McGill is a broad church. Students’ opinions are on a wide spectrum, and discussing certain topics, external or not, will cause division. This is a good thing, within reason, as divisiveness is not the enemy if it’s closely followed by an exchange of ideas in good faith. For any of this to be possible, however, campus press needs to be strong and supported by its community.

Just like its readership, the press is also diverse. The difference between the Bull&Bear and The Daily only makes their discourse richer and helps preventing dogma from taking root on campus. Whether you agree with them or not, or use their pages to wick away your chutney, every page they publish is as important as it is valuable because of the labour of love and the journalistic ideals involved in their making. After all, “journalism is the first draft of history,” and we should keep in mind that it is best to have a plurality of voices writing that draft lest we give all the space to the often-revised narrative of the victors.

The press’s duty to inform and help its community is without a doubt an arduous task, and mistakes will be made, but you shouldn’t discard the work of those learning the craft of the Fifth Estate; they are doing their best with little more guidance than gut feelings and examples laid out by others.

Our campus ecosystem only works if you participate, whether it is as a voter, a reader, a writer, an activist, or something more. Do not give in to apathy and cynicism and ask to be left to your social lives. Engage and embrace, because the kind of student society you push for now is most likely similar to what your cohort will work toward after McGill becomes a fading memory, and because everything is inherently political.

Thank you, McGill Daily, for 107 years of service, and I wish you another 100 so that you can give people like me (and perhaps also like you) meaning and direction during their stay at McGill and beyond.

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Sponsored in part by Major League Hacking, the authority in large-scale college hackathon organizing, the event was staged around the theme of space and space-related technology. With a mix of McGill professors, industry delegates, and Canadian Space Agency representatives as judges, motivation to work through the night was easy to find.

A few days after the event, The Daily sat down with Sabrina Zhu, Shammamah Hossain, Molly Shen and Jeremy Mallette, four members of the Robohacks organizing team, to chat about the history of Robohacks and its impact in the community.

An inclusive hackathon
Organized for the first time in 2016 with a shoestring budget, Robohacks is the brainchild of a handful of McGill Robotics members who not only had a passion for the projects their design teams were working on, but also eagerly wanted to communicate their love for robotics to others. From less than 150 attendees last year, Robohacks grew into a sizeable event that received around six hundred applications for around three hundred spots. This growth is not solely due to the resounding success of the first iteration of the hackathon, but is also a tribute to the organizing team’s year-round promotional initiatives, which included targeted outreach to a handful of Montreal CEGEPs and schools.

While the Robohacks outreach effort does promote the event, its main objective is not simply to bring people to the competition. Shen explained that the bulk of their work is showing people that “building robots really isn’t that complicated and that anyone can do it.” This philosophy of inclusivity stems from McGill Robotics’ core principles of giving prospective members a chance by working on a “trial project” meant to showcase not their ability to build a functional robot but their determination to see their idea through to completion.

With that in mind, racking up more “hackathon glory” won’t help you get the sought-after acceptance email: Hossain and Zhu explained that Robohacks deliberately prioritizes those who are passionate but have had limited exposure rather than those who are most likely to build spectacular machines that will woo the judges. This way, applicants who may have less of a chance in other more competitive events fare better.
While it falls under the broader “hackathon” label, Robohacks is significantly different from other events of the genre. As a robotics-centred competition, participants are tasked with building a robot, however simple it may be. Beginners are not left to their own devices either: the presence of McGill Robotics members, mentors, and industry representatives on site provides invaluable advice and support to those who have questions. “The important part is not to know how to do it, it’s to want to do it,” commented Shen.

A space for experimentation
Building robots requires raw materials, from bits of cardboard and duct tape to electronic components and soldering kits. Cost has always been hobby electronics’ major barrier of entry. However, the Arduino and Raspberry Pi development boards, affordable microcomputers as big as a deck of cards, certainly lowered the bar and made elaborate hobby electronics more accessible, but a significant amount of money is still necessary to get proper projects off the ground.

Events like Robohacks are a good occasion to experiment without any egregious expense. Participants were given anything from ultrasonic sensors to microcontrollers to build their dream machines, which left imagination and time as the only limiting factors to creation.

According to Mallette, the “hardware room,” where participants could borrow components, use power tools and try out 3D printers to produce the custom parts they needed was extensively stocked. “I could probably pay for two years of [tuition] with all of that,” he commented. “That’s my favourite part of the competition: it gives these resources to a bunch of people who would otherwise never get a chance to use things like the Oculus Rift and the Amazon Echo [editor’s note: a virtual reality headset and voice-activated “smart speaker,” respectively] and experiment with them.”

From the exhaustion and hype arose robots that accomplish feats like mimic the way spiders walk, track satellites travelling tens of kilometres above ground, and wander around waving their robot arms at attendees. By the end of the weekend, those who stuck around all had something to show for it, whether it was a semi-functional project for the judges, or a newfound friendship built at 2 a.m. the night before.

