A Revolu By Eliomar Delgado
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tion in Modern Drama For those of you who were unlucky to miss or don’t enjoy good The series” they wrote a Lost’s characters are presented as having a series for themselves. The flash backs and flash forwards have television, Lost is the award winning, American drama that pilot that was very two dimensional. They decided to give the given the characters a three-dimensional background has overwhelmed fans with its outrageously complex storyline. The show is about an Airplane (Oceanic 815) that pilot script to J.J. and Damon and (and future). As you watch the flash backs you start crashes on a “deserted” in the middle of the Pacific they both came up with a solution; to realise that each of the characters is in some way or another linked to each other. In 1929, a HungarOcean. A group of survivors start discovering that the Instead of basing the show on a group ian author, Frigyes Karinthy, hypothesised that you island is not a normal place and that they may not of people crash landing on an island, they should give the island its own character. I could name any individual person in the world and be the only people on that island. don’t mean have a walking talking island, but in no more than five moves you would be linked to them. He named this the “Six Degrees of SepaThe show takes on a new dimension when they wanted to create a location that holds all the ration”. Lost fully demonstrates that Karinthy half of the characters were sent back in time. mysteries and secrets of any character. It then took may have been right with his theory. In many of And just to make things even more con- J.J. and Damon five solid days to create a pilot and the the flash backs two characters would have a fusing when at the same time, a “dead” rest is Lost. moment of confrontation without realising who man I brought to life when he returns The whole “Lost” franchise has spread across the world and bethey are. Despite the insignificance of these to the island. cause of the mix between its enormous fan base and its constant meetings, it had an effect on the characters when they reached the island. J.J. Abrams and Damon Linde- unsolved mysteries, there have been many different theories to how the show may end. Some of the theories fans come up with are incredlof are the brilliant minds beibly farfetched and irrational; but then again so is the show. It is hind the series. When ABC difficult to predict the outcome of such a puzzling show; and Disney studios came it is even difficult to assume that even the up with the phrase writers know how the show “Castawaywill end.
The End of Big Brother The roots of reality television begin in 1964 with a series called “Up” which followed the lives of fourteen British children all aged seven but from different social classes. The idea was to see if a child’s social class can shape their future, this show is ongoing with the director filming pieces every seven years to see how their lives have changed and developed. In today’s era the branches of the reality television tree have spread much further and we are able to watch people stranded on an island, living in the jungle or just gain an insight into the daily life of a specific person or group of people. In some instances this type of programming can be informative and entertaining but with the final series of Big Brother airing this winter should we be asking - did it all go too far? While watching the work of a tattoo artist in Miami Ink or seeing people compete to become a top chef in Hell’s Kitchen can be entertaining and educational, is it really believable that nearly nine million people tuned in to watch contestants including a tantromous model from Watford and a cross-dresser from Glasgow enter the Big Brother house? With ratings having dropped from ten million at its peak to an average of two million during the last series, Channel 4 have finally made the decision to axe Big Brother making series ten the very last, and thankful I am too. No more sitting on buses or queuing up in shops having to overhear people drivel on about how some oddball they have never even met has been bitching about another housemate or hasn’t been allowed a special food item that week. With all the important issues and new discoveries constantly taking place in our world I find it shocking that this was something people actually took time to think and talk about.
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“Waiting for the ne
ext waste of time”
“Thank God this freak show is over” The show’s former psychology advisor even commented on the end of Big Brother saying “Thank God this freak show is over”. In this one simple statement we can see exactly how even the people working on the show were outraged over the humiliation of the contestants, being constantly watched by the public and forced to complete ridiculous tasks - such as performing a dance at any point requested by “Big Brother”. What is worse is the fact that these people actually volunteered and even auditioned to suffer this degradation in front of millions of viewers. With the world stereotyping America as the “dumb nation” Britain is not much further behind when we are making examples of people with particular abnormalities or conditions and raising them above us as objects of amusement. All that is left to say is good riddance Big Brother, nice idea but the end is really for the best. Now let’s bury the evidence and move on to the next waste of time.
Article by
Big Brother Images Courtesy CHANNEL 4
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With merchandise, seasonal DVDs and soundtrack CDs available, you will soon be converted into a Gleek before the season is out.
College. If you’ve watched ‘Skins’ before, then you’re most likely expecting College to be this amazing, crazy and unpredictable party life, binging alcohol, one night stands and being so hangover during tutor you pass out. By the time you reach the second year you start to doubt how much fun one place can be, and now you’re going to see that this stereotype is in fact true.
We approached Head of Multi-Media, Richard Eno, and asked him about his craziest nights out when he was in college way back in the early 90s but he was reluctant to divulge any details. As we walked away we saw him do the ultimate facepalm - maybe it’s best not to know what our teachers got up when they were in college!
These stories are from actual students who attended Totton College, these are their craziest nights out published for you to appreciate how much fun the next two years can be, if you make them
We asked ‘ADAM’ what his craziest night out during college has been, but the reply isn’t something we can actually print!
Of course, college life isn’t all about the parties as it’s mainly about education. BUT, college is a place where you are encouraged to express who you are and whilst it’s always really important to WORK HARD it’s also important to PLAY HARD, too! Like in everything else, it’s onsy’s all about the ash, J e. d t s u m us balance. Right, t a free ho go 2010 March , r r e Dec K
At my friend’s house party, she dared me to wear her sisters PVC nurses outfit. My parents are probably the most controlling people you could meet. It was okay because they had no way of finding out, except my friend tagged photos of me on Facebook so they saw.
