Tuskan Times Volume 8 Issue 2

Holiday 2019 Issue

International School of Florence

Volume 8, Issue 2

What’s in this issue?

A PRESENT FROM THE SENIORS, 1 A DECADE OF HITS, 3 STAR WARS: DOES IT LIVE UP TO THE HYPE?, 6 A RECIPE FOR GINGERBREAD COOKIES, 8 UN MARE DI SARDINE, 10 A STRESSFUL SEASON, 12 WHAT TO WATCH THIS CHRISTMAS, 13 READY FOR 2020?, 15

STAFF

Editor-in-Chief Niccolò Platt Co-Editor Giulia Oosterwijk Layout Editors Giulia Oosterwijk Jacqueline Obert

Artists Jacqueline Obert Dajanique Bonner Advisor John Pitonzo Front cover by Jacqueline Obert Back cover by Dajanique Bonner

A PRESENT FROM THE SENIORS

By Giulia Oosterwijk With the holiday break in full swing, and with mock exams just around the corner, seniors have started to reminisce on their junior year. With only two school trimesters ahead of us, we have experienced the ups and downs of the IB. So for the 11th graders who may feel that the upcoming two years will never end, here is a compiled list of advice about the IB that you may find useful!

Don’t procrastinate, or at least try to avoid it.

I know it may seem like the most standard piece of advice that you can receive from a senior, but it’s easy to fall into the cycle of setting back your work. It’s one of the easiest ways to end up writing a written task at midnight, just get into the habit of starting your work a bit earlier.

If you can, try to complete your CAS extended project by the end of junior year.

Make sure that you take good notes throughout your classes, don’t only rely on the teacher and your textbook.

When studying for tests and exams, take the time to write notes that are clear and contain any crucial piece of information that you have taken from your resources. From there, ensure that you keep your notes for your final exams so that you don’t take up your time writing notes when you can be actively recalling information.

Every trimester you should aim to complete your requirements, but try to finish your extended project as well. The autumn of senior year will be very chaotic, with university applications and IA deadlines, having an extended project already finished means that you have one less thing to stress about!

Past paper questions and mark schemes will be one of the best ways to study for exams.

To a certain extent, recalling information from notes and a textbook will prepare you well for an exam but taking the time to finish a past paper and then going through an examiners' mark scheme allows you to see what they will be looking for when marking your papers. Not only are you seeing where gaps in your knowledge may be, but you also immediately have an insight into how you can answer questions appropriately. You can find these past papers on websites such as IB Documents and Exam Snap.

For art students, try to plan out your exhibition works during the summer.

Art students are constantly overwhelmed with their exhibition, so try to have at least a broad idea of what you want your exhibition theme to be and what works you may want to include. This ensures that once you return to school you have something to work off of, as well as proving to be a source of inspiration for later paintings!

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IB deadlines will start once you’re in the

Plan your tasks.

first trimester of senior year, work ahead in the

There is no need to go out and buy an expensive

school year and summer so that you can start

agenda, it can even be a list on a scrap piece of

your last year with a bit less stress.

paper, but planning what you have to do in the

The first deadline you’ll have in your senior year

upcoming week or even an afternoon will really

will be your extended essay, from there it’ll feel

help. It gives you the opportunity to break down

like you have an IA deadline every single week.

whatever has to be done, which may seem

At that point, many of you will be completing

overwhelming at first. It doesn’t even need to be

university applications which tend to take first

a written list of tasks, it can also be in the midst

priority next to your deadlines, to avoid this, give

of a conversation with a friend.

yourself the time by working on your IAs a bit in Don’t let academics take over the upcoming

the summer or at least give in a well drafted first

two years.

copy.

Make sure that you are not letting academics Catch up on your sleep.

dictate your life in the IB, give yourself a break

It’s known that IB students tend to lack quite a lot

and go out with friends. It’s really not worth it to

of sleep, this is usually the product of leaving

sacrifice your social life or mental health for a

essays and projects to the last minute and

certain set of grades, there’s always time to catch

procrastinating homework. Take naps after school

up with friends and attend extracurriculars.

or start work earlier so that you can get a full eight hours of sleep, this will benefit you in the

IB can seem very overwhelming at times, but

long-term.

hopefully these 10 pointers can give you a bit of guidance for the upcoming two years. Each subject

Pay attention to your work in your junior year.

