Townshend Times

townshend | times ::edition V ‘03::

::editorial::

::2::

Greetings dear friends, We are very thankful for the warm and sincere welcome we have received from everyone here at T.I.S. Even though we have been living here for less than two months our hearts are already deeply connected to this dynamic community. We were asked to write this editorial and give our first impressions of T.I.S. Our hope is that what we share with you here may reconfirm how fortunate we all are to be involved in such a great project. Our present impression is inspired by the school’s modest beginnings. We understand the story of the birth of this school to be founded on the sincere love of children and a desire to serve mankind. It is a story of great courage, sacrifice and love. Every staff and student who passes through the doors of T.I.S. should recognize that they are a part of this ongoing process. We see many venues to learn from each other. We find the Discussion Groups to be an exciting opportunity to exchange ideas and to gain knowledge. We also see this happening on an informal basis due to the fact that T.I.S. is a community made up of diverse cultures in which it is inevitable that we gain gems of wisdom from those around us. We are certain that the future of this project depends on what each of us contributes today. Let’s strive for excellence, let’s strive for unity and let’s strive to “form lasting spiritual bonds” with one another. Kumba & Dawn Lwakila

townshend | times::edition V ‘03::

::index::

::3::

p.::02:: - editorial ::::::::::::::::p.::03:: - index :::::::::::::::::::::p.::04:: - rotary club :::::::::::::p.::05:: - rotary club pictures :p.::06:: - youth conference ::::p.::07:: - a short story by kian :::p.::08:: - the myth of college :p.::09:: - poems by effi :::::::::p.::10:: - characterisation ::::::p.::11:: - students interview ::p.::12:: - teacher’s profile :::::p.::13:: - bible-story :::::::::::::p.::14:: - ski trip :::::::::::::::::::p.::15:: - world news ::::::::::::p.::16:: - world news ::::::::::::

p.::17:: - project week ::::::::::p.::18:: - project week ::::::::::p.::19:: - speech of marthin luther king jr:p.::20:: - sports review :::::::::p.::21:: - impressum :::::::::::::

townshend | times ::edition V ‘03::::4::

On Saturday, the first of

February, the annual ball of the

Rotary club took place. It was

held in its usual place, the

Metropol in Ceske Budejovice.

Like previous years, many

students took the opportunity

and were a part of this big

event.

At 19.45 the students arrived in

the Metropol, all dressed up and

with there partners. But they

had to wait for half an hour until

they could hit the dance floor,

because of the introductory

part. Slowly one after another

the couples began to dance. The

students, who didn’t have

partners, also got the

opportunity to dance with other

students.

In the first half of the program,

most students more or less tried

to improvise the steps.

But after the first half, the

classical band that had been

playing was replaced with a jazz

band. From that point on

nobody wanted to miss a

moment on the dance floor.

Some of the girls even had to

take their shoes off. In between

a buffet was served.

Later in the evening dance

groups performed dances such

as Tango, and Brazilian and

Mexican National dances.

For the rest of the evening,

people enjoyed themselves by

chatting, dancing and

socializing.

All together it was a great

evening that no one should have

missed. So for all you guys that

didn’t come, make sure you

come next year...

::rotary club::

townshend | times::edition V ‘03:: ::5::

::rotary club pictures::


C h a n g i n g T i m e s International Youth Conference

December 26th - January 1st, at the Townshend International School "What a time it is we are living in! A time when the world is encountering tribulations upon tribulations. A time when the world "is moving through a period of social paralysis, tyranny and anarchy, a period marked by the widespread neglect of both governmental and personal responsibility…" And yet, a time when "the vast network of agencies and individuals that promote understanding and cooperation among diverse peoples affirms ever more powerfully the growing recognition that the 'earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens'". With these words we were welcomed by the Changing Times Organizing Team to experience a conference devoted to furthering the understanding of the real condition of humanity, and to make us aware of the responsibility each and every one of us should take to transform society. Around 160 participants were accommodated in our two dorms, and spent six exciting days on our campus. People came from all around the globe to take part in this extremely well coordinated seminar (in the seminar room… haha). Excellent speakers from the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Ireland, and Mexico guided us through the daily program, which started in the mornings around nine o'clock

