Editor

Mark Dallas
Cover design
Natalia Saj
Layout
Natalia Saj
Mark Dallas
Layout Assistant
Isadora Look Azevedo
With article contributions by Aboutsh,
Alexandre Rodrigues de Aguiar,
Edna Ivonne de Los Rios Jimenez,
Isadora Look Azevedo,
Natalia F. de Toledo Mendes,
Natalia Saj, and Tae Won Yoon
Images used
are either used with permission,
public domain or creative commons
license (see p40)
This year, English through Journalism
will be available* in odd-numbered
sessions (5, 7, 9, and 11).
*Subject to demand

FUTURE PERFECT
ISSUE #16: MAR '15

Taiwan, Thailand or China?

Aboutsh

Dreams and Nightmares: Do They Mean Anything?

Isadora Look

Body Image: The Thin Line Between Choice and Illness

Natalia Saj

12

Make

16

Up

for

Men

Makes

Comeback

Tae Won Yoon

The Perils of TV-show Addiction
Natalia Saj

20

Effectiveness of the Death Penalty

Alexandre Aguiar

26

What Causes People to Emigrate?

Natalia Mendes

32

How does fame affect Teenagers?

Ivonne De los Ros

36

Picture Credits

40

Where the money went last time

41

Send comments to futureperfect.editor@gmail.com

Taiwan, Thailand or
China?
By Aboutsh

The cradle of Austronesian

2

Im from Taiwan.
Every time I say that, 5 out
of 10 non-Asian people
immediately
respond:
Oh, Thailand is very
beautiful!
Then I have to explain: No,
Taiwan is not Thailand.
Its a fantastic island in
East Asia, and is located
between Japan and the
Philippines.

Four of them might say:

I know! Taiwan is part
of China, right?
Of course, wrong. I have
to explain even more:
Taiwan owns its history
and culture. 23 million
Taiwanese
can
elect
their president under a
democratic constitution,
and the Communist Party
of China (CPC) never
governs Taiwan.

Taiwan is the cradle of

Austronesian
languages
according
to
extensive
research
carried
out
throughout
the
islands
of
Southeast
Asia,
Madagascar and the Pacic.
Anthropologists have found
traces of ancient se#lements
in Taiwan from up to fty
thousand years ago. Jewels
made of Taiwanese Jade
three thousand years ago can
be found in the Philippines
and Vietnam, which reveals
a prosperous civilization in
those days.
However, the destiny of
Taiwanese aborigines has

been totally miserable since

Han Chinese from mainland
China began immigrating to
3
the island in the 17th century.
The Dutch, the Spanish,
the Great Ming and Qing
Empires, the Japanese, and
nally, the Republic of China
(ROC) have colonized Taiwan
over the last 400 years. As a
result, hundreds of thousands
of native people have been
killed, and there are only
about 540,000 of them left
now. The population of the
smallest tribe is only 142.
ROC in Taiwan vs CPC in
China
Governed
Kuomintang

by
the
(KMT)a

party
from
mainland
Chinathe ROC reclaimed
Taiwan from Japan after
World War II. Nevertheless,
Chen Yi, the KMT Chief
Executive of Taiwan, was
a butcher who led the 228
massacre in 1947. 18,000
to 30,000 innocent people
died, including journalists,
doctors, writers, professors
and
representatives,
even mothers and their
children. It has changed
the relationship between
Taiwan and China forever.
4

During the Chinese Civil

War in 1949, the KMT lost
its Chinese territory to the
CPC, which established
the Peoples Republic of
China (PRC). Then the
KMT leader Chiang Kaishek evacuated his ROC
government to Taiwan. He
and his son began a reign
of terror over Taiwan for
the next 39 years. Citizens,
especially journalists, were
imprisoned and executed
just for reading communist
books or criticizing the
KMT. Fathers and sons
were taken away by the
secret police at midnight

and their families never

saw them again, even their
bodies.
The last Chinese president
had died 27 years before.
However, the KMT never
published the truth about the
period of the White Terror
to the public. According to
ocial estimates, there were
around 140,000 victims,
but some estimates reach
200,000. Such events have
led some Taiwanese to hate
the Chinese their whole
lives.
Rebels
organized
an opposition called the
Democratic
Progressive
Party (DPP) in 1986 and won
the presidential election in
2000 and 2004.
The ROC in Taiwan was
a member of the United
Nations until 1971. Since
the political and economical
power of China has grown
stronger during these years,
Taiwan has been forced to
face a very tough situation.
Only 21 member states of
the UN recognize the ROC
(Taiwan) as a sovereign
state. As Taipei is the capital,
Taiwan can only use the

title Chinese Taipei at

international occasions such
as the Olympic Games.
Although the United States
doesnt recognize Taiwan
as a country, its paramount
geostrategic
importance
affects the relationship
among the USA, Taiwan
and China. CPC declare
that Taiwan is part of
China everywhere as
loudly as they can,
but their claim does
not reflect reality.
6

