Syrian Refugee Crisis

 

The shocking image that made the World take notice.

It appears that in recent months attitudes toward Syrians on a government and social level have been increasingly hostile and xenophobic. Everyone will remember the shocking image released last week of Alan Kurdi, as pictured on the right, a 3 year old boy who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea along with his mother and brother. His life taken away from him before he even reached the shores of Greece.
Many other Syrians, Iraqis and Africans are leaving their native countries; in fact 1700 people have died in the Mediterranean this year alone. The point is innocent Syrians are fleeing the wrath of the civil war and terrorist threats in the hope of starting a better life in Europe. But before they can even seek asylum they are stopped at the borders. This has occurred most recently in Hungary who are now refusing to give them entry. A razor wire fence has been erected along their border and the police are using water cannons and tear gas and other weapons to keep them away.
Charities are supporting camps and giving out essential aid. However supplies are short and people urgently need food, drink and clothing. At the end of the day these people would do anything to reach a safe haven. They have witnessed bombing and violence; many children have become orphaned through the war. A whole country has been destroyed and left in ruins, a vibrant Middle Eastern culture left in dismay.
No matter what your views are on the Syrian war and refugees, they are still human beings and should be treated with the sympathy and dignity they deserve. So next time you see camps and refugees on the news don’t make assumptions as they are ordinary people like you and I.
Adesua, Year 8
Boston High Newsroom

Popularity can buy you a trip to Sweden

By Virginia Mitreva

A hotel in Sweden is offering accommodation to those with a high number of Facebook friends and/or Instagram followers. If you have either more than 2,000 Facebook friends, 100,000 on a fan page or over 100,000 followers on Instagram, the hotel offers you a free seven-night stay at the luxury hotel, which will usually cost you £260 per night.

So what do you have to do? All you have to do is post when you make the reservations, when you check in, when you check out and you have to tag the hotel's website and Facebook page.  The same rules apply for those on Instagram, in all posts, guests must use #nordiclighthotel and tag Nordic Light Hotel when you're there and have checked-in. 

The hotel believes by doing this “they increase their income by accepting personal social networks as currency.” The CEO of the hotel commented on this bizarre giveaway by saying that he believes that “the promotional benefits outweigh the cost of giving away free hotel rooms”.

And for guests who are not quite so popular on social media, but have a fair share amount of friends or followers the Nordic Light Hotel has something to offer too.

Facebook:

100,000 fans or more= 100% discount

2,000 friends or more= 100% discount

1,500 friends or more=15% discount

1,000 friends or more=10% discount

500 friends= 5% discount

Instagram:

100,000 followers or more= 100% discount

15,000 followers or more= 15% discount

10,000 followers or more= 10% discount

5,000 followers or more= 5% discount

The first comet landing

By Anya Stacey

On the 12^th of November the first space probe ever landed on a comet, this comet was called Rosetta.

Comets are huge lumps of rock that orbit planets such as earth.  Scientists wanted to explore the comets in more detail than we already have.

This programme has been going on for a very long time and finally a space probe landed. As the space probe landed, the probe projected its landing gears into the nucleus of the comet to keep it attached, however, various reports have said that the probe is already starting to detach.

So, big space programming companies like NASA are getting involved in this operation.

Scientists are excited to find new discoveries such as the elements that the comet contains, and what dangers it could bring to Earth as life goes on.

The space probe will project and take various pictures of the comets surface and maybe even look for bacterial life’s existence, however scientists highly doubt that.

Currently scientists believe that comets are spare or stranded lumps of rock that were left over after the Big Bang was caused, but looking into even more detail can always make new discoveries.

Let’s hope for exciting new discoveries after this overwhelming news!

 

 

More female characters to be in the new Lego film

By Aydah Ashraf

The Lego Movie directors have said they'll put more female characters, like heroine Wild-style, in the sequel. They think it’s not fair just to have men, as women are active and strong as well.

They told the BBC that it's important to inspire young women as well as young men. 

They haven't revealed whether the main character would be female, but they did say they think there's a shortage of female leads in recent years. 

