cnetfrance.fr

For many cell phone users in North America, wrangling companies’ hefty monthly rates and paying for add-ons like voicemail and caller ID has become a necessary evil. Until very recently, the same used to be true for cell phone users in France. A new cell phone operator, which hit French markets on Jan. 10, has transformed the way French consumers think about and pay for their phones and plans. 

The carrier, which operates under the only slightly exaggerated moniker “Free Mobile,” offers cell phones and data plans to French consumers at a fraction of the cost of the country’s other carriers. It was unveiled with much media hype at the beginning of January, during France’s semi-annual national sales. Much of this anticipation was due to the success of the carrier’s parent company, an Internet service provider known as Free, which overhauled France’s home Internet market. 

The company’s founder and majority shareholder, Xavier Niel, who also owns the French daily newspaper Le Monde, has been engaged in the Internet market since 1999, when his service provider dramatically lowered the cost of French broadband packages in 2002 by forcing competitors to match its low rates.

Like most North American phone carriers, France’s major providers, operate on a contract model, where the up-front cost of phones are heavily subsidized at the expense of long-term—and often pricey—service commitments. For example, a $549 iPhone 4S costs only $99 in the United States with a mandatory two year contract.

 Free Mobile, on the other hand, offers contract-free plans starting at 2 Euros a month for 60 minutes and 60 text messages (within France), compared to the industry standard 10 Euros, Niel told the French channel itélé. The provider also offers unlimited international calls, text messages, and 3G access for only 19.99 Euros per month.

Free Mobile’s competitors are trying hard to take advantage of the new provider’s lack of  subsidized phones, but to little avail. According to some estimates on French technology blogs, one million consumers have already switched over to Free from their current providers. Free itself noted on its Facebook page that within hours of announcing its rates, its websites had racked up 4.6 million hits. This may be in part due to the flexibility the provider offers French consumers, who can typically keep their current phones and numbers in switching over to Free, as well as the provider’s low rates.

Free Mobile’s success should come as no surprise to folks from major Canadian cities like Toronto and Vancouver. The innovative French carrier bears considerable resemblance to new entrants to the Canadian wireless market like WIND Mobile and Mobilicity, which have transformed the wireless landscape and forced the big three—Rogers, Bell, and Telus—to treat consumers more fairly.  Quebecers are still waiting to benefit from new Canadian providers as new competitors were outbid by Vidéotron and the other major carriers in the last auction for wireless spectrum in the province. Industry minister Christian Paradis is expected to release the details of the next major spectrum auction this week, which may pave the way for lower prices as new carriers can begin operating in Quebec.

Take a minute or two to check out these popular time-wasting websites 

Let’s face it, there’s never a bad time for the Internet. But even when your term paper is due in eight hours and you’re only two pages in and every ounce of the reasoning capabilities you possess screams at you to ignore Facebook and just get down to work, you can’t help but procrastinate.

Whether facing the final countdown to an exam, or simply killing time between classes, students find plenty of interesting ways to navigate the online world. Although procrastinating is a time-honoured student tradition, lately it seems that it is easier than ever to spend countless hours surfing the net. Everyone has their favourites, their go-to websites, that one page you check as soon as you open your laptop, without even thinking about it. And, while Facebook and TextsFromLastNight still reign supreme, here is a short list of some of the newer, more popular procrastination websites used by university students today. It is by no means a comprehensive overview, but here’s a look at the exciting virtual world that awaits you if that assigned reading isn’t looking so inviting right now.

Up first, 9gag.com. It’s a humorous photography website where users can upload cartoons or pictures of cute animals, usually with some sort of witty commentary, and more often than not, sexual innuendo. 9gag launched in 2008, and has been going strong ever since. The website is perhaps best known for its use of Internet memes, its comedic take on current political events, and common stereotypes.

Best of 9gag: For the most part, the captions are pretty darn funny.

Worst of 9gag: The occasional ridiculously long, self-indulgent post.

Another popular image-based website is Quickmeme.com, which allows users to create and post internet memes such as Socially Awkward Penguin, Philosoraptor, and Good Guy Greg, just to name a few. The general format is one line of text (lead-up) at the top of the photo, central image, and one line of text at the bottom of the photo, completing the joke. Users can also create memes from photos they’ve uploaded themselves, usually of their friends. Pretty straightforward, but it’s easy to completely lose track of time while browsing the home page. 

