Issue 11

MARCH 2015 ISSUE II

Issue 11

EDITOR’S NOTE

Welcome all language learners and culture vultures to the latest issue of The UoB Linguist!

¿ESPAÑA VA A SEGUIR A GRECIA?

Una exposición sobre el crecimiento de Podemos, el nuevo partido político en España.

PAGE 12

OUR TEAM

CHAIR: Maddie Kilminster

SECRETARY AND CURRENT

AFFAIRS: Susanne Hartmann

TREASURER: Joel Mitchell

CREATIVE DESIGN: Adele May

PUBLICITY & RUSSIAN:

Natalia Alyukova

SOCIAL SECRETARY: Kirsten

Peters Roebuck

PROOF READER & TRAVE

Yashi Banymadhub

DEPUTY PROOF READER & CULTURE: Clare O’Driscoll

by Maddie Kilminster

DESIGN ASSISTANT & FOOD AND DRINK: Dom Phipp

LIFE & STYLE: Daisy Lindlar

CHINESE: Nick Lanigan

FRENCH: Pierre Greenhalgh

GERMAN: Catherine Dawkins

GREEK: Susanna Georgiou

ITALIAN: Ciaran Cresswell

JAPANESE: Arisa Lee

OLISH: Pawel Pokorski

PORTUGUESE: Kia Hunt

SPANISH: Olivia Doyle

Our editors and writers have been busy compiling a fresh set of articles about world culture, lifestyle and, of course, in plenty of foreign languages. All our writers arestudentshereatBirmingham and have put together authenticpiecesontheirpersonal experiences. Many of them also demonstrate their beautiful photographs. I particularly recommend having a read of ‘East and West –China’s Influence on Western Fashion’ and ‘Vegetariano in Italia? Non c’è da Preoccuparsi’. This issue also proudly demonstrates the exclusive talent of our Portuguese editor Kia Hunt who has illustrated the header images for each of the sections. They are truly magnificent, we hopeyouagree!

The UoB Linguist team is soon to elect our new team for next year. Our election is

the 20th March and anyone is welcome to come along and put themselves up for a role. Being a part of this magazine not only gives you life skills that enhance your CV such as journalism, marketing, editing, team management and communication. But it is also an opportunity to be meet enthusiastic and diverse people, all driven towards making the magazine great. The roles available in the committee are: Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, Social Secretary, Creative Designer, Publicity Officer, Proof Reader and otherroles:DesignAssistant, Assistant Proof Reader, and editors for every section you see in the magazine! Feel freetogetintouchwithusto hearmore.

We hope you enjoy reading and remember: anyone is welcometojoinandwritefor us whenever you want to fit in around your studies. We’d like to hear your travel anecdotes and views on world issues.

Happy reading!

PAGE 3: CURRENT AFFAIRS

PAGE 5: LIFE & STYLE

PAGE 6: FOOD & DRINK

PAGE 7: TRAVEL

PAGE 9: CULTURE

PAGE 11: FRANÇAIS

PAGE 11: РУССКИЙ

PAGE 12: ESPAÑOL

PAGE 13: DEUTSCH

PAGE 14: PORTUGUÊS

PAGE 15: ALIANO

PAGE 16: POLSKI

PAGE 17: ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ

PAGE 18: 汉语

If you would like to know more about our magazine, our writers or have comments to make about our articles then feel free to check out our Facebook and Twitter pages or email us. If you wish to read more articles check out our website. We’re always looking for new writers and contributors, so don’t hesitate to get in touch!

linguist@guild.bham.co.uk

Front cover photo taken in Strasbourg by Christina T

A TALE OF A REGIONAL INTEGRATION PROCESS: THE

ASEAN AFFAIR by Nadhirah Syalin

The EU is the most developed model of regional integration in existence, which has led many to compare the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with them. In their essence, all regional integrations have the same goal: to foster regional stability and prosperity through economic and political cooperation. There is a lot that ASEAN can learn from the EU’s journey in integrating its member states. However, we must not ignore the very different conditions under which they operate.

ASEAN comprises of 10 member states: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia. There are vast differences in terms of wealth, politics, culture, and religion among these countries. These differences might promote the region as an amazing melting pot of culture, but they also create complications for the ASEAN agenda of integration. This might explain why the ASEAN policy of non-interference is the current status quo cherished by its leaders. However, some would argue that ASEAN is therefore rendered ineffective due to its lack of influence upon the actions of its member states.

In recent years, more effort has been put into ensuring that member states work towards this common goal. This commitment has been affirmed by the creation of the ASEAN Political-Security Community, the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. Arguably, the effect of regional integration is largely seen and judged through economic gains and benefits, so the AEC becomes an integral component to more uniformed regulations among member states. As member states’ economies become more assimilated, higher political cooperation is assumed to be naturally nurtured. This will hopefully produce enduring solidarity and unity among ASEAN nations and peoples by forging a common identity.

There are some concerns that countries might lose their autonomy if ASEAN starts to interfere in their decisions. However, the EU’s supra-nationalism is not something that ASEAN is aspiring to emulate and neither is ASEAN considering a monetary union. Due to the huge economic disparity between ASEAN member states, this would probably cause more disputes than it solved. Nevertheless, the AEC has set ASEAN to strive for a single market and production base. This has met with mixed reactions, with some eager to reap the benefits of a single market while others are more suspicious of how these benefits would translate equally for all member states. See, for example, the disparity between Myanmar, which still sees more than half of its population without proper access to electricity, and Singapore, one of the most developed countries in the world.

Malaysia has taken over the annual rotating chairmanship of ASEAN this year as the deadline for the realization of the ASEAN community approaches. The deadline of 31st December 2015 isn’t likely to be met. Nevertheless, that shouldn't serve as a discouragement, as there has been progress despite the challenges. Malaysia, for one, is looking into the future as it now focuses on formulating the post-2015 10-year plan that will further facilitate ASEAN’s growth. The vision of a people-centered ASEAN emphasized by Malaysian Prime Minister, Dato' Sri Najib Razak, sets out to raise the profile of ASEAN among the people from the region itself.

ASEAN faces a unique challenge of achieving regional integration among its diverse member states without compromising the individual states’ sovereignty. It is interesting indeed to see how the future will unfold for the region. As one of the world’s greatest emerging economies that is home to more than 600 million people, ASEAN’s development will surely also affect other regions in the world.

AS MEMBER STATES’ ECONOMIES BECOME MORE ASSIMILATED, HIGHER POLITICAL COOPERATION IS ASSUMED TO BE NATURALLY NURTURED

Credit: ASEAN

ISIS: A PHENOMENON OF GLOBAL VIOLENCE by Lucie P. Norris

ISIS is a jihadist group operating in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. Up until 2006, ISIS was known as Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). In June 2014, ISIS declared itself a caliphate called 'Islamic State'. On the international scene, it is considered a terrorist group by many countries.

