Zaman International School Newspaper Issue 25

Volume 2 Issue 25

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEWSPAPER

“You’re going to reach the top with us.”

1 May 2005

Ancient rites for a peaceful New Year O n c e u p o n a t i m e, w h e n legends were still young and magic walked the earth, there was a ver y powerful God named Kapila who lived in the paradise of Brahma. One day, he decided that he would like to set a test for his disciple the Bodhisattva Thomobal (formerly an incarnation of the Buddha), and asked him to solve three parabols. If he couldn't find the answer before seven days and seven nights, Thomobal would be decapitated. If he could solve them, then it would be Kapila's head that would be on the block. On the sixth day Thombal, in a state of great agitation, not yet having discovered the answers to the three parabols, happened to see two eagle talking about the enigmas. Hidden from their view, he was able to eavesdrop on the eagles' conversation and so discovered the answers to his quest.

He immediately returned to ZAMAN NEWSPAPER Zaman, Publisher Guler Erken, Editor-in Chief Zulfi Erken, Editor at Large

Prepared by 10- F Zaman International School Newspaper dedicated to educating students and training journalists.

Published 2 times a month in Zaman International School.

Copyright 2003 by the Zaman International School.

All rights reserved.

No part of this periodical may be reproduced in print or electronically without the consent of The Zaman International School.

Kapila and told him his news. On hearing this, Kapila, being a worthy and honorable God, wasted no time in arranging his own decapitation, as agreed.

But if the decapitated head were to touch the ground, then the whole of the earth would stated to burn uncontrollable, thrown into the air it would stop forever the rain, sunk in the

ocean it would make the waters evaporate.

So Kapila called seven daughters and advised them to take great care when receiving his head on a platter. After having told them this, he cut off his own head and gave it to his eldest daughter Tungsa.

Since then, each daughter on the last day of each lunar

year has, one by one, carried the head before them on a golden platter, while walking around Mount Meru, imitating the course of the sun. Mount Meru is the mythical five-peaked summit that contains the city of Brahma, home of the Gods. One sister trades places with the another on the New Year.

The daughter is escorted by a procession of all the “Devodas”, who are the Gods and Goddesses of the sky (100,000 times ten million in number) all of them splendidly dressed and perfumed.

Then all together, the Gods bathe in the Anotta (one of the S e v e n g r e a t l a ke s o f t h e Himalaya) to purify themselves. After this, Vissakarma, the architect of Paradise, edifies the room of the Find Law and offers it to the multitude of Devodas. All of them go inside and observe the precepts in order to be happy, prosperous, without sin and to live long. In this fact, they show humans the path to purity, blessing them at the same time.

The “Horas”, the kingdom's royal astrologists, long ago decreed that the Khmer New Year was to coincide with the Holy Pilgrimage of the Devodas at Mount Meru.

On earth, human beings also practice the rites of purification. During the three d a y s o f t h e N e w Ye a r ceremonies, modern Cambodia still follows this ancient traditions.

Says the almanac of the Horas (written in 1910) “May ever ybody sweep, clean inside the boundaries of your home and all the living

1 May 2005

ZAMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEWSPAPER

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GENERAL places. And may you, during the night hours, make preparations, l i g h t l a m p s, t o r c h e s a n d incense, collect flowers and make garlands for the greeting and reception of the new Devodas.

“During the three first days of the New Year, may the husband not have knowledge of his wife.

Do not kill animals that are on earth, neither the ones that are flying in the sky, nor the ones who are swimming in the waters. Do not conclude any business affairs. Do not disputed, beat, insult, curse any other person.

May no one lie or say bad things about people, nor behave gruffly with his subordinates. May ever ybody go about their religious tasks, because it is their duty that the first seven days of the year, especially the first three, be entirely pure. Because a year that starts well is progressing and finishing well.”

