Latest News

The band Royal Tusk
a, Arts & Entertainment, Music

Carriere keeps moving as Royal Tusk settles into its own

by Eric Noble-Marks on

More in a:

How does Daniel Carriere—lead singer and guitar player for Edmonton rock band Royal Tusk—relax after a stressful day on the road? It’s simple—he doesn’t.

“I don’t unwind as much as I just crash [and] like, pass the fuck out,” said Carriere. “It is exhausting. People think you play a show and you’ve done nothing all day ‘cause you’ve been driving and you should have time and energy, but it’s the contrary because there’s no routine. You don’t know when you’re gonna eat sometimes, especially with a tour like this because you’re following a bus and the drives can get pretty long.”

Despite the never-ending trial of touring, Carriere wouldn’t have it any other way. To him, a seasoned road warrior with over a decade of experience with his previous band Ten Second Epic, the road is home. Despite touring with a mostly new set of bandmates, the road experience never changes.

“The road is always the road,” says Carriere. “It’s almost like you get used to that as a home. I’m quite comfortable touring […] we’ve done it for so long. Right now [when on tour] I feel like I’m at my other home. It’s really tiring, I mean just travelling all the time, but something about the transience of it all is really kind of nice for me.”

Carriere is in the midst of Royal Tusk’s second tour in support of the band’s debut EP, Mountain. The EP, is in many ways, a culmination of ideas accumulated by Carriere and Royal Tusk bass player Sandy Mackinnon during their time in Ten Second Epic.

“It’s just a sample of what we were doing,” explained Carriere. “We toured so long in [Ten Second Epic] and for all that time we were just thinking of other music we wanted to play, so when we got a chance to start making this stuff we wrote like crazy. We went into the studio in New York with 25 to 26 songs and had to cut it down to six! I think it popped a cork of inspiration that we’d been saving for a long time”.

Mountain also reflects a more collective approach to songwriting than exhibited in the past by the musicians. Carriere suggested that this strategy was just as fulfilling as writing on his own.

“We’re all pretty competent at our instruments and we don’t tell each other what to do,” he said. “Everyone writes their own parts. It’s exciting because sometimes if you’re writing everything from the drum part to the last lyric, there are no surprises. You get to be more of a fan of the song if you’re surprised by it.”

As for Carriere’s two-band relationship with Mackinnon, Carriere couldn’t put his finger on what has made their partnership so special.

“I don’t want to try and get analytical about it,” he said.  “It’s just something about the chemistry of it all. I guess it’s effortless, we’ve just known each other so long. To have a successful band, you need to have successful relationships with people. That’s what keeps it ticking and makes it fun, because God knows this isn’t the easiest job to do.”

a, Student Life

Beating the midterm blues

by Devona Lean on

More in a:

Falling leaves and changing colours illustrate the transition into autumn. They also mark the beginning of midterm season.  Stress levels in McGill students tend to skyrocket during this time.  In order to combat this, McGill Mental Health Services (MMHS) has implemented a number of initiatives to aid students in coping with stress.

Located on the fifth floor of the Brown Student Services Building, the comfy chairs and large windows of the clinic create a feeling of openness and acceptance.  This is the ideology that MMHS maintains. 

This is significantly beneficial for students, especially during this busy, stressful time of the year.  Emily Yung, the Mental Health Education Coordinator, highlighted the hike in student traffic at the clinic during exam periods.

“We’ve seen a sharp increase in walk-ins, in particular during midterms and finals,” Yung said. “This got as high as 100 emergency student walk-ins in one week during finals in 2013.”

Although MMHS is heavily focused on assisting students by way of their clinical team, Yung explained that their services are anything but restricted to the clinic. 

“For the last four years, Healthy McGill […] has run the Peer Health Education and Outreach program, with Mental Health [Services] informing the content in reaching out to students during midterms,” she said. 

Volunteers in bright yellow shirts and bright smiles make up the team of Peer Health Educators, who seek to facilitate a healthier mental culture through workshops, presentations, and active tabling around campus.

“[We strive] to reduce mental health disorder symptoms and return people to their daily life activities, enabling them to reach their academic and personal goals,” Yung explained.

