The Freemen's Times, Spring 2023 Edition

FREEMEN'S FREEMEN'S FREEMEN'S TIMES TIMES TIMES

CITYOFLONDONFREEMEN'SSCHOOL

Foreword Foreword Foreword

Anewspaperdoesnottypicallycontainaforeword;yethereyou arereadingonenow.Perhapsthiswillplayapartin demonstratingwhatournewspaperaimstobe.

TheFreemen’sTimesisastudent-ledmultimedianewspaper presentingbothwrittenworkandvideographyfromourwriters andvideographers,whohavethelibertytochooseanytopicthey wishtoinvestigateandcreateupon.‘Liberty’isanimportant word;ournewspaperdoesnotaimtoconformtonormalcy,but rathertoprovideaplatformwherethosecontributingcanspread theirpassions,interests,andstoriestoalargeraudience.The excitingpartofthisisthateveryeditionwillbedrastically differentfromtheprecedingeditions,astherearenoboundaries inwhatiscreated.Here,wehopeyoucatchaglimpseof perspectivesbothinsideandoutsideofFreemen’sgrounds.

AthankyoutoMr.Shore-Nye,thefounderofournewspaper,who createdthisplatformforustopresentourideas.Athankyouto theFreemen’smarketingteam,andinparticularMr.Jordan,who havehelpeduswithourdigitalpublishingandtechnicalissues.A finalthankyoutothosewhohavecontributedtothemakingofour newspaper,andwhohaveworkedextensivelytomakethisfirstevereditionpossible.

WearethrilledtopresenttoyouourfirsteditionoftheFreemen’s Times:Spring2023andwehopeyouenjoytheride!

AnnaPang, Editor

AnnaPang Editor

BoardingSpotlight:AlookintoCulturalIdentity asaBoarder-----------------------------------1-2 byNatalieHon,L6W2

Video-AGlimpseintotheArtDepartment----------3 byClaireWang,L5H3

IceSpiceandtheinfluenceofTikTokonMusic----4-5 byNikaLam,U5G1

B.D.Cooper-ACaseStudy-----------------------6-9 byCindyJiang,U4H2

Video-TeacherSpotlight:Mr.AlanAuld-----------10 ByZaraLatif,U5W1andSafaAhmed,U5W2

AninsightintotheGlyn-Freemens CombinedCadetForce -------------------------11-12 byDiaSingh,U4H1

ShouldtheUKfocusmoreonnuclearenergy?---13-14 byLucaDahse,L6G3

TheFreemen'sTimesArt/WritingCompetition:-15-21 FeaturedPiecesandPrizeWinners

Acknowledgements------------------------------22

CULTURAL IDENTITY ALOOKINTO CULTURALIDENTITY ASABOARDER

NATALIE HON, L6W2

At Freemen’s, there is only one boarding facility (Walbrook house), with boarders equating to 10% of the student population. The Boarding Spotlight aims to shed more light on the perspective of boarding pupils in an otherwise predominantly day school, who come from a diverse range of backgrounds.

'Cultural identity’ is a term that people have, most likely, come across before, but also fail to fully understand its meaning. One definition of cultural identity would be that it is a “critical piece of [a person’s] personal identity (and worldview) that develops you as you absorb, interpret, and adopt (or reject) beliefs, values, behaviours and the norms” of everyday life (Wilson, 2022). In this context, it would infer that you get surprised by someone else’s reaction to a situation because it is simply not what you were raised to expect.

'The term cultural identity crisis, however, is a different story A cultural identity crisis is when a person does something purely because they were taught to do so their entire lives. One prime example would be the stereotype that East Asians are more oriented to maths and sciences. Some East Asians may genuinely pursue a career in medicine or do a degree in maths because they are good at it, and because they want to dive deeper into that realm of knowledge. But some also choose to pursue maths and science and become doctors, for example, because they have been put under this stereotype their entire life.

This is not a life story, and I will not go on too much about myself. This is my personal experience, so it shouldn’t be assumed that it would be the same for everyone else. But upon choosing my Alevel options last spring, I went through a cultural identity crisis myself. When I was choosing my options, I was in a predominantly white boarding school, much unlike the boarding environment we have in Freemen’s. Being in a community as such unconsciously pressured me into taking what those of

Hong Kong, Natalie's hometown

Asian heritage were perceived to be more likely to take for A-levels, like Maths, Biology, or Chemistry… all subjects that I was, and am not, remotely interested in. Throughout the process of choosing my Alevel subjects, my parents and I had multiple discussions about the next step in my education, and in the end, they only encouraged me to do what I wanted to do.

And that was when my cultural identity crisis kicked in. How do I know what I want to do when, all my life, I’ve been fed stereotypes of what Asians should be? How do I know what I want to do when I’ve just known that ‘Asian people are naturally better at Maths – they should all at least study it at a higher level’?

I have spent weeks contemplating whether I should choose the subjects I like (English and Classics) or choose the subjects I am more likely to excel in simply because of my Asian heritage The process was hard; I did not have a lot of people to confide in, since no one fully understood my situation due to our cultural differences I felt trapped, confused, and annoyed at myself for even thinking that I should be picking the subjects of my personal interest, instead of those that many assumed I would take. Eventually, I realised that taking subjects I enjoy would be far more beneficial to me than the subjects I should, stereotypically, have chosen. Of course, there is nothing wrong with taking Maths, Chemistry, Biology, or any subject at A-level; I just know that if I chose those subjects, my life would be a lot more miserable because I personally do not enjoy these subjects at all.

