January/February 2023

• Title

• People of something

  People of Something

  
  

  Gabriel Makhoul

  Chief Editor

  Writer

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Karolina Horáková

  Writer

  Netflix Tips

  
  

  Alicja Legierska

  Writer

  Health Talk

  
  

  Elen Michalíková

  Writer

  From A to Z with guests

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Marek Helebrant

  Writer

  The World of Music

  
  

  
  

  Dominik Švrček

  Designer

  
  

  Sofie Fabianová

  Graphic Editor

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Eva Olchavová

  Writer

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Kerem Gür

  Writer

  Politics and Power

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Michal Ličko

  Writer

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Vojtěch Kubínek

  Editor

  
  

  
  

• Resurrection of Rock

   

  How Iggy Pop Resurrected Punk 

  Written by Marek

   To be honest, nothing's really happened in the music scene lately that would have caught my attention. I was really desperate to write an article about something I would enjoy, therefore I kept on searching to find something. Fortunately I did and I am writing this the night before the deadline, hopefully to share this magnificent find with you. 

  
  

  Photo: Iggy Pop, nme.com

  I have known the name Iggy Pop my whole life, but never actually heard his music properly. And I am sure there are a lot of people in the same position as me. Just for the record, he is the most punk guy you can imagine and he invented the stage dive. Moving on, I came across his new album, which he released on the sixth of January, and it is great. The album’s name is Every Loser and it is the nineteenth studio album by this rock legend. It was produced by Andrew Watt, who by the way is also one of the best studio guitarists around. The core band for this record is also loaded with famous names. Bass is played by Guns and Roses’s Duff McKagan, drums by Chad Smith from Red Hot Chili Peppers and Travis Barker from Blink 182, and guitar by Josh Klinghoffer, who also played in the Chili Peppers for some time. It also features drums by Taylor Hawkins, who was the drummer in the Foo Fighters before he tragically passed away. And of course, vocals by Iggy Pop.

  
  

   "Every Loser" is a punk rock record which is alternative in places, going back to Iggy Pop’s roots, considering he was drifting towards the indie vibe lately. It caught my attention from the first song ‘Frenzy’ with its catchy guitar riff and great bass. The bass kept me excited from the first song to the last, because I have not heard such good bass lines in a while, and I really paid attention to the great studio mixing making it loud but still retaining quality. I took notice of the loud and fast pounding drums later on after hearing them in the song ‘Neo Punk’. By name, it is a pretty accurate guess to call it the most punk song on the album. 

  
  

  Also important to mention are the calmer songs like ‘Strung Out Johnny’. It still keeps its driving beat, but the atmosphere is looser. A place to appreciate the incredible musician lineup is definitely the third to last song ‘Comments’, starting with a catchy bass line from McKagan and Hawkin’s energetic drum beat. Hawkins also played in the last song ‘The Regency’. “A track that starts out as a ballad before transforming into an all-out riot”, writes Erica Campbell in NME. The song then falls back into mellowness, giving the album a nice touch to the end. 

  
  

  “Every Loser is a present-day primal punk resurrection from the only musician qualified to make one.” continues Erica Campbell in her review in NME. 

  
  

  If you want to get a taste of who that legendary person called Iggy Pop is, Every Loser is a great record to start with. It caught my attention and I do not have any bad words to say about it. This statement is also backed up by the Google User review, which stands at 97%. This album has revived the punk scene, which to be honest was in a fatal condition the past few years. We can expect more though, for example from the newly reunited Blink 182 trio, which delves more into the pop-punk style. They are set to release a new album, hopefully bringing them back into the limelight.

  
  

  
  

  Erica Cambell, Iggy Pop -(2021, May 7th), ‘Every Loser’ review: The Godfather of Punk stages a raucous return to his roots, NME, https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/iggy-pop-every-loser-album-review-3369696

• Forms of plots

  How many basic story plots are there?

  
  

  Written by Michal

  In 1965, Kurt Vonnegut, the American author, presented a study to the University of Chicago focusing on how traditional stories such as Cinderella had a popular "shape". After it was rejected he was enraged and responded with “the apathy of the University of Chicago is repulsive to me.” He believed it had been turned down due to the fact  “it was so simple and looked like so much fun”.
  

