Latest News

a, Behind the Bench, Soccer, Sports

Behind the bench: Mourinho, soccer’s witch doctor

by Raphael Uribe Arango on

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Henry Winter of the Daily Telegraph once said, “When [José] Mourinho walks into a press conference, he makes Machiavelli look like an innocent schoolboy.”

It’s a hyperbole, but it’s not untrue. Over the course of his illustrious career, Mourinho—the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’—has turned every team that he has coached into champions. His psychological impact on his players and opponents is unquestionable. He is a living legend; and looking at each of his teams, one begins to truly appreciate the aura of magnificence he has built around himself.

Mourinho’s first professional coaching job was with little-known FC Porto in Portugal’s Primeira Liga. In the span of two years, Porto went from being unknowns to European Champions, beating heavyweights like Real Madrid and Manchester United on their way to the title. Even after shedding its underdog status, Porto continued to roll, winning six titles in two years. Mourinho’s uncanny ability to instill confidence in his players was a central factor in Porto’s early success. Though Porto had always been successful in Portugal, its success on the world stage only came under Mourinho. Thanks to him, Portuguese soccer was back on the map.

Shortly afterwards, Chelsea came calling with a huge contract and a promise to spend big on new transfers. Mourinho accepted the offer and moved to West London. Chelsea hadn’t won the Premier League in 50 years and had always struggled against the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, and Liverpool. That all changed with the arrival of Mourinho. New players from his old club, Porto, and a few big signings created a strong team that would go on to win seven titles in three years. By the 2005-2006 season, Chelsea had become the unquestioned hegemon in the Premier League. Rival managers Arsene Wenger (Arsenal) and Alex Ferguson (Manchester United) had become mere spectators of Chelsea’s meteoric rise.

He has the desire to win by any means necessary, and he ingrains it into every player he coaches.

After his relationship with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich soured, Mourinho departed for sunny Inter Milan in 2008. Inter had a good team at the time, yet could never quite overtake top teams such as AC Milan and Juventus. Over the next two years, Inter won five titles, including Mourinho’s second Champions League title. Mourinho once again instilled discipline into his players, and Inter pulled of a historic upset against Pep Guardiola’s near-unbeatable Barcelona squad. Barcelona’s ‘tiki-taka’ system was undone in spectacular fashion for the first time, and Inter had officially risen to the pinnacle of European soccer. According to Mourinho, Inter was an average team, but it never, in his words, “ran away from pressure.”

After winning the Champions League in 2010 with Inter, Mourinho resolved to move onto what would be the greatest challenge of his career: Coaching Real Madrid.

The Galáctico superstars of Europe—Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Kaká—provided Mourinho with a world-class supporting cast. Unfortunately, Mourinho ran into Messi’s Barcelona team at the height of the latter’s dominance, and not even the greatness of Mourinho could prevent the attacking prowess of Guardiola’s revamped tiki-taka system. Nonetheless, he did manage to win three titles with Real Madrid, including the league title and the Copa del Rey.

Mourinho has built every team with a unique blend of discipline and unwavering confidence. In press conferences, his catchphrase is: “We cannot lose.” He has the desire to win by any means necessary, and he ingrains it into every player he coaches. He is a strategic genius who can adapt to any opponent, on any stage. His impact on the game of soccer today is undeniable and before all is said and done, he will go down as one of the best coaches ever.

a, Opinion

Commentary: Unveiling the fight against religious extremism

by Albert Park on

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Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently vowed to appeal the Federal Court’s decision to lift a ban preventing women from wearing the niqab during the Canadian Oath of Citizenship ceremony. In light of the recent terrorist attack at Parliament Hill, Harper has taken an iron pillar stance in the fight against religious extremism in Canada, highlighted by his proposal of Bill C-51. Setting aside the discussion of exactly how and to what degree the banning of the niqab would benefit this cause, it is worth discussing the prime minister’s recent statements in context. It seems quite clear that Harper’s latest move in his battle against extremism is a regressive and dangerous step for Canada.

Understandably, many Canadians want to see the promotion of secularism and agree with Harper that a religious garment has no place in a governmental ceremony. However, in cases such as this, there is a dangerously thin line between secularism and oppression. To quote the National Secular Society, “[The first principle of secularism..] ensures that religious groups don’t interfere in affairs of state, and makes sure the state doesn’t interfere in religious affairs.” Clearly, Harper is failing to abide by the second part of that principle. Essentially, he is interfering with a religious practice which poses no real threat to the political process of the ceremony.

