Author: Jad Abukasm

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Concordia Student Union News

CSU online fee levy opt-outs reached referendum

Fee-levy groups may lose significant funds after the upcoming referendum. “That would mean [serving fewer] people. People that sometimes really need it,” said Ian Herrera, member of the board of directors of People’s Potato.

Concordia students will go to the polls from Nov. 12 to 15 to vote on six referendum questions the Concordia Student Union (CSU) is putting to the ballot with online fee levy opt-outs, raising many concerns across the university.

Fee levy groups are student-run groups, semi-independent from the CSU and are elected through referendum. They include The Concordian, The Link, the Frigo Vert, Cinema Politica, and many more. They are not part of the union’s student clubs. Instead, they are funded directly by students who have voted in previous CSU referenda to fund them. They give access to multiple services on campus for all students, like food services, student media and environmental advocacy centres.

The motion was proposed by CSU President Chris Kalafatidis. However, he explained he is not binding the CSU to his decision since he proposed the question as a neutral student at large.

While students have always had the option to retract their shares from fee levy groups, Kalafatidis wants to facilitate the process.

“It’s always been a part of the deal that ‘we’re all going to pay for this collectively, but we do have the right to opt-out,’” Kalafatidis said. “All we’re doing is embracing technology to make the process easier for everyone.”

The controversial question faced a lot of opposition from CSU councillors and fee levy groups themselves. In fact, none of the 23 groups have expressed support, rather the opposite.

“The way the process works now in person is a positive thing where people can be informed face to face to understand what services we provide,” said Emily Carson-Apstein, a Concordia student employed at Sustainable Concordia. “From there, it’s their decision to opt-out and we’re not critical about that. Moving the system online makes it impartial. It makes people make hasty decisions that they don’t understand the consequences of and it shuts down the conversation before it even starts.”

McGill University switched to online opt-outs in 2007. Students’ Society of McGill University’s President, Bryan Buraga, said that this caused many fee levy groups to struggle with financing.

“This led to a decrease in the quality of services provided by these groups until the opt-out rate stabilized, after several years, to approximately 10 per cent rate of what it is today,” Buraga wrote in an email to The Concordian.

Full-time Concordia students with a four-class course load pay $58.44 per semester for fee levy groups at the moment.

Carson-Apstein explained that students can easily see a return on these fees by occasionally attending offered services, like movie or documentary screenings and eating at the People’s Potato – even just once every two weeks.

The People’s Potato serves free vegan food for students. On average, it serves around 400 to 500 people a day.

“[Online opt-out] would drastically reduce the income that we get and by consequence the number of people that we serve every day,” said Ian Herrera, member of the board of directors of the People’s Potato. “We would have to reduce the serving time. That would mean [serving fewer] people. People that sometimes really need it.”

But Kalafatidis said that if the question were to pass, the CSU would still have to sit down with all the fee levy groups to discuss the new opt-out process. Kalafatidis has yet to consult any of them. An option, Kalafatidis proposed, would be a checkbox system. Students will be required to read a description of the group prior to checking the opt-out option.

The question on fee levy opt-outs was brought up last year by the CSU slate Cut the Crap, which Kalafatidis was part of. On top of opt-outs, the slate also proposed election reform and cleaner bathrooms.

“[Fee levies] are the backbone of Concordia’s culture,” Herrera said. “Concordia’s culture isn’t dirty toilets, it’s this.”

The CSU will also be asking if students:

  1. agree with the Concordia Student Union endorsing a Fall Reading Week proposal and pursuing its implementation at Concordia University;
  2. agree with the Concordia Student Union endorsing a university-wide food waste reduction proposal and pursuing its implementation at Concordia University;
  3. support giving all faculties equal representation on the Council of Representatives by changing the structure to three Arts seats, three Science seats, three Gina Cody seats, three JMSB seats, three Fine Arts seats and one Independent Student seat. At the moment, 14 seats are allocated to arts and science, six to Gina Cody, four to JMSB and three to fine arts;
  4. agree to a non-opt-out fee increase of $2.08 that would result in a 50 per cent reduction of le Gym and PERFORM centre fees and free Stingers game;
  5. approve the Sports Shooting Club to be officially recognized as a CSU club.