One time my dad went away so of course I threw a house party. I gave it the old pirate theme, which seemed pretty easy but my brother (who was supervising) refused to dress up. He ended up getting so drunk the night before that he let me and my step sister shave the sides of his head, looked like a pretty pirate like if you ask me! Around 2am most people had cleared out, aside from the people staying, or so I thought. I stumbled downstairs to grab a drink for everyone, and there was about 12 druggies, rolling up spliffs in my kitchen! I don’t have a clue where they came from but in the end I had to get my cousin round to kick them out, my cousin’s female.
A few months ago I was left home alone for a few days. Of course my friends pressured me into having a party. I was so nervous I drank from 10am to calm nerves. Before I knew it the house was full, music drowned out amongst all the voices. Half the people I barely even knew spraying bottles of my parent’s expensive champagne at each other, the girls tops were “unfortunately” soaking wet. There was a fair bit of damage so I decided it was best to just tell my parents that the house got broken into. They then turned round, surprisingly not mad at all, and said ‘okay we’ll have to pop down to the police station so you can give a statement, this way we can claim of the insurance’. My face dropped, but without even thinking I just said ‘okay that’s fine, I’m really sorry mum’, she was just glad I was okay. In the end I had to tell the police a complete lie, and make sure my parents don’t find out.
JOHNSY GOT KICKED OUT of a College party for underage drinking.
Katie X went to Ellen Y’s ‘pimps and hoes’ 17th birthday party. She took the theme a bit too far, and managed to make out with 100% of the males, and possibly 100% of the females there. Multiple times. She did not permit us to enter her last name, for reputation reasons.
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Do charities actually help? What goals do they actually achieve? How charitable are they?
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A
ll over the world there are a number of charities raising money for different purposes. There are thousands, whether it is for third world countries, life changing illnesses or protecting the rights of different people. Most try many different ways to promote themselves making people more aware about their cause. Through television being filled with emotional heart pulling adverts, magazines with posters or forms for a sponsoring membership and even in the radio. In Britain, we even dedicate one or two nights a year of television to put on entertainment for the general public in order to persuade people to raise or pelage money to the charity. Children In Need or Comic Relief is a classic example of this. But do charities actually help? What goals do they actually achieve? How charitable are they?
T
he charities act 2006, states that a charity has to have a purpose to raise money in order to be a charity to either promote or advance something. However many charities have the same purpose which means that more money would be sent to that particular purpose. So why is it that so many people are still in need for charity if lots of people are raising money for the same reason? For example Barnardos, NSPCC and Childline, are all charities that help to advance the protection of children. However, even though money is going to these three different charities there are still masses of children that still need help. This applies to charities that help the third world countries such as SOSChildren, Breadline Africa and Make Poverty History to end poverty. But every year there is lots of money going over to these countries to help improve their lives. Nevertheless, every year the situation has not improved and some people rely on these charities to help improve there lives whether it is to create clean water supplies or build new schools, just the simple things that we take for granted.
W
e, as a nation, in 2008 gave over £48 billion to a number of different charities either big or small, national or local, to one or another purpose. Even through this finical crisis it is shown that we have still given twice as much now then we did six years ago, showing that we all care and want to improve our world to a greater and better place. But what is happening to our money? Is it actually being put in good use right now? We can be deceived, some organisations store the money in bank accounts over a long period of time leaving the money not being used for its true value and standing still like blank paper, just plain and useless. I can understand that this is helpful when natural disasters happen and large amounts of money are needed to help with rescues services or aid such as the tsunami in Thailand, 2004 or the more reason event of the Haiti earthquake. Yet, this does not tackle the problem head on, reducing the matter of that particular purpose to improve and eluding us to give more money as the previous money we have given has not even been disrupted. Evidence of this is shown in 2008 when Iceland hit a banking crisis which led to British charities that had accounts with their banks, such as Naomi House (a Children’s hospice situated in Hampshire which offer respite care to sick children and their families) having to cut back on major services. Furthermore, with most of our British households being careful and with lack of money due to the mass increase of redundancy in jobs due to the recession, the little that we give and in as much generosity as we possibly can afford, we would expect that our chosen cause we wish to send it to, it would be of some help. Unless it is given for the charity of the employees! Charities such as Oxfam and the British heart foundation take a proportion of that money bestowed by the kindness of people’s hearts to be given as wages rather than for equipment for school or money to help run orphanages. According to Oxfam’s last “annual reports and accounts
released” in April, due to expenditures such as trust funds, retail accommodation and salaries equalises the charity with a 0.3% profit. This is a disgrace. Not only is does this just include with Oxfam it happens in many more different charities such as the British Heart Foundation. Even Cancer research only has less than 1.6 % profit due to the expenditure on salaries and pensions. If charities use the “guilt complex” in their adverts for the media to persuade us to give money and make us feel bad for having more material items, rights or even a better quality of life, then surely they should review these adverts they make and look at themselves in detail by how they are the scrooge in this Christmas carol from keeping this pot of gold away from the true dissevered course.
