November 2018 Issue
Volume 7, Issue 2
What’s in this issue? CONFIRMED: KAVANAUGH, 1 WHAT’S NEXT FOR ELON MUSK, 3 I BE TRIPPIN’, 4 MADURO AND SALT BAE, 6 THE DEFENSELESS VICTIMS, 7 BILL COSBY, 8 COULD THIS BE THE END OF MEMES, 9 FALLEN FATHERS, 11 MARINA ABRAMOVICH, 13 WILD BOARS, 15 CORRI LA VITA, 16 SIX UNDERGROUND TO FLORENCE, 20 IN DEFENSE TO LISTENING TO OLD MUSIC, 18
STAFF Editor-in-Chief Isabella Lovalvo Co-Editor Niccolò Platt Layout Editors Giulia Oosterwijk Jacqueline Obert
Artists Grace Ihle Jacqueline Obert Advisor John Pitonzo Front cover by Jacqueline Obert Back cover by Grace Ihle
CONFIRMED: KAVANAUGH ASCENDS TO THE SUPREME COURT By Zoe Genschel Concerning this, Joanna Robison responded,"Imagine a woman openly weeping like this on a national stage and still getting elected to the Supreme Court. Or any office," He further lied numerous times about events such as sexual acts, his drinking habits, and statements made by witnesses. He then proceeded to avoid questions, If not many people had never heard of him
speak over Senators, and when asked whether he
before, Brett Kavanaugh became a household word
ever blacked out during drinking replied “I would
by the end of September. What happened, and how
like to know whether you ever did” to the Senator
has it affected the legitimacy of the supreme court?
questioning him.
As of 7 October, Kavanaugh is a judge on the United States Supreme Court who was recommended by Donald Trump. Yet before being elected to the highest American court, he was accused by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, (who is she) of sexual assault. In multiple heart-rending testimonies, Ford recalled some of the likely worst moments of her life, stating that during a high school party,
In general, the responses of the Senators also
Kavanaugh and one of his friends brought her up to
varied; Republican Senator Hatch called Ford
a room; the former then proceeded to remove her
“attractive” and “pleasing,”which seems rather
clothes and cover her mouth with his hand,
unfit for the circumstance. Most other senators
additionally turning up the music and locking the
such as Kamala Harris called for a prolonged
door. Ford managed to escape from the room and
investigation, which did not occur. The broader
party, yet suffered under the traumatic experience,
political reaction was dominated, as often, by
as she revealed in multiple speeches.
President Trump. While hopes arose during the
Kavanaugh’s reaction could be described as ‘weird’ (according to John Oliver). He vehemently
beginning of the campaign that Dr. Ford would not be smeared, Trump was the first to openly do so by
denied all accusations and varied between crying
mocking her testimony, a painful reminder of the
about his workout buddies and childhood
1991 Anita Hill case, where Hill accused the now
calendars, and loudly accusing the democrats and
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas of sexual
“foreign left-wing opposition groups” of smearing
harassment, but was mocked as “a little bit nutty, a
his campaign.
little bit slutty.” Thomas was appointed regardless. GLOBAL 1
The public response was also quite strong, multiple
Reasons for its importance were just largely
protests sprung up, joined by celebrities such as Amy
demonstrated
Schumer and Emily Ratajkowski, and even lasting
amendment to legalize abortion.
after Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Court.
in
the
Irish
constitutional
Finally, why did Dr. Ford only accuse
The questions remaining are numerous. Did the supreme court lose legitimacy by announcing Kavanaugh? It definitely did; even though Kavanaugh was never proven guilty, the majority of the public opinion has turned against him, as can be seen in the protests during his announcement which involved protesters banging on the door, storming the senate, and generally disrupting the ceremony.
Kavanaugh now, as he was in the process of becoming elected? She put it this way, “I am here today not because I want to be; I am terrified. I am here because I believe it is my civic duty to tell you what happened to me.” It is true, she should be scared, not only was Kavanaugh elected regardless, but she had to move out of her house, is receiving death threats and is under 24/7 security surveillance. The question arises on the fairness of
Can the senate still be considered a non-partisan
this type of treatment towards a potential victim of
court? During Kavanaugh’s opening statement, he
sexual assault. Has our society changed that much
stated that the Supreme court “must never be viewed
from 1991 in regard to equality and equity?
as a partisan institution.” But during his speech, he made it all appear as such. With the Democrats clearly backing Doctor Ford and the Republicans backing Kavanaugh, the Court appeared more as a political campaign. This is worrying—a judge who has to make the most important decisions for a country and be held to the highest set of morals
Finally, the implications to this problem are massive. Controversy has sprung up about our society’s mindset on gender roles, the New York Times wrote about the scheme of empathy towards the assaulter calling it “himpathy” (empathy for him), but is it really that bad?
should not view the Senate as a political match.
All that can be said is that now, with Kavanaugh
Why is public opinion not in his favour? Well, apart from his behaviour and questionable temper
elected, the supreme court has a conservative majority with obvious future effects.
during the discussions in the Senate, Kavanaugh also has a longer history of aggressive, drunken brawls; he also once allegedly exposed his genitals in a bar and held them to a woman’s face. Furthermore, Kavanaugh could be described as a conservative who has openly spoken out against the right to abortion. This, on the other hand, sits well with Trump and especially religious supporters, despite public opinion in favour of accessible and legal abortions.
