Tuskan Times Volume 6 Issue 4

April 2018 Issue

Volume 6, Issue 4

What’s in this issue?

STUDENT ACTIVISM, 1 RUSSIAN ELECTIONS, 4 THE POWER OF PERSPECTIVE, 7 A LESSON IN DIPLOMACY, 10 DUTERTE THREATENS ICC EXIT, 13 TRUMP WATCH, 14 Q&A CON FRANCESCA CETTA, 16 WORLD SPEECH DAY, 19 CIAO CAPITANO, 20 AVENGERS INFINITY WAR, 22 RHINOS AND TIGERS AND BEARS, 25 EULOGY FOR STEPHEN HAWKING, 26

STAFF Editor-in-Chief Nicholas Accattatis

Artists Jacqueline Obert

Co-Editor Isabella Lovalvo

Advisor John Pitonzo Cover by Jacqueline Obert

Layout Editors Giulia Oosterwijk Jacqueline Obert

THE NEW VINTAGE: STUDENT ACTIVISM IS BACK IN STYLE

By Anaïs Delagneau The past month has been marked with student protests occuring in the United States due to the recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida. With the March for Our Lives on March 20th bringing in 800,000 protesters in Washington D.C alone and students from all across the nation walking out for seventeen minutes on March 14th in protest of gun laws, it is quite clear students are willing to make their voices heard in order to try to create change.

While student activism itself is not considered uncommon, the sheer size and amount of protests brought about by youth for the cause stated above has astonished people worldwide. It has been quite some time since student protests of this scale have been seen, the most recent being that of the Arab Spring and the more renowned activist events during the 1960s and 1970s; approximately fifty to sixty years ago.

What a lot of people forget is that many, if not all, of the most notable protests and activist movements were comprised of or organized by students, no matter the decade or issue.

In fact, while analyzing four of the most popular protests in recent history, many obvious parallels can be drawn between then and now.

The Civil Rights Movement (1954-1968), being one of the most well-known cases of mass activism, is known mostly due to its leader, Martin Luther King Junior. One key detail that is not always accentuated, however, is the fact that the youth of the time were instrumental in this movement’s most memorable moments. Their most

notable impacts were the Freedom Rides and their numerous actions in order to try to establish the desegregation of schools. Many events were organised by students as well, thanks to organisations such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). During this time period, activism was quite international as well, although not for the same cause. In Europe, for example, countries such as England and France had mass amounts of students expressing their want and need for societal change. These events, however, are not as well known due to the fact that the education on protests during the 60s focuses primarily on America in a multitude of history books.

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A few years after the closure of the Civil Rights Movement, protests against the Vietnam War, known primarily due to the popular belief that it was headed by hippies and led to the rise of different forms of music, took students thirsty for a peaceful fight under their wing. These protests were actually primarily headed and organised by university students appalled by the number of kids their age perishing in battle.

They were not only pinpointed in The United States but also had a few strong moments in England. This proved a historical moment, as it solidified the role of university level youth in socio-political issues internationally, as many European countries already saw activism at this level and it had just officially become a hot-topic in the United States of America.

Student protests were not only becoming increasingly popular in the Western World. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, approximately ten years after the end of Vietnam War protests, another wave of student protests took place in China, the most notable event being that of Tiananmen Square, where hundreds of thousands of students gathered to protest the Communist regime and demand democracy. They were brutally crushed by armed forces and the extent of the casualties are yet to be known.

Student Activism has been dormant since then, maybe because it has not taken as much of a global scale or because it hasn’t been as massively publicised. Either way, it has been nearly ten years since a large-scale sweep of active youth internationally has been seen and almost fifty years since it has taken placein the Western world. Now, it’s back on the rise. Why is that? It could possibly be due to the fact that this generation of youth is more in touch with political issues than the one before or because, like the preceding generations of activists, they realise it’s up to them to bring change upon the world.

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While the most obvious similarity between all the activist movements listed previously is that students were the forefront, an important underlying one is that every single protest was against social construct and government. It was never for the little things, but always for something that mattered to the youth and society of that specific time. It is, and will always be something that when looked back on by historians, can be considered a notable aspect of that time period.

Today, it’s just the same. Many of the popular protest topics include tuition hikes, immigration, sexuality, the environment, islamophobia, and (in America’s special case) the right to bear arms.

Activism among our world’s youth has been vital to making societal change and voicing concern for more than half a century, and makes it quite clear that the younger generation are the ones responsible for change and will fight to create it as long as they are granted a voice. So, whether it’s the 1960s or the 21st century, peaceful protest will always be a trend, no matter how long it lays at rest before erupting once more.

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RUSSIAN ELECTIONS 2018: THE ROLE OF THE INTERNET TODAY

By Daniel Gryshehenko March 18, 2018, bestowed upon the world the name of a new leader of the world’s biggest country and geopolitical pillar — the name of its new president, recently elected Mr Vladimir Putin.

However, the reader shouldn’t be deceived by the term “new.” After all, Vladimir Vladimirovich enters the position of the head of the state for the fourth time. What may cause the torrent of support that this man receives from the people? The question is opens up a massive, convoluted history.

However, for the reasons of general understanding and explanation of considerable details, it is worthy to look at Putin’s life and career before and during his time in office.

In 1975, Putin graduated from the Leningrad State University as a lawyer. It was at this school that he formed a friendship with his professor, Anatoly Sobchak, a connection that would ultimately contribute much to Putin’s political ascension.

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From 1979-91, Putin served as a KGB agent (Soviet analogue of American CIA or British SIS) but resigned from his post in favour of a political career. His patron, the aforementioned Anatoly Sobchak, who had been recently appointed Mayor of Saint Petersburg, made him his right hand man.

From there, Russia’s president would only continue his rise to power.

In 1998, Putin approached his drastic career lift – he became a director of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation. On August 9, 1999, by the initiative of the incumbent Russian President Boris Yeltsin, Vladimir Putin became Prime Minister.On December 31, 1999, President Yeltsin surprisingly resigned. According to the law, the resigned president must be temporarily succeeded by the incumbent Prime Minister, thus allowing Putin to gain the presidency. On March 26, 2000, he, so to speak, legitimized his rule, collecting 53% of all votes.

All Putin’s presidencies were prominent mainly because of one thing – Russia’s abrupt insertion of itself on the international stage, beginning with actions taken concerning Chechnya. Chechnya, although being a technically independent state, was de-jure considered a part of Russia. Hence Putin decided to define this formality – on August 7, 1999, Russian troops invaded Dagestan, a strategic location for Chechen separatists. By April 2000, Chechnya was made an official part of the Russian Federation.

