Epsom Geographic Dec 2016 by Epsom Geographic

EPSOM

GEOGRAPHIC DECEMBER 2016

ISSUE NO.1

THE COVER

EDITORIAL NOTE Launching a magazine for a subject renowned for being ‘the colouring-in subject’ may seem absurd to many. Although colouring choropleth maps brings me much joy, Geography to me, means so much more. Ask anyone who knows me and they’ll tell you about my devout love for Geography and the difficulty I find having to restrain myself from sharing everything I learn and pointing out anything remotely geographical. After initial attempts to get me to stop talking, people often find themselves intrigued when they realise how fascinating Geography truly is. Be it the buzzwords of Human Geography like ‘McDonaldisation’ or ‘Cocacolonisation’ or Physical Geography’s ability to explain why last year’s haze was so bad or how volcanoes are formed, Geography manages to make itself relevant to everyone. Geography acts as a platform to understand environments and the people who occupy them, bridging the sciences and the humanities. It urges us to make sense of our world by understanding the causes of things, question and challenge the ways of the world and acknowledge the role we, as humans play in the midst of it all. All of which are essential for us, as global citizens to consider, geographer or non-geographer. Epsom Geographic aims to act as a bridge for the school community to engage with geographical issues and the world we live in. Geography is for the curious and I hope through perusing our magazine, you will find answers to questions you have never thought of asking and places you have never even heard of to add to your travel bucket list! Our inaugural issue comprises of articles on places people have travelled to and discussions on complex global issues like Disneyfication’s impact on cultural diversity, the impacts of tourism and the future of the TPPA. Complementing these articles are a range of spectacular images captured by Epsom’s talented travel photographers, a geotastic crossword puzzle for the intellectuals and of course as geographers, we decided to embrace the stereotype and ensure you had your healthy dose of colouring-in to get you through your week.

Photographer

Chan Li Syuen, Year 13 Where?

Anse Source D'argent, La Digue Island, Seychelles

THE EDITORIAL TEAM Editor in Chief

Sarah Tan Hui Ann, Year 13 Co-Editor

Lili Minah, Year 13 Production Manager

Jon Barker, Head of Geography

Thank you to everyone who contributed in making Epsom Geographic a reality through your fantastic submissions. We look forward to receiving many more in the issues to come! Sarah Tan Editor in Chief

Image of us?

EDITORIAL NOTE Producing a Geography magazine and trumpeting some of the work that my Geography students have produced has been an aim of mine across my last few schools over the last ten years. I am absolutely delighted that this has now come to fruition and that we have managed to produce not only Epsom College in Malaysia's inaugural Geography magazine, but also, rather self-indulgently, my first Geography magazine as Head of Geography. We have managed to gather a variety of articles and photos from students across Epsom College in Malaysia. These students are from a variety of backgrounds and not necessarily students who would consider themselves as geographers. However, they see the world in a manner that makes them geographers. In a country where Geography, as we know it, is not a traditional subject, it seems even more important to highlight some of the ways in which the subject studies issues and potential solutions at a local, national and global scale. We hope that after this successful issue, more people (and across more year groups) will submit articles and photographs about issues that they consider important or places that have fascinated them. A huge amount of credit goes to Sarah and Lili who have spent many hours putting this together. I am extremely grateful to them and proud of what they have achieved. Jon Barker Head of Geography

CONTENTS Angkor Wat

Trade Trumps All

Steph Barker

Loh Yong Sheng, Year 13

Langkawi 21

Fernanda Valderrama, Year 10

……………..……………………………..……………

‘Wat’ Does the Future Hold?

Spain

Big White, B.C.

Jon Barker

Chen Hong Ze, Year 12

Natasha Naylor, Year 12

………………………..…………………..……………

Tokyo

Germany & Finland & Norway

Wicked London

-  Chan Li Syuen, Year 13 ………………………………………………………..…………

-  Ling Le Ee, Year 13 ………………………………………………………..…………

-  Sophia Eow, Year 12 ………………………………………………………..…………

Mekong

Myanmar

Salak Sayang, Tioman

Ng Eu Keat, Year 12

Callum White

Ashwini Ravi, Year 13

……………………………………………………………..……

Bangli, Bali

Myanmar: A New Hope?

Be For or Against the Flood

-  Natasha Naylor, Year 12 ……………………………………………………………..……

-  Callum White ……………………………………………………………..……

-  Gabe Lingan, Year 13 ……………………………………………………………..……

Malaysia

Will There be Hell Toupee?

