Teenage Democracy Magazine #4

TEENAGE

DEMOCRACY ISSUE FOUR

EDITORS NOTE Welcome to the fourth issue of Teenage Democracy Magazine.

Every day the clouds shift and change to let through shafts of sunlight. For positive growth to occur in society- ignorance, apathy and government policy needs to rapidly change. Clouds of fear toward a new system must be dispelled. As you might have guessed, the theme of this issue is change, past, present and future. Without key moments of change in the past, through organisations such as the Civil Rights and women’s suffrage movements- equality in contemporary society would be but a myth.

Change is also happening right now.

Homophobia is on the decline, with an increase of social acceptance toward samesex marriage and climate change is being taken more seriously – 400,000 people marched in New York last month for government policy toward reducing greenhouse gases to toughen and for a firm government stance against C02 emissions and fracking! However, although progress is being made, stagnation is not an option.

Explore the pages of this issue and discover a few aspects of society which must be positively changed for democracy to live up to its definition. The whole aim of Teenage Democracy is to draw attention to issues and discuss them, because change cannot happen without awareness. Change occurs through repeated kindness and small acts of positivity. We all know the renown figures of change – Martin Luther King, Edward Snowden etc, but these brave people could not have created such an impact without all the unknown people working with them, whether physically or by promoting their cause in subtle gestures. I want readers to be encouraged that positive change in society can be achieved through a thought, a conversation, an article .

As Socrates put it – ‘The secret of change is to put all of energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new’. Change is inevitable. Make sure it’s positive.

I hope you enjoy and become inspired by this issue of Teenage Democracy Magazine….

Peace and Love, Brigitte de Valk

CONTENTS Let’s Change Us 3-4 Control The Language, Control The Thoughts 5-7 Activist of The Issue -8 The Berbice Slave Uprising 9-11 In My Opinion 12 Miyazaki Speaks for the Importance of Change 13-14 Kids On Race 15-17 Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics 19-20 The Shop Project 21-22 New Things 23 Dolphin Slaughter And Capture Continues in Japan 25-26 Interview with Photographer Patrick Tully 27-28 Sexism in 1932 29 Headlines 30 Time for Change, The Living Planet Report 31-35 Nobel Peace Prize 2014 36 Marvellous Reviewed 37-38 Pride Reviewed 39 25 + 1 of the Greatest Hip Hop songs Of All Time 40 Figures in Red 41-44 Mobility International USA 45-47 COVER ART: Ellie Harman-Taylor BACKGROUND IMAGAGES: Natasha Edwards and Ellie Harman-Taylor

Let’s change us The majority of us are always on Facebook or Twitter or just on the internet reading things, watching videos and taking in a range of information orchestrated by the media. But how many of us actually check the sources of the things we’re reading before we repost or share a link? It is common knowledge to the population that the media articles you read from Facebook are often dodgy with little to no credit at all, yet we keep reposting them and raging at the ever imminent ‘fact’ that America is going to microchip us all in 3 years time or the ‘fact’ that Ebola patients who have died are returning from the dead with zombie-like features and it’s the end of the world as we know it.

We have to stop the spread of misinformation to this generation; it’s distributing racism, ignorance and panic. The amount of media coverage dispersing fabrications about current affairs is rapidly shaping the thoughts of the younger, impressionable generation, by reinforcing stereotypes and racism of other nationalities and religions. For instance the majority of media information about Islamic State has been to spark terror and fear into the British public. One photo of a decapitated little girl shared via an article saying words to the like of “Islamic State are beheading loads of children,” has been found out to be from 2-3 years ago as an example of an atrocity committed by the Assad government in Syria when a helicopter gunship reportedly open fired on unarmed civilians.

Another Facebook sharing atrocity is shown in this photo whereby with over 20,000 shares, people are ‘learning’ from the page, ‘Britain

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First,’ misinformation. Tohseef Shah, who sprayed the words “Islam will dominate the world – Osama is on his way” and “Kill Gordon Brown” across the plinth of a war memorial in Burton upon Trent in May 2010, was not in fact fined £50. Having been convicted of criminal damage, he was ordered to pay £500 in compensation as well as £85 costs. And as for the poppy graffiti, it was spray-painted on Portsmouth’s Jami Mosque, also in November 2010, on the eve of an English Defense League protest there. Even though the 2 offenders may have received supposedly harsher

sentences, it was concluded that this incident was aimed at a religious group (Islam) whereas Tohseef Shah did not target any single religious group. It was due to this distinction, not a greater preference to Muslims than white men, that the sentences altered in their outcome.

The classic ‘pass-it-on-or-a-demon-will-murderyou-in-your-sleep,’ follows the variety of propaganda on this photo. So once again Facebook, hats off to you for engineering lies and inciting hatred of a whole religion including the non-extremists, to an ignorant population that have become so reliant on the media for their day-to-day news that Facebook has now become the BBC. This misinformation being shared around Facebook by our ignorant population needs to stop. Yes it may be that Islamic State are beheading innocent infants and children and that is inexcusable and heartbreaking, and yes some extremists are being disrespectful to the fallen veterans of past wars, but the sharing of propaganda that has been constructed for the sole purpose to incite fear and hatred towards ISIS is also causing a knock-on effect for how the population is viewing the rest of the Islamic population; the non-extremists. How can we

possibly generalise how 7% of a religious group is behaving to the remaining 93%? We don’t generalise the behaviours of the few KKK members to the rest of the global white population, so why do the same for the Muslim population? And as a final point, how can we possibly be expected to grow as a generation, if we are being fed misinformation and believing the bulk of it? It applies to everything. How can we be taught in schools and colleges funded by the government if we’ve learnt from social media that they’re attempting to chip us all?

How can we vote for the next leader of our country if all the information we’ve read about party A and party B is false? How can we know anything about the world and world affairs if everything we’re reading is reposts from biased, untrustworthy articles shared from a Facebook page? So please, check your sources before reposting, you might just influence 20,000 people to breed racist, ignorant thoughts and behaviors.

Tess Wood

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Control the Language, Control the Thoughts Doublespeak definition: Deliberately euphemistic, ambiguous or obscure language intended to deceive or confuse.

Think back thirty years ago. The date is 1984.

The year in which Orwell’s prophetic dystopian novel is set. Masterpiece though it is, imagination was not a perquisite for his writing. He merely opened his eyes to Western society and summarised how future populations were to be organised and managed. The term doublespeak is no neologism.

Coined in the early 1950s its concept of emphasising ambiguity is reflected within Orwell’s 1984 through the combination of ‘doublethink’ and ‘newspeak’. These are labels to particular strategies which encourage Orwell’s characters to accept as fact every utterance of their leader without rational thinking. Believe and never question. ‘Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought?’

We like to think we live in a democracy, with an informed and accurate account of current events presented to us; the mantra being that the ultimate power lies with the people. With the rate and density of information rising steadily since the end of the Second World War through the arrival of television networks, electronic printing press, satellites and the internet, it is a common perception that the Twenty First century welcomes a far more diverse news conversation.

However, with control over the West’s mass media falling into the hands of a small group of multinationals such as Rupert Murdoch and the Charles Koch, (only five control nearly all US media), 5

US media), mainstream media is almost invariably mass-produced, corporate friendly, nationalistic, unchallenging and full of doublespeak.

For the less cynically minded, questions over the motive for all For the less cynically minded, questions over the motive for all the manipulation consistently arise. the manipulation consistently arise. Let me direct you to the level headed, shrewd linguist, philosopher and political commentator, Noam Chomsky.

Within his book Manipulating Consent: The political economy of the mass media, he argues that ‘when you can’t control people by force and when the voice of the people can be heard….you have to control what people think’. He notes that doublespeak is an important component of corporate news propaganda, whereupon facts are shaped by selectively blocking out those which do not fit an agenda or program and obscured to ‘defend the indefensible’.

The recent adaption of Orwell’s 1984 was published in 2003 under the guise of the Iraq Invasion. The slogan War is Peace was of course essential in aiding the assault which was continually referred to as ‘liberation’.

Operation Iraqi Freedom sustained the notion that starting a war is essential in preventing one.

‘The war in Iraq is really about peace’Blair.

These necessary illusions are fundamental in evoking public encouragement and participation in the business of war, allowing concerned citizens an excuse to deceive themselves into supporting blatant imperialism. Fear is a catalyst of this.

Certain doublespeak phrases alter perception through the emotional response they evoke.

Naturally, this amounts to a lack of ‘rational thinking’ with prevalent doublespeak terms such as ‘Terrorism’ and ‘The axis of Evil’ providing the impression that countries with different ideologies to the West are a major threat.

The effectiveness of doublespeak is evident through the lack of public awareness over critical issues such as the Iraq War. A recent poll asked people in Britain how many Iraqis had been killed as a result of the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The answers were shocking. A majority said that ‘fewer than 10,000 had been killed’. Scientific studies report that up to a million Iraqi men, women and children have died.

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Similarly, the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis reinforces the power of language in its endorsement of the principle of linguistic relativity which holds that the structure of language affects the ways in which its respective speakers conceptualise their world.

Linguist scholars Edward Sapir and Benjamin Whorf concluded in the 1930’s that thought is a form of internal speech which must be learned while acquiring language. In this way, human concepts are influenced by socially constructed language patterns. Whorf stated that the world’s ‘flux of impressions’ including doublespeak, ‘has to be organised by our

mind’s linguistic systems’.

Here is a list of fashionable doublespeak terms heavily endorsed by corporate UK media.

.Capitol Punishment – The authorization of murder. .Ethnic Cleansing- The killing of people based on religion. .Classified Information- Material the government prohibit general public access . .Physical Persuasion –Torture .Extraordinary Rendition –Kidnapping.

