COLEGIUL ECONOMIC

ION GHICA BACAU

SWEET AGE

MAY, 2014











Coordinator: prof. Cristina Stoica
Editorial Staff:
prof. Daniela Chetraru,
prof. Daniela Croitoru,
prof. Alina Misaru,
prof. Mihaela Ochiana,
prof. Cristina Stoica






Computerized edition: prof. Cristina Stoica
Cover design: Cornel Mate
Cover concept: Teodor Poienaru





ISSN - 1843-1070



CONTENTS
Moments, Alina Gabriela Conu, 11F.6
Teachers Sensitivity, Daniela Croitoru.7
Teaching Reading, Mihaela Ochian .9
Grammar The Black Cat of Foreign Language Learning, Cristina Stoica .11
Not easy, Andreea Blju, 12E..............................................................................................14
Reason or passion - which do we let guide us?, Ioana Mihaela Guranda, 12D..15
Romantic love is a poor basis for marriage, Raluca Oprian, 11C...........................16
Reality is determined by your perception of the truth, Adapted by Alina Misaru... 17
The Fight between Generations, Ionu Postolache, 10H...................................................19
About Us. ( Teenagers), Iuliana Budeanu, 11P....20
Read Books!, Sabina Budu Pduraru, Loredana Mdlina Cojan, 11F..21
Is Charity Always Charity?, Bogdan Ercu, 12B..22
Butterfly Effect, Diana-Isabell Pduraru, 11C.......................................................................23
Mind Alchemy Guide, Adapted by Alina Misaru .25
Google Glass - The future of smart devices, George Cristian Lela, 11F31
Your Guide to Becoming a Freelance Web Designer, Jurica Alin, 11P.33
A Path to INPath, Cosmin Climan, 12B...............................................................................36
Agera, Alexandru Sardeni, 11P..37
My Biggest Dream, Georgiana Acatrinei, 9H..39
Superstitions Associated with Halloween, Bianca Nacu, 9D.40
Famous geniuses and their drugs, Vlad Dnceanu, 11C41
Tour de France, Ovidiu Boghean, 9I..44
Football Passions, Ionu Postolache, 9H.46
Parkour, Vlad Tipu, 9D..47
About music, Costel Bichescu, 11P..48
Extreme weather on Earth, Collected by Denisa Florea, 11P..50



The Time for Healing, Alina Misaru51
The Meaning of a Special Friend, Alina Misaru.52
























6

Moments

Alina Gabriela Conu, 11F

Life is a sea of feelings and experiences, a rainbow of emotions, some stronger than
others.
We all remember the moments of our childhood that we have lived with a high-intensity,
every moment enjoyed with our family, the moments that we have lived with the innocence of
every ten-year-old child. With the eyes full of admiration we watched our parents who we were
offering us stability and safety that only then we could feel it. Our first friends, the moments
spent and the nights lost beside them, gossip about the cutest boys, about the newest in fashion
and making promises we never kept. Our first love, the moments in which we were holding our
breath when he passed by, and every smile, every glance and every touch felt like we are alone in
the world and we didn't want those moments to finish. And as they say, you never forget the first
love, its a feeling that makes us grow up and discover how beautiful life really is.
But there are also sad moments when we thought that the world is at an end, it felt like no
one and nothing can cheer us up. Moments of success when we went to high school, when we
passed the exams successfully and when we saw the eyes to those around us full of pride, the
words of consolation or encouragement which we received, the consideration or pity we felt with
every glance. There are times when we fought with everybody and it seemed that no one could
understand us and the moments in which we have welcomed with open arms and a smile on our
lips the happiness or even the sadness. The moments in which we felt betrayed, lied to and
abandoned by our best friends, those beautiful moments in which we felt the most important
human being on the planet, when we felt that the world revolves around us.
With the help of these feelings there have been created the most important inventions, the
more exciting and expressive masterpieces. The funniest, most fantastic and romantic love
stories have been based on them. This world of feelingsjoy, happiness, sadness, anger, love,
surprise makes us good or bad, but still humans with soul and endless dreams.



7

Teachers Sensitivity

Daniela Croitoru

Being a teacher means more than delivering information and checking the students
progress. A teacher is, above all, a human being that plays the role of an educator and developer
of childrens learning and social abilities. A teacher needs to be permanently aware of what is
going on in his class and react to whatever happens, so that (s)he can transform every event in a
learning opportunity and in an instance of getting closer to the students minds and hearts. This
awareness requires distributive attention from the part of the teacher, in a way that (s)he can be
focused on all the important events in a class. More than that, apart from the learning activities,
the teacher should be conscious that events outside the class might also be interfering with the
students learning process. There are situations when personal, national, school or social
problems can seriously affect our students attention, and, in this case, teachers should tactfully
either build the lesson around that event, or make the students forget about it for some time. The
teacher should also respond to the students requests and questions, but permanently having in
mind the learning aspect of the English class.
Another aspect of teachers sensitivity is concerned with the presence of multiple
intelligences. Being a good teacher means being aware that not all the students in a class respond
equally to different stimuli. Modern English lessons should be designed in a way that combines
auditory, visual and kinesthetic elements, so that all the students can benefit and learn.
Empathy is another personality trait that should not miss from a good teachers
psychological profile. Through empathy the teacher is able to put himself/herself in the place of
the students and show understanding of their situation. Criticism and praise are two instances
when this trait is best exercised. Criticism should be constructive and tactful, because the student
must be corrected and made aware of a certain mistake, but, at the same time, not feel humiliated
and looked down on. On the other hand, praising a student is a very good method of
encouragement and triggers a lot of positive effects. Nevertheless, excessive praising leads to a
diminishing effect of this technique. Both criticism and praising should be balanced and used at
the right moment. During the English class, the students must feel that they are partners in the
learning process, not objects in it.

8

Correcting the students mistakes is necessary most of the times, especially when it is a
severe one. In this way, all the students have to pay attention and bring their contribution. In my
opinion, this method is more efficient that the teachers correcting the mistake and going further.
When a teacher corrects a mistake there are chances that only the student involved in the
dialogue and maybe a few more pay attention to the explanation, while, if the teacher asks for
collaboration and involvement from the rest of the class, most of the students are interested to
pay attention and take part in the correcting process. I think that this process of involving the rest
of the class into correcting a mistake has something to do with the pride of showing that they
know, and, at the same time, keeps them alert. More than that, the student who is corrected will
remember the right form.



















9

Teaching Reading

Mihaela Ochian

According to Penny Ur reading means reading and understanding
1
, therefore students
should be instructed in the purpose of understanding what they read according to the task and not
in that of worrying for each words correct pronunciation and meaning. That is why a teachers
aims to accomplish during the reading activities should be those of motivating students to read
and of helping students understand the main information contained in the text.
Learning to read involves complicated psychological processes as it is both a process and
a product. It is more than just receiving meaning in a literal sense. It involves bringing an
individuals entire life experience and thinking powers to bear to understand what the writer has
encoded as the prior sensory experiences provide the basis for comprehending what is read.
Learning to read implies of four types of learning: perceptual, associative, cognitive and
affective learning.
Perceptual learning refers to the ability to progress in establishing perceptual
discrimination; therefore it helps the reader to discriminate between letters and words.
Associative learning helps the student make basic letter-sound correspondences by
appealing to a stimulus-response process. Even though several sounds may be associated with
one letter, sounds and letters pattern together in a predictable way, which means that a large part
of learning to read is rote memorization. The number of repetitions in order to grasp the correct
associations between a printed word and its spoken depend on each learner individually and it is
influenced by intelligence, past experience, motivation, physical alertness, etc. Thus, a learner
whose experiences are minimal will have little basis for the development of associative learning
in reading a foreign language.
Cognitive learning is the relating of new experiential stimuli to past experiences and to
past learning. It involves comparing, recognizing similarities and differences, evaluating and
interpreting learning in keeping with reality. All learning, reading is the same, is subject to a

1
Ur, Penny (1996): A Course in Language Teaching Practice and Theory, Cambridge University Press, London,
p138


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wide range of individual differences and some students easily understand what they are reading
and others do not.
Affective learning is the side of the learning triggered by emotions like joy, delight,
excitement and these act as satisfiers to quicken and deepen the learning. Teaching reading, then,
should be made as interesting and pleasurable as possible through the teachers focus on
motivating the students and exposing them to a variety of reading input.
All in all learning and teaching to read is a process that goes on at several levels and
continues over many years. It is only when the learner successfully overcomes all the difficulties
inherent in every one of the stages he has to pass through that we can confidently say that
success in teaching reading has been attained. Yet at every one of the stages many problems may
arise linked to the material to be taught, the method of teaching adopted, the pressure put on the
learner and the personality of the teacher. Whenever a problem is not successfully overcome,
some difficulty remains.




