SLUMDOG SENSATION

SARAH FRANCIS on an Anglo-Indian triumph

Slumdog Millionaire is a must see movie. It’s directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy and stars Dev Patel from the Channel Four show Skins playing the main character Jamal.

Jamal is an 18 year old boy from the slums of Mumbai who finds himself in the hot seat of the Indian version of the TV show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

Answering all his questions correctly, Jamal is well on his way to winning 20 million rupees, but is he doing it only for the money?

The show’s host Prem Kumar, played by Anil Kapoor, refuses to believe that this poor, slum born kid genuinely knows the answers and must be cheating.

So the minute the show has run out of time, Prem has Jamal arrested and taken to the police station.

Forced to go through each question again and explain how he knew the answers, Jamal’s life story begins to unfold and this is the device used to keep us on the edge of our seats throughout.

There are a many twists, turns and tragedies in this film, but it is definitely a feel good rags-to- riches drama, which has already been given top ratings by the film critics, won four Golden Globe awards and is a UK smash hit.

Dev Patel’s performance is brilliant and his BAFTA nomination for best male actor, competing with the likes of Brad Pitt, has definitely proved his talent at a young age.

He is surely well on his way to a successful film career.

His Mumbai based co-star Freida Pinto plays his love interest Latika and is up for best supporting actress at the BAFTAS. She has had minor roles before, but Slumdog is most definitely her starring debut.

Slumdog Millionaire stands out because it has Bollywood and Hollywood elements mixed together, something that’s totally new.

And the locations, content and style of the film are pretty unique too.

A great directing job from Danny Boyle.

WAR VIEWS

HEADSET CONTRIBUTORS on the media coverage and other issues coming out of Gaza

Pro-Israeli media outlets don’t focus on why Hamas was firing the rockets into Israel and refuse to condemn both sides and the pro-Palestine ones only blame Israel for the violence – so both can be said to be biased. But it’s revealing to look at the Stop the War and similar websites and compare them with pro-Israeli ones, which do not focus on the history of the region. History after all is what provides a context for the causes of the conflict.
BERNARD SHEERAN

There is a pro-Israeli Zionist agenda in the UK and US media which would like us to think Israel can do no wrong. It seems to blame all Palestinian deaths on the Palestinians, rather than blaming the people who actually dropped the bombs on those innocent lives. The BBC even posted an article on its website blaming Hamas for the bombing of a UN school, saying Hamas were firing rockets from inside it, without any evidence. Even if this had been so, they could have sent ground troops in rather than bombing it. Fox News say that Hamas started this war by firing rockets into Israel in early December as if nothing happened before that. They have hidden information that this is a war that has been going on for decades and that Israel has oppressed the Palestinians, preventing food and supplies from going into Gaza. As far as I’m concerned, networks like Al-Jazeera have presented the war fairly because it has reported how homes, mosques, schools and government buildings and hospitals have been targeted by Israeli jets. People might say that it has a pro-Palestinian bias, but I think they are reporting the truth and if the truth is pro-Palestinian, then so be it
AHMED AHMED

From a political point of view I think it is impossible to say who’s right and who’s wrong. All I know is that hundreds of innocents are dying and no one is trying to provide useful suggestions to stop this. Each party in the conflict has its own agenda – Shiites will believe in what Hassan Nasrallah (Hezbollah) is saying before he even says it. Large sections of the Arab public do not care anymore, because things have gone on in the same way for the past 61 years, since the foundation of Israel, and also because it’s lost trust in the leaders. And on the other side you have people who back Israel because they believe in the Israeli project, no matter what the outcomes and costs will be.
ZAIN AL JANABI

The Israeli military’s massacre of 1,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children, has been ignored by world leaders. They could not protect them against their cowardly attacks and the Israeli government should stand trial for their crimes against humanity, including the use of chemical weapons. The people of Gaza have the right to resist and protect their territorial integrity. They are under oppression and occupation by Israel’s soldiers who wage war on innocent women and children and closing down the borders to stop any aid getting in. These people are totally innocent and the UN and international organisations should make the Israelis pay for the damage and the massacre of innocent Palestinians.
SAIKOUBA CEESAY CEE07073917@student.cnwl.ac.uk

From what I can see from the media coverage, most outlets are taking Israel’s side in the Gaza war. I totally disagree with this because innocent people are dying. I wish the Israelis would forget about politics, religion and land just for once and realise what they are doing. As a Muslim, I feel very strongly about this. I was shocked when I looked at the Israeli website infolivetv, which has a section which is totally devoted to “terrorism”. This is absolutely so ridiculous – they post articles on their website about terrorism when they themselves are the terrorists! Now that Obama is President I just pray that things will change for the better, but have low hopes. The war in Iraq and Afghanistan is still going on and it’s like no one cares.
SAMERA RACHYAL

LAUNDERETTE LOWDOWN

by RYAN DINWIDDY

As this site’s investigative and some say fearless consumer affairs correspondent, this post I turn my attention to the plethora of launderettes on offer in the Willesden area.