Back to the main topic: boarding does play a role in changing your cultural identity. It does not completely alter it, of course, since cultural identity is a quality one has had ever since one was born and

Natalie pictured in Central, an HK district continues to expand through one’s family and community. If we go back to the definition provided by Wilson at the start, it would be understood that cultural identity changes as we grow up and adapt to different environments around us. Being in two vastly different boarding schools has changed my views on a lot of things, and sometimes, when I go back home for the holidays, I would be the one being judged in turn because I was doing something that was not done often in my home.

But I do think that boarding changes your cultural identity for the better. Not only have I been exposed to a lot more diverse cultures, but I have also learned more through meeting people around the world Their cultures and stories have changed my view of the world and have educated me on a lot of things. Now, I bring the things that I have learned through them to my family, and in turn educating them and allowing them to experience some of the rich cultures I have been soaked in while being in a boarding house. Of course, not all the people I meet are in the boarding house, so those I meet at school change my cultural identity, too. Being in boarding teaches one a lot more about distinct cultures than one might think, and it is so exciting to be developing my cultural identity throughout the times I have been boarding in different schools

VIDEOGRAPHY:

AGlimpseIntoTheArt AGlimpseIntoTheArt AGlimpseIntoTheArt Department Department Department

CLAIRE WANG, L5H3

The Art Department is known for its thriving creativity and passion; there are often no boundaries to what students create. This can range from more traditional forms of art like painting and drawing to more non-traditional aspects like the incorporation of digital media and laser cutting. Students are often encouraged to use a wide range of mediums to experiment and developinterestsindifferentaspectsofwhattheartcurriculumhastooffer.

Claire Wang, a GCSE art student at Freemen’s, took this opportunity to interviewMrs.Bowey(HeadoftheArtDepartment)anddifferentstudentsto catchaglimpseintowhattheartdepartmentislike.

IICESPICEANDTHEINFLUENCE ICESPICEANDTHEINFLUENCE CESPICEANDTHEINFLUENCE

2023hasseentheriseinfameofIsisGaston, betterknownas'IceSpice'bytheinternet. With her iconic ginger hair, Ice Spice is knownforhersongsInHaMood,Feelin’U, and her recent collaboration with Pink Pantheress;Boy’saliarpt2.Thiscollaboration releasedonFebruary3rd,2023,hasgarnered 117M+listensonSpotify,the#1spotonApple PlayMusicand698kvideoshavebeenmadeto theirsoundonTikTok,notincludingany sped-up or slowed-down remixes made by fans.

Beyond the obvious success of Ice Spice throughhermusic,shehasalsointegratedher personaintothelanguageusedbytheinternet. Forexample,slanghasbeencoinedbymany TikTokusersinrecentmonthsafterheruseof the word in her song 'Feelin’ U'. (https://vt.tiktok.com/ZS89G7hHS/)

Even her own lyrical genius evades her sometimes.

AfterthesuccessofhersongFeelin’U,she released Bikini Bottom, which has amassed over29MlistensonSpotify,and151K+videos onherofficialsoundonTikTok(onceagain not including any re-uploads or remixes). Althoughthissongreceivedmixedreviews,the iconiclineof“HowcanIloseifI'malready chose?Like ”wasstillthesubjectofmany videosandcanberecognisableevenbeyond thesong.Somepeoplestatedthatthelyricsof thissongdidn’tmakesenseandwereconfused byherpopularity,whilstothersbegantocall

her“Shakespearereincarnate”followingthe song’srelease.Oneuserevenwentasfarasto doanin-depthanalysisofBikiniBottomas an English Literature GCSE poem. (https://vt.tiktok.com/ZS89trbK6/)

So why has Ice Spice experienced this unbelievable boom in popularity? UnderstandingtheinfluenceofTikTokis highlyimportantinansweringthisquestion.

As TikTok has become more and more prevalent in everyday life and slowly becomesanessentialappfoundonalmost everyone’s phone, it has unsurprisingly influencedthecelebrities’riseinpopularity. Otherexamplesofthisphenomenoninclude SteveLacy,beabadoobee,CentralCee,and PinkPantheress,someofwhom(ifnotall) becamepopularafteraclipoftheirsongs garneredattentiononTikTok;SteveLacy withtheinfamous‘BadHabit’and‘Dark Red’,beabadoobeewith‘theperfectpair’and

*IceSpicepictured

therecent‘GlueSong’,CentralCeewith‘ Doja’andPinkPantheresswith‘Justforme’ and‘Whereyouare’.Artiststhatwerealready famousbeforetheinfluenceofTikTokhave alsobeguntotakeadvantageofthisfeature, oftenpromotingnewsongsmorestronglyon TikTokthanonanyotherformofsocial media.

Althoughthisphenomenoncannotbedenied asbeingextremelybeneficialbyproviding musicians who otherwise would’ve most likelyneverseenthesameleveloffame,it doeshaveitscons.Thisisbestdemonstrated bythecaseofSteveLacy,whoisalmostas renownedfortestinghiscrowdsfortheir knowledgeofhissongsasheisforhisactual songs.Manyclipsofhimatconcertsinclude himholdinghismicrophoneouttocrowdsto testtheirknowledgeofhissongsafterthe section that goes viral online. In Lacy’s defence,Ihaveyettoseeoneclipwherethe crowdsuccessfullypasseshistest.