Puns

Sarah Tan, Year 13

Justin Chong, Year 13

Epsom Geographers & the Internet

……………………………………………………………..……

United Kingdom

Iceland

Cryptic Crossword

Bryan Chong, Year 13

Kylie Yap, Year 13

Callum White & Jon Barker

…………………………………….…………………….....……

Let’s Get Down to Business

Taiwan

Colouring Pages

Sarah Tan, Year 13

Ben Yee, Year 11

The Internet

……………………………………………………………..……

Seychelles

The World is Not Enough

Durham

-  Chan Li Syuen, Year 13 ……………………………………………………………..……

-  Zulharris Mohd Annual, Year 13 ……………………………………………………………..…….

-  Sarah Tan, Year 13 ……………………………………………………………..…….

ANGKOR WAT Steph Barker

‘WAT’ DOES THE FUTURE HOLD? Jon Barker

For at least the last six years, I have been teaching about Angkor in the classroom. Since moving to Malaysia, I have ﬁnally had the opportunity of visi@ng it, not once but twice. The problem, and the reason that I’ve been teaching about it, is that it is an example of how tourism can destroy the very place that people are going to visit. I can now consider myself to be a part of the problem…twice. Angkor is an ancient city in Cambodia and was the capital city of the Khmer Empire. It is now made up of a series of ruins, which were built between the 9th and 15th centuries, including the famous Angkor Wat. In 1992, Angkor was awarded UNESCO World Heritage status. Since, it has arguably been made even more famous by ‘Lara CroS: Tomb Raider’ which was partly ﬁlmed in the area. In studying tourism, geographers oSen talk about areas becoming “loved to death”. This means that so many tourists are visi@ng an area to the extent that, what we call, ‘mass tourism’ 6

has a detrimental impact on what they are going to see, whether that is typically, the environment or the culture. As Jason Clampet wrote in ‘SkiS’: “tourism when done wrong is a consumer-‐driven and consump@on-‐measured ac@vity that destroys the quality of life for locals and leaves visitors feeling empty”. This can be discussed with reference to what is called its carrying capacity. We can consider three types of carrying capacity: physical carrying capacity; perceptual carrying capacity; or ecological carrying capacity. A stadium, such as Old Traﬀord or St James’ Park, has an obvious physical carrying capacity, with each sea@ng 75,635 and 52,405 respec@vely. Admicedly, these stadia could hold more if they had standing spectators, but we can argue that there is an obvious limit here. Perceptual carrying capacity is more subjec@ve and therefore far more diﬃcult to measure: if you go to Disneyworld, you queue for each ride. How long would you be prepared to wait in each line? The point that the queue is too long and you give up,

Number of Tourist

means that Disneyworld has reached its perceptual carrying capacity, but only for you, as other people might be prepared to wait longer. Similarly, how crowded does a beach have to get, before you give up and go elsewhere? Different people will have different viewpoints. The ecological carrying capacity is equally, if not even more, difficult to measure and this is where the trouble lies for Angkor, especially as once the carrying capacity has been reached and the des@na@on is saturated, then the area can deteriorate. Carrying Capacity Time At Ta Phohm, you might have to queue to get the perfect photo while others strike a Lara CroS pose in front of the trees that engulf the temple. You may feel as if there are too many people there, but generally, Angkor Wat has not exceeded its perceptual carrying capacity. However, the ecological carrying capacity is very different. 7,650 tourists visited Angkor in 1993, the year aSer it was made an UNESCO World Heritage site. Since then, that number has risen to approximately 2 million every year. 2 million people with two feet each have an impact as they climb over the temples. The temples are made of sandstone, which is not renowned for being a par@cularly resistant rock. As each person walks over and rubs the rock, they steadily wear it away, just a licle bit at a @me, but they are wearing away. Another problem is due to the hotels in the area. With the explosion of hotels in and around Siem Reap, increasing amounts of water have been extracted, more than 50 megalitres each day, both legally and illegally

