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a, Football, Sports

The end of an era: New York City says goodbye to Tom Coughlin

by Nicholas Jasinski on

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“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as head coach of the New York Football Giants,” the outgoing Tom Coughlin said after announcing his resignation as chief of the Giants’ coaching staff. “This is not a sad occasion for me.”

The 69-year-old Coughlin, who has spent the last 12 seasons of his 46-year-long coaching career at the Meadowlands, went 102-90 with the Giants in the regular season and 8-3 in the playoffs. His greatest coaching accomplishments will always be the pair of astounding, underdog Super Bowl wins after the 2007 and 2011 seasons, both against the heavily-favoured New England Patriots.

In today’s NFL, finding a coach with a tenure as long as Coughlin’s is a difficult task. Finding a coach in any sport in the high pressure, media frenzy New York market with a tenure as long as Coughlin’s is a nearly impossible task. The expressive, red-faced, and gesticulating figure of Coughlin on the sidelines every Sunday has become a quintessential part of the Giants’ image. Behind the scenes players and assistant coaches remember Coughlin as obsessively hardworking, maniacally devoted to detail, and intensely caring for all the members of his organization, both on and off the field.

"I learned so much from him.” Giants quarterback Eli Manning told the press after Coughlin’s annoucement. “He's a great example of how you should do your job. He's a great coach."

“I love Coach Coughlin.” said star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. at the press conference “He’s always going to be my coach.”

When he arrived at Giants’ headquarters in 2004 after leaving the Jacksonville Jaguars, Coughlin had all the clocks set five minutes forward. Players who arrived less than five minutes early for a team meeting were fined for being late because everyone had to be five minutes early for everything. Coughlin was known for being the first person to arrive each morning and the last person to leave at the end of the day. Sometimes he wouldn’t leave at all, spending the night in his office going over film and drawing up new plays.

“No one worked harder, no one demanded more and I love [Coach Coughlin] for it.” said former Giants defensive end Justin Tuck in an emotional Instagram post.

 

 

As I sit back and reflect on Coach Tom Coughlin, I remember all the one on ones in your office talking football, game plan, etc. I think back to when I was named captain and I used to try and beat you to the facility. I would get there at 6, you where there. I got there at 530 and you were there. 5 am… I knew I would beat you then.. NOPE YOU WERE THERE. I remember feeling the hood of your car and it was cold. Come to find out there were nights you slept in the office. No one worked harder, no one demanded more and I LOVE YOU for it. I chose this picture for one reason and one reason only. Everyone knows you for your dedication to your team and how intense you are on the football field. But I will remember you for helping me become a man and challenging all of us to be better husbands and fathers and men. You did it the right way Coach. And you might be retiring from coaching but I'm sure this isn't a goodbye. That's not in your nature. #halloffame #5minutesearly #areyoush*ttingme

A photo posted by THEREALJUSTINTUCK91 (@therealjustintuck91) on

 

Perhaps most impactfully, Coughlin not only expected but earned the respect of all his players. He involved himself in their personal lives, visited them at their homes, and met their families and made them into not just better football players, but also better husbands, better fathers, and better men. He spent generous amounts of time in the locker room talking to his players and broke up his work day to eat lunch with them in the team cafeteria downstairs.

“He was like a father to me and a lot of other guys.” said Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz in a series of player tributes to Coughlin in The Player’s Tribune. “He’s always been there for me, whether I was going through something and needed someone to talk to, or whether I was struggling on the field and just needed to vent. His door was always open, and it was open to everyone, whether you were an undrafted rookie or a team captain.

Both of Coughlin’s Super Bowl wins will never be forgotten for how truly unexpected they were. Both came after seasons with poor starts and a struggle to find team cohesion until the second half of the season—just in time for the Giants to earn a wild card spot in the playoffs. In New York, a city blessed with wealthy franchises and the ability to attract talented players based on location and market size alone, rooting for the underdog is a rare phenomenon. The Yankees, the Rangers, and the Giants have been perceived more as Goliath than David for the majority of their appearances in their respective post-seasons, but Coughlin’s two runs to the Super Bowl—during which the Giants played only one total home playoff game—to face the mighty Patriots were an undoubted reversal of roles for the New York fans. Playing David gave them something new and exciting to cheer about.