11

Grammar The Black Cat of Foreign Language Learning

Cristina Stoica

Anyone using a language must use its grammar. Grammar is the way a language
manipulates and combines words or bits of words in order to form longer units of meaning. It is
a systematization and codification of a bulk of data which thus become relevant. It is a system of
rules governing the conventional arrangement and relationship of words in a sentence. Knowing
a language involves knowing the items that make up that language; it also involves being able to
supply these items when they are missing, or being able to do without them, as well as the
ability to produce an infinite number of sentences in response to an infinite number of stimuli.
One is said to know a foreign language when one's competence (knowledge of the grammar that
determines an intrinsic connection of sound and meaning for each sentence) is like that of a
native speaker. The ability to handle new sentences is evidence of knowing the rules that are
needed to generate them.
Here are some prejudices that govern the teaching-learning process. They should be eliminated in
order to make grammar teaching more efficient:
-Grammar is acquired naturally; it need not be taught. It is true that some learners acquire second
language grammar naturally without instruction. For example, there are immigrants to the United States
who acquire proficiency in English on their own. This is especially true of young immigrants. However,
this is not true for all learners. Among the same immigrant groups are learners who may achieve a degree
of proficiency, but whose English is far from accurate. A more important question may be whether it is
possible with instruction to help learners who cannot achieve accuracy in English on their own. It is also
true that learning particular grammatical distinctions requires a great deal of time even for the most
skilled learners.
Another important question is whether it is possible to accelerate students' natural learning of grammar
through instruction.
-Grammar is a collection of meaningless forms. This problem may have arisen because many people
associate the term grammar with verb paradigms and rules about linguistic form. However, grammar is
not one-dimensional and not meaningless; it embodies the three dimensions of morpho-syntax (form),
semantics (meaning), and pragmatics (use). These dimensions are interdependent; a change in one results

12

in change in another. Despite their interdependence, however, they each offer a unique perspective on
grammar.
-Grammar consists of arbitrary rules. While there is some synchronic arbitrariness to grammar, not all
of what is deemed arbitrary is so. If one adopts a broad enough perspective, it is possible to see why
things are the way they are.
-Grammar is boring. Many people say that grammar can only be taught through repetition and other
drills. Teaching grammar does not mean asking students to repeat models in a mindless way, and it does
not mean memorizing rules. Such activities can be boring and do not necessarily teach grammar. This
does not mean there is no place for drills, but drills should be used in a meaningful and purposeful way.
They can be fun and, more importantly, engage students in a way that requires them to think and not just
provide mechanical responses. Teaching grammar in a way that engages students may require creativity,
but the teaching need not and should not be boring.
-Students have different learning styles. Not all students can learn grammar. Some people have a more
analytical learning style than others. Students have different strengths and weaknesses. It is clear that all
students can learn grammar as is evident from their mastery of their first language. As grammar is no
different from anything else, it is likely that students will learn at different rates.
-Grammar structures are learned one at a time. This is demonstrably untrue. Teachers may teach one
grammar structure at a time, and students may focus on one at a time, but students do not master one at a
time before going on to learn another. There is a constant interaction between new and old interlanguage
forms.
-Grammar has to do only with sentence-level and subsentence-level phenomena. Grammar does
operate at the sentence level and governs the syntax or word orders that are permissible in the language. It
also works at the subsentence level to govern such things as number and person agreement between
subject and verb in a sentence. However, grammar rules also apply at the suprasentential or discourse
level. It would be a mistake to teach students grammar only at the sentence and subsentence levels. Much
of the apparent arbitrariness of grammar disappears when it is viewed from a discourse-level perspective.
-Grammar and vocabulary are areas of knowledge. Reading, writing, speaking, and listening are
the four skills. While grammar can be thought of as static knowledge, it can also be considered a process.
Language teachers would not be content if their students could recite all the rules of grammar but not be
able to apply them. The goal is for students to be able to use grammar in an unselfconscious fashion to
achieve their communicative ends. As with any skill, achieving this goal takes practice.
Ellis (1993) suggests that grammar teaching should focus on consciousness raising rather than on the
practice of accurate production.
-Grammars provide the rules/explanations for all the structures in a language.

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Explaining why things are the way they are is an ongoing quest. Because languages evolve, linguists'
descriptions can never be complete for all time; they have to accommodate the changing nature of
language. The point is, languages change, and any textbook rule should be seen as subject to change and
non-categorical. J ust as grammar learning is a process--witness the persistent instability of inter-
languages-so is grammar itself. There is little static about either.
-"I don't know enough to teach grammar."
Teachers often say this when they have opted to teach one of the other language skills, or when they
choose to teach a low-proficiency class. While it is true that teachers can only teach what they know,
teachers who articulate the above often know more than they think they do. The pie chart introduced
earlier can be a useful tool for teachers to collect what they know about form, meaning, and use of a
particular grammar structure. What they don't know will become apparent from the gaps on the chart and
the gaps will nominate themselves as items for the teacher's agenda for further study. After all, what
better way to learn something than to teach it?







14

Not easy

Andreea Blju, 12E

It is said that you have to be somebody and that you have to do something big from your
life; the truth is that people are waiting for brilliant ideas from any other people except
themselves. Why that? Because it is simple to stay and wait for others reaction, but it is hard to
renounce of our daily work for a thing which is unsure. Our society is caught in this game. What
can we do to change this is to stop mimic each other and start to be open for diversification.
Easy to say, hard to do. But we are smart and I think our generation can make a
difference. Probably, if we try to accept that we were created to be different with unique
qualities: some of us are very good dancers, some are
very good actors, some are talking too much, some too
little and so on. Comparison does not help, it is just an
irritating trail till depression. The problem is that The
Society seems to isolate the persons who prefer to get
out from the pattern, from routine. If you do not
smoke and you do not drink or you do not get drugs and
you do not spend all your nights in clubs or you dislike their
values, you will find you sitting alone in the crowd and that
is not so good. Most of people think that it is not normal to
be normal.
So, whats more important: to be on top or to be yourself? To be full of friends or to
be alone? Is there a middle way? Yes, it must be, because it is not just about being cool, it is also
about being yourself.
You cant leave something behind you, if you do not do something bigsomething
awesome with your life, but to do this you have to be cool as long as you are YOU.




15

Reason or passion - which do we let guide us?

