AG
D H I Y O U T H M A G A Z I N E
Dhi Youth Movement Youth for Youth, to empower and to lead
MAR 2014 | ISSUE #10
ONTHECOVER
Blacked Out! to show our support for Earth Hour 2014
Dhi Youth Movement Youth for Youth, to empower and to lead
sar y photo shoot DYM core group at the 0th Anniver
Dhi Youth Movement began in early 2012 as a small initiative by a few young inspired individuals in Male', with the vision to bring a positive change to society by empowering young people to actively contribute to society. Our group, with a strong following on Facebook, was used to mobilize volunteers for a flash freeze on 29th March 2012 and since then there has been no turning back. We officially got registered as an NGO on 12th of December 2012 as Dhivehi Youth Movement under the Associations and Societies Act of the Maldives (Act No. 1/2003). Any and all Maldivians between the age of 16 and 27 are welcome to join DYM. And everyone's ideas and thoughts are welcome and appreciated.
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from the deputy marketting director
a Dear readers, You are currently reading the most up and coming magazine of Maldives, with the most creative lot of writers and the best editorial team, working behind the curtains to bring a new and hot issue of DYMag for you every month. e content of the magazine is so diverse that this is one of those magazines that has a page linked to your every interest. And it gets better; if you think your opinion on a matter needs to be heard, or if you want to join the magazine that will be the face of youth participation and journalism in Maldives, you can easily hop aboard. Aer all we have nothing but space on this ship! is issue of DYMag is dedicated to that one global event held every year to combat climate change to make people aware about the harm we in icting on our Earth: e Earth Hour. True, switching off the lights and any unnecessary electrical appliances for one hour would not slow down the melting of icecaps or prevent the wild res. But it does get you thinking, it makes you more aware of what is happening to the world. It makes you ponder about what you can do to save your country from becoming the Atlantis of Asia. Make sure you are a part of this event, where we show the whole world that we are ready to do anything to save our planet, show the world how united we are. Be a part of this event, tell your friends, family and anyone who matters to you become a part of the event. You are helping in saving a lot of energy, and with that you are making a difference. And this year with the launch of the fantastic Earth Hour Blue campaign we can all go beyond the one hour and work all year around to save the one place we all call home, the Earth. We might have switched off the lights of DYMag for this issue, but the content inside is still very luminous as always. ey glow by radiating the creativity and the unique touch of the very committed writers and their views that speaks to the rest of the youth. It’s time you get updated on the stuff that matters. Hope this issue does that for you. Have a good read, Jin
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@sifrsabr
Sifr Editor-in-Chief Sifr is simultaneously rude, charming and arrogant. His only redeeming quality is that he is pro cient. Relentless in his pursuit of knowledge and impartial truth. Self professedly classy & stylish. Unapologetically sapiosexual, he enjoys the company of bright and attractive young ladies. He is a basketball player, a stargazer, a gym rack, a philosopher, a librocubicularist but most of all a philomath & mind of science.
@shahaaa
The DYMag Team
f b. c o m / i m y. 1 1 7
SHAHA
IMY
CONTENT DIRECTOR
DESIGN DIRECTOR
Shaha is a free spirit who enjoys classic literature, tea with lots of milk, good books and lots of sunshine. She dreams of huge closets and making a mark in the world. She believes in mismatching socks, breaking stereotypes and handwritten letters.
Imy is just a dreaming, believing, photographing, graphic designing, video gaming, good food consuming, tv series watching, constantly ranting everyday teenager. Loves his friends and making new ones. Oen dreams of traveling the world someday due to suffering from a terminal case of wanderlust. And for the record, that’s not “all” real facial hair up there but I do wish I had such a cool stache.
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@lulumoosa
@jinelixir
LUNA
JIN
MARKETING DIRECTOR
DEPUTY MARKETING DIRECTOR
Loona is a very simple girl with a big dream to be a change-maker. She is very patriotic and loves volunteering. She also loves to travel and meet other young people like her. She loves a good workout session at gym and is also a netball player. Her ambition as of now is to be a diplomat. She has always had a passion towards journalism and wishes to pursue this as a part time career in the future.
If a random human was to be labeled as someone who nds interest in the littlest and the most random things in life, then Jin would be on the top of that list. He nds varieties of art, poetry, theatricals, fantasy movies and novels and basically anything and everything with any amount of creativity interesting and fascinating. He can be very cynical at times but he is the best company anyone could ever have and be a wikipedia of a random fandom you are in at the same time. Yet, nobody really knows what his specialized talent is.
@shaaaarkie
SHARKY
HASSAN
DEPUTY DESIGN DIRECTOR
DEPUTY EDITOR
Sharky is a self-trained mythical beast who is said to be able to spew surprising amounts of creative works of art from either end of the body. Sharky lives in a world lled with chaos, and likes to isolate itself from society from time to time, taking that moment to draw, listen to music, read books, eat food, or just relax under a shady tree somewhere on a Hawaiian beach.
Hassan is a free soul, who writes as a means of escape from the dull beats of life to his melodic, jazzy imagination. Slave to his own impulses, he cannot help but do whatever he thinks will maximize the most amusement out of any situation he is put in, for example; having to write this biography. As such, he has nothing in particular to say in this sentence, but feels the need to add it so that it satis es the length criteria. Sarcasm is his knee-jerk reaction to stupid.
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TheCONTR FAZU SHAHYM Poet
NAANU
Writer @ixmaelnaail
THIHNAN Writer
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RIBUTORS EAMA
Writer @eamamoosa
MAHID
Writer @martymahid
OTHER CONTRIBUTORS Writers
SUMA SUMMER NASHYD @ s u m m e r n a s h y d NADVVA @ n a d v v a Poet
MATHYN
SHAAM
Writer @scubeshaam
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regulars 02 03 05 09 11
From the Dept. Marketing Director The DYM Team The Contributors Calendar Editors Choice
specials 23 Earth Hour
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entertainment 13 Who’s to blame (Short Story) 15 Rucksack (Long Story)
column 34 35 37 39
#AskDYM (Dating) Renal Calculus (Inrmities in Life) House of Wisdom (A Life of Wonder) Until Now (Bloodwritings)
Inside th 7
p23
dym Katti Hivvaru Fest 2014 19
spots Why do abused victims stay? 27 Unplanned Pregnancy in the Maldives 29 Getting Laid 101 31
living The Healthy Chocoholic (Health) 41
misc Lust 42 Tired, leave me alone 43
he Issue 8
Calendar MARCH 2014
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1 ●Zero Discrimination Day
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●World Wildlife Day ●International Women’s Day
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9
13
●End Game at National Art Gallery
●World Day of Muslim Culture, Peace, Dialogue and Film
●Katti Hivvaru Fest ‘14
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20
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● Katti Hivvaru Fest ‘14 ● Pi Day
●International Day of Happiness
●International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination ●World Poetry Day ●World Down Syndrome Day ●World Sleep Day
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●World Water Day
●International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims
●Supreme Overload at Space Parade’s Birthday!
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●Lathy’s Birthday
●World Theatre Day
●Villainous Sky Captain at Space Parade’s Birthday!
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Paralyzed woman walks again with 3D-printed robotic exoskeleton by Stu Robarts | Gizmag
March 2014 Read worthy articles from around the web
Nokia Treasure Tag keeps you from leaving things behind by Dave Parrack | Gizmag
Editor’s Choice | 12
Who is to blame? by Suma
“What does it say this time?” Anna asks, peering over my shoulder to get a glimpse of what I held. Anna was shorter than me by a good four inches, and tip toeing didn’t really help her small frame either. Besides, I don’t even know why she’s so eager on seeing what’s written. It’s just a crumpled sheet of paper, with scrawny writing. You might have guessed by now that, a) I have a secret admirer or lover or maybe b) a rather sinister stalker eying my every move. But only, if it were true. I’d even wish that upon every shooting star, birthday candles, three-leaf clovers or whatever did the magic. At least on the admirer bit. I sigh. “Who’s cleaning up the mess this time?” I ask even when the answer was a little too obvious. Of course it’d be me. I kneel down to pick up the scattered books that were half soaked in brown liquid that once used to be Milo, the chocolate drink that was supposed to be my lunch. At least it’s just the corners. At least this time it isn’t a ball of spit and glue stuck in my hair or a wad of red stained tissue tucked into my drawer. Optimism. at’s what my mother calls it. However, I believe the correct term for this might’ve been false hope. I don’t want to start this by going all out and saying “I am bullied.” at would just make this seem like another plain old sob story. Let’s just say people had an interesting way of dealing with me, and my appearance, my personality and well, everything rounded and summed up into one, my mere existence. Why? at’s the question I see in the eyes of people who love me whenever they hear about this. Why, is the question I, myself am still searching an answer for. Why me? It all started with the rumor that once spread around school like the wildest forest re. e rumor about me, fancying this certain someone. Now, if this certain someone had been imaginary or easily mediocre or let’s say, not as popular as this certain someone actually is, my situation wouldn’t have ended up quite like this. But no, the rumor aimed straight to the top of the popularity hierarchy.
