L ETTER FROM THE EDITOR This term’s theme was “The Future”. Whether or not we want to think about it it is inevitable. Unfortunately, there is yet to be a machine invented that actually allows one to travel back in time. Everything we do is going to affect our future. This topic is especially relevant for us in high school, as it seems as everything we do is aimed at “securing a future”. This term’s Wynpress aims to look at the future in a holistic manner while not forgetting that it is the past that your present and future are and will be built on. From personal experience as an obsessive-over-planner and now a matric I cannot stress enough how important it is to value the present. The future is exciting and possible daunting but don’t forget to appreciate the jokes your friends at break, each sunset you witness on the way to school, the way you feel when that boy asks you out. Will you remember those moments in fifty years? Probably not, but you will remember the feeling that went along with them. Plan for the future but don’t act only in order to benefit your future. It’s okay to do something in the moment and regret it later. I hope everyone enjoys this issue and it inspires you to find a good balance between being excited for tomorrow and valuing today. - Rebekah Nathan
LIVE FOR THE NOW
only discovered after a freak accident turned doctor's visit and suddenly his future was altered.
The future. It's a simple set of words yet it When my brother's results came back with elicits so many emotions of fear, dread and Hodgkin's Cancer, it meant a lot of things the content excitement. Whether you're one of the but above all, he would spend that summer himself within the safe many common folk who have still yet to alone. As a family, we took walls of our family home. This interruption decide her path in life or precautions in order to keep his has caused him to start university much if you're one of the lucky “No matter how much weakening immune system away later than his peers and subsequently, he few who have every detail you plan, no matter from potential threats. This meant will have to catch up year one's work in his down to the tee, your how much you a lot of 'second year' of university, causing future is no guarantee. “After a freak accident research, your future is substitutes, food him to graduate much later than turned doctor's visit and no guarantee.” sanitation of various others in his year. My brother of nineteen years graduated in suddenly his future was objects and alienation from public places, My brother had his whole plan laid out 2014 with more than promising results. altered.” including Stellenbosch University. before him and with great opportunities After much debate, he settled on the With the introduction of chemotherapy, it awaiting him. He was ready to dive in and University of Stellenbosch to study a BCom became exceedingly difficult for his dreams take ahold, but that is not always how life in Law. He was all set, registered and even to become a reality. After much debate and works and this only reinforces the idea that given accommodation as he lived so many discussion, we came to the conclusion that it no matter how much you plan, no matter kilometers away. And much like the words would not be viable for him to attend the how much you research, your future is no elicit, he felt afraid and was ultimately lectures and courses considering the rate of guarantee. dreading the inevitable change all while his deteriorating health. accepting it with great excitement with the This is why, I would like to encourage you, promise of new friends and new studies. However, with help from the university, he no matter how cheesy it sounds, to live for was able to obtain the textbooks and study the present, to live in the now because it is However, after a gap year filled with the only thing you will ever be guaranteed. travelling and summer jobs, in 2015, he acquired a tiny, unnoticeable swelling - Juliet Stromin located in his glands. It was so tiny, it was
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YOUR FUTURE STARTS TODAY
Whenever someone asks us about our plans for the future we either zone out or we think: "Who cares? There is still loads of time left to decide.� I'm only 16" or whatever the case may be. To put a damper on things and bring our friend, "reality" back, we need to realize that time is not given in infinite amounts and that no matter how many times you us the hash tag #youngforever or #youthof2016, the fact is that you won't be young forever. Some day we'll be just like our parents: Our pretty hair will start thinning; our butts will sag just like our ouma's homemade pancakes; wrinkles will replace our acne and forget twerking because I doubt we'll be that flexible and energetic. But that doesn't mean that by the time we do reach that age, we'll be too old to do anything beneficial or significant and that our lives will be over. If anything we should continue to think of life as an action-packed, unpredictable turbo booster that's filled with endless twists and turns and nooks and crannies. Which brings me to my next point: NO W . Now is the time for us to act. Not to act out, but to act to gain something. If you're determined to
get a Wynberg pass, then let that be your goal. Work until you feel that you've achieved what you set out to do. Don't let anyone tell you that you're not working hard enough or that you're not smart enough. You be you. If you're in matric and you want that special boy to come your way, you go up to him and say 'Awe brah, you coming with me to my matric ball, alright?' And that's the end of it. If he looks at you as if you've gone both mad and "gham", then cheer up, girl, because you tried and, at least, you'll get to laugh it off and not spend a night with some humourless guy. You be you. If you have a dream of making first team hockey, even though you're a sub, one - half kind of player for the E team, you keep on trying to make that dream a reality. And you know what? You show that E team that you'll be the best sub, half-time player that they've ever seen. You be you. And now you must be wondering why I've been telling you to act now, even though I'm talking about the future. It's because your future begins with every new breath that you take, every little step. Every blink takes you closer to it and every day that passes, prepares us for that specific period that we've subconsciously labelled 'The Future'.
