Welcome Hello and welcome to the second ever issue of Boystuff Magazine. You’ve probably noticed that this issue already looks a little bit, okay a lot a bit, different to last time and that is because of some changes in management. Henry Jones, the former editor, has moved and left the magazine in the capable hands of Michael Birchall and the slightly less capable hands of myself, Jordan Hines. Despite the stylistic changes, I can assure you that this issue is going to be every bit as enjoyable as the last one and we have plenty of interesting articles and features for your reading pleasure. From video games to books, murderous teenagers to Motorsport this issue will definitely have something for each and every one of you to enjoy. And on that note, I’d like to formally welcome you to Boystuff Magazine, issue 02. Enjoy!
This month’s contributors… Jordan Hines
- Co-editor of the magazine and lover of just about everything with wheels
Michael Birchall
- The other co-editor, I don’t know what to say about him. He’s alright I guess even though he bullies me :(
Ben Fisher
- At just 11 years old, Ben is our youngest contributor by 4 years. He knows just about everything when it comes to Minecraft though!
Oliver Lipscomb - A 15 year morris dancer from Hampshire keen to get others involved Billy Buckley 2
- The only non-British contributor; 13 year old Billy lives in Australia
In this issue…
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The basics of Minecraft My name is Ben and one of my hobbies is Minecraft. Minecraft is a game where the player has to eat and survive in a large world. Minecraft ranges on a number of different platforms, from PS to iOS, from Android to Xbox and PC, as well as many more. The main idea of Minecraft is for the player to build houses, mines or anything they want to. Most blocks can be crafted into something else, like four wood planks make a crafting table, or a block of wood makes four wood planks. Weapons and tools can also be crafted, like swords, bows and pickaxes, as well as many more.
I would recommend that if available, for a new player to start on the Tutorial as you can pick up lots of hints and tips on there. Minigames are also available for consoles and PCs, where you can fight, have fun, or just play with friends, which you can also do in Multiplayer mode, on any world. There are half-blocks in the game as well, which are called slabs, which are half the size of normal blocks, and a disadvantage of placing them next to lights is they dim them significantly. There are a range of different lights, which are Redstone Lamps, Glowstone, Sea Lanterns, Torches, as well as Redstone Torches, which not only provide a dim light, but also give off a Redstone signal. A farm would also be advisable, which will give you food, which is vital to your person’s survival. You may also want hunting helpers, which are tame wolves. Tame them by giving them bones, which are dropped by a skeleton when killed. Cows and Sheep will follow you if you have Wheat in your hand, Pigs will follow you if you have a Carrot, and Chickens if you have Nether Wart, only obtainable in a Witches Hut or in the Nether 4
dimension. Wheat seeds can also be obtained by destroying Wheat in a village to get wheat and seeds, or just mine grass that grows on Grass blocks. Watch out for Monsters at night, or sleep in a bed to skip to the next day. Monsters want to kill you, but most of them will die after burning in the daylight. The only Monsters that will survive are Creepers and Spiders. If you see a Spider during the daytime, don’t attack it. Instead, just ignore it. It will only attack in the day if you attack them. Creepers will remain hostile, though, so watch out for them!!! If the game is set to Hard mode, there is a high chance that Monsters will spawn with enchanted armour. If they are wearing a helmet, they will not burn during the daylight. Occasionally, they will spawn with tools or weapons. When they are killed they will drop armour nine out of ten times, but will rarely drop weapons. These are only the basics of Minecraft, so if you are thinking of getting this game, now you know how to survive!!! You can also pick up tips on YouTube, as a number of You Tubers produce Minecraft videos.
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The story of Paul Henry Gingerich In 2010, in the State of Indiana, USA, a 12 year old boy helped another boy to commit a murder. Both boys were subsequently tried in adult courts and ended up with long prison sentences as a result. But the public outcry about Paul Henry Gingerich’s case has now led to a new law being passed which allowed a judge to recently change that boy’s original sentence so that he will now be released as early as next year into the care of his mother, with strict probation conditions. Gingerich, along with Paul Danner, murdered Danner’s stepfather during 2010 in a case that shocked the world. The images of two relatively babyfaced boys being held in shackles in the public view, during their initial interrogation and subsequent court appearances, made headlines around the world. Can you even begin to imagine what it must have been like for a 12 year old boy to enter prison, albeit a Juvenile Correction Facility? However, Paul Henry Gingerich has been able to make the most of his six years at the Pendleton location, doing exceptionally well in the school there and gaining lots of academic qualifications. This is despite having a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease, which narrows the digestive tract and makes eating difficult. He has undergone multiple surgeries during his time in prison so far. Crohn’s disease is incurable and Gingerich will have to put up with all that it brings for the rest of his life. Pictures and footage taken for a ground-breaking documentary about Gingerich’s progress in prison showed him in a small cell with only a few books, a small table, a stool, a bed and four bare concrete breeze block walls for company. No television, radio or any form of pictures on the walls allowed. His dress code consisted of white underclothing, green shirts and beige trousers. His cell was painted in a dull grey colour scheme. But he was, by the time the footage was taken, used to his surroundings and doing well there. He was also genuinely remorseful about his actions that led him to be there in the first instance, something he repeated during his recent new sentence hearing.
