Lilia & Sara.
The Tournament
My new life had begun when I signed the competition’s inscription paper.
Back then, I used to be pretty confident and very sure of myself. But with time comes change.
Actually, I had to both work out a lot and learn how to outdo any situation, such as fencing blindfolded, climbing with one hand, and I could go on and on.
My coach insisted on improving my capacities, and learning how to outsmart every single competitor. He never cared about my tiredness and the harshness of the training, what he wanted was to bring up the best I could be.
I wish he was here, with me, on this ship heading to the planet Levellus, so I could thank him again for everything that he had done for me.
I sighed heavily and looked outside the window, admiring space, crowned by its shiny diadem of stars.
A few minutes later, the engine had landed on the ground, and we had reached our destination.
Since the competitors were forbidden to meet before the tournament, everyone had to stay in their compartment, until they were called on to go out.
When my turn came, the hostesses led me to the exit door in a rush, and the first thing that surprised me was the gravity, which was much weaker than what I was used to. The air was full of nitrogen, which is my planet’s life source, so wandering on Levellus floor was pleasant. Every single corner was colorful : the sky was light orange, the floor was rocky and yellow like sand, the plants were purple and the tall forest pines added green and blue touches to the scenery. Far off, the moutains were offering a miscellaneous colour palette made of tangerine, azure, crimson and strips of grey. From the latter were flowing a few rivers, filled with clear irridescent water and housed by long thin red flying fishes. An abrupt grip on my shoulder took me back to reality. It was in fact my bodyguard, telling me that we had to hurry if we wanted to arrive on time to the waiting room. He didn’t let me answer, and drove me quickly inside of the building. The atmosphere there was cold and spooky, and the lights were barely lighting anything. It smelt like a disused and dusty hospital. A few minutes later, we stopped in front of a metallic gate.
« Go in, and wait for your name. « were the last words said by the well-built man.
When I passed the threshold, the door closed behind me with a loud thud, breaking the silence. I sat on the floor for a while, wondering when my time would come, and how I would manage to handle every single experience on my own. When they finally called me, I felt my heartbeat getting faster, my blood pressure increasing, and my body shaking vigorously. Anxiety started taking over, and many questions popped up in my mind. It was a strange feeling that I had never ever felt before, and it started to frighten me seriously.
Getting a grip on myself, I glanced a last time at the cold metallic waiting room, and sighed loudly before getting up.
My feet began leading me instinctively to the dark corridor, my heavy armour clanking on the floor.
As I got closer to the end of the tunnel, I could feel the cold breeze hitting my body, and the sound of the spectators getting louder and louder.
From where I was, I could see everyone looking at me, including the judges, seated on the highest and shiniest benches of the arena.
I was one step away of winning the competition, but also one step away of losing it too.
I took a deep breath before getting out of the oppressive hallway, confidence decorating my face.
It was now my time to shine.
The first trial of the competition was a race. We were sixteen competitors, the greatest at sports of all the universe, and I was the only female. I moved forward in order to be alined with the others, at the starting point of the marathon. I had managed to relieve my stress by inhaling some fresh air and cracking my knuckles. We were all eagerly awaiting for the whistle blast, which could happen at any moment. Unfortunately, when the muffled sound reached my ears, everyone was already running forward, and I was still standing in the middle of the arena. But I couldn’t give up, I didn’t suffer all this time to lose from the outset. I started dashing and I ran as fast as possible, progressively overtaking the other runners one by one.
I finally passed the finish line as second, due to the first’s incredible running skills. The second trial was a climbing test, and the winner would be the first one to arrive at the top of a gigantic greasy wall. It was finally my turn to show off my amazing ascending competences. When we started, we were all very tied up, but after a few minutes, lots of candidates started slipping and falling on an inflatable mattress. I stopped looking down, and concentrated on overtaking the competitor above me.