ISIS now controls a territory with a population of 8 million people and is the wealthiest terrorist group in the world. David Cohen, from the US Department of the Treasury’s Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, declared that the group's main revenues come from 'local criminal and terrorist activities' such as extortion or looting, like they did at the Central Bank in Mosul.

News reports and international organisations report the gross human rights violations in the territories ISIS controls, wherein people are being killed, abused, and tortured for not pledging allegiance or for being part of a certain ethnic group.

Amnesty International published an appalling report which exposes how young girls were abducted and raped by men sometimes twice their age, how families are killed, and people driven to commit suicide.

ISIS also launched a campaign of killing its hostages in the cruellest ways, demonstrating once again the group's horrific ruthlessness.

Indeed, American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, along with English aid-workers David Haines and Alan Henning, were beheaded by ISIS in the last months of 2014. More recently it was the video recorded-death of Japanese hostage Kenji Goto, himself holding a picture of another Japanese hostage, Haruna Yukawa, being decapitated that made the news. ISIS also captured and killed more than 15 Iraqi journalists in 2014. One of the latest killings was of Lt Kasasbeh, a Jordanian pilot, tied up in a cage and set on fire; a sadistic killing that tremendously shocked and enraged the international community.

In answer to these violent murders, governments unanimously declared they would not back down before terrorism. Currently, there is much debate on how and if governments should intervene at all. Some condemn all western country actions quite severely, like Ayatollah Ali Khamenei from Iran; others like US President Obama are strongly in favour of intervention. If it is true that air strikes can prove useful on roads or in the desert, they are, however, rather dangerous in urban zones.

Let's also not forget that ISIS’s presence in Iraq and Syria is also a political problem, and using massive military means has, thus far, proved ineffective to defeat ISIS.

It is sometimes reported that for people in Syria, ISIS is no worse than the current brutal regime under General Assad. For instance, one prisoner said he was tortured as badly by both the regime security-forces and ISIS militants when he was captured, first by the regime, then by the terrorist group. In late 2014, President Obama reportedly said that Assad must go before ISIS can be defeated. Human Rights Watch also reports of the escalation of violent abuses perpetrated by progovernment militia in recent months in Iraq.

This causes us to believe that ISIS will not be defeated for as long as official security forces themselves commit atrocious abuses.

That is why ISIS must be fought not only militarily, but with political reforms in the countries where ISIS occupy territories. This is a top priority as with a more legitimate and non-discriminatory government less people will be driven to support ISIS, eventually weakening the group.

As it stands, we will see how effective the February 16th Egyptian raid against ISIS – after horrendous beheadings of Egyptian Catholic hostages – will prove.

Credit: REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

EAST AND WEST CHINA’S INFLUECE ON

WESTERN FASHION by Daisy Lindlar

On the 19th February, we celebrated Chinese New Year – the Year of the Sheep! China’s influence can be seen throughout the Western world; the Chinese invented fireworks, were the first to use paper bank notes, and are at the forefront of technological innovation. Not to mention that they introduced the West to the delights of dim sum and spring rolls! Chinese culture has also had a big impact on Western fashions, in a relationship that spans thousands of years.

The link between China and the West can be tracked back as far as the late first and early second centuries. Silk production originated in China around the year 4000 BCE and this gradually spread to the Western world with the development of the Silk Road, a route of around 4000 miles that connected China as far afield as Europe and North Africa. Due to innovations in the production of cheaper materials during the Industrial Revolution, such as cotton, silk became less mainstream and more of a luxury product; a status that it maintains today. Often used by designers to create a high-quality, glamourous piece, silk is a common feature of red carpet gowns and wedding dresses.

A RELATIONSHIP THAT SPANS THOUSANDS OF YEARS

An exhibition opening at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art this summer named China: Through the Looking Glass celebrates the influence of China on Western fashion. Fittingly, the Met’s Asian Art Wing houses one of the largest collections of Chinese art outside of China, with around 35,000 artworks from pottery to paintings. Using pieces from couture designers such as Alexander McQueen, Roberto Cavalli, and Yves Saint Laurent, the exhibition explores fashion’s relationship between China and the West. For example, a silk gown from Cavalli’s A/W 2005/6 collection is placed next to a jar from the early 15th century; both use similar white and cobalt blue patterns that are synonymous with Chinese porcelain. An evening dress designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen’s Autumn 2011 collection is also presented, paying obvious homage to Chinese art through its embellishment with shards of blue and white porcelain on the bodice.

Chinese films have also had a considerable impact on Western fashion. Films such as Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Wong Kar-Wai’s In the Mood for Love spawned trends such as watered-down floral patterns in more muted tones, and the transformation of traditional qipao dresses into spectacular evening gowns. John Galliano’s Autumn 1997 collection for Dior was inspired by qipao from 1930’s Shanghai, adding drama and glamour to the traditional shapes of qipao dresses.

Coco Chanel stated that: “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening”. These words seem particularly true when we see the influence of foreign cultures on fashion; the ideas and concepts behind Chinese fashions have travelled thousands of miles and survived thousands of years, remaining a rich source of inspiration for Western designers today.

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DISHES:

CACCIATORE by Sam Arrowsmith

"Cacciatore", Italian for "hunter", is a dish that can be translated as "hunter stew". Traditionally, it was prepared with chicken or rabbit, plus other ingredients like tomatoes, onions, olives, red bell peppers, herbs and red wine. In cacciatore, the meat is seared for a few minutes in a pan with olive oil and then removed. The vegetables are added to the remaining oil, followed by the tomatoes and wine, then finally the chicken is re-added. Typically, it takes about an hour of stewing to do it properly but I just cooked it until the sauce was of a nice consistency and the chicken was cooked through. Although this is not strictly a "national dish" of Italy, it is Italian through and through, both in origin and simplicity.

The chicken cacciatore I made was perfect after a long and tiring day. I served mine with a mountain of pasta too. I often order cacciatore at Italian restaurants but there was something so much more satisfying about making it myself (and then eating it)! This isn't a recipe to stick to exactlyyou could swap out the chicken for rabbit and trade in the pasta for rice. There is always room for variation!

INGREDIENTS:

 Chicken thighs (3-4 skins on)

 Olive oil (1 tbsp)

 1 red pepper (cut into slices)

 1 chilli pepper (chopped)

 Cianti (1 glass)

 A tin of chopped tomatoes

 Black olives (1 1/2 handfuls)

METHOD:

1. In a pan heat the oil and fry the chicken thighs until they are browned on all sides (this only takes about 10 minutes). Take the thighs out of the pan and put them on a plate to rest.