Indeed, the celebration of Chol Chnam (entering the year) is above all else, religious. In all the pagodas of the kingdom, monks and other practioners clean the temples and the statues of Buddha. With great c a r e, t h e y b a t h e t h e m i n per fumed water. The main entrance of the wats (pagodas) are decorated with garlands of flowers and coconut leaves.

In Phnom Penh, the king leads a procession, amidst the sound of blowing conchs (horns made from sea shells found in the warm waters off the Cambodian coastline) in front of the altar specially built for the occasion, outside the Throne Room.

The procession comes to greet the protecting Gods of the world and the kingdom. The leader of the astrologists Invokes them in Pali, an ancient Buddhist language, praying to them to accord the king, the court, the functionaries, and all the Khmer p e o p l e h e a l t h, h a p p i n e s s, peace, abundance and plenty of rain in the coming year.

Then follows the king's bath. A big bronze vase is filled with water blessed by Buddhist monks. Then the head Baku, the brahmans (magicians) of the court, takes water out of the vase and pours it on the Sovereign and presents Him with a sea shell

filled with water to wash His face and His hair. Meanwhile, the Baku recites a magical formula to ward off bad luck. Then the king splashes perfumed water on the statues of Hindu and Buddhist Gods.

The last day of the Khmer New Year celebrations, Long Sak, is considered to be the time where one steps inside the new year.

Traditionally, Princesses, Princes and functionaries of Phnom Penh used to call on His Majesty the King to wish his happiness and long life. All of them would swear allegiance to their King, for many, a living God. The salutations would then be followed by horse and elephant races, fights between men and e l e p h a n t s, K h m e r b o x i n g matches and other merriments.

Outside, in pagodas, monks

And the royal ceremony would be mirrored throughout society with all families enjoying their own adaptation of Long Sak and it's rites of purification.

Everywhere in Cambodia, especially in pagodas, people would perform the ceremony of Poon Phnoms (to erect sand hills) generally in groups of five or nine Phnoms (hills). The Poon Phnoms are arranged in this formation: one is the center, four at each point of the compass and four more between them, totaling nine.

In the same way as the Gods walk around Mount Meru, the local folks walk around their own holy mountains. En route, they deliver a handful of sand as they reach each Phnom, and thus give blessings to the Gods, and help lighten the Karmic burden

would also bathe in perfumed carried by their own souls. water contained in big clay jars.

During the night, the pago-

das rejoice with the sound of laughing children and people all playing traditional games,. By forgoing sleep, they pretend to guard the sacred hills and ward off th e bad s pi ri t s an d t h e animals which could be tempted to destroy the Phnoms.

Today, in the villages and even in the streets of Phnom Pe n h, t h e k i d s p l a y C h a - o l Chhoung and AngKunh late into the evening to receive the guardian angels for the new year. The games also play a strong social role as the boys and girls meet perhaps to start a lifelong romance over a Krama or an exotic fruit.

In the provinces there are some local customs rarely seen in the city such as revelers throwing buckets of water over each other and dances that reflect the rural lifestyle.

One of them is the Trott dance, originating from the north-western provinces of Siem Reap, Battambang and Pursat.

Some of the dancers carry wooden Kancha covered in jingling bells, representing a tree with fruits. They hit the ground with the kancha to give the rhythm that accompanies the slow and hesitant movements of the dancers and lilting lyrics of the poem.

Two dancers tip toe through the crowd astride wooden stages, a symbol of life, chased by luckless hunters armed with bows and arrows.

The Trott dance opened last December's National Folk Dancing Festival at Angkor Wat. Minister of Culture and Fine Arts His Excellency Mr Nouth Narang, described it as “ the cosmic renovation dance par excellence that is performed during the Khmer New Year, to celebrate the end of the dry season and the beginning of the agrarian cycle.”

The massage is very clear: with the New Year, the world's rebirth and the help of the Gods, human beings, animals, and plants have another chance to reconcile and come back together to live in peace.

Rith Srey Kuchsar

1 May 2005

ZAMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEWSPAPER

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CULTURE

A History of Disney and Disneyland Walter Elias Disney was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1901. His family moved to the state of Missouri. He grew up on a farm there. At the age of sixteen, Disney began to study art in Chicago.

