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Arts & Entertainment

POP RHETORIC: Lost friends

by Sam Jessula on

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Lost fans, as the title suggests, are lost. These poor people have undergone a metaphorical crash of their usual TV viewing experience and have been abandoned on a virtual island, surrounded by strangers, wondering what will occur next on this jarring roller coaster of a show.

Since the popular series began its allegedly all-revealing final season, a line in the sandy beach of the Pacific island has been drawn – no, not the recurring opposing ideologies of Jack and Locke. This time, it’s the audience that’s separated. On one side are the faithful fans, dying for explanations and eager to have their countless theories proven or nullified. On the other side are a group of people we will call “the Others,” composed of individuals who either watch or have merely heard of the show, but despise the opposing group. Recently, the Others, through the Onion, have released a video entitled “Final season of Lost promises to make fans more annoying than ever.”

What have the faithful fans ever done to the world to deserve such animosity? I will admit that Lost fans have pushed the limits of fandom by creating innumerable blogs and virtual communities, but this is nothing new – haven’t we all met a Trekkie? Trekkies, in my opinion, are the ones who put the word “fan” in fanatic – not Lost fans. Have people really suffered from listening to theories of purgatory and alternate dimensions? Doubtful. Rather, I would claim that mankind has benefited from dabbling in fiction that lies a little outside of its comfort zone.

Lost doesn’t belong in the fantasy genre any more than Grey’s Anatomy does. If you disagree, I challenge you to come up with a single event presented on Grey’s that you have personally experienced. I have been to many hospitals and have never had an elevator ride as exciting as the most mundane one on that show. The only difference between Grey’s and Lost is that Lost fans embrace the fact that they’re watching fiction, whereas Grey’s Anatomy can now be found in the motivation section of medical school applications.

Lost fans are not only nerds who believe in mystical connections between people, they are people who want to escape their everyday lives and dive into an alternate dimension where time travel and resurrection are ordinary occurrences.

Lost fans deserve the same credit as other TV-show admirers. What makes their existence more annoying than Heroes or Gossip Girl addicts? I remember losing an entire hour of my life listening to someone trying to explain how Jack Bauer gets through an entire day without ever using the bathroom. As boring as that conversation (i.e. monologue) was, I respect this avid fan for his passion rather than despise him for his persistence.

Lost fans of the world beware: a black smoke of hate is headed your way. And for those of you who are not interested in the show and find yourself having to hear someone’s perspective on it, let him talk. Who knows, maybe you’ll find out what the island is all about.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

Vancouver rock band Yukon Blonde has more fun

by Ryan Taylor on

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Alphababy really isn’t a respectable name for a rock band, especially if you’re a good one. Just ask Yukon Blonde, the Vancouver four-piece who played 300 shows as Alphababy from their formation in 2005 until late 2008.

“We used to get, ‘Are you guys a kink band?'” laughs guitarist/singer Brandon Scott. “It was kind of unfortunate, but an eye-opener.”

This realization no doubt helped encourage the band to adopt the more appropriate moniker of Yukon Blonde, but there were other hints along the way that their former name just wasn’t that cool. Take, for instance, the promoter in Toronto who disliked the name so much he changed the marquee to read “Alphaboy.” Or that former tour-mate Jon-Rae Fletcher continuously preached the benefits of a new name when Alphababy was performing as his backing band. Whatever the tipping point, the band recognized the need for a change.

However, above all and regardless of the “cool” factor, going by Yukon Blonde gave the band a clean slate to take them in a new direction.

“We rented this new jam space and we really wanted to write a record and just lock it down and not play shows for a year and do a new sound,” says Scott. “We were still going to go with Alphababy but then we were like, ‘Screw this, lets start fresh,’ and wrote new songs. It’s been a nice refreshing moment.”

Since then, the name Yukon Blonde has fared much better.

“We’ve had no bad response yet. We get ‘Yukon Gold’ every now and again, but I’m cool with that,” says Scott.

The band hasn’t done too badly either, winning praise from the National Post and making CBC’s list of “10 Canadian bands destined to break in 2010.”

Despite their newfound attention, the band has remained level-headed.

