Munity EastMunity EastMunity East Volume 7, Issue 3November 18, 2011

What a Way to Begin THIMUN Singapore VII!

By Sekheena Deslorieux, Mont’ Kiara International School

he Opening Ceremony on the first day of the con-ference set the stage for the rest of the week. The master of ceremonies was Jerry Wang, President

of the General Assembly (ISB). After a brief introduction, the ceremony began with Ms. Frances Laughlin, a mem-ber of the Board of Directors of the THIMUN Foundation, giving an engaging speech relating Confucius to Model United Nations. “Ms Laughlin’s link between Confucius and the past, the Millennium Development Goals and THIMUN Singapore was intriguing,” said Heather Shep-herd, the MUN Director from Mont’ Kiara International School. The keynote speaker, Lionel Yee, the Director-General of the International Affairs Division in the Attor-

ney-General’s Chamber, encouraged delegates to listen to different people and work together as a team to produce pragmatic and innovative resolutions. He believes that the delegates of the conference today will be the members of the United Nations tomorrow, and wished all the delegates a very productive conference. With another expert introduction by Jerry Wang, the Hwa Chong String Quartet graced us with a perfor-mance of Ode to Joy and Canon in D. After their perfor-mance, the Secretary General of THIMUN Singapore, Nina Kamaruddin (Mon’t Kiara International School), gave her speech. She advised delegates to be construc-

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PUBLIC SPEAKING

ECOSOC REPORT

COMMITTEE: HRC

Article Continues on Page 9

BUILDING BRIDGES

Photo cred: Mars Huangof Intl. Bilingual School at Hsinchu

S P E C I A L

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P U B L I CSPEAKING?

PROBLEM!

By Reagan PlekenpolShanghai American School Pudong

A round of applause. Palms sweat-ing. Heart racing. Chest pounding. It’s time.

Clearing your throat, you step up to the podium. You take a deep breath and—

Freeze. Before you go, there are a few things you should keep in mind:

MUN takes preparation. A lot of preparation. Weeks are spent writing resolutions, attending mock meetings, and researching every detail about your respective delegation. You’ve worked hard on this. Be confident. Make this moment worth all the effort you’ve poured into it.

To help, MUNITY-EAST has compiled a list of the “do’s” and “don’ts” of

public speaking—Take a look at these, and you’ll blow

your audience away.

NO

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SPEAKING?9 AUDIENCEYou’ve heard this before, but it is vital to understand your listeners and adapt accordingly. Keep them interested—MUN doesn’t have to be boring! Speaking to your fellow MUN delegates, think about your ultimate goal. How are you going to sway them? Use your common sense: Don’t talk to veteran delegates like they are three years old, and don’t say anything too intelligent to 7th grade boys.

8 BODYFidgety hands and tapping feet are completely distract-ing. You’ve all been there, at a boring lecture, watching the speaker flail and fidget like a deer in headlights. More obvious than you would think, body language is a display of confidence. Keep your hands relatively still, and above all else, don’t sway; this isn’t a Bob Marley concert. Acting nervous is a sign of weakness and, in this context, weakness is danger-ous— it can lose debates.

7 CONFIDENCEAs a delegate, you have to be comfortable with your mate-rial. Be ready for questions and anticipate counter-argu-ments. The only way you can display confidence and class is to be sure of yourself. This comes only with practice and preparation. Be quick on your feet, but be sure to look like you haven’t made your argument up on the spot… even if you have.

6 PAUSEThough it may feel like you’re about to explode with eve-rything you want to say, slow down! Dramatic pauses can be more effective than a storm of words. If you speak slowly and clearly, your peers will be more tuned into your argument and, for the most part, more moved by it. Keep them on the edge of their seats!

5 EYE CONTACTYou’ve definitely heard of this one before, but it’s a cliché for a reason: It works. When talking with associates in close prox-imity, eye contact is indispensable. In a large room, roaming the audience with your eyes not only builds a stronger con-nection between the speaker and listener, but also displays confidence. If you’re looking down, reading from your paper and hiding from your audience, I can assure you people will lose interest.

