Dhi Youth Movement Youth for Youth, to empower and to lead
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DHI YOUTH MOVEMENT MAGAZINE
October 2013 Issue #06
Dhi Youth Movement Youth for Youth, to empower and to lead
DYM core group at t
he 0th Anniversary p
hoto shoot
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.
DYM IS OFFICIALLY OPEN FOR MEMBERSHIPS! Follow this link for the online application form:
h t t p : / / b i t . l y / 1 a P b AW Y 1
a letter from the
designdirector This being my second issue as Design Director, I’d like to take this chance to say I’m thankful to the DYM team for giving me this opportunity and for all feedback, both negative and positive, I got for the previous issue. I’ve been doing graphic designing here and there for a while but nothing nearly on this scale. Page by page learning is what I’ve been doing so far and it’s just so much fun. Our magazine, I’d say is a great platform. It’s providing an opportunity for talented young people to express their feelings or tell our readers what they want heard. Whether it be some casual information about an ongoing thread, a review about what to read or watch or even if it’s a deep thought and well versed poem, there’s something in this magazine for everyone. In this issue, we’re featuring two young and talented footballers, Waadu and Faraa. Our team members had a lot of fun with the interviews and I would like to thank them myself for giving us the time and going through the rain and sun to give us what we got. From what I can see, I think our magazine has a pretty bright future. I hope you guys stick with us for this ride because we’re hoping to reach the stars but in due time.
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Editor’s Choice Intriguing and thought provoking articles from around the web handpicked for you, The Energy-Water Nexus by Tom Murphy | Do the Math
Is democracy overrated? by Roger Scruton | BBC News Magazine
How Baghdad attack put UN aid missions at risk by Imogen Foulkes | BBC News Magazine
The trouble with freedom by John Gray | BBC News Magazine
Coffee and Qahwa by John McHugo | BBC News Magazine
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THE
DYMag TEAM
Sifr, Editor-in-Chief @sifrsabr
Sifr is simultaneously rude, charming and arrogant. His only redeeming quality is that he is proficient. Relentless in his pursuit of knowledge and impartial truth. Self professedly classy and stylish. He enjoys the company of bright and attractive young ladies. He is a basketball player, a stargazer, a gym rack, a philosopher but most of all a mind of science.
Shaha, Content 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. @shahaaa
Hassan, Deputy Editor Hassan is a 5'9'' male human who has a particular affinity for hyphenating words-and-phrases that don't need hyphenation, a tendency to overuse commas and various other punctuation (as well as being fond of abusing parenthesis for irrelevant side thoughts... hey look, something SHINY!), coupled with his continual misuse of asterisks to *stress* words for emphasis instead of using CAPS, (that in most cases don't even *NEED* emphasis). Most printer output errors are able to put together more cohesive thoughts than him. Ice cream is his friend.
Ahusam, Marketing Director Ahusam mostly goes with the flow, a footballer. art, music, and cooking is a passion, a die hard fan of new radient sc.enjoys anything with a good sauce and loves cats and all animals.he is a chef and thinks even the smallest of voices should be heard. He loves photography and talking, A lot. no seriously he cant stop if he starts.
Imy, Design Director f b. c o m / i m y. 1 1 7
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. Often dreams of traveling the world someday due to suffering from a terminal case of wanderlust.
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The Contributors
TOBY
Photographer fb.com/monkeygraphy
SAM
Model @sama_em
SHUMA Stylist
GIRL IN TOQUE Writer
MUNZIR
Writer @munzir_ali
LUNA
Writer @lulumoosa
MOONY Writer
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JIN
Writer @jinexilir
ZAINAL
Writer @zaikokko
THIHNAN Writer
FAZU Writer
ABO
Writer @mrabo04
IXMAEL NAAIL
Writer @ixmaelnaail
MAHID
Writer @marty_mahid
SHIYAZ
Writer @abooshiyaz
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CONTENTS Regulars 02 03 04 05 08
Letter from the Design Director Editor’s Choice The DYM Team The Contributors Calendar
Specials
26 Interviews with Waadu & Farah 36 Wonder Woman: Bags by Mary
Spots 41 43 45 47
Eyes of a Child The Patriotism in Me Electoral Corruption and Violence The Fame Monster
Column
49 Infirmities in Life - Strokes 51 Bloodwritings - Love Curse
DYM
52 Past Events
Entertainment
09 Movie Review 11 Music Review
Fashion
17 Kurta Kraze
Living
53 Health - Bright in White 55 Recipe - Blueberry Whipped Cream Cake 57 Science - Carl Sagan’s Cosmic Calendar
Misc
61 Poem - You and are insignificant speck 63 Poem - What is love 65 Poem - Girlfriend
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October 2013 01st International Day of Older Persons World Vegetarian Day 02nd International Day of Non Violence 04th World Smile Day 05th Teacher’s Day 06th Nawaf’s Birthday 10th Sifr’s Birthday 11th International Day of the Girl Child 14th Hajj Day 15th Alha Eid 16th World Food Day 20th World Statistics Day 24th UN Day
p h o t o b y : i m y 8
MOVIE REVIEW by Abo
Watching and reviewing this movie was the first task “assigned” to me as the amateur movie critic for DYMag. One fine day, our content director Shaha called me to set everything up for me to attend the screening and I went there with the following state of mind: What I knew: That this was a “movie with a social message”. What I didn’t know: What genre of a movie this was, what language of a movie this was, and who the director, producers, or the cast of the movie was. So basically, I knew nothing about the movie. What I found out: This is a family-fantasy movie in the Japanese language (with English subtitles), made by a Japanese organization by the name of Asian-Pacific Children’s Conventions (APCC) as part of celebrating their 25th anniversary and spreading the values of their OMOIYARI spirit to more people. The movie rather smartly interchanges between 3 timelines; 1996, 2013 and 2030. It follows the main character Midori (Mio Yuki), a Japanese schoolgirl in 1996, who lives with her father, taking care of him since her mother passed away. One day, Midori’s father remarries and brings home a Chinese woman named Rinrin (Hitomi Sato). Midori, in spite of trying hard to accept Rinrin as her new mother, finds it hard to connect with Rinrin due to their many racial and cultural differences. Midori soon becomes infuriated with having Rinrin at her home, and sees her as an embarrassment. Through the chaos created due to the two women not getting along, Midori’s father writes a picture-story book for the two
of them, called “Flying Goldfish and the Secret of the World.” The book is about accepting people from different races and cultures of the world and that the secret to a better world lies in not judging, but embracing people from other cultures. The movie shows how the message from the book goes on to inspire generations spanning 2013 to 2030. It sounds kind of childish, I know. But that’s the whole point. You see, we all know that the underlying message from the movie that I wrote above is true. That if countries got along better, there would be so much less of wars and disputes and chaos in the world. The problem is most of us realize that in the cusp of adulthood and by then we would be accustomed to ways of life already established in our childhood. And our lives will be so full of our personal and individual issues that we couldn’t really care any less about countries fighting. This movie aims to make young children (and even adults) aware that most of the “bad things” happening in the world is the result of cultural non-acceptance, that the world can be a better place if we just love each other the way we are, and to make parents realize the importance of raising their children with that belief. The movie in the process touches on the subject of cultural diversity, respect and understanding. And the movie does a pretty good job at getting the message across. I say so because given how little I knew about the movie, it strummed a tune from a nerve in my heart. I had never before watched anything 9
Midori’s Flying Goldfish 空飛ぶ金魚と世界のひみつ
Directed by: Hiroki Hayashi Writer: Munehiro Kuriyama Starring: Mio Yuki, Hitomi Sato, Dankan, Aimi Satsukawa Year: 2013
Japanese/Chinese or even Korean-produced, except for the pop virus that was Gangnam Style. I always said that actors from that race speak like they are complaining and they are so much surgically altered that emotional expressions are nearly non-existent in their acting. So naturally I was bummed when I walked into the screening. But I walked out feeling… accomplished. Because the movie, despite all its differences and barriers from what my mind is used to, was able to get to me. I looked past the language that I wasn’t able to understand, the actors that I formerly thought couldn’t act, and the silliness of the childlike plot, and I was able to understand what the movie was communicating. The actors made me laugh, got me worried, and even made me emotional. It made me accept the art from the pop culture of a country that I previously judged to be “not my thing”. It made me realize that art, like any other parts of a culture, is best when it’s diversified and inclusive. It also made me develop a respect for the preservation of cultures by indulging in them. In short, this movie made me believe.