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Within less than a period and a half of school session that ver y day, I was confronted. “Stay. Away. From my boyfriend. Got that?” She hisses, face puffed up and distorted with anger. If I cliché this out, and give it a clear cut view, I’d have to say she was the Queen bee. e girl who treats half the entire student population like they just crawled out of the dumpster, yet is loved by the whole school body for her meanness. Apart from just being a snob, she sliced and wounded hearts with her words. Even then, her famousness seems to soar. I guess, it’s that one girl, everyone silently curses underneath their breathe but never say it loud and clear. I don’t blame her. We once used to be best friends. e kind that made each other friendship bracelets had sleepovers and wore matching clothes. e kind that vowed the promises of “forever.” But, I guess people change, and it never occurs to others why. She has a lot of family issues underlying all those fake smiles she constantly put on her face. I know it eats her inside, and she’s just taking the frustration out on anything with emotions. Which is why, I let her do it to me. And the rest of the school, they trailed behind as expected. Like the newest trend that passed. e hate, ignore and thrash trend. A high school kid’s very own nightmare come true. en, came the follow up hate. It confuses me how everyone turns against you instantly when the big shots don’t like you anymore. It’s like they’re scared of being treated with the same fate. Her hate started with her insecurities with the guy she was with. e rest of them, just wanted to remain in her good books. is is perfectly reasonable and logical too. No sane person wants to be attached to a sinking boat with an anchor. ey’d do whatever it takes to stay a oat. I guess, no one’s really at fault here. e person who started the rumor? Well, they wouldn’t have imagined there fables being taken to such an extent, would they? But,
then there’s me. Is it my fault? I ask myself, every single day. Is it my fault that I get labeled something awfully nasty aer one ne day when a rumor goes around about me fancying a boy I never had a decent conversation with? I didn’t know anymore.
the very end. Now, you might be thinking I’ve grown a strange fetish for rudely written messages, but this time something sparked. It’s the neatly cut off “not” in between the two distinguished words in this hate note that made me realize.
I’ve had enough of this. I’ve started to think I’m becoming a little suicidal too. Food seemed like sawdust in my mouth half the time. e insults, they don’t even bother being secretive about it anymore. en there are the rare people, like Anna. She doesn’t exist to half the pupils because she isn’t half as out loud, and backbiting as the criteria requires to be considered human around here.
Not all’s lost. It’s not like I’m just another damsel in distress in need of rescue. No, I don’t. We’re still young and prone to making mistakes. ere’s a fat chance we wouldn’t remember half the things we’ve done in our school years by the time we’re done with it. It’s still no excuse to treat others like a bag of rotten eggs. But knowing that taking all this hate onto myself brightens some other person’s day out there, well it makes me feel honored.
Sometimes she says it’s high time I take some action about this. But how? e teachers here, they don’t care. e counselor, the old man dozes off half the time. I see eyes glued to me as I gather the books around. A worker lady rushes around with a mop, vigorously wiping the oor clean. I grab my bag and lightly jog to the girl’s bathroom. “Running on the corridors, is not allowed.” A strict voice calls from behind me. ere is a thin glaze of tears blurring my vision, but I refuse to let anyone see me break down. I shut the bathroom stall once I get in, and I can still hear faint mock cries from the corridors. Why am I doing this anyway? Mustering up all this fake bravado. Why? I’m no heroine in a book full of pathetic hormone driven teenagers, I tell myself. I take a deep breath in. e toilets here reeked of the foulest of odors. Yet, this was a safe haven. Just then, I remember the crumpled note. e one I forgot to read when the unfortunate Milo leak happened. I open it, and somehow I manage to crack a ghost of a smile. Not because I nally got a l o v e l e t t e r, o r b e c a u s e s o m e o n e complimented me. e note said “You’re worthless” With a tiny smiley face drawn at
Now, you might’ve started to believe that I have lost it. I know, all this loathing, I don’t deserve it. I know it’s just empty vessels making a large amount of noise. e hate, it’s hollow and baseless. I’ve got nothing to be ashamed of. I am me, and I am proud to be what I am. I know, it’s a cycle. at, one day they’re going to get bored of picking on me and choose their next victim. I may have taken this approach, but others might not be this far thinking. Bullying is a crime that society has somehow made acceptable as ragging or oen neglected. But it’s not. It’s equivalent to the bigger cases where a person is brutally scarred, emotionally and in dire cases, even physically. e alarmingly high amount of suicidal deaths due to this, have taken its toll. Don’t you think we ought to stop pointing ngers at each other and do something about this? Just imagine the damage being done, even in our very own country, while you’re reading this. Chances are, you yourself, might’ve been a victim or bully at some point of your life.
Note fr om the author strictly a work of fiction, just wanted to convey the message.
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РюкзаK (Rucksack) by Summer Nashyd
image telegraph.co.uk Entertainment | 15
e tunnel seemed endless as she limped along it, her heart thumping and body soaked with sweat. e gash on her leg was still raw and bleeding and she felt faint with both the blood loss and the grief that was clawing its way deeper into her chest. e war raged overhead, relentless. e sound of gun re and explosions was deafening. Sand and debris fell through the cracks on the ceiling, making her stumble in the dark as she fought to keep her sanity intact and the objective in sight. Alexai was beside her, ever the loyal sidekick, wounded and bleeding himself, refusing to abandon her even in his nearly crippled state. She had all but tied him up but he had refused to let her go alone. Since the day she had red a bullet into the eye of the demon hacking away at Alexai's le hand with a hunting knife, he perceived following her into battle, wherever it took them, as his divine duty. And she probably would've perished in battle herself months before if not for him… his presence was the only comfort she had now. Her mind strayed to the black rucksack again and she bit back the scream that crawled its way up her throat. She lodged it in place and took a deep tremulous breath. She could not lose control now. Not when they were teetering at the edge of hopelessness. She knew as well as her Comdiv* that there was no way out of this hellhole. ey were trapped here and the only escape they had was the ocean. But without a mode of transpor tation, succumbing to the freezing abyss of the Black Sea instead of dying in battle, ghting for their cause, was nothing more than spineless. Of those who remained aer the deserters had le, she owed her life to most of them. She would not despair. ey took a turn and she realized they had reached the rear of the tunnel and swore vehemently, cursing God and the damned White Movement. It was caved in, tightly sealed by multiple layers of gigantic boulders that barely let a sliver of sunlight through the only crevice visible. No amount of manpower would make this blockade budge. ere was no escape from this Hades… ey were doomed.
Alexai grasped her shoulder, urging her to return to the others, all the while knowing they were probably returning to face the damning ri e points and the blood thirsty eyes of the White Army soldiers… and of course, him. e notorious General Alik Nikolaevich Yudenich of the White Guards. e last communication her troops had had with the nearest division to the north had con rmed the fact that the infamous White Army's special force, led by General Yudenich were advancing on their region. Her trepidation at facing him far exceeded her apprehension at the looming certainty of death. From the moment she had enlisted, there was no looking back. Death was inevitable. ey all understood that. e ght was for the greater good. And contrary to then, she now had nothing to lose. e Gods were having a laugh at her expense, that was for certain. Delivering him to slay her and all that was hers… or at least what was le of it. e reports of the carnage his troops le in their wake had some quaking in their boots. She had never expressed her opinion on the subject as she had perceived the reports to be grossly exaggerated. e man she had loved and lain with three summers ago was not capable of such gore. He was kind, generous, loving and gentle…. ey had met at her mother's restaurant and he had courted her for several weeks. One morning she had woken up in his arms to hear him whisper that he loved her… and her world had never made more sense. She had oen teased him by imitating his gentle tone, saying that those under his command would need hearing aids when he issued orders. And he would grasp her waist and li her clear off the ground, raise her several inches until their eyes were level and then challenge her to imitate him again. She would shiver, basking in his gaze … and oblige, which always resulted in him throwing her unceremoniously onto his bed, their limbs entangling in silk sheets, lips hot against one another, him sliding into her and the heat lling her up from within…..
