lingua franca - Accueil Lycée Janson de Sailly
Transcription
lingua franca - Accueil Lycée Janson de Sailly
LINGUA FRANCA Foreign language newspaper Lycée Janson de Sailly, Paris, France Spring 2016 Issue #2 Janson de Sailly, Monday November 16, 2015 – 12 :08 pm Students and faculty are gathered as Mr. Sorin, the school’s principal, delivers a heartwarming homage from one of the hallways overlooking the main yard, following the tragic terrorist attacks of November 13th. EDITORIAL Dear readers, school in Rome, highlighting the differences between the Italian and French educational systems. A number of stories touch upon European issues - the migrant crisis, Angela Merkel, civil unions in Italy. But articles also extend beyond our European borders to the Middle East (women’s right to vote in Saudi Arabia, Tunisia’s Nobel peace prize) and Africa (“The Rise of Africa”). We are proud to present to you this second edition of “Lingua Franca”, a magazine written by Janson students from a wide range of CPGE classes and sections, in six languages (English, German, Italian, Spanish, Arabic and Chinese). 2015 was a terrible year for our country - more generally for the values of freedom and democracy. The picture above reminds us of the need to stand together and unite against adversity. Sure enough, the U.S. presidential campaign has drawn much interest, and two articles focus on the outlandish figure of Donald Trump. Science stories are primarily concerned with the rise and impact of artificial intelligence or new technologies, while the Art section is a chance for us to rediscover such painters as Anselm Kiefer or Friedensreich Hundertwasser. As we grapple for answers on how best to respond to the madness and terror, a group of students have chosen to look at the value and importance of art (“Can Art Be a Response To Terrorism?”) The Travel and Tourism section will take you to Berlin. A Psychology column discusses the issue of addiction, and the Music section looks at the impact of music on body and mind. Other articles focus more broadly on our “duty to remember”, in order to honor the past, and to prevent it from repeating itself. As always, a number of stories deal with the challenge of studying in a prépa class - including with drawings! -, but this year one 2nd year student has gone as far as reporting from the inside on the actual experience of sitting entrance exams (“The Battle For Exams”). The “Movies” section considers at length the career of film director Christopher Nolan, “the Magician”, and the “Books” section reviews Dream of the Red Chamber by 19th century Chinese novelist Cao Xueqin. And there’s even more! Students of Italian, for their part, have written about a most enriching exchange program with a secondary Enjoy! 1 EDUCATION THE PHYSICAL CONSEQUENCES OF STUDYING Did you know that your journey in classe prépa will certainly affect your sight ? While this is not based on a true scientific study, I am progressively seeing more and more people in classe prépa wearing glasses and saying that they are near-sighted. In fact, some surveys (much more serious) were conducted in order to highlight the link between advanced studies and the evolution of myopia in young adults. Some researchers at the Department of Ophthalmology of The University Medical Center of Mainz (Germany) conducted a statistical study with a panel of 4,658 Germans aged 35 to 74. It appeared that 24 percent of the near-sighted subjects of this panel had no high school education. In contrast, 53 percent of the number of university graduates were near-sighted. According to this survey, our “eyes should not be used for close-up activities such as reading, watching TV, or using computers and smartphones for more than 30 hours per week.”1 Text: Angélique Bastin, Sup 6 Drawings: Agnès Gallant, Sup 6 You think class prépa can sometimes be difficult? Well, so does your body. Approximately 40 hours a week including hours of tests (two to six), hours of class (thirty hours), hours of khôlles (two to three), and a changing timetable depending on our personal work (and a bit of fun & chilling-out time)..: for two or three years we live in classe prépa, we work in classe prépa, we eat in classe prépa, and (I am not only referring to the boarders, So beyond the increasing use of smartphones and their influence on vision, studying can also affect our eyesight. Facebook, Snapchat, text messages or college studies… for all of these you have to be very careful! Another victim of our life in classe prépa: our back. During a typical week in classe prépa, we spend most of our time sitting, writing or studying. But the fact is that prolonged sitting can lead to physical pain in the back. We actually have a bad sitting environment. I mean, our lovely chairs are actually not adapted to us. We are used to sitting in a way that our legs form a 90-degree angle, but that is not a proper position for our body. Scottish and Canadian researchers conducted a large study using leading medical imaging devices. Considering the results of this study, they concluded and told the Radiological society of North America that we should be sitting in a way that our legs form a 120-degree angle with our back. In a nutshell, the constraint of a bad posture in addition to a decrease in sports activities in classe prépa both impact our physical health. I know that sometimes you fall asleep during your Maths, your Economics or your Latin class) we even sleep in classe prépa. But in fact this way of life can have detrimental effects on your body. 2 EDUCATION THE BATTLE FOR EXAMS (continued from previous page) -Journal of a SurvivorHermine Courtois, PSI (2nd year) Hermine has just sat through four intensive weeks of exams, the infamous competitive entrance exams - known as “concours” in French - to gain admission to the country’s top engineering schools. She gives a vivid account of the “ordeal” she went through, but also of the sense of self-fulfillment she acquired along the way. Last but not least: The lack of sleep in classe prépa. Ting-a-ling! Ting-a-ling! Today is the first day of exams... We all experienced the 5 minutes in class at the end (or the beginning) of the day when we’re dozing. It’s useless to lie !! We begin to nap for various reasons : Well, firstly because we went to bed too late as we absolutely needed to finish our work. This is the end of my second year of “Prépa” in PSI. For two years now I have been living in Paris, 5 minutes away from Janson De Sailly. But the exams will take place in the Vincennes park for all Paris-based Prépas. Which is a faraway location. Many of my classmates decided to relocate for the 5 weeks of exams and be near the exam site. They feared subways’ incidents and traffic problems so living nearby is much more convenient if you don’t want to be late. I decided to remain in my room. It may be far from Vincennes, since I have to cross the whole French capital to arrive on site, but compared to a small room in a gloomy hostel surrounded by strangers who might get in the way of the tranquility I need, I made a really quick choice. As today is D-Day, I decided to proudly wear my class sweater with our logo, a deer whose horns create a Ψ. You can be sure that every single school will be present today : the war begins and every warrior from each Prépa is ready to fight. After one last check (exam notification slip and ID card, your most important artefacts in this quest… but your main weapons will be your pens, rulers and so on…) I leave for the Paris underground. The subway is practically empty: only the Braves are up… but doesn’t “the early bird catch the worm”, as the saying goes? Or because we’re just finding the class boring. But this is a vicious circle : Let’s imagine that we haven’t slept a lot because just once we decided to finish all of our work. So the following day we’re almost sleeping right in front of the teacher, and we missed some important points during class. To catch up on them, we need more time in the evening to get a good grasp of them and we go to bed even later than the previous evening. At the final stop I jump off. Last week I scouted the way to the battle place, so I’m quite confident where I’m going. And once we have fallen behind in our sleep, there’s no turning back. On the way, the number of followers behind me keeps growing like an enormous army, soldiers from everywhere, all gathered with a sole purpose... We go through the doors of the Floral Park. It’s quite nice to be surrounded by the quiet of the park. This is what we called “the calm before the storm”. I follow the movement and show credentials: ID card and exam notification slip. (cont. p4) Sources: 1 www.uni-mainz.de http://news.bbc.co.uk 3 EDUCATION (continued from p.3) Now the end of the journey is close: a huge building on one level with only glass walls through which you see the countless tables where we, brave students, will be sitting for many hours and days. It looks like a factory. are in the starting blocks… “You may begin!” Those three words are the start of a long, breathtaking battle, the one that ten thousand students have prepared themselves for over two It’s time to find your gate. Zones O, P, Q were attributed to PSI students. As predicted in the bunch of people, you can distinguish Prépas by their sweaters. There is a highly-charged atmosphere: every warrior is impatient, curious and excited at the same time. In actual fact, today isn’t really my first day of exams (“my bad I lied”). In fact, there are five exams: Mines, Centrale, CCP and E3A…The fifth is the first : the X-ENS exam. If the four others are taken by most students, not every student tries X-ENS, because it’s considered too hard and students don’t want to lose one week of revisions. I myself decided to take it. First, because it could reduce my stress before challenging the others. Second, because it’s a hard challenge and I won’t have any regret! It’s 7.30 am and the doors open. New quest: find your line and place! When I reach mine, I take a close look at the desk and the chair I’ll occupy for the 3 days of the Mines exam: I end up being in the first line of the O zone (A joke!… Sorry…). I put all my writing stuff on the table, ID card, exam notification slip… and last but not the least… my bottle of Coke and Snickers bars! (You need energy to survive: there are no less than 3 exams per day for Mines!). Time starts ticking. The speaker loudly announces the rules (about cheating and exam specifics), spoils the last episode of Game of Thrones (which just resumed in the midst of exams…. Raaaaaah!) and I read some funny messages between the different Prépas (Ginette and Louis Le Grand are especially active when it comes to insulting other schools but the answers fly from all sides quite fast in retaliation). An army of supervisors open the envelope with the exam papers, scatter about in the different zones and start handing out the papers. The air is thick with tension… My pen turns frantically in my hand… We harsh years. A Lot of people may not comprehend what it means to be a Prépa student and to battle for one’s life goal, but seeing this whole army of pens tackling their mission head-on may make them shiver. For hours on end the five thousand students –myself included– will forget about the outside world (maybe not totally, thanks to the cry of the two peacocks in the park... Damn birds!) Once home in the evening, you fall asleep like a warrior who fulfilled his duty. This is the daily life I have had for 4 weeks. Maybe some will say it is tough. Which is true. But, it’s not an impossible quest! Personally, I keep good memories from those weeks. Weeks during which you use all the knowledge you have accumulated for two years to the fullest. Weeks which make you realize that those years weren’t for nothing because you learned an incredible amount of problem-solving techniques. The competition was there but I didn’t have any bad feelings and the exams were a time for self-improvement. You have to surpass yourself first, to be able to surpass others. 4 EDUCATION per uno o due anni e alla fine, sanno parlare italiano senza difficoltà. Un esame di valutazione permette ad ogni alunno di iscriversi ad un corso del suo livello. UN MESE ALL’UNIVERSITÀ PER STRANIERI DI PERUGIA Per quanto mi riguarda, io, studente francese di “classe préparatoire”, con un livello medio o basso in lingua, sono andato in C1-C2. A questo livello, si può, oltre i corsi di lingua, seguire corsi di cultura italiana: storia dell’Arte, storia d’Italia, storia del cinema, letteratura, traduzione, giurisprudenza. Il corso “normale”, comprende tra 15 e 25 ore di lezione alla settimana. Il corso “intensivo” tra 30 e 38 (per uno studente di “prépas” in vacanza, non è l’ideale!). Ma i corsi non sono la parte essenziale del viaggio. L’ambiente è, per un alunno parigino, differente dal quotidiano: l’Università si trova in un palazzo del settecento che somiglia a un museo. La città di Perugia, “capitale culturale” d’Italia nel 2015, possiede un patrimonio meraviglioso, come l’arco etrusco che si trova accanto all’Università ed è il simbolo della città e dell’università (garantito il corso su questo!). Situata a metà strada tra Roma e Firenze, a circa settanta chilometri dal mare, Perugia è il capoluogo dell’Umbria (chiamata “il cuore verde dell’Italia”), una regione incredibilmente ricca culturalmente (Assisi, Gubbio, Arezzo...). Conoscere l’Italia non vuol dire solo avere visitato il Colosseo, mangiato una pizza e essere andato a Venezia: visitare la domenica le cittadine nei dintorni di Perugia è memorabile... Gauthier Jacquemin, KH-BL What better way to improve one’s knowledge of a language than to spend time in the country? Gauthier Jacquemin, in between the first and second years of his intensive literary preparatory course for admission to the Ecole Normale Supérieure, spent the month of August 2015 at the University for Foreigners of Perugia, Italy. This proved to be a wonderful experience in a multicultural environment, where studying Italian was only one part of the adventure. There were also many cultural discoveries, and great encounters along the way – the rich human experience was just as important. Quale mese scegliere per un soggiorno perugino? In luglio, la città organizza un festival di jazz famosissimo con musicisti e cantanti internazionali. Agosto è più tranquillo... Per trovare una casa, l’Università ti aiuta con il suo sito Internet (https://www.unistrapg.it/) che permette di vedere e di scegliere gli annunci interessanti. Spesso, delle camere sono affittate a prezzo molto conveniente per gli alunni in case di quattro o cinque camere per studenti (come ne “L’auberge espagnole”!). Questo tipo di alloggio rende l’immersione nella lingua italiana più semplice. Io, per esempio, ero in una casa con un australiano, una peruviana, una coreana e un russo. I nostri vicini di casa erano due afgani, una cinese, un abitante di Costa d’Avorio e uno svedese. Oltre alla dimensione educativa, dunque, il soggiorno estivo all’Università di Perugia permette un’esperienza umana ricca e forse, unica. Dire che “per parlare una lingua straniera, basta andare all’estero” è un’evidenza. Però come decidere di partire due settimane, un mese o tre mesi in un paese senza saperne parlare perfettamente la lingua? Costruita nel 1921, l’Università per stranieri di Perugia accoglie studenti del mondo intero per corsi di lingua italiana di uno, tre o sei mesi. Eccezione in Europa, l’Università offre l’occasione di una vera scoperta della cultura o della lingua italiana, per professori o per studenti, per giovani o per pensionati. Parlando Italiano da tre anni e studiandolo al Janson, sono andato all’università l’estate scorsa, durante il mese di Agosto. L’università è aperta tutto l’anno a studenti che vengono dalla Francia, ma anche dal Brasile, la Cina o addirittura l’Afghanistan! Di conseguenza, la specificità di questo luogo è che gli studenti sono costretti a parlare italiano tra di loro, (oppure inglese, ma che senso avrebbe venire a Perugia per scambiare in inglese?!). Professori italiani, studenti stranieri (spesso, cosa notevole, con una nonna, una bisnonna italiana): questo permette di imparare l’italiano come se si facesse una lezione in Francia (il bel tempo in più!). Ovviamente, gli alunni non hanno lo stesso livello. Così i corsi sono adatti ad ogni livello. Stranamente, o sfortunatamente, si può vedere lì che i francesi non vogliono andare all’estero se non sono bravi in lingua. Invece gli studenti cinesi vanno all’Università talvolta senza avere mai parlato italiano! Studiano 5 EDUCATION no). Non c’è neppure la stessa distanza fra alunni e professori. Quando facevamo delle visite turistiche e culturali, era frequente sentire i ragazzi italiani apostrofare le loro professoresse gridando “Eh prof!” e noi, francesi, non ci potevamo credere! Non so se il sistema francese sia migliore di quello italiano per gli alunni o i professori e se quest’osservazione possa essere generalizzata a tutta la scuola italiana, ma nel liceo Tacito, ho osservato che l’atmosfera della classe era più rilassata di quella in Francia, ma anche più facilmente dissipata. Alunni in ritardo, alunni che escono e rientrano senza chiedere il permesso all’insegnante, che si esprimono spontaneamente e senza essere stati interrogati... Forse sarebbe bello trovare un equilibrio tra i due sistemi per inventare un modello europeo di liceo? SCAMBIO JANSON DE SAILLY – LICEO CORNELIO TACITO DI ROMA ALCUNE OSSERVAZIONI SULLE VARIAZIONI FRANCO-ITALIANE Julia, Emilie and Francesca are three students in their first year of intensive preparatory literary course at Janson de Sailly (JdS). They were part of the first group of students from JdS to participate in an exchange with a secondary school in Rome, Italy – the Liceo Cornelio Tacito. They offer us here a few “snapshots” of their experience in this Italian high school. It appears the teaching and learning methods, as well as relations between adults and students, differ much more between the two countries than one might think. Students tend to have closer, more informal relations with their teachers and will spontaneously speak in class without waiting to be given permission. Interestingly, memorizing and rote learning seem to be much more used in the Italian educational system, even in literary classes. Italian students also seem to be intellectually more open to international cultural references than their French counterparts who are taught with a rather more exclusive approach. La cultura generale degli alunni italiani Francesca Bartolomeo, HK-AL Quel martedì quando siamo state accolte in classe d’italiano, era il giorno delle interrogazioni orali. L’insegnante, un signore baffuto dallo sguardo serio e dalla voce vibrante, si è molto gentilmente scusato di non aver preparato niente di speciale per il nostro arrivo, il che non era certo colpa sua, dato che eravamo state assegnate alla sua classe un po’ alla svelta. Si è poi rivolto alla classe chiedendo: - A chi tocca oggi? Ah sì, Emilio! Aggiunge poi scorgendo un ragazzo alto con la polo rosa che si stava alzando per venire a sedersi al primo banco, direttamente davanti alla lavagna. “Mi raccomando, Emilio, la Francia ti guarda”, lo avverte il professore con tono a metà strada tra il serio e lo scherzoso, mentre tutti scoppiano a ridere e il ragazzo si schiarisce la gola. - Parlami del romanticismo, chiede poi il professore sedendosi dietro alla cattedra. Il ragazzo si lancia allora senza esitare in un’elaborata presentazione del movimento letterario sia dal punto di vista della poesia che da quello del romanzo e del teatro, mettendo a confronto gli autori italiani con quelli tedeschi e poi spiegando come in Inghilterra il movimento abbia ulteriormente dato luogo al genere fantastico. - Forse sarebbe anche il caso di parlare dei francesi, non credi? lo interrompe il professore accennando verso di noi. - Ah sì, certo, si riprende Emilio corrugando la fronte alla ricerca di idee nell’urgenza del momento. “Allora, c’è ovviamente Hugo, che è stato molto significativo nello sviluppo del romanticismo francese con i suoi due contributi capitali al romanzo romantico che sono Notre Dame e I Miserabili, e poi anche nel teatro romantico con Ruy Blas. Inoltre c’è pure Chateaubriand che infatti è stato una fonte d’ispirazione importante per il giovane Victor Hugo, e che ha per così dire introdotto alcuni aspetti precursori del romanticismo come quello delle passioni, che sono un elemento di analisi centrale nella scrittura romantica. - Giusto, ma chi altri? - Ehm... forse De Musset, che... - Nel teatro sì, ma nel romanzo? Poiché il ragazzo sembra non cogliere le indicazioni, l’insegnante si rivolge al resto della classe per ottenere il nome di Stendhal, che non solo viene infatti citato dagli studenti ma viene anche accompagnato da una completa spiegazione sul contesto di scrittura della Chartreuse de Parme. Emilio dovette in seguito parlare dei russi, di Pushkin, di Tolstoi e noi rimanemmo stupite dalla capacità di mezzi che aveva l’allievo di mettere in relazione i vari contesti culturali della scena romantica europea. Effettivamente, questa esigenza di un’apertura internazionale degli orizzonti intellettuali che abbiamo notato nel sistema educativo italiano ci sembra divergere abbastanza dall’autorefenzialità culturale del sistema francese, che a nostro parere ha quasi sempre un carattere esclusivo. Imparare a memoria e interrogazioni orali Julia Journet, KH-AL Una cosa della scuola italiana, o più precisamente delle classi letterarie del liceo Tacito, mi è sembrata sconcertante e mi ha ricordato l’infanzia, con quelle poesie che imparavamo a memoria e i vari temi sui quali dovevamo fare ricerche. L’apprendimento, tale quale esiste in Italia, mi sembra incentrato sulla memorizzazione del sapere. Cosa che può essere utile e che noi, in Francia, abbiamo dimenticato alla nostra età, perché ci dà anche fastidio. Il fatto che a volte, alla sera, gli studenti italiani si siedano sul loro letto, il libro aperto sulle ginocchia, ad imparare i movimenti letterari o culturali che hanno costruito la cultura italiana e europea (per esempio) gli permette di capire meglio o semplicemente di riflettere e di esprimere questa riflessione su argomenti diversi. In effetti, all’inizio di ogni lezione, uno studente è interrogato su argomenti studiati il giorno prima, davanti alla classe intera. Penso che questo tipo di pedagogia permetta di evocare argomenti di cui non si parlerebbe mai se queste interrogazioni non accadessero. Prossimità alunni professori Emilie Trietenne, HK-AL Sono le otto e venti e entriamo al Liceo Tacito (a bordo del primo modello della Fiat 500 della famiglia della mia corrispondente, ma questa è un’altra storia!). La mia corrispondente saluta due persone : “Ciao! Tutto bene?” e loro rispondono “Sì, e per te? Come va la gamba?” (ha avuto recentemente un serio problema col ginocchio). Poi lei mi spiega che queste persone sono i “bidelli”, impiegati della scuola che non hanno equivalente in Francia (tra i “surveillants” e i “CPE”). Rimango stupita dalla confidenza tra di loro. Più generalmente, mi pare che gli alunni romani abbiano molto più di noi confidenza e familiarità con il personale della scuola, e anche con i professori. Pertanto non c’è mancanza di rispetto (la maggior parte del tempo, alme- 6 FRANCO-GERMAN RELATIONS freundliche Energie wegen des Atommülls. Aber es produziert keine Treibhausgase. Allerdings können wir nicht DIE ENERGIEWENDE: WER IST DER GEWINNER? DEUTSCHLAND ODER FRANKREICH? Juliette Escaut, ECS1 bestreiten, dass es weniger umweltschädlich ist als die Kohlekraftwerke, die Deutschland in letzter Zeit wieder geöffnet hat. Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel hat nämlich nach der nuklearen Katastrophe in Fukushima im Jahre 2011 den Ausstieg aus der Atomenergie beschlossen. Die Kohlekraftwerke waren die einzige unmittelbare Lösung, um ausreichend Strom zu haben. Der französische Präsident hatte auch versprochen, den Anteil der Atomenergie von 75% auf 50% zu verringern. Aber nach 4 Jahren wurde noch kein Kernkraftwerk geschlossen. Heutzutage werden Klima- und Umweltschutz immer wichtiger. Die UN-Klimakonferenz, die in Paris vom 30. November bis 12. Dezember 2015 stattgefunden hat, beweist diesen Trend. Die erneuerbaren Energien entwickeln sich deshalb viel, sowohl in Deutschland als auch in Frankreich. Der Umweltschutz ist eine Verpflichtung für die deutsche und die französische Regierung. Er steht nämlich im Artikel 20 des deutschen Grundgesetzes und in der Umweltcharta, die im Jahre 2005 der französischen Verfassung beigefügt wurde. Diese zwei Länder haben jedoch nicht die gleiche Ausgangsposition. In absoluten Werten ist Deutschland der größte Umweltverschmutzer in Europa. Frankreich befindet sich in dritter Position hinter Großbritannien. Es verschmutzt halb so viel wie Deutschland. Diese Zahl muss allerdings relativiert werden, weil Deutschland viel mehr bevölkert ist. Wenn wir die Umweltverschmutzung pro Einwohner beobachten, ist der Unterschied geringer. Jeder Deutsche produziert ungefähr 9 Tonnen CO2 pro Jahr, der Franzose rund 6 Tonnen. Zum Schluss können wir sagen, dass heutzutage weder Deutschland noch Frankreich Gewinner der Energiewende ist. Beide Länder haben eine eigene Energiepolitik gewählt und verfolgen doch das gleiche Ziel. Das Beste wäre, dass sie beide in der Zukunft gewinnen, um die Erde zu retten. The change in energy policy: Germany or France, which one wins? Nowadays, the environment has become a growing concern, as was shown with the COP 21 in Paris between November 30th and December 12th, 2016. Renewable energies have been developing in Germany as well as in France. Environmental protection is indeed an obligation for these two countries. Nevertheless, they didn’t have the same situation at the beginning. Germany seems to be a bigger polluter but it is also more populated. Furthermore, the Greens are more influential in Germany. This is why goals in Germany are more ambitious than in France. Germany wants to produce 40% renewable energy by 2020, France only 23%. Germany is already the first producer of wind power in Europe, whereas France is only 4th. Wind power is the least expensive among all renewable energies. France, however, is the word’s second producer of nuclear energy. It is not an environmentally friendly energy because of the nuclear waste, but it pollutes less than the coal-fired power stations, which were reopened after the Fukushima disaster in 2011 to replace the closed nuclear power plants in Germany. All in all, no one has come out the winner yet: these two countries have chosen their own policies, but with the same goals. The best for the earth would be that both of them succeeded together and ran neck and neck in the race for renewable energy. Aber die Grünen haben 8,4% bei der Bundestagswahl im Jahre 2013 in Deutschland und nur 2,3% bei der Präsidentschaftswahl 2012 in Frankreich bekommen. Darum sind die Grünen in der Tat in Deutschland einflussreicher als in Frankreich. Aus diesem Grund sind die Ziele ehrgeiziger in Deutschland. Frankreich hofft, eine Produktion von 23% an erneuerbaren Energien vor 2020 zu erreichen, Deutschland 40%. Deutschland ist schon der erste Windenergie-Erzeuger in Europa, während Frankreich der vierte ist. Die Windenergie ist die billigste erneuerbare Energie; außerdem können wir Tag und Nacht Strom produzieren. Aber die Windräder stehen in Norddeutschland, während Süddeutschland und seine Industrie mehr Strom brauchen: das ist problematisch. Der Bau von Strom-Trassen hat beispielsweise zu Protesten geführt: deswegen werden sie letztendlich unterirdisch gelegt, was aber teuer ist. Im Gegensatz dazu ist Frankreich der zweitgrößte Betreiber von Kernkraftwerken in der Welt. Es ist keine umwelt- 7 FRANCO-GERMAN RELATIONS Gründe für die niedrige Arbeitslosenquote bei jungen Leuten in Deutschland. Diese Quote (etwa 7%) ist die niedrigste in der ganzen Europäischen Union. Wer eine betriebliche Ausbildung abschließt, hat also eine Eintrittskarte für den Arbeitsmarkt. In Frankreich, wo sich weniger junge Menschen nach diesem Modell ausbilden lassen, liegt die Jugendarbeitslosigkeit dagegen bei rund 25%... DIE DUALE AUSBILDUNG IN DEUTSCHLAND UND IN FRANKREICH: EIN PRINZIP, ZWEI REALITÄTEN Sarah Breitburd, ECS1 In Deutschland findet man dreimal mehr Auszubildende als in Frankreich, die als «Azubis» bezeichnet werden: in der Bundesrepublik sind sie fast 1,5 Millionen, in Frankreich rund 400 000. The dual education system in Germany and France: one principle, two realities In Frankreich ist ein Azubi eine junge Frau oder ein junger Mann zwischen 16 und 25. Er verbringt einen Teil der Woche in einer Bildungsstätte, den anderen in einem Betrieb. Die duale Ausbildung dauert ein bis drei Jahre, und das Diplom kann ein «CAP», «BTS», «DUT» oder ein anderer Abschluss sein. Like most European countries, the two European neighbours have a dual education system. Both of them are similar in their principle: the students spend part of the week at school, learning the theoretical side of the field they have chosen. The other half of their schedule is dedicated to learning the job first hand in a company. The length of the course is fairly the same in both countries, between a year and a half and three years. In Deutschland dauert die Berufsausbildung meistens zwischen zwei- und dreieinhalb Jahren und hat zwei Phasen, die dieselben wie in Frankreich sind: Berufsschule und Betrieb. Aber die Aufteilung der Zeit kann von Branche zu Branche sehr unterschiedlich sein. In Frankreich wird eine praxisnahe Ausbildung oft immer noch als «letzte Chance» für Jugendliche betrachtet, die in der Schule «versagt» haben. Die duale Ausbildung steht in Opposition zu dem elitären französischen Schulsystem. Es ist auch viel schwerer, einen Betrieb zu finden, weil die Firmen fast alleine für die Kosten der Berufsausbildung aufkommen müssen. This is where most of the similarities end. Indeed, when it comes to how the system is perceived, the two countries stand in stark contrast. In France, it is considered as the last chance, the one you take when your grades and your school work are too bad for you to try any other higher education path. Both in the minds of the parents, the students, and the employers, this is most definitely the one path you shouldn’t choose, if you want to have a successful career, or at least some good future career prospects. In Deutschland wird dieses Ausbildungssystem ganz anders wahrgenommen: Für Berufe auf einem mittleren Qualifikationsniveau ist die duale Ausbildung meistens die einzige Zugangsmöglichkeit. Mit einer dualen Ausbildung assoziieren die Unter-25-Jährigen vor allem einen hohen Praxisbezug, eine gute Vorbereitung auf das Berufsleben, gute Chancen auf einen sicheren Arbeitsplatz im Anschluss an die Ausbildung. In Germany, on the other hand, the dual education system is considered as the only path for the whole mildly-qualified branch, in every primary or secondary sector. It also acts as a strong guarantee to find a job after graduation and is a lot more valued by the German companies. Moreover, it is well considered by both parents and students, the latter being heartily encouraged by the former to opt for this path. Eltern, die als wichtigste Ratgeber bei der Berufswahl agieren, attestieren der Ausbildung zwar eher ein gutes Ansehen, schreiben dem Studium aber ebenfalls deutlich bessere Aufstiegs- und Verdienstmöglichkeiten zu. It is in fact one of the main reasons explaining the astonishing low rate of unemployment among the young that prevails in Germany, according to a joint study in Munich and in the USA. But the results are far from being so successful with its French neighbour, who still suffers from one of the highest unemployment rates in the European Union. Das Image der dualen Ausbildung ist jedoch sehr unterschiedlich in den Nachbarländern. Dennoch betrachten die deutschen Unternehmen einen Abschluss nach der dualen Ausbildung immer noch als ein Qualitätsdiplom. Nach einer Studie von Wissenschaftlern in München und in den USA ist die duale Ausbildung einer der 8 AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST DISCUSSING THE IDEA OF A RISING AFRICA doubled since 1980, with today more than 1 billion inhabitants. UNICEF reveals that by 2100, almost half of the children under 18 in the world will be Africans. Yet today, this population boom is also one of Africa’s main challenges. As it hardly manages to feed a billion people, how could it feed 4 billion by 2100 as studies predict? Bastien Habert, Sup 5 What if the Cradle of Humankind becomes its nurturing mother? This is the challenge of a “Rising Africa”. Africa has been the forsaken continent for a long time, exploited and enslaved by colonial empires. Once freed, it had to deal on its own with the problems resulting from recovering sight after a millennium of blindness. Today, after a century of decadence, it is on the edge of becoming one of the main actors of our world. Throughout this article we will take a look at Africa’s situation in terms of economics, politics, and adaptation to demography. Africans are seeking solutions to these issues. For instance, Africa has always been an area stricken by diseases, but statistics show that global African health is ameliorating. The government has invested money in a long-term program to tackle illnesses such as malaria or HIV/AIDS. Over t h e past 25 years, malaria deaths h a v e d e clined by 30%. Also, t h e United Nation Population F u n d runs a “school for husbands” in Niger, in which h u s bands a r e Undoubtedly, Africa is mostly rising in terms of its economic activity as it has recently witnessed an economic boom. Charles Robertson, an economist specialized in African studies, estimates that by 2050, the African economy will be worth $29 trillion. Political stability may explain this economic growth, as it has improved capacities for budgeting and financing and has promoted world integration with trade liberalization and investment. Indeed, it has attracted strong donor support and high inflows of foreign direct investment from industrialized and influential countries such as China or the US. For example, American Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has invested $1.7 billion in Africa, making the World Bank assert that most African countries will reach the “middle income stage” by 2025. However, some may argue that Africa remains poor, as there is inequality among countries. For example, building a mall costs twice as much in Nigeria as in South Africa. Although African countries have some barriers to their economic development because business institutions have trouble increasing their selling price, better financing and budgeting capacities, leading to privatization and liberalization, as well as new tax and monetary policies and promotion to world integration through trade and investment, have greatly contributed to the countries’ economy. Time Magazine cover, December 3, 2012 taught about family planning, and how not to obstruct women seeking for contraception. Furthermore, Africa is also witnessing great improvement in terms of education. Secondary school enrollment increased by nearly 50% between 2000 and 2008. Living conditions have also improved as Africa’s access to technology and electricity has risen. Although Africa is still considered as a poor continent crippled by diseases and hunger, it has nonetheless been catching up on technologies: today, three quarters of Africans possess mobile phones. Political stability is a key factor to Africa’s rise. Africa has been for too long the land of warlords and dictatorship. Yet as countries progressively gained independence, multi-party political systems of democracy outlawed corruption and tyranny of state and insecurity. For instance, Rwanda’s terrible genocide in the 90s, resulted in the establishment of a « democracy » in 2000. From 2000 to 2014, there have been 26 conflicts on the African territory, from the American War on Terrorism to the Tuareg rebellion in Mali. Even if it is impressive to see how fast the number of democracies has risen: going from 3 out of 53 African countries in 1991 to 25, one cannot consider the concept of a “Rising Africa” as valid, if there is no constant fight for political stability. Moreover, Africa’s adaptation to population growth is also evidence of Africa’s rise. Indeed, with better living conditions and existing human rights, a higher birth rate and the rise of life expectancy, Africa’s population has Africa’s rise can be observed on different scales. Political shift from dictatorship to multi-party systems has brought political stability, adjusting to the changing demography and contributing to the expansion of human rights, security and a better living environment (with health, education and technology). This shift also led to better financing and budgeting capacities and to world integration through trade and investment, greatly contributing to the continent’s development. 9 AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST Tunisia’s Nobel Peace Prize Amine Chaker, Sup 4 The Nobel committee awarded the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize to the four organizations that were the central mediators in the national dialogue in Tunisia. The Dialogue Quartet was formed back in 2013 and has taken the initiative to launch a national dialogue on the 5th of October of that same year. The Jasmine Revolution which broke out in 2010 in Tunisia caused major political problems which required the involvement of third parties to solve these issues and move forward on the path of development and reconstruction. The Quartet’s role was thus crucial in pacifying the political atmosphere, and building a pluralistic democracy. “The Quartet established an alternative, peaceful political process at a time when the country was on the brink of civil war,” the Nobel committee chair said before adding that its mediation was “vital in establishing a constitutional system of government guaranteeing fundamental rights for the entire population, irrespective of gender, political conviction or religious belief.” The National Dialogue Quartet comprises four key organizations in Tunisian civil society: the Tunisian General Labour Union (the main union in the country), the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, the Tunisian Human Rights League and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers. And thanks to the diversity of the values and the sectors it represented, the quartet managed to gather the unanimous support of the Tunisian people. It is noteworthy that the National Dialogue in Tunisia was an urgent popular demand to find a way out of the political crises created in the wake of two political assassinations. The first victim was the left-wing opposition leader “Chokri Belaïd”, followed a few months later by “Mohamed Brahmi”, an imminent member of the parliament. As a result, the Quartet decided to put great efforts into solving this crisis by preparing a roadmap that paved the way for the next elections (that were held in November 2014), after which a newly elected government led the country and helped shape the next phase for Tunisia. The Quartet thus enabled Tunisia, in the space of a few years, to establish a constitutional and legitimate system of government. Tunisia is continuing to safeguard the constitutional system achieved thanks to the Quartet’s effort and will remain to do so to be an example for whoever may think it impossible to promote peace and democracy in the Middle East and North Africa. 10 AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST Municipal elections in Saudi Arabia Houcine Ben Dali Sup 6 Saudi women were allowed last year to participate for the first time in municipal elections as voters and candidates. Municipal polls that took place on 12 December 2015 in 1,263 polling stations, were organized to choose two thirds of the council seats, in 284 municipal councils, whose prerogatives are restricted to local affairs including responsibility for streets, public gardens and rubbish collection. In fact, more than 900 female candidates participated in these elections and about 20 women won seats in municipal councils. However, many women were prevented from registering as candidates, for being advocates of the expansion of women’s rights in the Kingdom. The election campaigns were limited because of the strict separation of the sexes in public places, which means that women candidates were allowed to address only women voters. This is why many of them were obliged to have men read their speeches on their behalf. Saudi Arabia is the last country in the world to give its women the right to vote, but they are still deprived of many basic rights. In fact, they are not allowed to drive, and they are obliged to have a signed permission from their husband before they are free to travel, even within Saudi Arabia. In spite of the different challenges Saudi women still have to face, international human rights associations welcomed the elections and considered them a step forward for gender equality in the Kingdom, allowing greater participation of women in public life. 11 EUROPE den Attentaten vom 13. November 2015 wird dieses Gesetz durch die Notstandsgesetze verstärkt. Im Notstand dürfen die Behörden Hausdurchsuchungen mit weniger bürokratischem Aufwand ausführen. Man kann eine Parallele zwischen den Stasi-Methoden und denjenigen der heutigen Nachrichtendienste ziehen. Seit der Verhängung des Notstands rechnet man ungefähr 2700 Hausdurchsuchungen ohne gerichtliche Erlaubnis, und diese Durchsuchungen gehen fast nur auf Informationen, Argwohn, Anzeigen zurück. Außerdem kann ein Mensch unter Hausarrest stehen, nur weil er verdächtigt wird, eine Verbindung mit einer terroristischen Gruppe zu haben. Es hat 164 Hausarreste seit November gegeben [Stand Februar 2016]. Dennoch haben wenig zu wirklichen terroristischen Beschuldigungen geführt. Am 16. November zum Beispiel wurde ein Mann unter Hausarrest gestellt, nur weil er offenbar das „verdächtige Verhalten“ eines „Proselyten“ und „radikale Reden“ gehalten haben soll (Quelle: Artikel von Alexandre Fache in der Zeitung www.humanité.fr am 29. Januar 2016). In Frankreich kann man abgehört und überwacht sein, von Bekannten angezeigt und ohne Untersuchung unter Anklage gestellt werden. Diese politische Linie wird durch die Sicherheit und den Schutz der Bürger gerechtfertigt. Die Verteidiger benutzen Argumente wie „Wenn man unschuldig ist, hat man nichts zu fürchten“, aber darf man nicht gerade deshalb, weil man unschuldig ist, ablehnen, abgehört zu werden? Werden wir in einigen Jahren Archive über uns entdecken? WELCHE LEHREN KÖNNEN WIR AUS DER GESCHICHTE DES OSTDEUTSCHEN ÜBERWACHUNGSSTAATS ZIEHEN? Adèle Chaix & Agnès de Camproger, HK-AL Vielen Beobachtern scheint es unangebracht, die Methoden des autoritären Organs der ostdeutschen Regierung (das Ministerium für Staatssicherheit, auch „Stasi“ genannt) im XX. Jahrhundert mit der aktuellen Situation in Frankreich zu vergleichen. Dennoch haben wir uns nach der Abstimmung des Informationsgesetzes in Frankreich 2015 eine Frage gestellt: Ist unser Privatleben trotz dieses Gesetzes noch sicher? Leben wir immer noch in einem freiheitlichen Staat? Zwischen 1957 und 1989 ist Erich Mielke Minister für Staatssicherheit. Sein Auftrag ist, die Stasi zu reorganisieren, was ihm die Mittel gibt, das Leben der Ostdeutschen auszuspionieren und die Regimegegner einzuschüchtern. Die Stasi war verantwortlich für die politische Polizei, Spionage und Gegenspionage der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (DDR) und wurde am 8. Februar 1950 ins Leben gerufen. Unter Vormundschaft der Regierung wurde die Stasi von der Propaganda des Regimes als „Schild und Schwert der Partei“, das heißt der SED (die „Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands“, die alle Staatsorgane kontrollierte), bezeichnet. Während die Stasi anfangs über etwa Tausend Agenten verfügte, stieg der Personalbestand in die Höhe, um 1980 die Zahl von 80 000 Offizieren zu erreichen. Aber diese Offiziere handelten nicht allein und sollten Inoffizielle Mitarbeiter (IM) rekrutieren. Diese einfachen Bürger waren also genau genommen keine Mitglieder der Struktur, aber sie sollten ihren leitenden Offizieren Berichte liefern. Diese Informanten wurden in der nahen Umgebung einer verdächtigten Person, unter ihren Freunden oder in ihrer Familie rekrutiert. Aus den Archiven erfahren wir, dass sich die Qualität und die Menge von diesen belieferten Informationen nach den Individuen änderten: Manche belieferten magere Berichte ohne privates Interesse, während die Angehörigen der verdächtigten Person regelmäßigere und vollständiger Berichte belieferten. Die gesammelten Informationen waren also von einem sehr ungleichen Wert: Einige Berichte erwähnen nur eine kurze Begegnung auf der Straße, während andere Informanten ganze Gespräche zurücktrugen. Dank dieser IM konnte die Stasi so ins Leben des „Überwachten“ wirklich eindringen, so dass sie fast alle sozialen Verbindungen der überwachten Person kontrollierte. What lessons can be drawn from the history of the East German police state? This article starts from a historical event in Germany in the 20th century, the terror and oppression led by the Stasi, East Germany’s secret police. In 1957, the secret police was led by Erich Mielke, the public safety minister in East Germany at the time. He was given the mission to reorganize the Stasi, and therefore had to expand his powers by adding informal informers to the official staff. All these informers were ordinary citizens recruited from the suspect‘s closest entourage or even if they had only loose connections with the target (colleagues, members of an association...). The consequence of these checks and searches is the emergence under the socialist government of tons of reports and archives about people in East Germany which have now been made public. This dark period of German history highlights the issue of being watched unknowingly - an issue that still seems to be relevant these days. Indeed, since the intelligence law voted in France in 2015, the police have acquired more rights to watch people, without any control or any investigations. Many cases have been opened about suspects only based on informal complaints and suspicion, though there is a difference between German citizens who were sometimes forced to share information with the Stasi, and people denouncing suspicious activities today because they are afraid of terrorism. Die heutige Entwicklung in Europa erinnert uns an diese dunkle Periode der deutschen Geschichte. Die Frage, wie der Bürger seine Freiheit und seine Privatsphäre vor dem Überwachungsstaat schützen kann, scheint uns heute noch aktuell. Am 24. Juli 2015 wurde in Frankreich über das Informationsgesetz abgestimmt. Das Gesetz sieht mehrere stark umstrittene Maßnahmen vor, denen vorgeworfen wird, dem Privatleben zu schaden. Zum Beispiel hat jetzt der Geheimdienst neue, umfassendere Möglichkeiten, „verdächtige Verhaltensweisen“ festzustellen und in einem breiten Umfang Spion-Softwares und Abhöranlagen zu benutzen. Seit * Picture’s caption: God sees everything but the neighbors don‘t want to miss anything. 