Find Out More on Page 14 Find Out More on Page 14 Find Out More on Page 14 November 2013 November 2013 November 2013 KWAM KWAM KWAM MAGAZINE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE http://www.facebook.com/KWAMMagazine http://www.facebook.com/KWAMMagazine http://www.facebook.com/KWAMMagazine Twitter: @KWAMMagazine Twitter: @KWAMMagazine Twitter: @KWAMMagazine Issue 02 Issue 02 Issue 02 FREE FREE FREE The Next The Next The Next Generation of Generation of Generation of Activism Activism Activism
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November 2013 November 2013 November 2013 KWAMKWAMKWAM MAGAZINEMAGAZINEMAGAZINE
I’ve really enjoyed putting together this months issue, after the pilot
issue was received so positively I’m feeling more and more confident
that we are producing something really worthwhile here.
Activism is a key theme in KWAM Magazine, in a way we are part of the
Internet activist culture. We are here to spread the word and to get
people at least talking about injustice. Find out more about Internet
activism on page 14.
At the same time let’s also remember all the good that exists in this
world, for instance the work of all the fundraisers during Movember
(page 6), the Reclaim the Night march (page 15), and the inspiration
that is our Birthday of the Month; Vandana Shiva (page 17)
By the time the next issue comes out it will be the new year so I’d just
like to finish off by saying I hope you all have a merry what-ever-it-is-
that-you-celebrate and may 2014 be good to you all!
Melissa Russell
Editor in Chief
My Movember attempt for a costume
party 2012. I’ll be a Mo Sista next year! See Page 6.
Thank you!
To the Writers
Victoria Tickle
Melissa Russell
Ashleigh Dodds
Danielle Gibson
Laura Baillie
Stephen Dewar
For the Front Cover Image
Alan Clark
Editorial Team
Melissa Russell
Victoria Tickle
The views expressed in this publication are solely of the writers own. It is at the writers discretion whether they choose to be biased or unbiased as it is their opinion they are voicing. All opinions voiced are reflective only of those who write the opinion and may not reflect the opinions of those they write about.
Did you get your tash on?
IF you read our last months issue then you
will know that we at KWAM Magazine fully support any cause that promotes and fundraises for cancer awareness and further less sexist research. This November we honour a few of those dedicate souls who got their tash on in the name of health for both men and women. Meet your UK Movember Class of 2013!
NEAL HAMPson
Raised £137
http://uk.movember.com/
Is this your first Movember? “Third time lucky this year, with a more extravagant Mo each time!” What made you want to take part? “At first I just wanted to help raise awareness as there is always a lot going on for other charities but male awareness was not always high profile. Then I also found out that prostate cancer was even closer to home when my uncle was diagnosed and treated for it. He is now also a Mo Bro!” Will you be doing it again next year? “Definitely! All fun aside, this Movember really does raise a lot of money for good charities.”
Paul Stewart
Raised £135
“It's a good cause and I wanted to help raise awareness of the important issues it deals with. The Movember charity funds programmes which help to educate men about their physical and mental health as well as offer support to those living with cancer and mental health problems and that is something I want to support.”
Shanghai, China is already a huge hub for tourists. Many Western tourists go for an
unforgettable immersion into Chinese culture – one that is so rich and different from their own. But soon there will be an amalgamation of an authentic Chinese experience with a familiar Western vibe to it. The end of 2015 will see the completion of Shanghai Disney Resort. The Shanghai Disney Resort, located in Pudong, will be the 6th Disney Resort in the world and the first one in mainland China. It’s planned to be over 4 square kilometres (about 3 times the size of the Hong Kong Disney Resort) and will include a park (Shanghai Disneyland) which will be designed in typical Disney tradition, two themed hotels, a large retail/dinning/entertainment venue and a wide array of recreation facilities – including a lake. The largest attraction of the Shanghai Disney Resort (like with any of the other resorts) is, of course, the theme park itself, called Shanghai Disneyland. The park will be modelled in a Magic Kingdom-like style and, according to the official website, will “blend classic Disney storytelling and characters with all-new attractions and experiences tailored specifically for the people of China”. Although the hotels, shops and various other attractions that Disney Resorts have to offer are all part of the Disney experience, there is no doubt that the parks themselves are both the most important and the most prominent in
the minds of visitors. This idea has been reflected in the money that has been put into building the Shanghai Disney Resort. The cost for building the additional aspects of the resort (hotels, restaurants, shops) was 4.5 billion Yuan (approximately £455,823,000), but the cost for building the park itself was a staggering 24.5 billion Yuan (approximately £2,481,703,000). The most iconic of the attractions in the most popular part of a Disney Resort is the castle that is in the theme park part of the resort. Shanghai Disneyland will, obviously, have a castle and has been called the Enchanted Storybook Castle. This castle is not only the place where a lot of the performances (presumably from Disney characters such as the princesses) will take place, but it is also fully interactive and is the largest of all of the Disney castles, including the one in the Florida resort. The interactive castle is just a small sneak preview into demonstrating how this upcoming Disney resort will be the most technologically advanced of all the Disney resorts. But let’s go back to a statement that the official website gave: “experiences tailored specifically for the people of China” – what does that mean exactly? Bob Iger, chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Company has said that he will give Chinese customers a resort that is “authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese”.
