Lennon Wall Magazine - Spring 2020

SPRING

2020

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Kyiv - Prague Digital Nomadism and its Environmental Benefits Berlinale: Symphony of a Great City The Signs of Perfection A Helping Hand “Coronavirus psychosis” in Belarus: what is real?

Pandemic in Chicago Voguing: Have people forgotten its purpose?

Coffeeshop Culture A significant impact of coronavirus on small and medium-sized businesses in Russia The Ballad of Quarantine Harry Styles’ opening act is more than just another opening act Douce France The Boat That Rocked: sex, rock ‘n’ roll, and an awful lot of hope

Content The Lennon Wall --Spring 2020

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Team Members Editor-in-Chief Irina Nikolaeva Assistant Editor Iryna Volkovska Section Editors Angelina Nikonova (Culture Section) Janel Umarbaeva (Creative Writing Section) Website and Social Media Editor Yauheniya Piachenina Social Media Designer Katerina Schell Magazine Layout Designer and Concept Maria Florencia Perona Proofreaders Caelyn Carlson Makenna Petersen Writers Yauheniya Piachenina Ify Nsoha Mariia Kuznetsova Zachary Falch Morgan McGrath Iryna Volkovska Léa Sentenac Sylvia Lorson Irina Nikolaeva Angelina Nikonova Emma Asson Andrew Saodat Khasanova Joseph Petrila “The Ballad of Quarantine” Documentary Photo Project (Editor - Björn Steinz) Iryna Volkovska Temir Asanov Goun Choi Eliška Havlíčková Jindřiška Krejčí Sylvia Lorson Taylor Millican Anastasiia Sokolenko Dominika Szapuová Neale Tracy Ganna Zhadan Cover Photo Eliška Havlíčková

2020.

From the beginning, 2020 seemed disconcerting and unprecedented: promises of the “Third World War”, continuous fires in Australia, various catastrophes...

However, the coronavirus was far. We never thought that we could all be locked in our apartments for several months without the opportunity to meet each other in person or lead our lives the way we used to.

March 16th is the date when the Czech Republic announced closing the borders. Anglo-American University decided to introduce the distance learning program. It turned out to be a challenge for many professors, staff members, and students. Thankfully, the Student Council and the Student Virtual Task Force’s efforts helped improve the distance learning system and get our community through this abnormal semester.

In many ways, the quarantine turned out to be a source of creativity for our students. In addition to our team’s original material, Lennon Wall Magazine presents the set of quarantine articles provided by Andrew Giarelli, as well as an astonishing documentary photo project which showed us the quarantines in different countries, edited by Björn Steinz.

Coronavirus brought a lot of difficulties into all of our lives; the Lennon Wall Magazine suffered as well. Unfortunately, our budget was significantly cut and we will only print 50 copies, which is an extremely small amount for our university. Of course, we could have made adjustments such as featuring fewer pages or using cheaper printing. However, we decided to provide quality before quantity. There won’t be an opportunity for every student to take a copy, but there’s another way to read the magazine: the online issue is always available on our website.

Visit lennonwall.aauni.edu/print to have full access to every print issue.

We want to thank every person who took part in this issue. The beginning of the year was demanding, but we still have six months left in 2020 and only time will show what happens next. We hope that this Lennon Wall issue will comfort, inform and inspire you:)

Sincerely, The Lennon Wall Editors

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Kyiv - Prague DISTINCTION BETWEEN POST-SOVIET AND EUROPEAN ART THROUGH VIOLETTA LURI’S EYES Violetta Luri, Ukrainian artist and designer, emerges from the comfort zone in search of inspiration and further development.

Having carefree time in Kyiv and doing well-paid business, she leaves home for the sake of new capabilities.

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by Angelina Nikonova

A farewell to family and luggage with necessary clothes only. A fear of not being able to realize oneself in a new place. A way into the unknown always frightens, but if it is a way towards passion and happiness, risk wins.

“A move happened without delay as I got this enthusiastic idea into my head, which over the past year has turned my life upside down,” says Violetta Luri, 25-year-old Ukrainian artist and designer, focusing on human body’s aesthetics and sexual features, who three years ago moved to Prague to advance in modern art.

“I decided to try myself outside of my comfort zone, far away from my family, friends, and favorite job.”

“I decided to try myself outside of my comfort zone, far away from my family, friends, and favorite job.”

Luri’s passion for art was increasing gradually. She got a psychology degree at the National Academy of Internal Affairs in Kyiv, however, art outweighed the mental analysis. Working as a psychologist for a year and a half, while combining both work and studying, Luri received a diploma and threw herself into her passion. “I graduated from the school of graphic design, and I have been working as an artist and graphic designer for almost five years for now,” she says, “I worked in a multimedia company, then I started working as a freelancer, however, I am trying to devote myself to art rather than to design.”

“I can hardly remember how I discovered the desire to draw,” Luri thoughtfully reasons. From early childhood, she was interested not only in the creation process, but also deeply in the history of art and artists’ lifestyle. “It is amazing how they forced themselves to go against the system and create something bold and incomprehensible at that time,” Luri adds.

Mila, 47-year-old Violetta’s mum, who often comes to Prague to visit her aspiratious daughter, remembers: “This girl took everything in her hands that she could draw with, and did not limit herself with a piece of paper, leaving her marks on our house’s walls.”

Nevertheless, successfully doing her business in Kyiv, Luri has changed a stable routine to Prague, a progressive youth city in the heart of Europe.

The fact that Western countries are much ahead of the post-Soviet ones in their ability to think freely and go beyond accepted norms gathers around itself thousands of freethinking and ready for fixings talents, so as it attracted Violetta. However, realizing that Ukraine was rapidly developing in the field of art and perhaps even faster than some European countries, Luri was very surprised.

“It is hard for me to compare the development of art in these two countries, since I have not studied the Czech Republic art market completely,” Luri says. “Art in Ukraine is growing rapidly now. The scheme of the art market is gradually improving. There are more grounds and opportunities for young artists to realize and show their potential.” Nonetheless, she notices it is much

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more difficult to find customers in Ukraine than in Europe due to Europeans’ openness to art and its acquisition. “Europeans are ready to spend money on art. Even when there are more art exhibitions and galleries in Kiev than in Prague, Ukrainian gallery owners are still afraid to cooperate with young and little-known artists,” Luri adds.

Albert Einstein once said: “The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.” Violetta, conversely tells about what makes her stay the course and, despite numerous obstacles, move forward. “My psychological education somehow helps me to create, however strange it may sound.

People are what inspire me, forcing me to take a pencil at 3am. Human psychology, how people behave in certain situations, their thinking inspire me to create something new. Sexuality, facial expressions, gestures, everything that causes desire is the basis of my pictures.”

In the century, when human’s values are changing from day to day, people want to see something defiant, beyond the accepted norms. “This is what I am trying to show in my works,” Luri argues.

“Everyone is unique in their own way, in their desires and thoughts. A painting for me is a kind of a person’s story, their hidden subconsciousness: experiences, disturbances, pleasures, sexuality, and desires.”

After three years in Prague, the artist is already considering further more developed and populated countries to move. “Prague, unfortunately, is very small. It is a good platform for the first step, the point of departure, but not the place to stay in for a long time.”

Luri is planning to hold a few exhibitions and set up her clothes brand in Prague, whereupon to move to Germany or Holland.

“I would like to spread my art throughout.

Prague was my first step in this trip, but there are other heights to achieve.”

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Digital Nomadism and its Environmental Benefits

by Morgan McGrath 27-year-old Markéta Karvaiová stared blankly at her computer screen. Her office job as an I.T. wasn’t cutting it lately, and she hungered for something more.

“I just don’t want to live my life in this boring way,” Karvaiová later said. Two years later, the now 29-year old sits in a reporting classroom at Anglo-American University to explain why, and how, she left her I.T. job to become a digital nomad.

