In no small measure because of the conservatism of the reign of Louis Napoléon (president, 1848–1852; emperor as “Napoléon III”, 1852–1870), academic philosophy in France through the middle part of the 19th century was controlled by members of the eclectic and spiritualist schools, led by figures such as Victor Cousin (1792–1867), Théodore Jouffroy (1796–1842), and Paul Janet (1823–1899). These were traditional metaphysical schools, opposed to regarding psychology as a natural science. With the ouster of Napoléon III after the débacle of the Franco-Prussian war, new paths, both political and intellectual, became possible. From the 1870 forward, a steadily increasing interest in positivist, materialist, evolutionary, and deterministic approaches to psychology developed, influenced by, among others, the work of Hyppolyte Taine (1828–1893) (e.g., De L’Intelligence, 1870) and Théodule Ribot (1839–1916) (e.g., La Psychologie Anglaise Contemporaine, 1870).

In 1876, Ribot founded Revue Philosophique (the same year as Mind was founded in Britain), which for the next generation would be virtually the only French outlet for the “new” psychology (Plas, 1997). Although not a working experimentalist himself, Ribot’s many books were to have profound influence on the next generation of psychologists. These included especially his L’Hérédité Psychologique (1873) and La Psychologie Allemande Contemporaine (1879). In the 1880s, Ribot’s interests turned to psychopathology, writing books on disorders of memory (1881), will (1883), and personality (1885), and where he attempted to bring to these topics the insights of general psychology. Although in 1881 he lost a Sorbonne professorship in the History of Psychological Doctrines to traditionalist Jules Soury (1842–1915), from 1885 to 1889 he taught experimental psychology at the Sorbonne. In 1889 he was awarded a chair at the Collège de France in Experimental and Comparative Psychology, which he held until 1896 (Nicolas, 2002).

France’s primary psychological strength lay in the field of psychopathology. The chief neurologist at the Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, Jean-Martin Charcot (1825–1893), had been using the recently revivied and renamed (see above) practice of hypnoisis to “experimentally” produce hysterical symptoms in some of his patients. Two of his students, Alfred Binet (1857–1911) and Pierre Janet (1859–1947), adopted and expanded this practice in their own work.

In 1889, Binet and his colleague Henri Beaunis (1830–1921) co-founded, at the Sorbonne, the first experimental psychology laboratory in France. Just five years later, in 1894, Beaunis, Binet, and a third colleague, Victor Henri (1872–1940), co-founded the first French journal dedicated to experimental psychology, L’Année Psychologique. In the first years of the 20th century, Binet was requested by the French government to develop a method for the newly founded universal public education system to identify students who would require extra assistance to master the standardized curriculum. In response, with his collaborator Théodore Simon (1873–1961), he developed the Binet-Simon Intelligence Test, first published in 1905 (revised in 1908 and 1911). Although the test was used to effect in France, it would find its greatest success (and controversy) in the United States, where it was translated in by Henry H. Goddard (1866–1957), the director of the Training School for the Feebleminded in Vineland, New Jersey, and his assistant, Elizabeth Kite (a translation of the 1905 edition appeared in the Vineland Bulletin in 1908, but much better known was Kite’s 1916 translation of the 1908 edition, which appeared in book form). The translated test was used by Goddard to advance his eugenics agenda with respect to those he deemed congenitally feeble-minded, especially immigrants from non-Western European countries. Binet’s test was revised by Stanford professor Lewis M. Terman (1877–1956) into the Stanford-Binet IQ test in 1916. With Binet’s death in 1911, the Sorbonne laboratory and L’Année Psychologique fell to Henri Piéron (1881–1964). Piéron’s orientation was more physiological that Binet’s had been.

Pierre Janet became the leading psychiatrist in France, being appointed to the Salpêtrière (1890–1894), the Sorbonne (1895–1920), and the Collège de France (1902–1936). In 1904, he co-founded the Journale de Psychologie Normale et Pathologique with fellow Sorbonne professor Georges Dumas (1866–1946), a student and faithful follower of Ribot. Whereas Janet’s teacher, Charcot, had focused on the neurologial bases of hysteria, Janet was concerned to develop a scientific approach to psychopathology as a mental disorder. His theory that mental pathology results from conflict between unconscious and conscious parts of the mind, and that unconscious mental contents may emerge as symptoms with symbolic meanings led to a public priority dispute with Sigmund Freud.

The real trouble began when on the first of October 1789 women gathered outside of Paris and began a march to Versailles to get the Royalty to come to Paris and effectively be under their control. The made it to Versailles and stormed the area killing all guards in their wake. Eventually Marie Antoinette and King Louis XIV were taken to Paris. At this time the people had a lot of power in what was done and it was this time that people started questioning social systems and brought out radical ideas. The power of the church was greatly diminished and power to the people was brought out. New legislations were being passed and King Louis XIV was literally signing away his power. Eventually the King and Queen attempted to flee France but were caught at Varennes and escorted back to Paris.

Due to the flight of the King and Queen, moral dropped low among the people. Despite all the power the people had there were still many things that weren’t well standing with them. It was on August 10th 1792 that when troops stormed the palace and murdered the guards to the King and Queen that the next phase of the revolution began. At this phase bloodied battles where held across France and it all ended with the ultimate execution of the King and Queen. This shows that France has completely abolished a Monarchy (both absolute and constitutional) and started a Republic.

So in conclusion, the reason the French Revolution was so Revolutionary was that in a small period of time so much of France’s Political and Social System changed that marked the beginning of a new era for France. From a Monarchy to a Republic, from a poor minority with no say in legislations to an equal say in all, from a greatly deprived constitution to one that promoted equality and from one National Ideal to a completely different one. These are what make the French Revolution so Revolutionary.

