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Band of brothers Band of brothers is the name of a TV-miniseries in 10 episodes created by the wellknown TV-company HBO, which also lay behind famous shows such as Game of thrones and True detective. It aired in 2001 and it’s directed by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.

The series takes place during the later years of World War 2 and follows a company of American paratroopers (soldiers that are jumping out of planes using parachutes and attacking from the sky) from the day the company is formed in 1942, until the end of the war in 1945. There are no actual main characters since the series focuses on the entire company. The company, called Easy Company, gets through D-Day, they fight in Holland and experience the cold winter in the Ardennes forest where Hitler’s last offensive takes place. They are even among the first people to get to the Eagle’s nest, a big residence dedicated to Hitler himself, when the war is over. The content in all ten episodes are based on actual events, since the story of Easy Company is real. Some of the men who served in the actual war were still alive when they made the series, so a couple of them are interviewed in the beginning of each episode. There’s also a book about the company that they based the show on.

In my opinion Band of brothers is one of the best shows that’s ever been on TV. It’s rated 9.6 (out of 10) on IMDB, the database for movies, series, celebrities etc., and it’s been nominated for and have won several awards.

The main reason why I like it so much is probably because of the fact that everything has happened once in real life. When you watch a fictional movie and something terrifying happens you can just tell yourself “It’s just a movie”, but if the film is based on real-life events, you can’t. The thought that some people actually lived through all these horrible days out in the field and experienced the complete terrors of this World War, makes the series a whole lot better. Most importantly, it makes you look at everything that plays out on the screen more seriously and gravely and it wakens thoughts in your head that allow you to reflect about the cruelness and inhuman acts that appear in war (and other important questions). It also makes you feel more for the characters and triggers deeper emotions.

The show is really well made. The amount of money that the producers spent on explosives reached the world record by the time it was released, since they show a whole lot of battle and action scenes in almost all the episodes. The producers manage to capture the atmosphere and the misery of the war very well from the beginning until the very end of the tenth episode. It brings the feeling that you’re there yourself and it’s a really good insight in what being a soldier is like.

Another important thing that is shown in Band of Brothers is the special bond that’s created among soldiers in combat. Many of the men become very close friends, almost like brothers during their time in the war, and their characters develop and change a lot throughout the series. This is another reason to my high liking for Band of brothers.

Since the series focuses on about 35 men in one company (around 140 people in total), there are many characters to keep in mind. The first time you watch it, it will probably feel confusing and maybe tiring, considering that there are so many people and so much stuff going on at once. You may find the battle scenes long or extended and maybe have a hard time understanding all the military terms. After a while though, you’ll hopefully get stuck with a character or two and it will get better (if it wasn’t already). According to me, the more times you watch it, the more interesting and entertaining it becomes, since you discover new characters and notice small details every time. The cast of the series does a great job with their roles as American paratroopers and the show actually stars a surprisingly high count of really famous actors (even though many of them just have minor roles), such as David Schwimmer (who plays Ross in the series Friend), Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy (who both play big parts in X-men First Class for example), and Tom Hardy (Inception and The Dark Knight Rises).

I would probably rate this mini-series 5/5. Mostly because I totally fell in love with the characters, but also thanks to the historical value and the way it handles the misery of war. I would especially recommend it for those who would like to watch something with a deeper meaning and wants to think and reflect about human nature and how terrible and awful this world can be, but also for those who like action and combat or are interested in history or war and want something entertaining or educational. Although, I would probably recommend it to everyone.

The picture below is a drawing dedicated to this series that I made in the spring of 2013. The texts in the middle are quotes from different episodes of the show and the word “Currahee” is the motto of Easy Company, which translates “Stand alone”.

By: Malin Nyman

Christmas carols and music The photo is from Wikipedia

Christmas is coming up and it’s time to get in the right spirit by festive baking, decorating the house and of course, listening to Christmas music. The most popular Christmas songs are played all holiday long, Christmas after Christmas. Some people might get annoyed by this and some might be indifferent, but I absolutely love it. There’s nothing that gets you in the right spirit as listening to “Merry Christmas everyone” in my opinion.

Europeans used to sing carols even before Christmas was invented and the people who lived here weren’t Christian. The “pagans” celebrated winter solstice instead and sang carols when they danced around stone circles as a part of the solstice feast. The word carol comes from this doing and signifies “to dance to something” or “a song of praise and joy”. They used to sing these carols all year around but as we can tell, we only inherited the tradition of doing it during the winter. When Christianity spread through Europe and we started celebrating Christmas, these pagan songs were viewed as reprehensible and so people stopped singing them altogether. The tradition survived though, but now in the shape of Christian songs in Latin, that often were sung during Christmas service in church. But since the people weren’t educated and therefore didn’t know any Latin, they didn’t understand the carols.

This had a big effect on the celebrating of Christmas all together since people lost interest in the festivity. St. Francis of Assisi changed this dramatically with his Nativity Plays in Italy. The plays contained songs that told a story, sung by the actors in the The photo is from from Wikipedia drama. The “revolution” of these plays were that the songs or carols were sung in the spoken language so that the people watching could sing along. The new carols were a success and expensed to the rest of Europe. The 1400s were a golden century for the carols since so many were written during this period, unfortunately only a few of them are still sung today.

During the 1400s many carols like this were written but sadly most of them don’t exist anymore.

Most of the carols were more entertaining than religious although they were based on Christian stories. The carols lived on, and after a while they became very popular to sing in the streets, in some countries people still do this a lot. And although carols aren’t as popular as they used to be anymore, the outgrowth of it - Christmas music - is.

Among other old carols, “Silent night” is a popular Christmas carol you probably recognize. It was written in 1816 by a catholic priest in Austria, the original title of the writing was “Stille Nacht!

Heilige Nacht!” Two years after he wrote it, he got a friend to write a melody to the poem. To this date the carol has been translated into 143 other languages. “Joy to the world” is another wellknown carol, it’s written in 1719 and is based on psalm 98 in the bible. It’s amazing how we still listen to these carols - made 200 and 300 years ago - at Christmastide, perhaps the carols brings the same feeling to people today as they did then. If you’re not into carols though, check out my recommendations for nice Christmas music in the box below.

The frame is from pixabay.com

Are you not in the right temper for Christmas yet? Here are some suggestions of Christmas songs that are great according to me: • Last Christmas – Wham!

• Merry Christmas everyone – Shankin’ Stevens • Baby it’s cold outside – Glee cast • Shake up Christmas – Train • Mistletoe – Justin Bieber • Christmas lights – Coldplay • All I want for Christmas is you – Mariah Carey • Do they know it’s Christmas – Band Aid

Isak Olsson NA14B

Do we really want to save our planet?

You hear it over and over. You hear it from the media and the leaders of the world and probably in school or at work. Maybe you are learning about global warming in school or working around environmental issues for your company. If one ever ask you if you want to save our planet then you would most certainly answer yes. But is it really the truth you are telling?

Naomi Klein, a well renowned author, mostly known for her books No Logo and The Shock Doctrine, is one of the leading voices in the environmental debate right now. In her books she describes the connections between the climate change and the free market, and her latest book This Changes Everything is no exception. She describes how the WTO (World Trade Organization) prohibit individual countries to support local companies and local producers because that would impede multinational companies to compete against the local companies. The idea of every company in a country within the WTO competing on the same conditions might be ideal from a trading perspective, but not from an environmental point of view. One of Klein’s examples is Ontario, a town in Canada. The politicians in Ontario wanted to support local companies as an attempt to favor both the inhabitants of Ontario and the global environment. The only thing the companies had to ensure was that around 40-60 per cent of the workforce and material were gathered local to Ontario. It did not take much time before a solar plant manufacturing company settled down in Ontario. Everything worked well until the World Trade Organization, backed by the European Union considered Ontario’s actions to support local companies violated international law. Ontario had to remove their regulations and the local manufacturers once again had to compete against Chinese’s low price companies. A catastrophe for both the Ontario based companies and the environment. Once again everything goes back to the same question. Are

we prepared to sacrifice parts of the free market for ensuring that we can save our planet? The answer actually seems to be no!

When I read This Changes Everything I understood that we had to change the way we live and our expectations of life. At first I felt afflicted about the fact that those big organizations like the European Union and the World Trade Organization did everything they possibly could to preclude individual cities or countries from ensuring that they affect the climate as little as possible. What can I do against those multinational giants with their enormous pockets and limitless power? Sure I can vote for an environmental friendly party or participate in manifestations against those organizations, but my small voice would not make much of a difference. I understood that I and everyone else on this planet have to make active choices about our lifestyles, and the biggest choice we can make is to actively consume less. If we buy less products and make sure it is locally produced we can sidestep the bureaucracies’ anti-environmental ideas. If we make active choices we can save our planet. Though we might need to reconsider our standards of living. We will need to leave our materialistic lifestyle. Instead of buying everything you want, you might have to just buy what you need. If you need one shirt, you buy one shirt, even if it is a 2 for 1 offer on Black Friday. You also have to make sure it is locally produced, so maybe you cannot buy the cheapest one, because it will probably be produced in China or Bangladesh.

The best is actually if you buy the shirt at the local second hand store. There are other active choices one could make. For example cycle instead of going by car, buying the new energy efficient LED-bulbs and also pressing the “Off-switch” when leaving a room. There is so much one could do so the question is not if we can save the world, it is if we are ready to sacrifice enough for saving the world.

Isak Olsson NA14B So far, I have been fairly pessimistic and this text has probably not cheered up anyone. If anything, one cannot have a negative attitude towards solving environmental issues.

Therefore I will dedicate the next part of this article showing that it is possible for us to save our planet. As I explained earlier in the article it might feel impossible to do something that matters for the environment but that is in reality not true at all. There are so many everyday actions you can perform that will help the environment. Those are actions that do not demand a lot of effort from your side. You can start by buying a cycle. The cycle is the ultimate vehicle for fast and easy transportations, no matter if it is in the city or on the countryside and it is completely green.

No fossil fuels or oil, just pure green energy.

That is what the environment loves. Further you can start reuse the plastic bags you get from the stores, eat vegetarian food at least once a week and pull out the phone charger from the socket. This was just a small example of actions everyone could make as a step towards a sustainable world. Remember, everyone cannot do everything, but everyone can do something.

I hope this text has enlightened some of the problems with the free market and our ignorance towards the actions that need to be taken when it comes to saving our world, but most of all I hope I have encouraged you to start making a change. Hopefully you have understood that change has to be done but also how you can make a change. /Isak Olsson

Naomi Klein, the author of This Changes Everything.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Going by bike is one important thing you could do for saving our planet.

Photo: Pixabay.com

12/19/15

Cordyceps – The Killer Fungi A while ago, I found a book that caught my interest - The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey. It is a post-apocalyptical sci-fi novel where most of the human race has been infected by Ophiocordyceps, AKA a zombie fungus. I recognized it from somewhere, and decided to so some research. And as it turns out, this fungus is not fictional.

It is real.

Cordyceps The Cordyceps is a group of parasitic fungi and their hosts are usually insects. The fungi can change the behavior of its victim, which is beneficial for the advancement of the fungus.

There is a diversity of fungus, over 400 different species, and each one is specialized in a particular host.

The Host One of these many variations of fungus is Ophiocordyceps unilateralis. This fungus is specialized in…drumroll please…jungleants!

The spores of the fungus attaches to the body of the ant which does not notice its presence before it’s too late. By the time the ant discovers the parasite, it has already penetrated the exoskeleton. Here begins the internal battle between parasite and host.