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Upon release, Gingerich faces 10 years of strict supervision during which he intends to gain further major academic qualifications. The public and media interest in this particular case, seem to have had a positive effect on his future. Whether it seems like that to him whilst he is in prison awaiting release, is difficult to gauge but, here at Boystuff Magazine we are sure that Paul Henry Gingerich would agree with us that crime, in any form, does not pay, and is best avoided‌‌..
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JENNINGS AND DARBISHIRE: A series of vintage comedy books for boys. The Jennings series is a collection of novels written by Anthony Buckeridge (1912–2004), as children's literature, and concern the humorous escapades of J.C.T. Jennings, a schoolboy at Linbury Court preparatory school in England. There are 23 novels in the series, excluding reprints and other material. The first of the series, Jennings Goes to School (ISBN 0-333-65523-0), appeared in 1950, and new titles were published regularly until the mid-1970s (the last was Jennings at Large, published in 1977, the only novel to feature Jennings during the school holidays), with two more volumes following in the 1990s (Jennings Again in 1991, and That's Jennings in 1994). The earliest ten novels in the series were reprinted in the UK in paperback, by Armada Books, in the late 1960s; and many of the novels were translated from the original English into foreign languages. Quite often, the character's name was not even retained: when published in France, Jennings' name was changed to "Bennett"; in Norway he was known as "Stompa"; and in Brazil, when published during the 1970s, the character's name became "Johnny".
Much of the humour rests on misunderstandings attributable to Jennings's literal-mindedness and impetuosity. In the earliest novels in the series there are some Latin puns (typically omitted from later reprints), but Buckeridge discontinued these, apparently to maximise their appeal. The earlier novels present an idealised version of rural or small-town, middle class English life in the years between the Second World War and the social revolution of the 1960s; the later ones are still rooted in this era (as Buckeridge admitted) but reflect the changing times surprisingly well. Unlike many of his fans, Buckeridge tended to prefer his later books to his earlier ones, possibly because he was a man of the Left and had more positive political memories of the post-1964 period; when the books were reprinted in paperback in the late 1980s, he chose some of the later books for early publication ahead of those originally written in the 1950s. The stories invented some vernacular language for the boys to use. In particular they coined the word "ozard". The post-war slang "wizard" 8
generally meant "good" or "very good". "Ozard" derives from "Wizard of Oz" and was used to describe anything the boys disliked or dreaded. It was also used to describe the anger of Mr. Wilkins, which could be "ozard", "ozard squared" and occasionally "ozard cubed". An alternative possibility is that "Ozard" was simply short for "The Opposite of Wizard" i.e., bad.
• J. C. T. (John Christopher Timothy) Jennings — son of a businessman whose home is at Haywards Heath in the stockbroker belt. He is good-natured and well-meaning, but his tendency to act on impulse results in him getting in to trouble frequently. Buckeridge told BBC reporter Michael Crick that the fictional Jennings had been modelled on a schoolfriend, Diarmaid Jennings (1913–2009). • C. E. J. (Charles Edwin Jeremy) Darbishire — mild-mannered and short-sighted, the son of a clergyman, the Reverend Percival Darbishire, from whom he has inherited a habit of sententiously citing proverbs (generally prefixed with "My father says..."). Darbishire is Jennings's righthand man. Inherently more cautious than his best friend, he usually finds himself drawn into situations in which he would rather not be involved. • Venables, Atkinson, Temple, Bromwich (Major) — all are classmates of Jennings in Form 3, and fellow boarders, who share dormitory 4 with Jennings and Darbishire. Temple's nickname was Bod, by a tortuous schoolboy logic involving his initials: CAT (Charles A Temple), was changed to DOG, then amended to 'Dogsbody', which was finally shortened to 'Bod'. • Pettigrew, Marshall — day boys in Jennings' form, whose privileges Jennings frequently "borrows" in order to assist him in bending school rules. • Binns Minor, Blotwell — shrill-voiced first-formers who are treated with the condescension appropriate to their junior years by Jennings and his contemporaries. 9
• Mr L. P. (Lancelot Phineas) Wilkins (Old Wilkie) — Jennings's form master, a man of limited patience and a volcanic temperament, redeemed by a hidden heart of gold at least once in every book. • Mr Michael Carter — Jennings's housemaster, a friendly man of great imperturbability and patience, with a phenomenal and unfortunate ability to detect dissembling and violations of school rules. Nicknamed "Benedick", from his use of the Latin phrase "benedicto, benedicatur" (the second word sounding like "Benedick Carter"). This character was said by Buckeridge to be based on himself. • Mr M. W. B. (Martin Winthrop Barlow) Pemberton-Oakes (The Archbeako) — the headmaster, a classical scholar with a capacity to command immediate discipline and frequently long-winded in his speeches, although he generally remains reserved and softly-spoken, and never hesitates to deliver praise when it is due. • Mr Hind — Music master, mild of manner (though occasionally acerbic), trailing clouds of smoke from his cherrywood pipe — also teaches art to Form 1. • Mr Topliss — teaches shooting once a week in shooting range behind gymnasium. • Matron — the school matron: she is sympathetic and understanding, but, like Mr Carter, has a keen ability to spot malingerers. • Miss Angela Birkenshaw (Aunt Angela) — Jennings's absentminded but generous aunt, who sometimes comes to visit Jennings on half-term holidays. In the book "Jennings at Large", she is revealed to be a social worker. Most of the first names of characters have been revealed (John Christopher Timothy Jennings; Charles Edwin Jeremy Darbishire; Graham Venables; Robin Atkinson; Charles Temple, etc.), but true to the form of British boarding schools, they generally are known exclusively by their 10
surnames. Similarly, the masters too generally address one another by their surnames. Minor recurring characters: •
Hawkins (Old Nightie) — the night watchman.