Famous Taiwanese
in the world
Ang Lee, winner
of Best Director
at the 2005 and
2012
Oscars,
is
Taiwanese (not Chinese
or American). Once, the
Chinese
media
asked
Angelina
Jolie,
With
which Chinese director
do you want to cooperate
most? She answered, "I
am not sure if you consider
Ang Lee Chinese. He's
Taiwanese." Three popular
movies directed by Ang
Lee are Crouching Tiger,
Hidden Dragon (2000),

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

and Life of Pi (2012).
Other famous Taiwanese
are Nobel Prize winners
in physics and chemistry:
Samuel C. C. Ting (1976)
and Yuan-Tseh Lee (1986). In
sports, professional baseball
pitcher Chien-Ming Wang
won 19 games in the 2006
and 2007 season, which set
a record for Asian pitchers
in MLB. NBA player
Jeremy Lin was born
in the USA, but also
has ROC citizenship
since his parents are
both Taiwanese.
Kingdom of PCs,
bikes, shoes and
fruit
Nowadays, Taiwan is known
as the kingdom of personal
computers, bicycles and
the sports shoe industry.
Acer and Asus are the
fourth and fth biggest PC
manufacturers respectively
in the world, which held 15%
of the global market share in
2014. Giant is one of top 10
most popular bicycle brands
in the world and the best
selling brand in China. 25% of

sports shoes sold worldwide

are made in Taiwan, among
them being Nike, Adidas
and Air Jordan.
Agricultural
technology
is also well developed,
especially horticulture. You
can eat hundreds of kinds
of fruit in Taiwan, such as
apple-avoured pineapples
or cube-shaped watermelons.
Ta i w a n e s e
food
has
great variety,
too.
Most
importantly
of all, they
are cheaper
than
those
from
most
developed
countries. One boxed meal
costs only CAD$3 and you
could have a plate of seafood
for $4.

costs $17 and lasts 3 days.

Theres no need to pay tips or
taxes in 99% of situations. Most
Taiwanese can speak English
and are usually very friendly
to foreigners (but sometimes
Chinese tourists might get a
dierent reception).

A paradise for tourists

There are 9 national parks from

high mountains to beautiful
beaches. Mountain climbers
see Taiwan as
a holy land
because the top
100 mountains
are all higher
than 3000 m.
The highest is
Jade Mountain
(Yushan),
rising 3,952
metres above sea level. Taipei
101 was the highest building
in the world from 2004 to 2009
and is now the sixth, remaining
one of Taiwans most popular
sights.

Except for accommodation,

tourists can enjoy cheap
travel, entertainment, and
souvenirs. In Taipei and
New Taipei, you can take
any bus or subway train
using a Taipei pass, which

According to lifestyle9.com,
Taiwan is the second safest
country in the world (Japan
being the rst). Welcome
to Taiwan and experience
more
dierences
from
Thailand and China!

Dreams and
Nightmares: Do they
Mean Anything?
By Isadora Look

The
concept
that
dreams have a scientific
explanation started to be
discussed a long time ago
in Ancient Greece. People
used to believe that dreams
were messages from the
Gods.
Psychoanalysts
believe that dreams bring
our most repressed desires
from the subconscious
to the conscious, but in
dreams we are able to live
them.
Recently, scientists
discovered
that
even
babies in utero have
a stage of sleep called
rapid-eye
movement
(REM). It happens when
brain activity is high and
resembles that of being
awake. The length of a
dream varies from 2030
minutes and people are
more likely to remember

them if they wake up

during the REM phase.
Opinions
about
the
meaning have changed
and varied through time,
culture
and
religion,
but for psychologists to
understand what they
really mean is a challenge
of interpretation.
Freud used to say that a
dream is like writing a
poem. People try to put
their thoughts into the
most summarized form
and then translate them
into a concrete form
represented by images.
There are many different
types
of
dreams.
Psychologists have been
studying and dividing
them into groups.

something really similar

happens in real life.
Repetitive
dreams
are
the kind of dream that
usually happen when the
individual has a constant
worry
or
something
permanent happening in
his or her life.
Sensuous dreams happen
during a phase of a lack
of affection or after a
breakup. People tend to
have these when they
really miss someone.
10

The scientific study of

dreams
overlaps
with
neurology and can vary
from quantifying dreams
to analysing brain waves
during sleep. The study
of dreams as a function of
brain activity could bring
great gains to science,
though there are a lot
of things that we don't
know about the brain.
The
debate
continues
about the purpose and
origins of dreams and this
unexplored area of life.
11