It’s why, after missing the playoffs since winning the Super Bowl in 2011 and going 19-29 in his last three seasons, all 83,00 fans in MetLife Stadium nevertheless thunderously cheered Coughlin off the field after his last game. This was in spite of the Giants falling to division-rival Philadelphia Eagles in a disappointing end to a 6-10 record season. It’s why, along with his never-give-up-no-matter-what attitude, Coughlin will always be remembered as a hero and icon of New York sports after a never-boring, often erratic and always entertaining tenure as coach in the Meadowlands.

a, Music

Trib Mix: Comeback / Clapback

by William Burgess, Hayley Lim & Matt Smith on

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January doesn't have to be all about New Year's Resolutions and turning yourself into a perfect being of health, holiness, and forgiveness. If anything, it's the perfect month for rising from the ashes and taking charge of everyone and everything around you. This month, the editors at the McGill Tribune have compiled their best triumphant comeback tracks and their most biting clapback tracks, all aimed at taking down the competition and rising to the top. Scroll down to hear the full playlist on YouTube.

"FACTS" – Kanye West

"Yeezy Yeezy Yeezy just jumped over Jumpman." While far from his best work, Kanye West's “FACTS” is both a diss track against Nike, and represents the return of G.O.O.D. Fridays, as Kanye prepares to release his next album, SWISH.

“FACTS” opens with a classic Kanye-style sample of doo-wop group Father's Children, but quickly ditches the a capella soul, in favour of a Metro Boomin-produced minimal beat, over which he raps the song’s hook, "Yeezy Yeezy Yeezy just jumped over Jumpman," to the tune of Drake and Future's track, "Jumpman.” The track revolves around Kanye's dissatisfaction with Nike—Air Jordan sneakers in particular—in favour of his partner, the brand with the three stripes, Adidas. Kanye had previously said that he and Don C. were the reason why Jordan's are popular at all. Clearly, since partnering with Adidas, Kanye feels differently, having traded in his Jordan's for a pair of Yeezy boosts. Kanye calls Nike out for treating employees like slaves (which maybe Adidas doesn't?), and paying LeBron a billion dollars for his lifetime contract.

The song's hook refers to the fact that while Jordan's still are top sellers, they sit on shelves, while you can't find a pair of Yeezy's anywhere due to their batch-limited release, as well as the massive amount of hype surrounding the sneakers. “FACTS” is, at the end of the day, a song about just that. Almost everything in the song is, a collection of (almost) facts about Kanye's successful foray into shoes, and his surpassing of Jordan's as the ultimate hype items.

"Obsessed (Remix)" – Mariah Carey ft. Gucci Mane

Many vindictive R&B songs are written from the perspective of a scorned lover about the object of the artist’s affections. On this 2009 single, however, Mariah Carey flips the script to call out her obsessive stalker. Carey’s cheeky, flippant lyrics laid over a club beat make for a horn-and-handclap-filled clapback, a beat that plays well to Atlanta-based rapper Gucci Mane’s hype man role on this remix. The subject of her humiliation? Presumably Detroit rapper Eminem, who previously dissed Carey on tracks such as “Superman” (“What you trying be? My new wife? / What, you Mariah? Fly through twice").

A true banger that is both funny and relatable, “Obsessed” makes rejection fun again. Its accompanying music video (which in this cut is interlaid with clips of Gucci Mane mugging for the camera and pointing suggestively at Carey’s recumbent figure) gives a not-so-subtle glimpse at who this diss is directed at. If the context and lyrics weren’t enough of a hint, Carey herself dresses up in Eminem’s signature oversized hoodie, staring longingly at her glamorous counterpart. That is, until he gets hit by a bus while trying to take a fan photo. Oops!

Released amidst a burgeoning beef, this track takes the rap diss formula and makes it less threatening and more, well, amusing. Mariah truly has no chill in this teardown of Eminem, and yet, unlike him, seems on the whole unperturbed by their former “relationship.” A perfect illustration of a clapback, it’s only appropriate that this scornful anthem sets off this month’s Trib playlist.