for swimming pools, bathrooms and washing, to name a few demands of travellers. As water is taken from the water-‐filled lagoons and groundwater of Angkor, there are concerns that this will destabilise the base of sand that Angkor sits upon. This is kept firm by the groundwater, but if that is over-‐extracted then it could lead to the temples of Angkor subsiding, cracking and crumbling. To make macers worse, those same hotels are flushing untreated sewage into the Siem Reap, which has a regular history of flooding. Not only are the hotels taking too much water, but two 18-‐hole golf courses have been built within four miles of the park in the last ten years. It is es@mated that the average golf course in the USA uses 312,000 gallons of water per day: a rate that is simply not sustainable for Angkor. Tourism is the second most important industry in Cambodia, being worth around $2 billion each year, so tourism is needed for the economy with the short-‐term desire being to exploit the area to maximise profits. However, the Cambodian government must balance the needs of the present tourists and locals, without compromising the needs of future genera@ons. With the help of UNESCO and other countries, such as China, India and South Korea, Cambodian authori@es are trying to protect and restore the area. You should be able to visit Siem Reap for years to come and discover Angkor for yourself. However, how it is managed (and how tourists behave at those sites) will have serious implica@ons on what there is to see when you get there. 2017 is the United Na@ons’ Interna@onal Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, which should help to promote sustainable ideals in tourism. However, that w i l l r e q u i r e e d u c a @ n g t o u r i s t s a n d subsequently, the willingness of tourists to behave responsibly, if we are enjoy sites like Angkor into the future.

TOKYO Li Syuen, Year 13

MORI ART TOWER: “I like how the city goes on and on & doesn’t seem to end.”

TSUJIKI MARKET: “The perfectionist vendors inspire me.

SHIBUYA CROSSING: “The best view of the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing is from Starbucks.”

SHIBUYA STATION: “People so busy, make me feel dizzy.”

GINZA: “I love 100% ecopowered billboards & pedestrian weekends.”

WATCH TIMELAPSES OF THE SHIBUYA CROSSING HERE

MEKONG Ng Eu Keat, Year 12

BANGLI, BALI Natasha Naylor, Year 12

MALAYSIA Sarah Tan, Year 13

UNITED KINGDOM Bryan Chong, Year 13

LET’S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS Sarah Tan, Year 13

Source: International Business Times

By seong its movies in diverse loca@ons worldwide, Disney acempts to make itself relatable to all children globally. Like many licle girls, I fell in love with the Disney princesses, their songs and their stories. However, to me, being ethnically Chinese, Mulan was always the most relatable and probably the only cultural representa@on I had in mass media, as I was growing up. Hence, when I stumbled upon a journal ar@cle on cultural hybridisa@on in ‘Mulan’, you could say I became a licle bit too excited to write my 70-‐mark report on globalisa@on's impact on cultural diversity. Disney’s 1998 global box office success, musical ac@on-‐comedy-‐drama film, ‘Mulan’ is an example of a cultural hybrid product. The film was based on the Chinese legend, ‘Hua Mulan’ and the ‘Ballad of Mulan’ that focuses on filial piety and patrio@sm. Disney’s rendi@on of ‘Mulan’ may be interpreted as a dis@nc@vely Hollywood film with a clear corporate product differen@a@on for global consump@on. Previous rendi@ons of the tale had been unadulterated but Disney made significant changes in its presenta@on of ‘Mulan’, 16

employing strategies to transform a Chinese legend into a modern entertaining product with a cultural dis@nc@on or flavour. The concept of ‘Disneyfica@on’ generally refers to changing an en@ty into something basic and ar@ficial, emphasising concepts of simplifica@on and superficiality. This phenomenon affects the rapid spread of US mass culture and its entertainment values, specifically targe@ng the next genera@on. Disney has a significant influence in shaping children’s first impressions of ‘other’ global cultures and lifestyles; however, these are oSen simplified versions of these cultures. Hence, although Disney increases exposure and awareness of the world’s cultural diversity, these presenta@ons of cultural diversity may be distorted, reducing cultural diversity in the long run. The Chinese story presents Mulan in the domes@c sphere as a quiet and thoughqul girl, contras@ng with the Disney Mulan who is tomboyish and ‘unfit’ to be an ideal wife. The Chinese story immediately proceeds to Mulan’s course of ac@on as a filial daughter when one

male from each family is called to serve in the army to defend China from invaders. As her father is old and weak and her younger brother is just a child, Mulan takes their place at war. However, Disney’s Mulan fails her bridal test, begins to have self doubts and the opportunity for redemp@on comes when the war breaks out as she wants to prove to her family and herself that she can bring the family honour, not by marriage, but by taking on the male duty of figh@ng a war. Hence, there is a major shiS from the Chinese cultural trait of filial piety to the pursuit of a sense of selrood, altering the ideology behind the ballad. American influences in the film’s produc@on process not only fuse both the American and Chinese cultures but also lead to a dilu@on in the presenta@on of Chinese culture and true cultural diversity. To some extent, these altera@ons may be interpreted as cultural appropria@on rather than cultural hybridisa@on. This is the adop@on or use of elements of one culture by members of another culture. As only some elements of the tradi@onal ballad is deemed as fit for global taste and retained, to some extent, the culture is ‘sani@sed’. To animate a Chinese story that was unfamiliar to the rest of the world, cultural hybridisa@on through the blending of cultural iconography such as the sounds of ancient China, pagodas, willow trees, flowing robes and classical Chinese music was instrumental in ensuring a façade of ‘otherness’. The concept of the ‘Other’ is defined as a person or a group of people who are perceived to be different in some fundamental way from oneself and the group one perceives one belongs to. Therefore, this may be perceived as a means of maintaining global cultural heterogeneity as there is an emphasis placed on the fact that

