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Off the Board, Opinion

A lesson from my mom

by Miya Keilin on

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I am sure that my mom is not the best cook in the world, but at some point in my childhood, I realized that all of my friends’ parents couldn’t cook nearly as well as my mom could. Every night, even when she complained of being tired or of a lack of ingredients, she found a way to prepare a delicious meal for our family.

My mom’s talents go beyond dinner: She is an excellent baker, too. Whether it was chocolate chip scones, banana muffins, or dense chocolate cake, her baked goods were flawless in my eyes. 

As I grew up, I started baking too. Every time I baked something, I would desperately seek her approval. My mom is not one for compliments—she loathes the Western culture of regularly praising your children—so I was elated every time she said, “This is not so bad, Miya.”   

When I came to McGill, I quickly found myself, as many students do, missing my mom and her cooking. However, living in a MORE house afforded me the opportunity to try to recreate her dishes in an effort to cure some of my homesickness. I journeyed to Chinatown and the Japanese markets near Concordia to track down ingredients I couldn’t find in the tiny ‘ethnic’ or ‘international’ section of the local supermarkets. Finally, I found the labels that I recognized, and it felt like I was back home with my mom, shopping at her favourite markets. 

I tried to get my mom to teach me how to make some of her dishes before I moved away, but she always told me to sit there and watch her do it, since that was how she had learned from her mother. Being impatient and not liking being told what to do, I didn’t hang around the kitchen like she said to.

So, at the university, I called her and asked her how to make certain dishes, how long to cook things, how much of each ingredient to add. In a classic—unbelievably frustrating—Asian mother fashion, she told me that she didn’t follow any recipe. She just did what she felt was right. 

I started with what I knew: Chahan (fried rice) and onigiri (rice balls) were the two things I had somewhat decently prepared at home under my mom’s careful, judgemental watch. With the Asian products I knew and loved, both were simple enough to make. Plus, even if I messed up, my mom would never have to know. 

I started to venture out of my comfort zone, mostly relying on doing what felt right and eating my mistake if I was wrong. Soon enough, I was consistently crafting dishes that I could not wait to tell my mom about. I still wished that she could taste them and give me her ‘not bad’ seal of approval. 

Over this past winter break, my mom was too tired to make dinner one night, so I did it instead. I did not have much to cook with, but curry doesn’t require many ingredients so I made do. Perhaps it was because she was so tired, or maybe I really had perfectly combined the flavours from the various spices and ingredients that I had scrounged up, but my mom was grateful and baffled that I could cook something she enjoyed so much. 

Really good, my mom said to me. 

Even though I do not get homesick as much as I did in first year, I miss my mom every day. We call each other often, sharing the milestones we reached at both of our respective swim practices or breaking down the latest season of Terrace House, but it’s when I cook that I feel closest to her. My voice tells me what feels right, but her voice tells me to trust myself.

Commentary, Opinion

Protesting from positions of privilege

by Sepideh Afshar on

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McGill announced that they will refuse to divest from the fossil fuel industry for the third time on Jan. 8. Gregory Mikkelson, a professor in the School of Environment and Department of Philosophy at McGill, resigned as a result of the school’s continued investment in coal, oil, and gas companies. Though an impressive action in protest of McGill’s refusal to divest, Mikkelson’s use of his privilege sets a precedent that is hard to follow for others in the community. By resigning, Mikkelson has deemed his own personal moral comfort more important than that of the students and overall community he was working alongside.

Mikkelson’s actions succeeded insofar as he drew media attention to the situation at McGill. As a result of his resignation, the McGill community put additional pressure on the administration to defend their position on fossil fuels and acknowledge comments made to the media. Ethically, Mikkelson’s notion that, as a professor of environmental studies, he could no longer work somewhere that ignored the values he and his students hold is understandable. 

However, the question remains of whether a different method of protest could have been used to utilize his privilege and power in an academic space. It is not possible to determine whether the media attention received from his resignation will have more of an impact on the Divest McGill movement than if he had continued in his efforts as a professor. 

