It’s that time of the year again, when we come face to face with yet another year. January is the first month of the year that allows us to embrace a fresh start. What better way to start the year than with a New Year’s resolution? A New Year’s resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to break or change their current lifestyle. New Year’s resolutions are very common, and may be considered a custom for many individuals, helping them start their new year in a different way. Commonly, a New Year’s resolution may consist of a person’s aspirations to cease smoking, drinking, or other bad habits
In order to create a New Year’s resolution, it must be New Year’s Day. Countries all over the world celebrate this day with special concerts, parades, gatherings, and sporting events. In Canada, Australia, the United States, and the UK, many people gather at beaches and run into the water to celebrate this day. In Britain, an extra round of football fixtures is played, unless New Year’s Day falls into Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. Vienna, on the other hand, has a special New Year’s Day concert. As for the rest, London has a New Year’s Day parade, and New York City has the annual ball drop in Times Square at midnight. Many individuals celebrate this day by taking time off to be with friends and family. New Years has been a special day to many people for centuries, and has been dated back to ancient times. Although this event lasts for one day, it is the most distinguished holiday known around the world that welcomes the coming of the New Year, and brings everyone closer together around the world.
Coincidentally, the New Year brought change that would bring the world together. On January 20th 2009, President Barack Obama gave his inauguration speech in Washington D.C., and became the first African American president of the United States of America. This was an issue that didn’t solely affect the U.S., but an issue that affected the whole world. Being the world’s superpower, the U.S. is closely examined by other countries as they observe and learn from it. During President Obama’s inauguration speech, he stated “We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.” Accordingly, these are the things that other people look at; we listen to his plan, and see if he will fulfill his statements. If he accomplishes these tasks, then he has not failed us; however, if he does not accomplish these tasks, then we lose hope in him. Although President Obama will remain in office for four years, he nonetheless can either change the way the U.S. is looked upon by the whole world, or change the way the U.S. looks upon the rest of the world. It’s not his decision to choose our lifestyle; it’s our decision to choose our lifestyle, therefore we should not judge a person by their actions, but simply their attempt of doing these actions.
As we have all experienced change, we know how difficult it can be. For most people, it takes time, effort, and support of others to help them drastically change their lifestyle. Even though everything is not perfect, we expect it to be perfect, and the only way to do that is by doing our best. January, the start of a new year, offers us a clean slate and a chance to start over again.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
A Diary
14th February, 2009
Dear diary,
Ah, today is the long awaited celebration of love: Valentine’s Day. Everywhere men are walking with a dozen of red roses in their hands (here and there, there are few white or pink), heart-shaped chocolate boxes, and cute teddy bears. On the other hand, women are rushing into stores trying to figure out what their other half would like as a present – a perfume or maybe even a card? And as night falls, the restaurants will be filled with hand-holding, smile-wearing couples.
Such a cliché. It seems like it’s more about the presents than it is about the real reason for this holiday – love. In this world, bombarded with products we seem to take the emotions out of every celebration and make it completely commercial. I mean, c’mon! Has anyone heard of a handmade card? Something creative? Something unique and true? Even a piece of paper could turn into a love note, when someone would dedicate a few moments of his/her time to put down a few words of affection, of care. It should be a celebration of you and that special person in your life to whom you say I love you.
Oh well, I got to go get ready now, I am off to my boyfriend’s house. He has been cooking all day for me, preparing a dinner for the both of us. And no, it’s not a typical, romantic, Italian cuisine, quite the opposite; he is making hamburgers and fries, because he knows I like them. And yes, I did get him a present, but trust me its nothing that you can buy from a store.
22nd February, 2009
Dear diary,
The ultimate battle of the movies, the biggest movie event of the year, the Annual Academic Awards are here! Well, it is 3am, and I am interested in who is going to bring Oscar home; however, the movie stars are still walking down the red carpet (for an hour now) and it’s getting kind of boring.
Oh here we go, they begin! Wohoo!! WALL-E won Best Animated Picture (it was my favorite). Hmm, seems like the Academy is trying to shy away from the commercial, Hollywood movies and look for the more artistic, low-budget ones; the ones that hold the true essence of movies. I think I like this change. The world really seems to open its horizons: Obama, an African-American – President of the United States, Slumdog Millionaire, a British movie set in India – Best Picture. Also, some other movies are a breath of fresh air; for example, Milk, Frost/Nixon. Movies with essence and exquisite acting. Movies that move and stun. Yes indeed, 2009 is a year of change.
Dear diary,
Ah, today is the long awaited celebration of love: Valentine’s Day. Everywhere men are walking with a dozen of red roses in their hands (here and there, there are few white or pink), heart-shaped chocolate boxes, and cute teddy bears. On the other hand, women are rushing into stores trying to figure out what their other half would like as a present – a perfume or maybe even a card? And as night falls, the restaurants will be filled with hand-holding, smile-wearing couples.
Such a cliché. It seems like it’s more about the presents than it is about the real reason for this holiday – love. In this world, bombarded with products we seem to take the emotions out of every celebration and make it completely commercial. I mean, c’mon! Has anyone heard of a handmade card? Something creative? Something unique and true? Even a piece of paper could turn into a love note, when someone would dedicate a few moments of his/her time to put down a few words of affection, of care. It should be a celebration of you and that special person in your life to whom you say I love you.
Oh well, I got to go get ready now, I am off to my boyfriend’s house. He has been cooking all day for me, preparing a dinner for the both of us. And no, it’s not a typical, romantic, Italian cuisine, quite the opposite; he is making hamburgers and fries, because he knows I like them. And yes, I did get him a present, but trust me its nothing that you can buy from a store.
22nd February, 2009
Dear diary,
The ultimate battle of the movies, the biggest movie event of the year, the Annual Academic Awards are here! Well, it is 3am, and I am interested in who is going to bring Oscar home; however, the movie stars are still walking down the red carpet (for an hour now) and it’s getting kind of boring.
Oh here we go, they begin! Wohoo!! WALL-E won Best Animated Picture (it was my favorite). Hmm, seems like the Academy is trying to shy away from the commercial, Hollywood movies and look for the more artistic, low-budget ones; the ones that hold the true essence of movies. I think I like this change. The world really seems to open its horizons: Obama, an African-American – President of the United States, Slumdog Millionaire, a British movie set in India – Best Picture. Also, some other movies are a breath of fresh air; for example, Milk, Frost/Nixon. Movies with essence and exquisite acting. Movies that move and stun. Yes indeed, 2009 is a year of change.
March 2009
An ordinary sunny day in an extraordinary time of the year. Shinning, sunny rays enter my room and slowly wake me up, only to remind me that March it’s already here. While I get ready for school, it starts snowing and I just smile because I know that is usual for March who has 300 faces according to an ancient Slavic proverb. But last March was not that ordinary. NOVA Family Spring Bazaar. Model European Parliament in Cyprus. A lot of celebrations all over the world. Elections in Macedonia. The beginning of a worldwide panic and crisis called swine flu. Various events worth mentioning and writing for.
But let’s start from the beginning. March is the third month of the year and throughout history different cultures tried to explain and associate this month with different deities, events and important dates. Until approximately 700 BC March was the official beginning of the year and the beginning of a new war season. Wow! The year began at March? Well yeah, taking into consideration that it is a month of rebirth and changing of season, March was listed as the first month in the year. This was so in Russia until the end of the 15th century. Ancient Greeks and Romans attached the notion of war and fighting to this month and the beginning of a new war season. There are also many holidays celebrated in March throughout the world. For example, the Iranian, the Hindu and the Balinese-Javanese New Year begin in March. Furthermore, Saint Patrick’s Day (March 17), Human Right’s day in South Africa, spring equinox, as well as, the beginning of spring season (March 21), even believe it or not, many mathematical holidays, such as World Math’s Day (first Wednesday in March) and Pi Day (March 14). Another day that is widely celebrated in our culture is March 8, which signifies International Women’s Day and it celebrates globally the economic, political and social achievements of women. While this is the original purpose of the holiday, this day has turned into a day when all the women are supposed to get flowers or another present from the men in their lives.
And the March of 2009 was not only filled with all these celebrations for me, but it was a month worth living for, full with adventures, travelling and unforgettable experiences. March 28 was reserved for the annual NOVA Family Bazaar, which this year had an exceptional number of activities organized in order to entertain the guests, but also to raise great deal of funds. This year’s funds were donated to the Bitola Orphanage, for the purchase of diapers, baby food and other baby related products. The Bazaar included a variety of products at affordable prices in aim to raise more money and promote Macedonian products to the public. However, what was so special about this year’s Bazaar was the Fashion Show, NOVA’s PTA and Student Council organized together with couple of fashion brands and assisted by NOVA’s students, who handled great the task of being models and successfully showing off the new collections of these brands. I was part of these students and I can only say it was an immense pleasure for me to be a model, even only for a day. We went through the whole process of getting ready for a fashion show, starting from getting up early in the morning, going to the hairdresser’s and makeup artist, including numerous rehearsals and trying out different combinations of clothes, in order to look the very best for that special event. The feeling of going out in front of the audience, while everyone’s eyes are set upon you, the sun shining directly in your eyes and warming you up, knowing you do it all for a noble cause is just indescribable. The sounds of the crowd going wild, clapping and screaming for you and the flashes from all the cameras twinkling like little stars right in front of you give you the ecstatic feeling of being proud, satisfied and happy at the same time. Afterwards, the student council members were involved in selling handmade jewelry and continue raising funds for those in need.
In the same period, couple of students were invited to attend the annual international Model European Parliament session in Nicosia, Cyprus. I had the opportunity to be part of the Macedonian delegation that represented NOVA International Schools in Cyprus. It was an incredible experience to work with same-minded prosperous young people from all over Europe and share ideas about current political and social topics including global economic crisis, nuclear waste disposal, recent events in Gaza, renewable energy resources and human rights in developing countries. Besides the fact that we practiced our debating skills, exchanged ideas and promoted our country in a truly European setting, we also had the chance to learn about the culture and customs of our respective hosts and make a lot of long lasting friendships and strong bonds with people we only knew for couple of days. We experienced truly what it means to be part of the European political system, resolve problems with a global background and present ideas and resolutions in the general assembly. On the whole, it was an invaluable week filled with precious moments spent in the island of the ancient goddess of beauty-Aphrodite.
The month of March was significant not only on a local, but also on a state level, because the presidential elections were organized for the fifth time in the same time as the local elections. The new president was elected after the second round of elections because not enough voters showed up on the electing places. Our new president is Gjorge Ivanov, who got a mandate in duration of five years.
Another event on a global level that shook the whole world and caused panic and fear was the appearance of the so called “swine flu”, or “influenza A (H1N1)”. Since then, the whole world lives in terror and fear of the deadly virus that appeared for the first time in Mexico and started taking its first victims. New regulations and laws were imposed in order to control the spreading of the virus. The governments cooperated and worked together to make a plan to stop the panic that started ruling people’s lives. The scientists managed to develop a vaccine and an effective cure against the virus that unfortunately mutated since its appearance and has a lot of subspecies now. The important thing is that people decided to work effectively and join in the fight against the virus and help each other, so they would combat this 21st century threat.
And another month of March passed…What a month…Filled with joyful and unforgettable events, as well as, serious and threatening happenings. The important notion is that people have the strength and the will to continue living and working and cooperating so they can live those short, but worthwhile moments of happiness and satisfaction, although on the long run they are interrupted with temporary entries of terror, fear and disappointment. Those short moments make people move on and continue with the everyday activities throughout the months of April, May, June, July…and wait impatiently for the beginning of the new year.
But let’s start from the beginning. March is the third month of the year and throughout history different cultures tried to explain and associate this month with different deities, events and important dates. Until approximately 700 BC March was the official beginning of the year and the beginning of a new war season. Wow! The year began at March? Well yeah, taking into consideration that it is a month of rebirth and changing of season, March was listed as the first month in the year. This was so in Russia until the end of the 15th century. Ancient Greeks and Romans attached the notion of war and fighting to this month and the beginning of a new war season. There are also many holidays celebrated in March throughout the world. For example, the Iranian, the Hindu and the Balinese-Javanese New Year begin in March. Furthermore, Saint Patrick’s Day (March 17), Human Right’s day in South Africa, spring equinox, as well as, the beginning of spring season (March 21), even believe it or not, many mathematical holidays, such as World Math’s Day (first Wednesday in March) and Pi Day (March 14). Another day that is widely celebrated in our culture is March 8, which signifies International Women’s Day and it celebrates globally the economic, political and social achievements of women. While this is the original purpose of the holiday, this day has turned into a day when all the women are supposed to get flowers or another present from the men in their lives.
And the March of 2009 was not only filled with all these celebrations for me, but it was a month worth living for, full with adventures, travelling and unforgettable experiences. March 28 was reserved for the annual NOVA Family Bazaar, which this year had an exceptional number of activities organized in order to entertain the guests, but also to raise great deal of funds. This year’s funds were donated to the Bitola Orphanage, for the purchase of diapers, baby food and other baby related products. The Bazaar included a variety of products at affordable prices in aim to raise more money and promote Macedonian products to the public. However, what was so special about this year’s Bazaar was the Fashion Show, NOVA’s PTA and Student Council organized together with couple of fashion brands and assisted by NOVA’s students, who handled great the task of being models and successfully showing off the new collections of these brands. I was part of these students and I can only say it was an immense pleasure for me to be a model, even only for a day. We went through the whole process of getting ready for a fashion show, starting from getting up early in the morning, going to the hairdresser’s and makeup artist, including numerous rehearsals and trying out different combinations of clothes, in order to look the very best for that special event. The feeling of going out in front of the audience, while everyone’s eyes are set upon you, the sun shining directly in your eyes and warming you up, knowing you do it all for a noble cause is just indescribable. The sounds of the crowd going wild, clapping and screaming for you and the flashes from all the cameras twinkling like little stars right in front of you give you the ecstatic feeling of being proud, satisfied and happy at the same time. Afterwards, the student council members were involved in selling handmade jewelry and continue raising funds for those in need.
In the same period, couple of students were invited to attend the annual international Model European Parliament session in Nicosia, Cyprus. I had the opportunity to be part of the Macedonian delegation that represented NOVA International Schools in Cyprus. It was an incredible experience to work with same-minded prosperous young people from all over Europe and share ideas about current political and social topics including global economic crisis, nuclear waste disposal, recent events in Gaza, renewable energy resources and human rights in developing countries. Besides the fact that we practiced our debating skills, exchanged ideas and promoted our country in a truly European setting, we also had the chance to learn about the culture and customs of our respective hosts and make a lot of long lasting friendships and strong bonds with people we only knew for couple of days. We experienced truly what it means to be part of the European political system, resolve problems with a global background and present ideas and resolutions in the general assembly. On the whole, it was an invaluable week filled with precious moments spent in the island of the ancient goddess of beauty-Aphrodite.
The month of March was significant not only on a local, but also on a state level, because the presidential elections were organized for the fifth time in the same time as the local elections. The new president was elected after the second round of elections because not enough voters showed up on the electing places. Our new president is Gjorge Ivanov, who got a mandate in duration of five years.
Another event on a global level that shook the whole world and caused panic and fear was the appearance of the so called “swine flu”, or “influenza A (H1N1)”. Since then, the whole world lives in terror and fear of the deadly virus that appeared for the first time in Mexico and started taking its first victims. New regulations and laws were imposed in order to control the spreading of the virus. The governments cooperated and worked together to make a plan to stop the panic that started ruling people’s lives. The scientists managed to develop a vaccine and an effective cure against the virus that unfortunately mutated since its appearance and has a lot of subspecies now. The important thing is that people decided to work effectively and join in the fight against the virus and help each other, so they would combat this 21st century threat.
And another month of March passed…What a month…Filled with joyful and unforgettable events, as well as, serious and threatening happenings. The important notion is that people have the strength and the will to continue living and working and cooperating so they can live those short, but worthwhile moments of happiness and satisfaction, although on the long run they are interrupted with temporary entries of terror, fear and disappointment. Those short moments make people move on and continue with the everyday activities throughout the months of April, May, June, July…and wait impatiently for the beginning of the new year.
April
“Hello. I am the forth month of the year. I live for 30 days and each year I am reborn. I would like to share this story with you, my dear readers. “
I was sitting in the lonely and cold, late-autumn night in December. And all of a sudden I heard a little shiny voice saying: “April, April…You are a special month.” I saw a little girl. I asked her: “What do you want from me?” (Maybe I was too rude) Then, she approached me and again spoke with her shiny voice: “Tell me the story about your life in 2009, April. Please share it with me.” And I couldn’t say no to the small kid. And so I started telling her my story:
“As you may know, the first day of my life each year is celebrated in most countries. It is the Fool’s Day. The day was marked by the commission of hoaxes and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, family members, enemies, and neighbors, or sending them on a fool's errand, the aim of which was to embarrass the gullible. In some countries, such as the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa the jokes only lasted until noon, and someone who played a trick after noon was called an "April Fool". Elsewhere, such as in Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Russia, The Netherlands, and the U.S., the jokes last all day.
