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FEDERICA PELLEGRINI, PRIDE OF ITALY

Federica Pellegrini was born in Mirano on the 5^th August 1988. Her fame started in 2004 at the Athens Olympics: she has been the first female swimmer to break the 4.00 minutes in the 400 m freestyle. The amazing thing is that she was only 16 years old.

From this moment she began her climb to the success and she currently holds 1 world record, 3 European records and 10 national records. At the Rio Olimpic Games in 2016 she was also the standard-bearer of Italy because she was considered the best athlete. Today it’s the same: many people consider her a “hero” because, even if she is old (30) for competitions, she is still the best .

Her private life has created a lot of gossip in Italy: she has been in a relationship with Filippo Magnini, the best swimmer of the Italian team, in fact he was also the captain, they split up a lot of times. Now he is in a relationship with Giorgia Palmas but Federica doesn’t seem so hurt.

She is a champion in a swimming pool and an elegant model on a catwalk. This is because fashion is another of her hobbies. Important stylist and famous brands, such as Juked and Raffaello D’ Angela, want her in their runway shows. Her best runway show was on the 23^rd September 2017, after her victory at the World Championship. In Italy people say: “she is the pride of Italy, she is not only a swimmer but also an emblem of femininity.”

Should I say something else? Federica is a real talent.

Noemi Scuto

LONDON: CITY OF EMOTIONS

London has always offered many cultural attractions, mostly museums. Everyone is attracted by these receptacles of knowledge. The web site “TripAdvisor” thinks the British Museum is the best museum in this city. In fact galleries and finds make this structure the flagship.

Then we have the National Gallery, with masterpieces through which each tourist is guided by timely indications.

Other important museums are the National Portrait Gallery, the Natural History Museum and Madame Tussauds. The first one displays portraits of different periods: from the Tudor dynasty to the contemporary age. The second one, located in a building of neogothic style, was created by the owner of the British Museum collections. It is divided into four sectors.

The last but certainly not least is the Madame Tussauds, also known the wax museum.

Its name is easily intuitive, given the enormous quantity of wax reproductions of famous characters. No shortage of cinematographic icons, like Iron Man, King Kong, Spider Man and others. Even the royal family is depicted.

Furthermore London boasts many parks, real “open-air museums”, in which it’s relaxing spending a day with friends or relatives. You can admire lakes with swans and ducks, a thick vegetation and endless grassy fields in this places. Even the children have fun thanks to slides and swings. Not to mention the pubs and nightclubs that crowd the City, teeming with teenagers at night.

The landscape is spectacular in the eyes of the visitors, as the views visible from the Sky Garden and Primerose Hill.

What to say then? London is a multi-faceted city in which you get never bored. “In London there is everything that this life can offer.” (Samuel Johnson)

Vittorio Branciforti

The Shape of Water

“The Shape of Water” is an American fantasy drama film, it is set in Baltimore in 1962, directed by Gulliermo del Toro.

Because of the dark atmosphere, full of cold colours, the amazing photography, and above all the theme, this movie won 4 Oscars, one of them for the best film. The story is about Elisa,a dumb custodian at high security government laboratory who falls in love with a captured amphibian humanoid creature.

An opening voice, beloging to her neighbour, Giles, establishes the fable-like tone, setting the story a long time ago, in a small city near the coast, but far from everything else.

The main actress Sally Hawkins is sublime interpreting the orphan Elisa Esposito, dumb since the day she was found “by the river, in the water”. Elisa lives above the Orpheum cinema and Giles is an artist  jobless and bald, who spends his days watching TV shows and dreaming of the waiter of the bakery “Dixie Doug’s Pie Emporium”.

When the laboratory, where Elisa works with the funny and talkative Zelda, appropriates of an amphibious creature from Amazon, Dr. Hoffstetler wants to study this amazing creature, worshipped as a god by the people who live there. On the contrary, the agent Strickland, the antagonist, doesn’t approve Hoffstetler’s good intention, and he wants to destroy him. So the doctor and Elisa, with Zelda and Giles’ help, try to free the humanoid to save his life.

All these scenes are “immersed” in the atmosphere of the Cold War, so we have a lot of scenes in Russian and many characters are politically relevant. The creature’s friends decide to take him to Elisa’s house, they recreate the necessary habitat in a simple bath to keep him alive. At this point of the story, Elisa and the monster show us how they are deep down similar: both can’t speak and so they are often not understood and it is like they are in another world when they are together. The two characters fall in love and live an important intimate and romantic moment, in which we can understand how much they need each other.

We can also see where the relation between the humanoid and Giles becomes closer in a really funny but also deep moment.

