Cheating In Chess Tournaments

With headlines in the chess news like “grandmaster puts phone in toilet” one cannot help but wonder how far some players are willing to go, and why the make an effort to go to that extent. Often times in chess tournaments, like the Grand Swiss, or the Grand Chess Tour there can be a lot of money on the line, for example in the Grand Chess Tour the first-place winner would receive about 1/3 of a million dollars. Or the prize money for the world championship matches had 2-3 million dollars on the line as well as the world champion title. With large amounts of money in the prize pools players definitely want to be sure that their opponents are not using a chess engine to tell you the right moves. This is why chess tournament competitors often have to go through border level security before ever even getting through the tournament door.

Cheating in the modern era has become far easier ever since the existence of smartphones. Any free chess engine app one can download on their phone is capable of beating even the current world champion Magnus Carlsen himself. So, one of the most common ways players cheat in tournaments is by going to the washroom during chess games and looking up the best moves on their phones during a chess game. To counteract this in tournaments players go through metal detectors to make sure they do not have access to their smartphones during a game. 

However, even with metal detectors some players are able to bypass this. One Czech grandmaster hid his phone inside a plastic bag in a toilet bowl, and during chess games he would go to the washroom to check the best lines in his position. Another case is when a blind player who had to have the moves said to him, and he took advantage of hearing aids by having a team of players listening through the hearing aids. The moves were being sent by SMS messages and then the best moves were sent back to the player and he listened to them in his hearing aids. 

Online chess has taken the greatest hits from cheating in the modern era because of how much easier it is to cheat due to the fact that players are not face to face. When players on chess.com, lichess, or chess24 are asked why they do not play long games like rapid or classical time controls, one of the most common answers is the number of players cheating during their chess games. Chess streaming grandmasters like Simon Williams or Eric Hansen often come across cheating during online chess games which complicates things when the chess grandmasters are trying to provide educational insight into the game. Even I have come across cheating in some online chess games, and it is the main reason I never play online games. 

Today’s cheat detection systems have to continuously update in order to keep up with the new ways to cheat in tournaments. Often times the main problem is that the only way to improve on the cheat detection is to analysis cases, but even then, it is difficult to predict cheating cases. As IM Danny Rensch said “it is difficult to predict a murder case, so we often time police can only investigate the murder after is has happened.” 

This leaves to question, how far are you willing to go to win?

2019 NHL Heritage Classic

The 2019 NHL Heritage Classic hockey game took place at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan on Saturday, October 26th. My family and I went, we froze our butts off as it was very cold out but we had a blast! The Calgary Flames played against the Winnipeg Jets, with the Jets winning in overtime with a score of 2-1. All throughout the first two periods, the Jets (the best team, of course) were scoreless and at the end of the third, threw Calgary a curveball and secured an overtime win. My parents sat together and me and my sister sat together, at complete opposite sides of the stadium. 

 

(Pictured above: a beautiful view of my parents view from their seats) 

My sister and I realized we were sitting pretty much in the middle of the Calgary section. We were surrounded by (intoxicated) Flames fans and it was entertaining for the first bit of the game but eventually I got sick of them. If you haven’t figured out yet, we are die hard Winnipeg Jets all the way (Go Jets Go!); so we were very pleased by the result of the game! 

 

(Pictured above: My sister and I all bundled up sitting in our seats)


  

(Pictured above: The distances from Regina to Winnipeg and Calgary) 

Before the game started, singers Jess Moskaluke (who, fun fact, is from Langenburg, a town close to my hometown) and The Hunter Brothers sang a rendition of “The Middle” by Maren Morris. I realized after that they sang this because Regina is in the middle of Calgary and Winnipeg! The weather was very, very cold for the outdoor game. I saw on the jumbotron once that it was -3 C with 31km/hr winds! Our line of the night was that with the snow, it looked like we were in a snowglobe! 

 

(Pictured above: A panoramic picture that my mom took, featuring my dad on the far left) 


 

(Pictured above: A selfie of the whole gang all bundled up)


 

(Pictured above: a view of my sister and I’s seats) 


 

(Pictured above: Our view after Morgan and I(my sister) moved to the standing area for the last bit of the game) 


 

(Pictured above: My mom taking a selfie with Jet’s mascot, Benny) 


 

 

(Pictured above: Pregame activities) 



 

(Pictured above: Morgan and I socializing in our hotel bar before the game, drinking Diet Pepsi and Sprite) 


 

(Pictured above: The final score) 


As we were leaving the game, we were interviewed for CTV news! 

 

(Pictured above: The whole fam on TV!) 

In conclusion, I had a blast at the game. I would’ve appreciated it being a little warmer, but it was a great experience. GO JETS GO!


