amberwavesrally.com

Every year as the Superbowl comes around I am painfully reminded of the cheap, watery, tin-flavored, mass-produced beer being consumed endlessly across the continent. The attraction of this yearly football phenomenon is synonymous with Budweiser and Coors, as countless advertising campaigns and beer sales will attest. But now that the post-game smell of rancid low-grade lagers has settled, I find it all the more comforting to be living in one of the finest cities in the world for genuine artisanal microbreweries.

The current state of microbreweries in North America owes its origins to trail-blazing British brewers like Bill Urquhart, who in the 1970s rebelled against large faceless corporations with the hope of creating a new generation of beers crafted with an original flair and personality.  Although cask ales were originally the main product, in no time the movement incorporated a full palate of lagers, stouts, pilsners, porters—you name it—with no two alike. New terminology invaded the industry which had previously known only the two extremes of tap houses and large distributors. Among them were a “craft” brewery, which is small and independent; a “microbrewery,” which is even smaller (15,000 beer barrels or less per year); and a “brewpub,” which both brews its beer and sells it on the premises (and is only considered a microbrewery if the product is found elsewhere around town as well).

High concentrations of artisanal breweries began to define various cities as hubs of the new beer revolution. The obvious North American example is Portland, Oregon, which is home to over 40 microbreweries alone—a testament to the city’s understated ingenuity and creative, young population. But our fair city on the hill, Montreal, has also proven itself as a veritable hotbed of progressive entrepreneurial beer-heads. The better known—and better tasting—downtown specimens around town include Benelux and Dieu du Ciel, but multitudes of other scrumptious examples abound. 

Brasseur de Montreal, which opened its doors in 2008, recently  opened a brewpub on Rue Ottawa.  Serving an eclectic mix of Belgian, Chinese, and Scottish beers, this new kid on the block doesn’t seem to be afraid of diving into the proverbial deep end. The cleverly named Broue Pub Brouhaha on Lorimier avenue serves an exclusive selection of its own crafts and other local brewers’ fares, showing that Montreal’s brewpub scene can support both camaraderie and competition. Outremont’s up-and-coming brewpub HELM crafts its beers exclusively from Quebec grains, and would surely become a McGill student favorite if any of us actually bothered to venture to the other side of Mount Royal for a night out.

The defining feature of Montreal artisanal breweries is their non-traditional approach to ingredients. Talk to any beer purist and you’ll get an earful about the sanctity of the four main ingredients of beer (barley, hops, water, and yeast) and the blasphemy of adding anything foreign to this holy quartet. But anyone who’s had a Benelux spiced seasonal beer knows this is utter foolishness. The distinctiveness of Dieu du Ciel comes from their bold addition of, for example, fair trade cocoa and vanilla to their Aphrodisiaque stout. Brasseur de Montreal also experiments successfully with non-conventional ingredients such as ginger and various citrus fruits.  

The bountiful cornucopia of Montreal breweries has proven that deviation from rigid traditional notions of alcoholic fare brings about products necessary to keep the industry on its toes. Granted, there is always room for creative renderings of traditional ingredients, as the Sam Adams brewers proved with the release of Infinium, a specialty beer made purposely to show the vitality of the original four elements. So, with this in mind, go forth and enjoy our city’s fine offerings.  

thebarking.com

When God, or Buddha, or the Fontmonster, or whoever created the standard computer fonts—actually, it was probably Al Gore—started typesetting font after font, he (or she—I’m all for gender equality in the typeface world), created most of them equally. From Times to Tahoma, Arial to Verdana, most fonts are pretty great. Some of them are even sexy (I’m looking at you, Georgia). Even Courier has some legitimate uses (and some not so legitimate ones, you typewriter-loving-snobs). Not Comic Sans. It’s clear that the FontMonster had a bit too much to drink one night and thought it would be a great idea to create a font which was a little bit more “fun” than all the others. The holiest-of-all-font-creators thought, “I’ll call it Comic Sans to reflect its cool, fun-loving nature.”

Well, Fontmonster, you screwed up. Big time. And now we all have to live with it. Comic Sans has become an unfortunate part of society with which we must all cope.