Are they places like Dotʼs in ʼstenders, where life’s in the raw and so are the smalls and everyone can afford endless service washes? I visited a cross sectional trio to find out and gave them Dot ratings for the quality or otherwise of the experience.

SUDS

The imaginatively named Suds is situated on the Willesden High Road. It’s a ʻnice and brightʼ place with some art on the walls from Ikea. There are shed loads of laundry baskets and even some quite recent magazines to read. It has an ironing service with a happy hour from six till seven; they also have five medium and seven large washers with eight tumblers!

Opening hours 8am; last wash 7pm, 8pm close.

Verdict: It has a good vibe, has Suds. I like it, I like it a lot!

Dot rating *****

 

THE BLUE INK

The Blue Ink is also on the High Road, but this is a very dark and dismal place where the walls have been painted nicotine brown. It has the same amount of washers and driers as Suds and, though just across the road, itʼs miles apart in the life affirming launderette experience.

Opening hours 8am – 8pm.

Verdict: The sort of place where you risk having all your clothes nicked should you pop down the pub while theyʼre drying.

Dot rating *

 

Q+A

The Q+A launderette is on Dudden Hill Lane, a tiny almost claustrophobic facility which is surprisingly high tech. This has easily the most modern machines, even the doors on the driers pop open automatically when theyʼre finished. But itʼs also the most expensive of the three; £3.50 for a large wash and £2.70 for a medium.

Opens 8am; doors automatically close at 9pm, so donʼt nod off.

Verdict: Good for giving your smalls a treat.

Dot rating ***

 

MOBILE MANIA

Is EMAN ABBAS a hopeless case?

The first time I realised I could possibly be a phone addict was when my mobile ‘disappeared’ at a wedding party. I woke up the next morning and spent minutes looking for it like a mad woman before I realised what had happened the night before. I got a new phone and a new SIM card the same day (I now keep a purse full of spare SIM cards, just in case…) and I have tried every network in the UK.

This obsession with my phone increased more and more, until I realised I had to do something about it. So I decided to put myself to the test. How would I cope without my phone for 24/1? This is what happened…

07.36 Wake up. Reach for phone. Remember I’m on trial, so turn off. Bye phone, (mwah), I’ll miss you!
07.58 Mobile still switched off. Get ready for college.
08.43 Leave house. Take phone with me. Well, what if an emergency happens? Like I fall down a well…or… something?
09.00 Lessons start, phone still in bag. No withdrawal symptoms so far. You try using a mobile during lessons with our tutors, anyway!
17.00 Finish classes. Take mobile out to call for my pick up. Whoops! Guess I’ll just walk it today, in conformity with New Year’s Resolution Number 12 : ‘Get fit and start walking more.’
19.30 Working at home. Suddenly, phone rings! I’m sure it’s mine. I am the only one in the house with that ring tone! Check phone. Nothing! Blank! Am going bonkers?
19.35 There it goes again! No, I need to go out and get some fresh air. Use house line to call friends to set something up on justification that land lines as different from mobiles as bananas from rabbits, when you think reasonably deeply about it.
20.30 Arrive rendezvous. I’m the earliest, so sit and wait. Can’t call or txt them to hry up. Realise I rely on my phone for a lot of petty things. Decide on New Year’s Resolution Number 07990353535: ‘Don’t use phone to hassle people.’
20.42 Girls show up. Place mobiles on table. About to reach for mine. Stop myself just in time – realise I’ll grab it when a mobile rings, thus proving I rely on phone too much. Will look a prat. One girls hints it’s her birthday. Oh no! Totally forgot! My phone always reminds me about birthdays! Sorry! (Mwahs).
22.47 Use friend’s phone to call home for lift. What? I’m not cheating! I said: “…a day without MY phone”. Also realise life without mobile has plus points, e.g. parents can’t harass me about where I am and when I’m coming back!
00.05 Get home. Force myself to sleep, because if I stay awake then will want to use my phone. Not long left. Tomorrow, everything back to normal! Put phone on charge, so it’s ready for action! Can’t wait…zzz….
Next day, 07.42 My phone has been off six minutes longer then it should. Oh, the horror! I quickly turn it on: there are 9 text messages and 26 missed calls. I’m kind of disappointed. I would have thought there’d be more.