Some seniors will argue that your junior year, academically speaking, is a bit more important for your upcoming applications. Your 11th grade marks

may differ in advice, but these are the more general recommendations that 11th graders can take into account. On a more positive note, IB at the end of the day isn’t as bad as it is said to be, just take one day at a time!

and exam scores will be some of the defining parts of your predicted grades, so it is quite important to ensure that you are focusing on keeping those at the grade you want to have. No need to panic, when you don’t understand a topic just ask the teacher and manage your time well.

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A DECADE OF HITS

By Nelson Matos 2020 is fast approaching, and the switch to

2012: Somebody That I Used to Know - Gotye

another decade leaves us with an entire decade of

In a year that brought many high-energy pop stars to

music behind us. Now is the time to look back on

the front, along with the rise of EDM, Gotye’s song

the top hits from each year in the decade to see

“Somebody That I Used to Know” caught the

what songs caught the world’s attention the most.

attention of many for being an outlier from the trends seen that year. The song’s minimal production

2010: Tik Tok - Ke$ha

compared to other hits of 2012 was seen as a

Kesha took charge as one of the leading pop stars

refreshing break from the norm, and helped to earn

at the beginning of the decade with “Tik Tok” an

Gotye 8 consecutive weeks at the number 1 spot on

electronic-pop song that took the top spot on music

music charts.

charts for 9 weeks. Ke$ha’s style of pop production became the foundation for the party style of music that would define the early part of

2013: Thrift Shop - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

the decade.

With 2013’s top singles featuring pop music with a lot of retro influence, such as Bruno Mars’ “Locked Out of Heaven” or Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky”, one track stood out and reached the top of the charts. The hip hop duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis released “Thrift Shop”, a song that stood for 6 weeks at the top of the charts, where it gained traction through the mainstream and internet culture alike.

2011: Rolling in the Deep - Adele Switching away from the electronic focused music of Ke$ha, Adele took the stage in 2011 with the song “Rolling in the Deep.” The shift from Ke$ha’s electronic dance beat to a more instrumental tune was what led Adele to hold the attention of many throughout the 2010’s, as seen when her song stayed at number 1 for 7 weeks.

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2014: Happy - Pharrell Williams

2016: Love Yourself - Justin Bieber After many of the energetic hits to reach the top

While the influence of soul music could partially

spot throughout the decade, 2016 saw fit to slow

be seen throughout the decade, Pharrell Williams

down, as seen with Justin Bieber’s song “Love

took the lead by fully embracing the uptempo style

Yourself.” 2016 saw the return of Justin Bieber

in the song “Happy”. By the end of the year

with an acoustic song made in collaboration with

Pharrell overtook Ke$ha for longest time spent at

artist Ed Sheeran, holding the top spot on the

the number 1 spot, with 10 consecutive weeks

chart for 2 weeks. By the end of the year, both of

playing on what felt like every radio station in the

the top spots were taken by both “Love Yourself”

world.

and Bieber’s other hit “Sorry.”

2017: Shape of You - Ed Sheeran 2017 marked Ed Sheeran’s takeover of the spotlight as the leading artist, most evidently seen when he released his single “Shape of You” at the beginning of the year, facing no competition for 12 consecutive weeks. Many of Sheeran’s singles showed up on the charts that year, making him one of the most popular artists of the decade.

2015: Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson While Bruno Mars barely reached the top spot with his stream of singles from last year, he made his debut at the top of 2015 when he teamed up with producer Mark Ronson. “Uptown Funk” took the world by storm despite it’s competition alongside many upbeat and roaring tracks that year. “Uptown Funk” overtook the record held by “Happy” by spending 14 consecutive weeks at the top of music charts.

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2018: God’s Plan - Drake Drake has been a prevalent artist throughout most of the decade, but few would have foreseen his explosion of popularity in 2018. “God’s Plan”was met with a lot of traction upon its release, experiencing a boom in internet exposure, and then spending 11 weeks at number 1.

2019: Old Town Road - Lil Nas X Despite the major rise of hip hop throughout the latter half of the 2010’s, few people would have predicted that the top song of the entire decade would have gone to a fusion track of trap and country music. “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X started its rise on social media app Tik Tok, and

The decade has seen many fluctuations in hit

then was picked up by nearly everyone through

singles, not just in the top spot of music charts. As

radio and especially the internet. The song picked up even more attention when a remix was created alongside country star Billy Ray Cyrus. “Old Town Road”, almost like a testament to the entire decade,

we end the decade and enter the 2020’s, we should expect the unexpected in terms of what will pop up as the unavoidable song for each year.

held the top spot of music charts for 18 unchallenged weeks.