But that had been another life. Over the course of the months, from what she had seen from the newspapers her troops scavenged for a shard of news from home about their loved ones, she had come to accept the reality that his ruthless pursuits were not being overstated. e few pictures they could capture of him barely resembled the man she used to know. His face had hardened, accentuating his jaws and the lines on his face had been made more prominent. His mouth appeared to be carved onto his face, frozen in a grim line, there was no trace of the warmth and laughter it once used to emit. Smokey eyes that used to crinkle at the corners whenever he smiled were now slits of steely disdain… piercing and lifeless. She had kept those pictures folded and hidden in her boots. Whenever she had the luxury of privacy when she was on night duty, she would take them out, study his features from the fading ink and wonder where he was, how he was, whether he knew. Not that it mattered now. She was shaken out of my contemplations as another explosion shook the walls, much closer than she dared to believe… and then mute silence. Suddenly the cacophony of ri e shots and screams penetrated the walls around her and she scurried back the way they came, scraping her wounded legs and hands on the wall, falling, stumbling and crawling on her way out. She knew her kin were being mutilated above her. She had to get back and help them. She had to tell the Comdiv there was no way out. No way but death. Hysteria took over then. She could not stop the tears from coursing down her cheeks as she heard the wails and she ran faster. She had to get to the rucksack. Even though she had not succeeded in nding a place worthy of it, she knew she had to get to it. at was the only thing that mattered now. Even though she had not succeeded in nding a place worthy of it, she knew she had to get to it. at was the only thing that
Comdiv*: a Red Army rank for a Division Commander.
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mattered now. Alexai caught her hand a few feet from the mouth of the entrance. She fought against his grip, her screams incoherent. He held her then, gently, but rm enough to keep her in place, whispering ercely. 'I know. I know. e rucksack. I will do all that I can to ensure you have it in your arms before that. I promise.' With that, her body released one shattering breath…and she stopped twisting around and stilled, mentally building a defensive wall around what was le of her restraint. Alexai pulled away and looked into her eyes, tears swimming in his and whispered. 'ere is no place I would rather be than here with you. I would have followed you until the very end.' She smiled tremulously, kissed his forehead and whispered back. 'is IS the end, Alexai.' ey nodded at each other, composed now, and limped forward into the fading evening, water lapping at their ankles as they reached the entrance of the tunnel that had been the only hope of escape for her division. She blinked as the fading light pierced her eyes and she saw that they were surrounded. e gun re had ceased and the Whites had occupied the entire beach. Her Comdiv lay on a jagged overhang, eyes lifeless and hand grasping his ri e. His men lay slaughtered around him, their blood seeping into the bitter ocean. e sky had darkened with storm and the wind howled at them, a sound much like the wail of a newborn haunting the terrain of mutilated soldiers. e sound of her name, soly uttered, shook her out of her despair and she turned towards the man standing behind her, knowing full well who it would be. He had changed considerably. His stature was the same but he had lost an alarming amount of weight. His hair had turned gray and his face was a granite carving. With the ocean at his back and the storm gathering behind him, he had the appearance of a vengeful demon clothed in army green, damp and blood splattered. e very presence of him seemed to emit an aura of vicious command
and even his soldiers shuffled uncomfortably, apparently intimidated and in awe of him. He strode in silence towards her, his gaze held at a point few inches above her le shoulder, and stopped three feet away from her. She held her gaze and looked at him but he ignored her and turned towards Alexai. 'Kill him.' His command was barely audible but the officer on his right shot Alexai instantly. She saw it as if it happened in slow motion, Alexai's mouth forming the words 'No', his eyes glassy with terror and regret. She dropped down beside his now lifeless body, her whole being shaking with the grief that she had held at bay since yesterday. She cradled his body to her chest, kissed his forehead, closed his eyes and wept silently while her hands stroked his hair. Aer the storm of tears subsided, the numb realization that she was still alive shook her out of her state of misery. ey had not shot her… yet. But why? She fought for control as she staggered up, trying in vain to stop her body from trembling, loathe to let the enemy see her weak and vulnerable anymore. e last man standing from her division of the Red Army, cowering like a coward when the Whites attempted eradicate all that they were ghting for? She may be physically defenseless but she still had her pride .ey may have ripped her world apart within less than 48 hours but she would make him look her straight in the eyes before he executed her. But rst, she had to get to the rucksack. Her eyes darted around over the sea of slain bodies that had been her kin, brave souls who had fought valiantly for what they believed in. She attempted desperately to focus her swimming vision on the tents they had set up near the mountainside and realized in anguish that she would never make it there alive. Not with his men pointing their menacing ri e points at her, waiting for his instructions. Her body swayed from the pain and fatigue that was threatening her consciousness and she swung her gaze at him resolutely, unafraid now. Alik stood a couple of feet away from her,
feet apart, one hand resting on his belt. His eyes stormy slits, nally returning her gaze and narrowed in contemplation. 'What are you searching for?' he asked soly, head cocked to one side. She stared back in mute de ance, unwilling to oblige. e man that stood before her, wearing the disguise of the man she loved was a monster. He had butchered her entire division and seemed entirely impervious to the carnage he had brought about. Her eyes seething, she silently taunted him to kill her, looking at the ri e on his belt and then back at his eyes… eyes that betrayed no emotion within their vast emptiness. ere were no remnants of the love that they once used to radiate. Not that it mattered. is was not a time for sentiment. is was the end. His men stirred restlessly, impatient to leave but he seemed unconcerned by it. Instead, he looked at her pensively, silently deliberating over whatever that was storming behind those deadpan eyes. Finally he spoke, emitting a lone sigh 'Any last requests?' he asked, leaning forward toward her. She blinked in surprise, then confusion which swily turned to mistrust. But she cautiously replied, pointing with her nger, 'Yes….. yes. I have one. ere is a rucksack. A black rucksack inside the tent over there, I want to have it in my hands…. before you…..' she trailed off. For once, his eyes ickered in surprise and then narrowed in suspicion. 'What is inside it?' he asked as he turned to the same man who had shot Alexai , who immediately set off in the direction she had pointed. 'It's not a weapon, nothing that concerns you. I just want to have it with me now…. ' She twisted, calling aer the man 'Please, please be careful with it.’ ‘You will have your bag. Now, look at me.' He motioned to his troops to leave them alone and they strode off, some disgusted and others merely curious about why this lone woman, one of their enemies at that, seemed to hold the interest of their indomitable General. He spoke to her cordially, as if they were conversing over a dinner table. 'I have heard of your activities within the past two years. Heard your name
Entertainment | 17
being uttered along with Kornilov and Kolchak. You have quite the reputation.' When she did not comment, he uttered one word 'Explain' She numbly relayed the events of the past three years. 'A week aer you le, our entire block along with those near it were demolished by the bombings. It was midnight. I was at the restaurant, closing up…. Mama, Anya, Lena…. By the time I got home, there was nothing le to go back to. So I scavenged what little I could from the rubble of my home and went to the camps. We moved from time to time and aer a year, we were torn apart by a division of your regiment at Kahrkov and that's where I met Comdiv Leonid and his followers. ey saved us. ey had all lost their homes and families as well. And we all had the same dream. Some of us had ….children, sisters and brothers in our care so we took them along with us wherever we went, hiding them whenever and wherever we could. Even to war because we had no other choice….. until there were no more.' She heard the sound of footsteps and swung around. His officer was holding the bulging rucksack out to her and she took it gently from him. She laid it on the ground, almost reverently and was startled when Alik took a step forward and closed the distance between them. A distance he had resolutely maintained until now. For the rst time, his voice held compassion in it when he spoke. 'I am sorry about your Mama and sisters. I didn't know.' He crouched down beside her, disregarding his officers or the rucksack she was bent over and continued 'I tried to nd you. When I heard the news about your building block, I tried to nd you. I looked through the rubble, through all the bodies, dis gured and maimed… I checked the lists, I kept looking. I was ordered to lead my regiment at Petrograd two days aer that and when I couldn't nd you, I assumed you were dead...' His voice hitched. '… and buried too deep within the wreck. So I le. But then last year I got word that you were alive and in the army. I wanted to see you, speak to you… but ….' He trailed off. She looked at him 'but now, I am your enemy.' Understanding lled her eyes as she
looked at Alik's face… the face of the man she loved. His eyes were soer now, his face less harsh and it almost felt like they were being pulled back through time to those sunlit days when he used to hover over her while she lay in bed, tenderly smiling down at her, musing over some thought she wished he would share. His officer moved away now, they were alone, inches apart, the General and the woman he loved… who was also an officer of the Red Army, who he now had to execute. She knew if he disobeyed his orders, he would most likely suffer the same fate. His regiment would report back to the White Movement leaders if he aided the enemy, irrespective of their admiration for their General. is was war. An extermination. Alik had no choice. It was either kill or be killed. She knew now what she had to do. Unzipping the rucksack from both sides, she opened the ap and gently took out her daughter. e bandages had turned a faint yellow and she could detect the faint smell of decay. She stood up, swaying, and turned to see him still crouched down, his face white with shock. He spoke in a hushed whisper ‘..wha… who….?' As he weakly stood up, she smiled at him, her eyes brimming and told him what she had wanted to since that day at the camp when she realized she was with child. 'is is my daughter. Our daughter. Alika ' He grimaced in pain, body rigid with shock as he swung his gaze from her to the tiny dead body she held in her arms, the remains of the love they had shared, the child he never even knew he had. 'She died yesterday, along with two other children while we fought the White forces stationed beyond the forest. ey got into our tents when they saw our numbers dwindling. I was less than ten feet away, on the ground, aer one of them stabbed my leg. When I shot him, he landed on me, pinning me under him. By the time I got to her, it was too late…..she was gone.' Her voice broke at that and she wept silently, clutching her dead child in her arms and numbly stared through the man who had given her Ali and never even known of her existence until aer her death.