He goes on to say that it will be distinctly Chinese because everything that is put into the Shanghai resort will have been “rethought, reimagined or even reengineered to respond and make sure that we tailor everything for our Chinese audiences”. Still in the dark about what is distinctly Chinese? Don’t worry, thankfully Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts uses his words to convey meaning, rather than Iger who just seems to spout buzz-words in press conferences. Staggs has said that the resort will respond to the customer usage, and how visitors use the resort and its tech-nology, and then updates will be implemented lat-er. An example could be in the packages and prices offered by the resort based on how the Chinese spend their time at the resorts. For example, visi-tors to the Florida resort usually spend at least a week there, but visitors to the Tokyo resort usually only visit for one or two days. Mike Crawford, a general manager at the Shanghai resort, also sheds more light on how the resort will be “distinctly Chinese” better than Iger. He says that the resort is conducting food tasting and re-search into the understanding of the Chinese pal-ate, as food has a significant cultural importance to the Chinese people. Whilst many companies and organisations think that the new Shanghai resort will ultimately be a good thing, for reasons such as bringing in tourists and creating new jobs, there are some voices of
concern over it. There have been concerns over ‘cultural aggression’ on behalf of the West. Disney and all of its components are symbols of American popular culture, and over the years the company itself has become a giant. It is everywhere and prac-tically unavoidable. It is the concern of some that this American ideology is slowly trying to become the dominant one in other areas of the world, espe-cially in East Asia. Out of the 6 worldwide Disney resorts, 3 are in East Asia (Tokyo, Hong Kong and soon Shanghai). Time will tell if this theory is indeed accurate or not, just as it will tell if the Shanghai resort will be a suc-cess or failure, after all the Hong Kong resort has the lowest number of annual tourists according to the travelchinaguide.com website. For now, we will just have to wait and see. By Victoria Tickle
DID YOU KNOW? In other Disney related news, we have
just discovered that Disney and Dali
made one of the most breathtaking short films of all time together,
Destino. Follow the link to check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GFkN4deuZU
Will Work For Free is a documentary directed and narrated by Scottish filmmaker Sam Vallely on the subject of technological unemployment. Not sure what technological unemployment is? You can go to YouTube now and watch this eye-opening piece of filmmaking for free http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SuGRgdJA_c#t=2325. With almost 60,000 views in its first month of upload, we spoke to Sam about the success of the ‘Zeitgeist’ documentary sparking intense digital discourse.
What inspired you to make this film? “As an advocate of a resource based economy I have been arguing for the intelligent management of the earth’s resources for around four years. As part of that argument I often maintain that if we were to use our technology efficiently we could create a global abundance of life supporting needs such as food and shelter as well as doing away with most of the mundane, repetitive jobs. But there are many people who oppose this and many more who dismiss it entirely as “utopian”. Which isn’t an argument in and of itself nor is it what anyone on my side is proposing. So I changed my approach, instead of talking about what we could achieve with technology I began to instead focus on the current state of technology. With the underlying argument that it does not matter what kind of economy we may want, technological automisation is a natural outgrowth of any system which rewards perpetual growth and without jobs we cannot acquire “market tokens” or “money”, which is of course a necessary element to the functioning of any market economy. So the film itself, while not necessarily concluding a resource based economy, does however serve as a compelling argument for the eventual demise of all market economies.”