"White Boy" – Bikini Kill

This blunt chorus, courtesy of genius lead singer Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill, is the core of the song “White Boy.” The song begins with an audio recording of a discussion between Hanna and an anonymous white boy. He so graciously explains to Hanna how most girls “ask for it,” by being “slut rocker bitches walking down the street,” essentially victim-blaming women for just existing. Hanna starts her rebuttal by poignantly shouting, “I’m so sorry if I’m alienating some of you / Your whole fucking culture alienates me.”

“White Boy" was released on Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah (1993), the split album by Bikini Kill and Huggy Bear released by the label Kill Rock Stars. Staying true to Bikini Kill’s feminist lyrics and aggressive, unrelenting guitar lines, “White Boy” is the ultimate diss track aimed at the patriarchy and ignorant white boys of the ’90s who prevented girls from participating in punk rock music through their aggressive moshing and unwelcoming audience presence. Prior to the Riot Grrrl movement, girls at rock shows were considered girlfriends and punk rock girls were considered sluts and bitches; overall, they had very little representation in the underground culture. “White Boy" is just one of the many songs Bikini Kill made that stabs at the obtuse arguments made by many men and subsequently carves a place for women to be treated as equal members of the punk rock scene.

According to Urban Dictionary, a clapback means “to return fire” and Hanna certainly does that by condemning the party in question to simply “just die.” Some may say this isn’t a clapback but citing a real recording of a person and then proceeding to burn him and his whole faction is an ultimate diss to me.

a, Arts & Entertainment, Theatre

Anonymous Monsters: Players’ Theatre examines the legacy of evil in East of Berlin

by Christopher Lutes on

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Part of growing up is coming to the realization that your parents aren’t exactly who you thought they were when you were a child. They lived for a relatively long time before your birth, had their own careers, loves, and transgressions. Though that specific version of them is lost forever by virtue of having children, the shadows of the past still play an active role in the psychology of the present. This is the ostensible theme of Players’ Theatre’s first production of the Winter season, East of Berlin, which unfortunately fails to delve much deeper than that.

Written by Canadian playwright Hannah Moscovitch and directed by McGill’s Anna Fitz, the play follows Rudi (Francesca Scotti-Goetz), the son of one of the infamous ‘Nazi doctors’ of the holocaust who has to come to terms with his father’s evil. Born in Germany at the end of the war, but whisked away to South America to avoid capture, Rudi meets the son of a Polish officer (Guy Ettlin) who informs him of Germany’s actions. After finding out the true nature of his father’s transgressions, Rudi travels back to Germany and meets a daughter of concentration camp survivors (Sophia Metcalf). The play unfolds in an alternating series of monologues given by Rudi and more traditional dialogues.

While the transitions between the monologues and scenes are fantastic in their fluidity, the script suffers from a lack of subtext or restraint, spending too much of the monologues with exposition that could have been delivered in a less obvious way. The play seems to use its subject matter as an easy shortcut to provoke an emotional response, rather than letting it flow naturally from the characters. The production also seems to be trying its darndest to be edgy, as evidenced by a scene of homosexual fellatio next to a picture of Hitler, or another where one character proposes to another in the parking lot of Auschwitz. The production seems content to coast on the symbolic weight that such images bring without the specificity needed to warrant their inclusion.

Since the material is so overwrought and intense, all of the emotional heavy lifting of the play falls on the actors. Ultimately, this is too big a burden for the cast to bear, and the acting mostly oscillates between too much and too little. Generally, the performances are delivered in a distractingly mannered cadence, though each actor gets at least one scene where they knock it out of the park. Scotti-Goetz is at her best when she lets small parts of the character’s vulnerability slip through, but largely neglects to believably sell her character’s inner turmoil or anger at his father. Metcalf is the clear standout of the production—she brings a nervous physicality to the role that makes her character almost instantly sympathetic, and delivers her lines with the gravitas needed to fully express her character’s conflicting feelings.

The stage is surprisingly bare, with an aesthetic that could charitably be called minimalist, perhaps by necessity because it has to serve as the setting for three or four different countries. It serves its purpose for the most part. The same goes for any sound design–with one notable exception, it’s entirely absent, and when it is does play a role, it sounds like it was played from a sound effects board.

