Volume 3 Issue 2

BOUDICCA BULLETIN PAGE 12

PAGE 12 THE REPOSITORY

THE REPOSITORY

The BIG Question

What’s your most embarrassing moment?

By Emily Nicholas, Elysia Holmes,

Issy Crookston, Emily Homer, Caitlin Scott

I was with my local youth club and we all went for a walk in the

country. I climbed over this fence and it made a massive hole in my trousers so everybody could see my knickers. – Ms. Fewkes

I fell for a prank call from my friends who were pretending that there was a delivery of 100 cans of baked beans I had to pay for. – Anonymous

I was doing a school play and I was

really nervous, when I went onstage I

had an accident...

– Anonymous

Last Thought: Boudicca's no longer worried about invading Romans. This issue, she's fretting about rising sea levels. Don't let the Global Warming music go quiet, sisters!

I was talking about my

sports teachers at my last

school, then I realised they

were standing behind me! – Emily Bishop

Voices of Roedean

THE INFOBAHN http://www.thinkingforaliving.org/

Thought-provoking design content. Ideal for those looking for a little aesthetic inspiration.

http://evernote.com/ Remember everything. Access to all your documents, images, to-do

lists and more through any device.

http://thedailywh.at/ Internet culture hub.

http://www.nature.com/ The world‘s best science and medicine on your desktop. For

those looking for fresh and meaty articles.

http://www.aldaily.com/ Philosophy, aesthetics, literature, language, trends,

breakthroughs, ideas, criticism, culture, history, music, art, disputes, gossip

http://www.ted.com

Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world.

By Felicity Macleod

When you start applying for things like driver‘s licences and other official documents, this is

a decision you will have to make: whether or not to be an organ donor. We are encouraged in

chapel readings to help others in the best way we can by being as selfless as possible. Isn‘t

being an organ donor one of the best ways to do so? When you are dead, you will no longer

use your organs, so surely they would be put to better use in keeping someone else alive?

More than 10,000 people in the UK need an organ transplant, but with the current volume of

transplantable organs available 3 of those patients will die each day due to lack of

availability. But, as ethically noble as organ donation may be, should citizens be allowed to

refuse it? Some countries such as Britain, France, and Italy do not automatically put your

name on the donor list, but in others you are signed on at birth. Is this removing the right of

the citizen to make their own decisions? It may seem this way to some. but we all have an

obligation to be in control of ourselves. Being of age has its perks but it also comes with

responsibilities. We have to start thinking about ethics in the long term, not just issues that

are prevalent in our own back gardens.

It Takes Guts

By Jess Roper

In late August 2007, Hurricane Dean whipped through the Caribbean and over Mexico,

slashing down everything in its path. Georgia Rice, now in Lower Five, was 11 at the time,

and was meant to be spending a glorious ten days in the sunny Montego Bay. However, as

she told me, it was far from relaxing.

About half way through her holiday, news arrived that a dreadful hurricane was taking a

menacing trip to Mexico via the Caribbean. Terrified, Georgia‘s family did everything they

could to find flights out of Montego Bay, but they weren‘t alone. Soon they found that all

flights were booked, each opportunity to escape a looming hell, swept from underneath them

(almost literally). Stuck on an island with a threatening hurricane headed their way, the

family was in despair. The hotel desperately took measures to assure safety to those who

were unlikely to get off the island. Fortunately, safety was at bay: a nearby conference

centre, a huge, concrete building able to withstand the predicted strength of this hurricane.

Along with other stranded customers from the hotel, Georgia and her family packed up their

belongings, and were taken to this safer building. They camped as refugees, relying on sun

loungers as beds and making do with the few other necessities that the hotel could provide.

All that was left was the wait.

As predicted, the hurricane came thundering through Jamaica, leaving the island and its

neighbours in disastrous chaos and disorder. During my interview with Georgia, I asked her

exactly what it was like that night in the conference centre. ―It was absolutely terrifying. You

could hear the wind whipping against the concrete walls. Although we knew we were safe

inside the thick walls, dreadful images came to mind when we thought about what could be

happening to those who weren‘t as safe as us.‖

However, to Georgia‘s family‘s relief, the eye of the hurricane was not over Montego Bay,

and the damage was not as bad as it could have been in the particular area that they were

staying. The US sent a special flight out to Jamaica to get everybody out, and the Rice

family soon found themselves on a flight to wet Detroit. They landed in their flip flops and

their shorts, but they were just thankful that they had left the hurricane behind them.

Life Stories: A Sunny Holiday Turns Ugly

I was once caught being chased by Vicky Woo holding a toothbrush like a sword by

M s B y r o m ( a n o l d housemistress)! – Sharon Jacobs

By Suryakala Elango

I‘m going to say something contentious: school rankings matter. Sure, I

acknowledge that it‘s not as black and white as just comparing exam results

across the country, but that doesn‘t mean there isn‘t some measure of

‗greatness‘, if not many, that we can use. So, if we had a national speech day

which school would take the gold? Perhaps Bedales, a school that allows

pupils to bring pet hamsters into weekly maths lessons? Eton College for

providing our country with nineteen prime ministers? Possibly, a school in

Edinburgh which only permits the Head boy to tame a moustache? Yet, surely

schools such as Westminster and St Mary‘s school would surge rise above the

rest in their ‗battle for the best‘ after coming out on top of school league table

year in and year out?

Quirky traditions and a catalogue of distinguished alumni members leave most

people listing various private schools in response to such questions. Others

may argue that state funded schools are more suitable for a wider market

range. Technology colleges, comprehensive, and specialist schools not only

allow students to specialise in one subject area, but have a variety of

vocational courses on offer catering to a generation of people who are faced

with cuts. However, others claim that grammar schools are the most desirable

as they have remained at the top of the tripartite system on the basis of

meritocratic principles, not on how much money is in the bank.

Nevertheless, private

schools have left their

mark on British society.

Case and point: the

‗ f a mo u s l y B r i t i s h ‘

clothing brand, Jack

Wills, has gone to the

e f fo r t o f m a k i n g

personalised hoodies for

Harrow school‘s rugby

team and jumpers for

each head boy and head

girl at the most elite

public schools. The new

Jack Will‘s market will model and reflect British culture ‗so very accurately,

yah‘ and the brand will remain ‗‘British, British, British‖, as the CEO, Peter

Williams, stated.

Continued on page 2 op-ed...

By Aje Roberts

What would we do if the Thames burst its banks and submerged London in

water? Questions of further climate change and natural disasters are posed all

too often, but rarely ever heard. Are we the cause of so much negative change

globally or the ever shifting state of the planet? We have to pull up our

bootstraps and recognise we‘re no longer dealing with just theories and leftie

rhetoric: this isn‘t just everyone‘s future, but everyone‘s NOW. Extreme

weather is becoming the norm, and everyone, developed and undeveloped

countries, is affected by its wrath. Are you equipped for the changes of

climate yet to come?

Recently, Australia witnessed devastating floods that have shocked the global

audience. Although it is considered a More Economically Developed

Country, Australia was still crippled by the disastrous weather conditions that

struck again and again. A massive 30 billion US dollars worth of damage was

dealt in December 2010 to Queensland, Australia. Huge flooding caused the

deaths of 35 people, and a further 9 are still missing. We all heard the brave

but shocking story of heroic 13 year old Jordan Rice who shouted ―save my

brother first‖ whilst struggling for his life in the floodwaters. His 10 year old

brother returned safely to his parents however, Jordan was swept to his death.

Human vulnerability seems glaring during catastrophic disasters such as this

tragedy, but this time Lady Luck didn‘t seem a fitting scapegoat. We, the

onlookers of the world, daily consumers of petrol, international jetsetters,

knew our hands weren‘t clean of blood.

Unfortunately the floods continued to affect Australia, this time hitting

Victoria with one death but another setback of 2 billion dollars. Between

January 26th and February 3rd, a category 4 cyclone called Yasi hit Australia

affecting Queensland and Victoria. It is unknown how far the damages will

stretch. The media has said the storm could be ―the state‘s worst cyclone in

history‖. The Prime Minister of Australia has issued statements saying all aid

preparations were and are under way. All of these natural disasters in

Australia have caused concern that global warming is behind the change.

Thousands of people have been affected should we, the UK, as an island

country begin to prepare for such a calamity?

Continued on page 5 news…

Our world is changing, have you caught up?

Interview with Early Ghost Writer and interviewer: Julia Kisray

Early Ghost is made up of six college friends based in Sussex, who came

together in 2009 and have been working their way to the top since then.