4 PERSPECTIVEWhen forming your argument, consider other viewpoints. Sometimes, ideas and values that differ from your own can be a source of inspiration. They also allow you to connect with a di-verse audience much like that of THIMUN. Keep your mind open and be ready to be surprised.

3 DICTIONIn absolutely no circumstance should you say “kinda,” “err” or

“um.” As MUN delegates, you are expected to be crisp and precise with your word choice and “like” and “pretty cool” are not going to cut it. Stay away from words that make you sound uncertain (“basically”, “pretty much”, or “ish”) or simply uneducated (“cooler”, “funner” or “shucks”).

2 EMPATHYWhen trying to captivate an audience, leading them to an emotional reaction can win you big points. Gather support and try to refashion your content to rally and motivate your peers. Believe in your resolution. If you understand the rea-sons why it will “make the world a better place,” you’ll have a better chance of convincing others.

1 PREPARATIONThere is nothing that can top being 100% prepared for any curveballs your time at the podium might throw at you.

Now, go knock ‘em dead.

“BE QUICK ON YOUR FEET, BUT BE SURE TO LOOK LIKE YOU

HAVEN’T MADE YOUR ARGUMENT UP ON THE SPOT...EVEN

IF YOU HAVE”

Artist: Joo Yeon Limof CheongShim International Academy

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By Chrsitine Choi, Korea International School

evin Chen (American School in Taichung), the Deputy President of the Security Council (SC) announced “Are there any delegates who wish to

volunteer? Seeing none, India—you have been recognized.” The alarmed expression of the delegate of India brought an echo of light laughter in the middle of the serious exchange of ideas running back and forth among the students. The Security Council is responsible for discuss-ing global issues such as foreign aid programs and tourism. “Its primary objective is to propose solutions that are ide-ally agreed upon by different countries,” added Seung Yeon Kim (Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies), the delegate of the United Kingdom. Agreement is complicated when five countries—China, U.K., France, Russia, and the U.S.—have the power to veto. Sitting on opposite sides, two groups of delegates were sharing their countries’ stances on providing South Sudan with financial support. The debate was getting hot-ter when William Chen (Shanghai American School - Puxi ), the delegate of Lebanon, claimed that providing free

health check-ups is unreasonable since MRIs are too ex-pensive these days; his statement was challenged by anoth-er delegate, who argued that his example was too specific. When Chen seemed to admit the minor flaw in his rhetoric, the harsh atmosphere in the room suddenly disappeared, and students began to chuckle in friendly camaraderie. It is certainly easy for participants to get tense when they have to voice their countries’ beliefs in front of many other people. However, small glitches during the con-ference helped them to loosen up and relieve their fear. For example, when the Deputy President realized that not all countries voted for a clause, he had to address each country individually; this gave some time for the delegates to take a rest from their long talks. Similarly, when asked if there were other memorable moments during the conference, many students replied that it was entertaining to watch Aaron Willis (German European School), the delegate of the Russian Federation, accidentally refer to Confucius as an example of a British quote. Although many participants were afraid of making trivial mistakes, these blunders ac-tually made the delegates feel more comfortable amid the heated debates. Humorous and memorable happenings set aside, the delegates of the Security Council worked hard to solve many international problems. For the remaining days of THIMUN Singapore, they will continue solving problems to build a better future.

