Mind's Eye Prep 2020 by cobwebcreative

2020

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Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

Welcome to the fourth issue of a magazine written by pupils at prep schools in the South East, then edited and designed by the King’s School, Canterbury. This year we are thrilled to be publishing the writing of seventeen schools, and are deeply grateful for all the hard work carried out by their mature and talented writers, who are responsible for their own choice of subject matter. We must also say thank you to their brilliant English teachers and Heads of English, who generated and forwarded the articles despite their impossible modern school schedules. Thanks to all. We are astonished every year that young people, most not yet teenagers, know so much about culture, politics, history, fashion, geography, economics and the arts, and so much about themselves, which is perhaps more of a feat. And we find it annually gratifying that the English Language is in such good hands, despite ‘older, wiser and better people’ (Saki) moaning about the damage done by email, texting and social media to good English. People have been moaning about a drop in standards caused by newfangledness for over 200 years. In the following pages you will read some precocious examples of good style by pupils who use words ap(p)tly in several different forums (fora, if you prefer). futurum in tuto. We must also thank our production and design team (under-staffed and overstretched) who have emerged from the Covid fallout with a (virtual) magazine firmly in their grasp. Thanks also to the indefatigable home team of Ian MacEwen, David Hopkins and Peter Roberts, without whom this magazine would not exist. We hope you enjoy the articles. Many are serious; some are sad; some are hilarious. Anthony Lyons Editor The King’s School Canterbury Design by Cobweb Creative www.cobwebcreative.org

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

d e Now ts woul 6 Kill M tley wishes paren t O nabel An grow up

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31 Pupp y

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32 Bra in Over Kitty R load ichar

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16 Own Goals

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19 Behind the Ma sk

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22 Anot

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36 Black is Beautiful

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41 Medicinal Music

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42 Stolen Child

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24 Aisle be Seeing Yo u

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26 Unconditional Lo ve

Josh Harrison pays tribute to his grandmother

28 Llamas to the Re scue

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Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

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60 Born to Die Harvey B points out the cru elty of interbreeding animals just for novelty value

62 A Great Adventure

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62 The Magic of Poetry

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63 Check Please

Alex Martin proposes the therapeutic power of chess

66 For Every Sleeper Lai d

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Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

Kill Me

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Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

ood Hall wishes Annabel Ottley of Broomw parents would grow up!

re your parents horrendously embarrassing? Do you sometimes wish that they didn’t exist? Parents tell ridiculous jokes, wear terrible clothes, shout out loud at sports matches, and their dancing and singing skills are shocking. Do your parents laugh at their own jokes? Do they think they’re funny when they’re not? Then maybe you can relate to this anecdote. I was on the tube and said to my dad, ‘I’m hungry.’ He replied, ‘Hello, Hungry. I’m Dad.’ A crowd of people turned and stared. I was bright red but my dad was rocking about with laughter. All I wanted was to be swallowed up by the earth. That was when my Dad realised the only person who laughs at his jokes is himself. Parents’ fashion sense is terrible. Does this story sound familiar? It’s raining on a school day but your dad isn’t around to take you. Unfortunately, your mum gets in the car in her pyjamas with no makeup, no shoes and no handbag. You jump in the car, hoping nobody will see you with this lunatic. But when you arrive school hasn’t opened yet and everyone is waiting to go inside. It’s your worst nightmare come true. You get out of the car, hoping your mum won’t embarrass you but then she calls out, ‘Thanks for popping in! I love you.’ Everybody’s head turns. Your cheeks are on fire and you don’t know what to do. Four out or five children have felt these terrible experiences.

There's nothing wrong with parents cheering a child at a sports match, but doing so too loudly or unnecessarily standing up and making a fool of themselves is not what you want to see. It's even worse when you're older and your friends start making fun of you because of it. You bury your head in shock and embarrassment. It's like parents lose all of their dancing and singing skills when they become a parent and adopt one dance move that they are known for doing. Once you learn what the dance move is you never want to be seen dancing with them again. On to their singing skills. You'll be in the car listening to the radio and one of the newest hits comes on. You look over and your mum is trying to sing along. Or you have your friends over and your parents start singing a song but they have no idea what the lyrics are. Your friends just stare at them like your mum has two heads. Let’s not even mention your parents’ wardrobe. My parents’ clothes have to be seen to be believed. My father was born in the 1960s and he still wears clothes from this decade: high socks, vests and, worst of all, tucked-in tops. So parents can be a crashing brake on the smooth escalator of social mobility but, let’s face it, we’ll all be parents some day and we might be even worse.

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

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Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

“

The size of a football pitch in forests is cut down every 25 seconds

orangutans are killed every day because of palm oil. That’s more than 9000 a year.

the il is ient o m ic Pal t eff e oil s mo etabl ed in veg is us alf and ost h ged alm packa e find the ucts w rkets a d r p o uperm s in

burnt to create space to grow palm crops, it releases vast amounts of greenhouse gases that intensify climate In 2014 the estimated mean change. Palm oil is used for other consumption of palm oil was about products, such as soap and makeup, 2.8g per person per day. But imagine if and people all around the world use these products without just one person stopped even realizing that they eating palm oil for one When forest is contain palm oil. day; then imagine if three burnt to create people stopped eating space to grow palm crops, it releases When orangutans lose palm oil for one year. Just vast amounts of their habitats and go in think what we could do greenhouse gases search of food, they often together! Palm oil should enter villages where be banned because it is responsible for 8% of the world's they are captured or killed by farmers, deforestation. The size of a football who often treat them as pests. Palm pitch in forests is cut down every 25 oil is effectively killing thousands of animals a year, destroying habitats and seconds. polluting our planet. Deforestation is not only killing trees and plants but also the animals that live Although palm oil has a high saturated in these forests. It is destroying their fat content, it can prevent many homes. When people consume palm oil illnesses such as cancer and heart they increase the demand for oil crops, disease, and it can improve energy which means more plants and animals levels and vision. It can also help boost die. This could drive some species such the immune system. Palm oil helps reduce blood pressure and combats as orangutans to extinction. Vitamin A deficiency, a serious problem Nowadays up to 40% of the products in 40% of the global population. Finally, in an average UK supermarket contain palm oil can support brain health, as palm oil, even though it has a high it has strong antioxidant properties. saturated fat content. When forest is The health benefits of palm oil could even save someone's life by preventing diseases, and it is a healthier and better option than highly processed oils for frying. Palm oil also contains Vitamin 

ure and od press erious lo b e c u s helps red ncy, a Palm oil itamin A deficie opulation p V combats 40% of the global in m le b ro p

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

rnative grow alte at oil to rs a e ke y ce th It could ta the crops to produ lm crops a d p n n a a , e th plants more spac p u e k ta may E, which protects the skin and other vital organs of the body. It can prevent hair loss and keep the hair strong and healthy. It may be too hard to ban palm oil, since it is the most efficient vegetable oil and is used in almost half the packaged products we find in supermarkets. Even if we did switch to a different oil for the environmental reasons stated, it could take years to grow alternative plants, and the crops to produce that oil may take up more space than palm crops. Global warming is a great danger now, but banning palm oil is one step we could take

Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

Nevertheless, palm oil should be banned because it is destroying rainforests all over the world, wrecking animal habitats and driving some animals to extinction. Palm oil may help fight some diseases but there are medicines that we can use instead. If palm oil crops continue to expand, animals such as orangutans may become extinct. Global warming is a great danger now, but banning palm oil is one step we could take. So, what is more important, palm oil now or our future? We must decide before itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s too late.ď&#x20AC;ź

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Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

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Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

ngry hall is a e in V f o alloway ban Delilah G still ignoring the are hunters

that fox

ox-hunting is a ‘traditional sport’ by which hunters, usually on horseback, follow a pack of hunting dogs that pick up a scent then chase and kill a fox. Fox-hunting is legal in Northern Ireland and illegal in England, Scotland and Wales since 2004, but hunts are now breaking the law. Last season alone, with 192 registered hunts in the UK, there was a noticeable 36% increase of calls from the public to the confidential Animal Crimewatch line. Also recorded were 700 fox-hunting incidents, which is 52% more than the previous hunting season, so people are clearly still participating in this terrible, illegal sport. Fortunately, foxes are born in abundance. Around 425,000 cubs are born each spring, and even at the end of winter, when the numbers are at their lowest, there are about 258,000 rural and urban adult foxes. But these numbers only encourage the monsters who hunt the foxes to continue doing so. Why stop when there are so many? Why stop when nobody is bothered due to their abundance? If you are strongly opposed to hunting, like myself, then you are in the majority since more than eight out of ten people are opposed to hunting, and it’s the same in rural areas. This shows that people who truly understand hunting, and maybe have had first-hand hunting experience, want to see it remain illegal.

“

with 192 registered hunts in the UK, there was a noticeable 36% increase of calls from the public to the confidential Animal Crimewatch line

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

Foxes are no t control, and a massive problem requ ir e would be m ven if they were then ing there any more h means of do umane, effi ing it cient

The number of foxes killed by hunting each year is devastating. Think of around 20,000 lifeless foxes – copper, scarlet and white mounds lying dead; creatures scattered, insensate, all over the country's woodlands, fields and ditches. 20,000 foxes lost in a single year, every year, until we put a stop to it. It is up to us, the humans, to let the foxes' voices be heard, and to stand by them and protect them, because against a pack of vicious hounds, which tear them to shreds in seconds, they can't stand up for themselves. Then why do people hunt foxes? People claim that by killing foxes they are assisting farmers, but this is a senseless argument that, thankfully, people no longer accept. If fox-hunting were a credible form of pest control then possibly it could permitted, but it is not. Foxes are not a massive problem requiring control, and even if they were then there would be many more humane, efficient means of doing it.

The League says, “Any suggestion that fox-hunting is about ‘pest control’ can be dismissed very quickly by the fact that hunts have been caught capturing and raising foxes purely so they can then be hunted. In May 2015, a League investigation revealed 16 terrified foxes held captive in a barn, linked to a fox hunt in Yorkshire. We rescued them, took them to a vet, and sadly one died, but we released the others to safety. We are proud to have protected those foxes.” The classification of the red fox is debated in the UK: are they pests that can be exterminated by any means or are they creatures similar to a cat or a dog that should, or could be, treated in a similar manner? Obviously a fox's appearance would make it fall under the latter category, although the fact that they are wild animals, and that there are so many, and that they can be of harm to farm animals, can cause confusion. But when you think about the phrase 'fox in the chicken coop', this problem can be all too easily remedied by an electric fence. Reliable studies have proved that while farmers may curse foxes for the loss of a lamb, in reality

I Lea n May gue 2 inv 015, a ter revea estiga tion rif le cap ied fo d 16 xes tive he in a bar ld n

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

The l fox-hu aw against nt be enf ing should o the pit rced, and if fine s ul £350 hould raised be

studies show this is more probably down to poor farming, disease and severe weather. A 2000 study in Scotland indicated that only around 1% of lamb losses could be blamed on foxes. The law against fox-hunting should be enforced, and the pitiful £350 fine should be raised. I detest the thought of thousands of foxes dying as I write this; dogs slashing into fur and flesh and tearing them apart, stars of scarlet blood glistening on the ground, ignored. I cannot stand knowing that a decent law is being flouted by greedy humans desperate for a hunt. Really, it all comes down to our one defining trait as humans. We ruin everything that is good. It has been said many times, by many people. One example, off the top of my head, is when Oppenheimer saw his creation (the first nuclear bomb) explode, he recalled a piece of Hindu scripture: ‘Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.’ How is it that human beings, 0.01% of life on Earth, can manage to destroy 83% of wildlife? This needs to change, and we can start with something as simple as stopping fox-hunting. Combined, our measly 0.01% can make an enormous impact. Do we want to mess up this world more than we already have? Stop hunting foxes now.

“

“Any suggestion that fox-hunting is about ‘pest control’ can be dismissed very quickly by the fact that hunts have been caught capturing and raising foxes purely so they can then be hunted."

ut bo he a t k hin ox in s t i f u e ‘ , th ll yo en hras oop’ be a ed h w ep c n edi e th icken m carem fenc ch oble sily ric pr o ea lect to an e by

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

Milo B of Cumn or Hous inequalit e lamen y of the ts the sexes in persiste sport nt

exism, one of the biggest problems in sports through all ages and levels, still needs to be addressed and eradicated. Sexism is when one gender is prioritised and favoured over the other. There are so many different examples in all aspects of sport, even off the playing field, in the commentary box and in the stands. Football, the most popular sport in the world, is played in over 200 countries but suffers many examples of sexism. First, if you were to turn on the television and go to the sports section, you would find male football and very rarely female football. It’s about TV rights. In the 2017-18 Premier League football season, the first-place male team, Manchester City, earnt £149,438,650 while Chelsea Women, the first-place female team, earnt £3,000,000. This is because the standard of football by women is thought lower than the men’s standard and, therefore, more of the men’s game should be played on television. In 2018, when England played Croatia in the Football World Cup semifinal, 26,500,000 people tuned in to watch but when England Women played USA Women in the World Cup quarter-final, 11,000,000 watched. Both were equally big occasions but fewer people watched the women’s match. There are also prize money gaps in sport. At Wimbledon last year Novak Djokovic took home £2,250,000 for winning the men’s singles tournament while Simona Halep, winner of the women’s singles, received £1,600,000. This caused a stir because Djokovic and Halep worked equally hard to win the tournament. Also, in athletics, the main league pays the male

“

Football, the most popular sport in the world, is played in over 200 countries but suffers many examples of sexism

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

n w O

G o a ls Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

At Wimbledon 2019 Novak Djokovic took home £2,250,000 while Simona Halep, winner of the women’s singles, received £1,600,000

winners of each event £8,000,000 and a woman, if they win an event, receives £3,000,000. The boards believe that the field is tougher for the men and so they pay them more. There is also sexism off the field of play. Pundits, people who discuss the matches as they happen, have different wages according to gender. Gary Lineker, who hosts the BBC show ‘Match Of The Day’, receives £1,750,000 from the BBC each year. Clare Balding, on the other hand, earns between £150,000 and £199,000. Balding is in charge of the punditry at Wimbledon during the English summer. Along with Lineker, she hosts BBC Sports Personality of The Year with Gabby Logan, but both the women get only £50,000 while Lineker gets £300,000. In Rugby Union, however, there are definitely signs of gender equality. In the Six Nations there are two tournaments, one for men and one for women. ITV and BBC broadcast the games and between them every game is shown, all 30 in the matter of seven

I the n Rugb r y gen e are Union d In t er e signs qu of h the e Six N ality: r a tou ea tion r r for name e two s n ts me for n and , one wom one en

weeks. This shows that rugby fans watch both genders play the great game. In golf, the two main tournaments, The Ryder Cup (men’s) and The Solheim Cup (women’s), feature the USA playing Europe. They are team competitions and each golfer in either of the two tournaments gets paid the exact same in prize money. Each golfer gets paid $100,000 for winning the great tournament and half that amount for coming second. The same amount of money is used in preparation for the tournaments. So golfers have achieved equality too. Overall, sexism is a problem in sport but if other sports follow the trails Golf and Rugby Union have created, I think we will have a happier sporting world with better gender equality and, most importantly, equal pay between the sexes.

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Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

Behind

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Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

“

I would argue the fear is more dangerous and wideranging then the coronavirus itself

three people have died. The first person to die in the UK was an old man who was already suffering from diseases. China – the place where COVID-19 began – now has 80,000 cases but, despite these sad statistics, it’s not all doom and gloom because there have been 54,000 recoveries and when you compare the number of infected people to China’s population, it barely scratches the surface, since China is home to a whopping 1.4 billion people.

People who already have mental health problems like anxiety or depression are now overloaded with fear for themselves as well as their family and friends symptoms h or flu se under g u o c a hou ave If you h ould stay in your h s u o y then e quarantin

2020

has been dominated by nothing but talk of the infamous coronavirus. But I believe the chatter around the world is doing more damage to people than the actual coronavirus itself. How long will COVID-19 attack our lives? This article is about the brutal truth on 9 March 2020. By the time you read this, I have no idea what the situation will be. Hospitals say that if you have a cough or flu symptoms and have just travelled to highly infected countries like Italy or China, or have gone on a cruise, then you should stay in your house under quarantine and call the doctors. Do NOT go outside or on public transport because if you do have the coronavirus you will be passing it on to unknowing strangers. The coronavirus has sadly infected more than 106,000 people and has killed over 3,500. In the UK alone almost 300 people have confirmed cases and

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

I would argue the fear is more dangerous and wide-ranging than the coronavirus itself. In some cases COVID-19 has even caused racism because heartless people think that staying away from people who look or are Chinese will ‘keep them safe’. This is a rude and spiteful gesture which will hurt others and make you very unpopular so do not do it. Similarly, people who already have mental health problems like anxiety or depression are now overloaded with fear for themselves as well as their family and friends. Now I have some fun facts to lighten the mood but a couple of annoying

People have overre acted so much by bu ying stacks upon stacks of past a, loo roll and hand sanitizer

ones too. Did you know people have overreacted so much by buying stacks upon stacks of pasta, loo roll and hand-sanitizer? Shops barely have any of these items now and delivery places like Ocado have been completely booked up due to paranoid parents. Some people, however, are using this to their advantage. If you find people selling some sanitizer then it is probably way overpriced and if you don’t believe me then try looking for handsanitizer on Ebay. The truth will shock you.

“

Shops barely have any of these items now and delivery places have been completely booked up due to paranoid parents

Despite the worry this problem is causing people there are still hilarious sides to the pandemic, like the fact that people have filled claw machines with loo roll instead of toys and people have stopped buying Corona lager, which has nothing at all to do with the virus. Articles like this one that speak the truth, not a hyperbolised version of it, are good to raise awareness of rising threats but make sure not to exaggerate the danger we are in because it only makes people anxious. The coronavirus should only be really worrying for people who have diseases already or are old, so you probably have no reason to worry. Remember to stay safe and to stay sanitized.

