Issue 1

Volume Five KING’S EYE ON THE WORLD 00 12 September 2014

Editors:

Anna Devoy

Martha Mulliner

Journalists:

Max Wood

Adam Preston

Jasmine Denton

Saffron Nathan

Saffie Mehra

Eve Jawara CURRENT AFFAIRS ENRICHMENT………………READ ALL ABOUT IT! Dylan Riley McNeice This week’s magazine is the first of the academic year. All but Jack Ramsbottom one of our journalists and editors are new to the King’s Eye Alistair Smellie on the World, but we have dived right into the deep end to give you some of the juiciest current stories. We have Alchemy Lucas worldwide news including: The Scottish referendum, GCSE Georgia Spender results in Britain and the Oscar Pistorius verdict. For a contrast we are taking you back to the future with an out of this world article about future space exploration and finding

out about the recently discovered, only known, aquatic dinosaur.

We hope you enjoy our first edition of this renowned magazine.

The Future of Space Travel

Max Wood ShLB

In the news as of late many stories have been related to space travel. I am going to explore the future of this multi-billion pound industry. To talk about the future we must start in the past. The first successful private space flight took off on June 21, 2004. It may surprise some of you that it took off ten years ago. This occurrence sparked the start of the Private Space-Travel Sector or PST, as I will refer to it.

In the years between the 2004 and now, the PST has expanded beyond all expectations. More than 20 companies have been founded in this sector. Perhaps the most famous is SpaceShip 2. This is the second generation of Virgin Galactic’s TSTO or Two Stage to craft that started with SpaceShip 1. Tickets for this historic craft are valued at $250,000 and are available from the Virgin Atlantic website.

However, not all the future craft will carry people into space. Many companies, most notably Stratolaunch Systems, will be able to use a similar technique to fly cargo and into space. These carriers are more powerful than 747s and actually have been known to use parts from that aircraft to give this six-engined behemoth enough lift. Perhaps the militaries of tomorrow will used these to send weaponry into space.

However, the prevents the positioning of nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons in the space around the Earth or on the Moon. Despite this, the treaty does not prevent the use of laser weapons or kinetic bombardment weapons. Kinetic bombardment is the idea of firing weapons from space to hit the ground with devastating effect. Though one needn’t worry; the USA is already instigating a project called ‘Project Thor’ to tackle this threat.

Ebola Crisis

Saffron Nathan ShCM

The Ebola crisis is occurring in West Africa and it continues to spiral, claiming more and more victims. From the dates of the 21-23 of July, 96 new cases of Ebola and 7 deaths have been recorded in Liberia and Sierra Leone. During the same period in Guinea, 12 new cases and 5 deaths occurred. The total number of people currently infected is 1,323; so far this is the biggest Ebola outbreak ever.

At least 1,550 have died from the disease in three countries. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’s Tom Frieden said that the disease was ‘spiraling out of control.’ The situation is bad and it looks like it's going to get worse quickly. ‘There is still a window of opportunity ... but that window is closing, and we need to act now,’ he also said.

On Tuesday, Joanne Liu said that the authorities are ‘losing the battle’. ‘Six months into the worst Ebola epidemic in history, the world is losing the battle to contain it. Leaders are failing to come to grips with this transnational threat,’ she said.

The Sierra Leonean government has announced this weekend that on 19 September there will be a three day country-wide shutdown. Citizens will be unable to leave their home while health workers go from home to home looking for missing cases. This is not the first time Ebola has forced a shutdown of the country. The first time it was more loosely enforced, the whole country having to stay at home for just one day.

Ebola is an infectious and generally fatal disease. The symptoms of Ebola are high fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, sore throat, weakness, stomach pain and lack of appetite. The normal host species is currently unk now n.

Should Young Girls Be Allowed To Compete in Beauty Pageants?

Alchemy Lucas ShAR

A recent article in The Times Magazine, and the commotion in France last year, prompted me to ask this question. Is it right to allow girls as young as two years old to compete in cut throat competitions, putting their all- important self confidence on the line?

Many people seem to think so. In 2013, the French senate voted to ban child beauty pageants, the former sports minister said, “Let us not make our girls believe from a very young age that their worth is only judged by their appearance.”