Beyond this direct approach of informing students, MMHS has also leaned towards social media to reach out to a larger population.  The “No Health Without Mental Health” video campaign was released last year, and addressed topics such as the sources and remedies of stress from students at McGill.

Another initiative implemented by MMHS last year was the Self-Care Challenge. Given the demanding lifestyles of university students, it is easy to neglect one’s mental well-being.  This campaign aimed to remind students that partaking in small actions can contribute immensely towards the maintenance of mental health, while encouraging individual development.

These initiatives have been met with a supportive response from the students. Cindy Li, U0 Science, had high praises for the efforts that MMHS has taken to inspire a healthy state-of-mind for the student population.

“The detrimental effects of stress are usually kept under wraps, and that isn’t the right way to approach it,” Li said. “I think that it’s a great idea to bring it into the open—to educate people about the ways it can alter mental well-being.”

However, Li reflected that not enough students know about these initiatives.

“It seems that a majority [of students are] oblivious about these services— I was once a part of that majority,” Li said. “McGill’s Mental Health initiatives are something a lot of students would benefit from, especially around midterms and finals time. The absence of its prevalence is quite unfortunate.”

Frederick Lavallee, U2 Management, suggested that MMHS could reach a wider audience through online promotion.

“Social media is definitely a good place to reach out to a lot of students,” Lavallee explained. “Emails can be very effective, as well as advertising through faculty Facebook groups.

According to Lavallee, it is important for students to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health.

“Students will perhaps feel more prone to participating in these initiatives if they can see that their peers are also seeking ways to cope with stress—if they understand that everyone is in the same boat,” Lavallee said.

a, News, SSMU

Extracurricular transcript system expands on pilot project

by Philippe Dumais on

More in a:

After the creation of myInvolvement—a website that aims to track students involvement in extracurricular activities—and its merging with Student Services, the program is now expanding its scope to include activities in student clubs. The co-curricular record (CCR) provided by myInvolvement is a personalized transcript that can be customized for specific needs and can be attached to one’s academic transcript and resume.

Lina Di Genova, who is responsible for the program at McGill Student Services, says that the expansion will continue throughout the current academic year.

“Later this semester, we will be running information sessions and myInvolvement training [for the students and clubs], and students will be able to access their unofficial co-curricular record  online within the myInvolvement portal,” Di Genova said. “Next semester, students will be able to request an official electronic copy of their co-curricular record.”

Darlene Hnatchuck, director of the Career Planning Service, is confident in the program’s ability to convert extracurricular hours into job opportunities.

“Students who have developed transferable skills and can articulate them clearly to an employer have an edge in their search for employment opportunities,” Hnatchuck said. “Using the CCR, students will be better able to identify and articulate the skills they developed through [their] activities.”

Currently, over 48 student organizations have joined myInvolvement.

“Our list of student organizations is growing on a daily basis,” Di Genova said. “Since September, over 3,000 new students have logged into the myInvolvement portal and over 7,000 students have active accounts.”

The software is not without its criticisms. According to SSMU Vice-President Club and Services Stephan Fong, the program has not been specifically adapted to the Canadian educational system. 

“It is very much an American program,” Fong said. “[In the United States] student societies have very little power and life is run by the University itself. All the clubs are under the university, so it makes sense for the university to purchase the program and use it to manage their clubs. The problem in Canada is that societies are constructed completely differently.”

Fong also voiced concerns over the shared platform between the university and SSMU.

“We are not necessarily comfortable with letting the university administer our clubs through their program,” Fong explained, elaborating on the caveats of SSMU purchasing the program through. “These programs are often off-the-shelves programs, hence not as customizable as we would want [them to be].  It is a one-size-fits-all program and what I’ve learned by looking across Canada is that none of us  [are] one size consistent.” 

Fong made it clear that the initiative remains a pilot project and must be improved. 