Back in February, we had the pleasure of chatting with Mike O‘Malley,

Zoë Brownrigg, Sam Allan and Hugh Aynsley from the band.

BB: How would you describe yourselves?

Mike: I‘d say we‘re a mix of folk and rock. That‘s about right, isn‘t it?

Zoë: Yeah I‘d say so. In one interview, we were described as a cross

between Russell Brand and Desperate Dan. What a load of rubbish.

BB: How and where did you record your EP “We Crossed The

Waves”?

Mike: We actually did all the recording ourselves.

Hugh: With only one microphone! We recorded the entire thing at Mike‘s

house, apart from drums which was at a friend‘s house.

BB: What’s in store for Early Ghost in the coming year?

Mike: More live shows in London and Brighton, and eventually another

release.

Hugh: We‘re writing new stuff, so yeah, it‘s all very exciting at the

moment.

BB: What do you guys love most about being in a band?

Hugh: The love that‘s blossomed between band members.

Mike: The male band members.

Long silence, Hugh winks at Mike and then all four begin to laugh.

Mike: No I‘d say playing live.

Zoë: We‘ve all become really close as well. I‘ve now made friends in

places that I‘d never even visited before. It‘s brilliant.

Continued on page 6 entertainment…

Natural Disasters and Weather Change

Roedean vs The World An opinion piece

‚The interpretation of

‘best’ will always remain

tenuous, but that’s not an

invitation to ignore the

pursuit all together.‛

THE BOUDICCA BULLETIN Roedean School Newspaper

“Honour the wordy”

Volume III, Issue II Spring, 2011 Roedean School, Roedean Way, Brighton, BN2 5RQ

BOUDICCA BULLETIN PAGE 2

PAGE 2 OPINIONS & EDITORIALS

OPINIONS & EDITORIALS

THE BOUDICCA BULLETIN EDITORIAL

Continued from the front page…

At the start of year eleven (U5 as the majority of privately educated folks may

know it), I realised that I was at the zenith of my compulsory education: the

world was my oyster. I left port, eager to embark on the ultimate quest to find

a first-rate ‗finishing school‘. I had already cultivated 13 years of education at

both a Roman Catholic Primary school and at a state grammar school, located

in North Lincolnshire, England. Over a year later, I found myself at a school

on a far away cliff in southern England ready to make a leap of faith. It was

my turn to sink or swim.

After undergoing the seven weeks of the Michaelmas term (the Iron Man test

o f t r u e R o e d e a n

endurance), I could now

confidently tell my

skeptical friends up North

that Roedean does not

fulfill its stereotype of

manufacturing ‗Jack Wills

Rah‘ clones. Perhaps with

slight less urgency, I also

reported that this is not the pedantic hothouse packed with only the finest

scholars as my parents had dreamed. ‗Freedom of thought‘ is a preeminent

value instilled into the girls from day one at Roedean School. Joana Hamilton,

an OR who attended Roedean school both in South Africa and in the UK in

1946 – 50, provided me with some reminiscent childhood anecdotes of her

time at Roedean. I found that the school‘s ethos is perennial: education at

Roedean is tailored to the individual.

On the surface, Roedean seems to offer each pupil the stepping-stones into the

real world. However, one cannot ignore the ‗facts and stats‘ associated with

Roedean in the last decade. With school fees at almost £28,000 a year for full

board, Roedean is one of the most expensive boarding schools in the UK. Yet

despite the amount of money parents have invested into the ‗life long‘

education provided by Roedean for their daughter, this school still only

publishes ‗average‘ grades compared to schools of similar prestige and tuition

fees.

When assessing Roedean through the government‘s measure of education,

many tend to pin the blame of mediocre results on the fact that pupils at

Roedean sit much ‗harder‘ IGCSE examinations than those at state schools.

This is one of the underlying reasons why Roedean plummeted down to 154th

rank in the school league tables in 2001 (its lowest to date). Yet one must

question how do schools such as Westminster, St. Paul‘s School, Cheltenham

Ladies College and Wycombe Abbey, who also face the hardship of opting to

take such exams, still produce results that came out on top of the league tables

this year. Granted, Roedean does come out in the top 10% of value added

schools in the UK, a frequently used rebuttal to the league table accusation. By

implication, however, this statistic points fingers at the admission process of

the school: indeed, Roedean has proven to stretch each student‘s academic

potential with laudable success, but without a competitive starting point we‘re

doomed to forever be overshadowed by our Brighton College neighbours.

Roedean educates intelligent girls with potential, but there appears to be a flaw

in its formula. Perhaps the school should consider an approach similar to

Cheltenham Ladies College, for example, by labelling and streaming pupils for

a positive outcome shown by the students who try to prove or disprove their

self-fulfilling prophecy. However, the school does not need to go to the extent

of building an ‗Oxford Staircase‘ like at Cheltenham, in which only students

who have won seats at Oxbridge are allowed to use. A bit too elitist, I feel.

The philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau suggested that individuals need the

incentive of law (in our context, stricter school rules and more control over

each pupil‘s school day) in order to remain loyal to the sovereign. Self-

interested individuals (most pupils in school environment) may try to enjoy all

the benefits of citizenship (wasting free periods to play games instead of

studying) without obeying any of the duties of a subject. Rousseau claims that

unwilling subjects will be forced to obey the general will: they will be ‗forced

to be free‘.

I feel that now is the time for philosophising. In our community, what we lack

on paper we compensate for in spirit, but I see no reason why we can‘t succeed

in both. An application of Rousseau‘s philosophy ultimately may allow the

school to re-enter the A-C economy and show the world that Roedean could

possibly be the ‗best‘ school in England. The interpretation of ‗best‘ will

always remain tenuous, but that‘s not an invitation to ignore the pursuit all

together.

Jack Wills and Rationality Let’s judge this book by its cover.

By Camilla Gibson

I think it‘s a fair assumption that majority of students who read this probably

own at least one item of Jack Wills attire. Jack Wills, like Marmite, induces

only two effects: you either love it or you hate it. I for one have never treated

the brand as a uniform, yet I do confess to owning a few sneaky items.

Actually, I had never really heard of Jack Wills until I came to Roedean (not

really helping the cliché public school stigma, am I?). It was the thing to wear

in Upper 4; I envied girls who came in on the weekend in their home clothes

with JACK WILLS blazoned across their chests. When I eventually ventured

into the ‗faux-heritage university outfitters shop‘, I was taken aback at the

price of everything. £14 for a pair of underwear and £60 for a shirt? Not likely

mister! Yet, like all things in vogue, a price tag, any price tag, was just a

means to an end: Jack Wills wasn‘t only selling some ill-fitted jeans, but the

persona of the sexy teen who bore that ragged number. Jack Wills sold a whole

way of life...or so I believed.

I showed my mother the clothes that I so desperately wanted, but she couldn‘t

comprehend why I ‗needed‘ a t-shirt that cost £40 and would surely shrink in

the wash. Looking back on it now, I realise the genius of their advertising

ploys, their marketing is second to none. Exhibit A: the notorious ‗Jack Wills

Viewbook‘. Every month a handbook is delivered to you by mail. Beautifully

presented, as if a fashion magazine and not a mere marketing catalogue, its

opening pages feature photos of modern-day Michaelangelos- chiselled jaws

and all- playing on the beach or casually riding a vintage bicycle. In fact, even

the new Roedean prospectus clearly emulates this highly visual ‗featurette‘

style- undeniably, the idea marketing gold. It‘s not until about 40 pages into

the handbook that the clothing collection is finally revealed. But no matter,

polo‘s in the same design, and styles as the previous issue aren‘t the product

anyway. Even as a self-conscious Upper 4 I‘m sure I was aware of this. The

lifestyle I was buying into, the first 40 pages of the catalogue was something I

aspired to belong to. A ‗coolness‘ factor and an elite club, Jack Wills was well

worth my pocket money.

However, the most recent handbook that I received told a different story. No

longer was I browsing through a catalogue that featured innocent girls with

cute noses having a pillow fight, no…Jack Wills has now taken on a

completely different tone. In the autumn edition, there was a striking change in

the content of most of the photos. The clothes were barely there.

Jack Wills calls itself a university outfitter, yet they have recently attracted a

much younger audience. It‘s widespread popularity is a result of its

‗aspirational‘ status, but with such a luxury the Jack Wills Corporation should

not overlook their social responsibility. Many younger girls and boys are now

public-school ‗Jack Will-ites‘, but few and far between would feel that its

content is suitable for younger buyers. On receiving my 2011 spring handbook

and glancing through the pictures, I felt compelled to write this article

immediately. I was frankly appalled by the content, the first few pages were of

normal beach day scenes and then, suddenly, little was left to the imagination.

