REGULARCOLUMNS

Undiscovered Hong Kong Whats on in Hong Kong Grub Column The Advisory

ALUMNISECTION
Teachings from Le Petit Prince Join Your Countrys Military The Third Year

EDITORS
Colin Diersing Tomi Kiviluoma

CREATIVEDIRECTOR
Quentin Yiu John Wang

FEATURES

ARTSSECTION
Poetry: Untitled Class Empty Spaces Memory An Autumn Day Unwavering Dragon Cartoons Photo submissions

Questions for new teachers Reflections on First Months On Language at a UWC On Urine Myths about North Korea Reflections on Sweden To Kill or not to kill Reflections on Hiking

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ing on a student based on information gathered in a social context. The moral and professional lines here are messy - and we believe the policy helps to minimize the potential for a conflict of interest. Although some had raised the argument that students shouldnt be posting materials in violation of serious rules (and we agree), we also know that mistakes happen. And sometimes those mistakes find their way on Facebook. The policy isnt an excuse to use Facebook irresponsibly - its just an added safety measure to minimize problems when mistakes are made. Finally, we simply see no reason why the policy shouldnt be put in place. We believe the close interactions between teachers and students at LPC are great - and applaud the teachers who do so much to create these. However, were confident that these relationships existed long before the invention of social networks, and Facebook friendship doesnt strike us as particularly necessary to ensure close student-teacher interactions. Although it may be a convenient way to keep track of what an individual is thinking, Facebook also holds few advantages over simply sitting at a canteen table and engaging in lively conversations. So be friends with your teachers. Just not on Facebook.

Bou Zi endorses new FacebookTomi Kiviluoma policy By: Colin Diersing and
uring second year fortnight, the entirety of the second year met to discuss creating an agreed upon policy to govern online interactions between students and staff. What they decided was simple: it will be the policy of all students at LPC not to create friendships with staff on social networking sites. We, the editors of Bou Zi, think this policy brings much needed clarity to a potentially uncomfortable area of interaction between teachers and students. The particular reasons for the policy make sense are twofold: The first is that it works for students. Students who, for whatever reason, are uninterested in being friends with teachers no longer need to worry about what sort of message they are sending when they choose not to immediately accept a friendship request. Although we generally believe studentstaff relations to be healthy and friendly, it is also true that there is an undeniable power imbalance in social interactions between the two. A defined set of rules that allow students to maintain distance if they so choose is an important limiting factor on this imbalance. The policy also ensures that anything a student posts that should not have been can be removed without incident, rather than turning into a major incident. The second reason is that it works for staff. We imagine that the situation teachers are placed in if they see some sort of illicit content has to be less than comfortable. This policy will help to ensure that teachers are never placed in the uncomfortable situation of having to choose between turning a blind eye to blatant rule breaking and inform-

From the Editors

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Haunted, or just a series of unreliable rumours? Why not see for yourself... Address: No. 55 Ship Street, Wan Chai Climb the preserved stone steps leading up to the building. Ascend the staircase leading up to the property. Follow the worn path and cross the bridging plank. ing a selection of some of the most iconic works of contemporary British art, allowing an insight into British contemporary culture. o When:Ongoingtill9October o Where:ThematicGallery,Hong KongHeritageMuseum Theater 1. Private Peaceful by Michael Mopurgo, Adapted and Directed by Simon Reade o DramatizationofMopurgos 2003childrensclassic.RelivingthelifeofPrivateTommo Peaceful, a young First World War soldier awaiting the firing squad at dawn. During the night he looks back at his short but joyful past growing up in rural Devon; his exciting first days at school; the accident in the forest that killed his father; his adventures with Molly, the love of his life; and the battles and injustices of war that brought him to the front line. o When:7to9October,varioustimes o Where:HKAcademyforPerform ingArts,WanChai o Info: bit.ly/rrJ69x Music Underground Electronica 2 TKO o TKOisthebrainchildofLantau sStefanJanssens.Composingandplayingwithamixtureof both old and new electronica methods,

Undiscovered Hong Kong #6: Hong Kongs Haunted House

By: Mary Hui

Regular Columns

alloween isnt quite here yet, but you might be interested to read about Hong Kongs Haunted House.
Haunted? Hong Kong? I agree, the words seem mismatched. Hong Kong is first and foremost a big city: tall skyscrapers, flashy neon signs, modern structures...anything but something as primitive-sounding as haunted. But its true: Hong Kong does have its share of haunted houses, and Nam Koo Terrace, popularly known as the Wan Chai Haunted House, is one of them. The mansion of Nam Koo Terrace was once owned by a rich Chinese family, but the Japanese army seized it and turned it into a military brothel during World War II. Many forced prostitutes were said to have been beaten, raped and murdered there, and folklore now has it that the ghosts of these women now haunt the mansion. There have been accounts of shrieking cries and screams coming from within Nam Koo Terrace, and residents in the area have also reported seeing ghostly flames in the house. If thats not spinechillingly, hair-raisingly, bloodcurdlingly and nerve-rackingly eerie for you, read on. In 2003, eight brave souls decided to stay overnight at the mansion (it wasnt just an extension - it was an overnight). Many of them quickly fled the scene after experiencing ghostly vibes, but some werent so fortunate: three of the female students reportedly became possessed by ghostly spirits, becoming emotionally unstable and had to undergo psychiatric treatment. So, what do you make of it all?

