AUBG DAILY FALL 2020 OWL THE NEWS Vol. 2, Issue 1
Bulgaria – EU’s Media Black Sheep Georgi Staykov Newspapers on f re. Photograph by Georgi Staykov. ack in 2006, Bulgaria and France had something important in common. Both countries were ranked 35 in the annual Reporters Without Borders (RSF) media freedom index in a list of 169 evaluated states. Over the course of the next 14 years, Bulgaria’s free speech and free media indexes plummeted. Since 2018 Bulgaria has been in 111 place. How did the numbers change over the years? The World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) ranks the degree of freedom that journalists, news organizations, and Internet users have. It does not deal with the quality of journalism, nor does it look at human rights violations. The ranking is based on pluralism, legislative framework, media independence, environment and self-censorship, transparency, and infrastructure. It took a little over a decade for Bulgaria’s media freedom to deteriorate drastically. How did the deterioration begin? In a report from 2018, the Union of Publishers in Bulgaria points out that Delyan Peevski’s New Bulgarian Media Group (NBMG) controls around 80 percent of the distribution market for printed media, and their respective online editions. These 2 Fall 2020 | AUBG Daily numbers also include more than 1,000 kiosks in about 130 Bulgarian cities. Peevski is an important political figure in Bulgaria and also owns numerous online media outlets, including the TV channels TV7 and Kanal 3. His public appearances are rare, and he hasn’t been seen in the media since his last appearance on April 19, 2017. Peevski began building his media empire in 2007. He acquired the daily Monitor, the tabloid Telegraph, and the weekly Politika. The media outlets were facing financial predicaments and were purchased by NBMG, owned by Peevski’s mother, Irena Krasteva. According to the Union of Publishers in Bulgaria, the money came from loans from the Corporate Commercial Bank (CCB). The Union also states that initially Peevski did not act like the owner of the media outlets. It was not until 2014, when he addressed the newspapers as his own and his mother gave him 50 percent of the ownership. Over the next couple of years, Peevski continued buying out media outlets, including the National Distribution Agency. In 2009, Peevski became a member of parliament as part of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms’ (MRF) list. Four years later, in 2013, the National Assembly elected him for the head of the State Agency for National Security (SANS). This appointment led to protests across the country that lasted more than 400 days. How does the media business model work in Bulgaria? Irina Nedeva, president of the Bulgarian branch of the Association of European Journalists (AEJ), said that the reason behind the plummeting of the country in various international press freedom indexes was that 15 years ago Bulgaria was trying to meet certain democratic criteria that the EU had set. Back then Bulgaria was still trying to join the EU. During the negotiations, the measures the country took to improve the state of the media gave good results. However, after Bulgaria officially joined the union in 2007, the enthusiasm for free media started fading away. “The situation with the media gradually started deteriorating because by old customs and inertia from previous time periods, Bulgarian media outlets were being used as a tool in political disputes. The political disputes turned into economic battles. All this culminated in what we today, unfortunately, define as numerous successful attempts to control a huge chunk of the media in Bulgaria. Many private media outlets are owned by conglomerates consisting of people holding state positions and people owning private businesses. The media’s role is no longer what it is supposed to be. Those people use the media outlets as
Photographs by Vasil Germanov for Fine Acts. tools of oppression,” Nedeva said. From 2010 to 2013 foreign investors began leaving the Bulgarian media market. In 2010, the German Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (WAZ) exited the market by selling the largest publishing group in Bulgaria, including 24 Chasa and Trud. More sales followed, including newspapers, radio stations, and magazines—and the sale of the two biggest private nationwide television channels—bTV and Nova TV. The withdrawal of foreign investors from the media market in Bulgaria signaled danger for media freedom. It also allowed political figures to acquire ownership of media outlets and use them as tools to influence the public opinion, oppress political pursue private agendas. How did Bulgaria become the black sheep of the EU? The smeared borders between what is ethical and unethical when it comes to media ownership, political influence, private economic interest, and government corruption have resulted in terrible conditions for exercising free journalism in