“I want students to look at it themselves and tell us what they want out of the system: Does the system deliver what they want?” Fong said. “I know that all the students would like to have their extracurricular activities recognized. My goal is, by the end of this semester, [to] collect a lot of feedback and bring it to Council or [the] General Assembly to see what people think of the system.”

a, Arts & Entertainment, Music

Album Review: Jessie Ware – Tough Love

by Jack Neal on

More in a:

Just under a month ago, Jessie Ware, the Brixton-born singer and master of restraint, performed at the iTunes Festival where she showcased a vastly improved confidence in not only her stage presence, but in her vocals as well. Ware stated in a 2014 interview with The Guardian that her new record pushed her voice to the front and out of her usual comfort zone. Based on her iTunes performance, the result is a welcome departure from the restrained, seductive efforts on her previous album, Devotion (2012).

The new record, Tough Love, sees Ware tackle the problems that arise from being in love. The song titles say it all: Love is “Cruel”; it happens “Kind Of… Sometimes… Maybe,” and when things get tough, it’s better to “Keep On Lying.”

Beginning with the arresting lead single in which Ware sings in a higher than usual register—almost in a whisper—delivering her vocals over an echoing beat, electronics, and restrained guitar strums, this track is essentially a prologue for the rest of the album. The standout track—the second single and her highest charting song to date—“Say You Love Me,” is a superbly crafted track—far more organic than the rest of the album and perfectly suited to Ware’s sultry vocals. She should take this song as the model for the future.

Unfortunately, though, this is where Tough Love begins to falter. For all the supreme production, what’s lacking is Ware’s upfront vocals that she clearly demonstrated she can do with ease at her iTunes performance. The chorus of “You And I (Forever)” for example, which was incredible at the live performance, was a gently-building song that climaxed with a stunning final note. On the album, though, that same note is barely a murmur.

This underwhelming listen is more of an annoyance, though, rather than the making of a bad album. It would be wrong to overlook everything Tough Love does well, and for refined and restrained music to listen to in the wee hours of the morning, you simply cannot get any better.

a, Arts & Entertainment, Music

Album Review: Rich Gang – Rich Gang: Tha Tour Part 1

by Clark Bray on

More in a:

On each of their releases, Rich Gang mixtapes and albums have featured a different assemblage of rappers associated with Birdman’s Cash Money Records. Riding off the success of this summer’s chart-topping single, “Lifestyle,” Rich Gang: Tha Tour Part 1 is a promising and well-crafted development of the single’s sound, serving as a portent of the group’s inevitable monopoly on commercial hip hop.

The mixtape features Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan—who in my opinion, especially the former—have such peerless voices that I tend to think of their combined sound more as instrumentation than as vocalization—and I mean that as praise. Young Thug’s voice is the manifestation of what Lil Wayne would have sounded like if he had chosen to develop his weird, Da Drought 3 (2007) persona, and accordingly, it comes as no surprise that the two are now working with one another.

London on da Track, who produces the entire mixtape, perfectly complements the duo with visceral and distinctive synth stabs throughout, which makes me hope that the trio continues to refine their sound throughout the year and perhaps eventually even form their own group.

My personal favourite track is “Tell Em (Lies),” which has the same structure as “Lifestyle” but features heavier piano fills and a dreamier sequence of drum kicks, which attests to London on da Track’s talent as a producer. Like his contemporaries Metro Boomin and DJ Mustard, London on da Track is adept at crafting minimal beats that have similar structures but always showcase interesting and unpredictable harmonic patterns. The group has high potential, and I am excited to see if Rich Gang: Tha Tour Part 2, coming out later this year, will be as matured as I predict it will be.

a, Martlets, Men's Varsity, Sports

Redmen struggle, Martlets shine in annual Redbird Classic

by Aaron Rose on

More in a:

Martlets

Coming off their third RSEQ Championship in as many years, the McGill Martlets swept the Redbird Classic with wins over Lakehead, Regina, and Toronto.

The Martlets took control of their first game early with an 18-8 lead after the first quarter, but the Lakehead Timberwolves stormed back in the second and McGill went into halftime clinging to a one-point lead. Led by junior centre Alexandria Kiss-Rusk, the Martlets blew the game wide open as they outscored the Timberwolves by 18 in the second half. Kiss-Rusk and reigning RSEQ Player-of-the-Year Mariam Sylla combined for 27 points, and 5’4” point guard Marika Guerin pulled down a game high nine rebounds.

