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a, Features

Declassified: Mind control at McGill—a look at MK Ultra

by Julie Vanderperre on

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The Allan Memorial Institute is located in an ominous mansion, formerly known as Ravenscrag, that looms over Rue McTavish at the foot of Mont Royal. The sinister stone building, said to be haunted, is befitting of the grisly experiment that occurred within its walls from 1957 to 1964: Project MK ULTRA. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) mind control project used unconsenting patients to test the effects of sensory deprivation, LSD, electroshock therapy, and other methods of controlling the human psyche. Although it may sound like something out of a dystopian sci-fi novel, these experiments were conducted at McGill, with devastating effects on the patients involved.

Project MK ULTRA was a large-scale attempt by the CIA to research behavioural modification and the effects of certain drugs and psychological treatments on the human mind. It consisted of 144 different subprojects related to the control of human behaviour, which were carried out in 89 different institutions, including universities. The experiments within each subproject varied in both their purpose and techniques—but many, including those undertaken at McGill, involved invasive and unethical research on unwitting human subjects.

The events of Project MK ULTRA are cloaked in mystery, as almost all of the records of the project were destroyed in 1973 by Richard Helms, the director of the CIA at the time.  Several boxes of records were subsequently uncovered in 1977, revealing sparse but important information regarding the nature of the experiments. Most of the information regarding the project comes from these files that were recovered, and from the Senate hearings that were held and which included interviews with former CIA employees involved in MK ULTRA. During the hearings, these members admitted to the purpose of the project, as well as the unethical nature of several of the experiments.

Media outlets in the 1960s and ’70s jumped on the story when it was revealed, sensationalizing  facts. This, combined with the few records that are still in existence, make the truth surrounding MK ULTRA murky.

Despite the shrouded nature of the project and the hazy details surrounding it, it is certain that unethical experiments were performed at many institutions, including McGill University.

a, Editorial, Opinion

Accommodations require standardization at McGill University

by McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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Following a two-year battle with a student and the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC), York University will no longer require students to disclose mental health diagnoses before receiving special treatment for exam writing, assignment extensions, and other accordances. The issue of disclosure is highly contested at McGill, but the more fundamental issue at stake is in regard to accommodations. While the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) is working hard to ensure that it meets the growing demand for its services by standardizing its own procedures, such systematization must extend across the university campus. The McGill Senate, and student representatives to the Senate, must push for a uniform system for accommodating the needs of students.

Service Point, the OSD, and McGill Mental Health Services (MMHS) offer distinct and overlapping services to students seeking academic assistance. While the OSD and MMHS are admittedly understaffed, underfunded, and overexerted in the face of growing demand, a policy from Senate need not focus on these services. Instead, it ought to identify the possibilities for improved support in the classroom—not just for students with disabilities. Such a code must exist for each possible issue, whether it is a mental illness, a death in the family, or an injury, so that students know what they must do in order to receive the accommodations they need.

At McGill, a student must submit a diagnosis to the OSD in order to receive accommodations; however, students with mental illnesses often do not perceive their own illness as a disability, and thus do not register with the OSD. Consequently, professors are bestowed with substantial discretion over a student’s request for extra assistance, time, or support. There are some professors who will ask for a diagnosis, even though it is not within their rights to do so. Other professors may unilaterally decide that if a student misses a midterm, or an assignment for any excuse, their final grade will be weighted differently.

 

While education is the priority, there must be entrenched guidelines so that students are not faced with additional stresses when handling a family emergency or personal issue.

Mental illnesses typically develop and manifest in an individual’s late teens or early adult years, and are more likely to develop while in a high-stress environment, such as university. Though the nature of a mental breakdown is fundamentally sudden and unpredictable, some professors do not accept notes after the fact. Moreover, the OSD is essential for students to procure notes that will be accepted by professors. As far as the York case is concerned, some may claim that there is cause for concern—not needing to provide a diagnosis seems like an opportunity for abuse of the system. Yet there are no statistics to verify such a claim. The overwhelming sentiment is that accommodations will help those students who need it the most; they should not be punished because of the potential for slackers to take advantage of the greater flexibility.

A consistent system would ensure that professors and students have equal, fair expectations as to what the McGill system is and is not capable of. Professors must be held accountable so that their decisions are not arbitrary. In addition, all professors must understand that it is not always possible to get a note for acute mental illness. Any such policy must also detail the possibilities for recourse. For example, the university must decide whether a death certificate is required when a student claims a death in the family as a reason for absence. Students will therefore not have to cater to the distinct requirements of each professor, which is especially important when dealing with a personal tragedy.

