Latest News

a, Science & Technology

McGill remembers Marvin Minsky

by Daniel Galef on

More in a:

Marvin Minsky, the MIT scientist, philosopher, and author, passed away last week at the age of 88, from a cerebral hemorrhage. Known around his campus as “Old Man Minsky,” he was a pioneer in a number of fields from cognitive and computer science to philosophy of mind and information theory. He is best remembered, however, for establishing the field of artificial intelligence (AI), as well as creating the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (now known as the CSAIL), which has been the driving force of AI research for decades.

During his life, Minsky also authored several books on his work such as The Emotion Machine, which extrapolates on his theories of mind and discusses the achievements and problems of AI research, Perceptrons, which deals heavily with neural network technology in relation to computer learning research, and The Society of Mind, influenced by observations from developmental psychology as applied to AI. In The Society of Mind, Minsky described how he believed intelligent robots could be designed.

“His work on the ‘reactive agent’ approach to robotic intelligence, along with his MIT colleague Rod Brooks, helped foster a different way of designing robots, especially ones that are small, autonomous, and by themselves not too intelligent,” Director of the McGill Centre for Intelligent Machines (CIM), James Clark explained.

The concept of the ‘reactive agent’ is central to the Society of Mind Theory. The theory states that intelligence and other complex phenomena scientists associate with sentient beings can emerge naturally from the interactions of several mindless 'reactive agents' operating under simple algorithms.

“Minsky showed that collections of such robots could work together to form societies which would express, in his words, ‘true intelligence,’” Clark said.

Others, however, interpreted Minsky’s career differently.

“He did quite respectable work, but I wouldn’t qualify that work as AI-related,” explained Engineering Professor Jorge Angeles, a McGill roboticist and founding father of the CIM. “My belief is that AI is a buzzword that is being exploited for commercial purposes. How can intelligence be created artificially if nobody has ever been able to define it?”

But most view Minsky’s influence as substantive and enduring. McGill computer science Professor Joelle Pineau, who teaches Artificial Intelligence (COMP 424), begins her course with a brief AI history lesson. Most importantly, she discusses the historic 1956 conference at Dartmouth that is regarded as the real beginning of AI.

“Minsky was a giant in our field,” Pineau said. “Until this week, Minsky was the last of the big names from that meeting to still be alive.”

Over the course of Minsky’s long and extraordinarily varied career outside of the lab, he also served as a scientific adviser on Hollywood sci-fi films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, and even suggested the plot of the novel Jurassic Park to author Michael Crichton during a walk on the beach.

His more technical innovations include developing the confocal microscope (invaluable to the life sciences for its high degree of resolution), the head-mounted display (a major milestone in virtual reality), and creating in 1951 the first ever randomly-wired neural network, called SNARC.

“Although I never had the pleasure of meeting Marvin Minsky, I was certainly influenced by his research, as were countless others who work in Cognitive Science and AI,” McGill psychology Professor Thomas Shultz, who studies neural networks, said.

Minsky also collaborated with MIT Professor Seymour Papert on the first educational robots called ‘turtles,’ which used a programming language they developed called Logo. Since then, these robots have been used by a number of professionals looking to help children learn basic programming skills.

“During a sabbatical, I noticed that my daughter’s third grade class lacked an effective way to use newly supplied classroom computers,” Shultz said. “In my spare time, I designed a modest Logo course and taught it to these third graders, as a demo for the school’s teachers. It was fun to see that Papert and Minsky were correct in their prediction that kids would love doing this.”

There happens to be a significant coincidence in the timing of Minsky’s passing which corresponds to another major AI landmark.

“It seems particularly poignant that Minsky passed away the same week that we are hit with the impressive news that an AI system had reached human-level in Computer Go,” Pineau said.

Go is an ancient and very abstract board game a lot more complicated than chess. Computers have been consistently beating humans at chess for years now, but researchers thought teaching them Go would take much longer than it did.

Computer learning is advancing at breakneck speed—even if Minsky didn’t think so—and this is largely because of his work and the work of others he inspired.

