We have Maybe enough time to save earth

by Evelyn
(Stage)

The earth is our home
The earth is our planet.

Please... Don't trash it.
Our home is in danger.

Please stop trashing it!
Please... stop burning it.

Our earth is burning
Our earth is dying!

Please...
My last words are...

Please save the earth...
With kindness spread
With joyness spread
Our earth Will be happy
Our earth Will be saved

Should Animal Testing Be Banned?

by William Norman
(England)

Every single year more than 100 million animals are used for testing and die in American labs. They are used for medical training, testing drugs, chemicals and cosmetics. Testing on animals is used to get information on a wide range of medical information and has contributed massively to saving lives and producing treatments for diseases.

So is animal testing worth it? Humans benefit highly from animal testing however, the pain, suffering, and torture ending in death of these animals cannot be worth these human benefits. Animal testing is cruel and inhumane. This is because they don't have a choice or a say in what happens therefore violating their rights. Tom Regan, a philosophy professor states that “Animals have a basic moral right to respectful treatment. . . .This inherent value is not respected when animals are reduced to being mere tools in a scientific experiment” animals and humans are alike in many ways. They both think, feel, and experience pain. Therefore, society should treat animals with the same respect as humans. Instead, animals are subjected to excruciating tests and are never given the choice of not participating. After being tested, only 3% of animals leave the lab alive. This survival rate means that roughly 97 million animals die annually from testing.

However, without the ability to use animals in scientific research we wouldn't have cures to deadly illnesses such as smallpox. This raises ethical questions such as is killing animals via testing excused by the fact it produces life saving treatments for humans. In a world without animal testing human suffering would be far worse, for example, people with aids, cancer and other diseases wouldn't have the adequate drugs to treat them. In addition people with diabetes wouldn't have the insulin they need to assist them with getting better. All of these conditions have been dramatically affected by the help of animal testing and without them these humans suffering would probably die. So the answer to that question if you asked a wide range of people would be yes. This is because there are no close alternatives to animal testing and so in order to live and produce treatments we need to have access to test on something relatively close to the human body. The only substitutes to animal testing are human volunteers, human-patient simulators and computer modelling. However these options limit how far scientists can progress with their research because the human body is far too complex to be reconstructed.

In addition, animal testing also has significant impacts on the environment. Companies view animal testing as a necessary process to make human products and medication safe. However, animal testing will increase the demand for effective products. This increased demand means companies will rush to get new products to the market. The companies that do this are responsible for much environmental waste. The waste causes environmental harm from animal decomposition and strains the environment due to transporting and disposing of this waste. Typically, facilities that engage in animal testing dispose of animals and potentially dangerous chemicals, food waste, and various supplies used during the testing process. These additional materials will also impact the water and air quality.

To summarise, animals endure chemicals dripped into their eyes, injected into their bodies, and forced to inhale toxic substances. Humans cannot justify making life better by torturing and executing millions of animals yearly to perform experiments. Humans should treat animals with respect and dignity, and we neglect this right to proper treatment when exploiting animals for selfish human gain. After all, humans are animals too.

Look!

by Sachin Bhatia
(Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)

If you asked me what word I said the most in my life so far, you may be surprised to know it was LOOK. Especially when I was younger, and went to museums and places, without arguing with my mom about going, yeah that happens a lot these days.

I was always looking at things and the details of objects constantly. I would see a squirrel and I would point to it and tell my mom “LOOK”. I would see a tall or interesting designed building and I would point and tell my mom “LOOK”. I always got happy to show things I saw outside or even things on tv. Funny fails on YouTube, or even just really cool sports moments. Yeah, that kind of stuff. I always wondered why I loved to point things out to my mom or even my grandma. I always felt proud to show them things that I saw. It gave me a good feeling that words alone cannot describe.

Sometimes we can walk by something amazing and perfect without even noticing. YES, I am talking to you who text and walk. Don’t text and walk because you will thank me later. But it’s crazy to think about our surroundings, no matter how much we’ve been to the place, it always seems to give a special feeling to us, whether that’s the ballpark or even our school. Our places of interest are also places that have a vibe to them. Whether it is the trip you take to school or even New York, New York. A place so good they had to name it twice. But it's not about where we go in life that we notice things more, it's whether or not we choose to look around and see our surroundings as more than just a GPS route.

