LE BILINGUE EABJM’s STUDENT MAGAZINE February 2013
OUR DISASTROUS SLEEPING HABITS SMOKING: OUR STUDENTS TALK
Who IS Miss burchill?
LE BILINGUE EABJM’s STUDENT MAGAZINE
EDITORIAL et's face it: le Bilingue never got viral. It used to be mostly filled with the kind of civilized stuff you show your teachers in essays, about civilized things that many like to pretend to care about. That's not who we are: we're not one dimensional students who set reasonable goals and make the reasonably reasonable steps to reach them. We're young. We’re just finding out about the world. We're loud sometimes all the time) and we're curious (but not too much -- let's be reasonable here). So why should our your magazine be any different? And so we bring you: Le Bilingue. A magazine that's actually yours.
p. 4-5: Smoking and the teenagers: old news. we asked our students the why and the how of smoking. p. 6-7: Our Disastrous sleeping habits it affects most of us; but we do not do anything about it: our sleeping schedeules
The team Editor-in-chief: Amaury Bargioni Managing editor: Lara Gruering
p. 8-9: an exclusive interview with Miss burchill do you really know our headmistress?
Deputy managing editors: Hugo Lieber and Anne-Sophie Bine
p. 10: the mountain enigma mountain climbing: the dream versus the reality
Design by Amaury Bargioni
p. 11: Andrew GN, designer of the year? a sneak peak in the world of one of fashion"s rising stars p. 12: Readings a selection of books p. 13: the man behind 2012 more about psy’s Gangnam style p. 14: Mars Exploration: AN update what is being discovered on mars? .p. 15: Hurricane sandy a devastating event
Articles by: Anna Pollack, Amaury Bargioni, Hugo Lieber, Yasmine Akhavan, Gabriel Nahmani, Anne-Sophie Bine, Daniel Leach Canibano, Noa Halff, Gabriella Griffith, Yishen Xu Illustrations by Diana Straeng and Amaury Bargioni Supervised by Mrs. Jennifer Elliot Cover Picture by Amaury Bargioni
GLOBAL ISSUES
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photo by amaury Bargioni
As bilingual students, we often face the task of sharing our knowledge with people of other cultures. Often, words and concepts are deeply intertwined. Have you ever found it difficult to define words and ideas you take for granted, such as “politeness” or “forgiveness” - to people who do not speak your language without using a translation ? When sight of fellow students smoking strikes me , I am left with that exact feeling: one of helplessness. Each time, I am startled and confused, unable to comprehend something so widespread, familiar and profuse, yet so underestimated. This article is not a quixotic effort to convince you to quit smoking, it is not a rant, it is not an ode to reason; it is a modest attempt to explore a topic that affects society globally. It is often when one explores challenged ideas that one faces the most trouble remaining unbiased. I will try to outline causes and consequences by basing my hypothesis on evidence. Our generation is the generation of excess . 92% of teens aged 16 have already drunk alcoholic beverages in social gatherings . Binge drinking reaches 40.2% (N.I.A.A.A). These numbers were half or so only 25 years ago (Institut Suisse de prevention de l’alcoolisme et autres toxicomanies). Be it because of prosperous economic times , a societal liberation or a greater importance o f popular culture, the age barriers are becoming blurrier; people start everything sooner. A survey Le Bilingue conducted on a population of 351 showed that about 60% of teens aged 16 have already smoked at least once. Their first cigarette was taken
between the age of 13 and 15 for most of them. At the low end of the spectrum, some had their first cigarette at age 10. Numbers give an idea of the scope of the phenomenon. However, in order to understand the causes and try to find the driving elements behind this behavior, Le bilingue asked a panel of 25 EABJM STUDENTS for the reasons behind occasional smoking, especially during parties.
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I think I that I would be pushed to smoke in a party because it is a way to fit in; (not peer pressure), to meet new people or even engage a conversation.
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This first quote is interesting in the way it brings out the strong societal stakes. Smoking is viewed as a way to integrate the group, but the person interviewed seems to feel the need to contrast it with the idea of peer pressure.