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STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER DOES IT LIVE UP TO THE HYPE?

By Peter wood Star Wars: The rise of Skywalker is a sci-fi

recent Star Wars movies and with the writing choices

action-adventure movie released on 18 December

that were made. Firstly and most importantly, this

2019. This movie, in particular, is supposed to be

movie didn’t have its own original plot, it basically is

the end of the Star Wars saga which started all the

a carbon copy of The Return of the Jedi, but with a

way back in 1977, with the release of Star Wars: A

few changes here and there. Even the ending was

New Hope on 25 May. Throughout this review, I

exactly the same. It felt like I didn’t actually see

will be going under the assumption that you have

many new concepts, but instead like I just rewatched

indeed seen all previous Star Wars movies or at

the original trilogy.

least have general knowledge about Star Wars who doesn’t, right?

One of the main problems I have with this movie The movie was directed by J. J. Abrams, known also for directing Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

The movie features many famous actors such as Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fischer, Daisy Ridley, and Adam Driver.

The main plot of the movie picks up not too long after the last one, our heroes in the resistance continue the struggle against the mighty First Order, which however seems to be focused on other matters. From there the plot is pretty straight forward with our heroes preparing for the massive fight against the enemy.

When I first saw this movie I thought it was great, but now that I look back on it I realise it’s far from it. While I did enjoy viewing it, I feel like this

is all the jokes that are continuously shoved into our faces, only 10% of which are actually funny. In the first trilogy, humorous moments were much more subtle and the movies took themselves much more seriously than the most recent one does. I think I could have enjoyed the scenes in the movie a lot more if there hadn’t been a cheesy joke slapped into the middle of it.

Another big problem I have with this movie was the characters. Firstly, there is Finn’s character played by John Boyega. The acting was great and you could tell he was giving it his best, but the writing of his character was bland and for most of the time in the movie, he felt very much like a secondary character despite being part of the main character trio. During the entire movie, his character is based

movie highlights the main problem with the more

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on the presence of Rey’s character. Without Rey,

briefly introduced to us. She helps Rey and the others, and at the very end seems to open up for the possibility of another spin-off. Once again there is a lot of wasted potential for her character. Even the necessity of her character is questionable.

For any of the people who have watched The Last Jedi, do you remember Rose? Well, the writers didn’t, in fact her character wasn’t even mentioned until the climax of the movie when she suddenly appears, but is still very irrelevant to the plot. And even though I know many people didn’t really like her character in the previous movie, it doesn’t feel right to just introduce her in one movie but do absolutely nothing with her in the next. It just made it seem like she was even more irrelevant than before.

However much I disliked certain choices in this movie, I have to admit that the directing and the overall cinematography was amazing, and it’s probably the main reason I didn’t walk out of the cinema half way through. The music wasn’t terrible, but it was mostly just classic Star Wars music, and wasn’t really the best at capturing emotions as much as it should have.

If I had to give a score to this movie it would probably be either a 5 or a 6 out of 10. The bad characters, the bad plot, and the missed opportunities were just too much. There are many more reasons I could list as to why I disliked this movie, but I won’t simply because it would be full of spoilers. I still encourage you to watch it if you haven’t yet, especially if you like Star Wars. If you’re not in the mood, there is no need to worry, you won’t miss out on anything spectacular.

Finn would probably not even be a part of the movie, which is horrible seeing as there were a lot of missed opportunities in regards to his character which could have added a lot to the storyline.

If you have seen the trailer, you might have heard C3PO say something along the lines of “if I don’t do this, the mission will all have been for nothing.” In that scene, C3PO has to get his memory wiped so the Resistance can save the day. In short, he goes along with it and his memory is wiped, but what happens just before the end of the movie? He gets his memory back thanks to R2D2. So at the end of the day, Rey and her team didn’t have to suffer any consequences for getting the information they wanted. Now, I’m not gonna say this is bad writing, but it sure does sound like it could have been different, and that there could have been some consequences to their actions. But that’s for you to decide.

