Editorial
We are delighted to introduce this academic year’s first edition of Inspire, a unique publication in which scholars dive headlong into any topic of their liking and come out with a (mostly comprehensible) commentary on anything from neurodegenerative disease to classic novels and their history.
The first edition for this term collates the latest intellectual pursuits from our current scholars, and we know this is an indication of what we have to look forward to over the next academic year.
A massive thank you to everyone who submitted an article for this edition of Inspire as we know that the scholars have dedicated much time and research to their individual contributions to Academics at Marlborough College.
Finally, a new year comes with a keen new group of Lower Sixth scholars heading up the magazine, so many thanks to:
Philip M Poppy FW Sophia R Poppy GCNow, please be ‘Inspired’…
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CONTENTS
Is neurodegenerative disease the unsuspected killer of contact sport athletes? p.4 Alisa A
An Introduction to Quantum Physics. p.6 Dani L
How do marginal gains help good athletes become the best? p.8 Eloise B
Classic novels: their past, present and future. p.11 Georgie H
Why the Qatar Football World Cup could be a huge success. p.13 Arthur B and Kemal U
Why Should Anyone Care About Maths? p.15 Elliot R
How does machismo influence Latin American society? p.17 Georgie C
How safe is the water that we swim in? p.19 Harry W
The UK and China: What is the Future of our Power? p.21 Max DM
The most controversial stone in the world: The Koh-I-Noor Diamond. p.25 Oliver D
‘Trussonomics’. p.27 Chicha N
Forensic Firsts. p.29 Lottie J
Does the French principle of laïcité exist as a model or a threat in the 21st century? p.31 Tabitha H
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Over the years, correlation between neurodegenerative diseases and contact sports has been studied. It has been identified that athletes that play contact sports such as rugby, football and American football are at greater risk of developing a neurodegenerative disease due to their career.
brain injury (an injury resulting from an external trauma, i.e., a soccer ball), which was first recognized around a century ago. This was known as dementia pugilistica or ‘punch-drunk syndrome’. This was first identified in boxers, as many had taken blows to the head, leading them to develop symptoms such as coordination problems, confusion, memory loss and other symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease. This was later renamed and is now known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
CTE is now recognized in not only boxers, but in athletes who play contact sports. A striking characteristic of CTE is the tau protein, which usually is found in cells in order to stabilize the microtubules of a cell’s cytoskeleton. However, in CTE, the tau protein forms clumps often close to blood vessels and in the depths and grooves of the brain. This results in the development of neurodegenerative diseases as the protein has the ability to interact and change the system of neurotransmissions in the body, leading to certain difficulties in control of limbs.
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A neurodegenerative disease affects the brain, causing loss of brain cells and brain shrinkage1. The symptoms of these diseases vary: Dementia is associated with memory loss and cognitive problems (i.e. Alzheimer’s Disease, which primarily displays memory loss, later progressing into disorientation, confusion and difficulty controlling limbs), motor neuron disease is identifiable through its ability to rapidly deteriorate an individual's ability to walk, talk or chew and swallow, and Parkinson’s disease can be identified through consistent tremors, inability to maintain balance and walk, as well as issues with sleeping and memory.
These neurodegenerative diseases have been linked with traumatic
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To support the idea of athletes playing contact-sports being more at risk of neurodegenerative diseases, the University of Glasgow carried
2 Unknown, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseasesconditions/alzheimers-disease/symptomscauses/syc-20350447,accessed on November 6th 2022
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Is neurodegenerative disease the unsuspected killer of contact sport athletes?Emma Russel, ‘Neurodegenerative disease and lifelong health in footballers’, Biological Sciences Review, Vol.35, No. 2
out a FIELD (Football’s Influence on Lifelong health and Dementia risk) study, which investigated the health outcomes of football players in comparison to the general population. The study found that the risk of death from Alzheimer’s disease was around five times greater in former footballers than in the general male population. Moreover, the number of deaths from motor neuron disease was quadruple that of the general male population and the deaths from Parkinson’s disease was double. The cause of these increased risks has been linked with traumatic brain injury, which is now recognized to contribute to around 3% of Dementia cases worldwide. It is the only identified factor in that directly correlates contact-sports and an increase in risk of neurodegenerative diseases.
While some research has been conducted, further insight is needed, especially into female contact-sports. This is because while professional female football is still relatively new (originated in the 1990’s), research has found that males and females have been affected differently by traumatic brain injuries. Women tend to show more severe symptoms, however the main reason behind this has not yet been identified, as it could be a variety of biological and genetic differences that males and females have.
In conclusion, it is clear that athletes who play non-contact sports have a significantly higher risk of
developing a neurodegenerative disease which could lead to premature death. There have been multiple investigations on former athletes such as Jeff Astor (football player for Notts county and West Bromwich Albion), Mike Webster (Pittsburg Steelers footballer), Muhammad Ali (boxer), and Lou Gehrig (baseball player), which have shown a direct link of traumatic brain injuries (due to career in contact-sports) to neurodegenerative disease development. While prevention of brain injuries in contact-sports is virtually impossible, minimizing the damage caused by these injuries, educating athletes on concussions and adjusting rules and regulations of these sports could make a significant improvement to the risks of these sports, and allow researchers to further investigate and find methods of protection.
By Alisa A (L6)5
An Introduction to Quantum Physics: How Does It Affect Our Understanding Of Science And The Way
We See The World?
Quantum physics is the study of matter and energy at the most fundamental level. It helps us to understand the behaviour and properties of the structure of nature. Quantum physics helps to fill the gaps in our knowledge of physics and helps us to paint a clearer picture of our everyday lives.
How was quantum physics discovered? It arose in the late 1800s to early 1900s, when experiments involving atoms weren’t making any logical sense in the laws of “normal” physics at the time. What they discovered was that matter and energy can be discovered as discrete packets, or quanta, each having a minimum value. As an example, light delivers a frequency in quanta called “photons”, each photon at the same frequency will have the same energy, and that energy cannot be minimalized, it is at its smallest. This makes sense when we look at the Latin meaning of the word “quantum” which means “how much”.
Most quantum experiments focus on electrons and photons, but quantum
phenomena are constantly happening all around us, although sometimes hard to detect.
Discoveries within quantum physics has led to the creation of lasers, transistors and major break throughs in technology. It has also made the possibility of quantum computers not so radical. A quantum computer is a computer that is much faster than any of the technology we have to-date. It could outperform any supercomputer currently created.
