Posted on by nayantarac

A Committee That Will Go Down In History

After a 20 minute unmoderated caucus with no clear results, the head chair of the HSC stated that “the efficiency of this committee is riDicULouS”, banging his gavel repeatedly on the table to get the attention of the delegates. The delegates of the UK and Iran were excused from committee to complete writing a directive to initiate an invade into Iraq. After a long silence in which no points or motions were raised, the chair got a bluetooth call with an update that “Saddam Hussain was chilling on the beach with American playboys”, while all the countries in the committee sat quietly, unwilling to speak about the matter at hand. Only motion on the floor was raised by Qatar to discuss the specifics of this update, which was immediately shot down by the chairs as well as questions from the US as to where the playboy models originated from. Another question regarding where Saddam Hussain was “holidaying” was followed by a discussion as to whether or not Baghdad was the capital of Iraq.

After the chairs attempted to bribe delegates with mentos to come up with good motions, the delegates started discussing ways to attack Iraq to prevent it from attacking Kuwait any further. The delegate of Iraq was asked to leave committee for the duration of this moderated caucus and after attempting to record the happenings of committee on his phone, the device was briefly confiscated. During this discussion, many delegates such as the delegate of Israel seemed to suddenly either become deaf or fall asleep, unaware of the matters being discussed. Once Kuwait’s policies are questioned by Syria and multiple other countries stated that they also agreed that Iraq should be attacked and stopped. How exactly this would be done, they were all unclear of. They also all seemed to agree on the fact that Iraq should have economic sanctions.

The delegate of Iraq responded to the multiple statements regarding the fact that their country was to be surrounded and attacked with the utmost confidence. “It’s simple math,” he said, when comparing the number of foreign forces to the number awaiting them in the Iraqi capital.

Another update was then introduced stating that Saddam Hussain had been assassinated and his son had taken his place. This was followed by an emphatic speech given Uday Hussain, where he conveyed that he thought his father was “mild”. France, meanwhile, was quite busy in committee. They exploited the naval blockade and traded in military with Iraq and, also had a big part to play in the assassination of Saddam Hussain. On the other hand, they held their placard upside down, were confused when told by the chair that their head of state was, in fact, alive and then swore while turning it the right side up. 

The royal family was kidnapped and the US and UK, instead of helping them and giving in to the demand that their troops leave, went ahead with their invasion into Iraq. This move was particularly controversial as many delegates no longer knew who to trust. The delegates of Venezuela, in particular, stated many times, “We’re just confused”. However, Egypt supported the actions of the US and the UK and got numerous bangs of agreement from the delegates of the US and UK for saying, “If we give in to Iraq today, they will only demand more tomorrow.” France then took center stage and stated that they are the only hope and are the only ones who can take any action as they are the ones who managed to assassinate Saddam Hussain. Iraq believed the directive was  useless and since the US and UK could not protect the royal family, they couldn’t do anything. They had also called out Kuwait for not writing or debating any of the paperwork that was being discussed in committee as the entire crisis was pertaining to their country.

As committee began to come to a close, the delegate of Iran, once more, motioned for entertainment and was met with the response, “only if you swim on the desk” As the delegate refused to do so, even though the whole committee was thumping their tables in agreement, the chair reluctantly resorted to reading out many suggestions on how to assassinate Saddam Hussain, many that included the involvement of the playboy models.

By Nyrika, Kimaya M, Hrishi, and Nayantara

Posted on by alinavm

Say hello to the field for me!

Seeds of Peace.

The place that opened up my eyes, taught me so much, and gave me the space to be my most raw and vulnerable self. At Seeds, I found people who live on the other side of the border, but feel more like family than the people on the same side.  The laughs that we shared, the tears that we cried, the silence that we acknowledged and the complexity that existed within us. I came to camp broken, wondering if I could ever heal from my past. Camp didn’t fix me, but it allowed the light inside me to shine through the cracks, light that had been engulfed by shadows and darkness for very long. Camp taught me to embrace my brokenness, instead of hiding it. Camp gave me the space to say things that I would never dream of saying out loud, back home.

