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Arts & Entertainment, Music

The Coronas set to take North American stages by storm

by Kevin Vogel on

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In the summer of 2016, an indie pop rock band hailing from Dublin called the Coronas burrowed themselves in the quaint County of Dingle on the southwestern coast of Ireland. The work they created would eventually evolve into their fifth studio album, Trust the Wire, which made waves in both Irish and international markets upon its June 2017 release. Like much of their repertoire, the record explores introspective themes concerning love and fraternity, and, more specifically, touches on subjects like the band members’ experiences and uncertainty in the music industry.

“[When making the album, we asked ourselves] ‘What are we going to write about that we haven’t written about before?’” Danny O’Reilly, the band’s lead singer, said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “You have to write about what you’re going through and hope that people relate to it [….] I find that the more honest I am, the more that people relate to [my music].”

While Trust the Wire adds some zest to the Coronas’ typical easy-strumming guitar style with some folksy riffs like those in “Not What You Know,” the collection largely sticks to what has made the band so successful in its 10 years in the Irish spotlight: Gentle, harmonic chords that slowly crescendo into the crux of the songs. “Real Feel” features an electric guitar solo to finish up the song, and “We Couldn’t Fake It” culminates in a climatic fortissimo.

“These songs are about moments,” O’Reilly said. “Oftentimes we write a song and really it’s just about that climatic moment, and we try to build and create moments that create a special impact on people [….] Maybe it’s because we know it’s our strength. It just happens naturally.”

The album creation process began with the Coronas breaking away from Island Records, feeling like the label was not supporting the band enough as artists. The London-based production company that has managed talents including U2, Drake, and Ariana Grande, and worked with the group on their 2014 album The Long Way.

“We were at a crossroads,” O’Reilly said. “ [We] did some soul searching and made the decision to leave and release our content independently.”

Breaking away from Island Records eventually led to the formation of the Coronas’ independent production company, So Far So Good Records. With this newfound freedom, the band determined to experiment a new way of writing music. They traveled to the Irish countryside and the rest is history.

“With the last album we had it back in our mind that we signed with a major so let’s write singles, let’s write hits,” O’Reilly said. “[With] this album we didn’t go over the top, we tried creating something a little more atmospheric, a little more chill.”

The result came to be the most successful album the band has created to date. Topping at number one on the Irish music chart and just coming off a world tour last fall, the Coronas’ future looks promising. With British singer-songwriter Bobby Long opening, they begin their North American tour on Feb. 8 at Petit Campus in Montreal, to be followed by shows across Canada and the United States.

O’Reilly cites the band members’ close friendships with each other as a prime driver of their sustained success over the years and how that fuses itself in with their music.

“Obviously [while our music in Trust the Wire is] still about relationships and friendships, really it’s about the band and our desire and our ambition, you know, songs about writing songs,” O’Reilly said. “Trying not to get too caught up in the music industry.”

The Coronas are set to be on tour for much of 2018, after which O’Reilly hopes to work on a new album.

The Coronas are set to perform at Petit Campus this Thursday, Feb. 8 at 8pm. Tickets are available online.

From the BrainSTEM, Science & Technology

Cloning: A tale of two monkeys

by Océane Marescal on

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At the end of 2017, researchers in Shanghai successfully cloned primates for the first time: Two macaque monkeys they named Hua hua and Zhong zhong. Published in the latest edition of the journal Cell, this was the first time that a Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT)—a reproductive cloning strategy—was used on monkeys. SCNT is not a new technology: Dolly the sheep, the first mammal cloned using SCNT in 1996, and other animals like frogs, mice, rabbits, cows, and dogs have also undergone cloning via this method. Previous attempts to clone primates had failed before Mu-Ming Poo and his team from the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences successfully carried out the procedure.

While celebrated as a scientific advancement of epic proportions, the cloning of primates comes with many ethical considerations, and science is obliged to weigh the pros and cons of animal cloning.

Erika Kleiderman is a lawyer and an academic associate at the Centre of Genomics and Policy. Kleiderman shared her support for animal cloning and emphasized its potential in an interview with The McGill Tribune.

“One of the most important impacts of animal cloning is with regard to biomedical research,” Kleiderman said.

Animal models, notably primates, are the most reliable model organisms for researchers to study complex human diseases and test new treatment options. Genetically identical clones allow researchers to have better regulation of differences between treatment and control groups. Any difference between the clones post-treatment can be attributed to the testing condition, and not genetic difference.