Humorous Moments Lighten Up the

Security Council

NOVEMBER 18, 2011

KPhoto cred: Judy Park

of International School of Beijing

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n the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), partici-pants endeavored to create the best solutions for seven distinct issues ranging from combating sexual exploi-

tation of children to fighting against increasing financial corruption. In the spacious drama center of Hwa Chong Institution, delegates persevered to work towards promot-ing higher standards of economic and social progress. This year’s ECOSOC delegates exemplified qualities of profes-sional UN members as they worked intently throughout lob-bying. “Though there were few enthralling events during the course of the conference,” noted deputy president Tif-fany Wong (Shanghai American School), “there were a lot of passionate delegates who were really dedicated to their issue. Some of them even wrote eight pages for their resolu-tion! I have never seen this before in a conference, and the delegates’ knowledge of their issues was really comprehen-sive.” The council’s atmosphere was both composed and serious. However, not all delegates were caught up in the ac-tion. Hyun Min Kang, (Qindao MTI International School), delegate of an NGO, expressed woe that he was “not able to actively participate in the lobbying yet because the council was not quite intense enough.” Unlike what some delegates were used to, ECOSOC merged an astonishing eleven reso-lutions to form one. “It is my first time here, and it was in-teresting to see so many resolutions merged together and approved,” said Lana Poljak (United Nations International School Hanoi), the delegate of Malta. Other delegates hoped

to have an opportunity to submit their own resolutions rath-er than stay passive. Though a large part of the conference lacked in-tense excitement, some embers were sparked in periods of the conference. During the lobbying session, the delegate of Guatemala, Ally Jiang (Beijing City International School), and the delegate of Pakistan, Esther H. Yoon (Yongsan Inter-national School of Seoul) showed signs of discontent as they discussed who should submit their resolution for the issue regarding the effectiveness of long-term humanitarian aid with regards to natural disasters. In the end, a voting process was held between the group of delegates and the delegate of Guatemala’s resolution was submitted. The ECOSOC coun-cil even crashed the high school Internet by accident, though it recovered eventually. As they strive for more exciting debates, ECOSOC participants will continue to discuss economic and social is-sues of the world, steadily making the climb towards higher standards.

IBy Emily Tang, International Bilingual School at Hsinchu

ECOSOC: The Climb Towards Higher Standards

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Photo cred: Cindy Songof Tokyo International School

NOVEMBER 18, 2011

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the situation of human rights in Myanmar; sport as a means to promote education, health, development, and peace; re-ducing the number of children living and working on the street; promoting and protecting the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; prioritizing chil-dren’s welfare in areas of armed conflict; and promoting the rejection of doctrines based on racial discrimination and xenophobia. On the morning of November 16th, 2011, delegates debated a resolution on using sports as a mean to promote education, health, development, and peace. Slowly, the debate morphed into a conflict in philosophy. Delegates delved into the depths of human nature, arguing either for or against the inherent evil of humanity. Both sides were passionate and defended their beliefs with zealous fervor that was singularly impressive. Delegates of HRC actively sought chances to speak. Their alert eyes were focused on the podium and resolution, and their hands gripped the edges of their seats in anticipation of further action. The placards were practically flying and spent

more time in the air than on the tables. Every time the chair asked for speakers, the delegates threw their hands up, clawing like zombies for dangling prey. To the partici-pants, the conference was serious business. Maansi Kumar (International School of Beijing), delegate of the World Bank, remarked that everyone had “extensive knowledge on their issues, and were very serious about debate.” Wielding their infallible understanding of the is-sues, the delegates coordinated their points and ques-tioned their opponents’ arguments. The council was an unforgiving and brutal place, where every foible in an argu-ment would be subject to assault. Ultimately, this intense debate rooted out weaknesses in the resolution, honing it to perfection, and acted as the first line of defense against destructive or inefficient alterations and arguments. For example, when the delegate of China proposed that sports could never be fair since “women have thousands of years of evolution working against them,” the other delegates fiercely criticized the remark, creating a balance to main-tain a resolution that promotes equality for all. Fighting for universal basic human rights, HRC delegates represent the pinnacle of morality and justice.