this is a foreign culture and not one associated with the American culture. Although in this case, the US dominant influence may be seen as a corrup@ng force, as the movie may not be a true representa@on of the Chinese culture and the global image the culture would like to create for itself, distor@ng cultural diversity further. Furthermore, Disney plays with several stereotypes of Asian Americans and their culture. The name Mushu immediately has connota@ons of ethnic food with Mushu pork being a popular Chinese takeout food in America. Hence, Mushu, the mini-‐dragon, voiced by African American Eddie Murphy is a highly recognisable ethnic-‐comic type that has generic conven@ons, again emphasising how the presenta@on of Chinese culture is s@rred towards the American percep@on of the culture. Therefore, although growing up, Disney’s ‘Mulan’ was a significant influence in giving me somewhat of an idea of where I come from, this was Disney’s idea of where I come from; a percep@on of Chinese culture imposed on me and my impressionable mind. Even though having to research, assess and acknowledge the effects of Disneyfica@on through this movie, as a cultural geographer, was somewhat saddening, it was also a refreshing awakening. With Disney releasing a live-‐ac@on remake of ‘Mulan’ in 2018, it will be exci@ng to see how Disney now presents Chinese culture with a primarily Chinese cast and the pressure of a pe@@on to ensure Disney does not whitewash Mulan already signed by 111,332 people. Despite all of this, I will always have the urge to belt out, “Let’s get down to business…to defeat the Huns” every now and again. 17

SEYCHELLES Chan Li Syuen, Year 13

TRADE TRUMPS ALL Loh Yong Sheng, Year 13 The Trans-‐Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) is a free trade agreement between the United States and 11 other Pacific Rim countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Japan, which is currently awai@ng ra@fica@on. Such a deal seems to have primarily economic reasons behind it, with the main jus@fica@on behind the deal being to develop and strengthen trade rela@ons amongst member states through the removal of trade barriers such as tariffs. This is of par@cular importance as these 12 countries account for 40% of global GDP and one-‐third of world trade. However, such an agreement will have major geopoli@cal implica@ons for the region. The TPPA would serve as the bedrock of the US’ ‘pivot to Asia’ foreign policy which seeks to establish closer economic, diploma@c and military @es in the region. This is of especial importance due to Asia’s growing relevance in global issues such as nuclear prolifera@on, climate change and come 2030, will be home to 3.2 billion middle class consumers totalling up to 59% of global-‐ middle class consump@on. Furthermore, the TPPA will also act as a counterbalance to China’s influence in the region. The development of an Asian trade bloc will draw its members such as Vietnam to developing closer economic @es with the US, reducing its dependence on Chinese exports. Addi@onally, the exclusion of China from the bloc has undertones of a containment strategy to hamper its growth despite assurances from the US that China would not be barred from joining the TPPA should they express interest. In response, China has unveiled their own ini@a@ves such as ‘One Belt, One Road’, a project aimed to develop infrastructure such as roads, railways and canals along new sea routes through the South China Sea, through the Indian Ocean and up the Mediterranean into Europe, as well as land routes across Central Asia. Moreover, China has begun construc@on on gas pipelines across central Asia, such as the 3666km Central Asia-‐China gas pipeline. These pipelines will help diversify China’s oil suppliers to countries such as Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. This will reduce their dependence on oil imports (currently 82%) flowing through the South China Sea, which China believes could easily be blockaded in the event of conflict. However, in light of recent events, the future of the TPPA is highly uncertain. Previously, President Obama had planned to acempt one last push at having Congress ra@fy the agreement in the final terms of his presidency. Post-‐elec@ons, the newly elected Congress has agreed to not raise the issue of the TPPA further and with President-‐elect Trump’s having voiced his inten@ons to oppose the TPPA from his first day in office, the future of the deal is grim. In response to this, China has voiced inten@ons to step in to such as the Asia Pacific Trade Agreement in order to further develop their influence in the region. As these conflicts con@nue, the future of the region becomes more and more uncertain. 21