When we get there, let us be able to look back proudly at our pasts and know that up until that point we've lived just the way we wanted to have lived and achieved what we wanted to achieve. Let us look at our future selves and be proud of whom we've chosen to become and if she's someone completely different, then don't worry, because although life isn't infinite, it makes things all the more beautiful. You'll have many opportunities to reinvent yourself, just make sure not to lose your true self along the way. In the wise words of Gandalf, remember, 'All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.' So go out there and be yourself. Your future starts today. -
Zayyaan Esau
DREAMS Princesses, superheroes and fairies – that is what almost every little girl dreams to become. They believe that anything is possible. They truly believe that one day they can become a princess and that they will live in a big fancy castle. What happened to that belief? Why did we stop believing in ourselves to do the impossible, to become the impossible? Some of us settle for mediocrity but we need to dream big and believe in the impossible!
Dreams by Langston Hughes Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow.
D etermination to never give in
R esilience brought from within
E xcellence in everything you do
A pply myself and always push through
M aking it your reality S triving to make it more than a fantasy -
Ashlyn Southern
OUR PAST, OUR PRESENT, YOUR FUTURE Criminals. Delinquents. Hooligans. Barbarians. Bastards. Baboons. These are just a few terms used to describe the Rhodes must Fall protesters after the events of this month at UCT. The ongoing conflict, which arose from a lack of housing for res students, has split the nation about the morality of the protesters and their actions-‐a division that seems to follow the typical South African fault-‐ line of race. However, I do not want to focus too much on the ethics of this protest, as I do not wish to start a flame-‐war in the school. Instead, I’m going to talk about protesting in South Africa, and whether it has become harmful means of expression in our fragile, short-‐tempered country. The first thing we need to understand about protesting is that it isn’t unique to South Africa. Many people think that this kind of protesting simply doesn’t happen in Westernized countries; that protesting is a backward idea that belongs in the past. However, this is definitely not the case. Los Angeles, 1992. London, 1981. Northern Ireland, 1997. All these places-‐ Western places-‐have seen some kind of major protest-‐be it about racism, religion,racism, women’s rights, racism, and racism, and sometimes even racism.
However, you may say that these protests happened quite a long time ago, and that these countries have moved past these protests. Well, what about the various protests in the Southern US last year? Or France? Germany? Greece? The list goes on. Protesting is an international sign of political expression, a way to get people to notice you very quickly and very easily. We see images of some protest somewhere in the world more regularly than we care to notice, yet when it happens here, people think “Look what they’re doing now. Only in South Africa.” And then we think, well, why do they have to resort to protesting? Surely there are more civilized ways to get your point across. Well, the thing is in South Africa, protesting is the only thing that can really get your point across. From Soweto 1976 to Marikana 2012 to SONA 2015, South Africa has a long history of protests being the number 1 plan. So, this, then, is nothing unusual, right? They’re protesting to get their point across while we give a nonchalant sigh as we read about it on Facebook or Twitter. The ANC will release a statement saying that they will help the protestors. The DA will complain when the ANC does nothing. Trevor Noah will have some new material, Zapiro will draw a cartoon about it and we will all get on with our lives. The end.
But then… Written on a memorial commemorating those men, both black and white, who fought and died in the two deadliest wars of all time, a protestor has graffitied one of the most iconic messages of the current UCT protests. And so, we find ourselves in the current predicament. Have they gone too far? Is this freedom of expression starting to turn into hate-‐speech? Unsurprisingly, South Africa is divided in the answer to these questions, and it has created a host of new questions, like: what does it mean to be black? What does it mean to be white? Many people have wondered: when does protesting go too far? When does it become too radical, too dangerous, and too destructive? Some people believe it’s when the protest becomes the cause of someone’s death. A protest surely isn’t worth dying for after all. Others believe that’s when it only starts to become worthwhile. I mean, Sharpeville wouldn’t be half as well known had nobody died. The thing is, much like many other questions about many other issues, we don’t know, and that’s why so many people believe it to be harmful in our modern climate. But in a country like South Africa, in a world like ours, protesting is needed. And it will continue to be needed. As one UCT protestor put it: “We don’t protest because we want to. We protest because we have to. Protesting is supposed to be a final option, the last resort. It’s just sad that, in South Africa, it’s always our first plan of action.”