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FROM MARIJUANA TO TWITTER: WHAT’S NEXT FOR ELON MUSK? By Giulia Oosterwijk On the 7th of August 2018, Elon Musk sent out
Unsworth proceeded to sue Musk; he currently seeks
a tweet which caused a spiral of events to occur,
$75,000 in compensation as well as ensuring that
stating, “Am considering taking Tesla private at
Musk stops the allegations. Musk found himself in
$420. Funding secured.” The tweet itself caused an
another scandal after smoking marijuana on a
uproar in Tesla, as its stock price rose by more than
podcast with US comedian Joe Rogan whilst talking
6%, ensuring that the company itself profited
about artificial intelligence and upcoming Tesla
enormously. The sudden increase within Tesla’s
projects. Tesla Inc. have found themselves as the
stock alarmed the Securities and Exchange
center of attention due to the actions of Musk in the
Commision (SEC), the US Government agency
past months, causing a massive indent on the image
responsible for the protection of investors from
of the company itself.
illegal or potentially dangerous fraud.
After numerous meetings and proposals between the Securities and Exchange Commission and Musk, the final lawsuit has been settled. The SEC claims that Musk “had not agreed upon any terms for a going-private transaction with the Fund or any other funding source” and “ had not contacted existing Tesla shareholders to assess their interest in remaining invested in Tesla as a private company.”
After the rise within Tesla’s stock price, the
As a result, Musk has been forced to step down as
SEC immediately started an investigation within
Tesla chairman for the upcoming three years, as well
the company. Musk, to his defence, claims that he
as paying a $20 million fine; nevertheless, he is still
was discussing with the Saudi Arabian sovereign
considered the official CEO of Tesla. The company
wealth fund and that each share would be sold at
will have to add two independent directors and
$420. However, the SEC came to the decision to
monitor Musk’s activity, in addition to establishing a
file a lawsuit against Musk and Tesla, causing
permanent committee to monitor all of the potential
Tesla’s stock to then drop by roughly 14%. This
conflicts which may arise in the future.
has not been the first time Musk has found himself
The upcoming months for Musk are critical, yet no
in the public eye for the wrong reasons. Earlier this
one can predict what scandal he will create next.
year, he received a massive amount of backlash
Hopefully, Musk will manage to stay out of the
after his tweet criticizing and claiming that the British diver, Vernon Unsworth, who worked within the Thailand cave rescue mission, was a
public eye for the good of himself, and on behalf of the entire company: please stop tweeting.
pedophile.
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(Octop) I Be Trippin' By Anaïs Delagneau The world has gained notable amounts of knowledge from the testing of drugs and cosmetics on animals over the past few years. In doing so, however, it has sparked outcry among many communities and even caused some companies and producers to change their process. Why? People have deemed it unethical, arguing that animals should be treated with the same standards as human beings, and products that aren't certain to be safe would never be tested on the latter by researchers, without at least governmental outcry.
Yet lately, new research has come to light that has not caused the outcry expected. In fact, many have taken interest in and even celebrated its experimental findings: MDMA causes octopi to be "cuddly". Octopi are known for being intelligent creatures, capable, for example, of escaping their tanks and open jars. Many have in fact become quite famous for their intellect. Funnily enough, their brain systems and chemistry are quite similar to those of a human, which is most probably why they are so much more high-functioning than expected. This similarity is also a problem, however, causing octopi to be cold and antisocial, not unlike many humans. This is why they were chosen as the subject for trials on the popular party drug: MDMA, or in street terms, ecstacy.
Ecstasy is often known as the drug that got Pink Floyd famous; its use as a rave drug and its hallucinogenic effects also well documented. However, though it's been banned due to its intense effects, it promotes social behavior, so much so that some doctors are hailing it as the holy grail for PTSD treatment. MDMA helps release serotonin, a neurotransmitter that contributes to well-being and happiness. Essentially, what researchers wanted to see was if a naturally standoffish character could be positively influenced by this drug. They discovered that this was in fact the case. Octopi are loners, often attacking and sometimes even eating other octopi that come too close unless they are mating, yet when given ecstasy, they were friendly, and even carried out some semblance of hugging. This experiment demonstrated that basic brain chemistry plays a fundamental role in social behavior, and that social issues could be solved through the extra release of serotonin…though through a potentially unsafe drug.
So while this experiment has caused some outrage, it has mostly found itself acclaimed. But is this fair? Scientists would never be allowed to give humans ecstasy, even if it wasin the name of progress, science. Because it's dangerous, and illegal.
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And if many people have acknowledged animal
Many instances can be taken on just this event,
testing as an unethical and unjust as it introduces
making this another pivotal example of the multiple
living beings to products that are not known to be
takes on the animal experimentation debate. No, it
safe, how come those same people are praising
not ethical (and never will be), but yes, it could (and
animals being introduced to a product known to be
has) allowed for human progress. So… what's your
unsafe?
opinion?
No harm came to the octopi, that we know of, but it could have. People have died due to this same drug, and while it may potentially help many in the future, if this experiment really does pave way to PTSD treatments, how many more animals will be introduced to MDMA before the achievement?
