EL INDEPENDIENTE

ALWAYS FREE ISSUE NO.5

IE STUDENT NEWSPAPER /FEBRUARY 2014

WHAT HAPPENED WHILST YOU WERE PROCRASTINATING

IRAN SENDS WARSHIPS TOWARD U.S. IN "MESSAGE TO AMERICA"

Iranian warships dispatched to the Atlantic Ocean will travel close to U.S. maritime borders for the first time, a senior Iranian naval commander said on Saturday. The fleet, consisting of a destroyer and a helicopter-carrying supply ship, began its voyage last month from the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas. The ships, carrying some 30 navy academy cadets for training along with their regular crews, are on a three-month mission.

“MAMA ME FUI A PROTESTAR POR VENEZUELA, SI NO REGRESO ME FUI CON ELLA”

“Mum I went to protest for Venezuela, if I don’t come back, I have gone with her.”

On February 12, 2014 Bassil Alejandro Dacosta Frias, a Venezuelan student, was shot in the head by the military supporters of current president Nicolas Maduro. Despite the risks, students in Venezuela have taken the streets to protest against its corrupt government which started 15 years ago with Hugo Chavez. Today, this last post on Bassil’s Facebook page has become the slogan for thousands of students wishing to free Venezuela from extreme insecurity and decline in economy. Maduro continues his initiative of severely punishing the opponents who do not want to support his ‘democracy’.

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SUAVE ES TU NOCHE• • •

Pedro Letai

Guest Writer

Me gustaría ver Segovia un sábado por la noche, cuando acaba el botellón y las parejas de dieciséis años se agarran en las plazas; las botas altas y los brazos alrededor del cuello; el barullo desatado en la calle y los bares. Los momentos compartidos que yo solo viví en la gran ciudad, con la memoria anudada a la nostalgia de pueblo como en un fular de terciopelo. También extraño verla en verano, con el cielo alfombrado de palomas y el sol rodando cuesta abajo a la hora de cenar en un truco de magia al que acabarás entregándote.

Segovia es una fortuna, y cada uno de sus instantes una victoria. Yo vivo en Madrid, pero a veces entre clases paso la noche allí, y es entonces cuando envío fotos a mis amigos, cenando a los pies de la Plaza Mayor una noche de otoño cualquiera. Ellos se llevan las manos a la cabeza, lastimosos, mientras se acuclillan sollozando: “el cochinillo, el cordero, y el ponche… ¡Y los judiones!”. Tardan después varias horas en actualizar su WhatsApp, tantas que alguna vez pensé que iba a tener compañía, pues los imaginaba ya descamisados corriendo a por el AVE.

Segovia es envidia y capricho de tantos, y no solo por sus manjares. Una ciudad vieja, tierra de bardos ahora sembrada de estudiantes sin carpeta, a donde hice yo mi primer viaje con B, paseando de la mano primero bajo el sol y después en una noche que era quedarse en septiembre para siempre. “Los cobardes, sabes, no escriben libros ni se llevan a las mujeres de verdad”, le decía yo entonces con certeza de estrella de rock y más pelo que nunca. Ahora c a m i n o p o r Segovia hasta que me sumerjo en la oscuridad y me voy a dormir en sus noches sin a s p av i e n t o s , a veces tan frías que apenas se aprecia lo coqueto y lo Ralph Lauren del desembarco IE. Siempre es invierno, aunque sea primavera, y la luz es una última mirada terminando en un cielo de hormigón salvaje.

En mis noches de Segovia mañana siempre hay clase y la luna nunca es la de agosto, pero qué desnudo y limpio amanece cada día y qué suave es la noche cuando ya se ha desperezado. Me siento con P a la mesa de José María, una botella de Pago, y a veces otra, y el convencimiento de que allí en Madrid todo son prisas entre gente más pendiente de aparentar ser feliz que de serlo. Acaso allí seamos lo que decidimos ser, pero aquí somos lo que somos.

Pasa el tiempo y pasamos nosotros, y ya casi todo es pasado. Al final no se extrañan las ciudades grandes ni la magia de los momentos estelares, que siempre vuelven, sino el suave calor de los amigos y el recuerdo que seremos. Son esas cosas las que no se olvidan. Es en esas noches suaves cuando los sueños quedan tan cerca que nadie desea despertar lejos.

"Acaso allí seamos lo que decidimos ser, pero aquí somos lo

que somos."

Now find us online! Search ‘El Independiente’ at issuu.com

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: ETHNIC CLEANSING AND SECTARIAN KILLINGS.

