Minds Eye Prep 2025

P E R P

2025

r e n r a e Fast L and heremes. s i A.I our ho ven in ou e did yotice? n

Tough Love

Killer Tax

Caring can be exhausting

Farmer won‘t T s ak any mo e re

All aboard

Forgot Nationten Arme n to beia Deser ve s forg een, not s otte n

Steam are s Trains most till the fun traveway to l

ed g g e ht L

Eig ends Fri re rs anot e d i Sp nds, frie foes

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At King’s, Canterbury, we are, once again, delighted to edit and design this annual collection of articles by writers under the age of thirteen from prep schools around the Southeast. And once again we are astonished by their creative energy.

We are also reassured by rich evidence that young people are truly engaged with the world and knowledgeable about not only the science and technology that are making our present speed ever faster into the future, but also about the rich cultural experience of our past.

The following pieces are a fine tribute to the talent of their authors and a true celebration of the expertise and nurturing support of their wonderful teachers. Pupils and teachers alike should be proud of their happy and productive rapport.

Enjoy.

Anthony Lyons Editor The King’s School Canterbury

Design by Cobweb Creative

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

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By Sop h

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16 All Aboard

40 Wonder Horse

By Alice Broadbrid

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By Momoka Varian

20 Panic Pandem ic

42 Bad Influence

By Emilia Weston

By Davincia Boansi

22 Dark Horizon

44 Quick Flight

By Carter West

By Magnus Cleevely

45 What’s Next

By Peregrine Brice

46 Nadal

By Frederick Rhodes

uff 48 The Power of Fl

By Florence Lewin

24 Spice of Life

50 Ra ising

By Rosie Worth

By Mal a

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26 Vanishing Tusk s

52 Coc o

By Lucy Sawtell

28 Spotify the Di ffer

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By Hannah You

By Melody Caruan

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30 The Best

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

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104 Paradise Lo st

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108 Eye Spy

66 Eight-Legged Friends

By Harvey Percy

By Josie Thomas

70 What a Steal!

By Kasra Mohaddes

72 The Big Cheese

By Charles Eden-Harris

74 Expensive Taste

By Coco Hoskin

75 Heart of Glass

By Akshay Lallu

110

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By Sophie Bezian

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r e l l i

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Tax

Jack Goodwin of Marlboro

ugh House osed Farmers’ Tax.

argues against The Prop

I

am a farmer’s son, and I come from a family of farmers.

My great-grandfather had a farm that was both an arable and a livestock farm in Sheppey, and I now live with my family on an arable farm in Sussex. I am proud of my family’s farming heritage so I am sure you can imagine my anger and distress at the possibility that my heritage and my family’s future may be jeopardised by the new farmers’ tax being put in place by the recently-elected Labour government.

Now, farmland owned by famers – often for generations – is exempt from inheritance tax under a policy called ‘Agricultural Property Relief’ (APR).

I am severely In the recent budget, the Chancellor worried about of the Exchequer announced that my future when she will end that exemption by taking over my dad’s farm when restricting APR. This cut to APR I am older. Will will mean that from April 2026 a there even by a tax of 20% will be applied to all farm for me? agricultural assets over £1 million.

(Because of the existing tax-free threshold for inheritance tax, two parents leaving a farm to their children could potentially limit the tax to assets over £3 million.)

With such a huge tax bill to pay, many farmers believe that they will have to sell land to meet the costs. In response to this announcement by the government, many farmers 

y nd m ge a e may a t i ur er y my h ly’s fut ised b i d s’ r r e fam eopa rm be j new fa e x h a t t .

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t gov he Labo con ernme ur tinu nt h ed as th wan at the to stat y t d t on’t e o ch law a mak and wil nge th des ing an l not e y be pite the U-turn s pro test .

The streets of the capital were filled with myriad tractors and farmers as they protested outside the Houses of Parliament.

But the Labour government has continued to state that they don’t want to change the law and will not be making any U-turns despite the protest.

But they will have to start taking action have been protesting in London and they cannot ignore the strong because they want to get rid of the feelings of the farming community. Only inheritance tax. Most recently, the last week an e-petition was presented streets of the capital were filled with to government with 148,000 signatures myriad tractors and calling for an end to the farmers as they protested tax.

With such a huge outside the Houses of tax bill to pay, many farmers believe Parliament. that they will have I am strongly against the inheritance tax. I am to sell land to meet the costs.

Nigel Farage, the Reform severely worried about my UK leader, has said future when taking over my the protests have been persistent dad’s farm when I am older. Will there and peaceful and that this type of even by a farm for me? And if there is, campaigning by farmers on this new will I be able to afford to run it? Farmers inheritance tax could ‘get change’. and the farming community are vital to the UK in the provision of food – meat, The Reform UK leader predicted that dairy, grains and vegetables. Without Labour MPs in rural seats would be us, people in the UK would really suffer. ‘getting scared’ and would put pressure I appeal to our Labour Government to on Number 10 if they see ‘local reconsider their enforcement of the communities getting behind these inheritance tax for all our sakes. families’ who have been affected by the changes.

NIGEL FARAGE, THE REFORM UK HAS SAID THIS LEADER, TYPE OF CAMPA IGNING BY FARMERS ON TH IS COULD ‘GET CHAN NEW INHERITANCE TAX GE’.

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Far farmmers an d in are g comm the v i t UK in al t unity o the pro the of f visio o o d dair y, gr - meat, n a ins vege tabl and es.

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g n i k l Mi IT

Ava Lily Welch of Holm ew

should consume Dairy

W

hy are we the only mammals that drink another mammal’s milk? For many years now we have been consuming dairy products and drinking animal milk. But when did it all start ?

Around the year 8,000 BCE, during the Neolithic Revolution, we took our first sip of dairy. Initially, only farmers in Western Europe drank milk, but then it quickly spread to surrounding areas.

We know this because scientists found traces of animal milk in early baby bottles from around 10,000 years ago.

It is not fully known why people started to drink animal milk but archaeologists think it was due to a lack of food at the time.

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Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

ood House School as ks whether we Products.

Not long after we started drinking atmosphere. This makes cows a major milk, we started to produce other catalyst for climate change. dairy products, like cheese and butter.

Traces of these products were found Not only are cows bad for the in jars in ancient Egyptian tombs. environment, but lots of the farms in Mass production didn’t start until the which they are kept are unethical. Cows 18th Century when dairy are kept in inhumane products became a very conditions, confining On average each normal part of our lives. them to small spaces cow emits 250 and separating calves to 500 litres of Even though we have from their mothers at a methane into the been consuming dairy for atmosphere every very young age, in some day. several thousand years cases as young as one now, does that make it day old. Male calves are right? Dairy farming is detrimental to often shot at birth or sold for veal. In the environment. On average each addition to the inhumane treatment cow emits 250 to 500 litres of methane of calves, female cows are frequently into the atmosphere every day. inseminated artificially, giving birth Methane is 28 times more potent than every nine months just to produce milk carbon dioxide at trapping heat in our for us.

Dairy sourc is a grea t e which of calciu m is ess entia , for m l a in t stron a g bon ining e teeth s and .

Despite this, drinking milk can have massive health benefits. Dairy is a great source of calcium, which is essential for maintaining strong bones and teeth In conclusion, as to whether or not and preventing some conditions like someone should consume dairy osteoporosis. It also provides protein, products, it is ultimately their choice, but which supports muscle growth and if we choose to keep consuming dairy repair. Additionally, products like we must change the way we produce yogurt provide your it and the amount of it body with healthy we consume due to the female cows bacteria that support impact it is having on are frequently inseminated the immune system. global warming. artificially, giving birth every nine

Nevertheless, many This can be done is months just to dairy products are high produce milk for us. several ways. For example, in saturated fats, which changing the type of food if consumed to excess dairy cattles consume can cause heart disease, obesity and can lower the amount of methane high cholesterol. Not only can dairy be they produce. The feed that is currently detrimental to your health but humans used causes mass deforestation in its weren’t originally designed to consume production, which also isn’t good for dairy. When we are born we produce a the environment. We could also eat chemical called lactase that used to dairy products in moderation, thereby disappear a year after our birth but lowering the risk to our health. And if now most of us have evolved to keep we do decide to buy dairy products producing lactase. This is why some then we should make sure the items are people still can’t consume dairy. free-range. Nevertheless, I think that it is unethical and unhealthy to continue consuming dairy products with their cruelty and a potentially devastating effect on the environment.

re nly a Not o d for the ba ots cows ent, but l ich m h n w o envir ms in re a e far of th are kept they ethical. un Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

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h g u o T Love 12

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

Broomwood of ed one. counts the cost of caring for a lov

Alannah

W

Johnston

hen a family member falls ill, some people believe it is your duty to help them and ensure they are okay. However, what people often don’t consider is the detrimental impact of that duty. There are many reasons why people feel compelled to take on this responsibility, but a major factor is pressure.

Pressure is the feeling that you must care for them and that you will appear selfish if you don’t. This can lead to built-up resentment towards your loved one, because you feel obliged to look after them. However, what many fail to realize is that you also need to take care of yourself.

over you like a shadow every day. Statistics show that 25% of people experience increased social stress when they have an ill family member, as they pour all their energy into that one relationship, neglecting others. As a result, their other relationships break down, adding even more stress; on top of the sadness they already feel at home, they also feel isolated.

But the worst part, the thing that slowly eats you up inside, is the feeling of failure. If the disease wins, if their battle is lost, you may feel as though you have failed them, that you didn’t do enough. You if their battle is may carry the crushing weight of lost, you may feel Statistics show that 31% of believing you were responsible as though you have people feel resentment towards failed them, that you for their death when in reality didn’t do enough. their ill loved ones, as they feel there was nothing you could forced to care for them instead of have done. The distress of having doing all the things they would your daily life torn apart and have done if their family member were not ill. feeling responsible for something beyond your This resentment can cause you to blame your control is incomparable. It chips away at you loved one, preventing you from fully cherishing slowly until you become a shell of your former the time you have left together. self, until the person staring back at you in the mirror feels unrecognisable. If you have ever felt Being a caregiver can also lead to mental this way, you are not alone. Studies show that exhaustion. Taking care of someone can 24% of people experience depression in the first overwhelm your mind, making it difficult to two months after losing a loved one, and 7% process your own emotions. Your thoughts of them go on to develop chronic depression: become consumed by everything you need to that’s more than one in six. do, and one difficult situation can spiral into a mental breakdown. For younger individuals, When you lose a loved one, they say you it can also make focusing on schoolwork experience a range of emotions. Some people challenging, as their minds are preoccupied feel shock, denial, or disbelief, while others with how to help their loved ones rather than feel relief that their loved one is no longer their studies. suffering or anger that life could be so cruel. But remember: everyone processes grief in their The selfless act of prioritizing someone else own way, and no matter what you go through, over yourself can have a bigger impact than we there will always be people who love you. Even realize. The stress of constantly having to take though it may feel as if you are alone, you are care of someone can feel like a burden, looming not alone.

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

13

Fast r e n r a Le Jacob Rowley of Sole

about the evolution

H

ave you ever heard of flying or self-driving cars, or even robots that do your housework or drones that clean windows? Well, they are all powered and work from AI (Artificial Intelligence). AI refers to systems that can perform tasks requiring human-like intelligence, such as problem-solving, learning and decision-making, with a speed that humans could not match. In the 1950s AI wasn’t being used, but it was an area undergoing research. Today, years later, people are thinking about whether their jobs may be taken over by AI, or even if AI will take over the world.

AI was created between 1950 and 1956, largely by John McCarthy and Alan Turing, who were responsible in different ways for its development. It was first used in the 1950s for symbolic reasonings and rule-based systems. In 1966 the first AI robot was made by SRI’s 14

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

field has mixed feel ings of AI.

Artificial Intelligence Centre. It could perform basic tasks such as navigating a room and manipulating objects.

patient treatment and diagnosis. In the world of ICT, AI is helping to develop digital copies of IT environments and situations to simulate expected Since it was first created, AI has changed outcomes and results. Voice Controlled significantly. It was originally rule-based Virtual Assistants, such as Apple Siri and logic and could mimic Amazon Alexa, use AI and Voice-Controlled a human conversation were created to provide Virtual Assistants, but it lacked levels of everyday help from such as Apple Siri understanding. Today, weather to TV timings. and Amazon Alexa, use AI and were you can easily access AI also plays a significant created to provide advanced online AI role in platforms for social everyday help Chat software (ChatGPT media. For instance, in from weather to or Deep Seek) and Facebook and TikTok, TV timings. request them to social networking answer, consider or improve a range learning user preferences use AI and of questions or statements. This AI it assists in searches, showing topics software is now being used regularly in which the user might be interested in. the workplace and across the world.

My current favourite example of Unsurprisingly, AI is now being AI, which even my Nan just got as introduced into all aspects of life. In a Christmas present, is an AI-based healthcare, it is helping to develop new robot vacuum cleaner. Robot vacuum drugs and to simulate outcomes of cleaners are trained to learn the home

uum t vac Robo ers are n clea to learn ed in a size r t ome, the h les and s c obsta schedule g in r. n clea the owne of

size, obstacles and cleaning schedules of the owner. They work their way around your house, vacuuming and mopping for you, 24 hours a day. The Robot vacuum can also detect objects in its way, navigate around them, empty the vacuum bag and return to home when the battery level becomes low or needs charging.

In the future, AI will be a huge part of our lives and will be everywhere. I can picture a time when we will need it as much as we need electricity. An example of the future is possibly an AI flying a commercial airliner may become safer because 70% to 80% of plane crashes are caused by human error (pilot mistakes).

Sadly, there is another side to this: not everyone believes AI will be safe to use. Since AI works using coding, if someone were to hack into the system and change the code to instruct the

AI This are is d w t use sof eing n b ly i now gular lace p re ork the w ss the acro . d and worl

aircraft to crash, the AI would follow the code and so therefore it would crash.

However, in reality, there would be a huge amount of cybersecurity behind any such system to minimise the risk of hacking.

So, AI certainly provokes mixed opinions, but I believe AI is appropriate and useful for some things, but not for everything.

For example, I think AI is currently very useful in making decisions or proposals using large amounts of data, quickly.

But AI shouldn't take over all jobs as eventually there we be no jobs left for humans and no way for them to make money, so they couldn’t afford to live a normal life. There is definitely a balance to be struck in the use of AI, but there is little doubt that it will play its part in our future.

A R YING AI FL L AIRLINE A I r C e ER af COMM become s 80% o t % may 0 hes use 7 beca ane cras man l u p h f y b o aused are c error.

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

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l l AAb

oard!

Alice Broadbridge of Marl

borough eam.

House loves to let off st

P

icture the scene: a sleek, shining steam train races through the English countryside. The Stockton and Darlington has arrived. Where did it all start? The first steam engine was invented 2,000 years ago in Ancient Greece. Leonardo da Vinci used this idea to create a steam cannon and an engine in the 1600s. In the United Kingdom, James Watt invented a steam engine in 1769 and then, in 1814, Stephenson built the first steam locomotive. These two people are the most wellknown inventors connected to The first steam steam locomotion but there were engine was many stops along the way. invented 2,000 years ago in Ancient Greece.

The Stockton and Darlington Railway was the first public railway in the world, opening exactly 200 years ago. Between 1826 and 1836, 378 miles of track were laid. In 1870, 423 million passengers were using 16,000 miles of track. By the late 1800s, trains were steaming ahead at 100 mph.

We all know that steam trains burn coal and this powers the train, but what happens in between? The heat from the burning coal boils the water. When this steam is compressed, it expands and pushes a piston. This piston moves and turns the wheel. When the steam is released, the piston moves back, and the process starts all over 

that now burn k l l s We am train this , a d e n st rain la coa s the t ens in er pp pow hat ha n? e w e but betw

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arry e a H ravel r a u If yo an, then t ross rf ’s C Potte ndon King e Royal o t L on h over to avel in or tr sman tra Viaduct. t n o a c n S lenfin the G

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how a you bout g r ha nds etting at man one o dirty con y stea f the se m aro rvation train und the sites UK?

Bodiam Castle rising out of the steam to greet you. As you step off the train, don’t forget that Bodiam Castle is more than a millennium younger than the steam engine!

The Bluebell Railway is a charity that supports the conservation of locomotives and their heritage.

again. The to-and-fro movement of the piston pushes the coupling rod which If you want to do more than just sit back connects the wheels to each other. This and watch the world go by, then how all sounds very technical, but I would about getting your hands dirty at one just recommend that of the many steam train Between 1826 and you close your eyes and conservation sites around 1836, 378 miles of imagine the chug and hiss track were laid. In the UK? The Bluebell 1870, 423 million of the engine in motion.

Railway is a charity that passengers were Bliss! supports the conservation using 16,000 miles of locomotives and their of track.

Where can an enthusiast heritage. They have a go to ride on a steam train? I would volunteer programme so you can join recommend the Kent and East Sussex the team of experienced volunteers to Railway (KESR), which is a heritage preserve and get back onto the rail's railway based in Tenterden. It has been many locomotives which, without running for 120 years. The KESR was the their help, would have been left on the very first ‘light railway’ to be built. Light scrap heap. Also, remember that every railways have full-sized trains but run contribution you make is crucial to at low speeds. The trains run through preserving the rich heritage of steam the Wealden countryside in the Rother trains.

Valley, which is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The journey ends at Bodiam where, looking up, you can see

YOU CAN JOIN THE TEAM OF VOLUNTEERS TO PRESERVE AND EXPERIENCED GET BACK ONTO THE RAIL'S MAN Y HAVE BEEN LEFT LOCOMOTIVES WHICH WOULD ON THE SCRAP HEAP. 18

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

The trains run den through the Weal e th in ide ys tr un co , ey ll Va Rother of which is an Area l ra tu Na Outstanding Beauty.

If you are a Harry Potter fan, then travel to London King’s Cross or travel on the Royal Scotsman train over the Glenfinnan Viaduct. This is the stunning journey that is often featured in the Harry Potter film series. If you’re feeling extra adventurous – and have a few more pounds to spend – the ultimate steam train journey would be aboard the Orient Express while it takes you on a trip across Europe through Strasbourg, Munich and Vienna.

There is nothing like sitting in style and being serenaded by the lullaby of the chug-chug-chug clacketyclack of a steam locomotive. So, if you fancy letting off a bit of steam, and reminiscing about the good old days of travel, then take a trip this weekend and discover the thrill and excitement of traveling by steam.

e ing lik noth e and is e Ther g in styl by the sittin renaded chug se being aby of the ketyc lull chug cla am e chug k of a st . clac omotive loc

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19

c i n Pa ic

m e d Pan

Emilia Weston of Bramblet

deadly Covid really was.

T

he COVID-19 pandemic has increased the cost of running frontline NHS services by about £5 billion a year. This is because COVID took the world by surprise. No one was ready for it.

Up to 36.5 million people died from the COVID-19 virus, and the likelihood of COVID-19 disappearing any time soon is very low. To put this into perspective, the world population is around 8.2 billion so 0.45% of humans died from COVID-19, whilst around 704,753,890 people contracted it. More than 81% of COVID-19 deaths occurred in people over the age of 65. The elderly and people with health disorders were 20

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

ye wonders how

mainly affected because their immune systems are not as proficient, and the virus was hard to control because it spread through the air.

access to safe water, basic sanitation facilities and poor and unclean hygiene practices. However, the Black Death and the 1918 flu spread differently – both via the annual likelihood ships, but the Black of a pandemic is Death through rats, and 2-3%, which means a 47-57% probability the flu through military of another deadly transport.

However, in contrast between 75-200 million people died pandemic in the next from the Black Death 25 years. and an estimated 50 At the time of the Cholera million from the 1918 outbreak clean water flu, yet the 1846-1860 Cholera outbreak was hard to come by so the fact that it only caused around one million deaths. spread this way would have been a real So why is it that we remember all of problem, but if such a disease were to these diseases as equally bad? Well, it’s appear now it is likely that it would not all about context. The Cholera outbreak spread as far because basic sanitation was predominantly caused by limited is not an issue for a good amount of

betwe e millio n 75 - 200 n died f people r om th Black e an es Death and timat millio e n fr d 50 1918 om the flu.

people. The same applies for the Black Death and flu pandemics: because it has already happened the world has learned to prevent those things happening again by putting safety measures in place.

through it. People never think that THEY will be the ones to experience something so awful, yet the likelihood is always there. According to the Centre for Global Development, the annual likelihood When learning about the Black Death of a pandemic is 2–3%, in history people would The Cholera which means a 47–57% joke and say, ‘Well, I’m outbreak was probability of another glad that's never going predominantly deadly pandemic in the to happen to us!’ It turns caused by limited next 25 years. access to safe out they were wrong. water, basic COVID is one of the worst sanitation facilities In the United States, more pandemics the world and poor and people died from COVID has seen in a while. In unclean hygiene in 2020 and 2021 than practices. a few years people will during the 1918 influenza learn about it in schools pandemic, which was widely called the and you’ll be able to say that you lived most deadly in recorded history.

Well, the word ‘deadly’ certainly applies to COVID-19.

illion 36.5 m from o t p U s, e died peopl ID-19 viru d V o O the C e likeliho h and t COVID-19 y of g an earin very p p a dis is soon time low.

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21

k r Da Horizon

22

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

Carter West of Brambletye looks

into the

abyss.

B

lack holes are one of the most interesting naturally occurring phenomena. They were once considered theoretical and are still one of the most mysterious objects that humanity has encountered. They were first theorised by a parson named John Mitchell in 1783 and were then proven by mathematician Roger Penrose in 1965.

the black hole. This disk is accelerated to immense speeds by the gravity of the black hole pulling the light and matter in as well as the centrifugal force generated by the black hole’s rotation.

