july 2022
voices MAGAZINE FOR ALL YOUNG PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD
Editorial
Едиторијал
Le vent se lève! … Il faut tenter de vivre!* (Le cimetière marin - Paul Valéry, 1920)
Le vent se lève! … Il faut tenter de vivre!* (Le cimetière marin - Пол Валери, 1920)
Sun is shining, temperatures are rising and people are escaping to the sea : welcome to July! It’s now the time to relax, party or enjoy a good sunbath (but remember to stay hydrated!).
Сонцето пече, температурата расте, а луѓето бегаат накај морето: добредојдовте во јули! Сега е време да се опуштите, да се забавувате или да уживате во сончање (но внимавајте да не дехидрирате).
While everyone is enjoying the feeling of hot sand on their feet, they might not be aware that sand is actually in crisis and that it is very concerning for the future of our cities. You can find more details in Sand is running out. If summer doesn’t bring you positive vibes like everyone, chill. It’s okay, you cannot go full throttle everyday. To comfort you I suggest you to look up for Toxic Positivity or In the claws of sadness articles. Are you smoking? If so, check A million reasons to stop smoking. Please. You can also travel with Trobades - an interesting insight in the culture of Agres or learn about Colombia’s Reincarnation, and many other interesting topics in this July’s edition of VOICES! My Macedonian experience is about to end but I will (maybe) see you in the future! Hugo Lhomedet *The wind rises! … We must try to live! (The Graveyard by the sea - Paul Valéry, 1920)
Додека сите уживаат во чувството на врел песок под своите нозе, можеби не сте свесни дека песокот е всушност во криза и дека е многу загрижувачки за иднината на нашите градови. Повеќе детали можете да најдете во „ВОИСЕС“. Ако летото не ви носи позитивни вибрации како на другите, опуштете се. Во ред е, не можете да одите со полн гас секој ден. За да ве утешам, ви предлагам да барате статии за „токсична позитивност“ или „во канџите на тагата. Дали пушите? Ако е така, има милион причини да престанете да пушите. Ве молам. Можете исто така да патувате со Тробад - интересен увид во културата на Агрес или да дознаете за Реинкарнацијата на Колумбија и многу други интересни теми во јулското издание на „ВОИСЕС“! Моето македонско искуство е пред крај, но ќе се видиме (можеби) во иднина! Се надевам дека летото ви поминува одлично, дека вие и вашето семејство сте здрави и ви посакувам се најдобро! Хуго Ломедет *Ветерот се крева! … Мора да се обидеме да живееме! (Гробиштата покрај морето - Пол Валери, 1920 година)
VCS DIRECTOR: Nikola Stankoski
VOLUNTEERS: Jolanta Ciopcińska Lucile Guéguen COORDINATORS: José Rodrigues Andrej Naumovski Aleksandra Kanasiuk Goran Adamovski Jasse Heikkilä Goran Galabov Joaquim Renaud Selina Niemi Hugo Lhomedet Ewelina Chańska Angelina Berndt Marie Kiel
EXTERNAL WRITERS: Annik Fasold Dragana Andreevska Carole Alibert Marija Marinkovikj Anja Maksimovska Maja Argirova Iva Petrova Predrag Dimkovski TRANSLATORS: Stefan Nikolovski Dora Arifi
DESIGNERS: Selina Niemi José Rodrigues Aleksandra Kanasiuk Joaquim Renaud Hugo Lhomedet Jolanta Ciopcińska Lucile Guéguen Angelina Berndt Marie Kiel Annik Fasold
CONTACT: Volunteers Centre Skopje Emil Zola 3/3-1, 1000, Skopje +389 22 772 095 vcs_contact@yahoo.com www.vcs.org.mk
PROOFREADERS: Elen Wright-Stead Edward Stead
VOICES magazine is coordinated, designed and created by ESC and local volunteers with support of Erasmus+ program.
content
VOICES July 2022 - issue 7
topic of the month 4
Sands are running out
8
Песокот наскоро ќе го снема
Angelina Berndt
Анџелина Берндт
music 6
Sixto Rodriguez: American zero, South African hero Hugo Lhomedet
reportage 10
Toxic positivity aka positive vibes only
12
Colombia’s reincarnation
14
Trade is more
16
A million reasons to stop smoking
29
Crypto светот и токенот NFT Ања Максимовска, Маја Аргирова, Ива Петрова, Предраг Димковски
Annik Fasold
Lucile Guéguen José Rodrigues
4
Marie Kiel
culture 18
History of the United States through the eyes of Martin Scorsese Joaquim Renaud
20
In the claws of sadness: why do people like sad art ? Aleksandra Kanasiuk
22
Historia e Shteteve të Bashkuara përmes syve të Martin Scorsese Joaquim Renaud
24
12
Trobades, an interesting insight of the Agres culture Marija Marinkovikj
opinion 26
Two little clicks and it’s done #filterdrop
28
Couchsurfing
Nourada Chaffai Carole Alibert
COVER: Heather Shevlin, Unsplash
24
VOICES - 3
topic of the month
“Sand is the main material that modern cities are made of. It is to cities what flour is to bread, what cells are to our bodies”, says the journalist Vincent Beiser in his book “The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization”. Even though the sand is hidden from our eyes it is everywhere around us. We use it not only for making glass, steel and concrete - which is literally the fundament of every modern city -, but also paint, computer chips and even toothpaste. In fact, we use sand so much, that besides water it is the most relevant resource in the world.
B
ut not every kind of sand is fit for further processing. Based on the size of the grain sand can be classified into three categories: coarse, medium and fine. The first one is more suitable for building and forming since it sticks together easily. While coarse sand mostly comes from coasts, rivers, and lakes and has rough edges shaped by water, finer one is smoothed down by the wind in deserts.
Impact of sand mining Removing sand from coasts and waters is extremely problematic though. Sand is an essential element for ecosystems and part of biotopes that provide a home to very specialized life forms such as aquatic plants, shells, crustaceans, birds, fishes, snails and many others. They are all part of a complicated biotope sensitive to external influences. 4 - VOICES
Extracting sand from marine habitats does directly endanger the species living in and on the sand, by that it also brings imbalance to the food chains. Sea birds, for example, which eat worms and mussels living in the sand, might lose their most important food source. In addition, the process of sand mining in itself already leads to the pollution of surface and groundwater, which again has devastating consequences for the marine wildlife and human populations living there. Sand mining is a menace for biodiversity.
“More than 20 Indonesian islands have disappeared into the ocean and the Maldives [...] will be gone by the end of the century.” Moreover, sand acts as a natural barrier against costal erosion and natural
disasters like tsunamis and hurricanes. Without a natural sand barrier, salt water can seep into the soil resulting in infertile and instable grounds. Extensive beaches gently break down waves and can reduce their energy to 50% per 4,5 meters. This is vital for people living close to water and especially those living on islands. If too much sand is taken away the consequences are collapsing riverbanks, sinking islands and disappearing shorelines. This risk only increases with the rising sea levels because of climate change. The consequences of sand mining can be seen all over the world. Over 75% of all the beaches in the world are already retreating. More than 20 Indonesian islands have disappeared into the ocean and the Maldives, according to the national geographic, will be gone by the end of the century. In India, Peru and Morocco water pollution, erosion and the loss of biodiversity have
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reached levels one cannot imagine. In addition to that, sand mining is not sustainable for the economy as well. While certain local branches like the fish or the tourism industry severely suffer from sand mining, the worst part is that the exporting states like Vietnam, Cambodia or Malaysia do not even profit from it. At least not in a way one might expect.
of tons of sand worldwide and their business is booming.