Bulgaria. In its latest report on Bulgaria’s progress under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism from October 2019, the European Commission raised serious concerns about these issues. The same year Transparency International ranked Bulgaria as the most corrupt country in the EU. Nelly Ognyanova, a media law expert, said in an interview for OBC Transeuropa that media ownership concentration and lack of ownership transparency are the two major obstacles to media freedom and pluralism in Bulgaria. Despite the reports, the white papers and the alarms, the overall media situation in Bulgaria does not seem to be improving. There is no clarity when it comes to how media channels are financed. Current laws do not forbid politicians to own outlets. The money from advertising is insufficient for media outlets to support themselves, and they often rely on state money. This makes enemies, and them vulnerable to games of influence and those with deep pockets. In the past 15 years, media, finances, and politics in Bulgaria have become inextricably intertwined. One of the most serious problems, according to numerous European media outlets and EU reports, is that the government continues to allocate EU funds to media outlets with zero transparency. The recipients of the funds are often encouraged to go soft on the government. There are many online media outlets, such as PIK, that are evidently pro-governmental. Additionally, oppression from judicial officers is often aimed at independent media outlets such as Bivol and the Economedia group. What does it mean to fight for media freedom? Seven years after the protests in 2013, which were sparked by Peevski’s appointment, Bulgaria is once again torn by political and public division. People are in the streets. While the reasons behind the protesting are more tightly connected to political decisions, there were several recent occasions involving police violence and intimidation towards journalists. On Sept. 2 Dimiter Kenarov, a freelance journalist whose articles have appeared in the Esquire, The Atlantic, and The International New York Times, was apprehended and allegedly kicked in the head by police officers. On the same day, police officers used force against Nikolay Doychinov, a photojournalist for Agence France-Presse. Another similar situation included members of a bTV news crew who needed medical attention after being pepper sprayed. On Sept. 14, the police summoned Martin Georgiev, a reporter from newspaper Sega, for questioning about inquiries and pictures he had sent to the Ministry of Interior in regard to police violence during the protests. He was questioned without a lawyer. The International Press Institute (IPI) condemned this form of interrogation and intimidation techniques. Аnd now what? The protests demanding transparent and democratic government are inextricably bound with the current media state of affairs. As long as democracy in Bulgaria is under siege, there will be issues in the media sector. In a recent interview on Conflict Zone, Tim Sebastian, a television journalist and novelist, asked the Bulgarian minister of labour and social policy, Denitsa Sacheva, a series of questions about the government’s performance, recent decisions, and policies. Many of the questions remained unanswered. Those that were answered by Sacheva were in stark contrast with what Dunja Mijatović, the current Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, said in her statement on Sept. 3. Mijatović called on the Bulgarian government to react promptly and pay close attention to incidents of hate speech, including those by high-level politicians; threats and violations of the human rights of children, women, and LGBTI people. She also asked the authorities to enhance the legal protection against discrimination, hate crimes, and to thoroughly investigate and prosecute such crimes. She also asked for the improvement of journalists’ professional protection and working conditions. In addition, the justice committee of the European Parliament issued a resolution regarding Bulgaria’s rule-of-law failings. WHEN? The resolution marked a shift in the EU’s tone toward Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borisov. This time, Borisov, his ruling party GERB, and abuses of EU funds were directly challenged. Thirty five MEPs from the Civil Liberties and Justice Committee (LIBE) approved the resolution. “Tax payers money is used for the enrichment of circles associated with the ruling party,” the resolution stated. This resolution is not legally binding but is one of the first political moves that exert pressure on the EU to take a closer look at how its funds are allocated. “Mapping corruption shows clearly that member states with structural deficiencies on rule of law are those most prone to resort to corrupt practices when managing EU budget and funds,” Juan Fernando López Aguilar, the LIBE Committee chairman, said in a statement after the resolution has been voted. “That has to come to an end.” Fall 2020 | AUBG Daily 3