The great irony: a clothes merchandise company that uses nudity as an

advertising ploy.

Look, I get it. The more I vilify Jack Wills and claim it‘s sexualising our

youth, the more popular it will become. It‘s a part of its advertising genius, and

as I mentioned early, hats down to that. But let me just leave a thought with

every Upper Four who desperately awaits home clothes day to show off her

new Jack Wills Wardrobe: no one considers you a beach babe, chilled out,

mature, carefree, or sexy by having Jack Wills tattooed along your front. Just

as smokers are pawns of the tobacco industry, you‘re a pawn of your own

perceived vanity and a corporation that‘s seeped deeper in your consciousness

than you‘d like to believe. Go ahead, be a fashionista, let your outfit proclaim

your identity! But last time I checked, Jack wasn‘t a girl‘s name.

‚… this school still only publishes

‘average’ grades compared to

schools of similar prestige and

tuition fees.‛

BOUDICCA BULLETIN PAGE 11 FASHION

PAGE 11 FASHION

By Modupe Babalola

Jimmy Choo. Oh, the shoes: those

glamorous, shiny, teetering heeled works of

art and beauty! What a girl would not give to

have reciprocated love from such a shoe...

But where did it all start? Who is Jimmy

Choo? Surely not that sophisticated Mellon

girl? Nein! Mr Choo, was born in Malaysia

and graduated from a London College of

Fashion (cordwainers), paying his student

fees by working part time in restaurants and

in a shoe factory as a cleaner. He gathered

the money to open up a shop in the unlikely

Hackney, and initially designed bespoke

shoes (customised shoes for clients such as

Princess Di) as well as ready-to-buy shoes.

All from his workshop in (not so central)

London! In 1988 Vogue printed an 8 page

spread of his shoes, thus garnering him fame

and riches. He then partnered with the (rich)

Tamera Mellon (who became the creative

director) in 1996, whilst she was the British

Vogue accessories editor. Together they

created Jimmy Choo Limited. This collection

includes bags as well as flat sandals! To top

it off, in 2002, Queen Elizabeth the second

gave him an award in recognition of his

contribution to the shoe and fashion industry

in the United Kingdom. Three cheers for

Jimmy Choo!

JIMMY CHOO! The tale of a humble cobbler...

By Reika Takahashi

Friday 28th of January 2011 was Home Clothes Day

for Charity. This was the perfect chance to go

hunting for a Roedeanian who was Best Dressed.

Here are the two well-dressed ladies which I have

spotted throughout the day.

This is Jemima Scott from Upper Four. I could see

clearly that she had an eye for fashion. She mixed

vintage apparel with brown leather shoes which fitted

perfectly. She expressed casual chic with a unique

twist. Her jewellery was also another key point in her

outfit. Her collection of one of kind bracelets gave a

perfect finishing touch.

Joint winners: Jemima Scott & Saffi Leigh Best Dressed Saffi Leigh matched her light brown

shoes with a subtle brown belt. Her

navy blue trousers complemented her

outfit. The blue and white striped thin

long sleeved shirt gave a marine feel

with a Coco Chanel twist, as Chanel has

set a trend of these shirts throughout

fashion history. Her bracelets, an

ensemble of silver and pearl, gave a

glamorous je ne se quoi to her outfit.

Fashion Interview With economics and govt./pol teacher, Mr. Thomson

Interviewer: Vicky Crawshaw

As Smash Mouth wisely said, fashion is a passion

for the with it and hip — but what about the for the

rest of us? Mr. Thomson dishes out his perspective

on being a permanent fashion faux-pas.

BB: Are you an avid follower of fashion and

trends?

KT: I‘ve never really been into it…I think I‘m

missing a fashion gene!

BB: So how would you describe your sense of

style?

KT: Fairly conventional, mostly suits and ties.

BB: But only at work right?!

KT: Ha, yes but at home also quite conservative.

I‘m normally in cargo pants and a tshirt, I can‘t

stand labels. Shove a brand name on anything and

you can double the price.

BB: So you don’t like labels, but you’re wearing a

Louis Vuitton tie Sir? KT: I object to people overspending and there‘s

something a bit shallow about it, but this was a

present from one of the girls. You‘ll generally find

me shopping for socks and jackets in Tesco or Asda!

BB: Mr Hargreaves said the same thing!!! From

what I can tell, you’re fairly conventional. But

what was the wildest trend you ever followed?

KT: Well you‘ll probably find this sad, but when I

was a teenager I was into disco! I used to wear

baggy high-waist trousers with 5 buttons and

massive platform shoes.

BB: What, as in platforms with heels?!

KT: It was in fashion! And they went with my

jacket with a flared collar. Kind of typical 70‘s

fashion really.

BB: Are you seeing any of the fashion from when

you were growing up coming back into style

now?

KT: There seems to be an 80‘s revival going on – all

the leg warmers and shoulder pads!

BB: So who are your biggest fashion

inspirations?

KT: I‘m kind of into dark suits, so I could say James

Bond…not that I could pull that look off.

BB: What do you think of the new insane looks

celebrities like Lady GaGa, Nicki Minaj, Katy

Perry and Rihanna are known for?

KT: I think they are clever attention seekers! They

may be talented performers, but really only use the

outrageous visuals to get coverage. I mean, Lady

Gaga covering herself in meat grabbed the attention

of every magazine in the world. But really its only

clever self-promotion that they adopted from

Madonna, I think she‘s their inspiration.

BB: Have you ever tried to copy a celebrities

fashion sense or a specific look?

KT: You won‘t remember this, but there was a

fashion called the ―two-toned era‖ in the 80‘s when

the Mod look was in style. It was really just jackets

with targets on the backs and two-toned suits.

VC: So you wore multi-colored suits?! I think

you should try and revive that look now sir!

KT: Yeah, I tried to dress like that for a while. It‘s

very Brighton, and back then it was the Mods vs

Rockers and I was definitely more of a Mod, heavy

metal music isn‘t really my territory. Modern bands

like Oasis and The Who started a revival of Mod

fashion with the whole Brit-pop style of music!

BB: Is there a particular style or something “in

fashion” at the moment that you can’t stand?

KT: Ridiculously high heels! They‘re absurd.

People can wear what they like but they‘re not really

my style.

BB: I would hope not sir!

KT: Haha! But you know what I mean, you see girls

teetering along, hardly standing up and you wonder

why they‘re punishing themselves.

BB: So do you think it‘s better to conform to what‘s

in style, or stick to your own fashion sense?

KT: People tend to get sucked too much into the

hype of fashion and they should develop more of

their own sense of style! I respect women more like

my wife who dress simply and don‘t disguise

themselves with all the make-up.

BOUDICCA BULLETIN PAGE 10

PAGE 10 SPORT

SPORT

NATIONALS, BABY!

By Caitlin Boyland

Winning, the feeling we all want to experience. We certainly experienced both

loss and victory during the Regional Round of the National Schools Netball

Tournament after qualifying from the County Round. Being the Number one

school in Sussex, we set off to Southampton. January 22nd was a date that was

imprinted on the minds of the all the netballers and the PE Department. A day

to make or break, as they say.

We did not start the day positively; we lost our first game against Portsmouth

Girls‘ School. We were sluggish as 10am seemed a little too early for most of

us, even after a full English Breakfast. Our positioning was out of sync and

balls seemed to be going everywhere but to our own players. Not to worry

though, Mrs. Carnaghan, known for her motivating words, gave us a much

needed rhetorical kick. We all realised how badly we had performed so we

blasted Wellington out of the water with a 10-3 victory in our next game.

In our stride we beat Oxford High School. Next up, a stiff competition against

Beaconsfield. They had won all their previous games and we knew that this

was our biggest match yet. We lost, only to have fallen at the last hurdle. So

for the last match we decided to go out on a high- not yet realising how high

the match would be!

Portsmouth Girls‘ High School, who had beaten us previously, had suddenly

lost and there was now a chance to go through. Sadly we could play no more

netball and all we could do was wait: it was out of our hands. Such a wait has

never been so long, but was it worth it! Roedean had qualified as Runners Up

to the Semi Finals!