Another character I have a problem with is Poe. In this movie his background is expanded on and it reveals itself to be pretty useful to their cause which is something I can endorse, but I still have no idea what happened to his dream of becoming the best pilot. Maybe it was just forgotten. Poe introduces a character from his past which does become fairly essential to the Resistance’s cause, but that’s all there is to it. The character is literally only used as a plot device to help the main characters, and to give Poe a potential love interest. Hardly anything is revealed about this character. While I do like myself an element of mystery this part seems to be just asking for a spinoff dedicated to her or to Poe. However, she doesn’t seem to be the only character that is used as a plot device and opens up the possibility for a spin-off. In fact, towards the end of the movie, we are introduced to a runaway gang of stormtroopers (much like Finn), whose leader is

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A RECIPE FOR GINGERBREAD COOKIES

By Stella Franceschi There is nothing better than waking up christmas morning to the smell of a christmas tree, snow and gingerbread cookies. This classic cut-out gingerbread cookie recipe is easy to make, perfect for decorating, and always puts you in the holiday mood.

Ingredients Gingerbread Cookies Recipe: •

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

•

1 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

•

1 1/2 tablespoon ground ginger

•

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

•

1 teaspoon of ground cloves

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour,

•

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, cloves, salt and

•

1/2 teaspoon salt

nutmeg. Set aside.

•

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room

Instructions

2. In an electric stand mixer fitted with the

temperature •

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

•

1 large egg

•

1/2 cup unsulfured molasses

•

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

paddle attachment (or alternatively, you can use a hand mixer and a large mixing bowl), beat the butter and sugar together for 2 minutes on mediumhigh speed until light and fluffy. Add in eggs, molasses and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until combined. Reduce mixer speed to low, and

Simple Icing Recipe: •

2 cups powdered sugar

•

2-3 tablespoons milk

gradually add the flour mixture until just combined.

3. Divide the dough into two equal portions, and form them each into a ball. Then gently use your hands to flatten each ball into a 1-inch thick disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.

4. Once the dough is thoroughly chilled and you’re ready to bake the cookies, heat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

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5. Unwrap the dough and place it on a large,

To make the simple icing:

lightly-floured hard surface.Use a floured rolling

1. Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl until

pin to roll the dough evenly until it is

smooth. If your icing is too thin, add in a little more

approximately 1/8-inch thick.Then use your

powdered sugar. If your icing is too thick, add in a

favorite cookie cutters to cut out your desired

small amount of milk.

shapes, re-rolling the dough as needed to cut out more. Transfer to parchment-covered baking

2. Use a piping bag, or a ziplock bag (with the

sheets.

corner snipped off), or a plastic squeeze bottle to

6. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies

pipe the icing onto the cookies.

are crisp around the edges and on top. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

7.Once the cookies are room temperature, feel free to decorate them as desired with icing (see below) plus any extra sprinkles or candies.Serve and enjoy immediately, or store in a sealed container for up to 4 days.

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UN MARE DI SARDINE

By Edoardo Cariati L’Italia è stata negli ultimi anni un paese dove

manifestazione politica contro i riguardi della Lega

problemi politici e rivoluzioni sono ormai

e della destra italiana.

all’ordine del giorno. L’italiano è un uomo che se

Ma come nasce la denominazione di “sardine”?

ne inventa sempre una nuova. Cosa è che si può

Essa parte dal modo di dire: “stare stretti come

fare di meglio che una rivoluzione anarchica per

sardine”, a dimostrazione che la piazza antileghista

dimostrare la propria opposizione ed il proprio

è forte e numerosa. L’invito sparso sui social,

senso di ribellione al governo italiano? Direi

specialmente su Facebook, diceva: “Nessuna

niente. Questo è infatti ciò che è accaduto nel

bandiera, nessun partito, nessun insulto. Crea la tua

centro di Firenze in alcune delle piazze più

sardina e partecipa alla prima rivoluzione ittica

importanti del centro storico, circa 40 mila persone

della storia". Tutto il trambusto partito quindi da

raggruppate tra Via dei Vecchietti e Via Roma.

Facebook, cercando anche di andare oltre il limite

Tutti riuniti ma per quale scopo? Per capirlo

di spazio del Paladozza imposto dalla legge,

meglio, c’è bisogno di analizzare la storia del

ovvero di 5570 persone, superandolo con l’idea di

gruppo delle cosiddette “sardine” e bisogna anche

un flash-mob calcolando che il crescentone di

avere un po’ di informazioni sulla situazione

Piazza Maggiore

politica italiana.

ha una capienza di 6000

persone.