I believe that allowing young girls to enter beauty contests is very wrong- parents may argue that winning is a boost to their child’s confidence, but to those who lose multiple contests, how can it be anything but a large knock to their confidence? In sports, it is one thing to criticize a player’s skill and technique, this is very changeable, but to insult something as unchangeable as a child’s appearance (many girls involved in beauty pageants develop eating disorders) I believe is morally wrong. It is not just confidence that is a problem, personality is effected as well. In The Times Magazine, a girl as young as two was described as “checking out competition”, when meeting a competitor. If a toddler views playmates as rivals, and feels that they are better than all other girls because of their looks, what can we expect of them when they are adults?

Another problem is the message that the beauty pageant for children sends to the world. The problem of sexism is still at large, and many parents try to educate their sons and daughters to have a view that both genders are equal. But how can we expect children to rise above stereotypes, when two year olds are decked in eye shadow, mascara and lipstick?

Is there another way? Some people argue that pageants are the only outlet left for “academically suffering girls” and that to stop girls from taking part in these contests is like “taking boys away from football”. I would suggest that it is much more beneficial to these girls to allow them to join clubs like gymnastics and dance, which can still involve performance and be fun, whilst looking after their fitness and health. They can also make friends and learn useful life skills, improve their self esteem by finding a hobby which they can excel in, without being sexualized and taking blows to confidence by being involved in pageants.

Amphibious Dino

Alistair Smellie 3RL

A giant fossil, found in the Sahara desert, helped scientists discover the Spinosaurus, the largest carnivorous dinosaur. This 95 million year old fossil also confirms the beliefs about the first-known amphibious dinosaur.

Scientists say the dinosaur had flat, paddle-like feet and a long head like a crocodile that would have allowed it to dive with ease. SPINOSAURUS remains were first discovered about 100 years ago in Egypt, and were moved to a museum in Germany. They were destroyed during World War II, however, when a bomb hit the building. The new fossil, which was found in the Kem Kem fossil beds in Morocco, has provided scientists with a more detailed look at the dinosaur. The research team says that SPINOSAURUS was a scary beast and may even have been bigger even than the mighty TYRANNOSAURUS REX.

Nizar Ibrahim, a dinosaur expert from the University of Chicago, said: "It is a really bizarre dinosaur. It has a long neck, a long trunk, a long tail, a 7ft (2m) sail on its back and a snout like a crocodile. The one thing we noticed was that the proportions were really bizarre. The hind limbs were shorter than in other predatory dinosaurs, the foot claws were quite wide and the feet almost paddle shaped." Researchers say that SPINOSAURUS lived in a place they describe as "the river of giants", an area of water that would have stretched from Morocco to Egypt. They believe the creature would have feasted on giant sharks and other car-sized fish called coelacanths and lungfish, competing with enormous crocodile-like creatures for its prey.

The Spinosaurus will feature in a new National Geographic exhibition in Washington D.C which will attract many visitors from around the globe.

All 4 one and none for 4oD

Eve Jawara, ShCI

Channel 4 has declared that its on demand service, 4oD, will be replaced. There is going to be a new online centre. It will be home to all of their channels, content and assistance.

The centre will be called All 4 and will show all of Channel 4’s networks including: Channel 4, E4, More4 and 4-7. All 4 will be available on devices such as tablets and smart phones.

All 4 is designed by the Channel 4’s chief executive, David Abraham, to appeal to a younger generation of viewers. It will be a ‘first for television’.

The announcement was made by David Abraham at the IBC Entertainment Technology Conference in Amsterdam this year.

Abraham said, “We believe All 4 will deliver the most advanced broadcaster response to changing viewer behaviour in the digital age, it will help ensure that our content portfolio remains an important, valued part of viewers’ TV consumption for decades to come.”

According to Channel 4, “50% of all 16-34 year olds in the UK are signed up to Channel4.com.”

All 4 will be divided into three sections:

The ‘Now’ section will give live streams of all the TV networks including Channel 4, E4, More4 and Film4.

The ‘On demand’ section will be the new version of 4oD, and host all of the networks catch up programmes. It will also include exclusive features such as interviews with cast members.

