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Pride and press: The ecosystem of McGill’s student media

by Emma Avery on

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Growing up, I always answered the ubiquitous question, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ with the word ‘journalist.’ Of course, I didn’t know nearly half of what the term meant, and even now am only beginning to scratch the surface of it. I simply knew that I had a passion for writing and understanding other people; journalism seemed like the logical follow-up to that drive.

However, the declining state of the journalism industry today is daunting. PostMedia, Canada’s largest newspaper chain, cut 90 jobs in Jan. 2015. In the third quarter of 2016, it reported a $23.7 million loss, with print advertising revenues down 19.4 per cent. In Sept. 2015, Montreal’s /La Presse/ laid off 158 employees. It now only prints on Saturdays, instead publishing daily content on its app. In August, /The Toronto Star/ laid off 52 employees.

Student journalists are of course aware of the reality of the journalism industry; campus publications are exploring ways to transition into online content, increase their social media presence, and attract more readers. At the same time, McGill’s student publications are fortunate in that their readership levels are not directly correlated with their survival. /The McGill Tribune/, /The McGill Daily/, and /Le Délit/ are all independent student groups primarily funded by student fees. /The Tribune/ is published by the Societé de Publication de la Tribune, and /The Daily/ and /Le Délit/ are published by the Daily Publications Society and both receive student fees. Other publications—such as /The Bull & Bear/ and /The McGill Students’ Business Review/—receive funding from the Faculty of Management. In the face of a struggling newspaper industry, student newspapers remain somewhat insulated.

Private, Student Life, Word on the Y

Word on the Y: How do you take care of yourself during midterms?

by Jeannie Richardson, Flaminia Cooper, Audrey Carleton, Daniel Freed on

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As midterm season takes over, many McGill students fall victim to stress, putting self-care on the back burner. In a new column titled Word on the Y, in which students passing by the Y-intersection voice their perspective on a question, The McGill Tribune heard from students on how they take care of themselves during midterm season.

 

McGill Tribune (Flaminia Cooper / The McGill Tribune)

Maya Koparkar, U2 International Development Studies

"I [sometimes have] midterm anxiety, so I got a coloring book, and it has a bunch of positive messages in it. It’s really cheesy, I know, but it’s like, 'You did better than you thought,' so if I have to come home after a long day studying at McLennan, I’ll just throw on Netflix and colour, and zone out."

David

David Aird, Vice-President (VP) External of the Students' Society of McGill University

"Oh shit, nothing. I slept in my office last night, it was terrible. I don’t take good care of myself at all. Is that bad?"

graeme

Graeme Balint, U3 Electrical Engineering

"I’m really anal about getting enough sleep, so if an exam is the next morning at [9 a.m.], I’ll go to bed by 1, even if I don’t feel prepared at all. I’d rather be well-rested than cram for another four hours and not get enough sleep."

julie

Julie Chouinard, U2 Chemical Engineering

"I force myself to take nice long showers, and do all the shit that I would normally do, like condition and moisturize."

emma

Emma Farrabee, U1 Chemical Engineering

"I force myself to make real food, normally. And don’t live off of instant meals."

sara

Sara Harvey, U1 English Literature

"I find drinking during midterms actually calms me down. A glass of wine, or three, or six shots of tequila. If you take a break from an essay you’re writing, it’s really, really chill."

merouane

Merouane Ounadjela, U3 Physiology

"I eat a lot of chocolate."

jen

Jennifer Yoon, U3 Political Science and History

"Coffee, coffee, and coffee. Yeah, are you kidding?"

ben

Ben Butz-Weidner, U3 Political Science and History

"When I get my coffee in the morning, I’ll buy a treat, and then I’ll wait [until] later in the day when I get some work done, and then I get to reward myself with it. Plus drinking a lot of water. If you don’t drink water, you end up getting sick.”

simon

Simon Thara, U3 Mechanical Engineering

"I like to take breaks. Also like to have beer at the end of the day. Also, don’t get too stressed!"

kevin

Kevin Cremoux, U1 Political Science

"I recently travelled to New York over the [Thanksgiving weekend…] which was great for me to get my mind off [school]. Listen to lots of music, and eat very healthy […] and getting good sleep as well."

ellie

Ellie Solloway, U2 Arts, Honours Political Science and Sociology

"I would say if you have the capacity to take the day before your midterm slow, then go for it. If you’re not cramming, you should be taking it slow that day, because it helps centre yourself. And work on visualization. Visualizing how you would do well on an exam, because it helps build your confidence, and it also is proven to improve your results."

xander

Xander Smit, U3 Economics

"Sitting in the sun, that makes a world of difference. When you’re just in the library all day, you don’t get your vitamin D. The sun makes everyone happy."