Whats on in Hong Kong (it rhymes)

By: Matthew Webb

Exhibitions Kinky Vicious, iPhone Photography Exhibition by Liam Fitzpatrick o LiamFitzpatrickexhibitsaseriesofhisprintsofHongKongthatbeliethelimitationsof the iPhone 3GS camera used; resulting in unex-

pected and atypical perspectives of the city we live in. o When:Ongoing19Septembert hrough15October14:30to22:00 o Where:CultureClub,15ElginSt reet(lower),Soho Made in Britain, Contemporary Art from the British Council Collection 19802010 o Thistouringexhibitionshowcasesworksby35groupsofBritishartistsmainlyproducedin the period between 1990 and 2010. Present-

TKOs resultant sound ranges from jazzy piano melodies to sample repeats. soundcloud.com/amseiko

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or cant wait to forget - or just avoid completely. Of course, there is a reason this epic concept has such different effects on our little community and we, being we, are going to have a little chat about it. Common Feelings experienced after a canteen party include: joy, enlightenment, shame, awkwardness, fatigue, nostalgia and maybe even that warm, comfortable evil feeling you get from the power of knowing certain details that went down in the dark. This is for those of you who halffall out of the bed on Sunday, still wearing that same crazy-themed costume, and walk to the bathroom, you into your eye-bags and think wow. That heavy, drowning fatigue you feel or that sense that your throat is eroding itself is a result of the hardcore dancing and screaming and is so worth it after you get a couple plates of brunch food and a tub of coffee down into that stomach of yours. Maybe you went a little too out of your comfort zone and now regret it? Smashed someone across the face with your elbow showing them your new dance move? Didnt know you were actually dancing that close to a teacher? Played some tonsil-hockey with your best friend? Well, here are some foolproof things you can do to make your Sunday more comfortable: Dig a hole and live in it for the day, drink tons of coffee and/or soft drinks, point and laugh at the person who is pointing and laughing at you, pretend like it never happened, dress like a pirate, eat Mie Goreng for breakfast lunch and dinner, wear a scarf and sunglasses (even in the canteen), leave campus, go workout, become a monk. OR you could give it a shrug, put the night on the list of stories to tell or burn and laugh it off until you get hungry again. All Im going to say, might as well enjoy it right? Sundays are overrated. Remember to remember kids! Love, Athena Ps. Questions? Email me. lpcbouzi@gmail.com

o When:7October,21:00 o Where:DharmaDen,2/F,TheW orkstation,43LyndhurstTerrace,C entral The Ocean live at Hidden Agenda o Germanexperimentalmetalb andTheOcean,stopoffinHongKong foronenightaspartof their Chinese tour. If screaming guys with funny beards is your bag, then this is for you. Life Was All Silences ambient electronica supporting. soundcloud.com/life-was-allsilence o When:30September,20:30 o Where:HiddenAgenda,6/F,KoL eungIndustrialBldg,25TaiYipStreet, KwunTong Lenka live at KITEC o PetiteAustraliansingerLenkai sbackafterher(apparently)successfulself-titleddbut, with a second

Regular Columns

LP; originally titled Two. o When:29September,20:00 o Where:KITECRotuda3,Kowloo nBay(theresashuttlefromtheMTR)

The Grub Column

In the delicious world of gastronomy, it is widely known that those who hold the power are not the chefs in the kitchen, but the critics in their studies. This can easily be seen by the way food critics are treated when they enter top-tier restaurants with their reading glasses in their pockets and their special notebooks in hand. They get complementary glasses of wines specifically chosen to go with their order; a clear glass of Viognier to go with their bouil-

labaisse; or a musky glass of Chardonnay to go with their rack of lamb. On top of that, the chef, who usually prefers to reside in the safety of his own aroma-filled sanctuary of a kitchen, ventures out of the double swinging doors to go and shake the critics hand. And it is no mystery why they treat them so, they know that if it is a well-known critic who is reporting on their food, his or her critique could be make or break for them. And so it is common for most food critics to remain incognito when they enter a restaurant to give a critique; they want to remain objective and get the service that the restaurant would provide to any ordinary customer. That is what I will attempt to do as the writer of the food column of this years editions of Bou Zi. In every edition, I will be commenting on the best, worst or most interesting meal that was served in the canteen in the past fortnight. But dont get me wrong. There will be no hate, no show of disgust and no negative condescension, even if there is the occasional hint of sarcasm. Im sure everyone understands how difficult it is to run a canteen for all the students and staff in this school, and the staff we have in the canteen are already doing a wonderful job. I will simply be commenting on a specific meal or two, voicing my thoughts. And if any of you have any feedback or have any particular meal that you want me to comment on, feel free to send me an email and I will try my best to incorporate it in the next edition.

Advisory: Canteen Party Edition

By: Athena Question: Athena, Im a first year whos still learning how to deal with the day after canteen parties. Can you help me out? Athena answers: Hey Kids, We all know Canteen Parties are those nights you consciously have to remember to remember

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Features

Questions for New Teachers

Lucia Chemistry
We have decided to come to the LPC UWC because we were invited to come to work and stay at the LPCUWC of Hong Kong. It is our first time in Hong Kong and the experience affords us the exposure to the Oriental culture to complete the cycle for our family. We, as a family, are passionate about the beliefs and ideals similar to that of the LPC UWC, where people walk the talk even long after they left LPC, its ethos becomes part of their lives and we want to bring up our children in this sustainable atmosphere and environment. I speak for myself and Patrick, my husband who is a teacher, that our main goal is to facilitate students learning and experience so they can achieve the next step in their careers, be that a college place, a gap year to pursue personal goals or to attend universities and live the UWC ethos.

Why did you decide to come to LPC?

Kalpana TOK and Economics

I have been adhering to many of the attributes of the UWC philosophy for years even though I have been teaching in other schools across the three continents. I thought it was time to see if I could get a place in one and so here I am. Without falling into clichd responses, teaching of course, but people are my passion. So meeting them, interacting with them, reading about them or better still travelling to meet them or learn about them is the essential of my passion. I am passionate about TOK not just teaching it. It seems more accessible than philosophy and if you are talking of a practical goal or challenge, I would like to make some adjustments to the teaching schedules for TOK with the collaboration of my team of course. I would like the assessments to be at the culminating point of the course rather than an obligatory passage of the IB. I would also like to invite more of my peers to get involved in it and already a number of them have come forward volunteering to come and talk to the TOK groups given their expertise in the subject. Imagine how fantastic it will be if we continue discussing Chaos theory in Economics and link it to ideas such as parallel realities such as in Quantum Physics in Economics!

What are you passionate about?

What do you see as your main goal or challenge in the coming year?

What's one interesting thing about you students should know - but probably don't already? Any hidden talents? If you were running out of your flat as it was burning down, what one thing would you grab? Beverage of choice?

I am an avid fan of JK Rowling, Robert Ludlum and Wilbur Smith.

