MDLII - Volume 5 by Bedford-School

MDLII VOLUME 5

CONTENTS The Editorial Team: Current Affairs: Shivam Patel, Alex Stammers, Oreayo IsraelBolarinwa, Daniel Hickey Maths and Sciences: Daniel Tune, Jonathan Konstantinidis, Arjun Vaingankar, Max Williamson The Arts: Arol Bosut The Humanities: Nick Cowen, Christopher Turner, Ben Poslad, James Smith Languages: Frank Kupshik, Josh Carmichael Music: Ben Anstis, Nic Reay, Peter Wood Sports: Max Smith, Jake Carter Production Assistance: Anna Garrett With thanks to: Sam Adams, Matthew Bolton, Michael Herring, Florence Markham, Karoline Jeffery and Laura Stephenson Cover Art by: Josh Taylor

Current Affairs

Humanities 40

4 5 A Summary 7 A Political Dilemma 8 Corbynomics: The Good, the Bad and the Radical 10 Racial Tension in American Healthcare 12 What on Earth Has Happened to Greece? 14 The Kanye West Effect 16 The EU Migrant Crisis 18 Who Is Al Gore?

Editorial 19 20 Is suppression of freedom of speech ever morally justifiable? 22 Should people be free to do whatever they like as long as they do not harm others?

41 Geography Trip 2015 42 The economy of Afghanistan before, during and after the Taliban ruling

Languages 45 46 What is Language? 48 The Life of Bryan 49 The Spanish Play 2015

Music 50 51 House Singing

Sports

Maths and Science 25 26 The Pythagoreans’ Club 27 Superconductors and Their Applications

54 55 House Fencing 56 Stunning Sports Day

Mosaic

The Arts

57 29

Fitzwilliam Art Trip September 2015 “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding On Shakespearean Tragedy “You don’t know him as I do; I love that fellow. I’d go to Hell with him…” 36 Star Wars; The Clone Wars 39 Masterpiece Of The Month 30 31 33 35

58 62 65 68 72 76

Elevator Ride with God Without Her Empty Room In A Czech Café… Living Weapons The Maid

EDITOR’S LETTER As we get older, it appears that society encourages us to narrow our perspective to that of a mere vista. A university degree specialises in a particular area, much like the job that lies next along our paths. Thus we must embrace the unique broadness of school and education, an environment free from the “mid-forged manacles” that William Blake spoke of.

DLII provides such a spectrum, collated into a single publication.

The diversity of the articles speak for themselves; from works covering recent current affairs, to those of the imagination. Reading and writing has always provided such an escape from societies “manacles”, and in doing so our horizons are broadened. In editing the pieces for this publication, what is most apparent is the passion with which we write. Often writing provides not

just a medium for intellectual discussion and debate, but a canvas for expression. All the articles have been written by authors who have an interest in the area, thus we experience not only a piece of writing but a writer’s own emotions. This is what I feel is unique about MDLII. Therefore I hope that as a reader you will embrace the broad spectrum of MDLII, and challenge the “manacles” of modern society

Letter written by

Robert Salvesen on behalf of the 2015 editorial team

Current Affairs

A SUMMARY OF CURRENT AFFAIRS During the initial publications of MDLII last year, I was inspired by a particular element of the publication, one that was maintained with religious diligence for all four publications: the ‘Half-Term of Current Affairs’. Harry Burden would summarise the major news stories from the term just gone by to keep everyone up to date on the happenings in the world, a noble tradition I wish to keep going and potentially establish as a permanent feature of MDLII. With that in mind, I am proud to be continuing the tradition, and now present the first edition of the new ‘Summary of Current Affairs’! CRANE COLLAPSE AND STAMPEDE IN MECCA

n September 11th 2015, a crane taking part in work to expand the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the holy city of Islam, collapsed through the roof at mid-day during a powerful storm, killing 118, injuring 394 more and severely damaging the roof of the ancient temple. Only 13 days later, a massive stampede took place during the Hajj in which at least 1,859 people were killed, with some sources even listing death tolls as high as 4,000+; either way, the deadliest disaster during the Hajj in history. This is far from the first time that

deadly events have taken place during the Hajj; a similarly tragic event took place in 1990 when a stampede in a tunnel took 1426 lives, and there were several more events between 1990 and 2015 that have each taken several hundred lives each. Given that the number of pilgrims coming to Mecca is expected to rise from 2 million to 5 million next year and 6 million in coming years, the local government and authorities in Mecca need to invest in security and streamlining of the Hajj to prevent an even greater loss of life in the future.

JEREMY CORBYN’S ELECTION AND TRIALS AS LABOUR LEADER

eremy Corbyn was elected labour leader just over a month ago, on September 12th 2015, with a vote of 59.5% against four other

candidates. The early weeks of his leadership have been, as expected, mired in controversy over his decisions and policies. He was met 5

Article written by

Daniel Hickey

Minister’s Questions’, in which he attempted to reduce what he called the ‘theatrical’ nature of the House of Commons by asking questions he had crowd-sourced from the public. With talk of splits in the Labour party and extremely divided opinions on him, Corbyn has a long, hard road ahead of him if he wants to remain relevant and in control of his party.

with opposition quickly from both within and outside of the Labour party, which was only exacerbated by his decision not to sing the national anthem at the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain commemorative service - a decision he later apologised for and promised not to make in future. Shortly after this, he engaged in a mould-breaking round of ‘Prime

ARREST OF AMERICAN SCHOOLBOY OVER MISTAKEN BOMB THREAT

device weren’t followed. The teachers and police involved seemed to show no concern that the clock was dangerous, implying that they did not genuinely believe there was a bomb threat and their actions were driven by prejudice instead. This event highlights the pressing nature of the US’ potential issue with racial profiling and xenophobia which it needs to address collectively as soon as possible. Following the incident, Mohamed has received condolences and also support from many sources, including the US president Barack Obama. While he may have had to endure an extremely harsh experience, Ahmed’s example – he continues to express his interest in STEM – will inspire many other young Americans to continue towards their own ambitions.

year-old Ahmed Mohamed, a boy attending MacArthur High School in Texas, was arrested on Monday the 14th of September after his English teacher reported that the electronic clock that Mohamed had disassembled and re-constructed in a briefcase and brought into school to impress his teachers: ‘[looked] like a movie bomb’. Mohamed’s project was confiscated, and Mohamed himself was questioned by local police and subsequently arrested and taken to the police station where he was fingerprinted, photographed, and then released to his parents. The incident drew mass accusations of Islamophobia and racial profiling from across the US and the world, due to the lack of evidence that Mohamed’s device was a bomb at all and because measures that should have been taken in the event of an actual suspected explosive

REFUGEE CRISIS

the situation and propose plans to co-ordinate a large-scale response to the crisis. Hungary has recently finished border fences along its borders with Serbia, Turkey, Croatia, and Slovenia, while in contrast, Germany has been following a general policy of accepting the refugees wherever it can and accepting the greatest number of asylum seekers. The crisis has created deep divides in European societies between those who would welcome refugees and those who wish to keep them out, on both an individual level and a national one. Europe’s approach to this crisis will have a significant impact on the continent’s image and ideals both within it and across the world. The leaders of Europe’s governments need to tread carefully to balance the wills of their peoples and the immutable fact that hundreds of thousands of people have arrived on their doorsteps with every intention of staying.

he exodus of refugees from the middle-east and northAfrica to Europe has been especially prominent within the news recently, thanks in part to incidents such as a photo of a drowned Syrian child on a Turkish shoreline which raised a public outcry, and a rapidly increasing death toll, including an incident in which 5 boats carrying nearly 2000 people across the Mediterranean sank with a loss of life of 1,200. The number of refugees applying for asylum in the EU in the first 9 months of the year was 710,000. The nations of Europe have responded in various ways to the crisis, with some adamantly refusing to accept large numbers of refugees, including Hungary and the UK, some who have increased funding for coastal and sea patrols to rescue and document those fleeing conflicts, including Italy, and some - mainly Germany - trying to control

A POLITICAL DILEMMA Dilemmas, a word I encountered when I started my Religious Studies GCSE course in Remove Form. I soon realised these are everywhere around us.

ot only was I introduced to the ‘economic problem’ after starting my A-level economics course, I recently learnt about the ‘political problem’ during an online lecture entitled “What Is the Right Thing To Do?” given by Dr Paul Gunn, the politics undergraduate admissions tutor at Goldsmiths University. The problem in politics is that people disagree on how to interpret the word ‘fairness’ and that is why there is a fundamental debate between proponents of left and right wing views. The socialist argument is that it is ‘fair’ if everyone gets the same share in an economy, whilst right wing capitalists often say that that fairness is when everyone has an equal opportunity to realise their talents and earn what they deserve. Philosophers now generally identify two principles of fairness: ‘the most extensive range of freedoms compatible with similar freedoms for all’ and ‘the freedom to engage in activities which

Article written by

Calvin Fang

increase inequality if these inequalities better the lives of the poorest in society’. Dr Gunn also discussed the difference between ‘equality’ and ‘justice’. We often see those two words as synonymous, but, in reality, they have profoundly different meanings. Justice distributes according to needs, whilst equality distributes equally disregarding needs. Like the political problem, this is certainly something that has had me thinking: again, which of equality and justice is ‘fair’? These fundamental differences will always exist; human beings interpret ideas differently, it is what makes humanity great. Dr Gunn concluded that there is (unfortunately) no solution to the dilemma. However, there are rules we might live by to make things better for all, such as tolerance, inclusion and democracy.

people disagree

on how to interpret

the word

‘fairness’ 7

CORBYNOMICS: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE RADICAL Article written by

Alex Stammers

Jeremy Bernard Corbyn was elected Leader of Her Majesty’s Most Loyal Opposition on the 12th September 2015. Since then, and during his leadership campaign, when appearing in interviews, debates and giving speeches he has left clues to his various policy positions.

mong some of the most controversial are his views and ideas for economic reform, which have been dubbed ‘Corbynomics’. Speculation still abounds as to the details of his economic policy but, on what we know at present, public opinion is divided. I must preface this analysis with the comment that the following is solely an economic perspective on the present economic policy put forward by Corbyn and his Shadow Cabinet. Whilst your perception of the validity and feasibility of these policies is influenced by your political standpoint, I will try to eliminate any political bias from this piece and evaluate the policies solely from an economist’s point of view. In the days following his election, much of the coverage of Corbyn has been centred on his most controversial policy of all: People’s Quantitative Easing (PQE). Now, as soon as anyone hears the words Quantitative Easing (QE) they are immediately thrown back to the dark days of 2008 when Ben Bernanke and Sir Mervyn King were detailing their complex plan for economic recovery. Whilst Corbyn’s ideas do, however, share a name and a central premise with these policies, they are fundamentally different in their method. ‘Traditional’ QE involves ‘printing’ 8

money, which is then used to buy bonds and securities from banks aiming to reintroduce money to the banking sector and, in turn, the wider economy, to stimulate economic recovery. Corbyn’s PQE effectively cuts out the middle-man – the banks – and seeks to ‘give’ newly printed money straight to the people. He aims to do this by investing heavily in public infrastructure, especially in road building and green energy projects. There has been moderate support for this plan, indeed it has its merits and does seem to be a more contemporary approach to QE as a policy. By spending directly in the economy there will be immediate effects for the economy as, say, construction workers take their wages home and spend this money in local shops and stores. This newly injected money would then filter through the economy providing a fairly widespread boost. Also, in the longer run, Britain would reap the rewards of investment from green energy and improved infrastructure in both financial and social terms. PQE, however, is not without its limitations, the primary one being that it would lead to a weakening of the pound and could stimulate unhealthy levels of inflation. All this extra money injected into the economy, with no method of removing it again, could lead to an excess money supply and the aforementioned

production and reduced incentives for innovation. Despite some possible benefits for the government and the taxpayer from renationalising these industries – generally, superior consumer experience and satisfaction – market-based systems seem to work better. The reason for this, in the case of the railways, is that competition between rival providers leads to a constant game of one-upmanship, ultimately putting downward pressure on prices and leading to improvements in the service provided. Under government-led services and industries there is a lack of competition that stifles the need for innovation and improvements to services seen in the market system. This leads to the type of inefficiencies seen in the NHS, where the government’s near monopoly power has led to, for example, significant waiting times and overcrowding. Put simply, the NHS lacks any rival firms encouraging it to improve significantly.

problems. There are, moreover, those concerned that this direct approach to QE is as much an attempt to devolve financial power away from the Bank of England and in to the hands of the (presumably, Labour) government. John McDonnell, the new Shadow Chancellor, has written in the past that the Bank of England should be stripped of all its power in the first week of a new Labour government. Such strong words have already made enemies in the Bank and in the City and Mr Corbyn ought to be very careful about how he implements his policy of PQE, however effective and growth-promoting it may be. One of Corbyn’s most polarising policies is his opposition to ‘big business’ and ‘the City’. To meet his ambition to promote equality in the UK, Corbyn would act to rein in some of its highest flying businesses. To stop ever-widening equality gaps, he proposes a maximum salary level and a significant increase in the minimum wage and an increase in corporation taxes and cutting subsidies to businesses (supposedly £93bn annually) to help fund his PQE. Whilst this would put many more people on a much more even footing, it may do more harm than good from an economic point of view. The issue arises because such ‘anti-capitalist’ policies alienate many of the large firms which make the UK their home. Indeed, a survey by ‘The Supper Club’, representing many of the largest UK firms (those with a turnover of £1m+), concluded that 44% would relocate their HQs outside the UK if Corbyn was elected Prime Minister. A frightening 78% agreed that Corbynomics would be bad for the economy. Of course this is the point of view of large profit-seeking firms and there is an equally compelling argument from the workers’ perspective for whom Corbyn seems to be looking out, but the key difference is that firms are essential to the generation of wealth and productivity in the economy. So, however badly Corbyn may want to restrict the richest firms, he may have to compromise on some of his political ambitions if he is to keep businesses happy and still encourage entrepreneurial spirit in the UK.

Doubtless to say, Jeremy Corbyn’s election as opposition leader has shaken things up a bit. From some of his radical policies, to his selections of his shadow cabinet, Corbyn is doing things differently. Perhaps this needs to be embraced; a different, more social, focus to economic policy and more widely in UK politics may be just what we need. Mr Corbyn, however, needs to ensure that he does not overlook the importance of large firms and businesses as the powerhouses of our economy. His People’s Quantitative Easing, whilst glorious sounding, must be managed very carefully in order to reduce the possible effects on inflation and the pound that may further harm the very ‘people’ he is trying to help. As important is that he must tread carefully around the Bank of England and be wary of devolving too much monetary power to various departments of government. This would reduce the predictability of monetary policy and might decimate confidence in the economy and cause confusion for businesses. All of these consequences would act contrary to his initial aims of helping the economy more directly. Finally, his decision to renationalise the railways and coal mines would have to be combined with significant governmental regulation and management, which would be difficult to achieve. Regulations aiming to improve consumer experience and some incentive for innovation in the sector may reduce some of the issues previously experienced with nationalised industries in the 20th century.

Finally, the other cornerstone of Corbynomics is his desire to renationalise the railways line-by-line and to reopen the coal mines. Although by renationalising the railways the public stand to gain the rewards of the current investment in infrastructure, this points to the larger issue of efficiency. Efficiency is always a hot topic, especially when it comes to large industries like railways and mining and the indication is that government ownership of such assets leads to inefficiencies of

Only time will tell how Corbynomics will turn out for the nation. If it even turns out at all.

