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SSMU General Assembly
a, Opinion

SSMU GA a scapegoat for misplaced priorities

by Luke Devine on

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The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU)’s General Assembly (GA) is defunct. The main forum actively connecting McGill’s student body to its representative council has apparently run its course. The failure of the Fall 2015 GA to reach quorum, and the whopping zero motions submitted, confirms the collapse; however, proposals to address this issue so far lack adequate thought.

Past executive reports have considered either curbing the GA’s frequency to once a year or, more drastically, abolishing it entirely. The latter is particularly troubling as it would drive the wedge between the SSMU and the student body even deeper; rather than blaming student apathy, responsibility lies with SSMU’s neglect of its promotion.

The goals of the GA—namely, to increase transparency and facilitate direct democratic involvement—are laudable. In the past, the GA was the site of heated debate; last year, the Fall and Winter Assemblies attracted lively crowds of 700 and 550 students respectively. Clearly, students are not apathetic. Regardless of what drew the crowd—arguably, such high turnouts were largely a consequence of hot-button issues—the student body was engaged, and the internal operations of SSMU were transparent.

Rather than reducing its frequency, an emphasis on the GA must be renewed, otherwise SSMU risks further diminishing their legitimacy.

SSMU’s executives, it seems, have come to view the tumbling attendance rates as part of a larger, uncontrollable process: The widespread abandonment of an inherently unproductive forum. This symptom, however, points to a greater issue, which has wrongly been interpreted as an intrinsic, irredeemable flaw in the GA process itself—a fumbling of advertising on the part of SSMU’s executives.

As SSMU President Kareem Ibrahim conceded, the SSMU executive team abandoned promotional efforts for this semester’s GA. Bogged down with a host of pressing internal issues, the executives were unable to provide the GA with the attention it required. The picture painted by this excuse isn’t pretty: So caught up in internal issues, SSMU executives simply had no time to ensure that students would show up to engage in a dialogue. While this could be argued as indicative of a rift between SSMU and the student body, it is precisely the GA—with its implicit demand for student engagement—which possesses the power to bridge such a gap. Rather than reducing its frequency, an emphasis on the GA must be renewed, otherwise SSMU risks further diminishing their legitimacy. While it may be tedious to sit through hours of discourse, students must at least know that they have the option of doing so.

A growing number of McGill students are beginning to view SSMU with ambivalence, to put it mildly. The zeitgeist, it seems, has become increasingly hostile towards what is viewed as an insular, esoteric council of ‘SSMU-tocrats’: An ideologically narrow, self-preserving governing body that emphasizes equity, equity, equity. Such a negative trope impresses upon the student consciousness, which leads to disillusionment with the institution as a whole. While this may partially explain the limited participation at the most recent GA, it neglects the role of the assembly as a forum for checks and balances.

For all the time students spend lamenting the lack of representativeness of SSMU, controversial issues draw the crowds. The absence of motions from the most recent GA is indicative of underlying perceptions of SSMU. While a direct line of causality is difficult to draw, the two are certainly connected. Maybe the GA is defunct, or perhaps no motions were submitted because no issues currently burden the student body’s mind. More likely, however, undergraduates no longer view SSMU as an adequate channel to pursue meaningful reform. It is a classic chicken-and-egg problem. While executives must reprioritize a frequent, well-publicized GA, students can try to meet executives halfway. The student body should oppose a reform that threatens to both curb their clout and reduce the availability of mechanisms for communication.

At a GA, students see their representatives in action: Carrying out their regular procedures and addressing proposed motions with direct student involvement. This interaction, while basic, fosters a tie between the student body and SSMU—thus, the GA must be reinvigorated rather than reduced.

