LGBT

Tom Cook has never acknowledged his sexual orientation publicly, until a post on the Bloomberg Business Week website. He has always tried to maintain a basic level of privacy throughout his professional life to keep the attention away from himself and focus much of his attention on his products.

“I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me.”

Tom Cook fits into the 20 percent of the world which is estimated to be gay or homosexual by a study from the National Bureau of Economic Research in 2013. This is nearly double of the actual estimated figure of 10 percent that was previously believed to be true. The growing percentage of homosexuals in this day and age has caused many other gays to step up and come out to their families and friends.

Most recently, Tom Cook came out to the rest of the world online. ‘Famous’ people like Cook help provide confidence for the rest of the world to be grateful and proud of who they are. Not only has Cook given a spur of confidence to other young or old gays, but other normal everyday people have too. There are over 14 million results when searching the keywords ‘Coming Out’ on YouTube. Many of these videos are just ordinary people coming out to their families, others tips and tricks for coming out. This is just another piece of evidence of how strong internet connections are and how anybody can make a change in the world.

Troye Sivan, a YouTuber with nearly 2 million subscribers (or viewers), has definitely made a desirable effect on the world at the age of only 19. Not only has he released a music album and have a very high profile online presence, but he is gay. He came out to his viewers on August 7, 2013. His loving, close-knit family have accepted Troye for he is and have supported his YouTube and music career unconditionally.

On the other hand, there are coming out stories that do not end with a ‘happily ever after’ but self harm and suicide instead. According to the Trevor Project, a movement started to support gays who may experience problems during their journey as a homosexual, say that LGBT (lesbians, gays and bisexuals) youths are four times more likely to commit suicide than straight children or teens their age.

Coming out and being homosexual is especially hard on teens, as it is an ‘awkward’ time in terms of body changes and figuring out who you are. This is why projects like The Trevor Project exist- for support that may not be there for teens in their surroundings. They offer a 24-hour hotline and a branch called TrevorSpace. TrevorSpace is social networking site for LGBTQ (lesbian, transgender, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth) aged 13 through 24 to talk to one another and find support in people their age.

Although many people are allies of LGBT community and say they support it, but not much action is taken against discrimination of homosexuals. This is where being an ally comes in. This is where people fully support gays and take action against racial slurs and discrimination against the LGBT(Q) community.

One’s sexual orientation should never change the level of respect for another. Being gay doesn’t change the person in any way- they just have different preferences. Haven’t people always said that love knows no boundaries? Why should it stop at what we assume marriage can only be- between a male and female? There are endless questions towards gays- ranging from reproduction and religion that will probably never end.

The only thing we can do is try to understand their point of view, as much as they understand straight people’s desire for people of the opposite gender. We need to let them know they aren’t alone. 

By Jo Yie

Adopting Dogs

The Lambeek family was looking for a friend for their dog, Toby. They had found out about a charity event at east coast park where different dog shelters would come to the big splash and showcase some of their dogs. They came across a fenced area from one of the shelters, which contained 3 small puppies. One of which had bad scars on its body. They asked the representative volunteer about the small black puppy. She said that it was found at sand dunes near Tampines, and she was found with severe maggot infestations. The Family imediately fell in love with the sturdy little puppy, whos name was Charcoal. They questioned if this dog would be a suitable playmate for Toby, as it looked as if it would grow to be quite big, and Toby was small for his size. They agreed to take her for a week trial. After a week they had already formed quite a strong bond with Charcoal and couldn’t give up on her, so they signed the papers and she was all theirs. They changed her name to Maisy.

This story is a good example of helping animals that are really in the need of it.

An expert’s knowledge was certainly needed, therefore I spoke with Christine, a volunteer from Causes for Animals Singapore (CAS) she said that the local society in Singapore have a superstition that black dogs are a bad omen, and it would ensue a death in the family. Most locally found dogs are cross bred, meaning that it could be a mix of many different breeds of dogs, therefore the exact breeds of a cross-bred dog can be indeterminable. So many dogs are found on the streets every year, so why not help one out and give it a loving home to feel safe in. Of course some dogs may have had horrific memories of humans attacking them or hurting them, which might affect their behavior in a bad way. The dog might be nervous around people at first, but later they will warm up to people.

Being a dog owner can have a lot of advantages, for example people who own dogs are much happier, and are less likely to suffer from depression than people who have no pets. This is because touching someone, produces Oxytocin, the love hormone. It is produced by touch and love, this gives someone good energy, and they feel loved. So, what is it that dog shelters actually do? They go out in search of animals in distress, or they might get a call from anyone that a kitten was found in an industrial tube (true story) or a lost, whining and starving puppy was sighted lying at the side of a path. Sari Lambeek, mother of the Lambeek family, says that she notices a slight difference in behavior between the two dogs that she owns (one pedigree, one cross-bred), her cross-bred dog, Maisy has been nervous around humans, especially big men, for 3 weeks, and for Toby, the dog that they got from a very young age, took no time at all to warm up to them.

Dog shelters will always be looking for the oppurtunity to give a dog/cat a secon chance at life. It is also a possibility to sponsor a dog at a dog shelter. This provides money to give that dog food and nicer beds and toys. Many animal shelters have websites, where background stories and images can be viewed, and that is where donating, and sponsoring can be done. Volunteering at your local dog shelter can also greatly help the dogs. Some things that volunteers do at dogs shelters are walk the dogs, feed the dogs, play with the dogs, wash the dogs, and more, and belive me, it is fun. So drop the search for a breeder, and find a local dog shelter instead and find a trusty companion that would appreciate your love and care.

By Casper

Why is Service so Useful?

Here at UWCSEA they teach students like me how to give back to our community throughout service.If students who later on become very wealthy and have the skill of knowing that there is a big world out there and that they aren't the only ones who matter. We would focus in the people struggling.

If we focus on all of the people who are doing well then will most likely learn nothing but if we tell these people stories then people will be inspired to help them. We could focus on what the kardashians . This is really personally to me because this is what I experienced in cambodia. I meet these kids who just lit up when they saw someone new. We expected to feel sorry for these kids but we actually felt equal which was really great because it taught me that we are all equal no matter where you're from or what color you are. That was the best way how to learn about how you can help. We helped them with their school work and we observed them and they loved us. We went to lots of different school asking about what these kids have been through and how did they find them. We went to this one school when these kids wanted to learn how to dance and they kept on asking a professional dancer to teach them. He said no and a few weeks later said yes. The kids told everyone in your neighborhood about this and soon they started to create a school.

I think every school should start a service department in their school. If every school did that we would have a lot more people focusing not only on themselves. This will make everyone equal towards each other which is promoting peace. News channels shouldn’t focus on what all of the celebrities.” They should focus on the people who are struggling or are in a bad places” said by a wise older lady. I get that people what to know what's going on in celebrities lives and stuff like like. But these people are struggling and we can help by not donating but shutting up and listening.

