Monday, April 27, 2009
Spring Excursion 2009
After petitions were signed, permission slips handed in, and the buses loaded our annual overnight excursion could begin. At 8:00 a.m. we all stumbled on the bus, and found the closest available seat, and sat down. We had a long day ahead! I think that most of us slept throughout the first half of the trip. That is until we arrived at Kokino. Only a few of us were aware that there would minor hiking involved in this trip. Most people weren’t prepared, and had just woken up, but as soon as you got to the top it was worth it. The view was gorgeous, and everyone started whipping out their cameras. Luckily no one tripped. On our way down we realized that instead of getting in the bus people were crowding around it. Finally, when we arrived at the bottom we noticed why. The bus was stuck in the mud. For the next forty-five to fifty minutes the boys were attempting to push it out. We thought we were going to be stranded in Kokino, and never make it to our final destination, but with determination the boys finally managed.
After about two loud hours of being on the bus with energized ninth graders, we reached Štip. After being told when to be back at the bus we all dispersed with our little groups of friends. Most of us were dying to have some of famous pasramajlija. I tried it, and it was delicious. After about two hours of exploring the town, we headed back to the bus. Satisfied and having our full energy back we made our way to Strumica.
After arrival at the hotel we unloaded the bus, and made our way to the entrance of the hotel. Here the staff and teachers handed out keys, and we rushed to our rooms. Everyone did their own thing at the hotel, and around 7 p.m. made their way down to dinner. After dinner the girls hastily ran back to their rooms to get ready for the club. The boys followed at a more comfortable pace. At 8:30 p.m. we met at the bus, and attendance was taken. We then drove to the center of town where we brought to go clubbing. We danced all nights, and shortly after 12 a.m. we were back in the bus, taking attendance, and ready to go back the hotel. At the hotel we let loose visiting other rooms, and making tons of noise. There were also a few mishaps.
The next day breakfast was served at 8 a.m. Not too many people were excited about that early of a wake up call, but we got up anyway. Then we went back to our rooms backed our bags, and were back on the bus. This time we were headed to Vodoca. We hiked up a small road that runs up the town and leads up to the Veljusa, the church. The garden was kept beautifully and the atmosphere was relaxing. We were given a short history by one of the nuns that live in the convent. The church was very small, but preserved nicely with nice mosaics.
Back on the bus we were headed back to Strumica to explore the city. We were given leisure time. Some of us ate, shopped, wandered around the streets, or went to a café. Then after about two hours we hopped back on the bus and were headed to Veles. In Veles we walked to the house of a famous Macedonian poet who was shot “by accident” while walking down the street. We took more photos, and then slowly started wandering the little village-like roads to find a café. Unfortunately, we were out of luck. We casually made our way back to the bus. Next stop: Nova.
All in all I think that the excursion was a wonderful trip, especially to me as a foreigner. I got a chance to see different cities in Macedonia in a more natural, and less touristy, way.
Re: Medusa and the Snail
In his essay “The Medusa and the Snail”, biologist Lewis Thomas claims that humans are built to make mistakes. Furthermore, he argues that mistakes are the basis for human progress. According to his claims, there are always right and wrong choices of which one needs an equal balance. Wrong choices are necessary and one learns from them by trial and error. Thomas argues that mistakes are common and that they serve as an important guide towards discovering the new and creating progress. Additionally, he contends that all new kinds of thinking are created in opposition to a previous state of mind. For every argument there has to be a counterargument, and moreover, Thomas claims that in debates there is a mutual understanding that one is right and the other wrong. Thus, Thomas maintains that “landing on the wrong side” is responsible for the greatest human achievements. I agree with Thomas that error is the basis for progress because faced with errors humans are pushed to correct them. However, I find his contention to be contradictory because in “Medusa and the Snail”, Thomas states that new ideas and progress are created in opposition to past accomplishments. In fact, the greatest human achievements have been made when past precedents have been adapted. Trial and error is not about experimenting with the unknown; it’s about improving what is already there.
I firmly disagree with Thomas that new thinking is created in opposition to past ideas. If this was so, then there would be no continuity in the world which is necessary for progress. Furthermore, if every generation made fresh starts and neglected the past accomplishments only trials would be made but no errors. Without errors the motivation to improve is absent thus yielding no success. True success is achieved when one builds off of past achievements and continues the traditions of the past while adapting them. As has been evident throughout much of history, progress has often been due to civilizations borrowing from their past and each other. For example, the Chinese dynasties existed for millennia and lasted till the 20th century. The reason for this great continuity was that the Chinese retained some of the traditions of the past such as Confucianism and Daoism and built off of them to create a strong base which would withstand and enable future improvements. China’s dynasties eventually ceased to exist; however, this was due to their modernization, which wasn’t totally against the past traditions. Rather, it was an adaptation to the new conditions. In fact, to this day the Chinese have maintained much of their old ways of thinking and have become successful because they have effectively blended the old with the new.
Additionally, in Huntington’s book, “The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of the World Order”, the author contends that non Western civilizations such as China are most successful when they borrow from past traditions and spin them in order to adapt to future challenges. Other countries which completely neglect their past traditions and old ways of thinking are bound to fail because they adopt foreign ways of thinking instead of their own. Huntington states that China’s communism is effective because in the ancient Chinese Confucianism the same values as in communism are endorsed, such as work ethic and community. Thus, continuity has enabled effective trials such as communism to be made, which have helped to lead China to progress. Furthermore, in the past century after the Communist Revolution, China had isolationist politics which caused it to regress, however, in recent years, the Chinese have learned from this error and have become more open towards the world. This openness which has been backed by a strong cultural identity and tradition has resulted in their booming economy and rapid progress. Thus, contrary to Thomas’ argument, new ways of thinking are not created in opposition to something old, but rather they build off of past discoveries and traditions to create a new blend.
