Journey - The Deluxe Edition by Tim Backhaus

Journey The Deluxe Edition

Editorial Dear Reader,

Especially dear delegates, we know articles can get long and boring, so we are doing our best to keep it short, but meaningful. We tend to never fully follow a plan for these types of things and just go with the flow. Even if it is scary, we have have learned that going with the flow sometimes may be the best thing possible and this is something we have experienced in EYP when we decided to be brave enough to talk in front of more than 100 people for our very first times. Briefly, there are events that will start a fire in you; people that are going to inspire you and memories that you will never forget. I do hope Kurzeme Zemgale Regional Session 2014 is among those, as our EYP beginnings were. This is still one of the moments I will treasure forever or at least for a very long time. Thank you delegates for your courage, the effort you put in everything you did and your enthusiasm to be part of the project.

Tim

Have you ever been so tired that you begin to hallucinate? This is how I felt as I travelled to Riga, jet lagged from a flight back from Chicago via Toronto. However, hallucination is the key to an active imagination; and an active imagination is a key part of EYP media. Imagination is the door to EYP as the wardrobe is to Narnia. It opens up a world of mystery, monsters but magnificence all in one go.

Alex

On behalf of the entire Media Team, we particularly hope that you enjoy this, the Deluxe Edition! This is a culmination of hours of blood, sweat and tears worked into a feast for your eyes and senses. The Media Team has worked tirelessly to produce this content and we implore you to absorb the useful information while keeping it stored as a lifelong memory!

Your Editors

The Media Tim Editors Tim Backhaus (FI) Alex Coates (UK)

Video-Editor Christopher Nölte (DE)

Journalists Elina Ievina (LV) Rainers Kniss (LV) Kätlin Kruuse (EE) Lauri Lahtinen (FI) Martin Laidla (EE) Triin Naudi (EE) Katrina Sitniece (LV)

Contents 2 – Editorial 3 – The Media Tim & Table of Contents 4 – Single Network? 5 – Diversity is the Art of Thinking independently together? 6 – Lawfully Diverse 7 – Are We Burning our Lives Away? 8 – We’re All In This Together! 9 – Exploiting Seas 10 – Media Diversification - A Necessary Evil? 11 – Are we Taking our Freedom for Granted? 12 & 13 – Beyond the Sandwich - The HOs 14 – Good or Bad? 15 – Cancer - A Few Tips To Reduce Your Risk 16 & 17 & 18 – The Journey of Independence

19 – Philosophication 20 & 21 – Miserable Meetings 22 – CO2U? 23 – The Origins of Fear 24 & 25 – How to Improve Your English 26 & 27 & 28 – Creeping Around the Hallways 29 – PaTrolling Petroleum 30 & 31 – Social Innovation? 32 – Future of Wearables 33 – The City 34 & 35 – Where Have I Heard This Song Before? 36 & 37 & 38 – Happiness Behind Living Your Dream 39 – Efficient Learning

TRAN

Railways

Single Network? WORDS & PHOTO CHRISTOPHER NĂ&#x2013;LTE

owadays, trains are one of the greenest means of travel on the market. However, trains are rather seen as an alternative for people who dislike cars rather than a serious mean of transportation. Especially for long distance travel, people prefer other means of conveyance. This is largely based on price as well as the lack of multi-national routes. Potentially, the railway connections within Europe could be much better. There are largely three solutions, which could potentially make railway transport the most attractive way to travel from A to B. Solutions should aim at creating a standardized, more competitive and better managed sector. Firstly it is largely about im-

proving the exchange of data and safety of national networks in order to archive that all trains are allowed to move through and across Europe without any technical, regulatory or operational constraints. Currently, trains have to move through many different signalling zones. One EU-wide standard would not only be simpler, but also a lot cheaper. Secondly, the railway operators should be separated from the network managers. Airports are not managed by airlines; streets are not maintained by carrying business, so why should it be different for rails? To open the market would allow the costumer to choose between wider choices of services, which would create lower prices and more punctuality.

It would also make for more satisfied users and therefore a bigger demand. Lastly, investing in projects such as Rail Baltica is currently not beneficial and cannot be considered a solution to the problem. The consumers should be first convinced by the simplicity and efficiency of the system rather than promoting a new route which is again only desultory connected to the rest of Europe. To conclude, it would only need a few reforms to transform the labyrinth of national services into a single European railway network and thus creating the railway network of the future. The developing of rail infrastructure cannot be considered a key priority before no single European railway network is created.

Inclusion

CULT

“Diversity is

the Art of Thinking independently together” WORDS & PHOTO ELINA IEVINA

n 2012 there was a referendum about making Russian the official language of Latvia. While the majority of the population voted against Russian being the official language of Latvia, in the region of Latgale many voters supported the motion. This year, there have been attempts to remove Russian language classes in Latvian schools. There was also a temporary suspension of broadcasting handed out to Russian television channel “Rossija-RTR” based on suspicions of usage for propaganda purposes.

In my own opinion, we shouldn’t fully eliminate Russian language in these aspects of society. To do this would only worsen relations with our Eastern neighbour further and cause more problems than solutions. The European Union’s job is to promote cultural diversity between countries, but that doesn’t mean that we need to cut off minority languages in our countries. One such case in point is Swedish language in Finland. Swedish is one of the national languages in Finland, equal to Finnish in the majority of legislation. Therefore, if Latvians are finding problems with

– Malcolm Forbes

Russian language in society, maybe they can look at Finland as an example. We need to accept that there are a great number of minorities and that there is no such country without minorities. However, we should not allow them to separate or disrespect our country, culture or traditions. We need to come up with solution that is good for every side. Moreover, this topic is problematic in terms of standpoint. One must make sure they suggest plenty of options solutions on how to deal with this situation and how to respect each other’s language.

DROI

Love

Lawfully Diverse WORDS & PHOTO KÄTLIN KRUUSE

he EU Strategic Framework and Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy, adopted in June 2012 states: „The European Union is founded on a shared determination to promote peace and stability and to build a world founded on respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law.“ Understanding the significance of this statement is especially crucial now that we have reached a point in our society where we finally dare to celebrate the diversity of being humans. The psychology behind intolerance is often fear of the unknown. The reality, however, is that LGBT persons have been our co-workers, our friends and our family for almost

as long as homo sapiens has walked on this earth. Furthermore, a direct example of understanding diversity of sexuality stares us right in our faces. Or more specifically, it exists in the animal kingdom – around 1,500 species besides humans engage in nonreproductive sex. So is it really outrageous or strange that so do we? The present situation calls for the rethinking of EU legislation accordingly as recent events in the LGBT’s rights in member states such as Estonia or Finland have unfolded. There are certainly a lack of clear public guidelines for all states and the EU laws have yet to be expanded to ensure democratic rights for all citizens. What is more, the impact and

general attitude from the EU towards member states’ governments is not nearly adequate. It is vital that we acknowledge that the lack of rightful laws for all affects not only the welfare of LGBT citizens, but every person in the EU through wrongful behaviour or discrimination seen in everyday life. Therefore, it is the business of everyone to truly hear one another. In addition, we should ask ourselves whether it is right that our great neighbours Bob and Harry cannot marry or raise a child, even though they pay taxes, have wonderful personalities, are exemplary citizens and only wish to bring more love and happiness to the world.

Energy

CLIM

Are We

Burning our Lives Away?

