The new residence hall director of Skaptopara 1 is already on campus. Radosveta Miltcheva moved in on Tuesday, Oct. 13. Read an interview with her, where she talks about her life abroad and how it feels to be back to Bulgaria.

A new lecture series has emerged at AUBG. It hosts our faculty members as lecturers who present their original published or about-to-be-published books, be it fiction, poetry, or academic research. Two events from the series have already taken place in the Panitza library, which is going to be the series' regular venue.

During midterms week(s), even the air around Skaptopara has a specific magnetic field, which would make a more Zen person shiver with chills and electrical shocks. Of all the interviewees in this article about the frenzy around exams, nobody said the stress and anxiety that students induce on themselves lead to any good, even if the grade is brilliant in the end. Taking it easy might seem more worth it than anything else.

Members of the Better Community Club have begun work on a Christmas performance, which will star children from the "St. Nikolay Mirlikiyski" orphanage in Blagoevgrad. Work with the orphanage is one of the regular activities of the club and with this new project it has gone on another level.

Though the Board of Trustees Meeting was held at a time (namely Oct. 23-25) when there was hardly a student left on campus, let alone the student media, we have decided to provide our readers with a bit of information related to the highest decision-making at AUBG. Check out how we understand the Executive Summary of the five-year Strategic Plan, a first draft of which was published on the AUBG website over the summer.

The Rock Jamming Club has proven that it can organize a good music event. The club was responsible for the first open rock jamming session held two weeks ago, and is now already clear on the future events that it will hold for this academic year.

Epic Club Fail. This year the traditional club fair was held right at the threshold of the doors of Skaptoparians. However, all in all, the event was somewhat of a flop. Was it the SG that failed to organize the club fair properly, or was it the clubs that simply fail to be as active this semester?

Among a number of regularly offered scholarship opportunities for continuing students, this year, AUBG is offering money for scholarships from a donation from the familiar to the students Work and Travel agency Usit Colours.

The recently published Macedonian Encyclopedia has sparked controversy in the region.

The Russian president's visit to Serbia brought success to Moscow and not so clear advantages for Belgrade.

The placebo effect is not a miracle, and it has its own explanation.

This year women scientists receive recognition. Note: This article is from last week's issue of Kapital.

Check out a few highlights from the week before the Fall Break.

Read some of the most interesting, funny, or striking quotes about AUBG from the past week, on campus or off.

Photo from the "American Porn" website

Sex. A taboo for some, acceptable for others. Pornography has been part of society since ancient times. While today it is undisputable that the industry is making billions of dollars, some of us enjoy watching it, but others are disgusted. Yet it continues to grow as one of the most powerful industries in the world.

Produced and directed in 2002 by Michael Kirk, the documentary "American Porn," which is an episode of the TV series "Frontline" on PBS, raises quite a few issues. The documentary talks about the origins of porn in the United States, its development, legal issues, and its methods of survival in the digital world. According to the "American Porn" website, "It [porn] is one of the hottest industries in America. Easier to order at home than pizza, bigger than rock music, it's arguably the most profitable enterprise in cyberspace."

"American Porn" was screened especially for students in advertising and PR as it is their professor DeAnna DeRosa who organized the movie night. She said it is relevant for PR students because the movie puts AT&T Inc. in a bad light. Students must put themselves in the shoes of the corporation that has to be prepared to reply to any consumer criticism. "The corporation cannot ‘stonewall.'  A proper response would include an emphasis on social responsibility," DeRosa said.

The movie gives the viewers an opportunity to decide for themselves how porn affects social moral standards. It shows different people, situations, and life stories affected by this industry. A series of interviews with porn producers and businessmen, prosecutors and porn critics, lawyers, and analysts of the porn industry gives the viewer a clear picture of how the business works, who profits most from it, and who suffers from it.

"We would like to break the stereotype that sex is dirty," says one of the interviewees, a producer. He does a good job in proving this controversial point of view by giving an objective opinion on the porn industry and how the forces of demand influence the forces of supply. The taboo of sex is what drives people to buy, watch, and even be a part of the industry.  An ironic touch in the movie is Frank Sinatra's "All of you" during the scenes where young girls pose for the cameras.