 

Graphic by Alexa Hawksworth

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News

Simply Scientific: Daylight Savings

While we did enjoy an extra hour of sleep last week, daylight saving may have become an old useless practice.

In 1895, New Zealander George Hudson introduced the concept of “daylight saving” as a way to enjoy more after-work sunlight to catch more bugs. Yup! To catch more bugs, as Hudson was an entomologist. This would allow him to significantly expand his bug collection.

However, it was only in 1916 that Germany became the first country to put it into practice, but with different intentions than catching beetles and butterflies. Daylight saving was actually enacted to save precious coal energy to fuel World War I. Since coal was the primary source of energy, Germany really made big savings. The thinking behind the decision was that people staying outside longer would reduce their artificial light consumption, which it did!

Fast forward a century later, in an era where electricity is king and research has shown that daylight saving is no longer effective. Brian Handwork reported in National Geographic that the method may have become obsolete since it has no effect on energy savings anymore because of the alternative lighting methods we are using.

In fact, it might be dangerous for our health. The same article quotes a study by the University of Alabama in Birmingham that showed an increase of heart attacks and suicide rates during the Monday and Tuesday after moving the clocks an hour forward in spring. While the causes are still unknown, researchers think it is an amalgam of the body’s adaptation to that change.

It turns out that as much as I tried finding compelling pro daylight saving arguments, there are none to be found except one. The further we move away from the equator, the more seasonal changes in daylight affects a region. This is due to the tilted axis of the Earth. In Winter, northern countries will have less light. Changing the hour would be an advantage for those regions since they would enjoy slightly more daylight.

Overall, daylight saving has become obsolete and brings more trouble than advantages. Although I only stated two downfalls, a quick Google search shows thousands of articles bashing the method, and honestly, it is worth giving it a look! But for now, the only thing we could have done was to enjoy our extra hour of sleep last week.

 

Graphic by @sundaeghost

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Student Life

There’s more to pugs than their looks

Photo by Jad Abukasm

Four-year-old Olaf and his younger sister, Greta, dressed up as ketchup and mustard for the annual Halloween party on Oct. 26. Competing among others, they won the award for best matching costumes. Their prize: a bunch of bone-shaped treats and squeaking stuffed animals.

The two pugs were among 25 others that gathered for the 11th Annual Halloween Pug Party at Girouard park in NDG, hosted by Montreal Pug Meetup Group.

“We’ve been coming for the past six years,” said Greta and Olaf’s owner, Francine Boyer. Her daughter was completing the trio as a giant hotdog. “The dogs just love it.”

Along with the two curly-tailed condiments, Lilou was awarded for having the funniest costume: he was dressed as a chicken. His owner, Julie Larivière, was delighted when her oldest of two was victorious. Lilou’s younger sister, Ciboulette, had to pass up the opportunity because she is too small to fit in any costume.

“Even the tiniest were making her tumble all over the place,” Larivière laughed.

But the event itself is far more than winning free bacon-flavoured treats in exchange for cute dog apparel. The Halloween party is just one gathering among many others from the online Montreal Pug Meetup Group.

“We gather once every month and the dogs play and have a lot of fun,” said Meredith Chatman, who coordinates Montreal Pug Meetup alongside her 12-year-old pug, Benny. “Owners come here and make friends, and the community just keeps growing and growing,” she said.

Over the years, the pug community in Montreal has grown significantly and it isn’t just a local phenomenon, Chatman explained. In fact, the native Chinese breed has gained huge popularity worldwide in the past decades. Back in the 18th century, they were introduced to European countries. They even became the mascot of a Saxon excommunicated group of masons, The Order of the Pugs.

Nowadays, their squished snouts, popping eyes and snoring habits make them popular on social media. Their online presence includes Instagram pages, such as Doug the Pug, that have millions of followers. Some of the most trending posts feature costumed pugs and short sketches like eating pizza and snuggling during a cold winter day.

But it isn’t always la vie en rose for most pugs. They are the product of generations of inbreeding resulting in numerous health issues.

“At some point, breeders thought ‘Hey! Those features are pretty cute on dogs,’ but they didn’t really know they were actually creating medical deficiencies,” said Tara Ogaick, former veterinarian technical assistant at Animal Health Clinic, and a pug lover herself. “If you keep breeding the same types of genes over and over again, those genes will carry through and, in some cases, they will develop more strongly.”