12 EUROPE DAS TRIUMPHTOR, EIN SYMBOLISCHES BAUWERK Héloïse Billette & Camille Boissel, HK-BL Nach den Terroranschlägen am 22. März in Brüssel wurde in Frankreich der Eiffelturm in den belgischen Nationalfarben angestrahlt. In einem Kontext, wo die Länder entscheiden, ihr emblematischstes Bauwerk zu erleuchten, hat Deutschland das Brandenburger Tor gewählt. Diese symbolische Entscheidung macht die Bedeutung dieses Bauwerks für die Deutschen sichtbar. Titusbogen Am Anfang wollte der König mit diesem Bauwerk den erfolgreichen Kriegen seines Vorgängers, Friedrich II., huldigen. Dieses Tor wurde ab 1793 das „Friedenstor“ genannt, weil die berühmte Quadriga, die auf dem Tor steht, eine Friedensgöttin darstellt. Aber diese Symbolik des Friedens war schon ambivalent: die Friedensgöttin sitzt nämlich in einem Triumphwagen. Diese Quadriga war auf jeden Fall eine wichtige Figur der Macht Preußens; deshalb wurde sie 1806 nach der Niederlage Preußens in Jena gegen Napoleon als materielles Symbol des Siegs Frankreichs nach Paris gebracht. 1814 kehrte die Quadriga nach Berlin zurück. Bei dieser Gelegenheit wurde die Friedensgöttin durch das Hinzufügen eines preußischen Adlers kriegerischer und preußischer dargestellt. Dieses Bauwerk wurde auch 1933 von den Nazis bei der Machtergreifung benutzt – einem ganz verschiedenen Triumph... Nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg wurde das Brandenburger Tor nach seinem Wiederaufbau zu einem Symbol der Zweiteilung Deutschlands: es stand nämlich direkt an der Grenze zwischen Ost- und Westberlin. Am 22. Dezember 1989 hat dieses Bauwerk schließlich eine andere Bedeutung bekommen. Es verkörperte den Sieg des deutschen Volkes: die Möglichkeit sich wieder zu vereinigen und seine gemeinsame Identität zurückzuerobern. Das Brandenburger Tor ist ein Triumphtor. Das sollte man nicht mit einem Triumphbogen verwechseln. Beide sind zwar auf die Antike zurückzuführen. Das «Triumphtor» ist aber ein Das Brandenburger Tor spezifischer Begriff: mit diesem Wort bezeichnen die Deutschen ein Bauwerk, das ein Triumphbogen ist, aber auch ursprünglich als Durchgang geplant war. Die Triumphtore stehen nämlich nicht frei, sondern sind sozusagen « große Türen », durch welche man in ein Gebäude oder gar in einen begrenzten Raum eintritt. Das ist besonders anschaulich beim «Ingresso della Terra», dem Tor des Arsenals in Venedig. Das Arsenal, der Name der Flottenbasis der ehemaligen venezianischen Republik, war ein wichtiger Schauplatz der Macht der Dogenstadt, da die von Venedig exportierten Waren dort in die Schiffe verladen wurden. Der « Ingresso della Terra » stellte den Reichtum des Staates dar. Dieses Tor symbolisierte den Ruhm der Stadt, der sich von diesem Ort aus in die ganze Welt verbreitete. Triumphtore und Triumphbögen lassen sich also durch Kriterien unterscheiden, die nicht architektonisch sind. Die Idee, dass der Ruhm dieses Tor passiert, um sich in der gan- zen Welt zu verbreiten, ist beispielsweise hier sehr wichtig, da es Venedig als die reichste Stadt der Welt kennzeichnet. Die Triumphtore weisen auf die Größe eines ganzen Volkes hin, wohingegen die Triumphbögen vielmehr an einen persönlichen Triumph erinnern. In Deutschland spiegelt das Brandenburger Tor also mehrere Etappen des historischen Wandels wider. Die Triumphtore sind wirkliche nationale Symbole, die den Charakter eines Volkes darstellen. Denkt daran, wenn ihr unter die goldenen Buchstaben des Namens unseres Gymnasiums geht! The triumphal gate, a symbolic building In the aftermath of the attacks in Paris, many western countries decided to light up the most representative of their monuments-Germany chose the gate of Brandenburg; and you might be interested in knowing why. Some general facts about triumphal gates ought to be stated first. A triumphal gate is often mistaken for a triumphal arch, which is understandable, as they were both first built in Ancient Rome, and share a general common shape. A triumphal gate, like Venice’s Ingresso della Terra, is much more about celebrating a nation, whereas a triumphal arch is meant to celebrate the glory of a particular man, like Titus. The gate of Brandenburg embodies very well that principle. It was built by the Prussian King Frederick the Great as a tribute to his predecessor’ many military victories, but was at first quite ironically known as the « gate of Peace », because of Quadriga, the goddess of Peace, standing at its top. This very Quadriga was stolen by Napoleon after the king’s defeat in Jena, and was later brought back to Berlin by the new German Emperor William I, as a sign of victory at the end of the Franco-Prussian War. In 1989 the famous Quadriga switched from being a symbol of Germany’s partition after World War II to being a symbol of national reunification; and so accompanied Germany in every great national change. Think about it, next time you pass under the golden letters of our Ingresso della Terra, Arsenal von Venedig Das Triumphtor ist nämlich ein wichtiges Element der Symbolik eines Staates, insbesondere in seiner Geschichte. Zum Beispiel ist die Symbolik des Brandenburger Tors emblematisch für die Geschichte Deutschlands. Zwischen 1788 und 1791 wurde es als Teil der Stadtmauer von dem preußischen König Friedrich Wilhelm II. errichtet. high school‘s name! 13 EUROPE ren von einem Jagdhund gebissen wurde. Putin nutzt ihre Angst aus, um sie zu destabilisieren… 7. Politik war nicht ihre erste Berufung, als sie jung war. Sie wollte eigentlich Eiskunstläuferin werden. 8. Bis 1993 rauchte sie jeden Tag eine Schachtel Zigaretten, aber sie hat von heute auf morgen aufgehört zu rauchen. 9. Angela Merkel ging immer an den Strand als Nudistin. 10. Während einer Sitzung der CDU 2012 hat ein Kellner ihr fünf Gläser Bier in den Nacken gekippt. Sie war ganz nass, aber sie blieb den ganzen Abend lang ruhig, ohne sich umzuziehen. 11. Sie hat nicht aktiv an der friedlichen Revolution in der DDR teilgenommen: sie war zum Beispiel in der Sauna während des Mauerfalls! 12. Als sie 18 war, hatte sie ihren ersten Vollrausch nach der Abiturfeier… Am Ende der Party ist sie wegen zu viel Kirsch-Whisky aus einem Boot ins Wasser gefallen. KENNEN SIE ANGELA MERKEL SO GUT, WIE SIE GLAUBEN? Alix Truelle & Soo-hyun Um, ECS1 Hier ist die Angela Merkel, die Sie kennen: zuversichtlich, ernsthaft, die vor nichts zurückschreckt, und die Autorität haben kann… Nun können Sie damit prahlen, Angela Merkel besser zu kennen! Der Rangliste des Magazins Forbes zufolge ist Angela Merkel die einflussreichste Frau in der ganzen Welt. In der EU bekommt sie den Spitznamen „Eiserne Lady“ - weil sie konsequenter und unnachgiebiger als ihre Vorgänger deutsche Interessen durchsetzt. Sie gehört zu den beliebtesten deutschen Politikerinnen und Politikern . Jeder kennt sie. Do you know Angela Merkel as well as you think ? This is the Angela Merkel you know : self-confident, serious, who‘s not afraid of anything, and who is authoritarian... According to a ranking from Forbes‘ Magazine, Angela Merkel is the most influential woman in the entire world. She belongs to the most beloved Politicians. Everyone knows her. But she doesn‘t speak a lot about her private life. We have gathered 12 facts, that you certainly don‘t about „Mutti“. - Merkel is the name of her first husband. Her maiden name is Kasner. - She managed to make her mark in a men‘s world, where she was called by Helmut Kohl „the girl“. Furthermore, she is one of the few women among the European chiefs of state. - Her favorite food is kebab. She spent her first West-Mark on a kebab after the reunification. - Her dream is to fly to Hawaii, but she has not been able to so far, because politics is a time-consuming activity. - Her favorite movie is „Out of Africa“, with Robert Redford. She says she really has it in for him. The five facts above are rather commonplace, perhaps even a little cute. But the following facts are more embarrassing for her : - Although she seems to control everything, Angela Merkel is afraid of dogs, because she was bitten by a hunting dog when she was 20. Putin knows that and uses this to destabilize her. - When she was young, she didn‘t intend to do politics. Indeed, she wanted to be an ice-skater. - Until 1993, she smoked one pack of cigarettes a day, but she stopped from one day to the next. - Angela Merkel used to go to the beach as a nudist. - During a meeting of the CDU in 2012, a waiter spilled 5 glasses of beer on her neck. She was completely wet but she remained calm and collected throughout the evening. - She was not so much involved in the peaceful revolution; for example, she was in a Sauna during the fall of the Berlin Wall. - When she was 18, she was drunk for the first time after graduation... She drank so much Kirsch-Whisky that at the end of the party, she fell out of a boat. Now you can boast you know a lot more about Angela Merkel ! Aber über ihr Privatleben spricht Angela Merkel nicht sehr oft. Wir haben 12 Tatsachen gesammelt, die Sie wahrscheinlich noch nicht über „Mutti“ wussten. 1. Merkel ist der Name ihres ersten Mannes. Ihr Mädchenname ist Kasner. 2. Es ist ihr gelungen, sich in einer Männerwelt durchzusetzen, in der sie von Helmut Kohl « das Mädchen » genannt wurde. Ausserdem ist sie eine der wenigen Frauen unter den europäischen Staats- und Regierungschefs. 3. Das Lieblingsessen Angela Merkels ist der Döner. Sie hat dafür ihre ersten West-Mark nach der Wiedervereinigung ausgegeben. 4. Ihr Traum ist, nach Hawaii zu fliegen, aber er ist bis jetzt nicht in Erfüllung gegangen, weil sie wegen der Politik nicht genug Zeit hat. 5. Ihr Lieblingsfilm ist « Jenseits von Afrika » mit Robert Redford. Sie hat gesagt: « Bei Robert Redford schmelze ich dahin »! Diese fünf Tatsachen sind ganz banal, sogar vielleicht ein bisschen süß. Aber das hier ist unangenehmer : 6. Obwohl sie alles zu kontrollieren scheint, hat Angela Merkel Angst vor Hunden, weil sie vor 20 Jah- 14 EUROPE DIE AUFNAHME DER FLÜCHTLINGE IN DEUTSCHLAND: EIN HEIKLES THEMA Morgane Orsini, Maja David & Sarah Mouhache, ECS2 Die Flüchtlingskrise bereitet Angela Merkel heute Schwierigkeiten. Einerseits möchte sie die Flüchtlinge aufnehmen und die Grundwerte Deutschlands respektieren. Andererseits ist sie mit fremdenfeindlichen Bewegungen konfrontiert. Und diese Situation wirft auch andere Fragen auf: Wie steht es um die Europäische Union? Ist das Abkommen mit der Türkei eine akzeptable Lösung? To accept or not to accept migrants, that is the question. The migrant crisis puts Angela Merkel in a difficult position. On the one hand, she would like to accept migrants in order to respect the basic values of her country. On the other hand, she has to deal with the development of racist movements. This situation questions the European Union’s capacity to deal with such challenges. For instance, is the agreement with Turkey an acceptable answer to the crisis? 15 EUROPE favore di questa riforma che hanno spinto il governo a presentare questo progetto. Le polemiche si concentrano particolarmente sugli articoli 3 e 5 che, in poche parole, riguardano entrambi l’adozione del figlio acquisito. A questo proposito, i cattolici del Partito democratico (PD, partito di centro sinistra, quello di Matteo Renzi) hanno chiesto modifiche. Prima di porre la fiducia al Senato, il governo ha fatto un accordo con il Nuovo CentroDestra, attenuando i principali aspetti di questa legge. L’approvazione di questa fiducia, giovedì 25 febbraio, soddisfa Renzi ma provoca la rabbia delle associazione LGBT per le quali «meglio niente che questa legge-vergogna » e che promettono di non fermarsi qui. Affare da seguire… UNIONI CIVILI : DA SAN REMO AL SENATO Vincent Menigoz, ECE1 Da qualche settimana, il dibattito sulle unioni civili è riapparso e infiamma l’Italia. Un cambiamento portato dal giovane Presidente del consiglio di sinistra Matteo Renzi contro la destra, le associazioni conservatrici italiane, la Chiesa, ma anche … una parte della sinistra. Civil Unions: From San Remo to The Senate A gennaio, il festival di mus i c a italiana più popolare, il Festival di San Remo, è diventato suo malgrado politicizzato. A quell’occasione, infatti, il mondo artistico, ma anche la rete, si sono mobilitati per sostenere la causa gay : cantanti famosi e musicisti con nastro arcobaleno in mano, hashtag SanRemoArcobaleno sulle reti sociali, bandiera LGBT sul palco, intervento di Elton John... Una vera e propria rivoluzione per un divertimento popolare e tradizionale! Va notato che la penisola è l’ultimo membro dell’Unione Europea a non riconoscere le coppie di stesso sesso. Però, il governo attuale, incarnato da Renzi, ci tiene a riformare il paese, tanto sul piano economico (con la legge sul lavoro detta “Jobs Act”) che sociale. Spesso riluttante al cambiamento, la società italiana rimane fortemente influenzata dai valori cattolici. Come “la Manif Pour tous” in Francia, il “Family Day” in Italia ha riunito migliaia di manifestanti attraverso tutta l’Italia per protestare contro il progetto di legge che deve essere esaminato dal Senato. In linea di massima, le parole di Gandolfini, leader del movimento, si confondono con gli interventi della Chiesa e di Papa Francesco. Se « non può esserci confusione tra la famiglia voluta da Dio e ogni altro tipo di unione » per il santo padre, Gandolfini attacca : « famiglie ignorate, si inventa emergenza che non c’è ». Anche il mondo politico ignora da molto tempo la realtà di molte coppie omosessuali con figli non riconosciuti dallo Stato, con le conseguenze che si sa (mantenimento, eredità...). Perciò sono le numerose rivendicazioni e la pressione dell’Unione Europea a For a few weeks, the debate on civil unions has reappeared and inflamed Italy. A change supported by Italy’s Prime Minister, Mateo Renzi, which antagonizes the rightwing and conservative Italian associations and the Church. In January, San Remo became politicized unintendedly. During Italy’s most popular music festival (the San Remo Festival), the artistic world as well as social media mobilized to support the gay cause: hashtag SanRemoArcobaleno (rainbow) on social networks, LGBT flags on the stage, and Elton John’s speech. It is necessary to know that Italy is the last EU member not to recognize same-sex unions. However, the current government led by Renzi intends to reform the country, be it at the economic (with the Jobs Act) or social level. Reluctant to change, Italian society is strongly influenced by Catholic values. Like the Manif Pour Tous anti-gay marriage movement in France, Italy’s Family Day gathered thousands of demonstrators all over the country to march against the bill which will be examined by the Senate. In the frontline is Gandolfini, the Family Day leader who, through his speeches, has become a spokesman for the Church and the Pope. As for the Holy Father “there must be no confusion between the family wanted by God and other types of union”, Gandolfini warns: “Neglected families, they’re creating an emergency that doesn’t exist”. The political sphere has also long ignored the reality faced by many homosexual couples whose children are unrecognized by the State, with the consequences that we know in terms of pension, inheritance… Faced with many claims and pressures for this reform from the EU, the government has been strongly encouraged to present this bill. The political controversy mainly centers on the 3rd and the 5th articles, both referring to adoption and for which Catholics from the Democratic Party have asked for modifications. Before asking the Senate for a vote of confidence, the government signed an agreement with the New Centre-Right, toning down the law’s main aspects. The Senate expressed its approval on Thursday 5th February, satisfying Renzi but sparking anger among LGBT associations. According to them, “anything would have been better than this shameful law”, so they have promised to continue the fight. Stay tuned! 16 USA DONALD TRUMP: WILL HE MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN? most of all he is a showman. A new figure in politics, he is outspoken and “tells it like it is”; he is also viewed as an anti-establishment candidate. Those are the kinds of arguments you hear from his voters. Clémence Ribuot and Geoffray Marie, Sup 2 He won many states and, to this day, already has 739 delegates (out of the 1,237 required for a majority) , when Ted Cruz has 465 and John Kasich only 143. Next Nov e m b e r America will vote for its new president. The American election system is rather complex, with its primaries and caucuses, delegates, electoral college, etc. The c u r r e n t campaign for the designation of each party’s candidate has begun, and brought many surprises. Indeed, the success of Bernie Sanders, who calls himself a “Democratic Socialist”, was unexpected. Above all, Donald Trump has become a highly controversial figure in this election, showing the rather dark and ugly face of politics. Trump, politically incorrect Someone who runs for president is supposed to be level-headed, especially if it’s in a powerful country like the USA. Donald Trump is an atypical candidate, because of his vulgar language obviously, but also because of his supporters, whose behaviour can be extreme. Nobody mobilizes people as well as Trump: only Trump needs a stadium for his meetings. In fact, a lot of people who participated are against Trump and want to ruin the event. Trumps supporters react and it often triggers acts of violence. The atmosphere in his meetings is frequently so tense that Trump decided to cancel one of them in March in Chicago. It could be a local hitch, but some practices are quite worrying. Indeed, a number of Pro-Trump supporters are members of supremacist or extremist groups which are violent. In this case could (and should) Trump become the next US President, if his only weapons are provocation and racism ? But are what his proposition really made of ? Who is Donald Trump? Donald Trump was born on June 14th, 1946, in New York. His father was a rich real estate developer. Furthermore, Trump owned from 1996 to 2015 part of beauty pageants. He is particularly known for producing and hosting a reality show: The Apprentice. The magazine Forbes estimated in 2015 that Donald Trump was worth $4 billion. His healthcare reform:“Healthcare reform to make America great again” Trump wants to repeal Obamacare. He wants the healthcare market to be a free market, thus making healthcare more accessible and more affordable. In his opinion, no single American should have to have an insurance if they don’t want to. What does he intend to do? Donald Trump’s ideas are often shocking, but what do they actually consist in? First of all, he always announces his ideas with a big fuss, which makes those ideas even more surprising and controversial. Americans could use the so-called Health Saving Accounts (HSAs), which would be tax-free and could be passed on to their heirs. He put his presidential campaign under the motto “Make America great again”. He wants the United States to dominate the economic world. In order to do this, he wants to get rid of his biggest opponent: China. For instance, he said on exporting goods to China: “Listen, you m-----f------, we’re going to tax you 25 percent!”