Tibetan
a, Art, Arts & Entertainment

From the Viewpoint: Tibetan Cultural Fair

by Alex Bankier on

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My friend and I were in a pretty good mood when we got to the church basement. The Tibetan bazaar in its entirety boasted an elevated circular stage in its centre, surrounded by vendors hawking their wares from tables to passersby. There was Tibetan calligraphy being taught in the corner nearest the entrance, and next to that sat two women behind a table draped with the Amnesty International logo. It was then that we got our first and only reminder that every piece of culture we were about to see was, in essence, under siege from a world power. Almost immediately, I zeroed in on my most treasured destination: The homemade momo station, behind which one could see the dumplings being handrolled and steamed to perfection. The menu also featured samosas, which my friend noted were probably not native to Tibet. The attendant smiled and informed us that the intersection of Indian, Tibetan, Nepalese, Chinese, and Bhutanese cuisine was quite common considering the diaspora of many Tibetan exiles to these countries. My friend and I noted our own ignorance, then promptly bobbed our heads in unison.

Halfway through our visit, a troupe of female dancers took the stage clad in brightly coloured wrap dresses. Whilst striking handheld drums and twirling around each other, the performers sang a pleasantly lilting tune with accompaniment from a musician sporting a Tibetan lute or dramyin. It flowed well and looked polished, and I let myself believe that the performance was a traditional, possibly ancient ritual. Afterward, one of the dancers nonchalantly informed us that the song and dance routine had been conceived and practiced within a three day span. Cue Tony Randall’s shouting in the Odd Couple: "When you assume, you make an ASS out of U and ME!"

Walking amongst all the textiles and jewelry with a constant drum beat in the air, I was struck by how my lack of experience with Tibetan culture left me no index for confirming the veracity of anything I was witnessing. My own preconceived notions concerning Tibetan culture, I reflected, were mostly baseless. Of Tibetan culture I knew only that the yak played some role in Tibetan livelihood, and that China had been violating human rights here for decades—though exactly how, I had no idea.  I had not even searched “Tibet” on Wikipedia until a day after the fair. Was this me being a bit paranoid and a little stupid?  Perhaps. The food was good, the music nice, and the people even nicer.

It was clear that everybody knew everybody; the vendors and fair staff all chatted amiably between sales, while their children ran around with soccer balls and toy swords.  Speaking with one of the vendors, I learned that the Tibetan communities in both Montreal and Toronto—the vendor himself visiting from Toronto—were tightly knit. He then proceeded to regale me with the tale of last night’s booze-soaked merrymaking while I picked out a yak-wool shawl for my mother. I caught a glimpse of a child menacingly waving a plastic cutlass, and felt myself craving yet more momos.  It being my third visit, the affable server joked that at the rate I was eating the dumplings, they might run out.  I fervently hope the man never finds out the altitude at which his joke had soared over my head.  

On the whole, the fair was fun and enlightening, and yet I cannot escape the feeling that my being there was less active engagement with Tibetan culture and more aloof tourism. It’s certainly not every day that one’s own ignorance is made so painfully obvious—as was mine—and, in the end, uncomfortable revelations such as these can be useful stepping stones for curing cultural myopia. It should be common knowledge by now that keeping an open mind is a kickass doctrine for life.  Granted, hallmarks of true open-mindedness may include feelings of uncertainty and discomfort; but then again personal growth is almost never a comfortable experience.  If breaking through one’s comfort zone were easy, life would not be nearly as rewarding, and momos would not be nearly as delicious.  

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a, McGill, News, SSMU

Failed PGSS CKUT referendum passes after excluding Macdonald campus ballots

by Ashley Kong on

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The CKUT Radio fee increase referendum in the Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) took place on Oct. 21 to 27, 2015. The release of the ballot result, however, was postponed to Nov. 12 due to the inclusion of ineligible voters. After a recount of ballots, the referendum was passed with 760 votes for and 738 votes against.

The fee increase initially lost the referendum vote, with 910 votes against and 886 votes for, falling short by 24 votes. However the preliminary result was deemed invalid as it had mistakenly incorporated votes from PGSS members at the Macdonald campus, who were, in fact, ineligible for CKUT membership. Six-hundred and nineteen of the current total 8710 PGSS members are based in Macdonald campus.

“[Macdonald] Campus students don’t pay a fee to CKUT,” explained Diego Sandoval Hernandez, PGSS representative on the CKUT Board of Directors. “They are not considered members of the CKUT.”