Conclusion: A good experience, but I wouldn’t do it again unless someone paid me enough to change my mind! My phone is my life support machine and I would probably give up chocolate before I ever give up my phone – but maybe I’m not that much of an addict…
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE UPS AND DOWNS OF KHAT

SAMIRA ALI on a controversial narcotic

The long, hot working day is over and the men of the village begin to retire to the local marfish (khat house), each purchasing a fresh bag of khat as they make their way. Hurrying to the gathering spot in a sunny open meadow, surrounded by palm trees, each sips tea and chews khat leaves, passing the long hours with talk of life, religion, their village…

This idyllic vision of khat consumption in Somalia runs counter to the perception of the narcotic elsewhere in the world. Chewing khat has been a subject of controversy since the increase of east African immigrants to Europe and the USA, where questions are being raised about the health issues, particularly psychological, surrounding the stimulant.

Since the late 1980s, khat imports to the UK have increased dramatically, hence the governmentʼs growing concerns over its use.

But chewing khat in countries like Somalia has been a traditional past time for centuries, much like the evening down the local pub in Britain. Khat plays a dominant role in all male activities in Somalia, including celebrations, marriages and business and political meetings. It is believed to be an antidote to depression and, paradoxically, a trigger of depression among those who become addicted to the drug.

For centuries, khat (celastrus edulis) has been used as a stimulus and to banish sleep and hunger. Users stay up all night reciting verses of the Holy Quʼran and engaging in religious discussion, hence its increasing use in African countries.

With increased Somali immigration to Britain, khat is now sold all over London. There are seven khat houses alone on the Church End estate in Harlesden, where there is a sizeable Somali community.

“We must keep our traditions alive in western society and chewing khat is a way of doing so,ʼ marfish owner Yusuf Ali told me. As you walk along the busy streets of Church End, you can see what he means. Groups of men purchase their bags of khat, while others talk excitedly as they wait for fresh stock to arrive.

A minority of Somali women also chew khat, but in private. “Men and women can chew together if they choose, but are advised to chew separately,” Mr Ali said. As you look around, there is not a woman in sight, only large groups of men, young and old.

Khat has long been considered internationally as one of the less problematic psychoactive plants, but perceptions are changing. Increased khat use among the Somali community has brought attendant psychological problems.

As nearly all Somalis in the UK witnessed tough times during the civil war in their country, an increasing number of people are turning to the drug and being put at risk. “Chewing khat can cause a lack of motivation and you can easily withdraw from daily life,” Mr Ali warned.

MY LIFE IN SLAVERY

by ALAIN MASSA

 

Five days have passed yet I see no sun

I have heard water dropping from the sky yet I see no rain

Family gone, friends gone, freedom also gone.

But memory’s steel is not gone.

They have taken my friends from me

My family from me, my freedom from me.

But they will never take memory from me.

 

The ship is ready

I am steel standing steady

Knowing this is not even the start of my life in slavery.

Close my eyes – I can still see my family

Wild sea birds, me and my family

Swimming in the sea

The sun shining so beautifully.

 

But I always came back

Back to this place that’s so dark

Places where I am treated like a wild animal

Just because I am black.

Punched, pushed and whipped

Over and over and over

But I always fight back

I fight for my freedom and the DRC.

Because I am Congolese

I fight for my memories.

 

I know one day my story will be told,

But will it be heard?

What matter what I know? I will die like I was made

I will keep trying up till I make it or get killed.

 

Maybe one day my dreams

Will became a reality

Maybe my life in slavery

Will become just a history

Just a story

My life in slavery story!

 

THINKING YOU’RE SO COOL

by FAITH DORE

 

Sitting up in his room wondering what to do,

Growing up in a neighbourhood thinking he’s so cool,

Blinging with the ice, having all the babes,

What else can go on are you following up with his pace?

Looking so cute hell yeah he looks good,

Having a brain as thick as wood,

Looking so fine hell no she ain’t mine,

Heard she sleeps around each and every time.

