Winter 2022

• Winter is coming

• Introduction

  Hello readers!

  
  

  We’re glad to announce that the first issue of this school year has arrived. This time, it’s all about winter, both literally and figuratively, and its effects on us - such as described in Alicja’s article - if you feel like winter makes you horrible for no discernible reason at all, you may not just be feeling sad, but SAD. 

  
  

  Speaking of seemingly intangible causes and effects, everyone’s probably already noticed the war boiling in Ukraine, but what you may not have noticed are some of the ways it affects our day-to-day lives, which Kerem explains very detailedly. My own article concerns itself with other things that affect us even today, but much more distant, such as volcanic events that took place centuries ago. You’ll also be able to read about serial killers, the protests in Iran (Kája S.) and the current music scene (Marek). The traditional netflix tips (Michal + Kája H.) and interview with a school staff member (Elen) also make a return.

• Our crew

  People of Something

  
  

  Gabriel

  Chief Editor

  Writer

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Karolina

  Writer

  Netflix tips

  
  

  Alicja

  Writer

  Health talk

  
  

  Elen

  Writer

  From A to Z with guests

  Bookmate

  
  

  
  

  Marek

  Writer

  The World of Music

  
  

  
  

  Dominik

  Designer

  
  

  Sofi

  Illustrator

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Veronika

  Writer

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Kaja S.

  Writer

  
  

  
  

  Kerem

  Writer

  Politics

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Michal

  Writer

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Vojta

  Designer

  
  

  
  

  
  

• Gabriel

  
  

  Winter is coming. Should I wear a coat, or a Hazmat suit?

  Volcanoes, butterflies, Frankenstein, nuclear warfare and winters.

  By Gabe

  
  

  In April 1815, the skies of Sumbawa, an island in Indonesia, were consumed by fire and ash. Mount Tambora had erupted. This wasn’t the typical everyday tectonic event. As a matter of fact, it was the strongest volcanic eruption ever recorded in human history. “So what?” you may ask. The fact that this volcano killed tens of thousands of people may not in itself  seem particularly noteworthy - volcanoes tend to do that, after all. So why talk about it? 

  Caldera of Mount Tambora, NASA

  This was an eruption whose impact wasn’t merely the destruction of tracts of land around itself due to ejection of hot materials and ash, but also the land and lives it devastated on the other side of the planet, lives of people who had never seen it, or even known its name. This is not because the eruption was so strong as to cause a cinematic apocalypse with hellfire raining down from the heavens all across the globe. Its influence was way more subtle and not at all volcanic at first sight (unless you happened to be on Sumbawa at the moment). In fact, most of its disastrous effects were caused by the cold it caused, not the heat, however contrary to common sense that may seem. That is because it prompted what is called a volcanic winter.

  
  

  As often quoted to explain chaos theory to laymen, “a butterfly flaps its wings in Brazil and causes a tornado in Texas” (or some very similar statement about butterflies flapping their wings). This is very apt to the topic at hand, as very similar statements could be made about the 1815 Tambora eruption - such as “A volcano erupts in Indonesia and Brits riot due to crop failure,” which is a wholly factual statement, unlike the aphorism about butterflies.

  
  

  What, then, is a volcanic winter? How does a volcano colden things? On first consideration , that may seem outright nonsensical. It’s not that the volcano itself, by erupting, somehow inverts the laws of logic and physics and freezes things. Rather, if an eruption is strong enough, the materials which it releases into the atmosphere - volcanic ash and aerosols that contain sulfur - block out radiation coming from the sun. We call it a volcanic winter only if there is enough material let out to actually decrease the global temperature. Obviously, this doesn’t happen with every volcanic eruption, as it must produce enough mass to actually have such an impact.

  
  

  The Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum,  John Martin, © Tate

  Many other volcanic winters aren’t so dramatic, or even noticeable. For example, the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, located in the Philippines, only caused a global decrease in temperature by 0.5 degrees celsius, which was barely noticeable. However, this certainly wasn’t the case following Mt. Tambora’s eruption.

  
  

  It  led to the following year, 1816, being called the “year without a summer,” which is a self-explanatory epithet. There were many crop failures across the Northern Hemisphere, as well as food shortages and famine, both caused by the decreased temperatures. This caused the aforementioned riots. To illustrate the dire conditions more graphically - in Britain, it snowed in the middle of July. This misplaced winter had an impact on popular culture in yet another way that may prove rather surprising. It (at least partly) instigated the creation of the novel Frankenstein. Mary Shelley, the woman who wrote it, was travelling across Europe with a group of friends, and, inspired by the gloomy conditions, they each tried to tell a “ghost story,” which resulted in the creation of the iconic pop-cultural mad scientist and his neglected, monstrous creation.