Being able to comprehend quantum principles has transformed our perception of the atom. The atom we know has a nucleus (containing protons and neutrons) and is surrounded by shells of electrons that “orbit” the nucleus. Quantum physics makes us conceptualize that these electrons are not bound to their orbits, they can exist in more than one location at a time. When electrons gain energy or lose it, they can move from one orbit to another, but, however they are never situated between orbits at any time.
Quantum science could eventually reveal how our universe or multiverse can be connected to other dimensions that we as humans could not even begin to grasp. There are ten dimensions that string theory says the universe exists in, and without these forces, we would not exist. The field of quantum physics may seem irrational, but it describes everything around us, whether we can prove it or not.
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Quantum physics can influence how we think about the quantum world. The quantum world involves human consciousness, which gives our minds a place in the universe. The quantum world is supposedly smaller than a single atom and this subatomic matter doesn’t follow our standard rules of matter. These particles can clump up in balls or spread out as waves. However, a scientist can’t find these particles, but they can predict where they might be. David Lindley says, ‘the quantum world just doesn’t work in the way the world around us works”.
Coming back to photons, they are particles that make up light and radiation. Hundreds of years ago, light was believed to travel as a stream of particles, but 200 years ago, light was showed to travel in waves. Then 100 years ago, light was proved to either act like waves or even like particles (photons). This raised a great amount of uncertainty in this particular field, because you can’t measure a photon as being a wave or particle simultaneously, but experiments have been designed to show them as one or the other.
Einstein played an important role in quantum physics, and asked a challenging question: “Do you really believe the moon exists only when you look at it?” When asking this question, he means that physical objects exist in space, but also that quantum physics doesn’t follow our usual rules of observation. This question begins to refer to any
particle smaller than an atom. The theory of wave particle duality suggests that any elementary particle (a particle containing matter and energy), have both the properties of a particle and a wave.
As I mentioned before, particles could be found in more than one place at a time, and they can also tunnel through walls. When the location of a photon is recorded, it can also be recorded somewhere else. Scientists have discovered that pairs of particles can be linked, even if they are on separate side of the world. These particles are said to be entangled. Scientists so far have been able to entangle particles up to 1200 kilometres and plan to increase this distance.
If you are feeling confused at this point don’t worry, as many scientists have been alongside you. For example: Albert Einstein said, If you can think about quantum science without getting dizzy, you don’t get it,”
Overall quantum physics helps us to understand the building blocks of everyday life in ways we couldn’t even imagine or think of theories or even proved results that we might not have even thought to be possible. It shows us the world from a different perspective and makes us think deeper about the structure of the universe.
By Dani L (Hu)7
How do marginal gains help good athletes
What makes the best athletes stand out from others and how do they achieve this? There are thousands of professional athletes, each with their own story of how they got to the top. Becoming the best is a very personal journey, however, I think that an increasingly successful way is by the process of marginal gains. There are a few themes that stand out for me, that include physical, mental, and technical aspects of athletes' performance.
goals, which can be worked on individually.
The British Olympic cycling team completely changed their results at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and matched this at London 2012 Olympics, winning 7 out of the 10 gold medals available. A huge difference from previous Olympics where they had won a total of 2 gold medals in the previous 76 years. Sir Dave Brailsford became the head of British cycling in 2002 and introduced the theory of marginal gains. This is the theory that if you take every aspect involved in cycling - physical, mental and technical and improved it by 1% then you will have a significant increase when you put them all together – enough to win multiple gold medals. One advantage of this theory is that the greatest athletic goals can be broken down into smaller, more achievable
Firstly, it is important to have natural athletic talent as this provides the basis for the creation of a ‘good’ athlete and can later help them become the ‘best’. However, to become the ‘best’, it is not enough to just have natural talent. From a physical aspect, an athlete will have a significant advantage if they are even the slightest bit fitter than their competitor. Being fit is quite a broad term as there are many aspects to fitness and many ways an athlete needs to be fit do their specific sport. This is where achieving marginal gains can have a big impact. If an athlete can improve every aspect of their fitness relevant to their sport by a small margin, the theory is that they will achieve a greater overall gain. For example, Mo Farah, a quadruple Olympic gold medalist, trained at altitude in Ethiopia. He did this to increase the oxygen capacity in his blood; this proved to be a significant endurance gain that helped him be the ‘best’.
Secondly, as athletes progress towards the top of their profession they will have many more setbacks than successes. They will be told they’re not good enough, they will have bad days, and these are the times that can be harder to overcome than any physical barrier.
These stressful situations can show whether they have the mental strength to be the best. To overcome
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become the best?
them they need motivation, concentration, an ability to manage their emotions, a positive outlook and, crucially, an ability to work well under pressure.
I think it is vitally important to have these qualities because no matter how good they are on paper or how athletic they are, in the moment if they can’t handle stress or nerves then they will not be able to get to the top. An example of this is Maddie Hinch’s approach to her profession. She is considered the best hockey goalkeeper in the world and certainly a top athlete. She has been England’s first choice keeper since 2013 and has been to two Olympics, winning gold and bronze. After achieving all this she said:
“The most important thing was to have a relentless attitude and be strong minded.”
Top athletes’ coaching teams often include psychologists to help with their mental approaches. This support is designed to provide the gain in composure and other important mental qualities that can be the difference between a win or loss.
Moreover, a vital part of marginal gains are the technical aspects which can be broadly split into two groups – training and monitoring, and athletes’ technical equipment. A large part of becoming the ‘best’ athlete is the quality of the training regime – frequently giving a big
advantage if an individual or team have the best training facilities and monitoring equipment. For example, the England rugby team use individual performance monitoring vests that can help optimize individual training plans and make them personal to the athlete. On top of this, during competition the athletes that have the best equipment often have a significant advantage. For instance, when David Brailsford was evaluating the British cycling team, he made every aspect of the bike 1% better. As well as improving the bikes, he changed the cyclists’ suits. Using modern technology, the combined improvement ended up increasing the cyclist’s performance by 5%.
These three aspects can all be improved by marginal gains. However, it’s not just the athletes’ efforts that make them the best, it is vital to have a strong team of coaches and support staff that can focus athletic performance. Therefore, consequently, having sufficient funding does become an important aspect of achieving top performance too.