• Robinson (Old Pyjamas/Old Robbo) — the oddjob man. His nickname Is obviously a pun on the nightwatchman's nickname of Old Nightie (a shortening of nightgown). • Lieutenant General Sir Melville Merridew DSO MC Bart — retired general, the school's most distinguished alumnus, and frequent bestower of half-holidays. • Miss Thorpe — tireless voluntary charitable worker within the Linbury community. • PC Herbert Honeyball — Linbury's gruff but kind-hearted village policeman, who has more than once had wearying encounters with Jennings and his classmates. • Mr and Mrs Lumley - She runs the local cafe and is renowned for her excellent cakes and doughnuts, while her husband is less renowned as a repairer of bicycles. •
Mr Herbert Higgins - local jeweller and watch-mender.
• Farmer Jim and Mrs Arrowsmith — owners of a farm adjoining the school grounds.
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• Dr Basil Featherstonehaugh Hipkin — an absent-minded zoologist who meets Jennings and Darbishire when they accidentally push him into he river while they are on an illicit boating expedition.
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Mrs Amanda Hipkin - Dr Hipkin's formidable but kindly wife 11
• Miss Margaret Wilkins - Old Wilkie's pleasant and attractive younger sister, a London-based nurse, who occasionally visits her brother and nearly always has him wrapped round her little finger, especially when she needs him to look after her Siamese kitten, Pyewacket. •
George the Third — Matron's cat, a large ginger tom.
• Mrs Caffey — Linbury Court's housekeeper; pronounced Café, hence nicknamed "Mother Snackbar". •
Mrs Connie Hackett - the school's part-time kitchen assistant.
• Mr 'Pinky' Parkinson - mild-mannered headmaster of the nearby Bracebridge School; Linbury Court frequently play Bracebridge in football matches. • Mr 'Foxy Type' Fox - a notoriously strict and hatchet-faced t eacher, who is also at Bracebridge.
. The first novel. Jennings's first term at Linbury Court. He befriends Darbishire, foxes into town in disguise, displays too much (or not enough) initiative during fire practice, and has a hair-raising incident with a poisonous spider. Excerpts have been recorded by Stephen Fry for BBC7 as five 15 minute readings. It is available as an MP3 download. . Jennings founds the Linbury Court Detective Agency, tracks a suspected burglar to his thieves' kitchen, sees mysterious lights in the Sanatorium, and solves the burglary of the trophies from the library on Sports Day. 12
. Jennings and Darbishire build a hut by the pond in the grounds (as do all their friends), take a goldfish for a walk in the swimming pool and have a trying afternoon with a pane of glass. Jennings falls into the pond while he, Darbishire, Temple and Venables are sailing their home-made yacht 'The Revenge' on an illicit Sunday visit to said pond - and this, together with the small matter of Jennings and Darbishire's hut collapsing on the visiting Archbeako, leads to a temporary ban on hutbuilding. Darbishire makes his one and only appearance in an inter-house match and makes a memorable last wicket stand. This has been recorded by Mark Williams for Radio 4. .). Jennings and Darbishire set up their own newspaper, the Form Three Times, have a confusing chat with some French natives, and get lost in the environs of Pottlewhistle Halt. Old Wilkie's sister comes to their rescue when Venables makes a ghastly bish, and gives them a scoop about Old Wilkie's sporting past. . Jennings undertakes to keep a diary for the year: it records his attempts to start a Form 3 museum, to find the missing link, and to uncover a genuine Roman fake - that doesn't go down too well with the curator of the Dunhambury Museum or Old Wilkie. . A space-age craze hits Linbury Court leading to an unfortunate incident with a glass dome, an even more unfortunate incident with General Sir Melville Merridew, and a memorable visit to Dunhambury Cricket Ground. Rumours that Old Wilkie is leaving lead to the ringing out of a wild bell.