The lighting is the most consistently impressive element of the production, greatly aiding the transitions from monologue to dialogue. The monologues are cast in yellow-blue pall, giving Rudi’s confessions a tone of eerie reflection. The dialogues are more versatile, with orange glowing representing the sunniness of Paraguay, and a breathtaking scene later on, where two characters share an intimate moment under a soft yellow light.

Overall, East of Berlin has some cogent points to make about legacy and how it can be corrupted and influenced by evil; however, those are mostly overshadowed by the play’s attempt to tease a narrative out of what should have been more meditative reflection. Adapting such poor source material would be difficult for even the most experienced theatre troupe, so it’s understandable that this production wasn’t able to overcome it, despite having a few elements that made it worthwhile.

East of Berlin runs from Jan. 20 to 23, 8 p.m. every night at Players’ Theatre (3480 Rue McTavish). Tickets are $6 for students, $10 general admission. Email [email protected] for reservations.

a, News, SSMU

SSMU appoints a new general manager

by Jenna Stanwood on

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On Jan. 10 the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) announced that Ryan Hughes had been appointed the new general manager (GM). The announcement was released in a written statement from Vice-President (VP) Clubs and Services Kimber Bialik. The GM position had been vacant since August, when the previous manager resigned citing personal reasons after only six months. Hughes’ predecessor had been hired in a rushed process, without the standard consultation of an outside hiring firm. According to Bialik, the GM is an important part of SSMU and is a source of institutional memory. 

“The General Manager role is integral to the smooth operations of the SSMU, working closely with both the permanent staff and the Executive team,” wrote Bialik in the press release. “The General Manager is responsible for ensuring the financial stability of the SSMU in collaboration with the Vice-President (Finance and Operations), managing the Society’s human resources in collaboration with the President, and managing the University Centre in collaboration with the Vice-President (Clubs and Services), while acting as the hub for institutional memory within the Society and facilitating the governance of the Society.” 

Hughes previously served as SSMU’s building director until going on parental leave in October. 

“Prior to his hiring for the General Manager position, Ryan Hughes held a variety of positions at the SSMU, including the Archivist and Communications and IT Director roles,” wrote Bialik. “As the building director of the SSMU, [Hughes handled] building administration and the implementation of projects.”

Hughes was selected through an extensive process that involved the hiring of an outside firm to aid in the selection of a capable candidate. 

“We placed extra emphasis this year on ensuring that the process was thorough and involved as many stakeholders as possible because the last process was not successful,” said Kareem Ibrahim, SSMU president. “We therefore hired an external recruitment firm [….] It cost $18,000 overall which is very expensive for us obviously […] but we really [thought] that this was not something that we were willing to risk whatsoever [….] The failed recruitments can have very drastic impacts on the society financially […that] severely outweigh the money we [paid] them so we were definitely not hesitant to […] invest a lot of money into ensuring this process was thorough.”

The GM’s contract began on Dec. 21, although the appointment was not announced until Jan. 9. Hughes plans stay in the position for a significant time in order to ensure the quality of SSMU’s services. 

“I’ve enjoyed my time at the SSMU thus far and I am rather excited for the challenges and opportunities ahead,” Hughes wrote in an email to the Tribune. “I have no desire to leave anytime soon [….] My first priority is to engage with the executives and staff members, to listen and to take their information, ideas and insight and create a stronger organization.” 

Bialik had assumed the responsibilities of the building manager while Hughes was on paternity leave. SSMU will now move forward with seeking new candidates after revising the job description for the position.

a, Student Life

Hello from the other side (of the world)

by Keara Campos on

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The proclamation “Exchange changed my life!” that many McGill students profess after a semester or two abroad may be clichéd, but it is rooted in genuine and unique experiences. As the upcoming Jan. 15 deadline for McGill’s study abroad program approaches, students will be deciding whether an exchange is right for them. The Tribune interviewed four McGill students who travelled to Australia, South America, Europe, and Asia, to hear about their experiences abroad. If McGill’s FAQ page about exchanges doesn’t have enough information and you’re still hesitant about applying, consider these testimonials so you don’t end up feeling like Justin Bieber wondering if it’s too late now to say sorry.