“The Shape of Water” is, without any doubt, a film that everybody has to see, because it teaches how two very different creatures can be essential to reach a deep self-consciousness.

Alice Vassallo

HISTORY OF RAP

Music is a way to relax, to spend time, to socialize and it is also helpful while studying.

There are many musical genres, and every people listen to music according to their passion and mood.

One of the most popular genres is rap, that in the last few years it has spread all over the world.

Rap is based on the capacity of rappers to sing on a beat. One of the most important qualities of a rapper is to have a good flow. Flow is characterized by the rhythm and the rhymes of the song and it is the base of everything.

The “golden age” of this genre goes back to the early 1990’s, and it is the period when hip-hop went through its most drastic transformation.

There are a lot of kinds of rap, for example the “gangsta rap” whose precursor is considered the song “6n’ da morning” by Ice T.

The first step to success was made in 1992 with the publication of “The chronic” by Dr. Dre.

One of the symbols of the most recent history is Eminem, who has become a cultural icon since 2002 when he won the “Academy Award”. He obtained a great success with his film “8 Mille”, too. Its soundtrack by 50 Cent made him famous, and in 2002 he published his first album, that has sold million of copies.

Stefano Cuius Iuculano

MTV VMAs 2018: nominations and top 10 iconic moments

One of the most important awards in the USA, one of the most followed music ceremonies all over the world, the most loved event by young people is the MTV VMAs (Video Music Awards), airing live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sunday, August 20th at 9.00 p.m. EDT/PDT on MTV. A red carpet will precede the show.

Every year the VMA ceremony takes place before the end of summer. The first one was in 1984. Every year different singers host them and there are always many performances. For example, Katy Perry hosted them and Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Logic -and so on- performed last year. This year we don’t know yet who will host, but the performers are: Backstreet Boys, Millie Bobby Brown, Common, DJ Khaled, G-Eazy, Gucci Mane, Tiffany Haddish, Kevin Hart, Keegan-Michael Key, Kyle, Lenny Kravitz, Lil Uzi Vert, Blake Lively, Shay Mitchell, Olivia Munn, Rita Ora, Liam Payne, Bebe Rexha, Amandla Stenberg and Teyana Taylor.

The VMAs are divided into different nominations. Fans can vote on line for eight of them and follow the show in streaming.The most important category is the “Video of the Year”; won by Kendrick Lamar with “HUMBLE” last year. Cardi B received the highest number of nominations (in 10 categories), the Carters (Beyoncé and JAY-Z) follow her with 8, and Childish Gambino and Drake with 7 each. In addition, there is also a special award: “Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award”. This is a lifetime achievement prize to recognize accomplishments in music and films. Last year Pink won it and this year Jennifer Lopez will receive it.

Here are the most important categories:

Video of the Year:

-Ariana Grande – “No Tears Left to Cry”

-Bruno Mars – “Finesse (Remix)” [ft. Cardi B]

-Camila Cabello – “Havana” [ft. Young Thug]

-The Carters – “APES**T”

-Childish Gambino – “This Is America”

-Drake – “God's Plan”

Artist of the Year:

-Ariana Grande
-Bruno Mars
-CamilaCabello
-Cardi B
-Drake
-Post Malone

Song of the Year:

-Bruno Mars – “Finesse (Remix)” [ft. Cardi B]
-CamilaCabello – “Havana” [ft. Young Thug]
-Drake – “God's Plan”
-DuaLipa – “New Rules”
-Ed Sheeran – “Perfect”
-Post Malone – “rockstar” [ft. 21 Savage]

However, the VMAs are usually iconic. Every year singers try to do their best. Speeches and performances can become memorable!

So let’s see what moments are considered the craziest ones:

1)           Kanye West interrupts Taylor Swift (2009)

2)           Britney's python performance (2001)

3)           Lady Gaga wears a meat dress (2009)

4)           Beyonce announces her pregnancy during the performance (2011)

5)           Nicki Minaj calls out Miley Cyrus, saying “Miley, what’s good?” (2015)

6)           Miley Cyrus twerks on Robin Thicke (2013)

7)           Madonna and Britney's kiss (2003)

8)           Taylor says “shut the f**k up” during 1D’s acceptance speech (2013)

9)           Michael Jackson accepts the “artist of the millennium” award, which does not exist (2002)

10)        Lady Gaga bleeds on stage (2009)

Now go and vote for your favourite artists and watch the show on MTV or in streaming! Who will win? Stay tuned.

Giacomo Grimaldi

FEMINISM

Feminists are those people who believe in social, political, personal and economic equality of sexes. It’s often confused with machismo. Feminism is a social movement which fights for equal rights, while machismo is a bad behavior and attitude that discriminate women and believes in the supremacy of men above women.