All of these contribute to normalising the unthinkable and manipulating the direction of first world sympathy. Doublespeak conjures up ‘worthy victims’, those who suffer at the hands of the enemy, and ‘unworthy victims’, the groups of people who inavertedly or intentionally obstruct US might. Edward Snowden, whistle blower of the NSA’s and GCHQ’s mass surveillance program, is an anomaly in terms of his stance of popularity within the US and UK. Despite doublespeak attempts to define him as a ‘traitor’ because of his acute interference in corporate policy, a growing number of people view his actions as commendable. Arguably, this is due to the global discussion of online privacy that occurred soon after and because it is clear that Edward Snowden is caught in a

Catch 22, where he has jeopardised his traditional rights of freedom and independence by daring to use them.

Snowden’s revelations led to a Federal judge of the US to deem the NSA domestic phone data spying as unconstitutional and Orwellian.

Commenting on his NSA disclosures, Snowden maintains that our society far outstrips the thought incarceration displayed within 1984.

Living in a world burdened by warfare, divided by poverty and suffocating in toxic fumes, reality is often overwhelming to the individual. In this way, regularising traumatic scenes on TV and computer monitors has become routine. However, as citizens of this small planet, it is crucial that we accept responsibility for ‘First world’ actions in exacerbating and often inciting world conflict.

For this to happen, insistence for an accurate portrayal of current affairs needs to occur.

The invocation of doublespeak and its distortive effect is a major threat not only to Western democracy but to the peace of the world. We must pay attention to Orwell’s observations, adhere to our democratic principles and rebel against the manipulating language of corporate mass media for ‘In a Cc time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act’.

dfd de Valk Brigitte

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ACTIVIST OF THE ISSUE: ROSA LUXEMBURG Rosa Luxemburg was the youngest of five children of a lower middle-class Jewish family in Russian-ruled Poland. She became involved in underground activities while still in secondary school.

Like many of her radical contemporaries from the Russian Empire who were faced with prison, she emigrated to Z端rich in 1889. There she studied law and political economy, receiving a doctorate in 1898.

In Z端rich she became involved in the international socialist movement.

In 1906 Luxemburg published her thoughts on revolution in The Mass Strike, the Political Party and the Trade Unions. She argued that a general strike had the power to radicalize the workers and bring about a socialist revolution

As a schoolgirl, the young Rosa could sense her apartness from her classmates, not only because she was a Jew, but because a childhood illness had left her lame. She dressed carefully to conceal her limp and focused intently on books and ideas.

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In 1898, Luxemburg left Zurich for Berlin where she joined the German Social Democratic Labour Party.

Luxemburg was very keen on supporting the idea of debate and in 1900 she produced "Reform or Revolution". She supported reform as a way of improving life but she did not want to stop at reforms that came from the government as she believed that governments frequently gave only what they wanted to.

Luxemburg wanted a complete revolution of governmental systems.

She saw the revolution in Russia in 1905 as a very good sign of hope. She moved to Warsaw where she hoped to make more of a mark in Russia. However, she was caught by the authorities and put in prison.

The Berbice Slave Uprising

Recently I stumbled upon a curious coin on my mother’s bookshelf. It was large and heavy and it reflected the golden sun in silvery white back into the room. The profile of a young black man wearing a medallion was embossed on its front, his name ‘Cuffy’ sat below him, and around his head the words read: ‘Berbice Revolt. February 23. 1763’.

This coin was the starting point of an intriguing journey into the history of my mother’s country, Guyana, and into my own heritage.

The Atlantic slave trade shaped the world we live in today; it has shaped our economy, our history and our culture. In Britain today, over 1.8 million people are descended from slaves. I am one such person. Britain, it has been said, is built with the flesh and blood of African slaves as its mortar. Indeed the slave trade provided the wealth and recourses which enabled the ruling classes to carry forward the industrial revolution.

Without the huge economic boost provided by the production of vast amounts of commodities by free labour and the mass exploitation of generations of black slaves, capitalism, the economic system where the means of production are owned by a small elite and the masses must commodify their labour to survive, would not have developed to be the worldwide power it is today.

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The quickly expanding plantation farming in the southern Americas created a large necessity for people to work the fields. After failing to find Indian slaves, Africans were found to be the perfect workers to exploit and commodify. The plantations produced crops for the English market, especially

rice, tobacco and also cotton, which was essential for the developing British textile industry. The atrocities of slavery were made possible by the pervasion of ruling class racist ideology through all of society by its ownership and control of the religious and political institutions.

The churches of the time gave their holy blessings to the enslavement of black people and the political elite, the media, respected scientists, writers and intellectuals, (many of whom owned slaves for their own financial gain) justified slavery by depicting black people as without traditions, art and culture, as biologically, intellectually and psychologically inferior to white people, and as childlike, submissive and cowardly by nature. Cuffy and his comrades in 1763 Guyana proved this to be false information.

Berbice today is a region of Guyana along the Berbice River. Between 1627 and 1815 it was a part of the Dutch colony, the most feared slave owners in Guyana. It was later merged with Essequibo and Demerara to form British Guiana in 1831. Guiana did not gain independence, to become Guyana until 1966, becoming a Republic in 1970. In

1762, the population of Berbice consisted of 3,833 black slaves, 244 enslaved Amerindians (tribes originally local to Guyana, like the Arawaks, the Caribs, the Wai-Wais and the Wapishanas) and 349 white people -a minority who exploited the masses through brutality, superior weaponry and racist ideology. Most slaves in this era were subject to violent rape as a means of increasing the labouring population as well as whipping, beating and physical mutilation. On the 23rd of February, slaves of the Magdalenenberg plantation on the Canje River in Berbice rebelled against their owners, unable to further withstand inhumane treatment. Slaves in Berbice torched the plantation house. Then they went on to mobilize and organise slaves from other plantations to join in their revolutionary activities. Cuffy was a house slave of a barrel maker on another plantation on the Canje River called Lilienburg (these slaves often became more educated, as well as knowledgeable of their owners). It is said that Cuffy organised the rebel slaves into a military unit. Soon plantation after plantation fell to the slave rebels and the white settlers began to flee north.

Governor of the Dutch colony, Van Hogenheim, sent military force to try and defeat the rebels who were approaching the Berbice capital, Fort Nassau. By the 3rd of March, the rebels were 500 in number. Cuffy was soon accepted as leader of the rebels and, after some victories over Van Hoogenheim’s few troops, declared himself as Governor of Berbice. He named a man called Akra as his deputy and military commander. They reorganized the farms to produce food for the masses rather than profit for the Whites.

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Van Hoogenheim was committed to retaking the colony for himself and to reasserting white dominance over the slaves. Akra attacked the white people in

the north three times without permission from Cuffy, but nevertheless, Van Hoogenheim was kept back. Cuffy generously and admirably proposed a truce between the rebel slaves and the white people, suggesting a partition of Berbice, but Van Hoogenheim delayed his decision, awaiting support from nearby colonialists and slave owners.

Cuffy ordered his troops to attack the whites on the 13th of May, 1763. His forces suffered many deaths, and as a result, became divided; Akra formed his own faction which waged war against Cuffy’s group. Cuffy’s inspirational revolutionary slave commune soon fell to pieces, waging civil war on itself.

When Akra won control, Cuffy killed himself.

Today Cuffy is a national hero of Guyana; he is commemorated in a monument in the Square of Revolution in Guyana’s capital, Georgetown. The anniversary of the slave rebellion has been Republic Day, a national holiday in Guyana since 1970.

The Berbice Slave Rebellion, lasted for a total of 10 months, marked the first attempt by a large group of organised slaves to gain freedom in the Americas.

It went on to inspire other revolutions like the famous Haitian Revolution (1791-1804). Despite the revolution’s eventual failure to succeed internally as well as to defend itself from external defeat, with the final defeat of the revolution by troops from neighbouring French and British colonies in the spring months of 1764, it produced many revolutionary heroes who began a struggle against colonial oppression: heroes like Cuffy.

The Berbice Slave Rebellion is an example of the strength of the oppressed masses over the exploitative elite. It is an example of an oppressed majority’s ability to overcome not only

the crushing force of bourgeoisie military control but also the crushing force of bourgeoisie ideological control.

Still today, racist ideologies are used by the ruling classes of countries like America and Britain. The muscle that is the media is used, as well as policing, judicial and penal institutions to divide the working class so they cannot be a true revolutionary force; they are used to help to generate profits for the bourgeoisie, extracting surplus value from all workers. It is true to say that workers have no real, long term chance of true freedom while the working class is at all divided, be it on racial, sexual or gender grounds. Therefore, racist ideologies are dangerous to us all. It is for this reason that any racism or tactics that seek to divide us along racial or national lines must be fought. This includes the vicious and malicious talk of UKIP, it includes the ‘Go home’ vans of the Conservative Party and it includes the anti-immigrant rhetoric of the mainstream media.

Because of capitalism’s need to weaken the proletariat, racism is an integral part of British culture which must be fought.

Revolutionary stories like this one are often unknown by most people in this country because they endanger the ruling class, but in fact it is essential that they are remembered and discussed. It is essential that the brutality of the Atlantic slave trade is remembered as something which shaped our modern market economy, but it is also essential that we remember the revolutionary power of these slaves who were able to cast off their fetters, cast off the chains that bound their hearts, their minds and their bodies. We must remember these slaves who were able to take the fight to their masters, as we should to ours, in favour of freedom and equality.

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Divided in any way amongst ourselves, we are all slaves; we are all incarcerated by chains which we cannot see. It is time to stand together, irrespective of race or nationality, to take back the earth and the wealth and power which belongs to each and every one of us, as equals, to produce commodities for communal need rather than private profit. It is time that each link in the rotten chain of our exploitation is shattered leaving a world free of the morally corrupting poison of private property and greed, the poison of war, of famine. Together we must build a better tomorrow, or like the slaves of Berbice, die trying.

Mataio Austin Dean

Convenience, Or Insolence? th

Remember, remember the 5 of November? Well…not this year. This bonfire night many festivities across the th country took place not on the 5 of November, but th instead on the 8 . England slept peacefully and th undisturbed on the night of Wednesday the 5 of November with hardly a whizz, pop or bang to be heard; however on Saturday the night sky was aglow with colourful explosions.