French bulldog (Photo credit: br1dotcom)

Queen of Holland inspects French Artillery (LOC) (Photo credit: The Library of Congress)

 I hope this will help you choose the best French classes for you. Learning a new language does not have to take several hours each day. You will find that the most modern language courses understand how busy people are, to create courses that require less than 20 minutes of study time each day. I’m sure I could have 20 minutes a day outside his bust schedule to gain valuable new skill. These short sessions daily will help to keep more information and is a great way to stay motivated. Have you ever thought about using your time more efficiently? I’m sure there are times that day that could fit in some additional courses in French. What happens during the commute? Perhaps, even during your lunch break? What if this is what I think? Can you squeeze in some extra lessons French these days? Modern courses are available on CD or MP3 format. All you need to do is download the songs on your iPod and take it to work! The last thing any of us want to do when you get home from work – is to work a little harder. If you use your time more wisely, do not. Have you ever thought you learn how to learn French for free? I know it sounds crazy, but it’s easy if you know how. The best way to start is to just use your ears. Between online and listen to some French radio stations online. The more you listen, the more you will notice the similarities between English and French. Before you know it you will start to understand some of the things they say – to be surprised at how quickly it will happen. Another good tip is to rent French films at your local library. All foreign films have English subtitles so you understand what is being said.

If you want to learn French very quickly, you might think of two French tutor. This can be very expensive, but you will be able to speak and understand French in a short period of time. If you are serious about learning another language, and are willing to pay for it, so this is definitely the way forward. Much cheaper option is to attend an evening class. You will not get as much individual attention, but expect to see some very impressive results in a relatively short time. I hope that my four best ideas of the French license plates, which were lit, and help you get one step closer

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When he was 18, his home caught fire and he was badly burned. One leg was left paralyzed and his left hand was badly hurt, with the third and fourth fingers unusable. It would take him almost a year to walk again, and the two fingers never regained full function. Despite this setback, Django re-learned the guitar, doing all the solo work with only two fingers.

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In 1934 the Quintette du Hot Club de France was formed with Stephane Grappelli on violin, as well as two more guitars and a bass player. This five piece ensemble would play together until the outbreak of World War II in Europe, when Django went to France to stay for the entirety of the war,  while Stephane Grappelli spent the war in England. Django revived the quintet in France by replacing Grappelli with clarinetist Hubert Rostaing and a more traditional rhythm section. In 1946 Django reunited with Grappelli and the Quintette du Hot Club de France returned to its original five piece strings only arrangement. This final lineup of the quintet would continue to perform and record until 1948.

After the dissolution of the quintet, Django retired to France and spent the remainder of his days playing sporadically around France. He developed a reputation for being late for concerts or even skipping them entirely. He recorded what would be his final album in 1949, Djangology, with Stephane Grappelli and a three other musicians on bass, drums and piano. In his final years he would start playing an electric guitar, and his music started showing progression to a newer style.

Cover of Djangology

In 1953, after performing in a Paris club, Django Reinhardt collapsed, the result of a brain hemorrhage. He died before doctors could arrive. He was 43. His music would go on to inspire countless musicians, among them Jeff Beck, Willie Nelson, Chet Atkins, and Tony Iommi.

Image via Wikipedia

Queen of Holland inspects French Artillery (LOC) (Photo credit: The Library of Congress)

French bulldog (Photo credit: br1dotcom)

ch. I hope this will help you choose the best French classes for you. Learning a new language does not have to take several hours each day. You will find that the most modern language courses understand how busy people are, to create courses that require less than 20 minutes of study time each day. I’m sure I could have 20 minutes a day outside his bust schedule to gain valuable new skill. These short sessions daily will help to keep more information and is a great way to stay motivated. Have you ever thought about using your time more efficiently? I’m sure there are times that day that could fit in some additional courses in French. What happens during the commute? Perhaps, even during your lunch break? What if this is what I think? Can you squeeze in some extra lessons French these days? Modern courses are available on CD or MP3 format. All you need to do is download the songs on your iPod and take it to work! The last thing any of us want to do when you get home from work – is to work a little harder. If you use your time more wisely, do not. Have you ever thought you learn how to learn French for free? I know it sounds crazy, but it’s easy if you know how. The best way to start is to just use your ears. Between online and listen to some French radio stations online. The more you listen, the more you will notice the similarities between English and French. Before you know it you will start to understand some of the things they say – to be surprised at how quickly it will happen. Another good tip is to rent French films at your local library. All foreign films have English subtitles so you understand what is being said.

If you want to learn French very quickly, you might think of two French tutor. This can be very expensive, but you will be able to speak and understand French in a short period of time. If you are serious about learning another language, and are willing to pay for it, so this is definitely the way forward. Much cheaper option is to attend an evening class. You will not get as much individual attention, but expect to see some very impressive results in a relatively short time. I hope that my four best ideas of the French license plates, which were lit, and help you get one step closer to learning French

What does Islam say?

Deceptive commercials and cultural propaganda present an ugly practice of paganism (mushrik) as if it were some beautiful festival of love – and all the time the devil is laughing at believers who listen to his whispers.

A group of practices considered as the twin sister of bid’ah(misguided innovations). Like bid’ah these flourish on . . .

 . .  ignorance and outside influence. Like bid’ah they entail rituals. But unlike bid’ah the rituals have not been given an Islamic face. They are followed because they are considered an acceptable cultural practice or the hottest imported “in” thing.

Most of those who indulge in them do not know what they are doing. They are just blind followers of their equally blind cultural leaders. Little do they realize that what they consider as innocent fun may in fact be rooted in paganism. That the symbols they embrace may be symbols of unbelief. That the ideas they borrow may be products of superstition. That all of these may be a negation of what Islam stands for.

