DECEMBER 2012 20122012 Editors : Hortense Margaux Nicolas Charlotte Sophie Solène Chocolate Santa Claus Make Christmas at the LFA Sweeter by Emile Charpin, Nino Ségala, Théophile Sauron ,Maxime Cornuault, Trisatn Desgranges. At the end of November, the 1ere sold chocolate Santa Claus. The students had to write on a Christmas card the name and the class of the person who will receive the the chocolate Santa. The money from fro the sale of the chocolate Santas will help the 1ère to finance their trip to Berlin. This sale has existed since the foundation of the LFA. The price of the chocolate Santa is 1,50euro per chocolate Santa, and 4,50euro for 4 chocolate Santas. It is possible to buy them during the break each year. This year, the 1ère have already begun with the distribution of the chocolate. The 1ère had to stop the sale of chocolate Santas last week because they had sold so many that they ran out. We hope it will be a big success this year too. Missing person at the LFA by Astrid, Théophile R, Florian, Alice, Emilie This year, like all the other years, there was a new educational supervisor. But this year, the one, the only... Chewbacca came. However, he disappeared in the middle of the year without saying anything, without any goodbyes. Could he be gone, like forever? Could he be fired? Could he have snuck off in the middle of the night or buzzed buzz off? Or could he have foundd a better place to be? We have no ideas. We only know that nobody no noticed it, or just a few. Have you seen him h in a corridor or in a supermarket lately? We asked a lot of people where he could be, but none of them knew. P.S Beware! Some supervisors visors steal french fries off of o your plates! The Story of the LFA and nd the Elysee Treaty By Augustin, Jacques, Christophe, Nathan and Sam The Elysee treat, also known as the Treaty of Friendship, was concluded by Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer in 1963. It paved the way to the reconciliation between the two countries. With it, Germany and France established a new foundation for their relations that ended centuries of rivalry between them. The treaty called for consultations between France France and West Germany on all important questions and efforts to come to a common stance. Regular summits between high level officials were also established. Among the direct consequences of the treaty was the creation of the France German Youth Office, Office, the creation of Franco -German high schools and the twinning between numerous French and German towns, schools and regions . The first Franco-German German classes in France began in 1975, at the opening of the first Franco –German section in housed in the Lycée ée Hoche. In 1982, the LFA moved to Buc and since then it has steadily grown to its present size of roughly 850 students, including a primary school and an English speaking section. 1 LFA NEWS Food, what else? by Juliette, Laurène, Stefanie, Marion and Solène Our special journalists went especially for you to interview Dominique Guynnot, the chef of the canteen! We crossed the kitchen and entered a small, but cozy office. Mr. Guynnot was very enthusiastic about our project. He answered our questions with a lot of details: Can you present yourself to our readers? My name is Dominique Guynnot. I have been the chief cook at the LFA’s canteen since 1978. I like working here because I appreciate the mix of the different cultures. What do you exactly do during the day? How do you create the menus? I coordinate all the deliveries and I invent every menu. I look for new ideas every day and I try always to be innovative. Is the food homemade? Do you invent your own recipes? Yes of course! (He seemed surprised that we asked him this question) Yes, for example the salads are my creation. I give them names which have a special meaning for me (Salade Jojo, for example). Where does the food come from? And what about the meat and the bread? Do you think you will organize special meals? From nearby! (He didn’t want to tell us more about this subject) I have already organized a week around forgotten vegetables and a “Limousin” day. What are your principal problems? Does the canteen have special hygiene conditions? Every day, someone is absent… How many people are employed in the kitchens? There are 5 cooks and 7 other people for the rest. What are the different jobs? Do you change frequently? All is written on paper, and there are frequently controls. How is the money spent? Your parents pay 20% more than the price of the meal, because of the electricity and the gaz. I have a budget of 1.80 € for each tray. The starters are handled by Monique and Sophie, the dish by David and me and the dessert by Alexandre. We want to thank Mr.Guynnot for his warm welcome and his detailed answers. 