“It’s kind of ridiculous sometimes,” says Scott. “You’re like ‘Oh my goodness, this is outrageous,’ but I think so far our shows have been really successful and people have really got into it so we’ve been excited to see that happen,” says Scott.

Critics and fans alike have been drawn to the irresistible, harmony-drenched, sixties-inspired rock found on the group’s self-titled debut. Comparisons to The Band, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and Fleetwood Mac abound, but Scott says the retro vibe wasn’t an entirely conscious decision.

“We wanted kind of a newer sound and we get the retro-rock thing now, but it came naturally from how we play. The way [singer/guitarist Jeff Innes] usually demos his songs, they’re usually full of electronic drums and all this kind of stuff and then we add our touches and it gives it a sixties flavour I suppose.”

“We’re huge retro-rock fans for sure. We like our classic rock and we like a lot of modern day stuff as well, so [the music has been] getting that kind of mix. I don’t know where [the Fleetwood Mac comparison is] coming from, but I like that band and I can’t complain.”

Aesthetically speaking, it probably didn’t hurt that the band recorded the entire album to tape mostly “live off the floor,” a long-time ambition that gives the songs a “classic” (i.e. warm) sound, something frequently lost in today’s digital recording process.

“We’ve always wanted to try that,” says Scott. “We’ve always been used to doing it track by track by track where this time we could really feel each other out and get it done in one take.”

Even though they’ve already won the hearts of people across the country and received critical acclaim, the band still finds their hometown the most difficult scene to break into.

“[Vancouver] has its pretentious moments, but we’ve been really fortunate and had really good shows there,” says Scott. “Trying to get a response from an audience is always tricky, but there it seems very tricky in comparison to other cities in Canada. It’s a good city. They know what they like and if you can win over Vancouver then you’ve got something going for you.”

Vancouver be damned, Yukon Blonde have nowhere to go but up. For now, they’re just enjoying the ride.

“Travelling, seeing new people, having fun every night is why I like doing this,” says Scott. “It’s nice being able to sell vinyl records every night. It’s pretty cool.”

Yukon Blonde play Il Motore on Friday, March 5.

Sports

Gold-Smith: McGill coach discusses Canada’s journey to the top

by Matt Chesser on

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Fresh off helping Team Canada find its way to the top of the Olympic podium as an assistant coach with the national women’s hockey team, Martlet Head Coach Peter Smith took some time to talk to Tribune opinion editor Matt Chesser about all things hockey-related.

Q: What was the atmosphere like in Vancouver? You’ve been to other Olympic games, but how did Vancouver compare to those in terms of the feeling in the city?A: It was terrific. Your perspective changes, since you’re a Canadian and you’re in a Canadian city. [But taking] myself out of that perspective – and from the comments that I’ve heard from others – I think that it was absolutely amazing what the people of Vancouver have done. The atmosphere in the downtown area every night was incredible; people were out, having a lot of fun, lots of music, lots of dancing, it was really great. The volunteers, and everyone else, were terrific.

Q: You’ve heard Jacques Rogge’s comments about the need for improvement in international women’s hockey if it’s going to continue to be a part of the Olympics. What was your response upon hearing that? A: I would agree. Women’s hockey has to improve. There are a number of other countries that need to put more time and money and effort into the development of their women’s hockey teams. And hopefully that will happen. The hockey, across the board, has improved; every country has gotten better. The problem is that Canada and the US keep getting better as well.

Q: Does it worry you at all that people have drawn a comparison between women’s hockey and women’s softball, which recently had its Olympics status removed? Are you worried about the future of women’s hockey?A: First of all, I don’t spend a lot of time worrying. There is some concern there, though. I’m going to continue to do whatever I can to develop women’s hockey in this country, and if there are things that I can do elsewhere, then I’ll do that as well. The future of women’s hockey is very bright, both here in Canada and across the world. But I think patience is required. It took a long time for the men’s program to develop; Canada was beating everyone by big scores 60 years ago, and now the rest of the world has caught up. The tournament here for the men was very competitive, and I think that’s the future for women’s hockey, but it’s going to require some patience.