H
owever, not all workers involved or agree with these charities exploiting the general public. Becca Catlett, a seventeen year old student who was a volunteer for The salvation army shop, feels that “it is shameful that other charity workers are willing to except these and allowing the public to be unaware of what is happening” Becca only worked for The Salvation Army for six months through a duke of Edinburgh award yet because she “felt proud and useful” to the course this led her working there a lot more than she should have done.
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ven though knowing these disturbing facts that these “charitable organisers” are acting as the sheriff in affect robbing the poor, it is hard to stop the loop hole and not give the money to them all together as that would lead to the distressed people who these charities affect worse off. How is that fair when its not even there fault? No.
S
o let the people know, make a stand so that the money we give does make a difference and make these deceivers think about what they are doing.
By Nicole Collas
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Charities How charitable are they?
As many as 2 million people worldwide suffer from Multiple Sclerosis, but what is it like living with this condition? We talk to wife and mother Heather James* to find out. Interview by Elly Greenway
Good morning Heather, nice to have you with us. Thank you So I suppose first of all, what exactly is MS? Basically it’s a condition which affects your nerves, if you have Multiple Sclerosis it means your immune system attacks the myelin sheaths in your body so that the nerves in your brain and spinal cord can’t send signals properly. And how does this affect you personally? Well it affects my left side more than my right – so I find it very hard to use my right arm or leg. Are there different kinds of MS? Yes, I have primary progressive MS which means it steadily gets worse but there’s also relapsing-remitting, benign and secondary progressive. When is it you first realised that something might be wrong? 1995 – I started not being able to walk properly. I thought something was wrong with my leg so I went to a spiritual healer at work. What did she do? She passed her hands over my knee and my shin, she – she didn’t touch me but it felt really warm - and it did help me walk but only for the rest of that day. I went a few times but stopped after a while as it just wasn’t lasting. How long was it until you visited the doctor? Oh a few months. He referred me to the hospital, I learnt afterwards that he’d written to the specialist suggesting it might be MS but he didn’t mention it to me so I was still looking for answers. When is it you were diagnosed with MS? 1997. I went to a specialist at the hospital; he asked me some questions and ran some tests.
What sort of tests? There was one – what’s it called? MRI scan. I had to wait til the travelling one came, another one was where they wired each leg to some machine and it created a strong sensation which gradually got worse. It was really painful on my left leg- I was going “ahh ahh I can’t stand it” but my right couldn’t feel a thing for ages. I also had to look at black and white patterns, moving patterns – I can’t remember it all. And when was it you began to suspect MS? Well as I was leaving after the tests I was stood in the doorway, and I turned round to the doctor to just ask what he thought it might be. He said “I think you have MS”, so I thanked him and closed the door after me. When was it confirmed? In a follow up appointment a few weeks later. I asked what would happen to me and he said I would gradually get worse then drew a nearly vertical line and said that’s how life would go. My sister – Trish was working at the hospital at the time and I found out she told him off for that afterwards. [Heather laughs] She said to draw a more sloped line next time as not everyone would take his bluntness as well as I did. What did you do after you found out? Came home. Trish had come to my appointment with me. She didn’t really say anything but after I got home I got a phone call from my mother, Trish had phoned her and told her that I had been diagnosed with MS. Were you annoyed at your sister for spreading the news? No, it didn’t really sink in.
What sort of treatments do you use to control it? I take medication to help the spasms and just take lots of tablets every day.
Do you think you may have been in denial? I think I was – must’ve been. Because I’d already had a life-threatening disease [Heather had suffered from cervical cancer a few years prior to the MS] I didn’t think anything more terrible could happen to me.
How do you manage work? Well I had to leave my job. I spoke to the welfare officer and they told me I could be medically retired so that I’d still get my pension. Eventually I got worse – I couldn’t use a scalpel and I dropped things a lot so in 1999 I had to retire.
How do you think you’re coping with it now? Very well – I have recently become the secretary of our local MS branch and I volunteer at Shopmobility.
What did other people say when they found out? They didn’t really say anything, but then I didn’t really tell anyone to start off with.
What would you say to anyone who has just been diagnosed with MS? It’s not the end of the world. You have to make changes. If one door closes another opens, I think that’s true as although I can’t do the things I used to other pathways have opened I never considered. There are so many people worse off than I am.
What about your husband? How does he handle it? I remember having a bath one day – and in those days I liked to have really hot baths and keep topping them up. This particularly day though I found I couldn’t get out at the end – I was stuck in there in the hot water and some of my muscles started to go into spasm so I had to call out for him. He came along and helped and said didn’t I realise humidity was bad for me? He’d been reading up about MS and seemed to know more than I did. I just didn’t register.
*Name changed for discretion
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Imagine finishing school at the age of 16 and moving on from the most important exams of your life, so far, and being forced straight into the army or other part of the armed forces. One day the most dangerous part of your life is walking to and from school and then the next you find yourself in the middle of a war which you don’t fully understand. That’s clearly the worst case scenario, but national service could include anything from helping elderly people with their shopping to working daily in a care home. Headlines are spread across almost every aspect of the media reporting that “Britain’s youth is out of control” and “knife crime is rising” which is suggesting to people that something has to be done to sort out this country’s “unruly youth”. One idea is that national service should be reintroduced. Military national service ended in 1960 which was where everyone over the age of 18 was required to do at least 18 months services in the armed forces. Of course, at this time women were guided into the war industries rather than the actual armed forces but if it was reintroduced today, this wouldn’t be the case. Meaning, that as we’re currently at war, many of us would be unwillingly fighting within a war zone.
