Scoop Issue 5

SCOOPISSUE 5 - MARCH 2014

FEATUREIS THE SAINT PATRICK’S DAY FESTIVAL IN NEW YORK CITY HOMOPHOBIC?

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW MUTEFISH: THEIR SUCCESS AND PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

REVIEWSTHE LEGO MOVIE, THE FRAY’S HELIOS & MORE

CONTENTSLetter editors

It’s hard to believe it’s March already. St Paddy’s Day is around the corner and the streets of Dublin (and college campuses) will no doubt be littered with stumbling pub-goers attempting to find their way to the next bar. Let’s not lie, I think we’ve all skipped a day of college to celebrate the holiday before, with some brave souls even asking lecturers to join them when they’re finished teaching. We here at Scoop HQ hope you drink sensibly (-ish) and avoid any neck nominations that may still be floating about! This issue includes a great interview with the band Mutefish about their busking origins and future plans inluding a new album in the future, reviews on The Fray’s new album Helios, The Lego Movie (which is unmissable) and Plants VS Zombies, as well as a stellar recipe for a traditional cabbage and bacon meal! If you’re a Scoop fan after reading then make sure to check out previous issues at www.issuu.com/scoopmagire and follow us on Twitter for updates @ScoopMagIRE.

Holly Lenny and Mary McFadden

from the

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CONTENTSWords: James Dooley Holly LennyMary McFadden Carolina PelzerSophie Radermacher Adam Rifi

Photography: Ingvild Melberg EikelandKnowledge SeekerJulien Magne Natalie Mayner Juanedc Glen Edelson Paul Cush David TorciviaSébastien BarréDev Librarian Robyn Lee Paul Schultz

Angelique Culvin Alex Stoll Brickset filmaffinity.com thefray.com www.thepantedpuffinwordpress.com socialistresistance.orgJaBBwww.npr.org

Designed and sub-edited by Mary McFadden with creative direction from Holly Lenny

Note: Ingvild Melberg Eikeland captured the images used in the ‘3D Printing’ feature article in issue 4.

Interview: Mary McFadden talk to the band Mutefish about their success and their busking origins

Reviews: The Lego Movie, The Fray’s Helios & Plants VS Zombies

Feature: Homophobia in the New York St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Recipe: Traditional homemade cabbage and bacon

Feature: The 6 Weirdest Foods at McDonalds

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Feature: The Academy Awards 2014: Predictions for Best Picture, Best Actress in a Leading Role & Best Actor in a Leading Role

Student profile: Dan Arvid Bjorisk at Griffith College Dublin

John Doe: Our anonymous rant section - the biased American media

Beauty: Tips and tricks from our beauty correspondent and youtuber Holly Lenny

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CONTRIBUTORS

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Mutefish are a culturally diverse six piece band with members from Ireland, Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine. The members include Bo on guitar/mandolin, Marka on cajon/guitar, Daithi on the flute/tin whistle, Tomas on the bass, Peter on percusions and Philip on drums. Mary McFadden interviews them about busking on Grafton Street.

Hi guys, great to meet you. What’s the story behind the name Mutefish?

Bo: Marka, myself and Vaclaw were the original members and Vaclaw couldn’t speak much English because he’s from the Czech Republic. So he said he felt like a fish that can’t speak English, so a mutefish. Marka: It’s because he has a large penis *laughter* Bo: Mutefish is an idiom from Eastern Europe, ‘nema ryba’ is mutefish in Czech.

MUTEFISHINTERVIEW | SCOOP

When did the band form and how?Bo: 5 years ago by accident. We met on the street; we were kind of doing our own thing.

You come from a variety of cultural backgrounds so you must have plenty of musical influences. What are they? Marka: Yeah, ACDC, Jon Bon Jovi Phil: TwoUnlimited, dieANTWOODDaithi: Chumba Wumba

You guys always seem to draw a big crowd but what’s the biggest you’ve played for?Daithi: I think it was 15,000 to 20,000 in India Phil: The guy said it was 16,000 Daithi: Yeah, 15,000 to 16,000

And how was it? Exciting?Daithi: Yeah! But there was no beer and there were flies everywhere.