Hackathons done right
As Sunday afternoon came to an end, the Trottier building was restored to its former state and no trace of what had transpired during the weekend, save for a few stray jumper cables, was left behind. Despite not being the only hackathon in town, Robohacks did something other events often fail to do: it prioritized community and inclusivity, and embodied the spirit of collaboration and education that was originally at the core of most hackathons. It also didn’t fall for invasive corporate sponsorship that pegs participants against each other in the race for the grand prize.

As the hackathon scene becomes larger and larger, it’s important to highlight events that aren’t about brands or awards, but that prioritize having fun with technology and introducing new people to the club. Robohacks is certainly one of such events.

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This year saw two articles highlighting the vital importance of scientific literacy. Lack of scientific knowledge may sometimes lay dormant, but other times, it pops up to rear its ugly head. “Many scientific and technological breakthroughs which altered our perception of the world have had to go through obstacles and time to be commonly accepted”, as stated in the article “threatening the future of science” by Cédric Parages (March 27, 2017). It goes on to discuss how even though it was demonstrated that the Earth was known to not be flat as early as 600 B.C., to this day there are still individuals and organizations that deny this claim. Whether we choose to wholeheartedly acknowledge it or not, the climate is in fact rapidly changing, and we are in for the ride.

Thinking about scientific skepticism as a whole reminds me of the famous quote “First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they attack you. Then you win”. In particular, the anti-vaccine movement has gathered some steam as of late, which is quite worrying, especially given the concept of heart immunity as discussed in “A dose of nonsense” from February 6 2017 written by Lindsay Burns. Our only way out of this mess is to continue educating everyone on the necessity of vaccination.

By: Igor Zlobine

Climate change is certainly one of the biggest problems in the 21st century

Over the course of this year the effects of climate change has been undeniable. As discussed in the article “Climate change on the grid” from October 3rd by Louis Warnock electricity production is tightly linked to our overall greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for approximately one third of emissions in the U.S. in 2014. “Micheal Mann, a leading figure in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, suggested earlier this year that a global warming of 2 degrees celcius could be reached as soon as 2036.” The smart grid must be taken into account, and utilized properly if we are to mitigate the project fifty per cent increase in world energy consumption over the coming 25 years.

Furthermore, as discussed in the article “Climate change-induced migration” Cédric Parages, published on April 3, climate change puts those of lower socioeconomic status at the most risk – by 2030, 100 million people might be forced back to living in poverty as a result of climate change. We must realize that this is not some far away future that may never actually come to fruition, as Bangladesh alone is currently attempting to relocate 20 million citizens in response to climate change. We are already undergoing the sixth mass extinction event the Earth has witnessed, and it is up to use to slow it down.

By: Igor Zlobine

This year was marked by setbacks in the fight against climate change. Following Trump’s electoral promise to bring back coal as a major player in the power industry and his resolute stance on gutting the Environmental Protection Agency, environmentalists feared the worst. What could happen on the American continent as a result of modern-day industry backed up by coal can already be seen in China, where decades of coal-reliance had dire consequences (see “China’s air pollution crisis” by Cédric Parages, January 16, 2017). From spikes in infant diseases to zones where the life expectancy is significantly shorter, China had a lot of problems to deal with. Temporary solutions like installing air locks and elaborate air filtration systems in buildings were rapidly put in place in affluent areas, but real salvation should come from the new Chinese energy policy goals, which include injecting 350 billion dollars in clean energy technology by 2020 in an effort to replace coal and reduce air pollution.

By: Marc Cataford

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Acclaimed Canadian cartoonist Chester Brown, whose last nonfiction graphic novel, Paying for It, explored his experiences with sex workers, once again explores the subject, this time with religious context in Mary Wept over the Feet of Jesus. While some may be skeptical at the sight of religious references, the subtitle alone – “Prostitution and religious obedience in the Bible” – will surely create an irresistible desire to flip the graphic novel’s cover when it comes out on April 12.

Beautifully illustrated in a no-frills ink-and-paper style, the book succeeds in making biblical stories accessible and fun for people who may not necessarily pick up a Bible for enjoyment. The adaptation especially focuses on reshaping the dialogue, making the characters speak like present-day folks without losing an understanding of the religious meanings – a difficult task, to say the least.

Through a series of short comics rarely longer than twenty pages, Brown shares stories handpicked from the Bible to support his argument that God doesn’t really have anything against sex workers, and that he neither rewards nor encourages absolute obedience. To that effect, one of the comics is about characters such as the servants in the Parable of the Talents and Cain in “Cain and Abel,” have actually been punished for their obedience. Brown also tells the story of Tamar, Rahab, and Bathsheba, who either engaged in sex work or used their sexuality to their advantage while being hypocritically shunned by the same men who had lusted after them. Interestingly, one story, “Matthew,” differs from the rest and provides a meta commentary regarding the Bible’s writing process. In this chapter, the eponymous apostle tries, much like Brown with his novel, to find a way to subtly discuss sex work in his gospel without upsetting his readers.

