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a, Opinion

Nexen’s tough reality: an opportunity for Canada

by Tiffany Lam on

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Last Thursday in Beijing, Alberta Premier Alison Redford and other Canadian leaders met with senior Chinese government and business officials to discuss China’s largest foreign investment to date. The state-owned China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC Ltd.) made an offer of $15.1 billion to buy over 60 per cent of Nexen Inc.’s public shares at $27.50 a share. Lysle Brinker of the HIS Herald valued each share at $21.50, stating that China’s offer is, “[a] very high price.”

The choice, or lack thereof, should seem quite obvious. The reality is that Nexen, a Calgary-based oil and gas company, does not have the means to fund its growth plans. Currently shouldering a debt of $4.3 billion, Nexen’s revenues dropped 14 per cent over the past four years, with profits falling 37 per cent over the last year. In light of Nexen’s recent losses, refusing this deal is impractical to say the least. Critics of China’s North American investments are certainly justified in believing that if foreign companies are not allowed to buy and take over Chinese firms, the Chinese should not get this privilege in return. However, to refuse this deal would be a dire miscalculation of what Alberta—and the rest of Canada—could stand to gain.

First, Canada could gain bargaining power. Harper’s warnings to Washington can finally gain some credibility—if the U.S. does not agree to construct the TransCanada Corp’s Keystone XL pipeline, Canada will take its business to Asia. Second, foreign investment funds provide capital for the development of projects that otherwise would not have been funded, thereby creating jobs for many Canadians. Multiple gestures have also been made to ensure a mutually beneficial relationship, and allay concerns the public might have with a state-controlled Chinese enterprise buying an Albertan company. China has agreed to keep Nexen’s current management and employees, to establish CNOOC’s North and Central American Headquarters in Calgary, to implement and enhance an expenditure program in Canada, and to list CNOOC’s shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange. According to the CEO of CNOOC, Li Fanrong, “[CNOOC intends] to be a local company as much as a global one.”

This is not a question of China’s right to our country’s resources, but whether Canada can make the right decisions for the future of the Canadian oil patch. It puts Christian Paradis, the industry minister, in the spotlight, and tests his ability to accurately gauge, prove, and help our population to tangibly see the net benefit of this deal for the nation. It begs the question of whether or not our established institutions can find an appropriate middle ground between economic prudence and ceding sovereign control of our natural resources.

Maude Barlow, the head of Council of Canadians, worriedly said, “Canada is the most open country in the world in terms of ‘come on in and buy anything,’ and we won’t set any rules.” Here lies the chance to encourage foreign investment the right way. This is an opportunity for Canada to enforce its existing environmental, labour, regulatory , and commercial rules for foreign investors. This is also an opportunity to make smart economic decisions, perpetuate a strong self-image, and gain leverage as a force in the industry.

Graduating into the real world. (www.iastate.edu)
a, Student Life

How long can I stay?

by Colleen McNamara on

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There is more to planning your education than choosing your school, faculty, major, and minor. University attracts learners from a range of diverse experiences: mature students, little ducklings fresh out of high school, and those who opted to take a year (or two) in between high school and university for travelling, work, or a combination. The flexibility that university provides ensures that students have the freedom—to a certain extent—to map out their own unique timeline.

At McGill, we have an eclectic mix of students coming from CÉGEP, Advanced Placement (AP) programs, or the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, all of which have the potential to shorten your time as an undergrad. Indeed, there are significant advantages to advanced programs: students can come into the classroom with a better idea of university workloads and with experience in how students are tested at post-secondary levels.

We all dream about the day we’re going to walk across the stage, snatch that diploma from HMB or some other relevant McGillian, and take some really pretty pictures on campus with our parents and pals. But how fast do we want that day to come? Should we be rushing to complete our undergrad degree, when the post-graduate employment rate is grim anyway? As far as I know, you won’t be forcefully dragged off of campus, kicking and screaming, if you decide to elongate your college era just a little bit longer than originally prescribed. (Just a little, though).

