A hate crime !

Samuel Mullet - theintelligencer.net

It is the 8th October last that a group of men were arrested. But if this case has such impact, it is because of the particularity of the aggression. Indeed, victims and culprits are members of Amish splinter groups in Ohio. Victims were old members of community of a man: Samuel Mullet, who had run away his hold several years earlier. Victims had their beards and hair cut in a spate of assaults (7) by 7 men in retaliation. Rather than the physical pain or the cruelty (victims included a 14 y/o girl and a 74 y/o man) it's the symbolic of this action who is important: indeed once they are married Amish women do not cut their hair and men let their beards grow.

But who are the Amish and what are their beliefs? The first sizeable group of Amish arrived in America around 1730 in Pennsylvania. The Amish have settled in as many as twenty-four states. The population in the U.S. numbers more than 150,000 and growing, due to large family size (seven to ten children are common). All aspects of Amish life are dictated by a list of written or oral rules: the Ordnung. But it varies from community to community and order to order (5 various) which explains differences that we can see.
However we can distinguish some similarities:

• Amish clothing encourage humility and separation from the world, it is a very simple style (clothing is often made at home), avoiding all ornamentation (clothing is made at home with plain fabrics and jewelry are not permitted).
• The Amish are averse to any technology (for example electricity, television, automobiles & tractors, telephones ...) because they think it weakens the family structure and could create inequality. But it's on this point that differences are significant between ultraconservative communities and the more modern communities.
• The family is the most important social unit in the Amish culture. German is spoken in the home, though English is also taught in school (but only private institutions, operated by Amish parents). Amish marry Amish, intermarriages and divorces are not allowed.

Anyway, they have a peaceful way of life and they not asking for anything, so how such situations can happen? It is even not a attack of somebody who dislike their way of life however simply by the crazyness and the revenge of a man, discredit is cast on an entire community. But if authorities forced this community, who lives in total isolation, to live like "normal" Americans, would it be better? Who knows and who can judge their choice?

After our final status update...

1. Nowadays, most of people have a media presence composed by all our footsteps on Facebook, Twitters, Tumblr, etc… Adam Ostrow asks many questions in this conference like what comes after life ?, can we hope (if the technology permit it) that our presence will be preserved after our death ? can this way permit us to continue to communicate with our deceased loved ones ? and principally what it means for the definition of life and everything that comes after it ? His conference is really an solicitation to us to reflect about this subject !


2. According to this speaker we can said that the technology is all around you (like this funny anecdote of a internet service who call to proposed him to create a video or a text message that will be published after his death). It's a part of us. Like I've said earlier, most of people use internet and principally social networks: Facebook, Twitter, Naver, Cyvorld, etc... And that's why after our death, our virtual personnality can't die ! Adam Ostrow thinks it's really fascinating and that technology can creates many opportunities. His mainly example is the hologram of Will.I.Am during a TV show on CNN ! Maybe one day we be able to project the hologram of a relatives deceaded... Anyway, I think it's very interresting and marvelous... BUT really frightening too !!!


3. I think that this "incredibly rich digital archive" can be a really good opportunity like said Adam Ostrow. Because, of course it's hard to lost a relative so for some people holograms, robots, or websites like MyNextTweet or IfIdie.net permit to keep their presence a little longer... However in my point of view, it's a little "ridiculous", I think when you are dead, nothing can replace you ! It's only an illusion to believe the opposite :(. All these examples are funny, but it's only a "game". I'm a little afraid that some of these websites be created to take advantage of the weakness and misfortunes of people ! They sell dreams to people... but unfortunately dreams are dreams, not the reality :'(

Good tips for freshers ?...

To be a freshman at university is very stressful but I'll try to give you some advice to make it more pleasant ;)

My first tip should be about the paperwork... haha like you have maybe already noticed, the organisation in French university is rather popular for its slowness and incompetence. So please, be providing, when you have an appointment, take with you all the papers that you can imagine !!! This advice seems so childish but believe me, it can make your student life less stressful and avoid you many roundtrip !

My second tip is about the school work... yeah I know, "school work" is a terrible word and when you arrive at university and see that there are no exams before january, it's really tempting to only enjoy the student life and learn your lessons later... later... later XD haha but you know, it's really a trap ! Because when you arrive at january, it's TOO LATE ! You can't learn all a semester in few days, believe me, I already tried and... it was an epic fail !!! So try don't lose the rhythm and do your best ^^

Anyway, my third tip will be more happy ;) indeed you're at university, it's wonderful ! You are finally rid to your teachers and parents so enjoy your student life !!! At the beginning uni is a little hard, you don't know anyone and all around you looks unfriendly but go to other people and you'll see that everybody are like you... You can join many associations, I think it's a good way to make friends with same interest than you and there's something for every taste ! Go to theater, cinemas, mall, in a nutshell ENJOY ! Furthermore in Grenoble we really have a big chance: there are many foreigners students so...