Over the years, pugs and other breeds like bulldogs have been genetically engineered to keep their popular physical traits. These breeds are said to be brachycephalic; in other words, they have flat faces. Added to their distorted physique, common obesity and squat necks, these dogs suffer from constricted airways. According to a study by the Universities Federation of Animal Wellness, only a handful of pugs actually breathe normally.

“This makes them really susceptible to weather conditions,” said Ogaick. “In summer they can overheat and, during the winter, their breathing becomes even harder.

But Pug Meetup prioritizes their dogs’ health over anything else. There are no meetups during the winter and they are postponed in summer when the weather gets too hot.

“Many people also join to talk about health issues on the Montreal Pug Meetup website, so people will post online and talk about certain health related things,” said Chatman.

Owners also take plenty of precautions to ensure their dogs stay safe. Boyer, for example, opted for a surgery consisting of cutting a small filament in the nostrils to slightly open up the airways.

“It doesn’t cure it, per say. They still snore, but it helps their breathing significantly,” she said.

Despite pugs having breathing problems, it is important to understand that each breed comes with their own issues. Ogaick explained that golden retrievers are also known to have hip problems because of inbreeding.

But it is possible to reduce issues, and by consequence, the cost of vet bills. Ogaick said that some breeders have started cross-breeding pugs with other elongated snout dogs in order to reduce airway constrictions. People can also choose dogs with more prominent snouts.

While this may contradict the century-old purity of the traditional pug, owners are not totally against it. Larivière explained that, if such changes may benefit the breed, she doesn’t mind losing a bit of cuteness.

“We choose dogs that fit with our lifestyles,” said Larivière. “Pugs aren’t like huskies; while you need to take them out for walks, they aren’t as energetic as others.”

So, while they will keep their reputation of couch potatoes, pugs will stay among the most popular breeds and bring smiles to their owners and their Instagram followers.

Photo by Jad Abukasm

Categories
Briefs News

World in Brief: Health emergency in India, a bloody weekend, and “Wexit”

India’s capital New Delhi has been under heavy smog and dust since Friday, prompting authorities to declare a health emergency. The Associated Press reported that such air conditions arise yearly around Nov. 1 because of fireworks during a Hindu festival and the burning of agricultural fields. Schools will be closed until Nov. 5 and construction activities are to be paused temporarily to control the dust in the air.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the death of 49 Malian troops on Friday and the explosion causing the death of a French soldier, corporal Ronan Pointeau, on Saturday. The Malian Armed Forces said Friday’s attacks also injured three Malian soldiers of the military outpost targeted by the attack, reported the Agence France Presse. Saturday’s incident happened as the armoured vehicle Pointeau was travelling and hit an improvised explosive device while escorting a convoy.

A man shouting pro-Beijing slogans went on a stabbing rampage in Hong Kong on Sunday leaving five wounded, including a politician with an ear bitten off, reported The Guardian. Andrew Chiu, a local pro-democracy councillor, attempted to subdue the attacker before getting his ear bitten off. The attacker was allegedly shouting pro-Beijing slogans during another day of protests on the main Hong Kongese island.

Following the Canadian federal elections, a new wave of western separatism emerged, and “Wexit” attracted hundreds in Edmonton last Saturday. Wexit Alberta Leader Peter Downing said he will make Alberta great again after seceding from Canada, which he referred to as “the leech,” reported the CBC. Downing said that despite the movement being associated with Conservative politics, it is neither left-wing nor right-wing, but “it is open to everybody, except for eastern Canada.”

 

Graphic by @sundaeghost

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News

Physical recognition of the land: A pilgrimage to Montreal

  Students and faculty members of the department of theological studies trekked on Saturday from sunrise to sunset, from the south shore’s Indigenous community of Kahnawake to Montreal.

The event happened two days before the Theology in the City conference and was a way to physically perform the land recognition opening speech for most events at Concordia University.

“We’ve made this walk before with students from old Montreal to Kahnawake,” said Concordia professor Matthew Anderson, organizer of the march and conference. “But we thought, what if we started in Kahnawake and we walk to the conference we would experience in our own bodies what it is to cross this unceded territory.”

