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Science & Technology

Why do people like Donald Trump?

by Lydia Kaprelian on

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Donald Trump has dominated the 2016 US presidential campaign thus far. He has been making headlines ever since the announcement of his presidential campaign almost a year ago in June 2015. According to the most recent national polling averages out of FiveThirtyEight, Trump is leading the Republican nomination race at 39.1 per cent (beating his nearest competitor Senator Ted Cruz by 16 per cent). Many are perplexed, however, by his swift ascent to dominate the polls—when Trump announced his candidacy, he was polling at 3.5 per cent. But it turns out that science has a lot to offer to explain the appeal behind ‘The Donald.’

For many who support Trump, they will tell you he’s unlike any other candidate because he speaks his mind without care for political correctness or censorship.

“Donald is funny, playful, and colourful, but most of all, he is honest,” actor Jon Voigt explained in an endorsement statement. “No frills, no fuss, only candid truths.”

Many Trump supporters find his unfiltered speech refreshing because it goes against the mould of the calculated, edited, proofread politician. For many of his supporters it’s not that they necessarily agree with what he says, but how he says it.

“Yeah, he’s batsh*t crazy; if he wins, it will be nuts [but] I genuinely believe he’s the only honest politician running,” One Redditor posted. 

Trump has garnered a reputation as an honest candidate, despite Politifact—a Pulitzer-prize winning political fact checker—ranking 78 per cent of his statements as mostly false, false, or completely false.

Part of the reason for Trump’s perceived honest persona may be because of the many non-normative, non-self-serving statements he’s made on the campaign trail. For example, Trump famously said, about former GOP presidential candidate John McCain, “I like people who weren’t captured.” Though his disrespectful statement on McCain was unlikely to win him much sympathy, it did reinforce his commitment to his unfiltered opinions. Trump has said plenty of cruel and rude statements throughout his campaign; but since many of them have not been self-serving or standard political fodder, the things he says seem to be more authentic because, why else would he be saying them?

Trump’s word patterns also help create an apparent authenticity. For example, unlike many of his political counterparts, Trump rarely speaks in full sentences.

“[Trump’s] unique rhetorical style may come off as incoherent and unintelligible when we compare it with the organized structure of other candidates’ answers,” Jennifer Sclafani, Georgetown University linguist told Live Science. “On the other hand, his conversational style may also help construct an identity for him as authentic, relatable, and trustworthy, which are qualities that voters look for in a presidential candidate.”

Trump uses simple words and phrases in his speeches, often repeating them in order to hammer down the point. He tends to avoid political jargon. For example, in discussing illegal immigration, he rarely uses the words “immigration” or “deportation” in his speech. Instead, he will use parallel phrases like “come in” and “come out.” Framing the illegal immigration issue in simple black-and-white terms is another tactic Trump employs in his speeches, which he generally uses to lessen uncertainty on any particular issue. 

Avoiding shades of gray is a useful political maneuver in the Republican Party, with many conservatives ranking highly in ambiguity (or uncertainty) intolerance. Psychological research has shown that individuals who feel uneasy, uncertain, or anxious are significantly more likely to be politically conservative. In using unambiguous language, Trump speaks suitably to politically conservative voters.

Much of Trump’s unambiguous speech has centered on violence and fear. Things like fear of terrorist attacks and illegal immigrants who are dangerous rapists has propelled Trump to many media headlines. Like many of the themes present in Trump’s campaign, fear stimulates a very primal instinct. By launching the fight-or-flight response in the brain’s amygdala, fear and anxiety make it difficult for our body to process higher-level thinking. In utilizing and focusing on fear, Trump makes it very difficult to pay attention to anything else.

When Senator Marco Rubio suspended his presidential campaign, he warned Americans not to “give into the fear,” highlighting Trump’s tactic of fear-mongering. Fear-mongering is nothing new to politicians, yet it is important to be cognizant of the word choice Trump uses in his campaign.

“I think we also have to look at the rhetoric coming from [Trump] in the presidential campaign,” Rubio said, “Leaders cannot say whatever they want, because words have consequences. They lead to actions that others take. And when the person you’re supporting for president is going around saying things like, ‘Go ahead and slap them around, I’ll pay your legal fees,’ what do you think is going to happen next?”

 

Check out this week’s Minds & Matters podcast that discusses this very topic at mcgilltribune.com/scitech

[audiotrack title=”Minds and Matters EP. 2: When SSMU is confronted with “external” and “divisive” issues” songwriter=”Chloe Nevitt and Lydia Kaprelian” date=”March 21, 2016″ width=”700″ height=”200″ src=”https://24f2041bb5b609d25f1a97039f71682cc9154421.googledrive.com/host/0B9rQxTeDv2duM0FmSjBSYkZFS1k/TrumpMindsMatters.mp3″ autoplay=”on”]

 

The Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine booth at the SUS grad school fair. (Simon Poitrimolt / McGill Tribune)
Science & Technology

A guide to choosing a graduate school supervisor

by Kristian Shulist on

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When picking a graduate school, many students spend hours scrutinizing the location, the size, and the prestige of the school they’re interested in attending. When picking a supervisor however, many students do not invest the same amount of time and effort into their choice and often end up working in lab environments they dislike.