Do you have any upcoming events?Tómas: We’re not doing many gigs locally now, we’re more concentrated on booking gigs abroad at this point. We’re also recording a demo EP, which will be available only on this tour, a limited edition. It will contain four rough tracks from the upcoming album and one cover from the band Levellers.

Mutefish playing on a busy street Mutefish performing

Check out Mutefish’s newly refurbished website at: www.mutefish.ie and follow them on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/mutefishband

Bo: Making friends. Daithi: All different things really. Bo: All the people we meet; we’ve met so many people from busking and we’ve been offered all our gigs from people just passing by and listening to us. Daithi: Yeah, all the connections we’ve made have happened on the street. Bo: Grafton isn’t a big street so it can get very busy though. Daithi: I’ve heard that if you drew a line from one end of the street to the other that 30,000 people cross it every hour! Bo: Are you sure it’s not every day? Daithi: Yeah every hour!

What’s the best part about busking?

That’s a lot of people hearing your music. When was your first album launched?

Bo: It was October 2010. Daithi: No November! Phil: Yeah but it’s still 2010! Daithi: We launched it in the Button Factory and it was all self-produced.

What about the artwork on the cover? Is there an artist among you?Tómas: No that was actually based on a Georgian cartoon from the 1970s. Daithi: Actually the picture on the CD is an aerial view of a pint. Bo: Polish beer, it’s our favourite.

And what can we expect from the new album?Bo: Lots of people think that we play Irish trad music; you know Riverdance-type stuff but I think Daithi’s flute has a lot to do with that. We’re planning on having a less folky sound and we’re moving away from trad. Perhaps it’s because we play a lot of melodies that people think this. Daithi: We’re going to be doing a variety of different stuff like reggae and punk, just whatever works. Tómas: Nobody aims for it to sound a certain way, we don’t want to frame ourselves into a genre box. The full length album should be out towards the end of summer.

Whenever I hear you play on Grafton Street, I always stop for a listen. Are there any faces you see again and again?Daithi: Oh yeah, so many! We’re sick of the sight of them! *laughter* Bo: It’s not a big street and sometimes it can be distracting if somebody is talking to the people around them.

That’s one of the worst parts of busking then?Tómas: Well sometimes we get tired of playing the same songs over and over, it’d be nice to get some new tunes, have a different set up and then busk. The songs are usually made in this room, see when we’re on the street what people hear is the minimal version of it and we get tired fast from playing. Daithi: You can’t play all the instruments you’d want to. Tómas: Like if you’re playing the drums you can’t replace it with a box because it doesn’t sound the same.

Finally, where do you guys want to be in 5 years?Bo: Wow, we don’t think that far ahead Daithi: If we’re alive!

Why, is your life on the line? Bo: My liver is for sure! No, we’re going in a good direction and we have plans for the album for next year and a tour around Europe.

Sounds great! Any last words? Tómas: Yeah, say hi to my mom!

COMPETITION ALERT! We’re giving away 5 copies of Mutefish’s album ‘On Draught’! To enter all you have to do is tell us your favourite Mutefish song and why. It’s that easy! Send all entries to [email protected]

INTERVIEW | SCOOP

REVIEWSThe Lego Movie

The story follows Emmet, a generic LEGO minifigure, who is mistaken for a master builder and key to saving the world. He is brought into a fellowship of master builders (Lord of the Rings style) and sent on an epic journey to stop the evil President Business even though he is less than qualified to do so. The Lego Movie has received overwhelmingly positive reviews, and truly is a film for the whole family to enjoy. If you haven’t seen it yet, head on down with a hoody if you’re shamed to be seen at a ‘kid’ movie, and I guarantee you’ll be singing along to the theme song ‘Everything is awesome!’ for a good week afterwards. Although the screen will be filled with children, most of the time you won’t even notice because you’ll feel like such a child yourself! The movie is packed with laughs and has a star studded cast including Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Morgan Freeman and Liam Neeson.

Plants VS Zombies

Plants vs. Zombies is a 2009 tower defence video game developed and originally published by PopCap Games for Microsoft Windows and OS X. The game is about a homeowner using lots of different kinds of plants to repel an army of zombies from eating their brains. During the game, players place different kinds of plants and fungi, each with their own unique offensive or defencive capabilities, around their home in order to stop a mass of zombies from getting to the house. The zombies also come in a number of types and have different attributes, in particular, speed, damage tolerance, and abilities. This game is both cute and odd but very fun, and great for killing a few hours (or zombies!).

