Issue 8

Always Free

Issue no. 8 // Septemeber-October

El Independiente The Worst Time of the Year Maria Valls

First of all, I would like to apologize for the delay. of a sudden everything becomes indispensable.

I was working on getting a decent tan during Suddenly everything that you didn’t even look summer (hope you get the irony at this point). at close enough before needs a place in your suitcase. Suddenly you shed a tear for a summer I believe that you will agree with me that the worst cinema ticket, a bracelet from those stalls along time of the year is, without any doubt, the end of the beach, a photo booth picture. You want to summer. And if you’re not, please close the door take everything with you but deep inside you behind you when you leave the room. Finally, the end. know that those things don´t belong where you are going. It is not their place. Their home lies Endings are already sad and ugly in themselves but here, where the sea starts and summer ends. Just this one leaves scars. Especially when you realize that think about this; if everything were to be part of the best comes last. As apparently everything in life. your everyday life, it would no longer be special.

Just picture yourself at 5 a.m. in the morning, out at a bar asking for the last round while “All So far this consolation hasn’t yet convinced me by myself” is blasting into the air. A cloudy because everyone wants to stay. But everything, Sunday while you’re waiting for something to every person, has their time. Therefore I am more happen. That’s the graphic description of the in favour of people who decide to go nuts, lose end of summer. I hope you can now picture it. their mind and take advantage of it. As wanna-behipsters nowadays say “Carpe the F****** Diem”.

You start packing your luggage to go back to that Finally, the end. thing-which-must-not-be-named, “routine” and all

1 Wake up right: Avoid the snooze button! This disrupts your sleep and leaves you more tired.

Wake up with a soothing sound and start your day slowly, with a tranquil shower and breakfast.

2 Get moving: After a smooth start in the morning, you must do some exercise, preferably an activity which you love. Make space for it in your calendar and encourage a friend to join you so the activity becomes more fun.

3

Breakfast bites: A good morning breakfast will boost concentration while providing the necessary minerals and vitamins needed for the rest of the day.

4

Morning rewards: If waking up early is very difficult, try doing so with a list of your favorite songs or planning a morning activity which you like and which will make you want to wake up.

Five Tips on how to Become a Morning Person Marie Emilie Welcome back to another year at University! Hopefully you had a great time and caught up on all those lost hours of sleep. Now that the summer days are over, waking up early becomes difficult, but it is a must for many of us. For this reason, we are sure that some tips on how to become a morning person will work! Waking up early is an advantage that does not only make you optimistic, proactive, healthier and less stressed, it is also a good habit to take advantage of the day and get errands done.

5 Sleep like a pro: This is the best solution to feeling better in the morning since your reaction time is at its best and ones blood pressure is normal. In order to sleep correctly, try taking a shower, reading a book, listening to calm music and stop using any electronic device 45-60 minutes before bed time. At dinner be aware of any food like chocolate which could keep you wide awake and overall, get a comfortable mattress for your bed.

You can now stop “snoozing� your alarm, try these tips and waking up early will become fun!

Reference: Greatist http://greatist.com/happiness/become-a-morning-person

I hope this doesn’t get published Sai Agni I was asked by my editor to Robin Williams’s death declared write an article that would recap to be suicide: “You know I never ‘summer news’. liked the music Robbie Williams played. It just has such a sullen The problem with this task mood to it.” is that one cannot write a comprehensive review of such Germany won the 2014 World an all-encompassing source of Cup: “World Cup – off course information. Likewise, a source we would win. We are ze best… such as this, varies in importance Would you like to have a beer of from person to person and may somesing.” be a petty affair for one or a truth of great importance for another. McDonald’s opened in Segovia: “Dude - the Spanish ministry of For the sake of insensibility, I economics forecasts a growth figured I would ask you what in GDP with the opening of you considered to be news this McDonald’s in Segovia” summer. Having started this for the sake of truly understanding Burger King now delivers: student interests, the result has “Dude - the Spanish ministry of boiled down to a few opinions economics registers a sudden that present more jest than growth of employment as Burger information. I am truly sorry in King starts to deliver in Segovia” advance if anything of the said maybe be offensive. These Celebrity nudes have been are however, the words of your leaked by an unidentified collogues. source: “Man how can Google not fail to moderate the traffic I suppose this is the tongue in after the aggregated searches cheek attempt to start the new of leaked Jennifer Lawrence and academic year on a positive co. started coming in.” note; summer has truly taken its toll. Thank you dear students for your contributions.