My little girl, the period from the 9th till the 12th day of my life was special one. The biggest Christian Holiday was celebrated by all Christians in the world. The 9th was Maundy Thursday and it was the Thursday before Easter. It is also known as "Holy Thursday" or "Great Thursday" and commemorates the Last Supper when Jesus shared the Passover meal with his disciples on the night before he was crucified. Maundy Thursday services were held and they are more solemn occasions, marked by the shadow of Jesus' betrayal. Then the 10th day came. It was Good Friday, which is basically the Friday before Easter Sunday. On this day Christians commemorated the passion, or suffering, and death on the cross of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Many Christians around the world spent this day in fasting, prayer, repentance, and meditation on the agony and suffering of Christ on the cross. Ah, and so the 12th day came. It is the big day known as Easter Sunday when Christians celebrated the resurrection of the Lord, Jesus Christ. It was the most well-attended Sunday service of the year for Christian churches. Christians believe according to Scripture, that Jesus came back to life, or was raised from the dead, three days after his death on the cross.
I can’t really remember what else happened during my life in 2009. I know that there were political changes in the world and elections. But I assume that you are not that interested in politics.
But why I am so special to you?”
The little girl said:
“You are so special in my life. I will always remember you in 2009.”
I inquired:
“Can I listen now to your story? Would you like to share it with me?”
“Yes. First, during your life I lost a very significant person in my life-I lost my grandmother. I can say that this was the hardest period for me. My grandmother was my idol, my role model in life. Unfortunately, I had to face with this event on your 6th day of your life.
Also, I will always remember this Easter; because it was the first Easter I spent in bed, in a hospital. My health condition was really bad during this period of your life. It was the 16th day of your life when I figured out that I am not as healthy as I should be. And yes, I can say that I hate you, April, because you brought many bad periods in my life.
However, at the very end of your life, a good period finally came. In the whole chaos, I found out that I was accepted at this program and that I would spend my summer in the USA. I was just ecstatic. And I can say, I loved you then.
That’s why you are so special to me. Because during your life April, my life was dynamic. There were good times, and bad times in between. You are special because I have a love-hate relationship with you.”
“I listened to the little girl quite carefully. She was so young, yet experienced. I was glad because I meant something to someone. Even though, my life in 2009 was similar to my lives in previous years, I was different in the eyes of this little girl. And she will always remember me, always.”
I was sitting in the lonely and cold, late-autumn night in December. And all of a sudden I heard a little shiny voice saying: “April, April…You are a special month.” I saw a little girl. I asked her: “What do you want from me?” (Maybe I was too rude) Then, she approached me and again spoke with her shiny voice: “Tell me the story about your life in 2009, April. Please share it with me.” And I couldn’t say no to the small kid. And so I started telling her my story:
“As you may know, the first day of my life each year is celebrated in most countries. It is the Fool’s Day. The day was marked by the commission of hoaxes and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, family members, enemies, and neighbors, or sending them on a fool's errand, the aim of which was to embarrass the gullible. In some countries, such as the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa the jokes only lasted until noon, and someone who played a trick after noon was called an "April Fool". Elsewhere, such as in Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Russia, The Netherlands, and the U.S., the jokes last all day.
My little girl, the period from the 9th till the 12th day of my life was special one. The biggest Christian Holiday was celebrated by all Christians in the world. The 9th was Maundy Thursday and it was the Thursday before Easter. It is also known as "Holy Thursday" or "Great Thursday" and commemorates the Last Supper when Jesus shared the Passover meal with his disciples on the night before he was crucified. Maundy Thursday services were held and they are more solemn occasions, marked by the shadow of Jesus' betrayal. Then the 10th day came. It was Good Friday, which is basically the Friday before Easter Sunday. On this day Christians commemorated the passion, or suffering, and death on the cross of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Many Christians around the world spent this day in fasting, prayer, repentance, and meditation on the agony and suffering of Christ on the cross. Ah, and so the 12th day came. It is the big day known as Easter Sunday when Christians celebrated the resurrection of the Lord, Jesus Christ. It was the most well-attended Sunday service of the year for Christian churches. Christians believe according to Scripture, that Jesus came back to life, or was raised from the dead, three days after his death on the cross.
I can’t really remember what else happened during my life in 2009. I know that there were political changes in the world and elections. But I assume that you are not that interested in politics.
But why I am so special to you?”
The little girl said:
“You are so special in my life. I will always remember you in 2009.”
I inquired:
“Can I listen now to your story? Would you like to share it with me?”
“Yes. First, during your life I lost a very significant person in my life-I lost my grandmother. I can say that this was the hardest period for me. My grandmother was my idol, my role model in life. Unfortunately, I had to face with this event on your 6th day of your life.
Also, I will always remember this Easter; because it was the first Easter I spent in bed, in a hospital. My health condition was really bad during this period of your life. It was the 16th day of your life when I figured out that I am not as healthy as I should be. And yes, I can say that I hate you, April, because you brought many bad periods in my life.
However, at the very end of your life, a good period finally came. In the whole chaos, I found out that I was accepted at this program and that I would spend my summer in the USA. I was just ecstatic. And I can say, I loved you then.
That’s why you are so special to me. Because during your life April, my life was dynamic. There were good times, and bad times in between. You are special because I have a love-hate relationship with you.”
“I listened to the little girl quite carefully. She was so young, yet experienced. I was glad because I meant something to someone. Even though, my life in 2009 was similar to my lives in previous years, I was different in the eyes of this little girl. And she will always remember me, always.”
Holy May
"Although walls can easily be built, we all know that they do not last for ever. They can be taken down." Thus spoke Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to the Holy Land this May. In Bethlehem, where he delivered his most sensitive speech of an eight-day tour of the Holy Land, the Pope acknowledged the suffering of the Palestinian people following the establishment of Israel in 1948.
Vatican has always been supportive of an independent Palestinian state. The pontiff reasserted this by spending an entire day in the occupied West Bank: from a morning address alongside Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to a late-afternoon visit of the Aida refugee camp, home of misplaced Palestinian families who were, in fact, driven from their residences through the creation of Israel in the second half of the 20th century. Pope Benedict is one of very few individuals who openly support the “two-state solution” and consider it the right solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Seeing that 2009 has not been a very productive year for the Palestinians, the Pope’s encouraging words and message of solidarity managed to lift these people’s impoverished spirits.
Adding on to the imagery is the fact that the in order to cross into the occupied West Bank where Bethlehem is located, the Pope had to pass through the 10-yard-high concrete wall built by Israel around the city. (Deemed illegal under international law, Israel has nevertheless pressed on with its construction on the grounds that it deters suicide bombings and other security threats.) An Israeli military watchtower was also included in the landscape which surrounded the Pope as he was delivering his speech.
"Towering over us ... is a stark reminder of the stalemate that relations between Israelis and Palestinians seem to have reached - the wall,'' the Pope said.
"In a world where more and more borders are being opened up - to trade, to travel, to movement of peoples, to cultural exchanges - it is tragic to see walls still being erected.''
Such statements clearly implied that the Pope is very much against the current Israeli policy of alienating the Palestinian people from their own territory and their own identity.
As he spoke, the Pope delved beyond present-day issues, tracing the roots of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute to Israel's May 1948 declaration of independence and the Arab-Israeli war that followed. Palestinians refer to those events as the naqba, or catastrophe, in which tens of thousands were driven from or left their homes. Many of their descendants live as refugees in such places as Aida, overcrowded camps with no decent living conditions, often marked at their entrances by a large house key symbolizing an intended return. Although Pope Benedict did not explicitly apply such conspicuously Palestinian terminology to the events of 1948, the mentioning of the year in itself was daring, and it indeed spurred some negative reactions. "By going back to 1948 -- that is going down a very slippery slope," Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesman Yigal Palmor said. "That is on the verge of saying something not about Israeli policy, but on the very existence of Israel.”
In addition to calling for international pressure to establish a Palestinian state, Pope Benedict also urged young Palestinians to reject terrorism. In remarks aimed at the many militant groups within the Palestinian community, he strongly advised them to "resist temptations to resort to acts of violence''.
Pope Benedict’s visit to the Holy Land and his open support of the Palestinian people was undoubtedly one of the hallmarks of 2009. His kind words and many blessings will hopefully act as an incentive to the Palestinians to strive and work for a better future for themselves, and their children.
Vatican has always been supportive of an independent Palestinian state. The pontiff reasserted this by spending an entire day in the occupied West Bank: from a morning address alongside Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to a late-afternoon visit of the Aida refugee camp, home of misplaced Palestinian families who were, in fact, driven from their residences through the creation of Israel in the second half of the 20th century. Pope Benedict is one of very few individuals who openly support the “two-state solution” and consider it the right solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Seeing that 2009 has not been a very productive year for the Palestinians, the Pope’s encouraging words and message of solidarity managed to lift these people’s impoverished spirits.
Adding on to the imagery is the fact that the in order to cross into the occupied West Bank where Bethlehem is located, the Pope had to pass through the 10-yard-high concrete wall built by Israel around the city. (Deemed illegal under international law, Israel has nevertheless pressed on with its construction on the grounds that it deters suicide bombings and other security threats.) An Israeli military watchtower was also included in the landscape which surrounded the Pope as he was delivering his speech.
"Towering over us ... is a stark reminder of the stalemate that relations between Israelis and Palestinians seem to have reached - the wall,'' the Pope said.
"In a world where more and more borders are being opened up - to trade, to travel, to movement of peoples, to cultural exchanges - it is tragic to see walls still being erected.''
Such statements clearly implied that the Pope is very much against the current Israeli policy of alienating the Palestinian people from their own territory and their own identity.
As he spoke, the Pope delved beyond present-day issues, tracing the roots of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute to Israel's May 1948 declaration of independence and the Arab-Israeli war that followed. Palestinians refer to those events as the naqba, or catastrophe, in which tens of thousands were driven from or left their homes. Many of their descendants live as refugees in such places as Aida, overcrowded camps with no decent living conditions, often marked at their entrances by a large house key symbolizing an intended return. Although Pope Benedict did not explicitly apply such conspicuously Palestinian terminology to the events of 1948, the mentioning of the year in itself was daring, and it indeed spurred some negative reactions. "By going back to 1948 -- that is going down a very slippery slope," Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesman Yigal Palmor said. "That is on the verge of saying something not about Israeli policy, but on the very existence of Israel.”
In addition to calling for international pressure to establish a Palestinian state, Pope Benedict also urged young Palestinians to reject terrorism. In remarks aimed at the many militant groups within the Palestinian community, he strongly advised them to "resist temptations to resort to acts of violence''.
Pope Benedict’s visit to the Holy Land and his open support of the Palestinian people was undoubtedly one of the hallmarks of 2009. His kind words and many blessings will hopefully act as an incentive to the Palestinians to strive and work for a better future for themselves, and their children.
Many Things Changed the World in June 2009
The month of June 2009 certainly kept journalists all over the world busy. New discoveries, attacks, releases of highly anticipated products, and plane crashes marked this month halfway through the year.
As June 1st rolls by, the first tragedy is on the way, too. Air France Flight 447 disappears over the Atlantic Ocean, near the Brazilian Fernando de Noronha Islands. After it did not arrive in Paris the following day as planed, it was confirmed that the plane has crashed; it did not land on any other airport in the world, and two days had already passed. Thus, it had definitely run out of fuel. With the investigation still ongoing, the reasons why the plane crashed, killing all 216 passengers and crew of 12, remains a mystery. The two black boxes that were onboard the plane are yet to be found, as well as the remains of the plane. This event devastated the people in 2009, and is one of the airplane accidents with the most casualties ever.
Over 50 people were killed in combat between Peru’s Army and indigenous peoples on June 6th. The natives, who lost 30 of their people, were protesting against the expansion of Peruvian cities and industrial zones in the Amazon Rainforest. The president of Peru, Alan García, did not approve of this, and sent the Army to calm things down. Instead, 22 soldiers died fighting against the natives. This outrage strained Peru even more during its time of critical political instability.
June was also the month of many discoveries. Scientists at Harvard University discovered a molecular mechanism that regulates coagulation. This finding is very significant to the field of medicine because it aids in the perpetual search for a cure for blood diseases such as hemophilia. A little further east, in Holland, Dutch researchers confirmed that ‘space headache’ is an actual medical condition which some astronauts have while not within the Earth’s atmosphere.
Several multinational companies launched one of their most anticipated products of the year in June. Apple Inc. launched the newest version of their famous iPhone, iPhone 3GS, which included a video recording option on the camera, and the voice control tool. Palm Pre smartphone from Palm, Inc. also hit the market last June. These new gadgets sure kept the techies busy, at least for a while.
An event that sent shock waves all throughout the world: the death of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, on June 25th. The reason for his death in the Ronal Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, is still being discussed, but the Los Angeles County Coroner said in the official statement that it was a mixture of prescription drugs that ended Jackson’s life. The memorial was held on July 7th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, but his service and burial was held on September 3rd, ten weeks after his death, at Forest Lawn Cemetery of Glendale, Los Angeles, California. On the same day, June 25th, another death shook the world: former Charlie’s Angel Farrah Fawcett lost the battle with cancer. She was buried at Westwood Village Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California, on June 30th. The world had lost two great people on the same day, and the grief and mourning will never be forgotten.
But while the world was at its knees because of the events that happened in June 2009, what were the dwellers of NOVA doing? Let’s have a look at the lives of NOVA students in June 2009.
Final Exam Haze
Last minute reviews. To-do lists. Notes. Are you ready? The final exams are here.
As June slowly crept up on the residents of Praska bb, the anticipation and anxiety levels shot up the sky. Everybody was looking forward to the well-deserved break, but several nervous breakdowns were also on the horizon because of the upcoming final exams. The first week of June went by so fast, and was not nearly as long as most school weeks are; not nearly long enough to finish all of the reviewing. With more than five hundred pages to cover, some students feared failing the year. As the first day of exams came by, the students of NOVA High School sat down in the chairs, pens in trembling hands, and began to write. The exam time seemed fatally short, and the nights in between even shorter, not long enough to even skim the material once. Within the blink of the eye, the exams were done, and everyone felt a huge weight lifted off their shoulders. What to do now?
Before the students could get comfortable enough, they were summoned back to Praska bb to collect their transcripts and possibly “face their doom,” as some put it. But before all that chaos and disorganization began, there was an important event marked on the calendars of about 80 NOVA students: graduation. With ups and downs, laughs and tears, the seniors got their diplomas, happy they are through with high school, but sad to be separating from their friends. Along with the seniors to share the emotional high were the recipients of this year’s President’s Awards. Simply gleaming, they got the awards, taking in the experience, and taking home Barack Obama’s signature. With transcripts and diplomas in hands, NOVA students were off to enjoy the rest of the summer.
As June 1st rolls by, the first tragedy is on the way, too. Air France Flight 447 disappears over the Atlantic Ocean, near the Brazilian Fernando de Noronha Islands. After it did not arrive in Paris the following day as planed, it was confirmed that the plane has crashed; it did not land on any other airport in the world, and two days had already passed. Thus, it had definitely run out of fuel. With the investigation still ongoing, the reasons why the plane crashed, killing all 216 passengers and crew of 12, remains a mystery. The two black boxes that were onboard the plane are yet to be found, as well as the remains of the plane. This event devastated the people in 2009, and is one of the airplane accidents with the most casualties ever.
Over 50 people were killed in combat between Peru’s Army and indigenous peoples on June 6th. The natives, who lost 30 of their people, were protesting against the expansion of Peruvian cities and industrial zones in the Amazon Rainforest. The president of Peru, Alan García, did not approve of this, and sent the Army to calm things down. Instead, 22 soldiers died fighting against the natives. This outrage strained Peru even more during its time of critical political instability.
June was also the month of many discoveries. Scientists at Harvard University discovered a molecular mechanism that regulates coagulation. This finding is very significant to the field of medicine because it aids in the perpetual search for a cure for blood diseases such as hemophilia. A little further east, in Holland, Dutch researchers confirmed that ‘space headache’ is an actual medical condition which some astronauts have while not within the Earth’s atmosphere.
Several multinational companies launched one of their most anticipated products of the year in June. Apple Inc. launched the newest version of their famous iPhone, iPhone 3GS, which included a video recording option on the camera, and the voice control tool. Palm Pre smartphone from Palm, Inc. also hit the market last June. These new gadgets sure kept the techies busy, at least for a while.
An event that sent shock waves all throughout the world: the death of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, on June 25th. The reason for his death in the Ronal Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, is still being discussed, but the Los Angeles County Coroner said in the official statement that it was a mixture of prescription drugs that ended Jackson’s life. The memorial was held on July 7th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, but his service and burial was held on September 3rd, ten weeks after his death, at Forest Lawn Cemetery of Glendale, Los Angeles, California. On the same day, June 25th, another death shook the world: former Charlie’s Angel Farrah Fawcett lost the battle with cancer. She was buried at Westwood Village Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California, on June 30th. The world had lost two great people on the same day, and the grief and mourning will never be forgotten.
But while the world was at its knees because of the events that happened in June 2009, what were the dwellers of NOVA doing? Let’s have a look at the lives of NOVA students in June 2009.
Final Exam Haze
Last minute reviews. To-do lists. Notes. Are you ready? The final exams are here.
As June slowly crept up on the residents of Praska bb, the anticipation and anxiety levels shot up the sky. Everybody was looking forward to the well-deserved break, but several nervous breakdowns were also on the horizon because of the upcoming final exams. The first week of June went by so fast, and was not nearly as long as most school weeks are; not nearly long enough to finish all of the reviewing. With more than five hundred pages to cover, some students feared failing the year. As the first day of exams came by, the students of NOVA High School sat down in the chairs, pens in trembling hands, and began to write. The exam time seemed fatally short, and the nights in between even shorter, not long enough to even skim the material once. Within the blink of the eye, the exams were done, and everyone felt a huge weight lifted off their shoulders. What to do now?