Seemingly all of those countries officially stopped exporting sand due to scarcity. Still, there has been evidence that they have played in a great role in supplying Singapore, which needs sand to artificially expand their territory for the growing population, with hundred of tons of sand. But if the population of sand exporting countries does not make a profit, who does?
“Hundreds had to die just to keep the illegal sand trade alive.”
The sand mafia The answer: The sand mafia. What might sound like a joke at first is the horrible truth. The hunger for sand is insatiable in a world where the construction industry is constantly growing, and consumerism is increasing. Legally there is no way to cover those needs but the black-market steels billions
In India the sand mafia is the biggest organization of the country. Around two billion tons of sand are stolen annually and over 75.000 men work illegally as sand miners. They get paid poorly for the dangerous job. Often, they have to dive for the sand in
rivers like the Vasai Creek without any equipment besides a bucket, many drown because they loose orientation in the muddy and polluted waters or because they are so exhausted that the weight of the sand pulls them down again. Whoever tries to stop the sand mafia and their cruel doings has to pay, though. Hundreds had to die just to keep the illegal sand trade alive.
How we can improve
and to save our sand is to look for alternatives. Sand is no infinite resource; our sands are running out and new sand takes up to 1000 years to form. Recycling glass and concrete is a way to go. A lot of countries already have started to recycle glass bottles, but we must consider the bigger picture. Many companies also began to find ways in which we can make desert sand helpful for building purposes by using binding agents or tried to “grow” bricks from bacteria and mushrooms. There are a lot of creative solutions out there, we just need to look into them further.
“Sand is no infinite resource; our sands are running out” As individuals, we can start by raising awareness for a global crisis way too little people talk about. Don’t look away and pull your head out of the sand. Angelina Berndt
A way to stop the illegal sand business
Sources: Vince Beiser - “The world in a Grain” ; WWF Review 2018 - “Impacts of sand mining” ; National Geographic - “The Maldives is being swallowed by the sea. Can it adapt?” ; U.S Climate Resiliance Toolkit - “Coastal Erosion” ; TradeMachines - “Why the world is running out of sand” ; ABC News In-depth - “Exposing the Sand Mafia’s of India” ; Forbes - “How Sand Mining Is Quietly Creating A Major Global Environmental Crisis”
VOICES - 5
music
Sixto Rodriguez: American Zero South African Hero
We are in the late ‘60s, the Civil Rights movement is rising, the Vietnam war is raging, and apartheid is dividing, but music, culture, and people’s mind are changing. Amongst this messy context, a lower-class construction worker from Detroit will change the world. Without even knowing it! Let me tell you the unbelievable story of Sixto Rodriguez, one of the voices of oppressed people in South Africa during the apartheid.
B
orn in 1942 in Detroit, Sixto Rodriguez comes from a poor Mexican immigrant family that came to Detroit to seek a job in the industrial branch. At this time, Mexican immigrants were marginalized and alienated by the US people, a topic he approaches in his songs very often. He worked in demolition and production lines and consistently earned a low income. But the real story begins now. In 1967, under “Rod Riguez,” he published a single called Robert Sobukwe during an antiapartheid protest, 1960
6 - VOICES
“I’ll Slip Away,” which went unnoticed by the audience. Three years later, after signing with Sussex Records, he published his first album, “Cold Fact,” in 1970, and a year later, in 1971, his second album, “Coming from reality.” Both are incredibly great albums, discussing anti-establishment, sex, and working conditions. The albums are made from ballads and folk songs with a few psychedelic influences, which are rising in this period. Unfortunately, they both made big flops in the USA, only selling a couple of copies. This led the record labels to abandon him and resign their deal. Rodriguez wasn’t furious about it, so he returned to
музика
work in his demolition company for approximately ten years. There was no Internet then, so it’s normal that he didn’t know he had sold over 500 ‘000 copies in South Africa and Australia. Wait… What? While he quit music and went back to work to focus on his life and family, something unusual happened. There is no absolute certainty, but the story says that a girl from the USA went to South Africa to visit her boyfriend, bringing the album “Cold Fact” with her. After she made him listen to the album, he wanted to buy it, but it was impossible to find it. That’s where (we think) the copies started. Illegally, hundreds and hundreds of copies were printed from the original CD, and the people in South Africa discovered a new approach to life. South Africa, at this time, was an authoritarian society in which the white minority ruled the country. Dividing with the apartheid, censoring songs and art if it wasn’t following their ideas, no TV before 1976… Everything was under the control of the government. But the government couldn’t control the illegal copies of “Cold Fact,” and it spread fast. The explicit lyrics inside it had the same impact on South African people as Jimi Hendrix had on the US soldiers during the Vietnam war. Songs like “The Establishment’s Blues” or “I wonder” became anthems of the anti-apartheid movement. They never heard lyrics this raw because of the censorship of the government. So you can understand that when he says: “This system’s gonna fall soon, to an angry young tune. And that’s a concrete cold fact.” or even: “I wonder how many times you’ve had sex, and I wonder do you know who’ll be next?” People freaked out. For the first time,
they had a voice. The government tried to censor the album on the radio, but it was too late. Everyone in Cape Town (the capital) had the album “Cold Fact” on their shelves. He became a legend there, and people invented crazy stories thinking that he died. Some said he shot himself on stage after people dissed his performance; others said he poured gas on himself and lit it up. But none of this was true. He was alive and still working in his demolition company in Detroit, still not knowing he was famous abroad.
“
He sold more copies than Elvis With everyone Presley in South growing up to his music, some people Africa wanted to know who
he was. Because there was nothing about him, nothing more than these crazy stories and the album cover of “Cold Fact.” This is few for a man this famous. But people and the Internet will change Rodriguez’s life; it all started with Stephen “Sugar” Segermen.
music. He traveled worldwide, played everywhere, and earned a ton of money, but he gave most of it to the people he cared about and to charity. He still lives in the same house he bought in the 80s in the suburbs of Detroit, even though he could move everywhere. During his “unknown” career, he sold more copies than Elvis Presley in South Africa, and still, he stayed humble and did not let greed and pride come into his peaceful life. This fantastic story is told in a documentary called “Searching for Sugar Man” by Malik Bendjelloul, published in 2012. The documentary won the Oscar for Best Documentary. It is a fun fact: Rodriguez didn’t want to foreshadow the director and the movie’s crew, so he refused to attend to it and peacefully slept when he won. Hugo Lhomedet Sources: Searching for Sugar Man : Malik Bendjelloul, 2012 Rolling Stone Magazine: 10 Fact you didn’t know about Rodriguez Wikipedia: SIxto Rodriguez
After wondering what happened to his favorite childhood artist, he started to look for him in the late 90s. After many failed attempts, he tried to put an advertisement on the Internet, which worked better than he thought. Sixto Rodriguez’s daughter came across it randomly and texted Stephen that she was her daughter and that Rodriguez was alive. Stephen couldn’t believe it. His favorite artist didn’t die and is living in Detroit. There started another story, the one of an unknown American man going to South Africa and being circled by paparazzi, praised by people, making big concerts, each played a full house. Today, Sixto Rodriguez is still alive and a solid 80 years old man who quit his dirty job in the 90’s for
Photo: Rodriguez during a gig, B0rder, CC BY-SA 3.0
VOICES - 7
topic of the month
“Песокот е основниот материјал од кој се изградени денешните градови. Песокот за градовите е она што е брашното за лебот, што се клетките за нашите тела”, вели новинарот Винс Бајзер во неговата книга “Светот во зрно: Приказната за песокот и начинот на кој ја трансформираше цивилизацијата”. Иако песокот е скриен од нашиот видик, тој е насекаде околу нас. Го користиме не само за правење на стакло, челик и бетон, што е буквално основата на еден модерен град, туку и за боја, компјутерски чипови, па дури и паста за заби. Всушност, песокот го користиме толку многу што покрај водата е еден од најважните ресурси во светот.
