georgiebeddows

TL;DR: Globalisation has, in particular, economic and environmental benefits, however it also has disadvantages in these exact areas.

Through globalisation there is larger access to consumers meaning that poorer regions can make more money. This economic advantage of trade further improves society as it becomes unlikely that a country will attack or go to war with another country. Moreover, countries can work together to achieve goals such as climate change.

However, globalisation has created a surge in demand meaning the environment suffers because for supply to keep up then natural resource must be used before they have had time to regenerate. Furthermore, the economic effects can also be negative as competition creates a great fluctuation in prices.

Group work at university teaches valuable teamwork skills. However grades should be assigned depending on the varying effort and ability of individual members of the group.

Group work at university can be extremely useful both practically and developmentally. Firstly, groups can achieve a substantial amount more through delegation and division of different tasks, and so a more impressive piece of work may be produced. Additionally, working in groups will develop skills such as negotiation, teamwork, leadership, time-management, organisation etc.

However, it is inevitable that certain group members will put much more time and effort into projects than others. And so, in this way there is argument to say that group work should be less frequent to avoid unfairly removing marks from a student who strives for high marks. One way to solve this issue is not making the concept of group work less frequent, but instead improving the marking system so that individual student progress and effort can be tracked.

The surge of dating app users as a result of Covid is depersonalising individuals and the concept of love.

Dating apps like Tinder, Hinge and Bumble have surged as the Covid-19 pandemic has both halted and reconstructed the ‘dating scene’. Gone are the days when people meet naturally at a bar and replacing them are awkward socially distanced walks or simply a series of futile messages with no possibility of meeting face-to-face with the person behind the screen.

The huge increase of app members further degrades the morality of online dating platforms as the they are no longer just a shallow form of getting to know someone, but they are now a complete marketplace.

The Atlantic magazine interviewed a woman on Tinder whose thought-process on dates is now ‘If this doesn’t go well, there are 20 other guys who look like you in my inbox.’ Due to this increasingly universalised attitude, dating is becoming an economy as people are seen as commodities. Individuals are depersonalised in what should be one of the most personal parts of a person’s life – love.

In addition to the basic supply and demand structure of dating apps, they can be equated with an economy through common rhetoric, such as describing newly single people as ‘back on the market’. And so, love is being commodified as nowadays, people are too busy making sure they can ‘shop around’, instead of considering their matches as individuals.

Therefore, the surging dating app scene is transforming hopeful romantics into a generation of economists.

TL; DR: There are many health benefits of dairy as well as the aforementioned harmful effects that it can have. For such reason it cannot be said that ‘dairy is more unhealthy than healthy’ as it largely depends on the consumer and the supplier.

Dairy is neither healthy nor unhealthy but instead depends on the individual as some may greatly feel the benefits of the product whilst others are intolerant or even allergic to it.

Such benefits include:

• Strengthened bones and teeth
• Reduction of osteoporosis
• Reduction of fracture risk
• Reduction of obesity risk (despite being high in calories)
• Reduction of diabetes risk (specifically 62% lower risk of type 2)
• Reduction of stomach fat
• Reduction of inflammation
• Improvement of insulin sensitivity
• Reduction of colorectal cancer risk

Therefore, it is abundantly clear that dairy had many health benefits, as well as disadvantages, making it neither healthy nor unhealthy. It is also important to value the quality of dairy. In particular, studies show that ‘the best types of dairy come from animals that were pasture-raised and/ or fed grass because their milk has a much more robust nutrient profile’.

TL; DR: Surrogacy is exploitative of human life as it is reduced from being precious to being a product through commodification. Surrogacy is also exploitative for mothers, both mentally due to the pain of giving up a child, and physically as their bodies are being merely used as ‘baby factories’. Finally, it is exploitative of poorer nations who turn to surrogacy out of desperation.

Surrogacy is exploitative of human life as ‘babies are tailor-made to fit the desire of the world’s rich’ as they may choose their preferred features such as race, eye colour, hair colour etc. This causes a commodification of human life as the commercial surrogacy process can be equated to ordering a product with a click and collect (or even delivery) service available.

This focus on genetics instead of emotions serves to ignore the gestational element of motherhood. Furthermore, the practice is exploitative of the birth mother as she signs ‘away her rights to a baby she has not even seen nor got know yet’. The maternal attachment that develops over the nine months of pregnancy cannot be broken nor denied by any external party. Despite copious amounts of mental preparation and warning, a surrogate mother is not likely to understand the trauma of giving up her child. The child’s birth mother is denied everything, even the right to be called ‘mum’. And so, surrogacy cannot be commodified like any normal market because the relationship between the worker (mother) and the product (baby) is an immensely special and genetic one. The fact that this ‘labour’ requires an alienation of something deeply integral to a person mean that it cannot be treated like a normal market of buying and selling because, as Debra Satz observes ‘the intrusion of the economic into the personal is seen as improper’.

Finally, surrogacy is exploitative of poorer nations as they prioritise their need for money above their happiness and well-being, and therefore turn to the practice as a way of survival. In this way, surrogacy is similar to the issue of organ selling as desperation causes those in poverty to treat their bodies as marketable.

For such reasons, Sweden has banned all surrogacy, commercial and altruistic, as it deems the practice exploitative. The attempt to justify the notion of ‘altruistic’ surrogacy has been denied. Firstly, in reality, it rarely happens as women are usually ‘paid under the table’. Moreover, even if a case was legitimately altruistic it remains to be problematic as it then seems to imply that exploitation only occurs if a woman is being paid. This completely misses the aforementioned mental and physical trauma experience by a surrogate mother.

Not only does this practise hurt individuals but it reinforces and perpetuates systematic gender inequalities. With this in mind it makes sense that in February 2016, ‘feminist and human-rights activists from all over the world met in Paris to sign the charter against surrogacy, and the European Parliament has also called on states to ban it’. The Warnock Report on Human Fertility and Embryology states that ‘it is inconsistent with human dignity that a woman should use her uterus for financial profit’.

TL; DR: Upon first glance, race may appear to be a 'fact' as it is often associated with science and biology, but after careful consideration it is clear that racial categories are merely constructed by and dependent on society.

Race aligns with the definition of 'construct' as ‘an idea or theory containing various conceptual elements, typically one considered to be subjective and not based on empirical evidence.’

Contrastingly, it does not fulfil the requirements of the term 'fact' as:

1. Scientific
2. Objective
3. Permanent
4. Logical

The only reason that race has a biological element is because we have assigned the term to have such element. In reality, ‘there is not gene or cluster of genes common to all blacks or all whites’. Instead, racial categories are based on ‘geography, language and vague impressions’, as well as social, political and economic associations. Boundaries are arbitrarily based on skin colour, however, even within groups this will vary greatly.

Race is not 'real', as such, because classifications of individuals do not remain objective and constant. For example, in America, Greeks and Italians are only just beginning to be consider as ‘white’. Moreover, debate concerns Barack Obama’s race is hugely varied and controversial. This nature of debate proves that race cannot be an undisputed fact but, instead, a subjective construct.

Moreover, the fluidity of racial identity is shown by the fact that people can change their own race. Angela Onwuachi-Willig, points out that ‘how one perceives their racial identity can shift with experience and time’.

Finally, the illogicality of race as a fact is made apparent when siblings are deemed different races. Normal genetic variation can cause difference in complexion yet society believes that it is acceptable ‘to declare that two infants born of the same mother and father are actually different races’. Therefore, clearly a person’s biological heritage cannot be deciphered by merely looking at them, meaning their identified race should not be either.

Overall, notions of ‘white’ and ‘black’ are simply a product of social context. Race is tied up with history causing the attachment of certain associations. And so, the ever-changing nature of history explains why race is not a fact but a social construct that was embraced and sped up by the practice of slavery.

TL;DR: Trigger warnings are necessary to help survivors of trauma tackle one of the four main effects of PTSD, namely, having to avoid reminders of the event.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has adverse effects on daily life that survivors must tackle:

1. Reliving/ re-experiencing the event
2. Avoiding situations that remind you of the event
3. Negative changes in belief and feelings
4. Hyperarousal or feeling in high alert

The second of these effects is hugely important and can be helped by others through the maintenance of trigger warnings as such warnings will signify that images or descriptions may be potentially distressing and cause a negative emotional response.

Unfortunately, as Aastha Jani observes, 'Mainstream media does not treat issues of mental health with the care and sensitivity that they should, perpetuating a toxic media environment that is a battlefield for those who have experienced trauma. ' And so, trigger warnings are neither valued nor used as much as they should be. However, this is easy to rectify.

Trigger warnings are in no way hard to incorporate yet they make a mass of difference to those suffering.

TL; DR: It is clear that we have free will as it is reflected in societal values of moral accountability and the concept of daily decision-making.

Free will is the ability to choose an action without coercion. Jean Paul Sartre is the main proponent for such a theory as he argues that ‘existence precedes essence’. Furthermore, he observes the concept of ‘tabula rasa’ as the idea that we are a blank slate when born and nothing is predetermined. And so, free will is not some illusion and our actions are not uncontrollable due to prior causes. Instead, our rational mind allows us to think freely.

This theory is in-keeping with how society functions as it is often thought that the choices that we freely make will define ourselves. Although one’s personality may be defined by external causes that create certain dispositions, these dispositions can be overridden by the moral self.

It is clear that society recognises free will through the criminal justice system as with free will comes moral accountability. Without free will no one would be able to be blamed or praised for any actions as there would be argument to say that circumstances are inevitable and out of one’s control.

Therefore, free will is necessary for how we live our lives because we shape meaning by acting consistently with our values. It is intrinsically bad to live as passive objects of circumstance, merely seeking security and reassurance in the authority of determinism due to fear. Instead, we must take responsibility and believe in the concept of acting freely.

Finally, the simple fact that we face daily dilemmas and the need to make decisions due to a number of choices shows that we have free will.

TL; DR: Licking ice cream is a long and labourious process that should be replaced with biting – for those strong enough to handle the teeth-freeze!

Licking an ice cream takes too long and results in a melty mess that no one can realistically keep up with. Furthermore, you’ll only ever experience a fraction of the flavour when licking as there is never a sufficient amount of ice cream in your mouth at one point in time.

Biting is required in many circumstances, whether it is first getting into a Magnum or a Fab, or whether it’s needing to chew on a chocolate chunk or a caramel crunch. Therefore, it seems natural to bite throughout.

Biting is more efficient, more practical and a more similar process of mastication that we’re used to.

TL; DR: Blackfishing is a real and racist trend that goes beyond mere cultural appreciation. Through fake tan and the tanning industry in general (including tanning beds, spray tan and even tanning injections), people are identifying as a person of colour by darkening their skin. Whether the intention be malicious or not, there is a fine line between a ‘sun-kissed’ look and racism.

Fake tanning can go too far as people are no longer wishing to achieve the ‘holiday version’ of themselves but, instead, are masquerading as another race, in particular, a minority race. This transcends the boundary of cultural appreciation and becomes highly controversial cultural appropriation as people of a dominant culture are adopting a singular element of a disadvantaged minority. Therefore, it becomes problematic that fake tanners can scrub off their skin colour once they get bored, whilst people of colour have to endure the hardships of racism always.

The term ‘blackfishing’ has been coined to refer to the concept that fake tan can be deceptive and, therefore, racist. Tilly Judges defines it as ‘girls on social media who aren’t pretending to be other people, but are manipulating their skin, hair and facial features to appear to be a race that they aren’t. The majority of these girls are white European and the majority of the features that are being adopted are those that belong to ethnic minorities’.