The Fray - Helios

Released on February 21st, the new album has 11 great tracks and although it includes classic sounds from the band, they also experiment with a lot of new sounds! Vocalist Isaac Slade said, “This record is all about running to the front lines of what we’ve done and pushing our borders even farther. Electronic instruments, drum samples, enormous backing vocals, opening up our writing to folks outside our camp.” Our personal favourite is Hold My Hand, so make sure to give it a listen!

ST PATRICK’S DAY IN NEW YORK: HOMOPHOBIA AND DISCRIMINATION

The annual New York St. Patrick’s Day Parade that happens

every March 17th has been a topic of newspaper headlines for all the wrong reasons.

The AOH (Ancient Order of the Hibernians), who are the organisers of the annual New York City parade, have refused to allow members of the gay community to march at this year’s event holding banners or wearing T-shirts promoting gay rights.

The AOH, who are responsible for organising the parade, is an Irish Catholic fraternal organisation. The members must be Catholic and either Irish born or of Irish descent.

It was founded in New York City in 1836 and is the oldest and largest Irish Catholic organisation in the United States.

In 1995, the US Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the parade was a private event and, as a result, the parade organisers have the right to exclude groups that proclaim messages they reject.

The AOH’s controversial decision has raised concerns among authorities and members of different gay communities.

In response to the decision of the New York Parade the New York City Mayor, Mr. Bill de Blasio, has decided to boycott the event by not attending it. At the same time, members of Irish gay organisations have asked the Taoiseach Enda Kenny to not take part in the parade. At the moment the Taoiseach has said he will take part regardless.

Now the question is, are the organisers of the parade being homophobic or simply too harsh on their decision? Opinions are split.

While some say that people responsible for the organisation of the New York City parade are just old fashioned, others claim that the lack of support shown to the gay community is just proof that despite all efforts for equality people still insist in holding deviant behaviour towards gay people.

by Carolina Pelzer

FEATURE | SCOOP

The organisation’s decision is an act against the freedom of expression by banning members of gay communities to march using banners in favour of gay rights. It’s a gesture that shows the internalised homophobic mentality in our society.

The world that we live in is battling for one thing: equality. The main battle has always been about people fighting for their rights to be considered equal. The world is constantly fighting for equilibrium. For a more balanced society where everyone has access to education, food and share the same rights, but will we ever achieve that?

It’s hard to believe, because humanity is always seeking someone to blame and to bully. We tend to reject what we don’t consider ‘normal’.

First Jews, women, black people and now gays, when will people finally stop fighting against each other or judging what they don’t know? Will there always be a new type of people to discriminate against? It seems humanity will always find one to despise or blame.

Maybe we can hope that one day in a distant future the next generation will achieve what our and the previous generations could not; to be equal and to be accepted for who we are.

Do you think the AOH’s actions are homophobic? Let us know by commenting on our Facebook page; we’d love to know your opinion.

“Will there always be a new type of people to discriminate against? It seems humanity will always find one to despise or blame.”

RECIPE | SCOOP

The traditional Irish family would have eaten pork whenever they had meat available. Beef was a luxury but many Irish farming families would have kept a pig every year to eat. The pork was usually made into bacon to help preserve it longer, often by preserving it in salt. Hence why cabbage and bacon is a very traditional Irish dish. It is still an extremely popular and stable dish on my family tables, particularly among families who live outside Dublin. It’s a wonderfully simple dish to make and is extremely easy because thankfully we no longer need to rear our own pig or grow our own cabbage thanks to the wonders of the supermarket!

Ingredients:

• 1 head of sweetheart, spring cabbage. (Or any green cabbage)

• 1 slice of back bacon per person, half an inch thick

• Potatoes • Butter

How to make:

• Bring a pot of water to the boil and add your bacon. Allow to boil for fifteen minutes.

• Cut the head of cabbage in half and remove the centre stalks. Wash the leaves in water. Cut the centre stalk out of each leaf if desired. Tear up with hands.