Н
о не секој вид на песок е погоден за понатамошна преработка. Врз основа на големината на зрното, песокот може да се класифицира во 3 категории: крупен, среден и ситен. Додека крупниот песок главно потекнува од бреговите, реките и езерата и има груби рабови кои се обликувани од водата, ситниот е измазнет од ветерот во пустините. За градежништвото првиот вид е многу посоодветен, бидејќи многу полесно се соединува. Влијанието на ископувањето песок Отстранувањето на песок од бреговите и водните површини е сепак крајно проблематично. Песокот е важен сегмент за екосистемите и е дел од биотопот во кој живеат голем дел специјализирани животни форми вклучувајќи: водни растенија, школки, раковидни животни, птици, риби, полжави и многу други. Сите тие се дел од сложениот биотоп кој е мошне сензитивен на надворешни влијанија. Земањето песок од морските живеалишта директно ги загрозува видовите кои живеат во и на песокот, а тоа придонесува до дисбаланс во синџирот на исхрана. Како на пример морските птици, кои се исхрануваат со црви и школки кои живеат во песокот, можат да го изгубат нивниот најголем извор на храна. Освен тоа, 8 - VOICES
самиот процес на ископување на песок придонесува на загадувањето на површината и подземните води и со себе носи деструктивни последици за морскиот животински свет и за човечката популација која живее на тие простори. Ископувањето на песокот претставува закана за биодиверзитетот. Покрај тоа, песокот делува како природна бариера против ерозија на бреговите и природните катастрофи како што се цунами и урагани. Без природната песочна бариера, солената морска вода може да навлезе во почвата, а тоа би резултирало со правејќи ја неплодна и нестабилна. Обемните плажи постепено ги ублажуваат брановите и можат да ја намалат нивната енергија до 50% на 4,5 метри. Ова е од витално значење за луѓето кои живеат во близина на брегот, а особено за оние што живеат на островите. Ако се одземе премногу песок, тогаш последиците би биле пропаѓање на речните корита, тонење на островите и исчезнување на крајбрежјата. Овој ризик се повеќе и повеќе расте со покачување на нивото на морето како резултат на климатските промени. Последиците од ископувањето на песок може да се видат на секаде низ светот. Над 75% од сите плажи ширум светот веќе се намалуваат. Повеќе од 20 индонезиски острови имаат исчезнато и Малдивите, според The
National Geographic, ќе ги снема до крајот на овој век. Во Индија, Перу и Мароко, загадувањето на водата, ерозијата и губитокот на биодиверзитетот имаат стигнато до незамисливо ниво. Бездруго, ископот на песок не е погоден ниту за економијата. Додека одредени локални гранки, како што се риболовот и туризмот сериозно страдаат, најлошиот дел е што државите извознички како Виетнам, Камбоџа или Малезија, воопшто и не профитираат од тоа. Барем не на начин на кој би очекувале. Навидум, сите овие држави официјално го имаат запрено извозот на песок поради нeговиот недостиг, постојат докази кои укажуваат дека тие имаат голем удел во снабдувањето на Сингапур, кој има потреба од песок со цел вештачки да ја прошири територијата за неговата растечка популација, со стотици тони песок. Па доколку популацијата на државите извознички не профитира, кој профитира тогаш? Песочната мафија Одговорот е: Песочната мафија. Нешто што навидум звучи на шега е всушност една ужасна вистина. Во свет каде градежната индустрија постојано расте и конзумеризмот се зголемува, “гладот” за песок е
тема на месецот
ненаситен. Легално, не постои начин да се задоволат овие потреби, па затоа црниот пазар краде милијарди тони песок ширум светот и нивниот бизнис буквално цвета. Во Индија, Песочната мафија е најголемата организација во земјата. Околу две милијарди тони песок се крадат на годишно ниво и над 75.000 мажи работат илегално како копачи на песок. Платени се премалку за оваа опасна работа. Често, работата им налага да нуркаат во реките, како Васаи Крик, без никаква опрема освен една кофа, затоа голем дел од нив завршуваат фатално бидејќи губат ориентација поради калливите и загадени води, или пак поради премореност од тежината на песокот
кој ги влече надолу. Секој оној кој ќе се обиде да ја запре Песочната мафија и нивните ужасни дела, скапо плаќа. Стотици имаат умрено само да го задржат овој илегален занает до денес. Постои ли можност за подобрување? Еден начин да се запре овој илегален бизнис и да се зачува песокот е пронаоѓањето на алтернативи. Рециклирањето на стакло и бетон е еден од начините да се постигне тоа. Песокот не е неограничен ресурс; скоро и па ќе го снема, а потребно е до 1000 години да се формира нов. Голем дел од земјите веќе имаат започнато да ги рециклираат стаклените шишиња,
но би требало да мислиме малку пошироко. Многу компании истотака имаат почнато да бараат начини со кои ќе го приспособат пустинскиот песок за градежни цели, користејќи поврзувачки соединенија или пак обидувајќи се да “одгледуваат” тули од бактерии и печурки. Постојат многу креативни решенија, на нас останува да ги истражиме подетално. Како индивидуи можеме да почнеме да ја будиме свеста на луѓето за оваа глобална криза за која не доволно се зборува. Не замижувајте и време е да ја извадите главата од песок! Анџелина Берндт Превод: Стефан Николовски
VOICES - 9
reportage
Toxic POSITIVITY aka
good
vibes
only
Why are you sad? Your thoughts, your problems, your sickness everything is in your head if you would just change your way of thinking you could be happy. Toxic positivity is #PositiveVibesOnly promoting the ideal or goal that, no matter scaping reality to be happy all the time can result in not knowing the circumstances, one how to deal with pain, how to build should always and only connections with people and how to develop yourself. Hiding negative maintain a positive, feelings and trying to ignore all problems and negative emotions can happy or optimistic be dangerous. In particular for people mindset. with a difficult childhood and youth, it can
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E
lead to chronic optimism, every problem is just smiled away. Sometimes it can extremize to an unhealthy behavior and it changes in a reality escape.