   Kurt Vonnegut proposed that there are simple shapes of stories that can be fed into computers and that these shapes are beautiful. He expanded on this theory in a lecture(press here to watch the lecture, it's pretty entertaining), using graphs to illustrate the various forms of story, such as "man in a hole" and "boy gets the girl." This idea has been explored further by researchers at the University of Vermont's Computational Story Lab, who recently analyzed the emotional content of 1,737 stories from Project Gutenberg and found that there are six core trajectories that form the building blocks of complex narratives. These include "rags to riches," "tragedy," "man in a hole," "Icarus," "Cinderella," and "Oedipus."

  
  

   “I confessed that I was daunted by the graph of Cinderella."

  Image from: https://jerryjenkins.com/

  Vonnegut's theory on the simple shapes of stories has been compared to other literary theories on the number of basic structures of all stories ever told. One such theory is that proposed by Christopher Booker in his book "The Seven Basic Plots." Booker believes that there are not 6 but 7 possible story structures: rags to riches, overcoming the monster, the quest, voyage and return, comedy, tragedy, and rebirth.

  
  

  Another theory is one proposed by Foster-Harris in his book, published in 1959, "The Basic Patterns of Plot." Foster-Harris asserts that there are only three basic plot patterns: happy ending, unhappy ending, and tragedy.

  
  

  While these theories do not see eye to eye on the number of basic structures of possible narratives, they do, however, all share a common factor: the belief that all stories can be broken down into a finite number of basic structures. Vonnegut himself acknowledged the similarities between the multiple theories and stated in his autobiography "Palm Sunday": “I confessed that I was daunted by the graph of Cinderella, and was tempted to leave it out of my thesis since it seemed to prove that I was full of shit. It seemed too complicated and arbitrary to be a representative artifact… but then I said to myself: ‘Wait a minute – those steps at the beginning look like the creation myth of virtually every society on earth.’ And then I saw that the stroke of midnight looked exactly like the unique creation myth in the Old Testament. And then I saw that the rise to bliss at the end was identical with the expectation of redemption as expressed in primitive Christianity. The tales were identical.”

  
  

  While these theories may give a foundation for understanding story structures, they do not account for the specifics and technicalities of particular tales. Furthermore, it is worth noting that these ideas are not widely accepted in the area of literary criticism, and different methods for story analysis do exist.

  
  

  In conclusion, Kurt Vonnegut's theory on the simple shapes of stories is one of many theories that attempt to classify the basic structures of all stories ever told. Vonnegut's theory, like others proposed by Christopher Booker and Foster-Harris, suggests that all stories can be broken down into a finite number of basic structures. Many theories have been presented and none have been determined as 100% correct because there will always be nuances and complexities of individual narratives that cannot be explained by a single narrative “shape”.

  
  

  
  

  Wertham, F. (2021, October 19). Kurt Vonnegut's shapes of stories: the six building blocks of narrative. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/oct/19/kurt-vonneguts-shapes-of-stories-six-building-blocks-of-narrative

  
  

  Jenkins, J. (2019). The Writer's Guide to Creating the Plot of a Story, http://jerryjenkins.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/The-Writer%E2%80%99s-Guide-to-Creating-the-Plot-of-a-Story-scaled.jpg

• From A to Z - Mr. Michalik

  The first From A to Z of 2023 is Here! This time you'll get to read about Mr. Michalík's favorite piece of cinematography, crossfit and New York.

   Written by Elen

  ATTENTION… I love the atmosphere of the station - start of the journey, which is completed by the specific station announcement. Previously, every announcement began with the words: Attention, attention!

  BROTHERHOOD… is something unique. And like any uniqueness, it is difficult to explain. You may not always understand your brother, but you will always get him.

  CROSSFIT… you can only start with it if you are 100% convinced that you are 100% fit. And when you start, you'll still find that you still have a long way to go to get fit.

  DARE… Anytime anything. Just like that, just for the curiosity of what will happen, how who will react.. In other words, we're still a society where Id keeps losing to Superego.

  ENTHUSIASM… is a fire. It warms, shines, ignites, sometimes burns and devastates.. and does not have to withstand long rain..

  FAUX PAS… sugar of life. But watch out for diabetes. Whether it happens to you or to others, it immediately changes the atmosphere, usually lightening it up. And as a bonus, you can tell others about them for ages or be told by others.. for ages..

  GENERATION… It rhymes nicely with the word presentation or penetration. For a G, though, maybe G.H. Bondy comes to mind.... Karel Čapek was a genius.

