THE CANNON SkuleTM’s Newspaper since 1978
cannon.skule.ca
SEPTEMBER 2021 Volume XLIV
Commuting in the GTA A Beginner’s Guide ASHLEY RIVERA Cannon Writer Imagine this: it’s Friday, so you and your friends are planning on grabbing dinner after class to celebrate the end of the week. It sounds like a fantastic idea and a great way for you to explore some of Toronto, but there’s one problem: the restaurant isn’t within walking distance. How will you get there? Sure, Uber is an option, but there’s a more walletfriendly way to get to your destination: public transit. Here in Toronto, most of it is run by the Toronto Transit Commission, or the TTC for
short. The TTC is responsible for running and maintaining numerous bus and subway routes that span across the city. It doesn’t matter whether you want to get from downtown to the suburbs, or from the west of the city to the east, the TTC is capable of taking you wherever you want to go as long as it’s within Toronto. Let’s start by introducing Toronto’s subway lines. There are four in total: the yellow line (Line 1), the green line (Line 2), the blue line (Line 3) and the purple line (Line 4). The yellow line is the most used subway line in the city, as it connects downtown Toronto (“Old Toronto”) to
the northern suburbs. If you want to get around Toronto from campus, you’ll most likely be using the yellow line for at least part of your journey, as most campus buildings (including Chestnut Residence) are a short walk away from a subway station on the yellow line. The subway doesn’t restrict you to north-south travel. Using the green line, you can travel from downtown to Etobicoke, a suburb west of downtown, or to Scarborough, a suburb east of downtown. Getting to the green line is simple – there are a few stations on the yellow line that allow you to transfer
to the green line. Some of these transfer stations are easily accessible from campus, like St. George Station, which is only a ten-to-fifteenminute walk away from the engineering buildings. The blue and purple lines service a very small portion of the city and are located a considerable distance away from the campus. You probably won’t find yourself using them too much, unless you find yourself in Scarborough, serviced by the blue line, or in the eastern parts of North York, which is serviced by the purple line. Transferring to these two lines is also possible using other
subway lines. If you want to travel on the purple line, you can transfer there using Sheppard-Yonge Station, which is located on the yellow line. To transfer onto the blue line, use Kennedy Station, which is located at the eastern end of the green line. If you can’t get to your destination exclusively by train, then you can catch a bus or a streetcar. The TTC’s surface routes run along most major roads in the city. Most bus and streetcar routes converge at platforms located at various subway stations, Commuting continued on page 4
It’s Our Year... Right? can even be impacted in our regular lives because of their losses. Toronto has multiple It’s our year… right? major sports franchises with If you really take the time enormous fan bases, and to stop and think about it, having lived in Toronto for the professional sports are quite last 18 years, here are some of odd. In terms of physical the highs and lows you can ability, the top one-percent expect by cheering for some of the human population of the major Toronto teams. put themselves under both immense physical and mental The Toronto Maple Leafs. pressure for the entertainment Toronto’s hockey team. of other humans across the The Toronto Maple Leafs world. We, as fans, eat it right could be considered a religion up. here in Toronto. Saturday As fans, we take huge Our Year pride in the success of the continued on page 4 teams we support, and we TUDOR SIGMUND Podcast Lead
Frosh Survey pages 11
CREDIT: TOM PANDI/ BILLBOARD.COM
UofT eSports pages 3
Is Still Staying Home a Crime page 3
2 • THE CANNON
SEPTEMBER 2021
THE CANNON Masthead EXECUTIVE TEAM EDITOR IN CHIEF MARKETING DIRECTOR
Diana Li
LAYOUT MANAGER
Neha Marfani
PHOTOGRAPHY/ GRAPHICS HEADS
Dina Castelletto David Locke
WEBMASTER
George Liu
Nafilah Khan Amanda Plotnik PODCAST LEADS Minha Khan Tudor Sigmund SENIOR EDITORS
Letter From The Editor Ahoy there maties, What a wild year and a half it’s been! Practically the whole world, our very own university included, has been flipped its head, and has been challenged to rethink the fundamentals of how it operates. With that being said, we’re finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. As of the day I’m writing this, Canada has just surpassed the United States in vaccination rates, with 48.45% of Canadians fully vaccinated against COVID-19. I’m personally cautiously optimistic that we’ll return to campus in some form by September, and hopefully by the year’s end we’ll have returned to some sort of normalcy. For the 2T5s reading this, welcome aboard! University really is quite a different experience from high school, so take your time getting used to it and don’t beat yourself up if you don’t adjust right away. These next four or five years are the perfect time to explore yourself and any potential interests you might have; we have hundreds of clubs here on campus, so there really is something for everyone! I also wanted to give a big shout out to our team and contributors; they’ve worked really hard within tight deadlines to get this edition out on time for you guys. Feel free to check out our website or issuu to view editions from previous years, follow our socials, join our Discord server if you’d like to get involved, or just shoot me an email. I wish you all a lovely new Skule™ year and hope to see you all in person soon!
About STATEMENT CONTRIBUTORS Ruknoon Dinder Andre Li Joel Majano Ashley Rivera WRITERS
Jahnavi Upreti
EDITOR
LAYOUT Alyson Allen Class of 2T5 Shukria Yusuf
SPECIAL THANKS
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 to cannon@skule.ca. Advertising and subscription information is available at the same email or from the Engineering Society at 416-978-2917.
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 @cannon.news
cannon.skule.ca
SEPTEMBER 2021
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Is Still Staying Home a Crime? NAFILAH KHAN Senior Editor
As the world comes back to life Campus streets are energized Those streets were yearned for, I add I missed Toronto’s city chime As the world comes back to life My introverted self sighs Life did pause for a while but Is still staying home a crime? As the world comes back to life I can’t wait to go outside But am I happy or sad I guess I’ll find out with time
CREDIT: AGRILIFE TODAY
U of T and eSports: The Current Landscape JOEL MAJANO Cannon Writer Esports are a rapidly growing segment in the entertainment industry as game developers begin to realize what games suited for viewing experiences can bring to the table. In recent years, the most popular eSport title by far has been League of Legends. Resultantly, it is no surprise why this game’s U of T Discord community (UTLA) is the most popular out of all the gaming communities offered by U of T eSports (UTES). Competitively, U of T has had great success in League of Legends, but it also has had success in other eSports such as Overwatch, where they represented U of T at local events in the United States. Having this exposure helps more students become aware that these communities exist, which helps keep U of T’s teams competitive every academic year. However, as expected, interest within the competitive scene eventually dies down as older students graduate, while new students
CREDIT: U OF T ESPORTS
are unfamiliar with U of T eSports. Let’s take a step back and look at how U of T approaches eSports by doing a quick Google search using the term “u of t esports”. The results include a select number of UTES links such as the Discord (https:// discord.gg/uoftesports), and a couple UTM and UTSC links, but no search results from UTSG. Although a significant
number of individuals more closely identify with their specific U of T campus, this comes at the cost of diluting potential eSports members into different communities, putting U of T at a disadvantage in comparison to other universities in the context of eSports. I believe that having a single general eSports organization that all U of T members can join would be optimal, as this
would result in the reach of the eSports community being as large as possible. As a university however, U of T pales in eSports compared to many others. Since the topic of eSports is not directly academic, there is very little interest in trying to bring it more into the spotlight. If you search the term ‘esports’ on utoronto.ca you will find a single article titled “Gaming champs apply here: U of T alumnus funds scholarship for engineering undergrads who excel at eSports”. This article dates back to 2017, and is the sole mention of eSports found on U of T’s official website. The reality is that eSports are increasing in popularity, with more people trying out games during the pandemic. If we do a quick comparison to other universities’ eSports Discord communities, there is a lot more polish in those of Waterloo and Carleton, for example. This is simply a byproduct of having more individuals that are willing to put in the effort to make their community the best that it
can be. This is why I want to bring eSports to the attention of The Cannon readers spreading the word about UTES to others who might not know about it is an excellent way to expand its reach. Many different gaming communities within UTES, such as Minecraft, Valorant, and League of Legends host their own events, so there is bound to be something for everyone. If you do join the UTES Discord, feel free to leave some feedback, as it could help make the UTES Discord feel more welcoming. At the moment, it feels empty and no one uses it other than as a “hub” to get to the other communities within UTES. I wish that one day this server would become more loved, but that requires enough activity to motivate the executive team to put in the work required to achieve this goal. I hope that reading this has helped to get a better understanding of what U of T eSports are like, and hopefully more students will decide to check it out.