The Lego toy company made headlines in August when it released a set of three female scientist figures - a palaeontologist, an astronomer, and a chemist - but it has also faced criticism for the predominantly pink Lego Friends range, which is aimed at young girls.

The Lego Movie has made more than $468m (£294m) worldwide and will make more in many years to come. 

Schoolboy inventor is given funding for printer idea

By Aydah Ashraf

13-year old Shubham Banerjee has been promised a few hundred thousand dollars to develop his idea by tech company Intel. A Braille printer will provide blind people with the chance to print out and read pages from the Internet as well as other text documents.

 

It has been difficult to develop electronic Braille printers in the past due to their cost but he thinks he has got it. The teenager originally created a prototype of a Braille printer out of Lego when he was just 12.

He was invited to show this early version of the printer at the White House in Washington DC.

The schoolboy from California has secured funding to bring his idea for a low-cost Braille printer to market. This new printer will mean blind people will not need to order Braille read books. Braille is a system of bumps to read.

Shubham originally came up with the idea for a science fair. He then set up his company Braigo Labs with funding from his parents. He is now working with the tech company on a new version using a budget-priced chip and 3D-printed parts. Let’s wish him full success on this.

Rosetta: The Most Daring Landing Ever Attempted

10 years ago, the Rosetta deep space explorer was sent off to begin its long journey into deep space. This journey was long, and along the voyage to the comet it had to get not one, but three gravity assists from earth and one from mars (Using the gravity of the planets to get to the right direction and increase its speed). After that, the comet went into hibernation for a couple of years, before finally embarking on the comet earlier this year. However, (If everything goes to plan that is) today will prove the be a historic event in the history of astrophysics and space travel, as this is both the first time that an orbital spacecraft has ever orbited a comet, and the first time that a lander has attempted to land on one. This could prove to be a historic day for earth and physics, as if the landing is successful, scientist will be able to know a large amount of information about how comets work, and whether they were the reason as to why our planet has an atmosphere and oceans. In fact, even before they have landed scientists have begun to find new and unexplained things, such as a strange noise coming out of the comet, which they believe to be a stream of charged particles coming out of the comet, however the exact reason is not yet fully known (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2830476/Listen-Rosetta-s-comet-singing-Scientists-baffled-mysterious-sounds-recorded-near-67P-ahead-Philae-landing.html, visit that link to hear the singing comet).

Today will be a day that will truly go down in history, and the knowledge gained from the comet should prove revolutionary. Remember to visit the live stream at: http://new.livestream.com/esa/cometlanding

The landing should happen around 3:30 PM GMT, and we should get the first images at around 5:30, as there is a several hour delay from the spacecraft to earth. Make sure to stay tuned!

Damian Bemben
Columnist

Remember what the Poppy Stands for.

If you follow the YJA blog, you’ll probably know that once every fortnight I do a generally light-hearted blog about current events and what’s happening now, but it wouldn’t feel right to do so on such an important date. Yesterday was the centenary of the First World War and Armistice Day. It was a day to remember the soldiers who have been killed in conflicts since the start of the First World War. But what many people forget is that it was not a day of patriotism. We honour the fallen, we do not honour the war. We remember the futility of war. We remember all who have fallen, not just British but all casualties of the wars, as apart from they’re leaders, not much was different from the soldiers on both sides of the trenches. 

When you remember the fallen, remember this.

The poppy grew on both sides of the fields.

Damian Bemben
Columnist

A Helping flipper from the Robo-Penguin researcher

By Emily Bonner

On 2^nd November, findings from a report on the behaviour of Emperor penguins in the Antarctic were published thanks to the help of a robotic rover dressed as a penguin chick. The researchers, from the French National Centre for Scientific Research, told BBC news they were trying to find "a less invasive and stressful way to collect data on these species", which are known to be extremely timid.

Dr Yvon Le Maho, who led the study, found that when approached by humans, the penguins’ heart rates would increase considerably, so came up with the idea of using a rover to study them in their normal state. Early models looked a little like remote controlled cars and Dr Yvon explained to BBC news that "Emperors huddle together, because they have no [other] territorial defence… So when they see the rover approaching, they get very stressed.”