Best of Quickmeme: realizing how relatable some of the memes are.

Worst of Quickmeme: When personal memes are made of people without their consent.

Next, for those of you out there who enjoy fantasizing about party planning, home decor and fashion, check out Pinterest.com. The site is quickly spreading throughout the twitterverse and companies and celebrities are even known to participate in it. Here is how it works: you create an account and then when you browse photos online you can “pin” them to your board – a virtual cork board or scrapbook essentially – so that all those lovely photos are in one spot for future browsing. You can also re-pin pictures from others’ accounts.

Best of Pinterest: Over a dozen different categories to browse and it’s constantly updated, so there are always new photos to look through.

Worst of Pinterest: You must request an invite to join.

Some more websites worth checking out include: Iwastesomuchtime.com, Damnyouautocorrect.com, Dearblankpleaseblank.com, Twitter.com, and Tumblr.com. Happy procrastinating, mcgillmemes.tumblr.com.

On any given day at McGill you can spy an endless range of labels, prints, textures, trends, and styles, giving this campus an eclectic but trendy appearance.  You would expect, or at least hope, that McGill apparel would uphold our campus’ fashionable reputation. However, as I have learned over the past few months, you would be wrong. While standing in the never-ending line that has come to define the bookstore in the first few days of Add/Drop, I found myself face-to-face with fashion’s worst nightmare: McGill jeggings. Plagued by the horrors of this garment, I saw it fit to call attention to this pressing issue. I narrowed the bookstore’s problem down to three principle concerns. I hope you will consider the following simple rules when it comes to the integration of these items into a normal Montreal wardrobe. 

Rule 1: Ask yourself, what’s wrong with red?

First and foremost, there are far too many colours available at the bookstore. Chaos inevitably ensues from this sort of selection. An innocent first year walks into the bookstore with his eyes set on a classic red hoodie. After being brutally accosted by pink and orange (which, might I add, clash awfully with McGill’s primary colour) this innocent student finds himself back in his room with a blue plaid zip up sweater, his brow furrowed in confusion.  In my opinion, the only acceptable options for sweatshirts and sweatpants are red, white, and neutrals such as black, grey, or even navy, on occasion. Purchasing a McGill item gives the impression that you are a proud member of school. Why would you buy it otherwise? Why pay more for the McGill insignia if your purple hoodie makes you look like you go to Bishops?  If you are in desperate need of sweatpants and the bright green McGill ones start to look appealing, pass back through those double doors before things get ugly.

Rule 2: One is often enough.

Sometimes people in McGill apparel appear just a little too proud to be a member of our university. Unless you are an athlete or on your way to a varsity sporting event, there is absolutely no need to wear more than one McGill item at a time. A full red suit is not necessary for an ordinary day at the library. I must confess that I have, on occasion, paired my red McGill umbrella (bought only out of desperation) and my red McGill sweatshirt on my way to the gym. Please note the key word in this sentence: gym. I can respect trying to be comfortable at school, but I promise, a full McGill sweat suit is not your only option.

Rule 3: Say no to hybrid styles.

In recent months, there seems to have been an influx of multifunctional McGill apparel around campus: namely, a light purple crewneck-hoodie hybrid. With a wide neck and substantial kangaroo pouch on the front, this item is hard to miss. This is an odd union. The best part of a crewneck is its simplicity, and the best part of a hoodie is the hood. Along the same vein of hybridism are the McGill jeggings. Although I have come to warm up to jeggings in general, I will remain forever opposed to the McGill variety. In both the navy and grey option, the pants are the sum of all the wrong characteristics of their parts. Too thin to be jeans, too tight to be sweatpants, and too many pockets, both real and decorative, to be ordinary tights: the McGill jeggings take precedence as the worst hybrid offender. I suggest abiding by this rule: if a store doesn’t also sell jeans, do not buy their jeggings. 