Then there is the event horizon, which is an invisible line where, once crossed, it is impossible to go the other way. This is what makes a black The formation of a black hole begins when a hole black. There are extreme differential tidal star is born from a nebula. It compresses mass forces between inside and outside the event into a ball that creates an enormous amount of horizon, meaning an unusual phenomenon pressure and heat, which ignites hydrogen and where an object is stretched because the lower helium to set a star burning. Over part experiences far more gravity an object is billions of years they gain mass than the upper half, a process is stretched because and grow into the enormous known as spaghettification. the lower part stars that we see in the night experiences far more gravity than sky, but behind this facade of Finally, there is the singularity, the upper half, a heat and light there is a titanic process is known as the core of a black hole, which is struggle between immensely a single point of infinite density spaghettification. strong gravity and pressure that is so massive that it does created by the immense heat of the star. These not curve the fabric of spacetime, but instead balanced forces lead to no change in the size of punches a dent so steep that it is impossible the star because it is held together by gravity to climb out of. This is why the event horizon is and pushed apart by pressure. inescapable, because the gravitational field of the black hole is completely sheer.

However, after billions of years the star runs out of fuel and is unable to resist the pull of gravity Overall, black holes are incredibly interesting when the pressure generated by the heat is and mysterious and one of their strangest no longer present, so all the mass of the star features is their near-complete lack of any rushes inwards. When all the mass of the star characteristics. When a star collapses into condenses at the core, the outer layer rebounds a black hole, it abandons all of its previous with a lot of heat and kinetic energy. This is features and is now defined by three numbers: called a supernova. However, if a star is massive rotation velocity, electric charge and mass. enough, it will again collapse into a black hole.

Black holes have no chemical composition, no known colour, and emit no light, so they are A black hole is constructed from three main practically invisible, and since they are so far out parts which are all integral to the structure of of reach and they are so new to science, who the black hole, the first of which is the accretion knows what we may learn from them? disk, which is a ring of matter and light orbiting

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23

e c i Sp

of

Life Rosie Worth of Holmew

ood House explains ged the world.

how spices have chan

S

pices have had a lasting and vital impact on human civilization, contributing to developments in trade and culture. Spices were more than just a cooking ingredient; they were a crucial part in the history of European exploration. In its day, the great demand for spices led to the establishment of many international trade routes that laid the foundation for today’s global economy.

The earliest written records of spices come from ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Indian cultures, including over 800 herbal and medicinal remedies.

Countries soon realised the endless uses of spices and they became so important that they were treated as a currency. The demand shot up and soon European countries wanted to join the spice race. People realised their 24

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

importance in medicine, rituals (they that separated them from Europe. have healing properties), and perfumes. Therefore, spices were mainly traded When the uses for spices went up so did in the Eastern world. Da Gama was the demand – European countries now the first European to reach the East wanted to establish Indies by sea, which trade routes, with linked Europe and connections to Asia.

Asia by maritime Spices are used in cooking numerous routes.

Because Trading spices made tasty dishes every day European kings but, in reality, they explorers discover new and queens wanted shaped the world as parts of the world, spices, they sent we know it today. which led to the Age many sea navigators of Discovery. This is to explore the East because the desire for spice was ever- and trade spices, leading to a new age growing, especially in Europe. Since of exploration and discovery, thereby spices were much cheaper in Asian opening up a whole new world. countries, Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama travelled in search of these Back when spices were in high demand exotically flavoured spices and on his from across the globe they were way he discovered many new islands. treated as a currency. Spices have many The Americans were not part of this medicinal, herbal and culinary uses. spice race because of the vast ocean It was also because the journey from

es pic ers s ing or rts ad expl w pa ich r T ne , wh f de ma over orld ge o c A w dis the the ry. o f v o d t co e le Dis

Europe to Eastern Asia was long and expensive, especially when trying to transport spices. They were also viewed as a symbol of wealth, which the rich could use to flaunt their success. Since only a small percentage of spices could grow in Europe, it was essential that the trade routes to Asia were kept open.

Spices are used in cooking numerous tasty dishes every day but, in reality, they shaped the world as we know it today. Countries explored much of Eurasia and the new, previously unexplored, world in pursuit of spices.

So, when next you sprinkle some cinnamon on your pancakes, stop and think about the story behind that rich, fragrant powder.

their lised icine, a e r d e le Peop ance in m ave h t impor als (they s), and tie r ritu e p g pro s. healin perfume

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g n i h s i n Va

Tusks to

oks in

l awtel S y c u L

S lo of SJC

ss n of tuskle io t u l o v e e h t

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elephants.

A

re elephants losing their tusks?

Research has shown that some African elephants are naturally losing their tusks. In Mozambique, particularly, because of the civil war that was fought between 1977 and 1992, many elephants don’t have tusks, which helps them avoid poachers.

During the civil war, 90% of the elephants were shot and killed for the ivory in their tusks, which was sold to fund the war.

This is undoubtedly one of the major reasons many elephants in Gorongosa National Park (the largest national park in Mozambique) don’t have tusks. Other places, such as Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda and Selous National Park in Tanzania, also have a higher-than-usual percentage of tuskless elephants.

On average, about 6% of the population of African elephants never grow tusks. However, in Gorongosa National Park, 50% of females over 25 years old (in human years) are born tuskless, and 33% of females between the ages of 15 and 25 years old are also born tuskless; this includes the generation born after the war ended in 1992.

Tusklessness, like the colour of their eyes or the size of their ears, is an inherited trait.

It is biological, and that’s why many of the Gorongosa elephants don’t have tusks — the tuskless females from the war passed the genetic trait down to their offspring. They were not poached so this is in fact a living and rapid example of natural selection.

Amazing.

Normally, elephants are at a disadvantage when they don’t have tusks, particularly males. Elephants’ tusks are essentially elongated teeth that grow throughout their

lifetime. Elephants use their tusks for various tasks, such as pulling down trees to access leaves and fruit. They also use them to dig holes in the ground to reach water.

Bull elephants (males) also use their tusks to fight with other bulls to win access to females. They raise their tusks and charge at one another. So, if a bull doesn’t have tusks, they are at a disadvantage, and they risk being seriously injured. in Gorongosa For this reason, even in Gorongosa, National Park, 50% tuskless males are rare. Tuskless of females over 25 females are less uncommon, since years old (in human years) are born they don’t need tusks for fighting and tuskless. so they aren’t as necessary.

Savannah elephants, especially, are vital to the African plains ecosystem.

They rip down trees to get to the leaves and nutrients above, helping to keep the savannah from turning into a forest.

This, of course, is very important because many other animals rely on the savannah environment to survive.

This new change, the tuskless elephant, may have positive effects. For example, historically bull elephants fight each other with their tusks for access to females, but now being tuskless changes the dynamic. This data shows that even though terrible things have happened and are happening to animals, they can still fight back. These new discoveries are showing new possibilities for the survival of elephants.

E FROM TH FEMALES IC TRAIT S S E L K S THE TU ED THE GENET S WAR PAS HEIR OFFSPRING. T O T N W DO

Ele p are hants ’ tu es elo sentia sks tee nga lly thr th tha ted oug tg r h life out th ow tim eir e.

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27

y f i t o p S The

Difference Hannah You of Holmewood

House shows how mpetition.

Spotify beat the music co

S

potify has a staggering 31.7% share in the music streaming market, with over 600 million active users, including me and maybe even yourself, and it has generated nearly $60 billion for the music industry since its founding. Have you ever wondered how, in a world teeming with endless options, Spotify is so popular with music fans? Is it their unique features? Or their irresistible design?

Or perhaps excelling in customisation?

Well, let’s find out.

First, Spotify came about in 2006 when Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon founded the service initially. This was a response to the music industry’s decline due to the overwhelming rise of pirated downloads, which meant hardly anyone was paying to stream music. Ek said that he realised they could never legislate away from piracy and the only solution was to create something that was better than piracy, and at the same time compensated artists. But how could they convince users that what they had was better than free?

The answer was speed, something so luxurious that pirated sites like Napster lacked it greatly. Often, it would take 28

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

hours to download just one album on innovation.’ This sparked a major Napster, but Spotify could be streamed controversy, enabling the issues to die straight away. It had a seamless and down for Spotify, but also exposing smooth feel, with Apple and making users how could they near instantaneous run to Spotify’s side. convince users that reactions at the click what they had was of a button. Now this Additionally, unlike better than free?

The answer was deluxe experience is Apple’s paid-only model, speed, something so what drew people in Spotify can be enjoyed luxurious that pirated and made them want across all devices and sites like Napster to come back. offers a free tier. Having lacked it greatly. a free tier available Another big question is, how did Spotify makes it more accessible so it’s more defeat the biggest tech company in probable that people will want to try the world? Apple had an advantage it, and because the unpaid version of with their app coming pre-installed on Spotify is so frustrating and restrictive, all Apple devices and belonging to a people are then more likely to upgrade reputable name. However, Spotify had to Premium. Something else that sets a head start, launching their platform in Spotify apart is that they really know over 30 new markets, such as Vietnam how to appeal to people’s need for and South Africa in 2015, before Apple self-expression. Their features make Music had even debuted. With a firm users’ experiences very much their hold in these countries, people were own, from personally curated ‘Daylists’ less likely to switch to Apple. Apple to their AI DJ mode. More personalised fought the competition by denying qualities create a sense of exclusivity communications to Spotify in the and intimacy, enabling listeners to feel app store and even rejected Spotify more special. What’s more, Spotify has app updates twelve times, delaying also expanded their platform to other crucial features and bug fixes. Spotify media with the addition of audiobooks eventually filed an antitrust complaint and podcasts, unlike Apple Music’s in early 2024, accusing Apple of ‘stifling subscription, which includes neither.

Last, there is Spotify Wrapped, their most strategic marketing campaign.

I’m sure most of you have at least heard non-users. The uneasy feeling of being of Spotify’s annual music recap, where unable to partake in such a talked-about users get to see statistics and insights event quietly urges people to start using on their listening patterns of the year.

Spotify. Wrapped also subtly pushes This famed event began in 2016, listeners to spend more time streaming completely taking the world by storm, music, knowing that it and remains a viral will contribute to their Few companies phenomenon. The event have reshaped an statistics at the end of encourages users to industry the way the year. Services like share and compare their Spotify has, and its Apple Music and YouTube Wrapped with others, success isn’t just Music have all taken this about streaming which has turned into music. idea of a year in summary a competition between and made it their own, users. People try to see if showing just how colossal Spotify they have more listening time or have Wrapped’s cultural impact has been. ‘better music taste’ than their peers.

This competitive element has made Few companies have reshaped an Wrapped so important to fans they industry the way Spotify has, and its will change their listening behaviours success isn't just about streaming for a different Spotify Wrapped result. music. Spotify has redefined the ways Not only that, but Spotify Wrapped we can engage, enjoy and discover drives a ‘fear of missing out’ between music, setting an example for all other streaming platforms. Its journey is not without setbacks and struggles, and to achieve this level of popularity is already unthinkable for companies like Apple and Tencent. Whether they can stay at the top with the rising competition is yet to be seen, but their imprint in the music landscape is, undeniably, like no other.

t fough Apple petition om the c enying y b d tions unica the m m o c in n otify to Sp re and eve pp a o t y s if p ap pot ted S times rejec s twelve e updat Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

29

e h T Best

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es Tina Turner.

Why Melody Caruana of JKS lov

T

ina Turner didn’t just have an incredible voice; she also had a story. Not many people know what she went through: I really hope that can change. I, too, didn’t know about this heroic figure; all I knew was she sang a banging song about a river. I haven’t just Googled and researched her. I have travelled a whole journey to discover who she is. I was in Tina Turner the Musical in the West End last summer. Every night, the cast would dedicate the show to her. It was amazing. It’s time to know the real TINA.

sounded better to him. Soon Ike proposed to Tina, yet she secretly was having an affair with Raymond Hill, who played the saxophone in the band. Tina said yes, but Ike soon found out and kicked Raymond out of the band. Tina soon had her first child, but Raymond was the father.

Tina named him Raymond Craig Turner, but Ike changed it to Craig Raymond Turner.

Ike was awful to Tina. She would perform every night for him, exhausted, but Ike would force her to go on, even when she felt like fainting.

Tina would always have the inclination to Our hero was born in Nutbush, Tennessee. She leave him, and she knew it was right. Ike would was brought up there with her mother (Zelma soon be on his knees because he was nothing Bullock), her father (Richard without her, but she snapped out Bullock), and her sister (Alline of it and left him, even though he Bullock). Her real name was She managed to push was begging her to come back. through the tough Anna-Mae Bullock. Anna-Mae’s They soon divorced. times and become parents split up and left her with the absolute icon of all time. her grandmother, Gigi. When Tina felt worthless. She had Gigi passed away, Anna-Mae barely any money now and was went to live with her mother and just about getting by, but our sister in St. Louis and that’s where she met Ike warrior opened a fresh page of a new chapter.

Turner.

People still wanted to hear Tina’s voice and a young man called Roger Davies asked to Tina met her dangerous partner at Club be Tina’s manager, and he helped her entitle Manhattan. Ike asked Anna-Mae to tour with herself ‘The Queen of Rock n’ Roll’. Tina went him and, of course, she wanted a career, so she to London to re-build her (solo) career. Ike agreed. Their voices sounded perfect together would still try to stay in contact with her, but when beats turned to rhythms, rhythms turned she didn’t dare speak to him again. Roger was to tunes and tunes turned to songs. Some of incredible: he wanted the best for Tina, but Tina their early bops were ‘A Fool in Love’, ‘It’s Gonna was going her own way and no one else’s. Tina Work Out Fine’ and ‘I Idolize You’. It seems as if met a German man called Erwin Bach, a record everything was easy for Anna-Mae, but behind company executive. Tina and Erwin soon fell in the scenes Ike acted as if he was a different love. She managed to push through the tough man. He reportedly loved Anna-Mae, but he times and become the absolute icon of all time. was violent and abusive. Eventually, Ike decided She’s simply the best. that Anna-Mae wasn’t the right name: Tina

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

31

Song & Dance

Madeleine Long of Ho

lmewood House says song u good.

and dance will do yo

T

he chemical produced in your brain called dopamine produces happiness; this is scientifically proven to increase when dance and music are undertaken. This creates a positive impact on your mental health, and it can improve your mood. Most importantly, for many people they are an effective way to manage stress and anxiety. As an added benefit, music and dance help you focus on the present moment, which shifts your attention away from the worries and stresses of the world, creating a sense of calm and happiness.

Dance, in particular, such as learning choreography, has been shown to stimulate many different areas of the brain. It improves memory and coordination and even concentration, 32

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

which strengthens neural connections crucial. They let you think creatively, and within the brain and improves its these activities will expose the brain to functions. It has also been proven many different ways of thinking. They to help neuroplasticity, can lead to being more which is the brain's ability focused and having more The real charm to reorganise itself due to lies in their ability perseverance. Second, as new neural connections to allow a means you get older, your bones of uninhibited forming. In daily life, become more fragile, expression and it enhances problemand small injuries such as emotion. solving and positivity. falling are more severe.

These are productive Dance can reduce these triggers to engage the creative parts of risks, improving mobility and balance. your brain.

Alongside the physical benefits of On a physical note, dance is beneficial dance, research has shown that, after for your cardiovascular health at all surgery or an injury, music can play an ages, but increasingly as you get older important part in recovery. Over the there are two things that dance and past few years, there have been many music can prevent. First, it is possible instances of music aiding a patient’s to lose touch with your imagination, recovery because it has reduced anxiety which is why dance and music are so and perceived pain. In some hospitals,

roven been p It has ic releases us that m rphins, the endo t help ls tha in. a ic m e a ch nage p you ma

doctors offer music to calm patients and reduce pain. It has been proven Music and dance also offer a sense of that music releases endorphins, the self-expression and individuality. You chemicals that help you manage pain. communicate with your Dance also has played a emotions that you can’t find similar role in recovery. dance and music words for and this creative Moving your body gently have a profound release can be incredibly helps improve circulation, role to play socially. Both calming, and it also helps and it boosts the immune bring people to foster emotional growth system, changing its together. and self-awareness. For function to be more many, these activities resistant to illnesses. All of become a safe space for self-exploration. these contribute to faster healing and Whether through movement or sound, better outcomes. the act of expressing yourself can provide a sense of clarity and belonging.

Beyond the physical aspect, dance and music have a profound role to play In conclusion, both music and dance socially. Both bring people together. offer a wide range of benefits, in addition Whether it’s a dance class or a concert, to being enjoyable. Not only do they participating in these activities helps enhance cognitive functions, but they individuals connect with others and also improve physical health. Dance and share emotions. But, most importantly, music can be enjoyed at any age, bringing the experiences in music or dance benefits to both toddlers and the elderly create a sense of belonging and unity, alike. The real charm lies in their ability to by which people feel they are part of a allow a means of uninhibited expression community. and emotion. So, what are you waiting for?

Dan c suc e, in pa h cho as l rticu ear la r ha e r to s be ogra ning , e p s t n h dif fer imula show y, te en n the t ar man y e br ain as of .

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33

Tro t n!

O

e

h Hous

roug arlbo

s of M

lver ppy El

Po

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.

ing is fun

why rid explains

my fav o show- urite is jumpin g becau excitin se it is g , and m horse y rea the ch lly enjoys allen ge.

D

o you want to be outside with animals having lots of fun? Have you tried horse riding? Well, I have, and I fell in love with the sport. In my opinion, there is nothing better than spending quality time with horses; it is simply the best thing to do on the weekend. Horse riding makes you feel free like nothing could stop you in life, except falling off! I have experience with that, but you shouldn’t let that worry you and stop you from fulfilling your dreams.

If you are not one of those lucky people who have a horse, you can go to a riding school and ride a horse at the weekend, and if you like the idea of horse riding you could ask some horsey friends for a little ride on one of their ponies to see if it is something you would like to pursue. If you go to a riding lesson, for the first week you will probably learn how to steer your pony or horse and get the horse to listen to your leg.

You will need a riding hat and some comfortable riding boots; you can have black or brown boots: it's your choice! If you are a bit of a nervous rider, then I would advise you to wear a body protector when you go to the riding school. Sometimes, they supply them anyway.

Riding competitions are the perfect way to test your skills. There are three disciplines: show-jumping, dressage and cross-country, but if you are feeling confident you can try all three by eventing!

Personally, my favourite is show-jumping because it is exciting, and my horse really enjoys the challenge. Competitions are a really good way to boost your confidence and to bond with your pony. You can enter riding competitions as an individual or as part of a team, whether it be a pony club team or a school team.

Horse riding makes Representing my school team gives you feel free like nothing could stop me a huge sense of pride and I love you in life, except wearing the school hat silk with its falling off! bright orange pom-pom!

Although riding your pony can be thrilling, there is nothing better than the bond you can build with your pony.

Ponies aren’t just pets; they are friends and family too. They always listen to you and make you feel confident. To build this special bond, our ponies love being groomed because it makes them feel relaxed, and their muscles calm down if they are tense and on high alert.

Of course, not everyone can have their own pony but that doesn't mean you can't achieve your ambition. If it sounds like a sport you would like to try, then get in touch with your local stables to find out how to get started.

If y ou go le t firs sson, o a rid t wee for t ing pro k yo he b to s ably u tee lear will or r nh y the horse our p ow hor and ony to y se to get lis our leg ten .

THERE IS SPENDIN NOTHING BETTER G HORSES. QUALITY TIME THAN WITH Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

35

Unreal Photo

Amelia Rhys Jones of Newton Prep

The photo was taken using an array of telescopes located at eight different radio observatories around the world.

Image: Supermassive black hole M87. By Event Horizon Telescope. CC BY 4.0, https:// commons.wikimedia.org/

takes a look at a dazzling photo of space.

P

eople see many photos of black holes, developing the algorithm that helped process but most of them are either artistic the image. A professor from Frankfurt University representations or AI-processed said, ‘We have transformed a mathematical reconstructions because it is very hard to concept, that of the event horizon, into a take a photo of one. Messier 87's black hole is physical object – something we can test, approximately 53.49 million light-years away, and we can measure, and we can observe and it is a region of extreme repeatedly.’ Scientists involved You can tell that gravity where light cannot were very proud of their work the black hole is escape due to the immense and felt an ambivalent sense there by looking at gravitational pull of a collapsed of celebration and relief once the dazzling rim of star. they were done. light surrounding it, caused by the extreme gravitational pull bending and capturing surrounding material.

In 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) captured a photo of the supermassive black hole M87. You can tell that the black hole is there by looking at the dazzling rim of light surrounding it, caused by the extreme gravitational pull bending and capturing surrounding material. Scientists managing EHT admitted that it looked very similar to another one, Sagittarius A*, which is 4.3 million times bigger than the Sun. The only difference is that M87 is 1500 times bigger than that.

The photo was taken using an array of telescopes located at eight different radio observatories around the world. Two hundred scientists were stationed at these separate posts, and most were on standby all the time because they had to wait until the weather was clear at all eight stations. It was a painful process, and they had to work for over a decade to achieve their goal.

The person in charge of taking the photo was Dr. Katie Bouman, who ‘hardly knew what a black hole was’ before she played a key role in

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However, there is a dark side to this photo. Some scientists do not believe that it is real because the image looks slightly distorted. Sceptical people ask where the light is coming from, or why you cannot see a visible photon ring on the outside of the black hole. Since M87 is a rotating black hole, you should see a small ring not far off from the centre to indicate the zone of photons.

It is, however, unlikely that this is a fake photo because that kind of deception could cost the scientists their jobs. The absence of a clearly visible photon ring is likely owing to the image resolution rather than evidence of deception.

Learning and discovering space and its potential threats is important, and it helps us discover new scientific concepts.

Image: the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). ESO/Jos Francisco Salgado (josefrancisco. org), EHT Collaboration.

