Something needs to be done.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/104545

The importance of mental health is the same as that of physical health yet so many people fail to recognise this simple and necessary fact.

People suffering from mental illnesses are never taken as seriously as people with cancer, for example, are and this mainly stems from the fact that we only see the effects of mental illnesses and by then it is too late to help.

Nothing frustrates me more than the fact that, for example, people suffering from depression have to pay hundreds of pounds for sessions with a counsellor whereas someone who has broken their leg as a result of doing something stupid gets it fixed for free. Don’t get me wrong, I love the NHS and I fully believe that it is a necessity to our country and we cannot afford to lose it. However, doesn’t it seem so unfair that people who have a certain kind of disease or illness that doesn’t have physical symptoms have to pay to get some sort of treatment or help?

Moreover, too many people don’t take mental illnesses seriously. the word ‘depressed’ has become an adjective which people freely us to describe their mood if feeling a bit sad. Obviously there is no one in particular to blame for this – languages evolve all the time. Nevertheless, this is a bandwagon I will be sure not to jump onto as I believe it does nothing to help remove the stigma surrounding mental illness.

Part of the problem surrounding mental illnesses and their inequality to physical illnesses is that from a very young age, we are taught all about physical illnesses. We are taught before we even go to school that it’s ok to cry if you fall over and cut your knee, because people can see why you’re crying because the evidence is there, on your knee. However, what we fail to teach people as they grow up is that it’s also ok to cry if you have voices in your head, if they tell you to do bad things or make you believe certain things which will never be true.

In order to solve this, we all need to come together and help those suffering.

One way of doing this is to sign this online petition – https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/104545

David Cameron knows the importance of making mental illnesses more understood. Unfortunately it usually takes a tragedy for anyone to take any notice of the seriousness of this issue. What we need is for mental health education to be a major part of the national curriculum, just the way that physical illnesses are. If this happens in the near future, the next generations will be more open and accepting of these kind of illnesses and hopefully those who so desperately need the help will get it and be treated seriously.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/104545

Sandra Bland

People claim that racism has virtually been wiped out across America now, especially as this is the 21st century after all. How blissfully ignorant.

The recent death of Sandra Bland proves, to me and many others, that this is not the case.

After being arrested for no real reason at all, Bland was found dead in her prison cell just three days after her arrest. Police claim that she somehow managed to hang herself in her cell, with guards and cameras watching her all the time. Additionally, they claim that she managed to do so with a garbage bag, which not only supported her 6ft body for more than 10 minutes, at least, but also she was able to return it to the bin!

Ok, so some people will buy this story and believe that the cuts on her wrists from the handcuffs were self inflicted and she was on a three day high off marijuana but surely the post mortem mug shots prove that something is up. If you’re not trying to hide anything then why take photos of a dead person, pretending that they are alive?

To me, the problem here lies with the initial step in this puzzle – the arrest. That policeman went out looking for trouble, for a fight, otherwise he would not have tailgated Bland’s car to only pull her over for not signalling. I wonder how many cars he has tailgated which have changed lane without signalling and the driver turns out to be white. If he had been doing his job properly and appreciated her moving out of his way then Bland would still be with us today.

Furthermore, if he really did think it was that much of a problem, he should have just settled with giving her a ticket. He then did not have the right at all to force and pull her out of her car, or order her to put out her cigarette. She was justly irritated and was posing no threat to him whatsoever, meaning his use of force was unjust.

It is known that racism was once extremely prominent in American culture, but this is centuries old. In an age where we all claim to understand that we are all equal to each other, there seems to be far too much inequality.

I recently watched a documentary on the Ku Klux Klan and how they are on the rise. Like, what? America has a black man as President. This makes no sense and whilst watching the levels of anger within me were rising far too rapidly when watching the interviews with members.

I guess the point I’m trying to make here is that this disgusting behaviour of police officers in America which has been portrayed in the news for over a year now is getting tiring. Something needs to be done and everyone needs to stop forgetting about the poor victims of these crimes which are ironically committed by those who are meant to be preventing them.

Revision

I am fully aware that I have completely neglected this blog for far too long recently and my only reason is A-Levels. And maybe a bit of laziness. Sorry. 🙂

So, exams have already started for many, including myself, and revision is so vital, yet so boring, dreary and tedious. No one wants to do it but unfortunately all the work we do now shapes the rest of our lives, so it’s important to get it right.