• Then add your cabbage to the bacon.

• Turn heat down and allow to simmer for half an hour.

• At the same time, wash your potatoes and put them on to boil for half an hour.

• Check your potatoes are done by prodding with a knife; they should be soft right through. Remove water from potatoes and peel.

• Strain the cabbage and bacon of water. Remove bacon onto plate. Roughly chop cabbage with a knife and add to the plate with bacon.

• Serve with your potatoes. Add some butter to the potatoes.

Quick, easy and delicious!

If desired you can serve this dish with parsley sauce for a modern twist as that would have been far too fancy for the traditional Irish family of old.

TRADITIONAL CABBAGE AND BACONby James Dooley

From a small burger joint that opened in California in 1940, to the international,

multibillion dollar company today, McDonald’s, is the world’s most recognised fast-food chain in the world, operating in 118 different countries. While we all know the classics like the Big Mac, Cheeseburger and McChicken, there are many items that can only be bought in one specific country that cater to the taste of the population. From the Bacon Potato

Pie in Japan, to Austria’s Chili con Carne, there are all sorts of weird and/or amazing McDonald’s menu items:

1) Bacon Potato PieYou probably know the McDonald’s Apple Pie. A crunchy, bubbly pocket with a savoury, apple-cinnamon filling. But did you know that in Japan (where else?) you can get the same but with a bacon and potato filling? The pie is filled with a gooey, potato substance with bits of bacon here and

there and costs around 120 Yen (80 cents).

2) McLobsterEver gone to McDonald’s and thought to yourself: “Hmm, I really want something fancy… how about lobster?” If you did you might consider moving to Canada where the McLobster is an actual thing. For $6.50, you can get lobster meat in a bun topped with diced celery, light salad dressing and shredded lettuce.Yum!

by Adam Rifi

THE SIX WEIRDEST FOODS AT MCDONALDS

3) BliniIn Russia’s McDonald’s, you can get a very delicious and sweet breakfast dish (and no I am not talking about vodka). Blini, an eastern European version of the pancake, made with wheat flour can be bought every morning, at every McDonald’s in Russia. They are usually served with honey, apricot or strawberry jam and they are sure to give everyone the right start to the day.

4) SpamNo we’re not talking about emails here. The famous, square canned ham is a popular dish in Oceania and

especially in Hawaii. As a result, the Hawaiian breakfast menu features a selection of different kinds of spam, usually served with rice and microwaved egg. It’s certainly one of the most interesting ways to start your way at McDonald’s. One portion costs around $4.60, with the deluxe version, which features two more slices of spam, running up to $5.70.

5) Chicken Maharaja MacBecause cows are regarded as godlike creatures in India, India’s version of the Big Mac obviously won’t feature the typical beef patty we all know. Instead, you can get a Big Mac with two

chicken or lamb patties. The lettuce, secret Big Mac sauce and the onions stay the same. McDonald’s tried to introduce the product in America but failed because the established Big Mac was more popular. One Chicken Maharaja Mac is only 59 Rupees which is roughly $1.

Have you ever tried any of these? Let us know on our Facebook page, SCOOP Magazine Ireland, or follow us on Twitter @ScoopMagIRE

The Academy AwardsPredictions

This year’s Oscar list is perhaps one of the most promising yet. From the Cat on a Hot Tin Roof-esque August Osage County to A Streetcar Named Desire-like Blue Jasmine,

it seems that playwrights, namely Tennessee Williams, are a popular source of inspiration for filmmakers as of late. From messed up Southern families to Texan hustlers and kidnapped slaves in the time of America’s corrupt Cotton Trade frenzy, to folk singers trying to make it big on the East Coast, the South would appear to be a popular theme this year, also.

BESTPICTURE

Best Picture is incredibly hard to predict this year, but will most likely go to Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave, as McQueen is known for depicting hardship with renowned prestige.

Not only is the story an incredibly strong one, but it is also a replicate of an incredibly important moment in the history of the United States, namely the Slave Trade, which the Academy will definitely take into consideration. What is perhaps the most important factor about the film is that not only does it raise awareness towards the fact that slaves were kidnapped into slavery, but also towards the fact that slavery is an issue that is still present today in some parts of the world, and calls on modern-day abolitionists to continue to champion the cause.