Ioana Mihaela Guranda, 12D

Since ancient times, reason and passion have been in conflict, as two opposing sides in a
war. Whether we are defined by critical thinking and common sense or we let emotions
overwhelm us, there are certain times when passion disturbs the process of thinking, or even
defeats it.
The meaning of the word reason is mans ability to think logically, to distinguish the
right from the wrong, to choose and act responsibly. When one is required to make a decision,
reason intervenes and helps the individual choose the correct alternative. Nevertheless, there are
moments when we cannot choose rationally, no matter how much we weigh the options, and so
we find ourselves trapped in a deadlock.
Beyond reason, man is an accumulation of feelings, desires, dreams and aspirations that
define him. Passion, when merging with the inner voice of man, manages not only to choose the
right alternative, but the one the man needs. On the one hand, when reason cant find the proper
solution, passion comes in and solves the problem. When it takes over, we do not think with our
brains anymore, but with our souls. We act on instinct, with eager, enthusiasm and strength,
which is a primary and absolutely natural feature of man.
On the other hand, as natural as it may be, the intensity and stability of passion may seize
the clear judgement of man and cause unexpected and imprudent reactions, sometimes even
insane ones. Passion has the ability to make us forget that there are life situations where what we
want is not what we need, if it is not handled properly. This is the reason why society has built,
ever since its beginning, certain laws and values designed to control emotional excesses and
guide us toward rational and moral behaviour.
For a man to be able to choose according to both society standards and his own needs and
desires, reason and passions must complement each other. In the end, the path of judgement and
the path of the heart must unite and form the road to the needed answers.



16

Romantic love is a poor basis for marriage

Raluca Oprian, 11C

Many songs have been written about romantic love, many artists sing about this and up to
now, love is still a favorite, a strong theme for many films, publications and music. In real life, I
think romantic love affects a relationship between a man and a woman, and especially marriage.
People love but nobody knows what romantic love and true love really are.
On the one hand it is difficult to disagree with that falling in love is a very wonderful
feeling. Sometimes, when somebody falls in love it seems that person is not the same; in one
second he/she is like your best friend and you have known him/her of a lifetime and in two other
seconds, he will be totally changed. When I felt this feeling first time, I admit, it was something
amazing. Some people say that love is blind but I think love is love, a blinding love doesnt exist
or more correctly, that is not love. It is a wonderful feeling and it is very good if partners have it
in a marriage, but it is important to know that such a feeling is not a strong basis for marriage. I
also think it is necessary to know your partner very well, before marriage, to trust each other, to
have respect because in an increasingly percentage most of this romantic love stories end after
wedding, and everyday life begins with disputes and troubles.
On the other hand, a basis for marriage is friendship, respect and trust. I think, in most
cases, a relationship begins with friendship and for a good friendship it is necessary to respect
each other. To keep a strong connection with your partner, you must also make sure you know
his or her personality. Romantic love is not at the top of the list because, for example, you can
meet somebody, you can fall in love with that person and in a short time you decide to get
married. Everything is good at the beginning but after a short period of time you discover your
lover makes you feel unhappy, and along time you realise that you are married with the wrong
girl or guy.
In conclusion, romantic love is not the most important thing in getting married. To keep a
relationship alive we need to have respect, to be sure about our partner, about his personality,
mentality, to be sure we have something in common, and ever after romantic love will be in our
marriage forever.


17

Reality is determined by your perception of the truth

Adapted by Alina Misaru

Think about that statement for a few minutes and let it swim about in your head. Seriously, stop
reading, re-read the statement above and just sit and ponder it, like a Zen koan. Did you really take a few
minutes to let that statement swim about in your mind? If you did, you will realize that its a bit of a
paradox: How can your reality be based on your perception of the truth?
Reality is surely what we all see, hear, touch, smell or feelin other words, what our five senses
can sense. However, if we gathered 200 Mind Alchemists together and asked them to describe a car, how
many different descriptions would we get? Beautiful, classic, petrol guzzler, impractical, no good for
families, nice to look at, quite ugly and hundreds of other different comments. So, if our reality is based
on the five senses, why do we not all describe the car in the same way?
We all have different constructs in our mindssome people are highly logical and look at how
much petrol it would take to run, the cost of insurance, the carbon emission etc., whilst others see it as a
thing of beauty. Still others have no opinion on it at allits just a car!
Your reality is totally different from my reality!
You see, we all live in the same world, separated by our own realitiesand our reality is based on
our thoughts, perceptions, feelings and beliefs. Now the weird thing is that our thoughts, feelings and
perceptions are largely based on the beliefs we hold about ourselves and the world around us. BUT what
is even weirder is that our beliefs were mostly formed by the time we were five years oldWHAT!?
Its true. Most of what you believe about yourself and your own life is based on beliefs that were formed
as young as age five, and those beliefs were passed down from the people who were most significant to
you at an early age: usually your parents, teachers and family. If that is the case, then some of the beliefs
you have about yourself are literally hundreds of years old (well get into beliefs later on). So, the
thoughts you think todaythe feelings you have and your perception of the worldare mostly based on
what happened in the past. Thats a real mind punch, isnt it? But it really is true. We can bend our reality
by changing the thoughts, feelings and perceptions we have about ourselves and the world around us.
If we accept the fact that our thoughts, feelings and perceptions are based on our beliefs about ourselves
and the world, and that our beliefs were mostly formed when we were younger, then we have to go back
into our past and change them.
At this point you might be thinking, Eh! Steve, we cant change our past, so how are we going to
change our current perceptions? You are totally correctwe cannot change our past, but what we can

18

change is our perception of what has happened in the past. If we can change that, then we can begin to
loosen up our reality and start to change our current reality, and therefore our future reality. We know for
sure that as we are growing up we change the way we think, the way we see the world, our reactions to
the world. However, a strange thing happens when we think of past events: We immediately revert back
to the thoughts and feelings we had from our past. So, in effect, our memories of ourselves do not grow as
we grow. The parents among us will know the feeling we get when we have to visit a head teacher about
our son or our daughterthe old feelings of being sent to the head teacher come back to us, and we
immediately start to feel different. We feel the way we felt when we were in high school.
When I think of the time I was bullied at school by two guys who killed a puppy just for kicks, I
am reliving fear and seeing the world as a fearful place. Because I am becoming aware of that memory
and the feelings, beliefs and thoughts of that time, it affects my current reality and therefore my future
reality. But if I can change my perception of being bullied with the current knowledge I have about
myself, I can start to change how I perceive the world todayand that is indeed what I have done.
When we do the exercise I am about to share with you, a lot you will see how effective it is in changing
the way you perceive the world.
What we are doing is putting a new perspective on our memories, from the perspective of the
person you are today and not the person you were in the past. In the workbook I have used an example of
feeling intimidated by certain types of people. However, this is only used as an example of how powerful
this exercise is. There is
also a guided meditation
download that goes with
this particular exercise for
healing relationships.
When you have completed
the exercise, you should
start to think about other
areas of your life that have
been affected by your
beliefs from the past.





19

The Fight between Generations

Ionu Postolache, 10H

The conflict between generations exists, existed and will always exist. Society has a
dynamic character, it changes in certain levels throughout the generations, and people from a
certain generation who had perfected themselves through education, they learn certain valours,
beliefs about life and the world, they are a little doubtful about the changes that are coming with
the next generation who have a very different opinion about almost everything.
Adolescence, as a developmental stage is a "stormy period" in terms of both biological
and psychological, is the stage in which individuals produce physical changes in the human
body, but also a confusing period for each person, for a period of perpetual search in which the
individual wants to know who he is.
Conflict arises as a discordant mismatch
between parents beliefs about the world and life
and value system in training teenagers. Does it
seem unreasonable for your parents, dear
teenager to fight back when you say you want
to go to spend the night in the club with your
friends and you not know the exact time when you return. They seem naggers too prying,
obnoxious ... but you think that without thinking that they have their reasons for this behavior
slightly anxious, restless , and the 7 oclock news contributes significantly. And then .. you feel
misunderstood and start looking empathy, understanding elsewhere: the group of friends more or
less desirable, resorting to behaviors that are not always relevant.
Nobody denies the conflict between parents and children, between the need of parental
authority and the need of adolescent independence, but there are solutions for improving it, as
long as both sides are open for negotiation and compromises.