The next eight years of Putin’s rule (with his reelection in 2004) were surprisingly calm. There was even a place for considerable rapprochement between Russia and the traditionally “hostile” United States. By 2009 many experts and, all the more so, ordinary citizens believed that Putin appeared to be unexpectedly effective as a ruler and managed to resolve Russia’s most urgent issues, such as corruption and escape from the fierce financial crisis of the late 1990s. In 2008-12, Putin served as a Prime Minister for the second time, and in 2012, he achieved staggering success in the regular presidential election, collecting around 64% of all votes.

Putin’s third term proved to be indeed intriguing. From the start, his election invoked the protests of the feminist liberal organisation Pussy Riot, whose activists called him a “dictator.”

Additionally, in 2014, a loud international scandal broke out – Russian troops annexed the Crimean peninsula, that for the last sixty years had belonged to Ukraine. The West, not appreciating this gesture, instantly implemented a wave of economic sanctions, drowning Russia in the biggest financial crisis it has witnessed since 1998.

However, this seems to have done nothing to affect the president’s popularity, as in the latest election Vladimir Vladimirovich achieved a new record of 77% of the popular vote. Converting the percentage into familiar numbers, almost sixty million people voted for Putin and wished him to

in addition to suggesting to eradicate the West and incinerate the United States with Russian nuclear weapons; Pavel Grudinin, Russian communist; and Ksenia Sobchak, Russian liberal and oppositionist, who started her career from Playboy covers and lowbrow shows, thus cerating for herself a reputation akin to that of Paris Hilton in the United Sates. Who else but Putin?

What does the Internet have to do with the election?

In Russia, however, one man thought differently.

Alexei Navalny, the most popular oppositionist in Russia, showed the world how effective the Internet and social networks could be. He was one of three main anti-Putin government’s politicians, alongside with Garry Kasparov, former world chess champion, who fled to the United States, and Boris Nemtsov, who was killed in 2015. Navalny remained the only true oppositionist in Russia who was able to counteract Putin’s policies. But with what? By what means?

continue his presidency for the fourth time.

Moreover, Putin’s opponents this year performed badly. Facing the incumbent leader were Vladimir Zhirinovksy, well-known Russian ultranationalist and populist, who gained his fame by calling everyone and everything “bastards” and “scums”

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The answer is this: the Internet. It is unfathomable to imagine how a couple of YouTube videos that Navalny recorded in 2016 could affect the one of the most centralised and stable regimes in the entire world, however this appears to be the case.

On March 2, 2017, Navalny published a video concerning possible corruption of incumbent Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev. The video was called He Is Not Dimon To You (Dimon is a hypocorism for the name Dmitry, just like English speakers say Johnny instead of John). The unanticipated popularity that Navalny gained after this video allowed him to begin to carry out more vigorous actions, organising manifestations and protests. In the terms of Putin’s administration, he became a menace and was later numerously imprisoned and fined. On December 13, 2016, the oppositionist announced his presidential campaign. Subsequently, Navalny was barred from presidential race for organising protests without approval from state authorities. The latter, in response, asked his followers to boycott upcoming elections, and the result was, to be honest, quite impressive.

The boycott had the potential to be so large that Russian authorities were actually scared that they would not be able to gather the necessary amount of popular votes in order to ratify the elections.

Furthermore, some people were just too lazy to vote somewhere where their decision is already made. In this situation they were saved by Navalny himself.

His example of how a certain person can strongly influence an audience via the Internet proved to be significant. To prevent the possible catastrophe, the government allegedly paid some famous Russian YouTube bloggers to release video clips that featured covert propaganda of the election and defamation of Navalny. This situation has become highly controversial, especially in the Russian YouTube community, as many of their members believe that their job has nothing to do with politics.

Opinions concerning this topic might be polar, but it is transparently clear that the Internet has finally grown to the point where even the authorities have to deal with it. U.S. President Donald Trump is currently a well-known Twitter user and regularly posts his fresh decisions on his page there. And he is not the only one. Almost every respectable politician now believes that it is his or her duty to post their thoughts and decisions somewhere on the Internet on a daily basis. Inexplicably, Vladimir Putin remains one of those few politicians who continue to shun the Internet and social networks. However, the story of the 2018 Russian election may have finally convinced the whole world of the power of the Internet right now. And furthermore, its power may only increase.

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OPINION: THE POWER OF PERSPECTIVE

By Grace Ihle What does it take to get a person to see that they might be wrong about something? In a world where ranting on Twitter is seen as the hallmark of taking action or calling someone out because they offended you, it’s worth reconsidering the modern methods of trying to make a point. But if you’re asking what it takes to change someone else’s mind, you might want to consider asking yourself why you’re so sure that theirs is the one that needs changing.

Perspective is one of the most powerful tools when it comes to assessing the validity of your opinions and beliefs. If you stop to consider the fact that while you want to convince someone else of your beliefs, they’re most likely trying to do the same to you, it’ll allow for a change of perspective, since it’ll allow you to see you and your arguments in the eyes of the other person.

President Donald Trump has become intensely controversial within the global community for his demeaning statements about women and minorities, and for – in the eyes of liberals – his grossly unsatisfactory responses to American crises, such as the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, mass school and police shootings, and white supremacy violence. The latter is most identifiable in the August 11, 2017 Charlottesville “Unite the Right” white nationalist rally, when a counterprotester was killed by a car that had been rammed into the crowd.

Immediately after this tragedy, POTUS claimed, in a speech in Virginia, that there was fault on both sides of the rally and that the alt-left was equally as responsible as the alt-right. Trump’s response infuriated millions of Americans, who claimed that he didn’t properly condemn the white nationalists involved in the rally, turning the focus away from the KKK and Nazi members and to the minor part played by the liberal counter-protesters. Many took to Twitter to voice their anger with the president, but what many didn’t realize at the time was that, to Trump, there may have actually been a reason beyond the rally for his condemnation of the altleft.

Just days before the riots would take place in Charlottesville, a communist associated with the group “Refuse Fascism” wrote on his website, “This nightmare must end. The Trump-Pence regime must go,” expressing his desire to take to the streets in cities across the U.S. and continue protesting until the Trump administration was removed from power. Word got around in the conservative media that Antifa (a completely different liberal organization that was mistaken for Refuse Fascism) was planning to start a violent civil war within the country and overthrow the Trump administration starting November 4th.

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As the news about Antifa grew, liberals on Twitter began to make jokes about this rumor, exaggerating the claims to mess with conservatives. They started referring to “Antifa supersoldiers,” and one Twitter user even joked that on the 4th, they’d “behead all white parents and small business owners in the town square.”