  “Mary Shelley“ Richard Rothwell, © National Portrait Gallery, London

  Volcanic winters, however, aren’t the only “winters” caused by excess amounts of material released in the atmosphere - similar events occur, or are hypothesized to. For example, an “impact winter” would be a decrease in the global temperature caused by earth being hit by a cosmic body, such as an asteroid, releasing debris that would limit the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth.

  
  

  What may be more relevant today and perhaps more frightening than comets and asteroids is a nuclear winter - climate change similar to that discussed up to this point caused by the impact of nuclear weapons. In consequence of enough nuclear explosions, global temperatures could colden, according to a study conducted by physicists in 1983, among them such famous personages as Carl Sagan. This would result from the immense amounts of fire brought about by nuclear warheads - known as firestorms - releasing large amounts of soot and dust into the air. The materials from burning cities, such as petrol and plastic would also contribute to the atmospheric effect. Since this would have much more drastic repercussions than the eruption of Tambora, some of the possible predicted effects include sub-freezing temperatures all around the world, lasting for weeks on end. This, combined with radiation from the fallout, could potentially  threaten a major portion of life on Earth. Well, at least we now know of a possible solution to global warming.

  
  

  Fearmongering is not the intent of this article  - It’s also quite possible that a nuclear winter wouldn’t happen, because the study is old and more up-to-date analyses seem to reach different conclusions, as such predictions may be inaccurate using current, less outdated models of prediction. Consequently, there remains controversy over whether such a thing even is possible. Regardless of its accuracy, it still gives the world even more incentive to not get involved in nuclear warfare, which remains a threat in the current political climate. 

  
  

  Brittanica.com, “Chaos Theory.” https://www.britannica.com/science/chaos-theory

  
  

  Brittanica.com, “Mount Tambora.” https://www.britannica.com/place/Mount-Tambora

  
  

  Brittanica.com, “Nuclear Winter.” https://www.britannica.com/science/nuclear-winter

  
  

  COOPER, Helen. BARNES, Julian E.. SCHMITT, Eric. “Russian Military Leaders Discussed Use of Nuclear Weapons, U.S. Officials Say.” New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/02/us/politics/russia-ukraine-nuclear-weapons.html

  
  

  EVANS, Robert. “Blast from the Past - The eruption of Mount Tambora killed thousands, plunged much of the world into a frightful chill and offers lessons for today.” Smithsonian Magazine, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/blast-from-the-past-65102374/

  
  

  TEDESCO, Edward F.. “Earth Impact Hazard.” Brittanica.com,  https://www.britannica.com/science/Earth-impact-hazard#ref1252493

  
  

  UCAR, “Mount Tambora and the Year without a Summer.” https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/how-climate-works/mount-tambora-and-year-without-summer

  
  

  Images:

  
  

  “Caldera of Mount Tambora.” NASA, https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/39412/mount-tambora-volcano-sumbawa-island-indonesia

  
  

  “Mary Shelley“ Richard Rothwell, circa 1831-1840, © National Portrait Gallery, London, https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp04087/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley

  
  

  “The Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum.” John Martin, 1822, © Tate, Licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND 3.0 (Unported) https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/martin-the-destruction-of-pompeii-and-herculaneum-n00793

• Marek

  
  

  Return of the Dream Canteen? The Chili Peppers have definitely returned.

  By Marek

  If you are at least a bit of a music fan, you may have noticed an increase in activity from the American alternative funk band Red Hot Chili Peppers. 

  
  

  The Red Hot Chili Peppers were at their peak in the 90's and 00's with big albums such as Blood Sugar Sex Magik and Californication. We haven’t heard much from them for the past six years, but early this year they finally dropped another record 'Unlimited Love'. It had a great response from the public. In October though, only six months later, they released another album called 'Return of the Dream Canteen'. It was expected to be a bit shady, maybe leftovers from the album released earlier this year, but it has surprisingly proven not so.