Can you tell us a bit about technological unemployment and what this has meant for you personally? “Technological unemployment is essentially the act of a job being replaced or even made redundant by technology. In almost all cases machines are capable of doing the work better, faster and cheaper than humans and as such it’s natural for people to fear technology. I personally have not been a victim of technological unemployment so was never faced with losing a job to a machine. I have however felt the effects of long term unemployment which has undoubtedly contributed to my awareness of the current system and in looking for alternatives I found technology to be a positive force which has the potential to free of us from this outdated, broken system.”
What has the response been like since Will Work For Free's release? “Utterly insane, my expectations were that it might get a few views and spark some kind of debate on Facebook. However the film kind of blew up with twenty seven thousand views in its first ten days. After the first few days I was getting many emails asking for the film to be translated into multiple languages, as well as people offering to translate the film themselves. I’ve been asked to do interviews on radio shows and websites. I’ve had people asking for permission to show the film at festivals and I’ve even been told the film is being shown in class rooms in Istanbul. So yeah I am a little stunned to say the least by the response so far.”
Looking to the future, do you have plans for more Zeitgeist style documentaries? “I have thought about doing a film in a similar style which would focus on human behaviour, however I’m fairly backed up with other projects at the moment so if it were to come to fruition it probably wouldn’t happen for quite a while.” Interview by Melissa Russell
You’ve probably already witnessed technological unemployment to some extent, e.g camera and film orientated shops like Jessops. Not surprising when hardly anyone with a smartphone buys disposable cameras.
According to the OECD, the manufacturing sectors share of both employment and GDP has been declining since the 1960s, although manufacturing output has been increasing since 1945. Why? Technology.
Google have invented a driverless car which could during tests has incurred no accidents. This could mean that public transport jobs could be achieved without human involvement in the future.
“If you were to come across a terminally ill person how would you expect them to be treated? Would they be made to feel as comfortable as possible with access to round the clock care? Yes. Would they be treated in a humane manner? Of course. Would they be chained to their bed? What?! No, why would you even suggest that?!” Horrific scenario there and in this century it would be difficult to believe that this article is based on a story in the UK.
Michael Tyrell was a terminally ill man, dying from cancer when his daughter photographed him handcuffed to his hospital bed. Tyrell was serving a 29 year prison sentence for drug offences. Surely being restrained while you are dying has some infringement on your human rights. Even though this man committed a crime and was being punished for it, does he not still have the right to be treated humanely and compassionately? Before any prisoner is escorted to hospital they have to be risk assessed but in this particular case reports claim that Tyrell was a ‘model prisoner’ who posed little or no risk to society. With that in mind why was he still being restrained up until just a few hours before his death? An abuse of power you may say.
An Eye for an Eye?
Photograph taken by Alan Clark
Do you agree or disagree with Ashleigh’s point of view on prisoners rights? Let us know your thoughts by tweeting us at @KWAMMagazine
I’m very much an advocate of human rights but I also believe in punishment for wrong doers. Despite this, I find this story going round and round in my head, jumping between which side I should be on. I have come to the conclusion that we are in a catch 22 situation. This man did not have to be restrained and dying was punishment enough for his crimes. This catch 22 idea arises though when people are granted compassionate release. After many assess-ments a prisoner suffering from a medical impair-ment that means their life will come to an end shortly can be considered for release. Those re-leased will not be a threat to society and staying in prison would likely have a detrimental to their health. Now, is it bad luck that prisoners get ill and are in prison so should just have to deal with their fate, or should they be let off and sent to die at home in respect for the family and friends of the perpetrator? Those who commit wrong are essentially accepting punishment for their actions and signing away some of their rights, mainly their freedom. They will serve their sentence, trying to reform so that if and when they are released they will be deterred from making the same mistakes that landed them in a cell in the first place. A bit of good behaviour and they could be released early. A diagnosis of cancer and they are handcuffed to a bed. Where is the justice in that? Either make all prisoners carry out their full sentences or have compassion for those who need it. Terminally ill prisoners cannot get out of that sit-uation, their fate has been decided, they will die. how much damage can a man who cannot even sit up properly cause to society?
