The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater Overall rating: 4,5/5 “Whatever Maggie writes, [Libellus] reads.” That was the beginning of my review for the third installment, Blue Lily, Lily Blue, in Maggie Stiefvater’s brilliant series The Raven Cycle. I continued by saying that it was the 5thbook of hers that I read and that I didn’t plan on stopping. While The Raven King, the final piece of The Raven Cycle, is now my 8thStiefvater novel, making her one of the most popular authors on my shelves, I still can’t get enough of her. In this review, I will be focusing on the whole series instead of going through each volume like I did with To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. Hopefully this will be more straightforward and save us both some precious time reading and writing. Let me know if you like this new format or prefer the old one! For full reviews click on the links below. The Raven Cycle #1 The Raven Boys: 4,5/5
The Raven Cycle is easily one of the most original Young Adult series out there. Everything from its subject to its characters differs from the classic Hunger Games-y trope. Rick Riordan made mythology a popular topic for YA with his ground-breaking Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. He launched a new “Renaissance” by bringing back the study of Greek and Roman Gods in fiction literature, and others followed. However, nobody ever saw Welsh mythology as a possibility, probably since it doesn’t have the same approachability as Greek or Roman mythology. That is, until Stiefvater came along. The Greeks influence is everywhere around us, even today. In class, we still study Plato and Aristotle, we still read Sophocles and Homer. Welsh mythology is unheard of. It is a complete mystery, especially to those of us not living in Wales or in the United Kingdom. Learning about ley lines and dead kings was like travelling to a windy, rainy, cold and ominous new universe where magic seems to be a person more than a thing. Stiefvater starts from scratch in the minds of her readers and carefully builds the world using the sheer force of imagination. It seems British mythology is Stiefvater’s playing field. In her other novel, The Scorpio Races, she uses Celtic mythology, in her most famous series, Shiver, she bases herself on werewolves, another European myth although they are not of British origin. In The Raven Cycle, I cannot attest to how much she sticks to the traditional myths Welsh, but if it is anything like Shiver, she definitely doesn’t. Whatever Maggie does, she adds her own twist to it. This time, the twist comes in the form of four boys with an affinity for magic. Gansey, Adam, Ronan and Noah. Apart from the fact that YA rarely has male protagonists, let alone four of them, they are all wonderfully unique. Looking back at the character growth after four books, it is fair to say they are some of the most well-rounded and well-conceived characters in the YA-verse. We have come a long way since her Shiverdays where it was all about hot and heavy romance. It is funny reading back on the reviews I wrote three years ago for the first and second novel. I used to adore Gansey, and I still do, but now, I think that Ronan and Adam hold much more merit as characters. They are both so beautifully troubled, so hurt and psychologically interesting. Every layer of their behavior can be peeled to reveal a more complex truth, which can then be peeled back two or three more times. They all carry some sort of magic in them, a force that is incomprehensible and stronger than a typhoon. It is truly hard to describe that turmoil that seems to be brewing within them at all times. It is as if you tried to bottle a storm, an angry and violent storm, in a glass jar. As time passes, the pressure augments gradually and makes the cork turn inch by inch, until it all explodes. And when it does, Stiefvater is there is poeticize it. The Raven Boys aren’t the only characters. There is obviously a girl, Blue, who also has magical abilities. She embarks on a quest without knowing what she is about to get into. While she is not as interesting as the boys, she holds her own. She is a strong girl in a man’s world. She also has an amazing family, an aspect often neglected in YA. Persephone, Calla, Maura and the other psychics of 300 Fox Way were especially entertaining in the first volumes where the story is more lighthearted. As the story progresses, it gets darker and darker every time to the point where the sass is still present, but it hides pain that was not there before. Obviously, great plot progression, singular characters on top of an original topic are all markers of a great writer. However, what keeps me coming back to Stiefvater is her wistful writing style. I often mentioned so far that this book holds a magical quality, and there is truly no better way to describe it. However, it is not the kind of magic featured in Disney fairy tales. It is an unruly dark force. As you read descriptions of Cabeswater, it seems like the place can simultaneously grant you your every wish and destroy you until you’re only a pile of ash. It is this slight balance between dream and nightmare that gradually transgresses from Cabeswater to the characters psyche to the real world that makes Stiefvater’s writing extraordinary. If you did not guess already, The Raven Boys is one of my favourite YA series. Actually, scratch that, it is one of my favourite series period. It stands apart from usually urban fantasy