Sometimes, it’s not even grand gestures. It’s the little things- when someone I don’t even know gives me a ten minute hug when they see me in tears, walking down dialogue alley. Laying my head on someone’s lap, and them telling me to just let it all out and cry. Having someone run around the gaga pit with me. Drinking extra-fizzy coke at the sea dogs game. Sitting outside the bunk, taking in the intoxicating view of Pleasant Lake. Trying to understand how to play softball and kickball. Getting the edge of my eyebrow taken off with a face mask. The unadulterated joy whenever I went to the gilson porch bathroom and found it empty! Finding a confidant in the “enemy”. Jumping into the lake, washing away all the hatred inside me. Learning to love my scars, both physical and emotional. Lying in the field and staring at the blue sky. Throwing my head back into the lake while sailing. Taking a long walk around camp and talking. Talking about the shields we built around ourselves, not allowing emotions to ‘get the better of us’. Yelling green team cheers at the top of my lungs. Saying hello to the field day after day. Every moment is burned into my brain, because I can’t remember a time when I’ve been happier.

“They tried to bury me, they didn’t know I was a seed.” 

Alina Vaidya Mahadevan

Posted on by viraatsinh

If Countries were Football Clubs:

USA: Man United

One of the most obvious ones to kick off with! Once a superpower of the 20th century, is not what it once was. Still a giant to this day, but has been through some tough times off late. The natives are gradually getting restless as things aren’t going as planned. So much so, that they are willing to risk their reputation with a complete, all round makeover. The greatest player at building walls, this guy likes to keep the danger out.

Canada: Liverpool

Another big player on the international stage, this player is in the best form of his life. He is already reaching the very top of several competitions. Led by an animated leader, natives are happy with their performance in crunch situations. Currently doing better than their neighbours, many are expecting a fruitful future for these guys. Such an impressive medical unit insures great form and commendable productivity.

China: Man City

Filled with ancient culture and tradition, not many like to mess with this guy. No shortage of cash enhances their performance and insures minimal lags in productivity. Their modern renaissance is fuelled by immense wealth and passion in defeating arch rivals. Still, the outside world mocks locals for noticeable population issues.

United Kingdom: Arsenal

There was once a time where in these guys had no close competition and reigned supreme. Perhaps there is still a compulsion to get back to when they were invincible. A strong guy overall, but still manage to mess up in crunch situations. Natives wonder whether they will ever be at the top again, and their presence in Europe remains a doubt.

Posted on by Janani

What You’re Wearing And How it Affects Your Mentos Count

So you wanted to leave a good impression on the chairs? Your fellow delegates? The press, who will rip your outfits to shreds because who in the world wears a black belt with brown shoes?

Your fashion choices, (or lack thereof, in some cases), say a lot about who you are as a person. They expose your deepest darkest secrets and the very depths of your soul. From your bow tie to your untucked shirt, they all have something to say about you.

  1. The Tie and Blazer:
    Your mom picked your outfit, didn’t she? Don’t lie, you wouldn’t have worn that if you could’ve avoided it. It chokes you, restricts you, chains you. You hate it. You could have just worn a normal shirt (without the tie, if possible) and gotten away with it. If you picked that out for yourself, you’re dapper. You’re responsible. You probably finished your position paper before you got the study guides. You’re the star student in the class, the A* student, the one who’s grades are higher than my will to live. Noice.You get the most mentos, well, because you look prepared. Even if you forget half your speech you will get a handful for effort. Life’s good for you.
  2. The Tie and Shirt
    Does your mom know that you’re not wearing your blazer anymore or did you just forget it on your way out? A tired Taurus, sleeping in committee. You went halfway, only 50% effort. You didn’t give it your best.Or you’re too sleepy to comprehend what’s going on around you and are convinced that you’re actually in some sick pre-UNiS nightmare. In that case, boy do I have news for you. You’ll get some mentos for waking up. Or a yelling at, but you can always steal some later.
  3. The Tucked-In Shirt
    If you’re a girl — that’s a cool outfit. You’re gonna kick some butt in committee today. Do some paperwork, write seven communicae, plan to kill your enemies. You bet you’re gonna get mentos because you not only look, but also feel badass.If you’re a guy — didn’t the e-mail say to wear both a blazer and a vest? You are underdressed. You done messed up. You done messed up. You probably haven’t even glanced at the study guide and your position paper was rushed and submitted just in the nick of time. If you were going for casual, you went too far. You don’t deserve mentos, but you will steal some anyway. You’re the one who steals them from the delegate next to you.
  4. The Skirt-Suit
    You have a folder of evidence and notes. You planned for this. You are 110% ready. You will have your mentos. You will. Everyone is too scared to deny you your right.
  5. The Dress
    You look gorgeous. You look fierce. You take committee by storm. You were probably a chair in your past life. You’re absolutely ready to get more mentos than everyone else. And you will. Even your fellow delegates will submit their mentos to you. You are the mentos queen.