She didn't know whether it took them both minutes or hours to surface from the ocean of grief they were submerged in, staring across at one another with the body of their dead child in between them. But they did. She saw him visibly shaking, his eyes devastated and brimming over while he stood a few feet from her, while he opened his mouth to speak but could not nd the words. She nodded and spoke with grim determination 'My request is that you nd a place, away from this bloodshed, away fromall this madness…. somewhere peaceful… with grass and trees, perhaps …and bury us there, together, Ali in my arms… just like this. Can you do that for me?… Please.' He looked at her imploringly, pleading forgiveness for everything and more. She didn't need words. He knew that. She didn't want them. She just wanted it to end. 'Sonya….' He started forward but she stumbled a step back, clutching Ali tightly and shook her head 'Promise me you will do this for me. For us.' She said curtly, unwilling to give in to grief now. She was tired. So tired. She just wanted it all to be over. She had earned that. He stopped and fought for control and she knew he was having a battle rage inside him. 'Promise me, Alik' Her voice broke. He hung his head, turned and walked towards the ocean, an ambivalent lone gure helpless against the might of fate. Aer what seemed like eternity, he turned around. e dawning comprehension of the inevitable ickered within the torment in his grey eyes while they stared deep into her own green ones, which burned erce with resolve. He pulled out his ri e and stepped back, eyes streaming. ey didn't need more words as he swung it up, aimed and red. She was smiling, clutching her child in her arms, gazing at the man she loved when the bullet pierced her temple … and then she felt no more.
~ конец (e End) Entertainment | 18
t s o p khf s e u bl
# by Shaam, photography by Navin Saeed
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The last three weeks now seem like a dream. Or like something that happened to me in some distant parallel universe. I visit the ‘Katti Hivvaru Fest 2014’ (from here-on referred to as #KHF2014) page every day religiously, every hour or so, just to remind myself that Dhi Youth Movement pulled off the biggest youth festival in the country. When Iyya and Ish approached me to be part of their coordinating team, I remember feeling the stirring of excitement and passion that had been latent for a while in me. They came up with radical and out of the box ideas that seemed fun, yet outrageously cool and youth-friendly – which is essentially what #KHF2014 was envisioned to be - ‘Katti Hivvaru’ when translated into its literal English translation, it means ‘a sudden surge of youthful energy’.
generous team of PopJoy, who arranged all the lights and sound for our talented performers. With an attendance of more than 4000 people to our event (yes, I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true!), I am quite con ident to say that our event would be the event to beat this year. More than the reception we got from the general public, I am more profoundly affected by the support and praise DYM has gotten from the event, by the talented group of young people who took part in the event. The event was for them, and they had the greatest say and were the greatest critics of ours.
To see our talent pool from #KHF2014 get recognition for the things they are passionate and exceptional at, makes our heart go soft and gooey inside. Because, #KHF2014 is ultimately a platform for young people to be exposed for the true DYM’s irst Katti Hivvaru Fest was held in potential that they are. 2012, at the Social Center. With just 6 stalls and a performance area, we But we couldn’t have delivered without managed to get a humble four hundred the dedication and passion from our allvisitors to our event, which was such a star team. Our graphics team (Funko, milestone for us back then (we hadn’t Mahin, Refty and Ahadhi) who put in so even registered as an organization yet much effort to perfect all of our graphics then). We vowed ourselves that we material, our dear and loveable Azza, would make it much stronger for the next who was so generous to lend us his apartment and studio to work in, our festival – and we sure delivered. outrageously crazy and fun Suveyb #KHF2014 took place at the National Art Twins – BT and Yaambe, who were Gallery on the 13th and 14th March. We remarkable in inding the best talent for had a total of 32 stall spaces given out to our event. Thymi, Uzy, Nazza, Piko, young people from different areas of Amsal, Saaidh, Suma, Sarvy, Mumeeth, expertise: from photographers to Hysham, Dan, Shau, Hassaan, Zakitte – jewelry makers – from entrepreneurs to they are all rock-stars and were outstanding in delivering everything NGO initiatives. DYM asked of them. The performance area - which was set up inside the gallery itself - had more than Personally, I think the #KHF2014 19 acts. This included a number of new experience for me was one of the most artists such as ‘Square’, ‘The Slim its’, DJ intense and exhilarating few weeks ever. Hassaan and DJ Raya, ‘Overworld’ and I was sleep deprived, starving most of the more. We were privileged enough to day, and stressed beyond words. But I witness the irst ‘mobbing’ of the dance know for a fact that this experience was troupe ‘Choreotix’ by the ‘Toxic Monkeys’ something that I never imagined for – the irst of its kind in the Maldives. At myself. this point in the event, I remember my heart growing to a size of a melon in my #KHF2014 was basically, the movie ‘The chest. I remember feeling the electricity Boat That Rocked’. You’ll know what I in the air, when DJs Angie and Manal mean if you watch it. I will never forget it, performed. I remember the crowds and I couldn’t be more proud of what DYM has created and what we have screaming ‘KHF’ in unison. achieved. The stage was perfected by the major talent from Underground Movement, The #DYM and #KHF movement is with their 3D projection art and the unstoppable.
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#khf DYM | 21
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Earth Hour 2014 "Uniting People to Protect the Planet"
We turned out the lights to prove that we can unite, that we can come together, to change the world. Earth Hour has become far more than just an hour from rebuilding forests in Africa, to protecting seas of Argentina, to changing lives in Madagascar and taking challenges to create change. In 2014, we will launch Earth Hour Blue, the world's ďŹ rst platform for action for our planet, from crowd-funding projects, to using your voice to make a difference and sharing your inspirations on March 29 at 8:30pm. Earth Hour: Your Power AmpliďŹ ed. Multiplied. Globalized.
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INTRODUCTION: Earth Hour™ is an initiative of WWF, and Earth Hour Global is a registered Charity under the Charities Act in Singapore and a company limited by guarantee. e principal objective of EHG is to operate as an independent organization and charity with the aim of uniting people to protect the planet. It is also a global event organized by the WWF – the global conser vation organization to create awareness about Global Warming and the impact it creates on our planet; a global movement uniting people to protect the planet. Towards the end of March every year, Earth Hour brings together communities from across the world celebrating a commitment to the planet by switching off lights for one designated hour. Earth Hour celebrates the second-to-last and last weekend of March which is around the time of the Spring and Autumn equinoxes in the northern and southern hemispheres respectively, which allows for near coincidental sunset times in both hemispheres, thereby ensuring the greatest visual impact for a global 'lights out' event. THE BIRTH OF EARTH HOUR: WWF started Earth Hour to engage a mass audience behind the issues facing our planet, and to make a statement that when united we can make a difference. is was an audience that we were struggling to reach out to at the time, so from the beginning, it was decided that Earth Hour would run on hope, not fear. It would be street party, not street protest. It would be about a common purpose. We've proven that people do and will care about protecting the planet if the message is communicated in a way that is different,
positive, hopeful and inspirational. Earth Hour has always been more than just a lights-off event. Now, eight years on, we are seeing some extraordinary environmental achievements leading to the realization of our long-term vision. OUR MISSION AND VISION: Earth Hour's mission is to Unite People to Protect the Planet. Together we've built a global community and created phenomenal success around the world through an opens ou rc e d c amp ai g n mo d el, but ou r communities are in a somewhat fragmented state. Earth Hour Blue seeks to bring together our unique mix of on-the-ground and digital communities and form a movement that is further empowered and capable to act beyond the hour. e power of the crowd is no longer in doubt. In today's digital world, we see successful campaigns to fund climate institutes or innovative products, witness grassroots projects uniting diverse communities to nd a global voice, and use digital platforms from Instagram to Baidu to unite behind an event or a campaign. We have an extraordinary opportunity to shape a common future if we apply ourselves to providing the tools and environment to enable people to mobilize and take action. We cannot do this alone, but must rely on those who want to act, to act. INTRODUCTION OF EARTH HOUR BLUE: In 2014, Earth Hour will be launching Earth Hour Blue, the rst crowdfunding and crowdsourcing platform for the planet, an offshoot of the world's largest grassroots environmental event in history. Our job is to garner the support of millions of participants and enable people and communities on the ground to achieve
outcomes, big or small. Amplify – Celebrate Earth Hour. Show where you stand on the night of Earth Hour and engage your friends and network to support the cause. Multiply – Back A Project. Use the crowd to fund your project, or join the crowd to fund a project you love. Globalize – Add Your Voice. Mobilize the crowd behind a local, regional or global campaign that doesn't need your money, but needs your voice. Your Power ; Ampli ed. Multiplied. Globalized. Earth Hour Blue in its rst stage seeks to provide three tools to achieve tangible outcomes: • An open crowd funding platform, as a resource to help WWF and external communities fund their efforts for the planet and to give the crowd a choice of what environmental and social projects they would like to nancially support. • Provide a platform for individuals to voice their support with WWF for some of the most critical conser vation and sustainability campaigns of our time, giving a local or regional issue a global stage that can harness the power of the crowd. • Join WWF for the world's biggest celebration of the planet as a way to further inspire hope and action. By connecting communities not just for an hour, but for days, months and years, we can better drive our crowdfunding and crowdsourcing initiatives. We've built Earth Hour together. Now let's use it.
