Global War on Terror: The Aftermath Continues

When one thinks of war, they think of two sides in a distant or a nearby location fighting against one another. One side is set to be good, while the other is set to be bad. However, in today’s society, the Global War on Terror is far beyond what anyone could ever imagine. Instead of having one group of nations defeat another, as was the case during WWII, today’s Global War on Terror includes a group of nations fighting against Islamic extremists and Islamist terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda and the Islamist militant group known as the Taliban.

It all started in 2001, after the September 11 attacks on American soil; President George W. Bush had previously set an ultimatum with the Taliban government in Afghanistan. President Bush had asked the Taliban to turn over Osama bin Laden, who was believed to be the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks. Otherwise, the Taliban would have to face an invasion on Afghani soil. Nevertheless, the Taliban refused to turn over bin Laden, or any al-Qaeda leaders without any solid evidence to link them to the September 11 attacks. However, the United States refused to provide evidence, and on October 7, 2001, the War on Terror had begun in Afghanistan with a US invasion to expulse the Taliban regime.

In March 2003, the United States led another invasion by the Bush administration, to begin the Iraq War. Ever since 1990, Iraq has been on the United States’ watch list for possession of weapons of mass destruction. Before the invasion on Iraq, President Bush’s administration called for the United Nations Security Council to send inspectors to Iraq in search for evidence to support this accusation. The United Nations Security Council resolution, (UNSC Resolution 1441), offered Iraq to comply with the UNSC’s demand, or face a serious consequence. In 2002, while President Bush was visiting a NATO summit, he declared that if Saddam Hussein chose not to disarm, the United States would lead a coalition of those willing to disarm him. A total of 48 countries supported the Bush administration’s “Coalition of the Willing,” which referred to countries that supported the invasion of Iraq. Thus the United States assisted by the United Kingdom, Australia, and Poland, invaded Iraq in March 2003. By April 2003, Baghdad fell, as did Saddam Hussein’s government. After months of searching, Saddam Hussein was eventually caught on December 2003, and executed three years later. It wasn’t until December 15, 2011, that the war in the Middle East came to an end.

Even after the death of Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden, people still question what the result of the Global War on Terror was. In reality, the United States did not gain anything from the war. The governments’ attempts to gain control of Iraq’s oil reserves failed. It spent nearly three trillion US dollars; some even claim that even more was spent. The money was used for sending troops, ammunition, care packages, and rations half way around the world. The US lost nearly 4,500 soldiers, as well as 30,000 wounded in combat. Not only that, but some of the effects on everyday society include the increase of security at airports, bus stations, train stations, and schools. Before the attacks of September 11, people were able to walk up to the departure gates of an airport and greet their friends and family. Now, people have to wait outside a secured area. It appears that terrorism, as well as the fear or terrorism in the past decade has escalated more than anyone ever thought it would ever reach. Reports of car bombings are reported every month in the Middle East, along with many civilian casualties. Not only that, but public shootings have been reported throughout the United States, and the result of continuous terror plots around the world has caused a spread of fear. Within the past decade, the amount of money spent on beefing up security in public places as escalated so high in such a small period of time, no one knows what we are trying to protect anymore. Even with all these advances in improving security at airports, there are still terrorist attacks that occur every year on airplanes. No matter how hard we try, there will never be an end to the global war on terror.

From the diary of a self-searching teenager

I hate winter. It must be because I never fail to feel it all the time deep within, just dwelling there, haunting my inner being and proudly declaring victory after every fight. It’s funny how the more it stays inside the more I grow comfortable with it and just go along with whatever it has to bring. It always brings the same thing - emptiness. I hate winter because it manages to ruin every single summer of mine without even being there. I truly hate it.

The only thing I can recall from the last few hours is whiteness. Endless landscapes of white, where the sky and the earth look so much alike that it seems as if they’d created the perfect state of equilibrium uniting into one. It’s a whole new universe and I am the only black spot that stands out in there. I am the cause of chaos in a land of carefully built order. I see it. And I see the perfection in it. And I know that I’ll never be as perfect. And that terrifies me, it frightens me so much that I start to run. That I start to scream. And just like that I close my eyes and refuse to see. I blindly follow a previously defined path. And so I lose myself along the way. But I am trying to run away of the fear itself so much, that I don’t even realize this crucial detail until later. And later is the point that forces me to stop. Later is the point at which I hit something. Or rather something hits me so strong that the pain causes me to open my eyes. And see clearly into the winter after all that time. As I acknowledge that something’s missing I see dark silhouettes appearing as wolves coming nearby. I close my eyes once again, for if I can’t see them they as well might not be present there at all. And if I kick and hit and run they will be gone in reality as well. But what is reality anyways? What defines it? The world I go into when I close my eyes presents itself as a much better one than this mixed, never-ending place filled with emptiness and darkness and wolves. Why can’t I make my perfect little world beyond closed eyes my reality? Why can’t I live into my fear-free kingdom with everlasting summer, where I never need to buy warm clothes as a protection from winter. Where the wind is not able to blow me off my feet. Where my dreams always come true and I don’t feel as a chaos in a place of order. Where there’s no atrocities that create obstacles and harden life. And where most importantly nothing is perfect. Therefore I make an interesting realization. The power of will is a great one. Maybe I did not close my eyes because of fear and desire of escape. Maybe I closed them simply because that was my will. That was what I wanted to do. So I concentrate. And I open them. All of a sudden I can distinguish the sky. It’s somewhat lighter now. I notice the deep scars that all the struggles have left on my body. But now I also see that what seemed to be wolves were people. Mere people who were merely trying to help me and who I neglected in the state of strong egoism and self-centeredness. And while trying to fix what I managed to break I can sense the pieces of my lost self coming together. Far in the distance there is a spark. A spark of hope. It’s up to me to decide whether I shall follow. I feel power in my hand and wisdom on my mind. Self-realization is yet to be approached.

But all this winter will stay, making it hard to walk. Making it hard to see, but never succeeding into causing me to close my eyes ever again. Still, there’s no doubt I hate it.

WILLPOWER

How many times have you felt as if life is slipping away from your fingertips? How many times have you felt that you are not living the way that you have wanted to live?

Life is a priceless gift, and it would be a great pity if you did not live it to its fullest. So, how does one live life to its fullest?

The fulfillment in one’s life lies in the fulfillment in one’s GOALS and attaining the state of balanced HEALTH. Some may argue that there are other requirements for the fulfillment of one’s life, but I see them as subgroups of these two major requirements. Goals are crucial, since success in one’s goals is success in life. If you want something, set it as a goal, and achieve it. Health, even though we underestimate it, is a key component of fulfillment in life. And the definition of healthy that we prescribe as “not being sick” describes just a component of being truly healthy. Health encompasses physical fitness and psychological equilibrium, as well as lack of malady.

Multiple studies have concluded that two personality traits repeatedly lead to a happy and successful life. The first is intelligence, but, since it is given, and cannot be greatly influenced, we will not dwell upon it. The second is maybe even more important, but, most importantly, it can be increased in amount. This crucial component is WILLPOWER.