4 • THE CANNON Commuting continued from page 1 making trains accessible through a short walk. If the subway station you’re at doesn’t have a separate area for a bus station, don’t panic – there will be a bus stop just above the station for you to wait at, which is serviced by a small handful of surface routes. All of this information might be a bit overwhelming and hard to remember. Fortunately, if you look up directions to your destination on Google Maps, you’ll be presented with which buses or subways to take, their estimated arrival times, and where to transfer between TTC vehicles. You’ll also be presented with a rough estimate of how long it’ll take to get to your destination, but take this estimate with a grain of salt, as you may run into delays during your journey. Subway delays are common – especially during rush hour – and surface routes are susceptible to traffic delays and road closures. The weekends aren’t free of delays, either. A sizable chunk of the yellow line is closed almost every other weekend for track maintenance, requiring you to catch a shuttle bus, which ferries you from one of the closed stations to another. To ensure that you get to where you want to be on time, allocate extra time for your commute and plan to arrive at your destination fifteen to thirty minutes earlier than needed. Fun fact: the delays are so Our Year continued from page 1 nights are almost always dedicated to hockey, with home games happening at the Scotiabank Arena. Few things come close to giving me the goosebumps I get from hearing the crowd roar on a Saturday night Leafs game. However, not everything comes easy with being a Leafs fan. The last time the Toronto Maple Leafs won a Stanley Cup was in 1967. Yes, that’s
SEPTEMBER 2021 frequent that some people joke about how TTC stands for “take the car”, but please don’t take that joke as literal advice. Despite the delays, the TTC still remains the best way to get around the city, especially if you’re travelling to or within downtown Toronto. Especially since the available parking spaces downtown are few and far between, and the parking fees are ridiculously expensive. If you plan on driving your car, prepare to pay at least $20 for parking – this may either be an hourly or daily rate, depending on the parking lot. Travelling around Toronto is nice, but what if you want to explore the rest of the Greater Toronto Area? By taking GO Transit, you’ll be able to travel to neighbouring cities: Kitchener-Waterloo in the west, Oshawa and Peterborough in the east, Barrie in the north, and Niagara Falls and Hamilton in the south. It’s a great way to visit the cities around Toronto, and is also a great way to get to other universities, like Waterloo University, should you decide to visit. All GO trains pass through Union Station, the southernmost station on the yellow line. This makes transferring between the TTC and GO Transit quick. But be warned: Union Station is difficult to navigate and its directional signs are often confusing, so be prepared to spend some extra time trying to navigate through the station! If you get lost, don’t hesitate to ask station staff for help. They’re friendly and will
be more than willing to help you get to where you need to go. If you’re not in the downtown area, you can also catch select GO trains at some other TTC stations. For example, the Downsview Park TTC station connects you to GO trains heading north of Toronto, and the Dundas West TTC station is near a GO train station for trains heading west of Toronto. If you need to take a GO bus, you can also use the York Mills and Yorkdale TTC stations to access GO bus terminals. However, there are a few things to note if you decide to use GO Transit. For starters, your TTC fare does not carry over to GO Transit, so you will have to pay an additional fare if you board a GO train or bus. GO Tickets can either be bought online or in-person using an electronic ticket kiosk. Additionally, while the TTC fare is a flat rate, the GO Train fare rate is not, so your fare will increase from a base rate depending on how far you travel. GO Trains also only operate with long intervals between each train. TTC trains are scheduled to come every five minutes, but GO Trains will only come and go every half hour to hour. Thankfully, a schedule of expected train arrival times can be found online, so you can plan your journey and ensure that you aren’t waiting half an hour (or more) for a train to arrive. Alright, so now you know about the different GTA transit systems; but how do you pay your fare? Most commuters
use a PRESTO card, which is a reloadable fare card. You can buy PRESTO cards at any Shoppers Drug Mart or subway station. When buying a PRESTO card, be sure to bring your student ID with you, as you can pay a reduced student fare on both the TTC and GO Transit. Money loaded onto your PRESTO card can be used to pay both your TTC fare and your GO Transit fare, which makes payment super easy. If you’re travelling on TTC, tap your PRESTO to a card scanner to pay your fare. Paying your fare on a GO Train is a bit different; you’ll have to tap your PRESTO
card when boarding a train, and you’ll have to tap it again when disembarking from the train. Don’t forget to tap when leaving a GO Train – you don’t want to spend more money on your fare than necessary! With all that being said, you now know a little more about how Toronto’s public transit works. But, no matter how many guides you read, or how many maps you study, nothing will ever beat the amount of knowledge you’ll gain by just travelling around the city yourself. There’s lots to do and see in Toronto, and most of it is accessible by public transit. So get out there and embark on an urban adventure!