David Cameron, the leader of the conservative party has proposed plans that every single 16 year old must participate in 6 whole weeks of national service to try and reduce Britain’s rising crime rates. Even though crime statistics as a whole are falling much like the rates of youth crime the general message from the media seems to be that young people are what’s wrong with this country. So there’s little surprise that any people agree with David Cameron’s plan for a new national service program or an even stricter military orientated national service. One of my teachers at college believes that a military based national service for at least a year would increase production within the two years students are at college and help toughen up the younger generations.
Countries ranging from Greece to Mexico have experienced a reduction in “yobbery” after reintroducing a national service but who’s to say that they didn’t have worse youth crime rates than we do? Your opinion on this subject has to be affected by your age but I don’t agree that this plan would sort any of our countries problems. Possibly I’m influenced by the fact I would have had to take part a year ago. Would you enjoy spending 6 weeks within the armed forces? How about 2 compulsory years? I wouldn’t. It may be a character building experience and help in other ways but this idea just seems to narrow the amount of time school leavers have to achieve a quality higher education and truly start living their lives.
James Peckham Reports
ALIENSJUST MADE UP STORIES?
War of the Worlds, Independence Day, Cacoon, the idea of an extra terrestrial life lurks constantly in our entertainment, but why? Is it just because people enjoy watching little green men run around wrapped in tin foil? Or could there be something behind this constant exposure to ‘alien’ presence in films? The suggestion that the government is covering up another intelligent life form is not a new theory, neither is it one that fails as a good film plot, however it does lack the sufficient evidence to be considered a ‘fact’.
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On July 4th 1947 a UFO apparently crashed onto Earth, scattering debris all across the desert of New Mexico, The RAF were quick to reveal they had a ‘flying saucer’ on their hands only to retract their statement later and suggest it was a weather balloon. Witnesses were certain of what they had seen/heard and so the retraction was not welcomed, further rumours of alien bodies being recovered fuelled the media’s imagination further that week. The government denied the rumour, the ‘space craft’ was merely an air force experiment, which while using high altitude balloons, blew apart during a thunder storm, this is known as the Roswell incident, it is one of the documented cases of a supposed UFO landing, resulting in more alien films and a museum equipped with virtual tours and a gift shop. It therefore could be suggested that the conspiracy of the Roswell incident that erupted all over the media in 1947, triggered the world to begin to commence wondering if E.T one day would run in demanding to use the house phone.
Not only do Aliens apparently crash into our deserts they also probe our vulnerable citizens. The idea of being stolen by an intergalactic species sounds bizarre, and consequently the majority of psychologists, who deal with ‘victims’, put the strange bodily marks and memories down to something more realistic, like sleep phenomena or ‘environmental factors’. The larger portion of Alien abductees however are certain of what they have experienced, a traumatic and in some cases humiliating affair. The UFO cult known as ‘Raelians’ have the idea that these aliens have actually cloned a human through these sessions of ‘intense’ prodding and un-consented experiments. The cult leader known as ‘Rael’, a French race car driver originally named Claude by his parents , believes he was plucked by ‘almond eyed aliens’ from a volcano near Clermont-Ferrand in France. These green skinned creatures gave him the chance to meet with Jesus, Mohammed and Buddha,all who revealed to him that humans descended from extra terrestrials. Proof Aliens exist or could this just be another money making plan that this former motor sport journalist imagined up? Around 4 million US citizens are certain they have been abducted by extraterrestrials. Skeptic Psychologists have used many explanations to try and solve this without proceeding to agree that ‘alien space crafts’ exist and kidnaps innocent people when they stray from public eye. Sleep paralysis is a common diagnosis. This is the term which relates to the body and brain going out of sync when waking from sleep. The body is paralysed but the mind is ‘awake’. Occasionally the victim of this will also experience hallucinations, both visual and auditory, for example, bright lights, voices, pressure, and sometimes the feeling of not being alone. The Mayans, a civilisation who lived around 250AD, were great believers in many gods, from all areas of the world, including outer space. Theorists have suggested that some of these beings that the Mayans considered Gods were actually Aliens. Crop circles, initially suspected to have been created by these mysterious intergalactic creatures, take a similar appearance to Mayan symbols, coincidence? More and more crop circles are cropping up as we are nearing 2012, the time in which the Mayan calendar ends. There has always been a theory which suggests the Mayan culture was shaped through the presence of an extra terrestrial mind. It would explain their severe amount of knowledge of time and space. On the 27th of November 2010 Barack Obama apparently discloses the secret to the world about the existence of another intelligent life form. It was leaked into public awareness by a hacker, who felt obligated to put it onto the internet and destroy all the effort that were taken to cover it up. Could it be the real thing or just another wild story? For years, unidentified objects have been sighted in the sky, alien abduction tales have ignited debates and scientists have gone the far reaches of their telescopes to investigate further into the universe, in hope that we are not alone. It would explain the fascination with extraterrestrial life in the media if another species, covered up by the government, shared our planet along with us. It could even be suggested the government are only doing this to warm us to the idea of perhaps one day, having to share a lift with a creature with ten tentacles and a beak. But we still don’t know if aliens exist. According to the Fermi Paradox there is a contradiction between the age of the universe and the apparent lack of extra-terrestrial life. The Italian scientist, Enrico Fermi postulated that if there are about 250 billion stars in the Milky Way Galaxy and the universe is about 13.7 billion years old then even if life occurred on a miniscule level there would be huge amounts of vast intergalactic empires roaming our galaxy BUT we haven’t found ANY evidence of them.