T

he ultimate productivity hack is to say ‘No’. After all, not doing something is always quicker than doing it, and there is no meeting that goes faster than no meeting at all. This does not mean you should never attend a meeting ever again, but the harsh reality is that most people say yes to things they do not really want to do.

Many of those in power take saying no for granted. It is true that turning someone down is easier when you have a safety net of money and power, but learning to do so wisely can also be a key to success.

It’s an important skill to learn as it saves the most important asset in your life – time.

You need to say no to whatever is not How often do you agree to a favour, leading you toward your goals. The fewer only to find yourself unexpectedly distractions, the higher the productivity. overwhelmed a week Of course, a balance must saying no is later by an ever-growing be struck here. Saying nearly always to-do list? We tend to no doesn’t mean you will more productive become frustrated by our never say yes again, but it than saying yes.

However, if the obligations and yet we simply means you will be benefits of saying are the ones who said yes able to stay on track toward no are so obvious, to them in the first place. your goals. Conversely, if a why do we keep It is worth considering task or favour moves you saying yes? whether these deeds are toward your goals, it might necessary. Most are not, and saying no be worth saying yes. is nearly always more productive than saying yes. However, if the benefits of Saying no is an art. It’s a word so powerful saying no are so obvious, why do we keep it can decide your future. It can prevent saying yes? meaningless tasks and can keep you focused on your work with no distractions.

Most of the time, we do not want to This could be labeled a hack, but in reality come across as rude or lazy and, given it is quite a task to get the hang of. Do be that we will most likely meet again in judicious in your use of saying no. If you the future, we want to maintain good are on your way to an important meeting, relationships with others. We often and a police officer pulls you over for prioritise maintaining good relationships speeding, that is probably not the right over simply saying no, fearing that it may time to say no. After all, saving minutes in leave a lasting impression of arrogance. the short term shouldn’t come at the cost Because of this, we must be kind and of losing them by serving time. direct when saying no, offering a warmhearted response.

is an g no word n i y a Sa l it It’s art. owerfu our so p ecide y d can future.

, o N No t AtAl l

Caspar Amos of Newton Prep says that sometimes saying no is the only option.

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

37

g n i s s e r D Up

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Sophia Sun of SJCS traces

the ups and downs

of the cheongsam.

T

he cheongsam (旗袍) is a type of women's clothing invented by the Manchu people during the Republic of China period, and was produced massively in the 1920s.

gently in the breeze, exuding a faint fragrance. They are arranged one by one on the lapel, as if a path of flowers blooms on the lapel.

The colours and patterns of the cheongsam are rich and colourful. A golden phoenix is often embroidered In 1929, the government of the Republic of China below the waist, as if it is reborn in the fire, full of vitality introduced the ‘Clothing System Regulations’, which and vigour; the elegant blue is dotted with white defined the traditional coat and skirt of Han women orchids, like a fresh ink painting, which makes people and the Cheongsam as women's formal wear. After feel relaxed and happy. Every colour and the founding of New China following the every pattern seems to have its own soul. revolution of 1949, the Cheongsam was the Cheongsam gradually neglected, especially during the was gradually neglected, The style of the cheongsam has changed Cultural Revolution: the dress was regarded especially during over time. In the past, the sleeves were very as ‘feudal dregs’ and ‘bourgeois sentiment’, the Cultural long, tightly wrapped around the arms, and was criticised.

Revolution: and the hem was also very long, dragging the dress was regarded as on the ground, like a noble princess when During the 1980s, with the re-emphasis on ‘feudal dregs’. walking. Today's Cheongsam has become traditional culture, as well as the influence more fashionable while retaining its of film and television, fashion shows, and traditional charm. The sleeves may become shorter, beauty pageants, the Cheongsam not only revived and the hem may be slightly raised, making it easier in the mainland but also spread to various fashions to move. around the world.

The first time I saw Cheongsam was on TV. At that time, Shi Yi, played by Bai Lu, was wearing a Cheongsam.

She had a graceful figure and walked slowly. At that moment, I seemed to have a spell cast over me, and I could no longer look away from her. Since then, I have been full of curiosity about Cheongsam.

I especially hope that one day I can wear a beautiful cheongsam. Imagine walking in the quaint alleys, with the sun shining on you. How beautiful it would be! I believe that, even if time passes, the beauty of Cheongsam will never disappear. It will always exude a unique charm.

The Cheongsam looks unique. The neckline is small and round, like a carefully carved jade, firmly fitting under the neck. The buttons are undoubtedly the finishing touch of the Cheongsam. They are exquisite and ingenious, and their shapes are varied, like miniature works of art. Some buttons are of small and exquisite flowers, and the delicate folds seem to be the gentle traces left by the breeze. The stamens are carefully outlined with silk threads, just like real flowers swaying

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

39

Wonder Horse E

SJCS recalls l horse. m of a truly specia

Momoka Varian of the herois

ldar Eldarov was a brilliant racehorse However, when the owner found out about loved by many people. He was known this, he didn’t want to let Eldar Eldarov go so for his stamina and speed. He won he pleaded for someone to try and do surgery many races but the best-known ones are the to try and fix his neck. The only surgeon in Queen’s Vase in 2022, the St Leger in 2022 and the world who could do such a complicated the Irish St Leger in 2023. The best races that a surgery on the neck was in California. The flight racehorse can win are the G1 classics and there from Los Angeles to Dubai is 15 hours and 55 are only five of these each year: they are the minutes and it would take a lot of effort to Derby (11/2 miles), the Oaks (11/2 miles), the carry out everything. Still the owner wanted to 1000 Guinness (1 mile), 2000 Guinness (1 miles), save Eldar Eldarov. Almost a week later, it was and the St Leger (13/4 miles). Eldar the day of the surgery. It took a Eldar Eldarov Eldarov won two of these classics, long time to carry out the surgery. thought that the which makes him one of the most gates had opened Like most people and animals, if so he jumped (like they damage their neck then the successful racehorses ever. at the start of a race) at the gates spinal cord would most likely get Eldar Eldarov was entered for a damaged. Eldar Eldarov’s spinal and broke the race in Dubai on 30 March 2024. second vertebrae cord did get damaged but luckily of his neck.

As soon as he flew out there, only a little bit. When Eldar Eldarov he trained on the training ground and was walked, one of his hind legs wasn’t straight but ready for his big race. At the start of the race the rest of him was okay. the gate-men led Eldar Eldarov into the gate and he stood still. Eldar Eldarov usually wore a After the surgery, the vets were trying to get hood that covered his eyes so he was ready for Eldar Eldarov up, but it was very hard because the start. When all the other racehorses were he was in an awkward position. They had to loaded into the gates, the horse in the gate next try several times and in the end they had to to Eldar Eldarov kicked out at the gates and bandage his legs and, with the help of a sling, they made a loud bang. Eldar Eldarov thought they eventually got him up. that the gates had opened so he jumped (like at the start of a race) at the gates and broke the During Eldar Eldarov’s rehab, he was taught second vertebrae of his neck. how to walk and trot and amazingly he was taught how to canter. When he was better, he He was quickly hurried out of the gates and was flown back to England and was sent to get was put in a horse ambulance. He looked very even stronger at another rehabbing stud. lame and dizzy. At the hospital, the vets found a fracture in his neck. It was so bad that they Now, Eldar Eldarov has turned into a stallion. recommended putting him down because he People still don’t know if he will be able to do was in so much pain. He was in his stable but he what he used to be able to do but he has been wasn’t allowed to lie down because he might very strong through his eventful journey. Many not have been able to get up or the fracture people are amazed by Eldar Eldarov’s recovery could have got worse. This is why he was put in and grateful that he was able to recover a sling. An equine sling is used to lift the weight because he is such a wonderful horse. of the horses’ body off their legs so there is no pressure on their legs. He was being watched

BY DAVID EGAN and looked after 24/7 so he stayed safe. The ELDAR ELDAROV RIDDEN ON STUDS EBF WINS THE BRITISH STALLI vets had to hand-feed Eldar Eldarov because NOTTINGHAM AT MAIDEN STAKES (DIV 2) he couldn’t move his neck.

1.

202 ER RACECOURSE. 13 OCTOB

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41

Bad

Influence Do Video Games Promote

Violence? Davincia ys the jury is out.

Boansi of Holmewood House sa

I

n recent years, the relationship between video games and violent behaviour has been the subject of intense debate. Critics argue that exposure to violent video games contributes to real-world aggression and violent acts, while others assert that there is no significant evidence to support such claims.

The first interactive electronic game with an electronic display appeared in 1947, the first true video games in the early 1950s, and the rise of early arcade video games in the 1970s. Since the early days of gaming, video games have evolved significantly in content and style. Classic games such as Mario Kart were non-violent games, but while technology advanced so did the full nature of games. The 1990s saw the rise of violent games such as Mortal Combat and Doom that allowed those players to join in graphic depictions of violence. These games, often praised for their technical transformations, also raised plenty of concerns about the negative impact they were having on young gamers.

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Today, popular titles like Call of Duty, Crime Rates and Video Game Sales: Grand Theft Auto and Fortnite continue Despite the growing popularity of to feature violence as a key element of violent video games, violent crime gameplay. In these rates have generally games, players decreased in many popular titles like engage in combat, countries over the past Call of Duty, Grand often using firearms few decades.

According Theft Auto and Fortnite continue or other weapons to to FBI data, the violent to feature violence defeat opponents. crime rate in the United as a key element of Some of these violent States has declined since gameplay. games also include the early 1990s, even as storylines portraying video game sales surged violent conflict. This is where the during that period. argument about video games promoting violence arises. But is there Exposure to Violent Content: The any scientific evidence to support this American Psychological Association claim?

(APA) acknowledges that there is a small association between violent Research on Aggression and Violence: video games and increased aggression, A 2014 meta-analysis by Christopher J. but stresses that this aggression does Ferguson found no significant evidence not directly translate into violent linking violent video games to real- behaviour. world aggression. A study by Craig A. Anderson and colleagues suggested Numerous studies have attempted to that violent video games may increase recognise the relationship between aggressive thoughts and behaviours in the violent video games we see online some players, but the effects are often and real-life aggression. Some research short-term. suggests that exposure to violent video games can increase aggressive

plent y of have failed studies to sh any c o betwe onnection w en pl viole aying nt v and e ideo game ngag s ing crimin al ac in ts.

behaviour and aggressive thoughts in the short term. Theories like the General Aggression Model propose that violent media can influence the way players think and act, making them more likely to use these violent acts in real-life situations. However, The question whether video games the evidence is inconclusive. A metapromote violence is complex, with valid analysis conducted in 2015, which arguments on both sides. While there is examined hundreds of studies on the some evidence that violent video games topic, found that while violent video may influence aggressive behaviour in games may have a small, short-term certain individuals, there effect on aggression, is no conclusive proof the long-term link Numerous studies have attempted that they cause real-world between violent games to recognise violence. It is likely that a and violent behaviour the relationship is weak. As a matter of between the violent variety of factors, including personal circumstances, fact, plenty of studies video games we see have failed to show any online and real-life mental health, and social aggression. environment play a much connection between larger role in determining playing violent video violent behaviour. Video games, like any games and engaging in criminal acts. form of media, can have both positive One important factor to consider and negative effects, depending on how is that aggression does not always they are consumed and the context in translate into violence. Players may act which they are played. Ultimately, it is out aggressively in the context of the important to recognise that video games violent games, but it may just be the are not as harmful as they may seem. rage of the game.

As with any form of entertainment, moderation and responsible use are key. Parents and educators should focus on providing guidance and promoting healthy media consumption, rather than placing blame solely on video games for societal issues.

e any es, lik can m a g , Video of media ive form oth posit cts, b have ative effe w g e n n ho . d an ding o ed e p de n e consum ar y e h t Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

43

Quick

Flight

Magnus Cleevely of SJCS laments the

1976 ary f for u n a of 1J On 2 de took flying , r e o w c Con first tim Heathro t s e n u h o j t Lond JFK in s. from w York alf hour e h N a o t d e an thre

grounding of the

late great Concorde.

C

oncorde was the fastest passenger plane ever to Environmental concerns: Concorde emitted high levels of exist, so why was it discontinued? On 21 January carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Its sonic booms limited it 1976 Concorde took off for the first time, flying from to transoceanic routes, further restricting its operational scope.

London Heathrow to New York JFK in just three and a half hours. This revolutionised the transport market, because it Better alternatives: subsonic aircraft like the Boeing 747 and was also an extremely luxurious experience, appealing to later the Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 offered larger passenger those who wanted to travel in comfort, for a capacity, improved fuel efficiency, lower operating higher price. costs, luxurious first-class and business-class These are what cabins, which were more cost-effective than flying allowed it to fly at Mach 2.04 (1354 The aircraft also featured groundbreaking Concorde. mph), making it more technologies for its time, such as advanced than twice as fast aerodynamics, afterburner-equipped engines, And the final, tragic nail in the coffin for Concorde, as other airliners at the time. and a sleek delta wing design. These are what the Air France flight 4590 crash (2000): a Concorde allowed it to fly at Mach 2.04 (1354 mph), operated by Air France crashed shortly after takemaking it more than twice as fast as other airliners at the off from Paris, killing all 109 onboard and four on the ground. time (B747, DC-10, Lockheed L-1011 etc). Its fastest time to The accident was caused by a piece of debris on the runway cross the Atlantic was 2 hours, 52 minutes, 59 seconds (JFK- that punctured a fuel tank, leading to a catastrophic fire.

LHR) on the 7 February, 1996.

From having the finest safety record of all jet airliners, with no The downfall of Concorde was due to a number of factors: fatalities (100%), because of the small number of transatlantic High fuel consumption: with its four Rolls-Royce/Snecma flights, with one accident Concorde suddenly became the most Olympus 593 engines, Concorde consumed a massive deadly way to fly and this was the end of the beautiful and brief amount of fuel, about 25,600 litres per hour, significantly life of an amazing feat of engineering. more than modern airliners carrying more passengers over similar distances. With limited capacity, the Concorde could a ope Conco only carry about 100 passengers, compared to the 300–400 Fra rated rde n on subsonic aircraft like the Boeing 747. sh ce c by Ai Operational costs: Maintenance was expensive due to its unique materials, the wear and tear caused by supersonic speeds, and the need for specialised infrastructure.

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r r o ta rtly ashed Par ke-off after is f 109 , killin rom onb g al l oar d.

What's Next?

Peregrine Brice of SJCS ch

arts the coming s and goings of the human race.

A

However, we are not considering our current state: we have created and now live among computers and AI systems. We are becoming more and more reliant on these, which, in the future, could decrease our resilience and healthiness due to lack of movement and work. A good example of this is a concept created

by Toll Free Forwarding named ‘mindy’, showcasing how the digital world affects our bodies. Technology is both a blessing and a curse when we talk about our future. It could, as I have explained, make us less physically adept, but if it was used efficiently, consciously, and not totally reliably, we could use it to keep us healthy, and perhaps even increase our strength bionically. This would make us so much more powerful and successful.

ll life evolves. We, humanity, are but a speck in the story of evolution; our tale stretches back to a mere 300,000 years ago, compared to, for example, the non-avian dinosaurs that spent 179 million years on earth before their sudden extinction. Hominids themselves evolved from the apes. They learnt to use tools, walk bipedally, and yet only one species has survived to this day – us, homo sapiens. Since the dawn of civilization, we have made clothes and all stories weapons, and even moved on to using come to an end, and we are due the atom in warfare, but how will our for a mass story continue? How will our story end?

However, all stories come to an end, and we are due for a mass extinction event. In terms of guessing what this event will extinction event. be, we cannot do so accurately.

Let us begin with how we would naturally We can guess that it could be evolve, without unnatural disruption. Whales are caused by increased global warming, a mammals like ourselves, and they originally were current problem, though this could be terrestrial mammals, like we are currently. It is prevented with our future technology, or possible that in the future we could become partially the event could be completely unrelated. amphibious, and then perhaps even aquatic, like the The asteroid that wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs whales have done. However, the oldest land mammals was a complete coincidence, and it was simply chance currently alive are the monotremes, a small group of that brought it to our planet. egg-laying mammals made up of the duck-billed platypus and echidna. We could, therefore, whether In conclusion, we do not know exactly what we will aquatic or not, evolve to be egg-laying mammals such become, or how we will end, and it is all a matter of as these. Additionally, in the past of human evolution theorisation and guesswork. We may prosper for we have greatly increased in posture and size, so it is millions of years or fall in the coming few. We simply probable that this will continue. do not know.

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

45

l a d Na Frederick Rhodes of was the GOAT.

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JKS claims Nadal

For two dec ades, Nadal was a leading figure in men ’s tennis, alongside R o Federer and ger Novak Djokovic, kn own as the Big Three.

I

s Rafael Nadal, the ‘King of Clay’, the greatest of all time? He has certainly left an indelible mark on his sport and his amazing work ethic has led to incredible achievements.

Nadal turned professional at the beginning of 2001, aged fourteen, and reached the semi-finals of the junior singles event at Wimbledon, helping Spain Nadal’s dominance on clay courts has so far been defeat the US in the final of The Junior Davis Cup, and unbeatable. He has won the French Open (Roland began playing the qualifying draws of professional Garros) a record-breaking fourteen times, which is the tournaments. In May 2001 he defeated former Grand most individual Grand Slam wins. And he has won all Slam tournament champion Pat Cash, World Number four Grand Slams, becoming one of only five players 4 in 1988, in a clay-court exhibition to have done so. He’s also taken 92 ATP match. Nadal made his pro debut in the singles career titles, 36 Masters and Nadal admitted main draw at the Futures in Madrid on two Olympic gold medals, and he has fearing Toni and dreading solo 11 September 2001, carelessly wasting been ranked world number one for 209 practice sessions thirteen match points against Guillermo weeks, finishing first in the year on the with him. He admitted: Platel-Varas in the opening round. He professional circuit five times.

‘I sometimes returned home from received a wild card into the main draw tennis lessons of the Challenger in Seville, his first For two decades, Nadal was a leading crying.’

Challenger tournament, and beat world figure in men’s tennis, alongside Roger No. 751 Israel Matos Gil 6–4 6–4 to claim Federer and Novak Djokovic, known as his first pro win and earn the first five ATP points of the Big Three. In 2005, as a 19-year-old, Rafael won the his career to become world No. 1002. Aged 15, Nadal French Open on his first attempt and went on to win ended 2001 as the world No. 811. four more crowns from 2005 to 2008, defeating word No. 1 Roger Federer in three finals in a row from 2006 Although he is now retired from the sport, Nadal has to 2008. no shortage of activity. He has filled his spare time with hobbies like sailing, golf, fishing, and football. However, Born in Manacor, Mallorca, Spain, on 3 June 1986, his primary focus remains his Rafael Nadal Academy in Nadal started playing tennis at the age of three with Manacor, a world-class facility dedicated to nurturing guidance from his uncle Toni. He started to play at the future tennis stars. Manacor Tennis Club, where Toni worked as a coach, hitting his first few shots with his uncle. At this stage, Nadal's passion was football, and he often played on the streets of Manacor with his friends. He began to play tennis more regularly when he was five and Toni quickly realized that his young nephew had the passion, talent and determination to be a serious player. Nadal often played tennis in a group, but Toni singled him out during training sessions, shouting at him instead of the other kids, making him pick up balls and sweep the courts. In his 2011 autobiography, Nadal admitted fearing Toni and dreading solo practice sessions with him. He admitted: ‘I sometimes returned home from tennis lessons crying.’

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

47

e h T

Power of

Fluff Florence Lewin of Broomwood treasures the healing gift of our furry friends.

48

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a pets also have on ct pa im positive hing children, teac life le ab lu them va skills.

N

othing compares to the joy of coming home to your loyal companion. The unconditional love of a pet can do more than just keep you company. Whether it is a dog gazing mischievously up at you with its vigilant eyes or a hamster with its ludicrous antics, all animals can benefit both your mental and physical health.

The unconditional love of a pet can do more than just keep you company.

owners typically have a lower resting blood pressure than those without pets. Regular exercise, such as walking your dog, further reduces the risk of heart disease. Despite all these benefits, millions of people still live their lives without the joy of a pet. It’s their choice — not mine! If you ever feel fatigued In March 2022, around 87% of dog owners, or distressed, the presence of a pet can help 82% of cat owners, and 78% of rabbit reset your overworked mind, allowing you owners stated that their pets to carry on bravely and tackle made them happier and more Regular the rest of your day with your exercise, such relaxed. A cute, cuddly pet endearing companion in mind. as walking your can decrease levels of cortisol dog, further (a stress-related hormone), Studies are also investigating reduces the lower blood pressure, reduce risk of heart the role of pets in facilitating disease. loneliness, increase feelings of three dimensions of social social support, and boost your relatedness: getting to know mood. Your furry friends do so much more people, forming friendships, and building than just sit at home getting up to mischief! social support networks. This means that Additionally, scientists have been studying pet owners may be more likely to make whether having a ‘furry friend’ can help new friends in their neighbourhood reduce stress and calm people who suffer compared to those without pets. A simple from autism or ADHD. This is why therapy walk or even a lost cat can unexpectedly dogs exist—an example of how pets can bring people together. Beyond social greatly benefit mental health and teach benefits, pets also have a positive impact responsibility. on children, teaching them valuable life skills such as independence, responsibility, Pet ownership can also improve heart trust, compassion, respect, and patience. health. Simply being around animals has been shown to lower blood pressure. Pet Around 60% of households globally own at least one pet—meaning 60% of the world experiences the joy and companionship that pets bring. Hopefully, after reading this, those who once believed they could get by without a precious, heart-warming and irresistible pet will reconsider. The benefits of having a pet should be enough to persuade any rational parent to change their mind!