Living the life but having no good goal,

Should have had a wife but he’s having a whore.

Looking to the future thinking she knows best,

Moving around like she ain’t bad as the rest.

What else can go on is one going to change?

You should think hard what could happen or what might remain,

Could it be HIV, could it be AIDS?

Making the right moves makes you more cool,

Stop trying to be like others before you become a fool,

Why not try education and start going back to school,

You’ll be on top of the world with all the knowledge, you can rule.

He’s thinking, she’s thinking can I even do that,

Should we just say do you still want to be a spoilt brat?

Having your mind in control with a good goal in life,

Ladies, gentlemen would soon become your husband or wife,

Life is less painful than thinking your cool in a gang being stabbed with a knife,

Thinking on this, is this what you really want to fight?

Nothing is always easy, most things are sometimes hard trying to do what is right,

It never really seems to work out just letting us loose interest in life,

But aiming high for the achievement will get you to a better place,

Trust me! No matter what type of race, just keep up with the good pace.

 

 

POLE STAR’S POSITION

IRENEUSZ MAZURʼS passion is pinhole photography because, as he tells HEADSET ONLINE, itʼs so beautifully unpredictable

 

I come from the Sudetenland in the beautiful mountainous south west of Poland. I always dreamed of standing at the foot of the Himalayas and so I came here where I could earn money much easier and fund the trek. The dream fulfilled, I stayed on. I have been living here for over ten years and feel well adapted though I still feel like a foreigner – but maybe thatʼs just in my head.

I ended up feeling like a river restricted by an invisible dam. I needed new goals and got talked into doing the A level photography at the college by a cousin of my girl­friend who enjoyed the course very much.

I canʼt study without an income so I work as a gardener during the day, which keeps me close to my beloved nature. I would say thereʼs much greater care for the envi­ronment here than in Poland.

I like pinhole photography simply because it is unpre­dictable, like humans. Thereʼs a real sense of deferred gratification in waiting for the image to emerge. And I am often surprised at the effects achieved; working in the darkroom also preserves a continuity and intimacy with the subject matter as it emerges through a processes of care. In digital photography this is just a con­version to 01010101010!

My thematic concerns are the environment – billions of years of evolution are being destroyed before our very eyes. We have become careless in the extreme and it pains me.

At college I have had a lot of creative fun. As for studying at uni­versity level, weʼll see. I donʼt want this to become too serious as it would spoil the enjoyment!

 

 

GREAT EUROPEAN POWER GAMES

by JEKATERINA NEFEDJEVA

Visaginas, a small town located in the north-east of Lithuania, was built in 1975 mainly for workers of the Ignalinos nuclear power plant and their families to live in. More than six out of ten of its population is Russian, the highest per-centage in the country. During the era of the Soviet Union, when internal borders were open, a lot of Russian nuclear engineering specialists moved to Visaginas, looking for new opportunities and a better quality of life.

In 1991, side by side with other former Soviet republics, Lithuania became independent and the nuclear plant came under its control.

But three years ago, Lithuania jumped from one union to another and joined Europe. While this gave Lithuanians a lot of possibilities by freeing up travel, study and work opportunities – Europe needs a lot of specialists which Lithuanians can provide – there is a downside. The EU insisted on the closure of the Ignalinos plant, even though it still had many operational years left.

The EU wants Ignalinos shut because its nuclear reactor is of the same type as Chernobylʼs. There are fears that should there be an accident, the radioactive contamination will be similar to that produced after the explosion at the Ukrainian plant in 1986.

But the planned closure ignores the fact that Ignalinos was taking on board all future eventualities and had worked for years researching and preventing actual risks: nuclear specialists did not see any problems in the plantʼs operation.

Yet the reality of having such a productive energy supplier within the EU has not gone down well with western European heads of state.

Why? Because it is more profitable to sell energy than to buy it. Ignalinos produces about 80% of the electricity consumed in Lithuania and more than half its output supplies the neighboring countries of Latvia, Russia and Byelorussia. And because the energy is cheap, it is competitive.

The plantʼs closure means that Lithuania has shifted from being an energy exporter to an importer. The Lithuanian economy, already under stress, could go into freefall. But no one really cares when it is beneficial for Europe.

The plantʼs closure will have a severe impact on the Baltic stateʼs economy. Lithuania has a population of around three million and 30,000 people, workers and their families, are dependent on Ignalinos for their livelihood.