5 However, peer pressure is defined by the American Heritage dictionary as “The social influence a peer group exerts on its individual members, as each member attempts to conform to the expectations of the group”. The fact that conformity is present in peer pressure would indicate that “fitting in” is conforming. Thus, this ironical paradox teaches a lot about the taboo this topic presents. The term “peer pressure” plays a key role in this taboo. People seem to associate it with being weak-minded and having no original personality. This term has adopted a pejorative meaning. However, we must not forget what peer pressure is based on. It dates back to the dawn of mankind. At that time, the only way men could survive was by forming groups or tribes to hunt and protect themselves. This lead to the creation of an instinct that would make us conform to the groups in order adopts the same behavior and thus facilitates the cohabitation. This instinct remained in our conduct. It is everywhere and at every level of society: fashion, beauty ideals and politics all rely on peer influence. Furthermore, it is one of the corner stones of teen psychology. For example, during adolescence, teenagers usually get more distanced from their parents; they find moral refuge in their groups of friends. Peers confer a kind of mental security - in the sense that Teens are looking for a personal identity - and the groups provide feelings of cohesion and mutual fate, they have the impression that they "are on the same boat". There is not the kind of “adult-child” relationship they have with their parents. They quickly become strongly emotionally tied. “I became friends with smokers, so just as it was natural for me to check out the bands they liked, it was natural for me to try this habit.” K.F. following the status quo is clearly peer pressure. But here we see cigarettes as a way to bring people together by practicing the same activity. Copying others is considered a way to identify with them and thus get closer by sharing the same centers of interest. It is used as a social tool.
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I became friends with smokers, so just as it was natural for me to check out the bands they liked, it was natural for me to try this habit
“Because smoking great way to people.”
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“Smoking becomes also more social as you can have a chat whilst smoking.” “There's nothing better than talking to friends while smoking.” “The fact that other people smokes makes me smoke more often.” The underlying innocence and carelessness in all these answers is in stark contrast with the topic. The detrimental effects of smoking along with second hand smoking have been proved a multitude of times. Warnings of the high addiction smoking creates have been profusely issued. Nonetheless, smoking continues to seduce new people, especially young adults and teenagers. It has been observed that the young do not appreciate risks the same way as adults. That might be the reason why in the United States, 16-year-olds have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age. To be continued....
HEALTH
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photo by Amaury Bargioni
by Hugo Lieber teenagers are known for going to bed late and being impossible to wake the next morning. We fall asleep during classes, but spark to life at 10 o’ clock just as our parents are ready to fall asleep. But what if I told you that this was not due to our rebellious and restless nature, but to an actual change in our bodies and sleep cycle? Scientists have recently discovered why our body clocks seem to drastically change once we hit puberty, and the good news is that we are not doomed to 6 hours of sleep every night for the next few years, since our sleeping habits can be modified to bolster our performance. Sleep is regulated by two factors: the circadian clock, and sleep-wake homeostasis. The circadian clock determines the times at which we feel tired or awake during the day, while sleep-wake homeostasis regulates sleep intensity. During adolescence, changes to the circadian clock manifest, and cause our bodies to delay the time at which they believe we should fall asleep. This explains why we still feel alert at 11 o’ clock, and since school starts early the next day, we only sleep 6 or seven hours each night, rather than the 8 or 9 hours recommended at our age. In addition to hormones, technology also worsens our sleeping habits. When the sun sets and night settles in, our bodies react to the lack of light and produce a hormone called melatonin, which signals the body that it is time to sleep. However, artificial light produced by computers, phones, and television is strong enough “to stop the natural production of melatonin”, according to Dr. Paul Gringras, consultant pediatrician and director of the Evelina Pediatric
Sleep Disorder Service at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in London. Light cues the brain to stay awake, which means that exposure to bright light in the evening fools the body into believing it is still day. However, this can be taken advantage of by exposing ourselves to intense, radiant light in the morning, which stop melatonin production and can jumpstart our ability to study. other factors responsible for short nights are schoolwork, school schedules, extracurricular activities, and social attitudes. When asked when they started their homework each evening, many students in 1ere IB at EABJM seemed to only sit down and work two to three hours after arriving home, regardless of when their school day ended. The recommended amount of sleep per night for teens is 9 to 10 hours, but the later students start their work, the longer they will be up, the less sleep they will get, and the worse their assignment will turn out to be. Luckily, EABJM does not impose on its students very early start times. While we must only be at school in general at 8:30 am, some students, in the United States for example, start their classes at 7:30 am. But whatever time teens must arrive at school, all seem to be exhausted, zombie-like creatures, aimlessly wandering from classroom to classroom, dozing off in every lesson. By only sleeping 5 to 7 hours every night, students destroy their work habits and their daily schedules. Sports, music, and other extracurricular activities are necessary parts of a healthy young adult’s life, but when added to work and a demanding social life, the consequences can be disastrous.
