and I watched my first drag show. It was spectacular, Weed continued from page 1 of weed trafficking related laws. Any Torontonian could tell you that there was a marijuana dispensary on almost every block before legalisation, but these popular storefronts are being slowly shut down, yet the demand was obviously there. The people involved will now be presumably facing stricter enforcement as the government tries to flex its muscle while establishing a monopoly.
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but when the drag queen started to go through the crowd, picking people and making them a part of the show, I spent the rest of the time trying to remain as unnoticeable as possible. After the show ended, I got the chance to look around. Being amongst so many gay people was a new experience for me. I had never felt so comfortable before. In Church St., I found a new place to call
home. I went to my first Pride Parade in 2018. Objectively it was just a parade, but it meant much more to me than just a fun event. Going to the Pride parade felt like the culmination of a chapter in my life. It took years but I shed the prejudice and self-hate that I carried with me to Toronto. I wondered what my life would have been like had I not come to
Toronto but, standing on Yonge Street with someone I could openly call my boyfriend, and watching the parade go by, I realized that I did not want to think about how my life would turned out otherwise. I was proud of who I was now. I came to Toronto hoping to make my family proud, but going into my fourth year in the city I am learning to be proud of myself instead. I still want to make my
parents proud, but I will not sacrifice who I am for that anymore. Over my three years at UofT, I gained a better understanding of happiness. Coming to Toronto gave me the freedom to grow until I was ready to stop hiding. When I finally came out, at least to my friends in Toronto, I realized I could finally be happy with who I was.
Whether or not the government is able to match the demand previously met by MOMs, street dealers and dispensaries will be an important consideration for the success of legalisation in Ontario. The black market has many advantages that the Ontario government will struggle combating; chief among them, a dedicated clientele that has been developed since the beginning of weed smoking in Ontario. This dedication
is not blind, as the black market can swiftly adapt to consumer demands, producing new strains and products without requiring any testing. Moreover, street dealers can provide weed quickly and conveniently close to the consumers with some dealers going as far as to deliver weed directly to the customer’s house, a Domino’s of Kush so to speak. The “My Guy vs The Man” battle will feature a large victory for the side of the law soon enough, as the
new Conservative Ontario government promised to begin providing licenses for private dispensaries by April 2019, which will presumably be as popular as the dispensaries of old. A jarring contrast to the old Liberal regime, who preferred a system similar to how alcohol distribution works outside of restaurants and bars with the government having a complete distribution monopoly. It is yet to be seen if this will be enough to push back the massive market momentum of the illegal weed. However, until April 2019, Ontarians will be stuck with a constrained source for legal cannabis, which may push consumers further into the arms of the black market. Ontarians can be happy that for the first time
since 1923 they will be able to recreationally use cannabis without fear of legal repercussions and that money wasted in the enforcement of petty cannabis related crimes can now, along with tax revenues from its sales, be allocated to more important ends. The transition between illegal drug to legal drug will be an onerous task for the Canadian government, one they realise will take some time, as Justin Trudeau commented on Tout le Monde en Parle shortly after the big day, “Everything will not be fixed in the first week, but I think we’re going in the right direction” (translated from French). For now, Ontarians can be proud that we are moving in the right direction, but being one of first means we need to be patient.
CREDIT: FLETCHER CLUGSTON
6 • THE CANNON
DECEMBER 2018
2018 Year In Review THE INDEPENDENT
CJME
BBC
INTERESTING ENGINEERING
PHYSICS TODAY
NATGEO
THE INDIAN EXPRESS
RUKNOON DINDER Cannon Senior Editor
Launch of the Falcon Heavy (February 6)
The Falcon Heavy test flight (also known as Falcon Heavy demonstration mission) was Deluged with the first attempt by SpaceX to achievement, grief, and no launch a Falcon Heavy rocket. shortage of historic firsts, The successful test introduced 2018 can best be described the Falcon Heavy as the most as a rollercoaster year. powerful rocket in operation, With so many significant producing five million moments over the last pounds-force (22 MN) of twelve months, it was no thrust and having more than easy task narrowing them twice the lift capacity of the down and picking the very NASA Space Shuttle launch best to fit our word-limit. system. The dummy payload Nonetheless, here they are! was a Tesla Roadster, the flagship vehicle of Tesla, which China Successfully Clones is also owned by SpaceX CEO, Monkeys (January 24) Elon Musk. HARRY KHACHATRIAN Cannon Senior Editor
Two monkeys have been cloned using the technique that produced Dolly the sheep. Identical longtailed macaques Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua were born several weeks ago at a laboratory in China. Scientists say populations of monkeys that are genetically identical will be useful for research into human diseases. But critics say the work raises ethical concerns by bringing the world closer to human cloning. Qiang Sun of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Neuroscience said the cloned monkeys will be useful as a model for studying diseases with a genetic basis, including some cancers, metabolic and immune disorders.
Black Panther’s success (February 16) Black Panther is an American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the eighteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Critics considered it one of the best films set in the MCU and noted its cultural significance. It grossed over $1.3 billion worldwide, breaking numerous box office records including the highestgrossing film by an AfricanAmerican director. For 2018, it is the highest-grossing film in the U.S. and Canada and the second highest-grossing film worldwide; it received numerous awards and
nominations. Nerve Gas attack on Russian agent (March 4)
that Einstein’s general theory of relativity implies space and time would have a beginning in the Big Bang and an end in black holes. At the age of 22 Hawking was given only a few years to live after being diagnosed with a rare form of motor neurone disease. Defying the odds, Hawking not only lived to 79, he continued assiduously working in search of new discoveries.