after the typical Townshend breakfast. A two hour lunch break separated the morning from the afternoon program. In the late afternoon we were free to choose from the variety of workshops which were offered, such as 'Career Management Strategies', 'What personality type are you?', 'Learning to learn', 'Marriage from the Bahá'í point of view', and many more. After our lovingly prepared dinner á la Townshend Cuisine (which no one ever complained about… hint) the fun continued with our evening program. The social highlight of the conference was definitely our Cabana Café, which was packed every evening until early in the mornings. Playing cards, 'pigging out', and enjoying the live music offered by some of our more creative participants were what everyone looked forward to all day, and it gave us the chance to get to know each other better. All in all it was a wonderful experience and you missed it. But that's okay because you can ask Mr. Alkan or us about the details. It was definitely worth staying here, getting to know so many people from all around the world and also being able to learn about our responsibility in these changing times.

::youth conference::


Heroes – an epiphany The pain struck through his chest, like thousands of little stinging needles, the bullet went right through the liver and caused his bile juice to block his lungs like a film of thick oil covering the surface of a tube (...). (…)But, before that, he could still just see this –the very man who’s girlfriend he married long time ago, sinking down unto him, with a 9 mm hole in his chest. The gunman closed his eyes and in his inner self he saw a world in which war was just a fairy tale and men were still men. But this thought was immediately replaced by the strong inner agony of the world he was living in. … it was white all around. Voices, first very distant, then approaching. Shadows touched into the white, and still all visible contours were blurry. Was this real? Where was he? Who was he? “… OPEN your eyes Thomas, open your eyes…” A dark grey shadow appeared close to his face. He opened his eyes. What a weird dream? The dark grey shadow did not seem to make any approach to clarity. ”… WAKE UP Thomas!!!”, he heard the voice speaking more clearly now. He was still blinded by the light stinging into his eyes, and he could literally feel how his pupillas reduced to tiny little dots in white that was turning more and more into a pinkish kind of red and made his retinas burn like hot steel on skin. But why did it not hurt him? Not a single tear dropped out of his eye. It was dry, like his tongue. So he was Thomas. But where was he and how did he get here. He tried to open up his memory and burrow through it as if it was his old deskdrawer, but all he felt was the emptyness within, like nothing he had ever felt before. No one can ever tell you what nothingness is, but in that very moment a man called Thomas,

surrounded by nuances of colors and voices he could somehow understand, knew what it meant and what it had meant all these years of his life, or was it only days? He couldn’t tell. The confusing thing about nothingness, he felt, was that he had no sorrows, no worries, no pain, nothing that he was reaching for, as he had reached for all his life. ”Hello???….”, he made an approach to clearify his existence, but all that came out was a gurgelling sound that reminded him of the boot-camp toilets, that were constantly jammed because no one ever made an effort to flush them. And there it was. His first memory. – He couldn’t remember how old he was – but the only thing he remembered was the gurgelling sound of a toilet? ”Don’t speak…”, said the soft lovely voice above him. The language this voice was speaking sounded like nothing he had ever heard before, just like warm rain falling upon him, drying him at the same time, but, miracleously he understood. He wanted to shiver, but all he felt was warmth covering him like a blanket; he wanted to try to remember when he last felt like he did now and, after a second of eternity, one word filled his mind like a vision of his inner self. Love. Only love had made him feel like that. Not nearly as intensive as it did now, but that very moment when Jeannet Bankston took his hand for the first time and gave him a kiss on the ckeek, he had a feeling that resembled the one he felt right now, through and through, like a warm shiver running down his spine, like pure light through a class-fibre, warming him from inside. …. and then he knew where he was.