From first grade projects to birthday cards to diorama sets, children often discover Comic Sans and declare it to be the greatest font ever. However, as kids age, (some of them) mature and discover new things. Soon they realize what a dire mistake they have made in declaring their unwavering love for the one-and-only typeface. 

Of all the suppressed memories every person has, there is only one that is shared by all of humanity; their one-time love affair with Comic Sans. Whether it was in KidPix or WordPerfect, you wrote something in Comic Sans once, and it felt good. But like picking your nose, while you sat there grinning, the rest of society frowned upon the deed.

Computers were made for serious business, and Comic Sans is anything but serious. Comic Sans is like the guy who shows up to a black tie cocktail party wearing a bathing suit and a snorkelling mask, with a big dab of sunscreen on his nose. Nobody is sure where he came from, and when he will leave; and they’re not sure if they should laugh or call the police.

Have you ever read something written in Comic Sans and thought “Hmm, that was a really insightful argument.” Nope. Ignoring everything on the page, what you thought was, “why is this written in Comic Sans?” I bet as soon as you opened this page of the paper, you thought “what is this article in Comic Sans, and why is it in Comic Sans?” Well, I’m writing about a very serious topic, and you don’t remember a single word of it because it’s in Comic Sans. Tell me one complete sentence I wrote above without looking. I know I can’t remember anything, and I’m writing the piece. This font is such a joke that I can’t even believe my own argument because it’s printed in it. If this article was published in Times New Roman, though, it would be a totally different story.

I took a course in first year, and the professor used Comic Sans on his lecture slides. Naturally, I thought the entire course was a joke. When I took the final exam, which was also in Comic Sans, I simply wrote “lol, good one prof,” and left. It turns out he wasn’t joking, and I had to take the course agian, all because of Comic Sans.

If you absolutely must have fun with your typefaces, please stick to Wingdings. At least then people will wonder what you’re actually trying to say, rather than immediately writing you off as a four year old.

EUS Academic Week

The Engineering Undergraduate Society (EUS) is holding its annual A-week—a week-long series of talks by professors, and other faculty events aimed at promoting post-graduate career options for engineers.

On Tuesday evening, the EUS will host a wine and cheese networking event for engineers interested in careers in management.  Three speakers with degrees in engineering who entered the field of management will speak on their experiences. A second wine and cheese, held on Thursday, will focus on professional degrees like medicine and law. Both events will be held in Frank Dawson Adams Building Room 5 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

On Wednesday at noon, Professir In-Ho Jung from the faculty of mining and materials engineering will speak on his research, “Recycling of Rare Earth Elements from NdFeB permanent magnets.” The talk will be held in FDA Room 5, from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.

McGill Techfair

The McGill Techfair, an annual technology career fair for students in engineering, computer science, and the physical sciences, will be held on Wednesday. A joint effort between the EUS, the Engineering Career Center (ECC), and the Computer Science Student Society (CSUS), the event aims to help undergraduates network with employers.

Corporate attendees at the last Techfair in Fall 2010 included: Bombardier Aerospace, Electronic Arts, IBM, Microsoft, and Research in Motion.

The fair will be held from 9:30 p.m  to 3:30 p.m. in New Residence Hall.

Sam Reynolds / The McGill Tribune

Winning is becoming routine for the McGill women’s basketball team, as the Martlets defeated the Laval Rouge et Or on Saturday night in a game in which they never trailed. The 69-64 victory was McGill’s seventh straight to start the new year, and the ninth of their last 10 dating back to 2011, placing them atop the RSEQ standings. 

The Martlets were again anchored by senior centre Anneth Him-Lazarenko, who recorded her second double-double in as many nights, with 19 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Him-Lazarenko was particularly effective at the foul line, where she went seven for eight, a good sign for a team that has struggled of late from the charity stripe. 

McGill started the game on a quick 11-4 run, helped by five quick points from guard Marie-Eve Martin, who continued her fine season with 12 points and three rebounds on the night. Laval closed the gap by the end of the first quarter thanks to their strong perimeter shooting. 

