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a, Men's Varsity, Sports

Redmen dynasty shows no sign of stopping

by Elie Waitzer on

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A crowd of almost 700 packed themselves under the overhang at Molson Stadium for shelter from the rain to watch  the McGill Redmen rugby team defeat Concordia 16-6 to take home their eighth consecutive RSEQ championship on Friday Nov. 22.

The Redmen jumped out to an early lead the same way they have done throughout the season—on the back of an impressive kicking game by senior fullback Cameron Perrin. Junior wing Robert Ashe added a try to push the team ahead in the first seven minutes. With the lead in hand, McGill stifled the speedy Stinger backs, crushing rally after rally with long kicks out of the Redmen zone. When Concordia was finally able to charge the ball down to Redmen territory, the Stingers met stiff resistance in a pivotal scrum on the five-meter mark.

With the first half winding down, the Redmen put together a long run down the sideline after an excellent grubber kick left three McGill backs in space. A beautiful, fast-paced passing sequence led to a Redmen try just before the half expired, but it was recalled by the referee due to a penalty seconds before the conversion.

Through the first half, both teams had difficulty scoring; the wet field slowed down the pace and movement of the game and turned it into a physical affair. Caught up in frequent rucks, penalties were being called throughout the game, with yellow cards handed out to Redmen players Noam Berson and Patrick Mulherin. However, McGill clearly outmatched Concordia in strength, speed, and agility as the ball was kept in the Stingers’ zone for the majority of the game.

“We knew it would be wet and hard to get a good spin on the ball,” said sophomore prop Mtchell Cuillerier. “We focused on kicking it out and pinning them in their zone, and our forwards did a great job carrying the ball and keeping it tight in the back.”

(Laurie-Anne Benoit / McGill Tribune)
(Laurie-Anne Benoit / McGill Tribune)

The match’s physicality resulted in a scary moment as Concordia winger Caleb Jordan suffered a head-to-head collision with a McGill player early in the second half and had to be taken off the field in a stretcher. Play resumed after a 25-minute delay.

Perrin continued his terrific play in the second half, padding the lead with a penalty kick from 30 yards out with 18 minutes to go.  In the backfield, the Stingers were stumped time and time again by McGill’s powerful group of forwards, anchored by the RSEQ Rookie-of-the-Year Spencer Paveck.

“He was huge—such a pivotal player,” Cuillerier said, on Paveck’s contributions to the team. “He hits hard [and] he’s got size and speed.  He’s been a huge part of this team’s success.”

As time wound down, the Stingers grew increasingly desperate and disordered, coughing up the ball in their own zone. McGill’s Thomas Stokes finally put the nail in the coffin with a long penalty kick to put his team up by a final score of 16-6.

The win is especially sweet for the Redmen; the last time McGill fell in a championship match was in 2005 against Concordia. It also marks McGill’s RSEQ-leading 14th conference championship, a number that Cuillier expects to grow as McGill looks to defend its title in the coming year.

“We’re not losing that many guys,” Cuillerier said. “I think we have six graduating this year. Our system is going to be the same, and we have a lot of talented young guys on the team.”

a, Sports

Sports holiday wishlist

by Zikomo Smith, Elie Waitzer, Johnathan Lin, Joshua Schulman, Mayaz Alam, Ben Carter-Whitney, Osama Haque, Rebecca Babcock & Jacqueline Galbraith on

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I want  Lebron James  to three-peat and win another MVP award along the way; all hail the King. I would also love for Lebron’s football team, Liverpool, to finish in the top four of the Barclays Premier League while avoiding any Luis Suarez mishaps.

—Zikomo Smith, Contributor

This holiday season, I wish for the speedy recovery of Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia who seemed to have lost the ability to walk at some point during last year’s tragic season. As a Blue Jays fan, it would be awesome to have a catcher who could make it to first base on a semi-regular basis.

—Elie Waitzer, Staff Writer

I wish for this season’s Super Bowl in New York to not be ruined by a snowstorm. Playing under extreme weather conditions will lower the overall quality of play and both teams will just resort to running the ball. I also wish that us Canadians will be able to finally watch some good American commercials during the game and not have to watch CTV promos and the same Subway commercial over and over.