Much of the McGill Bookstore’s clothing is doing students a disservice. If you can get through the bombardment of baby clothes or themed blankets at the front of the store, remember, stick to basics, wear one item at a time, and don’t ever let the McGill jeggings win you over. 

ccpalate.blogspot.com

When I became a vegetarian, one thing I missed was eating hamburgers. There’s nothing quite the same as biting into a hearty burger to satisfy your hunger. That’s why I was thrilled to learn how to make my own bean burgers. Rich in protein and fibre as well as iron, black beans are extremely valuable in a vegetarian diet. Not only are these burgers extremely simple and quick to make, but they’ve even been known to win over the most dedicated carnivore.

Ingredients: (makes at least four burgers):

1 can black beans

½ cup bread crumbs

Salsa (I recommend medium to spicy as that adds more flavour)

Salt and pepper to taste

Hamburger buns

Your favourite burger condiments and toppings

Directions

Rinse the black beans in a colander and put them into a large bowl.With a potato masher (a fork can work as a substitute), mash the black beans to break them up. Don’t mash them into a paste however; you want make sure to leave some texture so that the burger holds together.  

Next, add the bread crumbs, salt and pepper, and a tablespoon of salsa. Mash some more. Test the mixture by taking a small handful to see how well it holds together. You don’t want it to be too wet or too dry, so adjust by adding more salsa or bread crumbs until you are able to form a patty.

Once your mixture is done, heat some oil in a frying pan. Form the mixture into patties, and fry in the pan. 

Once cooked, assemble your burger and enjoy. My favourite toppings include cheese, red onion, avocado, and some more salsa for a Tex-Mex flavour. 

Left-over cooked patties also make excellent sandwiches. Use toasted bread, mayo, mustard, and your favourite sandwich toppings, and you have an easy and filling lunch to bring to school the next day.

As graduation looms, I seem to have had thousands of conversations recently about what to do after university. What I’ve found is that there emerges one snarling, pesky paradox: you must have experience to get experience. This poses an obvious problem for even the most investigative of job-seekers, a problem which pervades career fields both elite and comical. You can imagine my dismay when, after weeks of searching through the listings of carnivals and traveling circuses, I found out that an entry level blindfolded chainsaw juggler position required two years previous similar employment. But all jokes aside, there is one saving grace, and it comes in the form of outdoor summer seasonal employment. 

While it may be winter now, it doesn’t hurt to plan ahead. In the balmy months of summer, seasonal job opportunities abound, since certain outdoor projects and organizations cannot function in persistent inclement weather. I discovered this when I turned my own employment crosshairs away from complete and utter cluelessness and began to aim at jobs in conservation field work. What I discovered were countless cadres of project leaders in search of an able-bodied short-term work force willing to break its back and sun-burn its neck for a few months at a time. In essence, the exclusivity so common in career-driven fields melts away and the impenetrable cycle of experience-begetting-experience is, for lack of a better word, penetrated.

Obviously, you have to know where to look. The following are just some examples of seasonal work which those of us facing life after graduation should consider for a first soiree into the real world. First off, let’s consider Community Supported Agriculture. CSAs have begun to pop up everywhere, and not just in small podunk towns. There are over 90 CSA farms around Montreal, each committed to sustainable agriculture, and most either supply local farmers’ markets or organize a farm-share, in which members receive produce directly from the farmers themselves. Emphasizing these aspects of sustainable agriculture is one thing, but CSA farms also tend to hire heavily in the summer. Although the pay is usually negligible, room and board is often free, and there’s no better way to squeeze into a local community than by bringing fresh food straight from your farm to someone’s fridge (think of it as your exotic European WWOOFing trip (Willing Workers On Organic Farms), just a little closer to home). 

Another option is to be a wilderness guide. Odds are you wouldn’t want to do this in Canada during any other time than the summer anyway, and let’s face it, in ten years we won’t have the energy to trek into Banff with a 30 kg backpack, some Mueslix, and a broken compass.  So take the time now. King Pacific Lodge, Treetop Trekking, and NovaShores Adventures are just three top names which are hiring now, and new openings come out every day.  

You might be saying to yourself that my future me will have nothing to do with outdoor work, so the whole seasonal experience argument is useless. Don’t listen to yourself. For example, leadership retreats abound in the summer, and while most are premised upon outdoor skill-building, the main takeaway is an unchallengeable forte in organizational leadership and people skills. These are transferrable to any job, and for the price of a bottle of sunscreen, you could avoid a mind-numbing management training session in a florescent room at your future cubicle job.