(https://vt.tiktok.com/ZS89tNDvY/)

DespitetheundeniablefactthattheTikTok algorithmallowedIceSpicetogarnerthe attentionandfameshehas,itcannotbegiven allthepraiseforhersuccess.TikTokmay havedirectedpeople’sattentiontohermusic, butitwasherinventivelyricsandcatchy beatsthatkeepthemlistening.Furthermore, manypeoplesupportherforherlaid-back attitudeandsoothingvoice,onesuchfan statingthat“weloveherpersonabecauseshe justseemslikeanormalperson”,andanother sayingthat“shegenuinelyseemsverynice andisprobablyfuntohangoutwith”.

Inconclusion,despitethehateshemayget fromthosewhothinkshedoesnotdeservethe popularity,IceSpicewillmostlikelycontinue tothriveasamusicianandcontinuetorelease songswithmind-bogglinglyricsthatnoone willforget–unlikepoorSteveLacy

*SteveLacypictured

Introduction

CindyJiang,U4H2

[2]

“D.B. Cooper 1971 has a wild scheme to jump out of the back of an airplane at 10,000 feet in the middle of the night in a rainstorm over unknown territory.”

On November 24, 1971, a man who named himself Dan Cooper became a legend after he hijacked a plane and parachuted out of it with a bag containing $200,000 cash, which, converted into today’s currency would be over $1,000,000.

“Last thing we knew is he had $200,000 and bailed out of the back of a 727, November 24th, 1971.” [1]

Hijacking

24th November 1971, Portland, Oregon. A man brought a one-way airplane ticket to Seattle, Washington by Northwest Orient Airlines. That man was Dan B. Cooper. He was a normal-looking man; middle-aged, carried a briefcase, and wore a business suit with a black tie and white shirt.

[3] When he got on the plane, he seated himself right at the back of the plane, on the right-hand middle seat. He had a drink of bourbon, soda and smoked as well. Right around 3 pm, he called a flight attendant, Florence Schaffer, to listen to his requests. Cooper handed her a letter and said “Miss, you’d better look at that note. I have a bomb.” [4]

Schaffer had no choice but to sit by him and hear him out. To this, he opened his briefcase, and right before her eyes, eight sticks of dynamite. Then Cooper stated: “I want 200,000 by 5 pm in cash. Put it in a knapsack. I want two back parachutes and two front parachutes. When we land, I want a fuel truck ready to refuel. No funny stuff or I’ll do the job.” [5] After informing the other members and the captain, another attendant, Tina Mucklow, came and acted as a ‘bridge’ between Cooper and the captain.

Flight 305 maintained a hold position for the next hour and a half, while the things Cooper demanded were being brought over. The $200,000 cash came in the form of 10,000 x $20 bills from the local bank. The parachutes came from a local parachuting school, and refueling was arranged in Seattle.

Once at Seattle, the ransom was given to him, and he let all 36 passengers and 2 crew members disembark quickly. Most of the passengers did not know the plane was being hijacked. After the refueling, he demanded that the plane fly non-stop to Mexico City, and on this flight, all lights in the main cabin were to be turned off, the landing gear had to be down, and wing flaps were to be at 15 degrees. He also ordered for the aft stairway to be extended, but this could not be fulfilled; instead, Cooper wanted Mucklow to stay and teach him how to open the ventral staircase once they were airborne. His request to fly nonstop from Seattle to Mexico City would not be possible due to flight configurations. Cooper demanded that they must stop in either Phoenix, Yuma, or Sacramento for refueling, but they finally all agreed on a refueling stop at Reno, Nevada.

Cold case: a crime that has not been solved and remains open to investigation if new evidence is found.

At 7:36 pm the flight set off for Reno. He ordered Mucklow to leave and not to disturb him. All members of the crew stayed in the cockpit until their landing in Reno. They carefully checked the cabin. There was no sign of Cooper or his suitcase. All that was left was the second parachute, alongside the extended staircase. There was only one plausible possibility: he took the money, the parachute, and his briefcase, disappearing into the night.

This Was Only The Beginning.

The FBI got involved quickly, and all they discovered were the parachutes left behind a black J.C Penney tie (which later provided DNA samples) and a few cigarette butts. At 8 pm, a red-light warning was given, implying that a door was opened. The captain asked Cooper whether there was anything that he can do for him, to which he replied, ‘No!’ [6] This was his word. Then, at 8:24, The nose of the plane dipped first followed by a near-identical dip in the tail. It must have been Cooper jumping off. They did not check the cabin as they did not want to disobey Cooper’s orders.

So, where did he jump off? Although his requests were extremely specific, he never actually told the crew the path he wanted to take, and as he grew increasingly impatient at Seattle, he told Mucklow to get a move on. Thus, when the captain chose a route called Victor 23, Cooper was not made aware of this. The FBI quickly began their search along the path, and more specifically, 23 miles north of Portland, as that was where Scott, the captain, felt the dip. They searched, searched, and searched but there were no signs of cooper anywhere. After all, Cooper’s landing would be nearly impossible to predict as it was a stormy night with fierce winds, and it was likely that even Cooper himself did not know where he was about to land. There were two military planes following Flight 305, and neither of them saw Cooper; it was easy to see why as it was the dead of night, making it hard to see Cooper.

In the end, after weeks of extensive searching, not a trace of him was found. Many suspect that he did not survive the jump, but some believe it to be the other way around

Where Did It All Go?