When we look around we see that there is more to life than what we see out of the corner of our eyes. Thinking back to when I was younger, I remember how I was always attentive looking around. Maybe that was because I have ADHD or just because I cared about where I was and there was a sense of curiosity that I had. I miss my younger self because of that curiousness. When I say curiousness I am referring to having an open mind and not judging a place by the first sight, but by taking the time to look around and notice things that for one, I may have not noticed if I simply walked by, and noticing things that other people hadn't had the care in the world to see. Whether that is looking up at a bird in a tree, or having a staring contest with a squirrel, I did it ALL.

Today I envy my younger self. Today I wonder where I went. What places am I hiding in, or if I am hiding at all? I wish I could have a more open mind and open my eyes more to the things that need attention to and action now. I wish I could just get up every morning and point everything out I see in a 360 degrees radius. I wish I could look around and count everything I see that is blue, or play eye spy as I did before. I wish I didn't have to wish. But I guess no eye-spy fairy exists anyways, otherwise I would have won those games with my friends more easily than I did.

If my younger self could talk and give advice to me he would say something like this… Sachin, you need to look up more because the world is more amazing and spectacular when you look around. Forget about time and being somewhere and get bored of being bored and witness life’s most beautiful things. Why play eye spy when you can’t look up from a computer screen. Go for a walk and point things out like you used to before. Have a staredown with the squirrel that always murdered the birdfeeder. Look up at the birds in the trees, just don’t try to get pooped on. Do things today that you won’t be able to do in 30 or 60 years. Be a teenager and live each day knowing that when you are an 80-year-old grandpa or even great-grandpa because everyone who knows me knows I am very great.

Be that great-grandpa that may not be able to run anymore, but can always think back to me as a teenager and always looking around. I could ask myself if I looked up enough and if it was worth it or not. But I guess I will find out when the time comes.

Look around everyone, life is more colourful than you may think it is. The world is better when you look around.

Thank you.

This Teenage Life With Sachin Podcast

A Proclamation for Peace and Support for Ukraine

by Van Carlton Shanahan
(Jackson MS America )

Russia invaded Ukraine early Thursday morning. It’s speculated that a man in his military attire upon the border fleeing was the first image captured depicting the start of a war. Later, a video was posted by a civilian woman recording the turmoil on the horizon. Within seconds, the roaring of planes soon transformed into a daunting whistle of a projectile that breached the house. The cries of a child are heard in the background. The mother hollers as she rushes to her child to ensure their safety. To this, I ask, what was the goal here? For what reason must innocent civilians be attacked?

There is no rhyme or reason for such casualties upon the nonmilitary. Bombarding innocent civilians and Putin’s call to war was unnecessary as Ukraine posed no threat. It is a war for property, and it could have remained diplomatic. Ukraine gained its independence from Russia in 1991. Ukraine presented no threat since so why must it be such an ordeal to begin warfare? I stand with the Russians who protest against the war expressing the utmost amount of courage. I stand with the rest of the people who share similar ideals like mine, and I pray they stay resilient. Guerilla warfare has begun throughout major cities of Ukraine. Men bid their wives and children farewell to defend their home, and some women have taken up arms for such a pointless war. Yet, I admire their courage. Now I ask you, how might we as a people present courage and support those in need?

Ukraine has opened a way for others to donate to their military all they can access. One may support an organization assisting Ukraine such as Voices for Children, CARE, and Razom for Ukraine. If prayer may be your method, pray for the safety and strength of the Ukrainians in their plight. Spread the word of peace. Words have been proven to be powerful, but words cannot be alone. One’s voice cannot hold near the power it can with hundreds of voices behind it. Let us come together as people and combine our voices with the world. Spread messages of peace, pray for those in need, and hope for a brighter future for Ukraine and the world.

- Thank You.

Be Your Own Playwright

by Kartikeya V
(India)

Hello everyone! This is Kartikeya- a Computer Science student from India.

