ALWAYS FREE
ISSUE NO.4
EL INDEPENDIENTE IE STUDENT NEWSPAPER /FEBRUARY 2014
WHAT HAPPENED WHILST YOU WERE PROCRASTINATING
LIONEL MESSI: FORWARD IS NOT FOR SALE, SAYS BARCELONA PRESIDENT Four-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi, 26, is reported to be a target for French side Paris St-Germain. In an interview with radio station RAC1,posted on Barcelona’s website Bartomeu said: "The club will sit down and negotiate a new contract.”
UKRAINIAN PRIME-MINISTER AND GOVERNMENT RESIGN
Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych has accepted the resignation of the prime minister and his cabinet amid continuing anti-government protests. The step was taken after the escalating violence in Kiev’s protests against the President’s decision to reject a deal for closer integration with the European Union. Protesters have even seized government administrative buildings in several regional capitals, heightening concerns about where Ukraine's crisis will go.
NSA ‘GET PERSONAL DATA FROM ANGRY BIRDS ‘ US and British spy agencies routinely try to gain access to personal data from Angry Birds and other mobile applications, a report says. It is the latest revelation from documents leaked by Edward Snowden.
HAPPY HANGOVER 2014 •••
Maria Valls
INDEPENDENT ARTISTS, THE INTERNET AND THE MUSIC INDUSTRY •••
Phillippe Hurel Guest Writer
That sums up New Year’s Day, the beginning of a new year. Of course, it starts innocently enough, with two drinks in your hand, but eight more pass into your bloodstream before the night is through. Shame, shame, and shame on you! (I think I’m still tipsy). You open your eyes and the first thing you see is a ceiling that may not be yours. Then you pray that the bed is yours ( though some would wish it weren’t). At least you have ended up somewhere, nevermind that the room smells like a tiger or monkey urinated there. What’s the first thing human beings do after waking up? They go back to sleep. Five more minutes turns into a two-hour delight. When your hibernation period comes to an end, you mentally recap last night. Only the chosen ones complete this task, we all know. For the rest of us mere mortals, only the smell of rum and coke, mixed with gin and tonic, comes back. Continued on Page 2
There is no future in the music industry, there is no money and this field is dying. These are sentences that I heard too many times g rowing up especially af ter the whole Napster scandal. However, I strongly believe that this is increasingly untrue. There have never been so many opportunities. Not only in the artistic field but also with the business side of it, there has never been “The growth of the s o many internet and the business models increasing number and start ups in this industry.
of independent
artists are strictly U n t i l the correlated.” popularisation of the internet, in order to make a living as a musician, a band needed to find a label. By signing the band, the label would agree to finance production, touring and distribution. The cost of production, live performances, promotion and printing of CDs are in some cases still covered by labels that invest in artists’ potential. An independent artist, however, acts by himself; he is his own “label.” He has to finance all of his costs; hopefully he will stop losing money and start earning some when he becomes famous enough. The growth of the internet and the increasing number of independent artists are strictly correlated. Whilst artists find themselves with a new world of opportunities, the labels themselves cannot afford to finance everyone who has potential and talent. The internet offers the possibility of becoming one’s own “label”. Continued on Page 2
HAPPY HANGOVER 2014 Continued from Page 1
And the headache. Holy Moses. As your eyes adjust to the dim light of 2 pm and your stomach starts to give squeals alike those of a slain pig, you realise that the women were not curvaceous beauties but resembled sausages stuffed into cabaret dresses. The men didn’t look like George Clooney but like Sacha Baron Cohen with a tie on his head. You realise that your Michael Jackson moves resulted in you cleaning the floor with your forehead and not in applause. It wasn’t that the 300 females at the party had boyfriends, but that you couldn’t stay on your feet. Men were not looking at your ass but at the way the lights revealed the spandex you were wearing, which made you lose both your stomach and your dignity. Then comes the second to most painful (I’ll save the absolute worst for the end): the phone. We all know what I am talking about. Don’t pretend to be dopey. I am talking about that message you send via Whatsapp to your ex in which you p r o m i s e d e t e r n a l l o ve a n d m a ny children. I am talking about the message you sent to your Mum in which the only decipherable word is “xoxo”. The multiple calls to your friends that you don’t remember making but the cost of which you now know. That slit on your screen, the cracked corner, the missing case.
