UNDERBELLY MAGAZINE FINAL SUBMISSION

Travel - Technology - Drugs - Sport - Politics

UNDERBELLY UNDERBELLY FRONT COVER.indd 2

5/6/2019 9:37:46 AM

CONTENTS

TRAVEL Page 3 TECH Page 11 POLITICS Page 29 DRUGS Page 39 1 UNDERBELLY CONTENTS PAGE.indd 2

5/6/2019 9:41:00 AM

S

UNDERBELLY 2

UNDERBELLY CONTENTS PAGE.indd 3

5/6/2019 9:41:03 AM

TRAP QUEENS OF TAIPEI

Instead of fag butts, expect to see red stains littering the pavements of Taiwan’s streets. With any luck, to the horror of Taiwan’s official tourist board, you’re only minutes away from witnessing the bizarreness of Taipei’s worst kept secret.

3 TT21underbelly amgad new work newsroom.indd 4

06/05/2019 16:26

S T

aiwan’s ‘betel nut beauty’ trade has been something of a cultural institution in Taipei. Young women scantily-clad in mini skirts and ‘stripper heels’ might be easily mistaken for those in the world’s oldest profession, but these Taiwanese vixens are peddling product faster than your local ket-dealer.

An estimated 60,000 neon-lit booths are in operation across Taipei’s city and countryside outskirts due to government restrictions in 2007. Men, predominantly taxi drivers and truckers, pull up to the side of road and are served the popular fruit sourced from the areca palm tree wrapped up in betel leaves. Each betel nut mixture may vary across any one of the numerous booths, however, flavourings such as cinnamon, slaked lime and tobacco are a staple of most conocotions.

The legalised amphetamine is mostly consumed in Asia as a pick-me-up, tobacco substitute, an aid for ‘male vitality’ and somehow as a breath freshener, although unlike most breath fresheners it can leave you destitute and addicted. The high is compared to that of several shots of espresso and is seen as essential in the day-to-day lives of working men.

By Amgad Abdelgadir

A reported 20 percent of Taiwan’s male populace indulge in the nut, as well as unsurprisingly 9 out of 10 oral cancer patients. Not to mention the permanent staining of teeth after years of regular use, that make you look like you’re mouth is constantly on its period.

Much like most of those who end up in the seedier job sectors of society, the women who work these betel booths are likely to be from poorer backgrounds and make far more than they would waitressing or cleaning. Whilst it may not appear to be a standardised career choice and girls aren’t saying to their mummies that they “want to be a ‘betel nut beauty’ when they grow up”, f*ck it, Trump got where he is by exclusively grabbing p**ssies and making bad business investments.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that these betel nut beauties can earn $TW40,000 (£790) a month in the business compared to $TW26,000 (£514) in an office role. Luckily, these women don’t have to go through what many concerned visiting tourists think they go through.

Many wàirén (outsiders) might let their imagination run wild: Are these betel nut ‘traditions’ a front for Taiwanese prostitution? Are Triads running the show?

Despite what you may believe, these entrepreneurial-minded hustlers aren’t in any danger, except the existential threat of government crackdowns looming over them. Whilst rare occurrences of a few perverts exposing themselves happen every now and then, Taiwan’s low violent incident rate is attributed to their own “reserved sensibilities”.

Online news-site, Mic, suggest that low levels of sexual assault to these women are because of the “normalisation of female sexuality”. Taiwanese residents are used to encountering women flaunting their sexuality in certain environments which might not exactly sit well within the sexually-repressed confides of the British mindset.

For example, the tradition of having strippers at your funeral, which unless you’re Hugh Hefner or a hip-hop mogul, you’re likely to sneer at such a sight.

However, in Taiwan, it’s just as normal as eating sh**ty cucumber sandwiches at the wake.

So the next time you’re visiting Taiwan, hiking the riverside trails of Taroko Gorge or making your way through the modern metropolis that is Taipei, make your way off-the-beaten-path and get “lit” whilst keeping the betel nut tradition alive.

4 TT21underbelly amgad new work newsroom.indd 5

06/05/2019 16:26

Riding H

A Bike Tour of Amsterdams Ca

T

here are just under 900,000 bikes in Amsterdam and renting one out and exploring the city with your best buds will definitely be one of the most unforgettable experiences of your life.

We started pushing pedals at around 11am and we only had two destinations on the list, which were the Heineken museum and the ‘I Amsterdam’ sign. Not knowing where to go and without roaming data we decided to do it the old school way and ask for directions. We got pointed in the direction of the Heineken museum and headed on our way.

It is not strictly illegal to roam the Amsterdam’s streets peddling a pushbike whilst chronically stoned of other high and bewildered tourists in the Dutch capital. Although, if stopped by the police you can end with a fine and or just a slap on the wrists. Myself and three of my closest friends chose to ignore that threat and went on our own bike tour of some of the city whilst indulging in some of the 200+ cannabis coffee shops the ‘Dam’ has to offer.

There are bike lanes the size of a car lanes on every major road in Dam and are constantly stacked with bikes flying past in both directions, as warned earlier being high and riding through the busy Amsterdam streets is pretty dangerous but at the same time extremely exiting, especially when riding one handed recording a selfie style video trying not to crash and piss off the locals. As a group we decided that we would stop off at every coffee shop on route, we took a detour down one of the side roads at passed ‘Katsu’ or what I would call the Vegan/Hipster café. It was quite the quirky artsy place full of Picasso style paintings and plants everywhere and if you are a hipster, it even had avocado on toast. Saying that I can’t knock it, as the vibe was chilled the staff were friendly and the ‘Royal Nepal’ hash was something special.

I’ve always felt that the best way to make the most of any city is to explore it on foot, but I can certainly say I was wrong, if a bike is optional then without a doubt that’s the method of transport I’m choosing. We rented bikes from the ‘Yellow bike company’ for 24 hours, they all came with a padlock, so parking up around the city was not a problem. Before we got our riding, we made our first stop at the ‘Prix D’ami’ coffee shop and picked up various strains of weed to start the adventure on a high note. ‘Prix D’ami’ is located within minutes of Amsterdam’s central station and a great place to visit for any stoner looking to chill on one of its three floors that include a pool table room as well as a home cinema room, which is full of 3D TV’s playing the latest releases.

5 DAM FINAL.indd 2

03/05/2019 11:02

g High

ms Cannabis Coffee Shops

We left our bikes outside and walked to the ‘Heineken Experience’ as it was only five minutes away, by this point we were all pretty spacey but we passed by another coffee shop called ‘Club Media’ and of course we went in. I wouldn’t particularly recommend it, as being inside reminded me of an old school English café that you would go for a cheap full English breakfast on a hangover, so it kind of killed my high rather than enhancing it. That soon changed after smoking a ‘Pineapple Kush’ joint which was probably the best weed I’d ever tasted and it took me from feeling like I was in a shitty café, to feeling like I was in Jamaica man.

We finally made it to the Heineken experience and in all honesty unless you have a real interest in brewing beer, it’s a pretty boring experience. The best part of it was watching some guy pour the perfect pint about a hundred times without fail and of course the free beer at the end.

Last stop on our flight was the ‘I Amsterdam’ sign, so after smoking one more by the canal we went and grabbed our bikes and headed over there.

It was a pretty amazing ride, apart from cutting across a main road and nearly getting killed. The entrance to the Amsterdam sign was through an underpass of the ‘Rijks Museum’ which is in an old cathedral and the bells of the cathedral rang out as we went through and made for an epic entrance. It was so crowded that we couldn’t even get a decent picture, which was the main reason we went, so we had a hotdog and headed back to Dam centre.

The sun had just set so we locked up our bikes opposite our Air BnB which was minutes away from the red-light district and decided to walk to the iconic ‘Bulldog’ coffee shop, the first marijuana coffee shop in Amsterdam. Walking down the strip is pretty surreal seeing hundreds of singing drunk lads on stag doo’s, red eyed stoners and half naked girls waving and tempting you over from a glass window. We passed the gauntlet of red lights and beautiful women and made it to the Bulldog. It was so busy and the place is very small, we nudged our way through to the counter and ordered … and we bought one of their famous weed grinders mainly for the gram picture.

