The Keystage

22 NOVEMBER 2019

THE SCIENCE BEHIND CEMENT JANE WOO

LIVING CONDITIONS IN S-21 CHRISTIAN KIM

THE CHOCOLATE INDUSTRY: NOT AS SWEET AS YOU THINK ETHAN JAMES A.

UNFINISHED ARTICLE I CANT BELIEVE THIS FIRED PERSON

THE KEYSTAGE

The Darkness Behind Luxurious South Korea Gustav Winterling Statistics about elders and poverty in South Korea is shocking.

When I think of this country, I imagine a well-developed country, but after days and days of research, I found some hidden secrets that you normally would not notice. You should read this article to get an understanding of one of South Korea's problems so we can make a difference and fix the problem to the future generation!

The economy of South Korea is the 4th largest in Asia and the 11th largest in the world. Their GDP (total value of everything produced in the country) per capita has changed from 20’000 to 33’000 USD in the last 15 years. This means that South Korea has become a high-income country in just a few generations. You can THE KEYSTAGE

!1

22 NOVEMBER 2019

compare with the United Kingdom's GDP Per Capita that’s on 43’000 USD and China's GDP Per Capita that’s on 9,776.375 USD. South Korea has a total of 11,340 homeless people, which is not a high number in comparison to other countries.

This figure is not as shocking if you compare to South Korea’s total population of 51 million. When you take a walk on the street in Seoul, you most likely wouldn’t notice that Korea has a problem with the homeless. But you’re not seeing the full picture. There are actually around 8 million people that are living in poverty and as you can see in the figure, below half of the people over 65% are living in poverty. Many of these old people have a roof over their head but all the money they earn is probably going to the cost of their apartments.

Nanumi provides food and warmth for the homeless

15 years ago, 90% of the South Korean people thought that they should take care of their parents when they become old.

But now days only 37% think this, according to a survey done by the government. As shown by this, we know that the children don’t take care of their parents anymore and neither does the government. This makes it so the elderly don’t receive any support in the form of money and no one wants to hire them for a job. The most common job among the elderly is to collect cardboard from where they only earn around 5000 won per 60kg of paper. Generally, they only earn 2300 won a day.

The monthly pension in South Korea is 200 000 won which isn’t much when you consider living costs like food and rent.

It appears that elders are in a tough situation, also shown in the suicide figures. 15.5 people out of 100 000 elderly people take their lives in South Korea.

The time has changed and it leaves the elderly behind, so we need to do something because the government does nothing about it. There are already some solutions that are temporary; a number of organizations are helping poor people by distributing food to them on public premises. This helps out a lot because then the poor can spend their own money on an apartment. It’s also better to give food than money directly because many elderly are depressed, which makes much more likely to drink alcohol and smoke. So if you give them money, much of it would be spent on drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, etc.

One organization that helps poor people is Nanumi. Their aim is to aspire to make a difference for the homeless and poor.

Nanumi Community Soup Kitchen first began its ministry to the homeless around Seoul Station in 1997.

They currently serve meals five days a week and provide many forms of care, counseling, and other services at their facilities.

In conclusion, it's very shocking that there are so many poor old people even though the country is one of the world's most well developed. I hope that in the future there will be a solution that will make old peoples economy better so they can have a decent life.

THE KEYSTAGE

!2

22 NOVEMBER 2019

The Science Behind Cement Jane Woo Look around; how much concrete is in your life? Bridges, buildings, paths and things you see and walk on everyday are made of concrete. Concrete is a reliable, strong and cheap material that can withstand at a minimum of 3,000 pounds per square inch. Well, as a year 9 student, I’ve learnt how to make it.

Year 9s went on a service trip to Cambodia for Week Without Walls, where we would make concrete to finish paths and a basketball court.

We had to go through many steps in order to make concrete under the sweat-inducing sun that included lugging buckets of sand and shoveling heavy cement. 21 buckets of sand, one bag of cement powder and water was the recipe for concrete- but this made me wonder, how did these standard materials combine to make a composite that is concrete?

Composites are mixtures of nonmetallic components. Mixtures are substances that are composed of multiple types of particles. Cement is composed of compound particles like calcium oxide, silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, iron oxide and calcium sulfate dehydrate, so cement is a composite.

When water is mixed with cement, it forms a paste that binds with aggregates like sand through a chemical process called hydration. Hydration is where water molecules chemically bonds with major components of cement to form hydrates (compounds containing water). An exact ratio between cement and water is required to create a strong concrete mixture.