Just as he intended, Mikkelson’s resignation sent ripples through the McGill community, but there is a level of privilege that comes with being able to leave your job that needs to be acknowledged. Few members of the McGill community would be able to leave the institution in response to a moral dilemma.  The majority of students and professors have no choice but to stay and be part of the extremely frustrating fight against McGill’s investment in fossil fuels. There are countless groups in the community that have had to work tirelessly for what they deserve, and none had the option to quit as a final hurrah of protest. For example, social work students continue to protest against the 800 hours of unpaid field placement work they are required to do for their degree. These are difficult issues that require continued commitment. 

Those involved with Divest McGill acknowledge that Mikkelson is a driving force in the academic conversation surrounding the university’s investments and the ethical issues that arise from being paid by an institution that goes against one’s core beliefs. By quitting, he has removed himself from his position and, though he has vowed to keep helping Divest McGill in an unofficial capacity, his absence from the academic conversation is something he cannot make up for. Mikkelson knowingly removed his voice as an educated white male, one of the loudest and most privileged voices, from the fight for divestment specifically in the academic space. There is no pretending that this will benefit the movement. If this becomes the new precedent set for professors, nobody will be left to support the student movement for divestment. 

Mikkelson held an extremely valuable position of power in terms of his ability to criticize the administration’s choices and, in giving up this position, he has removed one of Divest McGill’s most important actors on the inside, making the struggle for divestment that much harder. 

This should cause McGill to reexamine their actions and to what extent it affects their community, Mikkelson has also put the burden on his fellow faculty members to take over what work he has done and move beyond his resignation. Though this may have been the best move for Mikkelson’s conscience, the fight is far from over, and he may have caused more harm to the on-campus fight for divestment than good.

Commentary, Opinion

Professors’ late submissions to Minerva reveal a larger problem of inconsistency at McGill

by Makena Anderson on

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The beginning of the semester is often an exciting time to reconnect with friends, celebrate returning to Montreal, and begin new classes. Unfortunately, for some students, the beginning of this semester is full of uncertainty as they continue to wait for grades from the fall semester. Despite the school’s promise to return grades by Jan. 5, many students had not received feedback from professors by the first day of classes this semester. This recurrent problem shows that, in coming years, McGill must significantly improve course feedback processes and hold its professors more accountable for returning final grades.

While this may merely be annoying for some students, others rely on their grades from previous semesters to help determine what courses they choose in the semester to come. Similarly, many are required to receive passing grades in a prerequisite before moving on to subsequent courses. This systemic and recurring issue at McGill poses not only technical problems for students, but increases stress and anxiety in an already demanding time. 

The difficulties resulting from late Minerva updates are exacerbated over the summer break, where a delay in receiving feedback can mean that students have to wait months before conferring with professors about their progress in the class. Upon returning to classes the following fall, students may find that their professors are too busy to discuss the previous semester’s grades or that their understanding of the material has dwindled over the four months away from class, and decide that it is not worth reaching out. 

This shortcoming at the beginning of each semester is ultimately indicative of a larger problem at McGill. In many classes, professors give students little to no feedback throughout the semester. This results in significant uncertainty about which concepts students have mastered and which require more work. Given that a significant number of classes at McGill, particularly introductory classes, rely on midterms and finals as the only forms of assessment, professors may not be able to provide substantial feedback to students, who then may enter these tests with only a cursory knowledge of how to prioritize their time. 

Feedback processes at McGill consistently demonstrate that the school is focused on the superficial results portrayed by a grade rather than the actual enrichment and education of its students. Throughout their degrees, students are left with only a transcript in place of adequate advising, feedback, and support. This framework gives little consideration to how much information students actually retain or to the quality of the education and feedback. Despite these barriers, some professors strive to give students a higher quality of education, offering a plethora of resources to engage and receive additional help in the form of office hours, tutorials, and email. However, this level of support can be difficult to maintain in large lectures.

While it is clear that the responsibility to improve the quality of education and assessment lies within the hands of both students and professors, McGill needs to do significantly more to promote the success of their students and strive to educate them in a meaningful way. To get the most out of their education, students should actively seek opportunities for feedback. However, McGill must provide opportunities that support students’ success and improve grade reception. At the very least, the school must hold themselves accountable to the same standards as their students by returning grades by the date that was indicated, just as students must hand in assignments by the submission deadline.