After consulting my peers, polarizing evidence suggests there are both significant pros and cons to ‘taking your time’ with your degree. Allow me to outline the most palpable advantages and disadvantages to the victory lap, and perhaps I can push you closer to making that tough decision between a four-course semester or not.

First and foremost, adding an extra semester to your degree allows you to take four courses instead of five for a total of five semesters, (and more than five semesters if you choose to take a course in May — which you should, because May in Montreal is beautiful.) A lighter course load has several advantages, the most obvious being a bigger window of time. What you choose to do with a four-course semester can directly impact your success; whether you choose to have a part-time job to relieve stress-inducing financial burdens of school, to engage in an extra-curricular opportunities to enrich the community and bulk-up graduate school applications, or more simply, to enjoy the peace of mind that you’ll have one less midterm, one less exam, and one more open timeslot during the week to finish readings, lab work, or assignments.

A four-course semester decreases the probability of experiencing debilitating stress levels that can really get you and your morale down in the dumps as soon as the inevitable storm of work piling up commences. Most importantly, a lighter course load carves out time to enjoy other, equally important aspects of your educational experience. This increases the potential to enrich your undergraduate degree beyond your courses.

The extended undergraduate degree is sometimes brushed off as a sneaky way to exploit the sense of security that comes with school. While society—or your parents—aren’t pressuring us to have a big, important job, there is a sense of comfort that comes from knowing your main task is to attend lectures, complete the tasks outlined on the course syllabus, and attain the course credit. But beware: the looming anxiety of the alternate universe known as “adulthood” smashes into your consciousness violently the moment you wake up and realize “oh, I’m graduating this year.” Adding an extra semester can lighten the impact of this “uh oh” moment—but should we sacrifice the joys of comfort, if comfort invites the risk of jeopardizing the natural progression into adulthood?

The most notable disadvantage of extending your undergrad is the financial burden. It will inevitably cost more money—although there won’t be a big difference in tuition price (as we pay per course), all other expenses incurred with attaining an education will be extended for another semester. If you are lucky enough to live at home you may not have to worry about rent and groceries—but the price of STM passes, gas, or that hard-to-kick Sinfully Asian sushi habit are some of the inevitable expenses that assault the bank account.

Still can’t decide what path is right for you? Make your own list of pros and cons, see where your strengths and weaknesses lay, consider how necessary it is to graduate quickly, calculate the extra costs, and ultimately decide how long you want to extend one of the greatest periods of your young adulthood.

( Michael Paolucci / McGill Tribune )
a, Sports

Lightning strikes: Redmen end 23-game drought

by Trevor Drummond on

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It’s been 1,077 days since the McGill Redmen’s last football win. That is two years, 11 months, and 11 days. Since then, the program has struggled to get back on its feet. New Head Coach Clint Uttley has tried to make the team tougher and practice harder. This extra work had not garnered any results on the field—until Friday night, when the Redmen (1-2) snapped their painful 23-game losing streak with a convincing 36-9 victory over the Mount Allison Mounties (0-2) at Molson Stadium in front of the “Fill the Stadium” crowd.

Post-game remarks indicated that Coach Uttley was pleased with the result, attributing much of the Redmen’s success to their execution on offence. “We had two really good weeks of practice, and we saw a good return on that investment,” Uttley said. “We really executed the offence for the first time [this] season.”

Much of the offensive struggles so far in the season have been a result of an unsettled quarterback position. Previously, both sophomore Dallon Kuprowski and junior Jonathan Collin have tried their hands at leading the Redmen’s offence but neither was able to generate much success. Fifth-year quarterback Ryne Bondy got the chance on Friday and took full advantage of it, leading the offence both in the air and on the ground. He completed 13 of 22 passes for 189 passing yards and three touchdowns, adding a game-high 69 rushing yards.  Tailbacks Luis Guimont-Mota and Taylor Kuprowski also contributed to the dominant ground game, combining for 120 rushing yards.