RACIAL TENSION IN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE Article written by

Max Williamson

America has reached a chiasma with regard to race. Barack Obama entered his second term within the Oval Office in 2012, and is coming to the end of a successful (whatever that means) tenure as President of the United States.

ut at the same time, 18 year old AfricanAmerican Michael Brown was shot and killed by a police officer for stealing a pack of cigarillos. With the 50th anniversary of the passing of LBJ’s 1964 Civil Rights Act last year, America has to ask itself why racism is the incontrovertible problem it still is. This article could be easily written on crime statistics, on drug facts, housing costs or employability, but the fact of the matter is that in almost every area of American life prejudice exists. Healthcare, therefore, is just as susceptible to racism as the American police force or educational body. Obamacare has been in action for 5 years, and whilst none of the legislation was focussed specifically on race, the problem of health disparities in the US is still present and troubling. Due to the nature of the problem, race is almost impossible to either define or separate from other mitigating factors: from class to occupation to diet. As a result, it is just as important to examine these other, more indirect factors as well as that of genuine prejudice. Ultimately, to quote the Yaleeducated Bill Clinton, “It’s the economy, stupid”. In 2004, the average white American male earned $31,355 dollars per year: their African-American counterpart earned $22,740. Even under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the 10

monthly cost for medium tier health care is $328 per month, an extortionate sum for a struggling Hispanic or African American family. So on the most basic level, the disparity in health has most of its grounding in the same disparity of employment and income: without a sufficient way to pay for a treatment (be it urgent cardiac surgery, chemotherapy for lung cancer or antidepressants) will not be provided to the patient. But this economic disparity has effects in other areas also. Under the ACA, all companies with more than 50 employees are required by federal law to offer health insurance. In the first instance, again the cost of health insurance itself will be more taxing for the on-average lower income minority families, but also the simple fact that members of this community have far less in the way of job prospects. One elegant yet conclusive study by the University of Chicago decided to test the extent to which employers based their prospective applicants on prejudice by sending two sets of applications, one male and female, to thousands of employers across America. The sets were then split into two, the single difference was that the male ‘applicants’ were called Brendan or Jamal, the female ones split into Emily or Lakisha. Predictably, Jamal and Lakisha received 50% fewer call backs. Whilst perfectly illustrating the problems of prejudice in America, this

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;phenomenonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; - for want of a far better word - is incredibly detrimental to minorities both fiscally and in terms of health insurance. Aside from economics, minorities also face cultural issues which are detrimental to their health. Diet plays a huge role in heath, and unfortunately for these families, particularly in the food desert that is America, fast food can easily become a staple. That is not to say that the same is the case for white families - but returning to this idea of class, minority families will represent a greater portion of the population which have to resort to this poor diet out of economic necessity. Interestingly, although not surprisingly, race has absolutely no correlation to drug abuse. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 12% of black Americans use Marijuana compared to 9.5% of whites, but more of the latter take cocaine regularly and the population of whites who use hallucinogens is double that of blacks: in this area of healthcare, at least, there is no disparity. Thus, in areas

outside of the physical cost of insurance and healthcare in the only developed nation without a universal healthcare system, even non-economic (to some extent) factors have a great role in the treatment of minorities. This is one of the greatest ironies of America to me, amongst a strong field. In a country which prides itself in Civil Rights and liberty, words thrown around so much they have been drained of all meaning, 60% of bankruptcies are caused by health-related issues. The majority of these are from minorities, because they are both more prone to disease through purely cultural factors, and the economic obstacles which they face. It must be remembered that the facts presented are simply arguments toward correlation, not causation, but the greatest common variable all of these problems is, reductively, skin colour. As a result, the obstacles encountered by minorities in American healthcare should be plainly visible, and perhaps shine a new light on the redundant racism debate in America: our problem should now be to focus on a solution.

WHAT ON EARTH HAS HAPPENED TO GREECE? Article written by

Oreayo Israel-Bolarinwa

On July 5th 2015, Greece voted (60 to 40 percent) against accepting the austerity themed bailout conditions proposed by the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, who had previously loaned a total of £240bn to the country back in 2010 and 2012.

was concealed until Greece’s crippling finances became too much for the Greek government.

Until the financial crisis in 2008, Greece were a free spending economy that were living beyond their means, even before they joined the EU in 1981. But it was after the Euro was adopted as a single currency that public spending sky rocketed. Wages went up by about 50% from 1999 up until the financial crisis, making Greece’s goods less competitive and causing their economy to export less goods and therefore their trade deficit to increase. This, in turn, increased Greece’s level of borrowing from other countries to an almost uncontrollable rate, causing national debt to rise. Yearly budget deficits, which rose from 5% to 15% of Greece’s GDP from 1999 to 2008, were not helped by large amounts of tax evasion in the country. These factors, along with others such as the significantly expensive Olympics held in Athens in 2004, meant that Greece could not meet the requirement of borrowing, restricted to 3% of GDP for EU members, which

When the global financial crisis shocked the world in 2008, funding from the major EU countries to other countries such as Greece dried up. While some of these countries managed to cope with this unwanted independence, Greece were forced to admit that they had understated previous deficit figures which in turn removed the credibility of Greek finance figures, and this, along with the increase in borrowing costs due to the dismal financial climate at the time meant that Greece could no longer repay their loans and went to the EU and IMF for help in terms of the loans provided back in 2010 and 2012. However, these loans were used to pay outstanding debts that Greece already had and perhaps should have been used to boost the economy. The low expectations on the Greek economy meant that investment plummeted, which caused unemployment to sky-rocket and wages to fall at an average of 20% due to the supply of workers available in the job market. The fall in wages, with the rise in taxes due to harsh austerity measures put in place by the previous government, caused a multiplier effect

he “No” vote was led by Greece”s far-left prime minister Alexis Tsipras, who leads the government that has a colossal challenge ahead to undo the mistakes that the financially naive and irresponsible governments of the past have made.

which further harmed the Greek economy. At the point in time of the referendum, Greek hopes may have never been so bleak. The Greek economy shrunk by a quarter of its size in the last five years, while their total debt is a staggering ÂŁ200bn and unemployment is at 25%. The referendum did not solve

of any of these major problems, but has at least shown the complex route they have decided to take. The current state of the Greek economy should serve as a warning to future governments that excessive borrowing can harm any economy in the long run.

THE KANYE WEST EFFECT Article written by

Tedd Hicks

When most people think of this character, they think of: his frankly outrageous behaviour, his ‘eccentric’ wife, and (occasionally) his music. Kanye spoke about the real issue at hand: how ‘George Bush does not care about black people’, later saying he had no proof to support that statement. How enlightening and realistic a speaker he is, readers.

ut since his announcement that he has decided to run for the presidency in 2020, I have been pondering Kanye West and have decided there is more underneath that perpetually grinning face… Firstly, a look at his behaviour: how can you not admire it? He drinks, he smokes drugs before a worldwide award show broadcast, and he (somewhat) regularly beats up pesky journalists. These are all moral acts based on good judgment and foresight. How can we criticise a man who used a live television appeal for the victims of Hurricane Katrina to explain some of the problems of racism in America at the time? While Mr. Mike Myers ignored Kanye’s off-script words of wisdom, and stuck to the point of raising money for those struggling with no homes or food, 14

When he appeared on the front of Rolling Stone magazine wearing a crown of thorns, he claimed that ‘You want me to be great, but you don’t ever want me to say I’m great’ (probably paraphrased from ‘you don’t not never want be to not say I ain’t not great’). In doing this shoot, however, he worked his typical Kanye magic for the Christian church across the USA. He introduced thousands of people to religion by comparing himself directly to Jesus, and inspired thousands to attend church that Sunday and wash away their sin at seeing this heresy – boosting church numbers dramatically. So the man has a messiah complex, so what? If his presidential policies follow in this vein, we are in for a treat; I just want to see him walk across Lake Michigan (and never stop walking…). Allow me to hold these musings and get back to the matter at hand - his presidential policies. These are unknown as of yet, but I presume they will involve an increase in education spending so children can follow his example and drop out of college, reforms to gun laws (the entire world pleads…), and almost definitely changes to drug rulings. After his announcement at the VMA’s, and the

subsequent silence from Mr. West, we are left pondering if it was a sincere announcement of candidacy – or just a spontaneous drug induced rant.1 I suppose we will only truly know when his ‘Kanye 2020’ clothing line comes out – which it inevitably will. Not only has the inspirational Mr West touched millions with his music, but he has already prompted a significant shift in the dimensions of politics across the world. Preceded by the gloriously alternative Mr. Farage – Mr. West has completely transformed the political sphere; alongside the likes of Mr. Trump, he has inspired wider participation in politics around the world. Similarities can even been drawn with a certain Jeremy Corbyn, (who is only slightly more mainstream), a man who also represented a more diverse choice for voters. No longer are politicians well-trained, Oxbridge-educated candidates

that will implement boring effective policies, but new exciting people, up to date with current affairs and ready to show the world a new side to politics – a side that reflects the changing attitudes of the public to politics, a disregard for effectiveness and an obsession with being the boldest and brashest. Kanye has always been on a certain side of the brilliance-insanity spectrum, which side of that spectrum is something many people fail to see. But the way he speaks with clarity, precision, foresight and planning cannot help but put him ahead of the likely opponent he will face – Donald Trump. Trump is quoted as saying ‘I hope to run against him’. If Kanye decides that the presidency is not too far beneath him, Mr. Trump, be afraid…be very afraid. – West admitted he had ‘rolled up a little something’ to ‘take the edge off’ his speech.

we are

left pondering if it was a

sincere announcement of candidacy

THE EU MIGRANT CRISIS Article written by

Shivam Patel

â&#x20AC;˘ Why are inundating numbers of migrants entering the EU? â&#x20AC;˘ What can be done to stop this influx? â&#x20AC;˘ How does multiculturalism benefit our society?

he European Union is experiencing one of the most significant influxes of migrants and refugees in its history. Forced by civil war and terror and attracted by the promise for a better life, hundreds of thousands of people have fled the Middle East and Africa, risking their lives along the way. The scale of the crisis has put huge pressures on some destination countries, particularly Greece, Austria and Hungary. At least 500,000 migrants entered the EU between January and August 2015, as opposed to a mere 280,000 during the whole of 2014. The 500,000 who came does not include the number of migrants who might have entered undetected. Amongst the factors driving people to take such risks are mainly the conflicts soaring in Syria and Iraq and the human rights abuse in Eritrea. Most of the people who have entered the EU through boats from Africa originate from these three countries. There are also people setting out from Libya, Sudan, Pakistan, Nigeria, Kosovo, Iraq, Iran Darfur, Somalia and other countries in the hope of a new life somewhere in Western Europe. The journey to Western Europe is not a simple one; it is a tempestuous, tiring and turbulent journey. As many as 4,000 people have been reported missing or found dead on their journey since the start of 2015. These statistics might just be a number for a few, 16

but in reality they demonstrate the depth of problems faced by people in war-torn countries. The migrants that have actually made it alive now have a sense of freedom that they will have the right to express their opinion away from oppression. However, many are visibly traumatized upon their arrival; smiles of happiness quickly fade into frowns of troubled reflection. The violence had taken away their homes and killed or maimed their friends and family, but they are confident that most dark clouds have a silver lining and that their life in tents is only transitory. Ascertaining the motivation for people to make this journey is complex. However, it is mainly because of fear of the political regime or political instability in their origin country, for example, refugees fleeing North of Nigeria is due to the insurgency of Boko-Haram, in Pakistan, the civil war and the oppression by Taliban extremists in the Northwest region is forcing people to leave, in hope for a better life elsewhere. In Eritrea, cases of extrajudicial killing, enforced disappearance and detention, arbitrary arrest and torture, inhumane prison conditions, indefinite national service and lack of freedom of expression and opinion have been reported. Such bleak prospects of living in Eritrea due to the political regime have left people no choice but to embark upon the road to exile. These are only a handful

of examples of countries where people have to fight for a basic human need: the right to be free. Something has to be done to resolve this matter: the EU needs to come together and agree on common terms as to how we can provide for refugees who have already made their dangerous journey to Europe. Also, it needs to take measures to bring stability to the region: accepting as many migrants might be a short-term solution but we cannot forget that the more liberal we become by taking in refugees, the more we will attracted and will cause greater pressure on the welfare system of EU nations. An apt solution will be to ensure that conditions in the origin counties are suitable to live in. For instance, the governments of Nigeria and Pakistan need to pay more attention to eradicate the supremacy of Boko-Haram in North of Nigeria and Taliban extremists in North-West of Pakistan, so that people living in these region have a safer life. In the case of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, where the government has a minimal control over most of the land area of the country, foreign intervention is required. However, this method has received ambivalent responses from the world and will be very hard to get right, as we have seen from the partial failure of the USA’s invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. The situation is getting even worse and the desperation of the people to leave is soaring. However, there are many benefits to having migrants in a country; the balance between economic and social benefits is equal, by-andlarge. In economic terms; migrants fill up the job vacancies. They generally tend to take up those jobs which the native population would rather avoid and this corresponds to economic

stability of the country. Migrants are generally young and therefore bring with them ideas, innovation and vigor to the nation. Services to the ageing population can be maintained, as the younger generations tend to run them better. There are also social benefits to the nations that receive migrants: especially by introducing the native population to distant cultures, enriching its cultural diversity. An example of this benefit is, of course, Bedford School. Our school is amongst one of the most culturally diverse independent schools in the country - about 30% of our boarding community hails from overseas and this has greatly shaped our school. Not only has fact helped us to achieve a high reputation, both nationally and internationally, and we rank very high in many respects. In an assembly a few weeks ago, we celebrated the United Nation International Language Day by hearing a few words in some of the languages spoken in the school; it was indeed fun and this event was a testimony to our successful multicultural community. The ethos of our school has been shaped by the blend of innovative ideas brought by people who belong to different countries mixed with traditional British values, with is truly the strength of our school. And as they say, “united we stand, divided we fall;” let’s make the diversity of cultures the strength of our society and work together to help solve the migrant crisis.

WHO IS AL GORE? Article written by

Calvin Fang

(Editor’s note: Before anyone asks: no, he did not invent the Internet, though he did encourage a massive development of it; without him, we would probably still live in the 2000’s)

“…ought to have the same rights as heterosexuals.” A politician, in my opinion, must not be stubborn but must actually be the vanguard of a people’s beliefs, and I think Gore has clearly demonstrated this in various events.

ecently, I participated in the Harpur Trust’s balloon debate on who is the greatest contemporary politician. Choices of other people included Emily Davison, Boris Johnson, Jeremy Corbyn and others (congratulations again to my friend Angus Watson who won by arguing for Duke of Wellington – not exactly contemporary, but I think we will let it go).

Before the debate, I Googled ‘attributes of a good politician’ and here are some suggestions: ‘honesty,’ ‘compassion,’ ‘integrity,’ ‘confidence’ and ‘flexibility.’ Not only is he a flexible person, he is also a compassionate one. Whilst David Cameron suffered from the death from his son Ivan, but stayed in his role as PM, Gore stepped down from the most important phase of his political career: he quit his presidential campaign and subsequently left politics. This clearly shows that he puts his family before his political career; a great attribute, in my opinion.

I argued for Al Gore, the only non-British politician in the debate. It was not until the first round (when I got kicked out) that I realised that most people do not know who he is, let alone have seen his famous documentary An Inconvenient Truth. As a second attempt, I want to convince you here that he is the greatest contemporary politician. Politicians attempt to contribute to society, though sometimes the institution does not allow a significant contribution to be made: Clinton brought shame, Bush brought chaos and Obama, and dare I say it, brought ineffectiveness. Gore, although he was never a President of America, he continued to contribute even after his political career had slowed. He is a pioneer for awareness of global warming in American politics, he set up the first hearing on the issue back in the 1980s, and went to the White House in 1992 to pass the carbon tax. After realising that the institution he was in was against him, he stepped out of politics to make a further contribution, resulting in his Nobel Peace Prize.

I think I lost the debate because no one really knew who he was (it is shocking to me that all other politicians in the debate were British!) and I hope that through this I have introduced him and convinced some that he is indeed a great politician. If I could do it again, I probably would not choose Al Gore; however, I do think his contributions should be recognised.