Before the students could get comfortable enough, they were summoned back to Praska bb to collect their transcripts and possibly “face their doom,” as some put it. But before all that chaos and disorganization began, there was an important event marked on the calendars of about 80 NOVA students: graduation. With ups and downs, laughs and tears, the seniors got their diplomas, happy they are through with high school, but sad to be separating from their friends. Along with the seniors to share the emotional high were the recipients of this year’s President’s Awards. Simply gleaming, they got the awards, taking in the experience, and taking home Barack Obama’s signature. With transcripts and diplomas in hands, NOVA students were off to enjoy the rest of the summer.
A Tribute to Change
Rewind 91 years back in the past. July 18, 1918. Transkei, South Africa: A leader was born. It takes one pair of hands to change the world.
Nelson Mandela has been widely acclaimed for his many distinctions, notably receiving a Novel Prize to merit his great contributions to peace. Eliminating apartheid in South Africa, and becoming the first black president of the country, he has been a true revolutionary, devoted to his cause regardless of the many obstacles that he’s had to endure for his ideal of freedom to prevail.
His path was not short of difficulties. Born into a noble family, the Madiba clan of the Thembu people in a small village in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, Mandela was known as Madiba by his people. Notably, Nelson Mandela was born as Rolihlahla Dalibhunga, and while attending English School he was given the name Nelson, marking his first identity experience with the white regime.
Frustrated with the South African white regime and apartheid from an early age, in 1943, Mandela became part of the African National Congress, initially as an activist, and later as the founder and head of the ANC Youth League. Notably, to further his fight, Mandela became a lawyer in 1952 and opened a practice in Johannesburg with his partner, Oliver Tambo. With joint efforts, Mandela and Tambo led a fight against apartheid, the system headed by the all-white National Party oppressing the black majority.
As a result of his campaign, Mandela faced charges along with 155 other activists. Nevertheless, this did not hinder his efforts, and resistance to apartheid increased, notably, against the Pass laws that determined people’s home locations and employment. However, frightened by the ANC’s growing threat, the white regime outlawed the ANC in 1960. In response, Mandela started employing more risky mechanisms of change. After going underground, Mandela enacted a campaign sabotaging South Africa’s economy, the white regime eventually arresting him for utilizing violence to overthrow the government.
His last words before spending the next 27 years of his life imprisoned were, “I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." In 1964, Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment for attempting to achieve such an ideal.
Notably, achieving his democratic ideal proved a struggle that Mandela would face for the rest of his life; however, he could take little action from the confines of his prison cell. While in exile, his partner, Tambo, launched an international effort to free Mandela by calling upon the world’s conscience to tighten its sanctions against the South African apartheid. Tambo’s campaign proved successful, as in 1990, President FW de Klerk annulled the band on the ANC, freeing Mandela at last.
Through their joint efforts, Mandela and de Klerk gave birth to a new multi-racial democracy in South Africa, receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for their realization of Mandela’s democratic ideal in 1993. Shortly, during the first full suffrage election, the myriad of colorful South Africans elected Mandela president, making him the first black president of South Africa. Notably, during his presidency, Mandela tackled South African poverty and integrated South Africa into the international community. Successfully guiding the country to a bright future, Mandela retired in 2000, not resigning from his ideal, but passing on the governmental reigns to the younger generations.
Fast forward to July 18. 2009. The world gathered to honor a great man; a man ahead of his time.
A full ninety-one years from Nelson Mandela’s birth, upon the South African Ambassador Baso Sangqu’s suggestion, the United Nations General Assembly declared July 18 the Mandela Day, marking Nelson Mandela’s contribution to world freedom. Accordingly, this past July, the world gathered on the 18th for the first time to honor this leader of change. "It serves as a catalyst for each and every person around the world to realize that they have the ability to change it [the world] through action," Nelson Mandela Foundation's chief executive Achmat Dangor reflected.
Namely, many events took place this past July marking Mandela Day. An online initiative was struck encouraging people to spend 67 minutes contributing to a good cause emanating the 67 years Mandela has spent as an activist. Additionally, a concert in NYC’s Madison Square Garden featuring stars such as Steve Wonder, Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin and the unforgettable, Carla Bruni, was held to honor this great leader and his dedication to democracy.
“Democracy is unambivalent,” said Belize in Kushner’s Angels in America, which is why we must never forget Mandela’s mission to uphold democracy’s principle. How many more leaders remain locked away in prison cells today? How many more will suffer the same obstacles as Mandela, who solely wished to change the old regime which oppressed his people. Unhesitatingly, the world must never forget its responsibility to foster change and take action to improve the society we live in. In the words of Mandela himself, “It’s in our hands”.
Nelson Mandela has been widely acclaimed for his many distinctions, notably receiving a Novel Prize to merit his great contributions to peace. Eliminating apartheid in South Africa, and becoming the first black president of the country, he has been a true revolutionary, devoted to his cause regardless of the many obstacles that he’s had to endure for his ideal of freedom to prevail.
His path was not short of difficulties. Born into a noble family, the Madiba clan of the Thembu people in a small village in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, Mandela was known as Madiba by his people. Notably, Nelson Mandela was born as Rolihlahla Dalibhunga, and while attending English School he was given the name Nelson, marking his first identity experience with the white regime.
Frustrated with the South African white regime and apartheid from an early age, in 1943, Mandela became part of the African National Congress, initially as an activist, and later as the founder and head of the ANC Youth League. Notably, to further his fight, Mandela became a lawyer in 1952 and opened a practice in Johannesburg with his partner, Oliver Tambo. With joint efforts, Mandela and Tambo led a fight against apartheid, the system headed by the all-white National Party oppressing the black majority.
As a result of his campaign, Mandela faced charges along with 155 other activists. Nevertheless, this did not hinder his efforts, and resistance to apartheid increased, notably, against the Pass laws that determined people’s home locations and employment. However, frightened by the ANC’s growing threat, the white regime outlawed the ANC in 1960. In response, Mandela started employing more risky mechanisms of change. After going underground, Mandela enacted a campaign sabotaging South Africa’s economy, the white regime eventually arresting him for utilizing violence to overthrow the government.
His last words before spending the next 27 years of his life imprisoned were, “I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." In 1964, Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment for attempting to achieve such an ideal.
Notably, achieving his democratic ideal proved a struggle that Mandela would face for the rest of his life; however, he could take little action from the confines of his prison cell. While in exile, his partner, Tambo, launched an international effort to free Mandela by calling upon the world’s conscience to tighten its sanctions against the South African apartheid. Tambo’s campaign proved successful, as in 1990, President FW de Klerk annulled the band on the ANC, freeing Mandela at last.
Through their joint efforts, Mandela and de Klerk gave birth to a new multi-racial democracy in South Africa, receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for their realization of Mandela’s democratic ideal in 1993. Shortly, during the first full suffrage election, the myriad of colorful South Africans elected Mandela president, making him the first black president of South Africa. Notably, during his presidency, Mandela tackled South African poverty and integrated South Africa into the international community. Successfully guiding the country to a bright future, Mandela retired in 2000, not resigning from his ideal, but passing on the governmental reigns to the younger generations.
Fast forward to July 18. 2009. The world gathered to honor a great man; a man ahead of his time.
A full ninety-one years from Nelson Mandela’s birth, upon the South African Ambassador Baso Sangqu’s suggestion, the United Nations General Assembly declared July 18 the Mandela Day, marking Nelson Mandela’s contribution to world freedom. Accordingly, this past July, the world gathered on the 18th for the first time to honor this leader of change. "It serves as a catalyst for each and every person around the world to realize that they have the ability to change it [the world] through action," Nelson Mandela Foundation's chief executive Achmat Dangor reflected.
Namely, many events took place this past July marking Mandela Day. An online initiative was struck encouraging people to spend 67 minutes contributing to a good cause emanating the 67 years Mandela has spent as an activist. Additionally, a concert in NYC’s Madison Square Garden featuring stars such as Steve Wonder, Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin and the unforgettable, Carla Bruni, was held to honor this great leader and his dedication to democracy.
“Democracy is unambivalent,” said Belize in Kushner’s Angels in America, which is why we must never forget Mandela’s mission to uphold democracy’s principle. How many more leaders remain locked away in prison cells today? How many more will suffer the same obstacles as Mandela, who solely wished to change the old regime which oppressed his people. Unhesitatingly, the world must never forget its responsibility to foster change and take action to improve the society we live in. In the words of Mandela himself, “It’s in our hands”.
Ode to August
August. The end of the long hot summer. A month when languidness seem to takeover even the most energetic of people. Is it the nearing of the new school year that makes sluggishness our normal state of mind during this time of the year? Perhaps it is the temperature, which in our country usually culminates in August, rising well over the 40th degree Celsius. August’s temperature-rage evokes an unreasonable and unexplainable wish in me. Well aware of its impossibility, walking barefoot on the boiling-hot asphalt at noon, when the sun heats it up the most, has always been something that I’ve wanted to try.
* * * * * * * * *
Awake from my daydream I brood over the last month of August; what joy and what problems did it bring this year? To begin with, in our microcosm of the NOVA community, August is traditionally the month when we open the gates to newcomers during the Orientation Day, this year held on the 31st. An exciting day for our new classmates, and even more so for us, volunteers and Student Council members who are always eager to meet the people, that from that day on will share the chairs and desks of our NOVA classrooms with us. The more the merrier, they say: this year’s Orientation Day brought a new reality to the school, as a record number of students are attending NOVA. Nonetheless, this change has led to the filling up of our school’s capacities, and until the primary school students were relocated, library space became a hot-topic in NOVA.
For our REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA, the 12th of August brought the friendly soccer match with Spain. After many scandals with ticket selling, the stadium was lined up with fierce soccer fans as well as with a shockingly great number of Macedonian females who, somehow, seemed to cheer for… Spain? Luckily, this was only the effect exerted on them by the blond presence of Fernando Torres on the soccer field of Gradski. After 2 brilliant goals scored by Pandev and a result of 2-0 at half-time – Torres ran out on the soccer field and, well, … did his magic. In 4 minutes Spain scored 3 goals, thus establishing the end result: 2-3. At the end of the match all seemed to be happy and satisfied: the Spanish guys won; we claimed how despite the loss, we have proven a worthy rival; and the Macedonian females… they were satisfied with getting a glimpse of Torres’s hair. ☺
Undoubtedly and inevitably the events that will mark the month of August in the BALKAN REGION are the two equally fantastic U2 concerts in Zagreb, Croatia, that took part on the 9th and the 10th. To my utmost pleasure, I had the privilege of being one of the 60,000 people on Maksimir Stadium who unfortunately lost their voice the next morning due to singing their hearts out on the concert. Even so, I witnessed something majestic, as I saw the 50-meter-tall state-of-the-art stage, his ‘space junk’, as Bono called it. The opening act, the Irish rock band Snow Patrol was also fabulous as I am a fan of their music too, but when I heard the sound of The Edge’s guitar playing the familiar chords to ‘Breathe’, I found myself in desperate need of air from all that excitement. My mind was in an euphoric state as I danced to the beat of ‘Vertigo’. I felt the beauty in the wave of emotions which absolutely took over me as I screamed ‘It’s a beautiful day!’… The audience was electrified as the spectacular show unfolded in front of its eyes; the musicians were selflessly pouring themselves into the performance, producing ‘intimacy on a grand scale’, as Bono said, and transforming the spectacle into an intimate affair. Then, for a minute, they stopped. Bono introduced the next song, ‘One’, by dedicating it 'to everyone in this region who's had their warm hearts broken by cold ideas.' The song summed up the entire evening. The mere statement made its way to the hearts and souls of all the fans. It certainly made its way into mine.
As a socially engaged band, U2 has condemned the Burmese activist Aung San Suu Kyi’s arrest and ongoing trial, which nonetheless ended on August 11, with her being sentenced to three years with labor, reduced to 1 ½ years’ home detention. Suu Kyi’s arrest and subsequent trial won WORLDWIDE condemnation. On August 18th, the American president Barak Obama asked the Burmese military leadership to release all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi. Moreover, critics have argued that her continued detention is imposed on her only to prevent her from participating on the Burmese elections in 2010.
* * * * * * * * *
As these events shook the public worldwide, it became evident that the lazy summer days were soon to be over. The boiling-hot asphalt still remains in my memory now, and I reason, and yes, I understand: August’s charm resides in the awareness of summer’s imminent end, and the remembrance of the days past.
* * * * * * * * *
Awake from my daydream I brood over the last month of August; what joy and what problems did it bring this year? To begin with, in our microcosm of the NOVA community, August is traditionally the month when we open the gates to newcomers during the Orientation Day, this year held on the 31st. An exciting day for our new classmates, and even more so for us, volunteers and Student Council members who are always eager to meet the people, that from that day on will share the chairs and desks of our NOVA classrooms with us. The more the merrier, they say: this year’s Orientation Day brought a new reality to the school, as a record number of students are attending NOVA. Nonetheless, this change has led to the filling up of our school’s capacities, and until the primary school students were relocated, library space became a hot-topic in NOVA.
For our REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA, the 12th of August brought the friendly soccer match with Spain. After many scandals with ticket selling, the stadium was lined up with fierce soccer fans as well as with a shockingly great number of Macedonian females who, somehow, seemed to cheer for… Spain? Luckily, this was only the effect exerted on them by the blond presence of Fernando Torres on the soccer field of Gradski. After 2 brilliant goals scored by Pandev and a result of 2-0 at half-time – Torres ran out on the soccer field and, well, … did his magic. In 4 minutes Spain scored 3 goals, thus establishing the end result: 2-3. At the end of the match all seemed to be happy and satisfied: the Spanish guys won; we claimed how despite the loss, we have proven a worthy rival; and the Macedonian females… they were satisfied with getting a glimpse of Torres’s hair. ☺
Undoubtedly and inevitably the events that will mark the month of August in the BALKAN REGION are the two equally fantastic U2 concerts in Zagreb, Croatia, that took part on the 9th and the 10th. To my utmost pleasure, I had the privilege of being one of the 60,000 people on Maksimir Stadium who unfortunately lost their voice the next morning due to singing their hearts out on the concert. Even so, I witnessed something majestic, as I saw the 50-meter-tall state-of-the-art stage, his ‘space junk’, as Bono called it. The opening act, the Irish rock band Snow Patrol was also fabulous as I am a fan of their music too, but when I heard the sound of The Edge’s guitar playing the familiar chords to ‘Breathe’, I found myself in desperate need of air from all that excitement. My mind was in an euphoric state as I danced to the beat of ‘Vertigo’. I felt the beauty in the wave of emotions which absolutely took over me as I screamed ‘It’s a beautiful day!’… The audience was electrified as the spectacular show unfolded in front of its eyes; the musicians were selflessly pouring themselves into the performance, producing ‘intimacy on a grand scale’, as Bono said, and transforming the spectacle into an intimate affair. Then, for a minute, they stopped. Bono introduced the next song, ‘One’, by dedicating it 'to everyone in this region who's had their warm hearts broken by cold ideas.' The song summed up the entire evening. The mere statement made its way to the hearts and souls of all the fans. It certainly made its way into mine.
As a socially engaged band, U2 has condemned the Burmese activist Aung San Suu Kyi’s arrest and ongoing trial, which nonetheless ended on August 11, with her being sentenced to three years with labor, reduced to 1 ½ years’ home detention. Suu Kyi’s arrest and subsequent trial won WORLDWIDE condemnation. On August 18th, the American president Barak Obama asked the Burmese military leadership to release all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi. Moreover, critics have argued that her continued detention is imposed on her only to prevent her from participating on the Burmese elections in 2010.
* * * * * * * * *
As these events shook the public worldwide, it became evident that the lazy summer days were soon to be over. The boiling-hot asphalt still remains in my memory now, and I reason, and yes, I understand: August’s charm resides in the awareness of summer’s imminent end, and the remembrance of the days past.
September: a month of disappointments or a month of excitements?
The name September originates from Latin, where septem means "seven" and septimus - "seventh"; September was in fact the seventh month of the Roman calendar until 153 BC. However, perhaps it is the case that the meaning that September bore in the lives of ordinary people held greater significance; thus, in Switzerland it is called “Herbstmonat”, harvest month. Even though we associate different images to the month September, inevitably it has some emotional appeal to us, humans. September, could it be called the month of great disappointments, or the month of great challenges?
For disappointments it is quite clear: September marks the end of the summer, the end of some long friendships, fun times spent at the beach and long talks with random people. The end of fun and the beginning of worries.
Nonetheless, we could say that it also marks great challenges, because it is the beginning of something new, confusing, exiting, and a little bit frightening. It is the month when school starts and it gathers the students in one same place, to something new and challenging. Boys and girls are once again walking into the building, where many of them will begin great friendships, where they will achieve knowledge and understanding.
The first graders, who are the youngest generation of us all, are perhaps most exited and tolerant to adjust to certain amount of change, and are just starting to walk along the road of fear, challenge, accomplishments, and achievements. The high school students are leaving behind their childhood and are starting on a new path that speaks of importance, morals, and responsibilities into something new and unknown, while they are walking through the hallways of their new schools, trying to find their way to their new classrooms and their new professors. Those that had already finished high school, have ended a big chapter in their lives, and are now opening a new notebook, where they alone will have to fill in the blank pages with new adventures, lifestyles, and friendships - college. College is the place where people begin to take care of themselves, and fly out of their mothers' nests to explore the world in ways they didn’t think possible. Some of these people might be unwilling to embrace the new challenges in their lives, finding resistance and fear of the unknown, and encountering some disappointments along the way to acceptance. Some are somewhat enthusiastic about the changes and challenges they are to face, the places they are going to explore, and the new lives they are going to live.