20

About Us. ( Teenagers)

Iuliana Budeanu, 11P

Teenage depression isnot just bad moods and the occasional melancholy it is a serious
problem that impacts every aspect of a teens life. Teen depression can lead to drug and alcohol
abuse, self-loathing and self-mutilation, pregnancy, violence, and even suicide.
But as a concerned parent, teacher, or friend, there are many ways you can help. Talking
about the problem and offering support can go a long way toward getting your teenager back.
There are as many misconceptions about teen depression as there are about teenagers in
general. Yes, the teen years are tough, but most teens balance the requisite angst with good
friendships, success in school or outside activities, and the development of a strong sense of self.
Occasional bad moods or
acting out is to be expected, but
depression is something different.
Depression can destroy the very
essence of a teenagers personality,
causing an overwhelming sense of
sadness, despair, or anger.
Each stage of life has its
share of beautiful and should be
treated seriously, with joy or sadness,
because every problem has a
solution. Everything happens for one
reason. You need to smile and to
pass all the
problems smiling. And always
remember that we have a childs heart.



21


Read Books!

Sabina Budu Pduraru, Loredana Mdlina Cojan, 11F

Nowadays most of the teenagers do not read books. Why? The explanation is very
simple. Even the primary school, the children are lead to read books that are being studied at
school, most of the times the classic books do not present any interest for children.
For example a very important book that has to be read at school for the final exam like
Ion, is never going to be as interesting and as captivating like the vampires books or bestsellers.
This is happening for a very certain reason: the books for school only captivate you in some parts
of them, the parts that present action, conflict and in some cases the feelings of the characters,
meanwhile the bestsellers are totally getting you in the story, if the author knows how to describe
the events you live the action with the protagonists.
How many times when you read a compulsory book you realize after 5 minutes of
reading that you do not remember anything, and you have to start all over again? Well, when you
read a book simply because you like it I can guarantee that thing is never going to happen, you
will not be thinking about something else, you will be attracted in the book and you will not be
able to stop reading before you finish.
In conclusion, if you believe that all the books are the same you are wrong! And next
time you cross the hallway from the A building look at the books from the wall, and do not judge
them by their covers, but by what you discover in every book.
Lets hope that all the trees from which books are made have not died in vain.







22


Is Charity Always Charity?

Bogdan Ercu, 12B

When we think of charity, we imagine that we can help those less fortunate or having
health problems, those who do not lead a life as they would like to. Various amounts of money,
clothing, and food are gathered for them and so we make their life more beautiful.
When we hear about a charity event we think we will do something good for someone or
we will reinvent their life, making their life easier, but in
some cases there are people who only pretend
they are poor people and will take
advantage of the kindness of those
around, to make money in
dishonest ways.
However, there is plenty of
real cases of children or adults
who have health problems from birth
and cannot move, feed or cannot speak. We can help
them improving their health and doing good deeds so that we should
be rewarded in the future.
It is very hard to choose reality from fake with those people who only claim that they
need our help, because they are good pretenders and we cannot distinguish the truth.
In conclusion, charity is not always charity as there are some persons who only pretend to
be in need, and disfavor the real needy who stay in silence and face their trouble with dignity.




23


Butterfly Effect
Diana-Isabell Pduraru, 11C

Its been said that something as small as the flutter of a butterflys wing can ultimately
cause a typhoon halfway around the world. chaos theory

Last year I saw Mr. Nobody, a movie which is based on this theory. Since then I have
been fascinated of this idea.
Mr. Nobody is a tale about choice. Nemo, a nine-year-old boy, has been thrusted into a
position where he must make an impossible decision to choose between his mother and father.
In the seconds preceding the rest of his life he wonders where each choice will take him. The
forces of the universe working to bring about total chaos are counteracted by this boy's
overactive imagination.The film takes a four-dimensionalist view of nature and existence of life
in the universe. Each decision thus branches off creating an entirely separate alternative universe.

Let me explain you what this theory really means:
The butterfly effect is a term used in chaos theory to
describe how small changes to a seemingly unrelated thing or
condition (also known as an initial condition) can affect large,
complex systems. The term comes from the suggestion that the
flapping of a butterfly's wings in South America could affect weather
in Texas, meaning that the tiniest influence on one part of a system can have a huge effect on
another part. Taken more broadly, the butterfly effect is a way of describing
how, unless all factors can be accounted for, large systems like the weather remain impossible to
predict with total accuracy because there are too many unknown variables to track.
Another good example from a totally different field is the Challenger accident in 1986.
What went wrong was that, due to the cold weather, an O-ring seal was fragile and a crack
appeared in it, causing it to break and release hot gas, and with the tremendous energies and
aerodynamic stresses involved that resulted in an explosion that not only destroyed the vehicle
and had a lasting effect on NASA's operations, decisions and budgeting, but also left a huge

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cultural legacy that has greatly affected public perception of space travel and hastened the
termination of the space shuttle program, which may in turn have lasting effects into the future
due to how the timing affects NASA's replacement vehicles and other plans, including the
schedule to return to the Moon, which may itself cause even larger changes in the future course
of human civilization itself. If that seal hadn't cracked on that day, or if the engineers had used a
slightly different and more cold-resistant device in that part of the spacecraft, all of that may
have happened differently.
And the list goes on from there. What if J ohn Wilkes Booth's* gun had failed to fire
properly? Moreover, what if Gavrilo Princip's** gun had failed to fire properly? What if Bill
Gates's*** father had used a condom? What if some engineer had decided to use concrete to
insulate the World Trade Center towers' steel framework, rather than asbestos?
And the Butterly Effect is perhaps best illustrated in the nature of orbital mechanics; what
if some tiny rock had impacted the Chicxulub meteoroid in space, causing it to miss the Earth?
Maybe we wouldn't even be here and the Earth would still be ruled by dinosaurs.
Tiny changes can have enormous effects.

* John Wilkes Booth - was an American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham
Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865.
** Gavrilo Princip - was a Bosnian Serb who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of
Austria and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, in Sarajevo on 28 J une 1914. Princip and
his accomplices were arrested and implicated by several members of the Serbian military,
leading Austria-Hungary to issue a dmarche to Serbia known as the J uly Ultimatum. This was
used as pretext for Austria-Hungary's invasion of Serbia, which then led to World War I.
*** William Henry "Bill" Gates III - is an American business magnate, philanthropist,
investor, computer programmer, and inventor. Gates is the former chief executive and chairman
of Microsoft, the worlds largest personal-computer software company.
Source: wonderful internet power




25


Mind Alchemy Guide

Adapted by Alina Misaru

Well, alchemy was a science used in the middle ages with the goal of changing ordinary
metals into gold. My goal is to help you turn your ordinary thoughts into something more useful
than goldI would love to help you bend your reality and shape your own life with the power
of your mind. Sounds a bit airy fairy, doesnt it? Another one of those programs that promises
the earth and doesnt deliver it. Id like to guarantee you that by the end of this program you will
be well on your way to a different lifea life you have chosen, a life decided by you, a life
where you jump out of bed in the morning excited about the possibilities of the day ahead. This
is the start of a journey, its the start of something you may have been craving for some time
now, and Im not going to fill these pages with fluffy, airy fairy conceptsideas that I havent
used myself or nonsense that is just not practical in your life.
Beliefs and how to change them
One of the biggest gifts we could ever be given in lifeand I mean this quite literallyis
knowing that we can change our beliefs. This is just an amazing piece of knowledge to have, to
know that we can actually change beliefs that have been useless and lying unchallenged within
us for years.
We have certain beliefs within us just now that are disempowering us, and this is what we
want to look at next to show you ways that you can disarm the disempowering beliefs or get rid
of them altogether and install new beliefs into you own life.
Our beliefs literally shape our reality. Your reality is totally different from mine. Its also
different from your partners, work colleagues, your kids and the people around about you.
Youre unique to you; the thing that makes you different are the beliefs you hold about your
world. Think about that for a momentyou have created your own world. Yes, we share a lot of
constructs, but effectively you have created the world around you, and the person that you are
today. That might bake your noodle a little, but if you can get your head around that and really
think about it, youll realize what it meansthat if you have created your life thus far, you can
also change it, because you are the creator.