2,187 raucous fans came out to support the home team in the fifth annual “Fill The Stadium” game, and the Redmen repaid them early by scoring 35 points in the first half. Bondy and receiver Gabriel Aubry opened the scoring with a bang, connecting on a 59-yard touchdown pass. Bondy would then take the rock himself on the next drive—faking a handoff and then bouncing off a tackle on his way to an 8-yard scamper for the major bringing it to 14-0 McGill.

Amazingly, Bondy was not yet finished. He closed out the first quarter with a well-placed lob to Sean Murphy at the back of the end zone, giving the Redmen a 25-0 lead. That drive, like many others that night, was set up by a beautiful 48-yard punt return by Yannick Langelier-Vanasse. Coach Uttley praised his return man after the game.

“Yan has found his niche in the return game and he’s getting more comfortable each week,” Uttley said. “He has really exceeded expectations.”

In fact, the coach was pleased with his entire special teams unit, crediting the group’s success to a revamped coverage team comprised mostly of freshmen. He highlighted the athleticism of the unit as being instrumental in numerous one-on-one matchups in the return game.

As halftime approached, the weather broke and rain began to pour, causing a 12 minute stoppage in play. With the score heavily in McGill’s favour, many fans headed for the exits, while others took cover under the overhang of the upper deck. This weather contributed to a very sloppy second half. Jonathan Collin took over for Bondy, as the team planned to compare the two performances. Unfortunately, Collin had to battle with the unfavourable conditions and he struggled, throwing an interception early. In all, the Redmen turned the ball over three times in the second half and were penalized far too often, knocked for 140 yards on 12 infractions—more than Coach Uttley was hoping for. Uttley emphasized that cutting down on these mistakes will definitely be a focus moving forward.

McGill will have a much tougher opponent the next time out, when it hosts the No.3-ranked Laval Rouge-et-Or on Sept. 21. However, this victory will undoubtedly give the Redmen a confidence boost and something to build on going forward into the season.

a, Behind the Bench, Sports

Still in Armstrong’s Peloton

by Joshua Freedman on

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For the past 10 summers, I’ve had an odd July morning ritual. I wake up early and watch the Tour de France. What compels me to watch this low-tech version of NASCAR? One reason: Lance Armstrong and his inspiring story.

I was extremely saddened a few weeks ago when the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) stripped Lance of his seven Tour de France titles, citing alleged instances of doping. Although most headlines posted that Lance had indeed lost all of his titles, it is still unclear whether the International Cycling Union (UCI) will actually go through with this drastic ruling.

The USADA was able to claim victory because Armstrong refused to challenge his case in court, saying that the USADA courts are a farce. While there is some legitimacy to this notion—for instance, the USADA uses standards of proof far below those of a regular American court—it is more likely that Armstrong knew that he would probably lose.

The USADA allegedly had testimonies from 10 former teammates and associates of Armstrong, all of whom claimed to have seen Armstrong participate in widespread doping. Most importantly, one of these 10 people was Armstrong’s right-hand man, George Hincapie. Unlike former accusers, such as Tyler Hamilton and Floyd Landis, Hincapie’s honesty is beyond repute.

Typically, I have little sympathy for dopers. However, there are several mitigating factors that I believe leave Lance’s accomplishments intact.

First of all, cycling is well known for its notorious drug culture. Miguel Indurian, winner of five Tour de France titles in the 1990’s, admitted to cheating after his retirement. Winners before Armstrong, such as Jan Ullrich, Bjarne Riis, and Marco Pantani, have also been caught for drug use. If Armstrong is included, that would make 15 straight winners of the Tour de France, from 1991-2005, drug cheats. Cycling’s current star and two-time winner, Alberto Contador, has also been caught for doping. The UCI cannot even give most second place finishers the title of winner, because they too have taken performance enhancers. Given these facts, it seems hard to indict Armstrong for doping in a race where everyone else was doping too.