7 So how can we reset our body clocks? How can we completely modify our disastrous, destructive, doomed sleeping habits? First of all, set yourself a work schedule to be followed when you arrive home from school. List everything you have to do on paper, homework and anything else you have to complete, and start with the hardest task. Do not begin long essays the night before they are due. Brainstorming and planning your work a few days preceding the final deadline saves huge amounts of time, and has been proven to result in better grades. Try to find the necessary self-control to counter procrastination, but don’t ask yourself to remove any technology from your room. I’ve found that it just doesn’t work, since our assignments now revolve around Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and V i e S c o l a i r e . But keep 9 G a g . c o m and I W a s t e S o M u c h T i m e . c o m for other times, when you do not have any work (if ever?). Also, kids, listen to your parents! According to Dr Carskadon, a leading researcher in the science of sleep and a professor of psychiatry and human behavior at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University, “letting teens set their own schedule can lead to a downward spiral.” We must learn to listen to our parents’ advice. They’ve been through high school, have experienced their fair share of excessive work, and do want what is best for their children. I’ve had many conflicts with my parents about my bedtime, and am trying to make an effort and get seven to eight hours of sleep every night.
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we only sleep 6 or seven hours each night, rather than the 8 or 9 hours recommended at our age.
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Try to maintain a similar sleeping schedule on weekends, too. Believe it or not, sleeping in on a Saturday morning does more harm than good. It only further muddles with your sleeping schedule. Be reasonable! Adjust lighting as bedtime approaches. It will encourage your body to produce melatonin, and will speed up the process of falling asleep. Do not text or watch brainless television shows till 1 am, as light from a computer or a phone cues your body to stay awake. However, exposing yourself to bright light in the morning will have this very effect, and will result in improved attentiveness and awareness in class. A few sit-ups and push-ups every morning don’t hurt either, as they pump blood to your muscles and jumpstart your ability to be physically active. I’ve found that sticking to a strict work schedule has resulted in better nights of sleep, and far more productive days at school.
Sleep deprivation has been linked to decreases in memory and attention, has been found to cause irrational behavior and depression, and contribute to obesity and acne. On the other hand, a proper amount of sleep results in a more efficient workday, a happier personality, and ultimately turns us into outgoing, lively, energetic and dynamic young adults. So tell me, which one you would rather be a part of? Try to get around 8 hours of sleep every night. If you get home at 17:00, work, eat, and relax till 23:00, and wake up at 7:00. You will be in a better mood, feel more productive in class, and will be more likely to succeed in your most daring endeavors.
Sleep Gadgets: -Phillips Wake-Up Light: with its slowly dimming glow at night, and its gradual increase of light and nature sounds in the morning, this digital clock and AM/FM radio is ideal for starting a dark, cold winter day off smoothly.
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-Sleepsonic Stereo Speaker Pillow: for those of you incapable of falling asleep without music, this pillow has incorporated speakers that will let you listen to your favorite tunes without the discomfort of earphones. -F.lux: this free application, available on Windows and Mac OS X, gradually changes the kind of light emitted from the computer screen, making late nights full of long essays more pleasant. It also has a positive effect on eyesight.
PROFILE
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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH MISS BURCHILL By ANNE-SOPHIE BINE and DANIEL LEACH CAnIBANO photo by amaury Bargioni
We wait for MISs. Burchill outside, holding an open computer. Another girl is with her, standing up, her voice drowned out by our principal's own distinct tone. Her eyes are locked on her computer screen, but she's fully aware we're here. "Yes, come in," she says, in a tone that is neither friendly nor cold, but brisk and - dare I say it? - with an almost secretive undertone of mirth. It doesn't take long for us to delve into the interview: never any beating around the bush with MISs. Burchill. Every smile you'll get will be one you've earned. She speaks to us with a decisive voice, the voice of a woman who knows who she is and where she stands, a voice where humor and almost wistful thoughtfulness alternate. Never any spare words, and never any gushing emotion, only keen wit. Why did we choose to interview MISs. Burchill, allegedly terrifying (and(British!))) headmistress of the IB, famous (or infamous?) member of iSounds and reportedly brilliant biochemist? Because of just that: we wanted to know what was behind the trademark statement outfit and honed reputation. And we figured you might, too. Most students know you're a fan of rock. Could you tell us how and when you got into it? I would imagine that the genre you get into depends on the music that is out in one's formative years. For me it was somewhere near 1960 –1969, all that area of the sixties during my teenage years. Unless you've got somebody in the family who is really keen on specific music, then you get
