Content VS Opinion: Today's "debate"

There comes a time where a person needs to separate their opinion from the facts. When you are an educator, particularly in young minds, there needs to be a distinct separation between the two. However, when it comes to uni that separation is able to be more subtle due to the minds educating themselves on current topics. Opinions can be made and though they may not be agreed upon, they can be on topic. Take for example culture and the presidency of America. The decisions made by the president can affect culture in a multitude of ways therefore that discussion would be relevant. Alternatively a discussion on whether Severus Snape from the series Harry Potter is a redeemable character or not, is not relevant in a cultural studies class. However, attacking someone based on their opinion? that is just bad manners.

Here are some techniques to utilize while debating without being an a**hole:

1. It pays to be open minded. Listen to the other person's opinion. Yes you may not agree with it but that person probably has reasons as to why they think that way. Explore and understand them.
2. Have evidence to back up your claims. The best way to develop a healthy argument is to actually be able to discuss the facts. Pros and cons are great!
3. Speak civilly. No one wants to listen to someone rude and accusatory in a debate, the point is to calmly argue your opinion. Blustering and swearing will not help you win your case, keep it clean.
4. There is a time and a place. Pick your times to argue carefully, as some places or scenarios can be inappropriate. For instance during a lecture is not appropriate especially when the lecturer is trying to teach the rest of your class, instead try discussing it with your tutor after the lecture.

Today I witnessed someone who did the opposite of these techniques during the first lecture I attended this year. It was so ridiculously out of the blue and surreal that hours later, I cannot stop thinking about it. As students at University I would think we know the difference between the lecturers opinion and the course content. Waving a bag around the air and storming out? That is blatantly immature and rude. Certainly not the way to go about a debate in a tertiary setting. Entertaining nonetheless, an interesting start to a year that is sure to be memorable.

Seriously just use manners, xox

Taz

News: Medibank Madi Gras Madness

So medibank released an ad that had same sex couples kissing and tons of people loved it, but there were some homophobes who were being horrible in the comments on Facebook. 

The 'think of the children' line they alway use confuses me because they themselves aren't thinking of the children - its this hatred and bullying (yes if you're a 40 year old man hiding behind a computer it's still bullying) that is the reason an estimate 30-40% of lgbtq+ teens have attempted suicide so yes, please think of the children and keep your homophobic comments and bigotry to yourself!

More info on Australian LGBTQ+ mental health and suicide

The other comment that stuck me as odd was someone brought up reproduction and said "if a gay person produces a child I'll eat my hat"...

Well enjoy that hat because surrogacy is a thing, I have a family friend who is gay and father to two beautiful young girls. Not to mention the billions of kids who are orphaned every year.

For gods sake its a company spreading a positive and loving message and bigoted idiots can't help but spout nonsense because seeing two people of the same gender kiss is too much for them (whats the bet that they've all watched lesbian porn though).

Spread love not hate,
Catch ya later xx

Book review: Percy Jackson Series books 1-5

Recently I read the Rick Riordan series; Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I have to say it was immensely enjoyable and I would honestly recommend the series to anyone who wants an easy read... As long as you have a brief understanding of Greek Mythology and whatnot. If not you will probably either find yourself searching the web for answers or just not caring and reading the book anyway. I have a degree of fascination when it comes to mythology and ancient stories so I am not quite sure why it took me so long to read this series. 

|Spoiler Warning|

Long story short, Percy Jackson is the son of Poseidon which causes mass drama in Olympus by itself, not to mention Zeus's most powerful lightning bolt is stolen. So of course, everyone blames Percy who only finds out he is the son of a God (a demigod) after one of the Furies comes after him. It's highly convoluted but with the help of a saytr he manages to get to the relative safety of camp Half-Blood. Like I stated, unless you have a basic grasp on Greek mythology, most of the beings and creatures in the series will have you reaching for Google in no time flat. He befriends a daughter of Athena by the name of Annabeth Chase and they bicker all the time.

Side note: Annabeth's birth is touched on during the series. Given that Athena is a Maiden Goddess all her children are brought to life through thought, not the usual means if you know what I mean...

Percy seems to always be attracting the attention of the gods who tend to visit him on his quests, whether it be to aid or hinder him (Ares is a piece of work by the way). Percy himself however has one fatal flaw: he will do anything to protect the ones he loves. He would gladly sacrifice himself if it meant that others would live, that being said I personally think he made some rather idiotic decisions in the books; bathing in the river Styx, trusting Luke in book one, straight up calling the Gods and Goddesses out on their bad behaviour and almost getting blasted to smithereens because of it to name a few. Seriously, I'm not sure he ever actually held his tongue when it came to the gods and while that made me laugh it also made me frustrated because he was toeing a very fine line. The Greek Gods were not known for their tolerance of insolence after all.

Overall the books were very enjoyable, it was interesting to see how certain monsters blended into the human populace as well as lured in their prey in a modern setting. Given that the books themselves were not incredibly long (between 200 and 300 pages each) they were easy to devour, I found myself loosing hours from being so absorbed in the story. The narrative style itself was in a way, funny. You get an insight into Percy's own thoughts interspersed with the story which leads to an almost dry sense of humour with an abundance of sarcasm which had me giggling in my seat.

~ 9/10 would recommend ~

Stay safe! xox

Taz

Unforgivable Curses Collection

 And why are they so named?

Because they are unforgivable...