“The men didn’t look like George Clooney but like Sacha Baron Cohen with a tie on his head.” Finally THE WORST arrives. Terrifying, apocalyptic, [please insert the adjective that most convinces you here]: the family meal. For those of you blessed enough not to know about this phenomena, let me be clear and concise. It’s meant to be a cheerful, familial event, but it inevitably ends up with you sprawled in a chair, your cousin puking in the toilet, your grandfather passed out with his neck soon to dislocate, your Mum killing you with her glare, and the rest of the family busy eating. So what’s the real point of New Year´s Eve? Partying, then being dysfunctional for the rest of the week? Why punish ourselves in this way? My resolutions for 2014 are to review those of 2013. Now, if you allow me, I wish you a Happy (Hungover) New Year.
U.S. STUDENT SETS HIMSELF ON FIRE A 16-year-old student in the US state of Colorado has suffered severe burns after setting himself on fire in his high school cafeteria. Officials believe it was a suicide attempt. "We don't have any indication that there's any threat against the high school," Ms Spottke said.
WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO SEND YOUR TEETH TO KE$HA? Early this month, the young singer gave a lot to talk about when she checked in at rehab for an eating disorder. A few days ago she made it into the headlines again for asking fans to send teeth for her art project. The rehab center has stated that they cannot receive “human remains” and that if fans wish to help Ke$ha they will have to send in fake teeth.
PETE SEEGER DIES AT THE AGE OF 94 American folk singer and activist Pete Seeger has died on the 27th of January at the age of 94. In Mr. Obama’s tribute speech he described Seeger as a man that stood up for what’s right and spoke out against what’s wrong. This legendary musician is definitely remembered as a folk music icon and has brought a lot of rightfulness to the music industry.
MARIJUANA - THE NEW DOT-COM BUBBLE Legalization of marijuana for recreational and medical use in 20 US states has seen a boom in cannabisoriented businesses. Experts say the market can jump to $10.2 billion by 2018, warning of a possible repetition of the dotcom bubble of the late 1990s.The legal pot industry in the US might be making its first steps, but anyone trying to capitalize on its growth may find the "virgin" market overheating.
INDEPENDENT ARTISTS, THE INTERNET AND THE MUSIC INDUSTRY Continued from Page 1
Now, you can buy professional and affordable equipment online and gain experience using a downloaded version of Digital Audio Work software for editing and mixing. The internet also makes it possible to create and develop a fan base by using social media such as Twitter or Facebook. You can also promote your music on specialized websites such as Soundcloud or Bandcamp. It seems anyone can become a professional musician thanks to the internet, which makes editing, mixing and publicizing technology accessible and affordable. But one can only become a professional musician if the talent and passion are there. However it is time consuming to promote yourself, which leaves less time to work on your compositions. Also, the fact that a huge number of new artists want to follow this path creates a very competitive market where creativity and hard work are the key. Many independent artists found their way in the hip-hop game; Mac Miller or Macklemore, who started without any kind of financial support, have made it all the way to the top. These Grammy Awards 2014 confirmed this turning point in the industry giving four awards to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Unfortunately, all of this is happening as money is disappearing from the industry. Because piracy makes music so accessible, people are less willing to pay for music. Now, while there are more artists, it seems there is less money to pay them. Is it not an obvious problem? Indeed we are witnessing the sharp loss in market shares of major labels, such as Universal, Sony, BMG, Warner, and EMI, who still benefit from legendary artists and their music but now have to rely increasingly on commercial and poor quality music that creates large revenue. Independent labels and artists are producing quality music, but less people are willing to pay for their work. And the competition is only getting tougher. Internet allows artists to expose their art differently, gain success by going straight to the fan and acquiring his support deleting all intermediaries. It is undeniable that plenty of new opportunities are changing the industry and all we know about it. We, listeners, are constantly shaping the future of the music world by how we react, share and place music in our lives. 2
A CONVERSATION WITH THE DEAN •••
Vegard Haveland If you were asked to name the IE´s Dean of Undergraduate Studies, would you be able to do it? What about the president? The Rector? As students of IE, we have very little knowledge about how and by whom the University is run. I’ve decided to sit down and chat to the people who manage our University to get to know them better and to discuss their visions for the future of our University. Before committing to this project, I had an unconscious bias about how these characters would be and behave. I pictured them as a cluster of conservative, Spanish, middle aged men who would mingle with one another in their comfortable o f fi c e s , w e a r i n g f a n c y s u i t s , unconcerned with student opinion and caring only about the bottom line. Having never actually met any of these characters, it was difficult to pinpoint where exactly this harsh visualisation of the University’s decision-makers had come from. Nonetheless, I thought it would be best to test my hypothesis. So I knocked at the office door of Dr. Antonio de Castro, the Dean of Undergraduate Studies.