Early last week, concerns arose as to whether a re-vote should be held. According to Colby Briggs, chief returning officer of PGSS, the miscount was merely a technical problem and could be fixed without organizing another round of ballots.

“The way I track it [is to] designate students with certain statuses,” he explains. “Then we go through [the online system] and negate any vote that should not have been cast—without anybody knowing how they voted.”

He continued to explain that the mistake was partly due to the confusion caused by the lists of students enrolled in various graduare progrannes provided by McGill.

“There [are] mistakes in them and there’s lack of clarity,” Briggs said. “According to one of the lists, there’re only two people in the Faculty of Law [….] But then there are another 200 [whom] are not listed as faculties, [but] graduate studies. I [have contacted] the representative at Deputy Provost of Student Life and Learning [office] to determine who belongs where.”

Since the referendum has passed, there will be an increase from $3.75 to $5.25 in CKUT fee-levy collected from full-time graduate students per semester, and an increase from $1.88 to $3.38 for part-time graduate students. The increased fee-levy would be applicable only to the Downtown Campus and is opt-outable.

According to Cecilia MacArthur, chair of CKUT Board of Directors, the fee increase is expected to bring extra revenue to CKUT, which is running a deficit. The increased fee-levy collected from graduate students is estimated to be $10,000.

“We’re in a situation where our budget is quite tight,” said MacArthur. “We’re already running a $40,251 deficit this coming year. Would [the referendums] pass, the fee increase [collected from both PGSS and Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU)] will bring us down to a $4,251 deficit.”

Similar voting issues did no affect the SSMU referendum for the same CKUT fee increase. According to Mathieur Rouleau, president of Macdonald Campus Students’ Society (MCSS), undergraduate students at the Macdonald campus do not participate in SSMU ballots and are not members of CKUT.

“We [MCSS] are equivalent to SSMU,” he said. “We do our own elections and referendums. The MCSS has not been asked by anybody to be part of the [CKUT] radio and we have not been historically part of the radio fund.”

The SSMU referendum on the same $1.50 increase in CKUT fee was held Nov. 11 to 15. According to the results released on Nov. 15 night, the referendum failed with 54.7% voting ‘No’.

a, Science & Technology

How does Google work?

by Mayaz Alam on

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Since its launch in 1998, Google has become known for its glasses, mail server, and cars. At its core, however, the multibillion-dollar company is still defined by its original purpose: Acting as a search engine. In one single day, more than three billion searches are made through Google, and it boasts more than one billion regular monthly users. Despite this ubiquitousness, many still don’t understand how it works.

In short, a search engine provides answers for users’ queries. When someone types in a query into Google’s search bar, Google’s automated robots ‘crawl’ the vast expanse of webpages, images, PDFs, and other files on the internet in search for an answer to that query. Google’s crawlers—the ‘Googlebot’—travel the internet through hyperlinks that direct it from one page to another. Basically, millions of little robot crawlers travel from webpage to webpage in search of the correct match, using hyperlinks as bridges between pages.

As the crawlers search, they create a massive index of files that can be recalled faster for future searches. Stored in data centres across the world, this index is roughly 95 petabytes (95 million megabytes) in size. Despite this size, not all links or webpages are included. Certain pages can be deemed ‘nofollow’ or ‘noindex’ by a site’s webmaster. The latter tells a crawler to prevent the page from appearing on search engine result pages (SERPs) while the former tells search engines to ignore any links that take users from that page. 

A variety of factors are known to affect where a webpage appears on a SERP. For example, if a user is searching “McGill University” the webpages that will appear high on the SERP will need to have the words “McGill” and “University” appear together, multiple times on the page. Webpages will get also get a boost if “McGill University” is in the heading, title, or URL of the page. The most important factors, however, are whether other pages link to the webpage and the website that the webpage belongs to. For example, if a webpage received many hyperlinks to it from a reputable and frequently visited website such as the New York Times it will appear higher in SERPs.