I personally found GCSEs stressful. I did 11 subjects, all of which I got A or A* in, because I put in the work required. AS levels I struggled with a bit more, however with a couple of retakes this year, I feel as though I am back on track to get what I need for university starting this September.

Here are some of the revision tips which have worked for me, especially this year, and if you’re struggling and need last minute help, or maybe for next year, try some of these:

1. Wake up early. Not too early though. In study leave I make sure I get up between 6:30 and 7 as by doing this I keep to a routine which means waking up for 9am exams is not a huge shock to the system. I then manage to fit in a run / walk, a good breakfast and shower before beginning work at 9am (without wanting to fall asleep).

2. Fresh air. Get outside, do some exercise, even if it’s just a walk down to the shop to get your lunch. Getting some fresh air, regardless of time of day, is important. It gives you a chance to get out the house, away from the desk and let’s you clear your mind. And de-stress.

3. Eat well. For me, eating tons of junk food really doesn’t help at all. You get a super rush – great for half an hour. Then you get a sugar low and can’t concentrate because you’re too tired. Take the opportunity of being at home (if you get study leave) to make a healthy lunch, which you wouldn’t be able to do otherwise. My favourite at the moment is definitely quinoa – it goes with everything. Add milk instead of water, mix in some cinnamon and dried fruit for an alternative to porridge. Add it to lettuce, mango (surprisingly good!) and peppers with some lemon for a filling but healthy lunch.

4. Drink well. Have a glass of water on your desk whilst you work to make sure you keep hydrated (and it helps your skin – so many bonuses!). Do have coffee if you are tired and are falling asleep, but don’t rely on it or have more than 2 cups a day. If you are constantly tired have a nap or just go to bed earlier! Also drink smoothies – I recently bought a smoothie blender and am obsessed – I have smoothies everyday and add oats if I’m in a rush to college to fill me up.

5. Have regular breaks. Nothing is going to go in if you don’t take regular breaks. Trust me. When making notes, I could do 90 minute slots and then have a 30 minute break, whilst when learning I have to get up for about 10 minutes every 45-60 minutes. This is different for everyone though so find out what works out best for you. Also a great time to get that fresh air.

6. Notes. For a long time, I struggled to find out what method of note taking worked out best for me but this is the way which seems to have worked this year –

Make small spider diagrams on A4 throughout the year:

Consolidate these many spider diagrams when revision season begins (around March time) into notes on lined paper and go highlight the most important parts:

Turn these notes on lined paper into big spider diagrams on A3. I find these so useful as I can remember where each part is on the page which helps to develop points and lead to the next ones:

Make sure that you consolidate the knowledge by doing loads and loads of past questions and papers to make sure the technique is right. Also stick to a revision timetable if that’s your thing.

I realise that this is probably a bit late now as exams have started, but who knows, you might be really disorganised, or relaxed! Anyway, hoped this helped!

Chloe

What is it?

Depression.

Something everyone has heard about but doesn’t really know what it is or what it feels like unless they have it.

Unfortunately it took my friend’s life recently, which is when I really realised how serious it is and how the social stigma around it is so awful.

Depression is a disease of the mind and not someone feeling low who can just be cheered up. It’s not a sign of weakness, but instead a sign of strength – imagine living with something constantly hanging over you, making you feel awful and feeling like you’re not ever going to be able to escape it.

I’ve never had depression, so I can’t say exactly what it’s like but the recent events in my life concerning my friend have really opened my eyes to the seriousness of it and how, as a society, we need to take it more seriously and help those suffering.

I’m not really sure what else to say, but this video does – https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XiCrniLQGYc

Rest in peace Ed, we all miss you so much. ❤

http://www.royston-crow.co.uk/news/meldreth_in_mourning_for_truly_gifted_teen_1_3961930

http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2015-02-17/family-warns-about-the-dangers-of-depression/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2952316/Talented-18-year-old-pianist-won-place-Cambridge-University-killed-train-suffering-sudden-inexplicable-lapse-depression.html

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/david-cameron-writes-grieving-dad-5422901

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Funeral-celebrate-life-8216-extraordinary/story-26023265-detail/story.html

WWI Centenary

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

John McCrae (1915)

As you are (hopefully) aware, yesterday was one hundred years since the beginning of World War One. It’s usually quite unusual to remember and make a huge thing out of the beginning of a war, however having been one hundred years, I was so glad a thing was made of it.