As well as being an environmentally-conscious person, he is also learning as he moves through different phases of his life. In recent years, he became a vegan as he learnt that eating meet is strongly linked to global warming. He also changed his views on homosexual marriage, from “I think it is wrong,” in 1981 to saying that homosexuals 18

Editorial

IS SUPPRESSION OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH EVER MORALLY JUSTIFIABLE? Article written by

Callum Fenton

Across the western world, freedom of speech is seen as an inalienable right for every person that should not be infringed upon for any reason.

his right is seen as necessary for any fair and civilised country to function in a just and ethical manner, however are there any situations when allowing someone freedom of speech may be unethical and unjust? Is it possible that the consequences of allowing someone to speak could outweigh the benefits that freedom of speech entails? To truly know whether or not it could be right to take away someone’s right to free speech, we must first examine why freedom of speech is seen as such a necessity, and for this we must turn to history. I imagine that many of your minds are now immediately turning to the various examples that you will know of where foreign governments or dictators have had opposition silenced or killed off. I, however, would prefer to direct your attention closer to home. The 1959 Obscenity Act, for example, banned the publication of books that were deemed too obscene for public consumption; books such as “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” were banned under the act, even if only temporarily. This, in my opinion (and I hope yours too), is a very clear example of a time when legislative power has been abused by the government in order to suppress freedom of speech in the name of preserving old fashioned values. Luckily this act was overturned and publishers essentially have the right to publish whatever they wish. This is an historical case where freedom of speech has been used in a morally unjust manner and an 20

example of the danger of allowing a legislative body to have the right to restrict freedom of speech. It is reasons such as this that would encourage the majority of people to agree that free speech should be a right for everyone. History, however, can also show us many examples where freedom of speech has been sacrificed for the good of the people. An obvious example can be found in America, a country renowned for their enshrining of free speech, where American law states that fighting speech that could “incite an immediate breach of the peace” is illegal and an offence, that depending on severity, could lead to imprisonment. This would obviously be an example of a time when free speech can be limited in order to preserve another inalienable right, in this case the right not to be harmed. One other example of free speech being taken away for the good of the populace is Britain during WW2 and the “Loose lips sinks ships” campaign encouraging people to censor what they say in order to hinder any German spying efforts. This is an example when the populace has had what they can say regulated in order to preserve the lives of others within the population - in this case soldiers. These cases are obviously times when it is clear that freedom of speech has been limited for a morally justifiable reason. Now to explore the real benefit of possibly restricting freedom of speech I believe it is

necessary to look beyond history and into possible cases that could emerge. If freedom of speech is a right belonging to everyone, then it is a right belonging to immoral people, meaning freedom of speech can be used for immoral purposes. A modern example may be bullying, which can have serious consequences as a direct result of someone using free speech to insult another. A victim may go on to harm themselves or even commit suicide. In a case such as this, would it not be morally justified for the bully to have their free speech limited in order to preserve the mental and physical health of the victim? Well in my opinion probably not, because we must look at the consequences of such a decision; by saying that using free speech to insult someone is wrong, we set a dangerous precedent where people saying anything offensive can be persecuted for their actions. We could end up living in a

Fahrenheit 451 –esque world where people are so afraid of causing offence they instead choose to say nothing. It is therefore obvious that some sort of middle ground needs to be found where free speech cannot be used as a weapon to victimise people, however can also be used as a tool to express a point. In summary, I do believe it is morally justifiable under certain circumstances to limit free speech, however I think these circumstances are rare. I believe that the only time someone’s right to free speech should be impeached is if the consequences of what they say will take away somebody else’s inalienable rights. Therefore, I believe that the moral justification of the restriction of free speech is dependant on what or what not the government believes to be a person’s right.

22 1393

SHOULD PEOPLE BE FREE TO DO WHATEVER THEY LIKE AS LONG AS THEY DO NOT HARM OTHERS? Article written by

Adit Shah

Winning essay of the Staton Essay Prize, Regents Park College, Oxford THE STATON PRIZE IS AN INTERDISCIPLINARY ESSAY COMPETITION OPEN TO ALL YEAR 12 STUDENTS WITHIN THE UK. THE THEME FOR THE 2015 PRIZE WAS ‘FREEDOM’, AND WE ARE DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE THAT ADIT SHAH (CURRENTLY YEAR 13) WON THIS PRESTIGIOUS AND NATIONWIDE COMPETITION. HIS WAS AWARDED BEST OVERALL ESSAY BY THE COLLEGE.

eorge Orwell once wrote, “Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” Orwell explicitly lays out his perception of the various responsibilities and privileges one may hold if they are classified as ‘being free,’ a belief that seems logical. There are various circumstances whereby one may say or do something to someone which may inflict physical or emotional harm upon them. It would be illogical to believe that this form of harm is always wrong. The Irenaean theodicy and its various developments from philosophers such as Hick states that there is evil in this world to allow humans to develop and become caring beings. Without evil we would be living in a world whereby self-development does not exist. A similar idea can also be applied to the topic of freedom. On the one hand, there will be times when harming one is wrong, but on the other, we are required to say or do things to people regardless of the distress that it may inflict. By revealing the harsh realities that live within our world, they are more likely to learn and having experienced such realities, truly grasp the lesson taught. This will make them stronger in the long run and if it does, we have a moral obligation to improve the well-being 22

of our society. Ultimately, if this derives from harm, then according to the predicaments which Orwell believed form the backbone of what freedom means, we should be free to do whatever we like regardless of whether or not harm is perpetrated upon others. The basis of the Irenaean theodicy can also be applied to economics. A government can increase economic activity within a country by deploying labour reform policies such as cutting benefits for the unemployed. Although this may benefit the majority it will impact those who are unemployed. These people may fall to deplorable conditions whereby their standard of living will reduce greatly. This will subsequently have an impact on their mental and physical health. The fear that unemployment entails is accentuated when benefits are removed. Although, harm is inevitable in the short run, by exposing the potential reality of their fear, the unemployed will have a greater incentive to find a job, thus work harder to find one which will reduce the number of people who feel that they can live a life built on government benefits. However, doubt lies in whether harm is vital for a lesson to be taught. One could be a patient and teach others about something

it seems only logical that we break loose from the idea that freedom is the right to do anything so long as no harm is imposed on others. In doing so, one may get hit a couple of times in the dojo, but the speed at which they learn from it and subsequently rectify their mistakes next time round is increased because they will not want to get hit again. In this instance, by simply harming our opponents we are keeping them safe in the long run as they would be greater prepared for what they may encounter outside the walls of the dojo.

without having to put them through distress. For example, is it necessary for a teacher to purposely set an exam of extreme difficulty to simply scare their pupils, dispel their complacency and expose the fact that they did not revise? A better option would be to teach them the whole course thoroughly with patience. That way, we would be protecting them from the unnecessary stress and anxieties that may arise after the difficult exam. Likewise, the decision to remove benefits has a high opportunity cost. Doubt lies in whether the benefits of more economic activity supersedes the risk of the mental and physical harm that government decisions may have. It could be argued that a more subtle method should be deployed to discourage people from living on benefits.

However, what‘s to say that this ‘friendly’ fight whereby the two fighters work hard and make contact when necessary will not turn into something much worse. Consequently, if we take the current situation and escalate the fight, one can begin to see the consequences that may arise from harming one in the first place. When one finds themselves in the midst and intensity of a fight, it is inevitable that adrenaline levels will rise. Therefore, we may find that someone gets carried away and accidentally throws a dangerous punch. This then has a slippery slope effect where the immensity of the hits escalate exponentially, to the extent where they are both severely injured. Although from this experience they will have learnt not to do it again, we must adopt a utilitarian approach from which we can conclude that the extent of the injuries caused or even the risk of getting injuries is greater than the lesson learned. Some of these injuries may lead to lifelong problems such as brain damage which may lead to death and this has no potential upside.

On the contrary, it would be naïve to believe that pupils would continue to work hard when achieving 90 % in all of their exams. The pupil would inevitably become complacent which may lead to problems come the final exam. Consequently, the teacher has the right to inflict harm if they wish. Although this may diminish their confidence at first, it will provide an incentive for them to work harder in the future. This would guarantee that they perform to their upmost potential come the final exams. The same applies to the economic viewpoint. Although, there is ambiguity when the question says ‘harm.’ What constitutes harm? At what point can we say that one is now harming someone else? Therefore, it is completely subjective but personally, harm is inflicting mental or physical pain upon someone else. In effect, similar to the teacher and government situation, it is clear that harm is vital to the future of mankind; we should all be able to do whatever we want regardless of whether or not harm is imposed so long as the decision is underpinned by a good and caring motif.

In addition, the harm principle supports the idea that we should be allowed to do whatever we like and that this freedom will only be limited to protect individuals from the harm that many are capable of inflicting. John Stuart Mill was the philosopher who first constructed this belief and published it in his “On liberty.” He said “that the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.” Mill believed that there is no distinct difference between harm and wrongdoing and also felt that self-harm was equally wrong and outside the realms of the definition of freedom. The decision of whether an action is wrong or not is dependent on whether or not any harm is imposed upon others. Children, for example, may not be able to determine what is right or wrong from a young age. Therefore, we must stop them from committing such acts (selfharm for example) as it will protect them. The same applies to those who may have a medical condition that results in the lack of moral understanding. The question states ‘people’, therefore, according to Mill we should not be allowed to do anything we like because ‘people’ includes those who are unable to

Another reason why we should be able to do whatever we like, even if physical harm is inflicted is because we can, like the mental harm inflicted after an extremely difficult exam, learn from what has happened and rectify our mistakes accordingly. In any form of martial arts, one will inevitably find themselves in a position whereby they will need to fight an opponent. If we adopt the opposing belief for a moment- that we are free to do whatever we want so long as we do not harm those around us, and apply this belief to Karate (a personal hobby of mine), one would find that the benefits that could be obtained from doing a martial art are greatly diminished. This is primarily because one would be fighting with their opponent in an artificial and unrealistic manner which would undermine the conditions they would face in an actual fight. In this instance, 22 393

regardless of the harm or pain caused- provided that we are capable of understanding what is right and wrong. However, as soon as one type of tragedy repeats itself numerous times and becomes tragedies, it is vital that we deploy various laws and restrictions to reduce the number of times it occurs.

differentiate between right and wrong. I on the other hand feel that we should be allowed do what we like but only when we are mentally capable of understanding what is right and wrong. In retrospect, it would only be logical to now accept that there are times where ‘harm’ can go out of hand which acts in favour of people not being allowed to do whatever they like. However, we must identify what we mean by harm because killing someone or abusing them to the extent where they become seriously injured certainly falls under a category greater than ‘harm.’ Therefore, tragedy would be a good way to describe certain events.

We live in a world whereby tragedies will happen and harm will be inflicted upon others. However, we also live in a generation where the majority have the freedom do whatever they like. The thought of living in a world where the human population have no room for development seems far off from what logic dictates. We are all free and therefore whether or not our choices inflict harm on others will differ from person to person. It is believed that we learn more from the bad times in our lives than the good ones. They enable us to become better people who are better suited to live in our world. Consequently, it is wrong to harm others and we should, as a society stop harming one another. Nevertheless, we should be free to do whatever we want and whether we inflict harm deliberately or unintentionally, one will find that they will learn from the mistake and ensure that the same form of harm is not imposed on them again. Nonetheless, it is only logical to believe that when freedom is misused to the extent where harm is repeatedly inflicted upon one, we have the right to limit freedom through various laws and regulations. Otherwise, we should be allowed to do whatever we like, regardless of whether or not harm is imposed.

C.S. Lewis once wrote, “Tragedy is more important than love. Out of all human events, it is tragedy alone that brings people out of their own petty desires and into awareness of other human’ suffering. Tragedy occurs in human lives so that we will learn to reach out and comfort others. ” Ultimately, I now reject what I said earlier; that the extent of the injuries inflicted is greater than the lesson learned. As Lewis said, tragedies are key components of our lives and vital to our understanding of human nature. It is often tragedies that catalyses one’s change in behaviour or lifestyle. However, it would only seem right if we accept that if the occurrence of a tragedy were repeated numerous times, it will have reached the extent whereby too much pain is being imposed upon people which leads to one rejecting the question at hand. Consequently, the most logical answer is that we should be able to do whatever we desire BIBLIOGRAPHY •

George Orwell Quotes

•

Harm principle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2015. Harm principle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harm_principle. [Accessed 29 June 2015].

•

[ONLINE] Available at:https://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/documents/Tragedy.pdf. [Accessed 29 June 2015].

•

philosophyoffreedom.com

•

Bird, C. (2001). Freedom. In J. Michie (Ed.), Reader’s guide to the Social Sciences. London, United Kingdom: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/routsocial/freedom/0

•

Mill. (2012). In S. Dent (Ed.), Brewer’s dictionary of phrase and fable. London, United Kingdom: Chambers Harrap. Retrieved from http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/brewerphrase/mill/0

Maths and Science

THE PYTHAGOREANS’ CLUB Article written by

Bryan Ng

The Pythagoreans’ Club is a club for Sixth Formers who have a special interest in mathematics.

e organize lectures on a monthly basis and are joined on these Friday afternoons by the Sigma Society from Bedford Girls School. On Friday 18th September Mr. Jerome Watson gave the Pythagoreans’ Club entitled “Proving Pythagoras and Playing with Primes” about some proofs of the famous Pythagoras’ theorem, using different areas of mathematics, such as congruent triangles, similar triangles and calculus. It also included a proof that Mr. Watson invented himself using geometric progressions, which is a kind of wisdom we can rarely see. He also spoke about the relationship between prime numbers and Pythagorean triples. It was a fantastic afternoon and a great start to this years’ lecture series. Proving Pythagoras’ Theorem in different ways is a wonderful way for us to see some creativity in mathematics. Mathematicians are rarely thought of as creative, but definitely not in this case. Mr. Watson’s geometric proof can be seen as a time when 26

mathematicians explored the creative path. Our second lecture was on Friday 9th October, when Mr. Phillip Coggins spoke to the club on “Drilling Square Holes”. The lecture dealt with Reuleaux Triangles, which are shapes that have a constant width. Constant width means the diameter of the shape is the same no matter in what direction the measurement is made. It might be surprising, but a fun fact mentioned in the lecture is that the GBP 20p and 50p coins are actually reuleaux shapes. We also tried to make some shapes ourselves using cardboard, compasses and rulers, which is quite rare in a lecture. It was a very enjoyable afternoon. It is important for us to learn mathematics outside of the classroom. It increases our skills in logic to help us solve problems step by step. Moreover, as Mr. Watson said, mathematics is the basis of everything. By understanding mathematics, we can then try to learn more about the world with it.

SUPERCONDUCTORS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS In a world where the threat of climate change, exacerbated by our relentless energy consumption, has become one of the main challenges facing humanity, the issue of efficiency has never before been more critical.

uperconductivity offers the ability for a current to flow with zero resistance, opening the door for the possibility of a plethora of technologies and energy saving techniques. Today, superconductors are put to use in super-efficient generators, Maglev trains, MRI imaging and particle accelerators. However, the full potential of this phenomenon is relatively untapped. It is hoped that with the continuing development of high temperature superconductors, we will be able to slash energy wasted during power transmission as well as give rise to many other exciting applications of the technology.

without resistance is like a ball rolling without friction: it would continue flowing for ever. The first observation of superconductivity was made by Dutch physicist Heike Onnes, who observed that when he cooled mercury to a temperature of 4 degrees Kelvin, its resistance suddenly disappeared. Whereas resistance is normally directly proportional to the temperature of the conductor, Onnes had observed an anomaly in this relationship. Mercury had suddenly gone from having a finite resistance to exhibiting zero resistivity below the temperature of 4.2 Kelvin. So why is this the case?