Student senators are, therefore, the important link. This past year they were instrumental in creating a policy whereby no course could have a final worth more than 80 per cent of the final grade. More recently, the Senate passed a policy where a withdrawal can be removed from a transcript, if the student withdrew from university for a semester for a documented reason. Senate must do the same here.

Accommodations are an essential component of the university experience. While education is the priority, there must be entrenched guidelines so that students are not faced with additional stresses when handling a family emergency or personal issue. The current standards of each part of the McGill services chain are exemplary given their various constraints, but remain incomplete due to the recalcitrance of professors. Implementing an overarching, absolute procedure that details the guidelines for providing accessions is essential to protecting students and the educational standards of the university.

 

a, Student Life, The Viewpoint

The Viewpoint: Le Doggy Café

by Cindy Song on

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Le Doggy Café, which first opened in January 2015, is a Montreal café that allows you to eat in the presence of your dog. Located on the corner of Avenue du Mont-Royal Est and Avenue Papineau, this unique spot is a bring-your-own-dog café that offers enticing vegetarian and vegan dishes as well as drinks and desserts. 

When patrons first walk into the café, there is a small wooden gate that blocks the dogs on the inside from leaving when new customers come in. The bright yellow flowers and bathroom doors plastered with bright red fire hydrants keep the perfect setting for a dog. The décor is quirky with mismatching chairs, tables and wallpaper. The walls are decorated with framed pictures of dogs that have visited the café before, embuing the café with a homey aesthetic. Overall, there is an incredibly laid back atmosphere that allows patrons to feel right at home. The workers will come sit down with the dogs and chat with patrons over a cup of coffee. The café’s regulars know the staff very well and the dogs become part of the café’s family. Patrons can walk around the room, talk to other dog owners, and hang out with the animals.  

The menu has a wide variety ranging from smoothies and coffees to desserts and burgers. The energizing juice, made with a mix of lemonade and ginger, is refreshing and zesty—an afternoon drink with a kick if you are feeling tired. The meal portion of the menu offers vegetarian and and vegan options like the quinoa burger and vegan mac and cheese. While the prices can range from around $9 to $16, the experience with the dogs make it all worthwhile. For those not planning on staying at the café for long, a smoothie, juice, or slice of cake is bound to satisfy any cravings and keep patrons’ wallets happy. 

“It’s really busy on the weekends and pretty quiet during the weekdays so if you want to see more dogs I would recommend coming on the weekends,” Caroline Le Corre, a waitress at the café, explained.

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Despite the lack of dogs at the café, there was one beautiful five month old Weimaraner named Tolstoy that was there that day. His owner brings him to the café around two to three times a week, so the space is a great place for her to work while allowing Tolstoy to play. Her puppy can’t be left alone at home for too long and so Le Doggy Café is extremely convenient for her. 

Montreal also has a cat café that offers a similar concept to the doggy café except instead of bringing your own cat, the cats are owned by the store. The benefit of a bring your own dog café is that it offers the same experience that the cat café provides, on top of the fact that dog owners can also bring their own pet along. 

“The cats were very friendly but in general they are more likely to chill by themselves and we have to initiate contact with the cats,” said Isabelle Del Mundo, a regular at the cat café.

The dogs at Le Doggy Café, on the other hand, are not only well behaved but full of life and eager to meet new people and other dogs at the café.

“We recommend that owners exercise their dogs before coming here and advise people to be calm,” Le Corre added. “Every dog is different so it is hard to set up different rules for all dogs but we want everyone to feel comfortable. In fact, if owners think their dog would be more comfortable, they can bring them a mat. We have treats for sale if people want to buy them for their dog but it’s also okay if owners bring their own treats.”

Le Doggy Café is great place whether or not you are a dog owner. For those who need a study break, or simply left their furry friend at home, Le Doggy Café is a unique place for relaxing with a little dog therapy for the day.

a, Science & Technology

Visible invisibility: The science of cinematography

by Christopher Lutes on

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Just about everybody loves seeing a good movie. Though a person’s experience is tied to many different factors, it generally boils down to whether or not the viewer can relate to what they’re seeing on screen and how fully they become immersed in this imaginary world. This is contingent on factors that the average audience member can easily identify: Acting, plot, and visual effects. But the connection also depends on a network of things that happen on-screen but largely go unnoticed—this known as the cinematography. 

Cinematography comprises nearly everything about the visual ‘feel’ of a movie that is not explicitly part of the story, from the size of the screen, to the lighting, to what is and isn’t in focus on camera. Every light placement, every colour filter used, every lens chosen is the result of a series of active decisions made by the director and the cinematographer (usually listed as the director of photography in the credits). The goal of their work is to use their tools in a way that best compliments the movie. 