We have all heard about it, but do we really understand what stands behind that word? In short, willpower is the control over one’s thoughts, emotions, and impulses. A person that wields that control, can direct himself/herself into behavior that is in accordance with his/her goals, and direct away from behavior or actions that can hurt the realization of his/her goals. A common example is the struggle with facebook. You have a goal of getting into a nice college. To get there you have a smaller goal to get good grades. And they, consequently, depend on the grade that you will get on tomorrow’s test. And today you have a choice: you either study or you squander your time on facebook. Now the part of you with full willpower supply will say no to facebook, but an empty willpower you that you often find yourself to be, indulges in the shallow satisfaction of wallowing on facebook.

How can willpower be increased? How can one become the MASTER OF ONE’S SELF? Even though the road toward a significant increase in willpower is not easy, it can still be achieved.

Set a goal. Fulfill it. Repeat.

That is the essence. You don’t want to wallow for 15 minutes before you get up from bed. Write down: “Tomorrow I’m getting up the moment I open my eyes”. The next day it will eat up a significant deal of your willpower, if you actually do it. You get up, find the paper with the goal, and put a little mark or swish. The day after, it will consume a portion somewhat smaller. Put another mark. Each mark gives you more encouragement and more willpower. Repeat the procedure as long as it becomes a habit. And when that happens, it will require no willpower for you to get up the second you wake up.

I believe this system can be employed to many aspects of life, not just morning rituals. Every success brings more willpower. More willpower leads to greater successes. It’s a “vicious” circle.

In next posts I’ll cover other areas of life that I think lead to its fulfillment, such as fitness and health, as well as some psychological issues that trouble the average person.

Till then, get up the second you wake up, it will help you in many ways!

TVD – The Violent Diaries?

With “Twilight” and the beginning of the new vampire era in mass culture, humans, vampires and usually many other beings are thrown together in a fusion of supernatural world. Yet, in some instances there seems to be more throwing around than in other. Blood, lust and death are of course expected in anything that involves vampires. However, as the death toll in “The Vampire Diaries” nears the one of World War I, I can’t help but wonder whether the PG-13 rating of the show might be a little off.

One might agree that the TV show can be compared with wine; it gets better with time. Not only do the love interests become more complex and compelling, but the action and horror elements become more profound. But, all things come with a price, and for this show the price are the wages of at least five new actors per episode, just for the sake of murdering their characters. Truly, it seems that any new character that appears in an episode is doomed to die. In trying to make the show as different as possible from the infamous and highly criticized “Twilight Saga”, the writers of this epic vampire love story have made certain that every season has at least one big bad wolf (the last one actually being a half-wolf). During the first season, the main problem was getting the main vampire brother and human girl couple, Stefan and Elena, married before Damon, his evil vampire brother, kills the entire population of the town, including the priest. As the second season came and Damon’s thirst for blood lessened, Katherine was brought into the show. Because of her malicious ways, murder becomes the favorite pastime in Mystic Falls. But if you thought that killing a girl in ten seconds by choking her with her own necklace was the worst that this show has to offer, Klaus is there to make you reconsider. Obviously, the producers weren’t satisfied with the quick and painless ways in which people had been killed in the first two seasons, that they brought us two entire new breeds of vampires- rippers and hybrids. Stefan, as the main representative of the first, likes to not only kill his victims, but play with them first. Naturally, most memorable are the two girls that he pulled to pieces after feeding on them, and then later put them back together in a sitting position in front of their TV. Still, because seeing this gruesome picture wasn’t enough to last us a lifetime, the series showed you what should be a completely new form of gore- killing creatures called hybrids. One of the main goals of the protagonists in the latest season is to destroy the entire hybrid breed. Because these are a combination of vampires and werewolves, there are only two extremely horrible ways to kill them, decapitation and removing the heart. The one prop in the entire show that must be used more than the vampire fangs, definitely must be the pumping heart. Throughout the last couple of episodes, I think that this heart has gotten more air time than any one of the main characters. Nevertheless, the show is trying to make amends for its high level of violence. The only underage character in the last season was compelled to leave the town and its supernatural residents behind, because his sister decided that he shouldn’t be in such a vicious world. Needless to say, before his departure, he single-handedly murdered a bunch of vampires and hybrids, the most remarkable being chopping a hybrid’s head off on the front porch with a kitchen knife.

Although the center of the show is the love triangle between a mortal teenage girl and two vampire brothers, it’s what’s happening to the secondary characters that really enthrall the viewers. And while Damon and Stefan are battling for Elena’s heart, the hearts of many other more loveable characters are pulled out of their chest. Hence, I believe that a moment of silence is necessary for Jenna, Vicky, Anna, the Mayor of Mystic Falls, the old guy who had a five-minute-long boring speech, the girl who made Damon cry and needless to say for the girl that ran away from Klaus screaming “Help!” at the top of her lungs.

ART: The Pop Art Movement

By Ljupcho Naumov

"Pop art is about liking things."

-Andy Warhol

This simple quote by Andy Warhol captures the essence of pop art. This artistic movement melts the boundaries between the high-art of the elite and the low-art of the masses, and introduces a form of expression that is understandable to everyone. Containing elements from mass culture, the pop movement truly made art universal.

The origins of pop art date back to the 1950s in England, in a time of optimism resulting from the post-war end of rationing. Celebrating the newly established consumer society, pop art regularly featured images known to the general public, including those from advertisements, comic strips, magazines, television and cinema. The pop art movement, like other, was a rebellion against the previously established and accepted style: abstract expressionism. Abstract expressionism developed after the Second World War, and is the first American artistic movement to achieve worldwide recognition. It is primarily concerned with communicating the emotions of the artist, and it is famous for being rebellious, anarchistic, and idiosyncratic.

Examples of Abstract Expressionism

One of the first artists to flourish from the British pop art movement was Scottish sculptor and artist Eduardo Paolozzi. Paolozzi investigated how humans can fit into the modern world to resemble our fragmented civilization through imagination and fantasy. His most famous work is the collage I was a Rich Man's Plaything. It is considered to be the first work referred to under the name pop art, and the first to display the word pop.

Paolozzi’s I was a rich man’s plaything

Another noted artist from the British pop art movement is Peter Blake, an artist who made collage based paintings of movie stars and pop musicians using images from magazines, comics and advertisements. His most famous work is the album cover of the Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

In the States, the Pop art movement arrives in the 1960s. In America, the movement meets a much more zealous audience, an audience mesmerized by consumerism, the ideal of pop art. One of the first and maybe most eminent American pop artists is Roy Lichtenstein. Lichtenstein, surprisingly, started his artistic career as a follower of abstract expressionism but later converted into the new, popular style. He is famous for his comic-book based works, in which he showed scenes of sentimental love or violent action.

Lichtenstein’s Girl with Ribbon, Kiss V, Drowning Girl, and Ride in the Car. The dots reflect the cheap color printing process of newspapers and comics.

The most prominent of the pop artists known to the general public is definitely painter, printmaker, and film producer, Andy Warhol. His name is synonymous with the pop art movement. He started his career as a commercial artist, drawing images for magazine illustrations and advertisements. With this exceptionally well-suited starting point, Warhol was immediately immersed into the pop art movement. The artistic works of Warhol frequently featured famous movie stars, pop singers and other similar icons. His Marilyn diptych soon became the crown of pop art.

Warhol’s Marilyn diptych and Eight Elvises. The Eight Elvises was sold for 100 million dollars.