2 NEWS FROM BEYOND Events Heating Up in the Middle-East By Sofian, Nathan and Titouan M. Abbas victorious at the United Nations On 29th November 2012, Palestine attained the position of a non-member observer state at the UN General Assembly, a first and memorable politic success for the Palestinian population and its president, Mahmud Abbas. There were 138 votes for, 9 votes against (among which the USA, Israel, Canada and Czech Republic) and 41 abstentions. This was a historic moment at the UN Assembly: this vote enabled Palestine to become the 194th state at the United Nations with a wide margin, in the quality of observer. Thousands of kilometres from there, the Palestinian population celebrated the “miladdaoula” Palestine, the birth of the Palestine State, in the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority, Ramallah. In the streets of the West Bank of Jordan like in Gaza, tens of thousands of Palestinians organised supportdemonstrations for M. Abbas and issued a call to unity. They brandished portraits of Abu Mazen (Abbas), Yasser Arrafat and placards with “Palestine 194”, and celebrated the event commensurate to its feat. Gaza’s population wanted to show that they supported Abbas and that he was still popular, even after the recent war, between 14th and 21st November, in which the Hamas was very involved. At Ramallah, 29th November 2012, Palestinians jubilant after the positive vote of the UN to recognise Palestine In reality, Palestine obtained a very particular status: “it is customary,” said the UN Organization. Historically, it was created in 1946 for Switzerland and concerns today just one state: the Vatican. But now, -and that is what the Americans and the Israelis are the most afraid of- , Palestine can access the international authorities like the ICC (the International Criminal Court) in The Hague, where they could bring a complaint against Israel, if it continues its colonization-policy of the West Bank. The resolution calls for a resumption of the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and for a State of Palestine “alongside Israel in peace and security, on the base of the borders before 1967”. But Israel reckons that “it won’t change the situation”. “The world has watched a libellous and venomous speech filled of deceitful propaganda against the Israeli army and the citizens of Israel. Someone who wants peace doesn’t speak like that,” the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu said in reaction. Syrian Army continues bombing: “On Saturday, the Syrian army bombarded the suburb of Damascus, in an attempt to hunt down the rebels who had established their bases there,” according to the Syrian Monitoring Center (Observatory) of human rights, the OSDH. “The army bombards orchards which extend from the district of Kafar Soussé (in the South of Damascus) to Daraya (7km more in the South) and confronts the rebels to take control of the region”, explained OSDH. The Syrian population is still without internet and telephone. A black day in the Egyptian justice history: The first round of voting by the population on a referendum to adopt a new constitution in Egypt was held on 15th December. The second round will be held on 22nd December. International observers have charged that the voting process has been tainted by irregularities. On Sunday, December1st, the judges of the Egyptian High Constitutional Court decided to delay the examination of Mohamed Morsi's commission which drafted a new constitution based on the sunite interpretation of the Koran. Indeed this commission is composed of a majority of religious (Islamic) representatives. Eventually, the members of the high court validated the power of the new commission, and the referendum was organized. However, Cairo and other cities have been the sites of protest by both opposants to the new constitution and supporters of Morsi. 3 NEWS FROM BEYOND Barack Obama’s reelection By David, Alexandre and Gaspard Barack Obama won the latest USA’s presidential election. His Presidential Inauguration will be held on Monday, January 21, 2013. He also won the previous election, 4 years ago. Back then, he was the first Afro-American US president. He won this year’s election against Mitt Romney, with 332 electors out of 538, nearly 2/3 of the electors. His father was a Kenyan politician. He was born in 1961. He has been the president of the USA since the 20 January 2009. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, because he did extraordinary things for peace in the Middle East. Barack Obama said that he will tax the richest 35 % more of the maximum marginal rate of tax and over 10 years it will raise 1 000 billion dollars . Companies will be taxed less. The Pentagon will have less money and the budget cuts will save 487 billion dollars during 10 years. 