Immediately I experienced him as a humble man, genuinely interested and happy about my visit. Antonio welcomed me to his office with a firm handshake and a big smile. Immediately I experienced him as a humble man, genuinely interested and happy about my visit. We engaged in conversation without interruption for about an hour and half, and I saw the obvious flaws of my original hypothesis.
Antonio has dedicated most of his life to his career. He prefers Burger King to McDonald’s and prefers Champagne with his meals rather than as a celebratory drink on its own. He is from Madrid and obtained his law deg ree from Madrid Autonomous University, where he graduated at the top of his class. He spent 13 years as an EU official in Brussels; “I was there, experiencing
Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Antonio de Castro. the unification of Germany and Europe. It was an incredible experience of an important time in history, it was almost like living in a history book”. Taking me through the historical experiences he had while working for the EU and the European Parliament, he made me wish I had done IB History. He spoke particularly vividly about an encounter he had with an elderly woman struggling to walk down the stairs leading to her beautiful, yet, dilapidated home. To his surprise, she confronted him in fluent French, asking him whether he knew what communism was. Despite Antonio´s attempt to answer using Marx, she had her own version; Communism is having to stumble down these stairs of my home for more than 30 years without being allowed to have anyone repair them. The right of taking such initiatives has been stripped from us. Climbing up and
down this ruined staircase act as a perpetual punishment, reminding us that we have to subject to this authoritarian system. That is what communism is. Antonio is full of such unique stories, which he aptly uses to illustrate and lend colour to the points he makes. Whilst elaborating on his personal life, Antonio demonstrated great enthusiasm about the direction IE is taking. He hinted that an IE University PhD programme will be developed, but he didn’t give any concrete details. He admitted that the University has a long way to go as far as improving student and campus life such as the communication and cooperation between students and faculty in regards to student led extracurricular initiatives. However, he pointed out that so does its students. IE needs to find its own culture, and for that to happen, students need to become engaged and to create their own traditions. F urthermore, Antonio envisions the student government to become more influential over time and may eventually deal more with student life issues such as the administration of students clubs etc. However, he emphasised that this requires students to prove that they are organised enough to handle such responsibility effectively, so it will be a gradual process of shifting responsibilities. Despite having lived a very academic life, Antonio believes that, as a student, one should strive for more than just academic excellence, by taking advantage of the opportunities around you to make the most out of an international University education. In conclusion, I reject my earlier hypothesis, because meeting Antonio de Castro has led me to change my perception of IE´s management. In the future, I hope that the people who lead IE will become even more visible to students, so that we can work together to build a better University.
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SADNESS IS IMPORTANT TOO •••
Carmo Braga De Costa Guest Writer I remember asking my dad if he cried when my grandfather died. I was old enough to know what I was asking, but too young not to ask. He sat at the corner of my bed, and I hoped that he would say something poetic to throw me off like he always did. But this time he simply looked at me and said: “I wasn’t going to. Then I saw your uncle crying, and I cried a little.” I looked at his black knitted tie. I hated it. He always wears it when somebody dies. He hated it too. I didn’t know what to say; I never do in these situations. There is nothing appropriate to say, really, and silence is sometimes more comforting than “I’m sorry” or “You’ll be ok”. Only in infinite silence can we measure how much we love or miss someone. What happens when someone close to you slips from your fingers, when the rug is pulled out from under your feet? Can you miss someone if they have been gone for only a second? I am not very familiar with death, which makes me lucky I guess. But I can feel it. I feel its claws grasping the rug, ready to pull.