Film 101

Film stock is the medium that, until the early 21st century, was the only way for movies to be recorded and shown to an audience. Film stock is a layer of thin plastic known as celluloid and is coated on one side with a gelatin solution. Suspended in that solution are tiny crystals of silver halide—light-sensitive particles—that capture an imprint of an image after the light that passes through a camera lens hits it. The film is then treated with a developing solution that reduces the silver halide to elemental metal, and the images captured on the camera become visible to the naked eye. 

The number of silver halide layers applied and how the film is developed both play a role in the film’s final look. Standard black-and-white film uses only one halide layer (called an emulsion layer) while colour film requires three layers (cyan, yellow, and magenta).  The chemical composition of those layers can differ widely between different brands of film in terms of the distribution of halide particles (this is responsible for how grainy the film looks), the stock’s sensitivity to light, and the proportions of chemicals used in each layer, resulting in the over-or under-saturation of certain colours. These differences can be be further influenced by how the film is actually developed. Exposure time, the developing solution used, and the temperature of the developing chemicals are all tools the cinematographer can use to give the film the look that best complements the movie it is a part of. For instance, to fully convey the bleak intensity of the storming of Normandy beach in Saving Private Ryan (1998), Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski intentionally skipped a step in the developing process so that the silver halide outweighed the colour emulsion, giving the film a greyer, less colourful tone.

70 mm film is still used in IMAX theatres. (imgur.com)
70 mm film is still used in IMAX theatres. (imgur.com)

Film stock

The width of the film stock is also important to how a film looks onscreen. Many studio films like Citizen Kane (1941), Vertigo (1958), and Pulp Fiction (1994) were shot using 35mm film stock, meaning the width of a frame of film was 35 millimeters in diameter. This was used because it had a high enough resolution—the wider the film stock, the higher the resolution—to be shown on a theatre screen. Lower grades of film, 8mm and 16mm, were used for home movies and educational films, respectively. On the other end of the spectrum is 70mm, the widest and most cinematic format. 

Used mainly in IMAX films today, 70mm was once synonymous with what now considered blockbusters. Expensive films like Ben-Hur (1959), Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) were shot on 70mm film to give them a feeling of broadened scope and epicness. Since the amount of physical space that the camera can capture is doubled from that of standard film, filmmakers can convey the grandiosity of a crowd scene or the desolation of the vast Sinai desert in a way that 35mm can’t. Due to its high cost, 70mm film went out of fashion even before traditional 35mm film followed suit. 

Directors like Quentin Tarantino have returned to this to improve cinematographic effects. (cdn3.vox-cdn.com)
Directors like Quentin Tarantino have returned to this to improve cinematographic effects. (cdn3.vox-cdn.com)

Digital vs. Analog

The combination of the high cost of film stock and the increased resolution that digital photography is capable of exhibiting have made traditional methods of film all but obsolete. In many ways, this is a good thing: Since spooling film requires a certain amount of bulk, and therefore makes the camera harder to move, the presence of digital cameras has allowed filmmaking to become more dynamic in its movement. 

The decreased cost of filming with a digital camera combined with the low price of high-quality cameras has greatly democratized cinema, allowing anybody with a modest budget to create a professional-looking film. For instance, Tangerine, a 2015 critical favourite, was shot entirely on an iPhone but looks as sharp as any studio film released last year. The digitization of cinema has also allowed for the preservation and restoration of old film—film stock, which can be captured by a computer and digitally restored, usually through a process of painstakingly digitally removing imperfections caused by the degradation of time. 

Despite the benefits of digital, a few purist directors like Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Martin Scorsese have been very vocal about their preference of traditional film, with Tarantino going as far as calling digital “the death of cinema.” They believe that “something special” is lost with the transition, and they may have a point. There’s an inexplicable warmth to the graininess of old films in the same way vinyl records have a certain feeling that digital music doesn’t. 

Films like Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight are designed to make the audience more aware of cinematographic effects. But the truth is that very few people actually notice the difference between digital and film. So as long as cinema continues to reinvent itself, maybe it's okay that these techniques continue to change.

a, Opinion

Jian Ghomeshi trial an opportunity to reinvigorate conversation on sexual assault

by Alexandra Harvey on

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“Well, hi there,” Jian Ghomeshi addressed his faithful Q audience with his trademark opening line at 10:00a.m. on Oct. 23, 2014. Ghomeshi and fans alike could not have known that this would be the last “hello” that they’d hear from Ghomeshi’s voice.

Ghomeshi’s trial commenced yesterday—more than a year since the radio star’s sexual assault scandal broke in Canadian media. His story exemplified the misogynistic values entrenched in society that teach people not to listen to women. It illuminated the grey zone of sexualized violence and the inevitable questioning and shaming of survivors that accompanies sexual assault cases. Ghomeshi’s case sparked a national conversation about the realities of sexual assault and rape, encouraging thousands of women to come forward and share their stories. One year later, it is clear that the conversation must be revived—short of a total attitude change, discussion is the only way to empower survivors and decrease the stigma surrounding sexual assault. Given the attention to his case, it is imperative that focus remains on the broader issue at stake.

