Rise and Shine by Thomas Mangelsen

“… Tired from their journey, the cubs were snuggled into their mother’s body. After an hour or so one of the furry cubs stirred. While sleepily squirming into a more comfy niche, the wriggling cub woke her sibling, then promptly fell back to sleep. The newly roused cub climbed his mother’s side and tried to return to his nap, but soon gave up and slid to the soft snow near his mother’s head. Persistent licks to her chin from the small precocious bear evoked little response, and the cub’s attention then turned towards us watching from afar. In a human-like gesture he raised his paw as if to say, “How about you? Rise and shine!”

We watched them that afternoon until sunset. The following morning we found their tracks headed toward Hudson Bay where the winds would hopefully blow the ice to the Western shore allowing the mother to hunt and feed her family. For the eleventh year, I returned to the far north in search of the polar bear. Once again my soul swelled with great respect and awe for these great white bears and gratitude to have observed and photographed the intimacy of a polar bear family with tiny cubs.” -Source

Does the Elephant Dance?

*Image source

It’s always a good thing when you hear a speaker so clear and compelling that you immediately want to pick up their book. I’d like to outline some of the things I picked up from the talk, perhaps as a useful reference.

In the talk, Malone identified three salient elements that shape any contemporary foreign policy: first, the history of a nation; second, the geography; and third, the capability (which include military capability, economic capability, quality of leadership, natural and human resources endowment [1]).

I found the historical part of the talk particularly insightful with respect to the background reading I’ve done so I’ll describe it in a little more detail than other parts. During a discussion one of my friends described India as a ‘nation of many nations’, and it’s completely true. The country, perhaps more than any other nation, has had a long history of cultural and religious plurality. However, Malone pointed out that India’s long term sociocultural trajectory has generally been affected by Western influxes (Afghan and Persian influence, Islam and Christianity), whereas Indian influence has generally gone Eastwards (Buddhism).

Another interesting historical point Malone made was the economic outcomes of the British Raj in India. There is a prevalent romantic portrayal of the Raj as a colonial rule that despite some—mishaps—advanced the people of India. Malone contended this perspective by describing economic research that shows that before the British Raj India had 17-20% economic output of the world, but by the time the British left the output had been reduced to 2% and the country’s prominent industries had been decimated.

As well, during the rule of the British Raj, India had several major famines, the last of which was during World War II in Bengal and killed between 1.5-4 million people. After Indian independence, despite hunger and poverty, there has not been widespread famine in the country—indicative of, and perhaps reinforcing, successes of democracy in the country. The failures of colonialism and successes of democracy have shaped Indian policies to be distinctly anti-imperialist. This was one of the factors Malone mentioned may have contributed to the country’s preference to take a neutral non-aligned stance in international standoffs. He described divergence from this policy (allying with the USSR) to have been an outcome of autocratic rule by, for example, Indira Gandhi.

The second motif Malone highlighted was geography. Many of the practices in Indian foreign policy emerge directly out of India’s massive border with China on the one hand, and Afghanistan/Pakistan on the other side and its troubled relationship with these neighbors. One interesting point Malone made was that China, which has 3 times the economic output of India, appears to have replaced Pakistan as the primary Indian concern/obsession (well, to be honest, everybody seems a little obsessed with China at this point), while Pakistan continues to be concerned about India’s economic growth while its own economy stagnates. Another point was that despite the China-India rivalry, traditional alliances around India are also changing. While Pakistan’s alliance with China strengthened during the Chinese-Indian war of 1962, in recent years China has not shown unequivocal support of Pakistan. This relationship may have soured in part because of the rise of Wahhabist insurgency in Pakistan and associated insurgencies in China.

With regards to capability, Malone described India as a country with a lot of potential which may or may not be fulfilled. The country’s military strengths, he said, are limited largely to its nuclear arsenal and an effective navy, though economic development and an increasingly middle-class population/tax base may contribute to a more advanced military. However, he mentioned that internal turmoil, primarily the extensive Naxalite-Maoist insurgency in one-fourth of the country (the eastern Red Corridor) may hinder efforts to increase governance capability. Finally, Malone described the economic development that has taken place in India since economic liberalization in the 1990s. In particular the development of various free-trade agreements that are currently in process and their implication for relationship with China, US, Europe and Canada.

Based on his work, Malone laid out three principle drivers in Indian foreign policy emerging from history, geography and capability that he elaborates in his book:

(1) A quest for autonomy – Stemming from the country’s historical experience, and evident in, for example, in disagreements with the West on its Iranian policy. (A rate acute observation Malone made here was that perhaps the West could, instead of being baffled by Indian foreign policy, ask and learn from a country that probably has better understanding of its Asian neighbors).