In fact, Harper previously claimed repeatedly that the niqab was more of a cultural issue rather than a religious one. This claim might be convincing if not for the fact that his main points of argument regarding the issue were ridden with phrases like, “Muslim extremists,” and “Jihad terror.”

Harper also criticized the niqab, calling it an offensive symbol of oppression which is “rooted in a culture which is anti-woman.” This is a sentiment which the majority of Canadians seem to agree with, according to a poll by the Toronto Star. However, it is difficult to miss the intolerant and regressive nature of this kind of close-minded thinking. This belief readily assumes that all women who wear a veil are either brainwashed or oppressed, and are forced to do so by a male patriarch, whereas in reality many women wear it because they consciously choose to, whether it is to express their faith or their character. Furthermore, the logic behind banning an object which women wear to feel comfortable, both physically and spiritually, in order to promote freedom and equality, is flawed. Holding the niqab up as a symbol of oppression and inequality is a short-sighted action which promotes intolerance.

Harper’s latest move in his battle against extremism is a regressive and dangerous step for Canada.

With regards to intolerance, it is important to discuss the societal effect of these secular government policies. This is especially relevant to Quebec, which has a long history of trying to balance secularism with the diversity of religions and cultures present within the province. Perhaps the most notable example was in 2013, when the Parti Québécois proposed a Quebec charter of values, which would restrict public employees from donning religious articles, such as niqabs. What followed was a storm of public racist attacks on Muslim women in the province. It seems to be a trend that the government’s implementation of secularism is often taken by radicals as a green light to spew their blatantly racist, bigoted ideals. Coincidentally, it is often this kind of intolerance and sense of superiority against other cultures that serves as both the foundation and fuel for religious extremism. Therefore, a policy banning religious symbols inevitably does nothing but reinforce the self-righteous anger on both sides of the argument.

Canada should learn from the failures of Quebec and tread carefully. Harper’s strategy for fighting religious extremism is paving a dangerous future for Canada and threatening its identity as a progressive and multicultural nation.

a, McGill, News

Floor fellow contract negotiations to ask for minimum wage

by Phillipe Dumais on

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Negotiations between the floor fellow bargaining unit of the Association of McGill University Support Employees (AMUSE) and McGill continued on March 20, following an offer presented by the administration on March 13.

One of the issues is a change in floor fellow remuneration so that it complies with the Quebec Labour Standards Act (QLSA), which outlines working conditions for all employees in Quebec. According to the QLSA, the general minimum wage for employees who do not receive tips is $10.35 per hour. 

Evan McIlroy, bargaining representative for the floor fellows, explained that the QLSA mandates that floor fellows are paid a minimum wage. McIlroy indicated that the problem of wage was discovered during the course of negotiations and that the administration was open to amending the current situation. 

“Remuneration is not our focus right now,” he said. “We expect this issue to be solved rapidly as we are not asking for a raise, but rather that [our agreement] complies with Quebec labour laws. It was [not] a concern when we unionized in the first place; we have simply discovered that the remuneration system in place right now was not standard.”

According to McIlroy, the issue will be addressed at the end of the bargaining discussions.

The contract negotiations have been marked with setbacks. The inclusion of core values, such as anti-oppression and harm reduction, into the floor fellows’ collective agreement led to the boycott of a training session on Jan. 24 and 25.

“Normally, a collective agreement only defines the working conditions of the union members, so the attempt to include the ‘values associated with the role of floor fellows’ in the collective agreement is a significant departure from the norm,” explained McGill Director of Labour and Employee Relations Robert Comeau to the Tribune in January.

According to Vice President floor fellow for AMUSE Christina Clemente, the updated proposal from McGill includes mention of the core values.

“The proposed collective agreement presented on March 13 includes a clause related to another document which defines the core values,” she said.

The negotiations are likely to continue over the next couple of weeks. Several points remain to be discussed according to Clemente. 

“We have decided to break it down by issues, so further negotiations on different topics are expected later,” she said. 

a, Campus Spotlight, Student Life

Campus Spotlight: MyVision

by Meghan Collie on

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MyVision (MV) is a global enterprise of young people with a mission to find a solution to the world’s social issues through social business. MV McGill came to fruition in 2012 thanks to business partners and McGill undergraduate students Yashvi Shah and Joanna Klimczak. It has since evolved into a global network and is one of the largest networks in the world of young leaders building social business.