 

Creative

Tribune Presents: Tshizimba & Boy 2 King

by Aidan Martin and Sarah Ford on

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Montreal-based emcee and producer Tshizimba dropped by the Tribune’s office with Boy 2 King to show us some of his new music. His influences are rooted in Hip-Hop, Rap, Ambient, Punk and Chillwave, bringing a unique sound to the office.

Video by Aidan Martin and Sarah Ford

Features

The witching hour arrives in Montreal

by Abeer Almahdi on

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Montreal is no stranger to witchcraft, and the Occult is embedded in local popular culture. Bars such as Datcha host Jazz and Tarot Thursdays, psychics have doors across the city, and even storefronts on Rue Sainte Catherine display Tarot cards, incense, crystals, and other spiritual objects.

Basketball, Martlets, Sports

One point victory lifts Martlet Basketball over Citadins

by Ender McDuff on

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Martlet Basketball (3–7) defeated the visiting Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM) Citadins (4–5) by a single point, 54–53, in a hard-fought game on Jan. 18. This was a much-needed win for a struggling Martlet team, who started the new year with three consecutive losses, including one to the same UQÀM team a game prior. In this contest, however, stalwart defence and active rebounding, along with the late-game heroics of fifth-year guard Gladys Hakizimana, elevated the Martlets to victory.

A quick start to the game saw the Martlets up by five early, much to the delight of the packed crowd in Love Competition Hall. But, UQÀM was prepared to compete, quickly deploying an effective full-court press. McGill adjusted well in response and found themselves ahead 13–10 at the end of the quarter.

McGill’s defence stifled the Citadins in the second period, frequently stealing the ball or forcing shot clock violations, all while holding the Citadins to a frigid 18 per cent from the field. The Martlets went ahead by eight, their largest lead of the game, but a renewed full-court press led to a 9–0 run from the Citadins and a slim halftime lead, 23–21.

Entering the third period, McGill’s offensive rebounding kept them in the game, and another steal put McGill back in the lead. UQÀM began to hit their shots, however, and a dagger three-pointer looked to have McGill back peddling. The Martlets responded to the adversity, though, and entered the final period trailing by just two points, 39–37.

“I think it takes a little bit of poise [to win tough games],” Head Coach Ryan Thorne said. “Down the stretch, we made some mistakes, but there was some poise, there was some effort, and there was some commitment to playing tough defence.”

Winning games also takes making shots, however, and that is exactly what Hakizimana entered the fourth quarter prepared to do. A quick three-pointer opened Hakizimana’s scoring barrage, as she proceeded to hit a reverse layup and another three-pointer in quick succession to put McGill ahead 45–41. Two blocked shots, by second-year players Delphine Robitaille and Shayann Laguerre, respectively, looked to have the Martlets comfortably on their way to victory, ahead by eight points.

“I’ve been practicing those shots,” Hakizimana, who led all scorers with 20 points, said. “I know that as soon as I have an opportunity […] to shoot the three, I’ve got to be confident enough to take it and make it.”

UQÀM hit big shots too, however, eventually cutting the lead to a single point. With 8.9 seconds left in the game, the Citadins reclaimed possession and attempted a buzzer-beating three-pointer for the win, but the shot missed iron and the Martlets walked away with the victory, 54–53.

“[Winning takes] a lot of focus, a lot of [being] locked in, and a lot of communication,” Hakizimana said. “We’ve been focussing on a lot of communication but [also] a lot of listening to make sure we’re all on the same page, and I think that’s the big reason why we were able to [win].”

The Martlets will look to keep their momentum going on Jan. 23 and again at home Jan. 25 when they play cross-town rival Concordia (3–4).

 

Moment of the game

UQÀM looked poised to pull away from the Martlets until first-year guard Jessica Salanon found second-year forward Shayann Laguerre rolling to the rim where she muscled up a layup through contact. A smooth free throw completed the three-point play, tying the game 34–34 and helping McGill stay on track to victory.  