  These two albums take you back to Chili's iconic 90s - 00s funk with Here Ever After, One Way Traffic (from Unlimited Love) or Tippa My Tongue (from Return of the Dream Canteen). Unlimited Love is an album with some drive and catchy riffs, such as in songs ‘Black Summer’, ‘These Are the Ways’ and the already-mentioned ‘Here Ever After’. The RHCP also don’t disappoint in slow ballad songs, for example ‘Tangelo’. Return Of the Dream Canteen has a more gloomy, sunset, LSD-affected psychedelic vibe with a lot of chorus and delay effects on the songs (the record’s cover art describing it pretty much perfectly). However, there are some songs with overdrive and distortion effect on the guitar (Reach Out, Bag of Grins) waking you up from the dreamy vibe and start you nodding your head. Return of the Dream Canteen also has a nice touch, with the song ‘Eddie’ as a tribute reference to one of the greatest guitarists of all time, Eddie Van Halen, who passed away in 2020. Understandably, the mighty talented guitarist John Frusciante had a lot of space to play with his melodies and a solo.

  
  

  Whether you like those records or not, it’s great to see the band back together in their original lineup making music and, as even they claim, having fun together with what they’re doing best - playing good music. And with them being on top of their abilities once again, we’ll definitely see some more great music released soon. Red Hot Chili Peppers are masters in their field of music and they have proved why once again. 

  Marty Santiny Garner, “Return of the Dream Canteen”, Pitchfork, 

  https://pitchfork-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/red-hot-chili-peppers-return-of-the-dream-canteen/amp/?amp_gsa=1&_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#amp_tf=Zdroj%3A%20%251%24s&aoh=16691225061822&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&share=https%3A%2F%2Fpitchfork.com%2Freviews%2Falbums%2Fred-hot-chili-peppers-return-of-the-dream-canteen%2F

  
  

  Ali Shutler, “Red Hot Chili Peppers - Return of the Dream Canteen review: an overwhelming feast, NME”, 

  https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/red-hot-chili-peppers-return-of-the-dream-canteen-review-an-overwhelming-feast-3326896 

• Alicja

  Seasonal affective disorder:

   “winter depression”

  By Alicja

  Winter is coming and with that comes a lot of fun and struggles. Winter is known to bring out a number of health problems, including colds, dry skin and eyes, and lack of exercise. But it can also have effects on our mental health. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a mood disorder that is related to change in seasons. 

  
  

  People who have normal mental health throughout most of the year exhibit depressive symptoms at the same time each year, most commonly in winter. Common symptoms include sleeping too much, having little to no energy, and overeating. 

  (Wikipedia)

  
  

  In most cases symptoms start in fall and continue on during winter. They go away during sunny days of spring or summer

  
  

  What are the symptoms?

  A lot of symptoms are the same as in depression, what makes them different is that SAD is unlike depression seasonal.

  
  

  People with depression experience sleeping problems and change in weight, the same goes for SAD.

  A lot of people experience feeling sad or down and have low energy during the depressive weather but if you feel like it everyday or most of the day and if you lose interest in activities you once enjoyed then this can be another symptom. 

  Struggling with concentration from time to time is normal, but if you find it difficult to concentrate only during this season then this can be another sign of SAD.

  A lot of people commit suicide during this period. So if you are having suicidal thoughts, feeling hopeless, worthless or guilty, please try to find help.

  
  

  Causes

  They are not fully understood but it is probably caused by a shorter exposure to sunlight. This is also a reason why more people that live closer to the equator experience SAD

  (But this disorder can be also genetic) 

  
  

  The main theory is that a lack of sunlight might stop a part of the brain called the hypothalamus working properly, which may affect the production of melatonin (melatonin is a hormone that makes you feel sleepy)  in people with SAD, the body may produce it in higher than normal levels.

  Also it affects production of serotonin (serotonin is a hormone that affects your mood, appetite and sleep) a lack of sunlight may lead to lower serotonin levels, which is linked to feelings of depression

  If you havedisturbed body's internal clock (circadian rhythm) – your body uses sunlight to time various important functions, such as when you wake up, so lower light levels during the winter may disrupt your body clock and lead to symptoms of SAD.

   (NHS) 

  Image: gbhoh.com

  Prevention

  It is hard to prevent such a disorder because you can't change the weather.

  It is recommended to start treatment as soon as you see the symptoms. By using light therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, medication or exercise.

  In our country we don't experience SAD epidemics, like in Nordic countries, for example  Finland where the rate of SAD is 9.5% (Wikipedia) 

  
  

  Winter affects our health a lot, not only physically but also mentally. Remember to take care of yourself  during that time, so you won’t face problems such as malnutrition or SAD. We need to take care of our health because we have only one life.