Remembering To Remember

Credit: Jolene Osztian

As the reading week approaches and the semester enters its final full month of classes, students begin focusing on the task of preparing for the upcoming exam season. The workload is heavy and demands our constant attention. The beginning of the month also brings about a ubiquity of the poppy, worn close to Canadian hearts who offer their remembrance on November 11th. Remembrance day marks a time during which the country extends its eternal gratitude for those individuals in military service. The day falls on the Monday of Brandon University’s reading week; accordingly, remembering to remember on the 11th is especially important during a time when papers, exams, and projects command our focus. 

Brandonites can attend a service in Westoba Place arena at the Keystone Centre on the 11th. Doors open at 9:30 AM and the ceremony begins with O’Canada at 10:40 AM. Following a moment of silence at 11:00 AM, the ceremony ends at 12:00 PM. Attending the ceremony is much more than mere attendance; one’s presence at the service is a symbolic gesture of thankfulness, support, and respect for those who have served, and those who continue to serve, in Canada’s military. More information on the event can be found on the Keystone Centre’s website’s Upcoming Events page. 

Credit: Jolene Osztian

If attending a ceremony does not conform to one’s schedule, pausing at 11:00 AM on the 11th to silently reflect on the service of our military is a simple but important action to take. The moment of silence, lasting for no more than a couple minute’s time, marks the time during which armistice became effective. Participating in the moment’s observance, however, signifies a deference for Canadian soldiers that extends beyond its first World War origin. Everyone who dons a uniform in service of our country deserves the respect of Canadians. One’s partaking in the moment of silence, whether at a service or not, ensures that one still sounds the trumpet call in mind and in heart.  

Death Café

Ready to talk about death? Few people are. Brandon University is hosting a Death Café next week to help people get comfortable in discussing death and mortality.

While death is a mysterious and often taboo subject in western society, people have questions, thoughts, and feelings about dying and death that they may be reluctant to express.

“A death café is an open forum discussion about death and dying and the thoughts, feelings, and questions we all have but may be reluctant to voice out loud,” said Sharran Mullins, an Assistant Professor in Psychiatric Nursing at BU. She and her third-year palliative care students are facilitating the death café. “I believe that having an opportunity like this will help our students (and us!) develop greater comfort in discussing death and dying, and will foster greater ‘death literacy’ in our community.”

A death café is not grief, individual, or group counselling, she notes. People should come prepared to share their thoughts and contribute to what is sure to be a lively and enlightening discussion.

A death café provides a safe environment in which to talk about death. The death café movement began in 2011 based on the work of Swiss sociologist and anthropologist Bernard Crettaz. Since their invention, death cafés spread quickly across Europe, North America, and Australasia.

“At a death cafe, people gather to eat cake, drink tea/coffee — Let death be not decaffeinated! — and discuss death. The objective is to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.  It is an open-forum group discussion of dying and death, with no agenda.  It is a discussion group rather than grief support or counselling, and is not a substitute for these services.

As part of the course “Introduction to Palliative Care”, third-year Psychiatric Nursing students are hosting a death café on Oct. 30 from 7–8:30 p.m. at Brandon University in the Faculty of Health Studies room 043. All are welcome!

Halloween At Brandon University

The Brandon University Community in Action committee is hosting a campus Halloween Coffee Break to celebrate our campus United Way campaign. Join us at 10 a.m. in the Down Under. There will be prizes for staff and faculty costumes, as well as a prize draw for United Way pledges. Please bring a non-perishable food item to support the BUSU Food Bank.

Harvest Hall invites all families of ghouls and ghosts for a pre-trick-or-treat buffet starting at 4 p.m. The buffet is $12.95 and all kids under 7 eat free, with kids 8–15 half price. Price include meal, drink and dessert. The menu includes roasted leg of hangman, graveyard mac’n’cheese, ghoulish grilled cheese, bat wings and more…

While handing out candy to the kiddies, please watch for student union representatives collecting non-perishable food items for the BUSU and ACCSA food banks..

pc: JOlene osztian

Upcoming Halloween Food Drive

On Halloween night, students from BU and ACC have the chance to volunteer for the university’s food bank. It’s a great alternative to trick or treating. Wearing a costume is optional but fun. 

The event allows students to do something fun and safe on Halloween. It’s a wonderful way for the university to get canned good to be used over a longer period of time than perishable foods. 

Contact BUSU if this is something that interests you. If you are unable to go to the BUSU office, you can phone 204-727-9660 and a BUSU representative will help you sign up over the phone. In regards to the event, all volunteers are expected to meet at Samaritan House on October 31st at 5:00 pm. The event will run from 5:00-9:00pm. 

There is still time to take part if you so wish. 

Witches and Wicca

Are witches real? Well, have you ever had deja-vu? Consider that your intuition. Have you ever been stressed about your midterms, so you filled your bathtub with sweet smelling oils and soothing salt scrubs, maybe you lit a few candles? Sounds like a self-love spell to me. You wished you didn’t have to go to class, then it was cancelled? Manifested. Have you ever just – cleaned your room – because clutter gives you heavy negative energy? Look at you, performing whole cleansing rituals like a pro.