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2004
2004; WWF Australia begins to look at new ways to take climate change mainstream aer being confronted with serious scienti c data and meets with advertising agency, Leo Burnett Sydney to discuss ideas for engaging Australians on the issue of climate change.
2005
2005; A campaign based on hope not fear, and the idea that everyone can take personal responsibility for the future of the planet we live on is envisioned. WWF Australia and Leo Burnett Sydney start developing the concept of a large scale switch off. e project has the working title, "e Big Flick"
2006
2006; Leo Burnett is tasked with the challenge of coming up with a campaign name that represents more than simply icking off lights – Earth Hour is born. e Earth Hour name allows the campaign to broaden the focus from "lights out" to sustainability. WWF Australia and Leo Burnett Sydney take the concept of Earth Hour to Fairfax Media asking Fairfax to back the event and they agree.
2007
31 March 2007; e inaugural Earth Hour is held in Sydney Australia 7:30pm - 8:30pm, 2.2 million Sydneysiders and 2,100 businesses participate. e Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) releases a report highlighting the risks of rising temperatures, further highlighting the need for urgent solutions. April 2007; Plans are developed to make Earth Hour a national event in Australia, but international interest is high and cities began signing up to the next Earth Hour campaign.
2008
29 March 2008; Earth Hour held in 371 cities and towns in more than 35 countries globally at 8pm - 9pm. A highly conservative estimate concludes that 50 million people participate. is number could have been as high as 100 million people.
2009
28 March 2009; Earth Hour held on Saturday March 28 at 8:30pm - 9:30pm. Hundreds of millions of people in more than 4,000 cities and towns across 88 countries switched off their lights for one hour, creating a visual mandate for action on climate change effectively kick-starting the world's rst global vote. is is the rst year Maldives officially took part in this global movement. July 2009; Earth Hour's Vote Earth campaign releases the Vote Earth symbol calling on citizens of the world to show their vote for Earth over Global Warming. November 2009; Earth Hour's Vote Earth launches e People's Orb, a shimmering silver sphere encasing a 350-gigabyte hard drive with video, images and documents representing the hundreds of millions of people who voted Earth to call for action on climate change. A tangible representation of the voice of the world's people, e People's Orb relays from Sydney to Copenhagen in the care of a variety of custodians ranging from former heads of state to iconic rock stars. December 2009; Global awareness of climate change soars to unprecedented levels during an historic meeting of 192 nations at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. Vote Earth campaign culminates on 16th December with Earth Hour Copenhagen. e People's Orb, is entrusted to UN Chef de Cabinet, Vijay Nambiar to be presented to world leaders. e People's Orb takes centre stage in the plenary on the nal day of the conference alongside UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, in front of President of the United States, Barack Obama, Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, COP President and Climate Minister Connie Hedegaard and over 100 heads of state.
2010
27 March 2010; Earth Hour held on Saturday March 27 at 8:30pm - 9:30pm and succeeds in being a global call to action to stand up, to take responsibility, and lead the global journey to a sustainable future. A record 128 countries and territories take part and iconic buildings and landmarks from Asia Paci c to Europe and Africa to the Americas stand in darkness.
2011
26 March 2011; Earth Hour held on Saturday March 26 at 8.30pm-9.30pm and continues to break records for participation with 135 countries taking part. Earth Hour 2011 is the rst Earth Hour to go beyond the hour, by asking supporters to think about what else they can do to make a difference. Beyondthehour.org is launched to give supporters a place to share stories and pledge to do more.
2012
31 March 2012; Earth Hour is held on Saturday March 31 at 8:30pm-9:30pm and breaks records to again cement itself as the largest voluntary action for the environment, with more than 7000 cities and towns across 152 countries and territories taking part. e campaign experiences the largest growth since 2009, and continues its effort to go beyond the hour by launching the "I Will If You Will" campaign, with more than 200,000 individuals accepting a challenge at YouTube.com/EarthHour. IWIYW asks everyone around the globe to share what they would be willing to do to save the planet, and what they'd expect done in return. Earth Hour 2012 went to extremes to protect the planet, with astronaut André Kuipers observing the lights off event from the International Space Station.
2013
23 March 2013; Earth Hour 2013 was celebrated across 154 countries and territories in more than 7000 cities and towns. Many of the world's best known man-made and natural landmarks took part in a "lights out" event, which became the backdrop to a multitude of "beyond the hour" activities and initiatives generated by our movement's participants across the world.
2014
29 March 2014; Earth Hour 2014 will be held on Saturday March 29 at 8:30 pm - 9:30 pm wherever you are in the world. So save the date and keep checking earthhour.org and earthhour.mv to see the world unite to protect the planet.
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Why do abused victims stay? by Nadva Gender based violence, honor killings, sex slavery and other violence against women seemingly exist worlds away. You'd think violence against women is relatively nonexistent in the Maldives, but it sleeps in your bed and eats at your table. 1 in 3 Maldivian women between the ages of 1549 reported experiencing some form of physical or sexual violence at least once during their lifetime. You never expect your own family to make the statistics until it does. “Maryam agreed to an arranged marriage at the age of 15 as a mean by which she could run away from her sexually abusive stepfather. Maryam’s husband, Ali, didn’t seem like an abusive man, he was relatively normal, seemed as kind and charming as any man she had never known could be. His irritability and aggression took Maryam by surprise. It began with one or two strikes across the face, Maryam’s response to this was to ‘just get over it’ as was expected of an obedient wife. From then on, Maryam was beaten regularly. It got worse during each of her pregnancies; Ali would come home and lie on the bed next to Maryam and would continually kick her visibly pregnant belly
until it was black and blue. is was persistent during all ve of her pregnancies, resulting in two miscarriages. ese beatings oen le her unable to move for hours. He would beat her regularly and needed no reason for it. He would oen switch between using his bare hands and a broom. Neighbors and family had reported the incidents to the authorities but nothing was ever done. Despite being urged to press charges and to divorce him, Maryam stayed. She said that it was ‘for the sake of my children, Dharinnah takaa.’ To her, it seemed like the best option for someone with little formal education and no way to support three children. “ D e s p i t e u n i nt e r r u p t e d a b u s e t h at prolonged for two decades, Maryam and Ali are still together. is is the stark reality of Domestic Violence in the Maldives. To many the fact that victims stay in the relationship aer being abused seems like a good reason to question that validity of the abus e. Onlo okers oen s ay “Stop victimizing yourself and just leave.” Or “if it
were me, I would leave in a heartbeat.’ is is a classic example of how we unwillingly blame the victim into silence. e truth is that there are numerous reasons for victims to stay; in fact it is extremely hard to get out of an abusive relationship, It’s a process that takes months or even years! Denial & Guilt One of the biggest reasons a victim stays is simply because they are unaware that they are going through abuse. e abuse is oen gradual, it starts little. e victims are rst made comfortable with the abuser, and then isolated. During this time period the abuser convinces the victim that whatever abuse the victim goes through is their own undoing. Leading the victim to believe that they deserved the beating or that one slap is acceptable because they failed to do what was expected of them. In a study conducted by the Ministry of Gender and Family, it was revealed that 52.3% of battered women did not view the abuse as ‘serious’ and that it was thought of as being ‘normal.’ And 10.2% stated that they were embarrassed or ashamed or afraid that they would be blamed.