This outside shooting prowess didn’t stop, as the Rouge et Or were extremely proficient from the outside (9/14 3PT) throughout the game, led by Elyse Jobin and Chanelle St-Amour, who finished with 18 and 20 points respectively. After McGill extended their lead to 10 with under four minutes to play in the first half, St-Amour and fellow teammate Sandrine Ducruc netted two threes to cut the Martlets’ lead to six at halftime.  

McGill is becoming known around the RSEQ as a team that often falls behind early, but makes late runs in the second half to come back. On Saturday, however, they were faced with a new task—having to defend a lead for an entire half. 

They opened the third quarter with play that mirrored their first half—solid shooting, precise ball movement, and dominance on the glass. They maintained their composure throughout the frame, despite a couple of pushes by the Rouge et Or. Him-Lazarenko scored eight of McGill’s first nine points of the half, extending the Martlets’ lead to nine midway through the quarter. Laval, led by their aggressiveness to the basket and their hot shooting, lessened the lead to just three before third-year forward Helene Bibeau caught fire, scoring seven points in the last two minutes of the third. 

The Martlets entered the final quarter with a 14-point lead and maintained their stranglehold on the game, despite a few late but insignificant baskets by Laval. 

The contest was characterized by strong all-around play by the Martlets, as they received contributions from their entire team. One standout was freshman Tiye Traore, who contributed to McGill’s 40-28 advantage on the glass, grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds. Nine different Martlets scored during the game, and veteran guard Natalie Larocque wasn’t even one of them, a sign that this team has the depth necessary to guide them to the RSEQ championship.

The win comes a day after the Martlets dropped Bishop’s by a score of 63-55, marking another successful weekend for the women. The two victories leave McGill with 18 points, six more than second-place Concordia. 

The Martlets need four points to clinch their second-straight division title with only four games left in the season, three of which come on the road. The Martlets’ last home game is Feb. 23 against Bishop’s.

On Jan. 23, the defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins made a commemorative visit to the White House in order to have their accomplishment recognized by the country’s commander-in-chief. This ritual dates back to 1865, when President Andrew Johnson invited baseball teams to the White House to celebrate their victorious seasons. Nowadays, it’s an annual tradition for the championship team in any North American sport to visit the president in celebration of their accomplishments. However, in a shocking turn of events, the team visited the White House without their star goaltender and playoff MVP Tim Thomas. 

Thomas, the primary reason that the team was being honoured in the first place for his Conn Smythe-worthy goaltending, claims he believes the government has “grown out of control” and is acting “in direct opposition to the Constitution.” However, the goaltender also noted that his decision was “not about politics.”

Not about politics? Thomas refused to visit the centre of American politics to meet with the commander-in-chief, citing disagreements with the state of the government. I honestly don’t see how he could have made his statement more political.

Before addressing his reasoning, the decision itself must be debated. The trip to the White House is supposed to be a celebration of the team’s success. Tim Thomas was essential to the Bruins’ victory, and yet he decided not to attend. Thomas, one of only two American-born players on the roster—the other being seventh defenceman Steven Kampfer—should have been front and centre to shake hands with Barack Obama. Instead, Finnish-born backup goalie Tuukka Rask, Czech defenseman Tomas Kaberle, and Canadian tough guy Shawn Thornton stood right behind Obama at the reception.

I will concede that Thomas has the right “as a free citizen,” as he said, to do exactly as he wants. That said, playing a team sport is about unity of purpose and the pursuit of common goals. In deciding not to attend the White House event, Tim Thomas placed himself above his teammates. He might as well have said, “My personal beliefs are more important than team accomplishments.”

What frustrates me most about the situation is Thomas’ refusal to address his decision or his political beliefs outside of a post on his Facebook page. If he truly believes that the state of American politics is horrible enough to influence his actions, then he should bring attention to the problems that exist, rather than hide from his own actions. He should have taken advantage of his position in the public eye to discuss his beliefs and increase public awareness of what he considers problematic. Instead, Tim Thomas hid behind a Facebook post and refused to comment. He simply clicked “not attending.”

