The Charleston Chronicle Respect Others, Work Hard, Challenge Ourselves. www.charlestonacademy.co.uk Thursday, 18th of December, 2019 Foreword by the Editors-in-Chief: Hello everyone and welcome to the December issue of The ​ Charleston Chronicle, which is subsequently the final issue of the year too! It’s been a great year for the school, and while we may have only started this newspaper near to the end of the year, we hope to have another very successful year in 2020 as well! We have a very exciting issue lined up for you all, with articles discussing all things festive to the surprising origins of a very well-known ballad. We hope that you not only enjoy this issue, but that you also have a very merry festive period too and that you all stay safe. And (seniors, we’re looking at you) that you get at least some revision in for the upcoming Prelims! - Katie Gillies (5L1) and Georgia Birrell (5T1), Editors-in-Chief. C o n t e n t s : (Includes; The Wake-Up Call That is Teenage Activism [page 1], Brexit in A Bottle - Election Edition News ​ ​ ​ [page 2], The Surprising Origins of the Iconic Song ‘I Will Always Love You’ [page 2], Xinjiang Re-Education CAmps [page 3]) (Includes; This Month at Eden Court [page 5], Charleston Talent Show Goes Down A Storm Community ​ ​ ​ [page 5]) (Includes; 9 Books You Should Read This Winter [page 5]) Entertainment ​ ​ ​ (Includes; Last-Minute Gifts That Suit (Almost) Anyone [page 7]) Lifestyle ​ ​ ​ (Includes; Glasgow City fight off Hibs in dramatic Cup Final [page 8]) Sports ​ ​ ​ (Includes; Why ‘How The Grinch Stole Christmas’ is the Best Christmas Movie, IMO [page 8], Fuel Opinion ​ ​ ​ For Thought [page 9], The Brilliance Behind Cunningham’s Law [page 10]) (Includes; Words of the Term [page 10]) Interactive ​ ​ ​ much effort for our poor, electronic centred society at N e w s least take public transport when you can. Take the ten The Wake-Up Call That Is Teenage seconds out of your day to wash and recycle plastic packaging rather than being lazy and just chucking it (Elise Warde 2A) Activism​ ​ in the bin. Prevent food waste by eating leftovers and Greta Thunberg, arguably one of the most influential consider composting food waste. Also, be more aware young people of this era and the mastermind behind when you are shopping and choose fairtrade. If you Fridays For Future. A seemingly insignificant schoolgirl have any spare time in your obviously very exciting from Stockholm, Greta shot to fame when photos and busy lives then use your voice to spread emerged of her protesting outside the Swedish awareness, educate others and campaign. Contact parliament building with a sign which read ‘skolstrejk your local MP or sign petitions. Take to the streets in for klimatet’, school strike for climate. Since then the protest or volunteer. Try looking for clothes in charity 16-year-old has inspired thousands of young people shops, not only does this prevent unnecessary waste all over the world to take to the streets and protest in it will also save you a LOT of money. You will probably the name of Climate Change. This new wave of be surprised by what you can find. teenage activists has shocked politicians, world leaders and adults worldwide. It has shown the amazing power of young people and highlighted the incompetence of world leaders when it comes to protecting the environment. In her short time in the spotlight, Greta has caused shockwaves all over the world. Her now-iconic ‘How dare you’ speech amazed world leaders with its honesty, bluntness and aggression. She highlights the fears shared by many, that we are doing far too little far too late in regards to saving our planet. At the end of the day, it is your future at risk. If we do Throughout the speech, she shuns the world leaders nothing we will be condemning future generations to and politicians, offended at their lack of urgency and a slow painful demise. They will look back to us and commitment to the current crisis. The most disturbing question why we would allow the world to fall into thing though is that the very people she is calling out such a horrendous state. Is that really what we want? for their incompetence are cheering and clapping, Future generations looking upon us with hatred, acknowledging that they may have condemned our feeling betrayed and let down by us. world to a slow painful death of collapsing ecosystems and starvation. As Greta says in her speech our world Brexit, a relatively small issue compared to mass is too caught up on ‘fairytales of economic growth’. extinction, has been discussed in every paper or news We now know exactly the problems we have caused bulletin in the country