As the infected ant fights desperately, the workers quickly transport it far away from the colony to dump it.

This might seem cruel, but considering the outcome of the infection, this is essential for the survival of the ant-colony.

© David Hughes

The Outcome of The Killer Fungi he brain of the ant is infected by the fungus, which takes control over the ant via the central nervous system and directs it upwards.

The higher vegetation is optimal for the growth of the fungus, and this is why it is in need of a host. It can’t reach “higher ground” alone.

Once the ant reaches “higher ground” it has served its purpose and attaches itself to, either a leaf or a stem, and dies.

Now the growth of the fungus begins.

It grows inside the ant and finally finds the way out, through the brain and head of its former host. The fungus develops for a period of three weeks and when fully grown, the tip “explodes” and the spores spread in the wind.

The circle is complete.

Why? The Cordyceps fungi tend to “attack” a specie when the population is too large for the greater good of the ecosystem. The fungi adapt to this specie to either wipe it out or just get the numbers under control.

The question now is:  Is it likely to believe the Cordyceps fungus will attack the human race, as it did in the book I read?  Is the population of the human race too large for the world to handle?  Will this fungus be the horrifying “zombie-apocalypse” we see in the movie-theatres nowadays?

If it is, well, then it is the will of nature.

And in the end, we’re all just products of the existence of that very nature.

Elin Fromén

12/19/15

Want to know more?

Feel free to check out my sources linked down below, including a video from BBC showing the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis fungus.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/60364 0?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ fungus-makes-zombie-ants/ http://www.livescience.com/47751zombie-fungus-picky-about-antbrains.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Cordycep s http://eol.org/pages/6471318/details

Photo Credit: David Hughes https://www.flickr.com/photos/pennstateliv e/7135958337 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync/2.0/

To watch the video, simply click on the one called “Parasitic fungi attack�

Books worth reading The Girl You Left Behind A romantic novel by Jojo Moyes, a new author with success. After the top-listed Me before You, she wrote a heart breaking story about two women in different times. Sophie Lefèvre, who lives during the First World War in France, in a small village called St Péronne. She has a painting of her, made by her husband who is fighting the war. The painting is special, especially according to the German soldier who Sophie starts to fall for. The second woman is Liv Halston, who 90 years later has the magnificent painting in her bedroom and soon enough the story behind it starts to show.

This is a very exciting book, just because the two stories both end in the end of the book.

The reader can really feel the love and hate that are described in the stories.

This novel brings up ordinary problems in our society, on a different level. In this case; love and returning stolen art from the wars. Moyes’ other books have the same theme.

Lord of the Rings The masterpiece by Tolkien, where he even created his own language called Elvish. This trilogy follows the journey of the ring, the masters of the same ring, and the wars that the ring brings with it. Wars between good and bad, and you don’t know who to trust in this mess of creatures.

Frodo the hobbit, takes the journey with the ring, to the place where it was founded, because only there it can be destroyed. Together with him he has the fellowship of the ring, which includes his gardener and an elf for example.

Like I said, this is a masterpiece because it’s a story including many characters and their amazing histories. There is another book by Tolkien, The Hobbit, which takes place before the Lord of the Rings, even though it was published after.

Movies has been made to all four books, but the Hobbit was made into three movies. The movies are quite good, but if you’re interested in complicated histories behind a character, you should read the books, because many characters are not even in the movies.

Divergent Tris is sixteen years old, and is just about to make the biggest decision of her life. She lives in a city, separated from the rest of the world by a high wall. The inhabitants are divided in five, so called factions, in these factions they live. The people can only fit in one faction, except the dangerous divergents. Since Tris fits in three, she has to hide but makes a terrible choice which leads her to love and adventures that she couldn’t dream about.

This is a teenage book with love, hate and the trouble of finding yourself when you’re losing everyone around you. It’s modern and exciting with a lot of pure girl power and courage. The city is actually Chicago, but in the future, where the author Veronica Roth grew up.

Roth wrote a trilogy, with Divergent as part one. The first and second books are made into movies, and the third one will be in the cinemas in May 2015, with Shailene Woodly as Tris.

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared There are not many people who have met Harry S Truman, less been with him at the moment he found out that he was the new President of the United States. Allan Karlsson was also in the Chinese Civil War, when he suddenly switched side and saved Mao Zedung’s wife. Karlsson also spent time in jail with Herbert Einstein, the stupid brother of Albert Einstein.

Now Allan is turning 100 year and decides to flee the retirement home, which takes him on new adventures. Allan meets Benny, Sonja the elephant and together with his new friend Julius, they are guilty of murders and the cops after them.

It’s a great book, very funny because Allan is very easy with life and he has so much luck. The book is simply insane. The movie isn’t that good though, but I guess it’s hard to fit all the stories in one movie. Read the book, the book is always better. Written

by Jonas Jonasson.

Pride and Prejudice This historic book by Jane Austen, is heartwarming story about girl power in the early 19th century, when women didn’t have much to say about.

Elisabeth Bennet, Lizzy, and her four sisters live in a poor family with an anxious mother in a small village. One day two rich men move into the village, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy, they’re each other’s opposites. Mr. Bingley is very kind and outgoing, and Mr. Darcy isn’t. The last mentioned, starts to fall for Lizzy, and she isn’t sure about what to do, since she also has to think about what’s best for her family.

Like I said, it’s a heartwarming story with many events. The book will change the readers mind about problems more times than one, which makes it loving. This book has been recorded to movies, the old version with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. The newer one is with Kiera Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet.

Ruby Red This an ordinary teenage book, with first loves but it’s also in the fantasy genre, which makes it very likable. It’s a good book, but it doesn’t go deep in different characters stories or problems, it’s quite shallow.

Gwendolyn Shepard is not an ordinary girl, especially not when she finds out that she can travel in time. Along with the magical power comes a lot of problems, Gideon de Villiers for example. Gideon is mysterious and has a dislike for Gwen right from the beginning, but things are about to change. Since Gwen is caring and funny, it’s hard not to like her which Gideon understands after a while. Gwendolyn and Gideon are part of a circle of twelve, consisting time travelers. The trouble is that the boss of the circle, has a secret which separates the circle into two. In this mess of time, will she stay true to Gideon or true to herself?

Ruby Red is the first part of the Gem Trilogy, written by Kerstin Gier. She is a German author which is why the book is originally written in German but it takes place in contemporary London.

Malin Larsson All pictures © Malin Larsson

During the Christmas holiday one tends to get extra festive and creative. But why bother to buy new decorations or use old ones every year. Would it not be fun to show off your own beautiful homemade creations on Christmas parties or during family gatherings? Now is the time to get creative and to put your own personalized touch into fun DIYs instead of having boring premade decorations. In this text, four easy, quick and of course fun DIYs are presented. Let us get started!

Personalized advent candleholder

The first DIY in this text is a ”Personalized advent candleholder” which is a perfect décor and great all year around since one can customize it depending on the current season. However, more details could be added than shown in the pictures.

For this DIY you will need some sort of candleholder (or a tray), some moss, lingonberry stems and of course some candles of your choice.

Start by putting the moss on the tray.

Then follow by also putting your candles on the tray and making little “dents” in the moss for the candles.

Lastly, finish it off with some lingonberry stems and you will have a beautiful homemade advent candleholder.

Snowy pinecone garland

This DIY is fairly easy to do with the right tools. It is also very cheap since pinecones could be found in the woods.

The process of making this DIY is really quick as well. It could garnish your walls or windows if instructions are followed.

Use some white (preferably matte) spray-paint, twine, scissors, a ruler, some pinecones, superglue and if necessary some adhesive tape.

The first thing to do is spraying the pinecones white.

After the pinecones have dried, use superglue to attach them to the twine using a ruler to measure in-between each pinecone.

Wait for at least 20 minutes for the glue to dry and then your garland is ready to be hung up!

Homemade Christmas cards

The third DIY is �homemade christmas cards�. This easy and cute DIY will save loads of money for those buying premade Christmas cards or even other cards as well!

To create these simple cards the following is needed; glue, different types of paper (rather thicker ones), a ruler, scissors, an ink pen with a fine tip and some buttons.

Firstly place the buttons on your chosen piece of paper and glue them down.

When the glue has dried, use the ink pen to draw lines from each button to the edge of the paper.

The last step is to make small “wings” over each button. Lastly write something optional and then you are finished!

Snowflake glass paint design

The last DIY is probably the easiest one! But it can add a lot to the interior.

All you need is a glass surface, some plastic and some “glass paint” (can be bought at almost any local crafts store).

The first step is to take the glass paint and create a snowflake shape on the piece of plastic. Use inspiration from different designs if necessary.

Let the paint dry for about four hours and after that “peel” the paint off and transfer it to the glass surface and it will stick instantly!

Christina Truelson NA14B

Jakob Eriksson NA14B

Esport, a sport or not?

Some of you may have heard of Esport, some of you may not have heard about it. Esport is something that I follow frequently. I have my favorite team that I follow and cheer for and I also have my favorite players. Exactly like people who are following football or ice hockey. The players who play the game are also extremely skilled exactly like you need to be in all sports to compete at a professional level.

The biggest game in esport is League of Legends shorted LOL. Recently the world finals was in League of Legends and it had over 1 million viewers on twitch.tv and a lot of people saw it live as well. Twitch.tv is a streaming site where you can watch another player play video games online.

Many old people and some young may ask why do people like to watch other people play videogames? That is of the same reason people watch hockey, football and other sports. Because we think it is entertaining.

Today maybe you need to play the game yourself to understand what the game is about and what the players are doing. But I think this will evolve precisely like other sports. And sometime soon, people will watch without playing the game. I think that Esport can become bigger than a lot of other sports in fact it is a lot easier to settle in to. You can start at all ages and almost everyone has a computer nowadays. So it just to create a account and get started. You don’t need to find a lot people in your area and pull a team together. You can just push the play button and you will get a team online.

When it is about competing at a professional level the age of the players are the same in Esport than in all other physical sports, 20 – 40. Some may say that it is just a game. You

are just sitting in a chair, clicking buttons that cannot be so hard do and they think that you can do it until you are 80+. Yes you can click buttons until you are 80+, but not compete at a professional level. Then you need to have great reflexes and reflexes get slower the older you become.

Parents are often thinking that their children are throwing their life in the trash playing video games all day. But they gladly send their children to football practice or some other sport. The main reason this is, that they think it is more healthy for their children to practice some physical sport than playing computer games all day and that is true. But computer games are better for your mind and increase your skill in problem solving. Nowadays, companies hire people that are good at problem solving, rather than people that are good at just simple math. People that are good at problem solving are what the company wants and needs. It is easier to get someone that is good at calculate equations than someone to solve real life problems.

Computer games help you with that. The big problem that is with computer games is the health of people playing it. But I need to say the health of the people playing have been a lot better the latest years. I don’t think it is too hard even if you are playing a lot of computer games to go to the gym 3 times a week or take a run once or twice. It doesn’t take much time and will help with your health a lot.

So is Esport a sport or not? I think that Esport should be called a sport. It has become really big. The people that are competing at a high level need a lot of skill, maybe more than football players. Maybe you don’t need to have the most amazing physics to be able to compete professionally. That gives people in wheelchairs a chance in the sport. I hope that I have changed some opinions about however Esport is a sport or not.