As the NHL season enters its playoff stretch, the Tim Thomas story will fade into the past and will cease to be relevant as soon as the Bruins start winning hockey games. And, as I’m sure most others believe, the Bruins may very well defend their Stanley Cup title, which will only lead to another trip to the White House a year from now. As a Montreal Canadiens fan, and consequently a Boston Bruins hater, I hope that never happens. But suppossing it does, what will Tim Thomas do then? “Maybe attending” for now, I guess.

— Trevor Drummond

Dave Sandford / NHLI

As any Ottawa native knows, the 417 is as close as you can get to a parking lot before Sens games. It’s packed, parking sucks, and only a rookie thinks that taking Terry Fox Drive is a shortcut. However, last week for the NHL All-Star Game, sitting in traffic and the parking lot after the game for an hour felt almost magical as I basked in the festive atmosphere of the once-in-a-lifetime weekend.

For as long as I can remember, it has been a childhood dream of mine to see the NHL All-Star Game come to Ottawa. There is just something special about knowing that all these amazing players are in the same city as you at the same time. I used to imagine meeting players like Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Steve Yzerman and Paul Kariya skating down the Rideau Canal. The game itself, as I knew even back then, was a joke. The players don’t try hard, defense is a four-letter word, and physical contact is non-existent. So, needless to say, when Ottawa got the All-Star Game this year, I was mainly looking forward to the atmosphere and the nostalgia, not the hockey itself, and definitely not Drake. 

When I first arrived at the arena, I could already tell it was going to be a special experience. The parking lot was full of cars from all over the map, ranging from Florida to Saskatchewan.  Once I entered the stadium, I saw mascots from five different teams, dancers from two, and a guy with a Nashville Predators jersey I didn’t even know existed. It really felt like the United Nations of hockey was holding its GA in Ottawa and I was invited to participate. 

Before the game, all the players were introduced as they skated onto the ice. Undoubtedly, the introductions for the Senators players were the loudest and most enthusiastic, which was to be expected, but expectations were even higher for Daniel Alfredsson’s entry. The fans did not disappoint, and neither did Alfie. The Ottawa captain got a huge ovation from the crowd, and Alfredsson waved back, saluting those who had been cheering him for so many years. I remember thinking there was no way this ovation could have been surpassed, only to hear the crowd erupt one more time when Alfredsson scored his first goal, splitting the defenseman and scoring on Montreal’s own Carey Price. After the goal, the crowd gave Alfredsson another long standing ovation and, when it was apparent that it wasn’t going to stop any time soon, the Sedin twins skated out of the face off circle to let Alfie have his moment. This was the highlight of the game, and indeed the weekend for me—seeing a player whom everyone in Ottawa adores get his share of the spotlight. For a guy who has never won a Stanley Cup, a scoring race, or even the game MVP (that went to Marian Gaborik), this was Ottawa’s way of showing Alfie that he was and will always be our city’s MVP. 

In all, it was a fantastic experience, and even though Team Chara walked away with a 12-9 victory, nobody left disappointed. The game was great, the atmosphere was fantastic, and even though the hockey itself wasn’t the best, it was certainly an experience that I won’t soon forget. 

Something has happened to my friends this semester, something that has managed to make me feel both guilty and inadequate. Everyone, and I mean everyone is exercising. Whether Pilate-ing, spinning, or zumba-ing, all of my friends have morphed into gym-bunny versions of themselves. Perhaps I am exaggerating, but being suddenly surrounded by constant talk of aching thighs, calves, obliques and Kegels (which in my opinion can only really be complained about after birthing a large child) has made me realize that perhaps I can no longer get away with excusing myself from exercising. I can no longer avoid exercise for fear of “not getting my readings done,” by which I obviously mean watching mindless television.

My two roommates have both chosen to partake in this craze—one in the form of Pilates and the other in the form of the devil’s favorite pastime, spinning—for which she rouses from her slumber at seven o’clock every Tuesday and Thursday. Even my other house-full of friends do self-titled “roommate yoga” every Saturday afternoon. This week, while the healthy and active youth I call my friends took off to the gym, towels and water bottles a-flailing in their wake, I became wracked with guilt. It was at that point, while wallowing on my window seat cradling a glass of cheap Beaujolais wine, that I decided it was time to finally succumb and sign up for some sort of class. 