Christine Jamieson, a speaker at the conference and theology professor, was present at the march. She is native from an Indigenous community in the Frasier Canyon in British Columbia. Before the march, she performed a smudge; a traditional cleansing ceremony using sage smoke to get rid of any negative energy. In many Indigenous communities, smudges are performed as a way to align what is called the seven grandfather teachings – humility, bravery, honesty, wisdom, truth, respect, and love.

“If you look at those seven teachings, each one is an important component of living, what I would call, an ethical life, but maybe what most Indigenous people might say is living a good life,” said Jamieson. “Anything that we can do, whether it’s a smudge or a sweat lodge, these are really ceremonies that are meant to help us to walk more freely and more ethically in a sense.”

Jamieson said that recognition is a two-way path, and that there is a lot to learn from Indigenous cultures and their relation to land and nature.

“I think that Indigenous people have always felt a deep relationship to the land and into the world around us,” said Jamieson. “Not just to other human beings but to all beings, and that includes the lands and the plants and the animals and the water. I think that when Europeans came to Canada, there was an interruption of that relationship and there was no real acknowledgment of that relationship between people and the land, and how their whole identity was really connected to this relationship.”

Since the first encounters, European settlers have always negotiated in favour of their economic interests rather than in harmony with Indigenous people’s beliefs. Those beliefs have been ignored for centuries, long before the creation of the Canadian Confederation.

“I think when we acknowledge land, it’s really to try to bring us back to that relationship that we have with this land and with everything around us,” said Jamieson. “I really believe that if we can do that more consciously, we will be better able to live those seven sacred teachings which brings about that balanced life.”

She continued that it is primordial to acknowledge this relationship since it is paramount for the survival of humans. “We are so vulnerable, we are the weakest in a sense, and yet we have so much power to destroy what we are utterly dependent on,” Jamieson said.

Along the walk, the small group of seven came across many infrastructures marking centuries of colonial federal jurisdictions. The Mercier bridge, inaugurated in 1934, and the Seaway, in 1959, for example, have forced hundreds to be relocated by the government in the early and mid-1900s and caused the death of many steelworkers. A 10-metre steel cross was raised in memory of the lost men.

Nowadays, the federal government can no longer act as such without legal backlash, something Anderson is grateful for; but this doesn’t mean that all problems are solved. Between 2004 and 2014, 400 out of 618 Indigenous communities were under at least one water advisory, reported the CBC. And that is only the tip of the iceberg.

However, Anderson is optimistic about the upcoming years. Although the previous Liberal government failed to address many promises regarding reconciliation with Indigenous communities, last week’s re-election may bring changes.

Anderson explained that minority governments that work along more progressive parties – in this case, the NDP – tend to propose more changes to social issues such as reconciliation with Indigenous communities. He hopes to see the next government address those issues such as drinking water.

Feature photo by Alex Hutchins, video by Arianna Randjbar

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News

Simply Scientific: Spooky Season

You probably costumed up this weekend for the yearly Halloween party where cats don’t look like cats and police officers lack clothing. The holiday of death and fear became a gathering event for university students to celebrate, for the most part, the end of midterms.

But say your professor turns into a werewolf, how would your body react? To tackle that question of paramount importance, let’s dig into what fear is.

Fear is a chain reaction in the brain that starts with a stressful stimulus and ends with the release of chemicals that causes physiological response in your body.

Your professor is finalizing their transformation into a student-eating monster. This stressful situation would send a signal to your brain that will start processing the information. When this happens, all parts of the brain simultaneously work to establish whether your flesh-eating professor is a threat or nothing of importance.

There are two paths that the brain follows in evaluating the situation – the low road and the high road. The former evaluates every situation as the worst-case scenario; a loud sound from your kitchen at night is your end in this world. The latter, however, is your rational analysis of a situation. The high road will evaluate every possible outcome of a situation and link the stimulus to previous similar events in order to make sense of it.

This analysis of the situation happens in a blink of an eye and results in the biological reaction of fight or flight. Your reaction to your werewolf professor pouncing on their first victim will be either to fight them back or just get the eff out.

In both cases, your body will release chemicals like adrenaline and noradrenaline resulting in a racing heart, heavy breathing and activated muscles to be ready to either fight or flee the aggressor.

Now, don’t worry too much. Halloween is only two days away. So, cross your fingers and light up some sage in hope to avoid any encounter with life threatening monsters in the next 48 hours.