Secondly, Armstrong won his titles as much through guile as he did with physicality. Armstrong was an incredibly skilled tactician, scoping out the course months in advance, putting in tons of repetitions on all of the key stages. His teams were always solely focused on Lance winning, whereas other teams were not. It is incredibly reductive to say Lance just won because he doped and not because of other  physical and mental factors.

Thirdly, while many imagine doping as having to do with steroids, the term has a much different meaning in cycling; although arguably, doping tactics in cycling are much more disturbing. Given the physical toll of a monthlong 3500-4000 race, cyclists take drugs to keep their blood oxygen levels at a high percentage to maintain their endurance. Thus, Lance would allegedly give himself blood transfusions of his own blood in an attempt to maintain his edge—seemingly a lesser form of doping.

Fourth, the USADA clearly has a vendetta against Armstrong, vigorously pursuing him before all others. When an agency does this, they bring themselves into disrepute.

Finally, it is hard to ignore that Lance Armstrong has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for cancer research and inspired thousands of people with his story.

For all these reasons, I will continue to support Lance, and confirm that those early mid-summer days were not a waste.

— Joshua Freedman

a, Sports

Shut him down vs Let him play

by Mayaz Alam & Michael Ghofrani on

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The Nationals have the best record in baseball and much of that success can be contributed to their ace, Stephen Strasburg. Shockingly, Washington stood true to the inning cap allotted to Strasburg at the beginning of the year, and shut him down for the rest of the 2012 season. Two contributors weigh in on this controversial decision:

Shut him down

A 21-year title drought across major professional sports in Washington D.C. has caused perennial heartbreak and disappointment to its fans. Yet, seemingly out of nowhere, the Washington Nationals (the franchise formerly known as the Montreal Expos) have taken Major League Baseball by storm, boasting the best record in the league. At the heart of this resuscitation is 24-year-old pitcher, Cy Young candidate, and face of the franchise—Stephen Strasburg. Despite this success, the Nationals recently decided to shut him down for the rest of the season, taking precautionary steps to prevent re-injury and eliciting a firestorm of backlash. Though controversial, the Nationals’ decision was the right one because it protected Strasburg.

In a league where the most valuable commodity is young starting pitching, Strasburg is the cream of the crop. Despite his otherworldly talent, Strasburg fell to injury and underwent Tommy John surgery during his 2010 rookie campaign, forcing him to sit out the entirety of last season. There is undeniable evidence that increasing a pitcher’s workload after coming back from Tommy John’s surgery is career-threatening and, sometimes, career-ending. One only needs to look as far back as Kerry Wood and Mark Prior to see the worst-case scenario for pitchers with Strasburg’s potential coming back from Tommy John. In the years following their arm surgeries, Wood and Prior were rushed back into heightened action, and the effects were clearly negative. Wood has only been able to pitch in excess of 180 innings twice since 2000. The last time he broke 100 innings was in 2004, as a 27-year-old. Prior has not pitched in the Majors since 2006 and has seen his body progressively break down after being overused in 2003, when he was just 23.

Strasburg wants to pitch, and Washington wants to win, but risking the health and career of the organization’s most prized player is potentially crippling for the franchise—as it was for Wood, Prior, and the Chicago Cubs. The Nats have done their homework, looking at case after case of pitchers recovering from Tommy John, and have made an educated and cautionary decision. They may be sacrificing a chance to win the World Series this year, but Strasburg’s injury-prone history does not project well for early overexertion. Not only do the Nats need to protect their investment for the long-term, they also need to do the only humane thing possible—allowing Strasburg the chance at a future career. Washington is the best team in baseball because it is the best young team in baseball; and mortgaging the next ten years for one playoff push would be an egregious error. Washington was fully justified in shutting down Strasburg, and building a brighter future for the Nationals.