Muslim civilians in western part of Central African Republic are being mass murdered by anti-balaka militias, Christian militias formed after the rise to power of Michael Djotodia, the leader of the muslim coalition known as Séléka. This is causing a massive exodus of the Muslim minority as international forces are allowing anti-balaka militias to take control of every town and village. Amnesty International denounces the little international response to the massacre.

WAVIER JET STREAM 'MAY DRIVE WEATHER SHIFT'

New research suggests that the main system that helps determine the weather over Northern Europe and North America may be changing.The observation could be as a result of the recent warming of the Arctic. The jet stream, as its name suggests, is a high-speed air current in the atmosphere that brings with it the weather. It is fuelled partly by the temperature differential between the Arctic and the mid-latitudes.

WORLD FIRST: BELGIUM TO ALLOW CHILD EUTHANASIA

Belgium has become the first country in the world to allow euthanasia for any age group, after its parliament backed amendments to the existing law which would in very rare cases permit doctors to help end the life of a terminally ill child.

UPCOMING LIE DETECTOR TO TEST SOCIAL MEDIA RUMOURS

The system in real time, will analyse whether a posting online is true. It’s aim is to aid organisations, including governments and emergency services, to respond more effectively to disasters and events. It will also identify whether social media accounts have been created just to spread false information.

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THE BLISS OF STINGING EYES• • •

Tudor Etchells

The bliss of stinging eyes,As the crystal light pierce,The haze whilst we strive.

All the while, the skin is parched,From the expression it has etched upon it. The faces of others burn an impression,On the retina of our dreams.

Onward, onward, paths await.We follow regardlessOf the kiss,And it’s that burn of those faces,We see to feed,We see to touch,We see to compel.

No matter, it is us,Either side of 4:30am,Either side of reality.

We are not holders,For witnessing a greed of another kind We drop, pick up,Stumble, donate. Of what possession?

The cuts in the crooks of my hand, a story.

Days, evenings, rooms, light, light, light.

A season of hours,Forage for those hours,In every corner, in every minute.

In search, we confuse conscience, but never concepts,Apparently with an aim.

At last we stand up,At last we observe,At last we grow.But only then we accomplish

Although we aren’t holders we seek company,For it is only in this addiction alternatives occur. In search of the next thrill,To keep our eyes burning.

IEU HUMANITIES DISCUSSION SERIES

• • •

Rolf Strom-Olsen

For decades now, the role of the Humanities in higher education has b e e n s t e a d i l y diminishing. Once a mainstay of university studies that was seen as an entry into the labour market, especially at elite institutions, the h u m a n i t i e s h a s s u f fe r e d f r o m a n extraordinary decline in interest amongst university undergraduate students. Today, less than 10% of university students select a humanities undergraduate major. As students have embraced a functionalist approach to their education, universities have responded in kind.  

Our institution - IE University -   is no exception to this trend. Not only do we have no degree track in the humanities, IE students do not have the possibility to take humanities courses as electives. Along with millions of your peers in other institutions the world over, many IE students will graduate without any classes in the humanities, save a single mandatory first year 6-credit class. That means no literature, no art history, no linguistics, no cultural studies, no philosophy, no theatre, no music, no history, no sociology, anthropology, or classics. As a result, huge swaths of the human experience remain hidden from view, structurally inaccessible as a result of a curricular focus that has t r o u b l e s t r ay i n g b e y o n d a s t r i c t functionalism when it comes to offering students courses in fulfillment of their degree.  

What happens when we pull down the blinds on so much of the cultural knowledge that surrounds us? What kinds of outcomes. personal and professional, await us as a result of this development? What are the consequences for students who can take a class about Facebook and not on the First World War? What, in short, does all this look like? And is this really what we want? 

Rolf’s discussion on “The Meaning of Humanities Leaning in a University Education"will happen in Room 142,

19:15, 27 February.

DEADLINES• • •

Beate Ancevska

Don’t you just love deadlines? As Douglas Adams has said: ”I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by”. And afterwards we come to the realisation

that there might be some consequences. Deadline passing doesn’t actually have a sound; it is more of a guideline that keeps our lives moving towards something. The time that matters is spent between deadlines. And because our lives are filled with them, we have no shortage of beautiful moments between them.

The word “deadline” itself has a negative connotation, partly because it contains the word, “dead”. Deadlines are procrastinators’ worst nightmare. But they also force us to get organised, to spend our time productively and wisely. They make us recognise the importance of time and how it is spent.

As a university student I can’t complain about lack of deadlines in my life. And, considering myself of the creative kind, I find it hard to meet them all. I like to find the time that is most convenient for me instead of following a schedule of dates. Nevertheless, I often impose new deadlines on myself, one of the main ones being the time I go to sleep. It is the time when I choose to turn off my brain and leave everything else.