 

“[Graduate school] is really supervisor-dependent,” Simon Sehayek, a physics PhD student from the Wiseman Lab at McGill, explained. “It’s about finding [a professor] who is right for you. Different people have different styles. You have to make sure your personalities are compatible.”

When searching for graduate school supervisors, one of the main things a student needs to consider is compatibility with a professor’s managing style. Students must also reflect on what they want and need from their supervisor. 

“There has to be a very deep introspective analysis of yourself—your own personality—before you make a decision,” Professor Richard Roy from the Department of Biology said. “And it’s much more based on you [….] It’s ‘What do I want,’ and ‘How would I feel in an environment,’ and ‘What makes me feel good about going to work every day?’”

It is important to take some time and really consider what is wanted out of grad school, then, after all this deep thinking, comes the time to begin searching.

Step one: Try to narrow down the vast number of possible options

“I knew I wanted to do biophysics [but] there aren’t many biophysicists currently at McGill, so I had a choice between four profs,” Sehayek said.

Be it a city, a university, a specific subject, or a biological model organism, choose something to help lessen the overwhelming options. Once the list is shorter and more manageable, begin to check out websites, journal articles or anything to get a feel for the nature of the research and whether it is appealing.

Some general things to consider during this step include whether the lab publishes often. Check databases such as Google Scholar or PubMed to see when they last published. Look for papers where the professor is the last author. This is an indication that the particular professor’s lab did most, or all of the work as opposed to a collaboration with another lab.

Another thing to consider is the kind of journals a supervisor is publishing in. Impact factor—a score which reflects the citation frequency of the journal—is an easy way to quickly assess the relative importance of the journal within its specific field. Impact factor should be used with caution as citation rates can differ vastly between fields, and thus, cannot be used to compare across disciplines.

 

 

Step two: Email interesting professors

It is best to secure a supervisor before applying to the graduate program at the university. Often, the supervisor has a lot of pull as to whether a student is accepted into the program, even if the student has less than stellar grades. Matei Petrescu, a PhD student in the Department of Physics from the Gervais Lab, attributes his acceptance to graduate school to the relationship he developed with his future supervisor during summer internships.

He had the power to get me [into the graduate program],” Petrescu said. “If I’d just applied with no supervisor, chances were I wouldn’t have made it [….] I’m really sure about that.”   

Many undergraduates may not realize the important fact that grades do not have to be a deciding factor. Good grades are not necessarily an indication of graduate school success.

If they make the [graduate school grade] requirement, then it’s okay,” Roy said. “Even if they are below the requirement, I’ll go up to bat for somebody. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a 3.8 or a 4 GPA, as long as you really want to do science, you’ll be fine [….] I think the ability to be resourceful and problem solving is probably much more important.”

Professors are generally very busy people, so send one carefully written email.

“Keep the email professional, reasonably short […] but hit the main highlights of your résumé,” Katie Stewart, a biochemistry PhD candidate from the Bouchard lab, said. “Start off with a preamble, not ‘Are you looking to hire?’ But ‘I’m interested in your lab, and these are the reasons I am interested; this is my background, and this is my CGPA.’”

Stewart also suggests attaching a transcript and a résumé to the email.

You want to make it easy for [the professor] to decide that they want you as quickly as possible,” she said. “I find that having everything all together really helps with that.”

 

 

Step three: Interview potential supervisors (and their lab members)

Speaking to a professor can be a bit daunting, but remember that this is not only to determine whether the student is a good fit for the professor and the lab, but also to determine whether the professor and the lab are a good fit for the student. Like any interview, preparation is key.

“Most profs have websites, so read the website [and] also check the date that the website was last updated, because often you are going to find that the website is like three or four years out of date,” Stewart said. “If that’s the case then you want to […] look for their more recent articles. You don’t have to necessarily understand everything about the article […] but you should try to come up with one question. It doesn’t even have to be a reasonably intelligent question; it should be something that demonstrates that you’re interested.”

The goal of this meeting is to try to assess the compatibility of the student with the professor, research and other lab members. The latter is not to be underestimated; co-worker relationships are important in graduate school as Tiago Salvador, a PhD candidate in math  from the Oberman Lab, points out.