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Maduro & Salt Bae By Victoria Grella This month, footage of a Turkish cook beside Other one-star reviews regarding Gökçe’s service Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro surfaced, as well as his potential political stance vary from causing a wave of public outrage. The footage “Overpriced and low morals” to “Was planning on shows the cook, Nusret Gökçe, more commonly visiting, however noticed they feed communist known as ‘Salt Bae,’ showcasing his signature dictators in there.” Twitter, the platform which technique of seasoning a luxurious steak with salt, jumpstarted Gökçe’s stardom back in 2017 with his as the president watches entertained. The two were Salt Bae meme, featured the hashtag later photographed smoking cigars and reenacting #ShameOnYouSaltBae on its ‘top trending Salt Bae’s trademark meme pose. worldwide’ section for three consecutive days. The footage caused immense public uproar on a global scale, in which the hatred and anger was aimed towards both president Maduro and Salt Bae. The video received an exceptional amount of backlash in Venezuela and neighbouring countries. This is due to the country’s declining economic state, where nine out of ten households only collect an income of one dollar a day. President Maduro has already received an immense amount of criticism for his blatant disregard towards the Regardless of president Maduro and Gökçe’s already decaying state of Venezuela, which has indifference towards the situation, Marco Rubio, only increased after the discovery of the videos. Florida’s Republican senator, whose state has The public fury was also fueled by the content increasingly welcomed numerous fleeing of the footage itself; the president feasted on steak Venezuelans, stated on Twitter, “I don’t know who and other luxurious foods while it was discovered this weirdo #Saltbae is, but the guy he is so proud that in the last year, the average weight in to host is… the overweight dictator of a nation Venezuela decreased by eleven kilograms due to where 30% of the people eat only once a day & both hyperinflation on food prices and nationwide infants are suffering from malnutrition.” food shortages. Gökçe has also had to deal with the public’s As of today, the chef has made no public outrage, as dozens of protesters waving statement, but has since removed all traces of the Venezuelan flags stormed his Miami branch of president’s visit from all his forms of social media. Nusr-Et steakhouses. The renowned meme As for president Maduro, he too has made no sensation owns multiple luxurious restaurants in public statements regarding the outrage. However, Miami, as well as other parts of the US and the he has since visited Gökçe’s multiple other Middle East. restaurants like the one in Istanbul on various Despite Salt Bae’s failure to acknowledge the occasions, and hopes that the chef will one day be situation, and his continuous attempts to suppress able to come to Caracas in order to help the president perfect his signature sprinkling public scrutiny, his restaurant’s online Yelp technique. website GLOBAL 6
THE DEFENSELESS VICTIMS By Luca Fagotti While many stories of police brutality flood the
The lack of understanding is especially
media and get the attention they deserve, many more are ignored, especially those involving disabled people. Adam Trammell, Ethan Saylor and Magdiel Sanchez are just three out of the hundreds of disabled people that have been fatally shot by the United States’ police. The common thread that links all of these stories together is a lack of understanding and an absence of communication.
evident in the case of Magdiel Sanchez, a 35-year-old
Three West Milwaukee police officers broke into the house of 22-year-old AdamTrammell while he was showering. Adam suffered from schizophrenia and often howered to relax himself. Apparently, a neighbor had seen Adam walk up and down the corridor naked, while mumbling gibberish. The police’s immediate response was very violent as they resorted immediately to using a taser in order to extract him from the shower. To make matters worse, the police kept referring to Adam as “Brandon,” making it nearly impossible for the teenager to follow their commands. After being tasered fifteen long and grueling times, Adam’s painful shrieks came to an end when he was injected with tranquilizers. Due to a surplus of medication, he died shortly after.
officers, but then turned around in the opposite
The story of Ethan Taylor, a 26-year-old boy affected by Down Syndrome,has an equally tragic ending. On 12 January 2013, Ethan was at the movies watching Zero Dark Thirty. He admired the CIA greatly and aspired to be cop himself. Wanting to re-watch the movie, Ethan refused to leave. Shortly after, he was confronted by offduty police officers because he didn’t have a ticket. The officers initially tried to physically remove him from his seat. Ethan, crying out for his mother, was handcuffed;
deaf man who was shot dead by the Oklahoma City police on 19 September 2017. The police had visited his house because they suspected his father’s involvement in a hit-and-run incident. Once they arrived, they saw Magdiel on his porch with a piece of piping in his hands. Magdiel initially ran towards the direction and resumed walking. The police officers shot him in the back, regardless of the fact that the neighbors had told them multiple times that Magdiel was deaf. The burning question that results from these tragic stories is what led the police to act the way they did. While the unethical behavior of the police can mainly be attributed to discrimination, there are other motivating factors. The type of training and circumstances which police officers experience push them to instinctively pull out their weapons. The incidents reported above can easily be identified as gruesome displays of abuse, violence, and ignorance. However, it becomes harder to assess the situation
minutes later, he lay dead. While his death was initially blamed on unexplained medical conditions, a medical examination later demonstrated that he died due to asphyxiation (a lack of oxygen). Ethan died over the price of a ticket. GLOBAL 7
BILL COSBY CHARGED AND CONVICTED OF SEXUAL ASSULT By Dante Fagotti America’s Dad, Bill Cosby, has been convicted of sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, a staff member at Cosby’s former university. The road to convict the disgraced star has been neither short nor simple. In 2004, Constand claimed that she had been drugged and molested by the star at his home. However, the case was not brought to court, as prosecutors deemed there to be a lack of evidence. She still filed a civil case against the comedian, which was brought to court in 2006, and also involved thirteen women who had agreed to be witnesses and provide evidence for Constand’s accusation. In the end, however, the case finished with the plaintiff settling for a payment
"I wasn't able to fight it in any way," she told the court.
of an undisclosed amount.