“Positivity- a state of mind that everybody wants to achieve. ‘The practice of being or tendency to be positive or optimistic in attitude’, defined by the Oxford English Dictionary book.” Being positive doesn’t mean to ignore bad experiences and difficulties. While trying to live in a positive way, it´s important to acknowledge problems, to learn from them, to use the new knowledge to improve yourself and grow. “Natalie Hendry from RMIT University's School of Media and Communication says social media is a breeding ground for toxic positivity, because the face-tuned picture-perfect lives can leave us feeling like we have to be happy — all the time.” Many people are aware of the lack of reality in social media. Often the selection of the pictures 10 - VOICES
репортажа
or videos being posted are not honest, although no influencer or social media user can forcefully show their panic attacks instead of a new happy dance video. However, it becomes toxic when one-sided ideas and attitudes are spread that convey that the only way to live life is to be happy. “The law of attraction” - a new thought in the early 19th century - “is a philosophy suggesting that positive thoughts bring positive results into a person's life, while negative thoughts bring negative outcomes.” The law of attraction helps you to focus and create your own reality. To work on your optimism, try to be grateful, learn how to identify negative thinking and visualize your goals. A lot of people claim that you could just change the physical reality with happy thoughts. Unfortunately, you can not heal your depression or cancer with a smile. Also, wealth and success won´t come to you just because you wish for it. With this train of thought, people in crisis, with money problems or unhappy people are condemned because they themselves would be to blame for their problems. If they do not have the right thoughts or attitude, they themselves would be to blame for their unhappiness. You cannot always be happy in life; bad things happen everywhere and to everyone. People break your heart; your dog dies, innocent human beings are murdered or someone you love gets sick. But in these cases, you cannot look on the bright sight of live or being told that you should just smile and be happy. You have to stand up, fight and make a change. Annik Fasold
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No one wants to wake up from a good dream. It’s the nightmares that make us want to wake up, to make a change. The good dreams make us want to stay in bed. The nightmares motivate us.
Sources: Wanderlust-Introvert: Toxic Positivity in sozialen Medien Brokenheartsredeemed.blogspot: Toxic Positivity and grief what you need ABC: Everyday toxic positivity on social media and how to avoid it Healthy place: Self help positivity what is positivity the definition may surprise you Very well mind: Understanding and using the law of attraction Eldad better life medium: Why do we have to suffer to grow god damn it AOK: Pk Magazin Wohlbefinden Achtsamkeit toxic positivity der Zwang zum Gluecklichsein Successconsciousness: Blog positive attitude what is positive
Eldad Ben-Moshe
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reportage
The Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, whose story was chronicled in the wildly popular Netflix series “Narcos,” made Colombia synonymous with the cartel, cocaine, and violence. From an almost failed state with countless problems of drug trafficking, violence, and guerrilla warfare, Colombia seems to be opening a new era of change. How did Colombia achieve such a remarkable transformation ?
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olombia’s violence started at the midpoint of the twentieth century. Several armed guerrilla groups emerged during this period, also known as La Violencia. Created in 1964, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) was the country’s most prominent and bestequipped guerilla organization. Due to the fragility of state control, guerrilla forces created extensive strongholds in many areas where they implemented local government policies and exercised significant control over the local population. The guerrillas gradually gained strength in partnership with the drug cartels, which provided them with weapons. For twenty years, cartels effectively took over the country. Founded and led by Pablo Escobar, the Medellin cartel was the first major Colombian drug group to emerge in history. It rapidly became a ruthless organization, systematically kidnapping or murdering those who resisted the cartel’s 12 - VOICES
Colombia’ ia’s
intimidation, including politicians, journalists, and innocent bystanders. Violent crime tripled between the 1970s and 1990s. Escobar wielded tremendous influence and wealth, with a reported worth of 25 billion dollars. The drug trafficker had so much money to spend that he had a 7.7-square-mile estate, a private airport, and an actual zoo with giraffes, lions, elephants, and hippos. Eventually viewed as a preeminent threat by the authorities, Escobar was caught and killed by a Colombian police unit in December 1993. Despite the partial dismantling of the Medellin cartel, cocaine trafficking became the economic and commercial base of the country for years to come. The power vacuum left in the illegal drug business by the death of Escobar was sought to be filled by FARC and other paramilitary and drug trafficking groups. During Escobar’s reign, Colombia was not a big coca producer. The cartels used to import coca seeds and paste from Bolivia
and Peru. The coca products were processed into cocaine in Colombia and then smuggled through most of the trafficking routes into the United States, the world’s largest consumer of cocaine and other illegal drugs. Between 1993 and 1999, Colombia became the leading global producer of raw cocoa, refined cocaine, and one of the major exporters of heroin.
Despite enduring years of high crime and violence until recently, Colombia achieved what many thought was impossible. After years of painstaking negotiations and political obstacles, the Colombian government and the FARC rebel movement signed a peace agreement in 2016, ending a five-decade-long conflict. Since then, safety conditions have improved, and the economy has rebounded. Colombia has become a strengthening middle-income country with a lot of potential, prompting many businesses to relocate to Colombia to take advantage of its growth opportunities.
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reincarnation The country’s second-largest city Medellín is one of the few cities that has undergone an enormous transformation. It all began in 2003 when Sergio Fajardo was elected mayor of Medellín. The reforms he led focused on education and community-building; he aimed to restore peace and equality among residents and prevent youngsters from falling into criminal behaviors.
The Metrocable has become the emblem of Medellin’s transformation. The city government invested heavily in its poorest neighborhoods that creep up the hills. The city created extensive transportation systems to give people living in the deprived areas of the city more accessible access to economic opportunities in the downtown area. Likewise, a giant 384-meter covered outdoor escalator was built in Comuna 13, the “thirteenth commune” of Medellin located on one of the hillsides. These groundbreaking transportation systems have significantly reduced the
commuting time of the population. The residents of Comuna 13 who have long had to make a long and sweaty climb of hundreds of steps the equivalent of a 28-story building - can now commute conveniently to the town center in six minutes. Moreover, the poorest slum housing now has adequate and reliable access to water and electricity. The city also built an extensive network of quality public libraries, schools, parks, and other facilities citywide. These farreaching measures helped the city turn a page on its bloodied past, dramatically easing poverty and crime. Although many problems still afflict Medellin, the city has established itself as a trailblazer for social inclusion and innovation in Colombia and Latin America. Today’s Colombia is both beautiful and complex, but the country intends to do more and better. The government wants to be seen as a nation focused on protecting its
biodiversity with ambitious climatechange targets. Colombia has committed to reducing its carbon emissions by at least 20 percent by 2030, with plans focusing on tackling deforestation and creating renewable energy sources. As today’s one of the strongest-performing economies in Latin America, Colombia is progressing forwards, accepting its past, and moving toward a brighter future. Lucile Guéguen Sources: Insight Crime, Colombia’s Criminal Evolution 25 Years After Pablo Escobar’s Death Time, What to Know About the Origins of Colombia’s FARC Journal of Illicit Economies and Development, Colombia, the Drug Wars and the Politics of Drug Policy Displacement – from La Violencia to UNGASS 2016
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reportage
Have you ever wished to get something without spending money? Yes, it sounds a little crazy, but it is possible. This is what trades are based on. Get something just by exchanging items without “touch” money. Some people still use this type of economy as a usual way of life, but others have started using it, as a challenge since we live in a heavily capitalist world.