Il movimento delle sardine parte da un’idea di tre amici Roberto Morotti, 31 anni, ingegnere, Giulia Trappoloni, 30 anni, fisioterapista e Andrea

Tutto questo trambusto di cui ho appena parlato

Garreffa, 30 anni, guida turistica. L’idea era di

è ciò che è successo a Bologna, prima città italiana

organizzare una manifestazione anti leghista per

colpita da questo fenomeno sociale. Questi eventi

opporsi alla candidatura elettorale di Lucia

si sono man mano sparsi in tutta Italia arrivando

Borgonzoni, candidata leghista, alla poltrona di

anche molto vicini a noi, colpendoci proprio in

presidente dell’Emilia Romagna, regione

prima persona, a Firenze. Il 30 novembre, circa 40

storicamente rossa. L’organizzatore del primo

mila persone si sono raggruppate nel centro di

evento a Bologna infatti dice “volevamo essere uno

Firenze per protestare l’arrivo di Matteo Salvini in

più di loro. Ci siamo incontrati la mattina ed

città per la tanto annunciata e sponsorizzata cena al

abbiamo organizzato in fretta”. Tutto ciò vuol dire

Tuscany Hall. Una città bloccata da una mole di

quindi che le “sardine” non sono altro che una

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persone in protesta contro la Lega. Moltitudini di

Da notare nel corso della manifestazione è stato

persone tra turisti e italiani presi dallo shopping

allontanato un protestante avvicinatosi al palco con

natalizio a protestanti presi da canti e cori per

una bandiera rossa con la falce ed il martello così

sostenere la propria causa. Una città che vedeva nel

indicando un orientamento politico, andando così

primo pomeriggio la bellezza dell’inizio

contro l’obiettivo dell’evento. Quest’ultimo è stato

dell’avvento svoltata da questo evento anarchico

infatti allontanato è fischiato; la sua uscita seguita

da parte del popolo. Come confermano le autorità

dagli urli “Via via non vogliamo bandiere di

non c’è nessun dato certo sul numero esatto di

partito”.

persone presenti nelle piazze e soprattutto

C’è da dirlo, è ormai facile protestare con questa

realmente partecipanti all’evento di tipo politico;

mob che ti segue. Gli italiani vengono ben descritti

ma quello che è stato confermato dalle autorità è

da questo aggettivo, tratto dalla lingua

“una presenza notevole”. Piazza della Repubblica e

anglosassone, che sta a significare l’aspetto di una

le strade che la costeggiano erano inondate da tanti

folla, incosciente ed ignorante che segue chiunque

cartelli inneggianti le sardine e da un maxi

proponga un’idea interpretata come

striscione con la scritta “La Toscana non si Lega”,

“rivoluzionaria” o piuttosto “di protesta”. Ad ogni

stesso slogan ripetuto più volte su vari cartelloni.

modo, una cosa è certa, l’evento ha avuto successo,

“Bella ciao” è stata la colonna sonora del flash-

il centro storico fiorentino bloccato per un oltre

mob, ripetutamente cantata durante tutta la

un’ora da un “mare di sardine”. Ancora è difficile

manifestazione da tutta la folla e utilizzata anche

capire l’impatto che questo gruppo avrà sulla

come conclusione della manifestazione mentre i

politica italiana e sulle elezioni, ma ha sicuramente

telefoni cellulari di tanti erano alzati a registrare

dimostrato che quando c’è da protestare gli italiani

quello che è stato definito da tanti, come dal leader

e specificamente i fiorentini ci sono sempre.

bolognese Mattia Santori, un momento storico.

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A STRESSFUL SEASON

By Stella Franceschi What is Holiday Depression?

a need to manage crowds, traffic, and malls or

The holiday season is known for being jolly and

large stores. Family, school, neighborhood, and

happy, but many people perceive it in a very

work celebrations and parties create social, time,

different way. Stress, loneliness and depression are

and energy demands. Traveling to be with family

very common emotions that people feel during the

or friends for the holidays, or being unable to do so

holidays, especially throughout November and

can also cause additional stress. School, work, and

December. This is known as Holiday Depression or

sleep schedules are often disrupted during the

Holiday Anxiety. This seasonal mental health

holidays and healthy ways of managing stress like

issues not to be underestimated or blown off.

ensuring good nutrition and daily exercise are

While typically less serious and shorter in duration

interrupted.

than clinical depression, these feelings can have a major impact on your ability to function normally

How can you deal with it?