WORDS & PHOTO RAINERS KNISS

irstly, I agree that the climate change is an urgent issue and that the world needs to do something to stop or slow down greenhouse effects. I disagree on the concept of the USA supporting UN climate change targets. This is because the USA has not accepted other stances and global legislation such as the Kyoto Protocol and have not even signed this. Therefore I would argue that the EU needs to look more seriously and find precise information about why global partners are not supporting this effort. It is also unrealistic to believe that these stances will change dramatically in the future ei-

ther. This is largely because the USA is the biggest CO2 producer in the world and if they sign the Kyoto Protocol it would significantly harm their economic standpoint in the world as factories would need to decrease their production rates. I believe that there should be some kind of financial punishment for these high-emission countries who arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t doing their job in the fight against climate changes. They need to encourage the use of renewable resources and find new ways in which the EU can be independent especially from countries like Russia. We can see situations such as that in Ukraine where one of

the Russiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bargaining tools is the gas supply to control the territory of Ukraine. I believe that there should be less investment in nuclear power as there is too much of a risk to take given that those fund are not adequate to take such a risk. If something were to go wrong in a nuclear power station there could be humungous problems in the long term. All in all, the reduction of fossil fuel usage throughout the world using other techniques such as hydropower should significantly reduce the greenhouse effect within our lifetime.

AFCO

Integration

We’re All

In This Together! WORDS & PHOTO MARTIN LAIDLA

he biggest challenge to overcome for European Union in the near future is the alienation of EU Member States’ citizens from the institutions of EU and from the union itself. If the point of European countries being in a union is to have better economic status on the global market through better cooperation and distribution of resources then the value of feeling as whole with other countries, with other cultures and with its people should be the most significant thing to protect and to improve. Sadly, cherishing this value among cit-

izens of Member States is alarmingly decreasing. Difficult times in economy have undermined the wish to be as one. It’s a law of social integration that when a group of similar people - a whole country in this case – is having hard time, it starts increasingly holding on its own and caring less about others who are not so similar not in the same country. Adding fuel to fire is the view that “The others” are responsible for dragging “us” even more down due to their incompetence – the bailouts of many member states. This has resulted in growing national-

ism and anti-EU mentalities. Maybe the bureaucratic expansion and integration of EU has been too fast for cross-cultural integration to keep up with it and in light of difficult times the dichotomy has come out in a hard way alienating each other but the fact is that we’re all in it together. Before getting to the more EU or less question, we need to question how we can get people to acknowledge that we’re in it together and that together is the only way we can go on, be it with more or less integrated European Union.

Water

ENVI

Exploiting Seas WORDS & PHOTO LAURI LAHTINEN

he EU has been fighting climate change with initiatives such as the EU Emissions Trading System for a long time. However, the EU has not made a similar initiative that would cap pollution going into seas, and such measures alone would not be sufficient seeing as non-EU countries also surround European seas. As mentioned in the Topic Overview, it is often in the interests of businesses to keep on exploiting European seas to maximise profit, and such attitudes should be sanctioned more heavily than currently. In Russia, for example, many businesses are happier to pay sanctions than install filtering

for their wastewater. Furthermore, the existing legislation suffers from the lack of non-binding targets for countries, among other things. Even though the collaboration between governments needs to be increased, it should not be forgotten that some already takes place. For instance, Finland has collaborated with the Russian city of St. Petersburg since 1991. Fruits of this collaboration include a costly project to build a water treating plant to the Russian city of St. Petersburg that was completed in 2013. This has greatly helped to cut the amount of phosphorus and nitrogen leaked into the Baltic Sea. A con-

siderable amount of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wastewater is still untreated with Russia considered the largest polluter of the Baltic Sea. These recent events have damaged the EU-Russia relations. A key problem in environmental issues like this is that the growth-based economy of today is anything but sustainable. Under current circumstances, the argument of economic growth leading to increased quality of life seems deeply paradoxical. Ensuring economic prosperity is often prioritised in decision-making process, but nature and the environment have as much, if not more impact on peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives.

LIBE

Monopoly Media Diversification –

A Necessary Evil? WORDS & PHOTO KATRINA SITNIECE

nly 14% of the world’s population live in countries that support free media. The other 86% each day experience mass media censorship and propaganda. You may think that this percentage is a hoax or that mass media freedom is not an issue to be worried about, but let me convince you that it indeed is a serious topic in society today. The monopoly ownership of broadcasting companies is a threat to modern media. The European Union has enforced a number of laws regarding human rights and data protection but it has none surrounding media pluralism. Very few countries have established a position where there are several main sources of media; in most places there are a small

number of large corporations that the majority of information stems from. The lack of diversity of viewpoints creates a situation in which the society only receives one sided, biased information that may highly differ from the genuine source. A citizen’s opinion is increasingly dependent on the specific media that they wish to support. National governments are utilising this more and more to influence their citizens. However, the picture is not only black and white. Imagine what would happen if all forms of media would be published without censorship? It is the government’s job to protect their citizens from any kind of threats and false information. It is in our own interests as citizens to be pro-

tected from propaganda and negative influence from mass media sources, which in the long run can create social division. There are already signs of this happening in Latvia as the national and Russian minority media differ noticeably from one another. This is causing a clash between these two communities. Connected media sources would ensure that information is being shared in both languages without any distortion from either side. There is a thin line between mass media domination and the protection of the national security. Freedom of speech is a long held dream for all of society; is it as innocent as it has been said to be?

Threat

SEDE

Are We Taking Our

Freedom For Granted? WORDS & PHOTO TRIIN NAUDI

magine being woken up in the middle of the night, taken from your bed at gunpoint and put on a train filled with thousands of crying men, women and children. With bare hands, an empty stomach and weeks of travel, this train will take you a prison camp where you will for many years to come. Today, all this seems like an unrealistic nightmare, but in fact this is exactly what happened to nearly three million innocent people 70 years ago, who were deported to Siberia for several fictional “crimes” against the Soviet Union rule. In the comfort of the 21st century, people tend to forget the value of freedom. However, now more

than ever, Europe needs to fully realise the threat it faces from the East. With Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its on-going criminal activity in other parts of Ukraine, our current security situation in Europe is nothing but worrying. After all, it was only 9 years ago, when Russia’s president Vladimir Putin openly stated that the collapse of the Soviet Union was a major geopolitical catastrophe. This speech, together with numerous verbal threats, examples of kidnap such as Estonian intelligence officers and multiple airspace violations has left many people wondering whether Putin is secretly looking for ways to restore history. If that should be the case, Europe needs

to reform its security policies as soon as possible in order to ensure its territorial integrity. Once people have acknowledged the history behind Europe’s current situation, what should be our next step? There are some that support diplomacy and compromise, whereas others see strong and radical measures as the only way to tackle the situation. Recognising today’s similar patterns with the situation before World War II, it makes me wonder - have we learned from our past mistakes? Or are we back where we were in both 1914 and 1939?

PROFILE

HOs

Beyond the Sandwich WORDS & PHOTO LAURI LAHTINEN

Anna Elina Vitola & Mazen Zibara

Let us present to you two very important people who are not very visible during the session, but without whom it would not have taken place. The Head Organisers, Anna from Riga and Mazen from Olaine, both eighteen, sat down to talk about the session and what it means to them. Both being on their last year of college has certainly not made head organising easy, but in spite of that the session is successfully up and running.

