The Rolling Tongue A newsletter for knowledge seekers

Hey there!

This year is a rather somber one. We saw the passing of boxing

legend Muhammad Ali, famed actor Alan Rickman, musical

genius David Bowie, the crash of EgyptAir flight MS804, the

shooting of Christina Grimmie, the Orlando shooting, the

murder of Jo Cox and many more. In this issue, there is a special

news article focusing on the Orlando shooting, a heartbreaking

attack on the gay bar Pulse that left 50 dead, including the

shooter. For something lighter, the article on Real Madrid’s

UEFA Champions League (UCL) win and Sandra Soh’s piece on

cinematic movies still being dominated by males would be great

reads as well.

I hope you enjoy this issue!

Cheers!

Sophia

I S S U E 2

Contents

News of the world

50 dead in Orlando shooting Sports One night in Milan: Real Madrid win their 11th UEFA Champions League Culture Cinematic movies still dominated by males Trivia

Eid al-Fitr/Hari Raya Aidilfitri/Hari Raya Puasa

Euros

Rio Olympics 2016

6 July

11 June to 11 July

5 to 21 August

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50 dead in Orlando Shooting It was meant to be a night of fun, dancing and music. Every night, people visit Pulse for various reasons. A

birthday. An anniversary. To find other LGBT members. It was no different that night. It was Pulse’s Latin night,

and many were there for it too. The atmosphere was festive and vibrant, as club-goers socialized with

strangers and friends alike, and looked forward to another night of fun and dance.

Shortly after 2am, the first shots rang out. There was confusion among club-goers as to what the sounds were.

Ray River, a.k.a DJ infinite, who was performing at Pulse that night, told the Daily Beast that “(he) thought it

was someone lighting firecrackers”. Yet, the shots only grew louder and louder, and bodies were falling,

everywhere. A distressing message was posted on Pulse’s Facebook page. “Everybody get out of pulse and

keep running.”

Omar Mateen had opened fire on club-goers with an assault rifle similar to an AR-15 and a semi-automatic

handgun.

A night of horror unfolds

Omar Mateen entered Pulse slightly past 2am. An officer who was working an extra shift at Pulse responded,

and together with two other officers, a gun battle ensued. Mateen then entered the club, where he shot at

the club-goers on the dance floor. “I saw bodies on the floor, people on the floor everywhere,” recounted Mr

Rivera. “It was chaos, everybody trying to get out.”

Mateen then retreated to the restrooms at the back of the club, one with 4-5 hostages, and an adjacent one

that had 15-20 hostages. More would enter the restroom later. Only one survived. Norman Casiano, the sole

survivor, describes how he was shot 4 times in the back, and had to crawl over the bodies of his friends to

safety. That day was also his 26th birthday. He later escaped from the scene through a hole in the wall blasted

by law enforcement officers.

The rampage lasted for three hours. During that period, a SWAT armored vehicle arrived and crisis negotiators

talked to Mateen. Mateen also made 911 calls where he pledged allegiance to ISIS, and made references to

the Boston Marathon bombers. He claimed to have explosives and bomb vests, and this spurred the officials’

decision to start a rescue operation.

At 5am, officers tried blasting a hole in the wall of the restroom. It did not penetrate the wall completely, and

an armored car was used to deepen the hole. From this hole, Mateen emerged, and was killed by officers,

drawing the night of horror to a close.

This 3-hour shooting claimed the most lives in American history. 49 people died, either at the club or outside

the club and including Mateen, 50. There are 52 injured with 6 in critical condition.

News of the world

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A son’s desperate texts to mother

Mina Justice was fast asleep, when she received a cryptic text from her son. At 2.06 am, Eddie Jamoldroy

texted, “Mommy I love you”. The next text: “In club they shooting”. Mina Justice tried calling her son, but

there was no answer. “U ok”, she texted back. At 2.07am, he replied, “Trapp in bathroom”. Their following

exchanges are chilling, showing his increased fear and desperation as the killer drew nearer.

What club?

Pulse. Downtown. Call police.

I’m gonna die.

I’m calling them now

U still in there

Answer our damn phone

Call them

Call me

Call them mommy.

Now.

Is anyone hurt?

Lots. Yes.

Are you with police?

Text me please.

Still here in bathroom. He has us. They need to come get us.

The police in There let me no when you see the police.

Hurry

He’s in he bathroom with us

Women’s bathroom is

Is the man in the bathroom wit u

He’s a terror

Yes

Are you hurt

Stay there he don’t like gay people

Text me please

I love you

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Mina Justice sent three final texts.

Don’t do nothing

Stay down

Baby text me

She never heard from her son again. Eddie Jamoldroy Justice was tragically killed that night.