There are many more of these self-imposed deadlines in our lives. From the time we are small children until the time we grow up, we follow some guideline or other. Babies are supposed to start walking when they are between 11 and 15 months old. Kids are supposed to start school between the ages 6 and 8. And we are supposed to become fully responsible of our actions at the age of 18. I could mention many more such examples, but the point is that we are expected to do things before a certain time in our lives. And no matter how much (sometimes) we would like to push time a little back, it is usually not going to work that way.

There is a time limit to every activity. Sometimes we know how long we’ve got and sometimes we don’t. But, as I mentioned before, the time between is what is important. The way we spend our time is our own decision, and we have a lot of it to be effective, satisfied, happy and free. I googled “how to spend time effectively” and got many articles with lists of actions, but they all suggested setting some kind of deadline. There should be time limits – a set date on which an action must be taken, because taking action is often the hardest thing to do. But, no matter how hard it might seem, it must be done. Because the question is - what will we have done before the final deadline comes?

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COMMONSENSICAL COUNSELLING• • •

Esme Alexander

The term therapy, psychologist or counselor may lead you to wonder what it is about psychological support that people are fearful of? Is it perhaps the vague suggestion that to be or to feel in need of some professional guidance appears to cast a negative light on an individual’s mental ¨balance¨? For all those students who have taken the time to pick up and read this magazine, a proportion will have experienced a point during their university years in which they suffered due to personal stress (to say the very least!).

As a student of Psychology here at IE and on behalf of our whole bachelor’s class; I know I’m not the only one who has been approached by a fellow student who had a query or concern and had no one else to go to. Acting as a consultant is no easy feat when you are still yourself in the process of learning in order to obtain a degree (yes, it is good experience, I admit, but we are not ready for it!) Obviously one does one’s best to help, with integrity, anonymity and responsibility. The fact of the matter is, however, that there should be a professional available to help, which is the common practice at most other universities.

IE is comprised of an international student body; many of us have had little experience living alone or abroad, and having to thus take self- initiative for the first time. This ultimately requires keen organization and discipline, as ¨transgression¨ is always going to be a distraction! We should all agree that IE preaches a code of facilitating a vigorous educational environment, one in which students are encouraged to embrace opportunities for future professional excellence. To reach their full potential, it would seem intuitive to also support students’ more personal and fundamental needs, which in turn would foster more balanced and focused entrepreneurs. In a society where stress and pressure are

part of living, it should be in the university’s best interests to provide students with the tools necessary to remain buoyant in an otherwise unpredictable world.

University counseling services in both the UK and in the United States all provide easy access to help in order to solve common emotional and psychological problems encountered amongst students. In fact the number of UK university students seeking counseling has risen 33% since 2010. Thus can be seen a movement towards cultivating a more pastoral environment within universities. Internationally, it would appear that there is increased awareness of the services and support that should be implemented.

We should all remind ourselves that today is the tomorrow that one worried about yesterday, and that learning through personal experience is uniquely precious. Ultimately it’s the changes and barriers that we encounter that teach us to move on in the future.

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IEU LAW SOCIETY INAUGURATION PARTY• • •

Maria Valls

The IE Law Society was inaugurated last February 7th at María de Molina in Madrid. Several people from the law sphere attended the inauguration party and chatted for a while during the cocktail, which was organised for the rest of the evening.

Esmeé Leyland and Marta Otogalli, founders and coordinators, did the honours of presenting the society, whose main aim is to connect law students, both from Segovia and Madrid, so that it will become much easier to work together and chat about law issues that matter to them. ‘Networking’ was the buzzword of the

evening. Special emphasis was put on this expression by every single spokesperson at the beginning of the gathering because “Just by meeting someone new you can start a great relationship or even a potential partnership,” clarified Esmeé Leyland.

LLB Director, Soledad Atienza, expressed IE’s support for this initiative as did Justin Swinski, associate director of the LLM Programmes at IEU, who is currently collaborating with LLM students. Among those present at the gala were undergraduate students from Madrid and Segovia, MBA students, and IE professors who were also interested in this newly formed society.

As short-term goals the IE Law Society is planning to organise seminars and create competitions for anyone interested in participating and learning more about legal issues. Such events are open not only to law students but to everyone. “It is a very nice initiative as we get to interact with each other through the seminars because like that we have more practical knowledge,” said Michele Meier, one of the attending students “I hope that they will teach us something that we can use in practice”.

Leyland gave some hints about the society’s long-term aims: charity events, opportunities abroad and internships, among other initiatives, were mentioned.