Q: The other controversy surrounding the Canadian women’s hockey team was the celebration [drinking and smoking cigars on the ice after the general public had left the arena] that took place after the gold medal game. What was your response to that? A: It was regrettable. It’s too bad that it happened. The girls had won a pretty big game after a pretty big year. And in those situations, whether you win or whether you lose, you’re not always making rational decisions, you’re running on emotions – the players made some decisions that they regret and certainly regret that they’ve ended up in the media. I think it was blown a little bit out of proportion. It was an unfortunate situation; it made people feel bad for a couple of days here. It was regrettable and it won’t happen again.

Q: Being on home soil, did the Canadian team feel a lot more pressure to win gold? And if so, do you think that affected the team in any way?A: I’m not sure there was any more pressure. Every time this team goes out there’s a certain amount of pressure to win. Potentially there were a few more distractions, because here in Canada we have a lot more friends and family. All those people are here to support you, which on one hand is great, but on the other hand, you’ve got to make sure they [have] tickets, and [that] they’re well taken care of. There’s a balance there. Maybe we were under the microscope a bit more, but I think hockey, wherever you play, is such a big deal in Canada, which is great.

Q: You’ve been working with this team for quite some time. What impressed you most about the way they performed at the Olympics? A: All year long, we preached the idea of teamwork and of playing an up-tempo game. And they worked so hard all year long during training in Calgary, they’re tired just about the whole year. They managed to bring great energy every game though. We also had real good leadership from our veteran players.Q: I especially wanted to talk to you about the performance of McGill graduate Catherine Ward. I personally thought she was fantastic – she was out there in almost every situation, whether it was killing penalties or on the power-play. Were you surprised by how well she seemed to perform on such a big stage? A: Not at all. Catherine is a very resilient player, she’s mentally tough, and she worked hard all year on improving her skill-level. So no, it didn’t surprise me in the least. Catherine is a money player, she plays her best in the big games. And these games were no different.Q: Was there a sense of personal pride in seeing how she has developed over the last few years?A: Yes, I’m proud of all the players here. And obviously for Catherine and Kim [St-Pierre] and Charline [Labonté ] – there’s more pride because I know them so well, and I had that wonderful opportunity to coach them at McGill.

Q: Obviously St-Pierre [a McGill graduate] and Labonté [a McGill student on leave for the Olympics] didn’t get to play quite as much as they would have liked. Do you think that was difficult for them, both having been through this before, and both having won gold medals before?A: I’ll guarantee it was difficult. The players want to play, and when they don’t get a chance to play, it’s disappointing. They were great teammates, they were real professionals from start to finish. They were a big part of the success of this team – you can’t diminish their importance to this team, and how hard they worked. We have three great goaltenders, and we’re really blessed to have [them].

Q: When you look back on this entire experience, what stands out to you the most? A: I say this a lot in coaching, and in general, you reap what you sow. Our team worked so hard to get to where it was. I think when we ended up winning that gold medal, it wasn’t a huge surprise, because of the amount of time we had put into it. The hard work pays off. There was a lot of satisfaction from that: working hard and getting the result that you wanted. Another thing – winning gold here in Canada was pretty special. That’s a once-in-a-lifetime deal, and to be a small part of that was exciting.

Q: What does the future hold for you? Are you coming back to McGill? Have you thought about your future with the national program? A: I’ll be back to McGill on May 1. And I’m looking forward to that. I really missed McGill, I missed the Martlets, they’re doing great – I’m so happy and proud of them. I’ll be glad to get back … In terms of the national program right now, I don’t have any plans. For me the future is at McGill.

Sports

Redmen roll to the second round, captain Turcotte suspended

by Matt Chesser on

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The McGill Redmen played the Jekyll and Hyde game once again on Sunday night, as they showcased both incredible skill and a complete lack of discipline during a 6-2 win over the Carleton Ravens at McConnell Arena. The victory clinched the best-of-three OUA East semifinal for McGill, who won consecutive games after a surprising loss in the series opener.

When they weren’t spending time in the penalty box, the Redmen easily outclassed the overmatched Ravens. McGill led the CIS in scoring with 156 goals during the regular season, and boasts nine players who notched 25 or more points this year. They are unquestionably one of the most talented teams in the CIS – something that was evident on four goals that came as a result of beautiful cross-ice passes on Sunday.