HOs

oth of their EYP journeys started in 2013, Anna’s in January and Mazen’s in summer. The pair got the idea to head organise a session while attending the International Session in Barcelona this summer. Anna has never organised anything in EYP before, but Mazen has once before. Anna points out that not having a lot of experience actually has had its upsides too, because had she known about some challenges back then, she might not have decided to become a Head Organiser. Besides, the journey has been a great learning experience for both of them. Organising is not only about making good sandwiches, as it may appear sometimes. Luckily, Mazen and Anna have a few aces up their sleeves. Their personalities differ largely from each other, but this actually has worked greatly as an advantage. They both have different areas of expertise, so their roles combined easily. Mazen has put effort into the session budget among other things, while Anna takes the role of spokesperson for the duo. Moreover, they are skilled in communication and thus not afraid to ask for things due to Mazen’s connections in Olaine. Anna is able not to stress too much about things, which can also be a disadvantage sometimes. She says that if something goes

wrong, it is not the end of the world. According to her, the best thing to do in such a situation is to focus on finding a solution rather than worrying too much. She thinks being a head-organiser is wonderful and rewarding, but at the same time there are many things only she can be blamed for; there is much responsibility. It was Mazen and Anna’s idea to extend the duration of the session from three to four days. Their vision is that more time for teambuilding and Committee Work results in better academic quality. The session theme, ‘Success is a journey, not a destination’, was chosen because the pair feels that the same applies to EYP: for example as a delegate, it is not all about whether one’s committee’s resolution passes, but also everything one learns during the journey. Anna was a journalist four months ago and similarly discovered that the process of writing articles was more important to her than seeing the finished product, as she learned a lot during the process. The Christmas theme came from the fact that Anna and Mazen had two choices of session dates: either before Christmas or shortly after New Year’s Eve, out of which they chose the former option. They are trying to get as much as possible out of the Christmas theme and thus created a special programme. The head organisers

PROFILE

also wish that KZRS’14 will be a great ending of 2014 for every participant. The duo is particularly excited about the evening disco and the gift exchange, as they think giving presents results in a nice feeling. They hope the delegates will have fun, dance a lot, laugh and have a great time. As pointed out by Anna, the EYP has more sides to it than just the academic one. The Head Organisers are not sure yet whether they would head organise again in future. For now, they still have to work hard to ensure participants will get as much from the session as possible, and Christmas is around the corner. The Head Organisers will celebrate it too, only that Mazen celebrates the Orthodox Christmas in January. Thus, Anna is grateful that her fellow team leader is happy to do a lot of the cleaning up after the session on the Christmas Eve.

VIEWPOINT

TTIP

Good or Bad? WORDS & PHOTO RAINERS KNISS

To argue whether the Transatlantic Trade Investment Partnership (TTIP) is an opportunity or a drawback for the European Union (EU), it is important to take a close look at its aims and agreement. TTIP is an economic agreement between the EU and the USA in order to improve their trade partnership.

he agreement could potentially be a great chance to connect EU and United States of America (USA). My opinion will be largely based on the point of view of a European. Personally, I see a lot of negative aspects that could badly affect EU citizens. Firstly, it can be said many Europeans do not agree to the fact that the USA will push their Genetically Modified (GM) food into the EU. Genetically manipulated food could harm the EU citizens health. Experiments have proven that GM food can cause cancer or other terminal illnesses. Secondly, it will affect local farmers from the EU because GM food is usually cheaper than ordinary 14

produced food, which is not only ecologically questionable. Also most of the chemicals used for conservation have not been extensively tested within the EU. Therefore through the GM food local farmers will go out of business because they will not be able to fight against the low prices of big companies. Simultaneously, the budget spend for advertisement made by them is much higher, so that they have a higher presence in the media thus leading to more acceptance and willingness from the users to buy those products. Thirdly, there is one big plus for both sides. Improved regulatory coherence and cooperation by dismantling unnecessary regulatory barriers will be the results. For in-

stance, right now if a car passes all the mandatory tests in the EU and it gets exported to America, it needs to run through all the tests again. There are many examples like this. Finally, I can say that from my point of view the TTIP is rather negative for the citizens of the EU and needs further discussion. There should be a bigger pressure to encourage them to raise their voice in public about the TTIP. An agreement in favour of the citizens should be made. Citizens need to decide, not politicians, factory owners nor people that only want to make profit on the agreement.

Awareness

ANALYSIS

Cancer

A Few Tips To Reduce Your Risk WORDS & PHOTO ELINA IEVINA

Concerned about cancer prevention? Take charge by making changes such as eating a healthy diet and getting regular screenings.

f course, you can’t dismiss at all your chance of having cancer, but there are few things, you should do to decrease your risk: 1. Don’t use tobacco – smoking has been linked to various types of cancer (lung, bladder, cervix, kidney, etc.) Even if you don’t use tobacco, you shouldn’t stay around people, who use it. It will increase your risk of lung cancer. Avoiding or deciding to stop using tobacco is also one of the most important health decisions you can make. 2. Eat healthy – Healthy eating may also help you to reduce your risk. First of all, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Also, you should limit fat. Eat lighter and leaner by choosing fewer high fat foods. You should

avoid alcohol drinking as alcohol is one of the main risks of various types of cancer. 3. Maintain a healthy weight and be physically active – you should include at least 30 minutes of physical activity in your daily routine and if you can do more than just 30 minutes, it’s even better. 4. Protect yourself from the sun – skin cancer is one of the most common kinds of cancer and one of the most preventable. You should avoid midday sun (10.a.m.-4.p.m.), because than sun’s rays are strongest. When you go outside, try to stay in the shade and use sunglasses. Also try to avoid tanning beds and sunlamps; these are even more damaging than natural sunlight. 5. Get immunised – cancer

prevention includes protection from certain viral infections. For example, you should get vaccination of hepatitis B or human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is a sexually transmitted virus that can lead to cervical and other genital cancers as well as squamous cell cancers of the head and neck. 6. Get regular medical care – regular self-exams and screening for various types of cancers can increase your chances of discovering cancer early, when the treatment is most likely to be successful. If you are doing all those things, I can only congratulate you, but if you aren’t, then please take cancer prevention into your own hands, starting today. The rewards will last a lifetime.

ANALYSIS

History

The Journey I

t has only been 20 years since the Baltic States claimed their independence. Each one of these countries has a rich history filled with bloody fights for freedom and independence. The results of historic events such as legislation, architecture and lifestyle are still visible in many of the post-Soviet Union countries. At the same time, some of the other post-Soviet countries are leaning towards a more European lifestyle, having already joined the European Union. Freedom and independence are two things that every Baltic States’ citizen is grateful for. Our generation cannot even imagine all the horrific events that occurred just a few decades ago. As we have never felt unprotected in our countries, the majority of youngsters take freedom and security for granted. It is likely that each and every one of us has heard stories about the World War II and especially about the deportation that took place. On the 14th of June 1941, more than 15000 people from Latvia were forced to leave their homes and were sent