“It was the best decision I could possibly have made,” Karvaiová says with a smile.

Digital nomadism, in essence, is an ever-growing immersive work/life experience where individuals travel the world while working from their laptops.

“Digital nomads tend to be younger, tech-forward, and ambitious, working mainly in IT, creative, or the knowledge economy,” states an article from Investopedia.com.

Not only that, but the digital nomad experience appears to enable a sustainable, eco-friendly way of living. This is a major advantage for those involved in environmentalist issues related to creating a more habitable planet for future generations.

Karvaiová explains that many digital nomads prefer to take the “green” approach to everyday life. “A lot of them use trains instead of planes, and they try to, for example, be at one location for a longer time.”

Riding a train, according to eurail.com, “is the most environmentally friendly way of traveling.” Train travel is a popular way to reduce greenhouse gases often emitted by buses and cars.

Karvaiová isn’t the only one who believes in the importance of being an environmentalist-nomad.

Jessica Johnston, a content creator, and traveler from Fredonia, New York, feels the same.

“I’m a huge supporter of anything that helps better the environment… I’m not perfect, but as long as we make an effort every single day, it helps. Little things I try to do include limiting my single-use plastics, picking up rubbish every time I’m on the beach, choosing to eat

vegetarian, and just generally trying to educate others on the importance of the little things that can help.”

Johnston has been traveling for a number of years as a digital nomad. She keeps a blog and Instagram account, called backpackwithme, where she displays her adventures.

Greta Thunberg, a 17-year-old Swedish climate change activist, is arguably a digital nomad, as well. She travels the world in environmentally-friendly forms of transportation --like the sailboat-- and posts pictures and videos online spreading her message on a global platform.

In 2019 at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, Thunberg said, “I want you to act as if this house is on fire, because it is.” Though climate change has been dismissed by some extremists, the majority of popular beliefs stand with the current argument that the earth has a solid 12 years to be saved.

Digital nomads are also looking into ways to create a more sustainable lifestyle during their travels.

According to Oxford dictionary, in recent years, sustainability can be defined as “avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance.”

Some primary examples of sustainability include using an electric car, taking trains, purchasing reusable water bottles, recycling plastics, etc. These are ways to create a more prominent future for generations to come.

Karvaiová explained that while she was living in Thailand, it was nearly impossible to breathe because of lower air quality. A lot of fields were burned in the area, and she said she learned to appreciate the quality of Prague’s air.

Karvaiová never really thought about air quality until she experienced life without it. In this sense, she says that “The experience of digital nomads gives you more perspective.”

“Traveling as a digital nomad made me dig deeper.”

Although digital nomadism isn’t entirely environmentalist, it still has its place in the eco-friendly world.

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BERLINALE SYMPHONY OF A GREAT CITY

Once a year, Berlin – one of the brightest and multicolored cities of Europe swarmed with busy people running back and forth like ants – turns into Mecca of every film

by Irina Nikolaeva geek and film passionate. The 70th Anniversary of Berlin International Film Festival (or Berlinale) was a grandiose celebration of cinema, held from 20 February to 1 March 2020.

Berlinale is the kind of festival where you can buy a ticket to the random screening, but end up at the premiere event with filmmakers and celebrities. This is a perfect place for everyone: filmmaking beginners, journalists, film critics, and audiences who just decided to become a part of the film celebration.

Berlinale is not just about the groundbreaking films. Here you have a chance to see pictures that don’t reach the big screen but are still worth watching.

While Cannes tries to bring big names and organizes premieres with luxury outfits on the red carpet, Berlinale becomes a platform for any type: from independent films and documentaries to masterpieces by famous filmmakers like Wim Wenders or Wes Anderson.

Berlinale is held in several cinema theatres across the city center. Most of the cinemas are located right next to the Berlinale center, and others at Alexanderplatz.

Berlinale’s main center is located at Marlene Dietrich Platz.

This is a long alley decorated with bright lights and red bear statues, the symbols of the festival. At the tickets and souvenir points, you can get printed programs, postcards, and wifi connections.

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At the end of the alley, you can see the main palace where the red carpet events are held. Everyone has a chance to visit the building if you have bought the tickets for the film screening at this hall.

Berlinale is also about communication. Right next to the palace there is the AUDI center with free evening parties. And right across the street is the film museum with film market exhibitions, where you can get only with accreditation.

Nearly 400 films are chosen and divided between the main Berlinale sections every year: Competition, Special, Panorama, Shorts, Encounters, and Generation. Each section represents contrasting genres, themes, and approaches to filmmaking. There is no other film festival that serves as a platform for beginners with 8-minute pictures and professionals with expensive productions.

I had a chance to visit the premiere of “Mare” directed

by Andrea Štaka. A part of the Panorama section, “Mare” tells a difficult story about a married woman who falls in love with a younger man and decides to leave her family.

Berlinale raises questions not only on controversial topics but also on the problems of ordinary people who feel lost and confused.

Berlinale Special strives to bring exclusive content to the audience. One of the most awaited films was Oleg Sentsov’s “Numbers”. Sentsov, a well-known Ukrainian filmmaker and social activist, presents an expressive direct criticism towards every authoritarian country where there is a lack of human rights.

“Numbers” is reminiscent of “Dogville” where a film almost becomes like a theater play with minimal decorations and

costumes. Sentsov directed “Numbers” during his jail term with the help of his colleague Akhtem Seitablaiev.

This year’s Competition section, The Silver Bear for the Best Screenplay, deservedly went to the “Favolacce” (“Bad Tales”). Italian tragicomedy by D’Innocenzo brothers about Italian families from different social classes but with the same problem: the kids are interested in school more than they should be. This is a tale about first love, school problems, unfulfilled dreams, and worried parents.

Last year’s Cannes with the triumphant “Parasite” built a high level of interest for the Korean cinematography. “Domangchin yeoja” (“The Woman Who Ran”) by Hong Sang-soo got the Silver Bear for the Best Director. Hong Sang-soo’s film is not something loud. With its silence, pauses, and minimalism, the film speaks about problems in every woman’s life.

Alongside the Venice and Cannes film festivals, Berlinale is the only of the “Big Three” accessible to the general public. In Berlin, it doesn’t matter who you are. The city brings together the young and the old, the enthusiasts and the professionals together standing in line waiting for tickets, sitting in the cinema hall and sharing the experience.

Luckily enough, by buying a ticket to a random film, you can find yourself at the very premiere with filmmakers and celebrities. It doesn’t matter who you are: all of you will end up sitting in the same cinema hall and enjoying the same film.

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S I G N S THE

OF PERFECTION

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A concrete floor with mirror walls Against ignorance and sloth.

Her ballet shoes and white tutu, A mentor said “Sous-Sus�.

The rustle of tutus and the muffled clatter of pointe shoes filled the dancing hall. I had never thought of ballet as so compelling. When I first entered the dancing hall and saw these gorgeous ladies

by Saodat Khasanova warming up before the class, my heart just stopped at the beauty of the scene in front of me. However, this is not the kind of beauty that can be seen on the street, it is something different that only comes from someone special.

My acquaintance with FIBS [First International Ballet School] began with a project for a documentary photography class and continued with a huge interest in studying the art form. I was working on finding new angles that could ruin the cruel stereotypes about ballet.

And I did it! After several weeks working with ballerinas, I realised that the well-known severe precision with mechanical movements has a different nature based on tenderness and inspiration to create art and be a part of it. Each dancer had their own reason to work tirelessly, for example, one considered ballet an internal part of the feminine, while another believed that this type of art creates essential qualities in a person. However, they had one goal: to achieve perfection in every single move. There was a time, I believed that it is impossible to improve more because even each turn of the head and flick of the finger looked like their own artforms, but I was wrong; there is always room for improvement, and these gorgeous souls proved that to me. Even if you have reached great heights, you should never stop there.