No lull in fighting for Donetsk proclaimed ceasefire: “Ukraine Crisis? I don’t follow Australian news but I have heard that they have a civil war. It is so outré” NATO Summit wherein UK and US debate military options against ISIS “Yea man the situation with ISIS is intense. It’s like … The Empire Strikes Back … but better.”

Israel lobbies US anew as another Iran nuclear deadline looms: “Israel War – God I just wish that Israel and Syria could finally be friends.”

Russia placed an embargo on EU goods to reciprocate EU: “Hmm I’m not sure how Russians will eat now. Don’t they only have potatoes” ALS association created a viral campaign: “ I have never seen such a collection of cheap people. Personally, I don’t believe an ice bucket absolve you from being charitable”.

American Sceptic

Tudor Etchells The sheriff of the world, the pop culture machine, the land of the free and fox news. America is at the exclusive centre of our global attention, sometimes for the good it does, more often for the bad, and lets not fail to admit we all enjoy a little dig at the powerhouse that is, be that their accent or their politics. We find ourselves debating whether they are a force for good. Our critical views are not uncalled for and I believe shows a certain amount of active awareness of the countries power.

However, it’s an awareness that merely scratches at the surface using a tool that the media provides that further fails to provide us with any introspective reflection of we as a Continent of Europe stands.

‘supersize it’ attitude we immediately associate with the U.S. This admiration for the American culture also seeps into what we consider as our chief cultural outlets, with our top music charts and films charts that express the incredible talent that Europe posses often being diluted by a mass of, admittedly quality, American productions.

Here, on a continent that prides itself on an array of cultures that thrive alongside each other, we can’t help but to be critical, critical of the very title we have given this Union, Europe. This manifests itself into political parties that stand to exclude any foreign influence on society yet continue to exist across European cities, such as Madrid , where the gap between Eastern Europeans, Asians, Africans, and the locals couldn’t seem any If we are to begin to reflect upon ourselves here in greater.

Heckles of “They take our jobs!”, “They Europe I think we’d find an increasing amount of similarities between our ways, and theirs across are criminal!”, “They reap all the benefits without the pond in the U.S.A. It first struck me when I any contribution!” ring out but if only we could found myself in a shopping mall in Portugal with hear ourselves and take a look at America only 60 shops owned by American chains outnumbering years ago I think we would be in for a shock. I think those owned by Portuguese at least 3:1. You head we would be even more shocked if we explored over to the U.K. and the junk food that is causing the music, the film, the art and the societies that a obesity epidemic looks very similar to the created the numerous cultures we all come from and started to appreciate the vibrant continent for what it truly is.

“This admiration for the American culture also seeps into what we consider as our chief cultural outlets”

Does a future lie within the youth?

Beate Ancevska

“The younger generation – us – are left wondering if we will be able to drive a change for a world where people are able to live sustainably.”

Does a future lie within the youth?

While for us this summer might have seemed short, it has turned the worlds of thousands of people upside down. The overwhelming amount of violence between nations have left many hopeless for a future of peace that so many pageant princesses declare as their biggest wish. But the younger generation – us – are left wondering if we will be able to drive a change for a world where people are able to live sustainably.

We may believe in this scenario – I for one believe that our millennial generation has the ability to apply different measures and solutions to problems that humanity has encountered from the beginning. However, how do we know when the right time to act is? For example, what age are the fact that youth can make political decisions. wemature enough to be able to vote in elections?