Being diagnosed with a terminal illness is a prison sentence in itself. This man was suffering, health declining rapidly every day, incapacitated enough without having to be restrained by disrespectful prison officers. This man knew the consequences of his crimes and was paying for it. A reformed charac-ter and making the most of a bad situation, no one could have anticipated his illness. I do not condone his offences, not at all, however, I believe in prison-er reform. On the basis of his behaviour in prison, when in hospital, this man did not deserve to be denied what final bit of dignity he had. Capital pun-ishment was abolished in the UK in 1965 but is this situation not as bad? An eye for an eye, maybe? Taking a life is wrong and these officers effectively took this man's life. They handcuffed him to his bed and watched him die, denying him that little bit of freedom that was left. Freedom that he couldn’t even make the most of as he was incapacitated. Prisoners still have many of their human rights whilst incarcerated. Even though their offences may be so heinous, if they have no future and only a short time left to live they should maintain their rights. I’m not saying unleash the prisoners on the public. What I am saying though is have a little bit of respect while they are dying. Acknowledge the fact that they are aware of what lies ahead, make their final days as comfortable as possible in a prison en-vironment. We are all human at the end of the day. By Ashleigh Dodds
Michael Tyrell handcuffed to his hospital bed, photo taken by his daughter
Keep The Cone:
The Next Generation of Activism
If you use social media a lot you may well have seen some of the more ridiculous and ineffective campaigns making their ways around the internet such as ‘Like this picture if you want to stop world hunger’ (NEWS FLASH: liking and sharing a picture of a starving child will not then save said child from hunger). However there are some cases where internet activism has proven to be very effective in fighting for justice. Internet Activism Although digital activism can be traced back to the early 90s. It is only within the last few years that we have seen such a sharp rise in online campaigning. Many have claimed this new method petitioning and awareness raising is ‘lazy’. However, many revolutions have been started all over the world in the past few years which goes against the negative claims made towards Internet activism. Think of the Arab Spring and the 124 different online petitions which eventually led to the Boy Scouts of America finally accepting gay members. Keep the Cone The Glasgow based Keep the Cone campaign is an example of effective online activism. In November,
Glasgow City Council proposed to use £65,000 of tax payers hard earned money to raise the platform which the famous Duke of Wellington statue is based in order to deter people from placing the now iconic cone hat on both the Duke and sometimes the horses head. The council made claims that this gave a ‘depressing’ image of Glasgow, and the people of Glasgow certainly had something to say about this. An online petition was formed and the Keep the Cone campaign Facebook page gained over 95,000 likes. What was surprising about this is that the council actually listened and have now backed down from their plans (till next time). More and more governing bodies are paying attention to what their publics are saying online. Cyber activism may not be the solution to every world problem, but it is definitely the next generation of activism that is set to change the world. By Melissa Russell
Photo courtesy of James McPaul
What do you think about Online Activism? Let us know your thoughts by tweeting us at @KWAMMagazine or tweet Mel directly @MelsBijoux
Glasgow’s Reclaim the Night March
Goes Off With a Bang
Reclaim the Night Glasgow 2013 took place on November 26th and started off with a bang. SheBoom, a Glasgow based, women only, drum band led the march, and have done so since Reclaim the Night began in Glasgow seven years ago. During the march, chants such as “Whatever we wear, wherever we go, yes means yes and no means no,” the march is to highlight and tackle rape culture in Glasgow, and this chant describes events in which women have been told it was their fault for being assaulted due to their clothing or where they went at night, and how it was unacceptable that this has happened, that survivors of rape are not to blame, rapists are. The march was well attended with over 300 people, the atmosphere was one of solidarity to all, and even people in their homes shouted their support as the march went by. The march began at the Botanic Gardens on Great Western Road and marched through the West End till arriving at the Scottish Trade Union Centre on Woodlands Road, where all were invited in to listen to speeches. A speech was given by Isabelle Kerr from Rape Crisis Glasgow, who were the organisers of the event. Kerr gave a passionate speech about giving survivors of rape