Kleiderman also suggested that animal cloning could serve a useful purpose in species conservation efforts and food production.

“[There is also] the possibility to save endangered species, improve animal breeding, and increase humans’ food sources by producing more meat at a quicker rate,” Kleiderman said. “Another more ethically contentious argument is the possibility of cloning deceased pets.”

Critics of animal cloning have argued against the claim that it could have beneficial scientific applications. The most common concerns surround animal cruelty or suffering, and the conditions in which cloned animals are kept in laboratories.

Many question the financial feasibility of keeping cloned animals as test subjects. Cloning is a time and labour-intensive area of research with a very low success rate and a high price tag. In Poo’s study, only two macaques of the 109 cloned embryos survived until birth.  

Some scientists worry that cloning is a “slippery slope”: If we allow animal cloning, it might only be a matter of time before we move on to cloning humans. The recent cloning of these monkeys, being members of the order of primates, brings greater attention to this question.

Kleiderman explained the basics of human cloning.

“When we talk about human cloning, there are two categories: Therapeutic cloning and reproductive cloning,” Kleiderman said. “Therapeutic cloning entails creating a cloned embryo to harvest stem cells for the purpose of treating a disease or an injury, whereas reproductive cloning entails implanting a cloned embryo into a woman for the purpose of creating a human being that is genetically identical to another human being.”

Some countries, including Belgium, China, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Israel, allow the use of therapeutic cloning. Human reproductive cloning, on the other hand, is banned internationally.

“Banning reproductive cloning aims to protect the identity and integrity of the human species, as well as human life in general,” Kleiderman explained.

In Canada, both forms of human cloning are prohibited under the Assisted Human Reproduction Act, with any individual found guilty liable to a fine of up to $500,000 or imprisonment of up to 10 years, or both.

As advancements in science bring human cloning closer to reality, it’s important to figure out where we stand.

“It would be important to reignite public discussion on the topic of human cloning in order to consider permissible applications of the technology, if any, as well as the best ways to move forward regarding its regulation,” Kleiderman said.

 

What are your views on animal cloning?

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Science & Technology

Tide Pods: Uncovering the science behind the meme

by Ariella Garmaise on

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In an internet age that boasts impressively dumb viral video challenges—neknominations, the cinnamon challenge, and the Kylie Jenner lip challenge, to name a few—it takes both creativity and tenacity to rise above the rest. Enter the Tide Pod trend, the YouTube phenomenon in which challengers attempt to eat chemically toxic detergent packets. The game has landed over 12,000 participants in the emergency room in 2017 alone, where Joe Schwarcz—chemistry professor and the director of the Office of Science and Society (OSS)—explained that doctors are “forced to treat teenagers who had fallen off the evolutionary ladder.” The Tide Pod challenge has become fashionable even among Canada’s supposedly best and brightest, and includes an incident at McGill’s very own Upper Residences. Nonsensical but literally bursting on the scene, the challenge’s danger can be attributed to the detergent’s complex chemical makeup.

With the detergent’s bright blue and orange pattern and lollipop-esque swirl, infants confused Tide Pods for candy long before it was an Internet gag. For the first two years after the product’s release in 2011, an average of one American child was sent to the hospital every day for mistakenly ingesting a Tide Pod. Developers at Proctor & Gamble—the multinational corporation that manufactures Tide products—began responding to this health crisis in 2015.

“They coat the outside of the tide pods with a bitter taste to discourage children from eating it,”  University of Toronto Doctor of Pharmacy student Charlotte Boone explained. “That bitter taste makes children automatically feel nauseous.”

Even if you can’t get past the bitter taste and nausea, Tide Pods can do damage even before you swallow.

“When you first put [Tide Pods] in your mouth, the pH can begin to kill the cells in your mouth before it even reaches your gastrointestinal tract,” Boone said.

The damage increases after the Tide Pod is ingested, harming the body’s internal organs.

“The irritation going down your esophagus can cause you to rapidly inhale,” Boone said. “If the detergent gets into your lungs, it can even damage the mucous membrane in your lungs. As well, it can cause heartburn [….] If you’re consuming many pods, it can even perforate your esophagus, cause your stomach to ulcer, cause further heartburn, and this is when it gets really, really dangerous.”