Law is another central and interesting subject matter in "American porn". At some point, even for the most progressive society, law has to step in. The movie shows who and why can be prosecuted within the porn industry, giving some outrageous examples that can make some people sick. Such include ultimate humanity taboos such as incest, necrophilia, and pedophilia. Believe it or not, this movie shows that it is the demand for those that forces the supply, and not vice versa.

"American Porn" is also relevant to advertising students in view of the so-called "new advertising" that is rapidly growing on the Internet, DeRosa said. "When looking at advertising, we must look at all products advertised in any given medium. We do not look only at those that are socially condoned but controversial products as well."

"I do not shy away from controversial topics in my classes," DeRosa said. "An education includes a well-rounded view of the world as it is, and not how some people may wish it to be." At its essence, the documentary also makes one think of what is going to happen to the industry in 20 years and whether the upcoming generations of children and young people will be watching it or participating in it. As the all students e-mail, announcing the event specifies, "An open mind is recommended."

The documentary was screened on Wednesday, Oct. 21, in the NAB Auditorium, followed by a general discussion about the ethical, moral, and legal issues that "American Porn" raises.

* Words from the tagline of "American Porn," according to the documentary's website.

According to an old Bulgarian tradition called "They feasted for three long days" [Tri dni yali pili i se veselili], we will be back with you towards the end of this week with our final issue for this month before the Fall Break. Please subscribe to our newsletter to get the news when the issue is out. That is in fact how FlashNews started: first as only a section "FlashNews," established by Bogdan Cosmaciug (Class of 1999) in a student newspaper called Vox and founded by Robert Sata, later on as a newsletter, and only later on as a website. Ilya Vedrashko is the one responsible for the appearance of the online version of FlashNews. We are honored and proud to be a part of a history of more than 10 years.

The FlashNews current team would like to send a grand thank you to all who made it to our special anniversary celebration on Saturday in the Red Room. Our special guests from the U.S. embassy: Mrs. Susan Sutton, deputy chief of mission, Mrs. Debbie Ash, vice consul, and Mr. Vincent Campos, information officer. We also thank the cast of Nedyalko Delchev's play Po ker at the Blagoevgrad theater for joining the AUBG community and connecting with it during our event. The upcoming performances of Poker are on Oct. 20 and 23 in the chamber hall.

We hope you enjoyed our celebration, and even if you did not manage to come, that you will enjoy the photos!

Special thank you also goes to all of the alumni and former FlashNews members who made it to Blagoevgrad on a rainy October 17. Special thanks to our sponsors: Telerik, Zip Travel, Logodaj Winery, and Frame restaurant. We thank AUBG for allowing us to use the Red Room as our venue, and we thank all the faculty members and administration, including President David Huwiler, who came to celebrate with us.

P.S. Any photos you might wish to share with us, please send them to contact@flashnews.org. Thank you!

Skaptopara 1 and Skaptopara 3 already have new hall directors. The residence-hall-director-to-be of Skaptopara 3 is on campus now, whereas Radosveta Milcheva, who will take over from former Skaptopara 1 director Arben Konedarev, will arrive this week.

This Spring the JMC department will receive new still cameras. With this purchase and the TV equipment, which was bought last year, the JMC department becomes more concerned about their maintenance.

Though "Musical Neoclassicism" and the title "Dr." do not sound too attractive on a poster, the musical lecture with visiting U.S. composer Stefania de Kenessey and a performance of her work was a must. Yet, as usual, about 98 percent of the student body did not show up.

Welcome to the featured video reporting stories, which AUBG students have produced for their Introduction to TV Reporting class with professor Atanas Maleev. FlashNews will publish some of the stories as the semester progresses in our new TV Reporting Series. This week's titles: Nedyalko Delchev directs play in renovated Blagoevgrad theater, Work and Travel programs show overall drop, High-school students choose uniforms.