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Social and cultural norms In many cultures where women are taught to be subordinate, it is acceptable for a man t o s h o w h i s ‘d o m i n a n c e’ t h r o u g h aggression. e ministry of Gender and Family also reports that “70% of women agreed with one or more justi cation for a husband hitting his wife. e reasons that women most commonly agreed with as a justi cation for violence was if a wife was unfaithful (56.8%) or if a wife disobeys her husband (50.1%).
29.3% of respondents believed that if a wife refuses sex then it is acceptable for her husband to beat her.” is explains how many women dismiss acts of aggression as being ‘obedient’. Despite the overwhelming amount of people who justify abuse, it is important to note that there is NO good enough reason for hitting one’s partner. Fear Terrorizing, intimidating and threatening the victim is one of the rst steps an abuser would take before going on to physically abuse the victim. It makes sense for a victim to fear the threats because statistically, the chances of the abuser severely injuring or
murdering their partner signi cantly escalates when the partner is trying to leave the relationship; in fact 70% of the domestic violence related murders happen aer the victim leaves. Even aer successfully leaving the partner, it is extremely dangerous as abusers oen ‘stalk’ the victims for a long time. Many victims choose to stay due to various other reasons than those mentioned earlier; it differs from victim to victim. But it would be unfair to say that all victims stay. Many survivors oen do end up leaving and carrying on with their lives. It is extremely important to create a society wherein victims can live without stigma. However, with the publication of surveys which focus on women, people raise several arguments to reject the urgency for actions against domestic violence and other atrocities against women, one of these arguments being “Men go through it too; the focus shouldn’t only be on women!” Whereas this is very true, it is also important to note that the percentage of men who experience domestic violence is
far less than the percentage of women who experience such violence; statistically women are victims of domestic violence at a rate of 5 times that of males, this is why most surveys and shelters focus on women. Despite this, it is also important to note that the trauma is no less when the victim is male and is still equally as important to address and resolve. e main focus being on women is in no way meant to propagate the idea that it is solely a women’s issue. Ne v e r t h e l e s s , i t i s a t r u t h r a r e l y acknowledged that “Why did they stay?” is a misleading question, regardless of the victim’s gender. A better question, a question we must ask ourselves, the people involved, and the society at large, a question that truly addresses the origin of the violence instead of further victimizing the victim, would be; “Why did he/she hit their partner?” It is a question we must answer.
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Unplanned Pregnancy in the Maldives ♼
by Eama Binth Moosa Unplanned pregnancy is a stressful term. It is a very delicate and diďŹƒcult situation, possibly the most unexpected and unplanned situation spelling almost certain disaster for both the woman and the man. A sticky wicket, yes, yet unplanned pregnancies are very common. It is impossible to calculate precisely how many pregnancies each year are accidental, but we can assume, for arguments sake, that about 1 in 2 pregnancies in Maldives are unplanned. Moreover, it is extremely diďŹƒcult to draw a clear line between those pregnancies that are planned and those that are not.
image provplace.org Spots | 29
Despite modern methods of family planning and widespread information about how to use it, unplanned pregnancy is one of the most common medical problems faced by sexually active women under 45, especially in the Maldives. If it's an unplanned pregnancy, the woman might not know what to do next. She might worry that the father won't welcome the news. She might not be sure she can afford to care for a baby. She might be concerned that having a baby will keep her from nishing college or pursuing a career. If she gets pregnant aer being raped, she might feel ashamed, numb, or afraid to seek help. All very genuine concerns. So, let’s have a look at some of the notso-shocking factors which cause this. It is difficult to arrange a pregnancy to order. Many couples go through a stage where they are not exactly planning to have a child, but at the same time they are not exactly doing everything in their power to prevent it either. Barrier methods are inherently less effective and if the couple has difficulty using them, the child arrives sooner than later in most cases. Unplanned pregnancy is common among abused women. Research has found that some abusers force their partners to have sex without birth control or sabotage the birth control their partners are using. Moreover, child sexual abuse is very common in Maldives. e stark reality of the statistics is that approximately 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before the age of 18. A study on Women’s Health and Life Experiences
conducted in Maldives during 2006 found that 12% of women aged 15-49 reported that they had been sexually abused before the age of 15. Approximately 1 in 3 women (34.6%) aged 15-49 reported experiencing at least one form of physical or sexual violence during their lifetime. Such cases oen lead to unwanted pregnancies and abortions. Unfortunately, the majority of these embroiled children never report the abuse, and oen this is because they are afraid of their parents’ reactions, they fear getting into trouble or because they simply don’t know how to speak of these atrocious acts. In Maldives, sex is considered a taboo subject in families mostly due to its rigid religious beliefs. In order to avoid being beleaguered, parents need to correctly and adequately teach their children about sexuality to sufficiently prepare them for safe passage through the teen years, and for a ful lling intimate experience within marriage. Break the taboo! In Maldives, the school leaving age is usually 16 and about 50% of the student apt for higher studies. Half of the rest usually end up getting married. According to the survey done by UNICEF, Progress for Children in 2010, 48% of women 45-49 years old were married before the age of 18. Also, UN statistics shows that the teenage birth rate per 1000 woman between 1519 is 18.0 in the Maldives. Adolescent fertility rate in Maldives was 10.97 in 2010, according to the World Bank. Evidence shows that girls who marry early oen abandon formal education and become pregnant. ese pregnancies are usually unplanned. Researchers have talked to teen moms who believed they couldn't get pregnant the rst time they had sex, didn't think
they could get pregnant at that time of the month or thought they were sterile. is report underscores how much misperception, ambivalence and magical thinking put teens at risk for unintended pregnancy. In order to prevent this, parents need to clearly advise their kids about the many difficulties of getting married straight out of school and make them aware that they have their whole life ahead of them. Why the rush? Also, one of the most dependable methods to avoid pregnancy is use of contraception. Although this does not give 100% protection, but if a woman is sexually active and does not want to get pre g n ant , s h e mu s t a lw ay s u s e contraception. Contraceptive prevalence (% of women ages 15-49) in Maldives was 34.70 in 2009, according to the World Bank. Mary Jane Minkin, M.D. has said, “Anybody who is heterosexually active and not using protection is trying to have a baby.” Usually, the pill, condoms and other forms of birth control does not prove to be faulty. Instead, the couples failed to use it correctly or consistently. Maybe there are some "facts" about pregnancy that a signi cant number of women tend to believe in. Such as, a girl can't get pregnant the rst time she has sex. Or that she can't get pregnant if she is on period. Right? WRONG. Learn how to separate the myths from the facts. Don't believe the hype! So why are some women still assuming they’ll stay baby-free until they’re ready?
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GETTING LAID
101
by Jin
image chicwithwords.ď€ les.wordpress.com Spots | 31
Scholars and doctoral degree holders have attempted and failed bitterly in the course of telling the world the simple and subtle ways of how to get laid. That is without a shot of tequila of course. But everyone was proved wrong when this one Maldivian came up with the best 101 written in the history of mankind on how to get laid. Honestly, I was so awestruck by the article that I decided to leave my gurus who I look up to in the ield of getting laid- Jon Hamm and Barney Stinson- and start following the advice of this writer instead. That was until I reread the article and found out that I need 6 months at the least to get a girl on the hook. I mean, who am I kidding, I don’t expect to have the perfect hair of Patrick Dempsey by the age of 25. Now let’s come back to the current century, where gentlemen like the rest of us wear decent clothes and not stand in front of a pretty girl’s house for six months straight to make her say ‘Hi’. The wasted lines above about this one article that dropped my lower jaw in awe are just bogus remarks on the worst insult to (Maldivian) journalism and the masculinity of proper men. If one was to try whatever the writer has mentioned in his article, the person wh o t r i e s i t w i l l e i t h e r g e t a restraining order or a punch on his face by a brother of that girl. And I seriously wonder where the editor was when the writer was positively encouraging the common citizen to stalk on every single girl on the streets (given that all women are pretty, in their own way).