Although fake tanners may not intend to offend, by seeking to emulate they are not recognising their privilege. Samantha McMeekin observes that ‘while many may argue that it’s a good thing that these stereotypically-black features are being celebrated and coveted, the issue with Blackfishing is that it is white women who are being celebrated and white women who are capitalising on these traits. White women who have never had to experience the racism and daily injustices that black women have endured.’

By assessing the history of desired skin colour, fake tan seems like a mere trend. Originally, in the Medieval period, white skin was deemed more attractive as it signified that someone was wealthy and need not spend time labouring outside under the sun. This association continued to the extreme through the European Renaissance to the point that white people would fear the sun and avoid tanning at all costs. Saskia Teterycz writes that, ‘many went so far as to paint their skin with whitening compounds, many of which contained lead bases that deteriorated the skin cells and resulted in many deaths.’

Such complexion obsession heightened at the time of colonisation and the transatlantic slave trade as those with dark skin were persecuted, which consequently caused a racist rhetoric to emerge in entertainment and media. However, now, the trends are changing again as people are going beyond the attempt to achieve a ‘sun-kissed’ look with the result, and often the intention, of identifying as a person of colour.

Fake tan is therefore, sometimes, racist because people are entering an ‘ethnically ambiguous’ territory as Sukriti Wahi puts it. And so, fake tanners are able to be ‘black without the burden’ as they can manipulate their skin into a darker colour without having to worry about stereotypes and social prejudice against black people. Once fake tanners are bored of the personal benefit they receive from identifying as a darker colour, they can simply wash it all away ignoring and sometimes being ignorant of the racial hardships faced by those they pretend to be.

TL; DR: Currently, women self-impose a curfew as they fear male harassment of all forms on the streets. The debate has been sparked as to why shouldn’t the role be reversed, and men have a curfew? Of course, this extreme concept of a ‘male curfew’ is meant in the ironic sense as the hope is not for delivery, but instead for debate.

Self-imposed curfews for women have been normalised, through indirect social habituation and now direct social implementation as ‘police have advised women not to go out on their own after dark’. Caitlin Moran exposes this as an illogical plan that lacks both strategy and an exit point. Furthermore, this isn’t protection or action, but simply victim-blaming. It is ‘a silent, unwritten law for women’.

With thoughts of Sarah Everard deeply ingrained in the minds of all women, especially when walking alone in the dark, it is unsurprising that there is an instilled sense of fear that cannot be merely shaken off. This fear sculpts the lives of women as it seems easier to plan a day around the sunset than play poker with one’s own life.

After Baroness Jenny Jones, a Green Party peer and member of the House of Lords, suggested that men should adhere to a 6pm curfew, there was male uproar. Therefore, her comment (that was intentionally ironic and ‘not a serious policy proposal’) served to prove that the problem lies with the male incomprehension of women’s danger. In other words, the male’s double standard.

Caitlin Moran argues that ‘the worst thing about a legal curfew for men is that, if you break it, you would be arrested. The worst thing that happens to women when they break their informal curfew is: they die.’ Although creating a legally enforceable curfew for men would be the best practical way to keep women safe, it is more that it would be the best theoretical way to make men consider a female’s perspective.

Moran anticipates the #notallmen stance that argues against a hypothetical curfew because it is unfair to punish the men that have done no wrong, by arguing that, equally, it is unfair for women to be punished by adhering to their self-imposed curfew, or worse, breaking curfew and risking the terrors of the streets.

By stripping away a man’s freedom to roam, there is the hope that men will feel passionate to change the streets and create a safer atmosphere for women. This change comes from proactive measures that can start simply and most effectively within friendship circles by rectifying rhetoric and actions towards women. Jenny Jones reminds us that ‘all men are not abusers, that’s plainly obvious, but at the same time, all men can help’.

Therefore, legal action of creating a ‘male curfew’ is clearly not actionable, however the simple concept of a ‘male curfew’ should be wholeheartedly considered as a way to understand the existing curfew on women.

TL;DR Onesies are not due a renaissance because they are socially offensive garments.

If comfort is required, then trackies, pyjamas or a big fluffy jumper will suffice. However, a onesie should definitely not be a person's go-to. The baby-like nature of the clothing evokes a sort of Freudian analysis that the subject wearing a onesie has some childhood repression deep within their id that needs to be addressed.

Through the connotations of a 'baby-grow', onesies are clearly just an adult's attempt to return back to their infant life to avoid responsibility and maturity.

Therefore, onesies most definitely should not return to the public sphere (including shops, petrol stations and definitely not the park), nor should they return to the private realm (including the kitchen, the living room and definitely not the bedroom) as they are clearly psychologically controversial.

TL;DR: 'Last Active' and 'Read' messaging features can help in practical and even emergency situations therefore disputing this claim that they do more harm than good.

Social relations aside, these features can be useful in countless scenarios. For example, if someone isn't replying to your message but they haven't been active for a long period of time it seems reasonable to conclude that they just aren't on their phone, or its turned off or maybe even out of battery. This prevents family and friends from wondering and worrying. Alternatively, if they haven't been online since 3am the day before it can be reason to start investigating instead of merely assuming that they just haven't replied yet. Last active features can also help you work out if someone is around for a quick chat or even if they have overslept.

The 'Read' feature is equally as useful as even if the recipient doesn't reply, the sender can identify whether they've received the information. This is helpful in situations such as buying something at the shops to simply just keeping someone updated on your whereabouts.

Therefore, both 'Last Active' and 'Read' messaging features have practical purposes enabling them to do more good than harm.

TL;DR: Watermelon is not the best fruit, instead, blueberries are.

Blueberries are versatile as they can be used in sweet treats, such as muffins or cake, or they can be chucked into breakfast pancakes, smoothies or granola bars. Blueberries can also just be simply eaten on their own.

Blueberries are hugely varied in taste depending on their ripeness. Whilst smaller, underaged blueberries are slightly sour, large and developed ones are more sweet.

Health wise, blueberries are incredibly beneficial.

One cup of blueberries contains:

• 4 grams of fibre
• 15 grams of carbohydrates
• 24% of your daily recommended vitamin C
• 36% of the recommended dose of vitamin K

Bodily effects include:

• Improvement of memory
• Anti-diabetic benefits
• Reduction in muscle damage (after a rigorous workout)
• Prevention of urinary tract infections

Finally, due to their high fibre content, they'll fill you up without adding much to your caloric intake.

Therefore, blueberries are the superior fruit due to their versatility, taste and health benefits.

TL;DR: Wednesday is 'hump-day' and therefore not the best day of the week but actually the worst.

In the 1950's the expression 'hump-day' was coined as Wednesday became known as the overwhelming peak of the work-week. It's the hardest day of the 5-day week because it is in the middle. There are no fresh feelings of determination and motivation that occur on Monday and Tuesday, and there are no feelings of reward that come from nearing the end on a Thursday and Friday. Therefore, one feels stuck in limbo on a Wednesday, being neither here nor there.

So, Wednesday is the longest day of the week... metaphorically and also literally (as it is 9 letters).

TL;DR: Following the events that took place on Saturday evening in Clapham Common, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan police, Cressida Dick, should resign.

Through Cressida Dick’s mismanagement of the Met Police on Saturday evening, the public were stripped of the peaceful opportunity to stand together in Clapham Common in memory of Sarah Everard and all other victims of sexual abuse/ harassment. Acknowledgement of this mistake is necessary and therefore the demand that Cressida Dick should resign, that the Liberal Democrats in particularly have voiced, is a well-founded one.

The police missed the opportunity, in the first place, to cooperate with the Reclaim These Streets organisation to enable a Covid-friendly and safe vigil. By failing to agree to the gathering it took place without the necessary measures of management. This was an inevitable turn of events that the police, and particularly Cressida Dick, should have predicted.

The public are frustrated by the police intervention and escalation of a non-violent event as they caused distress within the crowds. Images of women being pushed, pulled, dragged and even arrested are painful and painfully ironic when considering the cause for the vigil. Whilst Home Office minister Victoria Atkins describes such footage as ‘very upsetting’, the Labour Leader, Keir Starmer, brands the response from the police as ‘deeply disturbing’.

Reclaim These Streets state that they were ‘deeply saddened and angered’ by the scenes of officers ‘physically manhandling women at a vigil against male violence.’ They add that ‘this week of all weeks the police should have understood that women would need a place to mourn, reflect and show solidarity.' And so, under the leadership of Cressida Dick, it is undeniable that women have lost confidence in the Met Police

Whether it is through donating to women’s charities such as The Survivors Trust, Rape Crisis England & Wales and Women’s Aid or through raising awareness over male behaviour through social media platforms or finally, through the resignation of Cressida Dick, change must come.

Public outrage is rife and one thing that can be done to diffuse such anger is to acknowledge the poor policing led by Cressida Dick which, in turn, acknowledges the importance for unification to end violence against women.

TL;DR: Despite the unforgiveable nature of the Nazi experiments, the collected data should be used to improve present society.

There is huge ethical debate over whether it is morally right to use data from experiments on patients who were murdered and tortured by the Nazis in the name of ‘research’. Although these experiments are morally corrupt and were inexcusably carried out, the possibility that they could help save or at least benefit lives today is unavoidable.

Dom Wilkinson, a medical ethicist as the University of Oxford, explains that ‘the basic intuition’ for reasoning against the use of Nazi research ‘is that if information had been obtained unethically, but we use that information, then we then become complicit in that past.’

However, it seems such an issue could be at least alleviated through the public acknowledgement that using such data does is no way condone the horrific Nazi methods.

Kristie Moe reinforces this idea by encouraging us not to ‘let the inhumanity of the experiments blind us to the possibility that some good may be salvaged from the ashes.’

Examples of Nazi findings include:

• Detecting X-rays as a possible source of genetic damage
• Identifying the dangers of organochlorine pesticides such as DDT
• Detecting asbestos as a reason for lung cancer
• Developing the first high-powered electron microscope
• Advancing the promotion of breast self-examination to detect tumours at an early stage
• And much, much more…

These medical advancements in no way justify the Nazi atrocities, however they do show the huge potential for beneficial and even life-saving methods that could be found in the collected data that has not yet been analysed. And so, the best way to make at least some good out of the immoralities of Nazi research is to use it.

It is clear that the phone has largely taken over as a form of telling the time, however that is not to say that the primary purpose of wristwatches are fashion followed by the secondary purpose of telling the time.

Although it may be the case that working and socialising adults are constantly checking their phone/ laptop/ iPad etc., one must consider all other categories of people who either do not have access to, or prefer not to, use a technological device to check the time.

For example, children in schools or students in lectures cannot simply light up their device of distraction meaning it becomes essential to wear a wristwatch in order to get to classes or meetings.

Furthermore, elder generations or those simply just against the constant use of technology, require a wristwatch for the necessary purpose of telling the time.

Even for those that are avid phone-user, wristwatches can still be less for fashion because it's more convenient to quickly check your wrist rather than take your phone out of your pocket or scramble around your bag/ desk/ room/ house to find it! Even if your phone is easily accessible, it can be distracting and stressful to find a series of notifications - the simplicity of a wristwatch avoids such issues.

It is also said that wearing a wristwatch changes one's relationship with time. This is not just true in the sense of being better organised, but also true in the sense that one feels more appreciative of life through the awareness that time is passing.

And finally, what are you going to do if you technology time-teller runs out of battery?... check your wristwatch.

Antonio Centeno. '7 Reasons To Wear A Watch', RMRS. Available at: https://www.realmenrealstyle.com/7-reasons-wear-watch/

Although the British are clearly major contenders in this realm, one cannot ignore the healthy competition from the Chinese and the Americans.