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

Another

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Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

Jamie Bhatnagar of Holmewood House looks at the kaleidoscopic possibilities of virtual reality

irtual Reality means being immersed in a place that’s not where you really are, so it seems like you’re somewhere else. It’s the coolest technology ever and there are many things it can be used for in everyday life. To get into Virtual Reality you first need to put on a VR headset. These are made by Google, Oculus and PlayStation (Sony) and range in price from £7 to about £500. On a budget the Google Cardboard is a great option. Retailing at £15, this headset is made out of cardboard with lenses. You put your phone in the front of the headset and your screen shows a place that you feel like you are in when you put the headset on. There are lots of different games and apps for the Google Cardboard. If you’re looking for something better I recommend the Oculus Go, which has its own screen and you don’t have to use your phone. This means the headset has its own settings and its own app store so you can just put the headset on and you are in Virtual Reality. And if your sister’s hogging the TV, you can put on the headset and watch your own TV because Oculus headsets have TV apps, like Netflix. When you are watching Netflix on an Oculus you are put in a cabin with an enormous telly in front of you showing the programme you’ve chosen to watch. Gaming in VR is amazing. You feel like you’re actually in the place of the avatar and there are controllers you can use to move around or shoot. Racing games in VR are brilliant because you feel like you are actually behind the wheel of a car. One of the best VR headsets for gaming is the PlayStation VR. As well as looking like you are from 100 years in the future, you can play pretty much every single PS4 game with the headset on. That’s everything from shooting aliens to racing at Silverstone in one VR headset. VR can also be used to train surgeons, who can practise operating on a fake patient in VR so they are prepared safely for the real thing. This can help save lives. VR can also be used for teaching people how to fly because some of the apps on the headsets put you in the cockpit of a plane and you can learn to fly without expensive simulators. VR allows soldiers to train without wasting bullets or hurting a real person, and NASA has been using VR to prepare its astronauts for gravityfree floating when zero-gravity chambers are expensive. VR is also used to teach astronauts how to spacewalk. VR allows you to walk around places you would love to visit but can’t because it is too expensive or too far away, and lots of museums, including The Louvre in Paris, have started using VR to teach the public about items on display. For example, you can put on a headset that will tell you all about Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’, so instead of just looking at the painting you can be told everything from when it was painted to its wood-panel texture. Learning about the museum items in Virtual Reality can make a boring day out really exciting. So I recommend that all readers of this magazine get a VR headset. What are you waiting for? 

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

Ais Be

Seeing You Billy Grimstone of Ea ton House the Mano r explains why he always grabs the ai sle seat

n all journeys, there is one ultimate question: should I sit in the window or the aisle seat? Yes, that’s right, all your troubles of not knowing where to sit will be resolved by reading this. For a start, you’ll be wondering how I’m going to solve all your problems, because there are so many different factors on a journey which would make you want to sit in one seat more than the other. What are these factors, and which ones are stronger? Obviously, some vehicles don’t even have an aisle, like a car, so they’re out of the question. Plus, the middle seat in a car is objectively the worst seat (trust me, I’m the youngest so always get dumped there when my brothers are in the car), whereas an aisle-window seat face-off is much more interesting.

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

An Expedia study found that 55% of and literally watch the world go past. passengers preferred window seats On an airplane, you don’t so much get to aisle seats, and some airlines say the aspect of lying down against the it’s about even as well. They also show window because you basically get a that more frequent porthole, although it’s travellers prefer aisle the middle seat in a actually easier to sleep seats. I did a survey when you’re on a plane car is objectively the worst seat within my own family window seat because (trust me, I’m the and either we all need you’ve got the wall. And youngest so always to reduce our carbon on an overnight 12-hour get dumped there) footprint because we flight you don’t want to travel too much, or they fall asleep on an armrest. just randomly prefer aisle seats. I asked Again, you’ll have to trust me on that six people and they all said they prefer one. I couldn’t sleep for four hours then aisle seats. Weird, though, how it can be I woke up with some serious dead side so different between different people. chest body thing. If that’s a thing. You Let’s get into the debate. also get the view, and a brilliant one too. If you’ve sat at a window seat on The main thing people like about a plane, which I think most of us have, window seats is the view you can get. no doubt you’ll have taken a photo of Really, it’s the only place where you the world rushing past as you fade into can chill, lie down on a cool window, the clouds.

On planes, you also have easy access to the snack trolley, so you can get your crisps and coke without worrying

Now time to roast the window seat. You may be able to sleep more easily on the window seat on a flight, but what if you need to go to the loo? You either wake up everyone around you by clambering over them, or you wake up yourself in the morning, asking for the changing rooms. Not ideal situations, are they, although hopefully you’d choose the first one over the latter. How about if you’re on a coach journey for a school residential trip and you want to talk to more than one person for those 2-8 hours? Not happening if you’re in the window seat. You can try to talk to people across the aisle, but those are your dreams. They never hear and most likely aren’t even listening, because they’re on an aisle seat and have roughly five people they can talk to with ease. So at what times are aisle seats better than window seats? For one, the reasons mentioned so far, like going to the loo more easily and being able to talk to more people. But there is other stuff too. For example, you can always avoid that awkward moment when you need to get off the bus, and shyly say to the guy next to you, ‘Scuse me. Sorry.’ Half the time they’re probably wearing airpods and don’t hear, and you have to gingerly tap them, which is even more awkward, this time really having to emphasise the ‘sorry’. On planes, you also have easy access to the snack trolley, so you can get your crisps and coke without worrying.

But what good is that when you’ve finally settled down and the idiot on the window seat needs the loo? Yeah, even worse from this point of view. Less awkward, but seriously annoying. And, as I said, you can’t sleep in an aisle seat without waking up in pain. Personally, I think the aisle seat is better because there are more advantages than disadvantages. But if you are on an overnight flight you can just sit on the window seat because it’s probably better to be there in that situation. Basically, there are many situations where sitting on the window seat is better, but in general aisle seats are most likely better. However, it still comes down to your opinion, and you may think that a window seat is far better than an aisle seat. In the end I guess the true answer to the question is that it depends. Although I haven’t come to a complete conclusion for you, like always sit in the aisle seat or else (that would be a bit controlling, and might get me arrested), I hope this has helped you and you will use this as a rough guide to answer the ultimate travel question: should I sit window or aisle?

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Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

L a n o i t i d n o c n U

Love

“

She was there to look after me but now our roles are reversed - Often we don’t appreciate what we have in life until it’s gone

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

ys anor pa M e h t use Eaton Ho f o n o rris Josh Ha is grandmother oh tribute t

y grandma came to stay with us when I was born so she could help my mum and because I was going to make her a grandma for the first time. She looked after me and when I was born with very bad reflux she helped to nurse me. They were living in Toronto at that time but moved back to England so they could be closer to me growing up. She also came to help when my brother was born so she has been there for us time and again, always making lots of memories like when she gave me my first-ever taste of chocolate icecream even after my mum told her not to. Her favourite time of the year was always Christmas because she always loved the smiles on our faces when we opened the presents and also she loved filling the room with special gifts for everyone. Six years ago the first signs of her illness started to appear but we did not recognise them or think they were a problem at the time. She fell over on a beach and broke her wrist then tripped over some packaging and hurt her knee. Her personality started to change and she began to fixate on certain things. We first started to suspect something was wrong when she gradually lost mobility in her arm. Three years ago, she underwent tests and brain scans and they diagnosed her with frontotemporal dementia. A month later they suspected it was CBD although this is very difficult to recognise because it is rare and can only be detected by specialist doctors. Corticobasal degeneration (CBD) is a rare condition that can cause gradually worsening problems with movement, speech, memory and swallowing. It is caused by increasing

numbers of brain cells becoming damaged or dying over time and mostly affects adults aged between 50 and 70 years old. In our brains our highly developed frontal and temporal lobes make us different from other animals and they help us communicate, empathise, learn and analyse but CBD attacks these parts of the brain. CBD affects CB1s, which are small transmitters in our body, but mostly in the frontal and temporal lobes of our brains, that help us with coordination, movement, pain, emotions, mood, thinking, appetite and memories. CBD itself does not kill the patient, but it leads to more serious complications like pneumonia or sepsis, which can lead to death. The prognosis is on average six years. My grandma has now been in full-time residential care since last year and has recently become bedridden so she needs people to feed her. She has started to spend most of her day sleeping and cannot really talk anymore. She can only say yes or no and often gets confused between the two. I am worried that CBD will make her lose her memory of my brother and me, and all of our good times together. Seeing her like this makes me very sad. Before Christmas, she was also diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. Although this seems like another curse, I think it is actually a blessing because it will release her from her pain sooner. I wish she could get better and recover from this, but in my heart I know she won’t. When I was born, she was there to look after me but now our roles are reversed. Often we don’t appreciate what we have in life until it’s gone. Is there is something in your life you are taking for granted? If so, why not live in the moment?

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

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Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

“

Coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections in humans, ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases

merican scientists have found an unusual ally in their attempts to create a new flu treatment. The New York Times, some time ago, reported that the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla has used shaggy llamas to create a new antibody therapy that has the potential to work against all types of flu, even new pandemics.

ipps Scr ch e th s ear Res ute ha t i g t g y Ins d sha eate r e us oc y s t tibod a m n a a ll ew py a n hera t

Antibodies are the arsenal of the immune system and the ones llamas make are extremely small compared to human antibodies. These tiny antibodies use their size advantage to squirm a little deeper and attack the parts the flu cannot change. In tests the woolly animals Llamas are one of the scientists, with the are infected with many help of llamas, varieties of flu and oldest domesticated are looking for their blood is used to animals and cannot be a way to kill the develop an antibody. The found in the wild any flu no matter how much the virus scientist then tests this more. These long-necked, adapts ‘super-antibody’ on mice spitting mammals live in against 60 different flu Chile, Bolivia, Argentina and Peru. They are herbivores, eating strains, and so far it has worked on all only grass, fern and hay. They have an except one type of bird flu that doesn’t excellent sense of smell, eyesight and affect humans. Human tests have not hearing, and produce soft wool instead started yet, but the signs are looking of fur, which is used to make blankets, promising. hats and scarves. A new strain of the coronavirus, Flu is a virus that affects the respiratory COVID-19, is spreading now like system. Most dangerous for children wildfire, causing widespread fear of a under five and adults over 65, it can global pandemic that keeps scientists turn deadly for anyone. The Spanish Flu busy looking for a cure. This new strand in the early Twentieth Century infected was unknown before the outbreak 600,000,000 in the world and resulted began in Wuhan, China, in December in the deaths of 50 to 100,000,000, 2019. making it one of the deadliest natural Coronaviruses are known to cause disasters ever. respiratory infections in humans, This dangerous virus is the ultimate ranging from the common cold to more shapeshifter, relentlessly changing its severe diseases such as Middle East make-up to trick our immune system. Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and This is why to fight the illness a new flu jab is needed every year and why These tin y the vaccine sometimes doesn’t work. to squirm antibodies use th But scientists, with the help of llamas, the flu ca a little deeper eir size advanta and atta nnot cha ck the p ge nge are looking for a way to kill the flu no ar ts matter how much the virus adapts. Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

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Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness and a dry cough. About 80% of infected people recover from the disease without needing special treatment but around one out of every six people who get COVID-19 becomes seriously ill and has difficulty breathing. So far 3,666 people have died.

Scientists are working hard to develop a vaccine, with no good news yet, but could the shaggy spitter be our saviour?

Symptoms of the corona virus are similar to those of common flu. A crucial difference is that, unlike flu, there is no vaccine for the new coronavirus, which means it is more difficult for vulnerable members of the population, elderly people or those with existing respiratory or immune problems, to protect themselves. Scientists are working hard to develop a vaccine, with no good news yet, but could the shaggy spitter be our saviour?ď&#x20AC;ź

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Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

Puppy Fun adopts the Mia Auty of Broomwood Hall voice of a puppy

Woof!

The sun is out after a good hard downpour and you k n o w what that means. Mud! Oh, my gosh! Is that a terrier? He’s just like me. Does he want to play? Oh, well. Too late. I’m going to get you. Tag. You’re it. Suddenly a familiar voice calls out, ‘Here boy. Sit! Heel!’ Make up your mind already!’ I ignore it and carry on chasing. This is the most fun I’ve had in hours. I bark. The ball. Is that what I think it is? I quickly pace over to the voice and sit in front of it. There it is again. I jump up, trying to grasp it. Give it to me! Suddenly it jumps out of the voice’s hands and soars in the air. There’s no time to lose. I sprint faster than my legs can carry me and end up sprawled in a huge heap in a big patch of mud. Where has it gone? Have I lost it? No, I’m determined to find it. After ten seconds, I come spraying mud left right and centre with a brown ball in my mouth. This isn’t the new green ball that escaped earlier, I think, and drop it. My two biggest fears are bubbles and being forced into a huge tub of water and I bark, ‘Please! I’ll do anything. Just let me skip this one.’ Suddenly I feel hands grab me and I am placed in a rather large cauldron. ‘Are you planning to eat me?’ When the other ingredients are poured in and swirled around I finally manage to escape. Both pairs of hands freeze. They look into my eyes wondering if there is any

mercy left, realise there’s not and brace themselves as I begin to shake. They squeal and grab me in a warm fluffy towel. I don’t mind this. I bark as I am placed in front of the fire to dry. I’m so bored I cry as I lie upside down on the sofa, staring at a ball I lost underneath it three months ago. I try to ask the voices if they want to play but they just ignore me. How could I get their attention? I know. I quickly trot into the kitchen; this could be fun. I suddenly spy a large mixing bowl on the side of the counter. I jump up, trying to reach it. I keep jumping and pushing the bowl until SMASH. The voices come running into the room so I quickly race into my bed, pretending to be asleep. I walk into the scene of the crime and receive lots of attention. They finally take me on a walk. Christmas. I hate Christmas because of one thing. Costumes. You don’t know how humiliating it is being the only dog on the common wearing a pink tutu. A pink tutu. And I don’t mean to be gender specific but, as the male of the species, I would prefer something less pink and frilly. And on top of that you stare at me as though I’ve gone mad when you see me itching at every possible moment. You don’t even have the sense to think it might be because the costume is way too tight and itchy. Overall, please stop it. You’re getting judged and so am I. Both of us would be better off without the tutu.

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2019 2020

B r a i n Over load Kitty Richardson-Roa ds of Vinehall is worr ied that screen time is getting out of ha nd

re we using screens too Most of the modern technology we much? A survey by Code use has never undergone proper Computer Love found the safety testing, even though many average screen time in the studies show that side-effects include UK is 3 hours 23 minutes addiction to modern per day, which takes up A study in 2012 found technology, suicidal that backpackers 50 days a year, but for thoughts and suicidal scored 50% higher the 16-24 age group the behaviour, headaches, on a creativity test average is 4 hours, or 60 migraines and mental after spending days a year. health problems. A just four days close to nature, study in 2012 found that without access to This is not just a UK backpackers scored 50% electronic gadgets issue. Modern wireless higher on a creativity technologies are now test after spending seen everywhere. A report from 2014, just four days close to nature, without which surveyed developed countries, access to electronic gadgets. showed that seven in ten children had used a mobile phone, two thirds of Technology is developing at a faster those by the age of ten. There is also a and faster rate. There is now faster huge difference in screen time between connectivity, faster downloading rates, the younger and older generations, better storage and sharing, better with the young spending much more navigation and faster mobile data. time on screens. 32

Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

This is perceived by many as progress but we need to be alert to the health implications. As far back as 2007, there was an article in the Evening Standard about a mobile phone mast installed on top of a block of flats in Bristol. The mast had been installed in 1994 and throughout the next decade cancer rates soared in the flats' residents, with the highest rates amongst those living on the top floors. Residents complained about headaches and other health issues. The article was entitled â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Orange to Remove Mast from Tower of Doomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. In 2004 a study was conducted on firefighters who had worked for up to five years in fire stations with 2G mobile masts. The study involved functional brain scans and concluded the only

Most of the modern technology we use has never undergone proper safety testing

Br no uss t to el an hey 5G s h a te b n e be s s m ea ac na liev cau aid s cu e e s of ure ra can its e t ra th el no t di e y at le v i possible cause of the firefighters’ on e l

symptoms, which included ‘slowed reaction time, lack of focus, lack of impulse control, severe headaches, anesthesia-like sleep, sleep deprivation, depression and tremors’, was radiation exposure from the masts.

Nevertheless, mobile phone masts continue to be located on top of buildings such as schools, hospitals and libraries, with mobile phone companies offering significant financial incentives (around £10k per year) to companies who have them installed on their premises. In 2019 a mobile mast was removed from a school in California following a fourth child being diagnosed with cancer and, closer to home, parents at a school in Kent are petitioning for a mobile mast to be removed from just outside its gates. In the UK we are now rolling out 5G, the latest mobile data version, when more than 180 scientists and doctors have warned about the dangers of 5G and the fact that it will lead to a massive increase in involuntary exposure to electromagnetic radiation. They have even appealed to the European Union.

Some countries are rejecting 5G. Brussels has said no to 5G because they believe its antennae cannot accurately measure the level of radiation, so there is a possibility the radiation emitted might go over the legal limit. The Minister for Health in Brussels, Céline Fremault, says: ‘The people of Brussels are not guinea pigs whose health I can sell at a profit. We cannot leave anything to doubt.’ A United Nations whistle-blower recently called 5G’s overnight rollout in Vienna a ‘silent war’. Children are the most vulnerable to 5G depreciation because of their small bodies. Friends and acquaintances are already reporting the classic symptoms of EMR [electromagnetic radiation] poisoning: nosebleeds, headaches, nausea, fatigue, vomiting, dizziness and flu-like symptoms. At Glastonbury Music Festival this year 5G was trialled, and on an efestivals. co.uk blog lots of people were discussing having unusual nosebleeds they believe are linked to 5G. Despite the many reports of health issues linked to radiation since 2G, scientists report negative impacts on humans, insects and birds, and a lack of safety testing. After all this, is the UK really going to roll out 5G? 

e the en ar able r d il r Ch vulne ion most epreciat d ir e G h 5 ft to use o beca ll bodies sma Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

d e l a c S

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how we can s w o h s k r a urne P of Northbo i r a g a iy A n Simra ia norex a f o ils the ev t a b m co

Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

norexia is not a common mental disorder, since roughly 6 in 1000 people suffer. But that does not mean it doesn’t exist. If you suffer from anorexia it can be very hard to open up about it to anyone. But believe me: it is much better to seek help from an adult so that maybe you could get mental therapy and support from a nutritional psychologist. People who have anorexia often have a distorted view of their body, making them believe that they are fat even when they are in fact underweight. The fear of being seen as fat by others clouds their judgment and forces them into a dark, dark place that later in life they will reflect back upon as the worst days of their lives. Men and women of any age can get anorexia, but it's most common in young women and typically starts in the mid-teens. This is because it is scientifically proven that women are more susceptible to eating disorders because the neurobiological emotions of females are different to those of males. Recently a study was completed at York University that shows that the part of the brain in a woman’s head that governs emotion showed more signs of distress when a virtual reality image of their own body being obese was on display. In fact, only 10-15% of anorexia sufferers are male. People who have anorexia try to keep their weight as low as possible by not eating enough food or exercising too much, or both. This can make them very ill because they start to starve.