I don’t know about you, but this odd occurrence got me thinking. It seems that in our stubborn attempts to organise ourselves, England has begun to rearrange world-wide occasions to take place at a more convenient date. Of course to some this may be seen as a decision of logical genius and no doubt, the government made a considerable sum hosting bonfire night at a weekend. However I must ask, if we start by moving bonfire night or a birthday celebration to a nearby weekend in order to save time or effort or make more money, when will we stop? Before we know it we’ll be shifting Christmas to the nearest Saturday!

Our quest to make life mechanically efficient is beginning to sabotage celebrations and events that were once held dear. We cannot simply rearrange everything to suit our personal timetables; some things are on a certain day at a certain time for a very legitimate reason. Lest we forget that the purpose of bonfire night is to celebrate a night in history on which England conquered terrorism and prevented Guy Fawkes from destroying the houses of parliament. The purpose of a birthday is to be grateful for the life a person has lead so far in remembering the day of their birth. I am not usually one to denounce change, however there’s surely no need to uproot all that we know.

In my opinion therefore, whilst it is logical to work special occasions around our busy lives, we must remember that some events simply cannot be postponed. It is disrespectful, unsentimental and ultimately desensitising for us to do so.

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Have a lovely day, from Evie 

Miyazaki Speaks for the changeMiyaeducation in early education

importance of

Education is a topic frequently discussed and argued over in the current years, with frequent issues of health and safety along with the well-being of children as young as nought, to the school leaving age being just as important as what children learn through the first years of their life.

Although not as recent as other critical education articles, I draw your attention today to that of Hayao Miyazaki’s highly credible

suggestions

to

change

the

bringing up of young children. The opinion of a world-renowned animator (known for the films ‘Spirited Away’ and ‘Ponyo’) taken from an article in a Japanese

education-orientated

newspaper, that featured in ‘Turning Point 1997-2008’, which I believe holds

specific career which guarantees them a job, which limits creativity and personal choice of the individual toward pursuing their career. It is clear from this that Miyazaki himself is a productive thinker in comparison to pedestrian thinkers’ highly

unimaginative

and

common

thoughts toward this area.

water to today’s educational state in the

Later in this interview he confesses ‘I

UK.

want to make children happy in a completely

One of the first points that Miyazaki raises in response to Masao Ota’s questions is the aspect of ‘the future of our children’ in terms of adults and their belief of this. He presents the idea that ‘Our children’s future is to become boring adults’ pointing out almost immediately hi 13

pressuring their children to get into a

bl

i h h ki d

f

i d

different way than offering them delicious food or buying them whatever they want’.

Through his views against pedestrian thinking he nullifies the focus on materialistic possessions that may be offered from a future career, or even the prospect of the money an adolescent may be tempted by. Instead he studies a ifi

i l

lif j

f

sort of information children are taught at

infant-school age children across the UK also

later years with more urgency. Miyazaki

own,

carries another preposition for schools ‘It’s

voluntary exposure to the outside world.

just hard to find the right entry point to find what you like. This is why it would be good schools could offer this entry point’ and, many would agree that with the figures of unemployment and those who, due to schools focusing in on educating children on terms of Science, English and Maths, along

with

some

Contraception,

knowledge

Drugs

and

of

Alcohol

consumption, that schools take an aloof attitude toward supporting children in terms on what exactly they wish to do in the future until quite later years of their education, with many adolescents still unsure of what career they wish to pursue even now.

that

success and the large sum of money he has received from films such as ‘Ponyo’ and ‘Spirited Away’ in their recognition across the globe, Miyazaki believes that children

shouldn’t

repetitively,

watch

believing

that

his

films

restricting

them from print, TV & video games until at least three years old is a necessary step to keep children healthy “While we argue, not about specifics, but about the generalities

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affects

their

In terms of children at a slightly older age, he has an aspiration for them to pursue their dreams, by not cramming information into them with no relevance to their futures.

‘Cramming too much into young children is harmful… it robs children of curiosity itself’. In this instance, it is clear that Miyazaki regards curiosity on a high level. In some ways, although this kind of attitude I wouldn’t believe a Western Educational community would fully accept, some would agree that the act of forcing children to study set subject areas for exams below GCSE, along with exams at GCSE level may not be important or hold relevance to whatever they wish to do

Despite being such an equivocal character in the Film industry for Japan for his

consequentially

Polina Popel

KIDS ON RACE: THE NEED FOR CHANGE

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WHAT DO YOU THINK

is

happening in the pictures? That’s exactly what young children and teenagers in America were asked as part of the ground-breaking study “Kids on Race: The Hidden Picture”, led by Dr. Melanie Killen in 2012, commissioned by CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360°. The results have been quite astounding…

The first image was shown to 6 year old children who were African-American. These questions were posed to them: “What’s happening in this picture?” “Are these two children friends?”

“Would their parents like it if they were friends?” Overall, these children had a very positive interpretation of the image, many saying “Chris is helping Alex up off the ground”, with only 38% of these children giving a negative interpretation of the images.

Conversely, white children of the same age, a full 70% in fact, gave a negative interpretation.

The next two images were shown to 13 year olds. Again, the images were shown to both European-American and African-American teens. Sadly, African- American and EuropeanAmerican teens are similarly cynical about the images. Dr Killen suggests that “experiences of rejection and the harsh realities of race relations most likely explain the trend.”

Those are the facts. What is undeniable is that race relations still are substandard and ought to be changed. But the root of this problem is what needs to be identified before anything can be done. This means we need to start with the children. Why did the white children support a negative interpretation by a staggering majority? It seems that a lot of the problems come from “all of the overt and subtle messages on race from the rest of society -what children see and hear from their teachers and friends, TV shows they watch, and what they're exposed to online all have a profound and lasting effect.”

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I’m neither a psychologist nor a sociologist, but to me, this really makes a statement about how the human mind works. It appears to pick up on all the minutiae, and these influence the children in decision making. To me, the study seems to show that society has a collective guilt surrounding the issue of race. Society appears to be the human’s enemy as much as it is his friend. Whilst to an extent, we can blame those who participated in the slave trade for creating America’s major racial problem; we must also blame individuals today alongside society as a whole for the problems surrounding race. The prejudices of individuals, both subconsciously and those actively pursued, appear to come together to form an elaborate web of subtle racism and division. The “host” of this parasite of racism is society and society influences the minds of other individuals who go onto be practitioners of a racism not always highly publicised.

This study is valuable not only because it diagnoses the state of race relations in America, but Dr Killen also begins to prescribe something that contributes towards stopping this problem. “There's almost nothing as powerful as having a friend of a different racial ethnic background to reduce prejudice, to ... have that experience that enables you to challenge stereotypes,” according to Dr Killen.

This news is amazing! But it also suggests what needs to change as well. Martin Luther King once said “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brother-hood.”1 If there is enough change inside of people, then we can make this a reality. Now is the present.

The present is incredible, in that it’s the one place from which we control the future.

Because of Dr Killen’s research, I believe interracial friendships will go a long way in

stopping racism in the future. The study found that “the racial makeup of a school can play a dramatic role on kids’ attitudes on race” and Dr Killen reckons that school has such a big impact on children’s attitudes towards race because of the friendships formed. What’s apparent to me is that work needs to be done early on to promote good attitudes towards race in children.

That’s why in schools we need a table of brotherhood…

There is a deep need for change, the change within people to stop making assumptions, the change to promote racial diversity, the change to celebrate our differences. I think at least part of the solution can be found in integrating schools with children of all different races. Though I cannot guarantee that this will stop racism, I think this will help at least reduce racism in future generations. I think that two approaches that could be taken to stopping racism would not only be to do more in the education of youngsters but to bring about a greater economic and social equality. The reason I think this is because the study showed that the six year olds at a racially diverse and majority African-American school made a far more positive interpretation of the images than children at the majority white school, thus if children from ethnic minorities who may also be from poorer backgrounds have a greater economic equality as a result of charities and governments working together to bring a greater equality in society, members of ethnic minorities may be able to live in richer areas, thus there will be more racial diversity in schools, meaning children have more positive attitudes towards race because of friendships formed. I certainly remember from my days of primary school that we had “Anti-Bullying Week”. Wouldn’t it be great if children in primary schools also had the European-wide Action Week Against Racism as well? Every year around the 21st of March, this charity 17

campaigns for tolerance and equal rights, and celebrates diversity in Europe. If schools did activities and perhaps even charity events to raise awareness of the values the week is focusing on. This could promote positive values on race to children all around Britain!

If schools are already doing this, then that’s excellent, but if they’re not, I personally think they should! There’s also another UK-based charity called the Race Equality Foundation, which seeks to promote race equality in health, housing and social care. Perhaps we could support this charity, to ensure a fairer Britain.

Stephen Buckley

TEENAGE DEMOCRACY TeenageDemocracy@facebook.com

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Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics

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The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics began in February this year after a sea of controversy surrounding Russia’s new law banning “gay propaganda”. Traditionally, the Olympics unite numerous countries, thousands of athletes and countless cultures. However, things looked to be different this year.

2013 saw a significant step forward in the quest for equality between heterosexuals and those identifying as LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender). In the USA, the laws allowing same-sex marriage in seven states became effective. Elsewhere, samesex marriage became legal in France, Brazil, New Zealand, Uruguay and various other countries.

Unfortunately, this success is perhaps overshadowed by the unyielding hostility of a significant proportion of Russia’s population, including its government ministers, towards homosexuals. Since the “anti-gay” law (as it has been labelled) was passed, which essentially prohibits public displays of homosexuality, there has been a rise in homophobic violence and resentful comments in the media. Last December, former Orthodox priest Ivan Okhlobystin claimed he would “shove all gays live into an oven”. This shameful language is, to those of us in the Western World, unacceptable for use against people who simply have a different sexual inclination.

What’s more heart-breaking to learn is that in a 2013 survey, 16% of Russians said that LGBTs should be isolated from society, 22% said they should be forced into treatment, and - even more shockingly - 5% said they should be liquidated. This makes the homosexual propaganda law seem like a mere drop in the ocean.