But the Redmen are also the third most-penalized team in the CIS, and have a penchant for taking selfish and unnecessary penalties at inopportune times. They were assessed 33 penalty minutes in the first 15 minutes of play on Sunday night, which led to five Carleton power-play opportunities – including two five-on-three advantages.

“The first time this team has seen me go ballistic [this season] was during the first intermission,” said McGill Head Coach Jim Webster. “We compete hard, and that’s a big part of why we’re a good team, but we can’t keep taking stupid penalties like we did in the first period.”

McGill captain Yan Turcotte provided an illustrative example of the team’s capacity for both skill and undisciplined play during a five-minute stretch in the first period. After drawing a penalty and then scoring on the ensuing power-play, Turcotte was assessed a match penalty for spearing Carleton’s Andrew Self on a neutral zone faceoff less than four minutes later.

“He knew the ref was watching him and he still speared the guy in [the groin]. How stupid is that?” said Webster.

Turcotte incurs an automatic three-game suspension for the spear, and will miss the entire OUA Eastern Conference Final series.

Evan Vossen led the way for McGill, setting up Turcotte’s goal and then adding a pair of markers late in the first and third periods. Francis Verrault-Paul – who was named the OUA East Most Valuable Player after leading the league in points – also scored twice, and Maxime Langalier-Parent chipped in a goal to round out the Redmen scoring.

“When our backs were against the wall we really played well – we could have had five or six more goals in that game as well,” said Webster. “Their goalie [Alexandre Archibauld] was unbelievable.”

The Redmen had opened the OUA East semifinal with a 5-2 loss on Feb 24. Carleton went 4-for-6 against McGill’s league-leading penalty kill unit, and Archibauld made 44 saves to power the Ravens to the first game upset victory.

“In the first game their power-play and our lack of discipline hurt us,” said Vossen. “But they also got some great goaltending from [Archibauld]. He keeps them in games and makes big saves, and that’s something their team feeds off of.”

With the Redmen facing elimination on Friday, they answered back with a 5-1 victory over the Ravens at the Carleton University Ice House. Francis Verrault-Paul tallied two goals and an assist, and goaltender Hubert Morin made 21 saves to force the deciding game on Sunday night.

With the series victory, the Redmen advance to the OUA Eastern Conference Final, where they will face the UQTR Patriotes for the fifth time in the last six years. UQTR held a 2-1 edge in regular season play, and have home ice advantage for the series.

“UQTR has experienced players that can score,” said Webster. “It’s not their skating or their speed that’s dangerous, it’s the fact that they’ve got several guys who scored 30 or more goals in the Quebec Major Hockey League. But I’m confident that we can beat them.”

The conference final begins on Wednesday at Le Colisée in Trois-Rivières. Game two is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday at McConnell Arena. If necessary, game three will be played in Trois-Rivières on Sunday.

Behind the Bench, Sports

THIRD MAN IN: Don’t bett on it

by Shawn Stenhouse on

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The gold medal is back in its rightful place, safe for another four years. Canada fulfilled its destiny, and another chapter has been added to the legend of Sidney Crosby. But as the last of the champagne is poured and celebrations across the country begin to die down, it’s already time to think ahead, and consider the troubling future of Olympic men’s hockey.

As any hockey fan knows, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is considering barring NHL players from the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. A number of factors, Bettman says, contribute to a possible NHL no-show in 2014: the time difference between North America and Russia; scheduling conflicts; and the fact that the salaries of the players the NHL “lends” to the Olympics total roughly two billion dollars – money that the League would still pay even if its players were hurt in Olympic competition.

The reality, however, is that these variables have already been rendered null. Bettman made a conscious choice in 1995 when the NHL finally allowed its players to participate in the Olympics at Nagano. He made a commitment, and it would be classless and unfair to break it.

The Olympics represent the best athletic teams and individuals in the world. “Amateur” athletes have fallen by the wayside, with guys like Michael Phelps and Shaun White raking in millions of dollars in endorsements. The Olympics are about showcasing the best. How excited were Canadians at the prospect of watching our country’s greatest players compete for gold on home ice? How excited were we to see Crosby, Nash, and Niedermeyer all playing together? Imagine being a Russian hockey fan four years from now, and having that same excitement being snatched away from you. No Malkin, no Semin, no Ovechkin. Canadians experienced the euphoria of cheering for the nation’s best last week, Americans had it in 2002, and even the Italians were given a taste of it in 2006.