While December marks the actual end of the year, September is marking the end of something even greater, the end of some chapters in people’s lives, and also the beginning of something new, something worth embracing, worth exploring, and something worth living for; because what we may find along the way, might as well be better than we ever thought possible. Then as December nears, and all of us have our own wishes for the next year, we should ask for the next September to be more challenging than the previous, so that life doesn’t get boring.
For disappointments it is quite clear: September marks the end of the summer, the end of some long friendships, fun times spent at the beach and long talks with random people. The end of fun and the beginning of worries.
Nonetheless, we could say that it also marks great challenges, because it is the beginning of something new, confusing, exiting, and a little bit frightening. It is the month when school starts and it gathers the students in one same place, to something new and challenging. Boys and girls are once again walking into the building, where many of them will begin great friendships, where they will achieve knowledge and understanding.
The first graders, who are the youngest generation of us all, are perhaps most exited and tolerant to adjust to certain amount of change, and are just starting to walk along the road of fear, challenge, accomplishments, and achievements. The high school students are leaving behind their childhood and are starting on a new path that speaks of importance, morals, and responsibilities into something new and unknown, while they are walking through the hallways of their new schools, trying to find their way to their new classrooms and their new professors. Those that had already finished high school, have ended a big chapter in their lives, and are now opening a new notebook, where they alone will have to fill in the blank pages with new adventures, lifestyles, and friendships - college. College is the place where people begin to take care of themselves, and fly out of their mothers' nests to explore the world in ways they didn’t think possible. Some of these people might be unwilling to embrace the new challenges in their lives, finding resistance and fear of the unknown, and encountering some disappointments along the way to acceptance. Some are somewhat enthusiastic about the changes and challenges they are to face, the places they are going to explore, and the new lives they are going to live.
While December marks the actual end of the year, September is marking the end of something even greater, the end of some chapters in people’s lives, and also the beginning of something new, something worth embracing, worth exploring, and something worth living for; because what we may find along the way, might as well be better than we ever thought possible. Then as December nears, and all of us have our own wishes for the next year, we should ask for the next September to be more challenging than the previous, so that life doesn’t get boring.
A Reflection of October
Thursday, October 1st, 2009.
The cry of your alarm clock somehow manages to penetrate the walls of your sleepy haze. You raise an arm against the void and find what you are looking for. It is 7:00AM. You open the windows and inhale the birth of a new day. A new month rather, but what is it that marks the difference between these chapters of a book we read and dispose of once we have drained it of its use? With each new year we open the first chapter of a new book – the first month of a new year. Turn the page to the tenth chapter and feel your heart swell as it inhales the sweet breath of October. Why not go out and embrace the new day? It is the beginning of October and you wonder what this month will bring. Halloween is at the end of the road, but what lies in between is what really contributes to the full account of the story. Halloween may or may not be a significant part of your culture, but what is? A number of cultural events contributed to the account of this past year’s October. Culture- such a broad term used so easily; and just how did this month celebrate the importance of culture in our society?
Culture n. 1- a developed understanding of literature, art, music, etc.; the art, customs, etc. of a particular country or society. – Consider this definition found in the Oxford Dictionary Thesaurus & Wordpower Guide and notice there is quite a difference between a mere custom and a developed understanding of the arts in a society.
Let’s focus on the Salvador Dali’s exhibition. The grand opening of the exhibition took place on October 19th and the exhibit was scheduled to last until the 19th of December. Considered to be one of the most brilliant artists, Skopje had the privilege of displaying a large number of Dali’s pieces at the Museum of Contemporary Arts. Namely, Dali, the world renowned artist of the 20th century artist was born in Spain and excelled in the fields of painting, drawing, photography, and even writing. However, fame didn’t trail his name from the beginning, as with all great artists, Dali’s roots lie beneath his pile of high-prized work.
Nevertheless, Skopje’s public went head over heels after the exhibition. This coincides with general people’s mentality; having a name certainly fills up the museum with visitors at the opening ceremonies in Skopje. Even so, how many people attend such cultural gatherings because of the art itself? Has the artist become like a brand of clothes? The purpose of culture is to embody what lies within, not without. Answer honestly; have you branded what lies within you? The impact brands have created resembles the impact of well-known cultural institutions. Thus, the majority of people do in fact attend such events solely for the purpose of becoming part of the common culture, of succumbing to the cultural institution. Unfortunately, the brand guides the crowd, so naturally everything widely acclaimed as pertaining to culture, has become a must-see in our society.
Moreover, the ZZ Top concert was also a frequent name found in the headlines of many newspaper and magazine articles during the month of October. At the concert, I witnessed a half empty stadium, and clusters of “quasi” fans who were obviously more concerned about looking like they belonged there as opposed to being there for the music itself. Accordingly, people should go out, celebrate, embrace life; but running through that list of brands does not suffice. Looking at the bright side, people are certainly willing to go out and explore long-awaited events scheduled each month. After all, we must all explore in order to learn. Still, had such a hype not been aroused by the media, people wouldn’t be so eager to attend such events. The elite circles must attend the highly-prized events in order to draw light on their reputation, and the rest— they must buy the ticket to the events that are worthy enough for the elite and therefore worthy of a reputation. Yet this is the same thing as putting on a mask for Halloween and pretending to be something you’re not.
Let me draw your attention to another definition of culture:
2. artificial rearing of bacteria
This second definition of culture provided by the Oxford Dictionary Thesaurus and Wordpower Guide gives us a rather scientific approach which we can now implement into everyday society. These microorganisms grow in a “specially prepared nutrient medium.” Bacteria really have no choice, but that does not mean people should be stripped of choice as they are fed with these nutrients— these manifestations that they’ve been led to believe they must attend for the sake of attending. Both of these events acted as nutrients added to the plate for us to feed on.
Customs either get forgotten, or if still in practice have lost the full potential of their meaning. We can say not many know what lies behind the mask of a name, but at least these gatherings are on the agenda. At least people get exposed to such cultural events. October of 2009 certainly was fulfilled by a number of such events, yet this does not mean that we, the bacteria should be artificially reared. Isn’t it ironic how we all put on masks on October 31st for the sake of preserving the tradition of Halloween? We do not have or save the spirit of a tradition, holiday or cultural gathering by forcing it on the public as a means of fitting with the elite or gaining a certain image provided by the name of a brand. These kinds of events should take place for the sake of preserving the valuable, not the mask of a reputation. Unfortunately we have defined the valuable as something worthy of as much exploitation as possible when in reality; famous pieces can only be of any value once they have stirred a reaction from within those who perceive those pieces.
Mark the end of the 10th chapter with the preservation of customs and feel the cool October breeze sigh against your skin. Fall does not fail to enrich the soul. The last breath of October fills your lungs as the smile of your one-night Halloween mask crumbles away. The sweet breeze tinkles your skin as you turn the page to a new month with a smile — a smile that comes from within.
The cry of your alarm clock somehow manages to penetrate the walls of your sleepy haze. You raise an arm against the void and find what you are looking for. It is 7:00AM. You open the windows and inhale the birth of a new day. A new month rather, but what is it that marks the difference between these chapters of a book we read and dispose of once we have drained it of its use? With each new year we open the first chapter of a new book – the first month of a new year. Turn the page to the tenth chapter and feel your heart swell as it inhales the sweet breath of October. Why not go out and embrace the new day? It is the beginning of October and you wonder what this month will bring. Halloween is at the end of the road, but what lies in between is what really contributes to the full account of the story. Halloween may or may not be a significant part of your culture, but what is? A number of cultural events contributed to the account of this past year’s October. Culture- such a broad term used so easily; and just how did this month celebrate the importance of culture in our society?
Culture n. 1- a developed understanding of literature, art, music, etc.; the art, customs, etc. of a particular country or society. – Consider this definition found in the Oxford Dictionary Thesaurus & Wordpower Guide and notice there is quite a difference between a mere custom and a developed understanding of the arts in a society.
Let’s focus on the Salvador Dali’s exhibition. The grand opening of the exhibition took place on October 19th and the exhibit was scheduled to last until the 19th of December. Considered to be one of the most brilliant artists, Skopje had the privilege of displaying a large number of Dali’s pieces at the Museum of Contemporary Arts. Namely, Dali, the world renowned artist of the 20th century artist was born in Spain and excelled in the fields of painting, drawing, photography, and even writing. However, fame didn’t trail his name from the beginning, as with all great artists, Dali’s roots lie beneath his pile of high-prized work.
Nevertheless, Skopje’s public went head over heels after the exhibition. This coincides with general people’s mentality; having a name certainly fills up the museum with visitors at the opening ceremonies in Skopje. Even so, how many people attend such cultural gatherings because of the art itself? Has the artist become like a brand of clothes? The purpose of culture is to embody what lies within, not without. Answer honestly; have you branded what lies within you? The impact brands have created resembles the impact of well-known cultural institutions. Thus, the majority of people do in fact attend such events solely for the purpose of becoming part of the common culture, of succumbing to the cultural institution. Unfortunately, the brand guides the crowd, so naturally everything widely acclaimed as pertaining to culture, has become a must-see in our society.
Moreover, the ZZ Top concert was also a frequent name found in the headlines of many newspaper and magazine articles during the month of October. At the concert, I witnessed a half empty stadium, and clusters of “quasi” fans who were obviously more concerned about looking like they belonged there as opposed to being there for the music itself. Accordingly, people should go out, celebrate, embrace life; but running through that list of brands does not suffice. Looking at the bright side, people are certainly willing to go out and explore long-awaited events scheduled each month. After all, we must all explore in order to learn. Still, had such a hype not been aroused by the media, people wouldn’t be so eager to attend such events. The elite circles must attend the highly-prized events in order to draw light on their reputation, and the rest— they must buy the ticket to the events that are worthy enough for the elite and therefore worthy of a reputation. Yet this is the same thing as putting on a mask for Halloween and pretending to be something you’re not.
Let me draw your attention to another definition of culture:
2. artificial rearing of bacteria
This second definition of culture provided by the Oxford Dictionary Thesaurus and Wordpower Guide gives us a rather scientific approach which we can now implement into everyday society. These microorganisms grow in a “specially prepared nutrient medium.” Bacteria really have no choice, but that does not mean people should be stripped of choice as they are fed with these nutrients— these manifestations that they’ve been led to believe they must attend for the sake of attending. Both of these events acted as nutrients added to the plate for us to feed on.
Customs either get forgotten, or if still in practice have lost the full potential of their meaning. We can say not many know what lies behind the mask of a name, but at least these gatherings are on the agenda. At least people get exposed to such cultural events. October of 2009 certainly was fulfilled by a number of such events, yet this does not mean that we, the bacteria should be artificially reared. Isn’t it ironic how we all put on masks on October 31st for the sake of preserving the tradition of Halloween? We do not have or save the spirit of a tradition, holiday or cultural gathering by forcing it on the public as a means of fitting with the elite or gaining a certain image provided by the name of a brand. These kinds of events should take place for the sake of preserving the valuable, not the mask of a reputation. Unfortunately we have defined the valuable as something worthy of as much exploitation as possible when in reality; famous pieces can only be of any value once they have stirred a reaction from within those who perceive those pieces.
Mark the end of the 10th chapter with the preservation of customs and feel the cool October breeze sigh against your skin. Fall does not fail to enrich the soul. The last breath of October fills your lungs as the smile of your one-night Halloween mask crumbles away. The sweet breeze tinkles your skin as you turn the page to a new month with a smile — a smile that comes from within.
A Year of November
November 2008
The crowd standing in Chicago’s Grant Park roared as Barack Obama finished his victory speech. History had been made. The first African American President of the United States had been elected. Change had come to America. In the midst of international and domestic problems, Americans believed change had finally come.
November 2009
The Obama administration ran its presidential campaign with the slogan “Change.” To a country with high expectations, the six letter word meant that everything Americans had known for the past eight years was about to be different, about to improve -- The War on Terror, taxes, the economic crisis, healthcare...America was on the path to change, on the path to greatness. A year after Obama’s election, we ask ourselves: What’s different? What’s changed?
Obama started out his presidency in sync with the people’s hopes -- during his first few days in office, the president issued executive orders to withdraw troops in Iraq and ordered the closing of Guantanamo Bay; things were looking up.
However, it’s naïve to deny that not everyone is pleased with Obama’s promise of change. A year after his election, the president’s rates have fallen significantly. CBS NEWS reports that Obama’s ratings are now down to fifty percent, even lower than Bush’s falling rate to seventy-one% after invading Iraq in 2003.
Moreover, the President was just awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October for his efforts to improve international relations and his potential for successfully doing so. Yet the international community, as well as Obama himself, paused to question the decision by the Nobel Committee. The word peace was not ringing in the minds of many Americans, as troops are still being deployed overseas.
It’s no secret, America is still at war. But having been given a prestigious award such as the Nobel Peace Prize, the world anticipated great changes in the future from the President. Thus, with Obama’s decision to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, we’re left to question his plans: Is the world a safer place now than it was last November before Obama’s election? It’s difficult to see the correlation between sending more soldiers to “secure” an area with establishing peaceful relations. After Obama’s Nobel award, many have been left to wonder whether sending more soldiers is the answer to establishing peace overseas. Furthermore, Americans have become doubtful as to whether they can keep their faith in Obama and believe that troops will withdraw by 2011.
Moreover, many criticize the president's failure to improve the economic recession. People are asking two things: When will it end, and how is Obama going to fix it. The answer is far from clear -- USA Today reports unemployment in the U.S. hit 10.2% this November, and that currently, only a third of Americans believe the administration's stimulus package will benefit their families. American's anticipated a fast solution to the economic crisis; however, increased unemployment rates have led to skepticism and declining faith in the president's promise.
Obama’s slogan “Change” has stuck. Even so we’re left in doubt. Have we changed for the better? By 2011(Obama’s set goal date for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan), Obama will be in his third year of presidency. Can we expect the “good change” to have taken place by then?
As critics and citizens alike approached this November ready to look at the progress the U.S. has made since Obama’s election, they’ve found that America’s problems are still at large. Obama promised troops out of Iraq, but American and allied forces are still fighting overseas. America anticipated an economic revival, but unemployment and failing businesses are still a major domestic problem. Is that change?
True, it’s unfair for us to blame Obama for not changing the numerous issues, many of which predate to the Bush administration, in a year. Yet, with a slogan of “change” what can be expected other than high hopes and high chances of disappointment? Perhaps the question is not whether the U.S. has taken the path to change, but whether Obama is pushing us in the right direction. After eight years of the Bush administration, who knows how Americans, and the global community, will react. Can America do it? Can we finish fighting two wars overseas and fix the economy? Will Obama be able to lead the country towards success, and change things for the better? “Yes we can,” Obama stated in his victory speech last November; yet it seems like we’ve spent the past year waiting for something to happen.
The crowd standing in Chicago’s Grant Park roared as Barack Obama finished his victory speech. History had been made. The first African American President of the United States had been elected. Change had come to America. In the midst of international and domestic problems, Americans believed change had finally come.
November 2009
The Obama administration ran its presidential campaign with the slogan “Change.” To a country with high expectations, the six letter word meant that everything Americans had known for the past eight years was about to be different, about to improve -- The War on Terror, taxes, the economic crisis, healthcare...America was on the path to change, on the path to greatness. A year after Obama’s election, we ask ourselves: What’s different? What’s changed?
Obama started out his presidency in sync with the people’s hopes -- during his first few days in office, the president issued executive orders to withdraw troops in Iraq and ordered the closing of Guantanamo Bay; things were looking up.
However, it’s naïve to deny that not everyone is pleased with Obama’s promise of change. A year after his election, the president’s rates have fallen significantly. CBS NEWS reports that Obama’s ratings are now down to fifty percent, even lower than Bush’s falling rate to seventy-one% after invading Iraq in 2003.
Moreover, the President was just awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October for his efforts to improve international relations and his potential for successfully doing so. Yet the international community, as well as Obama himself, paused to question the decision by the Nobel Committee. The word peace was not ringing in the minds of many Americans, as troops are still being deployed overseas.
It’s no secret, America is still at war. But having been given a prestigious award such as the Nobel Peace Prize, the world anticipated great changes in the future from the President. Thus, with Obama’s decision to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, we’re left to question his plans: Is the world a safer place now than it was last November before Obama’s election? It’s difficult to see the correlation between sending more soldiers to “secure” an area with establishing peaceful relations. After Obama’s Nobel award, many have been left to wonder whether sending more soldiers is the answer to establishing peace overseas. Furthermore, Americans have become doubtful as to whether they can keep their faith in Obama and believe that troops will withdraw by 2011.
Moreover, many criticize the president's failure to improve the economic recession. People are asking two things: When will it end, and how is Obama going to fix it. The answer is far from clear -- USA Today reports unemployment in the U.S. hit 10.2% this November, and that currently, only a third of Americans believe the administration's stimulus package will benefit their families. American's anticipated a fast solution to the economic crisis; however, increased unemployment rates have led to skepticism and declining faith in the president's promise.
Obama’s slogan “Change” has stuck. Even so we’re left in doubt. Have we changed for the better? By 2011(Obama’s set goal date for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan), Obama will be in his third year of presidency. Can we expect the “good change” to have taken place by then?