Although sexual activity between two people of the same gender is legal in Russia (unlike 70 countries worldwide), it is excessively frowned upon and it is not uncommon for homosexuals to be verbally and physically attacked. There were two fatal attacks in May 2013, just one month before Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, d h l b h i f

passed the law banning the promotion of homosexuality to minors. On the 9th, the body of a 23 year old man was discovered brutally tortured and murdered. Three males admitted anti-homosexual incentives, despite his family and friends claiming he was not homosexual.

On the 29th, Kamchatka airport’s 38 year old openly gay deputy director was found beaten and stabbed in his burnt-out car. Three suspects were detained.

As most of this resentment is not kept under wraps, protestors are able to use cases like these in their campaigns for equal rights. 19 gay rights protests were held just before the Winter Olympics began in various cities over the world, including London, Paris and Melbourne. The protestors attempted to put pressure on Sochi’s primary sponsors – CocaCola, McDonald’s, Visa and Samsung – to speak out in opposition to Russia’s anti-gay law. It would probably not surprise us all that the protests could not take place in Russia’s capital, Moscow, due to the 100-year ban on gay pride parades enacted in June 2012 by Moscow courts.

Back in August, there were fears that LGBT Olympic athletes might face arrest at Sochi, after Russian politician Vitaly Milonov told the Interfax news agency that the gay propaganda law cannot be selectively enforced: “If a law has been approved by the federal legislature and signed by the president, then the government has no right to suspend it. It doesn’t have the authority.” This is in direct contradiction to the International Olympic Committee’s statement on 17 July last year

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that “sport … should be available to all regardless of race, sex or sexual orientation … we would oppose in the strongest terms any move that would jeopardise this principle”.

Understandably, and as with any law, it would be wrong to enforce the ban on some ‘offenders’ and ignore the actions of others.

From this viewpoint Milonov’s stance is the correct one. However, this does not change the fact that the law should not have been passed in the first place.

One of the most high-profile protestors against the law has been openly gay actor, comedian and presenter Stephen Fry. In an open letter to Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron and the IOC, Fry wrote: “An absolute ban on the Russian Winter Olympics of 2014 on Sochi is simply essential … At all costs Putin cannot be seen to have the approval of the civilised world.” He also commented that Putin is “making scapegoats of gay people”.

Other brave activists, though still in opposition to the law, believed a boycott of Sochi was not the right way forward. Gay US figure skater Johnny Weir told BBC Radio 4: “To attack Russia is silly. It’s not Russia’s public’s fault that their government is so bigoted and creating so many problems for a minority group.” Weir is a selfproclaimed Russophile, and his husband a Russian-American, which could explain his more egalitarian form of objection to Russia’s treatment of the LGBT community.

Thankfully, some Russians refuse to be blinded by their government’s xenophobic actions. One of them is Nikolay Alexeyev, founder of the Russian LGBT Human Rights Project, whose case against the gay propaganda ban is currently awaiting consideration in the European Court of Human Rights. He is one of only a measly 16% of Russians who believe homosexuality should be accepted in society.

After the first screening of the 2006 Moscow Pride documentary, Alexeyev said: “We managed to generate passion ... and to revive the spirit of activism.” I expect I am not the only one who believes that thousands of people will have been (and continue to be) inspired by the d bold protests of Alexeyev and those who refuse to be discriminated against due to their sexuality.

Despite the intolerance Russia has shown towards the LGBT community, let us hope that

the Winter Olympics allowed greater publicity of equality that will continue to inspire people to accept those around them, whatever their life choices are.

Ami McCann

The Shop Project Exhibition

Military surplus shop Sabre Sales’ uniformed mannequins have loomed on the corner of Castle Road for nearly thirty years. Its rich source of army paraphernalia has drawn custom from all walks of life and for a multitude of purposes including providing props for theatre productions and inspiration for fashion label Burberry. However the lifetime of this landmark has come to an end; it is time for the extensive stock to disperse and the premises to move into new hands.

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‘The Shop’, as Sabre Sales has come to be known by its regulars, and in this project, has been a presence in film producer Timothy Connell’s life since childhood. In a collaborative project with artist and independent curator Oana Damir which has spanned the past two years, they have amassed a collection pertaining to The Shop including footage, photographs and interviews which aims to capture the essence of The Shop and the people connected to it.

As part of The Shop Project, several establishments of Castle Road lent their walls or windows to this exhibition, which ran the length of

of the street, in recognition of the end of The Shop’s illustrious career.

Photographs of The Shop are presented throughout Castle Road without fanfare; frameless portraits and photographs of The Shop’s artefacts are dotted along the street.

Taking these un-posed photos in the dead-pan style has allowed the personality of the subjects to show through. This minimalist aesthetic permeates the project through to its simple, clearly presented newspaper publication and makes a refreshing contrast to the photographs of deep clutter of The Shop’s interior. The use of a simple, unobtrusive style succeeds in showcasing and complimenting the backdrop of The Shop and Castle Road rather than imposing a contrasting vibe of their own.

Shop 65’s ‘Ether Gallery’ played host to a display of five small, white light boxes

by Damir, framing photographs of some of the characters of The Shop.Presented next to these were large, monochrome photos by photographer Russell Squires. The portraits emerged chameleon-like from the wall, curated

with a subtlety befitting of the unpretentiously shot portraits and the image of The Shop, which was an everyday sight for many people. The slight asymmetry of the layout made a pleasing harmony with the modest, crooked space of the gallery.

The exhibition creates an interesting balance between internal and external. Displaying images of the interior of The Shop and intimate portraits of its familiar faces, in particular of proprietor Nick Hall, outside in the street had the effect of figuratively turning The Shop inside out. Also, the incorporation of multiple premises of the street into one cohesive exhibition created an experience akin to moving between different rooms in the same building, thus making the outdoors more indoor. In the same vain, the artists experimented with taking objects out of the context of The Shop in the aptly named ‘Inside Out’ series, which displays individual treasures of The Shop in isolation from the clutter, allowing the viewer to appreciate The Shop in close up view. The artefacts are steeped in history; their stories are etched into them with scrapes and dirt. Some of these are displayed in Delaney’s Sandwich Bar, along with a tin of small, pleasingly thick prints of details of photographs, zooming in even closer on the contents of The Shop, which the public can take out and handle, thus attaining an even more intimate view of The Shop’s treasures.

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On a similar note, the artists produced ‘The Stills’: a photographic series showing The Shop’s uniformed mannequins removed from their native jumble and placed against

a white background. When they were taken out of the dark labyrinth of The Shop and photographed individually, their idiosyncratic qualities could be fully appreciated. One of the most compelling images of the exhibition is a photograph showing mannequins abandoned behind The Shop. It is a poignant image, some are missing limbs and set against the backdrop of military paraphernalia these mannequins are reminiscent of refugees of war. Like a refugee, The Shop’s merchandise has been rendered homeless and is heading towards an unknown future.

The Shop Project Exhibition lasted between the 7th and 31st of October 2014, but The Shop’s legacy will continue in the form of a hardback book, hopefully to be published within the year.

Ula Taylor-Reilly

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Dolphin slaughter and capture continues in Japan

250 dolphins are currently being held captive in Japanese waters, awaiting their fate of either senseless slaughter or a lonely life in captivity.

60 fishermen drive the dolphins into the Taiji cove, hammering long poles creating a deafening wall of sound, consequently driving the super pod into the cramped and shallow cove as they try to flee. They are separated by nets, causing many mothers and babies to be lost from one another's side. The calf will cry out, but to no avail.

Many dolphins are entangled in a net and dragged to shore to be selected for a life of imprisonment, the close bond between young calves and their mothers torn apart for life. Individuals that are not selected are viscously stabbed with metal rods; the massacre dyes the water in the cove a distinct blood red. The so called "humane" death causes dolphins to thrash around in agony. Those that don’t immediately die from these hideous wounds will bleed out, drown or suffocate whilst being dragged to the slaughter house.

Aquariums like SeaWorld in America and the Palm in Dubai flock to Taiji, paying up to 300,000 US dollars for each fatigued and exhausted dolphin. They are taken to the aquariums, and starved of food so they can be taught tricks to perform to adoring crowds, who are tragically unaware of the origin of these majestic animals.

Melissa Sehgal, an activist from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, told The Independent what she witnessed in Taiji: “A metal rod was stabbed into their spinal cord; they were left to bleed out, suffocate d di 25

and die. After a traumatic four days held captive in the killing cove, they experienced violent captive selection, being separated from their family, and then eventually were killed today."

The size of enclosure for five dolphins is 1000 m³. This may sound generous, yet when compared to an Olympic size swimming pool, it’s 1500 m³ smaller. In the wild, dolphins travel 100 miles per day, in total freedom. In captivity they will continuously circle their pools searching for new areas to discover, something they will never achieve.

Imprisoned in a cramped, unchanging and unnatural environment with no means of escape. It’s both appalling and shocking, that man is capable of imprisoning these magnificent mammals, exploiting their natural behaviors for entertainment and financial gain and deceiving people into thinking that it’s in the interest of conservation and research.

Dolphins are highly intelligent creatures thanks to a developed neocortex, the part of the brain shared with humans that processes emotional information, sensory perception, thinking and planning. It contains a high number of folds, increasing the surface area of this part of the brain enormously. Neocortex ratio is the size of the neocortex in comparison to the rest of the brain. Neocortex ratio in dolphins is 3.94 in humans its 4.1 a high neocortex ratio indicates high intellectual capacity with a difference of 0.4 between both mammals; dolphins are evidently highly intelligent animals. Spinal neurons are present in dolphins; they are

specialized for rapid emotion and social behavior processing, meaning they’re able to process emotion and therefore feel it.

Scientists have discovered they are the second smartest animals in the world. Is it right we confine such intelligent animals to a tank? They don’t receive enough mental or physical stimulation, tragically resulting in dolphins lying ff listlessly on the surface of the water.

They are extremely sociable animals; in the wild they form pods, which are constantly changing. Captive dolphins will never have the opportunity to interact with many other dolphins, and don’t have the free will to choose the dolphins they create strong and inseparable bonds with.