Our self-confidence skyrocketed; we were now here to contend for a spot in

the Nationals. Playing St Mary‘s Ascot seemed like a breeze, each player in

turn playing out of their skin to form a great team. Once we won this match the

sense of euphoria hit us all, we had qualified! The PE department were in

tears, Mrs. Goulet snivelling to the point of incoherence. In the next game we

all agreed as a team that we had to win and earn the title of being Number one

in the South region too. Did we do it? Simply, yes we did. Watching a 6ft plus

Edwina Wilson become athletic and jump was quite a marvel, while Gabby

Tomlinson with supreme accuracy shot every goal, and every person in the

team- Ope Salau, Phoebe Tomlinson, Harriet Scott, Sharon Jacobs, Caitlin

Boyland, Nkem Ike-Nwabuoku and Jess Jasper- worked together as a winning

team. Every position counts, on court and off court.

Roedean has made its mark, not just as a school in a tournament but as a

netball school, which is a feat in itself for Roedean. All I can say now is

BRING ON THE NATIONALS 19th March!

Sports Prefect Caitlin Boyland recalls how the Roedean netball team went from zero to hero.

By Susannah Esiri-Bloom

I think that nearly everyone has heard of the famous Harry

Potter with his lightning bolt scar. Yet universities have taken

the world of Harry Potter to a whole other level.

In the HP series, Quidditch is a high-speed game played on

broomsticks with seven players in each team. There are three

Chasers, who try to pass a spherical ball (Quaffle) through

three hoops; two Beaters, who use bats to try to beat the

Chasers with smaller balls called Bludgers to knock them out

of play; a Keeper who defends the goals; and a Seeker, who

tries to catch the Snitch, an unbelievably swift winged and

golden ball. Goals are 10 points each, but catching the Snitch is

worth 150 points and ends the game.

'Muggle Quidditch' has become an

increasingly popular sport, especially in

America. In the US over 400 schools have

joined the 'International Quidditch

Association' (yes, this really exists). A few

other teams have formed since the release

of the last Harry Potter book. Oxford

University is one of the universities who

have joined this growing craze.

Muggle Quidditch is played with slightly

modified rules, as determined by the Intercollegiate Quidditch

Association. Seeing as we have not yet discovered how to fly

with a broomstick, the game is still earthbound. The Quaffle is

usually a volley ball. Beaters have to throw the Bludgers,

rather than batting those self-propelled balls out of the air.

Everyone has to keep broomsticks between their legs. The

Snitch is a yellow Ping-Pong ball, clipped to a yellow-attired

Seeker (ideally a highly competent cross-country runner who

can keep a game going for half an hour or more).

Universities, however, are not the only establishments which

have interesting sports, for example Eton boy‘s school. Eton

has a unique game called ‗the Wall Game‘. The field is a

narrow strip of about five metres wide running along a brick

wall and is roughly 110 meters from end to end. Each side tries

to get the ball down the other side to score. Players are not

allowed to handle the ball, and are not allowed to take any part

of their body off the wall except their hands and feet. They are

not allowed to strike or hold back there opponent.

Reminiscing pranks of Roedean‘s past, no one can deny the

undeniable resemblance Roedean bears to Hogwarts. So

where‘s that quidditch team, sisters?

Muggle Quidditch Where have all the Swimmers Gone?

By Harriet Scott

If you think about Sport at Roedean I guarantee that netball and hockey are the two sports

that first spring into your mind. But is there too much focus on these teams, so much so

that our other sporting teams are being neglected?

It‘s a fact that netball and hockey monopolize the Winter Term squad practices, to the

extent that other sports are scheduled into the school diary at awkward times. You only

have to flick through the sports schedule to see which sports which are given the priority.

Of course, it is inevitable that some sports are more widely played than others. In

addition, most schools have a netball team, so this enables us to have more fixtures.

We are extremely lucky to have such great facilities (as were rightly heralded in last

year‘s school survey) and access to a swimming pool; a pool is certainly a luxury for

many schools. In England the number of Olympic size swimming pools is surprisingly

scarce for a developed country in the twenty-first century. There are only three Olympic

sized pools in England at present, and as of 2010 no University possessed an Olympic

standard pool. Even though Roedean doesn‘t have an Olympic size pool of its own, the

neglect of this sport on a national scale should encourage us to make swimming a more

prominent sport on our own turf, as it is clearly something that we are lacking in England.

It should be a duty of this school to motivate the girls that are talented swimmers and

enhance their abilities so they can go on to compete at a higher level. One outstanding

Roedean swimmer, Caitlin Boyland (Sports Prefect), would seem to unravel my critique.

But as talented and successful as Caitlin is, it is unfair and untrue to publicise Caitlin‘s

success as indicative of the overall standard of the swim team. Caitlin, by even her own

account, is the exception not the norm.

When you play Netball and Hockey there is a clear goal which one strives to achieve: to

reach the 1st or 2nd team. This is when you are seen to reach the peak of your school-days

sporting abilities. There is a real sense of pride when your name gets read out in assembly

and you cross the stage to receive your white 1st team jumper, even more so when you

wear it for the first time. However, the swim team doesn‘t have a 1st team, and thus the

incentive factor present in Netball and Hockey doesn‘t come into play for Roedean

swimmers. Why shouldn‘t swimmers too be awarded when they reach a high skills level

or a high level of commitment and dedication to the swim squad? Different teams also

help to accommodate different skill sets. In the same way that you have different maths

classes for different mathematical abilities, elite swimmers should be able to practise at a

different level to beginners. Sport has to be competitive, I believe, as this motivates you

to strive for your personal best. I think that not having that slight competiveness only

further reduces the importance of the swim squad, making it just a club, not a Roedean

Sports Team, per se.

We all know that the level of sport coaching is extremely high at Roedean, with dedicated

and caring coaches- I do not doubt that for a moment. I just believe that we should hear

more about our other excellent sporting teams at our school. I know that swimming is just

as valuable a sport as is Hockey or Netball, but now I'm just waiting for the rest of the

school to catch up with me.

For the sport squads that don’t always get the gold.

BOUDICCA BULLETIN PAGE 3

PAGE 3 OPINIONS & EDITORIALS

OPINIONS & EDITORIALS

Volume III Issue II Th e Boudicca Bullet in ; Roedean School Newspaper

Roedean School, Roedean Way, Brighton, BN2 5RQ

Editor-In-Chief Joy Crane (jc12) News Editors Serena Esiri-Bloom (se6) & Emma Alexander (ea4)

Features Editors Jamie-Jo Whelan(jw28) & Jasmine Gordon-

Brown (jg3) Opinions & Editorial Editor Victoria Woo (vw3)

Sports Editor Camilla Gibson (cg8)

Fashion Editor Aimee Taylor (at8) Entertainment Editor Julia Kisray (jk6)

Business & Advertising Manager Joyce Ip (wi1)

Layout Editor Sheena Cheung (sc10) Faculty Advisor Mr. Back

Notes from the board melemel, sanami276@deviant art for cassette tape vector and tape.

Start watching out for vacant editor positions starting next term. Sign up as

a writer to show Boudicca Bulletin your potential!

By Sophie Watson

58 years of repression. 38 years of

dictatorship. 85 million people

echoing the resounding the

message, ―Mubarak must step

down‖.

This is just one of the examples of

mass rioting that has been

dominating countries in the Middle

East. Riots in Tunisia sparked off a

trend which has spread, sweeping

many leaders from power. The fall

of Tunisian President Zine al-

Alidine Ben Ali after 23 years in

power happened after a month of protests and riots over unemployment and high

food prices. Countries with similar problems and those who wanted to be rid of their

authoritarian regime noticed the success of these riots and now a similar trend has

spread to Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Jordan and Morocco. The entire world has

become transfixed by the street protests which resulted in the Tunisian president

fleeing his country and their ―domino effect‖ on other Arab nations which have

followed suit.

It took 18 days of mass protests to clear President Hosni Mubarak from power. This

was after mass protests and riots, mainly in Cairo, becoming increasingly violent as

the days went on. Tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets were all used in an

attempt to curb the protesters‘ power as rioters in Cairo openly defied the authorities.

The situation worsened after President Mubarak made a television appearance stating

that he would not step down. If the message hadn‘t quite got through to him, then it

soon would, as his television appearance brought fifty thousand protestors to the

capital and turned the city into a warzone. It was simple: there had to be change. As

long as Mubarak was in power, there would be unrest. A government building was

set alight, mobile and Internet

networks were shut down, and the

strength and determination of the

protestors brought Egypt into rapid

turmoil. After 18 days Mubarak went

against his word, and handed power

over to the military authorities. Just

like Tunisia and Egypt, Libya, Syria

and Yemen are now showing signs of

going down the same route, openly

defying their current political systems.