The concept of superconductivity must have seemed as incredible as a perpetual motion machine before its discovery; a current flowing

The answer lies in the behaviour of the electrons inside a material, the same electrons which carry charge through a

Article written by

Wilfred Hamilton

Superconductivity

is a game

changer

conductor to provide an electric current. In normal circumstances, when there is a flow of charge through a material, its passage is impeded due to the collisions with the atoms in the material. These collisions cause the kinetic energy of the travelling electrons to be dissipated, causing the conductor to be heated. This waste of the electronâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kinetic energy is called electrical resistance. The reason why it is proportional to temperature is due to particle theory; as the material is heated up, the kinetic energy of the heated particles increases and the particles vibrate more and more violently and so there are more collisions with the flowing electrons, causing an increase in resistance. Superconductivity is a game changer as it is essentially the absence of resistance; this is made possible by the formation of Cooper pairs through the coupling of two electrons. As the conductor transitions into superconducting state, these Cooper pairs cease to behave like ordinary electrons and condense. Consequently, the collision interactions that lead to normal resistivity are avoided, allowing the Cooper pairs to move unhindered through the superconductor when an electrical voltage is applied. This current can then flow unopposed as long as the superconductor remains below its critical temperature, which is the temperature when it enters its superconductive state. It was found that if you reduced Strontium Titanate and then cooled it at a temperature of 0.3K, it became superconductive - a property that seems exceedingly unlikely for a metal oxide due to the fact that they are usually electrical insulators. Nevertheless, this finding lead to the synthesis of more and more new compounds that were capable of superconductivity and as understanding increased, the highest temperature rose and rose. In 1986, a copper oxide or cuprate was found to superconduct at 30K, causing

research efforts in the field to increase until in 1987 a landmark was reached. Yttrium Barium Copper Oxide was the first compound discovered with a critical temperature above the temperature of liquid nitrogen, a relatively available and cost effective coolant. This discovery meant that the costs for operating superconductors were slashed and many new technological applications were made possible. By replacing current power lines with ones made from the low resistant superconducting wire, the power loss could be reduced to less than 20% of current values, leading to vast energy saving in the long term. Another technology known as super magnetic energy storage (SMES) allows energy to be stored in the magnetic field of a superconducting coil, offering the ability to store energy and release it into the network at any time by discharging the coil. This is currently a very efficient energy storage technique with 95% efficiency - it also allows for immediate power output as there is no time delay in converting the magnetic energy stored in the field into electricity. One of the few drawbacks is that the magnetic field cannot be too strong or the critical temperature of the superconductor would be exceeded and therefore would lose its superconducting ability and, in turn, the energy storage per unit is limited. Although these technologies I have mentioned are all currently possible, the discovery of high temperature superconductors with yet higher temperatures remains vital as the costs associated with cooling superconductors to a superconductive state render many exciting applications unviable. Personally, I look forward to following the advances in this potentially revolutionary technology and I hope that we will be able to harness its true capabilities, and as a result, dramatically improve our energy efficiency.

The Arts

FITZWILLIAM ART TRIP Article written by

John Holroyd

On the 23rd of September 2015, the Sixth Form artists took a trip to the Fitzwilliam museum to look at works relating to our title ‘A Sense of Place’. Rembrandt’s self-portraits. These were very small pieces of work, yet very detailed and intricate. The etchings on display were an exceptional resource for work relating to ‘A Sense of Place’. The etchings on display showed a range of architectural spaces or certain buildings. These works in particular focused on the place in front of them, relating to our topic of ‘A Sense of Place’.

his is the title for the A level coursework component and for the upcoming Detweiler competition. The plan was to draw works that related to our topic and interested us too. The work on display in the Fitzwilliam ranged from Michelangelo bronzes, to preserved Egyptian artefacts. The painters took interest in J.M.W. Turner’s watercolours, as Mr Croker took them to view this exhibition. This interest was somewhat fuelled by Annie Lyles’ talk on John Constable earlier that week - another landscape painter and rival of Turner from the 1800’s. The work related to our topic because Turner accurately paints what he can see in front of him. He takes into account the weather and what is going on around him. This creates a very strong sense of place in his work. The printmakers were able to look at a selection of etchings, including some of 30

The sculptors were taken off to look at the Egyptian collection. This included a huge range of work, from large tombs cast in stone, to tiny human figures. It also included smaller, well-preserved artefacts. The sculptors were also able to look in the Greek section, with many different stone and marble carvings. The Greek and Egyptian work both had very iconic styles to them. A sense of place was given by the specific styles used by the artists of each country. After everyone was taken to their respective areas, they had to complete three quality drawings, whether they were ‘quality’ or not was completely up to Mr. Croker. The students were also allowed to roam around and view other exhibitions, choosing which they would like to draw. After an intensive day of drawing and mulling over a selection of works, we returned home with a variety of drawings and ideas that we would be able to apply to our projects.

“LORD OF THE FLIES” BY WILLIAM GOLDING My expectations of the production were huge. William Golding’s 1954 novel delivers a punchy and evocative storyline, and so I only assumed that the production would pay tribute to this in an impressive manner.

he play is about a group of pre-teenage boys that find themselves stranded on a tropical island after the plane (that they are travelling in to flee the war-torn country of Britain) is shot down. This extraordinary event forces the youngsters – alone, without adult supervision or the school structures that have previously held them - to make choices about the ways in which they try to survive. Walking into the theatre, I couldn’t help but be impressed; the set was outstanding and so I tip my hat to the set designer, who I can only assume had a limited budget to work with (or at least a small amount compared to the budget that West End productions are provided with). The proscenium arch theatre was masked with vegetation; draping across almost every area of the stage was foliage (both real and fake) and so as a member of the audience, I was always acutely aware of the boys’ surroundings and their isolation on the island. Stage right were the remains of a plane that had been hurtled through the sky, colliding with the arid ground of the island, surrounded by luggage, clothes and debris that had occurred as a result of the crash. Not only do I believe that this plane was a grand spectacle for any audience member to see, but I feel that the way in which it acted as a constant reminder that the boys were on the island due to war (and a traumatic crash) was extremely effective. The

lighting in the play was astonishing, without running the risk of being over-used, a sense of atmosphere was created within the theatre. The amalgamation of light manufactured by the Fresnel, Spots and Par Cans served to ensure that the audience were always considering the setting of the play, and thus, I believe, their engagement with the production was always certain. Having been initially amazed by the set of the production, the way in which the “beast” was portrayed came as a shock to me – it was simply appalling. One would expect that as the identification of the beast plays such a fundamental part in the production as a whole, a set designer would focus on this aspect, ensuring that the beast was presented to the audience in an effective fashion – simplistic or not. However, as an audience member, I could only make out the beast to be a piece of red fabric, caught in a tree as far backstage as possible. Of course, having a greater understating of the production I knew that the beast was in fact a dead body with a pulled parachute caught in the trees, but my point is this – as an audience member experiencing this production for the first time, I would have had no idea what the beast was, and therefore had no idea what the boys were scared of. I know that I would have felt more inclined to laugh at the adolescent teens who were scared of a bit of red fabric, than to have the more sought after 23 13

Article written by

Joshua Garrett

Cambridge

Corn Exchange

Review

effect of feeling empathy for their situation. Whilst, in my opinion, the play did not have the quality to ensure that it will be committed to my long term memory, I was intrigued throughout the entirety of the production. This is largely due to director’s decision in casting and the fact that the majority of the cast were my age or slightly older. This was the first production I have seen that caused me to feel as though I could be up on that stage, and that I had the ability to produce a similar quality of drama on an extremely similar stage; and so in that sense, it was very inspiring. The cast featured the likes of Freddie Watkins (Nativity 1 and 2) as Jack, Luke Ward-Wilkinson

(Wild at Heart, Beautiful People) as Ralph and Keenan Munn-Francis (The Scottsboro Boys, The Lion King) as Simon. Each and every actor took on their role with great enthusiasm and demonstrated that they deserve the position they hold on that stage. However, the play, and quite possibly Golding’s book itself, created some problems for me. The storyline ensured that no adult actors would have an influence on the play at all. This meant that the production lacked the interaction or a sense of relationship between adult and child – something that I believe benefits almost 32

every production. The inclusion of both adult and child/young adult within a production does not initiate a sense of professionalism (as professionalism can be achieved by a cast of any age) but adds to the effect and gravity of a play, often opening a scene up to an array of interpretations and therefore increasing the audiences understanding and interest in the play as a whole. Overall the “Lord of the Flies” was a success; an impressive sense of professionalism was gained and Timothy Shearer’s production did justice to the literary art work of William Golding. However the play was by no means a phenomenon – crucial occurrences within the

plot were forgotten, or at least overlooked, and so certain aspects of the story were prevented from gaining the contextual significance that they deserve. I encourage you, as an active young adult, to go and see the production yourself, form your own opinions, and discover a love for theatre. The performance is one that gained emphatic reviews, which in all honesty surprised me greatly. I would therefore be extremely interested to hear about your outlook on the play and why you quite possibly don’t agree with a word I have said.

ON SHAKESPEAREAN TRAGEDY To look at tragedy solely using Shakespeare would be a grave mistake.

owever, an inquiry into tragedy would be fundamentally incomplete without a reference to his many renowned works, and it is important to remember that. Nevertheless, for the purposes of this article I will be concentrating on Shakespeare and his version of the concept of tragedy. Tragedy in itself was first shown on stage by the Ancient Athenians in around the 6th Century BC. Starting originally from an improvised monologue (probably to music) by a choral actor in praise to Dionysus, it spread throughout the Greek world, flowering in the 5th Century BC. The sphere of tragedy is definitely a Greek concept, as all those studying Miller’s ‘A View from the Bridge’ will no doubt be aware of. Aristotle defines tragedy as “an enactment of a deed that is important and complete, and of a certain magnitude, by means of language enriched, each used separately in the different parts of the play: it is enacted, not merely recited, and through pity and fear it effects relief to such emotions.” (Poetics, VI 1449b 2–3[19]). In summary this means: tragedy is a significant event that is acted out by performers, which when performed, evokes pity, fear and other similar emotions with a cathartic effect to these emotions. Shakespeare however, offers a little more. Personally, I think the crux of what a Shakespearean tragedy is – as supposed to the simple definition of Aristotle – is most easily defined by splitting the

genre in half. What makes the play tragic (according to Shakespeare)? And what feature makes the Shakespearean tragedy so different to any other? Firstly, what makes Shakespearean tragedies particularly tragic? There are many answers to this question; the protagonist’s assured death, the higher status of the protagonist and her/his eventual demise and the desolate state of the world at the end of a Shakespearean tragedy. But for me, what makes his tragedies peerless is the abruptness and the unanticipated nature of the tragic events that descend upon the character. For me, what makes a Shakespearean tragedy what it is is how the protagonist is always – always – caught unawares. The audience may feel an inclining of a tragic climax approaching, but this is always left for the audience to feel and the characters to not. Othello does not see the treachery of Iago until it is far too late, Antony does not feel his life slipping away until it already has; in all cases – the dice are already cast, the character’s fate decided, and they go helplessly to their dooms. The protagonists of Shakespearean tragedies, assigned to their fate from the outset as they are, fall to a ‘trigger’. One set spark that ignites the flames that inevitably engulf them. For poor lost lovers Romeo and Juliet is was their first meeting – the perils of love at first sight; for Macbeth it was the one word from the witches, promising him power that lead 23 3

Article written by

Tedd Hicks

would no doubt argue against if the pair could ever meet – and that tragedy involves a fall from a respected high position. The foreign circumstances in the play serve to increase the ties the audience feel to the emotions of the characters – leaving the settings alone. This is exactly what Shakespeare wants; he wants the audience not to look at the physical aftermath of the tragedy, or the corporeal effects of the tragic process. He wants them to see exclusively into the emotional demise of the characters – as it is here where he excels, and here where he can set himself apart from other playwrights in the complexity and astounding clarity of his character portrayals.

him down the destructive path of temptation. Most, if not all Shakespeare’s tragedies have a ‘trigger’. Perhaps combined with long term causes (I grant you), but nonetheless, the trigger is the peak of happiness the protagonist meets, and from then on they are on the slippery slope down to desolation which Shakespeare excels at portraying. Another, possibly less significant feature of Shakespearean tragedies, is that the protagonist is always originally respected. Every single tragic protagonist Shakespeare uses in his tragedies are honourable, well-respected men (the slight exception being Mark Antony – he has somewhat lost a portion of his honour at the start, but still was respected greatly in the past before the play starts). It is this respect and honour, so apparent to the audience, that slowly but surely drips out the protagonist, scene by scene, drop by drop, until there is nothing remaining. It is the exact opposite of the classic ‘underdog’ situation. As Britons we take pride in our appreciation of an underdog – but this reversal, (from a high to a comprehensive low), is atypical in Shakespeare and his mastery of the sudden collapse of a person of respect makes for delightfully uncomfortable viewing.

The exoticism of the setting serves another purpose for Shakespeare. Isolating the audience from the play, making a clear definition between real life and his plays, almost serves the opposite purpose. In abandoning all similarities between reality and his fiction, he leaves the audience with no disentanglement with the fiction he portrays. The only thing this leaves behind with the audience is the associations they themselves make to their own lives. He allows their minds to form their own similarities with the tragic events of the play. The realisation that then occurs, when the reader sees their life going in the same direction of the protagonists, is overwhelming - he uses the audience’s own consciousness to affect their own emotions. This serves then almost as a warning - not to follow in the path of the damned. This outpouring of fear and shock is cathartic, which makes the audience want more afterwards (the world’s most eloquent business strategy!). This is also why I use the term ‘uncomfortable’ in such a positive sense in this context.

Secondly, the Shakespearean tragedy is, without fail, set in a place unfamiliar to the average member of his audience at his Globe theatre. (The only play he ever set in familiar times and locations, incidentally, was ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’ – set in Elizabethan Windsor, England). Every tragedy he wrote was in an unfamiliar area, with unfamiliar people – especially during his first tragedies – thus putting his audience in a realm of the unacquainted. There was no anchor to the story, except the aspect Shakespeare wanted people to notice more so than any other – the emotional collapse of every single character in his usually extensive casts. It is the focus on this, brought about by the foreign and little known settings, that brings down the weight of the descent the protagonist takes, to full view of the audience This evokes the most pathos he possibly can from his encapsulated audience.

So, the fall of the person of respect, in an unfamiliar situation, from an unexpected ‘trigger’ event, into total and utter desolation…this makes Shakespearean tragedy so unique, and also why it will be studied for centuries to come. Even the complex plots, embellished as eloquently as Shakespeare does, can be universally understood and accessed. As the key features that make it so tragic and ‘so Shakespearean’ are gloriously simple – yet pricelessly original.

The audience is also taken away from what they know to separate the play from their actual lives. To Shakespeare, the average man is no subject for a tragedy – something Miller

“YOU DON’T KNOW HIM AS I DO; I LOVE THAT FELLOW. I’D GO TO HELL WITH HIM…” The Enduring Power of RC Sherriff’s Journey’s End. On 9th December 1928, Journey’s End was performed for the very first time at London’s Apollo Theatre.

Article written by

Logan Jones

of war. Strong anti-war messages can be found in the poetry of Wilfred Owen, the paintings of Paul Nash, Erich Maria Remarque’s haunting 1929 novel All Quiet on the Western Front and Stanley Kubrick’s stunning 1957 film Paths of Glory. This is hardly surprising and very understandable, although it then begs the question: how can any of these works be distinguished from one another on a deeper level?

n 9th December 1928, Journey’s End was performed for the very first time at London’s Apollo Theatre. In the role of Captain Stanhope was a young Laurence Olivier under the direction of James Whale, perhaps most famous for the iconic 1931 film of Frankenstein. On 11th November – Armistice Day, of course – we will have our first performance of the very same play in the Quarry Theatre, directed by Mrs. Crossley. It’s also a significant occasion for Mr. Grimshaw, a fountain of knowledge on the subject of RC Sherriff and Journey’s End, whose aim it has been to stage a production of the play for many years. At the beginning, 18-year-old Raleigh (played by Lachie Sear) arrives on the Western Front to join the company of his old friend Stanhope, the character I am playing. He tells fellow officer Osborne (Mr. Grimshaw) how pleased he is at the prospect of being captained by his school hero. However, as Osborne warns him, he soon learns that Stanhope is not the man he used to be, and the war itself turns out be far more nightmarish than he’d expected.

For Journey’s End, the thing that sets it apart from the rest and makes it a definitive piece of not just First World War literature but British literature in general, is its examination of dependency. Regardless of whether they choose to show it, the characters make strong connections to one another, all of which are tested as the enemy threat becomes much more real. None of them, no matter how hard they may try to be, are completely independent or self-sufficient.