2. In the remaining oil, fry off the peppers. Once fried, add the wine and let it bubble.

3. Add the tomatoes, stir everything together and let it reduce a little. Scatter over the olives.

4. Add the chicken back to the pan, turn the heat down and allow the chicken to cook in the sauce for 10-20 minutes. Once the chicken is cooked, it is ready to serve.

For the original recipe, search "Spicy chicken cacciatore" on BBC Good Food.

3 SLEEPS ON AN INDIAN NIGHT TRAIN by

With my sixth form I went on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to North India. We were loving and valuing every moment of the experience; the abundance of colours and stunning sights, the madness of the traffic and cacophony of horns beeping, the warming smiles on the rickshaw riders’ faces. We all really appreciated the culture shock.

Thomas Dodd

But then, by the 3rd night of our stay, we realised the difference between walking around, embracing streetlife in a developing country by day and having to sleep in poor conditions by night. You see, we had been staying in a comfortable, secure youth hostel for the first couple of nights between our exhaustive days exploring Delhi but, now we are waiting in the train station at midnight for the train to Haridwar on the Ganges amongst many families sprawled across the platform in small camps. The train arrives and it is has a filthy outside and caged windows through which we see dusty, cluttered corridors of beds. To be honest, we school kids were not looking forward to trying to sleep on this train.

ABUNDANCE OF COLOURS AND STUNNING SIGHTS

What I got out of this journey is, always go beyond your comfort zones. You miss out on so much is you don’t. I was convinced beforehand that I was going to love and cope with every part of this trip to India but, I forgot all about sleeping and sleeping is sometimes the hardest and perhaps most dangerous thing to get complacent about when travelling in less secure and clean parts of the world. Anyway, we had guides so, though I still had my passport and money strapped to me under my clothes, inside my sleeping bag, and, though I would definitely recommend taking certain hygiene and security precautions, experiencing life out of your comfort zone allows you to be appreciate other cultures on a whole new level. The night train really let me comfortably settle among the locals, even if only by observing, to learn how they behaved in everyday life away from the touristy streets, sites and mountains across the country. Yet, being a night-train, it was still adventurous – we were travelling by night. By the third and final train on the way back to Delhi, we had all fallen in love with the night-train, the chai-man and the happiness of the families among us. These journeys were not just a means of getting from A to B – they were the most sentimental parts a trip in one of the most epic countries in the world.

BHOPAL: AN INVASION OF THE SENSES by Thea Hammond

Being driven from the airport in Bhopal the infamous place of the 1984 Union Carbide chemical factory disaster can only be described like suddenly finding oneself in a film set. Not feeling fully in charge of my normal senses, I stared beyond the immediate throngs of men (it remains patriarchal certainly in the public domain) and roadside vehicle repair stalls to try and find where the film crew were hidden! All the advice could not have prepared me; this was going to take a protracted adjustment period in order to feel normal.

An invasion of the senses was often quoted to me prior to my 3 weeks volunteering trip as a necessary experience of being in Bhopal. How can I describe the surreal? The intrusive, constant sound of car horns signalling presence rather than annoyance; the unrefreshing heat, fusing with the dirty, dusty, -finished nature of the streets; the bemused stares of the locals at our alien appearance; the bizarre inter-weaving of cows, rickshaws, motor-cycles, cars and pedestrians all managing to avoid collision by paper thin margins.

HOW CAN I DESCRIBE THE SURREAL?

How to explain arriving somewhere so culturally different to your own is a challenge. However, inevitably you can adjust and I was surprised to discover how much I eschewed visits to the only existing Westernised part of the city called DB Mall with it’s affluent, glossy lurid department stores.

I would recommend anyone to push themselves beyond their normal comfortable limits and try a student volunteering experience. I was privileged to partake in projects for rescued ‘railway children’ and to run creative activities in a mental institution. I think you will discover like me that the country of choice will remain in and retain a small quixotic place in your heart.

GHANA FOR BEGINNERS by

Clare O’Driscoll

In the summer of 2012 while most everyone else I knew had Olympic fever, I packed up my bags and set off to Ghana. For nine weeks, I lived and worked in a rural village called Arigu teaching in the one room building they had for a school.

After a 5-day whistle-stop induction into the country’s culture, my newlyacquired friend, Hannah, and I set off on our 12-hour coach journey north. Despite its daunting length and our apprehension at what we would face at the other end, that journey actually ended up being our best. When they say ‘coach’ in Ghana, it turns out what they mean is a huge vehicle with big, leather, armchair-like seats and working air conditioning – absolute luxury compared to bamboo bikes with no gears or brakes, cramped trotros with 25 other people, and, on one special occasion, the boot of a taxi.

THEY TURNED UP FOR SCHOOL

But every one of those journeys, no matter how long or overcrowded or tiring, was absolutely worth it. They took us to sit on a crocodile at the ancient sacred crocodile pools of Pagu; to a monkey sanctuary where we got a private tour; to Mole National Park where we went on safari, saw elephants and slept in a treehouse; to numerous towns and cities where we had adventures like hiring bikes off fisherwomen on the way to a mud cathedral.

These adventures, as memorable as they were, are not what I remember most about my trip. Instead, what comes immediately to mind are the smiling faces of the children and how I learnt so much more from them than they ever learnt from me. Their school was incredibly basic, one room for all the children in the village aged 2 to 12 – about 60 children altogether. There were only two teachers, neither paid, who turned up late at best and most often not at all. When Hannah and I arrived, we were immediately in charge of these excited yet wary children, most of whom spoke not one word of English.

Within weeks the 10-12 year olds had to pass some exams. One question on the English paper was 'AIDs is real. True or false?' Most of them put false. You know you’re in a very different place when you’re hoping the children can’t read in order to explain why they got the answer wrong.

Of course the best fun was at break times when Hannah and I would teach the children nursery rhymes, wheelbarrow races, or let them “braid” our hair, which they found absolutely fascinating. None of them owned very much at all, but they were infinitely generous. When one of their classmates returned to school after an illness, they clubbed together what little change they had and bought her a treat. They turned up for school every day, eager to help and learn and play, and they smiled their way through life. Even though there were times when I wondered what on earth I had done by sending myself to the middle of nowhere with no food other than rice and spicy tomato sauce, now, when I look back on it, I think less about those things and more about the time a goat was handed over as compensation for some stolen sweetcorn, the joy on the children’s faces during our impromptu sports day, their laughter at our attempts to imitate their dance moves, the satisfaction and pride in their eyes when they finally grasped long division. The children were incredible, and I will always feel so privileged to have spent some time in their world.