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A Helping Hand

HOW AN APP HAS HELPED CZECH CITIZENS SERVE THE NEEDY DURING COVID 19

by Ify Nsoha

Amid a worldwide pandemic, Czech citizens have banded together to help those in need in their communities, utilizing a new app by the name of Sousedská Pomoc (lit. Neighbor Help) to marshal volunteers.

“Sousedská Pomoc is an application that is used to organize volunteers who would like to help other people during the COVID 19 crisis in the Czech Republic.” Lukáš Huňka, their founder, says, “We are in most cities and basically what we are doing is that we are providing a framework or a toolkit for people to easily help each other.” Those needing groceries, face masks, and other forms of assistance can make requests using the app. The volunteers then verify the requests, then package and deliver the goods to the requesters’ homes.

As of April 16th, 145,000 people worldwide had died due to COVID 19, with the total amount of infections rising above 2 million, according to data from John Hopkins University¹. In the Czech Republic, the number of cases is lower than most European countries (6,553, with 1,183 recoveries and 176 deaths by Apr. 18th, according to the Czech News Agency2), but the pandemic is still felt by all, as the country’s lockdown left Prague’s formerly busy streets, pubs, and restaurants empty. Watching the situation unfold on the news in early March and hearing of volunteer efforts in other Czech cities, Huňka decided to create a digital platform to help as many people as possible.

“I started to set up the first version of Sousedská Pomoc, which was a simple registration web page with three roles for the people who wanted to help, which were coordinator, dispatcher, and courier, and that was it,” Huňka says, “I launched it, registered the domain, and sent it to some of my friends on Facebook. At the end of the day I had 200 volunteers.”

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We had to be really creative in what the people will do.

We had no jobs, no income.

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Within the first several days and into the first week of the lockdown, Huňka and his friends developed a relationship with Charles University, which gave them office space as a central hub for the Sousedská Pomoc organization. Finding the right balance in coordinating and communicating with volunteers was an initial challenge, as the epidemic and its consequences were rapidly unfolding. Huňka cites a lack of organizational clarity and efficiency to have been an early detractor to the cause, but one that was overcome through various connections and partnerships that were made in the following weeks.

“At the beginning we lost the faith of a lot of people who were here because they could see that it was complete chaos,” Huňka says, “Afterward we suddenly had an unbelievable amount of luck.” Huňka thinks that a call from notable Czech late-night show host Václav Moravec led to connections with organizations and city governments that helped them gain credibility and support.

From that moment, things really took off for the Sousedská Pomoc team. With around 6000 volunteers using the app, several regional coordinators and departments, the project has gone into full swing, as they’ve been able to make it into 620 towns in the Czech Republic and partner with the local authorities as well as several companies, such as Connect IT and Coca Cola.

Even after things eventually subside, Huňka says that he and the Sousedská Pomoc team are here to stay, to keep serving the Czech community as well as other countries (such as Hungary, where a version of the app in their language is set to launch the week of Apr. 20th).

“The idea behind it will spread to other countries, which is what I wanted to do from the beginning,” Huňka says, “our future plans are to help local, smaller, local projects such as planting trees or communities who are in need of volunteers. If some unlucky events such as floods might occur, our application is ready and can be quickly deployed on-site.”

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One of the main dilemmas in what Huňka is trying to accomplish is aiding people who are losing money in their businesses. He says that “we’re not here to make money”, and so giving his volunteers to a business that is struggling is not in the cards for them.

For instance, not all businesses are for profit. Veronika Tichá and her husband Petr Tichý run a Christian nonprofit organization named Bétel CZ for the purpose of rehabilitating people with serious addictions. The main way they function is getting the residents to work in their furniture and secondhand stores so that Betel can sustain itself.

“We live as a family. We work together, we worship together, and we make friendship and we fellowship together,” Tichá said. “We had to be really creative in what the people will do. We had no jobs, no income.”

While they have been able to manage, the reality is that a crisis such as this limits their ability to help residents.

Does aiding organizations such as these, pose a conflict of interest for Sousesdská Pomoc? Huňka admits this is an ethical dilemma, one issue of many that they will need to deal with going forward.

Despite worldwide anxiety and confusion, Huňka says he and the team have been very hopeful and optimistic. It is his belief that people can and will help one another that has motivated the Sousedská Pomoc project, more than anything else.

“If we make only one single thing a day, there’s no need to feel depressed about it or to feel that we didn’t do our job,“ Huňka says, “We are helping people, and it doesn’t matter if it is one or 100 people. That one person needed our help, and he got it!”

Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html Czech Republic reports 6,553 coronavirus cases; 1,183 recoveries and 176 deaths - Prague, Czech Republic. (2020, April 18). Retrieved from news.expats.cz

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“Coronavirus psychosis” in Belarus: what is real?

by Yauheniya Piachenina

People around the world are struggling to fight coronavirus.

Belarus is on a list including few countries that do not require quarantine. Life stays almost the same as it was before, despite a large number of cases. What has happened in Belarus concerning coronavirus in the last few months?

Today, Belarus has more than 40,000 cases. The first coronavirus case was diagnosed on February 27. Since then, the number of cases has been growing, but the President Alexander Lukashenko wants to neither close the borders nor declare a state of emergency: “Coronavirus is only psychosis and I will never deny this statement because I have already experienced many psychoses, and we know what this led to.” Later, on April 26, according to the Telegram channel “Pula Pervoy”, Lukashenko made a statement during a working trip to the Narovlyansky district, saying that there is no need to have quarantine and close the borders, although he was not denying that people are sick. “I made a decision to act in accordance with the situation. If it is necessary to isolate - we will isolate. If it is necessary to have quarantine - we will have it. But is it what our people really want?” Lukashenko’s advice on how to better protect yourself from coronavirus is sports, a steam room, and working on a tractor. These options became memes, as well as what he said on hockey on the air of ONT: “There are no viruses here, you did not notice them flying around? And I don’t see them either, this is a refrigerator, this is the best antivirus tool.”

Lukashenko called on people to trust Belarusian TV. Lukashenko claims that Belarusian mass media has never lied and people choose who can be trusted for themselves.

“WHO thinks the Belarusian health care methods are sufficient and one of the organization’s recommendations is to fight the virus precisely, which is what we are doing.

Isolation can have the opposite effect,” said STV channel on April 5. That is why Lukashenko encourages people to believe Belarusian TV, because “everything is fine and under control”. He also stated that critics are trying to convict him for the method of combating the spread of

COVID-19. “Now this coronavirus has become politics.

Everyone is looking to ‘bite’ Lukashenko. So do not be surprised.”

The Belarusian leader opposed quarantine in schools: “If parents are so scared then don’t send the children to school.”

In his opinion, if he announces the holidays in schools, this will only aggravate the situation, since children who can have coronavirus will go to their grandparents that are at risk. Also, Lukashenko is convinced that there is no need to close the borders but no one should weaken control over them. Based on the statements of official representatives, it can be concluded that the biggest concerns they have are the economic consequences of quarantine if it is

“Coronavirus is only psychosis and I will never deny this statement because I have already experienced many psychoses, and we know what this led to.”

announced. Belarus remains the only country in the region where strict quarantine measures do not apply. Schools and kindergartens are open and institutions continue working. Discussing the possible closure of enterprises under quarantine, Lukashenko referred to the words of the American President Donald Trump. “I really liked what Trump has said that if we do not start working immediately, more people will die from unemployment and hunger than from coronavirus,” Lukashenko stated.