“I think it’s important to keep a social life,” Salvador explained. “It was my case when I moved here, I didn’t know anyone so it was definitely important to get along with my officemates and people in general in the math department. Sometimes you’re going to get stuck in something and you don’t necessarily want to talk to your supervisor right away [….] And it’s great if you can just bounce [ideas] off a friend”

These co-worker relationships are not only important for troubleshooting, but also for emotional support during the inevitable research lows.

“It’s not going to be your supervisor necessarily that’s always supporting you—it’s going to be the lab that gets you through those [tough] parts,” Stewart said. “You have to like the supervisor, you have to like your project, but most [importantly], you have to like the people in the lab. That’s the thing that’s going to get you through all of those lows, which come more frequently than what you’d expect.”

 

 

Step four: Make a decision

This is the hardest step because unlike most relationships, where people typically have a lot of time to determine their compatibilities, choosing a supervisor often happens with very little facetime. Simon Bernard, a physics PhD student from the Sankey Lab, initially met his supervisor during an undergraduate class.

“I was lucky in the sense that I decided to stay at the same university [where I completed my undergraduate degree],” Bernard said. “If you go overseas, sometimes it’s just one visit which lasts an afternoon and that’s a coin toss.”

Indeed, it seems the best option (if available) is to work or volunteer for the supervisor in advance to get an understanding of their managing style and the lab environment. Unfortunately, that is not always an option. To compensate for this, some departments have a rotational program which allows students to get to know supervisors and the research before fully committing. However, in Canada, these programs are less prevalent than standard programs. For example, McGill only offers two rotational programs in science-related fields. Where does that leave the rest of the students who are unable to work for their professor in advance or whose department of choice does not offer a rotational program. Often, most information is gathered by talking to the current or past graduate students one-on-one and reading between the lines with a keen ear for keywords or red flags.

“Make sure you actually talk to the future lab mates,” Stewart said. “And you should talk to them without the supervisor present. If the supervisor doesn’t want you to do that, it’s not a good situation [….] Don’t go to that lab.”

A chart is included below as a guideline to indicate some of the most common supervision styles and the types of graduate students that may or may not be compatible with these styles.

 

 

Other tips and advice

  • If possible, try to work or volunteer in one or more labs prior to making a final decision to help determine a compatible managing style
  • Do not just accept the first graduate school opportunity to arise
  • Ask to connect with a past student; they are more free to be candid and forthright in their advice
  • Talk to neighbouring labs about the lab of interest to get the big picture of the lab environment
  • If a lab or department does not offer to cover travel expenses for the interview, the lab may be strapped for cash (which can affect graduate studies)
  • During the interview, pay attention to whether the body language of current lab members matches their verbal communication
  • For students with connections in a department, ask around for information about the supervisor candidates
  • Ask permission to further contact current students by email (for questions thought up after the interview)
  • Look to number of lab members as a cue for management style; big labs could indicate professors are more absent or “hands-off”

 

The student-professor dynamic is one of the most important relationships throughout graduate schooling and even the best relationships can be complicated at times and take some work. Thus, it is important to research the level of compatibility beforehand as best as possible.

“The most obvious mistake [prospective graduate students make] is they don’t match the supervisor properly with their own personalities,” Roy said. “It takes research before you can do the research. You have to do the research in order to figure out which options fit best with what you want […] the best scenarios are where those things match.”

Managing Style  Students may not be bothered if they…  Students may be bothered if they…
Absent or “hands off” (availability)
  • Are autonomous and do not mind radio silence for several weeks or months
  • Are able to recognize when they need help and are comfortable initiating most meetings with their supervisor
  • Prefer to have more direction (important at the beginning of graduate studies)
  • Like to touch base with people often when working on a project
Micromanager (presence in the lab)
  • Do not mind touching base with people often
  • Happy to stick to strict working hours (this may include vacation days)
  • Are irritated when people check in frequently
  • Like a flexible work schedule
Unclear communicator
  • Are comfortable frequently speaking up and asking questions to clarify
  • Are not great at verbal communication
  • Prefer to figure things out on their own
Emotionally unavailable
  • Are fine with having a strictly professional relationship and do not expect emotional support from their supervisor
  • Feel it is important that the supervisor empathize with them
  • Hope to look to their supervisor for both professional and personal guidance

Student Life

Getting inked: The realities of tattoos in the workplace

by Audrey Carleton on

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The growing prevalence of tattoos in North American media and in society at large has made them an attractive option for students today. Increasingly, figureheads of social and political importance have revealed their tattoos to the public, including Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and Samantha Cameron, wife of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; however, tattoos still carry with them the possibility of discrimination from employers, which can be limiting for many in the choice of whether or not to get inked. 

One precaution commonly taken before getting a tattoo is to locate it strategically so that it can be covered up, if need be, for professional and formal environments. For some, finding a location on their body that can be easily hidden is a preliminary step to getting a tattoo. 