SPAIN Chen Hong Ze, Year 12

NORWAY

Ling Le Ee, Year 13

EUROPE GERMANY

FINLAND

MYANMAR Callum White

MYANMAR: A NEW HOPE? Callum White Myanmar is on the verge of a boom in tourism. New hotels are being built, employment opportuni@es are high in tourist areas, and most people are op@mis@c about the future economic beneﬁts of Myanmar opening up its borders to the world. Bagan, one of the biggest draws for tourists, has to be seen to be believed. Over 2000 temples, pagodas and stupas rise out of the forest, most of them at least 700 years old and many have stood for more than a millennia. Even the recent 6.8 magnitude earthquake has only aﬀected a few hundred of them, which is quite impressive considering that when they were built, the Vikings had control over much of northern England. A trip down the Irrawaddy River takes you far into rural Myanmar. You may even be lucky enough to spot one of the few freshwater river dolphin species leS in the world. Birdlife is abundant, as are opportuni@es to glimpse s@lted 26

huts by the river banks, cacle farmers moving their herds to graze on untouched grassland, and thousand year-‐old pagodas silhoueced against the skyline. Inle Lake is another tourist hotspot in the central area of Myanmar. This freshwater lake on the Shan Plateau is 900 metres above sea level. It is home to an ethnically diverse people group who have survived on subsistence agriculture and ﬁshing in and around Inle. The tradi@onally ﬂoa@ng villages are a draw for tourists, although numbers could be reaching dangerous levels. Pollu@on is also a major concern with the increase in popula@on, and the loss of na@ve species has already begun according to some reports. For the conscien@ous tourist, there are sustainable ac@vi@es to enjoy. Hiking from Kalaw, an old hill sta@on for the Bri@sh sta@oned overseas, to Inle Lake is one way of experiencing the real Myanmar, without having too much of

an environmental impact. The diverse countryside is breathtaking. Watching water buffaloes ploughing the fields aSer the harvest, ea@ng with a local family in a homestay each evening and enjoying the sunrise over paddy fields are just some of the sights that a 3-‐5 day hike through central Myanmar offers (although I can recommend bringing a good waterproof!). There is however, reason to be concerned. When we look at the rest of the South East Asia region, especially at areas where mass tourism has become one of the dominant sources of income, we see environmental degrada@on, exploita@on, loss of culture, loss of na@ve species, water pollu@on, traffic conges@on and over-‐reliance on tourism. Thailand provides evidence of what can happen when the environment is neglected for the sake of rapid economic development. Many of Thailand’s beaches are polluted, coral reefs are bleached or were mined for concrete produc@on and en@re ecosystems have been lost. Once idyllic coastal villages and undeveloped stretches of beach now suffer from pollu@on on an enormous and unmanageable scale. Tourism doesn’t need to lead to this. Palau has shown that ecotourism can be successful in developing the economy while preserving the very things that people come to see. If Myanmar focuses on educa@ng tourists and local businesses about responsible and sustainable tourism from the very beginning, then it can preserve some of the most amazing des@na@ons in Asia. Bagan’s unique pagodas standing untouched in the midst of the forest; Inle Lake’s fishermen and lakeside villages; and the mostly untouched coastal waters are just a few of the amazing tourist opportuni@es that Myanmar offers. It is one of the most fascina@ng places I have visited in South East Asia and I can’t wait to go back, and hopefully do my part to ensure that I am a responsible and sustainable tourist. 27