WORDS & PHOTO KATRINA SITNIECE

to Siberia. People were awakened in the middle of the night and given less than an hour to prepare for the deportation ahead. They were told

to take only what they could carry, everything else was confiscated. Then

they were led to the already prepared railroad cars. Many of the families were separated, the men were sent to the GULAG camps, whereas women and children to little villages – left without any possessions to fend for themselves. Disease, labour and dreadful living conditions were the main factors why many of the deportees did not survive. The second mass deportation on 25th of March 1949 ended the resistance against the new regime. Latvia was not the only Soviet country which citizens were forced to depart. Similar deportations were also carried out in Estonia and Lithuania. Over 30000 people in total were deported from Estonia during 40’s from which the majority did not ever return and either died or assimilated into Siberian society. The Lithuanian story is quite the same – every third Lithuanian became a victim of Soviet deportations. Me, myself – I am one of the lucky ones. My family members were not among the thousands of people who were deported to Siberia from Latvia. I have been told that

History

ANALYSIS

of Independence WORDS & PHOTO KATRINA SITNIECE

the officer who was supposed to bring my great grandmother’s family to the railroad cars had previously worked in her farm as a helper. The family had treated him well, so he took them off the deportees list. It is a lucky story that most Baltic families have not experienced. In the Baltic states between 1940’s and 1980’s USSR carried out a massive sovietisation in order to weaken the nations. They aimed at destroying Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania’s culture, freedom of expression, and religion. The Soviet system focused on industrialisation and founded even more factories within the USSR territory. The purpose of this was to include Baltics into the never stopping Soviet rhythm. With this new force of industrialisation, Latvia and Estonia experienced a dramatic demographic change. New Baltic factories welcomed working team members from other USSR countries and from that time the Russian minority started to grow rapidly in the Baltics. Ethnic Estonian percentage dropped from 88% before the war to 60% in 1970, as well as the Latvian demography changed from 75% to 56.8% in 1970 and then down to a shocking 52% in 1989. On the contrary, the drop in Lithuania was only 4%. Because of loyalty issues and the great amount of military bases located in these 3 countries, they were isolated from the rest of the world. Russification continued with forceful education measures. There were set limitations for the expression of arts,

literature and music. It was all monitored and strictly supervised by the Soviet Union leaders in each country who standardised everything from education and culture events to traditions and products to be sold at stores. By 1980’s, the political and social tension between Moscow and the Baltic States had already reached its climax. The Baltic Way was a political demonstration in which two million people joined hands from Tallinn to Vilnius in a 675.5 kilometres long human chain. The event took place on August 23, 1989, marking the 50th anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in order to gain public and global acknowledgement of the secret pact as well as in hopes of restoring their independence. At seven in the evening people from all around Baltics joined hands in a human chain from Tallinn through Rīga to Vilnius. It was the first time the global public realised the importance and seriousness of the Soviet system’s consequences on the Baltic nations. People entertained themselves by singing traditional songs, citing poems and telling stories. They held flags, posters and candles to mourn the victims of the Cold War, deportees and Forest Brothers. Within the following seven months Lithuania became the first Baltic country to regain independence followed by Latvia and Estonia which. By the end of 1991 most of the western countries had recognised them. In 2009, the recordings of this event were included in the UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register.

In the 20th century the Baltic States experienced national revival. There were three possible options for future politics – leaning towards contact with the East, staying neutral or becoming allies with the West. As these three countries were still struggling to maintain their independence, their closest choice was creating a companionship with the western countries. That is how integration with Europe started. In order to establish a stable economic and financial situation Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia joined the European Union (EU) in 2004. Since joining the EU, the Baltic countries have implemented the Schengen Agreement within which the EU citizens can travel freely in their neighbour countries. Many of the projects that have increased Lithuania’s, Estonia’s and Latvia’s development would not have happened without the financial help of the European Union. Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have had a wild ride fighting for freedom. We cannot imagine even a half of what our parents and grandparents have had to go through to get what we have right now. Thinking about what our nations have gone through personally makes me appreciate the feeling of security I can experience at this moment. We never know what the future holds for us, but from these events we all can learn that after a cloudy storm there is always a beam of sunshine which makes all the suffering worthwhile.

ANALYSIS

History

“Europe is a thought that has become a feeling.” – Bono

Attitude

VIEWPOINT

Philosophication WORDS LAURI LAHTINEN PHOTO TRIIN NAUDI

he word philosophy is derived from the Ancient Greek word philosophia and literally translated it means the love of wisdom. This is an apt description, as philosophy emphasises the importance of rational thought and critical thinking. It also approaches its subject – general and fundamental problems of the Earth and the humankind in a very systematic way. Philosophy is not only pondering questions like “what is the meaning of life” or “if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear

it, does it make a sound”. Some of its areas, such as ethics are often very practical and deal with less abstract matters. The former is mainly concerned about what is the best way to live, as exemplified in ethical dilemmas. Some typical examples of these often include a situation where one’s conscience is in conflict with the law. For instance: is stealing okay if one cannot feed their family otherwise. Another part of philosophy is logic, or the study of the principles of valid reasoning, which is highly important in many areas of life. Fal-

lacies, or between friends weak arguments, turn out to be surprisingly prevalent even in everyday conversations after one studies them a bit. Even thinking about the abstract and seemingly meaningless questions, they can be relevant. As one might have heard before, the journey is as important as reaching the destination, if not more important. To put it simply, one may not come to a satisfying conclusion in the aforementioned tree issue, but they may realise other things instead.

ANALYSIS

Business

Miserable Meetings WORDS & PHOTO KĂ&#x201E;TLIN KRUUSE

meeting is an act that brings people to the same location at the same time in order to discuss important matters. Unfortunately, rather often they are pointless, uninformative and generally a waste of time. I dare to say that this is a global problem that keeps many organisations and business owners from succeeding in their work and affects the entire work culture. In this article, I will elaborate on the reasons for such failure and bring out a few effective points to save the world from meetings that may as well bore you to death. The main problem with an inefficient meeting starts with the person who initiated the meeting. There

is literally no point in coming together without certain preparation and a clear understanding of what is going to happen. The meeting has to have a goal that leads to decision-making and the responsibility for that lies on the chairperson. To hold an effective meeting, the chair needs to set up an agenda and send it to everyone before getting together, if necessary. It is also crucial to arrive on time. During the meeting, the chair needs to establish three key factors: who, what and when. It might help to briefly review the last meeting and make sure everyone is at the same level. In other words, they have to be prepared and understand their respective

role. Furthermore, it would be wise to ask the participants a few days before the meeting, if they have done the necessary preparation. Otherwise, the meeting will be useless even if the chair puts a lot of effort into it. If possible, the leader should send a reminder, as it is known that not all people are great at time management. When all matters are settled during the meeting, it is a principle to make a follow-up. It is fundamental for one person to take notes during the meeting and write down the most important ideas and factual elements that were decided, including main dates. This will help with remembering the necessary tasks ahead. Also,

Business

the protocol needs to be precise and logical for other readers. With the basis of a meeting covered, there are a few additional facts that are rather interesting. One of them I picked up from a TED talk by David Grady, published in 2013. He proposed that people should simply not go to a meeting without previous info from the initiator. Moreover, he emphasised to avoid MAS â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Mindless Accept Syndrome when a person accepts a meeting invitation without even thinking why. Time is valuable and we should not waste it. Technology is a major time saver. For example, you can do skype

meetings whenever and not idle away time on transportation. This is a good way to save time and get everyone to participate. For example, you can do a 20-minute meeting after breakfast at home with a fresh mindset or at the end of the day when you can relax with a cup of tea and calmly process vital information. Even though meetings can sometimes turn out to be dull, they are a crucial part of communicating with others. As many businessmen can tell you, the most interesting and original ideas can come from random brainstorms. Therefore, if a company or organisation is experiencing hard-

ANALYSIS

ship, it might be a good idea to revise how they hold meetings. It would undoubtedly improve our working/work culture.