As he was about to reach the stop, his foot slipped, but managed to hold onto a rock, a few meters below me. At the end, I had won the trial and I felt proud of myself, but I knew that the competition wasn’t finished yet. That last trial was a fighting test. We were all invited to enter a dark room, alone, and wait for the test match to begin. I started examinating the area, trying to figure out what I was supposed to do. After a few minutes of observation, I noticed a concealed door, matching the room’s colour. When I approached it, a sudden smoke spread, and a beast appeared.
«You are a smart one, but are you as strong as you pretend to be ?»
«You won’t be disappointed.»
I read it myself, getting into my fighting stances before beginning to swing punches. The beast threw his elbow at me, aiming for my cheek, but I grabbed his arm and shoved him back before aiming at his kidney with my foot, knowing that this part of the body was very fragile. The beast dodged my thump and seized the moment to knock me on the ground. I quickly came back to my senses and got up, facing my now smirking opponent. Adrenalin started rushing through my veins as I showered him with blows, before aiming for his chin, and ending him with an uppercut. After his fall, the light came back and the beast’s body disappeared.
« It was just an illusion. » I thought, before heading to the other room, only to find out that I had won the competition, with two first places and one second place in all the three trials. The judges congratulated me, and told me to go shower and change my clothes, in order to look my best at the prize giving by the night time.
I did as they pleased, and went to cool off in a hot tub, before brushing my hair and dressing myself with a red lace apparel. When done, I headed to the bar, with the sound of my high heels claking on the marbel floor, as my only music.
«Congratulations » whispered a familiar voice behind my back.
Silencio’s footsteps became louder as he started making his way closer to me. I slowly turned around to face him, crossing my arms around my chest, as a sign of defence. He had changed his clothes, and was now wearing costume pants, and a perfectly ironed white shirt, which emphasised his muscles.
«Missed me much, second ? » I teased, frowning my eyebrows playfully.
He smirked, sending a shiver down my spine.
« It was just luck, darling. » The blonde whispered, pouring himself an apple juice from the bar.
A small laugh escaped my lips before I joined him, leaning my elbows on the counter.
«Are you too shy to offer me a drink ? » I told him, playing at his little game.
We both grinned at each other before he stood up from his chair, and leaned in.
«I might pour you a little something, but just because I like your dress. I’m not being nice or anything. »
I pushed him away softly and ordered a smoothie.
«A smoothie here please. I like it. » He said, winking at me, before going behind the bar.
I smiled once more, lowering my head, so my hair could hide my face. I wasn’t able to see what he was doing, but I deduced from the sound of the ingredients mixing that he was almost done. When he finished, he poured the drink in a shiny glass and handed it to me, before getting back to his place, next to me.
«Not that I am fond of romance, but you look nice today. » Silencio declared.
«Therefore I have value ? » I asked, a hand on my chin.
« You are very annoying, you know that ? »He beamed, before taking a sip of his own beverage.
« Cheers. »I declared, clicking our glasses.
A silence set itself between us, while we were peacefully staring at each other up and down. His hands started making their way to my waist, and sparkles started forming in my stomach. He leaned in a little bit in, and I did the same, until we both stopped. He brushed my hair and murmured :
«I am sorry to interrupt, but I want to make sure that my breath is still fresh. Yet, I hope that you enjoyed your smoothie. »
He pulled away and got out of the room in the blink of an eye. I sat down on my chair, and drank my smoothie down in one go, and rinsed my cup. What had happened tormented me a lot, and I couldn’t stop thinking about his gold curls falling on his face, partially hiding his green eyes. A loud thud brought me back to reality. The judges of the competition followed by the members of the Universal Agency of Anti-doping barged into the room.
« Good evening, Elektra. We are sorry to intrude you, but a certain candidate claimed that he had seen you take EPO right before starting the race, and we wanted to make sure that he was not lying. »
«Right, do it, but I can assure you that I did not take any stimulant, especially not EPO. »
I suddenly felt two hands gripping me firmly, preventing me from moving. A medical sergeant quickly made his way out of the crowd while getting his pistol out of his pocket. Then, he slowly sank it into my skin, removing a sample of my blood and waiting for the results to show up.