  Wikipedia, “Seasonal Affective Disorder”;

  SAD rate  is 9.5% in Finland

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_affective_disorder

  
  

   Mayo clinic: “Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)”

  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20364651

  
  

  NHS, “Overview - Seasonal Affective Disorder”

  https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad/overview/

  
  

  Image: https://www.gbhoh.com/seasonal-affective-disorder/

• Kaja + Michal

  
  

  Netflix Tips for November

  By Kája H. and Michal

  
  

  
  

  The Watcher

  
  

  The Watcher is a short TV series about a family who move to the suburbs to live a calmer life. Little do they know their lives will change right after they enter  the house. They  start receiving letters from someone called The Watcher who claims he is watching them. The Watcher knows every single detail about their lives. No one's secrets can stay hidden and creepy things start happening to them. But who can it be? Their unwelcoming neighbors or the past owner of the house? or even a family member? This series can get quite tense, frightening and shocking but what makes it even more scary is the fact that it was based on a true story. This series was filmed during the fall time which is something we can relate to. I definitely recommend this series if you like solving mysteries and are not afraid to be afraid. 

  Photo: The Watcher, IMDB.com

  I have another tip for you from Michal who decided to recommend to you a series called House of the Dragon.

  
  

  Dragons are back

  
  

  Almost exactly a year ago on October 5 the official teaser trailer for the long awaited dragon-centered HBO TV -series House of Dragon was shared. The 78-second clip gave a glimpse into the world of one of, if not the most, successful TV series of all time -  Game of Thrones. The series helps bring you inside the lives of the famous family known for their winged beasts of fire, bright white hair, ancient history, and high status upon the Iron Throne. 

  
  

  The teaser introduces the story, a prequel set 300 years  before the events of Game of Thrones, and new characters who are to once again battle for the Iron Throne. This includes Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, who is the heir to the Iron Throne, and her uncle Daemon Targaryen. The series follows the preceding events which lead to the family's civil war, known as the Dance of Dragons, which also happen to be the beginning of the end for House Targaryen.

  
  

  The series has become very popular - as expected - and has for some become an instant classic. Its thrilling dragon-riding scenes are what GoT fans had to wait multiple seasons for. Television review organizations such as IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes have put House of Dragon in their top 3 in their lists of current most popular TV Series. The praise is well deserved, especially  considering the budget for the 10-episode series was $20 million dollars per episode. Of course a great amount of the budget went on special effects and the construction of sets, however the cast budget was also well-spent. 

  
  

  Paddy Considine, who portrays king Viserys, gave one of the performances of his career. In a CBR review of the acting performances, Tom Steel wrote: “... nobody could have seen his performance as King Viserys Targaryen coming. … While the makeup and other departments focused on making his illness look horrific, Considine turned Viserys into the most sympathetic character in television.” Unfortunately, even though the performance was great, there were problems with the character. Not long after the release of episode 3, titled "Second of His Name," fans noticed a VFX error that unfortunately made the final cut of the episode. King Viserys, who due to a mysterious illness is missing 2 fingers on his left hand, appears in a frame where the greenscreen glove, to help remove the fingers, is visible. Another thing that unexpectedly met unwanted social media attention was a scene in episode 7, entitled ”Driftmark”. Fans complained that a specific scene was too dark for their taste and had problems making sense of what was going on due to the low visibility. Fans were  outraged and demanded an apology , which forced HBO’s official Twitter account to address the public by saying, “We appreciate you reaching out about a night scene in House of the Dragon: Episode 7 appearing dark on your screen. The dimmed lighting of this scene was an intentional creative decision.”

  
  

  To cut a long story short, House of Dragon has been long in the waiting and is currently available on HBO Max. Set close enough  in the world of Game of Thrones to feel familiar but also unique enough to be worth your time. If you enjoyed one you'll definitely enjoy the other. Season 1 was concluded on October 23, with a very exciting cliffhanger, which implies the release of a season 2. Since shooting is only to begin in 2023 the release date will most likely be around spring of 2024.

  
  

  If these recommendations aren’t your forte there are thousands of Movies and Series on Netflix that can take your interest this upcoming fall. After all, who doesn’t love going back and watching their favorite shows for a second time?