“Peace by Piece” art contest This movie will be screened for the public at the end of October (no specific date set yet, due to political instability.) The event will be launched by the Bridge Club Maldives (BCM), a branch of Bridge Club International Organization (BCIO), which is a group working under the Asian-Pacific Children’s Convention (APCC) for their BRIDGE project.
More about the BCIO and APCC can be found at: BCIO: http://www.bcio.org/about/ APCC: http://www.apcc.gr.jp/e/ The screening will be followed by an art contest by the name of “Peace by Piece” organized by the BCIO, and BCM, as their local branch, is launching the competition in Maldives, and it is open for all the members of the public. The art contest invites any form of art (paintings, drawings, poems etc.) and it should strongly resemble the message and values from the movie. BCM will be giving non-cash prizes to the local winners from the participants from Maldives, while BCIO will be giving the prizes for winners from the participants from all over the world. Details about the date of the screening will be uploaded to their web page when a date is set. I will also hopefully keep updated on the event, and you can contact me through DYMag (my twitter handle is @MrAbo04). Meanwhile, further information about the participation, judges and competition prizes can be found at the official web page for the “Peace by Piece” art competition, which is as follows: “Peace by Piece”: http://www.bcio.org/activity/ We kindly request that as many children and parents and any interested parties from the public attend the movie screening and take part in the art competition which will be held and carried out for a very good and worthy cause and will enable many to be recognized, locally and internationally, for their artistic skills and abilities. 10
MUSIC S P EC I A L
On October 22nd, 2013 Taylor Swift’s fourth studio album Red will be one year old. In the one year that it has been out in the world, it has sold over 6 million copies worldwide (3.7 million in the US alone), earned positive, if not rave reviews from respectable music critics, spawned 4 top-10 and 2 top-20 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. In the chart week following its October release last year, it debuted on the Billboard 200 chart at number 1, having sold over 1.208 million copies in its first week alone, making her the only female artist to have 2 albums sell more than 1 million copies in a single week. It remained at number 1 on the chart for 6 non-consecutive weeks (her 3rd album to do so, tying her with the Beatles as the only artists to achieve that feat) and is still among the top 100. The lead single We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together was unveiled in August 2012 and instantly broke records as the fastest selling digital song of all time (it’s listed in the new issue of Guinness Book of World Records for that achievement) and also became the song with the
biggest single-week-sales by any female artist with 623000 copies being sold in the first week. It reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Swift’s first song to do so. The 3rd single I Knew You Were Trouble is among the bestselling digital singles of all time, which sold over 582000 copies in its biggest sales week. I could go on about this for very long (I haven’t even begun about the case full of awards it has won) but do you really need more proof to know that it’s legit awesome? Probably not. Or with the recent media craze over how she dates famous men to write about them and make money, you just don’t care about how her albums are. So I’m not going to do a basic what’s-good-what’s-bad review here. The album has its weak points but even those are pretty good. Instead, I’m going to do a track-by-track, somewhat extra detailed evaluation of the album, with a look at who the songs are about, and individual song ratings based on my personal tastes (and I pretty much believe all the songs are great!). 11
album review by abo overall rating: 4/5 1. State of Grace (written by: Swift) | Rating: 4.5/5 | Speculated subject: Jake Gyllenhaal First verse through, and you’d know that this is not the Taylor Swift you heard on her 3 previous albums. The big drum beats and rock guitars are not the only thing different; she sounds like another woman. This song, cleverly written about the delicate feeling of how love comes to you when you least expect it and changes you forever, was instantly acclaimed by critics, with the arena-rock production drawing heavy comparisons to U2’s best works. Upon being released as promotional single, the song debuted and peaked at number 13 on the Hot 100 chart. 2. Red (written by: Swift) | Rating: 3.5/5 | Speculated subject: Jake Gyllenhaal If listening to State of Grace made you doubtful that Swift has abandoned her country music side, here you have the beautiful sound of the banjos introducing the song. In this title track, Swift has painted colors on a love-gone-bad affair where loving the person all together is “Red”. The song was generally favorably received by critics, who praised the lyrics but criticized the repetitions of the word “Red” on the chorus. Released later as the second country single from the album, it previously charted at number 6 on the Hot 100 and at number 2 on the Hot Country Songs chart. 3. Treacherous (written by: Swift, Dan Wilson) | Rating: 4/5 | Speculated subject: Jake Gyllenhaal or John Mayer (hard to say, really) “I’ll do anything you say, if you say it with your hands” from this song’s first verse has been widely regarded as the most explicit line Swift has ever written (Swift has joked that Wilson came up with that line). This song, written about the heady feeling of being on the edge of danger in a relationship, starts very gently and builds up until it soars. Co-written and produced by Adele’s Someone Like You producer Dan Wilson, this song also drew positive acclaim from critics who praised her hushed vocals and compared it to one of U2’s biggest hits With or Without You. 4. I Knew You Were Trouble (written by: Swift, Max Martin, and Shellback) | Rating: 4/5 | Speculated subject(s): John Mayer or Harry Styles (mostly about Styles) First taste of pop maestros Max Martin and Shellback on the album and it’s literally the most unique song Swift has ever recorded. With no hint of country in sight, she has ventured into dubstep and yet she sounds nothing like the rest of the electro pop on the charts. A chorus written over a few piano keys later became a chaotic pop masterpiece about ignoring the warning signs of a bad relationship and later regretting everything. Critics commended it for its mainstream appeal, yet noted the dubstep drop as being relatively limited. But it peaked at number 2 on the Hot 100, selling millions and becoming one of Swift’s biggest hits. 12
5. All Too Well (written by: Swift, Liz Rose) | Rating: 5/5 (maybe I’m overrating it but…) | Speculated subject: Jake Gyllenhaal (Definitely) If you had felt that so far in the album, Swift has not fully done her hard-jabbing, confessional songwriting that she’s oh-so famous for, this is going to shut your doubts up. Lyrically this is the best song on the album, probably the best Swift has written so far. This song is not about a particular feeling or situation; it’s an experience. Memories of a love affair (now buried away) laid bare, written in such a picturesquely poetic way that listening to it is like being there when it all happened. If Treacherous built up till it soared, this one builds up until it explodes. Critics lauded this song, most labeling it as the best track on the album and calling it “Classic Swift”. Due to heavy downloads upon the album’s release, it charted at number 80 on the Hot 100. 6. 22 (written by: Swift, Max Martin, and Shellback) | Rating: 4/5 | Speculated subject(s): Selena (Gomez), Dianna (Agron), Ashley and Claire (her GFs) Right after the emotional rollercoaster of All Too Well, this Martin and Shellback helmed song abruptly changes the mood of the album. This bubblegum-party-pop song is probably the most clear cut pop song of Swift’s career. Lyrically it’s about the joys of being 22, and how no matter what age you are, things will be alright “if you just keep dancing like you’re 22”. It’s deadly catchy and received positive reception from the critics who praised the new pop sound Martin and Shellback has created for Swift. Released as the album’s fourth single, it peaked at number 20 of the Hot 100, becoming the album’s 2nd top 20 hit. 7. I Almost Do (written by: Taylor Swift) | Rating: 4/5 | Speculated subject: Jake Gyllenhaal (this album is mostly about him, let’s face it) With the opening guitar chords, this song nicely breaks the pop sound of 22 and takes us back to country. This highly personal song is about the post-breakup agony of wondering about your ex and wanting to reach back out, but refraining every time in fear of being hurt again. This song was also received warmly by critics; most of them complimenting that Swift sounds the most like her when channeling country. Upon the album’s release, heavy downloads made this one of the many songs on the album to top the iTunes chart and peaked at number 65 on the Hot 100 chart. 8. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (written by: Swift, Max Martin and Shellback) | Rating: 4/5 | Speculated subject: Jake Gyllenhaal The song that officially kicked off the Red-era, this gem of a pop song was an instant hit. Though initially it received a mixed reception from the critics for Swift’s focus on a pop sound rather than country storytelling, most have later gone on to call this one of the smartest pop songs of the past decade. It received a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year. Commercially, as I noted above, it broke digital song records, and went on to rule the Hot 100 chart at number 1 for 3 weeks, becoming Swift’s 1st number 1. 9. Stay, Stay, Stay (written by: Taylor Swift) | Rating: 4/5 | Speculated subject: (I really hope) Jake Gyllenhaaal (or maybe just a fantasy lover) This is Swift’s ultimate answer to the people that says she only writes “breakup songs.” This song hints on breakup, but is actually a very jovial love song. Having a clear country-pop arrangement doesn’t stop it from being as catchy as the purely pop songs on the album. Here, Swift sings asking her lover to stay together because of the many ways that they complement each other. Critics reviewed this song positively; with some comparing it to Swift’s country hit Ours. Commercially, it has so far peaked at number 91 on the Hot 100.