It was already December, and little progress had been made. Attention was turned to the ransom. The bank which provided the money recorded all the serial numbers of the 10,000 $20 notes. Everyone was to check their bills and pay attention to the serial numbers.

It was not until 10th February 1980 that the first major piece of information came in. An 8year-old boy found a large bundle of notes. Totalling up to 5,880 dollars, it was presented to the FBI. The serial numbers on the notes

depiction of D.B. Cooper

Aircraft type Boeing 727-51, the aircraft type in the hijacking

matched the ones contained in the ransom. It was found buried on the shore of a beach in Washington, 27km from the predicted drop zone. This brought complications, such being: How did the money get there? It was on the riverbanks of Lewis River, which flows towards the predicted drop zone. So, if the money were to fall into the rivers, it would not have been carried along the river. In 1974, some reconstruction of the beach was done, which involved removing parts of the riverbed and dumping it on the shore. The money was found on top of those areas, which meant the money only got there after 1974. This was proven false, as the money was predicted to be planted there before 1973. It must have been planted there by hand, away from the elements. Was it Cooper who buried the money? Vast searches were made along the rivers. Expectedly, nothing was found of Cooper, nor the money.

There is not much evidence neither for nor against his death. The night of the hijacking had been alongside a devastating rainstorm. It would have been extremely hard to control the parachutes, and even if he did manage to ‘settle down,’ the parachutes provided cannot be steered. Of the parachutes provided was a dummy one, made for training purposes only. Cooper is extremely smart when it comes to planning. He did not just ask for one parachute as they would have just given him a dummy one. He asked for four. This was to trick the others into thinking that he was going to take hostages, thus having to provide him with real ones.

Wanted Dead, Or Alive?

Many still believe that he did not die and is still out there somewhere, waiting to be found. Here are a few notable suspects:

[Robert Rackstraw]

One of the most prominent suspects. He became a suspect 10 years after the incident. He had a blurred past and not much is known. He had connections to the CIA but was discharged from the Army in 1971[7] He has more than one criminal record and knew how explosives worked, but when Rackstraw was questioned, he neither accepted nor denied the fact that he was the man behind the scenes. One of the major drawbacks was that when presented with a photo of Rackstraw, the attendants who had interacted with him denied that it was Rackstraw and said Cooper was much older than him.

true identity of D.B. Cooper.

[Duane Weber]

While on his deathbed, Webner said, ‘I’m Dan Cooper.’ Not much about his past was known until after his death. His wife discovered that he had a knee injury which he got from a plane jump, as well as a handbag that matched the one Cooper used. Weber was physically matched to the drawings made by the FBI. Although he had a criminal past, nothing else is known about him apart from his confession Also, none of his fingerprints matched Cooper’s.

the Lewis River

Robert Rackstraw, a known suspect of the

[Kenneth P. Christiansen]

He worked for Northwest Airlines before and after the incident. He had over $200,000 in his bank account. He also had a military background; Cooper was suspected of having a military background as he knew the exact location of a military training centre and knew how to work the parachutes. Christiansen, however, did not match the descriptions of Cooper.

Conclusion

In 2016, Cooper’s case was closed and was listed evidence to prevail. D.B. Cooper was one of hijackers in history. The deeper you investigat arise. Did he die? Who is he? Why did he do th leave any evidence behind, and to this day, his i

Links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbUjuwhQPKs (LEMMiNO, video) https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/db-cooper-hijacking (FBI.gov, evidence) https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/cold-cases/d-b-cooper/ (CrimeMuseum, including names and dates) https://www.netflix.com/title/81349547 (Netflix documentaries)

Bibliography

[1] Tom Kaye (2010) Scientist Hunt for D.B Cooper Clues. [Video] Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtKDb0gQ9hQ (Accessed: 19 February 2023)

[2] Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries. Definition of Cold Case. Available at: https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/cold-case? q=cold+case (Accessed: 25 February 2023)

[3] FBI.gov (2016) Famous Cases & Criminals: D.B. Cooper Hijacking. Available at: https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/db-cooper-hijacking (Accessed: 20 February 2023)

[4] [5] Quotes.net (2021) “Famous quotes by D. B. Cooper” Available at: https://www.quotes.net/authors/D.+B.+Cooper (Accessed: 20 February 2023)

[6] Crime Museum (2017) “D.B COOPER”. Available at: https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/cold-cases/d-b-cooper/ (Accessed: 25 February 2023)

MR.ALANAULD MR.ALANAULD MR.ALANAULD TeacherSpotlight:

ZARA LATIF, U5W1 AND SAFA AHMED, U5W2

The Teacher Spotlight is a column that allows students to get to know a bit more about their teachers outside of the normal school setting; in each edition, we h / b f ff l

In this edition, Zara Latif and Sa Ahmed interviewed Mr. Auld, who the Head of Boarding at Freemen In addition, Mr. Auld is also humanities teacher, undertakin multiple responsibilities and roles. this interview, he shares his though on the roles he has at school, as w as his personal hobbies, interes and background.

Co-curricularSpotlight:

AninsightintotheGlynAninsightintotheGlynAninsightintotheGlynFreemen'sCombinedCadetForce

The Combined Cadet Force is a Ministry of Defence (MoD) sponsored youth organisation found in the United Kingdom’s independent schools. It is divided into three sections (Army, Royal Air Force, and Royal Navy) and was created with the aim of imputing discipline into school environments, in a fun and adventurous way. The institution of ‘cadet units’ in schools dates back over 150 years ago and in 1980, girls were allowed to join it as well.