Trudeau, for example, has been cited as the only world leader with a tattoo known to the public. This does not mean that no other world leaders have tattoos, but rather that he is the only one who has made it publicly known. In the world of politics and other white-collar careers, visible tattoos are not widely acceptable, and may be seen as a sign of informality or disrespect for the profession. 

“Depending on the industry, tattoos can be more or less acceptable,” Cindy Mancuso, Arts and Diversity advisor at the McGill Career Planning Services (CaPS), said. “Students need to use their good judgment when going for an interview. Most individuals I’ve seen with tattoos have them in places that are easily hidden. For most interviews, we suggest that individuals [err] on the side of dressing up if they are not sure what the attire should be. Unless someone has tattoo sleeves, or tattoos on their hands, face [or neck], they usually get covered up with the appropriate attire.”

Further, in some professions, employers reserve the right to regulate the dress of employees with visible tattoos. Tess Kaiser, U2 Arts, has firsthand experience with such a policy.

“I worked at a German restaurant where the waitresses had to wear dirndls, the traditional German dress,” Kaiser explained. “There were a couple of girls where, even though it was hot and it was the summer, they had to wear shawls because they had tattoos.”

Kaiser also suspected that her employment prospects were decreased because of a tattoo on her upper back. 

“[My tattoo] could have been part of the reason I didn’t become a waitress there,” Kaiser said. “I was never [promoted] when other people were; I was just a busser. They knew that I had a tattoo; I don’t know if that was entirely it, but I’m sure even if I did become a waitress there, it would’ve been an issue. I would’ve had to cover it up.”

The negative societal connotations of tattoos have long-ranging impacts across many fields beyond the service industry. Andrea Terceros, U1 Neuroscience, who has several tattoos on her arms and hands, can anticipate receiving pushback against her tattoos in the medical field. 

“I guess going to [medical] school, there are people who don’t necessarily want to see their doctors with tattoos,” Terceros said. “There’s a bit of a stereotype and a stigma […] [Were I asked to remove my tattoos by employers,] if that’s my dream and they want that, I would probably remove them.” 

On the other hand, many people get tattoos because of the deep personal significance of the image or message in their tattoo. For this reason, it can be upsetting to receive negative feedback from employers. 

“[Tattoos should be treated] as you treat someone’s shirt,” said Jacob Garrah, U1 Environment, in reference to his half-sleeve tattoo. “It’s someone’s personal choice—it should be a total non-issue. If someone was really like, ‘You cannot have that showing, please wear a long-sleeved shirt,’ I’d be a little upset, because it means a lot to me, and I made it very visible for a reason.”

Further, Garrah postulated that regulation or discrimination of employees with tattoos may be a used to hide other social biases. 

“Tattoos can sometimes be an excuse to discriminate against someone,” Garrah explained. “I’m a white male working at a research institute or working in a customer service physical labour environment, they have no reason to discriminate against me, so my tattoo [and] my piercings [are] totally fine. But if someone had that implicit bias against someone, and then they had a tattoo […] it can be like a proxy.”

Though Mancuso suggested that students dress to appeal to employers by hiding their tattoos, she also recognized the agency of employees in choosing how to express themselves. 

“It generally takes 30 seconds to make an impression, so students need to be mindful of what kind of impression they want to make,” Mancuso said. “On the flip side, some people might decide they don’t want to work for a company that may discriminate on the basis of body art—this is valid too. It is a personal choice at the end of the day.”

Behind the Bench, Sports

Training for Super Smash Bros

by Luka Čiklovan on

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Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. has been a staple of many a childhood since the ’90s and beyond. Created by the legendary Masahiro Sakurai, “Smash” presents itself as a cuddly, kid-friendly fighting game wherein a greatest hits of Nintendo characters duke it out for supremacy by attempting to knock each other out of an arena. Past this veneer of simplicity, however, lies one of the most technical fighting games on the eSports scene. 

The classic game franchise contains a number of game-engine glitches and design oversights that allow for the discovery of advanced techniques and typically complex, unnatural looking inputs that push the limits of the game by providing slight character advantages though extra speed, momentum control, or even infinite combos in some cases. Yet all is not sunshine and rainbows in Nintendo-land. While glorious on screen, overexertion on the video-game controllers can damage players’ hands, and cut short many a Smash career. Healthy habits to protect the body, and extensive practice sessions to master complex techniques, are thus crucial to any eSports player preparing to do well on the tournament circuit.

‘Labbing,’ or training against a computer-controlled dummy within the game, is by far the most common method of practice aside from playing friendly matches. Here players can familiarize themselves with nuances of the physics, move set, and combo game of their character through extended iteration.

“I typically like to learn a string of combos that I know will always land, and then repeat them over and over again [until it] becomes muscle memory, so I don’t really have to think about them so hard in a match,” Joshua Loke, a member of the McGill eSports Student Association, explained. “It’s easy to get spammy and just try to rage out all your inputs really fast, so I try to avoid pressing buttons either unnecessarily hard or quickly when I train, though that’s not always easy to do in a match setting.”