"I wanted it to stop.”
Over the next few years, more than fifty women
Cosby denied the allegations and had one witness to
accused Cosby of rape and sexual assault. The
provide evidence in his favor: Detective Richard
comedian’s lawyers denied these allegations, questioning
Schaffer. He told a jury that Ms. Constand had visited
why the accusers hadn’t spoken up before and made legal
Mr. Cosby at an out-of-state casino, that the pair had
complaints. Shortly afterwards, however, court papers
been in a romantic relationship, and that she had
from 2005 emerged, revealing that Cosby had admitted
changed her story several times during a previous
to obtaining sedatives to give to women he wanted to
investigation. Evidence to support these claims was
have sex with. The sedatives, called Quaaludes, caused
provided in the form of phone calls she made after that
numbness and inability to move.
night.
Despite the large number of accusations made, only
In the end, Cosby was found guilty of three counts
one was brought to trial in a criminal court: that of
of sexual assault for drugging and molesting Andrea
Andrea Constand. In 2017, she told her story in court,
Constand in 2004. His request for bail was refused and
testifying that Cosby had given her pills that he claimed
he was fined $25,000, not including prosecution fees.
were herbal and said would "take the edge off,” but which instead left her “frozen.” She stated, "In my head, I was trying to get my hands to move or my legs to
Most significantly he will face three to ten years for the charges.
move, but I was frozen.” About twenty minutes later, she said, he put his hand on her genitals. GLOBAL 8
COULD THIS BE THE END OF MEMES? By Isabella Lovalvo If you’re a typical teenager or young adult, you likely spend much of your time scrolling through Instagram or watching YouTube videos. In addition, you and your friends probably find endless entertainment in looking at and sharing memes. But what if memes were no more? Though you may find this impossible to believe, the truth is that memes are becoming an increasingly endangered species. The European Parliament recently voted in favor of the European Union Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market, a new, more comprehensive proposal on increased copyright legislation in our ever-growing digital world. Though many are hailing it as a necessary step in protecting content creators, others are more wary of one section in particular, Article 13, which may hearken the end of our favorite form of entertainment. So why did the European Union choose to introduce this copyright directive in the first place? Up until this point, it has generally been the responsibility of creators with copyrights or trademarks to monitor and request removal of copyright-infringing content. Youtube, for example, is not currently required to monitor fair use of content on its site, but must remove
copyright-infringing material when notified by creators. However, Article 13 states, “Online content sharing service providers and right holders shall cooperate in good faith in order to ensure that unauthorized protected works or other subject matter are not available on their services.†Essentially, this means that sites like Youtube and Instagram would be responsible for filtering and removing copyrightinfringing content, a feature of the directive that has elicited much fear and concern over the freedom of the internet. Many have questioned how sites will be capable of locating and removing copyrightinfringing content; the directive originally explicitly recommended the use of “proportionate content recognition technology,” in other words, automated filters. Though this phrase was removed from later drafts, many still correctly point out that these are by far the most plausible means of monitoring content. Though it could theoretically be tracked by individuals in smaller corporations with less traffic, mega-sharing corporations such as Instagram, Facebook, and Reddit see hundreds of millions of uploads a day, making it appear that automated filters are the only solution.
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So where do memes come into this? Currently, memes and parodies fall under fair-use provisions for otherwise copyrighted content. Proponents of the directive argue that with the enactment of Article 13, this will not change. However, opponents point out that it is unlikely that automated filters would be capable of differentiating between memes and copyright infringements. Indeed, it seems likely that memes could become a civilian casualty of the copyright infringement war.v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v The directive has been met with both strong praise and opposition since being approved. Content creators such as Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group, among others, constitute the majority of proponents, who argue that current copyright laws have not protected them from losing revenue to infringements. On the opposing side is the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), comprised of giants such as Google, Amazon, eBay, Facebook, and Netflix, who argue that the directive detracts from internet freedom. Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, joins them, despite provisions that exclude his site from the directive. Within the European Parliament, the most vocal opposition has come from German MEP Julia Reda, who argues that, “Lawmakers looked at copyright primarily through one very particular lens: that of big media companies, with their waning control over distribution channels. The greatest public space
we’ve ever invented mustn’t become a casualty of attempts to use copyright law to solve problems not caused by it in the first place. Our freedom of expression online is too precious to be wasted as ammo in a corporate battle.” v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v It should be noted that the directive has not yet been subjected to final EU approval. First, its final draft must be decided upon by the European Commission, European Council, and European Parliament, before being presented to the EU Legal Affairs Committee in December. If it is approved, the directive will then be returned to the European Parliament for a final, decisive vote in January. Assuming it passes, members of the EU will have two years to enact legislation that fulfills its principles. As the directive itself does not implement any legislation, it is expected that these laws will differ slightly between countries. Whatever the case, it’s interesting to note how the directive has stirred-up political activism from European youths. On sites such as Reddit and its popular subreddit r/dankmemes, thousands of young people have resolved to take action in an attempt to prevent the disappearance of their beloved memes, contacting MEPs and encouraging others to do the same. Though the future of memes at this point remains uncertain, it will certainly be interesting to observe how this increased political participation plays out.