The Chinese tourists' track record is far from glowing as generally speaking locals complain of lack of spacial awareness and more prominently, locals are vexed by their obsession with snapping every moment. The latter is most comically evidenced when a Chinese woman destroyed a $200,000 artwork all for a 'selfie' ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsKyxf12QVo&feature=emb_title

The polls state: 'Three-quarters of Singaporeans surveyed say Chinese are the worst tourists. In Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam around 40 per cent of locals say the same thing. Among Australians in the survey, around a quarter also fingered Chinese as the worst tourists.'

Additionally, popular opinion also brands Americans as 'nightmare tourists' for their loud voices and 'uncultured attitudes' which seems all too reminiscent of Henry James's 1878 novella Daisy Miller.

Despite these opinions, when looking at various headlines it seems all countries can be blamed at some point:

• In Venice, Czech tourists and (on a different occasion) 'two young women from Norway decided to go swimming in the Rio di Cannaregio canal (only in their underwear)'.
• Also in Venice, tourists from South Africa were caught trespassing on a private boat!
• A 'Czech couple was videotaped bathing naked in holy water at a Hindu temple.'
• And much, much more...

Lauren Cahn (2020) 'The Worst Tourists of 2019', Reader's Digest. Available at: https://www.rd.com/article/worst-tourists/

Michael Gebicki. (2019) 'Most disliked tourists by country revealed in new research', Traveller. Available at: https://www.traveller.com.au/most-disliked-tourists-by-country-revealed-in-new-research-h1i4qq

An important distinction must be made when defining 'Spanish food' as although traditional recipes may be healthy, the tourist 'classics' and commercial tapas can be extremely unhealthy.

For example, potatas bravas, croquettes, calamari and the sickly sweet churros to finish are all lacking in nutrients and high in calories making Spain an unhealthy cuisine.

tl;dr – French crêpes are superior to American or Scotch pancakes for reasons of versatility and health.

The thin and flexible nature of crêpes means they can be filled with all sorts of foods and not just merely topped with flavours. Whether it’s with Nutella and banana, chocolate and strawberries or just a classic sugar and lemon, crêpes are a fantastic dessert. Although pancakes can also be accompanied by such sweet foods, they remain inferior because they are less versatile. Crêpes can be stuffed with ham and cheese, mushroom and leeks or just about anything savoury. Pancakes, on the other hand, are less conventionally paired with main meal products and tend to stick with a dousing of maple syrup and whipped cream.

The versatility of the crêpe doesn’t just include flavours but also mobility. To buy a crêpe from a stall and wonder the streets of Paris is done with ease. However, when eating a stack of pancakes it's necessary to take a seat and labouriously get the knife and fork out.

Additionally, a traditional crêpe is made with buckwheat flour, which is both healthy and gluten-free meaning the thin treat has fewer calories, fat and sugar compared to its fat and fluffy baking-powder filled pancake alternative.

TL;DR: The 2022 Winter Olympic Games should not be hosted in China next year due to the reported human rights abuses against ethnic minorities. The concept that the Games is an international event that is not ascribed to a specific county’s governmental policy is irrelevant.

The Chinese government’s crimes against humanity should not be condoned but condemned and over 180 organisations agree that the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics should be boycotted.

The oppression of the Uighurs (a Muslim minority group in the northwest of China) is executed in the form of detention camps, surveillance, indoctrination, sterilisation and much more.

The International Olympic Committee claim that ‘the Games are not Chinese Games, the Games are the IOC Games’ is irrelevant. Sports may be seen as independent, but it is impossible to remove the Olympics from politics due to the inherent relations between countries all over the world. Even though ‘the decision on hosting is not made with a view to signaling approval of a government policy’ it is morally dubious to award a fundamentally corrupt system with the social and financial benefits that come with hosting the Olympics. By allowing the Games to take place the Committee is tacitly accepting and therefore legitimising the atrocities.

The Olympics is an exciting and important event for everyone, be it audience or competitors. However, basic human rights are of paramount importance and therefore ‘trump’ all else. The UN Declaration of Human Rights grants the right to life and to liberty, as well as the freedom from torture and freedom of expression and religion. All such necessities are being threatened for the Uighur people and something must be done. Although cancelling China’s chance to host the Games will not end the problem, the hope is that such a sacrifice will give them a serious motive to change.

Additionally, reprimanding the Chinese government should come as a necessary action from the IOC when considering the context of China’s 2008 Summer Olympics. Despite promising to improve human rights within their country to secure hosting rights, authorities in the 2008 Games violated basic by censuring, arbitrarily arresting journalists and abusing workers’ rights.

Matters only declined after 2008 and despite cries from the Human Rights Watch, China was granted, in 2015, the privilege of this upcoming Olympics. In this way, the International Olympic Committee has failed. This is especially after their implementation, in 2017, that aligned procedures with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. In 2020, the IOC published the report ‘Recommendations for an IOC Human Rights Strategy’ to show the integration of these Guiding Principles, yet still, China’s violations are over-looked.

Overall, China should quit whilst they're ahead because (as well as the complications caused by the Covid-19 pandemic) the event has already been branded ‘a genocide Olympics’ bringing disastrous connotations of Germany’s 1936 Nazi Olympics.

The Editors. (2021) ‘China: Olympic Committee Fails to Honor Rights Pledge’, Human Rights Watch. Available at: https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/02/03/china-olympic-committee-fails-honor-rights-pledge#

Roan, Dan and Capstick, Alex. (2021) ‘Beijing 2022: Human rights groups call for Winter Olympic boycott’, BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-55938034

TL;DR: The danger to life that autonomous-vehicles can bring outweighs the benefits of reduction in tiredness (or other debatable reductions such as traffic, time and emissions).

Autonomous-vehicles seem perfect until the concept of accidents is considered. Such vehicles are neither 100% safety guaranteed, nor are they free from the possibility of external dangers.

A self-driving car requires too much trust in technology because although human error or risk can cause accidents, at least the driver still has control. A car could not merely hand over control in the event of an accident because human reaction time is not quick enough. Therefore, the only option is to program the machine to prepare for such an incident. The decision procedure algorithm of this programming provokes a huge ethical debate because there is no correct answer. There are numerous ways for how a car could be programmed:

• Minimise harm?
• Prioritise the driver?
• Prioritise the passengers?
• Prioritise the other party of the crash?
• Or don’t base the decision off ethics at all?... Prevention of monetary damage?

Having to program autonomous vehicles is almost like ‘playing-God’ as life-changing decisions are predestined. We do not have universal ethical principles that we always act upon, but instead live our lives as moral agents who must act according to the specific situation. We cannot teach emotionless machines to evaluate a circumstance in the way that a human driver would.

The issues of trust and ethics of self-driving cars doesn’t stop there (at the case of accidents), but also extends to the idea that these vehicles could get ‘hacked’. Just like computers, phones and security systems, these cars are vulnerable to technological hacking.

Therefore, although autonomous-vehicles may seem like the future, the ethical considerations of safety must be strongly considered before our lives can be submitted to the control of a mere machine.

The mental health benefits of prayer can be accessed through other means making prayer redundant if God does not exist.

Although the primary objectives of prayer may vary depending upon type and level of faith, they are usually focused around God. Generally speaking prayer is for: confession (owning up to sin and asking for God's mercy and forgiveness), thanksgiving (thanking God for his many blessings, e.g. health or children), petition (asking God for something, e.g. healing, courage or wisdom) and intercession (asking God to help others who need it, e.g. the sick, poor, those suffering in war).

The added benefits of prayer may include: a helpful mental routine, improvement of relationships, maintenance of hope and reduction of anxiety, however this mental health can be achieved through other means.

As already noted, gratitude can be practiced through journaling but it can also be shown through acts of giving or speaking. Additionally, mindfulness, meditation and yoga are all means of achieving the same mental health ends of prayer, yet they remove the religious aspect.

And so, if God doesn't exist, praying may still help people's mental health but it seems dispensable.

Grammatically speaking, adding periods (/full stops) to the end of a text is okay, however socially it has grown not to be okay. Younger generations see such a practice as aggressive, most likely because it implies the end of a conversation. The domineering full stop puts a sharp finish to the flow of conversation.

A definition of a full stop is: (1) a punctuation mark (.) used at the end of a sentence or an abbreviation and (2) used to suggest that there is nothing more to say on a topic.

It is this second definition that causes people to shy away from finishing text messages with a full stop. People don't wish to abruptly and forcefully assert that the topic has been exhausted and the dialogue is over.

Dr Fonteyn, a language change professor at Netherlands Leiden' University writes, "If you add that additional marker for completion, [younger people] will read something into it and it tends to be a falling intonation or negative tone". And so it has become a sort of 'emotion marker' that signifies annoyance or anger meaning its role in text messages has changed from that of formal writing.

Therefore, although it may be linguistically permissible to use a full stop at the end of a text, it is increasingly less so in a social sense. Ludwig Wittgenstein, a German philosopher, developed an important theory of language that can be applied here. He argued that words, sentences (and in this case, punctuation), has a certain meaning based of the context in which it is in because we apply different 'rules' in different 'games'.

Resultantly, it is increasingly not socially 'okay' to put a period at the end of a text in the same way as a novel because the rules of the language game are different.

Nelson, Alex. (2020) 'Young people are 'intimidated' by full stops in text messages - here’s the psychology explained', Yorkshire Post. Available at: https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/read-this/young-people-are-intimidated-full-stops-text-messages-heres-psychology-explained-2951084

Wittgenstein, Ludwig. (1953) Philosophical Investigations. Oxford: Blackwell.

The change from 'breast milk' to 'human milk' is less of a scientific debate and more of a linguistic one. The phrase 'breast milk', accurate or not, usually brings the connotation of the female gender. And so the introduction of the term 'human milk' is not a focus on biological accuracy but instead identity inclusivity.

This is becoming increasingly necessary as there is more focus on the need to accept trangender and non-binary parents, not just in a theoretical sense but in a practical and therefore linguistic one.

Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust are examples of places that are enforcing the term 'human milk' along with neutral terms such as 'birthing parents'. This is all 'in a drive to stamp out 'mainstream transphobia''.

Elsewhere, in the US, the situation is similar as the Illinois mother and Lactation Expert Jill Aspinwall has started to implement terminology such as 'human milk' or 'chest milk' to 'create a more comfortable atmosphere for transgender parents as well as non-binary parents'.

Of course, scientifically, both genders have breast tissue which overlies the chest/ pectoral muscle, however women's breasts are made of specialised tissue that produces milk. Therefore, although 'breast milk' is not technically a gendered word in the same way that 'mother' or 'woman' is, it is the association with females that is important meaning the introduction of the term 'human milk' is a healthy way to ensure inclusivity with both transgender and non-binary people.

Pandey, Kirti. (2021) 'Breastfeeding and the debate over gender-inclusive terms: Human milk, chest milk or breast milk?', Times Now News. Available at: https://www.timesnownews.com/mirror-now/in-focus/article/breastfeeding-and-the-debate-over-gender-inclusive-terms-human-milk-chest-milk-or-breast-milk/721581

tl;dr – Death by freezing, although a longer process, is better than burning because of the effects on the body.

Burning is much more painful because you are directly damaging nerves. An unconscious state will not occur before the active combustion process is underway. The body doesn’t just feel pain on a surface level but also deep within as a lack of oxygen can cause suffocation.

By contrast, freezing causes the nerves to become numbed and therefore too cold to function. Lethargy overcomes the brain meaning it’ll slow down or stop working completely. Although, death by the cold may be longer, it is likely that you’ll be unaware and unconscious well before you die.

tl;dr – It is a flaw in the UK system that people’s driving ability is not retested after a license is awarded at a young age. Elderly people should not just carry out a medical and a self-assessment, but instead they should have to retake their driving test.