Tweets like this were taken seriously among the conservative community, enraging them all the more. Eventually, Fox and Friends picked up the story, reporting that Antifa wanted to use violent rallies and protests to remove Trump and Pence from office. Knowing that the POTUS is a big fan of the news network himself, he would have heard this and kept it in mind while speaking in Virginia in response to Charlottesville. Although this perceived threat to his power wasn’t an actual threat, it must have really felt like one. He confirmed this in a statement he gave later in September, saying, “Especially in light of the advent of Antifa, if you look at what’s going on there, you know, you have some pretty bad dudes on the other side also.” When you’re in Trump’s position, it’s easy to understand why he would equate the violence that occured in the Virginia city with the overthrowing of his own government. In fact, it may have seemed even worse than the rally in Trump’s eyes, which would mean he was actually giving more credit to the liberals, by noting that some of them were good people, than he probably thought they deserved. Now, this isn’t to agree with Trump’s statement or defend it; it’s only to bring light to the situation and provide the information needed to see his quote from another perspective. If one understands the perspective from all sides, one can use that to form a much more solid opinion.

More recently, Florence experienced its own tragic loss that shook the entire city. Fifty-four yearold Idy Diene, a Senegalese roadside vendor, was shot six times and killed by a sixty-five-year-old Italian man, Roberto Pirrone. It was reported that Pirrone was considering killing himself, but instead decided to shoot the first person he saw on the street.

He said that he first saw a mother with her child, but thought better of it and moved on, shooting the next person he saw, Diene. The police and the court ruled that although Diene was black, it was not a raciallymotivated crime. However, a number of people in the Florentine community spoke out about the murder, claiming it was, contrary to the ruling, racially motivated. One man even wrote on Facebook “I know the murderer very well, he was an ex-colleague of mine. He's not mad at all. He didn't kill randomly, like the newspapers say, he came across many people from his house to the bridge, but chose to kill a black man.”

By no means is the judicial system perfect, but it is important to note that the people who spoke out about the crime had educated themselves using all the information available. March 5th, 300 people showed up to a sit-in protest at the site of Diene’s killing, and afterwards,

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500 people from the Senegalese community marched around the city chanting “no more racism.” 100 of these people encountered the police, and while no clashes or violence was reported, a number of trash cans were overturned, and some flower pots were broken in the center.

Regardless of whether the murder was raciallymotivated or not, since the protests took place later that afternoon, none of the participants would have known the story from the killer’s perspective, as it hadn’t yet been released by the police. Given the gossiping nature of humans, the most the protesters probably knew was that a white man had murdered a black man on the streets of Florence. Of course this is exactly what happened, but taken out of context, it can mean something wildly different than what was later reported.

This is not a claim that what Pirrone did was not racially motivated; this is a claim that it might not have been, and the protesters involved didn’t even have the chance to make that distinction for themselves because they weren’t aware of both sides of the story when they took to the streets in anger.

If they had known the information that we know now, some of them may still have felt exactly the same, but maybe some of them would have thought Pirrone’s story believable, which in turn, could have saved Florence a few flower pots and trash cans.

Perspective is important to obtain while forming one’s opinions not because one’s first impressions are wrong but because they might be wrong.

Research is harmless; all it can do is get one closer to the truth. And in the middle of an argument, having the ability to look at yourself in the eyes of one’s opponent can make it easier to mediate the discussion, and respectfully get one’s ideas across in a respectful way. From getting involved in a debate, sharing one’s knowledge with others, or even posting long threads on Twitter, perspective is a skill that can be used in all social interactions, and should be.

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A LESSON IN DIPLOMACY

By Kojin Minorikawa On the 6th of May, Kim Jong Un surprised the rest of the world with an optimistic announcement: his regime is willing to hold talks with the United States, along with the prospect of discarding its nuclear arsenals. These words, once fulfilled, will spell peace and stability for Asia and the rest of the world. Now we must ask ourselves two questions.

The first is whether they will actually be fulfilled.

The second question is once they are fulfilled, who should be receiving the Nobel Peace Prize? Many experts are trying to explain the sudden shift of the Rocketman’s attitude from a headstrong nuclear warhead to a flacid water rocket. Here are some theories that are being debated.

voicing his intention to visit Pyongyang. Thanks to his grace, relations between the South and the North are improving at a rapid pace, with various K-pop artists visiting Pyongyang to perform a “peace concert” on April 1st, and the leaders of the two countries holding a summit for the first time in more than a decade on the planned date of April 27th.

So did the South Korean president’s actions lead to Kim’s shift of attitude? The answer is unlikely.

The issue has gone well beyond the control of the two Koreas, most notably in the countless trades of provocations and threats between Kim Jong-Un and

Moon Jae-in is a Diplomatic Genius The initial spark that eventually led to Kim’s announcement was the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Through the unified Korean team and official negotiations that were undertaken behind it, the two Koreas bridged the ledge between them to a significant degree.

US president Donald Trump. Last year, North Korea fired a number of intercontinental ballistic missiles, including the one which directly flew over the northern island of Japan, a close ally of America.

Along with them came the regime’s announcement of having achieved the capability of striking US territory. In summary, while Moon’s actions certainly bridged the gap between the two Koreas, the results cannot help but feel more symbolic than

This was achieved partially thanks to the South Korean president Moon Jae-in’s sympathetic stance to the North. Since assuming the office last May, he has repeatedly called for better relations across the two Koreas, also

pragmatic, operating somewhat distantly from the superpowers who have greater influence towards the issue.

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International Responses

Xi Jinping’s Cold War Politics

Without a doubt, the United States plays a major role amongst the international society in confronting Kim’s regime. A contrast between Trump and his predecessors is his (supposed) willingness to implement military actions. Apart from violent words, his constant insistence to carry out the annual joint military training between the South Korean and US army, which has historically infuriated the North, certainly stiffened the atmosphere, and this may have impacted Kim’s decision. More importantly however, are international sanctions towards the regime, which have only toughened as North Korea improves its nuclear technology. It is estimated that North Korean export declined by an astonishing 25% last year, mostly thanks to China, its only real ally, slowly turning its back against the increasing provocative regime. In addition, the development of nuclear weapons that can strike territories across the planet’s hemisphere does not come cheap, needless to mention the regime’s maintenance of its large military. While Kim Jong Un has explicitly stressed that the sanctions have not deterred him, the economic state of his regime has gradually plunged with the growth of its nuclear might.

Thus far, the North Korean leader has used two messengers to convey his intention of making peace with the US. The first were South Korean diplomats, who optimistically announced Kim’s idea of denuclearising his country. The second messenger were the Chinese, who revealed a similar message, but in a different tone. After Kim’s train trip to Beijing, the Chinese government indicated the cost that the US is expected to pay, the removal of its nuclear guarantee on South Korea. Through this contrast in tone, one can recognize Pyongyang’s intentions: establish symbolic peace with the South Koreans while collaborating with the Chinese on the actual negotiations.

For China, North Korea has always been a shield that has prevented Western troops from being stationed near its borders. But when that shield is making such a loud noise that it makes the US promise to pour “fire and fury like the world has never seen” upon the Korean Peninsula, there is a problem.

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Triggered by the Trump administration’s concern towards trade deficits, the US has recently implemented numerous tariffs against Chinese goods, provoking a similar response from the Chinese. This trade war between the two superpowers could render further negotiations more turbulent and complicated.