::short story::


The Myth of College Many of you young persons out there are seriously thinking about going to college. (That is, of course, a lie. The only things you young persons think seriously about are loud music and sex. Trust me: these are closely related to college.) College is basically a bunch of rooms where you sit for roughly two thousand hours and try to memorize things. The two thousand hours are spread out over four years; you spend the rest of the time sleeping and trying to get dates. Basically, you learn two kinds of things in college: • Things you need to know later in life (2 hours). These include how to make collect telephone calls and get beer and crepe-paper stains out of your pajamas. • Things you will not need to know in later life (1,998 hours). These are the things you learn in classes whose names end in "-ology", "-osophy", "-isty", "-ics", and so on. The idea is you memorize these things, then write them down in little exam books, then forget them. If you fail to forget them, you become a professor and have to stay in college for the rest of your life. It's very difficult to forget everything. For example, when I was in college, I had to memorize—don't ask me why—the names of the metaphysical poets other than John Donne. I have managed to forget one of them, but I still remember the two others. Vaughan and Crashaw. Sometimes, when I'm trying to remember something important, like whether my wife told me to get tuna packed in oil or tuna packed in water, Vaughan and Crashaw just pop up in my mind, right there in the supermarket. It's a terrible waste of brain cells. After you've been in college for a year or so, you're supposed to choose a major, which is the subject you intend to memorize and forget the most things about. Here is a very important piece of advice: be sure to choose a major that does not involve Known Facts and Right Answers. This means that you must not major in mathematics, physics, biology, or chemistry, because these subjects involve actual facts. If, for example, you major in mathematics, you're going to wander into class one day and the professor will say: "Define the cosine integer of the quadrant of the rhomboid binary axis, and extrapolate your result to five significant vertices." If you don't come up with exactly the answer the professor has in mind, you fail. The same is true of chemistry: if you write in your exam book that carbon and hydrogen combine to form oak, your professor will flunk you. He wants you to come up with the same answer he and all the other chemists have agreed on. Scientists are extremely snotty about this.

So you should major in subjects like English, philosophy, psychology, and sociology—subjects in which nobody really understands what anybody else is talking about, and which involve virtually no facts. I attended classes in all these subjects, so I'll give you a quick overview of each: English. This involves writing papers about long books you have read little snippets of just before class. Here is a tip on how to get good grades on your English papers: never say anything about a book that anybody with any common sense would say. For example, suppose you are studying Moby Dick. Anybody with any common sense would say that Moby Dick is a big white whale, since the characters in the book refer to it as a big white whale roughly eleven thousand times. So, in your paper, you say Moby Dick is actually the Republic of Ireland. Your professor, who is sick to death of reading papers and never liked Moby Dick anyway, will think you are enormously creative. If you can regularly come up with lunatic interpretations of simple stories, you should major in English. Philosophy. Basically, this involves sitting in a room and deciding there is no such thing as reality and then going to lunch. You should major in philosophy if you plan to take a lot of drugs. Psychology. This involves talking about rats and dreams. Psychologists are obsessed with rats and dreams. I once spent an entire semester training a rat to punch little buttons in a certain sequence, then training my roommate to do the same thing. The rat learned much faster. My roommate is now a doctor. If you like rats or dreams, and above all if you dream about rats, you should major in psychology. Sociology. For sheer lack of intelligibility, sociology is far and away the number one subject. I sat through hours of sociology courses, and read gobs of sociology writing, and I never once heard or read a coherent statement. This is because sociologists want to be considered scientists, so they spend most of their time translating simple, obvious observations into scientific-sounding code. If you plan to major in sociology, you'll have to learn to do the same thing. For example, suppose you have observed that children cry when they fall down. You should write: "Methodological observation of the sociometrical behavior tendencies to prematurated isolates indicates that a causal relationship exists between groundward tropism and lachrimatory, or “crying” behavior forms." If you can keep this up for fifty or sixty pages, you will get a large government grant.

::8::

::the myth of college::


::poems by effi::

Despair

I’m sitting here alone,And think about what I’ve done wrong.

Was it something I said?Did I ignore you?

Just because I don’t talk to you,Doesn’t mean I don’t care!

I’m starting to cry,And my despair becomes stronger.