So far, the society has organised a mock trial, which took place last Monday. IE students from both Segovia and Madrid got to participate.

IE Law Society is primarily sponsored by Clifford Chance, a multinational law firm. Also they are in the process of opening a future partnership with Uría Menéndez, one of the most prestigious independent law firms in the Iberian market. At the inauguration ceremony, Pablo González-Espejo, one of Uría Menéndez’s speakers, stated, “It is a very exciting initiative, very pioneer in Spain. There is nothing like this. So I think it will be a great success,” and that “We have been invited to join and we are considering that internally and so I hope shortly we are confirming that we are joining the project”.

IE Law Society will be continuing to help students in any legal and curricular matter that they are concerned with. Leyland clarified that “IE University does not help apart from the funding of the events. So it is all of us doing this”.

https://www.facebook.com/IElawsocPhoto of the week.Clara Bütow(Barcelona)

1. THE VACCINES- Wrecking Bar, I Wish I Was Girl and Norgaard

2. SHAD- Rock To It

3. THE VIRGINS- One Week of Danger

4. THE SMITHS- Death of a Disco Dancer

5. The National- Racing Like A Pro

6. IRON AND WINE- Naked as we came

7. FRANZ Ferdinand- What She Came For

8. BON IVER- Blindsided, Skinny Love or I Cant Make You Love Me

9. BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB- Leaving Blues

10. BELLE AND SEBASTIAN- Piazza, New York Catcher

11. THE VELVET UNDERGROUND- Sunday Morning or Heroine

12. TOM WAITS- A Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis.

Cécile’s Playlist

The founders and guest speakers capture the audience’s attention.

LIFE IN A PAGE• • •

Maria Emilia Mancero

For many years I saw that many people had a diary and that they were faithful to it and to the practice of writing in it

every day. I always thought to myself, “why is there the need to have a diary if people are already experiencing their own life”. I tried to keep a diary a couple of times and tried to continue the routine of writing entry after entry, but I couldn’t see the point until yesterday.

Lately I have been experiencing new things that are shaping the person I’m becoming. Of course this can happen at any age, but I think that now, these things are having particularly powerful effects, both positive and negative.

I am quite a reserved and shy person when it comes to talking to people about my life. For this reason emotions were piling up within me. This was not good. At a point, I had to confide in my roommate. I had to tell someone all that was happening to me. Because I’m usually reserved, I felt scared of overwhelming her with all my problems. However, she was very understanding of what was happening and gave me the best advice ever: to write a diary.

You might ask yourself why I think this was the best advice ever if previously I told you I did not see the point in keeping diaries. But yesterday, my roommate helped me understand that at this point in my life I am experiencing moments which I am enjoying and feeling to the fullest. Therefore, writing a record is useful because this deserves to be remembered forever.

So yesterday, when I wrote my first entry, I could finally fill in not only one page but five. I had so much going on that so many things fit into those pages – some things I want to remember and other things I’d rather let go, even though I know I will laugh about them in a few years. After writing about my life I felt so much better about myself, and I realised that this practice is a good way to relieve oneself of worries and to synthesise all that is going on in one’s life so as to understand it better.

For this reason, if you are going through fascinating or horrible moments in life, I would advise you to write. Writing allows you to order your thoughts so that you can understand better what is going on and feel better about it. You will feel great after putting it all on the page!

IEU PSYCHOLOGY CLUB• • •

E v e r w o n d e r e d w h a t psychology has to say?

Did you know that we tend to believe, erroneously, that other people are more easily influenced than we ourselves are? Or that large groups of people generally make poorer and more emotional decisions compared to small groups? And that people are biased towards blaming other people rather than the situation when something bad happens?

T h e s e a r e some of the t h i n g s t o w h i c h fi n d i n g s f r o m t h e fi e l d o f psychology have opened o u r e y e s . Psychology, as a discipline, aims to understand people and why they think, feel, and behave the way that they do. We, the students of psychology at IE University, have been enthusiastically dedicating ourselves to learning more about what is going on in our own mind and in those of the people around us. More than this, though, we also want to share with our fellow students the information and ideas that psychology has to offer to all of us. Psychology is a science that is pervasive and practical

for people from all walks of life.