—Johnathan Lin, Contributor

Besides seeing the New England Patriots hoist the Lombardi trophy this upcoming February, nothing would make me happier than watching the Alabama Crimson Tide roll their way to a third consecutive NCAA Football championship. Although it is only 2013, this modern-day first would put this Alabama dynasty as the frontrunner for team of the century.

—Joshua Schulman, Contributor

In the new year I hope that the Brooklyn Nets find the fountain of youth and make the playoffs. I didn’t go through a 12-70 season and lose the lottery just to watch Jason Kidd be the most useless coach in NBA history. If the Nets do continue at their abysmal rate, I just want to make sure that we get a top-five pick to take us into the future. Oh wait…

—Mayaz Alam, Sports Editor

Now that an NHL team’s active roster, all I ask is for Ilya “Mr. Universe” Bryzgalov to go back to getting the media attention he so rightfully deserves. My love for that guy is humongous big.

—Ben Carter-Whitney, Managing Editor

This coming year, I hope to see two things. First, I hope to see Derrick Rose come back from his knee surgery and lead the Chicago Bulls to the promised land that has evaded them since Jordan’s retirement. Second, I want to see a new Air Bud movie. I would be happy if either of these happened this coming year, but the shared joy that another Air Bud would bring to movie goers everywhere would be too much to pass up.

—Osama Haque, Staff Writer

When the Florida Panthers last qualified for the playoffs, both Montreal and Toronto did not make the cut. I wish for Florida to make the playoffs again. I also wish for the Norwegian Curling team to make it to the gold medal game of the Winter Olympics and outdo their outfit from the 2010 Olympics, so that when they play Canada in the finals, their pants will get the media attention they deserve.

—Rebecca Babcock, Contributor

All I want for the new year is for Georges St-Pierre to be able to take a break if he wants one.

—Jacqueline Galbraith, Managing Editor

a, Men's Varsity, Sports

Hawks soar as penalties plague Redmen

by Wyatt Fine-Gagné on

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The ‘Loo came to town this weekend, with the Redmen hockey team hosting both the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks and the Waterloo Warriors. Friday night’s contest saw the Redmen lose 4-3 to the Golden Hawks, who currently sit last in the West Division. It was the first game between the two teams since Head Coach Kelly Nobes left Laurier for his current job with McGill. Although the Redmen outshot and outplayed the Hawks, the team was unable to top their opponents on the scoreboard. Inconsistent play and penalty trouble meant that McGill was battling from behind for much of the game.

“Clearly that put us behind the eight ball,” Nobes said. “You know, I thought there were certainly some soft calls […] but at the same time, we put ourselves into some bad positions […] where we allowed [them] to call penalties on us.”

The two teams traded goals in the first period, with the Hawks scoring twice on four powerplay chances. Sophomore Mathieu Pompei tallied two assists on the night, but his late first-period tripping penalty ended up being a costly mistake leading to a Laurier goal that tied up the game. Pompei looked dangerous all game and had a solid night with the exception of a few bad giveaways. McGill spent most of the second stanza on the attack, but the Hawks capitalized on their chances and potted two goals late in the period a mere 75 seconds apart. Despite having the upper hand in both possession and shots, McGill couldn’t crack Laurier goaltender Duncan Long, who picked up just his second win of the year.

Sophomore winger Jonathan Brunelle scored on the powerplay to bring the Redmen within one-point with 10:11 to play in the third on a slapshot that beat Long blocker side, but it was too little too late. The late minutes of the game were frantic, but the Redmen couldn’t quite break through. With 5:28 left in the period, both the Redmen and the crowd thought they had a goal, but the referee waved it off, signaling that the puck didn’t cross the line. That was as close as McGill would come to tying the game. Plays that developed were always one pass or shot away from a scoring chance, but the Redmen were unable to capitalize on these opportunities. Ultimately, it was the goaltending that separated the two teams. First year Jacob Gervais-Chouinard got the start between the pipes for the Redmen and was uncharacteristically weak. Gervais-Chouinard allowed four goals on just 22 shots and did not give the Redmen key saves when they needed them. Nobes felt, however, that the team just did not have the effort on Friday that was required to win.