The pop art movement changed the world of art forever. It replaced the epic with the everyday, the unique with the mass produced. It diffused the high art with the low art. Pop art proved to be likable to everyone, just as Warhol said.

For what is worth…

Ellie walked proudly and as she neared a group of people, all of who seemed to be somewhere about her age, she covered her face with a mystic smile, while giving a flirty wink and a cunning-like lift of the brow. As she sat down beside the people she addressed as friends, Ellie could deeply inhale the smoke in the air around her and she could spot cigarettes in her friends’ mouths. After taking a small sip from the vodka bottle handed over to her, she took out a cigarette of her own and pulled in the poisonous chemicals it contained inside her lungs. As she exhaled, dense clouds of smoke started coming out of her mouth and nose. Ellie was 16.

What’s the price young people have to pay nowadays in order to earn the super-high status in a high-school society? Ellie knew it wasn’t as complicated. Still, if you aim to get invited at the best parties, you have to do a little work. For starters, you change your outlook, and forget what cakes, sweets, fats and fast food looked and tasted like. You waste a whole bunch of your parents’ money on branded clothes, make-up, hairdo, perfumes, shoes, heels… You lose interest in everyone else’s interests, you grow your head too big and suck up to the queen-bee. The great struggle of strengthening your identity causes you to lose what little of it you possessed in the first place. But who cares, as long as it’s for the sake of partying. Grades, future and your own well-being are second-class things, family relations become almost no existent. Alienation’s in store for the parents, except when in need of money. And what exactly is to be paid with those money? Well, all the things that will cause people to keep inviting you to their parties, including alcohol, cigarettes and drugs, as you ruthlessly stick out the middle finger to all the warnings, pretending that the consequences won’t get to you…believing that all the enjoyment makes you unbeatable. Self-assured that mommy and daddy will take care of everything, hoping that all you’ll ever have to do it take large sips of the infinite stream of money, providing yourself with more make-up to hide the insecurity in your eyes. Loathing anyone who dares to raise his voice and claim he’s different, simply because you’ll never have the guts to do such a thing on your own. Mocking all the nerds, because unlike you they haven’t failed to select a fight-worthy goal in their lives, caring about their future, supporting and developing their intellectual skills (you know, the ones you yourself chose not to take an advantage of). Screaming that you’re daddy’s little girl no more in lack of the proof. Consciously misinterpreting the saying “that every day should be lived as if it was your last”. Striving to provoke envy in the hearts of others by playing the part of an unbreakable diva, while having nightmares if the truth beneath the surface somehow ends up exposed. Successfully erasing your personality, reproving your body to a point where it becomes unrecognizable, losing concern of what once used to be your main priority. Ensuring yourself with intangibility by satisfying the thirst for causing others misery. Intentionally attempting to grow up faster by doing things you’re mentally not really ready to do yet, which leads to acts of immorality. Refusing to realize that despite your perfect outer look, you shall always remain a scared little child in the chambers of your subconscious. But then again, you’re too young to worry right?
Twenty years later Ellie’s sitting on the floor in the corner of her gray-walled room. There’s emptiness filling her eyes and loneliness inside her heart. A single tear falls down her cheek and biting her lips she throws a piece of paper on a fair distance from her. And uncontrollable weeping follows, just as she realizes the things to come. Ellie has just been diagnosed with lung cancer.

Isidora Bojkovska

The iPhone 4S – A step into the future, or a disappointing remake?

It was Apple’s latest release, quite shortly before Steve Jobs’ death. A great fuss had been made, all the websites were writing about it – the iPhone 5. News on Yahoo, Bing, Google, and other similar internet news providers were flooded with speculations and predictions alike. Some were expecting a commercial success; others not so much. Some people seemed to be in love with the idea of the iPhone 5, and other ones saw it as just another meaningless upgrade to the iPhone, aimed at making a healthy profit for Apple.

What everyone got though, was not the iPhone 5. Instead, Apple presented the new “new revolutionary product of the future” – the iPhone 4S.

The iPhone 4S is the completely same model as the iPhone 4. Even though it is advertised as faster and better, with a higher processing power and a “revolutionary” graphical display, is has been disputed whether any updates were present at all. While it surely is true that hardware and software advances are present within the new model, user reviews have classified it as “exactly the same as the iPhone 4”.

The big question that arises is – “Why would anyone buy this product”? Why would anyone throw away their “old” iPhone 4, even iPhone 3 or 2, for this “wonderful, state of the art” invention that comes at the slim price of just a couple of hundred dollars? The answer lies in the iPhone 4S. Siri.

Siri is a voice recognition program that has amazed even Apple haters. Upon a click-and-hold of the central button, the user can issue a command. This is where it gets interesting.

Commands are successfully recognized, and they can range from making a meeting, to sending a text message (without the user having to type it), calling someone, and making virtually any change in the settings of the phone. The user can also check the internet, Google something and the results are read out loud without even having to look at the screen. While immensely cool, this is also very helpful for people with disabilities, who can’t type or see properly (as is stated in the official commercial).

The bad sides? Having a phone which can do all of this, while it talks back and makes a bit of a conversation, is a slightly creepy idea. While humanity’s goal should be at developing technology, it might take some time before the concept of having technology execute orders much like a human, and having it talk back, is something that we might feel uncomfortable with until it integrates into our daily routine.

David Dlaka

A Dream of Form in Days of Thought

The thousand lights of night gave way to a path. She followed the path marked by the breath of ocean tide, her shape illumined by the ice of pebbles that played beneath. To what she was going, she did not know. She walked the path and she was speed. Leaves crowned the small of her head as she swayed with the branches of the invisible tree that held her stance. The leaves breathed so and she was lung; the pathway of the tide. Gliding, illumined by the faraway worlds that hovered above, she tripped on the broken branches of the tree and fell face down on the frigid pebble floor. Now the cosmos was inside her and she could reach it with the lightest touch.

A kindled track unfolded her way into the world of worlds. She glided along and reached the world of fire; the essence was corruption and rotting degradation.

Unblinking, the path took her to the world of air. It was a masked cloud of soot that stung her lung of steel. The cloud took over her mind but she turned, she saw what was pure and moved on.

The world of water awaited. She swam in pools of stardust and plunged in waves of joy. She paddled through eternal springs and played with celestial life that dwelled within.

Finally, the path took her to the world of earth. Therein were fire, air and water tenants. She reached in a daze, head tilted, with the lightest hand…

The darkest of mists descended then and swallowed the light of night. The kindled path dissolved and she fell from the inner cosmos; she slipped away, far into the abyss.

Outside, the wind whistled a tune of old. Her eyes opened, glistening, scanning the pebble floor. Rising slowly, she resumed as before, her steady foot no longer met disjointed branch.

No day or night was there; no drought or flood. Time was the stardust in her hair and life was the tidal breath that journeyed through her lung.

She was bulletproof. She was a child, and the cosmos was her.

Bisera Djundeva

Why the words Chair and Dair shouldn’t be used together (Ever.)