Quotable

“We go by three […] pillars: Head, heart, and hustle. All those three things showed themselves today[.] As long as we maintain those [three pillars], I think we have a chance of success.” – Head Coach Ryan Thorne on the lessons he wants his team to take away from the victory.

Stat corner

McGill secured an outstanding 17 offensive rebounds, which helped the Martlets score 28 points in the paint, double UQÀM’s total.

Basketball, Sports

WNBA agrees to new collective bargaining agreement

by Karan Kumar on

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The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) agreed to a seminal new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) on Jan. 14. The agreement makes major updates to the working conditions, including changes in salaries, revenue sharing, maternity leave, and travel and accommodation. Additionally, maximum salary will increase almost 83 per cent to $215,000 from $117,500 per year. By 2021, the WNBA could be splitting revenue equally with the players, whereas it is currently estimated that players receive just 20 to 30 per cent of league revenue. The new agreement also provides maternity leave with full salary, and travel will now include individual—rather than shared—hotel rooms for every player.

This investment in the future of women’s basketball is a major breakthrough not only for the WNBA but also for women’s athletics at large, as other women’s professional leagues could use this agreement as a platform to revise their own bargaining agreements. WNBA players were one of several groups of American female professional athletes to challenge their leagues or governing bodies in the past two years when they opted out of their previous CBA in November 2018: In March 2019, the women’s national soccer team sued the US Soccer Federation (USSF), alleging gender-based pay discrimination. With the emergence and popularity of professional leagues all across the world, it is time that female athletes  get their fair share of recognition and compensation. 

Although the NBA is known for its competitive salaries and revenue sharing with male athletes, this new CBA defines the start of a new era for women’s basketball. It can and should be a catalyst to bridge the gap in salaries between men’s and women’s basketball in the long run. The NBA’s average salary is currently more than 85 times that of the average WNBA salary, but this new agreement could substantially increase the average salaries of players in the WNBA. By providing an additional incentive for athletes to join the league, the WNBA stands to be able to attract more talent and raise the level of play, making for more entertaining basketball and more viewership and sponsorships. Better salaries are a tangible outcome of the WNBA’s already increasing popularity.

Perhaps the most critical addition to the new CBA is the offer of fully paid maternity leave for players. Long overdue, this clause provides a qualitative change from the old bargaining agreement. The new policy will also help the league retain its talent, as women will not be forced into retirement if they want to have children. Returning to the sport after having a child is one of the hardest and most undervalued comebacks in sports; providing assistance in the form of paid maternity leave for athletes during pregnancy is an immensely supportive and necessary move by the league. 

WNBA All-Star Candace Parker has long been vocal about the issue of maternity leave. Parker shared her experience of giving birth to her now 10-year-old daughter in an interview with NBA TV on Jan. 15. Her daughter was six weeks old when she returned to the court. 

“I had to take my mom with me, because I nursed the first 15 months, but it was out of pocket, I had to pay for my own hotel room,” Parker said. “[But] those things are slowly getting better for mothers[.] We’ve made so much progress, but I’m hopeful that there’s more to come in the future.”

It is highly encouraging to see such a bargaining agreement come to fruition in a time when the prominence of women in sports is increasing. Although much more needs to be done to address the historical gender pay discrimination in sports, such as further reforming sponsorship deals and increasing female representation in coaching staffs, the new CBA is a significant step toward bringing parity in North American basketball.

Off the Board, Opinion

Overcoming human challenges with transhumanism

by Leanne Young, Photo Editor on

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Sometimes, being human involves tragedy: unexpected accidents can alter a person’s future, permanently changing how they need to approach their daily lives. Those with traumatic brain injuries suffer long-term mental and physical challenges, such as trouble with their working memory span, which can play a significant role in their education and longevity. However, if used properly, transhuman aids such as prosthetic limbs can provide solutions to human challenges.

Transhumanism, in a nutshell, is the idea that people can use technology to overcome biological limitations. Just as how we use rational means to improve our life experiences and the world around us, we can use such means to improve ourselves as organisms. It is simply a concept, not a tangible characterization of some futuristic cyborg.