. One of Trump’s ways of lowering the cost of healthcare is to strengthen immigration laws because he says that illegal immigrants cost more than $11 billion each year. A little bonus: The mystery of Donald Trump’s hair This is a 1 million dollar question: what is the secret of Donald Trump’s hair? Is it real hair? Has he had surgery? Is is coloured? One of his favourite subjects is illegal immigration. When he first announced his campaign, he described Mexicans as “rapists” and “criminals”... Among other controversial projects, he wants to build a wall between the United States and Mexico to prevent illegal immigration. How does he manage to comb it like this to have that soft-serve swirl? Another controversial subject of his is the immigration of Muslims. After the terror attacks in November in Paris, he wanted to close the mosques and to register all the Muslims living in the United States. Then, after the San Bernardino attack in December, he wanted to forbid all access to the United States to Muslims. Donald Trump’s success is partly due to his image: he is a self-made man, an archetype that Americans love, and 17 USA THE RIDDLE OF TRUMP’S POPULARITY However tantalising his oratorical skills may seem, Trump essentially symbolises a loss of faith in democracy. His increasing power isn’t just directly correlated to the fact that politics is about who has the greatest rhetorical tools in their box. It clearly exposes our faltering conviction in the authenticity of politicians’ motives. Grégoire Lambert & Mathilde Le Bail, Sup 5 With Super Tuesday come and gone, the world is finally starting to have a clearer picture of the United States’ primary elections. With Donald Trump as the front-runner in the G.O.P. race, the international community as well as most Conservative Republicans, are starting to seriously doubt the sanity of the American people. Then, the ideas Trump defends are quite extreme, and it seems that more and more American citizens support those ideas. Is it a phenomenon only linked with America or can it be found in other countries? Mr. Trump is most likely to become his party’s nominee after his landslide victory on Super Tuesday when he won 7 states out of 11. If anyone thought he was just a passing buffoon, they’ve certainly changed their minds by now. When his candidacy was announced most people reacted with various forms of nonchalant mockery, thinking that he was an inveterate practical joker. In European democracies such as France, Britain and Germany extremes parties are more popular in a time of crisis. What accounts for Trump’s success seems to result from an international situation and not only a domestic one. American history has taken a turning point with Barack Obama’s election as the first black president. Trump as the US president would be a step back in this field. If Trump is elected both the American people and the world at large will be affected since the USA remains the most powerful country. The stakes of this election are very high! But since then, Donald Trump has won hearts all over America with his fiery character and unbeatable charisma and has completely divided voters. While a majority see him as an absurd racist and a self-centred big shot, a growing minority have expressed both appreciation and admiration for Mr. Trump. Finding his public appearances and utterances humorous and compelling, Trump’s supporters have fallen for his provocative and successful image. In fact, the name Trump in itself symbolises the American Dream: success, wealth and strength. He embodies every single thing average middle-class Americans aspire to achieve – and be. But Americans are voting for a brand, an idea, and an image, not a tangible human candidate. Trump is notoriously known for suing everyone, no matter the platitude of the infringement, so how come anyone can be under the impression that he will actually care about average Americans and their needs? Never mind the heinous comments made on immigration and religion, as long as they’re presented with a dash of extravagant humour, Americans seem to be mesmerized by Trump. Cartoon by John Darkow, published in the Columbia (Missouri) Daily Tribune on January 25, 2016 18 USA A REVIEW OF OBAMA’S PRESIDENCY: 2008-2016 Flora Calcagno, Sup 5 The 2008 US Presidential election In 2008, Barack Obama (BO) was Senator from Illinois. He won the democratic nomination. After months of debates, on November 4th Obama won against McCain (senator from Arizona) in the presidential election with his slogan : Yes, we can ! He was the first African-American elected President. The 2012 US Presidential election BO was re-elected president in November 2012, defeating Republican nominee Mitt Romney. His mandate will come to an end in January 2017. Now, after his 8 years of presidency : => What is the end result of his presidency? Climate change : “The Clean Power Plan” He increased energy independence with more investments in solar, wind and renewable energy. For example, since 2008, the cost of solar panels has dropped to 75 % and the wind power of the US has tripled. The best achievement is the signing of the COP 21. → Economic policy: During his campaign, he promised to consolidate U.S. economy and he did manage to. First of all, he signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 with the aim of helping the economy recover from a deepening worldwide recession. He built a stronger middle class thanks to the rise in minimum wage. Unemployment has fallen from 10 % to under 6 % and the national deficit has been cut in half. But some inequalities persist : women are still paid less than men. Adapted from wikipedia Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Comprehensive immigration reform It provides parents of Americans citizens or legal resident children who have lived in the USA for more than 5 years with citizenship, and makes it impossible to deport them. However, BO wants to tighten US-Mexican border control in order to strengthen security. Education Enable more students to gain access to quality education in order to avoid falling into the student debt trap. Gun violence prevention President Obama wanted to take an executive order to reduce gun violence but he was stopped by Congress’s inaction, which failed to act because of lobbies. Nevertheless, BO is not backing down; he proposed 20 executive actions to prevent gun violence. If these are successful, he will fulfill one of his campaign promises, and he will decrease the lobbyists’ influence. Health care reform He promoted universal health care as a top national priority to help millions of Americans get better health care and make sure an increasing number of people are eligible for access to Medicaid. Thanks to this reform, the insurance companies can no longer discriminate against patients because of their health condition, and young adults can remain in their parents’ plan until the age of 26. Foreign policy BO emphasized withdrawing American troops from Iraq; he tried to put an end to the war in Afghanistan. Moreover, after months of secret negotiations that the Vatican facilitated, he announced on July 1, 2015 that diplomatic relations between Cuba and the USA would resume and an embassy would be opened in Washington and Havana. Social progress As far race relations are concerned, on the one hand, being the first black president in the White House has helped improve conditions for blacks. But on the other hand, racial tensions have worsened. For example, blacks are unfairly killed by police (Ferguson …). As for LGBT rights, Barack Obama has become the first “gay president” and contributed to the advances of gay rights leading to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last June to declare state-level bans on gay marriage “unconstitutional”. Concerning women’s rights, inequalities remain. In the U.S. Congress, women just hold 20% of the seats, despite representing half of the US population. During these 8 years of presidency, BO has contributed to improving American citizens’ living standards thanks to his reforms, although a lot of areas still need to be modernized. Will his successor - a woman? manage to do so?. But at the moment, with the results of the primaries still unpredictable especially for the Republican party, the future is uncertain. 19 USA mayoría de ellos detenidos en Afganistán durante la invasión de este país. Pero este centro fue muy criticado, considerado como “contraproducente” por el propio Obama que siempre ha reiterado su idea de desmantelarlo desde su llegada a la casa Blanca y pese a la firme oposición del Congreso. Pero se necesita resolver numerosas cuestiones como el traslado de los presos a un lugar seguro, el traslado a terceros países a 35 de los 91 detenidos que están hoy en el centro de detención de Guantánamo, acelerar la revisión periódica del resto de los prisioneros y aplicar “todas las herramientas legales” disponibles para aclarar el destino de aquellos presos que tienen la etiqueta de “detenidos de guerra”. Así, Obama quiere realizar su vieja promesa electoral, garantizar la seguridad, mantener los valores humanos estadounidenses y, ahorrar dinero al contribuyente norteamericano. El cierre del centro sería un buen acuerdo: si no es por razones morales, es por razones económicas. LA BASE NAVAL DE GUANTÁNAMO: ¿HACIA UN CIERRE DEFINITIVO? Flora Calcagno, Sup 5 A finales de Febrero, Barack Obama compareció para anunciar su firme compromiso para clausurar el centro de detención en la bahía cubana de Guantánamo porque su existencia es contraria a los valores estadounidenses, perjudica a la seguridad nacional y es cara, cuesta hasta 50 millones de dólares al año. “Se trata de cerrar un capítulo de nuestra historia”, dijo el presidente, que calificó la decisión como un reflejo de “las lecciones que hemos aprendido del 11 de Septiembre”. Un poco de historia La estación naval en Guantánamo se estableció en 1898, cuando Estados Unidos ocupó militarmente la isla tras derrotar a España en la Guerra hispano-estadounidense. La adquisición de la base formaba parte de los acuerdos firmados entre ambos: la Enmienda Platt de 1901 y el tratado americano-cubano de 1903. La Enmienda Platt es una disposición legal americana votada en 1901 por el Congreso americano que pormenorizaba las condiciones de la retirada de las tropas estadounidenses de Cuba. Impuesta a Cuba e incluida en su constitución, esta enmienda definía las relaciones cubano-americanas y el derecho de injerencia de los EE-UU sobre Cuba para «mantener la independencia de Cuba». El tratado cubano-estadounidense (1903) establecía, entre otras cosas, que Estados Unidos tendría completo control y jurisdicción sobre la Bahía de Guantánamo, con propósitos de operar estaciones navales y de embarque, mientras que reconocía que Cuba mantenía su soberanía. Un tratado en 1934 concedió a los Estados Unidos un arrendamiento perpetuo por la base en cambio de una renta anual de 4805 dólares. Is the Guantánamo naval base likely to be closed for good? During the Spanish–American War, the U.S. fleet attacking Santiago secured Guantánamo’s harbor for protection during the hurricane season of 1898. In 1901, the Platt amendment enabled the USA to control the bay and recognize Cuba’s independence. In 1903, Cuba signed a lease that allowed the United States the use of land on Guantanamo Bay as a naval base, with the understanding that this would reduce the military footprint of the U.S. on the island. One rent check was cashed after the Cuban Revolution, but the Government of Cuba has declined all further payments. In the last quarter of the 20th century, the base was used to house Cuban and Haitian refugees intercepted on the high seas. Beginning in 2002, some months after the War on Terror started in response to the attacks of September 11, 2001, a small portion of the base was used to detain several hundred enemy combatants of terrorism. However, since 2008 Obama has been determined to close this center but he has been faced with difficulties, like prisoners’ translations because the Congress refused to use public money to this end. So Obama has to manage and produce a “coherent plan for closing the prison” in order to safeguard national security, to maintain American human values, to save money because the center costs almost 3 million dollars per year, and to fulfill his election promise. Actualmente, los Estados Unidos pagan a Cuba anualmente su arrendamiento, pero Cuba no acepta el pago. La presencia estadounidense en Guantánamo permanece contra la voluntad del gobierno cubano y la considera una ocupación ilegal del área. A pesar del deshielo de las relaciones en enero de 2015, Guantánamo queda un tema de tensión entre ambos. Un polémico centro de detención En el último cuarto del siglo XX, la base fue usada como centro de reclusión para refugiados cubanos y haitianos interceptados en alta mar. Sin embargo, después de los atentados del 11 de septiembre de 2001, bajo la presidencia de Bush, las autoridades estadounidenses la han usado como centro de detención para detenidos acusados de terrorismo, la 20 ENVIRONMENT COLIBRIS, EINE BEWEGUNG den, wie man sie verhindern kann. Auf ihrer Reise haben sie Pioniere getroffen, die Landwirtschaft, Energie, Wirtschaft, Demokratie und Erziehung wieder neu entdecken. Tatsächlich zeigt dieser Film Projekte für morgen, die gut funktionieren! Hier einige Beispiele: • Die Entwicklung der städtischen Landwirtschaft in Detroit (USA) und in Todmorden (England). • Schulen in Finnland, die auf Teamgeist, Respekt vor anderen, Natur und Dialog basieren. • Die Schaffung lokaler Zahlungsmittel in der Schweiz und in England. • Eine neue Art lokaler Demokratie in indischen Dörfern, wo die Kasten miteinander kommunizieren und wo offene Versammlungen stattfinden. • Das Projekt „100% erneuerbare Energie“ in Kopenhagen. VOLLER HOFFNUNG UND INITIATIVEN Jeanne Cormerais, Laïs Foix & Tissa Smagghe, ECE1 Heute ist die Umwelt ein wichtiges Thema, und im Kontext der COP21, die vor kurzem stattgefunden hat, ist es von ganz besonderer Bedeutung. Colibris ist ein Verein, der 2007 von Pierre Rahbi gegründet wurde und dazu beitragen will, die Welt besser zu machen. Colibris möchte eine ökologische und menschlichere Gesellschaft aufbauen, in der der Mensch im Vordergrund steht. Nur der Mensch kann nämlich die Gesellschaft verändern, wenn er sich in die Mitte der Veränderung stellt. Die Aufgabe von Colibris besteht darin, die Bürger, die die Gesellschaft verändern wollen, mit anderen Menschen zusammenzubringen und sie zu unterstützen. Deshalb ist Colibris in ganz Frankreich zu finden, damit alle Menschen in ihrer unmittelbaren Umgebung handeln können. Außerdem können alle Menschen, die zu diesem Verein gehören, an dem Entscheidungsprozess teilnehmen. Schließlich unterstützt der Verein seine ehrenamtlichen Helfer in verschiedenen Projekten wie dem „Oasis“-Projekt. Tatsächlich ist die Botschaft, die Cyril und Mélanie weitergeben wollen, dieselbe wie die von Colibris: man muss der Bevölkerung die Macht geben, nicht den multinationalen Konzernen und den Staaten, die die wirtschaftlichen Interessen einer Elite privilegieren. Cyril erklärte: „Damit die Demokratie funktioniert, müssen die Leute sich ihrer bemächtigen.“ Colibris unterstützt die Verbreitung des Films, und ehrenamtliche Helfer des Vereins stellen dem Publikum diesen Film vor. Aber „Demain“ ist auch ein Buch, das Cyril geschrieben hat. Colibris und Actes Sud, ein Verlag, haben zusammengearbeitet, um die Reihe „Domaines du possible“ zu entwickeln. Natürlich wurde „Demain“ in dieser Reihe veröffentlicht, weil es dazu beitragen möchte, die heutigen Probleme zu lösen. Das „Oasis“-Projekt Alternative Schulen, gemeinsame Nutzung von Gärten, finanzielle Förderung, Entwicklung der erneuerbaren Energien sind Beispiele für das so genannte „Oasis“-Projekt. Das Ziel? Eine Familie, ein Stadtteil oder ein Dorf wählt Orte, um ein Projekt zu entwickeln. Es fördert das Leben in der Gemeinschaft und die Integration von Menschen, ob jung oder alt. Außerdem nehmen diese Projekte auf die Umwelt Rücksicht. Eine „Oase“ aufzubauen, bedeutet, etwas „zusammen zu machen“, wie Colibris es erklärt. Der Organisation zufolge heißt das allerdings nicht, nur in einer Gemeinschaft zu leben und keine persönliche Freiheit mehr zu haben, sondern es erlaubt im Gegenteil die Selbstverwirklichung. In Frankreich wurden schon 100 „Oasen“ aufgebaut. Dörfer und Stadtteile werden dank diesen Projekten umweltfreundlicher. Die „Oasis“-Projekte befolgen 5 Regeln: eine gemeinsame Nutzung von Räumen und Dienstleistungen, eine gemeinsame Verwaltung, ein sparsamer Umgang mit Energie, eine lokale Landwirtschaft und eine Weitergabe des Wissens. Als konkrete Beispiele sind “L’oasis des 7 cercles” und “Le Hameau des Buis” zu nennen. “L’oasis des 7 cercles” ermöglicht Menschen, die aufgrund physischer oder psychischer Behinderungen in medizinisch-sozialen Einrichtungen leben, sich zu entspannen und Energie zu tanken. “Le Hameau des Buis” hat eine alternative Schule gegründet. Nachmittags können die Kinder eine Frühförderung in verschiedenen Bereichen wählen: Kochen, Kunst, Theater, Gartenarbeit, Holzbearbeitung, Geologie oder Naturwissenschaften. Kurz gesagt, dieses Projekt bietet eine andere Lebensweise für unsere Zukunft. The Colibris organization The environment is a major issue these days, all the more so in the context of the COP21 Conference, which took place in December. Colibris is a organization founded by Pierre Rabhi in 2007 which aims to spur the world into positive action. Thus it wants to build a sustainable and human society with environmental concerns, in which people would play a leading role. Indeed, only people can change society if they are at the heart of this change. Colibris’ mission consists in gathering people who want to change society, and supporting them. This is why Colibris can be found in many areas of France, so that everyone can be involved in their own regions, and be a part of this change. The group supports its volunteers in different projects such as “Oasis project”. The “Oasis project” consists in developing eco-friendly areas (“oases”) where groups of people organize space like a district in a town or a village. What can it bring to people? The principle of an “oasis” is to “contribute together”, thereby fostering personal fulfillment, regardless of one’s age. In France, 100 “oases” are already set up. Most of them apply 5 main principles: sharing space and services, a common governance, using renewable energies, resorting to local and organic farming, and sharing knowledge. Concrete examples include L’oasis des 7 cercles and Le Hameau des Buis. The former helps physically and mentally disabled people feel better and stronger. The latter is an alternative school. Thanks to oasis projects, people change their consumer habits and learn to live with the environment, instead of against it. Colibris supported the movie Tomorrow (“Demain”) because it gives people hope and also many solutions for the future. Cyril Dion (the former head of Colibris) and Mélanie Laurent (a French actress) had heard about an American study which proves that the future of mankind is endangered, so they decided to travel to 10 countries to find ways of avoiding this impending doom. Colibris hat auch einen Film, „Demain“, unterstützt, weil er auf die Frage antwortet: „Wie soll die Zukunft aussehen?“ Vielleicht ist die beste Lösung, um wirtschaftliche und soziale Krisen zu bewältigen, eine positive Geschichte zu erzählen. Nach der Veröffentlichung einer amerikanischen Studie, die das mögliche Verschwinden eines Teils der Menschheit vor 2100 vorhersagt, sind Cyril Dion, der ehemalige Direktor von Colibris, und Mélanie Laurent, eine französische Schauspielerin und Schriftstellerin, in zehn Länder gefahren, um diese potenzielle Katastrophe zu verstehen, und vor allem um herauszufin- The movie shows original and smart ideas to help improve economy, energy, education, food and democracy. For instance, urban farms in Detroit, direct democracy in India, local currencies in British towns or green energy in Denmark. Thus, Tomorrow and Colibris share the same goal of giving back power to the people. Tomorrow is also a book by Cyril Dion in the “Domaines du Possible” collection, created by Colibris and Actes Sud. 21 REMEMBERING ‘such commemorations remind us of pain and sadness, emotions that are hard to get Adriana Bollée, Sup 5 past in such troubled times.’ Many of us Jansonians know people that were involved to some extent in the Paris attacks. So it is not WW2, the Algerian War, Charlie Hebdo, just the people that were present that feel November 13th 2015… Tragic events have impacted, it is in fact quite everyone. All Pabeen piling up, dates that society feels are risians and many cities close to Paris as well important to remember, thus creating com- could see the tricolored Eiffel Tower, and memoration dates. The notion of a ‘duty photos were everywhere on social websites. to remember’ appeared as early as 1945, as atrocities committed in concentration The subsequent worldwide solidarity movecamps and extermination camps were final- ment helped us mourn our losses and stand ly admitted to be true. up against terrorism, an important commitHowever, it remained quite a sensitive topic, ment that we must not forget. A year before, we had expressed our collective solidarity by buying the newest edition of Charlie Hebdo. Coming back to the fact that almost none of us regularly attend commemorations, I am not drawing hasty conclusions. I have seen countless proofs that we are indeed quite involved in our duty to remember; it is not just a concept that we saw written in our Source: www.telegraph.com history manuals in Terminale. OUR DUTIES TO THE PAST as Holocaust denial was made punishable by law as late as 1990. Some of the survivors of deportation themselves fought hard for their experience not to be forgotten, thus creating the ‘Concours National de la Résistance et de la Déportation’ (I was myself ranked fourth). Upon reflecting on this, an underlying question emerges: the very people that lived through this are able to speak in favor of remembrance, then what is the feeling of young generations towards commemorations? Just remember the number of Jansonians that gathered for the minute of silence, or the number of candles that were lit up near the entrance – a memorial that took place thanks to some Jansonians that went and asked the school administration for approval. Whether it is from school or personal family history, the past managed to establish some kind of connection with young generations and there is an undeniable involvement among us Jansonians. The two important dates of commemorations are of course November 11th and May 8th. Standing by the Death Monument, war veterans and army officials like hearing youngsters read famous papers written during the wars. So there is indeed some form of implication. One evening, I went and asked everyone in a study room if they had ever attended a commemoration, and while many had done so once in the past, none said they were attending any on a regular basis, myself included. Maïlys Desvignes, a PCSI student, said that Source: www.pressherald.com (Portland Press Herald) 22 REMEMBERING DER FILM „IM LABYRINTH DES SCHWEIGENS“: EIN NÖTIGER BEITRAG ZUR ERINNERUNGSARBEIT IN EUROPA IM JAHRE 2015? Jeanne Gosselin, HK-AL Frankfurt am Main, 1958. Thomas Gnielka, ein anarchistischer Journalist und sein Freund Simon Kirsch, ein Holocaust-Überlebender, gehen vor Gericht, und zwar aus einem sehr besonderen, für die damalige deutsche Bevölkerung fast schockierenden Grund: Zufällig hat Simon Kirsch im Hof einer Gesamtschule Alois Schulz, ehemaliges Mitglied der Waffen-SS, wiedererkannt, einen Mann, der ihn im Konzentrationslager Auschwitz gefoltert hat. Leider stoßen die beiden Kläger auf das Schweigen der Verwaltung, die die Wunden der Vergangenheit nicht öffnen will, weshalb viele ex-Nazis sich gut in die deutsche Nachkriegsgesellschaft integrieren können. Aber Johann Radmann, ein junger Staatsanwalt im Frankfurter Gericht, nimmt ihre Klage ernst. Das ist der Ausgangspunkt einer Untersuchung, die ihn zum Prozess von Auschwitz im Jahr 1963 führen wird. Radmann möchte Joseph Mengele, den „Arzt von Auschwitz“, vor Gericht ziehen, aber es gelingt ihm nur Richard Baer, den letzten Lagerkommandanten und Robert Mulka, den Assistenten des KZ-Kommandanten Rudolf Höß festzunehmen. Am Anfang hat der junge Staatsanwalt nur eine vage Idee, was Auschwitz gewesen ist, aber er entdeckt im Laufe der Untersuchung Sachen, die ihn schockieren und er entschließt sich, den Weg durch das Labyrinth des Schweigens zu gehen, um die Wahrheit zu finden. , Er findet aber eine Wahrheit und eine Wirklichkeit, die er sich niemals vorstellen hätte können, und die Deutschland für immer verändern wird Dieser Film zeigt uns, inwiefern dieser Prozess ein Wendepunkt für Deutschland war. Die Erinnerungsarbeit kann als die moralische Verantwortung der Staaten definiert werden, sich an das Leid der Menschen und an die ihnen zugefügte Ungerechtigkeit zu erinnern. Diese Arbeit wird jeden Tag gemacht, und dieser Film ermöglicht eine Verbindung zwischen dem Prozess 1963 und dem, was heute geschieht. Tatsächlich wurde vor ein paar Wochen in Deutschland der Prozess gegen zwei Personen eröffnet, die in Auschwitz gearbeitet hatten: Reinhold Hanning, 94, ehemaliger Wächter, und Hubert Zafke, 95, ehemaliger Sanitäter. Sie wurden in Auschwitz be- schäftigt, als sie 20 waren, und waren Teil dieser großen Tötungsmaschine. Mehr als 6500 SS, die im Lager arbeiteten, haben den Krieg überlebt, und weniger als 50 wurden zwischen 1945 und 2016 verurteilt. Die starke Präsenz von ehemaligen Nazis in den nachkriegsdeutschen Justizbehörden ist eine Erklärung für diese sehr geringe Zahl. Der Prozess dieser zwei ehemaligen Mittäter hat vor allem eine symbolische Tragweite. Aber dieser Film ist in diesem Kontext wichtig, insofern als er den jungen Generationen ermöglicht, die Endlösung und ihre sehr genaue Organisation zu kennen. Diese funktionierte dank unzähligen kleinen Rädchen wie Hanning oder Zafke, die zusammen mitschuldig am Tod von mehr als 170 000 Menschen sein sollen. Heutzutage neigen einige gefährliche politische Reden dazu, die Ereignisse des Holocaust zu verharmlosen, als wäre es „ein Detail der Geschichte“. Aber Millionen von Menschen starben in diesen Lagern (48% der Juden Europas) und so ist es notwendig, sich daran zu erinnern, damit sich die Geschichte nicht wiederholt. Die Verurteilung dieser «Mittäter» von Auschwitz und die Tatsache, dass die Verbrechen gegen Menschlichkeit unverjährbar sind, sind eine Garantie dafür, dass Verbrechen dieser Art niemals unbestraft bleiben und nicht vergessen werden. Außerdem beobachten wir eine Zunahme des Antisemitismus in unserer Gesellschaft, wie Anschläge wie der auf den Hyper-Kosher im Januar 2015 beweist, oder der Angriff auf einen Lehrer in Marseille Anfang 2016. Zwischen Januar und Mai 2015 wurden 508 antisemitische Vorfälle gemeldet: sie erhöhten sich um 84%. Es ist wichtig, die Menschen nicht nach ihrer Religion zu verurteilen, im Gegensatz zu dem, was in den 30er Jahren in Deutschland passiert ist. „Im Labyrinth des Schweigens“ ist daher eine gelungene und willkommene Warnung an uns alle, besonders an die Generationen, die den Krieg und den Holocaust nicht erlebt haben. Movie: “Labyrinth of Lies” ”Labyrinth of Lies” is a German-Italian movie that deals with the story of a young public prosecutor at the Frankfurt court, who intends to sue the former Nazi criminals who worked in the Auschwitz concentration camp. Although he is initially focused on Joseph Mengele, Auschwitz’s doctor, he finally succeeds in sentencing 19 people out of the 6,500 SS officers that worked in this camp. It’s a turning point in the history of Germany. This movie is necessary for the work of remembering because it deals with the fact that no crimes such as those committed in the concentrations camp can ever be forgotten, or even stay unpunished. Some political speeches today may be very dangerous, because they minimize the importance of those events in our history. Furthermore, we must not forget that anti-Semitism has been rising in our society, and we mustn’t let History repeat itself. The recent trial of Reinhold Hanning and Hubert Zafke, two former workers in Auschwitz, may be compared to the 1963 events, even if the sentence is today more symbolical than the one at the end of the 1963 trial. 