. Jennings and Darbishire go for a cross country run on a bus and spend an afternoon trying the patience of the patrons of the local cinema. Attempts to stage their masterpiece “The 13
Miser's Secret� (starring Venables as Mr 'Hem Hem' Brown) are doomed to failure, but instead they perform part of Henry V with an unexpected guest. . Darbishire patents his method of removing heads from park railings with the aid of Jack Carr's car jack. Jennings finds and loses FJ Saunders, his guinea pig; uncovers a case of suspected furtive feasting amongst the masters; and saves the day when a Ministry of Schools inspector visits Old Wilkie's history class. . Aunt Angela gives Jennings a bicycle, which leads to a chain of events involving a runaway boat, PC Honeyball, and the Spanish Armada. The Form 3 Natural History Club (Jennings, JCT, Chief Spotter, Frog and Tadpole Dept) threatens to disrupt the smooth running of Linbury Court but its activities are saved by the intervention of a scientific frogman on prizegiving day. . In the Christmas term, Jennings has a short-lived and disastrous promotion to dorm monitor, sets his rubber alight in the classroom, risks Old Wilkie's wrath by drawing an unflattering caricature of him, and improves his piano playing with the aid of a gramophone record, before exchanging gifts and the comps of the season with Old Wilkie at the end-of-term party. . Jennings's resolution to be decent to old people like the masters goes awry when he floods the bathroom with a syphon, impersonates Lady Macbeth sleepwalking, and inadvertently causes a fire drill after lights out. But all is resolved at a triumphant Old Peoples At Home (RIP) in the tuck box room, with some help from Mr Carter and Old Wilkie. . Jennings finds a suspected spy in Miller's Wood and an abominable snowcat on the slopes of Mount Everest. Aunt Angela's cake-baking prowess comes in handy when Jennings breaks a vase belonging to Old Wilkie. 14
. Madame Olivera from the Inscrutable East (AKA Miss Tubbs of the Linbury Post Office bacon counter) tells Jennings's fortune and predicts a journey over land and sea, an unexpected legacy and that he will succeed in an ambition close to his heart. But no one foresees the chaos during the term as the three predictions come true. . Jennings proves more of a hindrance than a help to Old Wilkie's campaign to empty the lost property cupboard but all is forgiven when it leads to the appointment of a new cook. And Old Wilkie saves the day when Jennings conjures up a potential disaster at the end of term concert. . The Jennings Membership Club is launched with mysterious objectives. Jennings gets mistaken for a burglar (again), accidentally gets Old Wilkie accused of stealing his own car, and goes to great efforts to win la plume de sa tante before Mr Carter suggests a worthy cause for the JMC's outstanding funds. (also titled The Best of Jennings). A reprint (compilation) of Books 1-4. (also titled 'Jennings Unlimited'). Not a novel: a comedy with music; lyrics by Anthony Buckeridge, music by Hector Cortes and William Gomez. . A daring rescue mission is needed when Jennings and Darbishire get trapped in the attic whilst fielding at the first ever inter-planetary cricket match, and it becomes clear that even the best regulated of boarding schools cannot cope when a certain member of Form 3 accidentally wins a pig. Later, the pig is exchanged for a jar of bath salts, which Jennings gives to Matron - only to discover, to his horror, that the jar may also contain a drawing pin. Meanwhile, Darbishire discovers a link between Pythagoras and travelling arrangements for fat and thin Red Indian women - much to Old Wilkie's despair! 15
. At Linbury Court, it's certainly a case of remember, remember the fifth of November when Jennings copyrights his famous plan for members of Form 3 to act as Public Relations Officer to G Fawkes Esq (deceased) to raise funds for Famine Relief, undergoing an emergency haircut, an accidental mis-use of Old Wilkie's sports coat, and a day out in Dunhambury with a honky tonk piano in tow. . Jennings plans to report on a mathematical comparison of TV aerials in rural (Linbury) and urban (Dunhambury) locations - but gets distracted with the care of Old Sleepy, the top secret hedgehog. . Two broken tennis rackets lead to Jennings becoming a potholer and Darbishire a prehistoric cave painter, not to mention an explosive attempt to make a cup of tea for Old Wilkie on the school picnic. Meanwhile, Jennings' plan to listen to the test match in class lead to trouble for Bromwich, who resorts to giving an Old Master to a not quite so old master to get his portable transistor back. . The only story set in the school holidays, in which Jennings, Darbishire and their friends go on a camping trip with Mr Carter and Mr Wilkins - needless to say that chaos soon ensues! Jennings then goes to stay with his Aunt Angela in her London flat, where he befriends Emma, a girl who lives in the same block - cue yet more chaos, especially for Aunt Angela and the block's caretaker, Herbert Fagg! . Under the patronage of Miss Thorpe, Linbury is going green - collecting of rubbish, recycling, distribution of leaflets to raise awareness. The pupils at Linbury Court are desperate to help. But, as always with Jennings and Darbishire, good will is not synonymous with effectiveness and precious tropical fish are soon put in danger. Excerpts have been recorded by Stephen Fry for BBC7 as five 15-minute readings.
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"Jennings Goes to School" and "Jennings Again!" were adapted for radio by Anthony Buckeridge, and read by Stephen Fry. The adaptions were released on audio cassette in 1991,. "Jennings' Little Hut" was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2010, narrated by Mark Williams.
In 2011, Post Hypnotic Press released six of the Jennings books in audio book form. The titles recorded are "Jennings Diary," "According to Jennings," "Jennings, as Usual," "The Jennings Report," "Jennings at Large" and "Jennings Again!" All six audio books were narrated by Simon Vance.
There have been two BBC TV series based on the books, Jennings at School, which ran for ten thirty-minute episodes between 6 September and 8 November 1958, and Jennings, which ran for six episodes between 5 September and 10 October 1966. Jennings was played by John Mitchell in the first series, and by David Schulten in the second. No episodes of either series are known to have survived in the BBC archives or elsewhere. A number of attempts to make a modern production of the series of books have failed due to the fact that the lead characters are of an age where the actors portraying them would be at risk of growing and voice changes during the time taken to film such a major series.