10. The Last Time (feat. Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol) (written by: Swift, Lightbody and Jacknife Lee) | Rating: 3.5/5 | Speculated subject: Jake Gyllenhaal (Duh!) Probably the most mature and darkest sounding song on the album, this alternative rock ballad is about two estranged lovers where the man is asking for a last chance to be together and the girl reluctantly letting her walls down for one last time. Some critics commented that this song didn’t go well with the overall sound of the album but others have labeled it the most underrated song on the album, with particular praise going to the chemistry between Swift and Lightbody’s vocals. 13
11. Holy Ground (written by: Taylor Swift) | Rating: 3.5/5 | Speculated subject: Jake Gyllenhaal Swift recruited a number of different producers for this album after producing her 3rd album entirely with Nathan Chapman. The man behind many hits by Fun., Bruno Mars, and Pink, Jeff Bhasker produced this stomping, upbeat song that reminisces happy memories of a relationship. The song is not a personal favorite for me on the album, but critics applauded it, and called the line “Tonight I’m gonna dance for all that we’ve been through, but I don’t wanna dance if I’m not dancing with you” one of the most notable lyrics from the album. 12. Sad, Beautiful, Tragic (written by: Taylor Swift) | Rating: 3.5/5 | Speculated subject: (Need I say it?) Jake Gyllenhaal Have you heard the song Last Kiss from Swift’s 3rd album Speak Now? One might say this is Swift’s attempt to recapture that delicate yet powerful sound, but with more country appeal. This is the album’s ultimate breakup ballad for country fans. With its irresistibly melancholic ukulele notes, this song delicately sung about the pain and loneliness in the aftermath of a relationship’s ending, received some criticism over the predictability of its chorus, but was otherwise embraced for its pretty production and lyrics, mostly by fans. 13. The Lucky One (written by: Taylor Swift) | Rating: 4/5 | Speculated subject: The legendary singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell (and herself!) It comes as no surprise that Swift would place a song titled “The Lucky One” as the 13th track on the album, as 13 is her lucky number. In my view, this is the most well written song on the album after All Too Well. The clever narrative tells the story of a young girl in Hollywood, achieving fame and how it slowly begins to undo her, and in the end Swift envying how the star left Hollywood before it destroyed her. This celebrity truth song is about as far as Swift has gone to complain about fame, and critics generally praised it, noting several lines from it as some of the best lyrics on the album. 14. Everything Has Changed (feat. Ed Sheeran) (written by: Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran) | Rating: 4/5 | Speculated subject: Conor Kennedy (finally!) One of the most buzzed about songs on the album before its release, this sweet love song written with and featuring British ginger (and Swift’s now best friend) Ed Sheeran is purely about the initial feeling of falling in love. Though it received general acclaim from critics, some were disappointed about the lack of Sheeran’s solo feature. But a remixed version released later has Sheeran singing the 2nd verse entirely by himself. The song is the overall 6th single from the album, and has so far peaked at 41 on the Hot 100. 15. Starlight (written by: Taylor Swift) | Rating: 3/5 | Speculated subject: Ethel and Robert F. Kennedy This is a clear fist-in-the-air kind of pop song, not as instantly catchy as 22 and WANEGBT, but after a few listens, becomes pretty fun. It’s a love song about a carefree night spent dancing and daydreaming as teenagers. Rumored at first to be about Swift’s then romance with Connor Kennedy, Swift’s secret messages in the lyric sheets revealed that the song is actually about Conor’s grandparents, Ethel and Robert F. Kennedy. Critical reception was generally positive, but some noted it as being rather “silly”. 16. Begin Again (written by: Taylor Swift) | Rating: 4.5/5 | Speculated subject: “He” is Jake Gyllenhaal, “You” is Conor Kennedy (Sweet!) After going through different states of relationships (mostly breakups) throughout the album, Swift ends the album with this feel-good country treasure about finding love again after a bad relationship. The song received heavy acclaim when it was first released as a promotional single, with particular compliments going for her storybook songwriting of comparing past and present, and some also admired Swift for placing a purely country song as the album closure. The song was released as the 2nd single from the album, but had previously charted on the Hot 100 at number 7. So, yeah. That was it. Most of the songs are about Jake Gyllenhaal. What did you expect, that she would have written about the bucket load of men that people accuse her of whoring around with? Well, Taylor Swift is a bad bitch but she is no fool. She is bad as in that no man who has crossed her path has escaped being a subject of her talents. And that talent has gone on far beyond her and her exes and got critics singing praises and inspired and healed millions of people around the world. What more could an artist want? 14
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Model: Sam Styling: Shuma Photography: Toby Assistance: Moony & Ahusam
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WAADU This issue of DYMag, we bring to you two young footballers that we love, Faraa and Waadu. Both of them are fresh, interesting players and we had a great time interviewing them and holding the photo-shoot through the blazing sun and pouring rain. We hope they inspire you to live your dreams!
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FARAA Interview by: Ahusam and Sifr Photography by: Toby 26
FARAH 27
Farah how did it all start? I used to play since I was pretty small, I remember I was in grade 4. Used to play football with the neighbourhood kids back then. I joined FAM when I was in grade 7, which was 2005. I joined FAM as part of an invitation to all the schools from FAM to select young enthusiastic players for the national team How is the support from your family? At first my parents weren’t very excited that I wanted to play football, maybe that is because I am a girl, even though they weren’t happy I wanted to go because of the love I had for football and when I started to go regularly, they gradually accepted the fact and I am happy to say it’s all okay. What is the biggest achievement you’ve had in the eld of football? When we first played an international game in Kuwait, and as a matter of fact it was the first international win by the women’s national team of the Maldives, and I was pretty happy about that. What kind of challenges do you face being a female athlete in this sport here? The negativity of the public, you can see that in the home game we played against Qatari women’s national team, the stadium was near empty only a handful of people, that was the family members of our team. Also the FAM doesn’t promote the women’s national team compared to the men’s team and I feel that that’s also a reason why there is the negativity. What is a day that you simply cannot forget in football? The match we played against the Qatari women’s national team here in our home soil, as that was a game that we won and it is the first win of the women’s national team on home soil and that was an amazing feeling. Being a footballer is there a particular diet that you follow? No, I am the kind of person to eat anything and everything at all, although I know healthy foods is important for being fit and energetic footballer, I try my best to eat good food as much as I can nowadays since I'm trying to improve my diet (laughs) What is the most important thing of being a footballer is? Attitude, you cannot play the game if you have a bad temper, and it is impossible to play if you have a high temper, it’s a must to have a positive thinking in the game, Its not the end even if we do lose, it just means we have to keep moving forward.
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Who would you say has helped you get this far? Team mates, they help a lot, there are times where I wanted to quit so bad, but they kept supporting me and encouraged me to keep coming to practice, without them I wouldn’t have got this far and I wouldn’t have hung on this long. Who would be your inspiration? Fadwa, She’s a great footballer. What are your visions for the future? To bring a continental trophy to our home soil, hopefully that will happen soon. Football Legend or High paid executive? I would play football and become a legend, I would try and become one here in Maldives, because I have an interest and I wanted to do since I was a kid. I wouldn’t go for a job which clashes with football. Do you think Maldivian football industry is at a good place? its improving, we’ve seen a vast improvement from before. If there was a women’s league we could see something better in the future. Whats your dream team? USA national team
If you could change something about yourself what would you change? eating habits, a better diet, honestly I don’t eat regularly, and that affects my game both mentally and physically, I think it’s mostly because I can't eat anything and everything, but I'm trying really hard to fix it. Being an athlete what is the worst injury you have come across? I twisted my ankle in the match against Qatar national team here in male’ and I still haven’t recovered from that injury.