The aggregate we used was sand. Aggregates are chemically inert, meaning it’s a substance that doesn’t chemically react. It can range from large rocks to fine particles of sand, which is what we used. Types of aggregate can also affect the “characteristics” of the concrete. Normal weight aggregate like sand, crushed limestone or gravel is generally used for normal concrete projects, while heavyweight aggregate like steel or iron pellets are used for dense concrete that can shield nuclear radiation. On the other hand, lightweight aggregate like expanded clay, slate or crushed brick is used for structures and its insulating properties. Since the cement itself is the most expensive material in the mixture, ideally, the percentage of cement is minimized to 20 to 30%, so most of the mixture is aggregate.

The strength of concrete also depends on how much water is used. The amount of water needed for the hydration process is less than what is generally added to the cement and aggregate for workability, which is required for the paste to be smoothed out properly. Despite how well the concrete has been compacted, if there is excess water it will stay as tiny spores, it will weaken the concrete.

THE KEYSTAGE

!3

22 NOVEMBER 2019

Concrete has a long life and is low maintenance. It doesn’t decay, rot or corrode unlike other building materials. It’s resistant to wind, fire, water and insects and can be shaped into any form.

It’s not easily cracked and can be used for storm shelters. These properties make us remember concrete as a strong, economically beneficial material that can be the foundation of anything.

As a student from a privileged background, I have a strong foundation. I don’t need to be mindful of wind, fire, water or insects and I don’t have to be mindful of storms. However, this doesn’t mean others don’t need help.

Cambodia has lost its foundation to the Khmer Rouge genocide, where 90% of the country’s educated were brutally murdered to prevent a potential revolt. Around 2 million (21% of the population) was lost. Currently, Cambodia is rebuilding its foundation and organisations like BSDA help support and aid those in need. BSDA has a website where anyone can donate for causes like: healthcare, education, farms and HERC (Hanchey Eco Retreat Center), a retreat with ecofriendly systems that aims to generate sales with Cambodia’s growing tourism. They provide for more than 21,000 people in five provinces in Cambodia. Year 9 learned about BSDA in Week Without Walls and we’ll remember the experience for the rest of our lives.

DID YOU KNOW CEMENT IS THE MOST-USED MATERIAL IN THE WORLD? WE USE 20 BILLION TONS ANNUALLY!

THE KEYSTAGE

DID YOU KNOW CEMENT WAS PERFECTED BY THE ANCIENT ROMANS? THE PANTHEON IN ROME IS A CONCRETE STRUCTURE.

DID YOU KNOW AT AROUND THE 4 WEEK MARK, IT’S ONLY AT 90% OF ITS STRENGTH? IT TAKES DECADES TO REACH 100% STRENGTH!

DID YOU KNOW CONCRETE COMMONLY REACHES 3,000 TO 7,000 PSI (PRESSURE PER SQUARE INCH)?

!4

22 NOVEMBER 2019

The Living Conditions of S-21 Christian Kim

The Khmer Rouge was a devastating event that affected all Cambodians. Over one million people were killed. These people were educated like doctors and teachers. Also, people that talked a lot, had glasses or had soft hands were killed. The rest were imprisoned and they weren’t allowed to make any noises or cry when they got punished. The punishments would be ripping out your nails, getting electrocuted, beaten, etc.

This all happened in the nicest high school in Phnom Phen: Tuol Sleng. Pol Pot turned the high school into a prison; they called it S-21.

S-21 is now a museum so people can pay to go inside to see the conditions they lived in.

This image features where prisoners slept.

The box was given to them for excretion. If the prisoner didn’t excrete in the box they would have to clean it by licking their own feces. In addition, they were also chained to the bed during the night and weren’t allowed to cry. They had to eat rats and bugs if they weren’t given enough food by the guards.

There were strict rules the “prisoners” had to follow in order not to get punished. If the guard asked them a question, they had to answer him without hesitation. They weren’t allowed to speak when you wanted or do what you wanted. To put it simply, they weren’t treated like a human.

THE KEYSTAGE

!5

22 NOVEMBER 2019

The clothes shown here were worn by “prisoners.”

Children hid under the clothes so they wouldn't get caught by the guards. If the children were caught by the guards, they were punished.

However, they weren’t punished like adults; they were just slapped instead.

A tree was used to kill babies because they didn’t want to “waste” limited bullets on them, so the guards held them by the legs, swung them and smashed the babies’ heads on the trees. People hung bracelets on the tree to pay respects to the lives that were lost. It’s called the “Chankiri Tree” or the “Killing Tree” currently, located in the killing fields.