The Novels proved popular in other countries - in Germany Jennings is Fredy, in France he became Bennett. Jennings was especially popular in Norway where the main character became Stompa and the novels were re-written with Norwegian locations, there were also a series film adaptations directed by Nils Reinhardt Christensen.
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The News
If you watch TV or YouTube on a regular basis you’ll probably have seen the adverts for Google’s new phone; Pixel. Said adverts may be very fancy and expensive-looking but is the phone actually deserving? How well does it compare to what is expected to be it’s biggest rival, the iPhone?
Thanks to some teething issues with the Galaxy S7 (you may remember that the phone liked to spontaneously combust) the new iPhone 7 has essentially been peerless so far and has snapped up most sales of new phones since its September release date although little has changed from the iPhone 6 to the iPhone 7. Its all change at Google though, the old Nexus line has been replaced by the all new Pixel, built exclusively for Google by HTC, There’s two initial versions on the market: Pixel, with a 5 inch screen, and Pixel XL with a 5.5 inch screen. This is very similar to Apple who offer iPhone 7 with a slightly smaller 4.7 inch screen and iPhone 7 plus with a 5.5 inch screen. For the purposes of this article, we’re going to stick to the smaller versions of both phones. The most obvious difference between these two phones is the OS (Operating System) with Pixel being powered by Android and iPhone by iOS. There’s very little to choose between the two and it’ll most likely come down to your prior purchases; those who usually buy Apple products will 18
stick religiously to them and very rarely consider a switch to Android with those who usually buy Android products being much the same. In terms of the operating system then, the two phones are pretty much equal. One of the most important considerations when buying a phone is the performance and, in this regard, the iPhone wins but it is a marginal victory. With Apple’s A10 Fusion CPU powering it, the iPhone 7 has a clock speed of 2.34GHz where as Pixel only manages a 2.1GHz clock speed from its Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor. However, Pixel has 4GB of RAM compared to 2GB for iPhone 7 and this goes some of the way to making up for the deficit in clock speed. You probably won’t notice the difference but iPhone 7 is technically the better performer. The other most important consideration when buying a new phone is the camera and the two are, once again, split by very little. Pixel has the better front camera for taking selfies, its 8 megapixels beats out iPhone which only has 7 megapixels. Both of them will record video at 1080p from their front cameras. The rear facing camera is better in iPhone 7 though, albeit marginally. Both phones have a 12 megapixel camera but iPhone 7 has a lower aperture as f/1.8 plays f/2.0 for Pixel. This essentially means that you can take those dramatic photos with a blurry background a highly in-focus subject with iPhone 7 better than you can with Pixel. Pixel is the slightly larger of the two phones sitting at 143.8 x 69.5 x 8.6 mm in size where as iPhone 7 is 138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1 mm. So if you like big phones, Pixel is the better choice here. As you can see then, there is basically nothing to split these two phones. If you’re a keen photographer than iPhone 7 will be of better value for you but if you only take photos occasionally, there really is nothing to split them on. It basically comes down to a matter of personal preference between Apple and Android. There is the small matter of price as well: Pixel costs £599 for the 32GB version while the 128GB version is £699 from the Google Play store. From the Apple store, iPhone 7 matches the price of Pixel perfectly. Neither are particularly cheap though…
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Jake is 11 years old. In December 2016, another boy beat him with an iron bar in an unprovoked attack that has shocked the local community where he lives (in the United Kingdom). Jake has Asperger’s Syndrome, a mild form of autism. His mother has set up an online social media campaign to highlight Jake’s plight and to call on every person in the world to end bullying in all it’s forms. All of us at Boystuff Magazine would like to wish Jake a speedy recovery, and we are proud to fully endorse and support this much-needed campaign against bullying. We call upon all readers to do likewise and also to tell your local MP about this campaign. Nobody should be being bullied in this day and age. It’s time for it to stop. Please help in any way you can. Thank you.
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The Fortis Boys Choir One of the world’s most famous choirs for boys, the Fortis Boys Choir, recently gave us the chance to interview some of the boys. Here’s what they all had to say! Caleb Ezekiel Olenick 2005 June 54” 10 62-65 lbs : August 2016 Peace on Earth/Drummer Boy Beethoveen's 5th Symphony rap and trap, also EDM Eminem, Fallout Boy, Beethoveen, Wolfgang Amadeous Mozart, and DJ Snake A performer! Dancing, singing, acting in musicals, music videos. I've just always wanted to perform, and there's nothing else that feels like the rush and adrenaline from being on stage and dancing. 22
: Spaghetti has been my favourite food since I was 7 years old. Old Navy, H&M, Under Armour, and whatever other stuff my mom gets me. She's always just getting stuff, and she's pretty good at it. I love hoodies though, and over the summer while I was at a dance camp at Perry-Mansfield in Steamboat Springs, CO, people always knew me by my orange hoodie. My current favorite hoodie is dark blue with an upside-down breakdance dancer on the back of it that my mom got at www.boysdancetoo.com. I'm in compression pants, athletic shorts, and tees most of the time, because I dance several hours almost every day, and that's what I wear when I'm dancing. When I'm going out, I like dark jeans and a cool shirt. : I have enjoyed it. There is a lot of humor involved, like last week when Scott (one of the conductors) made jokes about the Pirate Story. It is very disciplined at the most part, but it’s not like army boot camp or anything. We work really hard, but have a lot of fun doing it. I have been in several choirs, and this one was one of the best. At the moment, I enjoy it and would like to stay.