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Favourite Team - National Team USA Favourtie Club – Manchester United Football Club One food you cannot live without – Masbathaa rihaakuraa Favourite player – Womens: Tobin Heath, Mens: Cristiano Ronaldo Do you secretly like to dance? – Yes *chuckles*
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WAADU 31
How did it all start? Honestly to say, when I was little I used to kick a ball around, and I used to watch the national team play a lot, and I wanted to be one of those players, on the pitch playing and making my nation proud. What is your earliest football memory? I remember playing in an interclass football tournament when I was in grade three, we started off pretty good, went to the final played pretty well and it had to go to a penalty shootout and I remember kicking the ball way out there. How is your support from your family? Everyone from my family supports me very well, especially mom, she used to go to a lot of games when I was little, although she is busy these days, she does try and go to as many games as she can. What is the biggest achievement in this eld you’ve achieved? Scoring an international goal, when we played in an AFC under 13 festivals against Cambodia. We lost the game in the end but I was pretty happy that I scored a goal. Do you have any challenges in this eld? Being consistent, going to practices regularly, you need to have a commitment when playing professionally, it will show on the field if you don’t have these qualities, and it will be hard when you are a newcomer to this profession. What is a day you can’t simply forget in football? Taking the Youth Championship trophy for club Valencia was a huge achievement, and also being selected in the under 23 national team is a highlight of my career so far. Being a professional footballer do you have a particular diet that you follow? Here? There is not a particular diet that I follow, how ever its important to make sure you’ve had a good days breakfast and had all the nutrients in your body to be match fit that day. I try to have all the meals that day and I would consider pasta above anything else for lunch on a match day. What is the most important thing being a professional footballer is? Discipline, not only on the pitch, you won’t survive this field if you don’t maintain your discipline both on and off the field.
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Favourite Team - Arsenal & Real Madrid Favorite player- Ronaldo One food you cannot live without - Pasta! What kind of music do you listen to - I listen to all kinds of music , mostly rock. Three Days Grace. What is your most embarrassing moment? - Missing the penalty in grade 3, because I was small I didn’t know how to handle the pressure. And obviously my friends teased me mercilessly when I got to class saying I missed a penalty. That would be the most embarrassing moment for me. Do you secretly like to dance? - No. Not at all. Never. Are you into pets? -No. I’m scared of pets *chuckles*
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Who would you say helped you get this far? Mom, outside of that all my coaches but definitely mom What are your visions of football? To play for the national team and play so well that my nation is proud of me. Who do you take as an inspiration? Ali Ahsfaq (Dhagandey) that’s because of public support he has and the love that Maldivians give him, even more respect and love than the politicians in the Maldives. What is your message for the young generation? Guys this field has a future, not only as a footballer, as a coach or an official, all you need is a commitment, you can build your life around football. If you had a choice to become a legend in football or have a high position job somewhere, what would you choose? I would choose to be a legend, because to have the love and support is much more influential than being in a high position job. Do you think Maldivian football is in a good place? Yes, but talking about the talent and players we have here we can go much much further. If you could change anything about yourself what would you change? Honestly?
I’m already 20 and I’m pretty comfortable about myself, although I would like to
become a little bit physically fitter. Being an athlete what’s the biggest injury you’ve had? Insha Allah thankfully I haven’t had a horrific injury as yet. Why football? Because I love it, it’s because me and football are inseparable.
All-Star Eleven: GK- Cassias CB- Sergio Ramos, Thiago Silva RB- Lahm , LB Marcelo
RWF- Ronaldo LWF - Messi CF - Ali Ashfaq
DMF - Sergio Busquets AMF - Iniesta , Ozil 34
WONDER W
BAG
MA 35
WHOMAN:
GS BY
ARY 36
37
M
ary
of
always
small
Bags
By
loved things
Mary
creating such
as
handmade cards, decorating her room and making baby clothes ever since she was a child. She likes creating things from her own hands which gives her a sense of accomplishment. She loves sewing, photography, art and music. Her motivation comes from her family and friends. She is lucky to be surrounded by inspiring friends and the amazing creativity of her family. She feels that it’s her turn to give back and share her own ideas but she often feels there’s too little time to do it all. Mary
began
sewing
bags
during
August 2012 and since then she has created a Facebook page and started selling bags under the name of Bags by Mary. Her page has gained more than 3500 likes in under a year. By day, she’s a mother of six year old Zeek, her biggest encouragement. She works both as a mother and an entrepreneur trying to let out her creative side through her business. 38
Mary began sewing bags during August 2012 and
provides customers with customized bags. Mary
since then she has created a Facebook page and
lets her customers pick the fabric, the design and
started selling bags under the name of Bags by
so in accordance with the taste of the customer,
Mary. Her page has gained more than 3500 likes
she tried to create a one of a kind bag that is
in under a year. By day, she’s a mother of six
perfectly tailored just for the customer’s needs.
year old Zeek, her biggest encouragement. She
She
works both as a mother and an entrepreneur
materials, old jeans and such to give them a new
trying to let out her creative side through her
life as a pretty bag! She also created her own
business.
patterns to offer as materials for new bags.
Her Facebook page is her only mean to reach
Mary mentions that her favourite bags so far
customers as she does not have a physical shop
include a bad made from a pair of men’s shorts
but it has never stopped her. During April this
(pictured below) which was given by an artist
year, she participated on Maldives Consumer Fair
volunteering to remake into a bag. She’s also very
held
first
fond of the bags she created in her beach
exposure to the mass markets and through that
inspired collection which are currently available in
event she met a lot of encouraging people who
Hulhumale Souvenir Shop. She would like to
supported her work and believed in her to go
thank them for the opportunity they have given
further in the business.
her showcase her work. It was a new experience
at
Dharubaaruge
which
was
her
also
loves
to
create
from
recyclable
for her and she really enjoyed making them and Bags by Mary is a one of a kind, because it
thinks they are some of her best work yet.
39
Her biggest supporters and her mother, sister
only bags but her other creations as well
and brother who tries to help her in any way they
including pillow covers, bed sheets, cushions and
can. She had to use a regular old sewing
more. She would also like to keep on creating
machine and it was a lot of work to create bags
and designing more bags and experimenting to
but
create more unique styles. She is even thinking
her
brother
gifted
her
a
brand
new
professional sewing machine which had made
of trying materials such as leather.
her life easier. She has a mini working station at her house where she works most of the day. Her
Mary thanks all her fans for the inspiration and
sister has been one of the constant sources of
support in helping reach her goal. She mentions
inspiration in her life.
that one of the best feelings is when a customer tells her than they understand her vision and
In future, she would like to open a shop to sell not
FIND BAGS BY MARY ON FACEBOOK
loves her work.
facebook.com/ bags.by.mary.maldives
40
happy
I did not like him. As for Flash, his sense of
moments when we were in elementary
humor is just awesome, Gandalf being
school, when there was this imaginary race
Gandalf (I have a thing for wizards, guilty!)
to see who finishes the work first and all
and the Martian Manhunter being able to fly
that show-offs and pride when we get those
and the telepathic abilities with the part
small but shiny stickers on our books? I for
where he walks through walls are just….
one do and couldn’t help but missing the
Well…. Awesome!
Don’t
we
all
remember
those
feeling in one noisy calculus class. 2. I had more money than Bill Gates. As we become more mature, learn big and
Oh yes, about that. When I was a kid, I
complicated
solving
used to make wallets out of A3 papers and
equations about how many years it will take
cut some A4 papers like bank notes and
for a car to be worthless to sell, we start to
color them like real ones and keep them in
think differently. Comprehend the world in a
my pocket. If life was easy and the paper
different way. Look at the people around us
money I created had any value at all, I bet
in a different way. But we never forgot
my face will be in the Forbes magazine
about our childhood, things we did and stuff
every month. But then again, life is not that
we thought and the dreams we had. So
easy and my colored banknotes were just
here is some from my life; some stupid and
piece of papers on which I could’ve drawn
cool things I did while I was a kid.
a house and a sun in the corner. (With a
words
and
start
dragon breathing fire beside it). It did have 1. I was Flash, Gandalf and Martian
a value for me though, it was embedded in
Manhunter, but never Batman.
my mind for all these years and it brings
I know, I know, batman is the coolest
back memories where I use them to “buy”
among all. But as a kid, I never found that
bananas from my mom.