Why e-Sport should be considered a “real” sport Close your eyes and imagine the following – you’re in the middle of an arena, you hear thousands of people cheering for you, and a thousand cheering your opponent, you’ve put all your time, money and effort to get to where you are now and all you’re thinking about is defeating your opponent to a get the prize with the huge profit that you think you earned.

Now, most of us have imagined being a boxer, a golfer or maybe a tennis player, but there are those who imagined themselves sitting with their faces against the monitor, their right hand on the mouse and the left hand on the keys on their keyboard, headphones attached to their ears so hard they hardly hear anything but the sound from the videogame they’re playing, constantly thinking of strategy to beat their enemy, with a heart beating so fast because of the risks. To some this sounds like a hilarious joke, but people do really think like that, just like the tennis player with hands gripping firmly on his racket, holding on to his stance, ready to do any movement that is required to defeat his opponent, thinking about where his next shot is going to be aimed, looking for weaknesses in his opponent etc.

In every sport you’re required to practice, have a good strategy, you’re supposed to be good at improvising and the most important factor is having good muscle memory, if you can’t deliver what you practiced then it’s a done deal. In most of E-sport games you’re required to have a super-fast reaction time, and according to a study that BBC has done it says that “An e-sports player can make more than 300 ‘actions’ per minute”( - Ben Dirs. Is computer gaming really sport? Bbc.com).

E-sports as they are called now have a huge following, it’s an entertainment just like soccer, and they have arenas where people pay to watch teams play against each other. They have tournaments where people have to pay fees to watch the play live, and are broadcasted and recently even got a special segment where most popular Swedish team’s matches get broadcasted live on Swedish television. Yet many still don’t recognize this as a sport, as a matter of fact it got criticized on many blogs, calling it “childish” and a bad influence since it has bad side effects on the health and body since people spend up to 14 hours sitting on a chair eating bad food and playing video games. But there are lots of sports that do huge damage to the body like sumo, where the fighters eat unhealthy diets which lead to unnecessary diseases and also lead to a short life span. Or the more famous American football where the athletes bang to each other for a ball and risk having brain injuries, breaking in the neck and bones and even get injures that will leave the athlete paralyzed.

If you still don’t recognize e-sport as a “real” sport than just know that e-sport is just like any other sport, you still have to go through the same phases that a tennis player goes through just like any other sport. It has organized tournaments, if you’re over 18 you can bet money, you can now watch it on TV.

The publishers from Wikimedia and Pixabay gave a public permission to use of the images above.

Abdullah Al-Dabbagh

Everythingman’s adventures

This is the story about the incredible Everythingman also known as Bob. Bob has not always been different he was just ordinary guy like everyone else. Bob was born in North Carolina and grew up there with his cousin Emma and his uncle Tommy that lived out in the woods because his parents died in a car accident when Bob was two years old and his uncle was the only one to take care of him. This made Bobs childhood miserable but yet he stayed strong and he was always the nice guy in school that helped everyone.

It was a nice summer evening when Bobs life change completely. That day Bob’s best friend Jimmy got overrun by a train and died, because of this Bob took a walk in the woods thinking of all the good times they had together. Suddenly a meteorite appeared from nowhere and landed a few meters away. Bob got curious and went over there to investigate it, he saw a shining blue light from the crash site which he tried to touch. When he touched it an incredible power went through his power and a bright light was seen all over America after which he then passed out.

Six months later Bob wakes up in a hospital next to him is his cousin sitting and reading the bible. Bob is shocked and asks what happened. Emma tells him everything that happened, how she had seen a bright light in the sky and she went looking for him and found him passed out inside a crater and how he has been in a coma for six months.

After leaving the hospital he started feeling a bit different and on the way home he sees his neighbor trying to get down her cat from a tree, and as the good guy Bob has always been he stopped and tried to help. He safely climbed up the tree and made the cat jump down but on his way down a branch under him snapped and he fell, on his way down he closed his eyes and wished that a soft mattress would appear under him and so it did. After laying there for about 20 seconds thinking he had died he opened his eyes and got surprised of what had happened and at the same time he knew that he had some powers but yet did not know the full potential of it so he decided to try it out some more. The first thing he tried was to fly which he managed to do but not so well since he ended up landing in his neighbors pigsty. After months of practice he learnt to control his powers.

Meanwhile on Pluto there was a man called Dexter and huge army of strange humanlike people that have the ability to drain people’s souls. Dexter found about the huge power on earth he wanted to claim it for himself to become the ruler of the Milky Way. One day Dexter decided to travel to earth by himself to take Bobs power, but Bob didn’t give it up easily and he fought back. They were hitting each other back and forth and it seemed like they were equal in power but after seven hours of fighting Bob finally managed to defeat Dexter. Dexter went back to Pluto to prepare his army to invade earth.

After the fight Bob got celebrated as a hero by everyone because he saved the world from the evil. During the celebration Bob met a guy called Jacob who was a highly educated scientist and engineer. Jacob was a huge fan of Bob and wanted to help him. So he told Bob about an invention he had made for him. It was a power suit that would amplify his powers and make him look good at the same time. It was a blue and a pink suit with the letters E and M which stands for everything man on the chest. And from that day Jacob and bob became very good friends, they both became a team of fighting crime in there city and in the entire

world. During the time bob was still worried about the evil guy dexter, because dexter promised bob that he will return and bring his army so Bob started prepare himself by training every day, but he realized that he and Jacob would not be enough so they decided to bring Emma and he gave them the same powers that he have and together they formed a team called “The Everything Squad” and together they cleansed the world from evil.

Through the years Bob and Emma became really close they started liking each other and they became a couple. On a Friday evening Bob took Emma on a date to fancy restaurant.

While they were having fun and enjoying their meal, suddenly it became dark and they heard people screaming from outside and Bob got a call from Jacob telling him to watch the TV so Bob turned around to see the TV behind him. On the TV he could see Dexter and his army invading the world so Bob tells Jacob to suit up and meat him and Emma on top of the roof of the restaurant.

When they were standing on the roof they got attacked by Dexter’s army and after a long fight Dexter’s army overwhelmed them and they retreated back to Bob’s house. Bob comes up with the idea that he thinks will destroy Dexter and his army and the plan was that Jacob and Emma took care of the army while Bob went for Dexter.

Jacob and Emma had a hard time taking care of Dexter’s army but then the US army came to help them, meanwhile they were taking care of the army Bob had a really hard time fighting Dexter but Bob got an idea he decided to being the fight to Dexter’s home, Pluto. After they got there Bob created a Black hole that started sucking them both in but just as they were about to get sucked in Bob kicked Dexter away and teleported back to Earth and Dexter and his planet Pluto got into the black hole. When Pluto got destroyed the whole army of Dexter got destroyed and it was because Pluto was the source of life for Dexter’s species but during the fight with the army many human soldiers had also lost their lives, sacrificing themselves to save the world and they will always be remembered for that especially Bob’s best friend Jacob who also died during the fight.

Bob and Emma were really sad that they had lost Jacob but years later Bob and Emma got married and got a kid that they named Jacob in memory of their good friend and they lived happily ever after until the day another big threat invaded Earth.

To be continued…

Mohamad Latof och Albin Sjövall

Amanda Söderman, NA14B

The Beginning of Life So I’m back where it all began. The sunbeams are shining through the turquoise water, and from under the surface the clear blue sky is showing. I recognize everything here, even though it has been such a long time since. I swim closer to the inland, wanting to get a closer look. Who would have thought I would be back here? A flashback from the day when it all began hits me.

Today is a good day, today is the day when I get to start my new life. I get to see the world and finally live it. My shell has been hatched and I’m all alone now, everything is now my responsibility. Or no, not everything, but everything in my own life. I will now stand on my own four feet and I just can’t wait to get started.

I push my way through, trying to get my way ahead.

But everywhere are others like me trying to do the same. The box is so small, I cannot understand how we can all fit in here. I keep pushing forward, trying to get a clearer view, I look up and see the clear blue sky. It’s hard to focus, as the box is wiggling back and forth. Suddenly the wiggling stops, the box has been put down. Everyone around me are now trying to get over the edge, but it is just too high. For a while nothing is happening, everything is just the same and the waiting and longing is killing me. No one of us can bare to wait, and everyone is on their watch.

After a while the box starts tipping, slowly and carefully. We are all brought closely together and gathered in the same spot until the box is turned over completely. I’m rolled over on my back and I cannot see anything. Someone pushes me over and I get on my feet. I feel a warm and soft ground under me, but it is hard to move. I try to shovel my way forward, all focus ahead of me. I know that this is not going to be easy, but I cannot give up now, I have to keep pushing forward. Soon I spot something clear blue, the ocean. I know I’m close, I will not lose it now. I try to speed up because the way is no longer blocked. I pass others and notice that one of them is injured. One of his legs is just not working, he tries to move forward with no luck. Even if he made it to the ocean he would not survive due to his injure. This is just life, sometimes it does not work.

The exhaustion has hit me, I do not know if I can get any further but I can’t give up now. The ground is getting wetter, which means that I’m soon there.

My body feels it, I can even smell it. A wave hits me and makes it easier for me, I am no longer pushing sand away. I am swimming for the first time and I actually made it. Now I’m all alone, my friends are swimming their own way, and so am I. Now is the time for me to take care of myself, find my own way and get stronger. This is not the end though, it’s far from it because my journey has just begun.

© Amanda Söderman

Gabrielle “Coco” Bonheur Chanel was born on the 19th of August 1883 in Saumur, France. At the age of 12 she ended up on a foster care. When Chanel was in her 20s she became a singer at the Music Hall whit the nickname Coco.

Her carrier started off for real when she opened her own boutique in 1910 on 21 Rue Cambon in Paris whit her own brand Chanel Modes. The Chanel logotype is tow big C whit their backs to etch other. She started whit selling hats she herself had designed and they were unique. Her hat were special and unique because she had made them simple without loads of details like the other hats like concurring brands. You can see through all of her designs that the keyword is simple and the simple is beautiful, Chanel have made a lot of quotes like this one who is reflecting every design Chanel ever made “simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance”. The hats were Chanel’s breakthrough in the fashion business but hats weren’t the only thing she designed. She developed pretty fast and today it´s bag, dresses, women suits, cosmetics, perfume, hats and much more.

1913 Chanel opened her new boutique in Deauville and presented a new collection of sportswear. Whit that collection she changed women’s comfort and relationship whit their body. This immediately became a success.

1921 Chanel launched her perfume

1924 she developed her fist cosmetics.

The cosmetics contained lipsticks and face powders. In the same year she also made the costumes for the ballet “ Le Train Belu” and she also made the her first women suits. Chanel got the inspiration to the women suits from her frequent trips to Scotland. 1927 the first skincare collection came and contained fifteen different products. Chanel succeeded because of her visionary spirit witch is reflected in everything she ever made.

Chanel Nֹ˚5. It was the fifth scent she represented, this became and still is the most famous perfume by her. Chanel N˚5 is timeless and a symbol for femininity. In 1922 the perfume Chanel N˚22 came out and got the name from the year it was launched.

1925, 1926 and 1927 three new perfumes came, one each year. The first called Gardénia and the second one Bois des iles and the third Cuir de Russie. All of Chanel’s senses is inspired of something

1926 she also created “the little black

and everyone has their own touch and identity.

dress� witch is very simple and she made the whole world to want a little black dress. Still today the little black dress live on and is a sine and marker for femininity.