On March 4th, Sergei Skripal, a former Russian military officer and double agent for the UK’s intelligence services, and his daughter Yulia Skripal were poisoned in Salisbury, England. According to official UK sources and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the Last Male Northern White two were poisoned with a Rhino Dies (March 20) Novichok nerve agent known as A-234. Two Russian GRU The world’s last male operators were the suspected northern white rhino has perpetrators. died leaving only two females left to save the subspecies Stephen Hawking: 1942from extinction. The 45-year2018 (March 14) old rhino named Sudan had been in poor health in Renowned physicist recent days and was being Stephen Hawking died treated for age-related issues peacefully at his home in and multiple infections. A Cambridge in the early hours veterinary team made the of March 14th. The British decision to euthanize Sudan scientist was famed for after his condition deteriorated his work with black holes significantly. Sudan lived in and relativity, with several the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in bestselling books - most Kenya, surrounded by armed notably, A Brief History of guards in the days leading up Time - under his name. to his death to protect him Hawking’s biggest from poachers. This has made accomplishment was unifying the subspecies functionally fields of relativity and extinct, with only two female quantum mechanics through rhinos left. his research in black holes. He discovered that black holes leak End of Castro Rule in Cuba energy and fade to nothing - a (April 19) phenomenon that would later become known as Hawking When Cuba’s president radiation. Through his work Raul Castro stood down on with mathematician Sir Roger April 19th, it marked the first Penrose, he demonstrated time in nearly six decades that
the island will not be led by a Castro. The country’s national assembly selected the current vice-president, Miguel DíazCanel, as the sole candidate to replace Raúl Castro. The handover will mark the end of an era: Cuba without the Castros has been the holy grail for Florida-based Cuban exiles – and a policy vigorously pursued by a dozen successive US presidents. US Embassy to Israel officially opened in Jerusalem (May 14) Following through on a campaign promise, United States President, Donald Trump moved the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem — the historic Jewish capital — on May 14, 2018. This marked the 70th anniversary of the creation of the State of Israel. Historic US-Korea Meetings (June 12) On June 12th of this year, for the first time in history, a sitting US president met with the dictator of North Korea. At a summit meeting in Singapore, President Trump and Kim Jong-un signed a joint statement in which the rogue nation agreed to dismantle its nuclear infrastructure. On March 8th, the White House confirmed that Trump would accept a meeting invitation 2018 continued on page 7
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DECEMBER 2018 2018 continued from page 6 from Kim Jong-un. The date for their next meeting is yet to be set. USA Withdraws From the UNHRC (June 19) On June 19th, Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations announced that the United States will officially withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Ambassador Haley lambasted the organization in a blistering speech, calling it a “bully pulpit for human rights violators”, and scolded its systematic targeting of Israel. FIFA World Cup (June 14 - July 15) The 2018 FIFA World Cup - the 21st iteration of the world famous tournament - took place in Russia, from June 14th to July 15th. It was the first World Cup to be held in Eastern Europe, and the 11th time that it had been held in europe At an estimated cost of over $14.2 billion, it was the most expensive World Cup. Moreover, it was the first ever World Cup to use the video assistant referee (VAR) system. France won the tournament finale 4–2 against Croatia to claim their second
World Cup title, marking the where homosexuality fourth consecutive title won by remains a social taboo and a European team. gay people face endemic discrimination. India joins Venezuela Hit with 17 Commonwealth nations Hyperinflation (July 26) that have overturned laws criminalizing homosexuality, The ongoing crisis in a legacy left behind in most Venezuela reached new of these nations by the former heights as the Bolivar British colonial rulers. (Venezuela’s currency) was hit by hyperinflation. The annual Saudi Arabia Allows Women inflation rate reached 83,000% to Drive (September 26) in July and is predicted to reach 1 million percent by the end of On September 26th, 2017, the year. To really put things King Salman issued an order to into perspective Fortune allow women to drive in Saudi magazine reported that the Arabia, with new guidelines to currency used in the fictional be created and implemented “World of Warcraft” video by June 2018. Women to drive game is now worth 7 times as campaigners were ordered much as Venezuela’s. This has not to contact media and in resulted in many Venezuelans May 2018, several, including struggling to afford basic Loujain al-Hathloul, Eman necessities such as food and al-Nafjan, Aisha Al-Mana, toiletries. It has also become Aziza al-Yousef, and Madeha increasingly difficult to pay for al-Ajroush, were detained. goods using cash. The ban was officially lifted on June 24th, 2018, while many India Decriminalizes of the women’s rights activists Homosexuality remained under arrest. As (September 6) of August 23rd, 2018, twelve remained in detention. A landmark judgment by India’s highest court has Jamal Khashoggi Murdered overturned a colonial-era law Inside Saudi Consulate in that criminalizes consensual Turkey (October 2) gay sex, in a long-foughtfor victory for the LGBTQ On October 2nd, Jamal community. The court Khashoggi, a well-known verdict is a major milestone journalist, and critic of the for LGBTQ-identifying Saudi government walked people across the country, into the country’s consulate
in Istanbul and disappeared. Turkish officials believe he was murdered by a team of Saudi agents inside the building and insist they have evidence, including gruesome audio recordings. After initial denials and claims that he had left the consulate shortly after arriving, Saudi Arabia has now admitted the journalist is dead. The kingdom says Khashoggi was killed in a “rogue operation” that the leadership had not been aware of. The steady stream of disturbing allegations, coupled with the complex diplomatic situation, suggests the story remains to be resolved. Canada Legalises Recreational Marijuana (October 17) The Canadian government is ready to grant clemency for convictions of cannabis possession under 30 grams as Canada becomes the world’s second and largest country with a (legal) national marijuana marketplace. The use of medical marijuana has been legal in Canada since 2001 and Justin Trudeau’s government has spent two years working toward expanding that to include recreational marijuana. The goal is to better reflect society’s changing opinion about marijuana and bring
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black market operators into a regulated system. USA Midterm Elections (November 6) In a span of 24 hours, Democrats took control of the House of Representatives, gaining new powers to investigate President Trump – who subsequently fired his Attorney General and reassigned oversight of a special counsel probe of his administration’s ties to Russia. The race, widely seen as a referendum on the President’s first two years, wasn’t quite the decisive rebuke Democrats had hoped for. Democrats gained 41 House seats but lost ground in the Senate. Stan Lee: 1924-2018 (November 12) Stan Lee began his career at the age of 16, writing for a publication called Timely Comics. After successfully creating Fantastic Four, to compete with DC Comics’ Justice League, Lee went on to create Spider-Man and the X-Men, among other famous superheroes. He was shortly made the editorial director of Timely Comics which was subsequently renamed to Marvel Comics. The legendary storyteller passed away on November 12th, 2018.