I collapse onto the floor,But I don’t even feel the crash,

Only the pain as my heart rips apart.

-EDEffi Dimitriou

Thoughts of a 17 years old girl

My eyes fill with tearsAs I wonder if I have done anything wrong.

Was it something I said?Can’t I have a different opinion than others?

Everything you do, everything you sayIs thrown back at you,

And as soon as you think it’s overIt all starts from the beginning again.

I collapse onto the floor,But I don’t feel the crash,

Only the pain as my heart rips apart.As the tears run down my face,

I pull myself together.A gleam of strength has returned to my heart.

-EDEffi Dimitriou


::characterisation::

He was a young and successful

man just grown out of his

childhood. He never had grades

that were equal to his possibilities

considering his intelligence and

skills, but his success was based on

his true love for creative work. He

wasn’t a giant. Never had he been

one. Just about to reach the 6 feet

mark when his pysical growth

stopped. This was the moment

when he realised that he would

never be able to reach a level of

physical greatness and strength,

but his spirit and his always

questioning mind would be the key

to his success. Already at a young

age he started taking responsibility

for himself and others. Trying to

look at people’s hearts, not at their

reflecting self-image, at their spirit,

not at their wallet, at their deeds

not their words. Humbleness at

some stage had been a problem for

him, but as he developed he

realised his utter nothingness as his

part in the universe. His clear

shaped face, his clear eyes and the

little mouth never showed the same

expression twice. He was an actor

through and through and hiding his

feelings had never been his

intention. Open-minded, he walked

through the world, trying to ignore

its norms and gaining knowledge

wherever he could. He wasn’t a

rebel. He just tried to change the

changeable. Accept the

unchangeable, change the

changeable and distinguish the one

from the other. That was the goal

his was reaching for. Laughing gave

him power, crying consciousness

and his inner being had always

been hidden to the ones that

emphazised wordly favours, and his

true passion and love could only be

found by those who saw with their

hearts, not with their eyes or the

eyes of others. He judged only if

necessary, and hate was never

present in his heart for longer than

a blink of his eye. And overall he

never forgot to love. Love life, love

God and love those true friends

that never saw him as anything

else than he truly was. The ones

who judged his deeds, not his

appearance.

- -

townshend | times::edition V ‘03::::11::

Interview with the Spanish Twins. (1) (2) Name: Carolina Daemi, Patricia Daemi Date of Birth: 15/4/87 (5 min. older)/ same Why did you come to tis: Just because I knew the place/ Because of the Bahai atmosphere Regret it: A….No/ No Best, first impression of teacher: They’re all great/ Mr. Hopper Favourite kind of Music: R/B + Hip Hop/ Rap How long do you take in the shower: 30 min/ 45 min Background: ½ Spanish, ½ Persian, lived in Ireland for 9 years, same Why are you in L3 and 15: Truthfully…I don’t know/ cuz I skipped a year Did you ever go to a psychologist and why: NO!!!/ Once all my animals (13) died in a Week and my parents thought I killed them What do you think of your sis: I think she’s a very nice and sweet girl and just my twin/ Nice honest and friendly. Whats the longest time you have been apart: 1 week , when we went for holidays, I went to Madrid and Patricia to Valencia. Do you like Döner1: Do I like what??? / Do I like HUH… Do you consider dress code to be stylish: Apart from the pants yea/ NO!!!! Have you ever killed an animal and why: By accident… I put a hamster in front of a cat because I thought it wouldn’t eat it/ ha-ha I stepped on a squirrel How much make up do you have and how much do you use: Don’t wear any make up I swear / two baskets but I use blush mascara and lip balm What annoys you the most about your sis: That she takes an hour to straighten her hair (occupies the bathroom for too long) / too organized and too perfect.

1 Kebap, turkish style

::students interview::


::teacher’s profile:: Name: Jorge Cortés Date of Birth: Sometime in the second half of the 20th century Favourite Food: Knedlícky, suppose, but with something else of course Did you ever go to a psychologist and why:

hm…..yes…. I think everyone should go at one point or another. Its like going to the dentist.