In their second game, the Martlets jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, en route to a 73-41 drubbing of the Regina Cougars. While Sylla had trouble shooting all night—connecting on just one of her 10 attempts—she took advantage of free throws, shooting nine for 10 from the charity stripe. The starters struggled throughout the night, but the bench picked up the slack, scoring 46 of the team’s 73 points. Sophomore guard Carolann Cloutier came off the bench to lead the team with a game high 16 points on 86 per cent shooting, including a perfect four for four from three point range.

Cloutier cooled off in the tournament finale, but the Martlets stayed red-hot, downing the Toronto Varsity Blues 68-59. Sylla led the way with 17 points and 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the tournament. Senior point guard Dianna Ros facilitated the lethal McGill offence with four assists to go along with her 17 points.

The Martlets will head down south to take on the Maine Black Bears, of the NCAA, on Nov. 1 in what will be a good measuring stick for this year’s potent squad. Their RSEQ season kicks off on Nov. 6 at Love Competition Hall against the Bishop’s Gaiters.

Redmen

After back-to-back RSEQ Championships, the McGill Redmen hosted their annual Redbird Classic tournament at Love Competition Hall this past weekend. The Redmen, 3-3 in preseason, opened the tournament against an inexperienced St. Francis Xavier squad. McGill found themselves down by 11 at the start of the fourth quarter, but stingy defensive play allowed the Redmen to claw back and tie it up late. Captain Vincent Dufort led the way with 20 points and 10 boards while sophomore power forward Francois Borque picked up where he left off after his exceptional freshman season, posting an impressive double-double. Borque tied it up at 65-65 with four seconds left, but the X-Men pulled away in overtime en route to a 77-73 victory.

Day two of the tournament saw the Redmen take on the Brock Badgers, and once again McGill fell behind in the first quarter as they dealt with turnover issues and poor shooting. Sophomore forward Michael Peterkin proved to be the spark plug in the second half, catching fire from beyond the arc and scoring 12 of his 16 points from deep. The Redmen stormed back in the second half, finally pulling ahead in the fourth quarter with backup point guard Jenning Leung leading the way. Leung scored a game high 17 points—including two ‘and-one’ plays—as well as a buzzer beating three at the end of the third.

“I’ve been struggling with my shot recently,” Leung said.  “So it was nice to see them finally go in, especially that half court shot. I just saw the ball rolling […] so I decided to pick it up and throw it because there wasn’t much time, and it went in.”

After his big game against the Badgers, Leung found himself in the starting lineup against the CIS top-ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees. The Redmen fell behind early, however, and never got back into it, losing 88-56. It’s early, but the Redmen clearly still have a few kinks to work out if they want to compete for the CIS title this season.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do, but it’s only October,” Coach Dave DeAverio said. “You’re going to make a lot of mistakes in October, as we did last year [….] The idea is to just get better and better every day.”

The Redmen finish off their pre-season in St. Catherines at the RBC Brock Classic, where they will take on Windsor, York, and Ryerson. On Nov. 8, they return home to take on a tough Bishop’s Gaiters team in what could be a RSEQ Championship game preview.

a, Baseball, Sports

Point Counterpoint: 2014 MLB World Series Preview

by Adrian Knowler, Elie Waitzer on

More in a:

The McGill Tribune takes a look at the 2014 MLB World Series. Two writers square off to predict whether it’s the San Francisco Giants or the Kansas City Royals who have what it takes to bring home the trophy.

Click each perspective to read more

San Francisco Giants

Elie Waitzer

OFFENCE:

The Giants’ lineup isn’t stacked with big names, but it’s hard to find a real weak spot anywhere in the batting order. As has become expected, General Manager Brian Sabean has pulled a mixed bag of role players out of his hat at just the right time. Rookie Joe Panik has exceeded expectations at second base, and journeyman Travis Ishikawa sent the Giants to their third World Series in five years with a walk-off home run. Homegrown stars such as Pablo Sandoval, Buster Posey, and Brandon Belt should continue to provide the power for this team, and you could make an argument for giving the NL MVP award to free agent-signing Hunter Pence.