OPINION
Trump’s America: Regression? MANINI CHOUDHARY Cannon Contributor There is a common saying, “citizens and leaders are a reflection of each other”. While several social media platforms are witnesses to Americans ridiculing and disagreeing with their latest President and his ideologies, what was it that made 62.98 million people vote for Mr. Donald Trump? In the period leading up to the elections, it was revealed he had mocked decorated veteran John McCain
for being captured and suggested that women should be “punished” for having abortions, clearly establishing that emotional quotient was not his highest virtue. And yet, his presidential campaign to “Make America Great Again” caught up with the people, or so it seems. Was electing Trump to the highest position in the country, a solution to re-establishing America’s erstwhile greatness or was it a regression? From Trump’s presidential campaign
focusing on illegal immigrants, to one of his first few executive orders involving barring people from several Muslimmajority countries from entering the US, it can be seen that for quite some time now feelings of racism, xenophobia, and anti-intellectual sentiment had been brewing. So what made America, a land of immigrants, hostile towards other immigrants? So much so that the United States felt the need to separate illegal immigrants at the Mexican Border from their children,
and expected these children, some of whom do not even understand English, to defend themselves in a court of law? Incidents such as the World Trade Centre Bombing in 1993 and the 9/11 attacks were major contributors to a negative perception of immigrants and also to Islamophobia. Islamophobia certainly precipitated insecurity. Empirical analysis conducted by Simone Schuller show that 9/11 attacks contributed to a increase in anti-immigrant sentiment.
Trump is a reflection of America’s need to establish power without a greater good for humanity. Instances that go way back in time, like the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are proofs of this need for power. The World War was already nearing its end and a small aid from America would have sufficed as a catalyst and yet America decided to go ahead with the bombings that led to decades of genetic mutilation. The primary Regression continued on page 15
8 • THE CANNON
DECEMBER 2018
TRANSPORTATION IN TORONTO
Dive Into How Torontonians Commute Data/Image Credit: City of Toronto Open Data, University of Toronto Transportation Research Institute (Data Management Group)
RICK LIU Cannon Layout Editor
GIS Credit: Rick Liu
In the transportation planning process, data gathering is an extremely important step to decide how to respond to future transportation demand. Many papers in the Transportation Research Record journal, and many other transportation related academic publications, devote themselves solely to finding unbiased and comprehensive ways to gather transportation data, including eye tracking software, interviews, question selection and design, and more. While this may seem like an extremely niche aspect of the world of transportation research, it stresses how important data collection is. In conjunction with several municipal governments in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) such as the City of Toronto, Peel Region, York Region, and provincial agencies such as the Ministry of Transportation and Metrolinx, Professors Eric Miller and Khandker Nurul Habib at UofT Department of Civil Engineering’s Data Management Group ran the most recent Transportation Tomorrow Survey (TTS). Gathering information about where and how residents of the GTHA commute. The most recent survey was conducted in 2016, involved over 160,000 people and was released in July 2018.
Population of Toronto by Ward
Wards of Toronto (2000-2018)
Legend Major Roads
Percentage of Population
5
0
5
10
15
20 km
22600.0 - 35216.7 35216.7 - 47833.3 47833.3 - 60450.0 60450.0 - 73066.7 73066.7 - 85683.3 85683.3 - 98300.0
The report categorized data for the city of Toronto into the old 44 ward system. For this dive into the TTS data, the major roads of Toronto were also added to the map to make it easier to identify locations. The map above shows the population living in each ward, and the next couple of maps shows the percentage of people walking/cycling, driving, riding transit (TTC and GO Transit) and carpooling as their daily form of commuting.
Percentage of Commuters Walking/Cycling By Ward
Legend Major Roads
Percentage of Population
5
0
5
10
15
20 km
5.0 - 11.7 11.7 - 18.3 18.3 - 25.0 25.0 - 31.7 31.7 - 38.3 38.3 - 45.0
Percentage of Commuters Driving By Ward
Something that surprises no one is that the percentage of commuters walking or cycling is concentrated in downtown. What may surprise people is the extent residents walk or cycle, with three wards (TorontoCentre-27, Toronto-Centre-28, Trinity-Spadina-20) having almost half its residents walking and cycling. Other areas of old Toronto have noticeable portions of the population walking and cycling. Since much of the cycling infrastructure and pedestrian friendly roads are concentrated in old Toronto, and old Toronto having the highest density compared to the other three districts of Toronto, it makes sense that these areas would have the highest share of walkers and cyclists. Etobicoke-North-1 is somewhat of a surprise, standing out from the other wards in Etobicoke, Scarborough, and North York. While Humber College might be a factor, York University, UTSC, and the other colleges have not caused the same effect.
Percentage Commuting as a Passenger By Ward
Legend
Legend
Major Roads
Major Roads
Percentage of Population
5
0
5
10
15
20 km
21 - 28 28 - 34 34 - 40 40 - 47 47 - 54 54 - 60
Percentage of Population
5
0
5
10
In almost the complete opposite to the previous map, drivers and carpoolers are concentrated in every district outside of old Toronto. These areas have lower congestion to old Toronto, have roads able with higher capacity and have easy access to major highways.