right. It’s been over 50 years since Toronto hockey fans have seen their team lift the cup. What makes things worse is that the Leafs always show good potential in the regular season, and then somehow manage to mess it up in the playoffs. A prime example of this is the 2013 season. The 2013 season was a shortened season due to a player lockout. Poor communication between the league and the players association resulted in a
labor dispute that lasted for 4 months. This meant that the regular 82 game season was shortened down to 48 games. The Leafs, who always had a great start to the season, were hopeful to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2003-2004 season. With the strong start that they always had, the Leafs finished fifth in the Eastern Conference and qualified for the playoffs, to play against the Boston Bruins. The series was a battle. However, like all good
things, the Leafs’ run of fortune had to end somewhere. After a 3-1 series lead, the Bruins came back to send the game to game 7 in Boston. Game 7 meant win or go home, and the Leafs were up 4-1 with 9 minutes left to go in the game. What happened next was a complete collapse by the team. Boston came back to tie the game 4-4. We were off to overtime. After 6 minutes and 5 seconds of overtime hockey, the Boston Bruins scored to finish the series. The Leafs not
only blew a 3-1 series lead, but also a 4-1 game lead in the most important game of the year. It’s almost as if the Leafs collapse when it matters most, and the 2020-2021 season was definitely no exception to that. Battling in a division composed of only Canadian teams due to the Covid-19 restrictions, the Leafs finished the season on top of the North division with 77 points in
CREDIT: DINA CASTELLETTO
Our Year continued on page 5
cannon.skule.ca
SEPTEMBER 2021 Our Year continued from page 4 56 games played. Superstar forward Auston Matthews was league leader in goals with 41, and goalie Jack Campbell broke the record for the most consecutive wins for a goalie to start a season, with 11 wins in a row. The Leafs were a good blend of young talented players and veteran players with loads of experience. They truly looked like the favorites that would make it to the conference finals, the third round of the playoffs. Enter the Montreal Canadiens, the team the Leafs were set to play in the first round in a best of 7 game series. To put it in simple terms, the Canadiens are one of the Leafs’ biggest rivals. The reason being that both of them have great histories in the sport, being the two oldest and most decorated teams in the National Hockey League (NHL). The series was a hard one to watch as a Leafs fan, as we had a 3 to 1 lead in the series and needed 1 more victory to advance to the next round. Game 5 and 6 were both heartbreaking losses in overtime after some poor turnovers. Game 7 was what Leafs fans have come to expect: a complete collapse from the entire team. This marks the fifth year in a row that the Leafs have failed to win a series in either the playoffs or the playoff qualifiers, and the question is, will their streak of bad luck ever end? The Toronto Raptors. Toronto’s basketball team. The Raptors are Toronto’s most recent success story. After years of dominating the regular season and then getting eliminated by either the Brooklyn Nets or Lebron James in the playoffs, in 2018 the Raptors General Manager, Masai Ujiri took a huge risk. Masai chose to trade all-star DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and a lottery protected first round pick to the San Antonio Spurs for NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. At the time of the trade,
DeMar DeRozan was a Raptors icon. Fans across the country cheered for DeMar and held their heads high that one day he could bring us to an NBA championship. When he was traded, fans were shocked to find out that our star player was now leaving, and we were receiving two players who only had a single year on their contracts left. This meant that if something was going to happen, it needed to happen that year. Kawhi Leonard is famous for his invention of the idea of “load management.” Load management is when players take games off during the regular season to be more physically able for the playoffs. In the 2018-2019 season, Kawhi Leonard missed 22 games in total for load management. However, come time for the playoffs, he did not miss a single game, playing in all 24 games en-route to an NBA championship, which was a first for the Toronto Raptors. Few moments define that championship run as much as the game 7 dagger does. In game 7 of the second round of the NBA playoffs, the score tied 90 to 90, the Raptors had 4.2 seconds left on the clock waiting to inbound the ball. In a miraculous feat of athleticism and a bit of luck, Kawhi put up the most important shot in Raptors’ history, and it went in (after it seemed to have bounced a million times on the rim). The crowd at Scotiabank arena went wild, and from then on, our path to an NBA championship was set. With some luck on injuries to other team’s players, the Raptors found themselves NBA champions. The rest was downhill from there. Kawhi decided to not renew his contract in Toronto and signed with the Los Angeles Clippers instead. In 2020, the Raptors fought hard to make the playoffs in the Disney bubble. However, they were eliminated in game 7 of the second round. In 2021, with Covid restrictions in place, the Raptors moved to Tampa Bay for the year and
found themselves in a difficult situation. Playing home games at Amalie Arena meant that fans would often be booing them and cheering for the other team. The consequences were unfortunate: 27 wins and 45 losses this season, which meant the first losing season for the Raptors since the 2012-2013 season, missing the playoffs for the first time since then as well. So what’s next in store for Raptors fans? Not many know, but fans are hopeful that with a return to Scotiabank Arena and re-signing Kyle Lowry, the Raptors can at least continue to contend for the playoffs regularly. The Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto’s baseball team. Now, I’ll be honest, baseball might not be the most interesting to everyone. If you’re one of those people, go read (or watch) Moneyball and then come back to this article. The role that statistics and data analysis plays in baseball is just mind boggling. The Jays have a history of successful bursts. They were World Series champions in 1992 and 1993, and then failed to make another playoff appearance until the 2015 season. Coming off a very promising 2014 season, the Jays finished with 83 wins and 79 losses, 5 wins short of a playoff spot. General Manager Alex Anthopoulos decided that he was not satisfied with this and made a push to improve his team. In the 2014 offseason, he traded for third baseman Josh Donaldson, sending third baseman Brett Lawrie, pitchers Kendall Graveman and Sean Nolin, and prospect Franklin Barreto to the Oakland Athletics. The impact that Josh Donaldson would have would be evident immediately. Josh Donaldson slotted into a trio of heavy hitters consisting of himself, long time fan favorite Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. The three of them combined in the 2015 season for 466 hits, 120 home runs, a batting average of 0.275 and an on-base
percentage of 0.373. Josh Donaldson brought home the AL MVP, the award for the most valuable player from the American League, and the Blue Jays had an offence that produced 5.5 runs on average per game, leading the league. The issue for the Blue Jays was their defense, more specifically their pitching. However, with Marcus Stroman making a shocking comeback from an ACL tear he suffered during spring training, and the Blue Jays making a trade for David Price that took them from a 52 win and 51 loss record to a 41 win and 18 loss record for the rest of the season, they catapulted to the top of their division. The Blue Jays were prepared for the playoffs. The Blue Jays faced off against the Texas Rangers in a best-of-5 game series in the American League Divisional Series. Splitting the first 4 games of the series, the Jays played game 5 at home in the Rogers Center. The Blue Jays were down 3-2 in the seventh inning after a weird mishap from catcher Russell Martin. That is when “The Unforgettable Inning” really started. A few errors from the Rangers resulted in one run coming into score, and runners on first and third base with one out. Come up to the plate Jose Bautista. When I mentioned Jose Bautista earlier, I mentioned how he was a longtime fan favorite. The reason is because he completely reinvented himself with the Blue Jays. Jose went from being a sub-par player with the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 6-time all-star and 3-time silver slugger with the Blue Jays. It was his turn to give back to the city that gave so much to him. The following was a three-run home run deep into left center field, sending the entire stadium into cheers. An epic flip of his bat and a long trot around the bases later, the Blue Jays never looked back and went on to win the series. However, in the next round the Blue Jays would be eliminated in 6 games
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against the Kansas City Royals in the American League Championship Series, a team that later went on to win the World Series against the New York Mets. In 2016, the Blue Jays would reach the American League Championship Series again, losing to the Cleveland Indians in 5 games this time. Since then, the last playoff appearance for the Blue Jays was in 2020, when they lost the American League wild card against their division rivals, the Tampa Bay Rays. Things are looking promising, however, as upcoming young superstars such as Vladimir (Vladdy) Guerrero Jr., son of hall of famer Valdimir Guerrero Sr., is in contention for MVP this year with an outstanding breakthrough season. Shortstop Bo Bitchette, who came through the minor leagues with Vladdy, is now an all-star as well. With news that the Blue Jays will be back to the Rogers Center this year, we can all hope to get to see some September baseball in-person when the SkuleTM year starts up again. So, what have we learned? Toronto sport teams have a deep history. I only had time to look over the three big teams here in Toronto, but the Toronto Argos (Canadian Football), Toronto FC (Football/Soccer), the Toronto Rock (Lacrosse), and even the Toronto Marlies (Hockey) are no short of these kinds of moments. The history that each of these teams possess is quite spectacular, and as a fan, we are always hopeful for the next seasons. No matter how high the highs or how low the lows, Toronto fans will always be there to support our teams. The beauty of all this, though, is that you do not even need to be the most passionate fan to enjoy it. Just show up to a local Toronto pub on a game night, and you will have plenty of fans there ready to convince you why our team is the best in the league, and why this year is our year. We are just a poorly written recursive function as fans in this city.