If one thing’s for sure, it’s that Russian NHLers expect to be able to play in front of their home crowd. If Bettman is set on denying them that pleasure, he should have revealed his intentions long before the host country was announced.

This wouldn’t just affect the Russians, either – it would affect all the big hockey countries. Canada wouldn’t get to properly defend its title, as they’d be fielding minor leaguers against the far superior KHL players in Russia. Banning NHL players also wouldn’t be fair to teams that have vastly improved their place in the hockey world over the past few years, particularly the Americans.

USA Hockey has taken great strides as of late. A decade ago, Canadians and Europeans dominated the first round of the NHL entry draft, but in recent years, teams have used their top picks on an increasing number of talented young players from the States.

Coming into these Olympics, no one was willing to give the Americans a chance. Critics said they were too young and too inexperienced. Some argued that a team composed of Canada’s rejects could still beat the Americans handily. But the US proved everyone wrong by making it within one overtime goal of Olympic glory. The majority of their players are under 25, and by the time Sochi rolls around, they’ll be hitting their prime.

I can’t offer Mr. Bettman any substantial economic reasons for backing down from his stance, but as a supposed fan of the game, he should recognize that allowing the best players in the world to compete for their countries is a matter of principle.

Ovechkin and Malkin have publicly stated that they plan to attend the 2014 Winter Olympics regardless of what the NHL says, and that they’ll pay whatever fines are levied. Personally, I applaud this act of rebellion. After all, these players alone earn millions of dollars for Bettman and the NHL. The League owes its top players the opportunity to play for their country, especially when the Games are in their country. When everything goes according to plan, the end result is pure magic – just look at what happened on Sunday afternoon.

Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

Far from home and close to danger in the Gaza Strip

by Joel Entwistle on

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Rachel, a new documentary from French-Israeli director Simone Bitton, tells the story of Rachel Corrie, an American activist who was killed while attempting to prevent the bulldozing of a Palestinian home in 2003. To this day Israel denies responsibility for her death, claiming the bulldozer operator’s line of sight was obstructed by the mound of dirt that crushed her. Eyewitnesses offer a contradictory account, claiming instead that she was indeed within clear view.

Rachel was one of several American and British volunteers with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), an organization committed to non-violent deterrence of Israeli military operations in Palestine. One of their objectives was preventing the Israeli army’s demolition of Gaza homes near the Israeli-Egyptian border. Donning reflective jackets, the volunteers would create a human barrier between Palestinian residences and 65-ton DW-9 bulldozers intent on demolishing the homes in an effort to clear the area of suspected hidden explosives. Internationals such as Rachel were in a unique position to protect the homes; any Palestinians attempting to do likewise had a better chance of being shot. The amateur video footage of the volunteers blockading the bulldozers is breathtaking. We witness an exasperated Israeli soldier, having advanced his DW-9 perilously close to the volunteers and finding them unmoved, attempting to explain, “This is not your land, go away.”

Bitton patiently interviews eyewitnesses, Israeli soldiers, and military officials, in addition to examining key documents and surveillance footage in an attempt to determine how such a standoff went tragically wrong. However, the film unnecessarily indulges in an interlude set in America, featuring interviews with Rachel’s college professors and hometown friends who inform the audience that she really was a good person, as though we somehow suspected her of being a thrill-seeker unworthy of our sympathy.

So many contradictions go unresolved and so many questions remain unanswered that Rachel becomes the story of a failed endeavour to ascertain the truth. In the process, it also reveals the futility of resistance; the home that Rachel died trying to protect, and hundreds more, have since been demolished. However, the film’s message is not altogether cynical. Jonathon Polack, the Israeli peace activist who housed ISM volunteers in Tel-Aviv, maintains that it is possible for one to resist without hope. “In revolt,” he contends, “there is great truth, whether it succeeds or not.”