(2) Strategic restraint — Favoring development over militaristic capacity, and other examples including the country’s hesitation to engage in aggressive response to various insurgencies originating in Pakistan (although not having read the book I do wonder if this is related to a more politically-coherent country maintaining mutually assured destruction (MAD) policy).

(3) Focus on economic progress, but not necessarily a desire to become a ‘dominating world power’.

After hearing this talk, I think it will be really interesting to see whether India will continue to show the foreign policy traits characterized above, or if economic growth will mean a shift in the country’s policies to less ‘autonomous’ and less ‘restrained’. Also in light of (somewhat alarming) conjecture by foreign policy experts about increasing tension between Western and Eastern powers, I do wonder about the alliances that India as a rising power will choose to form and how they will shape history.

References
[1] Adeyemi-Suenu, W., Inokoba, P.K.(2010). Commitment Capability and Nigeria’s Strategic Interest in West Africa: Lessons for Statesmen. J Soc Sci, 22:3. P. 179-184.

- Jim Henson (1936-1990)

*Image Source

Image by Afra Saskia Tucker

“Two worlds, One spirit,” a collection of photography and sculpture by Ivar Mendez, the chairman of the Brain Repair Centre at Dalhousie University, was on display at Musée des Maîtres et Artisans du Québec. His black and white photographs capture the sharp boundary where dark, coniferous forests meet snow-covered mountain slopes in Northern Labrador. This landscape is marked not only by tremendous beauty, but also by human suffering.

Mendez, a trained neurosurgeon, explores humanity’s struggles through art, while seeking to alleviate it through medicine and technology. I sat down with Mendez prior to a discussion on his work on September 24, which was organized by former McGill professor, Dr. Norman Cornett.

In recent years, Mendez has made headlines by facilitating the adoption of remote-presence robots to provide specialist neurological consultation services in remote areas of Canada. Remote-presence robots allow physicians to operate in a clinic thousands of kilometers away, using a video game-like joystick to move a robot throughout. These robots can rotate 360 degrees, and have a monitor that shows a live-feed of the physician. In addition, they are equipped with high-resolution cameras and sound equipment, allowing for real time examination and interaction with patients. Despite the unusual experience of interacting with a robot, Mendez says that patients, family, and staff quickly adapt to this futuristic associate.

In Canada, as well as in Mendez’s native Bolivia, aboriginal populations – often located in remote areas – suffer disproportionately from lack of access to specialist care due to distance and climate. Mendez excitedly speaks about the potential to expand such services and take expertise to where it is needed most.

“To listen to the heartbeat of a baby in the mother’s womb thousands of kilometers away,“ Mendez said. “[to] determine which mothers are at risk.”

He views technologies such as remote-presence robot systems as a means of reducing disparity and providing equal access to medical care, even in remote areas such as the Canadian arctic. These communities, too, are quickly accepting and integrating technologies. Mendez describes a community in Northern Labrador that, after the province proved unwilling to purchase a remote-presence robot, came together to raise funds to do so independently.

Though he has helped found neurosurgical units Asia, Africa, and South America, Mendez’s interest in technology is not limited to the medical field. In another initiative, presently in its second year, children in Inuit communities in Northern Labrador are provided with laptops and put in touch with children from Nova Scotia and the Bolivian Andes.

“These kids can communicate with art, math, and music,” he said. “[This] instills in children the idea that, no matter who we are, our contributions have the same value.”

Mendez also emphasizes the importance of investing in cross-cultural exchanges. He described a school in the north of Canada where, for the first time, two students have entered 12th grade, and will be the first two high school graduates in several years. Communicating with graduating students in Nova Scotia via the laptops motivated these students to continue their education. In this way, the introduction of innovative technologies can provide services to people who lack access, and offer these communities a means for growth.

“The change will come from within,” Mendez said. “We can help provide the environment for the children to one day become the leaders of the future, and change their own communities.”

Indulging in insect specialties
Introducing bugs as a nutritious and environmentally-friendly supplement to our menu
By Marzieh Ghiasi
Published on October 31, 2011

Image by Olivia Messer / The McGill Daily

Insects and creepy crawlies are common Halloween decorations here in North America, but, in 80 per cent of the world, insects are also a staple of the dinner plate.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 1,500 edible insect species are eaten around the world. In Africa, Asia, and South America, insect dishes range from fried ants and candied grasshoppers to canned grubs and caterpillars. The eating of insects, however, is on the decline.

Robert Kok, an emeritus McGill professor in Bioresource Engineering, said, “A lot of people remember their grandparents consuming Mopani worms but don’t indulge themselves anymore.” He said. “There’s a very strong modern cultural bias against eating bugs.”

