The Winter Olympics are pointless. They feature sports that are generally boring to watch or better showcased in other competitions (at the X Games, for example). They cost a lot of money, create headaches for people living in host cities, and don’t attract enough tourist dollars to offset the large taxpayer expense.
Author: Zoe Daniels
In Brooklyn, fresh Montreal bagels now for sale by the dozen
Minutes after they finished watching the Canadian Olympic hockey team defeat the Slovakians last Friday, Joel Tietolman and Jon Leitner walked into St.-Viateur Bagel, paid for the 115 dozen bagels they had pre-ordered, and began loading them in Tietolman’s Volkswagen Passat.
Tuition comments spark protest
In response to the Quebec Minister of Education Michelle Courchesne’s recent hint that tuition may increase in Quebec, a small group of McGill students gathered in protest at the Roddick Gates on February 18. Some carried signs reading, “Courchesne I can’t afford your lies” while others passed out flyers explaining that since the 2007 deregulation of tuition fees for Quebec and out-of-province students, tuition has increased by approximately $100 per year.
Grants fund phthalate research
Researchers at McGill and affiliated institutions have received $5 million to study the effects of common synthetic substances on reproductive health. Awarded by the Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR), the five-year grants will fund two multidisciplinary teams of researchers from McGill University, the Research Institute of McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC), and several other universities in Quebec and Ontario.
Funding cuts may shut First Nations University’s doors for good
The First Nations University of Canada, North America’s only fully accredited Aboriginal university, has had a rough year. The school’s future is up in the air after losing over $12 million dollars in provincial and federal funding cuts in late January and early February.
Dentistry grad criticizes Quebec’s language exam
Jennifer Plotnick, a recent graduate from the McGill Faculty of Dentistry, has found herself with an unenviable commute due to Quebec’s language requirements. After failing to meet the French language requirements for out-of-province professionals, Plotnick now drives nearly two hours every morning to practice dentistry in Plattsburgh, New York.
Far from home and close to danger in the Gaza Strip
Rachel, a new documentary from French-Israeli director Simone Bitton, tells the story of Rachel Corrine, an American activist who was killed while attempting to prevent the bulldozing of a Palestinian home in 2003. To this day Israel denies responsibility for her death, claiming the bulldozer operator’s line of sight was obstructed by the mound of dirt that crushed her.
Land Institute founder Wes Jackson discusses climate change
Wes Jackson, a leading environmentalist and the founder of the Land Institute, a Kansas-based environmental research organization, kicked off his lecture last Wednesday with a harrowing comparison. “I am going to give a talk tonight that may be rough,” said Jackson.
New study suggests that for some, obesity may be genetic
A recent study published in Nature has revealed that a proportion of morbidly obese people are missing a certain piece of DNA. The study found that seven of every 1,000 obese people are missing a specific part of their DNA, which contains about 30 genes. Professor Philippe Froguel and Dr.
In India, Munroe-Blum secures a new research partnership
McGill is hoping that a new agreement with TERI University in India will put the university at the forefront of climate research. The research memorandum focusses on three different aspects of environmental research: urban transportation, biofuels, and renewable energy.