The exchange above was taken from Slate Magazine, written by Jeremy Stahl, a Slate senior editor. It was

originally published by the Associated Press. The original video can be found at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUmB18gpTTg&feature=youtu.be

A ruthless and maniacal killer

It was not enough for Mateen to simply shoot his victims.

“He’s shooting everyone who’s already dead on the floor making sure they were dead, “ recalls Angel

Colon, who miraculously survived after the two shots Mateen directed at him missed his head. During the

ordeal, Mr Colon was shot three times in the leg, and the stampede of patrons trying to escape shattered

his leg. He was later rescued by an unidentified person who dragged him out of the club and brought him

to medical assistance.

Norman Casiano, the sole survivor of the restroom massacre, describes how Mateen laughed as he shot

the victims. '’He was laughing fanatically as he sprayed people with the gun,' Casiano told her. 'He was

going "ha, ha, ha" as he shot them.'’

Orlando declares state of emergency

Florida governor Rick Scott has declared state of emergency in Orlando. He called the massacre “an act of

terrorism” and added that “you just can’t imagine this happening in any community”. Obama has also

called the shooting “an act of terror and an act of hate”.

Hundreds participated in a vigil to honor the victims of the Pulse shooting at the Dr Phillips Centre for the

arts in Orlando.

Second Orlando tragedy of the week

One day before the Pulse shooting, The Voice finalist and popular YouTube singer Christina Grimmie was

fatally shot by Kevin Loibl, who is believed to be a deranged fan, after her concert while signing

photographs for fans. After she was shot, her brother tackled the shooter, who shot himself during the

scuffle. Grimmie was only 22.

Authorities said that Loibl had no connections to Grimmie. Many stars such as Justin Bieber have paid

tribute to her and her former mentor on The Voice, Adam Levine, has offered to pay for her funeral

expenses.

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Forensic tents have been set up adjacent to Pulse, the site of the shooting. Image: Daily Mail via Getty

Friends and family embrace outside Orlando police headquarters. Image: Steve Nesius for Reuters via The New York Times.

Bouquets left at the scene of the shooting. Image: Sam Hodgson for the New York Times

Volunteers queue up at OneBlood, Orlando, to donate blood. Image: Loren Elliot for Tampa Bay Times via The New York Times

Christina Grimmie, singer who was fatally shot a day before. Image: taken from The Independent

Tragedy after tragedy in Orlando

Norman Casiano was the only person who survived in the restroom. Image: heavy.com via facebook

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Sports

One night in Milan: Real Madrid win their 11th UEFA Champions League

Atlético Madrid’s Juanfran strolls towards the penalty area, calming himself as he prepares to take the 4th spot-kick for his team. He looks into the eyes of Real Madrid goalkeeper, Keylor Navas, and takes a step back. Taking a deep breath, he rushes forward- Alas. Lady Luck is not on his side that night. The section of los blancos fans erupt into wild cheers as the ball hits the post, and at that moment, Atlético’s UCL dream has yet again, been cruelly taken away from them. The last penalty-taker for Real Madrid is Cristiano Ronaldo, and there is no way he is going to miss that. Indeed, with a confident stride, Ronaldo’s penalty sinks into the bottom left of the net and the stadium explodes. Real Madrid is officially, and once again, the champions of Europe. On the 28th of May, Madrid rivals Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid played the UCL final at Milan’s San Siro Stadium, home of A.C Milan and Inter Milan. It was a historic affair in many ways. After obtaining their 10th title 2 years ago, Real Madrid would be playing for their 11th—a feat that no team has achieved. For Atlético Madrid, it was the second time facing their fierce city rivals in 3 years; their first handed Real Madrid their 10th title. It would be an understatement to say that both teams deserved to be UCL finalists. Earlier in the quarterfinals, Real Madrid overcame a 0-2 first leg deficit against VFL Wolfsburg with a 3-0 at home, grâce à a hat trick by Cristiano Ronaldo. Atlético’s journey was even more arduous. They surprised everyone by defeating competition favorites Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals and semi-finals, respectively, to reach the final. It would a battle between two teams that could not be any more different. Real Madrid—a club that has historically done well in UCL. Atlético Madrid—a dark horse. Real Madrid—a team of galacticos (superstars who have been bought with a lot of money), with ballon d’or winner Cristiano Ronaldo and players who have consistently dominated FIFPro XI team. Atlético—a team consisting of homegrown players, a few foreign players, who have proved to be solid and reliable, though not of superstar status. Real Madrid—headed by first-time coach and footballing legend Zinédine Zidane, who is often seen as a calm, collected man. Diego Simeone—a fiery coach who has turned Atlético Madrid from an average team to one that is increasingly respected throughout the world. Starting line up: Real Madrid: Navas; Pepe, Ramos (C), Ronaldo, Kroos, Benzema, Bale, Marcelo, Casemiro, Carvajal, Modrić Atlético Madrid: Oblak; Godín, Filipe Luís, Koke, Griezmann, Torres, Fernández, Gabi (C), Savić, Saúl Ñíguez, Juanfran The match kicked off at 20:45 CEST, under warm and humid conditions. Real Madrid started strongly, and dominated the first part of the match. The first chance came in the 6th minute. Gareth Bale delivered a free kick, which found Casemiro, who directed into the middle of goal. It was deflected by Jan Oblak. In the 15th minute, a free kick delivered by Kroos found Bale, who flicked the ball. Subsequently, Ramos made contact with the ball, and poked it home at close range, giving Real Madrid the early advantage. Subsequent replays showed that Ramos might have been offside; it was a very tight call.