I think that it is often the mental aspect of marginal gains that makes the difference between a ‘good’ athlete and the ‘best’, but I think all three parts are important. They work together and are largely interdependent on each other. It shows how making small improvements, such as having a psychologist or having better equipment can make a
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huge difference when put together. Though this concept is very useful in sports it can easily be related to many other situations and areas as well. It can be used in businesses when they are trying to be the most efficient and profitable or, a bit closer to home, it can be used in schools. For example, it can be used when someone is trying to improve their teaching, putting on a play or even the food. Overall, I think the theory of marginal gains has real benefits when it comes to being the ‘best’.
By Eloise B (Re)10
Classic novels: their past, present and future
Twenty-six letters. Hundreds of thousands of combinations. Millions of stories. Classic novels are valued items on a bookshelf, but what makes them ‘classic’ and why are they so valued?
Books such as ‘Little Women’, ‘Emma’, ‘Jayne Eyre’, ‘Pride and Prejudice’, and ‘The Great Gatsby’, are all considered classic novels alongside many others and their titles are household names in many places around the world. Alongside this, there are many shared characteristics in classic novels, almost as if there’s qualifications to become considered a classic. These traits are what led to these books being read, hundreds of years later. Many classic novels were written over 100 years ago, but still hold the same merit, if not higher, than they did during release.
All classic novels share a number of characteristics, the most prominent ones are; quality, appeal, longevity, influence and relevance. These traits attract readers and help the book to withstand many different time periods. Two of these traits; longevity and relevance apply to Jane Austen’s work in the 1800’s, when she wrote three ‘classic’ novels: Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Emma. These are some of the most well-known books to date, and they still have relevance in today’s society, proving their worth of a ‘classic’ title. Pride and Prejudice, for
example, is said to have a ‘classic’ and ‘timeless’ plot and Emma is commended for its quality of language.
Reading and understanding classic novels helps to understand where our society has come from and in what ways it has developed over time. They provide universally understood and recognized concepts, as well as sayings and they help us to understand the nuances of humanity.
A common term, ‘down a rabbit hole’ is instantly recognizable as loosing track of time and being distracted by an event. It comes from Alice in Wonderland written in 1865. This is just one of the many examples of commonly known phrases that came from classics. Literature has continued to change and develop over time, with new writing styles and plots explored. There has been an increase in novels written recently, could any of these ‘current’ novels become classics in the future? What books would become classics? Some already have. These are considered ‘Instant classics’ - modern books that become extremely popular, very quickly. The Harry Potter series, for example, has sold over 500 million copies, outselling Pride and Prejudice which has sold just over 20 million. The series is said to be the best-selling series of all time. As well as this, the books have achieved incredible financial success coming from movie deals, merchandise and
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multiple “Harry Potter World” sites opening.
Typically, classic novels and the most famous novels are translated into other languages to make them accessible worldwide. Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women” has been translated into around 50 languages; The Great Gatsby lower with roughly 40 languages, and Harry Potter being translated into 80 languages.
It may be argued it was easier for a novel to become a classic, as it was a more selective process, back then. Nowadays, there are many more authors, and they don’t always need to go through the traditional publishing route. There are many ways to get your novels out onlinesocial media has really contributed to the significant increase in writing. In the past, authors would need to go to the editors, publishers and then have it printed, advertised and promoted. This meant less people followed through with this as it was time consuming and costly, making it easier for those who did to become widely known and successful. With the help of technology, authors now can just put a book out and advertise it online. However, coming up with an original concept is now much harder, as most ideas and concepts have already been explored. Again, in the past, it wasn’t as hard come up with a completely unique storyline as there were more possibilities of untouched plots and characters.
Recently, E-Books and audiobooks have become more popular and
much more easily accessible. With the release of the Kindle in 2007, it became more practical to carry a kindle as opposed to multiple books. With devices like this on the rise, how much longer will we be putting ink to paper?
I believe that classics are the foundations of literature and novels today. They inspire people to write, and they also inspire people to read. People who consider themselves well-read will undoubtably have read several classics in their lives. Classic novels are embedded in our history and should be for years to come. However, are we now looking at a future where modern novels never make it to print? Where a Netflix adaptation deal determines whether an author is successful? Will there be another classic with the influence of one like Jayne Eyre? I believe it is in the world’s best interest that physical books live on forever.
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” - George R.R. Martin.
By Georgie HS (Re)12
The Qatar World Cup has been heavily questioned, and it is a controversial topic of whether Qatar should be allowed to host the Football World Cup. Issues such as human rights violations, strict Shariah Law and the consequent poor fan experience all suggest that Qatar shouldn’t host the tournament. However, while this is true, there are many possible benefits to Qatar hosting the World Cup.
Qatar has had many problems in the build-up to the World Cup concerning forced labour. However, this has been a problem in Qatar anyway, but the World Cup has accentuated the problem. By going to Qatar, the huge increase in media attention and broadcasting should shine light upon the problems fully as well as helping to try an alleviate these issues. There are also strong laws on homosexuality in Qatar due to the Shariah based law. Players and teams have already expressed that they will try to raise awareness during the tournament. For example, England captain Harry Kane has already said he will wear a rainbow-coloured armband for this purpose.
Qatar has strict laws on drinking and drug abuse. It has been
criticized for the lack of drinking due to its possible hindrance of enjoyment for the fans. While this may be true, most violence and misbehaviour at big football events are linked to the consumption of drugs and alcohol. This means invariably that there should be a decrease in violent occurrences. A good example of this was the Euros in 2021, where at the final an estimated 8,000 ticketless fans stormed into Wembley through multiple security breaches as well as a huge amount of property damage in the area. A lot of this violence could be linked to alcohol consumption and substance abuse. The strict laws in Qatar relating to substance abuse where long custodial sentences can be emplaced as well as a strict non-drinking culture due to Shariah law will cause less consumption of these substances. This is expected to reduce violent outbreaks as people who are abusing substances that are prohibited are more likely to face harsher punishments. This deterrence will act in favour of the safety of the fans and cause less violent incidents.