McGill Tribune 

Lucien Viala, U3 Mechanical Engineering

"I try to make sure to eat well and at regular hours. Also, try to exercise to kind of flush things away."

 
McGill Tribune 

Basile Chauffour, U4 Economics and International Development Studies 

"Keeping up with extracurriculars, like sports and music."

Science & Technology

Using chaos to examine the neurophysiology of aesthetics: Defining human appreciation for art and music

by Janine Xu on

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“What do we think is beautiful? How do our brains interpret what we perceive?” Physiology Professor Dr. Leon Glass asked the audience.

His presentation, as part of the Cutting Edge Lectures in Science hosted by the Redpath Museum, discussed how chaos and fractals can be used to define human appreciation of art and music. From strange music generated from computer algorithms to the aesthetics of images of Mandelbrot sets, the audience was drawn into a little-known world where art is combined with science and math.

Chaos models find underlying patterns in a system which otherwise seem to be disordered or random. The 'butterfly effect' is often cited as an example of this model—the metaphorical idea that a butterfly that flaps its wings in Brazil sets off a chain of reactions that eventually causes a tornado in Kansas. In a mathematical sense, an example of chaos would be taking a number between one and zero, subtracting it from one, and multiplying it by four times the original. This results in a seemingly random string of numbers, essentially producing a chaotic sequence.

The theory can also be applied to music. Glass displayed sound clips created by Jeff Pressing, a chemist and jazz musician from the University of Rochester who “songified” an aperiodic time sequence based on different pitches. The result is not completely unexpected—a jumble of cacophonic sounds, akin to smashing piano keys together.

“I don’t know whether you like that, or [not], or would like to go to a concert listening to that,” Glass said.

Yet, when a chaotic sequence is applied to an already well-known piece, the effect is much more pleasing. This time, showing a chaotic variation of Bach’s Prelude in C, the differences are harder to discern—the variation almost sounds like a jazzy interpretation.

“What we think is beautiful is based on human experiences,” Glass explained. “Chaos is alien.”

As a musician himself, Glass plays the french horn in the I Medici di orchestra at McGill. Comparing Bach’s chaotic music variations with Jackson Pollock’s paintings, Glass challenged the audience to consider how cultural heritage along with societal influences can sway perceptions of beauty.

Visually, chaos can be represented in the startlingly beautiful nature of fractals. Mathematically, fractals are geometric structures that repeat on every scale. Fractals can also be found in nature, such as in snowflakes or pinecones.

“[Does fractal art produce] an aesthetically pleasing image?” Glass asked. “[Certainly] much more so than the chaotic music.”

‘Glass patterns’—named after Glass himself—emerge from seeming randomness by Xeroxing a sheet of white paper over and over. By superimposing a transparent cover of one iteration over another, Glass presented a beautiful circular design that eventually formed from dots on a sheet of paper. The audience was completely caught off guard by the emergence of the patterns that there was an audible gasp as the unexpected structure appeared on the screen.

Examining these visuals can help scientists understand what’s happening in the brain. In a 2002 study published in The Journal of Neuroscience, New York University researchers compared the responses of brain cells in monkeys to dynamic Glass patterns by examining information processes that take place at individual neuronal levels.

“[When you] are looking at some complex image, or hearing some complex sound, it’s not just one region of the brain that’s active,” Glass said. “[There] are many different parts of the brain working together.”

Arts & Entertainment, Theatre

TNC’s Ghost World brings the graphic novel to life

by Selin Altuntur on

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Fans of indie classics, rejoice; Ghost World has been adapted for the stage, right on McGill soil.  Following the fragile relationship between best friends Enid (Beky Seltzer) and Becky (Sarah Foulkes), Ghost World is a portrait of a bond that unravels under the strain of growing up. Told through conversational vignettes, the play stays true to the original graphic novel. Director Josie Teed’s stage adaptation of the graphic novel does a splendid job of capturing the relatable ennui of Daniel Clowes story in a way that resonates with a live audience. 