MYANMAR Callum White

WILL THERE BE HELL TOUPEE? Justin Chong, Year 13 Our world is growing increasingly connected. Technology brings about the concept of a shallower, but wider society, which more of us feel we are a part of. The ‘network society’, coined by Andrew Heywood suggests that people feel socie@es are less constrained by na@onal and state boundaries, and instead, can span across the world through the Internet. Globalisa@on in the recent decades has been propelled forward by advancements in communica@on technology. The ability to send and receive messages across the world almost instantly, have blurred the lines of communica@ng with those in a different country, or even a different con@nent. This is termed as ‘space @me compression’, where our ease in communica@ng with those across the world today makes it seems like they are not that far at all, compared to tradi@onal lecers of the past. The next genera@on being born into this technology-‐intensive world, will make them feel less ‘American’ or ‘Bri@sh’, but rather, more as a fellow ‘Redditor’ or ‘Tumblrer’. Another important aspect of globalisa@on is the US hegemony on culture, combined with the widespread adop@on of English. This has resulted in a large por@on of culture and values being US-‐centred. The economic success of the US in the 1990s made it possible for small, risky tech firms to thrive, which led to the establishment of the well-‐known ‘Caltech’ and the Silicon Valley we know today. The US domina@on of the Internet ensures that the US-‐centric sites remain the most popular and common des@na@ons web surfers arrive in. So, every @me you use Google, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Whatsapp, Reddit, Tumblr, Buzzfeed, Youtube on your Apple devices, remember that these all revolve around the United States of America, and you are a member of these socie@es. With rapid globalisa@on con@nuing and Internet usage growing by the seconds, the US maintains its significant role as an influence on the Internet and its content. US policy on the Internet will affect our growing globalised community of web surfers. Therefore, as a fellow member of Internet goers, please welcome the next digital president-‐ Donald J. Trump. 29

ICELAND Kylie Yap, Year 13

TAIWAN Ben Yee, Year 11

THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH Zulharris Mohd Annual, Year 13 The conven@onal belief is that the modern state is a sovereign state, independent in the face of other communi@es. F.H Husley claimed that the state which wields sovereignty, and that structure, no@onal or tangible, which possess it, is by defini@on a state. The Westphalia system that began to develop in Western Europe some hundreds of years ago was based on the emergence of na@on-‐states and emphasises the no@on of the state as the highest form of authority, as religion began to slowly lose influence. However, aSer the Cold War, the world was ushered into a phenomenon of integra@on between states through trade engagement and poli@cs. Globalisa@on which may be vaguely defined as the integra@on of economic, social and cultural rela@ons across borders, has threatened the sovereignty and relevance of the state. The emergence of i n f o r m a @ o n t e c h n o l o g y , t r a n s n a @ o n a l corpora@ons (TNCs) and the domina@on of liberal ideologies in global poli@cs have encouraged the no@on that the world is becoming more integrated and globalised towards an extent where sovereign individual states are considered as obsolete ideas. One of the reasons why states are becoming increasingly irrelevant is the rise of TNCs in the interna@onal market. TNCs exert enormous economic power and poli@cal influence. Their economic significance is that they control over 70% of world trade. Some of TNCs’ assets are

markets. Industries that have high barriers to entry and large economies of scale tend to have huge monopolies, as do state-‐owned companies such as steel, oil and financial. TNCs are able to control the market price through cartels. With profit maximisa@on being their main objec@ve, TNCs oSen pursue predatory pricing and exploita@on of resources. States are unable to control and regulate their ac@vi@es because they have huge poli@cal and bargaining power that can easily influence government policies. The USA’s Iron Triangle proves that the close-‐ knit rela@onship between congressional commicees, bureaucracy and interest groups allows companies such as Haliburton and Apple, to influence government policies on business, environment and financial regula@on. Lobbying is a common prac@ce in American poli@cs, with congressmen and senators oSen paid huge sums of money or stakes in their companies to ensure that the government will always act in favour of the TNCs. This shows that TNCs have huge economic power enabling them to control and influence poli@cs, formula@ng policies that do not necessarily act in the best interest of the people. It could be argued that the state has no control over policies and only act as mere puppets for the TNCs. Another reason why the state is becoming increasingly irrelevant, is the triumph of the Washington Consensus and globalised financial system. ASer the end of the Cold War, the

similar to the size of a country’s GDP, with ExxonMobil, for example, has the economic weight of South Africa. TNCs are able to supply goods and services across borders, hence they are able to dominate and monopolise the market by maximising revenue and sales across

Washington Consensus which advocates monetarist and neoliberal policies, was considered as the dominant economic policy throughout the world. Eastern European countries, such as Poland, Latvia and even Russia, adopted the neo-‐liberal policies that 33

liberalised the government controlled market t hro u g h c a p i t a l ma r ket l i ber a l i sa @ on; deregula@on; breakdown of barriers; and priva@sa@on. The Washington Consensus is arguably an inﬂuen@al factor that led to globalisa@on. Neoliberal ideology focuses on free market which means the state must play an absolute minimal role in the economy. Deregula@on and priva@sa@on allow companies to take over and exploit resources without proper checks. States also have minimal power to control the growing inﬂuence of companies in the economy. Neoliberal policies also encourage the par@cipa@on of states in trade deals such as the TPPA and TIPP. These trade deals will further enforce restric@ons on government to regulate and build up trade barriers for foreign TNCs.