Perhaps you have your dream job laid out in front of you, and this is all nonsense. But for the rest of us, taking the time work outside the proverbial box will, I believe, prove invaluable.  Do yourself a favour and leave McGill ready, as it says in a sea-kayaking guide position which just opened up, to “work in the world’s largest tides.”

Don’t let those winter blues get you down. Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean you should stay inside all day at the library. So, to bring some variety to the snow-filled months that lie before us all, the Tribune has compiled a list of the winter activities Montreal has to offer.

Tubing

The exhilarating feeling of whizzing down an icy slope on a piece of plastic never seems to get old. So, if you want to go tubing, it’s nice to know that every year Mount Royal grooms the hill near Beaver Lake into organized tubing lanes. You can bring your own $5 Canadian Tire sled, or rent an inner-tube at the hill. Get your friends together and see who can make the longest run or race each other down the slope. Loser buys the drinks later. 

Renting an inner-tube costs $9 for the day, which gives you access to the exclusive inner-tubing lanes. The hill is open from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.

Montreal’s Ice Village 

For the first time in North America, an ice village has been constructed at Parc Jean-Drapeau. This village consists of an ice hotel, igloos, an ice restaurant and ice bar, snow sculpture exhibit, snow labyrinth, a giant snow slide, and replicas of Montreal buildings.

Unless you feel like splurging $195 per person to stay in a Polar Igloo for the night, or $295 for a standard room in the Ice Hotel, make a day trip to check out the village for a much more affordable price of $17. While their activities program has yet to be officially released, visitors can look forward to a snow sculpture contest, outdoor evening dancing with guest DJs, and live music.

Having just opened this month, the ice village is here until March 31. To get there, just take the yellow metro line and get off at the Jean Drapeau stop.

Skating

Montreal has two excellent skating venues to suit your fancy.

Frozen during the winter, Beaver Lake on Mount Royal turns into an outdoor rink. Grab some friends and go for a few laps around the lake, day or night. Frequented by families and groups, there’s absolutely no pressure to perform a triple Salchow or to dress to impress. Practicality is the name of the game. Make sure to bundle up well and wear good gloves, since it’s pretty difficult to skate with your hands in your pockets.

You don’t need to worry about owning skates, as they can be rented on-site for $8.50 for two hours. 

Beaver Lake is open to skaters from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. You could make a full day of it by adding some tubing into the mix.

If you prefer to remain indoors, make your way down to Atrium Le 1000 located at 1000 De La Gauchetière Street West. With an admission price of just $6 with your student I.D., you can enjoy a smooth rink and lively music. 

Different nights bring a variety of activities such as Girl’s Night Out on Tuesdays from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. where admission is two-for-one. Wednesdays are Date Night from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Couples can enjoy two-for-one access and romantic music while they skate. Also, two-for-one admission is available to couples on Valentine’s Day. Then, on Thursdays, all students can enjoy two-for-one access starting at 4 p.m.

Not only that, but February 27th is an “all-nighter” evening with the rink open from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Skate rentals are $6.50.

Hot Cider at Else’s

After spending the day out in the cold, it’s always nice to finish the evening off in a warm, cozy environment. There’s no better place to do this than at Else’s. 

Located in the Plateau, at 156 Roy Street East, Else’s small space, dark walls, and dim lighting creates an intimate atmosphere. The music is of the jazz/blues variety, and isn’t so loud as to stop conversation from flowing.

Not only does it boast a great beer selection as a microbrewery along with good food, but Else’s hot alcoholic ciders just might be the best thing to warm your insides when it’s cold outside. Not only do they taste great, but they look good and keep your hands warm too. 

The closest metro to Else’s is Sherbrooke metro on the orange line. While you may have to dress warmly, the walk to the bar will be worth the trip.

Decadent hot chocolate at Juliette et Chocolat 

 If you’re craving chocolate, Juliette et Chocolat is the place to go. With over 20 chocolate drink selections, there’s something for everyone. Their many hot chocolates will surely have you saying ‘mmm’ as you seek refuge from the cold.