Bruce
Wayne
or
his
batcave
any
fascinating than the fastest person on
3. My very own kingdom of Lurkistone
earth. Maybe I liked his batmobile and his
The name isn’t as cool as Mordor or
oversized computer, but I am pretty positive
Terabithia, but it sure was an awesome 41
name for a 10 year old to come up with. I
mushrooms feed
would wait desperately for every annual
material and I happen to tell a friend of
holiday to come so that I could go and join
mine sitting next to me that, they feed on
my grandparents in the island, who owns a
decaying matter because the ghost living
property 4 times bigger than the house we
under it (or in it) likes dead stuff. He
live in the capital. And this property I am
happened to laugh his guts out and teased
talking about has a backyard that looks
me about it the whole day. I went home
more like a forest with all types of trees
and asked my mother about it and she
grown in a careless manner. And that was
laughed, telling me that it was a white lie
my kingdom. I would roam around here and
she told me to stop making me from going
there in that backyard like Jesse and Leslie
to the backyard of my grandparents’ house.
(in bridge to Terabithia). It was my kingdom
(Which actually never worked, because I
of Lurkistone, where the wizards and the
spend most of my vacation there). Parents
witches are always in battle, where the city
should seriously consider about not lying to
never dies and the dragons always flies. It
their kids.
is a magical city where you can bomb a whole district and magically, everything comes together and fixes itself. It just takes a matter of minutes. Or so I imagined. 4. Mushrooms are the home for ghosts It was my mom who told me that ghosts live under mushrooms and till I was almost 16, I kept on believing that. It was one day in biology class that our teacher told us that
on decaying
organic
That was some of the highlights of the weird me I used to be when I was a kid. I bet you were one too, so grab a pencil or a pen and jot them down and share it with your friends. See what is common in you and your friends when they were cute and innocent. And cool. Share with us something crazy fun or amazing that you did as a child @Dhiyouth
42
The Patriotism
in me...
p h o t o b y : h t t p : / / w w w .  i c k r . c o m / p h o t o s / a b l l o / 43
It is as if I could almost feel it. See it. Love it. Yes, it is that strong within me. Then why do I feel as if it is slipping by me. As if I am losing that ray of sunshine I used to see so clearly even in the cloudiest skies. A smile that was once so hopeful is now invisible. A buoyant dream that is now vague in my memories. Do I not love this country anymore? Do I want to live my life in another? Have I subconsciously already given up my ambitious goal to serve my homeland?
Yes, this is what keeps me up at nights, the fear of losing the patriotism in me… Well, two years ago I set out on a dream to be a leader that this country needs for the future. I wanted to make a difference just like the many well-known leaders of the world who left behind a legacy. I wanted to believe in the change that I wished to see in the world, I wanted to be that change. What I did not believe in, was a separated and hateful nation. Where people were stereotyped, discriminated and identified by the color of the dress they wore. I did not wish to see hypocrites, racists, or people being judged for their views and opinions. I dream of a tolerant society where peace exists. Where people respect each other’s differences in opinion, a country where we all live peacefully. A nation with leaders who take accountability of what they say or do. To live in a society in which young people are given high priority to pave way for a better future. A Maldives with more citizens making their future plans to live among their families and not migrate to other parts of the world just to get away from the poor services, facilities and dispute happening around them every day. When I think about these dreams today, all I can think about is a dying nation. Where hope for unity is more or less buried in the past. So many people today, are lost in the darkness of the divided system. Why don’t people try to understand the true meaning of a democratic country? Can’t we all hope to build a place where everyone’s opinion is respected and tolerated? Where everyone’s voice matters? It was once said, the mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it - as long as you really believe in it. So the optimism has not died yet. My mind is not willing to give in yet. The moment you lose is the moment you stop trying. So, for all those people out there thinking and sharing the same concerns, let’s envision a brighter future for us. Let us young people not give up. Let us learn from today’s lessons and not repeat them in the future. Let us look forward to a united realm. With one voice and one goal let’s say I will not let the patriotism in me, fade away…
by: Aishath Loona Moosa
(@LuluLoona)
An inspired and patriotic young citizen of Maldives ever since 2011 44
ELECTORAL CORRUPTION
& VIOLENCE:
A MALDIVIAN PERSPECTIVE Article by Zainal, Photo by Imy
“Acts or threats of coercion, intimidation, or physical harm perpetrated to affect an electoral process or that arise in the context of electoral competition”
– UNDP on Electoral Violence 45
November 23rd, 2009. 57 people are massacred in Maguindanao, Philippines. The victims’ were on their way to file certificate of candidacy for Esmael Mangudadatu, a local politician. Mangudadatu did go on to win the election eventually, but it is important to note the extreme lengths people are willing to go to, to achieve their political requisite, especially in electoral democracies today. Although the Maldives is yet to see extreme heights of such malice directly attributable to politics and elections, the rising tensions which we are seeing today suggests that we may be headed on a similar path. The features of electoral violence have made it distinct from other type of political violence. It might occur in the pre-election period, on the Election Day and during the post-election period of the electoral process. And, involves different actors like government forces, political parties and third parties with financial and/or other incentives. Why electoral violence culminates, in most cases ultimately comes down to two main causes. They are corruption and the negligence of the rule of law. Similarly in the Maldives, whatever types of election related violence which we have experienced so far, the bulk of it is attributable to corruption. From a perspective specific to Maldivian politics, corruption occurs in two main ways; clientelism and patronage. In ‘clientelism’, relations are personal ‘patron-client’ relations, and the client is expected to give political support for a particular politician in order to secure personal benefits such as land, office and status. In the Maldives, clientelism occurs on almost all levels, from the simplest level of a financial incentive for a vote to facilitating state projects to ‘client’ businesses in return for financial and political support for the ‘patron’. Patronage, though similar to clientelism, represents a higher level of politics and the relations are more than personal. Electorates are required to provide political backing for a specific politician or party in return for public utilities such as sewerage systems, harbors and roads. One ‘famous’ example of this in the Maldives is the ever-strong promise of a bridge which connects Male’ and Hulhumale’. Further, such politics also resort to ‘ethno-religious’ appeal for securing political support. Although the ‘ethno’ component is not relevant to the Maldives, we have largely seen the ‘religious’ component being utilized for political gain. Terms such as ‘Laadheenee’ (Secularism) and ‘Mullar’ (Religious
Fundamentalist) are heavily used as propaganda in the anti-campaigning process. Such acts breeds hatred among a society and creates distrust among the people towards a p a r t i c u l a r p a r t y, r u l i n g g o v e r n m e n t a n d subsequently, the electoral process itself. The overall atmosphere created by this leads to violence in all forms such as vandalism, destruction of public and private property, and at a larger scale, civil disobedience and strikes. We are already seeing these events right after the first round of the presidential elections in the Maldives. The nature of electoral management bodies such as the elections commission, police force and the judiciary can also be instrumental in facilitating the conditions for electoral violence. These bodies may be perceived as lacking the required impartiality, independence, and competence, resulting in high level mistrust and creating divisions among the electorate, ultimately leading to heightened risk of electoral violence. The current situation in the Maldives highlights the aforementioned mistrust in electoral management bodies. September 7th, 2013 saw the first round of the presidential elections and as soon as the results were announced, one of the losing parties challenged the integrity of the election at the Supreme Court. It is important to note that all international and local observers involved found the election to be free and fair and further praised the Elections Commission for a seamless process. Ultimately however, the Supreme Court accepted the case, continued proceedings without a verdict and ordered a halt of the second round of elections beyond constitutional deadlines. The losing party accuses the Elections Commission for committing systemic fraud and of being biased. The opposition party which won 45% of the votes in the first round accuses the judiciary of being corrupt, partiality, and also points out that the bench lacks integrity for failure to take actions on clear indiscretions by some of the bench members. The Maldives, at this point is facing a constitutional impasse’. Many would agree that the root of this problem links to corruption. The people’s faith in the system is at an all-time low. Given the current events, it is no surprise that the scope for violence among the electorates are quite high. Again, it may not get as intense as the Philippines in 2009, but we as a nation have to brace ourselves for what may lie ahead. We are way beyond the point for prevention measures against corruption for the current electoral cycle. We are now forced to damage control and mitigate the violence as best we can. 46
THE FAME
In which we turn kids into mo When I say Miley Cyrus, what’s the first thing that comes to
actor who gained fame for a double role in the 90’s movie,
mind? How about Justin Bieber? Or Lindsay Lohan or
the Parent Trap? Let’s see… Movie, movie, bad movie,
Amanda Bynes?