A positive all countries see when they host a major global sporting events is the increase in participation of sport in their country due to the sudden increase in interest. Not only participation will increase but, also spectatorship. As well as this, football itself will take gains as inevitably the football set-up in Qatar will improve, bringing more elite professionals which will then
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Why the Qatar Football World Cup could be a huge success.
create role models for those looking to get involved. By taking football to a country where football is not so popular, the World Cup will have a greater impact than it might have done in a country where football is already a very large phenomenon. Therefore, one could argue that giving the World Cup to a country in the Middle East could be a positive decision for football and the population there as it gives incentive for the sport to grow in a region of the world where football is not notoriously big.
By Arthur B and Kemal U (L6)14
Why Should Anyone Care About Maths?
What role does each subject play in the human quest for knowledge? The knowledge which we acquire as a human race can be broken down into these classifications which we call subjects. When it comes to what is true and what is not about the universe, the typical classification is philosophy. When it comes to what has happened in the past, the typical classification is history. And when we are in search of a language with which we can describe all the phenomena around us, when we want to break the universe down into its purest form, mathematics is the classification. But who cares about maths, and how could the study of seemingly irrelevant and abstract ideas help us in the human quest to understand the universe around us?
Let us take one of the most famous, and simply put, problems that challenges mathematicians today. The question is: are there an infinite number of twin primes?3 This is surely a simple question. The truth is this question is notoriously difficult and has perplexed mathematicians for centuries. Why should we care about it? It has no relevance to the real world and seemingly no relevance elsewhere other than in
3 Twin primes are prime numbers which are two apart. Examples of twin primes include: 5 and 7, 11 and 13, 17 and 19 and so on.
the specific study of number theory. This is a valid way of viewing this particular question. A very literal approach to measuring the value of knowledge is to ask if it would be used in the real world. However, I prefer ignoring the ’use’ of knowledge in the real world and instead would rather consider what’s going on underneath.
We must remember, we don’t know what we don’t know. The point of considering a problem in maths is not to get the answer, but to find out along the way parts of maths that we never knew existed. I think of it as the difference between a traveller and an explorer. Imagine you are a traveller, and you wish to go to China. You go there for practical reasons alone, and you do not care about anything other than arriving there. Now imagine you are an explorer, and you wish to go to China. Your journey is not complete when you arrive, but it has only just begun. You travelled there to explore where you have been taken. The point is, the value is not in the answer, but what it teaches you when you get there.
I see a lot of people today taking the view of the traveller. When they see a problem such as the twin prime conjecture, they ask, ‘Why would we want to answer that question? It has no relevance to the universe around us.’ But, if you took the view of the
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explorer you would think, ‘I don’t know where this will take me, but I know by answering the question our knowledge of maths will become deeper.’ When Columbus set off on his voyage in 1492, why do you think he went? He didn’t know what would be there, but he did know our knowledge of the world would be improved because of it.
I suppose I am leaving something unaddressed when comparing these two things. In the example of Columbus, we gain a better understanding of the world. It is clear why we would want this. What about maths? Why would we want a deeper understanding of maths? I take a very pure approach to this question which some people may not agree with. Galileo famously said, ‘Mathematics is the language in which God has written the universe.’
To me, I see the universe being one with maths. Even if we do not know how today, I believe everything in maths is connected to the universe in some way. Every abstract idea links into practical elements of maths, so who is to say that it can’t link into the universe as well?
I believe that maths plays a fundamental role in the human quest for knowledge, and I am deeply disheartened when I see people questioning its relevance. I agree that it may not be clear how it can be used but be an explorer and trust that in the end your knowledge will be valuable, whatever it is. And if you’re curious, I encourage you to
explore the maths behind the twin prime conjecture. I think you might be surprised to find maths you might consider ‘useless’ cropping up in even the most abstract places.
By Elliot R (Hu)16
How does machismo influence Latin American society?
Machismo is a term that refers to a social behaviour pattern in which the Latino male exhibits an overbearing attitude to anyone he deems inferior to him, demanding complete subservience. It has been a fundamental aspect rooted in Latin American culture and has had, and continues to have, a huge influence on Hispanic society today.
Machismo can be seen influencing dictatorships throughout recent history. During the 20th century there were numerous dictatorships across Latin America, some of which only ended recently and all of which were instigated by men and, by the late 1970’s 17 out of 20 Latin American nations were ruled by dictators. One of the most horrific dictatorships was the Pinochet regime in Chile. This authoritarian military regime led by Augustus Pinochet ruled Chile for seventeen years between the 11th of September 1973 and the 11th of March 1990. During this period Pinochet and his army committed despicable violations of human rights against the Chilean people and caused thousands of deaths. Around 40,000 people were killed, tortured or imprisoned and many of these victims were women. It could be argued that Pinochet chose to target
these women as objects in order to take power away from their husbands, emasculate them and to demonstrate his power and superiority. This trait could be seen in many Latin American dictatorships. Men came to power through brute force and retained it through instilling fear and abusing their power. I believe that this could stem from the historic machoistic culture of men having to assert their dominance over anyone they deem inferior to themselves.
Machismo played a fundamental part in past dictatorships, and it is still just as prevalent today in the huge rates of femicide in countries across Latin America. Femicide is the killing of a woman or girl, in particular by a man on account of her gender. As of 2022 the country with the highest femicide rate was El Salvador with 13.8 per 100,000 women killed by femicide. Not only are these figures extremely high, but the most shocking aspect of the murders is the fact that, according to the World Health Organization, 38% of these deaths are perpetrated by the victim’s partner. A reason behind this could be that women in this part of the world are viewed as second class citizens who are taught to put up with abuse, harassment and inequality as part of the culture. Furthermore, the justice systems in many Latin American countries are biased against these women and they are scared to come forward, fearing either that no action will be taken or even that something worse could
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happen to them and they could be punished. There are several cases like this where the male perpetrators have not been sufficiently punished. In April 2021, Rocio Manilla had an extramarital affair and was subsequently killed by her husband. Her husband received less than two years in prison because he pleaded “violent emotion.” This is a prime example of why this sexist culture is not improving as women are taught to be submissive and do what their husbands say, including not reporting abuse. To add to that, the male authorities are disinclined to help these women as the justice system itself is biased in favour of men. Moreover, Hispanic culture is full of not only the macho male stereotype but also the submissive, beautiful female stereotype. This stereotypical culture means that the women keep quiet and spur on the machismo, creating a vicious cycle which is difficult to break. However, even though moving away from this culture may be difficult it is not impossible. Laws are already being changed and put in place to better support women and prevent the violent, abusive and illegal aspects of machismo from occurring. Until recently, femicide was not recognized by the law in Mexico and the sentence was the same as a normal homicide. This demonstrates the machoistic hatred of women and their inferiority as it did not distinguish femicide - women being killed purely for being women, from normal homicide. But this law was
changed in 2012, demonstrating significant progress. Acts like these are helping break the cycle of women staying silent and fighting against the culturally rooted stereotypes.
