Yes- I am now 22 years old. Only 8 years until 30, and i hear it's all downhill from there so i better make these next few years great ;) 

When will we grow up?

Mark Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure

A computer game that has been banned in Australia fell foul of the censors because it functioned like an interactive instruction manual for people to commit the crime of graffiti, according to documents released today.

The game, Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, was denied classification by the Federal Government's Classification Review Board last month.

Publication of the board's 17-page decision today gives a detailed explanation behind the controversial decision that saw Australia become the first country in the world to ban the game.

"The Review Board determined, in the majority, that the theme of graffiti as depicted and detailed in the game was beyond that of fantastical game play and provided elements of promotion of the crime of graffiti," the decision reads.

In a 3-2 decision, the board notes that the game uses methods of teaching that include guided learning, expert advice and a system of rewards that can develop an expertise which can then be used outside this virtual world.

Furthermore, because there is not enough fantasy in simulated urban environment where the Getting Up is played, there is a likelihood that this "game-world knowledge" can be transferred to the real world.

"… whilst the game contained some fantastical elements, much of the game was based in current experience," the report said, noting that building, cars an trains etc all looked like those found in any modern city.

The announcement in February that the game's MA+15 classification had been overturned, marked the first time that the board had revoked classification for a computer game.

A game that has been denied classification cannot be sold, demonstrated, hired or imported into Australia.

I am so over this- why are the links between GTA and car-jacking acceptable when the links between Mark Ecko's and spraying paint onto public walls are not? When will this horrible, disfunctional and inconsistent body we know as the OFLC (Office of Film and Literature Classification) be disbaned and replaced with a body that understands that game's are more for adults than children now?

/sigh

/end rant

A photo of USyd's first info session for the year. It's moments such as these that remind me why I am so passionate about AIESEC- a sea of faces before me, all of them about to embark on a transformative journey, and they have absolutely no idea what they are in for at this point. USyd did a great job on the night, even securing Kathryn Baldwin from General Electric to speak on AIESEC's behalf. I am very much looking forward to the Youth Development Seminar on Saturday.  

My favorite Photo from IPM- Aus and NZ together at last. Ryan on the left was elected as the Asia Pacific GN Director a few days after this photo.  

The new AI team at the official dinner, IPM 2006.  

The elections

Dear AIESECers,

After an awesome 10 days IPM 2006 (International Presidents Meeting) that ended last Friday March 3rd in The Netherlands, the new AIESEC International core team for 2006-2007 was finally selected. A huge round of applause to:

President of AIESEC International
Edyson dos Santos - AI/Republic of Macedonia/Venezuela

Director Strategy
Pinar Akiskalioglu - Turkey

Director Spanish Speaking Growth Network:
Araz Najarian - Canada

Director Africa Growth Network
Habib Ewane - Cameroon

Director Central & Eastern Europe
Jarda Dokoupil - Czech Republic

Director Western Europe and North America
Mairi Jüriska - Estonia

Director Asia Pacific
Ryan Sheppard - New Zealand

Vice President Communications
Michelle Gallant - Canada

Vice President Exchange Development
Cornelia Raportaru - Norway/Romania

Vice President People Development
Gabriela Albescu - Romania

Vice President Finance (current and re-elected)
Petroula Karagianni - AI/Greece

Vice President Information Systems
Enrique Villalon - AI/Colombia

Vice President External Relations (current)
Petr Skvaril - AI/Czech Republic

Accountant (current)
Laura Adomaityte - AI/Brazil/Lithuania

Well done and congratulations to each and everyone of this new generation of global leaders. The team 2006-2007 will rock!!! All the very best guys!

A huge recognition as well to the excellent group of candidates that ran the process until the end demonstrating the capabilities, talents and quality of the leaders that our organization can raise.

Expect news soon about the application process for the remaining positions to complete the team 2006-2007.

Cheers!

AIESEC International

Farewell to arms...

Btw WoW is gone. It hurt to do it, it hurt real bad, but it had to be done for to good of mankind. I will miss it...

Jetlag again

I never realized how much work you can get done between the hours of 3 and 6am.

:(

Ralph

Jetlag ftl

6pm hit's and I'm all but floored.

The train to Bondi Junction hits the end of the line and i would have ridden it back to Mortdale were it not for the kind poking of a transit officer.

Time to sleep.

IPM 2006

My goodness it has been a long time since i have posted on my blog. Good news is that i have seriously reconsidered some of the priorities in my life and as such, have freed up a significant portion of my time. So here's to more blogging over the next little while, since it is something that i identified i need to be doing more of as a part of personal reflection.

What triggered this re-prioritisation? International President's Meeting 2006 of course. For those of you that dont know, IPM is a meeting of all the current and newly elected presidents of AIESEC's member countries. There, presidents recieve leadership and management training, participate in global strategy development and planning and elect the members of AIESEC International, the body responsible for the global management of AIESEC (94 countries atm and still growing).

Elections


AI elections, particularly PAI elections, are an intense affair. Imagine standing up in front of 200 people who represent 94 countries and telling them that YOU deserve to lead them, that YOU know how to make their countries great, that YOU are the best person in the entire world for this job! We'll that's what these three guys, Dey, Marty (Taco) and Peter did when they stood for PAI, and they all did a bloody awesome job. In the end, Dey was the winner by a sizable margain. He performed well and while he has my full support, it truly broke my heart to see someone that i know and love, that i have learnt from and aspired to, not get that which he wanted most. Marty, Taco, did Australia proud as he ran for PAI, but in the end it just wasnt enough to win over crowd. I am sure that he will go on to do great things in his life, and i know that i will stay in touch with him for many years to come.

Also elected were the directors and VPs who all seem like competant people, even if a few of the elected directors were a bit of a surprise. AI is nearly complete- all that remains now is the ER team and other support roles.

Leadership and management training
I can honestly say that i never expected any AIESEC conference (at this point in my AIESEC career) to seriously challenege my concepts surrounding leadership and management. After years of boring L&M sessions and a few leadership positions under my belt, i thought that experiential learning was going to be the only form of learning to pay worthwhile dividends- i have never been happier to admit that i was wrong. IPM challenged every notion i held close to me about what i means to be a leaders and how it is done well. Through a mixture of spiritual exploration, meeting truly amazing leaders, worshops, simulations and personal reflection, i gained a tremendous amount of clarity on the topic of leadership- things that will affect me not only this year as MCP but for the rest of my life. I really cant go into too much detail about it now, but rest assured i will be dealing with the topics many times this year through my blog.

Global strategy development and planning
Despite the cynical approach of many MCPs to the global planning processes of the past, a vast majority of them were very satisfied with the way the planning process worked this year, and i was one of them. Shantanu, strategy director this year on AI, is a simply amazing guy who has pulled of something great with the introduction of the new balanced scorecard and the global focus areas. It really feels as though this plan is achievable, and that i can see the role that each individual member of AIESEC Australia will play in contributing to this plan. Im excited...

General Thoughts....
Back to reality- it always hits hard, but i am feeling confident and centred to meet the challenges that lie ahead for me. I need to continue to evaluate how i am spending my time and develop a routine that will make the most out of this year- that will be my focus over the next few weeks, getting that routine and developing the disciplne to follow it. Times ahead are tough, but i am honestly looking forward to the challenge. I remember coming home on the plane yesterday and being at one point simply overwhelmed, emotionly overwhelemed at the opportunities that i have this year to develop myself and AIESEC Australia- i think that realisation was a turning point for me that has set me on a new road. I look forward to seeing where that road leads.

Ralph