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1) Focus on your whole person. Make a list of all the good qualities that you think describe you as a person and be proud of them. 2) Highlight the positives about your body and mind. For instance, you can pinpoint Be critical of how some amazing abilities or personalities bodies are portrayed that make you you. 3) Be critical of how bodies are portrayed in the media. Remind yourself that thin bodies are not the real portrayals of the range of the human body.

in the media; Remind yourself that thin bodies are not the real portrayals of the range of the human body

4) Correct friends or family members who badmouth their bodies. Compliment them on something that is not related to body appearance. This will help motivate both them and you. 5) Remind yourself that a certain bodyweight cannot bring you happiness.

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Fortunately, there are some ways to help yourself escape from anorexia, if you are not yet ready to ask for help:

The fear of be ing seen as fa others clouds t by their judgmen t and forces sufferers into a dark plac e

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

k c a l B is Beautiful Pase Oduwole of Brambletye celebrates black beauty, starting with the tunes

Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

lack is the very darkest colour owing to the absence or the complete absorption of light, and it’s the opposite of white. It also denotes any human group having dark skin, especially of African or Australian ancestry. But to me black means family and black means culture, but you can't talk about black culture without mentioning music.

On the single, ‘Black’, Dave explains what it means to grow up black: ‘Black is so confusin', 'cause the culture? They're in love with it.’

Dave is a black British rapper, songwriter and actor. He is similar to Tupac in the message he delivers and in his storytelling abilities. I always enjoy listening to his music and when he released his debut album, Psychodrama, one track in particular spoke to me. On the single, ‘Black’, Dave explains what it means to him to grow up black: ‘Black is so confusin', 'cause the culture? They're in love with it.’ He is suggesting that people are quick to adopt things from black culture but have an entirely different attitude towards its people. Many of his truths, just like this one, are mine too. Dave is just as inspirational as Tupac but for me his music hits closer to home.

From negro spirituals to Motown and Rap, Beyoncé is a different kind of role model. She black music is a window into black history has been a feminist icon throughout her life, and culture. There are three beginning her career in Destiny’s artists that represent what black Child before embarking on a solo culture means to me. They are journey. Her legacy has done much Beyonce’ is all from different times, involved for black women in the industry, celebrating the objective beauty in different genres of music and just by being a dominant force in and elegance of inspire me in different ways. music for over 20 years. She has black women opened the door for numerous Tupac Shakur was an African artists. Singers like Rihanna and American rapper and R'n'B artist Normani wouldn't be where they in the 80’s & 90’s. He was a truly inspirational are now without Beyoncé creating a space. rapper and had a massive influence on the people of his time. He was so truthful and was One of the ways she does this is through an amazing storyteller. He told things how they her music, particularly through some of her were and for that he was well respected. popular songs such as ‘Brown Skin Girl’ and ‘Formation’. In these songs she talks about His lyrics don’t focus on the stereotypical female empowerment and celebrating black topics of rap. Pac talked about controversial women. In ‘Brown Skin Girl’ she sings the lines, subjects, which made him more appealing. ‘Your skin just like pearls, the best thing in the The Californian rapper was someone who lived world.’ Beyoncé is here celebrating the objective through it all, from poverty to fame and wealth. beauty and elegance of black women and, as a He used his social status to show the truth and result, has motivated me to believe that I am make it known that, as much as people tried to beautiful and powerful. hide it, America in his time wasn't a just society. Overall, these three artists represent my idea In his song ‘Changes’, Tupac raps the line, ‘I of black culture in different ways. Beyoncé see no changes.’ Here, he is talking about how signifies female empowerment; Tupac society said things were getting better but symbolises the history of black culture; and the reality was, for a lot of African-Americans, Dave highlights its modernity. Although they’re it wasn't. Tupac is inspirational to me because all equally influential, Beyoncé holds a special he was original. He gave hope to many people place because she has managed to stay widely of his time. People aspired to be like him and relevant from Tupac's time right through to saw him as their role model. He didn't change Dave’s. himself to be famous and he didn't let fame change him. But music is just one of many examples of black excellence. In every era, aspect and situation, black is beautiful. Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

For

whoseit?

f e n e B

Terry Kachecha of Holmewood House reminds us that those on welfare are the unlucky ones

Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

“

in 2007 21% of incapacity claimants had attempted suicide, and by 2014 that proportion had doubled

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enefits, or welfare, are a type of government aid. They can be given to people in any assessments caused a spike in suicide income band but mostly they ensure rates. It is well known that several people can cover their everyday basic people cheat and claim money when needs, such as food and shelter. A they are capable of work. This is an welfare state claims responsibility for issue that cannot be allowed to exist health and education, and the social because the government would have security system provides subsidized more money to spend on other things public housing, financial aid, or increase the amount of money actual claimants receive. pensions, social services In August 2018, and unemployment 20 million people insurance for workers. claimed some sort In August 2018, 20 million of benefit income; people claimed some One former jobseekers’ A third were of sort of benefit income. A allowance claimant said, working age and after being in and out of the remainder were third were working age and the remainder were the system for four years, pensioners pensioners. 1.8 million that claimants should be allowed no longer than three months households rely on benefits for 80% of claiming money because it creates a their income. However, some people large underclass. But shouldn’t people give birth to several children in order to claim more benefits. Not good for the just be made more employable? children’s upbringing. I think the benefit system could offer more help to create an innovative The UK spent £263bn in 2017 on welfare new generation, no matter what their and benefits. £111bn was spent on the upbringing. In Britain, only a handful state pension, £44bn on disability and of celebrities and successes grew injury, £2bn on unemployment, £25bn up living on the dole. John Lennon, on income support and £35bn on Kerry Katona and J. K. Rowling are personal social services. some. In the USA, however, fame from humble beginnings is more frequent. Several people do not need to claim Howard Schultz, CEO and Chairman of benefits and yet they do. A television Starbucks, and Kenneth Langone, Co- show on Channel 5 exposes these founder of Home Depot, achieved the fraudsters and often they are not very happy with the presenter. It is ‘American Dream’ from nothing. apparent that these people often rely Sadly, in 2007 21% of incapacity on welfare claimants had attempted suicide, and by 2014 that proportion had doubled. People often assu 2007 was the year before the WCA me that if they ca n themselves in it, th (Work Capability Assessment) initiative ey can get themselve get s out of it began. Although some individuals abuse the benefit system, these Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

In the US A more fre , however, fame quent; H from hum o Starbuck s, and Ke ward Schultz, CE ble beginnings is O n Depot, a chieved neth Langone, C and Chairman o the ‘Ame o-founde f rican Dre r am’ from of Home nothing

extreme amounts of emotion whilst bringing out the human side of almost every viewer. If you are in search of a greater understanding and you want to get back in touch with reality, this show is for you.

It is well known that several people cheat and claim money when they are capable of work

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

money coming in so they do not feel the need to work, even though they might live on more money and enable those who are genuinely in need to Many people in such predicaments are be given more money. More money not there by choice although people means better childhoods and more often assume that ‘if they can get themselves in it, they can career opportunities, so Often these get themselves out of it.’ they won’t necessarily people have run Often these people have have to be in the same away from an position as their parents abusive household run away from an abusive as teenagers and household as teenagers when they grow up. that is when their and that is when their lives lives start to start to spiral. Occasionally Contrary to popular spiral this is due to bad habits, belief, only 8% of family such as gambling or alcoholism, but welfare claimants have three or more children. In 2011, there were only 130 not always. families with 10 children claiming at least one out-of-work benefit. Many of We should take a few moments to these families end up in the newspapers cherish how lucky we are and remember that others are not as fortunate. Maybe, and are branded scroungers. if you find that you have time on your Sometimes, people believe that those hands and that you are feeling pity, try who are less fortunate have no class. to find out if you can volunteer at your There is little evidence to support these local food bank. beliefs but another television show on Channel 5 gives us an insight into how hard these people work to provide for their families. Rich House, Poor House is a show that records all the drama when a family in the top 10% of the rich in Britain swaps houses with a family in the bottom 10%. The show features

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Medicinal Music Nelly BathardSmith of St. Andrew’s celebrates the healing power of music

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hy is being a musician good for the brain?

Recent studies have shown that people who have taken up learning an instrument are generally more happy than people who haven’t. From personal experience I have found that when you play or make music it can calm you down when you are stressed or frustrated. Whilst calming you down, playing music has many other positive impacts on your brain, such as being able to control your feelings much better than the majority of the population. So I believe everyone should have the opportunity to learn an instrument because reading music while playing strengthens memory and reading skills without the player even realising.

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Researchers believe that listening to or making music for half an hour at whatever time of day provides a boost equivalent to one energy drink, since producing or processing sound increases blood flow in the brain. Cancer patients say music therapy has helped them by reducing anxiety levels during treatment. They say that laughter is the best medicine but I disagree. I think music is the best medicine because you can listen to or play whatever music you like that makes you feel good. People also create stronger bonds with others by expressing their feelings through music. Music is useful, so you should go and learn any instrument you like and it will have a massive beneficial impact on your life. Trust me.

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Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

Annie Dunton and Ellie Po ttle of SJCS widespread to lament the lerance of c hild mar riage

hild marriage involves either boys or girls under the age of 18, but usually girls. In South Asia, which has the highest rates of child marriage in the world, 45% of women say they were married before the age of 18 and 17% before the age of 15. That’s 12 million child brides each year, almost one every two seconds. And in such marriages young girls are at high risk of abuse and exploitation. Parents marry off their daughters for many different reasons, most often because older men, who wouldn't have a chance normally, pay the parents a substantial bride price. Also parents don't have to pay for a girl’s upkeep once she is married. And many parents worry that their daughters will never marry at all if they don’t marry young. Of the 16 million adolescent girls who give birth every year about 90 per cent are already married. These girls can be as young as fifteen. UNICEF estimates that 50,000 of them die in childbirth. Some of these girls die before reaching adulthood because they have been sexually abused and have an unwanted pregnancy. These girls have no idea about their rights. ‘Young girls who marry later and delay pregnancy beyond their adolescence Of the 16 million years have more chances to stay healthier, to better their education adolescent girls and build a better life for themselves and their families,’ says Flavia who give birth Bustreo, M.D., Assistant Director-General for Family, Women's and every year about 90 per cent are Children's Health at the World Health Organization. ‘We have the already married; means at our disposal to work together to stop child marriage.’

“

These girls can be as young as fifteen

Many people don’t realise that child marriage is happening. Many girls have been saved from child marriages simply by being told their basic human rights. The good news is that underage marriage numbers are declining, from 1985 (63%) to 2010 (45%). This may be progress but the marriage of underage girls is still commonplace. There are five ways to stop child marriage: 1) Empower girls with information, skills and support networks 2) Provide economic support and incentives to girls and their families 3) Educate and rally parents and community members 4) Enhance girls’ access to a high-quality education 5) Encourage supportive laws and policies (Statistics from ICRW, the International Centre for Research on Women)

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

Sto le n

d l i Ch Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

Zachary Hoo d of Fulham S chool wonde the atomic b rs whether ombs in 1945 were evil after al l

1945

we all know, was the end of the huge war between Germany and Britain but what led to the end? It was the surrender of the Japanese Empire. What led to this surrender though? It was the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. I was suddenly hit by an interest in WWII when I was just four years old. My parents had just broken up and my dad gave me a model Liberator (a plane in WWII) and that was when it all started. Hiroshima was the first of the two bombs and fell at 8:15am on 6th August 1945. The bomb took approximately 45 seconds from the plane to hit the ground. Second was Nagasaki which took place at 11:02 am on 9th August 1945, three days after Hiroshima. The pilot in the Hiroshima bombing was called Paul Tibbets. In Nagasaki the pilot was called Charles Sweeney. The B-29 Superfortress in the bombing of Hiroshima had the name Enola Gay after Paul Tibbets’ mother. As well as the planes, the bombs had names: ‘Little Boy’ and ‘Fat Man’. Hiroshima and Nagasaki led to the Japanese surrender on the 15th August 1945 and ever since we have called it V J Day. The surrender happened because the Japanese thought the Americans would bomb Tokyo. Before the bombings the Americans dropped leaflets to try and warn the citizens to get out. The attacks devastated 67 states and killed 129,000226,000 people altogether. Only half died on the day and the rest due to radiation poisoning over time. Some people are still suffering to this day. The attacks led to the surrender of the Japanese Empire. The surrender was only six days after the Nagasaki bombing. The official form was signed on the 2nd September 1945

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The attacks devastated 67 states and killed 129,000226,000 people altogether; Only half died on the day and the rest due to radiation poisoning over time

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Bitte r

g n i d n E Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

Perhaps the British and Americans could have got A surrender in a different way rather than kill all those innocent people

by Prime Minister Hirohito. What was supposed to happen was instead of Nagasaki they were meant to bomb Kukura but it was too cloudy. They were also supposed to bomb four cities instead of two but they thought two was better. The most interesting part is one of the most difficult questions of all time – whether it was the best thing to do or not. It may not sound hard but, if you think about it, it is. A good reason is it won the war and there is now no animosity between these countries. You may have thought there is, Donald vs Kim, but North Korea wasn't fighting. Perhaps the British and Americans could have got the Japanese to surrender in a different way rather than kill all those innocent people. What do you believe? 

in 29 ss f e o e B e tr Th or bing d th y a s’ a rf m pe bo a h la G bet u m e S h hi no ib t os E l T r e u Hir am Pa the n er o m t af 46

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Th was e surr aft onl ende bom er th y six d r e a for bing; T Naga ys sak mw he o the i a 2nd s sign fficial e S d 19 ep Min 45 by temb on iste Prim er rH iro e hito

e h t

Left od of Holmewo Joe Smiley

why House asks

being left-handed is a problem

Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

“

Some of the problems left-handers face are so simple to address that a failure to do so suggests they are thought inferior

on top. This study suggests that handedness develops during childhood, not before. It’s impossible to know which theory is right, or if a combination of factors is at work. It is therefore likely that more studies into how left-handedness develops will be needed in future.

I Some factors, I know from experience, hamper a left-hander’s creativity: for example, constantly smudging ink on work and the challenge of using righthanded scissors

am left-handed and my grandfather was forced to write with his right hand as a child. So I’ve been thinking. Why do only 12% of the population favour their left hand? Why are men 23% more likely to be lefthanded? Alas, I have been unable to find the answers to these big questions. But why does left-handedness develop at all? The main reason seems to be genetic, although only 27% of children of two left-handed parents will have a lefthanded child, suggesting other factors are at play. Studies of the foetus have shown that right-handers later in life suck their right thumb more in the womb, whereas left-handers suck their left more. This suggests that handedness starts happening even before you are born. Other research shows that handedness only develops between the age of three and four. In one study by neurobiologists, 50 children between one and five were asked to pick up either Cheerios or Lego bricks. The younger children picked the Cheerios whereas the older children picked the Lego bricks. When eating the Cheerios, the younger children used both hands whereas more of the older children used the left hand to hold the tower steady, and the right to place blocks

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

Another area of research is on the impact of handedness on humans. For example, studies of the brain show that left- and righthanders use the two hemispheres or sides of the brain differently. However, researchers have suggested that there is no noteworthy difference in the IQ levels of left- and righthanded people. Essentially while they use their brains differently, it’s over-simplistic to say that one or the other is more intelligent. That said, many believe left-handers are more artistic and creative. (Certainly not a characteristic in my case!) Musicality is one kind of creativity, and statistics do suggest there are more left-handed musicians than left-handers in the population. The way rightand left-handers access different areas of the brain could account for greater levels of creativity. opriate access to appr ve ha n re ild If ch r, they are ey are younge th n he w s ol to school hieve highly at more likely to ac

cess to t have ac istake o n o d s tal m urgeon lead to a fa edicine, s Even in m tools, which could ed left-hand to themselves ry ju in n a or

“

many believe lefthanders are more artistic and creative; statistics suggest there are more lefthanded musicians than left-handers in the population

Some factors, I know from experience, hamper a left-handers' creativity: for example, constantly smudging ink on work and the challenge of using right-handed scissors. Indeed, left-handers face many such problems. For example, treatments for mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, prove less effective on left-handers and may even be detrimental. On the plus side, some illnesses appear less prevalent among left-handers – arthritis and ulcers to name just two. Some of the problems left-handers face are so simple to address that a failure to do so suggests they are thought inferior. For example, even in medicine, surgeons do not have access to left-handed tools, which could lead to a fatal mistake or an injury to themselves. Yet despite this being easy to fix, and something that could even save lives, nothing is done. Equally, there is a problem in the education system. If children have access to appropriate tools when they are younger, they are more likely to achieve highly at school and to develop skills that will help them in later life. It may not seem like a big deal whether or not there are left-handed scissors available, but we provide support for other differences or challenges. Why not for this? It is perhaps worth asking whether this lack of attention reflects negative attitudes towards left-handedness. Certainly, these attitudes have changed radically in the last hundred years. In previous centuries, in some cases until the early 1900s, left-handedness was seen as unlucky. Earlier still, people thought it meant you were possessed by the devil, a view which may link back to the Latin word for left: 'sinister'.