THERAPY DOGS ARE AN EXAMPLE OF HOW PETS CAN GREATLY BENEFIT MENTAL HEALTH AND TEACH RESPONSIBILITY. Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

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g n i ais

R

History

Malachy Frankum of

bread made the worl

d.

F

lour, yeast, water and a pinch of salt all mixed together in one warm, fluffy concoction.

While it heats, it hardens, making a loaf of bread. There are many factors that influence human history, such as location and society. But how are these linked to bread? The sacred loaf has played a vital role in shaping civilisation. You may say: ‘But that is impossible; how can that be true?’

30,000 years ago, humanity was the best thing since sliced (wait: bread wasn’t bread yet – it was just a collection of random, unassuming seeds), and we decided to smash grains and add some water for good measure, before plunging it into the fire until golden brown. Voila! Bread! Not the 50

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Newton Prep reveal

s how breaking

fanciest thing: a weird, black little fermentation and leavened bread. cracker, but humanity went crazy for it. The Egyptians used this to trade and As a result, we stopped going nomadic feed their army, quickly becoming the to wait for more of these strongest in the area. This seeds to grow, and thus became the pattern: more Bread! Not the civilisation. bread, more power. fanciest thing: a weird, black little cracker, but humanity went crazy for it.

Many nomads, carrying bags full of bread, visited a civilisation near a river that flooded once a year, ideal for growing wheat. They shared their knowledge of bread-making with the locals. However, these locals, now called Egyptians, wanted more, so they dug canals, inventing irrigation, to eat more bread. Soon after, they experimented with the ingredients and the process, mushing it into a paste and leaving it in the sun, inventing yeast

Eventually, bread found itself across the Mediterranean (circa 800 BC). The Greeks fell head over heels for this new food, inventing a goddess for it: Demeter. Circa 600 BC, they invented closed ovens in order to make bread even faster.

Over in Persia, they had their own bread: flat and round. It was useful because it was easy to transport in bulk and easy to make. The Persians became

The Greeks fell head over heels for this new food, inventing a goddess for it: Demeter.

powerful in the area, powerful enough to rival Greece. It all came down to who had more bread and, in the end, the Greeks emerged victorious.

The Romans, in their everlasting habit of copying the Greeks, took bread, made the ovens bigger and invented the first bakery-sized ovens. They invented a new system, ‘cura annonae’ (bread doles), to keep the people happy. To more easily transport their bread doles, they made roads, stretching the length and breadth of the Empire. Eventually, the Romans became lazy and did not work, relying on the Emperor’s free bread (and circuses) and thus bread production slowed.

The has sacr ed p rol layed loaf e in a vi ta s civi lisa haping l tion .

Did bread lose its power over time? No. To the East, the Byzantines needed In 1775, people rioted from something to feed the Philadelphia to Salem over The Egyptians millions now living in used this to high bread prices, and those Constantinople. Bread was trade and feed responsible were arrested, so important to them they their army, created the Baker’s Guild, quickly becoming showing how the enemy of bread is the enemy the strongest in the most protected group the area. of the people. Later, in in the Empire. After many France, high prices of bread plagues, bread production contributed to the French Revolution of slowed, and the Byzantine Empire fell 1848, originally called the ‘Flour Wars.’ to the Turks, who controlled wheat The storming of the Bastille was driven plantations to the East. by both the need for weapons and the widespread hunger, and grain shortages fuelled the revolution. After the Revolution, America became the most powerful nation, benefiting from the perfect conditions for bread production in the wheat belt.

To this day, bread remains what it always has been, a basketful of power.

d , brea is day it To th ins what , rema has been s f y a o l alw ketfu a bas wer. po Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

51

Coco w

ws ho

nell

McDon y l e c i C

S sho of SJC

MENT.

men’s MOVE

Coco

52

PED THE Wo Chanel HEL

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T

he ‘Little Black Dress’ and the ‘Chanel Suit’ are iconic items of contemporary fashion. But what do we know of Coco Chanel, the woman behind them?

Coco Chanel was a French fashion designer and pioneer of Twentieth Century fashion.

She was born in poor conditions on the 19th August 1883, in Saumur, France. After the death of their mother and the departure of their father, Coco, with her six brothers and sisters, was raised in an orphanage. Growing up without the influence of her parents gave her independence and determination, which helped her to become such a force in the fashion world and ensured her place in history.

Coco didn't have any formal training in fashion but she had a natural talent for design and a clear view of what women wanted. She started her career as a milliner, designing hats. In 1910 she opened Chanel Modes, specialising in hats that were worn by well-known French actresses of the time.

Her hats were simple, elegant and popular among the fashionable women in Paris.

Coco’s success as a milliner led her to open her first clothing boutique in 1910. Her clothes were just as popular – more so, in fact, than her hats. She soon became one of the most famous fashion designers in the world and she would change women’s fashion forever. Coco Chanel boasts many famous and classic designs: The Little Black Dress: Chanel designed a dress that was simple, elegant and could be worn anywhere. It was called ‘the little black dress’. Until then, black was mostly worn for mourning but Coco made it chic and a ‘must have’ in every woman’s wardrobe. It’s the

fashion equivalent of a good pair of jeans now, versatile and always in style.

The Chanel Suit: This two-piece skirt and jacket suit, usually made of a tweed, was comfortable and easy to move in, but still professional and chic. Women were used to uncomfortable and tight clothing, so this was a breath of fresh air. The suit is still iconic Chanel.

Jersey Fabric: Coco used stretchy jersey, a fabric mostly used in men's sportswear, in her clothing. Women could wear something as comfortable as sportswear but still look super-stylish.

Costume Jewellery: Chanel loved to mix real jewels with fake. She made costume jewellery fashionable, so women could accessorise without spending a fortune.

She believed fashion was about having fun and not about how much money you had.

The 2.55 Handbag: This iconic quilted handbag with a chain strap was revolutionary. It allowed women to carry their belongings hands-free, which was very practical. The chain strap was inspired by the straps on soldiers’ bags.

She soon became one of the most famous fashion designers in the world and she would change women’s fashion forever.

She to b want ed ea w and ble t omen live live o mo res s with their ve o tric te ut b clo d by t eing the heir s.

Chanel's designs were all about freedom and simplicity. She wanted women to be able to move and live their lives without being restricted by their clothes. She died on 10th January 1971 having changed forever the way women would dress.

IN H A CHA DBAG WIT ED WOMEN N A H D E IC QUILT IT ALLOW THE ICON REVOLUTIONARY. HANDS-FREE. S STRAP WA HEIR BELONGINGS T TO CARRY Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

53

Super s t i Su

In t sup he pe re er s riod brocord uits, of th ken tim wor e ld by es am a ma were oun ssi t. ve

Alex Holmes of SJCS recalls A SHORT SPELL OF LYCRA

SPEED.

T

he world of swimming was been totally changed The only problem is that the records from that time still by the introduction of super suits. These were count, even though swimmers had an obvious advantage body suits that covered the swimmer’s full body over the people now. But is it really fair to take away and gave them an edge over the regular swimsuits. Many someone's world record when it was totally legal to use manufacturers caught onto the trend and started to create them, and strip it from them? You may argue someone their own designs, with Speedo being like Adam Peaty could still win all his the frontrunner. Swimmers like Michel medals and get his world records without it is most likely the Phelps and many others wore these the super suits but the suits were mainly single most influential revolutionary suits. They are effective at effective for middle-distance swimming. factor why swimming reducing drag and air pockets by making Adam Peaty is a sprinter and he mainly world records are them really tight. swims breaststroke, which was not nearly impossible to particularly affected by the suits because break in this day and In the period of the super suits, world they gave little advantage. age. record times were broken by a massive amount and enabled the swimmers to Personally, I think that the world records set times that we probably would not have seen until should not be disallowed as it is unfair to the swimmers much further into the future. It progressed the world of who would probably have set world records without the swimming by a historic amount and it is most likely the suits. For swimmers there is a short period of time where single most influential factor why swimming world records you are at your best in all areas of the sport whether are nearly impossible to break in this day and age. This is physically or technique wise. It’s not fair to take away strange because we should be improving year on year someone's world record when it was perfectly legal to wear with the new technologies we are finding out. It has been a the suits at that time and they would have worn normal huge grind for the athletes to even attain one world record. swimming suits if they had known that they could see their world record taken away. Even though the super suits were Between 2008 and 2009, 117 world records were broken really overpowered, swimmers are rapidly improving their in swimming, which completely changed the landscape, times, because of new training techniques, physios and and non-suited swimmers would be left behind. It helped nutritionists that the people 15 years ago didn't have. Michael Phelps win his historic eight gold medals. These suits undoubtedly helped the swimmers a lot, leading to their eventual ban in 2009.

AWAY FAIR TO TAKE WAS IS IT REALLY IT N HE W LD RECORD SOMEONE'S WOR USE THEM? TO L GA LE TOTALLY 54

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R

ugby is controversial. Many There are important ways around this. people support it, while others Training properly is vital for rugby safety. think it is dangerous and bone- Engaging the shoulder when tackling breaking. Rugby Union and Rugby League is very important, although it sounds are both hugely popular around the world. dangerous. When you fall, players The Six Nations is an annual Rugby Union should use the ‘parachute fall’ method competition involving England, Ireland, for maximum safety. All of this is muscle France, Italy, Scotland and Wales. Like memory and, if not developed properly, football, there is a Rugby World Cup (RWC) will increase the risk of harm. which takes place every four years. In England, there are ten Premiership rugby Yes, people do get injured, but it teaches teams as well as many non-league and you to play safely and fairly and follow the friendly matches that take place across rules. If you do play fairly, it is safer and the ages throughout the year. there is less chance of you Rugby is an enormous part of getting hurt or hurting Safety aside, sporting culture and history. other people. Due to the rugby teaches you many head being the area of most important things, Rob Burrow was a professional concern, the rules have like resilience, rugby player who sadly died changed over the years composure and of Motor Neurone Disease and are now adamant that teamwork.

(MND) on 2 June 2024. This the tackle height must be occurs when your nervous below the sternum (chest). system breaks down, causing paralysis, Anything above the sternum is penalised muscle weakness and difficulty breathing, and could result in a sending off or a ban. amongst other things. Rob Burrow was This law is firmly enforced and is closely diagnosed with MND due to knocks to the watched by referees and match officials. head from playing rugby. Many sportsmen have unfortunately developed MND due Safety aside, rugby teaches you many to head injury, and Rob Burrow is one important things, like resilience, example of recent concerns relating to this composure and teamwork. Rugby is contact sport. often played in muddy, wet conditions in freezing temperatures and driving rain. It Rugby is a contact sport, which means takes a resilient person to persevere and injuries are going to happen. Statistics enjoy such an experience. It is not for show that the most common rugby the faint-hearted. Players lean on their injuries are head, ankle and shoulder teammates, focus on the game and, if injuries. Players can get muscle strains. the result goes the team's way, enjoy an These muscle strains usually happen when unbeatable feeling. people do not stretch properly before the game or have had that injury before.

Prep school coaches are highly trained in making training fun while also coaching Some people think rugby is just too the developing players to play rugby safely dangerous, especially when played in prep and follow the rules. I think that rugby is schools, where children's bones are still perfectly safe for children to play in prep growing and not all of them play to the schools because the rules are strict, even at same standard. Some children don’t want a young age with people still learning how to play rugby at all, and others are worried to play fairly and safely. The benefits to be about injuring themselves. This leaves gained from rugby – fitness, teamwork, a few children who must take on more enjoyment, resilience and composure – in tackles than others, increasing the risk of my opinion far outweigh the negatives of injury. the small risk of injury.

Hard

Knocks Charlie Cooke of Vinehall finds banning rugby a step too far.

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

55

FAST CAR A

re sports cars consuming more fuel than they did in the past, and how do they compare to super cars? At first this seems obvious: old cars drink more petrol and leak oil whilst newer cars are engineered to consume less fuel, but newer cars are harder to make, so to make hyper cars or super cars must require huge amounts of energy. This raises the question: which is better for the environment?

muses on the of the supercar.

Zain Sheikh of SJCS future

and using a lot of energy. This means their environmental impact starts before they even hit the road.

When comparing older cars, like the Ferrari F40, to modern vehicles, such as the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport, or the Rimac Nevera, it’s clear that newer cars are more fuel-efficient when on the road. The introduction of hybrid and electric powertrains is helping to bridge the gap between high performance and environmental responsibility.

First, we have the pros for newer cars with our first pro being some are electric, such as the Rimac Nivera, a fully Building the highperformance electric car with a maximum However, older cars, like the batteries these speed of 256 mph, whilst F40, had simpler manufacturing cars need involves reducing emitting CO2 when processes that used fewer mining rare-earth driving (0 g/km), compared to materials and using resources. They also didn’t a lot of energy. a 6.5 litre V12 engine (Aston require the energy-intensive Martin Valkyrie) with 400 g/ km production of modern materials of Co2. They also benefit from using cutting- or batteries. While their emissions were high edge technology like active aerodynamics and when they were moving, they didn’t have lightweight components. These improvements the same environmental costs tied to their mean that, even with huge engines, newer cars manufacture. like the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport are slightly less harmful to the environment compared to The future of supercars will probably see more older supercars. innovations in hybrid and electric technology.

Brands like Ferrari, Bugatti and Rimac are Hybrid cars like the Ferrari SF90 take it a step already experimenting with ways to make their further by combining gasoline and electric vehicles faster and more sustainable. While power. This not only reduces fuel consumption there’s still a long way to go, the shift toward but also allows for smoother driving in cities greener technologies is rising. where traffic is often heavy and this wastes huge amounts of fuel. Electric motors provide Ultimately new sports cars and supercars are instant torque, improving both efficiency and becoming more efficient, but the challenge performance, especially during acceleration. remains in reducing their environmental impact during production. Balancing speed, Electric supercars, such as the Rimac Nevera, power and sustainability is the next big test push the limits even further. They emit no CO2 for the car industry and one that will shape the while driving, which is a massive improvement future of performance cars. over traditional fuel-guzzling engines. However, the downside is the manufacturing process.

Building the high-performance batteries these BUGATTI AND BRANDS LIKE FERRARI, cars need involves mining rare-earth materials MENTING WITH ERI EXP Y RIMAC ARE ALREAD ICLES FASTER WAYS TO MAKE THEIR VEH AND MORE SUSTAINABLE. 56

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Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ at Goodwood Festival of Speed. 23 June 2022.

Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

57

g n i r u End

Sprint

Aryan Nair of Solefie ld

IS THINKING.

H

ave you ever been told running is about pure speed and strength? I can tell you from personal experience that it’s not. Pro athletes follow precise tactics for the 400m sprint, breaking the race into four key stages. Each stage requires different stride lengths, acceleration, and speed, all carefully controlled through strategy and willpower.

Being a seasoned runner myself, I have raced in many competitive and casual running events from the 75m hurdles to 10km long runs and everything in between. But one event is harder than them all – the 400m sprint, or one lap of a full-sized athletic track. This race is the longest official sprint and pushes your 58

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finds THAT SPRINTIN

endurance to the limits: too short to pace yourself and too long to flat-out sprint.

G

The next stage is the transition. This is when you should start changing your speed and cadence (stride length) to prepare for the next 200m of the race.

The first stage of this event is the start. I This means you need to settle into a can tell you, from personal experience, fast yet steady pace that you can hold that for the first 50 to for the middle section of 100m you need to sprint you have a reserve the race. as hard as you can. Many of energy for sudden exercise, people like to save their Float - this is the 200m called anaerobic energy for the end, section in the middle of energy, that will but you have a reserve the race. Your body will burn at the same of energy for sudden start co-operating more speed. exercise, called anaerobic after the sudden start energy, that will burn at the same speed and you need to get the perfect pace. no matter how fast you run. Because of At this point, you should be taking this, you should go flat out for the first long, confident strides and focus on the bend without holding back, gaining perfect running form. This section can the benefit of a mental advantage. make or break the race as you can’t go

This r longe ace is the sprin st officia t and l your endur pushes the l ance to imits.

too fast and have nothing for the end; however, if you go too slow you are not reaching your maximum potential. start to feel it and if you went too slow The final straight. The finish is just up your competition will already be too far ahead, directly in your line of sight. ahead. You should always be on the fast Many people think this side, pushing yourself to is simple – a fast dash the limits until you reach Each stage to the finish. Yes, but no. your final goal. requires different Obviously you should stride lengths, go full-out on this part The 400m is not just a acceleration, and of the race, but it is not speed, all carefully physical test. It is a raging that easy. By this point, controlled through battle between your mind strategy and your muscles will be and body. You must push willpower. filled with lactic acid. your body to its limits, This is a substance willing it to keep going. that fills your muscles due to extreme You must harness your endurance, exercise. It will burn for you, and your embrace your goal and push away any competitors. Everything you have doubts or worries. There will always be a done the whole race comes down devil whispering in your ear to stop: go to this. You need to fight your inner play some videogames; I bet your friends devil and will yourself to keep going. If are sitting on their couch right now. Your you went too fast at the start you will job is to fight it away. Whether you are striving for an Olympic gold or targeting a PB, it doesn’t matter. It’s all in your head.

just is not . It m 0 0 The 4 sical test le a phy ging batt d a is a r n your min e e w t be ody. and b

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Cat y z a r C Toby Swinfen of Sole

stay.

H

ave you ever looked at your cat curled up on the sofa and wondered how it became a household pet? Did you know that one-third of American households have felines as members of the family, and more than 600 million cats live among humans worldwide? This makes the house cat the most popular pet in the world – more popular than dogs, rabbits, and hamsters! But when and where did these domestic dormousehunters first come into our lives?

Although cats are familiar to us, we still do not fully understand their origins and how they became the affectionate, furry companions we know today.

Unlike other domesticated animals, such as husky dogs bred for sled-pulling in Siberia, or horses domesticated for transportation and labour, cats were not bred for their meat, milk, wool or 60

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field says why cats

work. So why did humans domesticate them at all?

are here to

wildcat. However, since wildcats have existed all over the world, this caused confusion about where domestication For many years, scholars believed first occurred. Some researchers that ancient Egyptians were the first suggested that cats were domesticated to domesticate cats. in multiple locations, not Egyptians revered cats just in Egypt. more than 600 as magical creatures million cats live among humans capable of bringing good To investigate, scientists worldwide... This luck to their owners. analysed DNA from makes the house Around 3,600 years modern domestic cat the most ago, Egyptian families popular pet in the cats and compared world. welcomed cats into it to known wildcat their homes. However, populations worldwide. in the past five years, archaeological Their results revealed five major clusters discoveries have challenged this belief, of wildcats that matched domestic cat offering new insights into the ancestry DNA, appearing in China, Central Asia, of the domestic cat and its relationship Southern Africa and Europe. Yet this with humans. still did not explain where or when the first domesticated cats appeared.

Originally, scientists believed that all domestic cats descended from In 2004, archaeologists made a a single species: Felis silvestris, the groundbreaking discovery: the earliest

ed ever l r s a f tian agic Egyp s as m pable o o t t a c k ca c s u e od l atur cre ging go ners. w brin their o rs ola sch ieved t bel ncien re ta we tha ians to t t p s y Eg e fir ate th estic dom cats.

known evidence of humans keeping cats as pets. This discovery came from a human grave in Cyprus, dating back 9,500 years. Just 40 cm away, a smaller grave was found containing ‘cute’ features, including large eyes, small the remains of an eight-month-old cat, noses and round foreheads, traits that carefully buried and facing the same naturally appeal to human emotions. direction as the human remains. Since Cyprus is an island, this means that cats In the end, humans may have been must have been transported there by attracted to cats for the boat, suggesting a special same reasons we love them relationship between Cats have a today. This suggests that humans and cats. reputation the bond between humans for being independent and cats has remained Cats have a reputation for and sometimes unchanged for thousands being independent and aloof. of years. Whether as skilled sometimes aloof, but they hunters, loyal companions are also intelligent and or simply adorable pets, cats have opportunistic. Early cats likely realized secured their place as an essential part of they could find an easy meal by hunting human history. mice and rats that were attracted to human settlements. By keeping these pests under control, cats became valuable to humans. Another reason for their domestication could be their

led skil l s a loya ly ther whe nters, r simp hu ons o , cats pani ir pets com rable ed the ial r t o u n e ad e sec ess ry. hav as an n histo e a c pla of hum part

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b o J

Well

e n Do

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tes JKS celebra f o n o s ig H Zen bination. cartoon com

mic a winning co

W

allace & Gromit make a duo The Wallace & Gromit films are shot using in various British stop-motion the stop-motion animation technique. After animations produced by Aardman detailed storyboarding, then set and plasticine Animations. The engrossing narratives are model construction, the films are shot one based around the enthusiastic inventor called frame at a time, moving the models of the Wallace and his trusty companion, Gromit. The characters slightly to give the impression films have proven to be favourites throughout of movement in the final film. This creates a the years. The first Wallace and satisfyingly smooth motion and The engrossing Gromit film was released in 1989, is exceedingly entertaining with narratives are over 30 years ago. exaggerated mouth movements, based around cartoon jokes, effects and the enthusiastic inventor called The latest Wallace & Gromit traditions.