Creative dreams are used as a channel for creative thinking,

represented by images, paintings or even books.
Nightmares are an accumulation of bad thoughts and worries
that the person had during the day. The word nightmare
derives from the Old English mare, which was a mythological
demon who torments others during the night. Nightmares are
dreams that can cause strong emotions such as fear, horror,
despair, anxiety and sadness.
People who have lucid dreams know that they are dreaming
and know how to control their dreams just like a movie.
Predictive dreams seem to predict things that will happen
in the future. The person has a dream, and sooner or later,

Body Image: The Thin

Line Between Choice
and Illness
By Natalia Saj
Although
the
feminist
power is growing all over
the world, body image
discussions are always top
rated and polemic. That is
because many people of all
ages suer every day from
12
two dierent pressures, and
neither one of them is easy to
deal with.
The rst one is the impossibly
high standard of beauty
presented in magazines. 99%
are photoshopped images
and may vary from each
country. The main perfect
shape is to have a thin waist,
long legs, big breasts and a
big bu#. Somewhat like Kim
Kardashian but less scary.
The second one is even more
dangerous and is about
body shaming and bullying:
mostly with girls and

women. Sentences like Ew,

shes too skinny, or Shed be
pre!y if she were skinnier, are
just common in our society
and they shouldnt be.
13

So how can we face these

forces and still be happy
and condent?

Body
shaming
and
media scare tactics are
responsible for a legion
of pro-Anna/Mia girls (it
means they are in favour
of anorexia and bulimia,
two dangerous eating
disorders) and also of
depression
and
even
suicide.

It is a hard challenge to
accept yourself as you are.
Lots of superstars have
also had eating disorders:
according to the Brazilian
eating
disorder
combat
website AnnarexicKiller.com,
Lily Allen, Christina Ricci,
Demi Lovato, Anah Portillo
and Victoria Beckham are
just some of the thousands

of celebrities with famous

cases of eating disorders
and depression due to frontrunner body issues.
We can see Beyonc singing
Pre!y Hurts and condemning
the rules applied by TV
and magazines as theyre
so far from the truth. The
song protests about the
obsession of being thinner
and thinner and declares that
Perfection is a disease of a
nation.

On the other hand, the

Fat
Pride
or
Size
Acceptance movement is
growing in several fields.
For example, we are now
seeing the appearance
of plus-sized models on
runways and in music
hits as well.

big: its all about accepting

yourself and, above all, of
respecting each other. Theres
nothing wrong with being
size 7 and wanting to be size
2, or wanting to gain 10 kilos
or lling yourself up with
silicon to get curves. At the
end of the day, the important

14

15

Meghan Trainor sings in

All About That Bass that I
see the magazine workin' that
Photoshop, we know that shit
ain't real. C'mon now, make it
stop. If you got beauty, just raise
'em up, and states that Every
inch of you is perfect from the
bo!om to the top.
The main issue we have today
is not about being thin or being

thing is to feel good about

your own body, and as long
as you are doing this healthily
and for yourself and not to be
accepted in society.
After all, if people judge you
for what you look like and
not for who you truly are, you
shouldnt bother with them.
Happiness is inside you and
that is beautiful.

Make Up For Men

Makes a Comeback
By Tae Won Yoon
Have you ever seen a man who
puts on makeup? If you are
a man, have you ever put on
makeup? What do you think
about men who wear makeup?

Balm) on their faces and wearing

cologne. Some even wear eyeliner!

Recently, men are ge#ing

interested not just in grooming
but also in using cosmetics and
16 makeup. They want to slim
down and do exercise so they
can wear nice clothes, and they
are fascinated with following
fashion trends. Actually, the
market for men is rapidly being
expanded not only in fashion
but also in grooming and
makeup all over the world.

There is lots of evidence that men

have applied makeup and cared
about their appearance since the
beginning of human history.

This is especially, the case in

Asia. If you watch a South
Korean music program, you can
see most idols are performing
on the stage wearing makeup
and wearing ashy outts that
are both fashionable and eyecatching. Furthermore, you can
see a lot of men are walking
around with BB cream (Blemish

A Brief History of
Grooming and Makeup

Mens

The association between men and

makeup was even mentioned in
the Old Testament (Ezekiel 23:40):
They even sent for men to come from
afar, to whom a messenger was sent;
and behold, they came. For them you
bathed yourself, painted your eyes, and
adorned yourself with ornaments.
Egyptian burials dating back to
10,000 BCE suggest that men used
to wear eyeshadow. Grooming
originated as a way of keeping
hygiene and health. It was used to
protect the skin from the hot sun
and dry winds by using oil and
creams.