Did you ever kill an animal and why:

m….. I’ve killed animals, yes. A fly that wouldn’t let me study.

How long do you take in the shower:

7-10 min Why did you decide to become a teacher:

By chance actually, I discovered that I enjoyed it. Do you regret becoming a teacher:

Not yet What class do you find most challenging:

No comment What was your favourite subject in school:

The break Do you have fond memories of your childhood:

No comment What countries do you find most fascinating and why: Norway and Iceland, because of the Northern Lights. What do you think about Dress Code: I’m glad I don’t have to wear it, Although I actually do on most days. I think it would be nice for the students to

be able to wear shorts in summer.


::bible-story::

Then Jesus took his disciples up to the mountain and gathering them

around him, he taught them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.

Blessed are the meek.

Blessed are they that mourn.

Blessed are the merciful.

Blessed are they that thirst for justice.

Blessed are you when persecuted.

Blessed are you when you suffer.

Be glad and rejoice for your reward is great in heaven."

Then Peter said, "Are we supposed to know this?"

And Andrew said, "Do we have to write this down?"

And James said, "Will we have a test on this?"

And Phillip said, "I don't have any paper."

And Bartholomew said, "Do we have to turn this in?"

And John said, "The other disciples don't have to learn this."

And Mathew said, "May I go to the bathroom?"

Then one of the Pharisees who was present asked to see Jesus' lesson

plan and inquired of Jesus, "Where is your set induction and your

objectives in the cognitive domain?"

And Jesus wept.


::ski trip::

Leve l 1 Sk i-Trip

It was ea r l y Sa tu rday morn ing ,

darkness cover ing the ent i re body

o f oxygen wh i ch we ca l l… a ir.

Anyways , we go t i n to the bus and

drove a round fo r 7 hours to

somewhere e l se . I was to ld tha t i t

was somewhe re nea r t he po l ish

border . On the f i r s t day we d id

noth ing but ge t t ing used to our

accom m odat i on wh i ch was a hu t

on the h ighes t moun ta in i n Czech

Repub l i c (we on ly found ou t on

the las t day) , wh ich had jus t been

renovated a year ago . I t was

ext rem e ly m o d e r n w i th constant

wa rm w a te r and even ou r own

k i t chen . The two s l opes wh i ch we

used were d i rec t ly runn ing next to

the hut , a l though we were in the

m idd le o f nowhere . For the m e a ls

we had t o wa lk to a nearby hut

w h i ch was on ly 200 mete r s away .

Then on t he se cond day we

s tar ted sk i ing wh ich bas ical ly

depends on how you de f ine

sk i ing. We were separa ted i n to 3

g roups : Beg inners, Interm e d iate

and Advanced and o f cou rse the

g roup fo r snowboarders . The

Inst ructors were Vrata for the

beg inners , Ondre j fo r

Interm e d ia te and Mr . Tay lo r as a

superv isor f o r the snowboarders .

N o w . Us th i rd -day -bu t-neve r-

before -sk ie rs and everyone e l se

were sent to the b igges t n igh t-

sk i ing s lope in Czech Repub l i c

w h ich was 1.2 k i lom eters long.

W e l l a l l of us m a d e i t to the

bot tom but most w i th d i f f i cu l ty or

w i th broken arm s : ) Then on the

four th day we had a t r ip to the

top o f the b iggest moun t a in in

Czech Repub l i c ( a round 1600m)

where we l i ved on . I t was g rea t

f un and we en joyed an ex t rem ely

beaut i fu l v iew f rom the top . On

the l as t day everyone had a

s la lom sk i ing com p e tition . On the

day o f our depar tu re we sk ied

down 3 km to the c i t y where the

bus wou ld p i ck us up . W e had a

rea l ly n ice snowbal l f ight w i th

some o t he r unknown peop le and

o thers who d idn ’ t rea l l y want to

be invo lved in i t . Th is was our

Leve l 1 Sk i t r ip . Thank you to al l

the superv isors and ins t ructors for

ins t ruct ing and superv is ing us .