I've always has a fancy with dramas and in fact this interest towards the theatre has given me an opportunity to interact with a couple of experienced dramatists too. It is estimated that there are approximately two hundred thousand actors in this world but according to me, this is merely an underestimate. The number of actors is much large for the people sitting next to us do show such traits even though they may be pursuing other occupations. Even the people who think they do very monotonous jobs or the jobs that lack any exciting work show skills that are no less than the ones shown by professional dramatists.

I have this intuition that drama or acting is a trait that we’ve inherited by Human Evolution or it might be a necessity that the society rubbed upon us. Emotions, facial expressions and the tone of speech are very often faked these days just to meet the commitments of the market. It is also very unfortunate to see that this ability to kill our genuine emotions and to glorify the ones that are faked is being appreciated by the society.

Faking happiness in the deepest misery, laughing when your heart actually calls for a tear, having a stern face even after joy surrounds your inner mind etc. may have many adverse effects on health as humans are supposed to express themselves and not imitate or replicate something but are to manifest it in a beautiful way.

Being a dramatist, I’ve understood how interesting yet excruciating and mentally exhausting the life of an actor is. Portraying the lives of a trillion people and their emotions, the struggles in their lives might sound very tough but this isn’t worse than the ones faking emotions for just better gains. The time of enacting is fixed in the case of the former but the latter have to overlook their individual ideas or emotions to just satisfy their needs and expectations.

This reminds me of a stanza of my poem- “Behind the Disguise”

“I’ll have to laugh and cry when the playwright demands
And the soul of the character does possess my body
Lived a thousand lives and a trillion emotions
But overlooked my existence and personal notions.”

It is essential that we’re supposed to express our emotions on our interest and they shouldn’t be dictated or forced by someone upon us. We have to be our own playwright- just to prevent a third person to tamper the most beautiful play that is our life. So, I would like to emphasize-
Be your own playwright!

Student Council President Speech

by Julia Laznik
(Rhode Island)

Hello everyone! My name is Julia Laznik, and I'm running for student council co-president.

You might be asking yourself, "Should Julia be one of the student council co-presidents? After all, she's only been at our school for three years."

I am indeed relatively new to Gordon. At first glance, this is a disadvantage. However, I didn't attend this school for the lower school, and I've only known most of you for a couple of years, but I can definitely say that I know my way around middle school.

I know it can be difficult sometimes, and I want to ensure everyone's experience as a middle schooler is as memorable and fun as possible next year.

I may not be the most well-known person running for student council president, but I will listen to each and every one of you and try my best to improve everyone's upcoming year at Gordon.

Vote Julia for President of the Student Council!

Staying Optimistic in Challenging Times

by Connor Solace
(Sugar Land TX)

Someone who can not understand true pain cannot understand true peace. So says manga author and artist Masashi Kishimoto, most famous for Naruto.

Although Naruto and everyone he encounters in the series is a ninja. The stories are filled with fighting. Naruto himself is quite the optimist. He realizes that our most challenging times have the potential to make us stronger. In one book, he explained this about losing his parents. He said, "I couldn't understand what a parent's love was like because you were never there, so I could only guess. But now I know I live because you gave your lives for me and filled me up with love… So here I am, happy and healthy! I'm glad I ended up being your son" Naruto is also quoted as saying, "If somebody told me I'm a failure, I'd prove them wrong, and if you don't like the hand that fate's dealt you with, fight for a new one."

Unfortunately, it's not just in comic books that youth, or everyone, faces difficulty. The past two years have caused a lot of us to grow up faster than anticipated. News of the pandemic, perhaps the most devastating event in our lives, is everywhere. Stephen LaConte, wrote, "There's no denying that the COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed life as we know it. From the ways we work to the ways we shop and socialize (and don't socialize) with each other — almost nothing in our lives looks like it did at the start of 2020."

While many of these lifestyle changes are undeniably for the worse, just like Naruto, our struggles can be positive catalysts when paired with Optimism. Life is like a book; if you read it upside down-it doesn't make sense, but if you flip it around, it gives you a whole different story. Sometimes, the opportunity in challenging times depends on how you look at it.