In fact, China has slowly joined the rest of the world in applying sanctions towards North Korea, despite it being recognized as the regime’s only real ally.

Therefore, peace between North Korea and the US with the removal of South Korea’s nuclear guarantee will kill two birds with a stone. Xi Jinping will be able to stabilize his neighbouring area while maintaining China’s sphere of influence in EastAsia.

As potential cards for future negotiations are slowly being revealed, the world is also seeing many obstacles on its way to peace and stability. Will the South Korean population accept the removal of America’s nuclear guarantee on their country? While its leader is sympathetic to the North, many South Koreans, especially the young, are very skeptical towards their Northern counterpart and the whole idea of reunification. As many would resist being stripped naked in front of an incalculable beast, Moon’s government will have to confront new security concerns of its people for the months to come. Furthermore, there are the soaring relations between the US and China.

With the threat of immediate military actions from both sides slowly fading, the players of the North Korean game are slowly moving into the phase of more quiet negotiations. At this point, a consensus seems quite difficult to achieve, and the world may have to be a little more patient in seeing stability.

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DUTERTE THREATENS ICC EXIT

By Joseph Donat Bolton Never has a world leader gone to trial in the International Criminal Court, an international institution based in The Hague that is predominantly responsible for trying war criminals from countries that are either unwilling or unable to prosecute them themselves. It has attempted to try the Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta, but subsequently dropped the charges, and has an outstanding warrant for the arrest of the Sudanese president Omar Hasan Ahmad al-Bashir, but member-states have been reluctant to arrest the leader even when they are obliged to by the Rome Statue. Compelling countries to do anything is in fact a big problem in the court, as lacking an international police force all the court can do is ask countries to arrest people for which it has issued a warrant.

Killing drug dealers and even users has been a staple policy of the Phillipine President Rodrigo Duterte, who has offered an amnesty for anybody doing so, even if they have not been found guilty by a court, allegedly resulting in the deaths of over 12 thousand people. International law prohibits extrajudicial executions, and as such the ICC has announced an investigation into the president’s actions. Surprisingly (or rather not) the president was not happy about this investigation, and immediately announced that the Philippines intended to withdraw from the court, in an attempt to escape justice.

Although the president holds executive power, the Senate has stated that it has to consent to the withdrawal from any international convention, meaning that Duterte must alto gather its support in order to leave. Depending on whether or not Duterte manages to garner their support the Phillipines could be the second country to pull out of the Rome Statute that established the ICC, after Burundi.

Irrespective of whether or not the Philippines withdraw or not the investigation into Duterte’s crimes will continue, as the withdrawal of a member does not influence investigations that have already started, in order to stop leaders from doing so to avoid indictment.

Criticisms of the ICC include the fact that it has been focused on prosecuting African criminals, and the extreme duration of its trials – in its years of existence it has only convicted 9 people, and the trials last for years. Kidnapping children and forcing them to be child soldiers, murdering innocent civilians, and destroying cultural artefacts are only some of the crimes that the ICC has prosecuted people for, for the organisation in The Hague is home to some of the world’s worst criminals.

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TRUMP WATCH: MARCH/APRIL EDITION

By Isabella Lovalvo

Trump Fires Secretary of State Rex Tillerson via Twitter, Announces New CIA Director 13 March, Trump took to Twitter to announce the dismissal and replacement of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with CIA Director Mike Pompeo.

According to a senior State Department official, the president did not speak with Tillerson prior to this, and the latter learned of his dismissal only after being shown the tweet. When questioned as to why he chose to replace Tillerson, Trump stated, “We were not really thinking the same. Really, it was a different mind-set, a different thinking.”

Tillerson’s dismissal will perhaps not come as a wholly unexpected move to most, as for months, reports of the oil tycoon’s rocky relationship with the president and the White House had been widely circulated, despite being denied by officials.

Trump’s motive for the firing is not altogether baseless, as throughout Tillerson’s time in office, the

two saw several disagreements concerning policy, as Tillerson publicly supported remaining in the Paris climate accord and more recently continuing the Iran deal, both contrary to Trump’s wishes.

Trump also announced his new choice for Pompeo’s now vacated position: Gina Haspel.

Assuming the nomination is confirmed by Senate, Haspel will be the first female to hold the position.

The nomination, however, has not come without controversy, as many have questioned Haspel’s role in the CIA’s torture of 9/11 suspects, especially concerning the destruction of ninety-two videotapes showing interrogation sessions.

In response, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats has stated that Haspel “plans to be totally transparent in regards to this issue,” going on to praise Haspel’s talents and promise a future explanation of exactly what her role entailed.

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White House Announces Trump’s Plans to Deploy Troops to Mexican Border Early April, the White House stated Trump’s intent to send National Guard units to the Mexican border in order to combat illegal immigration, citing a lack of border patrol agents’ “manpower or resources necessary” to do so. According to the statement, the National Guard is expected to remain in place until Congress passes legislation that successfully “close[s] the loopholes undermining border security efforts” and ends the Catch and Release protocol.

Trump is not the first president to carry out these actions. In 2010, Barack Obama authorized the deployment of 1,200 troops to the border, while in 2006 George W. Bush sent 6,000 as part of Operation Jumpstart. It is also typical for governors of border states to dispatch troops during heavy influxes of illegal immigration.

Trump continues to stand firm in his efforts to crack down on immigration, which have served as a key issue both in his presidential campaign and current administration. Recently, his advisers have stated he is currently preparing new legislation to block entry into the USA by migrants and asylum seekers, including unaccompanied children.

These decisions comes in light of the news that a caravan of more than 1,100 Central Americans, sponsored by the organization Pueblos sin Fronteras, is at the moment travelling to Mexico. Though many will remain there in an effort to gain refugee status, others will attempt to cross the border into the US. It is thought that this may have pushed Trump to deploy the Guard, as he has not been hesitant to strongly condemn the caravan, additionally criticizing weak border control and airing other issues he takes with immigration legislation.

Trump Signs Order for Tariff on Metals, Prompting Fears of Impending Trade War Early March, Trump carried out his plans to impose a tariff on steel and aluminum imports, among other industrial products, citing the necessity to stop the “assault on our country” and “decimation of entire communities” as his motives. “Steel is steel,” Trump said, surrounded by workers in the industry.

“Without steel, you don’t have a country.”

Concerning numbers, Trump has chosen to enact a 25% tariff on steel imports and a 10% tariff on aluminum. Canada and Mexico, as well as other, yet undecided countries, are expected to be exempt from the measures. The move has been met with unease and opposition from many, including senior Republicans, as they fear both European and Chinese retaliation. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan stated, “I disagree with this action and fear its unintended consequences,” advocating “targeted enforcement,” as opposed to tariffs, in order to combat some “unquestionably bad trade practices by nations like China.” Meanwhile, over one hundred Republican house members signed a letter voicing “deep concern” about the president’s decision, urging him to retract it in order to “avoid unintended negative consequences to the US economy and its workers.