Teaching During the Coronavirus Pandemic Simona simeonova share it with students. In all of my classes, I’ve done this at least once—recording a lecture at home, then uploading it to Canvas. This is a timesaving bonus as it allows me to deliver a lecture that students can watch at their leisure.” It is a priority of AUBG professors that Classroom in Balkanski Academic Center (BAC). Photo courtesy of Angelina Kuznetsova. ne year ago, people’s lives changed drastically. No one was prepared for the arrival of the coronavirus and its consequences. COVID-19 has affected not only our physical but our mental health. Among the many challenges that the crisis brought was the sudden switch to online education. The American University in Bulgaria (AUBG) was no different. At the beginning of the spring 2020 semester, on Mar. 13, AUBG had to go fully online due to the health risks the coronavirus posed. As the fall 2020 semester approached, the university allowed students to decide whether to start their education online or on-ground with some lectures being online. Throughout the whole semester, faculty, staff, and students have been making great efforts to continue working at the same pace as before. Everyone has been demonstrating responsibility to prevent the spread of the virus. Nevertheless, the daily count of new cases in Bulgaria and the world has been increasing. On Oct. 29, AUBG had to switch to online classes once again. The learning experience has become entirely different for students ever since. They find it hard to stay motivated, focused, and active during classes. Professors at AUBG are also facing challenges concerning online teaching, keeping the students engaged, and covering all the material on time. “It is so different than being in the classroom and the hardest part is not having eye contact with the students,” says William Clark, a professor of Environmental Science and Biology at AUBG. One of the greatest difficulties many professors are facing is the lack of face-to-face contact with the students. In the 4 Fall 2020 | AUBG Daily virtual world, the professors are not always aware of whether the students are present or paying attention in the class. Professor Clark says he has decreased the amount of content and changed the exams which he usually gives to students. “The grading has become a little more flexible. I have been realizing that students are going to have a harder time submitting everything on time, and attendance is going to be a little more difficult,” he says. As it turns out, students are not the only ones who are learning. “I am figuring it out as I am going,” says Michael Cohen, a professor from the Literature and Theater department at AUBG. “Teaching is to a large degree a kind of performance in the sense that you have to engage the students, you should have that kind of energy. So I am performing to the students in class but at the same time trying to keep the students active while they are on camera.” Professor Cohen says that he was inspired to become a teacher because the profession is dynamic. Even though online teaching is more mechanical, he has discovered some positive sides to it. “One advantage of Zoom is that it makes it quite simple to record a lecture directly onto my computer and then students take in as much as possible from the classes. “This is another aspect that we aim to deliver. You are not only here to learn the material, but also to get satisfaction from the class,” says Rossen Petkov, a professor from the Business Department at AUBG. Petkov shares he feels lucky because the subjects he teaches lend themselves well to the online environment. “When we have discussions in Zoom, I could still collect feedback from students. I am certainly trying my best. But when you guys are in front of us, we professors could choose and pick students and invite them to participate. It is just not the same online.” Professor Kiril Kirkov from the Journalism and Mass Communication department believes that the communication between the students is one of the major challenges of online teaching. “A major part of my teaching design is based on a direct discussion in class. It is workable, but it is not easy,” he says. The key for things to work out well is to have patience from all sides - the students and the professors. In the end, it is all about respect, collaboration, and better understanding, since everybody is adapting to the changes. “Every day our beloved people like parents, friends, relatives are getting sick. It is inevitable. It is a pandemic out there. And this pandemic is also combined with other problems and issues everyone is experiencing all the time,” Kirkov says. “So why would we add more to that instead of trying to help each other to go through this challenging time in the best possible way?” Balkanski Academic Center (BAC), second floor. Photo courtesy of Angelina Kuznetsova.