By Jim Hsiao, International Bilingual School at Hsinchu Science Park

Aside from occasional bouts of hilarity, the Human Rights Council was mainly solemn and focused. The issues on the agenda included questions of

Taking Upon the Indochinese Peninsula

JUSTICEOn The Prowl

Photo cred: Mars HuangIBSH

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Photo cred: Judy ParkIntl. School of Beijing

nthusiastic experts of the Advisory Panel on the Question of the Indochinese Peninsula (APQIP) filled the room with heated controversy. No-E

body was taking the debate lightly. Everyone had seri-ous looks on their faces, determined to produce the best solution for the issue at hand. Everyone was in position - ready to give his or her opinion to the rest of the APQIP. The main theme that Advisory Panel set for this conference was “The Question of the Indochinese Peninsu-la.” Some delegates worked to come up with ideas for reso-lutions for the issue while others rose to balance this by pin-pointing potential flaws of the resolutions’ clauses. Yukio (International School Yangon), the expert of UNHCR noted “The Advisory Panel can be very intense and intimidating.” However, heated debates and formal speeches are not the only features of the Advisory Panel. When the entire committee was asked with question, “What was one of the most interesting parts of this commit-tee so far?” most people pointed to a delegate who had fallen asleep during the debating process. The delegate justified himself, saying that he “reluctantly fell asleep.” Typically, committees produce a number of reso-lutions to solve issues assigned to each committee. How-

ever, the Advisory Panel is a committee that does not bind to such rules. The Advisory Panel functions like the Se-curity Council: their debate starts as soon as the confer-ence begins and does not lobby resolutions. They create one big resolution together, debating clause by clause. Nobody can veto clauses in Advisory Panel; instead, they continue adding amendments to the resolution. Advi-sory Panel takes their time to focus on one topic over the whole conference. They branch out to further sub topics, discussing one per day to address all aspects of the main topic. On the last day, the Advisory Panel presents their resolutions to the Security Council. The Security Coun-cil then decides whether to pass or fail the resolution. Devyani Gupta (Mont’ Kiara International School), the deputy president of APQIP, noted that “The experts have been extremely involved in the debate, from submit-ting detailed and comprehensive clauses to speaking pas-sionately on their stance on the issues to critically analyz-ing and amending the proposed solutions. Debate has been constructive and productive and a joy to chair.” Just by look-ing at the intensity of discussion today, there is guaranteed to be productive debate in the APQIP for the next few days.

By Ho June Chun, International School of Ho Chi Minh City

Taking Upon the Indochinese Peninsula

A P Q I P

is often the reaction of flabbergasted people when I tell them where I am from. They only seemed to remember Taipei 101, the second tallest building in the world. When I first moved to Taiwan seven years ago, I was less than happy mov-ing to an island on the other side of the world from my hometown of Fremont, California. The humid air traced with cigarette smoke bursting through the au-tomatic doors of the airport was a slap in the face, reminding me of all I had left behind and all the difficulties I was about to face in an alien country. Despite years of summer trips to Taiwan, I did not feel any more at home in a place where the language was only slightly understandable, malls were virtually nonexistent, mosquitoes ate me alive, the screech of skidding motorcycles deafened my ears, and the splattered red stains of betel nuts decorated the sidewalks. The scantily

dressed betel nut girls were particularly incomprehensible. Fortunately, over time, I began to appreciate the little wonders of Taiwan I had failed to notice

before, the opportunities that were only possible in this stifling, nightmarish bubble of warm air.

The first aspect that really shook my less-than-pleasant view of Taiwan was the food, the diverse, appropriately-proportioned, reasonably

priced, mouth watering food. The tropical fruits were par-ticularly appealing. Despite the lack of strawber-

ries and white peaches, no other place in the world could ever have Taiwan’s juicy,

succulent variety of mangoes, lychees, papayas, and

guavas.

Taiwan? Where’s that, in Thailand?“ “

BuildingBridgesBy Melody Lai,

International Bilingual School at Hsinchu

NOVEMBER 18, 2011

8

Art by Yong Jin KimConcordia Inernational School of

Shanghai

“

BuildingBridges

All year round, my mom would come home with trunk loads of bags bulging to the brim with fruit. Night markets were also home to a variety of unique-ly Taiwanese delicacies. Stinky tofu, fried squid balls, green onion pancakes, red bean cakes, oyster pan-cakes, fruit drenched in strawberry syrup, and soup filled dumplings were only a few of the mouth wa-tering snacks available. Furthermore, of all the coun-tries I had visited, only Taiwanese shops seemed to open until 12:00 AM. On weekends, I could sleep in until noon then go out and spend more money than I would like to admit on clothes, food, accessories, and various knickknacks at the night markets.