 In its early days, SERPs could easily be manipulated by webmasters to direct more traffic to their sites. Common tactics included adding hidden text or links to webpages or stuffing a webpage with an unnatural amount of keywords. These features trick the search engine into delivering pages that do not actually meet the query, causing it to underperform and provide useless information to the user.

Google uses over 200 different factors to provide search results, including things like site speed, and whether or not a website has a secure domain. Although the intention of having this many ranking factors is to show the most accurate results, in some cases, this can mean that Google will show two different users who type the same query different results. This is because Google is able to create a personalized searching experience, based on a variety of factors such as the user’s physical location, browser language, and previous browsing history. For example, when users search “cellphone,” they are served localized results for cellphone dealers based on where the search originated from. 

The result is an extremely powerful and accurate machine to answer the world’s questions. Although a more personalized browsing experience can be useful, it comes with a cost: A loss of privacy. The only way that Google is able to provide such hyper-targeted search results is by collecting and analyzing a massive amount of personal data from its users. As users use Google to acquire information, they also surrender their own, often without realizing. Sex, age, location—and even interests—can be ascertained from browsing history,

Despite the ever-growing issues of online privacy, there is no denying that the electronic exchange of data is a powerful tool that has shaped modern society. Today, a person can acquire a degree online, read a book off of a webpage, and send important documents to their loved ones with ease. This electronic revolution has streamlined society, and facilitated the lives of millions. And there’s no denying that throughout this process, the major player has been Google.

Biffteck
a, Arts & Entertainment, Theatre

Laughs in the loft at the Danger Dulgar Comedy Show

by Alfie Crooks on

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The Danger Dulgar Comedy Show gathers a wide variety of Montreal comics together for one Sunday every month to showcase their material to whoever will listen, and throw a few dollars into an empty pitcher. It offers comedy at its rawest, with no lights nor even a stage—just a comedian, a mic, and a small collection of bar stools, glamorously tucked away in the corner of Bar Bifteck. The vibe at the bar wasn’t exactly abuzz—Bifteck hummed along with the same enthusiastic urgency of my grandma’s living room—but upstairs, a creative process was whirring. 

The comedians on Nov. 8 ranged widely from former writer for This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Canadian Comedy Awards winner Heidi Foss, to McGill undergraduate student Emma Wen. The diversity of performers—in their ethnicity, comedic experience, and age—made for a show that was well-rounded and representative of the different voices that exist within the Montreal stand-up scene. 

An eclectic group of comedians was accompanied by an interesting variety of subject matter. Wen rattled off jokes about the relation between cell biology and modern economic principles before dryly commenting, “OK, nobody got that one.” One noticeable commonality between the comics was that a large portion of their jokes focused on personal vulnerabilities. Habib Saim and Tatianna Lah both delivered jokes about dealing with breakups and becoming newly single—usually ending in the remedy of frequent masturbation—while comedian Kieran Waters started his act by commenting on the shockingly few number of true friends he has on social media. Brutal, self deprecating humour is not uncommon in stand-up comedy, but it worked particularly well when coming from relatable amateur comedians. Similar to self-deprecating comedy, awkwardness became a common thread throughout the show. Whether it was a forgotten punchline, a cringe-worthy step into tastelessness, or simply a joke falling flat, the show was far from a smooth operation. You could see each performer trying out something new and then making a subtle, or not so subtle, mental note of the audience’s reaction. At the end of Saim’s final joke about asking to have a threesome with his neighbours, for instance, he exclaimed, “Fuck! I need a better walk off joke!” Even Foss, the award -winning veteran, pulled out some memorable one-liners that simply didn’t go down well. 

In these awkward moments and mishaps you can see the creative process of these performers. Finding what’s actually funny about a joke is a challenging task. Comedy is a very intangible form of performance, and it’s almost impossible to explain specifically why one joke is funny and another isn’t. The Danger Dulgar Comedy Show becomes the perfect venue for comedians to play to an actual audience while still working at their craft. They can go through the tedious creative process of finding the elusive golden formula for what makes people laugh through trial and error. 