September 19, 2007. The beginning of everything. Well, not really; not for any ordinary person in the world. Babies were born, proposals were made; nothing new. However, in the perspective of a teenage girl, it holds an importance of a much different kind. The pilot episode of “Gossip Girl” aired. Two years later, I get hooked on the show. Fast forward another two years and I’m begging for the end. And only 40% out of boredom, without counting Chuck’s “enlightened” monologues. Taking that into account, it’s about 80%. Really, what I want to see is the ending, without having to endure any more shallowness, scheming and love triangles (squares and polygons). Dair (Dan/Blair), I can endure, but Chair (Chuck/Blair) and Serenate (Serena/Nate) have been giving me migraines for long enough. Speaking of the billion love affairs, it seems that the writers of the show have adopted the famous “Grey’s Anatomy” theory. (Any two characters that haven’t been together, should. Any two characters that have been together, should again.) Being the fanatical person that I am, I realized that one “Gossip Girl” character has covered every single boyfriend stereotype. And it’s our very own Blair Waldorf - the socialite that every girl in the world wants to look, walk, talk and, especially, dress like; or as I like to call her, the reason every teenage girl will die alone with her seventy cats.

Prince Charming

Disney’s white horses and glittering carriages are nothing in comparison with Nate Archibald. In fact, a blend of all the fairytale princes might not be as cliché as the character that is Nate. He’s handsome, rich, popular, handsome again, sweet, and of course, extremely stupid. Main occupation: sweeping girls off their feet and looking at them with his puppy-dog eyes; never mind that he’s a useless stoner in the book; in the show he’s Mr. Perfect. So who could really blame any girl who would want to wait for him forever, and ditch every other shot at love? And who could really blame any girl who would refuse to accept the reality that Nate is only a character (and mind you a pretty shallow one). Well okay, you could blame her a little, but it’s the whole series that gives us a whole new perspective on relationships. Ever since the nineteenth century females have been feeding on stories about true love and the prince that will save them. The fact that Nate Archibald reminds everyone of their prince is all the producers’ fault. Really.

The Dark Knight

It’s a tale as old as time; the beauty falls for a beast and after some arguing, he changes and they live happily ever after. But what if the beast refuses to change? Well, then we get Chuck Bass. It’s true that, as the years have passed, Chuck has matured in his own way. His love for Blair grew proportionally with his attempts to cause her physical and emotional harm. We all thought that the climax of their affection was his trading her for a hotel, but apparently he had more loving to do. His last great deed of adoration was the attempt to rape her when she chose someone else over him. Though bad boys have always had their appeal, I thought that the writers had completely destroyed Chuck and hopefully their careers. But I was wrong. More and more girls have been falling for the Bass, fantasizing of being the one who “saves him”. Since after all, who could resist a drug-using, girlfriend-selling jerk that drinks a Johnnie a day because he loves you?

The Pauper

Every story has its outsider; too smart to fit in, not smart enough to realize that he shouldn’t. And when he looks like Dan Humphrey, it’s very hard to resist falling in love with the poor martyred soul that keeps getting tangled in everyone’s wicked webs. Most closely resembling an actually wholesome character, Humphrey won my heart two minutes in. He’s deep, thoughtful and madly in love with Serena. No, wait, he was utterly in love with Vanessa, his best friend. Or was that Georgina? Olivia? I got it, it’s definitely Blair he’s desperately in love with, she’s the one he’s making tea for, while helping her save her engagement to another man. Well, at least right now. And isn’t that what every girl wants; a guy who will be prepared to suffer hearing how complicated the love triangle between her and two other guys is and still love her. Every damsel in distress needs to be rescued, who cares if the knight probably has Chronic Hero Syndrome.

Romantic novels have been ruining women’s lives since some idiot started writing them. But with “Gossip Girl” a new, more twisted version of true love and Mr. Right is beginning to form. Apparently, today’s princes are not required to show love, but to transform it into anger. Moping alone, while pushing the girl away into someone else’s hands is obviously also a great option. And, needless to say, being too stupid to do anything is the best of all alternatives. Thus, while Blair Waldorf remains the single character that hasn’t been destroyed completely, we can’t say the same for most teenage girls’ future love life. So where does her blooming love life leave us? That’s right, in a pit of popcorn, chocolate and arguing over who would be better, Chuck or Dan.

Simona Sarafinovska

Recent Sports Update

A couple of weeks ago, the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Texas Rangers in the 107^th edition of the Major League Baseball’s World Series. The first game that kicked off the World Series ended with a Cardinals victory, at a final score of 3-2. The second game ended with a Rangers victory, with a final score of 2-1 at Busch Stadium, St. Louis. Game three took place in Arlington, Texas, with an unbelievable victory to the Cardinals, with a final score of 16-7. Games four and five both took place at the Ranger’s Ballpark in Arlington, with two victories against St. Louis. The Rangers were put in the lead with their last victory at game five, putting them ahead of St. Louis with a 3-2 lead. In order for St. Louis to stay in the game, they had to win game six which would take place back at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. With a nail biting victory at Busch Stadium, the Cardinals were able to beat the Rangers with extra innings, with a final score of 10-9, in the bottom of the eleventh inning. The victory at game six allowed the Cardinals one extra shot to win the title at game seven. On October 28, 2011, the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Texas Rangers in Busch Stadium with a final score of 6-2. This victory put the Cardinals at a total of eleven World Series championships, ranking them as the second team with the most victories after the New York Yankees. Despite the fact that the Texas Rangers had gone to the World Series, they have yet to have seen a title at Major League Baseball’s World Series.

With the completion of the World Series, people still await for the final result of the 2011 NBA lockout. The lockout began on July 1, and plans to continue throughout November. The lockout mainly occurred due to issues dividing the owners’ and players’ revenue sharing as well as the salary cap. The NBA claims to be losing $300 million a year, meaning salary cuts as well downsizing. During a time of lockout, teams cannot sign or contact players, trade players, and players cannot access NBA team facilities, trainers or staff members. All preseason games have been cancelled, costing the NBA roughly $200 million. With each month of game cancellation, players will lose a total of $350 million. With no accurate estimation as to when this lockout will finish, a few players are beginning to sign contracts with foreign countries to play in this year’s season. With the 2012 Olympics coming up, and the Olympic men’s basketball qualifying tournaments around the corner, the NBA better solve the lockout situation before it is too late. With time running short and the NBA losing money each day, the 2011 NBA lockout better end soon, before the season is cancelled and things turn ugly.

Alex Bosworth

A short story: The Wait

I am walking down the street. The lights in the shops are going off. Is it that time already? It cannot be! Yet, I can still hear Cuban music blaring from the café at the corner, still smell the curry from the Indian restaurant across the street. Good thing Amy lived in a neighborhood full with life even after seven; otherwise, I would have gone crazy with agitation and anticipation. But I calm down, reminding myself that the waiting will be over in the morning. If it were up to me, I would not have to wait for the morning, I would have gone there at midnight, but Iris tells me that hastiness will get me nowhere and that waiting for the morning to come is the best idea. Of course, she does not understand the meaning of the event—how millions and millions of people from all around the world wait for that overlap of the hands of the clock this evening… no, she has no idea how important this is to me. But, I will wait. Patience is not my virtue, but I will try, just to prove how much this means to me.