EVERY DAY, EAGER TO HELP AND LEARN AND PLAY, AND THEY SMILED THEIR WAY THROUGH LIFE.

TELLING TALES WITH TWO TONGUES by

It would be easy to dismiss Y Gwyll/Hinterland as just another noir crime drama. Look a bit closer, though, and it becomes clear that the Welsh series is something quite unique.

The concept of a troubled detective investigating grisly murders and uncovering the long-forgotten secrets of a rural community may not sound completely original, but the character-driven drama of Y Gwyll/Hinterland has a fresh approach. Set in the beautifully bleak and dramatic landscape around Aberystwyth, the breathtaking scenery serves as far more than a backdrop. The surroundings ratchet up the tension and amplify the sense of isolation that pervades every shot.

Jenny Nicholls

But the most extraordinary thing about the programme is that there are, in fact, two versions of it: Y Gwyll, in Welsh, and Hinterland, primarily in English. Y Gwyll was commissioned by S4C, the only dedicated Welshlanguage channel in the UK, and was always intended to be filmed entirely in Welsh. However, the series’ co-creator, Ed Thomas, recognised that an English-language version would be easier to sell internationally - and sell it did. The Danish production company DR – behind The Killing and The Bridge, other noir crime series - snapped up Hinterland before it had even been filmed. It has also been sold to Netflix, to be shown across North America and Canada - an audience that never would have been open to the entirely subtitled Y Gwyll. About 10% of Hinterland’s dialogue remains in Welsh, counterintuitively meaning that by decreasing the amount of Welsh in the programme, the language has actually received more international exposure.

Hoping for large viewing figures, BBC One Wales chose to show Hinterland rather than Y Gwyll, but the real surprise came when BBC Four – where primetime Saturday night dramas are often entirely subtitled foreign-language shows – also opted for the English-language version. Nevertheless, it was the first drama on the BBC with dialogue in both English and Welsh. Adrian Davies, head of English-language programming at BBC Wales, comments that the bilingual aspect of Hinterland is very natural, because “it’s an area where daily conversations can often dip from Welsh to English and back again.”

The decision to make two versions meant that each scene had to be filmed twice - an exhausting task, but one with interesting consequences. Richard Harrington, who plays main character DCI Tom Mathias, says that the process allowed the actors to explore scenes more deeply. He was also struck by the difference the language made to his character: “There were two essences of the character: the nature of the character never changed, but the way he sometimes moved and spoke sounded like he did.” He went on to say: “[Welsh is] more poetic and colourful, you can say some things with a word or even a look. You can’t try to do exactly in Welsh what you did in English.” Broader aspects of the programme are also affected by the choice of language. For example, in Hinterland, DCI Mathias never speaks Welsh, the mother tongue of the rest of the investigating team, and this heightens his position as an outsider.

Marc Evans, director of the first episode, says: “It’s difficult to do anything in Wales without feeling you’re dealing with something that’s disappearing.” Yet Y Gwyll/Hinterland has resurrected the rural crime drama, brought the Welsh language to national and international screens, and has proven that small Welsh production companies are more than capable of making brilliant TV.

Series 1 of Y Gwyll/Hinterland is available on DVD. Series 2 of Y Gwyll will air on S4C in autumn 2015, and Hinterland will follow on the BBC.

LA POLITESSE ENTRE LES FRANÇAIS ET LES ANGLAIS par Natalie Taylor

Bien que seulement un bout de mer nous sépare, c’est surprenant qu’il y ait des claires différences culturelles entre nous et nos voisins français. Nous, les anglais sont bien connus pour notre amour de thé, de ‘fish and chips’, de cricket et d’être probablement ‘trop’ poli! Je pensais qu’il serait intéressant d’écrire au sujet de la politesse entre les ‘rosbifs’ et les ‘frogs’.

Les français sont souvent perçus comme ‘impolis’ dans notre pays de ‘thank you’, ‘cheers’, ‘lovely’, ‘you’re welcome’ parmi d’autres encore. Mais, je ne suis pas tout à fait d’accord- la différence, dans mon expérience, c’est que les français sont plus francs que nous. Je vous donnerai quelques exemples:

 ‘Interesting idea’ – prenez-le pour ‘peut-être l’idée la plus stupide que je n’aie jamais entendue’

 ‘You could say that’ – comprenez en fait ‘je dirais quelque chose moins de ridicule, mais d’accord’

 ‘I agree to a certain extent’ – il faut bien le traduire par ‘je ne suis pas du tout d’accord avec ce que vous avez dit, mais je ne veux pas être méchant’

Le problème, c’est que nous sommes trop polis! Nous essayons d’éviter toujours le conflit. Alors au lieu d’utiliser le “non”, nous utiliserons le conditionnel ‘could, should, would’. C’est la même chose quand nous faisons toujours la queue et respectons toujours l’ordre du passage!

Je trouve que, l’une des différences les plus bizarres pour les anglais à comprendre, c’est la manière dont les gens se disent ‘bonjour’. Nous préférons se dire bonjour oralement, avec moins de contact physique. C’est pour cette raison que nous ne comprenons pas l’idée de “se faire la bise”. Pour nous, cette idée est vraiment difficile à comprendre. Je me souviens bien la première fois qu’une jeune française que je connais depuis longtemps m’a fait la bise – je me suis sentie un peu inconfortable car ce n’est pas naturel pour nous de la faire. Nous ne le faisons qu’avec notre famille proche et avec nos amis, c’est plus “normal” de leur faire un câlin!

ШАНТАРАМ автор Tatiana Isaeva

Совсем недавно прочла удивительную книгу, из разряда тех, что при прочтении полностью поглощают тебя, и ты не можешь остановиться пока не прочтешь все до конца.