The Ghomeshi case underscores the tendency of society to question allegations of sexualized violence, perpetuating stereotypical norms of victim shaming. Following the announcement that the CBC was cutting ties with Ghomeshi, the radio host made a post on his personal Facebook page where he claimed that the CBC wrongfully dismissed him because of “the risk of [his] private sex life being made public as a result of a campaign of false allegations pursued by a jilted ex-girlfriend and a freelance writer.” Once the Toronto Star published an article detailing the accusations of three women who alleged that Ghomeshi had sexually assaulted them, it was clear that Ghomeshi’s portrayal of a “jilted ex-girlfriend” was far from the truth. Within a week, nine women, two who were willing to be named, came forward with personal testimonies accusing Ghomeshi of sexual assault and violence.

 

 

Short of a total attitude change, discussion is the only way to empower survivors and decrease the stigma surrounding sexual assault.

A wave of activism followed the testimonies of these women, embodied by Twitter hashtag #RapedButNeverReported. Journalists Sue Montgomery and Antonia Zerbisias began the campaign to encourage rape survivors to break their silence. The hashtag received tens of millions of responses, creating an online community of voices for those who had previously not had the opportunity to be heard. “He pushed me on the couch and said: ‘You can’t say no, you’re my girlfriend.’ – I cried all that night. Many after. #BeenRapedNeverReported,” read one sobering tweet from @daphnesimone. In the midst of tragic controversy, survivors found unity and support. This conversation must not be diminished when it is no longer ‘trending.’ The momentum generated by this movement must carry into the national conversation today.

A crisis of underreporting perpetuates a general lack of understanding about the prevalence of sexual assault. It is estimated that 460,000 women are sexually assaulted in Canada each year. Only 15,200 of those cases are reported to the police. It is no wonder why women are so reluctant to report: Sexual assault trials have a reputation for being invasive—often, survivors are asked to provide a detailed account of their sexual history, psychiatric and medical records, and to divulge other personal information. The act of sharing one’s story, whether in a courtroom or not, has emotional consequences, causing feelings of guilt, shame, and fear to resurface within the survivor. A mere 0.3 per cent of cases prosecuted in court end in conviction, meaning that 99.7 per cent of sexual assault perpetrators are never held accountable for their crimes.

There is a stark contrast between estimates that one in five women have been survivors of some kind of sexualized violence on campus and the reporting of that violence. A recent CBC survey revealed a lack of awareness and credible information surrounding sexualized violence on Canadian university campuses. Overall, the number of alleged cases of sexual assault reported to campus authorities in 2014 was 1.85 per 10,000. These numbers suggest severe undercounting. Evidently, university campuses lack sufficient resources and support to encourage survivors of sexual assault to come forward. While the Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS) exists here—an organization dedicated to the advocacy and support of survivors of sexual assault—more must be done to increase public awareness about the issue of underreporting so as to afford sexual assault survivors the respect and sympathy they deserve.

Hopefully, Ghomeshi’s trial will bring justice and peace of mind to those affected; however, Ghomeshi is not the only one on trial. Canada, as a nation, is on trial. Canadians must spark a discussion about how to encourage survivors of sexual assault to speak openly about their experiences, and foster a country where women are respected, trusted, and supported. The conversation about sexual assault must continue.

 

 

 

 

 

Alexandra is a U1 student studying Political Science and International Development. She is a proud Torontonian, passionate traveler, and knows all the lyrics to "Bohemian Rhapsody."

 

@McGillTribOp | [email protected]

 

 

 

 
a, Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

From the viewpoint: Ann Arbor Film Festival

by Alfie Crooks on

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As a newcomer to art house cinema, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the 53rd Ann Arbor Film Festival’s screening of 13 short films by independent filmmakers at Cinémathèque Québécois on Saturday night. It could have been the hushed atmosphere of a dimly lit room, or maybe the fact that everyone around me seemed to hold an uncanny resemblance to my parents, but I thought I was in for a relatively smooth cinematic experience. I was naively preparing for a cozy screening when the lights went down and the screen lit up with the ominous title A Symptom written backwards. This image was accompanied by music closely resembling a radiator heating up, prompting the settling ambiance to stumble out the back of the cinema in a nervous wreck. 