Tide Pods are packed with over 700 chemicals, and while their constitution parallels that of regular detergent, their toxicity is compounded by a high concentration. To prevent the pods’ contents from dissolving the external packaging, Tide Pods must have a maximum water weight of seven per cent. At such high concentrations, chemicals in Tide Pods can be deadly when ingested.

“There’s hundreds of chemicals in [Tide Pods], such as quaternium-15,” Boone said. “When absorbed in the human body, [quaternium-15] can actually release formaldehyde [….] Formaldehyde will cause irritation in the respiratory tract, and skin and rash irritations, but then it can be fatal at really high concentrations.”

Moreover, scientists are still unsure of the total extent of the effects that Tide Pods can have when ingested.

“It’s not as though there’s randomized control trials to see the effects of these chemicals on the human body, because they’re not meant for consumption,” Boone said.

Scientists have numerous recommendations for how to prevent poisonings. For families with infants, they recommend liquid or powdered detergent that will deter toddlers from mistaking the pods for candy. Parents can also carry Ipecac, a drug that induces vomiting in the event that their child ingests any toxic substances. In an effort to mitigate the damage that this viral social media challenge has inflicted, YouTube has begun removing Tide Pod challenge videos to discourage viewers from participating.

As Schwarcz explained in an OSS Newsletter on Jan. 26, the Tide Pod challenge is simply not worth the medical risk.

“Biting into a laundry pod has no point,” Schwarcz wrote “Other than to demonstrate the mental shortcomings of the biter.”

McGill, News

“McGill’s forgotten freshmen” Facebook group compensates for glitch

by Laura Oprescu on

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To overcome an error preventing some students from accessing McGill’s Facebook Community, first-year students and some students from other graduating classes have turned to the McGill’s Forgotten Freshmen (MFF) Facebook group. Membership to McGill’s Facebook community is required to access hundreds of groups affiliated with the university— users must link their registered McGill email to their account. Over the past semester, many students with working emails have nonetheless been unable to verify them.

MFF administrator Keating Kenna Reid, U0 Arts, created the group on Oct. 14, 2017. It has since grown to serve 690 members and counting.

“Really, I started it as a joke, I didn’t expect it to get more than a few dozen members at most,” Reid said. “I didn’t have any serious goal of raising awareness or getting the problem fixed, I’m a little too cynical to think anything is going to change with this issue.”

Despite his pessimism, the group has grown far beyond what Reid imagined. In addition to posting memes and complaints, members now discuss temporary solutions and share their attempts to tackle the error.

“Next thing I knew, something like a hundred people had joined in a week,” Reid said. “I don’t think about it much, truthfully. I did call IT services at one point. They said they couldn’t do anything about it, which I think is true. I heard on [the reddit forum] r/mcgill that other universities are having the same issue.”

The Facebook error currently affects dozens of universities, including Bishop’s University, McMaster University, Concordia University, University of British Columbia (UBC), and University of Toronto. Jessica Goodsell, director of Communications and Marketing of the Students’ Representative Council at Bishop’s University, advises students with improvised solutions to the problem.

“[Students] have made [their own Bishop’s University] Facebook groups, which hasn’t posed too many problems,” Goodsell said. “[Students] have gone to our IT department and there’s nothing they can do. It’s a very strange problem, and I think it’s on Facebook’s end.”

Some McGill groups choose to remain closed to the general public because it protects them from spam posts and ensures that only McGill students can view their information. This is important for McGill Housing, a closed group within the McGill Facebook community that primarily seeks to connect students looking for roommates and apartments. While others, like McGill University Book Exchange, were created to be open to the public, many larger pages cannot alter their privacy settings, as Facebook prevents those with over 5,000 members from doing so.

Laurie Devine, social media manager at McGill’s Media Relations Office (MRO), is currently working with students to tackle the problem.

“I first heard about [the error] early in the term, when new students were trying to join groups,” Devine said. “Though [students] gave their McGill email addresses to the admins, they still weren’t able to join the groups. A few of them sent emails to me thinking that, as I manage the main McGill page I was the admin, which isn’t the case.”

Devine claims she reported the error to Facebook several times, without response. However, she suggests that students lacking access to the McGill Facebook community use Yammer, a closed social network run by Microsoft Office that connects members who belong to the same email domain. The layout is similar to Facebook’s, with a newsfeed and community groups. However, McGill’s Yammer community currently has 5,000 members, while McGill’s Facebook community has over 58,000.