«Sir, it’s positive. » declared the doctor.
« It’s impossible. I didn’t take anything ! »I muttered.
The judges put a few words in for the UAA agents before clearing their throats and proclaiming :
«Take her. We have a new winner. »
The guards led me to the exit, despite my attempts to slip from their hold. In front of the lift’s door, was standing an outline in the dark. The last sunbeam of the day lighted up Silencio, waving at me and mouthing :
«See ya, disqualified. »
Rhita & Othmane
Surfing
Rania & Sara A.
The Infamous King; Henry VIII
FZ & Sherine
The Unsolved Death of Christopher Marlowe
The mysterious death of Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe was an English playwright and poet living during the Elizabethan era, known for being the author of Dr. Faustus. Among other things, he was suspected of being a spy for Her Majesty’s government, a heretic, a counterfeiter, a homosexual and an atheist.
The mysterious conditions surrounding Christopher Marlowe gave birth to many conspiracies that try to answer the question: Who killed him and why?
Let us unfold this interesting 500 year old tale and reach a
conclusion for ourselves.
Queen Elizabeth was not the only person who would have wanted Marlowe dead. Potential killers like Sir Walter Raleigh or Sir Robert Cecil who wanted to disassociate themselves from Marlowe’s propaganda. Another suspect could have been Audrey
Walsingham, jealous of her husband’s relationship with the playwright.
Some other people believe the « fake death theory »: Marlowe faked his death in order to flee his country’s impeding danger. The people who believe this also claim that while safe in another country he continued to both write and produce then send his works back to England. As he is supposed to be dead, Marlowe’s plays were supposedly credited to none other than William Shakespeare!
However, we have no evidence for any of these theories therefore we can not affirm that one of them is right.
No matter what the real reason is, on May 30th , 1593, the world lost a literary talent. Shakespeare paid homage to Marlowe in « As You Like It » when he wrote:
« Dead shepherd, now I find thy saw of might,Who ever loved that loved
not at first sight? »(As You Like It, III.v)
Ghita, Lina & Inès.
Que savez-vous sur le diabète?
Blue Thoughts
أم كلثوم
أم كلثوم، كوكب
الشرق
ولدت سيدة الغناء العربي فاطمة إبراهيم السيد البلتاجي يوم 4 مايو 1904 في قرية طماي الزهايرة بمصر و توفيت الثالث من فبراير 1975 في العاصمة المصرية، القاهرة.
تعلمت أم كلثوم الغناء أثناء الاستماع إلى والدها وهو يغني الأناشيد الدينية في مختلف المناسبات. يدرك أبوها موهبة ابنته ويجعلها تنضم إلى مجموعة من الشيوخ.
في عام 1920 ، قررت أم كلثوم الذهاب إلى القاهرة لتتقن غناءها. بعد 10 سنوات ، ستصبح الفتاة البالغة من العمر 16 عامًا أعظم مغنية لمصر ،خاصة بفضل
.المغني الشيخ أبو العلا محمد والملحن والممثل زكريا أحمد
بالتوازي مع حياتها المهنية كمغنية ، تحولت إلى السينما ولكن تخلت عن هذا النشاط بسبب مرض في عينيها. في عام 1953 ، تزوجت بطبيبها ، حسن الحفناوي.
بعد أداء العديد من الحفلات الدولية، أدت أم كلثوم أول أداء لها في أوليمبيا بفرنسى.
في بداية عام 1967، عانت أم كلثوم من مرض خطير. في يناير من عام 1973 ، قدمت آخر حفلة في قصر النيل. توفيت أم كلثوم في 3 فبراير .1975
الفن الصوتي لأم كلثوم
.كانت أم كلثوم مغنية ذات صوت ذهبي يضيء العالم العربي
من خلال أكثر من 130أغنية على الدين والحب والأمة المصرية، كانت أكبر عزة لأم كلثوم إيثار حب وطنها الذي بقي حافظ الجميل للتواضع والتضامن اللذان كانت أم كلثوم تثبت بهما طيلة حياتها
بفضل صوتها القوي الذي يصل إلى 14000 ذبذبة في الثانية، كانت أم كلثوم تستطيع أن تثير في جمهورها الطرب ، وهو العاطفة الشديدة ، وتواصل خاص بين الجمهور والملحن.