As critics and citizens alike approached this November ready to look at the progress the U.S. has made since Obama’s election, they’ve found that America’s problems are still at large. Obama promised troops out of Iraq, but American and allied forces are still fighting overseas. America anticipated an economic revival, but unemployment and failing businesses are still a major domestic problem. Is that change?
True, it’s unfair for us to blame Obama for not changing the numerous issues, many of which predate to the Bush administration, in a year. Yet, with a slogan of “change” what can be expected other than high hopes and high chances of disappointment? Perhaps the question is not whether the U.S. has taken the path to change, but whether Obama is pushing us in the right direction. After eight years of the Bush administration, who knows how Americans, and the global community, will react. Can America do it? Can we finish fighting two wars overseas and fix the economy? Will Obama be able to lead the country towards success, and change things for the better? “Yes we can,” Obama stated in his victory speech last November; yet it seems like we’ve spent the past year waiting for something to happen.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
The Facebook Alter Ego
1. Log in. Ten new notifications! I am complete!
2. ~HOME PAGE~
3. Notification: Iskra Dzundeva liked so and so’s link on so and so’s wall.
-Alien-O M G, now that must mean that Iskra likes so and so!
Fatal consequence: Gossip Girls (males included) thrive. A like on someone’s post is worth a thousand words, of course.
Drama ensues. The Facebook alter egos come alive. We, the real people, become aliens.
In fact, making a decision to push that like button on someone’s profile can mean nothing, but to some of the most prominent Facebook socialites it means absolutely everything. It is a pity that societal communication has come down to such exchange. Pushing a button instead of expressing an opinion? How amoeba-like. It is a pity that I partake in it.
However, it didn’t always used to be so. How has Facebook changed my life? What was my social life like before Facebook, 3 years ago, when I was a wee bit freshman, inarticulate in the eloquence of the virtual world? Actually, I was one of the strongest opponents of the cyber face. Scratch that, I was THE enemy of the virtual world and networking. Wasting countless hours on MySpace, forgetting reality’s face, no way, I was so above that. Mock the hypocrite I have become; so I succumbed. Now, I am just one the many faces in the world’s largest encyclopedia of information: Facebook.
Why did I make a decision to join? Oh, surely, that’s simple: I was smitten by the allure of retaining contact with my long distance friends.
Alien- Wait a minute, by that you mean checking your Facebook ten times a day just to get “in touch” with people?
Obviously, the Facebook addiction stems from something else, a concept far more complex. Why do we have the urge to follow people’s lives and acquire intimate information that in no way we should have access to?
Alien-Geez, why would you care about my profile? What a stalker. Oh, what has HE been up to?
The answer is simple. It is not what we demand, but it is what the market supplies that hooks us. In other words, Facebook users have access to whatever their friends post on their profile pages. Thus, if you decide to have a public argument with your best friend on Facebook, guess what: your private life has been penetrated. In less than five minutes this dispute will appear on everyone’s home page, and the whole world will know about that dude cheating on your best friend. Oops; so much for privacy.
Let’s face it: it’s not like most of you don’t know this. All Facebook users in fact, are very aware of the information they post on their profiles. After all, this is the face that we would like the world to identify us by, isn’t it? This is the face that is supposed to be a reflection of the real self; a metonymic representation of the people behind the screen. In reality, through our desperate attempts to identify ourselves as the unique individuals that we are, the Facebook profile has become its own persona, our alter ego, cooler than our real selves. This alter ego defines itself through the lame self taken pictures and the never ending list of our wide interests, because we are incapable of making a choice and being selective. Of course, let’s not neglect the most important segment, the more friends the better, because we are just THAT popular. Who cares if we don’t even have a clue about who half of them really are? Reach out and grab them, they are the closest that we will ever get to reality, they are part of our virtual world.
Let’s turn the tables: something must be wrong with the real world for us to flee to our alter ego and create a new world with several clicks of the mouse. What exactly is wrong?
Analyzing the different socio-economic factors of our decade, I’ve come to the conclusion that the general global devastation has led to people’s self imposed alienation from society. People choose to stay at home because they do not have the means to go outside; in today’s material culture, having fun means spending tremendous amounts of money, and of course, the more you spend the better. So what do those who cannot afford such expensive entertainment do? They, in fact, stay at home clicking away on the internet, bonding in the virtual way. Sad yet true, materialism has driven the world into two extremes of alienation: one in which individuals turn to the excessive material pleasures to fill their emotional holes and the other in which individuals turn to the virtual to escape reality. Siddhartha’s words have been forgotten; could it be that we prefer reading the Face-Book over real books?
Alien-Wait, like, those old things that ppl used to read bak in da Neanderthal age? Y read those when I can just go on Spark notes. LMAO, YOUR SO ridic.(Yes, the objects with dusty covers sitting alone on your bookshelves, the lonely remnants of the distant past).
Similarly to Siddhartha’s struggle with materialism, nowadays, the extreme trend of the material escapist modes has created a shift in the way that individuals communicate amongst themselves. Today’s youth does not use the internet to facilitate their communication with people; rather they abuse it to meet new people. The tragedy lies in the practice of getting to know people more profoundly through MSN, Facebook chat, or other internet sites, rather than through good old human contact. Call me old fashioned, but whatever happened to dates, frequent social gatherings during the day, and spontaneous meetings with people to have a chat,” on a coffee”*?
The more time we spend clicking away, the less time we spend with real people, which leads to our self inflicted alienation from society. Let’s face it: the more friends we have on Facebook solely distances us from our real friends. We need to reevaluate our priorities and focus on quality over quantity, because after all the most valuable things are the scarcest of them all. Let’s reach out for the people who exist outside of the virtual world; those who do not necessarily have a Facebook alter ego as the passport substitute of the 21st century.
Alien logs off Facebook and proceeds to call her friend up for coffee so they can talk in person. Like real people. Alien masks fall. Humanity is reborn. Just like in that Coca Cola commercial.
*”On a Coffee” refers to the newly built sculpture by GTC on the Kej in Skopje. It is a literal translation of the archaic Macedonian tradition of meeting up for coffee, “na kafe”.
2. ~HOME PAGE~
3. Notification: Iskra Dzundeva liked so and so’s link on so and so’s wall.
-Alien-O M G, now that must mean that Iskra likes so and so!
Fatal consequence: Gossip Girls (males included) thrive. A like on someone’s post is worth a thousand words, of course.
Drama ensues. The Facebook alter egos come alive. We, the real people, become aliens.
In fact, making a decision to push that like button on someone’s profile can mean nothing, but to some of the most prominent Facebook socialites it means absolutely everything. It is a pity that societal communication has come down to such exchange. Pushing a button instead of expressing an opinion? How amoeba-like. It is a pity that I partake in it.
However, it didn’t always used to be so. How has Facebook changed my life? What was my social life like before Facebook, 3 years ago, when I was a wee bit freshman, inarticulate in the eloquence of the virtual world? Actually, I was one of the strongest opponents of the cyber face. Scratch that, I was THE enemy of the virtual world and networking. Wasting countless hours on MySpace, forgetting reality’s face, no way, I was so above that. Mock the hypocrite I have become; so I succumbed. Now, I am just one the many faces in the world’s largest encyclopedia of information: Facebook.
Why did I make a decision to join? Oh, surely, that’s simple: I was smitten by the allure of retaining contact with my long distance friends.
Alien- Wait a minute, by that you mean checking your Facebook ten times a day just to get “in touch” with people?
Obviously, the Facebook addiction stems from something else, a concept far more complex. Why do we have the urge to follow people’s lives and acquire intimate information that in no way we should have access to?
Alien-Geez, why would you care about my profile? What a stalker. Oh, what has HE been up to?
The answer is simple. It is not what we demand, but it is what the market supplies that hooks us. In other words, Facebook users have access to whatever their friends post on their profile pages. Thus, if you decide to have a public argument with your best friend on Facebook, guess what: your private life has been penetrated. In less than five minutes this dispute will appear on everyone’s home page, and the whole world will know about that dude cheating on your best friend. Oops; so much for privacy.
Let’s face it: it’s not like most of you don’t know this. All Facebook users in fact, are very aware of the information they post on their profiles. After all, this is the face that we would like the world to identify us by, isn’t it? This is the face that is supposed to be a reflection of the real self; a metonymic representation of the people behind the screen. In reality, through our desperate attempts to identify ourselves as the unique individuals that we are, the Facebook profile has become its own persona, our alter ego, cooler than our real selves. This alter ego defines itself through the lame self taken pictures and the never ending list of our wide interests, because we are incapable of making a choice and being selective. Of course, let’s not neglect the most important segment, the more friends the better, because we are just THAT popular. Who cares if we don’t even have a clue about who half of them really are? Reach out and grab them, they are the closest that we will ever get to reality, they are part of our virtual world.
Let’s turn the tables: something must be wrong with the real world for us to flee to our alter ego and create a new world with several clicks of the mouse. What exactly is wrong?
Analyzing the different socio-economic factors of our decade, I’ve come to the conclusion that the general global devastation has led to people’s self imposed alienation from society. People choose to stay at home because they do not have the means to go outside; in today’s material culture, having fun means spending tremendous amounts of money, and of course, the more you spend the better. So what do those who cannot afford such expensive entertainment do? They, in fact, stay at home clicking away on the internet, bonding in the virtual way. Sad yet true, materialism has driven the world into two extremes of alienation: one in which individuals turn to the excessive material pleasures to fill their emotional holes and the other in which individuals turn to the virtual to escape reality. Siddhartha’s words have been forgotten; could it be that we prefer reading the Face-Book over real books?
Alien-Wait, like, those old things that ppl used to read bak in da Neanderthal age? Y read those when I can just go on Spark notes. LMAO, YOUR SO ridic.(Yes, the objects with dusty covers sitting alone on your bookshelves, the lonely remnants of the distant past).
Similarly to Siddhartha’s struggle with materialism, nowadays, the extreme trend of the material escapist modes has created a shift in the way that individuals communicate amongst themselves. Today’s youth does not use the internet to facilitate their communication with people; rather they abuse it to meet new people. The tragedy lies in the practice of getting to know people more profoundly through MSN, Facebook chat, or other internet sites, rather than through good old human contact. Call me old fashioned, but whatever happened to dates, frequent social gatherings during the day, and spontaneous meetings with people to have a chat,” on a coffee”*?
The more time we spend clicking away, the less time we spend with real people, which leads to our self inflicted alienation from society. Let’s face it: the more friends we have on Facebook solely distances us from our real friends. We need to reevaluate our priorities and focus on quality over quantity, because after all the most valuable things are the scarcest of them all. Let’s reach out for the people who exist outside of the virtual world; those who do not necessarily have a Facebook alter ego as the passport substitute of the 21st century.
Alien logs off Facebook and proceeds to call her friend up for coffee so they can talk in person. Like real people. Alien masks fall. Humanity is reborn. Just like in that Coca Cola commercial.
*”On a Coffee” refers to the newly built sculpture by GTC on the Kej in Skopje. It is a literal translation of the archaic Macedonian tradition of meeting up for coffee, “na kafe”.
Outsiders
Almost every day, as the school bus approached his bus stop, my father would peer out the window to plan his escape route. For when he stepped off the bus, he knew he would have to run. He didn’t have to run because he wanted to get home in time to watch his favorite cartoon, or because he would late. He would have to run because he knew the group of Moroccan boys would be waiting, rocks ready in their hands, to throw at him. And as he ran away, kicking up a cloud of dust behind him, the group of boys sneered “Shinwa.” Chinese.
My father and I share a common experience: we learned from a young age what it meant to be a foreigner, what it meant to not belong. My father was not Chinese. But because of the way he looked, and because of the foreign language that he spoke, he was labeled as an outsider. He simply didn’t belong. And that was reason enough for the young boys to throw rocks at him, and reason enough for him to run home every day after school.
With time, situations have changed. True, the majority of people may not throw rocks at foreigners today, but that does not mean that “outsiders” are not being discriminated in different ways. To understand how the treatment of foreigners has evolved, let us look at the history of the term “foreigner.”
There may not be a specific time or place from which the term originiated; however, it can be traced. The Romans, for example, called anyone non-Roman “barbaric.” Justifying their discrimination with religion, the Romans exploited the Eastern European Slavs as slaves. Interestingly, over time, the term “Slav” evolved to mean “foreigner.”
In 1853, Commodore Matthew Perry sailed into Tokyo Bay, opening Japan to the Western World. The Japanese, defenseless and with out any other choice but to open up its ports, called Perry and his sailors “Barbarians of the West.” Over 150 years later, the term has changed, yet the meaning remains the same.The Japanese term 外人, (gaijin) to translate literally, means “outside person,” further differentiaing between those who belong, and those who don’t.
We can also explore the history of exploitation of foreigners and use of the term “alien” in America. America exploited African slaves as cheap labor on Southern plantations before the country even gained independence from Great Britain. In the late 1700‘s, worried that America would soon be at war with France, Congress passed the Alien Act of 1798. Aimed towards “aliens,” or foreigners, the act authroized the President to “deport aliens dangerous to the peace and safety of the United States.” Related acts, such as the Alien Enemies Act, further presents evidence of prejudice centered towards foreigners who supposedly posed a threat national security.
Sound farmiliar? Are things really that different today?
Foreiners are still be exploited. Take, for example, the “foreigners price.” Do we not almost instinctively raise prices on food, rent, and tuition for outsiders, because we assume they can afford it? Don’t inhabitants of well-to-do countries exploit foreign immigrants by providing low wages and harsh working conditions to this day?
Racial prejudice has always played a role in the treatment and perception of foreigners as well. From slavery in the U.S., to derrogatory remarks, racial prejudice has always been linked to the treatment of outsiders. As controversial as the issue is, we continue to pull people out of security lines at airports simply because of the way they look. The Alien Act may not be in effect today, but that doesn’t mean other acts aren’t discriminatig against minorities. Take for example, the Patriot Act. In our post-9/11 society, we immediately associate “different” as suspicious, and the act allows the U.S. government to detain any “suspicious” individuals. Do their acts, or their appearance lead us to discriminate? We are still exploiting and discriminating against foreigners to this day.
I didn’t have to run home every day to avoid being thrown rocks at; instead, my experience led to feelings of frustration at other peoples’ cultural ignorance, and possibilty that things would never really change. History teaches us that conditions will change, but the prejudice towards foreigners will remain. While we may think that in the 21st Century we are open-minded, we continue to exploit foreigners, distribute the term “outsider,” and are thus, just as close-minded as ever before.
My father and I share a common experience: we learned from a young age what it meant to be a foreigner, what it meant to not belong. My father was not Chinese. But because of the way he looked, and because of the foreign language that he spoke, he was labeled as an outsider. He simply didn’t belong. And that was reason enough for the young boys to throw rocks at him, and reason enough for him to run home every day after school.
With time, situations have changed. True, the majority of people may not throw rocks at foreigners today, but that does not mean that “outsiders” are not being discriminated in different ways. To understand how the treatment of foreigners has evolved, let us look at the history of the term “foreigner.”
There may not be a specific time or place from which the term originiated; however, it can be traced. The Romans, for example, called anyone non-Roman “barbaric.” Justifying their discrimination with religion, the Romans exploited the Eastern European Slavs as slaves. Interestingly, over time, the term “Slav” evolved to mean “foreigner.”
In 1853, Commodore Matthew Perry sailed into Tokyo Bay, opening Japan to the Western World. The Japanese, defenseless and with out any other choice but to open up its ports, called Perry and his sailors “Barbarians of the West.” Over 150 years later, the term has changed, yet the meaning remains the same.The Japanese term 外人, (gaijin) to translate literally, means “outside person,” further differentiaing between those who belong, and those who don’t.
We can also explore the history of exploitation of foreigners and use of the term “alien” in America. America exploited African slaves as cheap labor on Southern plantations before the country even gained independence from Great Britain. In the late 1700‘s, worried that America would soon be at war with France, Congress passed the Alien Act of 1798. Aimed towards “aliens,” or foreigners, the act authroized the President to “deport aliens dangerous to the peace and safety of the United States.” Related acts, such as the Alien Enemies Act, further presents evidence of prejudice centered towards foreigners who supposedly posed a threat national security.
Sound farmiliar? Are things really that different today?
Foreiners are still be exploited. Take, for example, the “foreigners price.” Do we not almost instinctively raise prices on food, rent, and tuition for outsiders, because we assume they can afford it? Don’t inhabitants of well-to-do countries exploit foreign immigrants by providing low wages and harsh working conditions to this day?
Racial prejudice has always played a role in the treatment and perception of foreigners as well. From slavery in the U.S., to derrogatory remarks, racial prejudice has always been linked to the treatment of outsiders. As controversial as the issue is, we continue to pull people out of security lines at airports simply because of the way they look. The Alien Act may not be in effect today, but that doesn’t mean other acts aren’t discriminatig against minorities. Take for example, the Patriot Act. In our post-9/11 society, we immediately associate “different” as suspicious, and the act allows the U.S. government to detain any “suspicious” individuals. Do their acts, or their appearance lead us to discriminate? We are still exploiting and discriminating against foreigners to this day.
I didn’t have to run home every day to avoid being thrown rocks at; instead, my experience led to feelings of frustration at other peoples’ cultural ignorance, and possibilty that things would never really change. History teaches us that conditions will change, but the prejudice towards foreigners will remain. While we may think that in the 21st Century we are open-minded, we continue to exploit foreigners, distribute the term “outsider,” and are thus, just as close-minded as ever before.
