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a, McGill, News

Ethical economics: assessing the effectiveness of university divestment campaigns

by Samiha Sharif on

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Divestment campaigns at universities have targeted a diverse range of issues in the last several decades, varying from South African apartheid in the 1970s to companies involved in fossil fuels today

Divestment is the reduction or elimination of investment in a particular company or sector for ethical and social reasons. In the last few years campaigns have sprung up at universities across Canada and around the world, including student group Divest McGill’s campaign for the university to divest from certain companies with connections to fossil fuels.

This week, the Tribune takes a look at university divestment campaigns to understand the ideas behind divestment and the arguments for and against it.

Historical instances of divestment

In the past, university divestment campaigns have focus on several different issues. One campaign that is often cited as a success was against companies that did business with apartheid-era South Africa in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s. Hundreds of universities and other institutions around the world took part in this campaign, including over 20 from Canada.

The campaign against South African apartheid was one of two instances where McGill chose to divest. The second was the divestment from tobacco companies in 2007.

However, McGill’s Director of Internal Relations Doug Sweet said other factors may have contributed to the success of that movement.

“At the same time as divestment, there was also a pretty widespread global boycott against some South African products, like South African wine,” he said. “That probably had more economic impact than divestment.”

Unlike divestment, boycotting is a practice undertaken by individuals rather than institutions.

Effectiveness of divestment

There is an ongoing debate on how effective divestment campaigns really are, and whether or not they are a wise decision for universities.

According to Divest McGill Coordinator Bronwen Tucker, divestment is a good financial decision for universities because fossil fuel companies will decrease in value in the future.

However, John Limeburner, McGill’s executive director of investments, said that divestment would be both inefficient and unwise in the case of their companies because divestment hardly affects the companies financially.

“At the end of the day, even when someone divested, there [is] someone else there to buy [the stocks] there at a bargain,” Limeburner said. “When you sell a stock and divest, you are not taking money out of the company’s pockets but out of the pockets of the investors by making the price [go] down, and that’s another opportunity for others to come and buy it at a lower price.”

Limeburner added that divestment would leave McGill in a financially volatile position.

“Taking these sectors out and not investing in them would leave us with an undiversified portfolio,” Limeburner explained. “The risk there is that you have swings of higher volatility, which is what happened in the year of 2008/2009, and that’s what we try to smooth out by having a diversified portfolio to different sectors, countries, and types of assets.”

Tucker argued that the current stock price may not reflect the companies’ stabilitiy.

“The evaluation of fossil fuel companies on the stock market are completely based on them being allowed to burn all the reserves that they have; those companies are not as valuable as their stocks right now,” Tucker said. “It is called the carbon bubble—which is similar to the housing bubble that is associated with the recession. There are a lot of banks coming out saying that carbon investments are risky.”

Since the sectors of energy, materials and financials­—all of which are involved in fossil fuels—comprise of  70 per cent of the Canadian market, if McGill were to divest from these sectors, their portfolio would be severly effected by any fluctuations within the market, according to Limeburner.

However, Divest McGill member David Summerhays said that promotion of university divestment does not primarily intend to financially affect subject companies.

“We expect university divestment to raise a ton of awareness about the problem and not directly harm the share price of fossil fuel companies,” Summerhays said. “McGill and many other institutions divested from tobacco in the past 20 years, and we’ve seen a wave of health-protecting legislation across the world.”

Divest McGill and the campaign to divest from fossil fuels

At McGill, a recent movement has resulted in the creation of Divest McGill, although the group’s campaigns have yet to be accepted by the administration. Its current platform calls on McGill to divest from the top 200 fossil fuel companies in the world by carbon reserve and 36 companies involved in the oil º sands.

Earlier last year, Divest McGill petitioned the Board of Governors to divest from fossil fuel companies in its investment portfolio.

According to Tucker, the divestment movement to prevent climate change began two years ago.

“There have been lots of fledging climate movements in the past, but none of them have been engaging students,” Tucker said. “We’ve known about climate change for 20 years, but there is kind of larger scale change that needs to happen in terms of government and corporate policies.”

Several small colleges in the North eastern United States like Unity College, College of the Atlantic in Maine, and Sterling College have already divested from fossil fuel companies and many of them are focused on climate change.

However, Todd Pettigrew, associate professor at Cape Breton University, argues in his article “Ethical investing isn’t as easy as it sounds” in Maclean’s Magazine that unethical companies are difficult to define.