“Our bread and butter as a program is how hard we work and how relentless we are,” Nobes said. “And if we don’t bring that, it doesn’t matter if we’re playing the first place team or the last place team.”

McGill bounced back Saturday night against Waterloo with a 4-1 victory, but now sits in second place behind a surprisingly strong Queen’s squad. McGill has just two games left on their schedule before the Winter break: the “Score With School” morning game against Concordia on Nov. 26 and another at home against Laurentian on Nov. 30.

“When you play a 28-game schedule every game is important; and looking at our division in the East, you can see how tight it is,” Nobes said. “Nobody is giving anything up.”

The game against Concordia is part of annual series that brings students under Montreal’s English School Board to McConnell Arena. The two games are crucial as the team starts the New Year with five games on the road against the top teams in its division.

a, Student Life

“Procrasti-baking” and other tips for reducing stress

by Alycia Noë on

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Finals are rapidly approaching. Although stress is inevitable, there are many ways to successfully push through these tough times and make it to Winter break salvation. In anticipation of exam period, the Tribune set out to discover how some of our fellow students relax during the hectic finals season.

For many students, staying organized is key to keeping stress down. Even when classes end, it’s useful to stick to a routine because it helps staying productive and allows you to take a little me-time. As a U3 biology and international development studies student, Peyton Oosterman has a packed finals schedule, but over her years at McGill she has discovered the best way to handle stress is to outline when you will study.

“[Make] sure to plan in time for breaks; that way, you have some wiggle room,” she says.

Stepping back from your studying every once in a while is also important to give your eyes a break from staring at that computer screen or those piles of papers.

These breaks can be pretty much anything you want them to be, but if you’re looking to boost your productivity, try getting active. Physical activity is a common and effective way of managing stress. It may seem counter-intuitive, but it can actually reinvigorate your study efforts and provide you with more energy due to the endorphins that pump through your body.

Lamia Elias, U2 biology, takes 10-minute breaks to get up and stretch after sitting for extended periods. Although you may feel that these breaks will derail or take away precious time from studying, they can be incredibly beneficial.

“Studies have shown that taking a 20-minute walk increases brain activity, which boosts academic performance,” Cynthia Travaglinin, U2 industrial relations, said. “I get some physical activity out of it, so it’s a win-win situation.”

Besides staying active, it is important to never forget about the activities you normally like to do. For example, if you find cooking relaxing, take the time to make a nice dish for dinner. Brittany Davis, U2 English literature, said her love of food helps her get through exams.

“I always include a little time to do enjoyable activities to de-stress, like baking, because working for hours on end can be very stressful,” Davis says.

Similarly, Aimée Wattiaux, U2 biology, likes to “procrasti-bake” as she puts it, and blasts Christmas music to lighten the mood while studying.

Tiffany Burger, U2 biology, loves her study spot for convenient Tim Horton’s runs. She emphasized the value of remembering to stay well-fed and hydrated.

“Don’t just get [so] overwhelmed with studying that you even forget to eat,” Elias says.

Lastly, having support during finals—whether it is your parents, friends, or roommates—is important. For Burger, it is her library support system.

“There’s a group of kids who always study in Schulich on the sixth floor, and the moral support really helps,” she says.

Everyone has his or her own ways of reducing stress. Finding out what works best for you is key to remaining positive, entering your exams with confidence, and believing that everything will work out in the end.

a, Arts & Entertainment

The Dieppe code

by Esther Vinarov on

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Released right before Remembrance Day, David O’Keefe’s new book, One Day in August, is an account of the Allies’ tragic raid at Dieppe with a twist—it introduces new evidence that claims to solve an important World War II mystery and put to rest a legacy of unease and confusion.

Until now, history has remembered Dieppe (Operation Jubilee) as the most catastrophic amphibious attack ever carried out. The intrigue surrounding the raid is the apparent lack of rationale behind the entire mission—it was “an operation seemingly devoid of tangible purpose and intent.” As a result, a “legacy of sorrow, bitterness, and recrimination has developed to frame the collective Canadian memory.” One Day in August delivers on its promise to finally address the burning question: why?