The ability to drive goes much beyond mere eyesight and general health. Driving requires sharp senses to facilitate a quick reaction time. Such senses deteriorate with age meaning elderly people should have to retake their driving test. Although there may be a huge disparity between different people of the same age, there is no way of knowing if someone is a danger on the roads without retesting them.

The current UK rules are based off those from the EU and so, now that Brexit is complete there is an opportunity for change and rectification. At present, ‘drivers need to reapply for their license at the age of 70 and every three years thereafter. There is no requirement to take a test, but applicants must declare that they are fit and healthy to drive and their eyesight meets the minimum requirements for driving via self-assessment.’ However, health and self-assessment is not enough.

In 2017, Benjamin Brooks-Dutton launched a petition that such a compulsory retest should occur for older drivers every three years. This was provoked after the death of his wife by an 82-year-old driver in 2012. Although this petition received over 250,000 signatures, it did not become legislation. However, the debate became more prominent in 2019 when Prince Phillip was involved in a car crash. Many were shocked that he was still driving at age 97 stirring up the question again.

63% of UK MPs agree that older drivers should have to retake their test and conclude that 75 is a fair age for such a measure. This makes sense because our ageing population is growing and so the rule must keep up. The number of drivers over the age of 90 has reached 100,000 meaning there are 4.5million drivers over the age of 70 in the UK.

Finally, to encourage the transition into such a rule the government could support elderly drivers through funding ‘refresher courses’ which will place over 70’s in a better position for a test retake.

Ferguson, Nicole (2019). ‘Do older drivers need to retake their test?’, Arnold Clark. Available at: https://www.arnoldclark.com/newsroom/1774-do-older-drivers-need-to-retake-their-test

Jukwey, Ella (2019). ‘Should Older Drivers Have to Retake their Test?’, Get Licensed. Available at: https://www.get-licensed.co.uk/get-daily/should-older-drivers-have-to-retake-their-driving-test/

tl;dr – The commercial aspects of national holidays can drive celebrations and have hugely positive effects on society.

Over-commercialisation may adversely affect national holidays by distracting from traditional origins, however without commercialisation there would be less celebration which could lead to the death of such traditions completely.

Like clockwork, at the end of every November we are reminded to get into the Christmas spirit through the competitive advertisement market as John Lewis, Sainsburys and Coca Cola fight to be the favourite of the nation. Although, this may not be the most ideal way to remember Christ or the holiday of giving, it does act as a catalyst for such practices.

It is important to note that commercialism is not some modern-day issue, but something that has occurred for many years. Commercialism has contributed, and continues to contribute, to the most important associations with national holidays making them what they are today.

In particular, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, that brought about the wishing of a 'Merry Christmas' and the infamous Christmas character Ebenezer Scrooge, was not produced out of the pure goodness of the author's heart to improve the traditions of national holidays, but instead it was a commercial product.

It was not that Dickens wanted to write the novella, but instead he needed to as he was in dire need of cash. His most recent novel in 1843 (The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit) was selling so poorly that his publishers were threatening to decrease his salary, despite the success of his previous works (Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, The Old Curiosity Shop etc.).

And so, he wrote 30,000 words in just six weeks in order to get A Christmas Carol ready before the national holiday. Unfortunately, his publishers wouldn't fund the publication meaning Dickens, himself, risked his money on this commercial product. Undeniably, the risk paid off.

His didactic novella had monumental effects on Victorian society reminding people not to neglect poor children as this robs them of their future as 'without learning, shelter, food and healthcare, vulnerable children would grow up quickly, and potentially into criminals - if they were to make adulthood at all'. Consequently, Dickens travelled all over the country to speak to all people of the social spectrum about the importance of education.

The widely unknown tale behind this widely known book is testament to the modern-day commercialism that has the potential to have positive moral effects on society as National Holidays are always a time for loving and giving be it to family, friends or strangers - something that the John Lewis advert like this never fails to remind us of:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5RhP3H3G7w

Vincent, Alice (2020). 'Moral outrage and the need for 'a hit': the real story of why Dickens wrote 'A Christmas Carol'. Penguin. Accessible at: https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/2020/november/charles-dickens-a-christmas-carol-story-of.html

tl;dr Learning a foreign language is extremely useful but also a privilege.

The personal and professional benefits of learning a foreign language are obvious as they open up opportunities from travel to relationships to careers. However, to assert that every person should learn a foreign language is misguided as it comes from a privileged stand point.

Financially, people may not have the resources available to learn a foreign language. For adults, teaching, both in person or online, can be expensive and a luxury to many. For children, the situation is dire. The Language Trends 2015 report showed direct correlations between socioeconomic disadvantage and restricted access to languages meaning ‘children from working-class backgrounds in socially deprived areas are far less likely to choose, or have the opportunity, to study languages at secondary school, than their more affluent peers’. Factors that cause challenges to language education in working-class areas include shortage of qualified teachers, timetabling issues, poor classroom management and, as a result, disengaged students.

Intellectually, learning a foreign language can also be seen as a privilege as many children struggle to grapple with the basics of their mother-tongue which must be prioritised before moving onto a second language. Languages are widely considered the hardest exams. Unfortunately, with such a grade-focused population, children are likely to choose subjects with easily-attainable marks over ones that may benefit them more.

Even though foreign languages can vastly changes one’s existing quality of life, they also vastly depend on one’s existing quality of life.

Ridealgh, Kim (2019). ‘Why learning another language is still a sign of privilege’, The Conversation. Accessible at: https://theconversation.com/why-learning-another-language-is-still-a-sign-of-privilege-112626

TL;DR Through analysis of the faults of the two primary utensils: the pizza cutter and scissors, I conclude that the more uncommon serrated knife is the superior pizza cutting utensil.

Cutting a pizza does not only cause practical troubles but also social ones.

Despite its intended purpose, the pizza cutter utensil itself is often too blunt and therefore squashes the soft toppings into the hard crust causing a messy and deformed pizza. It doesn't cut but instead drags.

Whilst scissors are quick and efficient they can hardly be considered socially acceptable to use at a restaurant or dinner party as they are not usually deemed appropriate for things we ingest considering their primary use of cutting objects. Cleanliness and hygiene, therefore, becomes an issue.

Instead, one should use a serrated knife. Their toothlike edge are ideal for cutting through crusty breads as the teeth of the blade catch and then rip causing a smooth slide through the food. This utensil would be especially useful for calzone pizzas as the blade can cut through the crust without squeezing out the filling and disrupting the overall aesthetic.

tl;dr Logistically esports can be consider real sports, however, when considering factors such as physical exertion their association becomes tenuous.

I take this opinion really to argue that video games, specifically esports, can be considered real sports with the consequence being that the act of watching in both is the same.

Upon first glance it is easy to dismiss the concept of esports but the facts and figures are truly astounding. In the UK alone there are around 3.1 million esports enthusiasts and a further 3.4 million viewers. Globally, there exists about 148 million gamers along with their 144 million watchers. With the esports economy generating about $500 million in 2016, it is clear that the industry should no longer be ridiculed but admired.

There logistical operations of esports seem to be extremely similar to traditional sports as they can have teams, training camps, player association, sports psychologists, leagues, cups, power rankings, commentators and significantly, fans – those who watch and obsess over the video games.

The Paris 2024 Games were seriously considering the inclusion of esports as a demonstration event marking their first sense of involvement in Olympic Games. Moreover, they are confirmed to be included as medal events in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China and the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games are now also featuring esports.

However, financially, esports are still far off competing with traditional sports as European football, for example, generates $30 billion each year and conceptually, their association as a sport is largely tenuous. Despite claims of hand-eye coordination and necessity of training, it is hard to perceive esports alongside traditional ones.

The present definitions of ‘sport’ includes ‘an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess’ with specific examples of ‘racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling and wrestling’, as well as, ‘an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or a team competes against another or other for entertainment’. Therefore, although esports may technically be considered sports, they are not yet socially considered so.

Anekal, Manny (2019). ‘Why Esports Are Real Sports’, Linkedin. Accessible at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-esports-real-sports-manny-anekal/

The Editors (2020). ‘Just how big is esports?’, British Esports Association. Accessible at: https://britishesports.org/news/just-how-big-is-esports-here-are-10-facts-that-illustrate-its-growth/

Steinberg, Leigh (2018). ‘What defines a ‘Sport’, Forbes. Accessible at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/leighsteinberg/2018/07/28/what-defines-a-sport/?sh=13dd8f722d66

tl;dr Bella Thorne’s disruption of the paid social media platform has made it incompatible for both celebrities and normal people to use the site fairly. Resultingly, celebrities should be banned from releasing content on OnlyFans.

OnlyFans is a content subscription service that was launched in 2016. The website enables content creators to earn money from users who subscribe to their feeds. In other words, it is a form of monetary social media. As a result, it is often used for the distribution of pornography.

Bella Thorne joined OnlyFans in August 2020 scandalising the platform as in one single day she set a record by making $1million. Although she claims that her profits will be divided between funding her production company and charity donations, no specifics concerning the distribution of this money is known. And so, inevitably, OnlyFans will merely become a way for the rich to get richer if celebrities are not banned.

Many people, including those of the sex-work community, were upset and angered by Bella Thorne’s storming arguing that she is gentrifying the platform. And so, high-profile celebrities should not be allowed to profit from the website for such a purpose because inevitably their pages will receive much more attention than others, causing much more profit.

Celebrities’ profits will take away from ‘the average person’ using OnlyFans. Many sex workers rely on the platform for income, and so, endorsing celebrity content makes this much harder for them.

Out of pure greed and hedonism Bella Thorne tried to charge users over $200 to unlock just one naked photo that was likely to be a scam. As a result of this celebrity power, the OnlyFans T’s&C’s have had to change capping off the maximum post price at $50, the maximum tip price at $100 and also extending content creators’ received payments from 7 days to 30 days. This has greatly reduced the chances of so many sex workers on the platform.

Genuine sex workers feel disrespected by the actions of Bella Thorne which is reason enough to ban celebrities from the site. Her response to the uproar is questionable as she wrote that she “wanted to bring attention to the site, the more people on the site the more likely of a chance to normalise the stigmas” and to “remove the stigma behind sex, sex work, and the negativity that surrounds the word SEX itself by bringing a mainstream face to it.” Thorne said in joining OF she hoped she could “help bring more faces to the site to create more revenue for content creators on the site.”

All in all, celebrity involvement has disrupted and harmed the platform as so should be banned.

Kircher, Madison Malone (2021). ‘Bella Thorne Broke OnlyFan (No, Not Like That)’. Vulture. Accessible at: https://www.vulture.com/2020/08/belly-thorne-onlyfans-scam-explained.html

tl;dr 10 years old is too young for the age of criminal justice in England due to the human psychological development process.

doli incapax is the law that deems a person incapable of forming the intent to commit a crime or tort, especially by reason of age (under 10 years old). This age is being debated and called upon for change by MPs as well as the director of public prosecutions, Max Hill. The expert knowledge of the people in these professions cannot be ignored.

The present age of criminal responsibility in England is 10 years old which is too young. Children are forced into an adult world of justice before they are fully prepared. At 10, children do not fully understand the law or societal conduct and expectations. They are still in primary school and have not even been taught about criminal justice.

Understanding what a crime is and the criminal process is much more complicated than understanding right from wrong. Furthermore, factors that stop people from breaking the law (including experience, knowledge, comprehension, empathy and a sense of citizenship) are not as easily attainable for children of such a young age. What’s more, morality and the conscience are developed through social interaction, learning and habituation that can be extremely harmed through ill-parenting or traumatic childhood conditions.

Although this is a problem that lies in the hands of politics, specifically parliament, it is also a question that can only be answered through the extensive study of human psychology.