voices as “abuse thrives in silence” and that rape would not stop by policing women’s behaviour, no matter how much they drink or how short their skirt is, rape will only stop when rapists stop. She touched on the matter of rape jokes, and how Facebook can be a minefield for rape survivors as people can upload jokes about rape without a second thought to the horrific events these survivors have gone through, and that rape is still not taken seriously. In an interview after the event was over, Kerr said that we still needed events like Reclaim the Night as “1 in 4 women will experience rape in their lifetimes in Scotland, and 1 in 3 women world-wide.” A statistic that will shock many, but rape is a part of gender based violence happening to women all over the world, and solidarity and support to survivors of rape is still urgently needed, along with a change in attitude of how we view rape. Rape Crisis Glasgow are in need of volunteers and are beginning training in January. For more info go to http://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/ By Laura Baillie
Photos of the Reclaim the Night march courtesy of Isla Todd
What do you think about payday loans? Let us know your thoughts by tweeting us at @KWAMMagazine or tweet V directly @VictoriaTickle
It’s no secret that the economy isn’t doing great, and that money has to stretch further and further each year regardless of personal situations. Wage increases are failing to keep up with the rising cost of living such as rent/mortgage payments, food costs, energy bills and transport costs to name just a few. These pressures on the everyday cost of living have led to a minimum estimation of over a million people taking out payday loans to cover the cost of Christmas. A recent study by researchers from the government-backed Money Advice Service has found that approximately 1.2 million people in the UK are considering going to payday loan lenders to fund their Christmas spending, and 32% of people plan to get further into credit card debt to cover the holiday season. The same study also found that 9% of people are still paying off debt from last Christmas. The Money Advice Service also found that although the average cost a person is likely to spend this Christmas has dropped by £21 since last year, the figure is still quite high at £487 – enough to put financial strain on individuals and drive them to desperate measures. The worry of finances is rampant throughout the UK , 18 million people are reported to be concerned about how they are going to afford to cover the cost of Christmas and 17 million people expect to begin 2014 in debt because of it. But why has Christmas become such a financial strain? The biggest reported reason from a poll of 2000 people was people feeling the pressure to please others as well as their own loved ones, followed closely by wanting to give children a perfect Christmas and the temptation and irresistibility of special offers. This year’s national seasonal spend is expected to reach £24 billion – and this is a nation cutting back, the estimation is £1 billion less than last year’s figure. With these figures, it’s no surprise that many people are planning to, and no doubt will, turn to payday lenders. But there is mass controversy surrounding the payday loans and the lenders – they are ripping off millions of people across the UK and are often intentionally trapping them in debt. To demonstrate this, if a person were to take out a typical payday loan with an interest rate of 2300% a
year on the expected average personal Christmas spend of £487, the person would owe £215 of interest every week. Payday lenders, who often only specialise on short term loans, have been blasted for their abhorrent treatment of customers who struggle to keep up with their payments amid soaring penalties imposed by the payday lenders. Citizens Advice says that payday loan companies are “out of control” and show “complete disregard” for their customers in every way. But help is on the way, as a crackdown on the lending industry is beginning to take pace to help stop consumers from, and those who already are, sinking into a spiral of debt. In April 2014, the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) will have the power to ban adverts of all forms (print, TV, radio) if it thinks that they are misleading in any way. The curbs proposed by the FCA will force lenders to place ‘risk warnings’ on all of their promotional material and in all of their adverts which will urge consumers to think before taking out a payday loan. Similar warnings have also been issued to high street store cards, which can be just as menacing to personal finances as payday loans and overdrafts. These warnings will be similar to the mandatory health warnings and ‘drink responsibly’ labels on cigarettes and alcohol. Unfortunately, untill the FCA can take full control of the payday lenders situation in April 2014, Payday loan advertisements are running rampant in the months leading up to Christmas in one final attempt to get as many customers/victims as possible. However, once these payday lenders are under the regulatory scope of the FCA, tougher regulations will be enforced. These include mandatory affordability checks on loan applicants, risk warnings on adverts and the restriction of ‘rollover’ loans. Until then, the cost of Christmas this year could wind up costing over a million people in the UK a lot more than what they bargained for. By Victoria Tickle
‘Tis The Season...‘Tis The Season...‘Tis The Season...
Birthday of the Month
Vandana Shiva
5th November 1952
(age 61)
Environmental Activist and Anti-Globalisation Author.