Sources: Youtube - Yes Theory YouTube - What if you could trade a paperclip for a house? | Kyle MacDonald | TEDxVienna Photo: Kyle MacDonald | Flickr
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TRADE IS
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n 2005, Kyle MacDonald made something that looked impossible and crazy. He traded a paper clip for a house that trade, in the beginning, was just for fun to see how far he could get. The only goal was to have, and in the end get a high-value item. The first trade he made was a paper clip for a fish pen, then a doorknob, and one and one. Not all trades were fast or easy to make. Still, that one was quite famous. When he traded an afternoon with Alice Cooper (the lead singer of KISS) for a snow globe, many people said that trade was the worst trade ever made, but that trade gave him a movie role that ended up in a house. We can say that he inspires many people to try to attempt this achievement or very similar ones, like Yes Theory that in 3 days, got a ticket to Kilimanjaro, in the streets of London, just for asking
strangers. This video showed everyone that this challenge is not as easy as it looks. You have a lot of struggles to trade one item, and at the uprising value of things become harder and harder to keep going. In ongoing days where the inflation is growing without a stop on the horizon, with a lot of people spending money just because they like or do not know what to do with a lot of money, I think that it will be great if we could implement again trade option to “buy” an item or a service, if we are starting to accept digital coins for that, why not trade option as well? That will be great for a circular economy and give a new life to something we don´t need and want anymore. José Rodrigues
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reportage
A Million Reasons to Stop Smoking
(or to never start)
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hile it’s common knowledge that smoking harms you and your loved ones, only numbers and facts can show in detail the impact smoking has on our surroundings. To highlight the importance of the topic: every second adult smokes in Macedonia - to be exact, 48.4% smoke regularly. Tobacco itself is an essential factor in poverty worldwide as it diverts focus from savings being spent on basic needs like food and housing. Still, it’s also responsible for 8 million smoking-related deaths. WHO defines that 7 million of those originate from direct tobacco use and 1.2 million from non-smokers being exposed to secondhand smoke. A single cigarette contains over 7000 chemicals; many ingredients are poisonous and over 60 cancerous. To name a few, there are Carbon monoxide, Acetone (found in nail polish remover), Arsenic and Pesticides (found in rat poison and used to kill insects) in manufactured cigarettes.
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What happens to the environment?
can change a cell’s DNA, resulting in uninhibited growth.
Stopping smoking can be very difficult though it’s incredibly worth it at any age regardless of how much you have Especially during adolescence stage been smoking in time and quantity. There is an incredibly long list of why will smoking harm you, as the brain To put it into perspective, more than smoking isn’t ethical and its shocking isn’t developed before roughly ten times as many US citizens environmental footprint. To sum up the age of 25. It increases have died from smoking a few of the main issues - beginning the risk for future cigarettes than fighting in the country of origin and then addictions and actively in all American wars. following the path of production; More than ten times There are loads of harms parts of the Firstly, 5% of the world’s deforestation as many US citizens free websites and brain that control is directly connected to tobacco attention, learning, have died from coaching for people cultivation. Every year, an area twice and impulse control. to receive support smoking cigarettes from the size of the island of Barbados professionals, is used to grow tobacco (200,000 than fighting in all including free quitting hectares). plans – just one Google American wars What happens search away! You can Secondly, the packaging of cigarettes to your friends and find help in counseling and contributes about 2 million tons to family? medication like nicotine replacement the general waste yearly, which fits in products or tablets. about 9433 freight wagons – for the Passive smoking harms the body at packages only! similar rates (relative to concentration) To have a slight motivational boost, like actual smoking. It consists of not only will you save loads of money An addition to this are Cigarette buds: mainstream and side stream smoke (and will stop smelling), but your body Cigarette buds, the most discarded which describes the smoke exhaled by will thank you even more: after 48 waste product in the world, take 15 the smoker and the smoke that comes hours, your smelling and tasting will years to decompose. This is especially from burning cigarette ends. improve, in 1-9 months coughing and bad for the environment as toxins like short breath will start reducing, your Arsenic and Benzoyl are set free during Secondhand smoke is much more skin will get more elastic and your the process and destroy soil and damaging to children than to adults nails will lose discoloration, after three water. They change whole ecosystems due to different developing stages; years your risk of a heart attack has by killing fishes and other organisms! studies show that children in smokers’ decreased to that of a non-smoker, (don’t throw your cigarette buds to homes get sick more often, especially five years without smoking bisects the the ground). with lung-related diseases, and their chance of getting mouth-, throat- or lungs are less developed than children esophagus cancer. This isn’t even half What happens to your body? in non-smoker homes. Severe and of the benefits. frequent asthma attacks are more Smoking harms nearly every common and can trigger Sudden One last thing: If you manage to go single organ in your body Infant Death Syndrome. for a whole week, you are nine times and is a significant factor as likely to quit successfully – so why for chronic illness, e.g., But even in adults, don’t you challenge yourself and try in the cardiovascular health risks increase But even in adults, health drastically as non- for a week? system, respiratory risks increase drastically diseases and smokers exposed cancer. It comes to smoke at home Marie Kiel as non-smokers exposed easy to downplay or work have to smoke at home or those illnesses but a higher risk of Sources: work have a higher risk of lung cancer by 20- Quarks - Rauchen: Schleht fuer dich, schlecht fuer keep in mind this die Umwelt will mainly affect the 30%, ever with the lung cancer by 20-30% Quarks - Das passiert in deinem Koerper, wenn du people close to you, amount of exposure. jetzt aufhoerst having to care for you, Statista - Rauchen - Statistiken und Zahlen WHO - Tobacco who will be hurting after all. What now?
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Nearly 9/10 of lung cancers are caused by smoking cigarettes, and the risk of getting lung cancer is increased by 25 times. There are two main reasons why cigarettes increase cancer of any type in your body: Firstly, poison in cigarette smoke weakens your body’s immune system, which averts the focus from fighting cancerous cells. Secondly, cigarette poisons
Ways to reduce health issues if you are a smoker to non-smoking relatives and co-workers– don’t allow smoking in closed rooms e.g., in the car, daycare facilities, or at home as well as avoid restaurants where smoking is allowed – even “No-smoking-sections” don’t protect from secondhand smoke.