alcoholism, worse movie, drugs, rehab, drugs again, jail, rehab, indie movie that tanked, alcoholism part 2, drugs,
These are all young people who became famous for
drugs, rehab, jail, drugs, about to make a movie but director
various reasons, were equally revered and reviled by
gets rid of her for being ‘unmarketable’, drugs, rehab, jail,
society [that is to say, people like you and I] and have had
alcoholism part 3, drugs, jail… and it goes on. When she
various highly publicized mishaps.
gets publicly snubbed on the TV series, Glee, you know she’s become the laughing stock of the town. Isn’t it just
Miley started out as Hannah Montana in a saccharine
hilarious when a young person loses their way and since
Disney series, making her one of the so-called ‘Disney
there’s no one to help her or care about her, turns to drink
Kids’ like Vanessa Hudgens and Demi Lovato, etc. She
and drugs to escape her woes? That’s just good comedy
was loved by many but also equally disliked by many,
right there.
which [we are told] is the price of fame. But all eyes focused on her after her VMA performance where she dry
Honorable mentions go to Amanda Bynes for alcoholism,
humped a guy old enough to be her dad on a public stage.
drugs, shoplifting and reported mental instability. In fact,
And then released a video song where she was perched
her parents manage her affairs now because she has been
stark naked on a wrecking ball. ‘What the heck is wrong
legally deemed unfit to do so. And Harry Styles from One
with her?!’ the world cried out. ‘How dare she do that!’
Direction; a maddeningly popular boy band from the UK. He can’t even date a woman without her getting death
And then we have Justin Bieber. To say he is a polarizing
threats. And that’s from the people who actually LIKE him
artist is an understatement akin to saying that 9/11
and/or his music. He has been accused of ruining a couple
‘bothered a few Americans’ or that the Red Wedding ‘made
of marriages and he can’t even seem to get a tattoo without
a few Game of Thrones fans a bit sad’. He has been
causing a damn riot. Also note how Taylor Swift can’t date
accused of single handedly destroying pop music, of being
people without being labeled a harlot or some kind of
the devil, of being Hitler or equal to Hitler, of being the pop
break-up
music equivalent of Twilight, etc until eventually, the name
sometimes by [allegedly] writing songs about it but how is
became associated with the ultimate shaming of a person;
that so different from us? Are WE at our best when our
‘you like Justin Bieber, don’t you?!’ = worst insult ever. And
ventures into love backfire on us?
junkie.
Yes,
she
handles
it
rather
poorly
this was BEFORE he made some controversial comments about rape, was caught relieving himself into a bucket in a
The public is quick to crucify these young people for their
restroom, reportedly spat on some of his fans from his hotel
actions. And while it is true that most of them [all of them?]
balcony and is known for being late for his own concerts,
are old enough to take responsibility for their actions, one
thereby making his fans wait standing for ages.
must ask if they are the only ones to blame.
Lindsay Lohan. Oh god. What can we say about this child
These young people have been in the public eye from a
47
MONSTER
onsters for us to hunt for fun very early age and basically grew up there. They were
don’t have real feelings, right? Right? RIGHT?!
constantly scrutinized for what they say, what they do, what they eat, what they wear, where they go, who they
Right. Because if they WERE real people and had real
associate with, what they buy, what they don’t do and so on
families and had real issues and had real feelings, we’d be
and so forth. They were under a harsh judgmental
downright cruel for abusing another human being that way,
microscope that engineered a situation where they were
especially abusing the anonymity the internet gifts us with…
damned if they do and damned if they don’t. It’s bound to drive anyone nuts… So can you really blame them only if
Lady Gaga was right to call her second album, the Fame
they do something crazy?
Monster. She was alluding to the dark side of fame that the famous have to deal with. But I’m going to take the term
Our society has long since had a practice of building up
and apply it to people like Miley and Justin and Lindsay and
celebrities by adoring them [or hating on them] and when/if
Amanda and Harry; they are the fame monsters.
they ever screw up, privately or publicly, we tear them down. We abuse them, mock them, judge them, insult them
We created them. We gave them fame, we simultaneously
and push them into corners. Before the years of the
loved and hated them, we scrutinized everything they said
internet, this was just water cooler gossip. But with the
and did, we took away their freedom of choice, we pushed
advent of social media, the hate just amplified and was
them into corner and when they attempted to break out and
given an infinite medium to manifest upon.
assert their individuality [in various, admittedly selfdestructive ways], we started hunting them. Because
Even back in the days of Britney Spears [former pop icon
hunting monsters is always fun in the movies.
turned train-wreck with reported mental issues and a failed marriage] and Backstreet Boys [apparently, gay, gay, gay,
In her song, Wrecking Ball, Miley cries and sings, “All you
homosexuals,
ever did was wreck me.” Some say it is about her ex-fiance,
gay,
totally
gay,
their
heterosexual
relationships are fake, gay, gay] and Michael Jackson [alleged
child
molester
apparently
with
Peter
Liam Hemmsworth, aka Thor’s brother.
Pan
syndrome], the public loved getting their sharp claws into
But I disagree. I think it’s about you. Yes, you. The reader,
someone famous to tear them down.
sitting at your computer. You. And also me, sitting at mine. It is about us. All of us. From the days of Hannah Montana
Maybe it’s got to do with the fact that hating on others gives
to her ‘Can’t Be Tamed’ days to her VMA performance, all
us less chance to reflect upon our own shortcomings.
we ever did was wreck her.
Maybe we just hate people who we think are somehow ‘better’ [that is to say, more accomplished] than us in
And now, she is now a wreck.
various ways. Or maybe we just think it’s funny when these ‘larger-than-life’ celebrities screw up like the rest of us. Because they’re not real people, right? They don’t have real families, right? They don’t have real issues, right? They
Good job.
by Moony 48
strokes In celebration of World’s Stroke Day on 29th October
by Thihnan There has been an alarming increase in the incidents of stroke amongst Maldivians. The most common reason why this leads to death is the failure to understand the symptoms. Once a stroke occurs, it is difficult to save the person so to minimize the risk of death, the best thing to do is to be prepared for a stroke. The first thing you need to understand about a stroke is that it is completely different from a heart attack. Strokes occur in the brain. A person can suffer from a stroke if the blood flow to the brain is stopped. Blood vessels can be blocked by cholesterol or a blood clot or can even burst open due to loss in strength of its walls leading to internal bleeding. The walls of blood vessels become weaker with age which is usually why old people have a higher risk of strokes. If a patient has a stroke, they are given immediate medical attention. An IV fluid is injected which will dissolve any obstructions preventing the flow of blood to the brain. This is most effective only within 3 hours from the occurrence of a stroke. Otherwise, the person is most likely to be too damaged to heal leading to death. This is why you need to give your family members, your friends or any other immediate medical attention if they have a stroke. The best way to immediately treat a stroke is to know when you are going to get one. Just look out for these important symptoms. If you have at least 2 of these symptoms, it is recommended that you get an immediate check up. 49
Symptoms: Numbness or weakness. If you suddenly feel a part of your body being weak especially one side of your body, try to smile or lift both arms and legs. If you have difficulty doing so or if one arm droops, this might be a sign of an incoming stroke. Speech difficulty. If you suddenly can not understand parts of simple sentences or cannot repeat short ones, this could mean that blood supply to the brain controlling language is limited. Blurry vision. Sometimes right before a stroke, you might start to see a less clearly. Difficulty in movement. If you find it difficult to move around or coordinate your muscles, this could mean that a stroke is occurring to a part of the brain that controls balance and muscle coordination. Severe headaches. It is quite easy to misread this symptom. Severe headaches can also mean migraine, lack of water, stress or lack of sleep. 50
51
Past Events! DYM Eid Scavenger Hunt When: 16th October Where: Helipad Area Five teams of six people joined us at helipad area at 4:00 and the scavenger hunt began. Teams Batman, Oreo, The Bunch,
Bubbles
competed
against
and each
Nameless other
in
competing 16 tasks including taking selfies with four presidential candidates, reenacting a scene of Titanic on a parked vehicle and asking people what the fox says. After two hours of fun, the teams came back and when the scores were tallied, Batman won with 215 points and got a snacks hamper as a gift!