In an email to The McGill Tribune, McGill IT Services urged students experiencing the error not to contact them, as they are unable to offer any assistance, and advised students to take their complaints to Facebook instead.

“We are unable to comment on this issue as this does not involve McGill IT services,” McGill IT wrote. “Facebook’s McGill community is not affiliated with nor endorsed by McGill.”

Art, Arts & Entertainment

Symbols of Resistance celebrates Montreal’s black artists

by Keira Seidenberg on

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Symbols of Resistance, on display at Galerie Mile-End Ame Art until the end of Black History Month, is an exhibition showcasing the work of local and international black artists. Annick Gold, organizer, along with a committee, selected the work of Kay Nau, Glowzi, Sika Valmé, Valérie Bah, Chelsy Monie, Carl-Philippe Simonise, Aïssatou Diallo, and Po B. K. Lomani after receiving as many as 30 submissions. While Symbols of Resistance is currently based out of Montreal, the artists and organizers of the event hope to eventually mobilize their message and take the show on tour.

Through a series of mixed media works, including photography, digital art, print, and painting, the artists expand on themes that encapsulate the past and present, individual and collective identities, and underlying elements of sexuality, gender, and resistance. The exhibition hopes to continue the dialogue about interracial relations and the role of black individuals within the Montreal community that often seems restricted to the thirty day period.

“Often these conversations are only had in black history month, and then it’s like they just don’t exist anymore,” Gold said. “We want to make sure that this conversation goes on further and that these black artists have opportunities on a long term.”

Sika Valmé, originally of Haitian descent, uses her work to explore the intersection of sound and visuals that is expressed in her art. In Symbols of Resistance, her work catches moments of tension in pen, marker, oil pastel, and crayon by juxtaposing thick and thin line work, organic and linear forms, elements more personal to the artist, and those that are recognizable to the audience. The fluidity of the form, and the somewhat doodle-like quality of the paintings instill a definitive musical quality to the work—Valmé captures a shower of notes, or the sensation of a pulsing beat through the psychologically abstract elements meant to express ‘introspective strength and human emotions.’

In addition to her art, Valmé also writes and produces her own music, and while her own sounds undoubtedly inspire much of the visual art she produces, other artists such as Bonobo, the Cranberries, and Thievery Corporation prompted the introspective quality of the pieces seen in the show.

Though portraiture is typically used to celebrate an individual’s identity, Chelsy Monie’s “Crowning” instead encourages the viewer to reflect on the significance of the head wrap in the black community and challenges the traditional roles of audience and subject. The piece uses the figures’ blacked out and ‘soulless’ eyes as a way for the viewer to embody her. The six-part series is composed of print-on-wood auto portraits, each capturing a black and white moment of Monie wearing a head wrap, and using topographical detailing and grid lines that have been inscribed onto the figures.

“Topographic maps are maps where lines and curves are used to represent the reliefs on land,” Monie said. “What this allows you to do is to view the head wrap as showing a location that is in space and time, and this is [only] emphasized by the lines of longitude and latitude. I’m really trying to have the viewer question how we can look at  space.”

There is an eerie quality to Monie’s work, allowing the viewer to confront historical and contemporary conceptions of traditional garments, and the discomfort found in removing distinct facial features such as the eyes. As part of her self-created program, Ubuntu Talks, Monie will also be wearing a head wrap every day for the month of February, as a way of exploring the role of the head wrap in black culture and the way it will change her perceptions of her own identity.

Symbols of Resistance is an exhibition both about individual artists’ experiences within the black community, and a way for them to become a part of movements and conversations entrenched in global and Canadian history. Art is offered as a medium for transcending time; within each photograph or stroke of a digital pen, viewers are made to step outside of a hashtag or temporary profile picture into a position of greater compassion and racial solidarity.

McGill, News

AUS to create people of colour committee

by Nina Russell on

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At its latest Legislative Council meeting on Jan. 24, the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) passed a motion to create an Ad hoc People of Colour Committee to provide a forum for people of colour (PoC) to talk about their experiences as Arts students.

The committee aims to help foster dialogue about discrimination that PoC face, and promote education about race, ethnicity, and culture through events like conversation circles and a multicultural day. AUS hopes the committee will ultimately encourage PoC students to apply for positions at AUS and campaign for its executive offices.