In one part of the world we had the prominent demonstrations of Africa and the

Middle-East, but in Europe, we had the student protests in England, and in France.

Cuts in university funding was the motive for the era of unrest in England that left

Parliament Square scattered with charred debris, mangled barriers, and broken glass.

The damage, having taken place mainly in Central London, prompted condemnation

of the home secretary and of the student demonstrators themselves. This resulted in

Pupil Power Riots

By Vicci Cowlett

Government cuts are affecting everything: thousands of jobs losses, frozen

child benefits, and some schools have even had to stop serving lunch. So it‘s

not surprising that the government has proposed to cut funding to the

Department for Culture, Media and Sport, including areas such as British art,

film, television, libraries, museums, sports clubs, and theatre. If you look at

this list, it includes much of what we class as entertainment. These areas are of

huge (and growing) economic importance to Britain, as they are powerful

tourist magnets and act as the epicentre of our national pride.

The arts industry in

Bri tain receives

funding from a range

of sources: Arts

Council England (or

Scotland, Wales or

I r e l a n d ) , l o c a l

authorities, sponsorship, the UK Film Council and not forgetting private

donations. The Culture Minister has already reported a 29.6% decrease in

funds for Arts Council England (and corresponding bodies) and proposed the

abolition of the UK Film Council. With private donors and companies keeping

their banknotes close to their chests during the recession, sponsorship and

donations will soon dry up. This leaves the local authorities to shell out more

money to support arts organisations. But wait, the government has ordered all

departments (excluding Health) to reduce spending by 20-25% - local

authorities included. Thus, the arts will receive even less funding not only

from government grants, but also from most other sources of income.

But how does this affect you and me? Well, some local authorities are cutting

more than the recommended 25% from their payouts to arts and culture

organisations. West Sussex is one of these offending authorities, meaning

renowned establishments nearby, such as the Chichester Festival Theatre, will

be under threat from dwindling resources.

So why is Britain pulling funding from the art industry whilst Sarkozy is

building a new national museum? Why is the UK abolishing the Stonehenge

Visitor Centre when France is spending over £88 million on heritage sites and

museums? Our economists can‘t put a price tag on national identity, and yet a

silent national arts auction seems to be dawning.

Economic Backlash and the Arts

no change but a disturbing and

unforgettable turn of events that

tormented London. There was a fair

amount of peaceful protesting as

well, but in between this and

violence the majority of civil

disobedience was directed at

property, not people. Such behaviour

can be traced back to the Suffragettes

who raised hell, smashed windows,

and chained themselves to railings

for the women‘s right to vote.

Ultimately, unlike the student protestors however, they prevailed.

Demographics are the key to successful civic action. In Egypt and

Tunisia the ‗Facebook generation‘ now represents nearly 50% of the

entire civic population. As a result, their grievances and revolt

represented the majority of civic opinion. In the case of the British

university fee increases, although young people were largely united in

their opposition, they represent a much smaller proportion of society in

relation to their Egyptian and Tunisian counterparts. Student power can

shake down injustice and demand reform, but each corner of the world

must be aware of its own population. Rioting is just a means to an end -

it‘s the blood, sweat, and tears behind it which can unearth corrupt

regimes. Viva la revolution!

‚why is Britain pulling funding from

the art industry whilst Sarkozy is

building a new national museum?‛

BOUDICCA BULLETIN PAGE 4

PAGE 4 NEWS

NEWS

BB: Can you tell me when and how you got stranded?

MZ: I got stuck at Heathrow airport because of the snow and

my flight was cancelled at the end of last term. On the Friday

there was no snow but when I stepped outside on Saturday

morning I could have sworn I was in the North Pole! If only

I‘d left a day earlier!

BB: How long were you stranded at the airport for?

MZ: I was stranded in the airport for just a night but it felt like

so much longer – I couldn‘t sleep as I had so much luggage

and I didn‘t want any of it stolen in the night. On top of that I

had to stay in London for a whole week, waiting for the notice

that flights were running again.

BB: Who helped you get back?

MZ: My father helped me get back, he had to rebook a ticket

and I couldn‘t have done it without him.

BB: Explain how it inconvenienced you.

MZ: Although Christmas is not celebrated in China as much

as it is in England, I couldn‘t enjoy any of my friend‘s parties

and get-togethers because my plane didn‘t leave until

Christmas Eve. More importantly I missed a whole week of

holiday that I could have been spending with my family! The

entire first chunk of my holiday was gone and all in all it was

a very hectic and sad experience.

Snowed In! Junior reporter of the term:

Isobel Swaysland met up with Molly Zhang , 61, to talk about her hectic travelling experience, caused

by the extreme weather, this Christmas.

By Cammy Cho and Joy Crane

After weeks of anticipation, February 18th finally arrived: the Roedean

delegates were headed to the UN. As thankful as we were for the excursion of

a lifetime, the ten of us (Gabby Tomlinson, Cammy Cho, Joy Crane, Jenny

Seong, Hannah Smith, Morgan Taylor, Surya Elango, Vicci Cowlett, Ms.

Langley, and Emily King) were slightly wary of the challenge that lay ahead:

would we, an eclectic group of all different faiths and nationalities, be

equipped to represent the voices of UK female youth? As we prepped

ourselves for another week of ―work‖ whilst our peers journeyed home for a

well-deserved break, our fears blossomed into confidence. Like the women we

would to meet from all corners of the globe, we were learning (slowly) that

confidence is beautiful. Before we knew it, we were jetting off to attend the

55th UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)!

As you might imagine, it

would take this issue of the

BB and the next‘s to cover

all of our escapades in New

York. So instead I‘ve

decided to focus on the

highlights, and what we

learnt from this gathering of

fantastic women. Our first event was an orientation day at Pace University

where we were honoured to meet speakers such as Michelle Bachelet (the

Under-Secretary General for UN Women and the former President of Chile

2006-2010) and Leymah Gbowee a.k.a. Mama Africa (a peace activist who

was directly involved in bringing the Second Liberian Civil War to an end).

Ms. Bachelet spoke extensively about UN Women, a new arm of the UN which

has been operational only since January. This CSW was thus historically

significant because of its coinciding with the premiere of UN Women: at last, a

renewed energy is being spent on the most neglected of the Millennium

Development Goals, those that pertain to women. Ms. Bachelet also drove

home the importance of women playing active and senior roles in the political

sphere. As a former defence minister and head of state, she stressed that

women CAN excel in traditionally ‗male‘ posts: ―Women can do all, but not

all at the same time‖. Ms. Bachelet‘s exceptional story truly put Britain‘s lack

of progress in the political domain into perspective- it is utterly unacceptable

that only 22% of parliamentarians are women.

Leymah Gbowee was a woman and a half. After her moving speech about her

experiences with real grassroots women in Liberia and across the African

continent, few had dry eyes or quiet souls. Liberia is another shining beacon

for the representation of women in politics, as President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

is the first and currently only elected female head of state in Africa. In her own

right, Leymah is a mover and shaker. The biggest hurdle for women, in her

opinion, is getting men to identify with the issues of women and to recognise

their political, economic, and social value. Leymah‘s solution? Make them

suffer the discrimination that ordinary women must endure on an average day.

The rest of the week was filled with parallel events which went into great

detail about the different plights and progress of women from all across the

world. We heard from women who pursued IT and Science despite economic

and social disownment from their families. We heard from women said no to

the ‗sex for grades‘ phenomenon that is sweeping Ghana and Tanzania. We

heard ordinary women shoot down a man‘s subtly sexist remarks in the lift

about ‗women‘s role in the kitchen‘. But on the 100th anniversary of

International Women‘s' Day on March the 8th, we didn‘t hear a thing:

Roedean fell silent. One day we all will have to depart from this artificial

homo-social environment and face the pressures of the real world. When that

day dawns, we will regret having turned a blind eye to the plights and

successes of our sisters around the world. This is the year for Roedean to

proudly to proclaim that this is a feminist school, a school which will fight for

the women both inside and outside of the school gates.

*** Look out for next issue‘s feature on women‘s role in the peace process in

Tunisia. Native Tunisian Samia Fitouri, who met the Roedean Delegation at

the CSW, will tell her story.

United Nations Women Conference Can we do more?