  HEALTH… is something that fundamentally affects quality of life. When you have it, you don't know about it. If you don't have it, you miss it. People are incorrigible.

  IDOL… You see each of them in much brighter colors than they really are. Those who are good idols remove the rose-tinted glasses of those who idealize them.

  JOY… JOEY TRIBBIANI.

  KILL BILL… is a messed-up toddler's tale. If Tarantino really wanted to make a world movie, O-Ren Ishii would, of course, win the fight in the Japanese garden over the Bride.

  LOOK-ALIKE… human beings. Sometimes it goes hard. Tom Cruise? Brad Pitt? Tom Rett? That would probably be even harder.

  MUST HAVE… I have a knack for Must Have affairs to always come across the most unavailable or expensive items, so in this section. I am cleaning more and more and neatly settling only the CHILL item. But just for the record - there's still a little house on the rocky Portuguese coast lying there with the CHILL item , or a 1964 Porsche 911.

  NEW YORK… Pack your backpack and go there! At least for three or four months. You will come back richer - wiser, smarter, stronger, more experienced. If you want the school of life, the best university will be New York City.

  ONLY… once we are here..

  PORTUGAL… Paradise of Europe. If you want to experience Portugal, buy Portugal's most expensive tourist guide and avoid all the places in it.

  QUATTRO… Stagioni…Formaggi…Audi

  RELAXING… after a job well done. Every day, once a day give yourself a little present… Don’t plan it , don’t wait for it, just let it happen. It can be a new shirt, a nap in your office chair or a cup of good hot black coffee ;)

  SOMETIMES… I have a feeling I should answer all of the letters once more. Again and better..

  TWIN PEAKS… A brilliant work by a brilliant author. And we're all still looking for a White Lodge!

  UNIVERSITY… For me the best university was my Kindergarten..

  VANDALISM… illness of the society..not all are balanced and satisfied people 

  WONDER… WOMAN

  X (GENERATION)… Sauropods in the Gen-Z world.

  YOU… 2

  ZOOM… without M is ZOO. Ostrava’s ZOO is successfully turning into an Entomologist friends club in my opinion. Most of the big interesting animals you can see out of the pavilions there, in the wild nature. Which is actually a lot of added value, too.

  
  

  SOMETHING… about me…? For a long time I thought I was a gifted and very smart person. Then, sometime in the second grade of elementary school, I realized that a lot of people are smarter.

• Intermittent fasting

  Is intermittent fasting really good for you?

  
  

  Written by Alicja

  With a new year come New Year’s resolutions and a lot of people have the goal of losing weight. Many people decide to go on a diet, which can be simply a calorie deficit or cutting out certain food groups, like in the keto diet. But, aside from controlling, there is a diet that only cares about when you eat, and it’s called intermittent fasting.

  Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of fasting and eating. It doesn’t specify which foods you should eat but rather when you should eat them. In this respect, it’s not a diet in the conventional sense but more accurately described  as an eating pattern.

  Common intermittent fasting methods involve daily 16-hour fasts or fasting for 24 hours, twice per week.

  People are using it to lose weight, improve their health and simplify their lifestyles.

  
  

  Intermittent fasting is more a lifestyle than a diet, which is why it may be more sustainable for people that want to lose weight but not give up foods that they like.

  And with diets the best one will always be the most sustainable for you.

  
  

  It also has other benefits, because some people do intermittent fasting for their health.

  Image: "What is Intermittent Fasting?" Intermountain Healthcare

  How was intermittent fasting even discovered?

  As with many diets it was created for people that have medical issues.

  According to Wikipedia it started as a treatment for obesity that had been investigated since at least 1915, with a renewed interest in the medical community in the 1960s after an "enthusiastic report". Intermittent fasts, or "short-term starvation periods", ranged from 1 to 14 days in these early studies. This enthusiasm reached more mainstream magazines, which prompted researchers and clinicians to caution about the use of intermittent fasts without medical monitoring.

  Neuroscientist Mark Mattson, who has been studying intermittent fasting for 25 years, says that “Many things happen during intermittent fasting that can protect organs against chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, age-related neurodegenerative disorders, even inflammatory bowel disease and many cancers.”

  Also it can improve thinking and memory, heart health, blood pressure and physical performance.