Consider Valentine’s Day, a day that after dying out a well deserved death in most of Europe (but surviving in Britain and United States of America) has suddenly started to emerge across a good swath of Muslim countries. Who was Valentine? Why is this day observed? Legends abound, as they do in all such cases, but this much is clear: Valentine’s Day began as a pagan ritual started by Romans in the 4th century BCE to honour the god Lupercus. T

he main attraction of this ritual was a lottery held to distribute young women to young men for “entertainment and pleasure” – until the next year’s lottery. Among other equally despicable practices associated with this day was the lashing of young women by two young men, clad only in a bit of goatskin and wielding goatskin thongs, who had been smeared with blood of sacrificial goats and dogs. A lash of the “sacred” thongs by these “holy men” was believed to make them better able to bear children.

As usual, Christianity tried, without success, to stop the evil celebration of Lupercalia. It first replaced the lottery of the names of women with a lottery of the names of the saints. The idea was that during the following year the young men would emulate the life of the saint whose name they had drawn. (The idea that you can preserve the appearance of a popular evil and yet somehow turn it to serve the purpose of virtue, has survived.

Look at all those people who are still trying, helplessly, to use the formats of popular television entertainments to promote good. They might learn something from this bit of history. It failed miserably) Christianity ended up doing in Rome, and elsewhere, as the Romans did. 

The only success it had was in changing the name from Lupercalia to St. Valentine’s Day. It was done in CE 496 by Pope Gelasius, in honour of some Saint Valentine.

There are as many as 50 different Valentines in Christian legends. Two of them are more famous, although their lives and characters are also shrouded in mystery. According to one legend, and the one more in line with the true nature of this celebration, St. Valentine was a “lovers’” saint, who had himself fallen in love with his jailer’s daughter.

Due to serious troubles that accompanied such lottery, French government banned the practice in 1776. In Italy, Austria, Hungry, and Germany also the ritual vanished over the years. Earlier, it had been banned in England during the 17th century when the Puritans were strong. However in 1660 Charles II revived it. From there it also reached the New World, where enterprising Yankees spotted a good means of making money. Esther A. Howland, who produced one of the first commercial American Valentine’s Day cards called – what else – valentines, in the 1840s, sold $5,000 worth – when $5,000 was a lot of money – the first year. The valentine industry has been booming ever since.

It is the same story with Halloween, which has otherwise normal human beings dressing like ghosts and goblins in a reenactment of an ancient pagan ritual of demon worship. Five star hotels in Muslim countries arrange Halloween parties so the rich can celebrate the superstitions of a distant period of ignorance that at one time even included the shameful practice of human sacrifice. The pagan name for that event was Samhain (pronounced sow-en). Just as in the case of Valentine’s Day, Christianity changed its name, but not the pagan moorings.

Christmas is another story. Today Muslim shopkeepers sell and shoppers buy Christmas symbols in Islamabad or Dubai or Cairo. To engage in a known religious celebration of another religion is bad enough. What is worse is the fact that here is another pagan celebration (Saturnalia) that has been changed in name – and in little else – by Christianity.

Even the celebration considered most innocent might have pagan foundations. According to one account, in pagan cultures, people feared evil spirits – especially on their birthdays. It was a common belief that evil spirits were more dangerous to a person when he or she experienced a change in their daily life, such as turning a year older. So family and friends surrounded the person with laughter and joy on their birthdays in order to protect them from evil.

How can anyone in his right mind think that Islam would be indifferent to practices seeped in anti-Islamic ideas and beliefs? Islam came to destroy paganism in all its forms and it cannot tolerate any trace of it in the lives of its followers.

Further, Islam is very sensitive about maintaining its purity and the unique identity of its followers. Islamic laws and teachings go to extra lengths to ensure it. Salat (Prayers) is forbidden at the precise times of sunrise, transition, and sunset to eliminate the possibility of confusion with the practice of sun worship. To the voluntary recommended fast on the tenth of Muharram, Muslims are required to add another day (9th or 11th) to differentiate it from the then prevalent Jewish practice. Muslims are forbidden to emulate the appearance of non-Muslims.

A Muslim is a Muslim for life. During joys and sorrows, during celebrations and sufferings, we must follow the one straight path – not many divergent paths. It is a great tragedy that under the constant barrage of commercial and cultural propaganda from the forces of globalization and the relentless media machine, Muslims have begun to embrace the Valentines, the Halloween ghost, and even the Santa Claus. Given our terrible and increasing surrender to paganism the only day we should be observing is a day of mourning. Better yet it should be a day of repentance that could liberate us from all these days.

Please Forward it to other Muslim brothers and sisters to stop them from practicing such bid’ah… It is our duty as a Muslim and a Human being to spread the knowledge of our deen.May ALLAH forgive us for the sins we do consciously or unconsciously.. A’ameen 

Original Source: http://islamnewsroom.com/news-we-need/643-valentinesdaynoway2

Let’s peruse…

The Municipality of Minglanilla made its successful town fiesta and yearly made a tremendous celebration for beauty pageant among high school students from different schools (both private and public), namely, Minglanilla National Science High School, Tubod National High School, Lipata National High School, Tungkop National High School, Tulay National High School, Camp 7 National High School, Guindaruhan National High School, University of the Visayas (Minglanilla Campus), Southern Bethany Christian School and Immaculate Heart of Mary Academy.

The beauty pageant occurred last August 20 at the New Minglanilla Sports Complex. People from all walks of life were all filled with awe by the astonishing performances done by the twenty lovely candidates who were all proudly representing their respective schools, according to the organizer.

For each school within the Municipality of Minglanilla, two ladies were given such an opportunity to represent their school. Only the aforementioned ten schools joined in the search for Ms. High School Minglanilla this school year.

The said contest was truly a tough job for each candidate due to the consecutive practices they had while busy catching up with the lessons in school. Besides, workshops, seminars, campus tours and other sort of interactions were conducted in order to boost the confidence and self-esteem of every candidate. But, despite the pressures and stress, all of them were very happy with experiences they had gained and earned for even so short a time.