Really just a feeling of accomplishment. I have always loved preforming on stage, and singing is no exception. It's really fun to be able to learn and develop skills as a group. We have opportunities to sing together and have solos, but no matter what, we are doing it together. If one person does anything wrong, then the whole group sounds bad. No
I would tell him that if he enjoys singing and making friends while singing, then it's for him. If he doesn't like being with other people or isn't willing to put in the time to practice, then he shouldn't join one. 23
Jaden Tyler Mikesell 2005 July 5 ft. pant size 14 85 lbs. Sept 1, 2016 St. Nick All Beethoven Alternative Imagine Dragons Inventor Spaghetti Under Armour I was happy to find out that I knew a lot of the kids from doing theatre at the college in town, and I am making friends with other kids who like doing the same things that I like to do.
Singing makes me happy. 24
Dance, swim, acting in plays and music, memorizing facts from encyclopaedias, making beats, reading, building things, skateboarding, and just hanging out outside. Singing makes me feel good Standing in one place for 2 hours. No.
You should join. Hopefully it will make you feel happy, too. I like to draw, sing, and I love theatre. I have been in several plays and I want to make my voice stronger by singing.
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Jaedon Christopher Marshall 2005 March 5’6” 38 165 August, 2014 Radioactive I do not care for classical music Rock Nathan Sharp, JT Machinima Psychiatry Pizza Jordan, Under Armor The directors, Scott & Alyssa, strive to get the most out of all of us and I really appreciate that. Most of us get along really well as a group…we work hard but we also have a lot of fun. Our founder, Larry, has a good sense of humor- and he gets our humor as well - we enjoy being around him.
Singing allows me to express myself. I feel like 26
music and singing is just a part of who I am so when I perform I feel like I’m being who I was made to be
Learning to work as a team and getting all the parts to come together
For me it is having to stand so much No
Just do it!
I’m good at shooting, video games, and making friends. I like to make videos on YouTube and Instagram
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Kyler Kautz 2001 November 5’11� 35 185 January 2015 Love potion number 9 Don't have one Country Luke Bryan : I am not sure yet taco salad Nike The summer water gun party!
Singing brings joy to me I have loved it for a very time. After a performance I feel that the choir has showed everyone what we have worked hard on. 28
The best thing about choir is all the amazing people. Nothing No
I would tell them it’s a great idea and that you meet lots of great people. I am in 27th street singers at Scottsbluff High School; I am in football, track and baseball.
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Jennings Tadd Greenfield 2005 October 57.5” 29” 80 lbs August 25, 2016 All!!! Very tough choice-Rock-A-My-Soul Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Blinded by the Light, Mr. Roboto (STYX), Desparado (Eagles), Just Breathe (Johnny Diaz) All Beethoven, Jim Brickman, Eagles Unsure Chips and salsa with hot sauce, cheese and sourcream Don't have one Choir is Excellent! There is a degree of sternness but we are allowed to have a lot of fun.
Singing makes me feel "gushy" (lol)! Seriously, 30
singing makes me feel happy! Thinking back to my acting performances and piano recitals, I always feel good about my performance and feel happiness knowing others enjoyed my music. You make lots of new friends and learn how to sing correctly. NOTHING No
"Choir is Excellent! You learn how to sing correctly and there are a lot of good people in choir!" Talents: music, acting Hobbies: Legos, collecting die cast Hotwheels, Interests: Swimming, bicycling, motorcycle riding, tennis, reading, soccer
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Zachary Wharton 2005 March 54.5� 27 85 lbs January 2015 right when it started. (Zachary is one of the founding members) Black Bird None country music Alabama Airline Pilot Crab and other seafood Under Armour We all get along really well and support each other singing. The fact that I sang Babylon as "Baby loin� and my friend and I can laugh about it together.
Singing leaves me with a great feeling inside 32
that I shared a talent. Doing solos are fun, you really have to work at them but when you sing them you feel amazing. Having fun while doing something I love! And getting chorister of the year! It doesn't last long enough!! No
He should at least try out because, if he does make it, he will have a lot of fun! I really like playing my saxophone, playing soccer both indoor and outdoor. Building Legos and running.