Smash’s infamous ‘space animals,’ comprised of Fox McCloud and Falco Lombardi from Nintendo’s Star Fox, have caused many a pro player to get carpal tunnel syndrome on account of their twitchy playstyle, highlighting the importance of fostering calm habits. 

Beyond the basics, ‘labbing’ offers trainers the opportunity to examine ‘frame data.’ Just as a cartoon consists of a bunch of still pictures that are then rapidly shown in succession to produce motion, Super Smash Bros comprises many frames strung together to produce animations, with the amount of frames per second known as ‘frame rate.’ While it may sound trivial, knowing the exact number of frames a move lasts can mean the difference between a $5,000 first place prize and chump change. The need for such technical knowledge offers a pretty high barrier of entry to top-level play in Smash.

Daniel Lim, a frequent visitor of the McGill eSports Associations’ weekly Smash events, testifies to this barrier.

“It takes a really long time to master these techs, like I’ve been playing a year now, and I would say I only have 60 or 70 per cent of them down,” Lim said. “You can practice all these things alone, but in matches timings change depending on the situation; lag is different, for example, depending on if you’re hit higher or lower, and that adaptation is something you can’t train for besides [by] playing.”

Lim went on to describe that the true meta-game of Smash lies not within the physical button presses and combo game, but actually on a mental playing field where comfortable players, so comfortable that their characters are merely extensions of themselves, try to predict opponents and plan out strategies given such extensive knowledge of the same meta-game by both players. Learning how to cope with the mental pressure that tournament hype brings is a crucial skill, one which results in many players opting to bring headphones to their matches in an attempt to stay calm and Smash on. 

Ultimately, eSports–much like regular sports–demand an intense amount of training and dedication from players who want to make a name for themselves, and Smash is no exception: Practice makes (frame) perfect.

Student Life

TEDxMcGill conference inspires innovation across campus

by Emma Whitehall on

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On March 19, the work of executive organizers for the TEDxMcGill conference culminated in a seamless, inspired day, which included eight speeches from innovators across an array of disciplines. Ground-breaking presentations ranged from those by Moon Ribas, a self-identified ‘cyborg’ who can feel the vibrations of earthquakes around the world, to Thione Niang, the founder of Give1Project, a non-profit dedicated to the empowerment of young leaders in communities around the world. 

The event was marked by the theme ‘Paradigm Shift.’ The goal was for the curated selection of speakers to trigger the audience to change the way they think about an array of topics.

"We wanted a theme that made people [not only] reflect and question today, but where we are headed tomorrow,” Cassandra Delage, president of the executive committee, said. “We wanted as much variety as possible [so that] attendees come out of the event with at least one speaker that changed their way of thinking.”

From the moment attendees arrived, there was a parallel sense of innovation across disciplines and even within the venue itself. Le Salon 1861—a former church—has undergone a massive transformation into an impressive, inspiring community space that works to bring people together in the same sense that the church was able to from its origins.

Passion was a common underlying thread that linked all the speakers and their talks. Christopher Emerson, co-founder of SpherePlay—a media player software startup—spoke on the topic of storytelling and its important place in the world. Despite TEDx conferences being an independently run branch of the TED organization—an operation that hosts conferences on a much larger scale intended to inspire and educate—the event’s calibre and the selected speakers’ ability to inspire warranted its association with the TED name. 

“TED represents a bringing together of minds [that are] bursting with ideas,” Emerson said. “I think every single person that gives a TED talk is filled with a message or something that inspires them so much, that they can’t contain it, and it has to erupt out of them [….] Paradigm shifts can come about more powerfully and more effectively when the story is told well.”

Pointing to the fact that some of the most recognized changemakers, from Benjamin Franklin to Nelson Mandela, began at relatively young ages, Niang was acutely aware of the audience demographic and the unique opportunity his story could inspire. After coming up in a poor, 28-person family in Senegal, West Africa, his journey can be equated to those of very recognizable innovators that he used as examples. 

“If you look at history, everything that’s changed has changed through young people,” Niang said. “We are stuck together. If tomorrow is your last, what have we done for [those less fortunate]?”

This sentiment is exactly what Delage had in mind when designing the conference alongside her executive team.

“‘Paradigm Shift’ is relevant to McGill students because they have the power to make the shift or the changes that they wish to see happen,” Delage said, “The goal was to empower and push people to take action. We wanted to open the eyes of students and show them that they have potential to make a difference.”

This sort of excitement and passion sought to inspire students to envision innovative ideas that also might one day land them on a TED stage. Michelle Miakouchkine, U3 Cognitive Science and attendee of the conference, found herself thinking about innovation within education.