That I can fit in anywhere but dont belong anywhere

I enjoy singing, especially in Vietnamese; traditional and folk songs. I would make sure everyone is out as lives are important and safety is paramount.
My beverage of choice would be the Oolong tea at the Modern China Restaurant in the Sunshine Plaza.

Dancing, (not that hidden given that I displayed it on TOK-Art day) cooking (my tutees know it) and if any others I am yet to discover it! Photographs of my family. I dont want to get to a point in my life where I cant remember how dear ones looked!
G & T of course!

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together, study together and grow up together. One day, one of the sponsors told the kids about UWC. He encouraged them to apply and challenge themselves. As a talented kid, Kilmo was suggested to apply. He knew very well how to dance his traditional dance or how to draw a picture in 5 minutes. But he was not that good at English since the lessons he had had were just from the volunteers of the orphanage. He was afraid that the world would not accept him. But he wanted to challenge himself. He applied, did his best and got in. A challenging journey is waiting for him, but he is ready to face it. After all, Kilmo is such a strong boy. ---***--Uhami is a little girl who lives with her parents in a small house on the outskirts of the city. Her family is so poor that they cannot afford to send her to even a standard school downtown. Uhami goes to a small school nearby where they only teach her the basic subjects that she will need for the national examination: Mathematics and Literature. But Uhami is an amateur, yet talented artist. She has never taken any official courses on music; it is just her nature. She sings very well. Her voice has the power to hypnotize people. When she was five, after watching a piano performance on television, she could replay it in the surprise of her parents who were always guilty of not being able to provide their daughter with what a gifted girl like her deserved. Since then, Uhami has learned and practiced by herself with the piano of her neighbor who also sometimes shares with her what he has learned from his professional teacher. Last month, Uhamis parents read an announcement concerning a musical scholarship for gifted students from the UWC movement. They encouraged their daughter to apply. She did and passed the first selection round. On the interview, with no English, the girl was allowed to make it in her mother-tongue language. Again, she passed. And on the last round where she had to compete with all the candidates from all over the world to win that only musical scholarship, Uhami delivered a wonderful performance with her beautiful voice and her adroit piano skills. She won the scholarship of two years of studying in a UWC. Uhami is spending her summer learning English to prepare for the journey. It will be a rather heavy challenge but

That is my language, not my ability

By: Ryan Black Nikka is an active girl. She lives on an isolated island. Remnants of the civil war can still be found from here and there in her town. It is a small town, so small that everyone knows each other very well. All the kids go to the same school where they learn some basic knowledge from a few rare teachers. Some years ago, they managed to hire a teacher to teach the kids English as they believed English would help them in their future, the future that their parents had no idea about. Last summer, Nikka met some UWC students who were the organizers of a youth conference on her island. They told her about the UWC movement, about how the world out there was different and about how life in a UWC was special. All of those elements amazed Nikka. Her only experience on working with people from different countries was a project on the island she was volunteering in. From this experience Nikka understood that the world held several interesting values, useful not only for her but also for the people on her island. Nikka wanted to gain a wider perspective on the world. Despite of her limited English, she applied and showed the national committee her compassion. She got in. Nikka has packed with her some English that she has learned over the course of the last three years to start her new journey. It will be great, as she believes. ---***--Kilmo is an orphan. He does not know who his parents are. He lives in an orphanage which he considers as his family. Everyone there is a member of his family. He has brothers and sisters who look after him and vice versa. The orphanage is not a big one. It relies on a few sponsors. However, the managers try to provide their children with the best they have. They let the elder kids go to school and get some volunteers from the local community to teach the younger ones. The kids are happy. They play

Features

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I remember telling my students that everything would be affected by what had happened for many years to come. I of course, could not even imagine that this would lead to the Iraq war as very early al Qaeda was blamed and the movement had nothing to do with Iraq whatsoever..... so a month of great personal happiness in the midst of a cosmic tragedy. That was my first month at LPC! Sylla, History Teacher The first week of lpc seemed so long ago... well, definitely I remember many of the event from o-week, which happened again this year. pool games, the camp, the photo admin! and the welcoming show and ICE. other than that, I also recall the times I spent in my next door, just sitting there and chatting. in general, of course I had a hard time memorizing the names and all that... in terms of academics, I had a wonderful Friday evening with higher maths which I still remember now. John, Hong Kong My first month at LPC was full of excitement, joy, expectation and frustration I still remember the feelings since it was the first time I had been to another country. I let the excitement of seeing Hong Kong and meeting new people overwhelm me. Anyway, I couldnt resist it. I saw a beautiful Hong Kong, felt a great UWC environment and considered LPC as heaven! The first month, I enjoyed being here so much that I didnt even think about home. Yes, everything was above my expectation. But no, I, myself, was not! With the feelings of a person who had seen the world for the first time, I wasnt sure where I was standing. My English was a barrier stopping me from approaching that world. I couldnt communicate the way I wanted. I couldnt say what I had in mind, couldnt understand what people said. I found myself stupid. That was the most frustrating time of my life. But since then, I have seen the world from a different angle. I have learned from it in a way that is different from how others have. In the end, I still believe that my UWC experience is a unique and precious one. Ryan, Vietnam

Features
isnt that what a UWC is about? Her parents wish her the best. They wish she would be alright in her new environment. We believe she will since that is a UWC Yes, that is a UWC, where students are selected based on their personalities, their talents, their passions or their experiences, but not their English. Coming from different backgrounds, we have different levels of English. However, it is our language, not our ability. Dont judge people based on their English. If their English is not so good, they must have something that is more admirable. But sometimes, they may need a chance to share it. Lets give them a chance, by listening to them and not judging how well they can converse and express themselves in English. They too have a voice, they too have ideas, they too have an opinion, and they too want to speak up, but maybe not just right now. This is based on real stories. The characters names and some details have been changed. Three months at LPC

My first month at LPC as a teacher was September 2001...What do I remember from that month beyond the happiness of being in Hong Kong and starting a new chapter in my life is Blair Foster the then director knocking at my door in Block 4 in the evening of Sept 11 around 10 pm. I had a big empty flat (my furniture and personal stuff had not arrived from Norway yet) ....today Hayleys. He knocked at my door and he told me to come to his house and to see what was happening in New York.....we came on time to watch the second tower collapsing....The next day we held a minute of silence for the victims in the college and I remember frantically calling New York to find out if one of my former students, a dancer, whose dance studio was not far from the Twin towers was ok. Two days later I got in touch and he was ok. I definitely remember being very afraid of how America under Bush would react and at first, it seemed a very measured response. It made history teaching that month very interesting for sure.

