Friday 14 August 2015

Examiner's playing with the futures of hardworking students

The blood, sweat and tears of many sixth form/college students have been ignored as exam boards estimate hundreds of results as they are 'lost in the post'.

The Government continue to make the education system and the lives of the future generations difficult for all. Examiners have one job and fail at it by losing some papers, making the teenagers of this generation question whether education is actually worth the hassle.

OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA) one of the UK's top leading exam boards admitted to having to estimate results for many as the real results were lost in the post or placed in the wrong envelope as reported by The Independent.

An ongoing discussion about the relevance of University outlines that many believe that the purpose of University is now 'another method to take money from the public' as expressed by Jenny Tang a 17-year-old girl. With the recent abolition of a Maintenance Grant frightens students from working-class backgrounds from being able to support themselves at Universtiy.



4,000 dangerous chemicals seem harmless to some

Secondhand smoke contains 4,000 chemicals.
In July 2007, smoking in public places (bars, restaurants and workplaces) was made illegal to protect non-smokers from the harmful fumes and chemicals from second-hand smoking. The Royal Society for Public Health claims that the ban should be extended to outside areas like public parks, squares and beer gardens. Should the Government continue to ban smoking in public?

Tobacco Manufacturers Association reported that there are 10 million adult smokers and each year, approximately 200,000 children aged 11-15 start smoking. Not only does this affect the smokers, the non-smokers inhale the fumes as the smoke stays in the air. The NHS informs the public that smoke stays in the air for approximately 2.5 hours. Inhaling this is dangerous as second-hand smoke contains 4,000 chemicals which can increase the chances of both lung cancer and Coronary Heart Disease (CHD).

The Government are constantly cutting funds and the NHS is affected, treating patients with a problem that can be dealt with at home as it wastes both time and money. Many argue against this as this will damage the economy and the tobacco industry and will eventually encourage illegal sales.




Ever since the ban was introduced stillbirths have decreased by approximately 8%.

Monday 10 August 2015

Police officers attacked by 400 individuals at a party in Hackney

On Saturday, a party in Stamford Hill was put on hold as the police were called to the scene at around 11:40pm. Police officers were then attacked by 400 plus masked individuals with both bottles and bricks as they arrived at what residents described as an "out-of-control" party. Later that night, a woman was treated by Paramedics on a zebra crossing due to breathing problems which a local resident claims to be the result of the "fifth illegal rave in Stanford Hill and Clapton in the past 5 months".

Some witnesses claim that the incident resembled that of the London Riots in 2011 as there were a mob of teenagers rebelling and attacking the Police.

Fortunately, all Police officers on site were reported free of any injuries.



However a 16-year-old boy who wishes to remain anonymous claims that the police are over exaggerating the situation. This immediately highlights a key issue that needs to be resolved in society. In 2012-13 alone, it has been reported that there has been 1.9 million violent incidents in England and Wales as reported by The Guardian.

Incidents similar to this provide a bad image and stereotypes of the youth, making it difficult for any improvements. It is vital that we find a way to live in society where the older and younger generations can communicate efficiently and the youth, as well as the whole community can trust the Police to carry out their job.



Saturday 8 August 2015

Pretty Little Liars - Last Dance (Season 6 Episode 9)

A highly anticipated reveal of the mastermind itself, dare I say. 1 episode away from finding out the truth of the long lost Dilaurentis that apparently has a soul.

The story of a stalker harassing 5 young teenagers for 6 seasons left fans in tears to find out more. Marlene King, director of the last episode informed us that Alison recognises A. Prom was the perfect place to experience their "Last Dance".

Mothers are meant to know best, right? We finally see all the mothers drunk and working together to do exactly what the girls are told not to do, hypocritical much! This was however one of the highlights of the show, from drinking wine to getting locked in Kenneth's basement whilst they were supposed to be watching over their daughters at their cheesy barn prom. King also brought a sentimental moment when the mothers realised the girls are strong to have survived being trapped by a total creep and worse.

Plot Twist! Clarke was an undercover agent who fooled Aria and the audience which stopped our chances of catching A. It was obvious that something was not right but he was only helping them. As surprised as the girls were, Emily caught our attention as she was not impressed as not only did Aria have no idea but also that she was "safer" than she actually thought.... great friend? King continues to maintain this hidden tension between the girls which makes Pretty Little Liars realistic, girls are bitchy and that's a fact.

Suspicions also arose as Emily's "prom date" arrived at Rosewood High School with no invitation as her original date was at another prom. Sarah has been waving red flags since the day she was introduced to us. Could she be helping A. Fans continue to point the finger in all directions as to who may be helping A. No matter how in-depth and analysis of episodes and their titles, this gets you right back to where you started.

The episode picked up on where Pretty Little Liars was slacking and brought an exciting twist and emotions to the table. Until next week, the fans will continue to patiently wait to confirm their theories or question some of the events.