“The beauty of this kind of inspiration is that it can be applied to so many fields,” Miakouchkine said. “Personally, I’d love to see ideas on how to improve education as well as [how to] make it more accessible. Education is absolutely critical for any paradigm shift to occur. I think progressing our outlook on education will very quickly accelerate innovation and change in the world.”

According to Miakouchkine, the conference’s message reverberated among the audience of young students and innovators.

“I love how every talk incorporated this idea of challenging the status quo,” Miakouchkine said. “There is always a solution to the world’s most perplexing problems [….] It was deeply inspiring how many of the speakers overcame great challenges, and were met with even greater rewards and lessons afterwards.”

Arts & Entertainment, Music

Artist Spotlight: Elliot Sinclair

by Alfie Crooks on

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With the emergence of Montreal as a hotbed of indie music, a number of up-and-coming musicians have migrated here, looking to make it in the plethora of bars and clubs the city has to offer. Montreal still holds the title as one of the independent music capitals of North America, and has attracted a number of creative minds to the Milton Gates. U0 Arts students Elliot Sinclair, the musician behind Alright, Lights, is no exception.

Coming from Kingston, Ontario, the singer-songwriter’s impressively sophisticated and haunting album, Bloom was released this past January via Soundcloud. For him, coming to McGill wasn’t just about getting an education, but was also about finding a bigger stage for his creative voice.  

“Really [I wanted to come to McGill] because of Montreal,” Sinclair said. “I really wanted to break onto the music scene over here [….] I really like how it’s a hub for music in Canada.”

While Sinclair notes that he is spoiled by the number of venues in the Montreal music scene, he has yet to play any live shows outside of McGill-run coffee houses. Instead, Sinclair is choosing to wait on finding a band before looking for venues to play. 

“I haven’t made much of a conscious effort to search out for ways to expand on my music here, but there are so many places which I can start out,” Sinclair acknowledged. “Right now I’m in a bit of a lull because I’m playing on my own. I enjoy the energy of playing in a live band where people are building off each other’s energy, so I’d really like to find some people to play with first.”

Sinclair’s fascination with the Montreal music scene comes off the back of years of musical experience. After starting to play piano when he was six years-old, Sinclair began writing songs when he was 13 or 14—mainly “because of girls.” Since then, Sinclair has been writing avidly, yet sporadically. Bloom is in fact a compilation of his best works throughout high school up to this point. It reflects the adolescent angst and emotion that many feel at that time, and writing seems to be a therapeutic outlet for these emotions. 

“I didn’t start writing [Bloom] with the thought in mind that I would be creating an album, but then sometime last year, I thought that high school was a pretty crazy time, so I wanted to tell the story of what had happened over the last four years,” he said. “There aren’t clear linear stories or anything like that, but they’re very reflective of times when I was feeling stressed out by things. That’s when I typically find writing easiest.”

While Sinclair’s album may deal with reaching maturity, his awareness of his own creativity is already markedly precocious. He labels his work practices as “scatterbrained,” and readily acknowledges how Bloom is a project that can’t be replicated, given how tied up it is in his past experiences. This kind of outlook is indicative of the organic nature of Sinclair’s music, an entity which develops with his own growth, and is never forced.

“It seems these days, so many young musicians try too hard to appeal to what’s popular, and the stuff that they feel they have to be making in order to gain more listeners,” Sinclair said. “But, I think you just make the music you truly want to be making then it becomes a lot more fun, and less restrictive.”

Sinclair really does seem to be having fun. Whether it’s his occasional partialness to dancing in his bedroom to ’80s hits, seeing punk bands called Diarrhea Planet, or remixing “lullaby” versions of ’90s rap hits, there is a carefree feel to the way Sinclair both consumes and creates music. Because of the kind of organic and comfortable creative process Sinclair has, it might mean that another project won’t come out for a while. Yet behind the scenes it seems like his creative engine is constantly whirring, even though the results may not be as prolific.

“I’d really like to make a concept album at some point,” Sinclair said. “I really like the idea of actually connecting a full on story through an album.”

While this strange mixture of relaxation and passion for music means Sinclair probably won’t be releasing something else for a while, what listeners will see will most likely be a very thoughtful and meaningful project.

Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

Fokus Film Festival showcases student creativity

by Evelyn Goessling on

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Time and time again McGill students prove that the lack of a formal visual arts department is in no way an obstacle to fantastic productions. Fokus Film Festival is just one example of the wealth of creativity at this school, and as the only festival of its kind the submissions are particularly rich and interesting. Now in its 10th year, Fokus showcases student films made in and around the McGill community. The following is a list of a few true standouts of the night. 

