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Sports

How to train for a marathon in 20 days

by Izze Siemann on

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If you have a goal to which people respond “you’re crazy” or “I’d rather die,” you’d be wise to proceed with care. This past weekend, I ran in Montreal’s Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon; here is what I did to ensure I arrived alive at the finish line.

 

Pre-Race

Become a leech

Don’t know anything about running a marathon, but want to try anyway? Find someone who knows what they are doing and join their training schedule. Fortunately, I had a friend who had been training for four months. She let me become part of her routine; I followed her lead on long runs, short runs, and everything in between. All I needed to do was show up.

Do you even chafe though?

Yes, I do. Every runner’s road to success involves facing issues specific to their style of running. After my first distance run, I discovered that chafing—on the inner thighs, arms, and everywhere else—is my demon. I troubleshooted that technical issue early with some equipment changes.

Get hired at a running store

Go into a place where the employees can answer any and all questions about running. After an animated conversation about all the places I had been chafing, the store owner went on to interrogate me about my training methods. Thanks to my newly-gained knowledge about all things running, I walked out of the store with a job offer. I got to use my brand-new employee discount to buy dry-fit clothes, essential GU energy packets, and Body Glide.

Adopt your friend’s parents

Asking your family to fly across the continent does not bode well when they have just 20 days of notice. Instead, I pretended that my friend’s parents were mine. If you are lucky like me, they will take you out to a scrumptious meal the night before the race and get you a Brooks shirt with the marathon’s logo.

Follow these steps to be prepared for the big day. Because race day, itself, is a whole different ball game.

Race Day

Start slow, speed up later

Standing at the starting line with thousands of runners is both electrifying and intimidating, but run at your own pace. Most people stopped running at the half-marathon point. Saving my energy allowed me to pick up my pace once I reached the halfway point and sprint the last kilometre.

Look around you

Looking up provides all the necessary adrenaline and inspiration: There were countless witty signs like “Remember, you paid for this,” “Tap [Mario Bros mushroom] for power up,” and “I’m a stranger but I’m still proud of you.” I high-fived innumerable little hands, which kept me going, one step at a time, until the finish.

 

Although I haven’t run like this for some time, I was lucky enough to have been an athlete for my entire life with a natural runner’s build and mentality; however, marathons are not limited to athletes. A quick Google search of “inspirational marathon stories” shows the range of amazing and touching ways in which people partake. I saw one man pushing an elderly woman in a wheelchair. If you are determined, you can do it.

I ended up with a better race time than I could have imagined at three hours and 47 minutes, a job, and some of the best memories I have made in Montreal. My advice? Just keep running—and Rock ’n’ Rolling.

Science & Technology

Which came first: The chicken or the dinosaur?

by Ronny Litvack-Katzman on

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At first glance, a chicken and a dinosaur may seem as distantly related as any two species could be. For Hans Larsson, McGill associate professor of paleontology and biology and director of the Redpath Museum, the correlation between the two could not be clearer.

In his presentation on Sept. 14, “Freaky Friday: Weird things I know about dinosaurs and chickens,” Larsson unveiled new findings in vertebrate anatomy enabling him to extrapolate knowledge about extinct species by studying living ones. The developments were first observed in a lesser-known genus of fish, the polypterus, which has the ability to spend long durations of time outside the water.

“We went back and looked at the fossil record from 400 million years ago as fish transitioned to land,” Larsson said. “We isolated many hotspots for change from the skeletal plasticity.”

Among their findings was a notable thinning of the pectoral girdle, the skeletal framework where the forelimbs are attached to the shoulders. What is astonishing is not the changes themselves, but the short timespan in which the polypterus’ morphology evolved.

Darwin’s theory of evolution states that random mutations cause observable, or ‘phenotypic,’ changes which are passed down to individuals when they become selectively advantageous. Larsson’s model challenges the most basic tenets of this theory by arguing that environmental factors, not just genetic variability, are the cause of physical changes.

If an organism’s phenotype is malleable over the course of it’s lifetime, anatomical variations could theoretically become ‘fixed’ on the genetic level.