“When this game is over, I’m sure I’m going to miss this type of group bonding that we are all experiencing now,” this was the usual line that would pop out from each mouth of the candidates.

“And the Miss High School Minglanilla  is…” this was the statement from the host that gave the audience the thrill and excitement for the reason that the two candidates of Minglanilla National Science High School were the only ones left on stage and who successfully made it up for that big and final announcement.

That was surely the pride of each MNSHS student who attended the event that evening. It was Krizia Marie Gabrielle Dosdos, 15 years old, 4th year – Platinum got the 1st runner up position. And the lady who brought home the crown was none other than Claudine Nicole Librando, 16 years old, 4th year – Uranium. In addition to that, Claudine also won special and major awards that made her a grand slam winner: Ms. Pepsi Cola, Ms. Prime Asia, Ms. DermStreet, 2nd Best in Talent and Best in School Uniform.

Any human being in this world must recoil from putting a gap; otherwise, open communication will vanish into thin air and a covert communication channel will be thwarted at once without question

 “Please bear in mind that sharing information with others and apprising the latest updates of the world today give emphasis to the importance of global communication, i.e. free communication and freedom of expression. It relinquishes our rights from “self-seclusion and self-inhibition” to help people unfurl their inundating mind streams and open out into something that results in a rich harvest of ideas from them.”

The isolated beauty and tranquility of the place connote open communication and progress. With the ambiance of the surroundings, you can feel figuratively the essence of reaching out to other people and do communicate with them regardless of races around the world through “vital and candid information.”

Communication serves as a bridge between the family and the community — working together for a unified stand on the issue and for a solid foundation to come by the common goals and for the amelioration of one’s life.

Metaphorically, it is likened to an open beach because it is very important to all of us in this planet who ought to shun from putting a gap; otherwise, open communication will vanish into thin air and a covert communication channel will be thwarted at once without question.

The main reason for this is that people have the right to be informed and they have to share with one another regarding the issues and other things that can be beneficial for everybody in order to reach ultimately for “the common good.”

Communication is something that can bridge you between the unknown world and the known world with sufficient information to dish out. Likewise, it’s about expressing and conveying your thoughts, emotions, notions and concepts with another human beings.

The ideal outcome of the event will animadvert upon itself and it will boomerang to the concerned persons if things are not properly addressed. It reciprocates best communication skills that can aid in keeping one’s head and confidently taking charge of unfamiliar situations.

People are more likely to listen to you, whatever you have to utter, if you can express yourself well, and this is particularly useful in influencing and negotiating significant personal, social and business matters.

To elaborate further about communication as an advantage over the other sub-categorized implications and cognitive-voluntary schema with communicative approaches. The opposite sides are taken into account.

Say for instance, a communication as regards the utilization of idiomatic expression like “between the devil and the deep blue sea” which figuratively emphasizes its true color and veritable sense of implicit meaning.  In this expression, if you are between the devil and the deep blue sea, you are in a scenario where there are two equally unpleasant options or alternatives.

For example, “When the new product didn’t take off, the management was caught between the devil and the deep blue sea: develop a new marketing campaign or drop the product.” In this open communication, as well as distinct scenario of the two comparable objects, each object will liken metaphorically to a different perspective. It comes in handy in working out the involution or rising actions and dealing with difficult people.

Open communication is said to be fathomed, unparalleled, and incomprehensible closed-doors gaps that sometimes implicate many dimensions, from something that is facile or so simple and something that is more complicated.

Besides, it is “something” that is potentially complex to comprehend the pros and cons of a subtle and particular human being’s intervention.

To enlighten anew about the open communication and open alternative views, communication itself mainly connects to the human mind. It carries a heavy burden with consciousness and sub-consciousness.

The open mind is also susceptible to “a lack of conviction.” Too many conflicting viewpoints can enter an open mind and cause indecision and unfair treatment.  With regard also to any standpoint, it is indispensable now and then to conceal the mind from reality and connect it to the real world where individuals do utterly communicate, disallow any more input, make a decision and act.

Perchance, more significant than having an open mind is having a mind that is capable of being open or closed. The hinges of our mind are our capability to act upon. We can decide to accept or reject information depending upon the fair judgment, trials and animadversions from the people around. It might be local or international.

Finally, information should be dished out with correct acceptance and unmistakable honor to divulge and pin down with laurels.

Mingscians as campus journalists go into raptures over MDGs in the Philippines!

“Campus Journalism as a Catalyst for Change: Achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015” is a challenge of every campus writer in the Philippines to have cognizance about the MDGs. According to study, the all eight MDGs are indeed measurable, quantifiable and realistic. To support its claim, each of the eight goals has a set of targets. These targets are quantified through indicators that will be set as the benchmark for measuring each country’s progress.

DepEd memorandum expresses its journalistic stand and goes into raptures over the eight MDGs. The campus journalists demonstrate understanding of the MDGs’ importance to the masses by expressing them through varied journalistic forms and approaches, demonstrate commitment to support MDGs by advocating and integrating them in related school community initiatives and enhance journalistic competence through healthy and friendly competitions such as individual, group, as well as radio broadcasting and scriptwriting contests.

MDGs and campus journalism go hand in hand for the development and gradual progress to gauge the veracity of societal needs, as far as global population is concerned. The student-writers have responsibility and awareness about the dissemination campaign to cater to the needs of the majority through sustention of the eight MDGs to become fully operational without delays.

For the information of everybody, Millennium Development Goals consist of the eight goals, and the acronym itself MDG is a familiar buzzword. However, there is little or no awareness of this global agenda agreed upon by 191 nations in 2000. In fact, a number of journalists who attended a recent media forum said they had not heard of the MDGs despite the fact that the Philippines has been an active participant in the drafting of many protocols involving human rights.