The Human Alien
The planet Earth is just one piece of sand on the beach we call the Universe. Hence, it is really hard to think that we are the only inhabitants of this immense structure. This explains the many searches for life on our neighboring planets, the alien image in pop cultures and all of the dubious alien-abductions and UFO’s. That is why until we don’t encounter those green, round-headed creatures, we try to find, or rather create aliens among ourselves.
Sadly, it is human nature to feel superior to others – to alienate. Therefore, just by being a foreigner, having a different religion, different color of skin, or simply by belonging to a different clique, a person can be alienated. However, in my article I would like to concentrate on the people of different sexual orientation: homosexuals and society’s outcasts: prisoners.
Lately, a person’s sexual orientation has become an important part of the person’s identity; namely, society puts too much stress on it. People get tagged – they become straight or gay, a distinction that is simply too vague. Yet, the alien among these two is the homosexual. Why? Simply because they are ‘different’ (whatever that might signify) and because they do not follow nature’s canon. And instead of accepting that difference, society chooses to alienate them. An example of this is the death penalty for homosexuals that existed during the French Revolution and the horrible treatment that they received in the concentration camps during World War 2. Why? Just because they were homosexuals.
On the other hand, the prisoners are psychologically and physically alienated – they are put into prisons and segregated from society. This is an example on how society punishes people for their wrongdoings – puts them between four concrete walls, in a world guided by routine. Also, the only communications that they have with the outside world are letters and the few visits that they have the right to. And after their ‘stay’ in the prison they are expected to reintegrate into society; however, that is not an easy task for they have been turned into E.T. and they will act like the alien. At least for the first few months.
Thus, in order to satisfy the people’s hunger to be someone different, someone alien, society has created aliens among us. Everyone has felt like an alien at least at one point in their lives, you know that feeling when you are in a room full of people, and yet you feel completely alone? Not a very comfortable feeling, eh?
Sadly, it is human nature to feel superior to others – to alienate. Therefore, just by being a foreigner, having a different religion, different color of skin, or simply by belonging to a different clique, a person can be alienated. However, in my article I would like to concentrate on the people of different sexual orientation: homosexuals and society’s outcasts: prisoners.
Lately, a person’s sexual orientation has become an important part of the person’s identity; namely, society puts too much stress on it. People get tagged – they become straight or gay, a distinction that is simply too vague. Yet, the alien among these two is the homosexual. Why? Simply because they are ‘different’ (whatever that might signify) and because they do not follow nature’s canon. And instead of accepting that difference, society chooses to alienate them. An example of this is the death penalty for homosexuals that existed during the French Revolution and the horrible treatment that they received in the concentration camps during World War 2. Why? Just because they were homosexuals.
On the other hand, the prisoners are psychologically and physically alienated – they are put into prisons and segregated from society. This is an example on how society punishes people for their wrongdoings – puts them between four concrete walls, in a world guided by routine. Also, the only communications that they have with the outside world are letters and the few visits that they have the right to. And after their ‘stay’ in the prison they are expected to reintegrate into society; however, that is not an easy task for they have been turned into E.T. and they will act like the alien. At least for the first few months.
Thus, in order to satisfy the people’s hunger to be someone different, someone alien, society has created aliens among us. Everyone has felt like an alien at least at one point in their lives, you know that feeling when you are in a room full of people, and yet you feel completely alone? Not a very comfortable feeling, eh?
Alienation in Society
The issue of alienation has become a rapidly growing problem in our modern everyday society. Directly or indirectly, we are all targeted by this term which certainly has lived up to its infamous reputation. Alienation is used as a broad term to describe situations in which people have been affected in various ways with negative outcomes. These outcomes occur as the result of ill-treatment within a society.
Targets of alienation are distributed along a wider range; therefore to narrow this broad range of targets down to children is a crucial task. This is so because to understand the minds of children is a sensitive effort due to their vulnerability to the influence or corruption of the outside world. That is, the world of adults, the world in which their innocence and youth do not belong. To complete this task successfully we must first investigate the unique elements of the mind which are then linked to destructive emotions, as well as the significance and impact of human relationships.
Let us begin with the home. Due to the madness of the 21st century the values of the home are continually degrading in such a way that the necessary contributions each family member owes are being overlooked. It is up to the parents to create and provide the children with a safe environment in which to live. A safe environment is one in which the parents do what they can to protect their children from harm. They give value to the home, and raise their children in a trusty environment. In an ideal home, children feel free to express and discuss important things with their parents thus creating an unconditional bond which cannot be broken. However, in some unfortunate cases, the bonds that link the members of a family can be broken.
Divorce has become a norm in the western world but its consequences must not be overlooked by society. Parental alienation arises from the wish to divorce. The Parental Alienation Syndrome (P.A.S.) refers to the efforts of one parent to spoil the child’s perception of the other parent. In other words, P.A.S. refers to the efforts to turn a child against the other parent. These efforts would obviously have long-term effects on the child who must suffer from the selfishness of such a parent. Do you find yourself asking what kinds values a selfish parent might have? Parents constantly have to give something of themselves in order to make their children’s lives as good as possible. In this case a parent that has given too much might in the end lose or forget the values of his or her own life. In such cases, we cannot blame parents for making a decision which would benefit their own lives. However, those parents, whose lives’ intentions are to benefit themselves only, are indeed selfish. Children are pushed aside feeling unwanted and unloved. Money, jealousy, fear and revenge are all factors which contribute to self-centered decision making.
Children tend to have complex internal emotions which can often lead to guilt. Maybe they were the reason why their parents divorced? It is mere exposure that sparks curiosity in children’s minds and leads to painful emotions. Negotiations between the parents and children must be made in order for a healthy transition to take place. We must never underestimate the effects of divorce on children because divorce is often a reason why children develop social problems. If parents make their children feel unwanted, then these children would naturally reach the conclusion that they are not wanted by anyone, resulting in societal difficulties.
Yet how can this possibly be a healthy transition? The alienating parent intentionally risks the health of the relationship of the child and the other parent. Such domestic problems lead the child to experience such emotions as fear, anger, or increasing insecurity which have an effect on the roles children play in society and most importantly in large social institutions such as school. In school, their insecure states of mind could become the targets of bullying.
Domestic problems may or may not cause children to become insecure. In such cases when this does occur, insecurity could lead children to have certain behavioral problems through which they easily become outcasts in society. Domestic problems could lead to behavior problems such as increased anger, violence, or in some cases emotional detachment, depression, self conscience or isolation.
It is known that people in society today either consciously or unconsciously steer away from the company of people who are not very open towards others. Children with bad approaches to society become emotionally isolated from the rest because they do not feel anybody else understands them. We have to understand that divorce causes children to undergo a drastic change in their lives. When people in general undergo such changes, they focus only on the pain that the change brings to their lives. Focusing on the pain, children fear that it could get worse which is what causes them to draw back from society. Emotions can cause us to act in irrational ways; this is why emotional isolation can prevent the freedom of expression in children suffering from alienation due to divorce.
Personally, I have a friend who has suffered from the emotional pain resulting from her parents’ divorce. Although we have never been as close as we might’ve been, I assume she indulged herself in her interests as a way to escape this problem when we were little. When I moved back, others told me she was strange and unsocial, yet when we talked, she was about one of the nicest people I stumbled upon. The view a society has of a person has a lot to do with how they are treated. In small societies, domestic problems are so often talked about that they no longer remain domestic. The mere knowledge that someone has a specific problem naturally causes people to treat that person differently. So how can children fit in societies in which they already know what is spoken of them? I hold the belief that children can find ways to heal, but it is tragic that they should be put in such positions in the first place as a result of ignorance.
Targets of alienation are distributed along a wider range; therefore to narrow this broad range of targets down to children is a crucial task. This is so because to understand the minds of children is a sensitive effort due to their vulnerability to the influence or corruption of the outside world. That is, the world of adults, the world in which their innocence and youth do not belong. To complete this task successfully we must first investigate the unique elements of the mind which are then linked to destructive emotions, as well as the significance and impact of human relationships.
Let us begin with the home. Due to the madness of the 21st century the values of the home are continually degrading in such a way that the necessary contributions each family member owes are being overlooked. It is up to the parents to create and provide the children with a safe environment in which to live. A safe environment is one in which the parents do what they can to protect their children from harm. They give value to the home, and raise their children in a trusty environment. In an ideal home, children feel free to express and discuss important things with their parents thus creating an unconditional bond which cannot be broken. However, in some unfortunate cases, the bonds that link the members of a family can be broken.
Divorce has become a norm in the western world but its consequences must not be overlooked by society. Parental alienation arises from the wish to divorce. The Parental Alienation Syndrome (P.A.S.) refers to the efforts of one parent to spoil the child’s perception of the other parent. In other words, P.A.S. refers to the efforts to turn a child against the other parent. These efforts would obviously have long-term effects on the child who must suffer from the selfishness of such a parent. Do you find yourself asking what kinds values a selfish parent might have? Parents constantly have to give something of themselves in order to make their children’s lives as good as possible. In this case a parent that has given too much might in the end lose or forget the values of his or her own life. In such cases, we cannot blame parents for making a decision which would benefit their own lives. However, those parents, whose lives’ intentions are to benefit themselves only, are indeed selfish. Children are pushed aside feeling unwanted and unloved. Money, jealousy, fear and revenge are all factors which contribute to self-centered decision making.
Children tend to have complex internal emotions which can often lead to guilt. Maybe they were the reason why their parents divorced? It is mere exposure that sparks curiosity in children’s minds and leads to painful emotions. Negotiations between the parents and children must be made in order for a healthy transition to take place. We must never underestimate the effects of divorce on children because divorce is often a reason why children develop social problems. If parents make their children feel unwanted, then these children would naturally reach the conclusion that they are not wanted by anyone, resulting in societal difficulties.
Yet how can this possibly be a healthy transition? The alienating parent intentionally risks the health of the relationship of the child and the other parent. Such domestic problems lead the child to experience such emotions as fear, anger, or increasing insecurity which have an effect on the roles children play in society and most importantly in large social institutions such as school. In school, their insecure states of mind could become the targets of bullying.
Domestic problems may or may not cause children to become insecure. In such cases when this does occur, insecurity could lead children to have certain behavioral problems through which they easily become outcasts in society. Domestic problems could lead to behavior problems such as increased anger, violence, or in some cases emotional detachment, depression, self conscience or isolation.
It is known that people in society today either consciously or unconsciously steer away from the company of people who are not very open towards others. Children with bad approaches to society become emotionally isolated from the rest because they do not feel anybody else understands them. We have to understand that divorce causes children to undergo a drastic change in their lives. When people in general undergo such changes, they focus only on the pain that the change brings to their lives. Focusing on the pain, children fear that it could get worse which is what causes them to draw back from society. Emotions can cause us to act in irrational ways; this is why emotional isolation can prevent the freedom of expression in children suffering from alienation due to divorce.
Personally, I have a friend who has suffered from the emotional pain resulting from her parents’ divorce. Although we have never been as close as we might’ve been, I assume she indulged herself in her interests as a way to escape this problem when we were little. When I moved back, others told me she was strange and unsocial, yet when we talked, she was about one of the nicest people I stumbled upon. The view a society has of a person has a lot to do with how they are treated. In small societies, domestic problems are so often talked about that they no longer remain domestic. The mere knowledge that someone has a specific problem naturally causes people to treat that person differently. So how can children fit in societies in which they already know what is spoken of them? I hold the belief that children can find ways to heal, but it is tragic that they should be put in such positions in the first place as a result of ignorance.
Fused Feelings
A personal shock
“…It was a great shock for the girl when she came to the United States for the first time. She was one in the crowd of foreigners on the airport. The girl thought she is lost. Completely alone, wondering what will happen. Then, she got there, at the college where she was going to attend a summer program. The first week was a real shock. She felt alone. There was no one to whom she could talk. Slowly, everything started changing. The girl found friends. She started adapting to the new environment and accepting things. She did not feel like foreigner any longer. She was one of the many walking on Brooklyn Bridge, one of the many who were reading in Columbia’s Low Library, one of the many who were living in Manhattan’s borough. At the end of the program, she was happy. The girl managed to find her place in NYC. It was the place where she discovered herself for the first time. It was the city that helped her discover what she wanted to do in life…”
Mixed feelings of a foreigner.
How do foreigners feel in another country? It really depends, but what usually happens to most internationals is a cultural shock.
As the world grows, as increasing number of people travel, work or study abroad, more attention is given on the type of silent sickness that most of the time damages the inexperienced traveler. What basically happens is the loss of emotional equilibrium that a person suffers when he/she moves from a familiar environment where the person learned to function easily and successfully. This basically describes the shock a foreigner feel. The individual in the new environment might feel miserable and often consider that there is something wrong. Not all, to be sure, suffer significant emotional disorientation. However, many do, especially the ones who have never before been away from home.
The transition to an alien culture often has an impact. For example an American is visiting certain Eastern European country. The American can find himself depressed by some living conditions in most of the rural areas.
When a person takes up residence in a foreign country there is a period of excitement when everything seems new and challenging. However, after a while, that person may fill like victim. The victim says to himself, "These people don't seem to know or care what I'm going through. Therefore they must be selfish, insensitive people. Therefore I don't like them." In that way the individual receives negative feedback and the self-esteem gets lower and lower.
Often communication is difficult for a foreigner in another country when is in the company of bunch of people who belong to that country. Experts in communication emphasize the fact that language and voice are by no means the only form of communication; they can be supported by number of facial expressions that are misinterpreted.
Almost always, fortunately, symptoms of culture shock subside with the passage of time. The first sign of recovery may well be the reappearance of the victim's sense of humor; she/he begins to smile or even laugh at some of the things that irritated him/her so much at first. As familiarity with local language and customs increases, his/her self-confidence and self-esteem begin to return. In fact, there is a slow progress.
Foreigners should:
• Be aware that a culture shock exists, that will have an effect, but it doesn’t last forever.
• Try to remember that the problem is in them.
• Accept the idea that is painful, but they should not give up easily. At the it is just a wonderful experience.
“…It was a great shock for the girl when she came to the United States for the first time. She was one in the crowd of foreigners on the airport. The girl thought she is lost. Completely alone, wondering what will happen. Then, she got there, at the college where she was going to attend a summer program. The first week was a real shock. She felt alone. There was no one to whom she could talk. Slowly, everything started changing. The girl found friends. She started adapting to the new environment and accepting things. She did not feel like foreigner any longer. She was one of the many walking on Brooklyn Bridge, one of the many who were reading in Columbia’s Low Library, one of the many who were living in Manhattan’s borough. At the end of the program, she was happy. The girl managed to find her place in NYC. It was the place where she discovered herself for the first time. It was the city that helped her discover what she wanted to do in life…”
Mixed feelings of a foreigner.
How do foreigners feel in another country? It really depends, but what usually happens to most internationals is a cultural shock.
As the world grows, as increasing number of people travel, work or study abroad, more attention is given on the type of silent sickness that most of the time damages the inexperienced traveler. What basically happens is the loss of emotional equilibrium that a person suffers when he/she moves from a familiar environment where the person learned to function easily and successfully. This basically describes the shock a foreigner feel. The individual in the new environment might feel miserable and often consider that there is something wrong. Not all, to be sure, suffer significant emotional disorientation. However, many do, especially the ones who have never before been away from home.
The transition to an alien culture often has an impact. For example an American is visiting certain Eastern European country. The American can find himself depressed by some living conditions in most of the rural areas.
When a person takes up residence in a foreign country there is a period of excitement when everything seems new and challenging. However, after a while, that person may fill like victim. The victim says to himself, "These people don't seem to know or care what I'm going through. Therefore they must be selfish, insensitive people. Therefore I don't like them." In that way the individual receives negative feedback and the self-esteem gets lower and lower.
Often communication is difficult for a foreigner in another country when is in the company of bunch of people who belong to that country. Experts in communication emphasize the fact that language and voice are by no means the only form of communication; they can be supported by number of facial expressions that are misinterpreted.
Almost always, fortunately, symptoms of culture shock subside with the passage of time. The first sign of recovery may well be the reappearance of the victim's sense of humor; she/he begins to smile or even laugh at some of the things that irritated him/her so much at first. As familiarity with local language and customs increases, his/her self-confidence and self-esteem begin to return. In fact, there is a slow progress.
Foreigners should:
• Be aware that a culture shock exists, that will have an effect, but it doesn’t last forever.
• Try to remember that the problem is in them.
• Accept the idea that is painful, but they should not give up easily. At the it is just a wonderful experience.
An Encounter
Septimus looked serene; his eyes were watery, and his heart slippery. His troubled mind did not seem all too cooperative with his unblemished inner self, and he just sat there, evoking a feeling of both awe and pity in the passer-bys, with his halo of floating despair and bits and pieces of clumsy silence above his head. He felt as if he had been yelling for hours, yet knew that he had not uttered a word for the past couple of days. Or maybe he had yelled, but the sound frequency of his voice was unrecognizable to his fellow humans. Was he even human? Certainly, the halo didn’t make him an angel; the halo doesn’t make the angel, Septimus thought. Besides, angels have golden halos, and his was sort of dirty blonde, murky, and it had an unsavory texture and an inappropriate weight- it was heavy, it was one heavy halo to own. Incidentally, it was also an invisible halo, because no one except he could see it; thus, it only had Septimus to victimize. He looked up. Oh, how the clouds stumbled in and assembled stupidly in the sky. Great, obese clouds. Dark and plump. Bumping into each other. Apologizing. Moving on and finding room.