“We are not looking at evolution here, we’re seeing phenotypic plasticity,” Larsson said. “The fact that the body can respond [to the environment] could be a major source of variation for evolutionary changes.”

Under this precedent, Larsson and his team turned their attention from fish to investigations on chickens.

“In birds, [morphology changes are] distributed in three hotspots,” Larsson said. “One is on the beak, one is where the jaw attaches to the palette, and one is at the very back of the skull.”

Much like the polypterus making its way onto land, birds may have been using muscle action to develop their skeletal features for flight, inducing modifications as a response to changing environmental, rather than genetic, factors. Using this as a model, Larsson suggests that the egg, like the womb, can act as an environmental catalyst for developmental changes.

In their research, the Larsson lab has been paralyzing chicken embryos at various stages and recording how each evolved specimen’s skeleton changes over its incubation period. Features such as the shape of the backbone, length of the beak, and jaw articulation were all affected in embryos that had been paralyzed. The wings, too, were affected. The lengths of bones and cartilage structure varied among specimens that had varying degrees of movement within the egg.

“All of this surrounds the larger topic of how we think about birds today, dinosaurs, and embryos in terms of environmental biology,” Larsson said. “Our solution was ‘chickenosaurous’”.

Their idea is not novel but involves the reverse engineering of chicken embryos to resemble structural features of dinosaurs. In doing so, researchers gain an evolutionary snapshot of dinosaur development, the first step in the process of uncovering how ancient organisms made the leap from sea to land and, finally, into air.

The ‘Freaky Friday’ series continues at the Redpath Museum on October 12, from 12p.m. to 1p.m.. Admission to lectures is free.

Arts & Entertainment

Community and remembrance at the ‘Atwater Poetry Project’

by Leo Stillinger on

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Since 2004, the Atwater Poetry Project has brought a poetry to the Atwater Library on a monthly basis. On Sept. 20, the library hosted three women writing about indigenous life in Canada, coinciding with indigenous Awareness Weeks. Each poet brought to light the persistent force and beauty of indigenous identity.  

The evening began with a reading from a McGill alumnus, Carolyn Marie Souaid (BA ‘81, Diploma Education ‘83), who recounted her experience in Northern Quebec where she was sent in 1983 as a student-teacher in McGill’s Department of Education. Souaid read three pieces written at different periods of her life. Each poem revolved around a single event: A day trip out on the land with a 17-year-old Inuit boy. She began by reading the journal entry she had written immediately afterwards, as an exhilarated 22-year-old processing her awe for the land and its people. A poem about the experience, written two decades later in her 2002 collection Snow Formations, captured this exhilaration and distilled it into a potent work of art. Years after that, the scene made its way into Souaid’s 2017 novel, Yasmeen Haddad Loves Joanasi Maqaittik.

Souaid’s reading was followed with a performance by poet Joséphine Bacon, who expresses indigenous beauty across the frontier of language. By writing poems in her native Inuit before reformulating them into French, Bacon links disparate worlds. Bacon was born in Pessamit, a First Nations reserve 700 miles north of Montreal, but learned French as a second language, and worked as an interpreter with anthropologists who came to study the native communities.

Bacon’s poems are based on conversations she had with Inuit elders. She read each poem first in its original form, then in its French equivalent. Her verses in French captured the colours and senses of her native tundra, its solitude, and the wonder of the aurora borealis. Yet, it was in Inuit, incomprehensible to nearly everyone in the room, that she achieved something more essential: Self-expression in a native tongue, irreducible to any translation. Connection to a land is also connection to a language.

The final poet was Annharte, also known as Marie Baker, or AKA. An Anishanaabe poet from Winnipeg, Annharte brought her strong-willed personality and sharp sense of humour to the reading. The poems from her book Indigena Awry were filled with insights into the Indigenous experience.

“This is a way to communicate what our life is like,” Annharte said of her poems, which were punctuated by repartee and anecdotes of life as an indigenous student.