  It is undeniable that it has benefits for some people, however just like in many scenarios, what works for someone doesn’t mean it will work for another person. The main issue with studies on intermittent fasting is that it was mostly done on men. There is some evidence that intermittent fasting may not be as beneficial for some women as it is for men. One study showed that blood sugar control actually worsened in women after three weeks of intermittent fasting, which was not the case in men. There are also many anecdotal stories of women who have experienced changes to their menstrual cycles after starting intermittent fasting. Such shifts occur because female bodies are extremely sensitive to calorie restriction.

  
  

  Each person’s body is different, but there are more negative side effects that come with intermittent fasting. One of them is digestive issues, which include constipation, diarrhea and bloating. The reduction of food intake negatively affects your digestion. And combined with dehydration which can happen during fasting can worsen those digestive issues.

  Next side effects are mood changes and fatigue, caused by low blood sugar. Intermittent fasting can also disturb our sleep, which will cause tiredness.

  If not done properly intermittent fasting can cause malnutrition. When you don't plan your fasting program and don’t eat nutrient dense foods or restrict your calories extremely you can experience malnutrition.

  
  

  It’s also not recommended for individuals who once had or currently have an eating disorder. It’s also unsuitable for children, people with underlying health conditions, and people who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

  
  

  In summary, intermittent fasting was created for obese people that store excess amounts of energy in their body, but the diet was popularized by the general public. Some people may see the benefits, however it is not safe for everyone, especially women and children.

  Sources:

  
  

  "Intermittent Fasting Guide: What It Is and How to Do It Safely." Healthline, Healthline Media, 18 Nov. 2021, 

  www.healthline.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting-guide#what-it-isWikipedia. "Intermittent Fasting." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 29 Jan. 2023,

  
  

  en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermittent_fasting."Intermittent Fasting: What is it and How Does it Work." Hopkins Medicine, Hopkins Medicine, 2021,

  
  

  https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/intermittent-fasting-what-is-it-and-how-does-it-work.Healthline, Intermittent Fasting for Women: What You Need to Know,

  
  

  https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting-for-women#effects-on-women9 Pontential Intermitted Fasting Side Effects, Healthilne, 23 Ap. 2021

  
  

  https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting-side-effects

  
  

  Image:

  
  

  "What is Intermittent Fasting?" Intermountain Healthcare, intermountainhealthcare.org, January 2020, https://intermountainhealthcare.org/blogs/topics/live-well/2020/01/what-is-intermittent-fasting/.

• The Silence of Zhurong

  The silence of Zhurong

  Written by Gabriel

  The Chinese Mars rover,  Zhurong,  was supposed to go back into operation in December.  Perplexing many, it didn’t.

  
  

  Slightly less than two years ago, on May the 15th 2021,  a spacecraft bearing the name Zhurong, after an old Chinese god of fire, reached the surface of Mars. It was the first Chinese rover to arrive there, making China the second country to successfully operate a rover on another planet, preceded only by the USA. Armed with six distinct instruments, it travelled through the planet’s rust-coloured scenery for approximately one year, traversing a distance of about two kilometres. However, due to a dust storm that had been heading in its direction, it was temporarily powered down on the 22nd of May 2022 by the China National Space Administration, to avoid any potential damage. This December, it was supposed to reawaken. It didn’t. 

  Photo: Zhurong, Nature.com

   “It wouldn’t be surprising for the rover to fail to come out of hibernation because it is solar-powered, and there’s a long history of solar-powered landers and rovers on Mars running out of power.”
  

  
  

  As of now, it’s not yet certain what has caused Zhurong’s unresponsiveness; however, there are several explanations as to what may have transpired. Most likely, it may be because the rover runs on solar power. According to Queensland University of Technology astrobiologist David Flannery, “It wouldn’t be surprising for the rover to fail to come out of hibernation because it is solar-powered, and there’s a long history of solar-powered landers and rovers on Mars running out of power.” Martian dust could have settled on its solar panels, leaving it unable to gain enough power to start working again.

  Photo: Ground frost on Mars, Brittanica.com

  Even if this marks Zhurong’s end, its journey through the northern Martian plain of Utopia Planitia certainly hasn’t been futile, as it’s made several considerable contributions to the exploration of outer space. Its most noteworthy find is evidence that parts of the Martian surface seem to have been flooded in the ancient past, possibly by water, based on radar images up to 100 metres below the surface of the planet. The underground sediments, which appear to have been carried there by massive floods about three billion years ago, certainly seem to imply it. However, there is also the possibility that the cause of the sedimental patterns may have been lava brought there by volcanic activity.