Not only was everything reasonably priced, but hag-gling and bargaining could lower the price tag to suit the shopper’s needs. Shopping was further facilitated by the highly efficient MRT stations and the thou-sands of convenient stores and drink stores polka dotting every block in the country. Every main street had at least one drink store to quench pearl milk tea cravings and a convenience store to provide all basic necessities and a wide assortment of peculiarly-fla-vored chips. Food and shopping do not add up to a vibrant, pulsing community without an overflowing batch of friendly people– Taiwan meets that requirement. I could easily go to strangers for directions and advice. It was quite a peculiar feeling because everywhere I

went, everyone seemed to be smiling, chatting, and perfectly comfortable with sharing helpful knowl-edge with lost tourists. Unlike the larger countries I had been in, Taiwan was unique in its seemingly

unified, close atmosphere, where an undercurrent of passion and mutual support coursed through the air. This familial atmosphere reverberates throughout the entire country, where strangers do not seem like anonymous faces in the crowd but true individuals. Interestingly enough, this essence is reflected in the motorcyclists careening and swerving around cars. Their different colored helmets and widely varying outfits completely eradicate the cliché image of an intimidating, leather-jacketed motorcyclists and turn them into easily relatable figures. Especially around Lunar New Year, this vigor is particularly enunciat-ed; families gather to set off fireworks in neighboring parks, hold barbecues in the harsh cold of the winter wind, give out red envelopes filled with money, and celebrate the coming of a new start with a delectable, stomach bloating feast. Returning to California after spending a sub-stantial amount of time in Taiwan, I came to realize that this tiny island is not just a paradise of cheap commodities and good food, it is also a place I can call home and look back upon with happiness and satis-faction.

Shopping in Taiwan was def-initely a dream come true.

Despite Taiwan’s small size and relative obscurity, it is a center of diversity and life.

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What a Way to Begin THIMUN Singapore VII!Continued from Page 9

tive, not critical in debates. She urged them to make new friends, use this experience for social networking, and seize this chance to make a difference in the world and make this week worthy of remembrance. Kamaruddin—who has friends from MUN all over the world, from Curacao to Turkey,—was very happy with her speech. Nervous at first, yet confident on stage, she thought that the content related well with her audience, especially in the final line in which she quoted “You’ve got to ignite the light because you’re a firework” from the popular song by Katy Perry. Kamaruddin had written the speech the same day she was appointed Secretary General during the summer holidays, as she was so excited about

her position that she could not wait to begin preparing for the conference! To end the ceremony, Mr. Yee drew Cuba as the delegation to make opening speeches the following day of the conference. The audience at the Opening Ceremony felt that it had gone very well. Paul Wu (American School in Tai Chong), the delegate of Thailand in General Assembly 2, noted that the ceremony was full of enjoyable speeches. Floris Akkermaans (Shanghai Rego International School), the delegate of Belarus in GA2 said that Mr. Yee’s speech had made such an impact on him that he now considered really working for the UN in the future!

Photo cred: Mars Huang & Judy Park IBSH, International School of Beijing

NOVEMBER 18, 2011

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mong the hundreds of delegates representing 70 different schools at THIMUN-Singapore, there are only 31 students and 3 advisors on the