17

After Alexander the Great

won the ba#le of Issos in
Persia, he entered the tent of
King Darius. He found the
makeup box which had kept
priceless grooming products
like ointments and perfumes,
and then Alexander threw it
out. Ironically, when he later
traveled in Asia, he himself
became addicted to mens
grooming.

18

a terrible result, It was still

popular. By Victorian times,
mens makeup was considered
the devil's making, and as
a result, mens grooming and

Mens
grooming
market
Expands around the world

Around 100 CE, Romans

were fascinated with mens
grooming and makeup. They
used to put on barley our,
bu#er on pimples, and sheep
fat and blood on ngernails.
During the early Middle Ages,
the church strongly restricted
mens grooming and makeup.
It was frequently criticized by
religious zealots.
Then by the reign of Queen
Elizabeth I, it had become
popular again. Men washed
their hair with rosemary water
and used sage (salvia) to
whiten teeth. Unfortunately,
lead and arsenic were included
in the makeup that was used
to whiten skin, so it brought
about many early deaths.
Even though it brought about

popular again. Men began to

focus on grooming and makeup
for their appearance just as the
Egyptians and Romans did
before them.

their use of makeup faded.

Banker and manufacturer
Anthony Overton was the rst
African American to lead a
major business conglomerate.
He created a face powder called
High Brown to be marketed
to African Americans, which
was hailed as "the rst market
success in the sale of cosmetics
for black women and was
completely successful in the
womens grooming market,
but not the mens.
In the late 20th century, mens
grooming,
skincare
and
makeup emerged to become

Nowadays, many men use

some sort of grooming product
for their appearance. The mens
grooming industry generated
$964 million in US department
store sales in 2011, an increase of
11% compared to the previous
year. Facial cleansers, lotions/
moisturizers and lip products
are the most commonly used
products among males.
Recent studies have shown a
worldwide increase in the use
of mens grooming products, a
trend that looks like it will not
slow down anytime soon.
According to entertainment
writer Adams Hopper, you
should use a foaming cleanser
once or twice a day to remove
dead skin cells and excess oil.
Instead of using moisturizer
each morning, consider using
a ma#e BB cream that matches
your natural skin tone."

He goes on to say that "too

much is even worse than less.
This will not only even colour
correct your skin tone, cover
your blackheads and moisturize
your skin for the day also
protect your skin safely from
UV (the suns ultraviolet).
Use a heavier moisturizer on
your skin at night to improve
your skins appearance and
prevent wrinkles. Once a month
use a pore strip to help remove
blackheads and improve the
appearance of your pores.
If you are not sure that you will 19
carry out what I write, at least
wash your face every morning
and evening with an exfoliating
facial soap.After washing, apply
a light moisturizer to your face
as well as a high-SPF sunscreen.
If you have to go outside in cold
weather, apply lip balm and a
heavier moisturizer.
If you are one of those men who
think that wearing makeup
is just for girls, just remember
that you dont have to end up
looking like a drag queen. Its
about enhancing what you have
and reclaiming an old tradition.

The Perils of TV-show

addiction
Facing the dark side of the TV-Show
parallel universe and how far people go
to watch their favourite episodes.
By Natalia Saj

20

TV shows are, most of the

time, our bread and circuses:
they help us to forget our
problems and relax after a
tough day at work, entertain
us on bad weekends or even
heal the wounds of a broken
heart. But at which point
do they become dangerous
to our health and social
relations?
A recent survey done at
Texas University analyzed
the behaviour of 316 young
people between 18 and 25
years old, and the result was
that watching more than one
sitcom at once can be a sign
of depression or loneliness.
Also, this habit can cause
health issues such as obesity
and
ophthalmological
lesions.

After
interviewing
33
students of the same age,
Future Perfect uncovered
some surprising data. 58% of
those interviewed watched
series every day and 39% 21
watched 4 shows or more
during the same period.
However, 79% believed
that the TV-show addiction
would not harm their
interpersonal relationships
or their health.

Looking at this scenario, I

interviewed a student from
ILSC, whom I refer to as Talia
to protect her identity.