6 • THE CANNON
SEPTEMBER 2021
Gelatin: The Glue That Keeps it Together SHUKRIA YUSUF External: CAFE Gummy bears, candy corn, Starburst, marshmallows, Jell-o...oh boy! All this sweet talk made my mouth water. These delicious treats have more in common than just being tasty and a dentist’s worst nightmare. Gelatin is the glue that keeps all these yummy treats together. Gelatin can be used for a variety of reasons— from thickening desserts and soups, to medicinal uses, and even cosmetic uses. Gelatin is a pure protein with 18 amino acids derived from collagen found in pig skin and bovine (cow) bones. Whilst there are other sources that gelatin can be derived from, Gelatin is a pure protein with 18 amino acids. It can be derived from many sources such as the collagen found in pig skin and bovine (cow) bones. Today’s focus will be on two different types of gelatin; food-grade Gelatin (gelling) and hydrolyzed Gelatin (non-gelling). There are about seven steps in the production of gelatin. First, there is an inspection of the animal parts and any spoiled pieces will be thrown out. Then using chopping
CREDIT: SPADELLANDIA.IT
machines that cut bones, tissues, and skins, the animal parts are then cut into small pieces of approximately 12.7cm in diameter. The next step is degreasing and roasting where the animal parts are cleaned through high pressure sprays, then they are left in hot water to remove any grease and fat. The fat reduced and cleaned parts will make
their way under an industrial dryer and will be roasted for a period of 30 minutes. After they are roasted, the animal parts will undergo an acid or alkaline treatment for five days which helps to release collagen and remove minerals and bacteria. When the five days are up, the pieces will be thrown into distilled water where
they will be boiled. A tube will be inserted to drain the liquid which contains the gelatin. The liquid will be passed through filters to remove any remaining bones or skin attached and “from the filters, the liquid is piped into evaporators, machines that separate the liquid from the solid gelatin”. The liquid will be thrown out while the gelatin will go through multiple machines that will press it into a sheet. The sheet is then grinded into a powder. Finally, if the purpose of the gelatin production is for consumption, additives such as sugar, flavouring, and colour will be included and the gelatin will be packaged to be distributed. You just learned how gelatin is made, but now you might be wondering what it’s used for. You probably recognize gelatin from the grocery store in some of your favourite desserts and confectioneries. The gelatin used for this is gelling gelatin, a type of gelatin designed to keep foods together and thicken them. However, did you know that the use of gelatin goes beyond the food industry? Gelatin can be used as an adhesive in your basic household items such as paper towels. Ever
wondered what that sticky line was at the end of the roll? You got it, it’s gelatin! It can be referred to as “protein glue” or “hide glue”. It plays a huge role in the cosmetic industry since gelatin is a good source of collagen which is proven to strengthen skin and promote elasticity; this is a great example of hydrolyzed gelatin. It can come in powder form as well. This type of gelatin does not require digestion. Not only will you find gelatin in your food and skincare but you will also find it at a doctors office. Now, don’t worry, I don’t mean that your doctor will prescribe Jell-o for a headache (but it sure is a great snack!). As mentioned earlier, gelatin is made of proteins and amino acids which are both vital in wound healing thus being found in salves, ointments, jellies, and such. The list does not end there! The various uses of gelatin— photography, wine, cheese, pet food, and gel capsules, to name a few—each prove that gelatin is a versatile commodity. Gelatin has travelled far past the food industry and it looks like it will be sticking around for a long time.
OPINION
In-Person Learning Needs to Evolve ALYSON ALLEN Cannon Layout When it was announced that in-person learning was to resume in Fall 2021, I was not overjoyed. While we wait for the final decision to be made, I can’t help but think about my experiences with both in-person and online learning. In-person lectures were never quite my thing. Unfortunately for me, my brain mistakes any professor’s important
lessons as the ideal white noise machine for a nap. When fueled by an abundance of cold brew coffee, my brain can take barely legible notes for a maximum of ten minutes before turning my notebook, or scrap of paper I found at the bottom of my bag, into the perfect canvas for doodles, grocery lists, and anything else that comes to mind. Quite honestly, these two In-Person Learning continued on page 7
CREDIT: HRISTO RUSEV/GETTY IMAGES
cannon.skule.ca
SEPTEMBER 2021 In-Person Learning continued from page 6 modes for my brain only applied if I even bothered attending a lecture. Tutorials in-person were a different type of struggle. Half the time, these tutorials were the only time I could muster enough brainpower to attempt to understand concepts from class that I should have learned weeks earlier. The other half was taken up by my brain being overly stimulated by students chaotically solving problem sets while I struggled to even read the first sentence of a question. I can admit that I’m no stellar student - I’ve had my fair share of failed assignments, midterms, and even exams. I don’t always put in the amount of effort that I should into studying. Going into my fourth year, I thought that I would have gotten the hang of things by now, rather than just being able to get by. Looking back at my time prior to the pandemic and online learning, I realize that many factors were at play that led me to struggling each term of my degree beyond my ADHD preventing me from focusing on any of the things I should have focused on. I was always exhausted, on the edge of burning out. I spent around three hours of each day commuting in and out of the city, nearly having multiple panic attacks each time from the crowding of the rush-hour commute. Time spent on campus was fueled by pure stress of trying to make the best use of my small breaks between classes and often struggling to find somewhere peaceful enough to study. When I was home, I spent the evenings trying to get my errands, cooking, and chores done to make my place somewhat livable and fuel me. Moreover,
I also worked to try to cover the expenses during my studies. I also partook in (too many) extracurricular activities to keep up. Honestly, this isn’t any sort of unique struggle at all. It’s often glamourized to be on the edge of burning out as a student. I was told it prepares me for the work world, but quite frankly, working is far more appealing to me than paying to be so overloaded that I can’t even appreciate what I learn. I do want to say at the very least that I did try my best during my
tests and exams in my accommodated testing location that, while letting me focus more, made me feel ignored by my professors and stranded from my peers. I no longer felt like I was being left behind by the entire academic system. However, during PEY and prior work experiences, I didn’t feel as left behind. I was viewed as a member of a team, who is willing to learn and apply my knowledge. I could more easily communicate with team members and higher ups to develop proper deadlines, review
and tests that, for the most part, actually allowed me to demonstrate and apply what I had learned instead of blanking out on small details that I would never have to memorize otherwise. I felt more comfortable asking questions and for extensions for my work, even with the content delivered. I do realize that online learning isn’t for everyone, much like how in-person learning isn’t quite for me. From conversing with other students, I realize that I got really lucky with my online classes. Every
“
But just as there are benefits to resuming in-person learning, there are also benefits to online learning that U of T shouldn’t get rid of the first moment they can.’’