DEFENCE:

The Royals’ outfield has undoubtedly been deserving of all the media love it has garnered thus far. In the infield, however, the Giants may hold a slight advantage. In his third full season with the Giants, shortstop Brandon Crawford has provided gold-glove defence in the hole. While Pablo Sandoval might not be the most nimble third baseman, it’s not as though the Royals’ corner infielders are particularly agile themselves.

STARTING ROTATION:

This Giants squad is almost unrecognizable from its 2010 and 2012 World Series-winning teams, but among the few familiar faces, nobody has played a bigger role than Madison Bumgarner. Just four years ago, we watched Bumgarner dominate the Rangers over eight innings in Game Four of the 2010 World Series as a rookie. After posting the best numbers of his young career in the regular season, Bumgarner has been the most effective ace of this post-season, building on his already impressive October resumé. If the Giants can push this series past Game 5 and get two starts out of Bumgarner, veteran starters Tim Hudson and Jake Peavy should be able to pick up the rest of the slack.

BULLPEN:

Like Kansas City, the Giants have two elite set-up men in the form of Jean Machi and Jeremy Affeldt. While their numbers aren’t as good as Kansas’ deadly duo of Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis, both posted earned run averages (ERA) under 3.00 and should be able to lock down the seventh and eighth innings. Unlike Kansas City, the Giants are sorely missing a reliable closer. The demise of Sergio Romo and his devastating slider forced Manager Bruce Bochy to hand the ninth inning to Santiago Casilla. He’s gotten the job done thus far, but he had previously been known for starting the season in the minor leagues after imploding in 2013.

X-FACTOR:

Baseball analysts often omit the manager’s role in their assessment of a team, arguing that the boss’ effect is negligible. However, when a matchup between two managers is so skewed, it can be a major factor. While Ned Yost has become the first manager to win his first eight games in the post-season, he is widely panned by the sabermetric community for his rigid bullpen use and bunt-happy ways. Giants’ Manager Bruce Bochy, on the other hand, has finished in the top three in Manager-of-the-Year voting five times, and won the award in 1996. His wealth of playoff experience, and his uncanny ability to bring the best out of his players should provide an important edge for the Giants in this World Series.

Kansas City Royals

Adrian Kanowler

OFFENCE:

These Royals are fast. With 153 stolen bases this year, Kansas City easily led the American League in swiped bags. Despite this, they know the old baseball axiom: “You can’t steal first base.” The Royals supplemented their speed by finishing third in the majors in base hits and combining for the second highest batting average. They have truly mastered the art of ‘small ball’—pushing across runs on bloop hits and savvy base running. Kansas City finished dead last in the league in home runs this year, but their bats have suddenly come alive in the post-season, swatting eight home runs over eight games. If they can stay hot, this lineup has everything you need to take a seven game series.

DEFENCE:

From centre fielder Lorenzo Cain robbing extra base hits at the wall to third baseman Mike Moustakas diving over the dugout wall head over heels to grab a foul ball, this Royals team has plus defenders at almost every position. With Gold Glovers at first base, catcher, and left field, this defence continues to impress. The only possible weakness is Norichika Aoki, who is a replacement-level Major League right fielder.

STARTING ROTATION:

The Royals turned heads two years ago with the now infamous trade that sent their top prospect Wil Myers to Tampa Bay for a package centred around James Shields. ‘Big Game James,’ as he’s known, has been terrific for the Royals over the past two seasons. His playoff appearances so far haven’t been dominant, but he’s given the Royals a chance to win in each of them. The rotation behind Shields consists of veterans Jason Vargas and Jeremy Guthrie, who have both been solid in the playoffs, and flame-throwing Rookie-of-the-Year candidate Yordano Ventura, who led the rotation in ERA. They don’t have a true ace, but their rotation is deep and consistent.

BULLPEN:

The Kansas City bullpen is arguably the best in all of baseball. They’re so good that the triumvirate of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis, and Greg Holland has earned the nickname ‘The Three-Headed Monster.’ If the Royals have a lead going into the seventh inning, manager Ned Yost can hand the ball to Herrera, and from there, the game may as well be over, as a blown save is a rarity with this trio. Each reliever had an ERA under 1.50 on the year, and both Davis and Holland each struck out over 13 batters per nine innings. This team doesn’t tend to put lots of runs on the board— their dominant bullpen has been possibly the biggest key to the Royals’ success in this post-season.