VIEWPOINT

Decrease

CO U? 2

WORDS & PHOTO RAINERS KNISS

ll together in year 2013, there was a production of 9.9 billion metric tonnes of CO2. That is all together 61% more than 1990, which is the reference year of the Kyoto protocol. Even in global CO² emissions raised by 2,3%. Unfortunately, emissions are still rising in the year 2014 and thus an enormous issue. Considering the fact that scientists have noticed that the Greenhouse effect was already present in the 19th century, not much effort in solving the issue has been recorded. There are many ways to change this critical issue. The whole Internet seems to be filled with solutions on how to deal with this “unstoppable” problem. The biggest issue are the cement and fossil fuel factories. For instance, in 2010 they produced 33.4 billion tonnes CO2 adding up to a total of 91% from all of the CO2 emissions. There can be found guidelines what each individual can do in order to decrease your own CO2 emissions in daily life. 1. You should lower your consumption of red meat, since sheep, cows and other farm animals produce lots of methane. Instead you could eat chicken or kangaroo, because they produce less CO2 gases.

2. Aim to use green energy instead of using fossil fuels. This can be reached by driving an electric car and powering your house with electricity instead of wood or gas. 3. Buy local products. The transport produces a lot of CO2, which can be saved thereby. Also you are supporting your local producers.

4. Make your house energy efficient. In the first place, you will save money for the energy supply and if you use less energy less energy in total will be produced which means less CO2. 5. Reuse and recycle. It has been estimated that 29% of the U.S.

greenhouse gas emissions result from the provision of goods, which means the extraction of resources, manufacturing, transport, and final disposal of goods, which include consumer products and packaging, building components, and passenger vehicles, but excluding food. By buying used products and reselling or recycling items you no longer use, you dramatically reduce your carbon footprint from the provision of goods. What the government actually does, to fight against the climate change? Many countries have taken concrete measures, while agreed upon the Kyoto Protocol. The United States of America has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol yet. Obama promised future ratification, but so far no action in this issue can be really seen. The drawbacks of a ratification of the contract would be economic issues, since factories would need to invest a lot of money into a more CO2 friendly approach. In conclusion it can be said that the amount of CO2 at the moment is too much to be handled by the nature itself. Right now the atmosphere is the biggest obtainer of CO2 and thus strengthening the greenhouse effect.

Silence

ANALYSIS

The Origins of Fear WORDS & PHOTO KĂ&#x201E;TLIN KRUUSE

weaty palms, shaky knees, your heart is racing. Sounds familiar? There are numerous feelings that cause our body to react that way. One of the most common emotions, however, is fear. A sudden moment of terror that makes us watch over our shoulder in a dark parking lot or freeze in shock when seeing a venomous spider a few inches away. When our brain recognises a terrifying situation happening, it pushes a red button. Neuroscience has some explanations for this. There is a certain place located in the brain that is responsible for emotions, decision-making and memory, which are essential features of fear. This area is called the amygdala and there are two of them located behind the eyes and over the ears. If the body experiences danger in the

form of sight, sound or smell, for example, a surge of stress hormones will be pumped into bloodstream within fractions of a second. This is also the reason for the feeling of alertness. It is the fight-or-flight sensation and in the nature it is a lifesaver, as being still could be beneficial when hiding from predators. The increased heart rate also helps when all else fails and there is a need to flee. Another interesting factor regarding fear is that it is believed by some psychologists to be the basis of all human emotions, existing in early forms of life. Remembering fear is the reason we remember anything at all. Nowadays, fear is associated more with keeping us from performing at our best, often involving public speaking. Regardless, stress closely relates to fear with increased blood pressure,

combat-ready hormones and rise in sweat. Luckily it is still possible to block out fear with intense concentration, skill and some dedication. Humans are alike, therefore our brains are wired fairly similarly. We already know how to be afraid, because we have evolved with nature through countless generations. The significance of fear is that we cannot measure an emotion physiologically and we are beings who are constantly affected by our environment or people close to us. Several factors change our reactions to threats and when asked for a list of things one might fear, it is highly likely it will be diverse. With the exponential advancement of technology, it is exciting to think of future discoveries in neuroscience related to our emotions.

LEARNING

Language

How to Improve WORDS & PHOTO ELINA IEVINA

A lot of people are always asking, “Oh Elina! How do I improve my English?” There are many possible answers, but here are just a few pieces of advice to get you started.

irst of all, watch TV and movies in English. Watching movies can improve your speaking skills and when you hear the pronunciation, it’s easier to learn the language. Secondly, read books in English. When you learn a language - listening, speaking and writing are important, but reading can also be very helpful. There are many advantages associated with reading, including: • Learning Vocabulary In Context - You will usually encounter new words when you read. You may not even need to use a dictionary because you can guess the meaning from the context. Not only do you learn new words, but you see them being used naturally; • A Model For Writing - When you read, it gives you a good example for writing. Texts can show you structures and expressions that can be useful when writing; Next, you could study in an English-speaking university or travel to an English-speaking country. Of course the best way to immerse yourself in the English language is to live in an all English environment. You’ll find yourself surrounded with the language everywhere you turn. This can be a more difficult and expensive choice, but you may find it to be a very valuable and helpful experience. You could also speak to your friends in English or participate in organisations where you need to speak English; for example here at EYP sessions. EYP sessions actually can improve your English skills a lot. I could say that I’m an excellent example of this

thought. My first session was last year and I went to KZRS’13 only because a girl from my school explained that it is cool and fun. She thought I especially would like this kind of atmosphere and she was right. Of course, my English was an obstacle for me and I couldn’t properly join in every discussion, because I did not have a very wide vocabulary and I was therefore too nervous to speak up. However, it did not stop me from doing what I like. I went to my next session and started to participate more, started to speak up, even when I couldn’t exactly express myself. I just started to speak more by talking to everyone in the session. After that session I got into Latvian National Conference and this was an especially huge step for me. Now I am journalist in KZRS’14, where I constantly use my English skills for social interaction and expression through articles like this. At the end of this school semester, my English teacher told me that she have seen me grow up; she have seen how my language has grown up since I started high school. EYP has done a lot for both my language and my self-confidence. So If you are reading this during or after the session and you have a similar language barrier as I had, please do not think that EYP is not for you. You can always improve your language skills by simply talking and learning from other people. If you love something enough then language does not have to be an obstacle, you just have to consistently practice it.

Language

LEARNING

Your English WORDS & PHOTO ELINA IEVINA

Ausma, Armands and Marta I also asked three delegates here at KZRSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;14 from different committees â&#x20AC;&#x201C; How has EYP been affecting your English language skills? Armands is from the Committee on Culture and Education (CULT). This is his third session and he expressed that EYP has mainly affected his understanding about politics. He also said that in schools students are often discouraged from learning English for everyday use. The focus is instead more on grammar and technical ability, but in EYP we learn the practical use of English language.

Ausma is from the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) and she is somewhat of an EYP veteran as this is her sixth session. She agrees with Armands about how EYP is affecting her practical use of the English language. She proposes that we really learn English through games that we play in EYP as well as from debates. Every type of discussion during the session, be it big or small, is useful.