So, are witches real? Not the kind with green skin and an appetite for babies, but yes. They’re people who practice magick, directing and raising energies to serve a purpose. And if you haven’t noticed lately, witchcraft is having a moment. A whole magical moment. So let’s take you through the basics:

A witch is someone aware of their own power, and puts that power into action.

That’s it. No consumption of children’s souls required. 

Historically, an increased interest in witchcraft is synonymous with current society. The rise of witches is always rising parallel with another political or social movement. Because witchcraft is so easily malleable, you can make it whatever you want it to be. The witch trials were less a witch issue, and more so a response to a threatened patriarchy. Similar feminist ideologies were being brought to the forefront in the 1970s, along with a revival of modern witchcraft. In our current society, we’ve seen a steady rise in Feminism in the popular and political culture. Witchcraft urges you to practice positive self-love, and to “the witch is a woman fully in her power” translates perfectly to activists today. Of course, witchcraft doesn’t have a binary rule over it, and boys are witches too. Witches are inarguably having a large moment in the present, providing control, confidence, and accountability. 

There are so many common misconceptions about witches - and no - the E-girl in your gender studies class isn’t a witch. Okay, maybe she is. But the point is that witches don’t have a specific look. There are witches of all expressions and identities. Confusion corner is where Wicca rolls on in. Here’s a super simple graph to help:

WITCHCRAFT ≠ WICCA

Wicca is a religion associated with witchcraft. So, all Wiccans are witches, but not all witches are Wiccan. Kapiche? Witchcraft itself is a spirituality, a philosophy of life. There are wiccan witches, but there are also witches who practice Christianity, paganism, or atheism. When we think of witches, we usually imagine those creepy old gals from Macbeth, Hermonie Granger, or Angelina Jolie’s cheekbones in Maleficent. In reality, witchcraft really isn’t as cookie cutter friendly, as popular culture tropes would have you think. This is an overwhelmingly vast practice, with so many different types. There’s no specific look for a witch, and that makes witchcraft and each person’s personal practice, 100% their own. To name a couple types of crafts in the cauldron, kitchen witches use magic in cooking and baking, green witches use flowers, herbs, and other plants, cosmic witches employ astrology and planetary cycles. There are some crafts that also relate directly to indigenous shamanism or African hoodoo. Who knew?   

The most important step is to let go of fear. When we lack understanding for something, we tend to develop fear. For years, I had been mixing my own tea blends, collecting crystals, and taking bubble baths. The only change I’ve made is releasing the fear of people’s judgment and recognizing the magic in these activities. Witchcraft Is all about intention. If you have a purpose for drinking a cup of tea (i.e.  to relax), then congratulations – you’ve got a spell! Some people will absolutely drain others for the fun of having their tarot cards read but become uncomfortable the moment someone says “witch”. But as it happens, the more I hear someone say “witch” the more people seem to lift their heads to say “me too”. 


The Haunting Of The Hill Side House

“The House Isn’t Real. You’re Dead” 

That was my first thought when I was reading Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of The Hill House. From the beginning, signs that the main character Eleanor or Nelly was passing from reality to the afterlife/reincarnation kept popping up. Almost weed-like connections to another book, humanity’s forbidden book.  

pc: JOlene osztian

That book is the Tibetan Book of the Dead. For simplicity, only certain parts of the book will be used to explain the house. The actual name of the book Bardo Thodol can be translated as “in-between state and awakening”. The most relevant idea from the book of the dead is what happens to the person after death. At first, the person is considered in the in-between world, and in this stage as we’ll call it is where the person is dead by do not know that they are dead. It is also where the Buddhistic deities manifest, and because most people are unfamiliar with them, I will refer to Carl Jung’s archetypes instead. In the third stage and final stage, the person starts to see karmic illusions and things start to take a dark turn, in which awakening is usually reached.  

pc: JOlene osztian

On the way to the house, Eleanor sees relative to herself perfect houses she could settle down and live in. This is the point in the story when Eleanor is going to the in-between place or a terminal to the afterlife. That in-between place, in this case, is the hillside house itself. When she arrives, she is the first of all the guests to arrive, It’s possible that Mrs. Dudley can be thought of as part of the house itself, in the sense she is a clock. Notice how she never says anything more. Nor is she ever seen actually leaving the house or arriving. In the second stage, all of the objects are things from her past life. Eleanor was at the house far long ago in her childhood, so even the house is from her past life. The other guests arriving is the manifestation of the deities or the archetypes.The doctor is Jung’s archetype of the wise old man. Notice how only the doctor seems to know about the house and its past, and that he serves as a guide to the other in the story? Luke is the archetype of the animus, the masculine part of Eleanor’s psyche. Theodora is perhaps the easiest to see, Theodora is Eleanor’s shadow or the archetype of the shadow.  