There is reasonable fear that using such technologies would be tampering with nature. This is true. However, whether something is good or bad cannot be decided simply by asking whether or not it is natural. Plenty of natural things are horrible, such as diseases and parasites, where our moral interest is to intervene and improve these conditions. The question to ask is not whether the technology is natural, but rather, what are the various possible consequences that would arise from it, both desirable and undesirable, and the likelihood of each. People who are concerned that our species will stray too far away from what it means to be a ‘natural human’ forget how far we have already evolved as a species.  

Our technology today has already changed the ways our mind works. Many people in modern society cannot live without devices such as computers or phones. We pick up our devices an average of 80 times per day, and that has already changed our brains for the worse—our attention span is only 40 seconds on a screen. It is important to carefully understand what we can control, so that we can approach creating technology with wisdom. It’s optimal to focus with specific areas first: For example, hearing aids started with a goal to help people with hearing loss. With that technology, some adjustments and developments can lead to super-human hearing. Therefore, we should only apply our super-technology in specific areas where we actually want those abilities. 

One area of interest is in improving the educational experiences of students with disabilities. Neuroprosthetics, implants that directly interface with your brain, are already transforming the lives of many deaf, blind, and paralyzed people today. Such technology has the potential to redefine how we learn and take in information, and ultimately expand the horizons for students with difficulties. While we should not be trying to “cure” anyone of their conditions, it is a wonderful opportunity to give everyone the tools they need or desire, while still allowing them to stay true to themselves.

“It is important to carefully understand what we can control, so that we can approach creating technology with wisdom.”

It is unethical to use prosthetics to give someone a mechanical advantage over their natural counterpart. However, if used properly, as is the case with prosthetic arms, hearing aids, and false teeth, that we commonly see today, these aids are not considered unethical: We are already transcending what it means to be a human. Our brains are hardwired to work towards what is in our species’ best interest. Thus, we should not be discouraging the pursuit of transhumanism, rather, we should instead be encouraging its discussion. As long as we are careful and considerate of our creations, we will only be improving our lives, and the lives of those around us. At the end of the day, transhumanism is a choice in the best interest of our species.

Research Briefs, Science & Technology

Rapid urbanization is driving biodiversity decline

by Gwenyth Wren on

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Humanity is currently experiencing an unprecedented era of urban growth. By 2030, more than 1.2 billion additional people are expected to live in cities, equivalent to building a city the size of New York every six weeks.

A group of international scientists, including Andrew Gonzalez, a professor in the McGill Department of Biology, surveyed over 922 studies on urban growth’s impacts on biodiversity. Their study, recently published in Nature, found that scientists are not studying the impacts of urban growth in the right places: 72 per cent of studies of direct urban impacts on biodiversity are in high-income countries, while the natural habitat loss in lower-income countries, largely ignored by the scientific community, is much more severe. In essence, researchers are neglecting to study low-income urban growth. 

In an interview with The McGill Tribune, Gonzalez explained the importance of studying the effects of urbanization on biodiversity, particularly in developing countries.

“[In] Nigeria, Brazil, and China, where human growth is [greatest] and where biodiversity is the richest, is where we have the most to lose,” Gonzalez said.

Generally, the direct effects of urban growth on habitat loss are well understood: Building construction often results in habitat destruction and fragmentation. According to Gonzalez, however, scientists are not paying enough attention to the indirect effects, which outweigh the direct consequences. 

“The indirect effect of urban expansion is the resources cities demand,” Gonzalez said. “The ecological footprint of cities is much greater than the footprint of just the building. We have a bad understanding of the indirect effects of urban growth.” 

Cities also require land for food and energy, another example of urbanization’s indirect impacts on the environment. This requires converting vast areas of land into agricultural spaces to sustain cities, leading to more habitat loss. 

“The amount of agricultural land required to feed the world’s cities is 36 times greater in size than the urban areas themselves,” Gonzalez said.

 Despite this knowledge, only 34 per cent of studies have quantified these indirect impacts.

Gonzalez pointed out that however detached we may feel living in a city, we are fundamentally dependent on ecosystems. 