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FALLEN FATHERS: CONTINUED ALLEGATIONS IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH By Jay Hughes-Ransley What would you do if your child were sexually abused by the priest or minister of your church? What if you knew a child were getting sexually abused by someone you knew? What about if a child were sold into human sex trafficking? What would you do if you yourself were being sexually abused? Â Most of us would say to inform the police or someone else who can stop this horrific act. They sound like easy questions - no brainers. Yet, children go on being abused before anyone ever finds out. vvvvvvvvvvvvv Undoubtedly one of the ugliest parts of h u m a n i t y, pedophilia is a worldwide epidemic that needs to be s t o p p e d . Thousands of children go missing each year, and thousands more are abused in their churches, schools, and homes. v v v v v In August of 2018, it was revealed that leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, including bishops, had covered up child sexual abuse by more than 300 priests in Pennsylvania for nearly the last seventy years. They have also been accused of both dissuading their victims from reporting the abuse and convincing law enforcement not to investigate, as describes a report issued by a grand jury. The report comes after the resignation of Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington. It only covered six of the state's eight dioceses and yet found 1,000 victims that were
willing to come forward. Within, horrific instances of abuse are detailed, such as, “priest who raped a young girl in the hospital after she had her tonsils out, a victim tied up and whipped with leather straps by a priest, and another priest who was allowed to stay in the ministry after impregnating a young girl and arranging for her to have an abortion.” vv Unfortunately there has been no change; individual leaders of the church have escaped any type of accountability. A New York Times article on the subject states, “Priests were raping little boys and girls, and the men of God who were responsible for them not only did nothing; they hid it all for decades.” Cardinal Donald Wuerl, now the archbishop of Washington, was the second highest ranking priest named as a lead abuser in this instance, yet still retains his position today. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, 88, stepped down in July 2018 over the allegations that he sexually abused minors, as well as young seminarians for decades, making him the first U.S. cardinal to do so. He is now living in a friary in Kansas, located next to an elementary school. The Vatican has ordered him to live out a life of prayer and penance, withdrawing from all public ministry and events. Additionally, the Pope requested that out of consideration for the peace of the community as well as respect for privacy of this arrangement, everyone accept this as a just ruling by the Church.
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The St. Fidelis Friary currently houses five other priests and one brother, according to its website. It is located next to the Basilica of St. Fidelis in Victoria, Kansas, which attracts thousands of visitors each year, is on the National Register of Historic Places, and in 2008 was named one of the “Wonders of Kansas.” If you feel that this isn’t exactly just punishment, your’e not alone. However, this type of response from the Vatican is fairly standard; once the accused priest is brought out into the open, they simply move them to another diocesis. The only way this is going to change is if we demand that these predators are stripped of their clergy and sentenced to imprisonment. Currently, the Catholic Church is actively lobbying to stop a Colorado bill to reform the system of reporting child abuse. This bill, Senate Bill 18-058, would extend the statute of limitations in cases where a person is required by law to report child abuse but fails to do so. As of right now, the statute of limitations in Colorado concerning this crime is only eighteen months. The lobbying arm of the Catholic dioceses in Colorado argues that the bill goes too far, stating, “The concern with Senate Bill 18-058, as written, is that it creates an indefinite statute of limitations regarding mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect. The principle of statutes of limitation acknowledges that as time elapses, evidence goes
stale, memories fade, witnesses die or disappear. In cases of child abuse, we should do everything possible to encourage victims to come forward as soon as possible and for those aware of the abuse to report it as soon as possible. Our state law should reflect this policy as a matter of basic fairness to those involved and not go down a slippery slope that potentially creates unfair and unjust situations.” As we know, people who have been sexually abused do not always come forward, and in instances of child sexual abuse, it is difficult for the child to ask for help or at times even remember the abuse. The most concerning issue present is that the senior clergy members would give more weight to their pastoral concerns for the perpetrator than for the victim, or try to manage the whole thing pastorally instead of following the correct safeguarding procedure. In addition to the epidemic of pedophila within the Catholic Church, over 800,000 children go missing in the USA alone, every year. Child sextrafficking is an epidemic, and we must do everything we can to stop it. This is an ugly, horrific thing, but no matter how ugly and horrific it may be, we cannot look away, we must take action. If you suspect someone is being abused, please call 911 in the US or 113 in Italy; you can also call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
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MARINA ABRAMOVIC: ARTIST OR PERFORMER? By Niccolo Platt Usually, when entering an exhibit in Palazzo Strozzi, the last thing you expect to see is a pile of cow bones, a cross made out of ice, or a table full of weapons. These were just a few of the installations featured in The Cleaner, a collection of the most distinctive artworks by controversial Serbian performance artist Marina Abramovic. The exhibit will be open until the 20th of January, and follows the artist’s life through her most relevant works and the development of her artistic style. The exhibit takes place throughout the Palazzo, starting in the courtyard, then continuing in the Strozzina and the main rooms. It encompasses different forms of artwork, from videos, to pictures, to live reperformances. Every installation contains the unique spirit of the artist, whose main objective is to expose herself, and use her body as her canvas. One of her most notorious performances is Rhythm 0, where she presented her audience with 72 objects, some harmless and some dangerous, while she stood still in front of them. In this exhibition, she allowed her body to be turned into an object, as the public applied the items to it. Eventually, the performance was stopped, as a member of the audience picked up the loaded gun that was at his disposal. The curator of the Palazzo Strozzi exhibit recreated the last part of her Rhythm series through a video installation and a table containing the 72 objects that were offered to her
Cleaning the Mirror I is another example of the artist’s alternative style. In this live reperformance, a trained actor sits with a dirty skeleton on their lap and proceeds to clean it with a brush. During this process, the skeleton gets cleaner and cleaner, while the performer gets increasingly dirty, representing the fine border between life and death. Meanwhile, the video installation AAA-AAA depicts Abramovic and Ulay, a noted German artist she was in a long relationship with, screaming at each other non stop. After reading these short descriptions of only a few of her 120 works, you might ask: “Where is the art?” Marina Abramovi’s style is definitely not what one would call conventional.