When you look at First World War art, it often seems to be – broadly speaking – expressing the same thing: the horrors

Journey’s End may not boast the impressive set pieces or scope of, for example, Seán O’Casey’s 1929 play The Silver Tassie (the former is set entirely within the confines of a claustrophobic dugout), but it superbly encapsulates the heartbreaking sense of futility, monotony and loss that we readily associate with conflict even today. 23 53

STAR WARS; THE CLONE WARS

Fantasy or Reality?

Article written by

Theo Butler

‘Star Wars, The Clone Wars, 2008’, is a CGI animated television series created by Star Wars producer George Lucas and developed, written and produced by David Filioni (who also voiced the bounty hunters, Embo and Jakoli, in Season Four of the show).

ut what is it about this Science Fiction series which makes it an absolute thriller to watch for all audiences? And what does it tell us about modern society? TRAITORS, TRAITORS EVERYWHERE As season one progresses, we discover that Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, first voiced by British actor Ian Abercrombe (known for the Arcata Promise which starred Anthony Hopkins), and then by Tim Curry (Dr FrankN-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show), was not the only deceiver in the Star Wars franchise. The Clone Wars take us deep into the realm of deceit with a string of traitors. Here are some of the best examples: Captain Faro Argyus (voiced by James Masters, who played Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997-2003), was a captain in the Senate Commandos, an elite branch of the Senate Guard in 22BBY. Argyus came from a family of nobility. After Senator Padme Amidala managed to capture Trade Viceroy, Nute Gunray, on Rhodia, Argyus was assigned to the Venator-class Star Destroyer Tranquility and tasked with escorting Gunray 36

to Coruscant, the capital of the Republic, alongside Annakin’s padawan Ashoka Tano and Jedi Master Luminara Unduli. However, unknown to the Republic, Argyus had been bribed by the separatist leader Count Dooku to release Gunray from imprisonment and take him back to the Confederacy. Argyus’s betrayal shocked the Republic and proved that even the best and bravest could be corrupted. Pre Vizsla (voiced by Jon Favreau) was a Governor of one of the outer moons of the planet Mandalore and was initially seen by Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore as a trusted ally in rooting out members of the Terrorist group “Death Watch”. However, unknown to her at the time, Pre Vizsla was actually the leader of the Death Watch! He despised Duchess Satine’s rule and the way it had made Mandalore peaceful and prosperous. Before Satine, Mandalore was a planet of war where the weak had to serve the strong. Pre Viszla wanted to overthrow Satine and return Mandalore to its former war-based system. He initially had the support of Count Dooku and the separatists, but then broke with them. Pre Viszla eventually links

Daughter’s brother, The Son ( voiced by Samuel Witwer who also voices Darth Maul in this series).The Son is the counterpoint of The Daughter and is the embodiment of the Dark Side. The Son corrupts nature and everything around him and wherever he goes, darkness follows. However, like the Daughter, The Son personifies more than just the Dark Side of the force and in fact symbolises the power and corruptibility of men.

up with Darth Maul and other crime syndicates to take over Mandalore. Their plan for taking over Mandalore is similar to the way Hitler took over Germany in the early 1930s. First, they encourage fear through a surge in crime and violence, and then win the support of the general public by appearing to take action to end it, e.g. through the arrest of the crime syndicate leaders and using the Death Watch as enforcers. The Jedi general, Pong Krell, (voiced by Dave Fennoy) was by far the worst traitor. He first appears in an episode called “ Darkness of Umbara”. Krell arrives on the planet Umbara to take command of the clone troopers who are supporting Annakin’s fight against the N Barrans. The Chancellor has called Annakin back to Coruscant. Annakin is reluctant to go, but Captain Rex and the clone troopers tell him they’ll be fine. However, Pong Krell sends clone troopers to make head on suicidal attacks on N Barran bases. Eventually, Krell orders an attack on N Barran troops supposedly disguised to look like clone troopers. Dogma, the trooper previously most loyal to Krell, eventually kills him, after Krell reveals that he has no concern at all for the troopers. Krell’s role in the battle on Umbara shows that even Jedi can fall to the darkside and demonstrates the truth in the argument that the very worst kind of traitor is the one closest too you.

The Son’s power is so great that he believes he should not be confined to the island of Mortis and should be allowed to use it on other islands. This follows the theme of many classic plays. For instance, in “ A View From The Bridge”, Eddie Carbone’s power over his family leads him to believe his own needs should come first, even though his sexual attraction to Catherine is impossible given that he is her uncle. Similarly, The Son’s own power leads him to break from his family and even to try to kill his own father just to prove how strong and dark he can be. This is a reflection of many classical myths and is a familiar trope within drama. Through the trilogy, The Son gradually transforms from a normal entity into a figure of insanity, darkness and chaos that no longer has any soul. The Son is eventually killed by a redeemed Annakin Skywalker after “The Father” erases Annakin’s knowledge of his future. The influence of The Son over Annakin is different - and more sinister than the temptation’s Palpatine uses to convert Annakin to the dark side in “Revenge of The Sith”. Palpatine shows Annakin visions of his wife’s death at childbirth and then tempts him with power and immortality. Through The Son, darkness is portrayed as masculine and like a vampire. Vampires can only live with access to darkness. The main argument the Mortis trilogy poses is who is the real vampire in Star Wars? Is it Darth Sidious? Or is it The Son? Or is it the Dark Side which manifests itself in them both? What do you think?

MEN AND WOMEN IN SOCIETY Perhaps the most emotionally powerful set of episodes in ‘The Clone Wars’ is The Mortis Trilogy. In the picture above we have three characters who are the embodiment of the force. The Daughter (voiced by Adrienne Wilkinson from “Star Wars The Force Unleashed”) is the embodiment of the light side of the force. She represents nature and the beauty, innocence, and the fertility of women. Wherever she goes there is light, and the light gives birth to nature. She can also take the form of anything she wishes. However she sacrifices herself, being stabbed by The Son, as she tries to protect her father. Through her, light is portrayed as an emblem of the female who is gentle, kind and life-giving.

The final character within the trilogy is The Father, voiced by Lloyd Sher. The Father brings balance between the light side of the force (The Daughter) and dark side (The Son). Because of the tension between the two, he periodically needs to enter a deep sleep to recharge. The Father has long believed that The Chosen One - and therefore his successor in bringing balance to the force - is Annakin. He puts him through a test to fight

There is a saying that where there is light there must be shadow, and within shadow, there is darkness. That is embodied by the 23 73

both The Son and The Daughter which Annakin passes. However, Annakin refuses The Father’s wish as the new power he would acquire would mean he could never leave Mortis (if he did, he might use it on the innocent). As the trilogy develops we see why The Father wanted Annakin to replace him. He is starting to loose control over his children (The Son in particular) and this is putting enormous strain on him. The Son eventually begins to plot against The Father in order to escape Mortis and break free from the island’s constraints on his power. Like a modern parent, The Father cares deeply for his children, and is willing to go to almost any extent to prevent a split. However, this finally changes after Ashoka gives The Son the dagger of Mortis. The Son intends to use this to kill The Father, but The Daughter jumps between them and is killed. After The Daughter’s death, The Father realises that The Son has to be stopped. He is unable to restore Ashoka Tano and Annakin Skywalker once the Son gains control of them. He therefore tells The Son that there is nothing more he can do for him and stabs himself with the Mortis dagger. The Son

finally realises what he has done, but a few seconds later Annakin stabs him. The Father also realises that Annakin does not belong on the island and needs to be out their in the galaxy. “But, beware your heart” are his final words to Annakin before he dies. This is a premonition of subsequent events in which Annakin is overwhelmed by the fear that Padme will die, enabling Darth Sidious to use this to make him into his apprentice. The Mortis Trilogy – and the relationship between The Father, The Son and The Daughter - epitomize several modern themes, including the differences between men and women, the relationships within a family and the impact this can have on innocent people. More broadly, “Star Wars, The Clone Wars” highlights historical events from the last century and issues in modern society. It includes a strong message that people should not respond to their fears, or create a society built on fears. This contributes to its fascination, along side the great entertainment of the perennial battles between the Sith and Jedi.

MASTERPIECE OF THE MONTH Mr Baker discusses Kathe Kollwit

Article written by

Joshua Taylor Mr Baker’s love and appreciation of work by Kollwitz grew when visiting museums dedicated to her work in both Cologne and Berlin. However, it was one work in particular that led to him standing in sheer awe and sadness at what he was witnessing. The lithograph ‘Brot’ (translation ‘Bread’) measuring a mere 54 x 38cm, and produced in 1924, is an anti-hunger statement image. There is a sense of ambiguity as to who these individuals are. The face of the child on the left is the only one visible. The features, so delicately handled by Kollwitz, express a range of emotions, fear, hunger, loneliness, sadness and so much more. It was the face of this child, (of a similar age to his daughter at the time) that held Mr Baker’s attention for so long. It was partly this personal connection to the Kollwitz work, out of the hundreds in the museums, that created such an impact. Her eyes are like tunnels, her hair, wavy and unwashed and the dirt on her face all contribute to such a convincing impression of what life was like in World War 1 for this anonymous and troubled mother. This was, quite simply, the reality for so many at the time.

r Baker’s appreciation of art really began in 1984 with a fortuitous passing, but memorable, visit to see a Caravaggio painting in the Maria Del Popolo Church in Rome. You only need to walk into Mr Baker’s office to witness the evidence of his love of art, with the large number of framed works adorning the walls, and this is further emphasized by the passion with which he talks about his favourite works.

Kollwitz’s work in its entirety is harrowing, saddening and often difficult to look at. “Brot!” is a typical example. Kollwitz described merciless hunger and sadness. She was a woman of - and for - ordinary people; someone fighting for their rights. In all her prints and works of art, women, often with children, are the focus. Her works are full of passion and show the harshness of life. It is clear, by talking to Mr Baker that Kollwitz’s passion has been recognised and has registered with him. “Brot!” is a print that will evoke different emotions in every viewer, but her work is work that should be seen. Indeed, “Die Pflüger”, another one of Mr Baker’s favourites, is well worth 15 minutes of anybody’s time.

Over the years Mr Baker’s visits to galleries and museums have become a routine part of his holidays and trips away. But it was on a visit to the MoMA gallery in New York that a work by Kathe Kollwitz really grabbed him. Her work is in stark contrast to that of the old master Caravaggio and one of Mr Baker’s other favourite works of art “Love Conquers All”. A more joyful but somewhat ‘naughty’ painting. 23 93

Humanities

GEOGRAPHY TRIP 2015 On Tuesday 15 September a group of eleven Geographers accompanied Miss Spyropoulos and Mr Rees to the Royal Geographical Society in London for a lecture entitled “London: Too big to succeed?

peakers included Lord Adonis, Bridget Rosewell OBE and Jules Pipe CBE. Three talks were given about the subject from these three individuals from different job sectors, each with their own opinions on the topic. Much of the discussion focused on London’s infrastructure, particularly the lack of affordable housing within inner city London as well as how the rapid population increase could affect public services. The talks were followed by a series of questions from the audience. These ranged from “Do you think Heathrow airport expansion is needed?” to “Would you say there is

an issue with the number of properties owned in London by offshore investors?” We were treated to clear, informed points of view with a resounding opinion from the panel and audience that London was not too big to succeed yet it must address a number of key political, economic, and infrastructural areas in order to do so. A drink in the Societies map rooms afterwards completed an enjoyable evening. Overall the trip was informative and insightful into the urban issues surrounding our capital.

Article written by

Duncan Keyworth

THE ECONOMY OF AFGHANISTAN BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THE TALIBAN RULING Article written by

Kamran Ahmed

In the early modern period, under the rule of kings Abdur Rahman Khan (1880–1901) and Habibullah Khan (1901–1919), a great deal of Afghan commerce (the activity of buying and selling, especially on a large scale), was centrally controlled by the Afghan government.

he Afghan monarchs were eager to develop the stature of government and the country’s military capability and so attempted to raise money by the imposition of state monopolies on the sale of commodities such as fruit and vegetables as well as implementing high taxes. This, in turn, slowed the long-term development of Afghanistan during that period. Western technologies and manufacturing methods were slowly introduced during these eras at the command of the Afghan ruler, but, in general, only according to the logistical requirements of the growing army. An emphasis was placed on the manufacture of weapons and other military materiel. This process was in the hands of a small number of western experts invited to Kabul by the Afghan kings. Otherwise, it was not possible for outsiders, particularly westerners, to set up large-scale enterprises in Afghanistan during that period. Afghanistan embarked on a modest economic development program in the 1930s. The government founded banks, introduced paper money, established a university, expanded primary, secondary, and technical schools, and also sent students abroad for education. However, the first prominent plan to develop Afghanistan’s economy was that of the 42

Helmand Valley Authority (HAVA) project created in 1952, which was modelled on the Tennessee Valley Authority in the United States. The HAVA was created to manage the economic development of the Helmand and Arghandab valleys, primarily through irrigation and agricultural land development along the Helmand River and the Arghandab River; this was a plan that was forecast to be of primary importance to the future economy of Afghanistan. Before the outbreak of conflict in the late 1970s, the area irrigated by the HAVA produced a large proportion of Afghanistan’s grain and cotton and was a major source of foreign exchange through exports. A major turning point in the Afghan economy commenced in the 1970s, when the nation began to experience severe economic hardship as neighbouring Pakistan, (under President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto at the time), began closing the Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossings. This move resulted in Afghanistan increasing political and economic ties with its northern neighbour, the powerful Soviet Union. It was, however, the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union in 1979, which particularly influenced the economy of this nation. Following the end of 40 years of peaceful monarchical rule, Afghanistan was plunged

into a war that continued into the 21st century. Hafizullah Amin, the prime minister of Afghanistan, tried to eradicate the Muslim tradition within the nation in an attempt to make Afghanistan more westernised. He led a communist based government, a belief that rejects religion, which of course triggered immense discontent amongst a majority of citizens who later fled the capital to the mountains in order to escape Amin’s police. As many as 100,000 Soviet troops invaded the country on Christmas day in 1979, occupied the country for 10 years and dictated its governance. Thus, with regards to the economic impact of this invasion, the Soviet invasion caused a sharp drop in commercial import and export transactions with the ‘free’ World. The volume of imports in 1979, before the invasion, amounted to $303 million, while exports to the West totalled $159 million. By the end of 1982, these amounts had been more than halved, with imports declining to $109 million and exports plunging to $64 million. The steady decline in the West’s trade with Afghanistan had been aggravated by three prominent developments. The first was the suspension of flights by the state-controlled airline, Ariana, to Western Europe and the consequent difficulty of bringing western goods to Kabul by that route. Second, the

decline in Afghanistan’s agricultural production caused by the abandonment of farms, thus increasing the dependence of urban areas on Soviet stable commodities such as wheat and sugar. Thirdly, the country’s inability to sell surplus products, for example fertilisers or grapes, on the glutted world market. In addition, the war disrupted traditional economic exchanges between the Nomads and the West. These groups, which would normally exchange items such as meat for consumer durables, found the customary pattern upset by the paucity of goods. Henceforth, as well as the Soviet invasion influencing trade, Western bilateral aid to Afghanistan was also suspended. Whilst multinational assistance to Afghanistan declined progressively during that period (from $3 million in 1979 to no aid at all in 1980 and 1982), some indirect assistance was provided by India in the form of food. This food aid was not in fact official Indian assistance to Afghanistan, it was grain that was delivered to Afghanistan to settle the imbalance in India’s trade accounts with the Soviet Union. Thus, with these economic difficulties of the nation in the background, thousands of Afghanistan Muslims bound together forming the Mujahedeen (from whom the Taliban evolved) – a guerilla force on a holy mission for Allah that wanted the