Натолкнулась я на это книгу совершенно случайно. Она лежала на одном из прилавков книжного, в самом непримечательном уголке - совершено обычная обложка, много страниц и непонятное название не придавали ей популярности, но что-то заставило меня ее купить, и не прогадала. Основой для книги послужили события собственной жизни автора, Грегори Девида Робертса. Действие разворачивается в Индии в 1980х годах. Главный герой - бывший грабитель и наркоман, который сбежал из австралийской тюрьмы и нашёл убежище в Мумбаи.Ты вместе с главным героем преодолеваешь трудности, узнаешь жизнь в Индии и начинаешь потихоньку влюбляться в народ этой страны. Один из самых сильных аспектов этой книги является ее реализм - автор пишет не ради аудитории, а для того, чтобы показать жизнь такой, какая она есть. Ко всему прочему, читая этот роман, ты узнаешь изнанку целой страны: людей, которые спешат тебе на помощь, но при этом не упустят шанса одурачить тебя и стянуть несколько американских купюр; жизнь в трущобах, которая поначалу пугает, а потом завлекает настолько, что хочется почувствовать себя частью той общины, которая создаётся на открытом пространстве из досок, шифоньера и листков железа. Автор знакомит тебя с криминальным миром мафии, который ты сперва отвергаешь из-за моральных принципов. Однако увидев происходящее с их точки зрения, ты начинаешь сопереживать, бороться вместе с ними за территорию, подделывать паспорта и деньги и сидеть в кафе, попивая кофе и раскуривая чилом.Это не просто книга, повествующая о трудной и незаурядной жизни главного героя; это книга - маленький сборник истин и проповедей людей, прошедших через страдания, боль, но также познавших настоящую дружбу и любовь. «Шантарам» заставляет заглянуть в самые удалённые уголки своей души и меняет представление о многих вещах в своей собственной жизни.

¿ESPAÑA VA A SEGUIR A GRECIA? por Olivia Doyle

¿España va a seguir a Grecia? Los políticos de anti-austeridad crecen por el Mediterráneo. Está claro que los dos partidos son similares, Syriza ganó en las elecciones generales de Grecia y cada vez parece más claro que España seguirá a su vecino mediterráneo. Según los estimados, más de 100.000 personas fueron a la Puerta del Sol de Madrid para mostrar su apoyo a Podemos en una marcha de cambio con su consigna “sí, se puede”. Ese grupo de la sociedad española ya tiene una fuerza, pues según los estadísticos, el partido ya tiene casi un 27,7% de voto. El partido empezó hace un año y desde entonces nunca ha participado en las elecciones, por eso, sería muy interesante ver los resultados, teniendo en cuenta que España va a tener las elecciones generales en a finales de este año.

Uno de sus objetivos es luchar contra las estrictas condiciones económicas de la UE y especialmente del gobierno alemán. También está en contra de la desigualdad y de la corrupción, especialmente de la corrupción política. En una entrevista del día de la marcha, uno de los manifestantes dijo que “el capitalismo ya se ha pasado” y durante la manifestación se repitió el canto ‘tic tac’ para decir que los políticos corruptos no estarán más tiempo en el poder.

PODEMOS NO ES NI DE DERECHAS NI DE IZQUIERDAS, SINO QUE ES DE ABAJO FRENTE A LOS DE ARRIBA, A LOS QUE LLAMAN LACASTA

Podemos no es ni de derechas ni de izquierdas, sino que es de abajo frente a los de arriba, a los que llaman la casta, lo que significa las élites de negocios y políticos. Es un partido que es acusado de ser anti-sistema, aunque Pablo Iglesias, el líder del partido, acusó que los políticos en poder son los que son anti-sistema porque no respetan a las instituciones.

El partido utiliza el cansancio y la rabia de los españoles sobre la austeridad de su país. Después de unos siete años de recesión, España ya está mejorando económicamente, está creciendo más rápidamente que la mayoría de los de la Eurozona, pero este crecimiento todavía no les toca a los pobres. Los jóvenes siguen siendo unos de los más afectados, con un 24% de desempleo y por esta razón, apoyan Podemos y dan la espalda a los otros partidos que se asocian con corrupción, poder, problemas sociales y desigualdades de la sociedad española.

Pablo Iglesias tiene una carrera en ciencias políticas y un doctorado sobre la comunicación, y él dijo que "Las encuestas de- muestran que David puede ganar a Goliat pero eso no es sencillo". Él habla de “la cuestión de democracia” e implica que el Presidente Mariano Rajoy y otros políticos rompen las instituciones y que “los ricos robaron a la democracia”. Su manifiesto propuso la idea de cortar la semana laboral y aumentar el salario mínimo. Antes, tenían policías más radicales pero ya han cambiado sus policías para gozar de una popularidad cada vez mayor ganando más apoyo y votos. Sus críticas y competidores, como el PSOE e IU, argumentan que el partido es anti sistema. De todos modos, su ascenso al poder es extraordinario y la potencial por un cambio político es un evento muy interesante en España. El público quiere una transformación política y radical y parece que Podemos podría crear ese cambio, especialmente ahora, que es su brillante momento para demostrar si de verdad pueden conseguirlo o no.

CREDIT: Jacinta Lluch Valero (https://www.flickr.com/phtos/70626035@N00/)

GOT TO DANCE ERASMUS WIE KEIN ANDERER von Daisy Dunstan

Wer einen Auslandsaufenthalt wie Erasmus macht, der weiß wie viele aufregende und oftmals außergewöhnliche Dinge man auf seinen Reisen erlebt. Doch ein solches Erlebnis wie ich es während meiner Zeit in Deutschland hatte, das war wohl einmalig: Eine Teilnahme bei der ProSieben TV-Show „Got to Dance“.

Schon vor meinem Auslandsjahr habe ich längere Zeit in Deutschland gewohnt und mit etwa 16 Jahren stieß ich auf die Hip-Hop/Streetdance Tanzgruppe, mit der ich diesen späteren Erfolg teilen würde – die BMB Crew (Billion Megabytes Crew). Ein starkes, ehrgeiziges Team aus der Nähe Frankfurts, das mich mit ihrer Motivation und Leidenschaft für das Tanzen mitriss. Nach mehreren Jahren gesammelter Tanzerfahrung entschied ich jedoch Abschied zu nehmen und in die Heimat zurückzukehren: zurück nach Deutschland, zurück zur BMB Crew.

Ich stürzte mich auch direkt wieder ins Tanzen. Nach einigem Nachholen standen auch schon die ersten großen Turniere an, wie Rock Da Jam, Dance Prix und die landesweiten Meisterschaften. Doch dann kam die Nachricht, die uns allen den Atem stocken ließ: Unsere Bewerbung für die ProSieben Talentschau Got to Dance wurde angenommen und wir wurden zu einem ersten Casting eingeladen. Durch eine Trainerentscheidung, sowie mein längeres Fehlen, wurde ich leider nur als Reserve eingesetzt, doch nichts stand mir im Weg mein Team zu 100% in dieser einmaligen Chance zu unterstützen.