The discovery of penicillin was also an unintentional error which led to a scientific breakthrough and progress in the field of medicine. Fleming discovered penicillin after leaving his laboratory in a mess and going off on vacation, only to come back to mold in his petri dishes. He’d been performing experimentations and raising bacteria and unexpectedly his untidiness led to the discovery of the first antibiotic. The discovery of the first antibiotic was completely unintentional and at the beginning was unacknowledged, and without further experimentation its value could have never been fully revealed. Frustrated with his efforts towards perfecting his discovery and nearing old age, Fleming eventually passed on the development of penicillin to other younger scientists in the US, who successfully managed to improve it, enabling it to attain its wide importance and usefulness. These followers of Fleming succeeded in creating an effective penicillin antibiotic which very soon became so readily available that it was indispensably used during WWII. The history of the development of penicillin supports the claim that those progressive individuals who develop breakthroughs need to ensure that their developments have continuity either toward the future or from the past, because inventions that have no previous basis or future implications are not progressive or beneficial to humanity. Lasting progress is timeless and offers room for error, which opens up the opportunity for future adjustments, just like those that were made to penicillin.
The French Revolution was a major turning point in history when egalitarianism, liberty and democracy were instituted by the people’s uprising in resistance to the French monarchy. One might argue that the people revolted in opposition to the monarchy, and thus one may contend that Thomas correctly states that important developments occur due to an existent opposition, however, this would be a naïve statement. One might support this argument if they solely look at the history regarding this period and neglect human history as a whole, thus neglecting an essential perspective in historical analysis. In fact, looking back to the past examples, the French philosophers who heavily influenced the revolutionary thinking all endorsed the democratic principles of government previously invented by the Greeks. Montesquieu, for example, developed the theory of separation of powers which is simply a continuation of the ideas of democratic rule. Furthermore, as a result of the French Revolution, assemblies were instituted in efforts to decentralize the power from the monarch. Assemblies were also previously present in both Greek and Roman classical civilizations. Thus, though the French Revolution has been considered as a period in history when drastic change was instituted in opposition to the monarchy, the revolutionary ideas of change were actually a continuation of the Greek and Roman political ideology.
In opposition to Thomas’ contention, most of the world has been successful when it has recycled the old to create something new. Thomas’ argument has a strong base by contending that trial and error lead to success, however, his argument is flawed because he naively maintains that progress and effective change is created in complete disagreement with the past developments. This argument is feeble because in reality as Thomas contends but fails to expand upon, making errors leads to progress and there would be no room for recognizing and learning from errors if each error was due to a different discontinuous trial. Furthermore, anyone can make a mistake, but the mistakes that matter are those that have ground set in the past and those that offer the possibility of continuity. Errors that lead to progress are those that yield timeless results.
I firmly disagree with Thomas that new thinking is created in opposition to past ideas. If this was so, then there would be no continuity in the world which is necessary for progress. Furthermore, if every generation made fresh starts and neglected the past accomplishments only trials would be made but no errors. Without errors the motivation to improve is absent thus yielding no success. True success is achieved when one builds off of past achievements and continues the traditions of the past while adapting them. As has been evident throughout much of history, progress has often been due to civilizations borrowing from their past and each other. For example, the Chinese dynasties existed for millennia and lasted till the 20th century. The reason for this great continuity was that the Chinese retained some of the traditions of the past such as Confucianism and Daoism and built off of them to create a strong base which would withstand and enable future improvements. China’s dynasties eventually ceased to exist; however, this was due to their modernization, which wasn’t totally against the past traditions. Rather, it was an adaptation to the new conditions. In fact, to this day the Chinese have maintained much of their old ways of thinking and have become successful because they have effectively blended the old with the new.
Additionally, in Huntington’s book, “The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of the World Order”, the author contends that non Western civilizations such as China are most successful when they borrow from past traditions and spin them in order to adapt to future challenges. Other countries which completely neglect their past traditions and old ways of thinking are bound to fail because they adopt foreign ways of thinking instead of their own. Huntington states that China’s communism is effective because in the ancient Chinese Confucianism the same values as in communism are endorsed, such as work ethic and community. Thus, continuity has enabled effective trials such as communism to be made, which have helped to lead China to progress. Furthermore, in the past century after the Communist Revolution, China had isolationist politics which caused it to regress, however, in recent years, the Chinese have learned from this error and have become more open towards the world. This openness which has been backed by a strong cultural identity and tradition has resulted in their booming economy and rapid progress. Thus, contrary to Thomas’ argument, new ways of thinking are not created in opposition to something old, but rather they build off of past discoveries and traditions to create a new blend.
The discovery of penicillin was also an unintentional error which led to a scientific breakthrough and progress in the field of medicine. Fleming discovered penicillin after leaving his laboratory in a mess and going off on vacation, only to come back to mold in his petri dishes. He’d been performing experimentations and raising bacteria and unexpectedly his untidiness led to the discovery of the first antibiotic. The discovery of the first antibiotic was completely unintentional and at the beginning was unacknowledged, and without further experimentation its value could have never been fully revealed. Frustrated with his efforts towards perfecting his discovery and nearing old age, Fleming eventually passed on the development of penicillin to other younger scientists in the US, who successfully managed to improve it, enabling it to attain its wide importance and usefulness. These followers of Fleming succeeded in creating an effective penicillin antibiotic which very soon became so readily available that it was indispensably used during WWII. The history of the development of penicillin supports the claim that those progressive individuals who develop breakthroughs need to ensure that their developments have continuity either toward the future or from the past, because inventions that have no previous basis or future implications are not progressive or beneficial to humanity. Lasting progress is timeless and offers room for error, which opens up the opportunity for future adjustments, just like those that were made to penicillin.