stories with its unique topic and its approaches, there’s nobody that can do telekinesis or read minds in this story nor is the romance overpowering for nothing. The Raven Cycle is truly a beauty that does not get enough hype. Understandably, the market for fantasy is particularly saturated since Game of Thrones and Outlander, but The Raven Boys will transport you to another world, one where dreams and reality are interwoven, where boys can feel pain, where truth lies between an imaginary world and deep caverns. Three years and four books later, The Raven Cycle will forever be imprinted on my mind and make me wonder what if dreams were actually a reality. If you liked The Raven Cycle, you will love… The Mara Dyer series by Michelle Hodkin Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein series by Kenneth Oppel
0 Comments
https://www.wbdg.org/additional-resources/case-studies/united-nations-headquarters I am sitting on a more-or-less comfortable dusty grey train seat looking out at the Adirondacks. The sun is shining down, though it will soon start to set. Earlier, we passed through a dozen stops in the state of New York, each city poorer than the next one. Now, we are somewhere between Plattsburgh, NY and Montreal, surrounded by the forest and plains of the St. Lawrence River. The peaceful nothingness allows me to reflect as I am leaving behind the blinding, bright lights of New York City. My bag is laying at my feet full of placards, name badges, paper pads, pencils and about three packs of throat lozenges. On the foldable table in front of me, there’s an apple cider vinegar juice that I bought for 8$ because it apparently helps with throat sores (spoiler alert: it doesn’t), and a couscous salad that will be my lunch on this 11-hour train ride. My passport and boarding pass are somewhere in the mess that I made, probably laying with school books I should be reading. My friend KF is sleeping next to me. He’s had a long week too. My muscles ache from hauling my luggage across the subway. It is stuffed to the maximum limit with Western Business Attire, three pairs of heels, eveningwear, and more than a few pairs of jeans. My feet are inflated either from the train ride or from the week of walking in painful but pretty heels. I haven’t been able to sleep for more than two hours at a time between committee session or team dinner for a week. My mind feels simultaneously sharp and stimulated, yet so mushy and exhausted from reading, writing, researching, debating, negotiating… Model United Nations (MUN) takes a toll on your body. I can’t remember the last time I left a conference without feeling sick. It is between two and five days of intense work with no sleep, no time to eat, a few parties or networking events to attend on top of deadlines for school or work.
Yet, I rarely feel as alive as when I am “MUN-ing”. MUN is a simulation of a United Nations body (ECOSOC, UNESCO, General Assembly, UN Women…). Delegates are in a committee and represent (under the banner of their school) a country. Every committee discusses topics of vital importance to the UN and for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. The delegates must put front the values of their assigned country, regardless of their personal interests, to produce a resolution which will propose solutions to said problems. For each conference comes weeks, sometimes months, of researching and writing to get ready to debate. To best understand how MUN changed me, I must go way back. In high school, I was in a dance program. I spent hours every day, five days a week, practicing my jumps, correcting my posture, analyzing the shape of my arms, stretching the most obscure muscles, turning until I felt dizzy and learning how to perform on a stage. Some days I had enough. Some days, I just wanted to be a normal girl who played board games with her friends on Friday nights. These days were random and short-lived. Nothing can replace the thrill of being on stage. I felt free of everything. I defied the laws of gravity, I defied my personal demons, I defied society who told me arts were pointless. Instead, I became something beautiful, something effervescent and untouchable. Years of practice came for just these moments of pure ecstasy. Dance thought me perseverance and the literal meaning of "blood, sweat and tears". I learned to handle defeats and victories with grace. That small group of girls became my family for the most formative years. We spent all days together, in dance class, at school or on stage. Yes, we fought, we bickered, and we were jealous of each other. After all, we were all aiming for the front and centre place on stage because we loved performing more than most things in our lives. I also witnessed the greatest acts of friendship and selflessness. Girls picking each other up when a girl was sad, promising that if one girl falls on stage, we would all fall with her. However, I was still insanely insecure. I was always scared of making mistakes. Being in such a small group had me feeling claustrophobic. After high school, I needed to go somewhere where I could be more than just a “dance girl”. I needed to discover who I was, what I liked and who I wanted to be. Dance took up all my extracurricular time, it was the only thing I had ever known, but I knew I couldn’t make a life out of it. I went somewhere where none of my friends were, somewhere where I could start from scratch. CEGEP is the one time in your life where you can do whatever you want