“There are almost no easy cases—every investment is bound to have its pluses and minuses, ethically speaking,” Pettigrew said.
“So, while ‘no unethical investments’ sounds great at a protest rally, the slogan rings hollow the moment it’s really tested.”

Other universities across Canada and the world also have divestment campaigns—for example, the University of Toronto’s group, Toronto350.

“The threat of climate destabilization is the main driving force behind this campaign,” Toronto350 President Stuart Basden said. “With that in mind, fossil fuels have no place in the liveable future. We are trying to work within the bureaucracy to change things.”

Although McGill currently maintains such investments, Summerhays said he is looking forward to future opportunities to achieve their goals.

“We’re optimistic that we can iron out a concrete way forward that would preserve the divestment impact while keeping a balanced portfolio that would put Limeburner and the [Board of Governors] at ease,” he said.

Errata: A previous version of this article included an infographic that was incorrectly labeled as “McGill investments in various sectors of the Toronto Stock Exchange as of Dec. 31, 2013.” In fact, the data represented the breakdown of the S&P/TSX as of Dec. 31, 2013, not the McGill Investment Pool.

In addition, the table below the infographic stated that 71.8 per cent of McGill’s investments were in sectors that had connections to fossil fuels. This is incorrect. The sectors in question comprised 71.8 per cent of the Canadian market, not the McGill investment portfolio.

The Tribune regrets these errors.

a, Science & Technology

What is the science behind chemical attraction?

by Caity Hui on

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When we meet someone that we like, our heart flutters and we feel short of breath. On a first date, our stomach is full of butterflies. And when we fall in love, we feel a powerful sense of empathy towards our partner.

While poets, novelists, and songwriters have described the feeling of love in countless types of verse, attraction at the biological level boils down to simple chemistry. In fact, falling in love equates to about 79 carbon atoms, 117 hydrogen atoms, 14 nitrogen atoms, 19 oxygen atoms, and two sulfur atoms— all of which comprise four critical hormones: testosterone, adrenaline, dopamine, and oxytocin.

Hormones are secreted compounds that are produced by specific cells, glands, or tissues. They travel throughout the body and influence many physiological and behavioural activities, including digestion, metabolism, growth, and, in the case of these hormones, attraction. Though you can’t see or feel them, these tiny molecules have a huge influence on who you find attractive and, ultimately, with who you fall in love.

Testosterone

Commonly known for its role as a male sex hormone, testosterone is actually present in both men and women, and plays a pivotal role in fostering sexual attraction. It’s responsible for increasing sexual arousal and focused attention on the person of interest, making it one of several chemicals guilty of inspiring lust. While testosterone is present in higher concentrations in men, a study published by Northwestern University in 2012 suggests that mutual attraction actually induces a hormonal testosterone spike in both parties.

The study consisted of approximately 200 heterosexual men and women who volunteered to take part in about 2000 speed dates. Participants were required to provide researchers with four saliva samples for hormonal analysis. Two were taken a week before the speed-dates, while one was taken right before and another right after.

The samples showed that testosterone levels remained stable during one-sided attraction, but sharply increased when mutual attraction was experienced.

“Many people think that only men have testosterone, but that’s not the case,” said Eli Finkel, the lead author of the study. “It’s true that men have much more testosterone than women do, but the links between testosterone and social outcomes are similar for men and women, and testosterone is associated with a stronger sex drive in both sexes.”

The study gives rise to interesting questions concerning sexual attraction—how accurate are people at detecting this mutual attraction, and are testosterone levels related to some people being better at detecting it than others?

Adrenaline

When you meet someone new, this fight or flight hormone is responsible for the butterfly feeling in your stomach and racing pulse. According to Reginald Ho, a cardiac electrophysiologist and associate professor of medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, the brain sends a signal to the adrenal gland, which secretes adrenaline to the blood. The hormone then travels until it reaches various organs on which it has a physiological effect.  For instance, when adrenaline reaches the heart, it binds to a specific receptor called the adrenergic receptor expressed on the heart tissue. Binding to this receptor triggers an increase in heart rate. Adrenaline is the same hormone that is released when we are frightened or stressed, which may go to explain the feeling of nervousness we experience when meeting someone we find attractive.

Dopamine

Anthropologist and human behaviour researcher Helen Fisher conducted an experiment where she scanned the brains of young couples to see what areas of the brain lit up when they focused on the object of their affection. One of these areas was associated with dopamine—a hormone that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers. Not only does dopamine enable us to see rewards, it also provokes people to take action to move toward them.