In a press release published recently in a national daily newspaper, it emphasized the importance of each MDG. It described as a roadmap in fighting poverty, and as a partnership between developed and developing countries in the attainment of these eight goals. To reprint these goals, they are as follows:

Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education

Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women

Goal 4: Reduce child mortality

Goal 5: Improve maternal health

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability

Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development 

On the other hand, despite some clamors circulating around the country, some young journalists keep on rallying behind the proponents of MDGs. In fact, some questions have raised: Do they resolve global problems? Do the teachers impart savvy of journalism with regard to MDGs on the campus?

By all accounts, fundamentally, the better way to teach journalism is to train them to write for life. Perhaps, that’s a motherhood phrase. What the writer has really wanted to utter is to go beyond the competition mode. The holding of competitions to put something through its paces with the  students’ skills on campus journalism might have drudged to a certain echelon.

But making the students practice campus journalism more might do miracles and nose around more youth to the craft of factual “fourth estate.” This is not an animadversion on DepEd’s practice of holding schools press conferences in the country. This is only an overall standpoint of the Editorial Board and Staff of The Access school paper.

·       Whether we like it or not, the truth is that … campus journalism really works in dishing out information entirely about MDGs! It gradually resolves the problems that have already been addressed, particularly to the concerned countries with the eight MDGs to tag along.

Journalism gives emphasis to the importance of valuable information with the help of various media. Each student-writer must use extreme campus journalism as a means of making the people become fully aware of what is really happening around us today. If the people increase total awareness and heighten participation, the plans of development seem to realize and the MDGs will be successfully carried out.

As a result, significant decrease in poverty and amplified a much-needed boost in national economy will come to follow. The people will go hand in hand for the betterment of economy, and work with the heart to upgrade the conditions of the general public. It is inevitable that all of us are living in this labyrinth-filled nature and cycle of ups and downs by which the globe of our fate revolves in stages.

Our conditions at present are not still sustainable, not enough to cope with the demands and needs of society; ergo, we have to come to “grips” with the MDGs and apply draconian measures in order to accentuate the adequacy of our living conditions.

Through journalism, campus writers go into raptures over MDGs, especially in the Philippines!

Top-level officials visit MNSHS and observe French classes

DESPITE the circumstances of the great language diversities, the observation of French classes at Minglanilla National Science High School (MNSHS) took place last September 28, 2010 with some attendance, coming from DepEd officials (Central, Regional & Division Offices), French Embassy Linguistic Attaché, Alliance Française de Manille and Alliance Française de Cebu directors of studies, and other foreign language coordinators involved in the special program.

Regional SPFL-F Coordinator Ms. Marcelita S. Dignos through the memorandum issued by Director Recaredo G. Borgonia said  the visit and observation of French classes are geared towards reviewing progress of implementation of the SPFL-F, focusing on the agreed outputs and outcomes within the SPFL-F results framework including the terms in the MOA between the Embassy of France and DepEd which was signed last September 28, 2009, and reviewing actions taken on the recommendations formulated during the conference on start-up activities for the implementation of the teaching of French as a second foreign language SY 2010-2011 in selected Science High Schools in Region VII held last May 28, 2010.

Linguistic Attaché Emilie Flambeaux of the French Embassy to the Philippines emphasized the fact that French was the second international language and a key to prepare Filipino students “for their role as global citizens”. During the special visit at MNSHS, the visitors congratulated the French teachers, faculty members and the head of school Eutiquia S. Alday in their efforts to promote cultural and linguistic diversity. 

On the other hand, DepEd Undersecretary for Programs and Projects Dr. Vilma Labrador during the language assessment and planning workshop held last February 16-19, 2010 at the Tagaytay International Convention Center, reminded the audience that the choice of science high schools was made since science is a key field for both French and Philippine governments. She said French has been already introduced in 13 science high schools from NCR and Region VII. 21 teachers are currently undergoing training in the two French cultural centers, Alliance Française in Manila and Alliance Française in Cebu.

The agreement signifies the important role of DepEd-learning institution as a privileged partner of the Embassy, in terms of the promotion of French culture, language and education in Cebu and the rest of the Visayas and Mindanao, according to Emilie Flambeaux. She also added that Alliance Française has four objectives: to promote the French language, France, Europe and the 70 countries which are members of the French-speaking community; to encourage intellectual exchange and debate; to support Filipino artists and intellectuals, and to advise Filipino students who wish to study French culture and/or study in France. 

DepEd Coordinator for Special Program on Foreign Language (French) Ana Maria Hernandez expressed her profound gratitude to the principal Eutiquia S. Alday in her active role and support to the foreign language, together with faculty members for their hospitality, French teachers Dr. Ermetes F. Adolfo, Jr. and Jacqueline F. Bucao, and the 3rd year and 4th year students for their active participation during demo-lessons and their concerted efforts and interests to learn French language.

A touching realistic and passionate study of a young woman’s quest for revenge.

A victim of sexual assault and a witness to the murder of her young son during the French invasion of Vietnam in the early 1960’s Ngyen has come to a very sleazy New York as an illegal immigrant boat person and seeks out the man responsible for her despair.

Assisted by an ageing Polish immigrant with bitter memories of the Nazi occupation of his own country, she painstakingly tracks down her son’s killer, while working in soul destroying menial jobs.

The bond detente victims of two wars, a generation apart are very well handled, and the New York atmosphere is very well captured. Her personal hunt for a war criminal drives Ngyen, but she will discover a terrible truth about her target that will change her perception of him forever.

Jacques Tardi’s artwork haunts this heartfelt plea against the madness of war and vengeance.  Its ending makes the characters feel alive and genuinely tragic in their fates.