The French Revolution was a major turning point in history when egalitarianism, liberty and democracy were instituted by the people’s uprising in resistance to the French monarchy. One might argue that the people revolted in opposition to the monarchy, and thus one may contend that Thomas correctly states that important developments occur due to an existent opposition, however, this would be a naïve statement. One might support this argument if they solely look at the history regarding this period and neglect human history as a whole, thus neglecting an essential perspective in historical analysis. In fact, looking back to the past examples, the French philosophers who heavily influenced the revolutionary thinking all endorsed the democratic principles of government previously invented by the Greeks. Montesquieu, for example, developed the theory of separation of powers which is simply a continuation of the ideas of democratic rule. Furthermore, as a result of the French Revolution, assemblies were instituted in efforts to decentralize the power from the monarch. Assemblies were also previously present in both Greek and Roman classical civilizations. Thus, though the French Revolution has been considered as a period in history when drastic change was instituted in opposition to the monarchy, the revolutionary ideas of change were actually a continuation of the Greek and Roman political ideology.
In opposition to Thomas’ contention, most of the world has been successful when it has recycled the old to create something new. Thomas’ argument has a strong base by contending that trial and error lead to success, however, his argument is flawed because he naively maintains that progress and effective change is created in complete disagreement with the past developments. This argument is feeble because in reality as Thomas contends but fails to expand upon, making errors leads to progress and there would be no room for recognizing and learning from errors if each error was due to a different discontinuous trial. Furthermore, anyone can make a mistake, but the mistakes that matter are those that have ground set in the past and those that offer the possibility of continuity. Errors that lead to progress are those that yield timeless results.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Common Spelling Mistakes, The Short Guide to
1. There is a silent c in the middle of ABSCESS that's easy to forget.
2. If you spell ADDRESS wrongly, you probably miss out one d. Remember to double the d and the s.
3. People sometimes write ADVISE with an s where they ought to write ADVICE with a c. The verb is advise and the noun is advice.
4. The biggest problem with spelling AGGRAVATE is not how many gs there are at the beginning, but that there is an a (not an e) in the middle.
5. Almost one in every hundred references to the ANTARCTIC is written without its first c as Antartic.
6. You might expect a word that sounds like BROCCOLI to have two ls at the end, but it has only one because it comes from Italian and ends with an i.
7. A lot of verbs ending in et have two ts when you add an ending like -ing, but BUDGET is not one of them: BUDGETING and BUDGETED have a single t.
8. CINNAMON is a tricky word to spell.
9. The problem in deciding how to spell COMMEMORATE seems to be how many ms it should have. People often decide on four. In fact, it should have only three, as in COMMEMORATION.
10. The words DEPENDANT and DEPENDENT are easy to confuse. The first, ending in -ant, is a noun meaning a person who is dependent (adjective ending in -ent) on someone else.
11. The words DESICCATE has two cs because it comes from the Latin word siccus, which means "dry".
12. Remember, it's DISAPPOINTED, not DISSAPOINTED.
13. It may surprise you that it's the vowels, not the consonants that are a problem when people try to spell EXHILARATE or EXHILARATION. They often make the mistake of writing an e instead of an a in the middle.
14. Lots of nouns in the English language end with -tion, but EXTENSION and EXPANSION do not.
15. UNFORESEEN is often misspelled as UNFORSEEN.
16. People get confused about the number of fs and ts in GRAFFITI. The correct spelling has two fs and only one t.
17. The silent h in HAEMORRHAGE is often missed.
18. The verb INOCULATE has only one n and one c.
19. LIGHTNING and LIGHTENING cannot be used interchangeably.
20. There are two ns to remember in the middle of MAYONNAISE - possibly a good reason for the increasing use of the abbreviation "mayo'.
21. If you spell MILLENNIUM with only one n, you are not alone.
22. The pronunciation of MINUSCULE often leads people to substitute the first u with an i.
23. Some people get carried away with doubling ss and write OBSSESSION instead of OBSESSION.
24. Remember, there is no o between the n and the u in PRONUNCIATION.
25. The correct spelling of QUESTIONNAIRE has two ns.
26. There is a silent c in RESUSCITATE; it comes after the second s, not the first one.
27. The words STATIONARY and STATIONERY are completely different in meaning and should not be confused.
28. Although there is a word "cede", the word SUPERSEDE must have an s in the middle.
29. USUALLY has a double l.
30. The pronunciation of WEIRD possibly leads people to spell it with the vowels the wrong way round.
Reflections on the recent macroeconomics developments in Macedonia
“When Wall Street sneezes, the rest of us get pneumonia.”
Thus Mr. Aleksandar Stojkov, an International Economics teaching assisstant on the Faculty of Law in Skopje, remarked on the influence the United States has on world economics.
It was everything but an everyday experience to have not only him, but also two other distinguished guest speakers willing to discuss the omnipresent issue of the current ecomonic crisis with interested Nova students. Although the initial topic was not the crisis itself, the discussion slowly shifted in that direction as the first question a student posed was whether Macedonia can ever find its way out of it.