‚Women can do all, but

not all at the same time‛

BOUDICCA BULLETIN PAGE 9 ENTERTAINMENT

PAGE 9 ENTERTAIMENT

Bibliotherapy By Barbara Roberts

Barbara Roberts spills her ‗Must-Reads‘, the focus this term on fantasy and sci-fi novels. If you thought Twilight and Harry Potter were the peak of literary

genius, than these picks are perfect for you! My Family and Other Animals is the first of three memoirs by Gerald Durrell of his childhood in Corfu during the 1930s, mostly about driving his eccentric

family to distraction through his obsession with wildlife. The book is for the most part truly hilarious. I can pretty much defy anyone not to laugh at least once

while reading it, especially any part involving the talking, kleptomaniac pet magpies.

Good For: Anyone in need of a good laugh.

Avoid if: Wildlife gets you as excited as a Monday morning games lesson.

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman is probably the definition of weird. With a character list consisting of murderers, angels, monks and knights (and one very

confused everyman), set in the world below the streets of London, it combines dark wit with intricate detail and imaginative originality. The book tells the story

of Richard Mayhew, an office worker in London who, after helping a young woman lying injured on a sidewalk, has his existence completely erased. He is

subsequently pulled into the haunting and fantastic world of ―London Below,‖ populated by people and things that have ―fallen through the cracks‖ of the

world above. He undertakes an unbelievable journey full of unforgettable people, creatures and places, all the while hoping to return to ―London Above‖ and to

normalcy.

Good For: Older girls (GCSE +), prepared to enjoy the metaphor of a ‗duality‘ in our world.

Avoid if: Metaphors before bed sound too much like hard work.

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud is also quite strange, in its own way. It‘s presumably a parallel universe and magicians rule through

summoning demons to do their bidding. The British Empire is still around (just about) and most of your favourite historical politicians and scientists are now

magicians. Events unfold and a web of intrigue and murder begins to be revealed. Part of what makes this book so funny is the satire on politics and spin in

general, but mainly it is the part-narration of the story by the egotistical Bartimaeus; full of quips, insults, and footnotes with inconsequential anecdotes and

incessant namedropping.

Good For: Those who devoured the HP series, but now need something to suit their sophisticated literary tastes.

Avoid If: You found Harry Potter dark or scary - if Harry disturbed you, this one will keep you checking under the bed at night and sleeping with the

lights on.

Nation by Terry Pratchett is set in another alternate reality. This time it‘s the 1860s in the South Pacific (here the Great Southern Pelagic Ocean) and a vast

storm has washed a canoe and a shipwreck onto the shores of an island devastated by a tsunami. The canoe carries Mau, the sole survivor of the village

previously there. The shipwreck brings Daphne, a prim, Victorian governor's daughter previously on her way to a South Sea port. Then follows "an awful lot

of big misunderstandings", as the back page blurb would have it. Both Mau and Daphne have to question everything they have ever been taught (in Daphne's

case it‘s imperialism, in Mau's it‘s his entire faith), and rebuild a nation as the refugees begin to arrive. You are warned, belatedly, in the afterword that this

book has 'some thinking' in and this is most certainly true. Big themes such as religion, nationhood, and death are all considered, but this is definitely not a

doom-and-gloom book. The humour isn't spread sparingly; it's an intrinsic part of the plot and leavens what may have otherwise been a rather ponderous novel.

Good For: Anyone feeling introspective. If your RS classes just aren‘t answering ‗the big questions‘ for you, this book might help.

Avoid if: You can‘t handle cliff-hanger, open-to-interpretation endings.

Genesis by Bernard Beckett is the kind of book most people are unlikely to touch with a bargepole. But they‘re missing out. I know its sci-fi (a genre which

currently has a bad reputation), I know the book involves philosophy, I know the cover is distinctly unappealing, BUT don‘t let these things shouldn't put you

off. The primary and secondary plot within it races along nicely, whereas the questions posed by it - most notably that of at what point does a machine become

animate- are not settled easily. Despite the cold, clinical manner the story is told in, the emotion and humanity of it seems to shine through the cracks, and the

twists of the ending are deeply shocking as all the assumptions of the reader are put to the test.

Good For: Fans of Frankenstein, and other stories of man vs. machine.

Avoid if: The very phrase ‗science-fiction‘ makes you gag.

By Vikki Crawhaw

Think bold. Think edgy. Think luminescent pink and red hair, dresses made

of meat, bras with cans of whipped cream, underwear with fireworks coming

out, and much more. The music industry is constantly changing and recently

celebrities such as M.I.A, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, and La Roux have

transformed the look and sound of pop music from the clean-cut Taylor Swift

image into something… well, a bit weird. The question is, has being off the

wall now become the status quo?

This new dimension of popular music is a mix of Rap and R&B, which female

singers are dominating. Songs like ‘Check It Out’ by Nicki Minaj are fresh in

this area and often feature well-known rappers such as Drake, Busta Rhymes,

and Rick Ross who ensure success in an already secure fan base. Why must

they use artists that are already rich and famous to claw their way to success?

We can‘t help finding the whole thing a bit artificial.

This type of music is bringing out the quirks in artists. The quiff was re-

invented by La Roux and quickly copied again by desperate X Factor rebels,

Jedward. But the new girl everybody is talking about is Nicki Minaj. We

watched Nicki come into the light in 2007; she was first discovered by Lil‘

Wayne and then soared in celebrity status by working with Rihanna who

helped put her straight on the stardom map. Nicki is in line to lead this new

type of music in 2011. Her irreverent attitude is a fusion of Lil‘ Kim (now

classed as Minaj‘s female rap rival) and Gwen Stefani, sprinkled with a

raunchy twist. One thing that separates Nicki from the rest is her playful use

of language. Her lyrics are full of attitude and wit but, let‘s face it, she may as

well have her own dictionary with all the crazy slang she uses. Loud-mouth

lyrics aren‘t the only wild things about Minaj – she developed her own sense

of style by mixing Stefani's obsession with the Japanese Harajuku fashion with

her own ―plastic fantastic‖ look based on Barbie, epitomized by the neon pink

hair that she rocks. But can she pull it all off? Her fans seem to think so,

praising Minaj for her lack of subtlety. However, not everyone loves the new

neon superstars that the record labels are churning out. After months of

dissing Nicki Minaj in public, rapper Lil' Kim finally expressed her hostility

towards the newbie

in a track called

"Black Friday"

w h i c h w a s

shrewdly named to

make a play on the

title of Nicki's

"Pink Friday" debut. Lil‘ Kim is definitely not feeling the love for Minaj with

her lyrics stating ―I've seen them come, I've seen them go, and still I remain.

Sweetie, you‘re going on your fourteenth minute of fame." I don‘t think we‘ll

be seeing a duet from the two of them any time soon.

These leading ladies are also shaping the world: Lady Gaga standing against

the ‗Don‘t Ask, Don‘t Tell‘ campaigns, M.I.A with the most controversial and

life-changing music videos to date (so controversial, one of them was banned

to go on YouTube). This type of behaviour in the music world had already

become mainstream and ordinary. What we are all wondering is what will be

the next step for music, fashion, and general popular culture once the

‗generation of Gaga‘ starts to get old?

2011’s Leading Ladies

‚… has being off the wall now

become the status quo?‛

BOUDICCA BULLETIN PAGE 8

Unlikely Duets

PAGE 8 ENTERTAIMENT

ENTERTAINMENT

By Amanda Nardi

Over the past decade, there has been a sudden increase in the number of cross-

genre collaborations. As the albums hit the charts we don‘t always realise it, but if

we look back we can see the trend emerge across the world. Who thought Kate

Nash and Lethal Bizzle would even be friends, let alone jam together?

Though both artists have now passed away, James Brown and Luciano Pavarotti‘s

performance of ‗It’s A Man’s World’ captured the concert audience in Pavarotti‘s

hometown of Modena at the beginning of this millennium. The mixture of opera

and soul was first regarded as odd, but later reviewed as a stunning masterpiece.

James Brown, known all over the world as the ‗Godfather of Soul‘ and still one of

the most sampled recording artists of all time, first performed the classic back in

1965.

A decade ago while Eminem was at his peak, gay communities across America

criticised him for his ‗homophobic‘ lyrics. To overcome this criticism, Eminem

made the decision to perform his song‘Stan’ (from the album ‘Curtain Call: The

Hits’, originally featuring British vocalist Dido, which launched her career in the

US) with Sir Elton John at the 2001 Grammy Awards. The Gay and Lesbian

Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) protested against the performance,

claiming that Eminem promoted hatred towards the gay communities. Their main

piece of evidence for this accusation was the line in the song where Stan says, "We

could have been together" and Eminem replies by saying, "That's the kind of thing

that makes me think we shouldn't meet each other." Elton John did not agree with

GLAAD and said that he had nothing against Eminem‘s lyrics.