Although there is no official quarantine in Belarus, many

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institutions and enterprises went into self-isolation. The Belarusian opposition and civil society leaders urge people not to attend educational institutions and public events, as well as to minimize social contacts. Some Belarusian doctors that have joined their colleagues’ global flash mob #StayHome. In turn, the Belarusian Union of Journalists indicated that the Ministry of Health does not update daily data on the number of infected people, and prevents journalists from receiving timely information. Physicians in Belarus were previously forbidden to communicate directly with journalists, so this can only be done with the permission of the Ministry of Health. Many people who are confident in the symptoms of the virus and want to be tested cannot do this, as the doctors usually deny them, without explaining what the reason is. Lukashenko claimed that Belarus is the second in the world in the number of tests for coronavirus, 22.5 thousand per 1 million of the population. Although, according to the Worldometer, a reference site that provides real-time counters and statistics on various topics, including coronavirus, Belarus is on 28 place on the list.

“Not a disease, not this virus, that we drove people into the head and those unscrupulous politicians, political scientists and others. Real hysteria, real psychosis. People just became afraid.”

Radio Free Europe, relying on the project “List of memory”, estimated that one in ten people who died from COVID-19 in Belarus was a doctor. This is 15 times more than in Italy and 30 times more than in the United States. Radio Free Europe clarifies that a positive coronavirus test was not indicated for the cause of death. An anonymous source said that all hospitals are crammed and the people who are brought by ambulance with coronavirus are recorded as those who have pneumonia. People who were taken to the hospital by ambulance said that it clearly seemed that they were almost in a shortage of masks, disinfectants, and other necessary means.

This year’s Victory Day was celebrated, as usual, on May 9. A parade was held in Minsk on the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. Spectators did not keep a safe distance and only a few wore masks. There was also a gala

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PH PEXELS concert and a planned firework in the evening. Others were outraged that the president did not cancel or postpone the parade. Lukashenko stated that no one was forced to go to the parade, and he would be glad to see people who had already had the coronavirus. However, after these words, it turned out that the students were asked to visit the parade and in return, they would receive “bonuses”, such as good exam grades.

Lukashenko again explained that it is difficult to defeat “coronavirus psychosis” in citizens’ minds: “Not a disease, not this virus, that we drove people into the head and those unscrupulous politicians, political scientists and others.

Real hysteria, real psychosis. People just became afraid.”

The number of cases is growing to almost a thousand per day. The media hides a large amount of information, which leads people to panic. Belarus is now the only country in Europe in which, despite the coronavirus pandemic, the national football championship continues. To find out the number of people infected in the country, the media had to add up the number of people who recovered, were monitored, and died. The situation had changed for the better at the time of the visit of the WHO mission but after its completion, the data again became incomplete. What will be next? What else will the state hide from the people and how can they continue believing them?

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PANDEMIC in Chicago

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by Emma Asson Andrew

I land at Chicago O’Hare Airport at 7:10 p.m on March 15th. The flight attendants hand out a paper to each passenger as the plane taxis to our gate. We are to circle each place we’ve travelled in the last 14 days and any symptoms we may feel. I watch the boy I just sat next to for a 10 hour flight circle around Italy.

I get my winter jacket out of the overhead bin and carry my passport and the paper off the plane, bracing myself for the Chicago cold. Officers wearing face masks and medical gowns are checking each person’s passports and writing letters on the top of our papers. I get an “A.” We shuffle through more hallways and rooms I have never seen before, even though I’ve traveled through O’Hare dozens of times. The people who also just got off my flight are either moving in a slow, jet-lagged haze, or are speed walking past others in hopes of beating the line through customs. I’m somewhere in the middle, knowing I should try to rush out of here but also so exhausted mentally and physically from travel that I let others pass me by.

We walk until we eventually come to an unmarked line of people, reaching down the hallway and around the corner so I can’t see its end. I take off my jacket, as this walking and exhaustion has caused me to work up a sweat. I take out my phone and text my parents, “Landed. Waiting in a long line now,” at 7:42 p.m.

When I’m not attending college in California I live with my parents about 15 minutes from O’Hare. In fact, we moved out of our childhood home because it was directly under a flight path that resulted in a plane flying overhead exactly every 2 minutes. My mother couldn’t take the noise any longer so she sold that house and we moved across town in 2016.

I see two guards walking past me toward the front of the line, and some people in front of me stop them to ask what the line is for. “This is the line for customs, sir,” one guard replies. The man then asks how long he should expect to be waiting. “Yesterday took some people hours, I’m sure you saw on the news,” the guard answers. I pull my phone out again and open my favorite, honest news source: Twitter. I type “O’Hare” into the search bar and see hundreds of tweets over the last few days from fellow travelers who already endured what I am about to. One woman tweeted, “4-5 hours of customs and ‘advanced screening’ after my 9 hour flight. On my way home to begin my 14 day precautionary self-quarantine,” while another tweeted a photo of the overcrowded lines with the caption, “A field ripe for viral transmission... #ohareairport.”

I immediately felt my heart begin to race, with anxiety and fear that I would not be going home for hours; even though it was only 8:30 p.m Chicago time, it felt like 3:30 a.m. for me. I stare at the reflection of fluorescent lighting against the artwork of Chicago covering the walls.

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By 11:00 p.m. I am at the front of the customs line. A woman takes my paperwork and passport under the plastic screen separating us and questions where I’ve traveled. I ask her if she’s been working the last few nights here, and if this is how slow it’s been. She tells me it was even worse the night before and then asks if I have any food in my backpack. I tell her I think I might have an apple, and she writes something down on my paper before handing it back. She tells me to go to the next line on the left, and I can’t help but wonder how that is different from the line on the right. She has written in red pen “CDC” and “apple,” next to the “A” that was already there.

I sit in this line long enough to be offered cheez-its and a water bottle from some workers. I gladly accept and they jokingly say, “leave us a good review on Yelp!” The past few days of backlash against O’Hare on Twitter and other social media has caused an uproar in Chicago, with Governor Pritzker and Mayor Lightfoot demanding help from the Trump administration. Apparently the best they could do to help is offer chips and water.

By the time I reach the CDC tent I am so overtired that I worry my body will be feverish just from hours of travel and waiting in line with no rest. A doctor checks my paperwork, asks if I was a student in the Czech Republic and then informs me she will be taking my temperature with a thermometer that doesn’t even touch my forehead. She just points it at me and announces “98.6.” I am relieved to have passed the screening, she gives me hand sanitizer and a pamphlet about self quarantining and I am then shuffled to baggage claim. It’s been almost 5 hours since my flight landed so I wonder if my bags will still be on the baggage carousel or not. I find my two 50 pound roller bags in a pile of suitcases labeled with my flight number and am silently grateful that they didn’t get lost in this madness.

I text my mom, “I think I’m almost through? Not sure if there will be more lines or not.” She calls me back because she’s already driving to get me. I tell her I’m in another line, the agriculture inspection line, probably for an apple in my backpack. My mom starts yelling. “Why in the world would you have an apple? Just throw it!” I tell her it’s already written on my paperwork and I’m worried if there ends up not being an apple in my backpack I’ll look even more suspicious. I’ve never traveled alone internationally, I didn’t know you couldn’t bring in produce from other countries.

It is 12:30 a.m. on March 16. This damn apple in my backpack is going to be the death of me.

We drive home in silence. I am shocked by the fact that my time in Prague is over so soon, but more shocked at the way America seems to be behind. I think back to the boy on my flight circling Italy. Why did I sit next to him for 10 hours only to then find out he had been in Italy?

I sleep until 2 p.m. on March 16th. I come downstairs to see my 17 year old brother has three friends over. Before I get the chance to ask my mother why she’s allowed friends in our house when I am under self quarantine she tells me to disinfect my suitcases and wash all my clothes, even the ones I didn’t get the chance to wear in Prague. I ask why she cares about my clothing and not the 3 boys

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breathing all over our kitchen, but I get her classic silence while she stares at her work computer screen. I put in a load of laundry and call my dad who is at work.

“Why are Matthew’s friends over? There’s a very real chance that I got coronavirus from the airport, or that one of them has it and is spreading it to us.” My brother warns me not to ruin his 2 week “corona-cation” from school. I go to bed upset and anxious, both at the stupidity of my family and the growing disappointment in my semester in Prague being over.