“Social business” is a novel business model, developed by Professor Muhammad Yunus, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. It is characterized by a non-dividend, non-loss structure with a goal of resolving a social problem. 

“Social business is something that falls between a business and a charity,” said Clément Ponsonnet, Vice President of University Affairs at MV McGill. “It has the same goal as a charity […] but it works exactly like a business. It generates profit and it’s sustainable, but it also works to solve a social problem.”

Yashvi Shah, president of MV McGill, believes there is a lot of potential with regards to the social business model on campus. 

“At McGill, we’re increasingly realizing that there are a lot of social entrepreneurs on campus [who] don’t necessarily follow this [social business] model […] but are still doing social good in the community,” Shah said. “So what we stand for is social business as a whole.”

MV’s platform rests on three central pillars: Education, creation, and connection. With 17 chapters across the world, MV aims to educate students about social business, to create their own enterprise, and to connect talented youth with mentors in the social business space around the world.

All of these pillars come together in one of MV McGill’s social enterprise, Learning Is For Everyone (LIFE). Aiming to reduce the high school dropout rate in Montreal, LIFE is a yearlong project that connects university mentors with high school students. 

“By paying [the mentors], it’s sustainable and it has a social impact, [thus] making it a social enterprise,” Shah explained.

Mehreen Perwaiz, a member of the communications sector, explained the different sections of MV McGill: Youth engagement, communications, university affairs, and social business and consulting. According to Perwaiz, the education aspect works to inform students on campus and beyond about the growing field of social business through youth engagement, which works with high school and CEGEP students through workshops and mentorship. 

“We’ve reached around 200 students, and what’s impressive is now Dawson [College] even has [its] own [MV] chapter,” Perwaiz said.

MV McGill is hosting their second Social Business Summit on Tuesday, March 24 at the Notman House. According to Ponsonnet, there is a speaker series, a networking period, and a dinner. The speakers include Anita Nowak, Director of Operations for McGill’s Social Learning for Social Impact massive open online course (MOOC); Henry Mintzberg, internationally renowned academic and author on business management; Richard St-Pierre, the president of the C2 Montreal conference; and Bernard d’Arche, a McGill student and a social entrepreneur, who created an enterprise to assist the rebuilding of Lac Mégnatic. This idea won the Dobson cup, and d’Arche plans on raising approximately $1 million by the end of this year. 

“[After the tragedy that left this Quebec community destroyed,] d’Arche created a business incubator, which is a business centre for all those business owners who had their offices destroyed, as well as for new entrepreneurs, providing a place where they can all work and create a network of businesses,” Ponsonnet said.  

Yunus has guided Shah, Klimczak, and hundreds of young people from around the world towards a better future. With the help of Yunus, Shah said she hopes MV McGill will expand across the whole campus.  

“We are almost exclusively a management club at McGill, so in five years, we’d like to […] expand away from Bronfman to a base that is more central and more easily accessible for everyone on campus,” Shah said. “We know the value that interdisciplinary cross-collaboration can bring to social entrepreneurship. That way, if anyone has an idea, [MV] McGill can make it happen for them.” 

a, Arts & Entertainment, Music

Deep Cuts: Songs for my future wedding

by Sophie Jewett on

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God Only Knows

Artist: Beach Boys

Album: Pet Sounds

Released: May 16, 1966

This wonderful, harmonically complex, feel-good track is not always rightfully recognized as one of the greatest tracks of the 1960s. According to the songwriters, it is a story told from the point of view of a man contemplating life after death and professing his eternal love for his paramour. The Beach Boys are the perfect addition to any wedding soundtrack due to their affinity for songs about all-consuming love. This track would be the perfect end to the big day with a couple professing a larger-than-life love for each other, for “as long as there are stars above [them].”

I Think of You

Artist: Rodriguez

Album: Coming From Reality

Released:  November 1971

Released in 2012, the documentary Searching for Sugar Man detailed the story of Cape Town fans trying to find their favorite musician, Sixto Rodriguez, who was rumoured to be dead. In reality, they found the legendary musician working construction in Detroit. Rodriguez’s music never took off in the U.S., but became the soundtrack to the lives of many young South Africans with the anti-Apartheid movement as a backdrop. This track, with its soulful guitar and haunting lyrics, might be one of the greatest love songs ever. Its slow pace and smooth guitar makes it perfect for a walk down the aisle on that special day. 