The event finished with a conversation between the authors and the audience. Annharte talked about new generations of indigenous poets, beginning in her own household with her granddaughter, also a poet. Souaid described the Inuit CEGEP students she mentors and their attempts to put their own struggles into creative form. Bacon spoke about the elders she had known in the Arctic, the depth of their connection to the land and, most poignantly, the way in which one loses this ‘language of the land’ after moving to a city. Each of their remarks was colored at once by hope and by awareness of the reality of indigenous lives.

It was this profound connection to the land that Souaid, in her original journal entry from 1983, said taught her more than any class at McGill. Bad news for education students, perhaps, but good news for the individuals who first called this land home.

Basketball, Sports

NBA offseason recap

by Ender McDuff on

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LBJ in LA

Historically, kings sought to expand their empires. With the Eastern Conference conquered, LeBron James now has his sights set on the bright lights of Los Angeles. His decision did not catch the NBA world by total surprise. Reports of his media company, Uninterrupted, forming partnerships in Hollywood and his sons’ enrollment in the Los Angeles School District hinted at the King’s intentions to join the rebuilding Lakers. There was additional speculation that James would take advantage of the Lakers’ sizeable cap space—enough for two max contracts—to join forces with more star power. But, when Paul George re-upped in Oklahoma City and the Lakers elected not to acquire Kawhi Leonard, James still chose the Lakers. Now, he finds himself leading a group of veterans like Lance Stephenson and Rajon Rondo in addition to the Lakers’ promising young core.

 

Kawhi goes North

The blockbuster trade of the summer came when the San Antonio Spurs dealt two-way phenom Kawhi Leonard and sharpshooter Danny Green to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for all-star DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and a protected 2019 first-round pick. Leonard requested a trade away from San Antonio in the offseason after tensions surfaced between him and the Spurs organization over the diagnosis and treatment of a quadricep injury he suffered during the season. It seemed that he hoped to land in Los Angeles, but neither the Lakers nor the Clippers met the Spurs’ asking price. So, the Raptors stepped in: After another disappointing postseason, Toronto shook up their roster and traded DeRozan—the face of their organization—for Leonard. But the question still remains as to whether the Raptors can convince Leonard to end his California dreaming and stay up north after this season.

 

The strong get stronger

Already-superstar-studded, the Golden State Warriors struck gold when DeMarcus Cousins, an elite centre rehabilitating a torn Achilles tendon, was met in free agency with a frigid market. Reports suggested that several teams had the opportunity to present Cousins with an offer; however, concerns over his character and injury—one from which NBA greats like Dominique Wilkins and Kobe Bryant could never fully recover—caused every team but the Warriors to pass. This allowed the Warriors, who entered the offseason with minimal cap space, to sign Cousins on a one-year deal worth just $5.3 million. If Cousins returns to pre-injury form, this could be an absolute steal for Golden State in its quest for a third-straight championship.

 

Houston takes a step backward

The Houston Rockets were one win away from the NBA Finals last season. But, when LeBron joined the Western Conference and the Warriors picked up Cousins, the Rockets saw their path to redemption narrow. A strong offseason was crucial: Successful re-signings of both Chris Paul and Clint Capela, plus the addition of Carmelo Anthony, highlighted Houston’s efforts. Every rose has its thorn, however, and defensive-minded wings Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute departed since the Rockets had reached the salary cap’s limits with Paul and Capela’s contracts. Without the same depth as in last season’s excellent campaign, Houston may struggle to return to the heights it reached a year ago.

 

New in Town

As the youngest player to ever lead his team to a EuroLeague championship while winning MVP and Finals MVP, Luka Dončić is one of the most intriguing draftees the NBA has ever seen. The 6’6” Slovenian point-forward has drawn comparisons to the likes of Larry Bird for his shooting, passing, and basketball IQ. The Dallas Mavericks made a last-minute trade on draft night for Dončić, sending their fifth overall pick and a future first-rounder to Atlanta. The Hawks used that fifth selection to acquire Trae Young, the player who some believe will become the next Steph Curry. Young led the NCAA in both points and assists per game; however, struggles late in his freshman season have caused concern as to how his skills will translate to the NBA.