into that, but I was left on my own. Since there was no influence of as such, it just… got into my soul, really. That's the way it works. I cannot listen to music that I’m not into. I certainly was never into rap, and I’m not really into hip-hop type music, but I can see that everybody else is, and I can understand that they are. It's what was there at the time and more than anything else it's in your soul, it's more than just something you just like. What kind of a teenager were you? Laughs] I like to think that I was absolutely perfect, but I’m sure that is not true. You have to ask the people that were with me. I think it's funny that you spend a lot of time in life looking back and thinking that you were fine; eventually you start to realize that you weren’t at all. When I got out of the "early adolescent phase" and got to be around to the A levels, I was really quite into working. Obviously not totally, not 100%, but it was important to me. I had a route and I knew what I wanted to do. When you were a teenager, did you know that you were going to work in education? No. I didn’t even think about it. In my day, not many people went to university. You were almost guaranteed a job when you left and we didn’t have to worry about what we were specifically going to do. So I studied biochemistry at university with no idea what I wanted to do. When I graduated after three years, I hadn’t decided yet. Taking a teaching qualification was just another way of prolonging education
9 for another year. It wasn’t until I started teaching practice that I realized that I quite liked it. I enjoy the administration, I enjoy the contact with students, but what I really, really always enjoyed was teaching biology and chemistry. I just love teaching science to young kids. [F o n d l y ] ] It's always so exciting. If you could invite three people to dinner, who would they be? Ahh, I thought about that. But note that we're talking about two dinners. Before I can answer this you have got to know that I do not cook. I don’t even have a cooker or a table at my place. [Very carefully, pensively] To me… preparing something that takes longer to cook than it does to eat is a total waste of time, so I decided that probably the three people that I would invite around to my place and give them a really, really terrible meal and tell them what I thought about them, so those three people, in no particular order would be Yoko Ono, would be Colonel Tom Parker and Sir Walter Raleigh. So… that’s one dinner. However the one that I would really quite enjoy I think and that would obviously at a restaurant (because… [Amused] I would not be able to cook for them) would be with the three people I would really like to get together: Mr Spock, Sheldon Cooper and Fox Mulder. I would think that would be a really, really interesting conversion… which I would probably not join in, but I would love to listen.
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parents and students did their job, then I wouldn't need to worry about it. But when you're not here, like in the summer, I think it's great for two weeks, I can get on with something. But then I think, it's a bit lonely! If you were to summarize your life in five bullet points, what would they be? Long while of hesitation.] Chronologically... Confusion. Gaining knowledge. Certainty. Wisdom. Confusion. That's my chronological five bullet points. I don't think in my old age that I'll be adding to those. A motto for life? Some advice for young people? Laughs. I don't know if I can give advice to young people. They're always going to have to experience things for themselves, and all you can do is hope you've given them enough wisdom before they do to ensure that they're not going to get themselves into trouble. I don't know... motto for life? I mean, I guess go back to the X-files. I just love that one that they had on a poster. [Searches for poster.] That's it. [Unrolls the poster: it is an alien saucer complete with the caption "I want to believe"] "I want to believe."
I LIKE TO THINK I WAS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT, YOU KNOW, I’M SURE THAT IS NOT TRUE
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"I want to believe." It's my X-files poster, which one day will go up on the wall, but it's never gotten any further than being rolled up here. It needs to be placed into a frame at some point. I want to believe. [Pauses, then, quietly.] But as a scientist, I'll never be able to do that.
You are SEEN amongst students AS quite a frightening person. Are you aware of this and if so, why do you try and keep this reputation? I don’t try to maintain any kind of reputation. But I do try to maintain, within the student body that I look after, certain standards, so if I am viewed as being frightening, then I would hope that it’s the people that deserve to be frightened who feel that way. I'll admit I can be intimidating, but most people get past that after a while. So the answer is no, I don’t try and maintain anything. Maybe when you're a lot younger as a teacher you think about it because you’re insecure, but it is not something that I think about now.
The students. I'm not just saying this for the sake of the paper, but I think you can tell it's the students, the team that I work with in the IB and my job as a member of the direction of the school. It's all great to me, there aren't any things that I don't like… there are things that annoy me, like having to go through the absence list at the end of the day which I consider is a total waste of time. If
photo by amaury Bargioni
What do you like the most about EABJM?