—Mayaz Alam

vs. Let him play

Life hasn’t exactly been easy for Stephen Strasburg. Off the field, he has dealt with enormous expectations fueled by constant media pressure. On the field last year, he injured his throwing arm and underwent Tommy John surgery to repair it.

Yet, somehow, despite the media scrutiny and major surgery—which forced him into taking almost a year off—Strasburg seems to be just fine. He opened this season with an impressively low 1.13 ERA and 34 strikeouts over just 32 innings. Considering Strasburg is only 24 years of age, he seems like a perfect candidate to be the staff ace for his playoff-bound and league-leading Washington Nationals.

Not so fast. On Sept. 7, the Nationals decided that it would be in their best interest to shut down the right-hander as a precaution against any setbacks to his previous injury. Really? Insisting on shutting down a healthy athlete is one thing, but to do it in the middle of a playoff hunt is a definite miscalculation not to mention, Strasburg is one of the best pitchers in baseball.

Strasburg told the media numerous times that he was feeling great, and more importantly, that he was not showing any signs of fatigue. Furthermore, he backed up these comments with an impressive 15 wins by the end of August on a reduced workload, placing himself amongst the best arms in the league. Even more puzzling, however, is that the doctor who performed Strasburg’s surgery, indicated that there is no conclusive evidence to support ending Strasburg’s season prematurely is in the best interest of the all-star pitcher. Nationals fans are undoubtedly upset, and justifiably so, especially since Strasburg’s surgeon does not support the decision.

Put simply, Strasburg should be pitching. He is a professional athlete who is being paid to pitch; but more importantly, there are fans paying money to come watch him do so. This wouldn’t be so controversial if the Nationals were out of the playoff race. However, this is a franchise dying for postseason baseball, having been deprived of it since 1981—as the Montreal Expos no less. Why not go for it? The team has the best record in baseball, but without Strasburg, their chance of prevailing in the National League takes a massive hit. This simply sends the wrong message to the fans.

Moreover, for the Nationals’ sake, they should hope that in coming years, this does not cause a rift between management and Strasburg—for it would be a real shame if one of the best pitchers in baseball was lost to free agency, all because they wouldn’t let him pitch when he was healthy enough to do so.

­— Michael Ghofrani

Winner: Shut him down 

While the Nationals’ postseason hopes figured heavily on Strasburg’s arm, the thought of putting future seasons in risk is too much to ignore, especially since the team has a bright future. Therefore, Washington made the right, but tough decision.

a, Sports

Around the Water Cooler

on

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In case you were too busy dipping apples in honey or waiting in line to pre-order the iPhone 5, here’s what you missed this past weekend in the world of sports …

HOCKEY—This past Saturday, the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the NHL and its players expired. Without a new deal in place, the league is now officially locked out. Reports indicate that the two sides are still far apart in negotiations, so no one is forecasting a quick end to this work stoppage. As the lockout rolls on, expect some NHL players to seek out other opportunities to play this year, especially in Europe. Evgeni Malkin was the first major pawn to drop, signing with Metallurg of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) on Sunday. Pavel Datsyuk also reached an agreement on the weekend to play in the KHL with Ak Bars. The reported deals are signed through the 2012-13 season, meaning that even if a new CBA were reached, the two would remain in Russia. Well folks, the dog days have arrived.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL—The NCAA football season entered its third week this past weekend, filled with a number of standout games. Top-ranked Alabama opened their Southeastern Conference (SEC) schedule against Arkansas and couldn’t have made it look easier. They defeated the Razorbacks 52-0, removing any doubt that they’re currently the top team in the nation. Things didn’t go as well for Matt Barkley and No.2 ranked USC, who were upset by No.21 Stanford. Barkley, the expected first overall NFL draft pick in this year’s upcoming draft, played particularly poorly, throwing two interceptions and no touchdowns. No.5 ranked crushed Wake Forest 52-0. If that result isn’t impressive enough, the Seminoles have outscored opponents 176-3 through their first three games.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL—Legendary Head Coach Jim Calhoun announced his retirement this past week from his position as the University of Connecticut’s men’s basketball coach. Calhoun spent 26 years as the Huskies’ coach, building the program from virtually nothing to a perennial national powerhouse. He won three NCAA titles with the program, and exits men’s college basketball as its sixth-winningest head coach. Former Husky Kevin Ollie takes over for Calhoun, but will be in a tough spot entering his first season as coach. UConn is banned from postseason play for the 2012-13 season because they failed to meet the required score on the Academic Progress Report. Here’s to Ollie pulling a Coach Carter.