“What is that above your head?”
Septimus turned. He was used to strangers talking to him, but never had someone taken notice of his notorious halo.
“Above my head?”
The woman looked confused. She looked around inquiringly, moving her eyes at a pace Septimus found hard to follow. She was wearing a long pajama, had huge eyes, enormous eye bags, not much of a hairstyle, but she was beautiful. And beautifully confused. She looked as if she had just miscalculated something very important; a miscalculation that could bring about the end of the world.
“The grass,” she whispered “it’s green.”
Septimus considered the possibility of her being an escapee from the asylum Dr.Bradshaw wanted him sent to.
“Is this Antarctica?”
“Regent’s Park.”
“Washington?”
“London.”
“London!?” she screamed. “How did I end up in London? Why are you intruding upon my hallucination?”
“Hallucination?”
“I was supposed to be sent to Antarctica. My travel agent, he promised.”
The woman seemed deeply disturbed by the fact that she had not, after all, landed on Antarctica. Septimus had never met such a woman before, and, although a little intimidated, decided to comfort her.
“Don’t worry Miss. London is an exciting place. I am sure you will have more fun here than you would on Antarctica,” Septimus continued, doubting his own words. “What’s so special about Antarctica anyway?”
“Everything is white there,” the woman said, “and there are no people, only snow. And Eskimos. And I can build an entire city just the way I want it to be. And,” she continued fervently, shaking from excitement, “I can have a baby there. I will be all by myself. Wonderfully alone.”
Septimus’s eyes widened; his halo felt heavy.
“May I come, too?”
“Ahem. You will have to arrange that with my travel agent. But I am quite sure you may join me,” she smiled her vague smile.
Septimus smiled as well. Two people in Regent’s Park, a man sitting down and a woman standing next to him, kept smiling at each other, finding each other, groping for recognition. There was something familiar about the man, she thought, and felt how he noticed there was something familiar about her as well.
“I will now sit beside you,” the woman said, very matter-of-factly. Such an awkward woman. Such a lonely heart.
“Harper Pitt.”
“Septimus Warren Smith.”
A handshake. Silence.
“I have emotional problems,” Harper broke the silence, which was not in the least awkward. “Actually, my husband thinks I have emotional problems. I don’t think I have any problems.”
“My wife thinks I am not sane,” Septimus joined her. “She takes me to this doctor, and he keeps telling her to send me away.”
“Why don’t you leave your wife?”
“Why don’t you leave your husband?”
“My husband is a homosexual.”
“My wife is Italian.”
Silence.
“I want one of those things over my head. It’d make me look special, so heavenly. Like a martyr.”
“Martyrs suffer on behalf of their causes,” Septimus said thoughtfully.
“What’s your cause?” she asked.
“Preserving,” answered Septimus. “What’s yours?”
“Searching,” she answered, smiling again. There was something so splendid about the way in which the woman formulated her responses, but at the same time another feeling would not let you admire it.
“What do you say that we continue our quests on Antarctica?” Harper stood up, “I think you might have a better chance at preserving there, don’t you think?”
“And you would have a broader searching area,” he added. “Besides, it’s easier to find something if everything else is white, isn’t it?”
“Agreed.”
Two people, holding hands, walked through Regent’s park in London, and headed south. They were two people who, although they had never met before, recognized each other and decided to embark on a journey. As the sun set and the light left London, two lone owners of two lonely hearts walked south, their haloes illuminating their path, making their way to Antarctica.
“What is that above your head?”
Septimus turned. He was used to strangers talking to him, but never had someone taken notice of his notorious halo.
“Above my head?”
The woman looked confused. She looked around inquiringly, moving her eyes at a pace Septimus found hard to follow. She was wearing a long pajama, had huge eyes, enormous eye bags, not much of a hairstyle, but she was beautiful. And beautifully confused. She looked as if she had just miscalculated something very important; a miscalculation that could bring about the end of the world.
“The grass,” she whispered “it’s green.”
Septimus considered the possibility of her being an escapee from the asylum Dr.Bradshaw wanted him sent to.
“Is this Antarctica?”
“Regent’s Park.”
“Washington?”
“London.”
“London!?” she screamed. “How did I end up in London? Why are you intruding upon my hallucination?”
“Hallucination?”
“I was supposed to be sent to Antarctica. My travel agent, he promised.”
The woman seemed deeply disturbed by the fact that she had not, after all, landed on Antarctica. Septimus had never met such a woman before, and, although a little intimidated, decided to comfort her.
“Don’t worry Miss. London is an exciting place. I am sure you will have more fun here than you would on Antarctica,” Septimus continued, doubting his own words. “What’s so special about Antarctica anyway?”
“Everything is white there,” the woman said, “and there are no people, only snow. And Eskimos. And I can build an entire city just the way I want it to be. And,” she continued fervently, shaking from excitement, “I can have a baby there. I will be all by myself. Wonderfully alone.”
Septimus’s eyes widened; his halo felt heavy.
“May I come, too?”
“Ahem. You will have to arrange that with my travel agent. But I am quite sure you may join me,” she smiled her vague smile.
Septimus smiled as well. Two people in Regent’s Park, a man sitting down and a woman standing next to him, kept smiling at each other, finding each other, groping for recognition. There was something familiar about the man, she thought, and felt how he noticed there was something familiar about her as well.
“I will now sit beside you,” the woman said, very matter-of-factly. Such an awkward woman. Such a lonely heart.
“Harper Pitt.”
“Septimus Warren Smith.”
A handshake. Silence.
“I have emotional problems,” Harper broke the silence, which was not in the least awkward. “Actually, my husband thinks I have emotional problems. I don’t think I have any problems.”
“My wife thinks I am not sane,” Septimus joined her. “She takes me to this doctor, and he keeps telling her to send me away.”
“Why don’t you leave your wife?”
“Why don’t you leave your husband?”
“My husband is a homosexual.”
“My wife is Italian.”
Silence.
“I want one of those things over my head. It’d make me look special, so heavenly. Like a martyr.”
“Martyrs suffer on behalf of their causes,” Septimus said thoughtfully.
“What’s your cause?” she asked.
“Preserving,” answered Septimus. “What’s yours?”
“Searching,” she answered, smiling again. There was something so splendid about the way in which the woman formulated her responses, but at the same time another feeling would not let you admire it.
“What do you say that we continue our quests on Antarctica?” Harper stood up, “I think you might have a better chance at preserving there, don’t you think?”
“And you would have a broader searching area,” he added. “Besides, it’s easier to find something if everything else is white, isn’t it?”
“Agreed.”
Two people, holding hands, walked through Regent’s park in London, and headed south. They were two people who, although they had never met before, recognized each other and decided to embark on a journey. As the sun set and the light left London, two lone owners of two lonely hearts walked south, their haloes illuminating their path, making their way to Antarctica.
Alienation required?
Alien. ALIENATION – a broad term which has gained several different meanings in different contexts. Over the years, the term alienation has been utilized to describe various situations from our existence. The term has gained its place in the writings of several well-known philosophers, of which most famous Karl Marx, who spoke of workers being alienated from their work and the products under capitalism. In modern law, alienation came to signify the transfer of ownership of property rights. However, ALIENATION is mostly associated with a demoralized state of the soul due to isolation, or difficulties in relating to the society. It is widely recognized as the state of estrangement or separation from one’s environment, or self. Consequently, it has gained its negative connotation instilled in the head of every high school student familiar with the plethora of literary works that contain some form of social or self- alienation as an underlying theme.
However, the other side of the coin reveals an important aspect of alienation that has been overlooked. It is the impartiality that comes with estrangement. Devoid of emotion and bias, to which no human is resilient, one could cool-headedly pass the right judgment and eliminate the tendency to be swayed and driven astray by one’s mood, circumstances, or relationships with others. An emotional distance is required to reflect on a situation in an objective way. Detachment often gives a clearer view on a situation and thus, better understanding.
In many ways this is similar to being an audience of a play: one critically observes the situation, yet, tries not to identify with the actors and to pass right judgment on their actions. However, even when a part of an audience, humans tend to bond emotionally to some characters; thus, even in the theatre, the need for estrangement has been recognized by some of the playwrights. The 20th century German playwright Bertolt Brecht used the term ‘Verfremdungseffekt’, with is often translated as the ‘alienation’ or the ‘distancing effect’ in English to explain this need for isolation. He believed that some devices must be instituted in the play that would, as he says, "prevent the audience from losing itself passively and completely in the character created by the actor, which consequently leads the audience to be a consciously critical observer." Hence, various techniques, such as addressing the audience, have been employed to disrupt the stage illusion and allow the audience to be an “analytical spectator” of the play.
Many of the everyday conflicts require from us the role of an analytical spectator that Brecht wished for the audience of his plays. The objective assessment of situations has a key importance in our lives. Yet, distancing is much more difficult in the real life, because the human tendency of emotional attachment is added to the equation. And with the addition of human nature, the equation rarely results in impartiality, which is needed not only in everyday activities, but more importantly, as an important aspect of some professions.
Health care professionals, for example, are widely considered as the ‘caregivers’, the ones that need to deeply and genuinely care for their patients. I disagree with this assumption, as these professionals need only be benevolent and act in a caring manner, but not to get emotionally attached to their patients. In this case, care becomes the vice of health care professionals as it impedes their reasoning and decision-making skills at work. A distance between the patients and the health care professionals need to be kept for objectivity in health care is of essential importance.
Another important field, in which this ‘self imposed distancing’ and ‘alienation’ would prove to be of great use, is our own journalistic one. In the time, when information is reaching the homes of thousands peoples in less than a minute, the threat of mass disinformation and manipulation is immense. A responsible journalist would not let his/her feeling interfere with the way in which he/she reports a story; on the contrary, an individual like that, aware of the responsibilities that his/her job brings, should be able to build the required distance from the subject and be able to approach it objectively. Same applies to judges and other arbiters.
But perhaps the most important type of required alienation is the time of self-estrangement that one should experience in order to assess one’s own actions clearly. It the fast – paced world we live in, most of us rarely have time to be contemplative about their lives. It is highly important to be able to critically evaluate not only situations and other people’s actions, but also one self’s – something that only few are able to do.
The same distancing from the topic of study and its accepted definition that I strive to promote is what led me to write this article in the ‘Alien Issue’ of our newspaper. Despite the negative connotations that ALIENATION has acquired, I sought to present you our desperate need for estrangement in some social situations: a need that should be recognized as an inevitable aspect of human life.
However, the other side of the coin reveals an important aspect of alienation that has been overlooked. It is the impartiality that comes with estrangement. Devoid of emotion and bias, to which no human is resilient, one could cool-headedly pass the right judgment and eliminate the tendency to be swayed and driven astray by one’s mood, circumstances, or relationships with others. An emotional distance is required to reflect on a situation in an objective way. Detachment often gives a clearer view on a situation and thus, better understanding.
In many ways this is similar to being an audience of a play: one critically observes the situation, yet, tries not to identify with the actors and to pass right judgment on their actions. However, even when a part of an audience, humans tend to bond emotionally to some characters; thus, even in the theatre, the need for estrangement has been recognized by some of the playwrights. The 20th century German playwright Bertolt Brecht used the term ‘Verfremdungseffekt’, with is often translated as the ‘alienation’ or the ‘distancing effect’ in English to explain this need for isolation. He believed that some devices must be instituted in the play that would, as he says, "prevent the audience from losing itself passively and completely in the character created by the actor, which consequently leads the audience to be a consciously critical observer." Hence, various techniques, such as addressing the audience, have been employed to disrupt the stage illusion and allow the audience to be an “analytical spectator” of the play.
Many of the everyday conflicts require from us the role of an analytical spectator that Brecht wished for the audience of his plays. The objective assessment of situations has a key importance in our lives. Yet, distancing is much more difficult in the real life, because the human tendency of emotional attachment is added to the equation. And with the addition of human nature, the equation rarely results in impartiality, which is needed not only in everyday activities, but more importantly, as an important aspect of some professions.
Health care professionals, for example, are widely considered as the ‘caregivers’, the ones that need to deeply and genuinely care for their patients. I disagree with this assumption, as these professionals need only be benevolent and act in a caring manner, but not to get emotionally attached to their patients. In this case, care becomes the vice of health care professionals as it impedes their reasoning and decision-making skills at work. A distance between the patients and the health care professionals need to be kept for objectivity in health care is of essential importance.
Another important field, in which this ‘self imposed distancing’ and ‘alienation’ would prove to be of great use, is our own journalistic one. In the time, when information is reaching the homes of thousands peoples in less than a minute, the threat of mass disinformation and manipulation is immense. A responsible journalist would not let his/her feeling interfere with the way in which he/she reports a story; on the contrary, an individual like that, aware of the responsibilities that his/her job brings, should be able to build the required distance from the subject and be able to approach it objectively. Same applies to judges and other arbiters.
But perhaps the most important type of required alienation is the time of self-estrangement that one should experience in order to assess one’s own actions clearly. It the fast – paced world we live in, most of us rarely have time to be contemplative about their lives. It is highly important to be able to critically evaluate not only situations and other people’s actions, but also one self’s – something that only few are able to do.
The same distancing from the topic of study and its accepted definition that I strive to promote is what led me to write this article in the ‘Alien Issue’ of our newspaper. Despite the negative connotations that ALIENATION has acquired, I sought to present you our desperate need for estrangement in some social situations: a need that should be recognized as an inevitable aspect of human life.
Aliens exist? Or not?
It’s one of the greatest mysteries. It has proofs for and against. It has been a controversial topic since ancient times. Aliens. Extraterrestrial life. The others. Do they exist somewhere out there in the universe? Or is it all a conspiracy theory of the governments?
Can we ever prove any of the theories or just speculate and choose to live an unknown and maybe safer life?
But first of all, what is considered under the term alien? Unlike most of the other articles in this issue, where the terms “alien” and “alienated” concern a human being, who has somehow been separated, distinguished and lost touch with reality, here alien means someone from another planet, a non-human being , an extraterrestrial form of life. It can be of any size and shape, as long as it shows signs of life, recognized as breathing, moving, feeding. Different, extraterrestrial forms of life have been noticed throughout history. Many myths and legends from various parts of the world confirm the visits of aliens to Earth. The oldest proof dates from 12000 BC and it was found on the Sino-Tibetan border by Chinese scientists. It is known by the name Dropa Stones and this alien proof is composed of hundreds of stone disks, all nine-inches in diameter. It is supposed they were used as primitive form of phonograph, because later it was discovered it contained a spiral groove as well. On the spiral groove, thousands of hieroglyphs were inscribed that told the story of the arrival of creatures from another planet. In early forms of Hindi, Mayan and Chinese texts, there are the descriptions of visits of “weird, non-human creatures” that these cultures considered their deities. They prayed to them, built monumental objects (sometimes it assumed that these creatures helped them built the objects, because all of them are built under suspicious circumstances and in an incredibly short period of time). That’s the case with the Egyptian pyramids. Many people believe they were built by aliens. Why is that so? Due to the fact that the pyramids were built in 20 years, with 2.3 million stones that weighted from 2 to 15 tones and were brought from Aswan and Luxor (which are 1000 km far from Giza, Cairo). Is this possible? Many people think it’s not a human work and another fact that further supports this observation is the Mayan pyramids, which are very similar to the Egyptian ones although they are far away from each other.
But what about recent evidence of alien visits? The most famous stories include the Roswell case, the Area 51 mystery and the Varginha case. Most popular and believable is the Roswell case which occurred on July 4th, 1947. A small, brightly glowing object was observed to crash near Roswell, New Mexico and in the next few days strange things were happening around that region, which is believed that were later covered by the US government. Unusual objects were monitored on the radars; the citizens saw weird flashes on the sky and then the explorers found THEM. Five non-human bodies lying on the site of the crash, next to the metal leftovers of the object they arrived with. They were short, 3.5 feet tall, had slit mouth, and large oval eyes. One of them was found to be alive and it was taken to the ambulance together with the other bodies. However, after that there is no trace of the mysterious creatures found in the Roswell fields. Stories have been changed, newspapers published censored versions, witnesses mysteriously disappeared… All in attempt to cover up whatever happened on July 4th, 1947. But why? Why would people want to hide the existence of beings from another planet? Maybe they didn’t want to create panic, maybe they were smarter than people and then the whole anthropocentric representation we have would be ruined, maybe they didn’t want to ruin the natural balance on Earth and create conflicts and wars. Or maybe this didn’t happen at all? Perhaps it was only a water balloon, and not a flying saucer, but what about the many witnesses and the photos of the creatures? However, this is not the only case. So far, 50 million people reported they have seen UFOs and 15 million of them said they have registered close contact with aliens. Can all these people lie or misjudge the situation? That’s highly unlikely.
We live on Earth, a planet part of the Milky Way galaxy. And even if there isn’t proof of life in our galaxy, the Hubble Space Telescope estimates there are 125 billion galaxies, out of which 3 billion are observable. And it would be very ignorant and self centered if we as people think that in that vast number of galaxies with even greater number of planets, there are no other forms of life. The potential “aliens” might not exist in the form of something similar as humans; they might only be tiny, micro molecular organisms, as it was the case with the discovery of such on Mars in 1996. On August 6, the scientist from NASA confirmed the existence of fossil life on Mars. It was labeled "Allen Hills 84001" or "ALH 84001" and the presence of a complex organic compound was found within it, which points out to a biological origin. However, this doesn’t prove anything because it is not the “tiny, oval eyed, slited mouth, green or gray aliens” that we all expect to see, but it is a progress in the discoveries connected to extraterrestrial forms.