::world news::

AIDS in Africa creating Orphans by Thousands. 17.2.2003 abcnews.com These boys and girls under the age of 15 roam the streets and villages of Zambia, many having witnessed members of their family die, one after another. Others are simply shunned by the relatives they have left, left alone to face a life of poverty and destitution. "I have known of cases where people have been simply abandoned in a house and the family [went] away. Which is totally inhuman, not to say un-African. They just have left them there because they cannot cope any longer," said Eileen Keane, a Catholic nun and doctor who runs the Cicetekelo home in northern Zambia. Janet Mumbo lives in a residential center called Fountain of Hope. The girl says she was beaten by her brother and her uncle, and her wounds have not yet healed. But at the center, which has a special house for 16 girls, she finds a degree of peace. "My father was sick for a long time with AIDS. When he died, we lived with my uncle. But I had a hard time with him. And a friend told me it was better on the streets because you could beg for money and food. At night, we slept in a drainage ditch. I never think about going home. I'm better off here," Janet said. Zambia's capital, Lusaka, is a popular destination for nearly 6,000 orphans coming from the countryside in search of a better life. Instead, they find themselves struggling to survive in the streets, where drugs, crime, disease and exploitation are all too common. There is no governmental branch to help these children, and few charities with enough resources to offer them the care they need. Indeed, the future looks bleak. In the last 20 years, more than 15 million Africans have died of AIDS. Another 30 million are HIV-positive. And there are 3.5 million new infections every year.

In Zambia alone, nearly 500 people die every single day. The government estimates that half of the country's population will fall victim to the HIV/AIDS. Which ultimately means that in a nation with a population of 10 million people, there will soon be 1 million orphans. NATO breaks month-long impasse on Iraq abcnews.com BRUSSELS, Belgium Feb. 16 — NATO broke a monthlong impasse Sunday over preparations in case of war in Iraq, reaffirming alliance solidarity while supporting U.N. efforts for a peaceful solution. "Alliance solidarity has prevailed," NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson said. "We have been able collectively to overcome the impasse." After France was shut out of the room, two other holdouts Germany and Belgium dropped their objections to starting the planning for Turkey's defense immediately, NATO officials said. Belgium insisted at the last minute on linking any eventual NATO deployment to developments at the U.N. Security Council. But the final statement only says, "We continue to support efforts in the United Nations to find a peaceful solution to the crisis." NATO diplomats said the United States and other allies objected in principle to tying alliance decision-making to any other organization. For the past month, Belgium, France and Germany blocked a NATO decision to begin planning to help fortify Turkey the only NATO ally bordering Iraq against any potential reprisals. They argued that such a move was premature and would undermine U.N. efforts to avoid a war.


NATO, trying to end the stalemate, put the issue Sunday to its Defense Planning Committee, which excludes France. Paris left NATO's military command structure in the late 1960s and participates only in political, not military, consultations. The committee, which has the same authority as the policy-setting North Atlantic Council on most defense matters, was used ahead of the 1991 war against Iraq to approve aid for Turkey. But NATO has sought to limit its use since the end of the Cold War in a spirit of rapprochement with Paris. Some progress was made after "very intensive negotiations," a NATO official said, adding that the idea of starting planning was now "uncontested." The United States proposed a month ago that the alliance consider sending early-warning AWACS aircraft, missile defenses and anti-biochemical units to Turkey. But after France, Germany and Belgium blocked that planning for three weeks, Turkey on Feb. 10 invoked NATO's mutual defense treaty, which binds the allies to talks when one feels threatened. Turkey feels especially vulnerable, especially as it considers allowing tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers to use Turkish facilities for a possible war on Iraq. The United States and its allies say denying support for Turkey's defense erodes the alliance's credibility and sends the wrong signal to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Some of the measures can be done bilaterally Germany has already agreed to send Patriot missiles to Turkey via the Netherlands but those missiles need to be linked to NATO radar networks to be effective. Germany and other countries also have promised AWACS crews, but the planes themselves are NATO assets. The monthlong dispute has driven a deep wedge into the 53-year-old alliance. It also has exacerbated tensions within Europe ahead of Monday's emergency summit of 15 European Union leaders, who are trying to reconcile their own differing policies on Iraq. Britain, Spain, Denmark and Italy have backed President Bush, while France and Germany have tried to slow what they view as his rush to war.