 

Alex Rohrback scored one goal and added three assists in the win. (Luke Orlando / McGill Tribune)
a, Sports

Redmen roll in home opener and win third straight

by Remi Lu on

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On Thursday night, a confident McGill Redmen lacrosse team took to the field at Percival Molson Stadium for the first time this year, entering with momentum from a decisive 2-0 start to the regular season. The contest was played out in front of a vocal and raucous crowd as the Redmen (3-0) battled against the Concordia Stingers (0-3). McGill led throughout the contest, seemingly scoring at will and dominating all aspects of the game, resulting in a commanding 23-4 win.

Ryan Besse headed the attack with a quick goal just 61 seconds into the match. This goal was special however, as it lifted him into a tie for McGill’s all-time scoring total with 109 tallies. However, Besse did not stop there, scoring another  brilliant to lead off the second quarter, making him the most prolific scorer in Redmen history.

Although Besse’s accomplishment may have overshadowed the result, what really fueled the Redmen to victory was a balanced and constant attack. In the end, an impressive 16 players filled the scoresheet, and freshman Benjamin Follows recorded a hat trick.

Head Coach Tim Murdoch was pleased with his team’s performance and thought the result allowed more of the roster to receive playing time.

“We executed our game plan to set up a slow-paced game that allowed us to run through our offensive sets.  Our nine-goal output in the first quarter resulted from patience and good shot selection,” Murdoch said. “We had the game under control with a 12-0 halftime lead, so this was an opportunity to play our entire roster.”

In addition to Follows’s hat trick, Besse, Rhys Burnell, Richard Klares, Antoine Champagne, and captain Jishan Sharples each scored two goals.

Right from the onset, McGill seemed to control the pace of the game, using patience and precision in their passing. In effect, Concordia’s offence was non-existent throughout the first two quarters, and its defence appeared disjointed and clumsy. This defence, or lack thereof, allowed McGill to take advantage of costly turnovers and finish the half on top, 12-0.

Concordia seemed to come out of halftime having made some adjustments, but their improved play may also have been aided by McGill’s decision to rest its starters. Whatever the reason, the Stingers retaliated with two consecutive goals, midway through the third quarter. This run, however, did not last long. McGill’s Brandon McLean struck just over a minute later, and by the end of the frame any Concordia momentum was lost. The fourth quarter began just as the others did, with McGill forcing its attack amidst a spirited background of home-field chants.

( McGill Tribune / Simon Poitrimolt )
( McGill Tribune / Simon Poitrimolt )

Ultimately, the game ended the  way it began, with the Redmen continuing to run clean and patient plays, and the Stingers’ valiantly trying to keep the onslaught at bay. On the other side of the ball, McGill excelled as well, working together and rotating to cut off Concordia’s plays.

“We did well [on defence], although we allowed Concordia to score a few goals on man-down scenarios in the second half,” Murdoch noted. “Concordia is a new team that has recently entered our league, so we were able to minimize their possessions and rack up a steady stream of goals.”

With the win, the Redmen improve to 3-0 on the season and sit atop the Eastern CUFLA standings. Based on their early play, a return to the postseason seems quite likely, especially after this statement win.

The Redmen are back in action at Molson Stadium on Sept. 22, when they play host to the visiting Queen’s Gaels.