Future Perfect: Talia, you

consider yourself a TVseries addict. How did it
start? Was there a special
event?
Talia: I guess it started about
8 years ago. I was 15 and I
received a DVD from HBO
with the pilot episodes of
The Sopranos, Six Feet Under
and three other series I cant
remember now. I watched
the whole season of SFU
and, before I realized, I was
watching three series at the
same time!
22

FP: Wow, 8 years is a really

long time. How many series
have you watched already?
Talia: There were so many. I
can hardly
remember
all of them.
But
the
ones
Ive
watched all
seasons
or at least a
big part of
themas soon as they aired
on TV were House M.D., Law
and Order, Greys Anatomy,
How I Met Your Mother, The

Big Bang Theory, Skins, The

Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Six
Feet Under, Pre!y Li!le Liars,
The Walking Dead, Game of
Thrones, Sons of Anarchy,
Gossip Girl, The Borgias, House
of Cards, Mad Men, Lost,
Crossing Jordan I guess Ive
forgo#en a lot of them.
FP: Oh my God! So how
do you deal with all these
series? Dont you forget
what is going on or get the
characters mixed up?
Talia: I dont usually watch
two series with the same
themes at the same time.
Also, I rather prefer to watch
one entire season before
changing series, except if two
series have new episodes at
the same
time. In
t h o s e
cases,
I
usually
get
the
episodes
as soon as
they are
on air. Its pre#y much what
is happening now with The
Walking Dead and Be#er
Call Saul: I watch them as

"(...) before I
realized, I was
watching three
series at the same
time!"

soon as they are available

for download or on Netix
(which is the case with BCS).

videos so I can watch them

using the subway wi-
without downloading them.

Thats become another habit

of mine, reducing the names
to initials, so The Walking
Dead becomes TWD, Game
of Thrones is GoT And that
is the way I usually discuss
them with my friends.

Of course, there were other

things, too. For example,
I left a party early on a
Monday night because TWD
mid-season would return
that night, so my boyfriend
and I ran like crazy people
just to get to his place on
time.

FP: So as I can see that The

"I feel it is
really annoying
to wait for a
new episode."
Walking Dead is your
favourite show for now.
What do you think about
this season?
Talia: Well, here in Toronto
I dont have AMC channel
on cable and cant download
the episodes either. So since
I got here, Ive already lost
two episodes of The Walking
Dead. So Ive asked my
boyfriend to download the
chapters for me and send
them by WhatsApp as li#le

FP: And you think that this

addiction is harmful to you
in any way?
23

Talia: I wouldnt say

harmful, but sometimes I feel
it is really annoying to wait
for a new episode. Even the
waiting time is about a week,
and this may be dangerous.
Sometimes, I dont schedule
events when theres a new
episode coming out, but
it is pre#y rare. As they
are
shortabout
3045
minutesits nothing that
can damage my health and
denitely does not aect my
relationships, because they
are another subject to talk
about to my friends.

FP: So do you take any care to

avoid this addiction causing
damage to your health or
your relationships?
Talia: My grandmother
used to say that too much
of anything is not good, so
I keep everything within
healthy limits. I do not
spend more than three hours
watching TV without doing
anything else and mixing it
with other activities. As I like
to go out frequently, it helps
me to keep a balance.
24 FP:

Good strategy. Do
you have any tips for our
readers?

As we can see from Talia's

interview, TV shows are
a good entertainment tool
for our activities, but they
should be carefully watched
in order to not become a bad
habit.
From the surveys, we can
learn that people actually
become addicted to TV series,
and they are dangerous
enough to harm health or
even social relationships.
So do TV shows aect you?
Stay tuned for the next
episode of...
...Future Perfect!

Talia: Dont lose yourself in

the episodes and dont forget
they arent real: sometimes
we are in this paradise world
created by shows and we
often fail to remember that
real life is outside and not on
Netix.
When you watch more than
a whole season at one binge
session, it is time to review
your concepts and get out of
the house!

Did you know you can

read all the back issues of
Future Perfect online?
Go to j.mp/futureperfects

25

Effectiveness of
Death Penalty

the

By Alexandre Aguiar
Formally, the death penalty
(or capital punishment) is
the result of a legal process
whereby the state decides
to put a person to death as
a punishment for a crime.
Nowadays, there are 103
countries where the death
penalty
was
completely
26 abolished for all crimes, 6
countries where the capital
punishment was abolished,
except in exceptional/special
circumstances, 50 nations
where executions are not
used in practice, although
they are in law, and 36 states
where there is legal provision
and the penalty is eectively
practiced.

Currently, there are many

dierent kinds of executions
used around the world,
including beheading, electric
chair, gas chamber, hanging,
lethal injection and shooting.
Moreover, many are the
reasons
for
convictions,
such as drug-related crimes,
religious edicts, oences
'against the person', and war
crimes.
The main controversy about
this subject is to dene how
eective the death penalty is
in preventing crime. While
many defend that capital
punishment really works
against criminality, others
argue that there is no evidence
about its eectiveness.
Actually, people who are
against death penalty allege
dierent pleas to justify their
opinion.

