In his talk at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, Fidel Castro labeled the year the “hottest [one] in recorded history.” This was the very year that I was born. Hotter years have since been recorded; the last six months were the warmest ever. Castro’s speech was one that shone light[Read More…]
Author: Swathi Sadagopan
The numbing absurdity of fact-checks
In a US presidential campaign full of unremitting stupidity, the ‘fact-check’ has claimed the crown of the most tedious journalistic device used during this news cycle. Instead of raising the tone of the presidential debate by defending the truth, the fact-check has become another cudgel to be used in the[Read More…]
Beast of burden
If a script can be personified, Bullhead needs but one word: cruel. Not because it mistreats its audience—on the contrary, the film is as beautiful as it is miserable; dazzling as it is horrific. The sheer amount of sadness that writer-director Michael R. Roskam packs into two hours is so[Read More…]
Topanga, meet world
A little under two years ago, four childhood friends started making music in a Toronto basement. They dubbed themselves ‘Topanga’ either after the character on the popular television show Boy Meets World, or a canyon in California—take your pick. They had few expectations and no goals in mind—just a shared[Read More…]
Patrick Wolf – Sundark and Riverlight
Although just 29 years old—by many standards a “young” artist—Patrick Wolf’s repertoire speaks beyond his age. After 10 years and five studio albums later–including the much acclaimed Wind in the Wires and the recent 2011 release Lupercalia–the English singer-songwriter has become synonymous with melodic, haunting lyrics, and musical progressions on[Read More…]
Klarka Weinwurm – Continental Drag
Klarka Weinwurm’s newly released full length album, Continental Drag, attempts to demonstrate a folksy ambiance with the precision and steady rhythm of traditional indie-rock. With lyrics resembling the scattered verses of Kimbya Dawson and endowed with an odd feminine huskiness, one is prone to think that the album fits the[Read More…]
New take on ancient wisdom
From terse, academic upbraidings by Richard Dawkins, to the wit and eloquence of Christopher Hitchens’ broadsides, the past decade has witnessed a surge in public cries challenging the power of organized religion. Amid the continual talk of misconduct and immorality in the halls of self-proclaimed holy men, several unbelievers simultaneously[Read More…]
Hip-Hop vs. Homosexuality: Is the rap game becoming self-aware?
This piece contains language used by others that some may find offensive and hurtful. These quotes do not reflect the views of the Tribune. Had the Beastie Boys gotten their way, their iconic 1986 release, License to Ill, would have been called Don’t Be A Faggot.* Big Daddy Kane, widely[Read More…]
Open source urban planning
Last Saturday, over 100 hackers gathered in the Shatner Ballroom for Hack Ta Ville. They were drawn by the chance to comb through freshly released data—everything from the location and age of Montreal trees to the legal parking times in spots all over the city—to use as building blocks for[Read More…]
McGill research briefs
A new disorder in metabolism of vitamin B12 This week, researchers at McGill’s Department of Human Genetics and Genome Quebec—in collaboration with others from the United States, Switzerland, and Germany—published the discovery of a new genetic defect that causes an inability to break down vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 plays an[Read More…]