1931 Samuel Goldwyn requested Coco to design and create outfits for the leading stars on the silver screen in Hollywood. She went to Hollywood and created the outfits.

1932 A piece of jewellery were presented in Chanel privet home in Paris.

The jewellery had the name bijoux de diamants. It was a beautiful neckless.

1935 was the year her carrier and fame reached its top. Chanel has five boutiques in Paris and over 4.000 employees

1945 when the World War 2 brakes out

1954 the boutiques were reopened.

Chanel were quite tired of the fashion in that time and with her opened thinking she created a new fashion revolution with her collection. And this year Chanel was 71 years old and still working, and why did she still work? She did because she love her job and fashion.

1955 the most famous handbag she ever made, and this bag is still going strong in design today 61 years later. She also made the only perfume for men created during her lifetime. The revolutionary bag is the 2.55. What was the revolutionary about this bag? Chanel had combined leather and a gold chain witch was quite different then but is the

only one boutique out of five keeps open.

The boutique witch is still opened keep on selling perfume and accessories to both Parisians and American soldiers. The American soldiers most bought home things from Chanel to their wives.

normal now. She also made the bag shoulder strapped and by that she freed the hands of women from caring a bag in their hands.

The perfume was not created by Chanel herself but under the name by Henri Robert. The perfume is called pour monsieur.

1957 the tow toned shoe makes its marks. It is an elegant and classy shoe whit a beige colour on the shoe and the toe is black, it looks like it’s been dipped.

Whit this colouring she made the foot look shorter and the legs longer.

1960 is the year when the big stars start to wear her creations and that’s the time when the brand show its high class and that you need to have money to wear it.

(Chanel)

1971 is the year when Chanel dies but her brand keeps on going under the direction of her assistant Philippe Guibourgé and at 1983 Karl Lagerfeld takes over and he is still running the company today.

(Karl Lagerfeld)

Hans Kramberger’s invention Hans kramberger stands and looking at the fountain, which is located in the courtyard. Little birds drink the water from the old fountain which was built of stones. At the same time when he looks at the prospect that absorbed his mind, he thought also about his results that he got. He has spent his whole life on it, he was always in his own laboratory after work. His own laboratory was equipped with advanced materials, he had a white desktop with a glass disc.

Security is very high on the laboratory, everything could be destroyed if he pressed the red button.

There will be no more jobs at the Swiss Federal Institute of technology, fear does not allow him. The head teacher is both surprised and suspicious. Why did he quit, everyone knows that he loves his job, be in the laboratory and solve general problems that exist in the world.

Hans has invented very important things and he comes with many clever evasions. Kevin Abele was really curious about Hans work, he has read entire life of Hans at the Swiss police computer. Kevin understood immediately that Hans has invented something that changes the world. Therefore spying him, Kevin always has an eye on him. Time passes and Abele understand that "no, it is not possible to find out the secret", not even to put the microphone in his bedroom and listen to the call on your mobile. Hans is also a very clever man, he knows well that the story does not end with just finish the job. Abele had invited Hans to work in the Swiss Army laboratory.

Saying no, made Able angry and now he wants to find out Hans secrets with the help of a handsome journalist who can also a lot about biology. The point is that, she has not been in University and Hans do not know her. Many of her colleagues are fond of Ada’s perfect body and fashion style. She is a kind and curious woman. Kevin told her she should interview a dangerous man for both the country and the world, her mission was to find out Hans secret.

Kramberger accepts and tells her that, she is welcome to come to his house which is located a little outside the city, for the interview. The days getting closer and Ada is getting ready, she brings his bag and notebook. Car driver standing outside the House, a black Cadillac. In the car she is thinking just on kramberger and Abele, who said "he is dangerous and can change the world”. The car stops outside the city and she sees that no one is there except Kevin who is standing beside of a red Volkswagen and smoking. When she steps out, Abele said “you cannot go further with this car take the red car”. She does not know where to go, but while she is thinking points Abele on the map and says, follow the red marked route on the map. She takes the car and drive away, after half an hour she arrived to Kramberger’s house. An old white house resembling a castle. She knocks on the door and an old man with white hair and the same length as her, although he is a little bent as C letter opens the door. She greets and she imagined herself and he shows the way. She is afraid to go inside the house because there is dark, but she asks when will Hans Kramberger come? He says that it is I who am Hans Kramberger, she is surprised and sits on the old sofa. Kramberger asks Ada, if she would like coffee or tea. "Coffee, please!” She takes up her writing pad and pen then she starts asking questions about his life. She understands that he feels lonely and he seems to be kind and an ordinary man like us. At the same time he feels safe with her, he checks on her nice smile. Then she stars asking a few question about biology, he says, I appreciate your knowledge of biology. She tightens up a little, and he says that biology is to help people, you have to use properly. He asks her to follow him, he walks and moves to the large bookcase where there is a door. At the moment Ada is really scared but still she trusts him.

Hans opens the door and there stood a lift, they take the left right down into the basement. She cannot

believe in her eyes, it is a huge laboratory with lot of unusual animals. She checks around herself, her gaze trapped in Hans’ aquarium, a fish which has cat head. A horse that half of it is man and the other half is horse and lots of other cool animals. He shows her a box full of cockroaches, she asks what is special with them. He answers that he has found a solution that you can build a sanctuary for atomic bombs. But the Swiss army, cannot use it correctly. He is afraid that they form a super army which would be impossible to attack them with atomic bombs. Now we hear that Abele's soldiers and helicopters are outside the house and he says that "Hans Kramberger there is no road to take."

Kramberger tells her that she should take the elevator up to the living room and he also comes after he has destroyed his results. She takes the elevator up to the living room, when she is up, she hears a big melting, and the whole lab is destroyed. He gave his life to save mankind.

Nawid HAbibi

How to Get Festive for Christmas Mathilda Mannberg NA14B

As you all know, Christmas is approaching and that means the most wonderful time of the year is about to begin. If you are feeling a bit out of the Christmas spirit, then this is something for you. Your ultimate guide to regaining that Christmas spirit!

There are plenty of small things you can do to get that Christmas spirit. If you do not feel very Christmassy, then you should start by playing some festive music. This will immediately cheer you up and surely make you want to celebrate Christmas.

Bake anything that consists of cinnamon or saffron, those are the ultimate Christmas spices.

Here comes a recipe of some really good saffron buns with a secret ingredient, marzipan!

It is quite time consuming to make them, but indeed worth the effort. Do not eat them all at once, even if it seems like a good idea, you will not feel too great afterwards.

Saffron buns with marzipan Ingredients Buns 50 grams of yeast 100 grams of butter 5 deciliters of milk 2 grams of saffron 1.5 deciliters of sugar Half a teaspoon of salt 1 egg 17 deciliters of bread flour 250 grams of Kesella Directions 1.

2.

3.

4.

Filling 250 grams of butter 500 grams of marzipan 1 deciliter of sugar 4 teaspoons of vanilla sugar Garnish 2 eggs Granulated sugar

Crumb the yeast in a big bowl.

Melt the butter on the stove.

When the butter is melted, mix in the milk and the saffron.

Keep on low heat until the milk-butter-saffron mixture reaches 37 degrees Celsius.

This temperature is very important, since we do not want to kill the yeast.

5. Pour the 37 degrees Celsius mixture, a little at a time, over the yeast and carefully blend until it is finely combined.

6. Put the mixture in your kitchen appliance and add the sugar, salt, egg and Kesella.

Blend with your kitchen appliance on medium speed.

7. Add the flour a little at a time with your kitchen appliance on low speed, increasing the speed as you go.

8. When the dough is completely blended, put a kitchen towel over the bowl and let it rise for one to one and a half hours.

9. Start working the dough on a big and clean surface.

10. Split the dough in half and roll the two pieces of dough flat with your rolling pin.

11. Spread the butter evenly on both halves, and sprinkle vanilla sugar on top.

12. Evenly distribute grated marzipan over the two dough halves.

13. Roll both your halves starting at one of the long sides.

14. Cut buns from both rolls, each roll should make about 24 buns.

15. Turn your oven on 225 degrees Celsius.

16. Put your buns in molds on a cooking plate, put a kitchen towel over each plate and let them rise for 30 minutes.

17. Brush them with whisked egg and sprinkle some granulated sugar on top.

18. Bake them in the middle of the oven for 8-10 minutes.

19. Your saffron buns with marzipan are now done, and ready to serve!

The biggest must for Christmas is decorating. By decorating you do not have to go buy a lot of expensive decorations. You can for example go thrift-shopping. If you are afraid of germs, then just put your thrifted decorations in a big bag in the freezer for a couple of hours, and all the germs will die. You can also make your own decorations.

An easy DIY, or Do It Yourself, is to buy some gingerbread dough and cut out different designs with a cookie-cutter. Before putting them in the oven, simply pinch a hole in the top of the cookie. Cook the gingerbread cookies following the directions on the packaging, and then take them out to cool. When cool, simply decorate them with icing. Put a ribbon through the hole and hang them up. You now have a very easy, homemade, eccentric decoration!

Nothing screams Christmas like candles and lights. Even if it is the darkest time of the year it is also the holiday of lights. We see all kinds of lights everywhere, we decorate both the insides and outsides of our houses with them. Decorate your house with Christmas scented candles and light garlands. Maybe even light a fireplace, if you have one of course.

A must for this time of year is to wear red. Put on a big chunky red sweater, some boots and voilĂ ! You have turned into a big Christmas human. Wearing red both on clothes and lips, will make you stand out and people are most likely to turn their heads and compliment you.

My last tip is to have a Christmas themed movie night. Make some hot chocolate topped off with whipped cream and marshmallows, snuggle up on the sofa, light some candles and put on your favorite Christmas movie! There are plenty of wonderful Christmas movies out there in the world, two classics are Elf and Love Actually. Both of those movies are really festive and I recommend them dearly.

Last but not least, remember that Christmas is a time for joy and happiness. It is the ultimate time for sharing and caring, and celebrating with your loved ones. Take a deep breath, destress and do not forget to have a marvelous time.

Kama Sutra is more than just sex Kama Sutra is one of the oldest books in Hindu-history, and is the first book that talks about human sexual behavior. People believe that this book was written somewhere between 400BC and 200AD by a man named Vātsyāyana. The date is unknown, since the book was written a long time ago.

The British explorer Sir Richard F. Burton was the first man to translate this book into English and he was fascinated with Indian erotica. When he was asked why he chose to translate the book into the English language he replied: “We British never knew of this kind of love-making. Had we known, we would not have ruined the lives of so many British virgins.”

There are many myths about the Kama Sutra. The most common one is that Kama Sutra is only about sex positions, that it only helps one get better in bed. People simply think that Kama Sutra is just for couples that want to spice up their sex life, but in fact it is much more than that.

This book got popular because of the many different sexual positions which are precisely described. But only 25% of the book is about sexual positions.

There are 64 of them and it means that position 69 (which is really popular today) doesn’t come from this book.

Kama Sutra can teach us many different things. The most important thing can be about other person’s needs, both mental and physical, and of course how to satisfy them. The book also tells us how to prepare a good evening and mood for sexual intercourse. It also says a lot about being hygienic, Copyright = Wikimedia Commons that includes being well shaved around the private area, well showered and also getting perfumed.

Smelling good is really important if a man or a woman wants to get extra sensitive, and Hindu people knew this fact very well.