Women, including pregnant women, were still imprisoned. They were allowed to give birth and keep the baby, however, they couldn’t keep the baby for long. We all know that babies have to cry.

They’re babies that's how they communicate to portray their state since they can’t speak. If the baby cries, the baby is either hungry, tired or needs to change its diaper. However, if the baby cried in the jail cell the mother didn’t get physically punished, but the punishment was even worse than getting physically hurt. She was forced to see her baby’s head being smashed on the tree by the guards. She wasn’t allowed to scream or cry, she had to stay still and watch the baby slowly die, suffering. The mothers would never get to see the baby grow up; say her name, walk, go to school, or even graduate and get married.

In conclusion, the way “prisoners” were treated was inhumane; like animals. They were beaten every day, nearly to death. Children were slapped. Children were scared so they had to hide under clothes. Babies heads were smashed on trees for no reason. Some pregnant women had to see their baby die. Could you imagine yourself sane in this situation for months?

DID YOU KNOW MORE THAN 12,000 PEOPLE WERE TORTURED AND KILLED IN S-21 TO EXTRACT FALSE CONFESSIONS? ONLY 15 SURVIVED.

THE KEYSTAGE

DID YOU KNOW ONE OF THE SURVIVORS IS CHUM MEY, 83.

MECHANIC. HE HAD HIS BIG TOENAIL PULLED OUT BY GUARDS.

DID YOU KNOW IN S-21, THERE IS A ROOM DEDICATED TO FEATURING HEADSHOTS OF PRISONERS. THEY WERE ALL TORTURED.

DID YOU KNOW ONE OF THE SURVIVORS, BOU MENG, 74, IS AN ARTIST. HE SURVIVED BECAUSE HIS SKILL WAS USEFUL.

!6

22 NOVEMBER 2019

The Chocolate Industry: Not as sweet as you think Ethan James Albano Do you like chocolate? Do you like dark, white, or milk chocolate? Have you considered WHY the dark chocolate is so bitter? In this article, we will dive into the dark side of chocolate and get more in-depth with this. To do this, we have to go into Africa where two of the biggest cocoa bean producers are. Just Ghana and the Ivory Coast alone provide more than 70% of the world’s cocoa.

In western Africa, the primary source of money is the cocoa beans which means more than 50% of Ivory coast money comes from its exported cocoa beans.

Where is the bad part of all this? Well, the sad and tragic part is the cocoa beans are harvested by kids as old as us and maybe some of the KS2 students in our school.

Have you ever experienced the pain of being taken away from your parents? Well, that’s exactly what happened to these children aged 12-23. The conditions of these kids are horrible according to “The Dark Side of Chocolate, the Documentary” which showed a girl named Mariam with bruises and gashes on her knees.

“According to testimonies gathered by researchers, parents from impoverished West African regions in Mali, Burkina Faso and Togo sell their children for as little as $35 U.S., believing that slave traffickers will pay them wages so that can be sent home. But instead of money, the daily shifts of 12-plus hours earn the boys malnourishment, nighttime lockups, and beatings by farm owners and supervisors.” says Beans of Bondage. In addition, 10% of the trafficked kids from Ghana and almost 50% of the kids from the Ivory Coast don’t go to school.

I think we can agree we can’t let this happen any longer. If we don’t help these kids, more deaths will be caused; we have to help these young, unfortunate kids to get to freedom.

The annual sale price for chocolate on Valentine’s Day is 400,000,000,000,000 Won. Imagine if that money went to the right places, then maybe we will have less children being trafficked for labour. We just need to do it one step at a time.

You can make a difference by buying from Fair-trade chocolates instead of untrusted brands.

Fair-trade chocolates are available here are “Honest Chocolate” and “Divine Chocolate”.

DID YOU KNOW 50% OF THE CHILDREN THAT ARE TRAFFICKED TO GHANA AND THE IVORY COAST DON’T GO TO SCHOOL?

THE KEYSTAGE

DID YOU KNOW 40% OF THE CHOCOLATE SLAVES ARE GIRLS? SOME STAY FOR MONTHS WHILE OTHERS STAY FOR LIFE!

DID YOU KNOW ESTIMATED 1.8 MILLION CHILDREN ARE WORKING IN COCOA PLANTATIONS CURRENTLY?

DID YOU KNOW 200,000 CHILDREN ARE WORKING IN CÔTE D’IVOIRE? THEY SATISFY 35% OF THE GLOBAL CHOCOLATE DEMANDS!

!7