‘Numb/Encore’ is a song featuring the massive hip hop artist Jay-Z and American

rock band Linkin Park from their collaborative album ‘Collision Course’ (2004).

The song, featuring backing vocals by Kanye West, is a mash up of Linkin Park‘s

smash hit ‘Numb’ and Jay-Z‘s Top 10 single ‘Encore’. Although this was not the

first unlikely duet that had come to the surface, to many of us, this has proved to be

the most memorable- rock and rap were previously worlds apart. Since this historic

moment for music, the pop industry has been heaving with even more bizarre

collaborations, from Bon Iver and Kanye West to Drake and Florence + The

Machine. Keep an ear out for any more weird and wonderful duets.

Continued from the front page…

BB: What kind of music do you guys like to listen to?

Mike: It‘s mainly Norwegian death metal.

Hugh: I‘m really into German trance.

Zoë: Guys! Well I don‘t know about you two but I love Bon Iver.

Mike: Sam‘s so picky. The only modern bands he‘ll listen to are Fleet Foxes.

Sam: Hey!

BB: If anything, that‘s a good thing. So which old school musicians do you

like, Sam?

Sam: The Doors, The Rolling Stones, Hendrix... that sort of stuff.

BB: Who would your dream duet be with?

- Another long silence -

Mike: That‘s a good question actually.

Zoë: Bon Iver?

Hugh: Mumford and Sons?

Mike: No, I‘d probably go for Ennio Morricone.

Sam: Yes!

Zoë: I don‘t know who that is.

Mike: The guy who writes music for Spaghetti Western films.

BB: What has been the most exciting that has happened to you since your

newly found stardom?

Hugh: Supporting Beirut in concert.

- All agree -

BB: If there were to be an Early Ghost movie, which actors would star as

you?

Mike: I‘d like to think I would be Jude Law.

Sam tries to hide his laughter -

Mike: Don‘t know why you‘re laughing, Sam. You would be Johnny Vegas.

Everybody laughs -

BB: That‘s actually scarily accurate...

Zoë: I‘d be that girl who is in that new film with Keira Knightley.

BB: Carey Mulligan?

Zoë: Yeah, I‘d be her.

Hugh: Apparently I look like the guy from Elf, y‘know, Will Farrell.

BB: Last question, why are you called Early Ghost?

Mike: I‘m afraid I refuse to share this information.

BB: Really? Don‘t try to be mysterious. I‘m guessing there is no story behind

the name.

Hugh: It‘s actually the title of an adult film.

Mike: You can‘t say that. She‘ll write it in!

BB: No I won‘t, don‘t worry. Your secret is safe with me.

Early Ghost‘s EP is available to listen to on Spotify and download from

iTunes. To find out more about the band, look them up on Facebook and

MySpace.

Upcoming gigs:

Tuesday 19th April: performing at Ronnie Scott‘s, London

Thursday 5th May: performing at Ginlik, London

. Hang On In There by John Legend & The

Roots

. Destination Anywhere by The Marvelettes

. Lasso by Phoenix

. At The River by Groove Armada

. Video by India.Arie

. Rolling In The Deep by Adele

. Elephant Gun by Beirut

. Do It Like A Dude (Acoustic Version) by

Jessie J

. Love Story by Layo & Bushwacka

. No Surprise by James Yuill

. On My Own by Vincent Vincent & The

Villains

. Ghostwriter by RJD2

BOUDICCA BULLETIN PAGE 5 NEWS

PAGE 5 NEWS

Climate Change Won’t Stall for the Economy BB exclusive Interview with Brighton Green MP, Caroline Lucas

Writers and interviewers: Emma Alexander and Serena Esiri-Bloom

With the theme of natural disasters in our news section this term we thought it

would be highly appropriate to speak to the first Green Member of Parliament

(MP) in the UK, representing the Brighton Pavilion constituency. During a

phone interview, Caroline Lucas gave us her opinions and solutions in

response to three pressing questions about our warming world as we know it.

In light of recent natural disasters, of which the flooding in Australia we can

relate to the most, we wanted to know how Brighton was preparing for such

situations. Ms. Lucas pointed out ―these freak weather events are happening

more and more often‖ and feels all coastal cities and towns near lakes and

rivers need to look closely at their flood defences. With specific reference to

Brighton, Ms. Lucas said ―although there has been good work done it must be

continued.‖

Our MP also expressed her apprehensions at the impact of the UK‘s financial

situation on environment spending budgets - ―I am concerned that people feel

an easy way to cut money is to cut flood defences‖. This led on to our next

question, on how the severity of the financial situation in which the UK finds

itself is affecting the time and money that should be spent on the environment.

―I feel that politicians and the media can only focus on one thing at a time.

This is so short sighted.‖ Facing popular opinion that we should cut spending,

the Green Party take a contrarian view and would like to see less job cuts and

major investments in green energy efficiency. ―I would like to see some proper

green investments

such as street by

s t r e e t h o m e

insulation which

would feed hundreds

of thousands of

people back into

work. There ought to

be a win, win situation.‖

On a lighter note, we concluded our interview by asking Ms. Lucas about her

experience of extreme weather conditions. A winter in Chicago as a student,

Ms. Lucas told us, ―where the word ‗cold‘ was not at all appropriate to

describe how cold it was‖. Well, let‘s hope climate change doesn‘t make the

UK any colder!

‚The longer we delay tackling climate

change the more expensive and time

consuming it will be at a later date‛

Did you know that… … there is a seven-headed cobra?

By Angeline Tsui

According to Sin Chew Daily, there has been a seven

headed-cobra discovered in Malaysia. Three juveniles were

fishing in Kampong Long Mindanao when they suddenly

heard something creeping inside the grass, making a hissing

sound. They took a step nearer to have a closer look and

were shocked to see a cobra with seven heads! One of the

brave men took a photo it before sprinting away to safety.

The other two men were too scared and ran back home

feeling nauseous.

However the legend of the many headed snake is not

unheard of. In Cambodia there is a belief that a five headed

snake guards the water and the royal family‘s crest bears the

symbol of the mystical beast of legend, the hydra.

Continued from the front page…

Kevin Trenberth, Meteorologist and Atmospheric Scientist, attributes the disastrous

weather to global warming and a half degree Celsius rise in ocean temperatures around

Australia which produces extra water vapour and intensifies the monsoon (torrential rain

that causes the severe flooding). Even though Australia was prepared for Cyclone Yasi

there was still tremendously large damage. The flooding also caused huge damages to

Queensland and Victoria. Fortunately, due to prior knowledge and the ability to be able to

deal with such disasters, the death rate was relatively low. For Australia the consequences

are many lives, towns, and cities lost. We no longer look to the future or to the theoretical

to witness the impact of global warming: it‘s on our doorstep.

We can explore this in the case of Rio de Janeiro. Although it boasts a rapidly growing

economy and development, Brazil is still considered a Less Economically Developed

Country, or at most, a Newly Industrialised Country. On 11th January 2011 it was hit with a

series of floods and mudslides. There have been 871 fatalities and the damages are

estimated at 2 billion Reais (1.2 billion USD). The local media claims that the combination

of floods, mudslides, and landslides in Rio de Janeiro has become the worst weather-related

natural disaster in Brazilian history. Leading up to the floods a 24-hour period between the

11th and 12th of January 2011, the local weather service registered more rainfall than was

normally expected for the entire month. Due to the build up of this heavy rain, flooding of

many areas in the region followed immediately.

The disaster caused widespread property damage and the supply of public utilities such as

electricity, running water, and phone lines were affected with around 2960 people having

their homes destroyed. The government was not prepared for such a disaster and was only

able to respond after the disaster. The government has offered a 780 million (466.2 million

USD) budget for reconstruction. Cities which have high poverty rates such as Rio de

Janeiro were hit the worst- hence the high number of fatalities at 871. The lives lost totalled

more deaths that occurred

in all three natural disasters

in Australia.

Disturbingly, recent sea

levels show a rise of around

200 mm (8 inches) during

the 20th century (2 mm/

year). This could be due to

a number of things

including polar ice caps

mel t in g o r gl acie rs

disappearing at a faster rate. These are both due to the ozone layer thinning, and more

sunlight and radiation being let into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide emissions (greenhouse

effect) can be traced right back to you and I, performing ordinary, daily abuses such as

consuming too much electricity. We might not think about it during our day to day routine,

but electricity comes from things like burning a highly toxic substance such as coal.

Thus, this vicious cycle continues. It caused flooding in Australia and mudslides in Brazil,

and yet for many these very recent and very real disasters still seem like a world away.