A Symptom continued to intimidate the viewer into submission with the subtlety of Mike Tyson. Shot on 16mm old-school film, the movie exists in a grainy black-and-white quality. More backwards subtitles were thrown onto the screen, playing over the movement of a mystery mouth that refused to run in sync with the encrypted sentences below it. This was intercut with a scene of something resembling a Christmas tree decoration hanging in an empty white room covered in grid lines, while the camera violently shook from side to side. While there was an element of utter chaos that encapsulated the short, it wasn’t meaningless. It was evident that the director wanted the audience to strain and struggle to read the text, exhibiting the power of cinematography; however, not all of the shorts necessarily held this coherence. 

Throughout the 13-short compilation, there were a number of films which truly made me question whether all of this was just going over my head. These mystifying films ranged from somewhat simplistic to positively absurd. I’m sure that if I had the ability to talk to the directors themselves I would have appreciated the pieces more, but without that, I felt lost. Whether it was a film comprised entirely of different black and white angle shots of a wind turbine played in black and white to the tune of shrieking violins, or old war clips fading in and out of Hindu imagery, I couldn’t help but feel like I was missing something. Was there some sort of satire to these pieces? Was I just not looking close enough? The phrase stranger than fiction came to mind, and at certain junctures, it really felt like I was in some sort of parody of what arthouse cinema is. 

That being said, there were also a number of points when I was truly captivated by these shorts. The absurdity and barbarity of seeing a peacock defeathered and stuffed by a taxidermist was somehow horrific, beautiful, and fascinating film. Certain shorts shied away from novel themes completely to great effect. One director laid bare her personal life as she ran voice messages from her parents over clips of her trip to New York, capturing both the romance and the grit of the city. 

The Ann Arbor Film Festival presented the works of only amateur filmmakers, giving these hopeful professionals an arena in which to showcase their art. Its website notes that the festival is “a premiere forum for independent filmmakers and artists” and has featured the likes of George Lucas in its past. For such a prestigious organization with an ability to stay relevant, it was only fitting that this year’s edition finished with a clip of a pineapple set alight. On occasion it was weird, but it also could be beautiful and rich, and it consistently refused to be boring. One has to appreciate it for simply that.

a, McGill, News, SSMU

SSMU hosts panel on diversity in academia

by Laura Hanrahan on

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McGill staff has seen little change in diversity since the 2008 implentation of an employment equity policy. Students and faculty came together to discuss issues of employment equity this past Thursday at a panel entitled Diversity In Academia. Hosted by the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU), the panel featured commentary from four McGill faculty members: Associate Professor of Educational and Counselling Psychology Tara Flanagan, Professor of Civil Engineering Susan Gaskin, Professor of Law Adelle Blackett, and Professor of Sociology Zoua Vang.

The panel opened with a presentation from SSMU equitable hiring researcher Carolyn Huang on SSMU’s research report: Equity in the Hiring of McGill Academic Staff. The report highlighted the lack of changes McGill has seen since the 2008 employment equity policy. 

“Since the formal implementation [of the policy] in 2008, the percentage of employees that identify as aboriginal and people with disabilities has actually declined,” Huang said. “The employees that identify as women was only raised by one per cent since 2008 [and] 0.9 per cent for ethnic minorities.”

The report attributed these failings to a lack of communication of equity policies in the hiring process of new faculty.

“There’s no formalized communication between upper administration and departmental hiring committees,” Huang said. “There’s a lack of leadership among upper administration on equity, and in comparison to other universities which we examined […] McGill doesn’t have any particular programs or even an official equity office other than the [Social Equity and Diversity Education] (SEDE) office, which doesn’t have power to influence the upper administration’s decision making.”

The panellists were then asked to discuss what barriers they believe exist for designated minority groups. Flanagan addressed issues of inaccessibility on McGill campus for individuals with physical disabilities.

“A couple of weeks ago, a colleague and I were hosting an event at the Faculty Club that was supposed to be a place that was accessible,” Flanagan said. “We got the measurements for the elevator that went [up] from the main floor [and] sent that to our listed invitees [….] There was a wheelchair user who had a wheelchair that fit within the specifications, but once arriving to the elevator, it was clear that the invitee and the wheelchair would both not fit in the same time, so the wheelchair was brought up by a staff member at the faculty club and the person who was the wheelchair went up in the elevator without a wheelchair and had to have assistance. It was embarrassing and difficult for everybody involved. Even when we have a place that is on-paper accessible, there are still many nuances that we’re clearly not meeting.”

Gaskin spoke to the issue of subpar mentorship that is offered to women in academia when compared to their male counterparts. 

“You’re not necessarily discriminated against all through your schooling, but […] we [also] don’t get the same encouragement,” Gaskin said. “You may be very good at math or very good at science but you’re not told […] you could be an engineer or you could be a doctor. So it’s more a lack of mentoring.”