Machismo is deeply rooted in Hispanic culture and will likely stay that way. The only way for real change to occur is by men in power and in politics recognizing these issues and changing the laws to try and fix them. The question is: can this change happen?
By Georgie C (U6)18
water
Swimming is a well- rounded, injury free sport, with a whole range of health benefits. It is also considered to be extremely safe. But how safe really is the water that we swim in
Thankfully we have moved on and there are currently multiple methods of disinfection. While water is still filtered constantly throughout use, public pools make use of chemical disinfection to keep harmful bacteria to a minimum. However, there are harmful side-effects associated with these chemicals disinfects that we swim alongside.
Most pools nowadays use chlorine. Chlorine is a powerful oxidant (oxidation damages and kills cells) and so can remove bacteria and viruses with speed. Chlorine’s efficiency at removing bacteria makes it one of the best disinfectants.
I’m a regular swimmer at The College pool and really enjoy making good use of this facility. I’ve always thought of swimming pools as clean and never really focused (until just recently) on the chemistry that goes on in the pool itself. This chemistry, however, is what determines the safety of the pool.
In the early twentieth century, the only process of dirt removal was via filtering. A study in 1910 by public health officials showed that more than 111,000 microbes were present in every cubic centimetre of water samples from local swimming pools. This meant that public pools at that time could have been compared to dilute sewage - it’s not surprising that so many more people caught diseases and illness!
However, pure chlorine is too dangerous to use alone and is instead implemented through solid salts of tablets which contain chemicals like sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) or calcium hypochlorite. These react with water to produce the bacteria-killing hypochlorous acid (HClO). However, even the use of these “safe” tablets can cause harm through triggering disinfection by-products, known as DBPs.
Some of the more common dangerous by-products (DBPs) include chemicals like trihalomethanes and chloramines, which form at the surface of the pool and can cause or irritate asthma symptoms. In a recent Norwegian study of 313 swimmers, of whom 22% overall had asthma, rates increased to 36% for the swimmers
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How safe is the
that we swim in?
who spent 16 plus hours weekly in the pool.
Marlborough College Swimming Pool
The swimming pool at Marlborough College doesn’t focus on chlorine, and instead primarily uses ultraviolet (UV) light to disinfect the pool, giving excellent water quality in which there is a much lower chance of DBPs being formed due to the lower levels of chlorine.
What Can We do to Keep the Pool Clean?
Showering is key. Although many people disregard it, showering can wash off the bodily secretions and skin products (e.g., sunscreen and sweat) on our skin that can mix with the disinfection chemicals to produce the harmful by-products. Having a well-ventilated pool also makes a big difference and should be a consideration for any serious swimmer that uses a traditional chlorinated pool.
Do not let this stop you from swimming. We should simply aim to maintain pools to facilitate for healthy swimming to continue. Keep on swimming!
By Harry W (Re)20
The UK and China: What is the Future of our Power?
As the world barrels towards an environmental tipping point, science searches for a source of clean energy. Fossil fuels have long been known to be harming our world, but a viable replacement has still remained elusive in supplying the planet with its ever-growing desire for power. Now, more so than ever before, this crisis seems to be at its worst. With rises in energy prices throughout Europe and the destruction of progress due to lockdown, we all need a solution fast. But what is it? And how will we come across it?
According to Tessa Koumoundouros, a journalist for Science Alert, the “holy grail” of clean energy resources is Fusion Reactors. The idea behind Fusion Reactors is to harness the energy released by the creation of larger atoms from smaller atoms, the same process that powers all stars and our Sun, by smashing atoms of Hydrogen together at extremely high temperatures. China and the UK both lie at the forefront of this technology. The UK’s Joint European Torus Reactor (JET), commissioned in 1983, was one of the first operational Fusion Reactors to run tests on the theory and has been leading the way ever since. Meanwhile, China’s Academy of
Sciences Reactor became the most powerful one to date in June 2021, when it reached a temperature of 160 million degrees Celsius and was nicknamed ‘China’s Artificial Sun’. These developments are a result of countless hours and even years of research and testing, and the competition between organizations within the field has only strengthened the progress. That is why it seems both the UK and China are so important to our future power sources.
Despite this, Fusion Generators still seem to be decades away from being a realistic and functional source of power. However, whilst competition is a useful tool to make progress, as is collaboration. By combining the resources and knowledge of our two nations’ teams, faster improvement could be made. Many believe that this truly is the solution to our energy problems, so collaboration is a necessity. This could halt the damage we have been making to our environment and be a positive step forward. Not only that, but a collaboration in science could strengthen bonds forged between the two countries. Being able to move forward together signifies unity in what has been a troubled relationship at times between the UK and China.
On the other hand, some would argue that Fusion technology is too far from completion for it to be considered as an option for a problem that is affecting the world
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right now. That is why people turn to other renewable sources such as Hydroelectric for answers. When it opened, the Three Gorges Dam in the Hubei province of China caused a lot of controversy. Many believed that it was a huge resource for clean energy, providing 100 Terawatt hours of electricity per year. To put that into perspective, that alone is about a third of the energy the whole of the UK uses in the same period of time. But there are those who disagree, saying that it is as damaging to our environment as it is good for it. It pollutes the Yangtze by increasing sediment levels in the river, created a human migration problem by disrupting towns, villages and cities through flooding and has even been known to trigger earthquakes. Despite all of these facts, it does provide a striking example of how clean energy can be created and how devoted the Chinese government is in duty to produce it. At the same time, the UK has endeavored to use this form of energy production to its utmost. Over the past decade up to 40% of all UK renewable power comes from Hydroelectric sources, over double the worldwide average.
This highlights that Hydroelectric power could be a positive and viable way forward for the world, as both the UK and China have shown it can produce enough electricity to keep up with the world’s high demand. But we need to advertise it as a means for progress and invest in its development over seemingly
unrealistic options, such as Fusion. Moreover, China and the UK need to find ways of building these stations without causing even more environmental and humanitarian damage. The building of the Three Gorges Dam terrified the world away from seeing Hydroelectric plants as a realistic option, with most people focusing on its negative impact and not on all of the clean energy it has produced since. By proving to the world that this idea can be performed in an environmentally friendly way, the UK and China can both lead the way in terms of clean Hydroelectric energy.