overthrow of the Amin government. The Mujahedeen then declared a jihad (a holy war) on the supporters of Amin. This, however, also extended to the Russians who were now in Afghanistan trying to maintain the power of the Amin government. The Russians claimed that the Amin government had invited them in and that they were not invading the country. They claimed that their task was solely to support a legitimate government and that the Mujahedeen were no more than terrorists. Thus, because the United States did not want to see the Soviet Union take control over central Asia (as this would illustrate its increase in economic power and strength), the United States decided to fund the Mujahedeen to fight against the Soviet Union. The Soviets were eventually forced out in 1989. However, a problem soon arose when Pakistan was left to deal with the issues of the post-war settlement, as a new extremist fundamentalist group known as the Taliban came into being, ironically funded by their former allies, the US, who gave $3 billion to the Mujahedeen. Thus, with the Taliban having taken over, the economic situation in Afghanistan could only get worse. The implementation of their strict rules, which particularly affected women, included the restriction of women’s freedom of movement, the banning of women working in mixed-sex workplaces (which affected 25% of the government employees who were female), as well banning girls over the age of eight from attending schools. Later, with the employment sector of Afghanistan in disarray, the Taliban turned to imposing extremely high taxes, such as a 50% tax on any company operating in the country (which, of course, consequently deterred foreign direct investment), whilst through its control of 96% of Afghanistan’s poppy fields, its

taxation of opium became the Taliban’s largest source of taxation income. Thus, a surprising amount of revenue was being generated in an un-Islamic way (since the financial dealings of this extremist group involved drugs). This money was predominantly used as funding for weapons and ammunition as stated by former Pakistani militant Ahmed Rashid, who stated that “drug money funded the weapons, ammunition and fuel for the war.” In the New York Times however, the Finance Minister of the United Front, Wahidullah Sabawoon, further added that the Taliban had no annual budget but that they “appeared to spend US$300 million a year, nearly all of it on war.” However, if we look at the economy of Afghanistan in recent years, a GDP of $69 billion in 2014 (which meant it was ranked 96th in the world) suggests that the economy of Afghanistan is certainly back on the rise again. This, of course, can be attributed to a variety of factors including the toppling of the Taliban by the US, the vast quantities of international aid that it receives after droughts (with an estimated $4.4 billion in aid entering the nation from 2002 to 2004), as well as it being endowed with a wealth of natural resources, with President Hamid Karzai suggesting that the nation has up to $3 trillion in untapped minerals. In spite of this however, a Human Development Index reading of 0.468 in 2013 which meant it was placed 169th in the world suggests that the nation is yet to completely overcome its difficulties of recent years. Hopefully by closing foreign investment deals such as the copper deal it struck with the Metallurgical Corp. of China Ltd in 2008, from which the government obtained $400 million in annual income, things can only get better for this nation.

Languages

WHAT IS LANGUAGE?

A Meander from Kushim to Lacan

Article written by

Joshua Carmichael

The earliest written words of humanity are simple: “Twenty-nine thousand and ninety-eight measures of barley received over thirty-seven months, signed, Kushim”.

LANGUAGE

IS A SURPRISINGLY

TRICKY

TERM

he first words of a species that boasts Shakespeare, Proust, and Homer; first impressions matter, perhaps it was a little lacklustre of us to make our debut thus, but I disagree. There is little more charming to me than the thoughts of the Sumerian accountant Kushim toiling in obscurity on his barley measures, destined to be the oldest recorded author. Indeed, it is extremely telling that our first author is an accountant; the first partial scripts evolved out of ways to record quantity, for memories are short when huge numbers of bushels are involved. Later, the vocabulary of partial scripts rapidly expanded after our ancestors had the bright idea that it could correspond with and include the spoken languages used for thousands of years. This truly was our ‘Tower of Babel’ moment and arguably is one of the reasons we have been so successful as a species. If you look at Neanderthal remains, it is not difficult to explain how we outcompeted them to extinction (bigger brains, larger muscles) and one of the key explanations is the social cohesion spoken language affords and written scripts enabled us to expand further, recording complex ideas for posterity. Language is a surprisingly tricky term. Aged academics have raged long battles over its meaning in the musty mahogany heat of their dim university departments. Here we 46

find the biosemioticians, structuralists, poststructuralists, psychoanalysts and many others in frantic fisticuffs, because what so often begins as a simple definition leads to insoluble paradoxes in other areas of the humanities. To see exactly where the problem lies, we must begin with the Swiss linguist Saussure, the father of structuralism. Saussure had three key insights, namely sign-signifier relations, signs being arbitrary, and the idea of structures. Firstly, Saussure posits that language consists of signs, inscriptions or sounds used to represent things in the real world which he refers to as the signified. He then goes on to argue that the relationship between sign and signifier is totally arbitrary. A tree is called a tree for the simple reason nothing else is called a tree. Finally, Saussure noted that it is usually impossible to perfectly translate words between languages in the sense that although signs might refer to the same signifiers, they carry different connotations and exist in a wholly unique network of relations within their own language. The problems with this theory are where things become interesting. A field of linguistics known as biosemiotics states that signs are arbitrary, arguing that often signs do bear a relation to their signifiers. For example, studies have shown that in many different languages the words for rock share hard

sounds. Perhaps, then, we find it natural for our choice of word to reflect the thing itself. Another point of contention of the theory is the rise of the post-structuralists. I will try not to dwell too long on these, for I am not arrogant enough to pretend that I have an excellent knowledge of the reams of immensely complex work put forward in this field, but I would like to briefly consider two particularly interesting thinkers, Lacan and Derrida.

we communicate. Lacan, one of the fathers of modern psychoanalysis and potentially a minor charlatan, had a similar idea arguing that language has divorced us from “The Real” and that essentially language cannot perfectly define our needs and thoughts, and therefore the distance between “meaning” and thought meant we were not really in touch with reality, that we can only experience the world through the blinkered lens of language.

If you know only one thing about the enigmatic Parisian philosopher Derrida, it will be his dictum “Il n’y a pas de hors-texte” often translated as “There is nothing outside of the text”. By this, Derrida is not saying that nothing exists but words, but rather that language has somewhat trapped our thinking. The only way for me to construct a rational thought is through signs which can only be defined in terms of other signs, ad infinitum. The structure of language is inescapable; it ceases to be only a medium to communicate with others and becomes the only way to communicate with oneself. There is a definite distance between what we “mean” and what

The only thing it seems we can be certain of is that there seems to be very little we can be certain of. Every minor definition seems to push us back under an overwhelming pile of new and ever complex “complete” theories, which would make poor Kushim with his little stone tablet wonder what on Earth all the fuss was about as he wrote down those few signs to mark the weight of the barley. Indeed it seems paradoxical to take thinkers like Derrida and Lacan at their word, for they ask us to accept their theories written in the medium they simultaneously claim can never truly represent anything.

THE LIFE OF BRYAN Article written by

Frank Kupshik

Our school is fortunate enough to have students from many parts of the world and as a result of such a large spread of nationalities many of our students are able to speak languages beyond those we provide within the curriculum.

which tone you speak it at. It gives rise to the usual “Cantonese accent”, which is a consequence of the speakers of Cantonese trying to allocate tones to English syllables. Chinese script also writes with “symbols” rather than “words”, also known as logograms. Given that statistically anyone can read 90% of a Chinese newspaper only knowing 1,000 of the 50,000 different characters, it really puzzles me when I see a lot of vocabulary that I don’t know when I read English newspapers.

ne of these students is Bryan Ng in the Upper Sixth who came to Bedford School at the start of Sixth Form from Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, the official language is Cantonese – one of the three main dialects spoken in the Chinese mainland alongside Mandarin and Wu – and it is spoken by almost sixty-million people worldwide (0.89% of the world). Bryan has been kind enough to answer a few questions on his experiences in the UK as a non-native speaker as well as some information on the Cantonese language itself.

FRANK: Which do you find easier: speaking or writing English, and why?

FRANK: Good morning, Bryan. Thanks for agreeing to answer these few questions. I would first like to ask how much English did you know before coming to the UK and how much has your English improved since your arrival?

BRYAN: From my experience, I think speaking English is easier than writing it. The syllabus of English in Hong Kong is all about grammar, which is not as important an element in speaking as it is in writing. Even so, I still feel embarrassed and want to correct silly grammar mistakes I make when I speak.

BRYAN: As a Hong Kong student studying in an EMI school (English as Medium of Instruction School), my English was better than the majority of Hong Kong students elsewhere. However, as I entered Bedford School, I felt that my English still had a lot of room for improvement as the majority of English speakers here have been brought up with English as their mother tongue. Nevertheless, I think that the rate of improvement of my English is the highest it has been in my life since I have become an IB student who needs to cope with a lot of coursework and essays in the language.

FRANK: Finally, what advice would you give to somebody learning or attempting to learn Cantonese, or any other language? BRYAN: I think I would advise them to try to speak the language that they are learning with the native speakers so that they can practise thinking on their feet in that language. Moreover, they can force themselves to use the language and so become more accustomed to it - for example, by changing the language settings on their computer or mobile phone to another language.

FRANK: What are the main linguistic differences (written and spoken) between English and Cantonese? And how easy were you able to cope with these differences?

FRANK: Thanks a lot for coming in Bryan. It has been really interesting to hear about your experiences.

BRYAN: Cantonese is a tonal language: it has nine different tones, which means for every identical pronunciation of a word, the syllables have different meanings depending on 48

THE SPANISH PLAY 2015 On 7 October, a group of eight students from both Bedford School and Bedford Girls’ School took part in the Hispanic Theatre Festival at the North London Collegiate School.

n 7 October, a group of eight students from both Bedford School and Bedford Girls’ School took part in the Hispanic Theatre Festival at the North London Collegiate School. With twelve different schools performing, including Harrow and Eton, the competition was very strong. Despite the high stakes, the Bedford performance was successful in winning the prize of ‘Best Theatrical Performance’.

Article written by

Felix von Bodelschwingh

three different strangers, all young women, who had received a mysterious invitation to the house from an unknown Duke. The chance to perform and act in Spanish was fun. The challenges of acting as a deranged, mad old citizen was difficult in itself (for some), but also coupled with this was the need to be able to speak in authentic, accurate Spanish (some of which I couldn’t even understand properly!)

There is, however, no prize without a play and the play that we performed was ‘El Landó de Seis Caballos’ by the Spanish playwright Víctor Ruiz Iriarte. The performance at the Festival was only a short extract from the play (the maximum time limit was only ten minutes) and our specific scene showed the old people supposedly riding a carriage to these races, all to the surprise and concern of the guests of the house. The play has a unique and strange plot; staged in a typical Spanish country estate, the play consists of four mad seniors, acting as if they were going to watch the horse races, at the Hippodrome all in the comfort of their own sofa! Into this peculiar situation comes

Watching the other performances was also highly entertaining – so entertaining because of the high quality and emotional acting delivered in some performances, and also very entertaining because of the forgetting of random lines and the occasional utter of despair in English in some of the other plays. It was also interesting to see how different schools interpreted similar texts (none, fortunately, were similar to ours). Overall, I highly encourage any Spanish linguist to get involved in the Spanish plays in the years to come. If nothing, it is a wonderful opportunity to improve your Spanish! 24 93

Music

HOUSE SINGING One of the biggest - if not the biggest event in the school’s calendar - is the House Singing competition.

ne of the biggest - if not the biggest event in the school’s calendar - is the House Singing competition. Following on from last years’ “interesting” waist coats, questionable conducting and talented (?) man band performance, this year promised to be better no matter what happens. Each house was asked to produce both a unison performance as well as a part song (a small a cappella group) and then adjudication is left in the hands of visiting guests; choral singers, directors of choirs and so on. Given little more advice than “wave your hands and bow when the music stops”, boy leaders have free reign over song choice, direction and choreography. Not to mention, they have to teach the parts to the masses, which is not an easy task... Speaking to the leaders of the part song, preparation seemed to be going well. Either that or the long held tradition of thin optimism before performance was reigning strong. Up first was Ashburnham, partnered with boarding house Sandersons. Led by Aidan Swain and Nic Reay, the team was hoping to continue their success after their 1st place performance in 2014. SONG CHOICE; STACY’S MOM – FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE RESPONSES: AIDAN SWAIN How did you decide upon “Stacy’s Mom”? We wanted to raise awareness that Stacy’s Mom has got it going on.

How have your rehearsals been? Is there anything you’re particularly worried about? Rehearsals have been a mixture of decent practice and note bashing, chaotic unintelligible talking, shouting and grunting mainly coming from (names withheld) who disguise them in the form of “helpful” ideas. That, and stopping rehearsals to laugh at (name withheld)’s dreadful haircut. The latter takes priority. (Productive and rational distribution of time...) Is there anything you’ve learnt from previous years of House Singing that you wish to act upon this year? From past experience, the better the time you have on stage, the higher you are placed. Also, cripples seem to get the sympathy vote, so this year we have taken advantage of this by unanimously disfiguring Nic Reay’s leg. He took one for the team. What’s been your highlight of rehearsals? Always enjoyable when you look at the sheer glee on the face of Senior Four member, James Smith as he sings the final “mom” of the piece. He will tell you it’s the peak of his school career.

After speaking to Ashburnham I had the chance to speak to Bryan Ng from Burnaby. Burnaby’s partner day house is Bromham. Perhaps stealing ideas from Ashburnham, perhaps not, Bromham have decided upon “Hooked on a Feeling” by Blue Swede.

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Article written by

Nic Reay

worried about? I wouldn’t say I’m worried, however an issue that’s risen several times is that sometimes we struggle to pronounce the “n” in “funk.” (Oh... oh dear lads...)

SONG CHOICE: “HOOKED ON A FEELING” – BLUE SWEDE RESPONSES: BRYAN NG How did you manage to decide upon a song? We chose the song last year; Jason, Felix and I sat in the computer room and searched YouTube. (Aimless searching of the void that is YouTube, good dedication lads!) How have rehearsals been? We’ve been having our rehearsals at short break, which has made it very difficult for the group to actually start rehearsing and concentrate. How would you describe the rehearsals so far? Concentration & effort needed - (I know I am cheating there by using a symbol). Is there anything you’re specifically worried about? I am most worried about the tuning of our group, which hopefully will get sorted by the competition. (Well, that is the idea...)

Next up was Crescent. Crescent has chosen “Uptown Funk” a modern pop song by Mark Ronson which promises to be exciting, even if a little risqué. Let’s hope the adjudicator is mesmerised by the sweet dulcet tones of Jasper Williamson and co. Crescent is partnered with Pemberley and this year their performance has been led by Ben Anstis. SONG CHOICE: “UPTOWN FUNK” – MARK RONSON RESPONSES: BEN ANSTIS How have your rehearsals been? Our rehearsals have been good; the lads have put in a good effort and have worked consistently throughout the time available. Which three words would you choose to sum up your rehearsals so far? Committed, focused, ambitious. Is there anything you’re specifically

Any final comments? The progress we’ve made in the last 5 weeks has been absolutely amazing. Wherever we place I’ll know the lads put in a good effort.

Paulo Pontine followed. Joint to Redburn, Paulo has drawn from both the day and boarding sides of the house. Led by two grade 8 singers, who happen to be music scholars, whatever was to follow was bound to be full of humour and modesty... SONG CHOICE: “CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE” – QUEEN RESPONSES: JIM COOPER How did you choose your song? We tried to do it a few years ago but the arrangement was too hard. That year we went on to win with “I’m Yours.” This time I’ve made an arrangement that’s more suited to our strengths as a group. How have your rehearsals been? Intense. Which three words would you choose to sum up your rehearsals so far? Yeah, alright thanks. Is there anything you’re specifically worried about? Damaging the trophies at the after-party (don’t worry, we kept them in good shape after we won last year). Is there anything you’ve learnt from previous years of house singing that you wish to act upon this year? It’s difficult to combat the might of Aidan Swain’s legendary A flats, but we are giving it a go with some high tenor notes. What’s been your favourite moment of rehearsals so far? When half of your part song goes off to watch Fiji vs Uruguay and you can’t rehearse!