Marta is from the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) and this is her fourth session. She thinks that EYP has been affecting her English a great deal in this time, especially from debates in General Assembly.

VOICE

People

Creeping Around the Hallways WORDS TRIIN NAUDI & KATRINA SITNIECE PHOTOS ELINA IEVINA & LAURI LAHTINEN

nce again we have come to the end of a great period of time - a whole year filled with positive emotions and joyful moments. Outside our windows there is a different world - grey, cold and bland. At this time of the year we do not get as much vitamin D as there is necessary, so turn that frown upside down and entertain yourself by reading our greatest explorations from creeping around the hallways.

If you could give one person in your life the Nobel Prize, who would it be and why?

If you could choose to witness any event in the history, what would you choose and why?

Ilva from CLIM: “The French revolution when Marie Antoinette was alive, because I would like to meet her. She had a great saying – Why eat bread when you can have cake?”

Jeroen from the Chairs’ Team: “Probably the fall of Berlin Wall, because this is when the cooperation in Europe started and Berlin is awesome.”

Konstantīns from AFCO: “To my mom, I love her.”

Linards from TRAN: “The end of Cold War, because I would like to see the change of system.”

Karl-Joosep from LIBE: “My mom, she has taken so good care of me.” Raimund from CULT: “My brother, because he always supports and advises me. He is a great critic!” Karīna from SEDE: “My father, because he’s my absolute idol. He’s 44, but he’s 20 at heart.” Elīna from the Media Team: “My mom, because she is amazing!”

Elīna from the Media Team: “As sad and horrifying it sounds, it would be Holocaust, because I want to understand what people were thinking when they decided to punish and kill all the Jews.” What do you believe we as human beings take most for granted? Linda from the Jury: “Our wishes and happiness.” Romāns from the Organisers’ Team: “The people around you, family and friends.

Freedom.” Karīna from SEDE: “Friends and health.” Dana from the Board of EYP Latvia: “Time.” Elīna from the Media Team: “Help from other people.” If you had the power to switch any world leader with another person in this world, who would it be? Jeroen from the Chairs’ Team: “The leader of North Korea. Kim Jong-un or whatever. I would replace him with Arnolds. He can do a better job.” Linards from TRAN: “I would change Putin to Valdis Dombrovskis.” If you could alter any event in the history what would it be? Raimund from CULT: “I would make

People VOICE Hitler sleep throughout the World War II so he could not send people to death.” Diāna from TRAN: “I would stop holocaust from happening.” Elīna from the Media Team: “I think I would not change anything, because what happened in the past, made things the way they are now. I like how we are living now and all we have now.”

What is the thing that most people get wrong about you from the first impression? Romāns from the Organisers’ Team: “Almost everyone thinks I am stupid, but actually I am not!”

Karl Joosep from LIBE: “Screaming in the forest.” Diān a from TRAN: “Journey!”

Konstantīns from AFCO: “Robert Downey Jr.”

Jeroen from the Chairs’ Team: ”I guess one of the books for dummies. How to life for dummies.”

Karl-Joosep from LIBE: “Silvio Berlusconi.”

Elīna from the Media Team: “If I could, I would ask out Megan Fox, but she would probably slap me in the face and think I am weird.”

Elīna from the Media Team: “Honesty, sense of humour, intelligence.”

Linda from the Jury: “What the flowers?”

Ilva from CLIM: “It would be one of Victoria Secret models, because they are so beautiful.”

Linards from TRAN: “Elton John.” Dana from the Board of EYP Latvia: “Karin-Liis Lahtmäe.” (An alumna from EYP Estonia.)

Linards from TRAN: “Kindness, intelligence and honesty.”

If your life was a novel, what would be the title?

If you changed your orientation for a day, who would you ask out on a date?

Romāns from the Organisers’ Team: “I would take Zayn from One Direction. I like him. I like his hairstyle!”

Raimund from CULT: “Loyalty, tolerance towards other people and trustworthiness.”

Dana from the Board of EYP Latvia: “It gets better.” Elīna from the Media Team: “69 Shades of Elīna.”

Diāna from TRAN: “Uhm... that I am too friendly?!”

What are 3 qualities you look for in a partner? Konstantīns from AFCO: “Trust, being open and honesty.”

If Arnolds was a cartoon character, which character would he be? Linda from the Jury: “The pink and round Pokemon.” Romāns from the Organisers’ Team: “Some kind of a beaver...a chipmunk! Hmm, not Theodor, not Simon, but the third one! What is his name? Alvin?!” Jeroen from the Chairs’ Team: “I can see Mickey Mouse in him a bit.”

VOICE

People

Dana from the Board of EYP Latvia: “The little brother from Karlsson-on-theRoof.”

Linda from the Jury: “Firstly I would freeze them, then chop them into pieces and then feed the pieces to birds at the Riga Central Station.”

Elīna from the Media Team: “Bunny from Looney Tunes.”

Karl-Joosep from LIBE: “I would chop it and burn the pieces to the ground.”

How would you cover up the murder of your arch enemy?

Jeroen from the Chairs’ Team: “I would throw him into a huge bucket of ****.”

Ilva from CLIM: “Probably burn the body, because that way the DNA disappears. I watch CSI you know.”

Linards from TRAN: “I would put him in a river. No one would find him there.”

Elīna from the Media Team: “I would

cut him in tiny pieces and cook him into some meat pie or in a soup. Actually, I often think about this kind of stuff.” What is the stupidest situation in which you have got physically hurt? Romāns from the Organisers’ Team: “I ended up putting my hand into a grinding machine while working with wood.” Karīna from SEDE: “I pumped into a glass door in a store. Unfortunately, there were a lot of people who saw it happen…”

OPEC

VIEWPOINT

PaTrolling Petroleum WORDS & PHOTO RAINERS KNISS

rganisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a permanent international organisation. Its point is to maintain oil supply for all of its member countries, to control the world’s oil economy and make the oil price eligible for everyone. Its members are Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. OPEC has been controlling the oil price since the 1960s. In the be-

ginning, its only purpose was to make the oil supply secure and constant. But later on the goal became to stabilise oil prices and control the market. During its 55 years, OPEC has achieved a lot in my opinion. In the beginning no one believed that this organisation would last for long. OPEC has achieved targets such as reducing the oil price around the world in 2014, even in the world’s biggest country Russia. In the 1970s OPEC lowered the oil prices because they invested money to reduce the depend-

ency on oil. They encouraged the use of charcoal, natural gas and green power instead of oil. As we can see, OPEC plays a large role in setting the world’s oil prices and they are an organisation that does not only work for their own interest, but also for the global interests. If OPEC would not control the oil price, the biggest oil producing countries such as Russia and USA could easily use their monopole.