Brown develops his thesis further in the afterword, describing the lengthy research process that made this project come to life. He speaks of his Christian faith in relation to his positive views on sex work, discussing the work of authors such as Jane Schaberg and Yoram Hazony, whose analyses of obedience to God and of Mary’s miraculous pregnancy in biblical texts fuelled Brown’s musings. He mentions and the schisms between early Christian groups, some being pro-sex work, some being virulently against such a “sin” are things that have shaped how the Bible is understood today.

Through a series of short comics rarely longer than twenty pages, Brown shares stories handpicked from the Bible to support his argument that God doesn’t really have anything against sex workers, and that he neither rewards nor encourages absolute obedience.

Mary Wept over the Feet of Jesus is a joy to read. The contemporary style of the dialogues and the lengths of the stories make the graphic novel a quick read, and the afterword fills in the gaps for the reader to understand the groundwork on which the comics stand. Even without any knowledge of the Bible, it’s easy to follow the stories and piece together the storyline of sex work in the Bible. Brown even includes a comprehensive set of explanatory notes associated with each comic at the very end of the book. These notes provide primary sources and details about the subtleties of each panel, allowing the reader to make up their own mind about what Brown is arguing, and potentially push the debate further.

Overall, Brown’s analysis of biblical tales and emphasis on the subtle positive mentions they make about sex work and disobedience is well done and especially welcome now, as the church is renowned for the tight leash it keeps on its believers and their sexuality.

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What irks me is not the push for a smoke-free campus, but the means by which it has been brought about. More precisely, my problem lies with how the survey used to probe public opinion was designed. It may seem inconsequential, but I think that if a measure as drastic as banning smoking on campus grounds is to be taken, we should make sure that the survey data we’re basing this decision on is as unbiased as possible.

The survey in question asked relevant questions, but what strikes me is that it left very little space for dissent and opposition.

It included questions such as “Do you support moving toward a smoke-free campus?” with both the question and the answers worded to make the opposition appear apathetic. You can “strongly support” the measure, but at worst can indicate “I do not support.” This option merely says that you are at best neutral or uninterested, and obfuscates any strong negative feelings you may have regarding the question.

Allowing the full spectrum of opinion, from “I strongly support” to “I strongly oppose” would have made for a fairer survey. This likely would have given results more representative of the range of views of the student population, and maybe the opponents of the initiative would have felt more present in the debate. It appears that this survey was designed to show exactly what those behind the initiative wanted: support for a campus-wide move, rather than the people’s opinion on the matter.

Marc Cataford is the Web editor at The Daily, but the views here are his own. To contact him, email web@mcgilldaily.com.

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Not only did news of the dump read like satire, but David Heurtel, Quebec’s Minister of Sustainable Development, the Environment, and the Fight Against Climate Change, supported the project, saying that though “far from ideal,” it was acceptable. A few days before the projected start of the dump, Leona Aglukkaq, the federal Minister of Environment, finally halted the project, mandating three independent experts to analyze its environmental impact.

The St. Lawrence river isn’t just used for marine sports, but is also used for fishing and is a source of raw water for treatment facilities providing drinking water to municipalities. It is absurd that the idea of dumping untreated waste into the river would seem reasonable given the river’s many critical uses. However, according to Coderre, similar dumps have occurred in the past decade – a practice that seems not only irresponsible coming from people supposed to look out for our well-being, but also short-sighted. The impact of polluting a body of water that directly surrounds us, where we catch fish to be eaten and get our drinking water, is not an acceptable price to pay for road work.

The fact that Coderre and Heurtel had originally deemed the dump to be “acceptable,” saying that, according to their research, it wouldn’t have a significant impact, only adds insult to injury. What’s more, the federal government deflected its own responsibility to make the call about the acceptability of the dump, as Environment Canada has its own environmental scientists on staff who are able to advise it. Mandating a panel of experts to pick up the slack of the municipal and provincial governments was an easy way to score political points during an election, delaying the process without actually committing to halting the project.

At this point, it goes without saying that none of these officials, as pompous as their titles may seem (Minister of Sustainable Development, the Environment, and the Fight Against Climate Change is quite a mouthful), have shown themselves trustworthy enough to make decisions that affect the health of everyone in the area around Montreal and the well-being of those in municipalities further down the St. Lawrence’s stream. To this day, Coderre is fighting against the federal government’s interruption of the project and has expressed his desire to go forward with it, despite knowing that tens of thousands of people are opposed to it.

The handling of the situation at the provincial level dispels any semblance of competence our current Liberal government might have had: Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard gave Heurtel his “total” trust in the matter and stands by his decision. Such careless decision-making shows that the well-being of the people of Quebec is nowhere near the top of this government’s priorities. We need to make our voices heard and cut through the bullshit – we can’t accept a government that chooses to prioritize roadwork over our health and the integrity of our living space.

Marc Cataford is the web editor at The Daily, but his opinions here are his own. To contact him, email web@mcgilldaily.com.

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“There is no health without mental health.”