While Macedonia is entering its “financial Dunkirk” along with many other countries, most of which both more developed and more able to “cure themselves” from it, Nova students feel more eager than ever before to ask and demand answers, to suggest solutions and see whether their ideas are valid and where their faults might lie.
The week before the spring break, Nova had the honor of hosting Mr. Petar Gosev (Governor of the National Bank of Macedonia), Mr. Georgi Trenkovski (general manager of Re-Medika), and Mr. Aleksandar Stojkov, who successfully stirred up a discussion worth participating in.
After Mr. Viktor Novakovski led us into the discussion by reiterating who our guests were and listing their past achievements, the question-and-answer session was swiftly opened with AP Economics students starting to pose their questions. The discussion which quickly turned into a debate proved that Nova has more than a few future economists.
The much anticipated question of whether and how Macedonia can overcome the global economic crisis came first. Mr. Gosev’s opinion was that because of the fact that no one could predict it, different countries have a different stanza on how the crisis can be overcome. As instances he singled out USA and UK wanting to increase the current expenditure, and Germany and France thinking that that is a risk they are not ready to undertake yet. When it comes to Macedonia, Mr. Gosev singled out the real sector as the sector through which we can feel the consequences of the crisis the most. He rightly reminded us that each country has a different economy – Macedonia, for example, having an open, “shock-absorbing” economy in which we are trying to achieve a balance between export and import.
Mr. Stojkov’s opinion, on the other hand, was that the consequences we feel we feel because we haven’t been enough financially integrated. The incessant fiscal expansion, he said, brought about crisis. As the external vulnerability indicators are deteriorating, Macedonia is being deeply plunged into international problems it wouldn’t have felt otherwise.
Another question on which our guest speakers lingered is the issue of the restrictive policy which our National Bank has been implementing. “Why is this restrictive policy needed?”, a student asked. Mr. Gosev, as the most competent of the three to answer the question, being the governor of the National Bank himself, said that Macedonia is facing a period of increased demand and decreased supply. The result is a deficit. Instead of the banks increasing the loans they provide, they should realize that giving loans is what could result in bankruptcy. The salaries are big, pensions as well - the country spends enormous amounts of money; all of this ruining the balance which should exist. The solution, he said, is a restoring the balance.
A debate which was originally intended to last one period lasted two. As it drew to its close, the students seemed satisfied with the answers they received. The discussion acted both as an incentive for current Economics students to further pursue this subject, and prompted students who haven't had it yet to take it up, for it is a subject not as boring as most people make it out to be.
Thus Mr. Aleksandar Stojkov, an International Economics teaching assisstant on the Faculty of Law in Skopje, remarked on the influence the United States has on world economics.
It was everything but an everyday experience to have not only him, but also two other distinguished guest speakers willing to discuss the omnipresent issue of the current ecomonic crisis with interested Nova students. Although the initial topic was not the crisis itself, the discussion slowly shifted in that direction as the first question a student posed was whether Macedonia can ever find its way out of it.
While Macedonia is entering its “financial Dunkirk” along with many other countries, most of which both more developed and more able to “cure themselves” from it, Nova students feel more eager than ever before to ask and demand answers, to suggest solutions and see whether their ideas are valid and where their faults might lie.
The week before the spring break, Nova had the honor of hosting Mr. Petar Gosev (Governor of the National Bank of Macedonia), Mr. Georgi Trenkovski (general manager of Re-Medika), and Mr. Aleksandar Stojkov, who successfully stirred up a discussion worth participating in.
After Mr. Viktor Novakovski led us into the discussion by reiterating who our guests were and listing their past achievements, the question-and-answer session was swiftly opened with AP Economics students starting to pose their questions. The discussion which quickly turned into a debate proved that Nova has more than a few future economists.
The much anticipated question of whether and how Macedonia can overcome the global economic crisis came first. Mr. Gosev’s opinion was that because of the fact that no one could predict it, different countries have a different stanza on how the crisis can be overcome. As instances he singled out USA and UK wanting to increase the current expenditure, and Germany and France thinking that that is a risk they are not ready to undertake yet. When it comes to Macedonia, Mr. Gosev singled out the real sector as the sector through which we can feel the consequences of the crisis the most. He rightly reminded us that each country has a different economy – Macedonia, for example, having an open, “shock-absorbing” economy in which we are trying to achieve a balance between export and import.
Mr. Stojkov’s opinion, on the other hand, was that the consequences we feel we feel because we haven’t been enough financially integrated. The incessant fiscal expansion, he said, brought about crisis. As the external vulnerability indicators are deteriorating, Macedonia is being deeply plunged into international problems it wouldn’t have felt otherwise.
Another question on which our guest speakers lingered is the issue of the restrictive policy which our National Bank has been implementing. “Why is this restrictive policy needed?”, a student asked. Mr. Gosev, as the most competent of the three to answer the question, being the governor of the National Bank himself, said that Macedonia is facing a period of increased demand and decreased supply. The result is a deficit. Instead of the banks increasing the loans they provide, they should realize that giving loans is what could result in bankruptcy. The salaries are big, pensions as well - the country spends enormous amounts of money; all of this ruining the balance which should exist. The solution, he said, is a restoring the balance.
A debate which was originally intended to last one period lasted two. As it drew to its close, the students seemed satisfied with the answers they received. The discussion acted both as an incentive for current Economics students to further pursue this subject, and prompted students who haven't had it yet to take it up, for it is a subject not as boring as most people make it out to be.
Senior Trip 09
Senior year of high school.