  James Hibberd, “‘House of the Dragon’ Just “Fixed” George R.R. Martin’s Least Favorite ‘Game of Thrones’ Scene”, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/house-of-the-dragon-fixed-game-of-thrones-scene-1235205222/IMDB organization and judges, “TV Series (Sorted by Popularity Ascending)“, https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?title_type=tv_seriesRotten tomatoes organization and its judges, “HOUSE OF THE DRAGON (2022)”, https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/house_of_the_dragon/s01#desktopEpisodeListSayantan Choudhary, “Why was House of The Dragon Episode 7 ‘Driftmark’ so dark?”, https://wikiofthrones.com/why-was-house-of-the-dragon-episode-7-driftmark-so-dark 

  
  

  Images:

  
  

  Photo 1: King Viserys, NYPOST.com, author unknown, https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Viserys.jpg?quality=75&strip=allPhoto2: Shot of controversial scene, resources.stuff.no.nz, author unknown, https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/4/z/1/4/u/k/image.related.StuffLandscapeThreeByTwo.1464x976.4z14s2.png/1664840871386.jpgPhoto3: House of Dragon main cover template, slashfilm.com, author unknown, https://www.slashfilm.com/img/gallery/riding-dragons-in-house-of-the-dragon-is-incredibly-mundane/l-intro-1659628473.jpg

• Veronika

  The Unsolved Mystery of JonBenét Ramsey

  By Veronika

  This murder is dated to the day of 26th of December 1996, just one day after Christmas. 

  JonBenét Ramsey was an American child beauty queen who was killed at six years old in her house. First, let's dig into the time sequence and what happened that day. The night before JonBenét was found dead, the whole family -  consisting of parents Patsy and John Bennett Ramsey and their children, JonBenét and her brother Burke - headed to a family friend's Christmas party. Someone that night called 911. Lot of people think that the call was not an accident and it was intentional. The  dispatch picked up, but no one was speaking.           

  
  

  They sent a patrol which showed up at a friend's house, but were convinced to leave, that nothing is up in their house.

  Foto : JonBenét Patricia Ramsey, author :Wikipedia, Wikipedia.com

  The next day, the day when JonBenét was found dead, her mother Patsy woke up early for a trip planned that day. She was entering the kitchen when she noticed a little piece of paper laying on the floor. The note said that they had kidnapped JonBenét and they wanted exactly 118 000 USD for their dauther's safe return. Patsy called the police, who showed up at the house just before 6 AM. Everyone was already up. The police were mostly looking for potential forced entry since they are asking about a ransom. Nothing was found. The family members were circling around, which may have caused some evidence to be destroyed.  At 1 PM a detective arrived at the house. By this time it had been almost 7 hours since the police entered the house, and yet the house still had not been fully searched.

  Detectives started searching the house to make sure nothing was missing. They started in the basement where they found JonBenét dead. Her dad picked her up and brought her upstairs, which destroyed a lot of evidence.  

  JonBenét died from a skull fracture. She was wrapped in a white blanket and with tape on her wrist and mouth. She also may have been sexually assaulted. They also found pineapple  in JonBenét's stomach. This indicated that she had eaten before she was killed and therefore had to have been  killed the night before, the night when the police were called. There was also a bowl found in the kitchen with Burke's fingerprints on it. It was the bowl where the pineapple was. This indicated that Burke knew JonBenét had pineapple or was even with her when she ate it. On JonBenét's body were also found two little marks. These marks were identical with Burke's new train set. He had to have somehow taken the track and thrown it at JonBenét or hit her with it. 

  When Patsy, JonBenét's mom, called 911 that morning, some voices were speaking in the background. It was probably Burke and their dad John. Patsy was talking about the note she found and JonBenét missing. Patsy also hung up first, which is not common. But she didn't really hang up. The connection between Patsy and the dispatch was still on and she heard all that they were talking about. One of boys said something, which is not clear and Patsy replied : ,,You did what?'' Then the connection failed. Now, remember that 118 000 USD? This is the exact number that Josh got as a holiday bonus from work. The note was also written by hand and a lot of specialists agreed that the hand writing is similar to Patsy's.

  Lots of theories say that the family did it. Most of them believe  that Patsy did not kill, but helped with destroying evidence. The real guilt is laid on either Burke or John. The fact that Burke was eating pineapple with Jonbenét and that she had those marks on her back may refer to Burke. They may have eaten pineapple and then they headed to the basement to play with the trains. Then, something happened. Later, dad may have helped Burke to do something with the body. Lot of sources refer to the fact that she was in a coma due to the skull fracture. Sadly, without any medical help, she died. It also may refer to Burke hitting her with something hard and she fell . Then her dad helped Burke to get rid of her. This theory is also possible due to the fact she was assaulted. 

  Another claims that it would be someone from outside. But there was no other DNA in the house except detectives and family members. Also there were no  signs of any breaking into the house. Lot of people were suspects from the outside, but none of them were brought to trial due to not much evidence towards them. 

  
  

  No one was ever blamed for the murder of JonBenét, but most people are sure that the family is guilty. 

