February 2009

Promoting Sustainability in Developing Countries

“When you are poor, environmental conservation is a luxury that you cannot afford,”
David Woollcombe - Peace Child International

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Sustainability in Morocco

Like many countries in the world, Morocco also faces a serious environmental damage. Morocco suffers from huge natural resources scarcity especially for water and land. Recently, industrialization and urbanization have been creating serious issues as well.

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The Environmental Conditions in Czech

Czech Republic has been following the trends, moving toward a cleaner environment and sustainable industry practices. Things are moving, although there is still a lot to be done. I grew up in an environmentally undamaged area so my view is that of "things are good."

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Sustainability in Germany

Germany prides itself of being a green country and claims international
pioneer positions in environmental policy. A key element of the Red-Green
coalition (Social Democrats and the Green Party), major changes have been
brought about with the help of vice chancellor and foreign minister
Joschka Fischer between 1998 and 2005, especially with regard to the
energy and climate change policies.

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Sustainability- The New Way for Japanese to be Competitive in the World Economic Market

Sustainability is such an important topic for Japan since Japan is a country which does not have many resources. Recycling, producing efficiently, and environmental production, are ecological contexts have been popularized over the past 10 years and Japanese have a high interest in sustainability.

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Développement Durable en France

There are many things that can be said about sustainability. Over the past few years, I think people in France have become more and more aware of the problems generated by the negative impact of non-recyclable items which jeopardize sustainable development. I think this feeling is shared in many countries in Europe. People get involved in many ways, from recycling sorting (which is the rule in almost every French city and village) to composting. In addition to that, in order to face the rise of price of gas, many people are more eager to carpool and environmental protection is now a central point in political debates.

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No oil, No coal, No problem

To a country that is numbered 7 on the list of top 20 oil reserve states according to the CIA world factbook, "sustainability," the fancy word entering the global vocabulary list, shouldn't ring a bell just yet. As Eugene Kozlovski, a professor of the Optimization Department in the National Institute of Geological Research of Russia suggests, Russia posesses enough natural gas supplies to last us 50 years and enough petroleum to go for another 75. In other words, we could keep our thermostat cranked up, right?

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Valentine's: Letter From the Editor

Valentine's Day in the U.S. is a very commercialized romantic holiday in which couples or friends often exchange, gifts, chocolates, flowers and cards. Generally it seems to be a recent phenomenon abroad, with the spread of all things American. In this issue, we learn about how this holiday is celebrated around the world, and the different customs that people have to express their love and buy things for each other. Although it is very commercialized and there is a lot of pressure in the U.S. to be romantic, it is also an opportunity to put a little effort in our various relationships.

Also in this Issue we introduce our brand new contributor: Basma Lahmine, an international student coming from Al Akhawayn, Morocco. Welcome Basma!!!

Introducing Basma from Morocco

My name is Basma Lahmine and I am 20 year old senior studying at Willamette on exchange from Al Akhawayn University in Morocco. Al Akhawayn University is considered as one of the best universities in Morocco.

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Valentine's Day a Wedding Hit in China

The Beijing Civil Affairs Bureau says the western holiday of Valentine's Day has become a hot date for Chinese couples to get married. The bureau said registration centers throughout Beijing are expecting three times the daily wedding average to take place on the Feb. 14 holiday, China's official state-run news agency, Xinhua, reported Saturday. A Haidian district registration office averages 400 couple registrations a day, according to Bureau statistics.

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The Chocolate Disco

As many people know from Anime, Valentine's Day in Japan is the day that girls give boys chocolate, which is the opposite of the US. There are two types of chocolates that girls will give. One is called 義理チョコ（ぎりちょこ), Giri-choco.

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La Saint Valentin

I’m not a big fan of Valentine’s Day but I’ll try to present how this event is celebrated in France objectively. There are many theories about its origin, but if you want to learn more about this, here is a useful link:

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Día de los Enamorados

Valentine's Day is called "Día de los Enamorados" in Chile- that means "day of the lovers"... a few years ago we didn't celebrate it and it is an American day that we adapted in our own way through the Media. The Chilean way to celebrate this is only for couples, you go out with your couple and enjoy a different day together.

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St. Valentine's Day in Moldova

On the evening of February 14th, Valentine's Day, the citizens of Balti (the 2nd biggest city in Moldova) will light a candle for their beloved and write love messages on the walls of the Open-Air Theater. The call is a part of the action called "100 hearts – 100 confessions," which is organized by the Balti Town Hall in common with the Centre for Children's and Youth's Rights from Balti.

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Dia de San Valentin

In a few days it's coming- Valentine's Day and many people are talking about that or if we can see the red balloons with heart shapes everywhere; but they been asking me if in Argentina we celebrate this day or not.

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Freedom to Love and its Threatened

Since we are talking in this issue about the different ways that countries celebrate LOVE, I would like to talk about the unconditional and unconventional love that can exist between people of the same sex and the unfair acts that they are subject to. Genetic or Psychological? That really does not matter. The fact is that there is people among us that deserve to have the same rights that heterosexuals do.

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Passion or profit? - Czech opinions on Valentine's Day

Despite the fact that St. Valentine's Day has only recently been known in the Czech Republic, it is continually increasing in popularity, and the familiar merchandise which accompanies it is gradually appearing more and more in shop windows. As a consequence there has been lively debate regarding whether or not companies and retailers exploit the festival in modern times for commercial purposes, thus tarnishing its true meaning for many people.

As shops all over Prague began their annual displays of oversized cuddly toys and heart-adorned greetings cards, it is plain for all to see that Valentine's Day - called Valentyn in Czech - is once again upon us. Although a well-founded tradition in Britain and other European countries, it is very much a new phenomenon in the Czech Republic, having gained popularity only within around the past ten years. How do the Czechs view this holiday?

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Valentine’s Day in Morocco

After the New Year's Eve, Valentine’s Day is the greatest day during the year since is the day of Love. Love is that wonderful feeling that gives flavor to our lives. None of us can survive without loving and being loved. Love is necessary for the well-being of our soul. In my opinion, Love is what is the most significant in our life so it deserves to be celebrated it on February 14th of each year. Actually, in Morocco it is not an official event; however, the new generation is interested in celebrating that day. So, many couples go out to restaurants to celebrate it and exchange gifts. Also, it is not just for lovers, but you can celebrate it with your friends and parents depending on how open they are.

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