If you’re looking for an eye-watering, a laugh-a-minute, professionally executed show, the Danger Dulgar Comedy Show might not be the place to go. The show doesn’t cater to the typical audience’s desires for cheap laughs, but it isn’t supposed to. This show seems to be primarily for the creative process of the artist, not the hedonistic desires of the audience. While the comic is trying to get the audience’s  approval, they end up feeling like a means to the end of an artistic process. For the casual fan of stand-up, this isn’t the most enjoyable experience, which explains the lack of attention given to the show. However, it accomplishes more than amateur comedy. It shows where the proverbial comedic sausage is made, in a strangely intimate and captivating creative workshop. 

a, Martlets, Sports

10 Things: Synchronized swimming

by David P. Stein on

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1 The first official synchronized swimming competition was held in 1891 in Berlin. Many synchronized swimming clubs were formed around this time, and Canada began developing swimming teams to compete in similar events in North America. These performances would soon be incorporated into music hall events, with theatres in London and Glasgow featuring massive water tanks to facilitate these performances.

2. Annette Kallerman, an Australian swimmer and actress, made the sport famous with her performance as an underwater ballerina inside a glass tank at the New York Hippodrome in 1907. Katherine Curtis, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was another pioneer responsible for bringing synchronized swimming to the University of Chicago, where one of the first ballet clubs took off and helped grow the sport immensely in North America. The first official event in North America took place in 1924 in Montreal. Peg Seller was the winner of this inaugural competition.

3. The sport was called “water ballet” before the terms “synchronized swimming,” or “synchro” caught on in the 1900s. At the turn of the 20th century, “water ballet” was still being used by many athletes.

4. The term “eggbeater kick” is used to describe a skill in which synchro swimmers tread water with their arms free to perform strokes. It is a fundamental skill for any synchronized swimmer as it provides stability for maneuvers above water. The swimmer should have their body at chest level to the water in order to properly perform an eggbeater kick.

5. There are three main types of lifts practiced by swimming clubs: The platform lift, the stack lift, and the throwout lift. All these lifts are slight variations of one another, but they all require an entire base of swimmers to support a teammate who will stand above the water and perform the highlight.

6. Despite synchronized swimming’s lengthy history dating back to the late 1800s, the sport was not part of Olympic competition until the Los Angeles 1984 Summer Olympics. U.S.A.’s Tracie Ruiz won the first gold medal in the solo event, and team U.S.A. also won gold in the duet competition.

7. Michelle A. Cameron-Coulter and Carolyn Waldo won the first gold medal in synchronized swimming for Canada as a duet in 1988 at the Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Cameron was made a member of the Order of Canada in 1988, and was also inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.

8. The pools used for international competitions must be a minimum of 20m by 30m, and within that a 12m by 12m area must be at least three metres deep. The water temperature must be 26 degrees Celsius throughout the entire event. Throughout each performance, underwater speakers are used to project music so the athletes can follow along to the beat.

9. McGill University alums Penny and Vicky Vilagos don’t only share the same last name. The twin sisters share the same birthday (April 17, 1963), as well as a synchronized swimming silver medal which the pair earned for Canada at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. In 2013, they were both inducted into the McGill Sports Hall of Fame.

10. In February 2015, McGill University’s synchronized swimming team won its 12th National Championship since the Canadian University Synchronized Swimming League’s inaugural 2001-2002 season. McGill’s best kept secret is its synchro program—the gold standard among Canadian universities.

a, Out on the Town, Student Life

Noble Café: Embracing the cold in comfort

by Rachel Summers on

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Noble Café brings a new experience to the typical Montreal coffee scene. This quaint hot spot, nestled in Plateau-Mont Royal, attracts residents young and old with its community feel, heated terrace, and friendly staff. Situated right across from Laurier metro station, the café opened in mid-August, but its official launch party was held last month to coincide with the re-opening of the Laurier Avenue subway entrance. 

The interior of Noble Café is bright and fresh. It strikes the perfect balance between modernism—with immaculate white walls and exposed brick—and a homey feel, with colourful flowers and pumpkins on the windowsill. Noble provides a unique and charming experience, as there is no indoor seating, but rather a heated exterior terrace. Co-owners Marc-Antoine Paquin and his wife Marie-Hélène Choquette were inspired by cafés in Europe who keep outdoor patio spaces open all year and embrace the colder weather. 