Since 1800’s women have fought for their rights and they got it, even if today somewhere and sometimes they are not considered as much as men and they are still stereotyped.

We divide feminism in 3 periods: first wave , second wave and third wave

The first wave goes from 1830 to the early 1900’s  and it was the worst and most difficult period for women. During that period the SUFFRAGGETTES were born (a social movement all composed by women). They obtained political power, including the right to vote. Women were acknowledged the same potential as men and they could contribute to society as long as they didn’t overtake men.

The second wave goes from 1940’s to 1980’s. During World War II women had to replace men at work, especially in factories, so that they improved their position in the society.

Women started fighting for family, sexuality and reproductive rights and they obtained them; they also got the right to divorce.

The third wave goes from 1990’s and continues until now. Today we particularly fight for things like equal payment at work and rights like abortion.

Feminism is present everywhere and even some men contribute to it, so that we have many protests everyday and things are changing, even if women are still stereotyped.

In order to reach equality we need to change our mentality and to delete social stereotypes about women. Only in  this way we could finally obtain equality of sexes.

Elisa Sara Palumbo

“The truth about the Harry Quebert affair”

“The truth about the Harry Quebert affair” is a novel written by Joël Dicker, a Swiss writer. It was published in the USA on 27^th May, 2014. The original French version has sold more than 1 million copies and, including the translations into 32 languages, the book has sold more than 3 million copies.

This novel has been very appreciated in Europe, but opinions have been different in North America, in fact it has received middling reviews due to clichés and its writing style.

Despite that, “The truth about the Harry Quebert affair” won some French literary prizes such as the famous Prix Goncourt des Lycéens. In its almost 700 pages, the novel tells the story of Marcus Goldman, a successful writer, who is frustrated from his writing block. For this reason he is hosted in his college professor’s house in New Hampshire. That’s where Harry Quebert, Marcus Goldman’s teacher, mentor and friend comes in. After Marcus’ stay to focus on his writing, he returns home and receives a shocking news: Nora Kellergan’s body has been found after 33 years in Quebert’s property. The old teacher is accused of murder and asks Marcus for help.

The book is centred on Goldman’s investigation, full of plot twists and sad stories, which will bring the successful writer to finally discover the truth about the Harry Quebert affair.

Almost all the characters are perfectly developed and described, but on the other hand there are a few who are quite flat and briefly presented.

The dialogues are the most important ingredients in this novel but sometimes are out of line such as the dialogues between Marcus and his mother. The descriptions are precise, but at times too long and boring.

The story in general is well-written and understandable, the reading is clear and flowing (despite the 700 pages, it is simple to finish reading the book in less than two weeks). The plot twists are perfectly placed in the right moments and are never trivial.

The result is a big and interesting thriller, a triumph for the ones who love reading this genre.

Denise Di Gregorio

A nightmare come true

Years of horror have marked the Second World War forever. During that period many people brutally lost their lives because of a man, commonly called “Der Führer”.

“Racism” was the common used word and today there are many books in which the ugliest story of the world is written. An example is “The story of Anne Frank”.

It’s the true story of a young girl who lived hidden in a house with her parents, cousins and other unknown people.

Anne was a dreamer, she hoped for a better future, she believed in a change but her life ended up in a concentration camp.

The only person she was fond of was her father, Otto Frank, the manager of a company called Opekta, which was in the Jam-making business.

Day by day Anne wrote a diary where she told about what happened, for example that they had to close all the windows or that silence was the most important thing.

They heard news about the war on the radio every day and fear surrounded the dark spaces of the small room. That little speck of hope turned into a nightmare.

The morning of 4th August 1944 the German police arrested all the people hiding in the Annex. All of them were sent to different concentration camps and all died.

Anne gave her last breath immersed in terror and solitude.

Otto Frank was the only survivor, thanks to him we have a very important testament, which is his daughter’s diary that shows the Second World War seen from the eyes of a young girl.

Erika Gulizia

“We (still) can do it!” - The story behind the evergreen slogan.