Jubilee was ultimately driven by the “four-rotor crisis”—the desperate necessity for British Intelligence to crack Germany’s Enigma code, which was encrypted through the Enigma machines as a means of delivering secret messages. The machines had recently been upgraded from a three to four rotors system, introducing an added layer of complexity that was nearly impossible to decode. For intelligence analysts working on Ultra at Bletchley Park headquarters, the only way to crack the code was to obtain, via “pinch” operations, various cheat-codes that could unlock top-secret Enigma messages. The raid at Dieppe was meant to be that “pinch.”

O’Keefe’s narrative is divided into two sections. First, he introduces the extensive British intelligence organization, whose inner workings must be intimately understood to appreciate the anxiety to decipher Enigma—even Winston Churchill is described as having a sort of addiction to his daily dose of Ultra-secret intelligence. O’Keefe does justice to this fascinating area of British history; his use of primary sources (including 100,000 pages of archival material) brings to life the various personalities of WWII—among them Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, and also a competent British Intelligence officer in his own right.

Fleming turns out to be the key to unlocking the Dieppe puzzle, reappearing in the second part when O’Keefe showcases his skill as a military historian. The overview of Operation Jubilee from conception to conclusion is explained with precision and detail. Now, we can understand Dieppe for what it truly was—even if many who fought that day could not. Had they been successful, they would have obtained material that “in cryptographic terms was the proverbial Holy Grail.” Fleming, waiting on board one of the ships to bring the pinched codes back to Bletchley Park, was the final link for exposing Dieppe as a veiled pinch operation.

Pinches were required so that there appeared to be another driving force behind the raids, in order to prevent German suspicion of the missions’ true objectives. Only information as sensitive as Enigma codes would have warranted the loss of so many lives, but since no one could know that crucial reason, the staggering loss of life has understandably confused and distressed the world for so long. With this new information, there is finally an explanation for the massacre of August 19, 1942.

The most serious shortcoming of One Day in August is O’Keefe’s clear sense of pride in his work. Evidently, he has invested many years into the book and is excited to have solved a WWII mystery, but his personal feelings at times infringe on this serious non-fiction in a way that is almost ludicrous. In addition, there is a redundancy of explanations; this leads to the sense that at best, O’Keefe was condescending to us as readers, or worse, that he wrote haphazardly and then failed to edit closely enough to smooth out overlaps in information. These faults detracted from an otherwise exceptionally well-written work.

One Day in August is a tremendous addition to the legacy of World War II history, with the added excitement of solving a mystery and the satisfaction of resolving decades of national unease. It proves that WWII remains a dynamic and fascinating part of history that we may never completely understand. For all lovers of history, cryptography, warfare, intelligence, or even conspiracy theories, O’Keefe’s work definitely deserves a read.

a, Men's Varsity, Sports

Redmen rule the roost in home opener

by Aaron Rose on

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The journey to repeat as RSEQ champions is well underway for the no. 7 ranked McGill Redmen, who looked to stay undefeated in conference play during their home opener against the Concordia Stingers on Thursday evening. The Redmen fought through a tough and physical game but never relinquished the lead en route to an  80-62 victory.

The Redmen had no shortage of scoring, topping their season average against an aggressive Concordia defence. Freshmen guard Dele Ogundokun set the pace with a season-high 16 points and nine rebounds. Ogundokun also led the game in both steals and assists.

“[I was] just finding my teammates and shooting when open,” Ogundokun said after his breakout performance. “[I was just] trying to do the best things for the team.”

His efforts didn’t go unnoticed—Head Coach David DeAveiro commented on the freshman’s stellar showing after the game.

“Dele was fabulous for us,” DeAveiro said. “He made big shots and hustle plays today.”

The team’s bench contributed 29 points, led by Brazilian centre Rodrigo Imperador who tallied an efficient 11 points in his 12 minutes on the court.

The team’s emphasis on protecting the paint paid off as the Redmen out-rebounded the Stingers 62-42. Freshman Francois Bourque pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds and ended the contest one-point short of his third career double-double.

DeAveiro was impressed with the team’s ball movement in light of the Redmen’s a season-high 24 assists.

“I think that when we are successful in games it’s because we are moving the ball and sharing the ball, [so] everyone’s a threat,” DeAveiro said.