over the last six months. and how we can save not just ourselves, but future People have begun stockpiling food and medicine, generations. Why then are we not implementing the frightened that Brexit is going to leave us with a major actions necessary to our very survival as human lack of resources. If we continue to destroy our planet beings? it is going to have a much worse consequences than an unsatisfactory trade deal. I know what you’re thinking. What good does this girl think ranting in a school paper is going to do? Well, all Greta Thunberg and millions worldwide are terrified. you pessimists who think, ‘I can’t do anything about Terrified that we have set ourselves up for an it’, are half the problem. Simple changes in our untimely and terrible demise. Those who don’t die everyday lives could be the catalyst between a from extreme weather conditions spurred on by thriving environment and catastrophic consequences climate change will fall ill from air pollution. The few we cannot even begin to comprehend. Rather than who survive that will slowly die as a result of famine, driving, walk where possible and if that is far too caused by our ruthless destruction of ecosystems. The 1 time for change is now, we must take action. If we to be put in place. In the 2017 election the continue to sit idly and ignore the problem, like so Conservatives did not have quite enough MPs to many politicians seem to love doing, we will secure a majority so they made a deal with the undoubtedly be embarking on a suicide mission. At Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). This majority was the end of the day, there is no planet B. then lost earlier this year when various MPs were suspended from the Conservative Party. Brexit in a Bottle - Election Special (Abigail Morris 3D) Recently we had what is known as a hung The 12th of December. The general election. Last parliament. This means that no party had a week this country experienced one of the most majority within Parliament. The Conservatives and interesting general elections it has ever had. With DUP between them had a total of 308 seats and Brexit so close this election could determine a large 326 seats are needed to hold a majority. So, part of Britain’s future. So how did the general altogether the opposition held more seats than the election work? And why was it so important for government and there was not a majority for the Brexit to have a general election? government. A general election elects the whole of the UK So how did the results turn out? Boris Johnson is parliament and who represents you in your local Prime Minister still, due to the huge majority his area. When someone is elected they become what party secured. The Conservatives won 365 seats; is known as a Member of Parliament (MP). This this is 39 more seats than were needed to secure a means that in Parliament they will represent your majority. The result for Labour was not good. They constituency. The United Kingdom is split into 650 lost 59 of their seats, ending up with 203. The constituencies. 59 of these are in Scotland, 533 in Scottish National Party received 48 seats followed England, 40 in Wales and 18 in Northern Ireland. by Liberal Democrats with 11. The DUP have 8, Sinn Fein 7, Plaid Cymru 4, Social Democratic and When an MP is elected most of them will be a part Labour Party 2, Green 1 and the Alliance Party 1. of a party whilst others are independent. The party The rest of the parties did not secure any seats. with the largest number of MPs elected usually leads the government. Currently, this party is the So what could these results mean for Brexit? This Conservatives. The head of this party becomes the recent general election could be very important for Prime Minister, currently Boris Johnson. Brexit because when there was no majority the Prime Ministers - Theresa May and Boris Johnson - found it very difficult to get Parliament to approve their Brexit plans. Now that the Conservatives have managed to gain a majority they will be able to vote in their deal. If the opposition parties had secured a majority then we could have a very different deal voted through, or a second referendum which might have stopped Brexit. The future however is still unclear. We don’t know The Conservative or Labour parties have won every how Brexit will turn out. So what will 2020 bring for election since 1922. Generally, a General Election the future of our country? Will it be the year when automatically happens every 5 years but this year Brexit is completed? we have had an early election because Boris Johnson gained support from other parties to pass a law which changed the date.