The ‘On soon’ section will give sneak peeks to new episodes or programmes; it will also allow the viewers to set reminders for different episodes on different networks. Overall, All 4 will be a new way to watch the shows you’ve missed, watch the live episodes on a tablet or smart phone, and let you know about the new coming shows that you definitely won’t want to miss.

Pistorius’ Pistol

Jasmine Denton ShAR

Oscar Pistorius, 27, was at the peak of his career when it all shattered through a bathroom door.

What we think has happened?: On 14 February 2013, Reeva Steenkamp got shot through the bathroom door by Pistorius. She supposedly went into Pistorius’ bathroom to surprise him with a gift for Valentine’s Day. However, Pistorius is claiming that he thought there were burglars in his house. Without thinking, he grabbed his gun and shot through the door of his bathroom.

The 11 September verdict: After being found not guilty of murder Oscar Pistorius was released on bail. However, Judge Masipa accused him of being a poor witness, muddled over his defence and a liar. She quoted ‘A reasonable person therefore, in the position of the accused with similar disabilities would have foreseen that the possibility that whoever was behind the door might be killed by the shots. And would have taken steps to avoid the consequences and the accused in this matter failed to take those consequences.’

On Thursday Pistorius ‘broke down’ in court after being cleared of two big murder charges.

The 12 September verdicts: Nevertheless, today the judge told the courtroom "Having regard to the totality of this evidence in this matter, the unanimous decision of this court is the following: on count one, murder... the accused is found not guilty and is discharged. Instead he is found guilty of culpable homicide." Culpable homicide is the same as manslaughter in the UK. To start off the day’s events, she started with other charges for which Pistorius was on trial, including discharging a firearm at Johannesburg restaurant on 11 January, 2013 and firing a gun through a car sunroof with his ex-girlfriend, Samantha Taylor, and friend Darren Fresco on 30 November, 2012. He was also cleared of illegally possessing ammunition. He was found guilty of discharging a firearm in a restaurant, but he continues to deny his guilt.

The controversy: Throughout the trial the prosecution had argued Pistorius was deliberately trying to kill his girlfriend after a row. I fully agree with this statement. I think that’s what’s happened, because if a father heard a noise, the first thing they would do would be to check that the mother or children weren’t making the noise. He wouldn’t just grab his gun and shoot through the door. He would at least shout and say get out, drop any weapons, or just call the police. I think that Pistorius had a row with Reeva, she locked the door. Pistorius told her to get out, she didn’t out so he shot her in fury. Despite this the judge ruled that the prosecutors had failed to prove the allegations.

Scottish Referendum

Georgia Spender ShPS

As many of you may well know, Scotland is having a vote on whether it should become an independent country or nation. This year, for the first time in the UK, 16 year olds are allowed to cast vote.

16- and 17-year olds are allowed to vote. The reason why they been given this right to choose the dreaded ‘Yes or No’ is because they are the generation on which this decision will have the biggest effect. They will be the people getting the most important part of their education; A-levels and university degrees; raising their families and getting on with their life. However some young people are worried making the wrong decision which will affect their whole life. Some 16 or 17 year olds are very proud to be able to change their fate whereas some of the young voters are not too bothered about voting.

At the moment the split is 42% ‘No’ and 40% ‘Yes’ and 17% are undecided. Alex Salmond is the ‘Yes’ leader. He thinks that Scotland would be better off as an independent country. On the ‘No’ side are the main political parties on the UK- Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrats. They all think that it would be disastrous for the UK and Britain.

I think that if I was a voter I would vote ‘No’. Firstly, it would be detrimental for the economy as we would have to think about the currency and trade between Scottish and English trade. Secondly, Parliament would be heavily affected as some of the MPs would leave because of the new Parliament in Scotland. Finally, the income of Scotland and England would drop dramatically as all the national income of both combined England and Scotland and Wales would be higher if they are an independent. Also if Scotland leaves UK, the taxes of English and Welsh payers could possibly rise as the income of government would lower; this could dramatically increase the cost of living therefore adding to the unemployment rate.

GCSE GRADES

Saffie Mehr, ShPS

Recently, it has been decided that in 2017 the marking/grading system will be changed for GCSE. It will mean that only 3% of all the students will achieve the highest grade. Teachers will start preparing the students for the new method of grading in 2015.