The EU has announced that the planned closure two years hence will be delayed, but that wonʼt stop thousands from losing their jobs and joining the exodus from the country.

The question is, what will happen to those left behind, people now in their 40s and 50s? Many are highly skilled, intelligent and ambitious people whoʼve worked decades at the plant.

Now theyʼll be forced back on meagre state benefits or they will learn another language, update their qualifications and seek work in a better place. This isnʼt easy to do in middle age and the reality is that many whoʼve emigrated do not continue a professional career but end up as cleaners, babysitters or drivers just to support their families back home.

This is certainly not the dream of going West they had while studying at university.

Finally, what is going to happen to Visaginas is a town of nuclear engineers and highly professional town planners, who built a town in the shape of butterfly, surrounded by millions of pine-trees and some of the most beautiful lakes in Lithuania?

There are hopes it will become a new tourist resort, but no one knows when this future is going to dawn. Without crucial investments it is destined to become a ghost town. The younger generation will leave and only the elderly will remain. The only thing for sure is that the European Union, rather than opening new prospects for its residents, is condemning them to a future of uncertainty and a sense of loss for the good old days.

TESTING TIME FOR SCIENTOLOGY

What is it about scientology that provokes such strong reactions? SASHA THOMPSON finds out

It should come as no surprise that many view scientology in such a negative light. Some take issue with the fact that it was founded by a science fiction writer, L. Ron Hubbard, others with his theory that harmful ‘engrams’ – painful memories – are planted in the brains of ‘earthlings’ and that scientologists must pay thousands of dollars to be cleansed of those negative feelings through church-designed counselling known as ‘auditing’.

Deciding to delve deeper, I paid a visit to one of its churches close by Goodge Street tube. On approaching the building, I came across a smartly dressed man standing next to a table of books. A personality test was on offer to anyone walking by, and he forcefully explained that this was free and that possibly I might benefit from the results.

The personality test is an important part of scientology recruitment and is used worldwide to attract new members. Psychologists criticise the cult for using it in a highly manipulative and unethical fashion, but I pushed these thoughts aside and accepted his offer: I wanted to see for myself.

I was led into the building, where the ‘scientology effect’ was in full swing. People of all nationalities were huddled around talking of their own individual experiences and how Hubbard’s books had helped on their journey to being ‘clear’. Yet it soon became apparent that these were people already working for the Church of Scientology.

The man took me to sit in the ‘auditing’ room. These are separate spaces where tests are conducted on ‘proclear’ people who, like myself, have not been cleansed of their ‘troubles’. I was handed two booklets – one explained how to take what is known as the Oxford Capacity Analysis Test, a.k.a. the American Personality Analysis test, the other gave the questions.

According to the scientology website, “Your personality has everything to do with your income, your future, your personal relationships and your life” and the Oxford test, which would normally cost $500 and up, is offered “as a public service.”

Yet the 200 questions are strangely reminiscent of those you have to endure when applying for certain jobs, stuff such as do you like browsing through railway timetables, enjoy gossiping about work colleagues, find children irritating?

When I’d finished an evaluator took me through to another small booth to discuss my ‘results’. I was shown a graph purporting to represent my I.Q. and ten personality characteristics such as stable, happy, composed or aggressive.

Most of my characteristics averaged between 40 and 80, which I was told was exceptionally good. But, I was informed, the three hovering near the bottom of the scale showed I was badly depressed with a low level of logical reasoning and appreciation. My low scores were “dragging the rest down”. There was obviously someone or something “suppressing” me and I needed to “handle” or “disconnect” from them or it.

The solution, I was informed, was to take two Scientology courses costing £48.50 each and buy the dianetics book, costing £10. At this point I was ready to leave, but I was told that I would be taken to see someone else who could explain scientology to me properly. Sluggishly, I agreed.

After my conversation with yet another advisor, I was aware of the way in which dianetics purports to help a person’s psychological processes. But as an introduction to a ‘religion’, why was I being hit for over £100 upfront, on the spot? Thanks, but no thanks!

On the bus home, it struck me that like every religion a gradual indoctrination process must take place, where the scientologist eventually comes to the realisation that everything that their leader says is absolutely true, absolutely correct. And they arrive at a point where the word and practise of scientology becomes an unchallengeable law. Religion or brainwashing – I know which best describes this pernicious cult.