Transna@onal social movements are key agents of global civil society that gathers individuals from around the globe that acts as a countervailing force against TNCs and other global issues such as environmental degrada@on and social jus@ce. Global civil society helps individuals across the world regardless of race, colour and ethnicity to voice their concerns with the triumph neo-‐liberalism and economic inequality. In addi@on, global civil society oSen favours global social jus@ce, develops ci@zen networks to monitor and put pressure on states and interna@onal organisa@ons such as WTO, to act in the people’s best interests. These civil socie@es are successful in making sure states and organisa@ons comply with regula@ons and serve the long-‐term interest of the people. For e x a m p l e , t h e 1 9 9 2 R i o S u m m i t o n

In addi@on, there are ques@ons regarding state sovereignty and control over trade deals, where the deals obliterate the role of government as an ac@ve player in the market. The TPPA forces states to comply with the Investor-‐State Dispute Seclement (ISDS) that allows TNCs to sue states for alleged discriminatory prac@ces through the I n t e r n a @ o n a l T r i b u n a l a n d r e c e i v e compensa@on. Renco’s ac@on of pollu@ng the environment and not adhering to the state’s environmental legisla@on, shows that trade deals can take away the sovereignty of state and amplify the power TNCs have over state, making them more or less irrelevant. The global ﬁnancial system allows currencies and assets to

environmental protec@on has encouraged states to legislate environmental regula@ons and measures in their countries, showing that global civil society can be effec@ve in uni@ng people and forming an interna@onal community that has a shared cause. The defini@on of globalisa@on is hard to define because more oSen than not it is challenging to dis@nguish between cause and effect. Is globalisa@on an effect of TNCs or the other way around? It could be argued that there is a degree of consensus among scholars across countries that the role of the state is s@ll vital in dicta@ng the course of ac@on and the direc@on

be exchanged across countries. Due to huge inﬂows and ouqlows of currencies and money, states are not able to control the currency due to vola@lity and ﬂuctua@ons. The emergence of global civil society and transna@onal social movement has arguably eroded the relevance of the state. Global civil society refers to a realm of autonomous groups that operate independently of government.

of the country. It is inevitable that states now have less control of some ac@vi@es on their territory such as trade and business. However, the world is made of separate states that enjoy a c e r t a i n l e v e l o f s o v e r e i g n t y . A s Subcomandante Marcos once said “In the cabaret of globaliza@on, the state shows itself as a table dancer that strips oﬀ everything un@l it is leS with only the minimum indispensable garments: the repressive force.” Sadly this is becoming an imminent truth.

LANGKAWI Fernanda Valderrama, Year 10

BIG WHITE, B.C. Natasha Naylor, Year 12

WICKED LONDON Sophia Eow, Year 12 Last summer, I went to London for the first @me. The city took me by surprise and was so much more fun that I had expected it to be. The weather was gloomy, like the busy people walking down the streets who never bother to smile when you walk past, much less look you in the face. Despite this, the city was lovely. Not many things can compare to ea@ng ice cream with the wind in your face by the River Thames, or walking down Oxford Street un@l your feet get sore. London is such a diverse, wonderful place with a licle something for everyone. There are really talented street performers as well. I was constantly amazed by all the different performances they had to show, in return for some spare change and maybe some sense of recogni@on. The nightlife there is also exci@ng and fairly interes@ng. While in London, we stayed near the Abbey Road Studios. Naturally, I had to take a photo mimicking the Beatles’ iconic album cover. Public transport in London is also really convenient as all you need is an Oyster Card to use a range of transport, which are extremely punctual compared to Malaysian public transport. London also has public bicycles for hire, called Santander Cycles. There were docking sta@ons all around the city where you could hire and return the bicycles. The London Eye is an observa@on wheel that gives you a bird’s eye view of the whole city. As the wheel revolves and your ovoidal capsule reaches the top, you can look down and basically see the whole of London below you. Seeing the Big Ben in person is also a must-‐do, although technically, ‘Big Ben’ is the Great Bell inside the clock tower, which is actually the Elizabeth Tower. We visited department stores like Fortnum & Mason and Selfridges; the food there was great! We bought my mom’s favourite Christmas cakes from Marks & Spencer. Whilst Primark had some cute ouqits, we spent 3 hours at Hamleys, where I seriously felt like a kid again. A trip to Bicester Village, an outlet shopping centre, less than two hours’ drive from London, fulfilled all our shopping needs. One evening, we went to see ‘Wicked The Musical’ at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. It was wicked indeed. The atmosphere in the theatre was one of a kind, and there were also great snacks! The musical itself was fantas@c. The performers brought the audience to tears during both the hilarious moments as well as the emo@onal moments. The cast had such beau@ful voices, and the musical was one I’ll never forget. We also spent a day outside of London, visi@ng the city of Oxford and the mysterious Stonehenge in Wiltshire. It was a nice change of atmosphere, being less crowded and more tranquil than London. However, I spent a licle too long in Blackwell’s, which is a bookstore in Oxford, and lost my way back to the bus. Eventually I returned 20 minutes late, much to the displeasure of my mother. I was so glad to be back in London though, because I had missed it, even if only for a day. London truly was such an amazing and inspiring city for me, and it will always have a place in my heart.