Growing Public Opposition against War 17.2.2003 dw-world.de The governments have to find a solution against the backdrop of widespread public opposition to military strikes in Iraq. Global demonstrations over the weekend saw more than six million people take to the streets in over 600 cities across the world. Some of the biggest demonstrations were in Britain, the U.S.'s outspoken ally in efforts to depose Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. It is estimated that around two million Britons protested across the country. The largest demonstrations took place in the capital, London, and in the Scottish city Glasgow, where Prime Minister Tony Blair made the case for war to his Labour Party on Saturday. But many Labor Party MPs remain unconvinced by the government's arguments. Back bench Labor MP Clive Betts believes Blair needs to tone down his pro-war rhetoric and concentrate on greater cooperation with the rest of Europe. "Blair is making a mistake in backing Bush all the way," Betts told DW-WORLD. "Most of us don't believe he (Bush) has the intelligence to see the wider consequences. I agree with the more cautious position taken by governments like Germany and France in Europe." According to the most-recent polls, around 87 percent of Germans oppose a war in Iraq. This view is reflected by the German government's staunch anti-war position. In the United Kingdom it's a totally different story. Tony Blair's Labor Party government is pushing for authorization to strike Iraq, if necessary without the backing of the United Nations. But Blair is facing increasing criticism at home for his hawkish stance -- only 25 percent of Brits support going to war with Iraq. If Europe is unable to find a common position on Iraq, it won't be the first time. During 1991's Gulf War, the EU failed to declare a unified policy on Iraq. Less than two years after reunification, the German government provided money, but not troops in the war.

::world news::

::16::

townshend | times::edition V ‘03::

::project week::

::17::

ROJECT WEEK on HUMAN RIGHTS, 2. - 6. December 2002 at the Townshend International School

On December 10 , 1948 ( th ree years a f ter the end o f the Second World War) the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Following this historic act, the Assembly ca l led upon a l l Member countr ies to publ ic ize the text o f the Dec larat ion and " to cause i t to be dissem inated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educat ional institutions."

And exact ly 54 years later our school decided to dedicate one of its Project Weeks to th is very important declarat ion, a declarat ion so many nat ions and

terr i tor ies s igned and agreed upon, after the terr ib le , at that t ime s t i l l very v iv id , exper ience o f the Second Wor ld War. Their object ive was to bu i ld a common basis of cooperation among al l nations in educating their people towards a world civi l ization.

In our Project Week, the teachers connected many of their subjects and lessons to the topic of Human R ights, discussing some of the articles and their meaning, background and implications; presentations and posters were prepared by students; the situation of some countr ies, where some r ights are st i l l not protected, were analyzed and solutions were suggested on a local, national or international level.


::project week::

The national office of United Nations in Prague supported our activities generously with very expressive posters, portraying the situation of the world, and also the structure of these world organizations. Pictures of children of the world are hanging since that week in the main school corridor, each with an article of the Human Rights beneath it .

Two Assemblies were dedicated to this subject:

An analysis of the situation of certain countries, where human rights are violated, was presented in a very dignified manner by representative students of all grades and levels: it included countries where women's rights, children's rights, the right of protection, without distinction of race, social or national origin, are being violated. The question which appeared in our minds after this was "What can I do to support the protection of Human Rights in the world?" or as somebody else once commented: "I wondered why somebody didn't do something for peace, then I realized I AM SOMEBODY".

At the next assembly, which should commemorate the International Day of Human Rights, all students of our school participated in a competition: "Which class can tell most of the articles of the Declaration of Human Rights by heart?" We had only 15 minutes to memorize as many as possible... And the winner was... actually most of the classes did excellent in this.