After studying human behaviour John Piaget concluded that the conscience is not binary but changes over time. An immature conscience may act in accordance with socially accepted behaviour, however will do so for all the wrong reasons. Immature beings will not act responsively out of concern for principles of right and wrong but will blindly follow rules to seek approval. Instead of looking outwardly at the world and future, an immature conscience knows little of rationality.

Piaget determined ages 8 to 11 as the beginning of being able to think logically whilst 11 to 15 is when children can think about the future along with hypothetical or ideological issues. Therefore, with this model, humans only begin to have a fully functioning conscience at the age of 11 – one year older than the present criminal justice age. When analysing moral development specifically, Piaget see ages 5 to 11 to have heteronomous morality meaning a child will look beyond itself for moral authority by merely following rules and expecting menial punishment if they are not obeyed. After this age, autonomous morality develops causing a shift to a personal code of conduct based on perception of socially acceptable behaviour.

Shockingly, in some states in the US, children as young as 6 can receive criminal justice. Elsewhere in the world, countries like Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Hong Kong, follow England, Wales and Ireland’s present law of 10 years old. However, this remains the lowest in Europe with many countries recently raising the age of criminal responsibility.

It is clear that social development is continuous and still occurs throughout adult life, and so it is not a question of when development is complete but instead when there is sufficient development for responsibility. Although, children of 10 years and below should be held responsible for their actions, they should not be held responsible in a criminal court.

Baksi, Catherine (2021). ‘Age of criminal responsibility: ten is too young to face justice, say top prosecutor Max Hill’. The Times. Accessible at: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/age-of-criminal-responsibility-ten-is-too-young-to-face-justice-says-top-prosecutor-max-hill-np2h7hf9n

Piaget, J. (1971). ‘The theory of stages in cognitive development’. In D. R. Green, M. P. Ford, & G. B. Flamer, Measurement and Piaget. McGraw-Hill.

tl;dr Private prisons have many economic, social and criminal advantages.

Firstly, because private prisons are not tied down by governmental policies they are able to be quicker and more flexible in their decision-making process. Their practices may be easily changed and their system of operations can be made more efficient without the difficulties of specific protocols. By increasing the number of private prisons the strain of responsibility and resources are shifted from the government to private corporations allowing a reduction in taxes.

Socially, conditions of prisons can be ameliorated through the private system as, for example, in terms of population not only can private prisons better regulate population but they can also help relieve the population pressure from public prisons. Prison population is a huge struggle that governments are facing. For example, 'in California, the public prison system was operating at 137.5% of capacity before the Supreme Court required the state to begin reducing overcrowding.'

Finally, studies show that private prisons can reduce the rates of reoffending, even up to 50% in some areas. 'A study of a private prison in Arkansas tracked over 650 women who were released after they completed a re-entry program. After 5 years, only 1 in 5 of the women being tracked had committed another criminal offence.' And so, it is not true that private prisons should be banned.

Gaille, Louise (2017). '14 Advantages and Disadvantages of Private Prisons'. ittana.org. Accessible at: https://ivylearn.ivytech.edu/courses/833170/modules/items/17822187

tl;dr To say boarding school are 'abusive' and loveless' is an archaic and inaccurate conclusion. Instead, living for years among others in a boarding house can feel like developing a second family.

This opinion is almost impossible to capture due to the varied experiences at boarding schools. Clearly, for some, boarding schools may feel abusive and loveless however this is also the same for day schools.

Overall, it is not true that boarding schools can be equated with a word that means 'improper usage or treatment of a thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit... [including] many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, crimes, or other types of aggression.'

Although it may be accurate that boarding schools have strict rules, this is not to emotionally scar or traumatise students but instil a sense of respect of obedience that parents would be harbouring at home.

Furthermore, uniform cannot be seen as prison clothing but instead a symbol of unity between a body of pupils - an implementation that many non-boarding schools also take. After lessons or sports pupils are free to wear what they want in the same degree of modesty that parents would wish for.

Housemasters, housemistresses, tutors, nurses and any other form of 'caretakers' cannot be branded 'unhappy' and 'unfeeling'. Conversely, those who usually choose such roles have a long history in pastoral care and a desire to create the best possible atmosphere for students to excel and be happy in. Some of these people will support students throughout their time at school and consequently form trusting relationships that may proceed for years after. They provide students with an opportunity to discuss personal matters that they may not wish to discuss at home.

Evidence that boarders are more rebellious than day pupils is impossible to capture as the latter may be 'rebelling' in out-of-school hours under no supervision.

Finally, by waking up and going to sleep with the same group of people, boarding school students learn valuable people skills and lessons of patience and maturity. Not only are boarding schools not abusive or loveless but they are protecting and loving. Students can form stronger bonds with friends and have a stabler environment in which to focus on school studies and be happy in important childhood/ teenage years.

tl;dr - A national standard syllabus is necessary to maintain a certain level of education in all areas. Giving inexperienced students the choice would be a mistake and a logistical nightmare.

Although theoretically the argument for students being allowed to build their own syllabus may have strengths, practically it fails.

In most schools, primary and secondary, a national curriculum must be adhered to (the exception to such cases includes the small minority of schools such as private schools and academies). 'A national curriculum is a set of subjects and standards... so children can learn the same things. It covers what subjects are taught and the standard children should reach in each subject'.

By allowing school students to build their own syllabus standardisation would be lost. Varied and bias responses would cause areas of expertise as well as areas of ignorance causing ill foundations of knowledge for children.

Such important decisions cannot be made by those of such a young age, but instead should be left to the experienced leaders in education. Motivation must be found through other means as school students are not well-equipped enough for such responsibility.

Similarly, for those in higher education such as university, the logistics of giving students the power to build the particulars of a syllabus would be impossible to manage. University courses can include hundreds of students that are likely to all having different opinions.

Additionally, through choice in degree (or 'majoring'), choice in modules and choice in dissertation titles, students already have the means to pave their learning experience.

Although the idea of motivation through choice is desirable, it is too idealistic. Realistically, standardisation of curriculum is the only way to manage education.

The Government (2020). 'The National Curriculum', Gov.UK. Accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/national-curriculum

tl;dr Shakespeare’s contribution to linguistics and literature is monumental to the way we live today meaning he is not overrated.

‘addiction’, ‘bedroom’, ‘cheap’, ‘eventful’, ‘flowery’, ‘howl’, ‘informal’, ‘lonely’, ‘mountaineer’, ‘neglect’, ‘Olympian’, ‘puppy-dog’, ‘revolting’, ‘schoolboy, ‘traditional’, ‘useful’, ‘vulnerable’, ‘well-read’, ‘yelping’ and ‘zany’ are just a few of the many words that Shakespeare invented.

‘break the ice’, ‘fair play’, ‘heart of gold’, ‘kill with kindness’, ‘a laughing stock’, ‘pound of flesh’, ‘wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve’, ‘wild-goose chase’ and ‘what’s done is done’ are just a few of the many phrases that Shakespeare invented.

Although the specific number is highly disputed, it seems Shakespeare invented between 400 and 1700 words and phrases. And so his reputation is not at all overrated as without him our everyday language as well as our everyday lives would be vastly different.

His wide-ranging use of themes are still appropriate and relatable today. Whether it is the love in Romeo and Juliet', the jealousy in Othello or the darkness in Titus Andronicus, Shakespeare’s plays can help people learn about their own emotions whilst his poetry can help people express these emotions to others when personal words cannot be found.

Although Shakespeare may seem hard to grapple without the tedious line-by-line study, appreciating his works through theatre productions and also modern films, such as She’s the Man can be equally as rewarding.

And so, be it through language, emotion or mere amusement, Shakespeare is valuable to all people today and throughout history meaning he is not overrated.

The Editors (2020). ‘Why Is Shakespeare Still Important?’, Oxford Scholastica Academy. Accessible at: https://www.oxfordscholastica.com/blog/why-is-shakespeare-still-important/

tl;dr The environmental benefits of electrical scooters outweigh any reasons against their implementation in cities.

Kasey Cassel writes, ‘As the UK slowly unlocks, e-scooters rental companies look set to revolutionise the way we travel to and from the office’.

The UK is finally following the lead of the US and Europe by beginning to legalise the use of e-scooters in cities which was previously prevented by the 1835 Highways Act.

E-scooters should be embraced in cities because of crucial environmental reasons as they reduce the amount of CO2 and overall pollution in the air.

The e-scooter rental brand ‘Lime’ stated in 2018 that e-scooter users had saved 244,939 kg of CO2 in just three months, which is equivalent to roughly 127,290 litres of fuel that wasn’t burned in car engines.

Such statistics should not be taken lightly. E-scooters will not just save us money (around 69%) and time on the daily commute, but they will save the planet and the lives of future generations.

Reasons against the argument for e-scooters should be weighed against such vital benefits. Fear of safety should be grounded by the fact that studies show that e-scooter users do not face much higher risk of road traffic incidents that cyclists do.

Additionally, any such complications with implementation of e-scooters into cities can be solved or at least improved. For example, improving factors such as the quality of roads, bike theft and cycle lanes, could get more cities ready for this revolutionary form of transport.

Cassells, Kasey (2020). ‘The E-Scootability Index’, Uswitch. Accessible from: https://www.uswitch.com/gas-electricity/uk-cities-ready-for-electric-scooters/

Laker, Laura (2019). ‘Welcome, watch or ban: how should cities deal with electric scooters?’, The Guardian. Accessible from: https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/jun/18/welcome-watch-or-ban-how-should-cities-deal-with-electric-scooters

tl;dr Women should feel at liberty and even encouraged to keep their maiden name due to the patriarchal nature of taking a husband’s name as well as the potential identity crisis that can be faced socially or professionally.

More women should keep their maiden name when marrying because the roots of the practice are utterly patriarchal.

Historically, in France, women would have no surname until marriage when they became their husband’s possession.

In England, although the focus was more upon religious unity instead of a husband’s power over his wife, taking a different surname would suggest that you were living in sin. The passing of names reflects the marital practice of a woman being passed from her father’s property to her husband’s. Both acts symbolise that women are inferior to men leading to a potential loss of identity.

“My name is my identity, and must not be lost” is the motto of the Lucy Stone League, a women’s rights organisation that was founded in 1921 off the premise that women should be allowed to keep their maiden name after marriage and use it legally. In the UK, it wasn’t until 1972 that this fight for maintaining maiden names was won.

Women should keep, or at least feel at liberty to keep, their maiden name because a name is central to one’s identity. Once the novelty of a new name starts to wear off, some women begin to question why such a drastic change was made. Giving up a name is almost like abandoning a life or one’s original self.

For most women, the new name will sound strange at first, but for some, the new name will sound strange forever leading into a sense of character crisis. A new name isn’t just a modified signature on a legal document, but a complete change in both social and professional identification.

With 42% of marriages ending in divorce, there is a high chance that women have to make the painful decision as to whether to revert to their maiden name or continue association with an ex. Both options are judged and scandalized, yet easily avoidable by keeping a maiden name from the offset.

Professionally, the changing of a name – be it in marriage or divorce – becomes extremely complicated. A woman may feel trapped in the name that she has built her career from and fearful that people will no long recognise her.

Cheryl Cole serves as an example to such struggle as despite her divorce from Ashley Cole since 2010, she is still strongly associated with his name. People rarely call her Cheryl Fernandes-Visini, her newer but now ex-husband’s name, or Cheryl, her official artist name and it is even more rare that people would refer to her as Cheryl Tweedy, her maiden name or her ‘original self’.

Over the last few decades’ women are beginning to rebel against this social conformity that has been the norm for so many years. Studies also show it is mostly younger women and those who are highly educated who take agency and remain with their own name.