 

Graphic by @sundaeghost

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News

Simply Scientific: Caffeine

Do you really think a bunch of journalism students wouldn’t talk about caffeine in a scientific column?

Living off our daily consumption of bitter brew, most of us university students cannot survive a whole day without chugging at least one mug of coffee. In fact, it is so popular that coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world, after oil. But how exactly does caffeine works on your body?

When breaking down ATP, the energy molecule that fuels our bodies, a chemical called adenosine is released. The chemical attaches to receptors in the brain that triggers a set of biochemical reactions, slowing down metabolism and making you sleepy. The more adenosine the body produces, the more fatigued it becomes. This makes sense considering the longer someone is awake, the more they feel tired.

Caffeine, however, is what is called an adenosine receptor antagonist. This means that it has a similar molecular structure to its counterpart and fits almost-perfectly to those receptors, blocking access to adenosine. But since it’s not adenosine, the sleepiness effect does not occur.

In fact, caffeine has similar effects to cocaine, but less intense. It promotes the production of adrenaline and extends the effects of dopamine on the brain.

Quite a clever way to challenge your midterm fatigue. But be careful. The brain responds to the long-term use of caffeine by creating new adenosine receptors to accommodate those pesky sleeping agents, meaning the body needs more coffee to enjoy the same effects. Miss your daily brew and you’re in for a nasty withdrawal – trust me, I’ve been there.

In addition, while coffee can make you feel better and more alert, the increase of adrenaline can raise your heart rate, lead to high blood pressure, create anxiety and, of course, cause insomnia.

Some might think that it is impossible to stop drinking coffee because your brain is now used to responding more efficiently to adenosine. This is partly true. While quitting will result in short-term headaches and nausea, the brain adapts by discarding extra adenosine receptors. In only a few days a coffee addict, like myself, can get back on both feet without that daily dose.

I’m not saying everyone should stop consuming coffee. Au contraire! Never could I completely discard my daily pleasure of sipping on a hot americano, but it is important to stay moderate in our consumption. If not now, maybe after your last midterm!

 

Graphic by @sundaeghost

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News

Solidarity for Lebanese protests reached Montreal on Friday

Protesters gathered in front of the Lebanese consulate in Montreal last Friday in solidarity with the uprising that started on Thursday in Lebanon.

Montreal joined many other cities like New York and London in this solidarity movement, where protesters chanted anti-government chants in Arabic like “Montreal to Beirut, we want to kick out every jerk.”

“We’re trying to show Lebanese people that we are with them and we stand by them and we are all against the government and what it’s doing,” said Dhalia Nazha, the event organizer in Montreal.

The small 10,500 square kilometer country has entered its biggest protest since the garbage crisis in 2015. Citizens are denouncing corruption among government officials and calling for the government’s resignation.

The protest sparked up after the government announced new taxes including one on the use of messaging apps during a major economic crisis. However, the decision was quickly retracted by officials amid the reaction of the population.

But it’s not all about Viber and WhatsApp. The regional turmoil in the Middle East has been affecting Lebanon’s economy for decades. The country now ranks third in debt levels worldwide at $113 billion US or 150 per cent of its GDP according to Trading Economics.

“They steal from the taxes, they steal all the money and they don’t renovate and don’t do any construction in Lebanon,” said Nazha about the current government. “We don’t have any recycling facilities, there’s a lot of pollution and they don’t try to tackle it in what way whatsoever.”

The country struggles to this day for better infrastructure even after billions invested since the end of the civil war in 1990. Citizens deal with daily electricity cuts, trash piling on the streets and limited water supplies from the state-owned water company, according to the Associated Press.

Many Lebanese chose to flee those conditions in search of a better alternative. Some that chose Montreal as their new home took part in the protest.

“I didn’t have a job or education, because education is really expensive in Lebanon, so I was forced to move here for better life conditions,” said Najib Issa, a 20-year-old mechanical engineering student at Polytechnique.

Job shortages and poor salaries also pushed Chantal Stephan to flee her home country. Stephan said she moved to Canada in 2004 to raise her three children who were there with her, all waving small Lebanese flags and chanting along with the crowd.

“I graduated in Lebanon and I didn’t manage to find a decent job, so I decided to move here to work and be well paid,” said Stephan. “Even with my master’s degree, I couldn’t find a decent job [in Lebanon].”