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Coincidentally, it was also Ramos’ goal that saved Real Madrid from the brink of defeat in the 2014 UCL final, also against Atlético Madrid. At that time, Ramos’ header at 92nd, 48th second of the final allowed Real Madrid to level and play into extra time. Eventually, Real Madrid won the match 4-1.

Ramos celebrates his goal. Image: Metro via Getty

A goal of pure determination: Ramos’ goal at 92:48 that enabled Real Madrid to clinch La Décima. Image: 100and21wordpress.com Atlético started getting into the game and playing more fluidly in the final 15 minutes in the first half. They

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Atlético started getting into the game and playing more fluidly in the final 15 minutes in the first half. They saw more of the ball, as Real Madrid’s possession dwindled slightly, and looked less dominant. Yet, Real Madrid still seemed to be the stronger team of the two. Good work by Modrić and Kroos kept things running smoothly in the midfield, and the front three (Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo) provided a strong attacking threat. Pepe and Ramos also looked extremely secure at the back. Meanwhile, Griezmann and Torres failed to have the same impact they had in the many games they played earlier in the season, and were relatively quiet. Real Madrid entered halftime with the score 1-0. Atlético Madrid looked more confident as the match entered the second half. Simeone made a change at halftime, Carrasco for Fernández, whose showing had been rather poor in the first half. The Belgian winger was probably substituted on to provide Atlético a greater attacking threat, for Atlético’s immediate priority would be to grab a goal and level. Atlético’s first real chance came in the 48th minute. Pepe’s foul on Torres in the penalty area gave Atlético a penalty, which was subsequently taken by Griezmann. Unfortunately, Griezmann misfired the penalty, as it hit the woodwork instead. The Griezmann penalty curse has struck again. Previously, in the last match against Real Madrid, Navas saved Griezmann’s spot-kick. Real Madrid made their first change in the 52nd minute. Carvajal was escorted off in tears, after suffering an injury. He later revealed that the tears were in part due to his knowledge that he would no longer be able to participate in the Euros with Spain due to the injury. He was subsequently replaced by Danilo. Surprisingly, Real Madrid chose to make a second change in the 72nd minute, Isco for Kroos. Kroos had been playing excellently for the duration of the match, and had given Real Madrid the much-needed dominance and fluidity in the midfield. Since the first goal, Real Madrid seemed much more willing to sit back and pass, and there is a sense that they may have forgotten the attacking part of the game. The front trio had become relatively quiet, and less of an attacking threat. Zidane probably noticed this, and thus made the final change replacing Benzema with Vasquez. Vasquez, a former Real Madrid player, has experienced a very good run of form in the recent games, and has even, in the first time of his career, been included in Spain’s Euro squad. At the 79th minute, Atlético Madrid leveled, through a goal by Carrasco. In a very passionate showing of love, Carrasco rushed to the sides and kissed his model girlfriend, Noemie Happart. With the goal, Atlético Madrid was able to keep their hope for a title alive for a little longer.

Carrasco kisses his girlfriend. Image: Daily Mail via EPA

Carrasco equalizes for Atlético Madrid. Image: sportskeeda.com

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In the last 10 minutes of the match, both sides started attacks, but they did not come into fruition. The match then had to enter extra time (30 min), consisting of two 15-minute halves. Yet, the humidity could be seen to have taken a toll on the players. The players were practically hobbling through the entire extra-time period, and there were few successful attacks. A number of the players started suffering from cramp; Marcelo, Bale, Koke and Filipe Luís were hit the hardest. The latter two were eventually substituted.