before diving into university and eventually look for a job. I chose a small program in a mid-sized school. Experience has shown me that your class friends are not always your real friends. True connections are made by meeting people outside of your group who will talk to you for more than getting the notes for class. Most times, you bond with people over your shared love of something. I just needed to find a group with similar hobbies as me. However, I had given up dance. It was all that I had, my one hobby. How does one go from dancing 3 hours a day to not having anything to do? One week into my first session of CEGEP, I was already overwhelmed. I didn’t know anyone, and I missed my old friends. I started getting quizzes and it wasn’t going as I expected it would. I was scared with no one to talk to because all my connections were too busy dealing with the same problems themselves. When I saw the ads for Activities Day, I knew I had to sign up for something. My mother pushed me to go towards the debate team or something more political because I always argued at home. She also knew that I am the copy-pasted younger version of her in many ways. She participated in multiple school newspapers and student politics groups. My mother knows me better than I know myself, so I trusted her. Walking up to school that day, I promised myself that I would not let my anxiety and my insecurities get the best of me. I could not be afraid of meeting new people, I would not be scared to sign up for something out of my comfort zone, I shan’t be scared of auditioning. That day, I visited every single kiosk and signed up to at least 20 activities. It was so exciting! I never saw such variety of non-sports activities in my life! The last kiosk I saw was called NMUN. There were about 20 people in front of it trying to talk to the two girls hosting it. All the people there were clearly very interested and knowledgeable about what it was. I sneaked in front of everyone and put my name down for the information session. I did not make eye contact with the ladies tending the kiosk nor did I utter a word to them. I figured I’d understand once I got to the session. The following week I had a meeting every single day for all the clubs I signed up to. I was a busy bee. Then came the NMUN meeting. I learned two things that day. The first being that NMUN stands for National Model United Nations, and the second, that is was a group of students doing a sort-of political thing with a little bit of debate (I still didn’t really get it). The second thing was that I REALLY wanted to do it. Ok, a certain trip to NYC might have something to do with that. The same ladies that were there at the kiosk were speaking at the session. They told us about the audition process which would consist of two rounds: the first being an individual audition, and the second a group one. You didn’t need to have experience with MUN or with debate, you just needed to have a sharp, creative mind with a will to learn. I had made a promise to myself. I had to try. Then came the first round of interviews. I sat down in front of the panel which was made of one of the girls from the kiosk, a teacher I did not recognize, and two other seemingly older people. They all had a straight poker face. I was immediately intimidated but tried to keep my cool. When I feel nervous, I remember the words of my grandmother which roughly translate to “you’re pretty, you’re sweet, and you’re smart”. Somehow that always calms me down. They started asking basic questions to know me. I answered as eloquently as I could. I mentally thanked my Anglophone friends in high school for having helped me get rid of my accent when I spoke English. They had asked the interviewees to prepare to present briefly a current political situation that you thought was the most urgent one to solve. At that time, the world was seeing massive waves of refugees from Syria and Iraq coming through Europe or in neighbouring countries like Jordan. After questioning me on who was on who's side, we discussed the conflict some more. Before I knew it, the interview was over. I had never been challenged intellectually like that. Never in all of high school had someone asked me what I thought about current affairs, never had someone asked me to analyze and discuss solutions. I decided CEGEP was going to be awesome. At this point, I needed to get in. I had a taste of MUN and I was already addicted. A few days later, I got an email asking me to come back for the group interviews. I screamed in the hallway. The second round was in a week. The content of the interviews was kept secret, so I had no idea how to prepare. The day came. I shall not reveal the content of the second round since it is kept religiously secret every year. Fast forward after two hours of intense work. Honestly, throughout that round, I had no idea what I was doing. I like to think people came to talk to me because I seemed approachable and intelligent while not being cocky, but the room was so loud and confusing with twenty-something kids all desperately trying to prove themselves. After two hours, I was absolutely exhausted. They told us they would call us personally that same night if we got in. That night I tried to do my math homework. I really did try! I just couldn’t think of anything else than my audition. What if I didn’t give the right phone number? What if I had too much of an accent? What if the fact that I had no prior experience would cut me out? What if I