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    Bria Hiebert (The Netherlands)

     

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    Josh Berman (Chile)

     

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    Alex Norman (Hong Kong)

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    Lauren Miller (Australia)

 

a, Features

Questioning Coding: The rise of coding raises as many questions as it answers

by Zikomo Smith on

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The 21st Century is the age of nerds. It might be an overplayed think-piece trope, but smart people are a huge part of popular culture—no longer stuffy personalities stuck in an ivory tower. This phenomenon is happening concurrently with the infiltration of data, analytics, and technology in life, as well as the code that underpins it. Film heroes reflect this change—John McClane is no more, and Iron Man reigns supreme. If the 2004 superhero film The Incredibles were made today, perhaps the physically powerless yet tech-savvy antagonist, Syndrome, would be the winner in the fight against the physically superhuman Parr family. Along with the proliferation of coding in popular culture, coding is evolving as an important skill in the job market and life in general.

a, Science & Technology

Understanding El Niño

by Lydia Kaprelian on

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El Niño has been the latest buzzword explanation for  Montreal’s—and the world’s—unseasonably warm weather. 

Normally, the prevailing wind patterns in the Pacific Ocean, known as trade winds, blow east to west. When these winds are weaker than usual, a buildup of warm and wet weather along the West Coast of the Americas and drier conditions in Indonesia and Australia occurs, known as El Niño. Conversely, when the cycle enters a cooler phase, marked by stronger winds, it is known as La Niña.

Part of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle, the two terms are used by weather scientists to describe specific temperature and atmosphere conditions in the Pacific. Because El Niño is connected to many other wind currents, any changes in the system can dramatically alter global weather patterns. For example, the ‘super El Niño’ of 1998 resulted in frequent and severe ice storms that devastated parts of southern Quebec. 

Predicting the effects of an El Niño, however, is difficult. While El Niño is not caused by climate change as it is a naturally occurring phenomena, a changed climate means that the impact of an El Niño is becoming greater and increasingly unpredictable. 

For example, an ENSO cycle generally takes place every two to seven years, although a 2014 paper published in Nature suggests that climate change will likely bring about an increased frequency of extreme El Niño events.

Recently published data collected by Environment Canada reports that the average temperature in December 2015 was 1.65 degrees Celsius. The average temperature in December 2014 was -3.45 degrees Celsius—a difference of over 5 degrees. 

While these differences are dramatic, it’s important to note that they cannot be directly correlated with the El Niño. Rather, the weather system is likely a contributing factor to the latest of Montreal’s abnormally pleasant winter temperatures.

On Jan. 7, United Nations (UN) officials warned of the effects of the anticipated intensified 2016 El Niño. Stephen O’Brien, the UN under-secretary-general for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, urged the international community to prepare for the changed weather. O’Brien cautioned that combined with the impacts of climate change, the 2016 El Niño phenomenon is pushing into “uncharted territory.”

While El Niño may have favourable effects on some areas, such as a potential amelioration to the endemic drought in southern California, in many other areas of the world dramatic weather events are expected to cause humanitarian emergencies. Already, there have been intensified drought conditions throughout Eastern Africa, notably affecting Ethiopia. Projections for 2016 predict that food insecurity will affect 22 million people across the region, and at this moment, 10.2 million people are in need of emergency food assistance. Additionally, El Niño increases the possibility of typhoons and cyclones occurring, which will affect countries throughout the Pacific. 

ENSO cycles rarely last longer than one year, but their impact has no end-point. And because El Niño events are often associated with droughts, O’Brien anticipates high levels of food insecurity throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. 

“The impacts, especially on food security, may last as long as two years,” he explained. 

Montreal’s latest mild temperatures are expected to persist throughout February. Long-term forecasts predict mild winter conditions across Canada with less persistent and less intense cold spells compared to those that have dominated the past two winters. The unseasonal rain that has replaced Montreal’s usual winter precipitation is likely an effect of this year’s particularly powerful El Niño event. While precipitation patterns are expected to remain relatively normal, it is difficult to predict what form the precipitation will take; this will likely result in less-than-ideal ski conditions.

“Every El Niño event is unique unto itself,” explained Chris St. Clair, a weather broadcaster for The Weather Network. “This El Niño will weaken in the coming months.”

While the 2016 El Niño has so far led to many atypical weather events across the globe, there is reason to believe that the weather patterns will return to normal in the later half of the Canadian winter. There is preliminary evidence that the Pacific Ocean temperatures are already beginning to cool, leading many meteorologists to believe that the wackiest of El Niño weather-related events are behind us.