23 REMEMBERING und Blutdurst, und vor allem die übertriebene Reaktion der einfachen Menschen auf die Gewalt. Er zeigt den Prozess des allgemeinen Verdachts, der sich nach einem bestimmten Ereignis in eine Großstadt verbreitet. Diese Atmosphäre bringt auch eine Wahrheit über die Menschheit ans Licht, nämlich das, was Baudelaire „den Appetit der Massen auf das Verbrechen“ nennt, was bedeutet, dass jeder Mensch mörderische Triebe hat. Ein Mittel, diese Gewalt zu bekämpfen, ist die Menschen zu warnen, und genau das erlaubt der Film „M“. Diese Thematik ist heute noch aktuell: kollektiver Hass und Gewalt sind noch sehr stark. Die Menschen sind oft misstrauisch, entwickeln Unsicherheitsgefühle gegen Fremde und überhaupt gegen alles, was „anders“ ist. Die Demokratie soll durch die Kunst und die Bildung den Kampf gegen die Selbstjustiz, gegen die anarchistische und ungerechte Verurteilung von Verbrechern befördern. Sie muss gleichzeitig die Angst bekämpfen und die Sicherheit derjenigen sichern, die sich bedroht fühlten. Aber in unserer Gesellschaft tragen die Medien und gewisse Filme oder Videospiele durch ihre Übertreibungen immer noch zur Verbreitung von Angst, Verdacht, Psychosen und kollektiver Paranoia bei. Zum Schluss muss man feststellen, dass wir noch in einer Populärkultur der Gewalt leben. Aber wenn wir unsere Epoche mit der des Films vergleichen, scheint es, dass die Demokratie es geschafft hat, die Gewalt und die Angst in Grenzen zu halten. Man kann also sagen, dass der Film den Kontext der dreißiger Jahre gut beschreibt aber dass die Themen in unserer heutigen Zeit anders sind. In der Tat hat der nach 1945 entstandene Wohlfahrtstaat sowohl die Kriminalität als auch das soziale Konfliktpotential der europäischen Städte verringert, aber der Film ist eine Warnung, die heute noch ernst genommen werden sollte. IST DIE DARSTELLUNG DER MODERNEN GROSSSTADT IM FILM „M. EINE STADT SUCHT EINEN MÖRDER“ HEUTE NOCH AKTUELL? Amandine Rezki, Lucile Duval & Milena Dunikowski, HK-AL „M. Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder“ ist ein 1931 gedrehter deutscher Tonfilm und ein Thriller. Der Filmregisseur ist Fritz Lang und es ist sein erster Tonfilm. Das Drehbuch wurde von Fritz Lang und Thea von Harbou, seiner Frau, geschrieben. Es ist der erste moderne Detektivfilm: Lang schöpft aus verschiedenen Tatsachen der Zeit und aus Informationen über die Methoden der Kriminalpolizei. Er fragt die Psychiater über Serienmörder aus. Die Hauptdarsteller sind Peter Lorre (Hans Beckert), Otto Wernicke (Kommissar Lohmann), Gustaf Gründgens (Schränker). Der Film erzählt die Geschichte eines Mannes, der kleine Mädchen entführt und tötet. Er terrorisiert die Stadtbewohner und durch seine unbekannte Identität fasziniert dieser Serienmörder die Presse. Der Vorspann beginnt mit einem verstörenden Lied, das von einem Mädchen gesungen wird: „Bald kommt der schwarze Mann zu dir. Mit dem kleinen Hackebeilchen macht er Schabefleisch aus dir“: es ist ein Einstieg in die Atmosphäre. Außerdem vertritt Lang eine expressionistische Ästhetik. Das erste Auftreten von „M“ nimmt die Form eines Schattens an. Es ist die berühmte Stelle, wo der Schatten das Wort „Mörder“ löscht, um die Ideenassoziation auszulösen. Dies zeigt, dass der Mörder die Stadt erschüttert und in Angst versetzt. Aber der Zuschauer weiß, wer der Mörder ist, weil dieser Peer Gynt vor sich hin pfeift. Es ist eine spannungsgeladene Musik. Durch ihr Crescendo verkündet sie, dass etwas Schreckliches geschehen wird. Diese Musik ist es auch, die die Fahndung des Mörders im Film ankündigt. Kommissar Lohmann leitet die Untersuchung. Anfangs verhaftet er viele Verdächtige aus der Unterwelt. Deshalb entscheidet sich gerade diese Unterwelt, den Kindermörder zu finden, weil die ganze Aufregung um ihn ihre „Geschäfte“ stört. Das ist ein bereichernder Film, der an den damaligen historischen Kontext erinnert, aber auch, durch seine besondere Atmosphäre und die Modernität von Berlin, den heutigen Zuschauer zu einem Vergleich mit unseren gegenwärtigen Großstädten einlädt. Fritz Lang hat selbst gesagt, dass sein Film eine Dokumentation über sein Land war. Er ließ sich bekanntlich von der Aktualität inspirieren. Eine Dokumentation ist realistisch und muss für Lang „die gegenwärtige Atmosphäre des Lebens, die Wirklichkeit der Epoche“ widerspiegeln. Über die Geschichte eines Verbrechens hinaus schildert er die Gewalt der Gesellschaft, ihre Rachsucht Is the representation of the modern city in Fritz Lang’s film “M” still relevant today? “M” (the original title in German translates as “M., A City looks for a Murderer”) is a German thriller directed by Fritz Lang. Lang did a lot of research about the police and detectives and their investigative methods. This film is the story of a murderer who kills little girls. The entire town and people are afraid and there is a lot of distrust between the inhabitants. In the film, the police are looking for the murderer and he is finally found by crooks. There is a crucial mock trial scene at the end of the movie. The film is in many ways akin to a documentary because it shows in a realistic way the violence in modern cities, where anything can happen, and depicts the lowest human instincts. Film director Lang thinks that the best way to improve mankind is to display its very own capacity to harm on the screen. Ultimately, violence is intensified because of the new mass media which create a tension and increase fear and distrust. This film is still of interest to us nowadays because this current theme is a challenge for our democracies, but the risk of violence has been contained by the emergence of the post-war welfare state. 24 REMEMBERING Beispiel ist es 2014 dem französischen Botschafter verboten worden, des Genozides in Ruanda zu gedenken. Die Frage «Warum haben wir nicht geholfen?» (obwohl sie naiv ist) lässt mir keine Ruhe und wird mir lange noch keine Ruhe lassen. Vielleicht lautet die Antwort: weil Ruanda wirtschaftlich nicht interessant ist... Sich beklagen hilft jetzt nichts. „Wir haben die Aufgabe, alles zu machen, damit sich ein solches Drama nicht mehr wiederholt“. Der damalige Premierminister Edouard Balladur (1993-1995) hat mit Paul Kagamé (der aktuelle Präsident von Ruanda) gesprochen und er seine Position ist, dass Frankreich am Völkermord nicht mitschuldig ist. Im EIN GENOZID 50 JAHRE NACH AUSCHWITZ UND DIE WELT SCHAUT TATENLOS ZU In Ruanda hat die Welt 1994 800 000 unschuldige Personen sterben lassen Dominique Klein, HK-AL 1994, etwa fünfzig Jahre nach dem Aufschrei «nimmer wieder» (der Ausdruck, der besagt, dass kein Völkermord erneut stattfinden darf), hat sich einen neuen Völkermord in Ruanda ereignet. Die Ethnie der Hutu haben die Tutsi niedergemetzelt. Während der Westafrika-Konferenz (1884-1885) in Berlin haben die Großmächte die Aufteilung Afrikas beschossen. Ruanda ist Deutschland und später Belgien gegeben worden. Und die europäischen Siedler haben die Rassenunterschiede im Einklang mit den Rassentheorien, die gerade im 19. Jahrhundert entwickelt wurden. Wir können deshalb sagen, dass die europäischen Kolonialmächte zur Steigerung der Spannung unter den Ethnien beigetragen haben. Und als diese Spannungen in einen Bürgerkrieg mündeten, haben diese Länder nichts getan. Laut Frankreich ist «der Völkermord geschehen, obwohl die Welt davon wusste und die Welt konnte ihn nicht verhindern». Konnte oder wollte? Die UNO, die der Ansicht war, dass es zu spät war und dass der Bürgerkrieg ausbrechen bald würde, hat die Blauhelme repatriiert zu einer Zeit, in der ihre Unterstützung aber für die Bevölkerung lebensnotwendig war. Auch die ganze Welt hat tatenlos zugeschaut.: sie war nicht nur unbewegt, sondern sie hat auch den schrecklichen Völkermord im Fernsehen mit angesehen. Ein Jahr nach dem Genozid in Ruanda hat sich Frankreich zu seiner Mitverantwortung in den Deportationen während des Zweiten Weltkrieges bekannt. Auch der Genozid in Ruanda war ein effizienter Völkermord. Warum haben wir feige beim Völkermord in Afrika tatenlos zugeschaut, während wir in einem Kontext waren, wo wir den Mut gefunden hatten, vergangene Fehler derselben Art zuzugeben? Seit dem 7. April 2014 sind die französischen Archive über Ruanda frei zugänglich. Das ist eine erste wichtige Etappe auf dem Weg zur Aufklärung der damaligen Ereignisse. Außerdem wird der UN-Sicherheitsrat versuchen, den Gebrauch des Vetos im Falle der Massenverbrechen zu beschränken. Die Aussöhnung zwischen zum Beispiel Frankreich und Ruanda scheint immer noch schwer. Jedoch haben Frankreich und Deutschland einige Henker (aus der Ethnie der Hutu) verurteilt. Aber solche Prozesse, obwohl sie wichtig und nötig sind, können vieles nicht wiedergutmachen. In der Tat bleiben die Beziehungen zwischen Ruanda und Frankreich heute noch schlecht. Zum Gegenteil wäre es das einzige Land der Welt, das die Initiative ergriffen hat, eine humanitäre Operation zu organisieren, um den Massenmord zu vermeiden. Das entsprach nicht der ganzen Wahrheit. Aber Fakt ist auch, dass die französische Regierung inzwischen tatsächlich die Waffenlieferungen an Ruanda aufgegeben hat. Das geht meiner Meinung nach noch nicht weit genug und ich wünschte mir, dass die neue Generation – meine Generation mehr tut und sich von dieser Frage betroffen fühlt. Was können wir jetzt machen? Über unsere Vorfahren zu klagen nützt nichts und vielleicht hätten wir genau wie sie gehandelt. Im Gymnasium haben wir den Genozid in Ruanda im Unterricht durchgenommen und die Parallele zum Genozid im Zweiten Weltkrieg schien mir offensichtlich. Eine Reform der Lehrpläne für Geschichte an der Schule halte ich deshalb für notwendig. Die Kinder als die zukünftigen Bürger sollen dafür sensibilisiert werden, damit sie sich später für wichtige Sachen einsetzen wollen und können. The world has let 800,000 people die This article was written to highlight our inability to understand the genocide in Rwanda: how could the world let this happen? Summer 1994 - the Hutu ethnic group butchered the Tutsi. Developed countries turned a blind eye on it. Were they too afraid of being confronted to another war? Could their passiveness be explained by a lack of interest in this region where oil does not flourish? How can one explain the distance taken by those great economic powers, which were aware of what was happening? They knew. The media broadcast all these terrific images. The world watched murders on TV, but did not react. On the occasion of the 19th century Berlin Conference, those great economic powers were there when it came to sharing the African continent. Moreover, a year after this genocide, France recognized its implication in the Holocaust: what an irony. Our ancestors should not be blamed. Nevertheless, this short article invites us to remember the suffering endured by some, and of course, not to make the same mistakes again. But the most important thing, nowadays, is to ask for a specific teaching of this genocide in school curricula in order to make things move forward in this world, where passiveness has become a major obstacle. 25 SCIENCE & NEW TECHNOLOGIES WRITING IN “LEET” SPEAK |-|4CK® or gamers 70 co|v||v|u|\|ica7e, in gamers’ names, t#e|2e 4|2E often Thomas Barbier, Sup 3; Antoine Paris, Sup 2 r3f3r3nc3s in |\/|0\/13 titles (T4ken, Scre4m, numb3rs, etc..), by p30pl3 on social netw0rks Leet speak is a ‘hacker’ language in which \/\/|-|0 don’t 3\/3|\| kn0w that they’re the Latin letters are replaced with computer (_)$1|\|g |_33¯|¯ §|>34|{ , there 15 also a characters which look like these letters. For reference 1/\/ Free’s 4dvertis3ment : !†’s alinstance, the ‘e’ is usually replaced with ‘3’, ways 13:37 (1337). G00gle h4ve 4lso a møde the ‘l’ with ‘1’, the ‘t’ with ‘7’, the ‘a’ with in l33t sp34k in \/\/#1(# the most 0|= the ‘4’. This is why leet speak is often written as w0rds on the browser web §!¯|¯3 are written ‘1337 sp34k’. Moreover, there are no spelling in £33‡ šρ3@ķ , L1|<3 0n the scr33ngrab in rules any more : ‘ph’ could be used instead f00ter : © Free of an ‘f’. Therefore we just need to know how it works to be able to read it and understand it. There are also several ways to code the same letter, making it easier or harder to read : for ‘w’ we can use ‘\/\/’ or ‘vv’ or ‘\_/\_/’. Now that you know more about it, we can have a bit of fun. Some c0(v)(v)0N suffixes are U§€D in /33t 5|>3/-\|< language : The -xor suffix is used t0 build a noun with an adjective ,like the -er suffix in real 3|\|6£1§H. For example 7]-[3 world ‘hacker’ can 83 written ‘H4x0r’. Generally the /\/U|\/|B3R ‘0’ is used instead 0ph the letter ‘o’ The -ed 5(_)|=|=1>< used in the past participle ©4|\| be written with an apostrophe, |3Ut the apostrophe is 0F*|*3N remov’d ‘removd’ The -& suffix : the symb0l ‘&’ can be used for the s0und ‘and’ 0r ‘anned’. F0|2 3x4m|>l3 the w0rd sandbox can b3 written s&b0x. But the symb0l ‘&’ is typed with the ‘7’ on a st4nd4rd Americ@n keybøard. 17 15 the reas0n why the number ‘7’ can be @ls0 used instead 0ƒ the symb0l ‘&’. F0ℝ ex4|v|pl3, the w0rd ‘banned’ can ß3 written ‘B&’ or ‘B7’. LSPK90H is an 4dv4nced version 0f |_€€¯|¯ _/¯|>3/-\|< l@ngu@ge. Ind33d the letters 4R3 røtated phR0|v| 2 which m@kes the s3nt3nc3s still }-{@Rd3R to under§tand. F0r example the ‘A’ can be written ‘<[‘ or the ‘Y’ can b3 repl4c’d with ‘>-’. The numb3rs can alsø be \/\/r1773|\| in LSPK90H : the ‘6’ c4n be (0D3 with ‘L0’ and the ‘8’ w!th ‘(X)’. At t#!s |*0i|\|t |_33¯|¯ _/¯|>e@|{ is n0t @ l4ngu4ge an¥m0re but l00ks like a g4[V]3 in \/\/h1c|-| we h4\/3 to u|\|d3rst@|\|d a $3|\|73|\|[3. « Leet » is deriv3d from « elite ». Ind33d, 1337 5p3ak was origin4lly (_)$3[) on BBS (bulletin board system, a c0|\/|pu7er server) in the 1980s by « elite » u5er5. It \/\/4$ a way to defea7 7ex7 filters (software \/\/h1(h recognizes keywords) on C|-|47 sys7ems, for instance a <0^^|¤µter doesn’t understand p0rn or V14GR4, but U did. It w4s 4L50 used 70 exchange 1lleg@l_ !nf0rm4ti0n (7313phone or computer d474). Today 1337 5|*34|( may be (_)$3D by 26 SCIENCE & NEW TECHNOLOGIES en el método de propagación. - Keylogger. Un keylogger (registrador de teclas) es un programa que graba todas las teclas presionadas en un te- HACKERS: ¿AMENAZA IMPLACABLE? Samuel Mejía, Sup 1 Hackers: los medios de comunicación los muestran como criminales. Sin embargo, este punto de vista está parcializado, y los hackers pueden ser clasificados en diferentes categorías: Hackers de “sombrero negro” corresponden a las personas u organizaciones que hackean ilegalmente para beneficiarse económicamente o para enviar un mensaje. Por ello, hackers de sombrero negro no sólo atacan a gente honesta, sino también pueden hackear organizaciones terroristas o páginas web ilegales. Por ejemplo, la red de hackers Anonymous declaró una guerra virtual contra Daesh (E.I) después de los ataques de París de 2015. Hackers de “sombrero blanco” son todo lo opuesto. Estas personas son empleadas legalmente para hackear su sistema y así revelar fallos de seguridad, permitiendo su mejora. Se les puede también referir como “expertos en seguridad computacional”. Hackers de “sombrero gris” tienen un sentido moral similar al de los hackers de sombrero blanco, pero generalmente hackean sin autorización. Sin embargo, no buscan explotar los fallos que encuentran, sino que ofrecen al dueño repararlos por una pequeña cuota. Las principales técnicas usadas por los hackers varían dependiendo de su objetivo, pero pueden ser resumidas a 7: - Ataque por fuerza bruta. Generalmente utilizado para contraseñas, consiste en ensayar toda combinación posible de caracteres para una longitud definida. Es por esto que una contraseña más larga es más segura. clado para luego recuperar y explotar esta información. Hide your wife, hide your wi-fi Hackers: the media depicts them as criminals, the greatest enemies of a technological society. However, this point of view is one-sided, and hackers actually fit different categories: “Black hat” hackers correspond to the people or organizations that hack illegally to benefit economically or to send a certain message. Therefore, black hat hackers do not only attack lawful people, but can also hack terrorist organizations or illegal websites. For example, hacker network Anonymous declared a cyber-war against Daesh (IS) after the 2015 Paris attacks. “White hat” hackers are the very opposite. These people are legally employed to hack a system in order to reveal security flaws, thus being able to improve it. They can also be referred to as “computer security experts”. “Grey hat” hackers have a sense of morality similar to white hat hackers, but they usually hack without any authorization. However, they do not seek to exploit the flaws they encounter, but rather they offer the owner to repair them for a fee. The main techniques hackers use vary depending on their goal, but can be summarized to 7: - Brute-force attack. Generally used for passwords, it consists in trying out every possible combination of characters for a given word length. This is why longer passwords are more secure. - Password cracking. The recovery of passwords through stored or transmitted data or guessing common passwords from a pre-established list. - Descifrado de contraseñas. El objetivo es el de recuperar contraseñas a través de datos almacenados o transmitidos o ensayando contraseñas usuales de una lista preestablecida. - Phishing. This technique consists in disguising a software program or website in order to fool users or programs into revealing confidential information (usernames, passwords, credit card number…). - Phishing. Esta técnica consiste en disfrazar un software o una página web para engañar a un usuario o un programa, haciendo que revele información confidencial (nombre de usuario, contraseña, número de tarjeta de crédito…). - Social engineering. This practice does not involve using a computer, but aims to contact directly a user or a security supervisor of a certain system to trick them into revealing confidential information by pretending to be another user of the system or a higher-ranked supervisor. - Ingeniería social. Esta práctica no involucra el uso de un computador, sino que propone contactar directamente un usuario o un supervisor de seguridad de un sistema para hacerlos revelar información confidencial pretendiendo ser otro usuario del sistema o un supervisor superior. - Trojan Horse. A Trojan Horse is a program pretending to do one thing while doing another, such as pretending to be an update while transmitting data to the hacker. - Troyano. Un Troyano es un programa que finge hacer una cosa mientras hace otra, como fingir ser una actualización mientras le transmite datos al hacker. - Virus/Gusano informático. Ambos son un programa que se autoreplica y que puede ejecutar una gran variedad de tareas dañinas. La única diferencia entre los dos reside - Virus/Worm. They are both a self-replicating program which can perform a wide range of harmful tasks. The only difference between the two is the propagation methods used. - Keylogger: Keyloggers are programs which record all typed keys in a keyboard for later retrieval and exploitation of this information. 