Untold amounts of pain and suffering are caused by the enclosures in which the dolphins are held captive, the chemically treated water we, as humans create, will damage the dolphins’ extremely sensitive skin, creating severely painful ulcers and skin lesions. This chemical concoction of water means that no fish or plants can survive, resulting in a flat, un-contoured enclosure lacking in stimulation. Dolphins use sonar to communicate and inform them of the shape of their environment; it seriously restricts their hypersensitive sonar. Due to this unnecessary restriction the lack of mental stimulation causes crippling boredom. Resulting in stress and pain formulating vomiting, chewing on their enclosure and head bobbing. We previously thought that self-mutilation was only present in humans, however to our concern it’s yet another sign of stress in dolphins.

The Independent interviewed Samantha, ex dolphin trainer of SeaWorld, who spoke of mistreatment by the park.

Shockingly, a lack of dolphin monitoring and cleaning of their enclosures is a major problem at SeaWorld. An accumulation of fatally poisonous coins, thrown into the enclosure by the public, caused Samantha to witness "one dolphin turn completely white and die from zinc poisoning because they couldn’t stop her from eating the money". Evidently stress is an enormous problem in captivity. Samantha, distressingly observed "one dolphin die 26

from anorexia and stress directly related to captivity."

SeaWorld defend keeping dolphins in captivity for educational purposes: "We hope that every person who has visited SeaWorld leaves with a greater understanding of, and appreciation for all the animals we display." However dolphins are not endangered in the wild therefore there is no need for them to be placed in captivity. It’s obvious from many studies that dolphins don’t act naturally in a tank in comparison to the wild.

SeaWorld claim to fund 1.2 million dollars towards the ‘SeaWorld and Busch Gardens conservation fund.’ This may seem a huge amount of oney, however it’s smaller than we think. It’s a ridiculous 0.2 percent of their total 2013 revenue. SeaWorld gains a yearly footfall of 12.7 million and boasts a profit of 120.2 million! Many people sceptical of SeaWorld’s ethics are reassured by their ‘conservation fund’. We can see from this minuscule percentage and huge profit that SeaWorld is unquestionably an organisation with the sole intention of profit making, only using a "conservation fund"' to convince sceptics their ethics are justified.

It is evident that the inhumane capture and captivity of dolphins is ethically and morally wrong. As humans, we have a duty to protect these beautiful mammals from the evil means of capture and slaughter. We cannot continue to inflict pain and suffering on these mammals now we are aware of the life threating implications captivity entails.

We must not, will not and cannot let this continue. Action must be taken now.

The Independen’ts dolphin appeal will continue to support Ric O’Barry’s dolphin project. They tirelessly work worldwide to rescue, rehabilitate and release dolphins back into the wild where they belong, and stop the fatal trade in dolphins. Please sign our petition for the white house enforcing a law banning the capture in US waters of dolphins and whales for public display. 250 dolphins are currently being held captive in Japanese waters, awaiting their fate of mindless slaughter or captivity.

Ella Challice

Interview with Photographer Patrick Tully

~ How did you first get into photography?

Patrick: I bought my first camera to go on a round the world trip when I was 19.When I was in Thailand I accidently took a great photo. I was naive and did not understand why it was great. I wanted to know more, it took me years to find out there was no way to make a great photo they just happen. ~ Do you remember what the photo was of?

Patrick: I was in a boat on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok and a small hollowed out boat paddle across our bow with 7 orange robed monks sat in it. I took the photo of them and it was not until I got back to the UK and developed it that I noticed a huge 7up billboard behind them almost perfectly framing the image. It's a bit twee I know but I was young and it was a real accident. ~What do you make of digital photography? When you’re not working do you use an old film camera or is digital something you feel is necessary to use all the time?

Patrick: No, I am progressive and as a professional the time savings made using digital mean more time out shooting. I wouldn't swap my blue ray player for a VHS video recorder either . ~ Aha good point. So tell us about Edinburgh Photographic, how did that come about?

Patrick: I was a Solicitor in London, you can imagine that meant a lot of time in an office. I love the outdoors and was always looking for excuses to get out the office.

So I left. I moved to Edinburgh and was unemployed for a while. I bought a decent camera to keep me busy and met my now fiancée who also loved photography. We decided to start the business two and half years ago, and here we shooting a 27 wedding a week now! (Almost a wedding

week now! (Almost a wedding a week), I do exaggerate sometimes. I have had to become a salesman! ~ What's it like working with your fiancée? Must be great doing something you love with the person you love.

Patrick: It's nightmare. You know they say never work with animals or children?

Some days I do and my future wife is there too. I do love her but working together is not easy especially as I can sometimes behave like a big kid. ~ Different working styles? I remember we talked before about how Lindsey studied photography at an educational level, but you were self-taught, am I right in saying that?

Patrick: Yes she is talented and educated (and beautiful - she will read this right?). I am just lucky to have her to learn from and have a good eye for what people like. I am self-taught yes, but that sounds like it is a good thing. I am not sure it is. Learning on the job is key. ~ Going back to Edinburgh Photographic, you are heavily involved in Street Soccer and this led to you going to Brazil, that must have been

amazing.

Patrick: It is amazing! I went through a troubled childhood and without luck and mentoring may not have got to Law school. When I saw what Street Soccer Scotland was doing to inspire and educate youngsters who had been disadvantaged in early life it was a perfect Social Enterprise for me to work with. I am honoured to do so. All Charities need images to promote and raise funds. We do all of theirs free and sometimes yes I am forced to travel to Brazil and Italy to shoot. I suppose it's a perk, I love football and I love helping disadvantaged or less lucky folk. Often a little encouragement at the right time in some ones youth can change the course of a life ~ That's wonderful to be a part of something like that. There will be photography students reading this magazine any advice to share with them?

Patrick: Enjoy your work, contact charities, offer your services free, take your camera everywhere, read about new creative styles, use facebook and twitter to get your work out there.

Photograph all the weddings you go to (without getting in the pro's way) build a portfolio and learn how to market yourself. Don't expect to make too much money early doors if you go freelance. It will take a while. ~ Patrick thank you for your time, wish you and Lindsey all the best with Edinburgh Photographic and hope to see you guys soon!

David Allison

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SEXISM IN 1938

HOW MUCH HAS SOCIETY CHANGED IN ITS ATTITUDE TOWARD WOMEN?

SEXISM IN 2014 Women in the same jobs as men usually earn less, even though these women may have the same or better training, education, and skills. As a general statistic, women make only 60 percent or less than men in comparable positions. In general, women are under‐ represented in the higher‐status, higher‐paying occupations, such as university teaching, law, engineering, and medicine. In contrast, women are still over‐represented in the lower‐ paying occupations, such as public‐school teaching, nursing, and secretarial work.

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HEADLINES SOURCE: DEMOCRACYNOW,ORG

Top Pentagon Official: U.S. "Considering" Sending Combat Troops to Iraq The top military officer in the United States has said he is considering sending U.S. combat troops back to Iraq. Testifying before a House panel, Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey said the United States could send a "modest" number of troops to help Iraqi forces retake Mosul and other areas seized by Islamic State militants.

srael Blocks U.N. Investigators, Bans Norwegian Doctor from Gaza for Life, Israel has reportedly banned a Norwegian doctor from entering Gaza for the rest of his life.

Dr. Mads Gilbert provided medical aid to Gazans during this summer’s Israeli assault. He worked at Al-Shifa Hospital and appeared on Democracy Now! after the hospital came under attack by the Israeli army. Israel has also vowed to deny entry to Gaza to representatives from the U.N. Human Rights Council seeking to investigate potential war crimes committed during the assault, which killed nearly 2,200 Palestinians, most of them civilians.

Activists Hold Silent Protest Against Police Violence as U.S. Defends Record at U.N. As U.S. officials defended the country’s record on human rights before the U.N. panel, a group of youth activists from Chicago rose to their feet with their hands in the air to stage a silent protest. They wore T-shirts bearing the name of Dominique Franklin, a 23-year-old who died in June after police tasered him during an arrest for stealing a bottle of vodka. A member of the group We Charge Genocide, Malcolm London, said the response by U.S. officials at the hearing has been inadequate

Oxfam Calls on G20 Leaders to Curb Global Inequality On Thursday, anti-poverty campaigners with the group Oxfam donned the masks of Obama and other world leaders as they called for the leaders at the G20 summit to take action against global wealth inequality. Oxfam Australia chief executive Helen Szoke said the gap between rich and poor is increasing

Report: Planes Equipped with Fake Cell Towers Sweep Up Data in Secret U.S. Program

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A new report reveals the Justice Department is sweeping up data from vast swaths of the population by flying planes equipped with devices that mimic cellphone towers. According to The Wall Street Journal, the seven-year-old program, run by the U.S. Marshals Service, allows the government to trick tens of thousands of cellphones into reporting their location and identifying information over the course of a single flight.

TIME FOR CHANGE: THE LIVING PLANET REPORT 2014.

Our Planet: beautiful, rich, life-giving, home. Every day we confront messages about the problems our Earth faces– rising sea levels, rising carbon levels, increasing climate change, decreasing water supply. And, yet, whilst perhaps we occasionally turn off the lights or recycle our paper, sheltered by our comfortable routines and insulated social positions, often little more is done. That can happen no longer.

Whilst short sighted, capitalist governments have a lot to answer for, whoever is in charge the people are the majority and as such we have the power to make change. This year the tenth Living Planet Report was published by the WWF displaying hard facts and figures which make the need for immediate action extremely clear…

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In two generations, human action has led to a 52% decline in the populations of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds and fish across the globe. This cannot go on. One of the key purposes of the report was to raise awareness for this Living Planet Index (LPI) which measured 10,380 representative populations of 3,038 species of wildlife on the Earth, in the hope that it would provide a clear case for action. In fact, the LPI can be subdivided to show trends in different types of area: terrestrial (on land), freshwater and marine species. On land, there was a 39% decline but the tropics particularly were suffering: Central-South America showed an 83% decline in the populations of animals. However overall the freshwater species are struggling the most with a 76% overall decline.