But there is a feeling of hope for the future of the small Middle Eastern country. This is one of the first apolitical, non-religious movements in Lebanon. The Lebanese population has been divided by political and religious affiliations for the past decades.

“We need to unite all together and stop to follow politicians that are controlling us by the tip of our noses,” said Stephan. “It’s important to stay all united because after all, we all want is the good of the country.”

Nazha, Issa and Stephan think this protest is the beginning of a big change that will enable them to reunite with their roots.

“I’m here tonight for my brothers, sisters, parents and every Lebanese that are still in Lebanon,” said Issa. “We’re only defending and reclaiming our rights. And now, we finally have a chance to  come back to our country.”

 

Feature photo by Jad Abukasm

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Ar(t)chives

Simply Scientific: Tardigrades

Objectively, humans shouldn’t have survived for so many years. In fact, compared to all other species, humans probably rank as the worst suited for living on our planet.

Cheetahs, for example, can outrun us without effort. Face to face against a gorilla and it’s an easy K.O. Not to mention some of the smallest organisms such as spiders or scorpions that, with a meaningless sting or bite, can lead to a fatal end. And those are only a handful of examples as explained in an Arte documentary.

On the opposite side of the spectrum lives a tiny eight-legged animal almost invisible to the naked eye that is literally invincible. In fact, that tiny beast survived all five mass extinctions! Tardigrades, commonly known as water bears or moss piglets, can thrive in the harshest conditions known to humans.

Measuring a mere 0.4 millimetres, scientists have recorded these creatures’ presence on top of Everest as well as in the deepest parts of the sea. Their physiology enables them to survive in high toxic or saline environment for years. Suppress their food and water supply? No problem! Their small bodies can endure pressures up to 1,000 times ours. Stick them in a 150º C oven and that’s all games. Absolute zero or -271º C is just an ice bath for them.

If that’s not impressive enough, tardigrades can survive the void of space. In 2007, a group of dehydrated tardigrades were brought into space, where they were exposed to non-gravity conditions. Bombarded with solar UV radiation, no source of oxygen, unimaginable temperatures emanating from the sun and freezing cold temperatures from the nothingness of outer space, 68 per cent of the group revived once they were brought back on Earth.

Their survival abilities are an example of perfectly engineered natural creatures. These small creatures make humans look like wimps.

 

Graphic by @sundaeghost

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News

Climate activists join hands in promoting a long-awaited political action

“When an unstoppable force like Greta [Thunberg] meets an immovable clunk of politicians, my bet is on Greta. That’s why, inspired by her and by youth, I am amazingly against all odds, defiantly filled with hope.”

That’s what Stephen Lewis, Canada’s former ambassador at the United Nations, said in his speech during the Climate First Tour on Oct. 1 in Montreal.

Alongside Lewis was scientist, broadcaster, author and environmentalist, Dr. David Suzuki. Guest speaker, Ellen Gabriel, a famous Indigenous militant and feminist, also joined the event.

The event was launched a month ago as an opportunity for Suzuki and Lewis to speak directly to Canadians on the importance of climate change. Highlighting the urgency of the problem comes at an opportune time for Canadians to affect change with their votes.

“Our message tonight is that for the sake of the future of our children we must make climate change the top priority for every candidate running for office,” said Suzuki.

Over the last decades, governments and lobby groups have been ignoring and sleeping on the climate situation to advance economic growth, according to Lewis.

“The responsible perfidious government resembling political dinosaurs drunk on fossil fuel, they know exactly what’s required but there is some kind of self-inflicted paralysis,” said Lewis. “They have known for more than 30 years what’s afoot and they are criminally inert.”

Lewis also pointed at energy multinationals that have been sharing disinformation about the reality of climate change, while simultaneously investing $4.5 billion on new oil and gas exploration and development since last year.

The panelists did not cut it short for Canada’s inaction.

“How do you embrace the principles of the Paris Conference on Climate Change and then come home and buying a pipeline?” Lewis asked.

Trudeau’s acquisition of a $4.5 billion pipeline, after campaigning in 2015 on making Canada a leader in the fight against climate change, was harshly reprimanded.

All this state’s hypocrisy was a common theme in the three panelist’s speeches. Gabriel followed with the ongoing reconciliation attempts with Indigenous communities.