  
  

  Utopia Planitia is thought to once have been an ancient ocean. Moreover, its sediments are the ideal place to look for signs of extraterrestrial life, if it was ever present on the planet. However, Zhurong has made no such discoveries yet.

  The rover is only the beginning of China’s space-faring ambitions. They intend to launch yet another mission to Mars by 2028. l. Apart from that, there are plans to send a probe to Jupiter - which may or may not land on one of its moons, Callisto, as well as to send two spacecrafts to the edges of our Solar System, similar to the Voyager.

  
  

  Past rovers on Mars have been able to operate years beyond their intended mission length. Even Zhurong itself had spent much more time than its planned three months before eventually being shut down. As such, if it ever happens to reawaken, it will still have a vast potential.

  
  

  
  

  Brittanica.com, “Utopia Planitia,” https://www.britannica.com/place/Utopia-PlanitiaJones, 

  
  

  A. “China’s Mars rover touches down on the red planet” National Geographic,

  
  

  https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/china-landing-rover-on-mars-in-high-stakes-mission Mallapaty, S. “What’s happened to China’s first Mars rover?” Nature,

  
  

  https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00111-3, Mallapaty, S. “China’s Mars rover finds hints of catastrophic floods” Nature, https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03056-1

• Netflix tips for January

  Netflix tips for early 2023

  
  

  Written by Karolina 

  
  

  A new semester is here and so are some new Netflix tips. This is a very challenging month for everybody because all the grades are closing and we are trying our best to receive grades that will make us and our parents happy. The grades are closed now so we can finally take a deserved rest. And the best way you can relax is to watch some new releases on Netflix which I will tell you about. 

  Kaleidoscope

  
  

  Kaleidoscope is an American drama miniseries consisting of 8 episodes that is freshly released. The main Character Leo Pap is planning an epic heist with his crew worth 7 billion dollars. The largest heist ever attempted brings some plot twists caused by betrayal and threats which makes the heist at times seem impossible. This is a non-linear series which means you can watch it in any order and it would still make sense, but I still highly recommend watching this in the actual order. It is a very similar concept to Money Heist so if you are a fan of this series you should definitely watch this one. 

  Photo: Kaleidoscope, IMDB.com

  Fakes

  
  

  And if you don't want to burden your mind with Kaleidoscope I recommend this TV series about two Vancouver teenage girls who build one of the largest fake ID empires in North America. In this series there is a lot of humor but at the same time it often gets very emotional. The acting is great throughout the series and the final is unexpected with a mindblowing cliffhanger at the end. At times it seemed similar to the German series How to Sell Drugs Online which I have already recommended in my previous articles. Both of the series are about two teenagers starting an illegal business. So if you are a fan of teenage drama and illegal businesses you should definitely give this series a go.

  Photo: Fakes, IMDB.com

  That is all for early 2023 Netflix tips. In my next article we will again focus on freshly released TV series but also on some new films that are worth watching so check the recommended series above and be prepared for the next ones coming!

   

  
  

  Title: Kaleidoscope, IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15438246/

  
  

  Title: Fakes, IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15764684/

• Kerem Earthquake

   6. 2. 2023

  
  

  Written by Kerem

  
  

  On Monday 6th of February two earthquakes struck Southern Turkey, affecting approximately 14 million people in an area bigger than the Czech Republic. Over 30,000 people have been recorded to have died and more than 80,000 people have been found injured. Unfortunately, the numbers are still increasing, and the Turkish authorities have called for help from the international community. The situation is desperate and the whole nation is in a collective effort to recover from the deep wounds this event has opened. 

  
  

  At 04:17 in Kahramanmaraş (a city in Southern Turkey), the first earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 occurred and caught people in 10 surrounding cities while asleep. Immediately after the first earthquake, the government called for help from the international community and directed rescue teams to the location. However, the first aid that went there was mainly from charities and volunteers, especially the AHBAP charity, which was founded by a Turkish Singer named Haluk Levent. 