Wallace and his film was Vengeance Most Fowl. trusty companion, The film features Wallace’s Born in Preston’s Brookfield Park Gromit. latest invention, Norbot, a in 1958, Nick Park grew up on gnome who proves very helpful for Wallace’s Greenlands Estate and later moved to Walmer neighbourhood; however, later in the film, a Bridge. With a huge interest in drawing wicked penguin (Feathers McGraw), an iconic cartoons, Park ventured into something villain, returns. Originally from The Wrong completely new, which is arguably his Trousers, he always gets Wallace into a bit of greatest achievement. It has been a long time a pinch. since Wallace’s birth. A Grand Day Out (the first Wallace & Gromit film) took a whopping Vengeance Most Fowl is a new addition to six long years to make: all of Nick Park’s films the greatly loved Wallace and Gromit series, use handheld plasticine puppets, but for the which has had a massive impact on the world first he was largely doing it single-handedly. of entertainment. For example, critic Stuart Aardman Animations stepped in to help Parks Heritage called it ‘a triumphant return’ and complete the film. on Rotten Tomatoes 100% of 132 critical reviews are positive, with an average rating While Wallace & Gromit have stepped up over of 8.3/10. Vengeance Most Fowl also received the years, they have stayed close to my heart. two BAFTA awards for Best Animated Film It is rare these days, but these films are classic and Best Children’s and Family Film. The BBC family favourites that can be enjoyed by all moreover announced it as the most watched ages: why not sit down and enjoy them with animation on British TV, with an exciting 21.6 a plate of cheese and crackers? Families all million views in only 28 days. over Britain, and indeed the world, have loved these amazingly witty comedies. Will there ever be a more popular British animation?

Well, we will have to wait and see. www.wallaceandgromit.com/ films/world-of-invention/ ©2025 Aardman Animations Ltd

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e r e h W

is Love?

Peyton Jacobs of Be

affects a child.

E

very person has a different experience when they grow up.

Some have a secure and loving home life, but others are subjected to less-than-ideal environments.

How does this affect us mentally and physically? Will those people turn out different?

What is neglect? Well, neglect is a parent’s ongoing failure to meet a child's basic needs, and it is the most common form of child abuse. This can put the neglected child in danger, and some examples of this are inadequate health care, education, supervision, or even a lack of food or clothes.

Now, the cycle of neglect that results from this initial neglect is normally pictured as a circle, which shows that everything comes back again. So, the cycle of neglect is like this: a neglected 64

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de’s explores how ne gl

ect

person neglects younger people in Our next question is what’s the science their care, and so on. This abuse may behind love? Well, it’s all down to force stress, depression and anger onto something called oxytocin. Oxytocin a child, because their brains aren’t fully is a hormone released through our developed, so they don’t know how to spine that makes you feel all warm express how they feel in and fuzzy inside, like you words and instead lash have ‘butterflies in your out. stomach’, and this is the If you have low levels of hormone that develops This is why the cycle of oxytocin, you will children. If you have high feel sad, heavy, neglect is so important levels of oxytocin, you will and hopeless. to break, with speech have a lower stress level, therapy or other ways and you will feel happier of undoing traumatic and lighter. If you have experience. After all, assault is illegal, low levels of oxytocin, you will feel sad, and if these people can’t get the help heavy, and hopeless, like you don’t they need, they will most likely end up want to do anything. If this happens for with a criminal record. The Independent a long period of time, you can develop newspaper stated that in 2002 49% of depression or anxiety.

UK people who were in care as children would end up in the prison system and Taking into consideration all these therefore make up 23% of the prison factors, we come back to the key population. question: how do love and neglect

e opl K pe care U f o in ld 49% were wou on n o e s h i r w hild he pr as cup in t m. e end syst

Neglect disrupts the ways children's brains develop and process information.

affect our brains? In short, neglect disrupts the ways children's brains So, both neglect and dopamine affect develop and process information, our brains in bad ways and may be increasing the risk of attentional, linked to other mental illnesses. Love emotional, cognitive, and behavioural can be a remedy to neglect, but if you disorders, and love releases high levels smother someone in love of dopamine that boosts they can grow up without us and puts us on a high. their brains the skill set necessary to be However, it may come as a aren’t fully developed, so a functioning adult. Finally, shock that too much love they don’t know we pan out to how this can also have a negative how to express changes us in the future. In impact, and dopamine how they feel in could also be bad for words and instead the long term, neglected lash out. children could end up in our mental and physical the prison system but if health.

‘Having too they get the support they need – for much or too little dopamine in some example, therapy – they can get better parts of the brain are linked to some and be healthy, happy humans. mental illnesses, including depression, schizophrenia and psychosis,’ says Love affects our brains by making us feel Harvard Medical School. ‘Everything is whole and happy. But neglect can leave great in moderation, but neglect is one us with an empty feeling inside, as if we of the most harmful types of abuse.’ aren’t fully there. Whatever the case, it is good to know how much our childhood shapes our later lives.

lect and both neg affect dopamine in bad s our brain may be d n a ways other linked to esses. n l il l menta Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

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Eight-

d e g g e

L

Friends

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our sp

R

wood INSPECTS OU spiders. ineless spat with

Broom Josie Thomas of

E

EEEKKK! Spider! OK, so spiders seem scary, but why? Why are spiders among the top five fears in the world? Why spiders, when only 0.5% of spider species are dangerous to humans? Why spiders when they are so cute? Maybe that’s a stretch but there is so much to love about them.

Spiders are romantic at heart. Males often put on a small show by dancing for their chosen partner. Some even offer gifts wrapped in silk to ask females on a form of spider date, although some males go down the cheap route of Many people are offering gifts discarded by afraid of the way other females. Researchers they move and can discovered that spider silk squeeze through small spaces. is five times stronger than a piece of steel of the same thickness. This makes it a remarkable material because it has elasticity and strength.

It has even been theorised that a piece of spider silk the width of a pencil could stop the flight of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet. Just think of all the ways we can harness a material like that. Spiders are even catching on to our reduce, reuse, recycle movement by recycling their old webs and using them as food.

Hopefully, you are now on team spider so let's dig deep into the science of arachnophobia. The fear of spiders is believed to be simply in our DNA. Being afraid of them was, for our ancestors, a primate survival instinct. For our ancestors who, on the most part originated in Africa, if you were afraid of spiders then you were more likely to survive since you would avoid spiders, meaning you would not get bitten or harmed by them. This meant you were more

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scie thatntists b e s ven om ome s lieve pide can med be us r icine ed in .

all this information we can confirm that, overall, a fear of spiders is mostly an irrational instinct developed from ancient times.

If you were afraid of spiders then you were more likely to survive since you would avoid spiders, meaning you would not get bitten.

likely to survive and then pass on that So, if all that hasn’t helped convince you fear through your genes. This is also to befriend the little critters, perhaps the case with other dangerous animals, seeing the importance of the species such as scorpions and will. First, on average, an snakes. This all means that individual spider eats An individual through natural selection spider eats around around 2,000 insects a 2,000 insects a we are hardwired to be year. Without them we year. Without them afraid. This is proven by a would have even more we would have study that shows children even more insects insects bugging us in our as young as six months, bugging us in our daily lives. Furthermore, daily lives. which means they haven’t all those added insects had time to develop the would eat more crops than fear themselves, are still frightened ever before, driving humankind into by images of spiders. Another reason starvation. Second, so many species, is that, although spiders themselves including birds and lizards, often eat aren’t bad, they are associated with spiders as part of their diet so it would dark creepy places, so the fear of cause them to have less food, meaning those places then spreads into a fear of spiders. After conducting my own research, I discovered that many people are afraid of the way they move and can squeeze through small spaces. Using

A LIFE WITHOUT NIGHTMARE. A HU SPIDERS WOULD BE A LIVING NGRY, BUG-FILL ED NIGHTMARE. 68

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e spider silk is fiv er ng ro st times than a piece of steel of the same thickness.

all sorts of great species could die out.

Moreover, scientists believe that some spider venom can be used in medicine, so we would lose an entire world of new cure possibilities. Overall, it just goes to show that a life without spiders would be a living nightmare. A hungry, bug-filled nightmare.

The fear of spiders is believed to be simply in our DNA.

So, although spiders may seem scary, there is much to love and thank them for. As nature’s pest control, they are great at their job and hopefully by fully understanding the fear of these creatures you may be able to find a place in your heart for them: even if it is a tiny box kept under lock and key among all the other things you forgot you love.

Ma smales of ten ll put fo show par r thei by da on a ncin off tner r ch o er g . gift Some sen sw eve silk rapp n ed . in

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69

t a A Wh

Steal!

Kasra Mohaddes of

SJCS finds out how llion.

hackers heisted a bi

I

n a large bank, on 8 April 2014 an employee who is known for not updating his software gets sent an email from an unknown account with an attached Microsoft Word. Because he does not update his computer, the attached Word exploits vulnerabilities in Microsoft Word that the hacker group (called the Carbanak Hackers) can use.

Months later, because of the hack, he notices that his computer begins to start running more slowly. Because this annoys him, he calls for tech support.

The IT guy enters the admin code to try to find out why this is occurring.

This is all part of the hackers’ plan. The tech support finds software that allows the hackers to watch and control the employee’s computer. They realise the hacker group has just seen the 70

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administrator's password and has bank and the two men flee, leaving the access to all the servers. After months pile of money behind. This happens all of searching through the servers, the across the globe, in Europe, the US and hacker group eventually finds their East Asia. CCTV shows masked men domain controller (the heart of the carrying bags bulging with notes in bank's server network). twenty other locations.

CCTV shows Therefore, the hacker In response, banks freeze masked men group is able to access thousands of ATMs. In carrying bags everything, including the bulging with notes Japan, 7-Eleven ATMs in twenty other server that controls bank are robbed of $19.25 locations. In transfers for ATMs. million. Interpol (The response, banks International Criminal freeze thousands On 10 July 2016, security Police Organisation), of ATMs. cameras of an ATM show Europol (The European two men walking into a bank in Taipei, Union Agency for Law Enforcement both wearing fisherman hats and face Cooperation) and other cyber masks. One of them is guarding the security organisations quickly start entrance while the other stands in front investigating. However, to their of an ATM, not withdrawing money. disappointment, no malware is found Surprisingly, the ATM starts spitting on the software of the ATMs and out hundreds of notes. However, on the hardware all seems to function this occasion, a person walks into the properly.

e is lwarthe a m no he d on foun are of t e h w t t sof s and l ATM ware al ion t d c r n ha fu s to ly. seemproper

Not only do the hackers make ATMs spit money out, but they also put a small amount of money, say $1, in their bank accounts. Because they have access to the servers, they exchange that for millions of dollars. Due to this, some people who are in debt suddenly become millionaires.

At another site, more than 500 police officers are checking CCTV footage for money being withdrawn illegally.

Using the CCTV footage, the police are able to track down two of the Carbanak Hackers and arrest them. In the following two days, police find the identities of 22 members of the group.

the hacker group eventually finds their domai n controller (the heart of th e bank’s serv er network).

After months of investigation, in 2018 Interpol and the FBI eventually track down the leader of the hacking group who is living peacefully in an extravagant mansion in Spain. He is known to never come out of his house. In order to remain untraceable, he has Bitcoin, roughly 15,000, which is now worth more than $1 billion in 2025. Nevertheless, most companies don’t accept Bitcoin as payment. So, eventually, he would have had to exchange Bitcoin for dollars, and this is how they track him down.

A military squad knocks on his door and he opens the door to find guns pointed at his face. He is caught. The game is up.

But to this day none of the money has been recovered.

he rs t ente ry to y u to t IT g The in code y this is l h m al w ad out is is find ring. Th ackers’ h ur occ of the . n t r a pa pl

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e h T

Big

e s e e h

C

Charles

Eden-Harris

toasts all th

ings cheese

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.

of

Vinehall

Did tha you k now tt h v lea ariety e Brie st 1 i 20 s at old 0 year ? s

I

was only three when I tried my first piece of cheese. As soon as those flavours hit my taste buds, I knew it was my favourite food. Straight away, I started eating many varieties of cheese until I found my favourite - saganaki.

The cheese starts off as skimmed cow’s milk with bacteria added (thermophilic lactic acid bacteria, to be exact). Then the mixture is heated up and rennet is added to the curdled milk. Afterwards, the curd is broken up and left to cool for an hour. Then – BOOM! – you have parmesan; not in the form you normally see in the shops, but in a massive wheel.

Did you know that there are over 1800 different types of cheese? Or that cheese was discovered completely by accident?

Did you also know that cheese existed before written cheese existed language, and that it takes ten before written language, and litres of milk to produce 1kg of it takes ten cheese?

The reason the taste of some cheeses varies is due to the action of enzymes during the production process.

Now it’s time for me to name some cheeses you may not know. These litres of milk to include cheeses such as Pile, produce 1kg.

Caciocavallo, Donkey, Camel As you know, there are many and Mimolette. I could go on different cheeses, but the most but that would be boring, so let's find out popular are the only ones that we really about the world’s oldest cheese. know. Here are a few: Parmigiano Reggiano, Feta, Mozzarella and Cheddar. But there are The world's oldest cheese was found on a lot more cheeses in the world, so let us get the neck of a mummy buried in western on with it.

China. On the mummy’s neck was a white substance. After scientists took samples, How about we return to my favourite an analysis of proteins in the tiny samples cheese, saganaki? Saganaki cheese is a panrevealed the presence of lactobacillus seared Greek appetizer, like halloumi, but kefiranofaciens, a microbe that is used to there is a slight difference – halloumi is fried produce a cheese called kefir. This cheese while saganaki is seared. was 3500 years old!

The reason the taste of some cheeses varies Now, let's return to Brie, which is easily my is due to the action of enzymes during the second favourite. Did you know that the production process, or it could be due to Brie variety is at least 1200 years old? It is changing the number of products added to believed that Brie originated in northern the cheese mixture. Parmigiano Reggiano, France. Brie was mainly enjoyed by the also known as parmesan, is another of my French Royalty at this time. Apparently, the personal favorites (along with Brie). Fun first person ever to try Brie was Emperor fact: a Parmesan wheel can cost up to £2000!

Charlemagne in 774. After he tried it, he Here is how Parmesan Reggiano is made. became a lifetime fan, just like me.

N N WHEEL CA A PARMESA

COST UP TO

£2000!

Now that I have told you a lot about cheese, all I ask is that you take that away and remember some of the fun facts I told you.

Thank you.

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Exp ens ive e t s a T

Coco Hoskin of Broomwood proclaims the Queen of Cons.

H

ow do you con your way into millions? A Russian con-artist experienced this first hand.

Anna Sorokin, otherwise known as Anna Delvey, swindled her way into luxury by exploiting and cheating her way through the upper classes.

Anna existed through one alias: Anna Delvey. She made multiple connections by impersonating a wealthy German heiress. Her knowledge of art drew people towards her as well as her polished and unique appearance.

Anna did not have a filter-perfect childhood of luxury and expenses. Anna Sorokin (now aged 33) was born in Domodedovo, a working-class town south of Moscow on 23 January 1991. She lived with her mother and her father, Vadim. Vadim worked as a truck driver whilst her mother owned a small shop. Anna soon relocated to North Rhine Westphalia in Germany where she then moved to the Episcopal School of Our Lady of Eschweiler.

During Anna’s time at the school many of the pupils and teachers said that she was a sheepish girl, introverted and reserved, and struggling to cope with the German language. Her deep obsession with fashion and art continued throughout her youth while she followed multiple fashion blogs and magazines. Over the course of 2013, Anna moved to New York, where her cunning offences began.

It all spiralled once Anna had attended Paris Fashion Week where she tackled the task of making connections with people of deep pockets. She then began her quest of beginning her foundation, the ‘Anna Delvey Foundation’. The foundation was imagined to be a private arts foundation where Anna could use her expertise in arts.

La whe Mamou nia, re S car orokin con d was ’s tinu dec ously line d.

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Amongst Sorokin’s many lies, she claimed to possess a multimillion trust fund created by her father. One of the people that Anna had befriended and charmed included celebrity personal trainer, Kacy Duke and Vanity Fair photo editor, Rachel DeLoache Williams. Anna proceeded to invite the two on a luxurious holiday to she claimed to Morocco. possess a multimillion trust fund created by

her father.

The group stayed in a five-star hotel, known by celebrities, called La Mamounia, where Sorokin’s card was continuously declined. After Anna failed to provide a payment, Rachel was deceived and manipulated by Anna and paid for the expenses. A bill of $62,000 was paid for using Williams’ work and personal finance. This then led to Williams getting fired from her job, which raised suspicions. Anna’s lies were then uncloaked.

Later, her trial began. Anna Sorokin was sentenced to twelve years in prison, only serving two, and she was then on house arrest.

The question is: should Sorokin be freed?

T

hroughout the late Middle Ages, So, what can people do about stress? right up until the 17th Century, A scientifically proven method (the many people in Europe (particularly Pomodoro technique) explains that we the upper class) suffered from a mental should do 25 minutes of high-intensity condition known as ‘glass delusion’. This work followed by a five-minute break, condition affected many famous people, which should be taken outside. This is an such as Louis XI of France (who was very ill) effective way to take plenty of breaks and and the Bavarian Princess, Alexandra, who stay happy, whilst still maintaining a good suffered from many disorders and even work-to-break ratio. believed that she had swallowed a glass piano. Glass delusion meant some people Another way stress can be reduced is to genuinely believed they would shatter plan and prioritise tasks. This skill should into pieces upon being touched. This fear be taught to children from a young age to stemmed from glass being a relatively help foster a sense of clarity when tackling new and mysterious a problem, whether it be material at the time. It was in school, work or life in Glass delusion reported that these people general. meant some also had previous cases of people genuinely believed they schizophrenia.

While glass delusion may would shatter seem bizarre to us today, it into pieces upon This may seem crazy to serves as a reminder that being touched. those of us living in the 21st mental health issues are Century, since we have a deeply shaped by the times more scientific view of the world than they we live. Just as medieval nobles feared that had hundreds of years ago but mental they would shatter like glass, many of us health is still an issue today, specifically today fear breaking under the pressures of manifesting in a more subtle form: stress. stress, burnout and societal expectations.

Although our understanding of mental Stress takes many forms, with short-term illness has advanced, our struggles remain: stress being the most common, especially instead of fragile glass bodies, we fear in the workplace. However, prolonged fragile minds. exposure to short-term stress can escalate into more serious conditions. This, over Perhaps centuries from now, people will time, causes fractious behaviour, sadness look back at our era and find our anxieties and a lack of drive to succeed. just as puzzling as we find the glass delusion today. In recent years, stress, driven by emotional and mental pressures, has become a growing concern, with 60% of young adults reporting feeling ‘stressed out’. This is largely due to faster-paced lives with the added pressure of economic uncertainty that is arguably more prominent than ever in 2025. Older generations look down on people for being stressed nowadays and this creates a never-ending cycle, by which more stress and friction is created.

Heart of

Glass Akshay Lallu of Newton Prep dissects a lifeshattering delusion.

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75

s Sophie Bezian of Saint Ronan’s say amen to Armenia.

S

adly, there is a lot of wars happening in the world right now. You will have noticed the two main ones in Ukraine and Gaza. But there have been other wars happening at the same time which have received little to no coverage from the global press. One of these wars was in Karabakh, a historical Armenian province in the Caucasus region.

Before we go there, let’s have a brief look at the history of the region, which has been shaped by wars even to the present day. It is little known that Armenia became the first nation in the world to adopt Christianity in about 300AD and is home to some of the world's oldest churches: for example, the Etchmiadzin Cathedral, which is still standing and in use today, dates back to the fourth century.

Armenia was once a large and important regional kingdom. The last Monarch (King Levon V of Lugistan) is the only foreign King buried alongside the Kings of France at the Cathedral Saint Denis, outside Paris, owing to his close relationship with King Charles VI of France, who respected him greatly.

Modern-day Armenia is land-locked between Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran, and Russia. It is famously known for its proximity to Mount Ararat, said to be where Noah’s Arc came to rest. The modern capital city of Armenia is Yerevan, home to the famous Matenadaran Museum, which is an imposing stone building, like a fortress. The building is known for protecting the world's most precious manuscripts, some dating back 1,500 years.

Throughout thousands of years, the Armenians living in this region have had to deal with invasions from the Romans, Persians and Muslims. The Armenians also played a crucial role in the First Crusade, providing help in the Crusaders' military operation in the Levant. Sadly, Armenians have suffered massacres throughout history because of their strong Christian faith. The worst one was the genocide of 24 April 1915, when 1.5 million Armenians died from persecution under the Ottoman Empire, many perishing on death marches to the Syrian Desert. A few Armenians escaped and made it out alive. Even now many countries refuse to 

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Forgotten

Nation

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ARMENIA IS KNOWN FOR ITS PROXIMI TY TO MOUNT ARARAT, SAID TO BE WHERE NOAH’S ARC CAME TO REST.

of Armenian communities. I have extended family still living in Los Angeles, where some of my ancestors settled.

recognise this genocide actually took place. These sad events are the main reason why there is a large diaspora of Armenians in the world.

When the dreaded massacre in 1915 took place, most of my family's documents were lost.

Coming back to the most recent war in The reason I chose to write about this Karabakh. In 2023, the ongoing conflict country is because my surname, Bezian, is between Armenia and its neighbour, Armenian. The Bezians were known to be Azerbaijan, escalated when Azerbaijan living in Cilicia, which is now launched a large-scale military located in Eastern Turkey by offence on the land which All of the the Mediterranean Sea. Our 120,000 Armenians used to belong to Armenia, living in this original family name was called Karabakh. All of the province were Pacha Bezian due to one of 120,000 Armenians living in this forced to flee my ancestors being a Pacha, province were forced to flee their historical homeland. which was a title given to each their historical homeland, leave Provincial Governor under everything behind, and they the Ottoman empire. When the dreaded were not allowed to return to their homes. massacre in 1915 took place, most of my It is painful to say that the media coverage family's documents were lost, which is why and support given to the Armenian people I don’t know as much about my family's in Karabakh at this time, and since, has been history as I’d like, although obviously I almost non-existent. do know my ancestors were one of the lucky families to escape the massacre.

Many Armenians fled to America at this time, which is why, if you go to California in particular, you will find a large number

The ci mod Yer ty of ern c fam evan, Arme apital ous hom nia e t is M Musatena o the eum dar an .