21-12-12 By Pauline, Paule-Claire and Camille "We'll all die! On the 21st December 2012, it'll be the end of the world!" say the rumors. But is it true? Three years ago, scientists discovered the Maya Calendar and it was a shock! It stopped exactly the 21st December 2012! Since this day, a real business around “how to survive the End of the world” has been created: sale of gas masks, security combinations and even protective houses! But in Mai 2012, there was a turnaround: archaeologists found the Maya Calendar continuation. They said that 21/12/12 won’t be the End of the World, but that terrible things will happen in the coming year, like tsunamis, earthquakes or tornado. Indeed, it isn't the end, but the beginning of a new cycle. The Maya have another calendar than us and the End of the new cycle is predicted in 3050! Do you believe it? Some people say yes and are ready if it happens, but other people, like NASA or experts, think that it is crazy and that it will never happen. Anyway, if it's really the End of the world, we still have 3 days to live. We will see on the 21st of December! So enjoy life before we disappear! What's wrong with this picture? By Mathilde and Maya Sometimes it happens that the press defends the rights of women. 20 minutes, for example, raises the problem of parity in the French ministries. Indeed, if the parity between the ministers has been respected by Ayrault, it has not been respected within the ministries – only two ecologists have respected the parity in their circumscription with 75% of women in one and 53% in the other. It's also a good thing that newspapers get worried about the sexism which reign in our society. However, others newspapers on the contrary encourage sexism, like GQ. Indeed, GQ presented a picture of the singer Lana Del Rey naked, scared and powerless with the mention « Woman of the year ». On the previous pages are presented other stars in suit, looking relaxed and sexy, like Robbie Williams, the « Icon of the year ». The website of petitions Avaaz shared the images on social networks like Facebook and Twitter, asking « Er, sexist? Or just a coincidence? ». A lot of visitors have responded by commenting. Some supporters of Avaaz are a little bit skeptics. Is that really the goal of the « voice of the people » to launch controversy on the Web? Perhaps it would be better to focus on the real and concrete campaigns than shake some sheets of magazines... 4 NEWS FROM BEYOND World vs HIV/AIDS By Marie,Isabelle and Mathilde The first of December 2012 was the 24th international AIDS (Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome) day, organized by the WHO (World Health Organisation). International AIDS day is always the 1st December of every year. It unites people worldwide to fight against HIV/AIDS, to show their support to the people who live with this virus (HIV), and to commemorate the people who died from HIV/AIDS. It also collects funds to finance research, particularly for a vaccine. A vaccination will be tested in France and Belgium in 2013 on 36 people. Deaths due to HIV/AIDS have dropped by more than 25% these last 5 years, but the objective of the WHO for 2015 is "Target Zero". It means no new infections, no discrimination, no deaths. Can they do it ? By Thomas , Louis and Christopher On the 14th September, Japan announced that they wanted to stop using the nuclear power within 30 years because of the accident in Fukushima, which occurred on March 11, 2011. Japan, the world's third biggest user of nuclear power before the disaster, had planned to increase the share of nuclear energy mix to 50% by 2030. But the country's attachment to nuclear power was severely weakened after the Fukushima accident sent radioactive materials into the ocean and atmosphere, contaminating the food and water supply, and forcing the evacuation of 160,000 residents. "Based on facing the reality of this grave accident and by learning lessons from the accident, the government has decided to review the national energy strategy from scratch," indicated a policy document released on September 14th, 2012. "One of the key pillars of the new strategy is to achieve a society that does not depend on nuclear energy as soon as possible.” The decision comes after two months of public consultations and after the largest anti-nuclear demonstrations Japan has ever seen. Local media reports said the cabinet had already agreed to approve the panel's recommendation, with a formal announcement expected soon. On December 16, 2012, day of elections in Japan, one candidate (Yoshihiko Noda) wants to stop the use of nuclear power and the other principal candidate (Shinzõ Abe) doesn’t. It will be hard for Japan to stop using nuclear power, but the next elections will be decisive and determined the nuclear future of Japan. 