تركت أم كلثوم للموسيقى العربية التقليدية مجموعة تضم مئات الأغاني ، والبعض مها معروف في جميع أنحاء العالم
نجاح عالمي
في نوفمبر 1967 ، قدمت أم كلثوم حفلة في أوليمبيا في باريس ، وهو الحفل الوحيد الذي أقيم خارج العالم العربي. يقول عازف الكمان سعيد هيكل أن شارل أزنافور وإنريكو ماسياس جاءا لرؤيتها. أرسل الرئيس ديغول برقية لتهنئة أم كلثوم. عندما أتت إلى باريس، أجرت أم كلثوم أول مقابلة تلفزيونية
بفضل أم كلتوم احتلت الموسيقى العربية الكلاسيكية واحدة من أكبر المنصات في العالم ، أوليمبيا في باريس ، وهذا ما جعل من العندليب المصري مرجعًا ثقافيًا مشتركًا بين كل الأجيال
أم كلثوم هي واحدة من المطربين الأسطوريين مثل إلفيس بريسلي ، ماريا كالاس ، أو جون لينون ، الذين ظلوا حتى بعد عقود من وفاتهم راسخين في قلوب الشعوب ، مما يعكس التعبير عن الثقافة وخيال الفنانين
Bennani & El kebbaj.
Témoignage ; le tennis.
Qu’est ce que le tennis ? Difficile de définir un mot qui vaut beaucoup. J’aime le tennis, simplement car c’est mon échappatoire du quotidien. Certains écoutent de la musique, d’autres se retrouvent en famille ou entre amis, et bien c’est la même chose pour moi. Le tennis est une véritable école de vie. C’est une bulle qui rapproche plusieurs personnes entre elles. Le tennis permet de se dépenser, de décompresser ou bien de se retrouver entre amis. Mais pour moi, le tennis est bien plus qu’un loisir, c’est une véritable passion.
Je participe depuis mon plus jeune âge à des compétitions tous les week-ends. Pour pouvoir tenir ce rythme compétitif, il faut de la combativité, de la motivation, des infrastructures adaptées, et beaucoup de moyens. Le tennis étant considéré comme le sport le plus difficile et le plus éprouvant mentalement. Il ne s’agit pas seulement de gagner le dernier point du match ; c’est un combat que l’on pourrait facilement comparer à un match de boxe. Bien évidemment les adversaires ne sont jamais en contact physiquement mais le contact se fait presque comme une démonstration de force. Celui qui ne lâchera rien, jusqu’au bout, les épaules droites, et le regard fier peut facilement gagner et cela même si ses capacités tennistiques sont inférieures à l’adversaire. Vous me direz, comment cela peut être possible ? Et bien, l’adversaire possédant un niveau tennistique supérieur peut dans certains cas, douter. Il ne suffit que d’une seule fraction de seconde pour que le match prenne une tournure différente ; le joueur se crispe, fait plus de fautes, les jeux défilent et c’est très vite la fin du match si l’on ne se ressaisit pas. Le tennis est donc un sport se montrant relativement compliqué, un bon joueur expérimenté peut perdre face à un joueur moins talentueux mais plus en forme ce jour – là et vice versa.
Le tennis prend donc en considération de nombreuses variables ; les conditions (météorologiques, l’état physique des joueurs, la surface du terrain, les balles plus moins rapides, les spectateurs…) se montrent donc à chaque fois différentes d’un jour à l’autre. Le résultat d’un match ne peut jamais être sûrement prédit à l’avance, ce qui en fait la complexité. C’est ce qui fait du tennis un sport noble.