I have never been a particularly athletic person. My family leaves much to be desired in the sports department—memories of my brothers’ and my childhood will forever be riddled with tears and arguments with my dad on rainy Sunday mornings that inevitably ended unfavourably for us. This was followed by public humiliation on the soccer pitch where I, on occasion, would awkwardly swat the ball with my so-called ‘spaghetti arms’ instead of kicking it like the other kids. Except for skiing, a sport which my student MoneyMaster savings account simply cannot support, and swimming (which, for me, is inconceivable in this weather) there is only one other physical activity that I would say I actually enjoy: Moksha yoga—a hot yoga class which I have sporadically enjoyed. Though pricey, it seems far more appealing than the idea of jogging on black ice in Parc Lafontaine. 

With the studio perched on St. Laurent, a convenient 10-minute march from my apartment, I have resolved to go at least three times a week, which, in addition to my 30-minute walk to class and 30-minute walk back should be a reasonable restorative answer to the weekends of student hedonism we “minds of the future” so enjoy. 

After my first couple of classes I not only enjoyed feeling healthier and better about myself, but I am now a proud complainer of aching muscles. And, the gratification of commiserating with everyone makes getting up a bit earlier and abstaining from watching MTV while gorging myself on wine and student food more bearable. I would recommend giving an ‘active lifestyle’ a go. Forfeiting an episode or two of nonsense TV shows, or even a reading or two (if you’re a sensible and diligent student like myself) is definitely worth it.

Ryan Reisert / McGill Tribune

The Redmen played their last home games of the regular season this past weekend, and the result was a 1-1 split. The team came out flat Friday night and fell to the Concordia Stingers in a stunning 4-2 upset, but were able to right the ship on Saturday in a closely fought 4-3 win over the Carleton Ravens.

This season marks the fourth time in McGill history that the Redmen reached the 20-win plateau, and the second season in a row the team could finish first in the RSEQ division following last year’s 24-win, 50-point performance.

The weekend began with McGill hosting the Concordia Stingers (13-10-2), who are fighting to remain in the playoff race. McGill started strong and Marc-Andre Dorion scored the first goal with 39 seconds remaining in the period.  Concordia came back to tie it in the second period with a powerplay goal on a slashing penalty from Marc-Andre Daneau, his first of three minors throughout the game. 

The third period saw McGill play very undisciplined hockey, and they paid a steep price for their mistakes. Thanks to two tripping penalties to Picard-Hooper and Daneau 48 seconds apart, Concordia took the lead with two quick powerplay goals 32 seconds apart midway through the frame, making the score 3-1. McGill’s Francis Verreault-Paul, the team’s leading scorer (T-third in goals scored in the league), tallied with less than five minutes left to the game, but the Redmen’s comeback was stifled when Concordia’s Michael Stinziani scored an empty netter, putting the game out of reach for the home team. 

“Their goaltending was really strong I think, and we weren’t able to solve them,” Head Coach Kelly Nobes said. “After they took the lead, I still felt like we were coming off strong, we had good net-front presence, we were getting good scoring opportunities. Overall, I don’t think it was a poor performance, it was just a game where we didn’t get the bounces in the right areas.”

Saturday’s game against the Carleton Ravens capped what has been an exciting series between the two teams all season, as McGill won the rubber match of the three-game series. McGill once again came out strong, this time notching three goals by Jean-Francois Boisvert, Alex Picard-Hooper, and Francis Verreault-Paul to end the first 20 minutes leading 3-0.

It was a heated second period as both teams received three minor penalties, but neither team could profit from the man advantage. Carleton struck first in the period, but McGill captain Evan Vossen scored what proved to be the game-winning fourth goal for the Redmen late in the second to end the stanza 4-1.

“We had a real good start, I felt like we were really moving our feet in the first 40 minutes,” Nobes explained. “We were up 3-0 because we were moving our feet, we were driving the middle land and had good net-front presence. We were also strong in the second period.”