There is the wait: the uncertainty of it all. You are never too sure of whether or not it is really going to happen. After so many delays, rumors, criticism, hope starts to fade a little. But, never completely. Then, the buzz starts enveloping the mystery. An article mentions a factory in Germany, a report says there are inspections twice a day, and all the work is done in complete darkness. One would think that is not possible in the 21st century; yet, people said it was done so. I was itching to know it all, hungry for more. And I was not the only one. Emerson put up posts with news on his web site practically every hour. I need not say that his became the most visited web site on my computer. I would just sit there at my desk, almost glued to the screen, clicking the ‘Refresh’ button over and over again, hoping there will be something new when the site reloads.

That flicker of hope is not lost even in the dead of night. I lay awake, staring at the ceiling, trying to fall asleep. When I turn, my gaze falls to the poster of the kitten on the wall—which reminds me immediately of the pending event, and makes my falling asleep seem even less possible. I try to focus on other things, like why would Darius have posters of cats displayed on the walls of his apartment. It is indeed weird for a sixty-year-old bachelor to have such images on his living room wall. To ponder upon this question really is useless, so turn to the side and think for what looks like the billionth time that month why Iris and I had to stay at Darius’s flat; why Amy’s boyfriend is so obstinate, claiming he needs peace and quiet to study for his exams, when I know for a fact that he watched March of the Penguins during his “study time”...

This is getting me nowhere. So, I try the old method, thinking of something that is not substantial to what is about to happen all over the world: I recite the lyrics of a Simple Plan song in my mind. The first one I thought of was ‘Untitled’. Funny I should think of the song named such at this time when I am trying to completely erase all anxiety by blanking out my mind. I recall what the song is about—the music video is still so vivid in my head—how petty people consider the lives of each other, how the consequences of their actions might affect the lives of an entire family. How innocent people lose their lives for nothing every day, because people just do not care…

My eyes snap open. How long was I asleep? I turn over to check the digital clock on my cell phone: it is 5:35. Well, it is still dark outside, and it is summer, so it must be just before dawn. I still feel the anxiety, only it has been multiplied by a thousand since last night. At the thought of how many people in the world have it in their hands already I feel a fist of excitement forming in my stomach. I throw the covers off me, thankful for the early wake; these past few days had been extremely difficult for me, and the heat was not making my life more bearable. Oh, how I miss the wind and the rain of Seattle! But, being in Europe is a one-time chance, and Amy found us this apartment for free, so Iris and I took the opportunity and sat on the first flight to Vienna available. A little over two days later we were standing at Vienna International Airport, being hugged by Amy and saluted awkwardly by William, Amy’s boyfriend of four years. Jet-lagged, but genuinely happy to be there, I started enjoying the visit from the moment we left the airport. I doubted she wanted to do more than check out Amy’s flat, but Iris was willing to pay for her plane ticket, and I really do hate flying alone (not once was I lost at an airport). I was definitely determined to get the most of this vacation.

I think about all of this as I brush my teeth, trying not to look in the mirror, as I know there I will see a crazed look in my eyes. I continue on to brushing my hair and picking out the clothes I will wear today. After all, it is a special day—the day I will finally get to hold it in my hands. I realize it is a little over six o’clock when I am ready, so I sit down (otherwise I would have paced the room a million times over) and think of another reason for coming to Europe, a reason I shared with nobody. I so wanted to attend the MRP—I even got an invitation from Thalia—but from the way Amy talked about it, I knew it was a no-go. Even though I did not attend the MRP, I could feel the cheers from my friends all over the world as they celebrated July 21st. There was a great thing about Europe: the MRPs were six to nine hours prior to the ones in the States. Sure, I would have gone to Australia to attend one even earlier, but Emily had just too much going on even without guests. I sigh as I look out the window at the rising sun—well, the bits and pieces of it that were not hidden behind the enormous cathedral on the east horizon. Yes, I sure am lucky to be right here, right now.

I start feeling as if I am being electrocuted. Then I know it is time to get up and out of my chair before I break it. I get out my iPod and look for a certain song. Ah, here it is: ‘Mambo No. 5’ by Lou Bega. This song makes me dance regardless of my mood, and since dancing is one of the few things I am proud to say I am good at, I get up as silently as I can and leave the bedroom I share with Iris. I go to hallway and press play. The trumpets and the catchy rhythm start blaring through my earphones as I start moving around. I used to think that learning how to dance mambo when I was younger would never benefit me; now it helped me stay sane in all this craziness. It is odd dancing alone, especially mambo, but the song is just so good I forget about all my worries and move across the room with vigor. I put the song on ‘repeat’ and keep on dancing until Iris wakes up and gives me a really weird look, clearly keeping the “this girl’s got problems” to herself. And I am fine with it. Anything to keep my mind off the pending event.

Amy arrives around ten. Where did the time fly by? I am so thankful of my passion for dancing and music, of the ability to distract myself from the wait. We start walking to Mariahilferstraße—when we reach the nearest subway station and I turn to walk down the stairs, Amy laughs and says she feels like walking to Thalia. At that split second I hate her for mocking me in such a way, but I go along with it anyway. What else can I do? I do not know the city well enough, so I cannot just go there by myself. I groan as I think of the final destination—at the other end of Mariahilferstraße. When we finally reach Thalia, it is well past eleven o’clock and I am just short of mad. Then Amy and I enter. A totally different world. It quickly becomes one of my favorite places on Earth. I follow Amy to the second floor, to the counter where I get my copy, stamped with the proof that I was one of the first people in the world to pre-order it. I remember to pick up one more copy from a nearby pile; it was Mia’s birthday soon, and I had promised her a great present. When we walk out of Thalia Amy almost binds my hands together to keep me from opening it and plowing headfirst into a street sign or a person. When we reach our end of Mariahilferstraße, I realize that Amy is taking the left turn instead of the right one leading to her street. This is when she tells me we are meeting Iris at the closest Starbucks. I moan—the closest Starbucks is at least ten minutes away. As Amy is using the slowest stride she has ever used, I start suspecting a conspiracy. I mean, she and Iris are surely not fond of my obsession (I finally admit it). But again I say nothing; I figure that if I keep silent and endure the wait for a few more minutes, I will enjoy it more later.

I barely notice what I order at Starbucks—I think I had a mango smoothie—and find a table next to the shop window. As I open it, I remember only blurs of things. Yes, yes, just as I suspected… Hmmm, yes, everything confirmed... Just as I thought… No, George, no... Ah, a very interesting twist indeed... When I stop for a few seconds to sip my drink, I see people staring at me through the shop window. I know it is not me that caught their attention: it is what I am holding. I can just hear the mental note they are making: “Oh, it is out, I see. I’ll stop by Thalia after work to pick up my own copy.” But I pay no great attention to them. I dive into it again, into a trans-like state of mind.

What, it is time to leave? We have been here for two hours?! Impossible! Yet true, as I take a look at the clock on my cell phone. A twenty-five-minute walk to Amy’s apartment. I half-heartedly help out with the lunch, not even hungry, even though I have not eaten anything the whole day. Huh, my life has completely veered off course today, has it not? Then, William comes home from work, looking at me as if I had turned purple. I ignore him, as usual, and go on with my business. But, I do hear him ask whether we would like to watch Madagascar; anyone who knows me at all can say that Madagascar is one of my all-time favorite movies. I sigh as I agree to watch it with them—I need at least one thing today to be normal. Surprisingly, I do enjoy it. Aside my love of animals, Marty, Melman, Gloria, and Alex take me to a different world, a carefree world, without the hustle and bustle of the big city. As the credits roll down the screen, William tricks me into staying there and watching ‘Allo! ‘Allo! ; I definitely suspect foul play now. He never wants to do anything fun, and he chooses today to be the good boyfriend. Ugh, men (I have to blame somebody).