However, still only 20% of British women keep their maiden name in marriage, whilst 5% hyphenate and the rest take their husband’s name. The loss of identity through this patriarchal practice can be damaging and demoralising meaning more women should keep their maiden name when marrying.

Callaway, Nina (2020). ‘Changing Your Name When You Get Married’, The Spruce. Accessible at:
https://www.thespruce.com/should-you-change-your-name-when-you-get-married-3489799

TL;DR Through both practical and scientific analysis it is clear that the Devon approach of cream before jam on a scone is superior to the Cornish jam before cream.

Cream should come before jam on scones because clotted cream requires more ‘spreading’ whilst jam need just be ‘plopped’ on top. It makes sense to use a knife to spread the cream onto the baked good and a spoon to lie the jam down.

If the jam is placed first, spreading the cream on top is made a difficult process as the thicker consistency of the cream will splurge and mix into the jam instead of having the firm bed of the scone to be secured onto.

Traditionally, it’s a debate of Cornwall versus Devon with the former favouring jam then cream whilst the latter agrees that it should be cream before jam.

Although a survey shows that 52% of Brits think jam should come before cream (including The Queen!), science proves otherwise.

Dr Stuart Farrimond and the baker Mich Turner, have ascertained that the 4:3:3 ration will make the perfect scone achieving the ‘hedonic breakpoint’ as there is the ideal level of ‘sweetness from the jam that is balanced out by the cool cream and simple scone’. Additionally, to reach optimum satisfaction, the scone should be eaten at around 22-35 degrees Celcius but cream should be spread when at 50 degrees Celsius. This allows a slight melt onto the scone that would never make sense if jam was dolloped on before.

And so, it seems obvious, both practically, scientifically and aesthetically; cream BEFORE jam on scones.

Next comes the debate… should ‘scone’ be pronounced to rhyme with ‘bone’ or ‘gone’?

Amofa, Richard (2018). ‘Scientists prove that the Devon way of making Cream Tea is CORRECT’, DevonLive. Available at: https://www.devonlive.com/whats-on/food-drink/devon-national-cream-tea-day-1331042

Sun Reporter (2019). ‘The great scone debate has finally been answered – and it’s JAM before cream’, The Sun. Available: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9810354/scone-debate-answered-jam-cream/

Petter, Oliva (2018). ‘The Queen settles scone debate of whether jam or cream should come first’, Independent. Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/queen-scones-jam-cream-what-goes-first-debate-cream-tea-outrage-a8260686.html

TL;DR - Amazon's power over the bookselling industry is dangerous. Instead, we should support independent booksellers using sites such as Bookshop.org.

Amazon is a danger to the bookselling and publishing industry. Impressively, Jeff Bezos began selling books online in 1994 with a recycled door for a desk. Although this humble setting may encourage people to use Amazon’s book services, we should not.

The Covid-19 pandemic proves just how powerful the company is as industry panic set in when book orders were cut at the start of lockdowns to focus on essential items. Amazon’s dominance as a bookseller and its ability to publish original content has caused it to swiftly turn from the industry’s biggest customer to their biggest competitor.

Under the Amazon ‘umbrella’ is the many well-known products such as Amazon Web Services, Echo smart, Alexa and most prominently, the Kindle. Through the creation of the Kindle, along with the expansion of BookSurge, Audible and AbeBooks, Bezos surged the e-book market. However, people should not succumb to these products because the complete control of pricing causes an anti-competitive market (there is currently a law suit being filed against Amazon for such reason by Hagens Berman law firm).

Instead, we should buy our books through other means. Bookshop.org launched in January 2020 to try to counter Bezos’s $1.3trillion digital conglomerate. The site offers independent bookstores an improved online commerce hub and more importantly, a chance to survive Amazon’s takeover. Bookshop.org should be our go-to as it helps so many bookstores get through the tenuous times caused by being forced to close due to pandemic lockdowns. Why wouldn’t you want profits to go into supporting the expansion of the site instead of into Bezos’s pocket?

The monopolistic position of Amazon means it can afford to be aggressive in dictating terms and controlling the market, but customers have the power to stop that toxic environment for the industry that we love. We shouldn’t drop our ethics because we are lazy to explore other options. And we shouldn’t choose Amazon because we are too impatient to wait for realistic shipping times. We should use Bookshop.org and other independent online platforms.

Once bookstores are reopened we should re-enter reality instead of sitting behind a screen to make our purchases. Although a Kindle may be more efficient, people lose the customer experience of entering a shop and buying a book after much deliberation and even sometimes conversation. The act of buying a book should not be reduced to one click. Content is always increasing but what people are actually reading is so narrow due to digital marketing. When lockdown is over, we should restore the days of taking the bookshop worker’s recommendation and avoid the mind-numbing experience of buying from Amazon.

In 2019, Amazon delivered 3.5billion parcels (one for every other human being on the planet), don’t let that be a book for you.

Milliot, Jim (2008). ‘PW’s Person of the Year 2008: Amazon’s Jeff Bezos’, The Economist. Available at: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/people/article/4784-pw-s-person-of-the-year-amazon-s-jeff-bezos.html

The Editors (2020). ‘Where is Amazon’s Jeff Bezos headed next’, The Economist. Available at: https://www.economist.com/business/2020/10/29/where-is-amazons-jeff-bezos-headed-next

The Editors (2020). ‘The pandemic has shown that Amazon is essential – but vulnerable’, The Economist. Available at: https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/06/18/the-pandemic-has-shown-that-amazon-is-essential-but-vulnerable

The Editors (2021). ‘Can Amazon’s next boss fill Jeff Bezos’s supersized boots?’, The Economist. Available at: https://www.economist.com/business/2021/02/03/can-amazons-next-boss-fill-jeff-bezoss-supersized-boots

Milliot, Jim (2021). ‘Authors Guild Asks DoJ to Stop PRH Purchase of S&S’, Publishers Weekly. Available at: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/industry-deals/article/85446-authors-guild-asks-doj-to-stop-prh-purchase-of-s-s.html

Albanese, Andrew (2021). ‘Bracing for Another E-book Price-Fixing Case’, Publishers Weekly. Available at: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/85391-bracing-for-another-e-book-price-fixing-case.html

Milliot, Jim (2020). ‘2020 in the Book Biz Was a Year Unlike Any Other’, Publishers Weekly. Available at: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/85218-2020-in-the-book-biz-was-a-year-unlike-any-other.html

Adopting a child can be a long and gruelling process that some people aren't resilient enough to get through.

Firstly, it is only after a number of assessments from a panel of around 14 experts that adoption can occur. These people include adopters, adoptees, doctors, solicitors, councillors, social workers and representatives from education and children services. Receiving judgement about your ability to be a potential parent is an invasive scenario that some people do not wish to be in, especially when given the choice of procreation.

Furthermore, more often that not, when a couple decides that they would like a child, timing is a key factor. This may be because of age, stage of career, relationship status or a number of other reasons. However, timing is something that cannot be controlled when adopting. Ellen Wallwork writes, 'Some people only have to wait a very short time to be matched with a child, but for others it can take a number of years. There's no way of knowing how long you'll have to wait so it really is a hard process, especially if you know that you're up against other families.'

Finally, there is the fear of not being able to successfully bond with your adopted child. Through procreation a baby spends 9 months in the womb physically connected to their mother whilst listening to the voices of loved ones. However, there is no way to guarantee this bond with an adopted child which is a worry that can completely put people off the idea.

Although, adoption is clearly morally better than procreation due to the many orphaned children in the world, it is not obvious that the concept as a whole is superior. For some people, the risks that come with adoption outweigh their moral urge to do good.

Wallwork, Ellen (2015). '15 Things You Should Know About Adopting A Child', Huffpost. Accessible via: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/03/17/15-things-you-should-know-about-adopting-a-child_n_7315868.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFaadofiNB-aTKLiwh6KlkDscgRR5MMw6nfYgm12aGhVytWi1Qm9_xsXy8UvqvhicI3nlaeb7uGN7F65xKTfqAVKhCvdn9kSdzq0TwBkmA4WqUOMpoQuqpEFnlAWoqrrnRo8eyGrUD3RFKhOL_bJ5tAJFKO-pmhDn01sux3jTL9R

Voltaire said 'I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it'. This quote encompasses one's freedom of speech. Although your argument does not suggest the banning of free speech but instead the value of all speech, I see huge connections between the two. If someone expresses their opinion, however it is not recognised or considered to matter, then expression in the first place is redundant. The expression of an opinion entails communication which is immediately shut down if no one deems it to have any value. Richard Dworkin appreciates free speech, at its most basic level, as the liberty to communicate.

John Stuart Mill recognised that freedom of speech is necessary for personal growth, the fulfilment of the progressive interests of humankind and the pursuit of truth which is valuable as a precondition for knowledge.

Some opinions may be widely held to be more valuable than others or even more 'correct' that others, however this does not mean that inferior opinions do not matter. All opinions help society and people to improve, both in intellect, morality and happiness.

To only vote for dominant parties, such as Labour or Conservative, makes democracy suffer from ‘tunnel vision’. Even though it may feel that voting for a minor party, such as the Green Party, is throwing away a vote, one should always vote for one’s preferred party.

Whether one votes because of the universal agreement that one ought to, namely Rule Utilitarian theory, or whether one votes as a way to confirm one’s political sentiments, namely Expressive theory, the moral obligation to vote is widespread and strongly held. It follows that one should vote for their preferred party, even if they have no realistic chance of winning. Otherwise, this would be an insincere expression of our values. Moreover, if everyone voted in this way then third parties would have a better chance of gaining long-term support, even if short-term success does not occur.

One can be a constitutive part of a cause of some outcome without one’s action making a critical difference to the overall outcome. And so, people have moral responsibility to contribute to their preferred party. One vote may have little effect and feel pointless, however if only dominant parties were considered then true democracy suffers.

The university no-detriment policy should be implemented for this academic year (2020/2021) due to the disastrous effect of Covid-19 on academic studies and the overall wellbeing of university students.

Last academic year (2019/2020), when the pandemic hit in March 2020, the policy that ‘acts as a safety net to ensure students obtain at least their average grade so far’ was largely adopted around the UK. This was a fair and measured response to unprecedented circumstances ensuring that students gained the grade they deserved by preventing the last three months of the year from having adverse effects. This academic year is hardly unlike those last three months with studies remaining almost completely online and lockdown restrictions keeping people inside meaning that students deserve the same, if not more, protection than last year were awarded.

The University of Edinburgh’s Vice-Principal, Colm Harmon, wrote, ‘It is important to me that we do not have special measures in place any longer than we need to – the University has been committed to ensuring the value of your degree is as high as ever, and the best way to do that is to make sure we have things as normal as possible.’

It is utterly misguided to say that this academic year has been taught to the same level as all other years. Crucially, there has been limited resource accessibility. Expecting students to complete work to the same standard as pre-pandemic years without being able to freely take out library books or maintain a productive and quiet workspace is unfair and unrealistic. As well as resources the fundamental aspect of teaching has been completely unsettled as, although different degrees may vary, the standard number and length of lectures each week has seen to alter now that they are pre-recorded and distributed online. Students may receive significantly less work from lazier lecturers or abundantly more work from those who are still trying to ascertain the correct load. Either way, learning suffers.

Students have responded over social media: in outrage through scolding universities, in action through signing petitions and in wit through sharing that it feels like ‘we’re paying nine grand a year for a YouTube subscription!’. It cannot be forgotten that with this subscription comes the routine faults such as Wi-Fi glitches and university website malfunctions.

Online learning has meant interaction on courses has drastically changed. Through the use of Zoom (or Google Meet or Blackboard Collaborate or any other particular platform that a specific teacher may prefer to use), tutorials have gone from chats outside the classroom to awkwardly waiting for the sessions to begin with most students too shy to turn their cameras, and sometimes even their microphones, on.