Switch up your outfit a bit and see if your mentos count changes!

Posted on by uditanair

No PRESSure, Just F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

We all know and love our friends, the Press heads. So, let’s deep dive into understanding which Press head bears most resemblance to the popular F.R.I.E.N.D.S characters.
 
First up we know Aria to be organised. She is always is there to correct your grammar. Like Monica, she is a perfectionist and will help you transform your work into a literary masterpiece .
 
Next, comes Bhakti. Her unique sense of humour makes her the perfect fit for Chandler. While their dancing skills is a point of difference, her kind and loyal personality continues to reflect him.
 
Tanisha and Phoebe, Do I really have to explain this one? Their wild personalities intertwine like creepers on a wall. Like Aditi once said, “She’s insane.”
 

Lastly, Aditi and Ross. Their love for books and education makes them identical. What brings them together is the faces they make while reacting to a situation which is out of the ordinary. Both of them can lighten the mood with a joke or two owing to their witty personalities. The only thing that sets them apart is Aditi’s height. She just can’t help that.

Maria
Bandler
Panisha
Raditi

 
 




 
Posted on by alinavm

Public Speaking for Dummies

Knowing that you have to solve some of the world’s most challenging and pressing issues in a mere 12 hours can be quite intimidating. Doing that in front of 30 well-dressed, poised delegates and 3-4 chairs whose one glare is enough to cause all the research and confidence you churned up the previous night to turn into dust, makes this task exceedingly harder. Fear not, Press has come to the rescue! Here are some tips to dazzle fellow committee members and your chairs with well-researched information and snappy dialogue. 

1. Make a list of points that affect your country

It can be quite overwhelming to have the pressure of an entire country’s problems riding on your Dolce & Gabbana jacketed shoulders. Sadly, there’s no escaping this one – Do Your Research! De-construct your argument and break down the 50-page long study guide you were sent into a list of the most important issues pertaining to your country. This is bound to boost your confidence, and you also show everyone that you know what you’re talking about!

2. Focus on one point at a time

Over the course of committee, many ideas and solutions are brought up. The topics being discussed are vast and  addressing individual points at a time may be challenging, but it makes your speech/paperwork more effective! Isn’t it nicer to listen to a speech that is well-thought out and structured? Focusing on a single point will allow you to structure your argument easily and will help untie the uncomfortable knot in your stomach that invariably arisis when you speak. Articulating your arguments also makes you sound smarter :p

Hope these tips will get you through the seemingly most important 12 hours of your lives!

Posted on by strangehuman666

History has its eyes on you

Invasion may be a heavily impactful and problematic event in real life, but at UNiS 2019, the delegates of the HSC have used it as a comical aid to yell at each other.

Committee began today with the usual General Speaker’s List. Delegates stood up and droned about their policies and stances; not a very promising start to discussion of a riveting issue. The delegate of the United Kingdom even seemed to fall asleep in the middle of his speech, faltering for a second too long before continuing. However, the delegate of Iraq brought a spark of excitement to the floor – standing up, he made his way over to the centre of the room and launched into a dramatic monologue, accompanied by animated hand waving and facial expressions. He talked of trying to prevent war, for the good of the Gulf countries, and the repercussions of slant drilling for oil, but most of his words fell upon deaf ears as all the delegates paid attention mainly to his performance.  Kuwait criticized Iraq for making false accusations, and for not repaying such large loans, backed by France, the USA and the UK amongst others. Similarly, Iraq retaliated by calling war inevitable and continuing the use of exaggerated hand actions, as Qatar and the USSR in particular, expressed their support for Iraq.