“We depend on them for normal things,” Gonzalez said. “Food, fibre, water, air, recycle all those essential things we need for life, species do all of that. What makes these habitats the Amazon or the boreal forest is their biological diversity and the variability of living organisms in these places. Habitat loss impacts the things we rely on.”

People in low-income countries are largely moving to cities due to increasing industrialization and job availability. This presents a major problem for cities with limited infrastructure that must continue expanding to keep up with the influx of people from rural areas. In this case, urban expansion is necessary, and hindering it is unrealistic. Gonzalez suggests tangible ways to reduce the habitat loss caused by urbanization.

“There is nothing wrong with a city per se; the question of how we choose to live in a city is the issue,” Gonzalez said. 

By reducing urban sprawl and allowing nature and people to coexist by enforcing policies such as green belts, or areas where building is restricted, cities can achieve greater sustainability as urban centres grow.

Although there seems to be a plethora of environmental concerns that merit our attention, the loss of  habitat and the disappearance of native species is often not given the weight it deserves.

“Habitat loss used to be the kind of thing we worried about ethically,” Gonzalez said.  “Now we realize it is integral for the functioning of our ecosystems and biosphere. Our fate is determined by how we treat our biodiversity, and in that, our biosphere.”

Ask a Scientist, Science & Technology

Image generation is rendering advertisements artificial

by Doris Tian on

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Decadent delicacies in food advertisements are not always what they seem to be. In these commercials, motor oil poses as pancake syrup, mashed potatoes become scoops of ice cream, and craft glue replaces milk in a bowl of cereal. 

Today, a rendering technique called physically based rendering (PBR) allows advertisers to take further liberties when creating their ads. Rather than cheating customers by passing off one product as another, this rendering technology generates photorealistic images on a computer without relying upon expensive and unwieldy camera equipment. Open any product catalogue today, and it is likely that the images displayed never existed in real life. 

PBR relies on physics to generate realistic depictions of objects. According to Derek Nowrouzezahrai, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, PBR attempts to create images that portray the physics of light as accurately as possible. 

“[PBR] is about getting accurate physical models of the behaviour of light and how it transmits, scatters, reflects, and diffuses for different types of materials,” Nowrouzezahrai said. “Wood versus metal, versus plastic, versus hair, versus skin.” 

In general, rendering takes a three-dimensional scene and attempts to output a two-dimensional picture that realistically portrays the original three-dimensional state. In AI and robotics, PBR gives computers sight through an inverse process, where computers input a two-dimensional scene and use it to figure out its three-dimensional surroundings. 

“If I have a camera sensor on my car, and I’m taking a 2D picture of my scene, how much of the 3D world can I infer?” Nowrouzezahrai said. “This is the traditional computer vision problem.”

Images created through PBR strive to be as true as possible to real world physics. According to Nowrouzezahrai, this helps robots—especially autonomous vehicles, which take in a lot of natural light—to navigate the real world without incident.  

The advertisement industry widely employs PBR technology, since it reduces the cost and time associated with setting up and capturing the ideal shot. PBR also allows directors to be more flexible when designing the scene by freeing them from the restraints of the physical world. As a prominent example, the furniture giant IKEA has entirely adopted PBR technology in the creation of their beautiful catalogues.

“It’s all fake,” Nowrouzezahrai said. “It’s been decades since they have taken a real picture of their product.”

Beyond product advertising and prototyping, PBR is also an integral part of the entertainment industry. In video games and films, PBR produces impressively realistic renderings, even scenes with floating artifacts and fantasy beasts that one would never encounter in real life. 

PBR allows us to recreate more of our material world in the digital realm. At the same time, its realistic images also allow robots, born in the binary realm, to find their way into the physical world. Further research and applications for PBR include creating better simulations for humans and robots. For humans, such simulations come in the form of virtual reality experiences. Robots, on the other hand, might use simulations for training purposes before being allowed to operate in the real world. 

Through research in PBR and other simulation technologies, visual media artists and machine learning scientists like Nowrouzezahrai have teamed up to find out how much our material world we can recreate realistically in the digital world, and what exactly can be done with the results.

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