The adaption was no easy task, however, and it may take a little getting used to for theatre-goers who expect a certain amount of vitality and physicality in stage performances. The first few minutes of the production feel slightly awkward as its slow pace is established. Yet, the deliberateness of this choice becomes clear after only a few minutes. Enid and Becky’s  relationship is somewhat strained, and they don’t appear to like each other very much—their bond can be better described as a co-dependence. Their friendship is their only method of coping with their frustrations with the outside world.

This portrayal of adolescent female friendship is nonetheless deeply relatable, particularly when their relationship’s subtle competitive edge becomes more apparent.  Enid’s decision to apply to college sets their friendship into a tailspin as Becky struggles with feelings of inadequacy and her fear of being left behind. Meanwhile, Enid is anguished with lingering self-hatred and a profound need to be accepted by others.  The play resonates deeply with anyone who has experienced uneasiness over impending changes and the heartbreak of losing a confidant due to choices that lead to different paths. 

Seltzer and Foulkes do a masterful job of portraying such complicated characters, delivering haughty dialogue under a thin veil of emotional pain. It can be especially difficult for an actor to be true to a character that hides how they feel. Seltzer perfectly captures the soulless, uncaring persona Enid tries to embody. 

Becky and Enid spend most of their spare time toying with unassuming men, whose attention is a temporary treatment for their insecurities. Josh, Becky and Enid’s endearingly befuddled friend, is played by John Hanchar. Hanchar’s gives a sympathetic performance of Josh—he is perpetually confused by the girls’ oscillation between neediness and apathy. Jake Belman’s portrayal of John Ellis, an overly-friendly astrologer, is convincingly creepy; the unease he evokes demonstrates Belman’s skill in depicting Ellis as the distasteful individual he is. 

Teed makes one particularly risky decision in staging scenes where Enid and Becky interact with less important characters—she often positions the other characters with their backs toward the audience.  This is an unconventional choice that initially seems amateurish, though it serves a clear purpose. Having these secondary characters appear faceless emphasizes how Enid and Becky see outsiders as objects to be toyed with. Teed’s unusual blocking focuses on the main characters’ reactions.

Arranged against a pastel pink and blue set that appears lifted from the pages of the graphic novel, this theatrical rendition of Ghost World is a faithful reenactment of the cult classic with enough individuality to stand on its own. Each performer evidently developed a personal connection to their roles, contributing to success of the total production. The emotional honesty of their performances will move an audience of students who might sometimes feel like ghosts drifting through life, unclear as to where they are being taken.

 

Ghost World, presented by Tuesday Night Cafe Theater, runs from Oct. 19 through Oct. 22 in Morice Hall in the Islamic Studies Building. Admission is $6 for students and seniors and $10 for general admission. To reserve tickets email [email protected].

From the BrainSTEM, Science & Technology

The disappearance of truth from American politics

by David Cohn on

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American politicians are rarely known for their honesty, and their performances in presidential debates tend to be no exception. From Gerald Ford’s claim in 1976 that “there is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe” to Mitt Romney’s assertion in 2012 that the Obama administration took 14 days before acknowledging the Benghazi attack as an act of terror, there is a long history of politicians resorting to falsehoods in an effort to win debates.

The most recent presidential debate on Oct. 9, between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, wandered farther from the facts than any has before.

Over the course of the debate, Trump told a variety of lies: Apparently, he did not support the Iraq war, said the 2008 Clinton campaign originated the “birther” conspiracy against then Senator Barack Obama, and made the baffling assertion that “nobody has more respect for women than I do.”

While Clinton mostly steered clear of blatant falsehoods during the debate, she has struggled throughout the campaign to be honest regarding the presence of classified information on a private email server that she used as Secretary of State.

Both candidates are trusted by only a small percentage of voters, with a Fox News poll released Oct. 13 showing that Clinton and Trump were described as “honest and trustworthy” by just 33 per cent and 32 per cent of likely voters, respectively.

Data backs up the anecdotal evidence of the 2016 candidates’ remarkable dishonesty. Politifact, a non-partisan fact-checking website operated by the Tampa Bay Times, catalogues statements made by politicians, rating them as either ‘Pants on Fire,’ False, Mostly False, Half True, Mostly True, or True.