That's not to say that just telling ourselves everything has an upside and all will be okay is all it takes. We are all dealing with real, significant hardships. Author Kristin Wong in the New York Times wrote, "it seems laughable to suggest Optimism right now. Maybe you're worried about losing your job, losing your home, or losing a loved one. Maybe you already have. Maybe you're worried about your own health, and maybe you feel helpless or doomed. Whatever it is, Optimism feels like a luxury that few of us can afford.

She states, "Optimism doesn't require you to sweep anxious, negative feelings under the rug. It's not about smiling when you don't feel like it. Optimism is simply being hopeful about the future, even when the present feels negative. It requires you to acknowledge your positive AND negative emotions simultaneously and allow them to exist simultaneously.

We get ourselves in trouble when we don't acknowledge the truth of what we're going through. It's essential to seek help and care for ourselves in challenging times. Naruto lost his parents. Covid almost took mine. And I know some of you had similar, or worse, experiences. At a minimum, we are still adapting to the disruption that has happened in our lives recently. Many of us are dealing with challenges related or not related to Covid that perhaps no one even knows about. Optimism is not pretending hard things didn't happen. It's being there for each other, seeing the opportunity in even the worst of times, and having faith that we will, eventually, be okay.

It's realizing that our challenging times may be gifts. Gifts no one wants, and perhaps gifts we would return if we had the chance, but gifts nonetheless. Staying optimistic in challenging times means being open to the opportunity these gifts present and embracing them.

In the words of Naruto, "Failing doesn't give you a reason to give up, as long as you believe."

Thank you.

The Pursuit of Happiness

by Yana
(The Netherlands)

Hello everyone, I would like to talk about something so obvious, but still many of us don't know the true meaning of it. I'm referring to happiness. The definition of happiness is the state of wellbeing characterized by strong emotions like intense joy. But, for many people, this explanation is a bit vague, and that's why they create different interpretations of what it means. For some people, happiness equals money or fighting for your country while others say it comes from gaining knowledge or getting a better social position. But I believe that true happiness can be found within and whenever you want it. Happiness isn't getting an award or getting a ten on a test. Happiness is right in front of you. The only thing you have to do is allow yourself to feel it.

On our planet, there are more than 1.5 million different species. But what if told you that the one thing we have in common is the feeling of happiness. Not only we all feel it, but we also share it. The most common example of us sharing happiness with other species is when you have, for example, a dog or a cat. It's always nice that when you come home, you can cuddle up with them and share happiness. Because happiness isn't all about making progress in life and accomplishing something special, it can be found in everything you do, and that makes you feel good. Throughout the years, there have been many different studies about if animals feel happiness. The one thing they found is that animals feel the same things but express it in a different way. When, for example, a tiger feels comfortable and happy, it will squint or close its eyes because losing vision means your lowering your defense while we as humans would smile or laugh.

Now that you know that we're not the only ones experiencing happiness, I would like to talk about ways that you can feel or experience it. Some people seek glory, and others want wealth while a third one would go to obtain some more knowledge. I believe that none of these three people are truly happy; they would still have to live with the burdens of life that their choices bring with them. They're not feeling happiness. They are feeling pleasure. Pleasure only lasts for a short amount of time, while happiness is everywhere where you want it to be.

I'm not saying that it's impossible to feel true happiness. On the contrary, I'm saying that happiness is all around us. You just have to find a way for yourself to feel it. In my life, there have been many delighting, exciting, and cheerful moments. And my first memory in which I remember that I was truly happy was when I was about the age of five, and I went to an amusement park with my family. We spent the entire day in the park, and I couldn't have been happier. Of course, I was younger there, and I was happy with everything that entered my path, but it is the small details that make it a day to never forget. We've all had these kinds of days and we've all had ups and downs but we're still so young and the one thing I want you to remember for the rest of your life is that true happiness doesn't depend on who you're with or what you're doing it depends on if you're willing to feel it.

So, in conclusion, the one thing that has shaped our world to the one we know today is happiness. I believe that happiness is available to anyone at any moment at any place. I believe that we're not the only ones experiencing it. Everybody experiences it differently, but in the end, it is the same.