Modern Love

Artist: David Bowie

Album: Let’s Dance

Released: April 14, 1978

There is no better way to get the party started than an old-school ’80s dance track. David Bowie created a true masterpiece with this iconic track. The song is youthful and rebellious, and can easily relate to any couple’s love story. It brings us back to the comedic torture of teenage years portrayed in films like The Breakfast Club. Although more mainstream, this track has a significant alien edge, which makes both a surprise and a favourite track on the dance floor.

Ritual Union

Artist: Little Dragon

Album: Ritual Union

Released: July 25, 2011

Little Dragon is a small electronic band that earned its name due to lead vocalist Yukimi Nagano’s tendency to throw “fuming tantrums” in the recording studio. The band’s unique sound earned them a feature on Gorillaz’s excellent album Plastic Beach (2010). This track has a wonderfully sexy, alluring style, making you want to dance close to that special someone. Its title alone makes it the perfect song to include in a wedding, but its balance of energetic and mellow makes it an ideal song for fun dancing while dressed in classy attire. 

a, Editorial, Opinion

Editorial: Changes at faculty level must be made to make SSMU more representative

by McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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In the wake of the recent Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) elections, many students have renewed their complaints of dissatisfaction with what they feel is an insular and inaccessible SSMU. While these feelings are certainly valid, the overemphasized focus on SSMU executives and the concurrent lack of student engagement with faculty representatives show that there is room for a shift in expectations. Students often look directly to SSMU for representation and consultation, despite SSMU’s position within our structure of student governance as an overarching body that encompasses many smaller units in which students are represented. Students seeking more accountability and transparency in student government should first look towards their faculty representatives.

During elections, SSMU candidates have been known to make promises to improve communication and engagement with the student body. Despite these yearly ‘commitments’ and efforts by SSMU executives to enhance relations with students, the average student is still left feeling alienated and disconnected from student government. This is not to say that SSMU executives should not seek to improve levels of student engagement in campus politics, but rather that the most effective way of doing so is not by dedicating themselves to connecting directly with all students and their varied interests, but by working more closely with faculty representatives to best serve students.

Students seeking more accountability and transparency in student government should first look towards their faculty representatives.

aculty representatives have smaller bases of constituents than SSMU executives, making it far more realistic for faculty representatives to engage students within their faculties. Students often feel inherently more connected to their faculties, and their interests will likely be better understood and communicable to their specific representatives who have a more direct connection to them and are able to represent their individual demands within SSMU. Within a student government structure as large as McGill’s, it is important to capitalize students’ associations of identity within smaller bodies.

Groups such as the McGill School of Environment (MSE) have expressed dissatisfaction with their current level of representation on the SSMU Legislative Council, and have taken action to improve their representation to SSMU. The MSE put forth a referendum question to acquire their own seat on Council that would be more representative of their specific interests. Improving such weaknesses in representation is a necessary step towards reforming student government at McGill to adequately represent all students.

A shift in expectations of what should happen at different levels of representation also necessitates changes in the behaviour of elected student representatives. Increased accessibility and transparency between faculty representatives and their constituents can be achieved by communicating to students the details of Council meetings through reports—a proposition cited in the new SSMU President, Kareem Ibrahim’s platform—or involving constituents in the decision-making process by instituting polls and surveys, for eample, in order to make the events of Council meetings available to all students. Without such changes to the current system of faculty representation, SSMU executive promises of greater ‘transparency’ are empty.

Improved coordination between students, faculty representatives, and SSMU executives, with an increased emphasis on the role of representatives in communicating the needs and demands of their constituents, is a realistic change that can be implemented. Shifting the focus to faculty representatives is a necessary step towards increasing student satisfaction with SSMU and beginning to break down SSMU’s reputation of isolation and inaccessibility.

a, Student Life, Student of the Week

Student of the Week: David McCusty

by Jordan Sinder on

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Originally from Richmond, Virginia, U3 Pharmacology student David McCusty chose McGill to pursue his academic interests in pharmacology with a minor in linguistics. However, academics was not his only concern coming to McGill; McCusty has also worked at pub nights and participated in changing credit policies at McGill. 

McCusty is exceptionally passionate about Bar des Arts (BDA), the weekly pub night hosted by the Arts Undergraduate Society, where he has volunteered almost every Thursday since his first semester.

