Vol 19 Issue 15

INSIDER 03.02.16 | VOL. 19 | ISSUE 15

STUDENT MAGAZINE

Meet International Brand Ambassadors

By Setareh Nourzad

Features & Recipe  Delightful Browser Extensions  Insanely Easy Apple Crumble

Reviews  Final Fantasy XV  Train: A Girl, A Bottle, A Boat  Split

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Insider Student Magazine South-Eastern University of Applied Sciences Paraatikenttä 7 45100 Kouvola

Editor in chief: Hugh Clack INSIDER ISSN 1457-1587

PHONE +358 44 702 8758 WEBSITE insider.kyamk.fi EMAIL insider@kyamk.fi WRITERS first.last@student.kyamk.fi

 /INSIDERSTUDENTMAGAZINE

EDITORIAL

Road to Nowhere

On their sixth studio album Little Creatures in 1985, the Talking Heads released a happy sounding song with the name “Road to Nowhere”. Singer and musical mastermind David Byrne celebrated the dark, dystopian future and the end of the world. There are plenty of 1970s and 1980s apocalyptic songs, so many that you could create a playlist for days. You can easily recognize music of these decades today, due to their sombre synthesizer & drums sounds and their dark and hopeless lyrics.

Hopelessness and perceptions about a suppressed society are today relevant as never before. A linguistic jury in Germany named “post-factual” as the word of 2016, which illustrates the tendency of the public to accept lies and “felt truths”. The mistrust

in the media, the curtailment of press freedoms by narcistic politicians and the country ban of persons because of their nationalities or beliefs, are definitely steps towards the road to nowhere.

In times like this universities like XAMK can be a haven of peace and clarity. This week’s issue discusses both sides. It features a movie review about a dark thriller to get you into the mood for the end of the world party. In addition, it presents the second part of our hopes in the new brand ambassadors of the International Business Programme.

Julia

DELIGHTFUL BROWSER uBlock Origin Compatible with Chrome, Firefox, and Opera Have you grown tired of the constant barrage of advertisements across the web? Maybe you just need to listen to music on YouTube without being interrupted every song. If this describes your deepest or even most shallow desires, it is time to install uBlock Origin. Hide those pesky banners and videos, and if you find something which is not already blocked, add it to the list and from then on uBlock will remember, so you can forget.

Ghostery Compatible with Chrome, Firefox, and Opera A perfect companion to uBlock Origin, Ghostery combats all the tracking services which have sprawled up in the past decade. You might be surprised to learn that many websites follow your path across the internet. Unintentionally leaving a cookie trail, it can be a bit unnerving to think that some company is always watching you. Fortunately, if you use Ghostery, you can stop those trackers in their tracks and become a ghost.

Drumpfinator Compatible with Chrome and Firefox Want to support America? Just kidding, they will no longer be taken seriously for a long time to come. The current president is the butt of many a joke but people don’t know whether to laugh or cry at his antics.

According to “Last Week Tonight” with John Oliver, Donald Trump’s family name used to be Drumpf back when his ancestors migrated to the United States. With Drumpfinator, you can show your empathy by replacing every instance of “Trump” with “Drumpf”.

Writefull Compatible with Chrome Another productivity extension, Writefull improves your writing in immediately visual ways. Working almost like a thesaurus, it compares a highlighted phrase with the built-in database to see if there is a less frequently used replacement. Not only does it offer a replacement, it orders all options in order of their frequency. Writefull can also point out if you may be using a certain word too often in your own work. You know the saying: variety is the spice of life.

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ADD-ONS / EXTENSIONS Grayson Leif Heflin

Website Destroyer Compatible with Chrome Having a stressful day at Xamk? Tomorrow will be better, don’t worry.

In the mean time however, take out some aggression by destroying a webpage. With Website Destroyer you can use an assortment of virtual weapons to cut, shoot, nuke, hammer, stamp, and more to any website. You will need to share the extension on Facebook to access the full range of utensils but at least you can get a taste of the basics for no extra effort on your part.

Todobook Compatible with Chrome Facebook can be very tempting when you actually have chores or assignments you need to finish. TodoBook hides your News Feed and overlays it with your to-do list. Once your list is complete, you are rewarded with the triumphant return of the News Feed. Though will it be as engrossing if it is no longer procrastination? I’ll leave that up to you to decide.