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Meeting Billy Buckley My Names Billy, I am 13 years old and I live in Melbourne, Australia I am in year 7. I enjoy playing basketball and playing Footy. I really love any sport and I’ll give them all a go. My favourite subjects at school are sport and woodwork materials. I enjoy making different things out of wood. My favourite shows are WWE wrestling, Simpsons and family guy. I love playing on my iPad and Playstation. I enjoy drawing pictures and listening to music. My favourite singer is Eminem and I enjoy his music. I am very good at learning songs and their words. My favourite food is pad thai chicken and chicken satay skewers as well as lasagne. Also, I like to go to Frankston pies, they make the best pies. This year starting high school has been difficult. I have a few non visual disabilities: Adhd and ODD as well as an intellectual learning disability. My mum has helped me write this as my language and understanding of language is very limited. I look like any another child but my brain works differently to others. Some kids just don't get me and I don't get them, but that doesn't mean they can't be my friend just because we think differently. Bullying can mean so many different things, sometimes I don't know the difference between bullying and being funny or making fun at someone’s expense can also be a part of bulling. Sometimes my brain doesn't think how my words or actions may hurt someone’s feelings and this can also happen to me too. Bullying happens everyday which is really sad. It happens in high school and primary school, and sometimes the kid that always gets into trouble 34
at school always gets the blame even if it’s not their fault. This happens to me all the time. A kid starts it or provokes me and I retaliate or say something that my mind tells me to say or do and I get into trouble. I also get suspended when it’s not my fault because no one believes me. Bullying can affect people in different ways, it can make you sad, hurt and even feel like you are different and don’t belong. It can make you hate the world and not want to go to school. Sometimes it’s hard to forgive a kid that’s picked on you as you don't know if they are really being nice or just making fun of you to pick on you again. My mum grew up with a saying" if you can't say anything nice don't say it at all", my mum says that to me too. My mum wrote a letter for my school to help children understand me, my school would not publish it i have attached the letter if you would like to have a read or even watch the link. https://www.facebook.com/sonia.buckley.39/videos/10154789650224683/
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Yuksters online comedy What’s so funny about Jacob Sartorius? If you don’t know who Jacob Sartorius is you’re probably under three years old or over twenty. Yes, he’s that popular. In fact, Billboard Magazine predicted that the 14-year-old American will become "the next Justin Bieber.” But hold on a minute! Bieber is a singer and Sartorius grew his popularity on the internet, particularly by posting lip-syncing videos on Musical.ly. Yep, the point of this article is that oftentimes, entertainers are very creative people with a host of talents. They can sing, dance, act — they can even tell jokes. And Jacob is a great example of a creative entertainer who does great comedy on top of everything else he does. You kind of have to go back to the beginning to see how one creative endeavour led to another. Sartorius started acting in musicals at age seven. He loved it, but he got bullied. Now here’s the really cool thing, rather than giving up or trying to beat the haters at their own hating game, Sartorius used his talent, and his courage, at age 11 to fight back with an anti-bullying video on the internet. Then came funny videos on Vine and then came Musical.ly, where he got over 8 million followers for his lipsyncing videos. And since lip-syncing is not singing, he had to be very entertaining with his creative ideas and the way he “acted” with his body and face. It’s kind of like how Charlie Chaplin was able to be one of the world’s most famous comedians without even speaking a word. This kind of humour is called physical humour. There’s lots of examples of physical humour, like the Three Stooges, the Marx Brothers, Jim Carrey, and even a lot of the YouTuber pranksters use physical humour. In 2016, Sartorius released his debut single "Sweatshirt,” which reached the Hot 100 charts in the United States and Canada. Pretty serious singing for someone who’s so funny. 36
Now maybe you love comedy or maybe you love acting or music. But the thing is, if you want to be a great entertainer, you should definitely get serious about learning how to do comedy. And a really easy way to have fun and get involved in comedy right now is to go to http://yuksters.com . It’s free to sign up and they have professional comedians that will give you helpful hints and tips by commenting on your videos that you can post there for free. Plus, http://yuksters.com is a social media platform where kids can make friends with other comedy-crazed kids. Multiple friends can even collaborate on making funny videos together online! How cool is that. So if you’re serious about being an entertainer or even if you just want to have a really good time, go to http://yuksters.com now.
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The Fiesta Junior championship For any young person interested in becoming a racing driver there is only one logical option - karting. Just about every professional racing driver in the world, including the likes of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, began their careers in karts but when it’s time to make the step into car racing the options are a little bit more complex. There’s the Ginetta Junior championship, Junior Saloon Car Championship, UK Clio Cup Junior and the BRSCC Fiesta Junior championship to name just a few. It’s the latter of those championships that we’ll be focusing on in this article. The Fiesta Junior championship will be entering its sixth season in 2017 and is looking set to have its biggest grid so far with car numbers estimated to be in the high teens and low twenties. Despite having only been around for a few years, it has already garnered a reputation for producing some of the finest young driving talents with the likes of British Touring Car star Aiden Moffat, Clio Cup UK drivers Rory Collingbourne and Charlie Ladell and 2014 Ginetta Junior champion Jack Mitchell all cutting their teeth in the Fiesta Junior championship. Effectively acting as a support series for the senior Fiesta Championship, the Junior series visits a variety of different circuits that will give young drivers the opportunity to gain invaluable experience that will aid in them in later series. The championship also presents drivers with the opportunity to work alongside some of the best racing teams in the county because teams such as Jam-sport (the UK Clio Cup team) and former BTCC team Daniels Motorsport run several cars in the championship. Specialized Motorsport, Finsport, Race Car Consultants and Cooper Motorsport also run several cars. The races are broadcast on Motors TV, albeit not live, and they are uploaded to the BRSCC YouTube channel as well meaning that there is plenty of opportunity for a young driver to gain media coverage which always helps you to get noticed and gain some extra sponsors. You won’t be needing many sponsors either as the series is incredibly low cost and good value for money! Chances are you will have already passed an ARDS (Association of Racing Drivers Schools) test but if not, a full course 38
as well as the test will cost around £450. From there, you will need to the join the BRSCC and join the Fiesta Junior register at a cost of £475 and then all you need is a race car. Most teams offer car rental as well as technical support, tyres, fuel and so on from £16,000 - not bad for a full sixteen race season.