She
communicates with her audience through her eyes, her voice, and her body language, instead of putting her feelings on canvas like traditional artists. People have contrasting views on whether she should be considered an artist or simply a performer. Personally, when I entered Palazzo Strozzi, I didn’t know what to think, as what was presented to me couldn’t have been farther from what I was expecting to see. After a while, I got used to the unusual situation, and immersed myself in the exhibit. It was fascinating to see how Abramovic converted what she was going through emotionally into symbolic performances.
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For example, through her piece The Hero, she comments on the complex relationship with her father, a Yugoslavian war hero, in a way that catches the viewer’s attention. Abramovic does the same in the performance Balkan Baroque, where she sits on the floor with a pile of cow bones, five hundred clean and two thousand bloody, a metaphor for the gruesome war in her native country. During her performance, she spent four days cleaning and scrubbing the bones in the Italian pavilion of the Venice Biennale, as her audience watched in dismay. The effect it has in Strozzi is similar. Although she is not there performing, there is a video of her, and the hundreds of bones on the ground create a nauseating odor, which is hard to bear. This installation highlights her talent, as she communicates to her audience not only through
visual elements, but also through sound, and most importantly, smell. However, the initial question still remains unanswered. Is Abramovic an artist? There cannot be a definite answer to this, as it depends on individual perspective and personal definition of Art. If you believe that art is anything that conveys a message to an audience, meaning that even a newspaper can be considered a work of art, you are welcome to think that way. On the other hand, if you, like me, have a less broad idea of what is art and what isn’t, Abramovic is not someone you would consider an artist. To me, she is a performer, who takes her experiences and re-elaborates them via her body. Either way, whether you consider her an amazing artist or a stunning entertainer, we can all agree that she is outstanding at what she does, and will always be one of the best.
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WILD BOARS: ISF’S VOLLEYBALL TEAM By Victoria Grella Volleyball is one of the three main sports played at the International School of Florence. As ISF is part of the ASIL league, the high school team has the opportunity to travel to military bases all over Italy to play games. Through an interview conducted during one of the team’s home games against Marymount International School of Rome, the perspectives of several players, as well as the coach, were collected. For how long have you been playing volleyball? Grace Ihle (Team Captain, Grade 12): I participated in club teams when I was in kindergarten but didn’t really enjoy it until I started playing in middle school. I’ve been playing every year since then. Sophia Lovalvo (Grade 9): I started playing volleyball in 6th grade, so three years now. Olivia Roncaglia (Grade 11): Less than a year. Does winning or losing impact how you feel towards the sport? GI: No not really. I always enjoy my team. SL: No, because I still think we have a lot of fun playing together. OR: Not generally. Just if I know I played badly. What is your favourite part of being on this team? GI: I really enjoy the travelling and the dynamic between the entire team. We always have a good time and don’t really care about winning or losing. It's always really fun to play not just on the volleyball team but on any ISF sports team. SI: I’m still new to the team, so it would probably be the away games. The trips are always fun. OR: For me, it’s the fact that even if you mess up, the team will support you. It’s also not too serious so there isn’t too much pressure. How has your time playing at ISF differed from your past experiences? GI: I’ve only played on two other teams, and I’ve learned a lot from both. I played on my old school
team and I improved my volleyball skills a lot there. I also grew a lot at the club team that I played on last year, so it’s been interesting to take those skills and use them to be able to be a leader for the ISF team. SL: My past coach was very strict, but here at ISF everything is more laid-back. The main focus is having fun and improving our skills. OR: It’s less serious and more about having fun. We also sat down with Roberto Clausi, who currently coaches the girls’ volleyball team. How long have you been coaching for? RC: In general, for more than fifteen years, but I’ve coached for almost ten at ISF. How do you think taking part in the ASIL League has developed the team? RC: It has developed the team a lot. I see first of all that relationships are built and constantly growing between the kids; that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. The team is also learning as a whole. We have kids who have never played volleyball before, but now they have the chance to improve little by little. Also the enthusiasm in the team is constantly growing. What for you, as the coach, is the most rewarding thing to see at the end of a season? RC: The happiness of the students when they’re participating in games and practices. LOCAL 15
CORRI LA VITA: COSA SUCCEDE DIETRO LE SCENE? By Niccolò Platt Tutti a Firenze conoscono Corri la Vita, l’evento fondato nel 2003 da Bona Frescobaldi, che ha l’obiettivo di raccogliere fondi per la ricerca contro il tumore al seno, ma non viene data alcuna importanza a quello che succede con i dieci euro usati per la maglietta. Per questo, abbiamo contattato Senonetwork, una delle associazioni sostenute da Corri la Vita nella lotta contro il tumore al seno, per capire come l’evento a cui partecipiamo ogni anno contribuisce a migliorare le organizzazioni specializzate dell’area fiorentina.