Although it’s iconic I would recommend to try and go earlier in the day, although it’s pretty packed most of the time but they do have another bigger location further down the strip. We decided to get the weed and get out as there was nowhere to sit, so we rolled a couple and our way along the canal passing back through the heart of the paid sex worker district.

Amsterdam is a beautiful city and very fun, especially if you do enjoy smoking weed, and the fact I was with my three best friends, made it more than just a stoners weekend away, it was so nostalgic it took us back to when we were kids riding bikes around our town and hanging out everyday. This trip is a memory I will hold for the rest of my life and I highly recommend that everyone should get their day one crew together and live this experience.

By Michael Di Laura

6 DAM FINAL.indd 3

03/05/2019 11:02

7 SW - Iceland Mag.indd 4

05/05/2019 12:12:12

W

hilst many typically associate Shrove Tuesday with pancakes, for the small town of Atherstone, Warwickshire it’s more about mass brawls and chasing after an oversized football - No you didn’t misread that, it does really say brawls and an oversized football.

The Atherstone Ball Game is a yearly tradition that kicks off at 15:00 PM. It’s a medieval football game played in the town’s main street, Long Street.

An oversized, gold football is launched from the upstairs window of the local Barclay’s bank and then two hours of mayhem ensue.

The only rules of the game are that the ball can’t leave the town and participants can’t kill anyone –quite simple really.

The winner is the individual with possession of the ball when the whistle blows two hours later at 17:00PM. Other than that, there really isn’t much too it.

Planning on participating?

Entry is free, just turn up on the day and you can get involved!

It’s worth warning you though participants tend to kick and punch each other to gain possession of the ball, some may well climb on top of you too and if you’re really unlucky they may just rip your ear off with their teeth, but it’s all in the spirit of the game! If you can handle that then really, it’s just the mass brawls and crushes to watch out for. You might also see the occasional fight occur and wonder how a fight has kicked off nowhere near the ball, don’t be so surprised! It’s common for the locals to have a ‘straightener’ at the game, pre-agreed and it’s usually something over nothing.

Whilst there may be still a few months to wait until the next ball game, it does leave you with preparation time, which you’re going to need if you plan on defeating 2019’s winner Jonathan Slesser – he’s a fourtime winner of the game, an achievement we’re sure his mother is extremely proud of.

If this all sounds too much for you go as a spectator, there’s plenty of lampposts, letterboxes, window perches and ledges above shops to get yourself perched on in-order to watch.

And it wouldn’t be fair for the kid’s to be left out either, would it now? Fear not, a kid’s version of the event also takes place on the same day, the winning child will leave with a whole £10!

Mind it’ll cost you as a parent a whole lot more than that bribing them not to cry over that shot of penicillin they’ll need shortly after the event.

8 SW - Iceland Mag.indd 5

05/05/2019 12:12:12

GOING UNDERGROUND: VISITING THE ICELANDIC PUNK MUSEUM A stroll through the former public-toilet turned museum...

R

eykjavík should just prize the entirety of its tourism advertising campaign on ‘expecting the unexpected.’ The quaint town situated on the coast of Iceland boasts a combination of wonder and many “what the fuck” moments for tourists, building on this agenda is the Icelandic Punk Museum. Simply put this museum is a DMT trip, without taking DMT. Opened by punk legend himself Johnny Rotten at the back-end of 2016 one could easily miss the entrance to this museum if it wasn’t for the raucous sound of punk music blaring from within, it also doesn’t help that the building is a former public toilet that’s been converted into a museum. We use the term converted loosely, frankly the work done here closely resembles that Ikea flat pack your dad put together a year or two ago, you know the one

9 SW - Iceland Mag.indd 2

05/05/2019 12:12:11

your parents nearly divorced over?

Ironically though if your wanting to take a piss, the toilets although still in place, they no longer work.

Figure that one out for yourself.

Sitting by the entrance is owner Svarti Mánason one of Iceland’s most famous punks. Sporting an eye-catching green Mohawk Svarti takes your entrance fee and tells you that there is just one rule for the museum: “I don’t care what the fuck you do, beat the shit out of me, beat the shit out of each other, smash up stuff, just don’t walk off with anything.” It’s a simple concept we can get on-board with.

Inside the museum five toilet cubicles plastered with snippets of text, photo’s, newspaper clippings, album covers, sheet music and lyrics guide you through Iceland’s rich history of punk music from the nation’s first punk band, Fræbbblarnir, to the disbanding of The Sugarcubes.

Next door is a clusterfuck, several sets of headphones dangle from the roof giving you the opportunity to listen to Icelandic punk tracks.

There’s also a corner with several beat-up instruments allowing you to form your version of the Sex Pistols. Again, Svarti doesn’t care if you want to play these instruments or throw them, just don’t fucking leave with them.

The Icelandic Punk Museum is open daily from 10:00 AM – 22:00 PM. Written by Sean Walford

10 SW - Iceland Mag.indd 3

05/05/2019 12:12:12

M

uch of the media condemns online piracy and frames it as an immoral act that’s insensitive to artists, producers and developers. However the act of illegally downloading content has the potential to do more good than harm.

Pirates have typically been associated with criminal violence and robbery in the sea however in this particular case there’s not a ship in sight. Online piracy is defined as the unauthorized use or reproduction of another’s work and has been rapidly gaining popularity in the music, gaming and movie industry. With over 6.5 million UK internet users having download illegal content it is clear that the pirates have taken the world by storm with no sign of slowing down.

So the important part is to understand the motive behind these pirates. The most common reason for pirating content such as a series or video game is simply to try it out. Online piracy allows a trial version for audiences to test something new and see if they take to it which gives businesses a chance increase their popularity, fan bases and brand value. More people are inclined to drop money on a product if they are able to test it out before spending money on it and since demos are are a thing of the past for many customers piracy is their only choice. A person is most likely to pirate content for one of two reasons; they would not of otherwise brought, or they cannot afford it. Meaning businesses and content creators are not necessarily losing money or revenue from the presence of online pirates. Several researchers have discovered that the majority of pirates don’t illegally download all their content and rather pick and choose what content they should instead purchase.

Pirates Rejoice Online piracy can lead to more benefits than you may think

“A person is most likely to pirate content for one of two reasons; they would not of otherwise brought it, or they simply cannot afford it.”

When a person illegally downloads content that they otherwise would not consume, they are likely to talk about it to their friends and peers afterwards which leads to more recognition for the movie, song or video game. Piracy can open up to people discovering new bands or TV that they would not of tried out if it wasn’t for the free alternative. It the content available is of high quality then consumers are likely to follow up and explore other products that a company is dispersing. So maybe the presence of piracy reduces a company’s short-term profits, but they make up for it with increased welfare due to more customers having the option to test out their content.

Of course this is still met is skepticism. But hesitation for a new way of consuming products has been a repeated factor in history.

When radio was introduced people tried to put a ban on it since audiences could listen to music without paying for it. However society soon realised that radio helped push the music industry forward as it allowed artists to reach a much wider audience and increased sales. Piracy is no different. This isn’t to say that everyone should stop buying content and instead download illegally...but we will have to accept the fact that pirates are going to be sticking around for the time being . Its not all bad though!

In a few years’ time we could all be benefitting from the crime that is piracy.

11 pirates part 1 converted clean fonts.indd 2

5/6/2019 9:43:37 AM

12 pirates part 1 converted clean fonts.indd 3

5/6/2019 9:43:39 AM

I’m sure you’re asking: How would piracy ever benefit me? Well think about all the streaming services you use...