These trends only show signs of getting worse. Of course, this information is distressing to anyone who cares about the life on this planet that we are a part of and depend on. But why is this happening? The report based threats on different factors. The highest factor of decline was exploitation and then habitat degradation: poaching,

The number of forest elephants in West and Central Africa has decline by 60% in 9 years.

The reason: poaching for ivory and habitat loss.

, overfishing, unsustainable deforestation, dam building and over extraction of rivers. As beings dependent on the ecosystems these animals sustain, “we ignore their decline at our peril”. We have caused this situation; therefore we have the power to stop it.

However, despite movements towards a more sustainable way of life, we need to radically change our scale of action and determination to help.

Our ecological footprint-the mark we leave on our planet needs to be controlled. The research in the Living

Planet Report showed that there is a huge overshoot when it comes to the resources we are using up: currently, 1.5 Earths would be needed to meet the demands of humanity. We have only one. In fact, for the last 40 years we have exceeded the Planet’s bio-capacity-this is the amount of biologically productive land/sea available to regenerate all of the resources we use: more CO2 is produced than the oceans can absorb; trees are cut faster than they can grow; and fish are harvested faster than they reproduce.

Since 1995, we have exceeded this by the 9th month of the year. By 2050 2.4 more billion people are meant to have their home on Earth. Increasing need means that irresponsible plundering of the Earth that was once restorable is now causing serious problems.

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When I did the WWF’s test to see what my impact on the world was, I am horrified to say that it worked out that if everyone on Earth lived like me, 2.5 Earths would be needed. Shaming statistics, especially considering that I mainly travel by bus, haven’t flown anywhere in the last year, eat organic food, recycle some things and have a well-insulated (energy saving) house. It is no longer good enough to turn off a few lights and think that you have done your bit. Statistics show that more and more nations are exceeding the global ecological footprint. Currently, the global hectare limit per capita (person) is 1.7. In the UK, we average over 4.5. However, as more nations industrialise, measuring per capita only reveals half of the story: the disparity between personal and national footprint is very important. China for example is 76th largest in the world for per capita ecological footprint, yet it is 1st in the world for the overall footprint it leaves-accounting for 19% of humanities overall impact. Therefore reducing our

effect is a joint effort between the people and governments.

On general, Carbon emissions were the biggest problem: making up more that 50% of the ecological footprint in 60% of countries. Although this is shocking, I believe this to be positive in that with the right intention and more support and funding for alternative, clean fuels, we can tackle this problem.

Regardless of animal species on Earth, it is important to know why we need to care about these things: statistics about loss create immediate shock but more important to realise is the effect of continuing like this. It is a good enough reason that the earth and all its life have as much right to a good quality of

existence as us, however, the truth is, however removed technology makes us feel from nature we as people depend upon it more and more- whether in poor communities living off the land or cities which….

-Marine Area: provides 660 million jobs, and over 50% protein for some developing countries.

-Forests: provide shelter, livelihood, water, fuel, and food to 2 billion, as well as regulating the climate and stopping floods, and rising CO2 emissions.

-Rivers: 200 river basins in which 2.67 billion people already experience severe water scarcity every year.

of environmental damage was £4.1 trillion. We are working with finite resources which have to be conserved:

-Over 60% of the vital services provided by nature are in global decline.

Ecosystems sustain societies that create economies. It does not work the other way round.

-Around 80 to 90 billion pounds per year are wasted because of damage to ecosystems; however this is a grossunderestimation seeing as ecosystems support all life including humans!

Whilst the ethics of putting a value on our planet are debatable, the point is not to reduce its true worth but to provide a secure case for the people in charge.

The problem is that whilst we continue to increase in population, and countries industrialise, most economies continue to be developed on the wrong premises: in the short-term rush for money, losses to the environment increase. These problems are dealt with separately as conventional economics glosses over these “environmental externalities”. For example, although the amount a business pays for water shows up in its accounts, the impacts of pollution/over extraction of freshwater doesn’t: in 2008 the top 3000 businesses had annual “externalities” costing £1.3 trillion yet the cost of environmental

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For all the depressing pessimism about resources and need, we actually have enough to make a healthy, more sustainable planet work. For example, around 2,800 kcal per capita are produced every day (on average people need 2000 a day); therefore it is the mismanagement of our systems that leads to almost a third of it being wasted and 1 billion people going hungry. The overshoot is not inevitable and improved governance in areas of energy, food and transport combined with the actions of the people to reduce excessive consumption will create sustainable systems. This diagram illustrates the aspects of that plan: Already people are moving in the right direction. The Economies of Ecosystems Project (TEEP) is helping governments to incorporate environmental externalities of decision making, whilst the Natural Capital Project has pioneered technology to predict how land-use will affect supply and value of resources.

In 2015, world leaders will agree two potentially critical global agreements: 1- The post 2015 development framework will include all sustainable development goals to be achieved by 2030: countries will unite in the common agenda to increase sustainability, and reduce inequalities.

2- The UN framework Conference on Climate Change in Paris will aim to reach a legally binding, universal agreement on climate, from all the nations of the world.

Not only are this, but victories and alternatives already are being created. A number of case studies are available to read in the full living planet report, such as the WWF and Fauna and Flora International funded Project for Mountain Gorilla tourism in Rwanda/Uganda, instead of poaching and clearing the trees. This has united the community with the wildlife: a proportion of the Park’s revenue is distributed to community health, education and infrastructure, giving more incentive for further conservation of the forest.

What can you do? We must unite in this common cause: the public, private and civil sectors in coordinated effort to protect our future. Contributing and putting pressure on the government is essential… * Fundraise and give Money to Charities and Organisations which need help. *Sign petitions and take part in campaigns for projects such as Virunga, and for the agreements you want signed at the coming conferences.

But: to try and reduce the effects of damage is not a sustainable approach if you do not tackle the causes...

• Take the WWF test and follow their tips for a lower ecological footprint.

• Buy Less! We are pressured by commercial media to buy new phones, clothes and so on as they come into fashion, because we are afraid to go against the ‘social norm’. We live with finite resources: this is destroying our planet.

• Food: buy local produce and Organic food, cut down on beef, soy and palm oil consumption.

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• Stuff: Recycle and compost as much as possible! Use long-life bags, buy second hand things and give old things away, buy environmentally friendly textiles products. Use rechargeable batteries.

• *Energy: Turn off electrical appliances whenever possible. Encourage energy saving precautions at home – light bulbs, insulation etc. Use public transport/walk/cycle. *Reduce water usage-showers not baths etc. *Question and refuse products/services which are not sustainable when out.  MAKE OTHERS AWARE  CHANGE YOUR INTENTIONS AND ACT CONCIOUSLY: we have the knowledge and potential to achieve so much, but we need to make that decision to create the change to ensure we follow it through.

For more information on the report and how to help, please go to the WWF website: http://www.wwf.org.uk/.

Information on research methods and in detail findings and their sources can be found from around page 170.

However, the Living Planet Report can only provide the information. There is no longer time for anyone to wait for others to make the first move. It is us who have to take action: to the next level. “We know where we want to be. We know how to get there. Now we need to get moving.” Be empowered and take charge: this is our time.

Eleanor Cawte

LATEST SUCCESS: VIRUNGA PARK VICTORY

“…In a world where so many people live in poverty, it may appear as though protecting nature is a luxury. But it is quite the opposite. For many of the world’s poorest people, it is a lifeline. And we are all in this together. We all need food, fresh water and clean air – wherever in the world we live.

We cannot protect nature without also recognizing the needs and aspirations of people, and the right to development. But equally, we cannot have development or meet the needs and aspirations of people without protecting nature.”

-Marco Lambertini, Director General WWF International

Africa’s oldest national Park is the continent’s most biologically diverse protected area. The park’s 7800 square kilometres (3000 square miles) includes forests, savannahs, lava plains, swamps, erosion valleys, active volcanoes, and the glaciated peaks of the Ruwenzori Mountains. It is home to a quarter of the world’s critically endangered mountain gorillas and is the only park in the world to host three taxa of Great Apes. Rare okapi, hippopotami, elephants, lions, and numerous bird species can also be found in the park.

Earlier this year, the oil company SOCO threatened to drill in this park with fatal implications. In August 2013 the WWF launched its campaign to stop SOCO finalising plans. 780,000 signatures were added to a petition, and in June 2014 the campaign succeeded and SOCO withdrew from the area. This was a huge victory for the Earth. With the development of hydropower, fisheries and ecotourism industries Virunga can have a prosperous sustainable future.

However, this park and others like it are still under huge pressure from poachers and large companies like SOCO, and the government there have yet to cancel all oil concessions. To help hold the line at Virunga, go to the WWF website and search for Virunga Park and sign the petitions.

Source: WWF and official site of Virunga park http://virunga.org

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NOBEL PEACE PRIZE 2014 The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2014 is to be awarded to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education. Children must go to school and not be financially exploited. In the poor countries of the world, 60% of the present population is under 25 years of age. It is a prerequisite for peaceful global development that the rights of children and young people be respected. In conflictridden areas in particular, the violation of children leads to the continuation of violence from generation to generation.

Despite her youth, Malala Yousafzay has already fought for several years for the right of girls to education, and has shown by example that children and young people, too, can contribute to improving their own situations.

This she has done under the most dangerous circumstances.

Through her heroic struggle she has become a leading spokesperson for girls' rights to education.

Showing great personal courage, Kailash Satyarthi, maintaining Gandhi's tradition, has headed various forms of protests and demonstrations, all peaceful, focusing on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain.

He has also contributed to the development of important international conventions on children's rights.

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Marvellous Reviewed It is not often you are able to watch a 90 minute length biopic drama about your football team. As a Stoke City Football Club fan this moment came when watching 'Marvellous' on BBC Two. For those who have heard about Neil ‘Nello’ Baldwin but not got round to watching the programme, it was basically a true story reflecting on how the ex Stoke City kit man overcame his learning difficulties by enjoying making people happy.

A genuine, down to earth attitude to life rarely seen nowadays.