The adoption of insects as food may not only help to alleviate the ethical issues and health concerns associated with eating meat, but also to reduce the negative environmental impact of meat production, including pollution and land degradation.

“Insects are animals and their flesh has pretty well the same composition as the flesh of our more commonly-consumed food animals,” said Kok. “So, if you eat their meat you get pretty well the same nutrition as when you eat chicken,” he continued.

It has been projected that, by 2050, food production must increase by 70 per cent to meet the needs of the growing world population. Livestock, which is notoriously internally inefficient at converting plant feed to protein, is unlikely to meet these demands.

Researchers such as Arnold van Huis, an entomologist in the Netherlands at the Wageningen University and Research Centre, have shown that many insect species efficiently convert plant feed to edible protein. While cows require 10 kilograms of feed to produce one kilogram of protein, locusts only need two kilograms of feed to produce the same amount of protein. Moreover, it’s been shown that insects release between 10 to 300 times less greenhouse gases such as methane than livestock.

“[Insect] materials could be used as food chemicals to make industrial foods and feed for fish farming, chickens, biodegradable plastics, et cetera.” Kok said. He noted, however, that the conversion efficiencies, costs, and environmental impacts are not fully clear since there have not been industrial insect farms to produce food for humans yet.

Additionally, Kok believes that North Americans are unlikely to embrace insects anytime soon. Nonetheless, mass production and the use of insect parts in food chemicals such as chitin, oils, and protein presents an opportunity to introduce insects into our diets.

Though crickets are not on the shelves of grocery stores yet, you can get a taste of chocolate covered ants at the Montreal Insectarium. Additionally, local markets and internet sites have also begun to sell insects for human consumption. Daniella Martin, an advocate for entomophagy, hosts a web-based show called Girl Meets Bug (http://girlmeetsbug.com/). This show provides a host of recipes for those who would like to add “Fried Scorpions” and “Cabbages, Peas ‘n’ Crickets” to their menu.

“To me, edible insects represent a whole new culinary world to be explored, one which has the potential to be highly eco-friendly and maybe even help solve hunger problems,” Martin said. “Insects are historically and globally popular, easy to raise, very nutritious, and usually quite tasty. What’s not to like?”

I was absolutely taken by how he questioned with strength and resolve Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan, climate change accountability and the use of unelected senators by the government to kill a bill that passed had majority approval in the House. In a room filled with extraordinary men and women, Jack Layton stood out.

Following reports of his passing, I felt devastated that a person I’d come to respect so much… I was going to write back then, but the only words that I could write were ‘So sad… so very sad…” I couldn’t make sense of my own reaction, was this man not just a politician that I’d never even met? Yes I’d watched Layton speak time and time again after and was impressed by his views on how we can tackle the problems in society by empowering and mobilizing every citizen. Yes I was living in Québec at the time the NDP sweeped the election under Layton’s leadership, a feat considered impossible for a federalist party. But he was more than that.

By Andrew Vaughan / The Canadian Press

Mudslinging and negativity are a part of every election, and voters often stand by and watch as they would a carnival of idiots, wondering which party seems less like a trainwreck. But Layton did it another way. Where others wear promises of a better tomorrow on their sleeve, and forget everything as soon as they are elected, Layton rolled up his sleeves and stood with the youth, with the working-class, with the immigrants, with the veterans, with the elderly… He understood our concerns, he stood with us, he became our friend: Jack.

And it was for our friend, Jack, that public squares were covered with chalk-written memorials.

By Jackman Chiu

Two weeks ago I went to a vigil held in Montreal’s Mont Royal to remember Jack. I stood there alongside hundreds of people with candles in hand, under stony angels and a starry sky, singing songs from “Oh Canada…” to “This land is your land, this land is my land… from Bonavista, to Vancouver Island…” (yes, the Great North has its adapted version). Someone speaking at vigil said “Jack loved people.” He united them too. There people of all ages, of all backgrounds, of different political stripes cried and sang alongside each other, mourning and paying their respects to a great person in their own way.

He was a person with so much to do and so far to go– he could have changed the world– But as the days pass, I contemplate less and less what could have been, and instead focus on what could be– Jack’s last words to Canadians:

“Love is better than anger.
Hope is better than fear.
Optimism is better than despair.
So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic.
And we’ll change the world.”

Looking at these words up on my wall, I smile– remembering a man who has changed the world with a dream that will last longer than any lifetime.

By Garnotte / Le Devoir

But when I thought nothing could possibly top it off– I found this amazing graphic: The Nyan Side of the Moon.