Netflix, Spotify, HBO, Apple music. In a world without piracy these companies have the power to set their prices as high as they like. They know that you, the consumer, has no other choice but to use one of their services to listen to music or watch your favourite series. You have no other way of getting hold of this content, right? So they can decide to start charging you double what you already pay and most people would still continue using their services. They would only ever need to think about their competitors’ prices which could also suddenly sky-rocket at any time. It is without a doubt that companies will take avantage of their customers if they knew we didn’t have a cheaper or free option and before we know it we’re all paying £40 a month just to watch one episode from a series once a week.

Luckily we don’t live in that world. Instead we live in a world where the pirates we read about in history lesson have decided to put away their hooks and dig out their keyboards instead. These pirates not only provide content for those of could not otherwise afford but also ensure that big companies don’t have the power to set ridiculous prices. They are fully aware that more people will turn to piracy if their prices become too high.

This doesn’t mean that piracy should be encouraged, not at all. It is still a crime after all. However we should be thankful that this option even exists in the modern day world. People in tricky financial situations still have the chance to enjoy a movie or video game instead of being completely restricted and companies can still benefit from the free advertising that piracy provides.

The conversation of piracy can land on some interesting thoughts. If prices of video games are fair then why would so many people choose to pirate them? Consumers understand that if they want to get more content then they would have to support those who develop and create it. If you want another three albums from your favourite artist then you know they would need to of gotten paid for the one you’re listening to now. Everyone knows that artists and developers should get paid for all their hard work but sometimes people simply can’t afford the price. If prices were set to a more reasonable standard then the pirates would start to abandon their ships.

Piracy can serve as a reminder of the power we have as consumers against big corporations; we still have control of how we receive content and at what price. And to that I say, anchors aweigh!

13 pirates part 2 attempt A.indd 3

5/6/2019 9:34:30 AM

14 pirates part 2 attempt A.indd 2

5/6/2019 9:34:28 AM

The Value of Errors In

GAME Tutorials by

By Jamie Madigan

Join Jamie Madigan as he takes an in-depth look at the psychology behind video game tutorials...

I recently picked up the 2016 Hitman reboot. I had heard that the game had lots of systems that players could gleefully smash into each other on their quest to assassinate Agent 47’s deserving targets.

There’s a lot of freedom on the game and a lot of different tools at your disposal, plus a whole stealth mechanic, disguise mechanics, and other things to figure out. It’s a complex game, so it starts off with a couple of “guided training” levels to ease players in.

The first thing the tutorial asked me to do was find a disguise so I could sneak past security guards.

The nice lady in my ear started telling me about the game’s disguise mechanic and how to employ it for maximum infiltration.

Most modern game tutorials and early levels try to hold players’ hands like this so that they can’t really screw up, fail, or make errors until they’re done learning the basics of the game. There are guided prompts, highlighted paths, and in the most extreme examples, the game practically plays itself until it feels the player is ready to take over the controls. In educational parlance this is often called “scaffolding.”

This may be a mistake. Especially if they want players to quickly grasp concepts and possibilities. In some cases, games may be better off giving players information about what to do (e.g., “Infiltrate that yacht”) and then making them fumble around until they figure it out. This is because of a concept in psychology called “error management.”

In the spirit of science, I ignored her and decided I’m thinking specifically of a 2003 study published to march right past the security guards. To see what in Personnel Psychology where the authors aimed would happen. The game stopped and I got this to test how effective it was to integrate what they screen: called “error instructions” into training novices on how to use Microsoft Excel.1 The idea was that making mistakes was instructive if you could get people not to get so stressed out about it. If you could convince people that making errors was not only okay but expected as part of the training program, then you could mitigate the stress, heartburn, and other inhibiting emotions that might otherwise get in the way of learning. They did this by telling learners things like “Errors are a natural part of the learning process!” and “The more errors “You are not allowed on board in your current out- you make, the more you learn!” fit. You will need to infiltrate the cargo area behind This was all relative to people who were given the fence and find a disguise.” exhaustive, step-by-step instructions designed to avoid errors. They also had tutors who would Essentially, the game tried to stop me from making literally jump in to keep learners from trying to do the mistake of infiltrating without a disguise. I had something the wrong way, much like how Hitman to pause, read the message about what I was doing stopped me from trying to waltz past security withwrong, and then tap the Enter key to sheepishly out a disguise. acknowledge my error.

So who mastered Microsoft Excel better? The short

15 SW - Iceland Mag.indd 6

05/05/2019 12:12:14

version is that it was the group that was forced to make mistakes and that was told that this process was totally normal. Weird, right?

The explanation the researchers offered was that errors help learners create and test more complete mental models of how the software worked and what was possible with it. That is, they helped them develop a more complete and detailed understanding of how the software operated, what its design conventions were, and what to expect if they tried something new. Those mental models helped the subjects learn the software better and use it more effectively. Thanks to errors and experimentation that they made trying to fill in the blank spaces on the models themselves.

ineffective strategy. That piece of the feedback loop is critical, lest players simply think that a game is too difficult.

So, what do you think? When would error management be a good strategy to try when trying to teach people how to play a game?

This article was originally published on Jamie Madigan’s blog psychologyofgames.com

This is also similar to a point made by those studying how feedback interventions affect our ability to learn, relative to just learning through trial, error, and discovery.2 Again, the theory is that getting feedback from experimenting with how to do the task provides a better understanding of its rules than someone coming in and telling you what to do.

So given this, should game developers allow players to make more mistakes and try to convince them that this is all part of the tutorial process?

Maybe. There’s certainly something to be said for proper onboarding of players and making sure that they don’t get frustrated early on to the point where they give up and stop playing be- cause they don’t know what’s going on. Unlike workers or students, gamers have more leeway to just quit.

Game developers probably wouldn’t be well served by dumping everything on players at once and then punishing them when they can’t take it all in.

But if a game involves learning a lot of different systems, making strategic decisions, making preparations, and applying knowledge, then game developers might find that this kind of error management gets them up to speed more effectively IF mistakes are truly not punishing and recovering from them is both instructive and frictionless. And the game needs to explicitly tell players that what they did was an error or an

16 SW - Iceland Mag.indd 7

05/05/2019 12:12:15

Virtual Reality, Looking Beyond The Headset 8 reaons why you should be cautious before falling into the world of VR

17 vr concerns indesign conversion clean fonts.indd 2

5/6/2019 9:33:20 AM

V

demonstrated that our existing social media consumption is making many of us feel socially isolated, as well as guilty and depressed. There’s also plenty of evidence to show that real face-to-face interactions are a crucial factor in maintaining good mental health. Substituting them with VR without further study would be ill-advised.

irtual reality (VR) has a great deal of potential for the betterment of society – whether it be inspiring social change or training surgeons for delicate medical procedures. But as with all new technologies, we should also be aware of any potential ethical concerns that could emerge as social problems further down the line. Here I list just a few issues that should undoubtedly be considered before we forge ahead in optimism.

Desensitization

It is well-acknowledged that being thoroughly and regularly immersed in a virtual reality environment can lead some users to become desensitized in the real-world. Indeed, VR is already employed to as a tool to desensitize and emotionally harden individuals against phobias, and even military combat.

However, outside of this supervised use, desensitization could become a danger, leaving users unaffected (or less affected) by — for example — the acts of violence found in some VR gameplay.

Last year, academic researchers in the U.S. released the results of a longitudinal study which found that repeatedly playing violent video games led to decreased emotional sensitivity and a lessened capacity for guilt among participants.

Due to higher levels of immersion, we have some reason to suspect that these effects could be even more potent with virtual reality.

Sensory vulnerability

When we think of virtual reality, we automatically conjure images of clunky headsets covering the eyes — and often the ears — of users in order to create a fully immersive experience.

There are also VR gloves and a growing range of other accessories and attachments. Though the resultant feel might be hyper-realistic, we should also be concerned for people using these in the home — especially alone. Having limited access to sense data leaves users vulnerable to accidents, home invasions, and any other misfortunes that can come of being totally distracted.