Michael Meaney
Associate Director of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute

It has been an interesting year for neuroscience, with several breakthrough moments in research – from the discovery of a protein that could increase your long-term memory, to advancements in brain scanning that could potentially change what it means to be human. This year also marked the thirtieth anniversary of the McConnell Brain Imaging Centre. We looked at the importance of our brain in relation to our wellbeing, how to supply it with healthy nutrients (whether vegetables or insects), and highlighted the interconnectedness between mental health and our overall health.

Even with a busy lifestyle, eating a nutritious diet should be high on your list of priorities, though researchers found this to be more difficult than expected with current Canadian nutrition labels. We also learned more about ourselves as humans and the role of empathy when it comes to pain. Despite advancements in neuroscience, it is evident there is still a strong need for more interdisciplinary research and collaboration when it comes to understanding mental health, since psychiatric disorders are still poorly understood and the traditional treatment of chemical cocktails is no longer enough.

—Zapaer Alip

Despite overwhelming scientific evidence that vaccines are safe and effective, there continues to be a prevalent and dangerous public distrust in them.

Rackeb Tesfaye
“A dose of reality”

From vaccines to climate change, scientific knowledge continues to be misrepresented in the media. Confusion over the Ebola virus was far more rampant in Canada and the U.S. than instances of the disease itself, though this was not true in West Africa, where Ebola had been a problem long before the fearmongering of the corporate media. The anti-vaccination movement returned to the media spotlight with the outbreak of measles and controversy with Queen’s University instructor who was teaching anti-vaccine rhetoric as real science. As a result, some communities (mostly upper middle class) have decided that their suspicions of vaccines are more valid than decades of scientific research that clearly debunks the myths of their supposedly harmful ‘side effects.’

The public mistrust of scientists was compounded by a Harper government campaign to silence the voices of government scientists doing research on climate change, retracting funding and otherwise preventing them from sharing freely their work with the public they supposedly serve.

Overall, the general misrepresentation of science in the media and the oppression of scientific knowledge continues to be a problem. However, this year has also seen renewed engagement by scientists in novel ways, including a local radio initiative named Science Faction that aims to share science research using only the 1,000 most-used words. This year’s events have been a stark reminder to scientists that effectively communicating their research is often as important as the results themselves.

—Jill Bachelder

One of the beautiful aspects of the hacker community is its general willingness to take in anyone interested to learn.

Andrea Horqque
“The case for hackathons”

Technological literacy has been a trending topic this year, highlighted by U.S. President Barack Obama writing his first line of code during an Hour of Code event as part of the 2014 Computer Science Education Week. Whether in the form of large-scale hackathons – like MHacks, McHacks, or PennApps – or local initiatives led by smaller groups such as HackMcGill’s Hack101, the efforts of the hacker community to communicate their knowledge to people and get them involved, have not gone unnoticed. Knowing even a modicum about technology can have a real impact on your life. The information security and domestic espionage scandals that have popped up throughout the year are a reminder that it’s preferable to understand some of the inner workings of the gadgets we use every day as they often serve as channels for very sensitive information.

While the way private information is handled needs to be much more transparent, especially with respect to corporations and government entities handling large databases of private information about individuals, we have to be proactive about protecting ourselves, and stop relying entirely on other people to keep our confidential data from prying eyes. In November, McGill’s IT security was put on the hot seat for storing passwords in insecure ways, and throughout the year, the Snowden leaks have revealed more and more of the NSA’s dark plans to keep a close eye on everyone’s private information. To top all this, the debates over net neutrality, a key concept that could make or break the internet’s future, are far from over, and the risk of having corporate interests and conservative groups obtain vast power over the internet as we know it is very real. To be able to understand these issues, avoid pitfalls, and take the right decisions for ourselves and for the next generations, we’ll need to be tech-savvy, we’ll need to cease to be simple consumers, and we’ll need to be interested in learning and embracing technology, ultimately becoming hackers ourselves.

—Marc Cataford

 

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“We as a student body have no obligation to blindly follow rules that undermine our freedom of expression.”

Nadir Khan, “Organizing against free speech.”

Student politics is one of the most intriguing aspects of our life on campus. Every undergraduate student at McGill’s downtown campus is a member of the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU), which is not without flaws. Last year, a referendum question to increase the building failed, and all hope was lost. The real problem, though, was that last year’s SSMU executive shifted the burdens of a failed lease negotiations onto students. As such, Laurent Bastien Corbeil argued in “It’s not too late to cancel the lease” (September 29, Commentary, page 9), it was the lease that was wrong, not our vote.

We later had the infamous Fall 2014 General Assembly (GA), where a group of students chose to shut down conversation rather than taking a stance, by indefinitely postponing a motion to stand in solidarity with the people of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Staying silent in the face of blatant injustices does nothing but perpetuate harm. Such conversations must take place on our campus, and SSMU is precisely the forum in which we can have the dialogue we need. If not SSMU, then where? Injustices do not simply go away if we ignore them.