Five models later, and the researchers had disguised the rover as a fluffy chick. The penguins seemed much more comfortable around it, even huddling with it and trying to communicate with it.

The scientists wanted to avoid the usual approach of tagging flippers, because they felt it was “unethical” and altered the penguins’ health. They worked with nature filmmakers to come up with a new approach of using under-the-skin transponders, which work like microchips. The rover can recognise the transponders within 60cm of a penguin, providing useful data for scientists.

"Scientists do not generally speak about disturbance they cause," Dr Le Maho told BBC News. “But I have always been very concerned with that - it relates to both science and ethics."

Armistice Day

By Adesua Alabi

It’s the time of year when we see politicians, celebrities and royalty on the news are wearing red poppies to commemorate remembrance or Armistice Day. Armistice Day is celebrated in the commonwealth countries on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month and marks the end of the First World War.

This year Armistice Day is on Tuesday 11th November. On this day a two minutes silence takes place to remember and honour over 1 million commonwealth service men and women that have fought and died in the First World War and is an opportunity to remember those who are still fighting in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan, defending our country to the present day. The Royal British Legion has a poppy appeal and all of the donations go towards supporting those who were injured in battle and the general welfare of service men and women, nationally 51 million was spent in 2013 to fund the welfare on those in need.

The poppy is used to commemorate the war as it was the only thing that survived on the battlefields of Flanders and other places where some of the bloodiest battles took place. Many people have written poems about what Armistice days means to them as losses are felt by many across the commonwealth. The poppy symbolises life, colour, and hope and reassures those who are still fighting, making it a fitting symbol for the occasion. Wreaths, broaches of poppies and other memorabilia are worn by those who choose to and reflects personal memories and feelings.

At the Tower of London a total of 888,246 poppies have been installed by families who have lost loved ones in WW1 or in battles while defending their country. Across 4 months people have come to the Tower of London to lay a poppy in memory of someone or as a sign of gratitude and respect, leaving a powerful visual reminder of the First World War Centenary as part of the Every Man Remembered act. It is a time where all people regardless of social status or race come together to honour and reflect on the bravery and sacrifices made by those who died in the centenary for the safety and security of our country.  

For me Armistice Day is a chance to show my respect towards those who fought for the safety of the country that I live and learn in. Although none of my family members, that I am aware of, have died in the First World War I know of others that have lost loved ones and of course it will have a different meaning and significance to each person.

 All in all Armistice Day is a opportunity to reflect on many things like the deaths of loved ones who died in the war but may not have fought on the frontline or the deaths of loved ones in general and provides a time of peace and congeniality.

Fear and Laughter, how the internet is slowly devolving

Unless you’ve not yet got any sort of television or the internet, you’ve most likely heard of the current leaks happening on the internet. If you haven’t, then let me give you a very short explanation. A large amount of photos and videos, saved to the Apple iCloud and now Snapchat have been leaked on the internet, showing how unsafe the internet really is. I’m not here to say that it’s the people taking these photos who are at fault here, even though it’s not a great idea to trust random companies with your private photos.  The companies aren’t being blamed for this happening, as although they’ve been shown by most major news sites, it’s usually the fault of the “Hackers” that do it, instead of the company, which just breeds an aura of “There was nothing we could do about these leaks” and “We’re fixing it now that it’s happened”.

And before you say it’s a one off thing, this has been happening for a while now, and it’s slowly devolving the internet. For example, only after the credit card numbers and numerous private information got leaked from PlayStation a couple of years ago, was it found that PlayStation did not actually encrypt any of the numbers, along with the NSA leaks, where it was found that the United States government along with many others are spying on its own people, being given access to pictures, phone calls, internet history, pretty much anything that they wanted. And yet there was barely any outrage from people, as the internet seems to be for most politicians and world leaders a joke. I mean think about what happened when it was found that the white house was monitoring just its opponents! Surely the whole world should be a little more important?

