Every year, 4.8 to 12.7 million metric tonnes of land-based plastic enter the ocean [1] . As a measure of comparison, that weight is equivalent to between 960 000 and 2 540 000 elephants [2] (more than there are currently left on Earth according to the World Wildlife Fund). Such quantities of plastic have catastrophic effects on the environment: their toxicity contaminates large bodies water, they are fatally ingested by marine wildlife and represent a new vehicle for pathogenic microorganisms to diffuse infectious diseases worldwide [3] . Every day, we are reminded that plastic waste is an environmental time bomb, our Instagram or Facebook feeds constantly exposing us to images of the plastic continents in our oceans or of turtles killed by plastic bags. Overwhelmed by this reality that is our present and future, telling ourselves that it is impossible to reverse the effects of the last hundred or so years of human pollution is an easy way to shift the blame away from our own c...

A profile piece on a political science major Politics are a central part of every upstanding citizen’s life. Be it through voting, getting involved in municipal politics or signing a petition, everyone will eventually be confronted with political choices.            Audrey-Frédérique Lavoie, a political science major at McGill, was kind enough to grant me an interview to answer potential questions a future university applicant could have. A Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf alumnus, she has been greatly involved in her community. Between managing the Cercle de la relève de la Fondation de l’Hôpital de Montréal pour enfants , Déjeun’aide – Breakfast with Leaders (a networking initiative for students and young professionals exclusively orchestrated by students) and closely working with Montreal’s Youth Council, Audrey-Frédérique is most certainly involved in her community’s wellbeing. She is currently on a student exchange at the Science...

A US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III descends on the sleepy city of Cúcuta , Colombia. The massive aircraft touches down, taxies along the runway and parks in front of a hangar. Servicemen scramble to unload its cargo: humanitarian aid destined for crisis-stricken Venezuela, less than 10 km to the west of the city. Its mission accomplished, the C-17 takes off, its imposing silhouette dark against the early morning sky. The food and medicine it delivered will help provide relief for Venezuela’s most vulnerable. At least, that’s the official story. While the sudden influx of humanitarian aid to the Venezuelan border may seem like a heartwarming display of international solidarity, an uplifting headline in a sea of bad news, it would be foolish to be blinded to reality. The aid is not a token of the American people’s goodwill, it is a cold, calculated move by the Trump administration to exert pressure on Venezuela’s embattled people and government. It is a direct involvement ...