three years of in-person classes. I got accessibility services (which helped a lot), reduced my course load a bit, re-arranged my priorities, went to counselling and therapy, worked with my professors to get more help, etc. I went through the whole deal to help myself out. But it wasn’t until the world flipped around that I found something that actually worked: online learning. At its core, online learning provided the accessibility to finally allow me to learn properly. I no longer needed to trek through constant train delays after waking up at the brink of dawn. I no longer had to pack all three meals to get through excruciatingly long days. I no longer felt like I was heading to a campus that made me feel constrained with anxiety. I no longer had to write
information, and seek assistance when needed. That type of stuff was encouraged. But during in-person school, it was a never-ending series of side-quests to try to get anything to help. Trying to make the best of my learning and my time was just impossible. When online learning came to play, for once my accessibility needs didn’t feel like a solo endeavour and an additional challenge added on to my degree. Professors, for the most part, understood that different students were in different circumstances due to the pandemic. I was lucky enough that I no longer needed to actually watch lectures live. I could access them whenever I was able to, with closed captioning, the ability to increase playback speed, and rewind if I missed anything. I was able to write open-book exams
student’s online learning experience was different. Overall, it was very chaotic due to the sudden change in delivering content as well as so much happening around us. Some students definitely felt more left behind and drained from the change, and that isn’t okay either. Although I was on PEY for the 2020-2021 academic year, the three classes I took during that time and my experiences with the chaotic Winter 2020 term were enough to convince me that traditional academic methods didn’t quite work for me. Nothing’s ever going to work perfectly in life, but I felt like I had a chance at it being okay with online learning in the mix. Looking forward to Fall 2021, I try to be hopeful. Having classes in person makes academics less of a logistical nightmare, allows
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for easier socialization, and promotes a better sense of community. Students can more easily work together, participate in extracurricular activities, and enjoy the campus experience. But just as there are benefits to resuming in-person learning, there are also benefits to online learning that U of T shouldn’t get rid of the first moment they can. Although we may no longer be in a time of “unforeseen circumstances” in the future, this shouldn’t mean that we stop being more accommodating like we decided to be in the past year and a half. In my opinion, we should still have better access to course content by providing recordings of lectures, just like some professors had done prior to the pandemic. Tests and exams should properly focus on our understanding of engineering concepts and our abilities to apply them with proper aids like we would in the workplace, rather than just remembering rules and regurgitating complex information. Tools and resources, such as textbooks, should be readily available for us to use. I could keep going on about the numerous changes I’d like to see. However, whether you prefer online learning or in-person learning, I do encourage you all to speak with your professors, TAs, and peers about ways to make learning more accessible. Try to find what works best for you even if that means you do something different than your peers. There should be no shame in learning differently and using different tools. We should have flexibility, and be encouraged to find what works for our learning. After all, we are paying for this degree.
8 • THE CANNON
SEPTEMBER 2021
SEPTEMBER 2021
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10 • THE CANNON
SEPTEMBER 2021
A Day ANDRE LI Cannon Writer
There is a day I disappear March, the blossom of crocus flower I never get to view that beauty For the thousand miles required for safety There is a day I wonder August, great lakes have no more thunder Yet reunion is an unlikely dream We are alone to go through the thinnest beam There is a day I despair January, a snowstorm to put people under On a no-man planet, I wander in a car Sky after the storm, with one lonely star There is a day I cheer May, when snow melts into spring river Together, we roll up our sleeves Heading forward with that marching queue
CREDIT: DAILY HIVE/SHUTTERSHOCK
There is a day I reappear September, finally with no invisible fear Yesterday was a hundred-year drought But today we can all hug and shout out
Who Are We After COVID? AMANDA PLOTNIK Senior Editor Bo Burnham Released Inside and I Haven’t Stopped Screaming Since CW: Mentions of suicide. Spoilers for Inside if that’s a thing that’s really possible. Comedian Bo Burnham released Inside on Netflix on May 30th, 2021. Inside is a musical comedy special that was written and performed entirely by Burnham over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and the varying states of lockdown that ensued as a result. And oh boy does it slap.
I first watched Inside while in my childhood bedroom, in my parents’ house, in the suburbs. “Well, well, look who’s inside again,” Burnham sings, and I can’t help but feel that he’s speaking directly to me. Throughout the special, the comedic tone gives way to a dark, realistic picture of the ways the isolation of the pandemic induces feelings of stress, frustration, and languor. It’s these moments that give the show its character more than the campy musical numbers. So, when a short ballad near the end of the first act has our hero imploring us to
“look who’s inside again,” it feels less like a playful jab and more like a direct invitation to reflect on this point in human history, on how things have changed so sharply. Technology If you’ve heard clips of songs like “Welcome to the Internet” and “White Woman’s Instagram” online lately, you’re probably already familiar with the tone of much of the show. At many points in Inside, Burnham explores the ways we use technology and social media, especially how they’ve shaped the ways we think about and interact with each other.
“Welcome to the Internet” has been one of the more popular pieces to come out of the special, with its eyecatching spiral lighting and bouncy, upbeat music. Interestingly, this makes it a good microcosm of the kind of internet content sharing that the song itself wants to explore, a cutthroat battlefield where you’ll survive longer the more attention you can grab. In this song, Burnham’s catchy lyrics walk the line of fun and creepy, as his persona speaks of the “Internet” as if it’s a product he’s trying to sell to you. It’s obvious that in this song, the Internet is really more of a synecdoche
for social media, and the dichotomy he presents is the line between social media being a fun way to interact with friends and an addictive waste of our precious time. Other songs such as “White Woman’s Instagram” and “Facetime with My Mom (Tonight)” take a similarly neutral stance on how technology—and social media specifically—affect our lives. Both portray the interactions that are facilitated by these means as being shallow, and in some way leaving out COVID continued on page 12
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SEPTEMBER 2021
COVID continued from page 10 aspects of interpersonal interaction that make them feel authentic. Given that the COVID-19 pandemic is an overarching theme of the media, it’s possible that Burnham felt that the awkward aspects of online interaction were only exacerbated when they became our primary, if not only, way of socializing with those closest to us. Social media is a painfully curated version of a person’s life that leaves out the awkward, candid moments that we typically love to indulge in together. Phone calls and video chat can feel forced and impersonal. The lack of authenticity that stems from the culture on social media is further explored in other songs in the special, notably in “Problematic.” This song serves two purposes: first it is Burnham legitimately apologizing for the insensitive themes of his early work, and second it satirizes the rise of influencer apology videos. If you’re unfamiliar with the latter, picture tearyeyed apologies for past problematic behaviour from people with massive online followings, most of whom will make no real effort to educate themselves, make amends, or otherwise do nonperformative work to reduce the harm they cause in the future. People are generally very jaded about the whole culture surrounding these videos, and they’re typically not received well anymore. Burnham riffs off this with heavy religious imagery, implying that influencers who make such apologies are effectively “crucifying” themselves, begging for forgiveness from their audience. The unspoken reality behind this, however, is that these apologies serve to appease the viewer just enough that they’ll continue to
CREDIT: BO BURNHAM
provide ad revenue and purchase merchandise. The last lens through which Burnham analyses technology culture is through an economic one. Amazon’s near monopoly on online shopping has been gaining attention for years, but the lockdowns resulting from the pandemic have caused Amazon’s market share to sharply increase yet again. With nonessential retail
to work even harder than usual with no increased pay raises, penalized for transgressions as minor as taking bathroom breaks that are slightly too long. Brampton, a city that saw one of the worst outbreaks in Ontario, is conveniently also home to a large Amazon fulfilment centre. In two filler songs fittingly titled “Bezos I” and “Bezos II” Burnham jokingly congratulates
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the very beginning, when he tells the audience that he created the special to distract himself from wanting to kill himself. Burnham also reveals, not in a catchy song but simply by telling us, that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, he had been hoping to return to stand up comedy following a five year hiatus that he took due to his struggles with anxiety and panic attacks.