These are the steps to have an equal world. Money allows us to meet our basic needs like food, water and shelter but some of us can’t even get that. Meeting these people essential needs and if we don’t have enough money to support ourselves then none of what I have just told you.

Doing and enjoying community service teaches students skills that are valuable to employers, like problem solving, teamwork, and to be an active listen when instructions are given . Volunteering is especially valuable for a student's future career.

Participating in community service allows students to build up their skills. As students work in real life, they can use volunteering projects to learn and improve skills that they already had. Students can explore potential careers and find out what skill they need to develop in order to be an expert in the field.

Students participating in community service are often faced with challenges and tough problems to tackle. By working through them as a volunteer, they learn how to better solve problems, and enjoy the that amazing feeling of overcoming and thriving.

If every school would take the approach of service because service has turned in gain into academics, it teaches people how to problem solve, it makes students more attractive to employers.

By Austin 

Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Kids delved into

The most common problem in the world is in fact sleep deprivation and according to research and statistics “the consequences of a poor night’s sleep include higher stress increased mistakes and difficulty concentrating.” The question is what does this mean for us and why do people go to bed so late? Or rather why they most have no choice.

50% of Americans say that they would be extremely frustrated if they lost an hour of sleep and not by choice. Also 79% of Americans say they would be better prepared for the day if they had that extra hour of sleep. What is revealed here is that 79% of americans don’t always get enough sleep time. Most of these victims are actually school kids in the higher grade levels. Most of the time the homework that is given to them is not a ridiculously huge amount but it’s about how well the person manages their workload and balances their time.

What usually ends up happening is the work they gain slowly over time builds up as they can’t finish enough homework at the rate that it is given. It all ends up being too much and they get in trouble at school. It gets even worse for them as tests start to come around. The massive stress and pressure that comes with trying to balance both workloads is not something easily handled by the mind without consequence. Cari Gillen-O’Neel studied 535 kids in high school. They found out that from 9th to 12th grade the hours of sleep reduced from 7.6 down to 6.9.

After examining what happened to a teenager when he stayed up late to finish work they said that “Regardless of how much a student generally studies each day, if that student sacrifices sleep time to study more he or she will have more trouble understanding material taught in class and more likely to struggle on an assignment or test the following day.” Unfortunately not every parent or teacher is as understanding and often scolds them for looking sleepy or not working or managing time effectively. That won’t really make a difference as they’ll probably end up going to bed late anyway.

In truth it’s not really their fault that they’re going to bed late sometimes it feels hard to go to bed directly after doing homework so they attempt to relax by reading or watching as much TV as possible in a short space of time. Those that go directly to bed don’t end up being able to sleep until past midnight and wake up feeling groggy next morning. All that most of you and others really have to do is be a bit more understanding and less harsh as not to cause so much stress for them. Eventually I hope we can all feel happy.

By Gregory

The Effects of Bullying

Bullying can have a negative impact on many people the people getting bullied, the people bullying and the people witnessing the bullying. Kids that get bullied can suffer from mental and health issues, and sometimes an simple act like that can also take away a life of a kid who could have a bright future ahead. Everyday there are a lot of news of kids suiciding due to being bullied in school. But thats not all, a life is taken of the kid being bullied as well.

A young girl Rochelle was a victim of bullying, she said, ‘Well it all started in year 7, I told one of my best friends something very personal and then the next day it was all over the school they would make fun of me, call me names and sometimes hit me. I would go home and cry I told NOBODY! I was so upset about it, it came to the point where I had no friends I would hide myself away and I would just Hate school I skipped most of it because of the bullying, I would not talk to anybody I stopped eating I got really ill and I started being sick going dizzy and it came to the point where I fainted and went to hospital, I fainted when I was Outside I whacked my head of the Pavement, racking it open causing lose quite a bit of blood, I got bullied for hobbies Art & Singing and for liking Disney Etc ... But it didn't end there I moved to Essex's 2 weeks later, everybody hated me bullied me so I cut myself and I tried to hang myself one time but My brother stopped me and I finally told him everything. My Mum and dad Went down to the school and Started telling the headteacher everything. Now I go to a really good school I stand up to bullies and sometimes I even help people get through hard times I know it must be tough but tell someone It will make your life a whole lot better.’

Victims of bullying were more than twice as likely as other kids to contemplate suicide and about 2.5 times as likely to try to kill themselves according to a new study that quantifies the emotional effects of being teased, harassed, beaten up or otherwise harmed by one's peers. Children and teens who were taunted by cyber bullies were especially likely to suicide. Further looking into this and asking Misaki of 8SMD said, ‘I have never encountered bullying or someone being bullied, but I have seen very scary cases of suicide due to being bullied on T.V, I think when someone bullies someone, it is a very mean thing to be done. Bullying never even gets anything out of it, just a life and future of someone, but also I feel the kids that bully face problems as well.’ Regarding her opinion, kids that bully do face problems as well.

Kids that bully others are more likely to be exposed to alcohol and drugs, vandalizing properties and dropout of school, taking a very bright future of the kid as well.

Bullying not only effects the one being bullied but also the bully. When asked Hanna of 8SMD on what was her opinion on Bullying, she said, ‘I think that the kids who bully do it because they have experienced a sad past, and want the other kid to experience it as well, to make themselves seem strong.’

Stop Bullying, and help people being bullied, just a small gesture towards them but it could save a life of many others. Make a change starting now, not tomorrow, next week, next month or next year. Start now!

By Ishita

Understanding Introverts In A World Not Made For Them

A young boy wakes up to a cold dark morning with the sound of his alarm clock practically screaming “WAKE UP! WAKE UP!” He sits up in his bed and then falls back down again feeling too exhausted to even get out of bed so he painstakingly forces himself to walk over to the bathroom get showered and changed and get ready for school. He eats his breakfast and then almost falls asleep in the bus on the way to school. He goes through all his classes thinking “I’d rather be coding or doing something potentially more useful for my future.” He keeps quiet and finishes his work only to return home, go to bed and repeat it all over again.

The world of today isn’t the most ideal place for everyone. It’s all about expectations, Grades this studies that. Actually these expectations are what the world considers to be “normal” for the average person. But what about all of the people that don’t fit into this so called average? The people that prefer to sit down, read, dream and think to themselves. These people are the introverts with their own different and unique way of thinking and if it wasn’t for some of their strange but brilliant ideas the world today might not exist.

But however the childhood of an introvert is harsh trying to live and adapt to a world that has different views and ideals. The introverts aren’t actually the problem. In fact they’re the ones minding their own business. It’s the extroverts that stick their nose into a world where their views and ideals are no longer considered “normal.” Telling an introvert to be more active is a stupid idea and is like giving them a death sentence. Despite being different the introverts still want freedom and choice to do what they want to do. we’ll take the example of an introvert that wants to become a coder. He prefers to spend most of his time in his computer or phone learning more about how it works and trying to create or modify software. Besides knowing the basic primary school education which is essential for all. In middle school subjects like that don’t get taught.

