Issue 3

ALWAYS FREE

ISSUE NO.3

EL INDEPENDIENTE IE STUDENT NEWSPAPER /DECEMBER 2013/

ANOTHER THEORY ON HAPPINESS •••

WHAT TECHNOLOGY IS REALLY DOING TO US •••

say that if I slept with socks on, trees would grow out of my feet – but, oh boy, it is all far from a myth.

Carmo Braga De Costa Guest Writer

Recently I read a book for a class. After the first page I was as angry as Jaden Smith when he saw Miley Cyrus We’ve all heard it. We’ve heard it from twerking at the VMA’s. The book our teachers, our parents, from the (Future Minds: How The Digital Age is class hippie and I’m sure all of us have Changing our Minds, why it matters, come across an article like this during and what we can do about it) could a marathon of Stumbleupon: Categorising people is what simply be described as a rant against Technology is making us dumber. But w e d o a l l t h e t i m e . We Generation Y, X, Z and whatever comes how? And why? categorise them by different next, however, it’s has an array of social g roups, dif ferent scientific proof and fancy MIT learning tactics, and STUDENT CLUBS ANNOUNCEMENTS professor names who generated different types of ••• this proof to back it up. Luckily it personalities. There are so • too has a happy ending: What can IE Christmas Party by IE Student many more categories that we do about it. government - 20 December we all fall into, but in this • New Zumba classes coming on Thursdays article I want to take a What do I mean by “it”? I mean and Fridays by IE Dance Club closer look at the two our lack of ability to stop and p e r s o n a l i t y t y p e s – • The IE Food Drive! Deposit the food in think, to really think, think so boxes around campus - Until December 17. introverts and extroverts. hard that you come up with one IE Segovia Football A Team vs Recently I ran into a newly • of those sentences that go on the developed study that proved picture of a hipster girl walking Fanstickets (1st team in league) that introverts who act like towards a forest holding a jar of Wednesday 11 December extroverts are generally glitter. Sound stupid? Bear with happier. William Fleeson, a me. Here are five consequences of psychology professor even living in the digital age, and what The typical argument is that we can do said: "If you're introverted we can do about it. more things at once, and we know more and act extroverted, you will than our parents did when they were continued on page 4 be happier. It doesn't matter our age. But really how important is it who you are, it's all about to know how to eat a Tic Tac? Or how to what you do". Is that really Serena Nelson Mandela bake a 2-ingredient Nutella cake? The true? Is acting extrovert Williams: memorial brings consequences of being constantly r e a l ly g o i n g t o i mp r o ve connected were always an urban myth 2013 old foes together introvert’s happiness? to me - like when my mother used to season continued on page 3

Beate Ancevska

WHAT HAPPENED WHILST YOU WERE PROCRASTINATING

Free Syrian Army says no ceasefire for Geneva talks

Kiev

China seeks to

Vaccine promises

protesters

boost trade with

longer survival for

topple Lenin

ex-communist

brain tumor

statue as

Europe

patients

was make or break for my career

Ukrainians take to the

No rise in Mass attendance for American

streets

Catholics, despite pope's popularity

THE IMPORTANCE OF A STUDENT GOVERNMENT

PLEASE DON’T PENALISE MY CREATIVITY •••

Sebastian Kruger Guest Writer •••

Tudor Etchells As students, we are naturally pushing the boundaries of anything we surround ourselves with, playing with risk day in and day out, seeing where our limits leave us vulnerable.

This might take the form of seeing how our alcohol tolerance holds up against that of our classmates, publishing of one’s own song or investing time in a project that may come to nothing. It’s in our nature, but we, as the growing force of society, are told to focus on our future: “So don’t get a low grade, plan ahead, think about your job.” We are told to squeeze as much as we can onto our CV and we are taught that our future binds us to the present moment.

The two can go hand in hand. We can start to ask questions, pushing the limits of the institutions that teach us, whilst creating a structure for everybody that will extend into the future: The very mark of our presence.

A student government exists to give the students a voice so that the university administration can enter into dialogue with students; it draws the university forward with all parties on board. An equilibrium needs to develop from such a relationship, whereby the sprightly force of students expanding opinions are met with the bureaucratic necessities of the institution. Changes to calendars proposed, new ideas on the learning culture shared and from it an enhanced system of organisation that facilitates growth in every aspect.

I think most of you will agree with me when I say that we study in a university where creativity is a very important asset. We study here to become entrepreneurs, architects, lawyers, journalists and so on. So, the importance of improving our creative skills is vital to our success in the future. Overall, my personal opinion is that the university does this very well, apart from one aspect: penalising wrong answers on exams.