One of the messages that Kama Sutra gives us is to be more comfortable. The belief is that if we are more comfortable in bed we will receive more pleasure and in that way satisfy our feelings. Kama Sutra also says that a man is supposed to choose his bedpartner wisely and not have sex with anybody, and of course that the partner has to be from the opposite sex. It is because homosexuality wasn’t a well-known subject in societies around the world at that time.

There are four different steps of love-making described in Kama Sutra. Those being: preparation (showering, shaving and getting perfumed), foreplay, sexual intercourse and afterplay. With that said we can establish one main thing that Kama Sutra is telling us, and that is; time and technology changes, but people don’t. No matter how far our computers or any other technical devices can attain, our sexual needs will always be the same.

Pavle Trninic

Beautiful Skattkärr Travelling: Skattkärr is located just one Swedish mile outside Karlstad and the possibilities to get here couldn’t have been easier. There are mainly two buses which will take you too Skattkärr and those are the bus number 501 and 511.

501: It might take up to 45 minutes in the rush-hours but according to the schedule, it should only take about 20 from Karlstad to Skattkärr.

511: The best way, with only a ten minute journey in the best circumstances. Note: Not available during week-end and after 18:00 in the evening.

Have you ever thought about moving away from the crowded cities and the lonely countryside? Then I might have the answer you’ve been looking for. The little village outside Karlstad, called Skattkärr offers a great balance of inhabitants and surrounding nature with all the facilities the human body needs.

I know that the ones that haven’t been here, would call this place a “big farm” or a “cave”. That’s not true at all and you have to been living here to give Skattkärr the right description it deserves.

Skattkärr has one big school made for children up to 6th grade with a huge school yard and two kindergartens as well, and it’s not far away from anywhere you might want to settle down in here. The local store Coop Konsum might seem like a huge disappointment if you want to do your Christmas shopping.

Luckily, Ica Kvantum is just a five minute drive away. Konsum is a great store for emergency needs. The lazy one can go to the pizzeria. There are mainly families living in the area and the area isn’t big at all (five minutes biking through the entire “town”) and I would say it’s a calm and nice place to live in.

A map of the different tracks Bus number 501 Distance to the water from the middle of Skattkärr (around 500m)

Made by: AndrĂŠ Niklasson NA14B My own pictures and I own them (copyright)

The cinnamon scent had found its way from the kitchen, through the house and all the way into my Christmas decorated room. When it reached my nostrils it gave me the most wonderful wakeup on this very special day of the year. Christmas has always had a special place in my heart and I love everything about it. I´m completely obsessed with the food, the presents, drinking hot chocolate by an open fire after being out in the cold, white winter wonderland and last but definitely not least, the essential feeling of unity.

Full of hope and excitement I jumped out of bed and landed in my old well-used deer-loafers my deceased grandmother gave me as a Christmas gift when I was ten. Of course they were a couple of sizes to big then but I loved them anyway. With quick footsteps I ran down the steep steps that took me to the ground floor where I got overwhelmed by my exalted and jumping dog. I could hear my little brother helping my mum with the cooking while humming on his favorite Christmas song Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer a few meters away. When I stood in the kitchen and watched my mum and little brother by the oven, my dad carefully reading the newspaper by the kitchen-table and our dog chewing on her Christmas-bone with a red ribbon around her neck, I contemplated on how lucky I am that my family is together and free from sickness. Nothing could ruin this wonderful day I thought for myself. Unaware of that this magic Christmas atmosphere would get an unusual surprise.

After our traditional meal of rice pudding by our open fire, the whole family were gathered in the kitchen and washing up the fairly small pile of dishes. Suddenly we all heard a terrible crash that sounded like it came from the living room. Frightened looks passed between us as the panic grew. I could hear every beating heart in the room, racing like never before. Moving from a frozen position dad made a gesture with his hand as a sign for us to stay while he set off in the direction where the sound came from. He quickly disappeared around the kitchen corner. We waited several seconds that felt like minutes, for any response. Finally he called for us to come and we made our way to the other room sneaking slowly.

The picture I had painted in my head of what I was about to see was far worse than reality. I imagined a group of criminal bikers aiming at us with pistols and threatening to kill the whole family if we didn´t give them our money and jewelry. Luckily this wasn´t the case and when I entered the room the first thing I noticed was the amused smile on my dad´s face. It took me by surprise and at first sight everything seemed as usual in the easily decorated living room that was twice the size as the kitchen. I had to scan the entire room before I recognized a tiny creature wearing a grey wool sweater and a knitted red cap that left a pair of scared eyes and an unusually big nose visible. With a shaking hand he held a lantern hiding under the Christmas tree across the room. Beside him laid my parents wedding present, crashed. A glas sculpture of yin and yang that probably were the source of the sound. I was perplexed now.

A few hours later we all sat around our dining table, including the elf. The unexpected visit from him made me doubt that this Christmas would go down the way I wanted to. He told us his story about how he had to leave his home to escape from the ruthless wolves that ravaged his home village.

There was an unmistakeable agonizing feeling in the way he described them, as heartless monsters from another planet whose only purpose was to create a world of terror and fear. His journey

touched us all and even though he was scattered I saw a warm, gentle heart full of kindness, love and light, enough to feed innumerable creatures. I reflected on how twisted the world is and my hope for mankind had started to descend but his will and strength lit a spark in me that gave me the power I needed.

Outside in the cold white, large snowflakes fell from the sky while we were inside laughing and enjoying delicious food in the warmth. The elf´s company didn´t ruin our Christmas after all, in fact he made it an unique and memorable one. So when I went to bed that night, exhausted from the many impressions the day brought, I knew that love and peace are two vital ingredients. The world can be a harsh place without them and nobody should have to experience what the poor elf was forced to. So if I could contribute to a better place by spreading some love, I wouldn´t even have to consider it, especially during this time because that is what Christmas really is about. Love.

By Josefine Strid NA14B © Anders Palovaara © Drillina

Swedish sticky mudcake “kladdkaka” I am a big lover of food and sweets and the Swedish sticky mudcake “kladdkaka” is one of my favourite desserts. So I wanted to try some odd and rare recipes of my favourite dessert and not just the original. Here I have some different types of odd recipes, and also my original: Nutella

Saffron

Old but Gold

Black beans

Nutella

Ingredients:

How to do:

100 g 70 % dark quality chocolate

Turn on the oven to 200° C. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and melt it together with butter in a saucepan. Add Nutella, eggs, sugar, syrup and vanilla powder into the saucepan and mix it all together. Carefully add cocoa, flour and salt and mix it well. Spread the batter into a greased baking pan (24 cm in diameter) and bake it below the middle of the oven, for about 25 min. Let it cool afterwards and spread Nutella over the cake if you want.

100 g butter 1 dl Nutella 2 eggs 2 dl sugar 4 tbs syrup (dark preferably) 2 tsp vanilla powder 4 tbs cocoa 2 dl flour 2 pinches of salt Garnishment: Nutella Serving: Raspberries with whipped cream or ice cream

Review: For a chocolate-lover this is the perfect sticky mudcake, it is very heavy, has a taste of Nutella and a lot of chocolate. The cake has a chewy, brownie-texture and it is not very sticky. Ice cream or cream is needed because of its heavy taste.

Grade: 3 of 5

Saffron

Ingredients:

How to do:

100 g butter

Turn on the oven to 175° C. Grease a baking pan (24 cm in diameter). Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the saffron and the chocolate, broken into small pieces so it melts. Mix egg and sugar in a bowl, add the butter-combination and add the flour. Pour the batter into the pan and bake it in the middle of the oven for about 20 min and let it cool afterwards. Serve with orange or raspberries.

½ g saffron 200 g white chocolate 2 eggs 2 dl sugar 2 dl flour

Tips: If you want to you could add chopped almonds to the batter.

Review: This yellow mudcake is a real sugar-bomb! It is very sweet and very chewy, a little too sweet for my taste. The cake smells a lot of saffron but the taste is quite bland.

Grade: 2,5 of 5 Old but Gold

Ingredients:

How to do:

2 eggs

Turn the oven to 175° C. Wisk the eggs and the sugar, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Pour the batter in a baking pan and put it in the oven below the middle for about 3035 min.

3 dl sugar 4 tbs cocoa 2 tsp vanilla powder 2 dl flour

Review:

150 g melted butter

The cake is sticky, has the perfect amount of chocolate taste and it is not too heavy. This is absolutely my all time favourite sticky mudcake. It is very good with ice cream or whipped cream.

Grade: 5 of 5

Black beans (vegan)

Ingredients:

How to do:

400 g cooked black beans

Turn on the oven to 180°C. Mix the beans with a mixer and add the rest of the ingredients except for the nuts. Blend to a smooth batter and add the Brazil nuts. Grease a baking pan (23 x 23 cm) with coconut oil and spread coconut flakes in the pan. Pour the batter in the pan and put it in the middle of the oven for about 15 min.

1 dl rolled oats 2 tbs cocoa 3 tbs coconut oil (preferably with taste) 1 tsp baking powder 0,5 dl agave syrup, (70 g) 4 tbs oat cream 1 dl Brazil nuts, chopped

Review: The cake is not so sweet or sticky, it is a little bit dry and a little mealy. You hardly notice the beans and it is a very good alternative as a healthier chocolate cake. But as a sticky mudcake, I don’t think it’s very good. Add ice cream or whipped cream and it might taste a little bit better.

Grade: 2,5 of 5

SAVE THIS BEAUTIFUL EARTH

Our society is changing daily. You might wonder why it’s been relatively warm and shorter winter. We have to look around us and realize that our climate is changing. It is the increased greenhouse effect that humans have caused. Humans have through the emission of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere accelerated the natural greenhouse effect, which give us a lot of consequences.

Facts Water vapor and carbon dioxide are found naturally in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases retain heat from the sun inside the atmosphere. It is therefore the Earth can retain a reasonable temperature. But when we burn fossil fuels creates carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas.

The gas goes into the atmosphere and the greenhouse effect increases. It means that the Earth is getting warmer with more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Causes Climate change depends on different factors, both natural and caused by humans. Volcanic eruption is an example on natural causes of the climate change. But it is humans who have influenced the climate most, by combustion of fossil fuels, cutting trees, emissions from factories with more.

Consequences If we do not reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they will lead to increasing extreme weather such as hurricanes, floods, drought and extreme heat. Ice and glaciers will melt, for example in Greenland and then it will be difficult for some animal species to live, such as polar bear, and the sea level will rise, and then people in some countries are forced to leave their homes due to flooding.

SAVE THESE CUTE POLAR BEARS

Measure We need to do something about the climate change quickly because it is a threat to all species on the Earth. We can for example:    

Recycle materials that can be recycled Purchase things that do not have a too long transport route Take bike or buss to school/work instead of car Eat less meat and more vegetarian

Humans have consciously or unconsciously influenced the climate in a negative way. But if we can affect it in a negative way, can we affect it in a positive way too. Most people take their car too work or school when they instead could take the bike or bus which leads to the formation of even more carbon dioxide. If everyone increases their personal use of public transport instead of cars the emissions of the greenhouse will reduce. If everyone does this little change in their habits, we will make a big difference for the environment and the earth.

By: Tina Mohammedi

NA14B

Telemark Have you have ever been downhill skiing and seen someone else on skis going down the slope, shifting their legs in some kind of weird “proposal-stance” and wondered: what is that person actually doing?? Well, after reading this text, you will not scratch your head again! And maybe you will become interested in trying out this really fun form of skiing.