-‐ Juliette Austin
Forest The grass of bronze and faded coal So still and so untamed Dances angelically To the beat of the wind Keeping the pulse For the music of the trees Their leaves singing adagio dolce Against the appassionato of the wind So still Yet so fresh Encircled with a golden halo Giving rise to new life Born from the heart of mother Earth All shades of green and blue On her paintbrush poised And the vision of spring In her eyes -‐ Farfalla
Genocide in Rwanda A murder in the Flats 270 girls gone Few still care about that.
And live in the suburbs too.
Genocide in Rwanda A murder in the Flats 270 girls gone Few still care about that.
Human trafficking across borders, Their cries go unheard. Have they not the right to freedom? When did our morals become so blurred?
At school we're taught that all lives matter, But that's no longer true. You only matter if your from the West,
- Gabrielle Dunn, 9W, CU
BEFORE WE’RE OLD… To be frank, the future is terrifying and growing up is pretty serious business. I, personally, live in fear of missing out on experiences before it is too late. One afternoon while contemplating my existence, as one does, I decided to make a list of things I wanted to do before my child hood was properly over (or before I was forced to face the harsh reality that that had happened a little while ago). Here is what I came up with: 1. Build a blanket fort with your friends. 2. Hand out free lemonade. 3. Dance in the rain. 4. Re-read your favourite childhood book. 5. Climb a tree. 6. Learn how to blow bubbles with bubble gum.
7. Make a playlist of your and your friends favourite songs through school. 8. Go to the park. 9. Buy a Marcel’s frozen yoghurt with all the toppings. 10. Splash in puddles. While it really isn't great to say goodbye to the carelessness of being a kid, being an adult is also a really exciting time. I mean, who doesn't think that doing your own grocery shopping and deciding what you eat for dinner won't be fun for at least a while?
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Jewel Ormond
The Future Willow Noffke Is this rapidly advancing technology helping or ruining our future? We’ve all seen the movies where technology completely takes over our lives. Is this the beginning of the age of the machines?
I read a rather disturbing article a while ago that debated that it has. It was a rather cryptic sounding article, but it got me thinking. This whole debate seems to be a classic favourite for the generation above us. If we continue our lives with this constantly developing technology, will we end up like the people in the movies?
Despite the fact that the author sounded like she was just rattling off
about a bunch of conspiracy theories, about how there’s a “new world order” and how technology, as great and convenient as it is, it is already starting to control our lives and whoever controls the technology, controls everything. We are all aware of how big of a part technology already plays in our lives and what we can do with a device we keep on our persons all the time. Yes, there are advantages to this e.g. it can make communication easier, but at the same time, it can create a communication error. I’m worried that if this is what it’s like now, then what will it be like in fifty years or so? Is this really our future?
This may all seem a bit far-fetched and I’m not sure about guys, but I definitely do not want to end up like
the humans in Wall-e, or want any other generation to end up like this. The article really sounded like the storyline to a bad movie, but let movies stay fictional. We all want technology to develop. I’m not saying it’s a completely bad idea, but we don’t want it to be advanced to the point of it being mind-controlling.
The article gets really creepy at the end. The last few lines of the article are as follows: “We may have our
own goals, desires, and dreams. But in reality, they feed the collective. We are legion.” “There’s no point resisting. Join us.” I have no idea what to make of this.