27 SCIENCE & NEW TECHNOLOGIES ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: THE FUTURE IS NOW ASIMO: humanoid robot that can autonomously pour liquid into a glass without spilling (Photograph by Honda) Communication: Samuel Mejía, Sup 1 “The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than the question of whether a submarine can swim.” Edsger W. Dijkstra Artificial Intelligence (AI). Some claim it to be our doom, others a boon, but what is it exactly? Its most simple definition is the design of intelligent machines, although it is very difficult to define “intelligent”. However, current research considers that an intelligent being is able to perceive its environment and act to maximize its chances of success for a given task. Artificial intelligence presupposes that Human intelligence can be described in a formal way, as it would allow machines to simulate it. From this perspective, the overall goal of AI is to create a General Intelligence (or “Strong AI”), which could perform any task a human can. One of the most predicted ways to accomplish this considers a neural network which could imitate, to a certain extent, a human brain. Kilobots: can only communicate with nearby robots but can self-assemble into different shapes (Photograph by Mike Rubenstein and Science/AAAS.) To achieve this, the main areas of AI development are problem solving, learning, planning, language processing, perception, motion, and manipulation. A machine proficient in these areas can be considered intelligent as it can solve problems with varying degrees of difficulty, store acquired data it can exploit later, and foresee the consequences of its actions before executing said action. It could also transform different kinds of data into a formal system it can use to communicate or to express ideas it can later use, be aware of its environment, move freely in it, and interact with it. Google Car: can drive autonomously and safely without the need for a human driver in most driving conditions. There is however a long way to go since the current AI is known as “weak AI”, because it can only solve specific problems using mathematical and statistical methods. That being said, there have been some groundbreaking achievements over the years, such as the following: There is nonetheless an existential danger that AI can arouse, which has led people such as Bill Gates and Stephen Hawking to be against Strong AI. This is because there is no reason hyperintelligent robots decide to help humanity, destroy it, or leave it be. Since we cannot predict the outcome of this decision, developing such beings could represent a potential risk for Humanity itself, as much as it could represent a potential gain. 1997 : Deep Blue became the first chess-playing computer system to beat a reigning world chess champion, Garry Kasparov. 2011 : in a quiz show exhibition match, IBM’s question answering system, Watson, defeated the two greatest champions, Brad Rutter and Ken Jennings. Hyperintelligent robots are most likely to be created by the phenomenon known as “singularity”, a possible future situation in which Strong AI would be able to improve itself without any sort of Human intervention, allowing it to become more intelligent than what any Human is able to comprehend, let alone control. Although there are skeptics about the inevitability of singularity, Stuart Armstrong claimed in 2012: “my current 80% estimate is something like five to 100 years”. 2016: AlphaGo, a computer Go-playing software beat European champion Fan Hui 5-0, then one of the best worldwide Go players, Lee Sedol 4-1. Go is an ancient Chinese strategy game that is more strategically complex than chess because, according to the British Go Association, “at the opening move in Chess there are 20 possible moves. In Go the first player has 361 possible moves”. If programmed correctly, there is no reason to fear AI, but creating AI is simpler than creating AI that we know for a fact is benevolent, because benevolent AI would require a morality to allow it to differentiate evil from good, and a specific reasoning to prevent it from considering Humanity as “evil”. The most famous way to “program correctly” an intelligent machine is by programming it with Asimov’s 3 laws of robotics (first published in 1942, in the short story “Runaround”): These are some examples of current uses of AI: Perception, movement: “A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.” “A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.” “A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.” 28 However, we are still very far from creating Strong AI, and, in artificial intelligence researcher Eliezer Yudkowsky’s own words, “By far the greatest danger of Artificial Intelligence is that people conclude too early that they understand it.” SCIENCE & NEW TECHNOLOGIES jedes Mal zu ändern, wenn sie Deutschland verlassen. Deshalb ist es sehr wahrscheinlich, dass hier das internationale Recht gelten würde. WENN SOFTWARE ÜBER LEBEN UND TOD ENTSCHEIDET Paul Mitjavile & Arthur Cubizol, ECE1 Die Menschen haben schon immer effizientere, sinnvollere, schnellere und alles in allem bessere Technologien entwickeln wollen. Das selbstfahrende Auto ist nur der nächste Schritt in diesem endlosen Wettlauf um die Verbesserung unserer Technologien. Aber was ist eigentlich ein selbstfahrendes Auto? Wie der Name schon vermuten lässt, fährt ein selbstfahrendes Auto von selbst, ohne dass Sie es fahren müssen. Dank Sensoren, Kameras und leistungsfähiger Software kann man das selbstfahrende Auto von Punkt A nach Punkt B bringen, und…. dabei fährt es vielleicht auch besser als Sie! Dennoch taucht heute eine Frage auf - und zwar eine ethische. Muss das Auto moralisch handeln? Schlimmstenfalls sollte das mit Algorithmen ausgestattete Auto darüber entscheiden, wen es töten sollte… Es ist eine Frage der Ethik. Darüber hinaus ist es ein sehr wichtiger Moment: wir würden zum ersten Mal Algorithmen über Leben und Tod entscheiden lassen. Umfragen wurden zu diesem Thema durchgeführt, und hier ist die Meinung der amerikanischen Bevölkerung: Die meisten Menschen, nämlich 75% der Befragten, würden es vorziehen, wenn nur der Fahrer sterben würde und nicht eine ganze Gruppe von Menschen auf der Straße; aber nur 65% waren der Meinung, dass die Autos von den Automobilherstellern eines Tages tatsächlich mit diesem Ziel programmiert werden. Die rechtlichen Fragen sind noch unklar. Wird es Gesetze geben, die Autos dazu zu ‘zwingen’, sich ‘richtig’ zu verhalten? Oder ein paar Zeilen in einem Gesetzestext, die für jedes smarte Auto verbindlich wären? Oder wird es den Automobilherstellern freistehen, sich für verschiedene Ebenen der Moral zu entscheiden? Bei diesem Szenario könnte man sich Menschen vorstellen, die Autos kaufen wollten, die alles tun würden, um den Fahrer zu retten. Man darf auch nicht vergessen, dass die Autos eines deutschen Automobilherstellers beispielsweise wahrscheinlich in anderen Ländern als in Deutschland fahren würden. Es wäre also sehr kompliziert für diese Autos, ihre Programme Das bedeutet, dass es Grundregeln geben wird, die Autos in allen Ländern befolgen sollten. Andernfalls hätten einige Länder verschiedene Gesetze als andere, und deswegen würden sie keine ausländischen Autos in ihrem Land akzeptieren. Das will niemand. Deutsche Gesetze erlauben es den Wagen nicht, die Entscheidung zu treffen, nur eine Person zu töten, um das Leben einer ganzen Gruppe von Menschen zu retten. Dies beruht auf dem Prinzip, dass alle Menschenleben gleichwertig sind. Es ist aber wahrscheinlich, dass Deutschland sich wird anpassen müssen, wenn Gesetze auf internationaler Ebene verabschiedet werden. Unter anderem aus diesem Grund wird das internationale Recht die Lösung sein, damit alle dieselben Regeln befolgen. Auf jeden Fall muss die Antwort darauf nun oder sehr bald gefunden werden: smarte Autos werden bald für die Mehrheit der Menschen zur Verfügung stehen, und zwar wohl früher, als Sie denken - vermutlich in etwa zehn oder zwanzig Jahren. Will software make life/death choices in the near future? Humanity always wanted to develop faster, more efficient, more useful technology … In short, better technology. Self-driving cars are only the next step in this race for technological betterment. But what is a self-driving car? As the name suggests, a self-driving car drives itself without anyone having to steer it behind the wheel. Thanks to sensors, cameras, and powerful software, the self-driving car can drive you from point A to point B... probably better than you can yourself. Nevertheless, an ethical question arises today. Must the car be capable of morality? In a “Greater Good” scenario, should the car be equipped with algorithms which would choose who has to die? It is a matter of ethics. Furthermore, this is a crucial moment: it is the first time algorithms have been given life or death choices. Surveys have been made, and here is the opinion of the American population: 75% of those surveyed would rather have the pilot dead than a group of people. However, only 65% thought that cars were actually going to be programmed this way. The legal issues remain unclear. Will there be laws that make it compulsory for cars to have «good moral standards”? Or a few lines of code that would be compulsory for every smart car? Or will cars be free to have different levels of morality? In this scenario, one could imagine someone buying a car that would do anything to save the driver, no matter the cost. One must not forget that cars will likely be going to other countries than the United States. And it would be extremely complicated for cars to change their programs each time they change countries. Therefore, it is very likely that international law will intervene. In other words, there could be basic rules for cars to follow in every country. Otherwise, some countries having different laws than others would not want foreign cars to be driven (or should we say “to drive themselves”) within their borders. And nobody wants that. In Germany, for instance, it is not allowed to choose to kill a single person in order to avoid killing more persons. This is based on the principle that life cannot be weighed. This is just an example of why it is likely that international law will be the solution (and that Germany will probably have to adapt). In any case, the answer needs to be found now, or very soon: smart cars are going to be available to the majority of people, and probably sooner than you think (about ten or twenty years, perhaps). 29 SCIENCE & NEW TECHNOLOGIES PHILANTHROPY: WHEN HEALTHCARE AND EDUCATION SERVE BUSINESS... The Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative ...he sells metadata (and not Big Data as we have kept hearing for a few years) to companies which are looking for consumers’ profiles ! But what are consumers’ profiles and how Guillaume Sallé, Sup 4 In December 2015, we learnt that Mark Zuckerberg created his “Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative” for the birth of his child, in order to help fund educational projects. But is Mark Zuckerberg just a philanthropist, or does he have a “secret reason” to be good with this kind of action? And what about Bill Gates, who in 2000 also created a foundation, the “Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation”, which helps to cure people? Don’t worry, you will find the answers below... are they linked with metadata ? From a Facebook point of view, metadata are all information about what you clicked on, photos you published (where and when, etc.), who you are sending emails to, or receiving emails from... Of course, I am not speaking about the content of the emails ! (... only about metadata) To sum up, metadata are sellable and Facebook is a mine of metadata. The Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative is a big foundation, a staff in charge of providing grants for educational projects. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation We can also understand that Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg have the same goal : selling new technologies or metadata, and this is the reason why they created their foundation. Let me explain this : you are in a better position to learn when you are healthy, and nowadays learning implies buying computers, mobiles and other technological products; not forgetting that once educated, everybody might want to create his or her own business. And on which social network are students from subsidized projects going to have a lifetime account? And who is going to create an account when he buys technological products and when he is cured? Now you can easily get that curing people from malaria or helping them to learn represents, without a doubt, an unthinkable potential growth! Nowadays, we know that buying or selling online implies that a user possesses at least one computer and/or mobile. And we also know that nowadays the computer market is saturated, so in order to sell computers and mobiles, world companies are always looking for new customers. This is the reason why, by the mid 90’s, Bill Gates began to think about how to enhance healthcare to develop business. Conclusion Enhancing healthcare and education in the world to develop capitalism is called philanthrocapitalism. But why does enhancing healthcare lead to economic power in the field of philanthropy and business ? It’s “philanthropy” because it is a good action to help cure or educate people by financing research or providing grants for educational projects. And “capitalism” because when people are able to work, they will buy computers and/or mobiles in order to use them on a certain social network... Let’s have a look at malaria... 200 million people affected over the world... Imagine they are cured with a new vaccine : they will be 200 million new customers ! It could be a fantastic growth ! Cure 200 million people, and they will be able to work... especially online ! To know more about metadata, check out this video in French : “Comment les métadonnées permettent de vous surveiller (expliqué en patate)” (How metadata can help spy on you - explained with potatoes) OK, now we understand how Bill Gates is making a profit from health care research. What about Zuckerberg? It’s a bit different because Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t sell computers or mobiles, yet... --> on Dailymotion, from Le Monde. 30 TRAVEL & TOURISM ON DEEP-SEATED STEREOTYPES ABOUT ISLANDS Reunion Island with the savannah.” The old man took out a photo. Adrien looked closely at the picture, smiled a little and said: “That’s not my island, it’s a picture from Madagascar. And these two islands are completely different.” A true-to-life story by Garance Hubert, Sup 6 “I see,” said the old man, “but I have a friend whose sister has a friend whose uncle’s nephew knows someone who has been to Reunion Island, and I heard that there were no roads or cars! How do you go to school? Do you even have schools? I mean, I don’t want to seem to be mean or racist, but you do not look like someone with a lot of education, you know…” “Well, to be completely fair, you’re not wrong, there’s barely one place you could qualify as a city, and most people live far apart from each other, which sometimes leads to some uncivilized and sometimes even quite barbaric behavior from the inhabitants. Recently, a woman was killed and eaten in order to fulfill some old ritual that’s supposed to bring good luck upon those who complete it. And do you know what’s the worst in this story? The woman had agreed to this, she even signed some official-looking papers. There were quite a lot of arrests in order to break up this sect, but you can never be sure that they all are behind bars. So you have to be careful when traveling there.” “No..., muttered the old man, you’ve got to be kidding me! There’s no way this could ever happen in France, even if Reunion Island is so far away, people have to be aware of the laws and all this kind of things, don’t they?” “There’s not much to expect from an island where you have to go to school with lianas...And I don’t think there is any policeman there, so...” Garance Hubert, a native of Reunion Island, chose a humorous way of describing the common stereotypes associated with islands, through the story of Adrien Hoarau, who recently settled in Paris and is facing unusual questions from one of the “locals”. Adrien Hoarau is a 30-year-old man from Reunion island; he was transferred to Paris a few weeks ago. At the moment he is waiting for his wife in order to take her out to a café. He decided to take a seat as his beloved Lisa was nowhere to be seen. He ordered a coffee and sat thinking of how it had been when he had first heard of his transfer, of how much excitement he had felt. While looking at some ladies passing by, Adrien noticed that an old man was staring at him. The old man stood up and walked towards him. Adrien was wondering who that old man might be, but remained silent, waiting for the man to say something. The old man looked at the lady Adrien had been staring at for a while, then showed our hero what was probably meant to be a smile and said: “After all, boys will be boys, won’t they?” He burst out laughing at his own joke and seemed to become serious again. “Hey young man, can I ask you a question?” “Sure, sir! How can I help you ? “Oh my… what a surprise, you can speak without any accent!” The old man seemed shocked. He looked at Adrien who had a huge smile on his face, that kind of smile that says... “Gotcha, old man! Buy me a drink now, all this talking got me thirsty. “I certainly owe you at least that, little fellow, I completely fell for your trap, it rather seems that Reunion Island is just a place amongst many others, with its own landscapes, customs, people, all very far away but part of France nonetheless.” “I couldn’t have said it better, let’s have a toast!” Adrien raised a skeptical eyebrow and said: “I beg your pardon?” Inexplicably, the fact that Adrien was able to speak French correctly seemed to fill the old man with a somewhat childish joy. “Pardon my manners, I couldn’t help but hear what you said earlier about coming from Reunion Island and I was wondering if you could talk with me about it, because it has been a lifelong dream of mine to go to that paradise.” “I would be glad to do so and it seems that I have some free time on my hands, so let’s start! What would you like to know?” “Well, I really like animals, but I’m quite afraid of big ones. Are there any on Reunion Island? Have you ever seen animals like lions, African tigers, or mammoths?” “You are a pretty funny old man! There are actually no such animals, only small ones…” “I had no idea, I thought Reunion Island was part of Africa and that there would be the same fauna. So you are probably going to tell me there is also no savannah?” “Indeed!” “Haha! Stop lying to me, little brat! I have seen photos of 31 TRAVEL & TOURISM THE FOREST OF FONTAINEBLEAU Marie-Laure Noël, Sup 2 Today, the forest is 25,000 ha large and is composed of a very diverse fauna and flora : 1,500 species of plants, 920 of moss, 1,700 of mushrooms, deers, boars, birds, squirrels, dragonflies and so on. You may think this is great, but a forest can be boring. Not this one, however. There are many things to do : climbing, riding, or just walking around. In fact, 4,000 ha of the forest are rocks. That’s why since 1874 people have come to climb in “Font” (or “Bleau” in French) as they call this forest. There are more than 50 different blocks, and 8 levels of difficulty. This is therefore as good for beginners and casual climbers as for profes- Did you know that there is a huge and wonderful forest just one hour south of Paris ? 25,000 ha of trees, sand and rocks, where you can do a lot of different activities. Here is a little survey of this beautiful place. Let’s start with some history. 35,000 millions years ago, the whole Parisian Basin was underwater, and we are walking today on the seabed. That’s why there is so much white sand in the forest, one of the purest sands in the world. The first nomadic population came 40,000 years ago and settled around the forest : a few villages began to appear. During the year 1000, the forest was used by the lords for hunting and to get firewood. However, it was also a strategic military place, and the royal family also had a house in the surrounding area. In 1400, the forest was 13,365 ha large and over the years it grew with many trees added by the kings. In 1861, the first nature reserve was created in the forest, even before the one in Yellowstone in the USA. The point was to preserve nature so that artists could continue to paint and be inspired by it. sionals; you don’t need to have practiced a lot to have fun. Moreover, Fontainebleau is the city of horses, so it is really easy to ride in the forest, all the more so as some paths are especially landscaped. And if you don’t like to do sport, you can just walk around (the whole forest has only 100 m elevation) and enjoy the time you’re spending with your friends, family or just alone, far away from the noise and pollution of the city. Now, just take line R to Gare de Lyon and go spend some time in the heart of nature ! For more information, check out the Fontainebleau Tourism website: http://www.fontainebleau-tourisme.com/index.php/en/ 32 TRAVEL & TOURISM Biergärten in Berlin ist wohl das Café am Neuen See - ganz in der Nähe vom Zoologischen Garten. Adresse: Lichtensteinallee 2 Öffentliche Verkehrsmittel: S-Bahn Tiergarten (S5) KOMMT NACH BERLIN! Club der Visionaere Es ist eine klassische Strandbar, eine der begehrtesten Orte von Berlin im Sommer. Er liegt am Wasser. Adresse: Am Flutgraben Öffentliche Verkehrsmittel: Warschauer Straße (U1) Elise Harlé & Emeline Hervier, ECS 1 What is there to see in Berlin? Elise Harlé and Emeline Hervier invite us on a brief tour of the city‘s main highlights, from the Brandenburg gate to the Reichstag and the DDR Museum (Berlin‘s interactive museum). Visitors may also enjoy a drink in the “beer gardens“ and try Berlin’s specialty, “Currywurst”, steam-fried pork sausage seasoned with curry ketchup and served with fried potatoes. Mmm, yummy! Wo kann man essen? CURRY 7 Berliner Spezialität! Du musst eine Currywurst probieren. Es ist ein Gericht aus Bratwurst, die ganz oder geschnitten mit Tomatensauce und Currypulver oder mit einem Curry-Ketchup serviert wird. Adresse: Schlesische Straße 7 Öffentliche Verkehrsmittel: Schlesisches Tor (U12) Was gibt es in Berlin zu sehen? BRANDENBURGER TOR Das Brandenburger Tor aus Sandstein zählt zu den größten und schönsten Schöpfungen des deutschen Klassizismus. Es ist vom Mahnmal der Teilung zum Symbol der deutschen Einheit geworden. Am 22. Dezember 1989 erfolgte unter dem Jubel von mehr als 100.000 Menschen die Öffnung des Tores. Adresse: Pariser Platz 5 Öffentliche Verkehrsmittel: Brandenburger Tor (U55) TIERGARTEN KELLE Teurer, aber es schmeckt auch sehr gut. Die urige, typische Berliner Kneipe kann mittlerweile auf eine über 70-jährige Tradition zurückblicken. In dem neu angeschlossenen Biergarten kann man ein leckeres Bier genießen. Dazu gibt es Gerichte wie eine große gutbürgerliche Portion Bandnudeln. Adresse: Bachstraße 6 Öffentliche Verkehrsmittel: S-Bahn Tiergarten (S5) Wo kann man feiern? BERGHAIN Der Tempel der Berliner Feten und der Ort der Erotik. Es ist für die Qualität seiner DJs wie Richtie Hawtin, Monika Kruse oder Laurent Garnier weltberühmt - und weil es die sozialen