It all comes down to it, doesn’t it? Applying to colleges, doing as many community service hours as you can, asking for recommendations, studying for those scary APs and IB testing sessions, waiting for countless free periods for your next subject ( because you only have three). However, there is another side to senior year. The caps and gown photos, being exhibited on street Macedonia, planning for prom and the succeeding week of partying, no longer caring for grades that much, spending most of your day at Forza drinking coffee, oh and yes, the long expected SENIOR TRIP. To be honest, every student since the moment he or she enters NOVA can’t wait for Senior Trip to come. All the crazy, fun stories from the previous years make you want to skip the first three years of high school and be a Senior.
But is Senior Trip all it’s said to be? According to the Senior class of ’09: YES IT IS!!!
This year’s route was Italy, Spain and France, and the stops were Florence, Rome, Lloret de Mar, Barcelona, Cannes, Nice, Verona and last but not least Venice.
The Senior Trip began as always – with an uncomfortable and long, very long bus ride. In fact, there were many of those bus rides in between. Yet, this year, the bus ride was ameliorated by the legendary tour guide Dejan, and his specific English (big fun, something or something else, stuffs and must to go). Other things that made up this trip are the heart-shaped sunglasses everyone bought, the Hard Rock Cafés in Rome, Barcelona and Venice and the t-shirts a lot of people got from there, the cruise from Rome to Barcelona and singing songs on the deck, the Barcelona – Bayern Munich game, fun rides at Porta Aventura, the shopping fever, eating at Burger King or McDonald’s (with the occasional lunch at a restaurant with good food), the shopping frenzy, the flamenco dance, the clubs. The clubs and the partying. The clubs and of course a lot of drinking! Not to forget to mention the teachers that survived this Senior Trip: our own Tiho, Tanja and Nina. They made sure that everyone woke up and didn’t miss the bus and that there was no more drinking on the bus or stinky feet.
Oh, yes. I forgot. During the Senior Class, the students also visited museums, monuments, the Vatican and saw numerous sculptures and paintings.
Sadly, after two amazing and unforgettable weeks, the Senior Trip ended and our seniors returned to Skopje, Prashka bb. Still, there are countless of photos and many, many memories that will make sure that this Senior Trip never ends.
It all comes down to it, doesn’t it? Applying to colleges, doing as many community service hours as you can, asking for recommendations, studying for those scary APs and IB testing sessions, waiting for countless free periods for your next subject ( because you only have three). However, there is another side to senior year. The caps and gown photos, being exhibited on street Macedonia, planning for prom and the succeeding week of partying, no longer caring for grades that much, spending most of your day at Forza drinking coffee, oh and yes, the long expected SENIOR TRIP. To be honest, every student since the moment he or she enters NOVA can’t wait for Senior Trip to come. All the crazy, fun stories from the previous years make you want to skip the first three years of high school and be a Senior.
But is Senior Trip all it’s said to be? According to the Senior class of ’09: YES IT IS!!!
This year’s route was Italy, Spain and France, and the stops were Florence, Rome, Lloret de Mar, Barcelona, Cannes, Nice, Verona and last but not least Venice.
The Senior Trip began as always – with an uncomfortable and long, very long bus ride. In fact, there were many of those bus rides in between. Yet, this year, the bus ride was ameliorated by the legendary tour guide Dejan, and his specific English (big fun, something or something else, stuffs and must to go). Other things that made up this trip are the heart-shaped sunglasses everyone bought, the Hard Rock Cafés in Rome, Barcelona and Venice and the t-shirts a lot of people got from there, the cruise from Rome to Barcelona and singing songs on the deck, the Barcelona – Bayern Munich game, fun rides at Porta Aventura, the shopping fever, eating at Burger King or McDonald’s (with the occasional lunch at a restaurant with good food), the shopping frenzy, the flamenco dance, the clubs. The clubs and the partying. The clubs and of course a lot of drinking! Not to forget to mention the teachers that survived this Senior Trip: our own Tiho, Tanja and Nina. They made sure that everyone woke up and didn’t miss the bus and that there was no more drinking on the bus or stinky feet.
Oh, yes. I forgot. During the Senior Class, the students also visited museums, monuments, the Vatican and saw numerous sculptures and paintings.
Sadly, after two amazing and unforgettable weeks, the Senior Trip ended and our seniors returned to Skopje, Prashka bb. Still, there are countless of photos and many, many memories that will make sure that this Senior Trip never ends.
The History Of Spring Break
So we’ve all just returned from a week of rest and relaxation – the seniors from their 2-week trip around Europe, some from nearby or faraway countries, and others who may have rarely left the vicinity of their homes. Whether we return to NOVA energetic or weary, we all have stories to tell. But what about the history of spring break? Is it a real holiday, or just something we’ve created to “get away” from everything?
Spring Break, like many things in our world, originated with the ancient Greeks and Romans. Spring, often associated with rejuvenation and rebirth, brought with it lighthearted feelings and restless behavior in young people. As it was celebrated with reverence to Dionysus or Bacchus, the Greek and Roman gods of wine, the period of welcoming spring not only gave people a reason to celebrate, but also allowed young people to vent their feelings of restlessness. Thus, spring break was created. More direct responsibility for the creation of spring break, however, is because of Sam Ingram, a Colgate University swimming coach in the United States. The American swim coach brought his team to Fort Lauderdale in 1936 to train at the Casino Pool, the first Olympic-size swimming pool in Florida. By 1938, more than 300 swimmers competed in the College Coaches’ Swim Forum at the Casino Pool. Word spread of the tradition of college swimmers traveling to Florida well into the 1960’s, and TIME Magazine first highlighted spring break in April 1959 with the article “Beer & the Beach”. Two years later, the Fort Lauderdale-set film Where the Boys Are, spread the word of university men and women flocking to the shores of sunny Florida.