When Iris and I finally get back to Darius’s apartment, the sun has already set and it is well over nine o’clock. I cannot believe I went on for so long without it, and did not have the time to fully enjoy it today! Notwithstanding, I have time now. I flop onto the bed and get lost into it. When I finally put it down, I see that Iris has gone to bed, the clock on my cell phone saying 4:21. I get up and stretch. As I brush my teeth I think of all my predictions about it: they were true. Who knew I had such a good intuition? I get into the bed, happier than ever before. Yes, all was well, and this was one of the best days of my life.

I wake up the morning after around nine, at my usual time. I thought I would sleep more after last night, but my system seems programmed to wake up at this time, and that is fine with me. I enjoy the morning. During breakfast Amy asks me whether she can look at my copy; I see no reason why I should not give it to her. She is my best friend, after all. Later that day I see Amy curled up in the armchair, engrossed in it. I smile to myself. The days go by. We visit many places, go shopping, have fun. I even made Amy go to the zoo one day; Vienna has the oldest zoo in the world, and with me being the animal lover that I am, I could not pass up the offer (if I can call it that). Amy finished it in a week, also amazed by it. What can I say, it has mysterious powers. The day of our departure comes, and I am very sad to go, even though I think Iris is fed up with this place by now. I have the memories to always remind me of this summer in Vienna.

I had the most amazing summer ever. I do not think I will ever forget it; I might even tell my grandchildren about that special trip to Europe. It brought on an ending, a spectacular ending, never-before-seen. Nonetheless, I feel emptiness inside me that the ending has left as I say to myself: “What now?” Although during most of the fifteen-hour flight I have these thoughts, I even manage to sleep a little. As the plane is landing in Seattle, I feel the inaudible whisper: “Welcome home.”

A short story

Saying hi to my new friend: Introduce yourselves

Dear Readers,

I don’t want to spend time introducing myself by telling you things about myself and my life. But I will disclose one secret: I’ve tried many times to start writing my diary, but I failed-most of the times. Now, I have one very strong reason to start doing it. As I entered my sweet years, I decided to spend couple of days alone, at place totally unknown. But before I start, I have to give name to my new friend. My Readers, please help me find the appropriate name for these friend, for this notebook, for my diary. This friend I can always talk to. How should I call it? Maybe Kathleen? Or Kathy?

Yes, I think Kathleen is suitable name (it reminds me of the first doll I used to play with)

Does it remind YOU of something/someone maybe?

Day 1:

Dear Kathleen,

Today is the big day. MY big day. I walk slowly counting each of my steps. Unexplored, totally unknown world is waiting for me. Am I doing the right thing? My heart whispers: “Do the right thing.” But, do you know what the right thing is? Maybe this is it. I hope it is.

I’ve never travelled before. I spend most of the days here, on this desert like and God-abandoned Island. Nothing was going on. Sixteen year of my life, I passed here. Sixteen years of boredom. Sixteen years without imagination.

My big day is here. It is here. I am walking away of this place. Even though I will come back after 4 days…Something new will be seen. My heart beats faster and faster as I approach the so known Fast Ferry.

I approach. I am on the Ferry. I have this feeling I cannot describe. Under my feet I feel the water. I start moving. A music is playing. Soft music. I feel a river flowing in me. I dance. Everyone’s looking at me. But I am alone. I care for no one. I dance. I feel the freedom. I have the world in my hands. There are no boundaries on this ferry. Perfect feeling.

The Ferry starts moving. The wind blows in my faces, making me feel even better. It’s a whole new world to me. It’s a whole new experience. It’s a whole feeling I never had before.

I don’t know if you, Kathleen and you, my Readers, understand this, but it’s something in me. Something I feel.

Day 2:

Dear Kathleen,

I am writing to you again. I just arrived in this city where people say murano glass is produced. There is something in this city. As most of you, including you Kathleen, may know this is the city of Venice. I try to find out why it’s called Venice. However, I cannot get an answer. I don’t like the name Venice. At all. I don’t know why, but it’s just TOO simple. It’s meaningless. Therefore, I decide to give a new name. I will call it the city of Mapo or as Italians would say La citta di Mapo. I like their language. It’s so melodic-it’s like singing a song. I would love to learn it. I start counting the number of streets and tunnels. I arrive at 1390. Then, I give up. Their number is equal to ten to the power of nine, or maybe more. I get lost. It seems to me like I’ve been here. I felt this air somewhere before. But I can’t remember where. Where was that? Maybe you remember? Kathleeen you are silent as always. Tell me something. No answer. As always. Silence.

In my heart, I bring piece of this city. Piece of the land I am now walking on. I have it with me.

You will excuse me now, but I had a very busy day. I shall go to sleep early. Who know what I’ll see in my dreams (if any are to come to me).

Day 3:

Dear Kathleen,

From la citta di Mapo, after two days and one night, you arrive at my nameless city: my imaginary city. No one else, but you, Kathleen and you, my readers, can see this city. No one else. Because you are the only ones who have the ability to read my mind.

My city is white, exposed to the moon, with streets wound about themselves as in skein. Men of different nations have identical dream. Those men come to my city. All of them, but me, have an identical dream. They see a women running at night through my city. Who is she: you don’t get to know. The men see her only from behind. She has long hair. She is naked. The men dream of her. They dream of pursuing her. In the end, each of them loses her track. They set a search in my imaginary city. However, they can’t find her. She always escapes. They never get to see her again. Never ever. Asleep or awake- she was neither here, nor there.

New group of men comes. They have the same dream. Exactly the same.

I don’t understand: what drew these people to my city, my ugly city that looked like trap.

If someone of you understands, please tell me.

Day 4:

Dear Kathleen,

Dear Readers,

I have nothing left to say or share. I told you almost everything. Everything I felt during my journey. Now I am going back. I don’t feel the excitement anymore. I am going back to my forgotten island. To that deserted place where nothing’s going on. Nothing, but everything.

No more imagery, no more music…More boundaries, less freedom. And this is I guess where my story ends.

Why it’s important to keep the feminist spirit alive

We have come a long way since the previous century. There have been plenty of victories for feminism, including the franchise, the right to an abortion, and the right to equal pay. Moreover, sexual equality is now enshrined and protected in law. I get to go to school, high school and university should I choose. So why am I making this argument?

Because it seems like we’ve reached a stalemate point, least in modern democracies. There is this notion that there is nothing left for the feminist movement to do in most Western countries. And because this is so – although I thoroughly disagree on this point as well – we have adopted a lazy, cultural-relativist position when it comes to women’s plight around the world.

Feminism has plenty of more to achieve, on the global front, as well as home. Worldwide, women do two-thirds of all work, earn one-tenth of all income and own one-hundredth of all property. Two-thirds of the world’s illiterate people are women. Three hundred million women have no access to contraception. 100 million missing baby girls have suffered the consequences of gendercide in China as a result of its one-child policy. More than 80% of the world’s 50 million refugees and displaced people are women and children. Every year, 2 million girls under 16 are coerced, abducted, or trafficked into the sex industry.