with only the incredibly personal pain of watching your plans fall through. In “Look Who’s Inside Again,” a personal favourite of mine and an emotional centrepiece for the work, Burnham describes his experiences being “a kid who was stuck in his room” and having to return to a reclusive lifestyle after working for years to build a life for himself that didn’t revolve around isolation. It’s possible that Burnham is also hinting here at anxiety that he experiences being on stage, or even just in public at all, being perceived by hundreds of people at once with no means to control what they think of you. This ends up being something of a double-edged sword, however, since being in public can induce anxiety, but being alone can be depressing. Not just Burnham, but a lot of us have spent more Spending five years of time alone. I don’t mean kind your life building up to alone-in-public something only to have it of alone, I mean really, summarily cancelled by totally alone with your something as unexpected thoughts with nothing and insurmountable happening around you as a global pandemic that can distract you can seem like a massive from your own stream of “screw you in particular” consciousness. Sure, you moment. The universality COVID of the experience doesn’t continued on page 15 register, and you’re left
Immediately after your plans for the next year of your life have been taken from you, you need some way of figuring out what you’re going to do instead, and this time there’s no cookie-cutter answer.”
completely shuttered, and even essential retail leaving people feeling vulnerable to COVID-19, the idea of purchasing whatever you need and having it shipped to your home within days of placing the order seems increasingly appealing. A win for Jeff Bezos, a huge loss for Amazon employees forced
and praises Jeff Bezos. For what, exactly? Profiting of a pandemic that left many sick, dead, or struggling to pay rent, apparently. Mental Health The second theme of Inside becomes more apparent towards the end of the show, but Burnham shows shades of it from
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SEPTEMBER 2021 COVID continued from page 12 can turn on a movie or cook a meal, but these are all things that you need to consciously do. There’s really nothing around you that just happens the way it would be if you were around other people; there’s no flow you can go with. It’s all just you. Being forced to sit with your own thoughts has a way of making you listen to them. Immediately after your plans for the next year of your life have been taken from you, you need some way of figuring out what you’re going to do instead, and this time there’s no cookiecutter answer. You can’t find archived posts on Reddit from seven years
ago telling you exactly what works. All you have is yourself, that stream of consciousness, and some poorly defined goal of making it to the other side of this thing with minimal damage to your psyche. Burnham continues to explore his own anxiety in “That Funny Feeling,” a song near the very end. Lyrically a simple piece, Burnham lists things that give him a “funny feeling.” He never defines it, but it’s clear from the lyrics that he’s referring to the mix of fear, jadedness, and a kind of existential ennui that so many of us feel when we see disingenuous vulnerability used to sell goods and services, downplaying of climate change by big media
corporations, and feeling unable to create a better world in spite of it all. Following this song, Burnham moves into a song titled “All Eyes on Me,” where he returns to his stage persona, contradicting his previous fear of being on stage, imploring viewers to “look in my eyes” and brushing off his apprehension about the future, with “they say the ocean’s rising, like I give a shit.” As COVIDrelated lockdowns end and we’re all surrounded by more people, we’ll all have to follow suit, presenting our carefully curated, Instagram-ready personas to the world, and pretending everything was okay all along. But for an hour, it was nice
to let Bo Burnham be vulnerable, and allow us to be vulnerable with him. *** When you watch Inside, the content itself is obviously dark and speaks to the part of yourself that spent nights alone wondering how your life would be different if the pandemic had never started. The show begins on a lighter tone and only gets heavier from there, much like how a year of intermittent lockdowns felt. But Inside is also a beautiful, relatable piece of art. Burnham may not have gotten his big moment of returning to stand up comedy after five years, but he became one of the most talked about artists on social media.
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Months later, pieces of his songs continue to be used on TikTok, and people continue to post about his work using words like “hilarious” and “relatable,” words that many comedians strive to see in reviews. Every part of our lives have been forced to adapt to this pandemic. Things that we find joy in have become different, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Maybe Burnham isn’t asking us to “look who’s inside again” with a negative connotation at all. Maybe it’s an invitation to share a brief moment of vulnerability, a laugh, a cry, and a reminder that we’re able to continue to create beauty, no matter the circumstances.
Is PEY Really Worth it? ANONYMOUS Of course this question has no definitive answer, and depends greatly on your personal circumstances. Theoretically, I got the long end of the stick. I am a 2T2, meaning I only had to pay $1,100 for access to the PEY portal compared to the significantly higher $3,600 for 2T4s and lower years. I am also an ECE, the discipline that has the most positions on the portal by far; everyone says something like ninety percent of ECEs go on PEY. And yet I still can’t help but wonder if I made the right decision for myself. Being honest here, the position which I ultimately ended up with wasn’t entirely what I expected, which is definitely contributing to my reflection on this question. However, there really isn’t any way of knowing exactly what your position would entail until you start it,
so I’m sure that I’m not the only person feeling a bit dissatisfied by what I ended up with. I suppose that’s the benefit of Co-op programs like Waterloo’s: trying a variety of positions throughout your undergrad years to get a better feel of what you like and don’t like; while not being forced to stay in the same position for at least a year. That notion of spending a year at a single position is what really gets me though. A high school friend of mine has already graduated from his university in the States and is making six figures in California. Where am I by comparison? Making less than half of that at a year-long internship that I am not particularly passionate about, and graduating two years after him. Consequently, I keep coming back to this question: am I simply wasting an entire year of my life? Of course PEY is useful for breaking into
CREDIT: PIN CLIPART
industry; it is much easier to secure a job through the portal than it is to secure internships and full-time positions otherwise. But then again, does that mean that if you just work harder on polishing your resume and interview skills to land one of those positions, the entire ordeal is pointless? Or what about if you don’t care about industry and simply seek to get into
grad school? You already have many more years in education to go, so why delay it for a year working with a company you likely won’t come back to in the future? I myself wasn’t particularly interested in grad school as a F!rosh, but as more years have gone by I have warmed up to the thought significantly. This is in part due to worrying that most other jobs out
there would make me feel similarly disengaged as my current PEY. Theoretically, ESIP, the four month summer internship program that the Engineering Career Centre (ECC) also offers, would be the logical solution to my dilemma and anyone facing PEY continued on page 15
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SEPTEMBER 2021
Kishwar Chowdhury and the Identity of Bengali Food RUKNOON DINDER Cannon Writer This is a writing that reflects a part of me I don’t often express. I don’t particularly enjoy writing articles that pull at your heartstrings and I will admit I am not the best at them. If you are not one for emotional pleas, The Cannon always has far better articles that will satisfy your taste (pun intended). But if you’d like to hear a story about the upheaval that has gone through the Bengali culinary world over the past few months, grab a seat. I guess all that is a really convoluted way of saying that I regularly watch Masterchef Australia (yeah, g’day mate, throw a sheila on the barbie and all that). This year, I noticed an interesting contestant on the stage of what is arguably the most famous cooking show in the world. Someone I had never seen before, yet someone who was about to touch the hearts of millions of Bangladeshis around the world. When I started this write up many words came into my mind and I was a bit confused about which words I would choose to describe unstoppable masterchef contestant Kishwar Chowdhury. She is an incredible cook, proud mother of two, graphic designer, and just a great soul. Kishwar’s father, a freedom fighter of Bangladesh, left the country fifty years ago to start a new chapter of his life in Australia. Though Kishwar was born and raised in Australia, Bangladesh still has a special place in her heart, a love she demonstrated at every stage of MasterChef through her cooking.