Arthur Chappell

Sure, I haven’t really been a collector of images of this iron structure before – but maybe it was about time I gave up on the piglet obsession, too (yeah, I’ve got a piglet collection-thanks to my friends, colleagues and family who knew about it and added stuff to my collection).

So what prompted me to change my collection preference? The French class, obviously. Learning the language meant I had to be exposed to the culture and history of France as well – as Alliance Francaise de Manille teaches conventional French (the one being used in France) and not Canadian French (the one being used in Quebec-my reason for going to class in the first place).

I learned about the Notre Dame, Les Champs Elysees, Place de la Concorde, Arc de Triomphe – but I rarely see their images on stuff being sold in bookstores, variety shops and thrift stores in my country. I wouldn’t wonder why. They’re not as popular as the Eiffel Tower. At first, I was intrigued at how (and why) it became as one of the most popular and most visited landmarks in the world. It looked ugly to me at first. Maybe that explains why – even the 18th century French people considered it before as an “eyesore” instead of a piece of art. I also didn’t get the point. It wasn’t like the Tower of Pisa in Italy which was used as a bell tower, the Big Ben of London which is a clock tower, the Burj Kalifa of Dubai which is a habitable skyscraper, the pyramids of Egypt which served as burial sites and time museums, the Taj Mahal mosque, even the Stonehenge (mysterious as it was, at least it seemed to have served a purpose for ancient rituals). But what about the Eiffel Tower?

I came across its history – it was supposed to be taken down after some time (it was built as an entrance arc to the 1889 World Expo). But it stood there even today – it survived fire and lightning, became a radio transmission medium, a viewing deck, housed restaurants (even an ice skating rink), a mute witness to numerous love proposals and movies, surpassed the overflow of tourists and visitors, even became a source of madness (and death) for some – bungee jumpers and stunt men trying out their wings. But what made an impact to me was the fact that during WW2, the French cut the cable going to the tower’s summit, so that Hitler’s soldiers needed to walk all the way up just to hoist the swastika in proclamation of the German occupation in France. It was said that a frenchman thereafter climbed all the way up to the tower (about 81 floors) to replace that with the French flag. Interesting footnote of history, having been said that “Germany may have conquered France, but it did not conquer the Eiffel Tower”. Ironic isn’t it (just as it is made of iron), but the original purpose of the Expo was to celebrate the centennial of the French Revolution. And since 1889, it seemed to keep celebrating the well-deserved French pride.

“All Quiet on the Western Front”: Analysis of New Technologies Used in World War I

“All Quiet on the Western Front,” by Erich Maria Remarque, written in 1928 is a war novel that has been regarded as one of the best war novels of all time. The novel is about World War I and the large impact that it played in history. The narrator of “All Quiet on the Western Front” is Paul Baumer, a 19 year old, who fights for the German army on the French front. Paul joined up with several of his high school friends and was filled with nationalism, but after being in training and fighting on the front lines they quickly learn that the same nationalism and patriotism that they had meant nothing, in comparison to the constant terror they would endure.  The novel is an account of World War I through the eyes of Paul, and how in such destruction after a mere two weeks, only eight out of his troop of 150 men survived. Paul, like many young men fighting in war, realizes that there is no escape from war and the only true escape is through death. In this novel, Remarque points out the cause of such destruction and how recruits had no idea what they were entering into when they signed up to fight for their nation.

The main concerns of this war, as Remarque points out, are the technologies that people begin to use. The new technologies consist of ones that are more effective and can more easily kill an enemy, but not only were they more effective in killing; they were introduced during war and the soldiers were up against something that they had never encountered before during training practices; therefore, they had not learned a way to really combat it. As well as Remarque pointing out the new technologies in his novel, the themes and motifs of the book leave a haunting impression of reality and war during World War I.  

War always tend to spur the development of new technology, technology that is more accurate, faster, and more destructive, in order to kill enemies on the battle field. Throughout time each war has brought in better equipment and as Remarque points out in his fiction novel, World War I was no exception. World War I saw the first extensive use of trench warfare, machine guns, aircraft, aerial bombs, and heavy artillery. With the new ways to kill and inflict injury on soldiers there also came the need for more and better medical treatment; several surgeries began being performed during World War I that still exist today.

Trench warfare that was used during World War I was a useful tool in protecting the soldiers, when in the trenches the soldiers were able to get low enough to escape the sweeping movements of the machine guns. With the trenches came several advantages and disadvantages though. The soldiers were in the trenches for long periods of time during combat. The rain kept the trenches wet and there was no way that a soldier could get dried off, but not only was the wet, cold, modern Europe weather a factor in the trenches. There was also the constant surge of rats that was after the food that the soldiers had. Remarque’s novel, written from the view point of Paul a German soldier, discusses the difficulties of surviving in the trench and how scarce food was to begin with before the rats found the trenches. Paul states, “We cannot afford to throw the bread away, because then we should have nothing left to eat in the morning, so we carefully cut off the bits of bread that the animals (rats) have gnawed” (102) and later he says that he wished they had eaten it anyway. Not only were the rats a problem in the trenches, but there were so many lines of trenches that often times when recruits or young soldiers got in a hurry they miss calculated when they fired their shells and mortars. Paul recollected that in the front lines it was not uncommon to be hit from their own country, and said that many men were wounded by their own mortars in the front lines. The trenches also made it very difficult for soldiers to advance on either side. The trenches ended up placing the troops in a stalemate because no one could leave and enter dead man’s land without getting shot down; therefore, they just fired upon their enemies from trench lines and did not advance in either direction.  Even though the trenches were not the best method of warfare it still protected the soldiers by getting them below ground level so that they could escape the fire of the machine guns.