There are many ways to go downhill skiing. The supposedly most popular style is slalom, which requires a pair of skis, boots and if you want, a pair of ski poles. This is arguably the easiest way to go downhill, at least in my opinion. On the 2nd place when it comes to popularity is the snowboard, which simply concludes going sideways on a board. Next up is what I believe to be the third most popular style, the form of skiing I’m going to tell you about, which is telemark! At first glance you might take a telemark skier for a slalom one.

The equipment is similar in many ways, and even though it has some major differences, for someone who doesn’t know how to spot them it can at first be hard to tell the two apart at a distance.

The equipment The equipment is similar to slalom but has small differences in many areas. To begin with you will be needing a pair of skis. They can, as well as slalom skis, vary in length and width depending on what kind of skiing you will be doing. Though in general you will be needing a bit longer skis and can’t use as short skis as you potentially could in slalom. Next up are the boots. They are also here very similar to the slalom ones, the main difference is the weight and flexibility. They’re in general a bit lighter than slalom boots, and due to the fact that you’ll be bending your foot forward, the front of the boot has a kind of “squeezebox function” to increase the flexibility of your movements. The binding structure is the largest difference. Instead of two fixated contact points, in front you have a place to fit in your toe piece. Then you have a reinforced metal strap going around your heel, making it possible for your foot to bend forward. This is the main key to the telemark- style.

In the pictures you can see what the boots and binding looks like. ©Axel Modén

The origins The telemark skiing style has its roots in and is named after the Norwegian county Telemark, which is situated in the lower part of Norway. The person viewed as the father of telemark skiing is Sondre Northeim.

The style To me the telemark style is a very elegant form of skiing which, if you’re good at it, gives a lot of opportunity for freestyling and to have a very active skiing experience. As I mentioned earlier the style is a bit special, and it is probably a bit hard to see it in your head if you haven’t seen it for yourself. The picture in the beginning might help though. It shows the final position in every turn. The foundation for the style is the loose heel, which allows you to sink down to that bent stance. The turning step comes when switching legs. The man in the picture is turning left, but his right foot is the one in front. This means that when turning, you should have the opposite foot to the direction you’re turning in front, leaning on the one on the same side as the direction of the turn. In the beginning after going slalom this is really weird, but after training it feels completely natural. The way it’s performed, if done continuously, makes a flowing movement which looks really nice.

I hope that you now feel a bit more familiar with the telemark technique, and perhaps that you would like to try it out some time, I recommend it!

Written by: Axel Modén

(Picture in the beginning is from Googles “can be used”-section)

Edvin Walan, Theo Björk NA14B

The Hubble Telescope A telescope named Hubble was sent to discover space in 1990. The telescope is named after Edwin Hubble, an American astronomer. Hubble is orbiting Earth, floating around 600 kilometers above ground. Since the Hubble telescope is situated outside of the atmosphere it manages to take sharper pictures than any telescope placed on Earth is capable of. Thereby it has given us a great amount of new knowledge about space. It is one of the most impactful astronomic instruments, even today, a quarter century after its launch. With the help of Hubble’s observations we have managed to determine the accurate rate of expansion of the universe. Even though the Hubble telescope was not the first space telescope, Hubble is one of the largest ever built. It is well known as a not only vital research tool but also a public relations boon for astronomy. The telescope was built by the United States agency NASA. They also got some contributions from the European company ESA, and is driven by the Space Telescope Science Institute.

The first discussions about a space telescope started as early as 1923. The Hubble project started in the 1970s, and was supposed to get launched in 1983, but the project got slowed down by technical delays, budget problems and the Challenger disaster. This catastrophe forced them to wait an additional 32 months. When the telescope finally got launched in the 1990 they found out that Hubble’s main mirror had been done incorrectly making its capacity lower. The optics were corrected to their intended capacity by a servicing mission in 1993, making use of the telescope’s full potential.

The telescope has provided humanity with a great amount of data which has been useful when trying to understand different phenomena, both in our own solar system as well as in the outer space. It has also given us some great photos. The following pictures show some of the most extraordinary photos from the Hubble telescope, (except the first picture which shows the telescope itself)

Edvin Walan, Theo Björk NA14B Other servicing missions were done later. A few severe issues had to be dealt with. Multiple times the telescope was orbiting the Earth too close to the atmosphere, and had to be pushed further into space. The technology and computers had to be upgraded or replaced a couple of times. The instruments were designed to be active in extremely low temperatures, therefore different cooling systems had to be replaced. The solar panels also had to be switched once.

Many of these servicing missions were dangerous and difficult to complete. The astronauts dealing with the problems had to operate outside of their space ships, which obviously means that they encountered greater challenges.

The data from Hubble has not only given us the accurate rate of expansion of the universe, it has also helped us estimate the age of the universe. Since the telescope is able to give us sharp pictures from galaxies billions of light years away it has also given us information about what we guess are some of the first galaxies. This can be explained with an example. If the sun was about to die, we would not notice until approximately eight minutes after the occurrence. This is because light has a speed, it has to travel to us before we can see. Since the galaxies that Hubble is able to see are so unbelievably far away it takes a great amount of time for the light to travel to the lens of the telescope, consequently making us see what things have looked like. The telescope has also observed ultraviolet radiation, the birth and death of stars, our own solar system, gamma-ray bursts etcetera. The information given to us has answered many questions, but also created new ones.

Interesting facts about the Hubble telescope  

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The telescope has made more than 1.2 million observations since 1990, where its first mission began.

Many of the astronomers that have worked with Hubble are also researchers. They have published over 12.800 scientific articles, which makes the telescope one of the most productive instruments ever built from a scientific perspective.

The speed of the telescope is high, it travels around Earth at approximately 17.000 mph, which equals 27.360 kph.

To switch pointing angles, Hubble uses Newton’s third law. It spins its wheels in the opposite direction of the desired angle. (The definition of Newton’s third law is: for every action there is an equal and opposite re-action). It turns very slowly, about the same speed as the minute hand on a clock, which equals 90 degrees in 15 minutes.

The accuracy of the telescope is 0.007 arc seconds, which is incredibly great. It can be compared to shooting a laser beam on a small coin from 200 miles away, corresponding 322 kilometers.

The lens can see astronomical objects with an angular size of 0.005 arc seconds, which is like seeing a couple of flies in Australia from your home in Sweden.

The weight of Hubble was 24.000 pounds when launched, but after several servicing missions it now has a weight of 27.000 pounds.

The Hubble telescope has been important for science and will presumably continue that way until 2018, when another telescope, named James Webb Space Telescope is planned to be launched into space.

Julia Bergstrand Na14B Älvkullegymnasiet HT-15

The Seven Nations I never knew my mother and actually, I haven’t given it much of a thought, until now. Tomorrow I will turn seventeen and have to take the purity test to see if I’m pure blood or not. If not, they will kill me, because the nation doesn’t like Uchis. Uchis is the word of abuse for the younglings with blood from more than one nation. My father is quite concerned because I don’t look like the typical blood nation with their read hair and red toned skin.

I look more like the water nation with my light blue hair and fair skin but my powers are greater than anyone else in my generation and even the emperor has showed interest in my abilities. But that doesn’t matter if I’m not pure blood, they are going to kill my father and me in any case.

In the morning of the test day I’m so nervous I feel sick. It feels like my stomach turns inside out and my hands can’t stop shaking. When I go downstairs to eat, my father already sits at the brown wooden table. He is awfully quiet and is staring down into his cup. I try to pour some milk in a mug but finds that my hands are shaking too much and the milk ends up in a puddle on the floor. I wonder if it’s big enough to drown myself in. I reach for some paper and wipe it up from the floor.

Eventually I manage to eat some bread although it gives me a bit of a retch. I go back to my room, all the rooms in our house are quite small and our home is built by the Blood Nations standard so every house on my street looks almost the same. When I walk into my room, I almost collide with my bed that takes up almost the entire room. There is a small window over my bed and the walls are covered with a banderol showing the Blood Nations symbol; a drop of blood. My room is almost completely empty except for a closet on the right wall.

I put on my best looking clothes, which is the blood nation standard uniform and we are supposed to wear it in all official entertainments.

The uniforms are crimsoned and tight around the calves with the help of leather straps, as well as the forearms. The pants are baggy acting to maximize mobility and the jacket is buttoned with small leather straps and buttons. I put up my hair in a top knot and then I’m finished.

When the guards arrive we have already stood ready behind the door and waited for them to announce their presence by knocking at our door. We had to wait for almost twenty

1

Julia Bergstrand Na14B Älvkullegymnasiet HT-15

minutes before we could hear the heavy knocking that we had feared the whole morning.

My father opens the door and welcome them into our house.

- Are you Marcellus Drablos? The officer asked me. He is heavily built and has a big red mustache that moves in a funny way when he talks. Despite all my fear I have quite a hard time trying not to laugh at it.

- Well? The officer says again with his gruff voice.

I nod my head.

- Good, he says. Then he turns around and waved his hand to the cars parked on our driveway. A dozen people get out of the cars and march into our home. I follow them with my eyes, there are at least four doctors wearing white coats. Accompanying them are a couple of soldiers with big black bags. I wonder what is in the bags, probably things for my test. But why so much security?

After a while they wave me into the living room and the room has changed, there are medical stuff and equipment everywhere. Along the wall the soldiers stand in a straight row.

I sit down in the couch and they start to work, no one talks but it seems like they manage to communicate by muttering.

- What’s that? I ask when one of them puts a long needle in my arm. I wait for an answer but they keep ignoring me. They work with me for over an hour, and not a word is spoken. A lot of needles in all different sizes are used and at some point they use a knife to take a sample of my skin, my eyes are also checked.

When the tests are done they pack the things up and leave. The officer with the funny mustache says that we will get the answer in two days. Then he turns around and leaves.

We stand there a couple of minutes and the anxiety and quietness eat me from inside. I know it’s going to be two very tense days.

The two days pass with a lot of nervous breakdowns and panic attacks. When I suddenly hear a big crash and lots of voices from downstairs, I have locked myself up in my room. I hear my father, he’s trying to talk to the intruders and his voice goes from calm to concern to panic.

- What do you mean negative? I hear my father ask. His voice is shrill and high. My body freeze, all blood in my body rushes to the floor and it feels like I’m going to faint.

I don’t hear what the other person says but when my father talks again he tries to convince them that I’m not here. I hear a scream that suddenly stops and is quickly followed firstly by a light and then a heavy thud. My hand gets up, covering my mouth and tears stream down my face.

- Find him, a voice from downstairs says.

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Julia Bergstrand Na14B Älvkullegymnasiet HT-15

They’re coming for me I have to run, but my body won’t move. I hear heavy steps in the stairs and the rooms get searched. I still can’t move and when my door gets kicked, I just stand there.

- Don’t move, the soldier says and screams; - I found him! More soldiers show up in the door, all armed, and turn their guns towards me.

- Don’t shoot him, a gruff voice says. I recognize that voice.

- The emperor’s scientists want him alive, the voice says. I try to place the voice. But the voice’s owner steps in through the door before I can place it. It’s the officer from the test, his clothes are cowered in blood and I can feel the rage surfacing my body.

- I just killed the man who called himself your father, Marcellus, he says with a nasty grin on his face.

- He didn’t “call” himself my father, he was my father; I answer with hatred in my voice.

- Do you know why, he asks ignoring me. Before I can answer he answers the question himself.