Moscow I Miss You by Sashka Avanyan 

The festival opener, Moscow I Miss You by Sashka Avanyan, is a short but sweet tribute to the filmmaker’s homeland. Via screen grabs of Google Street View the audience travels through the streets of Moscow, stopping at personal landmarks along the way. At each landmark an old home photo pops up: The filmmaker in her old apartment, posing in front of the water, or as a child, with her mother. There is a strong sense of duality in this film technique. Google Street View is extremely public and accessible to anyone, but Avanyan’s use of the technology makes each location intimate and personal. On this virtual tour of the city it becomes apparent that revisiting one’s homeland, even virtually, is both painful and comforting. 

Waterway to Stardom: Who is Flood Girl? by Lou Gatti

Lou Gatti’s tongue-in-cheek TVM Special Report seeks out the elusive story behind Flood Girl, the iconic McGillian who in 2013 was swept away by sudden flooding on McTavish. Who is this girl? What were her motives? Her desires? Hopes? Dreams? A former classmate, who preferred to remain anonymous, related her derring-do nature. The source said that they weren’t surprised by this after her “reckless interpretation of metaphor and allusion” in their German literature class. Maybe it was drunkenness, or an unprecedented desire to get across the street to Gerts. Maybe it was bravery, or an ill-informed attempt at internet fame. Whatever the motivation, Flood Girl found her place in McGill lore. Gatti’s short film captures the wonderfully kitschy essence of Flood Girl and McGill’s culture around the tale. 

Smoke Dreams by Cody Lieberman 

Cody Lieberman’s entry into the Avant Garde category is a cross between a nightmare and dream sequence. The short film, like many dreams, cuts between seemingly unrelated images, but seems to follow some sort of subconscious thread. In this case, the apparent thread is highly influenced by David Lynch: viewers see several clips from Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks. There’s also a general sense of disjointed paranoia (Lynch’s signature) that comes through in the film. Clouded by smoke, darkness, and obscured by almost too-loud patches of dialogue, the film doesn’t appear to have a plot. Instead the audience is left with a mysteriously spooky representation of the dream world. 

Karma Police by Ben Koring

Like the documentary entry Waterway to Stardom, Karma Police doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously, and this pays off immensely in laughs. The film features two guardian angels of karma, watching our every move to see if we return that wallet we found on the street, or correct the cashier when they give us too much change. The angels, one an optimistic newbie, the other a cynic who’s reportedly been on the job for 75,000 years, watch their target to determine if he’s a decent guy or a “lost cause.” This clever film gives voice to the eyes in the sky that keeps our consciences in check—although they may not be as straight-edge as we’d expect. 

Basketball, Men's Varsity, Sports

Basketball: Redmen come away from CIS Nationals empty-handed, despite excellent season

by Zikomo Smith on

More in Basketball:

The McGill Redmen basketball team suffered two heartbreaking losses at the CIS National Championships in Vancouver; the Redmen gave up a lead in the final minute to lose the quarter-final game 72-69 against finalist Calgary Dinos on Thursday, and then lost the consolation semifinal game 69-68 against the UBC Thunderbirds.

The two tightly contested defeats capped an excellent Redmen season that saw the team go 12-4 in the RSEQ regular season, and storm to an RSEQ title. McGill played with remarkable flexibility all season: They had one of the strongest benches in the country, were dominant rebounders, and were the best fourth-quarter team in the RSEQ.

On Thursday, McGill went up 69-66 courtesy of junior guard Dele Ogundokun’s three-pointer with a minute left. Calgary responded with three big plays, hitting a layup with 46 seconds to go, drawing a foul with 26 seconds to go, and then making a steal with 10 seconds left on the clock, ultimately sealing the game.

“We came here to win the title this year, we didn’t come to play for fifth or sixth, we came here to win,” Coach Dave DeAveiro explained, per McGill Athletics. “To not execute down the stretch is extremely frustrating[….] We can’t help Calgary win games, and I thought tonight we helped Calgary win this game.”

It was back and forth the entire game. McGill led the first quarter 19-15, but trailed by two points at the half. McGill and Calgary were constantly trading leads, taking it to the wire and providing riveting entertainment for the 1,250-strong crowd.

Ogundokun stood out for the Redmen with 19 points on 8-14 shooting, and added four assists. Junior point guard Jenning Leung connected on 5-10 from the three point line to add 15 points for the Redmen, as well as recording five steals. Both players were key for the Redmen all season: Leung’s three-point shooting and ball handling contributed to McGill’s dynamic offence, and Ogundokun’s defensive play on the perimeter and on the boards was a cornerstone of McGill’s defensive dominance.

Against UBC on Friday, McGill dug itself out of a 16 point halftime deficit, only to lose in excruciating fashion 69-68. Ogundokun and Leung starred once again with 15 points apiece. Junior guard Michael Peterkin also contributed 10 rebounds off the bench in a spirited performance. McGill, however, was always playing from behind. The Redmen only led once in the entire game, with a minute and a half left on the clock. The comeback, however, was encouraging and indicative of their mental strength. Redmen Head Coach Dave DeAveiro also used the game as an opportunity to play younger players, and other players who did not see much game time during the regular season.