AUBG Daily’s Top 5 Fall 2020 1 2 3 This year, AUBG Griffins flipped a new chapter in the club’s history. After two years of hard work and endless documentation, the AUBG Griffins earned the right to be an official sports team - the Blagoevgrad Griffins. The club expanded their activity by becoming a not-for-profit organization, allowing them to join the new Аmerican football league in Bulgaria. Alongside other pioneering teams, the Griffins are laying the foundation of the American football culture in Bulgaria. This fall semester the first-ever online StartUP conference took place. While adhering to public health guidelines, all AUBG clubs showed creativity by organizing their events online. StartUp was no exception. An online conference was something new and unknown to them. This did not stop the team members from keeping the spirit of the annual conference, bringing together entrepreneurs and investors in front of their screens to share valuable experience with the students. The secrets behind the reporting of the 2020 U.S election have never been closer. In collaboration with the Office of Communications and Marketing at AUBG and bTV Media Group, AUBG Daily organized an online event that sparked a conversation between renowned Bulgarian journalists and AUBG students. Apart from its innovative collaboration with one of the biggest televisions in Bulgaria, AUBG Daily expanded its portfolio of events by launching the first-ever competition for creative JMC students called “Dare to Share.” The club gave the opportunity for talented students to share their works and get published on the official AUBG Daily website, in addition to an array of unique prizes. 4 5 AUBG clubs worked extra hard to keep the spirit of our community and TEDxAUBG was among the most active ones this semester. Throughout October and November, the club members organized themed weeks and collaborative events with other AUBG clubs. From study sessions, to game nights and workshops with several inspiring guest speakers, TEDxAUBG truly managed to show that clubs can continue to be active and collaborate even in these unprecedented times. This year, AUBG Olympics delivered the first-ever fall Olympiad a.k.a D-Day. It went under the “Games & Graffiti” headline and the Olympics crew “sprayed” AR graffiti around the campus to promote the games. As usual, the Porter Park baseball field accommodated the sports challenges, and it was the biggest event for the first half of the academic year with all health and safety regulations on spot. Tervel Pulev was the special guest who awarded all champions. Fall 2020 | AUBG Daily 5
A Closer Look: Students Living Outside of the AUBG Campus Bianka Deyanova he AUBG Campus – a bright and shiny diamond on the crown of the American University in Bulgaria. With three Skaptopara Residence halls, gorgeous gardens and lawns, the Panitza Library, and a wide variety of student facilities, it looks like the perfect place to have a movie-like university experience. Yet, while some students are enthusiastic about living on the AUBG campus, others are ready to leave the place for good. Why do students move out? As stated in the AUBG Undergraduate Catalog, every full-time student is required to live on campus, unless they live with their immediate family locally or have permission from the Director of Residence Life to live off-campus. Kristina Stamatova, Administrative Assistant in Residence Life and Housing at AUBG, said that this requirement exists because the university is a residential institution by practice and philosophy. “We believe that living on campus and participating actively in campus life is a critical part of our educational process and is, in fact, one of the key things that positively differentiate AUBG from other universities in the country,” Stamatova said. However, for the fall semester of 2020, with respect to the COVID-19 safety precautions, an off-campus living alternative was introduced along with the full-time online education option. Stamatova explained that the first priority of the management was the America for Bulgaria Student Center and ABF Lawn, AUBG Campus. Photo courtesy of Bianka Deyanova. safety on campus. “We wanted to reduce the population density in the residence halls a little to increase social distancing, which would give us some rooms to use for quarantine or temporary isolation,” she said. After some serious conversations, the university leadership decided to offer the option to live off-campus to all students, no matter their academic standing, because according to Stamatova every individual has their own concerns about the virus. Although they had the free choice to leave the campus, a lot of AUBG students decided to stay and study as a community. Mirela Yovcheva, an on-campus AUBG student, said that she chose to stay because that way she could take advantage of all the university facilities. “Also, I am very lucky to be living with my sister, so I haven’t experienced any problems that may come with living with a stranger,” Yovcheva said. According to her, life in Skaptopara is enjoyable - the staff in the residence halls is helpful and the atmosphere is pleasant and cozy. “I think the living conditions here are great, the lack of noisiness at night helps students rest well and concentrate on their work better, and I am very glad that I don’t have to deal with all sorts of bugs every day like in other residence halls in Bulgaria,” Yovcheva said. However, having in mind that the kitchens still remain closed, the campus is left with very few options when it comes to meal alternatives. According to Yovcheva, the surprisingly small number of microwaves around the residence halls is problematic. “Given the housing fee we pay and the fact that we are not allowed to have our own microwaves in our rooms, I think there should be more of them, one per floor seems reasonable enough,” Yovcheva said. “Having to carry my meal downstairs to the hallway and back just to reheat is ridiculous.” In August 2020, shortly after it was announced that there is an option to live off-campus, many AUBG students took advantage of the presented alternative. Living independently is of great importance for Doruntinë Aliu and Boris Dechev, off-campus AUBG students, and is something that influenced their decision to move out. “You definitely have more opportunities to work, read, do assignments, and things in your own time. Also in general there’s more freedom in terms of what you’re allowed to do,” Aliu said. Dechev emphasized on the opportunity to have privacy where you live. “There’s just too many rules on campus and no privacy,” he said. “Off-campus you get to live with 6 Fall 2020 | AUBG Daily Skaptopara II Residence Hall. Photo courtesy of Bianka Deyanova.