Many will argue that penalisation of wrong answers is a measure in order to differentiate students who have prepared well for an exam and those who have not. However, if we are to look at simple statistics we can easily see how this doesn't really add up.

For example, most common penalty points apply in multiple question exams where you have four answers to choose from and only one is correct.

If you were to guess your way through an exam like that you would statistically get 25% correct answers, which is quite far from the 50% usually needed to pass an exam.

Yes, it is a hypothetical approach, as students rarely guess on all questions but might guess on maybe half of them and therefore have a 25% chance of passing the exam by simply guessing. In that respect, it does make a difference, but I would like to argue that the price is bigger than the gain.

So what do I mean by that?

As mentioned, we study within fields that require creativity, and in order to be creative you must be prepared to make mistakes.

By penalising wrong answers we create an atmosphere where the most severe thing you can do is to make a mistake. Imagine trying to make a career over time, where innovation and change is more rapid than ever before, with a mindset that naturally discourages us from making mistakes is fostered. I know that I can't see it, and I'm sure most of you would agree with me on the matter.

So please don't penalise our creativity just for the sake of a small minority. Most of us are ambitious students who want to achieve great things in life, and need to depend on our creative power of trial and error.

No such era of collaboration can exist without time, energy and commitment. To put time in the effort, risking the deadline of that essay you need to compose. Energy, to sit through conversation whilst trying to maintain an enthusiasm for the point you want to make. Commitment though, in my eyes, triumphs all; if you can’t make yourself a presence, what right do you have to question another’s decisions?

“No such era of collaboration can exist without time, energy and commitment.”

There is movement towards this ideal. Class representatives as the work horses of such communication are due all the respect that they rarely receive and should continue to make their presence felt. The drive that the student government possesses should be supported by the students whose life it aims to improve.

Yet, I understand the difficulty that comes with dedicating oneself to such a cause of development, but find faith in the knowledge that as young, talented individuals we can push the limits of ourselves, diving into ideas head first not knowing whether it’s the warmth of the pacific ocean, or the murkiness of your garden pond.

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continued from page 1

ANOTHER THEORY ON HAPPINESS Just to define – being introvert doesn’t mean being shy that same way that being extrovert doesn’t mean just being outgoing and friendly. It has more to do with the efficiency that is reached when these people act in their beneficial environment.

Extroverts tend to “fade” and get bored when being alone, whereas introverts feel empowered when in this environment.

Arguably, society is limiting to introvert personalities. Think, for instance, of the importance of group work to education and to professional activities. Because introverts feel energised when alone, and their energy is drained when they are around people, group activities make them less efficient. Group activities are designed for extroverts. Research similar to the aforementioned study takes as its proof the idea that we seek others’ responses and appreciation, or gain satisfaction when expressing our opinions. They may not take into account the fact that introverts gain happiness in a different way: from learning new things or reading a good book. Peer response or appreciation doesn’t play the same kind of role in an introvert’s well-being.

WHY YOU SHOULD STOP SMOKING •••

Maria Emilia Mancero

More than a decade ago, students from the School of Public Health of the University of Montreal conducted research about why young people, between 18 and 24, started to smoke. The research, which was released this August, concluded that, amongst the most common factors, bad grades and impulsiveness were the ones to incite young people to smoke.

The research which started in 1999 consisted of picking 1,293 kids at the age of 12 and monitoring their smoking behaviour in 22 cycles until they turned 24 years old. 75% of the kids did smoke at least once during the follow up, 57% of which started during their study years of high school and college.

“...bad grades and impulsiveness were the ones to incite young people to smoke.”

It is true that students become more stressed during the last years of high school and college, and that smokers believe it helps them relax, and thus they behave less impulsively. However, research showed that impulsiveness to smoke also comes from teen behaviour, which is less restricted by parents as their kids grow up.

As we are entering adulthood it is very important to keep in mind that smoking is an unhealthy habit. Smoking from such and age can lead people to develop respiratory issues, and if the smoking continues, it can cause heart disease and even strokes. Furthermore, rather than relieving stress, smoking increases it. The relief it offers is a psychological effect which does not last for long. An addiction to nicotine adds to your stress.

If you are looking to stop smoking, here are a few tips that will help you to!

List the main reasons for your desire to stop. Set a date to stop and be serious with people when telling them about it. Get rid of every smoking associated item. Accept the withdrawal symptoms. Eat normally and exercise as much as possible. Be strong at social events and during exams. It is okay if you fail. Understand why. If you really want it, try again!