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Dr. Bernard Siegel recounts stories of patients with multiple personality disorders who
have literately changed eye color and gone from one personality to another. They have also
developed physical symptoms such as diabetes within their bodies simply because they have
changed from one personality to another, each having totally different beliefs about themselves.
Thats a stark presentation of how deeply embedded our beliefs are, and there is lots of evidence
to support this. If you read any of Dr. Siegels books, you will realize the power of beliefs. So,
this not only shows that beliefs are in our mind and can affect our minds, but they can also affect
our physical bodies as well. They are extremely powerful in and of themselves, so its important
to learn as much about yourselfthrough your beliefsas possible. Then, if you feel its
necessary, change them or install a new belief.
So what this really means is that a beliefif taken down to its basic functionis something you
hold in your mind. Its a conceptsomething you know with certainty is true, and that creates
a deep feeling within.
A belief is a feeling of certainty that something is true.
If you say that you are an intelligent person, what you are really saying is you feel that
you are an intelligent person. That feeling of certainty allows you to tap into your inner
resources, which will allow you to display a feeling of intelligence and, in turn, to think and take
actions in a different wayfrom the perspective of an intelligent person, or at least your
perception of how an intelligent person would behave.
The belief formula is: perception + evidence + time = belief
Now, to illustrate this formula, Id like to tell you a story about a girl named Sharon who is 22
years old. Sharon has never really believed that she is attractive, which is reflective of a lot of
people in the world today, both female and male. One day whilst at work, a male friend paid her
a compliment and said she looked really good and hot. This took Sharon by surprise, but she
didnt really think any more about it. However, when she went home that night, she looked in the
mirror and thought about what her friend had said. And she thought that she was actually looking
a bit better than she had been. A few nights later, when she was out with friends, she was
approached by a good-looking guy who asked if he could buy her a drink. Sharon was really
flattered but politely refused to take the drink, which caused a little stir among her friends, who
joked with her about this. Again she was taken aback by this compliment. Sharon started to
reflect on recent events and began to question and challenges her perception of her beliefs about

27

herself. Other small things like this happened over the next few weeks and Sharons (self) belief
started to take hold. A few weeks later, Sharon was out shopping by herself and she saw a nice
pair of jeans and decided to try them on. She looked in the mirror in the changing room (which
as you know can be traumatic for anyone!) and was able to recognize that she actually looked
good. And she acknowledged that she liked what she saw in the mirror.
This was the formation of a new belief about herself. A few weeks later, her mother said
to her that over the past few months there had been a marked difference in her appearance, and
she was looking wonderful. Now, it was unusual for her mother to pay her a compliment, and she
was able to take this compliment in the positive manner in which it had been offered. So Sharon
was able to take this belief obtained in the previous few months and let it set in her mind. Sharon
had now formed the belief that she was attractive. Due to the formation of this belief (that she is
attractive), which had been reinforced by the compliments of others, Sharon started to act, dress
and even walk differently. This was all a result of her newfound belief in herself. She began to
dress to accentuate her best assets, and she attended the gym to maintain this attractive figure.
This change affected her thinking, and she started thinking more positively confidently. She
began to take on bigger challenges in life.
You see, Sharon had a perception of herself and the way she looks. This perception changed as
external validation force her to look at her perception. More evidenceagain in the form of
external factors and internal factorsproved to Sharon that she was attractive. With time and the
continuation of building evidence she formed a new belief about herself:
perception + evidence + time = belief
The story of Sharon is quite simplistic in that a belief may be formed over years depending on
what stage we are at in life. If you look at the transition for Sharon, she was able to challenge her
misconceived perceptions and beliefs about herself through the aid of external reinforcers. This
is what happens to you. Your beliefs are either positive or negative. If you are the type of person
where your world looks bleak and dark and miserable, its purely because your beliefs need to be
altered in relation to how you really are, and how the world really is.
The event is irrelevantit is how you react to the event that matters. I know that there will be
awful experiences that people will have been through, and the more traumatic the experiences,
the more specialist help you will need. However, in general day-to-day life, if you have limiting
beliefs in your life, you can turn them around (if you wish) purely by turning your beliefs

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around. Obviously you have to examine your current belief to know what areas you want to
change.
Belief formation
When we are young our beliefs are formed from external forces (i.e., parents, teachers,
friends, peers and family). If we respect another person, then it is easier to believe what they
saySanta Claus, anyone?
In adulthood, we have transferred these childhood beliefs across, so its time to look at
your beliefs, evaluate them and identify which ones you want to discard. Whenever you question
something it means you are starting to doubt it. This will lead to more questions, which result in
you being less likely to believe entrenched attitudes given to you by others.
However, you will be able to retain those beliefs that you actually trust in. Think about the
belief that 99.9% of the world population holds true: that the sun is going to rise every morning.
Think about that belief just now, and then question it. The possibility of the sun rising tomorrow
morning is extremely high. How do we determine this? We look to the past. It has always risen
in the morning. There has never been one single day that the sun has not risen at a specific time.
These times have been recorded and we can trust in our past experience of the previous events.
So because of the evidence, we have no foundation to say that this belief is not true.
Obviously there are some people out there who may believe that the sun will not rise. The
difference is that this belief will be proved unfounded within 24 hours, when the sun rises again.
However, when we question beliefs about ourselves (and not external natural forces), we start to
pick holes in our beliefs. When I was about five years old, I was told by significant people in
my life (friends, teachers, etc.) that I wasnt really intelligentand I believed them. At the time I
couldnt understand that this was correlated to an undiagnosed hearing impairment that appeared
to reinforce this viewpoint. I had difficulty hearing the teacher in class (Math, English, etc.)
because I couldnt hear properly. That carried on for another 10 years or so, and I still believed
that I was quite thickthis was the phrase I used at the time, and its a phrase that I have
never and would never use about myself or anyone else again. But the word represents how
damaging the belief was. The reason I was so ready to believe this was because significant others
in my life told me both verbally and non-verbally that I was slow, and I had no understanding
or benchmark from which to challenge this assertion at the time. When I reached 14 years of age
things changed. I questioned these beliefs that I had. The reason for this inner challenge was that

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I had taken a history exama topic I was really interested inand I achieved an A. This
outcome made me question my beliefs about my intelligence as a whole. I then began to look for
evidencethe legs of the table, so to speak. I carried on achieving good results in English,
math, and my geography exams. These were all clear external indications that the conditions of
worth and labels that had been placed upon me as a child were wrong. I began to form other
beliefs that culminated in me believing that I was intelligent, and I had the audacity to apply to
university. Now, to apply to university I had to have some higher level math, physics and
chemistry, and when I reflected back to high school I saw that I hadnt been able to achieve even
the most standard grade in any of these subjects. However, because I had changed my beliefs and
now believed that I was intelligent, and because I believed I could pass these higher exams, I
went on to achieve all the qualifications required of me, on the first trywhich allowed me to
secure a place in my psychology degree course.
I graduated in 2000. This was one of my biggest achievements in life, purely because of
my previous belief that I lacked intelligence. I know that intelligence is not equated to passing
exams, as the exam system is inherently flawed, but it is an indication of commitment, belief
and a degree of intelligence.
It is this experience that triggered my interest in beliefs, and how they form our reality
and worlds. This is an illustration of how challenging our beliefsand changing themcan
change our future reality, and we can start to bend our reality when our current realitys
beliefs are challenged.
How on earth do I find out what my beliefs are?
When I speak at seminars about beliefs, everyone gets it and really understands what I am
talking about, and wants to put what I teach into practice. And then suddenly they stop and ask
the question How do I know what I believe in?
That may sound strange, but weve never had to question our beliefs before. We go along
in our daily lives just going about our business, believing in this and believing in that, without it
ever bubbling up to the conscious mind. Whenever we start to talk about beliefs, we are often
left a bit dumbfounded as we realize that we dont consciously know what our beliefs are unless
someone asks us specifically (e.g., Do you believe you are intelligent? Do you believe you are a
success?). Its only when we are asked directly that we consciously think about our beliefs.