The Ravens came alive in the third period, suddenly remembering that this game was crucial to their path to the playoffs. McGill also played another undisciplined period of hockey, racking up eight more penalty minutes, while Carleton focused on getting the puck on the net. The Ravens’ strategy proved much wiser as they scored two powerplay goals in the first five minutes of the period to cut McGill’s lead down to one. However, the Redmens’ goaltender Hubert Morin put on a goaltending masterclass for the rest of the period in order to keep McGill in the game, stopping 33 of the 36 shots he faced in total and leading the team to their 20th win of the season. “In the third period we took our foot off the gas a little bit, which we weren’t happy about because we want to play a full 60 minutes,” said Nobes. “Overall though, it was a good effort for us.”

Ryan Reisert

In case you were too busy leaving the GAs, here’s what you missed this week in the world of sports … 

HOCKEY — The NHL regular season returned to its normal NHL regular season schedule following the All-Star break, but what happened seems far from normal. To start, Sam Gagner tied Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey’s record of eight points in a game, in what could be known as hockey’s best overall performance ever. He then followed up his record performance with a three-point game the following night. Speaking of performances worth noting, we ask you this: what do Hurricane’s goalie Cam Ward, Coyote’s fourth-liner Paul Bissonnette, horrible defenceman Brett Lebda, severely concussed centre Marc Savard, and ex-Canadiens “superstar” Ryan O’Byrne have in common? They all have more goals than Scott Gomez in the past year. On Feb. 5th, Montrealers celebrated Gomez’ one year anniversary without a goal. Congratulations Scott, we’re all proud of you!

FOOTBALL — If you don’t know what happened this past Sunday in football, then you must have had one heck of a weekend. Over a hundred million viewers tuned in to watch Super Bowl XLVI, which matched the favoured New England Patriots against the resilient New York Giants. The story of the week leading up to the big game was how this Super Bowl was a rematch of the 2008 final, where the Giants prevailed in possibly the biggest upset in Super Bowl history. Not much changed on Sunday, as the Pats were unable to avenge their disappointing loss from four years ago, losing again to the Giants 21-17. Giants quarterback Eli Manning was his typical clutch self, winning the Super Bowl MVP award for a second time. The Super Bowl is also known for its collection of prop bets and this year’s game was no different. Here are some of the results in case you missed them: a rare safety was the first score in the game, Kelly Clarkson’s national anthem lasted 1:34, and Madonna did not experience any wardrobe malfunctions during her halftime performance (see: Janet Jackson). Until next year, football fans. 

BASKETBALL — The NBA season continues on with few surprises. The Miami Heat, to the chagrin of most, find themselves second just behind the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference, while the Oklahoma City Thunder, led by Kevin Durant’s 27 points per game, lead the Western Conference with an 18-5 record. While there haven’t been many surprises in the league’s standings, there was one in New York this past Saturday, as little-known Harvard graduate Jeremy Lin helped resurrect the Knicks’ season, all the while helping Head Coach Mike D’Antoni keep his job for another day. Lin, a Golden State Warriors castoff, is the NBA’s only American-born player of Chinese descent. He tore up the New Jersey Nets defence, finishing with 25 points and seven assists. Undoubtedly, Lin will become a fan favourite in New York, and his play earned him a spot atop Twitter’s trending list worldwide.  We’re just waiting for him to coin the phrase, “Lin or go home!”

SOCCER — In more upsetting news, tragedy struck Egypt this past Wednesday when a riot ensued after a local soccer match between the country’s top clubs, al-Ahly and al-Masry. Reports claim that 74 people were killed outside of Port Said Stadium, and hundreds were injured. The media is calling it the biggest disaster in the country’s sporting history. The riot comes exactly a year after the Egyptian people began the revolution against former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Many Egyptians gathered for protests on Thursday, as fans and politicians accused the current ruling movement of failing to prevent the riot from occurring. In response to the event, three days of mourning were declared in the country. Unfortunately, for soccer and its supporters in Egypt, the sport looks like just another one of the casualties in the chaos inundating the country.