Once again, the famous “We can do it!”poster, known also as “Rosie the Riveter”, has become the protagonist of the silent and peaceful feminist revolution. The poster represents a strong woman, wearing a blue work uniform with rolled up sleeves and a red bandana, on a yellow background. However, what is the story behind this powerful image? And why is it still considered the slogan of the feminist revolution? The original copy of the poster dates back to World War II. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, factories had to produce more and more military weapons. The amount of work increased, together with the workers’ discontent. To motivate his employees, the chief of Westinghouse Electric Company asked J. Howard Miller to create a significant and inspirational poster. The choice of representing a woman to encourage the workers was not casual: at wartime, the employees in factories were mostly women; moreover, the female figure embodied the invite to everyone, both men and women, to work harder together. The slogan “we can do it!” clearly summarizes this message. Even the colours used for the clothing hid a meaning: they symbolized the patriotic feeling that spread in the U.S. during the war. However, when the war ended the poster was forgotten for almost four decades. It reappeared again in 1982, on a Washington Post Magazine article about posters. Thanks to that article, the picture became popular again. The insurgent feminist movement of the early 80s re-interpreted the image, giving it a completely new meaning. The woman in the poster became symbol of female empowerment, female strength and abilities; feminists reinterpreted the whole slogan as well: “we can do it” became in fact, “we-women-can do it!”. The new slogan created a new sense of union: women wanted to change and improve their position; they wanted to fight for their rights, together.  The new feminist meaning of the slogan made it well known all over the world. In the last years, it has been represented in many different ways, entering the world of the pop culture and art as well. For this reason, the “we can do it!” slogan is still part of our lives today, and it is currently used as a feminist motto. The poster continues to inspire people, and especially girls, remaining one of the most powerful messages of hope and union. Even today, the woman in the poster seems to tell us:  “we still can do it!”

Giuliana Scalzo

Call me by your name

“Call me by your name” is a book written by André Aciman, published for the first time in 2007, but thanks to  the film based on the book that also won an Oscar, it had a lot of success in 2018. The novel is about the love story between two guys: Elio, 17 years old, and Oliver, 24 years old.  They met for the first time during a summer in the ‘80s when Oliver was hosted by Elio’s parents in a small city near Rome for six weeks. The two guys fell in love and found out a new world. After the weeks spent together their lives were torn apart (except for a few times in which they met again), but their hearts were still together.  “We belonged to each other, but had lived so far apart that we belong to others now. Squatters and only squatters, were the true claimants to our lives.”  Elio said the last time they met.          

The  book is told in the first person by Elio who talks about his love for Oliver in a direct way, without limiting his thoughts, considering him as his guide.

If I may give a suggestion, I’d recommend this book to teenagers , because it helps people to see the world from a different point of view, but I’d recommend it to adults, too  because it could help them to better understand teenagers’ lives and what’s in their minds.

Francesca Scalogna

London vs Italy

A lot of Italian people live in London where the lifestyle is really different from the Italian one.

For instance, one of the differences is work organisition: in London people work the whole day, from Monday to Friday, infact life is considered really hectic. People go out in the morning and drink a cup of coffee in the tube while reading a book or the newspaper. They run to work and they finish at 6.00 p.m. 

In Italy people are more relaxed, they are friendly and they always have time for a little chat with somebody, even if they are in a hurry. 

Another thing, that is really different between the two countries, is the respect for other people. In London everybody walks on the right side of the streets to give way to those who are in a hurry, while in Italy people don't follow  a precise order while walking!

In London there are a lot of parks, where people spend some of their time: they stay in the parks to eat at lunch time, they study there because parks are quiet places and they just read or sleep like a lot of people do.  According to many people, London is the perfect city to live in: there are pubs to drink a beer in the evening (but you can do that only if you are over 18!), shops, supermarkets, Starbucks and Costas everywhere, and the means of transport work really well all day long. In my opinion that is one of the biggest differences between Italy and London. London is a really amazing city , and I think that everybody should visit it once in a lifetime.

Elisa Cusumano 

Italians in London

London is known to be a multi-ethnic pole, in fact this city counts 20,9% of Asian descents, 6,6% of indians,13,3% of black people and 44,9% of white British. Italian residents in London are only the 2,2%; however this number is growing up and now about 250.000 Italians live in London. Some of these people have taken this decision due to work, but some of them have chosen this city as the perfect place to spend their holidays. 

Yesterday we interviewed some Italian people while we were at Victoria station. Only few of them are in London to have fun, the others work in London. When we asked what they like about London, most of them answered “museums and monuments”, but also “nightlife”, “means of transport”, “cleanliness” and the “atmosphere in general”. We also asked about the things they miss about Italy and the answer was "food". It was not a surprise, since Italy is one of the best country in the culinary sector. Italians also miss tranquility, the weather which is generally sunny, and the sea.

But what do Italians think about Londoners? “They are always busy but also kind” said one of our interviewees. “I love Londoners because they are direct and great workers!” 

Italians affirm that food and weather are the best things in Italy, on the other hand they all appreciate monuments and the environment in London. 

In conclusion, London is one of the most cozy places, also thanks to its friendly inhabitants.

Denise Di Gregorio, Vittorio Branciforti, Miriam Morretta.