30

So we need some way of extrapolating the beliefs that we hold unconsciously and
bringing them to the conscious mind. One great way of doing this is to write down our
outcomes for different areas of our lives. By that, I mean writing down something you want to
happen in the future.




31

Google Glass - The future of smart devices

George Cristian Lela, 11F

First of all what is a Google Glass? A Google Glass is a wearable device with an
optical head-mounted display developed by Google. The idea of head-mounted displays is not
new, the military also begun researching in this tech back in 1995.This product began testing in
April 2012 and is undergoing development.
What are the specs of this device? The specs of this device are similar to the ones of a
smartphone: it has a dual core CPU (CPU=central processor unit), 1GB RAM memory size, 16
GB Flash storage, a 5 MP camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, micro USB, a Lithium Polymer battery,
Android 4.0.4 or higher operating system, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a compass, ambient
light sensing and proximity sensor.
A few features of this smart device are its Touchpad which is located on the side of
Google Glass, allowing users to control the device by swiping through a timeline-like interface

32

displayed on the screen. Sliding backward shows current events, such as weather, and sliding
forward shows past events, such as phone calls, photos, updates, etc. ; the camera which offers
the ability to take photos and record 720p HD video and finally the display which uses a liquid
crystal on silicon LED illuminated display.
How can I use it? You can control the device by voice. I will give you an example: if,
lets say, you want to search something on google, you start by saying the command OK
Google which is the password to unlock the device and say google followed by any search
key. With this high tech device you can also look at maps, take photos or record a video, call
somebody or send messages; almost everything you do on your actual smartphone. The two main
disadvantages are that you need a permanent internet connection and the price of this gadget,
currently is 1500$ available only in U.S.A.
How can it revolutionize our world? In my opinion Google Glass will open a huge market
for a new kind of smart devices which will cross the border from SF to reality and secondly is
ore practical and offers a great variety of appliance not only for fun but for medical, military,
educational and for development of new technologies.



33

Your Guide to Becoming a Freelance Web Designer

Jurica Alin, 11P

Introduction (aka What is a Freelancer?)
Web design is a very unique profession. Unlike many popular career choices, a web designer
doesnt necessarily need any formal schooling. The very nature of the internet itself makes it easier to
become a self-taught guru of design and/or development.
Theres a sense of freedom that comes from being self-taught. And, I think that we creative types
enjoy freedom. The freedom to create what we want, work the hours we want, listen to the music we want
and earn money the way we want is important to us. Personally, the freedom to dress the way I want is
something I hold dear (no suits, please).
Thats why so many web professionals have turned to freelancing. Whats freelancing, you ask?

Freelancing is:
Working on your own, with no boss peering over your shoulder.
Starting your day in your pajamas, if you so desire.
Taking an early lunch to catch an episode of "The Price is Right" (at least, thats what I do).
Heading out for a nice walk when things get a bit hectic.
Playing games when things are slow.
Listening to your favorite song at full blast while having fun in Photoshop.

Sounds pretty good, doesnt it? But you also have to factor in the negatives:
Fielding emergency client requests at all hours of the night (and on holidays).
Keeping track of billing, payments, earnings & expenses (or paying someone else to do it).
Instead of having one boss peering over your shoulder, now there are dozens of clients (aka
bosses) calling and emailing to check the progress of their projects.
Buying health insurance, if necessary.
Being a bit lonely when working in an empty house.
So, no, freelancing isnt all rainbows and unicorns. It is work. Sometimes, hard work. Like when you
dont have a fellow team member to pass along the difficult stuff to. Or when you receive an irate phone
call from a client whose project has gotten lost in the pile of tasks you need to attend to.

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Becoming a freelancer means that youll sign up for all of the above, and more.

Why Become a Freelancer?
The question of why you should become a freelancer is different for everyone. Some people may
want to simply work from home. Others may see earnings potential. Whatever your reason, you need to
make sure that it is the right reason for you. After all, it can be quite a risk, especially if youre quitting
your "day job" to strike out on your own.
Being a freelance web designer will change your life. From the moment you declare yourself
open for business, you are the key to the entire operation. Youll make all the important decisions, such as
how much to charge for a project and what the theme of your office decor will be.

"I can do it better."
If you have ever worked for someone else, be it a large or small company, chances are youve
said the above phrase to anyone who would listen (except maybe the boss). Well, freelancing is your
stage to prove it.

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When viewing things through an employees eyes, its easy to see where a project (or even an
entire company) has gone wrong. Whether its incompetent sales people who over-promise what you can
do, a lack of communication between departments, a lack of resources to do the job right or general
mismanagement, you have seen the mistakes and have confidence that you can and will do better.
Being a freelancer will give you that chance, in good time. But its up to you to not only dissect the
mistakes you have witnessed (or have been a part of), you must also figure out how they could have been
avoided in the first place.
A major part of being in business is learning how to avoid costly mistakes. Mistakes will happen,
no matter how much you prepare. But learning from the past will help you avert large-scale disasters and
also provide you with a sense of how to deal with the smaller ones that will eventually rear their heads.

Find Financial Freedom
One of the greatest risks of starting your own freelance web design business is also one of its
greatest rewards. In the beginning, you may have no clue how much money youre really going to make.
Another, more positive, way to look at things is that there really is no limit to what you can make.
Because youre not necessarily locked in to a specific set of hours or terms with an employer, you can
charge what you want (more on that later) and take on as many projects as you want. So, you do have
some sense of control over your salary. Whether you book one $50,000 project or ten $5,000 projects is
up to you.
Its a good idea to set (realistic) goals for your business and then get working to achieve them.

The Lowdown
Becoming a freelancer can be very rewarding, if youre doing it for the right reasons.
J ust remember that freelancing means:
A change in lifestyle (for better and/or worse).
Potentially more time with the ones you love.
A responsibility to balance all aspects of your business.
Freedom!





36

A Path to INPath

Cosmin Climan, 12B

This year the third
meeting for Leonardo da
Vinci project INPATH -
Internship Network - a Path
to a cultural and Vocational
Competences was in Slovenia
in Murska Sobota at
Ekonomska ola /Business
School, in October 2014. The aim of this project is to create a database with all the companies
offering internship to foreign students; they can also find information about countries, companies
and their requirements for them. At this meeting all the countries, Romania, Germany, Slovenia,
Hungary and Turkey put together their homework for the initial form of the guide, which will
be the final product of this project.
In Slovenia we worked a lot to make the content of the guide. Teachers and students
worked in teams and discussed together about the layout the guide and made all the materials
that would be in the guide. The Romanian team designed the first cover of the guide, made a CV,
a job application, presentation of the country and their part from the chapter Good manners
guidelines in companies. In the second day of the project Slovenian team prepared a guided tour
at two companies that can offer internship. At Carthago we were able to see what steps
are required to make a caravan and at Ocean Orchids we saw how an orchid comes alive from a
small seed. The last day of the project meant discussions about logotypes, flags, colors in the
guide and teachers established the main directions for the next activities until the next meeting
that will be in Hungary in 2014. By the end of that day we also presented our country to the local
authorities and media.
This project could bring together people from different countries and cultures for the
same reason. This meeting was a success because we made a step forward for this project and for
me it was a great chance to learn a lot from the others, a thing I will never forget!