By the 1970’s, Fort Lauderdale had been nicknamed “Fort Liquordale.” Reckless acts such as balcony diving, in which drunk individuals would swing from balcony to balcony to get to other rooms, became a common activity to do for amusement. By the 1980’s, stricter laws were enforced against underage drinking. As a result, spring-breakers traveled further down south, to destinations outside the U.S., such as Mexico. Spring Break has been internationally recognized as stories range from underage drinking and partying to trips others claim they’ll never forget. Meanwhile, spring break is evolving as alternative trips include tutoring underprivileged children to rebuilding homes for Habitat for Humanity. Organizations such as Break Away, which helps colleges in the U.S. promote alternative break programs, has estimated that 65,000 college students will participate in this year’s break programs. Although it may be no wild party, it could be worth considering.
Spring Break, like many things in our world, originated with the ancient Greeks and Romans. Spring, often associated with rejuvenation and rebirth, brought with it lighthearted feelings and restless behavior in young people. As it was celebrated with reverence to Dionysus or Bacchus, the Greek and Roman gods of wine, the period of welcoming spring not only gave people a reason to celebrate, but also allowed young people to vent their feelings of restlessness. Thus, spring break was created. More direct responsibility for the creation of spring break, however, is because of Sam Ingram, a Colgate University swimming coach in the United States. The American swim coach brought his team to Fort Lauderdale in 1936 to train at the Casino Pool, the first Olympic-size swimming pool in Florida. By 1938, more than 300 swimmers competed in the College Coaches’ Swim Forum at the Casino Pool. Word spread of the tradition of college swimmers traveling to Florida well into the 1960’s, and TIME Magazine first highlighted spring break in April 1959 with the article “Beer & the Beach”. Two years later, the Fort Lauderdale-set film Where the Boys Are, spread the word of university men and women flocking to the shores of sunny Florida.
By the 1970’s, Fort Lauderdale had been nicknamed “Fort Liquordale.” Reckless acts such as balcony diving, in which drunk individuals would swing from balcony to balcony to get to other rooms, became a common activity to do for amusement. By the 1980’s, stricter laws were enforced against underage drinking. As a result, spring-breakers traveled further down south, to destinations outside the U.S., such as Mexico. Spring Break has been internationally recognized as stories range from underage drinking and partying to trips others claim they’ll never forget. Meanwhile, spring break is evolving as alternative trips include tutoring underprivileged children to rebuilding homes for Habitat for Humanity. Organizations such as Break Away, which helps colleges in the U.S. promote alternative break programs, has estimated that 65,000 college students will participate in this year’s break programs. Although it may be no wild party, it could be worth considering.
Headlines in Macedonian Newspapers—A Sensation
1. “Worker fell from the second storey and got hurt”
An article reporting that a construction worker fell from the second storey of the building he was working on. The enormous height—four meters—greatly injured this not-so-old man. Gripping headline.
2. “They beat him up because they owed him money”
Long story short—some people owed a man some money and beat him up because of it. Where has this country gone when a person lends 5000 denars and then gets beat up?
3. “He beat up his cousin with a baseball bat”
Who would have thought that there are baseball bats in Macedonia? And people beating up their cousins with them for questionable reasons?
4. “They smoked marijuana”
Real news—two twenty-year-old guys smoked marijuana. I have never heard that before.
5. “Pigeons were burned”
Sixty pigeons were burned in a fire in Skopje. The owner couldn't extinguish the fire.
6. “They stole windows”
We are feeling the impact of the global economic crisis in Macedonia; we don’t have enough money for windows, so we have to steal them. From such robberies we cannot recover.
7. “Store crashed in a fight about beer”
A piece of advice: it is not wise to crash the store where you buy your beer, especially if you owe the owner 150 Euros.
8. “They mortgaged their house and then they sold it”
This is what happens when the mother of three sons passes away before leaving a will.
9. “Store robbed with a plastic gun”
Note: this only happens in small villages in the beautiful Republic of Macedonia. Profit: less than 200 Euros.
10. “Minerals were dug”
It is not bad enough that so few of Macedonia’s mines are working, but now arresting people who still appreciate the natural resources of their country. Who cares if they did that illegally?
An article reporting that a construction worker fell from the second storey of the building he was working on. The enormous height—four meters—greatly injured this not-so-old man. Gripping headline.
2. “They beat him up because they owed him money”
Long story short—some people owed a man some money and beat him up because of it. Where has this country gone when a person lends 5000 denars and then gets beat up?
3. “He beat up his cousin with a baseball bat”
Who would have thought that there are baseball bats in Macedonia? And people beating up their cousins with them for questionable reasons?
4. “They smoked marijuana”
Real news—two twenty-year-old guys smoked marijuana. I have never heard that before.
5. “Pigeons were burned”
Sixty pigeons were burned in a fire in Skopje. The owner couldn't extinguish the fire.
6. “They stole windows”
We are feeling the impact of the global economic crisis in Macedonia; we don’t have enough money for windows, so we have to steal them. From such robberies we cannot recover.
7. “Store crashed in a fight about beer”
A piece of advice: it is not wise to crash the store where you buy your beer, especially if you owe the owner 150 Euros.
8. “They mortgaged their house and then they sold it”
This is what happens when the mother of three sons passes away before leaving a will.
9. “Store robbed with a plastic gun”
Note: this only happens in small villages in the beautiful Republic of Macedonia. Profit: less than 200 Euros.