15
20 km
2.0 - 4.2 4.2 - 6.3 6.3 - 8.5 8.5 - 10.7 10.7 - 12.8 12.8 - 15.0
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TTS continued from page 8
Percentage of Commuters Using Transit By Ward
Average Pre-Tax Household Income By Ward
Legend
Legend
Major Roads
Major Roads
Percentage of Population
5
0
5
10
15
20 km
22.0 - 25.5 25.5 - 29.0 29.0 - 32.5 32.5 - 36.0 36.0 - 39.5 39.5 - 43.0
Household Income
5
0
5
10
15
20 km
24775 - 45033 45033 - 51056 51056 - 56630 56630 - 65188 65188 - 208310
The map of commuters using transit is a bit more scattered. In general, wards with more people using transit are where the subways, streetcars, and major bus routes (Eglinton, Lawrence, Finch, Steeles, Dufferin, Bathurst, Jane etc.) are. However, this map does not have an inner city vs suburban divide like the walking/cycling, and driving maps. The wards with the most amount of transit users are St.Paul-22, Davenport-18, and Parkdale-High Park-14, while the downtown wards, with its higher walkability and cycling infrastructure, don’t have as much need for transit. Many North York wards such as Willowdale-23 and York Centre-10 also have a lot of higher transit commuters compared to Scarborough and Etobicoke, partly due to the subway, but also due to much more frequent bus routes in wards without subway stations. One noticeable hole in this map is Don Valley West-25. Despite having two subway stations and three of the top 25 bus routes (Eglinton East, Lawrence East and Don Mills), transit use by residents is noticeably lower than surrounding wards. A partial explanation can be found by looking at the average household income by neighbourhood. Don Valley West-25 has some of the highest incomes in the city which reduces the need for residents to use transit over other wards.
Modern Urban Engineerning Ecology By Nadya Abduallah
10 • THE CANNON
DECEMBER 2018
Accepting Your Own Sexual and Gender Identity CREDIT : FLETCHER CLUGSTON
ALYSON ALLEN Cannon Contributor It is the choices one makes and the experiences one goes through that shapes the individual one becomes. Discovering our own sexual and gender identity plays a big part in our journey of understanding ourselves and the people around us. With media and technology, the understanding of the LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, etc.) community has definitely increased, allowing for us to learn and share information with each other, as well as better understand ourselves. We live in a society that is striving to get people to become more accepting, despite all the past history and issues that are still occuring today. But now, more than ever, people can identify with genders and sexualities that were never spoken about before to help them accept who they are. And as such, everyone in our SkuleTM community should be in a place that they feel comfortable and encouraged with who they are. One of the most challenging aspects of knowing your own sexual and gender identity is wondering to yourself “Is this who I really am?”. I personally spent years not knowing if my feelings were valid, but being
surrounded with supportive people reassured me that what I felt was rational. I used to believe that being asexual, meaning that I do not feel sexual attraction towards any gender, was simply wrong and impossible. I felt like I did not belong or I was not allowed to have meaningful relationships. And that is not true. I knew I was not the only one who had gone through the self-learning phase on my sexual identity. Therefore, I sent out a survey for students to fill out to share their experiences and thoughts anonymously so that you may learn how to understand your identity, accept yourself, and how to come out - no matter what your sexual or gender identity is. Below are just some of the wonderful results I received, formatted by response and self-identification. How did you learn about your identity? “I was very much born this way. Gay who is you are, not what you do.” - Gay “Online resources, mostly. There is a ton of information out there, you just have to find it.” - Panromantic asexual “I have always felt like a boy but could not find the words to express that until recently.” - Trans male “Through reading about sexualities on forums, talking
to people who were out.” Bisexual female “Close friends from two different countries, three years apart from each other, told me that I might be. Gave it quite a lot of thought recently, and realized they were right.” - Asexual male What misconceptions have you heard regarding your identity? “‘We all want threesomes’ ‘We are all cheaters’ ‘We are closeted gay/straight’ ‘We are transphobic’” - Bisexual female “A lot of people do not know asexuality is a valid sexual orientation - they think that it is a lack of interest or sexual drive or just ‘you have not found the one’. This view is held by people both in and out of the queer community, which makes it difficult to feel validated sometimes.” Cisgender biromantic asexual “Some people think that pan and bi people are more likely to cheat on their partner. As well I’ve heard many variations on the ‘So you are attracted to pans?’ joke.” - Pansexual “I am supposed to be feminine and I am going to hell.” - Gay male What experiences helped you accept yourself for who you are? “I recently found out
another friend identifies as asexual and that was a really reaffirming experience.” Asexual (Questioning) “Having a great group of friends that were open and clearly accepting. The media also helped provide people to look up to. Also a lot of time.” - Lesbian “So much queer pride helped me. Being in safe spaces where I could learn about gender and sexual diversity and see where I fit on the spectrum.” - Pansexual and agender “Personally, I do not think of gender identity as a discrete and fixed attribute of a person and I believe that I am free and open to explore myself and find what label I am more comfortable with at that moment in my life and not care about what others expect of me or assume about me.” -Gender nonconforming female
How did it affect how you perceived yourself? “It made me feel more comfortable because it validated my identity, and made it feel less like I was just making up these labels in my head. I felt less like I was faking something - I felt more authentic.” - Cisgender asexual biromantic “It made me feel gender euphoria knowing that my existence was seen as valid to so many people.” - Trans male “It made me feel a little more confident in myself, because I then knew that I had people who would always love and support me even if other people in the future wouldn’t.” - Bisexual cisgender female What tips would you give to people who may be struggling to come out?