The website has rated a total of 289 statements by Donald Trump, and has rated only 29 per cent of them Half True or higher. Conversely, for a total of 269 statements made by Hillary Clinton, 72 per cent were rated ‘Half True’ or higher. Trump also received the ‘Pants on Fire’ rating for 17 per cent of his statements, while only 2 per cent of Clinton’s statements received that rating.

For all of the 2016 major party candidates—including those who did not win their primary—52 per cent of statements were at least Half True. This marks a noticeable decline from the 2012 campaign, when 57 per cent of statements were at least Half True, and an even steeper decrease from the 2008 campaign, when 67 per cent of statements received at least that rating.

One possible reason for this decline is the rise of alternative media that creates hyper-partisan echo chambers where truth is rarely a priority.

“This is the worst campaign that I can remember,” McGill Professor of Political Science Harold Waller, an expert on U.S. politics, said. “The problem is that the media seem to have abandoned the practice—which I think is important for the media—of being impartial in reporting the news. The line between reporting the news and editorializing is becoming blurred.”

Websites such as Breitbart—whose chairman, Steve Bannon, has been Trump’s campaign chief executive since August—provide their target audience with an alternative version of the truth: A ‘truth’ which supports the inaccurate claims of their favoured candidates with faulty evidence and conspiracy theories, all under the guise of an unbiased news organization.

Conservative media outlets aren’t the only companies guilty of falsehoods either: Left-leaning sites such as The Huffington Post, particularly during the Democratic primary, often abandon the truth in order to push their message and draw visitors.

The existence of alternative media means that there will be sources that will defend statements as true and supporters of that candidate will inevitably cling to the sources that tell them what they want to hear while denouncing more objective and unbiased sources. The resulting increase in traffic and popularity incentivizes media companies to become even less impartial in the hopes of driving up revenue, creating a vicious feedback loop.

If this cycle continues, the day may arise when truth in politics is like a black-and-white movie—antiquated and perhaps charming, but obsolete.

Off the Board, Opinion

Safer bike infrastructure the route to gender parity among Montreal cyclists

by Sara Cullen on

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There is a pervasive cycling culture in Montreal; dozens of bike shops are dotted throughout the city and there is a persistent set of cyclists who are dedicated to riding their bikes even during the winter months. Despite the presence of a thriving cycling culture, active transportation infrastructure leaves something to be desired in Montreal. The city has space to improve upon the pre-existing set of bike paths and should be doing more to increase the amount of bicycles on the road. 

The benefits of active transportation, which include reducing the amount of traffic on major roads and decreasing fuel consumption, demonstrate that it is time for cities to promote this type of transit. In order to do so, city planners must consider the factors that deter people from cycling in the first place, one of which is the danger associated with riding a bicycle. According to a Montreal police report, the amount of cyclist deaths in the city has gone up by 50 per cent.

Many people are not aware that cycling is an activity that tends to have disproportionate numbers of male and female riders. A recent Ryerson University study found that by providing increased safe cycling infrastructure, the amount of female riders is likely to increase—challenging the predominantly male cycling culture. By making overall improvements to the cycling transport system, the City of Montreal can create a more inclusive cycling space that encourages all genders to use active transportation for their daily commutes.

The element of risk associated with urban cycling is something that—while important to both sexes—has a greater effect on females. A Deakin University study on female participation in cycling has shown that women are less likely to engage in risk-taking behaviour, and therefore show less of a preference for cycling than men. The 2011 National Household Survey found that only 36 per cent of cyclists in the Montreal area are female, demonstrating that cycling is indeed a male dominated method of transportation. Since women are more likely to be held back by the dangers associated with cycling, improving cycling infrastructure is crucial. Creating safer infrastructure will make cycling more appealing to those who do not currently consider it to be a viable method of transportation.

It is not that women are less partial to cycling, but that the current infrastructure does not provide cyclists—particularly females—with a desirable level of safety. The city has expressed a desire to create a safer environment for cyclists with the release of plan called Vision Zéro, which promises to target certain unsafe intersections and reduce the amount of cyclist injuries. No timeline has yet been presented, however, and certain aspects are still vague. For example, the plan states one of their short-term actions will be to “develop a bicycle plan based on cyclist safety,” but gives no information on what this entails. While the creation of this plan is a step in the right direction, the city will need to offer more details before cyclists can be assured that their safety is a priority.

