Gold Medal winner graduates, 10 years after he first set foot in RP
Soft News
Tnay Teng Long, 29, went through an arduous academic journey to top his cohort and to be where he is. But a tragedy strikes 2 weeks before the graduation ceremony
This article was published under The Republican Post
The Wall Street Of Fish
Photo Essay
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Known for their pre-dawn daily Tuna auctions, Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Market is a prime tourist attraction in Japan. The world’s oldest and busiest fish market, Tsukiji Fish Market has been operating since 1935. However, the inner market is set to close on October 6 and move to Toyosu due to the wear and tear of the market and the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.
Students from the Diploma in Mass Communication visited the market in March as part of a School Overseas Trip. Three students – Clarabelle Tan, Edward Siew and Zinho De Costa - captured scenes from the world’s biggest market for raw fish. Some of the photos were taken using Japanese made film cameras, showcasing photography’s rawest form.
What comes next for Narcos: Mexico?
Review
It’s been two years since we watched the original Narcos series play out the demise of the infamous Pablo Escobar’s and the end of the Cali Cartel, but since November of last year there’s a new ‘Jefe’ in sunny Mexico that’s just waiting to be caught by a fresh batch of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents.
Narcos: Mexico is a completely different monster of a drama series as it explores the origins of the modern war on drugs way before agent Murphy and Peña had their first whiff of Colombian air. It is in this season where we finally understand what it meant for any drug lord to pull off a “Kiki, as it is referenced in the original Narcos. So, put on the show’s theme song “Tuyo” while I bring you up to agent.
The Agent and The Thin Man
Enrique S. "Kiki" Camarena Salazar (Michael Peña) gets transferred out into Mexico in time as the Guadalajara Cartel was finding its footing with the mastermind Félix Gallardo (Diego Luna) taking the lead of uniting the various “Plazas” , individual gangs around Mexico, to form the first instance of a Cartel. Throughout the ten episodes, Kiki and the other DEA agents do everything they can to bring down the Cartel and the “Thin Man” himself, Félix.
The Guadalajara Cartel has eyes and ears through crooked cops and corrupt politicians, and with a lack of support Kiki takes matters into his own hands and goes blow for blow with Félix even though they have never met in the flesh. The show never fails to deliver their epic battle of wits with firefights, bouts of madness and intrigue just as well as the original.
But of course, we all know what happens to Kiki and the Cartel.
Will this be the end?
We have already been through four seasons of the Narcos and many of the fans know that they would never want to see this behemoth of a series end ahead of its time. Not to Fret! Netflix announced that is has renewed the series for a second season last December which means we could be getting our next fix soon.
With Félix and other members of the Guadalajara Cartel still on the run, former DEA agents armed to the teeth in a small Mexican town, the drug war in full swing. The next season might pick where it left off.
However, the premise of the next season of Mexico has yet to be revealed.
With the original and the first season Mexico set in the 90’s and 80’s respectively, we have reason to believe that they may move on to more modern times between the 2000’s and 2010’s. With several different Cartel’s operating in Mexico during this period of time and the violence and trafficking to have only escalated in the region, one can only imagine the possibilities that lay ahead of director Andrés Baiz.
Of course, none of the show’s regulars can make a return due to the timeline of actual events. But in all this speculation and the prospects of what Cartel gets the spotlight next or if or if it is still about the hunt for Félix Gallardo, all I know is that no matter what comes up next, we will still be in for one roller coaster of a show.
You can sign up for a Netflix subscription on their official website www.netflix.com/sg/ Netflix has 3 different plans basic ($10.98), standard ($13.98) and premium ($16.98)
This article was submitted for publication with The Republican Post but was never published
Drone training center creates new prospects for mass communication students
Hard News
Republic Polytechnic (RP) launched its Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) training centre on Jan 5th, 2017 during the first day of RP’s three-day Open House, the first of its kind in Singapore.
Since 2015, the course has trained over 120 participants from the industry and government agencies and it offers a range of UAV courses at basic and advanced levels with a fleet of over 50 drones.
With the media implementing the use of drones in capturing aerial footage, this opens possibilities for the School of Management and Communication (SMC) to prepare their Diploma in mass communication (DMC) students for this new medium.
“I feel that over the next five years the use of drones would grow in the media industry” said Lenz Angelo, 20, a second-year DMC student.
The centre already has diplomas from RP’s schools of infocomm and engineering using its facility as part of their curriculum.
“SMC should prepare our students with experience in operating them” he added.
Drone Journalism is a relatively new but rapidly expanding avenue for news agencies with a BBC news crew being among the first to use it in October 2013.
Introducing a drone journalism course to DMC students would prepare them for the future.
“Drones provide a point of view that is unique and that can complement different types of stories and news reporting.” said Mr. Jose De Castro, 55, a senior lecturer in RP and a Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) certified drone pilot that teaches at the centre.
However, there is more to simply learning how to pilot a drone. Singapore has laws and safety precautions to be adhered to before anyone can take to the skies.
“With a densely populated country like Singapore. One would need to know how to deploy them under the laws that govern drone usage. Even if we wanted to fly commercially in RP, we would have to get flight clearance from air traffic control at Sembawang Air Base so there will be no conflict with their airspace.”
“Once they are learned and mastered, drones would be an invaluable tool for DMC students.” added Mr. De Castro
Potential students expressed the need to keep up with the times.
“Staying relevant in the industry is important “said Anne-Maria Kho, 19, who came down to see what DMC had to offer.
This article was used as a graded assignment