The committee will be open to anyone who self-identifies as a PoC and works for the AUS in any capacity, but events that it hosts will be accessible to all McGill students.

“I think it needs to be understood that PoC already don’t have a lot of space to have these conversations, and it’s more important that [as PoC] we have this space to talk about how we feel right now and what we want before we can engage and interact with everyone else,” Arts Representative Jennifer Chan said. “It’s a first step toward […] greater institutional change. It shows that we, as AUS, are really trying to make student government a more accessible space for people of colour.”

Chan expressed optimism that the new committee will ease the emotional burden on PoC councillors to speak up about racism and microaggressions.

“The labour should not be […] on people of colour to point out racism and so a PoC [committee] would allow for space where we don’t have that burden,” Chan said. “We’re just talking about what happens, how we feel, and I think it would be really productive for us to have these conversations in a safe space.”

The idea for the committee was initially proposed by former AUS vice-president (VP) Communications Chanèle Couture De-Graft, who shared the suggestion with current VP Communications Maria Thomas.

While Thomas says she has not experienced any overt racism during her term, she feels the committee will address passive or subconscious racism in AUS.

“I have come to a meeting and been the only person of colour at the table, and that sometimes, I find is very difficult,” Thomas said. “[Councillors might] be discussing something and being ignorant about something just due to their privilege, and something to me that is so objective and blatant is not so obvious to others, and it can be very isolating.”

In an interview with The McGill Tribune, McGill Environment Students’ Society Co-President Tuviere Okome expressed support for the creation of a space for PoC to discuss sensitive topics within AUS.

“The committee is good because there’s a space to talk about issues which may be sensitive to white people,” Okome said. “I find I get frustrated when I don’t get to speak my mind completely because of an all-white audience who might not react well to what I am saying. The committee helps with the frustration which I imagine a lot of PoC have.”

According to Department of English Student Association VP External Thomas MacDonald, the need for such a space has become increasingly prevalent over the past year following the Students’ Society of McGill University Fall 2017 Referendum question to raise the SSMU General Assembly (GA) quorum to 350.

“This space is especially critical now after many students feel that the [General Assembly] GA quorum raise has effectively shut out some minority voices,” MacDonald said. “Therefore, the onus should not be on this new committee to cater to white students.”

Sports

Names and stories to watch at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games

by Emma Avery, Jordan Foy, Gabe Nisker, Owen Gibbs, Miya Keilin, Ender McDuff, and Nicholas Jasinski on

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The 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Games are right around the corner, and a fresh set of Olympic heros are waiting in the wings. The Canadian delegation—225 athletes strong—is the largest in history. While every athlete hopes to capture Olympic gold, only a select few—from a wide variety of backgrounds—will have a shot.

Speed Skating

Emma Avery

As usual, neither Canada’s long-track nor short-track speed skating teams have a shortage of stars. Of particular note on the men’s long-track roster, four-time Olympic medallist Denny Morrison, who incredibly bounced back from both a motorcycle crash in 2015—including a punctured lung and fractured femur—and a stroke in 2016. Morrison will be joined in PyeongChang by his wife, long-track skater Josie Morrison, who looks to cement her presence on the international stage after a career-first World Cup medal in November 2017. Meanwhile, Dutch-born 31-year-old Ted-Jan Bloemen heads into the Games fresh off of four World Cup podium finishes in Fall 2017—including a world record-setting 5000 m time in Salt Lake City.

While only four of the 19 Canadian long-track skaters hail from Quebec, the short-track side—save for one coach and one skater—is entirely Quebecois, including Olympic veterans and power couple Charles Hamelin and Marianne St-Gelais, who have said they will retire later this year. The former, who has four Olympic medals to his name, is competing in multiple short-track events and has a shot at becoming Canada’s most-decorated Olympian ever, while his brother, François, will also return to represent Team Canada again. The women’s roster features a large pool of new talent in three promising Olympic rookies, Kim Boutin, Jamie Macdonald, and Kasandra Bradette.

 

Figure Skating

Jordan Foy

Sending a powerhouse team to the Olympics, Canada is a safe bet to bring home some hardware—especially since the squad is the largest figure skating team at the Games—with 17 skaters in 11 total entries. The team is led by veterans Patrick Chan, Meagan Duhamel, Eric Radford, and flag-bearers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, who all hope to go out with a bang before retiring. The team also features some of the next generation’s stars, with as Julianne Séguin and Charlie Bilodeau participating in their first Olympic games.