Irish Cancer Society - Secondhand smoke CDC - Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke CDC - Heated Tobacco Products tobacconomics - Tobacco Consumption in North Macedonia (Fact Sheet) NIH - Socioeconomic status nd cigarette expenditure among US households: results from 2010 to 2015 Consumer Expenditure Survey dkfz - Fakten zum Rauchen
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reportage
History of the United States through the eyes of Martin Scorsese
“Movies touch our hearts and awaken our vision, and change the way we see things. They take us to other places, they open doors and minds. Movies are the memories of our life time, we need to keep them alive.” Martin Scorsese 18 - VOICES
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artin Scorsese was born in 1942 in Queens, New York in a traditional Sicilian family. He has been in the world of cinema really early in his life given that his two parents were actors. Being asthmatic, he hasn’t been able to practice any sports, so instead of this, his parents were taking him to the cinema very often. He fell in love with the cinema of John Ford, Hitchcock or Orson Welles. Later he decided to go to art university to study cinema. His first success was Mean Streets in 1973 which was also the occasion for him to meet Robert DeNiro. In 1976, he win the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film festival with one of his masterpiece, Taxi Driver. After this his carrier is launched. Martin Scorsese is well known for movies like Casino, Goodfellas or Mean Streets because it’s a really particular type of movie that he is the only one to master, but he also made different films like The Wolf of Wall Street or Shutter Island, which are not in this Italian New York style like as usual. Being asthmatic, he wasn’t really sociable during his childhood and that is also a character trait that we can feel in his movies, just like in Taxi Driver. We can easily notice that Scorsese likes to cast specials actors. He uses a range of actors that appears in most of his movies. The two principals ones are of course Robert DeNiro, who played in nine movies directed by Martin Scorsese, Leonardo Dicaprio, who played in five of his movies, and also Harvey Keitel. He is also encouraging his actors to stand out from the text to create moments of improvisation which became classic scenes from contemporary
cinema. The famous DeNiro’s “You talkin’ to me?” in front of his mirror in Taxi Driver or Joe Pesci challenging Ray Liotta in Goodfellas are ones of the best examples. So as we said Martin Scorsese is known for movies about Italian people living in New York. But it’s more generally about immigrants in the United States, Irishmen, Jewish and of course Italians. His more popular films are often about Italian mobs, gangs or thugs. Scorsese’s movies are following history of European immigrants in the United States. Starting with Gangs of New York showing the fights between Americans and Irish immigrants during 19th century. Casino, explaining how Eastern Italian mafia took control of Las Vegas. Or even The Irishman about the strong link between Jimmy Hoffa and the Italian mafia. Scorsese is getting his inspiration from his childhood in the Queens. He is really accurate about these topics because he grew up in this kind of ambiance so he exactly know what he is talking about, that’s also why his films are so realistic. Martin wants his films to be really violent and sometimes even hard to watch, it shows the truth without filters. Martins Scorsese’s cinematography represent well the story of immigration in the United States and more specially the way it evolved in New York between the 50s and the 60s. Joaquim Renaud
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culture
In the claws of sadness Why do people like sad art? E
verybody wants to be happy, right? For many people, the main goal in life is to maximize happiness. But why don’t we put some sad music in the background? Honestly, I don’t know many optimistic books, songs, or movies. They don’t feed my soul. I need sorrow, contemplation, or at least touching lyrics. Am I the only one? Of course not. But there is a question – why do some people like to suffer by consuming sad art? Let’s move to ancient Greece. Maybe some of you remember a literature lesson about Greek theatre? Catharsis. Feeling purified and relieved after experiencing strong emotions. Even a thousand years ago, they knew mixed feelings were essential in turning the overall experience into a positive one. In terms of art, being deeply emotionally moved can be positive even if it contains sad emotions. We can feel touched to the bones, but it is pleasurable – that’s the paradox of tragedy. Moreover, art that involves
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negative emotions is perceived as less dull, more intense, and beautiful. Who never said that a sad song is beautiful, cast the first stone.
of artworks are relatable. We can feel less alone with our thoughts because we see that more people went through a similar experience.
In art, even disgust plays a crucial role. Books or movies that run smoothly from the beginning to the end are boring. We demand to be worried for a protagonist. In a different case - how can we identify with the person with no disturbances in life? Unrequited love, troublesome relationships, accidents, and betrayals are what the public wants.
According to scientific research, we tend to remember better things that cause strong emotions. Compering real-life and fictional events – it’s easier to remember real joyful events. On the other hand, when it comes to fictional creations – the sad variant of being moved is more memorable. We can say that all chills and goose bumps (as the physiological response of the autonomic nervous system) experienced through art is a sign that we are emotionally moved, and it has a significant memory effect. People can recall which artwork elicited strong emotion and detect the specific moment that caused chills and goose bumps, even after some time.
Like in poetry – Baudelaire, Rimbaud, and Poe - led quite turbulent lives, and the feeling of despair and emptiness inspired many artists. Can you recall one poem based on positive emotions? They are pretty rare, right? What can be better than expressing your existential pain in art? Some people find the sorrow art pleasurable, while others consume it to reflect on their lives and process complex emotions. Undoubtedly, a lot
We can experience two kinds of moving emotions – sadly and joyfully. In the first case, we can discuss loss
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“I stand amid the roar Of a surf-tormented shore, And I hold within my hand Grains of the golden sand — How few! yet how they creep Through my fingers to the deep, While I weep — while I weep!” Edgar Allan Poe – Dream within a dream
– like separation or death. Overall the factors we can control. How? sad memories are mixed with a You can choose the music or movie positive appreciation – feelings of to make you feel emotionally moved love, empathy, or valuable memories. – when we consciously seek this Same with farewells – they are not kind of discomfort. The emotional only painful but also sadly moving response will be different from – they show us the pain of those affected by real-life temporary or permanent events. Psychologically goodbye and underline speaking, it is a safe that this relationship space for us. During We can continue was essential to us. that, we can learn We can spot the how to experience an exposure or experience of joyfully complex emotions. distance ourselves moving nature in Nothing happening nostalgic memories on a stage or in a from it at any from childhood or book can harm us. We moment thoughts about our former can continue an exposure relationship. The predominant or distance ourselves from positive feelings come together with it at any moment, allowing people slight negatives, such as being aware to embrace the negative experience that our youth passed forever or that positively. The same happens when we we cannot reunite with the past lover. are watching a brutal film – violence or morally questionable actions are more No one wants to be sad, miserable, accessible for us to handle when we or depressed. It’s not demandable. can explain to ourselves that no real But still, it didn’t disturb the will to person or animal has been physically be deeply emotionally touched by harmed.