Next up was the boys from St. Cuthbert’s. Not disheartened by their placing last year, they are hoping to bounce back with a strong performance of “I Get Around” by The Beach Boys. Pulling support from both the boarding side (Philpot’s) and day side of house life, leaders Edd Elsemore and Harry Jackson hope to impress the adjudicator with what seems to be their secret weapon... Peter Wood. SONG CHOICE: “I GET AROUND” – THE BEACH BOYS RESPONSES: EDD ELSEMORE How did you choose your song? After hours of meditation and contemplation, the entity that is (name withheld) had a vision to sing a one man a cappella version of bohemian rhapsody... But that was an awful choice so we ignored it and went for this one. Is there anything you’re specifically worried about? Getting everyone to ‘perform’ the piece with hearty enthusiasm. (I suppose it might be a difficult task to get your “squad” to look in the eyes of the Head Master and sing with conviction, “I get around”). Any final comments? To test his ability to sing under pressure, Peter Wood sang the whole part song whilst doing a plank, then downed a protein shake... An amazing achievement we feel must be shared with the world.

Lastly, we come to St. Peter’s. Joint with Talbots, Harry Guthrie and Nathaniel Conte have taken a relaxed approach to leadership, openly saying “there isn’t really a leader, we all chip in.” Lacking any year 13’s in their team, St. Peter’s hope to dazzle with their young looks and youthful energy.

How did you choose your song? I’ve always thought the song was appropriate for this sort of event and I have always wanted to perform something by this arranger (Anders Edenroth). How would you describe how your rehearsals have been? Rehearsals have been very slow but productive. I’d sum it up as being up then down, rewarding and frustrating. Is there anything you’re specifically worried about? I’m worried about our presentation of the song. I see this as being a big part of the judgement and at the moment our ‘fun’ song could be something else... What’s been your favourite moment? My favourite (and slightly embarrassing) moment was being proved wrong by a 4th former in my rhythm. I must be a fantastic leader..! (I thought you said there wasn’t a leader and that everyone is equal... Perhaps some are “more equal” than others?) Any final comments? This is my first year running it so I haven’t perhaps run it as efficiently as past years. I have certainly learned that you should pick your song choice early! I’m looking forward to hearing everyone else. As the banners go up, the face paint is bought and the somewhat bizarre tradition of supporters dressing up as women is continued, the countdown is nearly over for the 2015 competition. Wishing luck to everyone that is performing, I’m sure guests of the school are completely oblivious to what is going to hit them on competition night. Good luck boys!

SONG CHOICE: “IT DON’T MEAN A THING” – DUKE ELLINGTON RESPONSES: HARRY GUTHRIE

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Sports

HOUSE FENCING There has been a long tradition of boys practising Fencing as a requirement of becoming soldier and training for combat.

owadays, Fencing has become a unique sport that relies heavily on footwork, distance and speed. Competition in school sports at Bedford School has a long history, so House Fencing today is continuing that tradition. House Fencing took place on 12th and 13th of October, 2015, on the balcony above the Sports Hall. Spectators and competitors gathered with excitement before the event began, and tensions were heightened before the fated cry of “en garde!” It is perhaps the most exhilarating event I have ever experienced. Short matches were held and comprised of a ‘first to three’ scoring with

a time limit of 2 minutes per match. The fierce sword fights were very intense as blades were flying wildly and the clash of metal swords could be heard all around. I could hear the hissing sound of the blade when it cut through the air and narrowly missed my shoulder. Complicated tactics must be used at the right time within Fencing. One wrong move could mean the end of a competitor’s chances. With their athletically poised, swift and efficient in style fencers – Carsten and Dimitri, Bromham won the house event, continuing Bromham’s two year reign as Fencing champions.

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Article written by

Jasper Tsao

STUNNING SPORTS DAY Article written by

Emmanuel Adeyemi

Sport is an integral part of school life at Bedford School and for the more precocious of boys in this field, Sports Day was an early opportunity to showcase their athletic ability. As my 200m race approached, I prepared myself. I was determined to help contribute to Bromham’s title challenge, despite being engulfed by nerves. I ran my race smoothly and coasted to victory. I was ecstatic afterwards and my excitement carried through into my other two events in which I came 2nd in the A Long Jump and produced a strong opening leg in the relay. However, as much as credit is given to the talented, I would also like to give mentions to those who got through their races with sheer effort and determination, even though, initially, they may not have competed in their favoured event or begrudgingly agreed to participate. Across the board in the longer distances, after conversing with boys before their races, I found many disgruntled at the thought of running the 1500m.

n Tuesday the 29th of September, Sports Day came around. It was a swelteringly hot day and as it was my first one in the Upper School, I was taken aback by the sudden realisation of the long walk to the Athletics Stadium. When I arrived, the stark difference in atmosphere was vast. This year I saw a crowd packed to the rafters, vibrancy and much jostling as boys vied for places to sit.

Nevertheless, commitment and perseverance was exemplified again and again. The day was capped off by the relays, as usual. In Fourth Form, Bromham finished a narrow fourth, but I would like to talk about the prominent Sixth Form relay. Bromham’s relay team won this captivating finale, as Faysal Olabooye streaked away from a chasing pack. This impressive feat was topped off by the fact that all four boys were in Year 12, while other house’s had a mixture of both Years 12 and 13 in their Sixth Form relays.

One other major different at this year’s Sports Day for me was the class on show. As a sprinter myself, I was obviously anticipating the 100, 200 and 400m sprints in all years, but I kept an eye on other events around the circuit. I caught glimpses of the heady heights cleared by the high jumpers and the brute strength applied in the javelin and discus. However, when the sprints came round I was glued to them. The rapidity of boys in the older years made me understand what I would like to aspire to; as for now, I am just appreciating the fierceness of the competition as Ryan Apps, Timmy Pong and Teepee Princewill stormed to 100m victory in Years 9, 10 and 11 respectively.

Overall, Sports Day was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Despite the fact that Bromham came last, it was an exciting day that fulfilled my expectations for a hot, sunny afternoon and I can’t wait until next year to experience the thrill of sports day again.

M O S A I C

Artwork by Max Foules

ELEVATOR RIDE WITH GOD Article written by

Tedd Hicks

I’m stuck in the Lift, going flat I think – you cannot possibly tell from the mechanics of the Lift how it works, or why, but I presume it goes forward, attached to the linear line of time.

between Hydrogen and Oxygen, and promptly fills up the deep crevices of the Earth’s glorious body rolls, leaving dry land areas. ‘Good.’ The first cell division occurs before me (they blamed the split on the husband’s obsession with his career) and trees blossomed the world over. Fruit fell like soldiers in a battle, slain by their own commanding power. ‘Good.’ I look upwards and this is being repeated countless times from within the raven’s wings casting dots of light out from the high roof of Space. A ball of flaming gas ignites and burns, but how can something so beautiful last forever? The Earth’s younger sister floats, holding the edges of her sister’s skirt, peeping out from behind her legs at the creation happening in front of her. ‘Good.’ The ravens and doves cease their argument. They descend, splitting like meteors into millions of different birds – I see glimmers of Toucans before they descent into the Amazonic head of hair the Earth has, I see Dodo’s flapping – to no avail, and sparrows, like shoals of the fish now in the seas, flit around the countryside of the Earth’s stomach. ‘Good.’

urrounding me are four walls of tinted glass, black as the pupil I see in my eye, from the glossy reflection. Bang! Stop. The glass grows increasingly translucent into transparent and transfiguring ahead is the Earth, our Earth. It is beautiful. The curvature of her waist is perfectly round, her figure perfect, her bodily position in the universal impeccable for life to be able to spawn. I am so mesmerised that I miss the expanding heavens fly by like immense coal-black ravens. The darkness shoots ahead as the ravens race each other, pushing forward on and on, out of sight they vanish – the darkness stretching on to the very gates of heaven. A voice comes through the Elevator speakers: ‘Good.’ And so we move on. The Elevator shoots forward, following the ravens. Take That’s ‘Shine’ muffles its way through the speakers, and abruptly the darkness is gone. The ravens are joined by snow white doves, visible in the distance, beating their wings, racing against time. The ravens cry ‘Night!’ in their complaining speech, the doves coo back ‘Day’, in the first lucrative effort that attempting to keep peace is, that began from the doves of heaven.

The Elevator judders to a stop. Man is formed. I reach out of the window and touch the fluid that is swirling like wet plaster. It feels depressing to the touch. Finished. He does look like an Adam. Out of his rib spawns a woman – she looks like a Gloria.

A voice comes through the Elevator speakers: ‘Good.’ And so we move on

A voice comes through the Elevator speakers: ‘Good.’ And so we move on. I nod to the man in the corner, white beard and robe, speaking though a microphone. ‘Good.’ he says. I agree.

Again, the Elevator flies along the ever swelling gluttony that is the Elevator track of time. Water is formed from a reaction

Artwork by Ivan Gosolov

Artwork by Patrick O’Riordan

Artwork by Charley O’Keefe

Artwork by George Cave

WITHOUT HER Article written by

Andes Lee

Climbing has always been my dream. Watching people climbing to the top of Mt. Everest was the most exciting thing to do. I’ve always wanted my life to be that interesting and my wife helped me to achieve it.

limbing has always been my dream. Watching people climbing to the top of Mt. Everest was the most exciting thing to do. I’ve always wanted my life to be that interesting and my wife helped me to achieve it. I met my wife in the Geography Club at school. We fell in love at first sight. My wife was called Marika. She is Japanese. She told me that there were volcanoes everywhere in Japan. They’re mountains, but ones that you are not able to climb. That’s why she came out from Japan: to climb mountains. We got along really well. Very soon, we married and settled down in the US. I worked in a fabric factory, she was a Geography teacher. Marika got quite a lot of money from being a teacher. We got enough money to go for a trip. As you can see, money was not a problem, but Marika’s health was. She had had heart problems since she was very young. She was already lucky enough to move out to the US to live with me. Back to the main topic, Marika went to the hospital several times. And we always ended up not going for any trips. Finally, one summer, Marika was free from work, and so was I. We went to Nepal with our climbing items. We were going to climb Mt. Everest! Although it was summer, it would still be very cold on the 62

mountains. We brought some very big coats. The weather forecast said that there would be no storm in the next few days, so we thought it would be the perfect chance. Before climbing, we met a few people who were going to climb on Mt. Everest too. We set off together. I could finally achieve my dream! On day one, we were doing fine. The weather was peaceful. The temperature was quite warm. I felt that we were like Tenzing and Hillary, the first two people to climb to the top of Mt. Everest. Marika was also very excited. Night-time came very fast. We set up tents beside a group of yaks. Marika couldn’t stop hugging them. She said that they were so soft and warm. I was glad to see my wife that happy. It was also her dream to climb the highest mountains in the world. I thought that climbing would take a long time, but we climbed faster than I thought. Soon enough, we had already reached half of the mountain, which was about 4,000m high. We could already see some other mountain-tops. I noticed that Marika was behind us, walking slower than us. I started to get worried about her. It started to get a bit windy, but it was still fine for us. The sunset was really beautiful. A giant, orange sphere, peeking at us behind the mountains. The light shone on us, as if

God had told us to continue the journey. We set up another tent at a higher point. While I was readying for dinner, I saw Marika sitting on a big rock, gazing at the clear sky, with bright stars blinking at her. I brought some hot lemon water to her. “Are you ok?” I asked. She nodded, staring at the night sky. She smiled, a very small smile. Then she looked at me. “We really should continue, shouldn’t we?” She asked in a small voice. I nodded and kissed her forehead. The other day, the people that climbed with us said that they had reached their limit, so they would go back down. And so, only me and Marika, we climbed above the clouds. For a moment, I felt snow floating down. Then, a snow storm started blowing! It kept trying to blow us away! Marika grabbed hold of my coat. We slowly walked further up. We would never give up!

“Honey… I’m cold... and tired…” Marika whispered. Then she fell down. I was really shocked, “Marika! Marika!” I shouted! “Honey… Finish the climb… I’d die… when we go back… down anyway…” She was exhausted. I started to cry, but instead of water, the tears were ice. I’ve made my decision! I carried Marika on my back, and we slowly walked to the top. At the same moment, the sun came out. I put Marika down. I looked at her, she was clearly dead. I looked at the sun. “Look, Marika, we’ve reached the top…” Back home, my doctor told me that I needed to cut off one of my legs because of frostbite. He told me that I couldn’t climb mountains anymore. I was really sad. After the surgery, I slowly walked to Marika’s grave with a stick. I stood in front of her grave, and stared. I thought for a while… “Then I’ll climb the small ones.”

Artwork by Shay Boyd

EMPTY ROOM Her face was brimming with joy, however defilement heavily invaded it as well; her lips shimmered with ecstasy.

Article written by

Sebastiano O’Grady

She remembered that it hurt.

et, there was so much agony and torture buried deep beneath this reassuring stare. She felt no need for the luxuries of the upper class society; the only necessity in life was family. Perpetual abuse would haunt her day by day, yet she continued to stand there smiling. Zudora Chand was a withering old lady, nearing her expiry date. At the astonishing age of 97, Zudora was always content and ready for the hard day of work ahead. Or so people thought. Deep within her large grin, were the secrets and horrors of her harrowing past. Through the glare of her eyes, she told a story, a story that only she could fully understand.

She remembered feeling the pain as if it was a painting she had seen for the first time: the anticipation. The anxiousness. Perfection was the pain she felt. The pain of feeling empty when her breaths escaped like blood from an open wound. The perfection of feeling weightless as the entirety of her body moved while the heart inside her beat restlessly in amongst her imprisoning ribs. Withdrawing herself from reality had made her delusional. Everything became detached like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle; her emotions floating aimlessly in her head. ‘Beautiful’ they called her, because she was. ‘Graceful’ they called her, because she had to be. But she was sick. She knew that.

It was a beautiful summer day in Mumbai, the sun was glittering; no different to usual. The old woman looked out the window with sorrow. It was unusual for her, but something was different. A scent drifted within the air. A sickly scent. Prickly against her nose. As it wafted through the crevices of her open pores, she knew it was time to begin the long day ahead of her. There was something wrong though… as she stood there, she could hear the voice of her husband.

She would look in the mirror, and talk with the monster staring back at her. It would have a permanent mask glued to its face, concealing its true identity, much like Zudora. An overwhelming sadness shattered her life. But she was ‘perfection’. She ‘…was going to become a big deal one day’. No one could see past this mask of emotions and insecurities. She was perfection in the eyes of pain. She was insane. She was a monster created by her own mistakes; her own distortions.

“Good morning sweetheart… I love you.” She was immediately snapped out of her daze. Vishal would always lift her spirits, no matter the situation. He took her hand and led her to the field, where they would work together every day. Vishal and Zudora lived a happy life. They had been married for 78 years, and gave birth to three beautiful children, who were now off working in east Mumbai. This love they had was so strong, yet his words pierced her. He tried to be the best man he could, but his efforts always ended up short.

As reality and fantasy seemed to collide, she didn’t know what was real anymore. Broken. She was broken like shattered glass. The perfect life now began to fade, and emptiness made a dramatic return. She turned to seek happiness from Vishal, but all she could see was an empty room.