The problem with student politics at McGill is apathy. Turnout at elections has not surpassed 31 per cent in the past five years. Yet still, people blame SSMU for focusing solely on ‘esoteric activism.’ If you do not vote, you do not get to complain. Even student representatives tend to be apathetic – but it is the constituents’ responsibility to make their representatives aware of their interests. As Lauria Galbraith argues in “End your apathy” (March 30, Commentary, page 22) student politics are in students’ hands, and they are our responsibility.

—Cem Ertekin

“Even when student voices are heard, and their initiatives are considered, the administration is very reluctant to implement them fully.”

Ella Belfer, “Sustainable for whom?”

McGill has always had trouble seeing itself in the context of a larger Montreal society, and this year has posed particular barriers to establishing a relationship with it. The responsibility for reaching out falls into the hands of students and university administrators alike. Regardless of the reason, students have difficulty bursting through the metaphorical ‘McGill bubble.’

On the other hand, the administration, despite spouting rhetoric of ‘community involvement’ and ‘helping others,’ has done little to listen to student interests. Take, for instance, the massive student push for sustainability in the form of divestment from fossil fuels. As Ella Belfer wrote in “Sustainable for whom?” (January 12, Commentary, page 11), often the University provides nothing but empty words, and co-opts the successful grassroots efforts of its students. In Belfer’s words, “dedicated students do the labour-intensive research, campaigning, and legwork, often mobilizing student funds in the process, at which point the University green-lights a less ambitious incarnation of the project.”

The University’s detachment from the rest of Quebec is also discernible by its complicity in the provincial government’s austerity cuts. In their article, Rachel Avery and Mona Luxion explored how these cuts relate to military research, and have found that austerity increases the University’s ties to military contractors (“Austerity and the war machine,” January 12, Commentary, page 10). Yet, the University ignores the harmful nature of its actions. Similarly, Jasreet Kaur brought up the issue (“Decolonize McGill,” March 16, Commentary, page 10) of the University failing to acknowledge its own colonial history. McGill is a privileged institution in that its inaction in addressing these issues directly makes it complicit in social injustices. We must, thus, hold ourselves accountable, and take steps to improve.

—Jill Bachelder

“It’s time for a general strike: for workers and students to unite in fighting back against damaging cuts.”

Daniel Huang, “Toward a general strike.”

Last October, thousands took to the streets to protest against the austerity measures announced by the newly-elected provincial Liberal government led by Philippe Couillard. The determination of those who oppose these measures has not faded; anti-austerity mobilization has picked back up in early 2015, paving the way for a general strike. In February, Daniel Huang asked for McGill students’ solidarity in “Toward a general strike” (February 2, Commentary, page 11). Now spring has finally come, and CEGEPs, other Quebec universities, and even some McGill student associations have joined the fight against austerity.

Unlike the 2012 student strikes, the main stakes of this year’s battle are no longer bound solely to the Quebec student body – the government’s planned austerity measures will reach all the vulnerable parts of our society, from students and marginalized communities to the dwindling middle class. George Ghabrial wrote about Plan Nord, which is inextricably tied to the Liberal government’s austerity measures (“Exploitation in disguise,” March 16, Commentary, page 11. Presented as “an exemplary sustainable development project” by Couillard, Plan Nord completely disregards Indigenous rights and makes environmental commitments that are really promises of destruction in disguise.

The far reach of austerity measures also manifests itself through deep cuts in the social safety net – healthcare, education, and other social services – that took us decades to acquire. No one is safe from the devastating effects. Despite this, the usual opponents of anti-austerity demonstrators – the police – are fighting the exact same system, since the government’s Bill 10 on pension plans is an outcome of austerity. Yet, they choose to side with the government that is enforcing said system. Igor Sadikov highlighted this extreme hypocrisy (“No solidarity for the police,” February 9, Commentary, page 11) and urged us to ask ourselves why the enforcers continue to enforce when they’re quickly joining the victims’ ranks. In his words, “we cannot allow police to play both sides of the field.”

—Marc Cataford

“There comes a time when civil disobedience is not only acceptable, but necessary. That time is now.”

Fatima Boulmalf, “Resistance as justice”

“It is critical that the current government rethinks its priorities and strives to be consistent with its historical role as a humanitarian country.”

Alice Escande, “Two step backward, one step forward”

“In some nightmare scenarios, children have been told that they would be reported to the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada if their parents did not pay the fees demanded.”

Atmullah Reage, “Reading, writing, rights”

Canada is a nation that prides itself on its multiculturalism. However, while all those who live in Canada deserve equal treatment, few actually receive it – The Daily’s coverage has attempted to bring to light the injustice and inequality suffered by marginalized people in Canada at the national level.

As exemplified by its heavy promotion of the Enbridge pipeline, the Conservative government has continued to support corporate interests over the demands of the public. In doing so, it has entirely disregarded environmental concerns and Indigenous rights, ignoring the plight of the most marginalized in Canada. That is what Fatima Boulmalf had in mind when she wrote “Resistance as justice” (October 20, Commentary, page 11).

Migrants, too, especially refugees, are targeted by Conservative legislation, which has targeted their access to education and healthcare, and made Canada a far less friendly home for those in need of one. Amtullah Reage, writing under a pseudonym, exposed the abhorrent injustices faced by migrant students by sharing the their own experiences in this system (“Reading, writing and rights,” September 8, Commentary, page 8).