X FACTOR:

This is a young team, and most of the players have no prior playoff experience. While this hasn’t been an issue so far in the post-season, they’ll be facing a team stocked with players who have invaluable World Series experience. To make the jump to World Series Champions, their three veterans—Alex Gordon, Billy Butler, and James Shields—must step up and deliver. Gordon was the go-to guy in Kansas City this year, leading the team in extra base hits, RBI, and home runs. Butler had a down year, but the veteran designated hitter knows how to hit, and his experience could prove the difference in this matchup.

Editor’s Pick: Giants in 6

a, From the BrainSTEM, Science & Technology

From the BrainSTEM: Gaters, games, ‘n gals

by Wilder Walker-Stewart on

More in a:

From the lawless wilderness of 4chan boards and subreddits to the relatively tame comment sections of tech websites, a debate is raging about women in gaming: Are women being marginalized and abused, or are the alleged problems a media creation? Unfortunately, a series of recent events proves the former to be true.

The recent internet movement Gamergate—which cites its official purpose as improving advocacy for ethics in video game journalism—has placed a spotlight on this issue. However, the Gamergate movement contains strong undercurrents of misogyny, with blogs like The Verge questioning the legitimacy of the problem.

Gamergate stemmed from a blog post in Aug. 2014, when video game reviewer Eron Gjoni broke up with his girlfriend Zoe Quinn, an independent video game developer. According to the post, Gjoni accused his then girlfriend of having an affair with Nathan Grayson, a video game reviewer who had given Quinn’s latest game Depression Quest a positive review. Rumours began spreading that Grayson positively reviewed the game because of his dealings with Quinn. Gamers everywhere began to scorn her, accusing her of “selling her body for publicity.”

From there, things quickly spun out of control. Anyone vaguely associated with the Quinn controversy was targeted. This included feminist vlogger Anika Sarkeesian, whose YouTube show Feminist Frequency discusses the role of women in video games. In her shows, Sarkeesian argues that women are constantly being portrayed in many games as sexual playthings and victims of violence—including in popular games such as Assassin’s Creed and Grand Theft Auto—to satisfy male desires. Following Gjoni’s accusations, the show’s Twitter page and comment sections were filled with horrifyingly graphic messages and insults—some so violent that Sarkeesian left her home in fear.

So when the University of Pittsburgh conducted a study representing the public perception of the stereotypical gamer, the results were not surprising. Most people pictured gamers as angry young men. However, this perception is inaccurate.

Gamergate, however, has brought the dark underbelly of the gaming world to light. ‘Gaters’—as proponents of the movement call themselves—claim women like Quinn are trying to ruin gaming as we know it, and consequently degrade them for it. What they fail to realize is that female gamers have become intrinsically linked to the gaming world, simply by playing games, whereas Gaters are the ones who represent a diminishing fraction of gamers. It’s time Gaters recognize that women game, too.

Although Gamergate originated as an initiative to advocate video game journalism ethics, the convoluted and mysogynistic version of the movement has garnered intense public support. The American Enterprise Institute, a right wing think-tank, has dismissed opponents of the movement as “feminist tech writers” and “concernocrats” bent on destroying free speech. 

All of this points to a situation rife with misconceptions. Grayson did not write his review to ‘repay’ Quinn. Gaming will not implode, as Gaters claim, if women are in the industry. Gamergate has nothing to do with civil liberties, and everything to do with the objectification of women. The few legitimate arguments about ethics in journalism and the nature of games have been overshadowed by a flow of hateful bile that shows the vile nature of the movement. If anything, Gamergate shows us that in order for women to be treated equally on the internet, the current mindless, misogynist mindset of the Gater must end.

a, Science & Technology

Demystifying vampires

by Andy Wang on

More in a:

When the word vampire is mentioned, it’s easy to imagine a musky room, candle light, and perhaps, romance. Dracula, a novel written by Bram Stoker, and its multiple contemporary renditions were, at least in Western literature, the first brazen attempt at coupling vampires and humans.