GLOBAL ISSUES
10
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On the 23 of September 2012, disaster struck on Mount Manaslu. 25 professional climbers slept peacefully in their tents on the Nepalese mountain, one of the Himalayas’ highest peaks. All avid and professional climbers, they had high hopes of reaching the summit on the next day, and then skiing down. Only 800 meters from the summit, spontaneous weather changes were common and conditions were hostile. In the middle of the night their dreams of conquering the mountain were crushed when an avalanche swept across their campsite, killing 9, leaving 3 missing, wounding 5 and leaving thousands reeling from the tragedy. Climbers who weren’t wounded suffered severe mental trauma and the incident created international headlines for days, the victims being Nepalese, French, Spanish, Italian and German. The avalanche created “the worst recorded death toll since the avalanche accident of Kang Guru in 2005 in Nepal," the SNGM said in a statement the next day. Sadly, this is not the first time such a catastrophe has occurred on peaks such as Manaslu. As we watch the utter devastation this has caused for victims, their families and the mountain climbing community as a whole, one wonders how such a tragedy could be allowed to happen again, after so many precedents. Take the Mount Dhaulagiri accident of April 1969. A party of climbers was attempting to set up a bridge of logs over a crevasse when an avalanche swept all but one of them to the deaths. Or The Mount Hood tragedy of 1986, wherein 3 of the climbers in an expedition froze to death and the others either had life-threatening hypothermia or had to amputate their legs after poor weather forced them to bivouac in a snow cave for the night.
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Sadly, this is not the first time such a catastrophe has occurred
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Disasters such as these always make headlines, and shock people around the world. But despite these countless warnings, people continue to attempt the most dangerous peaks year after year. Which makes one think- what is the appeal of these mountains? What is so alluring about climbing a peak when there are so many perils involved?
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There is no single answer. Even when asked personally, most climbers can’t give a full answer. There are those who are looking to set records, like surviving at the highest altitude without additional oxygen. But there are those, like on Mount Manaslu, who climb for recreational purposes, and risk their lives time and again.
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Mountains have always retained a certain aura of mystery, and that fascinates most
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Mountains have always retained a certain aura of mystery, and that provokes a fascination in most. For centuries, legends such as Bigfoot, the mountain giant, have haunted peoples. The curious endeavor to discover what mysteries the highest summits hold, what really lies beyond human reach. Others simply climb for the thrill of it, for the adrenaline rush involved in crossing narrow crevasses, or climbing steep glaciers. Some say that it builds teamwork and forges bonds between fellow climbers. It is in the very nature of humans to want to conquer something that seems out of their reach and to exceed that that is expected of them. When faced with such a challenge, one often becomes more in touch with oneself, and discovers their true limitations. Everyone has their own reason for climbing. There is no one true explanation as to why people endeavor this. The danger is obvious, and yet we can be certain that next season scores of climbers from all over the world will attempt to conquer the world’s highest peaks, including mount Manaslu. For people like us, who have never felt the thrill of going to the edge of our body’s limits, it will forever remain a mystery. But For people like George Mallory, the first man on Everest and one of the most accomplished climbers in the world, the answer is very simple. When asked why he wanted to climb Everest, he said: “Because it is there.”
FASHION
11
By Yasmine Akhavan
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Andrew GN is a designer from Singapore, who attended the Saint Martin’s school of Art and Design in London. He has been designing clothes ever since he graduated, and his intricate designs inspire women all around the world. He just recently moved his collections to Paris and continues designing brilliant looks. His style is very innovative and original, for he designs women’s clothes but gives them a slightly manly, or androgynous aspect. For example, when he designs many suits for women, he adds the feminine touch to it. I think this is what differentiates Andrew GN from other haute-couture designers of today. As well as his creative take on women’s styles, his ideas are precise and his fabrics incredibly detailed, and ornate. He also juxtaposes materials such as lace and fur with leather, which creates a contrast in the style, which makes his clothes stand out from the others. He adds a different theme to his collections, mainly based on the seasons: for example, in the summer he focuses on lighter and more vivid colors, whereas in the winter, his emphasis is on the more basic and colder colors such as white or grey. Overall, his designs are based on simple styles, but he adds his own ideas to it to make them original and his own style. Andrew told the magazine “Women’s Wear Daily”: “I'm not the type of designer who makes things that need to be explained in order to sell. I make clothes that when a woman comes into the store and sees them she says to herself, 'I've got to have it.” His designs stand out amongst crowds, and the precision of his clothes is remarkable. Andrew GN’s designs not only influence and inspire the women of Europe, but also in America, and celebrities such as Rachel McAdams, Drew Barrymore, and Emma Stone as they walk along the red carpet in his designs! My own experience: I have had the privilege to work with Andrew GN several times. I did an internship of one week there, where I had jobs in the studio while they were designing their new collections. I was able to see their ideas being created and blossoming into beautiful masterpieces that end up on the runway. I had a few main tasks to complete during that
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Andrew GN: Designer of the year?