Social isolation

There’s a lot of debate around whether VR is socially isolating. On the one hand, the whole experience takes place within a single user’s field-of-vision, excluding others from physically participating alongside them. On the other hand, developers like Facebook have been busy inventing communal meeting places like Spaces, which help VR users meet and interact in a virtual social environment. Though, as argued, the latter could be helpfully utilized by the introverted and lonely (such as seniors), there’s also a danger that it could become the lazy and dismissive way of dealing with these issues.

Overestimation of abilities

Akin to desensitization, is the problem of users overestimating their ability to perform virtual feats just as well in the real-world. This is especially applicable to children and young people who could take it that their expertise in tightrope walking, parkour, or car driving will transfer seamlessly over to nonvirtual environments.

Indeed, a recent study from Stanford University evidenced how children often fail to distinguish between their feats in real-life and in VR — from treating their avatars as though they are their real bodies, to watching their virtual reality doppelgangers swimming with orcas and then recalling it as a real-life memory.

There is also the question of whether forums like Spaces may even end-up “detaching” users by leading them to neglect their real-world social connections.

Studies have already

18 vr concerns indesign conversion clean fonts.indd 3

5/6/2019 9:33:22 AM

A Bright Future...?

19 vr concerns midddle page clean.indd 2

5/6/2019 9:32:00 AM

Or Ensuing Danger...?

20 vr concerns midddle page clean.indd 3

5/6/2019 9:32:01 AM

21 vr concerns part 2 holes converted clean fonts.indd 2

5/6/2019 9:30:57 AM

Psychiatric

There could also be more profound and dangerous psychological effects on some users (although clearly there are currently a lot of unknowns).

Experts in neuroscience and the human mind have spoken of “depersonalization”, which can result in a user believing their own physical body is an avatar. There is also a pertinent worry that VR might be swift to expose psychiatric vulnerabilities in some users, and spark psychotic episodes. One investor has even warned that virtual reality gaming could cause real-life post-traumatic stress disorder.

Needless to say, we must identify the psychological risks and symptoms ahead of market saturation, if that is an inevitability.

Manipulation

Attempts at consumer manipulation via advertising trickery are not new, but up until now they’ve been 2-dimensional. As such, they’ve had to work hard compete with our distracted focus. Phones ringing, babies crying, traffic, conversations, music, noisy neighbors, interesting reads, and all the rest.

With VR, commercial advertisers will have access to our entire surrounding environment (which some psychologists argue has the power to control our behavior). This will ramp up revenue opportunities for developers, who now have (literally) whole new worlds of blank space upon which they can sell advertising.

Commentators are already warning that this could lead to new, covert tactics involving product placement, brand integration and subliminal advertising.

Appropriate roaming and re-creation

One of the most exciting selling points of VR is that it can let us roam the earthfrom the comfort of our own homes. This is obviously a laudable, liberating experience for those who are unable to travel. However, as with augmented reality, we probably need to have conversations about where it is appropriate to roam and/or re-create as a virtual experience. Is it fine for me to wander through a re-creation of my favorite celebrity’s apartment (I can imagine many fans would adore the idea!)? Or peep through windows of homes and businesses in any given city street? The answers to some of these questions may seem obvious to us, but we cannot assume that the ethical parameters of this capability are clear to all who may use or develop.

Privacy and data

Last, but not least, the more we “merge” into a virtual world, the more of ourselves we are likely to give away. This might mean more and greater privacy worries. German researchers have raised the concern that if our online avatars mirror our real-world movements and gestures, these “motor intentions” and the “kinetic fingerprints” of our unique movement signatures can be tracked, read, and exploited by predatory entities. Again, it’s clear that there needs to be an open and consultative dialogue with regards to what is collectable, and what should be off-limits in terms of our virtual activities.

As non-technicians and future users, we are right to demand full and clear explanations as to how these tripwires will be averted or mitigated by VR companies.

22 vr concerns part 2 holes converted clean fonts.indd 3

Written

by Fiona J McEvoy Tech ethics researcher 5/6/2019 9:30:58 AM

V

ideo games used tried and true revenue model for decades. You would buy a base game and then maybe pay for an eventual expansion pack or two that would bring new content. Multiplayer games would usually offer free map packs or paid expansions that would focus on a set of thematically similar maps but they would too charge just for the base game and (eventually) a couple of new map packs.

But then MMO (massively multiplayer online) games came to the market and showed game companies they can make users spend money over long periods of time instead of charging just for the base game and expansion packs.

They would come with a regular monthly subscription on top of the base price, which means much more money for publishers.

And about a half decade ago mobile gaming experienced a massive boom in earnings and profit, mostly thanks to free-to-play titles that came with a plethora of microtransactions.

The base game would be offered for free with the main source of profit being payments users would make for getting additional resources, costumes, or playing characters.

Take for example Ubisoft, the company that was the most aggressive to introduce this live service model to their video game portfolio.

The company managed to publish two games that are still highly relevant even though years have passed since their original release dates.

The first one is Rainbow Six Siege, a team-based multiplayer shooter that is three years old.

Despite the fact the game got released at the end of 2015 it is still one of the most popular multiplayer shooters today, being fourth most played game on Steam right now and having tons of players on Xbox One and PS4.

The reason for such success has to do with the game’s quality, of course. But the stream of regular updates to the game along with heavy patching and constant balancing is also a quite important piece of the game’s success story. Siege receives regular updates that bring new operators and new maps and each update is completely free. Regular players can earn enough in-game currency to unlock new operators as soon as they become available but the catch is in the fact these operators can also be unlocked by simply shelling out cash. This, in combination with an in-game store that sells tons of cosmetic items for real money, is why Siege is so successful.

The game features multiple sources of recurring revenue that bring loads of money to Ubisoft, which in turn invests part of the money into new content and updates. All this makes the game extremely popular which in turn keeps the base price of the game steady instead making it a bargain bin title (which it would become by now if it wasn’t a live service game).

Rainbow Six Siege is a perfect example of a game-as-a-service done right. Revenue sources don’t break the game and turn it into a pay-towin title, the game features excellent gameplay, and all new content is completely free for all but parts of it (new operators) can be bought for real money. And finally, microtransactions are completely optional and cannot impact gameplay.

This made publishers come up with a new revenue business; the one that would generate recurring earnings over time instead simply charging users for the base game and then be done with it. The earliest iteration of the model was the introduction of DLC packs and season passes, but in recent years we saw the rise of a new model with even more potential revenue streams. Games that utilize this recurring revenue model are called games-as-a-service and today, we’re living in a world that’s filled with them.

The video games market is filled with live services, games that try keeping their user base over long periods of time after the original release, with hopes of earning more money than simply charging just for the base game.

They offer regular content updates instead of going with one or a couple of expansions; they offer some sort of (mostly cosmetic) microtransactions that generate additional revenue; and they are usually designed as experiences for gamers to interact on a regular basis instead to spend lots of time over a short period of time (a week or two) and then forget about them. In other words, they are designed in order to be as addictive as possible.

Future Content 23

Untitled-1 2

02/05/2019 02:59:11

24 Untitled-1 3

02/05/2019 02:59:11

A

lthough porn has been typically undiscussed or regarded as a taboo topic in day to day life, the true facts and statistics of our pornographic habits may surprise you.

It’s no surprise that a high number of people with access to the internet watch porn. Gone are the days where you’d hope to find a discarded porno magazine on the street or secretly rip out page 3 from the Sun. Pornhub leaves little to speculation with a feature they like to call Pornhub Insights, which sets their PHD analysers on discovering the details and patterns within their website traffic.

In February, they observed that the colder the weather gets the more people like to “heat things up” indoors by visiting their preferred porn site.

Minnesota rose in porn traffic by 22% in stark contrast to Michigan who reduced by 2%. Pornhub suggests that once the weather reaches a certain level of bitter cold that people prefer not to expose their extremities, even if it was for self pleasure.