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There is a lot of Armenian celebrities in the world, and you might have heard of some. Famous Armenians are not only the Kardashians and the singer, Cher, but also world-renowned painter, Arshile Gorky, and composer Aram Khachaturian, who wrote the iconic Sabre Dance.

RY AND SPIRITUAL HISTO E THE RICH RELIGIOUS TH IN Y TR UN Y OTHER CO IS GREATER THAN AN WORLD.

My hope for the future is that the world will notice smaller countries like Armenia, when they and their people are being oppressed, give them a voice, support them, help them achieve justice and ensure they are not a forgotten nation.

Armenia may not have lots of natural resources, such as oil and gas or rareearth materials, but the rich religious and spiritual history is greater than any other country in the world. No matter how upsetting the situation is, I have learned that it will never break the Armenian spirit.

As the famous American writer, William Saroyan, once said, ‘For whenever two Armenians meet, see if they will not create a new Armenia.’ 

My fut hope wo ure i for sm rld w s tha the tt all i h l e ll the ike Ar r counotic e e m y n are and enia trie bei the , wh s e ng ir opp peo n res ple sed .

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e roughly There wer le on the 3320 peop only 20 d n Titanic a lifeboats.

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ain? Flora Burns Will the Titanic Happen Ag e unthinkable. of Broomwood thinks th

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near where the wrecked ocean liner lies. By January he 1912 tragedy of the sinking of the Titanic 1914 an international conference produced the first has been infamous for ruining millions of lives. of several conventions for the Safety of Life at Sea. Ironically, the Titanic was first commonly known Included in the convention was the requirement that as the ‘unsinkable’ ship. Over one hundred years later, ships should carry enough lifeboats to accommodate I believe it is time to reflect on this great travesty. Is all passengers and crew on board. there anything that we could have done differently that would have prevented so many lives being lost?

A catastrophe like the sinking of the Titanic is very How do we know that there won’t be another Titanic unlikely to happen in modern times that will go down in history again? How Nowadays boats because of global warming. As we all can we stop history repeating itself? like the RMS know, the Titanic tragically sank because Titanic are much it hit an iceberg. Recent research shows What was the RMS Titanic made of that stronger and that the Arctic sea is melting due to the made it ‘unsinkable’? The RMS Titanic have plenty of lifeboats at the rising temperature of the sea and since was made of thousands of one-inchready, if needed. the iceberg was the catalyst of the sinking, thick steel plates and two million steel the chances of it happening again are slim. and wrought iron rivets. The Titanic was The Titanic was powered by coal-fuelled boilers and considered unsinkable because it included watertight needed men to stoke the furnaces. You could argue compartments in the lower section of the boat that that this was more reliable than depending on the could easily have been sealed off in the event of a internet, which is what happens now. Modern ships punctured hull. However, the structure sadly did not are powered by large diesel engines which generate save it but led to it sinking. Moreover, there was also electricity, which is then used to power electric motors a problem with the lifeboats. There were roughly 3320 connected to propellers. Some would think that this is people on the Titanic and only 20 lifeboats. You might more reliable, but I disagree. If the electricity or internet be shocked to learn that these 20 lifeboats only carried don’t work, then the ship could be stranded. a total of 1178 people. What about the other 2142 people? Were they just expected to swim themselves So, I think that the sinking of the Titanic will not happen to safety? again because we have stronger boats and muchimproved health and safety measures, like plenty of Nowadays boats like the RMS Titanic are much stronger lifeboats. Nothing is guaranteed, mechanics can fail and have plenty of lifeboats at the ready, if needed. and there is always risk of human error, but I think it is Modern boats are made from steel, aluminium, wood much less likely. and fibreglass. Steel materials are stronger than fibreglass and wood, and are commonly used to produce larger ships. It is even less likely for another Titanic to happen again because after the tragedy the international community took swift action to prevent similar catastrophes. Just after the Titanic hit the iceberg the U.S. Navy dispatched the cruiser USS Birmingham to begin preliminary ice patrols of the North Atlantic,

Sinking of the Titanic. Illustration

by German artist Willy Stower (1864-1931), 1912 watercolour.

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EFFORT M A TE

Jack Napier of Bede’s

winning F1 team.

F

wonders what make

ormula One has been described the cars and new parts. Some of the as the most exciting sport on the jobs at the factory include the factory planet – the pinnacle of speed, manager, the development team, the skill and glamour! I was curious to find design team and the simulator team. out more about what makes a winning The factory team always plays a key F1 team. What goes on role in making an F1 behind the scenes? What a complete team, a team successful. This makes the cars so fast? successful strategy, is why seven-time How do the drivers get an amazing car and world champion, Lewis so good? And who are all skilled drivers are Hamilton, once said, the formula for the people? I found that ‘It’s the people back success! there are four main things at the factory who are that make up a winning the real heroes.’ There is F1 team: the team, the strategy, the car also a (much smaller) team behind each and the driver. driver, consisting of a manager, press officer, trainer, agent and mind coach.

When you think of an F1 team you might Most of the remaining team members just think of the pit crew or people work in sponsorship, law, finance, HR, IT in the garage for the Grand Prix but and Media. there are many more people working hard behind the scenes. For example, F1 strategy is much more than deciding 1,200 people work for the Mercedes when to pit and what tyres to use. The F1 team but only 75 people actually strategy team starts preparing for the go to the Grand Prix. So what do the race when it’s several races away. They other 1,125 people do? Most work at look at all the data and try to work the factory where they build and test out possible strategies, scenarios and 82

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an optimal car setup. After each race weekend the strategy team updates their systems and re-analyses the data because they now have a more up-todate view on where the team is and its stronger and weaker areas. Then, over the race weekend, the strategy team works out where and when to use resources and tyres. Before and during qualifying, they are working on the team’s approach to qualifying. During the race they are looking at the weather, the data collected at the track from last year, as well as tyre performance, car performance (their own and other teams’) and track evolution and lots more. The key outcome of this data is how fast they think the team will be, how fast the other teams will be and how the tyres will perform. The strategy team has to keep looking at this data throughout the race since there might be a red or yellow flag causing drivers to slow down or stop for their own safety, and this could change the strategy again.

Brawn shocked the F1 world in 2009 after they took over the Honda F1 team for that season (following Honda’s ‘financial crash’ in 2008). Brawn created a title-winning car that was mainly down to a piece of engineering called the double diffuser. The 2009 season brought in some new regulations to try and encourage closer racing by reducing ‘dirty air’. However, Brawn found a loophole in this regulation and they changed the position of the diffuser to make the car faster.

This helped give them the competitive edge needed to win both championships (constructors and drivers). The impact of technical innovation can also be seen in the periods of dominance experienced

by Mercedes (2014-2021) and Red Bull (2022-present). Mercedes' main innovation was their engine, which was ‘two years ahead of the competition’ and Red Bull’s was their complete car. In 2025 all eyes will be on Aston Martin for technical innovations, because Adrian Newey, known as one of the greatest F1 engineers of all time, has joined the team. His approach can be summed up by this statement: ‘I’m basically saying, how can I use these regulations to try something that hasn’t been done before?’ His influence will be judged by where Aston Martin finishes in the Constructors Championship.

Who comes to mind when you think of the best F1 drivers? Lewis Hamilton? Max Verstappen? Michael Shumacher? Ayrton Senna? Or someone else? Every F1 driver is talented. It’s very tough to rise to the top. For a start there are only 20 seats available. Nowadays aspiring F1 drivers can be found hurtling around karting circuits from a very young age: both Charles Leclerc and Michael Schumacher started age 4. This gives them invaluable racing experience, both winning and losing, and hones their competitive spirit, perfectly summed up by three-time World Champion, Ayrton Senna: ‘If you no longer go for a gap you are no longer a racing driver.’ As well as this you have to climb up through the many stages of racing and demonstrate your ability, consistency and physical and mental strength (including lightning reaction times). You have to do all of this before even being considered by F1 teams.

Drivers are a key part of the sport: they are the ones in control of the cars and can control the outcome of the race and the season. It's clear why teams invest so much time and energy trying to attract the best drivers.

seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton, once said, ‘It’s the people back at the factory who are the real heroes.’

Ad kno rian N w e the n as wey, eng great one of tim ineer est F e, h as s of a 1 join ll e tea m. d the

Having answered my own questions, it is clear to me now that a complete team, a successful strategy, an amazing car and skilled drivers are the formula for success! ‘We win and lose together,’ Lewis Hamilton 

, AYRTON HAMPION R A GAP C D L R O E W GO FO THREE-TIM YOU NO LONGER DRIVER.’ F ‘I IN C : RA G SENNA LONGER A O N E R A YOU Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

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our gines

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re there multiple versions of you living in a parallel world? What if every movement, thought and feeling you have could affect someone else in a different world?

where lights cannot reach us. Let's say our universe has a certain equation that lets human life form on earth: we wouldn’t know if another different equation inside the black holes lets humans exist. This is the unknown equation for quantum mechanics.

Many philosophers and scientists argue about the concept of parallel universes. Like many fiction movies and books, this theory proposes that there In the second concept of the multiverse scientists are many copies of the exact same human being believe we are just living in a small part of the living with different choices. For universe where there are three example, if your family moved to dimensions. Perhaps outside It provides America due to work and schooling, the box that we know there are complete freedom and demonstrates there is going to be a copy of the nine dimensions, which means what people might same family continuing to live in like a mirror we’re just part of do if they believed the UK. And so on. There will be the whole world that reflects on there were no consequences for countless parallel universes and each other. In three dimensions their actions. countless copies of you. Hugh we can measure length, width Everet II in 1964 came up with the and height. However, in the nineidea. His team divided quantum physics into two dimension theory there are time, width, height, worlds: indeterministic microscopic world, and the depth, length, probability (different universes), all ‘classic’ world that we live in today. possible universes branch off from the same start, all possible spectrums of universes from different The indeterministic microscopic world is the start conditions, all possible combinations of nine debatable ‘parallel universe’ that we often think dimensions. This is similar to mirrors reflecting about. But it is just the interpretation of scientists upon each other, all starting at the same point but who believe that this quantum world could be ending with different results. discovered. These are worlds where any possible outcome of any circumstances could be replayed Furthermore, these scientists also believe that and lived in another universe. To understand more every choice you make would lead to a different about Hugh’s theory we need to investigate the world. For example, if you choose not to go to definition of indeterminism: indeterminism exists school today then there would be a world where when events were not caused by anything, so in you did go to school, and the events in school quantum physics you cannot expect something to would lead to the start of more parallel universes. happen with just one cause.

This theory works like branches on a tree because more and more are made due to the endless The first concept of the multiverse is the most possibilities of consequences. straightforward. We could only see a certain amount of the universe around us, because the However, none of these universes are found or lights from further away cannot reach us, so the proved. There are still many years to come before galaxies that are out of our view zone are what we we have the technology that could investigate call a multiverse. Scientists cannot detect what is dark substances and equations inside black holes, going on outside the view zone so maybe there are nine-dimensional universes, and the unknowns of exactly the same milky ways inside black holes or space.

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r e p Su

Pups Maurice De Baets of

how dogs are much

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magine the fire alarm goes off.

I know what you would do, but what if you were deaf? Or if your country were at war and you didn’t know where the bombs were.

Who would alert you? Or imagine you have type one diabetes and could fall unconscious at any second. This could be life-threatening. What could you do?

Well, perhaps having a dog would be the solution. A dog is a man’s best friend, but so much more. You may know what a dog is, but do you know what an assistance dog is? An assistance dog is specially trained to provide emotional support or help with serious medical and physical conditions. But what exactly can they do?

Did you know that dog breeds like Retrievers, Poodles, Cocker Spaniels and Labradors can be trained not only 86

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Solefield School sh ows much more than pets .

to assist the blind but also as hearing the only incredible ability sniffer dogs dogs for the hard of hearing? In recent have. years, there have been groundbreaking advances in the fields of well-being Assistance dogs can also help detect and medicine, including training sniffer life-threatening issues for people dogs to detect diseases with serious medical in humans. conditions, such as An assistance dog is specially type one diabetes. trained to provide For many years, dogs These dogs undergo emotional support have also been used in up to eight months of or help with war to detect landmines. training and can alert serious medical and physical Their sniffer training their owners when conditions. takes 8 to 12 months their blood sugar levels and is conducted by become dangerously expert military personnel. These dogs low. They do this by performing a are trained to detect specific odours familiar movement or barking as an and respond with a learned behaviour, alarm. such as sitting or lying quietly. On a good day, dogs in war zones can Dogs can also help detect whether detect explosives up to 12 miles (19 trees are diseased. They show this by kilometres) away. A dog’s sense of smell the way they circle the trees, similar to is estimated to be a million times more how they respond to human illnesses. sensitive than a human’s. But this is not Their extraordinary sense of smell

g re s a bein dogingly ional s ot em d to rea h n inc for a wit t d use upporeople th s p al ist al he s. s s t a on n me nditi o c

allows them to identify changes in the tree's chemical composition, even before visible symptoms appear. Dogs are also invaluable in airports, where they can detect illegal substances, plants, or seeds that cannot be brought into the country. Their highly sensitive noses make them the perfect security partners in customs and border control.

If you ever see an assistance dog alone, wearing a vest marked with a medical cross, and no owner in sight, you should follow the dog. This usually means that the person in need of assistance is in trouble and requires urgent help.

Dogs hav e tradition ally been call man’s best ed friend, but they are so much mor e.

So, assistance dogs not only help the blind and the deaf but also detect illness in humans and trees, and even hidden explosives in airports and war zones.

And dogs are increasingly being used for emotional support and to assist people with mental health conditions.

Dogs have traditionally been called man’s best friend, but they are so much more. Assistance dogs save lives in emergencies like fires, wars and medical crises. They work quietly, and for that we should be grateful.

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he c l subm aimed th a a atta rine had t his c bee k e d crea ture by a ’se n ’ and a c not dive. ould

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Seth Wrafter of What is in the Depths? crets of the seas.

Solefield dips into the se

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ave you ever thought about how people know so much about the ocean and what lies within it? Do creatures live in the deepest parts? Or maybe you’ve wondered what’s at the very bottom of the vast expanse we call the ocean? Today, I am taking a deep dive into the wonders of the surface and all the way down to the Mariana Trench.

Imagine how difficult it was for humans to explore land in ancient times. Now consider how much harder it is to explore the ocean, where unknown life forms could attack, or the immense pressure could destroy a submarine and kill everyone inside. Sometimes, submarines disappear without a trace, only to be found years later.

On 22 May 1968, a submarine called the USS Scorpion was lost with all 99 crew members on board. The cause of its sinking remains unknown.

It was eventually discovered on the seabed of the Atlantic Ocean, 740 km (460 miles) away from the Azores, by the Navy’s oceanographic research ship, Mizar. The wreck lay more than 9,800 feet (3,000 metres) underwater. A sailor who heard the tragic news wrote: ‘It is the function of the Navy to carry the war to the enemy so that it is not fought on US soil. Though we lost fine soldiers, they were under the water protecting the country's future like the rest of us. According to records, around nine submarines go missing every year, vanishing without a trace.

Some deep-sea creatures are so powerful they could damage a submarine. On 30 April 1918, Captain Günther Krech and his German U-boat crew were captured by the British. When questioned, he claimed that his submarine had been attacked by a 'sea creature’ and could not dive. Many believe that the attacker was a colossal squid, which has powerful tentacles and a sharp beak capable of inflicting serious damage. In fact, a colossal squid’s beak can reach up to 4.25 cm in size, making it one of the most formidable Many believe that the attacker was predators of the deep.

a colossal squid, which has powerful tentacles and a sharp beak capable of inflicting serious damage.

Did you know that humans have explored only 5% of the ocean?

That means all the information we have today is only a glimpse of what lies beneath. Even creatures like the anglerfish, which we consider deep-sea dwellers, are found thousands of metres above the true, unexplored depths. Could there be something lurking in the depths that could knock humans off the top of the food chain? With so much of the ocean still uncharted, the possibilities remain endless.

Next time you're swimming, sailing, paddleboarding or deep-sea diving, just remember: there’s always something below you… watching…waiting.

The ocean is home to countless species, from clownfish, jellyfish, sea urchins and turtles to the incredible creatures of the deep sea. But have you ever heard of the colossal squid, giant spider crab, chambered nautilus, cookie-cutter shark, frilled shark or oarfish? These mysterious creatures inhabit the darkest depths of the ocean, where light barely penetrates.

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B

h t a e r

Taking arts the woodwind

Theo Davies of Solefield ch world.

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ince the dawn of music in ancient times, woodwinds have enchanted the ears and minds of those who listen. But what are the origins of these cylindrical tools of harmonious sound?

The flute we know today is both complex and beautiful. It produces sound when air is blown across the hole in the lip plate, causing the column of air inside the flute to vibrate.

The tone holes (the other holes along the body of the flute) can be opened or closed by the player to change the pitch.

The oldest woodwind instrument ever discovered was a prehistoric flute made from the bone or tusk of an animal. In fact, it is considered the oldest musical instrument known to humankind. The first recorded But what about the saxophone? Surprisingly, woodwind instruments appeared much later, this is also part of the woodwind family. with flutes being documented Although it shares similarities on tablets by the Sumerians with the flute in how it vibrates But what about around 2600 BC.* air inside the instrument, the the saxophone? saxophone produces sound Surprisingly, this is also part of A long time after primitive differently. Instead of blowing the woodwind bone flutes, we reach ancient across a hole, the player blows family.

Egypt, a civilization known for into a reed attached to the exploring the arts, not only mouthpiece, which vibrates to through their hieroglyphics but also through create its distinctive tone. music. The woodwinds of ancient Egyptian music included trumpets and the Arghul, an Now you know some of the rich history instrument with two pipes, one short and one of woodwind instruments and how they long. The melody pipe has holes that can be work. However, this is only scratching the covered to produce different notes, much like surface of the flute’s history and the world of modern woodwinds, while the drone pipe woodwinds. I hope this article inspires you creates a continuous droning sound. Despite to pick up a woodwind instrument yourself, being invented long ago in ancient Egypt to experience firsthand the instruments of and Mesopotamia, the Arghul has become harmonious sound and discover their finest iconic to the Arab World as a whole. So, thank details. the Egyptians for this unique and historical sound of Arabia!

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l believes your mood.

ind Songs can rem you of people ich and events, wh means the song ted can be interpre by y differentl anyone.

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f you were listening to music right now, would you feel any happier than before, or would you start to feel upset?

This may sound a bit weird: could music really change your mood? Surprisingly, it has been proven that music can. I find this interesting because I hadn’t realised that what I was listening to could change how I feel.

A minor key often sounds tense and foreboding, while a major key sounds quite carefree.

your brain to produce chemicals like dopamine and serotonin, which make you feel joy, while calming music relaxes your mind and body.

Why do people choose to listen to music in the first place? Music has been proven to help you focus when you work, as long as it You can feel a lot of different emotions, is the right type of music (classical, natureincluding more common ones like based etc.). It can also provide motivation, happiness, sadness, anger and joy. But other especially cinematic music, emotions, such as anxiety, the limbic system, because of its crescendos. amusement and even defiance which is involved can also be caused by music. in processing Many athletes listen to music This happens when the limbic emotions and controlling before a big competition to system, which is involved in memory, lights stay calm and focused. In a processing emotions and up when you hear study, Costas Karageorghis, controlling memory, lights music. a reader in sport psychology, up when you hear music. found that music can improve performance Dopamine (a neurotransmitter) triggers by up to 20%. This is partly because the different emotions when you hear different type of music they listen to keeps athletes types of music. focused and can even change their perception of effort.

Genres that can make you feel happier include pop, jazz, and songs that have an However, it is not just the beat and tone of a uplifting, often fast beat. These songs are song that can make it emotional; the lyrics usually written in a major key, since this can also trigger emotions. Some lyrics are sounds happier than a minor key. A minor motivational, whereas others can be bleak key often sounds tense and foreboding, or upsetting. Songs can remind you of while a major key sounds quite carefree and people and events, which means the song joyful. The most listened to genres are pop can be interpreted differently by anyone. and rap. This could be because the fast beat For instance, two people can be listening to in rap can feel like an escape from reality the same song; it could remind one person and the uplifting melody in pop often of a happy memory and the other person makes you feel content and cheerful. could be reminded of a loved one they have lost.

But why does music affect your mood? You could be feeling annoyed at someone, but In conclusion, music is very powerful. It then you hear your favorite song on the can evoke many different emotions, help radio and suddenly your mood improves. us focus and even motivate us. It is an This is because happy, upbeat music causes important part of many people’s lives, lifting their moods when they are upset, or providing escapism from a stressful situation. Without music, the world would MUSIC HAS BEEN PROV EN FOCUS WHEN YOU WORK TO HELP YOU be a very different place. .

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d l o H Fire!

Sami Kazik of Bede’s do

should carry guns.

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es not believe UK po

his question has been debated example, during the late 19th Century for quite a while in the UK. After there were several shootings of police all, it is only the UK, Republic officers by armed criminal gangs. This of Ireland, Norway, New Zealand and resulted in the Home Office ordering a small number of other countries 1000 Webley & Sons revolvers to be where police officers do not carry issued to different parts of Met Police firearms. With 90% of our police officers but most officers refused to use them remaining unarmed, has and they were not very the time come for the UK popular.

Over the years, more police to start packing? police officers were The two World Wars issued firearms to In the early part of the respond to national meant there was 19th Century, the first widespread arming of and world events. police force in the UK was police to help in case established in London. of enemy invasion.