week: one was to create a book where the designs were drawn, and little squares of fabric are then glued onto it, next to a description of the material and the design itself. I would also organize the clothes in the showroom, by grouping together the different items of clothing. It was an amazing experience for me to work so closely with the designer, for I was able to observe how it was all created: going from a drawing of a dress to presenting it on a runway. Of course, there were many obstacles in the way, like when materials or fabrics would not arrive on time, so the whole deadlines for the fashionshows had to be pushed back, or when the studio ran out of supplies. This was when the studio became a bit more hectic, and everyone who worked there had to do everything they could to fix these problems, which created stress for everyone. On the whole, however, it was all a relatively laid back environment, and everyone got along very well, so it wasn’t too hard for me to adjust. One always thinks that fashion is one of the most glamorous fields, but once you’re “behind the scenes” you see that so much work goes behind these perfect runway walks and these perfect clothes, and there is also so much stress is created in the making! It was after I did this internship that I realized that working in fashion is much harder than one may think, but in the end, it really does pay off to see the results that the hard work goes to. Personally, when I see the finished results, it’s almost hard for me to believe that it once started with just a design on a paper and finished by being a different and original item of clothing, a new creation, a new expression of fashion and of art. After this internship, I also helped Andrew GN with many of his fashion shows. The most recent fashion show I helped with was the 30th of September. I helped sort out the seating charts for all the guests that were going to attend. When looking at the guest list, I saw that people from Vogue and Elle of different countries like UK and Italy were going to the fashion show! It was amazing being able to meet them and converse with them. So, not only did I get a real experience of what it was like to work with the core of fashion design, but also to be in the journalism side of fashion, which is much different, but also amazing. Be sure to visit his showroom on Rue du Temple in the 3eme!
CULTURE
12
by Gabriela Griffith The Perks of Being a Wallflower
This amazing book happens to be an epistolary novel that looks at life through the eyes of Charlie, a unique and introspective teenager; he’s the wallflower of the novel. We may not know whom he is writing to, we just know his story through his first year of high school. He meets Sam and Patrick, who are step-siblings, and by doing so, he discovers a new way of living life: through the dance floor. They become his best friends and although they’re seniors, they integrate him into their group. Charlie gets thrown into a wild roller-coaster ride; into a new world of girls, drugs, sex and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. ‘The Perks’ is recommended to anyone who like some soulsearching. It is, however, an awkward book, which looks at the difficult times of being an adolescent. Some people may relate to Charlie, and although he is a fictional character, he gives advice and shares his favourite books, movies and songs which make him feel ‘infinite’. The movie adaptation came out in Paris on December 12th, featuring Emma Watson (Harry Potter), Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson), Nina Dobrev (The Vampire Diaries) and many more. If you’ve read the book and loved it, other recommendations like this book are: Looking For Alaska by John Green and Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher.
HOW TO BECOME PARISIAN IN ONE HOUR? Have you seen the theatre play: “How To Become Parisian In One Hour?” the one-man show starring Olivier Giraud. It’s a comedy pure 100% in English (with a strong French accent, made appropriate for the show) and 100% French humour. Any Anglophone speaking person can understand this hilarious how demonstrating in 8 steps how to become a real Parisian in one hour. It was created for tourists (especially American) and is considered the essential survival guide to properly enjoy Paris. Are you completely Parisian? Go watch this comedy play and you’ll see for yourself!
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A magnificent read is The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, if you’ve read it, read it again before the movie comes out and if you haven’t, better run to the library or a bookshop immediately. It’s just that epic.
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Another wonderful book to read is The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Euginides (most famously known as a movie by S. Coppola starring Kirsten Dunst and Josh Hartnett). This book is quite bizarre. However, it’s intriguing and fascinating – you could say. Already the title spoils almost everything. It takes places in Michigan in the 1970’s and recounts the story and suicides of the 5 Lisbon sisters: Cecilia, Lux, Mary, Bonnie and Therese from the point of view of 5 teenage boys. They try to piece together the girls’ story because they’re in love with them and they constantly dream of a life where they’re all together. Still, they never get close enough to them until the end where most of the tragedy takes place. They never really finish uncovering their story and it mostly remains a mystery. As creepy and strange as it seems, it makes a wonderful tragedy and a mesmerizing book to read. By the last page of the book, many feelings reside inside you but the biggest one is confusion. And once the book is done, there are many questions you want to ask but no answers are ever given. Interested in books similar to this? Read: Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen or The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath.