“Come out to your friends one or a few at a time - it is How did people react to both easier on yourself and you coming out? limits the impact if someone does not take it well.” - Gay “With support and cisgender male acceptance - it was never a big “If people love you, they deal.” - Gay cisgender male will love you no matter what “Mostly positive, but you identify with. If they do people did not get it or not accept you, it will hurt would say that ‘I would and it will suck but you will grow out of it’” - Asexual realize that those are not the demi-panromantic people you want around you.” “My mom was not happy - Asexual (Questioning) but came around; everyone else has been supportive.” Gender continued Bisexual cisgender on page 11
cannon.skule.ca
DECEMBER 2018 Gender continued from page 10 “You do not have to come out to everyone at one time in your life, and you are not obligated to come out if you do not want to, especially if you do not feel safe.” Bisexual female What tips would you give to others who may be struggling to accept who they are? “The overwhelming majority of the Skule™ community, especially those who are prominent and
leaders in the community, accept you and like you for who you are! If you are not comfortable coming out or cannot due to personal circumstances, that is ok! Take all the time you need.” - Gay cisgender male “Watch YouTube videos about people explaining their experience with a similar identity to yours, or reach out to an LGBTQ+ resource. There are so many people and organizations willing to help you out, and reaching out will make you feel so much better.” - Bisexual “Surround yourself with
people who accept you. If you are like me and this is not enough, get involved in the LGBTQ+ Community will help you feel a lot more comfortable with your identity. And if you are not sure what you identify as, do not sweat it. You do not need a label to validate yourself. You are valid.” - Pansexual cisgender female “Stop worrying and start exploring yourself. You will find the ‘you’ that you can accept eventually” - Gender nonconforming female Reading
through
dozens of responses received, I knew it was necessary to share these opinions to help others out there who might need to be reassured about their identity. Personally, over time, I was able to discuss and teach others about my own asexuality, as well as support those around me who were going through similar situations with their own identities. As much as I still do not know exactly who I am, I know that I will always be accepted. The most important thing is that sexuality and gender is the a spectrum, and there is no
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need to rush into finding what fits for you. Everyone, no matter their sexuality or gender identity and whether or not they are in the LGBTQ+ community, have been through their own experiences in order to learn about themselves. It can take time to understand how you feel, but the SkuleTM community is here, and there are lots of people who support you. You do not need to come out immediately, and you should do what you are comfortable with. No matter what - you are valid.
The Best Tech of 2018 ANDREW ZHAO Cannon Contributor It’s 2018, and flying cars are still confined to mere conceptual designs. Nonetheless, not all is lost! There is still plenty of cool tech out there to satisfy your cravings until next year. Let’s take a look at five of the most noteworthy technological works of 2018. First up is the Myo Armband: a touch-free alternative to using your devices. The product is worn on the forearm, and it analyzes the electrical activity of muscles and the movements of the arm to determine the user’s input. The armband can be used in situations such as driving where a hands-on approach to operating a device isn’t the wisest decision. When first released, it required a USB connection in order to function. A new update in 2018 has unshackled the Myo from this archaic restriction, allowing it to become mobile. With winter creeping up, reams of Canadians will be soon be running to the stores in search of warm outerwear. If this describes you, then a company called Flexwarm may have found an ingenious solution
to your problem. The Flexwarm jacket comes with built-in heaters that intelligently maintain a temperature of your choice. It has multiple output areas for maximum efficiency and comfort. The only downside is that currently, this product is primarily being marketed towards the Chinese market, making it difficult to get your hands on. With midterms come stress, and with stress comes a lack of sleep. That’s where Philips Smartsleep comes in. This is a headband worn to improve the quality (not the quantity!) of sleep. It does this through the emission of various frequencies in tone, which the company claims can boost the effectiveness of your rest as well as improving brain alertness and focus. This device reportedly also decreases daytime sleepiness, which can go a long way in fighting that dependence on caffeine or Red Bull. Sounds like the perfect device for pre-exam rest! To the car enthusiasts out there, this one’s for you. With enough power from its V12 engine to propel this behemoth to speeds of over 300km/h, the BMW M760i is truly a milestone
in the automotive industry. A world of technological marvels lies within its sculpted, carbon-fiberreinforced plastic body. The gesture control system, recently debuted by BMW, allows users to interact with the vehicle by way of moving your finger in front of the dashboard screen, where multiple sensors will translate your movements into commands for the interface. Included in the options is the “Panoramic Sky Lounge LED roof ”, which allows you to enjoy a light show on the ceiling of your vehicle when the sun goes down. The car comes equipped with the BMW Integrated Key Fob, which allows the owner to remotely check on the status of the vehicle as long as the key fob is connected to the car. Only caveat? The sticker price of $162,000. With the end of a semester around the corner, many of you are likely left drowning in mountain-piles of notes. If not having your room cluttered with enough paper to publish the entire Harry Potter series sounds compelling, Rocketbook has you covered! With their reusable notebook, your notes are uploaded to Dropbox, Google Docs,
and/or other cloud services. You write on the “pages” with the pen provided, just like the old-fashioned pen and paper method. After scanning your notes with the phone app and uploading it to a cloud service, just erase the notes to start over with brand new pages. The best part is, you can do this an infinite number of times. Gone are the days of overflowing binders and
hazardous stacks of notes! So there you have it. These are just five of the many cool gadgets and products that are being developed and sold on the markets right now. It is truly amazing to see how far technology has come. If you still think that we are living in a primitive society, fear not! With the current state of progress, who knows what the future might bring?