The writer of the article de initely forgot about the famous saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover” when he said a “good” girl can be identi ied from her facial features. A glowing face is not the only thing that makes a woman pretty. The fact that a woman knows how to continue an intellectual conversation with you is more important, in my opinion, than her physique. And how the writer is hinting that men should back away from making conversation with a woman on contact just makes me laugh, thinking that women, in his mind, are aliens from another planet and proper research should be done on them before you go near them. Getting a girl to like you or to get her to go on a date (or two… or more) with you is not a military grade “operation”. It doesn’t require you to be Chris Hemsworth for a girl to like you. If you have showered recently and are wearing some decent clothes with a good choice of fragrance, without a gang on your back shouting “homie” “ and/or “buuro”, I am sure you can get her name and number. It requires no degree, or a cake or some corny words of “proposal” borrowed for Nicholas Spark to get you on her mind (if that’s what you really want). I won’t be surprised if he or his followers had a large streaks of getting turned down by girls from left and right. Because unlike the rest of the 21st century men, some people who tend to dwell in the Stone Age think that girls will de initely give out their numbers on Facebook if you annoy them nicely. And even if it works by a fat chance (or if the devil actually wanted to see the guy burn)
cakes and roses will not give a reason for a girl to actually pick up your scrambled Morse code of saying “Be my girlfriend”. Want to know why? Because the world has brought us to an age where a girl can accept a guy as a good friend, without the whole Dylan and Jamie thing going all over between them. Dear author of the article. Don’t embarrass yourself by telling the current generation of people on how to get a girl’s cellphone number in the duration of six months when all you have to do is go and ask her what her name is, rather than stalking to her house and standing there wasting your time and energy, giving useless aches to your legs. Take a leaf from Jon Hamm’s or Barney Stinson’s book or simply learn to be a gentleman. You don’t need to buy cakes and poke her on Facebook if you can interest her by being a genuinely nice person, how well dressed you are and how you wrap the night biding her goodnight. It’s the little things that matter. All you need is to be is manly. Manly enough to walk up to her (not to her doorstep) and draw the biggest smile and say Hi. But then again, if you lot want to do it as easily as “drinking a glass of water” (and I should stress, sipping it with tedious care in the course of 6 damn long months), good luck creeping her out. Happy hunting gentlemen.
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#AskDYM Write to MGM for priceless advice on all things love!
Dear MGM,
Question
I was very ine with my boyfriend for almost two years until my parents got wind of him. They think he is an outcast and a mis it just because he has a good (and cute) amount of hair on his head and wears t-shirt and shorts. I do love him very much, but my parents are close to locking me up in my home just because I see him. My dad went head to head with him one night and yet all he said to me was that they don't understand. He is not a crackhead I assure you and he doesn't even smoke. What should I do? I fear that with time, I will be presented with an ultimatum by either side, most probably by the parents. Yours despairingly, Parental Control
Dear Parental Control,
Answer
You seem to be torn between a rock and a hardplace. Just cut his hair woman. Problem solved. And just in time for tea. Or how about asking him to grow a beard, wear mun’du and some decent long sleeved plain shirts? If that doesn't work, we will have to try some harsh measures; something like telling your parents that how he is blood related to one or the other Maldivian High Net Worth Individuals. Hint: The usual suspects are associated with the clouds and the sun. Thats bound to do the trick, and I assure you, so far, that has not failed me in the pursuit of winning the families of my victims! Now that that’s out of my system. Let’s see if we can’t solve your little dilemma. Reconciliation. That’s the key word here. You need to show your parents dearest that your darling dearest is not just another fop of cute hair with a tee to match. I know this will seem like the hardest thing to do but it may be a good idea to ask him to change just a wee bit so that your parents will be more comfortable with the idea of him snogging their little princess. From what you have told me, sounds like your parents have really put up with him because they love you. Ask him to meet your parents halfway. That’s the least anyone can do. On the other hand there are your parents, you need to sit down and have a heart to heart with both of them. They need to respect your relationship. And they will do so once they understand it. It wasn’t fair for them to ind out the way they did. Can you really blame them for reacting the way they did? I would advise you to patiently work to bring together the two parts of your life that make you whole. Good luck. Yours knowingly, Muranga Gasdhoshu Maalimee
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INFIRMITIES IN LIFE
Renal Calculus Raising awareness in celebration of March 2014 being Kidney Month
♼ by Thihnan
image urologyhealth.org Columns | 35
e function of blood is to transport both useful and waste materials around the body. is is why waste must be removed from the blood. We call this ltration. e urinary tract is the body’s drainage system for removing wastes and extra water. Filtration occurs at a special pair of organs called the kidneys. is is what causes the formation of urine. Once formed, the urine falls into a thin tube known as urethra and is excreted out of the body. Kidneys are located near the middle of the back just below the ribcage one on either side of the spinal cord. Each day, the two kidneys process about 228 liters of blood to produce 2 – 3 liters of urine. Filtration occurs at a special pair of organs called the kidneys. is is what causes the formation of urine. Once formed, the urine falls into a thin tube known as urethra and is excreted out of the body. Oen when ltering, some chemicals
and minerals in the blood deposit in the kidneys. As the deposition grows, it clumps together to form masses known as stones. ese stones usually don’t do much damage in the kidneys and people can live healthy with no symptoms. e problem arises when these stones pass with the urine to the urethra. If the stones are big enough they can cause a block in the urethra causing severe pain. Pain caused by kidney stones come in waves of strong contractions around the lower abdominal region lasting from 20 minutes for as long as an hour. Moreover, visible amount of blood may appear with urine if a kidney stone is present. Research shows two main factors leading to the formation of kidney stones in most people; Dehydration: Urine comprises mainly of water and proteins. High concentration of water in the urine will help to dissolve the minerals and
chemicals well to prevent the solid deposition in the kidneys It has been found that acidic or citrus drinks such as orange juice help greatly in prevention of kidney stones. Certain diet: It has been found that high levels of sodium and proteins have led to formation of kidney stones. High levels of sodium can be very easily attained if salty foods are eaten such as potato chips. Proteins from red meat such as beef is both rich in bad cholesterols and a major risk factor. It is advised to seek immediate consultation with a doctor as kidney stones can be fatal. erefore it is important that we know of the risk factors leading to kidney stones to avoid them. ... Keep your kidneys safe. :)
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A LIFE OF WONDER
House of Wisdom by Mahid Two centuries after the fall of Western Roman Empire, which marked the beginning of a period of intellectual stagnation in Europe known as ‘Dark Ages’, another empire with military might to rival both the Byzantines and Sassanid Empire of Persia, was gathering momentum in Arabia: The Umayyads. By 711 its reach had expanded to Spain from the west and by eventually defeating the Sasanians, India from the east. But mass civil unrest soon spread throughout the e m p i r e a n d t h e U m ay ya d s w e r e overthrown to be replaced by the third Islamic Caliphate known as Abbasids. Under the generous patronage of Abbasid Caliphs, learning and scholarly inquiry became a virtue, attracting brilliant minds from all over the world to the aptly named Bayt-Al-Hikmah (House of Wisdom) set up in the heart of
B a gh d a d . L a rg e n u m b e r o f tex t s originally written in Greek, Persian, and even Sanskrit was translated into Arabic. Thus began an academic revolution reverberating through a vast empire and which lasted for ive centuries: The Golden Age of Islam. While the exact beginning of the era is a matter of historical debate, our reign of interest is that of Caliph al-Ma’mun, for by then a translation movement which began during the time of his grandfather al-Mansur had irmly took hold of the elite society in Baghdad. Son of the most famous caliph of Abbasid era Harun-AlRashid, al-Ma’mun harboured a deep love for learning from a very young age. He memorised the Qur'an, read poetry, mastered Arabic grammar, studied and applied arithmetic to matters of
inheritance and taxes. But more crucially he was fascinated by philosophy and rational debate. He read Aristotle whose writings had been the keystone of theology and philosophy for centuries. Although his father, the pragmatic Harun-Al-Rashid had also been a patron and admirer of learning, al-Ma’mun’s passion for all academic disciplines and the sheer amount of wealth he was willing to invest to gather it, created an atmosphere where knowledge for knowledge’s sake was pursuable. Therefore it is no surprise that the irst creative and theoretical ields sprang up under him. In the House of Wisdom, works of Greek philosophers were not only translated but were critically analysed, commented and expanded upon.