The ball seemed to constantly run through captain Simon Bibeau’s hands. The fourth-year guard accounted for five assists, and fortified the Redmen’s lead after Concordia went on a run late in the third-quarter. According to Coach DeAveiro, McGill’s response to Concordia’s 12-point run was a crucial moment in the game.

“We knew they were going to make a run at some point,” DeAveiro said. “I thought the thing I was most proud of was that when they got [the margin] down to eight we brought it right back to 16; we scored the next eight points.” The team showed their ability to cope with adversity, which will be needed in their upcoming game against Bishop’s.

Coming off last season’s success, DeAveiro knows the magnitude of this next game against Bishop’s University.

“[They’re] the team I predicted to win the conference,” DeAveiro said. “It’s going to be another dog fight […] but if we play hard, I think we have a chance to be successful.”

Ogundokun echoed DeAveiro’s statements. “I’m excited to go head-to-head against the other top team in the conference.”

Ogundokun and the rest of the young freshmen—there are currently nine rookies on the roster—are going to need another spirited performance if the team wants to stay unbeaten. With three first-years starting Thursday’s game against Concordia, Coach DeAveiro acknowledged the tough situations he had put his freshmen into.

“We’ve been throwing them into the fire and they’ve been responding,” DeAveiro said.

With this many new players being worked into the rotation, it should scare opposing teams to see that the Redmen are undefeated. After the game against Bishop’s University, the team will go on Winter break before returning to Love Competition Hall to play Laval on Jan. 9.

a, Editorial, Opinion

Editorial: McGill must deliver on proposed sexual assault measures

on

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Last Thursday, McGill University finally gave the response our community needed to hear on sexual assault. The message, a Media Relations Office email sent on behalf of Ollivier Dyens, deputy provost (Student Life and Learning), represented a first step towards the administration heeding the calls for change that have been heard on campus in the wake of reports revealing that three former Redmen football players had been charged with a sexual assault that took place in September 2011.

Thursday’s statement announced a set of important changes: the hiring of a new co-ordinator reporting to the Dean of Students, a public forum to be held in mid-January on sexual consent, and a promise to hold annual forums each October on issues of safe space policies. Most importantly, the message promised to clarify the meaning of “the McGill context” with regards to disciplinary policies—this is particularly important because this concept was used by the administration to justify its evasive initial response to the situation following the original Gazette report.

Even more notable in the message was a statement acknowledging the importance of the presumption of innocence in the criminal justice system, and how that is not at odds with taking accusations and survivors of sexual assault seriously. Had this been the administration’s original response to the situation, the reaction on campus—and perhaps the stance of our editorial board—might have been different. In the message, even Dyens recognized the inadequacy of the initial response.

This message represents a refreshing hint of the changes we hoped for in our first editorial of the year. From what we can see so far, administrators seem to be taking student opinions more seriously than in the past few years; recognizing and consulting with student-run resources like the Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS) is a positive first step. It should be noted that staffing  a new position in this time of budget cuts is a demonstration that the university at least seems to be taking these issues seriously

However, our praise of this response is tempered by the need for the university to deliver on the promises made here. How effective will this new co-ordinator be, and will the person be held accountable to their stated duties? What will come out of the forum next month, or the promised annual forums? As demonstrated by last year’s forums soliciting comment on the Provisional Protocol on Protests, oftentimes “consultation” consists of forums that are, as this newspaper said at the time, “poorly publicized, poorly timed, and poorly attended.” The documents that emerged from these purported consultations were, for the most part, barely changed. It’s easy for the administration to say that it is listening to students. Hopefully, it will also be taking notes.

Much as the administration needs to deliver on these promises, students also need to hold their end of the bargain; students should be empowered to continue to tell administrators what to do about these issues, and students should attend these forums. In the end, what we think does not matter as much as what you think, and the values you want this university to adhere to in these matters. While much of the attention in the wake of this particular case has focused on athletes and a supposed “sports culture,” students and the administration must be careful to avoid tailoring policies to the specifics of this case, disregarding the numerous other settings and situations in which sexual assault can and does happen. Not only would such a focus be unfair, it would prevent us from turning this incident into a catalyst for broader positive change in the university’s disciplinary policy.