Not only does this detrimentally affect the participation of students but it also harms teaching abilities. Staring into a blank abyss cannot be an optimum way to educate. Additionally, by being able to remain in darkness, students are more likely to get distracted. Checking social media, making a cup of tea or talking to a flat mate are distractions that could never occur in an in-person tutorial. For those less fortunate, checking on dependents, making a rent payment or talking to the flat maintenance man are all disruptions that could never occur in an in-person tutorial.

Remaining in darkness can also mean feeling invisible. Due to the stilted platforms that only allow one person to speak at a time, discussion is disjointed and frustrating. Instead of quick-fire debates that naturally arise in person or the standard end-of-lecture questions, having to wait for the raised hand icon to be answered means people often lose their train of thought or deem their point no longer relevant. Furthermore, it is almost impossible to form vital relationships with fellow students, course tutors and even dissertation advisors.

Aside from the social life aspect of academics, there is of course the destruction of social life in general that has had disastrous effects on students’ abilities. Mental health has plummeted since Covid-19 with suicides in varying universities, drop-out rates soaring and students falling into depression. ‘The best years of our lives’, as many adults describe it, have been stripped away as experiences with friends, be it through sports socials, society events, clubbing or simply being able to go for lunch in between lectures, are no longer possible.

With gyms now closed, students have little means to release the energy that gets built up over a day of sitting at a desk. Predictably, lockdown rules are being broken, whether it’s just 3rd years having friends over for a small dinner party or 1st years having 200 people parties in halls. Moreover, both boredom and the social anxiety that lockdown has caused can make an initial idea of ‘fun’ get out of hand, causing a spiral of alcohol dependence and drug abuse.

Claire Sosienski Smith, the National Union of Students Vice President, observes that although the average student suffers, it is the disadvantaged students who don’t just experience these academic and social struggles but are also inundated with a vast number of other problems contributing to malperformance. She writes ‘many students lack the required technology, working space and time to succeed, and those with existing childcare responsibilities will find this compounded with the closure of schools.’ Moreover, with shops, cafes and restaurants closed, the classic student part-time jobs were the first to go when the pandemic hit. Some students have been at a huge financial loss with student loans not being enough to cover rent, bills and basic living.

Smith continues to argue that ‘Students really shouldn’t have to petition their institutions for fair treatment and assessments. Institutions and government must act to avoid further anxiety, uncertainty and discrimination. We need… no detriment policies nationwide now.’ And so, such academic, technological, social and financial issues faced by all students, especially those who are disadvantage, amounts to the stress of not passing the year or receiving an unfair degree grade that then causes the long-term fear of being left unemployed.

All of this, and the actual health concerns of the global pandemic are yet to be addressed. Whether it is worry about family, friends or one’s own safety, students have not been supported, but instead blamed. With the PM’s ever-changing restriction announcements, university guidance is usually knocked off the list of priorities leaving students to guess whether they should be at their term residence or at home, in tutorials or online and therefore prioritising their studies or ‘saving lives’. At a turning-point age and a place where academic focus is of the upmost importance, stability is vital. Although Covid-19 cannot provide stability, the no-detriment policy can.

If the no-detriment policy will not be implemented for a global pandemic, when will it be?

https://www.nus.org.uk/articles/national-approach-needed-to-exams-assessment-and-no-detriment

I do not agree that social media companies should ban users as this word implies permanence. Although bad behaviour must be reprimanded, it is too extreme to completely remove someone's social media presence. Instead, it would be more beneficial to reprimand. Comparatively, in our contemporary society, when someone commits a crime we do not take away their life through the death penalty but instead (temporarily) take away their freedom through prison sentence.

Removing someone from social media access temporarily would give them time to reflect upon their behaviour and improve for the better. Moreover, in the way that reform has better effects than punishment, it would be more beneficial to educate the people in question instead of cast them off through total banning.

Although eating dog meat may not be worse for one's health than eating other meat, it still remains worse because of the inherent social reasons. It is true that around 10,000 dogs are slaughtered every year in China for the annual dog meat festival in Yulin, however this is simply not the culture that we have in the UK.

In the UK it is legal to eat dog meat, but it is not socially acceptable. As humans we wish to feel connected to other social beings and even though it may seem slightly arbitrary, we have chosen dogs to be our primary pets for good reasons.

Firstly, dogs are highly perceptive and so can read and react to our body language. Consequently, we form strong bonds with them which mean that even the thought of eating dogs is repulsive to the majority. And so, even if you are the minority, it is likely that you will still consider eating dog meat as worse than other meat because of the social unrest it would cause. You would feel ashamed that others would regard you in disgust. By violating this social norm, the scientist Dr. Kathleen Taylor, goes to the extent of saying that you would become untrustworthy and punished, maybe even cast out from society.

It is also important to consider that dogs are carnivores and it is widely held that humans should not eat carnivores. This is an ecological as well as a financial issue concerning the hierarchy of the food chain. Carnivores are much rarer, and so more expensive, than herbivores because it takes more energy for them to be produced due to limited food supply. Therefore, we do not eat dogs in the same way that we do not eat other carnivores such as lions, bear, tigers or foxes.

China are now starting to agree that eating dog meat IS worse than eating the meat of any other animal. A petition of nearly four million signatures from people in China and across the world calls for the banning of the Yulin dog meat festival and in the Beijing Olympics authorities banned the selling of dog meat in festivals. Therefore, the wide spread opinion that dog meat is not acceptable to eat is undeniable.

Collinson, A (2015). 'Why the UK doesn't eat dog meat but people in China do', BBC. Accessible at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-33223450

Humans have a thirst for knowledge meaning that when we’re presented with the works of thrillers we can’t help but need more to glut out until our questions are answered, but all the while, our minds remain passive.

This thought stems from Wordsworth and Coleridge’s analysis that the gothic genre is simply a commodifying form of writing. The Romantic pair professed that our intellect isn’t stimulated, but instead our minds are dulled, when we glut on this ‘passive’ fiction. Their thoughts reiterate the philosophical differentiation of the nurturing of the mind against giving into bodily desires such as lust.

The authors of thriller books manipulate our innate desire to know more. ‘I am Pilgrim’ is a novel that has engaged and continues to engage millions of people. Like Harry in the Chamber of Secrets, we are literally sucked into the pages of this dark book. The author, Terry Hayes, locks in our interest by the meandering narratives. The transfers are so swift that we have no choice but to advance, as our conventional end of chapter cliff-hanger isn’t answered straight away but after some further progress of the surrounding sub-plots. This allows the reader to simultaneously delve into the details of different people in different places with different purposes, but all with the same intrinsic link: Pilgrim and with a series of never-ending questions.

Pilgrim or otherwise known as Scott Murdoch, Jude Garrett and the list goes on, in short, has every Cherub-obsessed child’s dream job: a spy. The first-person narrative means we get to play detective alongside him. We get to try and glue together the odd clue. We get to find the answers to satisfy our burning lust for more knowledge.

We may say we ‘love’ thriller novels but is this a genuine sort of love or a burning and unhealthy passion? As Angela Carter’s Puss in Boots says in her series of short stories The Bloody Chamber: ‘Love is desire sustained by unfulfillment’.

Therefore, our thriller novel page turners are not actively intellectual or stimulating but addictive as they are driven by our desire to know more, usually: who’s the killer? In this way, Coleridge rightly, although extremely, compares reading thriller novels to the effects of drugs, almost as so though they are leeching onto our human weaknesses keeping us passive, lustful and gluttonous but far from intellectual.

It is clear that businesses do not partake in Corporate Social Responsibility out of the goodness of their hearts but merely as a way in which to ameliorate their image and therefore increase financial performance. Before now, CSR was less publiscised and so usually carried out with a genuine intention of improving society, be it in terms of hunger and poverty, the environment and sustainability or more specifically the lives of employees. However now, CSR has become crucial economically. Thanks to the surge of social media, anyone can research the ins and outs of a company meaning their ethical stance can become either vastly detrimental or completely advantageous.

Studies show that consumer purchase intention is 60% influenced by their perception of the company whilst only 40% influenced by their perception of the product. This uneven proportion makes it vital for companies to partake in CSR, not out of morality but out of business strategy. Moreover, a company’s image is 42% dependent on its CSR activities, meaning equity is built by instilling a positive brand image in the consumer’s minds. Customers will become viciously loyal to those brands that they see as philanthropic, even if philanthropy is not their true intent.

Furthermore, it is not just companies that are concerned with a business’s Corporate Social Responsibility but also employees. People wish to work for a company that has a reputable reputation. In this vein, a high level of CSR is likely to attract the best of the industry as well as a high number of applicants. Additionally, through a socially responsible environment, employees will have equal opportunities allowing room for long-term progression and optimum performance. All such qualities are desirable for a company’s financial success rate whilst actually being ethically good is just a mere bonus.

Of course a severe cost-benefit analysis is done to ascertain the ideal level of CSR which does not usually balance giving with taking but instead ensure that a business will personally flourish from their charity.

Therefore, the true intentions of those who carry out Corporate Social Responsibility are not philanthropic. But then, does that matter? If the results are improved societies as well as financially strong corporations then are the means to these ends important?

Smith, J (2013). The Company with the best CSR reputations’, Forbes. Accessible at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/
Mahmood, A and Bashir, J (2020). ‘How does corporate social responsibility transform brand reputation into brand equity? Economic and noneconomic perspectives of CSR’. International Journal of Engineering Business Management.

The debate concerning the necessity of the monarchy must not just be viewed through the data-complicated financial lens but vitally, through the social one. The people of the country need the monarchy for a sense of community and identity. Whilst governments may change every few years, the royal family remain constant and dependable. It is clear from the series The Crown that people are interested and sometimes obsessed with the history of our country and the family who has led it for centuries.

Be it Will and Kate's wedding in 2011, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012, or the Royals involvement in major events such as Remembrance Day, Christmas Day and Covid-19, the morale of the UK is lifted.

A survey conducted by YouGov in 2015 showed that the Queen is still largely loved by the country as 68% of people remain in favour of the monarchy whilst 17% are neutral and only 9% are against.

Wildash, Nicola (2015). 'The Monarchy: Popular across society and 'here to stay'', YouGov. Accessible at: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2015/09/08/monarchy-here-stay

This argument can be taken a step further, philosophically as 1) an argument for the idealistic monist conception of reality and 2) an argument for God's existence.

1. This idea is advocated by George Berkeley who argues that reality is not separate from the mind but instead in the mind. The thought experiment concerning whether a tree still makes a sound even if no one hears it fall is a question of existence, as you said. If the tree does not make a sound then it is true that “To be is to be perceived” meaning existence only occurs if the mind allows it to. Things only ‘exist’ if someone is viewing them.

2. Our reality can only be possible if someone is perceiving us. This being must be a sort of God. And so God is always viewing the Earth allowing us to exist.

Scotland has become the first country in the world to make period products free for all. The Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill puts a legal duty on local authorities to ensure anyone who needs period products can obtain them for free. Scotland have made period products collectible from schools, libraries, community centres, youth clubs, pharmacies and even pubs and restaurants. This is a progressive and vital step in the right direction to end period poverty and improve the lives all women.

Action Aid defines period poverty as “a global issue affecting women and girls who don’t have access to safe, hygienic sanitary products, and/ or who are unable to manage their periods with dignity”. Such products include sanitary pads, tampons, menstrual cups etc.. Although most may think period poverty only occurs in the poorest areas of the world, it is a reality everywhere. Period poverty is not just about availability but also affordability.