  Crime Museum , ''Jonbenét Ramsey. '' JonBenét Ramsey - Crime Museum

  
  

  Krimi Příběhy,  ''CO SE STALO MALÉ MISS? | KRIMI PŘÍBĚH. '' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE8CrqH9JZ8&t=1055s 

• Kaja

  Protests in Iran

  By Kája S.

  You may have heard about the protests happening in Iran. It started on 16 September 2022, when a 22 year old woman named Mahsa Amini died in hospital under rather strange circumstances. The police arrested the young woman on 13 September for not wearing a hijab. She died as a result of police brutality, severely beaten by the police.

  
  

  It got even worse, when news of  the death of 16 year old Sarina Esmaeilzadeh, also beaten to death by the police for not wearing a hijab during protests, came in.

  
  

  They are mainly being organized by women. But the interesting thing is that younger women are joined by older women, who are usually more conservative. The  protesters are made of various people, with different age gaps, gender, education and ethnicity. It is a historic moment for Iran.

  
  

  Police fires live ammunition into crowds, uses tear gas, mass arrests and beats up the protesters.

  “Protestors hold banners with the portrait of Mahsa Amini during a rally outside the Iranian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey last month,” author: Yasin Akgul,  AFP - Getty Images

  What are the estimated losses?

  
  

  As of 10.11.2022. 16:08 The approximate losses are 367 people dead and approximately  1 160 injured. Approximately  90 000 people are protesting right now.

  
  

  Since this is mainly about women, here is a reminder of  some things that women can and can't do in Iran

  
  

  Women cannot get a job with the same equality of payment for equal work as men. There are no laws to restrain discrimination against women, also there is no legal protection against sexual harassment and domestic violence for women. Every wife is dependent on the decision-making of her husband, for example he can forbid her from getting a job. After a divorce, custody of the child is entrusted to the husband. A woman is not allowed to marry a non-Muslim man, but a man can choose a woman regardless of her religion.

  
  

  Women have to wear a hijab in public, and all hair needs to be hidden, or else they can be punished by law. Women are allowed to drive, attend university and hold public office. They can be voted into parliament. Wearing leggings, jeans, ripped jeans and loose skirts is allowed too.

  Sources:

  Jana Václavíková., “Protesty v Íránu jen tak neskončí. Smrt ženy byla rozbuška, frustrace roste už dlouho,” zpravy.aktualne.cz

  https://zpravy.aktualne.cz/zahranici/protesty-v-iranu-jen-tak-neskonci-smrt-zeny-byla-rozbuska-fr/r~288a5d923d9511edba5b0cc47ab5f122/

  
  

  Iveta Hlouchová., “Írán: Země v troskách. Vybublávají dlouho potlačené frustrace, ženy všech generací se spojily,” heroine.cz

  https://www.heroine.cz/zena-a-svet/10458-iran-zeme-v-troskach-vybublavaji-dlouho-potlacene-frustrace-zeny-vsech-generaci-se-spojily

  
  

  En.wikipedia.org, “Women's rights in Iran,”

  
  

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_rights_in_Iran

• Kerem

  “Cold War”

  By Kerem

  
  

  While the war in Ukraine is continuing in its all heat, a new conflict has emerged in Europe. However, this time it is not waged with cold barrels, but with empty pipelines. Since the beginning of the conflict, Russia has been trying its best to break the solidified unity among the European nations with all of its means, including its natural resources. Especially with natural gas, which is a vital need for many European countries. But why? Why does Europe need Russian resources? Aren't there any alternatives? And what will this winter be like?

  
  

  Why does Europe need Russian gas?

  
  

  Russia on its own was supplying 40-50% of the European Union's natural gas demand and 25% of Europe's oil demand. Due to this situation, none of the European states could cut Russia off except the Baltic states and the United Kingdom. Since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has been steadily decreasing the amount of natural gas that is being transferred to Europe. There are 4 pipelines  transferring natural gas to Europe: Nord Stream, the Yamal-Europe pipeline, the Ukrainian Transit System and Turk stream. The first of these to be shut down was the Yamal-Europe pipeline going through Belarus and Poland after the Polish and Bulgarian governments refused to pay in Russian rubles in April. Subsequently, Ukraine decided to reduce the gas flow through the Ukrainian Transit System in May and lastly in August, when Nord Stream was shut down completely. This means that 75% of the natural gas export from Russia to Europe is now halted. As a result of these events, the price of natural gas has increased by 60%, which is 10 times the historic baseline.In context, 50% of the households in the European Union are  heated by natural gas and 24.4% of the European Union's energy demand has been supplied by Russia. Furthermore, unlike oil, which is mainly transferred by barrels, natural gas requires transfer  by pipeline or as LNG (liquified natural gas) which is much more expensive and also requires special facilities. 