Ende Januar gingen wir zum Casting nach Köln und nach vielem Nägel beißen kam endlich die Nachricht, die wir uns alle erhofft hatten: Wir hatten uns einen Auftritt in den Auditions gesichert! Unsere Freude war enorm, wir konnten es nichtglauben! Doch wir wussten, dass mit dieser unglaublichen Gelegenheit vor der Star Jury aus Moderatorin Palina Rojinski, Take-That-Mitglied Howard Donald und Choreographin Nikeata Thompson zu performen auch tierisch viel Arbeit auf uns zu kam.

Das harte Training zahlte sich aber aus! Am 29. März 2014 verzauberte die BMB Crew die Jury mit ihrer explosiven Power und kreativen Choreographie im MMCColoneum in Köln. Howard war so begeistert, dass er jubelte „Ihr könnt das Haus abfackeln!“ Wir hatten es geschafft! Wir waren eines der 50 gewählten Acts im Halbfinale.

Das Halbfinale fand in Form eines live-übertragenen Battles statt. Der Druck war enorm gestiegen und wir trainierten fast jeden Tag. Unsere Gegner – Military Crew –kannten wir schon und wir wussten, dass sie viele Fans und Unterstützung durch eine Teilnahme in Staffel 1 der Show hatten. In den letzten Wochen und Tagen vor dem Battle gab es also für uns viele schlaflose Nächte – sowohl durch das viele Training, als auch durch die Aufregung.

EINE TEILNAHME BEI

DER PROSIEBEN TVSHOW „GOT TO DANCE“.

Der Morgen des Halbfinales. Die Kostümproben und das Briefing vom Redaktionsteam waren am Vortag gut überstanden worden und jetzt hieß es Maske, Aufwärmen und alles geben! Das Battle BMB vs. Military Crew war das erste Battle dieser Liveshow und wir wussten das gegnerische Team würde eine starke Performance darlegen. Die BMB Crew präsentierte eine Show wie keine andere in dieser Sendung: Von Akrobatik bis Schattenspiel war alles dabei – Entertainment pur! Doch nach einer kurzen Abstimmung der Jury war es leider auch schon entschieden – Military Crew hat das Battle gewonnen und hat sich einen Platz im Telefonvoting gesichert. Wir mussten uns in diesem Battle geschlagen geben, doch wir wussten wir hatten das Publikum unterhalten und unser Bestes gegeben und das war unser Ziel.

Die Teilnahme an Got to Dance war ein unvergessliches Erlebnis, ein Traum war in Erfüllung gegangen. Feedback über soziale Medien hat uns bestätigt, dass unsere Darbietung etwas Einzigartiges war, denn die Fans waren begeistert. Die BMB Crew hat sich auch nicht entmutigen lassen: Im September 2014 gewannen sie verdient den Titel Vize Deutscher Meister.

Dieses Team und dieses unvergessliche Erlebnis haben mein Auslandsjahr zu einer einzigartigen Erfahrung gemacht –wahrhaftig ein Erasmus wie kein anderer.

CREDIT: ProSieben Deutschland

O GALEGO por Kia Marie Hunt

Eu já não me lembro quantas vezes tive essa conversa: "O que é que você estuda?"

"Português, espanhol e galego"

"Galego? O que é isso?"

Muitas pessoas pensam que o galego é simplesmente um dialeto ou pronúncia de espanhol. Na realidade, galego era parte de uma língua que hoje chamamos 'Galego-Português', que é a língua ancestral do galego e português. Hoje Galego se fala em Galiza, uma comunidade autônoma no Nordeste de Espanha. Embora seja uma língua diferente, os falantes de português, e espanhol também, são capazes de compreendê-la, por causa do vocabulário e estruturas gramaticais similares. Por isso, a maioria das pessoas me pergunta por que decidi estudar o galego. Então, aqui está a minha resposta;

1) A cultura galega é fascinante; tem muitas tradições e lendas do folclore interessantes. Por exemplo, há histórias de 'meigas', que são fornecedores de poções para a saúde ou romance.

2) O orgulho que os galegos têm da sua terra e língua;A minha professora foi a pessoa que me inspirou a estudar esta disciplina porque ela estava tão orgulhosa do galego. Ela falou sobre belas paisagens e palavras, como 'morriña' que significa uma saudade melancólica para a terra pátria galega.

3) Eu amo as línguas! Não é importante se são 'minorias' ou não, sou apaixonada por línguas hispânicas e estou feliz que estudo a bela língua e cultura da Galiza. Espero que você a ache interessante também!

E agora, quando alguém me perguntar sobre o galego, posso mostrar-lhes este artigo!

"Teño estudado galego por dous anos, é unha linguaxe interesante e unha cultura curiosa. No futuro, gustaríame visitar Galiza e ter a experiencia de falar o idioma coa xente que viven alí.”

Consegue entender esta pequena frase? Parabéns, está na língua galega!

PORQUE PORTUGUÊS? por Annabel Gill

Eu sou estudante de segundo ano e estudo literatura inglesa e estudos hispânicos. Quando eu tinha a opção de escolher meus próprios módulos no primeiro ano eu decidi estudar português porque está digno do meu diploma. Mais especificamente, decidi aprender português brasileiro porque é uma versão mais moderna do idioma.

Também a língua é muito semelhante ao Espanhol liguisticamente- as conjugações e vocabulário têm semelhanças com espanhol que eu pensei que seria mais fácil de aprender, e que muitas vezes é, mas também se torna mais confuso às vezes. Contudo, o sotaque é inacreditavelmente diferente, é diferente de qualquer idioma que eu já tinha ouvi! Além disso, Portugal está muito perto da Espanha: os dois são uma parte da península ibérica.

Português tem criado mais oportunidades para mim porque é uma mais língua que posso falar, logo gerará mais oportunidades de trabalho; e é outra razão por que eu escolhi aprender outro idioma.Quando começar meu ano no exterior será fácil para viajar entre Espanha e Portugal portanto irei falar português, e planeio viajar em cidades portuguesas diferentes durante meu ano no exterior.

Também vou de férias para Portugal este Verão com minha família, portanto poderei praticar o idioma, e traduzir para minha família. Estou indo para Portugal novamente este Verão com minha amiga; vamos a Lisboa onde vamos começar nossa excursão da Espanha. Ambas dessas viagens me darão oportunidade de fortalecer meu português.

Eu tenho me candidatado para ser voluntário nos Jogos Olímpicos em Rio de Janeiro em 2016. Assim, esperançosamente eu vou ser capaz de praticar português brasileiro. Esta é outra razão por que português tem criado mais oportunidades para mim: sem português não teria sido possível candidatar-me para os Jogos Olímpicos.

VEGETARIANO IN ITALIA?