As a result of these negative attitudes, many people were ‘converted’ to being righthanded. I asked my grandfather what it was like growing up in the mid-1900s as a lefthander and I was shocked to find that at prep school he was forced to change from writing with his left hand to his right. And although the school tried to ‘convert’ him to being right-handed, he still opens jars with his left hand because it remains stronger. This suggests that even after being forced to change the hand you write with you will never be able to stop having a bit of the other-handedness in you. However, this has not been proven and my grandfather is just one of many children who grew up in that period. Such forced change would have affected some people’s confidence. Perhaps it may even have caused mental health problems, although these were not considered much at the time. The interview with my grandfather did reveal other interesting dimensions of handedness. For example, he was still allowed to play cricket left-handed because it benefited the team to have a mix of leftand right-handers. In other words, the focus was not on the individual and what was best for them. Rather, left-handedness was only tolerated if it helped the group. Personally, I wonder whether the continued lack of focus on left-handedness in education today is a remnant of these historical views. In short, it is an area in which, even today, schools ‘could do better.’ Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

e c n Da On

Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

Theo

too an dance c s y o b s f JKS say Pickard o

ow would you feel if you were laughed at because you played football or hockey, or learn Science? Dance in England is often viewed as a girl’s activity and boys who dance are mocked. I know this from experience. This traditional view based on gender stereotypes shows a limited understanding of what dance entails. It is more than just movement for movement’s sake. To be an excellent dancer, you need to move with technical understanding, convey movement with meaning, expression and emotion, and translate the choreographer’s intentions to an audience. Despite many people suggesting dance is for girls, boys do dance with enjoyment and success. In 2018, 121,000 males and 422,000 females in England participated in creative or artistic dance. These statistics show that there is a gender gap. I am an advocate for dance, since it can help boys gain greater knowledge and understanding of their body and mind. Dance is the second most popular activity in the UK next to football, according to Youth Dance England. Dance combines physical, technical and creative skills; it increases heart and lung capacities; it increases muscle strength, endurance and fitness; it strengthens bones, improves coordination, agility and flexibility; dance improves mental health and wellbeing, as well as developing social skills because you are working in a team to create a performance. Dance is for all ages and abilities, and you can enjoy dancing as an amateur or train to become a professional, elite performer. A professional dancer can travel the world on tour and engage with multiple audiences in different countries. In 2019 there were 17,000 dancers and choreographers employed in the UK. There are choreographers, films and companies that try to address the gender gap. An example is Matthew Bourne, a renowned choreographer and advocate for male dance. In 1995, he created his own Swan Lake and turned the typically female corps-de-ballet (a group of dancers) into a menacing, ominous and incredible male-only show.

D mor ance h thr e popu as bec ou l o dan gh ta ar wit me l h c and ers, c ented boys e m a to t thlet lebrit ale ies he s es t pro tage aking gra i mm n TV es

prejudice, he pursues his interest, changes hearts and minds, and becomes a successful ballet dancer. After the release of the film on 29 September 2000, there was a dramatic spike in the number of male dancers who auditioned for the Royal Ballet School. Other inspiring companies include YDance and Smallpetitklein who, in 2010, performed IGNITE, a festival of all-male dance performances, to inspire boys and young men to get into dance. I am proud to be a part of an all-male dance company called Motion Alpha, a mostly contemporary company that has performed in the Marlowe Theatre and Gulbenkian, and in many arts festivals. I have performed in the Marlowe Theatre studio and main stage several times, dancing with companies, or as a duet, and even solo. Dance has been a big part of my life since I was three and I have worked with many professional choreographers. Before Motion Alpha, I was training at Trinity Laban Conservatoire. I also enjoy watching lots of dance at the theatre, including ballet, contemporary and hip-hop. Dance has become more popular with boys through talented male dancers, celebrities and athletes taking to the stage in TV programmes such as ‘Strictly Come Dancing’. Hip-Hop and breakdancing have increased the popularity of male dance too. More recently, as part of training, male football and rugby players use dance to increase core and muscle strength, posture and flexibility. From an early age many girls are encouraged to pursue dance as a gender-appropriate activity, but it’s largely shunned by boys in favour of boxing, martial arts or gaming. Sadly, many people still think that only girls should dance, but I think anyone who wants to dance, boy or girl, should dance.

Likewise, Billie Elliot is a film about a boy who wants to do ballet but his dad thinks he should be doing something more manly, like boxing or football. Billie enjoys being able to express himself through dance, so much so that, despite

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

Last

e c n a h

Tommy of Cumnor

Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

House puts the de

ath penalty on tr ia

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e tim ge w, a r o ave hr The deat here on ll w fore e a c ait be ted, w cu you e exe d 15 r ’ n you arou rs is yea

There are dud executions, cases that turn into torture for the victim because the electric chair or lethal injection has gone wrong

he last people to be executed in Britain were Peter Allen and Gwynne Evens. They were hanged on 13th August 1964 for the There are different methods of joint murder of John West. The death execution, all of them grim. For penalty was finally abolished in the the countries that do use capital United Kingdom five years later, in 1969. punishment, it’s important for them Since then, the United Kingdom has to choose the most humane execution moved away from capital punishment, method. Some places around the world which still goes on – wrongly, I think use the electric chair, while others still hang their victims. In – all over the world. If If people like me some Islamic states, people like me think it is think it is wrong public decapitation is wrong to take someone’s to take someone’s carried out, although life, why do some life, why do some most countries use lethal societies still practise societies still practise capital injection. However, no capital punishment? punishment? form of execution is particularly comfortable, It varies from country to country. In the US, espionage, drug- and although humans are no longer trafficking, abduction, highjacking ripping each other’s limbs off as a form and treason, as well as murder or of punishment, going through the attempted murder of a witness or a process up to when you actually die is court officer, are all crimes that carry still extremely unpleasant. The average the death penalty. In Saudi Arabia, time on death row, a cell where you wait however, the death penalty can be before you’re executed, is around 15 enforced for homosexuality, apostasy years. Imagine 15 years of not knowing (acting against official religious beliefs), if you are going to die the following day. adultery and even ‘witchcraft’! The 15 years of slowly going mad, feeling difference in these crimes that carry sick with nerves, trying desperately capital punishment reflect the two to take every day as if it could be your nations’ different values and beliefs. It last. How horrible and inhumane! This also highlights a problem that there is one of the reasons why the death cannot be one set of crimes leading to penalty is so controversial. Waiting on the death penalty around the world, death row is, in my opinion, worse then because some crimes spark different the actual execution. But I’m not done. responses from different people. I There are dud executions, cases that believe that if the death penalty must turn into torture for the victim because exist, and I will stress once more that it the electric chair or lethal injection should not, it should only be enforced for murder, or serious cases of abuse, rape or abduction. carried out, capitation is owever, no e d c li b u p jection; h mic states, In some Isla countries use lethal in rtable st fo o although m tion is particularly com cu xe e f o rm fo Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

What if your child or parent or sibling or friend, or just someone you know, was raped, tortured, kidnapped or abducted? How would you feel? It is a horrendous idea, and not one that you tend to think about, but if you do think about it for a moment would you want justice to be served, and for that person to lose their life?

Is it right to put someone at risk of an excruciating death because they have committed a crime?

As I said before, it is impossible for you has gone wrong, and the process goes to understand how you would feel on far longer than planned. There when it hasn’t happened to you or anyone you know. Grief have been cases where can do strange things kinks in tubes feeding if you do think to people. Let’s suppose anaesthetic prevent it about it for a being injected so the moment would you a mother, who was the lethal injections take want justice to be gentlest, most placid, most served, and for understanding person hold while the person is that person to you could possibly meet, still conscious. These are lose their life? lost her son because of rare cases, but is it right to put someone at risk of an excruciating a murder. Would that mother feel so death because they have committed a much hurt, so much anger, that she began baying for justice and the death crime? of that person? And what if a serial killer Now I’m standing here, far away from who had murdered 20 people was put any danger that could hurt me or my in prison but escaped back into society? family. I have never been remotely By sparing one evil person from death, involved in anything like the things you have then put many more good I’m writing about now. So it’s difficult people, and their families, in danger. for me to see from every perspective. These are all the reasons why the death I don’t know how I would feel about penalty should exist, but it makes capital punishment if my sister was forming an opinion all the harder. If you raped, or my friend was abducted. I imagine I would have a very different viewpoint. However, I don’t know for sure how I would feel, so this paragraph is going to be quite difficult for me to write, but I believe it is vitally important in this argument.

If you disagree wi th suppor t the unan the death penalty do you then swered calls for justice from the victim’s families ? 54

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

Capital punishment can spark many debates, many opinions; this is the way it should be

Most people who ar to murder a fe e good reckon it’ s wrong llow human, w hatever the circumstances

disagree with the death penalty do you then support the unanswered calls for justice from the victim’s families, or the damaged in society that evil people leave in their wake? Most people who are good reckon it’s wrong to murder a fellow human, whatever the circumstances. Why should the criminal’s family be made to suffer? How will the death of the person who did something terrible to someone else erase the damage caused? It won’t, so if you want that person to suffer and die, what makes you any better than them? It may seem like I have contradicted myself, but the truth is I’m aiming to get all points across and still give my opinion. I want my opinion to stand out. Capital punishment can spark many debates, many opinions. This is the way it should be. I hope that at some stage people will stop killing each other, both in a capital punishment sense and just in general. But in my lifetime? Not a chance.

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

Queen

Oprah

Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

y ls us wh l e t l o o Sch f Fulham o y n a e o D Maggy J alty roy Oprah is

am sure most of you know who Oprah is, but if you don’t well done for finding my article. The reason I chose to tell you about Oprah is simple. She is not just someone famous. She is a survivor, a role model and, of course, an absolute queen. So let’s get started. Oprah was born on 29 January 1954 into an African American family and grew up in Tennessee but she lived most of her young life with her grandma. When she did see her parents her mother would verbally abuse her and her father would physically and sexually abuse her. Winfrey once told Ellen Degeneres about one instance of abuse that stood out in her mind. She says that when she was only ten years old, ‘I was playing by the well when I heard my grandma yelling at me and then I saw the belt and knew what was going to happen so I pulled the back of my shirt up and got whipped so hard I still have the scars today.’ Oprah was a very smart child so she went to high school very early. She says she hated her high school years because the other students made fun of her skin colour. Later in the year young Oprah found out she was pregnant. At only age fourteen and earning five dollars an hour she had no idea whether to keep the baby or terminate her pregnancy. She had always wanted to be a mother but was it too early? Oprah decided to keep her baby but hide it from her family and the baby's father. A couple of months later Oprah gave birth prematurely to a baby boy but sadly the baby was not breathing at birth. She named him Canaan. Oprah got through high school, despite the nasty comments, and made college. During these years she worked as a waitress in a local café, earning ten dollars an hour, while having classes every day but she still managed to graduate. One day Oprah was walking in Chicago when she saw an ad for agencies so she wrote the number on her hand. Later that week Oprah went to audition for a show but the director loved her so much he gave her her own show and that man is now her husband. Her show was called The Winfrey Show. Right now Oprah leads a calm life in the hidden hills of California living in a $52 million mansion with her husband. Her rags-to-riches tale has inspired millions of people around the world. Her net worth is now three billion. Oprah says, ‘Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is just a stepping stone to greatness.’ 

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Oprah says, ‘Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is just a stepping stone to greatness.’ Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

New r e d Or

Freddie Skarbek of Holmewood House ex amines the educatio potential of comput nal ers

ne reason technology can help in schools is that screens are more stimulating to a child’s brain than a plain old textbook. There have been lots of studies suggesting that children take in more information and have higher concentration rates when learning or working on a screen. One of the most notable of these studies was carried out at the University of Montana, which estimated that children remember on average around 10% more of what they see on a screen compared to a book. This is thought to be due to the blue lighting in screens that stimulates the brain. This is the same blue light that can interfere with sleep if you use your screen device just before going to bed. Whilst unhelpful late in the evening, the stimulation could clearly be valuable earlier in the day. This factor could have a huge impact on education – 10% less teaching time means significantly less cost to the government (and therefore the tax payer) or, if children are lucky enough to go to private schools, then fees could be reduced. No bad thing. 58

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

But modern children already have too downloaded textbooks and type up much screen time, when more than two all their work to email to the teacher. hours a day is concerning. A study from 114,305 metric tons of paper are used the University of Maryland showed yearly in the UK alone. The fewer trees that too much screen humans cut down the time can decrease social more CO2 is absorbed skills and make it harder (for photosynthesis), Whilst unhelpful late in the for children to show which helps to limit evening, blue light their emotions. Not greenhouse gas levels. stimulation could only does computer use clearly be valuable Rising CO2 levels can make children socially build up, trapping earlier in the day isolated, it found, but infrared rays and being on a computer or warming the Earth. If typing is more linear and set in stone, use of paper was significantly reduced while when writing with a pen ‘children across the whole world, millions of are freer to express themselves in the trees could be saved. Pollution and way they write.’ Another study also global warming are going to be one found that the more screen time you of the biggest problems faced by the have the less imaginative you become, children of today. Eliminating paper as a result of the rigid layout of the lines use in schools would help this no end. on a computer screen. Deforestation also causes flooding, because trees suck up water from the Computers are more environmentally ground. So using a computer in school friendly than using lots of paper. could save lives in places prone to Paper is needed in schools to write flooding, such as Bangladesh. on and for textbooks, but if all children had computers they could But laptops are expensive. Not all pupils get information from the internet or could afford one so their obligatory use

Another study also found that the more screen time you have the less imaginative you become

Ins t hug ead o f e of fil bags havin e co s, st ful g aro uld c uden l und arr ts lap only y top a

would be unfair. It would also create problems in class if some children had laptops but others didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. Making computer use compulsory will always be hard because governments should not be able to choose what families spend their own hard-earned money on. Taxes would also increase if the computers were paid for by the state. Throughout the world, probably the most prominent reason for using tech in schools is that in the future the younger generation will not need the same skills as school teaches them and having a laptop would change that because they will learn how to use it. As an example, will the children of today ever need to be quick mathematicians, when almost all the time they will have a phone on them? You could almost just replace the whole syllabus with ICT because this encompasses Google, which has the answer to all their questions. Google will act as their textbook, and they must know how to use it properly. Children should know from early on how to work email and other applications on computers, because they are probably going to play a much more prominent part in their life than anything else.

Computers also help pupils become organised. Nowadays, I know from experience that sorting lots of files and sheets of paper can be hard but I think that this would all change with computers. Instead of teachers giving you handouts they could just send you the work on a Word document. Instead of having huge bags full of files, students could carry around just a laptop. This makes it impossible for students to lose work as it uploads to a thing called OneDrive, which is like the Microsoft version of iCloud. In simple terms, it is a place to store your work, which takes up no storage on the machine and can be recovered on any device by using a password. This would mean no excuses for not handing in homework. Computers could change the way we teach and learn forever, but people will have to commit. Despite this need, I do understand that many may not like the idea. ď&#x20AC;ź

n cree uch s rease m o to ec nd can d time l skills a or f ia r c e d so it har ow make ren to sh s d n il io h c emot their

Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

Born

DIE

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while the idea of genetic engineering and breeding is exciting and may look cool, the effect on the animals should be a primary concern

Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

y e cruelt h t t u o points ue r House o n velty val m o u n C r f o o f B t s jus Harvey g animal in d e e r b of inter

reeding snakes is a worldwide industry and owners make a lot of money, on average £37,560 a year. Trying to guess the right genes and what you will get when the eggs hatch is like rolling dice but some breeders want to breed the highest-value snakes as quickly as they can to match the enormous demand for specific genetic mutations. What they do not consider is the snake’s health. Most breeders value their snakes and want them to have the best chance of producing healthy young but some pump their snakes full of food to accelerate their growth, and breed to produce a new mutation that will fetch a large sum of money. A ‘morph’ snake has been bred so that specific genetic traits can be seen and these are visually pleasing. There are millions of different morphs. Some such variations can cancel out or bring in more recessive genes if bred correctly. For example, a erythenistic is a gene that brings out the reds and yellows in an albino snake. An axanthic would cancel out these colours and bring out the black. Piebaldism cancels out most of the snake’s pattern and leaves only splotches. This makes genetic modification an exciting prospect for science. But it’s not much good for the snake. With many animals it is considered wrong to inbreed for a more dominant gene. But with snakes inbreeding is acceptable to a certain extent. A good example of this is a bull snake. There are many different mutations of bull snakes. If the recessive/co-dominant gene is albino, which is recessive so the snake may not be visually white, then the mate of the snake has to be albino as well in order to produce visual albinos. This usually means that if the brood mate of the snake being bred is available it would be a likely candidate for breeding because they share the same genes. This is usually fine for snakes unless done to an extreme. Piebaldism is a gene bred from pythons to make them virtually white with specks of the pattern from the original version. They sell for nearly £1200. But unless the result is mere anomaly, this practice is cruel.

Rep l ge icatin visu nes tw g the can ally p ice ma same l y and have s easin be tha weak ide-ef g but t pr e f eve n the ects gen nts dise e ase

Inbreeding can raise a lot of problems for snakes and other animals. Replicating the same genes twice may be visually pleasing but can have side-effects. For example, a blood-red mutation of a corn snake is one of the worst snakes you can get due to it having one of the lowest immune systems of the species. This is because the same gene has been replicated over and over and has weakened the gene that prevents disease. The same is true for other animals. A pug has various different chest and asthma problems because of the way it’s bred. The folds of skin and small stature may look cute and cuddly but the dog will have problems running and its skin can cost owners a fortune. It may not be a crossbreed but it will certainly have issues. I have two cockerpoos that are half-brother and sister. They share the same mother but have different fathers. Cross-breeds are generally great to have unless you breed a cockerpoo with another cockerpoo then you will end up with what is called an F2 generation. They are also known as ‘throwbacks’ or the ‘grandad effect’. This is where the puppy of the female will look like one of its grandparents. The puppy is likely to be more susceptible to cataracts, glaucoma and have problems with its joints. This is because the negative genes from the original parents (the puppy’s grandparents) will be coming through to become more dominant. Further breeding to an F5 generation means that the mother will most likely die and the puppies will have a very high susceptibility to the problems above. So while the idea of genetic engineering and breeding is exciting and may look cool, the effect on the animals should be a primary concern. It’s simple logic. If the animal is badly treated and not looked after properly then it will damage the chance of getting satisfactory offspring, which is precisely what the breeders do not want. Creative breeding is not cool if the animal that results is just born to die. 

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

A Great

he Philip Pullman series of novels entitled His Dark Materials is great for children of all ages. The books tell the story of Lyra and her dæmon Pan who are first brought to Jordan College by her uncle in a flood. Then she grows up as an orphan and becomes close to another orphan called Roger, who has a dæmon called Salcilia. The action begins when Roger disappears and Lyra is determined to find him. She makes many allies but also many enemies through her adventures. You can read the books, which go into great detail, but also watch the TV series, which can make the story of the books clearer.

e r u t n e v d A cott of Elliott Lins s light

e shed Bramblety k s of His Dar on the geniu Materials

The Magic of

Poetry Charles C of Newton Prep sings the praises of poetry

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oetry can be about anything, from the smallest ant to the biggest tree. It can explore the thorns on a rose’s stem. We study it at school because it helps our minds to become more wise and open, which means we can learn more creatively and study more efficiently. Poetry is especially about feelings, mostly love or sadness. For me talking about feelings in a poem makes it more special and more thoughtful, and it really makes whatever you're saying stand out. I think people should focus more on feelings, especially because emotion is a type of poetry on its own. Derived from an oral tradition thousands of years old, a culture of storytelling has allowed poetry to prevail. The oldest written poem is the Epic of Gilgamesh, believed to be 4000 years old, and Mahabharata is the longest poem in the world, with around 1.8 million words. But we’re usually only exposed to short poems, such as sonnets, or my favourite, the haiku, originally written by a group of Japanese writers called The Great Four.