- Because he was a traitor for hiding you, an Uchi. Arrest him! He turns around and walks out through the door. The soldier who stands closest comes quickly towards me, puts on the handcuffs and leads me out of the room and down the stairs. At the bottom at the stairs I can see into the livingroom and there, on the floor, like a rag, lays my father’s body and by the bookshelf at the other side of the room is his head. A blood trace leads from the puddle of blood by his body to the head. It’s actually looking quite peaceful. I feel the rage taking over and the world turns black. The last thing I remember is my moving hands and the soldier’s terrified scream.

I wake up from loud noises outside. I’m lying on the floor covered in blood and something that looks like human flesh. My head feels like a smashed potato and I can’t really see straight. The noise outside gets higher and higher. Tramping feet and voices surrounds the house and I’m suddenly wide-awake.

I quietly get up on my feet and soundlessly sneak to the stairs. Behind the staircase there’s a small piece of wall and in the lower left corner a small almost undetectable bulge. When I push it the wall opens with a hiss. Inside the wall a small space with a ladder leads down into the darkness under our house; a secret path my father built a few years ago. He never told me why but I’m glad for it now. I have just closed the secret door when I hear them breaking through our front door. They loudly search the house and find the bodies in the livingroom. I wait for a moment and listen to the scuffle before I climb down the ladder and into the darkness.

When my eyes get used to the dark I can distinguish two beds and some shelves filled with preserved tin food. I look through the room and find a change of old worn out clothes, which I believe must have been my father´s. In the pocket of the jacket I find a letter with my name on. I also find a map, bag, flashlight and a gun; the type of gun being popular a few years ago 3

Julia Bergstrand Na14B Ă„lvkullegymnasiet HT-15

when the old king ruled, but are now forbidden. I keep searching because I know, somewhere down here there should be an escape route leading from our house into the water nation in case we need to escape.

I finally find the escape route but decide to stay for a day. I wash the blood of my face and change my bloody clothes to the ones I found, then try to eat a little and decide to sleep for a while before heading for the next phase.

I had walked for about three hours when I took a break to eat some of the food I had packed down in the bag before I left and to read the letter‌ To be continued

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Nicole Hooshmand, NA14B

Weekly Horoscope 14 December – 20 December Aries

Dear Aries, after a long week of work and studies you will finally have time to recover. Lean back for a while and reward yourself with all different treats in the beginning of the week. But don’t keep yourself on the lazy side for too long! During the weekend you will have to face some hard decisions about your future, but great things come to those who earn it!

Taurus

This week will be filled with positive events and changes. Your boss will love the changes you make, even though it seems risky, and so will your loved ones. So don’t be scared about change, because it will be appreciated by many of your loved ones, dear Taurus.

Gemini

You can expect a quarrel with someone you love deeply, dear Gemini. But try to keep calm and talk things through slowly to make as little harm as possible. You can be the mature one in this argumentation, but don’t let anyone run over you. Unfortunately your love life won’t be on top, but don’t be grumpy because this is the time when you will find yourself and you will see who your real friends are.

Cancer

This week you will need to save in on some unnecessary costs, if you want to afford Christmas gifts. Remember that money doesn’t grow on trees, dear Cancer. Try not to get upset about the small things in your life that doesn’t go your way, because it will cause problems both at home and at work. You need to calm yourself down to make sure you can avoid these problems.

Leo

Roses are red, violets are blue… Something about this can give you loving feelings this week. But be wise about your decisions, because you’re filled with energy that can make you succeed. You have a good economy and the odds to make a good investments are on your side this week.

Virgo

A strong wish of yours will have big potential to become true, so fight to make your voice heard. Don’t let anyone take away your dreams, dear Virgo.

Open up and talk about your feelings to your family and friends, because it’s rarely that you are as open about feelings as now.

Libra

Finally a week with only nice plans, dear Libra! You can choose between new acquaintances, traveling and romance. To go and visit an old friend is a perfect idea for this week! A new flirt can come unexpected but it’s a good time for a new relationship now.

Nicole Hooshmand, NA14B

Scorpio

This week will be a productive period for you. Where you will have just the right focus to finish all your started projects, where no one can stop you.

During the weekend your love life will blossom and there will be a lot to build on to this relation.

Sagittarius This is your week, dear Sagittarius and you have all of the odds in your favor. You might be considering investing in something big, but you have been holding back your thoughts. This is your chance to make your dream projects come true.

Capricorn You will see your life from another perspective, and have more understanding in the decision making of your loved ones. With your ambitions and focus you will come a long way, dear Capricorn. But for this you will need good self-confidence. Explain your thoughts and opinions without causing a conflict even though it will be hard in many cases.

Aquarius Allow yourself to be social this week and put work related projects to the side for a while. This is the time when you need socialize with both old and new friends. Don’t be so harsh on yourself, sometimes you need a bit more free time. So allow yourself to do the things you love this week!

Pisces

This week things will be getting worse and not as fun at work or at school.

But dear Pisces, try and get through the week fast. At the end of the week a great surprise will wait for you. All the pieces will fall back to their right place. So remember that you can’t have a rainbow without a little rain.

©flickr The Academy Awards is an annual American awards ceremony, in order to honour cinematic achievements in the film industry. The winners receive a copy of a statuette, officially called the Academy Award of Merit, but has become more well-known by its nickname Oscar. Some of the categories you can get awarded for is as an actor or actress in either a leading- or a supporting role.

In order to nominate a film, the movie’s producer or distributor need to sign and submit an “Official Screen Credit”, which must contain proofs that the film meets certain criteria. For example, the film must be at least 40 minutes long, be publicly screened for paid admission in Los Angeles County, and must be played for at least seven days in a row.

Then the ballots are sent out, on which the voters are supposed to list up five names, ranked in order of preference. When the members send back their ballots, the process begins with that a Pricewaterhousecoopers, a multinational accounting and consulting company, look for a so called “magic number” defined as “The amount of votes in each category that automatically turns a potential nominee into an official nominee”. The counting is done by hand and starts based on a voter´s most preferred actor or actress, until someone reaches the magic number. Then the ballots that named that nominee are all set aside, and the actor/actress with the fewest ballot to list him/her as their most preferred one are excluded and the ballots are redistributed based on the voter’s second place choices. The counting continues until all five spots are filled with official nominees.

Who’ll bring home the Oscar is not to be known until the gala itself takes place. This process is not nearly as complicated as picking out the nominees. After the nominees are decided, the whole Academy gets to vote on each category. To be able to vote, the members must have very good knowledge about all of the films in each category, to make a fair decision. After the process, which takes three days, the actor with the most votes wins.

Some actors actually get more than one Oscar, Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro and Ingrid Bergman are just three of them. But it’s not just the award itself that counts. Being nominated is also very honorable. Meryl Streep holds the record for most nominations for best actress, with nineteen

nominations, which she won three of. But there are some actors who has never got an Oscar, but who definitely deserves one, and I promise you that you’ll be surprised by at least one of them.

Tom Cruise Tom Cruise if mostly known for his role as Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible, at least in the younger generations. What might seem surprising is that he’s never won an Oscar, even though his extraordinary acting in each movie. Cruise has, on the other hand been nominated three times before, for his part in, Born on the Fourth of July, Magnolia, and A Few Good Men, but never for his performance in Mission Impossible. The latest, Mission Impossible Rouge Nation, might be his best one so far. Why? Just to give an example, all of the stunts in the movie are real. Even the one where Cruise is hanging from a flying plane. Crazy, isn’t it? But really impressive! Something that really deserves to be awarded with an Oscar. And it might be, the next Academy Award is in February 2016, so keep an eye on who’s getting nominated and Cruise might turn up right in front of you.

©flickr

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe is probably one of the most celebrated actresses in our time. She’s not just an actress but also a singer and a model. She signed up for her first film contract in 1946, but in the beginning of her carrier the roles she got were pretty small. As the roles grew bigger, she became known as a sex symbol, and in 1999 she got ranked as the 6th biggest female movie star of all time by the American Film Institute. Even though she has won eight awards such as Golden Globe, BAFTA Film, Golden Laurel and Henrietta Award, she’s actually never got an Oscar. Unfortunately she died at an age of thirty six, because of an overdose of barbiturates and never got the time to even get a nomination for the Academy Awards. But luckily we still remember her as the beautiful and talented girl she was, and one good thing about memories, is that they last forever.

©wikipedia

Leonardo DiCaprio This is a man who we’re all surprised of haven’t got an Oscar. DiCaprio is often considered as one of the greatest actors in the late 20th- and the early 21st century. He got his international break through with the movie Titanic, which might be the movie we first mention when we talk about him, and the people who don’t know his name usually say “the guy from Titanic”. In the last five years we’ve seen him in movies like Django Unchained, The Great Gatsby and The Wolf of Wall Street, which all been abundantly acclaimed by the people. DiCaprio has a long list of nominations, over a hundred from different awards, but only 4 from the Academy Awards. He’s won awards such as the Golden Globe, Australian Film Institute and the AFI Awards, but he’s surprisingly never got an Oscar. He’s been, as already mentioned, nominated for four films for the Academy Awards, in his roles in movies like The Wolf of Wall Street, Blood Diamond, The Aviator and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, but the question we all ask is: Where on earth is his Oscar? We’re all hoping for him to get one in the future, but as DiCaprio said himself: “I don’t think I ever expected anything like an Oscar ever, to tell you the truth. That is not my motivation when I do these roles. I really am motivated by being able to work with great people and create a body of work that I can look back on and be proud of.”

©Wikipedia, ©flickr

Sigourney Weaver Remember Alien? The science fiction/horror movie from 1979, which isn’t that scary if you ask today’s adolescents. Say what you want, but Alien has been really appreciated by both critics as well as audiences, and received several sequels, both in film, literature and video games. But most important is that Alien was a non-customary movie, according to the Hollywood standards, by having a strong female hero, also known as Ellen Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver, who got her break through among with the film. Apart from Alien, you might have seen her in films like Avatar, Ghostbusters, or heard her voice as the computer in WALL E. Weaver speaks, other than English, both German and French, so you might have heard her in a French movie like Une Femme ou Deux.

Weaver has been nominated three times for an Oscar, for her roles in Gorillas in the Mist, Working Girl, and Aliens, but unfortunately she’s never won. Even though she hasn’t won an Oscar, she hasn’t been completely unappreciated. She’s received awards like the Golden Globe, the BAFTA, and the Academy of Science fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. An incredible woman to sum it all up.

©Wikipedia, ©flickr

Johnny Depp The youths of today probably recognize Depp from one of his most famous characters from the movies Pirates of the Caribbean, Captain Jack Sparrow, which actually is the name some people use when they don’t know the real name of this spectacular actor. Depp has played a lot of different roles, something that characterizes him as an actor. He’s played everything between a pirate, a barber, a detective, a chocolate maker, a hatter, you name it! Unfortunately, being a very versatile actor won’t help you win an award for acting in one film specifically, but he sure does deserve being awarded for his talent and good work.

In a total of seven movies, Depp has been cooperating with his friend and the director Tim Burton, which has given him roles that suited him perfectly, in movies such as Sweeney Todd, Alice in Wonderland, Charlie and the chocolate factory and Edward Scissorhands.

Depp has been nominated for a lot of awards, and even won a few of them, but unfortunately never an Oscar. He’s been nominated for the Academy Award three times, for his performance in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Finding Neverland and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. A lot of people would probably agree on the statement that Depp deserves an Oscar for every role he’s made, because, to be honest, he’s really good in every movie he’s a part of.