37

Agera
Alexandru Sardeni, 11P

It is known that everybody have dreams, boys dream to have the perfect car, girls tend to
dream about the perfect relationship. Today we will seriously not talk about relationships, we
will talk about something we should not even dare dreaming of, as it is too expensive even for a
dream.
My dream car is Koenigsegg Agera. The Agera name set the tone for the new project.
Agera means to take action in Swedish. It is also short for the ancient Greek word Ageratos
which means ageless. These
are both suitable meanings for a
car that is building the future of
Koenigsegg.
The Swedish designer
presents another development
of the CCXR, Agera (910 HP).
To this, beside the exterior
aspect, the engine was changed
and centrally disposed for the 2
seat model. The V8, 4.8 L engine,
originated from Ford factory, is no more supercharged with the common compressor, now it
comes with 2 turbos. The maximum cuple of 1.100 NM, and the carbon fiber body can reach 100
km/h in only 3 seconds. Agera, which costs 1 million euros, comes with a good portion of
adrenalin, it can reach speeds over 400 km/h.
The Agera has a body made from pre-impregnated carbon fiber/ kevlar with lightweight
reinforcements. The car hardtop roof is towable under the front hood lid. The chassis is also
made out of carbon fiber with an aluminum honeycomb that comes with integrated fuel tanks for
optimal weight distribution and safety. The rear wing is electronically adjustable with auto
setting or manual control in order to have as little compromise as possible between low drag and
down force, depending on situation and mood.

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Other highlights include the trademark Koenigsegg doors, a new traction control system,
LED lighting, blue hood stripes that continue on through the cockpit of the car and a custom
interior with a new Ghost light lighting system, which uses carbon nanotubes in a unique
configuration to shine through the car aluminum buttons.
But beyond all these figures, as EVO said in 2011, Agera becomes addictive and the car
will cover ground at a rate the authorities will find unacceptable.














39

My Biggest Dream
Georgiana Acatrinei, 9H

My biggest dream is to visit London because I think it is a great city with many places
of visit. Tourist attraction such as: Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, London Eye and Big
Ben. These are the most popular attractions in London. They are unique and everyone would
have to visit at least once in life.
Another reason why I want to visit London is the many talented people who were born
there or living there. My favorite band of boys ever is from there. Their name is One direction
and I would love to go to one of their concerts or meet them someday. That would be another
dream come true for me.
The only thing I know about this town and I do not like is that it rains a lot about 200
days a year, but who cares when all the other wonderful things compensate that thing.
Being my biggest dream I wish it to come true someday that would be an unforgettable
experience for me. For me London is the most beautiful city in the world.


40

Superstitions Associated with Halloween

Bianca Nacu, 9D

Halloween was believed to be the night when the barrier between the living world and
that of the spirits was at its weakest. In the old days people lit bonfires to ward away evil spirits
and in some places they used to jump over the fire to bring good luck.
Now we light candles in pumpkin lanterns called J ack-o-Lanterns. This is intended to
scare away evil spirits from the home.
Halloween was also a time to honour the dead, and divine the future.
Hazel Nuts - The hazel nut was
sacred to ancient Celts, they
were believed to have divining
powers and was sacred to
poets. The magic power of this
nut was considered to
be especially powerful on
Halloweenand was often used
in marriage divinations.
Hazel nuts were sometimes
named after an individual, and
then thrown into the bonfire on
samhain eve. The manner in which it burned would determine the fate for that person for the
next year.
Apple-bobbing - Float a number of apples in a bowl of water, and try to catch one using only
your teeth. When you have caught one, peel it in one unbroken strip, and throw the strip of peel
over your left shoulder. The letter the peel forms is the initial of your future husband or wife.
Nut-cracking - Place two nuts on a fire. Give the nuts the names of two possible lovers and the
one that cracks first will be the one.



41

Famous geniuses and their drugs

Vlad Dnceanu, 11C

History has more than its fair share of experimenting experimentalists. Lets meet some
of historys most influential scientific and technological visionaries, along with their drugs of
choice.
1. Sigmund Freud Cocaine:
To Freud, cocaine was more than a personal
indulgence; he regarded it as a veritable wonder drug, and for
many years was a huge proponent of its use in a wide array of
applications. In a letter written to his fiance, Martha, Freud
wrote: I take very small doses of it regularly against
depression and against indigestion and with the most brilliant
of success.
2. Thomas Edison Cocaine Elixirs
In 1863, French chemist Angelo Mariani invented Vin Mariani, a Bordeaux wine
treated with coca leaves, the active ingredient of cocaine. The ethanol content in the Bordeaux
could extract cocaine from the coca leaves in concentrations exceeding 7 mg per fluid ounce of
wine. Thomas Edison - the prolific American inventor and notorious insomniac (though perhaps
not surprisingly) - was one of many people of the period known to regularly consume the
cocaine-laced elixir.
3. Steve Jobs LSD
LSD was a big deal for Steve J obs.
How big? Evidently, J obs believed that
experimenting with LSD in the 1960s was
one of the two or three most important
things he had done in his life. Whats more,
he felt that there were parts of him that the
people he knew and worked with could not

42

understand, simply because they hadnt had a go at psychedelics. This latter sentiment also
comes through in his biography, wherein J obs goes so far as to associate what he interpreted as
Bill Gates dearth of imagination with a lack of psychedelic experimentation.
Hed be a broader guy, J obs says about Gates, if he had dropped acid once or gone off
to an ashram when he was younger.
4. Bill Gates LSD
Which is funny, because Bill Gates totally did experiment with LSD, though an excerpt
from a 1994 interview with a magazine reveals he was much less open about it than J obs.

REPORTER: Ever take LSD?
GATES: My errant youth ended a long time ago.
REPORTER: What does that mean?
GATES: That means there were things I did under the age of 25 that I ended up not doing subsequently.
REPORTER: One LSD story involved you staring at a table and thinking the corner was going to plunge
into your eye.
GATES: [Smiles]
REPORTER: Ah, a glimmer of recognition.
GATES: That was on the other side of that boundary. The young mind can deal with certain kinds of
gooping around that I dont think at this age I could. I dont think youre as capable of handling lack of
sleep or whatever challenges you throw at your body as you get older. However, I never missed a day of
work.
5. Paul Erds Amphetamines
Paul Erds - well known for his hyperactivity; his
habit of working 19-hour days, even well into his old
age; and his tendency to show up on his colleagues
doorsteps demanding they open their minds to
mathematical dialogue - was one of the most prolific
mathematicians who ever lived.
His secret? According to him, amphetamines.
Included here is an excerpt from a book published in
1998 by Erds de facto biographer, science writer Paul
Hoffman, which explains Erds proclivity for

43

amphetamine use:
Like all of Erdss friends, [fellow mathematician Ronald Graham] was concerned about
his drug-taking. In 1979, Graham bet Erds $500 that he couldnt stop taking amphetamines for
a month. Erds accepted the challenge, and went cold turkey for thirty days. After Graham paid
up and wrote the $500 off as a business expense Erds said, Youve showed me Im not an
addict. But I didnt get any work done. Id get up in the morning and stare at a blank piece of
paper. Id have no ideas, just like an ordinary person. Youve set mathematics back a month.
He promptly resumed taking pills, and mathematics was the better for it.