Bale spent most of extra-time stretching. Image: Getty With score still level after 120 minutes, the game headed into a penalty shootout. A coin toss decided that Real Madrid would take the penalties first. Vasquez was the first to take the penalty for Real Madrid, and coolly it into the corner. Griezmann follows suit, and Marcelo, Gabi, Ramos, Saúl and Bale also took their penalties successfully. Then, it was Juanfran’s turn. The stadium erupt into roars as Juanfran’s penalty hit the post. It was over. Ronaldo was next, and there was no way he would miss that. And he didn’t. With a resounding thud, Ronaldo’s penalty sank deep into the net. Ronaldo tears his shirt off in jubilance and the players all run towards the side of the field. Real Madrid are officially the campeones of Europe again! Their happiness is certainly a sight to watch. Zizou embraces with the boys and Ramos seems to be crying. On the other side of the field, the scene is heartbreaking. The Atlético players have broken down in tears, and some are inconsolable. Diego Simeone goes over and hugs many of them, but his face showed that he was not quite alright with the loss. It was his second UCL final defeat in 3 years. At the other end of the field, Juanfran bows to the fans and asks for forgiveness, his face contorted with tears. It was rather harsh that he was technically responsible for the defeat; the match was simply very close, and either team could have won. There, the Atlético fans gave him a rousing applause. In an act of solidarity, Atlético fans would later buy

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bowed to the fans and asked for forgiveness, his face contorted with tears. It was rather harsh that he was technically responsible for the defeat; the match was simply very close, and either team could have won. There, the Atlético fans gave him a rousing applause. In an act of solidarity, Atlético fans would later buy Juanfran’s shirt in mass after the match, causing an 8-times increase in sales. Here are some more pictures on Real Madrid’s UCL win:

Real Madrid win their 11th UEFA Champions League title. Image: sportskeeda.com

Real Madrid celebrate with an open-top bus at Cibeles, Madrid. Image: Getty

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Cinematic movies still dominated by males

By Sandra Soh, Editor of The Rolling Tongue

As an avid moviegoer, I have always enjoyed checking out movies that will be released in the new year so I

can plan the different movies I want to watch. I searched “movies 2016” and clicked on “Movie insider”,

which seemed to showcase all the upcoming popular movies in 2016. With a simple glance, I can see from

the posters of the movies that most, if not all the movies, are centered around male protagonists. Now, it’s

not that I do not appreciate these movies, I love them and I also admire the very attractive and talented cast,

often turning into a fangirl when I see the likes of Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans etc. on

screen (yes I am a Marvel Cinematic fan). However, the feminist in me simply cannot help but notice the lack

of females in all these movies. In the first 12 posters displayed on the website, it can be seen that there are

only 3 posters where you can clearly see the female (The Huntsman, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Allegiant).

Culture

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Sexism in MARVEL Although I am aware that there are great female actresses in Captain

America: Civil War, I am somewhat miffed at the lack of progressive

attitudes within the MCU despite being a fan. The only female avenger,

until Avengers 2, was Black Widow, who constantly gets annoying

sexist questions from the paparazzi and at a lot of times is made to be

seductive. At some points, I wonder if her presence as a “badass

fighter” is to appease feminists because of the “strong” female

character she portrays, as if the strength of a character is only

characterized by their ability to fight (better than males) instead of

other proper character development. What about Pepper Potts and

Jane Foster? They are brilliant women that excel in their professional

field but are only characterized by their ROMANTIC relationship with

the male protagonists, Tony Stark and Thor. It is frustrating to have to

describe these wonderful characters as “Tony Stark’s girlfriend”,

“Thor’s lover” instead of “CEO of Stark Industries” and

“Astrophysicist” because their actual careers are never the focus of

the movie, but roles that allow them to help their male partners.

The other female avenger that appears is Scarlett witch and while her

magic is great and her strength is not being able to “fight like a man”,

the fact that she is, in essence, portrayed as a rather emotionally

unstable, mind-controlling witch does not fully sit well with me.

Protagonist VS Antagonist

Moving on, though Huntsman seems to be about the fight between two sisters from what I gathered in the

trailer, the conflict is likely resolved through the heroic acts performed by the Huntsman, taking down the evil

sister, having one or both of them like him etc. The fight and conflict between the sisters thus become the

setting simply for the Huntsman to shine. I loved the trailer and it seemed like it will be an awesome movie,

but the fact that there is a high chance the movie is going to end with the victory of the Huntsman and the

defeat of one or both of the sisters really kills my joy. Often, when I rematch such movies, I simply do not

watch the end because it, simply put, pisses me off.

Though I have not watched Allegiant, the number of times where Tris is rescued by Four in Divergent is

enough for me to classify this movie as another false pro-female movie. It does not count as progressive

when you seemingly make the female the protagonist but still confine her to having to rely on the male to

survive. I would like it if there is a day where I won’t even notice such unfairness between portrayal of males

and females because gender roles will be diversified to the point that all movie characters are unique and

charming and are classed by their character not their sex.

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Trivia