Of course, the association of sex and vampirism was not rooted in the psyche of just one author. In the analysis of the acquisition of these thought-chains, a pattern becomes apparent: People are conditioned to think a certain way.

According to German-American psychologist Wolfgang Köhler, “[The Bouba/Kiki effect provides an example of] non-arbitrary mapping between speech sounds and the visual shape of objects.”

In an experiment, participants were asked to name two shapes as either ‘Kiki’ or ‘Bouba.’ The result demonstrated strong preferences for the round, curved shape as being Bouba—95 per cent—and the jagged, spiky shape as Kiki—98 per cent.

Likewise, the link between vampires and desire is anything but arbitrary. The natural—or in this case supernatural—associations with darkness, blood, puncturing, and feeding, could very easily morph into connections of mystery, pain, and  desire.

Science takes a considerably drier perspective on the vampire myth. According to a paper published by Skeptical Inquirer, simple mathematics disproves the theory that vampires exist. Assuming that the first vampire arrived on Jan. 1, 1600, that it required human blood once a month, and that all humans bitten by vampires would become vampires themselves, the entire human population would be wiped out in less than three years.

There is something to be said about the idea of vampires and their place somewhere between fiction and reality. Specifically,  most—if not all—myths are rooted at least partially in past events. Vampirism is no exception. According to an article published by Neurology, Dr. Gomez-Alonso argues that, “Vampire stories became prominent in Europe at exactly the same time certain areas were experiencing rabies outbreaks. This was particularly true in Hungary between 1721 and 1728, when an epidemic plagued dogs, wolves, and humans, and left the country in ruins [….] Vampires were the sole topic of conversation between 1730 and 1735.”

Fantasies are by definition not real; yet, in the process of thinking and describing these fantasies, it can be easy to become confused  of the extent of a fantasy. A prime example is the medical condition porphyria, a condition that causes seizures, trances and vivid hallucinations. Interestingly, it also causes acute sensitivity to light—where the briefest exposure could lead to blisters on the skin—as well as intolerance to foods containing sulphur. Fittingly, garlic just happens to be very rich in sulphur.

In this way, the supernatural becomes super easy when you break down the facts.

a, McGill, News

What’s happening at McGill

by Jessica Fu on

More in a:

#ConsentMcGill

Oct. 20-24

Various locations on both campuses

This week long campaign aims to draw attention to the importance of consent through workshops hosted by various student groups around campus. It was one of the measures set forth by Ollivier Dyens last semester, following campus-wide scrutiny regarding the administration’s approach to an ongoing sexual assault case against three former Redmen football players.

https://www.mcgill.ca/deanofstudents/consentmcgill

SSMU General Assembly

Oct. 22 4:30 p.m.

SSMU Cafeteria

This event, which takes place once a semester, gives members of Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) the opportunity to hear reports from executives on the progress of their work at this point in the year, and to vote on various matters pertaining to the Society. The questions up for vote this semester include: A motion to support the people of occupied Palestinian Territories, a motion for SSMU to join the student coalition Étudiant(e)s Contre les Oléoducs (ÉCO), and a motion that SSMU officially oppose development of military technology on campus.

Safe Space workshop

Oct. 23 2:00 p.m.

McLennan Library Building

Hosted by the Office for Students with Disabilities, this workshop aims to raise understanding of racial and cultural discrimination on campus.

http://www.mcgill.ca/channels/event/safer-spaces-workshop-race-cultural-identity-224794

Glenn Greenwald

Oct. 23 6:00

Pollock Hall

Greenwald, a renowned journalist and lawyer, who broke the story regarding citizen surveillance by the National Security Agency, will be speaking at McGill’s 2014 Annual Beaverbrook Lecture.

Admission is first-come, first-serve.

Conference on Food Security

Oct. 28 6:30 p.m. & Oct. 29 all day

New Residence Hall

This two-day event aims to address matters regarding food availability for the world’s expanding population. It will feature workshops, presentations, and discussions, and will be attended by students, government representatives, and members of NGOs.

Admission for students is $60.

1 … 896 897 898 899 900 … 1,363

Read the latest issue

Read the latest issue