  
  

  The charity has proven its worth by taking action in various other disasters that have affected Turkey as well as funding non-profit organisations. The second earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 occurred in the same city and enhanced the damage already caused. Despite the inefficiency of the state in handling this situation, the people of the world and Turkey have shown great success in taking care of people and rescuing them. Many countries have sent rescue teams including the Czech Republic and countries like India, South Korea and Taiwan, which are quite far from Turkey. 

  
  

  Photo: “Mesut Hancer holds the hand of his daughter, Irmak, 15, who died when the quake struck Kahramanmaras, Turkey on February 6, 2023”, author: Adem Altan, correspondent.afp.com

  
  

  
  

  After the first day of this event, the Turkish government declared a state of emergency in the region alongside a 7 day national mourning period. According to rumours, approximately 200,000 people are still under the rubble and waiting for help due to a lack of coordination caused by both the unreadiness of the state and damaged infrastructure. Also, there have been a couple of situations where rescue teams could hear people under the rubble but lacked the necessary instruments for a rescue. Besides this, due to winter temperatures that vary among the cities between -10 and 2 degrees Celsius, many people are reported to have died due to hypothermia - even among the rescued - as there was a lack of amenities in the area. In an effort to cover up the government’s failure, Erdoğan limited access to Twitter nationwide, which has been used as the primary means of communication in order to communicate with people under the rubble and get the rescue teams to their location. 

  
  

  
  

   “It is not the earthquake that kills, rather the buildings, we must learn to live with it and take precautions accordingly”. 

  This decision caused massive outrage among the Turkish people and they took a back step from this action. It has also been reported that the whole aid campaign was turned into a political race by members of the leading party in Turkey, AKP, sticking their party’s posters onto the aid boxes, even onto ones that did not belong to them. On top of all of these scandals, the hawkish public speeches targeting the critics were done by government officials. Even with statements like "opening the old books”, which means “to settle accounts with someone”  in Turkish, being used by the president himself.

  
  

  Another important fact is that, since the earthquake in 1999, the Turkish parliament has announced a new tax specifically for earthquake precautions.  Taxpayers have contributed 88b Turkish liras ($4.6bn), and despite the fact that this money is more than enough to take the necessary precautions for at least minimising the death toll, it was mainly spent in other areas, neglecting the earthquake potential of Turkey, a country that lies on two major fault lines. When met with questions about what has happened to this money, one official stated that the fact that it is called “earthquake tax” does not necessarily mean that it should be spent on earthquake precautions. This is one of the many examples of how corruption in Turkey has enhanced the damage of this disaster.

   Photo: “An aerial view of a damaged building after an earthquake in Adana, Turkey on Feb. 06, 2023”, author: Oguz Yeter, Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

  Considering all this, Turkish people are facing their greatest humanitarian disaster right now and this collective trauma is expected to have impacts on the minds of the population as a whole, rather than just individuals. This event also demonstrates the corruption in the government ranks as the state that had relied on people all this time was called on for help once and they failed terribly. Lastly, to emphasise the importance of precautions against earthquakes we can look at what Erdoğan himself said years ago, “It is not the earthquake that kills, rather the buildings, we must learn to live with it and take precautions accordingly”. 

  
  

   

  
  

  
  

  Ozkan, M., Makieh, K., “Major Earthquake kills 3,700 in Turkey and Syria”, reuters.com, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/major-earthquake-strikes-turkey-syria-about-200-dead-many-trapped-2023-02-06/

  
  Fung B., “Twitter access in Turkey is restored, according to network monitoring firm”, cnn.com, https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/08/tech/turkey-twitter-restriction/index.html

  
  Yenicaggazetesi.com.tr, “Vatandaşların gönderdiği yardımlara AKP’liler parti logosunu yapıştırıyor. Tıklayıp kendi gözlerinizle görün”, https://www.yenicaggazetesi.com.tr/vatandaslarin-gonderdigi-yardimlara-akpliler-parti-logosunu-yapistiriyor-tiklayip-kendi-gozlerinizle-gorun-628453h.htm

  
  Wikipedia.org, “Earthquake tax (Turkey)” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthquake_tax_(Turkey)

  
  Özdemir, Ö., Kirby, P., “Turkey earthquake failures leave Erdogan looking vulnerable”, bbc.com, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64594349

  
  Schmitz, R., “As the earthquake death toll soars, so does criticism of Turkey's government response” npr.org, https://www.npr.org/2023/02/09/1155647266/turkey-earthquake-erdogan-government-response-criticism
  