 

Features

A cloudy future

by Gabriel Helfant on

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I am one of few people who owe a great deal to cigarettes. My parents met in the smoking section of an airplane and got married soon after. Unfortunately, I won’t find the love of my life in the smoking section of an airplane. As of May 2018, I won’t find my cigarette-toting life partner on McGill’s campus either.

Men's Varsity, Sports

McGill men’s lacrosse score 17 goals in commanding win over Ottawa

by Miya Keilin on

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On Sept. 20, the McGill Redmen (5-0) hosted the Ottawa Gee Gees (1-3) at Forbes Field. Despite the 8:30 p.m. start time and cold breeze, fans cheered the Redmen on to their 17-8 victory.

“[We were looking to] win big,” second-year attackman Patrick Turner said. “We’ve had a couple close games, we wanted to step on these guys’ throats and win big.”

McGill was dominant from the start. Fourth-year attackman Maxime Murdoch opened up scoring a mere two minutes into the game, and Turner quickly followed with three successive goals of his own. The Redmen went on to score two more goals and finished the first quarter up 6-1.

“We definitely wanted to come out harder than we have in the last four games, and I think we did that today,” Murdoch said. “Patrick [Turner] came out hot with three goals, and that set the tone for the rest of the game.”

McGill kept the pressure on in the second quarter, putting up five more goals and allowing just two. Though their offensive success was the story of the game, the Redmen defenders and goaltender Michael Gallo came up with some momentous stops on the other end of the field.

“Our defence looked really great,” Head Coach Tim Murdoch said. “Our goaltender had a tremendous game. [….] On top of that, [third-year defenceman] Tanner Baldin and [second-year defenceman] Oliver Bolsterli, [who are] anchoring our defence, both had fantastic games. They were marking the two best players on the Ottawa team, and I thought that they did a really good job of containing them.”

With an 11-3 lead going into the second half, the Redmen started getting their second and third-line players into the game. McGill didn’t control the game quite like it did in the first half, but the performance was compelling nonetheless, and the Redmen ultimately came out on top 17-8.

“We’re a really deep team,” Turner said. “The guys on the bench can do just as much as the starters can do.”

After a few close games this season, the Redmen were relieved with this blowout win.

“[Ottawa] […] took us to overtime last weekend,” Murdoch said. “They have a lot of great athletes, but we felt that, last weekend, we really underperformed on the road. [….] To see the guys come out tonight and look so dominant was very reassuring, and beating a team like Ottawa by nine goals is impressive.”

Maxime Murdoch attributed the Redmen’s success to staying focused until the final minute.

“We’ve been struggling to put together four quarters but, I think today we did okay,” Maxime Murdoch said.  “I think it was our best game of the season so far.”

McGill will now take advantage of their bye weekend to rest, recover, and look ahead to their next game at Bishop’s (2-2).

“[Bishop’s is] always a tough test, especially over in Lenoxville,” Coach Murdoch said. “We lost the game to them last year by a goal, so it’s going to be an important game for us.”

 

Moment of the Game:

Maxime Murdoch accelerated across the face of the goal, in an epic, near-diving shot on net, to score his fourth goal of the game.

Quotable:

“I think it’s a mentality thing. We had team meeting the other day, and I think that [the meeting] kind of shaped us up, and we were ready to go.” – Patrick Turner on the Redmen’s improvement from recent performances

Stat Corner:

Turner and Maxime Murdoch scored four goals each, but seven other players also contributed to McGill’s 17 goals.

Science & Technology

The evolving coverage of depression and suicide in the media

by Margaret Wdowiak on

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In 2017, Netflix released the series 13 Reasons Why, sparking a media frenzy about the show’s portrayal of suicide.

In a recent study, Robert Whitley, an assistant professor in McGill’s Department of Psychiatry, investigated the Canadian media’s coverage of 13 Reasons Why. Collecting data from 20 Canadian news outlets, Whitley’s team found that the series was generally covered in a responsible way; most articles quoted mental health experts and linked the main character’s suicide to broader social issues. Additionally, the majority of the articles did not include the word ‘commit’— a legal term implying criminality— and avoided discussing suicide methods in detail. Describing methods has been linked to suicide contagion, and thus avoiding it is crucial.