McGill maintained its rebounding advantage against UBC, and also won the turnover battle 25-17. McGill, however, only shot 35 per cent. from the field in comparison to UBC’s 49 per cent.

The Redmen may have come away from the weekend empty-handed, but they demonstrated all the qualities that will make them an RSEQ and CIS powerhouse in years to come: Excellent, dogged rebounding, accurate three point shooting, and incredible temperament in the fourth quarter. Senior guard Vincent Dufort played his final game as well as guard Tychon Carter-Newman. 

McGill is in a good place, having exhibited consistent RSEQ success. On a national scale, a deep CIS run is required to vindicate the program’s talented foundation.

“We were pretty good this year,” DeAveiro said, per McGill Athletics. “I think we’re getting closer. We played against two very good teams [….] I was proud of what we’re doing and I expect us to be competing for a provincial championship next year and back at Nationals in Halifax.”

Minds and Matters, Podcasts, Science & Technology

Minds and Matters EP. 2: Donald Trump’s psycholgical tactics

by Chloe Nevitt and Lydia Kaprelian on

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In Episode 2 of Minds and Matters, the McGill Tribune's Science & Technology podcast, editor Chloe Nevitt and contributor Lydia Kaprelian dive into the psychological tactics that US presidential candidate Donald Trump uses to get people to support him. They look into the nature of these techniques which include repetition, fear-mongering, and ambiguity. 

Montreal, News

Panel discusses legal euthanasia in Canada

by Joseph Timan on

More in Montreal:

McGill's Freethought Association hosted a panel on assisted suicide on March 15 to discuss the federal decriminalization of physician-assisted dying, which will come into effect on June 6 this year, and how this policy will affect Quebec. This follows the Feb. 2015 ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada, instating the right to physician-assisted suicide. Prior to that, Quebec had been the only province to allow terminally ill patients to determine how their life ended..  The panellists addressed issues raised by opponents to medically assisted dying, and discussed necessary changes to Quebec law as a result of federal decriminalization.

Public opinion

Susan Desjardins, who spoke on behalf of Dying with Dignity Canada, an organisation that advocates for physician-assisted dying, addressed concerns of various groups in opposition to the Court's ruling. In one example, she criticised the Catholic Health Sponsors of Ontario for instructing institutions within its purview not to provide access to medical assistance in dying.

"This flies in the face of the views of Catholics polled regarding assisted dying," Desjardins said. "In October 2014, 85 per cent of Catholics polled supported physician assisted dying."

Dr. Carolyn Ellis, associate professor at the McGill Biomedical Ethics Unit, highlighted the difficulties for healthcare professionals to publicly support medically assisted dying even though many polls indicate that most physicians in Quebec are in favour of it.

"It's harder to speak up in favour of it, in fear that then you'll be stigmatized as a doctor who kills,” Ellis said. “The fear factor of human nature leads people to not go public about some important values, but they're willing to participate."

Federal legislation

Desjardins discussed a report by the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Physician Assisted Dying, published on Feb. 25, which made 21 recommendations to assist the Canadian government in its efforts to legislate the decriminalization of physician-assisted dying,.

"The recommendations ensure that the conscience rights of healthcare professionals are protected, that access to assisted dying is monitored, and that the laws and protocols associated with medical assistance in dying are reviewed by parliament on a regular basis" Desjardins  said.

Ellis, who testified at the Joint Parliamentary Committee, discussed the recommendations made on eligibility. She argued that an individual's capacity to consent should be the driving factor in whether or not they're granted authority to consent on their own behalf.

"In Quebec and two other provinces age is a legal factor in whether you can consent for medical interventions,” said Ellis. “The more consistent view would be, if one is able to make the particular medical decision at hand, that they should do so."

Legislation in Quebec

Jean-Pierre Ménard, a specialist in the defence of victims in the health system and professor at Université de Sherbrooke, Université de Quebec Á Montreal, and Université de Montreal, addressed a concern expressed by an audience member regarding abuse of medical assistance in dying.

"Under Quebec Law, nobody can suggest or propose that the patient should have assisted death," Ménard said. "A doctor has to make sure that the patient is totally free of any kind of outside pressure, and that they're fully informed, and a second doctor has to confirm the process."

Ellis mentioned Quebec's role as a leader in this field being the only province currently that permits medically assisted dying. Nevertheless, she claimed that the scope of the provincial law will have to be broadened in order to avoid inconsistency with the forthcoming federal legislation.

"It's very clear from our comments that Quebec Law is inconsistent with this [federal] law," Ellis  said. "It's a much more conservative view and it will need to somehow bring itself into compliance with the forthcoming federal law."

 

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