reflections on the first

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of our culture. Males are typically welcomed by a row of wall mounted urinals, flanked by several stalls designed for acts of greater gravity. The communal nature of the male restroom implies a sense of brotherhood and unity of purpose, which is fitting given the universal nature of the acts committed in a restroom. However, while the latter holds, one questions the presence of brotherhood, because if there are multiple men performing simultaneously, an intriguing social dance ensues. The newcomer enters, his haste determined by his level of desperation. He examines the members already present, whohave already acknowledged the presence of the newcomer with inconspicuous sideward glances out of the extreme corners of their eyes. The newcomer heads towards a urinal separated by at least one other urinal from every veteran present, or hesitates, a quiet panic in his eyes if no urinal satisfies the conditions. Now he considers using a stall instead, but there are none! He eventually submits himself to his fate, squeezing himself in between two unmoving, disapproving men. The appetisers have finished, and the main course has begun. While urinating, our newcomers neck is paralysed, and he is unable to look sideways. His head is only allowed to creep along a vertical axis, stiffly passing down through his spine, possibly also passing through the part of his brain that suppresses curiosity, and knows the severe societal consequences for desecrating a fellow humans manhood with a stray line of sight. For females, the event if performed at a public venue is a secluded affair, always in a stall. Ironic, because females have the habit and almost mad desire of bringing companions, comrades even, with them to the bathroom. They will if they can. Does this reflect the belief of safety in numbers defending against a subconscious fear of some hidden thing in the mind of the female? Your author cannot claim to understand them. I am informed that the female excursion to restroom requires a discourse concerning grooming more than urine, but this is a satisfactory segue into our next consideration: grooming suggests a process of cleaning, only necessary if the act of urination is viewed by our culture as a On Urine fundamentally dirty process (which it is viewed

On Urine
By: Vincent Wang In our language, the noun goes by the aliases piss, pee, piddle, wee, wiz, among others. Attaching the suffix -ing to most of the aforementioned names gives aliases for the verb to urinate. Some insist on using cute euphemism, such as Spending a penny. Some insist on being scientific (or pompous), referring to the everyday act as Elimination or Micturation. Whatever the name, we are familiar with urine: it is a liquid, and it is typically some shade of yellow, and warm, and that is all we would care to mention in polite company. But there is more to urine! What about when urine is not yellow? When it is pink (due to eating beets) or orange (due to drinking carrot juice) or green (due to B-vitamins) or blue (due to inherited Familial hypercalcemia) instead? What about when urine is not liquid? The largest recorded kidney stone was the size of a coconut (!), found in and surgically removed from a Hungarian man. The act of urination always was, and is, a simple, natural affair. There is little more rewarding than doing the deed in the open air, listening to chirping birdsong accompanied by the sharp pitter-patter on dry leaves in the woods while throwing ones head back and letting out a happy sigh, or off a high cliff, somewhere above the clouds, watching the wind-whipped stream morph on the flight down, or quietly and without consequence in a body of water (read: swimming pool). Regarding urinating in artificial bodies of water, in various studies, up 1 in 5 people have admitted that they have at some point urinated in a swimming pool. A popular urban myth states that special chemicals are added in some pools which react with urine to form very visible dyes in the water, alerting swimmers to the presence of an embarrassed perpetrator, but fear not, you-that-aretoo-lazy-to-leave-the-pool: no such chemical exists, and if it did, every public pool would be slightly off colour. The myth is no more than perhaps a psychological ploy by concerned pool owners. How we deal with the necessity of such an act as urination in public reflect the intricacies

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know about urine? We can intoxicate ourselves with it. We can make energy with it. We can pass blasphemy as contemporary art by photographing a submerged statue of Jesus Christ in it (Piss Christ by Andres Serrano, 1987.) We are limited only by our own prejudice. So the next time you have to go, a moment of rapt, fascinated observation is in order.

Features
as). But this has not been, and is not always the case. The following paragraph is not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. Drinking urine. Urine as an exfoliating agent. Urine as a wonder drug, a cure-all, a panacea. Welcome to the world of urine therapy. There may be a dearth of scientific evidence that drinking a cup or two of your own morning urine helps with toothache, pneumonia, baldness, insomnia, obesity, birthmarks, tetanus, cancer, or AIDS, but that doesnt in the deter in the slightest several million urine enthusiasts worldwide, who claim that urine can cure all the above, and more! Urine therapy has been present throughout time. Ancient Indian civilization recognised the healing qualities of urine, and even went so far to claim that urine was a cosmic substance capable of granting enlightenment, which was on a spiritual note similar to a passage in the Bible regarding drinking ones own urine: Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well. (The Book of Proverbs 5:15). Even now, a few modern Japanese women are bathing in urine as a form of skin therapy, which has its merits; there is reason to believe that the softness of infant skin is due to exposure to high concentrations of uric substances in the amniotic fluid during the babys time in the womb. However, on a more solemn note, urine has saved lives. The survival of countless explorers of arid regions and disaster victims has depended on the availability of urine as a source of water. Urine is 95 percent water, and the remainder is various salts and urea. Because of this, urine is potable to a certain extent despite the slight toxicity of the ammonia present in the urea (which is used, by the way, as a fertiliser and in plastics). Urine is also not actually as dirty as it is alleged to be. On the contrary, fresh urine is actually completely sterile, and only begins to smell offensive when bacteria break down chemicals in the urine, and release strong gases. Urine also saved lives in WW1 as a countermeasure for German chlorine gas attacks: masks soaked in urine reacted readily with the poisonous gas, rendering the chlorine harmless. In an artistic twist of fate, urine has also taken lives; Jennifer Strange, age 28, died in 2007 of holding her own urine for too long in a radio contest to win (punnily enough) a Nintendo Wii. What else didnt we By: SuhYoon Lee

Seven Misconceptions
about North Korea
(from a South Korean)