  Aren't there any alternatives?

  
  

  LNG was the very first alternative that came to mind. Although due to a lack of facilities for its processing and prohibitive cost, the purchased amount has considerably increased. As expected, this sudden demand has also been met by a significant rise in market prices. Along with this, there are also some other alternatives such as the natural gas supplies that come  from Central Asia and Africa. However, due to the decades-long dependency on Russia, these alternatives are either underdeveloped or not even developed at all to be capable of replacing Russia. Nevertheless, countries like Spain and Italy receive 40-50% of their demand from Africa. Moreover, Nigeria has the 9th largest natural gas reserve in the world and in a situation where the Trans-Saharan pipeline (from Nigeria to Algeria) is built, it could supply 10% of Europe's gas demand on its own. Together with the current Algerian gas supply, Africa could supply more than 20% of Europe's demand. In the case of the Trans Caspian pipeline, which goes through the Caspian Sea, there are two issues. The first one is a lack of capacity, as it can only supply 3% of European demand. The second one is the Russian influence in the region, which would prevent any further development of the pipelines for a larger capacity. As a consequence, the European Union has set up some goals, such as a 5% mandatory energy consumption reduction, a 10% voluntary energy consumption reduction and a voluntary 15% gas consumption reduction target for this winter. Along with these, the European Union has also made a law that requires Europe's gas storage to be at least 80% full by November.

  What will this winter be like?

  
  

  Even though it is still difficult to foresee the future, Europe seems to be winning the first round of this fight. Thanks to Europe meeting its goal of at least 80% gas storage and even exceeding it by 94%, the stock market prices of LNG have decreased by 80%, even to negative rates. As a consequence, many LNG suppliers had to pay in order to free their transport ships as it cost them much more to keep them in European ports. This being said, the war over energy is still continuing, as the stored amount only equals 1000TWh of energy. Considering the fact that Europe's gas consumption was 600TWh in January last year, it is not a lot. Besides this, there has been an unseen amount of suspicious activity affecting European energy and technology infrastructure. For example, in early October there was a leak in Nord Stream pipelines, meanwhile, some drones were spotted near Norwegian gas facilities. In a matter of a few days, Germany's train infrastructure was sabotaged, and a few weeks subsequently, both of the undersea cables that were leading to the Shetland Islands were damaged in the same week. Lastly, on October 15, three undersea fiber-optic cables in southern France were sabotaged. Individually, these events do not raise suspicion but the fact that they happened in such a short amount of time suggests a possibility of a Russian escalation in response. So for now, a crisis has been averted even though the gas prices are still 6 times higher than prior to the invasion. Moreover, there are likely to be some campaigns and policies to decrease gas usage.

  
  

  All things considered, this winter will still be a tough one. However, many decades ago, in the darkest hour of Europe, people of this continent shouted their will to fight for their dignity. They said we should fight on beaches, on the landing grounds, in the streets, on the hills and never surrender. We owe these people our freedom today. For the darkest hour to never come again, for future generations to be able to live in a free world, we shall also fight this aggression in our homes, in our schools, in our offices and we shall never surrender, just as our grandparents refused to.

  Ec.europa.eu, “Electricity production, consumption and market overview”, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Electricity_production,_consumption_and_market_overview#:~:text=More%20than%20half%20(58.6%20%25),came%20from%20nuclear%20power%20stations.

  
  

  Ec.europa.eu, “EU energy mix and import dependency”, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=EU_energy_mix_and_import_dependency#:~:text=Highlights&text=The%20EU%20energy%20mix%20in,10.5%25%20of%20solid%20fossil%20fuels.&text=In%202020%2C%20the%20EU%20imported,only%2042.5%25%20of%20its%20needs.

  
  

  Consilium.europa.eu, “Infographic - Where does the EU’s gas come from?”, https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/infographics/eu-gas-supply/Ec.europa.eu, “From where do we import energy?”, 

  
  

  https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cache/infographs/energy/bloc-2c.html#:~:text=Russia%20is%20the%20main%20EU,and%20Nigeria%20(both%206%20%25).