whoever you decide on, it’s much cheaper, you have your own personal kitchen, but the most important thing is that I get to have my own room.” According to both of them, living off-campus gives a sense of responsibility. “You learn to live independently and most importantly you learn how to cook,” Aliu said. At the same time living off-campus has its downsides. Students may sometimes feel left out of all the campus activities and communicate less with other students. “Life on campus is crazy and fun, and sometimes you might miss that,” Aliu said. An inconvenient part of off-campus life is that the student facilities on campus become so far away from home that students stop using them. “Another con in line with the COVID-19 situation is that we don’t have access to many buildings, and, for example, we can’t request JMC equipment if we don’t use campus WI-FI,” Dechev said. It is curious whether the option to live off-campus will remain after the Coronavirus crisis ends since it is a temporary decision taken in times of a pandemic for the safety of all students. According to Stamatova, there is a possibility that the off-campus alternative will remain only for the near future. She explained that in normal times the housing is about 100 spaces short to accommodate every student, who does not live permanently in the Blagoevgrad area, so some students would still be allowed to live off-campus. “In the longer run, we hope to increase the capacity of our residence halls so we can accommodate everyone on campus,” Stamatova said. When asked about the scenario in which the on-campus option becomes mandatory again, Aliu and Dechev shared the same opinion. “I would prefer to stay off-campus since I’ve decided this before the COVID-19 pandemic started,” Aliu said. “They could wish,” Dechev added. American University in Bulgaria logo on the side of Panitza Library, AUBG Campus. Photo courtesy of Bianka Deyanova. It’s time for a crossword puzzle The name of the first-ever JMC competition held by AUBG Daily. The newest AUBG club. The movie TEDx screened on their movie night in Fall 2020. A student body with two heads, one eye, and twelve hands. The staff member who bombarded your email box this semester. An AUBG programming marathon. The building we forgot exists. A start-up program at AUBG which started its second season in Fall 2020. The club that organised one of the biggest and most “normal” events during the pandemic. Fall 2020 | AUBG Daily 7 1.Dare to Share 2.Sustainability 3.Breakfast Club 4.Student Government 5.Daskalov 6.Hackathon 7.Main Building 8.Elevate 9.Olympics
Problems Much Deeper Than the Debate About Abortion Deeper Paula Anic the Polish government are equally or even more unpopular with the Polish public. An example is Przemysław Czarnek, the new Minister of Science and Education, who refused to change the content of Polish schoolbooks many of which still have sexist, anti-LGBTQ+, and racist material, supplemented by religious instructions for the schools to follow. The youth behind the ongoing protests is also targeting the houses of far-right activist Kaja Godek and politician Krystyna Pawłowicz who caused controversy after stating their negative views on same-sex marriage and immigration. In addition, the protestors have taken into the Catholic churches throwing leaflets with symbols of the movement to the believers. Protests on the street demanding the abolition of the law regarding the abortion. Poland, Oct 2020. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Silar. change in the law passed by the Polish Constitutional Tribunal swept the nation. The decision to severely restrict access to abortion in a predominantly Catholic country made headlines and ignited a fire. Apart from criminalizing almost all cases of abortion, the new law was supposed to make it impossible to have an abortion even in the case of severe and permanent disability of the fetus. On Oct 22, 2020, protests erupted on the streets of Warsaw, the largest city in Poland. “While I was walking with my friends in the mass, the only thing that I was thinking of was my basic human rights and how they were taking them away from me,” said Gosia Bartczak, a 20-year-old student from the University of Warsaw, one of the many students who were on the front line of the protests in the capital city of Poland. The Women’s Strike (Strajk Kobiet) protests turned out to be the biggest since the end of the revolution during the fall of communism in Poland, 1989. Born in a time when Poland was already part of the European Union, the younger generations hold views which oppose their country’s government and mirror those of their peers around Europe. In the past few years, the voices of the youth were never heard as the Polish government strayed further away from common European values, and even repeatedly threatened to leave the European Union. Banning abortion was the breaking point which brought the majority of the Polish young population to 8 Fall 2020 | AUBG Daily The name of the protest (Strajk Kobiet) on the street poster, Poland, 2020. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Silar. the streets. What they are fighting against runs much deeper than abortion rights - the Polish nation is divided on whether they approve of their leaders or not. “My generation is sick of it. They [the Polish government] are treating citizens like an experiment. They change the judges on the Constitutional court overnight and then allow those people to influence our lives,” Bartczak said. “It’s for our future, the future of Poland. We have to fight for it.” In the 2020 Polish presidential elections, the frequently criticized Andrej Duda won reelection despite his attack on the LGBTQ+ community. Other members of Even abroad, the Polish youth is active in its beliefs. An example of this is Tobiasz Burzyński, who is currently on Erasmus exchange in Tallinn, Estonia, and managed to organize the protest in the city. “Participating in an online protest wouldn’t be the same. It wouldn’t send a strong enough message, and put the pressure on the government the same way,” Burzyński said. Regardless of the hardships which the Polish people have endured in their recent history, they are not giving up, and only time will tell how far it will get them. For now, they have managed to succeed in the first phase. At the beginning of November, the Prime Minister’s office announced the law will get delayed until they find a new solution to the problem leaving the discussion with an open ending.