“Minsky is survived by his wife Gloria Minsky; three children, Margaret Minsky, Julie Minsky, and Henry Minsky,” wrote an automated news-writing bot known as Wordsmith for Wired.

Software programs like Wordsmith aren’t exactly AI, but they show the incredible degree of sophisticated output achievable by coding and algorithms that was once thought impossible, and the modern world has Marvin Minsky to thank for that.

a, Science & Technology

The Zika virus, explained

by Clare Fogarty on

More in a:

News headlines are swarming with concern over outbreaks of the mosquito-borne Zika virus. First discovered in 1947, the Zika virus is part of the flavivirus family and was believed to pose no threat to humans; however, this virus is the recent cause of over 4,000 cases of microcephaly in infants—an illness causing underdevelopment of the brain and an irregularly small head. Microcephaly can lead to impaired vision and hearing, as well as other neurological abnormalities.

The virus is prevalent in South America, where it has spread to 21 countries through the mosquito carrier Aedes aegypti. This species is known to carry other viruses such as dengue and yellow fever—two other members of the flavivirus family—and are known to have various neurological effects including Parkinson’s-like symptoms and encephalitis.

Zika virus appears to be less severe than dengue or yellow fever; infection ranges from asymptomatic to fairly mild symptoms—aches, inflammation in the eyes, joint pain, rash; however, pregnant women appear to be at high risk of transmitting the infection to their fetuses, causing the increasing rates of microcephaly.

The virus was first discovered in Uganda and was possibly carried to South America during the 2014 World Cup. The upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro pose a threat to the rest of the world population, opening up the possibility of global outbreaks. In an attempt to prevent this, the Brazilian government just announced it will deploy 220,000 soldiers to bring pamphlets door-to-door, advising people—especially pregnant women—on ways to prevent infection.

Virology professor Selena Sagan, from the McGill Department of Microbiology and Immunology, focuses her research on other flaviviruses, such as hepatits C and dengue. The Zika virus, however, presents new difficulties.

“We don’t know enough about transmission to the fetus,” Sagan said. “Zika virus is a very new virus being studied.”

Development of a vaccine doesn’t seem to be in the near future—scientists believe it may be 10 years before a vaccine for Zika virus could be developed.

“It is difficult to predict how quickly research and development will take to produce an effective vaccine,” Sagan explained. “We’ve studied dengue virus for much longer and approval for vaccine trials just began last year; however, since Zika is closely related, there may be things we’ve learned in studying viruses like dengue and Chikungunya [a related virus] that can be used in developing a Zika vaccine.”

In the meantime, governments in Colombia, El Salvador, and Ecuador are urging women to avoid pregnancy until the outbreaks end. This raises ethical concerns over women’s reproductive rights, especially in countries with stricter laws surrounding birth control and abortion.

Luckily, humans appear to be a dead-end host for Zika, so infection control focuses on preventing mosquito populations from spreading. Possible solutions include releasing genetically modified mosquitos that are sterile or resistant to the virus, as was recently proposed to prevent mosquitos from carrying malaria. Pesticides are another option, but similarly to the problems antibiotics face, mosquitos may evolve to become resistant.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the virus is likely to spread to the United States. Four million cases of infection are estimated to occur in the Americas within the next year, and this year’s El Niño weather appears to be speeding up the process.

“Since [Canada doesn’t] have the [mosquito carrier], it’s unlikely we’ll have an outbreak [here], but the southern United States [is] at risk,” Sagan explained. “With global warming, these vectors seem to be traveling north, so it’s difficult to say if it will be a problem years from now.”

a, McGill, Montreal, News

The red door flags MACES’ progress, but also underlying issues

by Kiara Bernard on

More in a:

The executive board of McGill’s Association of Continuing Education Studies (MACES) recently saw the resignation of two board members, including their vice-president (VP) finance Ghassan Berro and senator Nely Gaulea. These resignations have left a total of three vacant seats on their board. In 2012, an article published by the McGill Daily entitled “The Phantom Student Government” raised concerns over transparency and accountability within the MACES. Despite improvements in recent years, according to MACES President Sean Murphy,  internal dissonance continues to exist among members. 