On March 30th my self-quarantine period is over. I never felt symptoms, but 8 of my friends from Prague have tested positive. My family has since recognized the importance of isolation and not allowed anyone else into the house. This new rule causes my brother to have multiple emotional breakdowns in front of my parents, sister, and I, begging to go for a walk with friends or sit around the campfire with neighbors. After multiple “no’s” to all his requests, he takes his selfish anger out on a punching bag in the basement that was his Christmas present in 2012.

I go to Trader Joe’s for my mother. I stand on dots that are placed six feet apart down the sidewalk, waiting 45

PH PEXELS

minutes in 35 degree weather just to enter the store. I notice blue ribbons on the trees around the parking lot that the town put up in support of front line workers. Everyone in line has a face mask on and no one is engaged in small talk, even though I recognize a few eyes as belonging to people I would normally say hello to. All shoppers must enter from the right, and work their way through each aisle only walking in a one way direction. I learn quickly not to forget anything in an aisle with fear of having to circle all the way back around the store. There is no toilet paper or flour, both of which are written on my mother’s list.

When I get home my dad helps me carry the groceries inside. He is so bored without work that he offers to help around the house, something my mom is greatly appreciating. He stopped working about a week ago, as not many people are hiring contractors to remodel their kitchens or bathrooms these days. He’s been using his newfound time to build flower boxes and a new backyard deck, something my mom has been requesting since they moved into this house in 2016.

depressing information regarding the pandemic has numbed me to its severity.

It’s April 17th and the weather is the nicest it’s been all year. Lori Lightfoot has extended the shelter in place order until April 30th. My mother has had enough of my father putzing around the house and my brother nagging to see friends that she asks me to go for a drive. We head East on Caldwell and Hollywood Boulevard to Lake Shore Drive. The lake water is so blue, almost turquoise, probably basking in the lack of exhaust fumes coming from the highway everyday. We turn right and head south on Michigan Avenue towards Millenium Park. The closure of lakefront paths has caused the people to flock to the city streets. Everywhere I look there are people. A pregnant woman stretches on the street corner waiting for the light to change. Couples are jogging by the boarded up storefronts, businessmen walk by in suits, and my mother and I question why Chicago under shelter-in-place looks like any other normal day. She rambles on about how careless people are while I quietly consider if we are also away from home, are we any better than them?

My sister is watching Trump give his daily coronavirus briefing. I can’t remember what the news used to talk about before coronavirus. The constant cycle of

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Voug HAVE PEOPLE FORGOTTEN ITS PURPOSE?

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guing:

by Joseph Petrila

Deep concrete streets, like empty Venice canals, run throughout Berlin endlessly. They snake in and out of buildings, jumping over the Spree river that cuts the city in half and landing on the other side, curiously exploring. An old, rebellious spirit lines these streets, inhabiting drab grey buildings that sit on the graves of their predecessors destroyed during World War II. Once a year, these streets are filled to the brim with rebellious, loud voices. Berlin Pride has hosted a march for over 40 years that remains one of the largest pride gatherings in the world, in 2012 with over 200,000 participants. In July of 2019, the number tripled as thousands of Germans and even more foreigners took to the streets. Yet, does Berlin Pride keep its promise as a statement for LGBTQ+ persons and their allies in its advocacy for their rights and social acceptance, or has its incredible scale accompanied by loud mainstream music and copious amounts of alcohol diverted it into a state-wide “party holiday”?

Rather than looking at the march itself, it can be more revealing to see the transformation of the purpose of Berlin Pride in the parties that lead up to it. Most take place in bars, with rare exceptions being informational events hosted in museums that are meant to share photos and stories chronicling the journey of the queer community since 1979 (when the first march took place). But relevant cultural elements aren’t lost in every beerridden party, with one of the precipitating highlights to the march being the “Vogue” shows.

Voguing is a far cry from what someone might picture initially, with no connection to Madonna or the magazine. Instead, Voguing is a dance style that began as a ballroom dance rooting from African-American communities in the United States. It was adopted by queer men in the 80s, who transformed it more so into a competition according to some Berlin locals. Voguing involves judges with cold, strict postures watching individual dancers

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“

Rather than looking at the march itself, it can be more revealing to see the transformation of the purpose of Berlin Pride in the parties that lead up to it.

”

in flamboyant outfits take to a stage. Dancers, or competitors, proceed to do runway walks across the stage while simultaneously dancing in an attempt to portray a dramatic character.

The audience is famously supportive of all acts, while the judges remain cruelly cold and critical. Dancers who seem to throw “shade”, insulting other dancers by walking in front of them or pretending to be offended by how bad they perform, tend to be favored by the judges. Thus Berlin voguing competitions tend to fall apart into how rude dancers can be to each other rather than being about what they mean to express through their dance.

Vogue shows can last for hours, with over a dozen participants on average. During this time, the crowds come in and out, with bartenders running crazily to continue serving drinks as the audience demands more alcohol so they can put up with the long duration of the competition. By the end, the crowd from the beginning will have left, and the applause at the end comes from tipsy people who missed the majority of the competition.

There are a few people, dressed eccentrically, who never left the show for a minute. To them, voguing is a statement, an act that was originally meant to express a shared identity among men and women who were deemed socially unacceptable not long ago. This definition hasn’t changed for them despite the circling men, begging for more drinks, and actively planning on what club to go to next.

Berlin Pride is beginning to lose its purpose and the form that voguing has taken is an example of this. Possibly, the work and sweat of previous generations fighting social and political institutions trying to oppress them worked so well that the new, carefree atmosphere has corroded the headstrong pride spirit into one of drunken entitlement. For whatever reason, someone can continue to have faith in the few who still hold voguing in their hearts as part of who they are.

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Coffeeshop Culture

by Zachary Falch

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As a disclaimer, I should first say you should not go to Amsterdam just for the coffeeshop culture because the city has so much history and variety to offer. But that’s what I did and it was awesome! Second, do not go in a group of six you will stick out like a sore thumb in any coffeeshop you walk into like we did.

Today in Amsterdam marijuana in all of its forms, magic truffles and several other hallucinogens are legal and receive some form of supervision and regulation from the federal government. While I was interested in testing the quality of the weed and indulging in the coffeeshop culture, I was more interested in how the legalization of marijuana and other ‘soft’ drugs has affected society while simultaneously handling mass tourism.

With roughly 250 coffeeshops in Amsterdam you can’t walk more than a few blocks within the city center without seeing one. Some have stereotypical names such as, 420 Café, or simply have a huge sign declaring itself a coffeeshop. The majority of these coffeeshops are for tourists and do not portray the local coffeeshop environment despite all of them looking identically average. Imagine a traditional coffeeshop you may have visited recently, or one you would see in a movie, that’s exactly what they look like.

Fortunately, my aunt lived in Amsterdam for several years and was able to give me a list of recommendations for a true coffeeshop experience.

The first coffeeshop we went to was called Amnesia.

As we walked, I could immediately tell that those eyes had seen a group of young, inexperienced, weedhungry tourists like us before.

Nonetheless I walked up to the counter with confidence and started to browse the menu. I was shocked at how elaborate the menu’s offerings by the strength of the weed and whether it was sativa or indica. Sativa is the up-beat, creative strain while indica, simply put, will leave you in-da-couch. By the end of it, I found this to be a pretty common list of products.

One of the baristas walked over to us and greeted us with, “Hi guys, IDs please.” It totally went over my head that underage kids probably come in here all the time. This was our first speed bump as two of the guys had lost their IDs during previous shenanigans and were asked to leave, adding to our out-of-place appearance. Feeling the pressure, I picked out two pre-rolled’s and left quickly to

not embarrass ourselves anymore. I got one House Mix Regular joint and an Amnesia Joint Pure. Another rookie mistake was not realizing that house mix meant it was a spliff and the barista didn’t care to inform us as she yelled, “Don’t smoke out front!”, as we left.