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15 Q&A CON FRANCESCA CETTA L’AUTRICE DI “QUINDICI” By: Clarissa Fraschetti Francesca Cetta è una studentessa del penultimo anno (11th grade) qui all’ISF, e pur essendo nata solamente nel 2002 ha già pubblicato, lo scorso mese, un libro intitolato “Quindici” il cui tratta della vita della quindicenne Alice alle prese con questioni di cuore. “Quindici” può essere trovato in libreria, su Amazon e nella nostra Library di scuola. Francesca Cetta inoltre a partecipare a questo Q&A prossimamente terrà un evento nella nostra Library per promuovere il suo lavoro.

Potresti riassumere la trama del libro con le tue parole?

“Alice, ragazza di quindici anni e studente dell’International School of Florence ha una vita comune, composta da amici e famiglia ai quali tiene molto. La sua vita prende una piega inaspettata, quando inizia a provare qualcosa in più di una semplice amicizia per il suo migliore amico, Alex.

La situazione si complica con l’entrata di Marco, un ragazzo conosciuto in chat, che le stimola sentimenti nuovi ed inaspettati. “Chi dei due riuscirà ad aggiudicarsi un posto nel suo cuore?” Questa è la domanda che stimola curiosità nel lettore, trasportandolo in un mondo di conflitti fra amicizie e la scoperta di nuove emozioni.”

Parlami un po della tua vita in generale, quando sei nata, da quando frequenti l’ ISF. “Sono nata il 26 gennaio 2002 a Firenze. Frequento l’ISF dalla quinta elementare, ed ho iniziato a scrivere questo libro all’età di quattordici anni.

Essendo in terza liceo, non ho molto tempo per scrivere, ma ho comunque ritagliato degli attimi per concedermi alla scrittura di un secondo libro, che ho terminato da poco.”

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Sei sempre stata una scrittrice, o hai sempre amato la scrittura, o è un talento che hai appena scoperto?

“Ho sempre amato la scrittura, infatti, ricordo che fin da piccola, mentre alle materie scientifiche ero una vera e propria frana, prendevo sempre i voti più alti nei temi in classe, ed è questo che mi ha spinto a mettermi in gioco, mettendo su carta i miei sentimenti. Ho sempre voluto scrivere un libro, ne avevo infatti iniziato uno di cucina, che poi avevo abbandonato con gli anni, passando poi al genere fantasy, al quale avevo iniziato a dedicarmi all’età di undici anni.

Ma anche questo era andato perduto. Poi, essendo cresciuta e quindi maturata, ho deciso di buttarmi e, finalmente, dopo vari anni, ho finalmente pubblicato il mio primo libro.”

Come è nata l’idea di scrivere questo libro?

“Ricordo che il primo capitolo lo scrissi nello studio di mia madre. Ero seduta su una sedia girevole, con gli occhi fissi su un documento Word, illuminata dal lampeggiare del trattino, in attesa di parole. Non avevo più una cotta per il ragazzo che mi era piaciuto per tre anni, sembrava che finalmente avessi trovato un gruppo di veri amici, ed ero contenta della mia vita, ma sentivo che c’era qualcosa che mancava. Non sono mai stata un’appassionata di diari, e non avevo mai provato a mettere su carta le mie emozioni.

Inizialmente, il libro doveva riguardare solo un gruppo di amici, ecco il motivo per il quale il primo capitolo parla di Flo e Ali, descrivendo la loro amicizia, ed il protagonista maschile doveva essere Tom, del quale Ali si sarebbe dovuta innamorare, ma sarebbe stata tutta finzione, dato

che in realtà non provavo più sentimenti per nessuno. Poi però, iniziai a scrivere a “Marco”, con il quale, nonostante non ci fossimo mai visti, avevo costruito un rapporto particolare, che mi intrigava, quindi decisi di aggiungere anche il suo personaggio, trasformando completamente la trama del libro.”

Cosa hai in comune con la protagonista del libro, Alice?

“Alice è molto simile a me. Entrambe appassionate di moda, per niente istintive, anzi, molti capitoli del libro sono interamente dedicati a domande retoriche e dubbi, molto mature per la propria età, attaccate alla famiglia, ed amanti di coccole e dimostrazioni di affetto di tutti i tipi.”

E Marco e Alex? I loro personaggi sono basati su persone reali?

“Alex, per quanto i miei compagni di classe possano pensare il contrario, è un personaggio inventato, anche perché “Quindici” è stato scritto anni prima della conoscenza con la mia attuale “cotta”. Marco invece, è pura realtà. Il modo in cui ci siamo conosciuti è andato esattamente come nel libro, solo che, dopo tre anni che ci scriviamo, ancora non ci siamo visti, e, nonostante la cotta per lui sia passata, siamo entrambi emozionati all’idea di vederci per la prima volta.”

Anche nella tua vita sono presenti un Marco o un Alex o entrambi?

“Con Marco, di cui posso anche svelare il nome, Lorenzo, ci scriviamo ancora, ma come ho già detto non abbiamo ancora avuto modo di incontrarci, anche perché, se devo essere onesta, è come se qualcuno ce lo impedisse. Quando lui è disponibile, accade sempre qualcosa (febbre, imprevisti dell’ultimo minuto) che ci porta a rimandare, e lo stesso per me… quindi abbiamo deciso di non forzare le cose, e che quando accadrà, accadrà, sperando di riscontrare la stessa complicità che abbiamo via messaggio, anche nella vita reale. Per quanto riguarda Alex, c’è qualcuno che potrei, o meglio potevo considerare in qualche modo un migliore amico, per il quale ho provato qualcosa in più, ma poi mi ha deluso, non solo come amico, ma come persona.”

Ti sei mai trovata in una situazione simile a quella di Alice?

“Sfortunatamente la parola amore è ancora sconosciuta per me. Nonostante i vari batticuori, non ho ancora incontrato qualcuno che veramente ricambi i miei sentimenti, o che sia abbastanza maturo da comprendermi. Quindi no, non mi sono mai trovata nella situazione di Alice, nonostante avrei voluto.”

Pensi che se fossi stata a una scuola che non è la ISF avresti scritto un libro diverso?

“Certamente in qualche modo sarebbe cambiato, nel capitolo in cui Alice conversa con un suo compagno brasiliano, o nella struttura della scuola, il numero di studenti… tutte questi fattori sarebbero stati diversi se avessi frequentato una scuola italiana. Inoltre, “Quindici” non avrebbe contenuto termini come “Ms…” invece di prof, o nomi stranieri, ma sarebbe stato tutto all’italiana.”