It is absolutely disturbing to me that any human could watch a mother give birth, realize the baby is a girl and in disgust throw it into a slops pail to die while calling it a “useless thing” a scene Chinese writer Xinran Xue describes when talking about gendercide.

We were all horrified at the story of Afghan teenage girl Aishia whose husband cut off her nose and ears because she attempted to escape her family’s abuse. Iraqi Dua Khalil – another teenage girl – was stoned to death for daring to have a boyfriend. An “honor killing” it was called.

Khaled Mahmood used the same pretense to justify the killing of his sister who had, according to him, shamed his family by having a relationship with a man he didn’t approve of. The total time he spent in jail? Six days of custody. No charges were made. He remains a free man.

Why do feminist responsibilities stop at the border? Why is there so little public outcry at the atrocities women are facing? Why do we continue to passively accept traditional “cultural” practices that assert male authority and continue to disadvantage women?

Somali born, Aayan Hirsi Ali is on point when she speaks of the West’s “misguided politeness” in opting to tolerate the despicable treatment of women and girls and excuse it as cultural custom or religious rites.

In our own country, according to research, one out of every four women has experienced domestic violence, although this number could be higher in reality. Regarding representation in government, women currently compose 28% of the Macedonian parliament, and 17% in ministerial posts. Furthermore, there is constant discrimination of Roma women and young girls who are repeatedly deprived of education, work, health insurance, and social programs and are still facing unequal representation in public and political life. A 2008 Amnesty International Report estimated that about 66% of them only find employment in our so-called "grey economy." Moreover, they experience high rates of domestic violence and many situations of unpaid and exploitative labor. Obviously, just because we have the legal structures in place does not mean we have been successful in their implementation.

And yes, perhaps feminism has done well for you and me. But you know what? We are part of a privileged club. And it’s mot just about us.

“So what do we do,” is what some might ask. “What is the solution?” Well the answer is, there isn’t a simple solution: these are complex and deeply entrenched issues. What we absolutely must do is keep the dialogue open. We must keep emphasizing the value of discourse. We must keep talking about the problems because we cannot find solutions until we are open and honest about them. And this – this takes courage. It’s time to be open and audaciously vocal about what is going on in the lives of women around us. Now, more than ever, we must keep the feminism torch from burning out. We can do it.

Back to a Verdure

She came back to her hometown
After such an emerald struggle.
What she left once was brought down,
She had naught to love or ogle.

The day he walked the streets alone
In search of love and laughter.
The day he walked, but twilight came
To find him in the rivers’ chatter.

She heard the waves in their flows sing
Of things one cannot bring back.
The man sensed sorrow deep within,
He wanted to weep and scream in black.

Ripple Rush

Careful not to skip life’s stones or they might skip you,

Thus sang the angel face of a child,
Before a fate she knew.

One day the forest whispered
Come let’s play;
And off she went in search of joy,
And ended up in prey.

Rest follows a forest hike, she reasoned;
And so lay by the river’s edge,
Covered by the sun’s glare;
As seasoned.

Dreams clutched her in their claws,
Joined in thought of the river flow,
Wrestled by fish,
As chess pawns.

In spirit form they wound,
Through aqua green, through blue;
By convoluted memories,
They drowned.

The ghostly swirl tossed about
The golden locket ‘round her neck;
Off it went,
Into the cerulean wreck.

Now the wind chased the leaves;
‘round her bare feet they played,
And her fingers dug through the soil,
Through the dream’s swirl of scented lemonade.

Through her fingertips bit,
The locket’s frost;
The water’s tint grew into staring eyes,
While waves formed wrinkles that spoke of cost.

Scathed had become her cheeks
By the twigs of the ancient tree.
Awaken she became
By the daytime owl’s shrieks.


Rousing thus she felt
The locket’s burden round her neck,
She found it was the wrinkles
In which her memories still dwelt.

A clock the locket bore,
Beneath the metal of which
Lay the burned skin of the sun,
While the tick met the pulse she wore.

Standing now,
The child resumed her song,
Followed by the daytime owl,
As though her barefoot steps were wrong.

History of Women’s day

International Women’s Day is celebrated on 8th of March every year. This date is also recognized by the United Nations and it has hence declared this day as a holiday in many countries. This day is an excellent platform for all the women around the world who have different ethnic backgrounds to come together and celebrate the nine decades of struggle for equality, justice and peace. On this day, there is variety of celebrations done. The celebrations range from showing respect and love to women in addition to appreciating the chores done by women. Besides these celebrations, women’s economic and social achievements are as well acknowledged.

The history of this day goes back to the time period when women struggled to participate in a society that was dominated by men. I order to have equal rights and status, women started riots and procession. Though these were in different parts of world but, they shared the same motive. For instance, in ancient Greece, Lysistrata started a sexual strike against men in order to end the war. Similarly, during the French Revolution, Parisian women demanded liberty, equality and fraternity and consequently marched on to Versailles to overcome the Women’s suffrage.

The first Women’s Day was observed across the United States on 28th of February after the declaration by the Socialist Party of America. Later it was continued to celebrate on the last Sunday of that month until 1913.

In 1910, the Socialist International held a meeting in Copenhagen and established a Women’s Day in order to honor the movements initiated by women all over the world and thus support their idea of eliminating universal suffrage for women.

After such establishment, the Women’s Day was marked on 19th March, 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. Women demanded the right to vote in addtition to right to work and right to hold an office.

In Europe during 1913 and 1914, women held rallies either to protest the war or to express their solidarity with their sisters. Such protests happened during the 8th of March. However Russians always chose last Sunday of February. In 1917, after the death of 2 million Russian soldiers, Russian women again chose the last Sunday of February to strike for bread and peace. This Sunday fell on 23rd of February on the Julian calendar. However, this day was 8th of March on the Gregorian calendar which was followed elsewhere across the globe.

Hence, since those days, the Women’s Day is celebrated every 8th of March and women are acknowledged for the efforts that they have put forth in order to raise the status of women today. It gave a new global dimension for women today and thus has encouraged women to perform tasks that were once considered impossible for women.

Fast Forward

Tick tock goes the clock; I’ll be running down the block
Cars be flying, flying by, where did all the time go by?
Buses packed, fully crowded, who’d a known I nearly doubted
Trains be bustling, while people be hustling
As time goes traveling, and people are babbling,
How fast has life gone? It’s up to you, but life goes on

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: Tolerance and Reform

This October, U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips ordered the military to stop enforcing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, the law that has been used to discharge openly gay service members since 1993. The federal judge ruled that the policy was unconstitutional, and pushed for equal rights for gays in the military. However, while the Obama administration claims to favor an end to the law, their course of action for the future remains ambiguous.

Days after the federal judge’s ruling, the Obama administration filed a request for a stay on the policy. In other words, “don’t ask, don’t tell” will remain in practice. Individuals that oppose the policy, as well as the Log Cabin Republicans, the group that filed the lawsuit against the legislation, have expressed their disappointment but don’t seem surprised. While Obama campaigned against “don’t ask, don’t tell,” his attempts to change the policy have been considered insufficient, causing many to find his promises unconvincing.