Instead of GCSEs being graded from A*- G, they will be graded 1-9, 1 being the lowest and 9 being the highest. The former education secretary, Michael Gove, has said he wants the exams to be harder than they are currently.

THE NEW APROACH WILL ALSO MEAN:

 Mostly the same number of students achieving a grade 7 or above as currently achieve an A and A*.  The new grade 4 will be the same as Grade C at the moment.

The government has made very clear signals that the benchmark for what is called a ‘good GCSE’ will be higher than what is now a grade C.

INTERNATIONAL RESULTS

With the changes to the marking scheme it would mean we are in line with the performances of countries such as Finland, Canada, Holland and Switzerland.

It has been said that there will be an experimental year with this new grading system as the government doesn’t wish the students that are the first to use the new system to face any disadvantage or advantage for that matter.

Which do you prefer: iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus

Dylan Riley McNeice ShAR

With just 7 days left before the release of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus we have taken a look what Apple has got in store for us. First of all you have probably have guessed that it is quite a lot thinner and taller. The iPhone 6 is said to be 6.9 inches long. The iPhone 6 Plus is said to be 7.1 inches long. At this point you may be thinking the iPhone 6 Plus is so much better. However the iPhone 6 Plus actually cannot fit into a pocket in your pants. The iPhone 6 is able to go in a pocket because the only difference from the 5S version is how tall it is.

Yet again the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have all the tricks you would expect but are surprisingly lacking in additional features, unlike last year’s update. The iPhone 6 costs around £600 and the iPhone 6 Plus costs £700. If you were to ask me which of the two I would choose, it would be the iPhone 6. I would choose it only because it is bigger, there isn’t really much deference between the two.

What would you choose?

The Premier League: Top 6

Adam Phoenix-Preston ShPS

The Premier League started on 16 August 2014 with Man United against Swansea. There were some shocking results and I am going to give to my opinion on who will finish where in the top 6 at the end of what is going to be an exciting season.

1- Chelsea. I think Chelsea are most likely to win the league with ease. Last season they slipped up and Manchester City went on to win the league. Jose Mourihno won’t let that happen this season and if Chelsea keep up their good form they could win the league with 6 or 7 games to go. The manager has brought in some amazing signings such as Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas. 2- Manchester City. Manchester City will go all out to defend their title, but I think Chelsea will beat them to it. City are a great team but if Pellegrini keeps putting Aguero on the bench and bringing him on near the end Dzeko might struggle a bit. 3- Liverpool. Liverpool have brought in some amazing talent like Balotelli and Lallana, which will be a huge boost for the team, but they will definitely miss Suarez. I think they will have a good season, and they could win the F.A. Cup but I doubt they will win the league. 4- Manchester United. United had a season to forget last season but in my opinion they have done the best in the transfer market this season. They have bought one of the best strikers in the world, Falcao, who will probably get between 20 and 30 goals this season. With the likes of di Maria and Blind, United will have a much better campaign. 5- Arsenal. Arsenal only just nabbed 4th spot from Everton last season. You would expect Arsenal to find it easy to finish in the top 4 but they let in so many goals last season and with new world class players in the Premier League they may have a similar season. 6- Everton. They had a great season last season but a lot of their players are getting old and are decreasing in form. They have good players but they will have to fight Spurs for their Europa League place.

Manchester Dogs’ Home Blaze Claims 60 Lives

Jack Ramsbottem ShAR

The blaze that swept through the Manchester Dogs’ Home has taken 60 dogs’ lives and the death toll is expected to rise further.

The fire at Moss Brook Road in Harpurhey broke out on Thursday evening. So far there have been 150 animals rescued and the death toll is 60. The 150 dogs have been transferred to Cheshire Dogs’ Home. A 15 year old unnamed boy has been arrested on suspicion of arson.

A JustGiving account set up by Manchester Council has already raised over £600,000.

A statement has been released from the home saying, “The staff and trustees of Cheshire Dogs' Home near Warrington would like to express their enormous gratitude for the huge support received from the public following the devastating fire at its sister site Manchester Dogs' Home last night."

Hundreds of sympathy messages have been left on the JustGiving page and the money donated continues to rise.