Does this mean that we’re really alone? Does it matter?
I’d like to end with some extracts from Carl Sagan’s book,‘Cosmos’
The size and age of the Cosmos are beyond ordinary human understanding. Lost somewhere between immensity and eternity is our tiny planetary home. In a cosmic perspective, most human concerns seem insignificant, even petty. And yet our species is young and curious and brave and shows much promise. In the last few millennia we have made the most astonishing and unexpected discoveries about the Cosmos and our place within it, explorations that are exhilarating to consider. They remind us that humans have evolved to wonder, that understanding is a joy, that knowledge is prerequisite to survival. I believe our future depends on how well we know this Cosmos in which we float like a mote of dust in the morning sky.
For most of human history we have searched for our place in the cosmos. Who are we? What are we? We find that we inhabit an insignificant planet of a hum-drum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people. This perspective is a courageous continuation of our penchant for constructing and testing mental models of the skies; the Sun as a red-hot stone, the stars as a celestial flame, the Galaxy as the backbone of night.
There are not yet any obvious signs of extraterrestrial intelligence and this makes us wonder whether civilizations like ours always rush implacably, headlong, toward self-destruction. National boundaries are not evident when we view the Earth from space. Fanatical ethnic or religious or national chauvinisms are a little difficult to maintain when we see our planet as a fragile blue crescent fading to become an inconspicuous point of light against the bastion and citadel of the stars. Travel is broadening.
Sources: ‘Cosmos’ by Carl Sagan, 1980, Random House Publishing ‘Pale Blue Dot’ by Carl Sagan, 1994, Random House Publishing http://alturl.com/a6xc http://alturl.com/5fy9 http://alturl.com/e4pz
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IS CALL OF DUTY STEALING YOUR BOYFRIEND? I got 36 for 1 on wasteland the other day, couldn’t call I a nuke though as I haven’t unlocked it since I last prestiged. As any COD fan will know, we have our secret gamer language, beyond the comprehension of parents, teachers and girlfriends. I’m not talking about a club dedicated to our fishy friends, oh no ladies and gentlemen, I’m talking about Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. I know for a fact that females and adults over the age of 30 make up a large proportion of online players, however in more specific genres such as sports and FPS (first person shooters) it is us guys who are ignoring our college work for the sake of getting an impressive K/D ratio. For, I wouldn’t say endless hours, my better half has had to watch me play Xbox Live as I laugh, shout and argue down my headset
to my party of friends and other players after another game of Team Deathmatch. But with all this ducking, dodging, shooting and stabbing my attention is stolen from her. Of course I make it up to her with foot massages and by enduring old episodes of Friends, however for what seems to her like an eternity I am completely immersed within the gaming world. So what’s the appeal of videogames over that of a girl? Well as doing anything we enjoy, we receive an emotional high. Somebody playing Call of Duty can get a ‘buzz’ from killing so many other players and being the best player in the game,
much more so within teenage boys, where there is such a competitive edge. When you enter a game and there is another group of lads of similar ages ‘giving it the big one’ as we like to say, it’s easy to develop an almost irrational desire to win. So to the outsider, you’re looking ridiculous as you sit a metre away from the screen, desperately scanning the battlefield in front of you for that enemy sniper that’s already killed you 5 times. Just the other day I received a fantastic anecdote from my friend, where after getting a 22 killstreak (number of kills in a row without dying) his hands began to shake and he experienced an adrenaline rush at the thought of achieving the ‘holy grail’ within online gaming… the nuke. Even I laughed at that. So “no, it’s not” will be my response to when my girlfriend next tells me that it’s just a game, as she watches my knuckles turn white gripping the controller to oblivion. Call of Duty, and other online games are the awakening of our primeval competitive edge, turning even the most weedy passive kid into an SAS commando or a pre-pubescent American kid into Schwarzenegger. So maybe yes, Call of Duty is stealing your boyfriend, but only briefly. I’m sure love will prevail, or if all else fails I will bet he’s not guarding the large off-switch that’s within your reach whilst looking down the sights of his assault rifle!