An artist’s rendition of the Phoenix Cluster­—a recent black hole revelation. (www.space.com)
a, Science & Technology

Researchers discover new star cluster

by Jennifer Laura Lee on

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While thousands of freshmen participated in “Discover McGill” as part of orientation last month, the McGill Physics Department took part in some exciting new discoveries of their own.

5.7 billion light years from our humble speck in the cosmos is a galaxy cluster 2.5 million billion times more massive than the sun; a band of galaxies held together by gravity, comprised collectively of over three trillion stars.

Dr. Gil Holder is an assistant professor in the McGill Physics department, worked on brainstorming the algorithms that professors and post-doctorates at McGill use for finding these colossal bodies.

“What I find most amazing is that this enormous object—1,000 times heavier than the entire Milky Way, emitting more X-rays than any other galaxy cluster in the universe, with a black hole at its center that is ten billion times the mass of our sun—has been only discovered now,” he said.

Compared to our Milky Way’s modest star birth-rate of one or two per year, the central galaxy of the appropriately-named Phoenix Cluster forms about 750 new stars per annum—a massive rate, never before seen in our observable slice of the universe. Researchers believe this unprecedented prolificacy can be attributed to unique properties of the supermassive black hole that lies at the centre of it all.

Under typical cosmological conditions, a black hole sucks in surrounding bodies, emitting powerful X-rays and hot energy as a result. This pumps large amounts of energy into the galaxy system, preventing surrounding gas from cooling down to form stars.

“As things fall into black holes, they are accelerated to high speeds and as they run into other things falling, they heat up and irradiate the region around the black hole,” Holder said. The Perseus Cluster is an example of this, as it has been known to periodically produce very low, powerful sound waves that disrupt the process of star formation.

“But we now have a case of a galaxy cluster that has a supermassive black hole, that somehow has managed to not act as a little furnace at the center. This is like the old classic case of ‘the curious incident of the dog in the night-time:’ we have a black hole that is not doing what is expected, and [is] believed to be natural, which must be an important clue for how these things work.”

The Phoenix Cluster may be a unique glimpse into the early stages of a galaxy cluster in which the central black hole has yet to begin its energy feedback, accounting for the brief spurt of star growth observable today.

The cluster was first discovered by NASA’s Chandra Observatory, whose satellite X-ray images have been able to depict numerous supermassive black holes as they pull in and heat material to high temperatures. As photons pass through the galaxy cluster, they are heated or cooled to temperatures that differ from the cosmic microwave background of 2.73 Kelvins—the uniform temperature of most parts of the universe, established in the remnants of the Big Bang. Large deviations from the background temperature are picked up by facilities like the Chandra, providing clues as to the location of these gas clusters.

The South Pole Telescope, to which McGill University has contributory ties, further measures microwaves of light at the millimeter-wavelength level to detect these same kinds of gas. The location of the South Pole Telescope provides a dry environment that is conducive to microwave detection. In wetter climates, atmospheric moisture absorbs certain wavelengths, like water being heated up in a microwave.

With the astronomy community still abuzz over its discovery, the Phoenix Cluster appears to be just the tip of the astronomical iceberg. Holder said, “It wasn’t in hiding or anything, we just hadn’t noticed it. For me, this really drives home that we have really just started exploring our universe, and you can never tell what you will find out there if you look carefully.”

 

a, Science & Technology

McGill unveils new and streamlined myCourses

by Krishanth Manokaran on

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McGill students are getting a new taste of a refined myCourses recipe this fall. The new myCourses is the product of a two-year process that included focus groups to assess the needs of the course site users, interviews with faculty and students, and finally, finding the right vendor to deliver the website.

“It’s a long process,” Sharon Roy, McGill Director of Content and Collaboration Solutions, said of the project to renovate the site.