Now, over 500 secondary schools have CCF as an activity. Before, the focus of the cadet forces was to prepare young men for battle, but now it is to develop teenagers to achieve their full potential and teach them valuable skills that cannot be taught anywhere else

In Freemens, the CCF is for Upper 4- Upper 6, with 100 children enrolled. It has been in our school since 2013 and has been a very popular club for years. Each week, we CCF cadets are provided with military training. Our training is put into practice when we go on occasional weekend exercises and week-long camps. Ever since joining CCF, it has instantly become an essential part of my everyday school life. Every Thursday our navy blue school uniforms are replaced with camouflage and khaki and it has become the best day of the week because of it During the 2 hour weekly after-school sessions, we do a range of tasks and activities. So far into the year, U4 has learnt drills first aid, weapon handling, navigation, fieldwork, and the RAF have also learnt airmanship

School can be overwhelming for the majority of students. Being part of a community like CCF is a perfect opportunity to take our minds off stress and exams. It is something enjoyable and a good distraction. Although it’s designed to ‘stimulate an interest’ in the armed forces, being a part of CCF gives us far more than that. The practical sessions develop many attributes in the cadets.

The four guaranteed skills I have taken from CCF so far are Teamwork, Discipline, Survival Skills, and Leadership. The word ‘teamwork’ is often mentioned as a skill that is easily acquired However, in CCF, I discovered that teamwork can be achieved in numerous ways. In a standard team, there are several team members, with different skill sets. For the team to work synergistically, it would tend to have a leader as well. I have had leadership demonstrated to me by the Senior Cadets (in Lower 6/Upper 6) on several occasions and learnt how being a good leader can be the reason your team succeeds

Dia pictured with CCF friends

I have learnt to plan, communicate and control- whilst motivating a team to persevere Also, I have learnt how to work as a member of a team, share my views, and help others- whilst listening to the orders from the leader.

To me, CCF is an opportunity. It is something new, something different, and something fun At first, when I joined RAF, I was unsure whether I would enjoy it. I had absolutely no past interest or knowledge about anything to do with CCF and I didn’t know if I would ever be ‘good at it’. I disliked the thought of sleeping outside, disliked the idea of being in

year when Upper 4 received their original training, was possibly some of the best days of U4. We all became basic cadets, met many new people, and got closer to our friends.

As mentioned earlier, the prominent skill of discipline is constantly utilised, even with small things such as keeping hair tied neatly in a bun, or constantly polishing our boots This discipline is also shown when it gets tougher sometimes, and you really have to push yourself to continue. In the end, your self-esteem is boosted, and it feels amazing. CCF has inputted more discipline into every single cadet. These skills and CCF in general is perfect for putting on your CV It offers life-changing experiences that can be valuable for the rest of our lives It allows us to become more independent, resilient, and improves strength and endurance. This can be used in future interviews and when in a work environment. The CCF can also be used for the Duke Of Edinburgh Award (DofE) for the physical, skill, and volunteering sections

The only thing I knew before I joined was that planes fascinated me. I knew right from the beginning that I had to do RAF, not Army, and have never regretted that decision

After officially joining, and receiving my uniform, I realised that there was more to CCF than I thought. Although it seems like CCF simply consists of shouting and marching, I can promise it is far more diverse than that. There were a range of activities that led to everyone having something they liked and was good at. I realised I didn’t need any past knowledge and learnt so much, so quickly.

I started to become highly interested in everything taught First Knight, which was one weekend near the start of the

The Freemen’s motto is ‘Learn, Lead, Make a Difference.’ Joining CCF allows us to apply these skills in a practical environment Both the CCF and Freemens are trying to achieve a common objectiveto make teenagers into future leaders I highly encourage anyone who is thinking of enrolling in CCF to do it. It will change your life for the better.

MOREONNUCLEAR ENERGY?

The state of UK energy has been at the forefront of the news for the better part of a year, with the fallout of the war in Ukraine leading to energy prices skyrocketing, often over three-fold. Energy companies still using archaic energy sources such as gas and oil, the main Russian export, have used the war as a license to hitch up their prices, so that millions struggle across the UK while those companies engaging in what some would call war profiteering make record-breaking profits Shell doubled last year’s profits to £32 billion, British Gas owner Centrica made £3.3 billion in profit, while BP made £23 billion profit while simultaneously scaling back their climate targets. All this has made some people like myself question whether the UK should put more effort into improving our nuclear energy to improve our climate prospects and give the common people a fair price.

particularly high survival rate of around 92%, and even with all deaths tallied up, nuclear still has one of the highest safety rates, with 0.03 deaths per unit of production, meaning someone would only die every 33 years, lower than wind, hydropower and all non-renewable energy sources.

Despite being a non-renewable source of energy, next to no greenhouse gases are emitted in the production of nuclear energy, and considering the impact of greenhouse gases on health, a strong argument can be made for more nuclear energy. Around 800,000 people die annually from air pollution, and 64,000 in the UK alone. The World Health Organisation (WHO) predicts around 4 2 million die yearly from outdoor sources, while a Vohra et al study from 2021 puts that number at 8.7 million, around a fifth of all global deaths. Meanwhile, nuclear energy, with no greenhouse gas output, reduces carbon output in the US alone by more than 470 million metric tons each year, which is the equivalent of removing 100 million cars off the road It is clear that not using nuclear causes more deaths yearly than using nuclear has ever done, and Germany’s nuclear phase-out since Fukushima is said to have caused 1,100 more deaths yearly, according to Analysis by Stephen Jarvis, Olivier Deschenes, and Akshaya Jha in 2020.