  Cumhuriyet.com.tr, “Deprem vergileri ne oldu sorusu yine gündemde! Vergilerle 800 bin konut yapılabilirdi, yapılmadı”, https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/turkiye/deprem-vergileri-ne-oldu-sorusu-yine-gundemde-vergilerle-800-bin-konut-yapilabilirdi-yapilmadi-2048848

  
  Cumhuriyet.com.tr, “Kılıçdaroğlu’nun “deprem vergileri nerede?” sorusuna AKP’li Naci Bostancı yanıt verdi.”, youtube.com, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-o2cdQxoiA

  
  Erdoğan, R. T., @RTErdogan “Deprem değil bina öldürür, depremle yaşamayı öğrenmemiz ve buna göre tedbirler almamız gerekiyor.”, Twitter.com, 5:49 PM · Aug 17, 2013,

  https://twitter.com/RTErdogan/status/368746476840550401?lang=en
  

  
  

  Kilcoyne, C., Kucukgocmen, A., “Earthquake death toll passes 46,000; desperation for signs of life”, reuters.com, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/teenager-rescued-rubble-turkey-10-days-after-quake-2023-02-16/ 

• Eva Olchavová

  2023’s New Fantasy Releases

  Written by Eva

   

  Whether you are someone who has made a New Year's resolution to read books and the last book you remember enjoying was Harry Potter, or are generally into reading and interested in the fantasy genre, I have prepared a list of exciting new fantasy book releases this year for you. 

   

  Stolen Heir

  by Holly Black

  
  

  We are back in Elphame a couple years after the Battle of the Serpent on an adventure with Wren and Oak. Childhood friends as well as faeries unable to lie with many secrets that make up many plot twists. I highly recommend this book to fans of Cruel Prince, but bear in mind Jude or Cardan do not appear in the story, however they are mentioned frequently and will play a big part in the second book, as this series is set to be a duology. 

   

  Unseelie

  by Ivelisse Housman

  
  

  This story follows two twin sisters,who are as different as day and night. Our main character is on the autistic spectrum which adds something new to the fantasy genre. The book has great world building and makes you want to keep reading. The author is also autistic, which helps bring Iselia (the main character) to life.

   

   

  Hell Bent 

  by Leight Bardugo

  
  

  This is a continuation of the book Ninth House with its "circles of hell” theme. This story follows Galaxy "Alex" Stern. If you enjoy Leight Bardugo's style of writing, such as in Shadow and Bone or Six of Crows, you are likely to have a good time reading this book.

  Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries 

  By Heather Fawcett

  
  

  Emily Wilde is a Cambridge professor who has never really fit in and enjoys the presence of her books and pet. In this book she sets off on a magical journey, discovering the hidden beings of her world.

   

  Mysteries of Thorn Manor

  by Margaret Rogerson

  
  

  A novella and sequel to Sorcery of Thorns, a lightweight feel-good read with plot that isn’t very drastic, but is more focused on the relationship between Nathaniel and Elisabeth. The Thorn Manor is full of magic and sorcery yet to be discovered. I personally read this book and rated it five stars because of how well it fits with the main story from the first book, the ending of which it’s made even better, in my opinion.

  
  

  
  

   Chain of Thorns

   by Cassandra Clare

  
  

  Are you a big fan of the Shadowhunter world and have already read all the books? Don't worry, Cassandra Clare's got you with a new one. However if you've never heard of the Shadowhunters you ought to start from the beginning with City of Bones as I am also yet to do.

   

   

  Knihy Dobrovský, “the Stolen Heir” https://www.knihydobrovsky.cz/thumbs/book-detail/mod_eshop/produkty/t/the-stolen-heir-9781471411373_6.jpg

  
  

  Amazon.com, “Unseelie” https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81U-LUAfO4L._AC_UL900_SR615,900_.jpg

  
  

  Amazon.com, “Hellbent” https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1648744814i/60652997.jpg

  
  

  I.gr-assets.com, “Encyclopaedia of Faeries” https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1651622856l/60657589.jpg

  
  

  Amazon.com, “Mysteries of Horn Manor” https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1662055400i/61272184.jpgMrtns.sk, 

  
  

  “Chain of Thorns” https://mrtns.sk/tovar/_l/1457/l1457935.jpg?v=16756198861

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