Here are some misconceptions I heard of North Korea ever since arriving in LPC. Since there is no North Korean student to refute them and I am from the same peninsula, my explanations will have to do for now. ---

1. North Korea has always been a failed state.

Believe it or not, North Korea had higher standard of living than South Korea for the first decade or so after the Korean War in the early 1950s. There was talk of unifying the peninsula under the North Korean regime. Ever since then, South Korea experienced fast economic growth (mostly under a military dictator, ironically). North Korea started to totter on the brink of economic collapse, especially after the fall of their Soviet ally. However things were still tolerable in North Korea up to the 80s. ---

2. The strict communist ideals of the regime enforce

class and gender equality. Nahdah, its one of the most sexist places on earth today. According to a personal friend who has lived in North Korea, Li, women cant even sit in the same dinner table as the men and can only eat afterwards. Beatings of wives are common and unreported, simply accepted as the social norm. The rice ration given by the government is 800g for men and 300g for women. ---

3. All sons and daughters of North Korea have to join

the army or do mass games. Well, this ones kind of true I think. So pass.

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puppet controlled by China (no offense intended to any Chinese students at LPC, its just the way things are) will take over and reunification of the Korean peninsula will be impossible. In fact all the powerful nations surrounding Korea does not want this to happen. If there werent so many external players with interest at stakes, Korea would have been unified long ago. ---

Features
(Exception: If your dad is a high government official who drives around Beijing in black Audis with tinted windows or the government wants you to melt steel or concrete in a factory instead)

--4.

South Koreans and North Koreans speak the same

Korean. Not exactly. There is a very strong difference in accent (think American south) as well as some vocabulary. We laugh at their accent and they probably laugh at ours too, but we can understand each other 98% of the time. In the past few years, South Koreans have brought many English nouns like computer, ice-cream, facebook, and other evil western inventions directly into our everyday vocabulary. From my perspective, North Korean sounds a bit like old fashioned Korean used in the 19th century.

7. We have a North Korean student at LPC!

I think we almost had one but the visa thing didnt work out in the end. . There are FIVE Koreans including me in my first year but we are all South Koreans who have been living abroad for at least seven years. If you come across a Korean student at LPC, stop yourself from asking North or South? We will politely reply south but reward you a condescending stare.

--5. South Koreans dont like North Koreans.

Excuse me? We hate North Koreas impertinent and belligerent dictatorship, not the oppressed people who most of us are directly related to by blood. We do our best to smuggle tal-buk-ja, people who escape North Korea and try to get to the South. Its a big risk because if they get caught by the Chinese police, even on the steps of the South Korean embassy in Beijing, they are dragged back and sent to the mines. For those who make it, the South Korean government employs generous programs to help them make a living. In fact, my friends grandfather who has his first wife and children still living in North Korea goes to Duman river (the one separating North Korea from China) every year to send money through a person with a Chinese passport. ---

Sweden | Duller than a depressed Trout

By: Matthew Webb The following is written tongue-in-cheek, and is not necessarily factual correct. As such, please help yourself to a large pinch of salt. Traveling through Sweden is much like eating Macaroni Cheese 10 weeks in a row; its an exciting treat at first, then excruciatingly uninteresting by the 42nd helping. If anything, Sweden is worse due to a distinct lack of cheesy burnt bits on top. As you gormlessly gaze from the train window between Gtenberg and Stockholm youll be struck by the marvelous beauty of the landscape: fields, forests, more fields, another forest, maybe even a lake. The further you travel the more you realize that Sweden is about as diverse as a Maths HL class. Arriving in Stockholm youll find an ornate, well-planned city full of wonderful architecture and great shops. Then youll realize thats about it. Stockholm feels like a show-city: no-one actually lives there, its all just put-on for the tourists, all the Swedes are actors hired by the state to make the Stockholm Experience more realistic. Beyond that, unless having your picture taken next to

6.

North Koreans are evil nuclear freaks.

No no no noits just one guy that needs to be kicked straight to hell. Propaganda and brutality keeps citizens from questioning the crazy old guy called Kim Jong-Il. Which leads us to another wrong assumption that South Koreans want Kim Jong-Il to get a heart attack and expire off the face of earth. If Kims son happens to be incapable of bringing the other ambitious officials under his thumb, the regime will collapse and, worst scenario, a

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in black and white scale anymore, it hasnt been like that since the aftermath of second world war demonstrated the results of looking at the surroundings from that oneor-the-other perspective. Capital punishment and death penalty holds a long history and the origins root back to times when morals didnt ring the same bells they do today. However, world-wide statistics clearly show that death penalty is nowhere close of becoming a taboo in the mind set of nations. According to Amnesty International the most recent countries to have abolished capital punishment from their constitutional laws are Argentina, Chile and Uzbekistan three years ago in 2008. Taking a glance at the list of countries where death penalty is yet permitted, one can without doubt see that the countries associated with the status developing in Asia, Middle East and Africa dominate. Though this is just a general trend, it is the culture and the history of the country that determines their stance, as big names like Japan and United States pop up from between the lines. The situation in United States is even more interesting as some of the states within the country have abolished the use of death sentences. In 2010 Unites States carried out 46 executions altogether, with Texas leading the statistical figures with 24 executions, a long gap to Alabama; next in line with only six executions. The 2010 report compiled by Death Penalty Information Centre reveals that the total figures of annual executions (in US) have been in a decrease the past 10 years. Then you scroll down the report and find that the amount of people in the death row is in thousands (3 261, Jan 1 2010). Over three thousand people put to wait possibly for a decade or two for the decision of a court to act. Cases of imposing death sentence and executions hardly ever make it to the front page of papers worldwide. On the 21st of September the execution of Troy Davis shook the world and became an anomaly in the pattern. However, it is not the execution that turned heads of the international press, it was the fear supported by strong evidence