This year, the Conservative government has put forward a number of bills that seemed to align with its own private interests over those of the public. Among them is the controversial and unabashedly Islamophobic “Anti-terrorism act,” Bill C-51, which was called out as hypocritical, and fearmongering (“Who watches the watchers?, March 23, Commentary, page 11). Similarly, Bill S-7, the “Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act,” sought to institutionalize xenophobia, as explained by Gavin Boutroy (“X is for xenophobia,” January 22, Commentary).

—Katherine Brenders

“We can, and should, attempt to be as sex work-positive as we can, but after centuries of shaming and degradation, sex workers can’t help but internalize some of that shame.”

David V, “Toward (in)visibility”

Issues of social justice cannot be constrained by spatial limitations. McGill students come from all walks of life and from all over the world. As such, we talked about issues from all over the globe. Our authors wrote pieces that spoke to their own experiences of issues distorted by so-called authorities.

The Conservative government criminalized buying the services of sex workers this year by passing Bill C-36. A student sex worker writing under a pseudonym, David V, argued that the bill effectively pushed their work underground, ultimately making it unsafe (“Toward (in)visibilty,” November 17, Commentary, page 9). They also pointed out that to combat the centuries-old ‘shame’ associated with the profession, people should become sex work-positive. This includes supporting the clients of sex workers.

Further afield, the world was rocked by the brutal murder of Charlie Hebdo cartoonists in France, and Muslims were painted with the same brush as the murderers in the wake. In a beautifully-written piece, Omar Eidabat made clear that violent crimes are against everything for which Islam stands (“An ignorance that misinforms,” January 22, Commentary). He also argued that Charlie Hebdo’s racist cartoons incited the Islamophobic attacks that followed the murders.

While the Charlie Hebdo murders shook people to their core, many overlooked the 43 students disappeared by the police and the Guerreros Unidos, a drug cartel, in Mexico. Writing under a pseudonym, V explained how the disappearance was triggering country-wide mobilization against narco-politics (“Against the dying of the light,” November 24, Commentary, page 15). Crucially, V also called out the U.S. and Canada for their role in sustaining the drug war.

—Cem Ertekin

The post Year in review: Commentary appeared first on The McGill Daily.

The impact of identity theft and identity fraud in Canada

Identity theft and identity fraud are much more serious than leaving your Facebook logged in at a public computer and getting silly comments posted on your timeline. It’s a problem that comes with serious and ever-growing monetary losses: in 2012, Canadian identity fraud victims (around 17,000 reported) lost a collective sum of about $16 million to various theft schemes – that’s an average of 1,000 bucks per person!

“But how does that affect me?” you might ask. Well, while the majority of victims are older and sometimes less ‘street-wise’ with newer technology, a sizeable part of the loss mentioned earlier is attributed to people between 20 and 29. Moreover, as with all social statistics, we can presume that there are lots of unreported cases that we can’t quantify here.

How can my identity be stolen?

Forgetting your wallet at the coffee shop isn’t the only way to put your identity at risk: technology being the double-edged sword that it is, it can play against you every once in a while. Let’s focus on two risk factors for now: social networks and mobile applications.

Think about all the information we are storing on social networks nowadays: name, exhaustive list of friends, location, personal pictures – some even provide phone numbers and personal emails! While classic identity fraud (issuing credit cards under your name, for example) is hardly achievable with that kind of data alone, there are plenty of other nasty things that can happen. For instance, according to annual reports from security companies like Trustwave, the most popular passwords are still either very simple words or elements related to our personal lives such as dates and names. Knowing this, access to a well-curated Facebook page can very quickly lead to a positive match on your Paypal password and from there, emptied bank accounts: anything that can help answer security questions linked to your account can be used against you. Just think of how security questions are more often than not formatted as “What’s the name of your childhood pet?” – Exactly the kind of information that could be found on your social profile.

Putting too much trust in mobile applications can have you suffer the same fate. According to Gartner, a leading information technology research and consulting company, most apps wouldn’t pass basic security tests. In its report on its 2014 Security and Risk Management Summit, Gartner concluded that “Most enterprises are inexperienced in mobile application security. Even when application security testing is undertaken, it is often done casually by developers who are mostly concerned with the functionality of applications, not their security.” And this is not limited to enterprise apps: you can easily figure out that if big-budget companies can’t do it, smaller developers face those challenges as well. Now think of what kind of information you store in apps daily: some of you might use banking applications, others may use software like the campus-oriented apps we reviewed – is that information really as safe as you think it is?

We live in a time where everything is bound together in a web of information and where we became information ourselves, it is thus essential that we preserve our identities.

This question is especially relevant in our society as we are constantly pressured to share information through the of social profiles on websites and services that aren’t explicitly meant for social networking (think about news websites that allow and encourage users to create exhaustive personal profiles in order to comment on articles) yet assumed to be fully responsible of ensuring our own security as well as in the case of a security breach.