Vang addressed the difficulties that can arise for professors who are racial minorities. One difficulty, Vang explained, stemmed from the misperception that there is not a pool of qualified minority candidates that the university could hire from. 

“Minority candidates are viewed with scrutiny, and then with greater suspect,” Vang said. “If a minority candidate has the opportunity to get a job offer […] their qualifications are again questioned [….] There’s a lot of research that shows that racial minority faculty receive much poorer evaluations, and their poor course evaluations are then used by administrators or departmental heads as examples that minority faculty are less skilled teachers, when in fact a lot of the bias in those evaluations stem from conscious and subconscious bias and racial prejudice.”

According to Flanagan, the only way to correct these inequities in academia is to ensure that effort is being made from all levels of the administration. 

“I think it’s very important to take concrete actions from the ground up, let’s say hiring committees, in our classes, and how we teach, but also from the top down,” she said. “We need to be having very clear policies about the kind of actions that we take.”

No Gender
a, Art, Arts & Entertainment

No Gender art exhibit reveals consequences of the gender binary

by Emma Whitehall on

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Walking into the opening party for the No Gender art exhibit at NEVERAPART gallery, there was an undeniable atmosphere of community and celebration. This immediate sense of excitement was juxtaposed with the seriousness of what was on display. 

For artist Sylvain Tremblay, the concept behind the No Gender exhibit was sparked 15 years ago on a trip to an orphanage in Vietnam. It was there that he witnessed doctors making the decision as to whether an intersex baby would receive surgery to make them a ‘boy’ or a ‘girl.’ People who may be born with both male and female reproductive organs often have significantly life-altering surgery on the basis of a decision made by doctors and parents, which can often be completely random.

This phenomenon struck a cord with Tremblay, who felt that these babies have their gender and sex simultaneously assigned at a point in their lives when it is impossible to know whom they will eventually become. This experience set Tremblay on a journey around the world meeting people with similar stories, culminating in the extraordinary exhibit.

On display were massive pieces of modern art surrounding the issue of the binary gender system and the tragic effects it can have on individuals who know that they do not fit into this system. Repeated illusions to something being out of place within the binary gender system were utilized, such as gender-ambiguous bodies and textual representations of chromosomal combinations outside the standard XX female or XY male classifications. 

Tremblay even confronted the social maneuverings of gender with a shocking canvas covered in children’s toys, which are usually gendered as being for boys or for girls. These toys were splattered with red paint.

“For this project, as an artist, I decided to use the colour red, like blood, because blood is the life and the death too,” Tremblay explained. “I decided to take a direction that would shock the people, because they have nudity, blood, and essentially, it would be really tough to see[….] Maybe people won’t like it, but they will remember.”

The paintings in the gallery are also supported with a contemporary film that plays on loop in a dark room to further expand on the arbitrary nature of gender assignment and challenge the visitors.

“The video is really important, because in the video, you travel all around the world to show people that there really isn’t just one way people are,” Tremblay said. “I am not an expert, and I do not pretend to be an expert; I use my artistic—if you will—talents, to express people’s stories.”

Cigosi, a gender-neutral friend of Tremblay who attended the opening, elaborated on the topic of mutilation as a source of tragic inspiration. 

“The sad part is, mutilation is not a temporary thing,” Cigosi explained. “You know, once you remove a little baby’s penis, or sew up their vagina, it’s done. When the young person grows up and believes philosophically that they have to fit into the binary gender system, and makes a decision […] and does all those changes to themselves […] they can become suicidal.”

The exhibit truly challenges the mind and forces audiences to acknowledge how incredibly gendered the smallest interactions in our daily lives remain. As with any social justice issue, the root of inappropriate reactions stem from a lack of understanding—one that is not surprising given that a large portion of the population does not experience the same struggle, although this does not make it any more warranted to ignorance. 

Tremblay hopes that when people experience exhibits such as this one, they will ask questions and learn as much as they can about the topic, which will open up the possibility for more informed and sensitive discussions. As Tremblay succinctly expresses, his motives come from a place of empathy and care for the world we live in. 

“You, and me, and everybody want to live in a society where everybody is included,” he said. 

No Gender will remain open to the public at the NEVERAPART Gallery (7049 Rue St. Urbain) until April 2.

a, Science & Technology

Taking the next step in developmental biology: Embryonic editing

by Andy Wang on

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In April of 2015, researchers in China from Sun Yat-sen University published the results of the world’s first experiment on human embryo editing. The goal of the experiment was to edit a gene containing mutations for a blood disorder called β-thalassemia. The gene is responsible for coding a subunit of the  hemoglobin molecule, which carries oxygen through the bloodstream.

The announcement resurfaced past questions regarding the ethics of manipulating human reproduction at the embryonic level.