On December 27, 2008, Israel launched a major military offensive upon the Gaza Strip. The invasion lasted 22 days, resulted in the deaths of 773 Palestinian civilians according to B’tselem, and displaced over 50,000 Gaza residents. Humanrights watchdogs lambasted the assault, claiming that it constituted collective punishment of the Gaza citizenry for the rocket attacks carried out by Hamas militants. The Israeli air strikes, which were claimed to target Hamas facilities, destroyed Palestinian mosques and schools.

One year later, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is presenting a photo exposition entitled “Human Drama in Gaza.” This exhibition is being showcased by Cinema du Parc as a companion to their screenings of Rachel. The exposition depicts the plight of Palestinians living in Gaza before, during, and after the invasion. The ruins of Gaza serve as the backdrop for human tragedy in the touching photos, reminding us that even today, the Gaza Strip remains under Israeli blockade, stymieing humanitarian efforts. CJPME intends the exposition, which is at once provocative and macabre, to reveal the misery and suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, as well as to expose the violation of human rights. However, images of Hamas – which has failed to revise its blood-curdling anti-Semitic charter – are notably absent from the exhibit’s portrayal of Palestine, which chooses instead to highlight the destruction wreaked by Israeli force.

Rachel opens January 29 at Cinema du Parc (French subtitles) and AMC Forum 22 (English subtitles). A sneak preview is screening at Cinema du Parc on January 21.

“Human Drama in Gaza” will be at Cinema du Parc January 15 to February 28.

Correction: The original version of this article incorrectly spelled Rachel Corrie. The article incorrectly noted the number of civilian casualties in Operation Cast Lead. Originally, the article claimed that the Cast Lead resulted in 1200 civilian casualties; but in fact, according to B’tselem, there were 773 civilian casualties. The article also incorrectly noted that Israeli air strikes destroyed Palestinian hospitals. The Tribune regrets the errors.

Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

Fear and loathing just outside of Las Vegas

by Kyle Carpenter on

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It’s been said that there’s only two different types of stories: either the protagonist leaves his or her old life, or someone new enters it. Oversimplified? Yes, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t any truth to it. In the case of Saint John of Las Vegas, it’s both. Steve Buscemi stars as John Alegheri, a pathetic yet quirky recovering gambling addict-turned-insurance fraud investigator alongside his new partner, an enigmatic hard-ass named Virgil (Romany Malco, from Weeds and The 40 Year Old Virgin). Together they investigate the case of a stripper (an almost unrecognizable Emmanuelle Chriqui of Entourage) who ends up in a wheelchair after getting into a car accident in the desert, which Virgil believes is a sham.

In the opening scene, we see John frantically rambling to a girl working at a convenience store about buying lottery tickets with a large envelope full of money, with half of his face covered in red bruises. The movie then jumps back in time to John’s self-narrated everyday life at the office. The film cuts between the scene at the convenience store and the linear plotline throughout the movie, making the viewer ask a number of questions: where did he get the money? And more importantly, what happened to his face? It’s similar to the vague opening scene of The Hangover, where a beat-up Bradley Cooper explains that his friend’s wedding isn’t going to happen.

The movie takes the form of a road novel, with John and Virgil travelling around the Nevada desert trying to find ways to prove the car accident was fake. In true road novel fashion, there is a lot of emphasis on strange, far-out characters that they meet along the way. Examples include a community of naked men with guns and a stuntman who’s malfunctioning suit makes him periodically catch on fire. The latter’s conversation with John and his attempts to smoke a cigarette make for one of the best and most creative scenes in the film.

Sarah Silverman, whose performance is different from her venomous-tongued stand-up routines, plays the love interest: a receptionist obsessed with smiley faces, though that’s only the beginning of her mental problems. She’s good at playing the sexy-yet-creepy role – think a more subtle version of Isla Fisher in Wedding Crashers. Although Buscemi’s performance is commendable as always, Malco overshadows his performance; his combination of straight-man and sociopath accounts for most of the film’s humour.

Saint John of Las Vegas is darkly funny, but more often than not, it’s not laugh-out-loud. The cast is strong and simple, with Buscemi, Malco, and Silverman accounting for the majority of screen time. Unfortunately, Chirqui is underused, as her role on Entourage has shown that she’s more than just a pretty face. Throughout the film, the viewer is kept in the dark almost as much as John, which gives the illusion that we’re being lead along by Virgil as well. With the right attitude and a bit of patience on the part of the audience, this technique pays off, as the viewer is forced to react to the unexpected twists as if they’re happening to them as well.