Furthermore, other established forms of energy supply seem to be a more likely solution to this problem. The most common sources of renewable energy are solar and wind. The UK is currently sixth in the world in terms of solar and wind use, getting 29% of all its power from these two sources and is looking to increase that number. Meanwhile, China is the world’s leading producer of wind power, but is lacking in terms of solar electricity with just 3% of its power coming from it. As a result of this, China has plans set for 2030 to create a giant 450 gigawatt solar and wind power plant in the Gobi Desert. This shows intent moving forward from both countries and, seemingly, a plan to deal with this energy crisis.
However, what cannot be overlooked is the drastic set-back to
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clean energy production due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Lockdown had a huge impact on the global economy, with all countries being put under massive financial strain. As a result, many countries have abandoned their plans for renewable energy sources and resorted to increasing their use of fossil fuels in order to reduce costs. China was a main protagonist in this process. Over the past two years, it has reportedly increased its coal production by 13%, having had this number decreasing in recent years. Nevertheless, the UK also increased its dependency on fossil fuels by 12% over 2021. This heightening in fossil fuel usage has ruined good work done by these countries over the past decade, but I think it is clear to see that they have now responded in a positive way. The COP26 environmental talks emphasized how the UK and China both value their impact on the planet and their responsibility that they have for their impact and shows positive intent from both countries moving forward. This allows the world to see that the unity that these talks provided can allow for the creation of solid plans for the future.
But there is still a lot of work to be done. China is currently the ‘centre of gravity’ for global carbon emissions. It produced almost 3 times the amount of Carbon emissions than the US during 2020 and almost 4 times the amount produced by the whole of Europe combined. However, hopefully
China can learn something from the UK. Having been the epicentre for the start of the industrial revolution, the UK is now a leader in reducing its emissions, cutting down by 44% since the 1990s. That is the type of change needed from China in a short space of time. Moving forward, a coalition between the UK and China could help both countries in understanding how to best reduce their emissions, especially from the perspective of China.
Despite this, it is difficult to treat China as an entire country. The fact that it is split into many different provinces all with differing attitudes towards the environment makes it difficult to police emissions across the whole of China. Cities such as Beijing and Chong Qing are highly industrialized and as a result produce a significant amount of the whole of China’s emissions. However, places such as Hai Nan province, a centre for tourism in China, are highly ecologically friendly. For instance, according Deng, the mayor, the two biggest pollutants in his province are exhaust fumes from cars and dust. That is a huge contrast to the great swathes of smog that sometimes enshroud China’s megacities. So it seems like a difficult task to control these emissions.
Hopefully these two countries, with their wealth of resources and knowledge, can help one another to secure a better future in clean energy usage. By looking towards the future
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of electrical technology, we can see the path that everyone must take in order to achieve clean energy. That path must be walked in unison for the process to work. Countries need to coalesce and figure out our options and then, most importantly, carry out what is necessary to do. Whether it be in fusion reactors, hydroelectric plants or solar and wind, measures need to be taken in order to get there in the fastest and best way possible, which I believe will be by realizing our shared responsibilities for the safekeeping of this planet and unifying to bring to life our solutions.
By Max DM (U6)24
The Koh-I-Noor diamond, meaning ‘mountain of light’ in Persian, is thought to be one of the largest cut diamonds to ever exist in the world. Uncut, its weight totalled a sizeable 793 carats, whilst its cut version today stands at an equally impressive 105.6 carats. Indeed, the stone has always been admired for its beauty yet in addition it has come to represent power and more recently colonialism. The esteemed historian William Dalrymple, an expert on Indian history, considers the diamond’s history to be “a perfectly scripted Game of Thrones epic”. Whilst the stone finds its origin for many in Hindu myth, the Gods saying that “only God or a woman can wear it with impunity”, the first verifiable mention of it comes in 1628. The Mughal Empire had become the dominant power in India from the mid 16th century and peaked at the death of the great Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1707. However, during the empires’ rise, the Mughal capital of Delhi was known for its sheer opulence and possession of riches seen nowhere else in the world. Nothing represented this more than the peacock throne, built for the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. Upon the top of the throne stook the symbol of Mughal grandeur, a gemstone peacock whose head was what was
to become known as the Koh-I-Noor diamond. The Mughals spared no expense on the throne, with its final price being nearly 4 times as much as the Taj Mahal.
However, when Delhi was sacked by the Persian Nader Shah in 1739, who is thought to have named the diamond, the Peacock throne was taken. The symbolism of the diamond’s power can be seen here. The decline of the Mughal Empire had begun to take place before 1739, but the loss of the diamond represented the loss of both Mughal wealth and power, a loss they were never to truly recover from with the rise of the East India Company. Having next passed through rulers in Afghanistan (mainly the Durrani dynasty), the diamond came into the hands of the Sikh Ruler Ranjit Singh in 1813. It was he who created the known legacy of the stone as something more than just something beautiful. For Singh “the gem seems to have held a far greater symbolism for him”. It represented his victory and bloody struggle to regain the lands and power taken from him by the Afghans. Yet there was another power that sought to have the now ultimate symbol of Indian power: The British. They got their way in 1849, having bullied a helpless 10year-old boy ruler of Punjab into selling away rights to ownership of the stone, it was immediately erected high in the 1851 great exposition in London. The stone was later reshaped and cut after visitors to the exposition were rather disappointed
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The most controversial stone in the world: The Koh-I-Noor Diamond
with the seemingly glass-like object they were faced according to the Times. The diamond since the death of Victoria has lived as part of the crown jewels, rarely seeing the light of day. It wasn’t present on Elizabeth II’s coffin but is expected to be worn by Queen Consort Camilla at Charles III’s coronation.