Transparency 

Mike, an alumnus of the School of Continuing Studies (SCS) and current member of the MACES bylaws review committee, raised concerns over the effectiveness of current leadership. 

“There’s a lack of leadership, a lack of transparency,” Mike said.  “Each board member gets an annual stipend of $5,500, every member of the board gets paid for each year [….]  Some—I won’t say all, because some are doing a great job—are not there for the right reasons.” 

A recently-formed committee is reworking the organization’s bylaws to better reflect what is actually happening in the SCS, and to draft standard operating procedures to make sure that all the duties of the VPs and employees at MACES are done in a professional manner.  

“You can be a board member, sit on the board, do nothing, and get compensated,” an individual who requested to remain anonymous said.  “That is why we are reviewing the bylaws.”

Bylaw reform

According to Mike, MACES also lacks connectivity with the 10,000 students that attend the SCS yearly. The average student at the SCS attends for one to two years, often with a full-time job, seeking to further develop or complement their professional skills. 

“You can’t compare MACES to, for example, [the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU)], or [the Post Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS)],” Mike said. “SSMU is pretty much students who are at McGill for at least three years [….] MACES is very particular [….] Most of these students are at school on a part-time basis, so they’re not really involved in the school or with student life.” 

In light of this, turnout at previous elections has been weak, both in candidate nominations and student voting, explained Kia Memarzadeh, MACES Elections ehief returning officer (CRO).  

“In the graduate programs or undergraduate programs, many students are very involved with their emails and very in touch,” Memarzadeh said. “But many people in the School of Continuing Studies, actually-they don’t even check their McGill email. And this is our problem.”

Internal meeting conduct

Although the board meets every three weeks, the internal source raised concerns over how meetings have been conducted. 

“The last few months […] was when we started to face problems,” the anonymous source  said. “From following the bylaws, to making solo decisions, [to] not respecting Roberts’ Rules and how meetings are run; meetings are not recorded, for example.”

According to the source, transparency on the actions of the MACES board falls on them to improve. 

“I’ve been talking about having minutes posted online as a way to inform the membership of what’s happening inside the organization,” the anonymous source said.  “What do [we] do, what decisions we come up with whenever we meet.”

Financial challenges

Nevertheless, the current board has worked on increasing their profile. The front door of the MACES Building on Rue Peel was painted red by the current MACES president, Sean Murphy, to symbolize improvements to visibility on campus. 

“When I became president, one of my primary things was making MACES more visible,” Murphy said. “A lot of people don’t know what MACES is.”  

Among the board’s initiatives are making workshops and events available to students, ensuring their members are present at Senate and Board of Governors meetings, and working closely with the career advising unit at the SCS. 

“We’ve been trying to work hard to make changes to meet the level of our students expectations,” Zaher Agha, MACES VP internal emphasized.  “We cannot deny that there is always room for improvement [… but] we are genuinely working hard to best represent those who have trusted us and elected us as representatives.” 

The SCS student fee paid into MACES is $13 per registered course, and is directed at running their building on Rue Peel—which includes study, computer, and conference rooms—maintaining the state of the art language lab at the SCS, and providing bursaries. 

To use the services McGill offers full-time students, MACES is charged more by McGill than other student unions on campus.  

“Apart from taking care of this space and the administration of the building, which is actually quite lean, we have a few added costs because we are an affiliated organization, so we’re charged a little extra by McGill,” Murphy. said. “Our budget is actually quite stable. We’re trying to save money wherever we can. But I think we give back quite a bit, so it’s money well spent, there are no frivolous expenses.” 

Under the previous VP Finance, MACES was able to rationalize many of its expenses. A full-time accountant monitors the billing, and an outside auditor is contracted to complete financial audits; however, a major point of contention leading to the resignation of board members was the tardy completion of the 2014-2015 yearly audit. 