Saint John of Las Vegas plays at AMC Forum 22.

News

In India, Munroe-Blum secures a new research partnership

by Nick Frid on

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McGill is hoping that a new agreement with TERI University in India will put the university at the forefront of climate research. The research memorandum focusses on three different aspects of environmental research: urban transportation, biofuels, and renewable energy.

Principal Heather Munroe-Blum and Denis Thérien, McGill’s vice-principal (research and international relations), secured a memorandum of agreement with New Delhi-based TERI University, as well as similar agreements with three other Indian universities, while accompanying Quebec Premier Jean Charest on a trade mission to the country.

The agreement was also signed in order to increase the ease of communication between universities. TERI University is already renowned for its climate research, and this agreement will help to enable better student and faculty exchanges.

“One of the goals we have been constructing is to improve student mobility, and not only students, but faculty as well, and both ways,” said Thérien. “We would like Indian students to come to McGill, and we want McGill students to go to TERI … It’s a two- way relationship.”

Dr. P.P. Bhojvaid, vice-chancellor of TERI University, who co-ordinated the agreement from TERI’s side, has lived in Montreal and knows the McGill community well. The universities had been in academic contact prior to the agreement and the research memorandum is intended to serve as a formal recognition of this partnership.

“There are already relationships between colleagues at McGill and colleagues from TERI University. You have to be aware there are two things, the institute and the academy, and we are already working with both on all three legs. The agreement that we signed was to formalize something already in place,” said Thérien.

The prospect of going to study in India is certainly exciting for some students.

“I would love the experience of studying in India because it would bring a different perspective,” said Max Luke, U1 biodiversity and conservation. “As an environment student, too, it would be great to go there because I think McGill has made a really good choice with this school and this research collaboration.”

Professor Donald Smith of the department of plant science is one of the researchers involved with the biofuel portion of the project. He explained the growing importance of this type of research given current global economic conditions.

“Global energy demand is rising steeply in both developed and developing nations and, at the same time, we are about at the point of maximum rate of extraction of crude oil, thus demand is beginning to outstrip supply,” he said.

One of the keys to Smith’s work is to lower the input and maximize output of the energy involving biofuels – achieving this is critical to future success.

“Brazil currently produces 50 per cent of its fluid fuels on only one per cent of its agricultural land,” Smith said. “Through developing the resource, [Brazil] has positioned itself extremely well for a world where fossil fuels are relied on less and less.”

Right now, both schools are looking on their respective sides for funding to help the program. In terms of the research, Thérien said, “the first concrete next step is the workshop on the theme of biofuels between colleagues of McGill and colleagues of TERI which should take place in the next few weeks.”

The two schools are also quickly working to benefit the students and exchange professors.

“We are looking at how possible it is in a short time frame to exchange courses and programs; to have some professors go there and teach our models,” Thérien said. “For example, something we discussed last week was sending our professors over there to teach a very intensive three week course.”

Science & Technology

New study suggests that for some, obesity may be genetic

by Matt Essert on

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A recent study published in Nature has revealed that a proportion of morbidly obese people are missing a certain piece of DNA. The study found that seven of every 1,000 obese people are missing a specific part of their DNA, which contains about 30 genes.

Professor Philippe Froguel and Dr. Robin Walters examined approximately 15,000 obese and non-obese people.

“We looked in nearly 12,000 non-obese people and only found [this piece of DNA] to be missing once, compared to 15 in 2,304 morbidly obese,” Walters said. “The chances of seeing that difference at random is vanishingly small – one chance in 1.6 billion – which means it is near certain that there is some causal relationship.”

Swiss researchers had found similar DNA patterns in obese and non-obese subjects, prompting Walters and his colleagues at Imperial College London to conduct the study.

“Each of us happened to notice from routine data that a small number of people were missing one of their two copies of this specific piece of DNA,” Walters said. “More careful investigation showed that all the adults missing this DNA were obese.”

Dr. Robert Sladek, an assistant professor of medicine at McGill and the Genome Quebec Innovation Centre, discussed his contributions to the study.