“In nature's economy the currency is not money, it is life.” ― Vandana Shiva, Earth Democracy:
Justice, Sustainability, and Peace
Personally I do not drink a lot of fizzy juice, and when I do it is always the no-sugar or
‘diet’ option. I choose this option because: I am a health conscious person and I do not want to ingest an absurd amount of sugar from a beverage that is universally accepted to have little to no health benefits, and I do not want to help contribute to the UK’s outrageously high overweight population statistics. In an attempt to help combat these statistics, a 20% tax on sugary drinks has been suggested by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleagues. This tax would add roughly 12p to the price of a 330ml can and 40p to a 2 litre bottle of sugary soft drinks when bought from a supermarket. In their study (published in the British Medical Journal), researchers have estimated that this price increase could cut sugary drinks purchases by 15%, and the reduced calorie intake could lead to a reduction in the number of overweight and obese people in the UK. 26% of adults in the UK are medically obese – this number is the second highest in Europe behind Hungary, which has already adopted tax on sugar and salt. The study proposes that the tax on sugary drinks would result in approximately 180,000 fewer obese people (those with a BMI over 30) and over 200,000 fewer overweight people. Another way to look at this is to say that the number of obese adults could fall by 1.3% and overweight numbers could fall by 0.9%. People aged 16-30 are the
biggest demographic who consume sugary drinks and the tax would reduce obesity in this age bracket by 7.6%. These numbers may not seem that impressive, but when looked at through another perspective, they can be. Obesity costs the NHS billions each year, but if the sugary drinks tax goes through, it would mean hundreds of thousands of fewer obese and overweight related incidents that the NHS would have to cover. The study suggests that the tax would raise over £276 million a year in revenue – revenue which could be put back into the NHS to help fund periods of restriction, to help tackle obesity or to subsidise healthy foods. The tax proposition has come under criticism, mostly from the drinks industry who has called the research “misguided” and “simplistic”. It has been suggested that taxing sugary drinks won’t help to curb the obesity epidemic because sugary drinks comprise of about 2% of the calories of the average person’s diet. This might be true, but what is definitely true is that sugary drinks can contain anywhere from 6-15 teaspoons of sugar in them and can be upwards of 200 calories each. This spike of sugar in the diet, if consumed regularly (like sugary drinks are) can lead to problems such as diabetes, heart disease and tooth decay – all of which are linked with sugary drinks and two of which (heart disease and diabetes) are linked with obesity. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Sugary Drinks to Get a Bitter Taxing
Even if the tax doesn’t curb obesity as much as predicted, it is safe to assume that the numbers of sufferers of tooth decay, diabetes and heart disease could be reduced if this tax was to go through. Another criticism of this tax by the drinks industry is that because the cost of sugary drinks are already relatively low, most people wouldn’t care if the price was raised – therefore it would not affect their intake of sugary drinks. This is one argument I find very hard to believe. Times are tough, prices rise but wages stay the same. People everywhere are looking for ways to save money, with some going so far as to take out personal loans (maybe hyperlink to the article on personal loans here) just to pay for things like school uniforms and groceries. A lot of people have switched from brands to buying store’s own products, including sugary drinks. I honestly think that if the financially struggling population sees two drinks – the more expensive sugary version, or the cheaper no-sugar version - the majority will pick the cheaper option. This would certainly debunk the drink industry’s counter-argument. This proposed tax doesn’t just count for the sugary drinks that might immediately come to your head, such as the sodas. It counts for all sugary drinks – energy drinks, squash, cordials and flavoured water with added sugar. The main criticisms that this tax seems to have come under is the presumption that it is the golden key to dramatically reducing the number of obese and overweight people in the UK. Of course it isn’t, and anyone who thinks that it either is, or that that is what the researchers of the study were suggesting need to re-evaluate their thought
processes and conclusions. The notion that the sugary drinks tax is a magic cure-all for obesity is ridiculous – but it is a good place to start. The obesity epidemic is a complex one and has many causes. But attempting to reduce the intake of sugary drinks is a good first step. Tesco PLC and the Coca-Cola Company have already volunteered to reduce the amount of sugar in their drinks. The sale of sugary drinks in schools and their advertisements on children’s TV have both been banned in the UK. These three steps are exactly that – steps. They are not remedies on their own, but by implementing small yet effective steps is the real key to tackling the obesity problem. There also needs to be more campaigns about living a more active lifestyle, and shifting the emphasis from the size of your waist to the health of your body and organs. The whole movement needs a make-over and several smaller campaigns, working in unison, to have any real long-term effect. I think that the sugary drinks tax is a perfect example of a smaller campaign that can have a bigger impact than the sum of its parts. It has more pros than cons and could be one of the first integral aspects to reducing the obesity epidemic in the UK. By Victoria Tickle
Do you agree or disagree with Victoria’s point of view on sugary drink tax? Let us know your thoughts by tweeting us at @KWAMMagazine or Tweet V directly at @VictoriaTickle
Obesity and tooth decay have been targeted as the two main health problems caused by sugary drinks.