Unsure if we could openly smoke as we walked around, I lit the joints for the walk back to the Airbnb. I noticed lots of other people doing the same thing along the walk but later found out that it is technically illegal to openly smoke in the streets, but the authorities don’t really enforce the rule unless you are being really obnoxious and blatant about it.

I spotted a coffeeshop next to our Airbnb, Café Barraka, and went in with one of the guys. It was empty except for one guy sitting by himself with his earphones in and two older baristas who appeared to be husband and wife. As we approached the counter the woman called out, “Are you two 18?”. As I reached for my ID she followed up with, “It’s alright, I believe you”, and laughed to herself.

She was much kinder than the barista from Amnesia as we got lost in a conversation about the different strains they offered and the coffeeshop culture as a whole. We walked out with a pre-rolled joint of their house indica, one gram of a hybrid strain called White Widow along with a free lesson from a seasoned veteran about the culture and as she put it, “how to smoke like a local”.

“It’s not as bad as it was a few years ago”, she said referring to clueless tourists. “Most come in and ask for the strongest pre-rolled joints while regulars will buy a couple grams of their favorite strain and sit here for a while to relax”.

The next morning, I got up before everyone else and went over to Easy Times, the place my aunt recommended the most. Before I could get my headphones out the barista greeted me with, “Hi, how can I help you get high today?”.

I told her I was looking for a strong sativa and she recommended a strain called Moonshine and offered me a smell test. I purchased two grams, a pre-rolled sativa of her choosing and a cup of coffee.

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While she was making the coffee, I asked how she thought legalization has affected the city. Besides a complaint about tourists, her answer was positive. “People are going to do it anyway, so I think the government wanted to do their best to control it and keep people safe. Street dealers can lace their product with other stuff, and legalization allows for [the government] to collect tax revenue”. She added that it is really easy to spot high tourists walking around because they are giggling to themselves and sometimes act like idiots. “I think other countries will follow soon enough. Weed isn’t a dangerous drug or any more dangerous than alcohol. Some people prefer wine; some people prefer weed.”

I smoked the pre-rolled and drank my coffee as I walked to Inner Space, a truffle shop. The old lady behind the counter looked like a wise fortune teller. She took me through all the different levels of truffles she had to offer ranging from mild visuals to “stuff that makes the walls move”. I settled somewhere in the middle and got one serving of Dragon’s Dynamite which made the walls do more than just move.

I asked her the same question I asked the barista from Easy Times, and she gave a rather similar answer, a complaint about tourists but overall very positive. “Hallucinogens aren’t bad for you; they change your perspective on the world. If you can’t responsibly consume drugs then you shouldn’t do drugs”.

During the rest of the weekend, I sampled a few other coffeeshops from my aunt’s list and went into a few of the coffeeshops that seemed like a tourist trap. The only differences I could see were that the tourist traps had higher prices and were a lot louder and overcrowded.

“I think other countries will follow soon enough. Weed isn’t a dangerous drug or any more dangerous than alcohol. Some people prefer wine; some people prefer weed.”

Based on what the baristas shared with me and my brief time in Amsterdam I would say that legalization has benefitted the city more than it has harmed it. While it does heavily contribute to over-tourism, I believe it helps change the perspective that marijuana is a dangerous drug. In regard to tourists, I believe it is on the tourists themselves to be able to responsibly consume marijuana while respecting the city and its residents. The same way people should not get too drunk at a bar or club, you should not get too high at a coffeeshop.

Furthermore, I think that the legalization of marijuana normalizes its consumption. By keeping marijuana illegal, it is in a sense glorified and puts people at risk as they don’t know what they are getting. I believe the best approach is to legalize it and regulate it the same as alcohol. The same way you should not judge someone for their decision to drink or not, you should not judge someone for their decision to smoke or not. Amsterdam consistently reports having less drug problems than anywhere else in the world, so how come the rest of the world is not following in the city’s footsteps?

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A significant impact of coronavirus ON SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES IN RUSSIA.

by Mariia Kuznetsova

PH PEXELS

St. Petersburg, Russia- It was a rainy evening, as usual, Olga Kostikova, the owner of the beauty salon “My Master,” was returning home after work. In the back seat of the car were masks and antiseptics for her employees. It was the third month of the coronavirus epidemic that had not yet reached Russia, and everyone hoped that this would affect neither people nor private businesses. “We faced a fatal crisis, the worst in a few years,” said Kostikova. While everyone is watching the growing numbers of people who have become infected and those who have died from coronavirus, economic issues are fading into the background. In what reality will surviving entrepreneurs be living in?

be protracted, according to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation (CCI). Some economics experts assume that large companies will be able to hold out in the current conditions for no more than two months. Some will go bankrupt in the hope of then opening up again, but not all will return to the market. About 15 thousand catering establishments and more than 40 thousand stores were closed because of the unofficial quarantine in the state. “We were promised salary preservation, but this is ridiculous because I get the main income in the form of 50% from each client,” said Maya, a hairdresser from “My Master” salon. “ We are not sure that after the holidays everyone will be back.”

Coronavirus continues to spread around the world. In Russia, despite the preventive measures taken, more than 300 000 cases of COVID-19 have already been identified. In this regard, a danger regime has been introduced in all regions, many are switching to a remote mode of work, students have shorter vacation periods and exams; mass events, as well as many trips are canceled.

Small and medium-sized businesses suffer due to the coronavirus pandemic and the depreciation of the ruble.

Entrepreneurs do not exclude the possibility that they will have to choose whether to pay rent or pay employees’ salaries in the next month. Olga does not pay salaries due to the country’s crisis and because artisans work by 50 percent. “Naturally, we will not be able to work illegally, because the fines for an individual entrepreneur are 500 thousand rubles,” Kostikova added. One of the main points is that not every agency reduces rent prices. ”Our owner did not make concessions, and we need to pay the full rent, although we are closed.”

To resist the spread of COVID-19, cities around the globe have called for many non-essential businesses to shut down or at least modify their operations. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on March 25 that the state would help small businesses, but the president’s speech did not inspire everyone. On Thursday, March 26, Putin stated: “ We are well aware that small and medium-sized businesses are in the most challenging position.”

“On March 26, we learned that we have to close our salon because we do not sell vital goods,” said Kostikova. “Clients call us with a question: ‘Are you closing?’ Putin said to close, but who will give us money for this?!”

“Those, who work remotely will survive, and most who have not done this before will go online, of course,” said Kostikova. However, it seems that two-thirds of enterprises will close or go bankrupt if their business does not survive for 2-3 months. “Therefore, business have to adapt to new conditions, and the state has to prevent it (the business) from dying,” added Kostikova.

About three million entrepreneurs in Russia may cease their activities due to the coronavirus epidemic if the crisis will

It should be understood that a crisis is not only a decline, but also an opportunity to reorient to the domestic market and to own production, refuse to purchase from abroad and organize production within the country. It is especially true when considering that the Russian economy is less tied to globalization than the American, European or even Chinese.

The example of China confirms that a return to ordinary life will not be easy. On the one hand, on the second weekend of April, which was festive in China, hotel reservations grew by 60% compared to the previous week, and train ticket purchases doubled. On the other hand, a decrease in demand for Chinese enterprises’ products does not yet make it possible to restore production volumes.

When quarantine ends, most businesses will not have to start life from scratch, but pull themselves out of a deep financial hole. “We are like a fish that we pulled out of the water,” stated Kostikova.

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The Ballad of Quarantine PH: GOUN CHOI | Prague, CR

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PH: GOUN CHOI | Prague, CR

We had our projects… and expectations, and hopes. Coronavirus forced all spheres of life to adjust in their own way — this was our way and it turned out to be next to the only thing that kept us sane throughout this madness.