Sopranos
a, Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

Pop Rhetoric: How TV can improve in 2016

by Christopher Lutes on

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2015 was arguably the best year for television in the history of the medium, both in terms of quality and quantity. Last summer, John Landgraf, president of FX network and de facto ‘mayor of television,’ stated that people have reached an age of “peak TV in America,” pointing out that over 400 scripted television series have aired in the last year. Part of this was an expression of concern over the instability of having so much airing in such a short amount of time, but it also symbolized just how far the medium has come since The Sopranos showed the world what TV was capable of.

Despite this, TV is a medium that is very much still in its infancy, and there are a lot of hurdles it needs to overcome in order for it to unlock its true potential. Here are four ways that TV can get to the next level of artistic achievement. 

1. Figure out what an episode is

Perhaps the most important mark The Sopranos left was that it popularized the idea of heavy serialization to drama. Shows no longer had to tell self-contained stories that intermittent viewers could easily pick up and instead started to tell complex 13-hour stories in which characters are capable of change. However, the scales have probably tipped too far towards serialization, where many quality shows, especially ones released on the full-season binge model, suffer from an unwillingness to fully use an inherent part of the medium to their advantage. At their best, episodes can be used to explore a facet of a show in great detail, and tell a full, satisfying story that still fits into the serialization of the show. HBO’s The Leftovers is especially good at this. 

2. Know when to end 

Unlike other art forms, TV is a medium where its pieces of art can and often do end abruptly and unfinished. This is not only a problem because great shows are cancelled too early (see Deadwood, Enlightened, Hannibal), but also because it means that creators spend most of their shows’ runs not knowing how many seasons they will get before they end. This hinders their ability to make a fully cohesive series across multiple seasons. For instance, Lost became an unfocused mess midway through its third season, but quickly regained its sense of structure after its creators were given an established end date. In a world where ratings are becoming a less and less important factor in whether or not a show is cancelled, it seems like established end dates will soon become the norm. 

3. Break format

Experimentation is key to the artistic development of any medium, even if most of it fails. The fact that many shows exhibit a lack of imagination, or an unwillingness to innovate on a storytelling level (this is doubly true of comedies), is understandable. Relying on what has worked with viewers in the past has the best chance of working in the present, but it also leads to creative stagnation. Thankfully, some shows are willing to break new ground. For instance, Fargo’s second season was especially good at this, moving from a traditionally-shot, straightforward first season to the split-screens and visual metaphors of its 1970’s-set second season. 

4. Become more of a visual medium

TV has always been a writer’s medium, with the unofficial title of ‘showrunner’ usually given to the head writer of a series. This is markedly different from film, where the director—whose job is more about how a movie is shot—is the chief authority on set. This means that even great series can feature tight, well-plotted scripts, but feature limp, unimaginative visuals. Thankfully, this is beginning to change. Shows like Louie and Breaking Bad have seen their showrunners recognize the importance of cinematography and camera placement, whereas shows like Master of None and Transparent have brought in film directors as collaborators to establish their visual palates.

After The Sopranos ended, there was a lot of critical worrying about the best days of TV now being in the past. The near-decade since then has thankfully proven them wrong, but there’s still a lot that can be improved across the medium. The next great television series, if it hasn’t premiered alreadly, will think differently, escew the limitations of the form, and add another layer to what television is capable of. 

a, Science & Technology

Tips on making and achieving a New Year’s resolution

by Clare Lyle on

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Historically, a new year was marked by an astronomical event. For example, ancient Babylonians began the new year with the first new moon after the spring equinox. Today, however, the new year is simply marked with a date: January 1. While there’s nothing particularly special about New Year’s Day, it continues to inspire roughly 50 per cent of the population to be more fit, more efficient, and simply overall better versions of themselves. 

Why do we set new year’s resolutions?

As far as timing goes, studies show that the new year is an especially promising period for setting goals, with New Year’s resolutioners experiencing a success rate over 10 times higher than people who make resolutions at other times of the year. The researchers found that those who stated that they would like to change a behaviour “some day” versus having a set deadline showed lower rates of success. The high rate of New Year’s resolutions can also be attributed to an interesting psychological phenomenon associated with over-optimistic goal-setting called ‘false hope syndrome.’ Essentially, this term refers to the fact that people tend to overestimate their ability to make changes in their lives. 