Tab for a Cause Compatible with Chrome and Firefox For the philanthropist in you, give Tab for a Cause a whirl. The premise is that when you open a new tab, an ad is displayed towards the bottom. The ad revenue goes towards charitable destinations. Opening the dashboard of the extension reveals your progress en route to making the world a better place. Provide people with clean water, end hunger, and help provide an education to those in need, without even trying. Note however, this might interfere with uBlock Origin, so if you choose to install this extension you may want to put these ads on the safe list.

Joy Trigger Compatible with Chrome Cute animal pictures. Inspirational productivity tips. Simple design. Install Joy Trigger to give you a warm feeling in your stomach each time you open a new tab. You may not be donating to a charity with each tab creation but you are donating to your own happiness. Simple tricks to live a healthier life, without being overbearing, coupled with animals doing funny things (it is the internet after all) seems like a win-win situation. Trigger some joy in your life with Joy Trigger.

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MEET THE NEW BRAND AMBASSADOR FOR INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS PROGRAMME IN XAMK KOUVOLA PT. 2

By Setareh Nourzad

Ladies and Gentlemen: let me continue where I left on last week, let me introduce you Marija Marash, who is also the brand ambassador for International Business Programme in XAMK Kouvola working together with Swan. Marija is originally from a small country called Albania. She is also a freshman from IB16. ď Ž

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How long have you lived in Kouvola? I have lived here for five months.

What made you choose this field of study? And why Kouvola? I was raised in a family of entrepreneurs and being raised in that family made me have the same desires and wishes for the future. I wanted to follow the steps of my father since he was always a role model to me. Also, my sister is an entrepreneur and I learned a lot from her. And the reason why I chose Kouvola is because Finland has the best universities in the world and I wanted to come to Kouvola because it is a small and quiet place. It is easy here to learn and be concentrated on your studies.

What are your future plans/goals? I do not want to have the typical life of a person that works her whole life for others without having recognition for it and does not have time for her family. I would like to have my own company and also I would like to love my work and do it because I love it not because I have to do it.

If you could describe our campus briefly, how would you describe it? It is a friendly campus and has international environment. I really like the fact that the lecturers are also really friendly with the students and always ready to help. I would say that this campus is like a second house to me since I spend most of my time here.

What are the key responsibilities of a brand ambassador? In my opinion a brand ambassador has always to be active, they have to know what is going on and they have to be updated with the latest news.

For example: usually you find me walking around the campus checking the new activities and also trying to be part of them. Every time I see something interesting I try to capture a picture. I always try high light the positive sides of the brand that I am representing.

Do you prefer to work independently or in a team?

For me it depends. There are some things that a person cannot do alone or it is more fun and easier to do it with someone else. There are also some other things that are easier to do by your own. So, for me it is a combination of both.

Have you had any formal training in brand management or marketing? When I used to live in Albania I worked since I was 16 years old and the last job included a lot of marketing work. So yes, I guess I had a little formal training and experience before becoming the brand ambassador.

What aspect of being a brand ambassador makes you the happiest? I really like to show people the things that I love so they can also be part of it. I love Finland and I love Kouvola so being a brand ambassador gives me the possibility to show people how good it is here. I am a really social person, but everyone knows when coming in a new place it means that you have to start from beginning and it is a little hard for everyone to create friendships, but since I am a brand ambassador I do not have a problem with that. One of the reasons that I wanted to come here is to know as many people as possible and to know their cultures.

Being a Brand Ambassador is helping me a lot with it.

What are the downsides of being a brand ambassador? As I mentioned before I have to be really active and sometimes there are days that I do not have inspiration to write or post anything. Despite this fact I still have to do it. Also maybe sometimes people will not like the thing that I posted, they can criticize and of course I have to be understandable.

How would you market this to students on social media? What online tools do you use, and which are the most effective? By showing them the real life of the students in XAMK. Live videos, a lot of pictures, different activities that take place here and my own thoughts about it. Also, sometimes the life of a student outside the campus. I usually use Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and sometimes Tumblr. The most effective ones are Facebook and Instagram.

Describe yourself in 4 words: I would say definitely friendly since it is easy for me to be friends with everyone, adaptable because I get used to different environments quickly, maybe a little sentimental and definitely non-judgmental.

Do you have a support team that you can turn to when facing problems/difficulties while representing this brand? The first person that pops up in my mind is my lecturer Hugh Clack. He was actually the one that recommended me to be a brand ambassador and I am sure that every time I will have a problem or difficulty he will be there to advise me and help me to find a solution. Also, my other lecturer Sara Czabai.

Would you recommend this to others? Why yes/ no? A big YES. This is a great opportunity to learn and practice at the same time. You gain a lot of experience by doing something that is really fun and also you get to be part of different activities. 