The Ballad of Quarantine isn’t just a photographic diary or an overview of our isolation routines; it’s our ambitions that nearly went to waste, our dreams that we almost didn’t get to dream, it’s what we and our respective countries went through during this challenging time. We hope you can relate and find solace in our photographs!

PH: GOUN CHOI | Prague, CR

PH: GANNA ZHADAN | Prague, CR

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PH: IRYNA VOLKOVSKA | Kyiv, Ukraine

PH: IRYNA VOLKOVSKA | Kyiv, Ukraine

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The Ballad of Quarantine

PH: GANNA ZHADAN | Prague, CR

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PH: ELISKA HAVLICKOVA | Prague, CR

PH: ELISKA HAVLICKOVA | Prague, CR

PH: DOMINIKA SZAPUOVA | Prague, CR

PH: ELISKA HAVLICKOVA | Prague, CR

PH: SYLVIA LORSON | Orrvile, Ohio, US

PH: SYLVIA LORSON | Orrvile, Ohio, US The Ballad of Quarantine

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PH: DOMINIKA SZAPUOVA | Prague, CR

PH: ANASTASIIA SOKOLENKO | Prague, CR

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PH: ANASTASIIA SOKOLENKO | Prague, CR

PH: ANASTASIIA SOKOLENKO | Prague, CR

The Ballad of Quarantine

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PH: TEMIR ASANOV | Prague, CR

PH: TEMIR ASANOV | Prague, CR

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PH: TAYLOR MILLICAN | Tulsa, Oklahoma, US

PH: TAYLOR MILLICAN | Tulsa, Oklahoma, US

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PH: JINDRISKA KREJCI | Prague, CR

PH: JINDRISKA KREJCI | Prague, CR

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PH: NEALE TRACY | Marshfield, Wisconsin, US

PH: NEALE TRACY | Marshfield, Wisconsin, US

Visit @theballadofquarantine on Instagram to see more of our photos!

The Ballad of Quarantine

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Harry Styles’ opening act is more than just another opening act

46 PH: Vince M. Aung

Harry Styles has rescheduled his 2020 European tour for spring 2021 amid the coronavirus pandemic. All tickets will be honored, refunds are not an option. His opening act, King Princess, is still set to tour with him.

button-up shirts, no makeup at all or full drag. In her music video for 1950 she had a mustache drawn on her upper lip.

Most of the world knows Harry Styles already. He is a former member of the extremely loved British boy-band One Direction. Since the band’s breakup in 2015, Styles has released two albums, Harry Styles and Fine Line, gaining his very own fan base, including those who are more like an army of fans called “Directioners” from his previous role in One Direction.

“Queer love was only able to exist privately for a long time, expressed in society through coded art forms. I wrote this song as a story of unrequited love in my own life, doing my best to acknowledge and pay homage to that part of history.” - Straus on writing 1950.

by Sylvia Lorson

But who is King Princess?

Although she is lesser-known than Styles, Mikaela Straus (aka King Princess) is far from being some random underground artist.

Straus is quickly becoming an androgynous, queer icon of this generation. A person that young LGBTQ+ people can look up to.

She has since released her first full album Cheap Queen in 2019 and even performed on Saturday Night Live in November 2019.

Straus continues to grow her fan base on love, acceptance and an astonishing rock-star stage presence. Which would

Straus found her love of music as a child, spending hours in her father’s Mission Sound recording studio. She learned how to play bass, guitar, drums and piano.

Her first single, 1950, came in February 2018.

It blew up almost immediately among young millennials, Gen Z kids and the LGBT community.

It gained even more popularity when Harry Styles tweeted a lyric from the song.

Straus continues to grow her fan base on love, acceptance and an astonishing rock-star stage presence.

Straus’ first EP Make My Bed was released in June 2018. Five indie pop/pop rock songs about love, written in a way that anyone can relate to the lyrics, no matter what their sexuality is.

Many of her songs have gained her notoriety among the LGBT+ community. Even her stage name, “King Princess,” speaks to her gender identity and sexual orientation: genderqueer and gay.

Genderqueer people, for those that may not know, are people who experience their gender as fluid, meaning sometimes they feel more masculine and other times more feminine.

Straus told Buzzfeed News, “I’m a great example of somebody who is gay, but exists on a very complicated gender spectrum...I’m okay with that uncertainty, and I’m okay with existing in a gray area and not always being sure.”

She expresses this in the clothes she wears to perform in: suits or skirts, corsets or baggy pants, wife-beaters or silk

explain why Harry Styles would connect with her and choose her as his opening act. He runs on those same principles.

Straus is still recording new music. She released a deluxe version of her album Cheap Queen just this February that had five extra songs on it (including a personal favorite rock song of hers: Ohio).

So hopefully her fans can anticipate another single someday soon. But for now, stream Ohio by King Princess.

It is amazing.

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DOUCE FRANCE

by Léa Sentenac

PH PEXELS

In Paris, one could almost swear that the words of Douce France can be heard on every street corner. Despite its simple melody and gentle instrumental sound, hearing it resonate here is chilling. It is almost a warning, so out of step with this sad spectacle of what Paris has become.

First, the thing that strikes the eye: it’s dirty. Extremely dirty. The smell of urine, vomit, tobacco, and cold cannabis, gets down the throat. Every inch of the sidewalk is littered with garbage. The forced quarantine of the country hasn’t helped. No wonder, since Parisians don’t respect it.

Despite the coronavirus, the same unhealthy atmosphere envelops the city. An inexplicable and visceral tension, which says only one thing: “Flee!”

It’s been like this for years in Paris. Apart from the stubborn - or the fanatics, whichever way you look at it - many say that the situation is on the brink of disaster. In 2018, the Yellow Vests had demonstrated there for a long time. But by the time the Black Blocks and other self-proclaimed Antifas joined them, there had been a lot of damage. The Marianne

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of the Arc de Triomphe is still disfigured, after being beaten with a truncheon by an overzealous protester. Further, on the Ile de la Cité, the torn corpse of Notre-Dame still stands up as it can, valiantly... but for how much longer?

Indeed, Paris has always had a troubled relationship with its past. Haussmann had, without regret, shaved off most of the medieval part during the 19th century. Bastille, though a symbol of France’s republican history, was dismantled, stone by stone, so that only a few cobblestones polished by the years remain today. The Louvre, long a fortress, has been transformed into a stately castle, and a large glass pyramid stands like a shining wart in the middle of its courtyard. The Tuileries Palace was destroyed, only its garden remains today.

How about today? Today, the Paris City Hall marks its mandate by paying contemporary artists a fortune to set up an Anal Plug on the Place Vendôme. A lot of pots and pans are exhibited in the middle of the Galerie des Glaces.

Strange fabric creatures, with faces made of knots, hang from the ceiling of Versailles and come to hide the painting of the Coronation of Napoleon. Above all, the Queen’s

Vagina spoils the view of the gardens of France’s most famous palace.

The fake and retouched smiles of the candidates for the municipal elections brighten up the walls. Despite the pandemic, the aspiring mayors have deemed it preferable to hold the first round of elections on 15 March 2020.

“The coronavirus is not dangerous enough to suspend the smooth running of politics in our country, no reason to worry,” said Prime Minister Édouard Philippe. All this to set up a national lockdown the next day.

to avoid offending feelings. And above all to maintain its brand image, which will be essential for the next campaign.

Of course, Paris is not the only city in France to experience this wildness. The whole country is affected. But Paris shines in this field, as a good and self-respecting “City of Light”, digging its own grave, and dragging the whole country into it.

Paris, however, did not need a pandemic to be on the verge of the abyss. Everything you look at is hard to see.

Remembering the French capital’s pompous nickname almost makes you smile given the situation: The “City of Lights”, which has lost them all.

As irrefutable proof of the degeneration of the French capital, nothing beats the example of Crack Hill. A wasteland in the north of Paris squatted day and night by hundreds of crackheads and other hard drug addicts, one comes across people with a broken destiny, victims of pedophile acts, partygoers who have lost everything after sticking their lips on crack pipes.