But no, as the internet today is just seen as something that can’t be taken seriously at these moments. For politicians, the internet is just a tool that needs to be supressed, and with events like the leaks happening, it’s making people a lot more likely to agree with the government, as by disagreeing to not censor, you are seen as the same as the people leaking pictures and videos, the internet being put into one big bubble. But people don’t care, as currently, and rightly so, the only crackdowns made are for those doing illegal activities. But governments want more power over the internet, and people don’t care about giving them it, as it “Doesn’t affect them.”

The government won’t do anything while the majority care about the internet being censored. But luckily for them, it seems a lot of voters don’t care what happens. And that’s what will break our freedom of speech, not some totalitarian censorship or sneaky NSA spies arresting random people.

It will break from people not caring.

By Damian Bemben
Columnist

Pluto set to return as a planet?

By Virginia Mitreva

There were once nine planets however back in 2006 the International Astronomical Union stripped Pluto of its status by saying it was too small to ‘pack sufficient gravitational punch’. Pluto is now known as a ‘dwarf planet’ leaving eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

Pluto was originally kicked out because it did not ‘meet the criteria’ set up by the International Astronomical Union (AUI). Indeed Pluto doesn’t meet the criteria because it is small and has a radius of around 750 miles, which is less than 20 per cent of the Earth’s radius and its circumference is about 4,500 miles (this makes it smaller than our moon).

However not everyone agreed with the decision and the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics released a statement saying “a dwarf fruit tree is still a small fruit tree, and a dwarf hamster is still a small hamster.” Furthermore the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre held a debate and let the audience decide if Pluto was a planet and the audience decided that Pluto is in fact a planet by a 2-1 vote.

There is no definite answer that Pluto will return to its previous status as a planet. But there is hope due to the fact that in 2015 a spacecraft called New Horizons will be launched, the first ever spacecraft to be sent to Pluto and should arrive at the ‘dwarf-planet’ by July of the same year. New Horizons principal investigator Alan Stern, believes that Pluto is a planet. “I think the public is better suited to this than astronomers, at least,” Stern continued to say, “The IAU should never have pretended to have the expertise to enter into this debate. It’s a matter for planetary scientists, not astronomers.”

Do you think Pluto should be defined as a planet?

Ebola Crisis

By Jolanta Grant

Eight attacked and found killed - talk about outbreak acceleration.

If six Red Cross volunteers who were attacked on the 14th of September wasn't enough, eight people (who were part of a team of 9) sent to educate villages in Guinea about Ebola, have been found dead after they were attacked by angry locals.

The discovery of the bodies happened in a remote area, south-east of the country which was clarified by the Guinean Government Spokesman, Damantang Albert Camara. He hauntingly describes"The bodies were found in the village latrine", he reports, "Three of them had their throats slit".

Action was taken as a result and Guinea's Prime Minister, Mohamed Fofana had stated that six people had been arrested following the incident, which took place on Tuesday the 16th of September in Wome.

Mr Fofana notifies Guinea that the ruthlessly killed team consisted of local administrators, two medical officers, a preacher and three accompanying journalists. There is still one body missing.

Although investigations into the killers have proceeded, Guinean officials have vowed to pursue anyone else involved in the killings.

"Everyone else involved in these murders will be hunted down and brought before court to be sanctioned under the law", Government Spokesman Damatand Albert Camara notified the town.

Ebola first broke out in March in this south-east Guinea area, close to the town of Nzerekore.

Since then, Ebola has killed somewhat 2,630 people and infected at least 5,357 people according to the World Health Organisation.

The team of nine who had a prospect to educate the village, were part of a large group of people who volunteered to take on extreme measures to contain the outbreak. Now there's 9 less vital people to help sustain the lives of others through this unfortunate time and event.

Sierra Leone has been worst-hit by the by the virus and has begun a three-day nationwide  lockdown aimed at eradicating the virus.

What was initially a loan to locate the ill, the Government said the lockdown will now seek to make people aware of the risks of Ebola and what steps to take if a family member falls sick. The actions taken were as follows, an exemplary number of 30,800 volunteers have trained for their dawn-to-dusk information campaign, with residents flocking to buy food and medicine before the lockdown starts.

Volunteers were relieved and satisfied to see queues forming alongside streets as people stocked up on fuel to equip them for the days ahead.