Personally, the grave of the unknown soldier is something which is special to me and most certainly was to my late relatives. My great great grandad served in the war but sadly lost his life in October 1914, so very early on. It is to unfortunately remain a mystery as to how he actually died as his body was never found, or identified. As a result of this, his name has a place on Menin Gate in Ypres, which I visited when I was 14 and was a very emotional experience for me.

Visiting the battlefields really opened my eyes and made me realise the severe scale of the loss of life caused by the war. It’s impossible to fully understand the harsh reality of the causes of war by just looking at figures on a page, in my view. This is the reason I believe every school child visiting these memorials and battle sites in Belgium should be compulsory.

It’s important to keep alive the memories of those who are no longer with us, as well as becoming aware of the sacrifice of life so we can live ours.

Gove’s at it again.

You may be aware that Michael Gove recently announced his plan to drop many respected American classics which are currently studied at GCSE level. This has been viewed by many as a huge mistake which will, of course, affect millions of 15 and 16 year olds across Britain.

Gove’s plan includes ditching the works of Arthur Miller, John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. It is known that Gove himself dislikes Steinbeck’s classic, but it is really fair that our generation should have to suffer the absence of this novel because of his personal preference?

Exam boards and independent schools are not being forced to ban certain texts, authors nor genres, and they are allowed to add extra works they please. However, despite this allowance, they are extremely limited as to what they can add. There is a list which they must follow first and then if they are left with space afterwards then that is when they can add what they like. The list is currently as follows; one Shakespeare play, one nineteenth century novel (from anywhere) and one post 1914 British fiction or drama. I should add that the the novel from anywhere cannot be post 1900 which leaves out a HUGE chunk of well respected literature. Oh, and all works studied have to have been originally written in English.

Although studying British literature is something which must be done, studying it alone is almost pointless. I’m all for nationalism and British pride, don’t get me wrong, but is it really necessary to cut off other works from different cultures? Surely this will just erase the view of the rest of the world 16 year olds require to have a greater awareness of the world as a whole? I was in that 10% of students who never studied Steinback’s American classic, ‘Of Mice and Men’, however that doesn’t mean I didn’t study American literature. Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’ and Miller’s ‘Death of a Salesman’ were the novel and drama I studied during my two GCSE years. Studying these American classics opened my eyes to literature from the other side of the world, something I had never really read beforehand. Having studied these texts, I now appreciate North American literature so much so that I am considering doing a specialised English course in it at university. By dropping the option to easily study these novels, Gove is, in essence, preventing students to realise where their real interest in literature lies.

I read somewhere that this reform is the ‘UKIP of education’, which seems somewhat appropriate in my view.

Child Euthanasia – logical or insane?

Having studied the topic of euthanasia in at GCSE and then again this year in my AS levels, the question of child euthanasia was one which sparked my interest. Here’s an article I wrote a couple of months back on the topic:

Euthanasia for adults was legalised in Belgium in 2002, making it one of the only countries allowing assisted suicide in this sense. However, Belgium senates are now planning to vote whether this law should extend to Belgian children, of all ages.

Terminally ill children in Belgium, whose death is inevitable, could have the opportunity to die in the peaceful way they want to. Some Belgium paediatricians have claimed that children tell them they don’t want to die like the other children do, whom they are surrounded by and are also dying of their terminal illnesses.

As I have already mentioned, this law will entitle children of all ages to euthanasia, differing from the Netherlands, where children must be over the age of twelve. The law in Belgium currently entitles just adults to committing euthanasia and the number of Belgians who have died due to euthanasia has increased hugely – in 2003 just under 300 Belgians were euthanised whereas in 2012 it was close to 1500. As well as this, 80% of adults in Belgium who had cancer asked for euthanasia.

The main issue that faces the topic of euthanasia is whether we are playing God or whether killing patients is a form of love. I personally don’t believe that euthanasia is us playing God because the person dying is inevitable anyway, so by us intervening, we are simply making their transition more peaceful. Surely it’s kinder for someone to die quietly and how they wish rather than suffering from a disease in their last days? However, many of us feel that allowing a child to die this way is wrong. Is this purely because they are just too young to die or is it that we just assume they don’t know what they want when they are so vulnerable?

The vote as to whether child euthanasia should be legalised or not will occur in a few months. This will be following the open letter which was signed by 17 Belgian paediatricians, in November, who were petitioning to vote for it.