27% of women are unable to afford period products which forces them to improvise creating makeshift products or even wearing products for longer than medically allowed which can have life threatening consequences. When a tampon remains in the body for a prolonged period of time bacteria has increased chances of developing Toxic Shock Syndrome, when toxins enter the bloodstream through the uterus or vaginal lining. Furthermore, periods aren’t just an economic and medical nightmare for some girls, but a social nightmare for nearly all girls. The taboo is so prominent that 1 in 2 people would describe periods as unpleasant and disgusting. For such reasons, 59% of school girls life by making up alternate excuses when in pain or needing to dash to the loo. These statistics are appalling and must be rectified by making period products free and therefore decreasing the stigma through normalisation.

Although complete abolition did not occur due to EU rules, in 2001, the UK progressively reduced ‘tampon tax’ to 5% as it was a clear abomination that period products be seen as a ‘non-essential luxury item’. With Brexit done it is now more important than ever to push for the complete abolition of this tax and even the availability of free period products. Since Covid-19, the UK government are offering free period products for state schools which is fantastic progress, however, it was established as an ‘opt-in’ scheme with a clear lack of advertisement as only 40% of schools placed orders whilst most stated they were unaware of the scheme.

Period last, on average, five days and so cost about £8 a month. This is a cost that some women simply cannot afford. But why should they have to? Periods are a biological occurrence that have become wrongly commercialised.

Anderson, Jen (2019). ‘How long can you safely leave a tampon in for?’, Healthline. Accessible at: https://www.healthline.com/health/how-long-can-you-leave-a-tampon-in

Comms, Ginger (2019). ‘Bloody Big Lunch’, Hey Girls. Accessible at: https://www.heygirls.co.uk/bbb-post/

Diamond, Claire (2020). ‘Period poverty: Scotland first in world to make period products free’, BBC News. Accessible at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-51629880

Editors (2017). ‘Plan International UK’s research on period poverty and stigma’, Plan International. Accessible at: https://plan-uk.org/media-centre/plan-international-uks-research-on-period-poverty-and-stigma

Editors (2020). ‘Period Poverty: Schools ‘not aware’ they can order free tampons’, BBC News. Accessible at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53894172

Article 9 of the European Court of Human Rights:

1. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief, in worship, teaching, practice and observance.
2. Freedom to manifest one’s religion or beliefs shall be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of public safety, for the protection of public order, health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedom of others.

The argument that ‘religious symbols in state schools should not be visible’ creates a tension between church and state with the former being personal whilst the latter is specifically public. Through 9.1 and 9.2 above, one can observe the distinction between the internal and external. Although the ECHR maintains that the inner realm of thinking and believing should be free with no coercion that could impair this freedom, it also clearly maintains that the external manifestation of such free thought and belief may be limited by the law if necessary. This distinction, therefore, seems like a clear indication that ‘religious symbols in state schools should not be visible’.

In 2004, France, as a secular state, saw banning religious symbols in public as necessary and since then many other countries have had to appeal to the law to solve issues of the sort. In the case of Shabina Begum (2006), decisions were conflicting as the High Court and the House of Lords favoured this proposed argument whilst the Court of Appeal disagreed that her choice in the Muslim jibab instead of the shalwar-kameez school uniform should be banned. With Cherie Blair (the ex-Prime-Minister’s wife) backing this pupil, it is clear that such argument is highly controversial. Begum lost the case against her school on the grounds of 9.2, her religious symbols could be limited due to the health and safety of herself and others. For example, other female students of the Luton-based Denbigh High School could feel pressure to adopt this more extreme religious dress, but also, she could face exclusion and bullying. Myfanwi Franks (2000) reported that white British Muslim women received racial abuse while wearing the hijab proving that such bullying was much less about ethnicity and more about clothing. Furthermore, as well as violating school uniform policy, religious symbols can make it difficult for pupils to integrate and for teachers to interpret facial expressions, both of which inhibit a pupil’s learning experience.

However, the law favoured against the stance that ‘religious symbols in state schools should not be visible’ in the case of Lautsi vs Italy (2011) where, strangely, it was the state not the individual that was advocating for the display of the crucifix. After a mother of two raised concerns about her children’s freedom of religion (agnosticism and atheism are included in this term in law), the Lower Chamber of the ECHR agreed whilst the Grand Chamber denied the request of removing symbols. The Grand Chamber concluded that no violation of freedoms was occurring, instead the crucifix is a passive symbol and a part of the Italian history and state. This ECHR decision, however, becomes very controversial when set against the Dahlab vs Switzerland case in which a primary school teacher was prohibited from wearing a hijab because of the “impact that a powerful external symbol such as the wearing of a headscarf may have on the freedom of conscience and religion of very young children… [the headscarf] might have some kind of proselytising effect”.

Therefore, lines between state and religion become blurred meaning that authorities in law provide varying contentious opinions. To keep things simple though: ‘religious symbols in state schools should not be visible’.

European Court of Human Rights (2020). ‘Freedom of thought, conscience and religion’, Guide on Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Accessible at:
https://www.echr.coe.int/documents/guide_art_9_eng.pdf
The Editors (2006). ‘Begum v Headteacher and Governing Body of Denbigh High School’, Croner-i. Accessible at:
https://app.croneri.co.uk/law-and-guidance/case-reports/begum-v-headteacher-and-governing-body-denbigh-high-school-2006-ukhl

Franks, Myfanwi (2000). ‘Crossing the borders of whiteness? White Muslim women who wear the hijab in Britain today’. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 23(5): 917–29.

Coincidence is defined as ‘a remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances without apparent causal connection’. Usually, they can be explained through facts and figures, for example, there’s an 11% chance you share a birthday with someone you know and there’s a 6% chance of bumping into someone you know in the airport, on a train or in public. Moreover, coincidences can be explained psychologically, for example, thinking about your friend in the morning and receiving a call from them in the afternoon is probably just because you haven’t spoken in a while or maybe something about the day reminded you of each other. Even if a coincidence is particularly bizarre and almost without explanation, it is often not significant enough to think too deeply into. However, when an unexplainable coincidence of vast strength occurs, the only argument to turn to is determinism. Determinism relates to ‘the philosophical doctrine that all events, including human action, are ultimately determined by causes regarded as external to the will’. This extreme theory is the antithesis of freedom and so if proven, grants that moral accountability is not justifiable.

I exemplify such argument that ‘a strong enough coincidence can prove the theory of determinism’ through the combination of the many coincidences between Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy:

1. Lincoln has 7 letters in his surname… as does Kennedy.
2. Lincoln was the second born child of his family… as was Kennedy.
3. Lincoln married in his 30’s to a woman in his 20’s… as did Kennedy.
4. Lincoln was first elected to the House of Congress in 1846… Kennedy was elected in 1946.
5. Lincoln failed to win the Vice-Presidential nomination in 1856… Kennedy failed in 1956.
6. Lincoln won the Presidential election in 1860… Kennedy won in 1960.
7. Lincoln defeated Stephen Douglas who was born in 1813… Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon who was born in 1913.
8. Lincoln had a Vice-President named Johnson… as did Kennedy.
9. Lincoln suffered the death of a child while in the White House… as did Kennedy.
10. Lincoln was shot on a Friday in the presence of his wife… as was Kennedy.
11. Lincoln died from a gunshot wound to the head… as did Kennedy.
12. Lincoln was shot at Ford’s Theatre… Kennedy was shot in a Ford car, specifically a Lincoln.
13. Lincoln’s assassin John Wilkes Booth was a Southerner known by 3 names comprised of 15 letters… as was Kennedy’s assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.
14. Lincoln was shot by Booth in a theatre and fled to a warehouse… Kennedy was shot by Oswald in a warehouse and fled to a theatre.
15. Lincoln’s assassin was killed before being put to trial… as was Kennedy’s.
16. Lincoln’s successor was Andrew Johnson, born in 1808… Kennedy’s successor was Lyndon Johnson, born in 1908.

Surely, this isn’t just coincidence? Surely this proves that determinism exists? Events are therefore out of our control and the chain of cause and effect prevails. However, if the death of JFK was somehow inevitable because of its causal connection with Abraham Lincoln’s, then Oswald’s moral accountability must be put into question as free will is incompatible with the extreme theory of determinism.

Beitman, Bernard D. (2016). ‘The 5 Most Common Coincidences’, Psychology Today. Accessible at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/connecting-coincidence/201606/the-5-most-common-coincidences

Such a good question! Determinism is a contentious theory that advocates against free will and is completely incompatible with any such theory that tries to negotiate the two concepts. Therefore the theory may be too strong to completely accept. Nonetheless, the Lincoln-JFK occurrences remain strongly 'coincidental' and therefore favour the argument that determinism must be considered.

Guatemala’s claims for Belize’s land are weak and should be rejected by the International Court of Justice.

Relations have become so contentious that a referendum in Guatemala (held on 15/04/2018) resulted in a 95% favour of sending the dispute to the ICJ, whilst the Belizean referendum (held on 08/05/2019) resulted in a lesser yet still 55% majority. Bulmer-Thomas argues that this is understandable ‘as Belize faces the possibility of losing a large chunk of territory that it already occupies, while Guatemala only stands to lose a claim to territory that it does not actually possess’.

Like the many claims to the throne in the Wars of the Roses, over the last few centuries Guatemala’s claims have weakened and wavered. The cause of the territory dispute, arguably, dates back to the vagueness of the Godolphin Treaty (1670) in which Spain allowed England to maintain its settled territories in the Western World yet did not define such areas. After the Treaty of Versailles (1783), Britain agreed to abandon its forces in the disputed area and give Spain sovereignty, however the Baymen (settlers of the now Belize), successfully revolted against their military attempts. When the Spanish Empire began to disintegrate (1820’s), the UK recognised the English-speaking land into the British Empire in 1862, naming it British Honduras. Conversely, the independent republic(s) of Guatemala (and Mexico) unjustifiably claimed inheritance of Spain’s sovereign rights of the area, despite never occupying it.

Under the Wyke-Aycinena Treaty (1859), Guatemala agreed to recognise British Honduras whilst the UK promised to build a road across the border. Nearly a century later (1940), Guatemala claimed this treaty was void because the UK had not complied with such promised economic assistance and therefore they would withdraw their previous recognition and revert to claiming the territory due to inheritance. However, international law holds that the treaty is only voidable, not completely void, as no material breaches have been made. After Belize’s rightful process of self-determination (1964-1981) that wasn’t just supported but demanded by the UN, Guatemala’s claims are even more indefensible thanks to the international law principle of uti possidetis juris that grants a newly-formed sovereign state to retain the borders that their preceding dependent area had pre-independence. Furthermore, the Belizean government were never involved in the 1859 treaty meaning they are not legally bound to its clauses. Despite the clarity of the law, no agreement between Belize and Guatemala has been reached with military threats rising and falling over the last 40 years. The contentious issue is now in the hands of the ICJ but I found it extremely evident when visiting both countries at the time of the Belizean referendum (in May 2019) that Belize is not Guatemala’s for the taking.

Guatemala’s unjustifiable claim of treaty breach that stems from the weak claim of inheritance is merely a mask to cover its power-hungry ambitions.

Bulmer-Thomas, Victor (2019). ‘Why Belize is likely to prevail in its territorial dispute with Guatemala’, World Politics Review. Accessible at: https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/insights/27884/territorial-dispute-between-belize-and-guatemala-who-is-likely-to-prevail
The Editors (2020). ‘Update: Belize vs. Guatemala Dispute’, Political Geography. Accessible at: https://www.polgeonow.com/2020/04/guatemala-belize-update-icj-court-case.html

The Guatemalan people (almost in totality) and previously, many Latin American countries. Now, relations are almost completely left to the two countries alone. However, as we have seen there has been extreme international involvement (prominently including Spain and the UK).