“My prediction is that dopamine is an essential part of infatuation”, said Fisher to Psychology Today. “[The hormone] is already associated with euphoria, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, and a rush of motivation.” In other words, the dopamine response seems to induce all the symptoms we attribute to falling in love.

Oxytocin

This cuddling chemical is the hormone that activates feelings of trust and attraction between people when it is released in the brain during childbirth, breastfeeding, and sex. Unlike testosterone, adrenaline, or dopamine, oxytocin plays less of a role in sparking relationships, and plays a role in promoting monogamy.

According to a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience, oxytocin helps maintain relationships once they have started. The researchers monitored a first encounter between male study participants and a woman in a laboratory setting. When given oxytocin via an intranasal spray, men who had indicated they were currently in a stable relationship kept a greater physical distance from the woman in the lab compared to single men sprayed with the same hormone. This supports the idea that raised levels of oxytocin promote monogamy between partners.

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, the spotlight turns to the romantic gestures couples make towards one another. Fisher explains that, based on the chemistry of attraction, these gestures aren’t so crazy after all.

“No wonder lovers talk all night or walk till dawn, write extravagant poetry and self-revealing emails, or cross continents or oceans […] for just a weekend,” Fisher said. “Drenched in chemicals that bestow focus, stamina, and vigor […] lovers succumb to a Herculean courting urge.”

a, Student Life

Social media: both blessing and curse for the lonely

by Laura Hanrahan on

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From Facebook to Instagram to the multitude of dating websites, we live in a digital age where speaking to someone or finding out what they’re up to is just a click away. Social media platforms are built on the premise of being able to instantly connect with others—to share our thoughts and experiences instantaneously. But how does our reliance on technology affect loneliness?

According to a 2009 study from Kent University and Michigan State University, people dealing with feelings of loneliness are more likely to turn to these virtual forms of communications. For example, they view sending a text message as “less risky and easier than face-to-face communication.”

Jui Ramaprasad, a McGill Management professor specializing in online communities, said the ease of virtual communication is a main driver for people seeking online dating forums, such as Tinder and OkCupid.

“The boundaries you see offline aren’t necessarily there online,” Ramaprasad says. “You can just pick up your phone and decide ‘I’m going to date right now.’ It gives an opportunity to people who are less inclined to be social in a traditional sense.”

From this point of view, social media seems like a perfectly simple solution to a rather commonplace problem, but ironically, study after study has come to the same unexpected conclusion: social media facilitates loneliness. Current research indicates that it may do so in two ways.

Firstly, the 2009 study showed that lonelier people are at a higher risk of developing compulsive internet-use behaviours—the inability to display self-restraint with online media use. These behaviours often lead to deficits in aspects of life—whether it is in work, school, or social life. Rather than relieving the original isolation, however, compulsive internet-use can escalate the problem, leading to even more loneliness.

“The increased problems might drive them to rely more on their favourite online activity as a means to diminish or escape their augmented troubles, which could isolate them and increase loneliness more,” the researchers state in the study.

Secondly, what people post online is a very small, hand-selected snapshot of their actual life.

“I can see it having a bad side for some if you don’t recognize that people put the best parts of their lives up, and it’s not always the most accurate,” McGill U2 Arts student Breanna Morris says.

Users of social media can think through a post or perfect an image before sharing with their social circle. As a result, viewers of these posts may come to the conclusion that other people’s lives are much more exciting and glamorous than their own.  While this way of thinking can have a negative impact on self-image in general, it is even more detrimental to those who are already dealing with insecurities and feelings of disconnectedness.

“It enhances the way I perceive other’s lives,” Ben Turner, U1 Arts, says. “I think social media makes me believe people are cooler and loving life more than they actually are.”

This same selective infromation sharing may not only glamourize their peers’ lives; it may also drive a wedge between individuals and their peers.

“I think people tend to hate on people that only post positive […] and perfect things because it makes them jealous, thinking that other people’s lives are so much better than their own,” Morris says.

At the end of the day, technology can result in a vicious cycle of secluded people trying to connect through social media, which can increase their loneliness and further increase their social media use. This digitized world can be both a blessing and a curse, but it is by no means a substitute for human interaction.