44

Tour de France

Ovidiu Boghean, 9I

My passion for bicycles started when I got my first bike. I like the freedom a bike can
give you: it can take you everywhere. You can ride it on the streets, up the mountains or even
along the beach. As much as I am addicted to riding my bike, I am fond of watching cycling
events.
The Tour de France is a cyclist competition, mainly held in France, which first took place
in 1903. Since its first event, it has been held every year, except during the two World Wars.
This competition lasts 3 weeks, during which the cyclists cross different regions from France and
even other countries. For example, in France, the competition route passes through the
spectacular landscapes of the Pyrenees and the Alps. Parts of the competition have been held in
other countries, such as: England, Germany, Italy or Spain. Since 1975, the finishing line has
been on the Champs-lyses in Paris.
Psychologically speaking, the Tour de France is said to be the most challenging sporting
competition: the effort made by a rider during this competition was compared to the effort made
by an athlete in case he would run one marathon each day for three weeks in a row. The sum of
the altitude differences crossed during a Tour de France by one rider has been compared with
climbing the Everest three times in a row. At present, the Tour de France consists of 21 stages,
which add up 3.500 km. The longest Tour was held in 1926, on a distance of 5.745 km. The
shortest Tour was held in 1904, on a distance of 2.428 km.
The Tour de France has become a national and cultural icon. Initially, the Tour de France
was a motor race. Its popularisation helped the people in France know their country better, as the
magazine LAuto started publishing maps of the race at the beginning of the 20
th
century. A book
called La Tour de France par deux enfants, published in the 19
th
century and sold in almost as
many copies as the Bible, also raised the interest of the French people in their country.
Gradually, the Tour de France has come to symbolize and embody, through its riders, values
such as effort, courage, determination, mental and physical endurance, and fairplay. It has also
made unknown places in France and other countries famous.

45

The Tour de France is one of the largest and most famous sporting competition in history,
with a rich tradition and culture. It unites sportsmen and fans from all over the world. No other
competition probably only the Olympic Games could outrank the Tour de France, because of
its magnitude.







46

Football Passions

Postolache Ionu, 9H

The Football Passions report summarises extensive sociological research across 18
countries in Europe. The objectives of the study were to capture the emotions of being a football
fan and to compare the feelings, expressions and behaviour of fans associated with support of
their football teams.
Fieldwork was conducted in six of these countries Britain, France, Germany, Italy,
Netherlands, and Spain involving observation, recordings of heart rates at matches, interviews
and in-depth discussions with fans. In the remaining 11 countries, online and telephone
interviews were conducted with fans. A pan-European online poll of approximately 2,000 fans
was also conducted.
The research revealed that while there are differences between countries in the way fans
express their emotions and behaviour, we ultimately all speak one language, the language of
football. The research, however, did unearth a number of quirks and national differences that
may challenge our conventional stereotypes. Rituals in addition to the actions performed in the
stadiums during the match, pre- and post-game rituals are important in creating a sense of
community among fans. From meeting up with other fans for a drink before and after the game
to the orchestrated coordination of fabric squares to make up a larger banner, rituals foster a
strong sense of belonging to the fan group. What might otherwise be forgettable, everyday
actions become as meaningful and important to fans as, say, a church Mass, and generate
powerful bonds. These rituals often have a superstitious quality wearing the same 'lucky' shirt
to every game or following the same routine during the build-up even eating two pies just
before the kick-off because that made the team win last time.
In many European countries the presence of drummers, horn blowers etc. in the sections
occupied by 'true' fans, each performing their rehearsed ritual roles, generates an emotionally
charged atmosphere that is unparalleled in any other sport.



47

Parkour

Vlad Tipu, 9D

Parkour is a holistic training discipline using movement that developed from military
obstacle course training. Practitioners aim to get from A to B in the most efficient way possible.
They do this using only their bodies and their surroundings to propel themselves; furthermore
they try to maintain as much momentum as it is possible in a safe manner.
Parkour can include obstacle courses, running, climbing, swinging, vaulting, jumping,
rolling, quadruped movement, and the like, depending on what movements is deemed most
suitable for the given situation.
Parkour is a non-competitive activity, which can be practiced alone or with others. It can
be practiced in any location, but it is usually practiced in urban spaces. Parkour involves seeing
one`s environment in a new way and imagining the potentialities for movement around.

Developed in FRANCE, primary by Raymond Belle and David Belle and Sebastian Foucan
during the late 1980 s, parkour became popular in the late 1990s and 2000s through films,
documentaries, and advertisements featuring these practitioners and others.



48

About music

Costel Bichescu, 11P

Without music, life would be a mistake.
Friedrich Nietzsche

Why do we listen to music? Nowadays we are surrounded by music, we listen to it
everywhere.
Music is something that every person has his or her
own specific opinion about. Different people have different
taste, and various types of music have many ways of leaving
an impact on someone. It can be relaxing, maddening,
soothing, energizing, and many more.
People can use music to express themselves, in ways it cant
be expressed through behavior, or art. You can usually tell how someone is feeling by the type of
music he or she is listening to at the time. Its a tool used by many.
I can personally relate to the effects that music has on its listeners and users because it is
a big part of my life. Every day I listen to the words and sounds of different singers/bands with
contrasting ideas and opinions. The music I listen makes me who I am.
Music is one of the most important and powerful things in my life. My life without
melodies and harmonies would be totally empty. Listening to and playing different tunes helps
me de-stress, relax and it can also help to motivate me in trying times. I love listening to music
while on my way to school, as I feel it helps me prepare for the day that is coming.
I started learning how to play the guitar few years ago and I have fallen completely and
utterly in love with it. Once I start playing, I find it extremely hard to put the guitar down again.
Its very addictive and can also be distracting sometimes. It distracts me from my homework
since my guitar sits right next to my desk. Playing guitar is one of the only things in my life
which I dont feel pressured to do well in.

49

I believe music affects people in many different ways. To me music is more than just
something to listen to or play, it is something to feel. I think it brings me closer to my friends and
family. I also feel that it helps me get through things.












50

Values recorded extreme weather on Earth

Collected by Denisa Florea, 11P

* The highest temperature on Earth was 58 degrees Celsius, recorded in 1922 in the desert of Al
`Aziziyah in Libya.
* The lowest temperature ever recorded was minus 89 degrees Celsius in Vostok Station,
Antarctica. Russian Vostok Station is located 1300 km from the geographic South Pole in the
Australian Antarctic Territory, near the magnetic South Pole.
* The largest snowflake 38 inches in diameter was observed in 1887 in Montana, USA.
* The strongest wind (484 km / h) was recorded during the 1999 Oklahoma tornado.
* The biggest piece of hail (circumference 48 cm) was measured in Aurora, Nebraska, United
States, in 2003. The heaviest piece was weighed in Bangladesh in 1986 having 1 kg.






51

The Time for Healing

Alina Misaru

Here has come The Time For Healing!
This Time, which Ive been waiting for so long!
-Having made Peace to myself, - I can watch the ceiling,
Waiting in patience, I feel inside me - Im growing! - To Myself I Belong!

Day, after day, Im getting cured from hardships,
I dare to look to Reality, leaving illusions behind!
Ive got rid of all those so-calledfalse friendships,
My Heart belongs To Me! The rest, I J udge with a Clearly
Mind!

Here has come The Time For Healing!inside me!
Im good with myself! I LOVE, WHO I AM!
From Now-On, its up to GOD, to send HIM! Hell find me!
-As long as GOD Hears My Prayers, HE Will Send MeThe Man!











52

The Meaning of a Special Friend

Alina Misaru

SOONER, OR LATER, PEOPLE WILL DO UNDERSTAND,
WHICH IS THE MEANING OF A SPECIAL FRIEND,
NO MATTER THE DISTANCE, OR HOW MANY YEARS GO-BY,
BETWEEN SPECIAL FRIENDS, THERES NO GODD-BYE!

SOONER, OR LATER, ALL THINGS I HAVE DONE,
WILL BE REMEMBERED BY SOMEONE-SOMEWHERE-UNDER THE SUN!
ALL THE THINGS I AM TRUE FOR, AND I HAVE SAID,
WILL BE TREASURED IN HEART, BY A SPECIAL FRIEND!

THE WAVES OF LIFE CAN TAKE US AWAY,
BUT, SPECIAL FRIENDS WILL REMEMBER THE DAY,
WHEN GOD HAS MADE THEM BE - FOR A MOMENT,- TOGETHER,
THAT DAY AND THAT MOMENT, IN HEARTS, LAST FOREVER.