THE FUTRE OF MEDICINE: BIOPRINTING - Yusra Booley Printers that can produce live, three dimensional, fully functioning human organs… No, this is not the latest science fiction movie. The world’s cutting edge medical technology is in the process of creating an alternative to human organ donation! General 3-D printing Three dimensional printing involves laying the material not only left and right – as an ink printer would to print a two dimensional image – but also up and down. This gives the printed object length, breadth, as well as height. Generally, the material used is plastic to print action figures or chess pieces. Occasionally cheese or chocolate is used to produce edible structures. This is the type of 3-D printer we have at Wynberg. W hat is bioprinting? This is where bioprinting differs from conventional three dimensional printing: the material used in bioprinting is called bio-ink. It consists largely of living cells, as well as a soluble gel that will protect and support the cells during printing. Bio-ink needs to be specific to the organ or tissue to be printed. For instance, when printing
a liver, one would use hepacytes – liver cells. Soluble microgel is used in conjunction with the bio-ink to protect and support cells, and also to provide them with vital nutrients and oxygen during the printing process. Keeping it alive Multiple layers of the same type of cell make living tissue; multiple layers of multiple types of tissues make an organ. Simple enough to print, right? Not exactly. The complicated part is keeping the said printed organ alive. This is because it needs to be attached to a blood supply as it needs to receive oxygen and nutrients. The organ will only survive in a realistic biotic environment. This is where the microgel serves its purpose during the printing process, but after printing it dissolves. The printed organ needs to be stored in an incubator that mimics the conditions the said organ would be exposed to inside the human body. This allows the freshly printed cells to
fuse together and multiply, ensuring a healthy, functional organ. Where can this be used? Bioprinted organs can also be used in the
field of medical research, as disease can be induced and the diseased organ studied. New drugs can also be tested on these bioprinted organs, thus eliminating the need for animal testing. Bioprinting is a work in progress, and scientists and medical researchers are aiming to improve bioprinting technology to make it available for widespread use in the next decade or so. This will lead to a medical revolution, as it will change the way we study the body and certain medical procedures. In the event of a success, there will be many benefits for the medical community as well as society: it will eliminate organ donor waiting lists.
The Future of Social Media By Tamia Morgan Since the late 1900s, we have witnessed the exponential growth of social media and today, obliviously suffer the wrath of an addiction to this technological advance. iPhones and high definition photography have become the means through which we class others and the creative brain capacity once used for innovation has been replaced by a simple click on Google. While it cannot be denied that technology has paved the way for prominent milestones in human civilisation, issues of escalating-‐unease regarding our growing dependency on it, do need to be addressed. By the time we reach adolescence, teenagers are able to sufficiently find out personal information about almost anyone else. Although not everyone has Facebook, or Twitter, the vast means of networking and communicating it provides, forces each individual to have at least one social media account. Through Facebook-‐stalking, one can learn astounding facts about a person, including -‐ amongst other things -‐ where they live, but if one had to physically follow that person home to find out their address,
it would be considered illegal. Why is one form of stalking socially-‐acceptable and the other not? Maybe, and it does seem -‐ judging by the history of the world in general -‐ we are waiting for social-‐media stalking to become an issue of direct harm-‐infliction, before curbing the effect it might have. There are also the issues of materialism and self-‐image. Our generation practically feeds off the desire of things that we do not have and in turn, this deteriorates the way in which we view ourselves. With the likes of the Kylie Jenner, Instagram models and the glamor (read: warped-‐portrayal) of the lives they lead, the rest of us commoners can do nothing but wish we had been more photogenic, wealthy and fit by creating #goals memes. Having ambition is brilliant, but one must bear in mind that the ladder to "success" is never-‐ending. Do we ever stop to think about when we will be satisfied? Do these role models display content with what they have? The value we place on materialistic possessions is considered more important than that of real relationships and family. For example, if a sibling were to fall whilst holding your phone, most would run and ask, "Is my phone cracked?!" The emphasis we place on replaceable objects is a sure sign of the world's increasingly-‐twisted priorities. The
question is: When will we reach the limit or will it ever happen? It is difficult to foresee what our addiction to everything technology-‐related will cause. New platforms within social media will certainly arise, allowing even more accessibility into the lives of others. It can be fairly-‐stated that the craving for 'likes' will continue to either build up seemingly healthy self-‐images or break down the self-‐ esteems of those who cannot achieve their craving. The danger posed on individuals by the development of social media and technology is an issue of even greater concern. Perhaps, if the world was forced to take a break from the virtual spectrum,
there would be fewer attempts to imitate the lives of those who show only what they want the world to see and more focussing on our inner selves and self-‐charged ambition without the influence of the famous (and infamous).