Some people want absolutely nothing to do with nuclear energy following the troublesome history surrounding the technology, with large-scale accidents at Fukushima and Chernobyl, as well as the malicious intent through which the technology was created However, people’s fear of nuclear following Chernobyl in particular may be unreasonable. Although the official death toll of 100 for the accident is almost certainly too low, it is likely not much higher considering it is the largest nuclear incident of all time. The HBO series covering the events does paint a sorry story, yet it can’t be forgotten that at the end of the day, it is still heavily dramatized Thyroid cancer has a

It is also apparent that the Chernobyl and Fukushima incidents were not destined to happen through nuclear volatility The Chernobyl incident was caused by poor management and striking design flaws in the pursuit of cost saving, while Fukushima was (for some reason) built along the coast in an earthquake-prone area with only 6 metres of sea wall and possessed malfunctioning equipment not tested for 40 years These reactors were incredibly out of date, and the new generation of nuclear reactors promise a different fortune.

Rolls-Royce plans to build 30 state-of-the-art small modular reactors (SMRs) which are supposedly cheaper and more effective than current-generation reactors, and each has the capacity to power half a million homes. Currently, 4 are in late-stage planning, but criticism has landed on the estimated cost of £2 billion each. However, it must be considered that split over the number of houses these reactors can sustain, the cost no longer seems exorbitant, especially when considering the efficiency these reactors will bring Current reactors create about the same amount of power as 3 million solar panels, and the increased efficiency suggests nuclear could even become a major player in UK energy, allowing the UK to develop into a new energy powerhouse while still providing every house with clean, affordable energy The Hinkley Point C project from EDF could power 6 million homes alone but carries a cost of £32 billion Some other criticism is the high amount of carbon output in the production of the reactors, yet it still has less carbon output pound-for-pound than solar and wind energy.

Especially considering the development of nuclear fusion technology Fusion is the process stars go through to produce energy, and efforts have increased to make this technology work on earth Recently the JET laboratory in the UK managed to create more energy than was put in their test reactor by colliding hydrogen atoms. Fusion is a particularly exciting technology due to not requiring a fuel like uranium, instead needing a source like hydrogen, something much more abundant Commercialisation is still far adrift, so the investment needed right now in nuclear fission must not be forgotten.

Nuclear energy is the obvious natural successor to fossil fuel power, yet the drive from the government already is apparent, with two mega projects already well under way Right now, the government’s priorities should lie in delivering the projects on time, increasing the widespread sustainability of the national energy grid and ending the stigma behind nuclear energy. While the fear of nuclear is understandable, what with the thousands of deaths after Chernobyl, but this fear has contributed to the deaths of millions annually Our dependence on fossil fuels must end in order to make proper strides in solving the environmental issues faced, and nuclear energy provides a strong solution.

*other types of renewable energy, wind powered energy

Yet perhaps the largest feasible criticism is the fact that, at the current output, uranium stores will only last for 60 to 70 years. Deal breaker? It shouldn’t be. The same longevity issues apply to all other non-renewable sources, and those pump out greenhouse gases at a devilish rate. Antinuclear campaigners often fail to see that despite the large costs of reactors that will seemingly be redundant within a few decades, the benefits are aplenty These reactors would provide much more clean energy for the country and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. The costs are large, certainly, but saving lives and ensuring the future of our planet should be paramount. Nuclear provides a huge opportunity here, and can be cheaper, more effective, and cleaner than regular renewable energy when used on a wide scale

Competition: Competition: Competition:"TREASURE" ""TREASURE" TREASURE"

FeaturedPiecesandPrizeWinners FeaturedPiecesandPrizeWinners FeaturedPiecesandPrizeWinners

The Freemen's Times Art/ Writing Competition was created to showcase the various creative talents of students at Freemen's to a wider audience. The three categories of submission were art/photography, poems/prose, and short stories/ flash fiction under the theme 'treasure'. Thank you to all participants who submitted entries for this term and a big congratulations to all winners. We were incredibly impressed with the high calibre of work received and we look forward to your active participation in future editions!

ArtCategoryChampion: "LongFor"

Siyu(Leona)Chen,L6G1

"Corresponding to the theme ‘treasure’ this digital artwork titled ‘long for’ is trying to convey how we all long for something in our lives The things that we long for are often the things that we believe will make ourselves a better person, these things are the ‘treasures’ in our life. However, sometimes people strive to obtain these things too hard and get lost in the journey. The hands representing people’s endless desires and the tiny figure in the middle represents the ‘treasure’ which is the perfect image of themselves that seems to be entirely intangible."