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The Apple iMac, is there any other way to describe it other than pure genius...? I think not! And it’s because it
has a mix of both being incredibly clever in a software perspective, and also the hardware is well, lets say love at first sight. Apple is and always will be one step ahead in terms of technology especially Microsoft, which everyone knows has become extremely unreliable such as the Microsoft Vista pack. Now they have the windows 7 which I think, will become no surprise when a lot of problems begin to occur. But with Apple oh, well that surely isn’t the situation as from my own experience with an imac there hasn’t been a single problem apart from very rare crashes, which can be restored by a few clicks of the beautifully manufactured mouse, which by the way, works like a charm. Which brings me onto the next topic, the accessories. Well the amount of accessories for the apple iMac is just magnificent especially when there is such a wide variety and all made with the same elegant look and outstanding quality. Starting straight from when you first buy the Apple imac every buyer has the opportunity to either have a standard keypad or you can pay a small sum for an extra numeric keypad so you have the numbers and you have an extra in case something happens (not likely) life just doesn’t get better than this ‘eh. There are also many others to accompany certain software packages such as (a personal favourite of mine) the Logic package which is a music package in which you can record mix and play about with dif-
ferent sounds creating your own music which is exceptional if you are looking into going into the music industry. Some certain accessories that would be useful would be a Usb ended keyboard and very cleverly Apple have inserted two Usb slots on either side of the keypad so it can be inserted through the keypad to the iMac. Also a line 6 gearbox for example can go into the imac which can be used as a headphone port or more exciting, a guitar amp pack with loads of amp presets and effects which makes recording a lot easier, and also has a microphone point so you can record music straight into Logic. With the keypad having two Usb connection points the mouse can go in through the keypad into the iMac instead of putting it straight into the imac itself. This would also prove useful for the lefties among us as it can go in either side of the keypad and if you think that’s good well, check this out, in the preferences, you can set the buttons on the mouse to whatever option you would like such as having the left click button on the right hand side and vice-versa which makes it even more Excellent even for the lefties. Nothing can compare to the glamour and beauty of this spectacular piece of machinery, and anyone who walks past the apple store and gets a glimpse of the iMac will definitely become attracted to it from first sight. When entering the apple store the iMac, with its astonishing style and creative design, it immediately triggers an unstoppable instinct and makes you want to go and interact with it and play on there for hours having no sense of time. Apple have taken a capable com-
puter and have clad it in one of the best allin-one designs to date, matching it up to an eye-catching desktop trophy and have paired it with intuitive, attractive peripherals and layout design. This iMac, among other apple products, is definitely the status of today’s technology and anyone who may not have one still have most likely used one because of the increasing amount of iMac being placed in places of education. As far as technology goes apple have stayed one step ahead of other leading companies with its luscious look and the genius working inside of the beautifully manufactured computer and is a must-have for most of society (that are in need of computers). Basically the iMac is the ultimate all – in – one computer putting the very best of apple all into one magnificent beast and has everything you need and as said on the Apple sight it includes; a display processor, graphics, hard drive, optical drive, and more. The big LED-backlit displays are perfect for HD video and all these features I can definitely support with my own experience with the iMac and personally even though quite pricey it’s still worth every penny with a starting price (not including extras or discounts) in apple stores is £949 for the 21.5 – inch and the 27 – inch model starts at £1,349. Apple’s products, although extremely expensive, have proven to be a success even with the high price and if you are willing to pay premium price, then this latest-generation iMac is very unlikely to disappoint
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And the Award goes to ...
Films have Oscars. Television has the British Television Awards. All around the world there are different award ceremonies that congratulate the achievement of making motion picture in film or television. They are awarded due to the performance of the actor/actress or the best scene. But what about the motion picture that does not get awarded? Even though we gain a good experience alike the films and the television. It lies right under are noses and contains items that we all go to at some time. Yet it has only been around for five years when it feels like a lifetime. YouTube. A video sharing website that has become very common in our language by the latest generation has modernised the ways of communication and sending videos to people all around the world. Although it started with three ex employees of Paypal it has grown to just one website that has enabled so many people to gain so many different things from the same website. Even to the point
as some people would not know what to do without it at some time even if they do not think they use it that often. Even if we do not know it, Youtube is a form of communication bringing different information between different countries such as different footage of different news stories. It is classed as a social networking website as it enables people to have a profile that can link connections between different people through similar interests that would otherwise not have been made in the real life social situation. It can also ease the pain of boredom through humours videos to make people laugh. YouTube can also change people’s lives in a matter of minutes through reaching fame and fortune or within there self. For example, the show “Britain’s Got Talent” early last year, included a surprising auditionee, Susan Boyle, who hade a more differ-
ent approach to the combination of looks and voice. This audition was uploaded on Youtube and reached to a soaring number of views overnight and landed as the biggest headline over in America. It changed her whole career path and has added to the rising success she has today. Also, another example of this is Lauren Luke, with the love of makeup she produced her own tutorials and uploaded them on YouTube. Lots of people had subscribed to her page and followed her all the way and now as a result of this she was brought to the attention of the media and is now has her own website including running her own makeup line, this making YouTube a start to her new business career. Through these examples it shows a way of proving how professionalism of the media has changed. Chris Anderson, author of the book “The Wire”, uses the analogy of how the due to the social media has made people much more accessible to be the “printer of the printing
press” meaning that everyone can get to these sites through blogging, twitter and YouTube spreading and creating news as the technology is more diversely available. Not only has it changed people’s lives through business but it has also changed the way the general public think of issues. This has been done using motion picture on YouTube to persuade the way we think like the video on global warming which was voiced over by Leonardo Dicaprio and the “please don’t vote” video starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Halle Berry, Jennifer Aniston, Tobey Maguire, Eva Longoria Parker and other stars who use reverse psychology to get young people into voting booths on election day in America. They used this video sharing website to get others to pass on the video to influence more people. From this it shows how YouTube is becoming a more effective way into marketing rather than following the usual root of magazines, newspapers, billboards etc.