 

Curling

Gabe Nisker

Your new favourite Olympic event is here: For the first time ever, the 2018 Olympic Games will feature the mixed doubles event in curling. Representing Canada, Alberta’s John Morris and Manitoba’s Kaitlyn Lawes hope to take down seven other pairings from across the world. Morris is a full-time firefighter and author of a curling-specific fitness guide titled Fit to Curl, and Lawes is a sales representative for a curling supplies company. Prior to their run at the Canadian Olympic trials, the two only had one opportunity to practice together. If Olympic mixed doubles curling is on, you’re going to want to “hurry hard” to the nearest television.

 

Bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton

Owen Gibbs

These Olympics have the potential to be very successful for Canadian sliders. In women’s bobsleigh, Kaillie Humphries hopes to become the first-ever bobsledder to win a third consecutive gold medal. On the men’s side, pilot Justin Kripps will arrive in PyeongChang as a gold-medal favourite, rolling off a red-hot World Cup season in which he finished atop the standings. After placing fourth in three of the four luge events in Sochi, the Canadian sliders will aim to add to the single bronze medal in their collection. Outside of Canada, Latvia’s Martins Dukurs is the man to watch: He will be chasing his second consecutive gold in men’s skeleton, and just the third ever for his country.

 

Ski Jump/Nordic Combined

Gabe Nisker

With a rigorous qualification process behind them, two Calgarian ski jumpers hope to land a podium spot in PyeongChang over the next few weeks. Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes will represent the Canadian men and Taylor Henrich will represent the Canadian women.

No Canadians qualified for Nordic Combined events. Instead, you’ll find Germany’s Eric Frenzel, who looks to defend his gold medal from the individual normal hill/10km event at the 2014 Olympics. Silver medallist Akito Watabe from Japan is right on his tail, as is 2010 Olympic gold medalist Jason Lamy-Chappuis from France—who doubles as a French border patrolman when he’s not on the slopes.

 

Cross-country Skiing

Miya Keilin

Alex Harvey, a 29-year-old from Quebec, has earned more medals than any other Canadian skier in non-Olympic competitions. Yet, he has never won a single Olympic medal—similar to his father, Pierre Harvey. Pierre competed in four different Olympic games between 1976 and 1988 as both a cross-country skier and a cyclist, becoming the first Canadian man to compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympic games, but without a medal to show for it. He’ll be cheering on his son in PyeongChang with the hopes that the Harveys can finally add an Olympic medal to their long list of accomplishments.

 

Freestyle Skiing

Ender McDuff

After winning more medals (nine) than any other country in freestyle skiing at the 2014 Sochi Games, Canada is a clear powerhouse. As one of the most exciting disciplines on display at the Winter Games, freestyle skiing includes four judged events: Moguls, aerials, halfpipe, and slopestyle, as well as one timed event, ski cross. Canadian teammates have grown accustomed to sharing the podium with one another, fueling team competition and drive; however, Montreal sisters Justine and Chloé Dufour-Lapointe, who split the top two spots in the women’s mogul competition in Sochi, take friendly sibling rivalry to a new level. The Dufour-Lapointe sisters were only the third pair of sisters to share the podium in Olympic history.

 

Alpine Skiing

Nicholas Jasinski

The alpine team event will make its Olympic debut at the 2018 Games in PyeongChang on Feb. 24, joining the men and women’s downhill, super-G, slalom, giant slalom, and combined individual events to round out the alpine skiing schedule. The day-long event will feature competing countries’ top two male and female skiers each individually racing another nation’s skier down parallel slalom courses. Each win earns a country a point, with the lowest combined time serving as a tiebreaker if needed. Sixteen countries will face off in a knockout bracket, seeded by their national team rankings. It’s the first Olympic alpine event to do away with the individual focus of the sport, allowing countries to better participate as a team.

 

Hockey

Jordan Foy

Canadian hockey fans were upset that NHL players won’t be competing in PyeongChang, but that doesn’t mean the tournament won’t be exciting. Ultimately, the league’s unpopular decision might prove to be good for fans, as the playing field this Olympics may be more competitive than it’s ever been. Just because the players on the Canadian team don’t play in the NHL, doesn’t mean they won’t be exciting to root for. For example, Wojtek Wolski broke his neck playing in the Kontinental Hockey League last spring, and now he’s an Olympian. How can you not cheer that guy on?