10. “Minerals were dug”
It is not bad enough that so few of Macedonia’s mines are working, but now arresting people who still appreciate the natural resources of their country. Who cares if they did that illegally?
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Model European Parliament 2009 - Cyprus
It was such a relief when after what seemed an interminable 15 minutes of passport scrutinizing and visa issuing by the airport police officer, we finally set foot on Cypriot land. We made it… at least that is what we thought at the moment. But arriving in Cyprus was only the ticket to the fun ride called the Model European Parliament.
On the 29th of March – 5th of April this year, a delegation from our school, of which I was honored to be a part, represented Macedonia on the 30th international session of the Model European Parliament. Iskra Dzundeva, Ana Angelovska, Mina Netkova and myself, accompanied by our Public Speaking teacher Mrs. Irena Filkova, were the first international delegates on behalf of our country at MEP, this year held in Nicosia, Cyprus.
The session was attended by delegates from all the European Union member states and the candidate countries Macedonia and Croatia. We were all divided into 10 committees, each concerning current and ongoing issues such as the present economic and financial crisis (my committee) or the Middle East conflict (Iskra’s committee). Working with young people with similar interests and ideas from all over the EU in order to build a new, better world and sharing our opinions and youthful ideals was a unique experience for us. We have had previous debates in our school during the MMUN (Macedonian Model of United Nations) meetings, but none of the same format. Imagine our puzzlement, and later agitation, when the committee presidents explained us the entire process of writing introductory and operative clauses and casually dropped into the conversation that we need to do all of that in 3 days, and then defend the resolution and answer questions in front of the General Assembly, a gathering of all the delegates in the Cypriot House of Representatives.
This trip was a great opportunity for us not only to learn a lot about international politics by actually experiencing it, but also to explore a completely different country independently. We uncovered the mysteries and hidden charms of the legendary island of Aphrodite – Cyprus. While experiencing the life of the Cypriot families during our stay with our kind hosts, we also got acquainted with the division of the small island. Participating on such a gathering in the last divided capital has made us all eager to bring effective solutions to the problems we were addressing. And the fact that 8 out of the 10 resolutions of the separate committees have passed on the General Assembly was a proof enough of our arduous work the passed couple of days.
The General Assembly per se, was perhaps the most interesting part of the whole process. All delegates were seated within their delegations in the House of Representatives and were given signs with their country’s name to hold up when they want to pose a question. We were also given red cards, which we got to know as ‘points of privilege’ and could be raised whenever the speaker was not clear enough in order to rephrase his/her statement. The examined committee was seated in the front, on a platform facing the assembly. Scary. Especially if it is your first time and you need to give a speech or present the entire resolution on behalf of your committee. The tension and agitation were growing as they called on each of the committees to the platform. I can only remember the feeling, the feeling of excitement, yet uneasiness and anxiety when I stood up there and read through our resolution. I have never had stage fright in my life, still my hands were trembling before I began talking into the microphone. Luckily my voice did not give away these feelings, as Ana told me that I seemed quite confident. I can only suppose she and Iskra felt the same when they passionately gave their opening speeches. After we got used to the procedure and the formal address, we were free to ask questions and openly debate even the other resolutions. The uneasiness faded away.
On this one-week trip we have made many friends, from different nationalities and origin, but all keen on debates and discussions. When the schedule allowed that, we had fun in some of the cafes and clubs in Nicosia. I am sure that we will meet them again and that these friendships will last for life.
I would like to point out what I, personally, found best during our stay in the sunny Cyprus and our partaking in the simulation of the European Parliament. The mere opportunity to voice our thoughts and opinions on important topics, such as the global economic crisis, and to discuss and debate them in a manner similar to that of great dignitaries is something I regard utterly precious.
Whenever I ponder about the resolutions we have made and how they will be sent to the real European Parliament this is what comes to my mind: I contributed to the writing of that resolution, my thoughts will be read by our counterparts in the real European Parliament, a place where we might one day work and discuss issues as passionately and as fervently as we did the past week in Cyprus.
On the 29th of March – 5th of April this year, a delegation from our school, of which I was honored to be a part, represented Macedonia on the 30th international session of the Model European Parliament. Iskra Dzundeva, Ana Angelovska, Mina Netkova and myself, accompanied by our Public Speaking teacher Mrs. Irena Filkova, were the first international delegates on behalf of our country at MEP, this year held in Nicosia, Cyprus.
The session was attended by delegates from all the European Union member states and the candidate countries Macedonia and Croatia. We were all divided into 10 committees, each concerning current and ongoing issues such as the present economic and financial crisis (my committee) or the Middle East conflict (Iskra’s committee). Working with young people with similar interests and ideas from all over the EU in order to build a new, better world and sharing our opinions and youthful ideals was a unique experience for us. We have had previous debates in our school during the MMUN (Macedonian Model of United Nations) meetings, but none of the same format. Imagine our puzzlement, and later agitation, when the committee presidents explained us the entire process of writing introductory and operative clauses and casually dropped into the conversation that we need to do all of that in 3 days, and then defend the resolution and answer questions in front of the General Assembly, a gathering of all the delegates in the Cypriot House of Representatives.
This trip was a great opportunity for us not only to learn a lot about international politics by actually experiencing it, but also to explore a completely different country independently. We uncovered the mysteries and hidden charms of the legendary island of Aphrodite – Cyprus. While experiencing the life of the Cypriot families during our stay with our kind hosts, we also got acquainted with the division of the small island. Participating on such a gathering in the last divided capital has made us all eager to bring effective solutions to the problems we were addressing. And the fact that 8 out of the 10 resolutions of the separate committees have passed on the General Assembly was a proof enough of our arduous work the passed couple of days.