The compelling reporting on 13 Reasons Why matches a general trend in mental health coverage. A study from 2005 to 2015 analyzing the portrayal of mental illness in Canadian media noted an increase in articles that incorporated quotes from mental health experts and a decrease in stigmatizing content.

According to Whitley, the overall improvement in the media’s treatment of mental illness is partly due to a set of guidelines from the Mental Health Commission of Canada that dictate how to report on topics related to mental health. The guidelines urge journalists to avoid identifying someone by their disease (e.g. schizophrenic) and to never evaluate suicide as being ‘successful’ or ‘unsuccessful.’

Despite a general improvement in the evolution of media coverage over the last decade, Whitley found that only a small percentage of articles about 13 Reasons Why provided information regarding how suicidal or depressed individuals can get the help they need.

For instance, articles from The Globe and Mail about the recent suicide of designer Kate Spade failed to provide resources outlining available mental health services.

“[Most] journalists are under a lot of pressure to write short articles,” Whitley said. “They don’t always have [the] time or space […] to include all the information we suggest [….] It’s very difficult to include all the information you might want to include in a 600 word article.”

Whitley has nonetheless witnessed a number of campaigns dedicated to overcoming the constraints of media coverage.

“My colleagues have travelled to most of the major journalism schools in Canada including Ryerson, Carleton, UBC [and] Dalhousie and we’ve given seminars,” Whitley said. “I think this has been very [successful] in helping them become better acquainted with mental health knowledge. We’ve also developed an online training course for journalists which is available at the Mental Health Commission of Canada website.”

Programs such as Whitley’s recognize the important influence of the media and push for continued evolution of mental health coverage.

 

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health you may benefit from seeking support from McGill services such as: Peer Support, Nightline, TAO, Vent Over Tea, SACOMSS and 7 cups. In case of emergency, please call 911 or campus security at 514-398-3000 (Downtown) or 514-398-7777 (Macdonald).

Arts & Entertainment, Music

Hozier delivers a mesmerizing performance at L’Olympia

by Demaris Oxman on

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It’s been four years since Hozier released his self-titled debut album, a work that captivated listeners across the world. Ever since, fans have been desperate to hear more, waiting on the edge of their seats for a follow-up that, for some, felt like it might never come. However, fans’ prayers were answered this summer when Hozier announced the release of a new EP, to be followed by an album in addition to dates for his current world tour.

His tour made its stop in Montreal this past week. Hozier’s performance thrilled the crowd at L’Olympia on Sept. 18, leaving them hungry for his next album’s release.

The night’s opening act was Irish duo Hudson Taylor, a lesser-known band hailing from Dublin, where Hozier also got his start. They kicked off the night with a short setlist of high-spirited indie folk, complete with fiddles and lively harmonies. Their enthusiasm was infectious, and the pair succeeded in boosting the crowd’s energy before Hozier took the stage.

From the start, Hozier built expectations for a spectacular night. Opening with the title track of his new EP, Nina Cried Power, the crowd’s anticipation was almost palpable. The delivery of new material kept excitement high for a performance that did not disappoint.

Hozier played a dynamic setlist of both well-known songs and tracks from the new EP, also offering a sneak-peek of his yet-to-be-released album with “Movement.” A dark and plaintive track, “Movement” included everything audiences expected: Complex, ambiguous lyrics, a rich emotional atmosphere, and Hozier’s unmistakable style.

In addition to satisfying his fans’ desires for new material, Hozier gave passionate performances of old favorites from his first album. He got the crowd grooving with a rhythm-driven version of “Someone New,” laid a hush over the room with the heartbreaking “Cherry Wine,” and closed the main set with his biggest hit, “Take Me to Church.” For the encore, the band delivered a resonant, moving rendition of “Work Song,”—a perfect finale for the show. A hauntingly-beautiful narrative of two tortured souls finding peace, the final track left the audience with a feeling of solace after an emotionally intense experience.