Meanwhile, the Canadian women look poised to continue their international dominance at the PyeongChang Games as they shoot for their fifth consecutive gold medal. Most of the team that won gold in the 2014 overtime thriller against the United States is back for these games, led by dynamite forward Marie-Philip Poulin—captain of Les Canadiennes de Montréal. Among the many prominent players on the team is McGill alumnus and former Martlet hockey superstar Mélodie Daoust, who is competing in her second Olympic Games. Another name to watch out for is defender Brigette Lacquette, who is the first Indigenous woman to ever play for the Canadian women’s Olympic hockey team.

 

McGill, News

McGill alumni offer new tutoring services to give students more options

by Julie Guichard on

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On Nov. 21, Nimbus Tutoring Inc. launched an online tutoring service that matches McGill students with tutors—often master’s or PhD students—at the university. Nimbus plans to expand to Concordia students within the next few weeks.

According to Nimbus Founder and CEO William Liu, a McGill alumnus from the class of 2017, the idea for the platform came from his poor experiences with McGill’s Tutorial Service, which pairs tutees with undergraduate and graduate student tutors, or alumni who have graduated within the past two years. Tutors must obtain a grade of at least 80 per cent in courses they wish to teach, and teaching can only be done in-person.

“McGill tutorial is all done though email which leads to long waiting times,” Liu said. “Payments are also only done through cash, which many students find awkward.”

To avoid similar inefficiencies or discomfort, Nimbus’ app enables students to schedule and pay for appointments the day of and coordinate with their tutors to arrange plans.

“The tutoring industry is currently fragmented, and could benefit from the integration of technology,” Nimbus Marketing and Communications Director Josephine Kuo said. “We believe that by using technology, we can disrupt this industry and provide a platform that is better for both tutors and students.”

Nimbus describes itself as tutor-centric, since tutors can set their own prices according to their needs. Tutors are free to list their prices between $15 and $40 per hour, but most often charge around $15 to $25 compared to McGill Tutorial Services’ fixed $15 per hour price.

Nimbus’ long-term goal is to provide tutoring in subjects beyond what is found in university curricula.

“We want to expand to other fields, such as music, or hobbies, like pottery, for instance,” Liu said. “The premise is to create a platform where anyone with a speciality can share their knowledge through Nimbus.”

In addition to Nimbus, McGill students have access to many other resources. McGill’s own Tutorial service remains an accessible resource for students seeking help with their coursework. Caroline Monahan, U1 Arts, feels satisfied with the tutoring she received through the university.

“I didn’t have to wait at all,” Monahan said. “As soon as I contacted the tutor, I was able to meet with him. I thought the cost [to] quality ratio was incredible. I was receiving [great] tutoring for $15 dollars per hour. My tutor was flexible [and] could meet me anytime.”

McGill is looking to further improve its tutorial services over the span of this semester. In an email to the The McGill Tribune, Lina Di Genova, interim director of McGill Tutorial Services, shared her plans to solicit feedback from students and student associations to determine areas with high demand for tutoring.

“We will be [identifying] priority areas and [exploring] the possibility of new options, including group tutoring, tutor feedback mechanisms, and online [platform] options,” Di Genova said. “In cases when tutors are not readily available, we work with academic departments to find a tutor to support McGill students.”

In response to the lack of McGill-tailored tutorial services offered online, a company called GradeSlam, also founded by a McGill alumnus, Philip Cutler, has focused its services on online accessibility and unlimited tutoring for an annual fee of $50 per student.

“The GradeSlam tutors are available online 24/7 for any subject and students can work with a tutor for as long as they want, as often as they want,” Jacob Geller, marketing manager at GradeSlam, said.

GradeSlam also offers service called Essay Writing Review. Through this service, students can submit their written work in any field or language and receive feedback within 24 hours.

Student Life

Cafes that are actually conducive to studying: West of campus edition

by Amina Magnin & Ana Earl on

More in Student Life:

With midterms fast approaching, it’s becoming increasingly important for students to find study environments where they can focus to the best of their abilities. Thankfully, Montreal is home to a plethora of cafés, for those growing tired of McGill’s draining and dreary libraries. In addition to the many study spots around McGill and in the Plateau, the area west of campus boasts a multitude of trendy coffee shops for hitting the books. The McGill Tribune has compiled a short guide to help students find the best cafés West of campus for their study preferences.