“I find [social media] extremely useful for reaching groups of people, and for easily keeping in touch with long-distance friends,” Turner says. “Social media is definitely necessary, but I can’t live without real conversations.”

 

a, Arts & Entertainment

The elite eight: Karen Russell’s short story collection shines

by Zoe Hoskin on

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Karen Russell’s new book of stories titled Vampires in the Lemon Grove, published in February 2013, is preceded by a slew of positive reviews and awards from her past publications. With Vampires, Russell once again demonstrates her drive to challenge herself and push the boundaries of her prose and genre.

For her first set of stories, St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves (2006), Russell was named one of the National Book Foundation’s top “5 under 35” in 2009, and won the Bard Fiction Prize in 2011. However, it was her debut novel, Swamplandia! (2011)—for which she became a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2012—that secured her reputation as a master of prose and a moving storyteller. When  the Chicago Tribune asked her about the influence of literary awards on her work, Russell humbly replied, “I think it’s good to be held to a really high standard. It’s wonderful to have this impetus to do good work and feel challenged to push into new frontiers.”

In this collection of eight unified stories, Russell inhabits diverse human and animal perspectives from around the world. She writes these characters with a level of cultural detail that a reader couldn’t possibly verify without travelling to these distant countries, boarding with a local family, and maybe spending a decade in each one.

In addition to her rich settings and personae, Russell’s prose begs to be read slowly and enjoyed; her language contains all the poetry and mysticism of a haiku. In each sentence, words are arranged in inventive ways so that magic seems to ooze from the cracks between the real and the solid.

Likewise, her plots and story set-ups tend to combine realistic problems with streaks of magical intervention. One may reasonably wonder how Russell is able to so fully imagine and transmit the visceral experience of transforming from a young girl into an enslaved worm in a Japanese silk factory, as she does in “Reeling for the Empire.”

With empathic grace, Russell lights up her stories using international, cross-gender, and cross-species experiences tied together by the thread of forgiveness from past guilt. Russell is an expert at targeting pivotal moments in her characters’ emotional evolution and colouring them, pushing them to tension until they buzz. She ends each story with a single sentence that provokes multiple questions inside the reader’s head: What is freedom? What are we bound by? Are we defined by our pasts? Whom and what do we live for?

Russell plots her animals in the trajectory of guilt and forgiveness. In almost every story, the animal’s characteristics cause it guilt yet, when seen in a different light, they allow the animal to free itself through forgiveness. In the opening story “Vampires in the Lemon Grove,” an ancient immortal vampire bat regrets his blood-drinking youth; and after discovering that he does not need blood, he instead goes to live off of a lemon grove in Italy. In another story, the former American presidents have become horses that are trapped in a pen (possibly in heaven) but can jump over the low fence once they are mentally strong enough. Russell’s collection of stories is unified through themes of guilt and transformation, and animal symbolism.

With her final story, “The Graveless Doll of Eric Mutis,” the Florida-born Russell roots herself in the North American literary tradition alongside writers like Toni Morrison and Margaret Atwood, who explore memories of childhood bullying to take an unabashed look at guilt and repentance. In this piece, schoolboy Larry Rubio teases, shames, and beats up another student, Eric Mutis, who is “paler than a cauliflower” and has a questionable home environment. The final image is of Rubio’s effigy of Mutis, “Mutant,” made of a found scarecrow and a pet shop white rabbit. Rubio looms over the makeshift shrine and concludes, “Somewhere I think I must still be standing, just like that.”

By the end of the collection, Russell has melted her imaginative tales into a wonder that crosses from her fiction into the reader’s world. The things that are identified as magical in her book translate to the invisible, emotional forces of memory and transformation, guilt and forgiveness. As promised, Russell extends her prose and genre to create an imaginative collection of short stories in which creativity meets empathy.

a, Opinion

“Triple-E” Senate: Equal, but elected in error

by Tim Logan on

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On a class trip in high school, I became one of the relatively few people in Canadian history to sit at a Senator’s desk. From the wood-and-leather chair, I admired the richly-adorned chamber that the media often calls useless and old-fashioned. As my  final year of high school progressed, the more politically-inclined among us started throwing around the buzzword of Senate reform advocates in Canada: “Triple-E,” which stands for equal, elected, and effective.