The rst one is a logical

religious reason: if God
created the universe and gave
us our lives, only he has the
right to decide about human
death. This is a frequent
argument to refuse every
kinds of capital punishments.
They also believe that while
a criminal is alive, he has the
possibilityand the rightto
regret, rehabilitate and change
his behavior.
Likewise, there are some
moral
averments.
For
instance, the criminal death
would be a revenge, which
is not the best solution to
prevent crimes and punish
for them. Even if a criminal
had killed someone, his death
just would cause more pain
to other people, besides it
would not give comfort or
relief to the murdered family.
Thus, in most cases, capital
punishment
would
not
have any practical result to
eectively combat crimes.
Many people have the
opinion that most murders
are also the responsibility
of the government. In other
words, the authorities do not

oer basic conditions to the

people, in terms of health care,
education, job opportunities
and many others, so part of
the population decides for
the commitment of crimes.
Based on these facts, the state
could not kill a criminal, if the
own state collaborate to the
happening.
Finally, there are factual
arguments to be against the
capital penalty, especially
about
its
eectiveness.
Actually, there are many
such ndings, but they have
dierent results.Some point 27
to a decrease in criminality,
and others that do not identify
this. Because of the doubt and
uncertainty about the real
statistics that determine the
eectiveness, many people
adopt the most conservative
side, disagreeing with the
death penalty.
On the other hand, people who
defend capital punishment
claim that criminals would be
afraid of the possible death
sentence, and that this would
decrease crime, while others
believe that criminals do not
think about the penalties

before commi#ing an illegal

action. For instance, the
United Nations has the
opinion that executions
do not interfere in the
statistics of criminality, and
that is why this important
intergovernmental
organization is absolutely
against the death penalty.
The death penalty defenders
believe
that
impunity
encourages people to keep
commi#ing crimes. To their
minds, as long as laws and their
enforcement are strict, the rate
28 of crimes will remain lower.
Furthermore, they believe
that there are many criminals

who are irrecoverable. Even

if governments made eorts
to rehabilitate criminals,
they would not change
their behaviour. Therefore,
oenders would remain a
risk, and feared as a danger to
society. That is why, for them
at least, capital punishment
would be supposedly the
only possible and reasonable
solution.
Moreover, such defenders
of the death penalty argue
that, given that judges only
convince a person when
there
is
unquestionable
evidence, there is li#le
risk of eventual mistaken

judgement. However, even

if a wrong verdict is given,
the authorities can rely on
the famous legal principle of
abusus non tollit usum, a Latin
legal term meaning, "Abuse
does not hinder use". This
means that, if everything
that involves risk of mistake
is unlawful, every human act
that involves danger would
be
illegal
simply because
of the risk.
For example,
many vehicles
are
being
produced
in
the world, and
people know
that a few of
them
have
manufacturing
d e f e c t s .
Nevertheless, even though
they are aware of the risks,
consumers
agree
that
the vehicles should keep
being produced because of
their usefulness. The same
principle can be applied to
death penalty: Since they are
deemed useful to society,
the risks do not preclude
executions.
Ultimately, there is an

economical
argument.
Research suggests that the
cost of a capital sentence is
70% higher than a prison
conviction. Therefore, the
money spent on this kind
of penalty would be better
spent on improving the
essential services offered
by governments instead of
ineffective punishment.

"The death
penalty
defenders
believe that
impunity
encourages
people to keep
commi#ing
crimes.

Based on the
facts, research
and statistics,
what would
be
better
to
prevent 29
crime?

R e s e a r c h
carried
out
in
the
US
points
out
that, in 2004, the rate
of murder was 5.71 per
100,000 inhabitants in the
States that exercised the
death penalty. By contrast,
this number was 4.02 per
100,000 in the states where
capital
punishment
is
abolished. This indicates
that capital punishment
does not deter crime.
Likewise, in 2003, 27 years

after the death penalty was

abolished, homicide rates in
Canada had dropped 44%.
Accordingly, instead
of a safer society, the
application of the death
penalty
has
had
a
detrimental effect because
it only serves to legitimize
the use of force by the state
and perpetuate the cycle of
violence.
Con ve r se l y,
there
is
a l so
dat a
t h at
su g g e st s t h e op p osi t e .
30 From 1972 to 1976, when

the death penalty was

temporarily suspended in
the United States, researchers
gathered murder statistics
across the country. In 1960,
there were 56 executions
in the country and 9,140
murders.
By 1964, when there were
only 15 executions, the
number of murders had
risen to 9,250. In 1969, there
were no executions and
14,590 murders, and in 1975,
after six more years without
executions, 20,510 murders
were commi#ed, rising to