Senza fare spoiler il tuo libro ha un finale aperto, che lascia il lettore pieno di domande, il motivo di questa scelta?

“Inizialmente avevo deciso di rendere il finale più specifico, anche perché all’interno della mia mente avevo una preferenza, poi però ho scelto di lasciarlo interpretare al lettore, in modo che anch’esso potesse avere, in tutti e due i modi, il lieto fine che si era immaginato.”

Un consiglio per chi si trova in una situazione simile a quella di Alice?

“Seguire il cuore, sempre. Le liste dei pro e dei contro alla fine non sono molto utili, fanno ragionare con la mente, trascurando il cuore, quello che batte sempre più forte ogni volta che vedi la persona, che vi scambiate uno sguardo, che trascorrete del tempo insieme. Un rapporto si costruisce con le emozioni, con i sentimenti, con i fatti, non con le parole.”

Pensi che scriverai un seguito o hai in programma di scrivere altri libri anche di genere o con storie diverse da queste?

“Effettivamente il finale del libro lascia margine per un sequel… momentaneamente ho già scritto il secondo libro, sempre dello stesso genere, ma con una trama completamente diversa: solo due

LOCAL 17

personaggi immersi nella scoperta del loro amore in America. Essendo cresciuta, i temi trattati saranno diversi, infatti, data l’età dei personaggi, non basterà più un bacio… Ad ogni modo, il fatto che mi sia presa una pausa da “Sedici”, non significa che con il tempo non possa tornarmi l’ispirazione…”

Quanto é durato la creazione del libro, tra scrivere e pubblicare?

“Ho terminato di scrivere il libro nel 2016, poi io e Ms. Nicoletti lo abbiamo corretto, apportando le ultime modifiche, in modo da renderlo pronto per l’estate. A settembre è stato scelto dal gruppo editoriale Albatros, che lo ha finalmente pubblicato lo scorso mese.”

Un consiglio per altre/i giovani scrittrici/ ori che vorrebbero anche loro scrivere/ pubblicare qualcosa?

“Vi piace scrivere?

Fatelo. Buttatevi. Non ci sono cose giuste o sbagliate, non c’è un metodo per farlo. Aprite il vostro computer ed iniziate a scrivere, qualunque cosa.

Non vi abbattete se non trovate subito l’ispirazione, prendetevi delle pause. Durante la realizzazione di questo libro ci sono stati vari momenti in cui ho pensato “E ora cosa scrivo?”

“Non so più cosa scrivere!” Allora ho preso un po’ di tempo, giorni, settimane, mesi, ed alla fine ho concluso l’opera. E se quando avete

finito non siete soddisfatti, rileggete, correggete, fino a quando non avete raggiunto la vostra perfezione. Per quanto riguarda la pubblicazione, io sono stata molto fortunata. Ho avuto il supporto dei miei genitori che hanno finanziato questo progetto, e l’opportunità di aver pubblicato la mia prima opera con un gruppo editoriale molto conosciuto.

Ma ci sono molti altri modi. Potete prima pubblicarlo su vari portali online ed osservare il responso, oppure farne stampare alcune copie e distribuirle ad amici e parenti.

L’importante non è la fama, ma è essere soddisfatti con il proprio lavoro, ed essere sicuri di aver dato il massimo.”

Vorresti ringraziare qualcuno che ti ha aiutato con la creazione di questo libro?

“Vorrei ringraziare la mia famiglia per avermi supportato, Ms. Nicoletti, senza la quale non

ce

l’avrei

sicuramente fatta, ed i miei personaggi. Perché senza i loro pregi e difetti non sarei mai riuscita a scrivere “Quindici” e, nonostante adesso non sia più in contatto con molti di loro, mi hanno insegnato a migliorare lati del mio carattere ed a crescere, facendomi più forte e non permettendo alle persone di spezzarmi il cuore con così tanta facilità.”

LOCAL 18

WORLD SPEECH DAY IN FLORENCE By: Ömer Pencabligil March 15th marked the third occurrence of

The event was held in the Palazzo

World Speech Day, an event which has gone from

Vecchio with around two hundred people in

being an idea to a global event in just three years.

attendance, including thirty speakers from

Apart from this, the 15th of March was also

different schools. World Speech Day provides

the first time that Italy participated. A small amount

students like myself the opportunity to develop

of students from ISF had the privilege of

their skills in public speaking and express their

attending the event and delivering speeches

opinions on global topics. The event also

themselves, these students were: Bernardo

allowed me to witness what other people my

Petochi, Giangiacomo Rossi, Sofia Grella, Martina

age had to say about the topic and take note

Vanni, Annalisa Been, and myself.

from speakers who were more experienced.

As speakers, we

In general the event

were instructed to

was a great

express our thoughts for

experience, both for

a better Florence, a

me and my fellow

Florence thirty

students. I would

years into the future.

strongly

Unfortunately, our

recommend

school was asked to

students to deliver a

participate a week

speech next year, as

before the event

it is a great opportunity not only to develop as

took place, so we did not have much time at all to

a speaker but as a listener. Finally, I would like

prepare our speeches, let alone rehearse

to thank Mr. Pitonzo and Ms. Williams for

them. Despite this disadvantage, as a group we were

making our participation in this event possible.

all able to show up and deliver our talks as if we had the same amount of time to prepare as the other speakers.

LOCAL 19

CIAO CAPITANO By: Niccolò Platt Florence is a city that revolves around sports. Calcio storico and football, among others, have always been a large part of the city’s identity and culture. Fiorentina, and the rivalry between the Bianchi, the Azzurri, the Verdi and the Rossi, which represent the four Florentine neighborhoods, have great importance for every inhabitant of the city, and occupy a big portion of the city’s social life. At 3PM on Sundays, it seems as if it were imperative for every Florentine to support la Viola, either at the stadium or from home, which creates an amazing opportunity for people to get together

During my life as a football fan, I had never felt so emotionally connected to something that happened in the football world. It felt like a piece of me had gone missing, as I have supported Fiorentina since I was five, and Astori, who had been playing in Florence since 2015, was one of the most hard working, devoted players on the team.

It was hard to believe the news initially, and it is still hard to cope with.

Then, the day got better. Every football fan around the globe was sending their love to Davide, through social media posts, poems, pictures and

through a common interest. It creates a feeling of community, whether the team is on a winning streak, or going through a rough patch, as we were able to witness recently.

On March 4th, at 11AM, life in Florence seemed to stop. Terrible news reached every corner of the city through social media and rumors, just a few hours before the match against Udinese.