But what about the other side of the story? Which is the evidence against alien existence? Some people claim they do not exist at all, other say their technology is far too advanced or far too different than what we use and therefore we can not realize communication, others say that scientist do not know where to look for them and that they might not be able to detect them, because of their existence on a higher scale. The skeptics or the ones that are afraid to acknowledge their existence say that they would have just showed up by now or would have been discovered by the scientists.
Whatever the true reason is, it is up to you to decide whether you are going to believe in aliens and extra terrestrial existence. By the time we truly discover which of these theories and speculations is correct, we can continue watching sci-fi movies and read fantasy books and articles that attempt to expose the truth and keep wondering what we should believe in, in this world of uncertainty and myriad of information and speculations.
Can we ever prove any of the theories or just speculate and choose to live an unknown and maybe safer life?
But first of all, what is considered under the term alien? Unlike most of the other articles in this issue, where the terms “alien” and “alienated” concern a human being, who has somehow been separated, distinguished and lost touch with reality, here alien means someone from another planet, a non-human being , an extraterrestrial form of life. It can be of any size and shape, as long as it shows signs of life, recognized as breathing, moving, feeding. Different, extraterrestrial forms of life have been noticed throughout history. Many myths and legends from various parts of the world confirm the visits of aliens to Earth. The oldest proof dates from 12000 BC and it was found on the Sino-Tibetan border by Chinese scientists. It is known by the name Dropa Stones and this alien proof is composed of hundreds of stone disks, all nine-inches in diameter. It is supposed they were used as primitive form of phonograph, because later it was discovered it contained a spiral groove as well. On the spiral groove, thousands of hieroglyphs were inscribed that told the story of the arrival of creatures from another planet. In early forms of Hindi, Mayan and Chinese texts, there are the descriptions of visits of “weird, non-human creatures” that these cultures considered their deities. They prayed to them, built monumental objects (sometimes it assumed that these creatures helped them built the objects, because all of them are built under suspicious circumstances and in an incredibly short period of time). That’s the case with the Egyptian pyramids. Many people believe they were built by aliens. Why is that so? Due to the fact that the pyramids were built in 20 years, with 2.3 million stones that weighted from 2 to 15 tones and were brought from Aswan and Luxor (which are 1000 km far from Giza, Cairo). Is this possible? Many people think it’s not a human work and another fact that further supports this observation is the Mayan pyramids, which are very similar to the Egyptian ones although they are far away from each other.
But what about recent evidence of alien visits? The most famous stories include the Roswell case, the Area 51 mystery and the Varginha case. Most popular and believable is the Roswell case which occurred on July 4th, 1947. A small, brightly glowing object was observed to crash near Roswell, New Mexico and in the next few days strange things were happening around that region, which is believed that were later covered by the US government. Unusual objects were monitored on the radars; the citizens saw weird flashes on the sky and then the explorers found THEM. Five non-human bodies lying on the site of the crash, next to the metal leftovers of the object they arrived with. They were short, 3.5 feet tall, had slit mouth, and large oval eyes. One of them was found to be alive and it was taken to the ambulance together with the other bodies. However, after that there is no trace of the mysterious creatures found in the Roswell fields. Stories have been changed, newspapers published censored versions, witnesses mysteriously disappeared… All in attempt to cover up whatever happened on July 4th, 1947. But why? Why would people want to hide the existence of beings from another planet? Maybe they didn’t want to create panic, maybe they were smarter than people and then the whole anthropocentric representation we have would be ruined, maybe they didn’t want to ruin the natural balance on Earth and create conflicts and wars. Or maybe this didn’t happen at all? Perhaps it was only a water balloon, and not a flying saucer, but what about the many witnesses and the photos of the creatures? However, this is not the only case. So far, 50 million people reported they have seen UFOs and 15 million of them said they have registered close contact with aliens. Can all these people lie or misjudge the situation? That’s highly unlikely.
We live on Earth, a planet part of the Milky Way galaxy. And even if there isn’t proof of life in our galaxy, the Hubble Space Telescope estimates there are 125 billion galaxies, out of which 3 billion are observable. And it would be very ignorant and self centered if we as people think that in that vast number of galaxies with even greater number of planets, there are no other forms of life. The potential “aliens” might not exist in the form of something similar as humans; they might only be tiny, micro molecular organisms, as it was the case with the discovery of such on Mars in 1996. On August 6, the scientist from NASA confirmed the existence of fossil life on Mars. It was labeled "Allen Hills 84001" or "ALH 84001" and the presence of a complex organic compound was found within it, which points out to a biological origin. However, this doesn’t prove anything because it is not the “tiny, oval eyed, slited mouth, green or gray aliens” that we all expect to see, but it is a progress in the discoveries connected to extraterrestrial forms.
But what about the other side of the story? Which is the evidence against alien existence? Some people claim they do not exist at all, other say their technology is far too advanced or far too different than what we use and therefore we can not realize communication, others say that scientist do not know where to look for them and that they might not be able to detect them, because of their existence on a higher scale. The skeptics or the ones that are afraid to acknowledge their existence say that they would have just showed up by now or would have been discovered by the scientists.
Whatever the true reason is, it is up to you to decide whether you are going to believe in aliens and extra terrestrial existence. By the time we truly discover which of these theories and speculations is correct, we can continue watching sci-fi movies and read fantasy books and articles that attempt to expose the truth and keep wondering what we should believe in, in this world of uncertainty and myriad of information and speculations.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
30 things you can learn from the good, old blockbusters
The good, old Hollywood blockbusters “taught” us many funny and often unrealistic things. However, we still continue to watch them with the same passion and enthusiasm trying to forget the expected, and hoping for the unexpected resolution of a situation. Unfortunately, that happens rarely, because we all know the famous Hollywood “and they lived happily ever after” ending. You have probably seen all these things in dozens of Hollywood movies and sometimes they make you laugh, but sometimes they can also make you frustrated, because they keep repeating in almost every movie you watch. Nevertheless, just continue watching these movies and don’t get angry; just laugh at these 30 common things you can learn from the Hollywood blockbusters when you encounter them.
1. If you have decided to start dancing in the middle of the street, everyone would just forget about what they were doing and join the dance.
2. Everyone can land a plane, as long as he/she gets help from the control tower.
3. If you try really hard, you can escape the explosion for sure.
4. If a man and a woman meet each other in the beginning of the movie and they can’t stand each other, they will definitely marry by the end of it.
5. The mother always makes eggs, bacon and pancakes for breakfast, even though the children and the father never finish them.
6. The dogs always know who the evil character is.
7. The good and hardworking cops always die two days before they retire.
8. The hero never detonates a bomb unless is one second to explosion.
9. The hero will not show signs of weakness during a most painful fight, but he will cry when a woman cleans his wounds.
10. Even if you are shot by couple of bullets, you will continue as if nothing happened, as long as you have an important task.
11. Even if you drive on a perfectly straight road, you would have to drive in curves and take sharp turns, just to show the abilities of the car.
12. Every door can be opened with a credit card, unless it is a door in a burning building and there is a woman or a child locked inside.
13. It is very easy to pull off the safety pin of a grenade using your teeth.
14. The detective always solves the case after he is suspended.
15. The action heroes never face charges for murder, theft or even ruining a whole city.
16. You will always survive if you jump from a roof top and fall in a swimming pool.
17. If someone chases you on a street in a big, busy city, you can always hide in the parade for St. Patrick’s Day, no matter what time of the year it is. If you can’t find a St. Patrick’s Day parade, there would definitely be one for the Chinese New Year and you can hide in the dragon.
18. The boats and the bases always have only one emergency radio.
19. You can see the Eiffel Tower from every window in Paris.
20. The make up of the women is permanent-it never wears off, even if you swim, dive or cry.
21. There will always be an available parking lot in front of the building that you are visiting.
22. If there is a scene involving big glass of a window shop, soon there would be someone “flying” through the glass.
23. If there are two identical twins in a movie, one of them is always evil.
24. The school bell always interrupts the teachers in the middle of what they are trying to say.
25. No matter how big and sloppy it is, a monster can always come behind your back without you noticing it.
26. All writers are rich, all publishing houses are glamorous, and all the artists are independent and have fancy apartments no matter how successful they are.
27. If the CSI team is digging a field in search of important evidence material, they always know where exactly to dig.
28. If you are running away from zombies that can barely walk, they will always get you in the end.
29. If a man and a woman are exposed to the same weather conditions, the man always wears more clothes than the woman.
30. If the standard medical procedure for revival doesn’t work, you can always bring back someone to life by saying, “You can’t do this to me! I love you!”
1. If you have decided to start dancing in the middle of the street, everyone would just forget about what they were doing and join the dance.
2. Everyone can land a plane, as long as he/she gets help from the control tower.
3. If you try really hard, you can escape the explosion for sure.
4. If a man and a woman meet each other in the beginning of the movie and they can’t stand each other, they will definitely marry by the end of it.
5. The mother always makes eggs, bacon and pancakes for breakfast, even though the children and the father never finish them.
6. The dogs always know who the evil character is.
7. The good and hardworking cops always die two days before they retire.
8. The hero never detonates a bomb unless is one second to explosion.
9. The hero will not show signs of weakness during a most painful fight, but he will cry when a woman cleans his wounds.
10. Even if you are shot by couple of bullets, you will continue as if nothing happened, as long as you have an important task.
11. Even if you drive on a perfectly straight road, you would have to drive in curves and take sharp turns, just to show the abilities of the car.
12. Every door can be opened with a credit card, unless it is a door in a burning building and there is a woman or a child locked inside.
13. It is very easy to pull off the safety pin of a grenade using your teeth.
14. The detective always solves the case after he is suspended.
15. The action heroes never face charges for murder, theft or even ruining a whole city.
16. You will always survive if you jump from a roof top and fall in a swimming pool.
17. If someone chases you on a street in a big, busy city, you can always hide in the parade for St. Patrick’s Day, no matter what time of the year it is. If you can’t find a St. Patrick’s Day parade, there would definitely be one for the Chinese New Year and you can hide in the dragon.
18. The boats and the bases always have only one emergency radio.
19. You can see the Eiffel Tower from every window in Paris.
20. The make up of the women is permanent-it never wears off, even if you swim, dive or cry.
21. There will always be an available parking lot in front of the building that you are visiting.
22. If there is a scene involving big glass of a window shop, soon there would be someone “flying” through the glass.
23. If there are two identical twins in a movie, one of them is always evil.
24. The school bell always interrupts the teachers in the middle of what they are trying to say.
25. No matter how big and sloppy it is, a monster can always come behind your back without you noticing it.
26. All writers are rich, all publishing houses are glamorous, and all the artists are independent and have fancy apartments no matter how successful they are.
27. If the CSI team is digging a field in search of important evidence material, they always know where exactly to dig.
28. If you are running away from zombies that can barely walk, they will always get you in the end.
29. If a man and a woman are exposed to the same weather conditions, the man always wears more clothes than the woman.
30. If the standard medical procedure for revival doesn’t work, you can always bring back someone to life by saying, “You can’t do this to me! I love you!”
Monday, October 19, 2009
The Nobel Promise
When I came home from school last Friday, I walked through my front door and dropped my book bag on the floor, barely glancing at the TV on in the living room. I didn’t think anything of President Obama on the screen. His press conferences, whether on the new healthcare bill or on war in Iraq and Afghanistan, were so common that I didn’t bother to listen. When I read the headline that Obama had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize later that day, I shared a question many people around the world were asking, “For what?”
This isn’t the first time the prize has raised controversy. In the past, recipients have been criticized for their status and views, or even for the validity of their contributions. For example, take American President Theodore Roosevelt, the first statesman to receive the prize. Roosevelt was awarded for negotiating an end to the war between Russia and Japan. Although many agreed that his accomplishment was substantial, others questioned if his previous actions, such as using military force in the Caribbean to establish the U.S. as a Great Power during the Spanish-American War, were even taken into consideration. Recent Peace Prize awards have also raised controversy. Al Gore, former U.S. vice-president and global-warming activist, became famous for his documentary “An Inconvenient Truth.” Many commended him for his efforts when awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. But that was before Gore’s electricity bill was released. According to the Nashville Electric Service, his mansion, located in Tennessee, consumes more electricity per month than the average American household uses per year. It seems that the public will always find a way to criticize Prize recipients and portray them as undeserving, or even hypocritical. So what do they have to say about President Obama?
Obama was awarded the prize for “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” But what does that really mean? Nine months into his presidency, many view the Nobel Committee’s decision as premature. Republicans quickly asserted that Obama had been awarded the prize for his potential, or promise of “change,” as well as his passionate speeches, rather than his actual accomplishments. It’s true that Obama’s presidency campaign slogan “Change” has sparked a new slogan for future generations. At a time of economic, political, and social instability, the American people were attracted to Obama, who offered the country change. However, with his slogan, and promise, came expectations. Many commend the relatively new president on his efforts to mend relations between the U.S. and the Muslim world, negotiate with Iran, and reduce nuclear arsenals. It is true that he has initiated these efforts for international diplomacy; however, others question if his efforts alone qualify him for such a prestigious award.
The Nobel Committee in Norway stated, “The question we have to ask is who has done the most in the previous year to enhance peace in the world, and who has done more than Barack Obama?” However, the question many are asking is if Obama really deserves the prize so early in his presidency. And is Obama really the person in the world who has done the most to enhance peace in the world? What about other, less famed people, those fighting for human rights, or striving to improve the world at local levels? The award may have been given for potential success, but people are tired of promises. What they want are real results.
This isn’t the first time the prize has raised controversy. In the past, recipients have been criticized for their status and views, or even for the validity of their contributions. For example, take American President Theodore Roosevelt, the first statesman to receive the prize. Roosevelt was awarded for negotiating an end to the war between Russia and Japan. Although many agreed that his accomplishment was substantial, others questioned if his previous actions, such as using military force in the Caribbean to establish the U.S. as a Great Power during the Spanish-American War, were even taken into consideration. Recent Peace Prize awards have also raised controversy. Al Gore, former U.S. vice-president and global-warming activist, became famous for his documentary “An Inconvenient Truth.” Many commended him for his efforts when awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. But that was before Gore’s electricity bill was released. According to the Nashville Electric Service, his mansion, located in Tennessee, consumes more electricity per month than the average American household uses per year. It seems that the public will always find a way to criticize Prize recipients and portray them as undeserving, or even hypocritical. So what do they have to say about President Obama?
Obama was awarded the prize for “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” But what does that really mean? Nine months into his presidency, many view the Nobel Committee’s decision as premature. Republicans quickly asserted that Obama had been awarded the prize for his potential, or promise of “change,” as well as his passionate speeches, rather than his actual accomplishments. It’s true that Obama’s presidency campaign slogan “Change” has sparked a new slogan for future generations. At a time of economic, political, and social instability, the American people were attracted to Obama, who offered the country change. However, with his slogan, and promise, came expectations. Many commend the relatively new president on his efforts to mend relations between the U.S. and the Muslim world, negotiate with Iran, and reduce nuclear arsenals. It is true that he has initiated these efforts for international diplomacy; however, others question if his efforts alone qualify him for such a prestigious award.
The Nobel Committee in Norway stated, “The question we have to ask is who has done the most in the previous year to enhance peace in the world, and who has done more than Barack Obama?” However, the question many are asking is if Obama really deserves the prize so early in his presidency. And is Obama really the person in the world who has done the most to enhance peace in the world? What about other, less famed people, those fighting for human rights, or striving to improve the world at local levels? The award may have been given for potential success, but people are tired of promises. What they want are real results.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
The 21st Century Love Letter
Many have gone through it: having to say bye to a loved one and having a whole ocean, and thousands of miles between you. There are many examples of this, the men going away to serve the army, going away to university, a good job opportunity… There are many reasons that can separate a couple.
It used to be that the only connection, the only link between these two individuals was the letter. The hand written, tear covered, romantic letter. However, for this letter to reach the one it is addressed to, took a lot of time, days, weeks and sometimes even months. Today, the couples that have a long distance relationship have an advantage thanks to technology. All I can say is God bless MSN, Skype, Facebook, emails, and web cameras –the love letters of the 21st century. All of these allow for faster and everyday communications, no matter the time difference. Namely, you can look at your loved one through the web cam, chat through Facebook, MSN or any other IM of your choice. They are available at any time, wherever they are, 24/7. This gives the illusion that they are here with you, makes it feel like nothing has changed. Seems like the perfect way of communication, doesn’t it? And yet, there seems to be something missing, the personal touch, the romance, it’s not there. The good old letter, even though it takes time to reach you, it bears so much more value, so much more love. Personally, I know of a man who even in the 21st century found a way to make it special – he sent a love letter. A hand written, tear covered, romantic love letter. It was not send through the mail; it had a particular path – it was sent through a friend who gave it to the girl. And when she got it, only the smile on her face and the shine in her eyes explained how much that piece of paper meant to her. Later, the girl got creative too. She wrote a letter, scanned it, and sent it through an email. Even though it was sent through an email, the guy could see her handwriting, all the mistakes and smudges, all of the emotions put into it. So, yea there are new ways of communication; they are faster and more reliable, but the power of the letter – it should never underestimated.
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