As Mahatma Gandhi once said:

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."

Thank you for listing to my speech.

As I Am

by Derek Gomes
(Maryland)

Don't tell me what's in, don't tell me how to write, don't tell me how to win this fight. It isn't your right, isn't your life, it isn't your right to take the only thing that's mine.

Love For Humanity Speech 💬 ❤

by L.
(USA)

USA Problems:
As a nation, we have been fighting amongst ourselves for generations. We wake each day with the attitude that I am better, greater- but in our actions as a country, we continue to prove otherwise. We are always living in the past, and our future seems hopeless. Other countries laugh at us and wonder how "they" can fight for their country when "they" can't stop fighting each other. Americans are killing other Americans all in the name of "Hate." Currently, the USA has the highest coronavirus cases. However, it is still focused on hating others because of their skin color instead of focusing on bringing this nation together, getting a better nationwide healthcare system that can benefit us all during these last days on this planet but every leader in this nation promises change promises to bring the American people together with unity and grace, but they have all failed at this.

LOVE:
The reason why is that this nation has allowed the media to emphasize the word Hate – but no one has allowed the media or the American people to talk about the one word all American people seem to fear, and that word is "L-O- V-E." This word can change hearts and move mountains. So not only do I think the American people can benefit from this speech, but the entire planet will benefit.

Before my speech, I would like to share a beautiful passage from Corinthians.

1. Love is patient,
2. love is kind.
3. It does not envy,
4. it does not boast; it is not proud.
5. It does not dishonor others, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, and keeps no record of wrongs.
6. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7. It always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres.
8. Love never fails.

Try Love:
I don't understand why people have so much Hate in their hearts for each other why can't they try love for once in their life? There's good, bad, ugly, and pretty in the entire human race. Being good does not depend on your skin color, religion, or wealth. It depends on how well you treat others. We are all humans, we all bleed red, and we all have feelings and emotions.

Human Life:
Why can't people be proud of life in general, regardless of skin color? Think about this, my human friends: what's a black person? What's a white person? What's a brown person etc.? Why can't we all be called human beings from Earth- Earth people? There's a purpose and a reason we were placed on this planet. We call Earth a planet that is so Amazing that it hangs upon nothing at all. I don't know about you, but I want to respect the creator of this Universe by loving my fellow humanity. Let me open up your hearts/minds and educate you, my human friends. Earth is just a tiny planet out of billions of planets in this milky way galaxy, and there are countless more planets beyond this galaxy. Think outside the box and stop thinking about skin color. If it was meant for humans never to find or see each other, it would not have happened in the first place. No planes, boats/ships, or any means of transportation would have led us to each other. The different human races could have been placed upon different planets many light years away/apart, never to discover each other's existence. This shows you that to the Almighty creator of this Universe, we are all the exact specs of dust, nothing more here today and gone tomorrow. Life is not promised to any of us, so why carry on in Hate when love is so much easier?

Just as we are born into this world, we will also die, whether we die young, middle-aged, or old, it's bound to happen, but why would you want to go to your deathbed with so much Hate in Your Heart, not knowing what happens to the soul or spirit after death. Why would you give so much negative energy to hating someone based on skin color alone when your very own life is not promised to you, nor do you control your destiny in this life we live? It is temporary, but life with God is eternal. A perfect example would be the senseless beating and killing of Ronald Greene, who was beaten to death by Louisiana state troopers.  Master Trooper Chris Hollingsworth, who took part in this murder, was heard saying in a recording that "he beat the living f word out of him" ( Ronald Greene). That same State Trooper ended up losing his own life in a car accident a year later; what do you think happened to his spirit? Did he control his own destiny? How do you think he responds to the Almighty God about what he did to Ronald Greene? Do you think he told the Almighty Creator of all human life that he beat the living f word out of Mr. Green? The Almighty God's word says, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Romans 12:19.
Think about the Unknown and stop thinking about hating others- that's nonsense. In the words of the late great Nelson Mandela, "If they can be taught to hate, they can also be taught to love."