THE PHILLIPS SMARTSLEETP CREDIT : PHILLIPS
12 • THE CANNON
DECEMBER 2018
One Hundred Years After Armistice SAM PENNER Cannon Senior Editor One hundred years ago, the guns fell silent on the western front. A conflict that consumed 40 million civilian and military souls ended with an armistice signed in a railway carriage in a forest in France on the 11th of November 1918. That same day, the Canadian expeditionary force recaptured the town of Mons, a town in Belgium, which had been under German occupation since 1914. The capture of Mons was a part of the Hundred Days Campaign, a series of offensives which forced the Germans off some of the most impenetrable defenses along the entire front, where the Canadian Corps made the first breaches in the Hindenburg line. It was this offensive, along with other factors, which drove the Germans to seek an armistice. The Canadians wanted to capture Mons without destroying it. The town had been an important coal mining centre for Germany’s war fighting efforts throughout the conflict, and capturing the town represented a huge symbolic victory over the Central Powers which now
included only Germany. The order to take the town was given by Lieutenant General Sir Arthur Currie, an Ontario native, who commanded Canadian Corps from 1917 until the end of the war. He was under orders to continue the advance, however, his decision to take the town of Mons was a controversial one, made more so from the fact that his headquarters received word at 6:30 a.m. on the 11th that the fighting would stop at 11:00 a.m. According to The Canadian Encyclopedia, Private George Price was killed by a sniper near Mons and died at 10:58 a.m., widely acknowledged as being the last casualty of Commonwealth forces in the war. Even though compared to most engagements the casualties were less than was typical during the war (280 casualties), the decision to push through the town was questioned by politicians and soldiers alike. The former Canadian Minister of Defense, Sir Sam Hughes, accused Currie of “needlessly sacrificing the lives of Canadian soldiers,” to which Prime Minister Robert Borden strongly disagreed.
MONS BELGIUM TODAY CREDIT : SAMUEL PENNER
This year the Black Watch Regiment from Montreal marched into the city of Mons to honor the members of the Regiment who fought to liberate Mons 100 years ago. In an interview with the CBC, a current resident of the city described their amazement that strangers from another country would volunteer to give their lives to liberate them, and attributes their freedom to the actions of those soldiers who laid down their lives. Many students from the University of Toronto volunteered to deploy to France and Belgium to fight
in a conflict which has shaped our world to this day. The Soldiers’ Tower attached to Hart House was erected as a memorial to the 628 members of the University who gave their lives in active service during the Great War and stands as a monument to soldiers in all wars. Walking around campus in the fall is often a beautiful and peaceful experience, but every Remembrance Day the air is broken by the sound of the guns of the 12th Field Regiment Royal Canadian Artillery. The annual 21 Gun Salute at Queen’s Park is a
reminder of the sacrifice made in wartime by people just like Private George Price and others from around the world who have died on battlefields in countless other conflicts. The exercise of reading the names carved in the walls is to not only remember their sacrifice, but to reflect on the impact their absence has on us as a society. Next time you find yourself walking across campus take some time to read the names on the walls of the Tower to honor the memory of those who cannot be with us today because of conflict and war.
A GUIDE TO PEY
Time Heals and Time Teaches - PEY Recap ANONYMOUS Cannon Contributor It is clear that 2019 is around the corner when Christmas items start emerging around the city. And for those of you on PEY, you know what that means - you have now survived six (or so) months at your workplace! Half a year is the first big milestone of the PEY term; a time frame long enough for students to gain a general knowledge of the mission and product of their company. Not only do we
become more familiar with our workplace, but most of my PEY friends (myself included) are starting to get in the comfort zone at work; we are more aware of the resources available to us and tasks are done more efficiently. Furthermore, many of us have established trust and friendship with our colleagues. Personally, a variety of team building events have helped everyone on my team become comfortable with working, sharing and occasionally teasing each other.
One thing that really bothers many PEY students, after work loneliness, starts to fade away. We have all found one way or another to pass time outside of work. For example, writing for this PEY column is one of the many extracurricular activities I do after work, and it has helped me gain an insight on my own PEY term. Looking back, the past six months have been a great learning experience, and here are four things that I want to share. Don’t be afraid to ask,
especially during the first two months! Sometimes I did not have immediate questions after my manager explained my task to me, but when I started working on it I got stuck. I often felt discouraged and frustrated that I wasn’t able to pick up instructions the first time, but after I talked to my friend I realized that it was a common issue. It is okay to not know what to ask in the beginning; from their point of view, if they clarify it in the beginning of the assignment, it’ll save
time for them to explain later and you will be able to pick up things faster in the future. Be sure to discuss with the manager what you want to learn. This is a very important part of one’s PEY, and one of the major reasons students quit their PEY job is because they feel bored or discontent with the tasks they get assigned. In short, your goal may not align with the expectation from the company, and it PEY continued on page 13
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DECEMBER 2018 PEY continued from page 12 is your job to take initiative and actively give feedback to improve how your company treats PEY students. If you do not express your feelings, no one else will know! Therefore, when you feel unmotivated at work, bring it up! Things can only get better from there.
Goal setting is important! Use the valuable time outside of work to pursue something you are interested in. Unfortunately for some larger corporations, they may not be able to quickly switch to adapt your personal needs, so our previous point may not be effective. However, that does not stop you from
learning what you want to learn outside of work hours. Now that you are free from homework after a day of lectures, set a clear goal of what you want to achieve by the end of PEY year, and stick to it! Even if you do not have a goal, take this time to go travel and explore! For many of us who want to
take the time outside of work to relax, instead of just staying at home and playing games, try to go around the city you live in. Trust me, you will see more scenery than home and school. You can also use your work holidays to fly around and meet your long distance friends. Now that there are no school exams to prepare
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for and some cash to spend, exploring around becomes a lot easier. PEY is not only a year to brush up our technical skills, but also a year for future planning, self-reflection, and exploration. Hope you all had a meaningful 2018 and have a happy start to 2019!