Because of the insufficient cycling infrastructure and the disproportionate numbers of male cyclists in Montreal, certain women’s cycling groups, such as Vélobabes, are currently working to foster a more female-inclusive cycling community without making changes to the built environment. Started in 2014, Vélobabes is a bi-monthly social ride club open to female-identifying cyclists. Despite the wide reach of Montreal’s bike culture, this is one of the only female-centric cycling clubs easily found with a Google search. If the city was to prioritize the safety of bicyclists, studies show that there would there be a greater female presence in the Montreal bike scene. It’s time for Montreal to prove that this is the case.

While Montreal is taking a step towards safe cycling infrastructure with Vision Zéro, a concrete plan with realistic deadlines needs to be shared with the cycling community. The city has expressed that it values the safety of cyclists, but has not yet acknowledged the gender disparity that exists among them. Safe active transportation has the potential to benefit users—regardless of their gender—and should be an area of focus for the city. According to a Rutgers University study, more cyclist-friendly cities, including several in Germany and the Netherlands, do not report a large difference in numbers between male and female cyclists. This demonstrates that a more equitable cycling system is possible. By developing safer cycling infrastructure, Montreal can increase not only the total number of cyclists on its roads, but the gender parity among this group as well.

 

 

Sara Cullen is a News Editor at The McGill Tribune and U4 Urban Systems student.

 

@ | [email protected]

 

 

 

 
Arts & Entertainment, Music, Private

Montreal music collective Godspeed You! Black Emperor performs immersive final show

by Erica Stefano on

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On Sept. 21, Montreal-based music collective Godspeed You! Black Emperor performed their fourth and final show at Theatre Paradoxe. The show benefited local charity organizations such as the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal, SPCA Monteregie, and DESTA Black Youth Network. Mainly performing pieces from their 2015 album, Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress, the band’s distinctive style was on display, culminating in a musical journey filled with characteristically loud, vibrating, chaotic buildups and sensitive, mellow chords.

After touring regularly between 1998 and 2002, the group took a lengthy hiatus before returning to the road again in 2010. In 2012, they released their fourth album, Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!, for which they won the 2013 Polaris Music Prize.  Since their debut in 1994, the group has influenced a multitude of post-rock bands, including Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky, and Sigur Rós. 

Even the most committed of Godspeed’s cult following tend to agree that Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress lacks in what the collective’s other albums, such as Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven, accomplish musically. However, seeing their most recent songs performed live, the newest album stands up against the classics, mesmerizing the listener with thunderous buildups of terrifying, pulsing drums and brooding guitar riffs. Listening to the band’s intensely dramatic music while engulfed by the expansive architecture of the venue, a former historical church, was a journey amplified through such atmosphere. 

The band played under minimalist red-tinted lighting, accompanied by projected visuals.  The projections started with abstract images filtered through grainy film, and progressed to a loop of flocks of sheep, the same as pictured on the cover of Asunder Sweet and Other Distress. The themes of the video changed  with each song but maintained the old film style. The projection journeyed through shots of skyscrapers, deer, stock market numbers and flocks of birds, coalescing in an abstract and emotionally charged representation of the music. Throughout the show, the thought-provoking imagery helped emphasize the political and anarchic undertones of the band’s often chaotic music. These undertones, normally hidden throughout voice samples within songs and on the back covers of their albums, bring forth another perspective to the harmonious cacophony of sounds that is Godspeed’s musical style.

Overall, the concert showcased Godspeed’s impeccable ability to draw listeners into their beautifully chaotic and heartbreaking melodies and textures. The experience of seeing Godspeed! You Black Emperor live pays off in both the visuals and the atmosphere, intensifying not only the dramatic and political undertones to the music, but amplifying the music as a mesmerizing emotional journey, a journey that ended humbly as each member, one by one, stepped off the stage to the final chord. 

Arts & Entertainment

Exhibit Review: Robert Mapplethorpe’s retrospective at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

by Tara Allen-Flanagan on

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When thinking of museum walls, one does not typically imagine blown-up photographs of leather-clad men engaging in sexual acts. In museums, penises are meant to be covered with little stone leafs, or left flaccid. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts’ current temporary exhibit Focus: Perfection is the late Robert Mapplethorpe’s largest to date. The exhibit plays with viewers’ expectations and presents sexually explicit scenes as high art. What one would typically keep a secret is thrust into the public eye; however, the atmosphere is anything but awkward.