didn't make it? Then I heard my phone ring. I answered, and a girl told me I was in. I tried to sound as composed and polite as possible, but the truth is that I just wanted to scream and shout and dance it all out. She said congratulations and I think I thanked her about 300 times. She hung up, and I checked my phone to receive a Facebook notification that I was added to the "NMUN 2016-7" group. I went to bed overjoyed. It felt as if I would be getting 18 new friends. Our first meeting would be Wednesday of next week. We would join each week for the rest of the year to learn about position papers, resolution writing, speech writing and delivering, negotiation techniques… Everything was brand new to me. I looked forward every night to our session, except when we did improvised speeches, that still scares me. I got better, I learned, I developed my creativity, I made friends. Here are just a few notable events to describe my first year with the team:
After McMUN there was NMUN, but I will talk about that a bit later on. After 5 long conferences, it was time for summer. I was chosen to be Secretary-General of SimEURO 2017. It would prove to be the biggest challenge I ever took on. I never thought I would one day plan my own conference. After a year of learning the mechanics of being a delegate, it was time to move up to a higher level in my “career”. I couldn’t wait to share my passion with everyone. I spent the summer planning the committees with my wonderful team. I won’t lie, it was the most stressful time of my life. I have experience planning events, but something with this many moving parts was new to me. I like to think that it went well. By no means was it the best conference ever, but I think it was the best it could’ve been considering the means that we had. I got out of SimEURO more exhausted and drained that I have ever been. It is by far the proudest achievement of my short life. I got to share my passion with fellow students, many of them first-timers. There is no better feeling in the world than seeing young people get passionate as they write for the first time or speak in front of an assembly. I remembered being in their place the year before and falling in love with MUN. I like to tell myself that I witnessed something special for a least one or two people. Maybe SimEURO made them realize that they wanted to do MUN or work in politics. Maybe it gave them a sense of fulfilment after being lost for a while. There is no way that I can know for sure, but maybe there was a Libellus 2.0 in the crowd. I decided to come back to the NMUN team the next year. I was the only one except the head delegates to come back. I truly understand MUN is not for everyone. It demands sacrifice, perseverance and a level of investment that some people would rather put in their studies or other clubs. But, after all, it had brought me last year, I knew I wanted to keep going. I returned to MUNC as Assistant Chair to the UNEA where I saw a lot of familiar faces from the week before at SimEURO. My heart was filled with pride and happiness. We had made it, we had given the addiction to some kids. In that second year, I chose to adopt a stress-free attitude. Of course, I would keep giving it my all, but I would not get anxious about speaking, I would not get anxious about stepping into a room full of people. I was a veteran, I knew the drills. In the back of my head, I also knew that this year would probably be the last in my MUN career. I don’t know if I will make the team or have the time in university. I just wanted to have fun! Before I talk about NMUN, I would like to dedicate a paragraph to my teammates of both years. Every single one of them has left their mark on my heart. You pushed me when I thought I couldn’t keep going. You gave me a helping hand when I was struggling. I thought I had seen what teamwork was in high school, but these teams have brought it to a new level. Every week, I was motivated to come see my friends and debate with them. We had some memorable laughs (#NMUNMemes) and spent the best of nights together. Thank you to all of you for making this the most unforgettable experience of my life. Especially you KF and JR. KF, thank you for being the gardener of my happiness. JR, thank you for always pushing me out of my comfort zone. Now I shall attempt at explaining what NMUN is like. Have you ever been in a room full of young people who are passionate about something? I certainly hope you have, it is an amazing feeling. Imagine that there’s about 300 of them and that they are, for the most part, extremely talented, well-rounded, clever and creative individuals. That’s kind of what NMUN is to me. You get to meet people from all over the world: Venezuela, the Netherlands, the USA, France, Belgium, Egypt, South Korea, UK… What’s craziest is to understand the points of views of other cultures on politics. When you get out of committee to eat with your working group, you form true bonds with individuals who will one day be the leaders of their countries. I realized was that regardless of where you come from, we all share the same values. We want peace, stability and development. We want the power to realize our maximum potential regardless of any barriers. We all want the best for everyone, we just don’t always agree on how to get there. Part of what I love about the UN is its devotion to the three aforementioned principles: peace, stability and development. I am undeniably idealistic. I don’t know much about anything, but