during this time of year. Even people who love the

Managing depression during the holidays

holidays can have this experience during this busy

requires finding effective ways to manage all of the

season. The holidays are often a time of high

stressors listed above. Reducing, eliminating, or

emotion and demands, which can leave a lot of

finding creative ways to deal with holiday-specific

people feeling stressed and exhausted. Holiday

demands on your time, energy, and emotions are

Depression and Stress is not a recognized disorder,

important. At the same time, it can be helpful to

but that does not mean that short-term mental

work with a therapist or access other resources on

health problems should be ignored. Even mild and

coping with depression. Having a plan for

relatively brief problems can contribute to longer-

managing family issues or avoiding them entirely

lasting symptoms of depression and anxiety.

this season may be necessary to prevent an increase

Common sources of this include stress, fatigue,

in depressive symptoms. Set realistic expectations,

unrealistic expectations, over-commercialization

firstly for yourself, and then communicate what

and, for some, the inability to be with one’s family

those are to others. You may need to modify the

and friends. Balancing the demands of shopping,

typical “holiday survival tip” advice that is given if

parties, family obligations, and house guests may

you are managing a depressive episode. Instead,

also contribute to feelings of being overwhelmed

give yourself credit for basic functioning, and try

and increased tension. Others may experience post-

not to worry too much about meeting extra

holiday sadness after New Year's Day. This can

expectations simply because it is the holidays.

result from built-up expectations and disappointments from the previous year, coupled with stress and fatigue.

During the holidays, there is an increase in the number of activities, tasks, and social events that people must manage. Shopping and gift-buying can cause financial and emotional stress and can create 12

WHAT TO WATCH THIS CHRISTMAS

By Edoardo Cariati December is back, and with its return, many

about whether it’s a person’s environment that

costumes and traditions are getting closer and

determines their success. After seeing how

closer. Christmas spirit is in the air, streets and

different Billy Ray and Louis are, the two brothers

squares are full of decorations and reminders that

decide to make a wager to see what would happen

the holidays are getting closer.

if they switched positions: Winthorpe is fired and

What is it that usually reminds people of the

Valentine is offered immense opportunities. Louis

Christmas holidays? Pandoro, hot chocolate, the

can then only rely on Billy Ray, the person who

tree… I think of the typical Christmas movies that

secretly wants to ruin him. This movie is a great

my family and I usually watch on Christmas Eve.

lighthearted flick to watch this season.

Every year there are more and more Christmas films, but which are the best to watch this holiday season?

Another film that obviously comes to mind when thinking about the Christmas holidays is “The Elf” (2003). This film may look childish if you look at its name and at Will Ferrell in elvish attire, but it could surprise you. The movie talks about Ferrell’s character William “Buddy” Hobbs, a human who has been raised by elves in the North Pole. He finds out at the age of 30 that his real father, whose name is Walter and lives in New York City is on Santa’s naughty list. Buddy starts his search for his dad, and leaves the North Pole, One of the first films that come to mind when

knowing only what the elves had taught him.

talking about Christmas movies is “Trading

Arriving in the Big Apple, he reaches his father to

Places”(1983). The film is a laugh-out-loud

reveal his identity, however Walter ends up

comedy that talks about the story of Upper-class

distancing himself from his son. Despite the elf’s

executive Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd), who

strange behavior, Walter welcomes his son into his

bumps into Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy), a

house. At first, it is hard for him to get along with

down-and-out hustler, assumes he’s a criminal and

his family, but his trip to the City turns out to be

gets him arrested. Mortimer and Randolph Duke,

full of surprises.

owners of the firm that Louis works for, argue

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The third film which I cannot forget when talking about Christmas movies is certainly: “Miracle on 34th Street” (1994). I know this is not the original version, but I am too young to appreciate the original. This version is the remake

Susan thinks there is no real Santa, but if there is,

of the 1947 classic, transplanted to the 1990s with

she knows what she wants for Christmas: a father,

a few changes. 6-year-old Susan Walker has some

a brother and a house of her own. This

doubts about the existence of Santa Claus. After

heartwarming movie is a must this holiday season.

seeing a drunk Santa on the street, she loses her

There are many Christmas films which have

belief in the myth.

been made over the years, but these surely are my recommendations for the best holiday movies ever.

I hope you will enjoy watching at least one of these during these winter holidays, spending time in warm and familiar environments like the ones shown in these films.

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READY FOR 2020?

By Luca Mijatovic As we prepare to embark on 2020, let's take a minute to reflect on 2019.