Four years later, he joined the Kansas City Film Ad Company.

He helped make cartoon advertisements to be shown in movie theaters. Advertisements help sell products. In 1923, Walt Disney moved to Hollywood, California to join his brother Roy. He wanted to be a movie producer or director. But he failed to find a job. So he decided to make animated movies. In them, drawings are made to move in a lifelike way.

We call them cartoons. Disney the artist wanted to bring his pictures to life.

Disney opened his first movie company in the back of an office. For several years, he str uggled to earn enough money to pay his expenses. He believed that cartoon movies could be as popular as movies made with actors. To do this, he decided he needed a cartoon hero. Help for his idea came from an unexpected place.

Disney worked with Ub Iwerks, another young artist. They often saw mice running in and out of the old building where they worked. So they drew a cartoon mouse. It was not exactly like a real mouse. For one thing, it stood on two legs like a human. It had big eyes and ears. And it wore white gloves on its hands.

The artists called him "Mickey."

Earlier filmmakers had found that animals were easier to use in cartoons than people. Mickey Mouse was drawn with a series of circles. He was per fect for animation. The public first saw Mickey Mouse in a movie called "Steamboat Willie." Walt Disney himself provided the voice for Mickey Mouse. The film was produced in 1928. It was a huge success.

Mickey Mouse appeared in hundreds of cartoons during the years that followed. He became known all over the world. In Japan, he was called "Miki Kuchi." In Italy, he was "Topolino."

In Latin America, he was "Raton Miquelito."

Mickey soon was joined by several other cartoon creatures.

One was the female mouse called "Minnie." Another was the duck named "Donald," with his sailor clothes and funny voice.

And there was the dog called Pluto.

Mickey Mouse cartoons were

working on his first long movie. It was about a lovely young girl, her cruel stepmother, and the handsome prince who saves her. It was "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."

"Snow White" was completed in Nineteen-Thirty-Seven after three years of work. It was the first fulllength animated movie to be p r o d u c e d b y a s t u d i o. I t

highest point in Nineteen-Forty with the movie "Pinocchio." The story is about a wooden toy that comes to life as a little boy.

Disney's artists drew two-andone-half-million pictures to make "Pinocchio." The artists drew flat pictures. Yet they created a look of space and solid objects. "Pinocchio" was an imaginary world. Yet it looked very real. Disney made other extremely popular animated movies in the Nineteen-Forties a n d N i n e t e e n - Fi f t i e s. T h e y include "Fantasia," "Dumbo," "Bambi," "Cinderella," "Alice in Wonderland," "Peter Pan," "Lady and the Tramp," and "Sleeping Beauty." These movies are still popular today.

In addition to cartoons, Walt Disney produced many movies and television programs with real a c t o r s. H e a l s o p r o d u c e d movies about wild animals in their natural surroundings.

In 1955, Walt Disney opened an entertainment park not far from Hollywood, California. He called it "Disneyland." He wanted it to be the happiest place on Earth. extremely popular. But Walt became one of Hollywood's Disneyland recreated imaginary places from Disney movies. It Disney wanted to make other most successful movies. kinds of animated movies, too.

Many movie experts say Disney's also recreated real places...as In the middle 1930s, he was art of animation reached its Disney imagined them. For example, one area looked like a nineteenth-century town in the American West. Another looked like the world of the future.

Disneyland also had exciting rides. Children could fly on an elephant. Or spin in a teacup. Or climb a mountain. Or float on a jungle river. And -- best of all -children got to meet Mickey Mouse himself. Actors dressed as M i c ke y a n d a l l t h e D i s n e y cartoon creatures walked around the park shaking hands.

Disneyland was so successful that Disney developed plans for a second entertainment and educational park to be built in Florida. The project, Walt Disney World, opened in Florida in 1971, After Disney's death. The man who started it all, Walt Disney, died in 1966. But the company he began continues to help people escape the problems of life through its movies and entertainment parks.