Regarding loans, Iran suggested Iraq repay the 9 billion Kuwait loaned them before the Iran-Iraq war, in addition to the 40 billion they already owe. Soon enough, France was up, and they definitely got everyone’s attention as the delegates walked to the centre of the room, pointed at Iraq and accused the delegate of climbing up to his ego and jumping down to his IQ, causing the room to erupt with approving bangs on tables. 

Dev Joshi seemed to be one of the few people in committee thoroughly enjoying himself as he threw chits from one delegate to another. . As the chair scratched his back with his gavel, delegates discovered that Saddam Hussain had the Chair’s personal phone number and snapchat streak, and had called him to tell him personally that Iraq had invaded Kuwait. As the lights dimmed and delegates murmured excitedly, a video recording of Hussain was projected on the board. This man looked alarmingly like Dev Joshi, but the update was taken seriously nonetheless. 

Various delegations voiced their views on the issue. Syria agreed to aid Kuwait by sending troops to their country, and Iran passionately encouraged the USA to initiate the Carter Doctrine and step in to help. France’s delegates were overly enthusiastic to speak about the matter and showed the committee a piece of paper which supposedly had coordinates that they were eager to attack if the situation required it, and stated that Iraq was ‘a very bad place’. The delegate of the soviet union put forth one emphatic sentence about how immediate action had to be taken. Against who or what, no one was very sure.All in all, most countries agreed on the fact that Westen countries such as the USA needed to aid Kuwait. 

The delegates had very differing opinions of the temperature of their room, and so, after a formal voting session came to the consensus to raise the temperature by 1.5 degrees celsius. When 

a delegate of France asked for the AC temperature to be lowered, he was told that he was free to unbutton his shirt. While  people seem very well-informed of the AC temperature, they seem completely clueless when it comes to where troops are stationed in Kuwait and basic procedure. The delegate of Iran then stated that the solution for the invasion was to “surround Iraq and STRIKE”. However, when asked to elaborate on what he meant by “strike”, the delegate failed to properly elaborate. 

The chairs seem to be very careful about giving out mentos as it had been a while since one had been unceremoniously chucked at an unsuspecting delegate. However, delegates and chairs are still kept amused by the delegate of US wearing his extremely formal sneakers as he raised his placard upside down and asked the chairs what the topic of the ongoing moderated caucus was. Once the delegate of the US finally found out the matter he was supposed to address, he stated that he would recommend immediate action against Iraq. The mentos famine comes to an end as the delegate of Saudi Arabia states that he will provide land for the attack against Kuwait and lunges to catch the mentos thrown at him by a head chair that has obviously not practiced his throwing. Venezuela then states that they will economically aid Kuwait and the US, but do not have a strong enough army to help the military attack on Kuwait.

The head chair then gets a phone call that Iraq has carpet bombed the Kuwaiti oil fields to establish its power and authority. Kuwait can no longer produce oil for anyone, even itself and 82 civilians were killed. Delegates from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria  react by setting up refugee camps.Kuwait says, “Iraq has disrespected the global economy and the UN… they ruined the main export of the Middle East… violent action should be taken.” However, the delegate of Kuwait was also caught saying ‘no regard for human life as the carpet bombed area is inhabitable’. Delegate of Kuwait, the word you are looking for is “UNinhabitable.” After this, a question/answer session with Iraq commenced and Iraq denied the claim that he had stated he was looking out for the Gulf countries.

Chairs start raising their voices at delegates who seem to be a bit preoccupied with the environmental and humanitarian aspect of the issue. UK questions Iraq as to why they want to continue this aggressive stance when almost the whole world seems to be against it. Iraq blames economic warfare but the UK retaliates by suggesting it was because of all the loans taken by Iraq that they were unable to pay back. A moderated caucus is then held to discuss incentivising Iraq to leave Kuwait. Possible options are now economic sanctions and military actions. Qatar proposes to setting a deadline for Iraq to adhere to. The US, on the other hand, wants to take military action while Iran wants to give Iraq another chance. France, meanwhile, walks up to Iraq and says, ‘I’m asking you nicely to leave’. He continues to say, ’I won’t buy oil from you, will impose trade sanctions because I don’t care about you’ He was then cut off and told to talk sense and not just yell.

By Nayantara, Kimaya M, Hrishi, Nyrika