People also think that computers, internet, social websites and etc are just for the younger generations but YouTube enables to incorporate older generations as there are videos which let the viewer watch and recapture the past, whether this is really old black and white films, music performances or even royal events. In effect YouTube could be a time capsule website trapping the past and present. Plus, YouTube is becoming more a resource than just a website like a book. This is because YouTube is becoming a more popular way to explain points or give examples in teaching. Pupils are now learning through a social video website rather than reading through textbooks and resulting in some students paying attention in their subjects which means they are taking in information and being proactive in their learning.
Not only does YouTube do this, it also lets unknown film makers to be able to express their films/videos and receive comments on their work which gives them self motivation and inspirers people to get creative in film making releasing a sense of achievement. This factor is the most important of the lot. It brings people that we would not see a chance and surprises the world how good an amateur film/video uploaded on YouTube can be. According to Chris Anderson, YouTube and other social websites allow people to rather than having respect in the media for only having the association with the media professionaly but now that is changing and respect is given to the piece/work that is being shown rather than the creator’s background. It also shows instead of having to go through trails to get higher or to even face the highlight of the media, YouTube proves that there is wider talent in the world and lets it be shown easily. There are many reasons how YouTube can be a great value to the modern world of today but not all points are swayed to be positive. There are some ways that YouTube could damage our wider society and creates a lower level of media, even though it is experimenting the different types of media and still could be classed as a high social evolution. This is because YouTube according to Will Hearst, this type of lower level media is showing how mankind is lacking in cohesion. Due to getting masses of people through boredom, learning, persuasion, advertising, recapturing, entertaining and inspiring I think that YouTube should have its own reward for the amount it does and includes as the videos they contain have affected all of us in some way just like some Oscar film. YouTube you are rewarded well done!
The internet has dominated the media for several years now, and we can find just about anything we need at the touch of a button. But what harm is it doing to the other businesses that rely on people spending their money when they could be getting the product for free? Although illegal, it is still possible to find decent quality newly released films on the net, and with this option available, it is reducing the number of people splashing out on nights at the cinema. So what does the future for the cinema industry look like? Point No.1 – Will you still pay to watch? With ticket prices increasing, rather than decreasing, it’s looking less likely that we will be able to go and see a film as often as we used to. Especially now that 3D films are becoming increasingly popular, tickets are priced at almost double what you’d expect to pay for a standard film. Whereas, if we found the film we want on the Internet, it wouldn’t cost us a penny. Point No.2 – Why move from the convenience of your own home? If we play a film on the net, we can take as many breaks as we like, without missing important parts of the plot. At the cinema, it will always play out that the time we choose to take a toilet break will be the most entertaining part of the film. Why waste your money if you’re going to miss half the movie? Point No.3 – Why pay more? If you’re not keen on the idea of watching illegally, iTunes provide a cheap, legal service which beats the price of the cinema. By downloading a film from iTunes for a small fee, not only can we watch the film instantly, but we also get to keep it. This means we can re-run the film as many times as we like, without having to pay for each viewing.
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Point No.4 – Is quality important to you? If you’re more concerned about the quality of the film rather than the price, then of course the cinema will always win. If you search hard enough on the net you’ll discover many films in pretty decent quality, but a percentage are unwatchable. The cinema offers a huge screen and a state of the art sound system that you’ll never beat at home. Technology is constantly updated, certain films require special effects, such as 3D, and without the sufficient equipment that the cinema owns, you won’t have the same experience as at the cinema if you watch from home. Point No.5 – Do you enjoy the atmosphere? Part of the whole cinematic experience is watching the film in an audience, who feel the same emotions as you whilst watching the film. It is a lot more interesting if you are with other people who don’t know what is going to happen, rather than on your own, especially whilst watching a horror movie. The rush of watching something unexpected can be heightened in the atmosphere that a cinema creates. Dark room, low lights, surround sound and one hundred other people all contribute to the experience.
Point No.6 – Are you desperate to watch a film? The anticipation of waiting weeks for a new film to be released is hyped, and by the release date, you’re desperate to see the film. You can pre-book cinema tickets to go on the night, but if you were counting on the film being released on the Internet the same day, you would most likely be disappointed. It could take up to a week for a new release to be put on the net, so if you are desperate to see the film, it’s always best to pre-book a cinema ticket. Point No.7 – Do you watch films to unwind? Going to the cinema is a great way to meet with your friends, and make a night of it. As a past time of many, going to the cinema is what people enjoy, and if you are at home on your own watching the film, you would have no one to talk to and socialise with. The cinema is a great place for a night out. Considering these points, it is up to you to decide how you get your movie fix. People have been watching films for over 100 years, and the industry is only getting bigger. With the Internet on hand, viewing
a film is now easier than it ever had been, but nothing will beat the experience of a movie theatre; especially in 3D.
Article by Amy Browning
By Chloe Hill A police photographer has a lot more to worry about than good composition. Police photographer - a career that doesn’t necessarily first come to mind when considering your future job, but it’s something that has captured the interest of many young people from a fairly young age, for many years now.
injuries, to more technical photography such as ultraviolet work, finger marks and foot marks. Alongside producing maps and plans at scenes, plotting locations of items with strict accuracy using GPS mapping equipment, which makes it a much more diverse role that the title may propose.