Quando e a che scopo è stata fondata l’organizzazione Senonetwork? Senonetwork Italia Onlus è nata nel marzo 2012 su proposta di numerosi specialisti coinvolti nella cura del tumore al seno, per far sì che la patologia della mammella venga trattata nei centri di senologia che rispettano i requisiti europei che indicano le caratteristiche che un centro di senologia deve avere. Ad esempio stabiliscono il numero minimo di casi trattati, affinché si abbia la sufficiente esperienza e le necessarie apparecchiature per offrire la cura migliore, o la necessità della multidisciplinarietà, cioè la opportunità, per ogni singola paziente, di essere curata da specialisti diversi, come il radiologo,il patologo, chirurgo,
l’oncologo o il radioterapista, ciascuno dei quali deve indicare, di comune accordo con tutti gli altri, il miglior percorso di cura. Ogni tumore al seno è diverso dagli altri, come pure ogni paziente, ragione per cui ogni trattamento deve essere costruito addosso ad ogni paziente come se fosse un vestito. Qual’è la funzione dell’organizzazione? Nel nostro paese la cura del tumore al seno non è omogenea. A fronte di regioni ben organizzate che hanno identificato delle istituzioni dove la paziente può essere curata nel miglior modo, ci sono regioni nelle quali ancora la cura è affidata a singoli specialisti e la paziente deve da sola decidere dove e da chi essere seguita. Senonetwork ha come scopo principale quello di garantire omogeneità di cura ovunque la paziente si trovi LOCAL 16
lavorando insieme alle istituzione sanitarie nazionali e regionali perché vengano istituiti I centri di senologia che abbiano le caratteristiche richieste • incentivando i contatti tra i centri di senologia per creare una rete di strutture sanitarie e di professionisti che operino seguendo delle linee guida comuni • favorendo la formazione specialistica di tutti gli operatori coinvolti nel trattamento della patologia della mammella • promuovendo la ricerca clinica • sviluppando un controllo di qualità all’interno dei centri suddetti allo scopo di garantire equità, integrazione, tempestività, appropriatezza delle cure • favorendo e promuovendo progetti di informazione per le donne e le pazienti operate di tumore al seno Quando e perché è iniziata la vostra collaborazione con Corri la Vita? CORRI LA VITA è un grande evento benefico che sostiene progetti che aiutano le donne malate di tumore al seno nell’area vasta fiorentina. Senonetwork, pur essendo un’iniziativa na-zionale, ha la sua base a Firenze e gli obiettivi delle due associazioni hanno molti punti in comune. La collaborazione con Corri La Vita nasce nel 2013 proprio dal desiderio delle due associazioni di dare un respiro più ampio alle iniziative di entrambe. Cosa pensa dell’evento e della sua attuale popolarità? Il successo di Corri La Vita ha tre spiegazioni: primo, il grande interesse della gente per questa patologia così diffusa che vede ogni anno 50.000 nuovi casi nel nostro paese, dove circa 600.000 donne hanno vissuto questa terribile esperienza; secondo, lo straordinario entusiasmo di un gruppo di persone che coordinate da Bona Frescobaldi riescono ogni anno a mettere in campo tutte le risorse che una città come Firenze può offrire, terzo, •
il cuore dei fiorentini, che, malgrado l’individualismo che li caratterizza, li coinvolge ogni anno in questo straordinario avvenimento che fa ormai parte degli appuntamenti da non mancare come “i fochi” di S. Lorenzo e il calcio storico . In che modo Corri la Vita vi aiuta a raggiungere gli obiettivi della vostra associazione? Attraverso una donazione che consente a Senonetwork di sviluppare i numerosi progetti che hanno lo scopo di migliorare la cura del tumore al seno in Italia. Al momento attuale 113 centri di senologia, in tutte le regioni italiane, fanno parte di Senonetwork e curano oltre 40.000 pazienti ogni anno. Nel 2013, quando è iniziata la collaborazione con Corri La Vita, non più di 2-3 regioni avevano deliberato l’istituzione dei centri di senologia. Oggi esiste, anche grazie a Senonetwork, una risoluzione del Ministero della Sanità su questo argomento e 17 regioni hanno identificato questi centri. Crede che questo evento sia un mezzo efficace per il loro raggiungimento? Senonetwork, pur essendo un’associazione no profit, per raggiungere i suoi obiettivi ha bisogno di un sostegno economico. Il successo di Corri La Vita ha potuto garantire negli anni un supporto di base fondamentale per il nostro lavoro. In cosa potrebbe migliorare per aiutare ulteriormente Senonetwork e le altre associazioni che sostiene? Continuare ad avere il successo che questa iniziativa merita. LOCAL 17
In Defence of Listening to Old Music By Omid Sheikh I was just ten years old when I first listened to Pink Floyd. My father introduced me to them, and right away I found myself listening to their songs over and over. Maybe it was the fascinating idea that this band came from the 60s, or maybe it was that I was listening to the music that my father and his friends enjoyed during their youth. I would listen to their songs but never fully grasp the idea and meaning behind them, as I was just starting to learn English. I spent my time simply listening to the instruments and catching a few words every now and then. However, as I grew up and enhanced my English vocabulary, I found myself coming back to
these childhood tunes, and what I found was simply astonishing. I was finally understanding the message that was hidden behind each song, and it felt as if I had learned a whole new language.