For introverts this would be fine because the work better in a quiet place alone where they can focus their full interest on something attempting to learn it themselves via the internet, books, youtube or some other method. Except for the fact that now in higher grades they are given an overload of homework by the teachers and are constantly worrying about upcoming tests. Meaning they no longer have that time to learn or work on what they want to during the weekdays and they only have those two days during the weekend.

The issue with that is now the parents don’t understand and tell them “you should be more active” during the weekend. Assuming that they aren’t getting enough exercise and ask them to go outside and play. Most introverts don’t even give a damn about that and don’t go outside and play. But the constant nagging of their parents gets really frustrating and annoying stopping them from fully concentrating. So in the end they never get any time to learn what they want to at all. Introverts are the type of people that think and live towards the future so if they do something they usually have a very good reason for doing it.

The lifestyle that they live is different from the lifestyle of others. But all they want is to be accepted by others and for the extroverts to understand how they want to live their life. Most people don’t actually realize that they’re doing it but they’re forcing their own ideals on them and that the introverts weren’t born ready to accept them. These introverts are people just like us and have their own dreams, thoughts and feelings just like us. Everyone should be allowed to live they way they want to live.

Written by Greg

Skateboards As Troublemakers

I was only 11 years old when I had joined my very first skateboarding competition. I was beyond nervous. I had practiced for a month before the actual contest. I had practiced and perfected a whole routine of tricks in a row that I would have planned to do. When the competition had finally come, I was a mess. I heard the judge call me down to start my run. “Martin Aviles” the judge had called. I was the first runner up. I focused all my energy on my run. I was completely zoned out. I wasn’t thinking of anything else besides skateboarding. I dropped in. Every nerve inside of me was tingling. As I prepared for my first trick, I completely failed it. My whole run that I had been preparing for a month was just ruined. I completely forgot all about my run. I had just decided to wing it. I had 30 seconds left after my fall. I picked up my board and decided to go for a trick that I had only landed once in my life to make up for my fall. This trick could change everything. I decided to take the risk that would either get me to win first place, or end up 3rd. I didn’t want to just play it safe and get 3rd place. This was the trick that mattered the most out of all. The crowd cheered me on. I picked up my board, and just skated as fast as I could. I rolled up to the obstacle. My mind was completely blank. One mississippi, I get into the correct stance in preparation for the trick. Two mississippi, I ollie up into the air and rotate my body. Three mississippi, I locked my board perfectly onto the obstacle and get ready for impact on the landing. A split second later, I had realized that I just landed the trick that would get me into the top spot.

Skateboarding teaches resilience. When a skater falls down after trying a trick, he will get back up and try again and again until he succeeds. To learn a skateboard trick, you will fall a countless amount of times, but still get up and try again. Skateboarding teaches you how to take risks. “It’s better to go out like a man than to play it safe and get second” -Professional skateboarder, Sean Malto. Skateboarding pushes your limits, and forces you to challenge yourself and conquer your fears. Skateboarding boosts your creativity and changes the way you see things. It is a way of expressing yourself and letting go of all the stress inside of you. “I consider skateboarding an art form” -Tony Hawk.

Skateboarding is not just a sport. It is not just a hobby. It is a way of expressing yourself and redefining the world around you. When you skateboard, you are constantly learning. You are constantly pushing yourself, and there is no limit. Skateboarding changes the way you see the world. It opens up a new perspective which brings millions of new ideas. “I believe skateboarding brings a lot of adventure, new ideas and changes the way you see the world.” -Alex Midler. Skateboarders are being discriminated by the society because they are “troublemakers”. What people really don’t know is how many benefits you can get out of it, and how much more there is to it than a piece of wood on wheels.

There are thirteen million skaters in the United States alone. About 80% of them identify themselves as “street skaters”. The art of street skateboarding shows how government structure can be used to give skaters the opportunity to use everyday street landmarks as obstacles. Skateboarding is art. The skateboard is your paintbrush and the whole world is your canvas. “Skateboarding lets us employ the handiwork of the government structure in a thousand ways the original architects could never dream of” -Tony Alva.

Jim Bates was the boy who skated with dragons, one of the most iconic professional skateboarders of all time, went to hell and came back. Jim Bates has gone through very tragic moments in his life which caused depression. Jim Bates had “disappeared” for many years which caused people to wonder what has happened to the professional skateboarding legend. The most amazing and inspiring part about Jim Bates was that he was able to battle depression and the demons inside his head just by Skateboarding. Jim Bates is now active and Skateboarding regularly. He had recently written his own book called, “The Boy Who Skated With Dragons”.

The best part about skateboarding is that no one is the best. Each skater gets to use their skateboard in a way that they choose to. They use it in a way to express themselves and show how each of them is different in their own way. Skateboarding has no fixed definition. It is different for everyone.

Stop what you are doing and go outside. Pick up a skateboard and do whatever you want. The world is your playground. Learn to ride down hills or even visit a skatepark. You will definitely fall along the way, but you always have to get back up and learn from your mistakes. Learn some tricks and just let your creativity flow and express yourself. There are so many possibilities and so much to learn.

Written by Martin

What Is Positive Psychology?

Positive Psychology is a form of psychology. It is the art of bringing positive ideas into negative ideas. People use it when they talk to their friends or their family and they don’t even know about it. For example if your parents went out for dinner and had left you with your 4 year old sister to play quietly and safely. But she falls down from her top bunk while you are having a pillow fight and sprained her hand so she started to cry very loudly. you had to come up with something so that she would stop crying. So you said “Hey did you just land on all 4’s your” (she landed on her knees and hands) I said “ Did you know only unicorns can do that, Oh My God you must be a unicorn”. She smiled and forgot about her pain and jumped right up to the top of her bed like a majestic little unicorn. This is a good example because it shows that someone had turned something negative into positive. The pain was a negative and being a unicorn when you're 4 years old is a positive when you’re a girl of course. This is what a lot of people do but do not know it.

Another very common example that people use is when someone says that they are going to fail at their ‘test’ but then you say don’t worry you will do fine that is a form of positive psychology. The negative idea is that you think you will fail the math test. The positive idea is when someone else says don’t worry you will do fine boosting your confidence which can affective your outcome in a postive way. You can say it is almost like giving encouragement which it is in a way. Positive psychology is also good when you are absolutely horrible at something. A good example is that you are absolutely terrible at talking to new people but you have an amazing sense in humor and you can make anyones day happy. When you talk to someone new you can add a bit of humor in it to see whether you can make connection and use it as an easier way of communication. Many people think psychology is when you find the mentally screwed up person and help them with their problems, well its not. It is a way of understanding how the brain functions and how it functions in certain scenarios. The reason for positive psychology is because of the rapid increase of societal assumption and negative thinking. I have done an experiment in my english class to give you a good example of what societal assumption is. I asked everyone is my english class whether or not they think they are cool i literally walked up to them and said “Do you think you are cool”. A majority of kids that are well known otherwise called as popular kids said “yes I think im cool” even some of them said “I know im cool”. The average people that were not as well known as the popular kids said “no”. Here are the results from the test.