und sexuellen Grenzen abgeschafft hat. Die New York Times empfiehlt es. « Must-see in Berlin ». Es ist in einem Heizkraftwerk im kommunistischen Stil. Dieser legendäre Nachtklub bietet Partys, die das ganze Wochenende dauern. Adresse: Am Wriezener Bahnhof Öffentliche Verkehrsmittel: Warschauer Straße (U1) REICHSTAG Das Reichstagsgebäude ist der Sitz des deutschen Bundestages und eine der meistbesuchten Sehenswürdigkeiten Berlins. Vor allem die gläserne Kuppel ist eine Attraktion für Berliner und Touristen. Adresse: Platz der Republik, 1 Öffentliche Verkehrsmittel: Bundestag (U5) Natürlich kennen alle das Brandenburger Tor und den Reichstag. Aber kennst du das? DDR MUSEUM Lebendig und interaktiv präsentiert das DDR Museum den Alltag und das Leben in der DDR mit all seinen Facetten – FDJ, Stasi, Trabant, Plattenbau und vieles mehr. Adresse: Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 1 Öffentliche Verkehrsmittel: Alexander Platz (U2, U5, U8) Wo kann man sich entspannen? BIERGARTEN Die Biergärten Berlins haben ihren ganz eigenen Charme. Traditionelle, urige Gartenlokale bieten neben kleineren und eher unbekannten Oasen eine große Auswahl an grünen Rückzugsmöglichkeiten für das gepflegte Feierabendbier unter freiem Himmel. Einer der ältestenund bekanntesten TRÉSOR Der Club befindet sich ebenfalls in einem ehemaligen Heizkraftwerk. Man kann zwischen Atmosphäre und Techno wählen. Adresse: Köpenicker Straße 70 Öffentliche Verkehrsmittel: Heinrich-Heine-Straße (U8) IPSE Ein Semi-Open Air an der Spree. House Music, billige Getränke, äußerst gut aussehende Kellner und Berliner Design. Alles ist da, um einen tollen Abend zu verbringen. Adresse: Vor dem Schlesischen Tor 2b Öffentliche Verkehrsmittel: Schlesisches Tor (U12) Viel Spaß! 33 PSYCHOLOGY hacen la adicción, es la jaula. Entonces para detener el aumento enorme del consumo de droga necesitamos pensar diferentemente. Ningún persona se debería sentirse sola. Pero algunos estudios muestran que todavía hay mucho trabajo para lograrlo. En efecto desde 1950, el número de amigos cercanos por personas en Estados Unidos ha disminuido mucho. LA ADICCIÓN Célestin Gall, Sup 2 En conclusión, lo que nos enseña este visión diferente de la adicción, es que si queremos reducir el consumo de droga, tenemos que construir una sociedad donde se fortalecen los lazos humanos de valor y se crean entornos positivos, y no solo intentar detener el narcotráfico. ¿ Qué causa adicción a la droga ? ¿ Puede parecer una pregunta bastante estúpida, Verdad ? Es evidente, la heroína causa la adicción a la heroína. Si se consume drogas durante mucho tiempo, el cuerpo querrá más y más, porque hay químicas adictivas. Ese es el significado de adicción. Lo opuesto de la adicción no es la sobriedad, son las relaciones. ¡ Pero no es así ! En efecto casi todo lo que sabemos sobre la adicción es falso. Tomemos el caso por ejemplo de un hospital donde cada día decenas de personas son tratadas con morfina, lo cual en realidad es heroína – más fuerte porque es pura. Entonces si la adicción se debe solamente a las sustancias químicas, por lo menos algunos de ellos se hubiesen convertido en drogadictos. El tema ha sido estudiado y se ha constatado que eso nunca pasa. ¿ Por qué ? En realidad, la teoría popular que tenemos sobre la adicción viene de una serie de experiencias que se han hecho al principio de siglo 20. La experiencia es simple. Cogen una rata y la meten en una jaula con dos botellas de agua. Una tiene solo agua y la otra, agua mezclada con heroína. Casi siempre, la rata se obsesiona con la botella que contiene droga y sigue bebiéndola hasta morir. ADDICTION What causes addiction? Easy, right? Drugs cause addiction. But maybe it is not that simple. Indeed, almost everything we think we know about addiction is wrong. Every day dozens of people are treated with morphine, which is in fact heroin - stronger because it’s pure. So if addiction was only due to chemical hooks, at least some of them should become addicts. But this has been closely studied and it’s doesn’t happen. Why is that ? In fact our current theory of addiction comes in part from a series of experiments which consist in putting a rat alone in a cage with only two bottles, one with drugs and the other without any. But in 1970, Bruce Alexander, a professor of psychology decided to do the experiment another way and he built Rat Park, which is basically heaven for rats. This new experiment made it possible to show that it is not the chemical hooks that cause the addiction, but the environment. This also has was observed in the Vietnam War with the soldiers who just stopped taking drug when they came back to the USA. This different vision of addiction shows that if we want to reduce the consumption of drugs, we have to build a society that strengthens humans links, and not just tries to stop drug trafficking. Pero en 1970, Bruce Alexander, profesor de psicología observó algo raro en esa experiencia : la rata es introducida sola en la jaula. No tiene nada más que hacer que consumir el agua mezclada con la droga. Entonces se preguntó aquella : ¿ que pasaría si se cambiara unos elementos de la experiencia ? Decidió entonces no dejar una sola rata sino varias y ponerlas en lo que seria un paraíso para las ratas, el parque de rata “Rat Park” : una jaula enorme con bolas de diferente colores, túneles para correr, muchas ratas con quien pueden jugar y tener relaciones sexuales. Y como el otro experimento también hay las dos botellas de agua. Después de algunas semanas, al contrario de la experiencia anterior, ninguna rata tomó la droga de manera excesiva y ninguna hizo una sobredosis. En un entorno feliz, las ratas no consumían. Pero puede ser que sea una particularidad de las ratas. Sin embargo, podemos encontrar algunos ejemplos de este fenómeno con los humanos, el mejor será el de la guerra de Vietnam. El 20 % de los soldados americanos en Vietnam consumieron mucha heroína. Las personas que se quedaron en EE-UU se preocuparon mucho, porque pensaban que eso iba a causar cientos de drogadictos en las calles de los Estados Unidos cuando la guerra acabase. Pero un estudio siguió a los soldados cuando volvieron a los Estados unidos y se descubrió algo impactante : ninguno fue a rehabilitación, ni siquiera tuvieron la necesidad de abstenerse. El 95% dejó simplemente de consumir cuando volvieron a casa. Por ende, eso confirmó la teoría de Bruce Alexander. En efecto, no son las sustancias químicas que The opposite of addiction is not deprivation. The opposite of addiction is connection ! 34 ART CAN ART BE A RESPONSE TO TERRORISM? ing beyond the bleak horizon that sometimes prevails in the here-and-now. Art asks the question: “Is a better future possible?” and the artists imagine it, write it, and paint it. It is a window open onto what Humanity can do best, and that would be hope. For example, John Lennon’s famous song Imagine quickly became a symbol of hope. It creates a wish of bringing together people from all walks of life. This feeling remains today as the song w a s used n u mero u s times shortly after t h e Source: www.whatsonyourwall.com terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels. Sarah Breitburd, Juliette Escaut & Astrée Auzon, ECS1; Tahra Sihida, ECE1 As a series of terrorist attacks have struck Brussels and Paris, as well as Turkey and too many other places, artists from around the world - whether professional artists or amateurs - have been producing numerous works of art, which are wildly shared through social networks, and are seen as a way of expressing one’s feelings about the event. But do we really need artists when a crisis occurs? Throughout the numerous crises in history, artists have always either raised their voices or expressed their talent in order to share their views. Indeed, Art possesses a cathartic effect on those who either watch, hear, or read those artists’ work. Artistic work is a way of expressing people’s feelings through a story, music, a representation, and therefore helps many people project their sometimes overwhelming feelings. But besides the hope factor, some artists will rather choose to show the harsh reality, in order to make everyone, and hopefully the government, react. They want them to be filled with indignation, with anger towards those responsible for an atrocity. This is the purpose shown in Pablo Picasso’s “Guernica”, but also in Otto Dix’s pictures, showing the disfigured soldiers of World War I in various activities. In Northern Ireland, the murals show how the artists want to remember the several decades long conflict in this area, both political and religious. A more committed form of art is a way for artists to express their views, their hopes and their opinions in a way that can possibly make a tragedy more acceptable for the public. People can also find in this form of art their own hope for the future. For example, a movie exploring a possible future in times of crisis can bring hope for this very future to the people watching the movie. Throughout history, art has always been considered as having a power of secession, hence the constant attempts of authoritarian regimes to silence the artists. The latter do possess a capacity of making people dream, about what may be ly- 35 Through different ways, Art has always been a response to terrorism, no matter the form taken by it. It symbolizes hope for a better future, and comforts those who have lost loved ones. But it also puts the spotlight on some harsh realities or their consequences. ART WORLD FAIRS: NOW AND THEN real experimental centre where all kinds of meetings were possible. A shining history of Expositions Amine Chaker, Sup 4 The 2015 universal exposition is the latest demonstration of a 165-year old tradition of great world fairs, which was first initiated by prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband, whose idea was to hold a big exposition in the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park in London in 1851, under the title «Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations”. What would Paris be without the Eiffel tower? It would still be a beautiful city but something would surely be missing. The Eiffel tower – one of the most visited monuments in the world – was specially built for the universal exposition of 1889 held in Paris just like a lot of other monuments built to show the magnificence of the country hosting the universal exposition – also called the world’s fair. This exposition was a big opportunity for merchants and industrialists from all over the world to show their achievements in the form of technologically advanced manufactured products, and it influenced the development of several aspects The Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace, 1851, of society, Add. MS 35255 © The British Library Board including industry and international trade and relations. Last year’s World Fair was held in Milan, Italy, after the Bureau of International Expositions decided in favour of the Milanese candidature back in 2008. Thus, the Italian city succeeded to a long list of equally great cities organising this prestigious event. Esposizione Universale Milano 2015 The exposition took place from 1st May to 31st October of last year. And the city had to undertake great efforts to welcome the 20 million visitors come to take a look at this great event. The theme of the World Fair was “Feed the Planet. Energy for life” and it expressed Milan’s aim to tackle the big issue of sustainable development and its will to innovate the technology connected to the field of nutrition, in order to remedy the food problems that still plague several areas of the world, and to uncertainty regarding the quantity and quality of food available globally. The universal exposition of 1851 set the pace for a series of other equally great expositions that started to flourish across the globe. We may for example mention the famous Paris fair of 1889 or also San Francisco’s universal exposition held in 1915. All these early expositions focused on trade and were famous for the display of technological inventions and advancements. But after WWII these expositions shifted their primary focus and started to revolve around cultural exchange and promoting “Peace Through Understanding” (which was the official theme of New York’s 1964 world fair) in order to build a world where each country would be proud of its culture and willing to display it in an environment of global respect. Stretching across 110 hectares and boasting incredible monuments like the Tree of life, the great Expo 2015 completely changed the aspect of the chief town of Lombardy, and was a melting pot of ideas and scientific innovations concerning the food sector, from production to conservation and distribution. 145 countries participated in this exposition and each country was hosted in its own self-built The Tree of Life, photo by Paolo pavilion made as magFerrarini nificent as possible to reflect a shining image of that country, its culture and its technological innovations. Nowadays, universal expositions combine new inventions with cultural elements but also tend to be used by countries to improve their national image and to promote their tourism mainly. And this seems to be working as various studies have shown that the revenues generated by a country’s pavilion in a fair often outweigh its cost. In fact, each pavilion was a showcase for the participating nation, a container of ideas and experiences, a workshop where scientific innovations were brought forward and all these pavilions met in a gigantic platform able to accommodate about five thousand events, and to bring together cultures and people from all around the world in a “carnival” that truly portrays the global landscape. 2015 Milan World Fair. Photo courtesy of Expo 2015 In addition to being a place where new technologies were being discussed and research results exchanged, Milan’s world fair was similar to a kitchen from which emanate different smells of spices and fruit, meat and flowers. It was a 36 ART Der Mythos um das Buch ist gefährlich. Infolgedessen besteht das Ziel des Instituts für Zeitgeschichte darin, die Neonazi-Gruppen zu schwächen, die Menschen vor Hitlers Manipulationen, Theorien und Lügen zu warnen und seine Arbeit zu entmystifizieren. Diese Aufklärungsarbeit scheint der beste Weg zu sein, damit das Buch seine Faszinationskraft verliert. NEUAUFLAGE VON ADOLF HITLERS MEIN KAMPF Gleichzeitig fordern jedoch eine Initiative um die Werbeagentur Ogilvy & Mather und der Europa Verlag ein Verbot von Hitlers Buch und nennt die Neuveröffentlichung - trotz ausgelaufener Urheberrechte - in Zeiten von Pegida und brennenden Flüchtlingsheimen ein fatales Signal. Faustine Fainelli, Sup 6 Am Ende des Zweiten Weltkrieges übertrugen die Alliierten die Urheberrechte von Hitlers Hetzschrift Mein Kampf an das Bundesland Bayern, das einen Neudruck dann systematisch verhinderte. Am 31. Dezember 2015 sind aber diese Urheberrechte ausgelaufen. Das Institut für Zeitgeschichte hat daraufhin am 8. Januar 2016 in München eine kritisch kommentierte Ausgabe vorgestellt. Diese Veröffentlichung wirft heikle Fragen auf: Wie reagiert die deutsche öffentliche Meinung darauf? Aus welchen Gründen? Welche Rolle soll die deutsche NS-Vergangenheit heute spielen? Der Inhalt von Mein Kampf entspricht Hitlers Denken. Tatsächlich handelt es sich bei Hitlers Buch um ein autobiografisches Werk, um seine Vorstellung von Macht und Gesellschaft aus der Zeit seiner Jugend. Es stellt klar die Gründe heraus, warum dieser Mann eine rechtsextreme, rassistische Ideologie entwickelt hat. Er unterstreicht, wie eine parlamentarische Demokratie für eine Nation schädlich sein kann. In einem sehr einfachen, undiplomatischen Stil erklärt er die Struktur des deutschen politischen Systems und die Schwächen, die seiner Meinung nach in diesem System existieren. Dieses Buch gibt Hitlers ganz persönliche Weltanschauung wieder, geprägt von Rassenwahn und Fantasien vom „Lebensraum im Osten“. Aber es ist ansonsten extrem sprunghaft und widersprüchlich. Die Erinnerung an die Verbrechen des Nationalsozialismus ist eine bleibende Verpflichtung und Deutschland soll damit leben. Denn nur wer sich erinnert, kann verantwortungsbewusst mit der Geschichte umgehen. Auch wenn Erinnerung schmerzhaft ist, dürfen wir der Versuchung zu vergessen oder zu verdrängen nicht nachgeben. Vergangenes können wir nicht ungeschehen machen. Aber aus der Geschichte können wir etwas lernen: Antisemitismus, Rassismus und Fremdenfeindlichkeit dürfen in Deutschland nie wieder eine Chance haben. Man muss sie mit der Zivilcourage der ganzen Gesellschaft entschieden bekämpfen, damit die Lehre von Auschwitz immer lebendig bleibt: Die Würde des Menschen ist unantastbar. Die Startauflage des ersten Bandes Mitte Juli 1925 betrug 10.000 Stück. Bis Ende 1928 hatte diese Hetzschrift bei einem Gesamtabsatz von 23.000 Stück wenig Erfolg. Aber zwischen 1929 und 1930 hatte die NSDAP in Landtagsund Kommunalwahlen ihren Stimmenanteil verdoppelt bzw. verdreifacht, was den Verkauf mit angekurbelt hat (225.000 Stück). Der große Durchbruch kam allerdings erst mit Hitlers Ernennung zum Reichskanzler am 30. Januar 1933. Zwischen 800.000 und einer Million Exemplare wurden allein in diesem Jahr verkauft. Dann stiegen diese Verkaufszahlen bis Ende 1944 auf 12,4 Millionen. Bis heute ist Mein Kampf das bestverkaufte Autorenbuch in deutscher Sprache geblieben. A new critical edition of Hitler‘s Mein Kampf On December 31st 2015, the copyrights of Hitler‘s diatribe ran out. Unsurprisingly, the publication of a new, annotated version has become a crucial issue. Hitler‘s book deals with his autobiographical work, highlighting his conception regarding power and the German society from his very childhood The new publication, with more than 3,700 annotations, explains the dangerous falsehoods contained in the original one. After some doubts and hesitations, the German authorities and Jewish groups finally encouraged this new edition. And it could not come at a better time: a time when far-right xenophobia is soaring in Europe. Particularly, Germany has to face a new wave of populism because of the refugee crisis context. Die neue Publikation des Instituts für Zeitgeschichte umfasst mehr als 3.700 Anmerkungen und erklärt die gefährlichen Fälschungen, die im Originaltext enthalten sind. Nach einigem Zögern unterstützen deutsche Behörden und jüdische Gruppen schließlich diese Neuauflage. The goal of this new edition is to preempt neo-Nazi groups, warn people about Hitler’s manipulative theories and lies and demystify his work. Exposure seems to be the best way of dismantling fascination about him. Und der Neudruck könnte zu keinem besseren Zeitpunkt kommen: zu einer Zeit, wo die rechtsextreme Fremdenfeindlichkeit in Europa nach oben schnellt. Insbesondere Deutschland ist im Kontext der Flüchtlingskrise mit einer neuen Welle von Populismus konfrontiert. The memory of the crimes of National Socialism is a permanent obligation and Germany has to live with it. We cannot undo the past, but from history we can learn something: antisemitism, racism and xenophobia must never again have a chance in Germany. 37 ART sche Geschichte und vor allem auf deutsche Mythen - wie Parsifal, Siegfried, Brünnhilde oder die Hermannsschlacht… Schließlich endet die Ausstellung mit einem Raum, der an sich ein Werk ist. Die Installation besteht aus einem großen Wandgemälde, das eine Waldlandschaft darstellt, und aus viel Sand und Tafeln auf dem Boden des Raums selbst. Die Tafeln, auf die der Künstler Pilze gemalt hat, sehen wie Grabsteine aus. Jeder symbolisiert das Grab eines großen deutschen Dichters und Denkers. Ist es wie eine Ode an Deutschland, trotz seiner schmerzlichen Vergangenheit? Eigentlich nicht: sie sind die Deutschen, von denen Madame de Staël in ihrem Buch „De l‘Allemagne“ Anfang des 19. Jahrhunderts erzählte: Novalis, Eichendorff, Brentano, Fichte... Doch anders als Madame de Staël sieht Anselm Kiefer die deutschen Romantiker auch als potentielle Gefahr, als giftige Pilze, indem er sie zum Beispiel mit Wilhelm II. oder der RAF-Terroristin Ulrike Meinhof direkt in Verbindung bringt… ANSELM KIEFER, DIE LAST DER VERGANGENHEIT Inès El Yakhlifi, Arij Aissa, ECS1 « Die Geschichte ist für mich ein Material wie die Landschaft oder die Farbe. » Wir haben vor einigen Wochen die große Anselm Kiefer-Ausstellung im Pariser Centre Pompidou besucht. Auf den ersten Blick scheint die künstlerische Arbeit von Anselm Kiefer ein bisschen verstörend. Die Ausstellung beginnt mit einer Reihe von großen Gemälden zu den Anfängen und der Jugend des Künstlers. Pour Madame de Staël: de l‘Allemagne Eines dieser riesigen Gemälde stellt ein wunderbares Feld dar. Das Gemälde erhält durch die verschiedenen Materialien ein Relief und vermittelt das Gefühl, dass dieses Feld wirklich vor uns liegt. Die blutrote Farbe des Feldes gibt den Eindruck, dass dort eine Schlacht stattfand. Diese Gewalt ist charakteristisch für Kiefers Werk und ist mit der Gesellschaft, in der er aufgewachsen ist, zu erklären. Der Künstler ist nämlich 1945 geboren, und er empörte sich über die allgemeine Verdrängung der Verantwortung der Deutschen für die Kriegsverbrechen. Nach seinem Jura- und Literatur-Studium machte er sich deshalb zum Ziel, die Menschen wachzurütteln. Damit begann seine Kunstkarriere. Als wir die Ausstellung verlassen, erregt die Stimme eines Mannes unsere Aufmerksamkeit. Er spricht mit einem anderen Mann, beide auf Französisch und in einer anderen Sprache, die wir nicht verstehen. Er sagt, unter anderem: „Weißt du, ich habe auch viel Unglück erlebt. Ich bin Armenier, und mein Volk hat sehr gelitten. Die Menschheit wiederholt ihre Fehler immer wieder. Aber man kann sich wieder aufrichten. Heute bin ich glücklich.“ Kiefer beschäftigte sich mit der Vergangenheit seiner eigenen Familie. Auf einem seiner bekanntesten Bilder stellt er sich in der Soldatenuniform seines Vaters dar. Andere Gemälde zeigen die Symbole der deutschen Macht, die von den Nazis pervertiert wurden, wie zum Beispiel Innenraum, wo die gigantische Staatskanzlei Hitlers dargestellt wird. Er arbeitet mit sehr originellen Materialien wie z.B. Stroh, Erde, Asche... Trotz dieser Last hat Kiefers Arbeit auch leichtere und fröhlichere Aspekte. Einige Gemälde scheinen sogar das Leben, die Natur und die Menschheit mit kräftigen B Farben zu feiern, wie Böse Blumen - eine Anspielung auf die Poesie von Charles Baudelaire? Anselm Kiefer, the burden of the past A few weeks ago, we visited Anselm Kiefer’s exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. At first sight, his unusual work seemed somewhat disturbing to us. Anselm Kiefer was born in 1945 in a German society that was struggling to face the past. Consequently, much of his work deals with this issue. For example, he paints himself in his father’s Nazi uniform in several pictures. Furthermore, his art is full of references to German mythology, such as Parsifal or Siegfried… Beyond the subject of his paintings, the originality of his work is also noticeable by the material he uses - straw, earth, ashes, etc. The last piece of the exhibition is a huge setup which is composed of a picture of woods - symbolizing Germany - and poisonous mushrooms looking like graves that are displayed all over the room. Many famous people are depicted on those mushrooms, such as the German terrorist Ulrik Meinhof. Through this piece, he aims at showing that Germany is not only a country of intellectuals and thinkers, but also one that has to deal with the darker sides of its history. As we left the exhibition, we overheard a man speaking in French and in another language, that we could not understand. He said, among other things, “You know, I went through a lot of misery. I am Armenian and my people deeply suffered. Humans keep on repeating the same mistakes. How- Böse Blumen Er malt nackte Frauen, er schreibt Gedichte auf seine Gemälde. Er spielt oft auf verschiedene kulturelle Referenzen an, unter anderem auf die Bibel, auf die jüdi- ever, people can heal. Today I am happy.