Covering all bases and protecting yourself

Fear not, the world is not full of thieves and mischievous individuals – but you still need to actively take part in protecting yourself against threats.

A good first step can be to limit the kind of information you publicly display on social networks such as Facebook. By adjusting privacy settings or leaving some fields blank, you can save yourself a lot of trouble. Be wary of who you give information privileges to and keep track of who can see what.

The same idea applies to mobile applications: don’t let your smartphones be enemies. Of course, there is very little you can do about enterprise apps being unsafe other than not using them or at least, keeping an eye on them. It’s for apps developed by smaller groups that it becomes interesting because you can often have direct contact with the developers themselves and ask questions. Some apps are even open-sourced so that you can take a look at how your security is ensured! Of course, that last solution is for the tech-savvy. The easier alternative is to contact the teams behind your favourite independent applications and ask how your safety is taken care of and how your information is used, stored and disposed of – more likely than not, they will be happy to answer your questions and to provide reassurance to their user-base.

The barrier that was once erected between online and offline is no longer standing and neglecting to consider that could lead to grave consequences.

Moreover, choosing what you install on your phone wisely is important. Much like the Terms of Use agreements that pop up at every software install and update, app permission requests are often ignored and clicked away. Before installing an application, it’s always good practice to evaluate what it should have access to to achieve its function and to compare that to the permissions it actually asks you: software asking for too much access should raise red flags.

In the end, identity security is mostly about behaviour. Keeping track of what information is disclosed, making sure to tie loose ends such as old profiles and accounts and being wary of online services that require sensitive information. However, that doesn’t mean that the corporations and groups that produce apps and online content are exempt of responsibilities – of course service providers need to ensure that their users are protected from threats on a software level. Everyone has its role in identity protection: users need to be aware of what they share and the provider should handle this shared information in a manner that won’t compromise those who put trust in its products.

Being a generation brought up with technology that hasn’t seen the transition from the non-technological age, it might be easy for a sizeable amount of us to put too much trust in the devices and services we use daily since they’ve always been there for as long as we can remember, but despite that we should keep information security in mind. We live in a time where everything is bound together in a web of information and where we became information ourselves, it is thus essential that we preserve our identities. The barrier that was once erected between online and offline is no longer standing and neglecting to consider that could lead to grave consequences.

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Some in the comfort of their kindergarten and others at Byers-Heinlein’s laboratory, children were shown pictures of fictitious human families and cartoon animals. The pictures were associated with various stories. For instance, some were about children who were brought up in a family of their own heritage, and others about children brought up by parents of a different heritage – for example, an Italian child raised by parents that don’t speak Italian. There were also stories about animals, for example, a duck raised by dogs. Then, they were asked if the child would adopt the language of its adoptive parents or, in the case of the animal families, if the young duck would behave like its own kind.

The results of the study surprised Byers-Heinlein, who had hypothesized that the children would know the difference between the animals barking and quacking, and children speaking languages, the former being innate behaviour and the latter learned. It was revealed that both the monolingual and bilingual children made mistakes answering the questions. For instance, bilingual children concluded that “a duck raised by dogs would bark and run rather than quack and fly,” and monolingual children assumed that a child would keep their biological parents’ language, despite being raised by people who didn’t speak it. In the first case, the children incorrectly believed that traits were learned, and in the second, they falsely assumed that language was inherent.

The implications of these results extend far beyond the thought process of five- and six-year-olds. The beliefs of children might very well be linked to the ones they hold as they develop into adulthood, leading Byers-Heinlein to conclude that “early second language education could be used to promote the acceptance of human social and physical diversity,” which could essentially make adults more open to different beliefs. While the present study wasn’t explicitly designed to analyze adult beliefs, these results suggest that learning additional languages as adults might also have a somewhat similar effect. However, further research is required to prove this.

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Keeping McGill on your homescreen

McGill is no exception to this trend, having placed an order with Oohlala – a successful student startup that creates customized mobile apps for universities. In early September, Oohlala released the “McGill App” and it became the official McGill mobile app, available for free download on both Android and iOS devices. At around the same time, Appvelopers, a group of McGill student developers, released MyMartlet, which has no official affiliation to the University.

The apps have created a social media buzz over the past few months, but how do they compare, and more importantly, which one really deserves a spot on your phone?

Reviewing the two contenders

One intriguing aspect about the MyMartlet app is that it works directly with the MyMcGill portal. This implies that after you’ve provided your McGill email and password, it can pull every last bit of information from your detailed course schedule to your eBill history and push it to your screen. It’s evident that the developers really put a lot of effort into making the interface as user-friendly as possible, resulting in a simple-to-use piece of software that will get you where you want to be in a fraction of the time you’d spend on the official MyMcGill portal.

The app also features an efficient course registration system that allows you to swiftly search through the available courses and register, or add them to a “course wishlist” for later reference. Every search returns a list of course sections that includes the course identification number, the schedule, and the number of credits, which is a great upgrade from the sometimes messy search results obtained through Minerva. Also, note that the schedule system mimics Google Agenda, and includes information (such as the instructor’s name, the location, and a link to the Docuum page for the course) in each entry to save you the trouble of searching for it on Minerva or elsewhere.