Climate change is knocking at your door, screaming for you to hear the warnings. And if

you don‘t watch it, it‘ll break the hinges. These floodgates won‘t contain denial.

‚We no longer look to the future

or to the theoretical to witness

the impact of global warming:

it’s on our doorstep.‛

BOUDICCA BULLETIN PAGE 6

PAGE 6 FEATURES

FEATURES

By Gabby Tomlinson

Our human infatuation with estimating the exact date that the world may end

has turned into something of an obsession. The 21st of December 2012 is the

most recent date to be forecast in this never-ending cycle, but this time cynics

and scientists the world over aren‘t jumping to discredit this latest prediction.

This conspiracy in particular has certainly caught the imagination of many

people and has worried many a ten year old. Should we pay attention to these

prophesies, spend everything we have and live life to the full, or should we

ignore the doom merchants and continue to live our live as normal? If the end

of the world is really on its way, what form is it going to take? So many

questions, so many uncertainties.

Were the Mayans right? Currently the most imminent

conspiracy is that the world will end

in 2012, as was forecast in the

Mayan calendar. The Maya

were an ancient civilisation

who held a prescient

knowledge of the

movement and cycles of

the stars, moon, and sun.

As Pagans, they

worshipped the sun and

often made human

sacrifices to appease their

Sun God. There are still a

few Maya communities

around the world who run on

this ancient Maya calendar

which accurately calculates their

religious days and harvesting seasons.

This calendar, which could predict when the moonrise and moonsets would

occur within 33 seconds off their actual time, foretells a new era due to start in

2012, which is also thought to predict the day of Armageddon. Disturbingly,

the 21st of December 2012, the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere,

marks the culminating point of the last year of the Maya Calendar. Of course it

is also true that scientific evidence in support of the Mayan theory is scarce,

and many modern Mayans have said that this will not be the end of the world.

However, the Mayans have history on their side: their civilisation has existed

for thousands of years, whilst scientific methods of prediction that have been

in place a mere few hundred years and are sometimes just as unreliable.

For the moment we can only be sure in the knowledge that we are still here

(unless I am

mistaken). At the end

of the day, even the

most fanatical

doomsayers have

concluded that the

Mayan‘s probably got

this one wrong. But

don‘t think you can

rest easy yet- most

believe that major natural catastrophes, rather than ‗world-annihilating‘ events

will end civilisation as we know it. You must ask yourself which scenario is

more unsettling: the idea that tomorrow the Earth may not exist or the proposal

that many life forms will survive but we humans will not?

BEWARE OF YELLOWSTONE: This brings me to Yellowstone. There is a pressing possibility that very soon

the super volcano Yellowstone Caldera that lies underneath the ground at the

beautiful Yellowstone National Park in the United States, will violently blow

its top. Yellowstone is recorded to have risen 74cm since 1923 and is still

rising. When scientists

were initially searching

for the volcano in the

park they could not

spot it due to its vast

size; only when

satellite images were

taken did the scale of

the volcano become

visible. The whole

park, 85km by 45km, is

made up of this

volcano. It is thought

that when Yellowstone

eventually erupts, its

impact will have a

devastating effect on

America. In a 50 to 100

mile radius the land

would be completely destroyed and the atmosphere would be so poisoned that

it might never recover. The last time a super volcano erupted was in Sumatra

75,000 years ago, and archaeologists believe that the effects of this eruption

pushed civilisation right to the edge of extinction. Many learned geologists and

volcanologists believe that under the right circumstances Yellowstone could

have the same effect on America. Some members of ‗the church of doom‘

expect the volcano to erupt in 2012. If it does we will all be in serious trouble,

purely due to the sheer volume of ash and toxic gas that it will spew into the

atmosphere. Other scientists have showed doubt as to whether Yellowstone

will erupt in our lifetime and they maintain that it could lie dormant for

thousands of years to come. However, no one predicted the eruption of the

Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajökull, last year and the subsequent chaos that ‗the

ash cloud‘ caused in Europe. Eyjafjallajökull proved that our scientific

predictions do not always add up.

Hollywood

Cashes in...for

the Last Time? The 2012 conspiracies are

so widely acknowledged

that they have even erupted

(no pun intended) in the

music and film industries.

Jay Sean, one of America‘s

leading artists and clearly a

doomsayer himself,

recently produced a song

named 2012 telling us to

―party like it‘s the end of

the world‖. Hollywood,

however, is as keen as ever

to view the glass as ‗half

empty‘ as is reflected by

the film produced just last year, 2012. This film makes use of the main events

that are thought will lead to the world‘s demise: solar-flares heat up the earth‘s

core temperature which triggers a series of catastrophic events, one of which is

the eruption of Yellowstone. In addition to this sea levels rise due to the

melting of the ice caps and undersea earthquakes, so the land floods;

eventually humankind has no-where to go. Could this actually happen? Well, it

has been supposed that in 2012 something described as a ―solar fireworks

display‖, along with solar flares could have a massive impact on earth. This

would feature pulses of electromagnetic radiation that could destroy our

technology, acting as heat surges with the potential to accelerate global

warming and its current adverse effects ... so much for our recycling efforts!

Doomsday Is the end nigh?

‚Eyjafjallajökull proved that

our scientific predictions

do not always add up‛

‚something seemingly

benign, something

seemingly conquerable

by the vast hand of

science will be the

final nail in the coffin‛

BOUDICCA BULLETIN PAGE 7 FEATURES

PAGE 7 FEATURES

A Tissue, a Tissue, We All Fall Down:

But at the end of the day, most believe that the world won‘t

dramatically fold in on itself. Instead, something seemingly benign,

something seemingly conquerable by the vast hand of science will be

the final nail in the coffin: the common cold, Swine Flu, or small pox.

Incidence of disease is likely to soar, and many diseases which plague

our global village today are due to worsen. In recent years the general

population has become more educated in the nature of pandemic

illness, the most prominent example of this being the Swine Flu scare.

Fear of Swine Flu swept entire nations and as panic set in, travellers

returned to their home countries and wore masks in an attempt to

prevent themselves from catching the disease. It even affected us here

at Roedean, with many pupils leaving to go home early. Swine flu

caused a number of deaths, but fortunately did not escalate into a threat

to human life as we know it. However there could well be a pandemic

illness that will have no immediate cure, with the possibility of a

greater quantity of fatalities. Take Small Pox, for instance. Small Pox

was eradicated by the World Health Organisation in 1977 through a

massive, worldwide outbreak search and vaccination program.

However, the variola virus that led to the death of 300 million in the 20th century alone was not completely exterminated with the disease it caused. Three

known repositories of the virus were left, one in Birmingham, England, another in Atlanta, Georgia and the last in Koltsovo, Russia. Some countries, including

North Korea, did not participate in the WHO eradication program, choosing instead to mount their own program. There is no information to suggest that these

countries did or did not retain samples of the virus. One can easily imagine a freak scenario, where rogue states or terrorist organizations access these last

repositories of the virus in order to rouse absolute anarchy, as modern states are no longer equipped to deal with such a crisis: the British government, for

instance, has only enough vaccine for 1/3 of the population. Thus, one can understand why doomsayers scoff at the government‘s ―Catch it. Bin it. Kill it.‖

pneumonic, instead preferring the famous final stanza of T.S. Eliot‘s The Hollow Men as their anthem.

As we take another tentative breath in the unknown timescale of our existence we are becoming divided into three types of people. Those that feel that the

world will remain as it is or as NASA put it ―Dec. 21, 2012, won't be the end of the world as we know; it will be just another winter solstice‖. The second

group, the Jay Sean group, who intend to just party their way through life. And finally, there are those of us who believe that something truly catastrophic will

indeed occur, if not in 2012 then certainly within our lifetime. The Cold War agonizing of generations before us is not as abstract a fear as we may lead

ourselves to believe. Although few of us have bunkers in our back gardens or gas masks in our school bags, the baggage of fear isn‘t confined to one

generation, or one type of personality. Doom saying isn‘t a healthy hobby per se, but an awareness of where one stands in the world and how much time we

have (or don‘t have) left is crucial in order to live a fulfilling and meaningful life.

As for me, well I‘ve booked a few places on The Ark and I am taking reservations. Book early to avoid disappointment: £50 a ticket, cash only…

Cartoon by Serena Esiri-Bloom

“This is the way the world ends

This is the way the world ends

This is the way the world ends

Not with a bang but a whimper.”

- The Hollow Men, T. S. Eliot