 

a, Science & Technology

Then and now: the poliovirus epidemic

by Caity Hui on

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By the 20th century, few diseases frightened parents more than the fever, chills, and paralysis delivered by the poliovirus. In response to the epidemic, we saw the development and distribution of two polio vaccines that drastically helped eradicate the virus. Unfortunately, this improved technology has its consequences. As vigorous vaccination programs target the last few countries still suffering from endemic polio, polio is now also the first virus to be recreated in the lab. After all our efforts to eradicate this virus, the question arises: when do you stop vaccinating?

Polio—a gastrointestinal virus—infects and multiplies within the digestive tract. Depending on the virus, it may leave the digestive tract and move into the bloodstream from where it can attack nerve cells. Although only one to two per cent of patients who contract polio become paralyzed, the polio epidemic of the 20th century caused a widespread fear in North America.

While polio has plagued humanity in the past—archeologists found an Egyptian carving from around 1400 that depicts a man with a leg deformity similar to those caused by polio—the virus reached epidemic proportions at the start of the 20th century. Ironically, this occurred while the prevalence of other viruses, such as diphtheria and typhoid, decreased.

“That is sort of the contradiction for polio,” said Jose Teodoro, assistant professor and researcher at the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Centre in Montreal. “It is one of these diseases that emerged in the 20th century when hygiene and sanitation got better.”

Teodoro explained that this phenomenon was largely due to the fact that polio is spread through the fecal-oral route.

“Before [the 20th century], children were exposed to polio [earlier] because there were no sanitation systems, so people used rivers or [other places] and that is where they got rid of fecal matter [….] When children at a very young age were exposed to [polio] they were already protected by [their mother’s antibodies if breastfed] and were able to develop a good immunity to it when they were young,” Teodoro said.

“We fast-forward to the 20th century and modern sewage systems that disrupt the fecal-oral route, and children become exposed to it much later—after they already lost their mother’s antibodies,” he added.

In response to this epidemic, Western countries saw two major breakthroughs with regards to eradicating the poliovirus. Within 10 years, two vaccines were developed— the Salk vaccine that consists of an inactivated poliovirus, released in 1955, and the Sabin vaccine, also known as the oral polio vaccine (OPV), licensed in 1962.

“[The Salk vaccine] worked, and for all of its flaws—it was not the perfect vaccine—it started to reduce the cases of polio immediately,” Teodoro said. “The Sabin vaccine that came later was the live attenuated vaccine. It is dropped into the mouth and goes into the gut to confer a powerful immune response to the replicating virus causing the disease.”

According to Teodoro, although both vaccines were huge steps in the direction of eradicating poliovirus, the Sabin vaccine (OPV) had the biggest impact on the eradication of the virus. For the first time in the history of polio vaccination, developing countries were able to acquire and distribute the vaccine due to its more accessible cost.

These technological developments were huge breakthroughs with regards to eradicating the poliovirus. Still, Teodoro explains that the biggest barrier right now is geopolitics. Countries such as war-torn Syria and Afghanistan are difficult to reach, and as a result, these countries are the last ones where endemic polio is still rampant. Many of the vaccination programs are spearheaded by Western organizations; however, these countries facing endemic polio are often too dangerous for workers to effectively run their programs.

Teodoro notes that the cost of the vaccine will become a problem in the future.

“Cost will become an issue because OPV is the method used to vaccinate people—it is the cheapest way—but to truly eradicate polio you have to go to the injectable polio vaccine (IPV), which is much more expensive.” Teodoro said.

An even bigger question faced today is the role that improved technology will have on the vaccination programs of viruses like polio. Recently, scientists recreated the poliovirus in the lab by plugging in the nucleotide sequence (the genetic code) of the poliovirus into an oligonucleotide-synthesizing machine. Using the nucleotide sequence, the machine generated a fully functional infectious polio agent.

“With polio—and almost any virus that you start eradicating—it is so easy to bring [it] back,” Teodoro said. “Any malicious group could synthesize it and make a real virus and introduce it into the population—a population that has not been vaccinated anymore. Even though we have eliminated the virus, do we now render the population defenseless against it?”

Teodoro proposes that the simplest answer to this question is to keep vaccinating. However, he also acknowledges that as we begin to eradicate more and more diseases, we may come to a point where we say “enough is enough.”