23,040 in 1980 after only two

executions since 1976.
In summary, between 1965 and
1980, the number of annual
murders in the United States
increased from 9,960 to 23,040,
an increase of 131%. The
murder rate doubled from 5.1
to 10.2 homicides per 100,000
persons. So the number of
murders grew as the number
of executions shrank.
Still, according to Dudley
Sharp of the criminal justice
reform group Justice For All,
from 1995 to 2000, executions
averaged 71 per year, a 21,000
percent increase over the 1966
1980 period. The murder rate

dropped from a high of 10.2

(per 100,000) in 1980 to 5.7 in 31
1999a 44% reduction. The
murder rate is now at its lowest
level since 1966.
Cognizant of the claims against
and in favour of the death
penalty, it is up to each person
to decide whether to support or
refute this severe legal remedy.
Which side are you on?

What causes people to

emigrate?
By Natalia Mendes
For decades, people have
moved from their home
countries for many reasons.
The emigration rate is higher
every year and I decided to
write this article to be#er
understand what causes
people to face this radical
change.
32

Here I have listed some

pull reasons, which means
that other countries oer
be#er conditions in some
ways, such as good economy,
job opportunities, cheaper
transportation and with easy
access, and a language of
interest.

Yet, in this article, I have

included
push
reasons,
which make people emigrate
because of the bad conditions
in their native countries, such
as poverty, internal conict,
and lack of prospects for career
advancement.
TOP 8 Reasons for why people
emigrate:

1. Financial Stability: People

are constantly pursuing
nancial stability and be#er
future conditions. Minimum
wage varies from one country
to another. In some developed
countries, even earning the
minimum wage, people can
aord to pay a rent, food,
Immigrants and non-permanent
transportation, cell phone
residents of Canada in 2001
account and go out sometimes.
by country of birth
In
other
undeveloped
countries the minimum wage
is totally incompatible with
the cost of living, which drives
people to a state of poverty.

2. Political Reasons: Some

countries have serious
political
problems,
such
as
corruption,
lack of solutions by the
government to social
problems and a lack of
fundamental rights. Many
people emigrate in order
to gain a new identity
andor to gain political
rights. Besides this, some
countries have internal
conicts and wars, which
make
people
think
twice about built their
family in such a country.
3. Good education: People
emigrate in search of good
and unpaid educational
opportunities, no ma#er
in which level they are:
kindergarten, high schools,
colleges or universities.
4. High Standard of Living:
It is often seen that parents
send their children abroad to
a#ain a be#er lifestyle. The
reality is that they try their
best to provide be#er career
prospects and lifestyle to
their children which they
themselves might not have
acquired in their lives.

5. Relationship:
Many
people travel abroad
to study and end up
in a marriage. This
makes people emigrate
and start a new life
in
another
country.
6. Work
Opportunities:
Some countries face the
lack of professionals in
specic and strategic
areas. Because of this,
they pay a considerable
salary for those who
are qualied and t
the positions. Yet, in
these
situations
the
country
encourage
people to immigrate,
providing
a#ractive
and
well
structured
immigration programs.
7. Following people who
did and succeeded: If
a person emigrates and
succeed abroad, his/her
friends and family may
start a chain and emigrate
to the same country
or another country to
pursue future prospects.
8. New lifestyle: Some
people dont identify with

33

their native countries so

they travel and eventually
nd a country that ts
with their personality.
CANADA
Canada in known as the most
immigration-friendly country in
the world. Its multiculturalism,
high standard of living and
employment
opportunities
catch the a#ention of those who
want to emigrate.
Since
2014,
Canada's
immigration target is to accept
34 around 250,000 new permanent
residents per year, considering
mainly skilled workers and
people with family members
already in the country.
Most of Canada's foreign-born
population is from the United
Kingdom, however most of
these people immigrated a
long time ago. The newcomers
generally chose the major urban
areas of Toronto and Vancouver
to start their new lives. Since the
1990s, the majority of Canada's
immigrants have come from
Asia. China, India and the
Philippines are the leading
emigrating countries to Canada.

AUSTRALIA
Although Australia has one of
the highest standards of living
in the world, its also one of
the most expensive places to
live. The main characteristics
that a#ract people who want
to emigrate are the pleasant
weather, employment support,
healthcare services and high
wages.
Before the 1970s, Australia had
an immigration policy in which
British people could become
an Australian just by living
there for a while. Things have
changed since then, but still
today the United Kingdom is
the biggest source of Australias
immigrants, followed by New
Zealand.
The level of immigration
to Australia has grown
considerably
in
previous
decades. From 1993 to 2003,
it increased about 290%. The
main immigrants were skilled
workers or people who applied
for family re-union programs.
Australia is one of the countries
with the highest proportion
of immigrants in the world,

a quarter of its population

having been born outside the
country.

that her lifestyle in Canada is

totally dierent from the one
she had in Japan and all her
goals were achieved.