A Best Picture must not only exhibit exquisite quality in filmmaking, but it must also be a picture that imprints itself in the audience’s minds, and I feel 12 Years a Slave does this.

by Sophie Radermacher

BESTACTRESS

IN A LEADING ROLEIn the category of Best Actress in a Leading Role, it is clear that Cate Blanchett is going to take the cake this year for Blue Jasmine. Not only that, but the cherry on top of that cake is going to be that this will be her second Oscar win, having won back in 2005 for her performance as Best Actress in a Supporting role in Aviator.

In Blue Jasmine, she played Katherine Hepburn to such accuracy that she even nailed the accent on the head. What is perhaps the most difficult and commendable aspect of this role is the fact that the character is adherently under a continuous delusion of grandeur. It is Blanchett’s consistent twitching, pill popping, and martini-guzzling that make the audience almost feel sorry for her character.

However, any sympathy that the audience may have is quickly evaporated by the character’s constant devaluing of her sister’s life choices, her lugging around of designer brands, as well as her impulse to fly first-class when she claims to be ‘broke’. In any event, an actor who can play a liar with such precision and convincing deserves every ounce of critical acclaim that they can muster up.

BEST ACTORIN A

LEADING ROLEI predict the award will go to Dallas Buyer’s Club actor Matthew McConaughey. What is perhaps the most phenomenal aspect of acting is how far actors will go in order to truly live the role that they are playing on screen. Doing so, apparently, has been a fast track for Oscar-winning, and so it would seem that such sacrifices have thus far, although being highly detrimental to the actors’ health and also inadvisable to the general public, have paid off.

McConaughey lost an alleged 40 pounds and convinced his audience of his role as a man facing death and a diagnosis of AIDS. McConaughey plays a very convincing Woodruff who leads the audience to vouch for him consistently until the curtain-closes and the screen turns black.

FEATURE | SCOOP

STUDENT PROFILE | SCOOP

ABOUT ME

NAME: Dan Arvid Bjorsvik

COLLEGE: Griffith College Dublin

COUNTRY: Ireland. Originally from Norway

COURSE: BA Journalism and Visual Media

Why did you choose Ireland? Do you like it?

I chose Ireland for many reasons. I had a brief visit in Dublin a couple of years ago and the first impression was great. While studying journalism back in Norway, I thought: “I wonder how it will be like to live there.” And so I ended up in St. Anthony’s Road, Rialto. People here are nice and are not afraid to invite a stranger to tea.

As a mature student, did you find it difficult to get back into education?

I spent some years getting work experience and to me it’s a way to educate oneself, just like education through school. The two alternatives are similarly challenging and useful, and it’s all the same if I work in an office or in a classrom.

How is Ireland different to Norway in terms of the education system?

Although it still exists in Norway, we’re not overly obsessed with standardised testing like here in Ireland. I also have the impression that schools in Dublin can learn a thing or two about embedding something most employers will look for in a hiring process: work experience.

Here I see fellow students get work experience outside of school in order to have that extra edge over other job seekers. Depending on the profession, in Norway students can get several months of work experience in a big company, and the school arranges it and guides you through the whole process. If you do what you’re told, you’ll most likely be offered a job.

What are your plans after this year? Do you feel job prospects are better in Norway?

After I get my Bachelor’s degree, my study leave expires and I’m going back to work. After having a look at the available jobs here, I must say the job prospects are better in Norway. However, looking at the situation for journalists in Norway, most of them do a lot of freelancing. There is a shortage of permanent journalism jobs.

MEDIA BIASLEFT AND RIGHT WING AGENDAS ARE RUINING OBJECTIVE JOURNALISM

As an American, I really don’t expect much from my news. I know; it’s a bit depressing that we live in a day and age where Americans

can’t even go to media sources for honest, unbiased coverage of current events. I understand that every source of news is going to have its bias, whether it is the material that they leave out or the way they spin a headline to blow up a seemingly minuscule story totally out of proportion. That gives no excuse though to the abominations that are Fox News and MSNBC that have the nerve to call themselves news channels.