AUBG Major Horoscope ECO MAJOR JMC MAJOR We know that when it comes to your area of expertise, every small detail is of great importance. This is why we can only assure you that each little detail of the upcoming year of 2021 is going to be amazing for you! You will survive the constant demand for getting the best grades by supplying yourselves with all the knowledge you can get! Keep going strong! Just be careful not to mess up that Econometrics project! mll MAJOR Buenos Dias, Guten Tag, Bonjour, or Здравейте! It doesn’t really matter which language you are concentrating in, because your future is brighter than ever! You have finally memorized all irregular verbs, all vocabulary, and you have stopped pushing your language studies aside because of that very very important project for your major. Congratulations, you are ready for the final! But beware! Getting lost into translation can be extremely easy, so be careful not to find yourself in the middle of a sentence like: “Yesterday yo voy al supermercado, mais malheuresement, млякото беше свършило!” Stars warn you – 2021 will be full of unexpected moments of enlightenment that will nourish your journalistic minds with fresh ideas. Many life-changing articles will be written under your journalistic pen, elusive and unheard-of sounds will be recorded through your audio recorders, your cameras will capture the beyond. Still, don’t wait for the stars to send you inspiration - go seek it behind the secret corners of the world around you. You might as well find it inside yourselves. Wherever you find it, don’t keep it for yourselves. Go spread it. Dear History Majors, we understand that you have a tendency to focus on the past but we need to remind you that it is very important to live in the moment. Let go of the things that don’t really matter to you. Your university years are never going to come back once they’re over! And no, we are not pushing you towards not studying for your Finals, who do you think we are?! HISTORY MAJOR POS MAJOR BUS MAJOR LIT MAJOR Dear literates, we hope you are enjoying your final minutes before the intermission of this academic year. We know the eternal question – “To have an A, or not to have an A.” We are sure that you have put a cosmic effort into your assignments in this chapter of the AUBG novelette and you may be wondering “was it all worth it?” Yes, of course, it was! You will definitely see the fruit of your labor in the upcoming 2021! Good for you! If you’ve survived reading 1949550439 pages to misunderstand business ethics, getting kicked out of shops after hourslong hiding behind stands to observe consumer behavior, or going through the near heart attack experience called ‘Strategic exam’ – good job, you are a true hero! The sun will shine brightly as soon as you step in 2021 and will bring peace and harmony to your soul… until the spring semester begins. Once again, the relation between planets and their position won’t have any influence on your grades and academic prosperity. So, don’t ascribe any failure to them – most probably your procrastination is the one to blame. Beware, 2021 hides even more unpredictable events. Most likely, you’ll join a lucrative company, establish your own one or become the next business guru of Bulgaria. Let’s admit it, sleepless nights pay off for AUBG BUSers. The stars say that if you’re a POS major, you’re currently procrastinating doing your endless readings or revising for finals. Don’t worry, we’ve all been there! With a bit of background knowledge, you can always mask that you haven’t read something. If you’re not sure, however, it’s better not to press that “unmute” button on Zoom, and as our friend and famous rapper Kendrick Lamar would say, “sit down... Be humble!” Otherwise, you risk being embarrassed and this is a fact, even if you don’t believe in the predictions of the stars. (which, if you don’t, shame on you - how are you going to evaluate the effects of a certain policy? Give advice? Predict how a war will end? Insanity.) P.S. This is, of course, to be taken with a grain of salt. It is written with the utter respect of a POS major, and aims kind-hearted mockery. But seriously, do your reading! PSY MAJOR Dear future psychologists, you already know what’s going to happen in the future, don’t you? With all of your snitchy trickery and stuff. You must be able to read minds. So good luck tricking us, peasants. Nothing more to read here. Fall 2020 | AUBG Daily 9