Banks are overflowing as clients rush to withdraw cash, as a result, there has been a decline in working hours to reduce infections among people.

Some pacifists and optimists suggest a few days of hardship are worth it if it can help stop Ebola's progression across the country.   

Cousin of Higgs Boson observed in Superconductors

By Damian Bemben

A relative of the Higgs Boson, one that inspired the long hunt for the Higgs Boson in the first place, has been observed properly for the first time.

The Higgs Boson itself was first proposed to exist in the 1960s, and only appeared in the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva in 2012, 50 years later. Peter Higgs and François Englert theorised the existence of the particle, and received the Nobel Physics prize for their hard work and dedication in 2013.

However their ideas were actually inspired by how photons (Particles of Light) behave in superconductors. Metals, when dropped to an extremely low temperature (around -234 Degrees Celsius), allow electrons to move around them with little to no resistance. This produces a lot of extremely cool effects, for example the Meissner effect, which allows a magnet to levitate above a superconducting surface.

However, when the metal reaches around zero degrees kelvin (Absolute Zero, which is the lowest temperature that can possibly be reached) , vibrations are made in the superconducting metal, which in turn slow down photons, making light act as if it has a mass.

This effect is linked very closely to the Higgs Boson, and Ryo Shimano at the University of Tokio who led the team making the new discovery has said that they are the Mathematical equivalent of Higgs particles.

In order to find this new effect, Shimano and his team shook the superconductor with a beam of light, which is a similar method to how particle physicists created the actual Higgs Boson in the Hadron Collider in the first place.

This could prove to be an amazing discovery in physics as by comparing the similarities between the Hadron Collider and the absolute zero superconductor could prove to be very useful in studying the actual Higgs Boson. This is because "One can really do the experiments in a table-top manner, which would definitely reveal new physics and hopefully provide some useful feedbacks to particle physics." Shimano has said.

Blue Whales Bouncing Back

By Damian Bemben

A new study shows that the population of blue whales in California are starting to yet again reach a sustainable level.

Blue whales are big. They weigh on average 190 tonnes, to put that into perspective you would need to stack up at least 3 large tanks on a giant scale in order to compare with the size of a blue whale, and even then you would need to add another 10 tonnes onto it.

Their large size could explain why at least 11 blue whales are struck every single year by ships along the U.S. West Coast.

Doesn’t seem like much does it? But only 3 whales on average die every year through natural threats, which is another reason why this is such a huge success story.

The study itself has shown that along the eastern side of the Pacific Ocean, there are now about 2,200 Blue Whales, this is decades after the hunting the whales was banned by the IWC (The International Whaling Commission).

This might seem as a very small number, however before the ban took place, around 3,400 California blue whales were killed between 1905 and 1971. “It’s a conversation success story” said Cole Monnahan, one of the publishers of this study.

It’s not all good news however, as although the California Blue Whales have managed to recover, they are the only known population of blue whales that have managed to get back to a sustainable population after the global whaling ban.

“California blue whales are recovering because we took actions to stop catches and start monitoring. If we hadn’t, the population might have been pushed to near extinction” explained Monnahan.

The conservation of blue whales off the California coast could prove to set an example for other countries, showing that it is very possible to help get a population of animals back to sustainable standards.

Although blue whales are still threatened, this shows the gigantic effect that people can have on animal populations, for better or worse.

Paralympians return from Sochi

This year, Britain had one of their most successful years at the Winter Paralympics since Innsbruck in 1984.The GB team won six medals - one gold, three silvers and two bronzes - which made the team finish 10^th in the medal table.

Photo: Charlotte Evans, Kelly Gallagher,
 Jade Etherington and Caroline Powell

This was the first ever gold medal won by the GB paralympians, thanks to Kelly Gallagher and her guide Charlotte Evans in the super G.

Jade Etherington and her guide Caroline Powell took bronze in the same competition and won a whopping total of three silver medals in the visually impaired downhill, slalom and super combined. GB's wheelchair curling team, Aileen Neilson, Gregor Ewan, Jim Gault, Bob McPherson, and Angie Malone, took a bronze medal.