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CULTURE
more about PSY’s “Gangnam style”
by Gabriel Nahmani PSY’s “Gangnam Style” is an extraordinary phenomenon which erupted in late July this year. though The music and dancing are hilarious, there’s something that’s even more amusing. If we assume that all Korean speakers (about 74 million people) have seen the video, then that still leaves about 447 million people who have seen the video and do not speak Korean. So basically 86% of people who have seen the video don’t have a clue what the guy is singing about. Now don’t feel ashamed because you just realized that you’re a part of that 86%. Keep reading if you want to find out all about Gangnam style and the genius who created it. “Gangnam style” is a novel term that refers to the lifestyle that people might have in the Gangnam district of Seoul, Korea. The clip features handsome suits, attractive women and a wealthy Korean lifestyle of night long partying and dancing. “Psy”, the man behind the video, has stated several times in interviews that the Gangnam district would be the equivalent of Beverly Hills in California. He says that people who don’t live in the Gangnam district wish they did and sometimes become posers. The video is meant to be a satire; Making fun of those who live in that specific district and those who wish they could lead that life. He uses ridiculous dances and outfits to exaggerate that specific lifestyle. Not only is the song a way for Psy to mock the high class of Gangnam, but he claims it’s also a way of paying tribute to the ladies of the wealthy district. Without getting too graphic, the song talks about the perfect balance of a woman who can be calm during the day and become fun and outgoing at night. Although in general most people were amused by the video, others deemed it ridiculous and preposterous. This actually created a ban of the video in certain countries.
illustraition by Diana Straeng
The video created a huge hype and several rumors are circulating about possible collaborations between Psy and various world renowned artists. Not only has “Gangnam style” been watched millions of times but it has also been the inspiration for many other videos promoting dancing as a way of burning calories while having fun and listening to your favorite song. But who exactly is “PSY”? His full name is Jae-sang Park and as opposed to what you might think he actually grew up in the Gangnam district! He spent most of his childhood in Korea and graduated in 2000. Unlike many instant internet music successes, Jae-sang attended a college of Music. He specifically attended Boston University and Berklee College of Music. However in a radio interview with Ryan Seacrest, Jae-sang explains that he spent four years in his freshman year because he would sleep all day and never attend classes. He also in his first year at Berklee incited his whole dorm to engage in the illegal consumption of high doses of alcohol. A dozen people ended up in the hospital that night. After his four years spent in the United States, Park returned to Korea. Shortly after his arrival, he was arrested for using Marijuana and sentenced to a serve a mandatory military service of three years. At the end of his first service, he was redrafted because the army judged that he hadn’t served his service properly. Since the release of His hit song “Gangnam style” Jae-sang Park aka “PSY” has has been invited to appear on several American talk shows and has received offers concerning several record deals. This could just be a “one hit superstar” or this could be the launch of a great career.
Technology
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Mars exploration: an update by Yishen XU Almost every day the news report sensational results from the “Curiosity” rover of the Mars Science Laboratory mission launched by NASA on November 26, 2011. It is currently exploring the surface of Mars and has started to collect and analyze several soil samples. The “Curiosity” rover is the latest of a series of missions to Mars that started three decades ago. Some fly-bys (Mariner 3467) were sent at first. They flew near Mars and were capable of taking pictures much more accurately than those taken from Earth. Then, later technological improvements permitted orbiters to be sent into a Martian orbit. They could stay for very long periods of time performing a full mapping of Mars, in preparation for landers. Several of these orbiters are still in operation, the most recent being the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, launched in 2005. Thanks to them, the landers were able to land smoothly on Mars (the Polar Lander). They could take pictures from the Mars surface and perform some soil analysis. Subsequently, the rovers came into existence, capable of moving around on the Mars crust for a relatively short distance (about thirty five kilometers). They can function for at least two years consuming the energy generated by their “wing-like” solar panels. The last one, the Curiosity rover, landed on August 5, 2012. Why launch all these missions to Mars? Mars has physical features such as polar ice caps, clouds in the atmosphere, seasonal changes, volcanos and canyons, resembling those of the planet Earth. These similarities between the two planets force the question of whether life exists on Mars or not. Human beings might be able to move to Mars if environmental conditions were to allow it. The strategy of the Mars program launched by NASA is called “Follow the Water”. Water is generally considered to be the source of life on Earth. So if traces of water are found on Mars, it would suggest a potential existence of life. The four main goals of this series of explorations are to further explore the potential for existence of life, the climate, the geology and eventually, the preparation for human exploration on Mars. The “Curiosity” Mission “Curiosity” is the most advanced rover. It is the first that carries highly precise instruments of measurement. Its main assignment is to investigate the Mars environment and potential microbial life. “Curiosity” is mounted with 10 scientific instruments for taking samples and analysis. What is it currently doing? Until now, several instruments have been used during “Curiosity”’s fieldtrip and have led to some significant results. “Curiosity” collected its first spoonful of sand