Features
hundreds of identical 19th-century buildings is your thing, you will have lost all interest in the city within 20 minutes. I faced just such a situation and had no chance of escape for at least another 14 hours. By the third hour my boredom was such that I decided to gnaw my own arm off in a vain attempt to spice-up my remaining time there. This was to no avail, if anything I merely exacerbated the situation as I had now lost a great deal of blood and the light-headedness coupled with my growing desire for death caused me to nod-off in the city-centre. It seems to me that the main issue with Stockholm, and Sweden as a whole, is that theres no danger; it is utterly devoid of the edginess that makes life worth living. Everyone is so nice and so prosperous. Its a country where everyone is middle-class; a country smothered in the suburban ideal. Sweden just feels much too safe. This became apparent when, at one point in my travels, I had a three-hour stopover in Gvle, a small city in central Sweden. My train arrived at one in the morning so I (being an intrepid explorer) decided to take a little walk around. It was a Saturday night and people were just beginning to be kicked out of clubs and bars. Drunk citizens were milling about in the streets, and I didnt exactly blend-in: a very sober 17-year-old with a rucksack. Yet at no point did I feel in the slightest bit of peril; even drunk Swedes are about as scary as a penguin in a party-hat. I may well be completely wrong about Sweden; I might easily have missed all the exciting bits. I guess the only thing I know for sure is that Im damn lucky there arent any Swedes at this college.

To kill or not to kill?

By Tomi Kiviluoma To understand the existence of death penalty is not an easy task. Or you shouldnt at least take the policy of life for life for granted. It does sound simple enough to become inevitably appealing but the modern world is not

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Reflections on Hiking Ma On Shan
With the first week of classes for us Year Ones over, a celebration was in need. For a few of us, a 7 a.m. start, followed by a four hour hike in the Hong Kong humidity was on the agenda last Saturday. After a quick snack in the canteen, the six of us followed our second year guides, Mary and Valeska, towards the mighty Ma on Shan that towers over our campus. Its twin peaks, the highest reaching 702m, are separated by an incurved plateau, hence the name, which translates as: horse-saddle mountain. With good memories of the O-week hike in our minds, we began our ascent, enthusiastic and excited. But the climb rapidly got steeper and steeper, as we made our way through dense vegetation, scrabbling over roots and along winding paths. Sweat and dew mingled into one oppressive weight as we struggled onwards and upwards, our throats parched, our thighs painful. Through partings in the trees, we glimpsed down on civilization and spotted LPC! We pushed on, and an hour and a half after leaving campus, we reached the first peak. We stood in awe at the top; a heavy grey mist coated the green slopes, stretching as far as the eye could see. Isolated from the rest of the world we rewarded ourselves with bananas and peanut butter sandwiches, as we sat above the clouds. Well rested, we then set off across the plateau, the mist clearing enough to appreciate the incredible views. To one side, nothing but dense greenery, to the other, Sha Tin, a town considered rural compared to Hong Kong island, despite the clusters of 40 story skyscrapers huddling over the harbor. We walked along admiring the scenery, before realizing we were on the wrong path. After a slight detour, we were back on the right track, down towards the main road. We made slow progress, stopping often to look around, and pose for photos. When we realized that the canteen would be closed if we got back too late, we sped up, and eliminated unnecessary breaks. Two hours of clambering down sheer rocky slopes later, we were more than relieved when some concrete came into view! Back on the ground, we strolled back to school (well, the boys ran, we strolled), looking forward to a long shower and a hot meal. We all really enjoyed the trip, and appreciated seeing our new home from such a different, beautiful angle. A big thanks to Mary and Valeska for taking us up there, braving spiders and snakes (even if it was dead). So wheres the next hiking destination?

Features
that Davis might have been an innocent man after all. The story of Troy Davis is not a recent one, on August 19 1989 a police officer Mark MacPhail helping an assaulted homeless man was shot dead by the attacker of the man. Troy Davis was arrested four days later and ever since, for 22 years leading a fragmented life he had been waiting for the jurys final call. His trial started in August 1991 and found guilty, despite of the lack of physical evidence such as a murder weapon; he was put on a death row. The story is long and somewhat difficult to read. 21st of September was Daviss fourth execution day and it is painful to imagine the thoughts that were running through the mans mind that day. Three times his sentence was put on hold by the court in order to allow appeals to be delivered and to consider the case. Three times he was granted a hope which turned out to be false, a delay for the system to sort out their papers. On September 23 2008 he was spared by the court just two hours before the appointed delivery of the sentence. Preparing to die for four times within four years shapes a man but I dont dare to say how. Davis is not the only convict whose case has caused media coverage due to doubts about the guilt and innocence during recent years. The 2010 Death Penalty Report also reveals that more people were in favour of replacing death penalty with life sentence without parole or restitution. Concerns on sentencing innocent people to die have raised discussion around the United States and judging by the actions of the citizens during the case of Troy Davis it seems these discussions are going to become even more heated up. ---Read more on: http://www.guardian.co.uk/ http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/

Leila Denniston

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SEPTEMBER 26TH 2011|Second Issue |

some. But with others, I didnt. To the first years: live it up! But do it the way you know how, not the way the legends of LPC did it once upon a time. UWCs are little gardens that grow a variety of fruits and vegetables each year. Most of these products are of the same colour, size, taste and sometimes the same personalities but we all grow with an exposure to different elements we are all unique. ----------------------------------------------------------------------Morris graduated from LPC in May 2010 and is currently studying in Middlebury, United States. He wrote this article as a reflection on his visit last year during the university spring break in April. It was originally addressed towards the current second year group, class of 2012, but hasnt lost an edge of its relevancy.