Some of the snacks in the snack hamper“Batman” won. Picture courtesy of “Batman”, of course.
52
Bright in White In celebration of October being National Dental Hygiene Month For those of you struggling with yellow teeth, let me tell you something. Your teeth are actually yellow! Teeth have four different layers. Teeth contain a layer of dentin which carries the nerves in your teeth. Dentin is yellow; the ugly yellow which makes you cringe. So if this is the case, why do some people have ‘pearly whites’? Because a tooth needs protection like any other organ, it has a protective shell around it known as the enamel. The enamel is white which is why teeth are sparkly white. Medically it means that your teeth are strong and healthy. Due to certain foods, drinks and smoking etc, a film forms on your teeth that corrodes the enamel. As the enamel gets thinner, the yellow dentin is revealed. Before you know it,
your teeth start to get yellower and yellower. Some people try to keep the teeth white only because it looks good. Here’s a motivator; since the enamel is the protective shell, with thinner enamel our teeth are more sensitive. This is why you might feel pain when taking in cold food or drinks. The nerves are directly exposed meaning everything becomes painful. It becomes difficult to chew on hard food as well. You are most likely to end up having to ground everything you eat. So if you don’t want to carry a blender on your next date to the restaurant, think ahead! We already know of the basic routine. Brush, floss, and see a dentist. Brushing and flossing plays an important role in 53
keeping your teeth healthy as it directly removes the agents that might cause harm. Dentists can give you a thorough check- up and clean your teeth up which adds to the proper maintenance your teeth deserves. Sadly, a visit to a dentist is often costly which could be why most of us avoid it. Moreover, brushing and flossing is never enough to completely remove the film which is why you might still see a light yellow taint. So now what?
It is also important that you prevent foods like coffee, tea and oranges from coming into contact with your teeth because they form a direct stain. However it doesn’t mean you should completely avoid it. Try using a straw to drink these as it can minimize the contact. Another way of minimizing the after effect is to wash your mouth after eating. If you have more time, try brushing. Drinking water can also help.
Many foods such as apples, pears and carrots often promote the production of saliva in your mouth. Saliva works as the same principle as toothpaste. Saliva is alkaline which neutralize the film on your teeth as it is acidic. Bottom line; the more the saliva, the whiter your teeth.
This might make you think that ‘pearly whites’ take a lot of effort. It’s not really the case because it’s all about habits. Adopt good ones and get rid of the bad ones and before you know it, you’ll have perfect teeth all thanks to your subconscious!
by Thihnan 54
Blueberry Whipped Cream Cake by: Girl in Toque
Ingredients Butter Cake:
Blueberry Whipping Frosted:
250g butter 250g sugar 250g eggs 250g our 1 tsp baking powder A dash of vanilla
300g Whipped Cream 150g Blueberries
Instructions For the cake, you simply need to make a normal butter cake. And here I’ll show you how. If you already have your own favorite recipe of cake, you are always welcome to bring a twist to your Blueberry Whipped Cream Cake. To start off, whip up the sugar n butter together with a whisk or an electric beater until you get a smooth creamy puffed up mixture. This as I have mentioned earlier is what we call the Creaming Method. Now add the eggs bit by bit while whisking continuously. Since we don’t want the egg and the creamy mixture to separate, this would happen if you add all the eggs directly. Sieve the flour and baking powder and add it in. Whisk continuously to end up with fabulous smooth cake dough. Finally mix in the vanilla. And bake for 30 minutes at 180 degree Celsius. 55
Blueberry Whipped Cream Frosting This is bit is quite simple. Whip up the cream to form stiff peaks of whipped cream and fold in the blueberries by slowly scraping the bottom of the bowl and bringing the whipping cream on top in a circular motion as u don’t want the stiff peaks to go away completely.
Now let’s get arranging! Cut the cake horizontally in half or into three layers and spread the frosting all over in between each layer by stacking one above the other. Trim off the excess frosting from the sides and spread a clean layer of frosting on the top and the sides of the cake. Add in any extra decorations you like =)
56
CARL SAGAN’S
COSMIC CALENDAR B
Y
:
M
A
H
I
D
57
Carl Sagan was an American astronomer,
It comes from his book Dragons of Eden.
astrophysicist
When
and
cosmologist
who
Sagan
wrote
the
book,
it
was
dedicated most of his academic life to the
estimated that the age of the universe was
popularisation of science. He was also a
15 billion years.
Pulitzer Prize winning author, credited with
compressing the 15 billion year history of the
20 books, all of which were aimed at
universe into the span of a single non-leap
enhancing
of
year. He added marks on the calendar to
science. Sagan is perhaps best known for
represent significant points of both geological
the television series Cosmos: A personal
and anthropological history. My aim is to give
Journey, which explored the development of
a narrative of the Sagan Calendar with some
key scientific ideas till date along with their
different historical marks which might be
social implications. A book, based on the
more
series followed, also named Cosmos, which
cosmological data suggests that the age of
remained in the New York Times Bestseller
the universe is 13.7 billion years old.
list for more than 70 weeks. Even for the
However due to the sheer age of the
accomplished scientist that Sagan was, he
universe and the relative time span of a year,
was an absolute genius as a writer. His
the cosmic calendar will remain largely
books took readers on an epic journey from
unchanged. The task which I took on my
the primordial universe to countless galaxies,
shoulders is colossal no doubt, and I can
to life and death of stars to the story of life on
only hope that I do it some justice.
Earth.
the
public
understanding
relevant
He created a calendar by
to
our
society.
Recent
The captivating power of his books
lies not only in the vastness and depth of his
At exactly midnight, a silent explosion with
scientific knowledge but the magic with which
power and energy beyond all imagination
he strung the words, doing almost poetic
happened,
justice to the grandeur of the universe.
propagated through the vast nothingness.
creating
space
itself
as
it
The origin of this mighty event was a single Discovering Cosmos was a big step in my
point; infinitely small and extremely hot. The
science education. It triggered an insatiable
explosion ejected vast amounts of hydrogen
thirst for scientific knowledge in me. The
and helium with relatively small amounts
seemingly incoherent theories, equations of
lithium. Every tiny bit of matter there ever
text books and my own astute observations
was and there ever will be was created at
fell into place and I could, for the first time,
that instant, including the “stuff� of which we
see a glimpse of the bigger picture. The
all are made. This was the big bang and the
simple elegance of the universe we live in
universe has just been born.
made my perception of life more meaningful. The first few months in the life of the One of the most interesting and provocative
universe
were
uneventful.
Occasionally,
of Sagan’s creations is the cosmic calendar.
clouds of gas would be attracted by gravity 58
and form a hot ball of gas. Nuclear reactions
on Earth around September 25th. These
start at the centre of this ball and it would
were
officially become a star. Some of these stars
molecules in the primeval soup. The oldest
will soon die out because their resources
rocks found on earth are dated to have
would be exhausted and would collapse
formed on second day of October. A week
under
are
later the first sexually reproducing micro-
examples of such “fallen” stars. Smaller stars
organisms appeared on the surface. Even by
will live longer as they run through the
this time, the temperature of earth was far
available resources at a slower rate. They
from hospitable to any form of higher animals
can be viewed as a small office with “low
we see today. It was extremely hot. Even in
running
cost”,
the
its literal sense, one could say that the
revenue
slowly.
this
microorganisms had sex before it was cool!
its
own
weight.
hence (For
Blackholes
they the
exhaust sake
of
nothing
more
than
self-replicating
metaphor, the office does not make a profit. The available money at the start is fixed and
November would be an uneventful month
constant). The first nine months of the
too, but for the coming of photosynthetic
cosmic calendar passes in such a manner,
plants and eukaryotic (cells with nuclei) into
chaotic and monotonous.