When Eleanor starts transitioning to the final stage is when the house or in-between starts to do its spooky acts and illusions. When she starts seeing her karmic illusions is when the house fully turns “haunted” and this is also when the other guests in some sense turn against Eleanor and start to reject her “childish” acts and behaviour. It is easy to see when the final stage begins because everyone starts referring to Eleanor as Nelly, as does the house itself. Depending on how a person deals with these karmic illusions will influence what kind of life they will be reincarnated as. Because Nelly fails to let go, in other words, does not come to acceptance with impermanence, she ends up leaving the in-between in a horrible manner. She ends up crashing into a tree, after not allowing herself to let go of the house. However, then the question remains, when in the beginning of the book did, she actually die? 



Nightmares Of Midterms And Research Papers

With Reading Week approaching, there also comes the time for midterms and research papers. Sometimes this can give you nightmares (It’s certainly given me some odd ones). First step is to take a deep breath, exhale and do not panic, no matter how intense the nightmare was. One of the first steps is to look at your lecture notes and textbook to see what you need to keep ahold of in your mind. After that, go talk to your professor, they can help you figure out things you didn’t quite understand when you first attended the lecture. Create a plan of action to tackle the problems areas you have identified, collaborate with your professor and find ways to improve, snd to use the information the best way for you. 

You can also make appointments with various academic tutors or advisors at student services to get a bit of extra help. Join a study group, find someone who took the class previously to give you some tips, or explore the many other on campus and online resources available to help you out. There is someone out there who can help you before and after a midterm.

Just remember to look at all your options before you decide anything about the class, midterm and overall G.P.A. Don’t let the anxiety and nightmares of it get to you. It only seems spooky if you believe it is.

Interview with Dr. David Docherty.

On Tuesday October 22, 2019, The Quill had the opportunity to sit down and meet with BU’s new president. Our interview took place at Forbidden and during this time I was able to listen to him talk about his time in Mount Royal, as its university president and what future he saw from BU. 

Our interview began with the basics, I asked him what his first impression of BU were and his answer was “Clark Hall” He then further explained that the one thing he had noticed was the structure of Clark Hall and how it towered with it’s early 1900s’s structure. He said that at Mount Royal there was no building like Clark Hall. Brandon University is a mixture of old and new buildings and its charm seemed to impress our new president. Next, I asked him what he believed BU’s strengths were, he said that he believed the size of our university was its main strength. He said that as a smaller university more connections are built, and more people know each other. He also said that as a smaller university in a smaller city he felt as though he had lost the anonymity he possessed back in Calgary.  He further explained that in a smaller city where more of its population attended the university, many in the street would recognize him as that university’s president. 

My next question for Dr. Docherty was what he believed needed improvement. He said that the one thing he wanted to start improving was Brodie Building. No further details were given about his plans regarding Brodie Building simply that it was on the top of his list to improve. Following this question, I asked him what he hoped to accomplish during his presidential term. His answer came quickly. While there were a lot of things, he hoped to accomplish the main one was having the first award scholar or professor from BU. He said he believed students and professors alike had the potential and talent to win a national award. He said that he hoped to implement coaching workshops where students could be guided through the application and interviewing process of applying for an award. 

I asked him how his past administrative experience at Mount Royal was and how it would hep him with administering BU. This question also lead to an answer for another question about the reduction in the operating grant from the province that BU will have to face. For his administration time at Mount Royal he said that it had been his first time as a president and that of course there were ups and downs but that he was proud of what the school had accomplished. He said that during his presidency he put greater focus on students obtaining a bachelor’s degree. By the end of his term more students were choosing a four-year degree rather than a two-year degree. Now as his presidency begins at BU, he has experience in dealing with any ups and downs that a university may face. Relating to the budget cut that BU will face, he said that during his time in Mount Royal budget cuts were made, and he got through them. He went on to say that while nobody liked budget cuts, they were still going to be made and all you could do was get through them. 

When asked about his commitment to diversity, transparency, personal accessibility and community building and how it will influence his administration of BU he said that BU already possessed many of the aspects he was committed to. He said that there were gender neutral washrooms across campus and that he was happy to see all the personal accessibility implementations at BU. He went on to discuss how his commitment to those ideals were implemented at Mount Royal University and said that one of the first things he had done had been to make sure the administration was made up more than just men. Equality and diversifying with the higher ups is a big priority for him. He also said that he made sure the administration had diversity regarding each member’s sexual orientation. He said that diversity created more opinions and thus more problems could be solved. 

As our interview came to an end, I could not help but ask why his hiring process had seemed to drag. He said that while he was very excited to begin his presidency at BU, he had promised his daughter she would be able to graduate high school in Calgary. He believes that family is very important and that promises made must be kept. Therefore, he began his presidency in May and because of this, we had interim president Dr. Steve Robinson up until April.

Brandon University will be lucky to have Dr. David Docherty as its president for the next few years and Brandon University welcomes him with open arms. He is incredibly accessible, and he encourages students to feel comfortable talking to him as he believes that being the president of a university, an essential part of his role is to get to know his students better. 