But what do you need?
“The role is both creative and fulfilling,” says Barry Hill, manager of the imaging unit for Hampshire Police.
Talent and an eye for finding relevant detail in a crime scene. The role is a unique combination of skills and technique. Whilst carrying out a demanding photographic career and solving crimes, there are many other aspects of the role that aren’t always considered. From murders, suspicious deaths, high category road accidents, serious arsons and child
I ask, “Where did you train as a photographer?” Hill replies, “After joining the Royal Navy in 1976, it was always my intention to try my best to transfer to the photography branch, to enhance my passion for photography, and combine it with an interesting career. I didn’t actually get
my first opportunity until 1979. I was lucky enough to be successful at my first attempt and I then spent nine months training at the Joint Services School of Photography at RAF Cosford. Until I joined Hampshire Police, I was based at various photographic departments, naval based, air stations and ships. We worked on numerous aspects of photographic work from, public relations projects, to technical defect photography on engines and airframes. For the last 3 years of my naval career, I was based in Gibraltar , primarily on intelligence work, using 600mm and longer lenses, mounted on gyroscopes, flying in a Lynx helicopter. “What would you say has been your most challenging project throughout your career so far?”
nit -
Hill replies, “I personally had my most challenging time in 1999, when I worked for the forensic team in Kosovo, very soon after the conflict ended. Working under the auspices of the UN, the team was made up of various disciplines from various countries. There was a pathologist from New York, an anthropologist from Scotland, a path technician from Holland, crime scene investigators, and photographers and detectives from various police forces over the UK. We would carry out an autopsy on each cadaver, photographing all of the injury sites, including positions of bullets and reconstructing skulls. All the remaining clothing would be cleaned and photographs and prints were made to be placed in albums that were shown to the local population in an attempt to try and identify their loved ones.
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Barry goes on to describe how the experience for him was something he would never forget and he would not have missed it. He brought back vivid memories in words and pictures. He tells us how the experience was surreal and somewhat enjoyable.
increasingly popular nowadays, and is highly demanding of expertise as the role is put under a lot of pressure from the media as the whether the photographic evidence is watertight. The credibility of the image is crucial.
Hill tells us how he has never considered changing his job, even though at times the stress becomes slightly overwhelming, he enjoys it, and says it keeps him young.
He’s determined to keep ‘giving something back’ with the importance of his job. He feels that the job is without a doubt, worth the struggle, the stress, and the fight for the top spot.
“Would you say that your particular line of work is easy to get into?” Not really, you wouldn’t have a chance of making it in to the imaging unit without a photographic background and qualifications. The job is becoming
An intriguing and compelling career that embraces a passion for photography and a dedication to success of a job that is worth the achievement. Maybe something that will spring to your mind first when considering your future career.
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Breakfast
By Joshua Harrison
He sat at the table, because it was breakfast time. He opened the cupboard, because he was hungry for cereal. He looked at his cereal, because he was unsure of which one he craved the most.
Box four? Defeatabix: Crushingly pessimistic, wheaty goodies in the form of sarcastically dry bricks; a favourite among the weak-hearted and those of low aspirations. Box five? Golden Shames: Sugary, golden squares that push the hopeless over the edge; a special favourite among those who are a disappointment to their parents. Box six? Reddies: Wheat squares of communist delight, perfect for those who enjoy an equal bowl every time! (WARNING: Not for consumption by those with
lasting memories/fears of the Cold War or the Red Threat).
Box seven? Morridge: Delicious oatmeal for the recently divorced. Why not try and quell the loneliness and sorrow with some cream and sugar? (DISCLAIMER: We
Box one? Scornflakes: Delicious, crispy, golden flakes of corn that hate you almost as much as everyone else. Box two? Accosties: Tasty, sugar coated flakes of corn that will aggressively solicit sex on your behalf. Box three? Fearios: Oaty hoops of pantsoiling terror, the favourite grainy goodies among thrill seekers (WARNING: Not for those
Box eight? Leady Brek: A yummy, fast, sugary breakfast that contains delicious all natural lead (WARNING: May
instigate a very painful, lonely death).
It was at this point in time that the man wondered why he had bought so much cereal in the first place. He continued to search through his cupboards; his stomach insisted he continue the hunt.
Box ten? Rice Friskies: Highly sexually charged chunks of baked rice that you will truly feel on the way down. Seriously, they’ll touch you.
Box eleven? Hooker Puffs: Easily affordable puffs of naked wheat, perfect for those who enjoy a quick, shameless breakfast that’ll leave them with no long-lasting connection.
religious fundamentalists! (WARNING:
Contains metal).
Box nine? Iranflakes: Delicious shards of crunchy religious flavour, containing real shrapnel from the exploded remains of real
with long lasting heart conditions, epilepsy, IBS or those prone to panic attacks).
are in no way implying that the consumption of cream and sugar with quell heartache, though we strongly recommend a healthy bowl of our new Sugar ‘n’ Cream for all those suffering of a broken heart).
He decided that he would have a bowl of box seven. Though, much to his dismay, he found that the milk was missing. Oh yes, he remembered, the milk was in the fridge. The man’s wife had won the fridge in the divorce settlement. He went back to bed.
Winner of the Totton College Short Story Competition 2010