“Canada has broken all its promises,” said Gabriel. “Justin Trudeau did not fulfill a single promise to Indigenous people in Canada. He bought pipelines.”

Her testimony denounced a multitude of dangers intertwined with climate change – as simple as maple syrup, which needs cold weather to form, to the deterrence of the wildlife by the tar sands.

Climate change goes against and destroys all principles of the Indigenous tenets. According to these principles, everything in nature is interconnected. From the insect pollinating the root that feeds the animal hunters hunt, climate change is breaking a natural cycle.

But the issue is not only a governmental concern, Gabriel added.

“We are effing up the environment, and we are all responsible for it,” Gabriel said. “It’s up to every single individual in this room and beyond to be the solution to climate change.”

While the march for climate on Sept. 27 was highly honoured during the event, the experts stressed the importance of actively promoting and informing peers on the impact of climate change, especially with federal elections around the corner.

Lewis finished his speech by mentioning a collection of previous attempts at fostering political climate activism and the consequences it would have prevented.

“If we had taken the carbon reduction target seriously, instead of consigning it to oblivion, and had we begun the implementation of all the other interventions, this would be a different planet,” Lewis said. “We would not be discussing self-emulation. We would not have a generation of youth growing up with critical mental health symptoms of ecoanxiety.”

But hidden between reprimands, Lewis shared his hope in the youth movement that could highly influence the Canadian political arena.

 

Photo courtesy of Climate First Tour

Categories
Briefs

World in Brief: Shooting, whistleblowers and deadly protests

Four people were killed and five injured in a shooting last Sunday in Kansas City. Police said the two suspects opened fired in a busy bar around 1:27 a.m. following a disturbance or fight. According to an article in The Washington Post, the four victims were all Hispanic men, but the police refused to add further comments.

A second whistleblower surfaced on Sunday morning supporting previous allegations on Donald Trump’s exchanges with Ukraine’s president. While they haven’t filed a complaint with the inspector general, attorney Mark Zaid said in an interview with the Associated Press that the whistleblower has “firsthand knowledge that supported” the original claims.

Protest in Iraq over unemployment and corruption are still raging since Oct. 1. The death toll was estimated at 106 on Sunday – five days after the first confrontations between the police and protesters. According to an article in Reuters, the Iraqi government agreed to a plan that increases subsidized housing for the poor, stipends for the unemployed and training programs and small loans initiatives for unemployed youth.

Protesters in Hong Kong defied the law prohibiting marching with a masked face. According to an article in the Agence France Presse, the crowds were “condemning the government for deploying emergency powers to ban face masks at public gatherings.” What started as a peaceful march quickly turned into violent confrontations as police dispersed the crowd with tear gas and physical force.

 

Graphic by @sundaeghost

Categories
News

Simply Scientific: Behind the beauty of Fall

Fall is finally at our doorstep! At last, we can enhance our Starbucks experience from a regular Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino to our beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte. Fashion just stepped into a whole new level with deep amber backgrounds on the Belvédère making for the perfect Instagram #nofilter posts.

Those jaw-dropping fire-like landscapes are undoubtedly one of the most beautiful times of the year – apart from the weather, of course. But what exactly causes the leaves to turn from their distinct bright green colour to those warm hues?

It all comes down to the amount of light vegetation gets from the sun. In summer, daylight can hit for almost 15 hours straight. During that time, leaves act like small factories that use the sunlight to produce all the necessary nutrients for trees to grow. This food-making process happens in cells containing chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is responsible for absorbing light from sunbeams to provide energy for later chemical reactions in the tree.

So, while you were working at your summer job, tweeting about that annoying colleague, trees and plants were casually thriving under the sun. Jealous, right? Well, hold your horses for a minute, because winter is coming.

As the year goes by, the days become shorter. Leaves stop their food-making process because of the shorter light exposure and the temperature change. Chlorophyll in the cells starts breaking down which makes the leaves lose their bright punchy green.

But you may have noticed that not all leaves have the same colour. This is due to the different concentrations of chlorophyll residues in the leaves as well as a mix of plenty of other chemical reactions happening simultaneously during Fall.

While for us, this season mostly translates to midterms and cuffing season, for trees it is just another step in their natural cycle of life. So, put on those Blundstones and your classy trench coat and enjoy the beauty of Fall.

 

Graphic by @sundaeghost

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