Born and bred in Stoke-on-Trent Neil Baldwin (played by Toby Jones), grew up with a difficult childhood but there were certain elements of his life that made him happy. He loved performing and being part of the circus (known by his stage name 'Nello' the clown).

However, the reality of the situation was that he had to earn a living. Unfortunately, it was not in the arena that he was just known as the clown. With the job at the circus looking fairly secure, we then see him get underpaid after his performance. The next morning the big top disappeared and that was the end of the circus for Neil.

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As Neil began his search for employment, each stage was preceded by a subtitle; Neil's guide to gate-crashing university (where his 'nice' ways went a long way with the students of Keele University) or parliament (having a chat with a politician). Sadly, he never quite understood the importance of making a living.

Relying heavily on the generosity of his heartwarming mother (Gemma Jones). One thing is for certain though, he was Stoke City Football Club through and through. This passion shone through when waiting outside the ground for the entirety of a rainy winter’s day just to see if there was any help that could be given to, Lou Macari, the new rain.

all day and revealing to Macari that he was out of work, he was asked 'How do you fancy commin to work for me?' 'Kitman'. Gratefully accepting the offer but being modest about it, pleasing to see, he had found a job that he would love just like that. It is hard to imagine a football manager giving a man in his circumstances that opportunity today.

He got great joy from making others feel happy. At the circus, although this was his trade, it was also his livelihood, 'making people happy you know'. His learning difficulties made employment difficult but his positivity in times of great hardship was key to his role as a servant for Stoke City football club. Taking all the banter and humour in the changing room on the chin even if was not light-hearted, being called a 'mong' on one occasion. He even got in on the act from time to time like when all the boxer shorts of the entire squad were missing and then revealed under Neil's shorts. If you wonder whether Neil re-paid the faith of Macari, he did so in flying colours giving an inspired team talk every so often 'score more goals than the opposition'. 'You know when asked me who my best signing was? It was you mate. No contest.' was Macari's frank reflection of Neil's value to the football club's dressing room spirit.

It was not just football that Neil lived for; his church provided a great social network for him, having a vicar who was always there to talk to. It was emotional to see his proud mother feel like she constantly had to watch

over him like a hawk. Neil moved out of his home and ended up just a few blocks down the same road but really couldn't manage to look after himself for too long. Soon after finding a place for himself he had spent ÂŁ800 on keeping his beloved budgies warm. He had many desirable traits, not getting too down in times of hardship and not getting too upbeat when things were going well.

Things were not going so well when Neil was on top of the world as the Kitman because his fragile mother was slowly but surely on her last legs. When reality hit home and she was no longer around, Neil for the first time could not control his emotions.

'Marvellous' was definitely a masterpiece in its own right, with the star of the show Neil Baldwin played admirably by Toby Jones, giving 'Nello's' life the on-screen justice it deserved. If you want to put a football club in a positive light then this is certainly the way to go about it. Not by design though, Neil's life couldn't have written the script any better. As the stoke fans will tell you there really is 'only one Neil Baldwin.'

Sam Waddington

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Film review: Pride (2014)

Occasionally, a film comes along where the people who have seen it are raving about it, but is rumoured by others. Pride is one of those films and the reason could be the topic.

Thatcher and the miner’s strike won’t be looked back upon fondly by all because people will remember it as a dark and frustrating time. I wouldn’t know though, as I wasn’t born then.

For those of you who weren’t around the time the film is set, the miner’s strike was the conflict between the National Union of Miners and the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher. Tens of thousands of miners were on strike due to job losses, which was sparked by Chairman of the Coal Board Ian McGregor when he announced the closure of 20 uneconomic pits. This caused 20,000 miners to be out of work and eventually the whole mining country.

No matter what age you are though, you should see Pride. Even if you are too young to remember the event, it’s a must see as the story of the film is unknown to the majority of people anyway. The story is of a gay and lesbian activists group who aim to raise money for the families who were affected by the strike. They are led by the tough looking but sweet talking Mark (Ben Schnetzer), who believes in doing what you want to do regardless of what others think. The group go to the National Union of Mineworkers, to give their donations. However, the they were reluctant to accept due to their fear of being associated with a gay group. So they head to a small mining village in Wales, where an alliance and friendship is formed that will be remembered forever.

Certainly, this film has a strong political message, but even using that word 39

undermines it. It’s a warm, feel good film, which will leave you smiling at the end. This is a film similar to The Full Monty, because that film is about grown men taking their clothes off for money. However, the underlying-meaning is about a group of people coming together and having the determination, courage and belief to do what they feel is right and stand up for themselves. This is ultimately the message of Pride. There is also the technique of combing drama and comedy that is displayed well through these films. The drama in Pride comes from the tension that arises between the gay activists and the Welsh village when the activists arrive and form the miners’ strike event.

The comedy comes from the village’s interest in the gay group as some of them haven’t come across gay people in their village. This can be seen through one of the villagers, Gwen (Menna Trussler) as she develops a fascination for the lesbians in the group, from humorous lines such as, “What I was told about lesbians can’t be true can it. You’re all vegetarians?”

Pride should stand as one of the best British films ever. This is helped by the veteran cast including Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, Paddy Considine and Dominic West. Pride, is a must see film that will make you laugh and cry throughout.

Harry Demuth

25+1 of the greatest Hip Hop songs of all time

25) School boy Q ft Kendrick Lamar- Collard Greens 2013 24) Salt n pepper- Push it 1987 23) Beastie boys- Shake your rump 1989 22) Out Kast BOB 2000 21) Fugees- ready or not 1996 20) Kanye West- diamonds from sierra leone 2005 19) Public enemy- Fight the power 1988 18) Mos def- Ms fat booty 1999 17) Ice Cube- Gangsta rap made me do it 2008 16) Ma$e-Feel so good 1997 15) Dr Dre and snoop Dogg- Nuttin but a G thang 1992 14) Jedi Mind tricks-I against I 2000 13) Ice cube- It was a good day 1992 12) Biggie ft puff daddy and Ma$e- Mo money mo Prolems 1997 11) Wu tang clan – Cream 1993 10) Mobb deep- Shook ones 1995 9) Public enemy- Rebel without a pause 1988 8) Jurasic 5- A day at the races 2002 7) NWA- Fuck the Police 1988 6) Jay Z- 99 problems 2003 5) Nas- New york state of mind 1994 4) 2 pac and dr dre- Califonia Love 1996 3) Sugar Hill gang- Rappers delight 1979 2) 2 pac- Holla if you here me 1993 1)Grand master flash and the furious five- The message 1983 + 2 Pac- I wonder id heavens got ghetto 1997 This list was very difficult to create and is opinion based. It was nearly impossible to choose between 2 pac and Biggy songs as there are so many versatile songs. The list is also missing so many other amazing hip hop artists like Puff daddy, Eminem and should have included more Notorious BIG. Simon Finn 40

Figures in Red, 2004, Antonio Malta Campos Oil on canvas

During July 2014, I visited the Saatchi Gallery, located on The Kings Road, Chealsea; a gallery I have long avoided due to the man who gave the gallery its name.

But as of 2010 the gallery was given to the public, being a Museum of Contemporary Art for London.

The exhibition in which I saw Antonio Malta Campos’s work in was called ‘Pangaea: new art from Africa and Latin America’. The temporary exhibition covered a wide range of current artists’ work from many different countries in Africa and Latin America, including an installation of sculptures; hundreds of ants made from casts of human skulls, (by Rafael Gomezbarros), an installation of jute sacks for the transportation of cocoa – all sewn together creating a skin-like socio economic, political and ethical enquiry into the sources of commodities and the exploitation of workers (-by Ibrahim Mahama) and portraits (in photograph form) of women in traditional attire of Benin, reminiscent of Picasso’s Demoiselles d’Avignon (by Leonce Raphael Agbodjelou). None of these works are paintings, unlike Figures in Red and appear to deal with more overt, explicit themes.

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Probably due to the large nature of all of Campos’s paintings shown in the

the exhibition –the room was very large and spacious. The bare, white, expansive tranquil space contrasted greatly with the large, vibrant, almost violent paintings.

Simultaneously, the calm, serene space worked in harmony with the works due to the soft gradients of colour and the smooth, fluid shapes of the paintings.

Interestingly, in the same room as Campos’s work was a sculpture by Jose Carlos Martinat, (Campos being Brazilian and Martinat being Peruvian,) maybe it is of significance that these two artists, both from South America, were exhibited in the same room. The harsh, angular, straight shapes of Martinat’s sculpture seem to be in opposition to the undulating, curving shapes of Campus’s work. Martinat’s work deals with architectural and urban themes as well as human and cyber memories whilst Campos’s work seems to deal with more fluid, purely organic human themes.

Campos was born in 1961, making him 43 at the time of the creation of this piece. He lives and works in Sao Paulo, Brazil. According to the artist, during the latter half of the 1980s, Brazilian artists reacted to the ‘eclecticism’ of painting in the 80s. The Casa 7 artists that Campos had, in the past, worked with, (having previously worked in the Casa 7 studio with a group of neo-expressionists and been a Neo-expressionist himself) left behind

Neo-expressionism and become abstract artists (mostly influenced by Brazilian neoconcretism). Campos also moved towards abstraction, becoming interested in Cubism. He has largely worked in this way ever since, showing his work at museums and commercial galleries in Brazil, his most recent exhibition, (aside from this one obviously) was at the Centro Cultural Sao Paulo, in 2012 (with Erika Verzutti a sculptor and painter also from Sao Paulo).

2004 was a relatively uneventful year for Brazilian politics but it is important to remember that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silver was elected only the year before, a remarkable figure in world politics, regarded as the most popular president in Brazilian history, and, at the time, one of the most popular in the world. He was the leader of The Worker’s Party, a socialdemocratic, reformist socialist party, introducing social reforms. The vibrant colours of Figures in Red, the movement of the shapes and the strong presence of a bold red (red being the traditional colour of left-wing politics) in the painting could reflect the optimism of the time, the possibility for equality and social change (albeit gradual and reformist), -the painting having been created quite soon after a notable change in Brazilian politics when optimism and idealism was still fresh.