“Technology is a double-edged sword,” Teodoro said. “You can do great good with it but also you can do great harm if that is what your intention is to do. It enables both […]; should we be getting a vaccine for a potentially eradicated virus? It may be something that we have to keep doing, [or we may reach a point where] we just hope for the best. If something comes up, you deal with it—but we hope it never comes to that.”

a, Sports

Point counterpoint

by Rebecca Babcock & Zikomo Smith on

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The modern Olympics were created after Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee in 1894. De Coubertin had envisioned the Olympic Games as an international stage for amateur athletes to showcase their skills, but through the years, professional athletes have slowly been integrated into the Games. Two contributors weigh in on whether professionals should be allowed to participate in the Olympic Games.

Professionalism 

Faster. Higher. Stronger. This is the motto and the purpose of the Olympics: to see who is the best in the world.  If professional athletes are prohibited from competition, then the athlete who wins succeeds in a competition that has age and skill restrictions­— not a competition that actually determines the best of the best.

How does playing in a professional league—and being paid—make athletes unqualified to compete? Just like amateur athletes, these individuals have put in thousands of hours of training and hours of playing time in order to make it to the Olympics. The Olympics are the highest level that an athlete can play at, regardless of whether they are a professional or an amateur. It is a collection of the world’s greatest athletes under one roof, creating an environment for the best games and performances.

Furthermore, just because they are professional athletes does not make them a shoo-in for the finals.  Everyone points to the 1992 American basketball Dream Team as the prime example for why professionals should not be allowed to play because of their overt domination of their opponents. But that instance is the exception. European basketball teams still give the United States a run for their money. In hockey, Canada— despite producing the most NHL players— has only won gold twice since professionals were allowed to play. Having professional athletes compete is not a negative component to the Olympics. Upsets happen on a regular basis and having these athletes present makes the competition that much more exciting.

As for the managers and owners of professional teams who worry about their players getting injured: that risk is a part of the game. It is present every time a player is in practice, in a game, or in training.

Finally, professional athletes raise the credibility of certain sports. Figure skating, gymnastics, archery, and bobsledding benefit immensely from professional athletes competing. Athletic celebrities make sports more popular among fans. As a result, there is more support from society and from sponsors which only helps the building of a strong foundation for a variety of sports. This also helps the standard of competition for the future.

Yes: professional athletes have the opportunity to represent a team every day of the year, whether it be the Buffalo Bills, the Chelsea Football Club, or the Toronto Raptors. However, to have the chance to represent their country is an honour that comes to a select few. If they have the talent, then they should have the opportunity to don their country’s colours and bring home a medal.

— Rebecca Babcock

Amateurism 

An idealist with a vision created the Olympics. An educator at heart, Coubertin was inspired to create the Olympics, an international festival of sport where international and class boundaries were broken down as all celebrated the art of physical pursuits.

Professionals do not celebrate this ideal; rather, they are paid to win and to provide a spectacle for the public. They are not indulgent in the way an amateur is. There is no celebration of physical pursuits and the character traits that are present within the amateur. Professional sports discriminate in the sense that coming first is what matters. The Olympics were envisioned as anything but discriminating; it is about what happens on the journey in the quest for the number one spot, not the spot itself.

However, some may counter that amateurism is an outdated and classist concept that recognizes no subtlety, and that professionalism should be expected when performing in an event such as the Olympics. For example, the Soviet Bloc’s state—sponsored athletes were professionals in all but name, but by the definition of amateurism could not be banned from the Olympics. I would partially agree: amateurism has been used far too often as a tool to segregate the upper from working-class athletes—the latter who did not have the luxury to hone their craft.

Furthermore, the likes of Avery Brundage, the fifth president of the International Olympic Committee, have twisted it in order to diminish certain athletic achievements—such as refusing to reinstate Jim Thorpe’s stripped gold medals from the 1912 Olympics, which he lost his medals after it was found that he had temporarily played minor league baseball. However, Coubertin—who was pragmatic in his views of amateurism—believed that rules regarding amateurism should be shifted according to the social times. Celebrating sport is what the Olympics is about, and the definition of amateurism with regards to the Olympics should reflect that.