To most people—save perhaps those from Quebec and Ontario—the Senate’s current composition is manifestly silly. British Columbia, with a population of over 4 million, has six Senators, while Nova Scotia’s 10 Senators represent fewer than one million. New Brunswick also has 10 Senators, but a population of only 750,000 people. The current scheme of representation, fairly appropriate in 1867, has over time evolved into a haphazard mixture of representation by region and representation by population, resulting in serious asymmetry between regions. Given that representation in the House of Commons is allocated by population, it seems logical that Senate seats be allocated equally between regions. There are 105 seats in the Senate; we could, for example, give each province and territory eight, filling 104 seats, and the last could remain vacant or be removed.

Past equality, however, Triple-E has little merit: an effective Senate and an elected Senate are in direct opposition.

An effective Senate fulfills four roles: debate, regional representation, protection from tyranny, and investigation. First and foremost, the Senate was conceived as a body of “sober second thought”—insulated from majority dictates and populist currents, it debates without time limits and passes, amends, or rejects legislation only after careful consideration of its costs, benefits, and consequences.

Second, it represents regional interests in federal matters. This role has been severely weakened, and is in real need of reform.

Third, the Senate’s legislative oversight protects against the potential tyranny of a prime minister with a majority government, who could otherwise rule unopposed. This power is even more important today, given the massive centralization of power in the prime minister’s office over the past eight years.

The Senate’s fourth role is to investigate and inform government policy. In this, it has been especially effective, leading some to call it “Canada’s best think-tank.” Its luxury of time allows for thorough research and expert witnesses, while the lack of usual partisan bickering means that Senate Commissions stay focused and make recommendations based on evidence and sound reasoning.

Elections would interfere with all of these roles by removing the insulation the Senate requires—the party politics of elections replace debate and regionality with partisan rhetoric, oversight with overlook, and research with selective hearing. At best, the Senate would become distracted by the next campaign. At worst, it could devolve into a dysfunctional den of division and obstinance, as in the United States.

Longer terms of office could offset this but still end in a year-and-a-half of diminished function in the run-up to voting day. Rotating eligibility—also seen in the U.S.—compounds the problem by ensuring that some part of the Senate is busy campaigning instead of doing its job at any given time. Life terms sidestep this problem but lock in the partisanship of elections.

Many today complain about partisan hacks being appointed to the Senate—but are elections really going to make this better? Or, given the growing polarization of Canadian party politics, are they more likely to result in a divided Senate incapable of anything approaching cooperation?

Critics of Senate appointments come from two schools: those who don’t like appointment and those who don’t like the appointees. The first school results in less-effective government, which I don’t particularly care for. Nor are elections the answer to the second school, since party machines are unlikely to support anyone not a party loyalist. But here’s one possible solution: make membership in the Order of Canada a requirement for new appointees. Who better to fill our upper chamber than those who exemplify the motto “They desire a better country”? The selection committee is apolitical, and the inductees have shown their capability and drive. I can think of no group more qualified or better-suited.

In Canada’s appointed Senate we can have convenient insulation from popular whim and pointless partisanship, something we should not abandon lightly. An elected Senate would be far from an improvement.

a, Arts & Entertainment, Theatre

The Seagull will have Montrealers flocking to its stage

by Max Bledstein on

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In Tom Stoppard’s introduction to his English translation of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull, he writes, “You can’t have too many English language versions of The Seagull.” Although he very well may have written those words in the interest of stressing the relevance of his translation—particularly given the plethora of other English translations which were already in existence—his words certainly seem validated by director Peter Hinton’s new adaptation, currently playing at the Segal Centre.

Hinton’s rendition of Chekhov’s classic sets the drama in the contemporary world and convincingly makes the case for its continued relevance. Certain details and interactions from Chekhov’s work have been changed to reflect the production’s setting in the modern sphere. Masha (Krista Colismo) smokes marijuana instead of consuming snuff; Sorin, male in Chekhov’s original, has become the female Sorina (Diane D’Aquila); the track suits, t-shirts, and spandex worn by the characters (designed by Montreal English Theatre Award-winner Eo Sharp), as well as the contemporary music throughout further emphasize Hinton’s decision to set his adaptation in the present.

Sharp’s set also helps to establish the play’s modernity. The jumble of white plastic beach chairs that line the center of the stage at the beginning of the drama inform the audience of the play’s time frame right away. The stylized disarray in which the chairs are scattered suggests the influence of abstract art, as do the black scribbles across the grey canvas which provides the backdrop for much of the play’s action. Sharp’s use of abstraction effectively situates the play’s deconstruction of what it means to be an artist within the context of the modern art world. Though artistic styles have changed, Sharp seems to suggest, Chekhov’s messages about the lives of artists continue to resonate.