The complicated history of the diamond throws yet more uncertainty into the debate today of where the diamond should live. In the greater debate of the repatriation of ‘loot’ (itself a word of Indian origin), the Koh-I-Noor sits alongside the Elgin marbles as the most sought after ‘loot’ the British still possess. Much like the attraction felt by the British in the mid 19th century towards the diamond, many states today lay claim to the diamond that they all say was ruthlessly stolen from them. The main claim comes from India, however Pakistan and even the Taliban have made claims in the last few decades. The mysteriousness of the diamond’s path makes any effort to decide on the repatriation of the diamond a nightmare. In the 18th century, none of the states that lay claim to the diamond exist and arguably the British have the right of the diamond’s possession as outlined in the revised treaty of Lahore, whatever the conditions of the signing were in.
The Koh-I-Noor represents so much more than opulence, it represents the balance of power. The British
possession of the diamond symbolises to much of the subcontinent, a snapshot of time where Britannia indeed ruled the waves. A snapshot that is unjust and was built on the plunder and persecution of British rule. It is because of this that the diamond erupts so much controversy, not its inherent beauty. It is very interesting I think that despite the rise of the culture of being ashamed of parts of our imperial history, much of it we rightly should be, it seems highly improbable of the diamond ever being given back. Seems contradictory, doesn’t it?
By Oliver D (U6)26
‘Trussonomics’
‘Trussonomics’, the name dubbed to former Prime Minister, Liz Truss’ advocated economic measures has undoubtedly come to an end. Truss’ failed economic measures to counter the failing UK economy and rapidly rising inflation in the face of unfortunate factors, including the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, has forced the Prime Minister herself to resign on the 20th of October, just 45 days into her tenure. In her previous premiership battle, where she had beaten Rishi Sunak by more than 20,000 votes, she had campaigned on the platform to deliver ‘growth, growth, growth’ but in reality, she had achieved just the opposite.
Her fatal mistake was her former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s decision to unveil a drastic shift in the UK’s economy strategy, making an empty promise to cut taxes for the highest earning individuals and corporations while having no plans to pay for it. The £45 billion unfunded tax cuts disproportionally favored the wealthy. In theory, abolishing the 45% tax rate created a trickledown effect which encourages consumption. However, in practice, the those who would benefit from the tax, namely individuals with high socioeconomic income, do not need the extra money. As a result, the value of the pound saw an almost immediate decrease, so much so that the central
bank was forced to hike up interest rates, increasing the cost of borrowing. The already high inflation escalated the cost-of-living crisis further. This crashed the confidence of working-class voters who were originally drawn to the Conversative Party for their stable reputation for fiscal responsibility. Rather than addressing the concerns of the rising inflation and skyrocketing energy bills, the Truss government simply increased their worries, which had now expanded to rising mortgage rates.
Her new chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, attempted to settle the gilt markets by reversing the extent of the damage so that only one-third of Truss’ planned tax cuts, the reduction in health and social insurance contributions and a cut in levy on real estate purchases, now remained. On October 17th, Hunt was forced to pull forward the details for his medium-term fiscal plan from October 31st. This demonstrated the extent of which the economic credibility had sunk under Truss’ scheme. The financial markets now required tangible proof that the country’s fiscal policy was once again viable. Hunt was forced to send investors a crucial direct message that the government is once again recommitting to fiscal responsibility. The British government will have to prove to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) that the UK’s finances are on a sustainable path but, even with the reversed schemes and easing of
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borrowing costs, the Treasury is still at risk of facing a fiscal gap of up to £40 pounds. Despite this, bond yields and energy prices are likely to remain volatile.
It is quite ironic how, even after the intense promise of growth, the best strategy to ensue this ‘growth’ is Jeremy Hunt’s decision to reverse the majority of Truss’ policy agenda and steer the UK back on a path towards stability.
Truss’ mistake was that she had underestimated the needs of the public. She had assumed that growth was the Britons’ main priority. After six years of instability, from the looming uncertainty of Brexit to the Covid pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the British people need a reliable political power to look up to. The lengthy election process that followed Boris Johnson’s unruly resignation put both British politics and economics in turmoil as people had to make the best of the rising commodity prices and the lack of political power to ease their suffering. This provokes thought; the world economy where many central banks are raising interest rates and withdrawing money would surely mean a potential fragility of the global financial system including the US system. To many economists and analysts, this would be ringing alarm bells, a déjà vu of the 2008 Financial Crisis. The big question that arises stems from British politics surrounds Liz
Truss’ successor and the state of the economy after its 6 weeks of unprecedented economics schemes and U-turns. The election process has begun, nominations for the next PM opened on Thursday evening and will be closed at 2pm on Monday 24th October. There have already been speculations about the potential candidates: those from the previous election are Rishi Sunak and Kemi Badenoch, while other well-known members of the Conservative party including Suella Braverman and Boris Johnson himself. The Labour party leader Keir Stramer also claimed that his party has a manifesto that was ‘ready to go’. As for the future of the cost-of-living crisis and the state of the economy, that will have to rest in the hands of the next individual to claim the position of Prime Minister. We can only hope to have an economic policy that is better than ‘Trussonomics’.
By Chicha N (U6)28
Forensic Firsts
Forensics have become pretty commonplace in our lives – not just in law enforcement, but in our entertainment and media. But how did these practices come about? In this article, I will look at the times when these perfectly typical practices were still awe-inspiring and see the first times they helped to catch a killer.
The first technique I want to look at is fingerprinting. This was first used in the Hiller Homicide. At 2am on the 19th September 1910, Clarence Hiller was woken by the screams of his wife and daughter. Their home, 1837 West 104th Street in Chicago, had already had a string of robberies lately, so all the citizens were on edge. Hiller rushed to fight the intruder and both ended up falling down the stairs. His daughter, Clarice, then heard three gunshots and her mother screaming upstairs. Their neighbours came running round but couldn’t stop the intruder, who left Hiller dying at his front door. Despite the murderer, Thomas Jennings, who had been paroled six weeks earlier, being stopped only half a mile away in a torn and bloodied coat with a revolver, the main focus of his trial was a fingerprint. A clear fingerprint was found on a freshly painted railing he had used to climb through the window and into the Hillers’ house. The police not only photographed, but cut off the railing itself to identify
the assailant. Clarence Hiller’s murder became the first conviction using fingerprint evidence in a criminal trial in the USA. A less well known type of fingerprinting is DNA fingerprinting. This is building a profile of someone by using the variations in their genetic code to uniquely identify them. This was first used in a police forensic test in 1986 when two teenagers were raped and murder in Narborough, Leicestershire. One was killed in 1983 and the other in 1986 but the similarities between these attacks led the police to believe the same person was responsible for both. Richard Buckland had confessed to the 1986 murder but refused to admit to the earlier one. Sir Alec Jeffreys, a British geneticist who invented this technique, was asked to DNA profile blood from Buckland and tissue specimens and semen collected from both victims. The DNA profiling not only proved that the semen had all come from the same person, so one person was responsible for both attacks, but that Buckland had confessed falsely. He wasn’t the murderer. He became the first suspect to be cleared of a crime by DNA evidence. All adult men in the area were then asked to give blood or saliva for DNA profiling. Over 5,000 specimens were collected, 10% of which were the same blood type as the killer, but they couldn’t find a match. Fortunately, six months after the initial investigation a woman reported hearing a man say that he’d given blood on behalf of his
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colleague Colin Pitchfork. Pitchfork was then arrested and DNA profiled, finally providing the long-sought match.