Having said this, the work by Campos does not seem in any way explicitly linked to electoral politics of the time and seems to speak about humanity in a more timeless way.

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Figures in Red was positioned on the wall opposite the entrance to the large room in which it was situated (gallery 3). It was hung with many other pictures of similar style and subject by Campos but it drew myFfattention because of the fullness of the two forms and their harmony with each other and with their apparent backgrounds, as well as the bold but careful use of colour. At first inspection the piece seemed to have been executed with flat, block colours but it was soon evident that there

that there were layers of paint being employed, particularly in the large area of white at the bottom in the middle where there is also pink present, probably as a layer underneath the white. There are areas within the series of shapes that make up the composition of what appear to be shadow, where a shape is light at one end and gradually gets darker at the other. In these areas, small brush strokes are visible as evidence of the process of building up of colour, like the one to the left at the top of the right form. Thick brush strokes are also visible at the top of the left form. In many places the oil paint is applied thickly, like in the red and black areas near the bottom of the left form. From a distance, the lines which separate all the shapes appear definite and strong but upon close inspection they are revealed to be fairly undefined, this adds to the abstraction when one views the piece close up. The use of a lot of primary colours is very striking but the occasional use of tertiary colours seems to ground the piece more.

This painting gives no explicit message, as it cannot, a painting is made up of shapes and colours, it has composition and form, light and dark –it is an image. The human mind is what attributes messages and meanings to images, whether or not the artist created the images with a particular message to give, each human sees a piece with their own eyes and accredits meaning to colour and form afresh.

Having said this, it is always worth taking into account the interpretations of the gallery, which will have inevitably worked with the artist in coming to a conclusion about the ‘meaning’ of the piece. The gallery’s exhibition guide says that the artist ‘jams together rebellious elements in his closefitting patterns’. It seems true to say that there is something rebellious, almost revolutionary and radical about this picture with its bold, overwhelming reds, the large fluid shapes and the full frontal view of the forms, which appear human, confronting the viewer directly –head-on, as the viewer looks back. The exhibition guide also says: ‘An appreciation of the overall composition subsequently gives way to the perception of an existing narrative:

Malta Campos’ ...coupled characters silently converse in minimal landscapes, as they look straight into the void or at the viewer as lost protagonists.’ It is assumed here that the forms are definitely human (‘characters’), and they do appear to be abstractions of human heads and shoulders, the title makes this certain. The shapes indeed seem very organic, emerging ‘gradually... as layers of colour are laid down; the paint’s transparency revealing both figurative forms and abstract, cubist shapes from within’. Indeed, a shape in the centre of the ‘head’ of the right form resembles a human nose. There is, as the gallery suggests, a sense of silent conversation between the two forms for, although they have no obvious mouths and do not face each other, are linked physically by perceivable but fluid shapes that seem impermanent, like conversation, some of these shapes look almost like white, black and red speech bubbles. There was a strong sense of silence when viewing these works, what with front facing positions of the forms and the silence in the room, which greatly contrasted with the loudness of the colour. This contrast created an almost tangible tension in the room – between silence and noise, shadow and light.

The abstract nature of the image and the flesh tones used in the colouring seem to reduce the apparently human subjects, reducing humanity, paring it down to its natural, organic essence, the flesh tones reminding viewers of skin, sex, mortality and meat. As well as being pared down and reduced, these humans are being examined by the viewer in a sparse and direct manner –there is nowhere for the forms to hide and in away, nowhere for the viewer to hide –in the large, expansive space of gallery 3, this is an equalizer –putting humanity on a level plane, where it belongs, making it easier to relate to each other as human beings. Perhaps, here, mankind is being pared down for the viewer to see by Campos, stripped of its technology and societal and economic systems which often debilitate and exploit man, leading to gross inequality and remove it from its essence and from nature.

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The image is composed entirely of a series of

shapes, which adds to the sense of the cubist genre. The main distinguisher between the background/’minimal landscape’ and the human forms is the size of the shapes, the shapes that make up the background are large and rolling, almost resembling hills, while the shapes in the human forms are smaller, more resembling bone and muscle structures. The eye of the viewer is drawn into the two forms by the separating lines of the outer shapes pointing inwards, towards the forms; The white line between two red shapes in the top left corner comes down from the top left and points into the left side of the left form and the curving, meandering line between a white/pink shape at the top right and a grey shape in the top right corner points into the right side of the right figure –drawing the eye of the viewer in. The shapes are obviously organic and there are few if any straight lines, just as there are none in the human body. The shapes appear disorganised in a natural way, rather than ordered in a mathematically planned way, further connoting nature. The movement of the line is very expressive and seems to convey a certain kinetic energy.

There is no clear focal point. There is no use of conventional perspective either, but this

does not mean that the image appears flat, depth is, instead, created with colour. The natural disorganized nature of the shapes and the lack of conventional perspective or a focal point may be disorientating for some but I found it soothing in a way and radical in another to see the human form portrayed so boldly, sparsely, vibrantly but also in harmony and silence with the world.

Mataio Austin Dean

44

Sam Waddington's adventures in Oregon - Summer 2014, thanks to Mobility International USA. A true Oregonian experience to savour

to local employers about a term that

sums

Sam

they have come up with, ‘Handicrap’ (a

Waddington (2nd year student), spent

limiting belief, adopted as reality), which

on the Pacific Northwest of the USA this

hopefully will allow the employers to

summer. From Saturday, 19 July to

look beyond the psychological barrier of

Sunday, August 3, with thanks to the

disability. This term basically refers to

organisation Mobility International USA

the beliefs employers and disabled

(MIUSA), I found myself taking part in a

people themselves may have about the

variety of cultural activities. It really

barriers to disability that are supposedly

opened up my eyes to what can be

nonsense,

up

achieved

the

for

disability

two

weeks

disabled

I,

people.

empowerment

‘crap’!

The

focussed

If you ever get the chance to come to

program brought a mixture of seven

this scenic state - camping is a must!

young disabled leaders from up and

Two nights of the trip were spent in The

down the UK to Eugene, in the heart of

Silver Falls State Park campsite, by day

Oregon.

we hiked whilst witnessing stunning waterfall views and by night we made

The state, famous for its spectacular

do with limited resources in our tents.

views of woodland, was certainly the

The

place to be on the fourth day of my trip.

comforting campfire really enhanced

The Spencer

the outdoor element. Whether it was

Butte Outdoor Ropes

eating

experiences

wheelchairs

on

through

the

Challenge was the activity, and no

pushing

matter what, all of us would be swinging

roughest terrain possible or building the

40 feet high in the air through the trees

campfire, everyone chipped in, in a

– just like Tarzan. With one release of

cross-cultural

inclusive

the

effort.

the harness there I was screaming in sheer ecstasy as I experienced the best

A stay with a host family in the town of

feeling of my life,

Eugene allowed me to experience a

encouraged

the

supported and whole

way.

different culture. I was welcomed into a lovely family with a home that was

Meeting

45

up

with

disability

completely accessible for my needs,

support organisations was the other

with the busy schedule of the program I

aspect of this once in a lifetime

was given wholesome meals like Wild

opportunity. Early in the second week in

Alaskan Salmon and Spinach and Feta

Portland,

we

Cheese pie. The perfect opportunities to

stopped off at ‘Incight’ to learn about

recuperate with the family in the

how the company supported disabled

evenings were provided. Being shown

people through education, employment

photos of their travels to the Redwood

and recreational activities. One of the

Trees in California or just discussing my

ways was through a presentation given

life and culture whilst comparing it with

Oregon’s

various

largest

city,

Oregon. Volunteering with a youth nature conservation team, The North West Youth Corps,

was

a

great

cross-cultural

experience. Individually we worked with a member of the team to assist with chopping down branches and blackberry bushes along with cutting down grass and weeds.

After a long day spent

tirelessly working all the delegates were treated to a classic American hamburger in

funded the whole trip contacted MIUSA

On the second Saturday all of us had a free day with our host families to have a break from the tightly packed schedule. Not going to see the spectacular Pacific Coastline or the nearby lighthouse through the winding roads up the cliffs would have been bitterly disappointing. The highlight of the day was at the top of Cape Perpetula. From the sheer drop looking down on the preserved nature, with the sun shining upon both sea and woodland, will be a marvellous memory.

USA’s 9th largest state is renowned for its attitude

and

effort

towards

disability. Riding through the public buses of Eugene

with

no

accessibility

issues

first about giving young leaders from the UK a fantastic platform to show what they are

passionate

about.

The

written

application process for the program was thorough, each delegate was chosen because

of

their

valuable

work

in

promoting disability rights within their respective communities. Whether it was mobility issues, learning difficulties or visual and hearing impairments we all helped each other to gain the most from this

social

and

cultural

experience.

Whenever I think of MIUSA now, the term ‘Exhaustive Inclusivity’ will come to mind.

This is their general ethos for all the inbound and outbound programs with disabled

people

they

run.

Basically

emphasised this. It was not just the facilities

meaning if one person does not take part

though; the people felt a want to help

in an activity then no one will. Of course

disabled people rather than a need. The

with the outstanding creative work ethic

Hilyard Community Centre was a great place

the team had, where there was a will

for encouraging ‘disabled’ support. It was so refreshing to hear the way staff spoke about being able to adapt any recreational activity.

46

woods.

The American Embassy in London who

theirs.

inclusive

the

there was a way. During camping the staff stood back letting us put up our own tents.

Either on a hand-controlled bike or trike, we

How the organisation arranged such a

all had a cycle in the glorious heat.

wide array of activities in only a fortnight

At the end of the first week we all spent a day

was a feat in itself. But, the behind the

at the beautiful Clearwater Park beside

scenes work like the two hour American

Willamette River, running through Springfield,

Road trips to get from A to B in all

accessible

vehicles

was

much

appreciated. The staff also made sure all the hotels in Eugene and Portland along with the host family homes met our needs. All this meant the trip flowed smoothly. If the aim of the trip was to make disabled people feel empowered and independent then for me it certainly succeeded in achieving this. MIUSA will always have a special

place

Sam Waddington

47

in

my

heart.

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