“I have been warning [the board] since September that we should have our audit done, and this is when people got frustrated,” the anonymous source stated. “We have two people who left the board and the president […] treated it like any other situation.”

Upcoming challenges

In spite of the improvements the student union has undergone on the surface, it still seems that MACES is falling short on  internal accountability. During his time at the SCS, Mike sat on a council created in 2013 for the purpose of overseeing the actions of the board, although this council only met twice that year.  He expressed that this was not enough time to do a complete job. 

“Our job was to be […] a watchdog on what was happening inside the board,” Mike said. “They were supposed to report to us at least once every semester, and we’re supposed to comment and give feedback on what they did, and what they should have done [….] It was like a formality.” 

Upcoming elections for the MACES board of 2016-2018 will be held from Feb. 22 to Feb. 28, and the deadline for nominations ends Feb. 7. 

”For those who think they can work for the MACES, [they should] nominate themselves and go for that,” Memarzadeh said. “It will be, I think, a very good opportunity [….] And it’s a very good time for change.” 

With the two recent resignations, current board members hope to see a degree of institutional memory and continuity going into the future. 

“I’m concerned not about those three positions,” the anonymous source said. “I’m concerned more about the leadership and the future of this organization.  We need someone who is a visionary, who is committed, who is a good negotiator, who listens to others and does not make solo decisions.”

Additional reporting by Aislinn Kalob.

k-pop
a, Arts & Entertainment, Music

Surfing the Korean Wave: How K-pop is taking over the world

by Harry Kim on

More in a:

Last December, K-pop superstar group EXO announced a North American tour scheduled for early 2016. This headline garnered thousands of views and shares on various social media platforms, and concert tickets sold out almost instantly for each stop of the tour. But before the late 2000s, K-pop and South Korean culture didn’t have nearly the same amount of global appeal and popularity.

Hallyu, or “Korean Wave,” was coined in the early 2000s to define the increasing popularity of South Korean pop culture, especially among other East Asian countries. K-pop, or Korean pop music, is one of the many sub-genres of Hallyu, which include various media, such as dramas (soap operas), movies, and TV game shows. Since the beginning of South Korea’s cultural exportation, the cultural and entertainment industries have thrived, becoming a significant part of the economy, generating more than $10 billion in 2015. 

The K-pop movement started in Seoul in 1992, with a three-man boy band called Seo Taeji and Boys. Debuting with a never-before-seen style, mixing traditional Korean folk music with hip-hop and electronica, they became an instant sensation among the young. Arguably, their musical success became a template for rising stars to challenge conventional musical styles. After them, many other “idol groups”—pop groups consisting of many young members—arose. Interestingly enough, one of the former members of Seo Taeji and Boys, Yang Hyun Suk, is the founder and CEO of a major record label, YG Entertainment, holding contracts with stars such as PSY, BIGBANG, and 2NE1. 

After initially gaining huge popularity in the East Asian market, K-pop started attracting international attention in the mid 2000s. Groups such as Girl’s Generation and Wonder Girls managed to attract North American crowds. Arguably, the release of Gangnam Style by PSY in 2012 launched K-pop into the global phenomenon it is today. Generating a record-breaking million views per day in the first weeks of its release, the comedy song served to many as an introduction to K-pop and South Korean culture in general. Since then, dozens of groups have gained popularity, and the industry has been becoming more and more lucrative.

The rise of K-pop is reflected in the evolution of Korean cultural and economic identity. Ever since the end of the Korean War in 1953, South Korea has been obsessed with escaping poverty and proving to the world that the tiny nation can indeed rise from the rubble. Economic growth was prioritized over democracy during years of military dictatorship: During his 19-year rule from 1961 to his assassination in 1979, president Park Jung Hee enforced a strict military rule, while establishing long-term economic plans that focused on industrialization, increasing exports, and technological advancements. This eventually led to “The Miracle on the Han River,” an economic phenomenon that rapidly increased the national GDP from $800 million in the 1970s, to $85 billion by the 1990s. It was during this period that large corporations known as Chaebol (multinational business conglomerates), such as Hyundai and Samsung, rose to economic and political power. During this period, South Korean nuclear families were taught to be efficient, to be productive, and to strive for success and growth. 