VIEWPOINT

Society

Social Innovation? WORDS & PHOTO MARTIN LAIDLA

Society

ur society is evolving at ever increasing speed. With constant changes in the system of our lives, new social challenges arise faster than before. We are good at finding solutions and adapting to different environments but it is getting clearer that the speed of new emerging challenges is exceeding our capabilities of dealing with them. This calls for more flexibility in solving them and arguably the best way forward is social innovation. We just cannot go on with our old ways of dealing with social problems like poverty or illiteracy. Existing structures are not effective enough anymore in deal with pollution, youth underemployment or availability of high quality education. Problems like this are often connected though personal level, public and private sector and transcend national borders. Taking this into account, social innovation is something that tries to incorporate all of the aforementioned actors. Social innovation has many fancy definitions but simply put, it is new and better-than-before solution for some social problem. In addition to the inter-sector and international cooperation, social innovation is worked out with the ones who need help themselves. We have all seen governments’ “great solutions” for better healthcare accessibility or cultural integration that just do not work. These are just

too rigid structures that have already got old by the time they “are ready to use”. Plus the solution usually comes out being far from perfect because it was thought up in some closed circle where they had little knowledge about the reality of the problem and needs of the ones who the help was targeted to. Working out solutions with the ones who they is meant for, gives it a good certainty to work and makes the effect of it last long. Working between sectors and countries gives social innovations the flexibility of NGOs and of private sector and the trustworthiness and longevity of public sector. International co-operation makes it possible for even a small regional idea or a project to scale up and go worldwide very fast. As one would assume, social innovations, being very flexible in nature, are usually started and led by NGOs. An innovation does not have to be something totally new and never before seen. It usually the opposite – an idea is taken from one context or from one practice and put to work in another. Probably the most known example of social a innovation is the mini-credit system that was developed in India for poor and unemployed women. It solved their problem of not having the base capital for starting their own small workshop or enterprise. Unlike the big banks that require big bonds and for that reason will not give

VIEWPOINT

out loans for poor people or give them out with too high interest rates, they gave women a really small loan. It was big enough for them to buy a sewing machine for example and let them start their own small sewing business. The idea of giving loan was nothing new. Hearing out the real needs of people involved, they made the system so that it required the loan taker to invest money into something that would guarantee her a job and make quick revenue. Thus it helped the people in poverty and eliminated the need for future aid and financial help. Many countries’ governments have started to turn their heads towards social innovation in the past years. The European Union has set it as its major priority and it is being dealt with by the European Commission on many levels. I cannot say that social innovation is the only way forward and that governments and people as well should stop doing what they do and be innovative with every step they take, but there is no option to look away from it anymore. It is something that needs more attention, needs to be practiced more and has to have a lot more support than it has now. It will be the essential foundation for solving complicated social problems of the present and those about to come in the future.

ANALYSIS

Technology

Future of Wearables WORDS & PHOTO MARTIN LAIDLA

e as humans have always can take videos and project data behad the desire to augment fore your eyes, there is a wide market our natural abilities and open already. Sooner than you would control the environment around us. think, these devices will start to play The journey that started with stone a major part of our everyday lives in tools has come to the present day with ways that may seem unimaginable. personal computers and smartphones Right now the wearable marbeing a part of our everyday lives. ket is dominated by smartwatches and What is about to go big in the tech- sports wristbands that take some sort nology world, however, could be con- of data from you as you wear them, sidered as something that truly con- such as a smartphone, and transfer it to nects people with their technological a “smarter” device. Most of the wearenhancements. ables are made to monitor your body They are called wearables in some way. They are good for keepand soon everyone will own and wear ing yourself fit or for knowing when several of them. A wearable is a min- to take your insulin shot for example. iature computer device that is worn However, in recent years the possibiliby the user for whatever purpose it is ties of body metering have been put to made for. From watches that can an- use in various other ways. For examswer phone calls to smartglasses that ple, there is a wristband that records

your pulse and can act as an identity card that can be used for payments in shops with a flick of your wrist. It can also unlock your car as you get close to it or start your smart coffee machine as you wake up in the morning. Taking one function and putting it into use in some other way is going to be the driving force of wearables’ evolution. There are so many ways to better our lives, really put technology to work and to have it co-exist with us in a seamless and practical manner. Wearable technology, although small in size, is going to be the major link between most of the future technology and humans. Their uses are virtually endless, so better start thinking about how you could use one.

Olaine

OUT & ABOUT

The City WORDS & PHOTO ELINA IEVINA

his year, we have our spectacular “Kurzeme Zemgale Regional Session 2014” in Olaine. This A small town, located 25 km from Riga has, but with a huge and impressive history. Most Latvians, especially those who live in Riga, think that Olaine has a small population with lots of industry and factories. It’s really not like that. Before 1940, Olaine did not actually exist. Before the establishment of an urban area, Olaine had only eight small farms. The town began to develop as an urban area mainly because of peat extraction and its subsequent industry development. After this, the town became a centre for other factories such as glue pro-

duction and plastic recycling. With the population reaching 7,000 in 1967, the Latvian Supreme Council Presidium allocated city status to Olaine. During this time, Olaine was one of the most advanced and industrialised cities in Latvia and its glory days were beginning. By this period, the city’s population had inflated so much that there was a need to create larger city borders. The territory of Olaine expanded to twice the size with a green zone and individual properties. However, by 1995, major production was waning. Public companies were eventually eliminated and in 1998 only private establishments were left such as AS “Olainfarm” or SIA “ORC LAT.” Meanwhile, in the same year,

Olaine got its own coat of arms. There are three blood drops, which symbolise life. Cranberry mint with silver leaves and two pink berries evokes marshes; these are in reference to Olaine’s history and current development situation. Olaine is one of the largest cities in the vicinity of Riga. Since the year 2000, every May Olaine celebrates the ‘birthday’ of the city. It has become a tradition with a colourful march, concerts and many other activities. The celebration is organised with the aim to consolidate, delight, engage and spiritually enrich every resident or guest in Olaine. Maybe next year we all will meet at Olaine’s celebration day in May!

VIEWPOINT

Music

Where Have I

Heard This Song WORDS & PHOTO LAURI LAHTINEN

usicians of today are not in an ideal situation with practically every memorable melody and chord progression already having been created. Perhaps surprisingly these circumstances do not seem to affect many people. Countless bands that are virtually indistinguishable from each other happily co-exist all around the globe. Not to mention that all Western Top-40 music sounds exactly the same. Usually modern chart-toppers use the same formula: a basic four-chord progression serves as a base, buzzing synthesisers provide bleeps as a backdrop, and nasal vocals dipped in Auto-Tune™ along with shamelessly clichéd lyrics crown the overproduced mess. Perhaps part of the problem is that there are a few professional songwriters who are involved in basically every new hit song one after the other, for example Dr. Luke. These people have numerous imitators, who are in turn copied by many more and so on. The hit-makers do succeed in creating catchy songs but practically anyone could just take a well-worn four or three chord progression

Before?

and arrive at the same result. It is extremely easy to create music with just a laptop and a microphone these days. There are also superstar DJs that produce bland, washed-up dance tracks with practically no effort or talent required. Dum, dum, dum, dum goes one monotonous beat steadily after the other. Additionally, one hit single has usually a high number of co-writers (the artist themselves not nearly always included). Surely it only takes one or two people to create such clichéd and recycled music and lyrics, right? It is good to note that professional songwriters have existed since before the swinging sixties. Even musician Lou Reed, who later went on to found the seminal avant-garde band Velvet Underground, used to work as an in-house songwriter for a record label. His job was to listen to what was playing on the radio and copy the hit music the best he could. The old times were not necessarily better times. Commercial music is a consumable product and always has been, just like milk and bread. Radio-friendly pop music is by nature extremely simple, formulaic and nothing ground-breaking. Dispos-