“They do this in Oslo and Helsinki,” Paquin said. “[They have] heaters in the winter and give people blankets to drink their coffee.” 

Paquin plans to keep the heaters on throughout the winter during Friday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoons for a couple of hours while the weather is sunny enough—the perfect activity for a lazy afternoon. This experience can only be elevated by the absolute perfection that is Noble Café’s raspberry Danish pastry.   

All the pastries at the café—raspberry Danish, croissant, and chocolatine—are delicious and affordable. There is a great selection of beverages for those who want a dose of caffeine, and for those who prefer an alternative. Coffee lovers can choose from all the standard espresso options as well as filter coffee. Other options include hot chocolate, chai lattes, teas, kombucha, mochas, and dirty chais. 

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The quality of the coffee is excellent, which is no surprise given the hard work and enthusiasm that the owners put into the cafe. Paquin wanted to ensure a fun outdoor experience, while maintaining the utmost quality of service for customers. He felt it was important to buy from Canadian roasters, as well as roasters that provided single-origin coffees. 

“We have so many good roasters in Canada,” Paquin explained. “This is important to us—coffee in Canada and Montreal is growing really fast.”

Deciding which coffee to use at the cafe was a long process. Paquin and Choquette talked with 10 different roasters across Canada and the United States before making their decision. After a long deliberation, they decided to source their coffee from Kittel, a local Montreal roaster, and Phil & Sebastian, a roaster in Calgary.

[Kittel] only uses single-origin coffee [and] not a mix of coffee from Brazil or Colombia,” Paquin explained. “Single-origin coffee gives a specific flavour to each cup.” 

Paquin has not only done an excellent job with the café, but provides a refreshing perspective to those who may be contemplating a change in their career. He is an engineer and worked in sustainable energy for eight years, but his passion for coffee and desire to work in closer contact with people pushed him to take the leap of faith. He ultimately left his job and opened Noble Café.

“The hardest part is making the commitment of doing it,” Paquin said. “It does come with stress and fear, but at the end, it certainly helps you figure out what you need to do and where you need to put your priorities. I’m tired, but I’m happy.’’ 

The hard work that went into the café appears to be well worth it. Noble café is busy with patrons grabbing a beverage and treat before hopping on the metro, or those sitting outside and enjoying the neighbourhood. When summer rolls around and the heat lamps are retired for the season, ice cream will be on the menu, and the plan is to introduce nitro-brew coffee as well. 

Until then, winter is coming and Noble Café is ready to embrace it. 

Café Noble is located at 430 Avenue Laurier Est. You can also find them online at facebook.com/noblecafemtl.

James Bonding
a, Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

Seduced & Reduced: A look into the thinly-veiled sexism of the James Bond franchise

by Rebecca Potters on

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It is no mystery that James Bond has a superseding alpha-male ego, backed by his presumptuous sexual advances and licence to kill. However, the largest amount of sexualization and marginalization of female characters does not come from Bond himself, but from the writers, directors, and costume designers of the James Bond franchise.

The opening credit of every Bond film features a dramatic and beautiful song, Mr. Bond shooting a gun, and stunning women—all of whom are scantily clad, nude, or nothing more than a silhouette. This is the timeless preface to every film: James Bond is going to kick some ass and get laid.

In each film, the scarcity of women is all too obvious. The franchise’s most recent instalment, Spectre, features a mere five women: one nameless young woman in Mexico City and another at a board meeting in Rome—who is allowed a few lines to her name—as well as Eve Moneypenny (Naomie Harris); Lucia Sciarra (Monica Bellucci); and Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux). The fleeting two-minute interaction with the nameless woman at the beginning is a perfect example of Bond’s reputation as a womanizer and the faceless roles that women play in the franchise. She has no further purpose in the film and is immediately written out. Later on, Moneypenny has already rebuffed Bond’s inevitable advances in previous films and he now treats her as a respected coworker; however, that did not stop the writers from placing a man in her bed and having Bond chastise her for it when calling her in the middle of the night— nor did it stop the costume designers from dressing her in lingerie when answering said call.