People who think they are cool	People who think they are not cool
Ko Austin Jo Yie Lauren Bailee Sophie Victoria Ishita Utsah Martin Casper =11 People	Cala Urja Sneha Samuel Gregory Angelina =6 People

My experiment shows the underlying societal assumption that being cool is associated with being popular instead of being temperature wise cool. This is when positive psychology comes into place, it can help people think before they say something negative. The example that I used before when someone says they are going to fail their math tests, they are not really thinking they are just saying what pops into their head which is a basic assumption, which is like the test that I have performed about being cool. In conclusion I wanted to talk to you on how positive psychology works and different aspects of it.

Depression and how it affects the people around you.

Anyone can have depression it is not a kind of disease it is a psychological disorder. Depression involves some what sad emotions for example being unhappy. The causes of depression can be anything. It can be that someone very close you has died and you cannot forget or replace bad memories with good ones, so you think of the sad thing all the time which leads to you being depressed. You can be depressed over your parents divorce. Meaning you might always think you did it and that they are not together because you had go in the way . Being depressed can affect the people around you if you have a serious form of depression. Being extremely depressed means that you have either had a major weight gain or weight lose. Being extremely depressed also means that you have too much or too little sleep, Decreased interest in activities. For example if you had made friends playing soccer which is an activity and you have lost interest they might reconsider if you are still the same person they had might when you loved soccer. This can also lead to them being depressed because they miss you doing the sport with them this is how a average person with depression can affect the people around him or her. One of the major problems with depression is when you have recurrent thoughts of death or suicide. If the depression is this serious and you do end up committing suicide this can bring MAJOR depression to the people that love you. This is because it is a sudden death could affect the minds of your loved ones for example if your parents found out that you have killed yourself due to depression that might bring them depression because they will start over thinking, they will start thinking that you had killed yourself because they had not paid attention to you or they raised you poorly. This is a major problem in the modern society of all countries. Since depression is the most psychological disorders more and more psychiatrists have come to solve the problem. It is a good idea if you have any of these symptoms to go see a professional and hopefully they can fix this problem.

by Aguistin 

So Are You Rich Or Are You Poor?

Here at UWCSEA they teach students like me how to give back to our community throughout service. If students who later on become very wealthy and have the skill of knowing that there is a big world out there and that they aren't the only ones who matter. We would focus in the people struggling.

If we focus on all of the people who are doing well then will most likely learn nothing but if we tell these people stories then people will be inspired to help them. We could focus on what the kardashians . This is really personally to me because this is what I experienced in cambodia. I meet these kids who just lit up when they saw someone new. We expected to feel sorry for these kids but we actually felt equal which was really great because it taught me that we are all equal no matter where you're from or what color you are. That was the best way how to learn about how you can help. We helped them with their school work and we observed them and they loved us. We went to lots of different school asking about what these kids have been through and how did they find them. We went to this one school when these kids wanted to learn how to dance and they kept on asking a professional dancer to teach them. He said no and a few weeks later said yes. The kids told everyone in your neighborhood about this and soon they started to create a school.

Everyone knows someone who they consider to be rich. It seems like we always focus on the people who have lots of money because that’s what everyone wants to hear. We should really be focusing on all the people who are struggling everyday just for basic needs. If everyone tries to help these people then no one will. In the united states there are about 3.5 million people are homeless. If everyone helped them to to get on the feet then there would be more ideas which could possibly make more jobs.

I think every school should start a service department in their school. If every school did that we would have a lot more people focusing not only on themselves. This will make everyone equal towards each other which is promoting peace. News channels shouldn’t focus on what all of the celebrities.” They should focus on the people who are struggling or are in a bad places” said by a wise older lady. I get that people what to know what's going on in celebrities lives and stuff like like. But these people are struggling and we can help by not donating but shutting up and listening.

Written by Austin

YouTube : It's Power

He angled his camera towards his brown sofa, the light reflectors highlighting the undertones in his skin. He hit the record button. “Well hello everybody, my name is Tyler Oakley!” pulsated around him as he began filming his next video.

He is a YouTuber.

YouTubers are just like regular people, they live normal lives, go through normal things but the only difference is that they film it, often talking to a camera, doing tutorials, putting up little skits, doing challenges and or even making short films. But what makes it so unique, what makes it so much better than actors on the big screen? How is it that a person you have never met, one you only see through a computer screen can impact you in the most significant way, change your personality, change your life?

For many, YouTube is really the first site to search for videos online. Whether it be a video about the latest political election, a funny cat video or a tv show, Youtube has it all. It all started when three men, Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim were looking for videos online but had terrible difficulty in finding them so they created YouTube, intended for sharing videos but has grown and evolved to much more. It is a special place, to some, their own Hogwarts where they can express themselves in an unprecedented way. YouTube isn’t just a place for outcasts making videos, contrary to what most people think. It focuses on real issues and it gives people something to relate to and has enough potential to be huge.

For an expert testimony, this reporter referenced Susan Wojcicki, the current CEO of Youtube who has said YouTube has been putting more and more effort into getting the YouTube community more popular saying, ‘YouTube personalities are well known to their audience but not to other people” and also explained on how and why she wants to change that. She makes it clear that YouTube has a lot of power and it certainly gives “a voice to people who would otherwise not have one” which ties into what YouTuber Bethany Mota had to say about her journey on YouTube, she talked about how it really did give her a platform to voice her thoughts for when she didn’t have that.

In the UK, a poll held by Tesco Mobile found that nearly a third of the population aged 16-25 watch YouTubers at least twice a week. Another survey revealed that 15 out of 22 middle schoolers say that they watch Youtube on an everyday basis and 11 out of the 15 say that these YouTubers have affected them in some way or the other. This information reveals that growth of the YouTube community is truly life changing and it definitely has the power to impact more lives.

Another survey conducted by Variety magazine found that YouTube celebrities are more appealing to Americans, aged 13 to 18 more that mainstream Hollywood stars revealing that The similarity between YouTubers and their viewers is the lifestyle they both share and that’s what makes them appealing. They share their life, their past, their thoughts and it almost feels like having a best friend who you haven’t actually met.

“These people have such a strong connection with their audience, and that just isn’t possible if you’re starring in a Hollywood hit every two or three months,” says Ben McOwen Wilson, the director of content partnership for YouTube EMEA, “There is no genuine personal connection with the audience, which is what it takes to be successful on YouTube.” Whether they vlog or film their whole day, or use social media, these YouTubers connect with their viewers on a daily basis, talk to them and do anything in their power to meet them- something that separates them from celebrities.