Hozier’s unique, ethereal voice is powerful in live performance. His music has always felt like an intimate, soul-sharing experience, and is even more personal in concert. Hozier’s passion is evident in his stage presence, and its effect on the audience is extraordinary. In turn, the crowd’s enthusiasm never dwindled; they were on their feet throughout the show, roaring along with the anthemic choruses and softly singing along with tender acoustic tracks.

Hozier’s stage presence is as sincere as his lyrics—throughout the show, Hozier stressed his joy in being back in Montreal and his wholehearted appreciation for the cheers that welcomed him. His authenticity was heartwarming, and added another dimension to the strong connection he had formed with his audience that night.

“Words can’t express how grateful I am for this,” Hozier said to the crowd before his final encore.

Live music is, by nature, visceral and ephemeral. Hozier’s music is emotionally-stirring and the power of a live performance is especially cathartic. It’s an incomparable experience, and one that no fan of his should miss.

Out on the Town, Student Life

Cafés that are actually conducive to studying: Saint-Henri edition

by Sophia White on

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Students hoping to study off-campus and explore a new area in Montreal need look no further than Saint-Henri for a diverse selection of cafés that are both trendy and productive to studying. The McGill Tribune has compiled a guide to cafés to help students find the best option suited to their study preferences—this time, for the Saint-Henri neighbourhood.

Café Saint-Henri

Address: 3632 Notre-Dame St. W

Hours: 7:30 a.m. – 8 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday

Price: $$

A short walk from the Lionel-Groulx metro station, Café Saint-Henri offers a small food selection including vegan options and pastries, as well as a variety of coffees, teas, juices, and kombucha. They also sell their own coffee and roast the beans in-house. The sleek, minimal decor and quiet, low-key music make Café Saint-Henri the perfect place to get some work done without distraction. The space isn’t huge, so it might be tricky to get a table during peak hours, but, there are individual seats lining the windows as well as a couple of booths. One unique feature of this café is the church pews, which provide additional seating if visitors have work that doesn’t require a desk.

Features
Wifi?   ✓ Laptops
allowed?   ✓		 Accessible
outlets?  ✓		 Quiet?  ✓

 

 Caffè Farina

Address: 3422 Notre-Dame St. W

Hours: 7 a.m. – 11 p.m.

Price: $$

At this trendy Italian café and restaurant, the atmosphere is bright, clean, and fun. The staff is friendly and accommodating, and the Italian food is authentic and delicious. Depending on the time of day, Caffè Farina serves a variety of pastries, sandwiches, salads, and small plates. However, be aware that they play loud music, so this spot is probably best for some lighter studying or group work. Furthermore, most tables aren’t equipped with outlets, so charging devices beforehand is a must. There are plenty of small tables scattered around the entrance and a long, communal table in the back, which is ideal for group studying.

Features
Wifi?   ✓ Laptops
allowed?   ✓		 Accessible
outlets?  x		 Quiet?  x

 

 La Luncheonette

Address: 4271 St. Jacques St.

Hours: 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday

Price: $$

Located minutes away from the Place Saint-Henri metro station, La Luncheonette offers a convenient spot for grabbing a bite to eat and getting readings done. The atmosphere is light and airy, and the room is decorated with hanging plants and funky light fixtures. This café serves a variety of hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, soups, pastries, desserts, and cocktails. It is relatively quiet, and though laptops are allowed, there aren’t very many outlets to charge your devices. There are plenty of tables inside the café, as well as an outdoor terrace in the back—so, make sure to check this spot out before it gets too chilly.

Features
Wifi?   ✓ Laptops
allowed?   ✓		 Accessible
outlets?  x		 Quiet?  ✓

 

Campanelli

Address: 4634 Notre-Dame St. W

Hours: 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday, Closed Sunday

Price: $

This cozy café, decorated with vintage posters and rustic skateboards, is a great place to grab a coffee and hang out. The café offers good coffee, friendly customer service, and a relaxed atmosphere. Although it’s small, Campanelli has a decent range of seating options. Though it only serves a limited selection of drinks and pastries, the staff prepare customers’ meals quickly, and the food tastes delicious. It’s not too loud there, so, provided there are still seats available, Campanelli is a great option for getting work done.