Hope this encourages you to stop!

Remember, the secret of getting ahead is getting started.

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WHAT TECHNOLOGY IS REALLY DOING TO US continued from page 1…

Multi-tasking is making us stressed, depressed and less original.“What? How? I am a proud multi-tasker and refuse to accept this!”. We constantly do things at the same time. Afternoons I catch myself watching a show on the corner of my screen, while chatting to a friend on facebook, while in the middle of writing an email to my teacher, about the essay I am only halfway through. The consequence: We are overloaded with things, so instead of trying to do less, we do more to justify not doing the other things to our full potential.

Doing things poorly makes us even more stressed, and stress leads to depression. On top of all this, we have no time to think, to be creative, and we aren’t absorbing much of the information we are looking at online.

Solution – Stop trying to do ten things at once. You can still do ten things, but get organised and take it slow.

Also, try to disconnect for a little bit everyday, and I don’t mean while you’re in the shower or before you go to bed. Go for a walk, sit on the couch in total silence, GET BORED, boredom leads to creativity and creativity leads to $$$$.

We have become so obsessed with asking whether something can be done that we don’t stop to think if it should be done.#yolo amirite? We need to be careful.

The internet is designed to make everything easier for us: things can be do in a millisecond, at the click of the mouse. I’m not only talking about stupid facebook comments; have you seen how easy it is to buy something on Amazon? “One-click” and I can get that self-help book about meditation that I will never read because I’ll be to o busy clicking on other things. Just because your Wi-Fi connection is fast, doesn’t mean that you have to be too.

Solution - Stop, think, think again, and then click.

that we have lost our capability to love. Yet it is true that we only care about ourselves, and now we have the means to express this (ie. Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Klout, every personal social media website).

It’s all “me me me” with only the pretense of caring about what others are blurting about themselves. The fact that we have the means to express our narcissism might be making us more selfish, which is problematic: ultimately it could lead to the end of the world as we know it.

Solution – Spend time with people IRL and try not to become Mr. Evil, it’s not Fetch.

This could be the end of the world as we know it So one day you are happily Tweeting about going to the doctor for a check-up, next thing you know there is no doctor because we have Doctor Google and an online pharmacy and you already took that online Nurse Course. “What am I going to tweet about now?”.

“Nothing brah. Remember paper? Gone. Record and Book Stores? Gone.” It sounds unrealistic, but we live in a world of supply and demand, and right now what we demand is new iPhones and more apps to help us multitask. Yes, we may not care now, but you don’t know what you have until it’s gone.

Solution – Use technology as a tool, not as an essential thing. Like, it’s not really an Apple. Most importantly, never forget this: “Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they no longer rise when elders enter the room; they contradict their parents, chatter before company; gobble up their food and tyrannise their teachers.”

Because Socrates said it, more than 2000 years ago.

Our memory has been replaced by Google.“Hey, I bet you don’t know what the capital of Mongolia is.” Why do I need to know that? I have Google on my phone and I don’t even need to type, I can just ask a question.Human Brain – 0 Google – 1. Meanwhile our memory (which requires exercise) is shrinking. The implications of this, are pretty obvious.

Solution – Do Sudoku puzzles (ON PAPER) and read a book, seriously.

We are becoming increasingly self-centred.We are becoming increasingly self-centred. Wait, wait, wait.

Before you get angry, I’m not saying that human interaction is being lost; I’m not saying

Photo of the week.

Carl Setterdahl

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A CURIOUS CASE OF X •••

Sai Agnihotram As a person who tries to write as a journalist, I often forget the basic premise of journalism. Journalism is the objective portrayal of facts in a cohesive manner, plus minus the inundation, rhetoric and stylistically quirks.

Consequently this article will be an objective account of an occurrence that happened with a person I am closely acquainted with. For our sake, character – X traveling to country – Y. So, have you considered how much face value the things you learn in university have? Take law for example, do you think there really is an unquestionable rule of law presupposed and upholstered by legal certainty. I would say maybe, but not always.

And neither is it really pragmatic.

Just don’t tell your law professors, especially those that articulate the importance of the ECHR. Here is why.

Character X planned to spend one of his weekends visiting country Y. Having planned the trip, invested his money and likewise having set a number of meetings, he embarked from one of the countries within the EU – what is know as a relatively humane and legally sounds polity that recognised I generation and II generation rights.