Vous me direz, quelle est ton expérience, quels sont tes ressentis face au tennis. Je vous dirais que c’est indéfinissable, l’impression de planer, le bonheur procuré, on y est dépendants. Pour ma part, je trouve qu’il existe une réelle symbiose entre l’environnement tennistique ; à savoir le terrain ; entre les outils nécessaires à cette pratique ; à savoir la raquette de tennis et la balle, et le joueur lui-même.
Sara.
ARE WE TRAPPED BY OUR PHONES ?
Introduction :
The aim of this comparative analysis is to evaluate addiction to screens by questioning people of different ages in order to have a general idea about the subjet.
It is based on a survery of 60 people that were asked about their opinions about this phenomenon so as to build some graphics.
GRAPHICS ANALYSIS :
- The majority of people surveyed, ie 87% give importance to their phone’s brand. Contrary to these we have a minority of 13% who care less about the brand. They just want to be able to comunicate with their friends and family.
Following this graphic, we can say that most people are influenced by the new technology evolution. They want to be trendy and updated in terms of fashion.
- Concerning this graphic, it suggests varied rates.
The rate of people spending more than 2 hours represent 83% (43% of them spend between 2 and 3 hours and 40% more than 3 hours).
As a consequence, we can say that the majority of people that responded have a tendency to linger in front of their screens.
As opposed to these, we have a less significant rate of respondents
who stand for 17% (only 7% spend less than an hour and 10% spend between one hour or two).
We can observe that a large number of respondents spend too much time on their phones (more than three hours) and the most conscious of them spend at least one hour.
- The majority of those who were interviewed confessed that they can spend only few hours without their phones (42 %).
How much time can you spend without your phone?
Whereas, 25% of them can spend a week without their phones.
Only a small number of them (18%) can spend a week without phones. This graphic demonstate the same idea that the previous one.
To put it briefly, pepole spend too much time in front of their screens which means they are addicted.
- 100 per cent of those stated use social medias that means that all of them are active useres of social medias.
The conclusion that can be drawn from these facts is that nowadays nobody can do without social medias because owing to them people feel connected with each other and updated.
- A minority of people surveyed use social medias only to communicate (9%) and 7% of them use them only to follow actuality.
Where as, the majority (84%) use them for both reasons.
We observe that most people use social medias in part to communicate and the other to follow actuality.
In short, a large number of them want to always be updated and to know what is going on all around the world.
- This graph shows us two parts :
First, the red part express the pourcentage of people that spend more time with their family. Secondly the blue part express the pourcentage of people who prefer spending more time with their phone.
We can see that 37% admit that they spend too much time with their phone.
- Social media is a way to communicate with persons all around the world and to get some infomations about the news. We asked people to see if they think that they are useful. This graphic shows us that the majority think that social medias are useful (82%) and just 18% think that they are not.
- To realize how much we are addicted to our screens we made a graph that is representing people who spend one, three or more hours in front of a screen in a day. In fact, 63% of persons use them more than three hours and 32% two or three hours but there are still some people (5%) who spend less time in front of their screens.
If we consider that using screens more than three hours in a day is addiction we can say that more than the half are addicted to their screens.
- ave negative effects on a person if she use it a lot.
We think that our generation is addicted to their phone and this is why we make a survey by a graph.More than the half admit that they are addict and they are representing 67% of the survey wich is a lot. -
Most people think that teenagers are more addicted than the adults but by seeing our parents we think that it’s false.
The participants that are more than 25 years represent 18% of the survey so we know that this part will not admit it.
In fact , most of people answered that the tennagers are more addicted to their phones but we still think that the teengers reproduce what they see.
-
CONCLUSION :
On the basis of the survey results, it might be concluded that the majority of people possessing a Smartphone do not use their phones just for calling but even for a lot of other actions, like social medias, and this is why the Smartphone has completely changed our way to communicate. The respondents were asked about how they use these new technologies, how often they use them and what they think about them. The purpose of this report was to make the respondent think all threw the survey about how much he is addicted to his phone and a majority of the people, teenagers and adults together, has described themselves as phone-addicts.
Kenza, Rim & Chadine.