EXPERIENCE
In order to know real cases of
emigrations, Future Perfect
interviewed M. Jo (Her
name has been altered) who
immigrated to Canada in 2005.
M. Jo is from Japan and
immigrated to Canada to
experience things that she
couldnt have in her country,
such as job opportunities, to
live in a multicultural city and
try many kinds of food.
One year after her arrival in
Canada, she got a job in a
language school for foreign
students as a Japanese
consultant. She mentioned

We also talked to Brenda S.,

who immigrated to Canada in
2009. As a teenager who had
the initial goal of taking part
in an interchange to study
English and live in Canada
for only one year, Brenda S.
came from Brazil in 2008 and,
during her interchange, she
met her current husband. She
fell in love and got used to the
Canadian life.
35

She noticed that the country

had good job opportunities
and it was a perfect place to
build a family as education
and social security are very
ecient.

How Does Fame Affect

Teenagers?
By Ivonne De Los Rios

36

Everybody has to live

through that terrible phase
called adolescence . The
point is that when you are
a teenager, you are not a
child, but neither are you
adult. Many things become
confused, and it seems that
the entire world is against
you just because you got a
new pimple on your face.
Whatever, the parents pay
for every single mistake in
their lives and they have
to live with those horrible
people that used to be their
sweet children.
So what happens if, after
this complicated situation,
you add the word FAME?...
Boom!
Many
children
become
famous after they can realize
what it means. Everybody
wants to take a picture of (or
with) them, and suddenly
everybody seems to love
everything they do. When

teenagers do something
wrong, their parents will
stop them or punish them,
even by not giving them
their allowance But how can
a famous persons parents
stop their children? That's
right, they cant!
There have been many
cases like this, about very 37
talented people that promise
to become huge actors or
singers, but they are not
only having adults lives
receiving exorbitant amounts
of money. They are also not
going to school but going
to work, so that can be very
dangerous.
Let's talk about some of the
teen stars that have had to
ght the clutches of fame.
Once upon a time, a
beautiful blond girl called
Britney Spears became a pop
princess. She was amazing.
She was a very impressive

dancer with an incredible

body and a huge voice, not
to mention a stupid amount
of money, and all this before
she was 25. She got married
in Vegas and got divorced
few hours later, then she
had another relationship,
became a mommy and also
became crazy. Suddenly, she
shaved her head in front of
hundreds of photographers,
but still she survived.

38

A long time ago in a small

town in Canada called
Stratford, a li#le boy named
Justin Bieber used to sing
at the subway stairs. His
mom decided to record him
and surprise: he became a

tremendous
success
on
Youtube.
Not
only
J u s t i n
Timberlake
but
also
U s h e r
wanted to make him
a superstar, and that
happened. Years later, the
kid was involved in drugs,
crazy parties, love problems
with another superstar, and
nally, he was thrown in
jail for drunk driving. After
all this, he seems to have
returned to normality and
has calmed down.

Lohan has extraordinary

talent, and now she is trying
to make a comeback, but it
will be very hard for sure.
When the teenagers world
is combined with fame, it
becomes dangerous and
unstoppable because there's
no way to control someone
that already has enough
money to do whatever he or
she wants, whether it is right
or wrong.
The stars entourage have to
do what theyre told because
their jobs depend on it, and
their boss has the last word.

At the end of 90's, a ginger

girl seduced the world with
her amazing interpretation
of twins in the 1998
remake of The Parent Trap.

In most cases, people gather

around just for money or fame
by association, pretending to
be their friends, but usually
they are not. It is really hard
to nd a real friend in such
an environment.

Then she starred in Disneys

Freaky Friday, Mean Girls
and Herbie. Suddenly, she
got involved with drugs,
became skinny, explored her
sexuality for a few months,
and was in and out of jail and
rehab (many times). Lindsay

In the end, the only way to

keep their feet on the ground
is for their parents to stay
with them, communicate
with them, be patient and
never forget who the adult is.

39

The Picture Credits for

this issue
Picture credits for and links to photographs, graphs and

Where the money went last

time...
The January 2015 Journalism Class gave half the money (more
than $100) away as a prize to a lucky Future Perfect reader.

illustrations used in this issue can be seen at

j.mp/fp16credits

40

We gave the rest away to two very happy street

people. Gord (above-centre) was one of them.
If you have any ideas for content or charities for
future issues of Future Perfect, or if you would like to
advertise, contact us at futureperfect.editor@gmail.com
The money for this issue will be distributed in much the
same way.