©Wikipedia, ©flickr

Helena Bonham Carter Just like Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter has also been cooperating with Tim Burton, who she’s been married to from 2001 to 2014, and therefor it’s not very rare to see both her and Depp in the same movies. One thing all of these movies have in common is that they’re really good. But it’s not just because of their connection with Burton they get to play in the same movies. The whole movie world seems to like the two together as a team, and in 2013 you could see them together in The Lone Ranger, directed by Gore Verbinski.

Bonham Carter, is as well as Depp, a very versatile actress, and makes a good job in comedies as well as musicals and horror movies. She has an extraordinary expression, and is really delightful to watch.

One of her most famous roles is as Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter films, which she’s been really appreciated for, but not through any award. On the other hand she’s been nominated for a lot of other roles she’s done, like in Alice in Wonderland and in Les Misérables, which she’s also received an award for. On the Oscar front she has a lack of nominations. She’s been nominated two times, for her roles in The King’s Speech and The Wings of the Dove, but didn’t receive an Oscar for any of the two.

©flickr, ©Wikipedia

By Emma Mellroth

A day in New York The autumn break is a good time to travel so me and my mum went to New York. My favorite day was the day I met Pewdiepie.

Pewdiepie is a youtuber that plays games, does vlogs and just screws around with fun stuff on his channel. He is actually the biggest youtuber on YouTube with over 40 million subscribers. He has written a book called “This book loves you” and was in New York at the same time as me so I bought a signed copy. I stood in line for 3 hours but it was worth it. I also got a chance to meet him, so I did and I talked some Swedish with him and got our picture taken.

He was shorter in real life than what I expected.

Then I went for a bike ride around Central park and looked at some turtles, people ice skating and Strawberry Fields (A small square in memory of John Lennon who lived in the Dakota building nearby). After that I went to the American Museum of National History that was located nearby Central park. At the museum I watched the CapeYork meteorite that is 4,5 billion years old and weighs 34 tons. I also looked at a 70 kilo heavy topaz from Brazil and a blue star sapphire on 563 carats. In the same hall there were a lot of different stones, minerals and gems. They had a little store there so I bought some blue topaz in a small bottle. Then I continued to the Rose Center for Earth and Space. In that part of the museum there was a big planetarium called Hayden and inside you could watch a short movie about space on a special screen. After that you walked down from the Hayden and then you could see some exhibitions and learn much more about The Big Bang and how black holes works. Before I left the museum I looked at some fossils of dinosaurs both herbivores and carnivores and it was lots of fun.

Me and mum decided that we should go to Times square so we did and then we went to Broadway after we had been to the hotel to change clothes. We watched Lion King: The musical and it was very good. The kids who was in it were especially good. Before me and mum went back to the hotel we stopped and ate at Thank God It’s Friday. It was a bar/restaurant and they had the best burger I had in my whole life because it was juicy, big and had a wonderful and amazing Jack Daniel’s sauce on it to that I drank a ginger ale. When we got back to the hotel full and satisfied we went up to the rooftop bar to look at the Empire State Building before bed. Everything was flashing in many beautiful colors. And there you have it: A day in New York.

Samuel Finell NA14B

Christmas movie reviews Love Actually Director: Richard Curtis.

Screenplay: Richard Curtis.

Cast: Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Kiera Knightley, Laura Linney, Colin Firth.

Running time: 2 h, 16 minutes.

Love actually is the ultimate Christmas movie. It has it all, Love, humour, sadness, happiness.

The film has a really cozy feeling to it. Love Actually takes place in London a few weeks around Christmas.

We get to follow lots of different kinds of people in this movie. Mark (Andrew Lincon) who´s secretly in love with his best friend´s girlfriend Juliet (Kiera Knightley).

The old rock singer Billy Mack (Bill Nighy) who´s recording a Christmas version of the song love is all around which surprisingly turns into a hit song.

Harry (Alan Rickman) who´s happily married with his wife Karen (Emma Thompson) but still shows interest in his secretary Mia (Heike Makatsch).

Karen´s brother David (Hugh Grant), the new UK prime minister who falls for his waitress Natalie (Martine McCutcheon).

Sam (Thomas Sangster) and his step dad Daniel (Liam Neeson) who both suffers from the loss of Sam´s mother, but at the same time that they´re grieving, Sam falls in love with a girl from school, so he and Daniel tries all the tricks to get her to notice Sam. These are just a few people we get to follow, there´s more in the movie, and all the people in the movie has some connection to one and other.

It´s one of the best movies I´ve ever seen. It really has it all, you laugh very much throughout the whole movie, you feel love and happiness, sometimes you might cry, but mostly because the film is so beautiful. This film is the ultimate Christmas movie so I’ll give it 5/5 snowflakes!

12 Dates of Christmas Director: James Hayman.

Screenplay: Aaron Mendelson, Janet Brownell, Blake J. Harris.

Cast: Amy Smart, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Benjamin Ayres, Peter McNeill, Laura Miyata.

Running time: 90 minutes.

12 Dates of Christmas is a movie that is a little special. It´s about a girl named Kate (Amy Smart) who can´t let go of her ex-boyfriend Jack (Benjamin Ayres), they talk to each other on Christmas Eve and decides to meet up. But she has also promised her father to have a date with his wife´s son Miles (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) before they celebrate Christmas Eve with their parents.

Before the date, Kate goes to the shopping mall and a girl accidently sprays perfume in Kate´s face so she faints. She wakes up with a few people around her and then she runs to the date. It doesn´t go very well on Kate´s and Mile´s date. Miles find out that she´s still in love with her ex and Kate thinks that Miles has a wife. They go separate ways and they don´t celebrate Christmas Eve together with their parents. Her whole Christmas eve is really bad, nothing goes her way.

When the clock strikes 12.00 AM the time start to reverse to 12.00 PM and Kate wakes up in the mall again from fainting. Kate thinks that this is really weird, she knows exactly what´s going to happen unless she´s making different decisions of what she did the last time. So what is she going to do to stop this day from repeating? Is she going to try to get Jack back or is she going to try and pursue Miles?

This move is pretty good and I give it 3/5 snowflakes.

Wilma Berg.

Moa Hansson Na14b

Stress Why are most people stressed? Is it only adult people that get stressed? Does social media affect us? Do we get stressed because we feel the need to perform or do people around us have high expectations on us?

Stress is a state you reach at a certain point when you have too much to handle or when you or someone else has too high expectations on you. It is, however, a natural reaction in your body. In most cases we feel stress in connection with lack of time. But first and for most stress is known to be something individual, which means that we all get stressed for different reasons.

Contributing factors to stress could for instance be; deadlines, conflicts, lack of control etc, and stress can be notable through your thoughts, your body and from your environment.

Stress can be positive when it keeps us alert and ready to avoid danger. Stress can also become negative when a person is stressed under a longer period without relaxation or relief, which can lead to stress-related tension building.

The human body is built to experience stress and react to it. Everybody reacts differently to stress, stress substances are secreted, tiredness, dizziness etc.

For young people stress is a common reaction and the main reasons is because of school, homework and expectations from parents, teachers and themselves. School nowadays do not give you many chances to improve your skills or chances to show them, and above that you get homework that you need to be great at because near everything is taken into the grade.

This system induces stress and often over a longer period of time, but if the school should exclude the homework, students would be relaxed during the weekend and be more concentrated on the actual school time.

Social media can also contribute to stress, for example when famous people publish pictures or texts about their “perfect� lives, this becomes a model for how you should live your life.

But behind the curtains they have sky high expectations and that probably stress them out too. We think they live a perfect life but we strive for an imaginary life, because they only publish the pictures that show the fancy and extraordinary lifestyle. This results in a bigger pressure when you are going to upload a picture which leads to stress.

Stress can be prevented when your body gets a balance between being active and calm, if you are feeling stressed it is often enough with a little bit more rest and sleep. Stress can also be prevented with good planning and structure, organizing and having control on your living is also important. I feel stressed when I have many things to do and I forget something, but I can avoid that with good planning and control of my life. Defending against stress can be done easily by more sleep, rest, physical activity and a way to relax.

Everybody gets stressed sometime and it is very common, but with easy methods it can be prevented.

Key lime pie Key lime pie is Florida’s signature dessert and has its origin in Key West. It has got its name from the famous Key lime fruits that grow there. The Key lime pie has also got an annual festival in Cape Canaveral.

Ingredients FOR CRUST 

1 ¼ cups of graham cracker crumbs



5 tablespoons of melted butter



2 tablespoons of sugar



FOR FILLING 1 can of sweetened condensed milk

Preparations



4 egg yolks



5 lime fruits (juice) or ½ + 2 tablespoons of Key lime juice FOR TOPPING  ¾ cups of cold heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 175° 2. Blend the melted butter with the graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a big bowl until it’s combined well 3. Press the pie crust evenly to the bottom and up side in a pie plate, bake it in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes and then let it cool on a rack.

4. Whisk together the sweetened condensed milk and egg yolk until the mixture is combined well. Then add lime fruits (peel and juice) or key lime juice to the mixture by whisking. Blend until the filling is combined.

5. Fill the pie crust with filling by pouring it into the crust and bake it in the middle of the oven for about 15 minutes.

6. Let the Key lime pie cool completely at least for 6 hours before serving it( the filling will set as it cools) 7. Before serving it, mix heavy cream with an electric mixer and serve it on top of the pie.

Claudia Payton

Are cats smarter than dogs?

The discussion about cats and dogs never ends. It doesn’t matter how much you twist and turn the different arguments, the dog always seems to win the battle. The most common reason is that the dog is known as the human’s best friend, helper and savior and people are therefore having a hard time finding counter-arguments. But I’m going to make a try and hopefully you’ll change your opinion.

There’s a reason why the cat isn’t called “the human’s best friend”. It’s not a gregarious animal. A cat is an independent creature which doesn’t rely on anyone but itself. I think this quality explains almost everything about them. Why it’s much more difficult teaching them tricks, why they don’t always come when you call, why they can be away from home by themselves both longer and shorter periods, and so on. It also explains their knowledge of survival. Like the ability of catching mice, birds and other small animals, and of always landing on their feet after high falls. They’re dependent on these capabilities and therefore also on themselves. While dogs, on the other hand, are dependent on others. David Taylor, writer for the magazine “You and Your cat”, even writes that the cat’s senses are much more developed than ours which makes them aware of things we don’t notice. It’s almost like they have a sixth sense.

Still not convinced? Personally I think a true story directly from another person can be more believable than facts. Therefore I’m going to give you a few examples of true stories with cats acting a bit smarter than what you might be used to.

Viktor Lunerquist: “My cat voluntarily wipes its paws after being outside when it’s wet.”

Björn Andersson: “My family and I once had a cat which decided to move from our home to another a few blocks away when we got children. It simply became too energetic at our place” Tommy Olofsson: “My two cats collaborate to be able to open doors. The first one jumps up and grabs the handle while the second takes a grip around the first one’s stomach to get enough weight to make the handle come down.

Line Karfunkel: “A friend of mine’s got a cat which suddenly, frenetically, started smelling the

area around her breasts. She found this strange and went to see a doctor where she got to know she had breast cancer.”

My own cats open doors and have learned the daily time-schedule of my family, which means they for example know when it’s bedtime, feeding-time and so on.

These were just a few examples of what cats are able to do. Quite intelligent if you ask me.

So to everybody claiming that dogs are smarter than cats, I want you to think again. There’s a reason why cats are said to have nine lives.

Serves about 125 pcs