Is the world a better place at the end of 2019?

2019 was marked by several pro-democracy and equality movements throughout the world. In Hong Kong and Venezuela people risked their lives to protest and fight for freedom and democracy. In France, Bolivia, Indonesia, Lebanon, and Chile citizens went to the streets to vent their anger against social inequality, discrimination, perceived

Little progress was made in the two world

unjust social reforms and government corruption.

geopolitical hotspots: the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula. The Israeli-Palestinian peace process has completely stalled, and the same goes for regards to the denuclearization talks between North Korea and the USA. Refugees from Central America have been fleeing poverty and violence and seeking a new life in the US. Europe has seen a continued flow of refugees from Africa and the Middle East desperately trying to reach its countries. The

The "forgotten" war in Yemen moved into its

developed countries' response is building walls and

4th year with continued famine, the spread of

further securing their borders instead of addressing

disease and displacement of the local population

the root causes of the migration issues.

with little hope for the fighting to end any time

Great Britain has just recently had its elections

soon. The war in Syria and Iraq ended with ISIS

and will most likely be leaving the EU in January

being defeated but with the same old political

2020. It is the second-largest economy in Europe

corrupt structures in place, in those countries, as

and will be the first country to leave the European

before the war. The Syrian dictator, Bashar Assad,

Union. The world is waiting to see how this will

succeeded to stay in power and continues to

turn out.

terrorize his citizens and suppress any form of freedom and democracy.

Are we safer?

The war in Eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian

In 2019 there as been a continuous, sad trend of

government forces and Russian paramilitary units,

mass shootings in the US. There have been 360

supported by Moscow, continues unchanged with

mass shootings and more than 450 people have

large portions of Eastern Ukraine being slowly

been killed. We also witnessed several terrorist attacks. On April 21st, there were a series of bombs

integrated into Russia's sphere of influence.

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in Sri Lanka were at least 257 people were killed

continued her youth climate movement by

and around 500 wounded. On March 15th, in New

organizing "Fridays for Future" climate change

Zealand, two mosques were attacked and 50 people

strikes held by students around the world. Her

were killed. On March 10th, an Ethiopian Airlines

objective is to raise environmental awareness and

Boeing 737 Max flight crashed after takeoff,

pressure world governments to take action and

killing all 157 passengers. Shortly after the second

reverse the environmental deterioration of our

Boeing 737 Max accident, the planes have been

planet.

grounded around the world due to safety issues. We

Italy started school classes on global climate

all watched the Notre-Dame Cathedral fire on April

change and sustainability, teaching students to take

15th burn down 856 years of history.

action to protect our environment. In the Amazon, a native tribe won the legal battle against oil companies, which prevented them from drilling in the Amazon rainforest. Norway is one of the countries that is reducing oil production and decided not to drill for oil (worth an estimated 60 billion dollars) in the Lofoten Islands to protect its ecosystem. In Rome, people can now buy Metro train tickets with plastic bottles, and 350,000 bottles have already been recycled. South Korea used to recycle less than 5 percent of its food

Is the world greener?

waste, and now recycles 95 percent of its food

The effects of global warming continue to take a

waste. The country is also organizing daytime

toll on our planet. The acidity of the oceans has

disco parties for people older than 65 to help

increased, the polar ice caps are melting, and

reduce loneliness. Renewable energy is now about

natural disasters are increasing in frequency.

17% of the global energy we use today.

The Amazon rainforest, which produces 20

There were many negative and positive events

percent of the earth's oxygen, had a record 80,000

in 2019 but the fact remains… We are safer. We

active burning fires at one point this year. On

are greener. YES, overall, going into 2020, we are

August 24th, 2019, Hurricane Dorian, a category 5

in a better place. It is all relative to the past. With

hurricane with record sustained winds of 200 miles

all the things happening, the world has no major

per hour, killed more than 80 people in the

active wars right now, we have eradicated many

Bahamas. The Brazilian dam disaster caused by

diseases, and the word living standards have

extreme rainfall made 230 victims in January.

increased consistently. The world is more connected through social media and other means of

So where do we stand going into 2020?

communication. There is also a huge movement to

Nevertheless, with all these tragic events, there

protect the environment. So while we did

have been many positive developments that have

experience setbacks in 2019, the world today is a

occurred in 2019. With all the negative things,

better place, and will continue to be in the next

there always comes a flood of positive. Greta

decade.

Thunberg, a 16-year-old student from Sweden,

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