The General Assembly per se, was perhaps the most interesting part of the whole process. All delegates were seated within their delegations in the House of Representatives and were given signs with their country’s name to hold up when they want to pose a question. We were also given red cards, which we got to know as ‘points of privilege’ and could be raised whenever the speaker was not clear enough in order to rephrase his/her statement. The examined committee was seated in the front, on a platform facing the assembly. Scary. Especially if it is your first time and you need to give a speech or present the entire resolution on behalf of your committee. The tension and agitation were growing as they called on each of the committees to the platform. I can only remember the feeling, the feeling of excitement, yet uneasiness and anxiety when I stood up there and read through our resolution. I have never had stage fright in my life, still my hands were trembling before I began talking into the microphone. Luckily my voice did not give away these feelings, as Ana told me that I seemed quite confident. I can only suppose she and Iskra felt the same when they passionately gave their opening speeches. After we got used to the procedure and the formal address, we were free to ask questions and openly debate even the other resolutions. The uneasiness faded away.
On this one-week trip we have made many friends, from different nationalities and origin, but all keen on debates and discussions. When the schedule allowed that, we had fun in some of the cafes and clubs in Nicosia. I am sure that we will meet them again and that these friendships will last for life.
I would like to point out what I, personally, found best during our stay in the sunny Cyprus and our partaking in the simulation of the European Parliament. The mere opportunity to voice our thoughts and opinions on important topics, such as the global economic crisis, and to discuss and debate them in a manner similar to that of great dignitaries is something I regard utterly precious.
Whenever I ponder about the resolutions we have made and how they will be sent to the real European Parliament this is what comes to my mind: I contributed to the writing of that resolution, my thoughts will be read by our counterparts in the real European Parliament, a place where we might one day work and discuss issues as passionately and as fervently as we did the past week in Cyprus.
Hope
I have always been aware of the different personalities that we all posses. I also understand that each and every single one of us has distinct values instilled within, against which we weigh and process the abstract ideas and concepts. Hence I know that every individual would define hope in a different, intimate and very personal way. And that fascinates me. Pondering on the topic, I found myself dwelling upon two quotes on hope, each conveying a drastically different message from the other, and each being not at all far from the truth. “Hope is a dream of a soul awake” - says an old French proverb; “Hope is the worst of evils, for it prolongs the torments of man” – states Friedrich Nietzsche. I found myself wondering, what is it that made them think so differently? What indeed was that only ingredient left in Pandora’s box?
Personally, hope for me represents the anxiety of wishing upon a star, fully in expectation, despite knowing that the chances for the wish coming true are extremely slight. After all, slight does not imply impossible per se. Hope is the invisible energy that rules our world, a force that alerts us, stirs our thoughts, makes us rather strive for improvement and achievement, aim at success and happiness when we could just remain satisfied with the current situation. It is the spiritus movens of every human being: once you choose to hope, anything is possible!
Moreover, it is an unwritten rule that people who do hope for something and wish for it hard enough, have their wish miraculously accomplished. A person without hope would lose the human part of his being and would thus merge with an endless dullness and gray dismal. It would mean that this person does not yearn to anything, no matter what! A person like that, in my opinion, is much like a dog: having only black and white vision, never experiencing all the colors and the various tones and shadows that they form.
However, hope can be shattered and burst as a fragile bubble into a million pieces. Hope may fall on earth in the form of meteor shower: glimmering and shiny from far away but disastrous if too close. Many times false hope has proven only to be mendacious to the one that hopes, tormenting the people and even maybe preventing them from seeing the real situation and facing the truth.
This is why I believe hope represents much more than the mere dictionary interpretation of “a feeling that what is wanted is likely to happen”. It is a universal, supersonic force that drives our world and us, its inhabitants, towards the never-achievable perfection.
Personally, hope for me represents the anxiety of wishing upon a star, fully in expectation, despite knowing that the chances for the wish coming true are extremely slight. After all, slight does not imply impossible per se. Hope is the invisible energy that rules our world, a force that alerts us, stirs our thoughts, makes us rather strive for improvement and achievement, aim at success and happiness when we could just remain satisfied with the current situation. It is the spiritus movens of every human being: once you choose to hope, anything is possible!
Moreover, it is an unwritten rule that people who do hope for something and wish for it hard enough, have their wish miraculously accomplished. A person without hope would lose the human part of his being and would thus merge with an endless dullness and gray dismal. It would mean that this person does not yearn to anything, no matter what! A person like that, in my opinion, is much like a dog: having only black and white vision, never experiencing all the colors and the various tones and shadows that they form.
However, hope can be shattered and burst as a fragile bubble into a million pieces. Hope may fall on earth in the form of meteor shower: glimmering and shiny from far away but disastrous if too close. Many times false hope has proven only to be mendacious to the one that hopes, tormenting the people and even maybe preventing them from seeing the real situation and facing the truth.
This is why I believe hope represents much more than the mere dictionary interpretation of “a feeling that what is wanted is likely to happen”. It is a universal, supersonic force that drives our world and us, its inhabitants, towards the never-achievable perfection.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
New Articles
Hello dear Followers.
We are happy to announce a brand new set of articles coming up next week.
Enjoy what's left from the spring break.
Yours,
the Discourse Detectives
We are happy to announce a brand new set of articles coming up next week.
Enjoy what's left from the spring break.
Yours,
the Discourse Detectives
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