Machine guns were first introduced into wars, during World War I. German troops had machine guns but so did the French on the Western Front. Paul describes how they had to constantly duck into the lowest places possible to escape the firing of the guns. At one point he lies flat in a mud hole, while trying to escape the bullets. Machine guns were something that the soldiers had never been up against before. They were used to guns firing but only one round, and then having to manually be reloaded. Now machines guns were being used that could fire multiple rounds, between four and six hundred per minute. They were used in a sweeping motion that could easily hit a soldier across the stomach or below the waist severely wounding and/or killing them. The only downfalls of the machine gun was that it was difficult to move, and would over heat quickly. Remarque’s novel describes, through Paul, how the soldiers did not have enough water the way it was, but the machines guns still had to be cooled. At one point the soldiers passed around a cup for them to urinate in, so they could use urine, in order to keep the machine gun cooled down enough to be able to fire upon the French soldiers that were advancing.  

Aircraft was also a new technology used during the war. There were two kinds that are mentioned in Remarque’s novel, but only one that they really feared. The bomber plane was the least of their worries according to Paul. The bomber plane dropped bombs that the soldiers could hear and often see falling; therefore, the soldiers had time to lie low and escape the destruction of the bombs. The most feared aircraft, according to Paul, were the observation planes. According to the novel the observation planes were the ones that the soldiers really feared even though they themselves did not drop bombs. The observation planes instead spied upon the Germans and then gave away the position of the soldiers, so that the French troops, or the other enemies, could send out mortars to that particular location, or know where all the soldiers may be huddled together in one spot before they attacked. Paul realized quickly that every time an observation plane was seen they would soon be under either an attack or a counter attack because the French on the Western Front would send out a plane to find out the location and then quickly go in and try to kill them off while they are all in one spot. At one point in the novel they found a village that had been abandoned and used one location to cook food that they had found, they built a fire and were roasting a pig. An observation plane circled the village, and located the smoke from the fire. Then there were trench mortars and a bombardment upon the troops as they were trying to finish their meal to have something good to eat that evening.  

Another technology that was used to the demise of enemy troops was that of shells and mortars which were nothing but a bomb placed inside metal casings. When mortars and shells were fired into trenches they would explode sending the outside metal casing splintering toward the enemies. The splinters were sharp shards of metal that could easily rip through soldiers gear and flesh. The wound that these mortars could cause was anything from a grazing of the skin to the removing of body parts. Along with the mortars came not only metal shards from the bomb itself and the casings, but also whatever the mortar hit. In “All Quiet on the Western Front” the major splintering was that of wood. Trees and buildings that were hit by the mortars would splinter, and the force behind the bomb sent the wooden splinters flying at remarkable speeds. The wood flying from the mortars impact seemed to be as dangerous in the novel as the actual mortars themselves.

Other technologies that were present during World War I, that are mentioned by Remarque, were those of electric wires that would trip, shock, and kill enemies walking close to the German trenches. At one point, Paul even mentioned seeing a flame thrower used by a French soldier, although the Germans were the first to use the flamethrower in World War I. The flame throwers could reach out around 60 feet from the trench and if an enemy was approaching it was caught up in a fiery blast of flames. However, the soldiers operating the flame throwers were usually quick targets and could easily be either killed or taken captive. Grenades and gas was also used during World War I that was effective in killing the enemies. Remarque mention’s, at several different locations, that his character Paul found trenches lined with recruits that did not get their masks on quick enough and were killed by the gas. Paul was also in a trench when gas was being used, however, he was able to get his mask on quick enough to escape death, and refused to take his mask off until he seen people above him out of the trench with their masks off, so he knew at that point that it was safe for him to remove his mask. These technologies are described as mere words because that is what Paul was accustomed to and this became his everyday life. “Bombardment, barrage, curtain-fire, mines, gas, tanks, machine-guns, hand-grenades—words, words, but they hold the horror of the world” (132).

Due to the extreme destruction and killing that was encountered during World War I the surgeons and those in the medical field were always kept busy. Medications were a commodity, since there was a shortage of supplies during the war. However Paul describes several of the hospitals that he went into with his friends and how even though people were in great pain, there was just not enough medicine for everyone. Paul recalled people with wounds that surgeons would operate on and experiment with, and then if that did not work they would simply amputate the arms or legs. In one case Paul was in a Catholic Hospital with Albert, one of his friends that had gotten wounded. The Catholic Hospital had seen so many wounded men that they could not compete with the large numbers, especially in different locations around the hospital. Therefore the Catholic Hospital made one room a dying room where they would take soldiers that they did not expect to live long. When the soldiers died they would be closer to the morgue and the staff would not have as far to move them. Also by doing this they were able to keep the other soldiers from getting as out of heart.

Remarque’s novel and account of World War I, since he himself fought in World War I, reflects several themes that can be related not just to World War I, but to any major war that has occurred throughout history. “All Quiet on the Western Front,” captivates the readers and touches the hearts of the readers as they become awakened to the reality of war. Some of the themes that awaken this reality are that of the effects it has on the soldiers that are in the trenches, and witnessing the destruction first hand. The reality that no one escapes the effects of war; people at home are affected by rations, soldiers are affected by death and shell shock after the war; and the reality that no one can escape war; teachers, students and civilians are all asked to fight and become inhumane fighting machines, no matter how sophisticated they are in their home town.

World War I, as well as other wars, affects the soldiers in many ways. They suffer from mentality issues from trying to cope with the constant death that is surrounding them amongst the destruction. The novel speaks of the soldiers, both recruits and officials, that when they are placed in the trenches and the front lines they cannot maintain their composure. Paul on at least two accounts talks of having to hold the grown men down and force them to pull themselves together. The two men that they hold down, one was a recruit that was attempting to run out into the open so that he would be shot and could escape the destruction. The other was a soldier and leader who had fought in the war for a while, but had finally had enough and completely froze. Even Corporal Himmelstoss, that was one of Paul’s training officers, froze at the complete destruction on the front lines after he was ordered to fight along with Paul. No one was above the effects, and all the lies that the training officer and older generation had been telling the younger generations were obvious when Himmelstoss could not withstand the fighting he encountered at the front lines.  Paul had to get him to pull himself together and move with the rest of the soldiers to prevent them from being hit by a mortar.  