the scene. We are fast approaching the end of our cosmic year but the humans are
On September 9th such a star is born in the
nowhere to be seen. By the start of the very
distant corners of what would be known as
last month of the year, earth starts to develop
the Milky Way galaxy. For the first 4 days,
an atmosphere with oxygen, paving way for
this star does not show the promise of
higher life forms. First 24 days of December
amounting to anything other than a burning
flies by with appearance of meagre life such
ball of gas. However on the 14th day of
as worms, plankton and vertebrates. But our
September, large and stray fragments of
day of interest is the 24th: The dawn of the
debris going around the young star stick
dinosaurs. They will roam the earth as top
together and form a planet: Earth. The
predator of the planet for the next 165 million
central star is the Sun and eight other
years, fighting, killing and out-competing
planets will revolve around it, though one of
anything that got into their way. They were
which
rather
fast with killer instincts; lethal predators on
unceremoniously much to the dismay of
top of their game. For any hypothetical
some Humans who will later inhabit Earth.
zoologist observing the Earth during that
will
be
thrown
out
time, it would seem that dinosaurs will be It will be many millions of years (or days on
around for many more millions of years to
Cosmic Calendar) before life can thrive on
come, their genetic descendants inheriting
Earth. For now, the atmosphere of the planet
the land. But on December 29th, just two
is toxic and its surface unwelcoming. It is
days before New Year’s Eve, catastrophe hit
estimated that the first life forms of appeared
the Earth in the form a blazing meteor. 59
Though the point of impact was the Yucatan
region. It is in these two seconds that we
Peninsula in South America, the consequent
become enslaved by the Portuguese and
events ultimately drove the giant predators
remain so for fifteen years. Just a blink of an
extinct.
eye
ago,
we
established
a
modern
democracy. Now we arrive at the close: the very last day
In the last two seconds, humans invent
of our cosmic calendar. Even for the first 22
modern science, medicine and technology.
and half hours of December 31st, the signs
We acquire means to destroy ourselves and
of the imminent and inevitable humans are
make first steps into space and start the
elusive. At around 10:30 PM, just one and a
search for extraterrestrial life. Global culture
half hours before the end, the Homo sapiens
emerges as a result of globalisation. And
emerge.
most
now, we’re in the first second of the of the
sophisticated life forms ever to live on earth
New Year‘s day. A moment of thought to the
with brain volume per body mass far greater
Cosmic Calendar can help us to perceive
than any other organism. We are possibly
how insignificant our time here is on cosmic
the first self-conscious beings capable of
scale. It shows us that we are not special or
rational thought (at least some of us are!). In
privileged. As Sagan very succinctly put it
just half an hour of our arrival, we would
“we are like butterflies who flutter for a day
learn the history of the universe spanning
and think it’s forever”. It is clear that our
364 days and 22.5 hours. A Great feat
complacency is deeply misplaced. How we
indeed.
inefficient
live on earth will decide our future on this
lifestyle with most of our time spent on
planet just like any other species. If we are
collecting food as a hunter gatherer.
As a
unable to adapt and change for the better,
result we are unable to utilise our superior
we will perish. This is not merely a superficial
brains for intellect.
We realise the error of
rhetoric. This is evidenced by the countless
our ways at the last minute. Literally. At
species that have lived and died on this
11:59 PM and 20 seconds past, we invent
planet. Like any other species we face
agriculture. At 11:59:56, just four seconds
threats. Overpopulation threatens the globe
ago Jesus (PBUH) was born in Bethlehem
and man-made climate change is manifesting
and the Roman Empire rises.
itself rapidly. Hunger threatens one-third of
We
are
Initially,
by
we
far
lead
an
the
the whole population. Civil wars have been It is an interesting observation that all of
ripping countries and communities apart.
recorded human history occupies the last 20
While it is true that we have little cosmic
seconds of our cosmic calendar, and the
significance, we are also intelligent. We are
written history of Maldives just two. In the last
truly capable of changing the path on which
two seconds, the whole of our country
we are. Our fate most definitely will be
converts from Buddhism to Islam, we fight
decided by our scientific wisdom, sensitivity
countless wars against invaders from the
and the will of human spirit. 60
You are an Insignď€ nicant Speck? by: Munzir
photo by imy
61
You are an insignificant speck A grain of sand In the vast cosmic expanse Where physical laws keep it on track It cares not, whether you live or die You have been misled, open your eyes Yet, it was once nothingness An observation where imagination does not extend From this singularity Sprang up the cosmos In it's vastness Imagination does not extend Man, lacking science, reason and mathematical constants Marveling at it's magnificence Gave birth to myths formed by his own ignorance We fight to preserve these beliefs Bronze age fables Because they provide relief When all hope is lost This is the wrong approach On other people's rights, we encroach Why must we let suffering relapse? When we could make these faulty systems collapse To end injustice, violence and persecution To end bloody wars genocide and execution we must first embrace truth with all our heart Then our bonds will never break apart You are insignificant Yet, why must you end your life? When all your ancestors had mated When every living creature is related Obeying the physical laws in perfect harmony In this cosmic accident Sprang up the cosmos In it's vastness Imagination does not extend Man, lacking science, reason and mathematical constants Marveling at it's magnificence Gave birth to myths formed by his own ignorance We fight to preserve these beliefs Bronze age fables Because they provide relief When all hope is lost This is the wrong approach On other people's rights, we encroach Why must we let suffering relapse? When we could make these faulty systems collapse To end injustice, violence and persecution To end bloody wars genocide and execution we must first embrace truth with all our heart Then our bonds will never break apart You are insignificant Yet, why must you end your life? When all your ancestors had mated When every living creature is related Obeying the physical laws in perfect harmony In this cosmic accident
62
What is Love by: Shiyaz
photo by imy
63
Is love a battle field with strong weapons? Is love a garden filled with flourishing flowers? Is love a rough sea, where you have to fight for your life? Is love an incredible scenery, where you cherish your past? Is love a never ending journey, where you find tears in your life? Is love a journey, where you find faith and trust in your life? Is love a never-ending path, where you try to find the destiny? Is love a full moon night where you marvel the wonders of the world? Is love a hypnotic poison in which you never know what is happening? Is love a cleanse in which you see every happiness in your new eyes? Is love a strong poison which destroys your life without giving a cure? Is love a strong emotion you need to live, like the soul you need to survive? Is love an unfortunate dilemma, where you stuck in a middle of a road? Is love a fortunate reality, where every single step you take is toward bliss?
64
Girlfriend “Dedicated to all awesome sisters and girl pals." by: Fazu Singa
65
You the Shorty, your voice louder than mine; Your ego and audacity, how you butt into the life that’s mine; You nag about my choice of clothes; Whine about how I accessorize, I’m tacky I know; You’re happy to share your gum; which You already have chewed up in your mouth; You offer me relationship advice gladly, Join the nunnery; you’ve been single all your life; You jam killer stilettos on my feet, Crazy woman, you better be there to catch me when I fall; You drag me through chick flicks, chow on the Popcorn and wail loudly at the end; You think sleepovers are great; manicures, pedicures, Facials, munching, music and yet devoid of sleep; You snitch my tub of ice cream, never Allowing me to wallow in my sorrows; you take Your fair share and you’re not bothered to reason why But you take my side and bitch about Why he is not mine; You convinced me that he is not worth chasing, if he He does not realize that I’m worth the fight; You enjoy shoving me into the water, Cannon-balling in right after; You laugh when I fall, giggle at my Frown and fall down before you can help me up; You invade my privacy and drag me Out of bed when all I want to do is sleep; You pinch and poke me, trip and trod on me Do everything in your power to annoy me; You bend the rules, pick and turn, happy To stick your toe out of line; Your nose must be a mile long, there’s Nowhere in my business I don’t find it poking in; You eat my fries, cut in front of me in Lines, what’s your problem, can’t anything be mine? You bounce off the walls, still the Hormonal teen after all these years; Your goals in life are ridiculous, but yes We are getting there in good times; You teach me to laugh, love and live, As though life has no more tomorrows; Yes girl friend, life wouldn’t be the same If not for those wild insane moments with you.
66
Thank you for reading. See you in November! In the meantime, find us at: fb.com/dhiyouthmovement @ dhiyouth dhiyouthmovement.blogspot.com dhiyouthmovement dhiyouthmovement@gmail.com
photo by Imy
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