Author: Iain Macdonald

First aid for computers, old or new

You’ve probably noticed that as your computer gets older, it seems to slow down. While it is true that newer computers are faster, this is no reason for your older computer to be any slower than the first day you got it. Here are a number of steps that can keep your computer functioning like it’s brand new.

With referendum vote, Tribune is poised for independence

In what Opinion Editor Matt Chesser called a “do-or-die” situation, The McGill Tribune’s future will be determined by a SSMU referendum next week. Should the referendum question pass, the Tribune would become fully independent after 29 years as a publication under the auspices of the Students’ Society.

MY POINT … AND I DO HAVE ONE: supressing debate: Ontario’s language politics

The Ontario legislature – like most political bodies representing a diverse range of opinions – is a place where it’s hard to achieve consensus. One in five children in Toronto go to school hungry in the morning and asthma and cancer-causing coal power generate much of the province’s electricity, but no consensus can be found among the provincial political parties to address such dire issues.

FRESH HELL: The over-hyped Olympics

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.

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.

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.

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