If it wasn’t already clear that the priorities of our fellow citizens were way off, Pornhub reported that in 2018 more people voted on Pornhub videos that in the 2018 US Presidential election at 141,312,502. If that number didn’t surprise you maybe the 147GB of porn streamed every second will. 12,700,800GB of porn was watched per day which was more bandwidth than the entire internet consumed in 2002.

According to Dr Laurie Betito, Director of the Pornhub Sexual Wellness Center, “searches like these serve as an indication that people use this site to not only satisfy sexual urges but also to get a different angle on something they are already interested in. To see a famous character or hot topic in a sexual context.”

2018 saw the proportion of female visitors to Pornhub grow to 29%, an increase of 3 percentage points over 2017. Dr Laurie observes that “every year we see an increase indicating that women are more and more comfortable exploring their sexuality, moving away from the idea that porn is just for men—-what a shift from only just a few decades ago!”

25 [porjecy.indd 2

02/05/2019 02:32:17

PORNHUB IS THE FUTURE

26 [porjecy.indd 3

02/05/2019 02:32:21

Born for Porn?

Pornhub already has an ad revenue scheme, similar to the scheme used Youtube. Previously named the Amateur Program and renamed to the Model Program, Pornhubs vice president said, “The program is extremely popular right now.

We have many tens of thousands currently enrolled and we also receive hundreds of signups each and every day. Our program boasts some of the highest payouts across the entire industry, paying out approximately 90% of the ad-revenue earned.

Many of our models use Pornhub not only to make ad revenue but also promote their subscription websites, paid snapchats, cam shows etc. and end up building huge fan bases across all their platforms.”

Although watching normal videos on a pornographic website appears quite far fetched to many, however, Pornhub already offers a “safe for work” section a senior community manager going by Katie replied to a reddit comment suggesting a non-porn focussed section of the website and said, “We’ve joked about doing something like this in the past but now it’s becoming more and more realistic and not so crazy. We’ll see!”

As the 18th most visited website in the US, the idea that PornHub could become a YouTube alternative seems less and less far fetched especially with its “safe for work” section becoming more and more popular for people to upload video game and sports clips.

The one fear that looms over the possible Pornhub development is the business model. Google has worked exceedingly hard in attempt to make YouTube profitable as has currently struggled to do so as a free video website. YouTube Red and YouTube premium have attempted but have not been anywhere near popular enough to turn a profit for the large company. The question remains in whether Pornhub can see what Google currently cannot and manage to create revenue in the free video market. Another fear remains for the content creators that would be expected to migrate from YouTube to Pornhub safe for work division. With the stigma that surrounds porn it is up for serious speculation whether or not companies that offer Youtubers sponsorships will still want to do so when that content creator is hosted on a popular pornographic website.

Youporn.com once attempted to create their own Esports team and despite no actual links to porn themselves, the team struggled to attract any real sponsors. This same issue could plague content creators wanting to use YouTube’s platform.

27 gabriel pornhub two.indd 2

02/05/2019 03:03:51

28 gabriel pornhub two.indd 3

02/05/2019 03:03:54

“I cannot understand the squeamishness about the use of poison gas, I am strongly in favour of using poisoned gas against uncivilised tribes.�

29 up812374 underbelly-3.indd 4

06/05/2019 16:17

Winston Churchill: Hero or Villain?

Tom Edwards

Winston Churchill is a name that is profoundly entrenched into British history and culture. He is portrayed as a singular figure, who, in spite of all odds, looked the ideals of fascism in the eye and told Britain to “never give in”. However, this week Underbelly takes a deeper look into the life of the former British Prime Minister, and asks, ‘Winston Churchill: Hero or Villain?’

B

There are traces of self-restraint within Churchill’s conflicting morals. He often voiced his concern over the slaughter of women and children at the hands of the Empire. Maybe this convveys the propriety within him, however, it’s difficult to make up for the crimes he dictated.

Some argue that Churchill’s temperament was needed in a time of heated political discourse and debate. Although, fellow politicians at the time supported the notion that Churchill’s ideologies were archaic and toxic. Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin was once warned by colleagues not to appoint Churchill to a role of significant authority, because of his racist views.

Winston Churchill’s legacy of bloodshed still resides around the globe today. After all, it was Churchill who offered the Promised Land to Arabs and Jews, which in turn caused further carnage throughout the world.

Many remember Churchill as a hero who saved the free world from the evil tide of Hitler’s Nazi regime. For this deed he deserves credit, as the world would undoubtedly be a far more immoral place without the Allied victory of World War Two. Nevertheless, it is fundamental to rememeber that there are two sides to every story, and Churchill’s contrasting life is a chaotic cesspool of hypocrisy, violence and sanctimoniousness.

So, after all, maybe we should be grateful for the meekness of Theresa May and her government.

ritain’s current situation is one that has left the nation in a state of mundane unknowing, even the so-called experts cannot enlighten the nation regarding Brexit. Our politicians seem to have no backbone in negotiating our fate. However, maybe we should consider ourselves lucky for this uninspired attempt of European diplomacy. If Chuchill was at the reigns, things would get done, but in a manner which is frightening to comprehend. So, maybe it isn’t all doom and gloom in contemporary Britain.

Churchill was born in 1874, a time period where Britain ruled over an empire in which the sun never set. Knowing this, Churchill settled for the accustomed notion that the superior white man had an obligation to fulfil, a purpose of expanding Western civilisation in the name of Queen Victoria.

After finishing his studies at Harrow and Sandhurst, Churchill took off to Sudan to seek adventure, and part of this escapade would lead him to his first taste of conflict. As he put it himself, he was involved at the centre of a forceful polarization between British society and the “barbarous peoples”.

In South Africa, a young Churchill would witness concentration camps set up by the British. Over 14,000 black Africans would perish, yet Churchill was only concerned that “Kaffirs should be able to fire on white men.”

The year of 1920 was an eventful one for the British MP, who, at the time, was Colonial Secretary. He casually ordered for the Black and Tan thugs to attack Catholics during the Irish War of Independence.

Churchill’s greatest sin was arguably his role in the Indian famine of 1943, where over 3 million civilians would die of starvation and disease. This was largely caused by a senselss lack of health care, unsanitary conditions and lack of supplies, as Churchill prioritised the Second World War, which was raging throughout Europe and Asia. Upon hearing of the fatalities, Churchill commented “I hate Indians, they are a beastly people with a beastly religion.”

WINSTON CHURCHILL 30-11-1874 24-01-1965

out r of s.”

30 up812374 underbelly-3.indd 5

06/05/2019 16:17

Diaspora Tales:

The Sudanese-Born Hipsters In Alsarah and The Nubatones have been marking their place in history by writing songs and inspiring the Sudanese uprisings.

T

he recent deposing of the Sudanese ex-President and notorious c*nt, Omar al-Bashir, was down to many reasons. Those ‘many reasons’ I speak of, alludes to the unrelenting will of every Sudanese citizen. Not to mention, the Sudanese abroad mobilising transnationally. Some did this by organising protests and events, some did this by tweeting day and night and some did this by creating music.

For many Sudanese, Al-Bashir and his fellow autocrats present daily struggles with policies of austerity, ethnic ‘othering’ and draconian rule on fundamental human rights. The Sudanese that left Sudan, some of whom were forced to flee, contained many renegades and adversarial voices. What happens when a generation of politically-minded Sudanese are forcibly exiled? They get busy and make revolutionary babies who were born not knowing or ever seeing peace in their homeland.

Alsarah of ‘Alsarah and The Nubatones’, was born in Northern Sudan and had to emigrate to the United States, at the age of eight years-old, due to her parents outspoken beliefs posing a threat to her and her parents. The frontperson distinguished herself as a prototypical artist, infusing her Sudanese roots, background in ethnomusicology and her innately adversarial nature into her music.