CREDIT: THE DHAKA TRIBUNE
Correct me if I sound like a boomer, but I will claim that, until now, no one has felt the need to identify everyday Bangladeshi homecooked food as a matter of prestige. If anything, the humble, day-today Bangladeshi dishes Khashir Rezala (Candied Mutton Curry), Shorshe Ilish (Hilsha in Mustard), and Begun Bhorta (Spiced Mashed Aubergine) were not considered special enough compared to the aristocracy of the lobster tails, barbecued ribs, or even potato salads. It was uncool to serve to other Bengali guests in the country, let alone be introduced to foreign tastebuds. Kishwar changed that. She strongly believed in the integrity of our unpretentious food, where the ingredients are few, and the cook does not hide behind flashy marketing. When this season of MasterChef started and Kishwar was introduced, viewers in Bangladesh were naturally delighted. It’s great to see another Bengali on the global stage.
But we have no shortage of those, from MPs in Canada, footballers in England, peacekeepers in South Africa, or doctors and engineers in Australia. It was certainly not a remarkable achievement back then. When she said she had a “small dream” of highlighting Bangladeshi food on the show, perhaps most of us took it casually. Obviously we have our share of famous Biryanis, and we wrongly assumed that that was the extent of her capabilities. However, as the season progressed, she demonstrated that she meant what she said. Starting from Machher jhol (Soupy Fish) to Jau bhaat (Rice Porridge), Lau chingri (Candied Shrimp with Gourd), to the inventive dessert highlighting Paan (Betel Nut Leaves), her trajectory has generated immense interest not just in her home country of Australia and her ancestral home of Bangladesh, but also in India. Kishwar has given us the opportunity to treat our food like a cuisine. She has shown us the power of
Bangladeshi cuisine. Soon after Masterchef Australia first aired, we invited a few of our neighbours to come try our food. The love and praise we got filled us with incredible pride for our ethnic cuisine, with our guests calling back and asking for recipes to create the exotic food enriched with bold flavours, explosive spices, and unapologetic sweetness. We never expected admiration of any sort and we were so very wrong at doubting such an essential part of who we were. In a way, this article is as much for me as it is for
you. What I truly want to recognise here is that Kishwar is just a medium. Bangladesh makes exponential levels of advancements every year. For a half a century old country, we’ve permeated every sector of the world - we’ve revolutionised agriculture, banking, education, and our garment sector as a global leader. Hell, we have world class athletes for a sport which should not even be associated with our country - golf. We dare on unimaginable levels. Bengali Food continued on page 15
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SEPTEMBER 2021 PEY continued from page 13 anything similar. Except for the small problem that it is largely ineffective and not worth the $125 entry fee; with very few companies (and barely any big names, if that’s your cup of tea) posting offerings on that portal at all. Moreover, positions posted on the ESIP portal are also posted on numerous other portals as well. The bottom line: only thirteen percent of students signing up for this portal obtain any job offer at all. This is all coming from an ECE; it is much, much worse for any other discipline. Needless to say it was a complete waste of money for myself, and I can only hope that it has improved for the 2T4s and lower years who will have the cost of it accounted for in that aforementioned increased PEY fee. The ECC has promised to reach out to existing PEY industry partners to ask them to have postings for ESIP too, so I hope they are successful. But they really shouldn’t limit themselves to only existing partners, as it seems that many major Bengali Food continued from page 14 Yet when it comes to our culture, we’ve maintained the same level of secrecy and disdain we had when we hid our Bangalipona from the Pakistani rulers. We’re using half a century old cookbooks, geoblocked our clothing to Bangladesh, and abridged Hans Christian Andersen books for our children instead of passing down the stories of Nobabs and Rajkumars that we were told as children. We eat our food everyday, but never call it ours. We love our music, but never sing it out loud. This must change. A lady who is not even a Bangladeshi citizen showed us that it
companies (including most of FAANG), only offer four month internships anyways, as compared to the twelve to sixteen month internships for PEY. This would also explain why Waterloo’s Co-op program is deemed much more prestigious. Simply because their Coop program focuses on
ECC has promised. But all of that aside, my biggest regret is not spending enough time on PEY applications when I went through the process. I clearly wasn’t prepared enough for interviews, as I only received an offer after I went through (and presumably bombed) twenty-ish interviews.
was ultimately dissatisfied with as a result. Was it worth the better marks? Probably not. Many of my friends also struggled to land a PEY they deemed satisfactory this year, so I was not alone in this. As of early July, when I am writing this, some still haven’t found a PEY position at all.
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Just remember that whatever you end up with, you’ll be doing that for a year straight, so don’t be afraid to ask more questions about the role during the interview to avoid ending up with something you’ll regret”
four month internships and actually tries to make it decent, Waterloo can get more well-known and prestigious partners than our own ECC. Again, with the pricing now comparable to that of Waterloo, I truly hope that the reputation of our own program will eventually match theirs as well, as the
Accepting the very first offer I received was a mistake too; I should have done my due diligence and researched the role and looked for any red flags more than I actually did. I was just too focused on my courses at the time, and, while I did end up doing well that semester, I ended up with a PEY that I
Everyone always says that PEY is the time to really enjoy yourself, live your life without worrying about classes, and improve your lifestyle in the process. Quite honestly, I preferred my experience learning from classes than where I am right now. But many others do really enjoy their PEYs;
can change. How more blatantly can you make that statement than serving Pantaa bhaat, a meager food eaten by the subsistence farmers of Bangladesh, in front of the best chefs in the world? But for now, we will focus back on our food. We will know the winner of Masterchef Australia by the time this article is published. But in my eyes, Kishwar is the winner. I believe it’s not just me; I think all Bangladeshis home and abroad would agree with me. She proved the phrase “Slow and steady wins the race” by her steadfast cooking in the entire Masterchef journey. Even though she cut her finger badly in Curtis Stone’s chicken
testing, she didn’t give up cooking. She continued it and made herself safe with a mouth-watering dish. I would like to thank Kishwar, who has inspired us to dream big and who broke the barrier of austerity so that millions will now feel pride in sharing their culture with the world. She, who taught us how someone can be Australian, yet so authentically Bengali. She, who showed us that food can be served as a fabric with heritage, taste, and culture. She, who showed us that food isn’t just a bunch of ingredients; rather it is about memories and feelings. She is our inspiration, our hero, and she is the crown jewel of the history of Bengali
food, as well as Bangladesh as a whole. Every year, I write my F!rosh Week article for a certain subsect of SkuleTM. I know there are many Bangladeshis and Bengalis within SkuleTM, and within UofT, with many more coming next year. My final F!rosh Week article is for you. The progression of our culture is not up to the handful of filmmakers who make it into Cannes, or rare practitioners like Kishwar. It is on you. Don’t claim her success as your own to your mum; I know you’ll try to do it. Don’t keep sharing it on Instagram as a flex. Instead, build on it, and be another story. Don’t call your fuchkas pani puri anymore.