Davide Astori, the captain, the symbol, arguably the best player on the team, had been found dead in his hotel room. I, a lifelong Fiorentina fan, was devastated, as was the whole city. The articles wrote that it had been a cardiac arrest, but it didn’t feel right, as he was a professional player, and only 31. We all hoped it was just inaccurate gossip. Then, the news was confirmed by the team and by the league, and all the Serie A match-ups programmed for that day were postponed. It felt like a nightmare.

many other means of communication. International players made statements, regardless of their team and rivalries, because Astori was a great player, and more importantly a great person. From Gianluigi Buffon, captain of Juventus, to Marco Van Basten, football legend, players and team representatives reached Santa Croce from every corner of the world to pay their respects to the captain. Ten thousand Fiorentina fans gathered in the square, singing and crying throughout the services, showing what love for the game really is. Though I wasn’t present physically, I felt emotionally connected to the crowd, as I witnessed the events through overwhelming videos, livestreams, and photographs.

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The first match Fiorentina played without their

took out a shirt with Davide’s picture on it,

leader, against Benevento, was a very emotional

and made a lap around the field holding it high, for

one for everyone present. The Artemio Franchi

everyone to see. He then gave the shirt to a team

stadium was full, both sides singing Davide’s

member to hold out in front of him, as he saluted

name, making tributes, waving flags, and the

Davide, his captain, for the very last time. That day,

atmosphere was surreal. The whole arena

the whole football community came together, to

became one. “Le lacrime di un’intera città, il

support Davide and the Fiorentina fan base. That

legame da qui all’eternità” said a banner. “The

day, it didn’t matter if you were a Juventus, Inter, or

tears of a whole city, a bond from here to eternity”,

Roma supporter. It was a

symbolizing the influence Davide had on many

memorable day, as I was able to witness people

football supporters, and the relationship he had

come together and comfort each other, beyond

with the city. At the 25th minute mark that day,

team colors and factions, because it doesn’t happen

the whole Fiorentina community broke out into

very often. Seeing people put aside their

tears, as Vitor Hugo, Astori’s replacement, rose

differences, disputes, and discussions in situations

up into the sky and headed the ball into the net. He

like these is what makes football the best sport in the world.

LOCAL 21

GETTING READY FOR AVENGERS INFINITY WAR: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW AND HOW TO PREPARE By: Clarissa Fraschetti Avengers Infinity War, aka Avengers 3, will hit theaters in Italy on April 25th and will be followed by Avengers 4 in 2019. Avengers Infinity War and Avengers 4 will be the closing chapters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)’s first ten years and open a new phase for Marvel, which will be something that fans will probably never forget and that will change the MCU forever, as for the last ten years all the 18 Marvel movies have been a preparation for this moment.

Furthermore it will possibly bring the death of various characters, having a lasting impact on the franchise.

Synopsis: All the MCU’s superheroes, from the classic Avengers to the Guardians of the Galaxy and to the most recent Marvel superheroes like Black Panther and Doctor Strange, unite to fight Thanos, the most powerful antagonist ever, who plans to destroy life as we know it, as well as half of the galaxy by getting and then using all six infinity stones; which in the Marvel movies have been found by the various superheroes, such as the Tesseract (in Captain America, Avengers).

Records broken by Avengers Infinity War: It is the first movie EVER: Â Â Â Â 1. with the highest budget ($500 million) 2. To feature 72 MCU characters 3. with the highest trailer views 4. to be filmed entirely with IMAX cameras The first ten years of the MCU: Â Â Â The MCU started in 2008 with the release of Iron Man, and with a total of 18 MCU movies in these 10 years, between Iron Man and Avengers Infinity War we have come to know many other superheroes like Captain America, Thor, Vision, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, Black Panther; as well as the secret agent society S.H.I.E.L.D. What are and where are the infinity stones? And where is the last one, the soul stone?

The Infinity Stones are six gems created at the start of the universe itself; each contains a specific power, able to destroy entire civilizations and can be held only by incredibly powerful beings. During the MCU’s ten years, these stones were found and safely stored by Marvelâ’s superheroes in various movies.

The Space Stone aka Tesseract, which can generate wormholes, first appeared in Captain America: The First Avenger and then again in Avengers, when in the end was brought to Asgard (Thor’s Planet) where it remained until Thor: Ragnarok.

The Mind Stone, has the power of giving incredible knowledge and intelligence, appeared in Avengers, and from Avengers: Age of Ultron has powered the android superhero Vision and is still currently kept by him.

The Reality Stone, aka Aether, which can turn anything into Dark Matter, appeared in Thor: The Dark World and currently the Collector has it.

The Power Stone, aka the Orb, can destroy entire civilizations, first appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy and currently the intergalactic association Nova Corps (on planet Xandar) keeps it.

The Time Stone aka Agamotto’s Eye can alter and manipulate time; it first appeared in Doctor Strange which currently still has it.

The Soul Stone’s powers and position are still unknown; some fan theories say that Thor’s character Heimdall has it, as his eyes are orange as the stone and he claims to see every soul of the universe.†Others says that its in Wakanda (Black Panther’s home country), where there seen to be a battle against Thanos in the Avengers Infinity War trailer. Others speculate that the stone is within Iron Man as it has been claimed to be Howard Stark’s greatest creation. It could also explain how he was able to resist the Tesseract’s power (though the arc reactor covering his heart is probably the most accurate explanation). Or is Thanos planet the stone itself? Will the Soul Stone even appear in this movie? We shall see.

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Who is Thanos?

Known as the mad titan, Thanos is one of the most powerful and feared beings of the Galaxy.

Adoptive father of Gamora and Nebula from Guardians of the Galaxy, Thanos searches for the infinity stones to be the most powerful being of the universe on his quest to “save†the  universe after his planet Titan was wiped-out, which for him means destroying half the galaxy.

Seen in many post credit scenes since The Avengers and briefly in Guardians of the Galaxy, Thanos has been introduced as the ultimate MCU’s villain.

Who is it more likely not to make it out alive?

Note: Massive spoilers about the two Avengers Infinity War trailers U n f o r t u n a t e l y, i t h a s b e e n confirmed that some characters will die in this movie. Here it follows a list of the probable characters we will have to say goodbye to: Loki: Thor’s (adoptive) brother, and a fan favourite, has been a controversial character usually seen as antagonist searching for redemption. He was a major character in all Thor movies and in The Avengers, but from the trailers he seems pretty doomed. In the first trailer, he is seen giving the Tesseract to Thanos, which makes it seem that he has returned to his antagonistic roots.

The second trailer paints a different story, as he is giving up the Tesseract to save Thor - whom Thanos is about to kill - followed by Loki with a gun pointed at him and Thor screaming. Is Loki dying as a hero? Or is this just another one of his tricks to save Thor and the Tesseract? Is he becoming Thanos new ally? Furthermore, Thanos after Avengers swore to kill Loki due to his failure in returning the Tesseract, and Thor has been confirmed as the character with the most screen time alongside Thanos. Is he trying to  revenge his brother? Anyhow fans are going crazy on social medias on how Loki’s death would be devastating death for the fans, furthermore as he was not included in the promotional poster. Does this mean that he will just have a small part?