Alsarah prefers her music to be called ‘“East-African retro-pop”, which perfectly encapsulates the sonic characteristics of her music. However, Alsarah and The Nubatones aren’t just an archaic group throwing it back to yesteryear, they set themselves apart from the rest. They done this by reflecting the world they know, not the world her parents know and make music free of reminiscence.

In response to seeing her homeland up in arms, she did what any other gifted artist would do: write a song that could reflect Sudan’s current struggles. Not only did she write a song in solidarity, she released the Arabic-sung track,“Men Ana” (translates into “Who Am I”) on WhatsApp. If you know, you know that WhatsApp serves as a grapevine connecting the diaspora with their homeland. Simmarly, serving as a means of connecting families, it distributes information concerning Sudan to the global diaspora. According to Alsarah: “It’s Sudan’s number one media platform as far as I am concerned. So naturally I want it available there since for me, this song is being sent specifically to all my Sudanis”.

31 TT21underbelly amgad new work newsroom.indd 6

06/05/2019 16:26

rs Influencing their Revolution

By Amgad Abdelgadir

Her song was part of the soundtrack of revolution in Sudan. “Men Ana” combined traditional instrumentation such as the oud and other percussive elements.

Much like any of the songs in The Nubatones discography, “Men Ana” incorporates a catchy chorus and upbeat electronic synths. Alsarah’s music mirrors her authentic reality, presenting her cultural duality of being Sudan and American.

When the Sudanese indie phenomenon released the track, she recounted to Vice about how she felt releasing music supplying Sudan with inspiration. She said: “For me to witness the wildfire of revolution take over my people and not be on the ground to feel it and be a part of it was extremely difficult! It forced me to step back and ask myself who do I want to be inside of this change? Especially that being on the outside in the diaspora I can also get a bird’s eye view of all the problematic things being said and exchanged between us even during the time of this revolution”.

Alsarah wanted everyone to know that this uprising has given opportunity to see the “the tremendous level of digital media activism and citizen journalism that was carried out by the Sudanese people”. We must all stand-up for what is right, Alsarah serves as an example that being yourself and knowing your capability to enact change is paramount in the fight against vile regimes.

Sudan has thus far rejected all compromises from Sudan’s military council, refusing to share equal power with those that many Sudanese citizens regard as ‘Koz’ (Sudanese Arabic for greedy Islamist officials). It was a hellish 30 years of military rule, leaving millions dead in its wake, fracturing the once unified country and exiling a whole generation of people. Over 60 deaths and 2500 arrests later, the dictator fell. Alsarah and The Nubatones remain an asset to the Sudanese people, as now more than ever, people like her are needed to dispel any remaining tyrannical thought and usher in a new dawn for Sudan.

32 TT21underbelly amgad new work newsroom.indd 7

06/05/2019 16:26

This Week on CASE FILE THEODORE ROBERT BUNDY Tom Edwards After the recent Netflix documentary Conversation With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes and the trailer reveal for the biopic Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, starring Zac Efron, we have decided to dedicate this week’s edition of Case File on the infamous Ted Bundy.

Early Life Theodore Robert Bundy was born on November 24th 1946, in Burlington, Vermont. His mother was Eleanor Louise Cowell, yet his father’s identity has never been confirmed. Bundy lived in Philadelphia until the age of three, where he was raised by his grandparents in order to avoid the stigma of being born out of wedlock.

Ted displayed various signs of mental illness as a young child, having once left knives around his auntie’s bed in order to scare her.

In his teenage years, Ted would roam the local area in his car, trying to get a glimpse of women changing through their bedroom windows. These criminal activities would continue during his High School career, as he was arrested twice on suspicion of burglary.

Bundy attended the University of Puget Sound before transferring to the University of Washington, where he studied Chinese. However, he eventually dropped out and took on numerous minimum-wage jobs. He would later work as a driver and bodyguard for Republican politician Arther Fletcher.

In the 70s, Ted earned a Psychology degree from the University of Washington, whilst also shockingly working at Seattle’s Suicide Crisis Hotline Center. Bundy, now 27, was accepted into law school at the University of Utah, however, he would eventually drop out.

Relationships

Bundy’s fame developed due to his vile acts to women, however, there were certain females in his life who he did not murder in cold blood. During his education at the University of Washington, Ted met Stephanie Brooks, a girl who Ted became infatuated with. Despite his passion towards her, Brooks ended the relationship during the time Ted dropped out of the university, consequently crushing him. It is widely believed that this period of his life was what drove him to commit countless murders.

In 1969, Bundy began would would be a six year relationship with Liz Kloepfer, who had a six-year-old daughter. Bundy was rarely at home and spent much of his time out killing or having affairs. Despite all of this, Liz stayed with Ted during the beginning of his trials in court.

During Bundy’s duration in court, he began a relationship with Carole Boone.

They had met in Washington and she moved to Florida to be with him. He proposed to her whilst she was on the stand as a witness, an offer in which she accepted, Bundy also fathered a daughter with Carole.

Because of his dark legacy, it is a strange thought to imagine Bundy as a father figure, only he could say if he really felt any love or affection towards his family.

Victims

Bundy only ever confessed to 30 murders, horrifically, there is believed to have been many, many more. The killer would attract women to his car (a Volkswagen Beetle) by pretending to be injured, he would then bludgeon or strangle women who came to his aid.

On August 31st 1961, Ann Marie Burr, aged 8, went missing. Bundy, who was 14 at the time, is often regarded as her killer. This is because her house was on Bundy’s newspaper delivery route. Despite this, Ted was never prosecuted for her murder, and denied any involvement until his execution.

33 up812374 underbelly-3.indd 2

06/05/2019 16:17

Escapes

The most famous killer of the 20th century managed to escape custody not once, but twice during his life. After being transferred to Aspen to stand trial, Bundy escaped out of a window whilst using the law library. He then fled to the mountains to hide from law enforcement who were slow on his trail. After several days of hiding in a cabin, Ted returned due to his hunger. A police officer pulled him over after he stole a car which was drifting across the road.

His second, and by far more disastrous escape, took place on December 30th, 1977. After losing around 25 pounds, Ted squeezed himself through a carving he had made on his cell roof. He then found a jailer’s apartment, disguised himself in civilian clothes, and fled into the surrounding darkness. It’s hard not to admire his dedication to the cause. However, due to his escape, Ted was enabled to kill his final victims. Bundy was then placed on the list of the FBI’S Most Wanted List.

Death To the delight of all things good in society, Ted Bundy was executed on the electric chair on January 24th, 1982, at the age of 42. Many crowds gathered outside the prison during the execution to celebrate the end of his reign of terror. According to witnesses, Bundy’s last words were directed towards his attorney and pastor - “Jim and Fred, I’d like you to give my love to my family and friends.”

After the executioner pressed a button, 2,000 volts of electricity was sent into Ted’s awaiting body, there was finally a small crumb of justice served for the victims of this vile human, yet, according to many, this punishment was not enough for the lives he ruined.

Legacy

The legacy of Bundy is often debated, some sick individuals see him as somewhat of a legend, largely due to a fascination with his crimes. Maybe it’s time to address the way the media portays him. Surely, casting Zac Efron as the killer himself glorifies his actions? However, the recent Netflix documentary Coversation With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes represents Bundy for what he was- a sadistic, vile. and psycopathic individual who slaughtered countless innocent women.

34 up812374 underbelly-3.indd 3

06/05/2019 16:17

A PROFILE OF THE FOOTBALL HOOLIGAN TOM EDWARDS

SOME PEOPLE THINK FOOTBALL IS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH... I CAN ASSURE THEM IT IS MUCH MORE SERIOUS THAN THAT. - BILL SHANKLY The self-proclaimed beautiful game is a rather strange spectacle. Thousands of enthralled fans travel week in week out just to watch 22 men kick a ball made out of latex around a field. However, on some occassions, this passion is taken one step too far.