Photos taken from articles provided by Google search engine.
Let the games begin!
Want to have your say? Tweet us @KWAMMagazine
This month has seen the release of not one, but two new generation games consoles. On the 22nd November Xbox introduced the Xbox One, closely followed by Sony’s debut of the PS4 at midnight on the 29th November.
This month we will be taking a look at the PS4.
They’re In Our Homes! When you are sitting on the couch watching a family from the other side of the world in their living room cheering and smiling as they chase around a horde of small robots that only exist in this augmented reality, then and only then do you know the future of gaming is here. The PS4 has brought some awesome new features to the long standing franchise which we have all come to know and love including the afore mentioned Augmented Reality. In the bundled software- The PlayRoom - that you are inevitably lured in with on initial exploration of the consoles oh-so-slick User Interface you are lead to believe through both audio and visual commands as well as a range of haptic feedback from the controller that there are in fact a swarm of little robot droids inside your controller which you have to release. The controller shakes and rattles with the noise of the robots shuffling too and fro as you use the built in motion sensors by moving your controller. The robots clang off the sides and scream as they are thrown side to side through the means of the new built in speaker in the new redesigned controller. The controller jumps when the robots hit upon the sides using the uprated vibration functions on-board the new pad. The features of the controller are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the immersive
persuasions of this mini game. To launch the robots from the controller onto the floor you have to flick the newly implemented touch surface on the control pad which this leads to a frenzy of tiny little robots all around your room, observing your movements and each others as they move around. The best thing is: If you wave, THEY WAVE BACK! The future is here. I found myself waving my arms like a madman in hysterics at this when I think I shouldn’t have. You can use the powers of god and then hoover them back up into the controller by pressing the touchpad. Or you can kick them. I have never been a fan of visual recognition games, yet this one captivated me from the get go. This bring me back to my original point. BROADCASTING GAMEPLAY! The good old folks at Sony teamed up with both Twitch and Ustream in order to bring high speed easy access game streaming. This can be accessed by the new Share button on the controller. This feature teamed up with the camera based augmented reality Playroom means living rooms across the world are being broadcast! This has been the bulk of my experience so far with the new console. And I haven’t even begun to talk about how amazing the games are... By Stephen Dewar
Entertainment ReviewsEntertainment ReviewsEntertainment Reviews
Barenaked Ladies, Live at the Edinburgh Picture House, page 24
Top 5 YouTube Channels
November 2013
1.1.1. Peter JacksonPeter JacksonPeter Jackson
With the release of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug just around the corner (December 13th, DO NOT FORGET) it seems only appropriate to promote the directors channel first. I suggest you check out the multitude of production diaries from the making of The Hobbit before you go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwYQcKK0Isg
2. Canon2. Canon2. Canon
Canon has many Youtube channels from all over the world (Europe, Australia, etc) any of these channels will give you good content regarding cameras and techniques. However for some reason the Australia/NewZealand based channel—CanonAustralia—appears to be the best. Check out one of their most popular videos about Depth of Field: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3zdybilbCY&list=TLm1YuuuaAdkk_g9Bnfb4yfGqo_6cB3NWP
3. Minutephysics3. Minutephysics3. Minutephysics
Now I’m not the smartest cookie in the jar but even I can understand and enjoy these little clips explaining some of the finer and more exciting things in our universe. I probably would have passed science at school if this channel had been around at the time. Which reminds me, check out their video on time travel! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FflcA85zcOM
4. Felicia Day4. Felicia Day4. Felicia Day
A gorgeously geeky girl with a fun sense of humour to boot, seriously what’s not to love?! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DxsVzYUle0
5. The Slow Mo Guys5. The Slow Mo Guys5. The Slow Mo Guys
Two guys called Gav and Dan essentially blow up/hit/ break things in slow motion with a HD camera. It’s just cool okay, so check it out. Oh, also here’s a clip of a slow motion exploding lego house: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAK8HDP1NnA
Film Captain Phillips
Rating: WARNING! *SPOILER ALERT*
Starring: Matt Smith, David Tennant, John Hurt,
Tom Baker, Billie Piper
Directed by: Nick Hurran
There is no doubt that trying to cram in 50 years of television history into a 75 minute special is quite the task. But then so is trying to talk about said special in one review. There is just so much that made The Day of the Doctor for fans old and new. The story in itself was a massive mind implosion. It redefined what we knew of the Time War and was pure genius. It will give us more in terms of the future of the show with the Doctor possibly becoming more like he was pre Time War (aka not as depressed) and the search for Gallifrey. The episode satisfies the needs of the fans and fills the 16 year gap when the show was off the air. There was one thing I was waiting for and that is the interactions between Hurt, Tennant and Smith.