I do know that everyone should be equal in these principles, and I think that people who do NMUN agree with me. When you collide with ideas from different cultures, you grow as an individual. They brought me new points of views and new solutions to the most basic of problems. They made me see how issues impact differently people from all over the globe. For that, I will be forever thankful to all the delegates I’ve met. I don’t know if NMUN 2018 will really be the end of my delegate career. However, I need to get used to the idea just in case it is. As I said, I hope to keep chairing and be involved in local conferences, but nothing quite compares to the delegate experience. I feel blessed that I had the luck to experience it all. I am forever grateful to the Universe for allowing me to enter such an adventure. I have never been good with goodbyes, but it is a necessary one. I leave with an open heart and an invigorated mind. If there’s one thing you have to remember from this story dear reader, is to find whatever motivates you and makes you happy and to keep doing it until you can’t anymore. I found my thing for two years. It is time I find another. Xx. Le corps des bêtes par Audrey Wilhelmy 4,25/5 * Langage choquant et sexuellement explicit * Lu dans le cadre du Prix littéraire des collégiens (PLC): http://www.prixlitterairedescollegiens.ca Prix : Nomination pour le Prix littéraire des collégiens (2018) English : No English translation has been announced. Résumé Osip se refuse à sa nièce. Il ne lui montrera pas comment « faire le sexe des humains », même s'il ne voit pas trop qui pourra le lui enseigner sur le rocher qu'ils habitent avec le reste du clan. Il n'a pas pitié de Mie. Elle appartient à cette plage qu'il observe depuis la plateforme du phare où il passe ses journées. Seuls l'intéressent les bateaux étrangers et la femme de l'aîné. Celle-ci n'a ni la pudeur de la Vieille, ni les manières des femmes qu'il a croisées jadis à Seiche. Son frère l'a engrossée dès son arrivée à Sitjaq, mais qui s'en soucie ? Sur ce bout de terre rocailleux, les bêtes sont à qui les prend. Ma chronique Par où commencer? Devrais-je parler de la prose fine, mais animalesque de Wilhelmy? Du dépaysement total du cadre spatiotemporel? De la moralité tordue des personnages? Le corps des bêtes n’est pas une lecture comme une autre. Wilhelmy dépeint un monde qui semble très proche des villages marins, mais loin de tous ce que l’on connaît éthiquement. Les personnages ressemblent à l’homme préhistorique, bourré de désir et de masculinité. On aime se réconforter en prétendant que même dans des conditions similaires, nous n’agirons pas possiblement de la même manière qu’eux, mais en réalité, nous sommes tous des êtres pubères qui cherchent l’approbation ou, du moins, l’attention de nos êtres chers. Le corps des bêtes s’approche d’un essai philosophique sur la condition humaine à l’état de nature, mais en utilisant une prose qui exprime infiniment mieux les sentiments les plus insondables que n’importe quel sage. Ce n’est pas une lecture facile, elle demande une réflexion introspective. Wilhelmy refuse de nous donner des réponses à nos questions, et tend la main au lecteur pour compléter les nombreux non-dits. Les personnages nous font voyager dans leur monde isolé, remplie d’animaux, de textures et de sons archaïques, aussi paradoxale que cela semble. Il y a un certain embrouillamini à travers l’abondance de sensations animales. Tout semble si sauvage. Une grande concentration est nécessaire pour comprendre tous les détails qui, au final, sont les maîtres de l’intrigue. L’histoire ne semble pas si unique : un mélange de conflits familiaux et de la découverte de la sexualité. Par contre, l’unicité de l’œuvre se trouve dans son approche étrange à ces thèmes. Avec son style lyrique et fantaisiste, le lecteur se sent transposé dans un autre univers. Le lecteur se sent pratiquement sur une autre planète. Comme un humain qui observe des souris de laboratoire. Il n’a aucun attachement émotionnel aux personnages avec des valeurs qui semblent à première vue si loin des siennes, il est simplement un contemplateur. Si vous avez aimé Le corps des bêtes, vous allez adoré… Mercure par Amélie Nothomb Des femmes savantes par Chloé Savoie-Bernard Cœur d’encre par Cornelia Funke Vivement l’été! Il est possible d’assumer que plusieurs d’entre nous vont partir en voyage cet été. Que ce soit en Europe du Sud ou dans les îles tropicales, chaque destination à une histoire qui lui est particulière. Pourtant, j’ai remarqué que les gens n’étaient aucunement conscientisés aux enjeux réels en dehors de leur Club Med. Alors, juste pour vous et votre culture générale (qui peut être utilisée pour épater la galerie lorsqu’à la rentrée on va vous demander comment a été votre été), j’ai compilé une liste de « fun facts » sur les destinations mondiales les plus populaires de l’année dernière! Je vous invite cependant à pousser vos recherches plus loins et à au moins lire la page Wikipédia de votre destination. Vous allez mieux apprécié votre voyage si vous comprenez réellement la culture autour de vous, pas seulement en mangeant des plats inconnus ou en faisant du yoga avec un professeur local. Je vous incite également à voyager dans les chemins battus. Le Maroc, l’Estonie, le Sri Lanka, la Tasmanie, le Chili, l’Éthiopie et bien d’autres sont des destinations toutes aussi, sinon plus, excitantes qu’aller pour la 20e fois dans un tout inclus. N’ayez pas peur de l’inconnu.