Despite the strong influence of modernity, Hinton maintains the essential plot arc and character traits of Chekhov’s original. Constantine (Patrick Costello) still wrestles with discovering his identity as a writer while also trying to win the approval of his love interest, Nina (Shannon Curie), and his mother, Arkadina (Lucy Peacock). Constantine hopes to impress Arkadina and her lover Trigorin (Marcel Jeannin) with a production of his avant-garde play on Sorina’s estate, which features Nina as an actress and brings the rest of the ensemble together to watch. Things go awry when Arkadina interrupts the play by mocking it, and the incident sets into motion the family and relationship struggles which comprise many of the play’s essential conflicts.

The ensemble beautifully draws out the ire and agony at the root of these conflicts, as well as the illusions that the characters have about each other and their features. The longing to experience each other’s lives, which Curie and Jeannin express, increases the impact of the pain they feel later on when their fantasies are shattered by reality. Curie and Jeannin also convincingly portray the romantic chemistry that develops between Nina and Trigorin as a result of their idolization of each other. Costello effectively conveys his pining both for Arkadina’s approval and a career as a writer.

Ultimately though, Peacock’s performance makes her stand out from the rest of the ensemble. She brings out both the outside flamboyance that spills over from Arkadina’s stage persona into her everyday life and the cruelty of her abuse of Constantine. Despite the intensity of her portrayal of Arkadina’s faults and diva-like behavior, Peacock also manages to humanize her and allow the audience to sympathize with her.

Peacock, along with the rest of the ensemble, helps to make Hinton’s ambitious undertaking flow and feel less audacious than it is. Though some traditionalists will certainly still scoff at the idea of a modernized Seagull, Hinton and his actors have crafted a version of Chekhov’s classic which brings it into the present day without modifying its themes or sentiment. Certainly, the struggles of making a living as an artist have changed given the increased modes of distribution that exist and the effects which they have on artists; Hinton’s adaptation provides a fascinating look at how Chekhov’s characters would have reacted to the contemporary milieu.

The Seagull will be performed everyday except Friday until Feb. 19 at the Segal Centre (5170 ch. de la Côte-Ste-Catherine). Showtimes and ticket prices vary.

a, Arts & Entertainment, Music

Sun Kil Moon—Benji

by Cristian Hertzer on

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Unique in its cohesiveness and beautiful in its honesty, Sun Kil Moon delivers a true masterpiece with their new album Benji. Although still under the moniker Sun Kil Moon, Benji is born from the workings of singer/guitarist Mark Kozelek and plays like an autobiography of his life. The album is littered with motifs of death, family, childhood, maturity, and love; they’re all intertwined in an intricate spider web network, each song relating to the others.

Album opener “Carissa” is a portal into Masillon, Ohio—Kozelek’s hometown. The song tells the tale of Mark’s second cousin Carissa, who died in a fluke fire caused by an aerosol can. In this personal account, Kozelek dwells on the universal inextricable ties between family and that biological connection that never disappears,  no matter how long the time spent apart.

On the following songs, Mark teaches the listener about his love for his mother (“I Can’t Live Without my Mother’s Love”), his discrepancies between love and sex (“Dogs”), and his musical inspiration (“I Watched the Film the Song Remains the Same”) all the while remaining true to the power of the complexity of one’s life story. In the beautiful Plastic Ono Band-esque “Jim Wise,” Kozelek reflects on days spent with his father, visiting his titular friend, a disabled bearded man preparing for prison after he’s killed his wife “and failed at suicide.” Complemented by female vocals as well as a distorted light-hearted keyboard that contrasts harsh subject matter with melodic music, Mark is able to summon the happiness in melancholy, the lessons in darkness.

Floating on haunting picked acoustic patterns, Sun Kil Moon offers one of the best albums released this year. The record is fantastic in its ability to convey universal truths about humanity within personal narrations while avoiding the obvious metaphorical statements typical of folk rock. If you have an hour to spare, listen to this album from start to finish; you can’t help but feel its powerful emotion.

a, News

Protesters call for sponsors of Sochi 2014 to speak out in defence of LGBT rights

by Catherine-Laure Juste on

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A demonstration calling for the McDonalds and other sponsors of the 2014 Sochi Olympics to take a stand against the host nation’s laws regarding homosexuality took place downtown last Wednesday.