Rest In Peace Midge

At Brandon University for the past few years we had a special guest as part of our student services. A small, and wonderful dog named Midge always accompanied her human Doug Pople. Unsurprisingly, she became part of the BU family and always managed to put a smile on everyone’s faces as they passed her in the halls. 

Sadly, only a few weeks ago Midge passed over the rainbow bridge but she will be remembered by staff and students with great fondness. 

Soon after the outpouring of support and sympathy, Dog responded.

“Thank you to everyone who not only sent a note, card or stopped by….but also a big thank you to everyone that made her time at BU so special…”

He also mentions a place very dear to Midge. The Discovery Centre here in Brandon. 

“The Discovery Centre was a special place that she loved to visit. Even just before she passed we would go and she still liked to walk a little and be carried a lot. In memory of Midge I am sponsoring 3 metres of the walking path… The Discovery Centre is a gem in our community and will always have a special place in my heart as Midge so loved to run free there.”

The cost to sponsor a metre is $100 and they will accept any amount of donation and combine those to purchase metres. All donations of $10 or over will receive a tax receipt. Your contribution will go directly towards enhancement of this wonderful community resource.

Donations can be dropped off at Doug’s office or they can be made directly to the Riverbank Discovery Centre. Donations can also be made by credit card by contacting the Riverbank Discovery Centre at: 204-729-2141 or at the toll free number: 1-888-799-1111. 

On a personal not, I loved seeing Midge and feeding her treats. It was always a way to bring some joy to my day and I will miss her greatly.

New Club At HLC

At the Healthy Living Centre, a new fitness club has been out together. In a collaboration between the Brandon University Aboriginal Students Collective and Brandon Community Powwow club, the HLC now has a new activity very Thursday evening starting October 24th from 6:30 until 8:30 pm on the mezzanine level. 

All students are welcome and encouraged to join. It’s sure to be a great deal of fun. Not only for those into fitness but also those who wish to take part in a significant part of Aboriginal culture. 


Indigenous Homecoming Events

The recently formed BU Indigenous Alumni Reunion Committee has partnered with the BU Alumni Association and the BU Indigenous Peoples’ Centre to celebrate Homecoming. It was to raise cultural awareness and understanding. 

As part of the events at Homecoming, Brandon University Indigenous Alumni were honoured. The He Oyate Tawapi (Ceremony Room) in the Health Studies building held a pipe ceremony on Saturday October 18th. 

The pipe ceremony was followed by a Sharing Circle and Luncheon in the library. The Sharing Circle celebrated academic and personal accomplishments of the alumni. 

Nothin’ Beats Stuffin’

As families get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving, one thing comes to mind. What is going to be on the dinner table when the festivities finally arrive. Indeed, Thanksgiving is usually a time for grand and exquisite meals. Almost always on the menu is good old stuffing. That filling yet simple staple food item is something we all look forward to each October. Below are two of my favourite Thanksgiving stuffing recipes. Thanksgiving Bacon Stuffing ​

​Ingredients ​

  • 1 package of bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces ​

  • 1/2 cup of butter ​

  • 1 cup of finely chopped onion ​

  • 1 cup of chopped celery ​

  • 2 tablespoons of poultry seasoning ​

  • 2 loaves of white bread, torn into tiny pieces ​

  • 2 eggs, beaten ​

​

Directions ​

​Looking to whip up enough stuffing to feed the entire family? This recipe will do just that. Even better, it adds bacon into the mix. You can never, ever go wrong with fresh bacon. To begin making your homemade stuffing preheat the oven to 400 F. Then proceed to fry the bacon on medium heat in a large skillet. After cooking the bacon for 10 minutes drain the bacon slices on paper towel. In a separate skillet melt the 1/2 cup of butter and sauté the onion and celery for 5 minutes. Then stir the bacon and poultry seasoning into the mixture. In a large bowl combine the mixture with the torn-up bread pieces. Once well blended fold in the eggs. Move the mixture into muffin trays and bake for approximately 30 minutes. Combine each stuffing cup into a large bowl. Serve and enjoy ​

Old Fashioned Stuffing ​

Ingredients ​

​

  • Approximately 30 slices of white bread​

  • 2 tablespoons of butter​

  • 1 large onion, chopped ​

  • 2 celery stalks, chopped​

  • 2 eggs, beaten ​

  • 2 cups of chicken broth ​

  • 1 teaspoon of garlic powder ​

  • A pinch of salt and pepper ​

​

Directions ​

There's nothing like classic, old fashioned stuffing on your Thanksgiving table. This recipe will even impress your grandmother. She may even let you bring it to the table this Thanksgiving. In order to blow your family away, begin by preheating the oven to 325 F. Lightly grease a 9x13baking dish with either butter or shortening. Then proceed to tear the slices of bread into little chunks. Place the bread chunks in a large bowl. In a medium saucepan melt the butter over low to medium heat. Proceed to add in the onion and celery and cook for approximately 5 minutes. Once softened remove from heat and drain. Mix the beaten eggs and chicken broth into the large bowl with the bread chunks. Then proceed to add the onion and celery into the bread mixture. Add in the garlic powder and salt and pepper. Press the mushy mixture into the baking dish and bake for approximately 45 minutes. Cool and serve.​