Hong Kong Destination la plus visitée de 2017, Hong Kong a une histoire riche en passant de colonie britannique à l’occupation japonaise durant la Deuxième Guerre Mondiale à la situation politique actuelle. En effet, la Région administrative spéciale de Hong Kong de la République populaire de Chine se bat pour son indépendance de Beijing depuis quelques années. En 2014, le monde a tourné les yeux pour voir la « révolution des parapluies » après la décision du président Xi Jinping de choisir lui-même les candidats qui se présenteront aux élections pour devenir chef de l’exécutif (le plus haut poste de la fonction publique hongkongaise). C’est un peu comme le printemps érable, mais hongkongais surtout considérant qu’aucun changement drastique n’a été mis en place depuis. Le statut spécial d’Hong Kong est toujours en danger particulièrement depuis que Xi Jinping a abolit les limites de terme sur la présidence chinoise lui permettant ainsi de diriger le pays jusqu’à sa mort. Son régime a imposé de dures sentences sur les dissidents de 2014 et sur les journalistes pro-démocratie. En juillet dernier, 4 politiciens ont été disqualifié de leur poste après avoir été élu démocratiquement pour ne pas avoir pris « correctement » leur serment. Bref, Hong Kong traverse une période politiquement difficile qui semble sans issue pour le moment. Thaïlande Avec deux villes sur la liste des endroits les plus populaires (Phuket et Bangkok) et des plages considérées parmi les plus belles au monde, la Thaïlande reste un pays sous-développé. Loin des clubs de vacances de luxe, on découvre un des pays qui sera le plus touché par les changements climatiques et la hausse du niveau des mers. Selon le gouvernement thaïlandais, Bangkok peut être submergé dès 2030. Entre 1973 et 2009, la Thaïlande a perdu 43% de ses forêts au profit d’entreprises privées ou pour le développement urbain. Le tourisme est en grande partie la cause de cette déforestation agressive puisque la Thaïlande doit développer ces industries pour accueillir les touristes qui cherchent un havre de paix plus « exotique » que l’Europe. La diminution de l’espace forestier a contribué a accentué les effets des inondations de la saison de la mousson ce qui engendre des difficultés économiques pour les habitants qui doivent migrer ailleurs pour survivre aux flots, et pour les pêcheurs et les agriculteurs qui voient leur revenu disparaître. Royaume-Uni Le Royaume-Uni de Grande-Bretagne et d’Irlande du Nord inclut tout le territoire de l’Angleterre+ l’Écosse + l’Irlande du Nord + le Pays de Galles. Tout ce beau monde a décidé de se séparer de l’entité de l’Union Européenne (UE) en 2019 après le référendum de 2016 (en vérité, l’Écosse, l’Irlande du Nord, les villes et les jeunes ont voté pour rester dans l’UE). Le Royaume-Uni est le premier pays a se séparer de l’UE depuis sa création en 1999. Les conséquences économiques de cette décision se font déjà ressentir avec une diminution du revenu par tête qui devrait se prolonger au long terme. Le débat pour sortir de l’UE tournait autour de la question économique entre autre, notamment le prix que les pays plus aisés comme le Royaume-Uni paye pour assurer le fonctionnement économique de d’autres comme l’Italie et la Grèce après la crise de 2008. Cependant, cet argument cache une vérité européenne plus profonde soit la montée du nationalisme. En refusant l’UE, le Royaume-Uni désire volontairement de s’isoler du reste de l’Europe avec ces politiques économiques, mais aussi d’immigration. Bon nombre de conséquences sont encore à déterminer, notamment pour le commerce intereuropéen et internationale, et sur les questions d’immigration et de la taxe du « divorce ». Émirats Arabes Unis Bon, on ne va pas se le cacher, quand je dis Émirats Arabes Unis, on pense à Dubaï et à Dubaï seulement même si la capitale est réellement Abou Dabi. En plus d’avoir la plus haute tour du monde, le Burj Khalifa, et de nombreux complexes hotelliers de luxe, Dubaï est en voie de devenir LA destination touristique pour les riches et célèbres. Malheureusement, on ne peut oublier les violations de droits humains qui occurent à travers le pays. Dubaï semble immuniser de beaucoup de ces maux, mais lorsqu’on regarde à l’ensemble du pays, on retrouve une société encore conservatrice et répressive sur la liberté d’expression. La loi pour contrer le terrorisme de 2014 stipule que tous étant condamné pour avoir « ébranler l’unité nationale et la paix