Chea SaoSerey Vattey, Malai Soly Vattey

1 May 2005

ZAMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEWSPAPER

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GENERAL

Te enager's problems

B

eing a teenager can at times be incredibly confusing and frustrating. Sometimes the things happening to you, or the things going on inside your head, make absolutely no sense. One day you feel happy and joyful but in the next you seem to be sad and angry. Some people say that sign of depression were thought of suicide, wanting to try new things, being rebellious, even ditching friends, being moody around them. If you meet all this weird things, here are some idea that you may try: Talk - First and foremost, talk with someone you trust. Tell them exactly what you are thinking and feeling and ask them to help you search for options, understand what is happening, etc.

If you ask around you will find an adult who has been through exactly what you are going through now and who will be able to listen and help.

Write - Writing is different from talking. It uses a different part of your brain and involves only yourself. Try writing down how you feel Pray - Prayer is talking to God. Tell God how you feel and ask for His help.

Work - You cannot simply stand still and let the pain bludgeon you. You have to do something. it can distract you in some small way from the pain.

Think - Stop and think and gain a rational perspective on your problem. Writing and talking both help the process.

Cry - There is nothing wrong with crying. It is a way to grieve Join - Join a new club or group.

Sometimes getting involved in a new activity can help take your mind off things. Look for something different that will take your mind off of the problem at hand.

If you can practice this ideas, you will be a lot more better than you used to be. I think you should try this as soon as possible!

UNDERSTAND SMOKING FOR TEEBNAGERS If you are a teenager, chances are that you have considered taking up smoking at some point. About 60% of all high school students try smoking by the time they are seniors.

Let's start at the beginning why do teenagers start smoking?

If you ask teenagers, here are the four most common reasons: 1.Group acceptance - if their

friends smoke, many teenagers will begin smoking simply to maintain their acceptance within the group.

2.Image projection - there is definitely an "image" attached to smoking by advertising. For women it is one of sexiness and desirability, and for men it is one of rugged individualism, fun or coolness. If a teenager buys into t h a t i m a g e, t h e n s m o k i n g begins.

3.Rebellion - many teenagers take up smoking because they know it annoys/bothers/infuriates their parents and other adults.

There is also a certain element of "independence" or "doing what is not allowed" or "walking on the wild side" worked in as well.

4.Adult aspirations - some teenagers believe that by

smoking they are acting like an adult. If the teenager is raised in a community where most of the a d u l t s s m o k e, t h e n t h i s i s perhaps a logical conclusion.

Addiction The problem for many teenage r s, a n d f o r n e a r l y e v e r y teenager who smokes, is that the choices are not conscious decisions - they are reactions.

You can go back and change many of these decisions later, but smoking is not one of them

because smoking is addictive.

Ever y adult smoker started smoking as a teenager because of a silly decision made by their teenage brain, but once addicted to cigarettes it is impossible to stop! Here are the four main reasons adult smokers would love to quit smoking: 1.Smoking has serious health consequences. On average, each minute of smoking reduces a person's life expectancy by a minute. When you consider that a two-pack-a-day smoker consumes on the order of 600,000 cigarettes in a lifetime, and it takes three to five minutes to smoke a cigarette, this is a significant factor.

2.Smoking is addictive. Once you get hooked it is very difficult to stop. Once hooked, you have

to stop every half hour or so and smoke another cigarette. You have no choice!

3.Smoking is extremely expensive. Cigarettes range in price from a nickel to a dime each, so if you are consuming 40 a day the cost averages about $1,000 per year. There must be a better way to spend $1,000!

4.Smoking has effects on personal hygiene. Cigarettes are messy and they make your hair, clothes and breath stink.

Hey all teenagers, why not stop smoking?! If you can, your life will be successful and all happiness will come into it. Why not!