Don't be shy and open your mind on the world !!!

8 Secrets of success ?!

According with the speech of Richard St John, we can find 8 secrets of success:

•          Passion
•       Work
•        Focus
•        Push
•         Ideas
•        Improve
•         Serve
•          Persistence

I’m really agreed with this interview and all the points are important. I think they are all linked: without passion and love, you can't do your job well. If you force yourself to do a job that you hate, you could be very unhappy ! Work and practice are very important too because without them, you can't do anything... nothing come easily !

However in my opinion the main “secret” of success is to always push yourself! Like David Gallo said: “Push yourself! Physically, mentally, you’ve gotta push, push, push!” I love this sentence because I think life is an eternal fight so we always have to fight against others but principally against ourself. Of course everybody have doubts and worries about his future.

When you’re students, every day is a new start of questions about your studies: “Have you do the good choice?”, “If I failed this year, what will happened ?”, “Can I conciliate studies and pleasure?”, “After my diploma, what can I really do?”, you are too shy to participate in class, sometimes you have the impression that all the others are better than you…  but if you continue to struggle, I’m sure that you won't be disappointed. Because even if the result isn’t that what you expected, you’ll be anyway proud of your efforts and it’s important to be valorised!

One day I’ve read in a book that it’s not important to be better than other, because if you want, you can outperform them. But if you have the goal to be better than yourself, you’ll be always in progress.

A little postcard from London...

Hey Merry Christmas!!!                                                                                           

                                                                                                                                    2011-12-21    

Sorry, I don’t know why, but I love this joke :D haha, anyway how are you dear Marie?
I send you this little card from London! Like you know, I’m here with Maile and Julie for 3 days. That’s really sad that you can’t come with us :(

Buuuuut… to comfort you, I will talk to you about all the interesting things that we have seen!

The first day we were a little tired because you know, it snow a lot in London these days and it’s really hard to move in this snow :( but we have tried to see many things like Westminster Abbey, the Parliament, etc… They were very beautiful and the architecture of old buildings in London is very special! And the afternoon we decided to go to the British Museum but there are too many things to see, we have gave up before the end!

Yesterday we did things quieter ;) haha the morning we woke up early and we went to Hyde Park and… it was MAGICAL !!! Can you imagine... only we 3, the nature and the squirrels *_* there were so much snow that all the park was in the silence and that we could hear the sound of our footsteps! We had no words to describe what we see... so we walked during few hours in silence...

And the evening, we went to Trafalgar Square to see the fir offered by Norway. It was cool, we really felt the ambiance of Christmas! Everyone talked with everyone ^^ and after we went to Buckingham Palace to see Queen’s guards!

Finally today we have decided to have fun so the morning we went to the London Eye. It’s really impressive because it’s the highest Ferris wheel in the world! The view is amazing, in fact you see all the city! And in the evening we went to the “Queens Ice & Bowl” … OMG, it was so funny ! We played bowling (need I to specify that it's me who won ^^) sung at the karaoke and did ice skating!!!

Unfortunately our trip is already ended and tomorrow morning we'll take the Eurostar at St Pancras to return in France :( haha anyway I hope the next time you be able to come with us, we have already choose our destination… BARCELONA !!!

 

PS: Haha I'm sorry, like usually I'm so talkative :$ but like you’ve seen, I give you some pictures of us ;)

Enjoy ! XOXO


Magali

An unexpected discovery

I’ve choose to speak about “La Caserne de Bonne”, it’s a big mall on the boulevard Gambetta in the center of Grenoble. To go there, you need to take the Tram C until the stop Gustave Rivet. Or you can take buses 13 or 16 until the stop Marceau-La Caserne de Bonne if you prefer.

There are many good shops (I’ve read on a prospectus more of 50 !) like Nature&Découverte, Roxy, H&M; together with many restaurants and snacks like Subway, etc…

But, if I’ve choose to speak about this place it’s not for the shops that you can find anywhere in Grenoble but rather for the atmosphere that prevails there. In fact, there are several little buildings and a park so we don’t know which is inside the other. It’s a very peaceful place, there are several ponds with fishes, some bridges to go on the central island, games for children, … and all of that inside the city itself ! Often, families come during the weekend or holidays so there are lot of laughs, it's really nice.

If during the visit of your friend, you are looking for a place to recharge your batteries, it's the ideal place !

I'll add some pictures soon to show you this real place (and not only the pictures of this project) ^^