LONDON Sarah Tan, Year 13

SALAK SAYANG, TIOMAN Ashwini Ravi, Year 13

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“IF YOU EVER GET THE CHANCE, DIVE INTO THE EXPERIENCE.”

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BE FOR OR AGAINST THE FLOOD A review by Gabe Lingan, Year 13 Eye-‐opening, thought-‐provoking and alarming, ‘Before the Flood’ is a documentary that follows famous actor and environmental ac@vist, Leonardo DiCaprio in his search for the predominant causes of climate change and how mankind has taken a massive turn for the worse. DiCaprio refers to ‘The Garden of Earthly Delights’, a pain@ng from the early 1500s, the final stage of the three depicted is a scene of hell with dark skies, the result of self-‐indulgent over-‐consump@on. DiCaprio implies that the scenes depicted in Bosch’s triptych pain@ng may very well be our fate should we con@nue on our current path. Given the rate of our current consump@on, DiCaprio is ini@ally pessimis@c of what the future may hold for us and the amount of @me leS to act before a point of no return is reached. Throughout the documentary, more is revealed on the macer. DiCaprio and those watching realise how licle the general public actually know about the most important issue of our @me. What may surprise viewers is the contrast between how Chinese media and American media present climate change and how this directly influences the amount of concern being raised amongst the general public in those countries. The corrup@on, ignorance and selfishness of individuals as well as fossil fuel-‐addicted corpora@ons and countries is a major theme throughout the documentary with well known fossil fuel players being specifically targeted. Although the documentary informs viewers of the major causes of global warming and the ac@ons to take in order to prevent it further occuring, it fails to bring forward any unprecedented knowledge and therefore doesn’t add any real weigh@ng to the discussion of global warming. However, those more easily convinced by the views of a celebrity environmental ac@vist rather than trusted climate scien@sts will find this documentary informa@ve and especially alarming. The point is made clear that there is simply no @me leS to discuss the macer, the only priority should lie in taking immediate ac@on to prevent further warming and in a best case scenario, reverse the devasta@ng effects that will and already have taken place. The documentary is an acempt at sounding the alarm for people to “wake up and smell the greenhouse gases” and more importantly, to change the way we interact with our environment and the decisions we make everyday. ‘Before the Flood’ showcases the fragility of our earth and how the most minute of changes can result in mankind’s downfall. 42

GEOGRAPHY PUNS What did Tennessee? What Arkansas.

Why is the Czech Republic so sensible?

Why is eating so important? Because when people are Hungary, they are nothing Budapest. And why are they never happy? Because they always want Samoa. Why is it hard to sleep next to someone from the South Pacific? They are quite Fiji-ty. What did Delaware? A New Jersey.

Because everyone is very Praguematic.

Why is Switzerland so great? Well, the flag is a big plus. Why is Tel Aviv a great place to go on holiday? It Israeli fun. Why didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the tourists want to go back to Kathmandu? They were Nepalled by what they saw. 43 Â

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English prince leads coniferous country (11) Island clothing! (6) The same endless rocky hilltop in earth's midriff (7) Sam dreamt about European port (9) Computers remove final passenger for continental flight (7) Initially I took a loose Yak to a European country (5)

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Whisper this and the city is found within? (5) 2.  Cause of Pacific Floods crashing on Nile (2,4) 3.  Capital policeman with a witch surrounded by two headless chickens (10) 4.  Inexperienced band intended to limit urban sprawl (5,4) 5.  Dampen drop at cascade (9) 6.  Hero meditated within city (4) 8.  Dairy ward ruined by river (9) 11.  Drowned river valley heard behind (3) 13.  Pile of coastal rocks (5)

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Source: www.chroniclebooks.com

DURHAM Sarah Tan, Year 13

Source: www.ordnancesurvey.co,.uk