You may now think that YouTube is a place for uncultured slobs making crazy weird videos but give them a chance. But, quite the contrary, one Youtuber in particular that has impacted the whole Youtube community is Tyler Oakley, a 25-year old man with almost 6 million subscribers and over 250 million views. He is not just a YouTuber but also is an advocate for The Trevor Project, which is a suicide prevention project specifically orientated to gays, a project for which Tyler raised $250,000. Being an openly gay YouTuber, he always voices his opinion on gay rights and equal rights for all. So you see? YouTube can do things, it can change lives, it can promote well-being and it can be a safety suit for people to fall on when they’re down.

Give them the time of day because the amount of hard work, creativity and love that goes into these videos is unimaginable. Watch their content, theres nothing you can lose from it but theres a lot to gain. The journey that YouTube has taken and given is incredible and deserves to be recognized. “We’re just getting started with YouTube and its potential,” said Omid Kordestani, Google’s chief business officer.

There’s a lot of talk of YouTube possibly being the next television, who knows? Maybe in a few years time, you’ll be watching YouTubers on a weekly basis.

By Urja

It's All Fun and Games till Someone Gets Hurt

During lunch one day, a female 5th and a male 4th grader decided to approach a group of 8th grade girls and have an interesting but out of hand conversation with them. At this point a few other girls accumulated together around the 2 like bees gathering around a field of unpollinated flowers. The duo thought they had as much power over them as the president as they burst out in nonsensical insults such as“Oh you wear glasses, nerd!” or “You have pimples, your face is just one giant wart”. Why were they doing this? Did they believe that this would offend the 8th graders? To find out more, I interviewed a witness of the event, 8th grader Sofia says “I thought they were mean and I think they didn’t fully understand what they were doing, when they grow up I think they need to understand that making fun of people can have a long lasting effect” . So the question that you may be asking currently is; ‘Bullying, how does it impact the victim and do the bullies realize what exactly they are doing?’

This is why bullying is a problem mainly with students, if they are not educated from a young age then they could cause a lot of harm to someone’s life in the future, pain that cannot be mended over a short period of time. According to recent statistics, approximately thirty percent of students in the United States are involved in bullying on a regular basis either as a victim, bully or both. Statistics also show that 1 out of 5 kids admit to being a bully and considering this doesn’t include the ones that remain quiet about their actions this is a considerably large amount. While there are many definitions of the term ‘bullying’ , it is essentially characterized by one or more people acting in a negative way towards a vulnerable peer. There are so many opinions on the subject matter, so I asked a few anonymous 8th grade students to share their thoughts. “In my eyes, bullying is just a way to make the bully feel better about himself, done in a very wrong way” , “Bullying is bad. It is done by people who are sadistic and are sometimes not even aware they do it” another said. The results seemed to be very similar, an expected reaction because as children are getting older they are realizing the full impact bullying can have. Dr Delphine Koh, A senior psychologist (Clinical) who works in Department of Psychological Medicine, Child and Adolescent Mental Wellness Service in KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital says; “Some behavioral and emotional responses to bullying include trying to avoid peers or situations in school, getting anxiety attacks, having difficulty sleeping at night, crying every time one recalls the bullying incident, and self harm or suicidal behaviors”

The impact can have a very strong and long lasting effect on the victim’s perception of themselves. A well known example of this is the Amanda Todd incident. Amanda once flashed on a webcam because she was convinced by a viewer . She received a lot of unnecessary backlash from this event. The emotional pain from this situation was too much for her too handle and quoted directly from the transcript of the video she made before she committed suicide “I overdosed, In hospital for 2 days, I’m stuck, what's left of me now, nothing stops. I have nobody ”. Its difficult to understand what she truly went through but judging by the way she described her feelings it made many feel a lot of sympathy towards the girl, sadly by the time so many people were aware of her incident it was too late. There’s no need to bully someone for their mistakes, especially so much so to the point when they have lost the will to live.

Bullying is a worldwide problem and it is an issue that is most likely is going to be around for years to come, no matter what we try to do people still believe that by bringing others down they will raise their own self-esteem in the process. Bullies have different reasons as to why they decide to do what they do, it may be because you think its ‘cool’. It may be because you have something going on in your own life that you need to make up for by letting another person feel the same pain you are. No excuse that you have gives you a real reason to bully someone. You don’t understand that something that was so harmless to you could have gone one step too far for the opposing side of it.

In some cases it goes so far down the scale that after it’s happened there’s nothing that you or anyone can do about it. There are so many things you could do to help prevent bullying or at least make a small difference. Offer a shoulder to cry on or just smile at them and ask them how they are. That’s all you have to do. Expert Dr Delphine Koh shares her message on what can be done to prevent bullying, this is what she had to say; “Whole school policies are one of the more effective ways to prevent bullying. A clear message has to be made that bullying in any form is not accepted. Encourage children to speak up when they get bullied. Having awareness and positive involvement of adults (e.g, teachers, principals, school counselors and parents) when instances of bullying are reported helps make the school a safe environment for speaking up against bullies”. Bullying can stop, its your decision whether you want to work for it or not, realize that what you’re doing as a bully can deeply change a person’s life entirely , make that conclusion and resolve it before its too late. After all blowing out someone else’s candle won’t make yours shine any brighter.


By Sneha

The Power of the Online Video

It would be hard to imagine that someone who appears on a screen, can make anyone who might have felt so insignificant in what seemed to be an infinite world, feel so special. Youtube used to be something for families to share not-so-private home videos but overtime matured into a viral online platform, which can now be used as a tool to earn money. More than 1 billion people visit youtube (.com) each month and over 6 billion hours are watched in a month- this is almost an hour of view time per person on earth. Never in history, has social media has been at it’s highest and as this is the virtual age. A student who participated in a survey relating to this topic even says, “I use YouTube more than I use the TV just because everything on there is just so real and I can relate to it.” But growing this extensively in such a rapid amount of time, how has it possibly impacted our already technology-obsessed generation?

Praniti, a participant of a questionnaire, said in the survey that, “Youtube hasn't specifically impacted me apart from making me happier, but I know that there are lot of people whose only reason to live is youtube as youtubers support them more than their own families. There are also several cases in which people were suicidal but lost all intentions to end their lives because of it. Honestly though, I don’t think people understand this about youtube.” This shows that youtube has touched people’s hearts in a way television can’t and should be more recognised for it.