Decades of government propaganda, accompanied by a sudden economic growth spurt, may have engrained into the Korean identity an ultra-capitalistic, nationalist mindset, evident in the world of K-pop today. Accordingly, the movement has become a giant industry driven by profit and success. The superstars themselves are highly manufactured: Behind the flashy music videos and unblemished looks, many of the stars sign a multi-year contract with a record label in their early teens, and receive years of training, while their identity is shaped by multiple managers, assistants, choreographers etc. The treatment of stars is a controversial issue, with little of the profits actually going into the performer’s hands. Those who do not make it to the big stage are confined as “trainees,” living in cramped apartments, dreaming of a chance to see the spotlight. In particular, three major labels, SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, and JYP Entertainment, sign contracts with young stars-to-be, and make sure during their training that they maintain a certain persona. The fact that the label has so much control over every aspect of a band means there is little room  for creative development. 

It seems that South Korean culture itself was hit hardest by all the international attention. Besides controversies surrounding the industry itself, the by-products of its popularity produced unhealthy, if not alarming, shifts to the cultural identity. South Korea is a demographically homogeneous country, with low rates of immigration and a long history of isolationist policies. However, it seems that due to the advent of K-pop, South Korea is also becoming more and more culturally homogeneous, preferring conformity over individuality. South Korea now has the highest ratio of plastic surgeries per capita in the world: Cosmetic surgery is becoming a casual concept, comparable to putting on makeup. Hundreds of cosmetic centres advertise the ‘ideal image’ of K-pop stars and the importance of adhering to beauty standards; when roaming the busy streets of downtown Seoul, it is often difficult to tell the difference between people. 

Musically, melody and lyricism have become lesser components, while catchy beats and dance patterns are prioritized. Many songs sound very similar, since they are produced by the same cookie-cutter mold of large record label companies. K-pop has become self-aware: The song “Rhythm Ta” by IKON says, “This is just a song so get on the rhythm.” If one categorizes K-pop as pop music, it can be argued that it is a reflection of current trends, and it purposefully emphasizes dance and rhythm rather than lyricism. Further, K-pop is a good representation of the current YouTube generation: visually-appealing music videos are as important, if not more, than the musical content itself. In that sense, K-pop is thriving and taking advantage of popular social media to spread across the world. It goes without saying, there are many artists and songs that do have artistic qualities and are unique. Even though many South Korean bands are arising as indie groups in the musical underground, it is very rare for them to match the international attention of K-pop stars.

The advent of K-pop is a musical phenomenon that introduced South Korean culture to the world. Today, people from all around the world enjoy the music and shows produced by the enormous industry which is booming more than ever and continuing to grow and match the public’s desires. The rise of K-pop seems to be a reflection of the people’s drive for progress during Korea’s economic growth throughout the 20th century, and thus, K-pop will continue to evolve. 

Today, there are many facets of Korean culture as artistically rich and varied as any other that are shrouded by the flashy lights of K-pop. The rich history of Korea, a tiny 5000-year-old nation, developed a unique culture that is still relatively unknown to the world. Today, Seoul is continuing to grow as the trend-setting capital of Asia, with events such as Seoul Fashion Week and K-pop concerts attracting more and more people every year. The growing popularity is helping to expose other cultural aspects such as the food scene and architecture to the public. Hopefully, K-pop will not only serve as popular entertainment, but act as a beacon that can introduce South Korea’s rich and vast history to the world.

a, Features

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

by Julie Vanderperre on

More in a:

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

More in a:

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

More in a:

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.

[metaslider id=43018]

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

More in a:

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

More in a:

“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

More in a:

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.

1 … 766 767 768 769 770 … 1,363

Read the latest issue

Read the latest issue