I personally didn’t feel that sense of growth that Age limit is an interesting thing. In my country, I was supposed to experience during the night Latvia, you are officially able to vote and go when I turned 18. However, from that moment to prison from the age of 18.; unfortunately it the law believes that I am responsible enough doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be seen to influence such an important matter as my as an adult. In most of the cases you will be government (!!!). I believe back then I was far seen as a young irresponsible teenager that is less mature than some of my 16 year old friends, easily influenced and doesn’t know their limit. however far more than some of my 23 year old I was only invited to sit at the “adults table” as I friends who spent (and probably still spend) all turned 20. The way societies see this coming of their days not giving a care to the world. Should the age has similar patterns worldwide, even if the voting age be lowered, allowing young people to “official” age of maturity differs around the world. become responsible of their decisions earlier? Or should there be an exam that young people have In the world we live in today, democracy is the to pass before they can be considered adults? “popular” political system, where the citizens have What is considered being an adult? If it amounts a say in electing the individuals that influence to spending all days in the office and living just nation-wide decisions. Ideally, we are exposed to earn money, I hope I never become one. to the changes and improvements these people Further, I hope that this October, when the time want to make. I am not going to bring up all the comes, the young Latvians will put down their flaws that this system has, because I believe beer bottles and go and look up the party that that everyone who has been brought up in this can decrease the possibility of Latvia becoming system or who’s studied it knows there are many. the new puppet state with its destiny dictated What I want to question here is the disbelief in by everyone and everything else but itself.

Photo of the Week

Carl Setterdahl

What happened whilst you were procrastinating Two terrorists have been detained in Brussels while they were preparing an attack on the Berlaymont building, headquarters of the European Commission. The couple, a man and a woman just returned from Syria, were planning a jihadist attack. ISIS has given carte blanche to jihadists around the world to kill the unfaithful around the world and continue with the Holy War. Russia is imposing a “full embargo” on food imports from the EU, US and some other Western countries, in response to sanctions over Ukraine.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said it would include fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, milk and dairy imports.

Amazon plunks down nearly $1 billion for Twitch The popular video channel for watching people play video games, Twitch, is being acquired by Amazon for nearly $1 billion. Twitch is used by around 55 million people who stream their own games or watch others play. The video game sector has rapidly grown and is an important source of entertainment and a spectator sport.

On Thursday, the 18th of September a new video has been released, and it is believed that it shows another British hostage.

Three people have already been killed in videos that are believed to be released by the Islamic State. The new footage is different from the other videos as it doesn’t show the hostage being beheaded.

Scotland came to close to claiming it’s independence on Thursday 18th when 55.5% voted to stay united, whilst 44.7% voted Yes to becoming Independent. Prime Minister David cameron as now promised more devolutionary powers to Scotland.

Meet the Team!

Beate Ancevska A daydreamer, a passionate shower singer and sometimes socially awkward Latvian.

In her free time studies Communications, and enjoys sunshine, pizza, trees and people.

-Writer

Tudor Etchells

Maria Valls

A Welsh born student, now studying law in Spain, Tudor enjoys searching for critical insights in our society and reflects upon this in his writing as well as his poetry.

María is currently studying Communication and eating cochinillo in Segovia. She comes from Alicantey Shore.

Green eyes. 1,75m tall if she is wearing heels. Expects to become a serious journalist

-Writer

when she becomes a grown up. You can follow her on twitter @mvalsrock but not in real life, that’d be weird.

-Writer

Marie Manerco

Sai Agni I’ve been around the world twice.

Talked to everyone at least once.

Fell in love thrice. Shaved my head balled and became a monk.

Swept floors at McDonalds. Lived in Ukrainian village as a fisherman.

Played in heavy metal band. Failed a business. Did a bad job at a TED talk. Lifted more than any teen my age. Graduated valedictorian.

Almost failed high school. Been higher than a kite and lower then the shelf. Came to Spain by mistake.

That’s about it for now.

-Writer

Maria Emilia Mancero is a third year communication student who likes to write informal articles that will help people in some ways.

She is a happy, dedicated and opened-minded person trying to pursue a career in the corporate communication area. Her hobbies are dancing and writing.

-Writer

Montserrat Gutierrez Mesegue Montserrat is a second year Architecture student who loves Wes Anderson and Brett Amory.

She grew up in the US, Mexico, Singapore and Qatar. She hopes to end up in Western Europe to be part of the sustainable deisgn movement.

-Layout

Join Us! If you are a student, member of staff, or a professor and would like to write for the El Independiente please send your pitch (around 200 words) or article (between 300 words and 500 words) to the El Indpendiente facebook page or tetchells.llb2012@student.ie.ed for consideration.

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