It was called the Metropolitan Police These guns were mainly old Ross Force (The Met). The new officers were rifles, pistols and revolvers that were armed with truncheons for protection withdrawn from police forces when the whilst the high-ranking officers like war finished. inspectors and sergeants were armed with pistols and revolvers. Some The 20th and 21st Centuries brought officers were allowed to carry sabres new challenges, such as terrorists and when working in dangerous areas. criminal gangs using more dangerous weapons. As a result, each police force Over the years, more police officers now has a specialist group of trained were issued firearms to respond armed police officers (Authorised to national and world events. For Firearms Officers or AFOs) who only 94

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lice

respond to incidents with a firearm in a situation the normal police can't handle.

There is no question that firearms offer police officers better and quicker defence in life-threatening situations and it can be argued that fewer police officers in the UK would die if they all carried guns routinely in their role. A sad example is when officers Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone were shot in Manchester after they responded to what seemed a simple domestic incident and were shot by the perpetrator. If they were armed at the time then maybe their deaths could have been prevented. There is also evidence that the public would feel safer if all police officers carried firearms. In 2007 a survey of 2,156 adults asked if they wanted to see more officers armed and most adults said yes.

Knife crime is now on the increase, causing a real threat police and public and armed officers are routinely used

as the most appropriate response. This has increased the demand for more armed officers, especially in the larger cities.

Despite some very good reasons for police carrying guns, there are equally important reasons why they should not. Regardless of the training offered, carrying a lethal weapon carries more risk to the officers themselves and also increases the chance of making tragic mistakes. One example of this is the fatal shooting of a Brazilian man by the name of Jean Charles De Menezes when, in the aftermath of the 7th July attacks on London, an armed officer mistook him for one of the terrorists. Incidents like this demonstrate what difficult decisions firearm officers must make and the devastating consequences they have on the victim, the officer and on public confidence in policing. In some cases, like the shooting of Chris Kaba, the officer was charged with murder.

Historically UK police have never been keen on carrying firearms so having all police officers being forced to routinely carry firearms may cause a shortage of people applying to be officers and current officers leaving their jobs. This would be a key concern for our country’s safety.

The world that we live in today has many more challenges and is a lot more dangerous than ever before. With the threat of terrorism, huge increase in knife crime and organised crime gangs, it would bring a lot of comfort to see our officers walking around armed and ready to protect us and themselves from whatever threat we and they face. We would all feel a lot safer.

But there is no denying that carrying guns is not popular with the officers. It brings with it many risks to the officers and the public and would change the way we police. When Sir Robert Peel introduced the Met Police in 1829, it was set up to look and behave differently from the army and it did not carry firearms for that reason. He wanted the police to be trusted by the public they served and not feared. If all officers were made to carry guns, would this then not go we are in a unique against what the founder of modern position of being an policing intended? island and our Border Forces make it

Even though over the last decade, difficult to bring guns into this country. there has been some increase in gun crime in the UK, this is still quite small compared to many of our neighbours.

In the UK we are in a unique position of being an island and our Border Forces make it difficult to bring guns into this country, unlike mainland Europe where there are fewer borders.

So, I don’t believe police should carry firearms. Our tough gun laws, unique geographical position and border control make the bringing of guns into this country very difficult. Our highly trained specialist AFOs, who have made a choice to have a career in armed policing, can deal effectively with any number of incidents that our country currently faces.

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SEE OUR MFORT TO READY O C F O T O ND BRING A L ARMED A IT WOULD ALKING AROUND VES W L OFFICERS T US AND THEMSE C E T O R P TO Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

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Alex Webb of Vinehall take wheel world.

C

ycling is an increasingly popular sport. 42% of households globally have at least one bike.

118.3 million bikes were sold in 2017 and this shot up to 146.3 million in 2021. This is likely to be a result of the global pandemic, which encouraged people to get back on their bikes and rediscover this wonderful way of getting about.

The rider with the most stage wins is Mark Cavendish, who has won 35 stages. Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia) and Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark) are the current best riders and often sprint it out to the line. Pogačar is, for now, the highest paid cyclist in the world. He gets paid a base salary of €8 million, plus bonuses for all his major wins.

Cycling has many different professional races. Take the Tour de France, for example; it is the biggest cycling race in the world and is 121 years old. This is a 23-day race around the whole of France. The route changes every year, and it is an honour for French towns to be involved.

Most people think that cycling is an individual sport, but you really must work together. The riders are all in teams, which is vital to the race strategy. Each team has a leader the other team members must help to the line in order to win.

My connection to the Tour is through the Morzine VTT (mountain bike) club. Our town was the finish line for the 14th stage of the 2024 Tour de France. The club and I cycled the last 1km of the course on race day, while the professionals were competing in the rest of the race.

All along the way there were cheering crowds behind the sponsors’ barriers. It was exciting to get a rider’s point of view. The club and I then stood on the winners’ podium for a photo. After doing it myself, I was in the crowd watching how it was done by the professionals.

They flew down the road like the wind.

The Tour de France is split into 21 stages, each around 140 km long. Some of the stages can be much longer, however: Les Sables-d'Olonne to Bayonne was the longest stage of the tour ever, at 482km long. The stages are a mixture of short time-trials and long, hard mountain routes. Riders compete both to win stages and get the fastest time overall. The winner usually wins multiple stages.

The teams help their leader compete for the famous yellow jersey, which is awarded to the rider with the fastest overall time. There are three other prizes as well: the green jersey for the leading sprinter; the white jersey for the best rider under 25 years old; and the polka dot jersey for the leading mountain climber.

The main group of riders is called the peloton, which comes from the French word for platoon, or group of soldiers. This tells you that they are fighting to win. In this group the teams cycle together in a line to get their leader in a slipstream. This means that the team leaders can save energy for the end of the race. To get a higher chance of winning a stage, and in turn the Tour, riders should get themselves in a breakaway. The breakaway is a group of riders that break away from the peloton to fight it out on their own. This is tougher because they must face the wind alone.

The 2025 Tour starts on Saturday the 5th of July in Lille.

I cannot wait!

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On d n e r T

Florence Wicks of SJ

CS reckons fashion

D

o you like keeping up with the latest fashion trends? Do you buy the trendiest outfits?

You might be surprised to know that our ancestors were just as fashionconscious as we are today.

During the Roman occupation of Britain, people wore tunics and togas.

Tunics were long, loose dress-like shirts. Women wore longer tunics with a drape fastened at the shoulder, while men wore tunics with a toga draped around the body.

At the beginning of the medieval period, fashion was basic. People wore wool or linen tunics, often embroidered among the wealthy. The rich wore 98

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is in our DNA.

bright colours to show status, and their skirts, corsets, and fitted bodices. clothes were sometimes made of silk. Veils and head coverings remained Peasants' clothes were usually undyed popular, and expensive colours like due to the expense of dye. Cloaks, scarlet, green, blue, and yellow were fastened with brooches, fashionable among the kept people warm, and gentry.

Women wore women wore veils or head large, layered coverings.

In Tudor times, fashion dresses with hoop became heavily skirts and tiny waists held up by Later in the medieval decorated.

Women corsets. period, fashion became wore linen shifts more elaborate. Rich people under their gowns, favoured silk and velvet, and rich women's while poorer people wore wool. Tassels, dresses became bigger but more fur trimmings, pearls and precious uncomfortable, with hoop skirts stones adorned garments. Men's and headdresses like French Hoods. clothing became tighter and more Peasants' tunics changed little. Rich fitted, while women's clothes became men wore shirts, waistcoats, breeches, more exquisite, with full-length layered and jerkins, often embroidered,

In t waist he Twent sd ies dres ropped, , and ses b loos ecame e.

with ruffs to show status. The richer the individual, the bigger and more decorated the ruff.

Stuart fashion was similar to Tudor fashion but with some changes. Men's coats became longer, and they wore longer, frillier breeches. Women's fashion became simpler, with fewer layers and the decline of French Hoods, replaced by lace collars.

In Georgian times, fashion became more elaborate with bright, colourful prints. Both men and women wore powdered wigs — the bigger, the better. Women wore large, layered dresses with hoop skirts and tiny waists held up by corsets. Bold patterns and bright colours were popular.

Later in the period, Regency fashion emerged. Men's breeches turned into trousers, and jerkins became tailcoats.

Top hats and canes became fashionable, and powdered wigs fell out of favour.

For women, waists moved up to empire waists, with the rest of the dress as a skirt. Pastel colours were favoured, and slips were worn underneath to create the illusion of a small waist.

In Victorian times, fashion returned to big skirts and tiny waists, similar to early Georgian fashion but without wigs. Men wore top hats and waistcoats, while women wore crinolines and hoop skirts.

Popular colours included crimson, claret, and scarlet, with ruffles and stripes adding flair to dresses.

From the Victorian era to now, fashion trends have changed rapidly. In the Twenties, waists dropped, and dresses became loose. The Fifties saw big, puffy knee-length skirts, while the Sixties embraced bright colours and patterns on mini-dresses and mini-skirts. Flares dominated the Seventies, and in the 2000s low-rise jeans and fitted tops became fashionable.

As you can see, fashion has been with us since time began. I wonder what the future has in store for our descendants.

The ind riche big ividu r th g a e dec er an l, the ora d m or t ruf ed th e e f.

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Slow T

ra i n OWS THE TWISTS AND

Amory Marass of JKS FOLL

O

TURNS OF HS2.

ne of the advantages of the High Speed 2 is the amount of time that is to be spent building the High that it would reduce travel times, making it Speed 2. The whole project is due to be completed by much easier, quicker and more efficient for people to 2040 but it is already behind schedule. Preparation of travel to work between our two major cities, London the route started all the way back in 2015, 10 years ago. and Birmingham. On our average trains, travelling at Only now, plans are being given the green light, so normal speed, the journey would take one hour and 32 building the actual train line can begin. The first part of minutes; by car, it would take 2 hours and 35 minutes; this project will be between London and Birmingham, but the with the speedy time of 49 mins, which is aimed to be finished in 2031. the HS2 wins! It would reduce the time by The next phase, between Manchester The Wildlife Trust a whopping 40%. and Leeds, is aimed to be completed by claimed in a recent 2040. So, we hope, in 20 years it will be report that ‘the Another advantage of this new transport done. But many, like me, think 20 years deep cut HS2 will make across the link is that the HS2 would be one of is too long. landscape could the most sustainable high-speed rail stop nature in its networks on Earth. This will be useful, The destruction of the countryside tracks.’ because, unlike planes, lorries, and is also one of the biggest arguments most cars, train travel on the HS2 will against HS2: how will it affect the be electric. This means it would also reduce to zero country’s green spaces? The Wildlife Trust claimed in a the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing global recent report that ‘the deep cut HS2 will make across warming, balancing the amount released into the the landscape could stop nature in its tracks.’ It says, in atmosphere with the amount removed. And the principle, it supports ‘sustainable transport solutions’, number of new jobs that HS2 has created is effective but the current plans come at an unacceptable cost because they are helping to up-skill Britain, providing to our natural world, putting the homes of animals, new long-term careers for different people from all including barn owls and otters who live in these areas, over the United Kingdom. At the moment there are at risk. Wildlife presenter Chris Packham has criticised more than 30,000 jobs supported by the programme the HS2 on social media. He says: ‘Approval of HS2 and more than 3,500 British businesses have delivered continues the war on nature.’ work on the HS2 so far.

Not doubt people will be arguing for the next two However, HS2 obviously has its disadvantages. decades about what matters most. First, the cost of the entire project. This is a serious cause for concern because the cost was originally estimated to be around £56 billion, but last summer the government admitted the project will cost around £30 billion over budget! However, a more recent review said it may cost over £100 billion. Many campaigners say this money would be better spent improving existing transportation or helping the environment.

Furthermore, we should also take into consideration

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m A

g n i z a

int ronan’s says Delilah Cole of sa .

Mexico is marvellous

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H

ave you ever been on holiday to such a wonderful destination that you have considered living there? Well, Mexico is my wonderful destination.

For my tenth birthday I made my party Mexicanthemed with a piñata.

When I was growing up, I used to go to Mexico from Christmas to New Year, every year for three or four years.

My family and I sometimes went with friends, but we were happy just being there. I love going there because when you lie down the beach you can just relax and all your troubled thoughts wash over your head.

I grew up around Mexican food. Every Friday night, when I used to live in London, we would go to a Mexican restaurant called Breddos, right opposite our house. My favourite Mexican meal is either nachos or tacos.

For my tenth birthday I made my party Mexican- themed with a piñata and a dinner out to my favourite restaurant, Breddos!

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One of the most famous Mexican festivals is called The Day of the Dead, celebrated from 28 October 28 to 2 November. This lively Mexican celebration helps families honour their ancestors. It is also known as Día de los Muertos.

First, people set up a candlelit altar, also known as an ofrendas, so the spirits can find their way back to their relatives. The altar also offers some of the favourite foods of deceased, just in case they get hungry. Items that were important to the ancestors when they were alive, such as a favourite book or a musical instrument, are placed on the altar as well. Then it’s off to the graveyard for a big party. This involves families bringing huge feasts while they clean tombstones, sing songs and talk to their ancestors. Parents may also introduce a baby to a grandparent who died before the baby was born.

THIS LIVELY MEXICAN CEL EBRATION HELPS FAMILIES HONOUR THEIR ANCESTORS. IT IS ALSO KNOWN AS DÍA DE LO S MUERTOS.

THOSE WANTING HOLBOX IS GOOD FOR CHNOLOGY AND TE A PLACE FREE OF TIME. FULL OF RELAXATION

The wh ole is has sa land beache ndy many p s and l go scu aces to ba-divin and sn orkell g ing.

In Mexico, there are many main attractions. One of them is the Aztlán Urban Park. They have a Ferris wheel, in addition to an amusement park with attractions and local Mexican food.

There are also many beautiful places to escape from reality, which includes Isla Holbox, good for those wanting a place free of technology and full of relaxation time. The whole island has sandy beaches and many places to go scubadiving and snorkelling. You can also visit Baja California, located in Mexico despite is name. It is surrounded by amazing beaches and crashing waves.

Marine life there is abundant, with sea turtles laying eggs on the beaches and humpback whales breaching.

a have They heel, in is w Ferr ion to an addit ent park s em amus traction n t a a with cal Mexic o l and food.

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e s i d a r

Pa

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Lost

Nicholas Garc

magic myth of

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Babylon.

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any regard the ‘myth’ of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon with contempt. Maybe they’re right. But surely it’s not for nothing that this supposedly magnificent ‘second Eden’ has become one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, alongside such marvels as the Great Pyramid of Giza built as a tomb for the Pharaoh Khufu, and the Pharos’ lighthouse at Alexandria, which has served as an everlasting guide to maritime travellers for centuries.

So why ‘Hanging’? Were there never-ending rows of hanging baskets with plants tumbling over the edges, and whole flowerbeds suspended in the air by poles? No. Actually, the name of the gardens comes from the Greek for ‘overhanging’, probably derived from the terraced fashion in which the gardens were built, allowing trees and vines to droop over the edges of the many shelves or ‘steps’. There would have been trees of various sorts in the Hanging Gardens – those native to the surrounding area, such as olive trees, date palms, figs, and luscious grape vines here and there, as well as other trees imported from various different countries, like cedar, cypress, and ebony, including those that we know well here in the UK – oak, ash, and willow.

What’s the great mystery, then? The Hanging Gardens seem real enough at first, but when you discover that they are the only wonder of the ancient world that has no proof of existence and that, if they did exist, they were the shortest lived, things seem to get little more tricky. There are several theories as to the construction of the gardens.

According to one legend, the gardens were built by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II (who ruled in the 6th century BC) for his wife, Queen Amytis, because she missed the lush, green hills and valleys of her homeland, Media. However, three more probable explanations are: first, that the gardens never actually existed and that the accounts of them found in Greek and Roman literature were just another poetic El Dorado, or an idealised version of the perfect Eastern Garden; second, that they really did exist somewhere in or near Babylon; and, last, that the legend actually originates from a well-known garden built by the Assyrian King Sennacherib in Nineveh, near the modern day city of Mosul. 

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STRABO, A GREEK, SAYS THAT THE WATER WAS DRAWN UP FROM THE RIVER EUPHRA TES USING AN ARCHIMEDES SCREW.

in the ancient world for drawing up water to higher ground from a river or well). More distinct than the other accounts is that of Philo of Byzantium, who wrote A Handbook to the Seven Wonders of the World in the 5th Century, which praises the engineering of the gardens, and also, like Strabo, mentions the Archimedes screw.

There would have been trees of various sorts – those native to the surrounding area, such as olive trees, date palms, figs, and luscious grape vines.

There are five principal writers who mention the Hanging Gardens, although So, was the garden actually in Assyria? Or none have seen them first-hand. The was it in Babylon? (For the sake of this article, earliest is the Roman historian, Josephus we are assuming it really existed: otherwise (1st Century), the only one who specifically I would have nothing to write about). mentions the King Nebuchadnezzar and Evidence that it was in Babylon comes from his queen. Another Roman, a few sources, the most obvious Diodorus Sicilius, ascribes the being that the gardens are not although no archaeological construction of the gardens called the Hanging Gardens of proof has been to a ‘Syrian king’. Siciliius gives Assyria, but of Babylon. And, found, absence the most detailed account of although no archaeological of evidence is the gardens, stating that it was proof has been found, absence not evidence of absence. in a square shape, with each of evidence is not evidence of side 120m long. According absence. The remains could to him the highest tier was twenty-two well still lie under the river Euphrates, an metres high, and that the nearby river impossible site to excavate in these times.

Euphrates irrigated the gardens, although he does not specify how that would have As for it being in Assyria, the only writer to taken place. The last Roman, Quintus mention that the gardens were built by a Curtius Rufus (1st Century AD) says that Babylonian king was Josephus, but both the gardens were on top of a citadel. He Sicilius and Rufus attribute them to a ‘Syrian attributes the building of the gardens to a king’. Many records of Nebuchadnezzar’s Syrian king and mentions that it was for his works exist and none of them mention the queen. Strabo, a Greek, says that the water was drawn up from the River Euphrates using an Archimedes screw (a device used

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R WELL STILL LIE UNDE THE REMAINS COULD TO E SIT E IBL SS S, AN IMPO THE RIVER EUPHRATE ES. TIM E ES TH EXCAVATE IN

hanging gardens, which is highly unusual.

The writer Herodotus describes Babylon in his Histories but does not mention any gardens, though it could have been that the gardens were not well known to Europe at that time.

So, the existence of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon would seem, at best, dubious.

The very fact that they have gathered an almost mythological momentum is fascinating, however, and is perhaps just another example of the human sentimentalisation of two time-worn cliches: when I was young, all this were fields, and in my day, years ago, everything was so much more beautiful and well… hanging.

the gar name fro dens of t he m c f pro or ‘o the omes bab ver Gre the han ek ly in w terr deriv ging’ , a we hich t ced ed fr re fas om h e bu t h g drorees ilt, a arde ion and llo n op wi s ove v r t ines tng he edgo es

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e y E S

py

Harvey Percy of Vineh

art.

T

all maps out the be

he word ‘graffiti’ means much you could spray freely. Some people more than drawings on walls. even pay graffiti artists to create street First, the word ‘graffiti’ comes art somewhere. In Hastings, under from the Italian ‘graffito’, a bridge, a street artist which means ‘something was paid to graffiti an scratched’. It was first underwater scene. In my Some artists operate under used by archaeologists to opinion, it looks awesome. the firm belief describe inscriptions found that they must in ancient ruins. bring art to the Obviously, there is a tipping point between streets.

Most of the time, when art and vandalism. Some graffiti is created, it is done artists operate under the illegally. It is illegal when you vandalise firm belief that they must bring art to something, and vandalising something the streets. But sometimes they go too is when you do not have permission far. Public art is not always appreciated. to destroy or draw on anything. For Some pieces are public collaborations: example, you could not go up to my for example, the gum wall in Seattle. house and start spraying graffiti. That As the name suggests, this is a wall is illegal, but if I gave you permission, covered in gum. This was not created 108 Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

st street

by one person; it was created by lots of people. In fact, this idea was started by one person putting their gum on the wall after they had finished with it, but now it has developed into a local landmark.

In a 'heaven spot' (or 'heaven' for short), the piece of graffiti receives this name because of where the artist has painted the picture. For it to be called a heaven spot, you have to paint it in an exceedingly high place. That is the reason why it is called ‘heaven’, since these are very risky locations, and you do not see much of this art. But it looks really cool in person and makes you wonder how the artist managed to access that spot.

d calle o be t, you t it For ven spo in a hea to paint it igh h e y v l ha ing ceed an ex place.

The next sign is a good sign. If you see this one, it was probably allowed to happen because this a peace symbol. The proper name for this symbol is ‘peace brother’ and it makes me feel heartwarmed with all the conflict that happens in this world. Look out for this one. The final sign is a sign of friendship.

The word ‘graffiti’ comes from the Italian ‘graffito’, which means ‘something scratched’.

Using a common technique of squares and triangles, graffiti artist Eduardo Kobra created the mural of Etnias for the Olympics in Rio 2006.

This brilliant and fabulous piece of graffiti art covers over 30,000 square feet and took around two months to create. It broke the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest graffiti art.

The artist painted the portraits of five faces from five different continents to spread the message of all different people being one. It included the faces of citizens from New Guinea, Ethiopia, Thailand, Europe and the Americas.

I am interested in graffiti because of the meaning behind its name. Also, I am into art and rather like this style of art and how it brings art to the streets. I particularly love the origin and the meaning of the paintings, especially the peace and friendship ones. Art really can bring people together.

mon a com quares g in s U i fs ique o raffit techn iangles, g obra K r and t Eduardo ral of t artis ed the mu creat Etnias.

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Se tt ing r a the B

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salutes the selfSimone Biles. awareness of the great

Poppy Oliver of Vinehall

S

imone Biles is an American gymnast with a reputation for being the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) in gymnastics. From an African American and Puerto Rican heritage, with 11 Olympic medals under her belt and 13 records broken at the Paris Olympics alone, she is one of the most decorated Olympians today.

bones. The risks increased, leading to her pulling out of the team competition. Finally, it was announced to the public that the ‘GOAT’ of gymnastics had pulled out of the Olympics, and it was unclear whether she would compete in the individual competition. Biles was on record saying it is best when you are an athlete to put your physical and mental health first.