Having been closely involved with the championship as a journalist this year, I can very much recommend Fiesta Junior Championship to any young racing driver who wants to make the move to cars. There’s excellent media coverage, it’s fantastic value and, on top of all that, the racing is amazing and there is an incredibly atmosphere around the paddock. If that isn’t enough to convince you, watch some of their races on YouTube and you’ll be wanting to have a go in no time!
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Oliver Lipscomb - Boy Morris Dancer. When I was about six years old I was at a local pub with my family, and there was a group of Morris Dancers performing there. I was fascinated and when I became older I joined up and began to dance with them on a regular basis. I’m now 15 and I am a full member, and I go to the weekly practice session every Wednesday. We dance in front of crowds of people on a number of days during the season and that has lead to all sorts of other stuff such as having breakfast with the Town Mayor and being invited to appear in music videos. The Morris Dancing side that I belong to is called Sompting Village Morris, who also now have a Junior side called Sompting Young Guns. I really enjoy being a Morris Dancer and would actively encourage any person, especially if they are young, who is interested in folk music to give it a go. A lot of Morris sides need new members to replace older ones when they are no longer physically able to dance…….. It is possible that the word Morris is derived from the word ‘Moorish' or ‘morisco' (a derogatory term meaning ‘little Moors'). Certainly in the very late middle ages, Morris dancers were sometimes referred to as morisco dancers, but it is pretty certain that, whatever the origin of the word, there is no evidence that the dance came from the Moors or entered the country with the armies of John o' Gaunt or anything of that sort. Neither is there proof of any connection between Moorish dancing and Morris dancing. According to Morris Dancing expert Professor Howkins, when people recorded these customs in the 1890s, they were obsessed with seeking out ancient beginnings. In the seventeenth century there had been suggestions of a connection with Moorish dancing and it was adopted as a convenient theory. It fitted in, for example, because some dancers blacked up their faces and attached bells to their legs, which was believed to be something to do with North Africa.
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Similarly, there is little evidence that Morris dancing has any connection with pagan festivals other than that many societies across the world celebrate calendar events with dance customs. What we do know though is that Morris dancing has a long recorded history in this country, the earliest reference being from 1448. One origin of this form of dance probably originated in the European courts of the fifteenth century. Around then, a form of dance typically called by names like "moreys daunce" was common as court entertainment; this may have been the dance form going by names like "morisco" on the continent. The dancers wore colourful, fairly elaborate costumes with pendant sleeves and attached bells. Very little is known about the dances per se, though there seem to have been two types: a solo dance, and a dance in a circle around a "maiden" (who could have been a man in women's clothing) for whose favours the dancers compete. By the early 16th century Morris dancing had become a fixture of Church festivals. In mediaeval and Renaissance England, the churches brewed and sold ales, including wassail. These ales were sold for many occasions, both seasonal and sacramental - there were christening ales, bride's ales, clerk, wake and Whitsun ales - and were an important means of fund-raising for churches. Later in the century the Morris became attached to village fetes, and the May Day revels; Shakespeare says "as fit as a Morris for May Day" and "a Whitsun Morris dance. . William Kemp danced a solo Morris from London to Norwich in 1600. Morris Dancing was popular in Tudor times. However under Cromwell it fell out of favour and was actively discouraged by many Puritans. The ales were suppressed by the Puritan authorities in the seventeenth century and, when some reappeared in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, they usually had associated dancing. 41
Nowadays there are many Morris Dancing sides all over the UK and throughout the World. Each side also has musicians and sides which consist of only men can join the Morris Ring, an umbrella organisation. Ladies sides and Junior sides are also growing in number and all provide a great opportunity for keeping an ancient tradition very much alive.
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The Boystuff Academy Fancy yourself as a model? If so, the Boystuff Academy is perfect for you! If you get accepted, you’ll become a model for our magazine and be able to show off a variety of clothing brands and products. If you’re lucky, you may even be able to keep some of the clothes you model! If you’re interested, send an email to boystuffweb@gmail.com containing your name, age, date of birth, height, waist size, chest size, shoe size and any other relevant information. You will also need to send us high-quality pictures of yourself posing in your favourite items of clothing, one of which must be a head-to-toe shot. We will respond promptly!
And with that, we are done for issue 02 of Boystuff Magazine! Both myself and Michael would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who contributed a piece to this issue and would like to encourage you all to start writing! If you should be interested in doing so, send an email to boystuffweb@gmail.com. We’d also like to say a huge thank you to every single one of you for reading our magazine which has been, in our eyes, a massive success! We look forward to what 2017 will bring for the magazine and we hope that all of you are as excited for next year’s issues as we are. For now though, we’d like to finish off by wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year! Stay safe, have fun and we’ll see you all in 2017!
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