Vision: Vision first appeared in Avengers: Age of Ultron and is kept alive by the Mind Stone situated in his forehead, which Thanos wants. And in the first trailer Thanos is seen trying to take away the stone from his forehead. In the second trailer, Scarlet Witch (Vision’s probable new girlfriend as seen from the first trailer and from some hints in Captain America: Civil War) seems devastated. At the same time there might be a chance for him not to die as in the second trailer Shuri (Black Panther’s genius) is seen working to try remove the gem without killing Vision.

Iron Man: He would be the most impactful death for the MCU as he has been the MCU’s first superhero. He is also a fan favourite and a big box office winner. Still, Robert Downey Jr. has said he wants to stop playing him, so this would be an impactful way to leave the MCU. Moreover, it will be a death which would break all superheroes as well as the fans.

Speculation came also from the theory that he is the Soul Stone and from how in the trailer was shown in a battle without his harmor and pretty broken with Thanos telling him I hope theyll remember you.†Regardless, trailers are notorious for being unreliable at giving away plot points, and one would have to ask whether Marvel is ready to give up their biggest star.

Hopefully not.

The Hulk: An often underrated character has also found a place on this list. Â In fact a photo from the set showing what looked to be a goodbye toast for the actor was posted on the internet. Furthermore Scarlett Johansson, who plays super-badass Shield Agent Black Widow - who has recently become his love interest - said that they will not have a happy ending and that one of their scenes together made her cry. Again this could be all speculation or Marvel just having fun playing with our minds.

Given that Marvel is not planning to give him another solo movie, it looks like this could be it for him.

CULTURE 23

Hawkeye: Another usually underrated character (which is pretty awesome) is a character that for years seemed to want to retire; could this be interpreted as a possible death? We don’t know, yet similarly to Loki he wasn’t included in the promotional poster (Marvel seriously stop excluding your superheroes from the promotional posters...) and actually also from the two trailers, leaving us small spaces for speculations.

Captain America: Another fan-loved character as well one of the MCU’s super main and important characters is considered a probable death. Why? He also

Furthermore the trailers showed him fighting in a lone match against Thanos. Could this be the end of him? Hopefully not, but someone will die so be prepared since it could be him.

How to go prepared to the movie: 1. Watch all the 18 MCU movies again or at least catch up on the ones you’ve missed: you will need the knowledge gained from them for a complete experience! Also don’t miss the post-credits scenes!

2. Bring a ton of tissues: your favourite superhero/s will probably die.

3. Stay until the end of credits: like really

CULTURE 24

RHINOS AND TIGERS AND BEARS, OH MY By: Rita Byrne The last Northern white male rhino died on March 20; now only his granddaughter, and his daughter remain. The rhino, named Sudan, was born in 1972, and was 45 years old when he died.

He was euthanized by a veterinary team in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. Sudan was the last white Northern rhino born into the wild Jan Stejskal (the director of international projects at the Dvur Králové Zoo) said to Agence FrancePresse. He was protected by wildlife guards during his last twenty-four hours. In the year that Sudan was born there were 1,000 Northern White rhinos living in the wild. Now, Wildaid has stated that in South Africa 1,000 rhinos per year died because of poaching. South Africa is the place where the most rhinos live.

Rhinos are poached to make Chinese traditional medicine with their horns, and part of the rhino horn is used as a decorative part of daggers. According to Swara magazine, in 2012 the price of the rhino horn in China and Vietnam was $65,000 but in 2015 it decreased to $30,000 to $35,000. Although the prices of the horns have decreased, rhinos are still being poached for their horns. When the last male White Northern Rhino died, Jan Stejskal said, his death is a cruel symbol of human disregard for nature and it saddened everyone who knew him.

Sudan was too old to have any children, so his last sperm was kept to fertilise a female rhino using in-vitro fertilisation. There are five types of rhinos: the greater one horned rhino, the black rhino, the white rhino, the Sumatran rhino, and Javan rhino. As well as the rhinos, there are animal species that are endangered which you might not know about.

1. The Pangolin The pangolin is an animal that lives in Asia and Africa. Its habitats are forests and grasslands.

CNN said that the Pangolin is the most trafficked animal in the world, with 10,000 being smuggled each year. They are valuable to poachers because of their meat and scales, which are used for traditional medicine, and in treating asthma and other ailments. Some people describe them as artichokes on legs.

2. The Ailurus Fulgens (Red Panda) The Ailurus Fulgens or the red panda is endangered because of several reasons, among them habitat loss, climate change, and natural disasters. They live in Nepal, Bhutan, and China, as well as other territories. The species lives in a different types of forests, such as montane forests.

Research suggests that red pandas like to live close to water.

3. The Amur Leopard The leopard is a type of wild cat that has a reddish - yellow coat in the summer, and long hair in the winter. Many of these of leopards live in the savanna of Africa, but according to WWF, the leopard is rarely found in cold and high elevation.

They are endangered mainly because of habitat loss and shortage of prey (deer, and sika deer).

There are around seven to twelve in China, and twenty to twenty-five in Russia.

Although poaching is monitored, it has not been abolished completely, therefore many animals have become endangered. Climate change is also another factor. Humans are destroying too much of animal habitats to make room for our increasing population. The Northern White Rhino species is an example of how there is too much poaching of wild animals, but how a species can be saved from near extinction with wildlife protection, and putting animals in nature reserves where they will be safer from poacher. Hope still remains that this rhino will not become an extinct species.

CULTURE 25

LOOK UP AT THE STARS: A EULOGY FOR HAWKING By: Zoe Genschel Most everyone has heard of Sir Stephen Hawking and his recent death, but how many really know what he accomplished in his life to become the prestigious scientist who we know and remember?

Stephen Hawking, even though he suffered from Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a sickness where the motor neurons of the voluntary muscles die off, made many major contributions to physics. Just to name a few, he received thirteen honorary degrees. He was awarded CBE (1982), Companion of Honour (1989) and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2009). He was the recipient of many awards, medals and prizes, most notably the Fundamental Physics prize (2013), Copley Medal (2006) and the Wolf Foundation prize (1988). He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society and a member of the US National Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

Most of his research considered black holes, such as proving that black holes emit radiation, which was also named after him

(Hawking radiation). He also wrote multiple books including a child series called George's Secret Key to the Universe .

His last message to humanity was published by Cambridge University, together with his announced death. It reads : Can you hear me? It has been a glorious time to be alive and doing research in theoretical physics. Our picture of the universe has changed a great deal over the past 50 years and I am happy if I have made a small contribution.

The fact that we humans, who are ourselves just mere collections of fundamental particles of nature, have come this close to an understanding of the laws governing us and our universe, is a great triumph. I want to share my excitement and enthusiasm about this quest. So remember to look up at the stars and not down on your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. And however difficult life may seem there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you just don't give up.

Thank you for listening.

CULTURE 26

ISF Trip Week