press team, which covers everything that happens at Hwa Chong Institution. The press team, consisting of well-trained reporters, designers, artists, and photogra-phers from 21 different countries, brings the news to you through the daily newspaper MunityEast. You may see them around with cameras taking photos and interview-ing delegates, or scurrying around in the morning per-suading you to buy a newspaper (they’re just one dollar!). Once when buying newspapers, a school’s advisor asked them: “How do you guys do it? Do you work all night?” Though our diligent press members do exert much effort into their work, sleepless nights and deepening eye bags are not the secret ingredients to producing our glamorous publications. A scoop inside the press room will show you that organization and cooperation are key to providing you with the most updated newspapers every day. The press team, just like the delegates, start their day off bright and early at 9 A.M. Reporters and photog-raphers, led by editors Angie Jo, Elissa Lee, and Karen Sims, receive their assignments in the morning and leave to conduct interviews, record information, and take pho-tographs throughout the day. Layout editor Alex Zhang, creates templates and discusses design elements with his

talented crew as they wait for finished articles, photo-graphs, and artwork to arrive. Artists are assigned pieces of art that play off their strengths, which may include digital art, black and white art, pen and ink art, or hand-drawn artwork. After lunch, most of the finished articles and art-work arrives in the hands of the layout crew. Responsible for putting the whole newspaper together, the six-mem-ber layout team works together to pair artwork and pho-tographs with written articles and create the colorful and uniquely designed newspapers. Within three hours, the layout crew puts everything together and hands it to the publisher at 4 PM to be printed and delivered the follow-ing morning. With each new edition of Munity East, the same content is posted to the online newspaper at www.muni-ty-east.com. From this site, you can also access episodes of METV and the application for the THIMUN 2012 press team. Creating a newspaper isn’t as easy as one would expect. It involves cooperation, meeting deadlines, and oftentimes, hair loss from frustration-induced hair pulls. So the next time you step off the bus in the morning and see a bunch of students attempting to sell you a newspa-per, buy it. After all, it’s only a dollar.

By Jae Lee, Korea International School

A

MUNITYBehind theScenes:P R E S S

Photo cred: Cindy Songof Tokyo Intl. School

reporters

layout

editors

Munity East Volume 7, Issue 3NOVEMBER 18, 2011

B A R B I T U A T E S S T E R O I D SA L C O H O L N I C O T I N E L E G A L I Z A T I O N O F D R U G SC A N N A B I S L S D M D M A C R A C K C O C A I N E H E R O I N C R Y S T A L M O R P H I N E

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ountries base their decisions on the assumption that prohibition is a punishment for underhand-ed activities. Practicing certain degrees of drug

legalization, countries all over the world stumble across this dilemma: will drug legalization help them focus on treatment or just increase drug abuse?A number of countries have adopted drug legalization to a certain degree. The Netherlands, Switzerland, Great Brit-ain, and Portugal are some of the best-known proponents of decriminalizing drugs that are illicit in other countries, such as heroin, marijuana, or cocaine. Supporters of drug legalization point to some of these countries’ successful cases of drug decriminalization. Critics ask whether they are truly “successful.”The Portuguese government, for example, reacted to the growing number of deaths and cases of HIV by legalizing some harmful drugs. This decision has apparently been effective: the report released by the government in 2006 indicated a striking drop of street drug overdoses from 400 to 290 that year. The statistics also stated that the number of HIV cases caused by using dirty needles for heroin or cocaine injections also plummeted from 1400 to 400. The argument behind these striking numbers is that “in-stead of being put into prison, addicts are going to treat-ment centers and they’re learning how to control their drug usage or getting off drugs entirely,” says Glenn Greenwald, the author of Drug Decriminalization in Por-tugal and a former New York State constitutional litigator. Advocates confidently assert that increased freedom for drug use comes with enhanced access to medical treat-ment. Also, these supporters often point to medical bene-fits that some of the drugs are known to possess and even potential economic gains.However, opponents maintain that drug-related crimes and arrests may not necessarily be reduced by official legalization. These opponents, including Sei Yeon Ji (In-ternational School of Beijing), the delegate of Burkina Faso in the Human Rights Committee, argue that “drug

legalization means a more prevalent use of illegal, harm-ful drugs throughout the society, potentially reaching the hands of younger kids.” Ji further expresses her concern, stating that “mostly, ‘soft’ drugs, such as cannabis, that are thought to be relatively less harmful, are the ones that are legalized in some countries. Often times, once this initial step is taken, these countries are likely to turn to further legalization of ‘hard’ drugs, the ones that are believed to be more harmful.” Ambiguity still surrounds the practice of drug legaliza-tion, specifically concerning the extent to which drugs should be decriminalized. Still, it is a common belief across the board that both the proponents and opponents of this controversial issue should carefully consider the implications of each country’s case, and be able to pre-sent a clear plan regarding how drug production and con-sumption will be monitored and regulated.