35 up812374 underbelly-3.indd 6

06/05/2019 16:17

AN

IOUS

Football hooliganism has always been a constant threat to the fabrics of football. In 14th century England, Edward II banned the early forms of the game as it created social unrest between rival villages. Fast forward a few hundred years and the viciousness within the football communtiy still resonates throughout the stands, staining the game and traumatising innocent bystanders.

Recent events have sadly brought football hooliganism back into the spotlight. The Second City Derby between Aston Villa and Birmingham City saw a fan run onto the pitch and attack Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish, resulting in a 14-week prison sentence for the perpetrator. If the situation wasn’t mad enough, the hooligan is a father of one.

In the latest clash between arsenal and manchester united, a fan ran onto the pitch and pushed United defender Chris Smalling whilst celebrating a goal.

Furthermore, a 21-year-old Hibernian fan was recently arrested after confronting Rangers captain James Tavernier during a Scottish Football League clash, an incident which is becoming all too common, consequently throwing the safety of not only fans, but also players into question.

When these situations arise, it is a persistent procedure by the media to blame football as a whole. However, maybe it’s time to analyse the mind of a football thug at an individual level, allowing a seperation between individuals who contribute to the game and those who sadly drag it back to the medieval era.

Firstly, to fully appreciate the occasion of a football match, a holligan must obtain pride. This is achieved by singing derogatory chants about the other team, more precisely, making sure that an opposing player or fan hears chants about his personal life ringing around the stadium. Examples of these chants could be “fat spanish waiter, you’re just a fat spanish waiter” (directed at Rafa Benitez) or “you’ve gotta file file file file for divorce” (inspired by the public seperation between ashley cole and cheryl tweedy).

Moreover, a hooligan must always be seen with a drink at hand. You wouldn’t expect to see a soldier without his rifle, so how could you imagine a hooligan without his pint? Hooligans at matches are more likely to protect their bottles at a game rather than their first-born son if the choice had to be made.

A hundred years ago men were charging into gunfire hoping to throw a few grenades into a German trench, in modern times however, the preferred weapon of choice is a chair or a coin. Nothing is more satisfying to a hooligan than the aftermath of a good throw, to see an enemy fan clutching up812374 underbelly-3.indd 7

at their bleeding head is what memories are made of.

A hooligan’s skin is always on show. Nothing intimidates an opposing fan more than a pair of middle-aged man boobs bouncing to the rhythm of a right-wing chant. Furthermore, if the hooligan has tattoos then he’s truly in the mood for a fight, as he’s evidently resonating his inner Celtic self with the usage of war paint.

However, if it’s a cold Monday night away at Stoke and the weather is just too cold, a hooligan can always rely on his trusty Stone Island gear to keep him warm and cosy. Largely inspired by Danny Dyer and films such as Green Street, the iconic clothing has become a necessity to comfort in the midst of a scrap.

In the modern days of social media, even football hooligans are jumping onto the bandwagon of Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. So, a 21st century football thug must boast of his actions online to gain appraisal from his fellow thug counterparts.

To the masses, it’s easy to gaze through the lenses of normaility and stare in disgust at the actions of these men, and to be honest, to put yourself in their shoes makes the whole spectacle seem even stranger. However, maybe it’s society itself that needs alterations.

Questions need to be asked as to what drives these ‘football fans’ to commit acts of crime. Is it mass unemployment? Mental health? Or even just a case of midlife boredom?

36 06/05/2019 16:17

STATE OF EMERGENCY 37 Venezuela FINAL.indd 2

03/05/2019 11:05

Since the death of former Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez in March 2013, the country has been hit by an economic meltdown that has evolved into skyrocketing rates of inflation, food shortages, increased crime rates and mass exodus of Venezuelans fleeing a country during the worst crisis in its history.

Former vice president Nicolas Maduro was elected as president in April 2013, winning the national election with 50.8% of the votes. During his inauguration speech Maduro vowed to create “a nation for everybody” and promised a “revolution within the revolution”, which he wasn’t wrong about, but I don’t think he pictured the revolution turning into complete chaos.

President Nicolas Maduro (left) and his opposition leader Juan

Venezuela has the highest oil reserve in the world to date and in the not so distant past was the wealthiest country in South America, which makes even crazier to think that a country holding a pair of aces in its hands regarding to such an in-demand resource, could get to a stage that its citizens are in a widespread state of malnutrition which has made everyday amenities such as bread and milk worth more than the oil that the country once thrived on. The current crisis has brought serious tension for Maduro’s government, especially with the US and seeing as the US are the biggest exporter of oil from Venezuela this crisis doesn’t look as if it will get any better under Maduro’s watch.

Since 2015 the United Nations has estimated that around three million Venezuelans have fled the country for greener pastures, with approximately one million now residing in neighbouring Colombia and millions of others taking the pilgrimage to seek asylum illegally and legally in other South American countries. Latin America is not the only place to feel the raft of the migration crisis currently happening in Venezuela, as almost 500,000 people have crossed continents into Spain in Europe and the USA.

The crisis has become so extreme due to the complete economic collapse of the country, which has seen Venezuelans protesting and rioting on the streets of Caracas in their thousands since 2017. The riots have resulted in the deaths of almost 200 civilians and approximately a further 2000 injured, in exchanges with the government military.

The fighting has been back and forth on a daily basis since 2017, in January 2019 the country protesting hit its worst point since it began. After a re-election saw president Maduro voted in for his second term as the country’s leader, the election was recognized as a sham by not only Venezuelans but world leaders from around the globe, who believe that the votes had been tampered with to sway in favour of Maduro. The protests became even more violent and resulted in the deaths of 40 citizens during the month of January. This crisis has now passed the point of rioting just for political change and has turned into a nation of impoverished citizens fighting.

Support for Maduro’s regime has become severely scarce, although having the backing of Russia and China, the majority of nations around the world are calling for opposition candidate Juan Guaido to become the interim president after the alleged fixing of votes in the January election.

This can furthermore be seen in the streets of Caracas on a daily basis through the voices and actions of the thousands of protesters calling for Maduro’s head. Guaido is currently trying to organize a military coup to regain control of the country and overpower Maduro, this has come due to threats from US intervention in Venezuela although there are heavy fears and threats from both Trump and Maduro that US troop intervention will escalate the situation into a bloody battle. Guaido’s first attempt at taking back the country failed, as he did not have enough backing from military soldiers as some are loyalist followers of Maduro’s regime.

Guaido has been heavily involved in the protests alongside his fellow compatriots and has urged for full military backing “to stop the confrontation and have the military on the side of the people”.

With Maduro not looking to give up his position anytime soon and the Venezuelans who are left in the country becoming more frustrated and ultimately starving for food and change, this state of crisis looks like it may continue for a while, unless Mr Guaido or foreign nations can intervene and stop the dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro.

Written By Michael Di Laura

38 Venezuela FINAL.indd 3

03/05/2019 11:05

It’s High Time W Can Legal Weed

A

hh, Brexit. It’s all we’ve heard about for the past three years and every week a new existential crisis to Parliament seems to occur. However, a silver lining may be in sight for those who partake in smoking the devil’s lettuce. An overwhelming 59% were in favour of legalising the class B drug and 75% of those surveyed stated they would take medical cannabis if they were prescribed it by a doctor. With 7.4 million tobacco smokers in the UK and 38 million Britons supporting legalisation, are we being ushered into the age of Queen Elizapiff ’s reign?

Canada, Uruguay, Spain and some states in the US, just to name a few countries who have surpassed us in democratic thought and acceptance of positive drug policy reform.

So when is it time for the UK to follow suit and legalise? The UK has currently made legal the use of medicinal cannabis in certain cases, as made famous by young epilepsy sufferer, Alfie Dingley and his coveted cannabis licence. Not to mention, the recent opening of the UK’s first medical cannabis clinic in Greater Manchester, who intend to supply patients with much-needed products and adjudicate on a ‘case-by-case’ basis.