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INSANELY EASY APPLE CRUMBLE The semester has finally kicked off properly and everybody's working full steam ahead, without no extra time to do anything complicated or time-consuming. That is why this week the dessert is something very simple and doesn't once again require any actual skills of any sorts. As long as you can get the ingredients from the store and as long as you know the time in order to not burn the crumble in the oven, you'll do just fine with this one. You can also modify this recipe: if you for instance love almonds, why not add crushed almonds in there. Feel free to improvise. Take chances, try new things, don't always stick to the instructions. Be a rebel, don't make the apple crumble as it is here said, do it your own unique way.

What to do: 1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees.

2. Slice the apples 3. Melt the butter in a sauce pan. Once melted, take the pan of the stove already.

4. Mix oatmeal, sugar, vanilla sugar and cinnamon together. Mix them well.

5. Add the apples and the dry ingredients into the sauce pan.

6. Stir well and then tip the mix into a baking dish.

7. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the crumble is golden and cooked through.

8. Serve right away with some ice cream!

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Suvi Karell

What you need: • 100g butter • 5-6 apples, any kind of apples, take the cheapest • 3 dl oatmeal • 1 dl sugar • 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar • ½ teaspoon cinnamon • ovenproof baking dish • ice cream

After more than ten years of development, multiple rewrites and one companion app, Final Fantasy XV is finally out! What can you say about one of the most notorious and well known video game series of all time? They are good games, I highly recommend you to play them, you should get inspired by their mechanics, graphics and stories.

Square Enix Final Fantasy is Square Enix’s biggest video game franchise with more than 130 million sold copies. Final Fantasy was created by Hironobu Sakaguchi as his final attempt to get into gaming business and to make it saddle he passed the finals.

Square Enix is one of the biggest video game developer in the industry. You have probably played and heard of many of their games without even realizing they made them.

Final Fantasy XV is the latest instalment of Square Enix’s RPG series. In Final Fantasy XV you play as prince Noctis of Lucis and you are on your way to marry miss Lunafreya, a former prince of Tenebrae and a captive of evil nation Nifleheim so that Lucis and Nifleheim can sign a peace treaty. You are accompanied by your best friend who happen to be convenient also your royal butler and your bodyguards Ignis, Gladious and Prompto.

Final Fantasy XV isn’t too bad of a game. It most certainly isn’t the best game of the series but doesn’t fall too far from it. The game play is lovely. There is enough of searching new territory, going to revisit old places and enough battle too. The battle system is completely new for a Final Fantasy game that isn’t an online multiplayer game. In Final Fantasy XV you move in a battle zone where the player’s character Noctis can move around freely thanks to magical teleportation which is the primary way to dodge enemy attacks. Btw you can play the game through without taking a single hit which makes the dodges even more pleasant. The only place where Final Fantasy XV falls short is its story and not what the story is but where its told. Final Fantasy XV’s story is currently divided into three different parts one movie, one anime series and the last part of the story is told in the actual game. I highly recommend watching the Kingsglave movie and Final Fantasy: XV Brotherhood series before playing the game because they provide you with crucial informations about the happening before the game and why certain characters are who they are in the game.  Roope Saukkonen

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TRAIN

A GIRL, A BOTTLE, A BOAT Ajay Bhattacharyya, William Wiik Larsen, Neff U, Jake Sinclair Pop/Rock // January 27, 2017

I

’ve never liked Train. Then again, I’ve never really listened to them beyond their hits. They’ve never been truly off-putting, I’ve never just found a reason to take a closer look. At best tracks like “Drops of Jupiter” are just boring, at worst they’re like “50 Ways to Say Goodbye”, which is, if you pardon the expression, a trainwreck of singer Pat Monahan’s verbal homicide.

To be fair, I’ve never listen any of their deeper cuts. I guess their tenth studio album A Girl, A Bottle, A Boat works as good an introduction as any.

To counterbalance the tastelessly jubilant, overproduced soundscape, most of the lyrics are just tasteless. Whatever the reason, Train derails (no pun intended) into the weird territory thankfully rarely, settling on bland unoriginality instead. “Valentine” is a lyricist’s starter pack collection of clichéd love song banalities such as “I’ll always stand by your side” and “I’m never gonna say goodbye”, and the two opening tracks are lyrically every single drinking/clubbing song made since 2009.

The first impression is that of crippling unoriginality: the lead-off track “Drink Up” is a standard 2010’s nu-disco track, almost a carbon copy of DNCE’s last year hit “Cake By The Ocean”; meanwhile “Play That Song” borrows its chorus melody from the often-covered oldie “Heart and Soul”.