Lucia Sciarra—although refreshingly mature compared to the typical ‘Bond Girl’—was painted as weak and vulnerable, and made no more appearances in the film after being seduced and reduced by Bond. In regards to costume design, the viewers’ final impression of Lucia is that of her lounging on her bed in a corset and thigh-high stockings, which is unrealistic for two reasons. The first being that—before becoming intimate with Bond—she was coming from her husband’s’ funeral. It is highly unlikely that a woman in mourning would be wearing a full corset and garter set beneath her clothes. The second unrealistic detail lies with this question: Why would she re-dress herself in the intricate lingerie set after her encounter with Bond just to lounge around her home? She serves no purpose other than as an informant and a sexual object for both Bond and the audience.

Although Madeleine Swann is portrayed as tough, terse, and powerful at times, all is lost when she is captured and tied up for Bond’s rescuing. There is no context to her capture, and she just assumes the ‘damsel in distress’ role to stick with the theme of Bond coming to the rescue and saving a woman in need. What took the sexualization of Madeleine even further was her outfit upon meeting the villain, Ernst Blofeld (Christoph Waltz). She’s given a pair of stilettos and a body-hugging dress with an intricate pattern of swirls and curves bringing attention to her bosom and genitals. This was a not so subtle move by the costume department to once again remind the audience that Madeleine is a woman.

The sexualization and marginalization of women throughout the franchise is ever present in Goldfinger (1964) and Quantum of Solace (2008), where the deaths of two Bond girls were accomplished by covering their naked bodies entirely in gold paint (Goldfinger) or in oil (Quantum of Solace). The stripping down of these women—literally and figuratively—do nothing more than rob the naked dead girls of their identity and dignity.

It is not a secret that the 53-year-old franchise has exploited women for their bodies and marginalized them for their gender ever since the release of Dr. No in 1962, but as time goes on and audiences become more socially conscious, perhaps the viewers will see a greater change in the portrayal of women. Even Daniel Craig himself says that the Bond films have “nothing” to teach us. So buckle up everyone, it’s time for the damsel-in-distress roles to be cut, and for Jane Bond to make her screen debut.

a, Science & Technology

McGill researchers identify racial preterm birth disparity

by Sihara Wickremasinghe on

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Today, the inequalities faced by different racial groups are far-reaching. So much so, researchers have found, that individuals can be affected before they’re even born. In the U.S., data from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics from 2004 to 2006 has shown that black women experience preterm births 4.7 per cent more frequently than white women. Whether or not this was happening in Canada remained unclear, however, until this past week. McGill researchers have found that in Canada, black women are also more likely to have preterm births than white women.  

“We’ve never really had [this type of] data at a national level in Canada so it [had not] been known whether the same pattern […] might also be relevant,” Britt McKinnon, a post-doctoral fellow at McGill University’s Institute for Health and Social Policy, and a co-author on the paper, said.

McKinnon, along with the other researchers, wanted to shed light on the success of Canada’s universal health care system by examining the incidences of preterm births.

“The different historical experiences of black populations in the two countries, as well as Canada’s commitment to universal health care and perception as a more egalitarian society [might] diminish racial discrepancies,” said McKinnon. 

Though the study revealed that the absolute rates of preterm births were lower for both black and white women in Canada, like the U.S., there exists a difference between preterms of black and white women. In fact, 8.9 per cent of infants born to black mothers were preterm, whereas for white mothers, it was only 5.9 per cent. 

The researchers are now trying to understand why this difference exists, however, the reason has proved to be elusive. 

“[We] examined a limited set of socio-demographic factors [education, maternal age, nativity, etc.],” McKinnon stated. “[But we] did not find that these factors explained any substantial proportion of the observed article disparity in preterm birth in Canada.” 