By So Yeon Park, International School of Beijing

C

D R U G S

Art by Christine LinAmerican School in Taichung

Munity East Volume 7, Issue 3NOVEMBER 18, 2011

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AN INTERVIEW WITHADMINHEAD

CHNG LUEY CHIt the back corner of every conference room huddles a group of students in brown blaz-ers and red ties. They are the invisible hands that make every conference possible

and rewarding. Despite the scorching sun and the oppressive heat, one can see them scurrying from one end of the huge resort-like campus to the other, carrying out their duties to the best of their abili-ties, offering their help to bewildered delegates, and ensuring that all technical difficulties are solved. Like the diligent and industrious bees of a sturdy beehive, producing mouth-watering and delectable honey, these dedicated students are the unspoken assistants that support the making of prolific and high-quality debates, the overcoming of the initial anxiety and fear of public speaking, and the learn-ing of the delicate art of teamwork along with other capable students. All of which are the primary and most prominent purposes of all the conferences that occur at the Model United Nations.

Leading all 68 silent helpers in brown suits is a responsible and fervent leader, who sits up-right in a wooden chair at the front desk with an air of confident regality and appeal. Chng Luey Chi, a senior currently studying at Hwa Chong Institution, holds the title of administration head. Throughout his entire high school career, he had al-ready attended five “thrilling, exciting, competitive, and challenging” conferences as a delegate. When inquired why he did not again embark on this annu-al cerebral adventure as a delegate, he boldly pro-

claimed, “Although this will be my first time as administration head, I believe it is time for me to take on a greater responsibility and challenge. I strongly think that I have what it takes to cre-ate an appropriate and comfortable learning environment for all advisors, chairs, delegates, and press members.” He also hopes that “this four-day conference will run smoothly, the delegates will enjoy themselves, and that all the problems of the advisors and student officers will be easily solved.” Although all participants desire a smooth and managea-ble conference, complications are, nevertheless, inevitable. For-tunately, Chng stated, “Up until now, there was nothing major that happened. Just a few resolvable minor hiccups. Some of the microphones were not working, people kept losing their stuff, and ceilings were leaking water.” To avoid messy and hectic situ-ations in the next two days, he encourages the administrative team to “keep working hard and do your duties! Up until now, all of you have been great. I think you guys should know that I wholeheartedly appreciate all of your hard work. Without your contributions, there will be no conference.”

“LEADING ALL 68 SI-LENT HELPERS IN

BROWN SUITS, A RE-SPONSIBLE AND FER-

VENT LEADER SITS UP-RIGHT IN A WOODEN CHAIR AT THE FRONT

DESK...”

Article by Susanna Chen of International Bilingual School at Hsinchu

Photo cred: Mars Huangof Intl. Bilingual School at Hsinchu

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Munity East Volume 7, Issue 3NOVEMBER 18, 2011

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After a long morning of discussion and

resolution-merging, delegates rushed to the lunch area, eager to fill

their stomachs.As hungry as they

were, delegates had a variety of opinions

regarding their different lunches. Most who had the Western-

style lunch seemed to enjoy it. However, those who had the

Asian-style lunch had mixed feelings. Many

delegates thought that the food had room for

improvement.