While MyMartlet focused on seamless integration with the student portal, the McGill App went the social media route. No direct communication is ever made between the application and the University’s website; instead, your information is kept on the developer’s server as a profile. The app also serves as a 411 directory, with listings to different services and offices. The main perk of this approach is that you can chat and share your schedule with your friends if they use the app, but the inevitable price is that you have to enter your schedule manually. Moreover, Minerva or MyCourses data is only accessible through the classic desktop version of the MyMcGill login page inserted in the app’s window. In that respect, the McGill App is more of an attempt at building a social network than making the student portal more accessible. Usability is greatly reduced by this, as it really is a hybrid between Facebook and a regular agenda widget with a link to the University’s website. However, the app makes it easy to search for exam schedules, a feature currently not available on the MyMartlet app.

In terms of usefulness, MyMartlet comes out as a clear winner: it downloads the data you need and lets you access it in a fast and easy fashion.

When reviewing these apps, it becomes evident how incomparable they are. The choice to make is much simpler than listing the features in each one: it depends on whether you want yet another social application or a fully integrated portal app that lets you access the data you need, while leaving the social aspects to other well-established apps. In terms of usefulness, MyMartlet comes out as a clear winner: it downloads the data you need and lets you access it in a fast and easy fashion. If you want a simple, purified MyMcGill portal experience, MyMartlet is the way to go; for those seeking Facebook-esque functionality, the McGill App will suffice.

Unfortunately for the iOS users out there, MyMartlet is currently only available on Android, while the McGill app is present on both marketplaces. However, iOS and Windows Phone versions of the app are on the way.

Meeting the developers

While Oohlala did not respond to The Daily’s request for an interview, the team behind MyMartlet agreed to a face-to-face meeting to talk about their experience producing the app from the ground up.

Their project started out as a course project for a Software Engineering Practice class. At first, they recall, the features to be implemented were driven by one question: “what do students need?” Julien Guerinet, the “Android guru” of the group, said, “At the start of the semester, what do you want to know? You need access to your schedule because you are forgetting that constantly, and a map of campus with markers for the main buildings can help new students go around without getting lost. Then, access to eBills becomes handy and by the end of the semester, you want to keep an eye on your transcript.” Nearing the end of the spring semester, the developers had a basic version of MyMartlet that they thought would primarily be a tool for them to simplify their McGill lives.

Over the following eight months, they gathered information from their pool of beta-testers and from their growing user base to add more and more features, up until the moment where the app was ready to go public and be published on the Android app store.

Being a not-for-profit group, they had to synchronize their busy schedules, but managed to meet regularly to discuss the next fixes or features. Moreover, being unaffiliated with the McGill administration meant that they had one large challenge ahead of them from the very beginning: pulling data from the portal without having access to the official API (code which is used to build apps for websites). They worked on the MyMcGill portal tirelessly to figure out how it functioned, and ended up solving that problem without ever having to ask McGill for the keys to the kingdom. Anyone who knows about app development knows that is an extremely impressive feat to accomplish in such as short amount of time and, more importantly, with very limited resources.

From the team’s point of view, apps geared toward institutions are very important for the educational ecosystem. While mentioning social media-related features to be implemented in the future, they stressed the importance of building a solid community. Apps such as MyMartlet can contribute to the togetherness of a school by providing information about opportunities given to students and keeping everyone in the loop on what’s happening around campus. A club or student organization is gaining traction among students? Let’s notify everyone so that anyone interested can join up!

Tips for aspiring developers

Concluding the interview, the team came up with advice for aspiring developers out there. First, set yourself a goal. It may be small and only for your own benefit, “like an app that displays your Facebook pictures.” Through these sets of small goals, you learn the development process bit by bit, and, at some point, you can gather what you know and make something great. They also mentioned a thing or two about running into problems, the most valuable of which was, “if you have a problem, someone else probably had the same exact issue in the past.” That’s when development communities like StackOverflow come into play, as they provide tons of useful information. In the same spirit, Google is your best friend! Countless tutorials are available online to get you through the basics and even through some of the more complicated stuff.

The students of Appvelopers also hold regular office hours during which they work on the app, listen to feedback, and make their knowledge available to the curious. The location and schedule for these office hours are available through their Facebook page.

If you have to make the ultimate decision between the McGill App and MyMartlet, definitely go for MyMartlet. Not only is it extremely well-made, but it gathers all your data for you, allowing you to check information swiftly before moving on with your busy schedule. As students, we should really embrace these apps because, if anything, they have the potential to make our daily grind a thousand times simpler. Once they become popular and their user base grows, they could increase our connectivity as a community by improving campus communication and thus making sure that opportunities on campus will never go unnoticed. Finally, if anything, the success of MyMartlet should serve as a lesson to McGill: the community always produces the best initiatives because it knows more than anyone else what it needs.

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