Before the Masks Angelina Kuznetsova Yoan Bondakov he year 2020 burst in and the world quickly retreated online. Under the pressure of new evolutionary laws, we lost our limbs and torsos, and turned into digital avatars. The mass migration of the workforce into cyberspace and the cancelation of social events left the streets barren. We felt naked without our masks and flagged all physical displays of affection, gratitude, or courtesy under the same antisocial etiquette. This might as well be the most large-scale alteration of human behavior that our species has experienced. But in our bag of crises, calamities, and atrocities, the celebration of the good times has always been a human quality immune to change. A couple enjoying the view from the Buda Castle. Photo courtesy of Angelina Kuznetsova. The year is 2019, it’s August in Budapest, Hungary. Among the buffet of diverse architecture, we see Gothic, Baroque, and Romanesque buildings dominating the urban landscape. In the old Jewish quarter, the ruin bars, nested into previously abandoned buildings, are crammed full with young people drinking stout and pale lager. It’s raging hot. The remote cobblestone streets welcome the stream of pedestrians coming from the main arteries of the city - their final destination is the Danube’s riverside. We see ferries, fishing boats, and cargo liners passing beneath the 19th century Liberty Bridge. A boy running through the Interactive fountain. Photo courtesy of Angelina Kuznetsova. However, as much as we cherish the scenery, we cannot help but focus on what we are most deprived of – strangers. The petri dish of hugging and kissing people that the cities once were, is no more a reality, and the daily hiccups we had with our fellow strangers quickly turn into romanticized anecdotes. Luckily, as COVID-19 approaches its first anniversary, the concept that strangers are vectors of disease and not human beings fades away. The past feels a little bit closer. A man on the Széchenyi Chain Bridge. Photo courtesy of Angelina Kuznetsova. 10 Fall 2020 | AUBG Daily
Three old ladies listening to classical music in front of the Hungarian Parliament Building. Photo courtesy of Angelina Kuznetsova. A woman sitting in a cafe in Budapest. Photo courtesy of Angelina Kuznetsova. People walking at the Budapest Nyugatirailway station. Photo courtesy of Angelina Kuznetsova. Fall 2020 | AUBG Daily 11
AUBG Daily Team Fall Semester 2020 Thank you for your support! Dear Readers, Throughout Fall 2020, we, the members of AUBG Daily, have tirelessly worked to keep our audience well-informed and entertained. The team doubled in size and it was a rollercoaster of experiences to coordinate and produce the finest content. The current AUBG Daily newspaper is a compilation of the themes we believe are most relevant to the times we live in. We hope that the words in this issue will make our readers wonder, ask questions, and go out into the world more curious than before. Ultimately, you will be the judges to decide whether we achieved our goal. Although this semester was unlike any other we have ever experienced, AUBG Daily had some of its biggest and proudest moments. We are excited to see what the future holds for our publication. Be brave and speak up! This is the only way to mold our world into its greatest version. Sincerely, The AUBG Daily Parliament of Owls Presidents: Yoanna Dimitrova Steliyana Yordanova Editor-in-Chief: Viktoria Ivanova Producer: Yoan Bondakov Sponsorship: Maria Sivkova Mariya Vasileva Kristian Deyanov OUR TEAM Marketing: Selbi Shanyyazova Diana Deliivanova Bilhen Birtan Daria Naydenova Fyodor Shafranov Boyana Kostadinova Bozhana Karadjova Klea Muka Photographers: Lina Chakarova Angelina Kuznetsova Enjoy reading! Reporters & Editors: Kristiana Dimitrova Zheliana Borisova Paula Anic Mohamad Hachem Bianca Deyanova Tsvetina Georgieva Simona Simeonova Georgi Staykov Nikol Peeva Prolet Boneva Nadezhda Kaloferva Ethan Perelstein Enjoy reading !
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