The immediate effect of the war on the soldiers was evident in the Remarque’s novel, but also there was the lasting effect of the war that a soldier would never become rid of. No matter the rank or composure of a soldier, surrounded by constant death and destruction, the war eventually took its toll on the men. As people were laying dead all over the ground and even blown into trees by the mortars, the images of the war was engraved into the soldier’s minds. While not distinctly mentioned in Remarque’s novel, it can be derived that the soldiers who fought in World War I would constantly be in mental combat for the rest of their lives. The soldiers who were young men from ages 18 up would have nightmares, be shell shocked, and remember the death until they eventually died themselves at whatever age.

Also, when a young soldier becomes so accustomed to the death and destruction that is everywhere they look going home makes them seem out of place. Remarque, indirectly tells the readers, through Paul during his leave, that what was once home, where everything was peaceful and he could sit look out his window, read, and play games, now everything seemed to be strange and out of place. Paul, after coming home from the war, could no longer enjoy anything that he once did because he had matured, aged, and grown accustomed to the devastation of war. While he was home he talked to one of his friend’s parents who were killed while beside Paul. He knew that they could not face the reality of their son’s long and painful death so he ‘sugar coated it’ by telling them that he had been killed instantly, but in reality it was all Paul could do to face the parents who were so naïve to the war.

The horrors of World War I, was another theme in Remarque’s novel. Through the turning of each page readers could see that war showed no mercy and that no one was above the devastating effects. Paul recollected his school master teaching his German class French and how to properly speak it. Now that school master is training in his home town to go to war. This school master being the once proper individual now has to face the reality that awaits him during the war. Remarque illustrates that the education and the proper actions did not place him any better off than all the other recruits that were also training with him, and many of them were ones that he once taught. The horror that the character goes through with modern warfare and splinters shattering leaves a lasting impression on Paul. However, the impact of one of his best friends who is shot in the leg Paul carries and attempts to rescue. Reality hits once he gets him to the station, his friend had been shot in the head while Paul carried him and died in his arms, without him knowing it.

The death of his friend, one that he had graduated high school with and went to training with, had a lasting impression on him. However, the dying room and a patient with a bad lung removed from the holding room screaming that he did not want to go to the dying room also impacted Paul’s mentality. He realized that each person that went through the hospital was a mere number and that their life became nothing to a doctor seeing thousands of patients. Peter, after being taken to the dying room screaming that he did not want to go, was not intended to return to the room with Paul, however, much to the surprise of Paul he returned after a few weeks because his condition was not as bad as the doctors once thought. All the horror and fear of dying and the constant stench of death that was constantly consuming Paul was not one that he could forget after the war but one that would remain with him a lifetime. 

It appeared that everywhere Paul went death was encompassing his life. In the war he dealt with the loss of friends, who had become closer than his immediate family had, but even on his leave he could not get away from death. On his leave Paul learned that his mother was ill and that his father believed it was cancer. The illness of his mother was another representation of death and how a soldier can never become removed from death after the war. The destruction of the war had also reached his hometown and news of the horror was not censored.

Many older veterans of war were constantly asking Paul if the war was really as bad as they were hearing and had difficulty believing that hit could be that bad. However, Paul was on leave and desperately trying to escape the war for just a couple short days, he simply answered with no and said that it wasn’t all that bad; when in reality the war was eating at him, mentally. Germany was also under strict food rations. Sometimes Paul wondered if he had more to eat on the front lines than his family did living in Germany. The food was another representation that the destruction of the front lines had impacted Germany as a whole and not just the front lines of the war.

From the cover to cover of Remarque’s novel the destruction and horror of war is illustrated on every page. The novel opens with the death of Kemmerich and how he had been given new boots prior to him being wounded and his death. The boots are taken from him when he dies because he knew that if he did not get them they would just be tossed to the side and someone else would end up with them. At least one of Paul’s friends could use them and needed them. The boots reoccurred throughout and the realization of walking a mile in someone else’s shoes became a reality when the next person with the boots ends up getting killed. The boots become a never ending symbol in the novel and through the progression each person with the boots ended up getting killed. The death of Paul’s class mates went from person to person and along with them the boots, until only Paul was left.

Finally, near the close of the novel, Paul’s mentality is obviously slipping from the constant death and destruction. “He fell in October 1918, on a day that was so quiet and still on the whole front, that the army reported confined itself to the single sentence: All Quiet on the Western Front” (296). It was obvious that near the end Paul realized that he would never be able to escape war, and it did not matter if World War I had ended or not.  The only way for Paul to be able to remotely enjoy peace was through death itself, like all the other soldiers before him had realized. He contemplated on running out and getting shot on purpose like so many of the other people had tried to do but he had prevented them. At last in 1918 with the quietness of the western front Paul was able to obtain the peace when he was killed and “his face had an expression of calm, as though almost glad the end had come” (296).

Erich Remarque in the novel was able to accurately portray the horror and inhumanity of the war through his fictional novel and the character of Paul. Remarque himself fought during World War I and was wounded five times during his service. The final wound that Remarque received was severe and he was allowed to become a stone cutter for a cemetery rather than going back to the front lines. He lived in Switzerland and knew about the front lines, therefore, the character Paul was a reflection of his endurance through World War I and a representation of his wounds that he received in combat.   

Bibliography

Remarque, Erich Maria. All Quiet on the Western Front . Translated by A.W. Wheen. New York : Fawcett Books, 1928.