'Torture'

Crucio

The Cruciatus Curse

Model: Abigail

Photographer: Abigail

'Control'

Imperio

The Imperius Curse

Model: Jacob

Photographer: Abigail

'Death'

Avada Kedavra

The Killing Curse

Model: Taylor

Photographer: Abigail

This year I am hoping to do more photography projects, so stay tuned xx

Catch you later xx

~Tabby

Film Review: Assassin's Creed

Image taken from Google

First things first, I was so excited to see this movie. I've been fascinated with the concept of the Assassin's vs the Templars ever since I was introduced to the game series (that being said, I still have not completed the game as I do not own a console on which to play it). Assassin's working in the shadows to ensure the free will of mankind; plus their parkour and free-running skills are so awesome it motivates me to get fit and learn some of that cause wow. I took my younger brother to see the movie with me and he loved it too.

Without any major spoilers I can tell you that the movie itself is about an assassin that has only been introduced in the recently released movie, his name? Callum Lynch and his direct ancestor Aguilar de Nerha, a spanish assassin during the Spanish Inquisition. Of course we are introduced to the Animus in a much more visual way, namely we get to see how being plugged into the Animus is viewed externally, what the person in the Animus physically does when inside the memory. As a science fiction and movie fan, this was fascinating, but you have to see it to know why.

Visually I truly loved this film, the fast paced scenes where assassins are fighting or running for their lives, I believe they brought the series to life in a different way than what I have witnessed in game. Michael Fassbender did an amazing job as Callum Lynch and I would have expected nothing less honestly, I think he is an awe inspiring actor with incredible screen presence as seen in his portrayal of Magneto in X-men: First Class and subsequent movies since. Honestly if given the chance, I would definitely go see the movie again... and again, and again...

8.5/10 would recommend but I know there's going to be people who did not like the movie at all so it is sure to get some bad reviews from hardcore gamers.

Another review for you! xox

Taz

The world we live in...

Something very disturbing happened to me recently; a man asking for directions apologised for asking for help. He used the words "don't be afraid" and made no attempt to step closer to me or my companion. The fact that he asked at all wasn't the disturbing event, what really upset me was the fact he felt he had to say "don't be afraid", because of his dark skin, and the world we live in.

Had I seen this man on the street in passing, I would not have thought he looked threatening, he simply looked like a well put together and educated young man off running errands, just like everyone else during christmas shopping. He had an open face yet sad eyes when he thought we were afraid (we were simply taken aback because we weren't expecting anyone we didn't know to approach us). Now, I consider myself a decent person and of course I helped him with directions as he asked but the entire event has stuck with me the past few weeks.

Sadly, the world we live in is scary for most. I envy those who feel they can travel without fear of reproach or even violence in some cases. When I read the news about the shootings in America or of the violence that permeates our world it saddens me. I too have felt fear in a public setting, as a woman I hear many horror stories of women just like myself who have found themselves attacked and abused. Whereas in the case of men, they too are attacked by the violence in this world. Is it too much to ask for peace? Is it too much to ask that the people in this world treat others the way they wish to be treated? All too often this is not the case.

Wishing everyone safety in the new year, xox

Taz

Film Review: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

As Starkid productions on YouTube stated - "Hufflepuff's are particularly good finders"

With the release of FBAWTFT, Hufflepuffs are getting a lot of attention, and rightly so. Despite being a proud Gryffindor myself, I have always considered Hufflepuff's to be an amazing and diverse house. After all, every single one stayed at the battle of Hogwarts AND have been shown to be the most loyal and friendly house, not just to their peers, but also to their "rival" houses.

~ Spoilers ahead ~

Fantastic beasts and where to find them features the Hufflepuff Newt Scamander in New York 1926. With him he brings a very special suitcase filled with magical beasts and creatures. There is a prominent Muggle by the name of Jacob who gets pulled into the whirlwind of chaos that arises once the suitcase is opened. The released creatures are not the problem however. In the series there is a magic called an obscurial; this is where a young witch or wizard represses their magic completely until the magic reaches a point where it explodes violently out of the child, usually killing them. Reveal Credence Barebone, that poor boy, adopted into an abusive home of magic hating muggles, beaten and repressed, he develops an obscurus.

The creatures themselves were amazing, visually and despite being computer generated, each one had its own unique personality, I think the animators for this film did an AMAZING job and deserve all the recognition. One of my favourite things they did was produce the obscurus itself. It was fascinating to watch the magic rip out of Credence and lash out at those who "threatened" him (be it he was just scared, angry or just trying to get away), it was flawless how they managed to include Credence himself inside the obscurus in what was obviously a very traumatic experience for him. He deserved a better ending.

Now to talk about the cinnamon roll himself: Newt Scamander. EDDIE FREAKING REDMAYNE did a fantastic job portraying this character, gentle and ultimately kind. My friends and I have dubbed Newt the "Steve Irwin of the Wizarding World". The way he genuinely cares for his creatures was beautiful to witness and calling himself "mummy" to some occamy's almost made me cry. The majority of the audience has agreed that Newt shows clear signs of Autism, at first this did not occur to me. I merely thought that Newt behaves like this to beings who don't quite trust or understand him; he is perfectly capable to look his creatures in the eye despite some being potentially dangerous to the outside world. Overall, Newt Scamander is an incredibly interesting character and is probably one of the most genuinely caring characters I've ever had the fortune to witness.

Now, to vaguely sum up, even though I could probably keep writing but then this post might get a bit long... The movie itself was entirely new, new content for the wizarding world, new characters and references to ones we know. However, this wasn't some action packed, or intense mystery type of film; this film made me feel ultimately nostalgic. Despite being a completely new story (based off a textbook no less), the way it was produced felt wonderful, almost like coming home. Which I suppose is the point, I grew up with the wizarding world and Harry Potter, and while this film had a distinct difference of tone, the overall theme and Newt particularly made me smile and genuinely feel happy.

9.5/10 - Taking off half a point cause Johnny Depp was so out of place in that film. Seriously.

Catch you later! xox
Taz