If the UK ever legalised cannabis for recreational use, it might just be as lucrative as tea and digestives. The US cannabis industry nets $24.1 bn US dollars compared to our meagre black market worth of £2.6 billion. Putting aside the momentous strides we’d make in chipping away at the national debt and save millions in resources instead of squandering it on seizing and prosecuting because of cannabis. The hot-button and seemingly unsolvable issue of knife crime is something that’s gripped the nation’s capital by the throat.

Huge profits are being seen by drug lords and organised crime gangs out of peddling cannabis.

Worse yet, the legacies of violent callousness left by those who seek to maintain their criminal enterprises. Selling cannabis is widely regarded as being a gateway into a harder life of crime. The apparent democratisation of selling cannabis draws in many teenagers due to it’s high demand and easy access; policy movers and shakers must take decisive action in stemming this ever-present reality and remove cannabis production and distribution from their hands. As the rates of knife crime increase, as does retaliation, lives being torn apart and police pressure resulting in the further marginalisation of those living in high crime areas. Let’s be frank (and not buy into Talk to Frank’s propaganda), mostly everyone smokes or knows someone that does.

39 TT21underbelly amgad new work newsroom.indd 2

06/05/2019 16:26

e We Legalised: ed Save the UK?

By Amgad Abdelgadir

As the UK is thrown into what seems like perpetual anxiety over the looming Brexit decision, stoners across Britannia have one thing on their mind,“when’s Theresa gonna free the weed?”.

Have they recently committed a series of burglaries? Have they held your nan at gunpoint?

Or do they drone on and on about their Game of Thrones theories? The success of the recent annual 4/20 smoke-up was testament to the meekness of these ‘damned’ potheads. Old, young, black or white, if you’ve seen them, they were probably there. Cannabis industry entrepreneurs pitching CBD infused energy drinks gave the event that all needed boost of legitimacy. No arrests made and cannabis amnesty bins just as empty as they arrived, which came as a relief to both stoners and police alike. Culminating in the most successful and trouble-free 4/20 to date.

Now the boring part to make sure all sides are fairly represented. The sale of recreational cannabis in this country would be extremely arduous to implement an infrastructure in order to regulate and transport cannabis safely around the UK. Also, the sobering reality of those driving under the influence would skyrocket according to policy makers.

Lastly, and to the bane of the article’s argument, crime may increase and force cannabis dealers to deal harder and more dangerous drugs. However, all things considered, cannabis does more good than harm and is proven to be medically beneficial.

Tell me people, oh loyal Underbelly readers, are you with me? If you’re reading this and indulge in the odd jazz cigarette every now and then, it’s your duty to normalise cannabis as much as you can and stop the outdated stereotypes surrounding the plant. Let’s get smart and save the UK from being lame as f*ck and let’s get lit ladies and gentlemen.

So we can finally enjoy Bargain Hunt the way it was meant to be watched, with a joint in one hand and a cuppa’ in the other.

40 TT21underbelly amgad new work newsroom.indd 3

06/05/2019 16:26

“This is cowboy country, anything goes� Peru is the number one producer and exporter of cocaine in the world, Paulo gave me a taste of what life is like for a small time drug dealer living in the city of kings.

41 PERU FINAL.indd 2

03/05/2019 10:55

I met Paulo on my last trip to Lima 2015, he’s a Peruvian born Miami native who was deported back to Lima from the US in 2007 after living in Heavily Latin populated city of Hialeah in south Miami. He was deported from the US on a no return basis after being stopped by police with two kilos of cocaine and no green card.

After spending 6 months in a federal ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) jail he was sent back to his birth country, Peru. When I met Paulo he was working in an American call centre based in Lima, the majority of the employees that worked there were also US deportees who were sent back in the mid 2000’s due to a reform of immigration policies in America.

Although Peru has a rich cultural history, a culinary list that spans into the hundreds and is the home of one of the seven wonders of the world, it has also become the number one producer and exporter of cocaine and I was about to find out why.

I met Paulo for lunch near his house, he took me to a ‘menu spot’ which is basically a local whole in wall that serves native home cooked Peruvian food at a very cheap price, 8 Peruvian soles (£2) for a two-course meal.

After we ate we jumped in his car and his work day was underway, I felt like I was in the film ‘Training day’ a rookie learning the ropes from the old school pro.

Paulo received multiple calls while we were at the restaurant so he already had drop offs lined up. We made our way to ‘La Victoria’ ne of the roughest districts in Lima, I asked Paulo if he ever got nervous about getting stopped by police? He responded “Nah dawg, if I ever get stopped I just pay the cops 100 soles (£25) and I’ll be on my way again. It’s cowboy country out here and anything goes”. The Peruvian police are notorious for taking bribes and most of the time that they stop people, they’re just looking for a little pay-out. He told me he was more worried about getting jumped because the areas he delivers too are full of ‘Delinquents’ as he says. This all but made me feel more comfortable being a ‘Gringo’ (White man) in the passenger seat of a drug dealers car going into an area that’s a no go for people who aren’t from there. We made our first drop off and Paulo gave me the low down on the products he sells. “I mainly sell 50 or 100 bags of coke, I won’t sell anything smaller. I weigh the 50’s at four grams and the 100’s at nine to try and get my clientele to stick to buying hundreds”. Paulo told me he buys 100 grams at a time at a price of 500 soles (£120) which means he gets just over double his money in return. In the UK the average street price for a gram of cocaine is £50, which shows just how much money can be made moving this substance across borders.

42 PERU FINAL.indd 3

It got to around four o’clock and after making about ten drop offs around the city, Paulo decided to take a break before the rush hour traffic hit. He took me to a Bodega (corner shop) in the ‘Surquillo’ district, he knows the shop owner and the locals, who seem to hang out there daily. We ordered two large bottles of Pilsen beer and sat outside on the hood of his car. After drinking three big bottles each and getting to know the bodega locals and watching Paulo make another three deals within the space of two hours, we jumped back in the car – which I was now even more nervous about as we were both feeling quite tipsy – and headed to ‘Miraflores’, which is the most touristic area of Lima full of plush restaurants, bars, clubs and hostels on every corner. We parked up and Paulo told me he had a surprise for me, “You ever had a lap dance Mikey?” he said laughing, “Nah” I replied, “well get ready to lose your stripginity” Paulo said with a cheshire smile on his face. We headed down the strip to the ‘Canadian Bar’ which he rightfully called ‘the dungeon’ as it was a seedy blacked out club in a basement.

As soon as we got in Paulo had already ordered a bottle of Johnnie Walker and bucket of ice, and before we even sat down to poor a drink we were surrounded by topless Latinas. The club was full of middle aged Peruvian men in suits who I can only assume were stopping off after work for a beer and a private dance before heading home to the wife and kids. All the working girls knew Paulo on a first name basis although most were calling him ‘Dulcero’ which means ‘The Candyman’, due to his line of work. This wasn’t just a place to let loose for Paulo this was also a place of business and considering the venue, not a very subtle one either, but after I saw the shady bouncer come over and shake his hand while exchanging a bag of coke it was obvious why. As the night ran into the early hours it dawned on me that what is a taboo subject in western society seems to be a cultural norm in Peru and although cocaine is still very illegal it’s almost like selling weed in Jamaica, it’s as much part of the culture as the food or Machu Picchu.

After we polished of the bottle of Johnny Black with some of the girls Paulo invited me back to his apartment along with a couple of the strippers, although I humbly declined he didn’t take no for an answer, so we went back to his place and continued the party. What happened after, well, a gentleman never tells so we’ll leave it at that.

Spending a day with Paulo, I definitely knew that the drug game would never be for me, the money is not worth the paranoia. Although there is a heavy stigma when it comes to drugs and drug dealers especially, Paulo is a great guy and we really get on well so I could happily call him a friend but in the back of my mind and certainly his there is a dark side and if a situation occurs that dark side could become very dark.

Written by Michael Di Laura 03/05/2019 10:55

Advertisement for beer - Linked with launch event

43