In one of its verses he sings “Hey you with your ear against the wall waiting for someone to call out would you touch me?” In his voice, we can hear the desperation that person is feeling and how he is listening attentively for someone to call out. As the song goes on, these questions become more desperate in every verse, as he sings, "Can you feel me?" "Would you touch me?" Can you help me?" When looking at the album as a whole, the song is about how people put up their "wall" to keep people out, while they desperately but hopelessly long for real human interaction. I don't aspire to be like those kids who always complain about being born in the wrong generation, but honestly, I really think I was. I can't and refuse to enjoy any music from this day and age, because most songs I listen to repeat the same line over and over again. If you stop and bother to actually analyse the text, everything the singers say is senseless and always relates to being rich and doing drugs. Taking one sentence from a modern-day song and comparing it to any song from the 60s, 70s, or 80s, one can easily see that the songs from today are complete gibberish compared to any band in those time period. As one of my teachers likes to put it, today’s musicians sound like “they have diarrhea of the mouth.” In school, I always find myself facing kids who listen to these kinds of songs and I don’t understand how they are able to. For example, a song that recently blew up is “Gucci Gang” by Lil’ Pump. Just from its name, we can see that it is garbage. This song repeats the word “Gucci Gang” about 53 times and also manages to throw in some senseless words like “my bitch love do cocaine.” I rest my point.
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We can contrast this with the song “Time,” once again by Pink Floyd. This song features an amazing opening sequence of clocks ticking and ringing, symbolizes time passing by. After a buildup of a rhythmic drum beat followed by a tension inducing guitar, we are introduced to David Gilmour himself singing “Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day; fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way.” Evidently, this song symbolises time, the passing of our boring lives, and our hope for something to tell us what to do or provide some other form of guidance. After an amazing instrumental moment, we are reminded of the haunting fact that eventually, our time will run out, ”And you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking, racing around to come up behind you again. The sun is the same In a relative way but you're older, shorter of breath and one day closer to death.” What I’m trying to get across in quoting this song is the fact that I firmly believe that listening to music from this generation will add something to your life. Pink Floyd isn’t the only revolutionary band from this era. Take Supertramp: this British rock band released a successful album in 1969 called Even in the Quietest Moments. In this album, both instruments and lyrics combine to
form the ten-minute-long masterpiece that is “Fool’s Overture.” With the opening sequence of Winston Churchill giving his famous speech “Never Surrender” followed by distant police sirens and Big Ben's chimes, we are thrown straight away into what seems like a historical cluster of recollections. We then hear Roger Hodgson’s voice calling out “History recalls how great the fall can be while everybody's sleeping the boats put out to sea...” Roger said that the song was about the fall of mankind, stating, “It was very much the way I was perceiving life, that people were in denial of the way we were heading and the way the planet was heading." Songs like these are powerful and filled with substance. My main point is that the 60s, 70s, and 80s were an absolutely revolutionary time period for music. Songs coming from these eras, like the ones I’ve already described, are powerful and filled with substance, as opposed to the vapid garbage that makes up most of the music on the radio today. Listening to music from amazingly talented artists such as Pink Floyd, Supertramp, Dire Straits, and Bob Dylan should not be a thing of the past; instead, their works remain relevant, present-day classics to be enjoyed over and over again.
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Michael Bay Brings Netflix Movie Six Underground To Florence By Sophia Lovalvo If you’ve been in Florence at all in the past month, you’ve probably noticed the barricaded streets and redirected traffic, the echo of repetitive explosive noises, and of course the iconic and innumerable neon green cars racing throughout the city. These can all be attributed to the filming of Michael Bay's new action movie Six Underground. Although more in-depth information about the plot is unknown, it is said to be about about six billionaires who fake their deaths to form an elite crime fighting team. Producer Michael Bay is promising an action/ thriller where “Mission Impossible” meets “Deadpool” with a thrilling car chase. The movie takes place all around the world, Florence being one of the many filming locations alongside Rome, Abu
taking place mainly in the historical center of Florence. They frequently filmed in the middle of some of the most crowded shopping streets and bridges including the Ponte Vecchio. Tourists and fans were always gathered around the set and were able to watch everything take place up close and even catch glimpses of famed actors Ryan Reynolds and Dave Franco. A large portion of the filming was also done lungarno, including the soon-to-be iconic high-speed car chase supposedly be the opening scene of the movie. Although the crew spent quite some time filming here in Florence, the city apparently only makes about a ten to fifteen minute appearance in the film. The car chase, which takes up the majority of Florence's screen time, features bright green Alfa Romeo sports cars, guns, crashes, and an unknown amount of major explosions, so at least it’ll be an eventful ten minutes. Before anyone knew about Six Underground, it was quite evident that something was going on in the city because someone had to be responsible for crowds of people and barricaded roads. The noise was just another hint-with helicopters circling the Duomo, explosions on the daily, and cars crashing into each other, there was no hiding the fact that they were here. This however, made it a pretty exciting experience for not only tourists but also locals that got a chance to watch it all go down. As for the city, they were granted a more than appropriate thank you in paper form for all the inconveniences caused. Six Underground has made for a sometimes hectic but fun and unique experience for the last month, but I think we can all say it's nice to see Florence regain its tranquil and laid back vibe.
Dhabi, Los Angeles, and possibly others. Six Underground is set to hit Netflix sometime in the summer of 2019, and thanks to Michael Bay’s notoriously extravagant use of special effects, it will also be Netflix’s biggest production yet, with a budget of $130m. The filming of “Six Underground”went on for about a month between August and September, CULTURE 20