  
  

  Consilium.europa.eu, “Infographic - Where does the EU’s gas come from?”, https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/infographics/eu-gas-supply/

  
  

  En.wikipedia.org “Trans-Saharan gas pipeline”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Saharan_gas_pipeline

  
  

  Worldometers.info, “Natural Gas Reserves by Country”, https://www.worldometers.info/gas/gas-reserves-by-country/

  
  

  Eniscuola.net, “Natural gas in Italy”, https://www.eniscuola.net/en/argomento/natural-gas1/extraction-and-distribution1/natural-gas-in-italy/

  
  

  Gonzalo Escribano, “Ten ways Spain can contribute to increase European energy autonomy from Russia”, Realinstitutoelcano.org, https://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/en/analyses/ten-ways-spain-can-contribute-to-increase-european-energy-autonomy-from-russia/

  
  

  Ec.europa.eu, “EU energy mix and import dependency”, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=EU_energy_mix_and_import_dependency#:~:text=Highlights&text=The%20EU%20energy%20mix%20in,10.5%25%20of%20solid%20fossil%20fuels.&text=In%202020%2C%20the%20EU%20imported,only%2042.5%25%20of%20its%20needs.

  
  

  Jake Horton, Daniele Palumbo, “Russia sanctions: How can the world cope without its oil and gas?”, Bbc.com, https://www.bbc.com/news/58888451

  
  

  Nina Chestney, “Russian gas flows to Europe via Ukraine fall after Kyiv shuts one route” Reuters.com, https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/requests-russian-gas-via-key-ukraine-transit-point-fall-zero-data-shows-2022-05-11/

  
  

  Kafkadesk.org, “Blame-game continues as Poles face sky-high gas prices”, https://kafkadesk.org/2022/03/07/blame-game-continues-as-poles-face-sky-high-gas-prices/

  
  

  TLDR News EU, “Gas Prices go Negative: Has Europe won the Energy War?”, Youtube.com, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGjBtNu2rZs&t=619s

  
  

  TLDR News EU, “Putin Cuts off Europe's Gas: The Closure of Nordstream 1 - TLDR News”, Youtube.com,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUPCXQYhdcQ

  
  

  Eia.gov, “Europe relies primarily on imports to meet its natural gas needs”, https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=51258 

  Gabriel Di Bella, Mr. Mark J Flanagan, Karim Foda, Svitlana Maslova, Alex Pienkowski, Martin Stuermer, Mr. Frederik G Toscani, “Natural Gas in Europe: The Potential Impact of Disruptions to Supply”, elibrary.imf.org, https://www.elibrary.imf.org/view/journals/001/2022/145/article-A001-en.xml

• Elen

  From A to Z is back with a bang! Don't miss this interview with the icon and librarian of our school, Ms. Wojnarová!

  By Elen

  From A to Z is a series of interviews in which we present school staff members with a list of words for every letter of the alphabet, relating either to the issue’s topic or themselves and the subjects they teach, and they share their thoughts about each of them.

  ALTER EGO… kittylinda¹ 

  BOOK THERAPY… lives in my Google Chrome bookmarks.

  CHANGE… requires hard work and dedication.

  DJ… can make or break the party.

  EQUALITY… is something that we should all be striving for, because there’s still a long way to go.

  FRIENDS… help me feel grounded.

  GIN&PLATONIC… is a music label/booking collective that I am a part of.

  HOT TAKE… Pepsi is better than Coke.

  I AM… trying to read all the comics we have in the library by the end of this school year.

  JUST… need some moral support from you guys!

  KINDNESS… is essential in today’s society and could be practiced a bit more.

  LIBRARY… should be a safe space for everyone!

  MUSIC… accompanies my every move.

  NEVER… spend too much time worrying about what others might think of you. As long as you’re not hurting anyone.

  OSTRAVA… was the perfect choice after living in Brno for five years.

  PROVOZ… is a great venue to visit when you feel like seeing some live music, author’s reading or art exhibitions.

  QUENTIN TARANTINO… made a film that I got the Mia Wallace haircut from.

  READING… all the time can definitely take some getting used to, but each book exposes you to a brand new world. (Not all of the worlds end up being enjoyable, sure).

  SKIING AND SNOWBOARDING… is not for the uncoordinated. I can only ice-skate.

  TALENT… I guess I’m naturally pretty good when it comes to languages.

  UNDERRATED THINGS… fresh bread (just on its own).

  VOGUE… could be cheaper and then I might actually read it? 

  WINTER… makes me depressed, due to the lack of daylight.

  XENOPHOBIA… is out.

  YESTERDAY… I saw a guy do an accordion cover of the song Boys Boys Boys by Sabrina. 

  GEN (Z)... has some great slang.

  
  

  SOMETHING… to snack on is almost always in my bag!

  ¹Editor's note: this refers to her instagram account, https://www.instagram.com/kittyprincesslinda/?hl=cs

• Book Mate

• Book Mate 2

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