“I think [BDA] has actually been the best thing about McGill for me,” McCusty said. “It’s how I’ve met probably most of the people I know outside of [residence]. We get free beer for staff too; but honestly, even if I had to pay for it, I would still go because I love the people who work there so much.”

Despite being in the Faculty of Science, McCusty worked as an Arts Frosh staff member in 2014. According to McCusty, he was able to connect with the Arts Frosh coordinators as a result of the relationships he has developed while working at BDA. 

“I thought [Frosh] was better the second time around than as a froshie,” he explained. “It was nice to have people you know and also to meet new people [….] O-staff was a really good way to meet people from other faculties.”

McCusty is also one of the four moderators of the McGill Facebook page, Free & For Sale. The page is used by students to post classifieds. He became involved with Free & For Sale when Phoebe Yap, another moderator, posted in the page searching for help managing the group. Considering the Facebook page currently has upwards of 13,000 members, McCusty said he is often recognized around campus simply for his involvement and activity online.

“Apparently Free & For Sale made me a celebrity,” he said. “I’m the one who wrote the pinned post, so I think most people think I’m the only [moderator….] I actually have a friend who introduces me as the ‘Deity of Free & For Sale.’”

He also elaborated on the relevance of Free & For Sale for many students who might not have access to their own vehicle or are on a strict budget.

“I think it actually does serve a useful purpose,” McCusty said. “I’d much rather buy something from another student than IKEA. There is a massive volume of furniture [among other items] sold on Free & For Sale, so it is a good way to find things like that.”

McCusty was also instrumental in provoking a recent McGill policy change. As a result of a dual-enrolment program in high school, he entered McGill with 47 transfer credits. Consequently, the university’s old policy, which stipulated a maximum of 120 credits, prevented him from receiving credit for the courses necessary to complete his studies. However, his communications with McGill Advising proved worthwhile—he was able to instigate a change in the policy restricting the number of credits from outside of McGill..

“It’s now 120 credits completed at McGill, not 120 credits completed ever,” McCusty explained. “That’s by far the biggest thing I’ve actually changed here or have been influential in changing.”

McCusty also shared a personal story about a memorable evening he had in Venice while on a high school trip that metaphorically encapsulates his experience at McGill.

“Our teachers took our maps and they were like, ‘Find your way back to the hotel,’” he said. “Venice is all these criss-crossing streets that appear to go nowhere. You think you know where you’re going, then you run into a canal.”

In a sense, McCusty’s anecdote summarizes his McGill experience—no single-minded focus, no particular direction, but simply a general goal and plenty of fun along the way.

 

McGill Tribune: Harvey Specter or Frank Underwood?

David McCusty: Frank Underwood.

 

MT: What is your favourite thing about Montreal?

DM: When the snow melts.

 

MT: Toronto Maple Leafs or cold soup?

DM: Oh, cold soup.

 

MT: What’s your favourite exercise?

DM: Does leaving the gym count?

 

MT: If you could have one super power, what would it be?

DM: I really wish I could fly. It would be really cool.

 

MT: What’s the most played song on your iPod?

DM: Since Carnival, it’s definitely been Uptown Funk.

 

MT: If you were one celebrity, which one would you be?

DM: Lorde. I saw her at Osheaga and she was awesome.

 

MT: What’s your biggest pet-peeve?

DM: People who still haven’t figured out how to walk on icy sidewalks.

a, Sports

10 Things: Weirdest sports injuries

by Nicholas Jasinski on

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  • 1) Gesundheit

    Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar recently suffered a Grade-1 oblique strain from sneezing exceedingly violently. He’s expected to miss a week but be ready in time for opening day.

     

     

  • 2) Quick on the draw

    In November 2008, a season after winning Super Bowl XLII with the New York Giants, Plaxico Burress was involved in an altercation at a nightclub in New York which ended with him reaching to pull a handgun out of his pocket and shooting himself in the leg while the gun was still in his pocket. He suffered only minor injuries but was suspended from the team and eventually served two years in prison for felony weapons charges.

     

     

  • 3) Guitar zero

    During the 2006 American League Championship Series against the Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers pitcher was sidelined with a sore wrist, a common injury for an MLB pitcher. However, the source of Zumaya’s wrist pain was rather exceptional and stemmed from an obsession with the Playstation 2 game Guitar Hero. In the previous days, Zumaya had been playing so much Guitar Hero that he tweaked his wrist and had to sit out a few games to recover. Luckily for him, Detroit still swept the A’s in just four games before losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.