Boasted as one of the best in the city, their hot chocolates come in three varieties–traditional, dark vintage, and milk vintage–each with a number of options to choose from. For those who want to mix it up, they also offer alcoholic chocolate beverages such as the Snow White, Chocolate Ruby, and Irish Chocolate.

On its website, Juliette writes that it all started with her search for the perfect hot chocolate: “I wanted a hot chocolate like our grandmothers used to make, a thick and velvety drink that warms, consoles and nourishes.”

And, if you’ve worked up an appetite after tubing on the mountain, they have plenty of food to choose from too, including delicious crepes.

Juliette et Chocolat is located in multiple venues around the city. The closest location to the McGill campus is at 3600 St. Laurent on the corner of Prince Arthur. In the Plateau you can find it at 377 Laurier West on the corner of Parc and at 1615 St. Denis.

The average university student is aware of the crippling effects suffered by after alcohol consumption. They call it: The Hangover. As the years progress in my university life, I can’t help but notice that the day-after effects are getting worse. Our bodies are aging and our society is expecting more of our mental capacity and overall productivity, a combination that does not compliment the disorientation and lethargy that comes with a hangover. As the volume of groaning from discomfort, mixed with the unappealing sound of morning nausea after an evening of fun reaches new heights, the quest to find a cure for my fellow students and I commenced. 

I quickly discovered that there are two distinct schools of thought in hangover academia: hangover cure and hangover prevention. Prevention is focused on measures you should take before the liquid falls down the hatch; cure focuses on what to do when you’re crawling out of the next-morning hole of discomfort and misery. 

Wikipedia, my initial research pit stop, set the benchmark for the salient prevention and cure recommendations. Wiki describes hangovers as “the experience of unpleasant psychological effects” after drinking. The most common recommendations for prevention were eating a big meal, drinking a glass of water between beverages, and keeping to one type of beverage throughout the evening: your hangover will be worse if you sample all the bar has to offer.

As cures, the most common advice I discovered was to drink as much Gatorade and water as possible. Taking an Advil to curb the headache, while digesting a simple carbohydrate-heavy meal is an effective way to attain some energy without increasing queasiness. Some more nuanced strategies I discovered were drinking coconut water and eating sardines and chasing them with pickles (the food version of your routine the night before). 

Through my research, the only recognizable pattern was variety. There are many different things one can do to prevent or cure a hangover; each individual experiences a hangover differently and thus there is no one singular cure. Of course, the only way to truly prevent a hangover is to peel oneself away from that can of beer, bottle of wine, or mixed drink. 

But, since complete abstinence is seemingly not an option for many of us who have engrained the college culture of work-hard-play-hard so deeply into our identities, I sought to reevaluate my understanding by attacking the source. I went to my fellow students to ask them how hangovers affect their life. 

First, there is the responsible, enviable consumer, who does not experience hangovers at all, such as Whitney Smith (U3 Management) “I don’t get hangovers because I practice hangover prevention: I put coconut water in a smoothie or I have a Gatorade when I get home.” On the other hand, Jessica Firestone, U3 Management, walks away from a hangover feeling defeated “[hangovers] make me lazy and unproductive—I sleep in much later than usual so I waste away my day.”

And then there are the exceptions. There are those who find a way to appreciate hangovers, and those who even respect what hangovers offer us. 

Roxanne Voidonicolas, U3 Psychology, claims, “I actually enjoy hangover days. I indulge on all of the things I know I shouldn’t but want to. I watch TV for 18 hours straight and don’t move. Most importantly, hangovers renew my zeal for life— after being so immobile, I look forward to a day of productivity.” Like Voidonicolas, Jan Roos, U3 Management, understands hangovers in a positive light: “Hangovers are God’s gift to the true animal. They weed out the weak. If it weren’t for hangovers, talking to people at bars would be as inane as talking to them in the day. You need them to make sure the only people doing whiskey shots at 5 a.m. are the men and women of bravery and character.”

There you have it. You can have a big meal before you go out, drink a sports drink before bed, or have a big breakfast when you wake up in the morning—all the while being acutely aware that these procedures may not even work. Or you can learn to love hangovers for what they are: an excuse to relax all day, or a Darwinian method of abolishing the weak. Picking a coping method will be your first step from departing from that age-old weekend lie you tell yourself and your friends: “I’m never drinking again.”