“ 38 ART den Gefahren der Atomkraft gewarnt. Die Spirale Hundertwasser hat 1990 ein Manifest geschrieben, in dem er dazu aufruft, eine nonkonformistische Auffassung der Welt zu vertreten: „Die gerade Linie ist eine vom Menschen gemachte Gefahr. Es gibt so viele Linien, aber nur eine von ihnen ist tödlich, und das ist die gerade Linie. Die Gefahr durch die gerade Linie lässt sich nicht mit der Gefahr durch organische Linien vergleichen, die zum Beispiel Schlangen machen. Die gerade Linie ist dem Menschen, dem Leben, der gesamten Schöpfung wesensfremd.“ In seinem Werk ist die Spirale oft vorhanden. Sie soll ein Weg zwischen Leben und Tod sein. Sie soll Wasser und Bewegung verkörpern. HUNDERTWASSER Lisa Bouvy & Madeleine Leroy, HK-BL « An einem Regentag beginnen die Farben zu leuchten. » Laut Mercer-Studie 2016 ist Wien dieses Jahr wieder die Stadt mit der höchsten Lebensqualität in der Welt. Einer der Architekten, der zu der Einzigartigkeit dieser Stadt beigetragen hat, ist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Der österreichische Architekt, Maler und engagierte Künstler, der 1928 in Wien geboren ist, hat sich mit seiner Originalität von anderen Künstlern abgehoben. Er war nämlich der Schöpfer vieler Werke, die sich durch eine Fülle von Formen und Farben auszeichnen. Schon mit sechs, als er in die Schule kam, bescheinigten ihm seine Lehrer „einen außergewöhnlichen Formen- und Farbensinn“. Schwer einzuordnen und nonkonformistisch entwickelte er die vom Surrealismus beeinflusste Theorie des Transautomatismus. Obwohl sein Werk manchmal von Zeit und Regen beschädigt wurde, und die Farben nicht mehr so glanzvoll wie früher sind, kann man nicht abstreiten, dass seine Gebäude immer noch einzigartig und überraschend sind, ganz so wie er es wollte. Sein früher Umweltkampf, die Mischung von Architektur, Malerei und sozialen Ideen machen aus Hundertwasser eine Inspirationsquelle für viele heutige Künstler. Der Architekt des Umweltschutzes: Ein Vorreiter Zugleich Künstler, Denker und Humanist wollte Hundertwasser eine Art „Arzt der Architektur“ sein. Er war sich dessen bewusst, dass in der Zeit der Urbanisierung eine immer größere Kluft zwischen den Menschen und der Natur besteht. Seine Ablehnung des Klassizismus war auch von dem Wunsch geprägt, sich mit der Umwelt auszusöhnen. Deshalb gilt Hundertwasser als ein Vorreiter für Öko-Architektur und Wiederbegrünung der Stadt. Die Gebäude, die von ihm entworfen wurden, sind Zeugnisse seiner Denkweise. Einige seiner Gebäude, die als Modell für die heutigen Ökohäuser betrachtet werden können, zeigen den originellen Stil des Wiener Architekten. Das Hundertwasserhaus ist vielleicht sein berühmtestes Werk. Es ist ein Ensemble von Sozialwohnungen, das zu einem Wahrzeichen von Wien geworden ist. Die Originalität dieser Wohnungen liegt nicht nur an den Farben, sondern auch an eine Idee des Architekten, nämlich die des „Baummieters“: die Natur soll nicht nur als Dekoration, sondern auch als „Mitbewohnerin“ betrachtet werden. Außerdem stellen die Fenster ihm zufolge eine Brücke zwischen dem Inneren, der Außenwelt und unserem Blick auf den Planeten dar. Deswegen sollen die Bewohner sich diesen Raum zu eigen machen, indem sie ihre Fenster mit Mosaiken und Farben schmücken. Nach Hundertwasser sind die Wände eines Hauses wie die dritte Haut der Bewohner, das heißt nach der eigentlichen Haut und der Kleidung. Sein Kampf gegen die Atomkraft, die er als ein „gefährliches Spielzeug“ kennzeichnete, ist auch zu betonen. Sechs Jahre vor der Katastrophe in Tschernobyl hatte er schon vor Friedensreich Hundertwasser “On a rainy day, the colours begin to light up” Vienna once again earned the top spot in the 2016 Mercer Quality of Living Ranking. One of the many reasons that make this city so special is its architectural originality, to which one of the main contributors was committed architect and painter Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Hundertwasser wanted to be an artist, a humanist and a thinker at the same time: his main concern was the growing gap between nature and humans, in the era of urbanisation. He proved to be a visionary in eco-architecture. The Hundertwasser House, an ensemble of social housing, has become a Viennese must-see. The building has an unusual set of colours and shapes, but he goes further with the idea of “tree tenants”: nature should be considered not only as decoration but also as a “roommate”. He also considered windows as bridges between the inside and outside world. Thus, people should appropriate their windows by decorating them with mosaics and colour. His fight against nuclear power, which he considered as a “dangerous toy”, is also to emphasized. Six years before the Chernobyl explosion, he was trying to make people aware of the dangers of nuclear power. He also took an interest in symbolism, with the spiral being a recurrent pattern, representing movement and flow. In his non-conformist manifest, he explained it as a reaction against the straight line diktat. Although his work was sometimes damaged, and the colours are not as vivid as the used to be, there is no denying that his buildings are still surprising. His unique work and early engagement in environmental issues make him a source of inspiration for many contemporary artists. 39 MUSIC HOW MUSIC IMPACTS BODY AND MIND new neuronal connections. Researchers have observed that playing or listening to music increases the production of immunoglobulin A, which kills viruses and increases the defense capacity of the immune system. Guillaume Brunet, Sup 6 Another example is that music can reduce pain. In fact, focusing on music distracts your mind from pain, particularly if it is a music we enjoy. Moreover, music may increase painkiller hormones in the body, such as endorphin. Music is more than we could imagine. As you know, music is an art, which expresses with sounds and melodies ideas and emotions through rhythm, tones and lyrics. However, it is also another form of language and has a great impact on our lifestyle, our body, our memory. Earlier I mentioned the link between language and music. Indeed, listening to music engages Moreover, music is now omnipresent in our lives many areas of the brain in both hemispheres, thanks to technological innovation. Indeed, and language areas and music areas are music is far from being neutral, but how does it linked according to new brain imaging techreally affect body and mind? Below are some niques. answers. This may explain some approaches to help cure Alzheimer’s, where listening to music helps patients to remember pieces of their past. Their musical memory continues to function even at a very advanced stage of the disease, even though they are no longer able to express who they are through language. For example, to explain why music is able to re- Now you probably have a different perspecduce blood pressure, Japanese scientists con- tive on music and you need to be convinced ducted experiments on laboratory mice. that music is not only an art or a pleasure which These researchers have verified that listening to seems to have no concrete goal, but it is more music increases the amount of calcium carried than that! Indeed, music impacts body and to the brain, which increases the production of mind, reduces pain, helps cure diseases, infludopamine, which in turn inhibits the activity of ences our emotions and most certainly still has the sympathetic nervous system, thus reducing many other powers... blood pressure. Some argue that music has the important function of making us smarter. But today we know that the “ Mozart effect “ is based on no scientific evidence. Nevertheless, music has other truly beneficial effects, as proven by several scientific studies. But the study does not tell us whether through the release of dopamine, mice are able to enjoy listening to Mozart’s music, or if the observed effect is related only to distraction, emotion, or both, or whether otherwise it is an effect of the music independent of the listener. They concluded that music may be able to cure diseases related to dopamine, like Parkinson’s disease. Moreover, music has been known to have many positive therapeutic effects on its listeners. It may be used for post-operative recuperation; indeed, it increases the process of recovery for most patients because it creates 40 MOVIES CHRISTOPHER NOLAN, THE MAGICIAN Shot real. The American football field destroyed in the same movie? Shot real. The sandstorm in Interstellar? Shot real. The hospital explosion in the dark knight? Shot real. Requisitioning French soldiers and a military navy for the next movie called Dunkirk? Done. What makes him even more characteristic is the balance between real scenes (90%+) and special effects (10%): this is the way he makes visually impressive movies. Alexandre Binard & Malo Le Magueresse, Sup 3 Considered as one of today’s greatest movie-makers (competing with David Fincher for cinema lovers), Christopher Nolan is seen by people like Martin Scorsese as a bridge between Arthouse cinema and blockbusters. Indeed, he has created what critics now call ‘intelligent blockbusters’. 5 out of his 9 ‘brain entertainments’ are ranked (according to the IMDb, or Internet Movie Database) in the top 25 movies of the past 25 years. How can his success and the profits generated by his movies (more than 4.2B$) be explained? He also attaches importance to the father figure. For instance, in Interstellar and Inception, the intrigue hinges on a father forced to leave his children, who then tries to join them. In the Batman trilogy, Alfred stands for Bruce’s father, and in the Prestige, a magician uses his rival’s daughter as a means of pressure. In order to save her, the magician decides to reveal the secrets of his magic tricks. He becomes a father more than a magician whereas magic means everything to him. Christopher Nolan finds in the father/child relationship a dramaturgic tool that allows his male heroes to face impossible choices. The limit between good and evil becomes blurred. The male character is treated from the father’s angle, which is why Christopher Nolan’s characters are first of all fathers, before being astronauts, magicians or heroes. But what about the mother? In fact, the mother is very discreet in Christopher Nolan’s films, preferring his female characters to play wives rather than mothers. Thus, spectators don’t lose track of the main character. Exploring female characters as mothers is considered by Christopher Nolan as a way to lose the narrative thread of his story. Source: www.endorsecinema.com Maybe because he has given a new youth to cinema since 1998, with his first movie called Following. However, he seems jingoistic. He has neither a cellphone nor an e-mail address, always wears the same clothes (white shirt and black suit), and also set up his own company to be as autonomous a producer & film director as possible. As many of his counterparts, he has his favorite associates (Hans Zimmer as a composer, Lee Smith as a film editor, his wife Emma Thomas as a producer, Michael Caine and Christian Bale as actors). He wants his work to be seen the old-fashioned way, and thus opposes the Screening Room concept. Moreover, Nolan wants to convey ‘true’ emotions through his films, which is why there are few special effects. Most of the scenes are caught on camera. Everything is real with Nolan. An example? The Chinese Palace filled with water in Inception? Shot real. Action scene involving two planes in The Dark Knight Rises? Source: http://thas-fandom.tumblr.com 41 BOOKS TRAGEDY OF A LOVE TRIANGLE: BOOK REVIEW OF DREAM OF THE RED CHAMBER 宝黛钗”之爱情悲剧 :《红楼 梦》读后有感 LI Jiayin (李佳音), Sup 4 红楼一梦梦十年, 春秋几度度风月? (Translation: Dreaming a ten-year dream in the red chamber, how long does it take to understand and end the love?) Dream of the Red Chamber is a Chinese 19th century novel written by Cao Xueqin. It’s one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature and it’s been famous since the Qing dynasty. Hundreds of characters and a complicated story, numerous secrets behind the writing period, etc.… These fascinating things attract readership to read it over and again. About the writer 曹雪芹) was a member of a prestigious and wealthy family during his childhood. However, his clan was atCao xueqin ( Jia Baoyu is a pampered, rebellious boy. He prefers to stay with girls. Although he lives in a traditional family, he yearns for freedom. He is the cousin of two of the heroines. In his childhood, he met Daiyu and has a platonic love with her. It is also worth noting that he was born with a magical precious jade in his mouth. In fact, in his previous existence, there was a jade fallen from the sky. This stone was so old that it was humanized and revealed by holy men. Therefore, it became Jia Baoyu’s jade. Meanwhile, Jia Baoyu was an immortal who had taken care of a magical herb, which was Daiyu in her previous life. So they had been related since their previous lives. Daiyu is an orphan who lives under Jias’ roof. She is suspicious: she is always jealous of Jia Baoyu’s intimate relationships with other girls, especially with Baochai; a sensitive girl, she cries nearly for anything every single day because in her destiny, she needs to pay back the water poured on the magical herb in her previous existence to Jia Baoyu; Suffering from a sickly constitution, she died in her early years; she is also intelligent. Although Baochai is a well-mannered girl like Daiyu, she is actually the opposite of Daiyu. She is realist, traditional, considerate and calm. Baoyu considers her as an older sister. She doesn’t have a predestined past with Baoyu, but she is related to him by her golden lock, which was given during her childhood. In fact, it’s a coincidence that both the lock and the jade are engraved by matched phrases, so it’s said that she is paired with Baoyu as well as her and Baoyu’s accessories. The novel contains some poetry. Here is one poem that sums up their relationship. Jia Baoyu is speaking in this poem and expressing his feelings about two heroines. In order to clarify, the last name refers to the character in the translation. Title & translation: 终身误 A lifelong mistake/ Missing somebody throughout one’s whole life Sentences & translation: tacked by the new Emperor who later confiscated all their possessions. From that time Cao earned a living by writing and used his own experience : Jias’ history was based on Caos . 都道是金玉良缘, The love tragedy between three main characters is one of the most impressive plots in the book. Before introducing them, let us begin with a short background presentation. Jias is a huge and opulent family. It is worth observing that the pronunciation of “Jia” is the same for a word meaning “fake” in Chinese. It hints the whole story takes place in a virtual dreamland since everything is fake. The central stage is a “utopia”. Our main characters live to- 俺只念木石前盟。 gether in this place : the Grand View Garden (大观园). In order to understand several complex references, we may also need to know that a Chinese name is composed of the family name before the first name. The following literal name translations help for comprehension. Hero Jia/Baoyu 贾宝玉 Fake/Precious jade Everyone says gold (Xue) and jade (Jia) have decided marriage and happiness. I only think of wood’s and rock’s (Lin and Jia’s) predestined alliance. 空对着山中高士晶莹雪, I face the pure, innocent snow on the high mountain but I have no idea what I can do. ( Jia doesn’t know how to answer Xue.) (p.s.: They were married while Lin was dying. It’s sarcasm. The marriage was forced. The love of Xue for Jia is one-sided.) 终不忘世外仙姝寂寞林 I will never forget that lonely and unique forest in the heaven of peace and happiness. (Jia always remembers Lin.) (ps. Lin died near the end of the book) 叹人间美中不足今方信, I sigh with feelings and I’m convinced that the world isn’t flawless. Heroines Lin/Daiyu 林黛玉 Forest/Black jade Xue Baochai 薛宝钗 Snow/Precious Hairpin 纵然是齐眉举案,到底意难平。 After Lin’s death, I married Xue, nevertheless we treat each other with the respect due to a guest, my love has gone with Lin. By the end of the novel, “utopia” has fallen apart. After Daiyu’s death and a succession of misfortunes in the family, Baoyu becomes a Buddhist monk and leaves Baochai in loneliness. Maybe he is disappointed in the real world. He tried to rebel against traditional moral ideas but he failed, and his ultimate solution is retreating completely into another world. The utopian dream is finished. 42 CROSSWORDS - Lingua Franca’s crossword puzzle Across 1. p22 (3 words) A notion that appeared in 1945 to urge people never to forget 3. p41 Christopher Nolan uses very few of them in order to convey a «realness» to his movies 5. p32 (2 words) The first of its kind was created in the Forest of Fontainebleau in 1861 6. p31 The reason why the main character of the story, Adrien Hoarau, is in Paris 7. p11 (2 words) This year’s municipal elections in Saudi Arabia were a great step toward this 9. p26 (2 words) A type of language that replaces letters with computer characters 10. p30 Information about other information (a link you clicked on, a photo you published, etc.) 11. p9 This is what Africa is often thought to be, in relation to humankind 13. p28 (2 words) The name of the first chess-playing computer program to beat world champion Garry Kasparov 14. p17 The free, circular movement made by Donald Trump’s hair 15. p42 What Jia Baoyu, the hero of this Chinese novel, essentially yearns for 17. p2 They study AND live at Janson! 18. p27 A computer-hacking technique used in order to trick people into revealing confidential information 19. p35 The sort of effect upon those who watch, hear or read an artist’s work 20. p3 The sound made by a small bell or alarm clock Down 2. p18 The way many supporters of D. Trump feel 4. (3 words) Along with your I.D., this is what you need to show when you go and take an exam 8. p10 The name of the revolution that brought democracy to Tunisia 10. p36 Where the 2015 World Fair was held 12. p40 A pain killer hormone 16. p2 Able to see things that are close more clearly than things that are far away 43 WRITERS TABLE OF CONTENTS Sup1 (MPSI, 1st year): Samuel Mejía EDITORIAL 1 - Editorial Sup2 (MPSI, 1st year): Célestin Gall, Geoffray Marie, Marie-Laure Noël, Antoine Paris, Clémence Ribuot Sup3 (MPSI, 1st year): Thomas Barbier, Alexandre Binard, Malo Le Magueresse Sup4 (MPSI, 1st year): Amine Chaker, Guillaume Sallé Sup5 (PCSI, 1st year): Adriana Bollée, Flora Calcagno, Bastien Habert Grégoire Lambert, Mathilde Le Bail Sup6 (PCSI, 1st year): Angélique Bastin, Houcine Ben Daly, Guillaume Brunet, Faustine Fainelli, Agnès Gallant, Garance Hubert PSI (2nd year): Hermine Courtois ECE1 (1st year): Jeanne Cormerais, Laïs Foix, Vincent Menigoz, Paul Mitjavile, Tahra Sihida, Tissa Smagghe ECS1 (1st year): Arij Aissa, Astrée Auzon, Sarah Breitburd, Arthur Cubizol, Inès El Yakhlifi, Juliette Escaut, Elise Harlé, Emeline Hervier, Alix Truelle, So-hyun Um ECS2 (1st year): Maja David, Sarah Mouhache, Morgane Orsini HK-AL (Hypokhâgne AL, 1st year): Francesca Bartolomeo, Adèle Chaix, Agnès de Camproger, Lucile Duval, Milena Dunikowski Jeanne Gosselin, Julia Journet, Dominique Klein, Amandine Rezki, Emilie Trietenne HK-BL (Hypokhâgne BL, 1st year): Héloïse Billette, Camille Boissel, Lisa Bouvy, Gauthier Jacquemin, Madeleine Leroy EDUCATION 2-3 - The physical consequences of studying 3-4 - The Battle for exams - Journal of a survivor 5 - One month at the University for Foreigners of Perugia, Italy 6 - School exchange program with Italy FRANCO-GERMAN RELATIONS 7 - Energy policy in Germany and France 8 - Dual education system in Germany and France AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST 9 - Discussing the idea of a rising Africa 10 - Tunisia’s Nobel peace prize 11 - Municipal elections in Saudi Arabia EUROPE 12 - Lessons from the German “Stasi” 13 - The triumphal gate, a symbolic building 14 - Unconventional portrait of Angela Merkel 15 - Angela Merkel and the migrant crisis 16 - Italy’s civil unions USA 17 - Will Donald Trump make America great again? 18 - The riddle of Trump’s popularity 19 - A review of Obama’s presidency 20 - Is the Guantanamo base likely to be closed for good? EDITORS / LANGUAGE SUPERVISORS ENVIRONMENT 21 - The Colibris organization - Arabic: H. Selmi - Chinese: J. Liu - English: M. Ollivier, J. Quintana, R. Schmitt - German: Ch. Hurni, I. Félicité - Italian: G. Kerleroux - Spanish: B. Baudry REMEMBERING 22 - Our duties to the past 23 - Movie: “Labyrinth of Lies” 24 - Fritz Lang’s “M” and the modern city 25 - The Rwandan genocide COORDINATOR: J. Quintana [email protected] Special thanks to our sponsor, A.S.E.J. (Association socio-éducative de Janson), for making this magazine possible at all. Our thanks also go to all the students and teachers who contributed their time and effort, and to our principal, Mr. Sorin, for giving the project his wholehearted support. MUSIC 40 - How music impacts body and mind MOVIES 41 - Christopher Nolan, the Magician BOOKS 42 - Tragedy of a love triangle: book review of Dream of the Red Chamber CROSSWORDS 43 - Lingua Franca’s crossword puzzle 44 SCIENCE AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES 26 - Writing in “leet” speak 27 - Hackers: Hide your wife, hide your WiFi 28 - Artificial intelligence: the future is now 29 - Will software make life/death choices in the near future? 30 - Philanthropy: When health care and education serve business TRAVEL AND TOURISM 31 - On deep-seated stereotypes about islands 32 - The Forest of Fontainebleau 33 - Come to Berlin! PSYCHOLOGY 34 - Addiction ART 35 - Can Art be a response to terrorism? 36 - World Fairs now and then 37 - A new critical edition of Mein Kampf 38 - Anselm Keifer, the burden of the past 39 - Friedensreich Hundertwasser