Psychologists generally support the concept of “SMART” goals—that is, goals which are: 

Specific: Reading ‘more’ books vs.  Reading 10 books

Measurable: Run faster vs. Run 10K in under an hour

Achievable: Get to the Olympics vs. Go to the gym twice a week

Results-focused: Get straight As vs. Study 30-hours per week

Time-bound: “Learn how to count to 100 in French by Jan. 21”

What makes a bad new year’s resolution?

1. Individuals are not likely to achieve goals that are set for them by others. For example, parents may want their children to improve their GPA, but the student would prefer to volunteer on Saturdays rather than spend weekends at the library. Consequently, the student isn’t very likely to achieve a higher GPA, because it isn’t something he or she wants.

2. A goal that is very far in the future. Achieving goals is satisfying—studies show that it is more difficult to sustain motivation for long-term goals compared to short-term goals. Without a deadline, it is difficult to be motivated.

3. A goal that is too easy. In a paper published in the American Educational Research Journal, psychologists found that students who were randomly assigned a more challenging goal (in this case, answering more questions right on a quiz) on average performed better than those who were assigned an easier goal. 

 

How to keep a new year’s resolution

1. Start small, and take resolutions one at a time. Psychologists have developed a model for those looking to attain their goals, called the “self-concordance theory.” This essentially describes the phenomenon whereby students who consider themselves to be more capable of achieving goals are more likely to achieve them. This generates a feedback loop—students who achieved goals saw themselves as more capable, which then made them more likely to achieve their next goal. Breaking goals down into milestones has been shown to help goal-setters take advantage of this.

2. Communicate and find support. A study done by the University of California, San Diego on individuals who were trying to lose weight found a correlation between the level of social support the subjects experienced and their diet and exercise habits. Participants who felt that they had a more supportive social network tended to improve their diet and exercise habits more effectively and were more likely to lose weight.

3. Stay positive. A 2005 paper from Utrecht University in the Netherlands in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology showed that attitude was incredibly important to success. Essentially, an individual’s motivation is intimately related to his or her emotions; and those who thought positively were more likely to succeed than those who approached a situation negatively.

a, Basketball, Sports

Point Counterpoint: 1995-1996 Bulls vs 2015-2016 Warriors

by Mayaz Alam and Élie Lubendo on

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This year’s Golden State Warriors have been dominating whatever futile opposition their competition throws at them all season long and have lost only two games this season. Michael Jordan’s 72-win 1995-96 Bulls have long been recognized as the best team ever. Is it time to crown a new king? The Tribune weighs in.

1995-1996 Chicago Bulls

The 2015-2016 Golden State Warriors are not better than the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls. Despite the Warriors’ formidable winning stretch, the debate is clearly in favour of Michael Jordan’s Bulls. When we take into account the team’s win parity, the chemistry issues they overcame to win their fourth championship, and the hard knock defence that occupied the league in the ‘80s and ‘90s, the 1995-1996 Bulls are clearly the better team.

The win gap between the 1996 Bulls champion team and that of other teams in the 1995-1996 NBA season is the epitome of dominance. In the entire league there were only three teams that achieved 60 or more wins: The Chicago Bulls (72), the Seattle Supersonics (64), and the Orlando Magic (60). FiveThirtyEight, predicted with their CARMELO algorithm at the start of the season that the Warriors would finish with 67 wins—five wins short of the 1996 Bulls team. With the San Antonio Spurs trailing right behind the Golden State Warriors and the Eastern Conference appearing more competitive than it has been in years, it’s not likely that the Warriors can top the 1996 Bulls’ win dominance.