“[That experiment was] the first step in a well mapped-out process leading to GM [Genetically Modified]-babies, and a future of consumer eugenics,” David King, director of Human Genetics Alert, a UK-based NGO and human genetics watchdog group, stated in an interview with the BBC.

In an attempt to pacify the ethical issues surrounding the use of human embryos, the ones used by the Chinese researchers contained three sets of chromosomes, as opposed to the usual two sets. This was the result of induced errors during the in-vitro fertilization (IVF) process. These embryos can divide into a blastula, or a bundle of 200 to 300 cells, but cannot develop fully into a fetus.

Out of the 86 embryos used, only 28 were successfully spliced, or genetically modified. After a closer analysis of the genetic makeup of the spliced embryos, the researchers found an alarming number of side mutations on other unintended targets. This is one of the main ethical concerns associated with genetic editing, since the mutations accrued in an embryo would be present in all the cells of the body as it divides.

“I believe this is the first [experiment] applied to human pre-implantation embryos and as such the study is a landmark, as well as a cautionary tale,” George Daley a stem cell biologist from Harvard Medical School said in an interview with Nature. “Their study should be a stern warning to any practitioner who thinks the technology is ready for testing to eradicate disease genes.”

In September 2015, only months after this first experiment in April, the UK’s governmental authority on human fertilization and embryology received a proposal from the Francis Crick Institute in London for another experiment involving human embryonic gene editing. On Feb. 4, the experiment was approved.

Dr. Kathy Niakan, the stem cell biologist leading the experiment, and her team plan to begin the study as soon as possible. Niakan hopes to determine which genes are involved in cell type and tissue differentiation in the first few days of human development using a gene editing technique called CRISPR/Cas9, the same technique the Chinese researchers used in their experiment.

CRISPR/Cas9 is a genetic editing technique used in molecular biology to study the functions of proteins, as well as how they interact with one another. This can be used for both gene editing, as was the case in the Sun Yat-sen University experiment, as well as gene deletion, known as gene knockdown, which is the technique proposed by Niakan.

The mechanisms of the initial stages of human development are not well understood, and the human embryo is notoriously inefficient, with 31 per cent of all pregnancies ending in miscarriage. Genetic knockdown studies are used to determine the effects of a gene by essentially removing it from the body and then comparing the knock-down to the control, where no genes were removed. Genetic knockdowns are easier to perform than genetic editing because it requires less precision, with the only goal being to ‘break’ the gene in question.

Generally, knockdown screens are used to target a specific problem like what is causing individuals to suffer from β-thalassemia. Genetic editing, however, can be used to evaluate a broad range of situations, such as embryonic development. Niakan and her team aren’t trying to answer a single question, they’re just trying to understand human development by looking at it in a variety of ways using CRISPR/Cas9. 

“The research could lead to improvements in fertility treatment and a better understanding of the first stages of life,” Niakan said at a press briefing in London.

The embryos will come from fertility clinic patients across the UK. Following a course of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment, extra embryos are usually generated. With the informed consent of the patient, Niakan hopes to uses some of these embryos in her research, with the understanding that they will be destroyed after only seven days.

Niakan hopes that her research will pave the way for more successful treatment possibilities for infertility in the future. 

Super Bowl
a, Sports

Point Counterpoint: Super Bowl Edition

by Joe Khammar and Arman Bery on

More in a:

Super Bowl 50 will be an intriguing matchup. Will the seemingly unstoppable Carolina Panthers run away with the title or will Peyton Manning lead his Denver Broncos to victory and finish his career with a second ring? Our contributors weigh in.

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Denver Broncos

The criminally underrated Denver Broncos are a good matchup to beat the Carolina Panthers going into Super Bowl 50. Their defence and discipline are perfect to stop the explosive Panthers.

This year’s Broncos team has managed to change to a defensive-minded identity without losing a step in effectiveness. In just one year, Head Coach Gary Kubiak and Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips have put together one of the best defences of the decade. The Panthers will face an insurmountable roadblock in the Broncos defence—they will have to contend with conerbacks Chris Harris Jr., Aqib Talib, and Bradley Roby covering their unspectacular receiving corps.  

The Broncos also have the league’s best pass rush, spearheaded by Von Miller and Demarcus Ware. Boasting a league best 199.6 yards per game allowed in passing, the Broncos’ secondary will swallow quarterback Cam Newton and his  group of castoff and bargain bin free agent wide receivers.  The Broncos also have a very underrated run defence—it is third in the league with 83.6 yards per game, and they should have very little issue slowing down the Jonathan Stewart led rushing attack.  