sociale » sont susceptibles de recevoir la peine de mort. Il va sans dire que cette définition est très vague. De plus, de nouveaux rapports de Citizen Lab ont trouvé une faille utilisée par la compagnie israélienne NSO pour monitorer le téléphone d’activistes pour les droits humains aux Émirats. France Ahhh, Paris! La ville de l’amour. Lieu des plus grandes maisons de mode (Chanel, Yves Saint-Laurent, Dior…) et de nombreux restaurants Michelins, Paris, anciennement Lutèce, existe depuis trois siècle avant Jésus-Christ. Dommage que le business des arts ne peut pas embaucher les 24% de jeunes actuellement au chômage en France. Il est vrai que la situation s’est amélioré depuis l’arrivée de Macron, le taux de chômage universel est actuellement à 8,9%, le plus bas depuis 2009. Comme le dit le ministre des finances, Bruno Le Maire, il faudra cependant attendre au moins deux ans pour vérifier si cette tendance se maintient avec les nouvelles réformes du travail de Macron. Le GDP de la France n’a pas beaucoup augmenté depuis la crise, et elle se retrouve dans un cercle vicieux : pas d’argent pour les employés, on vire les employés, pas d’employés, pas de production ou d’argent qui entre. République dominicaine & Haïti Je vais tricher un peu, car aucune de ces destinations ne font partie des lieux les plus touristiques, mais je blâme ceci sur le fait que la grande majorité de touristes sont maintenant asiatiques, et que voyager à travers le monde pour des plages alors qu’il y en a des toutes aussi belles aux Philippines ou en Indonésie pour la moitié du prix, est un peu illogique. Par contre, la République dominicaine est dans les top 10 des destinations touristiques les plus populaires chez les Canadiens et les Américains. Pour Haïti, c’est une autre histoire. Si vous avez payé un peu d’attention dans vos cours de géographie secondaire 1, vous avez remarqué que l’île Hispaniola est partagée entre deux pays : la République dominicaine, et Haïti, l’un étant une riche destination de vacances, et l’autre, le pays le plus pauvre de l'hémisphère nord-américain. On peut résumer brièvement et dire que c’est dû aux différentes attitudes de colonialisation entre l’Espagne et la France. Déjà, la position géographique des montagnes coupent l’accès à l’eau pour Haïti, et les vents du Nord-Est favorise les dominicains. Ensuite, la France, diverses puissances étrangères et le gouvernement même d’Haïti a complétement drainé le tiers de l’île de leur ressource (canne à sucre, café) à travers les ans pour du profit rapide. Les arbres ne poussent plus, et l’agriculture en est d’autant plus difficile. Sans ressources, il n’y a pas de potentiel d’exportations ni d’économie de base qui roule. En plus de la corruption, Haïti est mal partie. La République dominicaine n’a pas eu ce genre de déforestation massive des Espagnols ou une exploitation commerciale aussi aggressive. Elle a ainsi pu passer du commerce de ressources naturelles vers celui du tourisme. The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers 4/5 Summary Mokhtar Alkhanshali grew up in San Francisco, one of seven siblings brought up by Yemeni immigrants in a tiny apartment. At age twenty-four, unable to pay for college, he works as a doorman, until a statue of an Arab raising a cup of coffee awakens something in him. He sets out to learn the rich history of coffee in Yemen and the complex art of tasting and identifying varietals. He travels to Yemen and visits countless farms, collecting samples, eager to bring improved cultivation methods to the countryside. And he is on the verge of success when civil war engulfs Yemen in 2015. The US Embassy closes, Saudi bombs began to rain down on the country, and Mokhtar is trapped in Yemen. Desperate to escape, he embarks on a passage that has him negotiating with duelling political factions and twice kidnapped at gunpoint. With no other options, he hires a skiff to take him, and his coffee samples, across the Red Sea. A heart-pounding true story that weaves together the history of coffee, the ongoing Yemeni civil war, and the courageous journey of a young man--a Muslim and a US citizen--following the most American of dreams. My review Yemen is not doing too well right now. Actually, it is doing awful. Outbreaks of cholera, drone strikes, Saudi-strikes… According to UNICEF, one child dies every 10 minutes from preventable diseases due to the lack of access to water and vaccination. Last month, Yemen entered