After landing within the country of destination, X was passing through border control whereby a lovely officer of immigration evaluated his documents. After about 10-15 minutes of indefinite qu e s t i o n s a n d a n u m b e r o f suggestions that whatever is said

by X is recorded and can be used against him, X began to worry.

Af ter wards 3 equally lovely gentlemen escorted X to something resembling a high tech c a t t l e fe n c e , i n t h e h a l l o f immigration; obviously inexplicably, apart from the comment to not in any way use his mobile device. After about an hour X was taken to an inspection room, striped and all his belonging were journalised. Moments later there was a brief interrogation – mostly trivial information. Scans of hands, eyes a mug shot or two.

After wards X was explained that he is taken into custody of one or another organisation whose name is of no importance and detained in a 5X5 room with about 10-12 other personages that interchangeable left and arrived.

The explained reason for this incarceration was forgery of legal documents and identity theft.

“As a person who tends to write, or much rather tries to write as a journalist, one should not forget the basic premise journalism”

of

An aside about the room and personages then. First there was the stereotypical illegal immigrant that climbed into luggage compartment of the plane.

He was off course yelping now and then because of his frozen hands and feet that were refused to be treated. Among other sounds where the sounds of enemas conducted in the next room for the purpose of unraveling what the contents of swallowed condoms were in the case of more audacious smugglers. There were of course the crying, drunk, vomiting, middle aged, eastern Europeans who albeit being a general nuisance have not been able to overpowered the congregation of Africans and Arabs who protested that they neither could locate the West nor

had appropriate carpets to pray on.

Slightly bewildered by the whole situation and roughly 12 hours into the whole situation X began to think of ways how to alleviate his unfortunate situation. Being deprived of using a mobile, the computer or demands of obtaining a legal advisor X had to suffice with the resources at hand. These included an open public bathroom very much resembling a whole in the floor; a mired in someone e l s e ’ s i n fl i g h t d i n n e r w a t e r fountain; an array of the most depressing books which featured a personal favourite the biographical accounts of the WWII civilians, a TV that televised interrogation videos at full volume and amongst other things the B i b l e a n d a l e ga l b o o k – a compendium of articles one could infringe whilst being detained.

Loosing hope lead X to read the e n t i r e b o o k a n d fi n d t w o provisions.

1. The right to be represented by a lawyer; 2. the right to have a phone call and 3. the provision that one cannot be detained over more than 24 hours by the legal enforcers of the country being entered, if said legal enforcers were not able to produce substantial evidence that the individual has committed a crime within the allotted time frame.

On the basis of that (after protests that quickly boiled down to pleas), X was able to contact his lawyer, articulate the problem and over about 5-6 hours having had his charges dropped to something along the lines of: an attempt of illegally entering a country with insufficient documents (meaning no visa for country Y) X was told that he could leave after a couple of hours. Hours later the captain of the border control escorted X to his plane. He was on his way home.

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Ever heard of Pangea?

continued from page 5.

We are a group of mostly IE students devoted to making an impact on the future of our generation. To do so we have created Pangea; a platform intending to bring young talents from around the world together to prove that our age is not a limitation but our very best authority.

This platform will begin building the greatest of exhibitions of young talent, at the 2014 Starting Point conference that will be held in Madrid from the 18th until the 20th September. The conference will have three key pillars: amazing young speakers from all over the world, the ‘Pangea Master’ with its six interactive workshops led by top professionals and ‘The Village’ which will be the centre point of Pangea. The purpose of the conference is to prove to the world that we as youths can achieve anything we want by setting our minds to it.

Why you may ask? Simply because the consulate of the country in which X was a resident, placed a red tick on the British and Schengen visa of X when establishing a new EU visa. Apparently this renders the document invalid.

Perhaps the dark skin and unshaved visage as well as the arrogant attitude somehow factor into the undesirable equation of 24-hour detention, and yet X was not guilty.

Sure law with a little influence from desperation and whit proved the innocence of X, yet it was this very law, this conduct of norms and procedures that got him into the situation in the first place. I’m not sure I believe in law any longer neither am I sure that you should believe in facades and illusions.

If you are a student, member of staff, or a professor and would like to write for the El

Check us out on our website: pangeaofficial.com

Independiente please send your pitch (around 200 words) or article (between 300 words and 450 words) to tetchells@student.ie.edu

Or Facebook and Twitter

for consideration.

Pangea will serve to prove the potential of young, determined talent, if unleashed. An event showing that the youth, if united, has the key to be the change we all want to see.

Merry Christmas to everyone at IE. And Good Luck with those finals!

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