Finally, blood spatter analysis can be used to determine the true nature of a crime and if it was possible for somebody to have committed a crime. Analysists interpret the bloodstains at the crime scene to deduce the events that caused this bloodshed. This process has been slowly developed for years, but the first case in which it was truly essential, albeit in its most basic form, was the Sam Sheppard case, which is thought to have been the inspiration for the TV series and film The Fugitive. On 4th July 1945 Marilyn Sheppard, neurosurgeon Dr. Samuel Sheppard’s wife, was found bludgeoned to death in their home in Bay Village, Ohio. Dr Sheppard claimed to have been asleep downstairs before being awoken by his wife’s screams and running to try and stop the attacker but was convicted of second-degree murder. This was however overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1966 and he was found not guilty in a new trial, mostly due to the testimony of forensic science pioneer Dr Paul Kirk. He testified that Sheppard couldn’t have been the killer as the crime scene was very bloody, yet the only blood found on Sheppard when the body was found was on one knee of his trousers, which is inconsistent with the spray of blood one would expect to see if he’d carried out such a viscous
attack. Blood spatter analysis has now developed to be a great and influential tool to unlocking the truth behind the silent façade of a crime scene.
In conclusion, forensics as we know it has been developing for many decades to reach the point we see in our favourite dramas. Although the past cases might be more rudimentary, they show the incredible journey science has embarked on and just how hard people fought, not just for scientific advancement, but for justice.
By Lottie J (Hu)30
Laïcité, commonly translated as secularism, refers to the constitutional French principle marking a formal separation of church and state. This principle is a key component of France’s political fabric within which the French state requires that religious neutrality is applied to all public services, as well as not having a state religion. Due to its commitment to total church-state separation, laïcité prohibits overt religious activities or symbols in the public sphere, meaning that a Muslim girl is not allowed to wear a hijab in a French public school, for example. The fundamental principle of laïcité is the preservation of social peace with an object of ensuring that an egalitarian application of the law is guaranteed. Does this French principle preserve equality or is it a blatant infringement upon the basic human right to religious selfexpression?
Whilst the proponents of French secularism argue that it is based on the respect of freedom of thought and religion, many argue that what began as a legal measure to promote state neutrality is now a tool utilised to inflict open religious discrimination, especially concerning those who practice minority religions. The principle of laïcité is
thought to have divided the country, leaving certain religious communities, Muslims in particular, to feel targeted. Some argue that laïcité is being weaponized, to generate islamophobia and restrict religious freedom. On the grounds of the laïc principle, the law of 15th March 2004 prohibits the wearing of religious symbols or clothing which ostensibly show religious affiliation in public primary and secondary schools. Technically, the law prohibits all religious symbols including the Jewish kippa, the Christian cross, Sikh turbans, and the Islamic hijab. In reality, many consider this law to be primarily aimed at Muslims, targeting the wearing of headscarves by Muslim schoolgirls. This prohibition was followed by multiple cases, exemplifying the weaponization of laïcité. In 2015, a 15 year old schoolgirl was twice banned from class because she was wearing a long black skirt, considered as an ostentatious religious symbol by the school’s staff. This is certainly not an isolated incident, with over 130 cases of girls being banned from classes due to these ‘ostentatious’ outfits. This law has increased the demand for private Muslim schools, where Muslim children are permitted to express their beliefs and wear ‘ostensibly religious’ clothing. This further keeps Muslims segregated from mainstream society. Some argue that laïcité has resulted in legal islamophobia, whereby the promotion of religious discrimination is deemed acceptable
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Does the French principle of laïcité exist as a model or a threat in the 21st century?
under the mask of secularism. Furthermore, it is not only Muslims who feel victimised by the subverted use of Laïcité. Other religious communities, such as French Jews, feel that laïcité itself has become unbearable. An overwhelming majority of French citizens pride themselves on laïcité, defending the heard-fought 1905 law of the separation of church and state. They argue that even though France does not promote or recognise any religion, it protects them all. The reasoning makes a lot of sense - no specific right should be given to someone just because of their religion. In terms of equality and fighting discrimination, the principle seems very fair. Secularism gives each citizen a choice, to believe or not to believe, giving everyone religious freedom. The proponents of secularism in France argue that we must not forget its true essence.
only exacerbate religious tensions. I personally believe that toleration is the only principle that is truly compatible with a diverse society or any society for that matter. I believe that children must be educated about other religions rather than censoring these important discussions. People should be allowed to wear an ostentatious religious symbol, as I believe that is a vital part of self-expression. We must be unprejudiced about beliefs different to our own. The foundations of the laïc principle contain a lot of reason, yet whilst laïcité is laudable in theory, I believe France must update their laws and beliefs concerning religion rather than forcing people to accommodate with their model.
Laïcité will always be described as a ‘polémique’ (controversy) in French society. The question that I am attempting to answer is a debate that has been brewing for effectively the last two decades. Every time an act of terrorism is committed in France, a global debate ensues. France is forced to confront the question repeatedly, has laïcité become the source of the problem? It is difficult to comprehend, whether the laws help to integrate a society or if they
In my opinion, a society that underlines true freedom rather than weariness and silence, will always be more harmonious that one that doesn’t. Forcing people to conform to the French model of integration is forcing some people to give up part of their identity. This, I do not agree with. Laïcité is certainly not a societal model, it is in some ways however a threat, especially to those who practice minority religions. In my mind, a more harmonious
France must entail revoking the laws which limit religious self-expression.
By Tabitha H (U6)32
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