British skier Jade Etherington, who won three silvers and a bronze along with her guide Caroline Powell, has been classed as being the greatest British Winter Paralympian of all-time; because of this Etherington had the honour of carrying the British flag at the closing ceremony. Unfortunately, Etherington missed her final race of the competition, Sunday's giant slalom, because of illness but recovered for the closing ceremony.

The closing ceremony celebrated the achievements of the 547 athletes from 45 countries who competed for the 72 medals.

International Paralympic Committee president, Sir Philip Craven, exclaimed that the Games were the best ever Winter Paralympics. "Proud Paralympians - your inspirational athletic performances have redefined the boundaries of possibility," he told the crowd. "You have shown the world that absolutely anything is possible and that life is about amazing capabilities and not perceived deficiencies."

Britain hopes to exceed even further in future Paralympics and the UK has set up funding to help create future winter Paralympic stars.

The Paralympic flag was lowered and presented to Pyeonchang in South Korea, hosts of the 2018 Winter Games.

Virginia Mitreva,

year 8

BAWB – Boston Area Wind Band

Boston Area Wind Band is run by Mr Lee Hextall at Haven High School and is open to people of all ages in the Boston area who play wind instruments, but is mainly for secondary school pupils.

On a Monday night from 4:30- 6:00pm, BAWB showcases Boston’s youth talent in music. With instruments such as the clarinet, flutes, trombones, French horns, trumpets, saxophones, tubas, bass guitars and many more, it helps youths to build their confidence when playing their instruments to large audiences. It also helps to make friends that don’t necessarily go to your school, with members’ ranging between all grades from beginner right up to advance.

The conductor Lee Hextall is a county music teacher specialising in brass instruments. He also runs BYJO (Boston Youth Jazz Orchestra) which is for musicians with higher grades. When you are in BYJO you get a chance to go on tour in other countries as well as all over Lincolnshire.

BAWB is having a performance on Thursday 13th of February to show off their talents to local primary schools. Hopefully this will inspire the next generation to get involved in music and to start playing instruments. This concert will be interactive by getting children to become the conductor for the orchestra. They will be playing many pieces such as work from The Life of Pi, a medley from Brave the movie and even Gangnam Style!

A member of BAWB, Polly, plays the clarinet at grade 3 and is an up and coming musician. Polly attends the majority of BAWB rehearsals as well as playing in Boston High School’s orchestra. She told YJA; “I think it is really great that you get to mix with other musicians of varying standards, I thoroughly enjoy the rehearsals and concerts. It is great of Mr Hextall to run these out of school opportunities. I can’t wait for the concert.”

By Nesta Baxter,
year 9

 

Boston Head

Sunday 19th January saw many junior and elite rowers visit the historical town of Boston ready to race on Great British waters.

Boston had received entries for 287 boats ready to take on either the 3 kilometre or 5 kilometre course (in very bright and smart racing all in ones). The morning saw some rain and a strong head wind, but the competitors gritted their teeth and pushed on; the hard work paid off when the times were released at the end of the division.

The clubhouse filled quickly as hungry competitors and officials took a break from the icy wind. Times were released soon after and Boston found they had an advantage being on home water and knowing the best ways to take the bends.

I was racing in division 2 so after a quick burger, my crew and I proceeded towards the start line just over 3 kilometres away, with a quick warm up and a jog thrown in. When we got down to the starting line we had to sort ourselves into numerical order.

As soon as we heard the bell, Lucie and I pushed. Within the first kilometre we gained ground and caught up with the double in front. However, we didn't sprint and take over them until the beginning of the last kilometre; our stroke rate was pushed to 25 strokes a minute. 

Coming up to the finish, the crowd and bystanders were cheering as we both gritted our teeth and gave ten solid strokes that pushed us over the line. Our final time for our 3 kilometre sprint was 12:43. In the under 15's category we came 5^th overall.

It was a great day and everyone enjoyed the racing and close competition.

By Kyra Balderstone,

year 9

More Bad Weather to Torment Britain

News comes over the past week for communities in the south east of England after detrimental flooding during Christmas and the New Year. In spite of the recent break from rain threatening cities, in towns and villages across England water is continuing to drain into rivers, namely the Thames, making it increasingly likely that more floods are yet to come.