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those individuals that find something they’re clearly passionate about and enjoy doing. Just remember that whatever you end up with, you’ll be doing that for a year straight, so don’t be afraid to ask more questions about the role during the interview to avoid ending up with something you’ll regret. In the end, was PEY worth it? Well, considering everyone needs six hundred hours of relevant practical experience to graduate and I’m not sure if I could have fulfilled it otherwise; perhaps. Then again, this arbitrary requirement only exists so that international students would be eligible for a work permit right after graduation, and have an easy path to permanent residency. If that doesn’t apply to your own situation, well tough luck, you need the hours anyways for fairness sake, according to the faculty. With that being said, this still doesn’t stop me from being envious of my friends who are enjoying themselves much more than I am right now.
You know the bloody difference. Explain it. Never apologise for being a Bangali. We survived a genocide and fought off nuclear powers to preserve Amar Sonar Bangla. It’s time we let it be known. To the rest of you, come try our food! I now know without doubt, you will come back wanting more. *I would like to thank my friends from Dhaka University in Bangladesh and Deakin University in Australia who helped me research and fact check some of the sources I used. I am eternally grateful to you all.
16 • THE CANNON
SEPTEMBER 2021
OPINION
The Importance of Open Access ANONYMOUS
Disclaimer: The Cannon does not endorse the usage of illegal academic websites or databases. SciHub, Library Genesis, and Internet Archive are all websites that host academic content for free. Their existence is the very definition of open access, which dictates that scientific work should be published on the internet for everyone to use. It should be noted that these sites are potentially illegal in different places. They are often targeted by publishing companies or copyright holders, and need to exist on countless mirror sites to stay afloat. Despite this, they are used by hundreds of people around the world, especially in developing countries. But why would an illegal resource be depended on so heavily? The answer lies in our current model for research, which is broken and outdated. The structure for today’s academia disadvantages students, researchers and the general public because it denies them access to knowledge. This is seen by the creation of paywalls or privatized information. Open access, which comes in the form of websites like SciHub, is the best possible solution to this problem. Why is our current research model outdated? We are currently experiencing a massive influx of students. In 1995, 283 million people were in post secondary education. This number has dramatically increased since then; in 2015, 725 million people were in post-secondary education. This growth has been magnified in developing
countries, with India’s student population having doubled, Poland’s more than doubled, Brazil’s tripled, and South Africa’s quadrupled. At the same time, government funding of academic materials has been rapidly decreasing. This leaves increased amounts of students without access to free resources. Furthermore, with the rising costs of textbooks, journal subscriptions and monographs, students have no affordable way to obtain academic material. Researchers, along with students, are also disadvantaged in this situation. Even though research is funded by the public, researchers are not compensated for the work they do. To make matters worse, once the researcher’s work is published, neither the researcher nor the public have access to it. These barriers to academia, as well as the unaffordability of it, have led to the increased use of “non-traditional resources” (i.e. Library Genesis, SciHub, etc). Why is open access the solution? Open access is a vital way for developing countries to access research. As discussed earlier, websites like SciHub are open access resources. The top five countries in user downloads from these sites are Russia, Indonesia, United States, India, and Iran; many of which are developing countries. As a case study, India can provide general commentary on the academic scene in developing countries. Even with negotiated pricing, only a handful of Indian universities can afford subscriptions to major academic databases. The largest academic library
in India - the IISc (Indian Institute of Science) - is only subscribed to 1381 print articles. On the contrary, Columbia University is subscribed to 133,831 journals and book series. The University of Delaware, a smaller and less-publicly funded university, is subscribed to 29,246 journals and book series. This illustrates a stark difference in academic access between India’s largest academic institution and your average western university. It points to an asymmetry in publishing: poorer countries are excluded from participation in the global circuits of knowledge. Research done within India is also not circulated within the country, or outside of it. Indian academics have no affordable access to outside research. Moreover, they have no way to publish their own research either. Professor Subbiah Arunachalam, an advocate for open access, summarizes the situation in the following words: “The issue is quite simple: research performed in India, and funded by Indian taxpayers, is reported in a few thousand journals, both Indian and foreign. Since some of these journals are very expensive, many Indian libraries including sometimes the author’s own institutional library - are not able to subscribe to them. As [a] consequence, other Indian scientists working in the same, or related, areas are unable to read these papers. This is a problem common to all developing countries.” In summary, the problem lies in the lack of exposure given to foreign researchers, and the unaffordability of subscribing to academic
CREDIT: DAVID LOCKE
journals. According to Professor Arunachalam, this can be solved if papers were published in open access journals. Along with preventing the globalization of knowledge, open access also prevents the privatization of knowledge. After 1980, changes were made in America’s patentability: private funds could now flow into academia, and professors could patent their research. This action brought millions of dollars in profits to top research universities. However, the public, who still indirectly funded research as taxpayers, was unable to access it. In addition, the patents themselves were in an embryonic state of development - 75 percent of the patents were “no more than a proof of concept,” with 29 percent having no lab scale prototypes, and 48 percent having no prototypes at all. As a result, the public’s investments were privatized, and the patents created had questionable commercial potential. Open access can prevent these effects by placing research under various proposed licenses. One such license is the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC), where people can use intellectual property for any purpose
- for free, for profit, or even for commercial purposes. By placing research under a CC license, the public is able to access knowledge that patenting would have prevented. Additionally, research can no longer be created for the sole purpose of privatizing knowledge, safeguarding intellectual concepts, or generating profits for universities, which significantly increases its quality. Publishing companies like the Public Library of Science (PLOS) carry out this exact initiative. The journal applies the Creative Commons Attribution license to their content, eradicating any barriers to that specific content. They show an important change in the academic scene: what was once governed by corporations is now becoming accessible to all. PLOS also outlines a change in our mindset. Instead of being accustomed to privatized knowledge, we are beginning to question why it was withheld in the first place. We are beginning to make our own countermeasures to knowledge barriers, whether in the form of publishing firms or questionable sites. We are recognizing that knowledge is a right, and as open access dictates, it should belong to everyone.