Most poems have double meanings. Whilst they can describe something traditionally beautiful or tragic, they can be secretly discussing a scenario closer to home, through hidden language. For example, Nikita Gill writes, ‘The moon has always been the ocean’s most jealous lover.’ In addition, Refugees, a palindrome poem by Brian Bilston, describes the stigma around migrants, but if you read it backwards it shows a whole new perspective on how people should be welcomed into every country. Therefore, overall, even though poems may seem simplistic at face value, they often represent a deeper, sometimes political, meaning. Poetry is everywhere. The lyrics in the songs that I listen to in the car on the way to school are a form of poetry. Music simply provides a melody for poetic words that often tell a story. Even the way some songs rhyme can be said to come from Shakespeare’s rhyming couplets. Thus poetry infuses every breath we take. From the songs that we listen to on the radio to the texts we study in class, poetry is simply a collection of harmonious words put together. So in the morning a little bit of Benjamin Zephaniah with your porridge will get you going for the day. 

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It has been proven that chess can help stimulate the mind and even raise your IQ

One pupil said, ‘After a few weeks of playing chess, I was able easily to remember my next lesson, and my work became neater and more organised.’

C In a two-year study in 1985, young students who were given regular opportunities to play chess improved their grades in all subjects, and their teachers noticed better memory, concentration and organisational skills

hess. The peak of mental agility and thought. A great way to test thought processes and mental capacity is through chess, yet you still can’t win an Olympic medal for it. I think you should, as chess has many positive benefits, many of which I’ve personally experienced. It’s very important for chess to be included in the Olympic Games, as this way it will get more global publicity. The Olympics are the largest stage for showcasing sports around the world. Adding chess to the Olympics will get many more people playing. But before we consider the merits, or not, of including chess in the Olympics, let’s first look at the wider benefits that playing chess might bring. Chess has many positive attributes including ‘brain training’. It has been proven that chess can help stimulate the mind and even raise your IQ. All chess players know that playing chess improves your memory. Being a good player means recalling moves that have helped you win before. But there’s hard evidence too. In a twoyear study in 1985, young students who were given regular opportunities to play chess improved their grades in all subjects, and their teachers noticed better memory, concentration and organisational skills in their pupils.

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To play chess at a high level requires intense concentration, and regular playing will help improve this. Looking away or thinking about something else, even for a split-second, can result in the loss of a match, as an opponent is not required to tell you how, or where, he moved if you didn’t pay attention. Numerous studies of students in countries such as USA, Russia and China have proven time and time again that a young person’s ability to focus is sharpened through chess. Chess also helps the development and maturity of teenagers’ brains. One of the last parts of the brain to develop fully is the prefrontal cortex, the area responsible for planning, judgment, and self-control. So, adolescents are immature in these areas until this part of the brain develops. Strategy games, like chess, can promote prefrontal cortex development and therefore help them to make better decisions in all areas of life. Because the brain works like a muscle, it needs regular exercise to maintain its health and

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ho er 75 w eople ov ke chess, p t a th li nd activities, s study fou A recent in brain-engaging ntia and Alzheimer’ e te m a e par ticip ely to develop d k are less li

ability to ward off injury. A recent study found that people over 75 who participate in brain-engaging activities, like chess, are less likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer’s than other, non-chessplaying, people. Just like an un-exercised muscle loses strength, unused brain tissue results in a loss of brain power, cognitive reduction, and irregular functioning. So that’s a great reason to play, or start playing chess, irrespective of age.

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Many people don’t realise that chess is a sport and think it’s just a game; But it has been recognised as an international sport by the Olympic Committee

Having considered these positive attributes, let’s reconsider the question of whether chess should be included as an Olympic sport. Despite many saying chess is a rather odd game, have you ever thought about some of the other sports that are already included in the Olympics? For example, race walking. A crazy sport. The participants can look rather amusing as they wiggle and shake their hips in a mad way. But it was still included. Some might suggest chess doesn't involve physical activity and therefore can’t be included in future Olympics, which is about sport and not ‘games’ at all. They may claim that chess would be out of place among other sports such as cycling, running and athletics, which all require physical exertion and movement. But chess players must be physically, as well as mentally, fit to perform at their best. Hence the famous claim by Bobby Fischer (one of the world’s top chess players): ‘Your body has to be in top condition. Your chess deteriorates as your body does. You can’t separate body from mind.’ For such a celebrated and famous person to make such an assertion is a clear indicator that this point has great importance. Despite this, some probably still wonder who would even want to spend hours of their day watching two people move wooden figures around a board with 64 squares on. By contrast, devoted chess fans and players may argue that you could say that about any sport; for example, why would you decide to watch 22 people kick a ball around a grass field? This is a very interesting point because what is dull for

one is enjoyable for another. Also, what one person finds uninteresting someone else can find intriguing and inspiring. Many people don't realise that chess is a sport and think it’s just a game. But it has been recognised as an international sport by the Olympic Committee. Sport must be enjoyable and for millions of people chess is the one thing they enjoy playing most. One of the main aspects of a sport is inclusion, and chess certainly excels in that area. Anyone of any age, gender, background and ability is able and welcome to play. Requiring minimal equipment, chess is also an inexpensive game to play. So, as you can see, chess is a universally available and playable sport, since no country has an unfair advantage over another, or naturally dominates the sport due to their country’s specific geographical features – take skiing, for example. There is a clear demand for the inclusion of this sport in the Olympics. It was even stated in the Telegraph that some players felt so strongly they created chess pieces out of ice. Why? So that chess would be considered as a winter sport! It’s your move. Do you think the positives outweigh the negatives? Do you think chess should at least be given a chance? Or maybe you believe chess should stay as a game or hobby for those that it interests and it shouldn't be included on the world’s Olympic stage. I hope this article has at least managed to get your brain cells thinking – a bit like chess!  Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

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to the ’s pays tribute n a n o R . St f o on Alastair Prest ther great-grandfa s hi f o m is o r he

he My great-grandfather, Derek William Alastair Simpson, was born on 5th January 1915. WW2 broke out on 1st September 1939 and on Sunday 24th March 1940, when he was 25 years old, Derek set sail for Singapore as a British Army Lieutenant in the 7th Royal Artillery. He was captured in February 1942 at the Battle of Singapore, what Winston Churchill descrribed as the ‘worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history.’ Singapore was known as the ‘impregnable fortress’ but the Japanese made up in military tactics and skill what they lacked in artillery. Their battle-winning tactic was this: instead of going round the South China Sea, where all the British 23-millimeter guns were pointing, they took the much more dangerous and difficult route through the entire Malay peninsula and through the deep rainforest just to get the vital element of surprise. Only seven days after the battle commenced victory was won by the Japanese on February 15th 1942. 1,714 were killed. 100,000 allied troops surrendered. 50,016 British were captured. During the war Derek sent a number of censored postcards to his family and his girlfriend, my great-grandmother Jean (now dead). None of these reflected at all what he was feeling or how he was treated. All prisoners of war were required to fill out a liberation questionnaire. My great-grandfather’s is held in the National Archives at Kew. It details the camps he was held in and some of his experiences as a prisoner of war. Being able to decipher Derek’s Liberation Questionnaire meant I was able to trace his time as a POW and confirm the camps where he was kept. Most importantly it gave me confirmation that he had been a POW in Kanburi with Colonel Toosey, the camp made famous by The Bridge Over The River Kwai film. 

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POWs working on the Bu rma Railway: for every sle eper laid on this 415-kilometre railway a man died fro m hunger, disease or over-exer tion; the Burma Railway becam e known as ‘Death Railway’

Food in the camps was meagre, usually a tiny bowl of rice or, if inmates were lucky, half a bowl. They were usually fed once or twice a week. This led to starvation and many other diseases such as scurvy from only eating rice and not enough vitamin C. Derek managed to hide his signet ring in one of the small bars of soap the Japanese gave to every prisoner. He kept it hidden for three years, throughout his captivity. I imagine this made it difficult to wash! My family and I are now in possession of this ring.

Derek sent a number of censored postcards to his family and his girlfriend, my great-grandmother Jean; none of these reflected at all what he was feeling or how he was treated

When the prisoners were transported from Singapore to the camps in Thailand, they were piled into cattle trucks. They had to squat winners of the or sit for 5 days in intense heat. At Tamarkan camp, Women’s World Cup only received $4m, the first camp Derek while France, who arrived at, there were five won the 2018 Men’s long huts, each holding World Cup, scooped up $38m 300 men. The camps were truly horrific places where the Japanese did not uphold the 1929 Geneva Convention regarding treatment of prisoners of war. In the camps, out of the 14,000 sent there one in three men died. Many people died from easily curable minor diseases. Escape attempts were rare. Most camps did not have barbed wire, not even fences, because they were surrounded by impenetrable jungle which almost all people would fail to cross.

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Derek was a witness to escape attempts by fellow prisoners and took part in sabotage. One of the acts of sabotage Derek talks about is throwing grit into the ball bearings of the wheels of the Japanese diesel cars so they would seize up during a run. They would also steal spare parts of cars and either sell them to the Thais or dump them in the latrines! The Burma Railway is a long track connecting Ban Pong and Thanbyuzayat that was built by the prisoners of war and was an easy way to kill off prisoners

usually fed : they were d o fo r fo g n tion and POWs queuei week; this led to star va a e ic once or tw as scurvy iseases such many other d

through over-exertion without having any human rights complaints. It was also a prime target for Allied bombers whose air raids killed many prisoners. There is a famous saying, based on reality, that for every sleeper laid on this 415-kilometre railway a man died from hunger, disease or over-exertion. For this reason the Burma Railway also became known as ‘Death Railway’. 127,000 civilians and prisoners died. 12,433 British prisoners died (24.8% of the 50,016 captured). The Bridge Over The River Kwai is an oscarwinning film adaptation of Pierre Boulle's novel. The book and the film tell the story of a real camp in Thailand in charge of building a bridge over the river Kwai. The Colonel Nickolson character played by Alec Guinness was based on Colonel Toosey, Derek’s camp commander. The film was not considered to be an accurate depiction of the experiences of POWs. The English were portrayed as if they were collaborating with the enemy when actually they were trying to sabotage the building of the bridge as much as possible. The Japanese were portrayed as being bad engineers and not being able to build their own bridge and having to let the English design it for them. In the film the prisoners are treated a lot better than they actually were treated.

Derek managed to hide his signet ring in one of the small bars of soa p the Japanese gave to every prisoner; he kept it hidden for three years On 6 August 1945 the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, a city in Japan. They dropped a second three days later on Nagasaki and on 15 August 1945 Japanese Emperor Hirohito formally signed the surrender of Imperial Japan. Derek moved to his final camp, Nakhon Nayok, on 10 August, one day after the second bomb fell. He finally left camp, a free man, on 25 August 1945 and died on 30 May 1997, aged 82.

POW cem e 14,000 s ter y at Tamark an Camp ent there : from eas ily curab one in three me out of the n died, m le minor diseases any Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

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The

Greatest Archie Rees of Marlborough Hou se says Ali’s gre atness did not come only from box ing

guarantee you‘ve heard of Cassuis Clay, The Greatest, The Louisville Lip. A buzz runs through you when you hear the name Cassuis Clay or, later on in his career, the man more famously known as Muhammad Ali.

his greatest foe. Ali had regular hospital appointments at which he would receive get-well cards from fans all over the world who shared love of the sport and the man.

Ali’s fighting career started at the age of 12, when his bike was stolen from the Colombia Auditorium. Ali was so furious he reported it to a police officer named Joe Martin, who was in the basement at the time. In addition to being a police officer, Joe Martin was also a boxing coach at the Columbia Gym, and he was very successful. When Ali said he wanted to fight whoever stole his bicycle, Joe told him that he needed to learn how to fight first. Little did he know that the thief had started a fire in Ali that would ignite a boxing phenomenon.

But a less well known side to Ali is his key influence on the black organizers who were the backbone of the civil rights movement. Ali’s renown from the boxing world helped him become a spokesman for black and Muslim rights. Ali’s role was momentous, so much so he worked strongly alongside Malcolm X, who was Ali’s spiritual guru, and he was good friends with Martin Luther King. Ali first developed his drive in fighting for black freedom when a great friend of his was killed by police for supposedly flirting with a white woman. I think this quote of his means the most to me now, as it’s very relevant to life today: ‘He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.’

Weeks passed and Ali had started to take his boxing seriously, hitting the gym six days a week and running in the morning. When the gym closed he would work on his technique and endurance. All this hard work would take him to his first fight, at the white sandy beaches of downtown Miami in 1964. Ali, who was a 7–1 underdog, caused a major upset against a very physical Sonny Liston, who was so perplexed he gave up in the seventh round. This gave Ali confidence and support from his fans who would help him on his way to victory in his second fight, where he gained his first knockout in the first round in a rematch against Sonny in 1965.

Ali decided to convert to Islam, later explaining in an interview that one time when he was walking out of a skating rink looking for a friend he saw a black Muslim man selling newspapers. He went to take one mostly out of politeness then took it home, hiding it from his mum and dad. Reading timelessly again and again, he found that he was becoming awakened into a religious belief. Ali then went on to reject military service and was stripped of his heavyweight championship and banned from boxing for three years at the peak of his career.

Pundits argued these wins were pure flukes but fans were disgusted and the pundits were proved wrong when, in 1970, Ali started racking up wins, even against the in-form Jim Robinson and Lamar Clark. Then he then went on to become Champion of the World against a vengeful Sonny Liston, and finally, showing true determination, he regained his world title in 1980 and went on to retire in 1981 as a hero. Despite all these gripping victories in fights, Parkinson’s, which he contracted at a young age in 1984, was famously

Muhammad Ali is an inspiration to many people around the world, including myself, as a world champion boxer and spokesman for black people’s rights in America. Long retired, at the age of 60 he said, ‘I'll tell you how I'd like to be remembered: as a black man who won the heavyweight title, who qas humorous and who never looked down on those who looked up to him. A man who stood for freedom, justice and equality. And I wouldn't even mind if folks forgot how pretty I was. I floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee.’

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Grims t c e p s o r P

ke our need to ma e w s e u g r of JKS a Erik Groth se purpo r o f s fit prison

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o you wonder why so many crimes in the UK are committed by re-offenders? Recent press on youth crime such as stabbings in London and across Britain show a trend of increased crime. The reason is simple. According to the latest national statistical report, published at the end of January 2020, close to 30% of adults in the UK who go to prison re-offend (it is a higher percentage for repeat offenders). When you go to prison the government wants you to see it as a punishment, but this is not working if 30% of prisoners are re-offending. This is scarily even higher for youth crime, where re-offending is close to 40% of those 15-17 years old. Recently, Boris Johnson said prisoners should spend more time in prison to help stop re-offending. But without changes to the current prison regime prisoners in the UK would still be eating tragic meals with very little hygiene and suffering a poor lifestyle for even longer, which would just make the situation worse. For a solution why don’t we look to our neighbours in Scandinavia? Norway’s incarceration rate is 72 per 100,000 people compared to the UK’s 145. Norway also has the world’s lowest recidivism rate, at 20%, whilst the UK’s is 30%. Scandinavian prisons have better conditions and focus on rehabilitation: they aim to help prisoners return to normal life when they leave. In Britain prison cells are confined spaces, with an average cell size of 5.5 square meters. Each room includes a bed, toilet, sink and desk but has no personal comfort like TV, gym equipment or outdoor space. In Scandinavian prisons, like in Norway, rooms are much bigger, even with separate toilet and outdoor space, with TV, PlayStation and a kitchen where the prisoner can cook his/her own food. Connection to the outside world means prisoners can frequently contact family and friends.

The go wan vernme ts y nt se o puni e priso u to na sh is no ment, b s a t wor ut this 30% ki are of priso ng if re-o n ffen ers ding

Norway and other Scandinavian countries actually care about prisoners. Getting them back to a normal life is what really matters. They made a mistake which led to prison and now they need some help. In Norway, they get a chance, but in the UK they are really struggling. If you do not Prisoners need to be treated the same way care for your prisoners, then as other people, to why should they care for you? feel that there is a reason to change

We need to spend more money on prisons and get the basics right: food, rooms, toilets, showers and beds could all be better. But most of all we need to improve prisoner lives – both inside and outside prison. They need to be treated the same way as other people, to feel that there is a reason to change. This means that there has to be a change in the UK system: we should give the people who offend the opportunity to make a comeback.

Also, the rehabilitation on offer doesn’t just help with mental and physical health issues, but also provides job training and further education, allowing prisoners to leave with a future and go back into society with a purpose. This comes at a price. In 2018, Norway spent $129,222 per prisoner while the UK spent $37,543. But if you get more prisoners back into working life the investment will benefit both prisoner and society, because new crime is costly and the ex-offender will contribute taxes. Scandinavian coun tri back to a normal es actually care about prisoners: ge lif which led to priso e is what really matters; they mad tting them n and now they ne e a mistake ed some help Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

e v a r B g n #Bei Bruno Hagan of St. Ro nan’s makes an appe al for sufferers of a rare form of canc er

ancer of the bile-duct is the rarest and most unknown cancer in the world but it’s the most potent and deadly cancer known to man. Just like for other cancers there is still no cure, and we aren’t even close to finding one. AMMF is a charity devoted to helping everyone with cancer of the bile-duct. Unlike Cancer Research, who focus on every type of cancer, AMMF only works on finding a cure for this particular disease. This is a story about my mother’s friend Alexa. You receive this when you buy a BRAVE T-Shirt. Just before Christmas, at the age of only 40 and with a devoted husband and three gorgeous boys, one of my best

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friends was told the most devastating news; she had a very rare and incurable type of cancer.

We dedicate this to you. 100% of the profits will go to Cholangiocarcinoma research www.ammf.org.uk.

Very little is known about We hope that this T-Shirt resonates with Cholangiocarcinoma (cancer of the thousands of you being BRAVE whatever bile-duct). It is difficult to diagnose battle you face, be it a loss, mental or accurately and early. physical illness, bullying, There are treatment fighting wars or perhaps It is difficult to options available but diagnose accurately someone you know who there is a very great need and early; There are is fighting a battle of their treatment options for ongoing research to available but there is own. find out the causes of a very great need for ongoing research this disease so we can Sadly in October 2019 develop better diagnostic Alexa passed away. But tests and more effective treatments. we will still always think of her when we are #beingbrave and wearing our My friend has shown incredible strength T-Shirts with pride and respect. of spirit in the face of the most horrific circumstances and she is fighting it mind, body and soul. Darling Alexa, you are SO BRAVE.