“We’ve got a long standing collaboration with Philippe Froguel at Imperial to look for diabetes genes,” he said. “So the work for the study was 95 per cent done at Imperial by Robin Walters … [Our] main role in this study was generating some of the first data that was used.”

“As the study was going I talked with Robin Walters,” Sladek said. “But my main role was that I was quite sceptical about the findings.”

Sladek said that this study would change the way diseases like obesity will be thought of in the scientific community.

“Up until now, we’ve been working with an idea that common diseases like obesity and diabetes would come from common genetics variances,” he said. “What this study is reporting is getting back to a genetics – rather than a genomics – approach.”

The study has demonstrated that this missing piece of DNA can have a drastic effect on a person’s health, making obesity almost inevitable.

“For some people, particularly people that carry this genetic variant, I would say being obese is almost unavoidable,” Sladek said. “And it’s questionable to me whether they could improve their appearance by either an exercise or diet regime.”

Having established that there is causality between this missing piece of DNA and obesity, the next step will be to study the way these genes interact and hopefully develop a treatment for obese people missing this piece of DNA.

“Now that we know that this deletion causes obesity, we can start looking at the genes affected by the deletion to find out which of them is related to the effect on obesity,” Walters said. “And if we can find out exactly why this deletion leads to obesity, we might be able to develop treatments to help the affected patients lose weight or avoid weight gain. At the very least, it will tell us more about why some people become obese and others do not.”

Although this has been an important step forward in this field of genetics research, Sladek pointed out that until further development has been made towards a treatment, people battling obesity should stick to diet and exercise.

“If you’re heavy right now, I’m going to tell you to diet and exercise,” Sladek said. “In the future, I’m going to tell you diet and exercise, and by the way, you have gene X broken and we know that a particular pill works better for people who are missing this particular gene.”

Sladek added that although this statistic of seven in 1,000 may seem slim, the implications can be felt throughout Canada.

“Let’s say seven in 1,000 morbidly obese people probably carry this variant based on our study; that’s going to translate into probably a few thousand people across Canada,” he said. “So it’s relatively uncommon, but for those few thousand individual people, it is likely having a very profound effect on weight.”

News

Land Institute founder Wes Jackson discusses climate change

by Alison Bailey on

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Wes Jackson, a leading environmentalist and the founder of the Land Institute, a Kansas-based environmental research organization, kicked off his lecture last Wednesday with a harrowing comparison.

“I am going to give a talk tonight that may be rough,” said Jackson. “I have not given this talk before, and I have prepared it partly because I had to.”

In the lecture’s first five minutes, Jackson soberly compared climate change to Nazi-occupied Germany, using a quotation from a Nicole Krauss novel. He challenged the audience with the notion of being a bystander and called for citizens to question what their responsibilities are on the issue.

“There were rumours of unfathomable things, and because we couldn’t fathom them we failed to believe them, until we had no choice and it was too late,” Jackson said, quoting Krauss.

Jackson stressed the importance of using the appropriate terminology in describing environmental problems.

“To assign the language of economics to the ecosystem is to have this perverse notion that we can control it,” he said.

Jackson also emphasized that scientific research conducted in the field must be done objectively. Arguments should not shape the research – rather the research should shape the arguments.

“My question to the ecosystem service researchers is this: are you planting the flag of science into the unknown, into the realm of mystery?” he asked.

One peculiar aspect of Jackson’s lecture was his heavy use of literary references to build his argument and convince his audience of their moral responsibility. This led some listeners to criticize the lecture for being short on scientific data.

Faiz Abhuasi, a McGill alumnus with a degree in International Development Studies, said the argument was convincing but questioned the efficacy of Jackson’s approach.

“If you want to convince people to change their behaviour, the tools he uses are great,” Abhuasi said. “But if you want to convince people to change … the behaviour of people in power, you can’t use irrational, non-scientific arguments.”

However, for Eby Heller, a master’s student in geography at McGill, Jackson’s credibility as a scientist was not an issue.

“Having seen his other side, in which he is extraordinarily capable of having extremely scientific arguments, makes me less worried about him,” Heller said. “Because I know he can talk any plant-geneticist around the bush six times. He actually knows what he’s talking about.”

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