Stuffing literally makes the Thanksgiving dinner. You can never have enough stuffing and you always go back for seconds. This Thanksgiving season whip up some classic stuffing for the family and enjoy the long weekend! ​

​

Donnovan Hillman ​


Delicious Desserts For Thanksgiving 

Turkey season is quickly approaching as students across campus get ready to celebrate a well-deserved long weekend with family and friends. Thanksgiving's a time to sit down and remember everything we take for granted. Whether that's all the support we get from friends, co-workers and family or the fact that we have the opportunity to pursue post secondary studies. Thanksgiving is also a time of classic, tasty deserts. In particular most people turn to baking pies. Whether its whipping up that pumpkin pie you've been waiting all year for or another crazy combination of ingredients, pies are a staple when it comes to Thanksgiving dinners. Below are two of my favourite Thanksgiving pie recipes. ​

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake​

Ingredients ​

​

  • 2 packages of cream cheese​

  • 1/2 cup of white sugar ​

  • 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract ​

  • 2 eggs​

  • 1, 9-inch, prepared graham cracker crust ​

  • 1/2 can of pumpkin puree​

  • 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon ​

  • 1 pinch of nutmeg​

  • 1/2 cup of frozen cool whip ​

​

Directions ​

​

How do you make a pumpkin pie even better? You add cream cheese of course! This delicious delicacy is a perfect addition to any thanksgiving menu. To begin preheat the oven to 325 F. In a large bowl combine the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat the mixture until it is smooth. Blend in each of the eggs one at a time. Proceed to remove 1 cup of the batter and spread it on the bottom of the graham cracker crust. Once the batter is spread add the pumpkin puree and nutmeg to the remaining mixture. Proceed to spread the rest of the batter into the graham cracker crust. Bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Once the pie is cool refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Once chilled, serve with cool whip and enjoy! ​

​

Classic Pumpkin Pie ​

ingredients ​

​

  • 1 can of pumpkin puree​

  • 1 can of sweetened condensed milk ​

  • 2 eggs​

  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon ​

  • 1/2 teaspoon of ginger ​

  • 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg​

  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt ​

  • 1, 9-inch, graham cracker crust ​

There's noting like sitting down at the Thanksgiving table and seeing that delicious, plump pumpkin pie just sitting there. Despite it being made only around Thanksgiving and Christmas, pumpkin pie is fairly easy to make. To begin preheat the oven to 350 F. Whisk together the pumpkin, condensed milk, eggs, spices and salt in a large bowl. After a few minutes of mixing the ingredients pour the mixture into the graham cracker crust. Bake the pie for approximately 35 to 40 minutes. Once cool, refrigerate the pie for at least 3 hours. ​

Once it is chilled, cut and serve! ​

​These two pie recipes are sure to spice up your thanksgiving dinner this year. Whether its the Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake or the Classic Pumpkin Pie, your sure to get your pumpkin craving filled this year. Bake a pie, sit back and enjoy your long weekend! ​

“Frankenturkey”: Our Hybrid Thanksgivings of the Nostalgic and the Novel

Thanksgiving is a holiday immersed in traditions. Upon hearing the word, autumn-hued memories of feasts and family begin to fill one’s mind: the familiar aromas of favourite Thanksgiving meals; the cozy embrace of jazz on the radio warding off the aging year with its threats of winter; the company, the friends, and the relatives we congregate with to give thanks in each of our own special ways for another year’s harvest of achievements and realized aspirations. These are the conventions, generally speaking, that come to mind when the leaves reveal their shades of red and orange. For those faithful to a particular fall-supper line-up or holiday ritual, Thanksgiving traditions help warm the brisk evenings with a blanket of nostalgia. However, excursions into the untraditional, whatever that may be from person to person, can prove to shake up the grey-skied monotony of the season. In my family’s experience, a combination old with new customs has made each Thanksgiving unique in their own way while still maintaining the comfortable armchair of tradition.

Enter “Frakenturkey”: my family’s Promethean process of cobbling together a hybrid-Thanksgiving with a body of the familiar and appendages of the alternative. Despite its roots in mad-scientist grandeur, Frankenturkey is really a modest tampering of Thanksgiving tradition with no other purpose than to break up years of turkey consumption. Chinese take-out, Indian cuisine, and sushi with a filling of mashed sweet potato (our conventional still finds a way) have all adorned the table with nary a bird in sight or smell. Altering the DNA of our Thanksgiving meals each year has elevated the status of the harvest holiday from shoulder-shrugging routine to genuinely exciting. Frakenturkey has become a motivation to try new restaurants and expand the cultural range of our palettes in a way that our typical turkey Thanksgiving meals do not provide. The outcome has revealed to us that one can be as thankful over a dish of pad thai noodles as one can be over a gravy-submerged drumstick.