Granted, stats usually mean very little when predicting how Carolina will play, as they dominated the excellent Arizona Cardinals defence in the NFC Conference Championship game, but things will be different at the Super Bowl. Cam will not be able to break the pocket nearly as much as he is used to because of the Broncos’ bountiful talents at the linebacker position—inside linebackers Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan complement each other very well. The grossly overlooked and underrated Marshall is possibly the best coverage linebacker in the NFL, with two passes defended so far this postseason, and he has also amassed more than 100 tackles this season. Trevathan, who is one of the best run stuffers in the league, also recorded over 100 tackles on the year. He is most likely going to be tasked with spying Cam Newton all game to prevent him from breaking the pocket and running.  

If the defence is successful, the Denver offence should get a multitude of scoring opportunities.  Led by Peyton Manning, this group has seen better days. Gone are the times when Manning would throw for five touchdowns and 400 yards in high-scoring victories. The offence does not even aim to compete with the explosiveness of its past. Fortunately, Denver only needs to be efficient on offence, and so far in the 2016 post-season that has been the case; Manning has not yet thrown an interception in the post-season and has utilized an effective ground game to dominate the clock, negotiating victories against the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots. Manning might have become just a game manager, but he is an smart one. His purpose in the twilight of his career is to hand the ball off to running back CJ Anderson, get close enough for Brandon McManus to kick a field goal, and not throw interceptions.  If Manning can accomplish those three things, then the Broncos should stop the upstart Carolina Panthers, and emerge victorious next Sunday.

—Joe Khammar

Carolina Panthers

The 17-1 Carolina Panthers have been closer to perfection than any NFL team this season, and their trajectory points towards a very rare 18-1 season. They are complete—balanced yet explosive on offence, ballhawks on defence, and relentlessly energetic in their overall approach.

The team is led by arguably the most unique coach-quarterback tandem in Ron “Riverboat Ron” Rivera and Cam Newton. The two men made it clear throughout this season that they were going to approach the sport with a commitment to playing and coaching their natural games—it has resulted in a beautifully organic product on and off the field. The media have often perceived Rivera and Newton as abrasive—in reality they are just unapologetically confident in their abilities. Rivera has allowed the team to take on the personality and swagger. At the same time, the drive to succeed that emanates from Newton has spread to all of his teammates. Seeing the team “dabbing” and dancing on and off the field, posing for team photos on the sideline, and always having fun with post-game interviews has shown how relaxed and cohesive the team truly is. 

Newton’s million-dollar smile is a microcosm of the Panthers’ playing style: Enthusiastic, confident, fun-loving, and passionate. No occasion is too big for them. It is evident when watching them how much fun they are having on the field with their teammates. As the saying goes, winning is contagious. What opposing teams end up encountering is a group who know how good they are, talk about how good they are, but also are very determined to prove it every game day. In that sense, they are reminiscent of the 2013-2014 Seahawks, the difference being that for Seattle that persona was largely just on the defence was more dominant than their offence, whereas Carolina has a game changer on both sides of the ball (Newton and Josh Norman). One cannot discount the injury that linebacker Thomas Davis suffered in the NFC Championship game, but the rumours are that there’s a high chance he’ll return to the field come Super Bowl Sunday to reunite the devastating linebacker tandem he has with Luke Kuechly. 

Carolina has averaged 32.2 points so far this season, and, unbelievably, have scored at least 20 points in every game bar their week 15 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Therefore, as powerful as the Denver Broncos defence has been all year, they will be going up against a team that features an elite dual threat quarterback brimming with confidence, a stable offensive line, and a couple of absolute bruisers in the backfield. 

Furthermore, the Carolina defence has proven time and time again that they can make huge plays, whether it be interceptions, pick 6’s, strip sacks, or fumble recoveries. Carolina had a regular season turnover differential of +20, comfortably the best in the NFL, which resulted in multiple games where the defence put points up on the board.

Their Super Bowl opponents, Denver, will not have enough firepower to overcome Carolina. Manning has shown an ability this year to work through deteriorated arm power and mobility; He  will, however, be facing a defence that capitalizes on almost every mistake made. Broncos pass rushers Miller and Ware will make their presence felt this game, but Cam’s improved composure this year as well as his ever-present elusiveness will give them a strong chance to counter-act the Broncos’ pass rush. 

Expect a changing of the guard at this Super Bowl—the legendary Peyton Manning will pass the mantle onto Cam Newton, who sports the number 1 jersey—it’s a fitting number choice as Newton’s team will finish with just one loss for the entire season, and will also finish number one in the NFL, when they hoist the Vince Lombardi trophy high into the air to conclude Super Bowl 50.

—Arman Bery

Editors' Pick: Carolina Panthers

Carolina’s relentless presence on both sides of the ball will be too much for Denver to handle. All the necessary pieces are in place for Newton to lead his team to victory.​

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