Sadly in October 2019 Alexa passed away but we will still always think of her when we are #beingbrave and wearing our T-Shirts with pride and respect

perh someo aps ne yo know is figh u ting a batt le of their own

Ben Youngs, England scrumhalf, with his BRAVE T-Shirt (Right, Above) Bear Grylls, survivalist, wearing a BRAVE T-Shirt (Right, Below)

y hat m hirt t ough s t e r th th e This is is selling 0% of th 0 1 m u m ny MF o AM ompa her c ofits go t pr g.com othin l c t l atapu www.c shirt y a t- hing u b d l t u cou every If yo ld mean u it wo to us Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

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y p p a H

Israel Olaigbe of Northbourne Park feels architecture is essential to our wellbeing

Place

y first memory of architecture was in 2014 when my primary school was celebrating 100 years. I remember looking closely at the shape of the steeples of the school as I drew them and wondering why they were tall and pointed. Why couldn’t they be round? Anyway, my drawing made page two of a published book, The Silver Ghosts, and I remember the warm feeling this gave me. I realised then that buildings and their design make me happy and can make other people happy too. My second memory was when we went to the Museum of London in 2016 for an exhibition on the future of architecture in London when it is running out of space as the world population grows. It made me understand that I too could design and change the way buildings looked and that buildings are about the community, environment and, most importantly, the people that live in them and use them. From that moment architecture has been my special interest. It inspires me to look at the world from a different perspective. Over the years I have experimented with building things in boy scouts, using Lego, playing Minecraft, gaming, using paper origami, Google Sketch and just drawing plans and sketches of buildings, bridges and homes from You Tube clips and Pinterest. We have just got Tinker CAD for 3D printing at school, which I am totally excited about, and so far I have designed a name plate. 

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I realised that’ buildings and their design make me happy and can make other people happy too Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

Dubai, ifa in l a h K e Bur j isit th r right now v o t d like t towe I woul s the talles i which

I like tall, striking buildings like 8 Spruce Street in New York (by Frank Gehry) and the Turning Torso in Sweden, designed by an architect I truly admire, Santiago Calatrava

The Shard. I have also been abroad, where I like tall, striking buildings like 8 Spruce Street in New York (by Frank Gehry) and the Turning Torso in Sweden, designed by an architect I truly admire, Santiago Calatrava. Out of cardboard and aluminium foil Also, at school, we do a lot of outdoor and based on an Archkids workshop I education and STEM leadership attended, I recently made a model of the activities on Saturdays as well as Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles USA designed by one of making things in our DT my favourite Architects, The ArkDes lessons. These things exhibition Frank Gehry. I would like help me build my selfsuggested in the to visit the Burj Khalifa in confidence. When I finally future we build Dubai, which is the tallest finish a piece I have been compostable tower right now, but want towers made of working on I feel immense satisfaction. I recently organic materials to wait until the Moving Skyscraper in Dubai is designed and built a finished this year. It will be 80 storeys crossbow and was satisfied with my choice of materials, including wood high and able to turn 360 degrees in both directions. that is eco-friendly. In London, where I live when I am not a boarder, there are many different architectural locations that I have explored: for example, the RIBA workshops for young people, the V&A museum galleries and the Conservatoire school holiday courses at Blackheath. I even attended an architectural workshop at the Stephen Lawrence Centre in the summer, when we visited

Wellbeing is a state of being comfortable, healthy or happy, and there are many ways to improve your wellbeing, including exercise and sport. But in my opinion you could improve

You could impr ove the wellbei ng of people through building an that are beautiful d designing exciting spaces , energy-efficient and uplifting 78

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In our world architecture keeps the world together, from the house where you live to the biggest public buildings

the wellbeing of people through building and designing exciting spaces that are beautiful, energy-efficient and uplifting, where people can exercise and the environment is clean and open, where outdoor gyms, running or walking tracks, bike trails, skate parks, gaming pods and cricket stadia could be built for everyone. The ArkDes exhibition I visited in Stockholm during Christmas 2019 suggested in the future we build compostable towers made of organic materials, using 3D printing and robots for construction, and wooden skyscrapers using giant inflatable concert halls like

Architecture mea ns a complex de si learning journey, a way to create th gn process or e impossible and bring pleasure to the people who us e the buildings

the Ark Nova designed by sculptor Anish Kapoor and Japanese architect Arata Isozaki. Even large public inflatable pools that you could float on the River Thames were suggested. Massive indoor parks like the Zaryadye Park in Moscow, which has a hybrid landscape where the natural and the urban build cohabit to create a new public space, is another futuristic example where people can still socialise even in the freezing Moscow winter. In our world architecture keeps the world together, from the house where you live to the biggest public buildings. An architect draws a house and builders come to build it – big deal – but it is much more than that to me. Architecture means a complex design process or learning journey, a way to create the impossible and bring pleasure to the people who use the buildings. For me, it would be great if I could make a career out of it in the future, since it is one good way to make people happy. 

it gre woul d a mak t if I be out e a ca could fut of it reer is o ure, s in the i to ne goonce it mak dw e a hap peopl y e py

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Two

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e looks at of Marlborough Hous on ds on m Ed h lp Ra s of cloning the costs and benefit

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“

the ability to clone humans would be a great way to allow infertile couples to have a child

life ge or a r f ave cy 2 The ectan s 10-1 y p i l l ex eep Do ix h a s rs but nly s o a ye d to live

e’re all familiar with our reflection in the mirror, identical to us in every The science has virtues. First, the ability way, if in reverse, but what would it to clone humans would be a great be like if that copy of yourself was way to allow infertile couples to have actually standing there, right in front a child. Doctors have said it would be of you? Although we haven’t done it safe and the baby would genetically be the parents’, which yet, scientists say that parents would the cloning of humans Cloning is creating the prefer. is indeed possible. But a copy of a cell or presumably of an entire living Furthermore, cloning should we even try? Is it thing. A clone has would be an easy way ethically right to clone exactly the same to fix malfunctioning human beings? DNA and genetics as the original organs or medical cell or living thing conditions, without Cloning is creating a needing a donor. We copy of a cell or of an entire living thing. The copy is called would be able to have a copy of each a clone. A clone has exactly the same person’s organs ready, saving lives DNA and genetics as the original cell or eventually. living thing. Also, cloning could bring back the dead, It was 135 years ago in 1885 that for the since if someone left some of their cells first time humans successfully cloned a behind we could recreate them. Some living animal, a sea urchin. Since then, could even make a copy of themselves though, we have been cloning more whilst still living, for their family’s and more, most famously in the 1990s comfort. For example, if they have a life-threatening condition, they could using a sheep called Dolly. prevent their child going through the pain and sadness of them dying. Finally, the ability to clone organisms would be a fantastic improvement in farming: rather than waiting for livestock to breed naturally, we could selectively breed the best animals to increase the farm’s produce and profit. 

Only two o positively r three out of e v down im and many anima er y 100 cells clo mediately ls have h ne ad intense p ain they after cloning bec to be put a could ex perience use of the

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Cloning would be an easy way to fix malfunctioning organs or medical conditions, without needing a donor

many people think it is a heinous crime to clone humans because it’s entirely unethical to intervene in natural processes such as reproduction, and it is against the beliefs of many religious people, who might believe that only God is supposed to create humans.

many p it is a eople think hein to clo ous crime becaus ne humans unethic e it’s entire ly a in natu l to interve n ral pr ocesse e s

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

But at the moment cloning hasn’t been proven to work 100% successfully; most animals we’ve cloned have died soon after. For example, at the age of just five Dolly was diagnosed with arthritis, and two years later, with So although cloning could have many tumours in her lungs, benefits, at the moment I she was put down. The think cloning humans is far at the moment cloning hasn’t average life expectancy too risky and potentially been proven for a sheep is 10-12 years cruel. It is also exceedingly to work 100% but Dolly lived to only six. expensive. But when successfully; Scientists say that only most animals we’ve cloning becomes cloned have died two or three out of every completely safe and the soon after 100 cells clone positively cost is brought down, I am and many animals have certain this could be an had to be put down immediately after amazing help to humanity. Imagine if cloning because of the intense pain every disease could be cured at once, they could experience. and if you die an exact copy of yourself could be waiting for your family, and And cloning is incredibly expensive, if all farms could produce reliably on too much so to be used practically. For a vast scale, saving money, time, and example, although Dolly the sheep’s workers. Just not yet…  cost hasn’t been revealed, experts say it would have been around £500,000, and to clone a human successfully would be nearly double this. Finally,

cured at disease could be yourself y er ev if e in Imag of die an exact copy once, and if you ily m fa for your could be waiting

The Age of

Dan Clark of St. Andr ew’s says A not taking I is smart over the wo but it’s rld anytime soon

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

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AI works by recognizing patterns in data; Using this and a set of algorithms it can adapt to its environment

Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI) only does a single task. This sort of intelligence learns about doing the single task it has been told to do, and learns to make sure it does its job effectively and efficiently. It is considered the basic type of AI. An example of ANI is speech recognition. Such AI can only recognise speech.

C Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI) is more powerful and more intelligent than a human because it can think about ideas that are impossible for humans to think about

omputers are a relatively modern invention. The first so-called computer appeared in 1936, and this was slow and didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t resemble a modern computer at all. It was so big it filled a room. The first portable computer came about in 1975, but this was slow and unreliable. Computers have come a long way since then. Most modern models have lots of features, the newest being AI. AI, or Artificial Intelligence, is the intelligence demonstrated by computers and machines, and other electrical devices. Any operation in a device that looks at its environment and takes steps to maximize its success rate could be seen as one of the three main types of AI. AI has become an essential part of business, with most factories now running on a of type AI.

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) can be used for multiple purposes. Its smartness could be applied to various tasks and it learns to improve itself, so in theory this type of AI can become as smart as a human. Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI) is more powerful and more intelligent than a human because it can think about ideas that are impossible for humans to think about. This is because human brains are limited to (only!) billions of neurons, whilst ASI is not limited in any way. Documents say that ASI is a term referring to the time when computers will be able to mimic thought and have memories. Machines in the future could have theory of mind. This means that AI in the future could understand other entities in the world. They could understand that people and animals could have thoughts and emotions of their

AI has beco me most factori an essential part of b u es now runn ing on a typ siness, with e of AI 84

Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

car factories, ed in a lot of us e ar se or s m ar t need a pay ri Hydraulic mponents don’ co al et m e us beca get tired

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Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI) only does a single task; This sort of intelligence learns about doing the single task it has been told to do, and learns to make sure it does its job effectively and efficiently

own that affect their behaviour. AI could advance so much in the future that machines could have selfconsciousness, which is the difference between saying ‘I want that’ and ‘I know I want that.’ Selfconsciousness means you are aware of yourself and able to understand other people’s emotions. If AI like this were made then humans would have encounter a being superior to themselves, a being that acts exactly like a human but would learn faster and be able to store a lot more information. It would be, in theory, a superhuman. AI has improved much throughout the ages. The first known document on AI was written in 1950 when Alan Turing published an article on ‘computing machinery and intelligence’. Then in 1952 Arthur Samuel developed a self-learning programme to play checkers, and this is believed to be the beginning of AI. AI works by recognizing patterns in data. Using this and a set of algorithms it can adapt to its environment. It will remember when tasks are given in case those tasks are given again. If this happens it will remember what it did last time and improve. For example, if it was given a task to build something, and it completed that task, and then it was given the same task, it would pick out certain memories that it remembered from the last time it was given that task and use them to improve. This makes it a valuable working colleague because it never forgets anything it is told.

AI is used a lot in modern devices, from something simple like speech recognition to more complicated operations, such as robotics, so it has become a useful tool for many people. Most factories making largescale products such as cars use robots to build certain parts of the object, or even the entire thing. Hydraulic arms are used in a lot of car factories, because metal components don’t need a pay rise or get tired. And AI enables factories to make working alongside robots safe. Robots came be used for recreational use as well. A robot called Pepper, made by Softbank Robotics, is almost exactly like a human and can recognise faces and read emotions. Pepper does this by listening to voice tones and watching facial expressions. The whole robot relies on AI to understand humans. With so many advances in AI technology, one question stands out. Should we be afraid? Could AI or robots with AI become so clever they could take over the world? Could they become the main form of intelligent existence on the planet? Well, an AI takeover anytime soon is highly unlikely but, although this nightmare scenario is still a bit melodramatic, as we relay more and more on AI it could one day fail in its duty to its inventors and then humanity really would suffer the consequences.

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

G r i T ! e u Tr D

h House shares a Wilfie Watts of Marlboroug e portrait of true courag

o you consider yourself brave? Do you have a lot of determination? In our day and age we might consider bravery to be facing a bully or owning up to something we have done wrong and, as for determination, we might think it is doing all of our homework or finishing a run. But these everyday acts are little compared to a real act of bravery and determination.

crash into a village filled with innocent people to save his own life. Once again, he chose to risk his own life. With agonising pain in his thigh he struggled on, controlling his aircraft, and with a burning engine he brought it down to crash-land only seconds after he jumped out. Nelson Mandela once said, ‘I learned that courage was not the absence of but the triumph over fear. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers fear.' He could have used Millington, who was a true hero, to illustrate his point. He saved himself and hundreds of innocents and was for this given the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in 1940.

Have you ever heard of Bill Millington? He was a pilot in WW2 and fought in several battles. The biggest was the Battle of Britain, in 1940, when Millington was fighting over Kent with his squadron. 1700 German planes were lost or destroyed and 1500 British planes were shot down. It was a tragedy but courage was not tragedies bring inspiring stories of the absence of but After his crash-landing on 31 August, he bravery and determination as well as was treated for severe burns in hospital, but the triumph over fear; The brave man sad stories of death and cowardice. after that he was back in battle. In the end is not he who does Many of our ancestors may have he was shot down over The Channel on 30 not feel afraid, but been in or seen war, and they too October 1940. he who conquers probably have stories about victory fear or defeat. But I find Millington’s story Millington showed bravery, allegiance and truly inspirational. He was born in England and in 1926 determination, and his name should be remembered emigrated to Australia but when he heard about the in history, along with all the others. His was the most war he joined the RAF immediately and served in 79 inspiring WW2 story I have read. squadron. Can you still honestly say you have been brave and Millington was part of an aerodrome guard over Kent determined? Have you really shown that you can step when he spotted a large number of German Dormier up and do your bit? We don’t necessarily need to go to aircraft and Messerschmitts flying towards him. The war but we can be brave and challenge ourselves to be RAF pilots went into attack. He managed to cause the best we can be. significant damage to one of the bombers but he Otherwise what found himself under fire from three Messerschmitts. did these brave He destroyed one with his cannons and used evasive souls die for? Many manoeuvres to lose the other two. He now saw he of our generation was outnumbered by Luftwaffe aircraft. He then faced have been called a choice – to fly away, stay alive and risk the lives of snowflakes, who others, or to stay and fight until the end. Like a true RAF lack resilience and pilot he chose to fight. selflessness. Bill Millington wasn’t He fired at the bombers, trying to take them down, but a snowflkae, but was quickly targeted by swarms of Messerschmitt. He what can we do shot one down, but a cannon shell hit his engine and to prove the critics wounded his thigh badly. Millington knew he had to wrong? I hope my bail out and parachute away but then he saw his plane story has inspired would crash into a village. Now he faced a second you to find the decision – risk his own life for others, or to let his plane answer. Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

Alright

Pet?

Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

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hinking of his beloved greyhound in 1789, King Frederick of Prussia said, ‘A dog is a man’s best friend.’ And humans have indeed had dogs as pets for perhaps 30,000 years. Scientists do not know why dogs and humans got together in the first place, but once that relationship was made we soon became inseparable. Although dogs were the first animals we befriended, humans soon began to realise that it is not only dogs that make great pets and friends. Having a pet to look after, whether a dog, cat, hamster or any other animal can seriously help your mental health. A pet can be a great source of comfort, companionship and motivation. In many ways, pets can help us to live mentally healthier lives: walking a dog and getting exercise is not only good for your physical wellbeing but also your mental wellbeing. Sometimes, when I am in a bad mood or have been feeling low, I walk my dog. Getting fresh air and space to breathe really helps to lighten the spirits and so by the time I come back I am in a better mood. Just spending time with, stroking or playing with a pet can make you calmer and more relaxed. Owning a pet can help you have a sense of purpose and achievement because, for example, if you own a dog and you have given it a nice long walk throughout the day, then you know that your dog is happy, which can make you happy. If you are living alone, a pet is a great companion and can help you feel more secure. You know that you are able to tell your pet anything and so if you are feeling worried about something then sharing all with a non-judgmental listener is a great way to relieve tension. Some people find it hard to talk to other people about their worries so having an animal to tell can be a great source of comfort. Pets have evolved to become attuned to human behaviour and emotions. For example, dogs are able to understand many of the words we use, possibly 300, but they’re even better at interpreting our tone of voice, body language and gestures. And, like any good friend, a loyal dog will look into your eyes to gauge your emotions and try to understand what you’re thinking and feeling. Having an animal to look after and to care for can seriously improve your life.