the fourth year of its civil war with no signs of progress. I am no expert on the conflict, I only learned about it last summer when I met for the first time my dear friend AJJ. He is a Yemeni immigrant who fled the war a couple years ago. I promised myself I would try to learn as much as possible about the land he calls home, a land he said is fertile, ancient (dating back to 1200 BC with the Kingdom of Sheba) and rich during the spice trade. Now, it is hard to imagine how a Middle-Eastern country like Yemen could be “fertile” (isn't it all just desert over there?), but Mokhtar Alkhanshali would absolutely disagree with you. He is the real-life person behind the exportation of Yemeni coffee throughout the world. Yemen is beautiful and environmentally diverse country with mountains, vast coastal plains, highlands perfect for agriculture, and, yes, desert. On a random note, if you want to feel like you're on the Moon, go on Google Earth and check out the island of Socotra. It is a place to see before you die I believe. Back to business, why should you care about Yemeni coffee? You probably don't, but you are sure to be interested in Mokhtar’s incredible story. He is the personification of the American dream. It doesn’t matter if you drink coffee or not, if you are a casual drinker or a passionate barista, everyone can be astounded by the force of will of an individual who came from nothing and made something beautiful out of their life. Alkhanshali will make you care about coffee because you see how it impacts the lives of everyone who touches it, from the grower to the picker to the person driving the boat or the plane across the Atlantic to bring it to a San Franciscan shop. You look at coffee less like an everyday commodity, but like a food that requires as much preparation and care as a 3-Michelin star meal. The Monk of Mokha truly changed the way I see Yemen and the way I see coffee. While I am certainly not an expert, there seems to be a lot of wasted potential within Yemen for growth and development. I like to think that it is by bringing together the Developed world in small-scale projects like the development of a coffee exchange market in Developing countries, we can truly win on all fronts. Economic stability means less war and more human-rights conscious profit in the long term for the local and international economy. Alkhanshali's story definitely highlights the benefits of such partnerships and overturns the classic misconception that immigrants are not profitable members of society. When given the right tools and the opportunities, they can flourish and bring new, creative businesses. As Eggers puts it, they are "bridging the gaps" between Developed and Developing Nations. Smooth Segway into Eggers' writing style. I wanted to love it. Mokhtar's story is just so powerful that I felt there needed to be an equally powerful voice telling his story, but it was not the case. This comes as a surprise since Eggers has earned much praise for his previous works, but I felt there were some stylistic choices that were simply out of place. Eggers was repetitive, especially when he delivered background information about the war or the history of coffee. He would take a piece of information, present it, a represent it in more details a couple pages after. It made the book heavier than it needed to be and I’m not just talking about the physical weight. There were also some important points that I felt were left out or badly presented. Without spoiling much, there were times where I just wondered how in the world he got the money to do X or Y project or how he handled the tribal disputes. There was maybe too much elaboration on his childhood (around 30% of the book) which was interesting but without much character growth, and not enough on his work in Yemen or once he got the beans in America. Maybe the repetitive structure or omissions like these are typical in the structure of a biography, I have not read many, but at the end, it felt just a little too impersonal. I wonder what it would have been if Alkhanshali had written it himself. If you liked The Monk of Mokha, you will love… What Happened by Hillary Clinton The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis Eldorado by Laurent Gaudé P.s.: This is the prettiest book cover you will ever encounter in your life. The photo does not do it justice. |
MeI'm in love with the world. Archives
April 2020
Categories
All
Archives
April 2020
|