Now, for those of you are not as familiar with these two 24-hour news channels, let me give you a brief rundown. Fox News possesses an extreme right-wing

conservative agenda and MSNBC possesses an extreme left-wing progressive agenda. That’s all you need to know.

Each of these channels don’t have anchors per se. They are more political commentators than anything. Let’s take Mr. Bill O’Reilly from the highly popular Fox News show The O’Reilly Factor as a prime example. Every weeknight at eight o’clock O’Reilly will show up in front of the television screen to tell his viewers of the pressing issues that are facing America. For instance, did you know in America there is a war on Christmas? Neither did I! It wasn’t until I watched O’Reilly’s program that I was informed of this catastrophic news.

Apparently, if businesses around the country say ‘Happy Holidays’ instead of ‘Merry Christmas’, the nation has a crisis on its hands. I’m being completely sarcastic of course.

“I remember hearing stories about people in my hometown waiting two hours just to get a milkshake.”

JOHN DOE | SCOOP

Another aspect of these two networks that annoys me is the way they attack the other side without giving any real solutions to the issues they put in the spotlight. Rachel Maddow from MSNBC likes to call Tea Party protesters ‘teabaggers’ and pretty much anybody who disagrees with Bill O’Reilly is a ‘pinhead’.

Now, you’re probably wondering why it matters at the end of the day. Why can’t I just flip the channel? Because nobody else does. You see, despite the absolute outlandishness that both of these cable ‘news’ networks provide, people still tune in to them and they’re heavily influenced by them.

In the summer of 2012, Dan Cathy, the President of a chain of restaurants called Chick-fil-A that is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, stated that he believed in the biblical definition of marriage and was opposed to gay marriage. While both sides of the press had their views on it, no other figure had as much influence in this debate as Fox News host Mike Huckabee. Huckabee urged his viewers to eat at their nearest Chick-Fil-A to support freedom of speech on a day in August he called ‘Chick-fil-A Day’. Sales went through the roof for the company. I remember hearing stories about people in my hometown waiting two hours just to get a milkshake.

This thought keeps me up at night. The thought that a single media figure in the most biased network on television, which has been proven time and time again to spew misleading or wrong information to its viewers more than any other station, has so much influence on people. It’s also scary when people only get their news from one of these sources. I’ve gotten in arguments with people in the past who said they only get their news from Fox News. That idea is awful.

I know I’ve been bashing Fox News more than MSNBC, but don’t be fooled, they both piss me off beyond belief. As a journalism student, I feel violated by these people who are making themselves look like legitimate news anchors by sitting behind a desk with news stories scrolling along a bar at the bottom of the screen. So for anybody reading, I ask that if you are somebody who gets their news from only one source every day to please read from more newspapers, magazines, radio stations, television stations, etc. Like I said before, every journalist has their bias, and that makes it even more important to try your hardest to get the full story from different perspectives and not one that possesses extreme views.

Rachel Maddow

Bill O’Reilly

BEAUTY | SCOOP

3 CHEAPESTBEAUTY WEBSITES

CHERRY CULTURE is your one stop shop for high quality drugstore products such as ARDELL, Jordana Cosmetics, MILANI Cosmetics, China Glaze and NYX Cosmetics. Yes, you could purchase these brands from their own websites but everything on Cherry Culture is under the one ‘roof ’ making your shopping experience ‘easy breezy cover girl’ as Tyra Banks says, not to mention cheaper. There is always a sale happening on this website. Shipping starts at €8.78 taking between 8-17 days for delivery. It’s a steal!

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2JOY017 is a GREAT shop if you love NYX Cosmetics. They have just about every product from the brand and it is at really affordable prices. Real Techniques is another popular brand that is sold for a fraction of the price in comparison to prices in Irish outlets. Joy017 has a large range of EcoTools products. The only downside is they do not ship to Germany!

3BEAUTY JOINT is the best website if you are looking for a variety of good quality and cheap makeup and beauty products. They stock brands such as Revlon, Lime Crime, KleanColor, E.L.F Cosmetics, Rimmel London and Wet N Wild Cosmetics (which are a personal favourite of mine). Although you can buy some of these products in Irish shops, prices on Beauty Joint are much more student friendly.

by Holly Lenny