Sin:
Unfortunately, as humans, we are born into a world of sin & imperfection, just as through one man, sin entered this world and death through sin. Sin makes me think of the devilish sinful words of those three police officers in North Carolina that found joy in saying, "We are just going to go out and start slaughtering them f------ n------," then adding the word God to it by saying, "God I can't wait." These same officers claim to be Christian conservatives, but nothing about their actions shows them as a Christian matter of fact, that's not God's way; they are the pure example of fake Christians; they act as if they worshipped God, yet they do not let God's power work in their lives. Keep away from people who claim to love God but hate their neighbor 1 John 4:20 Contemporary English Version says, "But if we say we love God and don't love each other, we are liars. We cannot see God. So how can we love God if we don't love the people we can see? Those three officers are not men of God, nor do they love God. These men's behavior is from Satan, the Devil Lucifer himself. If they truly love God, they would love their neighbors regardless of skin color. They may not see the black race as human. Beneath them, the lowest of the low, but the Almighty Creator of this Universe is closer to the lowly ones. His word says: Matthew 20:16, "So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen." Remember How the Almighty God dealt with the Egyptians when they would not let his people go. You may not love or accept us, but the creator of this Universe, do you see there's neither Greek nor jew, enslaved person nor the free person in his eyes? We are all the same race, the human race. In the beginning, they said, let's make man in our image; we all came from the same source of life. I say to you, blessed are the blind eyes who cannot judge others that they have not yet seen on the basics of skin color alone- for even they know how to treat someone as an individual.

Love for Mankind Conclusion:
You might think you're incapable of loving others that appear different from you but think of the proverb that says Hate stirs up conflict, but love covers all wrongs. I love you, my human brothers and sisters, no matter your skin color or religion, but can you say the same? Ask yourself if you can say the same. Remember, Hate comes from Lucifer, also known as Satan, better known as the Devil, and Racism=Hate. Suppose you can't accept this message in this speech. In that case, I loudly tell you to take your actions up with your God because he had a purpose and a reason for creating such beautiful diversity in the human race. "To all the racist humans, I urge you to open your hearts and try love for once. 💕

Anger

by Robbie Clark
(Mangum, Oklahoma)

Boiling volcano, fixing to erupt at any moment
Starts slow, little things, easily irritated
Gets faster, little things turn into big things, always irritated
Starting to overflow
A ticking time bomb
You warn them, you try to tell them
Who listens?
Your alone with this anger
Its starting to take control
How long till you explode and lose your shit?
Trying to avoid it and shove it down deep
But you know it's any moment now
You start to isolate yourself, stopped eating, sleeping nonstop
Avoiding people at all cost
Don't want to explode on them, don't show them your dark side
Tell your parents?
Ha, your fine they say
They don't listen just like everyone else
You slowly start losing it
Getting mad at friends, yelling at them, scaring them
Next thing you know your punching and smashing things
It explodes
What do you do now?
No one will listen
Can't shove it down anymore, it's all coming up and fast
Arguing with your parents, slamming doors
But they still say your fine
You're fine?
But your screaming for them to listen, to hear you
Nothing is helping
You turn to weed and drinking
It numbs you
That's the only way for you to avoid all the anger you have
Yet they tell you that your being stupid and your a bad kid
But you tried telling them and they didn't listen to you
You start coming home late and leaving early to avoid them
Sneaking out
Anything to get away
But it follows you

Weird inventions

by lucia randle
(The rocks New South Wales Australia )

Weird gadgets

Hi.

Today I am going o talk about some weird gadgets that I find pretty odd and wacky. There are definitely a lot of weird inventions, so these are just a few of my favourites. I hope you enjoy this informal but informative speech.

Have you ever wanted to take the "bike riding" out of bike riding? Well, there's an invention to do that, the foot-powered bike. Yes, you're right, the foot-powered bike. There's a strap similar to the one you would wear on the hair raiser attached to you. Then, wheels are clipped onto the back, and all you have to do is walk to ask someone why they would want to lug a heavy set of wheels behind them would you give this a try.