5 ENTERTAINMENT The Perfect Christmas Gift By Mathilde, Clémence, Arlyne, Annelise & Francis This year for Christmas presents, as usual, will be very important with the Christmas spirit. But what is the perfect gift? What could you offer to your friends or family? That’s the big problem every year and the cause of many tensions and quarrels! So this year we have decided to help you to choose the best gift! Top 5 of the best gifts: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) We asked this question to pupils, teachers and people: What would be your best present? present Electronic gifts (computers, video games, iPhones…) Trips Music, CDs, concerts, books… Houses, cars, money Immaterial gifts (like presence of the family, happy children…) The strangest gifts: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) A calm wife To be a pilot Handcuffs and a whip A girlfriend (^^’) A kiss From Dawn to TWILIGHT By Calypso, Lisa, Lea & Sarah Twilight, Breaking Dawn, Part Two was released in France on November 14th 2012. The film has reached the first place in the box office beating Skyfall in French cinemas. Almost 3,900,000 people have seen the three--way love affair between Bella, Edward and Jacob for the last time. After the birth of her daughter, Renesmee, Bella slowly adapts too her new life as a vampire. But the Volturis feel threatened by the newborn hybrid vampire. So, they declare war on the Cullen family. To prepare their defense, defens the Cullen family travels around the world to find vampire family allies and try to beat back the Volturis during a last confrontation. But is this last episode of this thi wonderful saga really the end?? Only the producer Bob Condon knows it. Bilbo is Back !!! By Sophie, Lola, Isaline & Charlotte Great news for the The Lord of the Rings fans: Their favourite characters are back in theaters. Indeed, Bilbo, Gandalf and Golum are the main characters in the upcoming movie Bilbo the Hobbit that recounts the story of Bilbo’s youth and how he found the only ring, the object that that plays the main role in The Lord of The Rings. Bilbo the Hobbit,, based on a novel written by J.R. Tolkien was directed by Peter Jackson, famous for his direction of The Lord of The Rings trilogy. We have made a survey and 60% of the people interviewed have ve declared they are going to see the movie. As it seems to be fashionable these days to film famous novels, the movie was supposed to come out in two parts. But the story is too long, so there will be three films. Let’s hope they are worth it. 6 ENTERTAINMENT Do you know how I met your mother? By Matthieu, Théodore, Baptiste, Josquin & Jean-Loup How I met your mother is an American series which is a comedy. It takes place in 2030, when Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor), an architect and one of the protagonists, tells his teenage son and daughter stories about his youth and especially about how he happened to meet his wife and their mother, hence the title. Each episode is a memory of Ted and a flashback into the years 2000, when Ted was in his late 20s, living in New-York with his two roommates Marshall (Jason Segel) and Lily (Allison Hannigan), a couple, and their two other friends: Robin (Cobie Smulders), a Canadian girl, and Barney (Patrick Harris), a womanizing businessman. How I met your mother has received a very big success since the first season. The DVDs of the different seasons have had a lot of success too. Neil Patrick Harris, who plays the role of Barney Stinson, has become a well-known actor thanks to his role in this sitcom. How I met your mother has received six Emmy Awards, three People’s Choice Awards and one Critic’s Choice Award. What about the comparison with the series Friends which was released in September 22nd 1994? It is the story of six friends, Rachel Green, Monica and Ross Geller (brother and sister), Phoebe Buffay, Chandler Bing and Joey Tribbiani, and we follow this group of friends through their many adventures. How I met your mother was released in September 19th 2005, and that is a total copy of Friends. The series How I met your mother was created because the public wanted to have another series like Friends, and that is a total success. We can see many similarities between Friends and How I met your mother, for example: the couple who tries to be together (Ted and Robin in How I met your mother corresponds to Ross and Rachel in Friends), the couples happy together (Marshall and Lily / Chandler and Monica) and many other things. News about Call of Duty: Black Ops II By Nicolas , Stéphane & Paul-Antoine The new video game of Treyarch came out on November 13th, 2012. In this new FPS game many things have changed, mainly the way to play with the brand new scorestreak. Call of Duty 9 is very different from Modern Warfare 3. They have balanced the power of all the weapons, for example a weapon with a big fire rate has a big recoil and a low damage. In Black Ops II there is a new zombie mode ( Tranzit ) in which zombies are more resistant. They run faster and hit you with much more force. Playing with friends online is very slow because the servers are overcrowded. The designers have changed lots of things in the multiplayer mode. They have really listened to the player community. For example, the designers have decided to introduce the concept of scorestreak: when you take a flag in domination you get 200 points and the points we get with a scorestreak are very low (around 25 points). We interviewed some pupils at school about the game and this is what they think about it: -“awesome! the weapons are amazing” ; “legendary , very good pictures “ ; “the graphics are realistic” .You can find more details on the youtube channel of Mrlev12 (who made a video about the care package), Wartek , Gotaga… 7