     

     

  • 4) Watch your language

    In a 1975 Premier League match versus Birmingham, Manchester United goalie Alex Stepney proved himself to be a screamer when yelling at his defenders to stay in their proper positions. He managed to yell with such force that he dislocated his jaw and was forced to leave the game.

     

     

  • 5) I'll have what he's having

    In 1992, future Hall-of-Famer and Atlanta Braves pitcher Tom Glavine had particularly rough airline food. In fact, the inflight meal caused him to vomit so violently that he cracked two ribs and had to be placed on the disabled list.

     

     

  • 6) Couldn't wait to find out what happened next

    While in his debut season for the San Diego Padres in 2000, pitcher Adam Eaton became so frustrated with the stubborn packaging on a new DVD that he took out a paring knife to try to hack it open. Instead, he managed to slice himself in the stomach and required stitches to get patched up.

     

     

  • 7) Run Frerotte run

    In a 1997 game against the New York Giants, Washington Redskins quarterback Gus Frerotte ran the ball into the endzone from one yard out. To celebrate, Frerotte ran past the end zone, spiked the ball into the ground, and headbutted the wall while still running full speed. Frerotte needed help taking his helmet off and had to go to a nearby hospital during half time to be treated for a sprained neck.

     

     

  • 8) Time for a new hobby

    Toronto Maple Leafs backup goalie Glenn Healy required 40 stitches in his hand after injuring it cleaning his bagpipes. Luckily for him, it was his last season in the NHL and he was a backup goaltender.

     

     

  • 9) Spiderman

    Another Toronto Blue Jays outfielder, Glenallen Hill, had a serious case of arachnophobia. One night, in the grip of a violent nightmare about spiders, Hill leaped out of bed and ran across his apartment only to fall into a glass table and down a flight of stairs, leaving him with cuts and bruises all over his arms and legs.

     

     

  • 10) Hungry hungry coyote

    Baseball Hall-of-Famer Nolan Ryan once missed a game in 1985 after having his hand bitten by a coyote while reaching into its pen. The Houston Astros pitcher managed to return to the field after just one game.

     

     

a, Out on the Town, Student Life

Out on the Town: Nega Sake opens in Lower Plateau

by Keah Hansen on

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Nega Sake, a Korean-Japanese restaurant, brings a fusion of flavours to the between Prince Arthur and Coloniale Avenue. With its grand opening this past weekend, the restaurant aims to cater to the large student population of the Lower Plateau, and add to the multicultural atmosphere of the neighbourhood.

Nega Sake’s venue offers a cozy and minimalistic atmosphere for its customers. The ground floor dining space has panelled cedar tables and chairs, as well as a booth for large parties. The decor consists of large clear windows, as well as exposed brick walls, which add to its stylish ambiance. A large, overarching cherry blossom tree also lends a serene and vibrant colour to the tranquil ambiance, while the woodsy scent flooding through the restaurant adds to the naturally-inspired decor.  

Nega Sake’s menu includes traditional Korean dishes, including ramen, bibimbap, and dolsot bibimbap.  Japanese dishes include ragout, a hearty protein, vegetable, and rice stew. All main dishes have either meat options of beef, chicken, and pork, or a vegetarian option of tofu. The menu makes it easy for customers to decide on a meal, with three basic dishes and four protein choices. All mains ring up at $13 before taxes. There is also a variety of Korean and Japanese appetizers, including bulgogi, tempura, edamame, and tteokbokki. The dessert menu is also simple, with delicious options including hotteok, a Korean pancake, and accompanying ice cream flavours. 

Among the various dishes offered, the Tofu Dolsot Bibimbap stood out in its comforting and satisfying taste. Dolsot means “stone pot” in Korean, and the meal was served in a sizzling stone pot resting on its wooden lid. Dolsot bibimbap is a variation of traditional bibimbap, which is a signature Korean dish. Cubed tofu, a fried egg, kimchi, bean sprouts, lettuce, shredded carrots, and cabbage were arranged on top of a bed of white steamed rice. Soy sauce was poured over, adding a salty finish to otherwise simple but fresh flavours. The large portion of the rice made the meal very filling, and the rice crisped on the bottom of the pot, which added texture. The meal was opened by a small appetizer of soup. Service throughout the meal was friendly and prompt, and a bottle of water was provided to the table.