 

Features
Wifi?   ✓ Laptops
allowed?   ✓		 Accessible
outlets?  ✓		 Quiet?  ✓

 

 Cordova

Address: 4606 Notre-Dame St. W

Hours: 7 a.m. – 11 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, 7 a.m. – 12 a.m. Thursday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 12 a.m. Saturday, 8 a.m. – 11 p.m. Sunday

Price: $$

Last, but certainly not least, this sleek, Spanish-style café doubles as a bar and serves a selection of  pastries and tapas. Cordova is located down the street from Campanelli and offers a little more space to spread out. It’s a bit on the louder side, especially later in the day when happy hour customers start to trickle in, but Cordova is laptop-friendly and offers a clean, modern environment to study casually.

Features
Wifi?   ✓ Laptops
allowed?   ✓		 Accessible
outlets?  x		 Quiet?  x

 

Hockey, Sports

NHL offseason recap

by Owen Gibbs on

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Johnny Hockey comes home

Two years of trade speculation finally drew to a close when John Tavares reached free agency this summer. After almost a decade in New York, the superstar centre opted to leave the Islanders and sign a seven-year, $77 million contract with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. Despite salary cap concerns, the Maple Leafs pulled the trigger on one of the biggest free-agent signings in NHL history. Tavares will join a loaded forward core, consisting of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and possibly William Nylander, too, that will be competitive for years to come.

 

Karlsson to California

The Ottawa Senators finally traded Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks on Sept. 13 for a number of players and draft picks. Though he had one of his lowest-ever point totals in the 2017-18 season, in the past decade Karlsson has been one of the league’s best defencemen and will be joining a Sharks blueline comprised of fellow stars Brent Burns and Marc-Édouard Vlasic. Karlsson’s acquisition complements the Sharks’ strong existing forward corps and goaltending well—and elevates them to true Stanley Cup contention potential.

#MelnykOut and other Senators problems

This past offseason has been rough on the Senators and their fans. Following the season’s end, news of a major locker-room rift between Karlsson and Mike Hoffman broke, forcing the team to trade each player away. Both Karlsson and Hoffman’s statuses as stars should have fetched the Senators hefty returns, but, in both cases, the yields were underwhelming. As a result, many fans demanded that General Manager Pierre Dorion and owner Eugene Melnyk leave the organization. To make matters worse, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, one of the Senators’ best remaining players, suffered a long-term Achilles tendon injury in training earlier this month. It’s going to be a long season in Ottawa.

The rebuilding Habs

Montreal Canadiens General Manager Marc Bergevin has often come under fire for trading key players for questionable returns. Early in June, he dealt winger Alex Galchenyuk to the Arizona Coyotes for centre Max Domi: Despite the Habs’ well-documented need for centre depth, critics pointed out that Domi had significantly less trade value than Galchenyuk and that the trade should have been more than a one-for-one swap. Later on at the draft, Bergevin reached to select centre Jesperi Kotkaniemi with the third overall pick despite many more NHL-ready players being available. Fortunately, he ended the summer by pulling off a legitimately good trade, sending captain Max Pacioretty to the Vegas Golden Knights for left-winger Tomáš Tatar, skilled prospect Nick Suzuki, and a draft pick.

Ilya’s back

Ever since his abrupt departure from the NHL for his native Russia in 2013, Ilya Kovalchuk has hinted at returning to the league numerous times. This summer, he went through with the move. Amidst the chaos surrounding Tavares on July 1, Kovalchuk quietly signed a three-year, $18.75 million contract with the Los Angeles Kings. There may be issues: Kovalchuk will be 35 years old when the season begins, and history has not been not kind to aging players. That said, Kovalchuk put up stellar numbers during his five seasons with SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League, and the Kings can reasonably hope that he will be a reliable contributor to an offensive lineup that desperately needs more scoring.

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