The Chicago Bulls’ record is even more impressive in light of the raw talent that occupied their roster and how Phil Jackson masterfully got the team to work together to clinch their fourth championship in six years. After a year and a half of coping without the Chicago messiah—who was busy playing baseball during his first retirement—the Bulls had to figure out how to reinstate and find a fit for the second coming of Michael Jordan. Furthermore, Jordan’s comeback from his short baseball career would have to happen without one of the key pieces of the first 1991-1993 Chicago Bulls three-peat: Horace Grant. After an unsuccessful two-year stint with the San Antonio Spurs from 1993-1995, league trouble-maker Dennis Rodman was traded in the 1995 off-season to the Chicago Bulls as a replacement for Grant. Jackson had to convince Rodman to get along with the hard-headed Jordan despite the fact that Rodman had once played for the “Bad Boys” Pistons, who invented the Jordan Rules and nearly injured Jordan on several occasions. Back then, just about anything was fair game: Running under people’s feet after a three-pointer, hand-checking and light holding while guarding, and elbowing in the paint were all common, albeit dangerous practices in the NBA.

In the face of such odds—the difficulty of creating team chemistry and the physicality of ’80s and ’90s NBA defense—the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls are a testament to how far teamwork and determination can go. This year’s Warriors may be stretching the imagination of sports analysts, but with no considerable roster changes from their 2015 championship team and aided by softer defensive rules, the 1996 Bulls emerge superior. They did not have the luxury of stability and referees’ whistles to protect their championship ambitions—ambitions that were fulfilled by winning an improbable 72 games.

—Élie Lubendo

2015-2016 Golden State Warrior

Through 38 games, or 46.3 per cent of the NBA season so far, the Golden State Warriors have put together the best record in league history. That’s right, even better than the 1994-1996 Chicago Bulls who ended up going 72-10. In today’s NBA, the Warriors would be a better team because of their elite depth and versatility.

The Bulls faced little resistance in the Eastern Conference during their historic season—only two other teams finished with more than 50 wins. Last season, seven teams finished with 50 or more wins in the Western Conference and two years ago the worst playoff team in the conference had 49 wins. Arguably the level of quality in the NBA has increased in the last 20 years: Players are bigger, stronger, and more athletic, and the influx of international players has also increased the talent pool. It’s harder to do what the Warriors are doing this season than what the Bulls did in their dominant year.

From a pure matchup standpoint the Warriors would have a slim advantage. Although the Bulls were good at defending the three-point line, good doesn’t suffice against the best three-point shooting team of all time. For a team as deep and versatile as Golden State, the barrage of three-pointers doesn’t have to come from Steph Curry or Klay Thompson; rather, secondary scorers would feed off of the extra attention given to the “Splash Brothers,” and attack weaker defenders and rotating defences like they have much of this season. The Warriors are dominating the league not only because of Curry’s individual brilliance but because opposing second units are being overwhelmed.

The Bulls’ best big man defender, Dennis Rodman, wasn’t tasked with defending in space when he was a mainstay on the All-NBA defensive team. In the pace and space era, his defensive strengths would be mitigated and he would be drawn away from the rim, negating some of his prodigious rebounding abilities as well. The Bulls’ other rotation big men were career journeymen who were hardly rim protectors and would run into the same issues defending the spread pick and roll—the staple of every good NBA offence in 2016.

By comparison, the Warriors big men are either elite rim protectors, such as Festus Ezeli and Bogut, or arguably the most versatile defender in the league, in Draymond Green. On the perimeter, the Warriors are aptly built to match up well with any team, including the Bulls. Stopping  Michael Jordan would have been impossible, but no other team in the salary cap era has as many athletic and rangy 6’6” or taller defenders to throw at wing scorers.

The Warriors’ X-factor, as it has been throughout the season, is its ‘lineup of death’ where they bring out Curry, Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Andre Iguodala, and Green. All five players can pass, beat their man off the dribble, and shoot effectively from the perimeter. On defence everyone except for Curry can switch who they’re guarding. There hasn’t been a lineup like this in the NBA that can beat opposing teams in as many ways.

The Bulls are a historically great team and they were rightly the best team in league history, up until now. But when the Warriors lift their second championship in a row at the end of this season, the Bulls will be nudged out of their top spot by a team that was deeper and more versatile.

—Mayaz Alam

Editors’ Pick: 2015-2016 Golden State Warriors

The Warriors’ superior combination of balance and depth allows the team to maximize their efficiency in an unprecedented manner and play with nearly unstoppable teamwork. It seems that no matter what combination of talent the Warriors put on the court at a time, they’ll outclass whatever futile opposition their competition throws at them.

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