The Champs Elysees are hard to see. The weekends of constant demonstrations between November 2018 and today mean that many of the shop windows are armored, or otherwise cracked all over. The losses were counted in thousands of euros for the shopkeepers, in millions for the municipality.

Charles Trenet’s song resounds like a funeral oration in the face of this sad spectacle. The last tribute to a France that has been long dead, one that has given birth to a monstrous and perverted creature. A place where the facts don’t matter in the face of the utopias proclaimed by the rulers, where the country’s history is scorned.

“The City of Lights?” It would be more relevant to talk about Flaming City. It blazes with arson, randomly hitting garbage cans, cars, or even buildings for the less fortunate. But the new name of Paris can come from the shots fired by criminals, gangs, terrorists, and other maniacs lurking within the city walls.

Impossible to talk about Paris without mentioning the growing insecurity. In popular neighborhoods and areas of massive immigration, a strange game has taken place. The groups of “young people”, as they are called by the judicial authorities - a term used to describe individuals aged between twelve and nearly forty years old - forcibly take young girls, often minors, and organize collective rapes in the cellars for several hours, or even days.

The girls are mostly European. French women, who in their own country, risk being assaulted in the worst possible way. White French women, considered as “gwer whores”.

This is what happened in 2014 to a young girl, whose name is not known. She was returning home at one o’clock in the morning and was attacked by four young foreigners.

Beatings, tear gas, cigarette burns, not to mention the multiple rapes she suffered from one to five in the morning, the victim was chosen because she was French. And the aggressors did not like French women, those Western women whores. “When I get out, I’ll fuck France!” said one of the culprits in police custody.

Journalists who dare to give a voice to these victims of the Paris-led judicial system are muzzled and discredited.

They are accused of playing into the hands of populism, of maintaining a “feeling of insecurity”. The facts are discredited

At a time when the lockdown is softly applied in certain “sensitive neighborhoods” (rather, genuine No-Go Zones), it is easier to see the extent of the damage in the streets. People walk around, without masks, without anything, spitting on the ground, ignoring health recommendations. Delinquents are not afraid of the disease, this “illness of weak white pigs”. Their flippancy caused a massive concentration of cases - including severe cases - in these no-go areas. The hospitals in Paris are overcrowded, sacrificing the old and chronically ill for the young who have a higher chance of recovery.

Like all other problems in France, it is solved by ignoring it, by making it impossible to quantify. The year 2019 was marked by the dissolution of the ONDRP (National Observatory of Delinquency and Penal Responses). It is therefore currently impossible in France to measure the crime rate in the country. It was already impossible to conduct any kind of survey on the prevalence of certain populations in national delinquency. But suppressing the data is a way to eradicate the problem... Isn’t it?

There’s nothing human left in Paris. The only thing with a bit of life in their eyes is the animals that you can meet while wandering around the city. Alley cats, rats, sometimes even foxes in the parks. You get the impression that they feel sorry for what Parisians go through. But more importantly, what Parisians created. They caused their loss, and it’s only a matter of time before a breath, however faint, will bring down this house of cards that is France.

Once again, Douce France sounds like a cruel morality: France, what have you become?

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THE BOAT THAT

Rocked sex, rock ‘n’ roll, and an awful lot of hope If there’s such thing as hope, 2009’s The Boat That Rocked is what it looks like!

The Boat That Rocked — known in some countries as Pirate Radio, or The Radio Wave, or another one in

by Iryna a slew of varying dumbed-down Volkovska versions of the original title — is a British music dramady set in the 1960s. The movie had a cast of British all-stars and the writer/director Richard Curtis, known for several commercial crowd-pleasers, attached, which may be what eventually made it a cult classic, despite its shocking initial failure at the U.K. box office. TBTR for short, actually had 20 minutes of its runtime cut for the release in North America, including a long but striking flashback sequence, accompanied by The Rolling Stones’ “Get Off Of My Cloud”, which, for better or for worse, accurately represents the character of the movie as a whole.

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The Boat That Rocked’s entire soundtrack album speaks for itself — in volumes! Packed to the brim with the best hits of The Kinks, The Who, The Turtles, The Troggs, The Beach Boys, and half dozen more bands that predominantly start with “the”, its grasp of the 60s rock culture is quite allrounded and flattering. The movie has managed to produce its share of note-worthy, music-dependent moments: Richard Curtis’s fairly inexplicable montage techniques matched with Bowie’s “Let’s Dance”; an underwater sequence, playing out to Cat Stevens’ “Father and Son” that is almost more poignant than the song itself; and the oddly natural employment of the severely overused and so often confused “Nights in White Satin” and “Whiter Shade of Pale”.

Although the movie, supposedly set in 1966, occasionally jumps quite far ahead of its time, using era-inappropriate songs, its musical choices (so crucial to the plot) have served it well, making it almost unconditionally loved by any classy rock ‘n’ roll fan.

Additionally, one thing that nobody could bring themselves to deny even upon the initial release was how legendary the cast ensemble was. The movie features Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Nick Frost, January Jones, Jack Davenport, Emma Thompson, Kenneth Branagh, a Bond Girl Gemma Arterton, Elon Musk’s future wife Talulah Riley, a Tony-nominee Tom Sturridge, and the entire main cast of a popular British sitcom at the time, the IT-Crowd, including

The Boat That Rocked does not aim to be a full blownperiod piece, however, the true background behind it is to be mentioned. The British government really did prefer to keep rock ‘n’ roll off the radio in the 60s; there were boatradio stations that broadcasted rock ‘n’ roll in the country at the time, and a real anti-piracy act actually was passed in ’67. Along with getting most of the historical context right, The Boat That Rocked also depicts at least one realistic historical personality — Emperor Rosko — and is certainly true to itself about several specifics of the time period, such as class and gender inequality. It successfully manages to say something serious and real about the time, and the place, and the circumstances to its viewer, despite being an unapologetic, obnoxiously British, and oftentimes obscene comedy.

With themes such as sexuality, freedom of speech and expression, family relationships (both with the family you are born into and the family you choose for yourself) discussed, the movie brings several important points home.

Its poised cast fully submerge themselves in the feel of the 60s’ rock, consistent with Curtis’s semi-historic screenplay — the spirit, freedom, and appeal of rock ‘n’ roll is on full display beginning to end. Compared to the significance of the message and the intensity of the vibe, the masterfullycrafted humor is really just a cherry on top.

Hope comes in later — after the history, the brilliant music, the cast of legends; after you are entirely convinced that you have never heard a more hilarious joke about Brits in your life; after it is already taken away…But for what it’s worth, that hope stays with you long after the movie is over. And isn’t that all we need right now: a little rock ‘n’ roll, a bit of British humor, and a whole lot of salient, unsinkable hope?

Katherine Parkinson, Chris O’Dowd and Will Adamsdale.

Several of the names were criticized for giving much less than their best film performance; however, playing against ten more stars of the same caliber, everyone in the ensemble surely stood their ground.

It’s 1966 — one of the banger years for rock ‘n’ roll — we’re off the East coast of Great Britain, where the 17-year-old Karl, who was just kicked out of school, meets his godfather Quentin, who works and lives on the boat called “Radio Rock”, along with a dozen other colorful characters. The boat is a full-time radiostation that plays rock ‘n’ roll “all day and all of the night”, which makes them ‘pirates’, because at this time in Britain rock ‘n’ roll on the radio is limited to just a few hours a week by law.

Flashing sideways, we meet a group of government officials who intend to completely outlaw rock ‘n’ roll on the radio…presumably, because people enjoy listening to it too much, as we find out from numerous cheerful montages throughout the movie; they are soon after “Radio Rock” specifically.

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lennonwal.aauni.edu lennon.wall@aauni.edu @lennonwallmag

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