But one cannot deny the warmth of traditions! Regardless of the food we down, our family takes in a viewing of “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” each year without fail. The autumnal soundtrack and memorized storyline sparks a childhood reminiscence that no humdrum meal could match. Even Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang give Frankenturkey a try with their gourmet spread of pretzels, popcorn, buttered toast, jelly beans, and sundaes served on a ping-pong table with mismatching chairs. The new can contribute to a more exciting Thanksgiving, and the familiar helps keep the holiday at home. 

Frankenturkey is merely intended to heighten your Thanksgiving experience. The ideal recipe for Thanksgiving  lies in how you wish to celebrate, whether that be a supper of either familiar or untried food, of either a beloved T.V. special or an untouched Netflix show, or your preferred checklist of traditions. But, for the times when a departure from your norm seems appropriate, the Frakenturkey awaits with its blend of the nostalgic and the novel.

Spider-Man Swings back into the MCU with New Disney Sony Agreement

If you’re a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and lots of geek related stuff, you’ll know that the past month was a heart wrenching one as we heard that just as Spider-Man: Far From Home was leaving theaters, Spider-Man was also leaving the MCU as Sony and Disney failed to come to a deal about how to split the profits that the web slinger was raking in for them. Far From Home is the highest grossing Spider-Man film of all time, and also Sony’s highest grossing film, surpassing the 2012 James Bond film Skyfall. I’m sure you’ve probably heard the expression of “Trues art mimics reality” but within the past month, the reverse seemed to occur. I’m referring to the news of Spider-Man leaving the MCU of course.

Now how is the news of this mimicking the MCU timeline? Well, allow me to explain. If you’ve watched Avengers: Infinity War, then you’ll know that almost all the heroes in the MCU with the exception of the original 6 Avengers and a few other characters were turned to dust by the Mad Titan and beefed up California raisin, Thanos. Dozens of fan favourite heroes were vaporized by the purple brute, but none tugged at our heart strings more than Spider-Man, whose actor Tom Holland improvised his death scene, with his Spider Sense alerting him of the unavoidable tragedy that was going to take place. During the most emotional scene of the movie, Peter Parker clutches onto Tony Stark, uttering the unforgettable “Mr. Stark I don’t feel so good” begging for his mentor to help him, but there’s nothing they can do as Peter turns to dust.

A year later, we saw Spidey return in Avengers: Endgame, where we saw him swing back in with style, and it provided us with more emotional scenes, including a role reversal where Parker weeps while his mentor dies after sacrificing himself to save the universe from Thanos. Far From Home was the follow up film to end phase 3 in the MCU and focused heavily on the elements of Stark’s death in Endgame, but just as quickly as he had been brought back, around August 18th of this year, fans learned that the web-head would be dusted from the MCU yet again, but this time because of Sony and a lack of negotiation skills instead of Thanos and the Infinity Stones. Many speculated that Sony would try to integrate him into their Venom movies that star Tom Hardy, but many fans weren’t too savvy about Spidey meeting up with Venom, as we got that in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, which is considered the worst of the Raimi trilogy, partially for over using too many villains instead of focusing on building the story of their main character. Weeks went by and fans had been desperately clinging on to whatever rumors sounded the most accurate, and that was until the chairman at Sony publicly came forward and stated that Spidey was done in the MCU.

Tom Holland and his fellow Spider-Man cast members were very silent on the matter, mainly because they were contractually obligated to continue with the films, regardless of who owned the film rights to the character. Stars in the MCU had a lot to say though. Jon Favreau who directed the Iron Man films and played Happy Hogan in the MCU said he was “cautiously optimistic” in an interview following the Disney+ streaming service preview of their exclusive Star Wars panel at the D23 expo, and the optimism certainly paid off. Robert Downey Jr took to twitter with some words to say, as did Ryan Reynolds and Jeremy Renner.

The news of Spidey’s return came out last week on September 27th, and fans have Spider-Man himself Tom Holland to thank, as he was able to convince Sony chairman and Disney’s Bob Iger and Kevin Feige to start talking again, and a deal was reached on Thursday evening of that week, with the news hitting the web on Friday. Finally, the stars of Spider-Man started to share some joy online with us, with MJ actress Zendaya posting a dancing Spider-Man GIF on her Twitter, but probably the best reaction was a bit of a NSFW from Tom Holland on Instagram, who posted a clip from the Wolf of Wall Street, with Leonardo DiCaprio’s character stating what was on Holland’s mind stating “I’M NOT F*CKING LEAVING!” Perhaps the second best reaction came from actor and former WWE wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who commented on Holland’s Instagram post with a “F*ck yes.” Now that just leaves a few questions. For starters, the contract basically states that Disney has got another solo film with Spidey and one team up film, likely Avengers 5, but the solo film is set to hit cinemas in July of 2021, and that gives Marvel plenty of time to try and convince Sony to give him an extension in the MCU, and there are rumors stating that we could also see him in the Venom sequel as well, with Sony being granted permission to have Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in the film and subsequent movies, even if they are independent from the MCU.