Approximately 35 people attended the protest, which aimed to compel sponsors such as McDonalds, Visa, and Coca-Cola Inc. to publicly speak out against the laws. The protest took place as part of a series of protests around the world last Wednesday in defence of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights.

Last June, legislation passed in Russia’s highest court sparked outrage in the international community by banning the distribution of “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations.”

McGill Student Anne Vaillancourt, U3 Nursing, organized the event as a member of international equality campaign group “All Out.”

“[Sponsors] are of capital importance in the Olympics and in financial support,” she said. “We know that money rules the world, thus [we hope] key players can take a stand against Putin’s laws and show their colours. We hope this is what results from our intervention tonight.”

Protestors chanted slogans in French and English, including “buying is voting” and “no to oppression.”

Gishian Raethirian, U1 Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, was also present at the protest. Raethirian said he attended to raise awareness and question the choice of Russia as the host of an international event.

“I view the Olympics as a competition among all countries in the world,” he said. “Everyone views the Olympics as a friendly competition but how can a country host the competition if they’re not friendly towards everyone? We’re trying to bring it to surface and let everyone see what is going on.”

Raethirian cited Russia’s laws regarding same-sex marriage as violating Principle Six of the Olympic Charter, which denounces discrimination on any basis, including that of sexual orientation.

“Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement,” reads Principle Six of the Olympic Charter.

On campus, Queer McGill—a university-wide support system for queer students and their allies—is also organizing events in support of LGBT rights in Russia.

According to Jake Belman, U1 Science and Queer McGill member, the group is currently in the process of organizing events to raise awareness of injustices and create political pressure. For Belman, unity is key in the fight to defend LGTB rights in Russia.

“Everyone knows that they themselves cannot do much alone, and that’s precisely why we have to band together,” Belman said. “We need to stand together and put pressure on Russia to change its laws and stop oppressing LGBT people. It takes a lot of voices coming together and a lot of hands working and fighting to help the cause.”

a, Science & Technology

Feb. 11 SciTech calender

by Caity Hui on

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Psych of Sex—What’s going on in your head when you think about sex?

Hosted by the McGill Psychology Student Association (MPSA) featuring Dr. Jim Pfaus, Concordia’s leading psychosexual researcher

Date: February 11, 2014 from 6-7 p.m.

Location: Leacock 219

 

McGill Start-Up Career Fair

Students have the opportunity to bring their resumes and meet several succesful start-up companies from the U.S. and Canada.

Date: February 12, 2014 from 11-4 p.m.

Location: SSMU Ballroom

 

Valentine’s Day Freaky Friday: Science of Love Competition

Come see McGill undergraduate science students give short presentations on the quirks of love.

Date: February 14, 2014 at noon

Location: Redpath Museum auditorium

 

Killam Lecture: The Cognitive Neuroscience of Spatial Thought and Language

Presentation will be given by Dr. Lesley Fellows, McGill professor and neurologist

Date: February 25, 2014, 4 p.m.

Location: Montreal Neurological Institute, Ondaatje Hall

a, Arts & Entertainment, Music

Bombay Bicycle Club—So Long, See You Tomorrow

by Morgan Alexander on

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So Long, See You Tomorrow, the latest album from English indie-rock group Bombay Bicycle Club, has given the band yet another chance to try out a new genre revolving around vocalist Jack Steadman’s longing, airy vocals.

Due to the high frequency with which the group modifies their musical approach, they’ve faced accusations of being a genre-less quasi-cover band of sorts that simply sucks the popular sounds of the time and forces them into a dubious half-hearted pop ideal. With that criticism in mind, it is important to note that Bombay Bicycle Club has established themselves as one of the more popular indie-rock bands, with all three of their albums certifying gold in the UK.

So Long, See You Tomorrow follows the band’s history of regular redefinition, but the electro-pop sounds flowing out of this album are a special kind of reinvention. Dreamy and still electric with undeniable rock beats melding with high, airy lyrics, this album is—in one word—fun. The track “Luna” is an upbeat love ballad with a contagious beat, and the use of unexpected heavy drum backing in “Carry Me” adds new definition to the album as a whole.

This album is held back primarily by its lack of a strong, signature sound. While it still establishes itself as an interesting and respectable album, its failure to make the most out of each member’s individual talents—instead tending to meld them into one hazily-defined jumble—truly limits the band’s potential.

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