The juice was amazing!“The cabbage and fish tasted off, and the meat lacked flavor,” commented Amanda Chen (Kaohsiung American School), the delegate of Lithuania of General Assembly 6. In addition, Susanna Chen (International Bilingual School at Hsinchu), a reporter for MUNITY-EAST, shared that “I found a bug in my lunch!”However, many delegates enjoyed and complimented the food as well. “The juice was amazing!” commented Minna Chen (International Bilingual School at Hsinchu), delegate of Irelend of General Assembly 5, “I’ve never tasted such a uniquely delicious flavor before!” Not all delegates used their coupon lunches. A few delegates preferred alternatives, including microwaved sandwiches from the sandwich machine in the Student Activities and Leadership Training Center, and ordered food from outside the Hwa Chong Institution.When asked about their ideal lunch, delegates’ mouths watered at the thought of their favorite meals, which ranged from light, small sandwiches to all-you-can-eat buffets. Sid Singh (German European School), delegate of the Russian Federation of General Assembly 5, was especially passionate: “I would want a one-kilogram T-bone steak with black pepper and red wine sauce, along with carrot garnish, a glass of red wine, and a tiramisu cake for dessert,” he said.As a whole, delegates enjoyed the food at THIMUN and continue to look forward to lunchtime, when they recharge for their busy afternoons.

Om Nom Nom

By Sean Liu, International Bilingual School at Hsinchu

Photo cred: Judy ParkIntl. School of Beijing

NOVEMBER 18, 2011

EDITORSKaren SimsElissa LeeAngie Jo

ASSISTANT EDITORSDiana LeeJessica ChangTsai-Wei ChenAshley Kim

REPORTERSSo Yeon ParkHo Jai YoonSean LiuJim HsiaoHo June ChunJae LeeRegan PlekenpolEmily TangSekheena DeslorieuxSusanna ChenMelody LaiChristine Choi

LAYOUT EDITORAlex Zhang

LAYOUT ASST. EDITORSAngela WuDongmyung Lee

Layout staffKathy ZhouKevin MaJun Yong Bae

PHOTOGRAPHERSMars HuangCindy SongJudy Park

ARTISTSYong Jin KimChristine LinJoo Yeon LimAngie Jo

Teacher SponsorsMr. Brian LongbothamMs. Linda SamarliaMr. John Miller

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THESTAFF

E R R O R SVolume 7, Issue 1:2/4 - Bottom left corner error6 - “I” Not aligned with article

Volume 7, Issue 2:Consistency in Photo Credits, By-lines3- In the “The Mimicry Behind MUN,” it was stated that monetary funding is an issue that isn’t discussed. Although this is true for most committees, the 5th General Assembly of Ad-ministration and Budgetary is an exception, as its sole function is to discuss issues of funding.4 - Low-fi Error 16 - Outline Errors on Quotation Background

by HoJai Yoon, Concordia International School

Point of Personal Privilege: Is the speaker rushing his/her words? Are you dy-ing to go to the restroom? Then, raise this point. The point can be used to refer to anything about the well-being of delegates. You cannot interrupt other speakers, but you do not need any other delegate to second either. Just don’t abuse this privilege: No asking the Chair on a date in the middle of the conference.

Point of Order: THIMUN-Singapore endows chairs with divine power of rule. Yet, thou shalt challenge their authority with Point of Order. It can be used when a delegate does not agree with ruling or decision made by chair. However, once again, do not interrupt speakers.

Point of Information to the Chair: Frankly, you are probably not the only one who is confused. Everyone is just pretending like they under-stand everything. Don’t hesitate to ask! This point can be raised when delegates have to ask anything that does not pertain to the Rules of Procedure.

Motion to Move to the Previous Question: If you just rocked the debate and no one dares to talk, use this motion. It makes the debate move imme-diately into the voting procedure. You cannot interrupt speakers, and you need someone to second it. However, the final decision is on chair.

Motion to Divide the House: Has your resolution not passed because the del-egate sitting in front of you abstained from voting? Stop sending him/her angry notes; instead, forward this mo-tion. In the event of a vote being particularly close or even a tie, it can force all delegates to vote either for or against.

M UN rookies, do not fear—this explicit MUN dictionary will easily guide all delegates to the right vocabulary term!

Art by Christine LinIntl. School of Taichung