successfully and used it for “cleaning”, hence removing any terrestrial contaminants in the sample-processing chambers on October 7. It was on the mission’s 61th Martian day, or sol (a day on Mars). Various bright objects were detected by the rover and were first believed to be materials coming from the spacecraft. But on October 12, when digging the second spoonful of dirt, smaller bits of these same materials showed up again. Thus, the second scooping was canceled, leading to further analysis of these small, bright particles. A Surprising discovery On October 11, Curiosity found a pyramid-shaped rock, “Jake Matijevic” (named after a NASA engineer), which appears similar to a rare form of rock appearing in different locations on Earth. Unlike any of the hundreds of Martian rocks examined before, the “Jake” rock has a slightly different composition at every one of its different points scrutinized by the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS), which detects different quantities of minerals in rocks and soil, and the Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) which applies compositional measurements of a rock. Ashwin Vasavada, a “Curiosity” deputy project scientist, said that there is “a diversity of minerals down to the finest scales.” In past missions, many basaltic rocks like “Jake” were found, but none had the same particular composition of “Jake”’s, which has never been seen before. It matches basalts formed from the crystallization of Earth’s magma. Scientists are not yet sure about “Jake”’s formation. Nevertheless, NASA says that rock compositions “tell stories about unseen environments and planetary processes.” Earth’s history may therefore be used as a reference to explain that of Mars. NASA is currently working with many international associate laboratories. Explorations on Mars are being financed by investors, yet NASA had to abandon some future programs because of financial problems. Nevertheless, like Mr. Guerin, professor of biology at EABJM says: “NASA engineers are real spoiled children. To be able to play the whole day with a radio-controlled robot in an unlimited sandbox, equipped with laser and cameras. It’s a dream!” Though, only one future mission still remains: “Maven”. Its purpose is to seek some evidence of life on Mars. This quest for a proof of a past life has a mystical aspect and can result in either revolutionary discoveries or great disappointments.
GLOBAL ISSUES
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Hurricane Sandy: Devastating by NOA HALFF “Hurricane Sandy is a powerful storm that will affect millions of people”, U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday October 22 2012. In late October, Hurricane sandy, the east coast’s largest Atlantic hurricane on record, hit the Caribbean, then moved on to mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States. Sandy developed from a tropical wave into a tropical storm within six hours on October 22, and finally was classified a hurricane on October 24. Residents of affected areas were aware of the seriousness of the storm and were warned to prepare and stay as safe as possible. President Obama’s prediction can be considered an understatement, as people are still conflicting with the affects of the hurricane today. This was said to have been the worst storm to hit the U.S. Northeast in 100 years. The hurricane left severe damage and killed nearly 60 people across the Caribbean. In the United States, Hurricane Sandy affected at least 24 states. It caused wind damage, massive fires, widespread and extended power outages, and flooding. Sandy hit New York City on October 29 and flooded the New York City subway system, as well as many suburban communities. The New York stock exchange closed down for two consecutive days. At least 48 people were killed in New York and the damages resulted in an estimated 18 billion dollars.
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Hurricane Sandy affected me personally in a much less severe way by canceling my trip to New York this vacation. My family and friends back in New York have first handedly been affected in all these ways. My mother is unable to get gas, which is preventing her from going to work. My house has lost power for 9 days, which caused my family to live with no heat, food, and light. Many trees have fell causing damage, but also injuring and even killing people. My friends have not had school for a week and a half and many of their homes were destroyed because of flooding. Although the hurricane prevented me from going to New York, other EABJM students have successfully reached New York but were stuck there and were not able to return to Paris on schedual. Although the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy continues to unfold in New York many people have pitched in for hurricane Sandy relief and many are trying to help in this time of conflict. Many residents have been volunteering and donating goods to shelters. Celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Barbara Walters, and Russell Crowe have pledged donations. Television Networks such as ABC and NBC have been raising money and the Jersey Shore cast will hold an hour-long fundraising event called “restore the Shore” on November 15 on MTV. Unfortunately the “Jersey Shore” infamous boardwalk t-shirt store was destroyed.
My house has lost power for 9 days, which caused my family to live with no heat, food, and light
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Furthermore, Hurricane Sandy caused severe long-term affects and damages. After the hurricane, widespread gas shortages through out the New York Metropolitan area bring fear among the residents. Pipelines, refineries and terminals across the region were damaged, leaving little gas and mile long lines. The Hurricane presented a challenge to both presidential campaigns and could have very well affected the election outcome. Barrack Obama’s Leadership during the aftermath of Sandy many have earned him 800.000 votes. Also, Because of the flooding of subways, rats homes have been disturbed which could cause infestation in new areas. This can lead to and increase risk of infectious disease. Sandy caused a massive housing problem leaving 40,000 people homeless.
An anonymous photomontage circulating on internet dramatizing Hurricane Sandy’s damage
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