Well, I know this is about gadgets, but what about some weird food. Who has eggs for breakfast sometimes? Well, instead of your normal eggs, how about a one-hundred-year-old preserved egg. Yeah, it's true, a century egg. I have to admit I am skeptical about an egg that has been around longer than me on my plate. The egg is a black blob with green swirls and remains its egg-like texture. I think I would rather a normal egg. But, it is popular in Japan and an expensive dish at Japan's fancy dining restaurant Sokyo. Disclaimer: do not let an egg sit somewhere for one hundred years; that is not a good idea.

Would you like to invent a weird and wacky invention to solve your everyday problems? Well, draw. Here's how it all starts. With a piece of paper, draw down all your ideas. And, have a go at making a model out of items such as cardboard, paper, coins, pins, string, straws, and recyclable material, and you've basically just invented something. See, it's pretty simple now all you need is an idea some inspiration, but I'll leave that up to you.

Sometimes if you are sick and need to sneeze, avoid a walk to the nearest tissue box. Just get the tissue pillow. This regular pillow isn't so typical. It has a rubber tissue box that varies in colour attached to it. Specific models come with the Velcro that can be unattached when you don't want the accessory, so it's not pointless. But, do you need a tissue with your pillow or not?

What about down mop shoes to make cleaning just that little bit more fun? No need to sulk when you have to mop up. It's just an excuse to slide around on slip on your mop shoes. They are like slippers with a soft plush material covered in the mop fabric on the outside to clean up any spills. Just be careful you don't fall over. Anyway, this is a way to be active while you clean. What do you think?

In conclusion, there are definitely some bizarre inventions out there. And those are some of my favorites. I hope you enjoyed this informal presentation and are inspired to invent something. Thanks for listening.

Why Do We Need Feminism?

by Lilly
(England)

What is feminism, and why do we need it?

Feminism is a series of mass movements, progressive movements, and philosophies that seek to identify and establish the political, economic, sexual, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism is not about making a sliding scale on who's worse off; it's about studying and realizing how injustice affects both men and women and recognizing that we should all be in this together. True equality should not leave anyone behind, nor should it make anyone feel unimportant or unheard. Some people believe that feminism is about creating a matriarchal culture in which women are expected to be superior to men. This, on the other hand, could not be farther from the reality. These misunderstandings are at the heart of the arguments as to why feminism is really needed.

Hundreds of thousands of people think feminism's target is impractical and discriminates against men due to their lack of information on the topic. The progressive group of people who take this ignorance to its logical end call themselves "meninists," even though they are clearly misogynists mocking feminism who have little to no factual knowledge of the actual actions and ambitions of feminists.

Imagine a world where every man aspires to be the first male leader of his country. These men are often fed up with females earning more money for doing the same work as them. They have to repeatedly tell women that they are uninterested in them, but their reaction is not appreciated, and they could even be physically or sexually abused as a result. Despite the fact that these men struggle with all their might against the oppressive gender norms and ideas that surround them, they are seen as helpless and substantially useless by the rest of the community. Imagine a world where the same thing that I just described happens to women instead of men. It is the universe in which we actually live.

As a society, we should work together to ensure that all women have control of their bodies, which includes somethings such as making abortion legal. Not all pro-choice advocates will get an abortion; they merely agree that women, not the government or anybody else, should have the freedom and right to choose to make those decisions about their own body. Other major challenges to women's safety and well-being include rape culture and slut-shaming. Too many rape victims are asked, "Well, what were you wearing?" but they ignore that the only reason the assault has occurred is because the victim's refusal to give consent in the situation was ignored.

Studies show that approximately 85,000 women in the UK are raped every year and over 400,000 are sexually assaulted & 7.5% of people have experienced some type of sexual assault and have reported it, before the age of 16 which is equivalent to 3.1 million victims. This statistic reveals that women are slightly more likely than men to be sexually abused, attacked, or raped; however, this is not meant to trivialise cases involving men. To further put this in perspective, only about 25% of these crimes are reported to the police.

