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

A Sweet New Gadget Prints Edible 3D Treats!

Every January, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is held in Las Vegas to show off new electrical appliances. This year, the show saw one of the sweetest ideas yet - literally! American firm 3D Systems revealed their delicious 3D printers that are able to print edible 3-dimensional goods, including sweets and chocolates that would otherwise be virtually impossible to make.

“Food is an incredible platform for creativity, experimentation and celebration and we are thrilled to place these powerful 3D printers in bakers and chef’s kitchens,” Liz von Hasseln, Creative Director of Food Products at 3D Systems told the Independent, adding “We invite leading pastry chefs, restaurateurs and event planners to join us in bringing 3D printing into the kitchen.”

 

The printer will be available to buy later in the year and will come in two models; the   ChefJet, and the ChefJet pro, so that both cutting-edge confectioners and ambitious amateurs can use and appreciate this amazing appliance in their restaurants and bakeries. The manufacturers will also be releasing a smartphone app for it, called The Digital Cookbook, with instructions on how to make a fair few treats and goodies for those who’d rather play it a little safer and stick to a recipe than make a mess of their kitchen.

Although 3D printing isn’t an entirely new concept, the ChefJet is the only product of its kind to be able to commercially produce food, taking kitchen gadgets to a whole new level. Therefore, as you can probably imagine, it doesn’t come cheap. The basic model costs around £3000, with the advanced version costing double that.

So, how does it work? Well, after you’ve inputted a file of your chosen design from your PC or smartphone, the printer spreads very thin layers of chocolate or sugar on top of each other to make complex and futuristic-looking sweets. Also, by infusing the sugar with anything that takes your fancy, like vanilla or cherry for example, there is no end to the different treats that are now, thanks to the ChefJet, possible for humans to create!

Willy Wonka, eat your heart out!

 

By Emily Bonner,

year 8

 

BMX Stunt Rider Cycles over a New Bridge for its Opening

In Fort Worth, Texas, a new bridge was built and to celebrate the opening someone cycled all the way over the top of one of the sides.

The cyclist was filmed and also had a camera on his handle bars showing how steep and thin his track was.

The side of the bridge went up and down very steeply making it even harder, but the cyclist made it all the way to the other side without even nearly falling off.

The cyclist went at a fast speed making it look scary and dangerous.

By Anya Stacey

year 9

Video: ITN News report on the stunt