PREOCCUPARSI di Catrin Westerland

L’Italia è uno dei paesi in Europa in cui è più facile evitare di mangiare carne. Il dieci per cento della popolazione (sei milioni di persone) lo fanno. L’olio d'oliva è più commune del burro, e la pizza frequentemente è servita senza formaggio –e così anche il veganismo non richiede una lotta. Nessuno ne farebbe un dramma di essere vegetariani perche c'è meno stigma su l’argomento che nel Regno Unito. In Italia non si mangia tradizionalmente tanto manzo quanto nel Nord America o in Gran Bretagna.

Per esempio, la cultura antica romana aveva una forte tradizione di vegetarianismo. Vale la pena notare, che il senatore romano Seneca (come molti altri che sono stati influenzati da greci vegetariani famosi, come Pitagora) era vegetariano. Epicuro inoltre, sosteneva che il vegetarianismo facesse parte di uno stile di vita libero dalla crudeltà e pieno di piacere ( da qui si ottiene il termine 'epicureo')

L'Italia è il paese in cui i menù comprendono i contorni più emozionanti, più pasti completi a base di verdure e una varietà di prodotti stagionali utilizzati in numerose tecniche tradizionali. Ci sono molte ricette italiane che sono costruite esclusivamente attorno alle verdure crude con solo erbe e spezie. Basta pensare alla miriade di possibilità offerte dalla pizza e dalla pasta.

La cosa più importante da ricordare è che gli italiani (e la maggior parte degli europei, del resto) non capiscono il termine "vegetariano" come facciamo noi in inglese. Se si dice al cameriere di essere vegetariani egli potrebbe ancora portare una zuppa a base di carne o una pasta con pancetta, perché è in gran parte fatto con le verdure. Quindi, quando si ordina un piatto, bisogna assicurarsi di chiedere: “È senza carne?” oppure si sarà spiacevolmente sorpreso.

RICETTA ITALIANA di Molly Feely

L’Italia ha 450 varietà di formaggio, 350 forme differenti di pasta e più di 50 tipi di caffè! Quasi una forma di pasta per ogni giorno dell’anno e un caffè differente ogni settimana! Dobbiamo esplorare la vasta gamma del cibo italiano, no? Ecco qui una ricetta che io adoro.

Melanzane alla Parmigiana

Ingredienti

 4 melanzane grandi

 50g pecorino grattugiato

 6 cucchiai d’olio d’oliva extravergine

 1 spicchio d’aglio

 100g parmigiano reggiano grattugiato

 1 cipolla rossa piccolo

 200g edamer a fette

 Qualche foglia di basilico fresco

 1 litro e ½ di passata di pomodoro

Preparazione

1. Pulire e tagliate a dadini la cipolla e l’aglio e friggeteli in quattro cucchiai d’olio. Quando sono di colore scuro aggiungete la passata di pomodoro, portate a bollire e mescolate. Condite con sale e basilico e mettete il sugo da parte.

2. Lavate le melanzane e affettatele (circa 1cm), cuocetele alla griglia per circa 10 minuti. Ungete una teglia da forno e spalmate qualche cucchiaio di sugo sul fondo. Create il primo strato di melanzane, lo strato deve coprire la teglia. Versate uno strato di sugo sulle melanzane e spargetevi del parmigiano e del pecorino. Coprite con uno strato di fette di edamer.

3. Ripetete lo stesso procedimento fino a l’esaurimento degli ingredienti. L’ultimo strato deve essere pomodoro e parmigiano. Cuocete il tutto per circa un’ora nel forno a 180°c. Quando è ben cotto rimuovetelo dal forno e lasciatelo riposare per almeno 10 minuti prima di servirlo.

Formaggio del giorno: Taleggio

ROCKING THE BOAT: OPEN’ER FESTIVAL ’15 by Agnieszka Rzesniowiecka

There is something truly unique about Open’er Festival – and I’m not talking about its excitingly offbeat venue at the Kosakowo military airport. Jack White dropping security and kissing a startled fan, Rihanna and her crew dancing to Kings of Leon in the pit and countless bands partying with their fans backstage after the performance helped maintain the incredibly informal, relaxed feel of the previous Open’er editions. But what’s onthisyear?

AdventurousAlternative

Despite a wide variety of genres played at Open’er, the festival is best known for its alternative tunes. Alt-j, a British electronica / pop / experimental band awarded Mercury Music Prize for their debut album An Awesome Wave will bring their newest songs from the charttopping This Is All Yours to Gdynia this year. This Is All Yours mixes guitar, piano and bass with church chorales, gothic chants and space-like noises. St. Vincent, who recently won a Grammy for The Best Alternative Music Album, will also come to Open’er. Her songs, complex but catchy, are an elegant blend of pop, rock and jazz. We will also see Modest Mouse – a hugely popular indie rock band from the US is breaking the eight-year hiatus and releasing their new album, Strangers to Ourselves, on March 17th. The preview singles promise funky guitar riffs and reference-packed lyrics. Of Monsters and Men, an indie folk / pop musical phenomenon from Iceland, has also been preparing their new album. It’s speculated that new songs will be different from those form My Head Is an Animal – in the Rolling Stone interview, the band said that they are "in a totally different mindset, a different place than we were when we wrote our [previous] album".

Electronica,DanceandRap

After his first LP, Built on Glass, Chet Faker is going to make an appearance at Open’er. Faker gained popularity thanks to the combination of his second to none electronica and neo-soul. But electronic relish at Open’er doesn’t stop there. A more experienced band that is going to play at the festival, Faithless, is an icon to the British electronic music scene. With quadruple platinum sold in the UK alone and 15 million albums sold worldwide, Faithless is often seen as one of the most important electronica bands of the last two decades. As for dance, we will have a chance to listen to an Australian instrumentalist and DJ, Flume. Flume is known for his self-titled album and for innovative remixes of artists such as Lorde, Disclosure and Chet Faker. Last, but not least: Kendrick Lamar, two years after the extremely successful "Good Kid, M.A.A.D City”, announced the release of his new rap album in the coming months, before Open’er. This means that the Gdynia festival-goers will be among the first to hear the new tracks live.

Classicalcontroversy

When Open’er announced that Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead and London Contemporary Orchestra are going to play at the festival on their Facebook page, they caused quite a stir in the comment section. The majority felt that it was a boldbut-brilliant move. Others argued that classical music isn’t a fitting genre for the event – but aren’t rules made to be broken? The most thrilling thing about Greenwood’s orchestral performances is their unpredictability: the repertoire changes with every concert. We might hear music from Norwegian Wood or The Master as well as interpretations of modern classical composers, but nothing is certain.