“Each faculty was interviewed, along with students, who expressed the need to have more opportunities to collaborate, and have a consistent view across courses,” Roy said. “So we found out what all of those [needs] were and wrote a very long document, sending it out to all the major vendors.”

In February of last year, each vendor was called to do a demonstration, and the McGill community was invited to give their feedback. After a little more refinement,  the vendor most popular among reviewers was the Desire2Learn hosted version, according to Roy.

Desire2Learn, or D2L, is a vendor based in Windsor, Ontario, and is used at more than 450 institutions around the world. “What we’re finding [to be] the big difference about D2L is that the interface is much more modern—much more what you’re used to seeing—so it’s much easier to find things.”

Students seem to agree. “It looks less cluttered and more spaced out now,” Steven Li, a third-year chemistry student, said.

The site has a lot of new offerings. Maggie Lattuca, Manager of Educational Technologies—part of McGill Content and Collaboration Solutions­—sat down with the Tribune to discuss these new features. One feature is a personal locker for students and instructors. The locker can be used to store files from any course.

“So far it’s not that big—only  1,000 KB—but we are working to make it bigger,” Lattuca said. “What’s more interesting is the group locker, which is assigned by professors to students in a group to make it easier to share files with each other.”

In addition, there’s a new profile section in myCourses. Students can post a profile photo of themselves under ‘My Settings.’

“It’s a part of the whole trend online, to have a presence online,” Lattuca said.

Two of the most helpful features in the new software are notifications and the myCourses calendar.

In the previous version, professors could post notifications that popped up when students logged into WebCT. However, these notifications disappeared after the first viewing.

Now, students can choose to receive their notifications by email or text message, by changing their settings in ‘Notifications,’ also under ‘My Settings.’ This makes it easier to receive important notifications like room changes.

The myCourses calendar has also been revamped to synchronize with students’ other personal online calendars.  For example, students with Google Calendars can use the ‘subscribe’ feature to sync information from myCourses with their calendar.

In what Lattuca calls “a really cool feature for students,” users can click on the link on a Google Calendar and be taken right to MyCourses for more information about an assignment.

Scheduled downtime for the new myCourses will now follow a much more regular routine. Monthly downtimes are posted on the McGill IT website; the first one will be on Oct. 14th from 1:00a.m.-7:00a.m.

For those struggling with the changes, there are numerous online video tutorials, as well as a large number of knowledge-based articles on the McGill website to help students adjust to the new myCourses.

MyCourses plans to use an online survey to get feedback on the software from students around mid-October. Lattuca hopes a number of students will participate.

a, Science & Technology

Don’t panic

by Krishanth Manokaran on

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As the add/drop period comes to an end, students seem frantic to get those last spots in their desired classes. These 13 days of testing the waters provide a good sense of what the classes are like, but the pool can only hold so much. Instead of refreshing Minerva every second to see if there’s an available spot, use this simple checklist to help increase your odds of registration success.

Waiting list

First and foremost, get yourself on the waiting list (if the class has one). You may be depressed to find yourself 24th on the list, but sit tight and keep going to the class. Students have gotten into classes from much further back on the list.

Advising

If the former isn’t available, go straight to the top and talk to an academic advisor. They aren’t the gatekeepers to a course, but advsors have dealt with a lot of questions about getting into a specific class or lab. They’ll let you know what your options are.

Professors

Moving down the list, talk to the professor or coordinator. If the class is full, ask them about alternatives. Sometimes, classes are offered again in the winter, or have two sections; while the professor might not be the same, the content will be.

Schmoozing

A class is only full because of the other students, so why not talk to them? Social media has made it much easier to be a cohesive student population. Chances are that Facebook and many other social media sites have a group for the McGill students in your year or faculty. A simple post in search of someone considering dropping a course can go a long way towards getting you a spot—especially if it’s seen by about a thousand people.

Patience

As we enter the last few days of the storm, patience is key. As the freestyle musician Nayobe said, “All good things come to those who wait”—McGill add/drop is no different.

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