Films were shown in some classes, one of these being the speech given by Martin Luther King on August 28, 1963. Those were times of racial persecution and extreme discrimination for black people in the United States, the times of Ku Klux Klan, of segregation at schools, universit ies, in public transport, in famil ies, etc. At that historical gathering, 200.000 civil rights marchers -black and white -gathered at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, expecting their spiritual leader to talk strong words. What they did not expect was to hear "a speech of such heartfelt passion and poetic eloquence that it echoes still in our memories".

Because of the significance of that speech, a part o f it is being printed in our Townshend Times. Don't miss reading it, those words may stay in your mind all your life.

Sholeh Zölzer


::speech of marthin luther king jr.::

I say to you today, my friends, so even

though we face the difficulties of today

and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is

a dream deeply rooted in the American

dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation

will rise up, live out the true meaning

of its creed*: 'We hold these truths to

be self -evident; that al l men are

created equal*.'

I have a dream that one day on the red

hills of Georgia the sons of former

slaves and the sons of former slave-

owners will be able to sit down together

at the table

of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the

state of Mississippi, a state sweltering

with the heat of injustice, sweltering

with the heat of oppression, will be

transformed into an oasis of freedom

and justice.

I have a dream that my four little

children will one day live in a nation

where they will not be judged by the

color of their skin but by the content of

their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day down in

Alabama with its vicious racists, with

its governor having his l ips dr ipping

with the words of interposi t ion*

and nullification*, one day right there in

Alabama little black boys and black girls

will be able to join hands with little

white boys and white girls as sisters

and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every

val ley shal l be exalted*, every hi l l

and mounta in sha l l be made low, the

rough p laces wi l l be made p la in, and

the crooked* places will be made

straight, and the glory of the Lord shall

be revealed, and all flesh shall see it

together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I

go back to the South with. With this

faith we will be able to hew* out of the

mountain of despair a stone of hope.

With this faith we wil l be able to

transform the jangling* discords of

our nation into a

beautifu l symphony of brotherhood.

W ith this faith we wil l be able to work

together, to pray together, to struggle

together, to go to jail together, to stand

up for freedom together, knowing that

we will be free one day.


Aggressive Inline Skating Sometimes in our lives we get extreme adrenaline rushes, we excel in our action and feel that we have drained the final capacities of our physical capabilities. In those moments our mind becomes one with our body, a feeling of victory over our own selves overcomes us. These are the moments when we have scored a goal that seemed impossible, stroke a dunking, ran a homerun, when we have just climbed up a mountain and are looking down on a valley. Reaching such a state is satisfaction for our souls. Indeed this may become addictive and it is a serious case when a person becomes dependent on this feeling.

The strongest and most addictive need for this state is probably found in aggressive inline skaters. Those are the guys that roll around on them weird shoes with 4 wheels under them. They seem to make life easier, cause you roll

around. But do they really? As said before, this sport, when practiced in its extreme ways, has a great tendency to satisfy you on a short-term basis. Only if you continue, rise the risk and therefore the fun involved in it, you are able to sustain the rush and the satisfaction. In this way we can explain why there are so many crazy skaters around, who we see jumping off stairs, walls, houses, and always looking for bigger, higher and more crazy gaps. here are many different kinds of inline skating. Speed skating is the fastest kind. For this variant you use skates with big wheels and you go along endless streets. Cross-country skating is still very new and not very well-known. However, there are already World Championships in this sport. The cross-country skaters race through rocks and hills. But still, the sport that we call aggressive inline skating is the most dangerous and freaked out one. These skaters jump down 2 meters without any fear. They skate anywhere in the streets, skateparks and on ramps. The competitions of this discipline are held at many different events. The most famous of these are the so-called X-Games. There, once in a year, the best skaters all around the world meet and compete in style, craziness and creativity. One of the top rank skaters in Cesar Mora. But don’t worry, they’re all loco. Whatever they’ll do, they’ll keep on skating!

::sports report::

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