You might wonder if anyone else has related to this. An anonymous, girl, aged 10, tells us the story of how she got hooked onto Youtube after finally grasping the meaning of the videos posted- The house is quiet as the night exhales it’s gentle wind through the gap of an open window. A girl’s eyes well up with tears as she collapses onto the bed sinking into the mattress causing the comforter to puddle around the hunched outline of her trembling body. No one could know what she was going through. She raises the hinge of her laptop. Who could ever understand what she was going through? No one. Click, tap. Well, maybe someone now. Casually landing on Youtube was something she went through before but this time it was different. She finally found a person who understood her, Zoe Sugg. Through Zoe’s teenage years she had frequent anxiety and panic attacks but she overcame them and now helps people understand that it’s nothing to be ashamed of if they suffer from it. Understanding Youtube and all it’s goodness is like opening a present. It may take some time to unwrap but once you open it, all that time of unravelling will be worth it. That’s what Youtube is, something that will always be there for you for the free price of a click away.

This story relates to so many people because at any moment, any girl or boy can find any types videos. From beauty videos to gaming commentary, any person, even one with the most diverse and unique personality, will find some source of comfort, laughter or clarity in at least one video as about 100 hours worth of ideas are uploaded every minute! Mainly, this is the compound reason people take so much interest into the videos of youtube, because the people uploading them are ordinary people. Those who make YouTube videos for a living are called ‘Youtubers’ and some are even more adored than some celebrities. Viewers are infatuated with their geniality, humour and charisma. The fact you can find all these qualities in one short video online, feels like it will always be there to comfort you. Especially for those who feel rejected in reality, watching youtube is a brief escape from your life like how Harry Potter left his old life to venture into a life where he felt like he belonged and was accepted.

In fact, Youtube holds a massive conventions for the devoted viewers like Youtube Fan Fest. People, predominantly girls aged 13 to 19, were rushing hastily to queue up in front of the bulging barricades pressed against each other. A smooth, velvet red carpet placed perfectly onto the cemented ground of Scape Playground. The fans, hyperly excited, were shaking on the little pieces of ground they claimed as their territory; the small chunk of space they had were surrounded by other viewers standing their ground making sure no one would take their area. Intense- the one word to describe the whole experience. Some of the girls perched themselves comfortably onto the floor waiting for nearly 6 hours under the scorching sun just for the 8pm show. These people committed themselves to see the people who exhilarated them through a video, the people who impacted their lives for the better.

Not only do viewers get affected by the impact of youtube, so do Youtubers: Bethany Mota, who is one of the most famous youtubers with over 7 million fans in her arsenal, started youtube when she was being cyber-bullied by people she thought were her friends; the rest is history. With over 550 million views collectively on her videos, she is taking the world by storm. From her beaming clothing line to winning a ‘Teen Choice’ award, this teen superstar flipped her life around. Tyler Oakley, another beloved youtuber who is one of the most ‘active’ LGBT community members, collaborated with Prizeo (.com) and raised half a million to donate to the Trevor Project which is a suicide hotline. ‘Prizeo' is an online fundraiser where celebrities can choose a charity of their choice then use the site to promote it and raise money for it; ‘Prizeo has also work with other reputable youtubers in addition to Tyler. Tyler has inspired dozens of lives not only through the Trevor Project, but also has built confidence in so many people who are still too afraid to ‘come out of the closet’ all through a screen. Tyler and Bethany were just normal people who found their voice online when they thought no one could hear them. Just imagine how you can change your life like they did. Speak up and let your voice be heard.

by Sofia

The Problem With Technology

What do you use to call, text, search for information, use for school and not to mention use during your free time and before you sleep?

The bright colours on the screen has got everybody’s eyes glued to it for hours. Every time you sit down and look around, you’ll see everybody staring at their devices motionless. Nothing that is interactive going on between people. That is the problem in the 21st century, all people care about is checking notifications and messages, nobody is bothered to meet the person and say hi.

Technology is a big problem especially to teens. Teens would rather use their phones and laptops instead of going outside or doing sports or activities. Sometimes even adults cannot resist the screens and you can’t shut it off unless someone drags you away from it, or nobody is online, (A thing that rarely happens). Larry Rosen, a professor of psychology at California State University states that “teens who use Facebook tend to have more narcissistic tendencies, while young adults who are active on the site display other psychological disorders.” Another psychologist reveals that what’s not great about texting is that “it takes away all forms of face to face interaction – it takes away fully formed sentences – even spelling mistakes are accepted. And so, people tend do not engage in meaningful communication – they’re engaging in efficient and quick communication.”

What some readers may not realise that even teens think they spend too much on technology. All of the teens surveyed all said yes they spend too much time on technology. A source quoted that “Students use it for school which is already a long time and then for homework, social network, and games. New technology comes out almost every single day and a lot of teens get too caught up with the trend.” It becomes even more clear that teens realises how much they use it but still can’t resist it.

One by one, teens’ obsession with technology grows until they’re on their phone or laptop in a day longer than they go to school. Teens need to be more aware of the time they spend on technology, socialising with friends and family offline is more important. Put your technology down and enjoy life.

By Angelina

The Insights and Problems that Come with Fast Food

Burger king, McDonald's, Wendy’s - which one are you craving today. It’s hard to miss them specially as of 2012 there were 263,944 fast food restaurants in America. Most of the people there were revealed of eating fast food weekly, with all that fast food and advertisements you must be craving for the new egg sandwich from Subway, but did you ever think of what really is inside that sandwich? David DiSalvo a writer at forbes decided to really look into and find out what really is inside the egg sandwich only to find out that it’s made of a strange mix of egg and ‘’premium egg blend’’ some ingredients in the blend were found out to be ingredients used in soaps and shaving creams. Now maybe, you’re trying to be healthy by ordering a salad but unsurprisingly many fast food restaurants don’t list all the ingredients used in the salad, it was found out many restaurants dust the lettuce with propylene glycol, to make it more crispy. Even though it was tested and found out it’s safe for consumption, the chemical can be found in antifreeze.

Over the years the amount of food eaten in a fast food restaurant has increased. If you were to eat a cheeseburger 20 years ago, it would have weighed around 333 calories but now it’s nearly double the size making it around 590 calories! Thats a lot of calories for just one meal specially adding fries and drinks to it, this is just adding to your waistline and getting sick. Fast foods are high in fat, sodium and sugar, which leads to obesity, diabetes and heart diseases. Fast food/Junk food don’t contain the nutrition to stay healthy, but instead make you less energised. The high level of sugar in them over works your metabolism, also as they don’t contain carbohydrates your blood pressure drops suddenly making you cranky and craving for sugar, thus more fat.

Think more wisely when you choose to have fast food, read the ingredients and see the calories containing in it. Make sure you don’t have a lot of fast food, once or twice a month is good, otherwise you’re ruining your health and damaging your body. Take a while to think over your order, think if you’re not just forcing it down your stomach, whether you're really hungry or not? Think wisely and don’t just eat fast food.

by Ishita

What Is Skateboarding?

Skateboarders are being discriminated by the society because they are “troublemakers”. What people really don’t know is how many benefits you can get out of it, and how much more there is to it than a piece of wood on wheels.