Alumni Section

The Third Year

by Morris Swaby Ebanks (2008-10) Being a third year is hard. You are expected to know everything; the in-s and out-s of the UWC experience, the secret spots, the way to get into Harvard, the guard shifts. Naturally, you take that responsibility, but honestly we are only limited in terms of the experience that we had during our two years. A third year is no longer a part of the LPC bubble. We have graduated and are now a part of the real world. Thats why being a visiting third year is so hard, as you are the parasite that affects the results of the experiment. The first thing I thought when I landed in Hong Kong was: what the heck am I doing here? Firstly, Id like to say that there are no regrets on coming back. I certainly had a blast revisiting the old places I once explored and having meaningful conversations with the current students. Over the course of a week I got to live again the times I spent in this magical land that saw me as mature as a 16-year-old boy; I got to reflect on my past at LPCUWC. Consequently, I was also given the opportunity to offer advice and ponder the effect of my presence on campus. Initially, I was super disinterested in the first years, and not because their young age, lack of spontaneity and understanding, but because I didnt want to affect their experience in any kind of way. I guess I never realised that by affecting the second years, I therefore affected them as well. But after a comment made by a first year, who later called me a legend, I realised I needed to make a connection with them in order to prove that I was more than just a number at a canteen party. My connection with the current second year was strong, and it grew stronger over my visit. I got to consolidate old friendships, start fresh ones, and give advice to those who didnt even ask. One of the best parts of my trip was being able to share my experience with second years that just needed an extra paragraph in their still incomplete story. But once I opened up to the first year students, I realised a change in my motive. This change was not entirely as a result of Morris pretending to be a bigfat-know-it-all but also because of the limited experiences that first years have had thus far. Only after speaking with a certain first year friend, I realised that I had absolutely no right to guide them. They can totally do it by themselves; I was in danger of becoming the parasite third year. I had the best intentions in the world but now I understand that the UWC experience is about personal experiences that allow you to reflect and explore. Coming back as a third year and giving experienced advice to a novice doesnt reflect the role of a third year. I think that listening to their concerns, giving them courage to continue and sharing (not just teaching) are the best thing a third year can do and I certainly did it with

JOIN YOUR COUNTRYS ARMY

by Anders Malle Hjortshj (2009-11) The armed forces of any nation-state are, by their very nature, repulsive, inhumane institutions. Established in some cases as a self-sustaining, power-seeking structure, in others as an obedient servant of its countrys laws and constitution, an army will in all cases resort to violence to meet such goals as defending the countrys borders and asserting its agenda abroad. To some, these may seem like noble aspirations, but the reality is that armed conflict has its roots in the notion of defense; aggression, arms races and invasions are all justified by the fear of being attacked. These institutions may assert that their goal is to maintain peace and public order, but any national army stands to gain from conflict. Whether it is by justifying an extension of control and influence over civilian society, as in Burma, or simply by increasing military spending, as with the United States, no national army would in its right mind work towards a reduction of global conflict or a scaling down of the global weapons industry. Enlightened as its leadership may be, as willing as it may be to intervene against atrocities or crimes against humanity, no national army can meaningfully work towards peace or against conflict within the current setup of hostile, constantly shifting military blocs centred on major weapons producers (USA, China, France, Britain, Russia). While the Western public demands intervention to protect civilians in Libya, their governments are gladly supplying the arms necessary to keep vast swathes of Africa enflamed in civil war, just as they readily met Gaddafis needs in jet fighters and other weapons- until he

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can we work towards that ever-ridiculed hope of world peace and a weapon-free planet? I hope that you will find a morally coherent solution and act on it. Meanwhile, I will pursue my path, riddled as it is with hypocrisy, horror and uncertainty, for I see no other way forward in the struggle against the global militaryindustrial complex. ----------------------------------------------------------------------Anders is one of the most recent graduates from last May and is now studying linguistics in Copenhagen, Denmark. This article shows just one of the several passions Anders holds and his political and environmental awareness comes across as he every now and then keeps updating us about current, boiling issues with articles and document links (via mass emails of course, after all, he is an LPC student).

Alumni Section
became politically toxic through media attention, that is. Countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo have no such luck when it comes to disastrous Western arms sales being exposed and denounced. Simply put, the armies of the Western world are closely tied with the very arms industry fuelling the third-world conflicts the public wants them to prevent, while national armies throughout the developing world sit firmly on civilian power at the expense of human dignity and democratic rights. What should a citizen with the interests of her country, the well-being of her fellow humans, and the peace of her world at heart do when faced with the monstrosity that is a national army? Anyone with some practical sense will tell you that it is, within our lifetimes at the very least, impossible to abolish such institutions. All countries will want to defend themselves, and the ones that have succeeded in eliminating their armed forces, such as Costa Rica, face no immediate threats to their borders or military obligations abroad. Yet one cannot just tolerate the actions of ones armed forces- to do so would be to turn a blind eye to military dictatorship, the killing of civilians, and a massive waste of human intellect, ability and ambition. Combined global military expenditure has soared to 1.5 trillion US dollars during the past few years, in spite of the economic crisis. Every gun, every tank, every missile produced with that money could have built a school, planted bread and rice, provided clean water or even funded artistic production. Instead, our societies have chosen to tolerate the retention of global fear and hostility, under a thin veil of national defense and altruistic interventions. Faced with the impossibility of dismantling it, and the moral anguish of tolerating it, I feel instead compelled to join and train in the Royal Danish Army. This is not a conclusion that appeals to me; as a lifelong pacifist, I have always viewed every facet of the armed forces with utter disdain. Yet the problem will not go away if I ignore it, and it will not improve if I shout at it from outside. The Danish military is currently participating in the Western occupation of Afghanistan, a moral and strategic disaster that leaves us a choice between staying in a vain attempt to root out a vicious, extremist insurgency from its deep tribal roots, and leaving the country once more at their mercy. Many Afghan civilians have already died by Danish hands, and the thought of potentially becoming a murderer troubles me like no other. But would more innocent civilians die if an irresponsible, trigger-happy video game addict ended up in a position I could fill? Faced with the prospect of future atrocities, I believe that there is a far more urgent need for critical, thinking people in positions where they can be prevented, rather than at home where they can be criticized. I must, in a word, live out the clich of defeating the enemy from within- the enemy in this case being the very notion of enmity itself, so amply embodied by our national armies. Give some thought to the role that the army plays in your country and abroad. What can be done to change it, reform it, weaken it, and one glorious day abolish it? How

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le Petit Prince
there meets the fox, whom he tames.

Alumni Section
TEACHINGS FROM - PART II
By Rafael Saiz Garcia (2009 2011)

Never had an academic undertaking influenced my life so much. It all started last summer, when on a sunny morning at the terrace in my hometown in Murcia I started reading The Tale of the Rose The Love Story behind Le Petit Prince, by Consuelo de Saint-Exupry, Antoine de Saint-Exuprys wife. What in my childhood had been a simple fairy tale was just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much in those illustrated hundred pages of Le Petit Prince that I struggled to bring out the essential for my Extended Essay coursework which I titled From the love for the rose to the love for Consuelo and vice-versa: A confession titled Le Petit Prince.