ArtCategory1stRunner-Up: RaadhikaWenham,U5W3

Bee created through the use of wire. "Representing the environment, and the importance of treasuring it"

Featured:"Luminescence"

YikHeiMyronTo,U4W2

Treasure – the pinch of colour in the white lab, a piece of artwork gifted by a student

"The lab is always white, and experiments always react as expectations This is a gift for a teacher by a student in Upper 3 When a metal meets chlorine, it creates metal chloride, but when a willing student meets a willing teacher, it creates unlimited possibilities. The link is the colours of the canvas, and the canvas is hung at the middle of pure white This treasure is from the teacher, and from the student, to the world "

Featured: AbigailSpratt,U4H1

Featured: "TreasureBear"

LucyTaylor,U4W2

"The backstory behind ‘Treasure Bear’: When Annie was young, her father gave her this bear. It was the only thing she ever got from him. Soon after, the father died during the war and she was devastated so she got rid of the bear. Now, 20 years later, she went through a box labelled ‘Treasure’ and found it. She now keeps it safe and calls it ‘Treasure Bear’. It is the most important thing in her life."

"OurOranges"

Whenpeelinganorange,youareneveralone, Everyonesticksoutahand,toaskforapiece

Youlookupquickly,eyesfromyourphone, ‘Comeon,please,givemeoneatleast?’

Asegmentforher,theygettwo, Thethreeattheendgetonesliceapiece.

ThejuiciestpiecesIsaveformeandyou, Oncethecallsofthegannetshavefinallyceased.

Orangesareforfriends;thesegmentsarefor, Sharingwiththetable,onwhichIsit Thefruitcanbedividedwithoutbeingachore, ThoughyouandIalwaysgetthebestpiecesofit.

Orangesarewarm,theyshineliketreasure, Theburnishedbronzeoftheorangeskin, Butsilverandgolddon’tcomparetothispleasure, EvenasIpoptherindinthecornerbin.

WhatcouldIbuy,thatwouldbeworthmore, Thansittingherewithyou,enjoyingthetime, Isthetablenotjustanorange,splitintofour, Eachpersonaseg,cushionedintherind.

Onedaywewillnotbetogether,andwhenyouaregone, Theclasswillbequiet,andIwon’tofferyouaseg, Butwillyoustillhavethatlingeringorangescenton

Yourfingers,insidethegoldenmemoriesofmyhead?

Poetry/ProseCategoryChampion:AnwenPinniger,L6G2

AnwenPinniger

"Treasure"

Treasureisaquantityofpreciousmetals,gems,or othervaluableobjects.

Weallclingontothisideathattreasureisassociated withpirates

Andthatwewillneverfindit ItjusthidesundertheX.

Buttreasurecouldandcanbeanywhere.

Avaluableobjectissomethingofworth

Somethingshinylikegold,silverormyrrh

Butweareallworthy

Sowhatdoesitmeantohaveworth

Haveyoubeentreasuresinceyourbirth

Haveyounotrealisedthis, sinceallyoudoislearn Learningthatlife’snotfair Learninglife’snotfair Life’snotshinyandperfectlikethetreasurewethinkof Butwestilltreasurelife,westilltreasurelove Wetreasurewhateverwethinkhasvalue.

Theideaoftreasureisnotphysicalthough Wetreasurelove,wetreasurefriendshipandthefoes Somaybewehavefoundtreasure,wedon’tjustleaveit tothepirates

Afterall,it’syourshiptosail,captain.

CharlotteMiller

"TheLittleShopOfTime"

(FromtheTime-stealingRat-kingcollection)

Once upon a time in the city of Bordamoor, there lived a man named Arthur Arthur was a businessman Believing hard work was the only way to reach success, he was a clinging, grasping spirit at work, ploughing his way through his work with an undying grind. Always first to arrive, and often not leaving until late at night, settling his impossible workload which he had imposed upon himself, surpassing all of his colleagues’ sluggish days Always punctual down to the second, and working every minute as if it would be his last. So it should not come as a surprise that he was selected as the CEO of the company when the old one resigned.

This promotion did not surprise him. Did not relax, nor interest, nor excite him He had found no emotion in this event at all; perhaps seeing it as what his hard work deserved. If anything, he only seemed to work harder, scheduling meetings and setting unreasonable standards for his staff. Anyone that does not meet his requirements would be dismissed instantly. He took nothing for granted, with an enthusiasm that can only be compared to a psychopath’s obsession in their own, secluded subjects He worked away the rest of his life, with only success in his mind. And success did come. The company rose from one that is small and insignificant to an absolute monopoly in industry, with headquarters all over the world like scattered rice.

Such success, of course, came with its own price. Arthur’s back was constantly bent, his hair fell in great clumps; the ones that remain shone a silver tint as if with age: but forty-two is not yet old. His skin wrinkled up regardless: he is short, and thin from working for days at a time: he looked like a bean sprout: his spine is almost visible through his half-transparent skin

It might surprise you that he had family: despite his hard-working personality he is quite sociable. His wife loved him, and would constantly beg for him to come home, to just rest one day: Wouldn’t it be nice, she would say, to just go on a picnic or a holiday with the children? Just once? But even as she ask the question she know the answer that would

follow: a monotonic, flat, deflating “ no ” . It isn’t because he does not love his family, he does with all his heart, but breaks are unnecessary to him: work is the only thing that can set him free.

And so like this, he goes on. Days stretch into months, then years.

Change came at last

On the fateful day it happened, Arthur was taking a stroll on the street. He scanned the various shopfronts, decorated with exquisite dishes or ornate furniture.

Time-wasting. He thought, and moved on.

Days like this was rare for him: one of those unexpected gaps in work every now and then, like the eye of a storm. Only in times like this would he take the briefest time off, to go to his family. But it isn’t enough.

It was never enough.

Her daughter’s birthday is in two weeks He could buy her something.

How sad that he won’t be there.

How short happiness lasts.