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Artwork by Ben Wilshaw-Quinn

Artwork by Jake Carter

IN A CZECH CAFÉ… Article written by

Conor Hilliard

I first met Mr. Stamford in a café in Prague

mmediately upon shaking his cool, smooth hand, I felt an unmistakeable tingle of lightning travel up my arm. Alright then Ivan. This isn’t like before, I thought, struggling to maintain my calm, this is serious. Speak when spoken to, and for God’s sake, keep your cool. He was very much aloof, his mildly handsome face giving nothing away. I knew his reputation, of course, and I did not disagree with it. At least, not until later on in life, after I got to know him a little better. In the early years of our correspondence, I disliked his mannerisms intensely, but, after all this time, I am glad to have known him. Whilst intense, abrupt, and abominably rude, I would not trade the world for knowing Mr. Stamford. I remember how well polished his expensive black shoes were, that first time we met. I remember them looking so shiny I could see myself in them. Somebody had done a good job that morning. His navy-blue suit was so sharp I was worried he would cut himself upon the lapel. I will never forget the tie he wore; it was red, but not a warm ruby or a vibrant crimson. It was dark, and I queasily thought that it was stained with someone’s blood. It took me a while to look up after that, but I soon did. Immediately, I was pierced by his rather queer eyes. They were a silver grey, like moonlight on water, and they seemed to search my very soul. They glimmered with a shrewd, keen intelligence, and I felt entirely unsettled by their unflinching gaze. They were cold too, and I could feel an icy 68

sternness emanating from them. His nose was also noteworthy, for it was long and hooked, and sharp as his eyes. Mr. Stamford always looked like a hawk, and I was the tasty field mouse he had begun to circle over. We sat in silence for a moment or two, but not because we could not think of what to say. Rather, it was because he was not yet ready to talk. I’d had this before. Most men of power are the same: trying to unnerve you by ignoring you, or keeping you waiting. It never usually worked on me, but Ernest Stamford was very different. You could feel his presence and his power just from sitting opposite him. When he spoke, his voice picked at the words he wanted to say, like a vulture picking at carrion. His Czech was a little too impeccable for my taste. There was no trace of an English accent in his voice, which I was a little unsettled by. I was no stranger to Englishmen, but I was used to having to speak through an interpreter, but, then again, this was not just any Englishman. This was Ernest Stamford. I didn’t know that much about him back then – nobody did – but what I did know was sketchy and confusing at best. It was clear by the way he held himself that he was comfortable in his station, and was aware of his own importance. I’d heard the phrase ‘born leader’ before, but I wasn’t quite sure that I’d ever met someone who epitomised the words so completely. I was once told that he inherited his aura from his grandfather, a well-renowned general in the British Army who had helped mastermind

the famous D-Day landings. However, I was not so sure about this. Mr. Stamford’s power was a different sort to the strength of your average grunt. He perhaps gained his presence from his education. I knew that Mr. Stamford went to one of the best private schools in the world, and it was there that he made many of the connections that he has today. After leaving school he went to Oxford University and studied Law, before abandoning that for a degree in Politics. By the age of twenty-four he was climbing high in Britain’s Foreign Office, and was one of the youngest ever aides to John Major. By twenty-seven he was serving as one of the United Kingdom’s main ambassadors to Eastern Europe. My predecessor had many dealings with Mr. Stamford, and the two had a healthy respect for one another, although they never got along. Whilst Ernest’s career was a shining beacon of success, his private life was another matter entirely. His elder brother, and father are both senior politicians in the British Home Office and I learned later on that Ernest has always harboured great resentment towards his relatives. I often wonder if this was the reason he had chosen to join the Foreign Office - to further distance himself from his, rather frankly, incredibly successful and prolific family. He has not spoken to his parents in over twenty years, and has absolutely no desire to break that streak now. His sister is beloved by him, but only because they were both virtually ignored by his parents in favour of his brother. I have no doubt that he had great affection for her deep down, but he often publicly lamented how he, “…had to babysit her for my entire bloody childhood.” We talked at great length about how the United Kingdom might or might not involve herself in our debacle with the Slovaks. Whilst the situation was still mostly peaceful, many in power were unsure of how long it would be before violence broke out. We wanted support from the West.

He didn’t speak much. He allowed me to tell him what I was told to tell, and then, very patiently, asked me what I thought. At first, I was unsure, and then it clicked. It was then that I realised why Ernest Stamford was such a successful politician, such a great ambassador. It was something I’ve seen him do time and time again, in meeting after meeting. When asked about the major decisions, the world changing issues, he always wanted to know what would happen to the people. I’ve often encountered those who claim to know Mr. Stamford. I had the honour of attending Bill Clinton’s first inaugural speech in 1993, on behalf of President Havel, to ensure a good impression on the new American administration. Whilst there, I was approached by a young American aide, and we spoke a while. A little later on, Ernest and I exchanged glances, which the young American picked up on. “Oh,” he said abruptly, “I wasn’t aware you knew Mr. Stamford. Unpleasant fella, ain’t he?” I asked him why he thought so, to which he replied: “I’ve never seen a guy so constantly pissed off about the world.” I can quite securely say that this aide was very wrong about Mr. Stamford. Whilst he always seemed to be a cold, callous Machiavellian git, he hid a tender warmth that very few were privy to. I am immeasurably fortunate indeed to have seen this side of Ernest Stamford, good fortune which I have only fate to thank for. Without knowing Ernest, I certainly would not have been able to spend so much time interacting with the British Foreign Office, and thus would not have been able to connect with and meet some of the most powerful and influential men and women in the world – and I can tell you in strict confidence that these connections have helped me out many times over the past twenty years – but I, along with many of my fellow Czechs and Slovaks, 69

may still have our lives because of Ernest’s political deftness. I cannot say for definite what would have happened if our meeting in that café in Prague had not occurred, or at least, had been different, but I am certainly glad Ernest helped us prevent any kind of violence in the autumn and winter of 1992. In recent years, Mr. Stamford has moved on from the dreary push-and-pull of British politics – although I have no doubt that the Labour victory of ’97 pushed him to leave the Foreign Office behind. I regret to say that we have not met since then, although I have heard whispers along the proverbial pipeline. One British socialite told me on my recent visit to London that he’d taken up work in the Civil Service once more, and would resurface with the next Conservative Parliament, although her husband quickly told her that the Conservatives wouldn’t win another election for at least ten years. We talked a little on that, and the man told me that Labour had too strong a hold to break any time soon. Ernest’s successor told me, when he came to Prague in late ’99, that Ernest had moved into the secret service, working on international relations behind the scenes. “How is it you came to know this?” I asked, curious as to the disposition of my old friend. The man began speaking in English – his Czech was not quite as good as I’d expected (Ernest had spoiled me in that regard) – and the interpreter hurried to catch up, “Nothing has been confirmed yet, Mr. Dvorak, and I

enter the realm of speculation for you. But, I knew Mr. Stamford too, and I know that you had little notice of his resignation.” The Englishman mulled his words carefully. “There are those of us,” he said slowly, quietly, “in the American and British governments that believe the situation in the Middle East is getting out of hand. From what I can gather, Mr. Stamford has been involved in talks with the Israeli and Iraqi Prime Ministers, trying to diffuse the tensions there.” Good luck with that, I thought to myself. Ernest was doomed to fail in his mission, the world later discovered, but that was still years in the future. We were young then, and the world seemed so bright. The Oil Wars were a distant horror on the darkening horizon of the twenty-first century. I knew that, if Ernest did pull off a miracle and diffuse the powder keg that was the Middle East, he would become one of the unsung heroes of Western – if not world – politics. Just like he had in Prague on those warm summer days in 1992, he would create a peace that the history books would say was destined to be. In a way, I was glad for my old friend. This was what he loved doing: worldchanging politics. He seemed arrogant, but I often thought that it was not without cause. Ernest was undoubtedly a brilliant politician, and one of the greatest minds this century has seen. He was where he belonged, and I wished him luck in it.

Artwork by Benson Chan

LIVING WEAPONS Article written by

Angus Watson

It all began with a theory.

riginally, it was merely a fictional device, used in a few cheap novels and films. Then people started looking into the possibilities it contained. A few of them were academics. The vast majority were conspiracy theorists. All of them were dismissed. The theorists were said to be nutters and the academics, protected by the respectability of higher thought and learning, were called eccentrics. No one would have guessed that they were right. The theory began when computers were still new technology, and the possibilities they contained were just starting to be explored. When the crudest of AI was created, these fragmentary ideas coalesced into a whole. Essentially, it stated that our reality as we knew it did not really exist. It posited that it was theoretically possible to create simulations which could contain entire universes with a sufficiently advanced computer, and if that was possible, it was highly likely that our universe was nothing more than a piece of extremely complicated software. Of course no one believed it. The entire concept was ridiculous. The notion that we were just a computer program was nothing more than the brainchild of a crackpot, and a deranged one at that. Cogitamus Ergo Sumus. We think therefore we are. To say that the revelation that the eccentrics were right came as a shock to the world would be to understate it. There were mass suicides. Several governments were toppled in brutal civil wars. Religions were created and destroyed. And millions denied the facts 72

that lay in front of them. Ironically enough, we found out the truth through a simulation of our own. A massive supercomputer was built in Switzerland, designed to make billions of calculations per second, the idea being that in a few short months we would uncover all the laws of physics, and the universe would hold no more mysteries. It worked in a way. The veil of our ‘reality’ was ripped apart, to uncover the coding that lay beneath. Our entire existence, world, biological make up and science, rendered down to a few trillion numbers. It was only a short matter of time before scientists were looking into the code, trying to translate it. It took nearly 3 centuries but we finally deciphered it. And if the original revelation was shocking, the second was orders of magnitude greater. We had creators. But they weren’t anything like we imagined they would be. They weren’t gods or divine by any human measure. If anything they remarkably like us, except for a few key factors. Firstly, they had about a billion more years of technological development than us. Secondly, their society was different. They didn’t have inter-species warfare. They didn’t have any kind of capacity for aggression, or a desire to conquer or kill. There were none of the freaks or ‘aberrants’ that appear in human society. Madness and rage were unknown to them. Their genetics simply didn’t give them the physical capacity to fight or hate. This of course led to leading minds questioning why our creators made us so similar to them, and yet so different. The question was soon

would be concluded, and our simulation would be deleted.

answered. We found other simulations, hundreds of them, all created in our maker’s image except for the same key factors. All of them were designed to fight, made for warfare.

Of course, now humanity had something to unite itself, something which it had never had before - a common enemy. And of course we responded to the threat the way humanity usually responds when we find something that is strange and incomprehensible to us. We started trying to find a way to kill it. Our creators had sown the seeds for their own demise. The first step was for us to push the simulation even faster. We succeeded, and managed to “slow down” time so that a decade for us could pass in a few seconds in their world. We started looking into ways to get out of the simulation, and into their world. Eventually, we found that we could export the information containing our consciences into microchips. Then scientists brought back the simulation as close to real time as possible, and took remote control of one of their AI controlled factories. They gene-built new bodies for our armies, then moved their minds into the bodies. And then we went to war. As we soon found out, it could barely be called a war. Our progenitors had never experienced such a thing, and had no way to fight back. After a comprehensive genocide, we were in complete control. We expanded outwards into the rest of their galaxy, killing the rest of them with the unreasoning hatred and fear mankind has always reserved for its gods.

We managed to covertly hack into alien technology, uncovering historical records and chronologies and therein we found the reason for our existence. A century ago, the vast interstellar empire of our creators had come under attack from another species. Confounded by their own genetic limitations, they responded to the problem by committing their brightest minds to finding a way to defend themselves. The answer was us. Humanity, and others like us, were created to be living weapons, bred for the sole purpose of warfare, our entire existential purpose to kill. It was fairly simple really. They created a simulation of a universe, rearranged a few key parts of their DNA, and fed the information into a computer, and then sped up the simulation so that millions of years would pass in simulation and we would be a finished product in a few short years. You had to admire their creativity. We were the ultimate self-perpetuating project. There was no maintenance or guiding hand needed, no time consuming research. Just create us, and let us fight amongst ourselves for thousands of years, developing innovative new ways to kill each other along the way. Then when we had reached a final level of development, take the necessary information, change it again to remove free will and reasoning, and put the finished product into gene-building technology. Of course, there had been a little interference to give us a helping hand along the way. The Crusades had been a test experiment to see what we could do with large scale warfare. Using the information from there, they created more conflicts. The Napoleonic wars were the first of their “developmental aids”. As were the two World Wars. Millions of lives lost, for the sole purpose of us learning to fight more effectively. We then learned what they had in stock for us next. Warfare on a scale not yet seen, to give us one last push before we were “complete”. Then their research

We soon met other species. Some of them did know how to fight, but they were nothing compared to us, our entire species a machine forged for war. We were a virus in the system of the universe, and we spread quickly, burning and killing as we went. It has been 102 years since we came to this place. We have yet to encounter anything that can stop us. Soon we will reach the edges of this reality, having conquered everything and crushed it all beneath our heel. Then, lacking a target on which to vent our rage, we will in all likelihood turn on each other in an orgy of violence, victims of our own nature. But we will survive, and we will endure. None shall stand before us.

Artwork by Max Foules

Artwork by Domenik Kharzaliya

THE MAID Article written by

Jamie Williams

When Father, Mother and I moved to Mentmore Place, a fine house on the corner of Bromsgrove Street, Kent, we thought that we were going to have a jolly nice time.

ue to Father’s job, we had to move from our cosy cottage in Green Lane, and this was the next best thing, we all agreed. The agent said something very curious when we signed the deed for the house, however. He said that no one wanted to buy it, albeit it was one of the finest houses for miles around. The last people who lived in it, he said, moved out almost as soon as they moved in, because of a ‘disturbance’, which we thought very strange. But we took it all the same. When we arrived at Mentmore Place, we shuddered. A fierce storm was brewing and, to top it all off, the building itself was very ominous, with a dark, crumbling chimney, and a weathered, ancient door with a brass knocker. Inside, however, it was warm and dry. A comfortable log fire burned brightly, and the plush armchairs were so comfortable you could literally sink into them. Our hearts lifted as we stepped inside and saw a delicious spread laid out on the table. ‘Golly!’ I cried out. ‘I think God reserved this house just for us!’ ‘But who could have made it all?’ asked my mother. ‘Who could have set the fire?’ ‘I did, ma’am,’ piped a shrill little voice. A small, mousy maid came into the hall. She looked very gaunt and frail, despite her young age. ‘My name is Flora, ma’am, and I shall be your maid in the house as long as 76

you wish to stay here. Dinner is served.’ We all sat down. Mother frowned. ‘But the agent didn’t say that a maid lived here…’ Life passed quite pleasantly in the house for some weeks. Every day, though, there was a strange occurrence. At precisely 3 o’clock, an aged man with a hunched back came hobbling down the lane, which was seldom used by anyone but us. He was dressed all in black, and sported a top hat and a polished cane. We thought him to be very solemn and mysterious, so we asked Flora who he was. ‘Erm… he’s Mr Archibald, ma’am. He used to be the village doctor before his back gave out.’ As she was saying this, her hands were shaking violently, so we left her be. And this happened again, and again, for several weeks. And each day we asked Flora more and more about this ghostly Mr Archibald. And each day she turned white as a sheet and said the same thing as before, ‘He used to be the village doctor before his back gave out.’ One Saturday afternoon, my mother was pruning roses in the garden, when Mr Archibald walked past. My mother, being a civil lady, looked up and said politely, ‘Good morning Mr Archibald.’ Mr Archibald stopped, and turned towards

my mother. ‘Hello,’ he said kindly, and my mother noticed something. His usually ruddy complexion had turned completely white, and there was a white lily in his lapel. ‘How do you know my name?’ ‘Oh,’ Mother said. ‘Flora, our maid told us your name. Oh, sir!’ she exclaimed, upon seeing the shocked look on Mr Archibald’s face. ‘Whatever’s the matter?’ Mr Archibald withdrew a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped his forehead, brows furrowed. ‘Of course,’ he said. ‘You wouldn’t know- you’re new to the village. Flora died…. a year ago.’ Now it was my mother’s turn to go deathly white, as Mr Archibald continued. ‘Today is the first anniversary of her tragic death. She drank poison- I don’t know why. A doctor tried to save her, but he couldn’t. That’s why the previous occupants left.’ My mother, still pale, and quivering with fright, murmured thanks to Mr Archibald, who left in

a sombre fashion, still hobbling on his stick. She had a solitary rose in hand as she turned to walk back up the garden path towards the house. One of its thorns dug into her palm, but she was too scared to notice, not even when a small trickle of blood started to spread down the sleeve of her white linen dress. A fortnight later, as we were making the final packing preparations, Mr Archibald came up the lane again. He shuffled sadly up the garden path to my mother. ‘I can see why you are leaving,’ he said. ‘I’m very sensitive,’ Mother muttered to him. ‘Thank you very much for telling me about this, so we could find another house. Goodbye, Mr Archibald.’ ‘Goodbye, Mrs Parker,’ said he, and turned away. But as the aged doctor swung open the gate to the lane, I distinctly heard him say, ‘Oh Flora, my only daughter… I wish I could have saved you.’

Artwork by Josh Taylor

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