Mapplethorpe is famous for his controversial images, probing portraits, and self-professed goal of capturing perfection in photographic form. Monochromatic portraits of the New York art scene’s brightest members, such as Patti Smith and Yoko Ono, line the walls of the largest exhibition room. These walls are accented with shades of purple—the colour of royalty, an intentional choice given Mapplethorpe’s tendency to seek aristocratic company. Faint sounds of punk rock music play from speakers, and the exhibit features a large display of art relating to Mapplethorpe’s artistic relationship with Smith. 

In the next room, the mood is pensive and mysterious.  The dampened music and dim lighting in the portrait hall is interrupted by a caution sign. Visitors are warned by signs at the entrance that if they venture through the rooms on either side of the hallway, they will see sexually explicit content. If they do not wish to see such content, they can remain in the centre hall to look at still life photographs of flowers, the first component of Mapplethorpe’s X, Y, Z series—a later project in which he revisits his favourite subjects.

However, if visitors look at the spaces between these floral photographs, they will catch a glimpse of the extremely sexual scenes that are being showcased in the rooms beyond. The display is fully revealed when one enters the side rooms, where the second component of the series is displayed: A sequence of photographs of gay couples engaging in sadomasochism. Rather than marveling at the pornographic imagery on display, viewers appreciate how beautifully it is presented. Mapplethorpe’s photographs, presented in black and white, are smooth and flawlessly lit. His technique alone demarcates him as a master of his craft.

The classical music playing in the background of the next room seems jarring when considering the salacious display in the previous area. Pictures of black men in contorted positions are shown next to images of marble statues. These statues challenge high art’s longstanding tradition of sculpting bodies out of white marble—a trend which implicates that whiteness is a hallmark of high art. This comparison has been criticized as fetizhising, but it is important to note that Mapplethorpe treats the bodies of most of his subjects as sculptural objects. In his non-portrait works, personal identity takes a backseat to aesthetic perfection. Mapplethorpe’s technique certainly succeeds in pleasing the eye.

The final space of the exhibit focuses on the reception of Mapplethorpe’s work, which was exhibited at a crucial time during the American Culture Wars of the 1980s and 90s. Many groups protested the presentation of his work in museums due to its so-called scandalous nature, and claimed his work was not art. 

In interviews from the 1980s, shown on the wall alongside the critiques, many interviewees compliment his formal technique and treatment of sensitive subjects. Each of Mapplethorpe’s photographs reveal the hand of a perfectionist and a confident master. As the interviewees claim, his work should be treated accordingly. Although the critical comments are valid, they seem to intentionally avoid talking about the taboo subjects that the photographs overtly address. Focusing on formal attributes over subject matter plays into Mapplethorpe’s artistic intentions: The viewer is not meant to focus on the subject, but on the beautiful way the subject is presented. 

Some viewers believed Mapplethorpe was glorifying porn, presenting salacious photographs as art in order to gain notoriety. These critics, however, must have never seen his art in person. Mapplethorpe’s sincerity is apparent through the awe-inspiring mastery of his technique. One would be hard pressed to find another room in the world where it feels comfortable to view explicit sexual scenes while standing next to strangers.

 

This exhibit runs at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts until Jan. 22. Admission is $12 for those under 30, $20 for ages 30 and up. Learn more at mbam.qc.ca. 

Science & Technology

Economics of the anthropocene: Paradigm shift needed for sustainable future

by Charlotte Hings on

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On behalf of the Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) and Economics for the Anthropocene (E4A), Stewart Wallis, the former executive director of the New Economics Foundation (NEF), discussed the need for a transition from an anthropocentric economic system to a biocentric one.

The Oct. 4 presentation, titled Economics without Growth, opened with a short clip entitled The Impossible Hamster. A hamster doubles its weight each week for the first nine weeks of its life; if this trend did not stop, the hamster would weigh nine billion tonnes by its first birthday.

"There is a reason why, in nature, things can only grow to a certain point," the clip's narrator explained. "So why do most economists and politicians think that the economy can grow forever and ever?"

Wallis explained how the current economic system is unsustainable, unfair, unstable, and that people are generally unhappy—the 4 U’s. Humans have developed around the Earth’s seemingly unlimited supply of needed resources, allowing the human population to increase overtime. However, this growth is now surpassing planetary limits. The  ecological footprint of human activity is increasing unsustainably. Some regions expend many more resources than others, though Wallis explained higher ecological footprints does not necessarily correlate to increasing happiness. When looking at a country’s GDP versus happiness index, both factors increase quickly at first; however, once GDP reaches a certain point, happiness barely increases with further increases in GDP. Despite all this, some economists still believe that economic growth is still in humanity’s best interest.