If only there were more time for him

But there isn’t. He checked his watch. Five more minutes. He started to turn back.

Then he saw it.

Across the street, a blacked-out shop. Mostly boarded up No sign, no display A lone, shabby man sat at the counter

That could be you, had you not worked hard enough, he thought.

The man caught his eye, and for some unknown reason, he walked in. Maybe he saw himself in the man? He doesn’t know

“You came, ” croaked the man. 19

“Yes.” a glance around. “It doesn’t look like a shop-”

“It is ” The man interrupted “And I know why you are here.”

Arthur started to leave. This is clearly a pointless visit. No point wasting more time – he has work to do.

“However,” the man added, as if he knew his thoughts “Unlike me, you may buy some ” Absurd. Everyone know that time cannot be traded.

However, if it worked… Deep in his heart, he knew this is exactly what he craves the most: more time to be with his unhappy family. The family that seems distant because of him A bit more time to relax. Just a year to spread out. No more than that.

He turned back instead.

“Sure, then.” Is what he said.

The man grinned It wasn’t a nice grin It was a dark, calculated, malicious grin, the kind you would only be able to find in a predator about to catch its prey. Arthur did not notice this. All he can think of now is the one extra year. All his sense of danger is thrown outside the window.

After seeing Arthur paid an extorting amount of money, the mysterious dealer pulled out a little handle from the wall, a bit like the one used for fuelling cars. He pointed it straight at his temple.

A moment of alarm, which quickly turned to dizziness.

Then quietness and darkness Everything is still again.

Is it done?

He opened his eyes.

And reality crashed upon him like a cascading wave He is back at his office The tapping of keyboard all around him. The whirr of computer fans. The sputt sputt sputt of a printer.

A bad dream, then. He thought. Back to work. Yet the poisonous thoughts the encounter with the man had been planted deep inside his brain.

Weeks passed, and like a patch of blackthorn taking root, these thoughts infected the rest of his brain slowly but surely, bombarding it with occasional impulses to stop, corrupting, searching, sending him thoughts that made his resolution to work twist and swirl.

Gradually, to his family’s delight, he began taking more time to be with them It started off as an hour or two per day, then weekends, then holidays.

Gradually, to his own horror and dismay, he began loosening up the discipline he had for himself. Like Pandora’s Box being opened, the impulse to procrastinate now washes over him like a tidal wave, submerging any remaining resolution.

I guess this is because of the time I bought, he thought. Everything would return to normal after one year.

The year stretched into decades.

He is now lazy and procrastinating. A poor wreck without a penny in the world. His wife left His children left His company faced huge amounts of debt that is impossible to repay.

Gone were the days of the valiant, successful CEO. He is now a completely different man.

His clothes are shabby and broken, his beard untrimmed He is barely recognisable as the CEO from a few years ago. Every passing man cast him looks of pity: Time had clearly been harsh on this man.

He wandered aimlessly on the street, looking for something to do, when he saw it.

Blacked-out windows. Boarded up shopfront. No display or sign

Hope flared up within him. He can just sell some time! He paid ten million for that one year. He can just sell one year and live normally for the rest of his life.

He looked around: people can’t seem to see this shop at all. Their eyes slid smoothly from a restaurant on the left to a bookstore on the right This is his shop, and his alone

He felt right at home.

Walking in, he asked the trader if he could sell some time. The trader agreed with a pointed look at him, as if he expected this day to come. What shocked him is that he is only offered ten pounds for the year! This had to be a mistake!

When he demanded an explanation, the trader only sneered.

"Your time was hard-working and precious, but now it is wasted, useless time," he said

It was productive, now he uses it to wander the streets. What use is it of to him?

Out of options, he sold ten years of his remaining life. The mysterious dealer passed Arthur a pen to sign The moment he took it, Arthur realised this is no ordinary pen. It was heavy and warm, and gently vibrated in his hand. The ink that came out the tip is not black or blue, but bright red and foaming slightly, but he didn’t care At this point, he just wanted to be done.

A new hotel is doing a discount event. Arthur’s money from selling his time is just enough to stay for one night.

That night, he laid on the hotel bed and watched TV. A newsflash came in, about a famous international company that has gone bankrupt.

As he watched, something stirred in him.

He stared. Stared some more.

Then, with a wounded, loud, regretful sob, he wailed –

“But that’s my company!”

by Eric Ni, U5G2

Acknowledgements

Editor:

AnnaPang,U5W3

Writers:

DiaSingh,U4H1

CindyJiang,U4H2

NikaLam,U5G1

LucaDahse,L6G3

NatalieHon,L6W2

Multimedia/ Videography:

ClaireWang,L5H3

ZaraLatif,U5W1

SafaAhmed,U5W2

SophiaDedousis,U4W2

GraphicDesign:

GeorgiaLi,L5H2

MinwooShin,U4G1

CharwinWu,L5W2

EditorialTeam:

AyushiSoni,U5G1

EllieTams,U5G2

AliceCook,U5H1

RachelKwan,U5H3

JetSun,U5H3

AnwenPinniger,L6G2

SophieArter,L6G2

Specialthanksto:

(innoparticularorder)

Mr.Auld

Mrs.Bowey

Mr.Shore-Nye

TheFreemen'sMarketing TeamandMr.Jordan

NatalieHon,L6W2

AndrewWang,L5

Allparticipantsofthe

Freemen'sTimes

Art/WritingCompetition

Teacher-In-Charge:

Mr.Shore-Nye