My work on Le Petit Prince taught me that it is worth spending the time to make bonds, to tame, to love although not necessarily because only this way will we unveil reality. Only this way will we live a life worth living, a life with a spiritual touch to it. It is worth breaking those shells and there are mighty strong ones out there to really get to know somebody, whether or not this person will be there in future. Because, as the fox says, you always gain something positive:

The timid and nave rose that bloomed one day in the Little Princes tiny planet slowly turned into a Salvadorian The wheat fields have nothing to say to me. And that is sad. woman with her own complex personality and his planet But you have hair that is the color of gold. Think how wonderful gracefully became a metaphor for Antoine de Saint-Exthat will be when you have tamed me! The grain, which is also uprys life. The little seeds that would sometimes grow golden, will bring me back the thought of you. into baobabs were actually a confession of the affairs he would have with other women which, though he admits Le Petit Prince, ch. XXI and regrets, he never managed to destroy: ----------------------------------------------------------------------Known among the LPC community as (the) Rafa, Rafael is a graduate from May 2011 and he is currently enrolled in Princeton, United States. The first half of this short series was published in the last issue of BTW last year (which you are able to find from Scribd)

Indeed, as I learned, there were on the planet where the Little Prince lived as on all planets good plants and bad plants. () When it is a bad plant, one must destroy the very first instant that one recognises it. Le Petit Prince, ch. V

What captivated me was not, however, the unusual extent to which Le Petit Prince proved to be a confession about this aviators real life. It was his simple teachings about love. As the fox puts it, the essential is invisible to the eye. Our words or actions, I have come to discover and understand, often have little or nothing to do with what we actually feel, what is most lasting. The Little Prince (or Antoine de Saint-Exupry) realizes that what attaches him to his wife is unalterable despite the numerous infidelities. Not because she is prettier or wiser there are five thousand roses identical to her out there but because it is her that he has spent the most time with, it is her that he has tamed. The Little Prince regretfully departs his rose one day: I ought to have guessed all the affection that lay behind her poor little stratagems he says, realizing that at the time he failed to see that they were just the tip of the iceberg, just her actions perhaps. He was too young to know how to love her and sets to wander other planets, to explore the universe, until he reaches the earth. He

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last year, this year, with running laughter, you spoke, always thinking about the pictures. Youre on our beat, my pattering used you again! Im drinking from your cup today but do I get to keep it? If I could type faster, I would think of words. Writing changes the way the water wends. This yellow fog is fabulous, but makes everything confused. I cannot verbalise the lethargic sloth that is my brain, stirring like a spoon, and nothing is original, so, fuck it. Its not really stealing. You wont get in trouble. Just show me the influences. SHOW ME THE INFLUENCES! Yeah, I thought so. Are they Mine or Yours? I could show you this but its so... Its too.... Deep? Like a sunk ship. Heres my shrine to you. A vain comment on vanity.

Arts Section

Untitled
Tomi Kiviluoma Mindful of sand a fingerprint scanned never for the damned and no blessed are in sight Schism or a fight need to adjust the light someone just might have a slight breeze of delight And not until the clouds are machine made can a single tree set on a crusade So loose-legged the armed man stand in surprise I despise how they hold onto their land on the chest a heart distressed when the rest eventually laid to rest And not until the clouds are machine made can a single tree set on a crusade * In the absence of violence I felt a slight discomfort, a snap like a birds neck and every damn bird was dead. In the absence of wind in that park I stood to grind my teeth that park or some other. * So are we leaves rustling beneath feet and getting along with grass and with worms that break through the soil and So are we stains on a shirt from coffee some morning. Sealed eyes bricked lips and breath like thunder

and So are we 3 a.m. quiz on telly on mute while the big belly sags on the couch. and breath like thunder every breath is like thunder and so were we the bricks that got thrown at trains.

Class

Anonymous So, what? Its all in there in your head; you could be great. This would help you on your way. Redundancy washes over high society like ink. The tables are long and my memory, short. I wanted you and I to go, so I memorised a song About Me and You. Im learning to reel and you bait the hooks, Teach me to read and give me the books. All of us should answer, to try and change the possibilities. The images are not there: the mist is covering them up, the tea is spilling over the paper. Cant say Im surprised if you will wriggle about like that. Just drop on. Keep going. Keep reading. Might come back and change this later. Not linear, dah-ling. Dont be so crass! Think about it. Who goes? You decide. Youre clever enough to realise its all for you. Let me refer to an image I remember

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Arts Section

Empty Spaces
Hailey Gunningham New eyes peer back at us while specters of those passed on haunt where we fucked and fucked up places are re-made re-visited made new by new mouths saying their names

these strange people are going to be come ours anticipating closeness and sharing secrets and booze on Friday nights and we are still in-between: names and classes and forgetting it all again and the being back buzz is wearing off and I miss them and I want to leave the awkward transition I want to delve into these new people (without comparing them to the old) I want so badly to know them

Memory
Anonymous Memory It is urgent because the end has started, from somewhere in the distance it is rushing towards us When the meeting is dismissed it shall stand in the protocol, that it was I who spread the roses and closed the shutters over the windows

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Arts Section

Dragon
Dragon

By: Terrence Young

I feel like a hairless cur Its weak sacks shivering against its inner thighs Bleeding with shaving scratches, gushing gashes of humiliation. Pride leaks, silence, the sound of piss. What right do mongrels have to raise their heads? When it does, its guilty, pathetic-wretched gaze Sees Pity. No caress so painful, no sea of kindness so drowning: Animals cannot swim; they are bound by chains of sloth and heart to this bitch earth That spews pups of love, life and dreams All but dust and dirt. Pity, the mother, fathers distance. Little puppy, do your little paws hurt? Che, what a mean wee lile cut! No wonder dogs hate pussies. I could not jump the body of fate so I trip and fall Fall and stand again, so much like dolce et decorum.

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Arts Section
HUMOR ROBSON BEAUDRY

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SEPTEMBER 26TH 2011| Second Issue |

Arts Section
Farewell to Our Dear Friend, Lorenzo Bianchini

Photographs by John Wang