image en.wikipedia.org Columns | 37
Among the scholars of House of Wisdom was the Assyrian physician Hunayn-IbnIshaq, known widely in Baghdad as the ‘Sheikh of Translators’. He was luent in Greek, Arabic, Persian and Syriac which made his services indispensable to the c a l i p h . H e p e r s o n a l ly t ra n s l a te d numerous texts such as the famous Republic of Plato, Categories and Physics of Aristotle and works by Hippocrates who is widely regarded as the father of western medicine. I think it is safe to say no single individual had ever been more crucial in transmission of knowledge from one civilisation to another during the whole of middle ages. Hunay-IbnI s h a q wa s a l s o a n a c c o m p l i s h e d ophthalmologist and surgeon. He wrote an extensive book, the irst on the subject as far as we know, named ‘Book of the Ten Treatise of the Eyes’ which included diseases of the eye, its symptoms and treatments. House of Wisdom also sheltered AlKhwarizmi (Algorthmi); the brilliant mathematician, who was a pioneer of modern algebra. It is sign of his profound in luence in the ield that the word ‘algorithm’ is derived from his Latinised name and ‘algebra’ from ‘al-jebr’ which was the title of his book. Incidentally, the method taught to us in school for solving equations which involves ‘collecting like terms’ is directly from Al-Khwarizmi. While it is true that the idea of ‘unknowns’ and ‘quadratic equation’ had existed long before Al-Khwarizmi, he was the irst to provide a systematic method to solve them. The famous European mathematician Leornardo of Pisa (commonly known as Fibonacci), quotes Al-Khwarizmi in his book Liber Abaci. A certain debt we owe to Abbasid scholars is the transmission of the Hindu base-10 decimal system into the Arab world, for it will later be the Arabs who introduce them to Europeans. But it is factually inaccurate to suggest that Muslims invented zero. The accolade goes to the great Indian mathematician Brahmagupta, as he was the irst to treat the zero as a number. To make a strong
case for the contribution of Muslims towards modern science, it is crucial that the myths be separated from the facts. Most achievements of the scholars who lived in this era are not commonly known and it is certainly of no help muddying the waters further with speculation which cannot be veri ied.
Unlike Ibn-Sina, al-biruni was an e m p i r i c i s t w h o m a i n t a i n e d t h a t observation and experimentation was the correct approach to inquiry rather than pure thought. He dwelled in mathematics and derived methods of solving equations and applied them to ind the Qibla.
A scholar, whose prowess as a scientist is de initely not speculative, is Ibn-alHaytham (latinized: Al Hazen). He can be rightly considered as the predecessor of Newton in the ield of optics; for he was the irst to challenge the notion that vision is the result of light rays emitted from the eye. He wrote a painstaking account of his observations and theories in his book Kitab-al-Manazir (Book of Optics). Another pioneer of the era was the great physician Al-Razi. Rightly regarded as greatest medic of his timeand perhaps of Golden Age- he was a beacon of original thinking. In a world where the mentally-ill were regarded as ‘possessed by the devil’ he ran a psychiatric ward in the Baghdad hospital and famously distinguished between measles and smallpox. He is also believed to be the irst person ever to run a clinical trial with a control group. This is a critical process in the modern ields of medicine and pharmaceutical industry. Al-Razi wrote many books which in luenced European physicians for centuries.
Although it is beyond the length and scope of this article to do justice to every notable scholar of the Golden Age, it would certainly be impoverished without a remark about the polymath Ibn-Rushd (Averroes). He was born in Andalusia (modern Spain) which was under the Umayyad Caliphate, revived after they were dethroned in Baghdad. I b n - R u s h d w a s a p h i l o s o p h e r, theologian, geographer, medic and astronomer. A telling example of his in luence on Europe is that he was the only scholar from the Muslim/Arabic world included in Raphael’s famous painting School of Athens. Fittingly, he w a s a c h a m p i o n o f A r i s t o t e l i a n philosophy much to the dismay of many Andalusian scholars who considered it ‘evil’. The famous Christian theologian Thomas Aquinas dubbed Ibn-Rushd ‘the commentator’ referencing the latter’s insightful and scrupulous treatise on Aristotelian writings.
The spirit of learning and inquiry was not con ined to Baghdad. Neither did it halt after the death of al-Ma’mun. In fact the most famous scholars of the era were f ro m b e yo n d i t s wa l l s ; I b n -S i n a (Avicenna) of Khurasan, al-Biruni of Khwarezm and Ibn-Rushd of Andalusia. Ibn-Sina was a child prodigy and a precocious learner who quickly rose to fame. His book Canon of Medicine contained elaborate details on bone fractures and methods of treatment, while al-Shifa contained volumes of logic, natural sciences, arithmetic, geometry, music and metaphysics. Interestingly, the word ‘shifa’ (meaning ‘cure’) was not used in the sole context of medicine but rather as cure to general ignorance.
T h e s l o w c o l l a p s e o f a c a d e m i c institutions that had stood for more than i v e c e n t u r i e s s t a r t e d a f t e r t h e destruction of Baghdad at the hands of Mongols and the abolishment of Umayyad Caliphate in Spain. Meanwhile the works of countless scholars of the era were being translated from Arabic to Latin. They slowly found their way into the European society, paving the way for I t a l i a n R e n a i s s a n c e a n d ‘A g e o f Discovery’. Europe would ultimately wake up from the slumber through the likes of Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler and Newton and has not wavered since. But the Islamic intellectual empire was on the fall, and from the peak of House of Wisdom, it was certainly a long way to the bottom.
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by Thihnan
e h T y h t l a e H c i l o h o c o Ch ♥
by Thihnan It’s a common misunderstanding to think that it’s ONLY leafy green vegetables and herbal teas that can boost your health. I think it will be good news for majority of the population to hear that maybe e a t i n g t h e r i g h t q u a l i t y o f chocolate to the right amount could take you a long way. Here are some of the most fascinating b e n e i t s yo u c a n o b t a i n by munching on some ine dark chocolate! When UV rays are exposed to the skin, it causes skin burns and cell damage. The minimal erythemal dose (MED) is the amount of UV rays required to cause redness in the skin 24 hours after exposure. This level is different for different people and is a main indicator while classifying skin sensitivity. Studies show that people who c o n s u m e d a r k c h o c o l a t e frequently are two times more tolerant to heavy sunlight than
those who don’t. This is because d a r k c h o c o l a t e c o n t a i n s chemicals which boost the MED amount and improves the blood low to the skin. So before you go on a trip, load up on some ine dark chocolate a few weeks prior to it. Fine dark chocolate has the highest proportion of cocoa in comparison to other types of chocolate. Cocoa contains the optimum level of caffeine to stimulate the brain. Therefore dark chocolate boosts the brain's nervous impulse transmission to provide thorough refreshment. Moreover it is found to improve verbal luency and promote the recovery of elderly people with mental impairment! Antioxidants neutralize toxins in t h e b o d y a n d p r e v e n t t h e f o r m a t i o n o f c a n c e r c e l l s . Everyone knows of the high level of antioxidants found in berries.
Research now indicates that dark chocolate mimics the effect blueberries have on the body! Dark chocolate is full of organic compounds that are biologically a c t i v e a n d f u n c t i o n a s antioxidants. These include polyphenols, lavanols, catechins and many more. Last but not the least, dark chocolate is highly nutritious. A 100 gram bar of dark chocolate with 75 to 80 percent of cocoa contains; 11 grams of iber 67% of the required dietary
amount (RDA) for Iron. 5 8 % o f t h e R D A f o r
Magnesium. 89% of the RDA for Copper. 98% of the RDA for Manganese.
It also has plenty of potassium, phosphorus, zinc and selenium. Need I say more?
image lulas.com Living | 41
t s u L
by Mathyn
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, the way love goes, when its actually lust, The promises broken, the bond is cut, Away from faith, My doors are shut, I lean on troubles, Don't want to care, I burst some bubbles, compressing my tears, Belief and truth are not always same, sometimes in love, its all game....
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, d e r i e T M e v a Le
e n o l A by Fazu Shahym
Quit smoking your pipe, the room’s So fogged up, it’s killed the cat already; Put your shoes where it belongs, not On the coffee table and not tossed On the loor, I don’t want to tread on them; Pick up after yourself, you know Your hands won’t drop if you put the dishes In the sink, garbage in the bin; You know where that is, don’t you; Stop clogging the sink, Can’t you properly dispose your shavings; Seat up or seat down, I don’t care, Just lush the loo when you’re done; Take a moment to properly soap yourself, The water alone will not do; At least use a spoon even if you Plow through the tub, I want My share of ice cream too; Don’t whine, you’ll ind clean sock and ties Once you stop stuf ing them Into your brief case and shoes. What makes you think I have nothing to do, Except run around, taking care of you? I’m out for yoga, a session at the spa And even some shopping maybe, Feed, clean and look after yourself, Lift that lazy bum of yours off the sofa, See if you can get through the day on your own. My patience is limited, you know. I’m taking time out for myself Don’t bother me today, I’m tired of you. Misc | 43
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