Music able music for disposable people, one could say. So the songwriters do not even aim to create classics, but the high chart positions do get them some pocket money. The annoying part is that in most popular music songs even instruments sound similar to those in other songs: drums, synths, even vocals, all of the same grey mass. Everything is also made to be as loud as one can get away with to make sure a whole generation goes deaf at a young age. Hit music is extremely easily accessible, but plays strictly by the rules. Why listen to something that has already been created before, most likely as a much better version? Why would anybody in their right mind like that? Where is the originality? It often sounds like producers put little to no effort in trying to fit at least a little clever part into a song. How do these people even have the guts to present something so highly unoriginal as their own work? In the USA and Europe the charts are full of the same bland Western music, although occasionally a novelty hit from some other continent manages to slip in. A notable example of this is the infamous “Gangnam Style” by the South Korean rapper PSY. However, even in this case the backing track did not sound drastically than many Western ones. After “Gentleman”, the follow-up to “Gangnam Style”, not much new has been heard about

VIEWPOINT

the artist. The mentality is here today, gone tomorrow. Most likely the next song of the season is already around the corner, and one may have heard its tune before. Looking back, many classics from, say, the 1980s sound identical to each other due to trends from that era: larger-than-life drum sounds, plastic pianos, multi-tracked backing vocals and saxophone solos. Similarly modern music is plagued by various problems addressed before. The problem clearly has always been the same. It could be also argued that all classical music too sounds the same. The genre is very traditional and purist, which is revealed by the fact that improvising has no role in classical concerts. Furthermore, no instruments undergo post-processing of any kind. Surely some musicians might have a personal style of playing, but it might be hard to notice by someone who is not musically proficient. In the medieval era, the Catholic Church even monitored music. The most notable example of this is the fact that they had banned the musical interval tritonus, which was called the “diabolus in musica” due to its ominous sound. Nowadays the entity creating similar regulations is the mass of consumers and the chosen dozen or so that writes all the Top-10 hits.

PROFILE

Success

Happiness Behind WORDS & PHOTOS TRIIN NAUDI

Shadowy hallways of Olaine 2.vidusskola, Christmas lights sparkling in the background and a young man called Juris Gogulis sitting in front of me. This is a short description of one of the most inspiring two hours I have ever spent. During our intense discussion, this 23-year-old choreography student from Latvia shared his thoughts and observations on success, failure and life in general.

uris started his career as a dancer and choreographer at an early age of 5. However, at age of 11 he decided to give it up and start playing the manly sport of football instead. “At some age you think that you should be doing what everyone else is doing,” he said. In high school, Juris went back to dancing after being inspired by the Latvian dance and song festival. Ironically, one of his own choreographies is most probably going to be on the programme for the next national dance and song festival. Today he is studying choreography at Latvian Academy of Music while also dancing both folk and ballet dance. Whenever he has time apart from dancing, he takes on a job of a mountain climbing instructor or goes hitchhiking with friends. Juris sees his career choices as his greatest success so far, since it is not easy to find your ‘own thing’ in life. “People must study and do things they love, not just to earn money,” he said. Nowadays, most people make their career choice based on salary prospects, not personal aspirations. Before taking the courage to follow his passion for choreography, Juris took an internship in culture and tourism management in Venice, Italy. The salary was great, the environment incredible and the internship exclusive, but he realised that something

was not right. He missed dancing as a part of his life. “I have failed so many times,” he said, “but if I fail, I try to do it again, because success is hard to achieve. You can’t succeed without failure, I think. At least in my experience. It is always easy to give up and say no, but you should try to stand up and continue. You might fail again and again, but eventually you will succeed”. Finding your passion and goals is the key to your success. “Dream. If you have a dream, you can succeed in anything you want,” said Juris. “Without dreams, it is hard to put love into anything you do”. Unfortunately, our fear of failure often keeps us from reaching higher goals in life. Making mistakes is mostly seen as something overly negative instead of taking it as a lesson to learn from. “People nowadays are sitting in their balloon. They are afraid of standing up and seeing the world out there,” said Juris. It is surely comfortable to live in a balloon, but at times, we as human beings should get away from our comfort zone and accept challenges that life offers us. As Juris’ high school Chemistry teacher once said, “Never miss a chance to do some crazy things and always tell people exactly what you think.” Apart from dancing, Juris was an active member of European Youth Parliament (EYP) for many

Success

PROFILE

Living Your Dream WORDS & PHOTOS TRIIN NAUDI

“Dream. If you have a dream, you can succeed in anything you want.” 37

PROFILE

Success

years. ”EYP is often seen as an opportunity to combine your thoughts about what you want to do in life, because through EYP you meet so many different types of people with whom you can share so much knowledge and experience.” His first session took place 5 years ago. After entering the school building of his first EYP session, Juris remembers seeing the happy faces of the participants. He did not intend to stay at the session longer than a day at first, but eventually he was drawn into staying there until the closing ceremony. “Before the session, I had no idea that it is possible to find such good friends in just a few days. It simply felt like I

had known them for my whole life.” When I asked Juris about what made him stay in the organisation throughout the years, he replied: “It is all about the people. I am here today just because of the people.” In the next few years, Juris is planning to seize the world. He plans to study in Canada and Japan, effectively combining admiration for both travelling and dancing. However, after all that, he sees himself returning to Latvia. “There is something special about the Baltic States’ spirit. When I saw Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians dancing together in a festival for Baltic universities, I understood that Baltic States are something

much more than simply neighbours,” said Juris. What is the secret behind one’s success then? Although the answer can vary from person to person, daring to dream is certainly an important part of it. The people who go after what they want and step out of their comfort zone once in a while are more likely to succeed in reaching their ambitions. After all, why not live life to its fullest while you have the opportunity to do so?

Education

VIEWPOINT

Efficient Learning WORDS & PHOTO KĂ&#x201E;TLIN KRUUSE

s a senior in high school, I have almost twelve years of experience as a student. Many people are still studying in university up to their thirties or even later, for instance while stuyding medicine. Taking this into account, learning is a major part of our life. When I imagine an ordinary schoolday that lasts about seven or eight exhausting hours, students will most likely remember less than half of the material that was taught that day. The reality is that in order to learn, we literally have to change our brains. Learning is all about practical neuroscience. It does not necessarily mean that teachers need to become specialists in the field. However, there are crucial links between scientific discoveries about effective learning that are relevant in education and it seems that many teachers are still not aware of them. Since we are living in 21st century, it may be the time for some serious â&#x20AC;&#x17E;updatingâ&#x20AC;&#x153; of our education system. Learning requires attention. We process, retrieve and store knowledge in specific parts of the brain. The reason why long hours of con-

tinuous learning is not effective is that neurons actually respond to patterned, repetitive information. Why is this important? Because most of our textbooks contain factual information and facts are empty without being

linked to context and background. Basically, what that means is that you will fatigue within approximately five minutes when hearing factual information. Disappointing, but true nev-

ertheless. To enjoy learning, students must be provided novelty and practical options, otherwise the brain will wander away (that person walking down the street has a cool haircut). We have several neural systems and the most effective presentation must move back and forth through them. One does not go to the gym and use just one workout machine for hours and hours, do they? A helpful tool to swallow the dry factual info, the narrative could intertwine with related concepts or emotional input like humour or empathy. Sadly, changing enormous institutions and many years of ingrained education structures is rather difficult. However, it does not mean that the situation cannot be improved. Humans are storytelling creatures and we need to realise that our minds are novelty-seeking organs that need engaging activities to learn. Our future lies in diverse methods of absorbing knowledge. I advise viewing research done by psychologists, as they have found out that the best known methods today are doing practice tests and distributed learning.