This has come after weeks of terror for residents of the UK. Commencing the 5^th of December, extremely high tides caused tidal surges and rivers to burst their banks. The enhancement caused by the strength and direction of the wind led to the Environment agency issuing 41 severe flood warnings and 125 flood warnings. Flights and trains were cancelled, children were sent home from school (including Boston High School students), electricity lines were cut off and residents were forced to evacuate their homes. On a most serious note, two people were killed that day. Britain continued to by battered in the run up to Christmas, thousands having their plans ruined by cancelled flights and trains, power cuts and flooding of homes. Due to the cancelled transport tempers were frayed with a 31-year old makeup artist who stated “I am fuming and absolutely desperate – there has been no information at all and we can't make alternative plans.”

Several thousand homes in the south east lost power due to the weather and were expected to be without power for Christmas day. This was certainly a year that would be remembered for all the wrong reasons. With more bad weather expected to torment Britain, residents are bracing themselves after the death toll of the floods has increased since the 5^th of December, and are preparing for the worst.

By Jenny Brown,

year 12

Watch your Windows

A clown appearing at your kitchen window is not what you expect when you are doing the washing up, but recently there has been a spate of clowns spotted roaming around Lincolnshire.

The first clown was originally seen in Scunthorpe, but in recent weeks people have decided to jump on the band wagon and re-enact the frightful antics. Police haven’t said that there will be any consequences as long as they don’t take it too far.

The mystery clown’s first appearance was on Friday 13^th of September and was mentioned on Facebook by Alex Doust. He put “There actually is a clown roaming around, he tried the locks on my mate's house near Ashby. She's pretty shook up.”

The Police have also issued a statement saying sightings of clowns, such as Lincoln clown, throughout the county should be “treated as a bit of fun at this stage.”
The Lincoln clowns have made up a little riddle to increase the scare factor:

Clowns frighten those who suffer from coulrophobia; fear of clowns or mimes. People with this phobia are usually scared of the exaggerated features of the face such as the painted eyes, mouth and nose.

“Beep beep - I’m the Lincoln clown. I only come round when the sun goes down. I never frown.”

If you hear this riddle lock your doors, shut your windows and close your curtains to avoid any unwanted frights.

Chloe Payling, year 8

It’s Question Time at BHS

Thursday 7^th November saw the arrival of BBC Political Debate show Question Time at Boston High School. 

Suggested as a venue to the BBC, they chose our privileged school to host the popular TV show ready to air at 10.30pm the very same night. Arriving at school in the morning, I saw an influx of vans with large aerials attached, obviously there to assist in the production of the filming. As an aspiring Media Production undergraduate this was something that I found extremely exciting and was thrilled when I, along with others, got the chance to take part in the setting up of the show and the rehearsal.

The BBC kindly allowed Boston High School students to engage in various activities throughout the day including getting to experience and see what the mobile studio, in which the floor manager referred to as a scanner, looks like inside. The LYJA team themselves got to interview the renowned Question Time host himself, David Dimbleby, something that was very fascinating for them as they were able to find out the nitty and gritty details of work within the media! You can watch the interview for yourself by clicking on the video at the end of this article.

Haydon Risbridger and I found ourselves extremely fortunate as we were not only part of the LYJA team but also part of the six A Level Media Studies students who were able to sit in during the rehearsal and witness the preparation of the opening and end credits to the show. Whilst I sat in the mock audience blissfully unaware of what to expect next, Haydon had a very lucky opportunity and did an interview on Radio 5 Live about his experience of the day so far… something that he is extremely proud of and excited about.

As a student of Boston High School, I would like to congratulate the school in organising such a wonderful event that inspired many students. I would also like to thank all of the students who took part and allowed the show to be such a success, Mrs Bell and Matt for arranging an interview with David for the LYJA team, Mr Paddison for giving myself and five others the wonderful chance of being on a real life TV studio and of course, the BBC for permitting all of this to happen and giving up their time as professionals to engage with the students at Boston High.

Molly Maddison, Year 13