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like any good friend, a loyal dog will look into your eyes to gauge your emotions and try to understand what you’re thinking and feeling

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

Sneaky g n i d a r

Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

s are

sneaker y h w s in xpla n Prep e o t w e N f Ben H o ss ig busine really b

he sneaker industry has grown rapidly in the past decade. In 2019, the global sneaker market was valued at $70 billion and was forecast to reach $100 billion by 2024. Part of the industry’s success is due to companies limiting the stock of certain items. This makes them far harder to obtain for someone just looking to pick up a pair of shoes to wear day-to-day. A famous example of this is the company Supreme, a skateboard and street wear brand, who limit their stock numbers and provoke sell-out times of under ten seconds for the most anticipated items. A reselling market has emerged, with one, StockX, being valued at over $1 billion. These markets allow people to get any shoe they want, just for a higher, sometimes extortionate, price. So a pair of shoes with a retail price of no more than £200 can be sold for over £1,000 and, in a few cases, far more. Would you pay such prices? Many people have taken this up as a hobby to earn some money on the side, but a small group of people have turned it into a lucrative career. Companies create hype, the buzz around a certain item’s release, in several ways. The most common method is limiting stock, resulting in quick sellout times, as well as simply raising the price to the point that people can’t afford to pay. This gives the illusion of the item being limited as most people don’t have it. Creating this anticipation is an important factor in many of these companies’ operations, the thing that sells their items.

res the elling like peopl has s t fro wear e who opped ing mb sim the p the eing sh ly a sho es ble to oes f pric or a f get air e

play a constant game of cat and mouse, with the developers of the websites adding ever-increasing measures to stop them, while the developers of the bots desperately try to find a way round. The use of bots increases costs although this can give you a better chance of checking out multiple items. As is the way with everything in this industry, the bots themselves are limited, even more so than the items they buy, and are also resold on third-party markets for profit. Some of the most successful bots will resell for numbers in the low to mid thousands, despite having a retail price of no more than £300. Many traders have started buying and selling these bots in a similar way you would trade stocks, buying low and selling high when it gets success on a hyped release. This all leads to the question whether reselling is good for the community. In my opinion, it has stopped the people who simply like wearing the shoes from being able to get the shoes for a fair price. I have experienced both sides. On the one hand there have been releases of a shoe or item of clothing I couldn’t get because of fast sellout times. But on the other hand I’ve been able to get particular items and sell them for a good profit. More importantly, this model has allowed small, once-obscure brands to become large and well-known. In summary, I believe that bots shouldn’t be used to the extent they are, but I think the limiting of stock for certain shoes is a fair choice.

When more and more people start reselling, paradoxically items became far harder to get at retail, even for someone who knows exactly where and when something will be released. This has led to the development of bots, software that automates buying. These bots run tasks simultaneously to get the best chance of checking out one or more limited items. Some people have been therefore able to check out over a hundred items of the same limited edition. Companies have tried their best to stop bots, with varying levels of success. The developers of both bots and websites

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The developers of both bots and websites play a constant game of cat and mouse, with the developers of the websites adding ever-increasing measures to stop them

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

Tom Dyas of Marlboroug h

House wonde anger fuels rs how far athletic suc cess

id you watch the 2019 Cricket World Cup Final between England and New Zealand? Didn’t it go down to the last thread? In that phenomenal final, I reckon there was one man who stood out from the rest, and that was Ben Stokes, Man of the Match. Stokes is renowned for his volatile temperament and what I want to ask is this: does this temperament make him a more successful sportsman? Do you remember another occasion, in 2017, when Stokes was in the news for the wrong reason? After that punch-up in a nightclub in Bristol with Alex Hales, he got a broken hand and, as punishment, he didn’t play in The Ashes a month later and lost his vice-captaincy. Last year he went to court to see if he should play for England again and he was given permission, but it was a narrow escape. And in a test match this year between South Africa and England, when Stokes got caught out a South African fan said something that made Stokes so angry he swore in retaliation, was fined 15% of his match fee and handed one demerit point. Clearly he has not learned from his mistakes and this makes me ask whether Stokes loses his temper too often. Is he out of control? Or does his volatile personality make him more exciting to watch? Liverpool and Barcelona striker, Luis Suarez, also has terrible temper. He was fined £40,000 for racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra in 2011, and in 2013 against Chelsea, Suarez bit Chelsea’s defender Ivanovic and was given a few months’ ban. But that didn’t stop him because in the 2014 World Cup he bit another player in Uruguay’s match against Italy. This time he was given six months out of action. He is now playing again for Barcelona and seems to have learned his lesson, unlike Mr. Stokes. When Venus Williams plays tennis she never shows a ferocious temper, unlike her volcanic sister, Serena, who talks back to the umpire and smashes her rackets. Serena has been fined $84,000, $10,000 and $2,000 in a range of different matches for talking back to the umpire. But if Serena wins Wimbledon she gets an estimated £34 million and because she wins so many tournaments these fines barely touch her. Serena is an angrier, more volatile person, but she has won 23 singles 

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Stokes is renowned for his volatile temperament but does this make him a more successful sportsman?

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

o h W

Fl a re s up s n i W

Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

F1 driver Sebastian Vettel has won four world championships despite regularly getting too hot under the helmet

tournaments while her sister has only won seven. Do you think Serena is a better sportswoman than her sister because of the fire inside her? Would Venus benefit from being more fiery? Enter Australian Nick Kyrgios, who has Serena’s anger but has never won a grand slam in the seven years he’s been a pro, compared to another tennis player, who is the opposite of Kyrgios, Roger Federer, who has been Number 1 in the world numerous times and never seems to get angry. Federer has won 20 grand slams and has a net worth of $450 million, the most money any tennis player has ever made. So maybe you don’t need a volatile personality to get to the top, even though so many successful sports people tend to lose their tempers. German F1 driver Sebastian Vettel gets quite hot under the helmet. Late into his maiden world championship season, people were doubting the German was capable of winning a world title because he was involved in too many incidents and made too many mistakes. Some of the more memorable ones include slamming

e ar d s o at st e go we e e h ps th e th t n st rha , in d, h e n wh gai pe say orl ins w a uys ld w g ou ing res h a t s or fl sp ho w 94

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

Ser ang ena is a vol rier, ati mo n but le per re so sh w tou on 23 e has n, s r her name ingle s nts sist e w won r has hile o sev en nly

into Jenson Button's radiator while trying to overtake the Briton at the Bus Stop in Spa. Compare him with the cool and calm Daniel Ricardo, who never gets angry when he is racing and has never been involved in any bad incidents. But Vettel has won four world championships while Ricardo hasn’t yet won one. Another great F1 driver was Michael Schumacher, who won seven world championships but never got angry, while Lewis Hamilton, who does get a bit stressed, is closing in on Schumacher’s record for the most world championships. So maybe it isn’t that bad to get a bit angry in sport. Isn’t that what a competitive spirit is all about? It certainly adds to the excitement. I’m tempted to conclude, virtuously, that although Ben Stokes has achieved a lot, even with his volatile temper, and the hot-headed Sebastian Vettel has won the world championship four times, sportspeople should try to keep a good temper to set a standard for teammates and young people who are watching – in short, to be a good role model. But when the stats are against the good guys perhaps we should say, in the sporting world, he who flares wins.

ChA ! G N CHI Oliver Pattis on of Solefie ld looks at rather curio money as a us cultural commodity

Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

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With modern life’s new challenges, all money has been doing is evolving to suit us

W The whole world revolves around money but how did it come to be this way; how did we come to have paper money, or bank accounts or tax?

hat has a face but cannot see? People need it; some have too much of it; some have too little of it. Fragile yet powerful, money is very important, its future and its past. The whole world revolves around money but how did it come to be this way; how did we come to have paper money, or bank accounts or tax? You are about to find out. The idea of money has been around for a very long time. The first form of money was used in China, when Cowrie shells became popular and so were given a value, such was the trade in 1200-800 BC. Now called Quian, money in China has come a long way and it is hard to believe that from these humble beginnings came the world bargaining chip that we call money. Money evolved again in Lydia when the Lydians used pieces of gold and silver chips to trade for items and objects that they needed. Now money was another step closer to being what it is today. Later, the Chinese changed the world once more in 118 BC when they tanned leather different colours to show worth. That note in your pocket really is the result of people tanning leather. Unfortunately, soon, with all this money, someone came along and invented debt. Those people were the Christian Knights (or the Knights Templar), who

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

often told the pilgrims and monks they helped that they owed them money. When people lost track of their money, the Knights Templar came up with the system of debt. Along with debt came counterfeiting; people learned how to manipulate the system and soon everyone dealt in counterfeit money. Next it was necessary to add minute details to the money to prevent counterfeiting. Not long after came everyone’s least favourite thing: tax. More recently watermarks have been added. With modern life’s new challenges, all money has been doing is evolving to suit us. The latest step in its evolution is bitcoin, a type of electronic money. Not completely unlike cards, the bitcoin allows people to access money anywhere. As bitcoin is only an algorithm which equates to how much money you have, it can be used in any country around the globe. So why isn’t this invention storming the world, you may ask? Well, the first reason is crime. Bitcoin operates from your phone using a QR code; this means that many are worried about hackers. In contrast, many people who use bitcoin have said it is much safer than it seems. Second (possibly a knock-on effect from the first) is the sheer lack of availability. People don’t trust bitcoin, so it is very hard to find anywhere that will accept it as a form of currency. As many businesses are bitcoin like cards, the here un y el et pl m co yw Not access money an allows people to

to find very hard cy is it o s itcoin, f curren n’t trust b s a form o People do at will accept it a th anywhere

wary and unwilling to take the risk, people are unable to pay with bitcoin. One day this may all change; we may live with cyber-currency, but until then bitcoin will be lying in wait for its chance to change the world.

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Any person who bought beer could find a code on the underside of their bottle cap; These codes could grant people new phones or cars

The future of money does look exciting, as does its past, but what about the present? Your money system may seem complicated, but when you think of it you have no idea. In Somali, people have adopted another, second rudimentary currency; the Somalian coloured coins have become famous around the world, not only for their originality but also for their creative use of anything. The coins depict everything you can imagine: from cartoon characters through shapes, all the way to wildlife. This money is a brilliant example of people’s ability to adapt anything into a form of payment. The Zairians have customs that may seem strange for us. Even if the number is nice and round, they put a decimal place and three zeros after every number. This whacky money was soon put out of use due to inflation (when everyone has money, it loses its value), and it has become almost worthless. The Zaire was worth half an American dollar in 1967, but inflation is a serious problem and soon 110 million Zaires were worth one American dollar in 1993. Sadly, the currency with all its uses and quirks was put out of action and made obsolete in 1994. This just goes to show that the money in your hand is at risk constantly and very soon people may have a very different face staring up at them from their tenner. In Cameroon parts of the country are in the grips of a very unusual type of money. What do you think of when you see a cap on a bottle? The chances are you don’t think of underhand illegal Cameroonian money! The story starts

with the beer industry in Cameroon holding a contest, a very similar contest to the one held by Mister Wonka in the works of Roald Dahl, but no chocolate this time; it was all beer. Any person who bought beer could find a code on the underside of their bottle cap. These codes could grant people new phones or cars. It was going very well, and the country was becoming much richer then, in classic human fashion, someone decided to use this new eighth wonder of the world to their advantage. This caused a downward spiral and soon police could be bribed to ‘look the other way’ with these winning bottle caps and the government was put in a very difficult predicament. The streets where filled with appalling crimes, but if they recalled all bottle caps it would have been a major blow to the beer industry, which was profiting massively. So money is ever-changing and varied across the world, from its humble beginnings in China all the way to the futuristic bitcoin; money has integrated itself into modern life and will not let go. Can the world really survive without money, or will we fight for the method of payment we know and have come to love? So, next time you look in your pocket to find some change to give to a busker, or for a note to pay for your meal, just think back to the coloured leather, or forward to what it might become.

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

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Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

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omework is pointless. It is a waste of paper, finish school and have time to relax, becoming time and, to be honest, it frustratingly calmer before sleep. adds additional layers of tiredness. If you put it like this – that school is a child’s ‘job’ – it is Furthermore, you cannot socialise while you are recognised that adults should not usually take work doing work. But part of school is making friends, is home with them. It is unhealthy. There is even an it not? As I said before, homework creates a vicious expression that says: ‘Never take your work home circle: the child is going to become more and more with you.’ So why do we expect tired as the term goes on. Some homework means children to do so? might start to feel as if they just want that pupils have to out. By this, I am referring to mental work for longer Schools give children homework for health issues such as self-harm and hours; This makes numerous reasons. First, it is to ensure suicide. All this for homework? It is them more tired, which means their that they get higher marks in their not right. performance in exams. However, homework means class and exam that pupils have to work for longer In addition, homework makes results might be hours. This makes them more tired, learning a chore, not fun. Students worse which means their performance in should be looking forward to lessons. class and exam results might be worse because they You need to take a break from the subjects you are have to stay up late. This creates a vicious circle. learning. If not, your brain will explode from all the information and pressure. If the student does not Another reason is that homework is supposed to have enough time to complete their homework, reinforce lessons. But if the teacher presents the this can lead to cheating and copying. Homework topic well the children will remember. Also, if the that is pointless can create a negative picture of the student has not understood the topic they are not particular subject (or the teacher). It can also take going to be able to complete the homework. It away precious time when you could be in contact will only reinforce errors. Some people argue that with your family, especially for those who are supervised prep ensures that the teacher taking it international students. can help you. However, the subject you are studying and the subject the teacher supervising teaches Scientists say that children are becoming obese rarely match. For example, a science teacher cannot because of the food they eat. That is true, but it is help you with your Latin. also connected to homework. If a child has to sit still doing homework for hours every day, they do not I am not suggesting we want endless free time, have the time to go out and exercise. Homework but some boarding senior schools do not give the can cause obesity, and it takes up so much of the children enough free time. Prep can last for three pupil’s life that they may not have time to run hours, after which pupils go straight up to dorms, around with their friends. Obesity leads to health ready for sleep at 10pm. You would not do that issues, but also to bullying. Another vicious circle. at home, would you? You would finish work and then have a couple of hours of relaxation time. You I believe that I have given you enough reasons why cannot go to sleep an hour after you finish work; homework should be banned. I could go on for your brain is still too active. Yet at senior school you much longer, but that would be pointless, just like have to. If we got rid of homework, pupils could homework.

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

An Ancient Prejudice 100 Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Prep | 2020

s ia into it

ob islamoph s t u p ’s l hae of St. Mic d r a W e Ev t l contex historica

slamophobia is the fear and hatred of Islam or Muslims generally. It seems like recent news, but similar oppression was happening almost one thousand years ago, during the Crusades of the 12th Century. These were a series of brutal wars by the French and English with the objective to force Muslims out of the Holy Land (Jerusalem) so they could claim it for their own. What do these modern and medieval practices of such prejudice have in common? Islamophobia claims and the Crusades claimed Muslims are completely different in culture and share nothing with Christianity. Pope Urban II, Head of the Catholic Church and figurehead of the Crusades in the 12th Century, said that followers of Islam were ‘a race utterly alienated from God’ while Frank Gaffney (b. 1953), former American government official and now conspiracy theorist, refers to Muslims as ‘our enemies’. These views may be far apart in time but they are very close in ideology. Another root of both Islamophobia and the Crusades is the idea that all Muslims are extremists. During the Crusades Seljuk Turks attacked Christian pilgrims and desecrated monuments. In the modern day, these extremists live on in groups such as al-Qaeda and Islamic State. Six in ten Americans believe that Islam is prone to violent terrorism. People have misguided beliefs because of exaggerated stories in the media, just as the 12th Century Europeans were told tall tales of widespread destruction and brutal torture by Islamic fundamentalists. Islamophobes believe and Crusaders believed that Muslims do not belong in Christian countries and should be forced out. In 2016 a travel ban was passed in the USA that stopped people from Muslim countries entering the USA. President Donald Trump once tweeted that four congresswomen, all of minority ethnic backgrounds, should ‘go back… [where they] came from.’ The message of the Crusades was similar. Spokesmen for the Pope spread the word to rid the Holy Land of ‘evil’ Muslims, even though the Muslims had been living there for over 450 years. The Crusades and Islamophobia come from the same source, a misguided fear of those who are different. But the time distance between them, almost a millennium, is astounding in a terrifying way. 900 years have passed in which humans have failed to learn from history and are still repeating the same mistakes. Racism, prejudice and discrimination are still happening. This is a 900 years during which technology was discovered, art flourished and women were finally given the right to vote. But with so much advancement we have forgotten to look behind us, into our history, and remember what we have done wrong before. 

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900 years have passed in which humans have failed to learn from history and are still repeating the same mistakes; Racism, prejudice and discrimination are still happening Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020 101

Coun

ting Blessings

Faris Ashir of Vinehal l finds fun and fitne ss in numbers

ome people love maths, whilst others cannot see the point of having to learn it in school. So why is maths important? Mathematics is the study of numbers, quantity, space, pattern, structure and change. A German mathematician called Carl Friedrich Gauss said: ‘Mathematics is the Queen of Science.’ Maths is used in everyday life, from telling the time to working out how much money you need to purchase a gift. It is even used when you’re finding out the angles to hit the ball in snooker and football. Maths is used in most sports, for example in tennis, when you’re deciding how hard (the force) you need to hit the ball to get it over the net, and at what angle. Every sport that involves kicking, batting, throwing a ball or keeping score, involves maths to some extent. 102 Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

We use maths every day unknowingly. Maths is an important life skill, because For example, when we are driving, without knowing how to do basic we use angles whilst turning or maths, such as counting, adding, parking, as well as working out the subtracting, using money, weighing, distance and time of understanding forces a journey and what and so on, life would be Maths was first acceleration or braking very hard. Imagine not thought to exist some 20,000 years is required. These knowing any of these ago, when the are all mathematical basic maths skills next Ishango bone from calculations. time you go shopping. The Congo was thought to be used as a counting tool When cooking we need Maths was first thought to understand how to to exist some 20,000 weigh and measure ingredients, and years ago, when the Ishango bone from designing video games and making The Congo was thought to be used as animations involve coding or the use of a counting tool and helped devise angles to shoot someone in a game or the first use of prime numbers. This even geometry when you are building bone probably influenced Egyptian cities in Minecraft. None of these leisure arithmetic as they were similar systems activities would be possible without and the use of geometry helped build maths. the Pyramids of Giza.