OPINION
Why I Switched Out of EngSci ANONYMOUS Cannon Contributor When I was accepted into the Engineering Science program, I was ecstatic. I thought it was a gateway into a good graduate school and a good life. However, after one year in the program I realized it was not for me and I transferred out into a Core 8 engineering program. Till this day, I could not be happier with my decision. My grades raised substantially, and I had a lot more time for myself and my social life. I am now a fourth-year student, and although Engsci gave me some of the best technical education I have ever received, I feel it harmed my chances of into getting into good graduate studies and continuing my learning. I have been out of the program for a while now, and have had a lot of time to reflect on my experience there. My peers in the program were undeniably exceptional students, but no one had exceptional marks. I believe a side effect of being part of such a strong class is that everyone is averaged against their peers, and very few people end up excelling. If any of the students in EngSci were in Core 8, there is a good chance they would be students with high 80 averages, and would have a lot more weight behind their applications to external programs. Unfortunately, regardless of if you are an EngSci or
Core 8 student, if you are getting 70s, it is likely going to be harder for you to get into MIT for graduate school as compared to someone who has an average in the 80s. If you are an Engineering Science student and your marks are in the 70s, chances are that you are really working hard and have a firm grasp of fundamental science. You are at the academic level where you deserve to be going to a good graduate school, but your marks make it difficult to apply. If a Core 8 student is getting low marks, typically they fill their time with other activities like clubs which build up their personal profile and they become competitive to enter industry upon graduation. If an EngSci student chooses to go to industry after graduation, they are still at a disadvantage. Most companies are unaware of the existence of EngSci and if you are an employer looking at resumes for a civil engineer, you will accept a civil engineer before an infrastructure engineer. If the infrastructure engineer gets interviewed, they often have to spend time explaining Engineering Science and how the foundational courses they take in first year apply to the position. Now, these EngSci students with low averages are stuck. They will have a hard time going to a top graduate school, and a more diverse set of skills makes it difficult to go out to
industry. However, they are more than welcomed into UofT engineering graduate studies, especially UTIAS. These students have spent four years studying highly tailored courses towards these departments and come out as absolute experts in every field. An EngSci studying at UTIAS could easily blow away most Core 8 graduates, but the Core 8 graduate will have an easier time getting ahead based on their marks and will pursue better opportunities in the long run. I admit that there are a lot of Engineering Science students who do continue to excellent graduate schools
like MIT and Caltech, or work in companies like Google. But these students are absolutely exceptional and would have made it into top tier programs regardless of what they studied. No program could hold these students back and they are not the ones who struggle with EngSci’s rigor. There are also plenty of very good – far from exceptional – students from Core8 who go to these programs as well. EngSci unfortunately holds back these very good – not exceptional – students and forces them to stay. I am not spiteful toward my experience in EngSci. Up
to the fourth year of my new program, I am still pulling out my notes, and I still feel it was the best education I have ever received. However, there is so much more education available than just an undergraduate degree. Whether you are interested in pursuing graduate school or going into industry, the Engineering Science program in my experience holds you back in the long run. I know the education I have received in Core 8 is technically not as advanced as the one I would have gotten had I stayed, but I will make up for it when I do graduate studies.
CREDIT : NADYA ABDULLAH
14 • THE CANNON
Optimism Alone NIKOO GIVEHCHIAN Cannon Contributor Oh no. I’m out. I need more. And so I return to where I started, and refuel. I keep telling myself this will be the last time. That for one last time I will allow myself this indulgence, but afterwards, I will be done with it. I know it’s bad for meI’ve known this for a long timeand it is reasonable that I’ve made this promise to myself, to let go of the only thing I thought I needed, or wished I needed because I wanted it so badly. But I am irrational. Unable to keep a promise, I return, refuel, only to run out again. Only to realize once more that what I keep refueling my hopes for does not exist, and there is nothing to be gained in this pointless indulgence, and imagining, concocting reasons to go back is just hurting me. This is no better than self-harm, the kind I know and pretend not to understand, where people willingly inflict wounds on themselves, put themselves in vulnerable positions, allow themselves stupid and unfulfilling indulgences to substitute what they actually need on the basis that they could possibly, just maybe, hopelessly, but still, perhaps, lead to something achieved. I say I am an insufferable optimist. And people think it is a good thing, but... Optimism keeps you going at something. Good. But then there’s hopeless optimism. Pretending there’s the possibility of a beneficial outcome when you know there is nothing to be found, saying all will be well when you know you are throwing yourself into the flames where there can be no hope of achievement. And an inability to stop yourself doing so, an inability to escape the reasoning that things will turn out okay even when you know full well they will notoptimism hurts. Hope is a villain cloaked by a positive connotation. He is revered by the same society that suffers by him. Tyrants know this full wellit is not by mistake that they continue to invoke fear, while allowing a little hope into the mix, just enough to keep the people desperate enough to stay, to try and make their hopeless society work. Such optimistic hope never led to anything. Success came only when societies escaped this hopeless ideal. And it’s no different when I toss myself into the flames, egged on by my insufferable optimism. Such optimistic hope can never lead to anything. Oh no. I’m out. I need more. And so I return to where I started, and refuel my optimism.