Sangho Byeon, chef and co-manager of Nega Sake, said he wanted to expand his restaurant business to Prince Arthur. He owns another Korean-Japanese restaurant, Petit-Tokebi, on Saint-Catherine.  

This second location of Nega Sake has slight variations to the original venture to address the different clientele.

“The menu is a little bit different,” Byeon said. “[The Plateau] has a lot of students, so it’s a simpler menu than our other location.”

Nega Sake has exciting seasonal plans for the summer months, when Prince Arthur’s pedestrian walkway awakens with tourists and everyday pedestrian commuters. 

“We are going to have a terrace and start serving traditional ice soup over the summer,” Byeon added.  

Overall, Nega Sake has a serene atmosphere and a simple menu with comforting meals. Its cozy ambiance is excellent for the winter months, but a terrace will help this eatery transition easily to summer. The restaurant is a welcomed addition to Prince Arthur and Coloniale Avenue, and is promising in its simplistic and delicious menu.

a, Montreal, News

Six thousand march against provincial austerity measures

by Cece Zhang on

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A demonstration of approximately 6,000 people took to the streets on March 21 against Quebec provincial government austerity cuts. 

The protest was organized by a group called Printemps 2015, and is scheduled to be the first of a series of weekly protests planned for the next few months, according to Brice Dansereau-Olivier, an organizer of the Printemps 2015. 

“The series of demonstrations will take place every Saturday at 2 p.m., so that workers and families can attend as well,” Dansereau-Olivier said. 

The protest was deemed illegal by the Montreal police from the onset, as organizers did not provide an itinerary for the march, although the demonstration was generally peaceful and was allowed to continue by the police. Protesters walked in cold, snowy conditions around the downtown area, starting from Square Emile-Gamelin near the Berri-UQÀM metro station.

According to Dansereau-Olivier, the provincial austerity measures would impact many people, including  workers, students, and the unemployed. He pointed to the cuts in education and health care reforms of Bill 20, which propose to enforce an annual quota for patients all family practitioners must meet, as well as merge administrative structures for healthcare institutions.

“Experts agree that this is going to drastically reduce the number of services offered to the public,” he said. “On the education side, [we’ve seen] $300 million in cuts up to now, and we don’t expect following budgets to be any different. This has manifested itself on many campuses [in the form of] classes that are being cancelled completely, some programs are being reevaluated, the number of students per class has gone up, and teaching conditions are drastically affected.”

Agostino Minter, a Liberal Arts Concordia student who was present at the protest, explained that his faculty, as well as several other faculties at Concordia, had voted to go on a two-day strike. He elaborated on his opposition to austerity measures.

“The whole theoretical basis on austerity has very shaky footing,” he said. “These kind of measures actually [end] up being very negative to growth and ends up amounting to a public subsidy for private ventures. They’re financing Plan Nord while they’re cutting health care and education, which I think is just a bizarre gesture for our representatives to do.”

An anonymous protester holding a Printemps 2015 banner said that while he was uncertain of what the protests might be able to accomplish, he believed in their importance.

“I believe if you can get people together and talking about the problems, we’ll get closer to the solutions,” he said. “We’re as much talking to each other as we are talking to the general public, we’re reminding each other that we care; there are people who care [enough] to hit the streets on a cold, snowy day. We’re going out and giving our narrative to the public, who unfortunately only gets their narrative from sources that generally have the same interests as the government, the elite.”

Dansereau-Olivier expanded upon the importance of having the demonstrations be family-oriented, stating that this was to remove the public’s perception of the Printemps 2015 protests as similar to the 2012 student protests.

“2012 was specifically student-oriented, and that grew into a bigger movement because of repercussions the government brought down on the student movement,” he said. “But what we want this time is a social strike, getting all sectors of society to strike at the same time, to really have a pull on the government. We want families to be there to show […] it’s working families, it’s ordinary people that are struggling with the cuts the government is putting forward, that they won’t sit by idly while the government destroys all that makes Quebec different.” 

According to Dansereau-Olivier, the goal of Printemps 2015 is to be a platform for communication and solidarity, in order to help groups achieve their goals. 

“The committee focuses on fostering communication between student groups and local unions,” he said. “We’re going to keep doing that work, building bridges between institutions and other groups in hopes that we can get all the major groups on board for the [Printemps] movement.”

 

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