On a hot March Saturday, professional skateboarder, TJ Rogers was skateboarding at the east coast skatepark. The crowd was huge, he was fierce. He was confident like Katniss and concentrated like Asterix. He bolted through the skatepark like lightning, as the harsh sun rays burned his skin. He was trying a trick that has never been done at the skatepark before. He tried non-stop and refused to give up at all. He got hurt many times, but still got up and tried over and over again. He started to slow down, as he looked faint. He looked as if he was woken up at 4 am on a monday morning. He looked tired, as he stepped off his skateboard. The crowd was confused and clueless to what was happening. He looked around as he found the nearest garbage bin. He started to vomit. He sat down for for a while. about 30 seconds later, he immediately got back up on his board. He went to the obstacle he was trying his trick on, and tried again and again. He got hurt, but he walked it off, and kept trying. The crowd cheered him on, as he tried one last time. He executed it perfectly and threw his board into the air as his final celebration.

Skateboarding is not a sport. It is more. There are more benefits you can get out of skateboarding than regular sports. Skaters jump of stairs repeatedly, trying the same trick over and over again until they successfully execute their trick no matter how much it hurts to keep trying after falling a countless amount of times.

Skateboarding teaches resilience. When a skater falls down after trying a trick, he will get back up and try again and again until he succeeds. To learn a skateboard trick, you will fall a countless amount of times, but still get up and try again. Skateboarding teaches you how to take risks. “It’s better to go out like a man than to play it safe and get second” -Professional skateboarder, Sean Malto. Skateboarding pushes your limits, and forces you to challenge yourself and conquer your fears. Skateboarding also boosts your creativity and changes the way you see things. It is a way of expressing yourself and letting go of all the stress inside of you. “I consider skateboarding an art form” -Tony Hawk. “Skateboarding lets us employ the handiwork of the government structure in a thousand ways the original architects could never dream of” -Tony Alva.

By Martin

The Power of Social Media

Do you have the newest iPhone or Samsung? Do your friends? Technology and social media has had such a huge impact on our everyday lives. It’s trendy to have the latest technology and all of the social media; it is useful machinery but sometimes it can get distracting.

Haley is a typical fangirl of all the boy bands and youtubers, she has the need to know what they are doing at all times. She is on her phone at least every 10 minutes and it’s causing her to not focus at what’s a hand such as her subjects. Her parents are giving her a hard time about her grades and so she just hides away and goes on her phone which only worsens the issue. Haley always skips class and locks herself in the bathroom stalls at school, it’s like Alice escaping reality and going to ‘Wonderland’. Haley thinks that school doesn’t really matter to her. She just spends her weekends with her head in her laptop. She hardly talks to her parents even when they try to start a conversation with her fearing that all they will talk about are her grades. She shuts everyone out and is in her own world.

It turns out that this was not an isolated incident, the people interviewed were asked what social media’s weaknesses were and 100% of them said that it is distracting. They mostly all agreed that that was one of social media’s biggest weaknesses alongside cyber-bullying.

What, you may ask, should you do? Well, the choice is up to you really. Social media has a huge impact on our everyday lives as it shapes the way we do things. You’ve probably encountered many times when 2 people that have gone for dinner at a restaurant are found on their phones and not talking to each other. It’s distracting and sad that these people aren’t having a proper conversation with each other and as you keep looking back at them - to check if they’ve put their phones down - you’re disappointed when you find they are still at it. The only time they look away from their devices is to eat their food. It breaks your heart every time but makes you angry unless you’re one of them.Sofia goes on to say “yes, it is distracting but in a certain type of context. It distracts people that are doing work but it doesn’t distract people that are doing nothing. Anonymous then comments about a specific social media called Instagram “Instagram is like a drug, you can’t really get off it, it’s addicting”.

You may be surprised to find that when the world found out when the iPhone 6 was released they bombarded Apple with around 4 million pre-orders. Apple has grown rapidly to be known worldwide for it’s great technology since founded in April 1976.

Millions and millions of people are on some kind of technology at all times, whether it’s doing research for a school project or, having a skype conference or checking people’s status they are always there.

By Lauren

Popularity Problems

A child wants to stop going to school. A teenager is ashamed to speak up in class. An university student drops out of school altogether. The problem only escalates with age. Popularity is a hot topic for the young generation, from young children to young adults. It makes some people love school, and others hate it. But what is popularity?

Alexandra Robbins, a bestselling author of books about high school, says that there are actually two types of popularity. Perceived popularity, and sociometric popularity. Perceived popularity is based on reputation. Who people think are popular and well liked. There are 3 elements to perceived popularity. A student has to be visible, recognisable and influential. Sociometric popularity, however, is different. Sociometric popularity is based on who actually likes each other.

People are being judged by the wrong qualities in life. Praiseworthy talents and hobbies are being smothered for the sake of being popular. Friendships are lost and given up to be ‘popular’. Popularity is just another word for peer pressure. Lunchtime’s can be a horror for people, simply not having anywhere and anyone to sit with, and having the feeling that everyone is watching you and either pitying or scorning you, both equally bad. Schools aren’t helping either. They encourage you to go to a counsellor, but what they don’t understand is that going to a counsellor doesn’t help. It either establishes you as a snitch, or makes yourself ashamed that you had to go to the counsellor in the first place.

What can you do about this popularity problem though? Truth be told, not much. Hierarchies are naturally going to fall into place. There is nothing you or I could do about that. What we can do, however, is change the way people see popularity. If you could remove perceived popularity, people would have a much more down-to-earth, realistic view of popularity. Additionally, students should put themselves into groups instead of the teachers choosing. With students choosing their own groups, the loners will all end up together, with the end result of them banding together, sitting together and everything. It will eventually eliminate loners.

by Samuel

Is Underage Drinking the same as getting social media underaged?

Getting Social Media underage is the same as underage drinking. The topics looks to be very different but actually the rules are the same. Legally You have to be 18++ to drink and according to facebook you have to be 13++ to create an account. People follow the drinking rule but why not facebook rule? This is because if you drink underaged you would break a law and a fine up to $500. why doesn't people follow this rule? This is because there is a lot of slack with facebook since you think you are hidden behind a computer screen therefore you wouldn't think that they would know your personal information such as age,birthdate,gender.

Age 9. Youtube would be your best friend, from finding funny videos to vlogs. Now you could actually become famous on this platform for example Tyler Oakley , Bethany Mota , Troye Sivan etc. But that's the good side of youtube. Everyone knows the internet is not completely safe there's that other side that has everything you don't want your kid to see and now it maybe possibly stumble upon one of the videos, think its safe and continue to watch it.