Relationships Relationship have a lot of kind. It is made up of two people between parent and child, teacher and s t u d e n t, f r i e n d s a n d between two opposite sex. Every people in the world, from child age to adult, they must have a connection to other people. Especially as a teenager, they would like to have relationship within their friend. How ever, they like to create different kind relationship such as: friendship, love etc...

Where as, if we are t e e n a g e r, e s p e c i a l l y b e i n g a s t u d e n t s, w e shouldn't have a love relationship, it effects us badly. Firstly, it will disturb our brain and emotion. If there is love in our m i n d, w e c a n n o t r e c e i v e anything beside it, so we might eliminate our education easily, by ship off the school and not concentrate in the lesson any more. Secondly, it is mostly effect on our feeling and we may as well had mental problem, if we go on like that.

To c o n c l u d e, i f y o u a r e a teenager, and you want to have that kind of relationship, stop and think for a moment, is it good or bad? Does it gives you any advantages? after that you will understand and know what you are going to do.

Ros Bopharoth, Thara Marita

1 May 2005

ZAMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEWSPAPER

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HEALTH

MERCURY IN SEAFOOD By following recommendations for selecting and eating seafood, we can receive the

benefits of eating fish and shellfish without worrying about excessive exposure to the harmful effects of mercury.

Seafood forms a substantial p a r t o f o u r l o c a l d i e t, a n d confers many nutritional b e n e f i t s. Fi s h a n d s h e l l f i s h contain high-quality proteins and other essential nutrients and are mostly low in saturated fat.

A well-balanced diet that includes a variety of fish and shellfish can contribute to heart health, and aid in the proper growth and development of children.

However, nearly all fish and shellfish contain traces of mercury. For most people, the risk from mercury by eating fish and shellfish is not a health concern.

Having said that, some fish and shellfish contain higher levels of mercury that may harm an unborn baby, or a young child's developing ner vous system.

Why Mercury Can Be Dangerous Mercury occurs naturally in the environment, and can also be released into the air through industrial pollution. As it descends from the air, it accumulates in streams and oceans, and then in the water turns into

methylmercury, a toxic form of mercury.

Fish feeding in these waters will absorb the methylmercury, which builds up in them. It accumulates more in some types of fish and shellfish than others, depending on their diets.

A t h i g h e x p o s u r e l e v e l s, methylmercur y can cause n e u r o l o g i c a l d a m a g e, a s mercury is a highly poisonous heavy metal that targets the nervous system and kidneys.

Developing foetuses, infants and young children are at the highest risk from mercur y exposure, since their brains and nervous systems are still forming.

Foetuses can absorb mercury directly through the placenta and nursing infants can get it from breast milk.

Children exposed to mercury

before birth may have problems with mental development and coordination, plus the neurological symptoms may appear similar to cerebral palsy.

Mercury exposure can also harm adults. Symptoms can include numbness, burning or tingling of the extremities (lips,

Pollock

Tuna fingers, and toes), fatigue and weakness, irritability, loss of memor y and coordination, tremors, changes in hearing, and blurred vision.

Extremely high mercury levels can permanently damage an adult's brain and kidneys, or even lead to circulatory failure.

How To Reduce Your Risk The risks from mercury in fish and shellfish depend on the amount of fish and shellfish eaten, plus of course the levels

of mercury in them.

As methylmercury binds to proteins, it is found throughout the tissue of the fish (including muscle tissue).

Hence, the cleaning and cooking methods that reduce amounts of other contaminants (such as removing skin and organs) will not be successful in reducing mercury levels.

The best way to reduce exposure to methylmercury is to moderate or eliminate consumption of seafood known to have higher levels of mercury.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States advises pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young

children to avoid eating fish and shellfish that are higher in mercury. These include shark, swordfish, king mackerel, blue c r a b, a n d t i l e f i s h ( g o l d e n snapper).

C o n v e r s e l y, c o m m o n l y eaten seafood that are low in mercur y are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock and catfish.

It is recommended that we eat fish from a variety of water bodies, and that we should try not to eat the same kind of fish more than once a week.