Café Spoon

Address: 2183 Crescent St, Montreal, QC H3G 2C1
Opening hours:
Weekend (Sat – Sun): 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Weekdays (Mon – Fri): 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Located less than 10 minutes from McGill, this quaint cafe’s bright lighting, fast and free WiFi, and calm background music make it a uniquely cozy place to study. No need to worry about getting hungry throughout the day—Café Spoon’s menu offers a wide range of salads, soups, and sandwiches in the $9 to $10 range. If that’s too pricey, the cafe also offers smaller snacks and pastries—some of which are vegan and vegetarian. Also serving relatively-affordable coffees and teas, Café Spoon has the caffeine fix you need to keep your energy levels high throughout the day. However, with only 10 small tables, the lack of seating space and low number of outlets might not make this coffee shop the ideal place for working in a group or using your computer all day. Nevertheless, Café Spoon is a great place for a productive day of doing readings or studying in solitude.

Yelp rating: 4 / 5 stars
Tribune rating: 4 / 5 stars
Price: $$

 

Café Myriade

Address: 1432 Mackay St, Montreal, QC H3G 2H7
Opening hours:
Weekend (Sat – Sun): 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Weekdays (Mon – Fri): 7:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.

A 20 minute walk from McGill campus, Café Myriade is a great spot for those who can only work with absolutely no distractions. Located on the serene Mackay Street, this cafe offers a serene environment for those looking to catch up on readings or study textbook notes. And with no free WiFi available, students won’t have the Internet to derail their focus. However, Café Myriade’s very limited food menu, small seating space, and scarcity of outlets mean this spot might not be your best bet during busy study times—especially as midterm season approaches. Its large windows and abundance of natural lighting, relatively calm background music, and variety of affordable drinks do, however, make it a nice place to study for a few hours. Overall, this a great place to grab a coffee or tea, but not necessarily the best place to work for a full day, especially if you find yourself needing Internet for any assignments.

Yelp rating: 4.5/5
Tribune rating: 3/5
Price: $


Cafe Aunja

1448 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, QC H3G 1K4
Hours: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. everyday

Located on Sherbrooke Street West, just past the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Cafe Aunja has a cozy, eclectic vibe. This Persian cafe serves a wide variety of teas, coffee, and unique breakfast and lunch items, including vegan options, with sandwiches priced around $9 and salads from $4 to $6. As you enter the cafe, you can see that the space is divided into two rooms. In the main room, the tables are large enough to get some work done under big windows and twinkle lights. The cafe is most suited to individual studying as it is mainly furnished with small tables, with only one or two larger ones for groups. Also, the main room is a bit noisy during busy times, so students looking for a quieter work space can take respite in the back room of the cafe, which is more isolated from talkative coffee-goers. In choosing when to visit, note that this cafe gets rather busy in the evenings with guests who come to enjoy live music over dessert, so make sure to come before or after rush time at 6 p.m.. Aunja is open until 10 p.m. every night, so for those who can focus in loud environments, this is the ideal spot for late-night studying.

Yelp Rating: 4
Tribune Rating: 4.5
Price: $$


Kafein Café-Bar

1429 Bishop St, Montreal, QC H3G 2E4
Hours: Monday – Thursday: 9 a.m. – 12 a.m.
Friday: 9 a.m. – 2 a.m.
Saturday: 11 a.m. – 2 a.m.
Sunday:  11 a.m. – 7 a.m.

Kafein Café-Bar is a two-story café and bar serving coffee and $6 smoothies during the day, and $6 to $8 wine and cocktails in the evenings. This makes it the perfect spot for students who enjoy studying in a social atmosphere or those who like to reward a long day of studying with a drink. In addition to their beverages, Kafein Café-Bar has a varied food menu, which includes $8 salads and sandwiches, some of which are vegetarian and vegan. After ordering your food from the bar on the main floor, head up to the upper floor of the cafe-bar to study. This space has large windows, exposed brick, and two-person tables. Try to grab tables close to an outlet as well, which, unfortunately, are few and far between. The café plays loud music, so bring headphones if you prefer to work in silence. Assuming you’re able to grab a large enough table and an outlet, the cafe’s expansive menu, unlimited WiFi, and long hours make Kafein a good place to study all day long. 

Yelp Rating: 3.5
Tribune Rating: 4
Price: $$

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