DECEMBER 2018
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I give myself another reason to believe it’s true, that what I hope for can be achieved despite the overwhelming evidence that it cannot. Reach for the stars, they say. Believe in the impossible, but if the impossible can only be believed by an impossibly hopeful person, it is clear the pursuit of the impossible will be through impossibly terrible means, never mind the impossibly terrible results. Optimism is a silent killer. Sure, it’s good to be positive, but we must never forget the lessons of restraint and reason, of the logic we may view as cold, but that may be the greatest shelter from the burns optimism inflicts upon unsuspecting souls who dive headfirst into the heat of passion. Too much time in this cold shelter leads to a frozen heartthat much is not untruebut logic must not be sacrificed for optimism. Nor should it be the other way around. I must not, cannot try and forget optimismthat would be a surrender to the lost and hopeless world. I need optimism. But I don’t need quite as much as I think, and I know for a fact I need other things to balance it. A balance, then, to keep our hearts warm but not scalding and hot, to preserve a little hope while remembering reason, to not fall victim to the fire or ice but to enjoy the comfort of both, while avoiding the wounds of either. I need to stop. I need to quit going back and refueling only my optimism, for this addiction, this neglect of the essential will kill more painfully than any drug. But more specifically, I need to quit refueling only my optimism, to quit viewing this attempt to remain positive as a justification for the suppression of reason, and rather, to fill both tanks. Optimism, and reason. For too long have I tried to run purely off of optimism, and the void left by reason’s absence has not been satisfied by the surplus of impossible hope I keep feeding it. Reason is not a fuel that can take any substitute. Trying to replace it leads to naught but agony. Of this, I am sure. A human cannot function off of one thing alone, no matter how good a thing one thinks it is. The essential is essential. Reason is essential. I need to go back, and refill both tanks. Both of them. Properly. Then, and only then, will optimism no longer be a drug to me, but a part of my balance. Then, and only then, will I run smoothly. Regression continued from page 7 purpose of the bombings was to serve as the ultimate deterrent for the rest of the world for decades to follow. Ending the World War was one of the many consequences of this action. Trump is representative of this desire of being a feared nation once again. What made America great went beyond its military might and economic power? It was the people and their collective values as reflected in their constitution, the dispassionate judgments interpreting the law equally for the Americans and the
outsiders, the inclusiveness and the diversity. In this world, everything is a trade and a trade-off. America bought prestige and power with money. It maintained a mighty military through this money to ensure American interest and this dominance gave it economic return subsequently. The Americans as a people also did much to further humanitarian interests barring certain exceptions like Vietnam or Iraq. It is this domination in the world affairs with a reasonable humanitarian focus that made America great. The fact that it
could enforce its will on what is believed to be a humanitarian cause. Obama used American power to resolve issues to support humanity as a whole. America was respected and feared. Trump is treating international relations like a business deal. Its membership of the NATO or its military alliances with Japan or Canada may have been economic miscalculations on the face of it. However, it is exactly this big brother dominance that gave America favorable economic deals world over. By losing out on favourable relations with these countries for monetary
gains in the short term, he is losing sight of the long term benefits of these relations simply because they do not have an outright economic profit, but international relations is more than economic profit and loss. Trump has established time and again that he is unreliable and acts on a whim. Apart from being a popular figurehead for memes on social media, Trump has also managed to score one up on other leaders by having the United Nations laugh at him. The president reflects the people. The Americans have never been scoffed like this.
The most important shift in the recent history of the United States has been the gradual erosion of the great American inclusive spirit. The Americans have started rejecting diversity, the foundation of the American dream dating back to the Mayflower and the very thing that makes them and their greatness. The individual aspirations have started being viewed very narrowly. The collective desire of National greatness or the greater good of humanity has taken a back seat. Trump’s Election as the 45th President of the United States has been America’s greatest regression.
16 • THE CANNON
DECEMBER 2018
SKULETM SURVIVAL GUIDE
To Be or Not To Be Yourself NAJAH HASSAN Cannon Editor-In-Chief Our self is evolving. What I am today is not what I was two years ago. In fact, who I am today is potentially different from who I was yesterday. At times the difference is so drastic that our current self tries to bury away any connection to our former self because we are so embarrassed of it. The change could be due to a variety of factors, but on the whole it usually depends on the stage we are at in our life, who our friends are at that time, and who we interact with regularly. In a world where we are continuously being told to ‘be ourselves’, I often find myself asking, which version of myself are you referring to? Let’s admit it, we all switch to different versions of ourselves depending on who we are interacting with. For instance, your family may see you as a quiet, hardworking and happy-go-lucky individual. Your friends think of you as a loud, chaotic mess of a person who can always make them laugh. You are not alone, we are all guilty of it. In fact, every person you have met has a different version of you in their minds. No two people see you the same way. Just like how different people play different roles in your life, you play different roles in different people’s lives. This makes you wonder, are we really meant to be ourselves all the time? Take for example, a professional environment. You avoid using language that could be considered inappropriate. You try to leave your problems at home. You laugh at things you would not normally find funny just so that people do not think you are being rude. Remember Chandler’s ‘work laugh’ in that one episode of Friends? Sometimes, it feels like you are walking in someone else’s shoes. Despite how ridiculous it may sound, there’s a reason we behave that
way. It’s because we are afraid. If we are not accepted by the people we surround ourselves with, we feel ashamed and ostracized. The negative reactions accumulate, make us question ourselves and negatively impact our mental health. The worst part is that
go out to party. Things that seem almost insignificant sometimes cause us to feel like the odd balls. So, we adapt. We do things that make us fit in so that we do not always stand out. We subconsciously try to assimilate. Why? Because, I would rather be accepted than
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you are not yourself, you are not actually happy. Being ourselves makes us feel authentic and genuine. We feel like we can reveal our true emotions, speak our mind and accept our flaws, which positively impacts our mental wellbeing. Instead of making us feel like the odd one
between the two is still the hard part. Being yourself can sometimes, unfortunately, get you into more trouble than pretending to be someone else. Here’s one key thing that I hold on to in situations like those. Never be who you are not. At times, you may need to judge which version of yourself to present in a scenario. Should I pretend I like this joke just to spare his feelings? If I tell her what she’s saying is rude, will it just make things worse? I think the real challenge is sticking to your principles. Who we are is essentially defined by the values we carry and the things we prioritize as important. In any situation, as long as you stick to your values, you feel more authentic than in out, we feel unique, significant scenarios where you stray from and most importantly, real. your moral values. That tiny Accepting who we are, truly voice inside your head that’s allows us to grow and helps us acting as your moral compass? play the different roles we need That’s who you are! Make sure to play in other people’s lives. you stay true to it! Finding the balance
Being ourselves makes us feel authentic and genuine. We feel like we can reveal our true emotions, speak our mind and accept our flaws...
it is not always the things we do that make us stand out. Sometimes, it is the things we do not do, like refusing to take part in a conversation that’s bad-mouthing someone or declining an invitation to
feel like an outcast all the time. Then, why are we pushed to always ‘be ourselves’? It seems that assimilating is clearly the easier option and the one that more people might actually prefer. However, in the end, if
CREDIT : NADYA ABDULLAH