General Guidelines For Seafood The Agricultural and Veterinary Association (AVA) in Singapore implements comprehensive checks to ensure that food is safe, wholesome and of acceptable quality before it is retailed.

Yo u c a n f u r t h e r p r o t e c t yourself and your family by ensuring that you buy your fish and shellfish from reliable sources, and through proper handling of the seafood. * Never let seafood sit without refrigeration for long after you have purchased it. Store frozen fish and seafood in the freezer compartment immediately after purchase. * Place seafood in a container before storing in a refrigerator.

Fish and seafood to be thawed overnight should be left in the refrigerator * Handle raw fish as you would handle other raw meat products. Take care not to crosscontaminate cooked food with the utensils used to cook raw fish, and wash utensils and hands thoroughly in between handling. * Avoid shellfish from untraceable sources, particularly if eaten raw. It is recommended that you cook fish and shellfish thoroughly.

Lyneth Long, Maryta Oeun

1 May 2005

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ZAMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEWSPAPER

ENTERTAINMENT

:) :) Lets Laugh Together :) :) Hair pulling A six years old comes crying to his mother because is little sister pulled his hair.

“Don't angry,” the mother says, “ Your little sister doesn't realize that pulling hair hurts.”

A short while later, there's more crying, and the mother goes to investigate.

This time the sister is bawling and her brother says. “ Now she knows.”

Flower A new business was opening and one of the owner's friends wanted to send flowers for the occasion. They arrived at the new business site and the owner read the card. It said, “Rest in peace.” The owner was angry and called the florist to complain. He let the florist know in no uncertain terms how angry he was about the obvious mistake.

The florist wisely diffused the

man's anger when she calmly said, “Sir, I'm really sorry for the m i s t a k e, b u t j u s t i m a g i n e this…somewhere the is a funeral taking place today, and they have flower with a note saying, “Congratulations on your new location!”

Beautiful There was a lawyer and he was just waking up from anesthesia after surgery, and his wife was sitting by his side. His eyes fluttered open and he said, “You're beautiful!” and then he fell asleep again. His wife had never heard him say that so she stayed by his side. A couple minutes later his eyes fluttered open and he said “You're cute!”

Well, the wife was disappointed because instead of “beautiful” it was “cute”. She said “ What happened to 'beautiful'?” His reply was “The drug are wearing

off!”

5 presidents are on a plane Five presidents are on a plane : George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.

George Washington says, “I will make someone happy!” and throws a dollar bill off the plane.

Then Abraham Lincoln says, “I will make five people happy!” and throw 5 one dollar bills off the plane. Then Thomas Jefferson says, “I will make five hundred people happy!” and throws 500 one dollar bills off the plane.

Then George W. Bush says, “I will make the whole world happy!” and throws Bill Clinton off the plane.

Fire man A fire fighter is working on the engine outside the station when he notices a little boy next door in a little red wagon with little

ladders hung of the side. The boy is wearing a fire fighter's helmet and has the wagon tied to a dog and a cat. The fire fighter says, “Hey little partner what are you doing?” The little boy says, “I'm pretending to be a fireman , and this is my fire truck.” The fire fighter walks over to take a closer look.

“That's sure is a nice fir truck,” The fire fighter says with admiration.

“Thanks mister,” they boy says.

The fire fighter looks a little closer and notices the boy has tied the wagon to the dog's colla, and to the cat's testicles. “Little partner,” the fire fighter says, “I don't want to tell you how to run your fire truck, but if you were to tie that rope around the dog's colla, I think you could go faster.” The little boy says, “ You're probably right mister, but then I wouldn't have a siren.

Houn Molinna, Vong Solinda, Sin chan Manich

1 May 2005

ZAMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEWSPAPER

ENTERTAINMENT

WORD SEARCH PUZZLE

7

1 May 2005

ZAMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEWSPAPER

8

ENTERTAINMENT

:) :) Lets Laugh Together :) :)

Guler Erken