Biles (born 14 March 1997 in Columbus, Ohio) grew She then disappeared from the gymnastics world for up in Texas. By the age of six, she had a few years to get her mind right but found an interest in gymnastics during a when she returned at the Paris Olympics field trip to Bannon’s Gymnastics, where she had to start from scratch to get Such unpredictable she was coached for 11 years by Aimee back on her feet. Personally, I think her shifts in her Boorman. By 2013, she dominated the coaches (Cecile and Laurent Landi) performance were sport, and that year Biles won the first of dangerous and could need a special mention because of how have led to fatal her six world all-around titles. supportive they had to be for Biles to injuries. get to Paris. Quite obviously, based on Biles is famous for her power, ability and her performance in Paris, after working consistency that allow her to perform hard on her own mind Biles is now back skills that other female gymnasts struggle to learn. Her to how she was before Tokyo. ambition to have so many skills named after her has, however, led to her having mental health problems.

Biles’s story shows that sometimes you need to take Let me explain. Biles had qualified to compete for the breaks and not push yourself too far. Personally, it USA in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She had entered as a makes me think that getting back on your feet can be winner who would raise Olympic standards yet again. harder than expected but easier than pushing through Planning to perform two new skills that had not been and causing yourself more injuries or trouble. What seen before, she felt pressure to succeed because it causes this extraordinary woman to be known as the would not only make history but also bring pride to the GOAT of gymnastics is not only the sheer number of US women’s team. medals and awards she has won, but also her resilience in getting back up to show the world how powerful There were only four women on the team that year she can be. And that is the mark of a true champion. because of Covid, so there was already more pressure on each team member, but not as much as the pressure on Biles. Right from the beginning of the competition, there was inconsistency in her performance. Biles had shared on social media that ‘she felt the weight of the world on her shoulders.’And so it began. In each practice, she would stumble or falter. Such unpredictable shifts in her performance were dangerous and could have led to fatal injuries. For example, if she landed from a vault in the wrong place then she could have broken

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d n Sou

Mind Charlotte Breen of

extols the mending

W

Holmewood House magic of music.

e have all experienced music- many different areas of the brain, such evoked autobiographical as the hippocampus and amygdala memory, often without regions, which are responsible for giving realising, but there are many scientific emotional responses to music through theories why music can trigger memory, and the limbic system, memories and how it can which processes and help those with impaired music memories made regulates emotion and between the ages memory. memory. The fact that of 10 and 25 are music stimulates so the most powerful I am sure you are all many different areas memories and the wondering what is musicof the brain is key to most likely to be remembered. evoked autobiographical understanding how memory (MEAM)? Well, it music can continue to is remembering personal experiences provide memories when parts of the or past events when you hear music. brain are damaged. Some scientific An example of this occurring could researchers have also suggested that be, you are just simply walking down there is specific area in the middle of the street and you hear music coming the brain, away from the hippocampus, from a shop or a street performer and in which memories related to music are recognise this as one of songs from your stored. childhood, and suddenly the memories come flooding back, uncontrollably.

Music is easily associated with specific emotions or original experiences, for From a scientific perspective, music’s example songs played at momentous ability to evoke memory is linked to events such as christenings and how our brains process music and its weddings. Repetition of songs can associated memories. Music activates also make bonds with memory: many 112 Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

people have a song of the summer or song of the year, because it was repeated many times during this period of time, linking it to more memories and strengthening the relationship.

This explains the natural phenomenon that is MEAM. So how does MEAM help those with impaired memories following an accident, stroke, or dementia? Research has indicated that music can help those with impaired memories reconnect with their past by stimulating regions in the brain associated with the processing of memories and by establishing new pathways for autobiographical memory retrieval. Some scientists also suggest that music-evoked memories can activate the hippocampus, which in turn can slow down the rate at which brain cells and their connections are lost, known as atrophy.

People all over the world struggle with dementia, which not only affects the individual but family and close

Time mem spent mus ories makin ic g th us may j roug mem all ke ust he h lp orie ep o are s whe ur n old er. we

friends. Music being a trigger for vital memories, such as their own wedding, or how they met their partner, is extremely important and comforting.

MEAM occurs at the same rate in those able-minded as it does in people struggling with dementia, and music therapy is a commonly used practice that works especially well in those with loss of autobiographical (episodic) memories. Continued research in this area will only help our understanding of MEAM and how we can use this to improve the lives of those suffering with impaired memory.

It is thought that music memories made between the ages of 10 and 25 are the most powerful memories and the most likely to be remembered. This links to how some people have connections with certain bands and singers because they were popular when they were growing up. Perhaps it can also explain the recent rush for tickets to concerts

by Oasis and Coldplay for the many

people who experienced and loved these bands in their younger years. Time spent making memories through music in our youth, whether that’s playlists for holiday, going to concerts or listening to music whilst we study, may just help us all keep our memories when we are older.

To conclude, there is so much we do not yet know about how our brains connect memories and music – for this reason, more research is vital. Over the coming years I hope to see many more advances in technology and more discoveries about the topic of our brain and MEAM so that we can broaden our knowledge about this relatively unknown topic.

rs at occu te in M A E a M ame r ed the s ble-mind le a p e o s e p o h t in does ith as it ggling w u r . ia st t n deme

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n o o Cart

Magic Philip Jevons of Newt

seriously.

C

on Prep takes his ca

artoons have been around Cartoon characters often have since the early 1900s, with exaggerated features. Take Bugs Fantasmagorie being the first Bunny, for example: his big ears, huge animated film. They are captivating, eyes and oversized feet make him intriguing, and exciting, instantly recognisable. He turning simple, everyday virtually has superpowers, even the most tasks into amusing stories defying the laws of physics, ‘perfect’ that people of all ages can characters face gravity and even logic challenges, enjoy. However, not every itself. Yet, this exaggerated reminding us that style creates a unique and story has a happy ending. we are not facing Walt Disney, for example, engaging world where these alone. faced many challenges, only the most important including being rejected details are emphasised and by 300 banks while trying to secure stretched to their limits. funding for his company. In 1971, when Disney World opened, a reporter People love cartoons because they are remarked to Walt’s brother, Roy Disney, colourful, appealing and most of the 'This must be a bittersweet day for characters have a comedic personality. you. It’s really sad that Walt never got Their actions are also incredibly wellto see Disney World.' With that, Roy timed, transforming what could be a responded, 'If Walt hadn’t seen it, we tragic moment into a lively, upbeat wouldn’t be standing in it.' What is it scene. Cartoons have the ability to take that makes cartoons so exciting? Is it reality to another plane of existence; the characters? The plot? The animation they let creativity flow in a visual style style? that cannot be replicated in real life.

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rtoons

Our preference for imaginary characters often stems from the comfort they provide. They evoke a range of emotions – joy, sadness, fear or excitement, allowing us to experience these feelings alongside them.

Alternatively, have you ever watched a depressing, sad and traumatic cartoon?

Many people do not know this, but Disney princesses often have mental health challenges. This is why people might find cartoon characters understandable. For example, Snow White has OCD, Alice from Wonderland has schizophrenia, Pocahontas has depression, and Mulan has Atelophobia (an extreme fear of imperfection). These challenges show that even the most ‘perfect’ characters face challenges, reminding us that we are not facing these alone.

Watching an old cartoon can bring up feelings of happiness and comfort,

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reminding us of our ability to move past worries. Nostalgia washes over you, making you feel a sense of solace, just as looking at an old photo from your childhood might bring back memories that you had completely forgotten.

During times of anxiety or depression, watching a light-hearted kids' cartoon is a positive way to help you cope.

These cartoons celebrate teamwork and friendship, and show how good will always overcomes evil. For example, SpongeBob is almost always in a happy and loving mood, even when he is being ignored by Squidward and bullied by Plankton. He shows his viewers that treating people with kindness is not just an option but is mandatory. Believe it or not, cartoons can actually rub off on people, making them a bit happier and wanting to spread their newfound optimism.

Watching an old cartoon can bring up feelings of happiness and comfort, reminding us of our ability to move past worries.

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Big

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ution of playing cards When it comes to the evol s the cards.

Arthur Griffiths of SJCS ha

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ow many decks of playing cards do you have at home? I bet there are several. Playing cards have been around for over a thousand years and have been a massive form of entertainment. Over the centuries, their popularity has grown and playing cards are not only used to play card games with but to make towers, throw at walls, and even make art.

lures, reflecting hunting themes that were so popular at the time. We still have one of these decks today called the Flemish Hunting Deck and the 600-year-old full deck is on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. They were likely to have been created in the Netherlands. This deck is almost exactly as we see cards today, the only differences being the shape and the suits.

The first deck of playing cards was created by the ancient Chinese Tang dynasty and, although precise Hundreds of years later the design of a deck of cards dates are debatable, it is thought that it had not changed much, but their use was roughly 1,000 AD. The ancient Chinese had grown massively. In 1865 advances the Flemish played with 32 cards in a deck, a number Hunting Deck and in printing made it easier to manufacture the 600-yearthat corresponds with the maximum playing cards and that was when the old full deck combinations of a pair of dice, showing joker was first introduced. The idea was is on display at early ‘card’ games might have been played the Metropolitan that if you lost a playing card then you with dice. They called these decks pái. The Museum of Art in could write that card's suit and value on New York. cards resemble dominoes, being tall and the joker and it could replace it. However, thin with coloured dots. One particular jokers have since been integrated into famous card game was called Madiao, which isn’t some games such as Crazy Eights and some versions of dissimilar to Rummy. Since the objective of the game Rummy where they are used as wild cards. is to collect sets and runs of cards, Madiao can still be played today with a normal card deck.

When playing cards became more widely used, Whist became the most popular game. At a similar period During the 13th Century, playing cards evolved slightly of time, playing cards were taking off in the US where in China and the ‘suit’ system began. Instead of clubs, poker was invented and is now, arguably, the most diamonds, hearts, spades, they used coins, myriads and popular card game in the world. Many variations of other symbols. Soon the cards began to spread to the poker have been invented and adapted since then.

Islamic world via the Silk Road and were used by the Mamluk Dynasty. They changed the design slightly and Over one thousand years playing cards have changed made them look more artistic. The four suits became and their uses have grown. Who can tell how they will cups, coins, polo sticks and swords. This is how the evolve in the future? modern deck of cards began: four suits and 52 cards.

Decks of cards started to arrive in Europe in the Mediaeval period when the four suits changed to hunting horns, dog collars, hound tethers and falcon

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Life

in Space Emma Aspbury of Broo

mwood thinks alien e to have.

friends would be nic

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magine a timeline of the whole universe. Pretty long, right? Well, guess what. Human existence is only a snap of a finger's worth of that time. And did you know that Earth has existed for most of the universe’s history: that’s 4.25 billion years without a whisper of technological life or human civilisation, which is a very late development? To me, this is terrifying.

It also makes me wonder: surely if we only exist for a few seconds in terms of the universe, there must be some other form of civilisation. Just imagine how many galaxies there are out there, and in those galaxies solar systems, and in those solar systems planets. In fact, there was an estimate that there are 100 to 200 billion galaxies in the observable universe, and I am convinced that there is some sort of other intelligent life out there.

NASA says that ‘while the chances of finding life elsewhere remains 118 Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025

unknown, the odds can be said to be out a manned spacecraft interstellar! improving’. The chances of NASA finding Voyager 1 wasn’t by itself though. extra-terrestrial life in this decade, or 16 days before Voyager 1 blasted off, century, are very slim. In fact, it took Voyager 2 was sent out, this time 35 years for a satellite touring around Venus and to reach interstellar Neptune. Its journey took Scientists say space. Even though it 41 years. Obviously, NASA it will take 300 is called interstellar, it years just to get still has not developed the hasn’t even left our solar to the edge of the technology to send out a outside layer of system yet. Scientists manned spacecraft, and the solar system. say it will take 300 years even if they did I doubt just to get to the edge of any astronaut would want the outside layer of the solar system. to spend more than 35 years trapped in This spacecraft is called Voyager 1. It a tube in an endless void, floating into launched from Florida in 1977, entered the unknown abyss. When I describe it interstellar space in 2012, and is still like that, of course no one would want to this day floating around outside to do that. Imagine what kind of step it our solar system. Of course, Voyager 1 would be for mankind – a bigger step didn’t go straight to interstellar space; than going to the moon. Sorry, Neil. it travelled by Jupiter and Saturn first.

This is an astonishing amount of time In case you’re now completely lacking and one heck of a journey: imagine hope of ever discovering extrabeing stuck in a spacecraft for 11 billion terrestrial life, don’t fear, because we miles! Just imagine how long it would have had an encounter. In 2017, an take to develop the technology to send intriguing object zipped through

u’re e yo tely r s a e In c compl of eve e w p rao o n h ext e, g n g i k in f lac cover rial li dis rest ear. ter on’t f d

our solar system. It was on a steep trajectory, telling scientists it wasn’t Back to the voyagers. A lingering from around here. They confirmed it question is: where are they going next? was from interstellar space – the first Voyager 1’s path will take it out of our object from another solar system to solar system and aiming towards the enter ours. Scientists named the object constellation Ophiuchus.

‘Oumuamua’, a Hawaiian Don’t get your hopes up, word meaning ‘visitor it was from though, because only in the from afar arriving first’. So, interstellar year 40, 272 will Voyager what was it? Oumuamua space - the first 1 become 1.7 light years was the first of its kind object from another solar of an obscure star now in and was not seen in detail system to enter the constellation Ursula very closely, so researchers ours.

Minor. It doesn’t stop there, found it difficult to draw though, because in about any conclusions. Whatever 40,000 years, Voyager 2 will come within it was, it was big, it was moving fast, about 1.7 light-years of a star called Ross and it was tumbling through space.

248, a small star now in the constellation Oumuamua was estimated to be of Andromeda. about half a mile (800 meters) long.

Astronomers had never seen a natural The chances of humans finding other life object of such an enormous scale in are minute, and it won’t be for another the solar system before. It was last 40,000 years probably until we find detected traveling away from the Sun whatever is out there. So that means at about 196,000 mph on its way back that not even your great, great, great, to interstellar space. After January great (times fifty) grandchildren will 2018, Oumuamua was no longer visible be around when extra-terrestrial life is to telescopes, even in space. discovered, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up hope. Sadly, though, not any time soon, will I be able to live out my Guardians of the Galaxy dream, fast jumping in a spaceship from galaxy to galaxy.

ces The chan ing d in f A S A of N trial s e r r extra-te decade, is life in th ry, are u t n e c r o slim. y r e v Mind’s Eye Prep | 2025 119

CS uncovers a year. s that come but once

Alice Labruyere of SJ custom

N

ew Year’s Eve is a time to say goodbye to what was, and welcome what will be. As the clock strikes midnight, cheers and fireworks typically fill the sky – but what about New Year’s Eve and even New Year’s Day traditions around the world? Well, there are plenty!

In Spain, it is customary to celebrate the New year by eating twelve grapes, one for each clock chime marking midnight. in Colombia carry Additionally, each grape is an empty suitcase around their supposed to bring luck for one neighbourhood as month of the year. The tradition fast as they can dates back to 1895, becoming more to welcome in the New Year. common from 1909 onwards. The grapes are usually thin-skinned, pale green grapes that are harvested in late November or December.

A Danish New Year’s Eve tradition involves standing on chairs and jumping off when the clock strikes midnight.

Forgetting to jump can be problematic, for it is said to bring bad luck for the entire year. Another New Year’s tradition in Denmark sees people smash unused plates outside of their loved ones’ homes. If you’ve got lots of broken plates on your doorstep in the morning, it means you’re very popular and you will have good luck all year.

To bring good luck and encourage more travel in the New Year, people in Colombia carry an empty suitcase around their neighbourhood as fast as they can to welcome in the New Year. In Filipino culture, it is believed that roundness symbolises prosperity because it is a similar shape to coins or money. Perhaps the most commonly-known Filipino tradition for New Year’s Eve is the wearing or eating of round items. Round fruits are consumed, and clothing with round patterns (such as circles or polka dots) are worn. So, households pick 12 round fruits for each month of the year to eat on New Year’s Eve to ensure a year of abundance.

People also wear polka dots for good luck. 

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New

Years

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The y Bud ’re run acr dhist t g fro m oss emp with the co les u n chim t es he 10 try to r numb 8 e e the prese red nt ‘ E a Tem r ptat thly ions ’.

Greek tradition says that the greeks hang onions on their doors and this is a very old tradition.

Greek tradition says that the Greeks hang onions on their doors and this is a very old tradition. But it’s said to At midnight on 31 December each symbolise rebirth, because the onion year, you’ll hear 108 bells ring out peels away to reveal many layers. all over Japan. It is a practice called Tradition also says Greek parents should Joya-no-Kane. They’re rung from bop their children on the head to wake Buddhist temples across them up on New Year’s the country with the 108 Wearing Day! It is said to bring them white, people chimes numbered to luck throughout the year. traditionally jump represent what is known over seven waves in the faith as the ‘Earthly to thank the ocean Hogmanay or ‘first footing’ goddess.

Temptations’. This is still is a New Year’s Eve tradition done in Japan today, and in Scotland when the first if you’re there you may even be able to person who crosses the threshold of a hear the bells toll on TV or on the radio. home in the New Year carries a gift for luck. There is even lore in which the In Brazil, it is common to go to the person should be a man who is tall and beach to bring in the New Year. Wearing dark – to protect against Vikings. The white, people traditionally jump tall, dark man may even bring coal, salt, over seven waves to thank the ocean shortbread or whisky, representing the goddess, Lemanja, for something good basic needs of heat, food and drink. that happened in the past year with each wave. Once done, it is tradition Tradition in Finland has a fortune-telling that they do not turn their backs to the aspect. Finnish people will melt a small sea until they are completely out of the tin horseshoe in a pan before pouring water, since this risks having bad luck. the contents into a bucket of cold water.

They wear white clothing because it is Whatever shape it solidifies into is said said to signify peace and happiness. to represent what’s to come in the New Year. Ideally, you would want a coin shape, four-leaf-clover or love heart.

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Here is a pretty simple German tradition: eating a Berliner doughnut – called Krapfen in Southern Germany – on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. These frosted doughnuts were once reserved as a festive sweet treat, with whatever filling you prefer: fruity jam (or jelly), melted chocolate, vanilla cream and others. You might be able to buy jelly-filled Berliners all year round, but treat yourself to an extra one on 31 December.

This lovely tradition from the Czech Republic doesn’t involve much, just an apple and a knife. Simply cut an apple in half to see what's in store for you next year, based on the pattern of the seeds inside. If it’s a star shape, you will have good health and luck. If there’s a cross with four points, it’s bad news, for example ill-health or an upcoming death in the family. Traditionally, the cutting of the apple is done at Christmas

dinner, usually held on Christmas Eve. Everyone around the table will show each other their apple-predicted fates.

The Irish have several New year traditions, such as banging the outside walls of their houses with bread to keep away bad luck and evil spirits, and starting the year with a spotless, freshly cleaned home. But one of the most well-known is setting an extra plate at the dinner table for any loved ones lost in the past year.

Finally, on New Year’s Eve, Colombians celebrate with a tradition called ‘agüero’.

This tradition consists of placing three potatoes under each family member’s bed, one of them peeled, another not and the last only partially. At midnight, each person chooses one with their eyes closed and, depending on which one they choose, they can expect good fortune, financial struggle or a mixture of both in the new year.

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wonders why was Mason Tahiri of Bede’s .

Emperor Hadrian was so

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mperor Hadrian was born into a prominent family on 4th January 76 AD. His early life was marked by a strong education and military training, and he developed a fondness for hunting that he kept for the rest of his life. He was adopted by his father’s cousin, Trajan.

Hadrian was sent to a school in Rome where he was under the care of Trajan.

When Nerva died, Trajan became Emperor.

Trajan was an ambitious and aggressive ruler and Hadrian gained lots of military experience as General during conquests over Dacia, now known as Romania, and Parthia (Iran). So, early in life Hadrian played a key role in the Roman Empire.

When Trajan died in Cilicia, now known as Turkey, in 117 AD, he had not named an heir to the throne. Hadrian’s military experience and friendship with Trajan meant that he was an obvious candidate and he was duly crowned Emperor.

Hadrian gets a lot of credit from historians because of his remarkable building record while Emperor. He put up, for example, the famous Temple of Venus and Roma.

Hadrian’s reign didn’t come without any difficulties; he faced rebellions, such as the Bar Kokhba Revolt.

successful

In Britain, which Hadrian visited in AD 122, the focus on shoring up the empire resulted in the construction of the famous wall. Hadrian’s Wall was built especially to protect Roman Britain from the Northern Picts and Barbarians but for many other reasons too. The wall stretched for 73 miles (about 117 kilometres) across the North of England, marking the Northwest boundary of the Roman Empire. Hadrian's wall took about six years to complete, using 15,000 workers. Ever since the day it was built, it has remained nearly intact.

What an incredible achievement! It is a physical legacy that has lasted for 1,900 years. Now it is a very popular tourist attraction.

Hadrian died in Baiae (Naples) on 10th July 138 AD after a long reign that played a key role in developing the culture and importance of the Roman Empire.

To answer my question, I believe Hadrian was a successful ruler because he gained lots of military experience as General and he learnt a lot from Trajan. In my opinion, his greatest legacy was that he was an architectural genius. He was responsible for building many treasured monuments and he was loved by the people of Rome, and only a few rulers have ever achieved such a feat. All these reasons are why he is one of the greatest Roman Emperors. 

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