Finally, the argument that professional athletes help to popularize sporting participation is just dead wrong. Olympic success drives funding in many countries. The recent failure of the British basketball team has done damage to the program’s grassroots funding, despite the presence of the American superstars at London 2012. People need to be shown that they can play sports; not be shown famous people who do play sports.

It is not naïve to believe we can have a worldwide event that encourages mass participation and celebrates physical activity; there are many of these in the artistic and scientific fields. Indeed, it is important to have an Olympics that embodies these values. With the presence of professional athletes, the Olympics are indistinguishable from any other international sporting event.

— Zikomo Smith

 

Editor’s pick: professionalism

Although professional athletes have historically  had a tumultuous relationship with the Olympics, the Games are, at its core, an exhibition for the best athletes in the world. To exclude professionals from the Olympics does not benefit the overall advancement of sport, and penalizes those athletes who want to represent their country.

a, Arts & Entertainment, Theatre

Behind green eyes

by Diana Wright on

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In his early 17th century play Othello, Shakespeare coined the phrase “green-eyed monster.” The phrase, used to describe jealousy, enjoys popular use to this day, and refers to one of humankind’s most irrational, yet common, emotions. Similarly, theatre companies remount Othello year after year, attempting to refresh and rejuvenate the timeless tale of jealousy and madness.

Unfortunately, director Alison Darcy’s interpretation, in collaboration with the Segal Centre and Scapegoat Carnivale Theatre, dwells too much on the play’s obviously tragic elements—Suicide! Adultery! Racism!—instead of the emotions leading up to them. As a result, the play ends up feeling overwrought and superficial.

For example, Othello’s lead actor, Andrew Moodie, who in limited moments portrays the play’s titular character with sensitivity and heart, spends three quarters of the prodution yelling somewhat hoarsely and gesturing too obviously, instead of drawing the audience in and connecting with his character on a deeper level. Consequently, it’s often difficult to identify with Othello, and, strangely, to feel any true grief when he is completely ruined at the end of the tragedy.

Sean Arbuckle, who plays Iago—the conniving mastermind who convinces Othello that his wife Desdemona is committing adultery, and effectively leads him on a path of devastating jealousy—portrays his role just as shallowly as Moodie. Specifically, the reasons behind his betrayal of the master he once admired are not fully clear—and this was not because Shakespeare omitted them from the script.

Arbuckle also prances around the stage in an irritating elf-like manner during many parts of the play. Unsurprisingly, this becomes rather distracting and takes away from some of the lines he delivers with adequate menace, as well as the sick, evil aspects of Iago’s character.

It appears, then, that these interpretations are the result of Darcy’s directorial choices, and not necessarily those of the main actors. Unfortunately, Darcy’s vision often falls flat—at least with the male characters of the play.

Female leads Amanda Lisman and Julie Tamiko Manning, as Desdemona and Emilia, respectively, redeem the production—to a certain extent—with their intelligent, nuanced interpretations of the unfortunate wives of Othello and Iago.

Although Desdemona’s anti-feminist characteristics leave much to be desired, Lisman plays her sympathetically. As a result her death is much more affecting to watch than that of her easily duped husband.

This production also highlights the reciprocal friendship between Desdemona and Emilia, and in doing so breathes new life into two characters who could easily be forgotten.

After reading the play’s program notes, it appears that Darcy wished to emphasize the symbolic importance of water in the play, and particularly its mercurial, shifting properties. Much like water can change from calm to destructive in a short period of time, Othello does so over the course of the play.

However, the only way this symbolism clearly manifests itself is in a bizarre deluge of water that covers the stage during Desdemona’s death scene and thereafter. Although this use of theatrical special effects lends the play an updated, modern edge, it seems unjustified; the water’s symbolism is not emphasized enough throughout the play to be effective.

In fact, during another scene, when a blue light facing down on the stage is meant to represent a pool of water, some characters realistically navigate around it, while others walk directly through it, completely eradicating its crucial symbolism.

Overall, it is this inconsistency that plagues this production of Othello from its very first scene, and prevents its audience from being entirely drawn into the depths of the play’s—usually—passionate betrayal.

Othello is being performed at the Segal Centre (5170 Côte St. Catherine) until Dec. 1 at various times listed at www.segalcentre.org. Tickets start at $24.

 

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