Maths is used in music and dance to work out musical rhythm and choreography

M in o ne m st c w e ed a to eig d m icin re a e er w h m or ing ths al s uc k , s h ing pat fro o m ie o e ne d u nt m ed ici t h s ed ne ow In ancient Babylon (now called Iraq) is

around 2000 BCE the system of counting in sets of 60 was invented. This is why we divide hours into 60 minutes, and minutes into 60 seconds. This is still used on a daily basis to help us tell the time. Muhammed Al-Khwarizmi invented algebra around 800 BC. The Arabic numbers, algebra and geometry were brought over from the Middle East to Europe during the Renaissance and was used by merchants to calculate the cost of goods. The Europeans added symbols, statistics and calculus, which in turn developed mathematics in counting machines, later inventing calculators and more recently computers, which we use in everyday life. Mathematics is used throughout the world as an essential tool in many fields, including natural science, engineering, medicine, and the social sciences. Maths is used in music and dance to work out musical rhythm and choreography. Maths is also used

in art, from drawing patterns by using geometry, to photography by calculating shutter speed, lighting angles and exposure time. We need maths in engineering because both physics and chemistry use mathematical formulas; and it’s essential in economics and accountancy. Most careers in medicine also need maths, from weighing patients to working out how much medicine is needed. So, whatever career you choose will involve mathematics. Bear this in mind next time you are in a maths lesson getting bored, wondering why it’s important. I hope I have inspired you to understand how vital maths is in your daily life. You will always need maths!

ne go bo shan luenced I e h t inf etic ably prob ian arithm f o t p e y s Eg he u and t ry helped t e ids geom he Pyram t d buil of Giza

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Alex Gaska in of JKS say s the Britis follow the h should Swiss in lea r

ning to die with dignity

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It’s unfair that the terminally ill must travel d if to Switzerlan go to sh wi ey th n into the unknow of e ns se a th wi dignity

Should those with terminal illnesses be able to die early, before their sicknesses lead them into a steep downward spiral?

e’ve been striving to increase the lifespan of everyone far past the Biblical age of 60 years and our medical advances have led to a bigger population of elderly people than ever before. But as a result have we forgotten how to die with dignity? Assisted suicide is legal in Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Switzerland, and in six US States. Not, however, in the UK. But should it be? Should those with terminal illness be able to die early, before their sickness leads them into a steep downward spiral? I think so. Switzerland is the only country in the world that allows foreigners to take the option of assisted death if they are sound of mind and are going to die within six months. 244 terminally ill Britons have so far taken the option of assisted suicide, so clearly there is a demand for change. There isn’t much opposition to it either: in a 2015 poll, 82% supported assisted dying for the terminally ill. When the Assisted Dying Bill in September 2015 failed to go through, the director of Care Not Killing, a group opposing assisted suicide, said the current laws against assisted suicide ‘protect those who have no voice against exploitation and coercion.’ Essentially, this suggests that if assisted suicide were legal people would be bullied into dying. This is misguided at best, and fearmongering at worst.

Assisted suicide would not make those with incurable terminal illnesses feel pressured into dying since the proposed 2015 law suggests that any deaths must be confirmed by two separate doctors and a high court judge. Patients are at no point coerced into ending their lives. In Ohio, a third of people choose not to end their life, changing their minds and going into hospital or hospice care. It’s unfair that the terminally ill must travel to Switzerland if they wish to go into the unknown with a sense of dignity. Those people have to end their lives sooner than they would have, because disease could make it impossible for them to travel. It’s ironic that because of misguided groups like Care Not Killing, 244 British people had to die away from home. The current laws against assisted suicide for the terminally ill are outdated in my opnion but this is a controversial topic so I recommend you do your own research. My sources are: The Guardian website, mainly an article from Friday 18 July 2014 called ‘How many people choose assisted suicide where it is legal?’; a BBC article from 11 September 2015 called ‘Assisted Dying Bill: MPs reject right-to-die law’; and the official websites of Dignity in Dying, Care not Killing and Dignitas for clarification of small details. Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020 105

Has not a Jew ? s e y e er new h s e r sha onan’s R . t S f lett o Bee Bil ish identity Jew found

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I now know that being a Jew isn’t just about religi on bu also about race, so even if you don’t believe in God you t still be 100% Jewish can

T Jews are only 0.1% of the world’s population yet have won 27% of United States Nobel Prizes, 25% of Field Medals and 50% of the world’s chess championships; 38% of Oscar-winning film directors and 41% of Nobel Laureates in Economics are Jews

he term ‘Ashkenazi’ defines Jews who settled along the Rhine river in Germany and Northern France in the Middle Ages. My mum says that her grandfather was Jewish and his family had come from Germany and Russia and changed their name to sound less Jewish because antiSemitism (prejudice against Jews) was extremely common in the past. hanukah lamps were elaborately I talked to my Grandpère, who is half decorated with lots of hidden animals Jewish. He knew a little about Judaism and I loved the marriage rings. They but isn’t at all religious. I now know that had displays for some of the important being a Jew isn’t just about a religion festivals and recordings of the singing but also a race, so even if you don’t for Shabbat Dinner, which happens on believe in God you can still be 100% a Friday. At Passover (which celebrates Jewish. The Jewish faith is passed down the journey of the Jews from slavery from mother to daughter so, since to freedom) they have a plate of Grandpère’s mother was Christian, he symbolic foods, for example salt water didn’t even know he was Jewish until to represent tears, bitter herbs for he was quite old: it wasn’t discussed at bitterness, and unleavened bread to show they didn’t have home. time to make it properly. Even though it’s When I told my Grandpère 80 years since the Holocaust, The most painful part of I was going to do a school antisemitism is the museum was about project on being Jewish, still around the Holocaust. There was he said he thought a film of some old people it wasn’t a good idea because it might prejudice some talking about when they were little and people against me and cause problems. were sent on a train to England and This is interesting. Even though it’s 80 their parents were taken to camps and years since the Holocaust, antisemitism murdered. The British people who took is still around and someone like my them in often treated them as servants Grandpère has seen it all through his and some were even beaten for wetting the bed, which is awful as they were life and was worried for me. only children and had lost their entire My mum and I went to London to families. But they all said how grateful visit the Jewish Museum during they were to have been rescued by the Storm Dennis. Fortunately this meant British in what came to be called the the museum was nearly empty. The Kindertransport.  Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020 107

As w the ell a has Jewis s obj ec h l The ots of Museu ts J h ew ist m t Isr raced s can ory; ael bac be k a yea bout to 4 rs ago ,000

was originally Einstein. Her grandfather and his parents changed it when it wasn't great being German or Jewish in the early 20th Century and, yes, I’m distantly related to the Albert Einstein.

I wondered why they stayed there for so long without moving and found that Jews were kept in ghettos by legal restrictions

Originally the Einsteins were quite poor and came from a very small area of Bavaria in Southern Germany. I wondered why they stayed there for so long without moving and found that Jews were kept in ghettos by legal As well as objects the Jewish Museum restrictions. In the town my family came from, 30 families had lots of history. The lived in just three houses; Jews can be traced back In the town my to Israel about 4,000 family came from, no wonder they were keen years ago. They are all 30 families lived in to leave. And my branch descendants of Abraham, just three houses; of the family were lucky No wonder they too because you can see from the Bible. They then were keen to leave some on our family tree became slaves in Egypt were deported to the but were led to freedom by Moses. In 960 BCE King Solomon concentration camp Piaski in 1942. built the first Temple in Jerusalem but in 586 BCE the Babylonians destroyed Once they were allowed to leave the it and enslaved the Jews (once again), ghetto due to changes in the law creating the first diaspora. When they they all started to do really well and were able to return to Jerusalem they when they arrived in England they built another temple but this time the became aviation pioneers, amongst other things. The Mendozas and the Romans destroyed it in 70 CE. de la Penha Castros came from Spain, Over the following 2000 years the where they were Sephardi Jews and Jewish diaspora spread out all over master swordsmen. They went to the the world. Many migrated to Eastern Netherlands to escape the Spanish Europe, becoming known as the Inquisition and from there to England Ashkenazi Jews. Sephardi Jews went when Cromwell allowed the Jews back to North Africa and Spain, while others (Jews were driven out of England in went to Iran and elsewhere. All this 1290 for several hundred years). made me want to find out more about where my Jewish ancestors were from. My mum's surname is Instone, but it

It wasn't great be ing German or Je wish in the early 20th Centur y an d, yes, I’m dist antly related to Albert Einstein 108 Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020

The most painful par t of the museum was about the Holocaust; the re was a film of some old people talking about when they were little and were sent on a train to England and their parents were taken to cam ps and murdered

In 960 BCE King So lo in Jerusalem but mon built the first temple in 586 BCE the Ba destroyed it and bylonians enslaved the Jews

In general the story of the Jewish people is pretty traumatising. They’ve been persecuted and murdered consistently for most of their history. However, Jews have done some of the most amazing things despite, or maybe because of, the obstacles in their way. Jews are only 0.1% of the world’s population yet they have won 27% of United States Nobel Prizes, 25% of Field Medals and 50% of the world’s chess championships. 38% of Oscar-winning film directors, 41% of Nobel Laureates in Economics, 11% of the world’s billionaires and 20% of the world’s richest 50 people are Jews. Before I started all this I didn’t even know I was part Jewish. In fact, I thought being Jewish was just a religion. But now I know it’s a race as well as a religion. In fact, most Jews think being Jewish is about ancestry and culture, not religion. They have had to fight back for their entire history and this resilience may be why they have been successful and although I haven’t had any trouble myself, I can only hope that some of these talented genes have been passed on to me. Mind’s Eye Prep | 2020 109

Rough l a e D s us to am Hall ask h n e k c u B d l s of O Jemima Bank me without a ho imagine life

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Remember, you do not know their back story; You should never judge a bo ok by its cover

ome people have no choice but to leave home and become homeless on the streets where they feel worthless, like pieces of litter. Do you have any idea what life on the streets is like? Imagine spending a night on cold, hard concrete. You are black and blue with bruises. You were so frightened that night you only got one hour of sleep. On top of that, you have the looks people give you. The cold, hard stares. They do not know what you have gone through in your life. They simply think that if they give you money it will all be spent on drugs. Remember, you do not know their back story. You should never judge a book by its cover. Often homelessness is not self-inflicted but involves abuse, emotional and physical, but also neglect. You might think running away is self-inflicted, that victims could have stayed at home and lived through the abuse by pretending that nothing was happening. But they go on the streets to escape the pain, while you and others look at them as if they don’t belong in this world. Well, sadly, you need to know that many take drugs because of people like you. Soon they are gone, quitting the universe. We need to stop stereotyping. Why can’t we all give up £1 and help to save a life, rather than wasting it on some tacky thing in Poundland?

Another reason for homelessness is natural disasters. Lots of places get flooded every year, for example Cumbria or Cornwall. Some people are not as rich as you or me; they do not have enough money to pay for insurance, so they just have to hope that the flood does not reach their house. (Some insurers will not cover properties in flood zones.) But it does. That means they might face eviction from their house and are forced to live on the streets, simply because of water. Was it their fault that they bought a house there? Maybe it was the only one they could afford. If you see a homeless person, I’m not saying you have to give them money because, yes, some street people do drugs. You could go into Starbucks and buy them a cookie and a coffee, just something to keep them going for a bit. You do not have to buy them a whole meal, just a little something that to you is tiny but to them is massive.

“

You could go into Starbucks and buy them a cookie and a coffee, just something to keep them going for a bit; You do not have to buy them a whole meal, just a little something that to you is tiny but to them is massive

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Out

of this

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Would-be astronaut Rufus of Newton Prep can’t stop thinking about how insignificant we are

e’ve all wanted to be like Harrison Ford in Star Wars, soaring through the cosmos in the Millenium Falcon and reaching far-away stars with whole new life-forms. All the technology being used in these movies seems much more advanced than what we have now, so my question is: how far away are we from actually reaching this stage? Earth is where we live. It contains everything we know and love: food, television, family, friends and clothing. But how important are we in the grand scheme of things? The best scientists’ research all leads to a similar point: no matter how much we celebrate all the things we do or accomplish on our spinning world, in terms of the scale of the universe we are microscopic. Earth takes up such an obscenely small percentage of the universe that we are like a singular miniscule grain of sand in the vast Sahara Desert. On its own, this grain of sand is intriguing and unique, but when you think of it within the gargantuan desert, it becomes a lot less significant. The fascinating thing about Earth is that it’s full of sentient beings who can think for themselves. We make mistakes but accomplish unbelievable things. One day we will be capable of travelling far into space and exploring

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the infinite reaches of the cosmos. While the universe expands so does our understanding. One day I hope my kids and I will be able to venture far out into other galaxies, just like in the TV show Lost in Space, though hopefully without all the family arguments.

If we were alone in the universe it would mean that life here on Earth is so unique that we are the only planet with life amongst countless others. It would create the possibility of adventuring far out into space and discovering the secrets of the universe without anything in our way. However, recently, NASA experts have affirmed that it’s highly unlikely we are alone. Although it may seem we are, it could just be that we haven’t found other forms of life yet.

For centuries now, astronomers have been able to use telescopes ranging from astronomical equipment in their backyard to the magnificent Hubble telescope, and While the universe expands so does this fantastic equipment has located Extra-terrestrial life forms have our understanding; billions of other solar systems. Alpha always been talked about by science . One day I hope my Centauri is the nearest star to ours, kids and I will be fiction writers and scientists. but that is four light years away, Considering the vast number of able to venture when one light year is one Earth far out into other possibilities for other foreign life galaxies year travelling at the speed of light. forms, there could be an extraScientists use this term because terrestrial being out there who is space distances are so great Earth measurements smarter and has advanced more than mankind. become meaningless. For example, Alpha This could raise questions about what would be Centauri is 24,000,000,000,000 (trillion) miles ethically right to do if we ever came into contact. away, or the distance of 237 million times round Astronomers have already been able to locate the Earth. You get the idea? other stars that could have planets orbiting them, like Keplar 22B, Proxima A and Reticula In order to get to these faraway planets we would B. Some of the planets orbiting them might even have to travel beyond the speed of light. But we contain life. So the possibility of reaching other haven’t found a way to travel at the speed of light planets is a very real idea, but it would take a lot yet. In the movie Interstellar the astronauts of time to advance to the technology we need to manage to travel through a wormhole and get to reach those stars. the other side of the universe. One of Einstein's theories proved that such wormholes exist; it’s I think I want to be an astronaut and explore just that we haven’t found one yet. Maybe one space. Maybe one day we could all be living on day in my lifetime we will be able to reach these another planet. Only time will tell what the future far-away places and cut through the foundations of mankind will be. I don’t know about you, but of space. I’ve always fantasised about a second I’d love to meet an Ewok. home where the weather is a bit better than in the UK, but who knows?

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Kick Some

! S L A O

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he 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup showed everyone how much women’s football has developed, with its 52 matches watched by more than a billion people, a seventh of the world. That milestone was a huge step for women’s sport, but women’s football hasn’t always been this popular. Where did it all kick off? Well, with the turn of World War 1, and with most men going to fight in France or elsewhere, Britain called on its women to take over their jobs in factories, as train drivers, spies, shipyard workers and many more. While holding the fort in ammunition factories, women began to form the same football-inspired friendships as their husbands and brothers merely a few years earlier. Before long, teams were formed and matches were taking place. Perhaps the most famous one happened after the war, on Boxing Day 1920, with St. Helen’s Ladies up against Dick Kerr’s Ladies F C, who had Lily Parr on their team. She was a magnificent footballer who scored 980 goals in her career. Some 53,000 spectators, men and women, watched this historic match at Goodison Park. It was so popular that another 14,000 people were locked outside the gates. Women’s football was finally thriving. Of course, it didn’t take long for officials to put a stop to it. Football was meant to be ‘a man’s sport’ and was considered rather violent. Even the pioneering Harley Street doctor, Mary Scharlieb, when asked whether women should play, replied: ‘I consider it a most unsuitable game, too much for a woman’s physical frame.’ Another commentator recommended women should be ‘medically tested first’ as ‘the kicking is too jerky a movement for women’. The manager of Spurs said he felt ‘the game can only have injurious results for women.’ 

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Lionesse s have all Kim Little, Lucy been spo Bronze a n n Cup as o ne of the sored by Visa du d Nikita Paris ring this ir 17 ‘Te am Visa’ W players orld

drew huge crowds, with 510,000 watching. As the years have drawn on, numbers of spectators have steadily increased, with three million watching the Women’s World Cup in 2018. Incredibly, things still aren’t fair, even now. The winners of the Women’s World Cup only received $4 million, while France, who won the 2018 Men’s World Cup, scooped up of the $38 million.

Criticism, mockery, unfair pay and limited coverage are just some of the many things women’s football has battled against over the past century

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The Football Association even went so far as to put a ban on women playing football, calling on its clubs ‘to refuse the use of their grounds winners for such matches.’ This state of affairs lasted for Women’s World Cup only received $4m, 70 years before the first while France, who official Women’s World won the 2018 Men’s Cup was held in China in World Cup, scooped up $38m 1991. Even then, while the men’s game contended with racism, women’s football was sprinkled with sexist inequalities. In the ’91 World Cup, where only 12 teams competed, games were played on AstroTurf instead of grass and were capped at 80 minutes, not the usual 90. It looked like the football officials were still slyly implying that women weren’t strong enough to play properly. Nevertheless, the tournament

Of course, this is a vicious cycle. The less people are interested in watching women’s matches, the less media coverage there is, which means less sponsorship and therefore less money. And the less the game is enhanced by investment, the less it’s bettered and the less likely the public are to tune in. And so it continues. I hope you can now understand how unfair, unequal and prejudiced this game is.

I’d love to see the number of boys and girls on a football pitch equal, and at the rate we’re going that doesn’t seem too far away

However, things aren’t all negative. Lionesses players Kim Little, Lucy Bronze and Nikita Paris have all been sponsored by Visa during this World Cup as one of their 17 ‘Team Visa’ players. The women are financially backed by the brand, which has been sponsoring women’s football on a global level for the past decade. ‘Our goal is to see a balance in coverage, empowerment and training, so further funding and support from brands like us will go a long way to boost women’s football,’ said Suzy Brown, Marketing Director of Visa UK and Ireland. It’s amazing how far we’ve come, from women thinking they’re not good enough to play football, and men agreeing, to both sexes actually

supporting and encouraging the sport. I am a keen football player, and used to play for a girls’ team. At my school the number of girls who play football on the astro has steadily increased. At first it was a rare sight to see any girls there, but now they’re playing football most break times. For me, this is a massive step, but I still think we can do better. I’d love to see the number of boys and girls on a football pitch equal, and at the rate we’re going that doesn’t seem too far away. The unprecedented number of people who watched the Women’s World Cup speaks for itself. Criticism, mockery, unfair pay and limited coverage are just some of the many things women’s football have battled against over the past century, despite the fact they should never have had to. And the end result of this fight off the pitch? Women finally have their place in football.

One commenta tor recommen be ‘medically de tested first’ as d women should jerky a mov ‘the kicking is em of Spurs said ent for women’; the m too anager he felt ‘the ga injurious resu lts for women me can only have .’

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S R O T U B TRI

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tye Bramble Broomwoo d Hall ex s s u Cumnor House S Eaton House the Manor Junior King’s School, Fu lham Prep Sch Canterbury ool use School e School Marlborough Ho Holmewood Hous Newton Prep Old Buckenham Hall Northbourne Park School Solefield Scho ol ’s n a Saint Ron p ew’s Pre r d n A t S l e Schoo St John’s Colleg St Michael’s Prep School Vinehall

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