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You don’t need to be worried. Being fascinated by sad art doesn’t automatically make you depressed. It’s not working like that. Precisely the opposite, it can be an excellent way to regulate your emotions. Or at least make your emotional life richer because every emotion is essential. Aleksandra Kanasiuk Sources: Max Planck Institute | Beautifully Sad: Why We Enjoy Negative Emotions in Movies and Art Winfried Menninghaus, Valentin Wagner, Julian Hanich, Eugen Wassiliwizky, Thomas Jacobsen and Stefan Koelsch | The Distancing-Embracing model of the enjoyment of negative emotions in art reception
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reportage
Historia e Shteteve të Bashkuara përmes syve të Martin Scorsese
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artin Scorsese lindi në vitin 1942 në Queens, Nju Jork në një familje tradicionale siciliane. Ai është inkuadruar shumë herët në botën e kinemasë për faktin se dy prindërit e tij ishin aktorë. Duke qenë astmatik, ai nuk ka mundur të ushtrojë asnjë sport, ndaj në vend të kësaj, prindërit e tij e dërgonin shumë shpesh në kinema. Ai ra në dashuri me kinemanë e John Ford, Hitchcock apo Orson Ëelles. Më vonë ai vendosi të shkojë në universitetin e artit për të studiuar kinema. Suksesi i tij i parë ishte Mean Streets në 1973, i cili ishte gjithashtu edhe rasti që ai të takonte Robert DeNiro. Në vitin 1976, ai fitoi Palmën e Artë në Festivalin e Filmit në Kanë me një nga kryeveprat e tij, Shoferi i Taksisë. Pas kësaj, fillon karriera e tij. Martin Scorsese është i njohur për filma si Casino, Goodfellas ose Mean Streets sepse është një lloj filmi vërtet i veçantë që vetëm aim und ti zotërojë, por ai bëri gjithashtu filma të ndryshëm si Ujku i Ëall Street ose Shutter Island, të cilët nuk janë në këtë stil italian njujorkez si zakonisht. Duke qenë astmatik, ai nuk ishte vërtet i shoqërueshëm gjatë fëmijërisë së tij dhe kjo është gjithashtu një tipar karakteri që mund ta ndiejmë në filmat e tij, ashtu si tek Shoferi i Taksisë. Mund të vërejmë lehtësisht se Scorsese-s i pëlqen të zgjedh aktorë specialë. Ai përdor një sërë aktorësh që shfaqen në shumicën e filmave të tij. Dy kryesorët janë sigurisht Robert DeNiro, i cili luajti në nëntë filma me regji të Martin Scorsese, Leonardo Dicaprio, i cili luajti në pesë nga filmat e tij, si dhe Harvey Keitel. Ai gjithashtu po inkurajon aktorët e tij që të dalin nga teksti për të krijuar momente improvizimi që u bënë skena klasike nga
вkinemaja bashkëkohore. Thënja e famshme e DeNiros "Po më flet?" përballë pasqyrës së tij tek Shoferi i Taksisë ose Joe Pesci duke sfiduar Ray Liotta në Goodfellas janë një nga shembujt më të mirë. Kështu siç thamë Martin Scorsese njihet për filmat për italianët që jetojnë në Nju Jork. Por në përgjithësi ka të bëjë me emigrantët në Shtetet e Bashkuara, irlandezët, hebrenjtë dhe natyrisht italianët. Filmat e tij më të njohur shpesh kanë të bëjnë me turmat, bandat apo banditë italiane. Filmat e Scorsese ndjekin historinë e emigrantëve evropianë në Shtetet e Bashkuara. Duke filluar me Bandat e Nju Jorkut që tregojnë përleshjet midis amerikanëve dhe emigrantëve irlandezë gjatë shekullit të 19të. Kazino, duke shpjeguar se si mafia italiane lindore mori kontrollin e Las Vegas. Ose edhe The Irishman për lidhjen e fortë mes Jimmy Hoffa-s dhe mafies italiane. Scorsese po frymëzohet nga fëmijëria e tij në Queens. Ai është me të vërtetë i saktë për këto tema, sepse ai është rritur në këtë lloj ambienti, kështu që ai e di saktësisht se për çfarë po flet, kjo është edhe arsyeja pse filmat e tij janë kaq realistë. Martin dëshiron që filmat e tij të jenë vërtet të dhunshëm dhe ndonjëherë edhe të vështirë për t'u parë, kjo tregon të vërtetën pa filtra. Kinematografia e Martin Scorsese përfaqëson mirë historinë e emigracionit në Shtetet e Bashkuara dhe më veçanërisht mënyrën se si ai evoluoi në Nju Jork midis viteve 50 dhe 60. Joaquim Renaud Përkthyes: Dora Arifi
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culture
Trobades
an exciting insight into the culture of Agres On May 21, I participated in an event considered very important to the people of Agres and the other surrounding regions. This event is called Trobades – a day celebrating the Valencian language and the schools where the children learn it.
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gres was the host village for the event this year. Well, to be exact, it was supposed to be the year 2020, but because of the pandemic, things had to be postponed (so everyone got Trobades 2020 t-shirts, and it felt like time traveling). This exciting day had a packed schedule, and various activities were planned from dusk to dawn! (But if dusk and dawn were modified for the sleeping schedule of a child). First on the agenda was a widespread Spanish tradition - a parade around the village where the participants walked the streets while taking small steps, followed by a music band and surrounded by the onlookers taking millions of pictures (one of which was me, haha). The unique aspect of this procession was the interesting
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character that appeared to be from a fairy tale, but to be honest, I didn’t understand who they were. I know. Bad Erasmus+ was reporting on my side (I will get better, guys, have hope!). Now back to the story: The procession was followed by the beautiful traditional dances of this region and, after them, an even more interesting tradition – a workshop on how to climb people! I have never seen a thing like this before, and I had to try it! It was an exciting experience – I was a little worried that I might hurt the
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people by stepping So, the workshop was all over on their a success. Onwards shoulders or to the next event! something similar, The next and The procession but it sure was final event was was followed by the fun. a concert where beautiful traditional we listened to dances of this region Alas, the exciting our local band and, after them, an events in the from Agres. even more interesting morning ended, Yes, Agres had tradition – a workshop and we managed to an all-girl band, on how to climb steal a couple of hours and these ladies people! from the schedule and were extraordinary. have some paella and delicious But, sadly, after many years locally made beer. Shout out to of performing, this was their the people of Velorecicla who fed last show. They decided to us! Your good deeds shall not be disband their group but, forgotten. in an almost poetic way, they were followed by The second part of the day was a completely new band reserved for the millions of made out of youngsters workshops meant to entertain the who had their first show almost infinite number of children here in Agres. And they and their families that came to visit finished the night with Agres (I mean, I have never seen a bang after they were this many people in Agres.) After repeatedly called the much-needed refreshments back to the stage on that warm and sunny day, for an encore. Ah, I we got ready and held only the hope that one day I best workshop ever. We made can say: “Yes, I was cards where, besides the cute at the first gig of drawings, the children could write this world-famous their parents’ names and phone band.” numbers so, in the unfortunate case if they get lost, the parents could be easily contacted. I believe Marija that this is a handy thing and that it Marinkovikj should even be done in any event where children are present.
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’ t s i l itt l e c d d on licks, an o w
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e!
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opinion
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W
ith the majority of these filters, the nose is refined, the eyes more prominent and almond-shaped, the skin brighter and smoother: a dysmorphophobia disorder can then be triggered because of excessive use of these filters, warned a group of researchers from Boston University. Their study, published in the medical journal JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery, found that teens were increasingly presenting a plastic surgeon with a photo of themselves with a filter to show what they would like to look like. Contrary to what one might think, these filters do not make us like our physical appearance more. On the contrary! After applying a filter to our selfies, we would be more critical of our image. The more the filter brings essential transformations to the face, the more frequent this use is, and the more critical the negative consequences would be. Filters also harm people who are exposed to retouched photos. Let me explain. What happens when you see retouched photos? As you know, we see many faces and bodies paraded through the media and social networks, but most of what we see is filtered, altered, or photoshopped. We almost forget what a regular face or body is. Physical imperfections are so well corrected by
filters that we come to believe that the presence of flaws is abnormal. Humans need to have a relatively accurate idea of what is expected and what is average. Because human beings compare themselves, it is in his nature. Comparing himself to others serves to evaluate and reassure himself. Comparing ourselves to people who correspond to the average allows us to make a relatively fair evaluation. It is then possible to get a feeling of personal satisfaction, more or less high. But the problem is that with the increasing use of filters and other equivalent applications, we have come to compare our natural faces to digitally retouched faces. This necessarily leads to a feeling of failure and inadequacy. Using a filter on your photos is so easy and can be tempting! But remember that this small gesture can harm yourself and others. By forgetting about filters, you choose to take care of yourself and your physical image. You are choosing to limit the spread of unrealistic beauty standards and share an authentic version of yourself with others. It's also a great way to take care of others. Fortunately, more and more movements like the body-positive movement are advocating naturalness and self-acceptance, bringing a fresh wind of self-love on social networks. Nourada Chaffai
C ED R O P #FA
Using filters on our photos is so easy. Two little clicks, and it’s done! This automatic practice has become common, but is it safe? No! The use of filters has several negative impacts. This standardization of aesthetics can be addictive.