One big question remains though. Who might the next villain be for Spidey? I’d guess Kraven the Hunter, and here’s why: At the end of Far From Home, Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio name drops Parker and frames him as a murderer responsible for causing mass destruction and panic in London and killing Mysterio, something that JK Simmons’ J Jonah Jameson drives home in the post credits scene. With many people afraid of Spidey now, and his identity exposed, Kraven might try and track down Parker for a bounty, forcing Parker to hide in Wakanda, and teaming up with Black Panther along the way, something the comics have explored, and the MCU is quite faithful to the comic’s storylines. Jason Momoa from Game of Thrones would be an excellent choice to play Kraven, but that’s just my opinion. As for a name, Spider-Man Home Wrecked, Home Bound, Home Away from Home, or Hunted Out of Home or Running from Home. The point is, our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man is back in his true neighbourhood, at least for a few years.

Library Services 

At Brandon University’s library John E. Robbins, an array of services can be accessed by students, staff and faculty. The services offered for students and faculty are ILL (interlibrary loans), Course Reserves, off campus library services, library tours, and bibliographic instruction sessions. For non-students they can obtain a library card and borrow books as easy as a student can. 

As mentioned, the ILL are only for students, staff and faculty and this service entails access to items that are not held at J.E.R but are available for borrowing from other libraries. Course Reserves entails having faculty members place on reserve important course material for their class. Students enrolled in their class are able to pick up the material for an allotted period of time and place back on reserve after they are done using it. Finding out which material is on reserve is easy. Simply go to the circulation desk and look at the reserve lists. You can also check the reserved material by searching Brandon University Course Reserve Catalogue at the BU website. 

Off-Campus Library Services assists with any research needs by providing access to a wide range of services and resources.

These include: 

Over 100 databases

Over 40,000 articles on electronic journals,

Online Online dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases, thesauri, biographical dictionaries, quotations dictionaries, directories, government documents , handbooks/almanacs. 

J.E.R library also provides tours of the library and bibliographic instruction sessions. These can be arranged at any time throughout the year. The sessions entail guidance on effective search strategies for the online catalog, any number of databases, or the World Wide Web. How to evaluate sources for academic merit is also discussed during these sessions. 

To borrow from the J.E.R library anyone who possesses a valid library card. These can be obtained even if you are not a BU student. The following details the library’s borrowing policies. Further information can be found on the BU J.E.R library website. 

Loan Periods

  • Reference Books and Current Periodicals/Journals are for in-Library use only.

  • Back issues of Periodicals are 1-week loans.

  • Books are 4-week loans

  • Most of the other items are 2-week loans.

  • Reserve and Curriculum items have varying loan periods be sure to check.

Loan Restrictions

  • Reserve = 2 items at a time.

  • Periodicals = 5 items at a time; 2 of any one title.

  • Stack Item = 5 items in each subject area

Loan Renewals

  • As long as the item is not on hold (requested by another person) you may renew it twice.

  • You may renew by telephone during library hours (Main Circulation: 204-727-9646, 1-877-253-6765 or Music Circulation: 204-727-9630).

  • There are no renewals for Reserve Materials.

Holds

  • If an item you have signed out is put on hold by another person, it must be returned by the due date.

  • If you have a password for the library catalog, you can place your own holds and check your account. Ask at Circulation for information, or call Circulation (204-727-9646, 1-877-253-6765) if you are wishing to place a hold from your home computer.

Gender And Women’s Studies Fall Social

The Gender and Women’s Studies (G+WS)  program hosted its fall social on Thursday, October 3rd. The event was from 4:30-6:00. Upon entering, I was given a small purple handout that listed winter term G+WS courses.There were also some faculty members there, that attendees were introduced to and got to visit with. We were supplied pizza, tons of chips (there was even extra leftover), and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Attendees in a gender class even get an extra credit mark on their final grade if they attend. I ate some pizza and chips and then was given a copy of the Herizons feminist magazine and flipped through it. I strongly believe that if an event has free food and extra credit, it is definitely worth attending. I got a chance to visit with a few other women attending, and also got a chance to casually visit and get to know my Making Sense of Gender professor, Dr. Mihelakis. It was a great chance to ask professors questions that you don’t necessarily get a chance to ask during class or office hours. There was also a raffle, of which I entered but did not win. The prizes included: a BU notebook, three Forbidden Flavours gift cards, a BU mug, a book, and a BU drawstring bag. I helped Dr. Mihelakis bring a stack of Herizons magazines to her office near the end of the event. I was so invested in a conversation that my professor had to kick me out of the room! I very much enjoyed this event, I like that it got me out of my dorm and got me out of my introverted shell. I would strongly recommend that students go to socials in their field if there are some put on.