For this reason, we would like to extend a warm invitation to all of you to our first annual IEU psychology conference that will be taking place on the 3rd and 4th of April, 2014. Throughout this initial and unique experience, we will be hearing from professors, researchers, and acclaimed businessmen from many fields in which psychology can be applied. Amongst these, you

may find CEOs of international c o m p a n i e s , centred both i n s i d e a n d o u t s i d e o f S p a i n , p r o f e s s o r s coming from both Europe and the United

States, and, furthermore, professionals focused on s t r a t e g i e s d e a l i n g w i t h optimal decision-making and persuasion skills for business and communication purposes. The students of psychology would like to extend their hands and invite all of you to join us in what promises to be a rich experience, dedicated to y o u r p e r s o n a l a n d professional aspirations.For

more information, please find us on Facebook:https://

w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m /ieupsychologyclub

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“I had to tell someone all that was happening to me”

STUDENT CLUBS ANNOUNCEMENTS• • •

• IEU Humanities Discussion Series Rolf Strom - Olsen 27th February

• Zumba Thursdays, Student Hub, 19:30, €3, by IEU Dance Club

• Yoga - Every Wednesday, 19:15 Student Hub• Pilates - Every Tuesday 19:30 Student Hub•IEU Segovia Football Team (https://www.facebook.com/

IEUFootballTeam)• Thursday February 27 "Alceste" in Teatro Real de Madrid• Planetarium visit in Madrid on March 3rd • “The Versailles of Spain” visit in Segovia on March 7th

STUPID AND ARROGANT – SOCHI

• • •

Sai AgnihotramIt is contested that Russian official’s have embezzled around 6.5 billion in the production of the Sochi Olympics and by virtue of doing so have failed t o : d e l i v e r t h e n e c e s s a r y infrastructure and organisation required to uphold an event as grandiose as the Sochi Olympics. This has been portrayed by the most questionable means of social media presence. I am to contest that this adds little to no validity to ones arguments. More so twitter, instagram, and a twisted sense of humour derived from presenting inaccurate information is hardly a great feat of journalism or rather a valid inference of what is going on with regards to the Sochi Olympics. The sad and shameful part is that we all scrolled through Facebook looking at the ‘construction sites’ of Sochi laughed and commented on false prejudices and stereotypes that were in fact hoaxes – images from the Croatian Habitat for Humanities. We know little to nothing about the world and the media isn’t far too helpful with making the situation any better.

A couple of days ago my editor asked me to write a small coverage piece about what is really going on in Sochi. So, I’ve spent about 3 hours trying to write a somewhat witty

response that shows what is true – that accurately describes what is blatantly an effort of degenerates who still believe that we still live in the period of cold war.

I’m afraid, however, that I am not in a position to make a valid (objective?) statement, both because I am a Russian National and because I’m a former athlete of the Olympic reserve. So, dear reader, my overly verbose opinion will not be published. What will be published, however, is a Facebook status of one of my f r i e n d s t h a t p e r h a p s represents the situation in the best light.

“Sochi Olympics. As many of you already know, I’m here with my grandfather, one who has attended seven different Olympics as a coach for the Finnish cross-country ski team and they won Olympic gold four times. Yesterday we were at the opening ceremony. I have one word to say: outstanding. Russia organised such an event that no-one has ever done before. My grandpa said that he has never seen such a spectacular show, and this guy has seen seven openings of different Olympics around the world.

To use the wise words of my grandpa: ‘”Olympics are not an event for politicians to shine, they are not the place for the discussion of human rights, gay rights or equality. Olympics are an event for the athletes who have come there to compete.’I don’t want to read a single status about Sochi being s**t, poorly developed or any of that other crap that I keep seeing online. Yes, I agree that Russia may not be perfect, or Sochi may not be completely finished according to cer tain peoples ’ standards. But who the f** cares? This is the Olympics, we have gathered here to support our people

and raise the spirit of our country. Russia certainly has that f*****g spirit.

Let me tell you what happened yesterday. Yesterday after the opening ceremony we were going back to our hotel by bus and two girls about my age started singing the N a t i o n a l A n t h e m o f R u s s i a . Everyone, including myself joined them. The feeling of belonging somewhere and being part of something here is so strong. I am not originally from Russia, but I have my roots here from my grandpas side. I burst out in tears as we were singing, because at that moment I realised what an amazing country I have been raised in. I am extremely glad about that.

So please, stop paying attention to small details and look at the big picture if you’re here. Look at the people around you, not at the unfinished house next to your hotel. I love Russia.” (Mette Kuutsa)

SOCHI 2014

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Caytenna Ramos

1.

2.

3.

4.5.6.

RA

NK

7.

8.

9.

10.

NOR

GER

NED

SUI

RUS

CAN

USA

AUT

FRA

BLR

4 4 7

4 8 5

5 0 16 3 2

8 6 58 7 99 7 1210 10 5

11 10

11

5

913

WINTER OLYMPICS MEDAL COUNT