“We moved from being a small world on a large planet to […] a large world on a small planet and the effects […] change the way we think about things,” Wallis said. “It takes away a lot of our fundamental assumptions about how we live and it certainly changes economics dramatically.”

According to Wallis, Earth should be enough to meet the basic needs of all, have a fair distribution of wealth, and respect all life while not exceeding planetary limits. In order to do this, there must be a period of zero growth, change in corporation incentives, phase-out of harmful production processes, and investment in new ones.

Wallis explained that, in order to redistribute resources to meet the population’s basic needs, a paradigm shift is necessary.

“[We must] shift from seeing ourselves as […] consumers and owners to caretakers and creators,” Wallis said.

Humans need to work with natural ecosystems and build within planetary boundaries. In other words, shifting from a human-focused world—anthropocentric—to an Earth-focused world—biocentric.

“Good lives do not need to cost the Earth,” Wallis urged. “We can still have a good life and be well-off without living beyond planetary means.”

While a shift away from the anthropocentric economic model would be drastic, economic systems have undergone many changes in the past. Wallis emphasized the need for a vanguard of supporters to work together to make the movement possible.

“Change is going to require both really good research and thinking […] and working together in a movement and telling a different story, […] a paradigm shift,” Wallis said.

 

Football, Men's Varsity, Sports

McGill Redmen football’s first half success too much for Bishop’s Gaiters

by Patrick Beacham on

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McGill Redmen
37

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bishop's Gaiters
14

 

 

 

 The McGill Redmen (3-3) beat back both the cold and the Bishop’s Gaiters (1-5) in Lennoxville on Oct. 14 on their way to a 37-14 victory. The Redmen closed the first half with a dominant 23-0 lead to canter home for a victory in front of a crowded Coulter field on a freezing October evening.

The victory comes two weeks after a devastating loss to Laval that handed McGill a losing record. According to Redmen Head Coach Ronald Hilaire, beating the Gaiters on Friday was necessary to increase morale and salvage the team’s playoff chances in the final stretch of the regular season.

“A win like this was something we needed,” Hilaire said. “We came out firing on all cylinders in the first half. I’m not quite pleased with our beginning of the second half, but we had the fortitude to come back from that, we executed, and we came out with the win.”

With daunting defensive play, the Redmen shut out the Gaiters in the first half. Despite a brief surge by Bishops’  in the beginning of the second half, McGill kept up a strong offensive game save for a few turnovers close to their own endzone.

"We just had a little bit of trouble in the endzone, [but] it’s been like that since the beginning of the season,” Redmen wide receiver Jeremy Sauvageau said. “Except [for] that, it was a good win.”

On top of the turnovers, the Redmen defence played inconsistently in the second half, allowing the Gaiters to get on the board with two touchdowns. However, the Gaiters failed to continue the momentum they had started at the beginning of the half. Their last chance to close the gap before the end of the game was buried when Redmen defensive back Olivier Therrien intercepted the Gaiters late in the fourth quarter.

“I saw the ball and I just thought about picking it up,” Therrien said. “It felt good.”

The Redmen have a rematch over their season opener against the Concordia Stingers slated for Oct. 22 at Concordia. The first match between the two teams was a 30-16 loss for the Redmen.

“We had about eight or nine turnovers that game, and I don’t think a team can win a game when they turn the ball over that much,” Redmen receiver Jonathan Mack said. “That being said, we still did a lot of good things [that game], we just can’t [make] any minimal mistakes against Concordia.”

 

Quotable: “The line blocked great, we had a good running game, quarterback made a great pass, so yeah, that’s it.”—McGill wide receiver Jeremy Sauvageau after scoring his first ever touchdown for the Redmen.

 

Stat Corner: Despite taking 159 penalty yards, the Redmen had 575 offensive yards to the Gaiters’ 108.


Moment of the Game: Halfway through the third quarter, the Redmen tried to rush the ball at the goalline but the Gaiters’ Arnaud Dandin forced a turnover and ran 104 yards down the field for the second and final Gaiter touchdown.

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