But what good was Train if it never got lyrically off the rails, even just a little bit? The incredibly confused “What Good is Saturday” tries its best to be a long distance love song about missing your partner when you’re not together. However, most of the lyrics are just listing foods he misses when she’s not cooking for him. Similarly, “The News” is an incredibly mind-boggling monologue framed in form of a phone call, telling the person in the other end of the line to open the news to see them telling how the singer is crazy.

However, after that the things take turn for the better: “Lottery” features a heavy samba instrumentation on its choruses, but this time it’s much better incorporated into the song than the mariachi elements in “50 Ways”.

Same can be said for most of the tracks: “Silver Dollar” features an adequate hip hop beat, “Valentine” is packed with delightful Beach Boys -esque vocal harmonies, and the horn hook looping throughout “Lost and Found” is simple enough not to lose its charm despite the endless repetition. Even the more unoriginal tracks on the album are bathing in unashamed, almost disarmingly cheesy cheerfulness: Train is cornier than your average maize maze, and proud of it. The album ends with a piano ballad so grandiose and glitzy it makes “Don’t Stop Believing” seem tastefully minimalistic. The whole thing would be almost infectious if it wasn’t so irritating.

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Overall there’s not much pushing me to either direction about A Girl, A Bottle, A Boat. On one side it is undeniably catchy and full of joy; on the other hand it's overproduced, shiningly sleek collection of vapid pop songs with lyrics ranging from boring to baffling. So if you can live with their corny and cheesy lyrics, overly glossy studio production and kitschy, almost cheap hooks, I can do nothing but recommend this album for you. I personally wouldn’t risk the diabetes.

 Roope Sorvo

SPLIT

STUDIO 123 Kymenlaaksonkatu 1 45700 Kuusankoski 05 3792082 www.studio123.fi

STUDIO 1

James McAvoy Anya Taylor-Joy Betty Buckley Director M. Night Shyamalan Thriller/Horror

ONNELI, ANNELI JA SALAPERÄINEN MUUKALAINEN (S) | 10€ | 1h15min Fri, Mon, Wed-Thu 17:15h Sat-Sun 15:30h, 17:15h Tue 16:15

Three girls are kidnapped by a man with a diagnosed 23 distinct personalities, and must try and escape before the apparent emergence of a frightful new 24th. In his latest movie, Split, M. Night Shyamalan tells the story of a young man, who suffers from dissociative identity disorder with up to 24 different personalities.

Kevin, the main character played by James McAvoy, offers a range of characters: The innocent nine-year old Kanye West fan, a snooty and sinister woman, an awkward, perverted guy with OCD and “The Beast”. And while James McAvoy convincingly performs every single character with a manic sense of humour and dark charm, the story disappoints a bit in the end.

LA LA LAND (S) | 11€ | 2h08min Fri-Mon, Wed-Thu 18:50h

The movie lives entirely from the great performance of its main actor, while the other actors’ characters go short. This is however not the actresses fault, but the stereotypical character description of hysterical horror movie teenage girls led by a smart and observant underdog. The psychiatrist, on the other hand, doesn’t get enough screen time to explain her hypothesis regarding Kevin sufficiently. In the end her whole character is useless, even though she’s able to prove her perceptions.

ROGUE ONE (12) | 12€ | 2h13min Sat, Tue 19:15h

The atmosphere of the movie is gloomy and luring, and the audience wavers between being startled by the impenetrability of the multiple personalities and actually sympathising with some of those. The end offers no story twist, but instead adds a small unnecessary splash of supernatural to the mix, while some stories were not followed through. Summing up M. Night Shyamalan offers an average entertaining movie, which depicts cruelty and torture, but resigns from more detailed explanations about the actual mental illness.  Julia Felizitas Weyrauch

STUDIO 2 JACKIE (12) | 11€ | 1h40min Sat-Sun 15:15h LIFE, ANIMATED (S) | 11€ | 1h31min Every Evening 17:30h ASSASSIN'S CREED (12) | 12€ | 1h56min Fri, Mon 19:15h

XXX: RETURN OF XANDER CAGE (12) | 11€ | 1h47min Sun, Wed-Thu 19:15h

STUDIO 3 TOIVON TUOLLA PUOLEN (12) | 11€ | 1h38min Every Evening 17:00h Sat-Sun 15:00h, 17:00h LION (16) | 11€ | 1h59min Fri-Sat, Tue-Thu 19:00h SPLIT (16) | 11€ | 1h57min Sun-Mon 19:00h

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