THE FUTURE OF INOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY There are hundreds of new inventions designed each day, some ridiculous, but others with a lot of potential. One product set to take over the world sooner or later is Google Glass, which is a headset, worn like a pair of glasses. Theoretically, with Google Glass, you are able to view social media feeds, texts, Google Maps, as well as navigate with GPS and take photos. You will also get the latest updates while you are on the ground. Form 1 is another form of technology that could become popular in the next few years. By now, 3D printing is nothing new, but Form 1 is offering a far more accessible option – personal 3D printers that allow individuals to create their own designs without approval from major
manufacturers. If gaming is your thing on the other hand, then perhaps Oculus Rift is for you – the product at the forefront of virtual reality gaming. The headset lets you mentally feel that you are a part of the video game, allowing you to view the virtual world in high-resolution display. Eye tracking is something that has been discussed by technology enthusiasts for a while now. Many challenges have been met in its implementation, but Eye Tribe seems to have successfully developed the software. It combines the common eye-tracking technology with a front-facing camera and a complicated computer-vision algorithm to give you the ability to perform a range of tasks, from controlling your tablet to slicing fruit on Fruit Ninja, with nothing but the movement of your eyes. SmartThings is the stuff of dreams, as well as being slightly scary, when you consider how it easily it could take over your life. The purpose here is to make every device, both digital and non-digital, connect together to benefit you. You can be made aware of your smoke alarm going off, track who has been in your house, turn
lights on and off, open windows and doors, and so much more, all from your smartphone, aided by the SmartThings gadget. The Google Driverless Car is possibly one of the most exciting things that the future will bring. According to Google co-founder, you can count on one hand the number of years it will take before ordinary people can experience this. The car is powered by artificial intelligence that utilizes the input from the video cameras inside the car, a sensor on the top of the vehicle, and radar and position sensors attached to different positions on the exterior. So far, the Google car has already successfully driven over 2 million kilometers. -‐ Meg Anderton
LIVE A LITTLE By Zara Wichman & Zahrah Sedick
If there's one thing we can all relate to, it’s this: When we were growing up, we had ideas. Big ideas. We wanted to be princesses and pirates, witches and circus performers. We would rule the earth and the sky; sail the seas and roam space. We would conquer the world.
Now, we want to conquer that maths test. Actually, ‘conquer’ is a bit of a strong word. ‘Pass’ is more up our alley. Talk about an anti-climax. What happened to all those great ideas?
We all loved that haze of childhood: freedom and trees, the grass under our feet and no reason to wake up at 5 o’clock the next morning. It was a time when everything seemed so simple: building a rocket ship to fly to space, and cruising through high school with a smile.
Now, life has changed drastically. Some of us might even remember the exact moment our heads switched from “easy and breezy” mode into “oh no, oh no”. We’ve suddenly all realized that the night before just isn't going to cut it, and life is a lot harder than it used to be. Should've appreciated life a little bit more before, right?
Now, we aren't writing this to chastise or lecture you. We’re sitting in the exact same boat. Life suddenly got way too complicated, way too fast, and some of us feel as if we’ve been tossed over the edge and are struggling for a lifeboat. And that's okay. Eventually, our hands will hit that bright orange buoy and we’ll suddenly get a (figurative) grip on things. Until then, try not to stress too much. Don't not study, but please remember to have some fun ,too. Watch out before you burn out, everyone. You don't want to drown.
The “U” in Future -‐ Stacey Goliath When we were little, we thought of the future as some abstract concept where we would be living the life at 17 and have everything figured out, because those were the dreams that were sold to us with pretty price tags. We believed that we would be happy and excited about all the new things we would be allowed to do. The future excited us and we couldn’t wait to grow up and be everything that we wanted life to be. We just knew that we would enjoy it. Even now, we imagine life after high school as a time where everything will fall into place and we will be successful with a stable job, a university education and success beyond measure. We build futures for ourselves for which we sometimes forget to lay the plans. Now, I don’t mean planning everything to the finest detail. I do not mean having a clear idea of what exactly your wedding dress will look like or the middle name of your first child. I mean being ready and brave to face whatever life presents out there. What I mean by laying plans is knowing where you are going. Knowing
where you are going to does not mean knowing which university you will study at or which career path you will follow ,but rather what kind of person you will become. The future is not only about achieving and succeeding, it is also about growth. It is about knowing and improving yourself until you are the person you want to be. ‘Who we are’ is not defined by what we achieve or don’t but rather by what we do for others and how we present ourselves. View the future as a second chance to change something about yourself for the better and work at it. The things you decide to change about yourself do not have to be major or drastic. Even the smallest of change is a change. See the future as a clean slate, one on which you will succeed within yourself as much as you will in other aspects of your life. Whenever you forget why you are doing something or what it means, think of the 7year-old version of yourself. Think of the little girl who saw the future as something where she would be happy, excited about everything and kind. The 7 year old versions of ourselves were not interested in how much we achieved or whether we had a
husband and two kids but rather in whether we were happy with ourselves or not. I, personally, think that 7 year old me had the right idea. The future does not start once we have figured everything out or once we feel secure enough in our achievements and success that we label that feeling as the amazing future we pictured for ourselves, it just happens. The future is in your hands, do something with it that would make the younger version of yourself smile and eventually, you will too.
“We can choose to be afraid of it, stand there trembling, not moving, assuming that the worst can happen, or we step forward into the unknown and assume that it will be brilliant” -Cristina Yang