Something that also affects kids is that using the internet at such a young age is messaging applications like Gmail Chat, Facebook messaging but it mostly happens in online chatrooms. People now use “Internet Slang” ( brb,tbh,gtg etc). As people get used to the new “language” . “It now affects the classroom, now they do not capitalize words or use punctuation anymore” a teacher claims. Now because of the impact on some students english people may not take you seriously because your english may not be up to the level of some other people that aren't influenced by social media.

Age 12. Twitter is now the new way to express your thoughts in 140 characters. But theres such things like Twitter Fights that go on. For example Hollywood stars Amanda Bynes and Rihanna had a big argument on a “public stage” since both of them both have millions of followers watching them fight it out. This is not appropriate for kids to experience these things because there is mostly cursing and racism involved.

My personal experience with twitter is looking at what my friends and some celebrities talk about. Some people either finding out where their favorite stars are at that moment or trying to get them to notice them by retweeting and favoriting.

Finally Age 13. Snapchat is 3-10 seconds of laughter for you to share with your friends, you can post whatever you want to whoever you want. The Problem with snapchat is that you can screenshot the photos that you send to people but there are some websites that you can use to retrieve old snapchats that you may not want other people seeing. when you click on your username it would show 3-4 people that are your “best friends” on snapchat. some people get jealous of because they aren't your “best friend”

“Facebook one of those things that you see your mom on nowadays” a student claims. this is because n parents are now engaged with social media more than ever because they want to be aware of the dangers and they want to make sure that this platform is safe for their child

People need to learn that all websites have restrictions because some things are not appropriate for the certain age group so to conclude this topic I say that Underaged Drinking is just like getting Social Media underaged.

By Cala

F is for Feminism

Ben scoffs as Stephanie walked towards him, knowing this would be an easy task. Hair in a mess and eyes dazed, she quietly took her place on her knees. 10 seconds. Ben tries to turn her over to no avail and pulls her into his guard. Stephanie wiggles out with no trouble, her eyes darting around as she weighs out her options. 20 seconds. Ben attempts an armbar, leg passing over Stephanie’s head, but she sits upright again, merely phased. 30 seconds. Both sides shout at their team member, hitting the mats and trying to help them out. Ben and Stephanie push with all their might, belts in a tangle, hands and legs indistinguishable as they toss and turn. 40 seconds. Stephanie moves in to get Ben’s back, speed being one of her major advantages, and turns over and chokes Ben. He submits. The students go wild. Ben is the strongest in the class, or at least he’s supposed to be.

Their weekly martial arts class had just gotten better.

A lot of people misunderstand martial arts and self defense. Some think it is a waste of time, others thinking it is dangerous. In the increasingly dangerous and conflicted world, women are being attacked daily in countries all over the world. Not just abducted, but being used as sex slaves, raped. This is where feminism comes in- like a superhero to save the day. The dictionary definition of feminism is ‘the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes.’ It is becoming so vital and important as women stand up for themselves as they are looked down upon or not treated with the same respect as men.

The smile on Stephanie’s face was so broad as she walked back, head held high back to her teammates’ high fives and congratulatory shouts.

“I couldn’t believe you beat Ben!”

“Only the guys can beat him!”

“I didn’t know you were so good!”

Stephanie didn’t think much of the comments as she was glowing in her moment. However, there were so many preconceived notions before the mini-fight even started. The whispers and laughs before she stepped onto the mat were obvious, everybody certain that this victory belonged to Ben.

Nobody had noticed or even bothered about Stephanie’s talent before that day, even though she was every bit as good as Ben. They were shocked, just because she was a girl, or had a spindly figure. Martial arts not only could help in the situation of abduction or rape, but a great tool to boost self confidence.

Feminism is all about both genders being treated equally, not how women are better than men. The suffragettes in the UK and US fought, protested and dedicated their life to just letting women vote in the 19th to 20th century. Yet, here we are in 2014, with women still being treated as if they are not worthy of men or just not good enough. There is so much controversy over certain singers naked in their own music video. Yet, it seems find for a male singer to have numerous naked women in his video.

This year, more and more men and women step up to raise awareness about feminism and the inequality of the sexes. Celebrities have stepped up and recently introduced a campaign called #HeforShe- a movement for gender equality where men pledge to treat women with respect and take action against discrimination. Man or woman, you should be a feminist to support gender equality to give women and girls a voice, one that is cherished, valued and valid.

By Jo Yie

Time Management

He had been studying all of his days for the upcoming math test. Not concentrating on anything else. Casper was determined to get a good grade, like Matilda, from Roald Dahl’s classic book, Matilda. Casper was oblivious to all other school asignments around him. He was too fixated on his mathematics studies. His friends had all managed their time properly, and they had all been keeping in mind the humanities project that was due very soon, and the Spanish analysis that they were sopposed to get done relatively soon. He came to school on the day of the test. Prepared in one way, unprepared in the other way.

He had just finished the test, and he was feeling quite confident about himself, and how he did in the test. Sitting on a bench, Casper was eating his snack when all of a sudden, his friend, Alex, approached him and asked if he had completed the humanities project, that was due next block. Casper was shocked and instantaneously remembered the project. He whipped out his laptop and started typing away faster than he had ever before, like Forest Gump, running across America. The quality of his final product was mediocre.

Alot of kids around the world are overwhelmed with the amount of work that is given to them, resulting in work not getting done. Plus, they need to find some space for them to have some free time away from working. It is helpful for kids to keep a journal or a calendar for them to keep track of all work.

He turned up to humanities class, that friday morning, he was nervous, just like Thomas, from the maze runner was, when he first stepped foot in the maze. Mr. Murray, his humanities teacher, kicked off the class with his ritual dance which he did every class, like LeBron doing his signature pre-game chalk toss. Mr. Murray asked for everyone to pile up the projects on his desk. Casper notice the quality of his fellow classmates’ work, this made him even more tense. He tryed to hide his work under other people’s work, so that others would not see it. The class continued normally and it was then lunchtime. His friends were boasting about how good their work was, and Casper felt quite left out. He was usually able to get all of his work done at the deadline, but in this instance, he had been too concentrated on math.

About a week later, Casper came to school prepared to both find out his grade for his math test, and his grade for humanities. Mr.Douglas called Casper up for his grade and he confidently strutted up and snatched the paper from his teacher’s hands he looked down at it and he saw the big, red 5 written in the box. He had a moment of celebration, but he then remembered humanities. He walked over to his humanities classroom, and hung out with his friends there for breaktime. It was time for class to start. He sat down in his assigned seat and he found out that the projects were to be handed out at the end of the class. Throughout the class, he was only thinking about his work. The time had come, his name was called, and he got his paper. It was a 5. What he had whipped up in the time span of only about 10 minutes was worth an attainment grade of 5.

Doing things at the last moment is not a good strategy to success. Managing your time well will result in getting everything done, and you wont need to stress at all. Even though Casper did quite well in humanities, he learned that he should have managed his time better, and that he was lucky for getting a 5 in humanities.

By Casper