Studies using U.S. datasets, such as Racial Disparities in Preterm Birth published in 2011 by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, suggest that elements like socioeconomic disadvantage and stress induced through life experiences—such as racial discrimination—may play a role. Not enough analysis has been done, however, to confirm if the same factors apply to Canada. The national context of both countries is too different to be able to procure a definitive conclusion as of yet. 

“The majority of black women in the U.S. are U.S.-born and are descendants of slaves,” said McKinnon. “Canada’s black population is mostly foreign-born, primarily from Africa and the Caribbean.”

This kind of information is relevant for both public health and clinical interest and also acts as a guide for future research. Understanding the basics of this disparity could help find a resolution to serve the future generations of the black population in Canada. Until then, a number of factors still need to be inspected, such as health behaviours—smoking, obesity—and neighborhood conditions. 

“At this point, this has been a descriptive study,” said McKinnon. “The results should encourage future research to understand whether factors like socioeconomic disadvantage, discrimination and health behaviours contribute to the observed differences in preterm birth risk between black and white women in Canada.”

a, Martlets, Sports

Synchronized Swimming: Martlets synchronized, symmetrical, and sensational

by Genevieve Citron on

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Saturday’s Synchronized Swimming Invitational brought fierce competition and excellent choreography in front of a packed audience at McGill’s Memorial Pool. The overflowing bleachers—full of family, friends, and fans—radiated excitement and anticipation for McGill’s 12-time Canadian University Synchro Swim League (CUSSL) title winning White Team. McGill dominated the invitational, walking away with high scores to accompany their high spirits. Still, the stiff competition demonstrated that the Martlets cannot rest on their laurels looking forward into the season. 

The first portion of the meet presented graceful solos, duets and novice routines—each team’s performance offered the crowd a unique display of elegant athleticism. With a competitor in nearly every bracket, the Martlets hardly left the pool, and were able to keep the McGill spirit strong. The team competition in particular brought out the collective character of the sport.

While technically impressive, the performances were also extremely entertaining. The flow of smart and innovative pop culture references added to the energized atmosphere throughout the hall. The Carleton Raven’s Bring it On-themed routine incorporated stunting reminiscent of cheerleading, while John Abbott College’s hip hop-inspired routine exuded swagger and creativity.

When the Martlets finally took the deck, the stands went wild. McGill began their routine with intricate deck-work to the Lion King’s “Circle of Life” before diving two-by-two into the deep. The team, swimming into their first lap, performed smooth and energetic choreography. Their graceful routine saw McGill first form a symmetrical base for their gravity-defying highlight—it set the stage for their intricate canons of pointed toes in suspended leg extensions. Their near-perfect piece earned the team an impressive score of 65.6, with 32.5 points for technique and 33.1 points for style and artistry.

While the Invitational was a fantastic showing of hard work and talent, it does not contribute points towards the national rankings. Nevertheless, the competition was a great way for the swimmers to celebrate the sport and perfect their technique before the real deal in the winter semester. McGill’s Assistant Coach Hannah Ungar noted that there is more analytical fine-tuning that the team must do before upcoming competitions.

“What you’ve seen today is the beginning stages of the routine,” Ungar explained. “We [later] go through every piece of the routine and do a lot of work with the mirror so the girls can see [if they are uniformed].”

The team will also go through rigorous pool, dry land, and cross training that the team goes through in order to develop their skills to their full potential.

Martlet Head Coach Lindsay Duncan expressed tremendous pride in the team’s development and direction.

“They started out the season as individual swimmers with their own individual strengths, and more than any team that I’ve seen since I came to McGill […] they’ve really come together,” Duncan said. “So now it’s not stand-out individuals here and there—they pull together and swim well as a unit, and that’s really what it’s all about.”

The Martlet synchronized swimming team will continue to prepare for their competition in February at the Eastern Canadian Championships in Guelph, Ontario. While Duncan expects a tough test, she is confident that her team will walk away victorious.

“The calibre of the competition across different schools is getting better every single year, and so we have to step up our game,” Duncan said. “There are more and more teams that are in the running for medal positions at Nationals. So it’s the usual type of preparation, to be ready to have their absolute best swim. I think they can do it [and] have their best performance in the end.”

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