WHAT IS THE AIM OF A UNIVERSITY? TO FORM PERSONS OR TO PRODUCE TECHNICIANS? ••• Francisco De Elizalde Ibarbia Guest Writer Undoubtedly, the world has gotten (and is still getting) increasingly complex. It is already a common place that technology has changed the needs, perspectives and behavior of the so-called “information society”. In this context, what should a university strive for? What aims should it pursue? How might it cope with increasing demands for specialization and technical expertise? I do not expect to provide a full answer in such a short space, but to offer a few ideas and to continue a debate opened by Mr. Sai Agnihotram in a previous issue of this
I hope I’ll be old enough to be able to deal with death when it happens to someone close to me. I hope I’ll be too young to be cynical. Will I react like my dad—accepting death as it is, reminiscing in silence and sadness? Or will I be like my mother? She doesn’t really see death as an ending. People never really leave her; in some way, some part of them is still there. You probably didn’t want to read a sad article. I’m sorry—I mean I’m sorry that you didn’t want to read about sadness. Sadness is important. It’s important, not because “you only know you’ve been high when you’re feeling low” (yes, yes I quoted Passenger, move on) but because it’s part of being human. Crying is just as human as laughing, and sometimes—most times—it’s more honest than a smile. I’m writing about sadness because today one of my dad’s best friends died. As usual, I didn’t know what to say, so I sent him one of my favourite poems, STUDENT CLUBS written by Mary Elizabeth Frye. I’ll ANNOUNCEMENTS include it here for you:
Do not stand at my grave and weep, I am not there - I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow, I am the diamond glints on snow, I am the sunlight on ripened grain, I am the gentle autumn rain. As you awake with the morning’s hush I am the swift uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circled flight. I am the soft stars that shine at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry,
••• IE Law Society Mock • Criminal Trial - 10th February Zumba classes Thursdays, • Room 144, 19:30, €3, by IE Dance Club • Yoga - Every Wednesday, 19:15 Room 122 Pilates - Every Tuesday • 19:30 Room 144 • IE Segovia Football Team Match, Monday 3rd & Friday 7th. (Like their fabulous Facebook Page)
A university classroom during the Middle Ages. Does it look like yours? newspaper. The authentic university has traditionally distinguished itself by pursuing truth, following the understanding that Knowledge is the intellectual possession of Truth (Zubiri). This quest for truth requires a p e r s o n a l h o n e s t y t h a t , l e av i n g a s i d e ideologies, asks questions and seeks the causes of things. This goal should determine teaching, learning and research. Truth can only be reached by seriously studying the causes that lead us to the reasons behind things; this distinguishes real Knowledge –the main mission of a university- from experience. For instance, to “know” that a certain medicine has cured John, Mary and Jack, etc., is a conclusion that arises from experience. But to know that this medicine cures cancer does not come from experience but from Knowledge. This investigation of causes allows us to reach general concepts of universal validity. Thanks to them, we are able to think of “a dog” and not just this, that
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told that in order to face the “ugly truth” we need to leave our illusions behind.
I HAVE A DREAM •••
Fatima Nieto Guest Writer “Sometimes life is going to hit you in the head with a brick, don´t loose faith.The only thing that kept me going is that I loved what I did.We need to find what we love.Your work is going to be a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work, and the only way to do great work is to love what you do” - Steve JobsHopes and dreams are mostly associated with children. It’s true that when we are kids we are always enthusiastic about something. When we are kids, we make thousands of plans for the future. We dream big, and we fight for what we want. We believe everything is possible, and what may seem difficult, we find easy. We are so sure that the Three Magic Kings, Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy exist (that would put our hands in fire). We wake up every morning convinced that today is going to be a great day and that nothing bad could ever happen. Yet after a while, we start growing up. We are
We no longer remember the confidence we used to have— the confidence that one day we would become the best football players, actresses, teachers, or simply mothers. We lost the desire to become astronauts, celebrities, singers, writers, and we set out on the wrong journey, knowing in advance that that is not the path we want to follow; we do it anyway. We start studying law, even though we don’t want to become lawyers. We give up medicine because it requires too much sacrifice, and at the end of day, we never do what we want. I had an ethics teacher who used to say that there are three things that move the world: power, money and love. But it is only the last that gives us the strength to wake up every morning and fight for what we want.
Photo of the week. Lara Schober
So, today, I propose we leave aside our daily “cant´s”, “wonts,” and “I will never do this or do that”. I suggest we put our fears behind us, along with our lack of confidence and our pessimistic visions. Let’s set our goals, and let’s do it now! Let us make use of words such as “I believe,” “I dream,” “I am convinced,” “I am certain,” and “I have faith.” Because it is only by believing and by trying that we’ll know
THE AIMS OF A UNIVERSITY: PERSONS OR TECHNICIANS? Continued on page 5
This is why a university has to be a place where we learn more than just tekhne (skills). I do not mean to say that learning skills is not valid, but this kind of learning should not be the only aim of a university education. In fact, truth can be found even in the most technical sciences (in the Aristotelian meaning of tekhne, not just experience), and as long as some field of study encompasses the knowledge of causes, it can be incorporated to the curricula of a university. But it is inadequate for those sciences that take human action as their subject matter (Law, Economics, etc.) to offer a technical solution a sole response. It’s not desirable that Knowledge focus only on professional needs. We are not machines but human beings with higher aspirations to truth, a natural tendency that we all possess, according to Aristotle. In this vein, there is a risk that the increasing demand for technical “knowledge” (here, in lower case) replaces the pursuit of truth by processes that are more or less mechanical, that leave no space to seek deeper reasons and causes. The most severe menace that technics present is, precisely, the renunciation of the essence of the human beings (Heidegger) whereby technology is a means to an end. That is why I am glad that IE fosters Humanities, a necessary means to fight against the “technification” (please allow me the neologism) of students.