Practicalinformation:

When? 1-4 July 2015

Where? Gdynia, Gdynia Kosakowo Airport, Poland

What’sthefullline-up? The full line-up can be found on the official website: opener.pl/en/

CREDIT: T. Kamiński /Alter Art

TOO SOON TO CELEBRATE THE END OF THE

GREEK CRISIS by Klaudia Kowalska

Since April 2010, Greece has been going through a massive economic crisis. Greece wasn’t able to meet its debt obligations and therefore has been in recession for almost 6 years. As Greece’s economy heavily depends on tourism, shipping, and services, coping with the strong increase in government debt was extremely difficult. The euro crisis caused huge increase in unemployment; in fact Greece had, and unfortunately still has, one of the highest unemployment rates in the world. The recession also caused huge salary cuts, or people simply not getting paid for their work, as well as cuts in pensions and government spending.

This year, it can finally be said that Greece came out of recession due to its economy improving. In 2013, the country’s economic growth was on -3.9% whereas this year it reached 2.5%. Also, other data shows the decrease in unemployment. In 2013, unemployment in Greece reached 27.5% whereas this year it went down to 22.0% according to the European Commission. However, despite these statistics, it is hard to see the situation recovering as there still are not many signs of improvement, especially after being in recession for so many years. It has affected so many business, big and small, which were forced to shut down and tons of individuals were left without jobs, struggling with everyday life.

Although the journey is far from over, Greece’s economic situation is definitely improving and thankfully there are signs indicating a better future for people suffering from the events of the last few years.

LIMASSOL CARNIVAL: A SUNNY & COLOURFUL FESTIVAL by

Susanna Georgiou

One of the most lively and colourful events on the island of Cyprus is the Limassol Carnival. During this event, which has been a tradition for more than 100 years, musicians and dancers fill the streets and squares of Limassol. The masks and costumes are beyond imagination. Limassol carnival was even mentioned in an article on CNN as “the coolest carnival outside Rio”. The carnival takes place every year 50 days before Easter and lasts about 10 days. During the carnival celebrations, there are lots of parties happening all around the city, in different venues. Other activities include open-air parties and the ‘serenade evenings’ where people wander the streets in gold dress, holding their guitars and mandolins, paying tribute to old times by singing under the balconies of the Old City streets; the Medieval Castle Square is a popular spot for this. Moreover, there are two parades; the children’s parade, and the Grand Carnival Parade, which happens on the final day of celebrations. The parades have an element of satire and all the costumed marchers make a colourful comment on current affairs and anything else that crosses their minds. The Grand Carnival Parade consists of more than 100 groups of costumed carnivalists, each one representing a different theme. All of these groups follow and accompany the ‘Royal’ which every year is different, depending on current affairs. Each group chooses a different costume each year: Disney characters, cowboys, pirates, dragons, ancient Greeks, medieval knights, and hippies are popular themes, and you can expect to see bands of film and pop stars from Lady Gaga to Michael Jackson along with characters from the year's hit movies and musicals. You can be anything you want! If you are in Limassol during these days, then you have the chance to see Cyprus at its most vibrant and it is definitely worth it.

LIMASSOL MARATHON

Fully accredited by AIMS (Association of International Marathons and Distance Races), the Limassol Marathon is a flat course which follows the Mediterranean coastline and takes place on March 29, 2015. Registration closes on 27 March. From the city centre, along the beachfront, to the ruins of the ancient Royal city of Amathus, and back to the city. 42.2 kilometres. 26.2 miles. 26.2 smiles

中国人的审美标准 Jess King

近些年来，越来越多的中国女孩喜欢去做美容手术。2013年，调查显示中国是世界上第三去做美容手术最多的国 家。这是为什么我来研究中国人的审美标准的原因，特别是关于研究中国女孩为什么喜 欢要长地像西方人的问题。

我们清楚地看 到最重要的事 是改变中国人 的精神面貌

我在北京观察到了许多让我了解这个问题的现象。首先，中国人对西方人非常感兴趣。 他们非常喜欢看着我们的脸，头发，听我们说英语，也常要和我们一起合影。最有意思 的事是，天气晴朗的时候，陌生人都告诉我们要打伞，不要让我们的皮肤晒黑了。其 次，我在北京发现广告里有西方人面容的中国女孩。她们都有很大的眼睛，尖的下巴， 也有很白的皮肤。 我想这一定是个很重要的问题，因为广告对中国人的审美标准，特别 是对女孩的标准，一直有很大的影响。最后，商店里最抢手的化妆品反映了女生的需 求。受广告的影响，越来越多的中国女孩喜欢买美白品。因为在商店里美白化妆品总是 到外可见，所以我担心中国女孩以为白皮肤就是美丽的象征。

我们清楚地看到最重要的事是改变中国人的精神面貌。 可是我们只有改变广告和商店产品的影响，才能帮助中国人 认识到她们原来的长相很美，不用刻意改变自己的面容。

Patrick Moore

每个人知道中国目前的人口宏大；其实中国大陆现在有160座人口占100万人多的城市。那么多人一定导致许多的坏 处，尤其是在它的首都，北京；当地的恶名昭著的危险空气污染被 每个国家的新闻界报道了，然而它也有水荒和交通拥挤的问题。为 了帮助读者们全然了解情况，我们就要给你们几个关于北京惊人的 人口过剩统计：

 北京市常住人口2013年末总计2100万人多 ：澳大利亚只有 2300万人，另外加拿大，世界上第二大面积的国家，只有大 概3500 万人！

 虽然政府2004年原来预计北京人口2020年要达到1800万人， 但是2010年已经达了那个数目。其实，北京目前的人口比 2000年的增长了53%！

 北京移民人比率是三个常住人里挑一；就是说，来北京移民 的人占800 万人。

 北京的平均寿命市比较高，也让人口高；2011年的是约莫81 岁。

 北京人口过剩导致市区的水荒：尽管北京有2100万人多，水 源只能供60%；水源一年只能供各人的国际标准的需水量 10%。

 市区交通拥挤是一个越来越严重面临官方的问题: 北京市里 500万多俩车。

看起来情况不容易纾解：中国政府得调适因为，依照这些资料，有 的专家因此预计北京常住人口2050年可能要过5000万人！ 这比西 班牙如今的人口更大！ 这些统计真可惊。

The elections for next year's team is right on our doorstep! Everyone is welcome to come along to vote or nominate themselves for any of the roles available:

Committee:

Chair Secretary Treasurer

Creative Designer

Social Secretary

Publicity Officer

Proof Reader

Assistant Proof Reader

Assistant Designer

Section Editors:

Current affairs

Culture

Travel Life & Style

Food & Drink

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If you want to apply for one of our roles and have any questions please contact us and we’ll be happy to give you more information!