Obama defended his position, stating that, while he agreed members should not have to lie about their sexual orientation, a change in policy would take time. He addressed the public, stating that his administration is moving in the “direction” of ending the policy. If Obama holds true to this claim, we can infer that at best, it will take several months to train service members and revise regulations to protect the rights of gay members in the military. However, his decision to hold the policy for now suggests any movement for change will face further delay.

While the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy underwent heated debate in Washington, riots broke out in Belgrade as anti-gay protestors sought to disrupt a gay pride march, the first since 2001. In the past, the city has experienced little success with gay pride marches: while the march came under attack by protestors in 2001, the scheduled march in 2009 was canceled due to public safety concerns.

Vincent Degert, head of the EU mission in Serbia, addressed a crowd of about 1,000 participants before the march. He stated the purpose of the march was to, “Celebrate the values of tolerance, freedom of expression and assembly.” However, despite his optimism, the government took precautions - CNN reported that about 1,000 gay pride participants were guarded by 5,000 police officers. While the march progressed, protestors confronted the heavily guarded participants, throwing rocks at armed police, intensifying the confrontation.

Protestors carried Serbian flags, linking nationalism with anti-gay views. Others were seen carrying religious icons, arguing that homosexuality goes against Serbian religious beliefs and family values. While Serbian government officials claim the riot was carried out by individuals that used the march as an excuse to act out in violence, it is clear that the march failed to demonstrate the “tolerance and freedom of expression” Dergert had hoped for.
As BBC reporter Mark Lowen stated, this is, “not the image Serbia wants the world to see. A successful gay parade was supposed to be an indication of how far this country has come from the ultranationalism and violence of the 1990s.” Nine years after its first march, Serbia has yet to prove to the international community that it has reached the desired stage of maturity and development. Rather, its recent riot has demonstrated the clash of opinions and inability to peacefully resolve issues. However, its attempt to continue with the march, despite great obstacles, suggests the country is taking steps towards protecting the interests of minority groups.

The struggles of both countries reveal steps towards change - while the U.S. strives to change its “don’t ask, don’t tell policy” and defend gay rights in the military, Serbia has taken measures to protect the rights of minority groups. Although the attempts of both countries have not been completely successful, they demonstrate hope for future progress and reform.

Jewish New Year

For Orthodox Christians it’s Easter, for Catholics it’s Christmas, but what is the most important holiday for the Jews? New Year is the most significant event. According to the Gregorian calendar, the month of either September or October, also known as the Tishri month is welcoming the New Year. The Jewish New Year, however, has somewhat different customs from the traditional New Year most people around the world are used to.
Speaking of the Jewish New Year, I decided to interview one of my Jewish friends, Lacey Goldsher, who is a senior at the Hebrew High School of New England. I asked her to tell me more for their traditions for the new beginning in Jewish lives.

• How long do you celebrate New Year, or as you call it Rosh Hashanah?
It is a ten day long period during which almost every Jew is in high spirits and mood for the celebrations. Everything begins with the sundown of the first day and ends with the sundown of the tenth day.

• What does New Year mean to you and to the Jews in particular?
Our tradition speaks of a symbolic book in heaven which is said to have records of those who did good and bad deeds. On Rosh Hashanah, we must account to God for our behavior during the past year. We are given ten days before the New Year to show that we are sorry for any wrong doings we may have done. Personally, I perceive this day as a Day of Judgment.
What we are supposed to do is undo all wrong doings by performing good deeds and by thinking about how to live a better life in the future. If we are sincere, God is supposed to forgive us and he sets down and foretells each person's fate for the next year in the book.

• What was your New Year’s wish?
My biggest wish was probably a combination of three, important to me, concepts: good life, good health and prosperity. And I am more than sure that other Jews have similar, if not the same wish.

• How do celebrate your New Year?
In my family, it’s a tradition to send cards to each other with a message "May you be written down for a good year." We also exchange the same greetings the day before Rosh Hashanah, when we attend prayers at a local synagogue before returning home for a special New Year Eve meal.
The New Years Eve dinner has festival candles which are lit and the dining table is decorated with fresh fruit of the season, especially with grapes since our New Year is mostly in September. My mother prepares bread known as Challah and honey cake. Auspicious fruits dipped in honey are also served. The honey is supposed to symbolize sweet year. In my house, the main dish usually is a fish because it is a symbol of fruitfulness and plentitude. Other foods with a symbolic meaning may be served such as cooked tongue or other meat from the head of an animal to symbolize the “head” of the year.

• What else is special about the Jewish New Year beside the family dinner, the prayers and the card gifts?
A special service is held which ends in the blowing of the shofar. The shofar is a horn used for Jewish religious purposes. What usually happens is that 100 separate notes are blown on it. This is highly important ritual to the people who are too ill to attend the service try to find someone who will come to their place and will blow the shofar for them.

Learning a New Language

Language is the inheritance of a certain nation or region. The accent most often emphasizes the origin of the speaker. Then what is the reason, you may ask, as to why people choose to learn a non-native language? Some choose to learn a language because later they could have opportunities to study or work abroad. Others may choose to study a language because of the culture of a country they admire, by learning that specific language they feel closer to that particular culture.

Learning a language needs a painstaking work, and it can be understood only through experience: through conversation with the native speakers and reading books in the language. The first step to successfully learn a language is to have interest in it and the next step is to practice it through verbal and written communication. It takes time to “polish” a language. The best way to enrich one’s vocabulary is to read books, but what if one cannot make out a word of the text? The solution is to visit one of many internet sources that provide dictionaries. However instead of torturing oneself with lengthy books, it is better to visit online language-game sites. They can be found by automatic web search by only inserting the language’s name and games. The answer to the question “Why?”, is that teenagers and youngsters often find it hard to learn more than couple of new words per day.

Many people learn English, which has become a world-wide used language, at a young age. However, this does not mean that one language is easier than another. It solely depends on an individual, on one’s native tongue and languages learned in childhood. Languages have similarities, some less, others more. For example a Spaniard may find French easier then a Slavic speaking person because of grammar and vocabulary. To sum it up every language has its differences that make it unique. It may be structure, pronunciation of the words or intonations. Different languages make literature interesting. When reading out loud one can inspect the unique sounds of the language. It is considered to be an advantage to read a work with its original text, completely conveying author’s ideas and feelings.

Many children have parents who travel a lot, so they get to learn at least some basics of the language in a country they visit. The reason is because the local language makes it easier to socialize with others. The benefits of traveling are widening one’s cultural knowledge and socializing with people of different characters. However one may feel exhausted of constant environment change, feel insecurity and burden. To best way to get through that “newcomer” stage is to have patience. Staying in touch with people from the previous schools helps to gain confidence.

I come from a Slavic speaking country, but still found Macedonian enigmatic for the first month in Skopje. It was awkward when people spoke to me but I could not make out the meaning. I often used hands to express myself, some found it hard, some gave up from talking to me, but others seeing my will to communicate stayed patient. Eventually I started to see similarities between my language and Macedonian and not long after I started speaking. Even though I speak broken Macedonian, I am understood. In a year, I learned the basics that helped me a lot. It is never too late to learn a language and there are never too “many” languages to learn. All one needs is time.