VOICES - 27
opinion
“Couchsurfing is for me a real network of solidarity. It allows its users to connect with local people who are willing to host.”
Couch
surfing
28 - VOICES
мислење
“During my last weekend here in Skopje, circumstances led me to live an experience that I never thought I would witness today. Thanks to my friend Zoe, I crossed Macedonia from the capital Skopje to Thessaloniki in Greece, relying only on the virtues of solidarity and sharing. Let me tell you everything about it.”
C
ouchsurfing? Does this term sound familiar to you? I’ll explain in a few words what you need to know about this concept that has been around for about 20 years: Couchsurfing. More than a simple way to travel, Couchsurfing encourages a way of life, a certain mindset. At first glance, the objective of this concept is very simple: to be able to share for a short stay the daily life of your hosts, their couch (joking aside, hosts can often provide a guest room) and benefit from their advice as locals. But this way of travelling the world goes further than one might think. Indeed, this hospitality exchange aims to promote exchanges between people in order to contribute to world peace. Made popular by the internet and social networks, the first platform created with this purpose was The Hospitality Club, invented by a young German in 2000. Nowadays, Couchsurfing, the most popular website in the community, has 12 million users in 200,000 cities. This is proof of a multitude of places to discover and people to meet that are just waiting for you. Unfortunately, it became a paying service a few years
ago but it is still possible to access this service and offer your help on other dedicated platforms less visible by Internet users. (trustroots, couchers. org, ...) Now an essential question remains: how to do it? Just for you, I suggest this little guide to starting the Couchsurfing adventure!
only guarantee for the other members of the community to be sure of who you are and to trust you. A picture of you is also essential, of course.
3
After these two steps, you will be able to browse the offers made by other members according to the city you wish to visit. On some platforms, you can also filter the offers according to your personal criteria (gender, languages spoken, pets, etc.)
4
1
Register on a website specialised in the field (trustroots.org, couchers. org, bewelcome, couchsurfing.com, ...) (You can also find some Facebook groups created for the same purpose. Groups where you can share, and get some help from people who are into Couchsurfing.)
2
Create a profile indicating what you want to do: host or travel. Or both! !attention! This step might seem trivial to you but it is very important to write and provide your profile with a fair amount of information because it is the
Select the offer that interests you and communicate! Couchsurfing is primarily a lifestyle based on sharing and the willingness to exchange.
5
Travel & meet your host (remember to bring a small gift from home; it’s not mandatory of course but a little attention is always welcome when someone does you a favour)
6
Final step; last but not least: keep in touch! Thanks to Couchsurfing, it is possible to make unforgettable encounters. And there you have it! You are finally ready to start this great adventure! Would you try it? VOICES - 29
opinion
Zoe: Before our trip to Greece with Carole, I already had the opportunity to try Couchsurfing through couchers.com This first experience was in Split, Croatia. My host’s name was Mario; he opened his door to me for a weekend. He even gave me his spare keys because he already trusted me. After showing me his favourite bar, we went dancing all night to techno music. He was very cool and when I had some administrative problems he hosted me again for another week. After that, I was able to visit the islands in Croatia. When I came back because of other problems, Mario welcomed me back because it rained a lot for several days. The guy was really nice. It was a real experience of Couchsurfing... For me, Couchsurfing is of course about sharing but also about supporting others who are struggling like me. I mean, being a backpacker is like a holiday okay but it is also exhausting and sometimes tough. So when someone brings you warmth when it’s cold in your heart; I say thank you <3
30 - VOICES
Finally, Couchsurfing is for me a real network of solidarity. It allows its users to connect with local people who are willing to host. This system based on solidarity must be free. That’s why many users of the Couchsurfing website have turned away from this platform to support websites that promote this mindset. (trustroots, Bewelcome or couchers.org) Myself: As I mentioned at the beginning of my article, I had an unforgettable weekend thanks to this first Couchsurfing experience. One weekend after visiting Thessaloniki as a regular tourist, I was able to discover a completely different facet of the city. Our host had shown us places we would never have visited on our own. We also ate typical specialities together in a friendly atmosphere and we discovered great spots in total immersion in the Greek student life of Thessaloniki. I hope to try this experience again in the future; without hesitation! Carole Alibert
репортажа
Crypto
светот и токенот NFT Со развојот на технологијата се менува и начинот на кој луѓето функционираат во рамките на нивното секојдневие. На таа основа се појавуваат нови технологии и нови начини на кои може да се придвижи светот децении во иднината.
К
ако пример за тоа можеме да ги наведеме Крипто валутите кои земаа голем замав последните десетици години, па дури и се размислува за нивна примена во секојдневниот живот и замена на физичките валути со крипто токени. За да можеме да ги разбереме сите промени и за да се приспособиме полесно на истите, би било добро да ги користиме ресурсите кои ни се достапни. Доколку денес слушаме за крипто валутите, во иднина истите ќе ги користиме. Ако денес купуваме уметнички дела со физички пари или преку трансакции, за неколку години ќе се користат токени за таа намена. Што се криптовалути? Криптовалутата е дигитална валута, која е воедно и алтернативна форма на плаќање создадена со помош на алгоритми за шифрирање. Употребата на технологии за шифрирање значи дека криптовалутите функционираат и како валута и како виртуелен сметководствен систем. За да користите криптовалути, потребен ви е паричник за криптовалути. Овие паричници може да бидат софтвер кој е услуга базирана на облак или е зачуван на вашиот компјутер или на вашиот мобилен уред.
Што е NFT? NFT е дигитално средство кое претставува објекти од реалниот свет како уметност, музика, ставки во игра и видеа. Тие се купуваат и продаваат преку Интернет, често со криптовалути, и генерално се кодирани со истиот софтвер како и многу крипто-валути. Иако постојат од 2014 година, NFT-ите сега добиваат озлогласеност бидејќи стануваат сè попопуларен начин за купување и продавање дигитални уметнички дела. NFT, исто така, обично се единствени и имаат единствени кодови за идентификација. Ова е во целосна спротивност со повеќето дигитални креации, кои се речиси секогаш бесконечни во понудата. Хипотетички, прекинувањето на понудата треба да ја зголеми вредноста на даденото средство, под претпоставка дека е на побарувачката. Како NFT се разликува од криптовалутата? NFT значи незаменлив токен. Генерално е изграден со користење на истиот вид програмирање како криптовалутите, како Биткоин или Ethereum, но тука завршува сличноста. Физичките пари и криптовалутите се „заменливи“, што значи дека може да се тргуваат или разменуваат една за друга. Тие се исто така еднакви по вредност - еден долар секогаш вреди друг долар; еден биткоин е секогаш еднаков на друг биткоин. Заменливоста на Crypto го прави доверливо средство за водење трансакции на блокчејнот. NFT се различни. Секој од нив има дигитален потпис што оневозможува NFT да се разменуваат или да се еднакви еден со друг (незаменливи). Ања Максимовска Маја Аргирова Ива Петрова Предраг Димковски
VOICES - 31
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