Each Doctor is different in their own way but at the essence are the same man and each scene was just wonderful. They bounce off each other and show how great actors they are by playing the differences between the Doctors then turning it around and show how much they are the same. The returning elements of The Day of the Doctor really helped this episode along in terms of satisfying the fans and the need for good continuity. To name a few; The Time War, Tom Bakers cameo, Queen Elisabeth, archive clips of the Doctor, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewarts daughter Kate, Coal Hill School with the policeman walking past and Chesterton as the headmaster, The Zygons, the wall covered in pictures of former companions and the junkyard on Totter’s Lane. But as well as these, the little surprises of what's to come have you gripping your chair with the very brief cameo of the new Doctor, Peter Capaldi. All in all, this is 75 minutes of crazy, phenomenal, fantastical Doctor Who and a fitting tribute for the next 50 years to come. By Danielle Gibson
Rating: Starring: Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener, Max Martini, Chris Mulkey, Barkhad Abdi Directed by: Paul Greengrass ANY film that makes Empire magazines ‘Top 10 Films of 2013’ list is almost always guaranteed to be ‘one to watch’ (even if they did put Iron Man 3 and Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa in that list as well). The film tells the very harrowing true story of merchant navy Captain Richard Phillips (played by Tom Hanks) and the hijacking of his vessel by Somali Pirates back in 2009. The film mainly centres around the character development of Captain Phillips and his ships
captor and pirate group leader Muse (played by Barkhad Abdi). Tom Hanks is an incredible actor, everyone knows this (if you can forget Cloud Atlas and a few others…). But the last 10 minutes of this film just served to send that message home. I genuinely believe that in that final scene Tom Hanks gave the best performance of his life. Oscar worthy doesn't quite cover it. His acting was so convincing I was almost in tears for him, I believed that he was Captain Phillips and that he had suffered through an ordeal that not many people are aware of happens far too regularly. It takes true talent to believe that what they are seeing is reality. Captain Phillips is the ultimate film success story of 2013. By Melissa Russell
Television The Day of the Doctor
Grinning Streak is On A Winning Streak
The Show: The Album: I must warn you, this review is guaranteed to be completely biased. So if you don’t like Barenaked Ladies, chances are you are probably not going to like this review (although I am hoping that it will help change your mind). I’ll admit, when I first heard their latest album ‘Grinning Streak’ I was a tad bemused. It must have been the way I was feeling that night because I could have sworn that everything sounded much slower and less upbeat from what I was used to hearing from the multi-talented foursome. I feared the worst, that my favourite band had given up on making good music. However, when I went along to their gig at the Edinburgh Picture House on the 28th November, nothing could have been further from the truth. With them mixing some of their newer material in with 25 years worth of great material the new album finally slotted into place for me. Hearing such tracks as ‘Odds Are’ and ‘Gonna Walk’ right
next to smash hits like ‘One Week’ and ‘Pinch Me’ made me see that ‘Grinning Streak’ was a well deserved member of the BNL family. It might not be ‘Stunt’, but for me nothing ever will be so perhaps I need to stop putting that album on such a high pedestal to give some new music a chance? As for the rest of the show, the atmosphere was infectious. The crowd was a mix of old and new, but none the less true fans who knew their back catalogue like the backs of their hands. One thing that anyone who has ever been to a BNL concert will know is that if nothing else it is always fun. The playlist keeps momentum so that everyone is dancing and singing along without a moments boredom. Beyond the music the musicians themselves give you a good laugh. These are some genuinely fun loving guys who don't take themselves seriously. They may not be headlining big festivals anymore but they are still making good music and loving what they are doing. Can’t see fairer than that so long as they don’t start twerking! By Melissa Russell