“The university of the XXI century must concern itself with people more than with processes.”
The university of the XXI century must concern itself with people more than with processes. It must form persons – whose main distinction from other species resides in their capacity for reason - and not technicians and even less, machines. If we reduce the University to technics or to a mere transfer of contents we will put an end to the great institution that is the university. People without the ability to think for themselves are dangerous to society and to democracy. Surely democracy would not survive if there were puppets in the role of citizens. We, as a community of students and professors (being the university a “universitas magistrorum et scholariorum”) are responsible for seeking Knowledge in its best and most profound sense. In your case, taking into account Plato’s advice: “Seek truth while you are young as, if not, it will escape your grasp”. Without an orientation to truth, science declines to the relativism of the ephemeral, it becomes incapable of going into depth and of addressing life’s most important questions. It is in our hands not to let this happen by adopting a reflective and critical attitude towards learning, teaching and research.
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SHOPPING FOR ANXIETY •••
Nicolás Krsnik Vázquez Guest Writer It was once commonly held, that in order to keep erect from the whips and scorns of what Freud coined “the malaise in society”, one had to had act akin to the theme of Robert Frost’s notorious poem, The Road Less Travelled. Thus the belief was sustained that by becoming conscious of an alternate route, it would be less likely to suffer from neuroticism in the future. However since 1920, when the poem was published, through an incessant indulgence in globalisation, the western world has evolved in such a fashion that there is a surplus of routes, rendering people exclusively indecisive, even in the more trivial aspects of quotidian life.
“it is continuously proved in psychology that people fashion choices in regards to those surrounding them...” That is, it is not difficult to find oneself or another in the common situation of perplexity when attending places such as a supermarket, where the choice of a single food product for example, is vast. Similar settings can be experienced not only when one enters a shop, but also in the realm of what social psychologists refer to as self-concept. A large impetus among people to view themselves as a project or enterprise that necessitates constant revaluation and reinvention in order to survive. This particular aspect is believed to be the cause of many experiencing
anxiety, despite being sure of having made right choices.
narrowing down a pathway in the vicinity of making a choice.
Hence, unlike in the time of Robert Frost, when the questions of what brand of cereal to buy or the colour of one’s next car seemed less important and certainly not anxietybearing, we are now confronted with a paved highway where the individual is blinded by a succession of unnecessary choices.
The common conclusion that many social scientists reach is that, with modern capitalism founding itself rather thoroughly on the idea of choice, the individual creates within oneself a false sense of autonomy, whereby although there is no genuine difference in consumer choices to the individual, this manufactured freedom the necessity to consume further.
The philosopher and sociologist, Renata Salecl believes there to be three reasons why choice is anxiety provoking. The main premise is that people never actually make a simple individual choice, in the sense that they are never made outside of a social paradigm. For example, it is continuously proved in psychology that people fashion choices in regards to those surrounding them and more importantly, are obsessed with how others will view them in regards to their choices Next in order, intricately tied with the former is once again the belief in the self as an enterprise, wherein one strives to blindly attain ideal choices. This is explained through the notion that people tend not to be satisfied with their current selves and are constantly peering into a potential future where they see themselves improved. Salecl points out a correlation between the constant switching of partners in certain people and their justification in the belief that their former partners were not the optimum choice. The final point is simply that choice always involves loss and the losing of something, especially a nonphysical agent such as an opportunity, causes anxiety. The reason many people are afraid of commitment in relationships is that by doing so, they limit their options much more. Contrary to the popular idea, the crisis one experiences through committing to mar riage or a relationship is not unconsciously founded on the doubt of whether or not that person may be right, but what is more serious, the fear of
The detrimental aspect of this is that along with increasing material consumption, people also consume themselves thus becoming unhealthily obsessive, leading to work addictions or eating disorders amongst other things. In all honesty, neuroticism is not inescapable. At times it suffices merely by projecting the consequences of the choices one makes inwards, without so much consideration on how it will influence others, but instead, how it will affect you. In the words of Robert Frost: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I
-I took the one less travelled by, And it has made all the difference.”
If you are a student, member of staff, or a professor and would like to write for the El Independiente please send your pitch (around 200 words) or article (between 300 words and 450 words) to tetchells@student.ie.edu for consideration.
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