Many people will say or ask things like "What about male problems like high suicide rates and false rape charges?" or "Feminism is just sexist against men." The perception that men are much less likely than women to seek help for mental health issues is directly attributed to their considerably higher suicide rate. This is because they were raised in a society where they were not encouraged to openly share their feelings owing to the fact that it was considered a feminine characteristic and if they were to show any 'unmanly' emotion, they were shunned for it. Feminism aims to eliminate both gender roles and inequity, thus benefiting everyone, regardless of gender or sex. This suggests that problems like aggression and violence against men will be taken more seriously and they will no longer be associated with the notion of masculinity as invulnerability. In terms of false rape accusations, only between 2% to 5% of the sexual harassment accusations are false. Which means that women are telling the truth 98% of the time. And according to the latest evidence available, A man is 230 times more likely to be raped than to be falsely accused of rape. As unfortunate and illegal as false accusations are, expecting women to abandon their battle for freedom is unrealistic and dependent solely on the logically invalid passive aggressive and argumentative technique: what's the big deal. Finally, because of how oppression works, feminism cannot be sexist against men. It has a one-way, hierarchical flow from the top to the bottom, from a collective group at the top with social and cultural sanction to abuse authority. Patriarchy harms all - even men - but men cannot be victims of sexism as long as they have a position of social dominance that helps them to exploit women politically, economically, and morally.

Some may argue that "Women and men are biologically different, so how can they be equal?" Of course there are undeniable anatomical discrepancies between men and women, but men and women do not have distinct brains or different predispositions that aid them in different careers. Men and women are fundamentally similar in terms of appearance, cognitive capacity, and leadership potential, according to studies. Any distinction between men and women is a product of socialisation rather than genetics. For example, women aren't underrepresented in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) fields because they're "social caregivers" or have "maternal intuition." Their exclusion is most likely due to systemic obstacles, such as inequitable parental leave practises in the workplace, or the fact that 71% of female field researchers have received unwanted sexual comments, and 26% have undergone sexual harassment. If the counter to this argument regarding feminism is that men are stronger than women and can do roles that women cannot, that is faulty as well. Men and women have various types of physical strength: men have fast-twitch muscles, which are good for carrying and pushing large objects, while women have slow-twitch muscles, which give them stamina strength, which is good for things like assembly line work.

Feminism's benefits are for everyone in the world, and more people need to understand that it isn't just women who can be feminists. Such simple things like refraining from saying phrases like "boys will be boys" or "you throw like a girl" will further improve the feminism movement. These internalised feelings are what hold misogyny alive; if everyone takes a small step by excluding these phrases from their interactions, we can progress to bigger issues. Everyone must understand that even though they are just one human, they have an effect. Feminism's ideals of equality will only be realised if we all band together to combat sexism and misogyny.

This is why we need feminism.

Change is coming! BLACK LIVES MATTER

by Ella
(New Orleans, Louisiana, USA)

They are being killed
By the people who are supposed to protect them
They should feel safe, but how when the people who should be keeping them safe are the same ones killing them
We should be equal, but we are not
We should be the same, but you can’t say we are
When they are being treated unfairly
Because of the color of their skin
They should be able to wear hoodies outside at night
Or play outside with a toy gun
Without being killed
This has gone on for far too long
this never should’ve happened
But it did, and it must end now

Self Confidence

by Zamaphemba Mbhele
(Ladysmith)

There is more to self-confidence than we can ever think. One would define self-confidence as believing in yourself, which is not wrong, but I believe that self-confidence is a combination of self-love, value, and appreciation.

If you do not love yourself, you cannot be confident enough! If you do not value yourself, you will find yourself inferior to everyone surrounding your circle.

The day you learn to value yourself is when your confidence will be boosted. The day you learn that there is no other you in this world is the day that you will discover your uniqueness!

When you pass a bunch of girls and hear them saying nothing behind your back. It simply means that there is nothing they envy or idolize in you, but if you pass them and hear them whispering behind your back, just know that you have worked on your self-confidence.

Damn, girl! You are gorgeous. Why don't you walk with your chin up? Let your walk represent you to the world. Rather be called a narcissist than living to impress people who do not value you. The day you gain your confidence is the day you will find yourself perfect! Love yourself! Focus on you. Do You! Do what makes you happy. At the end of the day, it's you against the whole world!

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